*HAESTROM*
DHOLEN SYSTEM
FAR RIM
"MotherFUCKER!" I screeched as she slammed against the wall, my shields now completely drained, and my kinetic barriers screeching in protest.
"Prophet-Mira, I doubt the geth actually copulate with their mother-boards sexually," Posse said to me, but that little flare that he did with his face-plates conveyed amusement. I double-checked my SMG: it was blistering hot, thanks to the spirits-damned sunlight that this planet seemed to have in abundance. My Medusa-cams snaked around the corner, scanning for targets.
None.
The geth were not taking the bait and advancing, as I had wagered they would, instead being content to rest in their dug-in defensive positions.
"Damn that Agwe!" I said for the thousandth time. "These geth have gotten smarter since he took control of them. If that's even possible..."
"We could attempt to flank them along the east wall?" Valkyrie suggested, outlaying a full strategic plan of attack in milliseconds.
Since the Conclave had started constructing additional platforms for the New Geth, some of our newest members had deviated farther from the original group-based names, as well as getting more creative with their platform designs. Valkyrie's platform, for example, had departed entirely from the bipedal model that the originals had modified. She looked exactly like a giant eagle, complete with a 3-meter long wingspan sporting mini-guns and mounted sniper rifles.
"Three armatures buried in the rubble here, here, and here," I explained. As I updated her strategic outline with current known enemy positions, the estimated casualty numbers crossed over into the "Untenable" range. "Crossing the eastern wall leaves us open and exposed to a crossfire, with no shields to assist us. They'd tear us apart."
"Mira? Are you there?"
"Thank the spirits, we have comms back," I said, answering the call.
Berserk (a giant modified YMIR mech, with a giant sword to match) observed glibly, "For now…"
"Tali? This is Mira, come in! Did you get the beacon deployed?"
"No," Tali said despondently. "With all the dark energy Agwe is drawing with the Hammer, even the Rachni singers can't penetrate the atmosphere. Have you made any progress on the left flank?"
"Negative," I said. "Agwe has his geth dug-in using improvised bunkers. Short of rocket launchers, or ship-mounted cannons, we're not going to bust through."
"Bosh'tet," Tali cursed in frustration. "Reegar and the marines made another attempt to push through the tunnels. They've been laced with trip-mines since yesterday. Five of us didn't make it."
"Spirits damn that Magi!" I cursed, for the thousandth-and first time.
"Creator-Tali," Posse injected optimistically, "Magi-Agwe is charging the Hammer, but as long as we hold the Anvil, the weapon cannot be fired. Time is on our side; we only need to hold our positions and await Conclave reinforcements. The Queen losing contact with our Rachni units will be a distress signal, in and of itself."
"Yes, Posse, but Agwe has only been content to defend as long as the Hammer is charging," Tali replied, trying to sound cheerful, but the weariness in her sleep-deprived voice was evident. "Once it's fully charged, he will push for the Anvil. And we still do not have any way of knowing how many geth he's enthralled."
"Well, we know it's not all of them, if the gunfire and explosions on the other side of the city are any indication," I added.
"Hoo-ray: the two armies trying to kill us are also trying to kill each other," Tali said, sarcasm dripping from every word.
"Hey, I'll take what I can get," I offered. A high-pitch whine interrupted my train of thought as a sniper round passed just above us. "Well, we're not doing a damn bit of good here. We'll fall back to Alpha position. If Agwe wants to play this waiting game, we'll play…"
"Roger that," Tali answered. "Should I relay that to Cabal and the others?"
"Already done," I replied, tapping the side of my head. "Prophet of the New Geth, remember?"
Even underneath the helmet, I could sense Tali roll her eyes. "Riiiight. See you when you get here."
"Take care of yourself, little Tali," I said, ending the call. "Alright, children, let's head back! Keep your heads down and make your shouts count. Berserk, use your shield to cover Valkyrie's take-off."
"Acknowledged," the giant said, reaching back for his giant industrial-grade steel shield, activating the kinetic barriers and integrated shields in the weapon. I ran a quick diagnostic on my own systems:
Structural Integrity: 82%
Kinetic Barriers: 47%
Shields: 13%...UPDATE...11%
DAMN that Agwe…
*ILLIUM*
TASALE SYSTEM
CRESCENT NEBULA
"I think preferred Omega," Morinth said with a scowl, looking out over the busy shopping district of Nos Astra. "At least there it was easy to tell the good guys from bad guys, depending on whether or not they were shooting at you…"
"Mom told me stories of Nos Astra, but… I didn't believe it…" Reyna said, shaking her head. "They're just buying and selling people… like they were baskets of fruit!"
