Voeld. By all reports I've read it's my definition of hell. A frozen ice-ball of constant snow-storms. Severe ones. -40 degrees Celsius and the Angara just love the place. I'm gonna need to bring something warm under my armor. We would land close to the Resistance HQ and link up with the resistance squad and ride together in Angaran shuttles. The LZ would be a small blind spot by the base of the Kett tower, yet with the way in still blocked by the Kett shield. SAM would infiltrate the shield's systems, take them down and allow us entry. Find the Moshae, extract via one of the upper landing pads. No way am I going in with anything less than my full team.
"Pathfinder, ETA is now an hour and a half away, awaking the ground team now. Would you wish to brief them?" SAM questioned.
"I will later, for now just tell them it's the Moshae mission. Tell them to eat then suit up," I ordered, moving to search my wardrobe for something warm, yet able to fit within my armor. I could probably stuff my hoodie under my under suit but my southern ass needs more than that. I moved clothing aside and thankfully found a fur-lined robe. Again, it wouldn't be perfect, but it would help. As necessary, I striped down to my boxers, put on the robe before donning my under suit, making my way towards the armory to suit up first. Although our entry would be stealthy, I'd be an idiot to think that this would end the same way. Once again, we'd all need heavy armor. Besides, it would help insulate me. I grabbed my father's N7 armor and began fitting the pieces on.
I began by stepping into the boots, clasping them on firmly, clasped the greaves around my legs. Firm, yet still allowing full movement. The chest piece was arguably the hardest part, but mostly just because its own weight and encasing my torso within. Still, to someone with military experience, it is not that difficult a task. The gauntlets were simple, clasping them around my arms as I clenched my fists to test the feel. I left the helmet sat on a crate as I prepared to check my weapons. It was then as the first of my crew began to enter the cargo bay. Jaal to begin with. He nodded as he too began to prepare. The next were both Drack and Vetra, walking in together, beginning to prepare with light chatter between the two. Peebee entered next, already in an under suit rather than her clothes, figuring that this op would need heavier armor as well. It wasn't lost on me that she ensured she got herself into her armor and checked her weapons close to Jaal, and I also noticed Vetra glancing over to her every now and then, lifting a brow-plate as if she was keeping an eye on her. Cora and Liam were close behind and now was a good time to begin the brief. I stood and moved in front of them all to address them.
"Listen up people. You already know that this is the op to rescue Moshae Sjefa from the Kett. We are en-route to a high security Kett facility on the planet Voeld. Bundle up, or charge up your life support, the average temperature on this planet is -40 degrees Celsius, and it constantly has snow-storms. We will be landing outside of the Resistance's HQ on Voeld, and from there will link up with an elite squad to infiltrate the facility from a blind spot by its base. SAM will hack into their shielding protocols and allow us a way inside. Once inside, our primary goal will be to rescue and extract the Moshae from a landing pad near the top of the facility. However, if possible we will save as many other prisoners as possible. The Angaran squad plans to take a more direct route once inside to cause a distraction, some of you will go with them as reinforcements. It is our hope SAM may be able to gain control of some of the base's systems, locking Kett out of some locations. If all goes well, we'll have safely extracted the Moshae, rescued as many prisoners as possible, and blown the facility to hell, so pack explosives. No telling if the Angara will have enough," I explained. "In case you couldn't tell I want armor as heavy as you're willing as this will no doubt turn into another assault, despite our stealthy approach. Questions?"
"What intel do we have for security?" Vetra asked.
"Beyond the shield surrounding the base, none. Though I would suspect security similar to what we faced on Eos. A lot of Kett," I answered.
"What about the Moshae's location?" Cora questioned.
"All we know is that she's somewhere within the facility. Once SAM is in their systems, either he will be able to find her himself, or direct us to where we can learn," I explained.
"How do we even know that SAM will be able to crack that shield?" Peebee spoke.
"The Angara have a program that has been able to crack most Kett security and shield systems, but the ones around this facility are more secure, they have been able to adapt just quickly enough to render our systems useless. SAM believes that his added processing power can give our program the edge it needs," Jaal explained for me.
"Any other questions?" I asked, my eyes scanning the rest of the crew. None spoke as they all kept their eyes on me. "No? Alright. Keep an eye out for anything that might get us intel on just what the Kett do with their prisoners they send here and where they end up, no doubt the resistance could make use of it," I ended, returning to my weapons to complete my checks as the others returned to work.
"Why oh why did the Kett have to take her to an ice ball," I heard Vetra groan as she tightened the replacement scarf thing she had around her neck.
"Believe me, I'm not any bit happier about it than you are Nyx, southerners like me can't stand that shit. Back home if it ever got to around sixty degrees Fahrenheit or below, people would start wearing extra layers," I chuckled.
"Ha, not much different than Turians. Back on Palaven, the only spots it really gets cold are mountain tops and the poles," she remarked.
"Yeah, the only tradeoff is a bit more solar radiation than my people can handle," I retorted.
"Hey, it's your fault for evolving with such soft flesh, should get a bit more metal in there," Vetra joked.
"Or use our superior ape brains and build a device that lowers the radiation levels," I smirked. "Something your silly little bird brains can't handle."
"Oh? Was it your 'superior ape brain' that led you into those vents?" she teased back. I stared back at her and drew my lower lip back into my mouth slightly, lightly biting it. Damn it Sara…
"You win…" I quietly sighed.
"Oh? What's that? I couldn't hear you. Could you speak up a little? My silly little bird brain can't quite make out what you're saying," she smirked back.
"Don't push your luck, Nyx," I muttered. We both took another look at each other and broke out into a minor fit of laughter, drawing the attention of the others, though they looked between themselves and shrugged, not hearing the conversation. As we calmed down my Omni-tool pinged with a message. From Sid? I opened it to read, turning it slightly to hide the new ammo I was getting from Vetra.
