Semper Fi
Chapter 25
Javik – 1
"And don't forget to brush your teeth!"
Javik snorted as the Turian grumbled something, closing the Mako's main hatch behind him. Wrex, in the copilot's seat, turned to look at him from below.
"What's funny?" he asked. Krogans didn't have the best of hearing.
"The Commander is treating the Turian like a child," Javik answered.
"He's her Baby-Spectre after all," Wrex smirked.
"I am neither a child nor a baby," Vakarian replied as he squished himself into the cockpit. "I'm young, granted, but I have fifteen years of military training behind me, and four as a C-Sec officer." He fell into the pilot's seat more than he sat and had to wiggle a little to find a comfortable position. It wasn't easy considering his armor and the human design of the seat.
"You're what? Thirty-five?" Wrex asked, turning back to the windows.
"Thirty-four."
"If I remember correctly," Wrex continued, scratching his throat, "you need something like fourteen years on Palaven to make one on Tuchanka." Vakarian frowned, probably doing the maths himself. "That means you're not even two and a half from my point of view. So shut up, kiddo."
"I remember Shepard telling me you were over six hundred," Vakarian replied, clipping his harness carefully. "So, from my point of view, you're an old thing, gramps."
The Krogan laughed and punched the Turian in the shoulder. Javik smiled a little from his turret seat above them. He liked Vakarian, to be honest. He was a well educated young man, respectful of his superiors, peers and the rules, and dedicated to his work. Shepard could have had a protegee far worse than him. Vakarian was true to his words and his feelings – well he was now and it made it easier to trust him. Javik had been a bit reluctant to get to know him when the Turian had shielded himself behind what he wasn't, but he was more honest now and it wasn't a problem anymore. Of course, nobody was truly honest at all times, not even Protheans, but his inner contradictions had practically disappeared since he had cleared his heart and talked to Shepard. It was definitely a good thing. Javik couldn't stand liars.
"And you, Javik?" Vakarian asked as he started the engine, bringing the Mako to life. The question surprised Javik and he focused on the Turian. "If I may ask," he added quickly, breaking eye contact. "Maybe it's inappropriate. Sorry."
"It is inappropriate," Javik confirmed but he wasn't angry. It was normal for the young to be curious.
"Sorry," Vakarian repeated.
"That's a complicated question," Wrex said, scraping a mark on his armor. "Do you have to count all the years he spent in a freezer?" Javik grumbled and kicked him on the back but it only made the Krogan laugh. "No, seriously, you never even told me. How old were you when they froze you?"
"Not old enough," Javik replied and with that the conversation died, as planned.
The Council had called the Normandy just an hour before their departure from Sigurd's Cradle for the Omega Nebula. A salarian ship on a scientific mission had disappeared in the Micah system, Valhallan Threshold. It was no secret the system was plagued with pirates and the Council shouldn't even have cared about a single ship missing, but this one had sent reports of confirmed intelligent life forms over the past few weeks. Which was strange because the last exploration team sent there only a hundred years ago had made no mention of anything more evolved than a lemur on Dumah's numerous moons. This was worrying enough to send a Spectre to investigate and potentially rescue survivors.
Since Shepard couldn't go due to her broken shoulder, Vakarian was to replace her and he had decided to surround himself with the two most powerful and experienced warriors of the crew. It was a wise decision but it also revealed a lack of confidence. Vakarian's last mission on Erinle didn't turn out as planned and he was resentful about it – Javik had sensed it during training but he could have just looked at the kid to notice. The Turian wasn't the kind to blame it on his teammates, at least, but his self-incrimination wasn't good either. A leader had to know how to handle any situation and show the direction, even in shame and defeat. Shepard had asked Javik to keep an eye on Vakarian for her. Their mission was supposed to last three days and communications with the Normandy would be sparse due to the electromagnetic interference of the gas giant Dumah.
Three isolated warriors on an unknown world populated by mysterious creatures which shouldn't be there. It was the premise for a good time.