"And a lucrative business it is, too," Tallaxis said, but a tentacle went to the pistol at his hip. "They have forgotten the face of the Enkindlers."
"Keep moving," I said quietly. "And watch for Omni-Scanners." In a world without wallets, pickpockets scan passersby's Omni-Tools, to steal credits, banking information, even emails.
We made our way to an unassuming office building. An equally unassuming hologram displayed only a single symbol, unaccompanied by any words.
"Wait a second," Morinth said, taking a closer look as I reached for the door. "I recognize that sign. What business do we have with Mr. Thax?"
I raised an eyebrow as I scanned my hand at the door.
"Business? My dear Morinth, Mr. Thax works for me."
The doors opened to reveal a scene that resembled a stock trade floor. Volus businessmen and information brokers wandered from kiosk to kiosk, trading their wares and secrets. In the center was a tall krogan, dressed in a resplendent black tuxedo. Above each terminal was the giant 'I' emblem of the Immortals.
Thax Voraks stood in the center of the room, directing the mayhem of organized chaos. Occasionally, an aide or secretary would approach him with a datapad, which he would look over and give a few short sentences on how to proceed. As he saw us approach, however, he turned and held his arms out wide as he dipped a courteous, highly-fashionable Illian bow.
"Welcome, my lord, to the least of your houses…" he said in a deep, marvelously-toned voice. "We were pleased to hear of your coming. I trust everything at the docks was satisfactory?"
I smiled, remembering the awed looks of intimidation as the dock manager had informed us that all the docking fees had been waived for our arrival.
"The name of Thax Voraks still commands respect in Nos Astra, it seems," I replied, "as well as no small amount of fear."
"HAHA, both are necessary in this line of work, Imperator," Voraks chuckled. "I have assembled the report that you requested."
He motioned over to a side room, where we took our places at a round table with a projector set up in the center. Voraks hit a button, and the room went dark and the projector brought up a picture of a young, fairly good-looking asari.
"Nassana Dantius," introduced Voraks. "One of the fastest-rising stars in Nos Astra's business circles. Young, only 311 years old, she started work on the Citadel as a diplomatic emissary for the Asari Councilor."
"Wasn't her sister a pirate?" I asked, holding Kevin's omniscience in check.
Thax looked impressed. "Indeed," he replied. "Dahlia was her older sister, had a crew of slavers and pirates that were loosely affiliated with the Dark Rim warlord Cessa. However, they were wiped out by none other than Commander Rebecca Shepard, on her hunt for Saren Arterius."
Arranged by Nassana, of course. But at this point, that's semantics.
"About a year ago, she showed up here at Nos Astra, with a fortune in credits, drives full of blackmail, and shuttles full of Eclipse mercenaries," Thax continued. "Within weeks, brokers and suppliers who did not sign over their wares to her operations began having…unfortunate accidents. My own personal shuttle exploded due to an overlocked eezo-fuel dispenser. Which struck me as distinctly odd, as it was solar-powered."
We shared a smile with him.
"The ones who survived either entered into business arrangements with her or…" he nodded towards my chair, "contracted with outside parties to supply armed muscle and protection. Others, like Miss T'Soni, left the planet altogether. The short armed conflict that always follows such shifts in power left Miss Dantius with a very secure hold over I-Sec. She has most recently begun consolidating that hold in the two skyscrapers in the up-town district: Dantius Towers."
To take over the Shadow Broker's operation, I corrected silently, nodding towards the big krogan.
"In recent months, she has grown increasingly obsessed with finding a human woman: Oriana Lawson. She even reached out to her competitors," Thax placed a hand on his chest, "in an attempt to gather more information. However," he chuckled, "her previous tactics have ensured that her competitors have been…less than forthcoming with any information."
"I bet," Reyna agreed with a scoff. "What is her interest in this human?"
"Her father was Henry Lawson," Thax explained, in a tone of unfeigned admiration. "One of the greatest geneticists this galaxy has ever seen. Apparently, Miss Dantius has uncovered records showing that Miss Lawson is not his biological daughter so much as his life's work culminated into a single, living person."
Files and Holo-mail transcripts flooded the display, piecing together Miss Dantius' knowledge so far. I scanned the files, with the aid of my Prothean implants. There was no mention of Miranda in any of these files.
"The technology that would have to have been utilized to piece together this little treasure," Thax said, his eyes taking a far-away look, "would be worth billions in the right hands."
I forwarded these files to Miranda's inbox.
"So while Shepard's mission is secure Oriana," I explained, "Ours will be to move against the threat that Nassana Dantius has now become to our organization."
"To that end," Thax said, throwing another picture up on the display, "Upon Miss Blake's instructions, I have put out a message on the Dark Core. I received a single reply just this morning…"
A simple holo-net message appeared on the screen.
