[Author's note: I have to apologize once again for taking so long with this, and for failing to reply to comments. The past few months have pretty much been a downward spiral, financially, and I'm still trying to get my shit together. I'm in a foul mood as a result of all this crap, which means Valeria is about to go full John Wick on some motherfuckers so I can get some rage out of my system over the next few chapters...]
"Wow." Lia stepped out of the airlock and took a slow look around. The corridor was narrow enough not to waste space but wide enough not to feel cramped. She and Valeria stood side by side with a comfortable distance between them. The panels, consoles, and displays on the walls were slightly reminiscent of the ships in the Migrant Fleet while also resembling what she'd seen on her previous ship and the Normandy. The geth who'd built it must have studied both design aesthetics and managed to incorporate them without the result being off-putting at all. "This is not what I expected to see on a geth ship."
"Yeah." Valeria's voice was soft, her tone distracted. Understandable, as she probably had a lot on her mind at the moment. Her family had been abducted by a merc with a score to settle and Valeria was on the warpath.
"It's a shame we don't have time for a tour," Lia continued. "We should leave as soon as everyone is aboard."
"We have a little time before we can leave." Valeria appeared to shake off the funk she'd been in. "I requisitioned some gear from the Spectres office and it should be delivered within half an hour."
"Ah. Stuff we'll need for the mission?"
"Some of that, some for later use."
Lia nodded and turned to look out the viewport at the rest of the crew filing through the docking umbilical. In the background, Chula and the two geth units stood on the docking bay floor, speaking with Chula's parents and the rest of the crew of the stealth ship that had caused so much trouble recently. Lia spotted Kal'Reegar's distinctive red envirosuit among them, next to a shorter quarian who had to be his nephew, Skru.
Four of the quarians shook their heads and walked away, leaving the rest glancing uncertainly at each other. Chula spoke with them for a moment longer and turned to enter the umbilical. The others followed her and the geth, some more reluctant than others.
"You managed to talk most of them into joining us?" Lia asked Chula as she emerged from the airlock.
"I guess all but a few are feeling more reasonable now." Chula shrugged. "My parents helped convince them."
"And I'd like to join you if that's okay," Reegar said. "My nephew, too. I requested a transfer from Admiral Shala'Raan and she approved it. Well, pending authorization from the ship's commander."
Both geth platforms nodded in unison and Yutani said, "Welcome aboard."
"Thank you."
"You wanted to see how we all work together?" Lia fell into step with the rest of the group as Weyland led them along the corridor.
"Admiral Raan and I are definitely curious. Plus, things seem to have started to change for the better, with the whole stealth-ship thing being brought out into the open in front of the entire Migrant Fleet. I mean, quarians and geth working together and a chance to return to our homeworld without fighting a war we can't win - I realized I wanted to be a part of that." He took a slow breath. "Also … I can't help being less than eager to go back home after the shitstorm we narrowly avoided. Our own leaders came so close to almost getting all of us killed just because they wanted revenge. And then there's Daro'Xen destroying your old ship and nearly killing half of your crew. I guess I need to put some distance between me and all that bullshit back home."
"I know the feeling," Chula muttered. Her parents twitched their heads as if wincing, exchanged a quick glance, and her mother reached out to rest a hand on her shoulder.
"We'll do whatever we can to make up for our mistakes," she said softly. "By supporting you during your mission as well as helping your recent clients with the search for more of those information depositories."
"Once Spectre Operative Terakkis's operation is complete," Yutani said, "we will help you with your mission."
"Thank you," Chula's father said softly.
"We'll still need to keep taking on freelance jobs like we did on our old ship, but there's no reason we can't keep up with both." Chula gave her parents a pat on the shoulder. "Yutani, Weyland, and I are working out the details with Malcolm and his research team."
"We're grateful for this opportunity."
"And we'll keep out of your way when you get a new mission," her mother added. "We've done enough interfering already. This is your ship and we'll play by your rules."
A soft chime came from up ahead. Valeria's Omni-Tool interface appeared around her left arm and she glanced at a message on it.
"Ah, the gear I ordered is here already. I'll catch up with you after I get it loaded onboard."
Everyone stepped aside to let her return to the airlock, then continued the tour through the Engineering section, crew quarters, recreational areas, the medical bay, and the mess hall. The biggest surprise for Lia was that the crew quarters, while "cozy," were still bigger than the cubicles most quarians had back in the Flotilla and were numerous enough for each individual to have his or her own room. The chairs and beds were quite comfortable, even. She wondered if the geth had been consulting someone on the kinds of things to put in each room.
