Authors note: Sorry for this chapter's lateness. I do no fanfic writing in November during nanowrimo, but then when I came back to this it just was not cooperating. Still hasn't been really, but that's a different matter.
On a different note, the Author xyzdreadnought, with my blessing, permission and assistance is now writing a sort of spin off of the boundary effect, that takes place during the time skip after reiteisai. it's called The boundary effect – the path of a magician. If you want to, go give it a gander.
Okay, now onto the show, or chapter as it is I guess.
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"Alright, I've told Joker to get us off the Citadel, but we still need to give him an actual set of coordinates or he's going to start making us orbit the nearest Citadel military station with weapons hot for the fun of it," Desolas said as he, Adaaya and Nihlus came into the Normandy's small, but decent meeting room. There was only enough room around the table for probably six people, but as the room was shielded from spying there wasn't much need to use it often.
"Yeah, I can see him doing that," Adaaya muttered in agreement as she leaned on the table and glance at Nihlus. "I got a lead, but you said you have two of them?"
"That's correct, though I had assumed you would have gone immediately for your own," Nihlus admitted as he tapped his omnitool, making Adaaya and Desolas cringe a bit. "What's wrong?"
"Your omnitool still has Eezo in it. We'll have to fix that later," Desolas said as he gestured for Nihlus to continue.
"R-right, sorry. It hadn't crossed my mind, and I was busy," he said as he projected a pair of planets in the air from his omnitool. "My first lead is on Noveria, a privately owned planet that works slightly outside of Citadel law because of its ownership. There is a lab there owned by Binary Helix, a company that over the past few years Saren has been buying stock in until he came to fully own the company a year ago. There has been rumor of a large amount of equipment and personal moving into their labs, but not out of it. Even if Saren is not there, it could have a lead on his location."
"It could, but it could also be a waste of time if it's a dead end," Adaaya commented.
"Any lead could be just as dead. What was the other?" Desolas asked.
"The other lead I have is, admittedly, slightly more personal," Nihlus said as he enlarged the second planets image, a volcanic red hellscape of a place. "It seems after being hit by the Prothean beacon I have some sort of message from it stuck in my head. I cannot make sense of it however, and an old Asari friend of mine was not able to help due to a lack of historic information. She figured I would need an Asari expert on the Protheans to make sense of the message, and considering that both Saren and I were hit by the same wave, I believe he should have the same message in his head. He may try to figure it out as well to gain some sort of edge on us."
"So you want to hunt down an Asari expert on the Protheans to see if the beacons message does give an edge or not then, right?" Desolas asked calmly.
"That is correct. The expert in question is a Doctor Liara T'soni, the daughter of Matriatch Benezia, someone whom a few years ago, Saren was reported to be in continued contact with. She may be related to him in some way as well, though that is not as likely as she being able to help sort out the message that is now stuck in my head."
"I' m . . . not sure if that's-,"
"No. It's a fine lead, I think," Desolas interrupted Adaaya, giving her a look she recognized that made her simply nod and not continue her thoughts. "So it's a science lab owned by Saren, or a lead on the Prothean beacon. What's our lead then?"
Adaaya nodded and tapped on her wristcomp, prompting Nihlus to get rid of his hologram just as a new one appeared, a planet that was green and grey. "It might be a longshot as it's not directly connected, but apparently an independent council colony on Feros went dark just yesterday after reports of strange machines, and sightings of Batarian ships in the area."
"That wasn't handed to us from Konpaku?" Desolas asked, getting a shake of Adaaya head as a response.
"Were you expecting to have another lead?" Nihlus asked as he looked over the image of Feros. He had never been there, and had heard that it had gone dark, but not the rest of the information.
Desolas nodded but only sighed before glancing up at Nihlus and Adaaya. "So, we've got three leads. Which should we tell Joker to head to?"
"Well, personally I think that lab sounds suspicious, but so does that colony," Adaaya said shrugging her wings.
"I'd like to find Doctor T'soni if possible, but I do agree that the colony could be in trouble and it would, what is that human saying, leave a bad smell of the mouth?"
"That'd be a bad taste in your mouth," Desolas corrected as he thought for a second, oblivious to the two staring at him. "To start, why don't we find that doctor? If Saren has the same message you do, he'll probably be looking to make sense of it as well considering that he had attacked Eden to get at it in the first place."
"Hrrrmmm, I get what you're saying, but I'm not sure an Eezo blooded Asari will be of much use," Adaaya grumbled mostly to herself.
"Let's not be mean when she is not around to defend herself," Nihlus said with a sigh, glancing at the door to the room. "By the way, was it a good idea to leave your crew with the mercenary you picked up, and the Citadel investigator as well?"
"It should be fine. They all will be going planet side on missions with us, so they need to know each other's names at the very least," Desolas said before smirking. "And I doubt they can cause that much trouble, they'll be too interested in Williams and Zorah."
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"So, this is an Alliance ship, huh? It's just as shiny and uncomfortable as I'd heard," a large and scarred Krogan known as Urdnot Wrex said as he looked around the main crew area of the Normandy.
"That's because you're a biotic, put your bloody bracelet on!" Kaiden said irritably as he and Ashley walked past Wrex into the crew area, taking seats at the closest table.
"I don't see how this is supposed to make things less uncomfortable," Wrex grumbled as he stared at the thin band of silver he had been given just as he had boarded the ship.
