Shala braced herself against the wall, hissing in pain and exasperation.
Her depth perception was off, and despite Hau's best efforts, she continuously found herself bumping into things or tripping on objects that the both of them had missed. She wasn't one to dive headfirst into an ocean to figure out how to swim, but this was the only option they had since Hau refused to leave her side; and he was the only one that knew where his flock was being kept.
Not that she would stay behind.
Shala was a descendent of Queen Lun'Calin, it was her duty to help others in need; it was her duty to look after her people and to repay those that had done her a service. This little Alien, Raven, had saved her life at great danger to himself; and at great risk to his own people.
By now, the Marines and Vortals had met up with Benezia, and had almost certainly given her the news. Palla had kept the other Marines updated on where they were and what they were doing; though she made sure to leave out the fact that Shala and Ayita were with them.
Benezia was probably going to burst a blood vessel on hearing that they let Shala do this; but the Admiral didn't care.
Tripping and falling to her hands and knees again, Shala couldn't stop the fury and helplessness that overcame her. "Bosh'tet! Useless…" Her throat was on fire thanks to her scream from when Ayita had pulled the spike out; she could barely speak more than a few words.
Palla's PCV had run a quick diagnostic and cheerfully informed them that she had probably damaged her voice box; which meant that she had to keep talking to a minimum until it was healed.
She wanted to cry, from pain, despair, general helplessness; and shame at breaking down the way she had. She was a fifty something Admiral with a number of decades of combat experience, and had survived so much on her pilgrimage and had survived combat; both conventional and this new Vortal Combat.
Yet here she was sniffing and fighting down tears like some little girl.
I am so weak… She thought, even as Palla and Lan rushed up and helped Shala to her feet; Ayita stayed on point to make sure nothing surprised them or attacked them. She felt incomplete, and she was feeling phantom pains from where her eye used to be; to the point that there were moments that Shala legitimately forgot that her eye was gone, not just swollen shut.
Shala had heard about the feelings she was feeling now, the incompleteness, the loss of depth perception, the loss of her right peripherals… but actually feeling it was something completely different.
Ayita, pointedly, had not said a word ever since she had pulled the spiked fist out of Shala's eye; and the Admiral knew that her daughter-in-law blamed herself for what had happened. Oh Ancestors, Cato… She realized. She knew how her adopted son would react; he would want to burn down Thessia, Palaven, Sur'kesh and all the other Council loyal worlds in revenge.
Shala wanted to cry, she wanted to go home; back to the Rayya, or the Normandy, spend time with Cato, Ayita, and Ori. How will they react? She wondered, her hand absently reaching up and touching the makeshift eye patch made from the remains of her Sehni. Her friends on the Admiralty Board, her extended family; cousins and all the others.
Cripples rarely got much care on the fleet.
They just didn't have the resources for prosthetics and to care for the people. Only Marines got prosthetics; but eye injuries… there was nothing they could do. Ayita herself had said as much, she could not heal her eye.
The small group reached an intersection, and Shala braced herself against the wall as Hau took off from her shoulder and flew down the hallway on the right; mostly to check for any remaining security personnel and to make sure that they were indeed going the right way.
Shala closed her eye and slid down the wall, panting as the pain and blood loss started to catch up with her again. She didn't notice as Corporal Fennaba knelt next to her, the Batarian looking at her makeshift eyepatch; pointedly ignoring the lack of a Sehni and Shala's Sand colored skin and black hair.
"You know… you're taking this a lot better than I would Admiral." The Batarian said, startling Shala into opening her eye; and the Quarian Admiral turned to her subordinate in confusion.
"What…?" She asked between breaths, cursing how just walking and talking was now a massive effort for her.
"In Batarian culture, the eyes are the most important part of us; it is where our soul enters upon the beginning of life, and it is where the soul exits upon death." Palla explained. "To lose an eye, no matter the circumstances, is to leave a piece of your soul behind. And if you lost all of them, your soul would languish in your body forever; unable to pass on."
Ayita turned to the Batarian, looking like she wanted to say something; and Shala could guess that the Vortal found such an idea to be ridiculous. But the young woman held her tongue and turned back to watching the tunnels, and Shala refocused back on Palla; "How…" She coughed and cringed as her eyehole flared in pain again, "How would others… handle it…"
"They would break down sobbing, weeping, begging any deity's that would listen for them to restore their eyes." the Woman replied shaking her head, "Of course, I think that it's foolish but… as much as I like to pretend otherwise; the very idea of losing an eye scares me. It's why when we go into combat, I pray that I die slowly and painfully rather than quickly by an eye shot. Can never be too careful."
Shala just huffed as Hau came back and flared his wings, landing on her right shoulder again and nudging her hair. Getting the message, Shala picked herself back up again; Palla and Lan helping her up before backing off once she was on her feet.
They both understood that she needed and wanted to do this with as little help as possible.
They continued for what felt like an eternity, and Shala felt like with every heartbeat her head was going to explode; and with every step, she kept waiting for the darkness clouding her right side to clear.
But it never did, and it never would, and she knew it; but she didn't want to accept it.
Soon, they reached an open hatch, and Shala blinked as she saw a dead Salarian on the ground just inside the entrance; the scientist's eyes had been clawed out and his throat torn out. Her eye widened, she turned to Hau, "Did… you do this…?"
-caw-
The Raven gave a nod, then gestured with a wing to the rows of cages; and Shala looked at all of the Ravens kept in the simple metal cages. Some had been stripped of their feathers, some were missing legs, some had their wings clipped; although the vast majority just looked a little ruffled.
Shala looked at Hau, and nodded; before turning to Palla, Lan and Ayita, "Let's get them free."
Shala watched the flock, or what remained of it, fly off through the corridors towards their ship. She turned her eye to Hau, and tilted her head, "Aren't you going with them?" She asked. The Raven shook his head and pointed at her with a wing, and Shala reached forward and touched the wing with her hand.
A Promise made in darkness.
The Promise shall be kept.
I am your eyes.
As compensation for the one you lost.
She felt a tear run down her face, deeply touched by the commitment to his promise. No one, not Quarian, Turian, Asari, Batarian, or even Humans; had been so ready to follow through on such a commitment for a complete stranger.
"Thank you…" She rasped, and the Raven simply bowed his head in reply.
"Admiral… Matriarch Benezia is waiting for Palla and I; they're about to enter the chamber where these Antlions are being kept." Lan'Vigar said awkwardly, and Shala turned to him. She felt her sadness increase when the boy recoiled slightly at the sight of half her face soaked in blood. "You need to return to the ship, The Mistress will help you."
Ayita drifted over and tilted her head sadly, "The Shala'Raan must rest and heal." giving her thoughts on the matter.
"No…" Shala rasped, bracing herself against the wall, "It will take longer... to go back to the ship... as opposed to meeting up... with the rest... of the team." She stated. "I'll be safer... in a group… anyway."
