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Wolf Effect
Ch 16. Rescue gone FUBAR
Location: Normandy, Crew deck
Shepard's POV
I was laughing at how Anthony was still getting bit by the crawler which is hilarious because he would complain & try to shake the thing off & I was holding my sides
"OW YOU FUCKING DICK BAG!" Anthony called out as he got bit at his leg but what u don't understand is why the thing only bites him & not anyone else, then again it did let me pet it but I want to know why
I heard Anthony speak "Shepard! Help!" I smiled
I figured that was enough since I also remember checking on the Mako with him & I guess now was a good time "Alright I think that's enough... Whatever I'm gonna call you?"
The crawler let's go of him then walks on over to me & lays down then starts sleeping... I think?
"Well Shepard, I can only guess that you have a better connection to him then me?" I looked at Anthony as he dusted himself off
"Yeah but then again I would of done a something similar" I smiled as he groans
"Yeah like throw me around like a ragdoll!" I giggled & he laughed a little as he sat down next to me then continued "But it's still weird on how you two bond so well"
I went ahead & said "I don't know either but this might help us stop Saren" he nodded in agreement then I went ahead & asked him "What are Prime & Tony working on anyways?"
He just said "Tony is working on a robot called a Spectre where it's gonna help out with tactics & commands on command ships including Intel, objectives, etc. but this one is called Spyglass which is the only one that does that"
I went ahead & said "Alright but what about Prime?"
He replies "Prime is working on some weapon upgrades like modifying the guns so they can use all the weapon mods" I blinked a bit then he said "He's working with Garrus & Ashley on the upgrades so that way we have the advantage over Saren & his Geth"
I spoke "So pretty much what I heard was that You put your team on two different assignments that would be considered illegal in citadel space" I smiled then continued "But then again we aren't in citadel space & myself along with Nihlus are Spectre's so we can do whatever"
He seemed surprised but it's really hard to see with that stupid helmet on & also he isn't taking it off after what happened back on the Citadel then he said "Well... What do you wanna talk about?"
I just shrugged "I'm not sure to be honest. What about you?"
He thought for a moment then said "Have anyone your interested in?" That question was random but I suppose we should have something to talk about
I looked at him then said "Not really, Kaiden still keeps asking but I told him no" I sigh then continued "I don't really have anyone on my mind at the moment but what about you?"
I smiled as he said "There were a few but I didn't go for them because they were either taken or I was too busy, besides I'm not really good at relationships"
"So you basically don't have anyone on your mind?" He just shrugged as he looked up at the ceiling
He then said "I just haven't found the right girl"
I was gonna ask until Joker came on then said [Hey commander. Nihlus is asking you to come up to the cockpit]
I got up as the crawler jumped to the floor then walked away
I looked at Anthony then said "Well I hope you find the right one." I walked up to the main deck to see what Nihlus & Joker want
Anthony's POV
I sigh then placed a hand on my helmet as Ghost appeared then said "So guessing your having girl troubles again or is this about-"
I held up my hand then said "No I just don't know what to do or say but she did bring up Kaiden. Maybe I should get those two together?"
I could see that she was no convinced so I was gonna speak until she stopped me then said "Don't even think about it mister, you've been going lone wolf long enough & as much as I enjoy you paying attention to me & the others, you need someone to spend your life with"
I was gonna say something until my Omi-tool pinged then it open up & Halsey spoke [Anthony. Get everyone ready immediately, we may have found something] I nodded then Ghost nods as well & I can only guess she was in agreement as she sent out a message to the ground team to meet up in the cargo bay fully armed & ready
Location: Edolus
Third person POV
The Seraph was smoking all over then 3 Spartans came out of the ship & looked around then one of them who wielded a Sniper & a Spiker said "RUN!"
Everyone jumped out of the ship then ran quickly & as soon as they got a away far enough the Seraph exploded leaving them no way of getting off the planet
One of them who was smaller then the others said "Did anyone send out a distress signal before it blew?" One of the individuals nods
The larger one of the group spotted a vehicle identified as a Mako as the large Spartan said "I see something. Over there but it looks like it's been here for awhile" the large individual points to the Mako as both the smaller Spartan & the Sniper nod then all three of them start walking over to it
They weren't aware on how dangerous the location was noir were they prepared for what is coming
Location: Normandy, orbit over Edolus
Anthony's POV
Everyone is all geared up & were standing by the Mako then Halsey came walking in as she called out "Now that everyone is here, the mission is simple. Go in, investigate what happened to the soldiers that were sent down there."
She looked at everyone as if everyone wasn't paying attention & we're having a quiet conversation except for Wolfpack then she continued "The mission has change" everyone immediately stopped talking & everyone was listening "Recently myself, Ratchet, Nihlus, & the AI's have received a Covenant distress signal"
Ashley went ahead & spoke "Excuse me ma'am but mind telling us what the hell are the Covenant?"
Halsey then looked at Tony then he nods as his AI Libra shows up then starts explaining "The Covenant was a theocratic hegemony made up of multiple alien species that waged war on humanity thanks to the San'Shyuum & their lies, the San'Shyuum were also called Prophets & they declared a genocidal war on the humanity & what's worse is that they nearly activated these rings called Halo" she brings up images of the halo rings which I think was a terrible idea to do but she did so anyways & continued "These Rings When activated, the Halo rings would wipe out all sentient life within three radii of the Milky Way's Galactic center, by sending out radiation, targeting certain cells in the nervous system, which includes, but is not limited to, neurons, by harmonizing all neurological frequencies. So in English for everyone that doesn't understand, the Halos destroy all sentient life just to starve out the parasite known as the Flood."
Shepard went ahead & asked a question "But wasn't the Covenant supposed to be gone now & what remains is only this Storm Covenant?"
Ruby went ahead & said "Yes but that's why we're going to check it out & hopefully get some answers, correct Dr. Halsey?" She looks at Halsey & she sees her nod in confirmation
I looked through my HUD to see that me & the rest of Wolfpack can jump from 5000 Feet & land safely if we use our jet packs at 2650 Feet then I sent the info to everyone in Wolfpack seeing as they received the info & nod as the four of us checked out armor's systems making sure everything is working
Tali went ahead & asked "How are we going to get everyone in the Mako, it only has enough room for-"
I cut her off from finishing what she said as I answered her "well your gonna see us become ODST's" I can definitely guess she was confused
I heard Forge call out "Alright everyone! Load up & get clear because Wolfpack is dropping in first then Shepard your team will go in after!" I smiled behind my helmet as me & Wolfpack went by the door & waited for everyone to get clear so they don't get sucked out except Shepard & her team went into the Mako & the 6 Crawlers & 2 Watchers looked like they were going to stay behind
I heard Nihlus get on comms & asked [Mind telling me just what the Spirits is a ODST?] I grinned & I gestured to Prime to answer that question
Prime turned on his comms so Shepard's squad can hear as he said [Orbital Drop Shock Troopers are a special operations capable organization of the UNSC Marine Corps that specialize in orbital-dropped shock infantry and special warfare tactics. The best part about them was that they dropped from orbit in Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle or SOEIV for short, which is basically a drop pod they use to get down on the ground but for us we're gonna have to improvise]
The Normandy's doors open as I looked to see that we are about 5000 Feet in the air we ran out then jumped out & we were high up in the air & I really wish I was in a drop pod but it was nice to get out in the open but I kept a eye on my HUD so that way I know when to use my jet pack or not
I was also looking down at the planet as I knew this was the place where we would encounter our first Thresher Maw but I had a feeling that something wasn't right so I spoke to Ghost on private comms [Ghost. Look up Akuze would ya, I wanna know what happened] she pulled up a report that talks about Akuze but there was a lot of black marks on details of the mission as I then asked [See if you can find any links between Akuze & Shepard]
Ghost replied [That might take awhile but I'll see what I can do] I knew she would have the Intel by the time we reached the ground but once I looked at my HUD to see our target Feet 2650 me & the rest of Wolfpack engaged our Jet Packs & we were slowing our fall
Red came into View & showed us where we are going to land at which was looks like the location of the missing Marines
I was seeing the ground coming at us but it was getting bigger & slower until we were hovering off the ground at 7 feet then I disengage the jet pack as I land on the ground & pulled out my BR & the rest of Wolfpack land on the ground & Ruby got her Beam rifle out, Prime got his shotgun out & was looking around, Tony pulled his Spartan laser out & waited for the Mako to land
Ruby tapped my shoulder then said "I spotted the crash site along with location of our survivors" she pointed to the crash site as her AI was able to confirm it as a Seraph then marked the area of where the survivors took shelter which had to be the place where the marines got killed at
I started walking over to the area with the rest of my team followed but we had to walk lightly due to a Thresher Maw on the planet but once we got close to the site my motion tracker picked up 3 IFF tags confirming that they are friendly
As soon as I got close to the area I see that one of the friendlies starts coming at me but before I could look to see who or what it was all I hear is a "AAANNNNNNTTTTTHHHHHOOOONNNNNYYYYY!" Then I get tackle hugged as I fall to the ground with a small person on me but once I look I see my favorite person
I went ahead & said "Hey Snow" I can hear her giggle then start cuddling me which I was feeling like this is very awkward but as soon as I sit up I can feel her clinging on to me which I smiled & chuckled behind my helmet as I could guess that she missed me a lot as I asked "How did you get here? Who else is with you?"
Snow let go & looked up at me with her Mark IV helmet as she answered "I'm with my team & we found your signal along with the Infinity & Shadow of Intent as soon as you guys disappeared & so Crimson, Noble, Blue team, & the Arbiter & his team & a few others went in to find you but we got caught by the Covenant but we did escape"
Now I feel dumbfucked as to what exactly happened but I was surprised to hear that almost everyone came looking for us when we were only gone for probably a week or two but I went ahead & asked again "Did any ships go through to help with the search?"
