15 Thargelia 3364 AR (21 January 2198), Tevura Space
Normandy came in low to Kerotis, just beyond the horizon from the Cerberus installation. At the last instant, EDI opened the staging bay hatch and ejected two vehicles.
"I didn't think the Alliance still used the M-35 for combat deployment," Miranda observed, from her seat in the front. She checked her armor for vacuum integrity, for the fifteenth time.
Ashley's eyes never left her controls. "Hey, the Mako's a great vehicle."
"I'm glad some of us have fond memories of it," came Liara's voice from behind them.
Ashley chuckled, and then became serious, as she fired the thrusters and came in for a smooth landing. Miranda heard a soft crunch, tires engaging with the dark water-hydrocarbon ice of the surface. "Guns, report."
Miranda checked her controls. "Main gun and coaxial cannon report ready."
"EWS?"
"All systems show green," Liara reported. "ECM online. Kinetic barriers at full power. Detection grid shows no active sensors on us yet."
"You good to go back there, Vara?"
There was a small click as the commando checked her weapon. "Always."
"Good." Ashley keyed her comms. "Rogue Leader to Rogue Bravo. Report."
"Green, Skipper," came a female voice from the other Mako.
"All right. Let's dance!"
Their Mako zoomed forward, bouncing across the reddish-brown surface. Miranda soon found the ride almost tolerable. Ashley applied the mass-effect core with considerable skill, keeping the vehicle light enough to skim along at high speed close to the ground, but heavy enough that the occasional lump of rock-like ice didn't send it bouncing up into the air. Puddles of liquid hydrocarbons splashed under the Mako's tires, and sent up great fans of liquid that seemed to hover behind them in the low gravity. Once a deep fissure appeared just ahead, and Ashley sent them soaring over it with an economical tap of the thrusters.
Miranda glanced at the external view and found it almost useless, between the dimness of Parnitha-light, the haziness of the atmosphere, and the constant faint rain of organic material from above. The instruments did a better job of keeping her aware of the surroundings.
"Active sensors ahead," said Liara, sending a spray of icons to the HUD. "Very low level, well below the detection threshold. I don't think they suspect we're here."
"Still trying to lie low," Ashley concluded, dodging around a large boulder. "They may have gotten some sign of Normandy, or one of your ships, up in orbit. They're hunkering down until we're gone."
"Too late," Vara observed, satisfaction in her voice.
"Last terrain feature coming up," said Miranda. "That skewed hill at two o'clock. We'll be in line-of-sight once you pass that."
"I detect four weapons emplacements with active sensors." Liara shifted in her seat, fingers flickering across her console. "Recommend the following priority list. I'm ready to begin the remote hack as soon as I have direct contact with the facility's external grid."
Ashley nodded. "Got it. How's your aim, Miranda?"
Miranda bared her teeth. "Perfect."
"Show me."
The Mako zoomed up over the last ridge, and Miranda could see regular shapes lurking in the haze up ahead. Icons flared red on her display, marking radar sources gone live. She threw herself into a wu wei state, not thinking, deciding, or acting, simply being.
The turret above their heads traversed. Boom. Boom. One radar source went offline. Then another.
"Sniper nest at eleven o'clock," Liara reported.
"On it," Miranda told them, rearranging her targeting priority on the fly even as she wondered what good a sniper nest would do in this hellish environment. Then the coaxial cannon fired, like God tearing a sheet of canvas the size of a world.
The other Mako roared into the battle, turning left to go after the most distant weapon emplacement.
"Kinetic barriers down to eighty percent," said Liara, her voice utterly calm.
Miranda slewed the turret hard to the right, tapping her console three times.
Boom. Boom. Boom. Then the coaxial gun fired again.
"Atlas mechs!"
"We see them, Rogue Leader. Engaging."
"How's that hack going?" Ashley demanded.
"Almost there . . ."
Still like a tranquil lake, Liara's voice. Miranda recalled the asari's memories of her first combat engagements under Shepard's command. The terror and uncertainty, the determination to perform well.
She's a veteran now. Well, so are all of us.
Boom. The last weapon emplacement went down. Miranda looked around for more enemies, and found none.
"All targets down," reported the other vehicle.
Ashley nodded in satisfaction. "Good job, all."
"I have access," said Liara. Miranda could hear her fingers tapping on her console with frenetic speed. "Jericho Protocol has been locked down. Cerberus will not be able to physically destroy the facility or its computer core."
"External sensors?"
"Also down. They can probably deduce which direction we came from, but they can't see us now."
Ashley nodded, and called up a schematic view of the facility in the HUD. "Miranda, what's your best guess as to what we're looking at?"
