Reconstruction Arc
Chapter 14
The Collector Cruiser
~I~
He and Shikamaru disagreed on the best time of day. Shikamaru believed it was those calm afternoons with a sky full of clouds. When the wind would rustle the trees and tickle your skin, singing a whistling tune where the clouds would dance across the heavens. Where the mind would join the clouds and wander freely, unbound by expectations and stress.
But tranquility was the only thing the two men could agree on. Because Naruto loved the dead of night. Where the sky was clean and the winds paused for him to enjoy the marvelous sky. Stars, from horizon to horizon, dancing, twinkling with such auspicious delight. Before he became a genin, before he could leave the village, when he opened his eyes at night the stars let him live outside those walls. His mind ran wild with possibilities of infinity. Some nights he would imagine the stars as the eyes of the gods watching over them. Some days he imagined aliens living a billion miles away. And some nights when the stars twinkled like they were winking for him, he imagined paradise, shining through the endless void and promising everlasting joy if only he could reach it.
He still felt that reverence, but for the first time in his journey as he looked out into the endless ocean of space, he felt dread. Because somewhere in the void the Collector ship was waiting.
With a meticulous eye he scanned the emptiness of space looking for any sign of the vessel. EDI's scanners had picked it up long ago, it wasn't meaningful to him. He wanted to see it for himself.
But he wasn't the first one to spot it. Gabby was. "Look, there it is." she said, barely above a whisper as she pointed out the starboard window.
Naruto leaned in and followed her finger, "Oh, I see it now," he murmured and continued to stare.
Ken's eyes darted to where she was pointing, but saw nothing. "What're you two on about? T'ain't nothing there."
"No, dummy. Look there. You can see it against the nebula."
Ken tried again, narrowing his eyes before they went wide, "Oh, that's a monster..."
There it was, bathed in the afterglow of a dead star. The spiked ring of metal twisting on the body of a mountain with a disturbing grace, giving the dead ship an illusion of life.
Samara gazed unblinking through the toughened glass from her usual resting place on the floor, the sight bringing back ancient memories for the Justicar. "It has not changed since I first encountered it."
"You saw this before?" Naruto asked, finally looking away.
"Yes, in my maiden years. It was...an enlightening experience." she said, but would not elaborate.
The Normandy was getting closer now, you could make out the crests of each slab near the end. Garrus leaned against the bulkhead, eyes peering at the silent giant. His mandibles twitched, and his fingers curled. "No question. It's the same ship that attacked us two years ago."
"Is it now?" Kelly asked from the corner.
Garrus nodded, his eyes never leaving his target, "It was too close to get a full look on Horizon. But here...I remember every detail. This is exactly how I saw it two years ago from the escape pod. Just after Joker told us Shepard didn't make it."
The room's other inhabitants of the room remained quiet as Garrus simmered with rage, his trigger finger itching. The fires of the spirits were in his eyes. "I've spent a long time imagining this day."
Zaeed huffed from the rear bulkhead, finally redirecting the Vigilante's eye, and his ire, "Is there anything in this galaxy you don't wanna see bludgeoned to death?"
Garrus turned, his voice remarkably cool, "A few, can't say you're among them though."
"That a fact?" Zaeed snarked with a leer, "Or a challenge? Anytime Vakarian, best remember that unlike those pixies on Omega, I can bludgeon back."
Garrus looked the Mercenary up and down, seeming to find little worth trembling over. "Oh, you're making it so tempting..." Garrus threatened, his tone razor sharp.
Just as Zaeed got off the wall and cracked his knuckles, and before things could get ugly, Naruto threw himself between them so quickly his father might have considered him worthy of his moniker. "Hey, hey! That's not gonna happen! Settle down, both of you!" he commanded, eyes swinging between the two.
Garrus and Zaeed stared off a heartbeat longer, keeping the tension alive, just before Garrus stormed past the pair and out the door. "And you want me to get along with this scumbag." he glowered as the door closed behind him.
Zaeed watched the turian leave before looking back at the young man. He looked displeased, Naruto worried that he'd actually wanted a pre-mission brawl. But instead he said, "Did you really ask him to get chummy with me?"
Naruto paused, at first unsure what he had been asked, "Uh, well, kinda-"
Zaeed had enough after that. "Don't ever do it again. I don't need you fighting my bloody battles." He said, before leaving the dumbfounded blonde with the rest of the team.
Somehow Zaeed's bitter tone had hurt, like a sudden strike to the gut. He still felt lingering numbness when he noticed Samara standing to his side, looking at him curiously.
"Are they always this hostile?" she asked him.
"No," he began, running his fingers through his spiky hair out of frustration, "They haven't been so bad these days. Until now."
"It may be their nerves. Even I still feel tension before a mission." Samara consoled him.
"Yeah, I guess. I wish they'd find a better way to get it out of their systems." he shrugged hesitantly, now more aware of his own dread he'd been burying.
Samara was contemplative before continuing, "They should feel fortunate that I do not need aggression to relieve my own." She paused again, "In fact, they should feel fortunate we have never met before this mission."
"Why's that?" he asked.
"I would surely have had to kill them."
Naruto suddenly felt icy on the side of his body facing Samara. The woman took no notice, calmly moving past him to the door. As it parted she looked back, "It's time we head down. Would you join me?"
Still reeling from before, the young man first had to find his tongue. "Uh, I'll be down, uh, in a minute. I'll say goodbye first."
Samara nodded, but lingered a moment longer. She looked slightly more withdrawn when she asked, "Has what I said concerned you?"
Naruto's first instinct was to lie, to reassure her that everything was fine. But his conscience, ever the arbiter of proper, if foolish decisions, forced him to be truthful. "A little. Where I come from, people who talk about killing so casually were never on my side."
Samara didn't respond. Her gaze lowered as she mulled over his words. She gave the room a curt nod and left without another word.
"Where does Shepard get these people?" Ken wondered.
"Sometimes they're scarier than the Collectors." Gabby moaned.
"We come together, at least once the fighting starts. Always have so far." He said, secretly hoping it would stay true himself.
Kelly wasn't convinced, looking back to the derelict cruiser which was much closer than before. "Maybe, but if things go south in there...I don't want to think about it." she finished, almost talking to herself.
"Seems like things go south every time and we still find a way. Plan falls apart, we adapt. That's how we get through this."
"You'd better." she said sadly, "You may not know, but...most of us don't listen to your comms. Joker's the only one. I tried once, back on Omega. But then Garrus got hit, then you screamed...it was just too much for me. So we have to wait until the shuttle comes in and hope everyone is still on board."
"Makes me feel like an ass, twiddling my thumbs while the rest o'ya are being shot at. Like, I should be doing more, but what can I do? Dissipate the heat sinks? Lotta good that'll do." Ken muttered beside her.
