Interloper: Chapter 36
Human and alien voices joined in a battle cry that seemed to tear through the air. As the men began the brave yet ultimately futile charge towards the krogan, the cry rose in pitch and volume until it became a rippling scream somewhere above us. Above us. I risked a look upwards to see a shape that almost brought me to my knees in relief. The sharp nosed Normandy shot through the air like a hurled spear. Its engines glowed brightly in the gloom, illuminating the green hills and ragged cliffs. Joker's familiar voice crackled through.
"While the scene is inspiring, I suggest the lot of you find some hard cover. Prepare for danger close." The front of the Normandy lit up as air to ground missiles ignited their engines. The missiles streaked out in streams before arcing down towards the ground in front of us. I dropped back down below the lip of the trench just before the warheads ripped into the ground. The ground shook under my feet as the warheads exploded with a deafening, metallic krunk. The continued bombardment half buried me in falling sand. I covered my head in my hands and tried my hardest to keep my head out of the water. After what seemed like hours, but could only have lasted seconds as the Normandy roared overhead, the bombardment stopped. I lifted my head cautiously. Around me, more of the marines and salarians also stirred. I shook the sand from my back and shoulders and made to pull myself out of the trench. I helped up a man I didn't recognize before lifting my head enough to see. The sand, trenches, and hill in front of us were gone, replaced by a charred and cratered landscape in an ever expanding circle of destruction. In the distance the Normandy turned around and approached again, this time more slowly. The frigate flared its stubby wing struts as it came in for a landing. The cargo hatch hung open as the ship descended. A pair of marines stood on the ramp, standing beside what had to be the jury rigged bomb. The Normandy's landing legs unfolded, sinking deep into the plain.
"Heard you could use some help." Joker quipped.
The soothing sound of the deck plates rumbled under my feet. The Normandy was in flight again, this time with half of the surviving marines aboard. Kaidan paced the deck, keeping an eye on the techs as they finished their final adjustments. I sat propped against the makeshift bomb we were transporting into the heart of the Geth base. On the ground, the rest of the survivors moved to take up a more forward position, drawing enemy reinforcements off of the bombsite while the thing was prepared to detonate. I looked nervously to my right. Jenkins sat beside me looking equally shaken; this had been our first major engagement. The firefights before paled in comparison. The usually optimistic marine's face shared another feeling, something I couldn't quite place. He must have felt me watching, because he turned to me with a weak smile.
"So are we war heroes yet?" he joked.
"I think we are." I replied, taking a deep, calming breath. Inside, I didn't feel very heroic. We were entering the endgame, the final minutes before the choice had to be made. I felt like a coward leaving the ground team to help guard he bomb.
"Remind me to show you 'Soldiers of the Alliance Frontier' when we get back." Jenkins said "It's a great vid, I just got it." He leaned his helmeted head back against the bomb. "Those guys were heroes, every one of them."
I nodded as I heard the familiar whine of the engines making a descent. The ramp lowered into place once again, letting in a rush of salty air. Below the bowl shaped clearing in the middle of Saren's base rose up to meet us as Joker pulled a fast landing. Jenkins and I hastily jumped to our feet to greet Commander Shepard's strike team. Wrex bounded up the ramp first. His armour bore a few new scars, but otherwise he appeared unhurt. Tali came next, leaning heavily on Garrus. The turian handed the wounded tech off to one of Dr. Chakwas' orderlies. Liara brought up the rear of the party alongside the Commander herself. Alenko addressed the Commander with a brisk salute and began to give her an update on the situation outside the compound. Already the sounds of the new diversionary attack could be heard nearby. The Commander nodded and shot of rapid fire orders. The walking marines snapped to and began the process of moving the bomb out of the hold. A familiar face slid into view and I found myself pulled into a tight hug.
"I heard, on the radio… I was worried." The asari's words came shakily. Scoring on her silvery armour told me she'd had her own share of action today. I tightened the hug as if to reassure her I was still there.
"I'm here." was all I could manage. Even though we were separated by two layers of heavy ceramics and metals, I felt a little warmth spread back into my shaking limbs.
"You look like hell." She regarded me as we pulled apart. I checked myself over and couldn't help but agree. Parts of my armour were blackened by near misses; the rest of me was covered in a film of sand, blood, and krogan.
"I feel like hell. There were moments there; I thought I wouldn't be getting out, but…"
"You're here." Liara finished. "The Commander…"
"Wants to speak with you. Dr. T'soni, if you please." Shepard walked up behind us. Liara nodded and backed away to join the bomb team. "Walk with me, Deputy." The Commander motioned for me to follow. I nodded dully and walked behind her as she walked down the ramp and into the light patter of rain that still hung in the air. We splashed across the shallow basin. Men saluted us as we passed. Liara offered a weak smile as we left the basin through the guarded security doors. The wind picked up as we walked out across a narrow ledge, suspended at both ends by spindly metal structures. "I'm glad you made it through. That kind of fighting's rough." Shepard's words shook me out of my own thoughts.