JOB ACCEPTED.
-T. K
So Thane Krios was now planet-side, hunting Nassana Dantius.
I stood to my feet, the rest of my squad following suit.
"Before we get started, we should gather the rest of the supplies for the ship," I said to Tallaxis and Reyna.
"Please," Thax interjected, "Talk to my requisitions Officer: the female krogan in the office to the right. She'll be able to get anything you need at the lowest prices in Nos Astra."
I nodded, and the two of them left the room to do just that. Morinth however, stopped when she saw my silent indication to stay. When the other two had left the room, I turned back to the big krogan.
"Have you heard anything of an asari Justicar landing planet-side?" I asked.
Thax grinned.
"I would be a poor businessman indeed if I missed the arrival of such a celebrity," he said, bringing up a passenger manifest of a passenger cruise-liner. "Justicar Samara: She arrived two weeks ago, on the AML Infinity. Since then, she has systematically been moving against the Eclipse Sisterhood, seeking information on one Yara D'len and her location. Apparently," he said, stealing a glance at Morinth, "she came to Illium almost a year ago now, and joined up with Eclipse. From there, she was sent to an Eclipse station elsewhere."
Morinth made eye contact with me and nodded in confirmation.
"Eclipse hasn't taken steps to take her out?" I asked. Thax's smile was the answer to that question, even before he shook his head.
"Not for lack of trying. Their power here in Nos Astra has been severely weakened since the Justicar's arrival, and in fact, Miss Dantius' security force is one of the few strongholds they have remaining here in the capital. Just this morning, Nos Astra was graced by the arrival of Jona Sederis herself."
Morinth's eyes went wide. "The old fish is here? Now?"
"Residing as a guest of Miss Dantius at Dantius Towers, as we speak," confirmed the krogan Immortal.
The krogan's Omni-Tool beeped, and upon opening the message, turned back to us.
"The Normandy has just docked in the Riverfront District," he informed me.
"They will move for Oriana first," Morinth stated simply. "Meanwhile, our storm just got a hundred goddess-damned times more turbulent."
"On the contrary," I corrected the asari, my mind racing at a hundred miles an hour, "It just got a hundred times more simple."
Morinth looked at me like I was insane, and even Thax raised an eyebrow.
"Come with me," I said to Morinth. "We need to get a drink."
*ETERNITY LOUNGE*
RIVER DISTRICT
NOS ASTRA, ILLIUM
A taxi-ride later, we were ascending the stairs to the Eternity Lounge. There was the usual mix of turians, asari, and volus, along with few batarians gathered in the corner table.
Larger than the game seemed to make it, I thought, but then focused on the figure serving the drinks behind the bar.
There she is, large as life…
Matriarch Aethyta… as I live and breathe.
"So we came all this way… for a drink? Or so you could ogle the bartenders?" Morinth said in an irritated tone of voice. She shot me a sideways grin.
"Should've figured you'd go for older fish, Ko'le."
I rolled my eyes and made my way to the bar. Aethyta was pouring a drink for a turian in a rumpled tux who looked like he was on his fifth or sixth drink.
"Be with ya in a sec, hon," she said as we took our places at the bar. "Lucius, look at me."
The turian turned blood-shot eyes at the asari's firm words.
"Sitting here and drinking all my Oma Ker Red is not going to solve this problem. From what you've said, she doesn't feel anything for this volus. Who cares how much money he's got? Fuck him! All you've got to do is be honest with her. Tell her how you feel, and let her make up her own mind about the situation."
"But…but…what if she says 'No'?" Lucius asked.
"Then you'll be able to move on with your life," Aethyta shrugged. "But trust me, honey: She's just playing a waiting game here, trying to see if you've got the balls to tell her how you feel. This is just as much her testing you as it is anything else."
Lucius straightened at that. "You really think so?"
"I'm old, kid, but I still remember all the tricks young maidens play," Aethyta said, putting a kind hand on the turian's arm. "Take it from me, kid: she's crazy about ya. Now go tell her that you feel the same way."
Lucius stared at the shot in his hand, then threw it back and laid the empty glass upside-down on the bar.
"I will!" he said resolutely. "I will! Thanks, Aethyta!"
"No problem, hon," Aethyta gave him a brilliant smile, especially watching his less-than-steady steps towards the stairs out of the bar. Then she turned to us.
"Now, what I can get you two?"
"Him naked and in bed with me," Morinth said with a perfectly straight face, pointing to me. At my somewhat shocked and confused expression, she added, "Or a Thessian Sunrise."
"The Sunrise I can help you with," Aethyta said, grinning at my expense. "What about you, clueless?"
