Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Escape from Tarkov/Mass Effect crossover.
My deepest apologies for not being able to get to you earlier. The hard disk on my laptop was failing, and it wouldn't boot up due to an error in the start-up file. Thankfully, my dad was able to back up all of the data and we've replaced the faulty HDD with a brand new Solid State Drive. Now, my computer works better than ever, and the files are all intact. Thank you so much for your patience.
With that being said, we have entered the final story arc for this crossover. It's been a wild ride people, and I'm glad to see that we're coming towards the end. I do have plans for a sequel, but I'll be getting another crossover ready to go. I won't spoil much, but I will say it's a crossover between Halo and Marvel.
In addition, I have a poll going to change the name of this crossover. The current title feels a little too clunky in my opinion, so when you've got a chance, go ahead and vote on the poll on my profile. Let me know which choice is the better one.
As always, leave a review and enjoy!
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 it's original developers and publishers. 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.
SSV Normandy
Terra Nova
2183
If there was one thing that everyone on the Normandy was happy for, it was the peace and quiet that they were currently enjoying. O'Connor in particular, after the debacle at X57, was more than happy to get a little shut-eye. The hardened PMC veteran was currently sleeping in the crew quarters, his face an expressionless mask.
For Tali, who was looking at O'Connor, it seemed to be the only time that O'Connor was quiet and at peace. It's like he's free from all the worries of the galaxy, she observed as he moved slightly in his slumber. After what happened last mission, he deserves a rest.
That being said, she had a lot more to be thankful for, courtesy of O'Connor. My father might've taught me how to defend myself, but O'Connor taught me how to fight. Walking over to his kit, she hefted the AK pattern rifle that he used. It still had some weight, even with the composites and metal alloys it was composed of, but she found the weight comforting. It'll hold together, even when abused.
She was about to put it back when she heard a voice ask, "You like it?"
Jumping, she looked up to see O'Connor getting out of the cot. "How'd you know I was here?" she asked.
"I didn't," O'Connor replied tiredly, rubbing his face with a hand. "I only just noticed you, especially with my Kalash being in your hands. Nothing wrong with examining it, though. Those things are built like tanks."
"That's one thing we can agree on. I remember when you used it to smash the face of that one guy in. What was his name, again?"
"Elanos Haliat, something like that."
"That's the guy. He didn't expect you to blow the heads of most of his team off with your rifle."
"True. Then again, most people don't expect an older weapon system to be so effective. I guess that's what happens sometimes when you use a newer weapon system: you forget that the older system is not as obsolete as you think it to be."
"That's something we can agree on," Tali nodded. Looking at another item that was near his cot, she asked, "Is that your anti-tank gun?"
"Yep," O'Connor replied. "I can tell you a little more about it. My father was a bit of a gun nut, and I got that from him. Runs in the family, I suppose."
"I'm fine, thanks," Tali shrugged. "Though, it wouldn't hurt to have one of these for the Migrant Fleet to puzzle over."
"Only once we learn how effective it is," O'Connor countered, getting out of the cot proper once he had his shirt fully on. "I really haven't gotten an opportunity to see how effective it will be in the field. For all we know, it's just a really nice looking paperweight, or the deadliest anti-tank weapon out there."
"True," Tali agreed. She had to admit it; O'Connor had a good point. One never knew how effective a weapon really was until it was tested in the field of battle.
After a moment, she realized she hadn't asked him a question that she herself had been wondering. "So," she began, "what do you plan to do once Saren's in custody and we find this Conduit?"
"If those Prothean visions that Shepard had are right," O'Connor shrugged, "then we're going to have to get pretty busy. As for myself, well… I'm an independent merc, so I guess I'd get my own mercenary corporation going. I'll have someone handle the financial and business side of things, while I handle all things military. The Volus are good at that, though I'm going to make sure any Volus I partner with don't embezzle at the earliest opportunity. Might even start up at Omega."
