Wanna know how much writer's-block trouble this chapter gave me? During the course of my work on it, I completed an entire Mass Effect 3 playthrough on Insanity. That's how much trouble it gave me. Corrections to mistakes and mistaken or missing dialogues in earlier chapters of this Book have been made; unfortunately, during my Grissom Academy playthrough, EDI said the "that'll keep the students out of danger" line instead of Javik, so that chapter still has the big "[AUTHOR COULDN'T FIND]" message. However, my playthrough obviously overtook the progression of the story in this Book by quite a bit, so mistakes made after the current point will have to wait for an eventual future playthrough months from now.
AND, while finishing up the Ravager paragraph of part 3 of this chapter and trying to beat the final Kai Leng fight on my game, I experienced a skin allergic reaction of unknown cause that got me admitted overnight to the hospital while they pumped Benadryl and prednisone and other things into me. So that ate up time, too. I have NO IDEA what I'm allergic to (dirty bedsheets & pillowcase? The red dye used in the Sudafed pills I've been taking for my cold? The cold virus itself, somehow? Stress from the Insanity playthrough (did Kai Leng give me hives)? The current heat-wave hitting the LA area?), and I haven't changed my diet or taken or touched anything new lately (though I've heard you can be fine with a medicine, object, or food for years and years but then suddenly develop allergy to it… I'm a very picky eater, and many of the things I do like share ingredients; if I've become allergic to cheese, I'm SCREWED)
SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS
PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES
NOTE: This chapter does not take place after Tuchanka; it takes place at various points before then, with the final section being simultaneous with Shepard's activity on the Krogan homeworld.
-CHAPTER START-
Equestria – Aboard HRM Cumulus (Equestrian Navy supply-transport airship)
The large armored airship drifted through the sky, making its way toward its destination. In the past few months, Equestria's navy – both airships and seagoing vessels – had been given considerable upgrades thanks to tech-sharing from the DDF. In the Cumulus' case, the flight magic imbued into its materials that let it defy gravity was supplemented (though not 100% replaced) by powerful thrusters and Sangheili-designed antigravity technology. If one of those three sources of lift was lost, the other two could keep the ship in the air until it made a safe landing. The transport vessel was fairly well-armored but only lightly armed, relying mostly on armed crew or other, more dedicated warships for defense; a handful of turrets, some automated and some crew-controlled, dotted the vessel.
Right now, the Cumulus was carrying rations and ammunition out to the frontier; a garrison was set up at Appleloosa, and word was they'd been fending off sporadic Husk attacks for a while now. They were about 45 minutes out from the frontier town now, moving slowly and taking a meandering route in the hopes of avoiding detection. A mixture of Equestrian and COG personnel were aboard as crew and defense, with the latter including the four men who made up the core of Delta Squad.
"Skies look clear so far" Dom said. "Handful of ground-troop movements way down below a few minutes ago, but I don't think they saw us."
"Don't relax yet" Marcus replied. "We've still got a ways to go. Baird, Cole, anything on your end?"
"Nothing yet, Marcus" Cole replied from his & Baird's position on the other side of the ship.
"Yeah," Baird chimed in, "things look clear for now, but I've got a bad feeling about… Wait… Shit! Scratch that! Harvesters coming up from below!"
(MUSIC: Gears of War 3 OST – "Stalk City")
Sure enough, the metallic screech of a Harvester accompanied one of the massive Reaper flyers emerging into view right off the side of the ship from Marcus and Dom. The Cumulus' guns came to life, joining the ship's armed defenders in firing at the huge flyers. The Harvesters circled around the slower airship, and soon started dropping Husk forces onto the deck of the vessel. Marcus and Dom readied their M2 Lancers as a pack of Husks charged at them, gunning the cyber-zombies down before they could get too close. A pair of Cannibals dropped in and started shooting at them, only to be cut down by one of the Cumulus' mounted turrets on the deck, the pegasus manning it then turning the gun on another pack of Husks.
