Chapter 23
Assault on the Collector's ship
Hello people, here is the next chapter. A bit of action before the incoming storm. But first, an answer to a review.
Agin81: you gave me much food for thought in this review, Agin.
1) On the one hand, you showed me that I slightly failed in my writing. (I blame English not being my first language for this) Because my intention for Shepard was accepting Kelly back both because he saw a chance in her AND the impelling necessity of keeping the agents' sanity together. As you noticed, Chackwas, as good as she is as a doctor, is no psychologist, and, after this stunt, the crew need mental help and cannot risk embarking a random smuck for the occasion, especially at this juncture. And Kelly is not going out free: as Shepard said, once this mess is over, she is for a tribunal whether she liked it or not. (unless something completely different happens in the future)
Of course, I expect a mixed reaction from the crew: Jack, for example, is out now; totally out; Miranda, Jacob, Garrus and Grunt are...relatively fine. They either trust Shepard or TIM enough. Zaeed is just blunt, and Samara swore loyalty to Shepard, so she shall decide to kill him or not after the mission. Mordin did the same, so he refuses to judge. Tali trust Shepard implicitly. And so on.
2) About Shepard's "Good guy" habit of biting him in the ass, I thought about expanding this in the ME3 continuation (Assuming I shall reach it), where a too soft approach will force him to reconsider his ways, like being ready to shoot Ashley if necessary, or all the shit that comes after. We shall see. Maybe even losing one of the major races because of this and having a breakdown.
About Lena being a target...she already is. As the events of Illium proved.
3) this is more controvential: when Shepard made a confrontation between the two, it was not to place them on the same plate: it was a rhetorical exercise where one interlocutor forces the other to look at an existing situation from another point of view. Lena's situation was indeed way worse, but it is also true that Lena didn't even bother to hear Kelly's plight. Is this what I wanted to convey: listen before judging.
(Shepard's words that I chose were this, if I am not mistaken.
"Whether you forgive her or not is up to you. What I want for you is to stop seeing life in such...extreme ways").
There is another reason, a piece of Lena's backstory that has not yet been revealed and will probably be just before the end mission. One that will explain both her extreme reaction and her grudging acceptance now, until -SPOILER- Raina will force the bubble to explode at her own peril. It should happen after two or three chapters top (meaning, knowing me, 15 000 words at least). If you are in for private messaging, I would love to discuss it with you privately. I don't have beta readers, so I fail to notice things that tend to move away, and I enjoy people who do not hesitate to point at the possible flaws. It also happened in chapter 5 two years ago with T'Von and Lena's behaviour. Although I believe that I came slightly closer to the mark this time.
About the "moral compass", I was thinking more of a person like Thane. Samara, with all her regalia and wisdom, is a bit too...uncompromising in her beliefs.
Still, reading that the chapter was good overall gives me hope. Hope you are willing to still sit for the ride.
For the others, too: if you have any ideas or suggestion, shoot away, I do not bite.
Anyway, back to the shooting now.
Normandy sr-2. 8 march 2185. 17 31 ship hour.
The gathering on the ship's armoury was a sombre one this time. Many people still had nightmares about the previous mission, and the lack of certain guns felt heavy on their mind as everyone geared for war. A blind fool could see it, and Shepard, already geared and waiting for them at the shuttle, was no fool.
"Miranda", the Commander didn't even turn back from his post as he checked times and times again his guns. He knew the steps of every single agent now anyway.
"Give me the report."
The brunette woman entered inside the shuttle ungeared, unlike Shepard, and sat next to him. Her expression was soft, pitying. Shepard could sense no accusation from her.
"About the agents, the crew, or the mission?"
"All of them, you chose the order."
"Very well. The agents are almost ready. Lena, Mordin, Jack and Thane, as you asked. As debriefed by you, they are preparing for possible Husk resistance, together with brainwashed humans. All the possible data have been downloaded on their Omni-tools. No one complained about your choices."
"This is the mission. What about the crew?"
Miranda left a soft sight and placed a hand on Shepard's shoulders.
"I will not sugarcoat it, Shepard. They are all confused and angry. But not against you. Like Kelly, many inside this crew never saw the worst of Cerberus. This means that seeing their uglier face made them feel betrayed and, as a crosspiece, betrayed by Kelly's actions. Some seem willing to grant her another chance; others say that you have been too kind to her. Some even think that maybe Abigail, with all her flaws, had a point. Regardless they are following your order of not being aggressive toward our redeemed lamb."
"Imbeciles" Shepard's teeth gnashed against each other.
"The agents?"