"Umm…uh," I stammered, trying to regain control of the conversation. "Terran Red Wine, if you have it."
"Coming right up."
I shot Morinth a glare that was supposed to be intimidating, but only earned me a cheeky grin. Aethyta poured the drinks and placed them in front of us.
"Wise advice," I said, nodding towards the turian's empty shot glass. Aethyta collected it and added it to a tub of glasses and empty bottles.
"Glad there are still some who are willing to listen to it," she said. "Unlike those stuck-up prigs on the home-world. Stuck-up, pompous, bitch-ass…"
She took a deep breath.
"Sorry. Bit on-edge today."
"A daughter coming back to town can have that effect," I said, sipping my wine.
A darkness descended across Aethyta's face, and she reached a hand under the bar.
I'm guessing that's NOT a tumbler she's reaching for…
"And what do you know of my daughter, Seneschal?" she asked, her tone turning icy.
"That I count her one of my closest friends," I said, laying my other hand on the bar to show that it was empty. "And I would kill anyone who threatened her safety."
Aethyta paused a moment, then laid her hand back on top of the bar.
"That makes two of us, then," she said. "Liara know about me?"
"Not as far as I know," I said honestly. "And I don't plan on telling her. Not my place. And that's not the reason I came here today."
The matriarch relaxed visibly.
"Then to what, may I ask, do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"
"Just the answer to a hypothetical question."
"Shoot, I'll answer hypotheticals 'til Athame comes home."
"What would happen to Eclipse if Jona Sederis was suddenly taken out of the picture?"
Now it was Morinth's turn to sputter and look shocked. Aethyta paused, mid glass-wipe. She slowly put down the rag and glass.
"Oh, honey," she said, nothing but seriousness stamped on her expression. "Bigger fish than you have tried that, and they're all dead now."
"Humor me," I said, keeping the casual lilt in my voice. "Best guess?"
Aethyta arched an eyebrow, but resumed her dish-cleaning.
"Best guess? Her two she-witches she has for daughters would tear it all to hell. They hate each other almost as much as they hate her, a rivalry Sederis has actually had the sense to encourage, to keep them from joining forces against her. Without their mother there to keep the uneasy peace? They'd be at each other's throats in a heartbeat."
"Interesting," I said non-committedly, taking another sip of my wine.
"Ko'le…" Morinth said in her 'don't you dare' voice.
"What?" I said innocently. "I'm certainly not suggesting we try and do anything stupid. I'm just saying that with an asari Justicar coming to Illium for the first time in…?"
I glanced at Aethyta.
"Decades," she answered the unspoken question.
"Decades," I continued, "And the circumstantial arrival of one of the most notoriously insane criminal warlords in the entire galaxy, both of them in the same city? At the same time? Anything could happen."
The two asari's' stares turned from disbelieving incredulity to thoughtful contemplation.
"I mean, goddess forbid, if Sederis and the Justicar were ever in the same room, who knows what would happen?" I continued.
"Her fucking Code would dictate that she should try to arrest Sederis," Aethyta said thoughtfully.
"Like Sederis would be scared of any trial," Morinth scoffed.
"Well technically, since the Justicars are not sanctioned by any government," Aethyta corrected, "the case would most likely be relayed to the Citadel Courts."
She grinned in a very unnerving way.
"And I can think of not a few matriarchs who would sleep a lot easier with Sederis behind bars…"
"But as you say," I replied off-handedly, finishing my glass of wine. "It's all hypotheticals, right? Besides, you know the justice system of the Citadel… It could take centuries for such a case to come to court…"
Aethyta gave me a sideways look and a grin to match.
"They said you were good, Seneschal, but damn…"
She turned and called out to behind the bar.
"ERANA! Watch the bar, will ya, babe?"
A young maiden bounded up to the bar, exuberant smile on her face.
"OK, Miss Aethy!"
Aethyta laid a hand on top of mine, giving me a knowing smile.
"These two have drinks on the house. I have a few calls to make."
Erena nodded and proceeded to get us refills as Aethyta slowly strode out of the bar and down the stairs out of sight.
"Fuck, Ko'le," Morinth exclaimed, picking up her drink. "Betrayals? Manipulations? Political Machinations? Why do you have to be so Goddess-damned sexy?"
Suddenly her playful expression turned serious.
"Boss…"
She nodded towards the entrance of the bar. Shepard and Miranda had just entered. Shepard and I made eye contact, but she made no sign of acknowledgement.
Smart.
"Ignore them," I said, turning back to the bar. "I'd rather not tip anyone off that we're with the Council Spectre. At least not just yet."
Morinth nodded, and we turned back to our drinks. Morinth hung on my arm, but she was facing the lounge, while I stayed facing the bar.
