This-Fic Note: Biotic Shockwave = a single directed pulse of Biotic power; Biotic Shockwave-Chain/Chain-Shockwave = the in-game 'Biotic Shockwave' power, which does in fact release a rapid-fire chain of Biotic waves/blasts
SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS
PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES
-CHAPTER START-
Normandy II – Armory
"Commander" Jacob said as he noticed Shepard come in. "Sorry I'm a little unfocused. Personal matter; it won't affect my duties."
"The yeoman said you wanted to see me" Shepard replied. "What is this about, Jacob?"
"As I said, it's a personal matter. I don't wanna waste our time if it turns out to be a wild goose chase. But… Well, I got pinged by a ghost the other night – family."
"I'm listening."
"My private log got an update about the Hugo Gernsback, the ship my father served on. It sent an SOS last week, reporting a crash and requesting a rescue. …Shepard, that ship went missing ten years ago. I hadn't talked to my father for three years before that. I've buried everything but a body. I'm not convinced it isn't just some automated distress signal ticking over. It's been too long."
"I'd think you'd be more excited that your father might be alive."
"He wasn't around enough for me to have bad memories. It's an old, well-healed wound. But if he's actually alive and needs help… I also want to note that it's not normal procedure for distress calls to be routed to the Normandy. This was passed to my personal log through Cerberus filters."
"Any sign that this was a Cerberus front? Who passed this to you?"
"I doubt The Illusive Man would let a direct operation stay cold this long. If there's a link, it's probably just about money. Cerberus needs diverse holdings to fund projects like, well… you. And whoever sent this my way covered their tracks. Someone could be fishing for favors. Or thought it would get under my skin. Who knows with that bunch?"
"You didn't get along with your father?"
"He made no apologies, I'll give him that. You make a mistake, you own up to it, even if you keep making it. …Whatever problems we had were a lifetime ago. I've had ten years to get to where I am. And as far as I know, he's still a ghost."
"Tell me about the Hugo Gernsback and what it was doing."
"Privately-held frigate. I looked over the mission brief when it disappeared. Nothing stood out – typical research-and-grab operation. Find an uncharted planet, stake a claim, and establish as large a presence as you can as quickly as possible to shut out competitors."
"…I think we can spare the time. Pass the coordinates to Joker."
"I appreciate that, Commander. I don't expect more than dusty old bones, but it'll be good to close the record."
-SCENE BREAK-
Rosetta Nebula sector, Alpha Draconis System, 2175 Aeia
DATA: "Named after an Asari scientist, this remote planet appears to have been on the list of forbidden Mass Relays that led to uncharted space. The little data available comes from one far-off probe that reports two planets orbiting a white dwarf star. The Normandy-II's own scans yield far more interesting results. The planet is within the habitable zone of the star. It has oceans of liquid water and a thin nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere consistent with carbon-based plant life. It is possible this is an as-yet-unexplored garden world."
CODEX: "Humans detected Aeia as an Earth-type world via telemetry in 2165. After probe surveys indicated life – lush vegetation, ample fresh water, and breathable air – the Alliance upgraded the planet to a garden-world colonization priority. Commanded by Captain Harris Fairchild, the crew of Alliance survey vessel Hugo Gernsback made planetfall on the jungle world in 2173. Soon after, ship transmission inexplicably stopped. While the precise fate of the Hugo Gernsback command and crew is unknown, they are presumed killed in action and their vessel destroyed."
The UT-47 Kodiak shuttle flew in over grasses and trees, setting down not too far from a large shipwreck. From the dropship emerged Shepard, Jacob, Jack, and Asa Shigure / Sigma-6. Other than the two large moons in the sky, the planet looked remarkably Earth-like; the trees even looked a great deal like Terran palm trees. The beautiful view was, however, somewhat spoiled by the big, ugly, rusty wreck.
"I have run a scan of the ship" EDI radioed. "I detect no life signs, but there may be useful technology or information still inside."
"There it is" Jacob looked at the wreck. "And it's mostly intact. They could've survived impact… but it's been years."