She turned her sole remaining eye on the other three, as if daring them to disagree.
Lan and Palla both winced and looked away, but Ayita just stared at her face for a long moment. "...Very well… but at the first sign of trouble, we're carrying you back to the ship." She stated, turning away and floating out of the room.
"Ma'am," everyone glanced at a Quarian Lance Corporal who was coming over to them, "I've been talking to the rest of our team, and I think I might have a work around." Lan and one of the Quarian Marines came over to the Admiral with a variety of electrical tools as she explained. "Private 'Sullay has got a make-work patch that can recharge our PCVs using base power. Her PCV is at nearly full charge, so we're going to stuff you in it, let the nanites do their thing, then get-"
Shala shook her head and winced. "Out of… the question… You need your… equipment… at full charge… not depleted."
She unsteadily stood, only for Palla to frown and tap the Admiral's right temple with a fingertip. Shala nearly screamed and collapsed into 'Sullay's arms. "Get her set up so we can get a move on."
Shala's own armor was peeled off and the field medic's PCV was put on her. She sucked in a breath as the nanites rushed into her system. There was a warbling beep as the indicators on the vest's pack went dark.
'Sullay quickly got the Admiral out of the PCV and left her to re-arm. "Up from two percent to forty eight."
Shala felt all the color drain from her face. I really was that close to death… She realized. Cato… my son… She wanted nothing more than to see him and Tali at that moment, even as Lan walked up and put her arm over his shoulder.
Palla just scowled. "It'll have to do. Get your kit recharged and ready." She saw some hesitation in the Quarian's eyes. "Don't even think about it, Private. The Admiral was correct about us needing you charged and ready, and you said it yourself," she looked at Lan, "that Migrant-Rigged charging port was really only good for one shot."
She then looked at Shala, and she glared back at her subordinate.
The Corporal stared back, and Shala could see that the Corporal looked slightly ill. Shala just limped past, already trying to concentrate her energy so she was at least somewhat useful.
How am I going to explain this to Benezia, Cato, Rael and all the others...
Palla wanted to vomit, the sight of the Admirals face was something straight out of her nightmares. The ragged patch of cloth wound around her head was stained dark over the empty socket, while the flesh on the right side of her face was hideously bruised. The bandage did nothing to hide the memory of the bloodied void that had once been a green and silver beacon.
-Inducing 1.5 cc Antiemetic-
She felt a slight pinch in her abdomen as her stomach started to settle. She needed to focus on the here-and-now: the Admiral was bound and determined to go into the central holding area.
Of the secret Council research base.
With a Rachni Queen.
Pillars protect me, this is insane!
The PCV had done little to help clean the ugly injuries externally, all it had done was patch the Admiral up internally. 2%... by the Pillars, how was she even standing…
As they approached the chambers, Palla noted that the admiral's gait was growing more unsteady and her sand colored skin was turning grey; making the purple and blue bruises marring the right side of her face stand out in sharp relief.
But her sole remaining eye remained as sharp as ever.
"Admiral…" She started, even as they got closer to the entrance of the chamber where the Matriarchs team was waiting. "Are you absolutely sure this is a good idea?" Palla was in charge of the woman's safety, and she would be damned if she let the Quarian kill herself simply to prove a point. "By the Pillars Ma'am, you were inches away from death only a few minutes ago."
The Raven on the Admiral's shoulder turned to face the Corporal as Shala hesitated for a moment. "No... I don't think... it's a 'good idea'. But it does feel... like the right one. It's..." she turned to fully look at the Batarian, and Palla could tell that the Admiral may have a broken or cracked rib as well, judging from the shortness of breath. "it's hard to explain… but… the Vortessence… works in odd ways… does it not?" She asked, her smile looking pained.
"OH GODDESS!" Palla winced while the Admirals face fell, and they both turned to see Matriarch Benezia rushing up to them; looking physically ill as she took in Admiral 'Raans face, the entire right side of it covered in bruises and dried blood, and the makeshift eyepatch covering the hole of where her eye used to be. "Oh Goddess, 'Raan, what in the… what are you doing here!" The Matriarch whirled on Palla, and the Batarian could see the fury in her eyes. "You told me that she was hurt, you didn't tell me she lost an EYE!"
The other Marines and Vortals were all gathering around, but a quick gesture from Palla prompted them to return their attention outward. Her Medic didn't help of course, as he added from his place from Shala's shoulder, "Add several cracked or broken ribs, and torn chest cartilage, and a moderate concussion, and a dislocated jaw that I relocated."
Shala squared her shoulders. "I'm Quarian… we make do."
-Caw- Hau bobbed on her shoulder in seeming solidarity.
Benezia started as if she were only now noticing the Raven. "What- I saw Avians like that while on Earth. What in the Goddesses name is it doing here?"
Shala rubbed a finger under Hau's chin. "From what I can… gather, when the Big To-do first… happened, this one and it's… flock were sucked into another place… and later from there to here." She looked around at the gathered group. "If I understand his memories correctly… it was the Rachni Queen… that opened the portal, not the Salarians."
There was a flicker as Ayita's shroud pulsed. "We suppose we should be thankful the Salarian's weren't the ones meddling in teleportation. Still," everyone felt her furrow her brows, "We've never heard of any variant of Ant Lion that could punch a hole between dimensions. It would explain a great deal about the interest in pursuing this research."
Benezia glanced in the direction of the secure holding area. "But not the only race with the innate ability to do so?"
Ayita hesitated. "No, not the first. The Vortigaunts could do so if gathered in sufficient numbers, though they dare not do so for fear of bringing the full weight of the Combine down upon them." She looked at Shala and Benezia. "We need to determine exactly what they were researching, and erase their findings; especially anything regarding teleportation and dimensional travel." She flickered her attention to Lan when he seemed about to speak. "After we copy all their data of course."
"Of course." Benezia nodded, then winced.
Shalla looked in concern at the Matriarch she had come to consider a close friend. "Are you alright? I can... feel that something… is off."
Benezia looked slightly abashed for a moment as she centered herself. "Yes, I suppose something is off. And I suspect it is the presence of the Queen." She looked at Ayita. "You remember how physically uncomfortable you were when the Admiralty took you on a tour of the Tonbay, especially it's Mass Effect Core?" Ayita shifted uncomfortably at the memory of the near constant grating sensation of her own vortal connection and the open Eezo core.
Benezia nodded. "That is what I am feeling at this moment. It is as if a needle were pressed into each biotic node on my body and an alternating current were being applied. Not even my short time with your ancient Ulysses felt as uncomfortable, and I suspect he would be the equal of any Matriarch."
She looked back towards the holding area. "If this is what it feels like to be in the presence of one of the Rachni Queens, then I can well understand how my Grandmothers could have come to the decision to wage war rather than enter into diplomatic relations."
