A/N: Aaaaand we're back!
Surgery went well, and I'm more or less recovered. Sorry there were no chapters whilst I was away…couldn't keep two thoughts in a coherent order for much of my recuperation.
Make the most of this chapter, it's going to have to suffice until Wednesday, sadly.
Still left-of-canon…enjoy!
The interior of the solid metal cage rang and vibrated with each heavy explosion, making it sound almost as if thunder were roiling within. The dark, still shadow of the Queen was momentarily outlined in bright blue light as Kasumi headed toward her…a reflection of the biotics that Ficea was using to hover herself into the lockbox as well.
"Is she dead?" the young asari asked as Kasumi reached the shadow's side. The thief had not been prepared for the sheer size of the Queen. While she had never been one to be skittish around bugs, one of this size was enough to give anyone a phobia.
"I don't know," Kasumi replied honestly. How did one take a bug's vital signs? Did they even breathe? It wasn't like she could just press a hand into her neck and feel a pulse!
Does this thing even have a neck?
Ficea lit a ball of biotic flame above her hand, illuminating the space a bit better. Locating the head, Kasumi crouched and lightly touched it, her hand snapping back in surprise a moment later when it shifted slightly.
"She's alive, but I think she's heavily sedated. We need to get her out of here. Can you lift her with your biotics?"
"It's going to take some effort but we don't have much choice," Ficea said, and let her fire snuff. Kasumi shifted out of the way as the commando gathered herself, took a deep breath, and held out her hands.
A halo of shifting blue surrounded the limp Queen, bright enough to cast the shadows within the box into sharp relief. Kasumi lifted a hand to shield her eyes against it, then hurried to the open door. The battle was still raging, the noise and smoke incredible. Spotting EDI looking at her from the edge of the ravine, she waved.
"The Queen is sedated! We're going to move her out with biotics!"
EDI nodded and half turned her head. The thief could see her lips moving- she was probably informing Shepard and the others. Returning her attention to the interior of the cage, Kasumi flattened herself against one wall, watching as the huge Queen passed overhead and then slowly out the gaping door.
{We have four men pinned down on the east side!}
"We're heading in! Keep up the pressure!"
The turret bike leaned sharply to one side as Shepard hauled it around, the wide treads spitting grass, dirt, and gravel high into the air before it lurched forward again. The heavy slamming blast of the gun behind her nearly drowned out Grunt's delighted roars of laughter as he fired.
{Shepard, the Queen appears to be heavily sedated. The cage is open and they are moving her out with biotics.}
EDI's report drew a growled epithet from Del's lips before she responded. "Understood! Wilcher! Vega! I need men over to the Queen's cage! They're floating her out and they're going to need all the protection they can get!"
{Roger, Captain. On our way with a group of the rachni!}
"Everyone else! Keep the pressure on the west! Draw as much fire as you can away from the group to the east!"
Two rachni drones, their several eyes glowing green, appeared out of the dust. Shepard opened fire with her ratchet guns, tearing one in half before simply plowing into the second, crushing it beneath the turret bike's unrelenting treads. Spotting the Atlas that was pinning down four of the krogan she swung in close, Grunt focusing heavy blasts on its leg joints. The pilot of the Atlas was surprisingly quick, however. As the first shots began to hit, it whirled on its waist and sent a rocket into the path of the speeding bike. Shepard sharply veered and felt loose dirt churning under the side of the tires as the concussion from the blast slammed through the bike's cockpit. The windscreen crazed madly and she felt the vehicle tipping.
"No you don't you fucker!"
She slammed her hand on a control, switching full power to the front tread and planting the throttle. The bike grabbed doggedly at the turf in front of it before surging forward and back onto solid ground. Grunt's next two shots landed in the Atlas's cockpit, destroying both it and its pilot. As the turret bike rumbled past, the pinned krogan let out a battle cry and broke from cover, surging back into the fray.
{Shepard, my men are reporting that some of the rachni tunnels are still intact, and we have hostile troops digging their way out,} Grunt told her. {There was another partial collapse and a few of the asari commandos are trapped underground with rachni closing in!}
{Captain, the plasma turrets are out,} Yoh said before she could respond. {We are unable to get back to help guard the rachni Queen, but from our vantage it looks like Cerberus is pulling back to the north.}
"All units, press on Cerberus to the north! Grunt, we're going down into the tunnels."