Kasbeel was the second biggest moon of Dumah, big enough to be considered a small rocky planet. Its gravity was half as strong as the Normandy's and its atmosphere was breathable, as long as you didn't fall into a pool of denser and deadly gases. Kasbeel was far enough from its planet to keep its oxygen, but Dumah sucked lighter gases away, creating filaments of matter between the giant and its satellite through space. The planet influenced the tectonics of its several moons, lifting the hard rock crust where it was the weakest and triggering massive volcanic eruptions. Dumah was also responsible for the monstrous tide flooding the lowlands once a day and almost drying the oceans on the other side of the moon at the same time. Fortunately, the signal from the salarian ship came from high plateaus far from any ocean but only two hundred kilometers south of an active volcanic chain. Javik could see them through the scope as the Mako descended through the atmosphere of Kasbeel. The volcanoes seemed calm for now but Dumah's influence could awaken them any day.
Landing wasn't a pleasant experience but they didn't explode or break anything so Javik took that as a victory. The Turian checked a few instruments, which gave Javik time to observe what he could of the perimeter. In the north, the volcanic chain, striking the horizon at a hundred degrees. It was high enough to have snow but little remained because of the volcanic activity. On the far west, there were other mountains but too far away to be of any interest. The plateau extended south and east but the visibility wasn't good enough to see anything relevant. They had landed in the large bed of a seasonal river, on a shore made of dark scoria, gigantic rocks creating a desolate panorama in between the dense forest on both sides. The trees were tall, fifty or sixty meters high maybe, typically the kind of tropical forest to have a high canopy and more sparse vegetation at its feet, but it didn't seem to be the case here. The forest was dense, a green wall from its feet to its top, and home to countless bright red spots in the thermal scope.
"The VI picked up the position of the crash site when we were descending," Vakarian said as he poked a holographic screen between him and Wrex. "It should take us a day to reach it."
"It would be wise to follow the river as much as possible to get closer," Javik advised, eyes back in the scope. Bird-like creatures took off in the distance and the trees under them moved slightly. The wind?
"I thought the same thing," Vakarian replied. "We'll have zero visibility once in the forest. It's better to stay on open ground as long as we can. Besides, I want to try a few things."
"What few things?" Wrex asked and there was tension in his voice.
"I've heard a lot about the Mako since I've been on board the Normandy," Vakarian explained. "I'm curious of what it's capable of."
"No," Wrex strongly disagreed, fighting his harness. "No, no no no, you won't go all Shepard on me, Vakarian!"
The Turian replied with a dangerous smile and slammed the accelerator.
It turned out Vakarian was a driver far more reasonable than Shepard and the new Mako seemed to be a more reliable machine than the previous one. Vakarian had greatly improved its stability and the additional thrusters to take off were of great use when the Mako was stuck somewhere. Wrex didn't vomit once during the drive that took them to their supposed entry point in the forest. Vakarian stopped there a moment, leaning on the wheel to look at the green wall in front of them.
"A straight line is the shortest route on paper but I'm for finding an opening, like an animal trail or something, even if it takes us half an hour or so," he said.
"If we find a trail big enough for the Mako, we don't need to bother with the Salarians," Wrex snorted.
"Not all big animals are predators," Vakarian replied.
"You obviously never went to Tuchanka."
Javik rolled his eyes. Youth. "I am for finding a path," he interrupted before the Turian could add something certainly not relevant to the situation. "Wrex?"
"Yeah, yeah, let's find a trail or something," the Krogan shrugged. "Imma take a nap. Wake me up when it's time to shoot stuff."
Vakarian shook his head as he repositioned himself in his seat and the Mako soon marched along the border of the forest. They were both careful, closely watching the vegetation, but they didn't find a path big enough for the machine. Going on foot to the crash site was not an option. First, it would take them far more time than with the Mako. Secondly, they needed the vehicle to extract possible survivors. Finally, the environment wasn't safe. Surely warriors like them could handle animals, as big and as fantastic as they could get, but they weren't explorers either. Their equipment wasn't made for this kind of trip. It was too heavy and it couldn't carry enough food, water or oxygen to cover all kinds of situations.
Besides, Kasbeel was a dangerous world. While practically all known satellites were tidally locked to their planet, always presenting the same side to their master, Kasbeel rotated on its own axis. It meant Kasbeel had days and nights like any planet, but this cycle was disturbed by Dumah. When the satellite was facing the star of the system, Micah, the planet behind it reflected light on the part that should have been covered by darkness, therefore diminishing the intensity of the night. And when Kasbeel plunged into the shadow cast by Dumah, it experienced a night of several days.
