"So…the salarians are just gonna give us the krogan they've been holding?" Vega asked, following Shepard through the cargo bay. They were both armoured, helmets tucked under their arms, the red stripe gleaming on Shepard's arm.
For a long time, all Vega had truly wanted was that stripe. Then Fehl Prime had happened and he's tossed his chance at it away.
He moved his jaw experimentally, feeling the bruises Shepard had left behind. She'd taken his cockiness and his usual surety of being the biggest, strongest guy in any fight with another human, and kicked his ass. Put him on the ground and accused him of blaming himself for something he wasn't responsible for.
Taken his flash of anger without a flinch. Told him we make the best decisions we can on the information we have at the time. You made the right choice for what you knew.
Then she'd found ice for his face and they'd sat and talked for a while. He'd told her about his team, how it'd hurt a little when Milque hadn't wanted to stay in contact after the funerals.
Shepard nodded, an intent expression on her face. A predator going hunting. "That's the idea."
"And we trust them?"
"The Union government? Absolutely not," she smiled without it reaching her eyes, "but I trust that the dalatrass is taking Victus' threat seriously."
I will be the last friendly turian you ever see. Even mauled, the threat of the Hierarchy being their enemy had frightened Dalatrass Linron and cowed her into cooperation. Though she'd gotten her last shots off at Shepard. It had taken a lot for Vega to remain the silent, dutiful guard.
"Roger." So be ready just in case there was trouble when a Spectre showed up with a krogan clan chief.
"Lieutenant Beaumont!" Shepard called as they walked towards the shuttle.
The blond lieutenant looked up from a datapad, stiffening almost painfully. Kid really did need to work that stick outta his ass. "Ma'am?"
Vega got it, though. Beaumont was barely out of infantry officer training and now he was the Hero of the Citadel's MARDET commander. That'd terrify most butterbars. He was handling it alright, considering. Vega might just have to hold his hand for a while.
"Have your Marines suited up and standing by in the shuttle bay."
There was a question in his eyes, but to his credit, he didn't voice it. "...aye aye, ma'am."
Doctor Liara T'Soni and Major Garrus Vakarian were waiting by the shuttle, armed and armoured. The shuttle was humming - Cortez was already going through his checklist.
"Just waiting on Wrex?" Shepard asked.
T'Soni nodded. "Cortez has received clearance from Sur'Kesh officials to enter atmosphere."
Whatever Shepard was going to say was cut off by the arrival of Urdnot Wrex. God, he really was a big guy.
"This is the salarian homeworld and they're gonna be nervy with krogan around," Shepard said, gaze steady on Wrex, "let's get in, get the krogan women, and get out before they have too much time to think about it."
"I still don't trust that dalatrass," Wrex said, hands like shovels lingering near his huge krogan shotgun.
"Neither do I, Wrex. But I'm gonna do everything I can to get your people out."
Something actually softened in Wrex's red gaze. "I know. These women are the best and possibly last hope for my people's future. If anything goes wrong…"
James had heard a fair bit about Urdnot Wrex and Shepard's friendship the past week, like it was the Hail Mary the Alliance was betting on. Now he could see it, in the way they looked at each other with respect and affection, despite the diplomatic games being played.
"We'll bring them back, Wrex. Don't worry," T'Soni said, actually putting a hand on the huge krogan's shoulder.
"I appreciate that, Liara. I wouldn't want anyone else along for the ride."
Vakarian coughed loudly.
Wrex chuckled, a deep, rumbling sound. "I suppose I can make room for you too, Garrus."
"Figured you'd gone soft sitting on that throne of yours," Vakarian shot back, supremely confident for a turian within grabbing distance of a krogan warlord, "Forgot how to use a gun."
"Don't worry, Garrus, you can still hide behind me and Shepard when they start shooting," Wrex retorted.
"I don't-" Vakarian began, indignantly.
Shepard cut them off. "No one start any shooting, please."
So Vega was playing fifth wheel.
"I remember you being more fun," Wrex complained, following her onto the shuttle.
Shepard ignored him.
Vega stepped up and into the Kodiak. Wrex's bulk made it a little squishy - he edged over so he was closer to the cockpit.
"Yo, Esteban."
The pilot gave him a lazy wave from behind his instruments.
"We're cleared for salarian airspace?" Shepard asked.
"Down to STG Base Yeohr, yes ma'am. We haven't been given landing clearance yet."
