Episode 3: Ghosts of the Past
Chapter 12: Resurgence
Thane felt himself slipping back into consciousness. He nearly opened his eyes but something in the back of his head, some instinct honed from his years of experience warned him to keep them closed. The drell heard the faint sounds of someone breathing. Slowly, the assassin allowed his eyes to roll up, catching a glimpse of light through the special translucent membrane on his lower eyelids, a trait common to his species.
He cracked one eye open just enough to catch sight of a batarian mercenary wearing blue and white armor. Blue Suns. How had he gotten here? The drell struggled to wrest the memories from his tattered mind. He could recall stepping into the observation probe. He remembered using a special program he'd prepared for emergencies to launch it and mask the discharge from the ship's computer. The trip in the pod had been excessively hot, nearly fatally so, and he had passed out somewhere around halfway down.
Thane became aware of a dull ache in his right arm. The sensation was all too familiar, his limb was broken. A soft hiss announced the presence of a new individual in the chamber. Krios could hear the voice of another drell asking if he was awake, followed a few moments later by the doors' soft 'swoosh'.
The assassin felt a hand on his shoulder and the other drell spoke again. "It's been a while, boss."
Krios had to consciously avoid moving; the voice was familiar but he couldn't expose the fact that he was awake, not until he knew more.
The other individual gently shook the assassin's good shoulder, prompting Thane to open his eyes, but received nothing more than a light stirring. "Wake up brother, we have things to discuss."
Thane's eyes snapped open. "Myrik? !"
Shepard nearly kicked himself for not having thought of it earlier. Thane's son was the one thing left in the galaxy that could possibly explain the mysterious departure. On a hunch, he'd had EDI access the Normandy's communication logs and found that the drell had indeed received a communiqué from the citadel. The message was unencrypted and consisted of only a single, curved mark with two flanges running from the top and a small glyph attached to the outer edge.
None of the crew could identify the marking, though Mordin had pinned it as being a drell or hanar symbol of some sort. It was time to pay Captain Armando Bailey a visit. Shepard left his cabin and took the lift to the CIC. Yeoman Chambers saluted as he stepped from the lift onto the command deck. Before he had even reached the star chart, Joker's voice piped over the comm.
"Commander, We're getting a general distress signal from Charybdis station, one of their IDWS probes."
Shepard winced. IDWS or 'Immediate Deployment Warning System' probes were almost never launched unless their home station's communications systems were jammed or destroyed, both of which almost invariably signaled hostile activity. Space stations didn't have natural disasters to silence their comms. "What's the message Joker?"
"Most of it's garbled, something about unidentified hostiles."
That didn't sound good. Bailey would have to wait. "Alert the crew and set a course. Get us there ASAP."
"Aye, Aye. ETA to Charybdis station, twenty-three minutes."
Charybdis station was shaped like a gargantuan, flattened funnel orbiting the pastel-rose colored gas giant Mitane. The shipyard had been operating under Alliance ownership for three years, after having been purchased from the asari and refitted a year later.
Long, thin spines radiated from the station's perimeter, connecting to a small wing of frigates and gunboats that were currently being serviced. Shepard watched the ivory-blue station growing in the cargo hold's view-screen, its bizarre shape true to its mythological Greek namesake.
Even from this distance, he could see the station exchanging fire with an enemy cruiser. Shepard's blood ran cold as the Normandy closed the gap and the outline of the enemy vessel became clear.
The ship's entire length was covered in asymmetric metal panels, giving it the appearance of a makeshift flying can. Massive 'stone' modules rotated around the front of the cruiser, extending beyond its forward guns. The ship's design was all too familiar to the Commander.
Tali watched Shepard's face. She knew what he must be thinking. The last time the Normandy had engaged these aliens, she'd nearly died. Everyone in the cargo hold could sense his cold apprehension, despite his expressionless countenance.
That was not to say they were surprised. Everyone was unnerved by the aliens' sudden reappearance. EDI had anticipated the possibility of additional Collector installations and population centers, but had deemed the destruction of their 'home-world' base a crippling blow.
Joker crackled over the comm. "Uhhh Commander, that looks like a Collector ship. Do you wanna call for backup?"
