They stared at the holotable for a moment, before sharing a look.
Garrus and Eve both began to shift to something resembling parade rest, though Garrus had to stop himself from looking at Eve every few seconds. As much as he loved her for who she was, he still couldn't help but marvel over how much her 'Turian Form' resembled his sister when she was that age.
Though as she stood there, he noted that she was slowly becoming an almost… Turian version of Jane.
Eve cleared her throat and hummed and mumbled a few words; giving a Turian grimace as she struggled with her sub vocals for a moment. "I may have read all about the physiology behind and how to do it in the past few minutes to further perfect it, but sub-vocals are way different to what I was expecting." She admitted.
Garrus gave a reassuring buzz, and Eve's incredibly tense posture relaxed somewhat; before she gave him a confused look. Garrus smiled and looked back at the holotank, still waiting for the Councilor to connect to the ship. It seems that her programming is evolving. He noted, as her response had seemed to be instinctual.
Granted, at the speeds AI could think at, it may have been a very convincing fake out; but if there was one thing that Eve had picked up from both her parents, it was an inability to lie convincingly on the spot.
"I see that you've picked up on the ability to hear on the sub-harmonic frequency and interpret its meaning." Garrus noted.
Eve opened her mandibles to say something, when the holotank lit up; and Councilor Sparatus appeared. The man's days as a politician had not dulled his instincts in spycraft and soldiery one bit; and he immediately zeroed in on Eve, taking note of the Vakarian Clan engravings and paint on her face.
Garrus also noticed that Sparatus seemed to be comparing Eve's face with Garrus's; and seemed to immediately see the connection between them.
The past few months had allowed San, Adams, and Garrus to make many improvements to the Eezo-Holographic projectors in the ship; and Eve's own practice and programming had allowed her to dispense with the dull Sapphire glow that had surrounded her body back when she had been first installed into the ship. She looked real and organic to the naked eye; and when compared to Sparatus' Holotank, the Councilors communication set seemed downright primitive in comparison.
Garrus's self reassurances came to a stop when Sparatus turned his gaze over to Garrus and quirked an eye plate; "Hm… I wasn't aware that you had any biological children Deputy Spectre; my congratulations on finding her." He snarked.
Eve winced, and shuffled slightly behind Garrus; still the equivalent to a fourteen year old, and still shorter than even Jane as Turian females hit their growth spurts later than human females did.
Garrus stood firm and stared the Councilor down; the man taking note of the 'Turians' actions. "How old is she in any case? Fourteen or fifteen? If that's the case then why is she not signed up for her service?" Spartacus continued, absently typing away at his data-slate.
On hearing no answer, he looked up at the two Turians; "Well? If Ms. Eve Vakarian isn't willing to answer, then would you be so kind as to answer for your daughter Deputy Spectre?"
Garrus took a breath and said, "With respect, Councilor, we know why you've called."
"I know, and as dedicated as you two and presumably Ms. Shepard are to maintaining this charade; if an idiotic buearacrat like me can effortlessly poke holes in your cover story, then you won't get very far once Tevos and Valern get their hands on the story. The only reason you aren't busted is because you were kind enough to send me the real story on top of the fake one ahead of time." The Councilor said, turning serious as he spoke. "Thank you for that by the way; otherwise you would have been arrested by Valern before I could have even had a chance to stop it."
Garrus was about to reply when the lighting changed and Pressley came on over the ship-wide comms.
"All hands, brace for maneuvers."
Garrus glanced at Eve who seemed just as confused until the ship bucked.
"The Varren just fired several missiles! I didn't sense a launch until after Mr. Pressley started moving us." There was both fear, and genuine curiosity in her voice; even as her sub-harmonics buzzed with worry.
"I'm assuming she's referring to Lieutenant Charles Pressley?" Sparatus cut in. "I'm aware of his record; he wouldn't have been posted to the Normandy Project if he wasn't a top-notch Fleet Operations officer, human or otherwise. As much as you may want to help, the crew can wait; unless you're about to be nuked or boarded that is, then that may be a little bit more important."
Garrus narrowed his eyes at how unseriously the Councilor was taking matters; but hit his omnitool, "Lieutenant Pressely, do you require my presence?" He asked.
"Negative Sir, we have the situation well in hand; it seems we flushed them out, and they launched the missiles to divert our attention while they cut and ran." The human replied, sounding unconcerned. "And before you ask, we did get their outbound track. We're moving to begin Spirit Hunt operations now."