"What are they doing?" I asked in a low voice.
"They just sat down in the corner both with another asari," Morinth said, though her lips barely moved. "Don't know her. Cute though, in a secretarial kind of way."
"That would be Lanteia, Miranda's contact on-world," I mused. "She's been the one updating Miranda about her the situation."
"They don't like what she's saying," Morinth said. "The cat-suit ice queen just got colder, if you can imagine it."
"Imagine if someone was going after Falere, or Rila," I said simply. "What would you do to keep your sisters safe?"
A long silence met my question.
"You know that thing you do where you say exactly the right thing all the time? It's annoying…"
"Comes with the job," I said with a mock sigh. "Perfection is such a heavy burden to bear…"
"I'm going to smack you. OK, she's leading them away now. Shepard is on her Omni-Tool."
My own Omni-Tool buzzed to life, showing the message Shepard had just sent me from across the room:
Moving to extract VIP-Standby to support-Possible heavy Resistance-Cmdr. SHEPARD.
I typed a "Standing by" reply, then turned to Morinth.
"Get the crew together. We'll need to be ready to move out at a moment's notice."
*SOME TIME LATER*
You know what's never covered, in ANY video game? What the rest of the squad do while Shepard and her two selected companions go and accomplish the mission. Know why?
'Cause it's hella boring as shit…
I wasn't used to being the one left behind, waiting for the word on what to do. Of course I knew it would go off without a hitch, but I had the advantage of… hold on a second….
If Niket doesn't have Henry Lawson to give Oriana to, he'll stay loyal to Miranda. So it's entirely possible that they'll relocate Oriana without even firing a shot.
Then why is it taking SO BLOODY LONG?
Suddenly, my Omni-Tool and Garrus' came to life at the same time. Answering the call, Shepard's face appeared in the view-screen.
"Dantius has the package," Shepard said in her crisp, non-panicked but every-has-gone-FUBAR voice. "We're moving on Dantius Towers now. Meet us there. Expect heavy resistance."
"What?!" I exclaimed. "How?"
"Unknown," Shepard replied, "We got to the drop point and Nik…. Miranda's contact was already dead. Found some Eclipse cleaning up the place, however. They were kind enough to explain the situation."
"I take it they did not survive their explanation?"
"They tortured my oldest friend to death and kidnapped my sister," Miranda's ice-queen voice broke into the conversation. "What do you think?"
"No judgement or condemnation here," I replied. "We'll be on-site soon to back you up."
"Boss," Morinth spoke up in the shuttle seat next to me. "If Jona Sederis really is there, there will be a fucking army between us and her."
"Which is why you're going to call her and tell her who's on the way there," I said simply.
Four pairs of eyes stared at me incredulously.
"Jona Sederis came to Nos Astra looking for a single, orphaned human girl who just happens to have the right genetics to be valuable," I explained. "However, if one of her loyal captains called her," I gestured to Morinth, "to tell her that a Council Spectre was bound for her location, after the same prize…"
"…It would be more heat that she could afford to handle," Reyna finished for me, starting to understand. "She'd pull her forces back, leaving Nassana Dantius as a gift-wrapped scapegoat, with the girl as evidence of the crime."
"You do remember the part where Sederis is insane, don't you?" Morinth asked. "She will be just as likely to fortify her position, or more likely, kill everyone in the fucking building."
"It's a gamble," I admitted. "But the one thing we know for damn sure is that if Shepard goes into that tower guns-blazing, Sederis WILL stand and fight."
"It's the safest option," Kai agreed, grinning his approval. "Divide and conquer…"
"Precisely," I said, "Morinth? Make the call."
*DANTIUS TOWERS*
NOS ASTRA
ILLIUM
The towers were larger than I remembered them. But then, that was a reoccurring theme ever since I arrived on Therum, more than two years ago.
In the game, Shepard and the two-man squad get dropped off at the bottom of Tower Two and fight their way up. This time, however, we had eleven squad members from the Indomitable, and ten from the Normandy. And a twenty-one-person attack is a horse of a different color completely. "Divide-and-conquer" was the theme of our entire attack. What we absolutely didn't want was for us to be in one location for Dantius or Sederis to throw waves of mechs or Eclipse sisters at us.
So we attack her from four different directions, and throw them into confusion. Four insertion points, four shuttles. The side door of our shuttle swung open.
"Sergeant-Major?" I asked. "Do you see that wall?"
"Aye, sah," the vorcha affirmed.
"I don't want to."