Hi Scott! I'm so sorry that it took me so long to get back to you, I've been busy with work on the Nexus since the new outpost went up and the scientists arrived on Havarl. Plus, it took me a while to think of the best story for you to use. Need more? Believe me I'd be happy to help you mess with my sister. Maybe you could send a few pics of her face when they come back to bite her in the ass? Anyways, we were living on Omega for a while and the Mercs/Smugglers Vetra was with at the time were planning a kind of heist to steal from a rival group. A lot of the rival group were Turians who spent a LOT of time at Afterlife. And Vetra was the only Turian woman in the group, and she got stuck with the distraction. She had to be a stripper giving them a show as the others struck both their ship and their hideout, taking as much as possible. She had to hide these tiny little devices all over her carapace and plates. She'd move her hands around her body trying to act all sexy to grab one and then straddle one of the guys so she could sneak the device onto them, cutting off their comms. Lucky for her, they had left one member of their group in the bar with her to watch and signal the others for when the job was done. She was an Asari and armed. They had placed a bug in the room earlier, so she could listen in and watch. Unfortunately for my sister, she was horrible at it. Stumbling and sometimes a bit awkward. Compared to the other strippers, she had no flexibility whatsoever. The Asari even recorded it and sent it to me! (No, I won't share, I do have some respect for my sister.) Vetra was only able to get the device on two of them before they got bored and tried to send her away. So, came plan B. The others made Vetra hide a weapon on her just in case as the Asari came to back her up. She had a baton hidden in nature's pocket. That's right. She pulled a STICK out of her ASS! Together, her and the Asari beat the shit out of their rival group and made off with all their loot. Coincidentally, that was also the week we left Omega. Have fun with this, and keep up the good work out there! :) (Yeah, I know that's a smiley face, I know a lot of old human stuff :P)
Sid
If I had been drinking something, I'd have spit it out at the story I just read. I worked hard to keep the laugh from getting out, so had to resort to placing my fist over my mouth and just keeping the chuckles from bursting out. Vetra looked at me with a brow-plate raised.
"The hell was in that message?" she asked suspiciously.
"Oh no, I ain't saying shit. I'm saving this. You'll find out, trust me," I smirked wickedly. Her eyes widened in fear as to what story I had just learned.
"I'm going to have a nice, long chat with my sister, aren't I?" she groaned.
"You get embarrassing stories from my sister? I get embarrassing stories from your sister. I warned you Nyx, this is war," I reminded.
"Fair enough…" she sighed in reply as she chuckled lightly. The crew continued talking amongst themselves as the ship continued towards Voeld.
"Kallo here. We've entered atmo and are en-route for the LZ. Readings show a storm in the area. High winds, low temperature. I think you may need to wait and have a shuttle pick you up, these temperatures are simply too extreme," our pilot mused over the comms.
"We have heat lamps lining the path up to the base. Those should provide some respite," Jaal reassured. That damn cold? I'm going to leave this planet as a goddamn popsicle! A few minutes more passed and the ship began to land at the LZ. The ship set itself down gently enough when the ship suddenly lurched itself upwards and back down, and once more settling.
"We're good! We're good!" Kallo yelled out over the ship's comms. The color slowly returned to my face as I my heart began pumping once more.
"Already starting to hate this planet," Vetra muttered as the cargo bay doors opened.
"Jesus fuck that's cold! Everyone, if you value your faces, put those helmets on now," I groaned, putting my own on as quick as I could. The cold air of Voeld had rushed inside our nice, warm ship at the first opportunity.
"Feels like going into cryo all over again," Liam muttered as we set out. As we walked down the cargo ramp I glanced back to figure out just why the ship had lurched like it had. Apparently one of the landing gear had cracked through a layer of ice. Reassuring.
"Pathfinder, the current temperature is below negative fifty degrees Celsius, I recommend you seek shelter immediately, your armor will not provide sufficient protection," SAM warned.
"Quickly, the first heat lamp is not far ahead. Follow the lamps," Jaal called out. The storm was blocking any natural light, leaving the world mostly dark with the red lamps leaving a glow on the snow. We followed the mountain path flanked by a ravine on the right and iced over rock on the left, jumping over a few ledges to reach the first heat lamp.
"Can we stop for a moment? I need to defrost," Vetra requested, hands gripping her arms as they were crossed over her chest, rubbing on them furiously to generate some semblance of heat.
"It would be recommended, Pathfinder. Though hardly ideal, the heat lamp generates enough to allow your body to recuperate for the next push," SAM explained. Guess we were waiting for a moment.
"I'll go ahead and ensure that Commander Heckt and his men are prepared," Jaal offered, being more accustomed to the cold.
"I'll go with you. Krogan can deal with this shit easily enough, I don't need to wait," Drack mumbled. Jaal shrugged and the two jumped across a small gap to prepare the others. We stayed another moment, warming our armored hands against the heater when Cora spoke up.
"I'm not happy about it either but this will need to be enough. Scott, we should move on," Cora suggested. She was right.
"I've half a mind to just stay here," Vetra muttered. Still, she pulled herself from the heat and moved on with us. We climbed another ledge, seeing two fully armored and armed Angara on lookout next to another heat-lamp. They waved us over as we paused for another moment.
"Nice ship you got there. You must be the aliens with Jaal. Your shuttles are ready and waiting just over there. Lot more heat lamps along the way," they explained. We nodded our thanks and moved on, our pace noticeably increasing each time we left another heat lamp. It was hard to miss where Jaal and Drack had gone, simply look for the massive Krogan. They were stood near a trio of Angara and a shuttle, ready for take-off, just outside the base itself.
"Scott, this is Commander Heckt. He will be leading the assault," Jaal introduced.
"Scott Ryder, Human Pathfinder," I greeted.
"Well met. Word's been spreading that you aliens are alright. I'll decide for myself," he replied.
"Can't say I blame you. Read the reports on the rest of my team?" I asked.
"I did. And the reports on these… biotics. I don't think I'll ever be able to understand that," he muttered.
"If it makes it easier, call it space magic. Now, can we please get out of the damn cold?" I requested.
"Humans do not deal with the cold as easily as we do," Jaal do explained.
"Let alone Turians," Vetra groaned. Heckt gave a small laugh in reply.