"It's not. It supposed to stop you from being effected by ambient magic, or so they say," Garrus Vakerian said as he walked up beside Wrex and looked around the crew area with interest. A second later he casually walked into the area and took a sat at the same table, albeit far enough away from Kaiden and Ashley to not be uncomfortable.
Wrex scowled at the sight before him. Most Turians were annoying, as were most C-Sec officers, but this one was worse, he was part of C-Secs investigations department. The name sounded weak, like a bunch that simply looked over facts. the truth of the matter however was that C-Secs investigators were their best people, often given a measure of lenience to get things done as long as they discovered ample evidence to put people away, often for very long periods of time. As a mercenary Wrex had had some slight dealing with them in the past, but his own information from the Shadow broker told things differently. They pointed to Vakerian as one of C-secs absolute best marksmen, and an investigator who played by even less rules and had put a lot more criminals away than most did. His total was supposedly nearing the triple digits, and that was solely on his own. The fact that the Council wanted him here made things complicated.
"So, going to come sit down?" Garrus said as he looked at Wrex with a casual look.
Wrex didn't trust it, but there was no way someone being casual was going to make him look like the pathetic one. If it came to it he could just kill the Turian, nice and simple. "Yeah, yeah, learn some patience, Turian!" Wrex responded as he came over and dropped himself on a bench, being surprised when it did not budge in the slightest under his weight.
"What's wrong, all those flecks of metal in your hide making you worry about your weight?" Garrus then said with a chuckle before he leaned a bit toward Wrex. "So, I have to ask, what are you here for? I'm here for the council and as Nihlus's liaison and support, but what about you?"
"Humph, not that it matters to you, but I wanted in on hunting down Saren, and I gave the Operatives a lead that could lead to him," Wrex said simply, leaving out the fact that the lead was from the Shadow broker, and that he was being paid by him to accompany them on their mission.
"Here's a better question for both of you," Ashley suddenly spoke up, a devious grin covering her face. "Can you fight?"
"HA! Can we fight she asks!" Wrex bellowed. "I'm a Krogan who's older than anyone you could know, and you ask me if I can fight?"
"Alliance Intel shared with the council says there are many that are easily over a thousand years old. Ambassador Flandre is apparently over five hundred years old," Garrus said, seeming to dull Wrexs words slightly as he looked straight at Ashley and choosing to ignore the slight point in her glare. "To answer your question, yes, we both can fight. I cannot speak for the merc, but as a C-Sec investigator I'm trained in all weapons and specialise in sniper rifles, best shot of any officer on the Citadel!"
"I'm a Krogan, nuff said," Wrex said, refusing to say more as he looked at Kaiden and Ashley, again noting to himself that they both looked far too young. "What about you two then, huh? Are you not a little small to be fighting?"
"Please, I had to be able to fly under mach one while dodging more shots than you could count by the time I was eight. My mother is one of the most feared Youkai around, and while I'm not as powerful, I'm more than enough to deal with threats from the Council!" Ashley gloated with a grin.
Kaiden simply sighed. "I'm a magician and some call me a prodigy. I've completed all my training and combat training and have been on numerous successful missions already."
"Which would be easier to tell if you learned to stop getting stuck under machinery, Kaiden!" came a new, female voice. Garrus and Wrex turned toward it to find a white skinned, thin alien walking toward them in gear that was both very alien, and seemed similar to something they had seen before. The aliens glowing eyes and soft features were strange, but the way she held herself was just as strange, full of respect, but as if it was being repressed.
". . . What the hell are you?" Wrex asked first, unable to contain his curiosity. Despite the aliens thin frame, he could see agility within it, and the sword on her hip caught his interest as well.
"Keelah, I knew this would happen!" She swore as she sat down at the table and crossed her arms over her modest chest. "Tali'Zorah is my name. I'm a Quarian, you Bosh'tet!"
"Wait, if you're a Quarian, why are you not in your suit?" Garrus asked curiously as he gazed at Tali's face. It was after all common knowledge that Quarians could not be out of their suits or they would die.
"Ah, so the Alliance fiddled and fixed you, did they?" Wrex guessed, getting a nod of confirmation from Tali. "I heard that those Krogan who joined the Alliance got altered but I wasn't sure what to think. Curing the Genophage is a big thing, but the other parts about altering how we breed, it's not right."
"Think what you will, I've met many Krogan who are quite happy with the alterations to themselves. And before you ask, I'm trained in close range tech support at the top of my class. This mission is counting toward my pilgrimage!" Tali stated proudly.
"So you're just a youngling barely out of the nest too. You're all too young to be of any use!" Wrex stated seriously as he slammed a fist against the table just as the ship itself shuddered slightly, making Wrex slightly nauseas for just a second. "Why are you even here when there are others better suited to this?!"
"Because we chose them to be our team!" Desolas said loudly as he, Adaaya and Nihlus came into the room, drawing everyone's attention to them as he stormed over and stopped a bare meter away from the table, and Wrex. "Your lead may have gotten you on the team, merc, but if you become a problem there are two ways we could easily deal with you. The airlock, or dropping you off on Tuchunka naked!"
"Just try it, Turian!" Wrex growled as he glowered at Desolas, who barely reacted whatsoever.
"If you don't cause a problem and listen to orders, I doubt we'll have a problem," Adaaya said as she walked across the room and tapped something, causing the lights to dim just before a hologram of a planet appear. "We're on route to this planet, Therum. There's supposedly a Prothean expert who can assist us in figuring out details related to the Protheans, as it is possible that Saren is looking for information connected to it because of the Prothean beacon that was destroyed."