She nodded. "Let's hope they're not playing any games."
"They better not be," Wrex growled.
"Let this play out," Shepard said soothingly.
Ten minutes later, the Kodiak was skimming above the rainforest-covered mountains of Sur'Kesh. Waterfalls cascaded down green-edged cliffs, rock spires reaching towards the sky. It was beautiful, and Vega shifted to get a good look at the feeds from the external cameras.
Wrex huffed. "No wonder salarians are so soft. Too busy writing poetry about waterfalls."
"Ma'am?" There was a hint of anxiety in Esteban's voice that made Vega frown and lean forward. He could only see the back of Cortez's dark-haired head and the glow of his fight controls.
"What is it, Cortez?" Shepard asked.
"I'm seeing a lot of movement on ladar. Looks like the salarian defence fleet is moving."
"Where?"
"Out of orbit, ma'am."
Vega watched a calculated look cross Shepard's face before she leaned back in her seat and she keyed her comm. "Overlord, this is Ranger."
"Ranger, Overlord," Wulandri's voice over the comm channel between the ground team and the ship.
"Something's got the salarians riled up. Take no action at this time, but keep an eye out and the weapons partially manned, over."
"Roger that."
"Ranger out." She leaned forward, "Cortez, stay on course."
"Aye ma'am. Coming into visual range of the STG base now."
STG Base Yeohr was a handful of silver-white, pyramid-like buildings clinging to the mountainside, fog hanging over it. He noted AA guns and sentries, as well as a salarian gunship that fell in to escort them.
Cortez pulled the shuttle's nose up, coming into a hover above the shuttle pad. "Ma'am, they're still saying we don't have clearance to land at the base."
"For fuck's sake," Shepard complained, "get me a line to the dalatrass' people-"
"I knew they'd never keep their word," Wrex got to his feet and hit the latch of the shuttle door. It folded it out with a rush of roaring wind.
"Wrex-" Shepard whirled.
The krogan overlord jumped out of the shuttle.
"Mierda," Shepard said, but then she took a few running steps and jumped out after him.
"Our friends are crazy," Garrus told Liara matter-of-factly.
The asari sighed. "Come on, you two. I'll help you down."
Helping them down apparently meant gently floating them down the six metres between the shuttle and the ground, biotic blue wrapping around Vega's body. Huh. Kinda tingled. Liara set both men down behind Shepard and then gracefully alighted behind them, biotics winking out.
A handful of salarians were facing them, weapons aimed at Wrex who was baring his teeth, biotic corona pulsing aggressively around him.
Shepard stepped forward, in between Wrex and the salarians - and the huge krogan let her - and started yelling about how the dalatrass had authorised the transfer, that they were insulting the Alliance and the Council, like her bravery made her bulletproof. Vega watched the guns pointed at his commanding officer's chest, remembering Anderson's orders to keep her alive, and grit his teeth against the urge to reach for his own weapon.
An STG soldier pushed his way to the front - an officer, maybe, by the way the others let him through and listened when he yelled for weapons to be lowered. "Captain Shepard, restrain your colleague! We were waiting on orders-"
"Pointing guns at us doesn't seem like a good start to our friendship," Shepard said dryly. "You are?"
"Captain Padok Wiks, STG. My apologies on behalf of the Salarian Union. We were only told of the transfer a few minutes ago."
Almost like the Dalatrass was trying to set up a diplomatic incident or something.
"I will take you down below to conduct the transfer, Spectre Shepard, but we must insist the krogan remain here, under guard."
Wrex made an angry noise, red eyes gleaming. Shepard crossed her arms, looking just as unhappy.
"'The krogan' is Urdnot Wrex, Chief of Clan Urdnot, King of Tuchanka and Overlord of the Thousand Clans."
"I'm afraid we must insist, Captain. With war on everyone's mind, people are on edge."
"I'll stay," Wrex said, speaking to Shepard, as if the salarians were beneath his notice. "But if anything goes wrong, all bets are off."
"Roger that," Shepard raised an eyebrow under her visor, and then waved for Vega, Liara and Garrus to follow as she fell into lockstep with Padok Wiks.
The air was thick with humidity and the sound of falling water from the nearby waterfall, and Shepard was already sweating underneath her armour. Planets. Rain and bugs and variable temperatures. Ugh.