The quartet started making their way towards the shipwreck.
"It looks like it was stripped after the crash" Jacob said. "They'd have tried to get a beacon up as soon as possible."
As they came closer, they noticed a male-pattern V.I. 'standing' near a ramp that led into a ship. Halfway between them and it was a partial journal log, which Shepard set to play:
"…along with this anymore" a male survivor's voice played. "We've done horrible things to the crew. The condition they're in, they don't understand what we're doing to them. Distract them for two seconds, and they forget what you did before the bruises show. It's got to stop. I'm talking to the others as soon as-*STATIC*"
"That's… ominous…" Asa muttered.
The team headed closer to the V.I., which was broadcasting a message:
"Repeat: Toxicology Alert. Danger of rapid neural decay. Local flora chemically incompatible with human physiology. Override: Beacon resumed. Pause time: eight years, 237 days, seven hours."
"From the looks of it," Shepard said as they walked close, "this beacon's been here a while. Why would you wait years to signal?"
"Pause in beacon protocol" the V.I. stated. "Eight years, 237 days, seven hours. Pause is recorded as: RECORD DELETED, by Acting Captain Ronald Taylor."
"That's not right" Jacob said. "My father was first officer."
"Ronald Taylor was promoted under emergency command protocols" the computer replied. "Other flagged issues: Unsafe Deceleration, Local Food and Neural Decay, Beacon Activation Protocols."
"Who's in command of this ship?" Shepard asked. "Where are the survivors?"
"Captain Harris Fairchild reported killed following unscheduled orbital descent. First Officer Ronald Taylor promoted in field to Acting Captain."
"But where is he now?" Jacob asked.
"The location of the remaining crew of the Hugo Gernsback is unknown. This beacon has been unattended for several maintenance cycles."
"I assume 'unsafe deceleration' refers to the crash" Shepard said. "Give me the details."
"Following an unspecified impact and sublight drive failure, the Hugo Gernsback made an unscheduled descent at 465% of theoretical recommended suborbital velocity. The Hugo Gernsback then decelerated at 782% of theoretical recommended approach velocity, sustaining significant damage to investment and crew."
"Local food impairs brain functions? What are the effects?"
"Impairment of mental function due to chemical imbalance begins within seven days of ingesting local flora, regardless of decontamination or preparation. Impact on higher cognitive abilities and long-term memory is cumulative, but significant within a standard month. It is not know if the neural decay is permanent. Data collection was not completed."
"Why wasn't this beacon activated before now?"
"This emergency beacon became functional after 358 days, 12 hours, following the unscheduled orbital descent of the Hugo Gernsback. Activation was triggered remotely after eight years, 237 days, seven hours, on the authority of Acting Captain Ronald Taylor. Pause in beacon protocol is recorded as: RECORD DELETED."
"Let's check the ship" Jacob said. "My father had the beacon for almost nine years. Maybe… that neural decay affected him."
"After this long?" Jack replied. "I don't see how not."
They headed across the nearby metal walkway and into the rusty, gutted ship. They found a trio of audio logs:
"…crash, you can't expect the luxury of due process," a woman's recorded voice said, "but this isn't a military ship. Just bumping the command line up a notch doesn't work. Captain Fairchild knew this crew. His replacement doesn't command the same level of respect. I'm hoping the man has it in him, but I doubt it."
"What… What was her name?" a different woman's panicking voice. "Sarah? S-Suzanne? My God, I can't remember! I can't remember her face! We need to get out… so I can remember, can think straight. They have to hurry."
"…always said no" a man's voice played. "She even threatened a report if I didn't stop sending messages. But now she's so innocent. They all are. And that look she gives when she smiles… It's sure easier now. What's the harm? We're stuck here, anyw*STATIC*"
They left the ship, feeling a tad unnerved by the implications, and continued past the beacon, down the shoreline. As they approached an area of several crates stacked about, a woman came out from behind them, looking at the group with astonishment. She was wearing old, dirty clothes, and overall she looked half-feral.
