Chapter 20: Assault

xxxx

Two days passed quickly. After a brief –and fifteen minutes brief – stop on Illium, our crew was one less. Honestly, I was going to miss Tahre. Not that there was anything wrong with the normal crew, but he was a good bro. Then again, I wouldn't miss his ribbings. Oh, things had only gotten worse when I admitted to asking Rana on a date of sorts. So everything worked out.

While I hadn't progressed at all with meditations or whatever, I had suddenly fallen on the urge to train and work out. A lot. As in nearly tripling the general routine. Maybe the threat of whatever was at Epho had me worked up.

And lots of thought had gone towards that. I doubted it was the Contractor's work; unless they were setting up an outpost, there would be no reason to strike there. Especially considering the history they had… it didn't fit. I couldn't see why anyone would go there, actually. Unless maybe there was valuable stuffs there. Eezo, or something.

Now, I was just on a break. Kicking back in the subdeck, fiddling with the firing control settings on the Kabre-13 shotgun. There wasn't much room to work down here, so a few parts lay on the closest crate. Actually, there wasn't much room regardless. Two meters lay between the edge of my cot and the stepping wall of supply crates. Not much more space in the other directions, either, considering I was set up in the corner.

And that's how I liked it. I felt safer. In case anything went seriously south, I would only have one flank vulnerable here. These things were essential to at least consider – at least have a plan ahead of time. Granted, I probably wouldn't stick to it if the Akina did get attacked. But it was a nice concept. Speaking of which… Kaira had gathered us all about in the mess yesterday, confirming the inclusion of the particle cannon in tandem with the traditional accelerator weapon already installed. It seemed like a good move to me; it was only a matter of time until the Contractor showdown took to space. Of course, it was still going to be a little while – she was setting things up to use a machine shop on Zavalon of all places. So there were some industrialist tendencies there…

I set the shotty back down on the nearest crate. From my armor, I picked up the trusty Contender. Like everything… I had modded it. Grenade launcher, fast ammo toggles… and just a few days ago, I figured out that the shaver could be momentarily recalibrated to form a single projectile. With the inclusion of salvaged microcapacitors, it could fire a single devastating "overcharge" shot. With the addition of several different compounds, it should also become explosive on contact. And that just took a toggle. I swear, even if I didn't mean to… I could be a royal pain in the ass to the people who were specialists with firearms. You know I'm talking about you, Delina… I thought, just imagining the fit she was going to throw over this one.

xxxx

"This is Spectre T'Suni of the AMF Akina. We are ready to engage FTL to Zelene system."

A moment's pause. I glanced over at our Commander. All four of the team had crammed into the cockpit. The rendezvous was underway, so…

"Copy that. I have your ship's energy signatures within normal rage. Spectre Senyalis ready."

"Confirmed. Captain Dirrar ready to make the jump."

Then there was a several second's pause. Finally, the last member of the group came in. "Take your time. I have been ready for a long while. Such as would a professional fit for this job."

Aaand that would be Arterius. Man. Looks like any high hopes I had just got shot down with a Thannix cannon.

After the communication lines shut, Delina just snapped irately. "Biggest. Asshole. Ever. Because of course no other race is fit to be a spectre or carry out dangerous missions."

"So I take it the attitude is nothing new?" I inquired.

"Hell no. According to his logic, ten years as a halfassed Spectre substitutes for fifty of a veteran commando. Your world had a word for it…ah… chauvinistic?"

"Yeah. Sounds like."

"To give him credit, Kaleren has done a good job of keeping terrorists away from the citadel. And from what I've heard, he held an impressive military record fighting out in the Verge." Kaira pointed out.

"Doesn't change the fact that he's an asshole to everyone but the council."

"No. But he still gets the job done. Even if he is a most unpleasant person to be around."

I nodded. As long as he didn't have a fucking Reaper, there wasn't much problem. If he was a dick… oh well. We could deal with that. And the urge to shoot him in the foot. …that was something I already had a tinge towards.

"It will likely take several hours to reach the Zelene system, even at FTL speed. At the least, we will be able to mentally prepare ourselves." Rana pointed out, a slightly twisted smile crossing her face for a moment.

"Excuse me while I listen to some of Jackson's music or bang my head against a grenade." Delina scoffed, folding her arms and taking a half step back.

"Those aren't related." I growled.

"Yeah, well… the latter might do you some good."

"Might do you some good to hang out with Arterius for a while. Like as example of what not to be."

"Sure. Might do me some good… I don't think it would end well for him. No loss, anyway."

"Delina…" The commander scolded.

"What? I'm just thinking aloud here. Hell, you were probably even thinking the same thing."

"No. I wasn't. While I can't stand his personality, I can appreciate what he can do as a fellow spectre."

"Where'd he get the grudge against all the other races, anyway?" Was my question.

"Nobody's quite sure. He's got a pretty murky upbringing. That might have something to do with it." Kaira responded, shrugging slightly as we made our way back down the bridge. A slight tug throughout the ship was the only indication we had hit FTL. "But really, Forrest… What's with you? You seem to cringe every time you hear the name 'Arterius.'"

That was true. I felt myself wince involuntarily as she said it again. "Yeah… See, in one of the 'Mass Effect' games, there was a Spectre named Saren Arterius. He was the bad guy of the story… Reaper avatar, the lot."

"Goddess, you're going back to whatever bullshit you saw from the beacon?"

"No, Delina. That's stuff I knew before the beacon. I just didn't think it was true. …Well, I guess it still isn't."

"There is definitely a troubling correlation between the two Spectre Arterius'. But considering there is none named Saren…"Our engineer began.

I nodded at Rana. "Sure. If this stuff's right, Saren will be born in 2139."

"You need to shut the hell up. We don't need to hear your apocalyptic preaching. You're just going off of some fairy tale?" Delina snarled, clearly agitated by everything that was going on.

"Hey, it's not… you know what, why don't you shut up?"

"Because I don't want to."