On the other side of the main deck, Baird used his Omnitool to overload a Marauder's shields, leaving it vulnerable to a shotgun blast from Cole. He used his rifle to take out a pair of Husks trying to flank Cole, and the two of them started making their way around and across the deck to reach the other half of the team. A Cannibal that tried to get in their way was messily cut down by the chainsaw-bayonet of Cole's Lancer, and Baird sent out a Combat Drone to distract a few Husks that were chasing them. When they were halfway there, a pair of Husks dropped right in front of them, only to be brought down from behind by a blast from Dom's shotgun and a slash from Marcus' chainsaw bayonet.
"So much for the pleasure-cruise part of the journey" Marcus remarked. "Come on; let's kick these things off our ship."
The guns of the Cumulus managed to finally deal fatal damage to one of the Harvesters, sending the massive long-necked beast plummeting to the ground far below. The other Harvesters continued harassing the ship, dropping off Reaper troops and occasionally firing their head-mounted heavy cannons. Automated and manned turrets fired back at the flyers and at the infantry they dropped off, as soldiers human and pony fired hand-carried and saddle-mounted weapons at the enemy boarders. One full-armored COG soldier saw a Husk charging from his left and sidestepped, sticking his leg out to trip the cyber-zombie and then putting a few rounds into it once it was down; the recent newer designs of COG armor included helmets that gave wider visual range without sacrificing protection, after the old, vision-field-impairing model had resulted in so many blind-sidings and losses to snipers during the Locust War.
A group of Cannibals led by a Marauder attacked, forcing Delta Squad to dive behind crates and walls for cover, thankful that their new armor had shields. Cole threw a grenade that killed two Cannibals and stripped the Marauder's shields, letting Dom focus fire to bring it down, while Baird took out a Cannibal that was getting too close with an Incinerate (Omnitools were fast becoming standard-issue for all DDF military personnel, but among Delta Squad only Baird regularly used his in combat, having installed the 'Engineer' four-pack of offensive programs; Dom also had an Incinerate module that he occasionally used). Support from another fireteam further away on the deck let Delta Squad catch the remaining Cannibals in a crossfire, quickly taking them down.
Marcus ran for a nearby unattended turret mounted on the deck and brought it to bear, pointing the double heavy anti-infantry machineguns at the mass of enemy boarders. The powerful guns ripped through the Husk lines, cutting down the human, pony, and Batarian cyber-zombies in seconds. Elsewhere on the ship, heavy weapons were finally brought out from below, being put to use against Marauders and Harvesters, the latter also being continuously fired at by the Cumulus' larger turret-guns.
Before long, the Harvesters and most of the Husk forces had been slain with minimal casualties amongst the defenders. However, as the battle seemingly wound down, there was suddenly a deep, metallic roar that echoed through the sky. Confused and anxious, the humans and ponies aboard looked around for the source. One marine looked down over the port edge of the ship… and his face went pale as he saw what was coming up.
(BOSS MUSIC: Mass Effect 3 OST – "Infected, Large, and Hungry")
A massive shape flew up from the left, huge wings stirring the wind. The titanic creature, nearly half again the size of a Harvester, was covered in armored scales tinted metallic black with glowing blue lines, advanced machinery and cybernetics visible all over its body. The wings glowed blue with element zero, and two vibrant blue optics were set above a mouth containing silvery machinery set within huge metallic teeth. The beast let out a mighty roar, deep and synthetic-sounding. Upon seeing and recognizing the monster and what it had once been, anxiety turned to outright fear through the majority of the crew, and the marine who'd been first to spot it cried out:
"DRAGON HUSK!-!-!"