"Don't talk like that," Naruto said quickly. He knew their feelings all too well, the helplessness of standing by while others are putting their lives on the line. It was nearly three weeks after the start of the Fourth Shinobi World War that he learned of it. When he learned that he was one of Madara's objectives, the guilt was crushing; sometimes he still felt the ghost of the weight pressing on him.
No one could blame them. Gabby once told them they'd been trained to use a shotgun and pistol once in basic training, and haven't touched one ever since. Even for the former marines aboard were dwarfed by the members of the ground team. They were on another level entirely. The best specialists in the Galaxy, as Shepard had once said with a fraction of pride.
"You need to remember how important you are to this mission. No one on the ground team can do their job without your help. And I can't speak for everyone else, but it means a lot knowing people are waiting for us to come back. And we will come back."
Kelly smiled sadly and looked away, "Thanks." she said, but he could tell he'd done little to settle her mood.
"I hope so, Naruto." Ken replied, and Gabby agreed.
He looked up once more, seeing their target growing larger by the moment. He couldn't push ti off any longer. He looked at his friends once more, "Time to go. Keep the engines warm and we'll be back before you know it." he finished with a small reassuring smile.
"Good luck." he heard Gabby said while the three waved farewell as the door closed behind him.
~II~
Shepard held his avenger at the ready as the shuttle door hissed open. Combat instincts took hold as naturally as ever as he quickly but critically swept the room for anything that might put his team in danger. But all was quiet in the miniature bay, the ship was as dead as the emptiness it drifted through.
He gave the all clear and stepped out, satisfied to find the artificial gravity was still in effect. His crew followed one by one, all clad in full body suits to protect them from the vacuum.
Naruto followed Grunt out of the pod and shifted uncomfortably in his armor. Everyone without their own had been issued a Cerberus model from the armory. They'd even had the forethought to supply sets for his alien teammates. His was an infiltration model. Not the slimmest, he could feel his limbs struggling with the material when he tested his flexibility, but it wasn't as limiting as he'd expected. This would do just fine.
When he paused to take in his surroundings, he felt someone brush past him. "Outta my way." Jack growled as she pushed on. She wore the lightest suit the armory had, a light Cerberus set, worn with one condition. She'd used her biotics to reave their symbol from its surface. He could spot the torn metal near her shoulder.
"Pipe down, keep the channel clear." Shepard ordered as he led them forward. Directly in front of them was a small bridge. He peered over the edge and looked down below, but saw only black. "Zaeed, flare." he ordered.
The Mercenary complied, grabbing one from his belt and igniting it. The low light of the hall was overwhelmed with shimmering red light as Zaeed held it high and peered into the depths. He and Shepard looked a moment longer before he dropped it into the dark.
The stick fell twenty meters before it hit the bottom, or rather a corpse. The red light illuminated the wide walls and countless dead below.
Shepard felt his stomach lurch at what he saw, "My god, it's a mass grave!"
Thane joined him, "Men. Women. Children. Thousands here. Likely more than one of these crevices on a ship this size."
"But why?" Jacob asked, "The Collectors wouldn't spend time abducting the colonists if they were going to kill them."
"Agreed," Mordin chimed in, "Collector motivations dictated by Reapers, not well understood. But would never call them wasteful. Certain to have a plan. Hypothesize these humans were unsuitable."
Jack knelt by the edge and huffed, "How long we gonna stare at a bunch of useless rejects, Commander?"
"Show a little respect for the dead." Jacob snapped.
"Bunch'a weaklings. I ain't wasting my pity." Jack finished, getting up and crossing the bridge.
Grunt chuckled to himself, "Heheh...I like this one, Commander."
Naruto was feeling sickly as he stared into the remains of a massacre below. No matter how many atrocities he'd seen, the next one was never any easier for him. "I wonder if any of the Horizon colonists are down there..." he thought absentmindedly.
It was Miranda who responded, from across the room. "I don't doubt it. The Collectors hit three colonies since Horizon, they were likely processed long ago."
He didn't respond, he just kept staring, taking in the last light of their faces as the flare slowly died.
Shepard spoke, "Garrus, Zaeed, you'll stay here under Miranda. I want our evac zone secure in case there's any Collectors still on board. Stay on this side of the bridge and bunker down."
Zaeed grunted his recognition, but Garrus sounded shocked and even defiant. "Shepard, let me come with you. I need to be there for this."
"I know how you feel Garrus. But I need my best snipers here. Hold this bridge until we're back."
"But I've been waiting for this chance, Comma-"
Shepard held up a hand to cut him off. "That's an order."
Naruto couldn't tell because of the helmet, but Garrus's stillness was disconcerting. He caught the turian's fingers clamping as if trying to strangle the opportunity that was slipping through them. But only a moment later he relented, as Shepard's man through and through. "Yes, Commander." He stationed himself on the side opposite Zaeed.
"Miranda, you have command here. Get ready to prep the shuttle if we encounter trouble. Everyone else, with me."
Naruto followed Shepard with the others, looking back at the rear guard. Garrus and Zaeed were both setting up on either side of the bridge, laying their rifles on raised stone. He had to feel sorry for Garrus, not just for his chance at payback being yanked away in front of everyone, but for being paired up with his two least favorite members of the team.
"Eyes front, look for any sign of Collectors or the colonists. If we find survivors, we're taking them home." He instructed as the team followed their leader through the wide corridor.
The entire ship was nothing like a normal starship. Those were state of the art machines, every inch painstakingly designed and realized though metal and technology. This thing looked like it belonged underground, like one giant system of caves that had been dug out of the earth and refitted to make it fly.
Naruto warily glanced at the ceiling and the hundreds of large glowing bulbs, the ship's only source of light. They reminded him of the hives he'd seen in the Aburame clan gardens. Shino would find himself right at home here, he imagined. Every time he stepped beneath one he wondered if some monstrosity would burst from it and try to devour him.
The team climbed a giant sloping walkway into a spacious open lab bordering another crevice. A series of tables were evenly spaced with each supporting a single containment pod. Shepard was scanning for movement when he head a cry.
"Ha!" shouted Mordin excitedly as he rushed ahead.
"Mordin, what are you doing?" Shepard called.
Mordin didn't answer right away, not until he stopped at the table at the end. When he did speak, he was glowing. "Fantastic..."
Shepard waved the rest of the team to follow. With Mordin blocking their view, it wasn't until they were close that they could see what had the salarian in such a fuss: a complete Collector corpse.
"Scan complete, completely intact. No signs of bruising, contamination, deterioration...perfect specimin!" Mordin exclaimed with pure joy.
"But why would they have put a body here?" Tali asked.
"Don't know, not important. "Have it. That's important!" He finished and brought up his omni-tool. "Yes, yes. DNA sample, perfect! This could be the chance of a life...oh, oh!"
Naruto could see the salarian's eyes expanding as he checked his results, his body was shaking. "Well, what the hell is it?"
