A/N

Thanks for sticking with it thus far!

Enjoy

Chapter 21: Fire in the Sky

Daro'Xen's POV

She had her fingers pressed against her temple as a headache encroached. Daro was barely able to stand. She had been working nonstop for the past week trying to figure out a way to develop an effective way to block the Geth from detecting the fleet's maneuvers. So far, nothing worked despite her inside help.

Daro was currently taking the time to do what very few Quarians had the luxury of, working with her suit off. She had sealed herself in the lab then ran a decon sweep. It helped that all of her work was metal hardware. She sighed heavily as she ran a hand through her stranded hair enjoying its texture upon her three fingers. A loud bang erupted in front of her causing Daro to look up tiredly.

"I will fucking blow the fleet to hell!" screamed Kerris as he slammed his one Quarian fist onto a table causing parts to bounce. Daro looked at the un-suited Quarian. Kerris was an odd site seeing as three of his four limbs were all mechanical tech. From the waist down even she could see where the cybernetics began only to fuse into his flesh. It was quite marvelous.

"In time my sweet, but right now, we have larger issues…" she said.

"I don't fucking care! I lost them! The Geth have gone silent! My family, they were the only ones who could ever know me for who I truly was, then Gerral started this war! I'll kill him this time I swear! Yes…oh how delightful that would be! Ah! Stop it mind…we do not agree with you! Fuck! I will carve a bloody path through this galaxy to get them back" ranted Kerris. Daro had never seen this side of him in a very long time. Kerris was one of the best hit man the galaxy had ever known, but the pain and tortuous experiences he went through to get there were horrifying.

"Kerris" she said calmly but Kerris kept stomping his metal clawed feet as he threw a tantrum.

"All but ten platforms left back at Arvuna. One tried to reconnect with the main server…it linked up only to turn back on us firing…MP told me something was wrong, broken. We dare not link the others in for fear of such an occurrence. Damn it Daro…where has my family gone?" asked Kerris with a slight whimper at the end. She had never seen weakness from him before.

"I don't know Kerris, but we need to find out. Tali wasn't able to give us any conclusive data on the attack upon the Neema" she said as she leaned back against her workbench.

"I can go crash a space station into Rannoch, that'll get their attention" said Kerris with an evil smile. Daro rolled her eyes.

"No. As entertaining as that seems, I think we might need outside help soon. We need Shepard" she said. Kerris stopped smiling as his synthetics flared up causing a slight reddish glow to emit from his veins.

"No" Kerris growled as he took a step towards his suit. Daro was about to say otherwise but Kerris went off again.

"This is our problem. Not for outsiders to interfere with. We spaced Kyson Sorley for that exact reason. I'm going down to Rannoch right now! I'm going to find Legion to see what the fuck is going on! I will not have Shepard interfere with my family again!" shouted Kerris as he finished suiting up. He looked at Xen with wild eyes as he slapped his visor on.

"Kerris! You will do no such thing! Think this through…" She felt her head ache coming on once again.

"You will track down Shepard. We need to cover all of our options so have him ready for possible contact" she ordered. Kerris walked up to her slowly. He looked on the verge of tearing her to pieces. He stopped with his visor a mere inch from her face.

"Do it" she demanded.

"Fine" Kerris's voice ground out as his cybernetics flared with his rage. His voice had become fully synthesized as he's eyes literally flashed red causing his visor to light up. Daro didn't flinch. Kerris would do exactly as she said. He always had. She watched as Kerris backed away slowly before leaving her lab.

"He loves me" she smiled with a cruel smirk.

Kyson's POV

He was in darkness. It was the void, not space but the one where you know you are asleep yet no dreams are happening. Just empty darkness, it was safe. Kyson could feel himself alone, cut off from all stimulation. The constant roaring hatred of his waking dreams was silent. His wounds were distant as well as his tired muscles. It was just him. Free of life for the briefest moment.

"Whoa…that's impressive" said a voice from beyond the void causing Kyson to feel his body once again. A mounting pain was encroaching upon the back of his returned skull.

"Yeah, Feros was a hell of a fight for sure, never thought I would be so happy to kill a massive hive mind plant that could clone people" said a familiar voice he knew all too well. Kyson coughed once as he felt an oppressive weight crushing his body as the darkness receded to a dull grey.