Garrus clicked his mandibles and looked at the Councilor, who simply looked back quizzically. "It would seem the Humans are learning some new tricks. Good; that's part of why we committed to this project. Though I am curious to know how… extensive your young charge is integrated into the ship."
Jane swept the night vision binoculars around the facility.
Everytime she spotted a guard, she would immediately hit the 'ping' button to mark the enemies; which would keep their position updated regularly, so long as someone had eyes on the person that was marked. It was a very impressive trick, and incredibly useful for the Ghosts no doubt; what with all the sneaking around they did.
"I got two more submachine gunners patrolling the geothermal generators." Nomad mumbled, and two more red pings popped up in said area.
"That makes it out to around… two hundred visible hostiles on patrol; and an unknown number of civilian workers inside." Jane said, rubbing her eyes; the night sky having been up for far too long in her opinion. It was summer for God's sake, the day cycle was supposed to be longer.
Still… she missed the 24 hour day night cycle; just a few more days at the absolute most, and she would be back on the nice comfortable Normandy.
"What's the plan Ell Cee?" Lee asked, jarring her from her thoughts.
She looked at him, and then inclined her head; "I defer to you Major, this is your area of expertise." She replied.
He hummed, "The Marines stay here; while both Ghost teams sneak in and plan charges all across the major structural supports inside. The Militia runs distraction while we work once we get inside." He posed.
Jane considered it, "Simple, Quick, and flexible; I like it." She stated, "All right, we'll do it your way. You brief the Ghosts, I'll brief the Marines."
"Yes… you are correct Ms. Vakarian; the ban on AI's only forbids their intentional creation. But that did not stop Tevos' predecessor from exiling the Quarian people and kicking them out of the council in a flagrant disregard for the treaties that we had signed with them." Sparatus buzzed, having long since pulled up a chair and sat down in it.
Garrus had done the same, checking up on Pressley every ten or so minutes; at least until it became clear that the Varren was likely going to get away, at which point he had stopped bothering.
Eve however, was not so calm.
Garrus grimaced as his AI daughter's Eezo-Holographic Projection paced around the conference room; both getting used to her 'Turian Form', and trying to think without using the ship's systems to do so. Neither of them had considered that Eve putting the majority of her 'consciousness' into her hologram had, in turn, brought her ability to process information down to that of a normal person.
That was one reason why this was taking so long; because Sparatus had ordered her to think with this handicap in place, and also to make sure that she could learn to act more Turian when she was disguised as one.
When alone or with friends, she could appear however she wanted; but until the origin of her creation and her species was open knowledge, she would have to appear as a Turian when in public. The reason for this was because of another Legal technicality that neither Garrus nor Jane had considered.
While both the Systems Alliance and Turian Hierarchy were equal in terms of gender laws; culturally, the Turian Hierarchy was still a little behind it's human counterparts. When Jane and Garrus had signed the Adoption papers, in the SA; they had made no assumptions regarding species.
But in the Hierarchy, they had assumed that Eve was Turian; and above all, the automated bureaucracy that ran the Adoption Ministry had registered Jane as a Turian. So the Adoption Ministry had registered the new family as "Garrus, Jane, and Eve Vakarian. Father, Mother, and Daughter".
Sparatus had pointed out that little tidbit; and both Garrus and Eve felt a mixture of worry and amusement. Both trying to picture their Wife and Mother, respectively, as a Turian. The end result, which Eve had taken as her Turian form to replace the on the spot Solana copy, was a Turian with Pinkish-White Plates; and Maroon Red Underskin and Fringe, and Red Markings.
"Why in the hell is this stupid Adoption Ministry so badly run!?" Eve snapped, drawing Garrus out of his thoughts.
She looked at Garrus, her eyes having changed to Emerald Green to match her 'Turian Mothers'; and Garrus buzzed in thought for a moment, before he shrugged helplessly. He honestly didn't have an answer.
Sparatus sighed, "Because Turian adoptions are incredibly rare, Ms. Vakarian; unlike humans, all Turian family members are expected to and make sure to keep a close watch on their families. So if the Parents die, then the Child can still be raised by family; often going to the father's clan, yes, but these days we try to honor the parents request and let whomever they desire to handle raising their child in their stead." He explained.
Eve's mandibles clicked shut as she tried to process the information at what must have been an agonizingly long wait time for her. But by Organic standards, she was still incredibly fast on the uptake.
"What does this have to do with the Turian Adoption Ministry?" She finally asked.