"You sure about that?" Tali asked. Omega, from what she recalled, was called the 'armpit of the galaxy', and with good reason. It was a haven for anarchists, criminals, gangsters and pirates. It was a 'dog-eat-dog' world at Omega, and only the strongest, or the craftiest, survived there for any length of time.
"Yes," O'Connor replied. "I know, it sounds crazy, but it's not too bad of a starting point. Besides, my merc company's going to be more honorable than any of them. The Blue Suns, Eclipse and Blood Pack? Fatasses, the lot of 'em."
Tali was about to reply when the intercom chimed. "William O'Connor, Urdnot Wrex, Tali'Zorah, report to Comm Room immediately. O'Connor, Wrex, Tali'Zorah, report to Comm Room immediately."
"Well," O'Connor nodded as the intercom clicked off. "Looks like we're called for. Time to get a move on."
O'Connor was the first to get to the comm room, where he found Shepard. His eyebrows raised slightly when he saw the Councilors talking with him via holo-vidcom. "Am I late?" he asked.
"Nope," Shepard replied. "You came just in time." Looking at the Councilors, he asked, "Anything you need?"
"Commander Shepard," Tevos began. "We've received information that may be critical to your mission against Saren."
"I'll take all the help I can get," Shepard nodded. "What's the lead?"
"We've received an urgent message from one of our infiltration regiments in the Traverse," Valern added.
"In other words, spies," O'Connor guessed.
Tevos, hearing O'Connor's remark, explained some more. "Spectres tend to attract attention, O'Connor. They are, however, but one arm of the Council. Special Tasks Groups are often a better option for monitoring a developing situation."
"We currently have several infiltration units scattered throughout the border regions of Citadel space," Valern continued. "This particular unit was gathering intel on Saren."
"What did they find?" Shepard asked.
"Unfortunately, the message we received was little more than static. The infiltration team must be in a situation where they can't set up proper interstellar communications."
"Or they're being jammed," O'Connor added. "That's what I'd do if I was Saren."
"True. However, the message we received was sent on a channel reserved for mission-critical communications. Whatever they were trying to tell us, we know it was important. Considering your interest in Saren, we thought you might want to investigate this. Find out what happened to our team. The signal originated from Virmire."
"That's near the Terminus Systems," O'Connor noted. "We'll need to be careful once we're there. We'll be up a creek without a paddle if we're found out there."
"I'll look into it," Shepard replied.
"The Council prefers not to get involved in the specifics of Spectre activities," Tevos explained. "We only want you to be aware of all of your options, including Virmire. Good luck, Commander. We will keep you advised if we learn anything else." With that, the comm transmission faded.
Just as it did, Wrex and Tali came inside. "We miss anything?" Wrex asked.
"I can fill you in," O'Connor replied. "According to the Council, an STG team that was performing HUMINT, or the STG equivalent thereof, on Saren found something, but the message they sent was drowned out in static. My guess is that Saren spotted them, and is deliberately jamming communications to prevent us from finding out. We do know the location of the signal's origin: Virmire."
"Virmire," Wrex remarked. "Wait a minute… I've been there before. It's at the Sentry Omega system, right on the border of the Terminus Systems. You're saying that Saren's hiding there?"
"I'm not saying that," O'Connor replied. "What I'm saying is that the STG found something that we might be interested there. We'll know more once we get there in person."
"Agreed," Shepard nodded. "Wrex, Tali, O'Connor, I want you all ready for when we get to Virmire. Once we're there, we're going to rendezvous with the STG team there and find out what Saren's up to. Dismissed." With that, they left to prepare for their next mission.
. . .
Getting to the Sentry Omega System was fairly easy, since it they could get there using the primary Mass Relay system. Once that was done, it was a simple manner of finding the planet in question.
Looking at the Codex entry for Virmire, O'Connor frowned slightly. Yep, right on the border with the Terminus Systems, he nodded. If it wasn't for the pirate threat there, people would be able to settle there. Nice and big equatorial band, negligible axial tilt. It's a potential breadbasket world. Perhaps when I get my PMC up and running, Virmire might be a viable colony once properly defended.