"I just went to the infirmary. Garrus and Jacob seem to trust your judgement. Tali too. I feared for Kasumi, but she was so traumatized by the past events that she readily accepted Kelly's help in overcoming them. She is already showing some signs of improvements, by the way. The skittishness is mostly gone. Samara and Thane are quiet but untroubled; they both have the spirituality that guides them." a low groan escaped from Miranda's lips.
"One of the few perks of truly believing in something. Mordin is quiet. I think this mission reminded him of his past on Tuchanka. Zaeed is stolid, mostly uncaring as always. Jack is..." she paused for a moment, "Angry. Very angry. Still, she did nothing to her, and EDI found her giving Kelly an...interesting nickname even during her drunken benders. -Bitch with quads-. No idea why. She is a wildcard now."
"That is why she is coming. I want her to unwind and asset her. Found the facility she was looking for?"
"Not yet, but I am close. Very close. One day at most."
"Good. One last thing, Miranda. What do you think of this?"
Miranda's eyes blinked in surprise. She had not expected this question.
"What?"
"Don't play the fool with me, Miranda. You know Cerberus far better than me. You also are cold enough to detach yourself from most situations. I want your honest counsel about this mess. What do you think about it?"
This time Miranda sat on the bench together with Shepard, looking at the Commander in the eyes with a mixture of nervousness and kindness.
"To be honest? One month ago, I would have called you a fool. A lousy idiot that lives inside a fairytale and hope for the best. A damn lucky one considering your achievements. But now?" her look became dim for a moment.
"You have charisma, Shepard. You ooze it. That is why so many are willing to follow you, even with such an optimistic look at the galaxy. Your confidence and ability to achieve results without breaking your moral code is a breath of fresh air for many of us too. It is also the reason Samara accepted to follow you, I think.
Me? I now trust your judgement, Shepard. If you say that Kelly deserves a second chance, I am willing to give it a try. But you have to understand that she worked with many people there, people that shared secrets with her, and now they are fearful. Such a decision is bound to give trouble. All I can suggest is keep an eye for trouble, but do not stamp it out. It is Kelly right now that must prove her worth, not you."
"So, can we delete the risk of mutiny for the crew?" smiled Shepard trying to ease the mood. He failed.
"Yes, and random assaults too. But the spirit will probably stay foul for a long time."
"What I did that day was following my principles, like I always did in my life. These same beliefs made me save the last Rachni queen on Noveria instead of terminating her.
But I have to admit: Abigail is the first person, after Saren, that truly managed to make me lose it."
Both hands rubbed Shepard's temples as he thought about that day.
"But this time, I fear I started something that I cannot control. About Lena, do you think she will snap?"
"No, Shepard, and for three reasons: first, believe it or not, Lena respects you. Greatly. You saved her from Omega, you treated her as a person, you stood for her when I proposed to get rid of her after the incident on Korlus. She cares about your counsel, even now.
Second, you are Raina's best hope for the future because the contract states that if she breaks the contract with us before the end of the mission, a large fine will be applied. Besides, she needs your help in fending off possible kidnappers and slavers for the time being. She is too inexperienced about this galaxy to do it alone. Third, I cannot put my hand on it, but something is clawing at her as it did for me during Oriana's mission. Something involved either with Kelly or her conditions. I do not suggest probing this road, though, not when the wound is still raw."
"Duly noted."
As the words left Shepard, his squad finally came into view, fully armoured and ready to fight. They all sported a plethora of faces, from suppressed rage to steady calmness. Jack especially looked antsy.
"Good to see you there, people", greeted them, Shepard. "The shuttle is ready and fired up. Time to go."
Lena and Jack mumbled something in an answer but still entered without commenting.
"Is there a problem you too'"
Jack looked sideways at Shepard but did not glare, a good sign for the Commander.
"As long as I have shit to fuck up today, no."
She replied, antsy.
"You will, and you Lena?"
"Nothing to report, Shepard." cold, clipped, and far too professional for his tastes. A definite regression from the past.
-I am starting to think I should have changed tactic with her three days ago.- thought Shepard.
"Good. Strap it up then. We have a job to do."
The ride toward the broken Reaper proved far bumpier than expected. The shuttle shuddered and groaned under the gravitic pressures swirling from the brown dwarf, forcing all the people inside to hold on bars with their hands. Claxons blared as metal moaned and shrilled in pain.
The mood inside the craft was dark and silent. Every person inside looked for himself and checked their guns. No one tried to either crack a joke or lighten the mood. Lena didn't even look at Shepard during the flight. She only gazed at nothing, her eyes pointing at the still invisible Reaper as dread cover her face.
"What is the problem, pilot?" asked Shepard during the flight to break the tension.