The huge Husk-form flew forward in a wide arc, circling around to the left, and then turned and flew straight toward the Cumulus from the front, firing a wave of explosive plasmic blasts similar to those fired by Geth Colossi as it passed over the ship, the blasts leaving scorched plating and a few shallow holes in the deck, as well as blowing a pair of too-slow marines to charred bits. The monster dove beneath the ship from behind, and a few seconds later it emerged right in front of the ship, its arms' huge claws digging into the wood and metal as it hung on. The blue lights along its throat glowed, and it breathed out a stream of electrified fire that simultaneously roasted and electrocuted a half-dozen human and pony soldiers before they could even try to get out of the way. Heavy gunfire from numerous turrets pounded against the Dragon-Husk's upper body, and it let out a short screech as it let go and took to the air again, circling around to the ship's portside.
The beast attacked from behind, shooting right over the top of the Cumulus, dropping another wave of explosive blasts that chained up the length of the ship, doing more damage, destroying a turret, and killing a couple more people. Gunfire from the turrets and a few unicorn-magic bolts struck the monster's armored body as it passed, but did little damage. The Dragon-Husk breathed another blast of electrified fire at the side of the ship, burning/melting a hole in the outer hull before concentrated shots forced it away.
It returned its attention to the open-air deck, landing atop the Cumulus with a thud that seemed to shake the whole ship. Overloads and Incinerates from the few combat-capable Omnitools onboard struck it in the face, while heavy fire from any turrets that could hit it chipped away at its metal and dragon-scale armor. The dragon cyber-zombie fired a blast at Marcus, who swore as he dived away just before the turret he'd been manning was wrecked. Switching to his Lancer, he and the others focused fire on the monster's head, trying to do at least some damage. However, the Dragon-Husk took very little, being more annoyed than anything else. A rocket suddenly struck it in the back end from behind, and in response it snarled and speared its tail out – now tipped with a long and thin electrified spike – and impaled the soldier who'd fired the rocket; with a swing of the tail, the man was then flung over the edge of the ship.
"We need something big to take this thing out!" Dom shouted, ducking under an energy blast.
"Baird!" Marcus called. "Is there anything in this ship's cargo we can use?"
"Just a sec…" Baird checked the manifest on his Omnitool. "Ooh, that'll do. Marking a nav-point for you, Marcus. Hurry and go get it before this bastard tears the ship apart!"
As Fenix ran for a nearby door and disappeared into the ship, following the marker Baird had sent him, the rest of the squad worked with the other soldiers aboard the airship to continue trying to cause any notable harm to the Dragon-Husk. Someone brought out a launcher and fired two rockets at the massive Husk's underside, and the monster roared and took off again, beats of its huge wings kicking up a powerful gust that swept across the deck as it dove to the side. Flying along to the right of the ship, it fired a 'broadside' of explosive plasmic blasts that blew a few more chunks out of the ship's side. A few rockets were fired by soldiers on the ship, but the monster barrel-rolled to avoid them. The Dragon-Husk circled around the Cumulus for the next couple minutes, firing energy blasts and bursts of electrified fire at the ship and its crew.
"I got it!" Marcus called out as he emerged back onto the deck, carrying a rather large weapon, bulky and with a radioactivity symbol painted on the side. "Can't hit him when he's buzzing around like this, though. We gotta find a way to hold him still for a bit!"
"On it, sir!" a unicorn stallion soldier replied, before turning to his fellows. "Alright, boys & girls! Maneuver F-C2! Get ready!"
The Dragon-Husk began to fly over the Cumulus again, but this time a multitude of unicorns reached out and simultaneously grabbed hold of it with their telekinetic magic, straining as they put their all into holding the creature in place. Marcus quickly readied the M920 Cain, pointing it up at the thrashing beast and holding the trigger down. An electronic whine and beeping sounds began to steadily climb as warning lights accompanied increasing heat and a growing glow at the weapon's barrel over the next several seconds. Finally, just as the Dragon-Husk broke free of the unicorns' hold, the Cain fired its shot right at the beast's upper chest. The combination of powerful explosives in the shell and the projectile's low-relativistic velocity made for a tremendously powerful explosion, a flash of light and a shockwave that knocked everyone off their feet accompanying the incredible energy of the blast. The Dragon-Husk's upper torso was near-completely obliterated, its mangled and melting head being sent flying off in one direction while the blasted and partially-vaporized rest of the body fell the other way, bouncing off the side of the ship and plummeting to the ground far below. The surviving soldiers and crew of the ship cheered.