Shaking off the loose thoughts, he focused on making sure his gear was fully operational and ready for war. Pulling out his AK, he quickly got a dozen magazines into the armored 'pack for his Battlesuit before loading in the mags for his sidearm. Water and MRE's followed in short order, along with a medical pack that he'd put together.
He was about to walk towards the Mako when he remembered something. Good thing I remembered, he thought as he walked over towards the upgraded RPG-7 that he had. Hefting the weapon itself, he walked into the Mako and stowed it away in one of the storage racks. Ammo for the anti-tank launcher was quickly loaded in. Now I'm ready for war, since my Battlesuit's on now.
He turned around to see Shepard and the others coming along. "Ready to rock?"
"Yep," Shepard nodded. "What about you?"
"Always prepared."
"Good to hear. Come on, we've got work to do." With that, everyone quickly loaded into the Mako and strapped themselves down. Keying his comm, Shepard asked, "Joker, you find that team?"
"I'm reading a signal," Joker replied. "Must be our Salarian infiltration team."
Kaidan, who was on the bridge, said, "Careful. We've got defense towers down there."
"Likely anti-ship batteries," Joker agreed.
"We'll go in hot and take them out," Shepard decided. "We're in the Mako and waiting."
"Roger. I'll get you in underneath their RADAR, Commander." The ship banked slightly as it quickly zoomed in towards the ground.
Moments later, the cargo hold doors opened, and Shepard gunned the throttle. O'Connor was thrown around slightly in his seat as the vehicle came to a stop. Looking through the video feed, he found that the Mako had landed in what appeared to be a large, beachside area. Rock formations chiseled out by the water stood tall and proud, while shallow pools of water formed by breaking waves surrounded the area. Sand was near each of the rock formations, along with plants that survived in the tropical environment.
"Clean drop, Commander," Joker reported.
"Stay out of range and continue evasive maneuvers until we bring those AA towers down," Shepard ordered.
"I know the drill," Joker replied. "Meet you at the camp once those AA towers are offline. Joker out." With that, the comm line went dead.
"Well, I'd say it's time we get a move on," Wrex nodded.
"Agreed," Shepard replied. With that, they began to drive through the area as quickly as the vehicle would allow them to.
As they drove inland, O'Connor took a moment to observe the wildlife and flora present. He cocked an eyebrow when he saw a tri-legged crab-like creature scuttle along their path. Hhmm, if that's edible, then I'll be thinking of some boiled crab. Still, I wonder where the enemy's at currently.
He quickly got his answer when he spotted what looked like drones up ahead. "Uh oh," he called out. "We've got drones!"
"I see 'em," Shepard replied. "Wrex?"
"You've got it," Wrex replied. The team heard a slight whirring sound as the co-axial machinegun went to work mulching the drones up ahead. While their barriers were strong, they weren't designed to stop rounds capable of penetrating light armor. As such, each drone was destroyed in quick fashion.
"All contacts down," he called out. "Little pyjacks didn't stand a chance."
"Stay focused," O'Connor admonished. "I think that was just a perimeter guard. I'll bet a million creds that the Geth are now fully aware of our presence."
"My thoughts exactly," Shepard agreed. "Tali, how are we looking?"
"So far, so good," Tali reported.
"Then let's keep going."
Just as they rounded the corner, they ran into more Geth drones, along with anti-tank teams. Fortunately, they were at a far enough distance to dodge the missiles fired at them, if only barely. Firing the main gun, Wrex smiled as the shell blasted apart a tight cluster of Geth Rocket Troopers. "Got you," he smirked. It wasn't long before those hostiles had been neutralized. Continuing on, they carefully scanned any area they entered, not letting their guard down for even a micro-second.