Mordin shifted hesitantly. "Hold on. Must test again. Must be sure..."
They all waited as he re-scanned the corpse and checked the results. This time he stood stone still. "No mistake. Quad-strand genetic structure. Only one species known to possess it, and gene similaries...nearly identical. No mistaking it. This is, or was a Prothean."
"Prothean…?" The voice came quietly, like a gentle hush in the dark.
Naruto flexed when he heard the Fox speak. The demon had never seemed curious about anything before. Amused, angry, but never curious.
"PROTHEAN!"
His mind drowned in the great rage. He grabbed his helmet and fell to his knees as the unleashed fury ripped through his mind. His head was cracking. The pressure blinded his senses, eradicating the outside world. His mouth stretched in a soundless cry as his mind was overwhelmed.
"Desecrators! Degenerates! Cursed progenitors of a damned age! Stay in your graves and rot!"
The rush ended with a final deafening roar, and the Fox went silent. Naruto heaved as his mind went suddenly blank as if being reset. His mind had been suppressed by the Fox's presence. The first of his senses to recover was his hearing. He heard the chatter of his teammates repeated through his helmet's speakers. No one was questioning his sudden breakdown, everyone in front of him was still focused on their galaxy-shaking discovery.
But going unnoticed didn't help in calming his nerves. Unlike the rest of the team, he was still growing accustomed to the previous cycle's influence. And his impression wasn't formed by their vast legacy, but from Mordin's theory of evolutionary intervention. Something that still made him feel vulnerable and violated.
And now the Fox's outrage had confirmed it, he bet Mordin would be overjoyed. The Protheans had been to his planet, and whatever they'd done had left an anger in his tenant that had lasted thousands of years.
He would hate himself for it later, what he was about to do went against his principles, but he wanted to know more.
'What the hell was that about? What do you know about the Protheans?'
'Silence, cretin.'
'I'm not letting this go you stupid fox, I'm gonna press this until you tell me what you know.'
'Heh heh...I'm an eternal soul trapped in a cage in the mind of a fool, and answering your questions would still waste my time.'
"Enough, theories about the Protheans won't get us through the relay. We need to access their archives before more Collectors arrive to salvage this vessel. Move out." Shepard said and caught Naruto's attention.
Back to the mission, he thought. No time for an interrogation. He'd have to continue this later. 'We aren't done with this yet.'
'Anytime, your frustration will amuse me.'
The team gathered and began to move, but one member was still glued to the table.
"Mordin, I said move out." Shepard called.
Mordin's didn't turn around. He was too absorbed in his research. "Shepard, must stay. Once in a lifetime opportunity to study intact Collector cadaver. Impossible on Horizon. Flash burned, no remains. Could prove invaluable for mission!" He gushed, flush with excitement.
Shepard seemed to mull over the opportunity, weighting it against further dividing his team. But Mordin had a point. Maybe the Professor could discover something they could use, "Fine, stay here and learn what you can. But at the first sign of trouble I want you to fall back to the shuttle. Understood?"
"Yes, thank you Commander." Mordin said as he took inventory of the nearby equipment. "Scalpel, bone cutter, chisel, forceps, pinzette, scissors, ah, surgical towels! Excellent!"
The rest of the team continued deeper into the hive. The walls seemed to be growing wider the further they went, until the entire team could walk abreast with room to spare. But no one except for the crew of the Normandy were there to use them. The stillness was becoming unnerving. No resistance, no Collector corpses dead from lack of atmosphere. Just...silence. Like the Village Hidden in the Grass.
Naruto clasped his hand as the memory, tighter than the material would normally allow. He paused and stared at his hand when he felt the material straining. His sage mode was still active. But he'd lost some of his energy when the Fox's rancor had distracted him. What he had left wouldn't last forever. He was losing sage chakra by the minute, and the Collector cruiser was as devoid of natural energy as it was of actual Collectors. He could only focus on maintaining whatever he had left.
The team passed into a large chamber. The walls were high, hard stone broken apart by thin beams of dull metal. Tali was the first to look up and spot the holding containers lining the ceiling. "Keelah..."
"What is it?" Shepard asked. He looked up and saw the hundreds of containment pods sticking out like stalactites. Many contained darkened silhouettes behind their tinted covering. "EDI, tap into my omni-tool and scan the containers. Check for life signs."
"Processing, Commander."
He held his breath and waited for her reply. "Negative life signs. The victims trapped inside may have died when the ship lost primary power."
"Roger that EDI. No point in checking for survivors then. We keep going."
"Look," Samara pointed towards one of the hallways. "There are more pods down there. Perhaps we'll find clues to the Collectors' intentions if we follow them."
Shepard nodded, "Good idea. Follow me."
He led them up another incline, the pods above them growing more numerous as they climbed. When they reached the top they saw a wide opening to their right. They walked through it and were stunned at the size of the chamber they entered.
Naruto was never the most devout of his people, but he still found himself exclaiming, "By the gods..."
This couldn't be a ship. Ships were supposed to be small, steel and cramped. This was a cave, larger than any he'd ever seen. You could fit an army in here!
Giant stalactites marred the rocky cylindrical surface, all of which were lined with countless honeycombed holding containers. He didn't want to imagine how many were still filled. The chamber extended into the void, open and exposed to the emptiness of space.
Tali spoke, "Look at this! How many colonists are they planning to abduct?"
"Doesn't matter, we won't let them finish." Shepard called, leading them onto the wide walkway.
Further ahead they saw a small structure raised on a small mound. Shepard hiked his way to it and examined the alien device. "It's some sort of console. EDI, I'm plugging you in. See what you can find."
"Yes, Shepard. Connecting...Shepard, you've found the command console. I can access their files from here."
"Start bypassing their security and begin data mining. Grab everything you can. The rest of you, eyes peeled. No surprises now."
The team followed his command and dispersed around the outcropping, giving them full coverage of the room. Naruto saw a small metal platform embedded up a nearby slope, a good spot for surveying the entire chamber. When he reached the top he looked back down at the command console. Shepard was watching it closely while Tali and Grunt kept close by. To his surprise, he saw Thane following him to the platform.
"Thane?"
"I was hoping to have a moment."
Naruto motioned to the ledge, "Sure, we'll talk and keep watch at the same time." he said and lead them to the railing. He leaned forward and let it hold his noticeably greater weight. Thane stood clasping his hands behind his back a few paces away.
"This place is beautiful." Thane said as he took in their surroundings.
Naruto was startled and looked over, "What the hell are you saying? Did you forget what the Collectors are doing here?"
"Not at all. I'm ignoring them for a moment. If I encountered a place such as this in my travels not knowing what it was, I would rest and appreciate it. Without knowing its purpose, it's a marvelous structure."