{Bring it on!}
"EDI, inform me the moment that the Queen is clear and safe! We'll pull out our men and the Normandy can do her work!"
{Understood, Shepard.}
Del guided the turret bike through the shifting melee, Grunt mowing a path as she sought for a suitable way down into the chasm. Finally realizing it would be all or nothing, she barked a quick 'hang on!' to the young krogan and started down the shifting, broken wall of dirt and debris.
Rumbling over the top of a torn up prefab, the bike was momentarily suspended in mid-air before slamming down to the bottom of the crater. Weaving through the soft earth and half-buried remains of Cerberus's once expansive camp, she spotted a still serviceable tunnel entrance on the infrared.
Dark fell over them as she drove into it, but only a short way inside the path became far too small for the large bike to navigate. Drawing to a halt she opened the canopy and dismounted, waving at Grunt.
"We'll have to hoof it from here," she told him, drawing her rifle. Moving forward to scout the visible portion of the tunnel, she heard a sharp squeal of metal and whipped around in surprise.
Grunt, impressive muscles bulging, hauled even harder on the mounted turret gun, finally wrenching it free of its bed. Bracing it against his side, he hopped down to the ground, then saw her staring at him.
"What?"
She grinned at him, shaking her head. "That's my boy. Be careful firing that thing down here though- ground's already unstable and we don't want it coming down and burying us."
The muffled sound of gunfire reached them only a few turns later, but the tunnel abruptly halted at a dead-end immediately after. The gunfire sounded very close, as did the shouting voices of the asari. Putting an ear to one wall, Del then prodded at it with the butt of her rifle. Some of the dirt fell away, showing a sizeable gap. Gritting her teeth, she began hewing at the wall, the thin layer of earth quickly crumbling away. Just on the other side, the wounded asari were firing on a torrent of green-eyed rachni that were pouring out of an adjacent juncture.
Shoving her way through, Shepard measured up the sight even as she added her fire toward the indoctrinated insects.
Half a dozen asari were still standing, along with two battered krogan. Three asari were on the ground, two obviously badly wounded and one sadly beyond any help, crushed by a massive boulder that had collapsed on top of her. Even those on their feet were wounded. Judging by the gap far above, the group had fallen at least fifty feet into the half-desiccated tunnels. In the chaos of dirt and rock, orientation to use their biotics as they fell would have been limited, and the majority of them had struck the ground at some speed.
At the far wall, the rachni had broken through the half-collapsed passage and were now pouring in on them, scrambling over their wounded or dying precisely as they had back on Noveria.
Moving to one side to let Grunt shove his way through, Del grabbed the nearest commando by the arm. "Start getting these girls out through there," she ordered, gesturing at the way she and Grunt had come in. "We'll help hold them off!"
Grunt moved to the fore, grinning broadly as the turret gun in his hands snarled into life, the ordinance ripping through the screaming bugs and forcing them back. Not letting up on her own fire, Shepard helped to haul one of the more horribly wounded women to her feet, but it was clear she could not walk on her own and was bleeding badly.
The other asari were quickly ducking into the other tunnel, and as the last one passed through, Shepard edged that way.
"Grunt!"
"Go, I'll cover you!" he shouted back.
Edging into the side tunnel herself, she helped the wounded asari as far as the bike. Atyana and some krogan appeared, and Shepard unceremoniously passed her wounded passenger off to the Commander. "Get them out of here, these tunnels are unstable," she ordered, then turned around.
The walls seemed to be weeping dirt as she shoved her way back into the small chamber. A path of tortured rachni bodies was strewn all over, the ground soaked to mud with their ichor. Grunt's laugh and the heavy boom of his shotgun could be heard further down the tunnel as he continued to pursue the insects, the overheated turret gun laying discarded only a few feet away.
"Grunt!" she called as she headed that direction. As she stepped past the steaming gun, more dirt and rock suddenly rained down from above, slamming into her helmet hard enough to jar her. Skipping back instinctually, she raised a hand over her head as everything around her started to give way, the distant blue sky disappearing as the unstable structure disintegrated and collapsed. Just that fast, fifty tons of death was bearing down on her head.
It never struck.
Gasping, she looked upward to see a wall of biotics holding the collapse at bay, and turned her wide eyes to the asari standing just within the escape tunnel. Liara's face was taut with concentration behind her face-plate as she held the fall at bay.