"You came? From the sky?" she asked excitedly. "The leader said someone would come! He delayed for so long, but he still has power! Some have lost faith. The hunters! They will have seen your star. They will not let you help him."
"What are you talking about?" Shepard asked. "You're not making much sense."
"I-I, uh… I don't remember how to say it. He's our… leader, and we serve so… we can go home. But some want to fight him. They were… They were cast out. He exiled them, so they hunt his machines and those who help him. They don't believe that-"
"Watch out!" Shepard shoved the woman out of the way of a gunshot, fired by a feral-looking man approaching from the other side of the beach. Several more appeared alongside him, adding their old guns' fire.
"Hunters!" the woman said. "They won't stop until the leader is dead!"
"Kill them!" the first feral man said. "Agents of the liar! He will not escape!"
Team Shepard took cover and opened fire. Shepard's Predator, Jacob's Avenger, Jack's Tempest, and Asa's Lancer were easily able to bring down the mentally-impaired feral hunters, their plainclothes offering no protection.
"So," Jack said, "is 'neural decay' a fancy politically-correct term for 'batshit crazy' now?"
"My father wouldn't let this go on" Jacob said. "Something is very wrong."
They kept moving up the beach path, soon coming apart a scrapped LOKI mech.
"It's been stripped for parts" Jacob said. "Tech's wearing out. Those hunters must be laying on the pressure. …Is that a settlement up ahead? They'd better be friendlier than the beach group. I need answers."
Indeed, there was an inhabited area up ahead, just beyond a rock arch, with people inside. The team moved forward, passing the arch and entering the camp. The people – all of them women – looked with curiosity at the team, with a few approaching.
"They're from the same group as the ones that attacked us," Asa said, "but these are docile."
"There aren't any men here" Shepard pointed out. "Maybe the neural decay affects genders differently – makes males get violent."
"Maybe" Jack replied. "But the woman on the beach said the exiled people came back as hunters."
"It doesn't matter right now" Jacob said. "One of these people must know what my father has to do with this!"
One of the women leaned away from Jacob, shocked. "You have his face!" she said. "He promised to call the sky, but he sends nothing."
"He forced us to eat" another said. "To… decay. You are cursed with his face!"
"Not the best reaction to the family resemblance, Jacob" Shepard remarked.
"Why would my father force his crew to eat toxic crew? Whatever's happening here needs to stop."
"…Father?" the feral woman said, with shock. "…You're the leader's son?"
"I haven't spoken to him in 13 years" Jacob replied. "That's three years before you people even came to this planet. I've thought him dead ever since he and you folk landed here 10 years ago."
"Then… you can't have been involved in what he's done" the second woman said. "You have his face, but your soul is cleaner than his. We'll let the others know you're not with him."
The two women walked away, heading for the other females.
"What hell is that?" Jack pointed at the metal altar in the center.
"…Someone had to push these people to make that" Jacob said. "That's borderline… worship."
"Mechs comin' from the other side!" Asa shouted, pointing to a pair of LOKIs approaching from the compound's far entrance.
"Your captain demands obedience" one said. "Weapons are forbidden."
The mechs started shooting. Team Shepard ran forward, Shepard destroying one LOKI with an Overload while Jack flattened another against a rock with a Biotic Throw.
"Please" one woman called out from near the passage. "Over here. You could end it." As the team approached, she looked at Jacob. "You… have his face. But you fight his… machines. You might stop this. This…" she handed him a datapad "I forget how to… read, but this was the start. What he promised, and what they did to us. We need the sky. Take us back to the sky."
"Jacob?" Shepard asked. "What does it say?"
"It's a crew logbook" Jacob replied. "Some of them thought the beacon repair was taking too long. They were afraid they'd run out of supplies and lose their minds to the decay. My father restricted the ship food for himself and the other officers so they wouldn't be affected. Everybody else had to eat the toxic food and hope for treatment later. The rest is a casualty list. A few people mutinied over the decision. My father and the officers turned the mechs on them."