Naruto looked back at their surroundings and tried to see the beauty Thane had found. He looked to the sloping rock and the thousands of containment pods and tried not to think, only to see. But his mind wouldn't let him see only what was there. It placed swarms of Collectors zooming through the air and screaming colonists awaiting whatever twisted fate their captors had planned for them. He saw the rejects being carried out and executed before being dragged to the mass grave. Or worse, thrown in and left to die.
"I can't see it, Thane. All I see are the pods, and wonder how many times the Collectors have used them. There's no beauty here. This place is an abomination."
"This is a ship, if an odd one. Parts, fuel, containers. Nothing more capable of injustice than a gun. It is the living that create sin."
"If someone kills one of my friends with a knife, I'm not gonna like that knife."
"A matter of perspective. Though in this case, I may be slightly biased."
Naruto raised an eyebrow and asked, "What do you mean?"
Thane looked up into the heights of the chamber and smiled slightly, "This place is dry, arid, dead. Much like Rakhana."
"Rakhana? That's…" he paused, reaching back and trying to remember what he'd studied, "the Drell homeworld?"
"It was, though I've only been there once in my lifetime, on pilgrimage with my people." He paused, his gaze drifting as if possessed, "Clear skies, endless oceans of sand. The sun bares down on us without relief. Shade, someone shouts. Rocky outcrop. Head there, rest until transport arrives. Wind blows, the sand shifts. I can see them, skeletons, before mother closes my eyes."
Naruto kept a careful watch on his companion until the memory had ended. "How could anything have survived on a planet like that?"
'It was not always a desert. Once it was young, and alive. And so my people grew, and began taking more than the planet could give. Slowly the forests were devoured, and the oceans began to dry. Rakhana died long ago, with most of my race. They warred, succumbing with Rakhana as her resources were all spent. Now my world is a grave, few still call it home. But when I walked those rocky desert sands, even knowing that this was where eleven billion of my people perished, something about the calm lifelessness of the land was beautiful. Serene. Just like here."
Naruto found it discomforting how the Assassin spoke so admirably about his dead world. He'd seen his own world massacred once before. When Pain had eradicated his village. He couldn't remember any beauty, no serenity in its destruction. He'd only felt anger and loss. It was something he never wanted to feel again.
"I don't understand how you can see it that way, Thane. I just can't." he sighed. "It's like we disagree on everything."
Thane was silent for a moment, giving Naruto a moment to silently vent his frustration. Thane was the kind of person he thought he'd like. A man who'd join a mission free of charge if it was for the right reason, just like him. Yet they butt heads every time they were in the same room, even when neither of them seemed to want to. The difference between him and the alien was still jarring.
"About what I was going to say before. I wanted to thank you."
Naruto perked up, "For what?"
"For catching me. I have felt my end coming for a long time, I expected it the very day we met. But then I felt someone on my tail giving chase. Someone to challenge me. I felt my mind reawaken in our duel. This strange creature who became many. The strength of a krogan warlord. A swiftness to rival a rider of Amonkira, Lord of Hunters. It took a lifetime of experience to outmatch you, but when I was able to proceed I felt achievement I had missed for so long. But you got up and continued your pursuit. And when you found me, you promised I would find purpose again." he paused, gazing out at the hundreds of thousands of containers, "To have missed this chance...I would never have forgiven myself in the afterlife. For that I thank you."
Naruto felt himself grow warmer at Thane's sincere compliment and thanks. He bashfully tapped the back of his hand and said, "It wasn't me, remember? Fox was the one who caught you."
"It was you, even if you've forgotten that part of yourself."
He thought back to that marvelous chase, memories that were only a dream to him. The thrill of the hunt, the bitterness of defeat, and the thrilling climax and satisfaction of success. He felt a smile play on his lips as he sighed, "It was one hell of a chase, Thane."
"On that, we can agree." Thane mused.
Suddenly a high pitched static raked against his eardrums like nails on a chalkboard. He grasped the sides of his helmet as if to shield his ears, but the speakers inside blared the noise. What lasted second seemed like an eternity before the noise cut out. He cracked open his eyes and carefully picked himself up, catching Thane doing the same at his side.
Before either could figure out what was going on, Joker's voice came over the comms, "Uh, Commander? Something popped up on our network..."
"EDI, what the hell happened?" Shepard called out.
"Shepard, something has reverse-hacked into ship systems. Our network has been compromised. I've managed to circumvent most harmful protocols, but I need to re-establish my connection to the Collector Ship network."
The platform beneath Thane and Naruto shifted, humming softly below as the device took to the air. "Shit! What's going on?" Naruto called.
"It was a trap! They're pumping oxygen back into the ship!" Tali cried.
"About time!" Grunt roared, hungry for some action.
Naruto looked around and saw two more platforms rise into the air below them. Jacob and Kasumi were on one, while Samara stood alone on the last. "Commander, a bunch of us are up on the platforms! It's too high to jump!"
"Hold! Once EDI has control she can lower the platforms! Keep yourselves alive, we'll handle ourselves down here!" Shepard replied.
Thane looked below to the Commander and what remained of his squad. Jack, Grunt and Tali were still with him. "Shepard, I see Collectors swarming your position, left of the command console."
"Us too. Look, near the entrance!" Jacob announced.
Naruto turned and saw five more hovering platforms moving in, each carrying a small swarm of Collectors. "I see them, three platforms moving in!" he said as he pulled out his sniper rifle. He tried to line up a shot while he had some distance, but the platform's movement was too erratic. "No good, it's moving too fast."
"Hold back for now. Can't waste clips, we won't be finding any spares here." Thane said as he lowered his mantis.
The platforms sailed through the empty air at high speeds towards the separated squad mates. Finally Naruto could see the light in all four of their blank yellow eyes. But just as it seemed like the platforms were going to overwhelm the pair, they dipped and flew underneath theirs.
"They're heading for you! Heads up!" Naruto called as he and Thane headed for the railing.
He watched as three platform dropped down next to Jacob and Kasumi, while the last two flew straight to Samara.
"Saving us for last. Wise strategy." Thane commented as he and Naruto steadied their rifles on the railing.
Naruto looked from one platform to the other and said, "Thane, help Samara. Jacob, Kasumi, I'm covering you from up here."
"Got it, watch our backs." Jacob said from behind cover as the first platform docked. He popped over cover and fired a biotic burst at the first drone, lifting the hapless shell into the air before blasting it with his eviscerator.
Naruto saw a trio of drones on the platform to their rear behind Jacob. The closest drone leaped from its platform to his teammate's and readied his shot. Naruto lined up his sights and was prepared to fire.
Suddenly the drone jerked forward, its putrid blood pouring from a wound in its back. Kasumi de-cloaked and dove behind a crate before the remaining two could react.
Naruto switched over to the others now strafing Kasumi's cover. He led his rifle as the drone moved, firing one, shoulder. Two, shoulder. Three, miss. Four, eye. By the fifth squeeze of the trigger, the drone was already collapsing.