"Were just waiting for your arrival anyway. These two shuttles, here and there. We'll get you introduced with my men along the way. The facility is on the other side of the planet so it will have daylight and no storms, be a bit warmer for you. Your men take that one, you ride with me, settle on the chain of command here," the Commander recommended. Jaal however rode with us, likely taking the chance to speak with some more of his own people. The shuttle's doors opened for us and closed once we were safely inside, lifting into the air for take-off. I took a seat while Jaal preferred to stand. Everyone on the inside removed their helmets.
"So, we have no intel on what the inside of these facilities? No one has ever been inside one?" I asked.
"None who lived to tell. Any prisoners who go in are never seen again. My father was one such prisoner," Jaal answered.
"But what about the slave camps?" I questioned.
"Sure, we've had many ops liberating Kett work camps, but not once any of these facilities. We've lost so many fighters trying, the price has always been too high," Heckt explained. His skin was of a pinkish color like Jaal's and he was wearing what seemed to be a more standard Resistance armor. Largely it was identical to Jaal's, just a different color scheme, light blues with some black.
"I like to think that the Kett take important Angara from here to their home cluster," another soldier theorized, younger by the sound of his voice.
"What? As slaves?" Jaal muttered, slight mockery in his tone.
"That's Owwin. Or as we like to call him, Rookie. New to our squad but don't let the name fool you, he's still seen his share of successful ops. He's our idealist, and our medic," Heckt introduced.
"Death is better…" Jaal muttered.
"No point in living a life without freedom. Where everything you do is for someone else and you're left with scrapes and bruises. Still, you can't be that fatalistic about it yet. So long as the Resistance exists, those slaves have hope of freedom," I remarked.
"Wise words, Pathfinder. Suppose I should get you introduced to the rest of the squad. The woman here is Skaelv Raaf, tech expert and hacker. The other man beside me is Velrad De Qad, demolitions expert," Heckt finished.
"Pleasure to meet you all. So, demolitions? We brought our own supply of charges to supplement your own, just in case," I remarked.
"Can I get a technical readout of them? Good to know how those compare to our own, know where to place them and such," Velrad suggested.
"Sure, SAM, transfer a full tech-readout to Velrad here," I ordered.
"Who are you talking to?" Owwin asked, confusion in his voice.
"SAM, our AI. He's in our comms so I had to talk out loud to contact him," I answered.
"Can this, SAM, hear us?" Owwin asked more nervously.
"I can. Have the readouts been delivered successfully Velrad." he spoke through our now linked comms.
"Y-yes, they have been. Thank you… SAM," he replied.
"SAM should be able to give our hacking program the kick it needs to break through the Kett shield. Once done with that, SAM will try to gain control of facility systems, lead us to the Moshae and lessen resistance as much as possible," Heckt explained to his men. "Now, as for the chain of command. This is an Angaran Op but you know how to best utilize your crew and their abilities, particularly the biotics, and we'll be splitting up regardless. I'll relinquish tactical control of your own men to you, but larger operational command will remain with me. Though it may hardly matter much given our lack of intel. Problems?"
"Far as I can see, the only things that matter are getting the Moshae out, rescuing as many prisoners as possible, and that when the Kett eventually regain control of the facilities systems, likely meaning we won't be able to save anyone else, this place becomes a smoking crater. I have little doubt that after this Op their shield defenses will see a significant upgrade. So no, I believe any orders I'd make, you'd make, and vice versa," I answered.
"Good, now as my team will be serving as the distraction, and your own team came with more members, I will need to borrow some of them," Heckt began.
"Agreed. Take Drack, you'll certainly benefit from having an angry Krogan on your side. Other than that, you can take Cora Harper and Liam Kosta, the other humans. Liam is ex-crisis response and ex-law enforcement. Minor tech skills and generally good at shooting what comes into view. Cora's put a lot of training in her biotics, used to work with an exclusively biotic elite unit. Drack in particular should be able to help out your demolitions expert, and my own team should be able to handle ours well enough," I explained.
"Understood. Inform your team of the situation, we should arrive soon," Heckt suggested. I did so, the team understanding their roles and I ran a final check on my weapons.
"We're here. Move quickly, it may be a blind spot but only until a patrol flies by," the shuttle pilot warned.
"You all know the plan, let's try to stay safe, alright?" I remarked as I stood up, the shuttle doors beginning to open.
"Bah, no one joins the Resistance to stay safe, Pathfinder," Skaelv retorted with a slight chuckle. The shuttle doors finished opening and in pairs, we jumped out, the fall was only a few meters but the LZ was hardly suitable for a pair of shuttles to land. Besides, the jump jets soften the fall.
"Good luck down there, radio when ready for exfil," the pilot reminded, the pair of shuttles taking off to wait nearby as everyone was now on the ground. The LZ was a small outcropping, like a small box canyon. Only thing it needs now is two bases filled with squads of lovable idiots "fighting" each other. We were facing the Kett facility and the blue wall of energy it was generating to keep out intruders and keep in any escapees.
"Well, you were right that it would be a bit warmer. Hardly as warm as I'd like," I muttered, slightly shivering as Vetra groaned about the cold once more.
"Intel says there's a system node to hack into on our side of the shield, should be over there, on the right side," Skaelv called out. We searched along the shield, finding a small console just barely buried beneath the snow.
"Found it! Do your thing SAM," I ordered, linking the console with my Omni-tool.
"Stand by…" SAM began as we waited for the program to work. A few seconds passed as the whole team began to glance amongst themselves. "Continue to stand by…"
"Please don't embarrass me in front of my new friends," I muttered. Vetra was the only one to hear or at least react, letting out a snort. Fortunately, the shield began to part, forming a small hole, big enough for Drack to use as well.
"Task complete," SAM stated the obvious, as machines must do, I suppose.
"Stars above, he did it!" Skaelv muttered. "Think this SAM could teach me a few tricks?"
"According to my analysis of your program, it is at the highest efficiency that an organic can achieve with the tools at your disposal. It is commendable, Skaelv Raaf," SAM remarked.
"Well… thank you," she replied, some surprise clear in her voice.
"I just hope you're as good with your gun as you are with tech. Wraiths, incoming," Drack warned, drawing his shotgun and scanning the area around us. Everyone else drew their weapons and formed a circle, our backs only to each other as we all searched for them.
"I didn't hear them, you sure?" Heckt questioned.