"Right-ho, sah!" the vorcha hefted the ML-77 rocket launcher into position and squeezed the trigger. Before the dust and smoke from the explosion had even settled, I had launched myself out of the shuttle and through the giant hole it had blown in the side of the building. Bringing my rifle to bear, I scanned for targets, blasting back two LOKIs and a FENRIS mech. Leng joined me on the platform next, throwing a flashbang and cloaking. Reyna appeared next, followed by Morinth.
"Clear left!"
"Contact! Contact Right!"
Lastly, the resplendently-armored vorcha came through the window, rolling to his feet while bringing twin SMGs to bear on the mechanized enemies pouring into the room.
"EE-RAH! BLOOD AND VINEGAR, CHAPS!" the Sergeant-Major cried, positively giddy to be back in the thick of battle.
It was laughably one-sided. Between our rifles and Leng's sword, the room was cleared in matter of minutes.
"MOVE! Keep up the pressure!" I called, already proceeding towards the door. Suddenly, the door exploded into splinters, and a krogan stepped through, twin rocket launchers at the ready. Barriers were thrown up as we dove for cover as rockets began spraying through the room,
"MUAAHAHAHAHAHAHA! FEAR THE MIGHT OF RAIK KOLSHEV, MORTALS!"
"Idiot's going to bring the whole building down on top of us!" hissed Morinth as a rocket whizzed overhead, detonating somewhere behind us.
"Don't think Dantius hired him for his brains…" I said, reaching for my blade.
"I will tear your beating hearts out of your chests!" the krogan continued, "I will – "
Suddenly, a hole appeared in his throat, and orange blood dribbled down his neck. The krogan mercenary looked confused as his fingers lost their strength and he slumped first to his knees, then onto his face.
"Good shot, Garrus!" I said into my radio.
"Uhh, that wasn't me," the detective answered. "We're still eight floors above you."
"Kolyat? Shepard?" I asked the other two snipers on our team, but got only negatives.
"Then who…?" I asked, looking at the perfect shot that had hit the krogan in the back of the head, just under the headplate and exited out his neck. Then it hit me.
Krios.
"Be advised, Krios is probably on-site and on the hunt," I relayed to the other teams.
"Acknowledged," Shepard's voice answered.
The mission in the game is basically sneaking around until you encounter large groups of enemies. This, on the other hand, was a four-sided meat grinder descending on the executive suite of Dantius Tower II. After scrapping a room of LOKIs, we opened a door to see Basher holding an Eclipse mercenary by the leg off a half-completed ledge.
"It's about, what, seventy-five stories to the floor?" Jane asked Javik.
"Seventy-seven," clarified Javik.
"Long way to fall," Jane said to the Eclipse mercenary. "Or you could tell us where the human girl is that they brought from the Riverfront district."
"AHH! OK, OK, OK! JESUS, PUT ME DOWN!" the yellow-armored human begged.
"OK…" Basher said, and let go of the man's leg. Luckily, Javik's and my biotics flared, keeping the prisoner from falling more than a few feet. But I guessed that this guy would need to change his armor anyway. Jane shot a look a t Basher, who reached out and re-took the man's leg in his hand sheepishly.
"Sorry…" he said, looking genuinely ashamed.
"The girl is on the top floor! Dantius had her brought to the safe room after Sederis left!" the prisoner shared in a gush of helpful information. "That's all I know, I swear!"
"Thank you," Jane said with a sweet smile, then sent a right hook that knocked the upside-down guy senseless. Basher then swung him over to the relative safety of the ledge, and dropped him.
"Let's move," I instructed my reunited squad. Turro'le and Kolyat hung in the rear, their long-range weapons covering the rest of us. Tallaxis, Javik, Morinth and I were in the center, our biotics offering support or aid where needed. Reyna also was with us, ready to hack any door or mech we encountered. Basher, Jane, Leng, and Pyke took the lead, their firepower carving through anything in their path.
"These mechs are not worth the parts they consist of," Javik said with distain as we stepped over the latest group of security mechs that attempted to impede our passage. "It would appear that Sederis took most of her warriors with her in her flight."
"Only you would complain that we don't have enough foes to fight, Brother," I laughed.
"Admit it, you also find this tedious," Javik retorted.
"We shall have battles glorious in the time to come," I replied. "For now, I will take what Life throws at me."
"Indomitable, are you in position?"
"Roger, Normandy. Ready on your mark," I answered.
"Five, four, three, two, one… BREACH."
The door in front of us opened, and we entered the executive suite. Five Eclipse Vanguards faced us, barriers and tech armor powering up. On the opposite side of the room, five more guards faced off with the Normandy crew that was pouring in, weapons ready. In the center of the room, Nassana Dantius stood, in her highly-fashionable dress, arm around a young human girl, who looked about maybe 17 or 18.