"Therum is a volcanic world that is primarily used for mining by some various council companies. Heat resistant and breathing equipment will be needed in case the worst happens," Nihus then explained quickly.
"Exactly, those who cannot simply deal with the heat should check their equipment before we arrive in about one hour," Adaaya continued as she glanced at Garrus and Wrex, and then to Tali. "Tali, help our two council helpers augment or check their equipment before we arrive please."
"Understood."
"Uh, I know this might be a bad time to say it, but the only gun I have with me is my incisor, and its Eezo based. Will that be a problem?"
"It shouldn't be as long as the fighting is not too tight," Desolas said as he glanced at Wrex, "Though we will ask you to keep a reign on your Biotics." Wrex grumbled but said nothing. "We'll be at the planet in less than an hour. Be ready to deploy ten minutes before so we can brief you on how this will go!"
As the three of them left the room Tali let out a grumble. "Alright, if I have to fix your equipment your coming with me to get your weapons checked over too!"
"Well, I'm out, have fun boys!" Ashley suddenly said as she got up from the table and left the room, followed by Kaiden who gave a strange, almost worried look to Wrex and Garrus.
"What's their problem?" Wrex asked, getting and equally confused look from Garrus.
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"Where the hell are they?" Adaaya grumble as she, Nihlus and Desolas stood in the Normandy's landing bay with Kaiden and Ashley there in their full gear.
"T-Tali said they'd be here in a minute," Kaiden coughed out.
"Calm down. Tali's good enough that she won't have a problem," Desolas chided Adaaya, causing Nihlus to take a step forward.
"I noticed before, and back on Eden Prime, but that Quarian, is there something wrong with her?"
"No, but she's had some, interesting training," Desolas said with a chuckle as he turned to Nihlus. "When the Quarins joined the Alliance many joined out military. About half found it too hard, and she was one of the youngest to join, arguing that it was her right. She took to the tech work amazingly well, and she turned out to be very skilled at assault/support tactics. She's combined them both to be a bit-"
Desolas stopped as the door to the bay opened and Wrex and Garrus walked in in full gear, followed by Tali wearing a suit that was bulkier than a Krogan. It consisted of a framework around her back, shoulders and waist like an exo-suit, but was wrapped around her forearms and lower legs in full plating. In a holster of her right leg was a stumpy looking rifle, clearly Alliance in design, while on her left armored vambrace was an opening complete with a vent, making it clear that it was some form of improvised or built in weapon system.
"That's quite the exo-suit . . . It is an exo-suit, right?" Nihlus asked quietly as Tali, took position standing beside Ashley, and Wrex and Garrus also took a spot away from her.
"It is . . . Tali is also very . . . nearly violent on the right way to clean and take care of equipment outside of missions. That combined with the exo-suit she designed, she can seem a little forceful and pushy to some people. But you'll see once we're on the ground," Desolas said as he took a step forward. "Alright, Joker has us just about in position at the Doctor's camp, but apparently there are ships on the ground near it, Batarian in designs. The landing zone will likely be hot, so for those new to how our operations work, I'll give everyone a refresher. There will be two teams, assault and support. The assault team will push forward as fast as possible, taking out anyone who gets in the way. The support team's job is to act as support; sniping and taking out opportunity targets, as well as finishing off those left behind. Alliance tactics are all about speed and force, what we call a Blitzkrieg, regardless of which force you are with your body will be pushed to levels you likely have not had to deal with before. Now, Adaaya and I will lead the assault force, while Ashley will be leading the support force," Desolas explained as he glanced at Garrus and Wrex. "Where do the two of you think you will be able to keep up?"
"Ha, you need to ask? Right, up, front!" Wrex said with a smile.
"I'll take support, I'm better in the back," Garrus said as he checked his sniper rifle and ignored Ashley's chuckle, a chuckle that quickly earned her nudge in the side from Kaiden.
"Very well, what about you?" Desolas said as he glanced to Nihlus.
"Well, I doubt I could move on my own for this, so I'll tagalong with you and see you two in action I suppose," Nihlus said replied heartily, making Adaaya let out a grin.
"Good, then we can see if you can keep-," Adaaya was interrupted when the entire ship suddenly shook, making her throw a hand to an ear. "Joker! What the hell is going on!?"
"Sorry, we're over the LZ, but the Batarian ships seem to have unloaded a bunch of mobile low altitude guns. Loaded them with disruptor rounds too, so they are not paying nice with our shields! Time to go!"
In that same moment the rear door to the bay began sliding open, and the sound of AA fire ripped through the air.
"See you down there!" Adaaya exclaimed before she ran at the open door and leapt out, making Garrus, Nihlus, and even Wrex gape in surprise.
"Does she have a deathwish!?" Garrus asked as Kaiden, Tali and Ashley did a last check on their gear and latched their weapons to their suits.
"She has wings for a reason. For those that cannot fly, you'll see a bar with lines on them at the end of the bay, grab one and then slide down it to the ground, we'll see you down there," Desolas explained before he turned, gave a wave and ran to the end and jumped out of sight just like Adaaya had.
"Do you need me to explain that to you, again?" Tali asked as she turned to Garrus and Wrex, sonding slightly annoyed. She had made it clear she didn't like their equipment earlier, and it seemed to be painting her opinions.
"Explain it as we go!" Nihlus stated as he began jogging toward the open end of the bay, quickly followed by Kaiden and Ashley, then Tali, Wrex and Garrus. As they reached the end of the bay, a bar extended away from the floor and a dozen different thick cables dropped out of it. Without missing a beat he leapt down and grabbed one of the cables, sliding down with surgical and professional skills.