Sparatus gave a long suffering and dramatic sigh, "And you're supposed to have a genius level intellect to the point that you flew through the Hierarchies standardized tests." He joked, before giving an apologetic and semi-submissive buzz upon seeing the furious glare she had given him. "The fact of the matter is that families are still culturally ingrained to pass off their children to the father's family upon death. Something like 99% of all families that do this; so when something different happens, the system doesn't really understand how to handle it."
The Councilor gestured to Garrus, who blinked as it finally dawned on him; "So as a result, it assumes that any discrepancies are errors; and automatically makes 'Corrections' to fix it. 'Jahenne is a human adoptive mother? That must be a mistake, change the species to Turian'," Garrus explained, using air quotes as he did so. Partially sarcastic, but mostly resigned he asked. "And I assume that even though Jane gave her Clan name, and registered Eve under her clan name; the system assumed that we were already 'Clan Mated', and changed her name to mine?"
Sparatus nodded, "Correct again Deputy Spectre."
Eve hissed as her fringe drooped; "Why has no one fixed this?" She demanded.
Sparatus simply cocked an eye plate while Garrus cringed; "I'll let it pass since we're alone, but don't forget that such open insubordination usually prompts punishment from the parents." He warned, and Eve shrank in on herself as Sparatus continued; "As I said, 99% of cases are just rubber stamped approval; and the errors that do happen are oftentimes manually fixed in relatively short order. So no one bothers to change what works in spite of its occasional failings."
Here, the Councilor's eyes seemed to twinkle; and his mandibles spread outward in a Turian grin, "And here is where things get interesting; and life saving for you Ms. Vakarian."
Garrus blinked, then gave a discordant Buzz and rubbed his eyes as he realized what the councilor's plan was; a habit he had picked up from Jane, "Sir… With all due respect, I haven't talked to even my sister in years; but even they would know if I had a daughter biologically. By the Spirits, what do I tell them? That I got together with a Turian Woman with a pre-started family?"
"Dad… It's not as bad an idea as you might think." Eve buzzed in thought, tilting her head; "San and I have been working on modifying one of the combat drones so that it emits the Eezo Infuzed Holographic Projection; and he thinks that we can modify another so that a regular person can use one to disguise themselves."
She seemed to get excited, and was practically bouncing up and down at this point; "Oh just Imagine it, we can make mom a Turian; or make Major Lee a Quarian, or San a human! The Possibilities are endless!" Eve exclaimed.
Garrus chuckled at her genuine antics, as well as the image of Wrex as one of those enormous 'Teddy-Bear' things he had seen in a novelty store on Arcturus station once. "You can play dress-up to your heart's content later," his smile faded slightly, "but first we need to make sure there are no legal loopholes that can be used against you or us."
Sparatus buzzed in mild irritation. "You already know what you need to do; you just need to work up the Frills to face your father, Deputy Specter. There was another matter I wanted to discuss though. I would like your honest assessment of the current operations to deal with this 'Triple Alliance'."
Garrus wasn't certain, but there was something in the Councilor's inflection that made him think Pressley's and his own misgivings were shared. Garrus didn't know for sure, but he had a hunch that there was much more going on at the moment than just some bad leadership.
Just a hunch.
As the Ghosts and Jane reached the wall of the compound, they froze as a small patrol of guards walked past.
At the moment, she was very much cursing at her insistence on tagging along with the Ghosts; but she wasn't going to turn down a chance to see how they operated up close and personal. One of the first things she had found out was that they moved fast.
Which should not have surprised her, but it did.
They moved fast, they moved quietly, and they used their superior technology to map out the paths of least resistance and the best approaches to their objectives. They had given the 'Targeting Binoculars' to the Marines, and one of their precious 'Personal Stealth Drones' to continuously ping enemy patrols and keep the group updated on enemy movements.
"Let 'em Pass…" One of the ghosts whispered.
Jane was just glad that she had her Stealth Cloak; as while she wasn't as concealed as the other Ghosts with their invisibility units, she was still much better concealed than if she were wearing standard N7 armor.
She took a breath and released it as the patrol walked past.
"Ok… we're good." Garth rasped, and almost as one the Ghosts started moving again.
The darkness was something that most humans would be severely handicapped by; but these people had long since adapted to the night, so they couldn't go sprinting around in the open all willy nilly. Still, the Night Vision Goggles were a tremendous help; and were far better than any natural night vision the natives had developed.
And that line of thinking was what caused Jane to nearly blow the whole operation when a Guard that hadn't been pinged rounded the corner as the group approached one of the many holes in the wall surrounding the complex.
As one, the group froze while Jane dropped to the ground to allow her Cloak to cover her fully.
Then man stopped and blinked in confusion; staring at what he thought had been a mass of heat shimmers. Then Jane's blood ran cold as the guards eye's zeroed in on her face.
My Face! She realized in horror.
While her Cloak was exactly the same as the Ghosts, she didn't have the additional Invisibility Suite attached to her Armor; as they hadn't gotten the chance to get her and the rest of the 1-4-1 members one before being deployed.
The man's eyes widened, and he opened his mouth to scream or bark out an alarm; but before he could do so, there was a shimmer behind him, and a knife blade exited out through the back of his neck. The man went limp, and was slowly lowered to the ground; before being hidden in a bush.
"We got you Uber; just be more careful next time." Nomad hissed.
Jane very much wanted to call him out on his very insubordinate sentence; but this was his op, not hers. He had made that clear on the mountain top, as a condition for her tagging along with them.
And she had nearly gotten them caught.
Still this was no time to be crying over spilled milk; so she just nodded, and the group moved on. As they reached the inside of the compound, Jane was moving her head every which way to try and get as much footage as possible; as it would allow them to break down the similarities and differences between other Triple Alliance Factory complexes, and see what kind of methods they used and how best to destroy them.
"Drop!" a Ghost hissed, and Jane did so; making sure she pressed her face into the dirt so she didn't repeat her previous mistake.
Her diligence was rewarded, as the sound of boots crunching on gravel reached her ear for a brief moment; before fading away. Glad I wasn't on the road when they made the call. Jane grumbled, wincing as she thought about the rocks being pressed into her face. She had endured far worse in N7 training; but that didn't mean she liked doing painful things.
After a few more minutes, Garth's voice hissed; "We're good, get going to the rally point."
Jane hopped to her feet, pulling some particularly sharp rocks out of her face as she half jogged-half walked to the side entrance to the facility. There was a guard standing there, absently sweeping his gaze around the compound; when Garth's outline, which marked him as friendly to Jane, walked up and quickly snapped the man's neck.
The Ghost lowered the terrorist to the ground, before dragging him behind a set of barrels.
"Alright…" Nomad growled into her ear; "We split up here and rendezvous in the center of the facility. The General will be starting his attack in…" He paused as he presumably checked the mission time. "Hopefully ten minutes, assuming he can read a watch right. We need to be out of the facility right as the attack starts; because the General has made it known that he wants this facility."
Jane and the others nodded, when Brooks asked; "So what is the purpose of us being here? Beyond making it easier for the General to take the place of course."
"To get eyes on whatever the hell they were doing here; but if we're honest with ourselves, it's likely weapons research. Still, It'll be useful to the General to have an Arms factory; and for us to know what to expect next time we run into the Wolves." Garth replied.
Nomads outline nodded, "Exactly; Garth, Brooks you two will take the upper administrative levels." He started, pairing up each of the nine Ghosts with each other; until he reached himself and Jane. "Uber, you're with me; we'll be checking out the basement levels. They're sealed off to the outside, which makes me suspicious."
She nodded, "Understood Nomad; let's get this done and go home."
Something was off, but Jane wasn't sure what.
But there was an almost palpable sense of foreboding in the air; and everyone could feel it. From the Ghosts to the Guards, to Jane's surprise; as even the EA troopers seemed to be very uneasy, talking in hushed tones, and were incredibly jumpy. The slightest noises seemed to startle them into action; immediately starting a sweep of the surrounding area.
This normally wouldn't be a problem, but Nomad didn't want to kill them unless absolutely necessary; as he noted that a missing guard would likely draw attention when the shift change happened. And since they didn't know when said shift change was supposed to happen, they couldn't take the chance.
Nomad held up a fist, and Jane dropped to the ground.
Another set of footsteps walked past, and these two guards were apparently a bit more chatty than the others the Ghost and the Spectre had encountered previously.
"What kind of demons is that damned foreigner summoning down there? By Allah, I never would have agreed to work here if I had known that is what is being done here." One was saying.
The other snorted, but Jane could tell that the other man was nervous; and just trying to hide it by acting brave, "Please, you make more in one week that you would in an entire year as a farmer; not considering the fact that they shoot anyone who tries to leave."
The footsteps were already fading away, but Jane did manage to catch the tail end of the rest of the conversation; "I'd rather be shot than be those people down there…"
Jane lay there for several more minutes, when Lee hissed; "We're clear… what the fuck are they doing down here that has those guards so spooked?" If Jane didn't know any better, she would have assumed the Ghost sounded… Scared.
Jane quickly hopped up, and swept the area with her borrowed Hi-Standard; "I don't know… but something feels off about this whole thing." She replied.
"Wait… do you hear that?" Nomad suddenly asked.
Jane blinked and tilted her head, straining to hear in the almost deafening silence that seemed to press downward on the entire factory-like facility. Then she heard it, it was almost… like a thousand rats scratching the walls mixed with dogs growling in an echochamber.
"What is that?" She wondered.
Nomad was frozen, and she looked over and saw him tensed up and ready to bolt; "No…"
He stood up and sprinted towards what looked to be a hatchway. "Nomad wait!" Jane hissed, but the Ghost either didn't hear her; or was so focused on the mystery noises that he didn't care about how much noise he was making.
Cursing, she scrambled after him; and realized that he was heading towards what looked like an open set of hatch doors. There were no guards, and there didn't seem to be any security checks or sensors in place; but Jane still felt her heart clench in fear as the Ghost practically barreled through the open hatchway and down the stairs, even as the sounds got louder and louder the closer she got.
At this point, she could hear moaning and groaning; and some people sobbing and crying. She skidded to a stop, and stared wide eyed at what she saw.
Rows and rows of transparent plexi-glass boxes; utterly filthy and filled with waste and garbage, but that was not what was horrifying. No, what really drew her gaze was the people inside the boxes. Most of them were drooling and foaming at the mouth; their movements jerky and uncertain, almost like they were drunk.
Some were snarling like animals, others were cowering away from the small puddles of what was almost certainly urine in the centers of their boxes.
"What…" She started, then she looked at Nomad; who seemed to be in shock. "August… what is this? I know you recognize it." She asked, recalling that Ziva was a doctor; and would likely have told August about this.
The Ghost didn't say a word; he just pointed at one of the labels on the Boxes.
Jane squinted, then felt all the blood drain from her face as she read what it said; and knew right then and there, the real reason as to why they had been sent out here. The real reason why the two Generals wanted this facility; and why Eayan Allah was so determined to protect it, and preserve its secrets.
"Rabies. Airborne Variant. Results: Total Success. Time: 48 Hours Before Onset of Symptoms."
Neither said anything for a long time; What was there to say? The most deadly Virus in human history; a Virus contained in saliva, that which was all that allowed humanity to survive as long as the Virus had existed, was now transmissible through Aerosol.
"Nomad…" Jane finally managed to say, as the two officers stared at the snarling people; their minds long since destroyed by the airborne rabies virus that was killing them. "We need to destroy this place. We can't let this fall into anyones hands; much less risk it staying in EA's hands."
"Agreed Uber; All teams this is Nomad. You guys know those blocks of C4 each of us took with us? Yeah, we're destroying this fucking place. I'll explain once we get out of here." He said, looking at the 'patients' with a white face.
"Who's there?!" A voice shouted.
Jane and August cursed and immediately reactivated their cloaks, slipping into the shadows. It was to their shock and amazement as a brown skinned and withered looking Salarian walked into the room. Jane immediately felt her blood boil as she recognized who it was; Dr. Saleon, the Salarian responsible for the black market sale of illegally harvested organs.
She remembered when Garrus had told her about him; and had to bite down on her tongue to stop herself from railing against the evil Salarian.
He was the one that had resulted in Garrus's semi-disgrace in C-SEC; and he would pay for it.
Click-Clack.
The warning signal in her ear jarred Jane out of her thoughts; and she took a breath and calmed herself as Saleon walked down the corridor, absently recording the effects of the Virus on the 'patients' inside the sealed plexi-glass boxes.
He stopped in front of the one on the end, and peered inside; and Jane watched as a shimmer walked out of the shadows, and the Salarian doctor choked and flailed as Nomad yanked him backwards, and smashed the man into the ground. The mad doctor squirmed for a moment, until Nomad whipped out his Revolver and pointed it right between the Salarians beady eyes.
"Unless you want a bullet in your sick little brain, I'd suggest you stay where you are and stay quiet." The Ghost hissed, even as Jane emerged from the shadows to check the hatchway the Salarian had come from.
"Who are you?!" Saleon hissed furiously; his eyes looking every which way.
Jane growled, remembering how upset Garrus had been when the slimy little bastard had gotten away. And as she looked around at the various rabies infected humans; she knew that there was no way that she could let this little frog live. She decloaked and walked up to him, and pulled down her Shemagh; knowing that the Salarian would instantly recognize her.
