Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Escape from Tarkov/Mass Effect crossover. Thank you all for your continued support. I greatly appreciate the feedback that I'm getting.
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Disclaimer: I do not own the Escape from Tarkov or Mass Effect franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Electronic Arts, BioWare and Battlestate Games. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and producers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.
Geneburn - Stranger
SSV Normandy
Artemis Tau Cluster
2183
While getting to the Artemis Tau Cluster was fairly easy, since it only took a pair of Mass Relay jumps to get there, getting into the stars themselves took some time. O'Connor learned that round trip times were often as long as a week, if not more than that. This was due to the fact that, when a ship traveled to a star system, it had to accelerate for the first half of it's journey to a given destination, then decelerate on the second half.
On top of that, he'd learned that the FTL flight speed of the Normandy was around 15-20 light years at a given time. While this was quite fast, it still meant that it would take time to get to a given destination. As such, once they came back from this trip, they would have to head to the Citadel in order to resupply things like food and water.
What this meant was that, they had to be careful with their supplies once in the Artemis Tau cluster. If they weren't careful, they would quickly run out. Fortunately, there was a small supply depot in the Relay system for the cluster. As such, they were able to stock up on necessary supplies, and then move out.
For O'Connor, it meant more time to get used to his armor, and more time for Tali to teach him how to use modern electronics in an offensive manner. He had to admit, Tali reminded him of someone that he once knew. I wonder what she would make of all this, he'd thought at some point. She'd probably be bouncing off the walls with excitement right about now. I fucking miss my old life, before all this shit at Tarkov.
It was around the fourth day since they entered the Artemis Tau cluster that they got a break. Down in the Engineering Bay, O'Connor was getting some more retraining from Tali. "Now, move your fingers like this," Tali instructed him, splaying two of her fingers out. "That will trigger the Sabotage subroutine in the Omni-Tool, which will disable enemy electronics, while overheating their weaponry."
"That's a useful trick," O'Connor remarked. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Thanks," Tali nodded. "By the way, I saw you exercising in the gym yesterday. Do you always do it with armor on?"
"Yep. It's a good way to stay fit. I found out how to turn off the force amplifying servos and circuits inside the armor. Made it fairly heavy, so I used that armor, and my own body weight, as a way to exercise. In other words, I don't need genetic modifications to get buff."
"Haven't you thought about using them at some point?"
"I have, but I want to get to a certain level of physical fitness before I decide to go down that route. I want to get to a good level of fitness without the mods. That way, I don't rely on them excessively."
"That's… a good point. I never thought about it like that. If Shepard brings me along, I hope my shooting skills are good enough."
That had O'Connor raising an eyebrow. "You're worried about your marksmanship?"
"Yes," Tali nodded. 'I had basic training back at the Migrant Fleet, as do all Quarians when they go on their Pilgrimage, but I never thought I'd have to use it at some point in the future. I don't know if I'll perform well, or if I'll get someone hurt."
"You'll never know until you enter combat," O'Connor reassured her. "All boot privates, when they come from boot camp, never know how they'll actually perform in a combat scenario. As such, the only advice that I can really give you is this: remain calm, and be slow in a hurry. You'll do fine as long as you keep your wits about you."
"T-thanks," Tali remarked, surprised by the encouragement. "You think you could give me lessons a little later on?"
O'Connor was about to reply when Shepard's voice came in over the PA. "All ground team members, report to the COM room. Garrus, Ashley, Kadian, Tali, O'Connor and Wrex, report to the COM room immediately."
Once the PA ened, O'Connor looked at Tali and said, "Looks like it'll have to wait. Time to find out what Shepard needs." With that, he got up from where he was sitting at and left for the elevator, with Tali following behind him.
Once they were in the COM room, the two waited for Garrus and the others to arrive. Garrus was directly behind Tali, his punctuality as a Turian showing through, with Ashley and Kaidan following closely behind him. Just after they entered, Wrex came in, grunting as he squeezed past the door.