"See, its simple, jump, grab, slide. Simple." Ashley said to Wrex as she let herself fall backwards out of the opening and wrapped her ankles around a cable instead of her hands."
"Ignore her, she's showing off," Tali said with a shake of his head as Kaiden jumped and slid down, leaving the three of them in the bay as AA caused the ships shields to flash and shimmer.
"Okay, I know you're all crazy now . . . and so am I it seems," Garrus said as he took a few steps back, then ran off the edge, almost missing his cable as he slid down.
Wrex looked at Tali and then at the cable. "Will that thing hold my weight?"
Tali shrugged. "It holds my armours. C'mon, otherwise we'll miss the fun!" She declared as she hopped down and grabbed a cable, the entire beam groaning slightly.
Wrex glared at it for a good few seconds before letting out an annoyed sigh. "Should've known this job was too good considering its pay. I'll kill whoever payed the Shadowbroker to force this mission on me!"
A few seconds he was sliding down the cable, the whirr of the Normandy's engines merging with the sound of accelerator and disruptor fire exploding against its shield. Some shots even went by him, a couple stray small arms shots pinging against his armour.
As he landed with a crack on the hard volcanic earth Wrex took in a deep breath and let it out, reveling in the smell of battle joined as he looked up to see the situation. Lying on the ground around him were a half dozen Batarians with either body parts slashed off or their armour collapsed inwards. Straight ahead, between the main Batarian wall of enemies and them was a single wall of metal that looked like it had been flash forged there, some of its edges looking half melted as accelerator fire and rockets slammed into it. What surprised him the most however was that everyone was behind the metal wall, keeping a bit of a distance away from Desolas, who had arcs of electricity coming away from him as he had a hand against the metal.
"About time you got down here. Let's get this party started!" Adaaya declared, causing Ashley to pull out her absurdly large gun, while Kaiden and Tali seemed to simply ready themselves.
"Wrex, Garrus, Nihlus, I'll be dropping this, so get ready to move. Don't stop moving, and kill anyone who gets in your way!" Desolas said as he looked back at them.
"Hehe, think about who you're talking too!" Wrex remarked, earning a grin from Desolas.
Suddenly, the entire wall seemed to liquefy as the sound of accelerator fire lessened. The liquid metal warped and shaped itself into a veritable wall of metal blades, right before they all were propelled forward by some unseen force up the ridge. Dozens of Batarians screamed as they were suddenly impaled, their steaming weapons falling the ground.
It was at this point that all hell broke loose. Desolas and Adaaya both rushed forward with speed that no one else could match and struck the remains of the Batarian first line like a meteor. Adaaya simply slammed Batarians aside, their crushed chest pieces telling of the damage to their bodies, while Desolas was both electrocuting them and using a pair of floating metal blades to cut through hem as if their armour was made of paper. What was most terrifying though was that the Batarians accelerator fire simply bounced off of their barriers, and that they were not taking out everyone, instead taking out only a few then pushing deeper and continuing.
Wrex and Nihlus, who were behind them and struggling to keep up, reached the shattered first line of Batarians a full five seconds after Adaaya and Desolas had left it and were moving onto the third. Nihlus was using his own rifle, a Phaeston that appeared to be heavily customized, and was gunning down any Batarians that took notice of him. Wrex on the other hand was gleefully moving toward any Batarians between him and the frontline, crashing onto them with either his shotgun or his own head plate. One Batarian who somehow survived Adaaya punching him in the chest had gotten up, only to have Wrex slam into him and trample him under his feet.
Wrex glanced to the side to see Nihlus slam the butt of his rifle into a Batarian and move forward, leaving the stunned Batarian on the ground. Looking ahead he could see Adaaya and Desolas already in the centre of the Batarian camp, a large AA gun of shoddy Batarian make slowly turning down to aim at them. Letting out a roar he rushed forward, knocking aisle any Batarian that got to close to him until he was in the centre of the Batarian camp as well. He tried rushing toward the AA gun, but as he did, a pair of deep crimson beams lanced through the air and melted holes in the gun, causing it to explode in a fireball, its wreckage blowing apart a nearby fuel tank and taking a trio of Batarians with it.
Looking behind Wrex could see the support group quickly catching up. Ashley was firing her beam cannon and vaporing Batarians in sweeps, while Kaiden was letting a pistol bark as he sent waves of magic that knocked Batarians down and kept them there. Tali and her exo-suit were doing work as well. On one arm she had a laser rifle with three barrels that was letting out a withering amount of fire, while on the other arm she had a blade coming out of the mount, and was using it to impale and finish off those on the ground. He couldn't see the other Turian, but just as he looked around a mass accelerator round zinged past his head and stuck the skull of a Batarian that had tried coming up behind him. Wrex looked at the dead Batarians and then glanced back at the support, quickly finding the Turian to one side with his rifle out, a smug grin on his face.
"Show off," Wrex muttered as he took his shotgun in one hand and fired off to the side, blowing a wounded Batarian to pieces.
By this point the Batarians that were left were by no means organized and were quickly dispatched by either blade or bullet. Some tried running to one of the two landed Batarian destroyers, but as they did either Ashley cut the landing gears with her beam cannon, or Desolas electrocuted the whole ship. It was brutal but highly effective, something Wrex could admire, but something that Nihlus clearly did not.
"Was electrocuting them to death truly necessary?" Nihlus asked as everyone began gathering at a large structure with a doorway against the rock face, clearly some sort of entryway into the dig site.