"Wind blowing at 500kph, commander." answered the pilot on the intercom in a hurry, with an undersaid
-So shut up and let me do my job before we all die.- in his words.
Understanding such plight, the Commander just shut up and waited for more news.
Eight more minutes passed before any answer came back from him.
"Commander, I am detecting a second ship orbiting around the Reaper. No IFF, but the Ladan classifies it as Geth."
"Just great!" cursed Shepard softly. "At least now we know what killed the team. Bring us in."
The shuttle steered sharply on the right, almost sending the person inside on the ground. Many cursed, some fell, but all managed to regain their composure as they grabbed at anything they could.
"I am going to puke!" moaned Jack
"Stow it, Jack!" barked Shepard in her direction.
At then, as suddenly as they had come, the shiftings stopped. The shuttle somehow stabilized itself, and the people inside felt their feet once again in control of their bodies.
"Good job, pilot." complimented Shepard. "Now take us in."
"...I did nothing Shepard," said the pilot back after an uncomfortable pause.
"Is the Reaper's mass effect field. We just come inside it."
"Like the eye of a hurricane." finished Thane for all.
"It is dead," whispered Lena, so softly that only Shepard heard her.
"What did you say?" he asked. He didn't like the look of Lena. Her eyes were glassed, almost empty. As if not there. Like that day back on Horizon with the Herald.
"It is dead, but even in death, it breathes. And dreams. Coming here was a mistake." her voice was quiet, gentle, wrong. As if something else had taken control of Lena's body. Shepard saw Jack quietly charge her biotics behind him.
"Lena!" shouted Shepard, this time slapping her in the face, hard. That did the trick. The Commander saw the Claymore's eyes came back to their original shine, silver and strong as before. The Claymore did not appear angry at his attack. On the contrary, she appeared almost grateful for this.
"I...I am fine. But that ship, there is something there, waiting for us. Not alive, but not even dead."
The silence that followed her words was almost palpable.
"Docking on the ship in five minutes." warned the pilot's voice all of a sudden. This spurned the squad to abandon, if even for a second, the dark thoughts now plaguing their minds as the mission urged them to act.
The mood was tense. Beads of sweats fell off the ground as the squad prepared itself for battle. The ship slowly moved in docking position, the engines' low whining only proof of its movements. Tense seconds passed.
A groaning sound echoed inside the ship, followed by the grinding of metal against metal. Steel clamps locked themselves inside the yard, and the door of the shuttle slowly opened without a sound, revealing a vast, bleak hall made with unknown material. The light was dim and only increased the shadows swirling on the air.
They were inside a Reaper.
"Slow and careful, people", warned Shepard as he walked out first. His light shone in the dark, revealing swirling patterns and long corridors across the room.
"We don't know what can we find there."
Lena's breath refused to escape. It stopped on her throat, fear gripping her bowels with a vice of steel.
She had assured Shepard that she was back on her game, but this was a lie.
Every fibre of her being screamed at her to run away, to leave this miserable pile of decaying steel to rot, even sending it to its death if possible. But an ever-greater force pulled her inside, calling her. Lena felt every cell of her mutated being roaring in rage at the sight of the Reaper. Something deep within her screamed at her mind, urging her to take her sword out and shatter every single steel piece of the ship out of pure spite. Tear it to pieces, see the blood of its thralls at her feet!
A voice, remote and yet so close, shrieked at her ancient curses and litanies of pain. Break the monster, shatter the false image it shouted. Destroy!
It took all her willpower to stop herself from going berserk, even more, to banish them back into the pits of her mind.
"Lena, do you feel anything?" asked Shepard, snapping her out of her trance. The Claymore forced herself to focus her mind as the Commander spoke, sending tendrils of yoki forward ahead, trying to sense any of the beasts used by the Collectors and, by proxy, the Reapers.
She felt something, but the dead behemoth's oppressive feeling muddled the readings, making them spottier than usual, uncertain.
"There is something Shepard", warned Lena ", But it is so hard to understand. The ship is dead but alive. I am afraid."
A roar of destruction filled the air as something outside their view was gone in the blink of an eye. Shepard's eyes turned back as his hand quickly moved to the inter-comm. The other squad members grabbed their weapons and eyed the darkness, ready to fight. They all ducked behind cover, waiting for an attack that never came.
"Joker, what the hell happened?" barked Shepard.
"The Reaper's kinetic barrier. It came back to life! It sheared Patel's shuttle in half before we could even blink. You are trapped inside here, Commander!"
Shepard cursed loudly. Another life lost. But the training kicked in and forced him to set aside the problem for now.
"Any idea about shutting them off?"
"At the moment of the barrier's activation, I detected a sudden spike of energies in what is likely the ship's mass effect's core. Sending coordinates now," said EDI suddenly.
Shepard turned toward Lena, a question on his lips.
"It is where I feel most of the energies."
"Figures" lamented Jack.
"Be advised," continued EDI. "The core is also keeping the Reaper's altitude."
"Meaning that the moment it goes down down, everyone dies. Yeah." finished Joker.
"We will jettison ourselves outside the Reaper with our Exo-suits. Be ready to grab us, Joker."
"Grabbing a needle inside a galactic haystack, sure," murmured Joker.
"Will do, Commander, but you owe me big after this. And try to not break your helmet this time."
The communication was cut off, and Shepard was now free to look at the surrounding places. It was an ugly sight, where living plates of ancient designs met with improvised energy cores, research terminals and crates packed with supplies. With the disembowelled bodies of researchers strewn on the steel bulkheads as the cherry on top.
"A true shit show, eh, Shepard?" said Jack.
"Damn straight, but one we have to cleanse. Ok Team, me and Lena on top, Jack and Mordin at the centre, Thane behind. Weapons free and look at the shadows. And most of all, careful of what you hear."
23 minutes later. Inside of the Reaper.
Another log, another story of scientists brainwashed by the Reapers. Another tragedy forgotten by all.
The more they delved inside the ship, the more it became a charnel house where husks, abominations and scions slaved at them with blood dripping claws. They died in droves under Shepard's squad advance.
Many still sported the now half-destroyed remnants of their uniforms. Here a once security guard, there a white coat researcher.
The cracks of gunfire accompanied Shepard's team across the metal plates as pristine tubes, old cores, and ancient bulkheads watched the carnage unfold.
As the last batch of monster died, the silence that followed them proved almost more noisy than the battle itself.
"Mordin?"
"Reaper power core still one kilometre away, Shepard" replied the wizened doctor.
"Good to know, Lena?"
"Can't say, Shepard. The deeper we go, the more suffocating the presence becomes."
"Noted. Thane, any more husks around?"
Thane's sniper rifle moved with his owner as he scanned the surrounding area.
"Two more targets, eliminating them now."
Shepard took his own scope and scanned the area, quickly seeing the two husks shambling aimlessly on the decks, mouth agape and glassy eyes. They hadn't noticed them yet. A perfect target.
"Do it, Thane."
The Drell nodded, took aim, and fired once.
The two husks died together as their bodies exploded in a shower of gore.
"Wicked shot!" grinned Jack. "Two in one."
No one replied to her humour. Thane even ducked into cover in response, quickly followed by the others.
"Jack, stop gawking out of cover and keep your weapon ready," said Shepard as he scanned the surrounding area with his gun.
"Thane fired only at one."
Jack cursed and rolled behind a barrel.
"Someone else killed the other." finished Thane. "Someone good, maybe even better than me."
No one dared to move after these words. Everyone looked at the ship's dark corner with new eyes, fearing what could hide inside its bowels. Lena fidgeted, unnerved at the situation.
But no one came out, no one fired, and no one disturbed. Only silence answered their fears.
Until something came out from the venting ducts, far above them. A tall figure made not of flesh but glittering steel. A lone sightless eye shone in the darkness, covered by small metal wings that rose and fell like grass under the wind, the light inside it dimming of glowing like a living thing. On its artificial fingers rested a sniper rifle, its barrel still hot for the shots fired. Part of its chest was gone, broken and battered, revealing a mesh of vibrant cables and working circuits within; one of its shoulders was gone, repaired by what, and Shepard had to blink several times before accepting it, looked like his old N7 shoulder guard.
A Geth platform.
Every single gun and biotic power aimed at the new unknown the second it allowed itself to be seen, but the Geth refused to make any violent action.
It stood there, immobile, the only sign of life, the lenses of its only eye rising and falling as it scanned the group it had just helped. Lena felt its intelligence stop in her presence, scanning her with curiosity, interest. But not aggressiveness.
Then, finally, not from a mouth but a codpiece, the Geth spoke.
"Shepard-Commander." The voice was harsh, inhuman, like a weapon speaking to a person, but it carried no anger. No hatred. Only regard.
A second later, the Geth disappeared.
"What the actual fuck just happened?" Jack was the first one to regain some senses. The girl looked at all corners, a mixture of disorientation and fear marring her tattooed face.
"A fucking tin-can helping us? Why?"
"Curios", supplied Mordin. "Geth rarely operate alone. Stronger in numbers. Smarter too, as I understand."
"He could have easily killed us all." intervened Thane. "Perfect position, perfect aim, and the coldness of a machine. But he didn't."
"You are right, Thane, but this does not comfort me." finished Shepard
"No matter. We still have a job to do. Eyes peeled on the sky now, people, and keep going."
As times passed, the unlikely ally kept helping Shepard and his crew however he could. Every time a Husk escaped Lena's web of steel, a shot destroyed its brain. Every time a Scion absorbed all of Shepard's team firepower, both its and Thane's sniper rifle kept the smaller creatures at bay.
Shepard hated to admit this, but trudging through the Reaper's corpse would have proven far more difficult without this unlikely ally's help. The Commander started to even suspect that all the registration about the Cerberus's team, their discoveries and credits he found along the way, were also thanks to it. At least they helped him shed some light on what was going on there.
In short, this doctor Chandana managed to extract the Reaper IFF and fell prey to their indoctrination simultaneously, slowly followed by the rest of the crew. Fast forward to the one week before today, more than half of his team was gone, and the rest fighting a desperate battle for survival, one that ended with their death, or worse.
But according to the registration, the IFF was still here, left at the Reaper's core entrance.
And, truthfully enough, when the team reached the massive, circular doors of the Reaper's core, there they also found a beheaded Husk's corpse dressed in a scientist's garb and still holding in his bony fingers a specialized pad. The IFF. Ripe for the taking.
"This looks so...easy," commented Lena as she and the rest of the group warily kept their distances.
"Don't you think?"
"Analyzed Husk's cause of death: a sniper shot on its spinal cord, second one on the skull. Speculate this last gift of the platform encountered."
"If he is so chummy with us, why not coming out already?" grumbled Jack. "I am sure that boy-scout would love to have a talk with him."
"The most important part is that we have it." finished Shepard as he wrenched the pad from the corpse.
"Now, on the Reaper's core. Had I suspected this end, I would have brought Tali with us. Mordin, among us, you are the tech expert, so you will deal with any slicing. We shall cover you."
"Copy Shepard."
"Good. In that case," the Commander took a long breath, "Time to go."
Shepard punched the activation button of the door, and it grudgingly answered its command. Slowly, creaking, the circular plates gave away one at a time. The room showed a large appeared in all its cursed glory; spherical door with cables, power cords, and power station all snaking across the walls, coming all together at the centre where a large cocoon of steel enveloped what Shepard assumed was the core. There was no floor, only floating corridors barely big enough for two people at the time held in the air by steel beam running so deep, the naked eye could not see the end. In front of the core, held in the air by archaic contraptions, stood a command console where the Geth previously noticed stood, tapping buttons and opening locks with its claws. Behind it, a patrol of Husks slowly shambled toward it.
"Watch out!" shouted Shepard. As he lunged forward, an invisible barrier sent him back on the floor. As the Commander rose up, he saw the Geth turning toward him and fire numerous shot toward the pack. Many Husks died, but not all. Impeterred, the Geth came back to work, tapping and moving buttons at inhuman speed. Three seconds later, the barrier stopping Shepard's squad was down, and the Husks swarmed the Geth.
Shepard lunged forward with Lena, both shredding the reduced pack with their shotguns. Behind them, Thane and Jack hammered the few survivors as Mordin sprinted toward the now free console. Husks' part flew in the air and, in few seconds, the battle was over.
"Mordin, on the console! Open this damn can so we can blast it. Thane, behind us and snipe anything, get close. Jack with me, Lena forward. If hostile arrives, do not pursue and controlled bursts only. We don't know what they will send against us."
"About that, Shepard", intervened Lena. The Commander noticed that she was bleeding from her nose.
"How long should it take for Mordin to open that coffin?"
"Five minutes. Maybe less. Why?" answered Mordin behind them.
The Claymore rubbed her temples as she groaned in pain.
"Considering what is coming toward us, I don't think we have five minutes."
2,35 minutes later
The sword sang like a beast as it tried to break the Scion's armour. Flesh broke, and bones splintered as the metal bit deeply inside the monster, but still, it refused to go down. An intelligible moan escaped from the monster's maws as the guns jammed on its flesh prepared to fire. Gnashing her teeth, Lena dropped her sword still lodged in the beast's gullet and took the shotgun, firing point-blank. The kickback almost broke her hand, but the blast did far worse. The Scion rose from the floor, its chest a gory mess of flesh and steel before gravity did its job and sent its gory rest on the ground. Lena had already retrieved her sword and bisected a Husk with one strike, followed by a slash that cut another one's arm.