He had threatened Garrus by promising to harvest her organs after all. "Your past come back to haunt you." She growled, pointing her own Pistol at his head.
Dr. Saleon's eyes were practically bulging out of his head now; as August knelt down in front of him, drawing his K-Bar. "Now then… 'Doctor Heart', tell me; how did you develop this airborne Rabies Virus, and where do you have the data for it? I don't think I need to tell you what happens if you don't give me an answer."
The Salarian trembled, and apparently believed the Ghost; because he immediately cracked and said, "On my computer! Making the Virus Airborne was easy, just made it more resistant to the air and sun." He explained frantically, looking back and forth between Jane and August.
Too bad that Jane had no intention of playing 'Good Cop' to Augusts 'Bad Cop'; even professionals like her had their own personal vendetta's. While she held no ill will towards individual Batarians, she viewed the species as a whole with suspicion; and always had a hand on her gun when in their presence.
But in this case, she was not so restrained.
"Nomad… if you would be so kind as to get the data off his computer? I'll continue the interrogation." She stated simply.
The Ghost flinched and looked at her, and Jane knew that he had an expression of surprise behind his skull face balaclava; but he must have seen the look in her eye, and gave a reluctant nod. He walked towards a nearby work desk, but put a hand on her shoulder; "We have a line in the Ghosts Ell Cee, don't cross it." He whispered, before carrying on.
His words brought her back to the shooting range back at Zekiah Mansion; how the Ghosts would police each other to make sure no one crossed the line. "W-w-wait… you're a Spectre! You can't do anything to me, I gave you what you wanted!" Saleon exclaimed frantically.
"Actually… I can." Jane replied.
BOOM!
Jane stumbled as the entire building shook; cracks forming in the concrete walls of the basement, while dust rained down from above. A loud siren began wailing, and Jane grunted as the Salarian kicked her in the chest; while simultaneously yanking her Hi-Standard out of her hand. Undeterred, Jane stomped onto the Salarians forearm, breaking it with a loud crack!
Saleon screamed in pain; and quickly retaliated with a punch to the mouth with his good hand.
Jane staggered and held her jaw as the Salarian capitalized on his blow by kicking her in the chest again; before taking off at a full tilt sprint towards the stairs. "They're Here! They're Here! Guards to the holding cells!" He started screaming.
CRACK!
The mad doctor fell to the floor, clutching the back of his left shoulder; howling in pain. Jane whipped her head around to see that August had already finished up with the hack and downloaded the data; and was currently pointing the now smoking barrel of his infamous revolver at the Salarian.
"You good Uber?" He asked, even as gunshots and screaming began to get closer and closer.
"I'm good, sounds like the general is really blitzing through the enemies defenses." She noted, picking up her Hi-Standard.
The Ghost shook his head, as Garth's voice filled their ears; "Nomad! Uber! The General's breaking from the plan! He snuck his forces so that they were right next to the walls. He and his personal guard are already reaching the main building!"
"Shit! We need to get out of here and blow this building!" August exclaimed.
"We can wait, at the very least try to convince him that it is better this place be destroyed. He has to know that if he lets this Virus out of this facility, then the planet will almost assuredly die." Jane protested, even as she marched up to Dr. Saleon; stopping the Salarians pitiful attempts at crawling away cold. "Isn't that right? Unless you're given the vaccine, you die."
The Salarian hissed as she stepped on his bad shoulder; "Yes… unless given the Vaccine ahead of time, you will die."
"...I don't know Uber; but you'd best make your choice, because he's already reached the main entrance to the building." Garth warned.
"Form a perimeter in case things go bad; the two of us will deal with the General." Nomad barked, before pulling out one of his few remaining EMP Grenades; and tossing it at the pile of computers. "Now then…"
"NO!" Saleon cried, as all the computers and monitors winked out.
The Ghost ignored him, and turned to look at Jane. "Now the only two things left with the knowledge of how to develop the virus is here." He held up a little stick of some kind, likely where he had stored the data; before turning to look at Saleon.
Jane understood his meaning, "And in there…" She finished; glaring angrily at the mad Scientist. "I think, Nomad, that you would agree that it is too dangerous for knowledge of how to make this Virus to be allowed to roam free don't you?" She asked.
"Yes ma'am… It is." He replied, spinning his Revolver and holding it out handle first for her to take. "I know about your history, and Garrus's, with this little shit; I'll meet you upstairs." Was all he said as Jane took the revolver; grunting in surprise at its weight.