That was something the team wanted to avoid because the research would be a lot more complicated in the absolute darkness of Kasbeel's night. It wasn't wise to stay anyway. The satellite had an electromagnetic field but it was weak and encased in its planet's. Due to solar winds, the part of the electromagnetic field opposite to the star was deformed, elongated, and it captured deadly cosmic rays, allowing them to penetrate a celestial body's protection. The meeting of those rays with the lower levels of the electromagnetic field created the phenomena known as aurora borealis, the sign nothing harmful was reaching the ground. Kasbeel's nights should have been a marvelous display of endless and colorful auroras, a delight for the eyes. They weren't, which meant the satellite was fully exposed to cosmic rays during the night. That was a reason good enough to not stay on Kasbeel too long.
"This is when EDI would be of great help," Vakarian sighed. Javik blinked and looked at the Turian. He had stopped the vehicle to study a map of the area made by the instruments on board. It didn't cover a large portion of their surroundings. There were too many disturbances for that.
"Never trust an AI," Javik replied dryly, which caught the Turian's attention. Javik cursed himself. Now he had to give that primitive an explanation. He spoke reluctantly. "The Empire was born in blood and ashes during the Metacon War. We faced a hostile intelligent machine race that threatened our survival. We had to unite all known species throughout the galaxy to fight those AIs, and thus the Empire rose."
"I can relate to that," Vakarian nodded. He looked at Wrex for a second before speaking in a lower tone. "It's not something a lot of people know but Turians had to face an AI uprising. It was just at the beginning of our expansion out of Palaven, a hundred years before we even reached Trebia's relay, but it happened."
"It was so long ago all you probably had to do was to unplug your AI," Javik snorted, a ball of cold anger forming in his stomach. "We fought for three centuries. Worlds were destroyed. Tens of billions died."
"You're right," the Turian agreed, "it's not comparable. Sorry." He keyed on a panel. "The Normandy is out of reach anyway. Well, we have to create our own way." He turned to Wrex, his fingers drumming on the wheel, then looked at Javik.
"This is puerile," the Prothean grumbled.
"But amusing," Vakarian replied.
"The Commander has a bad influence on you, Turian." Javik grabbed the controls of the turret and fired a few rounds of the smallest caliber they had. The Mako shook a little as the sound echoed all around them. Wrex woke up, jumping in his seat, shotgun already in hand.
"What's happening?" he barked, recharging his weapon. "Who's attacking?" The Turian didn't contain his laugh for very long but Javik managed to keep his face straight, even if he was indeed a little amused. Wrex grumbled as he put down his shotgun. "You're wasting perfectly good ammo, idiots. Wait till Shepard hears about that."
"She'd approve of the joke," Javik warned. Wrex grunted, knowing it was the truth, and sank in his seat.
They had to use the main canon to open their way through the forest and it took them the better part of the afternoon to pierce the green wall. Its wideness was the result of a multitude of broken trees and debris covered by vine-like plants as thick as a leg, nested with rocks as big as the Mako, probably carried there by the river. No wonder they hadn't seen any significant trail on the shore. Nothing bigger than a rabbit could easily go through that green wall.
The interior of the forest was much more passable. There was enough space between the huge trunks for the Mako to navigate easily, even if a variety of luxuriant grass-type plants grew up to six meters on the soft ground. The Mako was soon covered in multicolored pollens and the windscreen wipers worked at full capacity for the rest of the day. Plants got caught in the drive shaft of the front wheels twice, which made them stop and repair, Javik standing guard outside while Vakarian swore a lot under the Mako.
They eventually stopped near an enormous volcanic rock covered with mosses, ferns and young trees to have a rest during Kasbeel's short night. It was an occasion to move around a little and stretch stiff limbs. The air was saturated with strong foreign smells and the buzz of insect-like creatures. Javik looked up at the sky. He could see the distant bright stripes of the gas giant in between the trees and menacing clouds. It would rain tonight.
A terrible roar made him jump and concentrate energy in his hands but he only saw Wrex when he turned. The Krogan emitted another roar, shaking head to toes. The Turian chuckled, sheathing his gun.