"Garrus?" he grumbled as he felt his dry tongue stick on the word in his mouth. Everything hurt as he tried to open his eyes. He saw a round dome covering him as he lay on some sort of recliner.

"You have seen a lot of things Mr. Vakarian. How did the fight with the Rachni go? I still can't believe they are back" said the private Kyson recognized. He had bribed him with a bottle of moonshine. Private Ashe.

"It went better than expected. We saved the Queen who is now helping out at the project. But If I don't see another spider like thing ever again…I'll be one happy Turian" chuckled Garrus. Kyson crawled out of the game chair only to feel sick instantly.

"Lieutenant Commander, Are you alright?" asked the boy who caught sight of Kyson.

"Damn it" grumbled Garrus who got up. The Turian threw one of the still inebriated LC's arms over his shoulder keeping him balanced. Kyson tried opening his eyes again to see the Private. What he saw unnerved him. The young man was sitting on the couch with half of his face gone. No blood, just half of his face was just never there, skin looked to have grown there normally. Kyson groaned as he was led away by Garrus.

"Thanks for the booze LC, feel better Ha!" laughed the half faced Private. Kyson just kept groaning. He had woken up into another 'episode' of hallucinations.

"This fucking sucks…" he said as he felt Garrus haul him along.

"Unh…no kidding…ungh…damn it help me here" grunted Garrus as he half dragged Kyson to the men's room. The engineer nearly collapsed at the toilet as he unloaded, giving his praises to the porcelain god. He had no idea how drunk he had gotten until this horrible moment of his life.

"You gonna be alright?" asked Garrus who was leaning against the back wall. Kyson shook his head.

"Nope…uh oh" Kyson wretched again. Flashing spots began to float around his vision as he struggled to catch his breath. Kyson staggered away to the sink. He found his toiletries. He washed up and brushed his teeth.

"That sounded pleasant" said Garrus. Kyson chuckled almost causing him to collapse.

"Thank you sink for catching my fall…yeah it was pleasant…I got the demons out…" said Kyson as he staggered bare foot in any direction he could.

"Kyson, maybe you should go pass out in your room…" said Garrus as he followed his best friend. Kyson got into the elevator, as he reached out for the holo pad; he thought he could actually feel the projection.

"Huh, that's new…" he mumbled as he hit for another deck.

"What is?" asked Garrus.

"I could feel the hologram…it felt, thick, like it was almost fluid…" said Kyson as he looked at his friend. Garrus laughed.

"Wow you are so drunk…" said the amused Turian as the elevator opened up. They were on the CIC.

"Whoop, wrong floor" said Kyson but he staggered forward once again. He had fixed on the Galaxy map. Shit, I wonder what that would feel like? In his intoxicated state, Kyson lurched forward with a grin. He had to know.

"Damn" swore Garrus who hovered over him. Kyson walked up to Shepard's command post that overlooked the map. Kyson giggled as he held onto the rail as he tried to dip a toe into the Galaxy map. It felt warm, like a slow moving hot spring.

"Whoooooaaaaaa…thaat's coooollll" he slurred.

"Mr. Sorley! Could you please make yourself decent?" said the voice of Samantha Traynor. Kyson just laughed as he remembered his attire. It was just his jeans again, only this time, he had a hell of a lot more to show off.

"Calm down darlin' you know you like what you see" giggled Kyson. He looked over to Samantha with a smarmy look only for his features to go blank…something was wrong.

"Why…are you looking at me like that?" said Samantha who took a step away from her terminal. Kyson just stared at her. He had to have gone completely bonkers at this point.

"Why is there a raccoon poking it's head out from between your tits?" asked Kyson who was completely confounded. Samantha's eyes went wide as she hugger herself around her breasts. Kyson freaked out.

"Don't do that you'll crush it!" he yelled causing several people to look away from their works stations.

"Okay buddy, time for you to sober up…you've had a bit too much" said Garrus. Kyson snorted.

"Yeah no shit, found some weird red drink on the bar" said Kyson as he let himself be led away.

"Wait, what did it taste like?" asked Samantha quickly with a bit of panic in her voice.

"Like some girly fruit drink crap…why?" asked Kyson who was still wobbly on his feet.