Shepard wanted nothing more than to put as much distance between them and the Collector ship as physically possible, but he knew his duty. "Send the message Joker, but we can't wait, take us in."
EDI's hologram sprang into view at the hold's forward projector. "Shepard, internal scans indicate the presence of Collector infantry aboard Charybdis. Their progress into the station suggests they are attempting to disable weapons and life support."
The Commander closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "We'll take the Hammerhead in; EDI, you and Joker will have to deal with the cruiser."
Tali stepped up to his side. "You're going to leave me here aren't you?"
Shepard looked away. Images of the Collector base resurfaced in his head. A cold hand gripped his heart. She'd be in danger whether she stayed aboard the Normandy or not. "Tali, I-" For once, the Commander made no attempt to raise his emotional shield as he answered her. "I won't try to stop you from coming, but I won't be able to keep my head on straight if you do," he whispered.
The quarian could see the fear in his eyes, the concern for her safety, the anger at being unable to keep his thoughts and surroundings in control. He looked down. "It's something I should be able to master, to keep in line."
Tali mulled over his words, an old conversation surfacing in her mind. "You're only human, just remember that. You told me yourself, on the first Normandy, you rely on a higher power." Her voice was slightly subdued, but firm. "Remember that. You were at peace then."
Shepard said nothing.
"I'll stay, if you want me to." Her voice was quiet.
"I'd prefer it."
Tali nodded definitively. "Kill some of the Ruuka for me."
The M-44 Hammerhead blasted into Charybdis' 18th docking bay. Two scions spun to face the assault craft and were greeted by a barrage of high-explosive missiles. Blue-black gore erupted from their heavy armor as the bulbous creatures withered under the hail of explosives.
"Incoming husks detected." The M-44's VI noted. Shepard steered the vehicle to draw a bead on the new hostiles. A quick volley of H-E shells detonated in the midst of the advancing horde, propelling wet bits of flesh and cybernetics outward in a blue-grey cloud.
"All hostiles in the landing bay have been cleared."
Shepard popped the hatch and swung out of the vehicle, scanning the area despite the VI's 'all-clear'. The Commander's caution paid off as a Collector drone bee-lined for the hammerhead, firing an assault rifle. Shepard launched into a run, sprinting for a nearby shipping container. The shots stitched a line along the bulkhead, trailing centimeters behind the Commander. Shepard waited for the fire to stop, spun on his heel and opened up with his Carnifex heavy pistol.
The Collector's skull fragmented as the slugs tore into its brain and John watched the alien's body spin to the landing bay floor. Legion leapt from the M-44 and sighted on the hangar's catwalks, checking for any additional hostiles. "Maintenance ways clear," it called, as Miranda joined them on the metal deck.
Shepard signaled her towards the bay doors across the room and directed Legion to the security panel to their right. EDI filtered in through his headset. "Grunt, Garrus and Jack report no hostiles in docking bay 21. Shall I tell them to proceed?"
The Commander clicked his comm, "Tell them to go-ahead EDI."
Shepard and Miranda took up positions on either side of the door and waited for Legion to signal the all clear. A second later, the geth's voice provided the update. "Light resistance, two husks, one drone."
"Open it."
The hangar doors slid open to reveal the hostiles Legion had indicated, all three with their backs turned. Before the aliens had a chance to react, Miranda charged a biotic push and catapulted them into the back of the hall. Shepard moved in, followed immediately by Miranda and shortly by the geth.
"We're in."
EDI relayed the message to Garrus' squad and Shepard advanced down the narrow corridor, stopping occasionally in one of the door jambs to let Miranda or Legion advance before repeating the process.
Garrus let Grunt take point as they advanced through the station while Jack brought up the rear. The turian quickly found that the Krogan's bulky form obscured his vision to the front, and settled himself with watching their flanks. Jack remained silent until the group came across their first signs of battle.
"Just like my cell" The room was nearly black, only the faint flickering of a damaged, sparking light provided any illumination. Collector drones and human bodies alike were draped over various cover elements, accompanied by long dried streams of blood.
Grunt huffed and nudged one of the corpses with his foot. "Weak, this one only took three rounds."