"The rest of us want you to."

"You can't speak for the commander. What, you're taking on PR now? You gonna be the one talking with the press when we reach the citadel?"

That's… oh shit. Never mind that tirade. "Fine, fine. You won. You want a cookie or something?"

"If it means you'll get out of our scalps and into the kitchen…. Hell yeah."

"Unless you want a bigger problem, you'll keep me away from the food prep."

"Were you always this much of a pain in the ass?"

"Nope. Just to you." I smirked gleefully as she growled. "You're welcome."

"Thank you both. Some of us were hoping to have a proper conversation, though." Kaira stepped back in. "Forrest, was there any mention of Kaleren?"

"Nada. As far as I knew, Saren was the only Arterius."

"Bullshit. He had to come from somewhere." The arms specialist snapped again.

"So now you're admitting he's real?"

"No." That was blunt. But the look she gave me was razor sharp.

"It doesn't matter right now. " Kaira continued. "We've got over a hundred years to deal with that. We just need to focus on the job at hand."

"Agreed. It only does so much good to try and predict the future. Fate may be more powerful than we realize." Rana noted quietly.

"And only a coward will try and change his." I pointed out to compliment Rana's input.

"What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

"All too much, Delina." The commander grimaced a little. "If what Forrest knows is actually true… than fate is already set out. What happens when we know of future events?"

"Perhaps. But what if it is not our own fate we try to change? Jac – well, not all of us may be alive to see the supposed First Contact War." Rana continued.

That wasn't the most pleasant thought, but it was true. So I tried to roll past it. "And just having me here is taking that in a different direction. Sort of… It seems like I should be doing more to help my own race."

"You're only one person, though. From what we saw – and what you've said, your own world is in disarray. It would take far more to bring about a change. The same goes for this entire crew. What we see, sometimes even know as best probably won't be the choice of the higher government bodies."

"Too fuckin' true. Common sense and what the Council does… they usually aren't the same." Delina seemed reduced to muttering now… not much loss there.

"Well, I can only argue that so much. But you have a point. For now… let's just focus on getting this job done – and done well. We can deal with the rest later. It certainly won't go anywhere."

xxxx

I double checked all the seals on my armor. In addition to a reserve oxygen supply, I rigged some extra packs of med patchs to deal with any compromises to the hardsuit. And as we gathered about the shuttle, I realized that Kaira was the one carrying the particle beam.. Oh well. At least I had my main kit spec'd out.

Notably, the commandos still wore the regular uniforms. The only additions were the equivalent of helmets – which seemed more an extension of the leather suit, only a breather and uni-lens eyeport to differentiate from the rest. After seeing those… my lightweight, merc-looking helmet seemed pretty sturdy. But to each their own.

The final communications took place between the four different teams. To everyone's surprise, the fallen STG ship still had an active distress beacon. The plan was to shuttle down and join forces about a half click away, then move in on foot. Between four teams, the idea was we could take on anything in our way.

And then Kaira gave us the signal to load up. With the usual amount of pushing and elbowing, we all got into the corvette and sat down… and waited. It didn't take long before we dropped out of the frigate and towards the planet below.

Five minutes later, the shuttle doors opened. And what a horrible place. Even with sealed armor, it felt like the atmosphere was out to strangle us. On top of being not breathable, it was even hazy. Murky was a better word; visibility was maybe twenty meters. At least it wasn't windy… although that might do some good. Clear things up.

I drew the Contender and looked around. It was fairly flat around the LZ, and the forms of the other shuttles came thru the veil. They landed, all three spewing teams of five. That made ours the smallest… for what that was worth. And we converged.

"Kaira, good to see you as always. Wish it could be under better circumstances for once." The yellow Asari armor was easy to recognize as Senyalis… not to mention the overly friendly attitude.

"Likewise. Do you know anything else about what we're going up against?" Kaira asked.

"Just that the STG team went missing. Dirrar, you have to be a little worried about that."

"Not particularly. My team held off a legion of pirates and slavers for three days once. There are ranks of quality even within the STG." The Salarian paused, glancing over at our team. "T'Suni, Jackson… Glad to have you here."

"Yeah. Great to be here." Delina muttered, barely audible to anyone but the 517.

"All part of the job." Kaira responded with a bit more pleasantry.

And… that left one more team: the Turians. Notably, they were already formed into a block formation behind the Spectre. Standard gray armor for them, then Arterius wore a jet black set with five white bars on the right shoulder.

"Look at you. No formation, no order." He immediately chided. Granted, that was a valid point. The three other teams just lay strewn about… but man. "And this is the human? You look no more ready for combat than the rest of your squad."

"I'll just take that as a compliment. Thanks." I drawled with a bit of humor. That had to sting a little.

After a noticeable flinch, he simply stated: "Hardly. But no use in sitting around. We'll take point."

Nobody was going to argue; most simply shrugged. Delina snarled a little, but she did that anyway. And so we fell in right behind the lead spectre. From what I could tell, we were already in a wide ravine… and dropping in elevation towards the downed ship. It sucked not being able to see anything… but so far, there was no life through the red fog.

And yet… it felt like something was wrong. Very wrong. I couldn't tell what it was, but I could feel it down my spine. Like when you feel like you're being watched…and then there's nothing there. This was even worse than that. It was like someone was watching my thoughts. I shook my head quickly, trying to free myself of the feeling. The assault rifle in my hands offered little comfort. Something had taken down the STG team… and they were noted for perseverance.

It didn't help that it was deathly silent, either. The air was still. The four different teams moved along without a word. Our own crew seemed to be walking closer together in the decreased visibility, and everyone carried their usual weapons…except for Delina, who had swapped up for an assault rifle.

Then I saw it. The murky outline, towering above our heads. There definitely was no life present on this ship. At least… not the outline. We sort of fanned out as we approached, so that each team approached from a different angle. By the time we were about eight feet away, I realized how bad this was.