"I think you should sit down" said Garrus who led him back to the small ramp to the map. Kyson didn't like the sound of this.

"Garrus, I'm trusting you…cause I don't think I'll get back up" said the panicked Sorley.

"Kyson, that was an Asari drink called 'Lamouria'…it's their equivalent to peyote…" said Traynor who began to snicker a bit. Kyson closed his eyes. It would explain why he was seeing some random ass shit.

"How much did you have?" asked Garrus who was typing on his Omni-tool.

"The whole damn thing…in like, ten minutes" he said as he started to watch the map again. His body was slowly swirling as he tilted with the maps slow rotation.

"Lemouria was first discovered at the dawn of Asari civilization. Many believe it is what led the primitive Asari to discover their ability to bond their nervous systems with one another. Now, it is used to rehabilitate those who have trouble with such a connection" informed Samantha. Kyson was preoccupied by the stars making formations of familiar smiling faces in the map. He saw Cynthia dancing in the stars only to change into Tali whipping her hair back laughing. Kyson laughed with her.

"So what the hell is it doing here?" he asked aloud.

"Cause it is used as an enhancer as well. Many Asari use it to heighten the bonding experience" said Garrus who still sounded worried. Kyson smiled as he watched the stars in the map forming pleasant memories. Tali being the most frequent.

"Then why is it here? That shit can't be legal…it's doing some wild stuff to me man…totally not safe for work" snickered Kyson.

"Well, you are able to purchase small vials of diluted Lemouria, they normally only sell one at a time at…couples boutiques" said Samantha who started to laugh a bit.

"Just great! I drank an Asari hippie love potion! Fannnnntastic" he deadpanned at the end.

"No, more like you're fucked" said a new voice. Kyson turned around slowly to see John staring at him.

"I liked the view in front of me more" deadpanned Kyson who pouted slightly. He was in such an amazing mood. It felt wondrous.

"So, I would try and help you out but that love juju would most likely have you humping my leg like a dog" said Shepard.

"Nope, I'm not getting any 'enhancement' feelings these two are talkin about. I'm bonded fully remember, therefore forever alone" said Kyson who had taken back to looking at the map allowing shapes to form again. A smile returned.

"That was absolutely depressing" said Garrus.

"Well, just a quick question then, how did twenty thousand creds taste like?" asked Shepard who still sounded pissed. Kyson felt ice run down his back as the swirling starry images of Tali blurred for a second.

"Holy shit…" murmured Kyson. John sat down next to Kyson. He began to chuckle nervously making Kyson hear things in triplets. It was odd.

"I…forgot the drink down there, and you drank it. Liara had that batch custom ordered…" said John.

"Hey! Samantha? You want to go play chess?" asked Garrus with a perky tone.

"Why, that sounds like a great idea! Beats becoming an Asari throw pillow" said Traynor in a chipper mood. Kyson heard the two leave as they disappeared into the elevator.

"We are gonna die aren't we?" asked Kyson as lights began to flicker in sequence of the syllables he spoke.

"Lemouria is Liara's only vice" said Shepard.

"She hasn't done drugs? She doesn't get drunk? Nothin?" asked an astounded Sorley.

"Nope, just this. I hope whatever you are seeing is worth the pain bud" groaned Shepard as he buried his face in his hands. Kyson broke away from the happy swirling stars to see John, or…

"Dude…you have tits…" said Kyson. Shepard looked up with a red head of hair hanging down to her shoulders with a confused look.

"Are they proportionate?" asked the female John. Kyson was so lost that he laughed.

"You could work at afterlife! More than proportionate! HAhahahaha!" he laughed. As Kyson opened his eyes the good ole regular John was back.

"Good to see I could have a second career" laughed John.

"You're a dude again, I was about to tweak out…" said Kyson who still felt wobbly although he was sitting.

"John, Kyson. Run for your lives" said Garrus's voice over the comm. Both men looked at each other at the same time with dread.

"She knows…" they said simultaneously.

"Quick, we need to hide" said Kyson who had gotten up. He was now bouncing on his toes while looking around frantically.

"Shit where!?" we are on the Normandy" said John. Kyson looked around.

"Quick! To the war room!" he shouted as he sprinted away. John caught up with him in the security room. Kyson just blasted through the scanner without a thought.