"Okay," Marcus said as the Cain opened vents to disperse heat, "now that the 'interruption' is dealt with, we've got a delivery to complete."
-SCENE BREAK-
Appleloosa
From atop the north lookout tower he was currently in, Damon Baird looked out at the desert bordering the small town, tinted red by the setting sun. Delta Squad had been here for the past few days, being dropped off along with supplies by the Cumulus before the transport ship then flew off to perform missions elsewhere. The frontier town had been converted into an outpost of sorts, defensive emplacements set up and buildings fortified; civilians unwilling or unable to act as militia were holed up in underground shelters in the heart of the town. Reaper ground forces occasionally launched light attacks, scouts mostly, and were quickly repulsed, but the COs present were worried that a big one was coming sooner or later.
Baird leaned back in his seat as he yawned… and his eyes went wide as this enabled him to see the Reaper troop-transport ship that was flying a few kilometers overhead. 'Maybe it doesn't see us…' he thought. 'Yeah… It's just gonna drift on by, go somewhere else…'
(MUSIC: Gears of War 3 OST – "Hammer, Meet Anvil")
Then, he spotted reddish streaks of light coming closer from beneath the ship, and as he zoomed in his fears were confirmed: Reaper troop drop-pods, and lots of them, all dropping right toward Appleloosa and the surrounding area.
"Shit!" he scrambled to activate his radio and broadcast to all personnel in the town. "We've got a troop-transport overhead dropping a horde of Husk forces on us! This is not a joke, not a drill! Everyone, battle stations!"
Every soldier throughout the town readied weapons, many of them looking up and spotting the incoming Husk pods. Most of them looked to be dropping in just north of the town, where the defenses were comparatively weakest and there were some rocks for approaching attackers to use as cover, and so the rest of Delta Squad headed there, arriving just as the first wave of pods crashed down a few dozen meters out. After a few seconds, Baird's sniper rifle let out a 'crack', and a Marauder collapsed with the top half of its head missing. The Cannibals ran for cover in the rocks, a few of them being picked off before they could reach it, while basic Husks charged right in, being gunned down en masse but still getting worryingly close to the defenders' lines.
Marcus brought down two Cannibals that were close together, while next to him Dom's shotgun boomed as he blasted a Husk. Soon another wave of drop-pods came in, and this time a significant number of pony Husks were deposited onto the battlefield. The Husks made from earth ponies were almost identical to human-form Husks in behavior and ability, working to simply charge into melee range and beat their targets to death. Unicorn Husks fired bolts of energy from their twisted, sharpened horns, while pegasus-Husks slashed with blade-edged wings and released short-ranged pulses of electrical energy. The defending soldiers stood strong, pony soldiers determinedly aiding their human allies in gunning down the cyber-zombies that were once members of their two species. The faint sounds of gunfire behind the defenders told of how a small number of Husk pods had landed at other entry points or even in the town itself, to be set upon by other defending forces.
Suddenly a drop pod deposited something that Delta Squad hadn't seen before: a huge, burly Husk with an oversized right arm and a head that looked mismatched with its body. The Brute began to advance, some shots actually bouncing off the Turian-Krogan Husk's armored hide as it slowly marched toward the defensive line. Then, however, one of the local buffalo warriors marched up to join the defense, his heavy footsteps made heavier by the two very large guns carried on his strong back and shoulders. The two big guns fired large-caliber, armor-piercing shells meant to be used against light vehicles, punching through the Brute's heavy armor. The beast growled as it staggered, and then roared as it made a final desperate charge. However, the volume of fire proved too much for it, and it collapsed dead just in front of the defenders.
The monsters kept coming, Marauders directing the fire of Cannibals and unicorn-Husks while human-, pegasus-, and earth-pony Husks moved in close. Baird overloaded the shields of a Marauder and Dom then hit it with an Incinerate, while Marcus threw a grenade that took out four human-Husks and wounded a Cannibal, and Cole used his Lancer to chainsaw through a Husk that got too close. The buffalo warrior's heavy cannons were a big help, taking out clusters of Husks and keeping the gun-wielding cyber-zombies' heads down.
Watching how he and his comrades were holding the line solidly against the attackers, Marcus felt like this battle might go very well by this war's standards. Suddenly, however, that thought was dispelled from his head by a deep, metallic bass horn that resounded across the desert, as a Reaper Destroyer dropped in around two kilometers out, its huge red optic looking right at the town. The titan began to 'slowly' (its huge strides meant it still covered plenty of ground) walk toward the settlement, the glow of its eye brightening. After a few seconds it fired, its crimson beam slicing upwards and through the east edge of the town, obliterating five buildings and a dozen soldiers. The Destroyer continued its inexorable approach, even as Husk forces continued dropping in and throwing themselves at the defenders, trying to soften them up. Soon the Reaper began charging another shot, and this time Marcus felt like it was looking right at him as its eye glowed brighter and brighter…
There was a sudden 'bolt' that shot down from the sky above and behind the defenders, impacting the Reaper Destroyer in the 'face' at an angle with a mighty explosion. The badly-wounded synthetic monster struggled to remain functioning, sparks and wrecked metal shooting out, until a few seconds later a second shot struck it, punching clean through; explosions tore through the Destroyer as it collapsed, quite dead. Soon, a third shot took out the troop-transport ship high above, tearing through its power core. The defenders breathed a sigh of relief as they realized a UNSC ship had noticed what was going on from low orbit and lent its MAC to the cause.
A final wave of Husk drop-pods, launched by the enemy ship just before its destruction, dropped in on the battlefield. Two Brutes were among this last wave, along with at least four Marauders in addition to more Husks and Cannibals. The buffalo-tribe warrior focused his cannons' fire on one of the Brutes, but that left the other for everyone else to deal with. Delta Squad concentrated fire on the Brute, but it took little damage and now was heading right for them. Dom and Baird fired Incinerates, weakening the beast's armor, but it kept coming. It charged, swatting aside a Husk that got in its way, and Dom dove out of its way, barely avoiding a swing of its crushing claw. The grenade that Dom had left behind detonated right underneath the Brute, the explosion and shrapnel ripping into its underside and doing quite a bit of damage. The Brute growled as it staggered, pieces falling out as its synthetic eyes glared at Dom. It prepared to make one last charge, but then an Overload from Baird stunned it long enough for Cole to rush in and use his rifle's chainsaw-bayonet to slice the beast's head off.
As the other Brute fell to grenades and the buffalo's heavy cannons, Baird sent out a Combat Drone to harass the now-three Marauders, weakening their shields and distracting them long enough for him to line up a sniper shot that took one out. The other two fell to concentrated fire, and the Husks and Cannibals were next. Before long, the area was clear as the enemy attack finally came to an end.
"Well, that was straightforward enough" Marcus said. "Let's hope it stays that way…"
-SCENE BREAK-
Outside Las Pegasus
A sizable DDF force stood ready as defense outside the city; Equestrian, COG, UNSC, and Sangheili soldiers, defenses, and vehicles all prepared to intercept the huge horde of Reaper air and ground forces that had been detected heading for Las Pegasus, to hold them off at least until evacuation was complete. Marcus Fenix looked around at the defensive line – a couple hundred soldiers of various races, trenches and barricades set up for cover, heavy guns (both manned and automated) at regular intervals, even a handful of tanks. Partnered with the eight-person Delta Squad (the 'core four' plus Samantha Byrne, Anya Stroud, Jace Stratton, and Clayton Carmine) were two DDF combat mages: Sunset Shimmer, who seemed to prefer her human form around 95% of the time, had a COG Lancer but had swapped out her other, older COG weapons for a UNSC M90A shotgun and a Systems Alliance M6 Carnifex heavy pistol, while Reisen just had her two plasma blades and a Sangheili Type-55 'Storm Rifle'. Making ready for the oncoming storm, Reisen and Sunset stood side by side and shared a quick smile to each other; they had actually become rather good friends in the past few months. Though, more often than not, the rabbit Yōkai was still not in the best of moods; she had been just about to head to her home Realm and challenge her old 'master' for revenge when the Reapers hit, and she knew this war could take months to resolve.
Everyone checked their weapons, watching and waiting; due to various geological factors and some dust kicked up into the air by wind, visibility in the direction the enemy would be coming from was only about 800 meters. The blowing of wind, the rustling of gear, and the whispers of a few conversations, as well as the faint noises of the in-progress evacuation a kilometer behind them in the city, made up the ambient sound. Suddenly, that ambience was broken by the metallic shrieks of Harvesters, distant but growing closer. Soon, the first three of the huge flyers became visible emerging from the dust and rocks ahead, two carrying Husk forces.
(MUSIC: Gears of War 3 OST – Paradise Found (from 1:02 on))
"All right, people, this is it! We hold this position until the evac is complete, no matter how long that takes!"
"Or until we're all wiped out to the last man, the Reapers laughing at our pathetic attempt to protect people and then marching on the city and killing everyone anyway" a pessimistic pony soldier replied.
"Shut it, Private!" a Sergeant snapped. "If you're gonna think like that, then get the hell off the battlefield!"
A pair of UNSC M808 Scorpion tanks turned their 90mm heavy cannons on the Harvesters, managing to blow one (and its Husk cargo) out of the sky and wound the other two. Soldiers ducked into cover as the remaining Harvesters' head-mounted guns opened fire, while a pack of basic Husks dropped from one of the beasts and charged the line. A plasma mortar from one of the four Sangheili Type-26 'Wraith' tanks wiped them out, while the Scorpions brought down the two Harvesters.
Then the main force arrived, a horde of Husks of all types coming over the hill and through the dust, using the rocks that littered the area as cover. Marauders, Cannibals, and unicorn-husks fired to force many of the defenders to get down, giving the melee-oriented Husk types time to get closer. The tanks were not affected, however, and Wraith plasma-mortars quickly decimated the initial Husk charge. The defenders rallied and returned fire. Sunset took out a few Husks that got close with her Carnifex, while Reisen focused her Storm Rifle's fire to bring down a Marauder. Baird and Anya started picking off Marauders and Cannibals with their long-range rifles, while Cole and Jace kept them covered from Husks with their shotguns.
As more Reaper ground troops emerged from the dust to reinforce those already engaged, about 50 meters down the defensive line from Delta Squad, the three present Project Corona agents – Sigma, Kappa, and Zeta – fired their own weapons at the horde; Agent Sigma's grenade launcher made short work of Cannibals, while the pegasus mare Agent Kappa wielded an SMG that she put to good use against Husks, and the unicorn stallion Agent Zeta fired electrified bolts from his horn at Marauders. Between Corona and Delta, Reisen released a wave of mana bolts that zigzagged through the air, making them harder to predict and dodge as they tore through a Husk pack, while beside her Sunset took out a few Cannibals with precision Lancer fire.
As he gunned down a Marauder, Marcus spotted a new type of Husk, standing on four insect-like legs, with multiple orange-hued bulbous sacs or something on it, and two cannons mounted on top. The Ravager screeched and started firing its big guns, killing a couple soldiers and keeping the others' heads down. A few soldiers fired on it, but its thick armor meant they did little damage; one soldier's shots punctured one of the sacs, and five 'Swarmers' emerged and started scurrying toward the defensive line. Full-auto weapons opened fire on the little bugs, taking most of them out; one exploded into acid as it leapt onto a soldier's face, the man screaming and flailing for a second before the Ravager's cannon shot blew his head apart. Incinerate blasts from Baird and Dom detonated and burned through the Ravager's armor, weakening it, and then a grenade from Marcus finished it off.