Slash marks. All along and through the hull, as if something had gone berserk and wanted in. And this was a reinforced frigate. That armor was no slouch. But it still got worked over with a crisscross pattern of destruction.

"I've got significant damage to the hull. Unknown origin. I've also got a useable breach." Kala reported over the radio.

"Or we could just use the airlock." Judging by that snide voice… Definitely Kaleren.

"Might be good bet to use both. Split up two and two." Kaira suggested.

"Copy that. I'm closer to Senyalis." The Salarian captain reported.

"That's right, give us the shitty team…" Delina continued to mutter.

"Good enough. Arterius, we'll meet you at the airlock." Kaira informed.

"Suit yourself."

I shook my head as our formation walked towards the bow of the vessel. It was still sketchy, and my eyes were darting all over. Any little bit of movement, every little form… Paranoia was setting in. Apparently, it wasn't just me – our crew had bunched together to where our shoulders were nearly touching. More than once, Rana or I bounced off each other. That didn't help nerves at all.

Surprisingly, the Turian team had actually waited for us at the opened airlock. Kaleren stood there with an annoyed stance, arms crossed and no weapon drawn. Arrogant much, eh…

"So did you open the door?" Kaira questioned as we approached.

"Yes. It was rather difficult to open without power." He responded with a good serving of mirth. "But ladies first."

How thoughtful. Use us as the bait. I thought to myself, returning the AR to my back and drawing the Kabre -13. This ship was likely cramped, so… Delina switched up to a shotgun, too. Night vision engaged… and we stormed in.

Right onto the bridge… To the left was an empty pilot's station; to the right the hallway split into two stairwells curving around and upward. Odd to have the cockpit near the bottom… almost like a blimp. And we all know how well those worked. Right guys?

"T'Suni, take your team up the right stairs. We'll go to the left."

"Copy that. Dirrar, Senyalis… what have you got?"

A feminine voice responded. "Nothing yet. Seem like we're in a cargo area… and there was definitely a struggle. We have more slash marks in here, as well as gunshot impacts everywhere. Even on the ceiling."

I stifled a chuckle. How the hell did that happen? Thankfully, it was Kaira who actually spoke. "Copy that. We'll keep working our way up. Let us know of any progress." Then the commander turned to me. "Jackson, take point."

"Yes ma'am." Holy shit… why do I feel like bait all of a sudden? The safety clicked off on the shotgun as I passed the rest of the 517, making my way up the narrow stairs. 27 steps. I counted. There was a short landing there; a door lay directly ahead. It was locked down hard; that much I could tell. As I looked back for a moment, the commander gave me a simple nod. That was all the permission I needed.

I took a step up to the door and tapped on it twice with the back of my left hand. Silence. So taking two steps back, I suddenly lunged at the metal obstruction and let my biotics flare. With an artificially weighted Spartan kick, it caved away. And I wasted not a moment to rush in through the dust, dropping to a crouch in hopes of jumping any intruders.

Nothing.

Just an empty room, pods along the walls. Sleeper pods. All of them open… but their lack of contents were only noticeable when viewed head on. So each on had to be checked individually. The team was milling right behind me, completing the same methodical inspection. And they were all empty.

Except for the last one. I jumped back, breath catching for a moment. There was still an STG member here… but an angular spike protruded from his chest, pinning him in an upright position. Likewise, his face was frozen in a contorted expression of raw terror.

"Lovely." I finally muttered.

Kaira wasted no time in keying into the radio. "We've got one body in the sleeping quarters. Impaled by something…"

Sharp. My mind finished, taking a closer look at the spear. It had knifelike edges, maybe even able to cut through armor.

"We're going to keep moving up. Nothing else here."

"Understood. Maybe see if you can collect an ID tag from the body. For the record." Dirrar requested rather nobly.

The commander wasted no time in doing so. I gave a sideways tilt of my head, silently questioning if she wanted me to continue on point. Again she nodded.

Another door. I repeated the same process, caving it in and then leaping into the cloud of dust. At the same time a slight rattle came from the left. I made a dart that way, shotgun already raised…

And found myself face to face with Arterius, who was similarly armed and alert. After a split second, our guns lowered from each other and we stood back up from the crouch. I was the first to speak. "Find anything?"

"Nothing more than ship logs in the armory. There was a total crew of eighteen. Although I suppose only seventeen are unaccounted for."

That was far more professional than I had expected. So I could return the favor. "Understood, Spectre."

I fell back into position in Kaira's squad. We were in some sort of scientific bay, tables full of equipment all over. Everything remained orderly, nothing seemed out of place. And she gave a simple order. "Spread out and search for anything we can use. T'Kasan, take the right flank. Jackson, take her usual position."

That was… opposite of what we normally did. Weird. Then again… it put her far away from Turians, and me closer. That was actually pretty smart on the commander's part. Although I couldn't say I was very happy about it.

But enough whining, it was time to get to work. I started looking through a series of shelves below one desk, finding only several blank datapads. The rest were empty… so I moved up to the next table and began rummaging. More datapads… one with resupply logs… copy that. Another with weapons logs. Copy that, too.

"So."

I glanced up from the equivalent of wrecking and vandalizing. Kaleren was just standing there and watching the rest of us (his team included) work. And now he had a penchant for bothering me. "You need something, Spectre?"

"No. I was simply curious to know more about this alien."

"Bah. Not much to know. Levo-acid, biotic. Not far off from the Asari. Sans gender." I glanced back as I said that, but the rest of the 517 was still searching. And apparently oblivious to our conversation.

"Or lack thereof. Tell me, honestly, are you truly of your own race, or just a genetic deviation?"

"If it's the latter… then we're a genetic deviation seven billion strong."

"Spirits. What about space-faring capabilities?"

"Minimal. It'll be a few hundred years before we could ever reach our system's relay. In other words, no threat to anyone else right now."

"Good. That would be a disappointment if they were. New races seldom arrive peacefully."

"Yeah, well…" I trailed off. Continuing my work, I just mulled it over. He had no reason to like or dislike me or my race yet… and still he was tending towards the latter.