Behind the Scion's corpse, many, many more monsters slavered toward them. Husks, Scions, Abominations. Either whole or limbless, all driven by hunger and desire for flesh. Many died as Jack's biotics ripped them apart; many more as they came closer to Shepard's and Thane's guns, but never enough.
The dead Reaper had called upon all its servants for this last battle. The only reason Shepard and his team were not dead was the size of the catwalks: so narrow that the beasts sent each other to the abyss, such were their desire to kill.
"Mordin!" asked Shepard calmly. Another burst of flaming bullets escaped from his rifle. Another pack of Husks fell on the blood-slick floor. The stench of charred meat invaded everyone's nostrils.
"Geth bypassed most of the primary systems. Only three secondary barriers left. One minute."
"One minute!? We have thirty seconds at best!"
Jack laughed madly as she launched spheres after spheres against the incoming crowds. Beasts died, dismembered by the blasts; many more fell into the abyss toward their death.
-At least she is getting off as I hoped for.- grimaced Shepard as he killed another Husk.
-Now we only need to get out of this mess alive.-
Another Scion died, its gun shattered by a sniper shot from Thane. The Drell never lost his coldness even amid this siege. He took headshot after headshot with his trusty weapon, occasionally using his own biotic power to blast any concentration that escaped Jack's grasp.
Thermal clips fell on the ground, more and more as seconds mounted. Shepard had ordered the armoury to improve the size of the armour's ammunition places, but still, the Commander felt going closer and closer to the end.
-I wish I was back two years ago.- He cursed as another clip fell
-Back when the guns had only overheating problems.-
"Mordin!"
"Ten more seconds."
Jack spat a glob of blood from her freckled lips as another sphere destroyed a pack of Husks. She was reaching her limits, and Thane had retreated to his machine gun. Lena chopped, maimed and ripped anything that dared to come closer, but even her sword was getting sloppy. Three Husks died, and five more passed over her, only to die under Thane's fire. An abomination lunged away from the blade's grasp again, aiming at Shepard.
The Commander raised his gun and fired.
The click of an empty gun was the only response.
"Shit!" he cursed as he grabbed the pistol. His fingers reached a second too late. The abomination opened its maw in glee as the claws moved for the kill.
A shot from behind Shepard tore its head apart, leaving a jawless corpse toppling down on the ground. Mordin, gun still in hand, smiled at Shepard.
"Core opened Shepard!"
It was true. So engrossed had he been by the battle that the Commander had not seen it. The dull cocoon protecting the core was slowly receding from itself, revealing to the naked eye a glowing, white-hot sphere of Eez0 thrumming with power despite the millennia. It felt alive to the Commander's eyes. Eyeless and yet capable of sight. Mouthless but spewing hatred.
Luckily for Shepard, he had the perfect tool to shut it up.
The Commander grabbed his grenade launcher, all the shot kept just for this moment.
As Lena and the rest of his group did the impossible to keep the slavering beasts at bay, Shepard aimed at the centre and fired.
Five missiles quickly escaped from the screaming muzzle, all aimed at the core. They exploded, rupturing the Eez0 inside, leaking gas and electricity alike. Sparks flew as shards exploded and Eez0 oozed. All the monster still charging at their position stopped as they moaned a chorus of pain all together, their mind linked to the dying Reaper.
A wordless scream echoed inside Lena's brain as the formless presence she felt since the beginning of the mission faded into darkness, true death finally claiming this ancient creature.
Then, preceded by a silent roar, the core exploded.
The strength behind the blast was enough to send everyone on the ground. Ripples of energy escaped from the now wrecked sphere as the last lights, stubbornly clinging to power, fell one after another.
The core was gone. The Reaper was death, and the moment it died, Shepard felt the ship shifting.
"Ok, people. We overstayed our welcome. Let's get out of here!"
"Wait!" said Mordin. "Geth corpse still intact. Unrepeatable occasion. Must bring with us."
"You kidding?" screamed Jack. "Wanna bring that tin can with us?"
"Dangerous, but feasible," commented Thane. Lena stood silent.
Shepard allowed himself only scant seconds to decide. Mordin was right: this was an irresistible occasion, but also a terrifying danger: a Geth could easily overpower a human-made AI or, worse, convince her to switch place.
And yet this Geth had helped them...why?
"Thane, help me drag it." decided Shepard. "Joker, we are coming back with a new guest. Tell the crew not to shoot it, but seal it in a no-link room."
"For fuck's sake, Shepard!" roared Jack. Still, she didn't shoot him in the back, at least.
As the whole room began falling down, Shepard and his group raced toward the nearest exit point.
6 minutes later
The galaxy was beautiful. This was not her first experience outside a ship, and yet every time, her eyes could not do anything more than gazing at the stars, no matter the dangers.