"No, but it was the simplest way to make sure we got them all. There could have been some inside the ship. We don't want to get flanked from behind," Desolas said just as Adaaya began hammering the circular door with her fists, putting massive dent in it until it finally gave away, tearing out and talking its frame with it, a heap of tangled metal on the ground.
"Doors open!" Adaaya called as she turned around and smirked at how Nihlus and Wrex were holding up. Nihlus was breathing deeply, but doing a good job of making it look like he wasn't very tired. Wrex on the other hand, was clearly tired, but did not look like he cared; in fact it looked like he was enjoying it! On the other hand, the Citadel investigator Garrus was panting heavily, while his own people were only slightly.
"That isn't, isn't a reason to fry a whole ship. There could have been data on it that we could have used," Nihlus replied to Desolas, having been slightly surprised when Adaaya had called out.
"Perhaps, but this is not the time or place, Spectre. If you want to complain about how we do things, then do it when we get back on the ship, not when we are on a mission!" Desolas declared as he turned to everyone else. "Alright, good job everyone, but now we're going underground and our regular advance tactic could slow. We'll head in single file, twin file if the tunnels allow. No sounds above a whisper if it can be helped until we know what enemies may be inside."
"We'll take point. Tali, I want you and Kaiden at the back keeping your eyes open, understood?" Adaaya spoke up, getting affirmative nods from both Kaiden and Tali. "Good, let's go!"
Outside it had been hot due to the planets molten and volcanic nature, but inside the tunnel the heat boiled up feverishly. The reddish brown rocks were warm to the touch and looking further down the tunnel allowed anyone to see the heat ahead of them. A simple metal walkway went down to provide a stable footing, and after a couple dozen meters the tunnel expanded into a large cavern with a white stone tower set into the stone at its far end. The walkway went straight across to the tower with what appeared to be a simple elevator in the middle that went to walkways further down, but it looked like many had collapsed.
Looking over the walkways railing Nihlus could see a blue glow coming from the white tower further down, and could also see movement on the cavern floor below. Looking through his rifle scope he could see Batarians moving about, seeming to be repairing something, or perhaps taking something apart. "Batarians below, with machinery."
"I see them," Desolas replied quietly, not looking through a rifle or anything, making Nihlus wonder just how good his eyesight was. "Keep eyes on them, just in case they see us," Desolas suddenly stated as both he and Adaaya leapt over the railings and maneuvered down to the walkway below, making surprisingly little sound.
Nihlus, knowing he would not be able to do the same as quietly stepped up to the elevator and found that it was at the bottom, leaving its cable out in the open. Grabbing it Nihlus slid down to the third walkway down, the one adjacent to the glowing wall on the old sunken tower. Landing on the walkway made a bit of noise but the Batarians below, who now could be heard yelling and ordering each other around, did not seem to notice. A second later Adaaya and Desolas swung down and landed soundlessly ahead of him.
"Move, Turian," Wrex grumbled from behind Nihlus, causing him to take a few steps forward and allowing Wrex to get off the cable from following his lead.
"The others coming down?" Nihlus asked quietly as he looked past Adaaya and Desolas to see there appeared to be a bipedal figure behind the shimmering blue screen on the tower wall.
"Tali's too heavy, so they are probably going to wait until we're a bit away from the elevator to call it up," Adaaya said with a shrug as she looked down the walkway at the wall of blue energy. "So, energy shield?"
"Probably, let's take a look," Nihlus replied as he brushed past Adaaya and Desolas, who was making a hand motion to the three above them.
As they got closer a form behind the wall of energy could be seen. A ball of darker blue energy, holding a single Asari who floated within it, her arms and legs splayed out like an animal ready for dissection. She looked distressed, and as soon as she saw them walking towards her called out to them. Loudly.
"Please help me, I'm trapped!"
"Quiet! Do you want the-," Desolas began to say until he was stopped by accelerator fire began pinging off the walkway, railing, and stones around them.
"They heard her, know we're here now," Wrex said in annoyance as he crouched behind a damaged crate, the shotgun in his hand worthless as the range they were being shot at.
The sound of a rifle report caught everyone's attention, just as a large blocky object fell down from above and crashed into the ground below with a clatter. Nearly all gunfire ceased, and then came again with renewed fury as Tali opened fire, supported by fire from above, courtesy of Garrus, Kaiden and Ashley.
"Looks like they have the Batarians covered," Nihlus muttered as he looked through his scope and let a round fly into a Batarians throat. He looked like a commander, and as he went down, the Batarians seemed to lose cohesion and began getting torn apart as beams, lasers and bolts of energy broke apart their stony pieces of cover.
"Good, now we can deal with this problem," Desolas growled as he walked right up to the blue wall of energy and punched it, creating an odd hollow sound. "I understand that you are trapped, but did you have to alert those Batarians? If we didn't have others with us, we'd be getting shot at from range just because you got a little bit excited!"
The Asari seemed taken aback at Desolas words, but her eyes also looked him up and down and stayed wide. "I, uh, Turian?" She asked in confusion.
"She clearly has been through a lot, you don't need to be so aggressive," Nihlus said as he walked up to the barrier but did not touch it upon seeing Desolas's claws seeming to steam slightly. "Nihlus, Kyrik, special tactics and reconnaissance. Are you Doctor Liara T'soni?"
"A Spectre! Thank the Goddess! Yes, that is me. It's so good you've come, I was starting to think those Batarians would get me!"