"Krogan can hear a lot better than all other species we've encountered. I heard their growls clear as day," Drack explained. I glanced at one of the base's large vents that we'd be entering from to see the air shifting slightly.
"In the vents!" I called out as I launched a shockwave towards them. It must have been too slow as I saw a pair of ripples split and drop down onto the rocks.
"I see them, take them down!" Heckt ordered. Before he even began speaking anyone who saw them, thanks to having their focus drawn towards them opened fire. With a total of eleven well-armed men and women trying to take down a mere two Wraiths, their corpses quickly decloaked, riddled with bullets.
"Any chance that would have alerted the Kett?" Cora asked.
"Negative, not in our experience. Nothing more than keeping in any possible escapees," Heckt answered. "Come on, on me, into the complex." He led us into the same vent that the Wraiths came through. "Cut off by some metal bars. Velrad, take care of it."
"Ha! Don't bother wasting it, this just needs a Krogan touch," Drack rumbled with low laughter, striding forward and grabbed hold of the bar just above his own head. In a flash, he tore it from its housing as if it was made of paper, then sticking out his arm and slamming it down to break a few more in half, and using his powerful legs to stomp on the last two closest to the ground. "After you," he laughed, taking pleasure in the surprise of the Angara. If only we could see their faces, but I don't think anyone is going to be removing their helmets here. Slowly, Heckt and the others picked up the pace once more, leading us through the vents.
"Hold, room up ahead, Kett on patrol, looks like all Chosen, might be others," Heckt whispered. "Snipers, line up shots, the rest of you, get ready. Wait for snipers to pick and kill a target before jumping out. Spread out, some make for the higher ground, some the lower," he ordered. Jaal and I both pulled the snipers from our backs and got on a knee against the walls. Owwin too pulled out a rifle of clearly Angaran make himself, a long barrel and large scope, a green light along the barrel. Given our encounters with the Roekaar, I knew this was an Isharay.
"I got the one on the far side of the room, by the door," I whispered.
"And I the one straight ahead," Jaal informed. Owwin inched forward slowly to gain a line of sight on one of the Kett.
"Two Wraiths down in the lower room, I got the chosen patrolling the center of the room, ready on your mark," he whispered.
"On three. One, two, three," I quietly called out, pulling the trigger on my Chosen, his head exploding, Jaal too shot his at the same time, half of his head evaporated, the other half sizzling. Owwin was less than a second off the mark, but was the victim of pure old bad luck. The Kett was already moving his head, and the sound of gunfire made him move just slightly enough that the round missed his head by millimeters, instead impacting and burning a hole through a low barrier.
"Skkut," he growled as the others jumped down, the gunfire as their cue to engage the Kett. Looking down, I noticed that Skaelv had performed a well-timed roll with her impact, the whole team taking a Destined we hadn't seen in the room by surprise. She quickly pulled a knife from her belt and threw it at the Destined, the knife burying itself into his face up to the hilt, killing him. Large objects such as the knife are ignored by kinetic shields after all. She also drew the pistol from her thigh and aimed it at the Chosen Owwin had missed, the Angara pistol letting out a powerful round that burned itself through the Kett's bony skull.
"Well… shit," Liam muttered aloud.
"Ha, what's the matter aliens? Can't keep up?" she teased. Vetra opened fire on a ripple in the air just to her side, killing a Wraith just ready to pounce, saving Skaelv.
"Heheh, you guys are great," Vetra laughed. Peebee also seemed to find an opportunity to enjoy herself by pulling the still cloaked final Wraith into the air, keeping the biotics focused to leave it there, struggling and snarling harmlessly.
"SKKUTTING STARS AND STORMS HOW ARE YOU DOING THAT?!" Skaelv called out as the other Angara, aside from Jaal stared in awe.
"I suppose these are those biotics Evfra told us about," Heckt muttered.
"They might be," Peebee smirked. She decided to emphasize her point by using her other hand to throw a warp at the Wraith, the combined and opposite polarities of dark energy reacting violently, tearing the beast apart, atom by atom, leaving nothing but a few charred bones and ash left.
"I want to do that…" Velrad muttered.
"You and me both," Liam laughed. We kept our weapons out but relaxed our stances as Jaal, Owwin and I re-joined the others down below.
"I've stared at these places so many times, never thought we'd ever get inside," Owwin muttered.
"Well we are now, let's make it count. Look, these tables. Our people's things, abandoned. And here, next to where we dropped down, it's a holo of the Archon. Let's look around before moving on," Heckt ordered.
"I am Archon. I choose you for new Dignity," the hologram spoke.
"Choose? The basic Kett is a Chosen. Could this also serve as a training facility?" I questioned.
"Possibly. I dread to think of why they'd need live Angara in a training facility," Heckt muttered. Live targets? Shit.
"Your true life, begins now," The hologram continued. I took a moment to study the Archon, I had only seen his face when we were ambushed by him. The bones on his head formed a hoop towards the back.
"Hey Liam, are you by any chance getting a sudden urge to play some basketball?" I asked aloud so he could hear me. Liam was looking around the tables at the Angaran items left behind. He looked over to see why I asked that, eyes locking onto the Archon's hoop.
"Ha! You know what? I think I am," he laughed.
"What do games have to do with any of this?" Heckt asked, confused.
"Old human game from back on Earth. You take a ball, and try to throw it into a hoop. If you can jump high enough, sometimes you grab onto the hoop and slam the ball into it. We call it a slam dunk. Which is exactly what I want to do to this asshat," I explained.
"Heh, I say we use his head as one of these hoops for a game when we kill him," Skaelv laughed.
"You know, I don't think I can come up with a better way for our species to bond than a friendly game of basketball using a mutual enemy's head as a hoop," I joked, earning laughs from the others.
"Heckt, these aren't just Angaran items, random supplies. These are personal things. Things no one would just leave behind," Velrad called out. Heckt turned to investigate, coming to the same conclusion.
"Not a good sign," Vetra muttered.
"Agreed," Jaal remarked.
"Pathfinder, I cannot access the facilities systems from the shield, they run on separate, closed systems. I require a new access point," SAM informed.
"On it. I'll call you over when I find one," Skaelv stated, searching around the room for an access point.
