8/31/2211
"Dad, whats your status? We're approaching the tram station now." Ria asked, speaking into her comms as she hurried down the abandoned corridors. Coming to a corner, she pressed her back against the wall before cautiously peeking around it. Seeing the way clear, Ria signaled to the rest of her team to continue forward.
"I'm alm … here. Will be ther … five … tops," her father's voice replied, the channel broken by static.
"Dad, come in, I'm getting a lot of interference. You alright?"
A handful of tense seconds ticked by before the reply came. "Heh, don't … ry. Who d … thi … you're talking … ere. I'll see … in a bit."
"Somethings jamming the comms," Kel announced. Turning, Ria saw that the quarian biotic was gazing at his omni-tool, his eyes flashing with uncertainty from behind his blue-tinted visor. "I-I can't trace where its coming from exactly. Whoever set this up knows what they're doing."
"Great, competent bad guys. I'm starting to really miss Cerberus," Laura commented, her tone bone dry.
Ria felt a brief smile tug at the corner of her lips, managing to dispel her apprehension if only for a brief moment.
Rounding another corner, Ria caught sight of the sealed blast doors that blocked the entrance to the tram station on this asteroid. The hallway stretched before them was empty, clear of the foes she'd feared would be waiting for her. Sighing with relief, she hurried towards the doors "Come on, now we just have to wait for my dad to open them up for us and we can— "
Suddenly the lights went out, plunging them into pitch blackness. Ria heard a yelp of surprise, her eyes going wide. She frozen in place, the footsteps of her teammates fading as they likewise halted. She opened her mouth to speak, peering out into the shapeless void for any sign of life.
Gunshots rang out, burning streaks of light cutting through the air around her. Muzzle flashes briefly illuminated the scene, the strobe light effect giving glimpse of armored forms the color of living shadows. An eerie ghost light seemed to glint from within the sunken sockets of skull-like helmets, a light that gave off no illumination of its own.
"Get back!" Ria shouted an instant later, surprise turning to frantic fear as her instincts kicked in. She started walking backwards, firing her rifle blindly as the shadowy figures advancing on her. Keelah, where had they come from! The hallway had been empty, they couldn't have been hiding!
Next to her Laura and Kel likewise opened fire, each shot briefly illuminating the scene before them. A dozen or more skullheads, their exact number impossible to count, their figures seeming to shift and meld within a vale of shadow that clung around them.
"We fall back, use the bend in the hallway as cover, then we can—"Ria's orders were cut short as a round impacted against the back of her shoulder, staggering her. The shield indicator on her heads up display flashed red, drained completely in a matter of second. Whirling Ria caught sight of pinpoints of ghost light all around her now, eyes glimmering from sunken sockets. They were surrounded.
Snapping her vindicator up, Ria fired, one set of eyes vanishing with a wet noise. Activating her omni-tool, Ria her rifle firing wildly with one hand, with her other boosting her shields with reserve power from her suit. No sooner had it been refiled her shield readout immediately began to drop, rounds smashing into her barriers from all sides. In the brief bursts of illumination she glimpsed two more skullheads fall as she kept up her attack. Yet with each vanquished foe the liquid shadows shifted as more stepped forward to take their place.
There's too many of them!!
"Dad, come in. Where are you?" Ria shouted into her comms, desperation taking hold of her voice. She was met with the shrill hiss of static, no voice replying on the other end.
"We're being overrun, we need- Gah!" Ria yelped as her shield's shattered under the torrent of gunfire, a round grazing her side. A hand grabbed her by the shoulder, pulling her back as a burst tore through the space she'd occupied a moment before.
Her heart racing, Ria gasped for breath. Seeing how just how close to death she had been only served to heighten the overwhelming sense of peril that permeated their situation. Sparing a second to nod to Laura in thanks, Ria fired again from where she lay half slumped against the wall, one of the black-garbed men falling as a burst took his knee.
The darker void amongst the hanging shadows seemed to close in now, the remaining skullheads having clearly sensed their advantage over the desperate trio. The combined muzzle flashes was enough to illuminate the scene as their foes opened fire as one, black skeletal armor glinting menacingly as they closed in.
