Mass Effect: Event Horizon
A Mass Effect Fanfiction
By Drussius
Chapter Twenty-Six: Preparation
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Mivian Heights…
Neela shifted and sighed as the outside world started to seep back into her consciousness. The tactile emulators in her suit were transmitting warmth all along the front of her body, and the simulated sensation immediately brought a smile to her lips. Her arm was draped over the body of her bedmate, and when she opened her eyes, she saw that her visor was pressed to the back of the asari's neck. She didn't think either of them had moved for the entire duration they'd been asleep. Her arm tightened around Selura, pulling her a little more tightly against herself.
Neela was almost overwhelmed by how wonderful it was to have someone to show this sort of affection toward. While a part of her mind insisted that under normal circumstances, she would never have shared a bed with a prospective mate so quickly, their current situation was anything but normal. They could be killed by Reapers at any moment, and it seemed silly to deny their feelings and go through the dance of a normal courtship.
Besides… It's not like we're doing more than sleeping…
She felt herself blushing at the thought. She was lying in bed with her arms around someone she cared for deeply… how could her thoughts not turn toward more intimate ideas. She found herself wondering what it would be like if they could spend time in a clean facility, where they could risk direct contact. Aboard the Sileya, she had luxuriated in the feel of simple things, like soft sheets and cold steel against her skin. But such sensations were almost distracting. The tactile emulators in her suit could simulate them, but they were muted recreations of the real thing. Actual contact with her skin felt like it was magnified. She wondered what it would be like to have Selura pressed against her like this without the suit between them…
Keelah, stop! She reprimanded herself.
The heat inside of her suit was becoming stifling as her hormones rose to the bait of her imagination. She decided that for her own comfort, she needed to put some distance between herself and her girlfriend. She carefully started to withdraw her arm from around her bedmate... not only to keep from waking her, but also to avoid jostling her injured arm. Just as she was starting to get out of the bed, however, Selura stirred and groaned softly.
"Sorry… Go back to sleep," Neela whispered.
"Where are you going?" Selura murmured sleepily.
Neela didn't have a good answer for that. Or at least, not one that wouldn't embarrass her by highlighting the direction her thoughts had taken. To cover her embarrassment, she decided to change to a different subject. It was one that still had her feeling anxious, but for different reasons.
"Never mind that. I need to tell you something. I… I meant to tell you last night, but I wasn't sure how," Neela murmured, gathering her courage. "The Armanis was destroyed when I landed it at the F.O.B."
"I do not care," Selura surprised her with her answer and her smile. "When that Reaper landed, I was afraid I would never see you again. During the entire walk here, all I could do was worry about what would happen if you were flying back while that Reaper was headed the other way. I could care less what happened to the prototype. You are safe and here with me. That is the only thing that matters."
"You aren't angry?"
"After flying with you, I figured you would crash it sooner or later anyway," Selura grinned, but she took hold of Neela's hand, lifting it to place a soft kiss upon her knuckles.
Neela could feel herself blushing at that simple gesture. She would have given almost anything to have felt those lips against her bare hand, or perhaps against her cheek… She wrenched her mind away from that train of thought quickly, trying to think of something to say to cover her embarrassment. Fortunately, she was rescued by Prathus's voice.
"Good, you're awake."
Selura sat up, staring at the turian in the doorway with an expression that suggested she was mildly irritated by the interruption. "Is it time to go already?"
"Yeah," the turian muttered. "We need to get our gear together and be ready to move in fifteen," Prathus entered the room slowly, his expression betraying some measure of agitation.
"What's wrong?" Neela asked, picking up on his obvious discomfort.
"Dalinas just filled me in. The human commander from that base you were on is here, and he and T'Zari had an argument of some kind."
"Again?" Selura asked, shaking her head. "What happened this time?"
"Apparently, he kicked her out of the town. Sent her into the wilderness," the turian growled.
"What?" Neela stared at him incredulously, and then felt a bubbling anger quickly take over. "Where is that pompous, idiotic-"
"Calm down," Prathus cut her off. "She is on a mission for that human… Gradian. I'm not happy with the Alliance, but for now, there's nothing we can do about this human commander, and as I understand it, T'Zari wanted us all to get out of town anyway. It's the message T'Zari asked Dalinas to pass on to us that has me troubled…"
"What message?" Selura asked as she carefully climbed out of the bed.
"Apparently, T'Zari was concerned about the way the salarian was acting around the Alliance. She doesn't think he can be trusted. She wanted us to keep our guard up."
Neela was puzzled. The salarian had been fairly forthcoming regarding his motives and his demands when they'd spoken about this mission. She wondered what could have changed in the time they'd been sleeping… however long that was. She glanced at the time on her omni-tool, and her eyes widened. They had been asleep for almost nine hours!
"I thought we were leaving after just a few hours of sleep," she admitted. "Why have we been allowed to sleep for so long?"
Neela noticed that Selura was glancing at her omni, and seemed similarly surprised by the amount of time that had passed. However, her eyes were on Prathus who just shrugged.
"The mercs are busy with some sort of project, so they delayed their departure and let you two sleep. The salarian said this would be the better time to leave anyway, since the sun is just going down."
"Goddess," Selura muttered. "I cannot get used to the length of the days on this planet."
"I know," Neela agreed, and then turned to Prathus. "What project are they working on?"
"They're using that crate of salvage you brought, and some damaged equipment the Alliance troops came in with."
Neela was extremely curious about the nature of this project. She walked to the balcony and glanced over the rail into the room below, hoping to see them at work, but there was no sign of the group. She turned to ask Prathus where they had gone, but the turian seemed to anticipate the question. He gestured toward the door.