Gods or not, they deserved worship, at least in her eyes. Too bad that the few remnants of the Reaper's slaves still clung to them like leeches.
Another Husk fell, bisected in two. No sound escaped from its maw, and the flesh moved upward instead of toppling down because of the 0 gravity.
Lena had no time to focus on her surroundings, that another monster came against her.
They had gone insane. The death of their God apparently had only temporarily stopped them. Barely enough time to escape from the core room, but now they charged at them with renewed fury, enough to almost overwhelm them in space. As Shepard and Mordin dragged the unconscious (deactivated?) Geth with them, Lena did her best to keep the hordes at bay.
"Almost there, I can see the Normandy."
That was true. Lena gave only a glance at the sky behind her, enough to see the ship's sleek design entering inside the Reaper's dying corpse, fighting as gravity and time threatened to swallow the monster once and for all. It glided through debris and space as the pilot did the impossible to come ever closer. A door opened to allow the squad to jump.
A jump far too long for Lena's mind.
"First, the Geth!" Screamed Shepard. The Commander looked at the ship now frozen in space and quickly made some calculation. Then, marshalling all his strength, he grabbed the unconscious Geth and threw it in the air. The machine glided forward, cutting a line toward its safety. It almost missed the mark, but the Commander saw a pair of hands grabbing the machine and saving it from certain destruction.
"Geth gone. Thane, Mordin, now!" Both the agents left their empty weapons and jumped toward the ship.
"Lena, get moving. I will cover you."
Shepard's pistol barked once again, the clips inside dangerously low.
Lena ran toward the ship, Husks behind them. One fell, another died as it lunged forward. The last clip floated as a fourth one died, mere meters away from the pair.
"Jump, now!" screamed Shepard before doing the same. They barely succeeded.
As the duo's feet flew away from the open pole, the remaining Husks' claws almost reached their feet. The swarm, incapable of stopping, fell into the abyss as their bodies had no way to stop gravity from stopping their downfall once caught. Without a word, they fell into the abyss.
Shepard and Lena floated together into the void, the armour and boots compensating as best as they could for the gravity. Space ran faster than ever seen by Lena as she darted together with Shepard toward her objective: a small, almost imperceptible entrance in the ship. The sensor inside her helmet blared in danger as she flew like a bullet, warning her of impending objects and error in calculations.
-Tell me something I don't know!- blared inside her armour, Lena. The door became ever closer.
One last swing of the armour placed both solders exactly inside the opening they needed, barely. Lena swore as her body hit the ship's steel wall with enough strength to blacken her sight. The Claymore fell on the ground in pain as her training kicked in and urged her body to rise. It took precious seconds before it did it and the help of a pair of ensigns placed there by Miranda for the occasion. Lena kicked their hands away as she slowly rose by herself.
"Status!" she heard the Commander barking.
"We have locked the Geth platform inside a no link zone inside the ship. EDI has already erected additional barriers and countermeasures in case of informatic attacks. The rest of the squad is currently on the infirmary for the after mission check-up. Doctor Chackwas is waiting for you two."
"We are going. Tell some guards to stand ready outside our guest's room. If it tries to escape, they are allowed to turn it into scrap. Lena, let's go."
Finally, Shepard disappeared from Claymore's line of sight as her eyes saw the person the Commander was talking to. Kelly.
Still bandaged, bruised, her eyes now spent and tired, but her.
Silence fell inside the room as Lena's silver eyes locked themselves inside Kelly's orbs, an unreadable expression coursing through her face. Many inside fidgeted their weapons, fearing another outburst. Kelly didn't even try to smile.
Then, Lena nodded and moved toward the exit without saying a word, her heels clicking on the floor. No words, no outbursts, no pain, nothing.
-Better than I hoped for.- Mused Shepard
"Commander", began Kelly, her voice tense and broken ", She."
"Is dealing with it her way, and I will not interfere." finished Shepard. Kelly laughed at this answer. Sad, crippled laughter.
"I would never ask for this, not after everything you have done. I just...do you think there is hope for me? About her, and possibly the others."
Shepard closed his eyes and sighed, his hands touching his temples.
"I wish I knew."
Same moment. Engineering room
Swift hands moved deftly inside the shell of a drone as Tali directed her pupil to her new test. Both the girls had finally gained some free time for their daily lessons and were using it to the best of their abilities. Today was a practical lesson, proven by their grease-stained hands and discarded data pads. Both were high at work, but this time any onlookers could see the lack of excitement inside Raina's eyes.
"No, no, no, place the inverter there, and careful with the energy flow inside. Better, now lock every single screw and make sure to not miss a single one. Good, good. I think it is ready for its first field test. Ready?"