"Looks like Krogans can be allergic to something after all," he mocked. Wrex roared again, bending to rest his hands on his knees. So it was a sneeze, Javik understood. He had never seen Wrex do that before. It was kind of impressive. And terribly efficient at inviting any predator in their surroundings to come join them.
"Krogans are not allergic to anything!" Wrex defended himself. "Even your dextro shit you call food can be... can be..." Another sneeze shook him but he continued as if nothing had happened. "… processed by our stomachs!"
"Really?" Vakarian asked from the inside of the Mako.
"What do you think, kiddo?" Wrex grumbled, breathing heavily. "When it comes down to adaptation, Krogans are the best. That's why the Council used us for their war against the Rachnis, and that's why we ended it on Suen in blood and fire. Dextro-amino acids are just a poison like any other for a Krogan. Have you ever heard of a poisoned Krogan?"
"No," Vakarian admitted, hopping out of the vehicle with food and drinks.
"That's right!" Wrex snorted and it triggered another sneeze. He grunted this time, a hand on the middle of his abdomen. Javik noticed the gesture but didn't say anything about it.
"Aren't the Vorchas better than Krogans at adaptation?" Vakarian continued, throwing a ration bar – a levo one – to Wrex.
"Did the Vorchas threaten the galaxy with their power?" Wrex asked, catching his dinner.
"No, but..."
"Vorchas are like varrens," Wrex interrupted him. "You starve them, you beat them, you train them and then you send them to their death. They don't have millennia of history behind them, they didn't conquer shit, they are barely more evolved than animals."
"Krogans were barely more evolved than animals once," Javik reminded him. Wrex gave him a cold look back but Javik couldn't care less. He took the ration bar and the bottle of water Vakarian was handing him and sat on an old stump to eat. The Turian squatted next to him and it annoyed Javik a little to see he was still taller than him.
"What was your policy regarding primitive species?" he asked, unwrapping his dextro ration. "You said Protheans hunted Turians for sport and domesticated Asaris. That's interfering with a species' destiny but what was the limit? What made you decide to stop that and just let them evolve on their own?"
"We had scales."
"Scales?"
"You ask too many questions, Turian," Javik grunted, annoyed for good. He had had the same problem with the Asari. "Do you know everything there is to know about your people? Are you able to explain every historical event, every technological advancement, every belief and superstition from your people?"
"Huh, no."
"Neither do I," Javik continued, munching on his ration. "I was a warrior, not a man of knowledge."
"Sorry," the Turian apologized.
"Turians and their questions," Wrex mocked from his own stump.
"What's wrong with being curious?" Vakarian asked.
"You talk too much, is all," Wrex snorted. "Oh, speaking of, I have a good one. When do you know a Turian is done talking?"
"I don't know. How?"
"It's when the Asari falls asleep," Wrex laughed, apparently very proud of his joke but neither Vakarian nor Javik found the logic behind it. "It's funny because your two species talk a lot," Wrex tried to explain. He stared at them for a second then waved at them. "Forget it. Your sense of humor sucks."
They finished their flavorless dinner in silence, looking around and listening to the birds and other animals. Some sort of flat furry lizard with six legs maybe ten centimeters long came to them, stopping its rapid walk every meter or so to look at the strange creatures Javik and his companions surely were to the small animal. It approached without fear, climbed on Javik's foot as if it was yet another plant, and continued his trip to Vakarian. There, the lizard found crumbs in the grass and ate it before the Turian could intervene. But, to their surprise, the lizard didn't die of food poisoning on the spot. It licked its eyes and ran to Wrex who shooed it away. The lizard clicked and disappeared under the Mako.
"I thought the reports said this place bore levo-amino life," Wrex said, standing up.
"They did," Vakarian confirmed, following his example. "Maybe we found the new Krogans," he joked. "In a million years, some people will recall that moment and say: 'if only they had known that they had witnessed the first of its kind!'" Wrex snorted.
"There are others," Javik informed. When the Turian arched a brow, he pointed to colored spots in the grass around them. There were maybe a dozen lizards now approaching to find food. Vakarian was quickly surrounded by them. He stepped carefully out of the circle as Wrex laughed.
"Afraid the little beasts will eat you in your sleep, Garrus?"