It wasn't long before they encountered a structure of some kind. As they drove, Shepard spotted what looked like a large, perimeter wall of some kind. Built into the wall were a pair of gates that were high enough for the Mako to proceed through. Those gates, though, were sealed shut, which meant they would have to get them open before they could proceed.
Fortunately, it looks like there's a ramp that leads to a walkway on top of the wall, he observed. If I was a betting man, I'd say that the controls for the gates are up there. We'll have to clear out the Geth and get the gates down. "O'Connor, Wrex, you handle the gates," he ordered.
"Copy," O'Connor replied. As he got out, he absentmindedly grabbed the RPG-7 that he'd brought, along with some HEAT-TW munitions. He didn't know why he brought it along, only that he felt it might be necessary. Once the weapon was securely on his back, he got out along with Wrex.
Getting out, he felt the bodyglove surrounding his feet become slightly cooler, courtesy of the water that was flowing beneath his feet. Rifle cocked and ready, he proceeded towards the ramp, ready to open fire when needed. When he heard gunfire, he turned that brisk walk into a flat-out sprint up the ramp.
Getting into cover near the top, he peeked out to see what was going on. Two Geth Troopers, and a Saboteur were firing at his position, while he spotted a Juggernaut behind them. Leaning out of cover, he fired his AK at the offending machines. They might've adjusted their barriers to block my bullets, he thought.
True enough, as he suspected, the first couple of bullets bounced off of the kinetic barriers the Geth were using. Fortunately, the APHE nature of the bullets meant that, as soon as they hit, they detonated, allowing them to weaken the kinetic barriers quite quickly. As such, the next two bullets after the first burst quickly tore the Geth apart. With those Geth down, he quickly switched to the grenade launcher and fired off a HEDP shell.
There was a loud BOOM as the grenade detonated, the grenade moving slowly enough that it bypassed the kinetic barriers and smashed into armor plating. There was a loud, electronic squeal as the Juggernaut bore the full brunt of the blast, with shrapnel tearing through sensitive electronics and components. With that, it fell to the ground, offlined by the blast.
Hearing that, O'Connor quickly moved up towards the gate controls. He caught sight of something when Wrex shouted, "O'CONNOR!", before throwing him to the left. The hardened merc didn't have time to react before he hit the ground to the right of the entrance to the control room. Just as he did, he watched a bolus of plasma whip past them.
"Shit!" he growled. "They've got an Armature in there!"
"Must've have folded it up and moved it in there," Wrex agreed. "Any ideas?!"
"I've got one," O'Connor nodded. Taking out his anti-tank rifle, he quickly loaded a missile into the muzzle, the thinner guidance rod/rocket motor snugly fitting inside. Flipping the safety off, he unfolded the sight before placing the rear of the launch on his shoulder.
"Backblast clear!" he shouted, before aiming into the corridor. True enough, there was a Geth Armature in there, with the mechanized walker firing on their position. Just as the Armature prepared to fire, O'Connor squeezed the trigger of the RPG-7… hard.
There was a loud POP-BANG as the booster section fired, followed by a loud FWOOSH as the main motor ignited milliseconds later. Wrex watched as a get of fire shot out of the rear of the anti-tank rifle, while the missile itself streaked forwards. Contrary to popular belief, there was no recoil when the weapon was fired, as the anti-tank weapon didn't even move in O'Connor's steady hands.
As for the Armature, it was about to have a really bad day. The HEAT-TW missile streaked through the air, traveling at 200 meters per second as the rocket motor fired up. Halfway down the hallway, the warhead armed, turning it from merely a very fast projectile, into a munition capable of penetrating tank armor.
A few milliseconds later, the missile impacted the Armature's kinetic barriers. The first HEAT warhead detonated, sending a stream of superplastic metal straight into the dark energy barrier. That created a hole in the barrier just large enough for the second, much larger, HEAT warhead to go through, where it smashed into the armor plating for the Geth Armature.
Armor that was designed to stop tiny slugs moving at relativistic velocities was quickly assaulted by the superplastic liner used by the second HEAT warhead. Superplastic metal traveling at supersonic velocities tore through the laminated armor plating, before tearing into vital electronic components. One of those happened to be the Armature's power supply, which was ripped in half by the jet of superplastic metal.
All Wrex saw when the warhead smashed into the Geth Armature was a shimmer as the kinetic barrier failed, before a large puff of what he thought was smoke enveloped the Armature. When the smoke cleared, he watched as the walker fell to the ground, it's power supply cored by the munition. "Nice shot," he commented. "Remind me to get one of those."
"Agreed," O'Connor nodded, finishing loading another warhead into the anti-tank gun. Looking at the Armature, he said, "Wow, that's… quite impressive. I thought I'd need another shell to take out that Armature. Good to see that one HEAT-TW charge was all that was needed."
"What?"
"HEAT-TW. High-Explosive/Anti-Tank/Tandem Warhead. Has two HEAT charges as opposed to just one. Helps it remain effective against composite and reactive armor."
"Ah, I see. Let's get that gate down."
"Agreed."
Getting that gate down wasn't too hard of a challenge, once the Armature had been destroyed. Once the gate was down, they quickly loaded up into the Mako and began to proceed towards the signal source.
Tali, looking at the RPG-7 O'Connor had, asked, "So, it penetrated with just a single warhead?"
"Yes," O'Connor nodded. "Even I'm a little surprised by how effective it was. Usually, you'd need two of these to take down a tank due to the thickness of the armor and where you're aiming. Nice to see that an old, Soviet anti-tank weapon is still able to kick ass in the late 22nd Century."
"That it is," she nodded. "So, shall w-"
She was interrupted when a strong blow rocked the vehicle. "Shit!" O'Connor shouted as Tali tumbled into him. "Shepard!"
"Enemy Colossus!" Shepard shouted. "We've gotta take it out!"
"Let me at it!" O'Connor shouted. Grabbing the RPG, he had Tali grab a couple more HEAT-TW munitions before they piled out of the vehicle. Rolling as he landed, O'Connor looked up to see the Colossus in question. "Backblast clear!" he shouted before firing.
The RPG-7 sang once again as it send another HEAT-TW missile flying through the air towards the Colossus. The missile impacted at nearly 470 meters a second, though the kinetic barrier on the Colossus was strong enough to survive the first impact. "Doubtful!" he reported. "Tali! HEAT!"
"Here!" Tali shouted, tossing him another missile. Ducking behind a rock column, O'Connor watched as bullets tore divots into the soft limestone. Loading the second missile into the anti-tank weapon, he shouted, "FIRING!", before leaning out and firing another shell. At the same time, Wrex fired the Mako's main gun.
The 150mm railgun and the RPG-7, both roared as they fired their respective payloads. The slug from the 150mm railgun smashed against the barriers. While it failed to penetrate, it weakened it enough to allow the HEAT-TW missile to do it's job. Another puff of smoke filled the air as the missile smashed into the Colossus.
This time, the missile had full effect, as the Colossus staggered, before falling over, a large, ugly hole torn into it's chassis. "Good effect on target," Wrex reported. "That RPG-7 smacks hard."
"Well, it had help from the Mako, but I get your point," O'Connor agreed, panting hard as his heart raced in his chest. "Bastard's down. Time to move up!"
. . .
Once everyone was back in the Mako, they continued to move forwards. After encountering another gate, they managed to get it open, while shutting down the AA turret that was set up nearby. "I'm reading that the grid is down, Commander," Joker reported. "On approach to the salarian base. Out."
"Finally," Tali beamed as she and O'Connor loaded up. "We're almost there."
"Really?" O'Connor asked. "I'll bet that something bad's about to happen."
While they were getting there, something did happen. It wasn't long before Joker came back over the comm. "Normandy's touched down at the base," he reported, "but it looks like we're grounded. The Salarian captain can explain it once you're here."
"Called it," O'Connor nodded.