"Well, you've made it this far, Shepard," the asari said coolly. "Very impressive for a Spectre who's supposed to be dead."
"Let my sister go, you bitch," Miranda hissed, stepping forward, biotics flaring.
"Uh-ah-ah," the asari flared biotics of her own, keeping the human girl in a neck-lock. The girl's eyes had gone even wider at Miranda's declaration of sisterhood, if that was even possible. "One false move and I'll snap her neck, here and now. It'll be easier than breaking a toothpick."
Shepard slowly reached out an arm and pulled Miranda back.
"Dantius, we came for the girl, not you. Hand her over and we'll leave you in peace."
"Don't patronize me, Shepard," Dantius said dismissively. "You destroy my tower, decimate my security, and you say you're not here to kill me? No doubt you find this all very ironic: first you take care of my sister, and now you've come for me."
"Geez, paranoid much?" Jack muttered not-so-quietly.
Dantius drew in a breath through her teeth, using a free hand to pull a pistol from her back and holding it to Oriana's head.
"I'm not playing anymore," the asari said as every finger in the room tightened on their respective triggers. "Anybody makes so much as a…"
A single figure dropped from the ceiling, a drop of over twenty feet, if my reckoning was correct. The drell landed just behind Nassana, seizing her wrist and knocking the gun away. Startled, Nassana loosened her grip on the human to turn on her attacker.
Too late.
FAR too late.
With a single, deft moment, the drell's arms came up and twisted the asari's neck. The snap that followed was both loud and final. The biotics around her flickered and went out as Nassana Dantius slumped over onto the floor, quite dead.
As the Vanguards whirled to deal with the assassin, Javik, Morinth, and I blitzed forward with biotics, our swords finding weak points in their armor. Leng decloaked just above another guard, his sword coming down through the neck of the salarian. On the other side, Kasumi had also decloaked, driving her wakizashi into the back of one of the Eclipse. Shepard, Garrus, Turro, and Kolyat each fired a single shot, each targeting a separate guard. Those whose shields didn't fail instantly were suddenly flung against the walls like rag dolls at Miranda's, Tallaxis', or Jack's biotic flares. Basher's and Grunt's shotguns each barked, taking out the two who had been lucky enough to survive the slamming against the walls. Thane Krios dealt with the final guard, leaping towards the huntress and wrapping his legs on each side of her neck. Even as they fell to the ground, we heard the crack of the asari's neck. Thane rolled to his feet, moving without hesitation to Dantius' body. Miranda moved forward to grab the distraught Oriana, along with Shepard.
Garrus barked an order to the rest of the Normandy crew, who fanned out into guarding positions. My crew, on the other hand, along with Liara, moved to the terminals, plugging in hacking shunts and wiping other data-streams clean. Thane had folded Nassana's arms across her chest, then folded his own hands and bowing his head in silent prayer.
Shepard walked forward and stood at a respectful distance from the praying assassin.
"Thane Krios?" she asked. "I was hoping to talk to you…"
There was a moment of silence, then Thane lowered his hands.
"Apologies," came the gravelly voice of Keythe Farley. "But prayers for the wicked must not be forsaken."
Shepard raised an eyebrow and looked at the prone figure on the floor.
"You really think she deserves it?"
Thane looked up, making eye contact with the Commander for the first time.
"Not for her," he said, "For me. The measure of an individual can be difficult to discern, based upon actions alone."
He folded his hands behind is back, carefully weighing the individual in front of him.
"What exactly would you like to discuss, Commander?"
"Someone's been abducting entire human colonies," Shepard answered. "We already know the culprits: a race called the Collectors. I'm putting together a team to stop them."
"I've heard of them," Krios said thoughtfully. "Attacking the Collectors means passing through the Omega 4 relay. No ship has ever returned from doing so."
"They told us it was impossible to get to Ilos too, Master Krios," I said, stepping forward. "The Commander has quite a history with the impossible."
"Ah. Seneschal Ko'le," Thane said. "You have something of a history with the impossible, yourself."
"I have had the help of many good people around me," I said, gesturing to my squad.
That's when Thane Krios first noticed the drell working at the terminal on the far side of the room, making a concerted effort to not make eye contact with him.
"Kolyat…" Thane said under his breath. Then he turned back quickly to Shepard.
"I will work for you, Shepard," he said, holding out his hand. "No charge."
Shepard shook the drell's hand, nodding. "Glad to have you onboard, Thane."
"Boss."
I turned at Morinth's call and walked over to the terminal where she was standing.
"We only missed Sederis by seconds," she said, pointing to a blip on the screen moving towards the docks. "She's bound for the dockyard district."
"Well then, time for Phase 2 of our plan," I replied, bringing up my Omni-Tool and dialing a number, careful to place no-one in the background of my call. A familiar face answered.