"He wasn't command material, and it got to him. He couldn't keep the crew in line without violence."
"It didn't stop there. More incidents, harsh punishments… It's like they're cattle. Or toys. In a year, all the male crew members are flagged as 'exiled' or dead. They separated out the women; assigned them to officers like pets. And after the beacon is fixed, the officers appear among the casualties, too. After! My father took control and didn't stop it."
"Anything in there about whether the effects of the toxic food can be treated?"
"Nothing. But it seems like the right call. If everyone gets it, who's left to fix the beacon? You'd never get out. But they did fix it. And the signal wasn't sent until now. …I'm starting to see why."
"Does it give a specific reason why he separated the men and women? Or is it as bad as it sounds?"
"No, it turns to gibberish. Maybe the men got violent early on, but from the state of this place I'd say the 'hunter' thing is recent. What he allowed here, Shepard… I don't see any justification."
"We haven't seen any other officers. He killed them?"
"There were five after the crash: medical, engineering, bridge staff. Should've had no problem fixing the beacon and keeping people safe. All killed within the same week – about a month after the beacon was repaired."
"Do you see any explanation for this? He's your father."
"Is he? None of this fits. Maybe the initial decision, but the rest? Abuse of power doesn't get any clearer than this. I need to find this man."
They headed for the exit, Asa using a pulse of magical power to blast away the crates blocking their way. As they left the camp, they heard a voice over a nearby loudspeaker:
"This is Captain Ronald Taylor. Thank God you're here! My crew went insane; I only just got free!"
"God-damnit" Jacob growled. "It's really him. Just got free? He's covering his ass!"
Before long, they came across a trio of bodies – one old and desiccated, the others fresh.
"The old corpse was posed as a warning" Jack surmised. "The newer two were just gunned down and left where they fell."
"The hunters started fighting back" Jacob replied. "Good."
They moved up the pass and into another area full of machines and crates, and a pack of LOKI mechs attacked.
"Careful. I automated my defenses after the crew turned violent. They keep attacking! I had no choice."
"He had plenty of choices" Jacob replied as he took out a pair of LOKIs with his assault rifle. "It's a little late to blame his victims."
Shepard took out another LOKI with an Overload, while Jack's SMG and Asa's assault rifle helped take out the rest, the final one falling to a Lancer round through the optic sensor. They moved around and through the storage area, Jack using a Biotic Shockwave-Chain to kill a trio of LOKIs.
"I had to keep them busy, distracted, but it's getting dangerous. Thank God you've come!"
"He had his fun," Jacob said, "and now he wants out. Son of a bitch."
Another storage area was up ahead. As they approached, Shepard pulled out his Viper and started picking off mechs, with Asa moving up a little closer, aiming down her Lancer's sights, and assisting. Once the path was clear, they kept going, Jacob and Jack using their automatic weapons to gun down three more LOKIs. Up ahead was a pack of semi-feral men, accompanied by LOKIs and an YMIR.
"It took years to train my guards. I'm afraid you'll have to fight them to rescue me."
"Throwing people away…" Jacob growled. "This thing is not my father."
Team Shepard took cover as the "trained" guards opened fire on them. They picked them off one by one, Shepard taking out the enemy Engineer with an Overload/Viper-shot combo. When only the YMIR was left, Shepard hit it with an Arc Projector blast to down its shields, and then with a Biotic Charge to stun it and knock it back. Jack lunged forward with a full-strength Biotic Punch that caved the YMIR's chest in. It tried to feebly raise its weapon arm, only for Jacob to shoot it through the head.
"Enough with the toys" he said. "I need to look my father in the eye and hear him justify this."
The quartet moved through the sheet-metal 'gate' at the other end, heading down a short path to a platform that overlooked the ocean. Standing there was a single man who looked to be in his early-to-mid-50s.
"You're here!" Ronald Taylor said. "I knew a real squad would blow through just fine. Sorry if the mechs scuffed your pads."
Shepard walked past him, looking out at the sea.