Kasumi waited until the last drone was nearly on her when she made her move. She dropped a flashbang grenade in her place before bolting around her cover, keeping low and unseen. The Collector strafed past cover just in time to be blinded in all four eyes by a dazzling light. Kasumi high-tailed it around the barrier and tackled the drone from behind, firing her gun right into the rear of its chitin-coated skull.
Kasumi looked up from the corpse to Jacob, who was under fire from the last two platforms, then up to Naruto's platform. Her eyes widened as she pointed past them, "Behind you! Another one!"
Naruto's head whipped around in time to see a sixth platform dock behind the distracted duo. Dammit! Caught off guard, stupid mistake! "Thane, keep covering Samara. I'll handle this!" Naruto called out. He dropped his rifle and bolted over to the invading platform. Couldn't stay here, they might target Thane. He had to get in close, take the fight to them.
Three collector drones and a hunchbacked husk larger than he'd ever seen. A blue glowing sack bulged from its back like like a giant boil that looked ready to burst.
No time to think, only to act, and fast. The drones were already firing. He hopped side to side on his approach to throw off their aim, coming in fast to the closest one. He raised his leg and kicked it hard in the chest. Its chest cave in with a sickening crunch. The drone flew past its comrades before slamming into the railing.
Keep moving, he thought. Stay still and you're dead.
He jumped over the barrier between him and the next drone, pushing off it with his hands and flipping through the air while he drew his blade. He came down on the drone in a powerful cut shoulder to hip, nearly bisecting the Collector.
The final drone fell behind the closest barrier. Naruto looked behind him and saw the giant husk begin to glow. Biotic energy! Since when could a husk be a biotic!
As focused as he was on the giant husk that he never noticed the drone in the corner. It was broken, back bent at an impossible angle, but still technically alive. It raised its rifle and fired. The rounds pelted his shield and distracted him just long enough for the final drone to rush him. It threw itself at Naruto while he was staggered and knock him to the ground.
Naruto grabbed the drone's head and twisted it sharply. It crunched at is turned and the drone went silent. He shoved it aside and was pushing himself up and saw the husk throwing its arm forward and unleashing a chain of biotic detonations across the grounds.
He acted fast, bringing a hand in a seal and calling, "Substitution!" In a puff of smoke he vanished, trading places with the broken drone against the railing. The hapless drone was blown away from the force and blasted over the side.
Naruto drew his machine pistol and aimed at the lumbering creature. A torrent of fire burst forth, but he may as well have been throwing beans at the thing for all the good it did. This thing had thick skin. So he tried his pistol. His hand cannon screamed, each shot hitting center mass.
The creature never flinched once. Too tough, he was wasting his clips. And this damn helmet limited his jutsu, breathing fire was the worst thing he could do now. Time to try a more hands-on approach. The thing was slow, a hunchback so large its legs looked like toothpicks. Probably top-heavy. He could use that.
He drew his blade and dashed around the creature as it fired another shockwave. Circling behind the behemoth, he swept behind its back and cut its tendons, or whatever the reaper-tech had replaced them with. The husk buckled under its weakened legs and tumbled forward. Naruto leaped to its side and stabbed his sword straight through its skull into its glowing sack.
The husk cried a hollow scream stripped of the humanity stolen from it long ago. Blue sludge leaked from the tip of his blade. Naruto pulled on the end of his sword and cut deeper into the sack. The husk howled and turned to him with glowing dead eyes, focused on its singular goal: to kill its masters enemies.
The husk curled into itself and began amassing a core of biotic power. Naruto saw this and leaped away, but not far enough. The husk threw itself back with a ferocious roar, blasting the entire platform with biotic power. The energy threw Naruto backwards, slamming him over a barrier and into the railing.
At least the armor had its perks, it absorbed a good deal of the impact between its plate and gel layers. But it still hurt like hell. He struggled to his feet and eyed the downed behemoth. It couldn't get back up, but another burst like that could blow him over the edge, and there was no coming back from that. This platform was too small, that blast couldn't be avoided again.
He dodged to the side as the husk blasted another large shockwave at him. The creature's sack was completely exposed, an easy target. But getting in close involved time, and risk. And every second he spent here was a second away from supporting his friends. If he couldn't take this thing down, he'd do the next best thing.
He raised his sword high and focused a fine tip of wind along the blade, not as sharp as he'd like because of armor interference*, but it'd do. He slashed four times into the floor, severing a section that fell into the inner workings of the platform. He plunged his hand into the depths and grabbed the closest component and hoped it was important as he ripped it out. From the whine the craft was giving, it sounded like it was. The platform shifted to one side and threw him off balance.
Thane heard the platform scraping as one of them shifted. He turned and saw Naruto struggle for a moment to regain his balance as the platform kept listing. He threw down his rifle and rushed over as Naruto fled the failing platform as fast as he could. He leaped over a barrier and jumped from the railing just as Thane slid in to grab his hand. Naruto reached up and grabbed it just below the platform.
"I have you!" Thane called and began pulling him up.
Naruto slapped his hand against the steel and tried to grab it with his chakra, but it was a weak grip. 'Stupid armor,' he cursed to himself and waited for Thane to lift him a little higher before helping himself up the old fashioned way. "Thanks, that was close."
"Too close, I should have helped." Thane commented.
"No time for that, back to the others." Naruto said before leading him back to their abandoned rifles. Naruto grabbed his and set himself up while scanning the other platforms.
Samara had one Collector by the throat. She glowed blue and released it. The drone was trapped in her biotic grip and slowly floated away. Samara drew deep and thrust her arm out, sending the drone hurling through the air into the distant wall.
He looked to the other platform and saw...nothing. Kasumi and Jacob were gone. "Where are they?" Naruto asked.
Thane stopped prepping his rifle and looked, "I don't know."
"A Collector tackled them off the platform. They're somewhere below." Samara joined in.
Naruto looked down at the bottom of the chamber below their platform. It was a ravine filled with more pods, almost like a maze. "I can't see them. Jacob, Kasumi, come in!" he called over the comms.
He bit his lip and hoped for a reply, but none came. "We need to get down there and find them." he said.
"It's not likely they survived." Thane said calmly enough to be unsettling.
"I know! Just...lemme think." Naruto groaned, there had to be a way to get down there safely! A maybe a string of shadow clones? No, a stray shot would sever the chain, too risky. A massive wind blast? His chakra wasn't flowing too well through this armor, no good either. He was starting to panic. Think, dammit!
He was still racking his brain when Samara interrupted, "I can get you down, but you'll have to jump."
Thane perked up, "You're suggesting a biotic-assisted fall? Can you do that?"
"I've never tried it on another, but we're short on time."
Naruto peered down into the depths, it was at least a hundred meter fall from this height. But he didn't have any better ideas. With a bit of hesitation he said, "Let's do it. I'll go first. You ready?"
"I am prepared. Jump!"