Miranda studied the schematic, and began placing tags and markers on it. "Heat transfer equipment has to be here. Fusion power plant should be close by, so that's probably what this structure is. If they're following typical Cerberus organization . . . command center here, living quarters, life support, armory."
Ashley pointed at a large structure, about a quarter of the way around the perimeter from their current location. "What about this?"
"I can't be sure. It doesn't fit the usual profile. Which suggests that if Cerberus is running a rogue scientific operation here . . ."
"It would hardly be Cerberus if they weren't."
Miranda snorted. "Point taken. I'll wager it's in here. It's big, whatever it is."
"Okay." Ashley pulled up more sensor data, then nodded to herself. "Rogue Bravo, you're the feint. Attack at grid Twelve-Sierra, make lots of noise but watch your six and don't get cut off. Once you have their undivided attention, break off and then keep them bottled up behind you. We're going in as soon as you light 'em up."
"Roger that, Rogue Leader. We're off."
Miranda glanced over her shoulder, to see Liara's worried frown.
Nerylla and Tania are going in with Rogue Bravo. Liara argued for it, over their objections. Both teams need asari presence. They weren't happy with letting their principal go in harm's way with only one acolyte for protection.
Well, she has me too. Not to mention a Spectre taking point.
"They'll be all right," Miranda said aloud. Liara gave her a moment's grateful smile.
Ashley broke in. "All right, everyone, suit integrity check."
"Clear." "Clear." "Clear."
"Clear. Initiating the air scrub." Ashley firmly pressed a red control on her console.
The Mako filled with the sound of rushing wind. Miranda glanced at the life-support readouts, saw the oxygen level of the air falling to zero. Within seconds, the four of them were sitting in a pure-nitrogen atmosphere at about twice standard pressure.
Not a good idea to eject a bunch of free oxygen out into an atmosphere that's almost two percent hydrogen and methane. One spark, and say goodnight.
"I'm popping the hatch," said Vara. There was a deep clunk, and then she left her seat to emerge onto the surface of Kerotis. Liara followed, then Miranda, then Ashley last of all.
There was a constant sound of moaning wind, surprisingly loud, the atmosphere somewhat denser than humans were accustomed to. Miranda could feel it, trying to push her off-balance.
All around was darkness, like a cloudy winter's day just before sunset. Ground haze cut visibility to less than a kilometer. Everything wore sepia tones, a landscape of dull reds and browns. Even the walls of the Cerberus facility seemed dirty and tarnished. The surroundings looked like a stone-field, such as Miranda had seen in many desolate places on Earth. She had to remind herself that she was standing on ice. Every feature around her was ice, every "boulder," every "stone," even the fine "sand" that blew in the wind. There might not be an actual stone resting on the surface for kilometers in any direction.
In this place, she was like a woman made of living magma. She had the sudden urge to check her feet. Fortunately, the insulation in her combat suit seemed to be working.
"Come on," said Ashley, and it felt strange to hear her without the mediation of the radio comms.
The four of them walked across the short distance to the airlock that Ashley had selected. Their footsteps crunched loudly on the ground, the surface a brittle crust over a thin layer of fluffy material. Off in the distance, they could hear cannon fire and loud explosions. Rogue Bravo was making its demonstration against a different part of the perimeter.
Liara reached the airlock first, and worked with her omni-tool for a moment. "Airlock sensors are cut off. Security codes . . . bypassed. Here we go."
The door opened. The four of them crowded in, weapons at the ready. There was a blast of hot air first, to melt and scatter any ice clinging to their armor. Then the inner door opened.
Ashley and Vara stepped out first, covering their quarters.
The sounds of Rogue Bravo's fight sounded different, carried through the walls and floor. Otherwise, there was silence and stillness. They stood in a narrow corridor that led straight ahead. Miranda could see traces of oil and grime on the floor, and the walls looked dingy and worn. She shook her head in distaste.
Cerberus was a lot neater when I was in charge.
It was rather surprising, how quietly Ashley could move in full combat armor. She led them down the corridor, then held up a closed fist to stop them at a closed hatch. When the hatch opened, it revealed a wider corridor leading to the left and right. They emerged out into the new avenue, Ashley and Vara to the left, Miranda and Liara to the right, weapons and biotics at the ready.
Still no sign of any Cerberus personnel.
Where is everyone? Is this place under-manned?
Liara pointed to words stenciled on the corridor wall: HUMAN RESOURCES, with an arrow pointing to the left. Miranda consulted her sense of direction, and nodded.