"I'll get you something nice when we get back to Alliance space" Ronald Taylor continued. "I've gotta have some back-pay coming."
"What about your crew, 'Acting Captain'?" Jacob asked.
"Total loss. The toxic food turned them wild. They propped me up here in some kind of ritual behavior. Waiting for a chance to signal has been hell."
Jacob looked at him with disgust. "That's the best you can do?"
The older man looked to the Commander. "You let all your people talk back like that? …Uh… Who are you, exactly?"
"Commander Jason Shepard, CO of the Normandy II. I believe you are acquainted with Mr. Taylor."
"Taylor?" the old man turned to look at his son. "Jacob? …No, not Jacob."
"Why not me?" Jacob snapped back. "Would 10 years of this look better to anyone else in the galaxy?"
"Y-You have to understand. This isn't me. The realities of command, t-they change you. I wasn't ready for that. I made sure you were taught right. Before I left, I had hoped to leave it at that."
"I'm not unreasonable, 'Captain'" Shepard said. "But ten years? What happened?"
"Goddamn it, why did you do this to your crew?" Jacob nearly shouted.
Jack and Asa kept an ear on the conversation as they noticed a feral male approaching.
"There was resistance to the plan" Ronald replied. "Mutiny. We had to take a hard line to keep order. And things settled down. As the decay set in, we made sure the crew were comfortable. Some even seemed happier. Ignorance is bliss, right? And they were grateful for guidance, like an instinct. Pure authority was… easy. At first. Months in, the effect lowered inhibitions. They got territorial. Rank, protocol… they couldn't understand. We had to establish dominance. After a while, the 'perks' seemed… normal."
"That's it?" Jacob asked. "You created a harem and played king? Ten years in a juvenile fantasy?"
"I can't point to where it all went wrong. But when the beacon was ready, revealing what happened didn't seem like a good idea."
"What happened to the other officers?" Shepard asked.
"Anders found his conscience a little too late to step back. He had 'an accident'. Things got… tense. At the end of the day, I was the one with the mechs. I got a little basic in setting examples, but I was kind to my people once things settled down. Seemed like I'd earned some peace."
"You fought over people like they were toys" Jacob said. "Things."
"The stores from the ship couldn't last forever" Shepard said. "You had to know this would end one day."
"Dining for one can really stretch things out. Besides, I can think of a lot worse retirement plans than stripping down and joining the droolers. That was before the hunters, of course. Dumb or not, I'd feel it if they got their hands on me. They want blood. I'd prefer to keep mine."
"It's all about you" Jacob said with calm anger. "Everything."
"You didn't feel any responsibility to get out of here for the sake of family?" Shepard asked.
"I gave Jacob a good start. He was a smart kid and was better off not following me. We figured that out a long time before I took jobs in deep space. And after things escalated here, it seemed best to just disappear off the galactic map."
"Until you needed someone to save your ass" Jacob replied.
"What triggered the males to change and threaten you?" Shepard asked.
"This planet has some strange cycles to it. I've seen some plants around that I've never seen before, odd weather… Maybe some just adapted a little too well."
"And if you treat them like animals," Jacob said, "big shock, they become animals?"
"We can help these people" Shepard said. "Cerberus can have ships here in days and pull everyone out."
Jacob frowned as he drew his pistol, pointing it at his fallen father's head. "He's not worth the fuel to haul him out, or the air he's breathing. He's damned lucky I don't even think he's worth pulling the trigger." He lowered his gun, and looked Ronald in the eye with pure disgust and hatred. "I don't know who you are. Because you're not any father I remember."
"We'll secure him for an Alliance court" Shepard said. "For every year here, he'll have ten to think about it."
"Give him all the time in the galaxy. The man who did this doesn't know right from wrong."
"I'm sorry, Jacob" Ronald said as Jacob began walking away. "I did the best I could."
"I'm ten years past believing that."
-SCENE BREAK-
Normandy II – Hallway Outside Meeting Room
"Alliance ships are inbound to secure 'Captain' Taylor and his crew, Commander" Joker said over the hall speaker. "We'll be long gone by the time they get there."
"Don't even give 'em the taillights" Shepard replied with a grin.
"Roger that."
Shepard then walked into the briefing room, finding Jacob in holographic conversation with The Illusive Man.
"What do you mean, it wasn't you?" Jacob asked.
"Jacob," T.I.M. replied, "if I had leaked information about the Gernsback, I would be smiling at your resolution of the situation. …I am not smiling."
"Nothing goes through this ship – my ship – without a report to you" Shepard replied.
"I had no more reason to believe Jacob's father was alive than he did. But I'm happy to know the situation is behind you."
"Fine" Jacob said. "So you didn't forward it. Who did?"
"I did" Miranda replied as she stepped in as well.
"Figures" Shepard said. "Who else could get into Cerberus channels?"
"It was hardly classified" Miranda said. "Just obscure. There was a time when it mattered to you, Jacob. Sending this along seemed like keeping an old promise. I keep my promises."
"Miranda," The Illusive Man cut in, sounding a bit exasperated, "we'll discuss your liberal interpretation of security protocol in private. Shepard, Jacob."
He cut the transmission, 'returning' the trio to the meeting room. Miranda looked to Jacob, and then left.
"You good with this, Jacob?" Shepard asked.
"It's all bull, Shepard. 'Captain' Taylor can rot in prison – it doesn't change who I am or what I know. I've already mourned the man he used to be. I guess he was a good enough father that even he can't screw up what he taught me."
"You had no idea Miranda was behind this?"
"No. She's got a good memory. Selective, but good. I haven't thought about those days in a long time. Can't figure which promise she meant, though. Not sure I really wanna know. She… requires a better man than I."
"Come on. We've got work to do."
"Aye, Commander. …Shepard? Thanks for the help."
Shepard shook his hand. "Anytime, Jacob."
-SCENE BREAK-
Rosetta Nebula, Enoch System, Joab
DATA: "Joab is a two-mooned habitable planet that is most well known for its mass extinction event. Thousands of years ago Joab was home to a primate-like space-faring civilization as well as abundant flora and fauna. However, this can only be deduced from time capsules put into the ground well outside habitation centers - all cities and detectable dwellings were targeted in a massive orbital bombardment that turned them into vapor. The resulting dust shroud killed all photosynthetic life and all fauna dependent on it. Today, humans have re-colonized the planet and are rapidly introducing their own species, beginning with cyanobacteria and heterotrophic bacteria, to bring a suitable level of oxygen and nitrogen for respiration.
TRAVEL ADVISORY: Atmospheric pressure at sea level on Joab is double that of Earth. Visitors with upper-respiratory infections, emphysema, cancer, or a history of thoracic surgery should consult their physician before landing on Joab."
The Kodiak shuttle descended through the rocks, heading for the landing zone; according to Cerberus, the Blue Suns had seized control of this site, and now Shepard & company were going to take it back. As they flew in, a lone Blue Suns Batarian Legionnaire in shielded armor spotted them and then rushed inside. The Kodiak touched down, and out came Shepard, Thane, and – from the DDF – Agent (New) York. They ran out and took cover behind the rocks just as the enemy Batarian returned with a squad from inside. Shepard hit the Legionnaire with an Overload, stripping his shields away, and Thane then killed him with a shot from his Viper sniper rifle. Thane and Shepard then used their Vipers to thin the herd, with York killing the stragglers. With the way clear, they headed up to and through the door.
Another squad of Blue Suns troopers came out to meet them. Shepard sent out a Combat Drone and started picking off the distracted hostiles with his Predator pistol, with Thane and York adding their own pistols – an Alliance M5 Phalanx and a UNSC M6H Magnum, respectively – to the cause. Three more enemies appeared from the door at the top of the ramp at the far side of the room, but Shepard threw out a Singularity that left them helplessly flailing through the air in its gravity, and York took them out. Before heading up the ramp, Shepard inspected a computer terminal that held two messages:
"Commander Santiago: Hope you are doing well. We require your services once again in the transport of ourselves, our equipment, and our recovered artifacts. I have dispatched our representative to meet with you regarding the details of the transportation. Given the sensitive nature of our cargo, we expect discretion in this matter. –Dr. Farrin, Chief Researcher, ExoGeni Special Products"
"Dr. Farrin: Of course you can count on us to offer you escort and transportation. We have sent men and ships your way in good faith. –Commander Vido Santiago, Co-Executive Officer, Blue Suns"
The trio headed up the ramp and then down the other side to another door. This led to another room with a few Blue Suns operatives, including a Turian wearing shielded heavy armor, and a human with energy shields and a Lieutenant's insignia. Thane and York started picking off the basic unshielded troopers, while Shepard hit the armored Turian with an Overload to take out his shields. The Turian's heavy assault rifle battered Shepard's shields and cover, but he then staggered as Shepard hit him with a Warp, damaging his armor. Shepard then drew his Predator and fired a pair of rounds directly into his unshielded head, bringing him down. Meanwhile, York hit the shielded human trooper with an Overload from his Omnitool, and then blew him away with an M90A shotgun blast. Thane had already finished killing the rest of the Blue Suns troopers. They moved toward the next door, finding a PDA on a crate:
"Lieutenant Locke: Once the artifact is secured and in transit, your orders are to take your men and rendezvous with Captain Vorhess aboard the MSV Strontium Mule in the Arinlarkan System in the Omega Nebula. Assist Vorhess with the capture if needed. –Commander Santiago"
"Well, I know where we're going next" Shepard said.
Shepard passed through the next door, finding a three-meter-tall Prothean pyramid linked to a computer terminal. He triggered the device, and then stumbled as the stored vision hit him. It was mostly the exact same message from the Eden Prime and Virmire Beacons, except for one notable addition: a close-up of a Collector looming over a bipedal figure that bore a strong resemblance to it. When it ended, Shepard pulled himself back up onto his feet. He turned and headed out. It was time to head to Omega Sector and pay Captain Vorhess a visit…
-SCENE BREAK-
Omega Nebula, Arinlarkan System, MSV Strontium Mule
DATA: "Derelict ship, registered MSV Strontium Mule, visibly damaged from weapons fire. Ship is not responding to hails despite life signs aboard. Transmissions using known Blue Suns encryption detected. Airlocks are sealed, but the ship can be boarded through an emergency hatch in the cargo hold."
From a hatch in the cargo hold's floor, three people emerged: Shepard, Mordin, and Marie. They took cover just as four Blue Suns personnel emerged from the far door. Shepard sniped the one wielding a rocket launcher, while Marie hit the shielded Batarian with a charged Wave-Beam shot, and Mordin used his Carnifex pistol to kill the fireteam leader. Shepard used his Predator to pick off the other two. As the team moved up, four more troopers appeared from the door, but Shepard pulled off a Biotic Charge into their midst, sending them flying every which way, smacking hard into the walls and falling to the ground, dead or unconscious. Near the door was a datapad:
"Dax: That incoming ship isn't leaving. Looks like the fools are moving to board. The airlocks are sealed, so don't waste your time. Get a team together and be ready to "welcome" them to our cargo hold. Blow them out the cargo bay doors when you're done. –Captain Vorhess"
"Why were they even here?" Marie wondered to herself.