"Well I certainly represent a large amount of dextro proteins for them," the Turian replied, moving back to the Mako. He was followed by a couple lizards.
"They'll be disappointed," Javik said. "Turian meat is of no interest for any delicate palate."
"Ha!" Wrex snorted. "You taste like shit!"
"How do you..." the Turian started but a look from Javik made him change his thoughts mid-sentence. "No, you know what? I don't want to know." He shook his head as he hopped in the Mako. "I really don't want to know."
Javik followed him, hiding his smile, and Wrex patted him on the shoulder when he was in reach.
"Good one," he said, a wild smile spread on his face.
"Krogans taste like chicken," Javik replied dead serious and Wrex laughed. It triggered his sneezing again and Javik saw his friend wince and rub his abdomen once more. He knew what caused that pain, even if Wrex paid close attention as to keep his secret for himself. He didn't have to touch his friend to know, it was pretty obvious. The Krogan was still hurt despite his regenerative abilities and time. More than two months had passed since his encounter with the black creature in the strange space station. Wrex should have healed by now.
Javik stopped Wrex from getting into the Mako with a hand on his forearm and the Krogan was smart enough to obey the implicit order.
"I will ask once, friend, and only once," Javik said seriously, looking at Wrex straight in the eyes. "Do you need help?"
The memories inscribed in the armor distorted the present, flashing before Javik's eyes. A bar, red lights, exotic dancers, a glass of ryncol and the smells of sweat, smoke, alcohol and sex all around. A blurred figure in the distance. The Human. Wrex turned to him, mouth slightly open, his red eyes trying to focus on something too close for him. The smell of the Turian that once followed her had faded. It had been replaced by numerous others, all humans. Shepard. Wrex. How was Virmire? Hot. He looked at him and his emotions were strangely easy to read on his foreign features. He would lie. So, what is it like to work alone? I'm not alone. I have a ship now and a crew of thirty. Humans. Yes, Humans, all from the Alliance. Good men and women but they're soldiers. I need more than that to get the job done. He breathed in deep and Javik saw the words he didn't want to hear on his lips. What do you think about working with me, Wrex?
"I'm fine."
Javik released his friend with a nod and let him hop in the Mako. He used the last of his water to wash his hands before following the Turian and the Krogan inside.
They chose to stand guard even if they were in the security of the Mako for the night and Wrex took the first shift. A game of rock-paper-scissors decided Vakarian had the second and Javik the third. When he woke up, the rain drummed on the plating of the Mako. It would have been a nice lullaby if only Wrex hadn't snored. It proved difficult for the Turian to find some rest and he eventually abandoned all hopes after an hour or so.
"And I thought Shepard's snores were loud," he mumbled, trying to find a more comfortable position against a crate. Javik frowned. Vakarian noticed it. "I slept in her quarters when Mandor was on board," he explained, a little agitated and uneasy. Javik remembered but the reaction of the Turian was intriguing.
"Is it forbidden by your culture?" Javik asked, keeping his voice low enough to not awaken the Krogan.
Javik saw Vakarian's mandibles twitch in the dim light of the cargo. "I slept on her couch," he mumbled, "and it's not forbidden per se, it just made me really uncomfortable."
"But you slept next to her several times before," Javik insisted.
"I did," the Turian agreed, brushing his fringes, "but it wasn't the same." He gave him a quick look from under. "On Project Base," he continued reluctantly, "I was... standing guard, I guess. But when Mandor was on board, it was kind of the other way around."
"It is normal for a mentor to provide security," Javik nodded.
"I know," Vakarian sighed, "it's just..." He stopped his sentence to give Javik another look, more anxious this time. "It's complicated."
"It is not," Javik replied. "You are afraid to like her because it would make you a worse son than you already are in your father's eyes."
He could have slapped the Turian, it would have had the same effect on him. Vakarian looked at Javik, pain and fear written all over his face. The Prothean scratched his neck. His abilities were normal fifty thousands years ago but nowadays they were a source of problem. In a galaxy where privacy meant so much and was one's most precious treasure, being able to reach someone's darkest secrets just by touch was not a gift. Betrayal was all people had in mind when they realized Javik could access their thoughts. It had taken a long time for the Normandy's crew to trust him, to understand that he would take those secrets to his grave. Only Shepard had trusted him from the beginning but she was special. She had been enlightened by a Beacon, therefore she knew a Prothean would rather die than use those secrets against someone.