Then it hit her: being robotic platforms carrying hundreds of pieces of software, the geth would have no need for chairs or beds.
They must have designed the ship this way from the beginning. They planned to work side by side with us long before the Admiralty Board nearly ruined it with their stupidity.
Yutani led them through one more door and Lia glanced around. The room was roughly circular with work stations lining the walls and several consoles between them and a chair with a console attached to it at the very center. The forward wall held a wide holographic screen currently showing the docking bay and the Citadel's five Wards stretching into the distance.
"Nice." Dakka took a slow look around and grinned.
"Yeah." Quint walked over to a nearby work station and rested his hand on the back of the chair. "Reminds me of a Starfleet ship. Well, the layout does, at least."
"That a fleet you served in before we met?"
"Nah, it's from an old vid series made on Earth a couple hundred years ago." Laughing softly, he walked back to her and slipped an arm around her waist. "We need to get you caught up on this kind of stuff one of these days."
"We should have a movie night at least once each week," Chula said. "I've been wanting to get Dakka hooked on one of my favorite vid series, too."
"Sounds fun and educational." Dakka grinned and rubbed her hands together.
Lia grinned, walked over to a nearby chair, and sat. Oh, that's comfy. Really comfy. She glanced around the room and let out a contented sigh.
"Wow."
"Need a hand with that?"
Valeria glanced up from the two crates and found Garusha approaching. Her father, Borek, walked alongside her and Scott Baily trailed just behind her and off to the side a bit. Valeria shrugged and nodded toward the pair of modified YMIR mechs standing behind her. The sight of them had given her a start, but she'd noticed straight away several differences between them and the anti-infantry killing machines she'd faced on far too many occasions. These two had large grippers in place of the rapid-fire cannons and rocket launchers any other YMIR units would've had at the ends of their arms.
"These mechs will load them on the ship, but thanks anyway." She'd found it odd that a pair of repurposed heavy mechs would've carried the crates out here, but they'd explained - in a surprisingly warm and friendly tone - that they were experimental cargo loaders undergoing a trial run. She'd guessed each was piloted by a virtual intelligence programmed to be courteous and helpful.
Garusha nodded. "And how about this mission you're going on? Need a hand with that?"
"The crew is just giving me a lift. I'll be going after the target alone. Enough innocent lives are at stake. I won't be endangering anyone else, especially a kid."
"Word's gotten around on the situation with you and Lantim Akos. He's got roughly two hundred and fifty highly-trained mercs waiting for you to show up at his compound on Bekenstein. Sounds to me like you need all the help you can get."
"You should check up on this woman's reputation." Borek laughed softly and shook his head. "I know of only two people who could survive that kind of fight - Commander Shepard and Valeria Terakkis. In fact, both of them have done just that - multiple times." He gave his daughter's shoulder a pat and took a step toward Val. "I know I don't have a right to impose on you, but I'm asking you to take my girl along even if you leave her on the ship when you go after that scumbag. I just found out that I've got some business back home I need to take care of, and Garusha doesn't want to get anywhere near the place. And, to be honest, I'd like to keep her away from there, myself."
"I heard her mention that recently. I've been out of the game for a couple years. Things are really that bad on Khar'shan?"
"Yeah. It's gotten even worse over the last few years. The government there doesn't like its citizens thinking for themselves. Now that Garusha's had a taste of freedom, taking her back there might just be the worst thing I could ever do to her." He sighed. "I'd prefer not to go back there, either, but this is something that can't be put off."
Valeria glanced over at Garusha and almost laughed at the puppy-dog expression she somehow managed to do with all four eyes. Val nodded slowly. "It depends on whether the ship's captains agree or not. It's not my call. But we can ask them."
"Oh, thank you!" Garusha rushed forward and gave her a hug.
Scott took a step forward and cleared his throat. "Um … I, uh, I hope you've got room for one more."
"Oh, no." Val held a hand up. "I'm not taking Captain Bailey's son into a potentially hazardous situation."
Garusha's father laughed and clapped Scott on the shoulder. "His dad and I haven't been able to pry these two apart. Go ahead and check with Bailey. He okayed it." When Valeria gaped at him, he shrugged. "I guess he realized he'd be stuck with a lovesick teenager if he didn't let Scott tag along."
"Uh-huh. Hold that thought." Valeria woke her Omni-Tool, opened her comlink app, and contacted Bailey's office at Citadel Security. His icon appeared a few seconds later.
"Captain Baily here."
"This is Valeria Terakkis. I've got your son here telling me that you're okay with him coming along and I wanted to find out exactly how full of shit he is."