As the Ghost walked away, she turned her gaze down at the slimy little Salarian; even as the scientist began to weep and beg. Doing that which he had listened to others do, without pity or remorse, hundreds of times; even as he made this virus for nothing more than a quick credit, even as he had grown organs in his own staff to sell on the Black Market.
"PLEASE! PLEASE MERCY! PLEASE DON'T SHOOT ME-E-E-E!" He screamed.
Jane sneered as his cries for mercy became so intolerable; she promptly took off her Shemagh, and stuffed it into the Salarian's mouth. She wouldn't be needing the thing after today, and she would prefer to forget this campaign sooner as opposed to later.
Wounded, bleeding, broken, and his eyes bulging with terror; Dr. Saleon watched as Spectre Jahenne Haniel Shepard-Vakarian put her foot on his chest, then raised the .50 Calibre Action Express Custom Revolver.
And then, without another word; she shot Dr. Saleon through the forehead.
Jane walked up the steps, feeling both fulfilled and drained at the same time, as she looked up towards the approaching General and his personal guards. August stared them down, not even looking away as she walked up next to him.
"So this is how it ends then…" The General said softly, walking forward with not a care in the world. Jane's arm was still stinging from shooting August's damned revolver; but she was ready for a fight if the need arose. "This is how you become enemies of our Revolution, to the establishment of our Agrarian Proletariat." He continued, his voice was sad; but determined nonetheless.
"If by 'enemy' you mean our destroying a bio-weapons factory that violates every law of armed conflict for every civilized race in the Galaxy," Jane's eyes speared the General, "then yes, I suppose we are enemies now."
"The contents of this factory is not what I care for; the ability to produce weapons means little to me. No… My quarrel with you is the violation of our deal. A violation your General promised me would not happen." The General replied, making no moves towards his Makarov; the weapon having been attached to his hip ever since it had been given to him. "I did not make this deal with your Genera for nothing; it was a deal I took to ensure that I got here before the Imam destroyed this factory for the crimes you now try to banish away."
Jane adjusted her grip on August's revolver, while August himself shifted his stance in preparation to either fight or run; adjusting his MP5SD into a more readily available position, but made no move to draw it and start shooting.
"You speak as if we hadn't just eliminated one of the greatest threats to life across the galaxy." Jane's eyes hardened along with her grip. "You also speak as if you knew what was being made here."
"But of course." The General blinked and tilted his head in confusion, "I was under the assumption that you knew as well. Your General Grant was the one that told me about it of course. This would have been the perfect propaganda tool to expose the hypocrisy of these savages." The General replied, looking genuinely shocked that they had not known. "The Imam does not understand the need for propaganda; which is why he simply would have destroyed it."
Jane kept her tense poise, but glanced uncertainly at Lee. The Ghost had actually taken a step back, and his MP5 hung loose for a moment. He quickly rallied, and fixed his stance and his grip on his weapon. He glanced at Jane, even as the hand carrying the revolver shook. Jane saw that he also desperately wanted information about what the General had just said, but at that moment they were balanced on a knife edge; she dared not show any more ignorance or weakness in her position.
"General…" She started, trying a new tack; "do you truly desire to keep the samples of this Virus alive and suffering down there? Prolong the suffering of poor people who were scooped off the street and experimented on to create a disease that could easily kill the entire planet if we were to allow it to break free?" She asked.
The General looked down for a moment, clearly contemplating her words; and August took a breath and stepped forward, "Sir… you fight this war to offer a better future for these people; to give them an offer for a better alternative to EA. Do you want to sink to their level, and become that which you are fighting?" He had switched to Uzbek midway through to reinforce to the General that they were on his side.
The man closed his eyes, and nodded; "You have twenty four hours to leave this planet and never come back. Should we meet again on the battlefield, we shall meet as enemies."
And with those words, he walked back to his Horse and pulled himself up; he pulled on the reigns, but paused as he did so. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out his Buzkashi riding whip; the black Ebony wood handle, the silver engravings, and brown leather whip portion was marred by years of use and harsh campaigning.
"Here… I never did repay you for your gifts to me." He said, putting a hand on his Makarov Pistol. "It has served me well over many decades; I want you to have it as a token of our friendship over these past few months. To serve as a reminder that we need not be enemies forever."
Jane slowly took the Riding Whip with an almost reverent air; before looking back up at the General, who gave her a soft smile. "Thank you sir…" She couldn't bring herself to say anything else.
August just nodded, and said; "Goodbye, sir…" Before snapping off a quick salute.