"And why exactly did T'Suni take you as part of her team?"

"Eh, long story. Someone else found the relay and was out for my head. One thing lead to another, and I ended up getting out of there with the 517. T'Suni saw potential as a soldier, I guess. So here I am."

"You must understand I have concern for galactic safety. I have seen how you operate: violent, reckless, and eager to fight. By the spirits I hope your entire race is not that way."

"Hell, even I wasn't always this way. I've adapted to being a shock trooper. To give you a rough idea, we're somewhere between the Asari and Turians in terms of military and society."

"For what good your word is, that is reassuring. Now, excuse me. We have work to do. "

"Sure." I replied, shaking my head a little bit more as I moved on the next table. Still nothing useful.

"I found something!" Rana suddenly exclaimed, leaping up from behind a small desk. I through a glance over and continued searching; Delina and Kaira gave her findings a closer look. Turns out, I didn't have to get up as an audio log started playing.

"Date: third quarter 2011, day 229. The artifact we recovered on Epho has provided little information. It seems to be of Prothean construct, but none of us are quite sure. The captain ordered us to stay away from it. But of course, he's been 'talking' to it for hours on end now. I was really beginning to wonder, and then he ordered us to turn back around and return to Epho. He's been acting a lot different, too. Personally, I'm just tired of this tour. We haven't slept in five days now, and we haven't seen a hospitable planet in over a hundred. 113, to be exact. We're all tense, and this artifact helps nothing. When we were loading it up, I swear it was reading my mind. At least, something was. I remember from one night on shore leave what it feels like to have your mind invaded… and this was far worse. The captain's coming back. Gotta go."

"That doesn't sound good at all." Kaira finally said, shaking her head slowly.

"It doesn't sound like a beacon, either. More like reaper-tech." I pointed out. The very mention of the word drew an exasperated groan from Delina. Get over it. I thought.

"Dirrar, Senyalis. You said you were in the cargo hold. Any sign of a strange artifact?" Our commander continued over the com channel.

Silence. I felt my gut twist over and my weight shifted onto my toes. Just a word and I would be ready to rush in…

"Nothing, T'Suni. Although I am getting some strange readings closer to your position." The other Asari Spectre's voice rang clear… but the last part was laced with a bit of static. At least they were still there. That was a relief.

"What is that Asari playing at? Trying to tell us scary stories?" Kaleren snapped angrily.

I'd say she was doing a good job if that was the case.

Then something else caught my ear. A high pitched moaning almost… right above my head? That couldn't be right. I glanced up.

…Just in time to see the duct pop out towards me; a glowing blue and metal form tackling down. A repurposed Salarian. The thought barely crossed my mind before the impact. Even as I was knocked down backwards, my main concern was to keep the husk at arms distance. A right hook to the side of its head was enough to get the weight off of me. I lunged up, and stomped it with a biotic-fueled foot. That crushed it out good enough… But more had dropped in.

I nailed another with a throw, giving a moment to draw my shotgun again. Gunfire was already ringing off the walls around… leaving me with an opportunity to run and drop along one aisle, sliding into the legs of another husk. Its fall was quickly diverted by three quick blasts to the chest. I got back up; it didn't.

And already the gunfire had ceased. I popped back and looked around. The 517 didn't seem very bothered by the intrusion, but the Turians were clearly worked up. Poor bastards hadn't fought husks before. One even shouted: "By the spirits! What are those things?"

"Husks." I replied gruffly, putting another round in the closest ones head… for good measure. If they were already dead, I was going to make damn sure they at least stayed down. "The artifact would explain that. How many do we have?"

"I counted five. That still leaves twelve from the original team. Chances are they suffered the same fate as these ones." Arterius responded unhappily while holding a shotgun level to his head. Like insurance in case more husks came through the roof.

"Alright. Let's move down towards the cargo hold. We need to find that artifact." Kaira ordered; the four of us resumed formation.

But the other spectre just laughed. "Look what happened to the last bunch that had that thing. And now you want to retrieve it?"

"We can't just leave it here. Someone has to deal with it however necessary." The commander explained. "Regardless, we need to keep moving."

"Before what, more of those 'husks' show up?"

"We could just wait around all day and hope the fight comes here. Or, we could grow a pair and find the rest of the STG team." Delina suddenly lashed out verbally, catching us all off-guard. I couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Grr. Fine. Let's go." The lead Turian likely was scowling under the helmet, and he definitely went off sulking. Delina just shrugged a little bit as if she was completely innocent.

We didn't fuss around more. After a quick search through the rest of the ship, we returned back to ground level, meeting up with the two other teams. None of us had found more bodies or husks. Now we all stood about the hole in the cargo bay, just delaying the step outside. My attention was keened on the breach. Something had pretty much just slashed through, creating a hole big enough for a Krogan. And now… it was gone. That was alarming.

"I don't get it. We're still twelve short on the body count. Not to mention this artifact." Captain Senyalis shook her head.

"No. But there is little more we can do other than a perimeter search." Dirrar pointed out.

"Well, try not to get lost. We are doing no good here. Unless you have a proper plan, we are returning to the shuttles." Arterius snarled.

"And leave these operatives unconfirmed? There are too many questions unanswered to just leave yet." The Salarian immediately argued. And for a moment there was silence.

But just a moment. It was quickly shattered by a shriek from outside. That…wasn't a husk. That sounded more like an enraged Krogan… or something. I grabbed the Contender from my back and leaped out of the breach with the rest of the 517. No words had to be said; everyone knew it was go-time.

Once back on the ground, the four teams took up a defensive half-circle formation. Us and Arterius taking point, then Dirrar and Senyalis on the left and right flanks, respectively. That scream sounded like it had been directly ahead… and I was combing the fog best I could. Man… I can't see shit. I cussed under my breath, the rifle already on my shoulder. A slight movement through the veil lit my nerves up even more and I was ready to begin firing.