"Shepard, hurry!"
Rushing toward her, Shepard swung an arm around Liara's midriff, yanking her through the short gap with her and actually lifting her off her feet a moment. They burst into the main tunnel, the asari losing her hold on her biotics. Unencumbered, the avalanche continued, Del charging up the tunnel with one arm still slung around Liara's waist as the two fled. Only feet behind them, the ceiling continued to collapse. Del could feel gravel pelting against the back of her helmet as they charged past the turret bike without pause.
Even as they reached open air they did not stop, running on as the slope behind them broke free and began to tumble. Shepard shoved Liara ahead of her as she stumbled on a broken chunk of debris, then regained her footing. Liara paused as she reached the tires of an upside down MAKO, looking backward. Skidding to a halt next to her, Shepard glanced around as the avalanche settled, the new slope of the collapse only half a dozen yards away.
Panting for air, Shepard slapped her radio. "Grunt!"
Static filled her ear, and she moved forward a few paces before Liara's restraining hand caught her arm. She shrugged it off but stopped walking as she tried again. "Grunt! Answer me goddamn it!"
Static again, before a voice broke through. For a moment her heart lifted with hope, before she realized it was Wilcher's voice, and not the young krogan's.
{Captain! The Queen is clear!}
Her throat burned as she grit her teeth and turned away from the slope. "Full evacuation! Everyone clear the camp right now! Joker! Prepare the assault run on my mark!"
{Roger that, we are moving into start position!}
Krogan, asari, and Riot's troops were flooding up the ragged wall a dozen yards away. Grabbing Liara's arm Shepard headed at a trot after them.
"The fuck are you doing down here, Liara?" she demanded. "I told you to stay on the Normandy!"
"You told me to continue looking for the Flotilla," Liara corrected breathlessly as she ran beside her. "I concluded that task!"
"You knew exactly what I fucking meant! You could have been killed in that collapse!" Del was furious at the asari for disobeying the spirit of her orders, if not the letter. Liara was not to be chastised, however.
"You would have been, had I not arrived in that tunnel in time!"
Reaching the slope, Del shook her head. "We'll argue about this later! Right now, I-"
Just above them on the path, one of the asari slowed and pointed. "By the Goddess! Am I…I am really seeing that?"
Turning her head, Shepard looked out over the ruined, dust and smoke filled canyon. A few Cerberus troops and indoctrinated rachni were still in evidence, and as she looked she saw a krogan run out of the smoke, shotgun flaming and a craggy grin of pure delight on his face.
It was Foog, and perched on his shoulders was none other than Yoh. The volus was laying about them with a pistol, whooping and hollering excitedly as he covered the krogan's flanks.
It was quite a sight, but for some odd reason, it did not strike Shepard as unexpected. Turning back to the staring asari, she pointed sharply. "Keep moving! Go!"
They headed upslope, Foog and his passenger taking the flank and keeping them covered. A tomkah was waiting just at the top, the rachni rushing away from the camp as fast as any vehicle could drive. All but shoving Liara aboard, Shepard turned and snagged Yoh's arm as the pair reached her, hauling the volus off Foog's back and all but tossing him inside as well.
Foog leapt up after him, leaving Del to step up on the flank. The tomkah was far too full to allow the door to close, so she held tight onto it and Foog's arm as the vehicle turned and headed off at top speed.
"Report as we're clear!"
{Krogan clear!} A deep voice said.
{Last of the commandos clear!}
"Are the rachni clear?"
{Rachni are now at safe distance, Captain!}
"Joker! Hit that goddamn camp with everything you got!"
The tomkahs were just barely two miles away and still moving when the sun flashed off the Normandy's flank, the frigate sailing in with weapons firing. What was left of the Cerberus camp and its forces vanished into a nearly volcanic eruption of dirt, smoke, and debris.
The vehicle drew to a halt a few moments later, a good three miles away from what was now little more than a lifeless crater. Shepard stepped down to the grass, hauling her helmet off as she did so. Fresh morning air cooled her heated cheeks as she looked toward the cloud of smoke.
A few of the others disembarked as well, Yoh and the krogan cheering and waving their weapons in the air. Shepard didn't feel the celebration. Quietly, she stepped off to the side before leaning back against the tomkah's hood, hanging her head.
"Shepard?" Liara's soft voice preceded the hand on her shoulder plate by only a heartbeat.