They would have died then under the sudden onslaught if not for the biotic shield Kel threw around them. The lights on the sentinel's gauntlets lit up like flame, the amplifiers within multiplying the barrier's output. With the temporary boost the biotic wall somehow held, stopping every shot dead in its tracks.
However, it was clear this would only delay the inevitable. Ria saw that Kel began to tremble with each shot that struck the shield, his breath coming in pained gasps. A burst hit dead center, the shield flicking as Kel's legs buckled and he fell to one knee. Another burst struck, the shield flickered again.
Ria shut her eyes, not wanting to see death when he came for her.
A burst of blinding light filled her vision, piercing even her lidded eyes. Muffled screamed cried out over a sound like thunder. Snapping her eyes open, Ria barely made out the silhouette of a man against a backdrop of light that streamed in from the now open doors.
"Dad!"
Sprinting forward her father flung two more grenades into the mass of revealed foes, sending the bodies of five more tumbling back. Skidding to a halt, he opened fire, rifle belching a steady stream of fire.
"Ria, come on!" he shouted to her.
His words snapped Ria from her trance. Even with her father's arrival, there were still too many for them to hold out against without taking a more defensible position. However, few foes remained between her team and the now open passage, the bulk of those now left behind.
"You heard him, move!" Ria shouted. Dropping down, Ria took hold of Kel by one arm, Laura grabbing the other, the two of them hauling the exhausted biotic with them and sprinted for the doors.
Her father covered them as they ran, unloading his gun into the remaining zealots. His gun hissed as it overheated just when they rushed past him, earning a barely audible grunt of annoyance. Ria saw out of the corner of her eye him drawing his pistol and continuing to fire until they'd all passed through the open doors. He fired one last shot, then stepped stepped back, slamming a fist into the control panel just inside. With a resounding clang the blast doors sealed shut behind them.
Ria slumped, falling to her knees as she began gasping for air. That was too close. Her heart hammered, trembling with the aftershock of adrenaline mixed fear. As much as she'd gotten used to fighting for her life, how narrowly she'd avoided death still terrified her.
At least it means I'm still sane, she told herself. I should be worried the day death stops scarring me.
"Ria, you okay?" She heard her father ask. Looking up she saw that he stood over her, his hand outstretched.
"Yeah, I'm fine." She took his offered hand, letting him help her to his feet. "What the hell took you so long."
"Turns out there were a couple of them waiting for me at the other end of the maintenance tunnels," he answered, then grinned as he added, "besides, you can ask your mother how much I love heroic entrances at the last possible minute."
"I'd rather you don't make a habit of it. Now I owe you one," Ria said with a humph. She shook her head, turning away so he couldn't see the smile growing behind her mask. For all her annoyance, she was happy her dad had been there. When he's around, nothing bad can happen. No matter what happens, my dad can beat it.
Letting the smile fade, Ria turned her attention to her other teammates. "You two alright?"
"Nothing medi-gel can't fix," Laura answered as she stood. Dusting herself off, the marine winced her hand brushed the spot where a round had hit her forearm. However, she ignored the injury for now. "Kel what about you?"
"I-I'm o-okay. Just need a m-minute to-" Kel started to say, his voice shaking. He tried to stand, wavering for moment before his collapsed. Before Ria could react, Laura was already at Kel's side, catching him before he could hit the ground.
"Ria, hes not in any condition to fight right now. That shield took too much out of him." Laura said. As she spoke, the Marine slung one of the biotics arms around her shoulder, supporting his weight. Behind Kel's mask Ria saw the silvery glow of his eyes flutter, the small quarian's gaze distant as he fought to stay conscious.
Ria nodded "You stay near the back until he's recovered. Dad and I will take point. If fighting starts, retreat back, let us handle it."
"Got it." Laura nodded sharply.
Ria saw her father nod his head in approval at her call, then he took up a position next to her. Stepping over to a console, Ria pressed her hand against it. A moment passed before a distant rattling sound filled the air, a tram car appearing from down one of the narrow tubes that stretched between the three asteroids. It screeched to a stop before them, doors opening to welcome them inside.