That movement took form. It looked Salarian only in the head… but the body… What. The. Fuck. It could only be described as roided out; the chest was out of proportion. The arms were equally out of proportion, nearly reaching the ground. Best I could figure, it matched a Krogan in frame size… and in many ways it was even more of a brute. And there was no sign of huskification; it almost looked natural.

"Hey! You! Stop or we'll shoot!" Senyalis shouted.

It didn't heed. In fact, it let out another roar… and charged. That was all the reason I needed to begin shooting. The first four rounds hit in the torso with no effect. Other gunfire entered the fray with equal results… the badass mutant just drew closer. I gave it another burst for good measure, then dropped my rifle to toggle on the overcharge shot. Back up to my shoulder… and pow.

It was more of a resounding thunderclap. And a strong one at that, sending me staggering back slightly. But the mutant faired far worse. The combined impact and explosion ripped apart the tremendous chest and knocked it back to the ground. It didn't look like it was going to get back up any time soon, so… ha. Take that. I thought as I lowered the AR from my shoulder.

Holy shit. The barrel was red hot from that overcharge shot… maybe I set it too strong. Yeah. Then again, it worked. Really well. I glanced up to see Delina just glowering at me. "What… what the hell did you do now?"

"Pretty cool, eh?"

"Yeah, actually. As long as it doesn't blow up in your face."

"I bet you've heard that one before." I retorted, playing her words into innuendo.

"Speaking from experience or what? Didn't get a warning last time you used an overcharge like that?" Ha…she was quick.

"Cut it out." Kaira suddenly snapped. After a moment's pause, she added: "We've got more hostiles inbound!"

Sure enough. I made out the forms of five or so coming from the right. Thankfully, not as big as the first one… but still mutated and disfigured. Plus, they had nice sharp talons. A couple AR bursts took down the first one; Kaira's singularity trapped three more. The fifth was hit with a burst of super-cooled particles, instantly freezing... and Senyalis threw a warp into the singularity. As expected, it went boom – disintegrating its contents. The frozen one tried to get back up… something I stopped with single burst to the head.

"Bo-hoom! Headshot!" I smirked a little and gave a Delina a look of 'beat that.'

"Not bad. I've been doing that for a hundred years."

I scowled. She had a point… so I just remained silent. No sense in trying to beat a dead horse… especially one as violent as her. Thankfully, she let it go, too.

"Well… how many did you take down?" Arterius questioned, looking all too confident. "Five." Kaira responded simply.

"That's respectable… considering the power you put into it. We killed the same number with only guns."

"So you only had half the fun." I retorted.

"Excuse me?!"

"Right. And it took twice as long."

"Nonsense! We were finished just as fast as you!"

"Only because you've got an extra trooper. Without him, it would have taken you twice as long."

"And perhaps you expected to take half as short yourself?" The Turian replied, a bit agitated.

"Just drop it." Kaira warned me quietly. Fine... "So that's eleven more. We're still missing one STG operative."

"Chances are it'll be even more of a bitch to kill." Delina mused. Unfortunately, she was probably right… why did things always have a tendency to get harder at the very end?

"The rest of you teams… might want to see this. Fascinating as well as disturbing." Dirrar interrupted.

Alright, what's he got… I glanced around once more before following the rest of the team over to the STG captain's position. He stood over the fallen, mutated body of the missing operative… and as I got a better look, I could only agree more with his last statement.

This…thing was far from its original form. Sure, there were the horns and all… but the eyes had shifted to a blood red. The normally flat mouth had grown back, creating an almost dog-like bite… and that was just the head. The rest of the body had swollen up, particularly the chest. Although I guess that would explain how they were able to operate in such an atmosphere.

Actually, it was a lot like what the rest of the 517 had run into a while ago. Not quite the dramatic transformation, and more stable… but similar, virus-like effects. Then we hadn't been to pin it to the Contractor… and nor could we now.

"Fascinating indeed. We have encountered such mutants before. Although… these are much more refined." Rana knelt down next to the Salarian captain, getting an omni-tool scan as well.

"Yeah, but that was far from the husks. It doesn't make sense that they'd be together." Delina pointed out.

"They are of entirely different construction, too. The ones on the ship were outfitted with cybernetics. These seem to have been infected with a virus." Another Salarian pointed out.

"You were sent to investigate station 221J, weren't you, T'Suni?" Dirrar questioned.

"Yes. We ran into a more violent and less effective strain of this… virus, as you put it. Unfortunately, we haven't been able to pin it to anyone."

"That doesn't surprise me. What more could be expected?"

"Hey, I'd like to see you do better, bonehead." Delina spat in response to the Turian.

"Are you always this uncivilized, or just to your superiors?"

"Just to the people who treat my squad like shit."

"It seems to me you're just looking for a fight. Not the wisest approach, especially towards me."

Delina just shook her head and walked away. I could tell she was worked up, but at least she was being responsible this time. And she just came to a halt near the edge of the group, looking away. What was going through her mind… I had no way of telling. There was definitely anger present, but she seemed to be distracted by everything else going on. And that meant… she'd be all wound up when we got back to the Akina. But I guess a sparring match between arms specialist and I was far than having her try to kill the Turian.

"What is your take on all of this?"

I glanced back to my left to see Rana standing there, rather fidgety. She had taken to standing closer now… which wasn't entirely a bad thing, but I would have to get used to it. I had my space issues… kinda. "I'm not sure what to think. The artifact would probably explain the husks, but not the mutants. It's almost… I dunno, like it was coordinated."

"Perhaps. It does not make sense that the artifact alone would be responsible. Although… I am curious as to what it actually was."

"Careful now. We don't want you getting huskified." I pointed out with a laugh. It was kind of weird talking between the two of us. Almost whispering, as to not intrude on the rest of the group… and yet they were babbling away obliviously.

"No! I didn't mean… Well, I suppose you are right. There are inherent risks, but still I find it fascinating. If only there was a way to study such technologies without the altercations."