"Only thing they are getting is faces full of lasers," Adaaya said with a chuckle as she stood a bit further back on the edge of the railing, where she and Wrex were now watching the slaughter below.
"I, who, wings?" Liara stuttered in confusion at the sight of Adaaya.
"Ignore her for a second, okay?" Nihlus asked hopefully. "Can you tell us how you got here?"
"O-of course. When the Batarian cruiser appeared and began firing at our buildings, this cavern where most of our excavation has been occurring was the safest place to go. This tower is Prothean, though we're not sure what its purpose is. When I got here, some Batarians came in, so I tried to get the barrier door up. However, I touched something else as well, and got stuck in this containment bubble," Liara explained quickly.
"I see. How many are still alive from your team? Do you know what the Batarians want?" Nihlus asked as Desolas backed up from the barrier and thrust an arm out toward the cavern below, a bolt of electricity arcing down and throwing a Batarian with a rocket launcher a good ten feet backwards into a wall.
"L-lighting?"
"Liara, focus please," Nihlus chided as he sidestepped to be between Liara and her sight of Desolas.
"Oh, sorry. My, my team had seven people, three Asari, three Salarian and a Turian. The Batarians, they shot any but Asari on sight, and demanded my coworkers names. When they were not mine, they shot them too. That was when I ran and got stuck here. They came up and demanded my name, when I told them they smiled, said they had plans for me."
"Did they say what they were or who led them?"
"No, but when they couldn't get in they began looking around and went to the cavern below, probably for the mining explosives, or our mining laser I would guess."
Suddenly the sound of a loud beam cut through the air, and the entire cavern shook for a moment, followed by the sound of laser fire and an explosion.
"Th-that was the mining laser it sounded like!" Liara exclaimed in worry.
"Its fine, it probably went off when someone hit it with a weapon.
"Looks like a Batarian was fixing it in combat," Wrex said loudly enough for Nihlus to hear him. "Took a laser to the side to turn it on, then got hit in the head, the fool."
"No! That very bad!" Liara exclaimed now sounding frantic. "We hoped to burrow into a lower chamber of this tower, but this planet is seismically active still! If it was aimed wrong, or the wrong power output used it could-," Liara was stopped as the entire cavern shook again, dust and small rocks and debris falling from the ceiling, pinging off the walkway. "Cause a seismic event."
The entire cavern rumbled again, making Adaaya jump backwards back onto the walkway. "Huh, so we're inside a volcano right now then. Cool!"
"Not cool, Krogan are tough, but not bath in lava tough!" Wrex growled as he glanced down to see Tali trudging over to the elevator, not a single Batarian alive below them. "Caverns clear, are we moving or what?"
"We need to get the doctor out!" Nihlus called in annoyance as he looked the barrier over? "How can we shut this down?"
"I'm not sure, there's a control panel just to my side, but without getting to it. . . . ."
"Just blow the wall," Desolas said as he began walking down the walkway further away.
"I would if I could!" Nihlus yelled as he turned around to see Adaaya flying in the air above them by a stalactite.
"Not you, her. Back away if you value your life!" Desolas said as he crouched behind a box, quickly being followed by Wrex.
Nihlus rushed over as well, his instincts telling him it was the best idea, and as soon as he was away, Adaaya somehow bolted through the air faster than an accelerator round and crashed into not the barrier, but the stone around it on the left side. When he looked, Nihlus found a large hole in the stone, and the barrier flickering a few timed before it dissipated. A sSecond later Adaaya came out from behind the broken wall, twirling her fists with an annoyed look on her face.
"Remind me not to punch Prothean buildings too often. Things are bloody solid," She muttered as she walked over to the nearby console and then kicked it off the ground and into a nearby wall.
"Ow," Liara groaned as she fell and hit the stone below her, the field around her gone like the console it was connected to. As she got up she looked at the console and then at Adaaya, her face filling with anger. "How could you do that? You just destroyed a millennia old piece of Prothean technology that could have been studied! You just broke the wall of a Prothean ruins just as old!"
Adaaya turned to Liara as the building shook again; depositing dust onto everyone and making her shake it off her wings, making them look far larger. "I don't care about Prothean ruins, but if it is such a problem for you, perhaps I should have left you there to be taken by the lava when this place erupts!"
Liara shrunk as she took a nervous step back away from Adaaya while, at the same time, Nihlus walked up to her and glanced at Adaaya in annoyance. "There is no purpose behind terrifying people! I apologize for that, doctor; it seems Alliance operatives lacks something."
"Hmph, she better be useful to you, Spectre," Adaaya scoffed as she turned and walked away, down the walkway, smacking a boulder thrice her size away as it tried to fall upon her head.
"Right, we should follow, unless you like lava!" Desolas yelled at Nihlus as Wrex began following Adaaya out as the entire cavern began to shake loudly.
"We need to leave, follow me closely, okay?" Nihlus said to Liara. As soon as she nodded he grabbed her by the arm and began rushing for the exit, finding Adaaya and Wrex nearly there. Desolas was helping Tali climb up over the last railing in her large mechanized suit, aided by Ashley and Garrus while Kaiden was holding up a section of collapsed ceiling above them. As soon as they were on the walkway and everyone past him, Kaiden moved and let go of his concentration. The stones and boulders crashed down, crushing the walkway elevator and breaking sections of walkway.