Once they were seated, Shepard, who was standing near the holographic screen, said, "Thank you for coming. As you're well aware, we've been combing the Artemis Tau cluster for four days now. Today, we've got some good news: we've located a potential Prothean dig site."
"You mean Liara's here?" Kaidan asked.
"Given that we've eliminated the other systems as possibilities, yes," Shepard replied. "I needn't tell you about our excursions on the planets in the previous systems. Now, however, I can safely say that Liara is on this planet."
Moments later, he pulled up an image of the planet in question. "This is Knossos, the sole planet that can sustain life in this system. Orbital scans indicate that it's a volcanic world, so expect a lot of lava hazards and flying debris. Knossos is in a state of constant tectonic and volcanic activity, and I don't want people getting hurt by natural hazards."
"OpFor status?" O'Connor asked.
"Unknown at this point," Shepard replied. "If I had to guess, though, the Geth will be bringing in heavy weapons and a number of troopers. Expect heavy resistance if necessary. Any other questions?"
"Where's the dig site located at?" Garrus asked.
"Dig site is located here," Shepard replied. Bringing up a map of the area, he highlighted a series of structures that were visible on the orbital photos. "It's a safe bet that Liara is located in that area. Any further questions?" When none presented themselves, he said, "Alright, then. O'Connor, Garrus, Tali, you're with me on this one. Suit up and arm yourselves. This isn't going to be easy."
"Never did," O'Connor remarked as they left. "The only easy day, was yesterday."
. . .
Down in the Cargo Hold, O'Connor was getting his armor on for the thirtieth time since he bought it. Thanks to drills from Ashley, he was able to get the armor on in around 14.5 seconds, which was a half second below the required suit-up time. I intend to push that down to ten seconds if possible, he thought to himself.
Once he was fully suited up, he got the Avenger V and Striker VII he'd bought and compacted them, before letting the magnetic holsters do their jobs. Never thought they'd figure that out, he thought as he finished suiting up. Another future thing to remember, I guess. Fully suited up, he got into the Mako.
Of all the vehicles that he'd used, the Mako reminded him of the M2 Bradley that he'd been in during his time in the USMC. The interior had enough room to house six passengers, a driver and a gunner, with some room to spare. It wasn't too comfortable, but he felt that it was suitable for him to be inside.
Not everyone thought the same, though. As Garrus got in, he said, "Well, I didn't expect the interior to be so spartan. It's certainly not too comfortable, and a little extra padding on the seats would do this thing good."
"It's not that bad," O'Connor remarked.
"Oh really?"
"Yes, really. During my time in the USMC, we used the M2 Bradley IFV. That thing was more cramped than this thing is, but it kept you safe and sound from small arms fire and light AT weapons."
"What did they look like?" Garrus asked. In response, O'Connor used his Omni-Tool to pull up an image of an M2 Bradley's interior. Garrus took one look at it and said, "You used those in your day?"
"Yep."
"Well, s'kak. Never thought I'd find myself appreciating this thing now. Must've been tough in those things."
"It was, but you got used to it." As soon as O'Connor said this, Shepard said, "Everyone, brace! We're making the drop now!"
Moments later, O'Connor felt the vehicle surge forwards as it shot out of the Cargo Hold. For a few moments, there was weightlessness, then gravity came back as powerful thrusters under the Mako's chassis fired up, slowing the vehicle down to safe landing speed. Even then, the landing was fairly rough, with the former USEC Operator bouncing up and down in his seat. Talk about a rough, but safe, landing, he thought.
Moments later, the vehicle began moving forwards. "Garrus, you've got gunner duty," Shepard ordered. Wordlessly, Garrus complied, moving forwards before sitting in the seat next to Shepard's. Once he was comfortably situated, Shepard gunned the throttle, with the vehicle racing forwards.
The interior of the vehicle was, surprisingly, quite quiet for such a large vehicle. Must use electric power or fuel cells, O'Connor surmised. Makes sense. An internal combustion engine would be rather anachronistic given the tech we've got here.
As they moved forwards, Joker came in over the COM. "Shepard, I'm getting some strange readings from the dig site. Really strange, like off the damn charts. Looks like it's coming from up ahead."
"Thanks for the heads up," Shepard replied. Despite the strange news, they continued onward, the vehicle's electric motors moving the wheels in the correct direction.
O'Connor was about to check his weapon when Shepard swore loudly, before he engaged the Mako's jump jets. "Fuck!" he shouted.
"What's going on?" O'Connor asked.
"The Geth's deployed some kind of robotic vehicle," Shepard replied. "I don't know what they are, but they're firing plasma bolts at us. Garrus, target that bastard and take it out!"
"Affirmative," Garrus shouted. There was a jolt as the Mako's main cannon, a 150mm railgun, fired. "Impact on target. No effect!"
"Fire again!"
"Firing." Another jolt, then, "Good effect on target! Enemy vehicle down! What are these things?"
"Geth Armatures," Tali replied, having spotted the enemy vehicles due to a camera feed she had. "They'll fire high energy plasma bolts at a vehicle to disable the kinetic barriers and to tear through armor! Be careful!"
"Copy that," Shepard replied. With that, they continued onward, though O'Connor felt the vehicle jolt a few more times as Garrus fired the main gun.
Without a video feed, he couldn't see where they were going. Just like in the M2 Bradley, he thought. Once your in the passenger bay, you're practically clueless as to where the destination is at. Oddly enough, it reminded him of being a Marine, so he decided to sit back.
Moments later, he heard Garrus say, "Looks like the entrance to this outpost is heavily guarded. Let's sneak around if we can." With that, the vehicle moved to the right, before coming to a stop. "Enemy turrets down! Lots of Geth outside!"
"Everyone out," Shepard ordered. "Get ready to come out swinging!" With that, O'Connor got up, and took his Avenger V off his back. For a moment, he was initially confused by the lack of a charging handle, then he remembered. Mass accelerator weapons don't have charging handles, he thought. I really miss my older guns. I hope Vorenus gets those new guns worked out soon. Weapon in hand and helmet on, he leaped out as soon as the doors were open.
As soon as he got out, he knew this was far different from what he was normally used to. The sky above him was filled with acrid smoke and volcanic ash, far from the sunny, blue sky that he was accustomed to. The ground beneath his boots was covered in a layer of ash, with volcanic rock underneath that. Even through the helmet filters, he could smell the odor of sulfur and other volcanic substances.
As for were they were at, it was a small supply depot situated near the dig site. Two buildings were on either side, likely for controlling what looked like gates, while there were building supplies and storage buildings all around. The center was mostly empty, save for some construction materials that were scattered everywhere.
What had his main attention, however, were the Geth in front of him. As soon as he was out, he sprinted for cover, not wanting to test how strong his armor's kinetic barriers were. The Geth, spotting his movements, fired at him, though most of their shots missed due to his non-standard actions. Within moments, he was in cover, with mass accelerator rounds bouncing off the cover he was using.
Peering over cover, he got a look at his opposition. Hhmm, some Geth Troopers, a Saboteur and a Destroyer from the looks of it. Nothing too heavy. With that in mind, he pulled out a disk grenade that Shepard had given him when he got inside. With a powerful toss, he hurled it at the Geth.
The disk grenade did something he didn't anticipate. Instead of flying in an ballistic arc, he watched as it flew towards the Geth, before a proximity sensor inside detonated the grenade. A powerful explosion ripped through the air, with the Geth Trooper being eliminated. The Saboteur took some damage, while the Destroyer took little, if any, damage. I'll have to correct for that.
Weapon drawn, he let off a burst, pinging the Destroyer's shields before ducking back into cover rapidly. More shots were hurled his direction, then he heard Shepard and the others opening fire. Popping back up, O'Connor fired at the Destroyer once again. This time, his rifle had an effect, as the bullets tore into the Geth Destroyer's chassis. Thanks to the team's combined firepower, the Geth Destroyer was soon destroyed.
Walking over to the ruined platform, O'Connor examined the chassis. Hhmm, just like I thought, he observed before looking at his own rifle. The rounds squish outwards, but the wound channels are not nearly as large as those of a 5.56mm round. Beyond the lower than normal damage output, the rifle's a dream to shoot. I still prefer my older weapons, but this thing is… adequate.
Hearing footsteps, he turned around to see Garrus walking over. "Anything you need?" he asked.
"Tali and Shepard are getting the gate down," Garrus replied. "I was curious as to what you're doing."
"Examining the damage to the Geth," O'Connor replied. "Your guns are good, but they're not as damaging as an M4A1. The bullets are just not as large, and they don't cause as much damage. My rifle's a dream to shoot, but I think I prefer my older M4 to this thing."
"Old habits, I take it?"
"That, and I prefer a weapon system that I know is proven in combat. This new shit is not my style."
"I understand," Garrus nodded. "We're about to head out now. Time to load up."
"Affirmative," O'Connor nodded. With that, he quickly retraced his steps back to the Mako and got inside. Once everyone was onboard, they began to move out.
As they drove along, O'Connor decided to pass the time by critiquing Shepard's driving. He's a good driver, but this vehicle's not designed for agility, he determined. The man has all the makings of a world class driver, and he's clearly performing at his best, but the Mako's design makes this thing as hard to use as a semi-truck.
As they drove along, O'Connor felt the vehicle quickly come to a stop. "What is it?" he asked.
"End of the line," Shepard replied. "The road's blocked by some debris up ahead. We'll have to proceed on foot."
"Copy that."
"O'Connor, you've got experience commanding ground forces, if your record is correct. You think you can coordinate our efforts upwards?"
That surprised O'Connor greatly. "Commander, with all due respect, you're several ranks higher than I was when I was a Marine. I barely made it to Sergeant Major in the USMC."
"I know, but I want to see how well you perform," Shepard replied. "Don't worry, I won't be hanging back, but I'm curious as to your ability to command a fireteam."
Well, that is a reasonable request, O'Connor thought. Well, if that's what he wants to do, then that's what I'll do. After a moment, he said, "Alright. If that's what you want." A moment later, he turned to Garrus and Tali before shouting, "Everyone, on me! We're moving out!"
The forceful tone of his voice, combined with their circumstances, literally got the two moving, with Shepard following behind. Getting out, O'Connor could tell that Shepard was right: a rock formation was blocking their access to the rest of the facility. Despite the narrow opening, he could tell that it was going to be a fairly long climb.
Weapon out, O'Connor motioned forward with a hand. Garrus, having studied Human hand signs in his spare time, immediately understood what O'Connor was saying, as he moved forward with barely a sound. Tali, while not knowing what to do initially, quickly got the point, as she advanced forwards as well. O'Connor and Shepard, taking up the rear, moved forwards quickly.
As they moved up the incline, which was now taking a right hand turn, the Geth took notice. Moments later, gunfire pelted their movement. "Enemy contact!" O'Connor shouted. "Take cover and open fire! Garrus, I want you laying down precision fire! Tali, use your expertise to make life hell for the Geth. Shepard, you and I will close range and open fire, with your permission!"
"Granted," Shepard shouted. "Take those bastards out!"
Within seconds, the team was executing O'Connor's orders. Pulling his sniper rifle out, a Viper, he took aim at a Geth Sniper and fired, destroying that Geth in an instant. At the same time, Tali began using her Omni-Tool to sabotage the enemy's weapons, while flinging out overloads here and there.
As for Shepard, it allowed him to see how O'Connor approached a situation like this. As the Geth were temporarily distracted, he charged forwards, sliding behind some rocks before firing off a burst from his rifle. Two Geth Troopers took the flak, with one falling down dead, while the other took cover. Taking cover, O'Connor allowed his barriers to recharge before leaning out and firing again.
Just as he did, his eyes widened as a Geth Destroyer charged at him. Before he could move out of the way, the Geth smashed into him, sending both combatants tumbling ass over teakettle. "O'Connor!" Shepard shouted.
"Focus on the enemy, not me," O'Connor shouted as he grappled with the Geth. Turning his attention back to his predicament, he used his suit's force enhancing features to make the struggle easier. Rearing his foot back, he lashed out with a powerful kick to the Geth platform's torso.