"If this is a training facility, and this holo seems to be welcoming the new recruits, why are Angaran supplies in this room? Why would they even be here in the first place?" Peebee questioned.
"No idea why they would be in this room. As for why they're here? Live targets, studying us, interrogation maybe. But we've liberated facilities that do the same thing elsewhere, less security. Why does these facilities have such high levels of security for training and any of the other possibilities? It doesn't make sense," Heckt answered.
"Pathfinder, up here!" Skaelv waved to me. She was on the level just above us, so I used my jump-jets and a touch of biotics to reach her, interfacing with the console she picked out and giving SAM access.
"I am in the system. Working on gaining control of systems. I suggest moving on with the operation. The direct route, for the distraction team is below. Your route, Pathfinder, is just along the catwalk," SAM explained. Heckt let out a sigh:
"We won't learn anything else scrounging around here. Drack, Harper, Kosta, with my team," Heckt ordered. Given I had already explained this to them, they moved without issue, though Drack did mutter something about how Heckt better not think he can push him around. "I doubt the Kett are still unaware of our presence with that little skirmish. Form up, be ready for anything. Good luck Pathfinder," Heckt ordered, before the door opened to admit his team.
"Abandon your fear. You have no use for it anymore," the hologram stated. It sent a chill up my spine. I shook it off and led my team through the other door.
"Pathfinder, Commander Heckt, the same program used to breach the shields can also overload the facilities main reactor, destroying the facility. However, the pulse is lethal to Angaran physiology. Granted, all the Angara within range of the pulse would die within the facilities own destruction," SAM explained.
"Work on finding the Moshae and a way to release all prisoners first. The facility will not be destroyed so long as a single Angara can still be saved," Heckt ordered.
"Agreed, SAM. Is there a way the Kett can force you out?" I asked.
"A full system reset would achieve that goal. However, I would have enough time to begin the overload before the reset. As a back-up, I have also accessed schematics for the facility, and located several structural weak-points along the known path of the distraction team. Transmitting…"
"Then we have a Plan A, and B, good," Heckt remarked.
"Are we sure about destroying this place when we're done?" Vetra muttered.
"It pains me to say it, but yes. Evfra believes that our operation will lead to a full overhaul of this facilities, and any others security, meaning we won't be able to break into them like this ever again. And I agree with him. Yet he was still Adamant that the base would not be destroyed so long as a single Angara can still be saved," Heckt explained. The door I led my team through admitted us into a smaller, rectangular room filled with vents on the walls and a viewport into the next room. Once the last of us entered, the door shut, and given that the interface now glowed red, was likely locked, as was the next door.
"SAM what is this?" I asked, as a gas began to seep out of the vents and into the room.
"A decontamination protocol, it is not harmful to any of your physiologies. The door is locked by several firewalls and will not open until the cycle is complete. I will work on a means to bypass it," SAM explained.
"Trapped. Fantastic," Peebee muttered.
"Shoot the window?" Vetra suggested.
"It is both an energy barrier and a material I am unfamiliar with. Small arms will not have an effect," SAM answered.
"Why would they need decontamination?" I questioned.
"Sick? Or perhaps they get sick easily?" Jaal theorized.
"Then why wouldn't they wear environmental suits everywhere like the Quarians?" Vetra responded.
"None of this makes any sense," I muttered as the cycle finished and the door unlocked. We opened it into a hallway as a voice came through my comms.
"Pathfinder, come in," Skaelv whispered.
"We read you," I answered.
"We're still undetected but we can see some of our people."
"Can you get to them?" Jaal asked.
"Negative, they're surrounded by Kett. But they seem… calm," she remarked, clearly confused. "What of your own progress?"
"No sign of any Angara in here, maybe a Kett only area," I answered.
"Understood. Discussing our next move. We'll be in contact. Skaelv out."
"Door on the right, seems unlocked. Check it out?" Peebee whispered. I nodded and slowly led the team over.
"The hell? It looks like a classroom," I muttered. Six desks, neatly lined up, chairs and data pads with each all facing the front of the room. At the front was a small platform, like a stage or pedestal with a weird looking pod stood up at the back, as if it was the subject of study
"I believe the object at the front of the room is a kind of stasis pod, Pathfinder," SAM informed.
"For transport? Maybe they are sending Angara back deeper into Kett space," Vetra theorized.
"Look, this data pad has several questions on it. And a quote where you need to 'explain your reasoning.' Definitely a classroom," Peebee pointed out.
"And this one. The Chosen Beasts of Heleus. It's about the Wraiths. The translation appears broken, imprecise, but something about the Challyrlion being… something, for exaltation. They built a facility to harmonize it with Kett genetics. Did they take its genetics to modify a creature the Kett already had? Are they doing the same with Angara?" Jaal theorized.
"The Angara do have a powerful Bio-electric field, right? Think they're trying to give themselves the same?" Vetra pointed out.
"And what happens once they have the genetic code?" Jaal asked. Something about this was giving me a very bad feeling. I couldn't explain it but it just felt wrong. It was as if some deep, primal fear, instinctually within was being triggered by whatever this exaltation could be. Whatever it is, I hope these Kett Reap what they sow… I shook my head to clear it:
"Come on, there's nothing left in here but more questions. Move on," I ordered. They nodded and moved with me, all eager to leave the room. We traveled back down the hallway, adjacent to where we entered when I saw a Wraith curled up on the ground as if it was sleeping, it's chest barely rising and falling as it breathed. I held up a hand to stop the others and pulled the Black Widow from my back, folding up and placing the Sweeper back onto the mag-locks. I took aim and fired, the bullet pulverizing the bone and obliterating its brain, leaving it dead.
"May have been guarding something important. Let's check it out," Jaal suggested. I agreed and led my team towards the room it was sleeping near. It was like a crew quarters. Tables and chairs in the middle, a trio of cubicles with a private desk, chair and bed in each.
"A commune, but Angaran supplies. And it's not a jail cell. Why…" Jaal muttered.
"Wanna trash the place?" I suggested.
