Chapter 2

Despite the warning, we'd been given from the Colonel, we let the sun get very low in the sky before we even considered heading back. It had been a very good day and we were in no hurry to see it end, particularly not just so we could return to the misery of the compound. Much as I needed to stay there for my security, it was the moments when I was able to get away from it for a while that I found most precious.

As planned, we drove about eighteen miles through the arid plains down to the river Dolbe, a bluish ribbon that flowed down from the lakes higher in the mountains and eventually drifted through the port city of Choquo. No one would want to go anywhere near the river once it had passed through that squalid, toxic dump of a capitol. Luckily at the spot we had chosen, far closer to the source, the water still looked relatively clean, at least in comparison with our surroundings.

From our small camp, we could see far across the plains where two dozen or more shipwrecks had been left to rust and decay. Most of their outer hull had collapsed, leaving behind skeletal corpses made from the surviving beams and joists. To our right we would have seen the city, if not for the piles of scrapyard waste, that seemed even larger than the distant mountains on our left. One or two functioning ships could be seen hovering over the dumps. They wouldn't be processing ships I knew, but scavengers, trying to cherry-pick any remaining items of value from the fresh junk before the other gangs could shift through it. The payout wasn't large enough to waste time trying to clear up the rest. That was this planet all over. Make what cash you can and then leave the mess for someone else to clean up.

Teaching John to fish had gone pretty much as expected. It's a strange irony that Krogan love fish but don't have much patience for catching them. At first, we tried the fishing rods I had gone into the city to buy a few days earlier, but I wasn't really surprised that he wasn't able to sit still for too long. After about an hour he got so frustrated at not getting a fish that he jumped headfirst into the river and tried to physically grab one and pluck it out of the water. Obviously, he didn't have much luck, but I have to admit the sight of him thrashing about in water trying to grab one was so funny it took quite a long time before I considered helping him back up.

Credit where it's due, he didn't let that setback put him off for a second. He wanted to jump straight back in, but I suggested we use our biotics to try a form of blast fishing. Hit the surface of the water hard enough and we should be able to create a shockwave that would stun everything in the area, allowing us to retrieve our catch from the surface. Stubbornly he refused this suggestion as well, claiming that the meal wasn't worth it unless he'd had a proper challenge in getting it. I smiled and asked if he had any other ideas and he came up with a rather surprising plan.

The basic idea was to still use our biotics but in a very different way. Instead of attempting blast fishing, we would try to lift the fish clear out of the water and into our waiting hands. Initially, I wasn't sure it would work. The level of precise control needed might just be too fiddly for any biotic, but I agreed to give it a try.

As expected it was very tricky at first. Not only was it difficult to spot the fish we were after in the river's murky depths, but usually if you tried a lift in that area the fish would slip away long before you had a hold on it. We tried that several times only to watch our catch wriggle away on every attempt.

In the end, the trick turned out to be to judge the speed it was moving at and then focus on a spot just ahead of it. Having far more experience with my biotics than John, I was the first to snag one, but eventually, with a bit of coaxing, John managed to make his first catch of the day.

"You did it," I said, while doing my best to give him a hug (the size difference makes that a bit awkward).

"I'm so proud of you."

He held up his catch to admire it, but eventually put it into the basket with the others we'd caught, and we sat down to take a rest (using biotics can wear you down over time).

"Hah, looks like it's fish for everyone tonight," he announced proudly, indicating the size of our catch.

"For the Krogan, maybe. I'm not so sure the rest of us could stomach whatever they pour into the water around here," I pointed out. The river was filthy after all, but it's well known that the Krogan's favorite drink was toxic enough to set off a Geiger counter. Certainly, a bit of pollution wouldn't affect them too much.

"Bah, you aliens are all too soft," he remarked, but there was no malice in his voice. We sat in silence for a while, watching as the sun continued its descent. Even in the thick black smog rising from the city, it's rays still somehow managed to push through and make the hard-baked soil blaze like burnished bronze. Apparently, even a landscape as ravaged as this one could still be beautiful at times. I wondered for a moment what it had looked like before the planet had been settled.

"Do you ever think about the future, John?"

"What d'you mean?"

"There's so much you could do if you weren't stuck on this rock. Do you ever think about leaving? Making a life for yourself? Maybe going off to see Tuchunka?"

"Not sure they'd really appreciate a tank bred Krogan back on Tuchanka. I learned that much from the imprint."

"The way you were born doesn't have to define who you for the rest of your life. When I-" I paused, wanting to share my experiences of life as a clone, yet unwilling to divulge my own secrets, even to him.

"I'm just saying that being tank bred doesn't necessarily mean you can't do great things."

"What about you?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked quickly, worried that I had given away too much.

"If I left this rock would you come with me?"

"I'm sorry but I can't leave here John. It's complicated."

"Because of those Salarian idiots that experimented on you?"

From the day I arrived at the compound I had known that I would have to come up with some story to allay suspicions. Pretending to just be ordinary wouldn't cut it, an ordinary person wouldn't need to hide out in an abandoned compound on a junkyard planet. Being honest was out of the question for all sorts of reasons, so in the end, I settled on borrowing the backstory of one of my former teammates: Jack, better known as Subject Zero.