And there was this situation with the salarian fleet and patrols leaving the base. She had the feeling Linron would prove to be a dangerous enemy. But was she ruthless enough to sell her own people out as well as Shepard?
"I'll accompany you down below, Captain," Wiks said.
"Tight security," she observed.
"This base contains very sensitive research," he replied, "Science has always been my people's best defence. Work done here has protected the Union."
"Work including kidnapped krogan, apparently."
"The females were in poor health when we found them on Tuchanka," he defended, "they were brought here to stabilise their condition."
"And I wonder how much of a choice they had in that," she said dryly. It sat very wrong with her how these women were and had been treated - as bargaining chips instead of people. Even if Shepard herself had to do the same to save her own species.
Even if she was kicking herself for not questioning Maelon further, making sure he didn't still have captives. She'd seen bodies but no living test subjects, but very clearly some had survived.
"If we hadn't, it is likely they would be dead, and what you hope to achieve would be impossible, at least in my lifetime."
She let it go for now. Needling Wiks was more her venting her unease over the whole situation, and he seemed reasonable. "I'm guessing this exchange isn't exactly popular amongst the STG."
"Many are concerned, yes," he spread his hands, "but I differ from most of my colleagues. Curing the genophage will bring closure to this issue. Who can say what role the krogan might play in the future? No species is static. We cannot quantify the consequences of our actions should we refuse them the very chance to evolve and change."
"Sounds almost spiritual."
He smiled. "No, no. Scientific. I am a xenobiologist who previously worked on my government's uplifting program. I have studied the process of evolution in sapient and pre-sapient species. As well as the consequences when we interfere."
"Don't play God?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Evolution cannot be compared to an intelligent, god-like power. Evolution has no goal or intention. But we do, and the consequences of our actions and their intentions ring through history. My people uplifted the krogan to save ourselves - we taught them modern warfare before their society had time to process the changes we forced on them. The Krogan Rebellions, the current state of krogan civilisation - these were unforeseen consequences with grave outcomes."
A conversation with a STG agent on the ethics of uplifting hadn't exactly been what she was expecting. "I can see your point."
His laugh was wry. "Not all of my colleagues do."
"I can imagine." Mordin had told her a few stories about how vigorous salarian scientific discussions could get. It sometimes involved thrown punches, apparently.
"Captain Shepard!" A voice cut through their conversation - a familiar and unexpected voice.
She blinked. "Captain Kirrahe?"
The STG officer grinned and reached out a hand to shake hers. "Major, now. I was promoted after Virmire."
"Congratulations," she said sincerely.
"Good to see a friendly face, Major," Garrrus extended a hand and the salarian shook it.
"Garrus Vakarian - and Doctor T'Soni. It seems the Reapers have a way of bringing us together."
That was one way to put it. She'd been meaning to email Kirrahe but had never quite got around to it. Now was a moment to tell him what she'd meant to say in that email.
"I heard of the letter you wrote in support of Lieu - Major Alenko's Star of Terra," he'd died a lieutenant but they'd promoted him posthumously, "and put him and Lieutenant Williams in for the Silver Dagger. Alenko was a close friend of mine. I deeply appreciate it."
"No thanks are needed. Their actions warranted it - and I haven't forgotten what you and your crew did to save my men." Kirrahe paused and looked over at Padok Wiks. "I assume you're here to take custody of the krogan."
"That's correct."
"I won't keep you then, but one day I hope to return the favour. It would be an honour to fight beside you again, Captain Shepard."
"Likewise, Major Kirrahe."
"You've been cleared for the lower labs," Wiks said politely, "please follow me."
Cortez drummed his fingers on his thigh. Through the tinted windscreen he could see a couple of armed salarians keeping an eye on the shuttle. He kept glancing between them and his sensors. He could see a trio of salarian gunships speeding away from the base, heading towards the nearest city, which according to his charts was Kalatatt.
According to Plex, Kalatatt was the capital of the Duchy of Kal, ruled by Dalatrass Iwane of Clan Jepan.
Salarian politics made Earth look straightforward.
Cortez winced as the shuttle shook as Wrex paced in the back, each step ringing through the Kodiak. Alliance shuttles hadn't been designed with krogan in mind.
The footsteps stopped just outside the cockpit. "By Vaul, you humans get smaller and smaller every time I see some of you."
"Uh," Cortez said eloquently.
Wrex sat down in the co-pilot's seat. It creaked ominously under his bulk. Krogan really were very big.