"Whatever that means, it doesn't sound violent enough," he growled. There were more data pads in the room, but I couldn't make sense of them. Sure, most of it was translated, but some key words weren't, and with Kett word choice, nearly impossible to interpret for someone lacking intel.
"Only one other door to try, right near the Decon room," Peebee remarked. We traveled back down the dimly lit hallway to the final door, readying our weapons. It seemed to be a kind of control room, no Kett had heard us enter. In the center was a large round disc, perhaps a holo-communicator.
"Strike fast and hard. Kill them quickly enough, may not be an alarm sounded," I whispered the order.
"I'll cloak, take down someone on the right," Jaal suggested.
"Good idea, I'll do the same with someone on the left. Once we strike, Peebee I want you to pull the Chosen there in the middle into the air and detonate him with a throw, you two charge in and mop up," I ordered. Jaal and I both cloaked and inched through the room. I slowly stepped up the stairs on the left, hoping my armor wouldn't make any noise and spotted my prey. A Chosen leaning back against a small crate, his arms crossed over his chest tapping his foot on the ground impatiently. True, I may have a Cryo-gauntlet now, and an Omni-blade on my other arm, but either makes noise when activated. Fortunately, Combat knives are standard issue, and the one my dad kept with his armor? Just a bit higher quality than standard issue. Quietly and slowly, I unsheathed the knife with my left hand and grabbed the Scorpion from my thigh with my right, not unfolding it just yet. I stood behind the crate with the Chosen leaning against it and prepared to grab him with my right arm and slit his throat with my knife in one swift motion.
Thanks to being fully armored, the only way for someone to hear what we say was for them to be linked on our comms unless we activated our armor's speakers. Cloaking automatically deactivates the speakers.
"Ready Jaal?" I questioned, instinct keeping my voice at a whisper, regardless that it was unnecessary.
"In position," he confirmed. I gave another small countdown before wrapping my right arm across the Chosen's chest and pulling him back over the crate so he was face down on the ground in front of me. I followed the swift motion by slicing my combat knife across his throat, a pool of green blood forming as all his attempts to breath simply resulted in the air escaping from the new hole in his throat and choking on his own blood. The rapid flurry of movement was too much for the cloak and the safeties kicked in, deactivating it as Jaal and I both reappeared on top of the now dead Kett. Following their cue, The Chosen in the center of the room found itself lifted into the air, crying out in surprise as his feet left the ground before a blue ball of biotic energy impacted him and he was gone. The reason I had unholstered my Scorpion as well was because I had noticed a Destined working on a console in front of the room's large window and I needed to act fast before he vanished. As his attention was drawn from the biotic Detonation I opened fire, launching the small explosives towards him.
Given that the rounds used mass effect fields to hold the explosives together, the field surrounding the Destined for his kinetic barriers made the rounds collapse, but still drained the shields significantly. The third round stuck to his armor and the fourth one, the final one in the clip stuck to his forehead. He tried to pull them off, but the one on his chest detonated first, blowing off the arm and leaving a gaping hole in his armor with a significant "crater" in his chest, his shredded lungs visible and his heart beginning to shrivel up from the explosion. He was already doomed to a painful death, but the one on his forehead ended it quickly, leaving a fountain of green blood spurting as the heart came to a complete stop. The room was clear.
"Pathfinder, I am detecting a signal from the room to your left, a communication, I believe. It may shed more light on this facility," SAM informed. I stepped up the stairs first, as I was the closest waiting for the team to join me. Another hologram of the Archon stood in the center of the room, several other terminals awaiting use. "Activating message…"
"Keep this place sacred, and I will embrace you. You are elite among Kett. All at home envy your sacred position," the message spoke calmly.
"What a damn ego," Vetra muttered.
"It's revolting," Jaal growled.
"Heh, he's clearly compensating for something," Vetra chuckled.
"Ha! Your right! Look how tiny his crotch piece is! There's nothing there! Like Asari armor but with less exaggerated camel toe!" Peebee laughed. Wait, she called it Camel toe? Must be that the phrase is just translated.
"Huh, well I think I know what I'm going to say the next time I see him. Mine's bigger," I joked. It earned a laugh from the two women and a smirk even crossed Jaal's face at our insults to his people's greatest enemy.
"Please, we won't find the Moshae speaking of our… endowments. Let's move," Jaal suggested. The rest of us finished our chuckles as we returned to the control room.
"Pathfinder, the window looks out at a courtyard, several Kett and Angara are gathered out there. Reducing the opacity," SAM informed. The window, which was, at the time, closer to a milky white, became clear. The far end of the courtyard housed a large statue of the Archon, holding a kind of spiritual looking pose. What if this is some kind of temple? Around the statue was a railing, like you'd see at an assembly line with the same pods we saw in the classroom lined up across it. The courtyard was filled with many Chosen watching, and a trio of Destined flanking… Angara? As if they were an honor guard at some kind of ceremony? While from our angle the four Angara stood horizontally, looking towards the statue, the Chosen and Destined stood to the side vertically, looking on. Not a single weapon in sight. On a pedestal before them was an Ascended, no orb, no shield. Wearing purple robes compared to the common Kett green. "Playing audio," SAM informed. Four of the pods opened.
"Fortunate welcome! Step forward," the Kett greeted. A friendly greeting? The hell? Where most Kett voices sounded deep and masculine, hell, this one still sounded deep, the voice of this Kett was higher in pitch, maybe even a bit feminine? A priest? I was shocked to see the four Angara calmly step forward, just as they were ordered. Not even looking amongst themselves. "I am humbled before you, you who are the Chosen. Chosen by the Archon. Chosen to be Exalted," the Kett continued. The Kett crossed its arms over its chest, outwards a bit in a kind of salute. The Chosen? Is she talking to the Kett or the Angara? The fuck is going on here? All Kett in the courtyard copied the salute, and repeated the same ending phrase.
"Chosen to be Exalted!" The Angara continued walking forward closer and closer into the pods, finally entering them as they closed.
"What the fuck…" I muttered.
"Why… Why aren't they resisting?" Jaal questioned nervously. Again, that same feeling of dread, of an ancient, primordial fear took hold.
"This is some kind of crazy cult shit," Peebee muttered.
"It's like a trance," Vetra theorized.