Shala felt something overcome her, and she took a step forward; "I must talk with her… I must talk…"
"Ma'am!" Palla moved to restrain the Admiral, but was rebuffed by a green static jolt that slightly recharged her PCV's powerpack. "Pillars! Gotta... Lance Corporal, Lan; it looks like your Anti-Biotics can recharge the Vests. Work on it while I try to keep Her Royal Stubbornness from getting herself fed to the Hive." She stalked after Shala while the rest of the squad hesitantly moved to follow her orders.
"Molting Queen..." Palla's eyes widened, as did Shala's sole remaining one; and the two exchanged a glance. Palla immediately checked behind her, and saw that Benezia was still distracted by talking with the Mistress; the cloud alien doing her part of the deception by keeping the Matriarch distracted.
The Admiral shrugged herself off from Palla, and limped forward; Hau stayed on her shoulder, but the Avian looked like he was ready to bolt. "Who… Who are… you…" Shala rasped, holding her side.
"Perhaps what we are is not as important as why you have come all this way, fellow Queen." Shala swallowed heavily at being referred to as such but she steeled herself.
"You are the Rachni Queen…" she whispered.
The black chitinous form loomed over them. Were it not for her Vortal senses, Shala might have mistaken the beast for a Geth Colossus. That image wasn't helped by the copious machinery around the creature.
Palla noted a clamp and conveyor system attached to the rear of the Rachni's thorax. "That machinery looks pretty old. How long has it-" she balked slightly at the sense of the Rachni focusing on her, "have you, been here?"
"Longer than you can imagine… We have lived for many eons; our time here has been but a flicker in our time trapped here. Our sisters and their children fought their wars, and We wanted no part in it. Yet fate is a fickle being, and so we found ourselves captured; left to be poked and prodded like some prey-animal by those that cared nothing for our thoughts and our feelings on the matter."
Shala was pretty sure she was imagining it, but she could almost detect a note of bitterness in the Rachni Queens 'voice'. Swallowing heavily, Shala asked, "Who… who had you kept here?"
"The ones that sing the sour-note; but particularly those that channel the Slave-Masters power to combine their blue-magic in an attempt to make themselves match the powers of those that control them. We and the Old One worked to end it, and so they imprisoned us here under the witches' control; while the Old One and his people were banished to the world between worlds."
The Queen hissed. "There is a war being fought but one that you, Molting Queen, have yet to see the full extent of. There are many players in this war of control and freedom; and we are but one of the players that has been swept to the side."
Palla spat to the side and pulled out her bayonet, socketing in a DE plug. "Well, I've seen more than enough slavery in my life to know it at a glance," she walked upt to several of the restraints and machines and began hacking, "and I refuse to be party to it ever again."
Shala felt the momentary surge of concern from the Rachni until Hau squacked.
Ancient nets can seem inescapable, from the inside.
If one holds still but a moment, an outside talon can easily undo the tightest restraint.
Shala winced as Corporal Fennaba took particular exception to the egg harvesting machinery, her empathic sense easily picking up the rage and disgust the former slave had for the harvesting of children.
"Admiral 'Raan, finally. You are in no condition to..." Shala spun around at the sound of Benezia's voice from behind her.
How out of it am I, that I didn't hear or feel her come in?
"What are you doing Corporal?!" Shala flinched at the alarm in the Matriarch's voice as the last of the machinery hooked up to the Rachni Queen fell away, and she turned to see half the soldiers were now leveling their weapons at the Queen in terror while Benezia flickered in Biotics.
"WITCH-QUEEN!" The Rachni Queen's roar of terror and anger was all the warning Shala received as the Queen burst forward; catching Shala in one of its appendages and holding her close to its body. Shala screamed in pain as she felt her leg catch on something for a brief moment, before it dislocated.
Everything turned purple and red for her, and the only thing she was aware of was Hau squawking, Palla shouting, and then… falling…
Palla hoisted herself up onto the floating island. She simply lay there for a moment staring up at the swirling vortex of energy that had spat her out, and very nearly to her doom. It was a good 20 meters above her, so there was no real way to get to it. Not that she would; even if it were possible, she needed to find the Admiral first.
She brought up the tracking software in her helmet and saw the icon for Shala'Raan indicated as 15,000 meters from her position and opening. For a moment she had the nightmare vision of the Quarian plummeting through the purple-blue void here for eternity, then she saw the rate of movement wasn't nearly fast enough to be terminal velocity. It was also moving sideways, not down.
She stood shakily and moved to the edge of the rock floating in the void she had landed on. She saw a long line of rocks descending in a ragged spiral towards what almost looked like a continent. That was where the Admiral was. She eyed the spiral stone path skeptically, but didn't have any other option. The PCV's pack contained an Ascent Assist/Fall Arrestor jet system with limited fuel reserves. Even if she were directly over the continent, the jet couldn't stop her if she hit Terminal V. It might, however, have enough fuel to help her down the winding path without pancaking on one of the rocks.
She checked her suit status. The battle on Noveria had drained her suit, as well as...
She gave a spiteful scoff. "What the hell does '52% Health' mean anyway?"
She took several steps back in preparation for a running jump, and stepped into a faintly glowing puddle in the middle of the rock. All the meters in her suit shot up to '100%' and she felt a sudden rush. It was like the first time in the PCV when the nanites activated, but somehow cleaner, more organic, more-
A new alarm started going off, indicating the suit's battery was nearing overload.
She skipped out of the pool. "Okay, okay, I get it: no lingering in the glowing piddle-puddles." She shook her head and set up for her descent. "Alright Admiral, Here I come."
She charged forward and leapt, and sailed clean over the rock she had been aiming for.
"Kra'tash! Kra'tash! KRA'TASH!"
She saw her leap was carrying her towards a smaller rock. She manually fired her AA/FA, and managed to land in what the humans mockingly called the 'Super-Hero Landing'. She felt the jolt in every bone and joint. She also felt the rock shift unstably underneath her. A quick look around showed a larger rock she felt confident she could make. She made the leap just as her rock began breaking up under her. Her path was straight and true, and just a little too fast as she skidded along the surface. She stopped when she slammed sideways into a standing stone.
Whatever rush she'd gotten from the puddle was spent, and her suit monitors were both reading in the mid-80's. She tottered to her feet and looked around again. She'd covered maybe ten percent of the descent in her uncontrolled leap, and now she could see the path shifting slightly like it was caught in some kind of current.
Her suit started revising the path and recalculated the route she'd need to take.
"This… this is gonna be a lot harder than I thought." She realized, looking down at the massive tree below on the large island. Shaking her head, she prepared herself for the long journey ahead.
Two jumps down… thirty to go…
"Auntie?"
Shala looked down and smiled as Cato hobbled over to her in his enviro-ball, his little toddler legs rolling his ball up to Shala's feet. That smile dropped from her face as she realized that he looked upset and scared; and had tears welling up in his eyes. Kneeling down, Shala reached through the gloves that allowed her to handle Cato and picked him up. "What's wrong Cato?" She asked.
"Had a scary dream…" He mumbled.
"Aw… Where's your father and sister?" Shala asked, bouncing him slightly as she started to stalk through the halls towards the 'Zorahs quarters.
"Tali with Kal… Daddy didn't want bother." Cato replied, looking very upset now.
Shala stopped and gave Cato a sad smile, "Well how about you tell me what you saw?" She asked.
"I…" Cato shuddered and reached outward with the enviro balls gloves and hugged Shala around the neck. "It was scary. I saw you, you were hurt really bad. It was a dark place. And you didn't have your suit."
Shala blinked and readjusted her grip, "Well that certainly sounds pretty scary, seeing my ugly face?" She tried to joke, but Cato just sniffled and looked away.
"You only had an eye. It was really scary." The boy mumbled.
Shala felt her smile drop, and she hugged Cato tightly, "It's alright kiddo, I'm right here for you; I'm not going anywhere."
Shala slowly opened her eye, to see Hau staring at her; perched on her chest, lightly tapping her forehead with his beak to try and wake her.
Slowly pushing herself up, Shala looked around the small cave that she had woken up in; a few glowing crystals caught her attention, and the curious part inside her made her wonder if the crystals glowled like that naturally or if they were artificial.
Some of course were shattered, and all at once, Shala's memories of what had transpired came roaring back. Looking down at her leg, Shala had to fight down the urge to vomit; it was clear her knee had been dislocated, and it hurt like hell.
Blinking, Shala reached up and touched her sole remaining eye, and realized with a start that for some reason; her innate night vision wasn't working. Looking at the cluster of smashed crystals; Shala noticed a small alien tree that had been crushed. Groaning, she dragged herself over to it and grabbed one of the taller and straighter looking branches.
She quickly tested its strength and found that it was incredibly sturdy and firm while remaining pretty light; and it glowed a dull green from what looked like veins inside the wood. Then she reached over and grabbed one of the white crystal chunks that seemed to glow brighter than the rest.
Once she was ready, Shala took a few short breaths, then used the branch like a walking stick and pushed herself up to her feet; but not without issue as she accidentally knocked her leg against the stick.
Shala bit down a scream, even as she steadied herself and looked into the darkness that the cave led into. "Okay… Hau, I need you... to scout for me..." she panted.
-caw-
The Raven flapped over and grabbed one of the smaller white crystals before taking off into the darkness; the light generated by the crystal shard being the only spot of light in the darkness. Growling furiously, Shala realized that she needed two hands to use her makeshift walking stick properly; but she couldn't see that well outside of these glowing crystals.
She looked down at the one she'd picked up, then braced herself against the wall; and closed her eye and let out a small sob as she removed her Raelk, and tore apart the upper portions to use as a makeshift rope to quickly attach the glowing crystal to the top of the walking stick.
Now that she had some support and a light source, Shala took a few rapid fire breaths, then started forward. It was tricky at first, and she nearly fell a number of times, but she quickly got the hang of it; moving forward through the unnaturally dark caves slowly but surely, quickly coming upon the first stop that Hau had perched himself.
Looking up at him, Shala tilted her head quizzically, and the sentient Raven flapped down to her and nuzzled her neck.
Blinking, she looked down in horror; "It's a bottomless pit?" She asked.
Hau nodded, -caw-
Then he took off and hung near the edge of the wall, showing a small ledge that Shala could use to inch her way across. Swallowing heavily, she limped up to the tiny path, cursing her lack of depth perception and the pain in her eye hole. Using her makeshift walking stick; Shala slowly inched across the ledge, shaking the whole while.
One false step, one slip, her leg giving out… and she would fall into the endless void below.
"Okay… face towards the rock… that way… can catch myself if I… no…" She whimpered, as she wormed her way across; the awkward handling of her makeshift staff and her dislocated knee making the distance seem far longer than what it actually was. Had she been in perfect health, she could have jumped it; but in her current state there was no way that was happening.
She reached the other side, and had stepped her staff supported left leg onto the floor; when the rock supporting her right leg gave out. Shala screamed in pain and terror as it forced her to balance herself on her bad leg, before she was finally able to steady herself; and she fell to her knees, sobbing.
"I can't do it! I can't! It's too much!" She wailed, even as tears streamed down her face.
Hau immediately flew back over to her and nudged her chin with his beak, sympathy in his intelligent eyes. Shala opened her eye and looked down at him, "I can't do it Hau… I'm too weak…" She gave a choked laugh, "And they call me... a Queen in waiting…" she rasped.
Hau's eyes flashed emerald, and he gave a soft -caw- to her.
Glowing-Eyes Queen.
Beaten, Broken, and Suffering you have endured.
One eye lost, and yet still seeing and moving.
Only now does pain stop you?
Shala blinked, then she realised what he was saying.
She had shrugged off a severe concussion, the entire right side of her face being reduced to a mass of bruises and cuts, stabbed in her side, broken and cracked ribs; and had her fucking eye stabbed out of her head, and she was giving up now?
"Thank you Hau…" she rasped, pushing herself up to her feet; leaning heavily against her staff. She was going to find the Rachni Queen, and she was going to get some answers from her.
Palla was ready to pass out when she finally landed on the 'main' island.
I am never complaining about Gunny's PT regime ever again. She paused for a moment. "Nah, I'll bitch. I just gotta figure out how to make a simulation of that," she jutted her chin at the spiral of small stone islands, "and have him and Massani run it."
She brought up her tracking HUD, ignoring the -25% Power- warning from her suit's battery. Shala's indicator showed three kilometers from her current position. She eyed the flat flying creatures moving around, then checked her rifle. Her current DE Cell was at 50% charge, and she had eight rounds left in the chamber. She didn't have to check herself to know she had another six full loads of both, though her ammo would outlast her DE Cells if she needed to use her bayonet.
"That's what all the training was for: get good with both so I don't need the augmentation," she mumbled to herself as she switched off the cell to conserve its power. She settled the weapon into a comfortable carry grip and started loping off towards her wayward commander.
At least, she tried to when the ground shook, and she could have sworn she heard a rumbling growl add to the tremor. Palla froze and looked around, but spotting nothing she shrugged it off and continued on; although she made sure she moved slower so she didn't agitate whatever had made the motion.
She had covered a kilometer when she came across a box canyon. The bottom was lined with the glowing crystals she had seen scattered around, as well as a few of the strange curled tendrils she had seen on her descent to the island. In the middle of the depression was something she was very happy to see: a shallow pool of glowing liquid. There were a number of strange creatures milling around. She could see maybe half a dozen of the flat flying creatures, as well as numerous bulbous creatures of varying sizes.
She made the climb down and inched towards the pool. She didn't know what any of these creatures were, and had no desire to find out by provoking them into attacking her.
As she reached the bottom, the rumbling went through the area again, and this time Palla couldn't pretend she'd imagined it; as the other creatures seemed to shift uncomfortably amongst themselves, before going back to eating from some carcasses and lounging in the glowing pool.
Shrugging her shoulders, she walked over to the pool of glowing water; and slowly lowered herself into the water, moaning in pleasure as the aches in her limbs vanished and she felt a rush of energy like she had eaten a plate of Kunafah with none of the fattening qualities.
All too soon, her suit sounded it's charging alarm. "Yeah, yeah, I'm getting too comfortable. Wouldn't want to not be miserable on this-"
The alarm shifted to a proximity warning and she lunged to the side just as one of the pyjack-sized quadrupedal blobs sailed over her head. The flyers all took off while the other creatures began giving out warning cries and running from the pool. All that were left were the spikey legged blobs which were all swarming around the pool towards her. Another blob lunged at her, and she slashed it mid air with her bayonet. The monstrous blade neatly bisected the creature; the only resistance she felt was when it split the creatures snapping belly-beak.
Her suit's charge alarm was getting more insistent, so she made a running leap to clear the worst of the swarm. Several of the tiny blobs were crushed by her landing while the larger ones all began following her. She synced her helmet's targeting suit to her rifle's reflex site, then designated the eight closest blobs.
-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-
The rifle was almost deafening in the alien box cannon as eight of the disgusting creatures popped in rapid succession. At least the suit's alarms had all finally silenced.
-rumble-wooOOoo-
Palla shifted her aim point and saw… something. It was shaped similar to the blobs, but this one was nearly as large as a Krogan Tomkah armored transport. Instead of the beak she had seen on the two that had jumped at her, this one had a swollen belly that swayed underneath it like an enormous gonad. It paused for a moment as a pair of somethings dropped from the swell. Those somethings scuttled off to join the rest of the swarm of blobs.
Once it was done whelping, it gave a low warbling cry and charged Palla. The Corporal dodged to the side as the massive creature smashed into the canyon wall, shattering several crystals and crushing one of the crooked finger-things jutting from the ground. She switched on the DE cell on her rifle as she reloaded, then sighted in on the creature's main body.
-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-CRACK-
She emptied half a magazine into it, only for most of the hyper-velocity slugs to harmlessly glance off of its carapace. The few that actually penetrated only served to attract it's attention.
"Right! Fuck this!" She shouted, sprinting as fast as her legs could carry her to the nearest wall; scrambling up the side and scratching her hands up something awful. There was no way she could fight something like that if it could shrug off a DE accelerated .30-06 round like it was nothing.
Especially considering the fact that said rounds could punch through a Krogans headplate.
She got about halfway up the cliff and looked back downward; and saw that most of the little ones had given up the chase, but the big one was still ferociously clawing at the rock with its forelegs, snarling and shrieking at its prey getting away.
Shuddering, Palla continued climbing upward until she reached the top of the ravine; flopping down on the ground to catch her breath for a moment, staring up at the varying colors stretching across the Alien Sky. The Two Stars interacting with the nebula this strange world resided in created some truly beautiful colors.
The view was clouded for a moment by a milky white mass. She rolled out of the way just before the mass dropped back to the ground. Her suit's alarms were back, this time screeching about shield status as the suit shrugged off the quickly oxidizing mix of rock and acid.
She glared down towards the bottom of the ravine where the giant gonad creature was still shrieking angrily; but this time it seemed to steady itself on all four of its legs before crouching. Something opened on the top and it hucked a glowing and steaming glob of green towards her, and Palla knew better than to stick around. She immediately turned and ran as the glob landed on the ground, hissing and steaming and pulsating for a few moments; before it exploded. The shockwave knocking her to the ground.
"Fine, fine! I'm going already! See me going you disgusting piece of-" She stood and dusted herself off. She kept up a nearly constant stream of consciousness invective as she continued her trek in the direction of the Admiral's beacon.
After a few minutes of hoofing it, she absently brought up the Admiral's position; and gasped in surprise. She's only a few minutes away! Palla realized, sprinting towards the Admirals position; all too ready to finally leave this beautiful but deadly Alien world.
Shala was in agony by the time she reached the outside; and the relief she felt when she saw the field research station sitting just outside nearly brought her to tears.
She had read about the human excursions into Xen before the Combine invasion, which meant that there were probably supplies there.
First things first… I need to get this suit off… She thought, leaning on her staff as she limped toward the entrance. The suit was inhibiting her Vortal abilities, and it was practically ruined regardless; to the point that it would be better served as medical cloth.
She reached the 'airlock', and thanked the Ancestors that it didn't require a password.
The sight that greeted her however, killed any good feelings she may have.
A dead human scientist, his neck having been snapped; but what the most incredible thing that stood out to her was, was the fact that the dead man wasn't decomposed. His dirty lab coat had no blood staining it, and overcome by the chill that gripped her; Shala grabbed the lab coat and managed to pull it off the dead man's body, shrugging the article of clothing on with a wince.
She quickly finished the airlocks cycle, feeling a mixture of relief and exhaustion as she was sprayed down with water and air.
As the door opened, she was greeted with an even more horrifying sight, and her connection with the Vortessence made it feel even worse. Standing in the middle of the room connected to the exit; the tables, shelves, and cots all strewn about in chaos; was a Headcrab Zombie wearing an HEV suit.
Ayita had told her about such things, and to actually feel the wrongness of the parasitic creature hijacking the mind of its host… Shala's eye bulged out of her head, and she vomited.
Her 'unique ability' in the Vortessence, her empathy, was making it ten times worse for her; the pain and suffering the person in front of her was feeling… and the worst part, was that the person currently being controlled was entirely aware and conscious of what was being done to them. The screams and moans were from the host, a woman judging from the remains of the HEV chest piece still attached to the body.
Shala swallowed the bile, and she looked over to a nearby toppled shelf.
She didn't have enough energy to summon a bolt, but she did have enough to pull small objects to her; which was what she did. She had noticed a revolver sitting on one of the few standing shelves; and promptly settled it in her hand. It was heavier than expected, but Shala quickly aimed the weapon at the Headcrab; when she paused, as she had heard something coming from the suit.
"W-w-warniiiiiing! Ha-Hazourrrrdous-Seeeeeeek Medical Attentiooooooon! E-e-e-emergancy! U-u-user death-Seeeek Medical Attention…"
Shala blinked, and she felt her gut drop as she realized something about human VI's; the ones recovered from HEV suits in particular. They were AI, not VI's; and this HEV suits AI was an example of that. This AI was desperately trying to help its old user, begging for it to seek treatment, begging for help.
"B-b-biological f-f-f-form det-tec-tec-tected! P-p-please render Med-med-medical Attention…"
Shala swallowed and closed her eye for a moment, before taking aim; and she noticed the suits High Impact Reactive Armor deactivated, as the blaze orange plates dulled significantly. Pulling back the firing hammer, Shala whispered, "I'm sorry..."
Crack!
Hau cawed uncertainly as the headcrab was blown off its former host's head, and the suit gave a loud flatlining noise, before it said; "H-h-have a ve-ve-very safe d-d-day…"
Shala dropped the revolver, and quietly limped over to one of the nearby cots; pulling it open and spotting a form fitting body glove, presumably for the HEV suits. Wincing, she set her walking stick down and sat on the cot; taking off the lab coat first, then began the process of removing her suit.
She undid the clasps, shakily pulling her right arm out first, then her left; shrugging her shoulders before pulling it off the top half of her body, shivering as the cold Xenian air touched her exposed skin. She put an arm over her breasts and glared at Hau for a moment, and the Avian gave an amused caw; as if to say 'Don't stop on my account, I don't find mammary glands attractive.'
Nevertheless, he turned around, and Shala went back to trying to remove the suit.
She shuffled it down past her hips and lower regions, then pulled her right leg out with no issue; and then she got to her left leg. She slowly shuffled it down until she reached her knee, and then Shala made the mistake of trying to pull it out.
Shala screamed as it felt like fire was engulfing her body, and quickly let go and curled up into a ball; shivering and leaving the left leg of her Envirosuit to stay attached from just above her left knee down.
I… I can't… I need to stop and rest...
How long she lay curled up there, she didn't know; but she didn't move until she heard the airlock door that she had come through cycle, and open.
Opening her eye, Shala gave a faint smile as she spotted a familiar shape silhouetted in the faint red emergency lights. "Good to… see you corporal… could use… some help… so long as you… don't spend too long… admiring the view…"
Palla wasn't sure what to expect as she cycled the airlock in the old human outpost; but what she saw when the inner door opened was… very low on the list to say the least.
The Admiral was splayed half naked on a cot in a room filled with death. On one of the shelves, Hau perched and cawed while flapping and looking from Palla to Shala. Immediately, the Batarian Corporal saw a small amount of blood again leaking out from under the Admirals makeshift eyepatch; and her left leg was bent the wrong way from the knee, and the Admiral was clearly in a lot of pain and had stopped removing her suit when she had gotten to that point.
Immediately, Palla rushed over to what appeared to be a medical station; and ruffled through it before pulling out a syringe. Her PCV's software translated the text for her, 'Morphine; for pain'; and Palla quickly pulled the cap off and rushed back over to the Admiral. "Admiral… this is for the pain, do you need it?" She asked.
"Yes. Ancestors, yes." The woman ground out in reply, not even bothering with trying to preserve her modesty; just focusing on holding her leg and her eyehole.
Without hesitation, Palla jammed the needle into the Admirals bad leg; giving her roughly half of the dose before tossing the syringe away. She waited a moment to let the drug take effect, before saying; "Okay, ma'am, I need to set the leg; are you ready?" She asked.
"Just… get it over with." Shala whispered in reply.
Palla nodded, took a breath, the grabbed Shala's leg and knee and forced the bone back into the socket; but to her surprise, rather than just wincing or grunting in pain, since no painkiller was perfect, Shala gave an ear piercing scream as her leg was properly reset into her knee socket.
"AHHHHH! OKAY! Okay please! Fuck! Please just stop…" Admiral 'Raan panted, her eye squeezed shut and holding her leg; and Palla let go of the woman's knee, her job of relocating it already done. "That… that bosh'tet Morphine… doesn't work…"
Setting a hand on the naked woman's shoulder, Palla said, "Alright ma'am… it's done; we can get that body glove right there on now." She said soothingly, trying to calm the woman down.
'Raan shook her head, her eye still closed as tears streamed down her face, "I… I need a minute… please… H-h-hand me that blanket…" Palla looked over at the cot, and saw what she was talking about. Grabbing it, Palla tried to lay it over the front to give the woman some dignity; but 'Raan quickly adjusted it so that it hung from her shoulders, not even reaching to her stomach.
Shaking her head, Palla just sat next to the woman, pointedly not looking at her, while Admiral 'Raan just sat there; her eye staring off into nothingness. Silence descended on the two, even as sparks from destroyed equipment and lights continued unabated.
"You know Corporal… did you ever… love anyone?" Palla flinched and looked at the Admiral, who just gave a soft chuckle. "Delirium perhaps… maybe I'm high… from the Morphine... but… need to get this off my chest… in case… don't make it…"
Palla reached over and set a hand on the woman's shoulder, "Don't think like that ma'am, you will make it out of here."
'Raan just ignored her and shook her head, "Mistress… once told me that… nothing ever set… but some things may occur… more often… than not…" She started, coughing with a harsh wheeze. "At first I didn't… didn't realize what she was… talking about."
She gave an absent smile and glanced at Palla, her eye having dimmed considerably; "Cato… You know that… I was once in love… with General-Admiral 'Zorah?" She asked.
Palla shifted uncomfortably, trying to see if there was anything useful she could do; especially if it blocked out the awkward conversation. She saw the corpse of a human in a ruined armor chest piece, a revolver, several cans of... something. She'd never learned to read the human language, though the way the can's bulged didn't elicit confidence in their contents.
"Still am… in love… to a degree… but he loved Ceema more… He did love me too… He still does… to an extent. Mistress showed me… Ha-ha… how if Ceema had died… sooner, before Cato was born… I would have gone to… comfort Rael… and then we would have had… ha!" 'Raan just gave another delirious laugh, lightly tapping her bandage covering her eye. "Now look at me… A sobbing, one eyed wreck."
Palla was becoming more alarmed by the second. She'd seen enough colleagues pass on to the Judgement of the Pillars to know when someone was unburdening their soul.
"I still love him…" Shala replied, gazing up at the ceiling, "I was hoping… with my age reversing itself… We could use the AGE… and do the same for him… get a new start for us both… Guess it was… nothing more than a… wild dream." she whispered, clearly falling to despair.
She coughed again, "I… wanted it… the feeling of… him spreading his seed in me… the feeling of a child growing in me… the miracle of childbirth… to raise a child… and not have them call me… aunt… in public…" she mused, her head lolling slightly.
Hau began squawking frantically again as the Shala's breathing slowed, then stopped.
She's dying. Palla realized in a panic, even as the Admirals eye glow began to dim considerably. Frantically, Palla looked around for something to help, when she spotted a human medical station.
One of the tools scattered on the floor was a Defibrillator. Quickly running over and grabbing it, Palla plugged it into her PCV and charged it; before rushing back and kneeling beside Shala.
Hopefully this works. She thought, placing the tool right on the Admirals chest.
She was thrown back as Shala gave a jerk, and a green pulse blasted out from her.
Shala felt her mind clear as the Morphine was finally flushed from her system, the energy from the defibrillator clearing her mind instantly.
With shaking hands, she slowly pulled on the skin tight body glove; wincing as she realized that it didn't really… cover anything important. Walking over to the dead human soldier, she pulled the uniform pants off and pulled them on; not even bothering with the upper half of her body beyond draping the remains of her Realk over her shoulders so that they rested over her breasts. Why would this not bother with covering anything? She wondered, before thinking about it for a moment. It's a body glove for an HEV suit… it would need to be as thin as possible; to the point of near transparency. She realized.
Still, it was comfortable, and it was better than going naked on this planet; since any clothing they found was drenched in blood or torn to shreds, except for the pair of pants she had pulled off the dead soldier. Not that this is much of an improvement. She grumbled, feeling her cheeks turn slightly purple as she thought of her 'confessions' to Palla while stoned out of her mind and dying. Thank the Ancestors Rael wasn't here… I think I would have tried to kiss him.
Palla pulled herself out of the heap she had landed in. "Respectfully ma'am, let's not do that again. Are you feeling up for a hike? I saw a number of pools on my way here. They can be dangerous, but they also might help."
The Admiral stumbled slightly as Hau landed on her shoulder. "As long as they aren't too dangerous or too far out of our way."
As Shala followed the Batarian Corporal out of the airlock into the open; she got her first real look at the sky above Xen.
The purple-blue sky had a heavy tint of red and orange at the edges of it, stars off in the distance cut a swath across the sky. It looked like nighttime and daytime at the same time; the nebula itself helping add to the mysticism of this strange world between universes.
As her mind calmed, she began feeling a call. She cocked her head as if listening.
"Can you still track the Rachni Queen Ma'am?" Palla asked, and Shala closed her eye for a moment; taking a deep breath as she felt the energy from the defibrillator still humming inside of her.
Still leaning heavily on the staff, she could feel minute traces of energy still residing in the wood and the crystal; and she could also sense a… trail that had bypassed the research station and had continued onward towards what appeared to be a large glowing tree. Opening her eye again, Shala pointed while Hau cawed, "That way."
Palla glanced uncertainly at the Admiral, before nodding and continuing forward; taking point while Shala limped after her, using her makeshift walking stick to keep up with the Batarian and to stop herself from straining her bad knee.
"Hopefully… She can be reasoned with."
Shala limped up to the edge of the cliff and looked down, feeling a light laugh overtake her even as the sky above changed to a greenish hue; while Palla gasped at the site that greeted them below, even as the Rachni Queen sat and rested just below them.
There was a bioluminescence that lit the whole area, and dozens of plants were in full bloom. Xenian wildlife wandered through the area, some attacking each other, others staying by themselves. But just below them, and under the shade of the tree that dominated the center of the ravine, was the Rachni Queen; seemingly resting even as the other packs avoided her.
Shala took a deep breath, and stepped up to the very edge, while Palla stood back; ready to either catch the Admiral or jump in after her in case anything happened. "Rachni Queen! Please heed my call for peace!"
The Queen jostled slightly, moving out from under the tree and staring up at the Quarian; turning some of its eyes to face the woman. "The Quarian Queen followed me to my place of refuge." The Queen stated, although it sounded more curious than angry. "Why come all this way? I sense no ill intent from you, yet I have done you harm and caused you much suffering."
Shala swallowed heavily, but nodded lightly, "You have done no permanent harm to me. We wanted to work out a deal with you."
Hau cawed and flapped his wings on her shoulder, giving her a slightly unnerved look. If he were Human or Quarian, Shala got the impression that he would be frantically shaking his head and waving his arms back and forth.
The Queen gave a discordant note, "You sing the same song as us, and yet you commune with forces that broke us and harmed us, forces that commune and collaborate with the Old Machines."
She sounded ancient and wise, and Shala briefly wondered if this Queen was like Ulysses, Wrex, or Benezia; a being that had lived nearly a millennium or more, and one that had seen all the evils the galaxy had to offer.
"If you mean the Asari matriarch Benezia, then yes: I do collaborate with her, her daughter and several of her closest allies." Shala waited as the Queen shifted and hissed. "I owe her and her daughter a debt for helping to safely return my... my son. She has also sworn her aid in my own people's plight."
On a hunch, Shala thought as loudly as she could about everything that had transpired.
The Queen began rocking back and forth and glowing faintly. "Your song is old and pained as all who have crossed the servants of the Old Machine's Sour Yellow Note. Your song also contains an even more ancient discord; one which our brood has not heard in an age."
Shala drew a ragged breath from the exertion. "The Combine, yes. My people have not directly encountered them, though one of our allied races has. That is a part of why I came. My people are promised to aid them in freeing their world, but we are a dying people. There is a substance that may yet save us; give us strength enough to do what must be done to drive the Combine from our universe."
The Queens movements became more erratic. "You seek to harvest my children!"
"Indeed, the Shala'Raan and her people must do this as uncounted ages of beings have." Everyone snapped their attention towards a glowing green two legged-three armed form; shrouded in a brown hooded garment. As real as it looked, there was the tiniest hint of transparency to it. "Is it not the blood of your kin that waters and sustains all Xenian life?"
"The loss of even one drone pains the hive, but such is the cycle of life." The Queen slammed a leg on the ground, nearly dumping Shala and Palla on their backsides. "You speak not of the cycle, but of the willful harvesting of my kin to feed another's war machine!"
Hau squawked and flapped his wings.
Whole flocks need not perish.
Whole worlds need not burn.
Whole hives need not be devoured.
Shala glanced at her avian companion and nodded. "Hau thinks truly. We are not interested in slaughtering your people, only in securing our survival. We are few in number, and need only a paltry amount to regain our strength." She thought about the plans and statistics as Doctor Solus had explained it. "Once our immune deficiency is corrected, we can settle upon a new world and regrow our numbers the old-fashioned way." She shot a side-eye as Palla snorted at that.
The wizened figure, who Shala now recognized as Ulysses from the recording all that time ago, tapped his phantom stick on the ground; which made no noise, cementing her belief that it was a sort of astral projection of some kind. "Her people possess the same song as we, and I have met the singer of sour notes she travels with. That one is wise enough to know her people's wrongs, and righteous enough to stand in defiance of them."
The Rachni Queen stared at Ulysses' projection for a moment, then shifted some of her eyes to look at Shala; "Your song is long, yet it is nowhere close to its completion; I sense it shall travel at least as long as mine and this ones. Beyond that I cannot say." The Queen Mused, "I have seen many of my children's songs cut short; you have only one that continues to sing… yet I hear others songs in your future." She focused on Shala again, "You and your children of the now and the future shall avenge us against those that sing the sour note and refuse to repent. If nothing else than for the sake of the one you carry inside you."
"What?!" Shala exclaimed, incredibly confused.
"That has yet to come to pass… or perhaps it is in the now; We find ourselves often confusing timelines when straining myself like this." Ulysses added, putting a hand on his chin. "The Vortessence works in strange ways, does it not?"
Shala wavered only to be caught by Palla. "Easy there Admiral. I know you have the eye for Admiral 'Zorah, but there's no need to go swooning here."