The General smiled at their words and August's salute; and he nodded before shouting "HAH!"
His horse whinnied and kicked up onto its hind legs for a moment, before wheeling around and sprinting away; the General leading his men out of the now doomed compound, and back to the fields of New Kurdistan.
It was a sight to behold, and as Jane watched him go; she swore she would cherish his gift for the rest of her life.
As the Warchief slowly touched down on the mountain top; Jane gave a sad smile and shook her 'Guards' hand, the old man giving her a sad look. Jane bowed and said in Dari, "I am sorry, brother… that we must part as enemies."
The old man smiled as he returned the handshake, "Your Dari could still use some work, but I thank you nonetheless. You have given this old man an adventure of a lifetime. Yesterday we were allies, and tomorrow we will be enemies; but so it is the way the world works. The lands of the peoples of Islam have been called 'The Graveyard of Empires'; and who knows… either it will be the Imam's Empire that is added to the graves, or it will be your Alliance." He said, a nostalgic look on his face.
Jane nodded, "Perhaps so, perhaps not; we shall see." She replied, before turning away from the man and walked back to the bundles of gear being loaded into the VTOL Transport Jet. As she walked up, she could hear Bowman grumbling to August; "Three fuckin' years building up all this trust, and Grant pisses it all away; That's the way things work I guess."
"If it weren't for those fucking two stars on his shoulders; I'd punch him in the mouth for nearly fucking us over like this." Lee replied, carrying another crate with Colt as they loaded it onto the transport.
Archer followed with Phil close behind. "He's Schultz's boy; maybe we should take a short trip home to the Spirit and ask some pointed questions about what the fuck is going on!" She all but slammed her duffle into the transport bed.
Jane ignored them, and just watched as their 'Guards' mounted up onto their horses for one final time; and noted with a smile that Ara and Nek were not among them. She turned to see the twins sitting between Kal and Ash, looking up at the two adults in wonder as the two doubtlessly told them about what they could expect.
How long she stood there, she would never know; and was only jostled out of her thoughts when Lee shouted, "Hey Ell Cee, it's time to go!"
Jane looked over and gave a wave of acknowledgment; before taking on final look around the mountain range and the valleys as the rest of the militia began trotting away on their horses. As she did so, she suddenly remembered something; reaching into her Plate Carrier, she pulled out a melted chunk of gold.
She had taken it from the destroyed statue of the Krogan on the presidium; having made a vow to bury it on the world of those who were responsible for its destruction. While she had yet to find those who were truly responsible, this was good enough for her. Kneeling down, she dug a small hole in the ground; and dropped the small nugget of melted and charred gold in the ground, before burying it again.
With that done, she stood up and walked to the Warchief; ready to go home.
Jane, Bowman, and August were the last three to board the Warchief; the hatch slowly closing as the engines began to rev up, slowly lifting off the ground and climbing into the sky. After a moment, Jane said; "Pilot! Hold for a moment."
"Copy that ma'am." The Pilot replied.
Jane stared down into the valley, at that damned factory for a moment; before she sighed, and nodded to Lee. He nodded in kind, he pulled out the Clacker from his armor vest; and pressed the lever.
The flashes and explosions began to light up the morning sky; and Jane watched as the factory of death began to crumble. But even as it fell in on itself, the mysterious it had produced were alive and well. And Jane was determined to solve them, by any means necessary.
"Alright Pilot… Take us home."
Pilot A/N: More and more cracks in the narrative the Ghosts have followed.
Beyond being pleased at the opportunity for writing another 'Ghost Recon' Level, and showcasing the Ghosts abilities as infiltrators; I don't have much else to say beyond giving a… goodbye to New Kurdistan, though I know you all have figured this won't be a permanent goodbye.
Dr. Saleon finally makes his appearance from all the way back when; and now we get to see what he's been up to working with EA. And of course, Grant fucked 1-4-1 and the IAA over; he essentially spoiled the Alliance they had worked so hard to create and maintain.
Alright, that's all I have to say; how 'bout you Ian, you got anything?
Ian A/N: On a less distressing note, The advancements in Eve's holographics are going to lead to interesting things in the future. Her peculiar status with the Turian government will have some ramifications for our burgeoning family. Remember that nothing is without purpose or intent, Stay tuned to find out.
Pilot: Right then, check my profile for the link to the discord and the Writing challenge I have posted.
A TV Tropes page would be loved and appreciated.
Leave a review and tell us what y'all think; the feedback helps us out greatly.
And we will see ya when we see ya.