The team moved through the door and up some stairs & ramps, reaching a top level with three locked doors, where three Blue Suns troopers awaited them; Mordin Neural-Shocked and gunned down one, Shepard blew the brains out of the second, and Marie one-hand-wielded an M7 SMG in her left hand and took out the third. In one of the corners was another datapad:
"Jakir: You seen the stash they pulled from cargo? We get that open and we're living the high life for months! Sgt. Boortis took the canister topside while Vorhess went to pry the codes from the ship's captain. Man, I wouldn't wanna be that guy. –Hawkins"
Mordin walked over to nearby security terminal, and all three doors unlocked. They went through the center door and down the hall into the engine room, occupied by a few Blue Suns troopers and an armored & shielded Engineer. Shepard hit the engineer with an Overload to strip his shields, and then threw a plasma grenade that stuck to his helmet, blowing away him and two troopers near him. Shepard and Marie rushed up the ramps, using Biotics and Charon's energy-blade mode to deal with the three troopers that tried to get in their way. Up in the corner was another datapad:
"Kurtz: Heads up, man. Those intruders are still alive and fighting their way through the ship. Commander Shepard is leading them! You better get your men ready to fight! Boortis has something up his sleeve. He's got that canister full of loot, and I think he's planning to do something to Vorhess and take it for himself. Wouldn't be surprised! –Bethor"
They headed back to the hub room and through the door on the left (right, from the entrance), moving up a ramp to the next level of the ship. A pair of Blue Suns troops stood between them and the far doorway, but Marie dealt with them quickly. Through the doorway and hanging a right at the fork (as the left-hand door was locked), they went through the door with Shepard leading; his shields protected him from the two shotgun-wielding Turians inside, and a Biotic Shockwave dealt with them quickly. In the corner was a pile of charred, mangled corpses.
"What happened here?" Mordin wondered. "Hmm. Problematic."
They went back to the central room and across to the other doorway, heading down the hall and heading right.
"I don't know who the hell you think you are," Capt. Vorhess said over the speakers, "but step one foot on the bridge and you'll pray for a quick death!"
Shepard quickly hacked the bridge security console, unlocking the bridge door. The trio funneled through, and came under fire from two Blue Suns troopers and an armored & shielded Turian bodyguard, led by a shielded Batarian – Vorhess. Marie hit Vorhess with a charged Wave-Beam shot that stripped his shields, and then Mordin froze him with a Cryo Blast and shattered his head with a Carnifex shot. Shepard, meanwhile, Overloaded the bodyguard's shields and hit him with an Incinerate to weaken his armor, and a few shots from Mordin's hand-cannon finished him off. Marie took out the two foot-soldiers. They moved in, finding another datapad on Vorhess' body:
"Boortis: Your men better be ready. I hear the intruders making their way here and you better be ready with backup. The captain was not forthcoming with information, but I found his codes in the ship's black box. We'll get that canister open, but first we have to kill these intruders! –Capt. Vorhess"
Nearby, on a terminal, was a text log:
"This is the final entry for Captain Jarret Barnes, skipper of the MSV Strontium Mule. If you're reading this, my crew and I are dead. Two weeks ago, we answered a distress signal. It turned out to be a Blue Suns trap. We managed to escape, but sustained heavy damage. Do not approach the coordinates in this log! If you find the canister in our cargo hold, you are welcome to its contents. The authorization codes are encrypted in this log. AUTHORIZATION CODE DECRYPTION COMPLETE"
As they left the bridge, a trio of FENRIS mechs came charging in, but Shepard and Marie dealt with them quickly. From the far door emerged a squad of Blue Suns troops, led by Sgt. Boortis, an armored & shielded human. An Overload from Shepard stripped his shields, and a Warp took his armor out of the equation as well. A single headshot from Shepard's Predator put him down. Marie and Mordin easily dealt with the rest. They made their way across and to the fork, heading through the now-unlocked left door into the cargo hold. On a counter was one last datapad:
"Jakir: This is it! Get your men under control and ready to move. The intruders are the key. Once they hit the bridge, Vorhess will call for us. DO NOT ANSWER. The intruders will take him out for us and we'll get the codes to this canister ourselves. At that point, take out anyone on your list. The fewer men left, the bigger the prize for each of us. –Sgt. Boortis"
"Well, that didn't work out the way he'd planned it" Marie quipped.
Shepard walked over to the canister, inputting the authorization code. It opened to reveal a substantial amount of credits, along with a few datapads containing the hinted-at intelligence. After salvaging everything, Team Shepard headed out, to return to the Normandy.
-CHAPTER END-
Next Time: Two sidequests (Batarian terrorists and a Blue Suns base) and Miranda's Loyalty Mission