"Come on. Golash asked me to bring you both to the building they're using as a staging area," Prathus explained. "Time is running short."
"Golash?" Neela repeated. "I thought his name was Salik."
"It is," Prathus snorted. "Golash Salik. Surname first."
Neela smiled and shook her head. So Prathus was going to call the salarian by his last name too… She and Selura hurriedly gathered their few possessions and followed Prathus out of the library. There were a few Alliance soldiers in the lobby, but she didn't see many humans in the building. Once they were outside, however, she was astonished by the numbers. She hadn't expected so many of the Alliance troops to have survived the Reaper attack on the F.O.B., but there were dozens of them moving around outside, gathering beds and tables from the various buildings and lining them up in orderly rows in the street. There even seemed to be civilians among them, helping to gather supplies. She hoped to see Aida among them so that she could say goodbye before they left, but there was no sign of the asari.
"Where is Aida?" she asked.
"Dalinas set up an infirmary of sorts in the basement of the library building," Prathus replied. "She and the Alliance doctor that came in with the survivors are scouring the room clean and setting up additional beds and equipment."
"So the Alliance intends to stay here?" Selura asked. "Did they not learn their lesson from the F.O.B.? The Reapers will eventually come here and destroy this place."
Prathus shrugged and shook his head. "I don't have any answers for you. Maybe they're hoping that if they stay indoors and let the town look like it's abandoned, the Reapers won't bother. Or maybe they know something we don't. I wasn't there for the discussion."
"Maybe they are just idiots," Selura muttered.
"Maybe Illitha said as much, and that's why the human commander kicked her out," Neela suggested with a small sigh. "I'm rather glad we're leaving. But I think Aida should come with us."
"I suggested it," Prathus muttered. "She wants to stay and assist any wounded that come back from Alliance operations. And that salarian is still refusing to take anyone else with him."
Neela fell silent, brooding over the situation. It all seemed so stupid. The Reapers were a horrible danger to everyone on the planet. It seemed to her that they should all be working together, rather than fighting amongst themselves. The salarian had his own goals and refused to let anyone else compromise them. The Alliance kicked out a talented engineer for voicing an opinion. Their own group was splitting into three separate sections once again. Cerberus was apparently on the planet and working toward an unknown goal that didn't include other humans. Even the Alliance forces themselves were fractured into pieces and spread all over the planet. She was starting to feel like the people on Terra Nova were defeating themselves.
Prathus led them into a small building that looked like it had been someone's house. Indeed, when they walked inside, she saw personal items that had been left behind, including a picture of two young human boys, grinning together for the camera. She wondered if the kids were still alive, and sighed irritably at the thought. She'd awakened feeling like she was on top of the world, and in the space of a handful of minutes, now felt hope dwindling. Terra Nova was turning out to be a real test of her emotional fortitude.
"Excellent. Timely arrival," the salarian greeted them when they walked into the room. "Hope all necessary gear has been obtained and preparations for departure are complete…" Salik trailed off, his eyes upon Selura.
"We have everything," Prathus nodded. "What's the plan?"
Salik ignored the question and addressed the asari. "Expected your equipment to include armoring of some kind. That outfit includes no defensive plating or other protective gear. Your intention is to rely upon biotics for self-defense?"
"Uh… No," Selura sighed. "My biotics could not defend me from a stiff breeze."
"Unfortunate answer," Salik muttered. "Cerberus troops likely to kill you within minutes of commencement of hostilities. Could execute you here, if suicide is your motive. Death likely to be far more immediate and painless at my hands than as a result of Cerberus fire."
"How dare you-?" Neela started, but Selura grabbed her arm, prompting her to silence herself.
"I have no intention of getting myself killed," the asari answered on her own behalf. "But we have no armor, so I will have to keep my head down and exercise extreme care. I was not expecting to be standing in the thick of battle anyway. I thought my purpose on this team was to deal with the data search in the Prothean archive."
"Combat will be unavoidable. Stealth is intended as primary method of reaching proximity to destination, but confrontation is inevitable, given the close quarters of a Prothean ruin's interior. Once hostilities commence, your welfare will be in serious jeopardy."
"Why don't we talk to the Alliance?" the human mercenary, Zaeed, suggested. "Maybe someone in their ranks has armor to spare. Equipment belonging to someone who's injured or dead."
"Personal inclination is to leave her behind," Salik muttered, and his eyes went to Neela. "However, since her presence is necessary for the morale of more vital members of this squad, your suggestion seems appropriate. Speak to Alliance soldiers about armoring. Do so with alacrity. Departure has been delayed long enough."
Selura nodded and turned to leave. Neela watched her go, and the moment the asari was out of the room, she felt like the place got a little bit darker. She sighed and turned to address the salarian.
"Prathus says you've been using my salvage. For what?"
"Alliance troops returned with damaged equipment," Salik gestured toward a nearby table, where items of various types were arrayed, including one that looked like some kind of drone. "Have been using salvaged components to conduct repairs so that our confrontation with Cerberus will not be conducted without first gathering intel."
"Is that a drone?" Neela pointed to the item in question. It looked like a sphere that had been split down the middle and spread apart so that a camera and various sensors could be installed between the two halves.
"Affirmative," Salik nodded. "Alliance recon drone. Spent most of our repair time fixing it. Had to disassemble Alliance tracking software and beacons and replace them with transmitters and motion sensors attuned to STG frequencies. Also assembled a very rudimentary form of anti-detection technology. Should suffice for a high-altitude pass over the target area. Vital intelligence will be ascertained via this piece of equipment. Positions of entrenched Cerberus forces and access points to the Prothean ruins, for example."
"Hey quarian," the human mercenary spoke up in his gravelly voice, gesturing to the submachine gun at Neela's hip. "There are a few mods left over from the salvage you brought in. You should mod that thing for better utility."
"I didn't recognize the Alliance mods," Neela protested. "Seemed stupid to install options I know nothing about…"
"I can help," Prathus suggested. "I know a bit about weapons and the possible mods that are compatible with them."
Neela smiled and nodded, moving to a nearby table and setting her weapon down. Part of the training she had received before leaving the Flotilla had consisted of self-defense and survival courses, including the maintenance and use of firearms. Her people didn't want to send their young adults to their deaths, after all, so there was a lot of focus on defensive knowledge and skills. She listened as Prathus examined and told her about the half-dozen mods available, and she selected a few that sounded useful and would fit into the weapon at the same time. The problem with many mods was that their components overlapped, making it impossible to use them simultaneously.
"Departure will commence upon the return of the asari," Salik warned them as they worked. "Zaeed, Greck, select and stow your gear. Then empty the salvage crate and load the drone inside. Essential to protect our most important asset until time for deployment."
Neela really hoped that Illitha was wrong about their new salarian ally. He seemed to have a good head for tactical planning and technology, and she really didn't want to think about how bad things could get if he opted to betray them at some point. It was said that salarians never started a fight without guaranteeing victory in advance. It seemed like a bleak prospect in the case of a double-cross. It would suggest that the salarian already knew exactly when and how he planned to kill them and had prepared for any possible resistance they could offer. But his insistence on getting protective gear for Selura seemed to contradict the idea that he intended to betray them. Why would he make it harder to kill them if that was his goal?
She sighed. She had to assume that Illitha was mistaken. For now, she would give the salarian her trust. But she would also keep an eye on him. If he started to behave in a way that made her nervous, she would be the first to suggest that they part ways.
Grasslands South of Mivian Heights…
The wind whipped through the tall grass, surrounding the group with a constant hissing sound as the plants moved in the darkness around them. Zaeed remained crouched in position, his rifle at the ready, listening intently for any sound above the constant drone of the wind that might indicate their cover had been blown. Salik was kneeling beside him, seemingly oblivious to the growing fury of the wind, focused completely upon the video feed being relayed from their surveillance drone. The only thing Zaeed could see clearly was the faint blue glow of the salarian's visor, and the orange light of his omni-tool. He just hoped Cerberus wouldn't spot either one.
The trip from Mivian Heights to the dig site had been short and quiet. The site's position relative to the small town was just a few kilometers due south, which had allowed them to traverse the distance with ease. Given the delays involved in preparing their gear and allowing their temporary help to get a full night's sleep, they had departed just as the sun was setting, and were arriving at the perfect time for infiltration: in the darkness of the night.
Fortunately, long years of work as a mercenary had taught him the value of patience. He waited silently while his employer performed the recon they would need in order to formulate a plan of attack. He couldn't say the same for the others. The vorcha's soft growls and frequent sighs were obvious signs of impatience, and the same could be said for the soft whispers between the asari and the quarian. The only other person in the group he couldn't hear or see in some fashion was the turian, and he attributed that to the mandatory military service Prathus had undoubtedly served.
The veteran mercenary still wasn't entirely sold on their new help. He had briefly fought with the turian, so he had no qualms trusting in Prathus's expertise and experience, but the other two were a bit harder to accept. The quarian was a pilot, and Zaeed had seen firsthand that she didn't know weapons very well, which put her in the 'untrained' category. The asari was injured, apparently had about as much biotic ability as Zaeed did, and from the little he'd overheard, was a scientist. He was forced to classify her as a liability. Of greater concern to him was the apparent relationship between the two. He had the distinct feeling that if something happened to one of them, the other was extremely likely to do something stupid in response. He was fully prepared to shoot either one of them if it became necessary; he expected that one or both of the pair would eventually put the entire group in danger.
A soft hum from overhead alerted him to an incoming drone, distracting him from his brooding thoughts. He reflexively raised his rifle, unwilling to simply assume it belonged to them. There was every possibility that Cerberus would be using similar tech to help patrol their perimeter. Only when the object slowed and started to land in their midst did he lower his rifle. He was pretty sure an enemy drone wouldn't have done that. It slowly floated down into the crate in which they had been carrying it.
"How bad?" Zaeed questioned.
"Force and dispersion pattern was not unanticipated. The assistance of our new allies will be invaluable. Unlikely we could have overcome Cerberus defenses without them. Suggest we withdraw to the hills east of our position. Can examine aerial scans and discuss the next step in our infiltration."
"Right then," Zaeed nodded, raising his rifle and taking the lead for their walk to the hills.
The lack of moonlight on Terra Nova made navigation difficult. As had been the case throughout the journey to the dig site, they were forced to move slowly and listen for one another, so that no one would wander off course in the dark and get separated from the group; only about half of them had any form of night vision. Zaeed was in the lead, and while his helmet included a night vision suite so that he could see where he was going, he still had to activate his omni-tool from time to time to verify that they were headed in the correct direction. Without a moon to navigate by, it was too easy to drift off-course. He kept these instances extremely brief and as far apart as possible to minimize the risk of detection.
When the landscape started to rise, he altered course, skirting the hill. It seemed safest to put their camp on low ground between hills, so that there would be no direct line of sight between themselves and Cerberus. Given the fact that his employer didn't object, he had to assume that Salik had come to the same conclusion. Once he was sure they were fully concealed from the dig site, he hissed a command to halt.
"Excellent," Salik nodded, and his omni-tool flared to life.
Apparently at the salarian's command, the Alliance drone floated up out of the crate and settled on the ground. Then the equipment at its heart rotated slowly and the emitters oriented themselves upward. There was a mild flash, and a holographic projection appeared above it for the whole group to see.
Zaeed studied the projection. The dig site was in a mountainside, surrounded by a wide open space that had been plowed clear of trees and brush to allow the erection of prefab units for worker bunkhouses and office space. There were a couple of shuttles parked on one corner of the lot, with several prefabs adjacent to them. The tunnel into the mountainside was wide and deep, and surrounded by a number of automated turrets, together with an Atlas mech. Cerberus had deployed portable generators and kinetic barrier emitters that served as cover, as well as enough portable lighting units to keep the entire dig site well illuminated. He saw two other Atlas mechs on the scans, and signs of a roving patrol. Since the projection was a still image, they couldn't see the route the patrol used, but the figures were clearly visible in the scan.
"Three Atlases, multiple turrets, portable barriers, and significant illumination," Zaeed muttered. "This is gonna be a goddamn mess."
"Surprised there are not more Atlas mechs in operation," Salik commented. "Expected at least half a dozen. Additionally, lack of sentry drones surprising. Expected better preparations from Cerberus forces, given advancements in Cerberus technology. However, sentry positions are optimal. Impossible to get to the mine entrance without alerting at least one group in the process."
"What about your tactical cloak?" Zaeed suggested. "You might be able to walk in on your own and go straight to the archive."
"Unacceptable risk. Should Cerberus employ seismic sensing equipment or other form of counter-infiltration technology, I would become stranded in the middle of Cerberus forces without possible avenue of escape or rescue. Unwilling to believe that Cerberus has not employed some form of anti-espionage deterrents."
"Okay, then what's the plan?" Prathus asked, inspecting the holographic display.
"What are these?" Selura pointed to a pylon-like object in the middle of one of the sentry positions.
"No clue," Zaeed muttered.
"Portable mass effect field generators," Salik answered.
"How do you know that?" Prathus asked.
"Certainty is impossible," Salik shrugged. "Making an educated guess based upon position of those units. Notice that each pylon has been positioned at a point equidistant to all surrounding barricades. Seems likely that the objects have range allowing them to supply their effect to all surrounding units. Logical to assume that they either create a dome-like shield to cover the entire position, or offer instant reinforcement to damaged kinetic shielding in the area."
"Okay, so we should expect any Cerberus troopers in these areas to have a lot of kinetic shielding," Neela spoke up. "How are we supposed to get around that?"
"Those pylons will need power," Zaeed pointed out. "Look at the portable generators they have powering their lighting units and other tech. You can bet your ass there'll be a similar generator powering those pylons and the portable kinetic barricades."
"Right," Prathus nodded. "Take out the generators, and we deprive their guards of both cover and boosts to their shielding."
"But we have to get close enough to their positions to spot the generators and hit them," Selura sighed. "With those huge mechs patrolling, that will be difficult."
"Should just attack," the vorcha chimed in. "Hit, destroy one barricade. Run. Come back later for others."
"You're an idiot," Zaeed muttered. "If we hit one and run, they'll pull all their other forces inside the complex and cover the entrance. Then we'll never get in."
"Sick of insults from you, human!" the vorcha growled.
"Enough," Salik cut in before Zaeed could respond. "Massani is correct. Our assault must be quick and efficient. Essential that two possible occurrences be prevented. Primary setback to be avoided: Cannot allow Cerberus to fall back and entrench themselves in the mine entrance. Secondary disaster to avert: Allowing Cerberus to get shuttles airborne and escape with any data they have obtained to date."
"So we need to hit the shuttles first," Prathus gestured to their position on the hologram. "They are the closest position to the mine entrance. If we can get to the shuttles and disable them, we can then get to the entrance before Cerberus does."
"Reasonable plan, excepting lack of information about the interior of the mine and the Prothean ruins within," Salik responded. "Should Cerberus have a garrison of ten Atlas mechs and a hundred troops stationed within the complex, we would be trapping ourselves between exterior sentry forces and a large interior garrison."
"Could that drone get into the complex to get some scans of the inside?" Selura asked.
"Too large," Zaeed shook his head. "They'd spot it immediately, and then they'd know someone was out here."
"And we can't send someone in with the tactical cloak because of possible countermeasures," Neela said softly. "Too bad we can't cloak the drone."
"What?" Selura repeated.
"I said-"
"That we need to cloak the drone," Salik nodded. "While not possible to cloak a drone this size and fly it in undetected, your comment has triggered another idea. I have a substitute that should be infinitely more difficult to detect," the salarian added, reaching into a compartment in his armor and withdrawing a small portable holographic projector. Zaeed recognized it immediately. The Illusive Man had used one to communicate with him when he was hired on Omega. "This unit projects a hologram for use as a portable vidcomm display. Common with high-end groups such as STG."
"Brilliant!" Selura grinned at the salarian. "If we take this projector, reconfigure the holographic emitters to cloak the device with a holographic blanket similar to a simple tactical cloak, and install some rudimentary guidance software, we could send it in to map the interior and find out what we're dealing with. And avoid alerting Cerberus in the process."
"Modifications will take time and effort to effect," Salik nodded. "But delay would be justifiable given possible advantage offered by intel obtained through such an infiltration unit. And the projector's mass effect levitation system bypasses risks posed by seismic countermeasures. Impossible to detect footsteps when there are none to be detected."
"I can start the modifications right away," Selura suggested. "I have some amount of expertise with holographic advertising media systems. I have never been able to tinker with a tactical cloak before, but at least I have basic knowledge of holographic emitters."
"Then you can assist me while I make the necessary modifications," Salik suggested. "My expertise extends to the function of such military-grade hardware. But an additional hand and pair of eyes could help to expedite the process."
"What about the rest of us?" Zaeed asked.
"Possible Cerberus has not yet breached the Prothean ruins, as we previously had discussed," Salik answered. "The secondary benefit of an interior scan is determining the progress Cerberus has made toward their overall goal. Should they still be excavating, prudence would lie in waiting while they complete excavations, so that our time is not wasted finishing the work they started."
"So we set up a perimeter and organize a watch rotation," Zaeed guessed. "Because we might have to wait for a few days…"
"Precisely," Salik nodded. "Deploy the lighting units we brought along so that those without night vision will not be stumbling around in the darkness. Make certain the level of illumination is sufficiently moderated to avoid attracting notice. Also, continue to study the layout of Cerberus positions and personnel. While additional information regarding interior assets will help to refine our overall knowledge base, we have yet to establish even a basic tactical assault plan. Suggestions would be appreciated by the time work on the holographic projector drone is complete."
Zaeed nodded and set off to scout out the surrounding hilltops and valleys. He wanted to be sure he was aware of any possible cover points or ambush sites in the area, given the fact that there was a small stand of trees scattered over the hills. He didn't think Cerberus would send roving patrols so far out from the dig site, but it was better to be prepared than to be caught unawares. And while he was scouting the area, he started mentally reviewing what he had seen on the scans. Not only did he need to figure out how to get them into the Prothean ruin, he also needed to figure out how to take prisoners in the process. There were questions to which he still needed answers. Starting with the Illusive Man's location…
Approaching Southern Scott…
Illitha struggled to push her barrier outward without allowing it to collapse. The strain involved in extending her barrier without the integrity of the field collapsing was far greater than maintaining a personal barrier, and while she was making progress, it was a difficult skill to learn. She watched as the faint field of her barrier expanded and flickered, actually achieving a full spherical shape before it collapsed and the energy flowed outward, briefly flattening the surrounding grass.
She knew she should stop working to perfect the biotic technique, because she was exhausting herself. Her knees were shaking, and there was over a kilometer remaining in the trip to the city. She hurried to catch up with the Alliance soldiers Gradian had chosen for his team, apologizing once again for falling behind, just as she had at least a hundred times before over the course of the walk.
The Alliance team consisted of four soldiers, none of whom Illitha was very familiar with. The only one she had even recognized when they approached, in fact, was the young blonde woman, Private Second-Class Sanders. With her had been a thin, dark-skinned man with a neat crew-cut that introduced himself as Private First-Class Parker. The third man in the group was a short, slender man with a physique that could only be described as 'cut', who identified himself as Private First-Class Gerbeck. And the commanding officer for the group was a tall and lean fellow with a neatly-trimmed goatee and a deep scar running down the left side of his face called Corporal Roland.
Introductions had been extremely brief, but Illitha got the impression that most of the soldiers were less than thrilled by her presence on the team. The corporal had insisted that they move out immediately, and had urged her to "try to keep up". Of course, that statement was the reason behind her frequent apologies for lagging behind.
In total, the walk through the wilderness to reach Scott was an eleven kilometer journey, and they'd covered most of the distance in the dark. The Alliance soldiers had been kind enough to give her a visor that enabled night vision, for which she was grateful, though it was a little odd to see the world in shades of green and black. Even if they hadn't provided her with the means to see in the darkness, however, they would have been kept on-course by the lurid orange glow to the northwest. It seemed like most of the horizon was on fire.
After Illitha rejoined the group, Private Sanders fell back to walk beside her, glancing over curiously.
"What is it that you keep doing back there?"
"I… I am trying to teach m-myself a new biotic technique," Illitha sighed.
"What kind of technique? I thought you girls learned all that stuff in grade school."
"I want to… I… I need to learn to extend my barrier to form a… a sphere. So I can protect others with it."
"You mean you can't all do that?"
"O-Of course not," Illitha stared at her. "Do humans really think we c-can all perform all manner of biotic feats?"
"I dunno," the girl shrugged. "I never had the chance to actually meet an asari before. I just know that you're all biotics… And I've seen a few asari action vids."
"We all have biotic talent," Illitha nodded. "B-But not all of us choose to develop it."
"What? Seriously?" the girl looked at her as if she were crazy. "Why wouldn't you? If I could make people float around and freeze them and fall like a feather and all of that, it's all I'd ever practice."
"It is tiring and difficult," Illitha admitted. "N-Not all of us want to… to go through all the effort. Especially if… if we are just regular people and might never use it. My friend Selura chose never to pursue hers."
"Is that how she broke her arm?"
"N-No. That… It happened because she was standing under a Reaper fighter drone when it exploded, as I understand it."
"Really? That must have taken some guts… to stand under one of those things, whether it's exploding or not."
"I… I suppose so," Illitha nodded.
"So you're an engineer," the girl shifted subjects, resting her rifle against her shoulder. "What made you decide to do that?"
"I… I do not know," Illitha lied. She wasn't really sure she wanted to discuss her family issues and the general lack of self-esteem that had plagued her childhood with a virtual stranger. "It just… seemed like a good way to see space without having to… to deal with a lot of people. I am not c-comfortable around strangers."
"Yeah," the girl nodded. "I could sorta see that."
"What made you d-decide to join the Alliance, Private Sanders?"
"You can call me Rachel if you want," Sanders suggested.
"Rachel?"
"It's my first name. As opposed to Private Sanders? Or you can just call me Sanders like the rest of my fellow grunts if you prefer."
"Rachel then," Illitha nodded.
"Why did I enlist?" the girl got back to the question at hand. "Well, I wish I could say there's some sort of lofty purpose behind my joining the military. But Earth is a hard place to live when you're poor. You generally have two choices if you wanna climb out of the slums: Join the Alliance, or join a gang. And I didn't want to join up with the assholes that made life in my neighborhood so hard."
Illitha nodded silently. She found it hard to imagine that the human home world could be so unpleasant for their people. Thessia was not absolutely perfect, but it was a very prosperous place for her people to live, filled with possibilities and opportunities. She wondered if she would have turned out more like her father wanted if she had been born in a world where she had to either fight to build a future for herself or remain uneducated, poor, and bereft of hope.
"But life in the Alliance, if it isn't perfect, is good. Great people, travel, discipline, regular meals, decent pay…" Rachel continued with a grin. "Training was rough, especially as a woman. We have to work extra hard to be as good as our male counterparts. While discrimination is technically illegal, no soldier wants someone at their back that can't hold their own. So it's important to make sure we're viewed as someone our fellow soldiers can depend on."
Illitha nodded again, glancing at the men walking ahead of them. Her people generally preferred to mate outside their species to gain new perspectives and traits for their people, and some of them additionally preferred to mate with males of other species for additional insight into foreign ways of life. But she personally did not see the appeal. She was more comfortable with the familiarity of the female shape. To her mind, if her people were meant to mate with males, their species would not have been mono-gendered.
"It must be hard to grow up in a society where half of your own population is so different from yourself," Illitha murmured. "I cannot imagine it."
"Funny," Rachel smiled. "I was thinking the same about your culture. It takes me back to how catty and passive-aggressive some of the girls I was friends with over the years could be, and it's hard to imagine the entire planet being that way. At least when dealing with guys, I can guess what's going through their heads most of the time."
Illitha smiled, amused by the different perspective the human girl had. The things that she found most comforting about her own culture were the very things that Rachel seemed to believe would be hard to deal with, and vice-versa. Though she would never have applied the term passive-aggressive to her people. Diplomacy and understanding were the general preference, rather than some sort of hostility veiled behind a mask of politeness.
"Hold up," a voice hissed from up ahead.
At the directive, Illitha watched Rachel's entire demeanor change. She brought her weapon up to a firing position and directed her gaze through the sights. Her posture became rigid, her expression stern and serious. She hardly even looked like the same person. Illitha crouched low, but she didn't draw the pistol they had given her or the submachine gun she'd brought from Neela's supply of weapons. She just scanned the surrounding terrain, listening for signs of danger.
"Listen up, people," Corporal Roland demanded. "Our destination is an area a few blocks north of the Walters Center, which is just west of the center of the city. Our last reports indicated that Reaper activity was heaviest in the southern portion of Scott, so we're going to circle around to the west, into the foothills between the city and the mountains."
"Sir, aren't wildfires raging through most of those mountains?" Sanders spoke up.
"According to unconfirmed reports from the civilians and that turian, yes," the corporal nodded.
"If Prathus said they are burning, then they are burning," Illitha was quick to support her friend's claims. "J-Just look at the horizon."
"Perhaps so. It certainly seems that way," the corporal added, glancing to the north. "But the foothills may be clear enough to move through. If they are, I'd prefer to go in from the west and bypass the southern end of the city entirely."
The other soldiers all nodded, and Illitha had to nod as well. They certainly couldn't fight through the main Reaper force with just five people.
"As we skirt the edge of the city, there's a good chance we may run into roving Reaper patrols. Stay frosty. If we run into enemy forces, we have to put them down quick and efficient. Any questions?"
"Wh-what are we looking for in the city… specifically?" Illitha asked.
"Didn't Lieutenant Gradian brief you?"
"He… he said he lost contact with a team in the city, and said their last report put them near the… the… that center you were talking about," Illitha blushed… she had forgotten the name of the place, even though it was mentioned just a few seconds before.
"Walters Center," Rachel filled in.
"Yes," Illitha nodded.
"The last report from Recon Team Bravo said they were tracking an anomalous signal in that area. We start where their last report left off. We get to the area in question, and you find that signal for us, if it's still running."
"Me?" Illitha's brows rose. "Why me?"
"You're the engineer," the corporal scowled. "Aren't you?"
"Uh… y-yes, but… my expertise is engines and starship systems…"
"And you've been trained in communications and hacking, I imagine," the corporal persisted. "Unless asari engineering programs are a hell of a lot more limited than ours, that is. I'm sure you'll find what we need."
Illitha nodded slowly. She hadn't expected to be the team's sole engineering expert. She had just assumed that Gradian would send someone with Alliance training in the engineering or communications field. She supposed she should have taken it as a vote of confidence regarding her abilities, but she found herself feeling rather intimidated instead. And in the back of her mind, she wondered what sort of expertise the others brought to the table if she was the tech expert.
The only one she could guess at was Private Parker, and that was solely because the man's only apparent weapon was a sniper rifle of a configuration with which she wasn't familiar. She wished she knew a little more about Alliance weaponry. The others were all outfitted with assault rifles and pistols.
"Any other questions?" the corporal demanded, distracting Illitha from her thoughts.
"No sir," the soldiers all answered. Illitha shook her head quickly when all eyes turned toward her.
"Good. Then move out. Gerbeck, take point. Sanders, you bring up the rear. And asari…"
"Illitha," the engineer supplied.
"Asari," the corporal repeated. "No more falling back to do… whatever you were doing. From this point forward the enemy position is danger close."
Illitha felt a brief surge of irritation that the corporal insisted on referring to her by her race instead of her name. She was a person, not a nameless member of another race. She imagined any one of the humans would be annoyed if she insisted on simply calling them all 'human'. However, rather than rise to the urge to say something, she swallowed her anger and nodded meekly. The humans rose to their feet and started moving northwest, and Illitha fell into line behind most of them. Only Rachel was behind her, as she had been appointed as the rear guard. Illitha wasn't sure what awaited them, but she knew that this was the most dangerous situation she'd yet been thrust into. The city was crawling with Reaper troops and there were multiple Reapers there as well. They would have to be extremely careful while navigating the streets of the city.
Mivian Heights…
Aida blinked to try to focus her vision, staring intently at her work while she picked bits of shrapnel out of an Alliance soldier's shoulder. While none of the incoming survivors of the F.O.B. had been critically injured, almost all of them had suffered an injury of some sort. And so, ever since she and the Alliance physician, Doctor Tillman, had finished setting up and sanitizing their infirmary, they had been hard at work patching up the wounded. The asari had seen more injured humans in the past twelve hours than she had imagined she would see in the span of her entire life.
Even the human commander, Captain Tarrislav, had come down to have a minor flesh wound looked at. Him, however, Aida had refused to treat, busying herself with other soldiers until her fellow doctor set herself to the task. The asari simply couldn't get past the fact that the man had exiled her best friend from the security of the Alliance base. There were a few dozen extremely unflattering things she wanted to say to him. She only held her tongue because she felt her work was important to the other humans, and to punish good men and women because of the misdeeds of one seemed unfair.
Carefully extracting the final piece of shrapnel from the soldier's wound, Aida firmly pressed a patch of gauze against the area, and then wrapped a strip of cloth around the man's torso to hold the gauze in place. She had to shake her head at the absurdity of it all. They were all space-faring species, and thanks to the loss of the Alliance supplies in the Mako, they were bandaging soldiers in such crude fashion. They should have had medigel to protect the wounds from infection.
"Try to take it easy," Aida recommended. "Keep the area as clean as possible and come back tomorrow so I can change the dressing."
"Sure thing, doc," the human nodded as he slid off of the table she was using as a gurney. "Thanks."
"You are welcome," Aida smiled wearily. She actually found it more than a little amusing that so many of the soldiers called her 'doc,' which she knew was short for 'doctor.' She had never completed her medical training, so she figured the best title that could accurately be applied to her was 'intern', since she'd been on her way to an internship when her schooling was cut short.
"I'm going to go get some rest," the other doctor spoke up. "I'm exhausted."
Aida nodded. "By all means. When you wake, you can take over here."
"Thanks, Aida," Doctor Tillman smiled at her, and then trudged out of the room.
Aida turned toward the crate in the corner, selecting a bottle of cleanser from among the contents and quickly spraying down her table to sterilize it as much as possible. The Alliance had scoured every building in the town once they had organized their people. The citizens of Mivian Heights had taken every scrap of food, medical supplies, weapons, communications equipment and other useful material they had when they abandoned the settlement. They'd left behind everything that wasn't essential, meaning the Alliance had mostly discovered cleansers, dishes, toys, furniture, sporting equipment, odd bits of clothing, and other relatively useless things. The upside of the situation was that their makeshift med clinic was stocked with enough sanitizers and cleansing agents to keep it spotless for a decade.
Aida spotted a figure out of the corner of her eye, standing off to the side. She sighed and wondered how many more wounded would be in before she could sit down and relax. She turned to greet the individual…
…and found no sign of him. She blinked and rubbed her eyes, even going so far as to walk to the other side of the table and make sure the figure wasn't hiding from her in some sort of juvenile prank. When she found nothing, she put a hand to her head and sank into a nearby chair, sighing wearily. Apparently she was so tired after twelve hours of work without any food that she was seeing things. Her eyes drifted to the Prothean stasis pod, which rested on a table in the corner. The pod had been moved off of the gurney they'd used to transport it so that their med clinic had at least one actual bed at the appropriate height for surgery.
At the thought of surgery, she rose from her seat and walked over to the section they had curtained off for recovering patients. She paused at the side of the bed of the human she'd struggled to save when they first arrived in the town. The man hadn't yet regained consciousness, so she hadn't had the opportunity to apologize for being forced to amputate his leg. However, his vitals were strong, so she hoped it was only a matter of time. She ran a quick scan on him to be certain there were no new complications in the last few hours, and nodded when the results were unchanged from her last record.
She strolled back out to the captain's stasis pod and sat down in a chair beside it, bowing her head.
"I wish you were with us, Captain," she said softly. "Maybe if you were in charge, things would not be such a mess. Everyone is gone, and I am here… alone… worrying about all of them."
She was sure that given the function of the Prothean pod, the captain couldn't hear her the way it was said unconscious patients sometimes could, but she still drew some measure of comfort from talking to the asari she so admired.
"Neela, Selura and Prathus are on their way to a Prothean ruin," she continued. "If all goes well, they will find the necessary data to get you out of stasis, and you will be back with us. I really miss you," she sighed. "Your discipline and your stoicism was always a comfort to me whenever things started to go wrong. I always got the impression that you knew exactly what to do. You always acted with logic instead of emotion."
Aida raised her head when she heard a soft scuffling sound, as if someone was approaching. When the sound did not repeat itself, she decided she was simply too tired and was imagining things. She reached out and touched the stasis pod.
"Lith pointed out weeks ago that my interest in you was obvious to her. I have found myself wondering since then if it was obvious to you too. Would you ever be interested in someone like me? I like to dream that we could be together someday, but could you ever really get close to someone so much younger? Would you even consider a relationship with another asari? Especially a pureblood like me…" she trailed off, feeling shame as always over the stigma of her asari-exclusive family. She loved both of her parents and all of her sisters dearly, but she knew how other asari viewed people like her.
"If we get you out of this stasis, I might have to have a talk like this with you again," she mused aloud. "At least then I could stop fantasizing about what might be, and deal with the reality of whatever will come of it. I will always love you-"
The sound of someone clearing their throat startled Aida, and she turned and rose from her chair in one fluid motion to confront the eavesdropper. She found Lieutenant Gradian standing in the doorway, and felt herself blushing deeply at the embarrassed and apologetic look on his face.
"I'm sorry," he said immediately. "I didn't mean to overhear you. I came down to check on Mitchelson and ask for a list of medical supplies we would need to hunt down to get this infirmary operating properly."
"It is alright," Aida said softly, though she was deeply embarrassed. "I just ran another scan on Mr. Mitchelson," she gestured toward the hanging curtain. "His vitals are strong and there are no apparent complications. But he has not regained consciousness yet."
"I see," Gradian nodded. "And regarding the supplies?" he activated his omni-tool, apparently ready to compile the list of gear he had mentioned.
"Do you know where we can get these supplies?"
"My recon team should be close to the city by now," he explained. "Once they've completed their objective, they are under orders to scour the area for any supplies they can find. I want to send a drone out to pass them a list of the stockpiles we need."
Aida nodded. She knew that the Alliance forces made frequent use of VI-controlled drones of all types. The turians and her own people had long been impressed with versatility of the human military for several reasons, this being among them.
"Well, medigel, obviously," Aida finally answered, thinking of how silly she felt having to bandage wounds rather than apply medigel. "We could also use antibiotics and anti-inflammatories, local anesthetics, basic medical tools like scalpels, and ultrasonic emitters to remove hardened medigel so that we don't have to cut it off. And surgical visors would also be a great help. Staring at wounds and trying to spot tiny fragments of shrapnel for the past several hours has given me a headache."
Gradian chuckled, entering the information into his omni as she spoke. Aida wasn't sure what else they urgently needed since she imagined the Reapers would have targeted any hospitals they found to deprive the humans of medical supplies. There were all sorts of expensive medical tech that would make their work easier, but the likelihood of finding any of it intact was low.
"Thanks. I'll ask Rebecca if she had anything to add when she wakes."
"Reb-" Aida started to ask who Rebecca was, but cut herself off when she made the connection. "Oh. You mean Doctor Tillman," she smiled and shook her head. The woman had introduced herself back in the medical shelter on the F.O.B., but she had forgotten the name, given all the craziness since.
"You should get some sleep," Gradian suggested.
"I have only been awake for thirteen hours," Aida protested, though she actually felt like it had been much longer. "And someone should be here in case anyone requires medical treatment."
"You look exhausted, and the lack of food doesn't help, I'm sure. I know I feel run down," he admitted. "I'll put a sentry in here with orders to wake either you or Rebecca if anything comes up. Get the rest while you can. Captain Tarrislav is organizing an assault on Reaper forces, so we'll need both of you rested and alert when it's over."
"What kind of assault? Where?" Aida demanded. "Would it not be better to hide for a while?"
"Listen," Gradian sighed, shaking his head. "I can't discuss strategic planning with you in detail. Alliance operations are strictly classified. I only warned you because as one of our medics, you will need to be prepared for the aftermath. But you and your friends really need to understand that you're civilians. You have no say in our operations. I'm sorry."
Aida sighed and put a hand to her head. She had a horrible headache, and all of the frustration and stress was not helping in the slightest. Gradian put a hand on her shoulder.
"I like you girls. All of you," the lieutenant admitted. "That's why I wanted Illitha on my recon team. She's useful, and I think she'll be an asset. Just like you're useful and you've been a great asset around here. But I don't want you all to continue to irritate my superiors and reinforce their negative impression of your group. I'd really like the chance to convince him that Illitha should be brought back into our ranks. But if you or one of your friends does more to reinforce his suspicion of you all, there'll be no chance at all of convincing him of inviting her back into our perimeter."
"I understand," Aida muttered. "But we did not ask to be stranded on Terra Nova. It is difficult to accept that we have no voice in important matters when our lives are at stake, just as yours are. Maybe we should not be viewed as civilians, but as representatives of the asari here on Terra Nova."
An amused grin appeared upon Gradian's lips at the suggestion. He chuckled and shook his head. "You make a fair point. Maybe, if things I discussed with Illitha turn out like we hope, I can get a slightly larger voice for your team in the future. We'll see how things pan out."
"What things did you discuss with her?"
"Maybe we can talk about it later. I need to report back to the captain with my compiled list of necessities. And you need rest."
"You are right," Aida nodded slowly.
I'd like nothing more than to take a nap, she admitted to herself. As she headed for the door, however, her eyes fell upon the Prothean stasis pod again, and she smiled and amended her previous thought. Well, almost nothing. I have to admit that curling up with the captain the way Neela and Selura were sleeping together would be a step up from just a nap…
.
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Author's Note: Once again, first and foremost I must thank everyone who reads, comments, favorites, follows, or otherwise pays any attention to my story. I have been both surprised and inspired by the numbers of readers that have decided to give it a read, and I'm grateful to all of you. I am still on schedule, so if things continue, the next update will be on Saturday morning.
As far as this Chapter goes, not a whole lot to say about it, but it should be apparent that things are about to pick up, with one group in the city and the other attacking a Cerberus-controlled site. I hope that the upcoming Chapters will be interesting and exciting. There are several that I am really excited to be so close to posting. Hopefully they will be well-received. In any case, have a great week, everyone :)