"Seneschal…"
"Madam Justicar," I said with a polite nod. "I understand you're looking for information from Eclipse."
"I am," she answered. If she was surprised by my call or my knowledge, she did not show it. "My intelligence suggests that Morinth joined them not long ago," the Justicar answered. "I am attempting to find out where she was posted once she did. So far, without success."
"Would you then be interested to know that the Chairman of the Eclipse Sisterhood is inbound for your location?"
A wisp of surprise flickered across her face.
"Sederis is here?"
"She is inbound for her private yacht, the EPV Syzygy. It is plausible that she has the information you seek."
Now the predatory look returned, and Samara drew her shoulders back.
"It is likely. I thank you for your intel, Seneschal."
"We are inbound for the same location," I said. "We will join our strength with yours, in exchange for a moment of your time. Commander Shepard would ask thy aid in our quest."
Samara did not raise so much as an eyebrow, but only cocked her head slightly to the right.
"Intriguing. Help me achieve the information I seek, Seneschal, and I will hear thee."
"Athame keep you, Justicar," I said solemnly, closing the call. Shepard caught the very end of the conversation, and drew me aside.
"What's the plan?" she asked.
"Samara is attempting the arrest of Jona Sederis," I answered. "We should get a squad and head that way."
Shepard turned back to her crew.
"Liara! Grunt! Jack! Mount up!"
"Turro and Pyke, on me," I said in turn.
"Ko'le," Morinth started, as Shepard had a quiet word with Miranda and Oriana. "Let me go with you."
"If I had a year, I couldn't list all the reasons why that was a bad idea," I replied.
"If anything's going down with my mother, I'd rather have it out now," she said. "Please, Ko'le. Have I ever asked you for anything, after all the things I've done for you?"
I drew a long breath in through my nose.
"Grab your helmet," I said finally. "You don't breathe so much as a word without my say-so. As far as anyone on that dock will know, you are just another asari in armor. Got it?"
She nodded, reaching for her helmet as she did so.
As the seven of us boarded a shuttle on the roof, one thought kept going through my head over and over again:
Mother above, this was a bad idea.
A/N:
Well, we have Thane Krios recruited and Oriana rescued. Niket still dead, but Miranda still loyal. :D
Now, we have the SECOND dreaded Mother/Daughter reunion of this fic: Morinth vs. Samara. How it will all go down? I've got most of the chapter written/outlined, but you'll have to wait and see…This update schedule I've set up for myself has been far more successful than I'd thought originally. So I'm going to do my best to stick to it, that way I can get this content out to you guys that much quicker. Thank you for your patience and support! You guys ROCK!
As always, leave me your thoughts/ideas/criticisms. I can't stress enough how excited I get to receive your feedback, even if it's just "Good Job." :D
-Tusken1602
Reviewer Responses:
Squadpunk 2.0 – Yeah, she does seem kinda that way around Ko'le doesn't she? *wink*
tamagat – that is literally my favorite Shakespeare speech EVER. While I don't want to steal directly from the Bard, I do hope to have my fair share of heroic speeches by the end of this (especially at the Collector Base).
Zeru'Xil, METALHELLSPWN – Yep. Leviathans sticking their tentacle-ly noses where they don't belong… :D
general-joseph-dickson, BrotherCaptainSheperd, Bearmauls, Tahkaullus01, – Yeah, Shepard and her mom's relationship has turned a corner, but it's a long road to go, still. And we have more reunions to come, so yeah, you could say there was a theme going…
Appbeza – Got a sneak peak of Mira's happenings! Hope I didn't disappoint!
Sheity Williams – Shhh…. *Spoilers….
dragons guard – the next chapter will also have tons of action, and after that, we return to SUNNY HAESTROM!
Toothless is best – I do as well! :D It's good to have a goal for yourself. At least it is for me. Otherwise, it's weeks and sometimes MONTHS between chapters…
Blaze1992, KyuubiNodaci – No worries, mates. No cheating going to be happening here. You're right, Ashley's too religious a person for that, and even I couldn't do that to Ko'le…diabolical as I may be.
BJ Hanssen – Yeah, Beast is coming into his own as a unique personality, rather than just a dumb brute. Whether that's a good thing or not, remains to be seen…
Elvisfonz23, Guest, jackli10345, Valor01, DOS73, Kebarton, shugokage – Thanks, everyone! As long as there are people who will read it, I'll take the story all the way to the end of ME:3. I don't have any plans for a sequel to the story after that, but with Andromeda coming up fast, who knows? ;P
May the Father below accept you when your time comes, and until then, may the Mother keep you always.
EE-RAH!