"Sounds like it," Shepard reported. "We're almost there." A few more minutes of driving, and they soon came to the salarian base.
Calling it a base was generous, at least in O'Connor's opinion. It was more like a makeshift camp, with three prefabricated hard-shell tents that had been set up. There was some makeshift equipment present, but for the most part, it was very bare bones. Nearby, the Normandy was on the ground, it's landing gear having been deployed.
Getting out of the Mako, Shepard and O'Connor spotted Ashley talking with one of the Salarians. A tall individual, the Salarian had dark brown eyes, and his skin was a green that was mottled with brown. From the way he held himself, he was likely the leader of the camp. "So, what do we do now?" Ashley asked the Salarian.
"Stay put until we come up with a plan," the Salarian replied.
Walking over, Shepard asked, "Are you in charge here? What's the situation?"
"I'm Captain Kirrahe," the Salarian replied, "Third Infiltration Regiment, STG. You and your crew have just landed in the middle of a hot zone. Every AA gun within ten miles has been alerted to your presence."
"Fucking great," O'Connor remarked, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Now what the fuck are we supposed to do?"
"We stay put until the Council sends the reinforcements we requested."
"Well," O'Connor frowned. "Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Kirrahe. We are the reinforcements."
Kirrahe was the first Salarian that O'Connor thought looked visibly shocked. "What? You're all they sent? I told the Council to send a fleet!"
"I understand your confusion," Shepard nodded. "O'Connor thinks that Saren jammed your signal, as all we got was static from your message. The Council sent us to investigate, though I feel that's a repetition of what you're doing here, if the tone of your voice is anything to go by."
"That would be correct, Commander. I've lost half of my men investigating this place."
"So, what have you found?"
"Saren's base of operations. He's set up a research facility here, but it's crawling with Geth and very well fortified."
That got Shepard's attention firmly. "Is he here? Have you seen him?"
"No, but his Geth are everywhere, and we've intercepted comm transmissions referring to Saren. This is his facility. There's no doubt about that."
"So, we've found the bastard's home base," O'Connor remarked. "Still, in my experience, you don't just plop down a base in the middle of nowhere unless you intend to do something about it. What's Saren up to here?"
"He's using the facility to breed an army of Krogan," Kirrahe said simply.
The moment O'Connor heard that, his heart sank. Oh, hell no, he frowned. That is not good at all. If he's got an army of Krogan at his beck and call, he'll be practically unstoppable. Facing an army of Krogan is the one thing I'd rather not do.
Wrex, who happened to hear this, asked, "How is this possible?"
"Apparently, Saren has discovered a cure for the Genophage," Kirrahe surmised.
Shepard, hearing this, frowned, though he shivered when he saw O'Connor's eyes widen slightly. "What is it?" he asked.
"Shepard, if Saren has an army of Geth, he'll be nigh unstoppable," O'Connor replied. "I might be bold, but even I'm not dumb enough to take on an army of Krogan. Hopefully, there aren't that many Krogan yet, but still…" He shuddered slightly at the image.
"Precisely," Kirrahe nodded. "Which is why we must ensure that this facility, and it's secrets are destroyed."
Wrex, though, protested at this. "Destroyed? I don't think so. Our people are dying. This cure could save them."
"If that cure leaves the planet, the Krogan will be unstoppable," Kirrahe countered. "We can't make the same mistake again."
That got Wrex quite angry, as he walked up to Kirrahe and snarled, "We are not a mistake!", before stalking off. His entire body was quivering with barely contained rage as he did so.
"Is he going to be a problem?" Kirrahe, not intimidated in the slightest, asked. "We've got enough angry Krogan to deal with as it is."
"I'll talk to him," O'Connor replied. "I'm the one he can closely relate to, since we're both mercenaries." With that, he walked off to where Wrex was at.
"Interesting, that man," Kirrahe remarked.
"How so?" Shepard asked.
"We received word of him from our STG agents some time ago," Kirrahe replied. "We have him a 35% chance of continued survival given his past. Apparently, that was an erroneous estimation."
"Erroneous my ass," Ashley remarked. "That man was killing Geth and criminals like it was a cakewalk for him. Not surprising, since he's a former Marine."
"Alliance Marine?"
"United States Marine Corps. The Few, the Proud, the Bold."
"Ah. That does explain. USMC personnel do have a high chance of survival. It seems as though that continues to hold true."
"Anyways, my men and I need to rethink our plan of attack. Can you give us some time?"
"Sure," Shepard nodded.
. . .
While Shepard and the others were talking, O'Connor walked over to where Wrex was at. The Krogan was blasting his shotgun towards the water that was nearby, specifically at some fish that were in the water. Even from this distance, O'Connor could tell that Wrex was quite angry, and more than a little agitated.
Spotting him coming, Wrex said, "This isn't right, William. If there's a cure for the Genophage, then we can't destroy it!"
O'Connor considered his words carefully. He didn't want to provoke Wrex into an all-out fight, but he didn't want to come across as weak or inconsiderate. Taking a deep breath, he said, "Wrex, I understand that you're upset. Believe me, I've been in the same situation before, but Saren is the real enemy here. He's the one you should be angry with."
"Really?" Wrex asked. "Saren created a cure for my people. You and Shepard want to destroy it. Help me out here, O'Connor. The line between friend and foe is getting blurry from where I stand."
"This isn't a cure, Wrex. Saren created it to use your people as a biological weapon system! If he gets to use it, none of us, you included, will be around to reap the benefits!"
"That is a chance we should be willing to take! This is the fate of my people we're talking about! You've done more than most would for my people… hell, you've helped me out with quite a few things. I need to know, though, if we're doing it for the right reasons! If you can't' give me a better hope of saving my people, then we're done here!" He pulled his shotgun out moments later.
O'Connor drew his sidearm, but didn't aim it at Wrex. "Wrex," O'Connor continued, "I fully understand what you're going through. Hell, I've had to make the decision myself more than once.
"I don't know if there's another way to save the Krogan, Wrex. But I can tell you for certain that is isn't the way to go about. These Krogan in this facility aren't your people, Wrex. They're tools, slaves, expendable assets to Saren. Besides, he's likely introduced a flaw into this 'cure' that will render them as servants to his cause forever.
"Is that what you want for your people, Wrex? To be turned into tools that are to be tossed aside at a moment's notice? You tell me!"
For the first time in his life, Wrex took a moment to consider O'Connor's words. The more he thought about it, the more he realized, with horror, that O'Connor was right. He was so taken aback by the logic and emotion in O'Connor's voice that his hands loosened. Moments later, the shotgun in his hands fell onto the sand.
He's right, he realized. Saren might've created a cure for the Genophage, but he's probably made it faulty. If I choose to follow him… The implications were so horrific that he didn't want to think about it.
Standing up straight and lowering his hands, he said, "Why didn't I think of that? O'Connor, you… you're right. We were tools for the Council once. Now that you've pointed that out, I realize that Saren wouldn't be as generous."
"Exactly," O'Connor nodded.
While he was upset, Wrex now knew that O'Connor was right. Sighing, he said, "Damn it. How could I have been so blind? I was about to leap without looking like a fool. Has my desperation for a cure clouded my judgment?"
"To be honest, I'd have the same problem myself," O'Connor agreed. "I don't know if there is another way, Wrex, but I promise that we'll find another way." Extending a hand, he asked, "We cool?"
Wrex considered the hand for a moment, before shaking it. "Yes," he replied. "I'm not happy about this, but I trust you enough to follow your lead, as well as Shepard's, O'Connor. Let me make one thing clear, however. When we find Saren, I want his head."
"You'll get his head alright, if I have anything to say about it," O'Connor nodded. Holstering his sidearm, he said, "So, ready to kill some Geth?"
"Always."
"Then let's go talk with Shepard. I think he and Kirrahe have a plan worked out."