"Not at all, believe it or not. He kept begging me and I couldn't bear it if he started whining." He let out a frustrated grumble. "Besides, I couldn't protect him from Elias Kelham's goons when I had him staying right here with me. As much as I hate admitting it, he might actually be safer with you and your crew in case any of Kelham's former associates decide to try something. At least there, he'll be surrounded by a couple dozen people who know how to fight."
"Well," Garusha said, "he's got at least one person right here who's absolutely determined to keep him safe."
"Take good care of him, Sixpack, you hear?"
"I'll protect him with my life, sir. He won't get anywhere near the combat zone."
Oh, for fuck's sake. Valeria sighed. Just what I need. "Okay, fine, Scott, you can come along - if it's okay with the captains. It's their ship, not mine. They have the last word on this."
"Thank you." Scott let out a long sigh, grinned, and put his arms around Garusha.
"Good luck," Borek said. He held his hand out and Valeria shook it. "Go forth and kick ass."
"And bring everyone home alive," Bailey added.
"Will do." Val signed off, sighed, and nodded at the ramp leading into the brand-new Sulaco's shuttle bay. "Come on. And remember, if Weyland and Yutani say no, you're staying here." She turned to the heavy mechs and motioned at the ramp. "Let's get those crates loaded."
"Sure thing," the one on the left said in a female voice, and Val almost chuckled at how much it reminded her of the two geth platforms she'd met not long ago. She and the kids followed them up the ramp and she pointed at an out-of-the-way spot along the wall.
"Right there will be fine."
The two YMIRs clomped over to the indicated spot and placed the crates gently on the floor.
"Here ya go," the male-sounding one said as they headed back down the ramp.
"Thank you," Valeria said without thinking. They'd sounded so unlike mere machines that she couldn't help herself. Which, she realized, may have been the point in programming them this way.
"You are very welcome," the female one said. "Good luck with your mission."
"Thanks." Valeria cocked her head and watched them stop at the bottom of the ramp, turn, and wave at her. She waved back and they marched away. Huh. Interesting.
She walked over to the crates and put a hand on the nearest one.
"What's in 'em?" Garusha asked.
"An assortment of state-of-the-art guns, grenades, and knives, as well as an experimental type of medi-gel with nanotech added to begin repairing wounds rather than just act as a clotting agent. Also, several prototype spacesuits designed for orbital drops, just in case I decide to make a grand entrance when we reach Bekenstein." Valeria shrugged and motioned at the other crate. "I'm still working out my attack plan. If I decide on the stealth route, I'll be going in with a bomb big enough to take out an entire building. They're probably keeping their gunships, shuttles, and aircars in one hangar. If that turns out to be the case, the bomb will serve two purposes. One, to get rid of any means of escape via aircraft. And they won't get far on foot."
"Uh-huh." Scott's eyes opened a little wider. "And the other purpose?"
Valeria stared at him. He flinched and she realized he must've caught a glimpse of the monster inside her that she'd tried her best to keep buried, but now intended to let off the chain completely. She braced her hands on the crate, leaned forward, and snarled softly.
"To announce my presence."
"Here we are." Chula kept her voice low as Valeria entered the Sulaco's command deck. "Just a few more minutes and we'll be in orbit over Bekenstein."
"Thanks again for the lift." Valeria stared at the planet on the huge viewscreen on the wall in front of Chula's navigation console.
"Hey, you know we're all here for you." Chula cocked her head at the screen. Near the left edge, a considerable distance away yet already well within visual range, was the dreadnought-size hospital ship Angel on my Shoulder. Chula whistled softly. "Look at the size of that ship."
Valeria nodded. "I've been keeping up on its development. Completed only a few months ago, so it's state of the art. Which is good, because we'll probably be needing a whole fleet of 'em when the Reapers invade."
"Yeah." Chula glanced at her again. "Sounds like you're planning to still be alive after today. Glad to hear it."
"Oh, I intend to survive this, for my parents and my siblings and most of all for Irving. Knowing what the thought of losing him has already done to me, I could never put him through that." Valeria sighed and stared at the wedding ring on her talon. "I doubt I'll ever be the same after today, but I'm not planning to go out in a blaze of glory or some shit like that."
"Good. I know you want to do this on your own, but we're going to help you whether you like it or not. You want to keep us safe, but we're going to do the same for you."
"Thanks." Val sighed.
"You're not going to argue?"