"Oh shit!" shouted one of the guards. She was reaching for her rifle.

"Stand down! It's just Kyson" said Shepard as he bolted past.

Kyson just kept running. He nearly barreled into Wrex who only batted an eye before grumbling something. Kyson ran to the spot Victus was standing.

"Sir, I need you to move right quick" said Kyson. Victus turned to him. His face was pink. Oh this is going to be a long day.

"Is something wrong?" asked Victus as he moved. Kyson knelt down to remove one of the see through panels to the mechanics below. Kyson dropped in to the cramped space followed by John.

"Primark, a very angry Asari is about to come in here. Under no circumstances is she allowed to know where we went" said John who sealed the panel over him. Kyson started to laugh as he made his way through the ship. John's Omni-tool went off.

"Damn it, what now?" sighed John as he followed Kyson on his belly.

"Shepard, it's Hackett, I know you have your hands full as always" began Admiral Hackett whose voice echoed off the pipes.

"Go ahead Admiral, ungh, just helping the LC here with some engineering issues." Kyson heard a pause as he started to climb down on top of a power conduit.

"I need you to see what Cerberus is up to on Tuchanka. They have taken control of a planetary gun position that is striking on some of the Krogan" said Hackett. Both men had almost reached Kyson's room.

"You got it. On our way now" said John. Kyson popped the hatch in his room allowing him to climb up onto the floor.

"EDI, get Benni. Garrus, Luke and Teagann in the shuttle bay ready to go. We need to be at Tuchanka ASAP" said John who sealed the floor.

"Done Commander, Liara is trying to get me to reveal your location. What should I tell her?" asked The AI. Kyson looked to John with a worried look as he began to suit up.

"We should just get this over with…" said John forlornly.

"Go ahead, get yourself killed. Leave me out of it" said Kyson as he started to holster his weapons.

"Tell Liara to meet us down here" said John with a sigh.

It was only a matter of two minutes until Liara burst through the door with a heave scowl on her face. Both men stood still side by side ready to be lashed. Liara glanced at them both before she spoke.

"I will have this amended immediately. Am I clear?" she asked through clenched teeth. Kyson nodded quickly but stopped when he spotted Liara's frills seemingly dance slowly as if the wind was blowing them in slow motion.

"Good, let's get this mission done" she said angrily as she stormed off. Kyson glanced at John.

"I think we are more screwed than she let on…" said Kyson. John just nodded. Once the Team had assembled on the Kodiak, no one was speaking. People just kept glancing between Liara who was in her own corner with her eyes closed; she had a scowl still on her features, and the two N7 boys who kept shifting in their seats nervously.

"Okay Commander, we are approaching the LZ" said Cortez.

"Alright, let's see what the hell Cerberus is doing now" John sighed as he got to his feet. Luke laughed.

"Sucks getting old doesn't it?" asked Luke with an evil grin.

"Gee dad, why don't you tell us all about it?" asked Teagann whit an evil grin. Luke frowned.

"Don't you start too missy. Between John and Kyson I have enough smart asses to keep in line" said Luke. Teagann laughed causing Luke to raise an eyebrow.

"Sounds like senile agitation to me" laughed Teagann. Kyson leaned over to his sister for a high five. A loud smack later the door opened to reveal Tuchanka.

"Alright! Let's move team!" said John as he Jumped out of the Kodiak. Kyson got up right behind the commander. The first thing his senses picked up was the howling winds as he took in the decimated landscape of Tuchanka. It was the most eerie thing he had ever witnessed. The giant planetary guns fired off rattling Kyson's teeth in his head bringing him back to his senses.

"We need to get those guns off line Commander! The Krogan resistance is getting pummeled out there!" said Cortez over the comm.

"Right! Let's get to the control room, kill anything in our way!" yelled John as he sprinted off.

"I like the sound of that!" laughed Garrus as he tore off after Shepard. The battle for the control room was brief. Kyson didn't even get a chance to fire off a single shot. He wasn't surprised with due to the people he was with.

Once in the control room, Cerberus cut the power on them before they could fire the guns at the Cerberus cruiser in orbit. Kyson would have gone to reroute the power but, John and Teagann had already cloaked themselves. So the rest held down the fort. Trooper after trooper came after them only to be cut down. Yet, none fell to Kyson. He had wondered off to the front entrance to listen to the ghastly howl of the winds. He could see them.