That didn't mean he couldn't use that knowledge to help a primitive figure out their inner contradictions.
"You cannot fight your affinity for her forever," Javik continued, focusing on the rain on the windshield. "But it's a good thing. A son must overcome their father at some point and such a time has come for you."
"You know nothing of my father," the Turian said, his voice full of anger and reproach.
"It is true," Javik agreed. "I only know what you remember of him, what your mind has distorted over time. Memories are a trap, young one. Memories lie and deaden one's will. They are not to be trusted."
"That doesn't make my father a great guy."
"The loss of a child would affect anyone."
"My sister didn't die," the Turian replied coldly.
He then shut up and stared at Javik for a long, tensed minute. Javik didn't let it affect him. He let the Turian stare all he wanted and he eventually got tired of it, standing to walk to the cockpit. Vakarian fell in the pilot's seat and stayed there, silent for a long moment while Wrex continued to snore. The rain intensified as the wind started to blow and rustle in the trees. Soon thunder joined them, drumming its lower notes in the distance. Javik listened and didn't fight the memories the storm was triggering. It reminded him too much of the march of his warriors on the wooden floor of the Great Hall, all in unison, one body, one mind, the finest you could find in the Empire. Javik always felt proud when he saw his well trained students execute a perfect stance but his greatest joy was to see them returning victorious from the battlefield. Whenever one of them came back to his humble house after years of bloody battles and everlasting fights, his body and mind were one. There was no greater joy than to see a beloved child come back alive from the war.
"Something's watching us."
Javik opened his eyes and dismissed his memories to look at the cockpit. The Turian was very still, a shadow within the shadows, and focused on something behind the rain. Javik came closer, walking carefully and slowly, and sat next to Vakarian. It took him a few seconds even with his superior eyesight to find the intruder. It wasn't on the ground, rather hanging from the trees, very still despite the storm. Rain slipped on its dark fur and thunder flashed over its body. Javik counted six limbs, probably two of them arms, and one tail as long as the rest of the creature. Its head was conic, four eyes, and teeth big enough to crush a Krogan.
Anxiety grew on the Turian while the creature watched them, and he started to get agitated. After ten minutes or so, he woke up some instruments on the dashboard, and the sudden light in the cockpit made the animal move from a tree to another on the left, probably to get a better view. Javik kept an eye on it while Vakarian checked his holoscreens.
"It's emitting on high frequencies," he eventually said, brows frowned. The creature moved. It could hear them apparently, even with the plating, the distance and the storm.
"Did you hear it?" Javik asked.
"Not really hear it, no, but it was like tinnitus, you know?"
Javik nodded. "Many animals use sound to locate their prey. We must be a very strange one for this creature to be so cautious with us."
"I don't like it," Vakarian said, leaning on the wheel to scrutinize the dark.
"We can only wait and defend ourselves if it attacks."
Vakarian nodded and the waiting game started. The creature stayed there for a long time, watching without blinking nor moving, and Javik and Vakarian did the same. When the storm calmed down and the sky started to brighten, the creature climbed back in the trees and disappeared with a surprising speed. Javik exchanged a look with Vakarian. They didn't need words or touch to figure out they knew the same thing. That creature would wait for the night to attack.
"We have eight hours of sunlight," Vakarian explained as they were eating their breakfast. Javik had woken up Wrex and explained what had happened moments earlier while Vakarian had anxiously reviewed the Mako's protections and weaponry. "That's eight hours to find the crash site and look around. We're getting out of there before sundown, no matter what."
"But there is the rendezvous with the Normandy," Wrex said before emptying a bottle of water. "It's settled for tomorrow evening, not tonight."
"I can put the Mako on a lower orbit around Kasbeel until the Normandy picks us up," Vakarian replied, checking on his omnitool. "The Mako can deal with outer space conditions, as long as we keep it pressurized."
"We can also abort the mission right now," Wrex snorted.
"We have to find the crash site," Javik replied.