"Thank you, ma'am." I said stiffly. Shepard caught me by the elbow.
"Please, it's Shepard." When I didn't reply, she continued, "I've been thinking about your situation."
"Commander, I can explain…."
"That won't be necessary. I've been talking to Anderson. We've both decided that your past won't conflict with our current mission. We've all done things we've come to regret, Liddle. And besides, anyone who goes through the events of today and volunteers for more is okay in my books. Now, there's something you're probably going to hate me for asking of you, but we've stumbled onto something that might put an end to this entire conflict." We stopped in front of a larger door. This one showed signs of battle damage. We were standing in front of a tall tower, one that my racing brain couldn't quite place. Shepard waved a hand across the door's pitted surface, Omni-tool alight. The doors grated open. I saw a room, split leveled. Atop a suspended balcony stood what looked like a projector, while half way up the room… A Prothean beacon. It all came back to me; this must be Saren's private office. I followed the Commander up the short ramp to the beacon.
"You want me to read it?" I asked, "You didn't trip it on your way through?"
"Believe me, we tried. It must be keyed only to activate for someone who's already interacted with another beacon." I stared down the flat, softly glowing obelisk. The thing seemed to buzz in the back of my brain.
"Here we go again." I muttered. I reached out with one hand while adjusting the neural screen. The buzzing grew until it roared in my ears, blotting out any other noise. My hand stopped, inches from the strange metal. I felt an encouraging hand on my shoulder, and bridged the gap. My fingers tingled with a discharge of static electricity and my mind flooded with images. A green hill, a winding road, the number 27, a door. The images filled me with homesickness. More images were coming now, the same disjointed jumble, but I felt an understanding ripple just below the surface. I saw the Prothean's final message play out in full, with the final note in their dying song, Ilos.
I fell backwards, quickly raising the shroud to block out the noise. Shepard caught me before I hit the floor.
"Liddle, are you alright?" I bit back a retort. "Did you see where Saren is trying to go?" I was about to respond when the back of my neck started to prickle.
Interloper, you profane this galaxy with your presence.
Shepard and I turned slowly. Above us, burning in bloody red was an image of Sovereign. His voice pressed on my mind with the weight of a mountain.
It matters not. You are an insignificant anomaly in the inevitable cycle of things.
"What do you mean? What cycle?" Shepard was speaking now, questioning the reaper.
It is not something you can comprehend. Only know this, it is something that can't be stopped. The Protheans had a star empire spanning the galaxy, and yet we swept them aside. You too will join them in obscurity.
"So you're not working alone? How many of you are there?" Shepard asked crossly.
We are numberless, without beginning, without end. It is irrelevant; the least of us is greater than the very height of your civilizations. This conversation is over.
"Wait…" the projection closed with a snap. The console went dark. "Damn it." Shepard smashed her fist against the dead projector. She rounded on me, looking somewhere between angry and resigned. "Did you at least get a fix on what Saren is looking for?"
"Yes, I did." I said. Before I could continue, Joker's voice filled the room.
"Uh, Commander, I don't know what you did, but that dreadnaught of Saren's just pulled a turn that would shear any of our ships in half. He is inbound, and fast. I suggest you wrap this up so we can get out of here."
"Roger that, Joker. Keep the engines warm. Liddle, we'll debrief later." I nodded and followed her out. We splashed towards the bomb site to the sounds of heavy fighting. Somewhere in the compound, the Geth had found reinforcements. "Eyes open, Deputy, sounds like we're not alone out here." Shepard drew her pistol and moved in close to the wall. I tried my best to shadow her. We turned the final corner before the doors that separated the walkway from the bomb site. The Marine guards were nowhere to be found. In their place was a squad of Geth. The synthetics were clustered around the closed doors, attempting to cut their way in. Shepard caught me by the arm and pulled me back around the corner with her finger to her lips. "There's only five of them." She whispered, "With luck, we can drop them before they respond."
"And if we're unlucky?"
"You stay here; I'll cross over to the cover on the far side of the path. We'll pin them down until we can get some reinforcements. Ready?"
"Ready." I agreed. We snuck around the corner, pistols raised. The Geth remained completely focused on gaining entry to the bomb site.
"Drop them!" Shepard opened fire, her shots lancing into the nearest platform. The Geth's shields sparked and died, exposing it to her continued volley. The Geth went down hard. I added my fire to Shepard's, the two streams intersected on a second Geth. This one went down faster, but not fast enough to prevent the remaining three from reacting. Their angry warble accompanied a stream of return fire. I dropped to a crouch while Shepard ducked and rolled to the right. I kept up enough fire to cover her before dropping behind some extended pipes for safety. I spun out and snapped off a quick shot only to receive a smattering of hits in return. The shots made my arm go numb, even through my shields. I dropped back and nursed my injured arm. Shepard was having her own problems. Two of the Geth had pinned her down to the crate she had hidden behind while the third moved up to flank her. As I watched, she downed the flanker with an overload. I fired at the two survivors one handed, luckily managing to hit one. The Geth rounded on me. The doors behind it opened. The two Geth were catapulted into the air by a strained looking Kaiden.
"Come on!" he gestured wildly. Shepard and I rushed through the open gate, allowing it to close behind us. The bomb site was now littered with debris. Broken Geth lay in a ring around the open hatch of the Normandy. The marines were holding them off, if only barely.
"Lieutenant, what's the status on the bomb?"
"We're almost there we just need a few more minutes to initialize."
"And what about the diversionary force?"
"Williams reports that the ground force is pinned down. She says she'll hold them off us as long as she can and to get out of here before we get ourselves killed. Her words, ma'am." Shepard looked grim. I realized this was my chance.
"Commander, let me go help the ground troops extract."
"Out of the question, Deputy, we barely have enough troops to hold the Normandy as it is." We neared the open ramp. Just inside, Wrex stood fast, shotgun in his hand. "I won't order these men and women into a hopeless situation!"
"Then let me take a few volunteers, or go alone. Maybe I can distract the Geth just enough to let them disengage." I cried in desperation. Something in my voice must have struck a chord with Shepard, because she looked out at where the smoke was beginning to rise anew. Her face was set, cold, calculating, but her eyes revealed an inner battle.
"You only take volunteers, and you promise me, if things get dicey, you bug out. We can't risk what's inside your head." She said quietly. I saluted and turned back down the ramp. A hand fell on my shoulder. Jenkins stood behind me. He pressed my battle rifle into my hands.
"I'm going with you." By the set of his jaw it was useless to argue.
"I'm going too." Liara stood with him.
"Liara…"
"No, I'm going. We don't have time to argue." They both stood tall and ready to follow me into battle. Suddenly I was less sure about dashing off behind enemy lines. I steeled myself though; it was the only way to save the men and women who had already given so much. I wasn't about to let my own fears spell their doom.
"Okay, let's do this."
Geth resistance was surprisingly light between the bomb site and the Ground team's position. What little trouble we ran into was quickly dealt with by rifle or by biotics. I was beginning to wonder what could be keeping the diversionary force pinned when the path ahead of us opened into a wide, almost coliseum like area. In the center, the embattled marines and salarians fended off attack after attack by the Geth who ringed the platforms above. The marines had managed to set up some hard cover in the form of broken enemies and their own supply crates, but the continued firestorm leveled on them was slowly chipping away at their defenses. Our path dropped us out on one of the higher rings, a perfect ambush position. I leveled my rifle on the nearest Geth. The compact tungsten round tore its arm out of its socket. Beside me, Liara and Jenkins engaged the Geth with fervor. Geth were knocked aside or just plain bowled over by the asari, while the marine walked fire up and down the row of entrenched machines. The return fire was vicious, but it gave the trapped troops a chance to consolidate and begin picking off their own opponents.
"Down the stairs!" I yelled as I dropped the short distance to a nearby walkway. We leapfrogged down towards our comrades, two always covering the third. Once we had reached the bottom floor, we sprinted the remainder of the distance and dove in to cover. A surprised Ashley greeted us.
"What are you lot doing here? I thought I told the Commander not to send any help." The noncom gave us a piercing look.
"You didn't think I'd just leave you out here, did you?" It was Jenkins that spoke. Ashley looked quite angry at him.
"Damn it Rick, you promised you wouldn't…" she was interrupted by a nearby shot spraying stone chips across her face. "Never mind, just pitch in and maybe we'll get out of this alive.
Another wave of bullets slammed into the crate above me. The shards of metal clattered on the back of my armour. I returned fire, the bright lance knocking the Geth trooper off of the rail it was perched on. It flipped backwards and fell to the ground. Nearby, Ashley threw what I knew was one of her last grenades. It lit up brightly as it exploded against a wall. A nearby cluster of soldiers linked fire to take down an already damaged armature as it attempted to climb the low barricade.
"That's the way. Knock 'em dead marines!" Ashley yelled.
In the distance the roar of engines drew every eye. The Normandy rose from where it had been crouched protectively over the site of the bomb. A rough round of applause went up from the marines around me. I let a small smile crack the rictus my face had been locked in since we dropped down into the coliseum. We had made it. The frigate flitted across the sky, swinging in a wide arc before swooping down across the field. Weapons fire from orbit crashed down on the frigate's barriers while its GUARDIAN lasers struck down the attacking Geth. The open hatch lowered closer and closer.
"Come on people, let's go!" Ashley was marshaling the remaining men, human and alien. Somewhere behind me I heard Liara call my name. I turned towards her and began to run. She had already mounted the ramp into the cargo bay. I was about to follow when the fizzle of barriers dropping and the cracking of failing armour reached my ears. I turned.
"No." I said, in a hollow whisper.
Author's Note:
Dun dun dun…