Naruto stowed his sniper rifle and gripped the railing tightly, so tightly he could feel the metal buckling under his enhanced strength. He looked down, somehow it seemed even farther than before. He felt afraid, his nerves screaming at him to reconsider. But he was good at shutting out unwanted voices.
Naruto vaulted over the edge and went into free fall. What happened in seconds felt like a lifetime. First his blood ran cold as he picked up speed. If Samara couldn't catch him, he imagined he'd splatter like jelly when he hit rock bottom. He passed her platform and saw her glowing, but still nothing happened. He gave an involuntary cry as he passed the halfway point mere seconds away from impact. But then he felt himself growing lighter and pulled away like a parachute had deployed. He felt a bead of sweat slide between his eyes as relief washed over him. Moments later he landed safely on the ground among countless pods stacked high.
"Nice job, Samara! Thane, you're good to go when she's ready again!"
"I'm right behind you."
With his comrades on the way Naruto took off into the maze of pods. He could sense Jacob's biotic mark somewhere ahead, but whether he was alive, or if it was just an afterglow...no, he couldn't think like that. All he could do was find them. Whatever he found, he'd handle it then.
"...Come in! Can anyone hear me?"
He nearly froze, "Kasumi?"
"Naruto, finally! Where are you?"
"On my way. Are you and Jacob safe?"
"Yeah, I'm here too," he replied, but he sounded strained. "We're safe, For now at least."
"Stay still. We're on our way." Naruto ordered as he dashed through the pods.
He kept following Jacob's trace until at last he rounded a corner where he saw Jacob lying on the ground with Kasumi affixing something to his left leg. "What happened?" he asked as he knelt down beside him.
"Rough landing." Jacob groaned.
"The fool lifted me and forgot to catch himself. Broke his leg from the fall. Help me with this." she said and motioned to the makeshift splint, a broken metal pipe, probably part of the ship, and some spare straps.
Naruto reached down and held the pipe in place while she finished binding it. By the time they were done Thane had arrived. "We need to move. More will be on us soon." he said.
"Couldn't agree more. Where's the asari?" Kasumi asked.
"I won't be long." she said over comms.
"We need to find Shepard, I can't hear the others on comms."
"They must be jamming us, only short range signals are getting through."
Suddenly several of the pods began to hiss. Naruto got up and stared at the one closest to him, filled with a black silhouette. The covering dropped to the floor with a clatter. A husk lay inside, it looked like it was stirring. Naruto acted fast and slammed the husk into its container and crushed its chest. "Watch out, they're all around us!"
"Anyone else impressed with how thorough this trap is? No? Just me?" Kasumi asked.
He saw another husk emerge to his side, but it was quickly blasted away by Samara as she rushed to join them. "There's more behind me, we need to move."
"Where?" Thane asked.
"Anywhere but here!" Naruto called, pointing to Kasumi. "Grab Jacob, we'll keep the husks off you."
Jacob held up his hand, "No, leave me here. I'm no good slowing you down."
Naruto was shocked, "No way! You're not staying here."
Jacob grabbed his shotgun lying next to him, "My father taught me right, used to say a man never backed away from his duty. I can buy you some ti-"
"Not gonna happen!" He shouted in frustration as he pointed to Kasumi, "Come on, we need to go!"
Kasumi obeyed his command and picked Jacob up with Naruto's help. She slung the reluctant man's arm over her shoulder and supported his weak side.
They moved towards the rear of the ship, slower than Naruto would have liked, but Jacob could only move so fast. Naruto, Thane and Samara took care of the few husks that were out of their pods on the way and made sure they had a clear path. Naruto relied on his wind-sharpened blade and cut down everything that came in range. Husks needed to get in close to attack, and close combat was his specialty.
Samara held an assault rifle but it saw little use given her reliance on biotics. She might still be on her first clip. Thane had a pistol in one hand and a biotic glow in the other. He learned quickly, aiming for the delicate joints in the legs. Reaper tech wasn't so helpful when your kneecap was shattered. An immobile husk was as good as a dead husk right now.
They were almost at the end of the chamber. There they saw a door leading further into the ship. "There's our way out!" he said as they approached it.
"Hold Jacob," Kasumi said to Naruto. They traded places and Kasumi rushed over to a panel beside the door and opened it up, "Not very secure. All this effort and they forget to give a tech expert a challenge? I think I can hard wire this thing, gimme...got it!" Kasumi yelled triumphantly as the door sprang open.
The team bolted through the door with a swarm of husks hot on their heels. "Kasumi, why isn't the door closing?"
She hadn't stopped running, already a bad sign, "You don't just un-hard wire a door, dummy! Keep moving!"
Crap! There was no way they'd outrun the husks with Jacob. But what could he do? Send a clone to try and close the door? No good, the husks were too close. Think fast, he thought. What can you use? Metal, air, stone-wait, stone! It'd better be real, he thought.
"I have an idea! Jacob, wait here!" He said as he hastily set him down before running to the wall. Tali had better have been right about the atmosphere. He held his breath and took off a glove, but was relieved when he didn't feel the oxygen sucked out of his suit. He removed his other glove and flipped through his seals before slamming them into the rock, "Earth style: rock lodging destruction!"
The stone was foreign and strange to the touch. He felt the last of his sage chakra surging through it in an unfamiliar manner. But it was dense like rock, it crumbled like rock, and it came tumbling down like rock. The rocks on the ceiling and sides burst inward and collapsed. Naruto leaped backwards as the stones fell and piled in front of the entrance, completely cutting it off.
"Or, you could do that." Kasumi said.
What little natural energy he'd had was washed up with the rest of his chakra in that jutsu, and suddenly he was noticing the armor's weight. But his mind quickly turned back to the mission, no time to dilly dally. "Forget that, are the comm channels open yet?"
"Not yet," Jacob said as Samara helped him to his feet, "Did anyone see what happened to Shepard and the others?"
"They were retreating back the way we came," Samara said.
"We should head back to the shuttle, if we don't find Shepard on the way then we'll meet him there." Thane said.
Kasumi said skeptically, "Great idea, just one little problem: we have no idea where we are."
Thane seemed unconcerned, "This is not the first time I've taken an unfamiliar route to my target. The ship is a hive, many roads may lead to the same place."
"You certain you can get us back?" Naruto asked.
"More so than any of you, I imagine." he replied.
"No time for a debate anyway. We're right behind you. Kasumi, keep an eye on our rear."
Thane nodded and took off down the hallway with the rest of the squad in tow. Naruto kept a careful eye on Jacob as Thane checked their corner. He was in pain, but strained to look like he wasn't. The shock must we wearing off.
Thane checked the hallway after the third turnoff, "It's been rather quiet." he remarked.
"A ship this size must have an enormous crew, they should be on high alert." Samara said.
"Either we are incredibly lucky, or they're not trying hard enough to find us."