"Ah!" Liara exclaimed as she and Nihlus were suddenly catapulted forward by some kind of force off the last section of walkway and onto the stone of the tunnel that led up. When they looked behind them they found Kaiden climbing up the broken stone, the last of the walkway they had been on having collapsed just as he had sent them flying. "Here, let me help!"
"No, thank you. I'm fine, and respectfully, neither of us wants to go through decontamination," Kaiden said as he pulled himself up and glanced behind him, seeing magma burst out of a crack in a nearby wall. "Keep moving, now!"
"He's right, go. We're right behind you!" Nilhus said as he pulled Kaiden up from his knees, the two of them following Liara up the mining shaft as painful quantities of heat and gas began billowing past them like the breath of a great beast.
Breaking free of the cavern and leaving through the main entranceway, Nihlus found the Normandy hovering disturbingly close to them with its landing cables hanging down just a few dozen meters away from them. Adaaya and Desolas were already in the ships bay and were forcibly yanking cables up, speeding up the ascension of Wrex and Tali who were holding on for dear life while Garrus and Ashley were shimmying up the cables on their own.
As Nihlus and Kaiden ran, quickly catching up with Liara, a ridge to their left suddenly exploded, sending volcanic debris and ash all across the area as a river of lava began pouring out of it, flowing with a speed that made Nihlus's heart race in terror.
"Spirits, get up the cables!" He yelled as Liara and him grabbed onto the closest cables and began trying to climb up them. Then, much to his surprise, Kaiden grabbed both of their cables and began floating upward, his expression telling them that both of their weights was a strain for him.
The lava got closer and the Normandy began to rise, panicking Liara to tighten her grip and stop moving. Nihlus glanced down to see the lava flow below them, singing the end of one cable just before it began lifting up faster. Glancing back up he found not just Kaiden, but Ashley and Garrus now up and pulling them up.
"Um, my grip, I, I can't keep holding much longer!" Liara said in terror.
"Just a few seconds more, they've almost have us up!" Nihlus called to her, just as her cable reached the top, allowing Wrex to help lift her up, much to her own surprise.
"Oh, uh, hello." Liara said uncertainly as Wrex held her by the wrist, dangling her over the lava below.
"Asari," he said as he backed up, taking her with him.
A second later Desolas reached down and grabbed Nihlus, pulling him up with an ease that had to be aided by magic. "Having fun yet?" Desolas asked with an otherworldly grin.
"Oh yes, now I can add running from lava to the list of ridiculous things being a spectre has made me do," Nihlus replied with a forced laugh that turned into a cough from his dry throat. As he stood up a loud click echoed through the bay and the door behind them began to close, the remaining cables spinning back up into their holders.
"Good, it only gets better from here," Desolas said as he glanced around, seeing everyone either standing up, or staying lying on the ground to rest. It wasn't every day that you ran from a volcano after all. Well, unless you were one of those youkai. "Yo, Joker, we're all good here, take us back into orbit while we prepare our newest guest."
"Understood. Also, way to cut it close, lava tends to melt hull even if it's magically forged!" Joker's response came back over the intercom.
"Yeah yeah, the ship is fine, just get us off this rock," Adaaya barked back at him with a grumble as she walked over to a locker and began rummaging through it. Finding what she was after she pulled a small black case out and tossed it over to Nihlus, who caught with a confused look. "She's your Asari, make sure she puts it on. Debrief in an hour in the meeting room."
" . . . . What in the spirits name is her problem?" Nihlus muttered as Adaaya left the room, both Wrex and Garrus having similar expressions on their faces.
"Don't let it bother you. I'll deal with it," Desolas said as he began walking to the door Adaaya left through, only to stop halfway and to turn back to everyone. "Oh, I think she was serious when she said debrief in an hour, I'd suggest using that time to stow tour gear and take a shower."
"That, sounds like a very good idea," Liara said, sounding extremely exhausted.
"I know, right? Kaiden, Ashley, please make sure they know where the showers are, and no tricking anyone into the decontamination shower!" Desolas said before he turned and left, following after Adaaya.
By the time Desolas caught up Adaaya was in the common room, and had just broken one of the training dummies, knocking it right off its pedestal. "I take it you don't like Nihlus's little contact to delve down the Prothean rabbit hole?" Desolas asked.
Adaaya smirked slightly. "Looks like that binge of classic human literature did its job. But no, I do not. The whole idea of one of those blind blue bitches pisses me off!"
"It's more than that though, right?" Desolas asked as he walked over and leaned against a wall.
Adaaya nodded. "I got her out, I saved her life, the least she could do was say thank you like a decent person, but instead she complained about of bunch of stone. Stone that is now buried under molten rock! I risked contamination breaking that wall considering how Prothean stuff has Eezo all over it, and she's more worried about a wall!"
Desolas chuckled slightly. "You're forgetting that she's an Asari. They consider themselves higher than other races. That and they think the Alliance is too aggressive, I think."
"Every council race should think that with how Yukari and the other two act toward them," Adaaya said before sighing. "Ugh, I'm making this worse than it needs to be. Blue bitch won't be joining us on missions anyway, so I shouldn't let her bother me."
"No, you shouldn't. On the upside, that mission went well, don't you think?"
"It was hardly even a mission by our standards; it took us what, an hour at most?" Adaaya asked sounding utterly annoyed. "I barely worked up a sweat!"
"True, but it was a good show of what they can do. The Krogan and the non-Spectre Turian managed to keep up with us rather well."
"I expected a Krogan to keep up well enough; the investigator was a surprise though. We'll have to-"
"Sorry to interrupt, oh punchy and zappy bosses, but we've got a problem," suddenly came Jokers voice in the room, loud and ever so slightly worried.