They continued through storage compartments, a workshop area, a space fitted out for lab work but apparently never used. Every space showed signs of disorder and neglect. Miranda's sense of unease grew.
This makes no sense. Why would Cerberus spend what might be its last credit on a facility like this, and then leave it almost empty?
A larger space, deliberately left empty, some manner of staging area. Big double doors, three meters tall. HUMAN RESOURCES.
"At this point," Ashley observed quietly, "I am expecting anything to be behind that door. You ladies ready?"
They fanned out to form a line, parallel to the door, ready to lay down a killing field. Liara opened her omni-tool and tapped a three-keystroke sequence.
The door opened. Nothing else happened.
They emerged into a large compartment, like an enormous warehouse, stacked floor to ceiling with long, narrow containers. Rack upon rack, row upon row, extending away from them for perhaps fifty meters. All was silent.
"There!" Liara called, pointing to a control center about twenty meters away. On a raised platform, several permanent consoles made a semi-circular arc around a single seat. They could all see light moving on the consoles, signs of systems up and running.
"That certainly looks like it might be an access point for the privileged network," said Vara.
"Wait a moment," Miranda interjected. Then she stopped, uncertain.
"What is it?" Liara asked.
"This isn't right. It smells like a trap." Miranda glanced around them. "What's in these containers?"
Liara frowned. She opened her omni-tool and probed the nearest rack with its sensors. "I can't tell. Something's blocking the scan."
Just then, the comm channel hissed into life. "Rogue Leader . . ."
Ashley raised a hand to the side of her helmet. "I copy, Rogue Bravo. What's your status?"
Nothing but a sudden burst of vicious static.
"They're not making as much noise," Vara pointed out, staring up at the distant ceiling as she listened. It was true, now that Miranda paid attention. The sounds of cannon fire and small-arms fire, echoing through the corridors, had declined considerably.
"We should withdraw," said Liara.
Ashley gave her a hard glare. "You sure about that? We're not going to get a second chance at this."
"What's the old human saying? Nuke it from orbit, it's the only way to be sure." Liara shrugged. "I can verify later whether there's anything left of Cerberus worth worrying about."
Then it was much too late. The double doors behind them slammed shut. The lights went out, forcing them to activate their helmet and weapon lamps.
"Well, this is a pleasant surprise," came a voice over a loudspeaker. Human, feminine, but oddly distorted. Miranda frowned, almost recognizing it.
Vara slammed her shoulder against the closed doors. Liara, more pragmatic, used her omni-tool to try to force them open once more. She caught Miranda's eyes, and shook her head.
"I might have known that the Shadow Broker would come. I'm doing the good work in her own back yard, after all. But that she would bring Miranda Lawson with her? An unexpected pleasure. Two out of the three Judases who betrayed Cerberus, right where I want them. Too bad Shepard's already dead, so I can't capture the whole trinity. Although taking Shepard's protégé, the second human Spectre, will certainly answer the mail."
Somewhere out in the darkness, they heard machinery in motion. Miranda swept her weapon light from side to side, but she couldn't see what was happening. Then something flickered across her light and was gone.
"Who is that?" Ashley hissed, her rifle up so she could use the sight.
"I'm not sure. I keep thinking I should recognize her voice . . ."
"And so you should, Miranda. There was a time when we worked together almost every day. Then you stabbed the Illusive Man in the back. Whereas I never questioned him. I always did as he asked. I stayed loyal to him to the bitter end."
Suddenly, Miranda knew. "My God. Jana?"
Liara shook her head violently, easing closer to put herself back-to-back with the others. "Jana Cartwright is dead. She was on Cronos Station when the Alliance attacked the place, and she didn't get out alive."
"Come now, Dr. T'Soni. Given the technology available to Cerberus, death is hardly an absolute." The voice paused for a moment, and then went on, full of cruel satisfaction. "As all of you are about to discover."
"Really do not like the sound of that," Ashley muttered.
Then they learned what was in the containers. Those began to open, and their contents began to emerge, resolving the flickering movement beyond the reach of their lights. Humanlike figures, slowly moving across the floor toward them, from all sides. More of them climbed over the racks of containers, like enormous spiders. They advanced in eerie silence.
Husks. Hundreds of them. Not all of them built on the human model. Miranda could see many of them with coloring more slate-blue than coal-black, with ravaged feminine shapes and asari crests.
It's the technology from Sanctuary, she realized. And that means . . .
From somewhere out in the space, a terrible wailing scream sounded. Blue-white light ignited in the darkness, a corona around a tall, distorted shape that might once have been asari.
"Well, doesn't that just take the prize," Vara said in disgust.
On a soundless signal, the horde attacked.