Obviously, I left out the part about Cerberus. It wouldn't have been a good idea to fabricate a story that linked my name to the group I was desperately trying to avoid. Instead, I replaced their part in the story with a group of rogue STG agents that were interested in studying biotics. Luckily, even though I don't have quite Jack's level of power, my unique genetics make me a stronger biotic than virtually any other human. It's enough to convince the people here that my story is true (although I'm not sure if Vorlak believed me. It's so hard to get a read on Elcor, especially that one).

I simply nodded, wanting to avoid delving into this subject too much if I could help it.

"Salarians are weaklings, I could protect you from them," John offered.

"But smart," I pointed out. "If experience has taught me anything over the years, it's to never underestimate the STG."

He grunted at this but didn't reply. I could see he didn't like the idea that there were Salarians out there that could outfight him.

"We should be heading back," I said reluctantly. "Pack all of our gear into the tomkuh and we'll be on our way."

Once we'd loaded up the truck the trip back was pretty uneventful, but when we arrived we saw a figure waiting for us by the gate. In the poor light it was difficult at first to tell who it was. They were certainly humanoid, judging by the outline which ruled out Vorlak, and judging by the height they were much too tall to be a Vorcha and too short and thin to be another Krogan. It wasn't until we got closer and I saw the elongated forehead, capped by four eyes that I realized it was our resident Batarian, Kroll.

"Where the hell have you been?" he hissed angrily.

Like most of his kind, Kroll was a twisted mix of proud arrogance and bitter hatred and it was clear which side of his personality was dominating today. As soon as I saw him waiting for us from inside the tomkuh, I had expected him to be gloating about how much trouble he could get us in with Vorlak for being back so late, but instead he was spitting with rage.

"Our transport overheated about halfway back. We had to stop for a couple of hours to let the engine cool down," I lied without missing a beat.

"What's got you so worked up anyway? It's only another meeting from a district council rep."

"They've sent in military," he snarled and for the first time, I noticed that he was sweating; his pallid yellow skin shining in the dim light. "We've spotted a convoy inbound. Three armored vehicles about four miles out."

Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn. The last thing I needed right now was to get into a fight with the local military or let them arrest me. The response seemed a little OTT to deal with a bunch of squatters, but maybe someone had paid the local government to get rid of us in a hurry, so they could take over. Had I gotten caught up in some new warlord's petty ambitions? Or worse, had Cerberus finally found me somehow?

"I'm heading up to the tower, I have to see what's going on for myself," I said and tried to walk past him only to find that he moved to block my path.

"Vorlak wants to see you."

"What for?"

"Maybe he's wondering why you're so late. Maybe he's thinking you know something the rest of us don't."

"I don't have time for this," I began to say as I tried to get past him again, but again he stopped me, this time grabbing my arm.

Reacting instinctively, I could feel the rush of biotics come to my aid. Tired as I was, one flick of the wrist was still all it would take to turn Kroll into a smear on the ground. Or so I thought until I spotted his backup, namely two Krogan, three Vorcha and I didn't have a weapon to hand. Just slightly too many, particularly since I knew I couldn't count on John. Not for going against Vorlak's orders at least.

"Fine," I said, wrenching my arm out of his grip. "I'll go see him now, just stop wasting my time."

I pushed past him this time and marched straight into the compound, ignoring the menacing stares of Kroll's reinforcements. They weren't going to try and stop me from doing what Vorlak wanted, and I was to busy too care what they thought of me.

I found the rest of them in the main atrium, with Vorlak presiding over everyone else on the platform where Jedore's throne once stood (yes, the mercenary captain really did have a makeshift 'throne' installed during her tenure here - which probably tells you everything you'd ever need to know about her). When he noticed my arrival he looked down at me, and as usual, I could read absolutely nothing from his expression. Unless they decide to tell you, it's basically impossible to know what an Elcor is thinking.

"I need to see what's coming," I called up to him, hoping he wouldn't ask too many questions.

He didn't speak, just stared me down impassively. It's not easy to make me nervous, but if I had to be honest I'll admit I was on tenterhooks as I waited to see if he would accept my request, or investigate it further. Eventually, he slowly nodded and indicated a nearby monitor.

The feed for the monitors came from a handful of ancient security cameras that the mercs had brought in with them. They tended to be temperamental, bordering on useless, but Kroll must have put some extra work in recently because the image was perfectly clear, displaying three Hammerhead's closing on us fast. There could be no mistaking that design or what it meant, Cerberus was coming.

Each vehicle could hold a dozen assault troops or more. In the skies, I noticed a pair of shuttles that had been gratuitously drifting past us for the last half hour or so. They looked harmless enough, but I knew Cerberus protocols well enough not to be fooled (in fact I had written several of those protocols myself). The shuttles were unmarked, but they were Cerberus, each capable of carrying ten men into battle. So, we were looking at an army of around sixty, with maybe another forty held in reserve if they had any sense.