"I know the Moshae, she's not down there. And…" he pulled out his rifle and searched the other pods through his scope. "Not in the other pods. Maybe in one we can't see."
"Then we need a way to figure out which one," I stated. Our comms came to life with Velrad's voice.
"Pathfinder? You know that distraction we talked about?" he asked. The moment he finished, an explosion rocked the base and staggered both us and many of the Kett in the courtyard. "You just got it," he laughed.
"Ha! I like you guys," Drack roared with laughter over the comms. Alarms started to blare across the base and a holo of the Archon appeared behind the purple Ascended. SAM began to play the audio for us again.
"Archon," the Kett greeted, getting down onto a knee.
"Cardinal, explain," he demanded. All Kett in the courtyard too bended the knee at his virtual presence.
"We've been breached! I will defend the temple-" the 'Cardinal' began to explain. So, it is a temple? The Archon raised a dual fingered, single thumbed hand.
"Wait, is the Moshae among these?" he questioned. He asked for her specifically? They must view her as an important target.
"No. It awaits final exaltation," the Cardinal answered.
"Then proceed immediately and bring it to me. If necessary, Exaltation will be performed on the Verrikan," he ordered, as he cut communications. The Cardinal and the rest of the Kett stood, heading to their various destinations.
"Scott, the Verrikan is the Archon's flagship, if the Moshae is sent there we will never get her back. And Final exaltation? What's final? What are they doing to us? Scott, please, we MUST save them all," Jaal pleaded, fear and panic setting in. I grabbed him by the shoulders gently yet firmly.
"Jaal, I promise you, not only will we save the Moshae, but we will do our damndest to save every last one of the Angara here. That was already part of the plan. But you also know that if we can't anymore, if the Kett lock us out of the systems we won't be able to get anymore and that reactor is going up in flames. I don't want a single Angara to fall victim to that detonation. But whatever this exaltation is, if the Kett do lock us out before the last one can be recovered, it might just be a fate worse than death," I warned.
"I… I know. I know we planned to save as many as we could just… There are so many questions. So many unknowns to what they're doing to us… Thank you," he let out a deep breath to calm himself.
"Don't thank me just yet. Come on, the more time we waste is the more time the Kett have to regain control of their systems," I reminded, urging them on to our destination. We ran through another hallway attempting to find a pod storage bay as we heard gunfire in the courtyard. I saw the other team fighting their way through almost a dozen Kett who had remained to guard the courtyard, Heckt directing the attacks of the others and Drack doing what Krogan do. It wasn't lost on me that the first Chosen he got a hold of, he ripped both arms from their sockets, the screams of the Chosen heard even from up here. He should have let the Wookie win.
"Never change, you crazy old man," Vetra muttered to herself as we continued our run.
"Pathfinder, we've contacted Commander Do Xeel of the Resistance HQ, more fighters are on their way to help with rescue efforts and demolition," he informed.
"Tell them to send some hackers too, help keep SAM in the Kett systems as long as possible," I suggested.
"Already done, we're getting a dozen of Voeld's greatest hackers, and we already have Skaelv," he reminded.
"Good, the Kett leader here has been ordered to bring the Moshae to the Archon, we're trying to find them both now," I informed.
"Acknowledged, need backup?"
"Negative, can't risk getting slowed down. Ryder out," I ended the call as I continued running. We entered the first door we came across surprising a Chosen and the Wraith he had at his side. We opened fire quickly, killing both before either could attack us, but no doubt drawing the attention of any other Kett in the room. It was a long hallway with another hallway running alongside this one yet raised up above the room's entrance. We jumped up there to push the assault as an Anointed charged and fired his gun and blue mist started to rise from below, a Destined was near.
"Pods at the end of the room," Peebee called out.
"Going behind the wall, may be another entrance," Jaal suggested as I drained the Anointed's shields, allowing Peebee to pluck him into the air and detonate him.
"Then mop up and go straight there," I ordered. Another Anointed at the far side of the room began to charge up his own main gun and I ordered Jaal to bet ready to blow his head off as I prepared another shield drain.
"Scott, we've passed the main room, continuing the attack," Cora called out over comms. This place is like some kind of… church. We found some prisoners, yet they refused to evacuate, as if they were in some kind of trance. We had to leave them behind for the rescue team."
"Understood, we saw the same earlier, no idea what the fuck is going on here," I muttered. I drained the Anointed's shields and his head was subsequently melted by Jaal's rifle and we continued the push, they were clearly not ready for us in here. As I ran a Chosen jumped up onto the ledge beside me, but he was prepared, and I wasn't. He moved to slam his fist into my face and just barely, like it was the matrix or some shit I managed to avoid it, but his other hand followed up and knocked my Sweeper out of my hands, skidding it across the floor as the others had already began opening fire on the Anointed ahead. He continued to attempt another follow up but I managed to deflect his punch and instead shoved him back against a crate as I moved to stab him with my Omni-blade, only for his head to explode.
"You're welcome," Peebee called out, once more taking aim on the Anointed with her Sidewinder. I used my biotics to pull my Sweeper back to me, keeping myself out of the Anointed's line of fire. Under our combined fire, the Anointed didn't last long and we continued running for the end of the room.
"There, this vent follows the pods," Jaal called out. On the other side of the room and a small jump was another vent like how we entered the facility, also blocked by grates.
"Ah fuck it," I muttered, and launched a shockwave towards them. Fortunately, it worked, the grates crumbling under the force and clearing a path. In the next chamber, I could see a few pods, a good place to start. Upon entrance, I looked up and just… stopped.
"Storms… How many…?" Jaal muttered. Looking up, there was a whole tower above us lined with pod after pod.
"Damn," Vetra whispered.
"There is a console near the center of the room. It should provide a directory of all the pods," SAM informed.
"Well, at least we don't need to scan them all," I remarked as I found the console and interfaced with SAM.
"This will take a moment. Cross referencing in an alien language, in alien technology, with Angaran databases, which are alien," SAM explained. He paused a moment longer. "She was here, but her pod was just pulled moments ago. I have the destination. Marking the route on your armor's HUD." The team muttered several profanities at our shitty luck as a flashing holographic line appeared in our visors.