"Alright everyone, get in. Next stop, base section Gamma, where you'll find sporting goods, the perfume isle, woman's underwear, and top secret government projects," Ria quipped as she stepped on board, her team following after her. The doors shut behind the with a hiss, the tram screeching as he began to move. Picking up speed, it shot off down the tunnel, carrying them further into the station's heart.
. . . . .
With a thump her last foe struck the floor, blood pooling out from under his limp form. Lowering her rifle, Ria motioned for her team to advance towards the doorway the squad of skullheads had been blocking.
After exiting the tram they'd quickly made their way through the base. Three times they'd encountered enemy forces. Either by simple luck or having already encountered the bulk of their enemies before, they on neither occasion had the small squads attempted to ambush them as the larger force had done. As a result Ria and her father had dealt with the fighting on their own, letting Laura focus on protecting the exhausted Kel
Doors parted with a clang as they entered the room their foes had been guarding. Looking around, Ria figured the room inside must have once been the station's main lab, images came to mind of dozens of researchers bustling around cluttered workstations, the room packed to the brim with scientific equipment of all sorts.
Now, however, the room lay barren. Empty shelves and cabinets lay open, their contents raided. The lab stations were all but cleaned out, everything from measuring equipment to handwritten notes taken away. Here and there lay a broken data pad or scientific instrument, discarded as useless. Worst of all were the four bodies piled in a far corner, trails of smeared blood marking their path as they'd been dragged from where they'd fallen.
Tearing her eyes from the scene, Ria watched as Laura carefully lowered Kel down so he rested against a wall before moving silently turning to watch they way they'd entered. Nodding in unspoken agreement, Ria wound her way through the maze of workstations, coming to a stop before a terminal to one side of the room. Waving her omni-tool before her, she accessed the terminal's hard drives, a holographic screen appearing before her.
"Find anything?"
Ria jumped as her father's voice came suddenly from over her shoulder. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, scolding herself from reacting like a frightened kezilm, jumping at every sudden noise. Her every nerve felt on edge, raw and ready to snap.
"Not yet," Ria quickly replied. She cleared her throat, hoping her father hadn't noticed just how nervous she was. "It looks like our friends already accessed this terminal when they cleaned this place out. Apparently they downloaded all official records on Project Winter before deleting them, no surprise there, really." She shrugged, still feeling the numb bite of disappointment despite having expected as much. "However, it looks like the rest of the system was left alone. I'm running a script now that's searching for anything even remotely related to what we're looking for. I'm honestly just banking on them having overlooked something useful."
Her father regarded her for a moment, then nodded, stepping back to let her work.
Ria's omni-tool beeped a minute later, her scripted search having finished. Gazing at the results, Ria felt a wide grin tug at her mouth. "Would you look at that, here's something. It looks like there are some records stored separately from the main data. Maybe one of the researchers was lazy, I dunno, but either way its probably what caused them to be overlooked"
"Anything we can use?" Her father's voice sounded hopeful as he gazed at her omni-tool from over her shoulder.
"I'm not sure yet, let me check..." Ria trailed off, peering intently at the text displayed on her omni-tool. "From what I can tell, they were working on adapting advanced technology that was recovered from a remote dig site far into the terminus systems. It doesn't say what their end goal was, but from the data here it looks like they were working on several things, all related to manipulation and generation of dark energy. This goes beyond simple mass effect fields, they were attempting to warp space-time. Its not exactly my field of expertise, but that technology is—"
"Is far beyond anything we have now," her father finished for her, his expression grim.
"It doesn't explain why the council kept this secret. This type of research isn't illegal in of itself. Which means ..." Ria fell silent, the pieces of everything she'd discovered clicking into place. "Unless its not the research itself, but its source."
"I can only think of two explanations. Either the Council is conducting research on prothean artifacts without the knowledge of any race's individual government, something that's been outlawed damn near since the Council's creation, or they're working with reaper tech." Her father grimaced, his eyes flashing with worry.