Another Harvester joined the party, its large wings kicking up dust as it flew low. The tanks were too busy dealing with infantry rushes to lend their guns to taking the huge flyer down, so it was able to land and start firing its head-mounted cannons, killing three soldiers before they could duck into cover. Small-arms fire did little damage, and a rocket fired at the Harvester was shot out of the sky by its guns before it could hit. Reisen conjured and fired a wave of mana bolts that corkscrewed through the air and struck the Harvester in the face, temporarily blinding it, and that gave Sunset time to cast Jaculatio Ignis, launching a dozen large solidified Fire-magic spears that skewered the Harvester at multiple points, including the point where its head & neck connected and the power core in its chest. The beast toppled over, the fire-magic constructs beginning to burn it from the inside out.
Six more Ravagers came as part of the next wave, half of them focusing fire on one of the Scorpions while the other half shot at exposed marines and turrets, killing a few of the former and wrecking a few of the latter. The targeted tank's armor was soon showing some noticeable damage, and when some of the other tanks turned their fire on the attackers, other Husks sacrificed themselves to protect the Ravagers from the hits. Finally, a Wraith mortar took one of them out, but the others kept shooting. Sunset teleported in amongst the other tank-targeting Ravagers and rammed a grenade into the carapace of one of them, then leapt to another and blasted its face with her shotgun. She 'ported back to her place on the line as the grenade went off, ripping the one Ravager apart and also wounding & disorienting the other nearby Husks. A concentrated Wraith mortar barrage took out the other three Ravagers and their guards.
Suddenly, the ground began to noticeably tremble. The trembling gradually grew stronger, and some of the soldiers paled as they realized it was giant footsteps. Soon, a glowing red point was visible through the air thick with dust, gradually growing brighter/closer, until the Reaper Destroyer finally got close enough to be seen in its full and terror-inducing glory. It fired its main gun in a sweeping motion, killing two-dozen soldiers and destroying one of the Wraiths. Every gun that wasn't too busy fending off Husks was turned on the Destroyer's 'face', forcing it to fold its forward armor plates into place in order to protect its eye, preventing it from firing. In response, the Husk forces upped their attack, trying to force the defenders to target them exclusively so their 'master' could attack again. Unfortunately, it was working, the defenders being forced to stop attacking the Reaper and turn their guns on the Husks to prevent being overrun. The Destroyer's front 'plates' opened, its crimson eye/weapon glowing brighter…
Suddenly there was a flash of blue high overhead accompanied by a loud whoosh/boom. A gust of wind blew away the dust, revealing the Sanghelios-class battlecruiser that had just jumped in, its ventral energy projector already glowing with charging power. The Reaper Destroyer barely had time to look up before the beam shot down, spearing clean through the ancient monster and burning a hole into the ground beneath it. The shockwave raced out, flattening most of the Husks, while mages and unicorns cast a powerful defensive barrier that protected the defenders. The few Husks still able to get up and fight were promptly hit with a barrage of heavy gunfire from the defenders, clearing the field.
"Defensive forces, the last civilian evac transport is away" someone said over general comm. "I report, the last evac transport is away."
"Damn, that was perfect timing!" Jace said, looking up at the Sangheili ship. "How'd they know we needed help?"
"Because I told them, of course!"
Delta Squad spun around, and saw Discord casually leaning against a Brute corpse.
"I spotted the Destroyer approaching before you all could feel its steps, and I found a ship that wasn't too busy with other matters. I told the Ship-Master what was happening, and he came in to help as soon as he was available."
"Never thought I'd ever be saying this," Sunset said, "but thanks, Discord."
"No problem, dearie! Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go turn the road a Husk troop is marching down into slippery soap, and watch the oh-so-scary cyber-zombies slip & slide around for a bit. Toodles!"
He vanished in a flash of white light.
"Well… I won't look a gift horse in the mouth" Marcus remarked. "Come on, let's report back to command. I'm sure they'll have something else for us to do…"
-CHAPTER END-
Next Time: Shepard & co. return to the Citadel, but something is very wrong…