The commline between the Normandy, the shuttle and the ground team buzzed. "Ranger, this is Overlord."
Cortez straightened.
Shepard responded. "Ranger copies, over."
"The salarian fleet has engaged an unknown enemy. Overlord is holding position as ordered, over."
"Roger. Is it the Reapers, over?"
"Unlikely. They're not getting their asses kicked. I suspect it's the indoctrinated batarians, over."
"Copy. Keep an eye on things, over."
"Wilco. I had EDI do an active scan just in case, and we detected multiple aircraft signatures inbound to your location. If our passives didn't pick them up, it's likely they're using stealth tech, over."
When Shepard's voice came over the radio again, she sounded pissed. "Roger. We might have to bunker down and get the Marines down, over."
Wrex grunted and leaned forward, stabbing at the transmit button before Cortez could even try to stop him (not that he thought he'd have much luck at that). "Absolutely not, Shepard. We get the females out now."
"Only one of the women survived, Wrex, I'm sorry. But down here is fortified-"
"What?" the krogan bared his teeth, "so the salarians can kill her too? No. If you still want this alliance, you get her out of there."
"Damnit, Wrex, you're being a fucking pain in my ass today. Fine! She can't be taken out of quarantine without proper procedures or she might die, so we'll meet you up top at the following navpoint."
"I'll be there," he growled.
"Ranger out."
Cortez could appreciate Shepard's attempt to salvage some proper radio protocol out of that conversation.
His hands darted over his controls. If the base was about to be attacked, the Kodiak would be a sitting duck on the ground. In the air, he could maybe provide some air support.
"Move," Wrex said, suddenly looming over him.
He blinked. "What?"
"Move. I'm flying."
"Do you even know how to fly?" burst out of him before he could stop himself.
Wrex glowered at him. "I'm over eight hundred years old. Of course I know how to fly! Now, get out of my way."
Cortez considered his duty as an Alliance officer and commander of the aircraft. He also considered the fact that Wrex was a biotic battlemaster and had well over a foot of height and several hundred kilograms on him.
He moved.
"I'll…get on the door gun."
Wrex chuckled, a menacing sound. "Good idea."
Cortez flicked his shield belt on, wishing he'd worn a hardsuit, and clipped himself into the safety line before he reached for the door. That was when Wrex hit the thrusters - hard - and threw him forward. He was very glad all of a sudden he'd put the safety line on as it caught him. He braced himself with one hand and then opened the door and reached for the door gun, tucked up against the shuttle's roof, with the other.
Wind whistled through troop bay. Below him, Cortez saw the sullen glow of fire and thick black smoke billowing form the roof of one of the salarian buildings, staining the paradise they'd flown through barely forty minutes before.
There - a flicker of movement. White-armoured figures flooding down a pathway, advancing on a handful of dark-suited salarians. The exchanged fire cracked through the air, barely audible over the roaring of the wind.
He swivelled the door gun and squeezed the trigger, firing in bursts downwards at the Cerberus troopers, tracers streaking through the humid air. It wasn't his best shooting, but he did see one's shields collapse and then the man jerked with a spray of red and fell into a heap. The rest dove into cover and the salarians took advantage, firing what looked like grenade launchers into them.
Then Wrex banked the shuttle sharply and for one, dizzying and terrifying moment, Cortez stared directly down to the rushing water below, held in place by his monkey strap.
The cause of the sudden turn was quickly apparently when he glanced back. A white and orange painted gunship was pursuing them, gun chattering as Wrex twisted the Kodiak back and forth.
He couldn't quite turn the gun back far enough to shoot at the gunship, and the Kodiak's twin mass accelerator cannons were front mounted.
Yeah, he much preferred to be behind the controls in a dogfight. If he was in his Trident - but he wasn't.
"Bank to starboard!" he shouted into his comm.
"What?"
"TURN LEFT!"
"Demanding little pyjack-"
But the krogan warlord listened, banking left and lining Cortez up. He pressed down on the trigger, the HMG's rounds dashing off the gunship's barriers.
Then the Kodiak dived abruptly, pursued by a missile. Cortez was thrown into the frame of the doorway, fumbling for a grip to stop himself from slipping more - and banging his elbow for his trouble.
Yeah, really should have worn a hardsuit for this one.
Wrex pulled up - barely - and the missile smashed into the side of a building in a gout of flame.
"This is the only Kodiak we have!"
Wrex laughed, audible over the wind.
Urdnot Bakara stepped free of the quarantine container, past Urdnot Wrex's outstretched hand and breathed in, deeply. Tasted the thick, green air of Sur'kesh, the stench of acrid smoke and the metallic tang of blood. It had been many months since she'd been free.
Months of watching her sisters die until she was the last left.
"You dented my shuttle, Wrex," the human Spectre complained. She barely came up to Wrex's shoulder, but she had slaughtered her way through her enemies with a battlemaster's skill. Even now there was a spray of drying blood across her arm. Bakara had watched as she and the asari ripped the Cerberus machine apart with their biotics.
It was good to see humans valued their women.
Running footsteps. "There! The krogan is over there!"
Shepard and her krannt reacted, raising weapons, but Bakara acted first. She ripped the shotgun from Wrex's hands as two Cerberus troopers rounded the corner and fired through the magazine. The two men tumbled to the ground without getting a shot off, their chests caved in.
Bakara shoved the shotgun back into Wrex's arms gruffly. "I am not helpless, Wrex."
He needed her if he was to become the king that dragged the krogan back to glory, but she would be no pawn. She would be his equal, in war and peace.
Wrex was no fool, not that she'd let him know that, but it was important to establish she was no whelp in need of his protection.
Wrex huffed.
Shepard took a few steps towards one of the troopers. The look in her eyes under her visor was calculating. "That one's still alive. Garrus, Vega, grab him. If Chakwas can save him, maybe we can get some intel out of him."
The turian and the human walked over, but in the moment that the turian hooked his claws around the trooper's arm, there was a loud, sudden bang. The two soldiers jumped back, and when the wisp of grey smoke cleared, the top of the trooper's head was gone.
"...gross," the male human observed, poking the corpse with the toe of his boot.
"They've worked on the anti-capture method," the turian said.
"Wonderful. Alright, let's get the fuck out of here. Coming, Mordin?"
"Yes, yes. Must get medbay set up for study. Come along, Wiks."
Bakara stepped into the blue-painted shuttle and into whatever her future now held.
Codex
Internal Alliance Report Re Eighth Fleet:
From: Commander, Bureau of Naval Intelligence
To: Joint Operation Command Distribution List
Subj: Battle of the Verge
Report as follows:
The Eighth Fleet deployed to defend the colonies in the Hades Gamma Cluster and Kepler Verge, aiming to harass and delay the Reapers while evacuations were undertaken. However, this strategy proved ineffective in the face of at least ten to twelve Reaper dreadnoughts, with their speed taking the Eighth Fleet by surprise.
After the Benjamin Davis' carrier strike group took heavy casualties during the evacuation of the mining colony of Tungel, Admiral Holloway ordered her damaged and battered ships to retreat, with the intention of rearming and repairing at Meretseger Naval Depot. However, this course of action appears to have been anticipated by the Reapers.
The Eighth Fleet was ambushed in the Kepler Verge on approach to Ontarom by a further force of Reaper dreadnoughts and has largely been destroyed as a fighting force. There are reports that some squadrons have escaped and scattered throughout the area, but the communications buoys have been destroyed, severing contact with individual ships.
It is my great sorrow to report that both the dreadnought SSV Tai Shan and carrier SSV Robert Oppenheimer have been destroyed. I have received reports are that the carrier Benjamin Davis, and the Marine Expeditionary Brigade and Naval Air Group aboard her, has survived, but this has not yet been confirmed.
We must consider the Eighth Fleet largely combat ineffective and both the Hades Gamma and Kepler Verge clusters under enemy control.
Recommendations:
It may be worth considering disbanding the Eighth completely and amalgamating the survivors that can be extracted with another fleet.
Given that the location of Meretseger Naval Depot, a top secret facility, was known to the Reapers and the retreat there anticipated by the enemy, we must consider the possibility of a leak within either the Eighth Fleet or, more worryingly, within NAVCOMM.
The reports of survivors are persistent, and the chance of recovering experienced servicemen cannot be dismissed out of hand. I suggest the deployment of one to two Normandy class stealth frigates for low profile search and rescue within the occupied sectors.
The report of the Benjamin Davis' survival is particularly compelling. Given the value of capital vessels, and that she has some of our most experienced pilots and infantry Marines aboard, I suggest that if the Davis is located, her retrieval is a priority.