The blow was sufficient enough to throw the Destroyer off of him, though it pulled out it's shotgun and fired a blast. The shot bounced off of O'Connor's barriers, with the former Marine firing his handgun as rapidly as he could. While the gun overheated, it had the desired effect, as the barriers on the Destroyer went down.
Before it could fire off a second shotgun blast, a gunshot rang out, with the Destroyer falling on top of him. Throwing the thing off, O'Connor watched as Tali came over. It was clear she had made a good shot, though he could tell that she was under the affects of adrenaline, as her hands were shaking. "O'Connor, a-are you alright?" she asked.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking," O'Connor replied. As he did, both eyes widened as he spotted a sniper. Before Tali could react, he grabbed her hand and pulled hard.
She let out a surprised "EEP!" as she was yanked hard to the ground. Moments later, a bullet passed through where her head was.
"Always maintain situational awareness," he told her. "The last thing I want is for your brains to get splattered everywhere. Understood?"
"Yes," Tali replied, slightly rattled by O'Connor's sudden movement. "How'd you know?"
"Lost a good friend that way." Keying his COM, he said, "Garrus, nail that sonovabitch."
"Got it," Garrus replied. There was a loud gunshot, then, "Target down. Nice work saving Tali. That Geth had her scoped."
"You're welcome." Getting up, he pulled Tali to her feet and said, "Time to get moving. We can talk later." With that, they advanced forwards, weapons in hand.
For the most part, resistance was fairly heavy, but thanks to a healthy dose of teamwork, they were able to neutralize all hostiles. As they advanced, they rounded a bend and entered where the dig site was. Looking around, O'Connor saw a storage area, as well as a large, cylindrical structure that was partially in the ground. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked.
"Yep," Shepard replied. "Most of the dig site's underground from the looks of it. I wonder what -"
Suddenly, O'Connor fired off a round, startling the team. Shepard was about to ask why when a strange Geth fell onto the ground. It's body was mostly unarmored, but it's hands and feet had strange structures on them. "What is that?" Shepard asked.
"Beats me," O'Connor replied. "It stuck out like a sore thumb, though, so I shot it. To be honest, I'm surprised that I initially didn't spot it."
"Some kind of stealth Geth drone," Tali observed. "It's almost the same color as the catwalk above, so it's not surprising. Still, I wonder…" Curious, Tali decided to place a white colored object onto the Geth drone. To everyone's amazement, the affected part of the Geth turned white as well. "Keelah, what was that?"
"Some kind of mimetic camouflage technology," Garrus surmised. "That's the only way I can explain this."
Looking at the Geth drone, O'Connor found the tech to be quite impressive. Mimetic technology that allows for adaptive cloaking, he thought. I know a lot of US Marines that would kill to get their hands on that tech. If that's the case… Looking at Tali, he asked, "Tali, can we bring this back to the Normandy with us?"
"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Tali remarked. "Why?"
"Because if we can get this to the Alliance, it would allow them to gain a considerable tactical advantage. Units could remain hidden until they needed to strike. If this fucker tries to reactivate, I can always put more bullets into it's ass."
"That is an appealing prospect," Shepard remarked. After a moment, he said, "We'll bring it aboard, but make sure it's disabled, Tali I don't want this thing going on a killing spree if I can help it."
"Got it, Shepard," Tali replied.
Just as she dragged the machine behind cover, they all heard a familiar, whining sound. "Uh oh," Garrus frowned. "That's a Geth ship coming in for a landing!" True to from a Geth ship dropped off some Troopers, a pair of Saboteurs, as well as a dread sight: a Geth Armature.
To O'Connor, the Geth Armature was an ugly thing. It stood on four legs, and had a long, snake-like head, with a single glowing optical receptor in the middle. It's body was well armored, with only a few things being exposed. "LOOK OUT!" he roared.
"TAKE COVER!" Shepard shouted, with everyone taking cover as soon as as they saw the Armature. "Open fire, and don't let up!"
"We need heavier weapons to take down the Armature!" Tali shouted.
"I've got one," Shepard shouted. Moments later, he pulled what looked like a missile launcher off his back. "I've only got one shot. Everyone, keep the Geth off me so that I can kill that thing!"
"You heard the man," O'Connor shouted. "OPEN FIRE!" Moving in concert, O'Connor and the others opened fire on the Geth Troopers and Saboteur, doing their best to help Shepard get an accurate lock-on.
The Geth, spotting the threat, attempted to lock onto Shepard, but were distracted by O'Connor and his tea. Firing a burst, O'Connor downed a Geth Trooper, before throwing a grenade into a group of them. "Garrus, on your left!" he shouted.
"I'm on it," Garrus replied, firing his assault rifle at the offending Geth Saboteur. Said Saboteur quickly crumpled under the fire. Up ahead, the Armature prepared to fire a bolus of white-hot plasma.
Before it could, though, Shepard managed to get a lock-on. As soon as he heard the signal, he fired the launcher, sending a missile flying directly at the Armature. As the team had worked on stripping the Armature's shields as well, the missile was unimpeded.
There was a loud BANG, as well as a puff of smoke and ash, as the missile detonated. As the dust cleared, Shepard spotted the Armature, only it now had a large hole in it's chassis, where there were vital components. Moments later, it fell down, having gone offline.
"Nice shot," Garrus remarked.
"Thanks," Shepard replied. Looking at O'Connor, he said, "I'll bet you didn't have anything like that, did you?"
"We did, actually," O'Connor remarked. "I had an RPG-7V2 back at my hideout. Seeing that Armature, though…" Shaking his head, he said, "I thought that was the end of it for us. Facing down a tank without support never really ends well for the team in question. Good thing you had a weapon that could destroy it."
"Good thing indeed. You want one of those?"
"I'll take an RPG any day, please. Older designs can be fairly robust when given new life."
"We'll add that to the list of things to do when we get to the Citadel."
"Agreed. Now, let's fucking get inside and rescue the HVI."
"No need to tell me twice."
. . .
Getting inside was the easy part, as the entrance to the mining shaft was open. Once they were inside, resistance was fairly lightweight, with only a few Geth Drones and Troopers. As they moved downward, O'Connor spotted what he realized was a structure of some kind. While he couldn't see all of it, the part he did see was impressive, with sculpted features, and what appeared to be oval openings of some kind. "Is that a Prothean structure?"
"Yes," Garrus replied. "I've seen then in images, but never in person. I must admit, I didn't know white was a color Protheans used."
Up ahead, Shepard spotted the only way down: an elevator that had been assembled inside the cave. "Here's the way down," he told the others. "Be ready for anything."
"Agreed." With that, they got into the elevator and traveled downward. Thankfully, the trip was uneventful, with the team reaching a catwalk that had another elevator. Unfortunately, this one was damaged, as it stopped above a debris pile.
As they got out, O'Connor heard a voice asking, "Uh, hello? Is somebody out there? Hello?" Moving down the pile of debris, he turned to see who it was.
Just past what appeared to be an energy barrier was an Asari. Her uniform indicated that she was a sciientist, but whether or not she was the lead scientist was unknown. Said uniform was also unkempt, and she had bags underneath her eyes, indicating lack of sleep. Both of her blue eyes looked frantically around.
That was when she spotted O'Connor and the others. "Can you hear me?" she shouted. "I'm trapped! I need help!"
"Are you Liara T'Soni?" Shepard asked.
"Yes, that's me," Liara replied.
"How'd you get your ass stuck in there?" O'Connor asked.
"This energy barrier's keeping you from getting to me," Liara explained, the cuss word lost on her. "When we were attacked, I activated it to keep the Geth out. Can't you believe that? Geth, from beyond the Veil! When I activated the field, I must've hit something I wasn't supposed to touch. Now I'm stuck in this mass effect field bubble, and I can't get out."
"One more question. Are you affiliated, in any way, with your mother?"
"No, not at all! My mother and I haven't spoken to each other in years!"
Oohh, O'Connor thought. Turning to Shepard, he said, "Sounds like the two had a falling out, just like how my grandfather and I had a falling out. I don't think she's working with Saren."
"My thought's exactly," Shepard agreed.
"Who's Saren?" Liara replied. "Is that why you're coming for me?"
"Saren betrayed the Council by working with the Geth and attempting to kill a Spectre," O'Connor explained. "The Council sent us to look for you since it was likely you might know what Saren's looking for. Given that you haven't spoken to your mother in years, it's obvious that you don't work for her. I'll have to check your personal effects to be certain, but I doubt we've got anything to worry about."
"Agreed," Shepard nodded. "We'll have to get her out somehow. Hang tight, Liara. We'll find a way through."
"It's not like I can go anywhere," Liara agreed. "Just get me away from the Geth. Please!"
O'Connor was about to turn when a bullet whizzed past his head. "SHIT!" he shouted. "Ambush!"
"Take them out," Shepard ordered. Turning around, the team found a number of Geth that had been hiding in the tents and workshops where Liara's late coworkers had been working at days before. Fortunately, most of the Geth weren't that much of a threat, as they were quickly eliminated.
Once the Geth were dead, they began looking for a way to get to Liara. Spotting a control panel, O'Connor walked over to it. What's this, he thought, brushing some dust off. Hhmmm, OK. I see what this is. Looks like it's a mining laser of some kind. Let's see if I can activate it.
Looking at the console, he found that it was much too complicated for him to use. Let's do this the hard way. Pulling off a maintenance panel, he used some wire cutters he'd brought to cut some wires, then he began to cross them. I wonder how long it'll take -
His train of thought was promptly interrupted when the mining laser activated. O'Connor subconsciously threw himself backwards as the laser tore through the hard rock surrounding the Prothean structure before shutting off. When the dust settled, there was an unobstructed path into the tower. "Oh, shit!" he shouted. "That thing really works!"
"You OK?" Shepard called out, having heard the laser activating.
"Just fine," O'Connor replied. "Hot wired the mining laser here. Worked a little too well."
"You hot wired a mining laser?" Tali asked. When O'Connor nodded, she said, "Well… that's… one way to get a mining laser to work. What'd you do?"
"I'll tell you when were back on the Normandy. Right now, we have an HVI to grab." Nodding in agreement, Shepard and the others entered the structure. They found that they were standing on a large lift, with the center holding the mechanisms required to lift the structure up and down. Spotting a control panel, Shepard hit it, with the elevator moving upwards.
It wasn't long before they reached Liara. "Uh, how did you get here?" she asked, confused. "I thought there was no other way in."
"I used a giant-ass laser to blast a hole through the rock," O'Connor explained matter-of-factually.
"Oh, well that would work, I suppose." Pointing at a console, she said, "That control panel should free me." Nodding, Shepard walked over to the panel and, after a moment, guessed which glyph would release her. His guess was right, as moments later, he heard a loud, "OOFFFF!"
Liara being free wasn't the only thing that was noticeable. Shepard promptly heard O'Connor saw, "Whew! Smells like the heads in here!"
"Heads?" Shepard asked.
"Toilet."
"Oh," Shepard nodded, realizing what O'Connor meant. "I know what you mean."
"Poor girl couldn't find a shitter, so she did her business here. Understandable, given her situation."
"Let's get out of here," Liara breathed. She was about to move when O'Connor put a canteen in her hand.
"Drink," he ordered. "Bottoms up." Nodding wordlessly, Liara gulped down as much water as she could, her voicebox bobbing up and down like a yo-yo.
"Thank you," she gasped as she let the canteen go. "You have no idea what it was like for me in there. Why does Saren want me, though? I'm just a simple archaeologist."
"Saren's looking for the Conduit," Garrus replied. "It's likely that he thinks you know something about it."
"Conduit? I don't know what you mean by Con -" Liara was interrupted when a loud, grinding sound, like someone was rubbing two massive boulders together, cut through the air. "Oh, no," she gasped.
"What?" Shepard asked.