But it was the Hammerhead's themselves that concerned me most. Their light armor made them fast, agile, and highly maneuverable. Trying to escape them in the rust buckets we had sitting in the garage would be like watching a tortoise try to outrun a cheater. And if we tried to make a stand at the main gates they'd blow us to pieces with heat-seeking missiles. I knew that either plan was doomed to failure which made the discussions I was hearing in the room all the more concerning.

"Turian coward, want to flee in trucks. We want fight at gate. Kill invaders!" ranted one of the leading Vorcha in that strange disjointed way of theirs. They were never the most eloquent of species having been uplifted to space travel well before they were ready but in the excitement of battle, they became almost incoherent.

"Sometimes the greatest victory is the battle not fought," the Colonel responded with quiet dignity.

"They clearly have advanced military hardware, we would be fools not to consider retreat."

"We won't make it far in the trucks, Colonel, their vehicles are too fast" I pointed out.

"How would you know?" He shot back at me, reacting with more hostility and suspicion than I'd ever seen from him before.

"Yes, yes. Fight them at the gate. Kill them! Kill them!" By contrast, my words had sent the Vorcha into even more of a frenzy.

"We can't fight them at the gate either. They must have enough firepower in those things to blow away our defenses."

"So, what are you suggesting then, that we just surrender?" Asked the Colonel with contempt.

"No surrender, never surrender," the Vorcha crowed.

As the bickering between them continued, I looked up to notice that Vorlak had not joined in with the discussions yet but was listening to them intently. Most likely he would support whichever plan seemed most popular and right now it looked as if the Vorcha were succeeding in shouting everyone else down.

Now I faced a serious dilemma. These people were nervous, angry, and gunning for a fight. If I revealed any connection to Cerberus right now I ran the risk of them turning on me. Afterall aliens tend to hate Cerberus just as much as they believe it hates them. But If I did nothing, then these idiots would decide on the wrong strategy and get us all killed. Put it like that and there was really only one choice. I'd just have to hope some of them were smart enough to realize that my knowledge was the only thing that would get us out of this alive. I hate having to rely on idiots.

"It's Cerberus," I called out, my voice cutting through the background bickering like a knife. All eyes turned on me but it was the Elcor's that burned into the back of my head the most. Even without looking at him, I could feel his cold stare. It was all too easy to imagine that impassive face just looking down at me and giving nothing away.

"Those are M-44 Hammerhead's out there. Standard Cerberus assault vehicles for dealing with small to medium enemy installations. If we want to beat them we'll need to-"

"How do you know this?" rumbled Vorlak in his low gravelly voice. After a moment's hesitation, I decided not to turn round and face him, yet. Instead, I addressed the crowd at large.

"I've had a few run-ins with Cerberus over the years," I said casually but I could see they weren't buying it so I added.

"And I lied about my past. It wasn't the Salarians that experimented on me as a child, it was these bastards."

More borrowing from Jack's backstory but they bought the line easily enough. Something about admitting to a past lie always seems to convince people that you're now telling them the truth, even if that couldn't be further from the truth.

"So you were their prisoner?" John looked shocked at the deception but I still caught the edge in the tone of his voice. Anyone who had messed with me was someone he would quite like to fight.

"Yes and that's why I know how to fight them. I think our best option would be to-"

"They are coming for you!" Kroll accused. "We should just hand you over and watch them gut you, human!"

Idiots, they didn't even wait to hear the intel I was offering up before they started hurling accusations at me. Their anger I could understand and even accept, their incompetence less so.

"Good plan," I commented sarcastically. "If you're planning on making it easier for them to kill you. Make no mistake, everyone here has spoken with me which means that as far as Cerberus is concerned you're all potentially carrying every bit of intel I have on them. Trust me when I say that they won't risk their secrets just for the sake of a few alien lives."

"We only have your word for that," the Colonel hissed at me, his fury now plain to see. It was upsetting to see such scorn from him but I could scarcely blame him. I had betrayed them all.

I turned round so that I could look Vorlak squarely in the eye. His was the only opinion I needed to sway right now. Convince him and the rest of them would fall in line.

"I know more about these people than anyone else here. If you follow my instructions we might all manage to survive this, if not?" I gestured towards the monitors where thanks to their immense speed, the Hammerheads were significantly closer than the last time I'd checked.

"They'll kill every one of us and raise this compound to the ground."

Vorlak said nothing, just watched me. Watched me as I stood there defiantly, silently willing him to accept the logic of my words and give the order to prepare for battle. Watched as the reality hit me that if this play didn't work, if he didn't accept then this was it. Either Cerberus would kill me or they would. Watched me as my face turned pale and my knees started shaking underneath me.

I didn't want to die like this, killed because of the judgment of some knucklehead gangster. I hadn't even been able to check up on Ori in ages. What if my father did something and I wasn't around to stop him? What if-

"Very well. Tell us what you have in mind."

I did my best to hide the sigh of relief, I couldn't afford to show any weakness. Now was not the time for it. All that mattered right now was survival.