"Probably the latter," Jacob said, "Something possessed the drones on Horizon, it had a special interest in Shepard. They must be focusing everything on finding him."
"More reason to find him quickly." Naruto noted.
"Agreed, let's keep moving." Thane said and pointed to the ground. "Footprints in the dust. Recent. A small squad, moving fast. Might be intercepting Shepard."
The team followed down the path, then another, and another until Naruto began to think they'd been following a red herring. But on the next turn Thane signaled for them to stop.
Down the hill was a gathering of Collectors. Twenty-odd drones were positioned with their weapons pointed downrange at a faraway door. They were as still as statues.
"Ambush." Naruto murmured.
"Ya think?" Kasumi mocked. "But seriously, on a scale of one to ten, how bad is it?"
"Depends, if I were alone it would not be difficult to avoid. But as a squad, it would be a challenge." Thane said.
"This site is unlikely a coincidence. They've devoted too many of their forces to risk Shepard taking another route. I'm certain they believe he'll come through here." Samara said.
"That's a killbox, Shepard and the rest will be torn to pieces." Jacob added.
"We can't let that happen," Naruto murmured as he stared down at the crew, trying to think of a way to ambush them first.
"Even with surprise, the odds are against us. Not much I can do from back here." Jacob said guiltily.
"If you don't have any ideas, quiet. I'm thinking..."
He was falling back into his role of Captain. A role that existed as a memory through Fox's memories, but the knowledge was all there. Victory through superior tactics, using less to defeat more. The others stayed silent and let him take charge, likely because he and Jacob were the only two in their team used to leading a squad, and he was the only one without a broken leg distracting him.
If it was his old team, he knew exactly what he'd do: Rabbit could craft a subtle illusion, keep the Collectors focused ahead. Mouse would windwalk behind them to draw their attention. Mouse dives for cover while he and Tiger rip into their flank with clones and hard-hitting jutsu.
'No, stop it!' He shook his head and chastised himself, 'This isn't your old team, they're in the Pure World now. Stop wasting time thinking like that! Focus!'
Think of a new plan, one that fit to their strengths. He knew them well enough to know what they were capable of. But his mind kept drawing up that same strategy, like he was stuck in the past. He needed something that fit the present situation. But maybe...maybe he could make it work.
"I got it," he began as he motioned for everyone to listen up, "Kasumi, cloak and sneak behind the one at the far end. Take it out and get to cover, all you need to do is draw their fire."
Kasumi seemed less than pleased, "Oh, is that all? I thought it'd be something dangerous." Kasumi's teasing had some venom.
"Well cloak out if you need to. Stay behind cover and wait for us. Thane, Samara, we'll hit them from behind while they're focusing on Kasumi. Hit hard, take as many out as quickly as you can before they start firing at us, but stay close. Spread out and we're easy targets. Jacob, I haven't left you out. Pull any Collectors looking to flank us, set us up. Call out enemy movement. Clear?"
"I'm in." Jacob said.
"Myself as well, I can think of nothing better." Thane said. Samara simply nodded.
"Good, then let's not wast time. Kasumi, you're up. Make it loud."
She was shooting daggers at him. She preferred avoiding gunfire, not attracting it. Being told to do just that stripped away her usual dry wit and left her bitter.
"Kasumi, we don't have time."
"Fine, I'm off." Kasumi grumbled before disappearing. She didn't even register on comms as she strode through enemy lines.
"Get ready everyone." Naruto said.
Naruto stared unblinking at the farthest Collector. The second it flinched he was prepared to rush in. A long pregnant silence elapsed before he heard a small huff of effort come over the comms as Kasumi shocked the Collector from behind.
He didn't wait to see it fall.
"Go!" he ordered.
The three rushed down the incline as the remaining drones turned to fire on Kasumi. She dived behind cover and refused to pop up after that.
"Shadow clone jutsu," he called and two clones popped into existence on either side of him. Each took out a kunai and charged at the nearest three drones.
Three Narutos attacked at once, three knives sunk deep through the chitin into what was left of their brains, and three drones collapsed without a fight.
Naruto dispelled his clones and ducked behind cover. To his left he saw Thane rush a pair of drones. He grabbed the first and snapped its neck from behind, then reached around and fired on its comrade.
He heard a massive biotic blast to his right. Two drones flew across the chamber and crumbled against the far wall. Samara made power seem almost effortless.
Most of the drones had turned their attention to them. The drones never staggered when caught by surprise. They reacted automatically like machines.
Naruto took a kunai and wrapped an explosive tag around the handle. He leaped over the barrier and threw it at a drone approaching Kasumi. It sailed through the air and sunk into the center of its back. Naruto formed a tiger seal and the tag detonated, incinerating the drone.
He took out his machine pistol and fired on what remained of the horde. He took the chance to track his team. Thane and Samara were both advancing through the chamber.
They were already halfway down the room.
"I said stay together!" he said hurriedly. Too late, those two were too used to working alone and moving at their own pace.
He needed to catch up, they were too vulnerable this far apart. He needed to catch up and regroup.
Then he noticed the rocks falling.
It was a few pebbles trickling down like rain. He looked up and saw a bundle of rocks begin to shift in the ceiling. Something was moving behind them.
Then they all began to fall. Naruto threw himself back before the rocks could crush him. They hit the ground in a volley before being crushed by the creature they'd concealed, another trap meant for the Commander.
Naruto pushed himself up from prone and looked back to see a gigantic armored insect fracturing the ground under its weight. It was larger than a krogan, and he bet it hit harder too. The ends of its claws were crafted down to a fine point that could make a weapons smith envious.
The creature screeched. Where he expected teeth, he saw human skulls. This monster was a walking grave. Its head began to glow. Its eyes lit up and became blinding with raw energy. The creature shrieked with the cry of a banshee before twin particle beams fired, promising doom to their targets.
The beams soared towards the downed blonde, but they destroyed a Collector corpse.
Naruto got up following his substitution and took out his blade. He rushed the creature while wrapping his sword in an ultra-thin band of wind, so much easier without the gloves. He wished he'd taken his helmet off earlier as well. He reared back and thrust the tip into the creature's armored hide. But the blade was deflected by what had to be the strongest biotic barrier he'd ever felt.
The beast did not give him a second chance. It turned and rammed him with its entire body.
It definitely hit harder than any krogan.
This thing followed him to the ground. It reared back one mighty claw and slammed it down. Naruto brought up his arm and deflected the blow, but he felt the claw reave the armor as is passed by.
He wasn't chancing a second blow. His hands whipped through a few hand seals, "Earth style: rising spire!"
He slammed his palms into the rocky floor. Twin spikes erupted from the earth and dug into his foe's hide. They didn't pierce it, but they did raise it onto its hind claws.
Naruto followed up with more seals, "Wind style: screaming gale!" he thrust his palm out and an audible blast of wind fired into the creature's underbelly. For a moment it seemed the gale might be enough to tip the creature over.