"What is it then, clown?" Desolas replied with a smirk.
"Ooh, that'd hurt, but I do so like to make children smile so much!" Joker responded sarcastically. "A ship just came around from the dark side of the planet as we left its atmosphere. Asari cruiser by its design, and bearing the signal of a Spectre's personal ship. Their demanding we hold position and allow boarding for, and I quote, to discuss the transfer of an important individual for safekeeping.'"
"That's . . . odd," Desolas said as he thought over the wording. "Did they specify who?"
"No, that's all they said. Oh, and that if we didn't hold position for that boarding we'd be considered a 'danger to the Citadel and destroyed,' as if they could catch us!"
"Sounds like they want a fight then!" Adaaya declared happily as she slammed her fists together.
"No wait, you said it had the signal saying it was a Spectre's personal ship?"
"Yes, why?"
"Because since Nihlus is with us, they should have no rights to make any form of demands from us. I'll go fetch him, Adaaya-,"
"I'll go gather the others, that is if they haven't already stripped and gotten into the showers," Adaaya said as she nearly flew out of the room, the height of the ceiling being the only thing stopping her wings from fully spreading.
Before the door could close behind her Desolas was following, heading for the room that Nihlus was using. Reaching the door Desolas punched in the override and entered as the door opened.
Finding Nihlus and Liara standing the middle of the room, Liara's eyes completely black.
"Of course, he did want to figure out those visions, but damn the timing!" Desolas grumbled as he stood there waiting, watching as Liara's expression shifted from wonder to utter and complete horror and fear, then to confusion.
"Uh, sir?" Joker asked through Desolas's earpiece.
"What is it, Joker?" Desolas asked quietly, knowing that interrupting an Asari melding was usually a bad idea for both parties involved.
"The Asari cruiser has shopped at twelve kliks away and are aiming at us with their spinal accelerator, and it's charged. They are demanding we power down weapons and allow a shuttle to land in our hanger for boarding and the talks they mentioned."
"Spirits, tell them you're waiting on conformation, should give me a few seconds," Desolas replied as he closed the line and looked back at Nihlus and Liara, just in time for their melding to stop.
"Goddess, that was, I sort of knew what to expect but, I did not believe the images would be so vivid!" Liara exclaimed, looking similar to some people did the first time they got high off a magic burst.
"So, what do you make of it?" Nihlus asked hopefully.
"I'm not sure, the images are, fragmented. Beacons are meant for Prothean minds, and the few discovered have been said to be hard to decipher, but, I think the one you interfaced with must have been damaged somehow, the message is not clear, or all there."
"Yeah, throwing it around with a crane does that I'm told," Desolas suddenly spoke up, causing both Liara to jump in fear, and Nihlus to immediately pull out a knife.
"What in the spirits are you doing!?" Nihlus demanded as soon as he saw it was Desolas.
"We've got a problem. An Asari cruiser with weapons ready, demanding we lower weapons, stay still and submit to being boarded on a Spectres authority. Apparently they want a certain individual of importance or something like that."
"What? I informed the council of my intent to go with you, so there should be no one who should get in the way. Which Spectre is it?"
"They did not say."
"What ship then? What's its name?"
"Joker, what's the ships name, audio to Nihlus's cabin.
"Understood. The ships named the "Goddesses Whisper," Jokers voice file the cabin, making Nihlus heave a sigh.
"Spirits, that's Tela Vasir's Ship. Even if I tried talking with her over the ships comms she won't back down. I'd bet she's the one who hired the Batarians to go after Liara!
"What?!" Liara exclaimed in surprise.
Desolas however, merely shifted his stance a bit. "How do you figure?"
"There's no proof, but many of us think she works for the Shadow broker. And there are many pieces of information pointing to the fact that she has far more money than most Spectres, which point to possible underhanded dealings."
"What would you suggest then?" Desolas asked curiously.
"We'll need to meet her to see what she wants, just know that she does not like the Alliance, and will be armed."
"Ha, she better be. She'll be boarding our ship by a shuttle, and if she tries anything we'll just kick her out of the airlock!"
"But, she' a Spectre, you can't do that!" Liara suddenly said.
Desolas looked to Liara, noticing a worried, but strangely defiant look in her eyes. "I think you misunderstand her, Doctor T'soni. She is making demands of a sovereign Alliance ship. If she pisses us off, we can make up or find a multitude of reason to do exactly that, or worse to her. And if she tries to use Biotics, I'll tear her limbs off, sear the wounds closed and toss her into the void myself!" Desolas declared viciously, arcs of electricity jumping between his fringes and making Liara step back nervously.
"That will not be necessary, and I must insist you do not attempt to take the life of another Spectre, on the off chance he annoys you!" Nihlus stated as he took a step up to Desolas and tried to cow him with his gaze. It did nothing and Desolas merely let out a laugh, his mandibles bending in a way that was unnatural, making Nihlus uneasy instead.
"This is mine and Adaaya's ship, so I'll do as I please. Don't forget that you are simply along for the ride, and I'd suggest showing a bit of respect to Adaaya as well, as she was against finding your little doctor here, Spectre!" Desolas said ominously before glancing upwards. "Joker, sitrep."
"The cruiser is still aiming at us, but a shuttle has left it and is heading toward us, despite the fact I had not yet told them we acknowledged. Oh wait, hang on a second. . . . . . They're demanding we open our hanger now, and are saying they don't care if we acknowledge or not. