AUTHOR'S NOTE: I just started up a youtube channel and one of my first LPs is of Mass Effect. Just search for The Tired Dad Plays.
You can also follow me on twitter here: /ShawnHerndon1
"It's all your fault. Why can't you bastards just leave us alone?" Shard spit as the words tumbled from her mouth. Her breathing had become erratic and she pointed at one salarian and then the next with her shotgun.
"Please don't! We surrender," one of the scientists fell to his knees, holding his hands in front of his face."
"God damn cowards. What, lose your nerve when you aren't killing babies still in the womb? Can't handle a true warrior?" Shard's words became less clear, closer to growls now than actual speech. Jaq and Tali recovered enough now to move behind her, the Prime Unit watching everything impassively. The Geth monitored everyone's actions to be filed away in its data on organic behavior. Wilson didn't agree with Shard's conclusions but had no intention on stopping her. He may not have wanted to kill anyone, but that didn't figure he had the right to stop someone like Shard either. Tali and Jaq did not agree.
The quarian woman put her hand on Shard's shoulder. "Please captain. We've won. Let's just get out of here. They're not a threat to you any longer."
"You don't understand Tali. Every salarian scientist is a threat to me. All it takes is one person to make sure the krogans are shoved back into the dust we are only now clawing ourselves from." Shard did not take her finger off the trigger. The pleas of the scientists were lost on her.
Jaq stepped in front of Shard now. "Come on Red. This isn't you. We both know that. Fuck these assholes. They ain't worth the metal in your gun."
"Get out of my way Jaq."
"Or what? You gonna do me too? We both know you won't. That's not who you are."
"I said fucking move!" Shard forcefully shoved Jaq back down onto the ground and took a step forward, shoving her gun into the face of a blubbering male. "This is for Koto you fu-" A blue light enveloped Shard, quickly shoving her back into a table. Tali and Jaq were on her in seconds. As the three tumbled on the floor, some of the scientists made signs of movement before Prime stepped in front of them.
"Get off of me now!"
"Captain please, you have to stop this madness."
"Suit's right Red. You ain't thinkin' straight." Jaq rips the shotgun from Shard's hands as Tali uses all of her strength to hold her arms down. She doesn't know, but she suspects that if Shard's heart was completely in this fight, she'd have no trouble knocking them both over. Jaq grips Shard by her jaw, forcing her to look into her eyes. "If you had your head on right, you'd know we need to bring these shits back home. Let the boss decide what to do with 'em."
Tali's suspicions were proven correct when Shard pushed them both off as if they weighed nothing. She was back up in an instant, staring down at the scientists. Her head hurt, and everything was moving too fast, the lights were too bright. Inside her, it felt as if her stomachs were eating each other and she could feel her knees becoming uneasy. Without saying a word, she stomped out of the room, heading in the direction where they had left the Surtesh. The girls let out a relieved sigh.
"I thought she might actually do it."
"Fuck, she still might. Never seen her like this. This is the first time she's ever lost anyone close to her. Before it was just me. Now she has all these connections in her life, and she's lost."
"You speak as if you understand."
Jaq grunted and lifted herself back up. "Yeah well…she ain't the only one feeling this way. Damn it Koto. At least he went out like a real mother fucker. I'll never forget him."
"I have to say Jaq, you're handling this all well."
"Fuckin' death. It's just a switch. That piece of meat in there isn't my clan brother. He's in here." Jaq puts her hand on Tali and her own chest. "We'll never forget him. But you know how Shard is. She's overthinking everything. We gotta make sure she comes out of this alright Tals."
"I'm with you always. Both of you." Jaq helps Tali to her feet. "I think it's time we go."
"Yeah I'm good with that. Hey, tinkertoy. I want one of you to datamine the shit out of this rock. Take anything you can get and bring it back to the ship. The other, take that metal ass of yours and escort these fucks. And make sure you keep them away from Shard."
"Acknowledged…I'll get the data. That way if these scientists try anything funny, The Geth won't have a problem killing them…This is an accurate conclusion."
"Tali, go with them. I'll just be a moment." The team moved out as Jaq began her work. She moved from room to room, setting explosives on a timer. She brought a lot with her. She didn't plan to leave anything of this hellhole except for debris. Finally she came to the room where Koto's body was still lying. She made sure to plant one charge on top of the corpses of the two salarians they had fought against. Before she left, she leaned down and took Koto's guns. She bowed her head, holding the weapons close before moving out of the facility to catch up with the remains of Maw Company. She took great pleasure when she detonated the asteroid, leaving nothing left behind as the Surtesh made its way back to Tuchanka.
"Get the hell in there." Shard hauled the salarians before Bakara, Wrex by the Alpha Prime's side in her throne room. Shard wasn't gentle with them.
"Shard. What's going on here? We haven't heard from you since your ship was attacked, and now you bring these salarians before me. Explain."
"One moment Siva. Geth, did you finish?"
Bakara and Wrex eyed the Prime Unit standing in front of them. It looked like some sort of advanced version of a security mech but Shard treated it like a person.
"The task is complete Shard-Red…They were able to take out every listening device on the planet with the help of the data from the listening post."
Wrex crossed his arms, an angry look in his eye glancing at everyone in the room. "Alright, I want some answers now. What's all this about bugs and listening posts?"
"And where is Koto?" Bakara didn't look much more pleased than Wrex did. And her displeasure only grew as Shard and her crew told them about everything that happened. The attack from the ship, the raid, and how the salarians knew everything. Shard pulled her gun out, pointing it at the closest scientists.
"I beg you Siva, give me permission to kill these bastards. For everything they've done to us and everything they would do to us. They don't deserve to live." Bakara was silent, but Wrex strode down the steps until he was circling Shard. He looked her had in the eye and then looked back to Bakara.
"I'm all one for slaughter but I don't like the look in the tak's eyes. She's on the verge." Bakara leaned back, rubbing her tired eyes.
"What the hell are you talking about Tuva? You know what they did. How could you not side with me to slaughter these fools?" Shard couldn't help the hurt and slight look of betrayal that crept into her eyes.
Wrex brought Shard to her knees with a crushing headbutt. The gun slid across the floor, next to Jaq's feet. The entire room was silent. Soon Shard was back to her feet, nose to nose with Wrex. His eyes were steady.
"Just how far you going to push this Shard? I know you better than almost anyone in the galaxy, and you have never spoken like this. You're nearly in a bloodrage. One of the strongest I've ever seen. We'll like Bakara decide what to do, but for now I think you need to leave the room. Gather yourself." Shard almost reached up to strangle her Tuva. But the strength of the urge to do so gave her pause. She could barely think anymore. With the last of herself, she turned and stomped out of the room, only stopping long enough to get her gun from Jaq. Shard couldn't bring herself to meet Jaq's eyes and was soon gone.
Wrex rubbed the back of his head, slowly making his way next to Bakara. One of the salarians on the floor had started to thank him profusely for saving them and he came very close to killing them. He had pushed Shard away for the sake of his enemies and it was enough to make him sick. The Prime Unit moved up now, Wilson's voice coming from it.
"There was something else we discovered that you'll need to get to work on right away. There is a bomb, inside the planet, on the southern continent. It was put there by the turians. It's a planet cracker. If detonated, anything left of Tuchanka will be drifting lifelessly in the void."
Wrex immediately called out orders through his omni-tool. He sent four teams to the coordinates, and told them not to come back until that thing was disarmed. "Wilson. You've done a lot for our people in your short existence. More than others. Thanks."
"With all due respect Urdnot Wrex, I do this for my creator. It was her love for her people that has helped create the core of my being. So I ask you, please find a way to repair her code. I do not enjoy seeing her like this." If Tali didn't know better, she would have said Wilson actually looked worried. Bakara leaned forward.
"She will find the help she needs. In due time. But first, let's clear the room a bit." Bakara motioned for some guards to remove the prisoners to be held until she decided what was to be done with them. She looked back at the platform, "you got all this information by hacking into the Citadel and the listening post, correct?"
"That is correct Bakara-Alpha."
"Then I have another task for you both. I want you to use the information you got from the post and link it to any known locations on the genophage. In either salarian or Citadel space. I want you to find any reference to the genophage formula and delete it. They already know what we're up to, but if we're lucky we can make sure it'll be a lot harder for them to catch up than they suspect."
"The request is received. What do you offer in exchange?"
Wrex crossed his arms. "Direct huh? I like it. Better than dancing around the issue for 20 minutes. What do you want?"
"The geth require more information on organic species. We request that you allow us free access to your planet and people."
Bakara leans back. "Done. Report directly to me when your mission is finished. Now please go."
The platform powered down as the AIs moved out of the system. Bakara looked to the other two women. "Let it be known, that what Urdnot Koto did will never be forgotten. His deeds will live through history. A Passing Feast will be held tonight. Make sure Shard knows. Now, leave us." Tali and Jaq left the room.
Alone now with Wrex, Bakara felt the weight of everything finally come crashing down on her. She leaned over her knees, head in hands. He kneeled down next to her, leaning his crest against hers. "It's almost too much Wrex. I do not know what to do. I feel as if I'm on the brink with a great chain pulling me over the edge. How do I stop all this and protect everyone?"
"Hell if I know 'Kara. I wasn't picked for leader. You were. Because everyone knows if anyone can pull our assed out of the fire, it's you. And when you come out the other side, I'll still be there to make sure you can still stand." Bakara smiled, her hands finding the sides of Wrex's face. She lifted her chin so she could look at him now.
"If only everyone knew just how much of a soft hearted bastard you are Wrex."
"I guess it'll just have to be our little secret."
Warriors from all the clans found themselves in the great Urdnot feast hall to celebrate the life of Urdnot Koto. Word of what Maw Company did and what they discovered quickly spread throughout the planet. Even though it was scheduled to begin at dusk, people started showing up the moment they learned it was happening.
Drinks flowed like a river, as people competed to see who could praise the loudest Koto's many deeds. They spoke of the time he was still a tak and he fought off a wild varren that had made its way into the female camp. They sang to the heavens when they remembered how he once assaulted a security firm on a salarian colony that had been targeting krogans off planet. But they sang of nothing louder than of what he accomplished the day before, giving his life to keep the genophage from once again ravaging his people.
In the middle of the revelries, Shard burst into the room. Jaq and Tali stood once they saw her enter. She was already clearly drunk. Shard shoved people out of her way, before standing on top of a table.
"What the hell do any of you know? You weren't there when he made is final stand. You didn't watch as the light left his eyes. You're all getting piss drunk in his name, and you are all forgetting one thing. He's fucking gone," Shard emphasized her scream by smashing a bottle on the ground, the liquor sending the flames of a fire higher. "He's gone and there isn't anything that will ever bring him back."
Jaq made her way over to her friend and tried to usher her out of the room. Shard wasn't having anything of it and shoved Jaq's hand from her shoulder. "Get the hell off of me. You're just as bad as the rest of them. How can you all be celebrating his death?"
"Shard you know this is our way. You've lost yourself Red. Koto is still alive, in all of us. His deeds will travel through all time, just like Siva says."
"'His deeds will travel through all time?' What the hell does that even mean Jaq? Koto isn't there. Koto's life ended on a cold floor in a fucking salarian listening post. And he isn't seeing any of this. I don't want his fucking deeds to live on. I want him to live on…I want him back."
"This is the best any of us get Shard. I know you're hurting, but we're all here to help you through this." Other warriors lifted their drinks to Jaq's words. She moved to once again try and help Shard out of the room, planning on joining her, but Shard once again pushed her hand off, this time clocking Jaq across the chin with her fist.
Other krogans looking on caught Jaq before she fell to the floor. She wiped her hand across the cut on her chin before launching herself back at Shard. A circle quickly formed around the two as they tumbled on the floor. Shard's blows are wild and wide, Jaq easily able to dodge them. Jaq doesn't put everything she has into it either, soon able to get her arm across Shard's throat from behind. Shard struggles to pull the arm off as Jaq leans in to grunt into her ear.
"I got you Red. It's alright, hey, it's alright…" Jaq's hold became less of a choke and more of an embrace. Despite the rage inside of her, she leaned back into the smaller woman, tears she'd been building for hours finally on the verge of bursting free. But she was still too angry to let herself go here, in front of so many other krogans. She shoved Jaq back into the arms of the onlookers before she pushed out of the crowd and left the feast hall. Jaq moved to go after her, Tali not too far behind her. But they were stopped at the door when Bakara told them to wait, before she went to follow Shard into the darkness of night.
Bakara didn't have to search long to find Shard. The woman was sitting on the edge of a cliff overlooking a deep canyon. She had found Shard here many times before. She told Bakara is always helped her to think, this spot. The remains of a once mighty river flowed slowly in the deep valley. It was no more than a stream now, but still it continued on. Shard told her she liked the idea that something that was once great still fought so hard to continue to exist. Shard didn't look over when Bakara sat next to her.
"You are giving into your despair Shard. It is like a deep pit filled with mud. Once you let it take you too far, you will have no hope of ever escaping." Shard pulled her knees up to her chest and leaned her head into Bakara's shoulder.
"I feel like I'm lost Siva. I keep thinking about what I could have done different. I wasn't strong enough to keep Koto alive."
"He was not yours to keep alive Shard. He was a warrior, who fought to the death against a great enemy. And his death was not wasted. In the end, there is nothing more to be asked for."
"I keep seeing him, like a candle, the flame being snuffed out. And it hurts to imagine that everything he was is just gone now. All gone."
"This is deeper than Koto, isn't it?"
Shard couldn't speak any more, like a great weight had been placed on her chest. All at once, all of her turmoil overwhelmed her and she soon found herself sobbing into Bakara's arm. All of her fears spilled from her, the late night thoughts that muddled her mind and how deep the fear went. As if into her very core. Bakara listened in silence, but never taking her arm from Shard, allowing her warrior to drain herself of all grief. She looked up into the stars on the clear night.
"Nothing is forever Shard. Even the stars will one day end. What hope do we have? The best we can do, that anyone can do, is to live a good life for them and their people."
"It just doesn't seem fair Siva. I…I don't want to end."
"I know Shard. I know. You are afraid of what comes next. It's the question that has haunted anyone capable of sentience since life first began. And we all have our own ideas. And how can you know which are true, if any? The simple truth is you cannot. You will have to make peace with it if you ever want to move past this. One day I will be gone, as will Wrex, and I do not want to leave before I know you'll be able to stand on your own."
"I'll try Siva. I'll try."
Bakara closed her eyes, focusing her mind. "There is a technique I haven't taught you yet. Koto knew of it. It allows you to drain yourself of all fears and questions. It empties you completely. Comes in handy before a battle, but it can also be used to help when you find yourself crushed by despair. I can teach you now." Bakara turned and looked past Shard's shoulders. "As well as your friends."
Shard turned in time to see Jaq and Tali sit next to her, all of their legs dangling from the side of the cliff. None of them said anything, but each of the females held onto each other's hand. Shard was never more thankful for her friends. Through the night, they stayed there together learning from Bakara.
The salarian prisoners found themselves in a nightmare that many of their people feared; in the middle of a gathering surrounded by thousands of krogans. Bakara called a gathering of the clans to decide what to do with the prisoners. The debate had already raged for hours.
Some like Shard and Raik Maksar wanted to kill all of them. Shard felt better than she had the day before, but she still thought execution was the only answer for the death the salarians had worked so hard to bring down on Tuchanka. She also wanted to broadcast the execution so everyone could see what happens to their enemies. Many agreed with her.
Others like Jaq and Jorgal Zrox thought the execution should remain private. Jaq didn't shy away from the bloodshed but she had never been one for making such a show out of things like Shard did. She would go along with her little vids but she didn't like the look inside her friend's eyes and was worried this might push her too far. Zrox and others were just practical. To broadcast what the krogans knew would be tipping their hands too much to the rest of the galaxy.
And then there were those like Tali and Rorloc Sukar. Sukar had already questioned the salarians extensively and been over the data taken from the listening post. It would go a long way with speeding up the cultivation of a cure. He and Tali argued they were at a critical point and right now what the krogan needed more than anything was a few years of stability. They wouldn't get that with a bloodbath, regardless of how justified they were. Many in the galaxy had already made their minds up about the krogan and this could be a chance to prove them wrong. Or as Sukar said, give them enough doubt to cause a debate to slow their enemies down.
Bakara lifts her hand when she's heard enough. Shard can't help the grin on her face when she hears the order to gather the prisoners before her along with a recorder. The broadcast is streamed out of the system.
"I am Alpha Chief Urdnot Bakara. I have recently been informed of a great crime against my people. These here," she motions towards the prisoners, "are the remains of a listening post that was inside our system. Their orders came directly from the Citadel Council. The goal was to make sure the krogan never got over the genophage. The listening post recently learned some things about us that made many in power very worried. For example, not only are the krogans slowly adapting to ignore the genophage, we are working on our own cure. Be certain, that this is the end of your reports from my planet. We have swept through to destroy every bug planted here."
Bakara smiled at the idea of causing a little bit of panic on someone else's world for once when she pulled the mobile-platform into the vid. "We had help with our new friends. The geth, and a new AI created by one of our own scientists." It wasn't the whole truth, but there was no reason to name names. She didn't mind letting everyone know about the krogan creating an AI, since she knew her enemies had already learned about it long ago.
The platform's gears shifted around its lens. "Greetings. We are the geth…And my name is Wilson. Hello to everyone out there. I have to say you've done a great job with the Extranet. The upload speeds could be a little faster." Bakara pushed the unit back out of view.
"That's not everything we've discovered. By now, I imagine there are a lot of angry voices shouting into communicators. Maybe a few turians. Maybe a few turians who want to detonate a certain bomb. I'm happy to report that it won't make a difference. We found that too, and I can assure you it won't work." Wrex moved into the screen and tossed a large chunk of metal with cut wires sticking out of it onto the floor. Bakara nodded to him before continuing.
"Time and time again, unprovoked attacks have been made against the krogans. And any retaliation from us is just used as proof for the need to put us down. But one of these days, someone will learn that all we want is to be left in peace." Bakara shouts over to release the prisoners and they are quickly ushered out of the room and shoved onto a transport to get them out of the system. "I'm sending your people back to you, unharmed. So if you wish to bring your fighting to us, history will remember that we did what we could to avoid bloodshed. Choose your next actions wisely." The recording ended and Bakara looked around the gathered krogans.
"I want you to all prepare for invasion. We have done all we can to give our enemies a chance to save themselves. But the next time an invading force returns to Tuchanka, we will be ready for them. This gathering is ended." The crowd began to disperse, including Maw Company. Jaq and Tali made sure Shard was alright and she assured them she was. Bakara made a wise decision, better than she would have. She told them that she'd meet up with them later.
A small room at the end of a dingy hallway. Not much, but it was all Koto ever needed. Shard had been there several times throughout the years. Inside were trophies from his many adventures. There was a rack of weapons, a few skulls and strangely enough a bright dress. Koto never talked to her about it, just telling her it was important to him and from a long time ago.
Shard sat on his bed, looking around his room. "I don't know if you can hear this or not, or if I'm just talking to myself. But I want you to know I'm sorry. For not being able to keep you alive." She took a steady breath, clenching her knees tightly. "I'll remember the fight Koto and I'll learn from it. The krogans could be going to war soon and we'll all have our fill of fighting. I could meet up with you again. I hope so at least. Siva's helping me through the fear. Teaching me new techniques."
Shard stood up, dusting herself off a bit. She moved over to a small stone desk. On it were datapads filled with shorthand notes. She could tell they were plans Koto had been working on to improve the Surtesh. "You never could stop working," she said with a bitter laugh. She downloaded the data into her omni-tool.
Near his other weapons, Shard's eyes focused on the centerpiece. It was a large hammer, nearly as long as her. With hesitation, she reached out and gripped it. Koto told her he used it once, but an old injury kept him from using it very well. She didn't have much trouble lifting it. It's grip seemed almost built for her hands. She smiled, thinking Koto would enjoy the sight, and brought the hammer crashing into the door frame. The stone burst forward, making the entry wider and sending cracks up the structure. She held the hammer close and starred down at the floor.
"I miss you Koto. I almost lost myself in despair for you. But you're gone. And I'm still here. So I'll keep fighting. For you, for Jaq and Tali and for our people." Shard collapses the hammer and attaches it to her back next to her sniper rifle and above her shotgun. "This I promise." She steps over the small stone chunks from the recently cracked doorway, leaving the room behind her.