She shook her head "None that I know of but we lost comms when we went through the portal & we haven't heard from Crimson-1 for awhile"
I patted her shoulder as I saw two more Spartans come out in the open as I knew who the girl in the deadeye armor was & identify as Sepia then the other Spartan next to her is Kaiser with his big GUNGNIR armor along with his heavy gear as all 7 of us came together & greeted each other
Then I heard Shepard come on the radio & started talking [Wolf-1 this is Shepard do you read me over]
I got on the radio & replied "Shepard this is Wolf-1 I read you & found out the survivors are 3 Spartans & they are friendly so come on by over" I then see the Mako driving over to us
But then I saw Tony activate his Promethean Vision as he looks at the ground then calls out "INCOMING!" I felt the ground shake underneath us as I could only have 1 answer but then I saw the Mako get sent up to the air a little then fall back to the ground & I saw 2 wheels destroyed
All 7 of us went over to the Mako & Shepard was the first one to pop out as I pulled her out of the Mako then Prime helped Ashley, Tony helped Tali, Ruby helped Kaiden, Kaiser helped Wrex, Snow helped Liara, then finally Sepia helped Garrus as we got everyone out of the Mako Shepard called out "Everyone status report" she groans as she held her head which I could guess was a minor concussion but that should fade & everyone else seemed like they were ok then she asked "What the hell hit us?"
Before anyone could answer the ground began shaking as I went ahead & said "Spartans! Form a circle!" Everyone got their weapons out as we circled around Shepard's group as everyone kept a eye open for the bloody thing
Wrex definitely knew what it was as he got his shotgun out & stood next to Prime & Ruby then everyone in Shepard's group went ahead & stood next to everyone as I had Shepard on my left & Kaiser on my right
Ghost appeared on my HUD & said "We got a Thresher Maw & I may have found something about Akuze" I knew it wasn't good until the big worm popped up from the ground & roared as I was amazed by both the size & how loud it was as everyone aimed right at the fucker then we started shooting the bloody bastard as she continued "Shepard was there & she was the only one to escape that nightmare"
My eyes widen as I glance at Shepard to see her frozen in terror but then I heard Prime shout out "EVERYONE GET TO COVER ITS GONNA SPIT!" Everyone scrambled to Cover but I saw that Shepard wasn't moving & that worm was gonna shoot right at her so I holstered my weapon & picked Shepard up & started running towards cover as the thing spewed acid where we were at
I looked at Shepard as she was terrified so I tapped her shoulder & said "Commander. Snap out of it, we need you" I could only guess that she was shell shocked but then I saw Prime come slide over to me
He then asked "Sir what's up?" He looked at Shepard then at me then at the Worm & said "Never mind I think I know"
Ashley slide in next & said "We can't stay here. We're sitting ducks out here" I couldn't agree more as I peaked my head out to see that Ruby was running around the thing firing her Beam rifle at it, Garrus was snipping it along with Sepia, Wrex was laughing as he fired his shotgun at the beast, Liara & Kaiden were using their biotics to either cause damage, slow it down, or to protect the others, Snow was using her BR to fire from a distance, Tali used her shotgun to hit the beast, Kaiser was using his Needler to cause damage which was working but was also pissing it off
I then looked at Shepard then said "Shepard I need you to listen, whatever is going on I need you to focus on getting us out alive, we can't do that without-" I soon felt a tendril of some kind wrap around me then yank me up in the air along with Prime as we were being raised high up "Oh hell no!" I got my Grenade launcher out & started shooting at the beast but I wasn't doing anything to it but after my 4th shot I reloaded the thing but I accidentally dropped it & I was having a difficult time trying to reach for my other weapons
Prime was having better luck as he got his shotgun out & fired a shot hitting it in the eye but I knew that this thing wasn't gonna let us go that easy
Shepard's POV
Nononono I can't believe this is happening, this was just like Akuze all over again & I can't do anything
I wasn't fast enough to move, I wasn't strong enough to fire a shot at it, I wasn't brave enough to even try & save Anthony & Prime. All I did was let them get taken away & it was all my fault
I soon heard something fall right next to me as I turn to look at the source to find that it was Anthony's Grenade launcher & I knew what I had to do as I shook my head then looked around to see Tony getting his Plasma caster out then I had a idea as I got on the radio & said "Tony, I want you to fire right into that things mouth" I could see that he understood as he aimed right at the Thresher Maws mouth then I could see Wrex throw a stasis at the thing causing it to slow down but it was more then enough time to keep its mouth open as Tony fired 5 shots right into its mouth & I fired a shot from the grenade launcher but by the time we fired out shots the thing was moving around & it was thrashing around & flinging its tentacles around
I could see that Anthony & Prime were being thrown around by the thing then once it let go I could see that they were gonna land on the ground until one of the things arms was moving towards them as Anthony positioned himself to take the hit as it nailed Anthony & sent him flying & Prime crashed to the ground lightly & the beast went limp & sinked to the ground but then I saw Anthony hit the ground hard leaving a small crater around him as I dropped the grenade launcher & ran right towards him as I slide down & I knew that he was injured but I didn't know what was going to happen to him but I pray to whatever deity out there that he makes it through