From the shifting red sands, the ghostly forms of millions of Krogan began to rise up. Their souls restless with anger pent up for millennia. They slowly began to march upon Kyson, climbing up the complex wall as the maddening winds howled louder with the voices of the damned. As he looked down for the first ghost Krogan to climb over the wall, he saw four figures staring up at him.

He vaguely heard the firefight behind him. He heard Liara shout his name but the figures held his attention. His Brother was there, staring, along with Cynthia and his mother. But Tali had one outstretched hand pointing at him in silence. Then the Krogan came. Kyson shouted with fury as he fired into the ranks of ghosts. Each shot helped dissipate an ethereal form. But there were to many. The howling grew louder as his family was overrun. They didn't scream. The just glared accusingly at him as the ghosts of old swept them away.

"Kyson!" came a harsh voice. Kyson was jerked back into the control room. Garrus was staring directly at him.

"It's the Lemouria! Snap out of it!" yelled Garrus. Kyson closed his eyes. The eyes of the damned still stared at him in his mind. Taking a deep breath he opened his eyes to find the team staring at him.

"Don't ask, I…I can't even begin…" said Kyson sadly. He couldn't help but feel like he had lost himself again.

"It's alright, Shepard, you ready to fire those guns?" asked Garrus as he turned from Kyson.

"Yep…powering up…" said John. Kyson looked out to the massive guns. He saw what looked to be a person straddling one.

"Garrus. Look at that gun. Is that…Kerris?" whispered Kyson quickly pointing. Garrus grunted only to stop.

"I'll be damned…" muttered the Turian.

"Fire!" hollered the Commander. Kyson watched as the guns fired off with Kerris riding the recoil like a bucking bull. The massive rounds from the planetary guns caused him to see the very sky catch fire. It was an awesome experience.

"I thought you were crazy" said Garrus.

"Direct hit! The Cerberus cruiser is breaking up. The Krogan resistance has pulled through" said Cortez. Kyson watched as Kerris activated his boosters in his legs. Flying directly to the team's position.

"What the hell was that Kyson?" asked John with a stern voice as he walked outside. John almost got clipped in the head as Kerris landed in front of him.

"That was fun! We wish to do it again!" laughed the deranged Quarian. Kyson leaned back against the wall. He was done.

"You…" scowled Shepard.

"Meeeeee!" purred Kerris with a wicked smile.

"What now? You here to torment us more you sick bastard?" asked John who pointed his Mattock at Kerris.

"No, I have come with both news and a request" said Kerris with a sneer. Kyson was busy staring at the ground. He had lost all interest with, hell he couldn't even understand half of the words being spoken around him.

"Well, spit it out" said John. Kyson could hear how pissed the commander was.

"Ah, first the news" said Karris who began to pace on his metal claws.

"It better be the good kind" growled Garrus who had his Mattock up and ready.

"Oooo sorry, no such luck. The Geth and Quarians are at war, nasty business" said Kerris who had stopped being bouncy. Kyson glanced up to see the Quarian. He had never seen Kerris so serious before.

"Great! Just great! I bet you had something to do with this" said John with rage splayed on his face.

"No! I did not!" shouted Kerris causing his synthetics to flare up giving off a red glow. Things went quite except for the howling winds.

"The Geth are my family you filthy monkey! They were all I had! The Geth were the ones I owe my very life to! So don't you even dare say that I had a part in this!" screamed Kerris. Kyson focused back in.

"The fuck are you babbling about?" scoffed Kyson. The only contact the Geth had ever made since the Mourning War was John. Kerris was heaving with furry but paused.

"Whoops, almost said too much. Well, before I go, Daro'Xen vas Moreh wished for me to ask you something Shepard" said Kerris ignoring Kyson.

"Oh yeah? Why should I even wish to help her after what you two pulled on Kyson?" asked John.

"Cause, you need both the Geth and the Quarians if you want to defeat the Reapers. Like it or not" stated Kerris.

"He's right John. Hear him out" said Luke from the back. Kyson watched John calculate something in his head before nodding to Kerris.