"I can already tell it'd be pointless. Especially with Nana. But Irving's her grandson, so it'd be wrong for me to try to keep her out of it. I'm just asking you to keep your involvement in this to a minimum as much as possible." Valeria clenched her jaw and her mandibles quivered. "I'm going to hit those motherfuckers with everything I've got. When it's over, the hostages will be free, without a scratch, and I'll have the blood of more than two hundred mercs on my hands. I'd prefer not to let any more of it be on yours than absolutely necessary."
"Do you really have to go that far?"
"Lantim Akos isn't the only enemy I made since I was a Spectre the first time around. Nor is he the only one who survived an encounter with me. And if I don't send a clear message, he won't be the only one who tries to get to me through the people I love." Valeria rubbed her hands over her face. "I'm planning to leave two or three of the mercs alive so they can spread the word to everyone they know. When the story of me mercilessly wiping these bastards out gets around, I'm hoping the others will think twice about trying the same thing."
"Makes sense." Chula turned back to her console and tapped a few glowing buttons. "We've entered orbit."
"I guess it's time, then." Valeria headed for the door. Chula stood and one of the half-dozen geth platforms who'd piloted the ship to the Citadel took her place.
"Thanks," she said softly, and the geth nodded. Chula followed Valeria to the shuttle bay, where the rest of the team waited beside a ship that had clearly been based on the Systems Alliance UT-47 Kodiak drop shuttle, but twice its size. Valeria's grandmother-in-law pointed a thumb over her shoulder.
"The gear's loaded up and we're ready to go."
"Thanks, Nana." Valeria's gaze landed on Scott and Sixpack and she shook her head and aimed a stern look at him. "The kid has to stay behind, though. You're a civilian, and your dad will kill all of us if anything happens to you."
"Relax, I'm just flying the shuttle. We're assuming Chula's going to be on the ground with the rest of you, so you'll need someone to pick you up if things go pear-shaped on you." He put on the same puppy-dog-eyes his girlfriend had used earlier, but with one fewer pair. "I won't set foot outside it, I promise."
"You know how to fly one of these, kid?"
"Yep. I've raced a few similar models. Well, really souped-up models, that is." His face took on a slight reddish tint and he cleared his throat. "The races were illegal, so I never told my dad about 'em."
"Uh-huh. And how many ships did you crash?"
"Zero."
"Hmm." Valeria sighed. "Well, as long as you drop us off and immediately move the shuttle to a safe distance." She glanced at Garusha. "Sixpack, you stay on the shuttle with Scott and keep him safe - and make sure he stays put."
"I'd be happy to." The batarian girl smiled.
Val nodded and turned back to Scott. "If everything goes to shit on us and you can't come get us without being shot down, you lift off and run like hell. Don't even argue. If one of us tells you to go, you go. Come back to the Sulaco, tell one of the geth or quarian crew members what happened, and they can take it from there." She turned to Chula and leaned over to whisper to her. "Take the copilot's seat. If it looks like he can't handle the controls, take over."
"On it." Chula clapped Val's shoulder and boarded the shuttle. The others followed and Scott took the pilot's seat. Garusha gave him a passionate kiss before scurrying over to one of the vacant seats.
Scott glanced over his shoulder and made eye contact with everyone. "Ready?"
"Let 'er rip," Dakka said with a grin. She gave him a thumbs-up and then kept both hands on her giant rotary cannon, making sure the barrel was pointed away from everyone. Beside her, Val's nana gave her M-98 Widow anti-material rifle one more quick inspection and propped the stock on the floor between her boots. Everyone else simply nodded or gave Scott a thumbs-up. He nodded and tapped the control panel.
"Depressurizing the shuttle bay. Opening the outer door."
"I wonder if we'll need tranquilizers," Quint said under his breath.
"I fucking heard that. Lifting off now. Hang on to your titties."
Chula glanced over her shoulder to find Lia gripping the harness holding her in her seat and Quint closing his eyes and holding his breath. At the rear of the compartment, Yutani gazed at Scott with "her" head cocked, then placed her hands over her vaguely breasts-shaped chest plate. Chula snickered and faced forward as the shuttle raised off the deck, eased forward, cleared the doors, and entered a deorbit trajectory without the slightest jolt.
"Closing bay doors. Beginning descent." Scott glanced over his shoulder and arched an eyebrow. "You sure you're not gonna need a barf bag?"
"Uh." Quint sighed and stared at the floor. "Sorry, kid."
Scott merely nodded, but then he flicked a smirk at Garusha before facing forward. She laughed and winked both left eyes at him.
Valeria chuckled and gazed down at the helmet resting on her lap. After silence stretched out for a few more seconds, she turned to stare out the front window.
"Hold on, everyone," she whispered. "We're coming for you."