"Alright," Wrex grumbled. "But, I said it and I'll repeat it: you're paranoid, both of you. It's just a big animal, so what? We can kill it. You, Garrus, you took down Rachnis on Ilos and that stuff on that fucking spacestation. You're making a habit of killing beasts and I wouldn't be surprised if you added a thresher maw on your list before the end of the year."
"It's not that," Vakarian replied, rubbing his face with both hands. He leaned on the cargo's wall and stared at the ceiling. "It's a feeling I have. Something's not right, I know it. I feel it."
"You're a psychic now?" Wrex mocked.
"It was listening," Javik intervened because he knew Wrex would pay more attention to his words than to Vakarian's.
"We're an unknown object in its territory," Wrex sighed, annoyed. "Of course it had to come check on us, and we're lucky it didn't try to have a taste of the Mako yet."
"It should have, right?" Vakarian realized, rising anxious eyes. "But it stayed at a safe distance and it watched us, Wrex. Just like the phax before we had to run for the door."
Wrex stayed silent for a couple of seconds, studying the tensed traits of the Turian, then exchanged a look with Javik. There was more than just a big scary creature on the line. Vakarian was also afraid to fail his second assignment. That wasn't good. Javik opened his mouth to take control of the situation but Wrex shook his head.
"Garrus," he said, his voice carrying enough authority to shake the Turian to attention, "listen to me. You're gonna take a deep breath and stop being a fucking wimp." Vakarian frowned but Wrex stopped him, raising his hand between them. "You got all you need to finish this mission: training, experience, ammo, a freaking tank, an angry Prothean and a badass Krogan. So much awesomeness should be illegal. So get your skinny ass in that seat over there and let's go make your mama proud."
Vakarian looked at him for a couple of seconds before standing up without a word and heading for the cockpit. Javik saluted Wrex with a prothean sign, a movement of his finger from his forehead in the Krogan's direction. Wrex smiled back, showing all his teeth, and they followed the Turian to the front of the vehicle. He started the engine soon after and drove as fast as he could in the vegetation. The ground started to go up, slowing down their travel. They had to stop three times that morning to remove plants stuck under the Mako and this time Javik and Wrex were much more careful of their surroundings, especially what could be up in the trees. Javik didn't see the creature following them but it didn't have to stay close to them considering all the noise the Mako made.
The sun was at its zenith when they finally reached the crash site. A ship the size of the Normandy had inexplicably fell from its orbit. It had ravaged a large zone half burned, half covered with debris, rocks, broken trees and parts of the ship. It took an hour for Vakarian to maneuver to reach the main part of the hull. The Mako's instruments were all in the red and several alarms rang.
"The drivecore isn't here anymore," Vakarian said, shutting off the alarms, "but there are eezo residues all around."
"So we know what happened," Wrex snorted.
"We do?"
"Yep. Pirates. They shot the ship to ground it and steal the core. Happens all the time in remote systems like this. The scientific team probably died during or after the crash and the survivors are already en route for their new lives as slaves." He turned to Javik. "Sorry Love, no Salarian for dinner."
"I'll survive," Javik replied in his usual formal tone but he was a little amused. Wrex's scenario was convenient and also probably true. Element zero was a natural resource of great importance. It was needed for drivecores and faster-than-light engines. Without it, space-travel was nearly impossible. Eezo had had its importance during the Empire too but the Protheans hadn't depended on it as much as the people of this age. The new dominant species easily went to war to take possession of freshly discovered worlds with only traces of eezo instead of focusing on research. Eezo was important, sure, but Protheans had found other ways to conquer the galaxy and rule it for over a hundred thousand years.
"But the reports said there was intelligent life on this satellite," Vakarian insisted.
"Did you see anything capable of shooting down a ship in orbit so far?" Wrex asked.
"No, but that doesn't mean there isn't anything like that here."
"Then write that in your report. Advise the Council to put this world under quarantine and they'll send a few of your turian ships to secure the system, maybe even disable the relay. They did that for the Yahgs."
"They did?" Javik asked, intrigued. "During the Empire, the Yahgs were used in illegal animal fighting rings."
"They're a pre-spaceflight species now," Wrex told him, "and it's gonna be ugly when they reach Council Space."
Javik snorted. "They do not know what awaits them."