Shala sputtered and pushed herself back upright. She went to reprimand the Corporal for her crass assumptions (however correct they may be) only to see a cheeky grin that would not have been out of place on Kal'Reegar's face. She blinked and narrowed her eye, "I said something while dying and stoned out of my mind, didn't I?" She asked.
"Aye ma'am. I've been that drunk on occasion, so your secret is safe with me."
The Queen buzzed her carapace, gathering everyone's attention again."Your song is pure in tone, but I must look to my own hive. I have no warriors to protect the few eggs still within me, nor drones enough to excavate a new colony."
Shala hissed in frustration while trying to decide how to move forward with the negotiations. She jerked her head up when Palla stepped forward while slinging her rifle. "The Admiral was pretty out of it at the time, but there were a number of other Rachni in holding pens at the facility we found you at. I also saw a separate cellular storage area. The cells were only large enough to house a Pyjac, and the units were all full."
Palla looked at the Admiral and received a hesitant nod, so she continued. "Our people have no reason to wipe yours out unless attacked, and they seemed pretty docile."
The Queen eyed the Batarian suspiciously. "Without my song, they shall remain dormant until one grows into a new Queen."
"And I'm assuming that'll take awhile?" Palla asked rhetorically. "If we can get a portal opened between here and there so you can sing in your Drones and Warriors, could we keep the eggs and larvae left behind? You'd have the strength to rebuild your hive, and we'd have the resources to get the Quarians healthy again."
The Queen seemed to think it over for a long moment, then it seemed to give the Rachni equivalent of a nod, "This is acceptable to us; let us work."
Ayita floated back and forth in concern, watching as the apprentices failed to keep the portal open. There was nothing they could do, the portal was being forcefully shut from the source. Oh Jesus… What am I going to tell Cato? She thought to herself, I let my mother-in-law die.
Just then, another Portal opened in the center of the room; and everyone staggered back in surprise.
ZAP!
There was a green flash of light, and the portal spat out Admiral 'Raan and Corporal Fennaba; both of them looked significantly worse for wear. Ayita had to resist the urge to drop her disguise and rush over and hug Shala in relief; as it stood, she allowed her relief at the sight of the both of them appearing to wash over the area.
That feeling seemed to jostle both women out of their exhaustion for a moment, "Stand Clear! Don't draw your weapons!" Shala rasped outward. There was a rumbling, and everyone scrambled to the edges of the walls as a torrent of Rachni rushed down the halls and filed through the Portal.
Ayita felt a wave through the Vortessence, and immediately understood; waving her hand outward, she said, "Stand down… they are no threat to us."
Benezia took a step forward, trying not to look at the Admiral and the body glove that was practically transparent which covered her. "Shala… what happened?" She asked.
The Admiral blinked her eye slowly for a moment before saying, "I nearly died… I think I got a little high on painkillers, and the Rachni Queen and Ulysses think I'm pregnant?" Ayita noted that Shala's voice was slurred and slow, and she floated over to Shala as the Admiral raised her hand, "In any case… I'm going to rest now. Goodnight."
And with those words, her eye rolled up into her head and she passed out and fell to the ground. Ayita snapped her head towards Corporal Fennaba.
The Batarian held up her hands as she knelt next to the fallen Quarian. "That's pretty much the gist of it except..."
The portal collapsed behind the last Rachni. Ayita remained floating and staring at her. "Except?"
Palla stood out of the way of her squad medic and nodded back to the holding areas. "Except we get to keep the eggs and larvae with the Queen's blessings, so long as we swear to, how is it Massani's always putting it?" She looked towards Lance Corporal Sapius.
He glanced around in uncertainty. "Uh, kick all the ass, ma'am?"
Palla removed her helmet and cracked her neck. "That's the one. I caught a glimpse of the storage cells as we were making out way down here. There's maybe 1000 eggs and larvae for the scientists back at the fleet, but I'm betting we'll need to hurry." she looked around. "Black-book place like this gets taken offline, you can bet the Council'll be here as fast as they can."
Ayita nodded, "You are of course correct, start the process of loading the Larvae and Eggs onto the ship; we shall attend to the Shala'Raan." She ordered.
Once everyone had started to follow her instructions, she floated back over to the Medic and knelt on the ground, "Lance Corporal… Could you leave us and the Benezia T'Soni with the Admiral for a moment. It is only for a moment." She asked.
The Quarian stared at her, then gave a reluctant nod and backed away.
While Benezia walked up, Ayita placed her hands over Shala's stomach and closed her eyes; channeling the Vortessence into her palms. She didn't feel any new life, though she did catch a vortal glimpse of Shala'Raan holding a baby. She shook off the image and focused on rebuilding her mother-in-law's vortal energy reserves and jump-start the healing process.
She would dwell on that later; for now, she just wanted her mother-in-law to be okay.
While she had forever lost her eye, hopefully she would be okay. I hope… please God I hope…
Pilot A/N: Apologies for the delay, real life got in the way for this chapter.
Now then… Honestly I don't have much to say for this chapter beyond Shala completing her trial by fire and surviving her own ordeal. I like to think that each of the Half Life games are G-Man "Evaluating Potential Employees"; and in this case, he was evaluating Shala to see if she could be a sort of puppet for him, or if she's a potential player in this inter-universal "Game of Thrones" between him, his employers, the Combine, Eli Vance's resistance, Dr. Breen, and others.
After everything in this chapter, I think we know the answer.
Palla of course faced a Gonarch and ran away, *ahem*, I mean "tactically retreated" from the thing. Though let's be honest, Shepard from canon Mass Effect (post Cerberus Rebuilding him), the Master Chief from Halo, Doomguy from Doom, and Gordon Freeman from canon Half Life are pretty much the only characters I can think of that could beat that thing alone and single handedly. And before you ask, yes I mean the version of the Gonarchs species from Black Mesa; as with anything related to Half Life, I use the Black Mesa version of Xenian creatures, locations, and events.
Rael and Shala, that's something that Ian pointed out and I just went with it; after all these years of being friends on the admiralty board, and raising Tali and Cato together, even if they didn't have feelings for each other beforehand they would certainly have it now.
Right, what do you think Ian?
Ian A/N: Writing Palla for this chapter was hands down my favorite moment so far. I haven't read many ME stories that have the Batarians as anything more than interstellar 'Strawmen' for everyone to hate, so the chance to flesh out a part of their culture as something other than mustache twirling villains in it for the LOLs is a joy.
It doesn't hurt that this gives us the chance to flesh out her character and show that she is both a badass, and has a sharp mind. We'll get to see her shine more in future chapters.
Stay tuned dear readers.
Pilot: Right then, leave a review and let us know what you guys think.
A TV Tropes page would be loved and appreciated.
Check my profile for a new writing challenge, I think you guys will find it interesting.
And we will see ya when we see ya.