"Just…a moment, Li," she said softly. She wanted to cry, to scream up at the sky, to curse fate or chance or God or whatever had taken yet another friend away from her again, but she couldn't. She couldn't lose it, not right now. Grunt wouldn't-
The roaring cheer of the krogan grew louder, and Liara's hand suddenly tightened, giving a faint shake to draw Del's attention. "Shepard, look!"
Lifting her head, squinting through the bright sun toward the shifting dust, Del saw the shape of a rachni rushing over the landscape, away from the crater. It was bigger than the drones, marking it instantly as Riot herself. Clinging to her back was a young krogan, bleeding from a dozen different wounds and barely maintaining his grip. Dropping her helmet, Shepard ran forward, half catching the boy as Riot drew to a halt and he tumbled off.
"Grunt!"
Gripping hold of her he struggled upright, but his big head was hanging low and it was clear from the dimness in his eyes he was in a very bad way. Still, he struggled to walk, his krogan spirit as stubborn as it had ever been. A faint chuckle escaped his throat as he looked at Del, the captain helping him along.
"Good fight," he said weakly, but proudly. "I could go for some Ryncol right about now."
Though Kasumi and her group had managed to get the Queen out of the danger zone, that's as far as they'd been able to move her. Ficea was utterly biotically exhausted, as was another commando who had arrived to assist. The Queen was only vaguely conscious, laying on a large hummock of grass and weakly moving at best.
Shepard had called Cortez in immediately to evac Grunt and several others up to the Normandy for medical treatment- despite the boy's protests that he was fine- and they had taken the tomkah to the group with the Queen. Riot, only mildly battered around, had run alongside them but quickly outsped the vehicle when she caught sight of the limp Mother.
Kasumi and EDI met Shepard as she disembarked, the thief looking at Liara with a bit of surprise. "I thought you were shipboard?"
"Yeah, so did I," Shepard said with a stern glare at the asari. Sensing she was treading dangerous ground, Kasumi cleared her throat and changed the subject.
"The Queen was heavily sedated. She's only just now showing signs of activity, but she wasn't harmed."
"The young rachni, at least, seems pleased to see her," Liara said. Riot had reached the Queen's side and was lightly touching her face and mandibles, the Queen groggily brushing her own appendages over the smaller female's head as well. The drones were starting to gather, staying at a respectful distance but swaying in a way that could only be joy.
Then, Riot broke away from the Queen and rushed over to Del. Shepard shed a glove when the youngster's intentions became clear, and held out her hand to be taken.
We are most grateful to you for saving the Mother! Your name will be sung until the stars die!
"I…that won't be necessary," she said self-consciously.
The Mother wishes to sing with you.
The touch on her hand became a grip and a gentle tug, and Shepard allowed herself to be lead over to the mammoth rachni Queen.
As she neared, the Queen lifted her head slightly, appendages moving weakly before one managed to settle on Shepard's hand. The amazing singing colors from Riot's communication were bright and joyful, but from the Queen they were wearier, subdued and fuzzier…no doubt an effect of the sedation.
You have freed us once again. You have kept the Daughter safe. We know you fight the colorless ones. We know you fight those that soured the songs of our Mothers.
"Yes," Shepard replied. "They have attacked my world. My people are dying by the thousands, and they won't stop there. Will you help us?"
We will help you. Our ships will darken the skies and save your people, as you have saved ours.
Shepard couldn't help the breath of relief that escaped her. The rachni forces on their side would be a significant coup.
"Thank you. This means more to me than you know."
Ever you and yours shall be our friend.
Her massive head lifted a little, her eyes shifting to Riot, who waited nearby.
The Daughter wishes to journey with you. The Daughter wishes to fight beside the One Who Let Us Sing Again.
Shepard blinked in shock. "Riot wants to-…it will be extremely dangerous. Riot is far too valuable to your people to risk-"
Our people have stood long on their own. Before the sour notes of our Mothers, our people were solitary. Because of this, we have fallen and will fall. We have learned from the One Who Let Us Sing Again that our people cannot stand alone any more. The Daughter wishes to learn to stand with others, so when the time comes, she can sing this new song to her Children…so that they will never stand alone.
Shepard rubbed the back of her neck with her free hand as she thought this over. Finally she nodded. "I would be honored if Riot would accompany us on the Normandy. I will do everything in my power to keep her safe."
And the Daughter will do everything in her power to keep you safe as well. We are grateful.
"We'll stay here until you are strong enough to return to your ship safely," Del said. "The Normandy will escort you out of the system to ensure Cerberus doesn't cause you more problems. We will transmit coordinates to you on where your people are needed most, and if you need anything further, do not hesitate to ask."
The Queen sent a final burst of joyful yellows and oranges into Shepard's mind, before withdrawing her grasp, her head lowering tiredly. Shepard lightly touched the hard carapace of her face, just above her eyes, and nodded respectfully before looking at the anxious Riot.
"I guess you're coming with us, my friend," she said. The young rachni immediately rose up, her trumpeting squeal nothing but the purest delight.
With the threat of Cerberus eliminated, the Normandy landed a few hundred yards away, and for a few hours there was an almost constant stream of traffic on and off the ship. Chakwas informed Shepard that Grunt was going to be just fine…he'd been badly hurt, but his pure stubbornness along with his redundant organ systems had turned the tide.
Shepard tried to talk the young krogan into remaining on board the Normandy, but Grunt would not be swayed. As soon as he was able, he was insisting on being returned to his men and waiting for the evac ship that was headed their way.
"If there's one thing you've taught me, battle master, it's that you don't abandon your men," he said to her through heavy-lidded, half-drugged eyes. "Those sorry sacks need me, just as your crew need you."
Shepard reluctantly understood, knowing in her gut that she and Grunt would be fighting shoulder to shoulder again, long before this war was ended. As he fell to sleep, she gave his plates an affectionate buss with her hand…a gesture she knew he would never really tolerate were he awake and lucid.
"I'm so proud of you, big guy."
Her mood changed almost instantly the moment she strode out of the infirmary and caught sight of Liara waiting for her. Gesturing sharply at the asari, she directed her toward her door at the other end of the mess, waiting for Liara to go within her quarters before following her.
As soon as the door hissed shut, Liara turned. "Shepard-"
"You deliberately disobeyed my orders, Liara! I told you to stay aboard the Normandy! And don't give me this tap-dancing bullshit, you know full well I meant for the duration of the mission!"
Liara arched a brow, folding her arms defensively. "That is as may be, but it still stands that had I not arrived when I did, you would have been crushed under a landslide."
"That is not an excuse! Soldiers don't-"
"I am not a soldier, Shepard. I am a scientist and an information broker. You cannot protect me from this war, and I would do it again in an instant, especially knowing that to do otherwise would lose this entire galaxy of its greatest chance at success…and lose me the woman I love."
"Don't pull that goddamn card on me, Li! You don't get a 'get out of trouble free' card every goddamn time just because you're twitterpated!"
"Twitterpated?" Liara smirked with some amusement. "That must be a human term."
"It's a Bambi term!" Shepard snapped, then realized the ridiculousness of what she'd just said. She let out a breath that was half frustrated growl, half bemused chuckle, and seemed to deflate a little. She shook her head with a faint grin. "Li…you know what I mean."
"I do," the asari said gently. "I know that I cannot change you, Del…but neither can you change me."
Shepard grunted faintly, scratching at her neck a little as she glared at the floor. Liara inclined her head a bit, dipping to try and meet her eyes. "Besides, you have not yet asked me the most important question."
"What's that?"
"I left the Normandy because my task was completed."
Shepard lifted her head, realization breaking through. "You found the Flotilla?"
"I did. They are within the Perseus Veil." She turned and walked to one of her consoles, drawing up some information. "I cannot pinpoint their location any closer than a cluster, but all evidence suggests they are engaged with geth forces."
"Eng-…" Shepard's eyes widened. "They're trying to take back Rannoch?"
"So it would seem."
"Fuck! Joker! As soon as we've escorted the rachni out of this system I need you to make tracks as fast as you can for the Perseus Veil!"
{You have odd taste in vacation spo-}
"JUST FUCKING DO IT!"
{Uh…copy that-}
Del turned and headed for the door, and Liara hurried after her, catching hold of her arm. "Del…she'll be all right."
Shepard's dark eyes were sharp as she looked back at her. "She fucking better be," she said in a low, hard voice. "Because if I find out that the quarians got my Mei Mei killed in some stupid, goddamn futile fucking war I will tear their whole fucking Fleet apart!"