"Yeah. Then we might be able to develop a countermeasure. Maybe not against husks, but at least indoctrination." The engineer's tilted head was an indication I needed to explain that last thing. "Indoctrination is a form of Reaper warfare. Essentially subtle brainwashing… until you're just a shell. Great stuff."

"I see. That would pose a risk for studying anything of such origin… especially if it is so inconspicuously sinister." She paused. "And yet… the artifact still has not been recovered. That is concerning…"

"I know, huh? Add it to the to-do list."

"Yes, that would do." Another pause. "I forgot to inquire earlier… you did take a fair hit from one husk…"

As she trailed off, I popped my neck. "I feel fine. Thanks for checking. I'm getting used to getting beat up on the job."

"You must admit you often search out dangerous situations."

I smiled a little under the helmet. "Maybe. A lot of times, they seem to find me. But yeah, I do provoke it sometimes."

"Such as with Delina?"

"…yeah… Like that."

"Ironically, I believe it is beneficial for her. She has remained far more pleasant with your persistent bickering. I do not condone it… but I do find it entertaining. At times. Although I am quite glad you do not treat me in such a manner."

"But nor do you treat me like Delina does. Believe me, it's mutual. In both cases." Or… that could be taken the wrong way. Then again, if I wanted to, I could take anything the wrong way. Just one of the great skills I had from home.

"Perhaps. You say that comfortably…. Yet do you understand the full implications?"

Hmm, what? "I don't consider you a science project, if that's where you're going."

"I… Good. Nor do I consider you one. Never did I say so. Only that… well, you remember."

"Hmm, I'm not sure I do. Maybe you could refresh my memory?" I responded playfully, just trying to be difficult.

"Not here. Not now. But if you feel it necessary, I would be willing. As long as your offer still stands." Ah, so I wasn't being the only difficult one.

"Sure it does. Never wanted to go back on it. Although -" I stopped and turned to look back away from the fallen mutant. The thought of one more repurposed Salarian was still searing on my mind… and I swore I heard something. I took a step away, suddenly oblivious of the conversation. There it was again… like a whisper through the wind. God, that was under my skin. I turned back to Rana. "Did you hear that?"

"I heard nothing other than our conversation." The young commando replied curiously. "Something has concerned you, hasn't it?"

I just nodded slightly, shifting my rifle slightly as I took yet another step outward. There was that noise again. Even louder. A glance back to Rana got nothing but a shake of the head. …Meaning I had officially gone crazy. Or at least started hearing things.

"Jackson…"

My entire body jerked as the wraith-like whisper took a voice. The rifle sprang to my shoulder and danced over murky surroundings, unable to find a target. We weren't alone.

"Forrest? Are you alright?" Rana questioned, quite a bit of concern evident in her voice. Unfortunately, I could only imagine that invoked the curiosity of the rest of the group. But no answer came from me. I was all too fixated on the whispering in my head; trying to find a source.

"Jackson, please don't tell me you're seeing numbers again."

Even through the sonic haze could I recognize Kaira's voice. And once again, I just shook my head. On the bright side… I was fully aware of what was happening. And yet still I was receiving something more… There was more talk, but I couldn't even make it out. Ethereal whispers.

GET OUT! I roared mentally, shaking my head as hard as I could. Maybe try and wear the feeling off.

Something made me look up. There wasn't much to see… more murk where sky should be. Except… there was a slight discoloration there. And then a blurry form. And then… I leaped backwards. Not a microsecond too soon, either, as the final form smashed into the ground where I had stood. The impact was enough to throw me down… between a scramble and Rana's help, I was quickly back up and able to back up with everyone else.

Our new adversary. Not mutant. Not mutant at all. Again, it had been Salarian… but it was equipped with some serious cybernetics. Not like a husk, either. Raw, gray metal in many places; replacing or covering flesh. It looked like half of the face was overlaid with the angular equipment… And the eyes were a glowing red. Eerie on a great day. It shared a similar proportion to a normal Salarian, but its shoulders seemed off… and the arms, while implanted, seemed normal. Hands still usable and everything. And then it presented another set of arms. Fully cybernetic, they reached around from underneath the armpits… and they were the problem. Forearms extending into long, sword-like blades… man; this was going to be a bitch. And it was just standing there watching us. Preparing.

"You should never have come here. Now your allies will likewise die in vain."

I gave it a glare, challenging the spirit voice that remained omnipresent. "Wrong. We'll fight you and we'll win."

Without further warning, it lunged. I pulled the trigger only once before dropping and rolling out the way of a scissor-like slice. Thankfully, it seemed no more focused on me than it did the other targets… and it continued, rushing and slashing at the Turian team. Bullets and biotics rained on it, but the flicker of crimson shields were the only reward. Unsure of what to try, I kept laying down burst of fire. Finally, it turned towards me; crouching down and letting out a guttural roar. That was what I needed. The moment hesitation gave me the chance to toggle another overcharge shot. As the cyborg stood back up, I fired – and the destructive shot hit right in the shoulder, even destroying its shields.

But it staggered back a step unharmed. And enraged. It flew at me, ready to slice and dice. Once more I rolled out of the way, but there were no distractions this time. Between bladed limbs and legs, it was keeping me down and dodging. The best I could was roll one way or another to avoid any number of strikes.

And then a crackle. I recognized the sound of the particle beam just as the blue ray struck the cyborg in the shoulder. That was a good distraction. I was able to get back to my feet, check my rifle, toggle yet another overcharge shot… and bang. This time, I hit the cyborg in the back. Between getting hammered by the Particle beam in the front and then that… we were laying on the hurt. I took just a moment to flick two fingers at it, trying to overload the abomination of flesh and metal.

Well, that did some good. It almost seemed crippled for a moment before whipping around. I only a second to defensively raise my arm and create a localized biotic barrier; a spike had been launched as a projectile. It took all I had to hold the barrier. But it held and I was able to return to peppering. By then, the entire group had fanned out and was laying down any firepower imaginable.

The cyborg was simply going about in nearly mindless circles, slashing at everything in its path. Then it picked a specific target: Rana. Even as it was midair, I felt something snap in my head; like a switch went off. Raw anger replaced the last of my fear as I fast-swapped the AR for the Kabre-13. And I charged. The extra biotic energy exploded on impact, sending it reeling back away from my fallen teammate. The rampage continued with a constant barrage of shotgun fire. And for good measure, I gave it a solid kick to the chest, sending it staggering further back.

But my rage had a price: recklessness. I was now at it the cyborg's optimal fighting range; a fact it made clear as the shotgun was batted from my hands. But I wasn't going to slow down. I lunged in again with a biotic punch, which it caught with one hand. With my free hand, I hit it with the strongest mass effect field I could muster. That seemed to throw it off. At least, long enough for me to grab one of the stabber arms and spin it around. I managed to catch the other side, too – which put me right behind it. With my foot to its back, it was time for the mighties… and I pulled and pushed; pushed and pulled. With some biotic fueling, there was a rewarding ripping sound – as both arms came free of the torso.

I let out a roar as I threw them down, sending the cyborg into a retreat. But the battlerage had worn off, returning me to a normal state – and searching for my shotgun. I found it quickly, but only in time to see Kaira hit the damn thing with a final warp. The red indicator on the particle beam was a bad sign… but it didn't look like she was going to need it any more.

A small chuckle rose from Arterius and I as the cyborg fell to its knees, the last of its power gone. This fight was over. So much for its smugness. I could sense Rana by my side as the cyborg let out the guttural death groans. The Asari looked to me as I did similar. With the mask, all I got was a reassuring nod… but that was good. Better was that not one of us had fallen.

Suddenly something snapped. My vision flashed red; a set of numbers spring into view than disappeared. I could feel energy running along my spine… but It wasn't me. I looked back over to the fallen monstrosity. Now it was glowing red, like it was about to burst open with energy. And I took a step back.

And then it lurched upwards. First to its feet, then a step forward. And then bad got worse. It jerked up into the air, as if suspended by strings. Still it drew more energy; like… Shit. I knew what this was all too well. It was being possessed. Finally, it slammed back into the ground and spoke. Judging by the reaction everyone else had, it wasn't just me – and it certainly wasn't the wraith voice of before.

"YOUR STRUGGLE BEARS NO REWARD. SURRENDER NOW AND BE SPARED."

"Never." I hissed, crouching with the rifle trained.

"YOU REMAIN DEFIANT AGAINST THE STRONGEST ODDS. CONSIDER THIS YOUR ONLY CHANCE."

"I don't think so. We'll fight to death if need be. But we will stop you…. Azarith." Kaira's mini-speech surprised me something wicked, but the final word seemed to stun the avatar. At least for a minute.

"WORDS HOLLOW TO EITHER OF OUR PERCEPTION. A NAME IS FLEETING. WE ARE ETERNAL. YOU BEAR NAMES IN HOPES TO REMAIN; BY THE END OF YOUR RUN YOU WILL BE NOTHING BUT BACTERIA."

"And bacteria kills…bitch." My own fear was transforming into anger again… But I had no more time to contemplate the matter. Apparently, it had enough of our protests, as the cyborg laughed a single orb of destruction into our midst. It impacted near my feet, tore through my shields and sent me flying.

I landed on my back with a thud. Despite my body's protests, I rolled over, pressing the AR into the ground as I pushed myself back up to my feet. The rest of the group… shit, they had taken a beating. The 517 was standing back up nearby, but a couple Turians weren't getting back up. As another attack came in our direction, I charged to the flank. Time for another overcharge. The vicious rifle report gave the cyborg something to consider. But… it really didn't do too much. Any shields it had before were overclocked now. Still, I laid on the bursts of fire. Then the Contender overheated. Back to the shotgun.

No sooner than the Kabre-13 was in my hands, the avatar seemed to pulse. As the radial shockwave hit me, binary vision returned – along with a splitting headache. Even through the reddened field of view, I could still function… and the pain dulled after a moment. As hopeless as it seemed, I charged in and began circling and laying in a barrage of blasts.

"JACKSON. SACRIFICES MUST BE MADE; YOUR CREW WILL NOT SURVIVE IF YOU CONTINUE TO RESIST."

"We'll all die – someday." I countered without lying off of the attack. "But that's not today. You'll hurt them over my dead body."

Another blast. I didn't even see it coming until I landed and rolled several times over. After a moment I rose, although slower than last time. My shotgun still was right in my hands…I could keep fighting. Then there was another pulse. I could feel it pass through me, then the effect hit. The frame of code pulsed brighter, and the headache came back a hundred times worse. Barely able to stand for a minute, I struggled to keep even my vision straight as I threw a grenade towards the avatar. This… this wasn't going well.

"YOU DELAY THE INEVITABLE. THERE IS BUT A SINGLE SIDE TO THIS BATTLE."

I… No. I won't. I glanced around. Three Turians down, two STG, one from Senyalis' team. The rest were hammering this thing with little effect. The explosive report of the grenade came, but nothing changed. I could still fight, even if my vision was jacked. But with everything going on – especially a head that felt like it was about to explode, I was slowing down. Back to the AR. Another overcharge shot. More bursts. My mind could barely focus on a single action, let alone many.

The two remaining Turians suddenly drew the spite of the avatar. An explosive attack and they were thrown in different directions – and when they landed, neither got up. This… no. This couldn't be happening. We were fucked. I tried to get my head back, throwing another grenade and continuing the onslaught. Oh. Shit. The two words barely registered as another pulse emitted.

This time, I immediately fell to my hands and knees. I didn't even care what I could see; my head could take no more. If I would only pass out… even that would be better. No. Fight. Fight. Fight. I fought against the crushing weight on my mind with the last of my strength… and even that was just barely enough to raise the rifle with one hand.

"YOUR FATE IS SEALED. DO NOT RESIST IT."

I will, Azarith. I will with everything I have. With a growl, I shoved back to my feet, toggling in another overcharge. That shot still had no effect; even with the combined firepower of Delina's sniper and Kaira's particle beam… My vision drifted just enough to see the remainders of Dirrar's and Senyalis' teams to the right. They had clumped together, and were now kneeling down as they fired away. But without so much as a warning, and with so little as a flick of the wrist, the avatar sent another explosive sphere into their midst.

'The result… Well, My only hope was that they were unconscious and not far worse.

To the left was the rest of the 517. Strong as ever. Nearly unstoppable. Vicious in the assault. Every bit of training I could remember was showing through; before a gun overheated, another attack – whether sidearm, tech, or biotic – would be used. Kaira was still at the front, particle beam in one hand, and warp after warp launching from the other. Rana… Omni-tool up and flashing away, pistol blaring. Then Delina had the sniper against her shoulder, firing a shot then taking to her pistol. And here I was, crippled. A shotgun lay uselessly under the weight of my hands. Maybe the avatar had been right; that this fight was pointless. Considering our forces lay at less than a quarter of when we started…

With an overwhelming effort, I got back my feet, throwing yet another grenade at the possessed cyborg. Even at range the shotgun continued to bark; only resulting in a flicker of shields. While the avatar calmly advanced, seemingly unaware of the firepower getting laid into it, I struggled to move my feet a step back. So it seemed I was the only one affected as such; the commandos showed no intent of relenting, much less slowing down. Just when I was barely able to function, another pulse emitted. I knew it was going to be bad, and braced for such.

But I didn't think it would that bad. As it hit, I limply dropped back to my knees. Any sense of thought or understanding was burned out. Somewhere I could feel the shotgun fall from my hand. My vision raged, almost unable to discern anything past the widened red borders...and even that was beginning to come in waves crested with darkness. But I could still recognize the squad. It was… it was up to them now. But there was something wrong. The cyborg drew its arm back and released another fiery blast. Right in the midst of my squad it exploded.

No.

No. Even with limited awareness, I could see two forms flung to the ground. The third slammed into me. It was completely limp. I didn't know who it was, but I still managed to wrestle the inert commando behind my back. Partly to use myself as a human shield, partly as something for me to lean back on. Anger did me no good then; it was only trapped. I could only grit my teeth as the avatar approached at a slow walk.

"NOW YOU STAND ALONE. YOUR ALLIES HAVE FALLEN. LEAVE YOUR IRRELEVENT ANTAGONISM NOW AND BE SPARED."

"So what, you can turn me against my own? I will… fight you…to the death." And with that, I drew my sidearm, the standard issue pistol. In one weak hand, I kept pulling the trigger, trying to keep the best of aim I could…when I was swinging in and out of consciousness.

Without warning, an explosion rang out. But… I was still there. I continued firing, even blindly, as a rushing sound filled the air.

"YOU WILL UNDERSTAND IN TIME WHY YOU ARE HERE. YOU HAVE PROVEN YOUR TEMPERANCE TOWARDS ADVERSITY, TOWARDS THE INCURSIONS FACED BY BASIC CYBERNETIC PLATFORMS. DO NOT FOOL YOURSELF INTO BELIEVING YOU UNDERSTAND OUR MOTIVES. RELEASING CONTROL."

Before it could say any more, the energy evaporated. The illumination of the fog disappeared… and I was slammed back into full consciousness. It was a shock at first with headache and coding both gone. I sat there with a stunned expression, just flexing my hands as if to make sure this wasn't a dream.

It wasn't. I holstered the pistol as I leaped up, grabbing the shotgun along my way. I spun around to check the commando. Delina. I could tell the upgraded storage belt… but I couldn't get a pulse through the suit. My omni-tool might be able to pick something up…

Yes. A pulse. She was still breathing and everything, thank god. I leapt up and ran over to Kaira; the Spectre symbol on her shoulder clearly indentifying the commando. Another omni-tool scan. This one took longer, even to the point where I began to fidget. Finally, it came through. And there were still vitals. She had taken the blast hard, but she was alive.

Which left one. I stood up and searched the area. About fifteen meters away, the final member of our team lay face down in the dirt. Without thinking, I raced over, dropped down to my knees as I approached and even slid the last few meters. The omni-tool pulled back up and I started the medical scan.

But it didn't complete. The tool shut itself off. I cocked my head to one side, wondering what the hell. Now would be a damn poor time for the engineer's custom firmware to fail…not to mention ironic.

A light began flashing in my helmet. Red. This can't be good. I thought, pulling the omni-tool up again. All it displayed was a message:

"Warning: Hardsuit oxygen supplies reaching critical levels."

No problem. I had brought an extra just for that reason. I began tapping out commands, trying to switch the supply over. But… it wasn't working. It wouldn't switch. Another warning popped up.

"Error 314: The backup air supply provided has been compromised. Unable to switch. Please supply another supply source or return to habitable conditions."

I watched it with a dumbfounded and blank expression. After all of that fight… this was how I would go down? One more prompt came up.

"Warning: Oxygen supply depleted."

Shit. Shit… I tried to keep myself calm. Hyperventilating now was a really, really bad idea. The change came all too quickly. Without the fresh supply of air my lungs began to burn. I wanted to just rip the helmet off, but knew full well that would be worse. After just several seconds, I was dizzy enough to no longer stand. I looked around for a plan B; the commandos had no backup air reserves and the other teams likely didn't either. I didn't have anything else to try… other than to just wait it out.

I didn't have to wait very long. Darkness began to take over my vision and consciousness. Holding myself up on one hand, I was only in shock while my breath came furiously – and uselessly. Every moment that went by brought me further into darkness… Until I could see no more. Without warning, more coding sprang up. The series of red numbers passed by for several seconds before I realized a pattern. Every 1 in the set was switching over to a 0… The last one caught my attention before I plunged into total unconsciousness.

xxxx