A wordless nod answered the teacher.
"Ok. Start the core, give the first directives aaaand."
A luminescent sphere of green light appeared suddenly inside the engineering room, crackling at first but quickly regaining composure. Like an infant, the sphere glided and moved across the air in apparent excitement, analyzing anything it saw and chirping in its binary language.
"Ok, now tell it to stand down before she annoys someone. New programs are like pets; sometimes, their codes are on overdrive once activated."
"Yes, teacher." Raina's words came out weak and hollow, although respectful. A far cry from the usual bashful and over-eager pupil. Tali's eyes tightened under the visor but still said nothing about it.
The new drone collapsed on the ground as Raina cut off the energy supply. The chirping ball disappeared inside Raina's personal brand new Omni-tool (Tali's gift after three weeks of successful training) as the child saw new data entering inside her machine.
"Let me take a look," suggested Tali. "Hhhm. It needs calibrations, obviously. All new machines came out disjointed at their maiden test, but the energy flows seem fine. Try asking Garrus for some help this evening; he is the best at calibrating machines. Tell him I sent you, and you should be fine."
"Yes, teacher Tali" came Raina's monotonous reply.
"And please try to appear more excited for this success." snapped Tali, but not without rage. "You just did in mere months what take one year to normal students. You should be proud."
Such words softened Raina's troubled heart but did nothing to ease the churning feelings of pain inside her stomach. The child tried to smile, but all she came out from her face was a tight simper adorned by watery eyes.
Tali sighed at this.
"Keelah, I can't be angry with you, Raina. I understand why you are so gloomy. Not even a new drone is helping you today."
"...I miss her." blurted Raina out of her mouth. "I know what she has done, but I hold no grudge toward her. Many back homes did the same, sometimes forced by fear, other times by mere wish for power. I want her back. I don't care if she gave some blood to others; I want Kelly back." Raina's eyes lit upward as she looked back at her teacher.
"Do you hate her, teacher Tali?"
Tali's hands fidgeted as she felt Raina's silver eyes glued on her.
"I...erm. I will be honest with you, Raina. I am...unsure about her. I understand on one hand that Cerberus put her into a difficult situation, but in the end, she made her own choices and is now paying the price. That you are willing to trust her even now is a testament to your great heart or naivete. One of the two."
"You haven't answered, teacher. Do you hate her? Would you kill her?"
"No, Raina," answered Tali. "Even if I hated her, I would only consign her to the proper authorities. Besides, Shepard seems willing to give her a chance, and that is enough for me. But you Raina, you wish to be back with her? After everything that happened?"
"...Yes," replied Raina. Her words barely a whisper, but Tali heard the steel behind them.
-Just like her mother.-
"Then you need to make it clear to both of them, whether they like it or not. Even if they refuse to listen, leaving everything bottled up inside will only hurt you in the long run. Better to let them out and deal with the consequences later."
"I see." mused Raina. Tali could hear the gears inside her head grinding together as her pupil became lost in her thoughts. She sighed, pitying that such a child would end up in such a mess.
-Let's hope that the next lessons will help her forget.- she mused.
The trill of her own Omni-tool stopped Tali's train of thoughts. The girl looked quizzically at the machine, sure that she had locked it for at least one hour just to avoid being disturbed during the lesson. And yet, a message, detailed as "urgent", was now flashing in front of her display control.
It bore the marking of the migrant fleet.
-Strange.- thought Tali as her fingers opened the folder and her legs moved her slightly away from Raina.
-What do they want?- she wondered -Or is a message from father?-
Raina paid no mind to Tali, her subconscious still too busy mulling over the girl's words.
This quickly changed when a loud clang echoed inside the room, compelling her to turn.
"Teacher?" she asked.
Tali didn't even bother to answer. The girl stood wobbly on her now shaky legs as she held for balance on a bulkhead. Her face, despite the visor, still betrayed anguish and grief now coursing through her mind.
"Teacher?!" repeated Raina again, this time with anxiety laced on her voice.
"The lesson for today is over," mumbled Tali somehow. To the child, she looked like a neonate on the verge of crying.
"Please, go back to your room. I...I need to speak with Shepard.
"But?"
"Please!" she repeated Tali. "I...I am sorry, Raina, but...I...Oh, ancestors! Where is Shepard?"
It was enough for Raina. The child left the room in a hurry, the drone programme still inside her Omni-tool. Quietly, the child wondered what could strike such grief inside her usually collected teacher.
A bit unsatisfied by this chapter. Maybe I will rewrite it a bit once I am done. See ya