"Anyway," Vakarian interrupted as Wrex threw his hand up in the air for a high-three that Javik reciprocated, "I want to see if we can find any data left in the wreckage." He undid his harness as he continued. "Salarian ships aren't the best when it comes to plating but you can be sure everything has been made to protect the onboard computer. Intel is too precious for them." He squeezed himself out of the cockpit. Javik and Wrex exchanged a look.
"He forgot," Wrex said.
"He forgot," Javik confirmed.
"What did I forget?" Vakarian asked from the cargo.
"Youth," Wrex shook his head.
"Youth," Javik sighed.
"Quit it, old men," the Turian dared, which made Wrex chuckle – Javik stayed imperturbable. "What did I forget?"
"Giving us orders."
"Oh." Vakarian realized. "I thought it was pretty obvious." He cleared his throats. "Well, let's go check the wreckage all together then, and we'll all hold hands and pick nice bouquets of flowers."
"See?" Wrex asked as he got out of his seat with some difficulties. "No humor."
The area smelled like ozone and ashes. Javik put on some gloves as to not enter into contact with contaminated material and took his Particle Rifle before following Vakarian and Wrex. The Krogan rapidly fell behind , as his size and lack of agility slowed him down. When they reached the hull, Wrex decided to stand guard and catch his breath while Vakarian and Javik entered. A fire had destroyed most of what the crash hadn't, which didn't leave much for their curiosity. It took them the better part of an hour to find their first hard drive. It was heavily damaged but Vakarian was confident enough he be able to restore some data from it.
They suddenly heard gunshots outside and Wrex swearing in his native language. Javik didn't wait for an order. He turned heel and ran, helped, for once, by his smaller size. When he reached the exit, he jumped down in the burned rocks, biotics at the ready, and looked around. Wrex wasn't at his position anymore. Instead, he was near the Mako, waving and shooting in the air to beat back the creature from last night. It was much bigger than Javik had anticipated, its fur striated with a lighter gray. It was turning around the Mako, avoiding Wrex, sometimes opening its enormous mouth to try to overawe the Krogan. Javik ran as fast as he could but, by the time he reached Wrex, the creature had hopped on the Mako, indifferent to the badass Krogan yelling at it, and had extended a long blue appendage whose function was pretty self-explanatory. Javik stared, mortified, as Wrex sat in defeat on the ground while the beast had its way with the Mako.
"Which frequencies does the onboard radar use again?" Wrex grunted.
Javik snorted and folded his arms. "It is amusing. A story the crew will like."
"Yeah, and Shep will just love to see her precious Mako covered in alien cum."
"This is the Turian's problem."
"He's in charge," Wrex confirmed, nodding thoughtfully .
"Oh no," said Turian yelled from a distance. "No, no, no!"
He ran past them, yelled, waved, even shot a few rounds but the creature was too busy to care about the tiny agitated Turian. Vakarian eventually came back to Javik and Wrex and sat, defeated.
"Shepard is going to kill me," he mumbled.
Wrex patted him on the shoulder, which shook him head to toes. "'Could be worse, kiddo."
"I don't see how."
"'Could be inside."
Vakarian looked at Wrex, horrified, and it was enough to make the Krogan laugh. Javik didn't hide his smile. A story to tell, indeed, but a painful one.
TBC
Edited on 2015, August 22nd
Note#1
The publication of this chapter has been delayed for several reasons I won't explain here. If you want to keep track of the publication schedule, read sneak peeks of the next chapter or all the stuff I write related to Semper Fi, hit the tag on my tumblr (the link on my profile is still broken, thank you FFnet, but I have the same nickname here and on tumblr).
Note#2
While I appreciate to see Semper Fi's statistics grow each week (I do, I really do), I'm stricken by the lack of feedback I receive. I don't want to beg for reviews and I don't want people to feel obligated, but it would be nice of you, readers, to give me a sign from time to time nonetheless. Especially those who binge-read the story in a few days. That means you enjoyed it, right? Well I'd appreciate to know why, what you liked, what you didn't like, etc. I put a lot of efforts on writing this story and sure, I do it mostly for myself, but it would help to know my readers enjoyed the read. It would really, really help.
So, if you binge-read Semper Fi, if you added it to your favorites stories, or in your followed stories, if you're just a casual reader just here because the lights were on, please make the extra-effort to write a review once in a while. Thanks.