"Good. Now, Daro wants you to know that we might need your help. Soon. Will you aid us when we call?" asked Kerris.

"I will, but when this is over…" began John.

"I don't think threats are going to do you any good here Shepard. Kyson has learned that the hard way" sneered Kerris. Kyson looked up again into the filled tooth grin from Kerris.

"Zea kaha Felz'elt, cai Keelah, Ae contun zear von tuse con ay korlazea suuta…Bosh'tet" growled Kyson. Kerris stopped smiling. The Quarian looked absolutely at a loss.

"Well, that was a mouth full…" said Garrus who was staring at Kyson as well.

"What did I miss?" asked an equally lost Shepard. Kyson just kept glaring at Kerris who started laughing.

"Allow me to translate haha! 'You may have sundered my soul, but by the home world, I will rip your full bladder out and make you drink it' was what he said. Very good! You can speak our language! You have gained a shred of respect from me after all!" laughed Kerris. But then the Quarian glared at him.

"But why learn a language of traitorous bastards. My race is filth Kyson. You should have aspired to a better race" said the angry Quarian. Kyson raised an eyebrow.

"So you hate your own race?" asked John.

"I hate the Reapers, then Cerberus, then my own people. Well, I hate just about everyone but the Geth so yes, yes I do" Kerris mused.

"How long until the Admirals call on me?" asked John getting to the point.

"No idea! Just be ready" said Kerris. The Quarian jumped over the railing to land far below in the wastelands. He looked back at the team once before he disappeared into the windswept hell that was Tuchanka.

"Well, he was pleasant as always" chided Teagann. John just grunted as he made his way to the now landing Kodiak. Kyson stood transfixed where Kerris had disappeared. He wanted to go kill him with every bone of his body. He began to look for a way down when he was stopped.

"We are leaving" said the stern voice of Liara. Kyson looked her in the eyes furious that he had been stopped. Only he sighed as he buried his rage.

"Liara, I'm…I'm really sorry for drinking the Lemouria. I had no idea in any way" he said. Liara took a step back shaking her head.

"I know that, I'm just angry at myself. I left it there not John. So forget about it, I bet you had the time of your life though" replied Liara with a slight smile. Kyson glanced back at the waste land.

"No, I didn't" he said as he started back towards the Kodiak.

"Did it make your…condition worse?" asked Liara sounding worried. They had gotten to the Kodiak.

"Yeah" was all he said before climbing in.

"Kyson, you need to hydrate after that Asari juju juice of ours" said Benni as the Matriarch shoved a canteen of water in his hand. Kyson agreed by downing the whole thing.

"Thanks ma" he replied with a small chuckle. He looked up to see his dad watching his every move. It pissed Kyson off. But Luke just kept staring at him with his critical gaze. I'm going to break your face old man. Kyson looked away. He was about to be very stupid. The rest of the ride was silent except for Shepard reading a few messages. Once back on board the Normandy. Kyson got off only to see Cortez jump off with a scowl on his face.

"Yo Stephen, you awright?" asked Kyson. He had never seen Cortez looking so pissed before.

"Yeah I'm fine, but I just fixed the balance on these thrusters only for them to get off kilter again. Damn infuriating is all" said Cortez as he opened up the starboard thruster's service panel.

"Kyson, front and center" said John from the elevator. Kyson did as told.

"Sir" he replied as he gave a full salute.

"Stay ready down here, get Vega ready too. This day might have gotten much longer" said John. Kyson nodded as the elevator door closed with an angry looking Commander.

"Oh shit" mumbled Kyson.

"Yeah, I don't like the sound of that" said Vega from behind him.

"Whelp, looks like we are going to go have some more fun!" said Kyson as he leaned back against the wall where his room used to be.

"How come I didn't go on that last mission?" asked James curiously. Kyson laughed a bit.

"We were in a bit of a hurry, as in Liara wanted to kill John and I" said Kyson shaking his head.

"What's so funny about that?" asked James. Kyson looked up at Vega with a broad grin. To Kyson, Vega looked like a talking banana.

A/N

Woot! so note to self, no Asari Love juju for me.

Now, I don't have any plans for this story to go past thirty chapters maybe a few less. We are reaching the end of this first story of Entropy.

I hope you enjoyed as always review as you will!