"That mining laser must've triggered a seismic event," Liara replied. "The entire cavern's unstable."
"All the more reason to leave," O'Connor agreed.
Keying his COM, Shepard shouted, "Joker! Head for my coordinates and get us out of here! On the double, mister!"
"Aye, aye," Joker replied. "ETA: 5-10 minutes."
"He needs to move faster," Tali remarked.
"If I die in here, I hope the Spirits kill him," Garrus growled.
"Get in line," O'Connor remarked.
At the same time, Shepard hit the console glyphs, with the lift quickly rising upwards to it's destination. It stopped at the upper most level, next to the first elevator that Shepard and the others used to get to Liara. The large chamber was mostly filled with empty space, with only a few cargo crates here and there.
"Company," O'Connor warned Shepard. Looking up, Shepard watched as some Geth walked in, along with a massive Krogan that was wielding a shotgun. "Looks like the enemy Commander. Orders?"
"Wait," Shepard replied. "We'll shoot when we need to."
Moments later, the Krogan said, "Surrender, or don't. That would be more fun."
"Are you that dumb?" O'Connor remarked. "If you haven't noticed, asshole, this place is falling apart."
"Exhilarating, isn't it?" the Krogan taunted. "Thanks for getting past the barriers. Now hand the doc over."
"You won't be getting me," Liara growled.
"Thanks," Shepard replied, "but she's staying with us."
"Doesn't matter," the Krogan growled. "Saren wants her, and he always gets what he wants." Turning to the Geth, he said, "Kill them, but spare the -"
Suddenly, O'Connor raised his rifle and fired, catching the Krogan off guard. Four rounds punched through the Krogan's armor, sending orange colored blood or fluid splattering everywhere. At the same time, Shepard took the initiative as well, firing on two of the Geth in the area, while Garrus and Tali picked their targets. At the same time, Liara dove for cover.
O'Connor leaned out and fired his rifle, killing one of the four Geth that was in the chamber with them. He was about to duck into cover when the Krogan bull rushed him, tackling him to the ground. "Big quad, Human," the Krogan growled, "but it's time for you to die." With that, he began to choke O'Connor.
FUCK, O'Connor thought as he struggled to keep his airways clear. I have to get this asshole off of me! As his vision grew darker, his flailing became much more desperate. Just when he thought he would pass out, his hand happened on a familiar item of his: his combat knife.
In a desperate maneuver, O'Connor jabbed the knife directly for the Krogan's head. Meeting resistance, he immediately pulled, unintentionally twisting the knife in the process. Suddenly, the pressure on his throat was released, with air flooding into his lungs. His vision immediately brightened, with the young man coughing loudly.
Moments later, a loud half-roar, half-wail of agony tore through the air. Looking at where the Krogan was, O'Connor was shocked to see that the alien was holding it's head, where it's head plate was. Blood and other bodily fluids weeped out of the massive wound, while blood vessels and nerves were exposed for all to see. Lying on the ground just a foot away was the Krogan's head plate.
The Krogan collapsed like a marionette who's strings had been cut, wailing loudly as he held the place where his head plate was once at. It was a sight that, since O'Connor was happy to be alive, sent chills down his spine. Raising his handgun, he fired a single shot, ending the Krogan's misery. As he got up, he heard someone come over and help him. "O'Connor?" Garrus shouted. "You alright?"
"I don't know," O'Connor replied, coughing loudly. "Fucking bastard nearly choked me. How did I not see him coming?"
"You're going to be OK," Garrus replied. "Just run!" Nodding, O'Connor ran as fast as he could, the pain in his lungs having long subsided. Turning around, both his eyes went wide as he saw the cave collapsing. Without any ceremony, he ran as fast as he could.
He didn't know how he got out of there. One moment, he was running alongside Garrus, the next, he had run past everyone else and was stumbling onto the loading ramp of the Normandy, with the others just behind him. As soon as the others were aboard, the Normandy took off, and just in time too, as the ship narrowly avoided being hit by a gout of lava. Looking at Shepard, O'Connor knew one thing: the mission was a success.