"Pathfinder, Skaelv here. Reinforcements have arrived, doubling pack to rendezvous to lead them to prisoners and detonation points. Do you have a lead on the Moshae?" she asked.
"Affirmative, en route to her location now, she should still be alive," I explained.
"Excellent news, Skaelv out." We continued down the path, another vent area, another shockwave to knock down the grates, and through another door into a Decon room.
"Get down!" I whispered as the next room was filled with Kett, and another pod. "SAM, how's that bypass coming along?" I questioned.
"Still working on it. My runtimes have been divided through both the systems and the two teams," he explained. As the Stasis pod, likely holding an Angara began to descend, two destined ceremoniously handed two objects to an Ascended standing in the center of the room, a kind of… chanting, perhaps, filling our ears. The Ascended clutched the objects around his chest as the Eezo in his armor allowed him to float into the air to meet the pod, the four of us watching in both confusion and a kind of morbid curiosity. The pod was floating in air as well, no doubt via Mass Effect fields as it opened in front of the Ascended, a naked Angaran male floating out of it as well. His eyes opened and he began to breath calmly as he was approached. Jaal's face shifted to fear as his arms followed the Ascended's out to the sides. The Ascended lifted his arms into the air before stabbing downwards, right into the Angara's shoulders. He cried out in pain as the Kett's thumbs pushed down on the objects, like a kind of syringe.
The Angara's face twisted and distorted in pain as he grunted and moaned as his veins turned dark black, across his body, his breathing growing faster and more labored. The syringes were removed as he threw his head back, his body growing even darker and darker as whatever was done to him spread throughout his body. His fingers and limbs twitched, a faint cracking noise reaching our ears, almost as if bone was breaking. Jaal placed his hand along the viewport in worry and horror. The Kett descended back to the ground as the Angara remained in the air, writhing in agony. His body was consumed in black as the twitching and convulsing grew ever more violent. And then it was over. He fell to the ground, on his hands and knees, slowly standing back up. I gasped, my mouth wide open, eyes wide in shock at what I saw. Vetra stood, simply staring. I could not see her expression through her helmet, but I doubted she could remove her eyes from the nightmare we just witnessed. Peebee doing the same. But Jaal? He had removed his helmet, almost as if he believed it was providing him a mirage. His helmet fell to the floor and his face was marred with absolute horror, terror and shock across all his features, his breathing had stopped entirely and seemingly each pigment of color from his whole body had drained to pasty white almost. The creature that stood where the Angara had just fallen…
Was Kett. We stood, half a second longer frozen in terror at what this means. Holy fuck. Holy fucking shit they're turning them INTO FUCKING KETT!? WHAT THE FUCK!? The door opened and Jaal was the first to react, running out, rifle in hand with absolute fury, yet still concern.
"Watch your fire! Don't kill the Angara!" he pleaded. The once Angara was handed a rifle by the Ascended as he ran out of the room, the new Kett opening fire on us.
"Jaal he's shooting at us!" Peebee called out, fear still gripping her voice.
"Jaal, I swear to you, these fucking bastards are going to get what they fucking deserve. YOU HEAR THAT YOU MOTHERFUCKERS? I"M GOING TO KILL ALL OF YOU FUCKING ANIMALS!" Vetra roared out as she stood, and turned off her weapon's safeties, focusing on the pair of Destined at the front.
"You… You MONSTERS! VILLAINS! DIE!" Jaal too roared out as he threw a grenade at a Destined, the explosive sticking to him center mass, dooming him to death.
"Goddess… I think… I think I'm going to vomit…" Peebee muttered, tearing off her helmet as she began dry-heaving. Honestly? I think I'm about to do the same. I shook my head clear.
"I'M GOING TO PUT YOU ASSHOLES DOWN!" I cried out, biotically charging the Destined like an idiot then stabbing him through the throat with my Omni-blade. I turned my rifle to shoot at the Kett closest to me, a pang of regret as I noticed it was the same on we just watched turn. The rounds struck him all center mass, but without armor, burned right through him, knocking him to the ground as he died. I'm sorry…
"DIE! DIE!" Jaal roared as he pulled the pistol from his belt and ran towards another Destined at the room. Pulling the trigger, slapping in a new power cell, shooting again to finish him off… He stood there, holding his smoking pistol out as he breathed.
"I think we're clear. The fuck was that…" I muttered. Jaal had lowered his weapon and turned to search for the former Angara.
"As if I needed another reason to hate the Kett… you alright Peebee?" she too muttered. Peebee walked up with her helmet back on, but simply shook her head no. She was at a loss for words.
"I've seen some bad shit, checking out colonies after a Batarian raid, but this? This is straight up evil," I muttered, shock still gripping me. Jaal collapsed onto his knees over the body and began… crying. I walked over slowly to place a hand on his shoulder.
"They… are us…" he began. He let out a pained breath as his eyes closed tightly. Jaal sobbed, his shoulders shaking, face distorted by sorrow. "They are us… How many have I killed, not knowing? Scott, I did not know! I did not know…" he whispered.
"Jaal, I… I'm so sorry. What can I do?" I questioned, hand still on his shoulder as I too got on a knee.
"What can you do? You know what you can do?" he replied, standing up, staring at me, with absolute fury and hatred in his eyes. I stared back, in shock, assuming this fury was being directed at me. He did not speak, just staring at me.
"W-What?" I asked nervously.
"Singularity. Every. Last. One," he growled.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: BOOM! Heheheheh. Damn I had been waiting a long time to do this chapter. A long time indeed. Why? That last sentence, right there. Remember how Scott promised to Jaal he'd never use Singularity on any living thing ever again? Yeah, I planned ahead with that. I know that Exaltation is essentially the same thing as indoctrination/Huskification, but it still caught me off guard the first time I played, and as I'm obviously writing this as a story, have to read in a lot more and pretend I don't have that past experience of encountering it before. So yeah, there you go with the full feeling of horror, absolute terror and shock and everything you'd have felt too if you were in that room watching. ALSO, still got that Discord up, planning on running some Cards Against Humanity games every now and then and may try to work in a few other things here and there. Join with this handy little link right here! : /Nqm2ZqQ