Instead it began to fly.
"That just isn't fair!" He shouted as the beast readied another particle blast. He lowered his palm and let the gale wind push him back and away from the attack. Good thing, when he looked back he saw the ground had melted.
Up close wasn't working, time for some more conventional firepower. He took out his two handguns and opened fire. The barrier was too strong, but he had to chip it down.
And then the grenades hit the creature's side.
"-I repeat, get back!" Shepard's voice came through the comms.
Naruto looked to the entrance to see Shepard holding his grenade launcher. Round after round struck the creature's hide. It shrieked and reared back from the concussive force.
"Perfect timing!" Naruto cried in joy.
Next came Grunt, then Tali, and even Jack began firing their weapons at the creature. Shepard's heavy ammo was nearly spent when the barrier finally broke with the sound of a cracking whip.
"I got it!" Naruto called as he grasped his sword.
Time for round two.
He formed a cross seal. "Shadow clone jutsu," he called and two clones formed in front of him. The two laced their hands as Naruto jumped to them and was launched high into the air. He flipped over the floating monstrosity and let gravity augment his strike, coating his blade with the finest coat of wind.
This time when he stabbed, it sunk deep.
The creature flared in its last desperate struggle but Naruto would not be removed. He took the hilt with both hands and thrashed it through the armored hide. His blade emerged victorious from the husk with a brilliant sweep.
It cried in its death throes for a moment longer as it crumbled into ash. Naruto leaped off and landed safely on the ground. He saw Thane and the others running to him amid the remains of the drones, "Are you alright? There were too many Collectors."
"It's fine." Naruto said feeling relieved, he was still in a battle high. He could hear his heart beating in his ears. He pointed to his clones, "You two, go help Jacob."
"On it boss!" One of them shouted before they ran up the hill.
"What happened to Jacob?" He heard Shepard say. Naruto gave him a summary of what happened to them. "What's important is you're all here. Time to leave."
Grunt was chuckling behind his helmet. His armor was covered in blood and bile, "We had more fun than you." he said in a mocking tone.
"I wouldn't have called it fun." Tali sighed.
The clones helped Jacob back to the group, where Shepard took over. "You good, Jacob?"
"Still in one piece, can't complain." he replied.
"We're one big target now, let's get back to the shuttle and get the hell off this ship!" Shepard said and the team took off.
They moved quickly now, kept close in the narrowing hallways. Resistance was sparse, that ambush must have been their trump card. What few remained weren't enough to challenge nine of the best specialists in the galaxy.
The wall opened to their right and they recognized a familiar setup. "This lab was near our shuttle. We're almost there," Samara noted.
Jack grunted, "Yeah, and look at the dumbass still working."
She was right, Mordin was still humming away over the corpse. Two flash frozen husks stood a few meters away.
"Dammit!" Shepard cried into the comms, "Mordin, what the hell are you doing? I told you to retreat!"
Mordin carefully capped a vial of purple fluid before replying, "No, not yet. Need more samples, won't be long. Just a few more..." he trailed off as his work stole back his focus. "Will be along shortly."
"Mordin, I'm ordering you to get to the shuttle!"
"Once in a lifetime, cannot pass up! Could prove invaluable!"
Shepard grit his teeth, they did not have time to deal with this!
"Shepard!" Naruto's call broke his train of thought. "Let me go get him! I'll drag his ass to the ship if I have to!"
The Commander looked the young man in the eyes and seemed to weigh his options. But only for a moment, it was all the time he had to consider. "Go! And high-tail it to the shuttle!"
"Got it, Commander!" Naruto replied before sliding down the incline. He sprinted over to Mordin and nearly ran into the busy Professor. "No more delays, we're getting out of here."
"Just one-" Mordin started, but Naruto had none of it.
He grabbed the salarian's shoulder and forced him to face turn away, "We're done, Mordin! All these samples won't do you any good if we don't get off the ship!"
Mordin didn't answer right away. His eyes trailed back to the corpse as if to wonder. But Naruto pulled him back, "No more thinking!"
Finally he said, "Okay, okay...let's go." He snatched up the few samples that were lying on the table and pocketed them.
A flurry of fire sailed through the air and smashed into his shields. Naruto reeled from the blow, looking behind him to see a squad of Collectors fast approaching.
"Go!' Naruto roared, grabbing the salarian before he was finished and throwing him forward. The pair bolted from the lab and down the hall with death hot on their trail. Slugs flew past him at unimaginable speeds. He couldn't count how many were hitting him.
The horrifying sound of shattered shields rang loud just as they were in sight of the bridge. The rest of the team was already across. The shuttle engines were lit, Miranda must be prepping for takeoff. Naruto grabbed his machine pistol and fired wildly behind him as Garrus and Zaeed fired at will.
"Come on!" Shepard called as he ran back to join the snipers.
"Go Mordin!" Naruto called as he replaced his clip. Mordin reached the bridge and ran across it without looking back.
A lucky shot hit him in the shoulder and made him stumble. He steadied himself and began to cross the bridge, peeking over his right shoulder and readying his pistol to fire one last-
A particle beam soared through the air and blasted through his helmet, scorching his right eye. That blinding light was the last thing he saw.
Another shot ripped through his left side.
Naruto wilted, tipped sideways and tumbled into the waiting grave.
Codex Entries
-Chakra resistance
Chakra is inhibited by dense material, which makes armor for ninjas a difficult trade-off between protection and versatility. As chakra passes through dense substances such as metal, it loses potency and power. A wind jutsu meant to travel at 120 kilometers per hour may be reduced to 30 to 50 kilometers per hour if the user is wearing a gauntlet. Most shinobi prioritize retaining jutsu versatility. This is why the standard shinobi uniform of most villages consists of light clothing with a reinforced vest to protect the vital organs. This provides significant protection to the torso while leaving the limbs and head free to manipulate chakra uninhibited. Certain clans such as the Hyuga often forego the vest entirely so they may release chakra from their entire body without impedance.
Since the forming of the great villages, the advancement in armor crafting due to the centralization of knowledge has allowed for the creation of armor pieces that significantly reduce impedance for one or more natures. The samurai of Iron Country had mastered the practice of crafting armor that reduced shape manipulation impedance to almost unnoticeable levels. However, this armor is still prohibitively expensive and rarely utilized outside of locations with a surplus of ore and craftsmen. Given the versatility of chakra, armor that does not affect any manner of chakra manipulation while also providing reasonable protection from weapons is, while possible, unaffordable by all but those who would have no need for it such as Daimyos or wealthy landowners.
A/N
I wonder how many people read these notes. I also wonder how many people love cliffhangers. And then I wonder how many people enjoy waiting for a cliffhanger to be resolved. The venn diagram for that must be extraordinarily tiny.
Please review if you like the story or have any constructive criticism you would like to share. Thank you. :)