"The council can't be that stupid, can they? If it got out that they were experimenting on reaper tech now, it could spark a civil war," Ria's voice wavered with uncertainty as she spoke. Could they really be that stupid. Was this what this was all about?
"I hope not Ria, but you remember what we found on Alkimos."
Ria nodded, those words only serving to redouble her mounting concern. The erratic behavior of the mercenaries, the signs of indoctrination in the personnel logs during days before her team at arrived, the sabotage of the research station's defenses hours before the attack commended, and now this. It couldn't be coincidence.
"I wish we knew for certain, are you sure there isn't anything else there?" Her father asked.
"No, not that I can see. The other research files here are sparse on details, at best anyway," Ria admitted, shaking her head. "We need to find out where they are getting these artifacts. Then we can go there, finally get the bottom of this. We need to." Whether the Council likes it or not.
"The Council won't be happy about that," her father replied after a moment's pause. Clearly he'd guessed exactly what she'd been thinking as well.
"I don't give a damn what the Council thinks about it," Ria replied, perhaps harsher than she ought have.
Her father's expression softened at this, his eyes flashing with understanding. "I know, Ria. Normally I'd be right there with you on the 'screw the Council' band wagon, But right now, if you pissed off the Council, you know what they'd do."
Ria nodded slowly. Of course he was worried, he had every reason to be. If she gave the Council an excuse to, they could revoke her Spectre status, leaving her at the mercy of the charges she'd been pardoned of as long as she remained in their service.
Still, can't let that get in my way. consequences be damned. What if its the only way I have left to deal with this threat? Ria thought, doubt beginning to gnaw at her resolve. These people need to be stopped, whether the Council likes it or not … right? Her mind immediately returned to her argument with Daron they day before. Was he right, was she wasting her time? Was she letting fear for her own sake get in the way of doing what was right?
"So where too now?" her father asked after a moment, breaking the silence.
"We've already checked most of this asteroid. Looks like all that's left is the generator room at the center."
"Good place for them the make a stand," he noted in response.
Ria nodded in agreement. She turned to the rest of her team. "You guys ready to go?"
"I-I'm ready to g-go" Kel mumbled, trying to rise from the floor. At once Laura moved to his side, helping him up.
Waiting until Laura once again supported Kel's weight, Ria led them back out into the hallway. It only took a moment for them to find the passageway they needed, which wound towards the asteroid's center.
Coming upon the entrance to the generator room, Ria moved to stand to one side of the doorway, her father pressing up against the other. "Alright, on my mark we breach. Shoot anything that moves, I doubt they left anyone else alive to use as hostages. Laura, if you see a chance to get Kel and yourself behind cover without getting shot up to hell, do it and provide fire support from the rear. Got it?"
The two nodded.
"Alright, on my mark … mark!" Ria snapped. At once she leapt forward, her father moving in unison with her. The doors opened and they burst inside. Beyond the doors sat a small antechamber, a narrow hallway connecting it to the larger generator complex beyond. Four men, one woman stood before them, all adorned in now-familiar black garb.
Ria opened fire before before any of her foes could. Two bursts hit the closest skullhead, stripping away his shields before the thirst burst finished him off. A grenade detonated, sending two more mangled corpses falling back, her father leaping over their prone forms. At once the last two fell back, spraying their rifles behind them as they retreated down the narrow passageway.
Ducking behind an engineer's workstation for cover. Peeking her head out for a second, she glimpsed them reach the end of the hallway and duck out of sight. Swearing under her breath, Ria leapt over her cover, charging down the hallway after them. Foot steps signaled that her father was a step behind.
"Eyes shut!" Ria shouted, yanking a flashbang grenade from her belt. She flung the device out before her, eyes snapping closed as a deafening bang filled her ears. Throwing herself forward into a roll, Ria dove into the room, landing in a crouch. Eyes snapping open, she whirled, executing a stunned man to her left with a point blank burst. A gunshot sounded an instant later, another skullhead hitting the ground to her right, her father brushing past her.
Seeing movement in the corner of her eye, Ria spun just in time to see several more dark shapes dart out from behind the mass of generators. Gunfire filled the air as she rolled behind cover, her more than half of her shields drained in a matter of seconds.
Glancing to her side, Ria saw that her father had likewise taken cover opposite of her. Their eyes met, he and she nodding in unison as an unspoken plan passed between them.
Ria leaning out of cover, omni-tool flashing as she overloaded the shields of the three black-garbed soldiers closest to her father's position. Whirling away, Ria opened fire on the two nearest her, rounds pinging of their shields as they retreated back. Her weapon venting in an overheat, Ria yanked a small sphere from a suit pouch, flinging it behind her foes.
"Go get 'em Tikkun!"
The gold and white drone appeared in a shimmering glow, a wave of discharging energy washing over the two skullheads, sending them staggering into the open. Ria opened fire, her own attack joined by a second set instant later. As the two soldiers fell lifelessly, Ria glanced to her left, finding Laura standing next to her.
Nodding in thanks, Ria turned her attention now to where her father was still locked in combat. Of the three foes he'd faced, one already lay lifelessly at his feet. Even as she watched another fell, a burst of father's rifle taking the man's head from his shoulders. The last one lunged, a sword blade glowing white hot as it left a shield. An omni-blade intercepted the blow, her father effortlessly battering aside two more attacks before he drove his weapon through the skullhead's sternum.
Ria sighed, lowering weapon. Just the she noticed a red dot fall on the center of her father's chest. Her heart froze, seeing again the sight of Paulson, the ExoGeni employee she'd failed to save, falling in a spray of blood. Without thinking Ria whirled, her spent rifle falling from her hands. Her pistol left its holster, her finger closing around the trigger. Three shots cried out, the would be sniper who had appeared from behind a generator fell lifelessly, a trio bloody holes through his skull.
Panting, Ria lowered her pistol. Slowly her body relaxed, seeing no more foes appear to challenge.
"Nice shot, Ria," her father call out. Turning she saw that he was regarding her with a wide grin. "Though, to be fair, my opinion on its quality might be a bit biased. Saving my ass and all."
"Heh, just making sure to even the score. I can't go around owing you all the time, think of my reputation." Ria grinned back, her words earning a soft chuckle from her father.
"No, I suppose you couldn't." He shook his head, bemused.
Letting her grin fade, Ria turned away. Searching the room more a moment, Ria's eyes fell on a jamming unit nestled between two generators, a green light on it blinking at a constant rate. So this is where they were blocking our comms from.
Her team moved up behind her as she knelt next to the device, Laura resting Kel down against the generator to their left. After several moments the jamming unit's light turned red then faded as it deactivated.
At once Ria heard Talena's voice crackled in over the comms."—ia, I don't know what you did, but the enemy cruiser just pulled back. Long range scanners are picking up shuttles leaving the base. It looks like they're in full retreat."
"So, w-we won?" Kel asked from where he sat against a generator. He turned, gazing hopefully between Ria and her father.
Ria chewed on her lip. The initial elation at this news had quickly faded, poisoned by the icy pit that had formed in her stomach. Somethings not right, why are they retreating now? We couldn't have dealt with most of them by now. Ria glanced her father's direction. Their eyes met, Ria catching a look of uncertainty like her own flicking in the depths of his gaze. He'd seen it too.
"Maybe with the ass kicking we gave them, the rest just decided to cut their losses and run?" Laura offered, seemingly having guessed what had worried them.
"Its not just that. Something doesn't add up. Why were these guys still here, most " Ria continued, the pieces of what her father was saying falling into place as well. "They'd already taken everything to do with Project Winter so— "
"—so they were after something else" Her father finished. It was not a question. He met Ria's gaze, the two of them exchanging worried looks. "It didn't seem like they were bothering to wipe out everything, only got rid of official records. They weren't thorough like on Alkimos. The only explanation I can think is—"
"They weren't worried about making sure no one found out after they'd left." Ria's chest tightened as fear seized hold of her. "They stuck around because they were making sure there was nothing left to find. Ancestors, I think they were—"
The rest of what she was going to say was lost as the station shook with an echoing boom.