A soft scratching sound wafted from one of the darker corners of the room and a pair of Alliance soldiers emerged from the shadows. "Corporal Dirk, Charybdis garrison Bronco. This is private Raine. Glad you're here to help. Those bugs have some nasty tech." He handed one of the Collector's beam weapons to Garrus, who stowed it on his back.
The turian nodded. "We'll take this back to the Normandy, maybe Mordin or Legion can make use of it. You two stay put, we're here to clean out the Collectors, you've done enough."
The Corporal shrugged. "Our orders were to hold the station for reinforcements. That means joining whoever comes to help us, but personally, I'm in no hurry to engage more of those things."
Vakarian thought for a minute, nodded his head, and gestured at Grunt. "We've got it handled. Just don't let any of 'em get in behind us."
The Corporal took one look at the turian and his companions gave a sharp nod. "Sure thing."
"Shepard Commander, motion tracking indicates more hostiles incoming."
John nodded and brought the team to a halt. Sure enough, he heard the moaning of husks as they drew closer to the door on the right. The first of the creatures entered the hall at the normal lope that was characteristic of the reanimated beings; it was likely that this group was little more than a patrol. Legion drew a line on the husk and fired its sniper rifle.
No sooner had the alien construct's head exploded than the entire group poured into the corridor at full force. Miranda unloaded her SMG as the blue-grey onslaught pressed forward. It didn't take long for Shepard to realize that this group of husks was far more than a small patrol. Despite the volume of fire being unloaded in their direction the enemies pressed deeper into the hall, oblivious to pain or the dismemberment they suffered.
Shepard felt the steady cadence of the assault rifle as it unloaded into one of the abominations, seemingly boiling holes through its body. Flecks of metal, skin and cybernetic fluid sprayed from the oncoming horde as his team rained gunfire down the hall.
The assault rifle beeped in his hands and spat out the spent clip, chirping for another. John wrenched another heat sink from his belt and slid it home, resetting the firearm's digital ammo display from a pair of blinking red zeros to a green '50'.
The Commander raised the rifle to find a husk staring at him point blank. Before he could fire, the cyborg levered a heavy blow to his side, nearly breaking its arm on his chest-plate. Shepard staggered back and loosed a hail of accelerated slugs at the abomination, slicing into its torso and spewing grey-blue ichor on the ground behind it.
The husk collapsed to the ground as a pair of its comrades reached Miranda.
John jerked his arm upward and the husks were lifted from the ground, only to be violently catapulted into their brethren a moment later, accompanied by a concussive wave of sheer biotic power.
The legs of the husks turned into a dull blue powder as the force of the attack ripped through their ranks. Miranda cast the Commander an approving glance as the last of their number toppled to the floor. "Thanks for that."
"Now you see why I wear armor." Shepard smirked and proceeded down the hall, signaling his companions to follow.
John nearly slipped as he passed through the slimy grey ichor left by the disemboweled husks. Just beyond the doorway, the facility's primary processing center stretched out before them. Human and Collector bodies alike lay across the tables, chairs, desks and conveyor belts. The once sterile white lighting of the chamber was dimmed at several spots, obscured by smoke and fire. Some of the lights in the ceiling were sparking or out altogether, hit by gunfire or shrapnel.
Long black scorch marks trailed the room, evidence of the collector's powerful particle beam weapons. A piercing trill sounded through the processing center. Miranda saw a long, sloped shell with rows of parallel ridges forming a washboard-like pattern along the center as it bobbed up and down slowly between metal and glass dividers.
"Damn it!" Shepard groaned, catching a glimpse of the alien's obsidian-blue skin. "That's a Praetorian."
Revision Note:
Again, not a whole lot that I was able to add/change in this chapter. Next one should see a fairly substantial addition, I hope. The little addition to the husk fight helped translate just how close the husks had gotten by the end of the fight much better than the original without it.
Original Author's Note:
This chapter was originally meant to be pretty combat heavy, but it turned out to be more of a build up for the next. The husk fight was a pain in the neck to write, I kept deleting sentences and paragraphs because they were too repetitive. Overall, I think the next chapter will be tougher to write, as the Normandy will be taking on the collector cruiser mano-a-mano in addition to the efforts to liberate Charybdis from the collector infantry.
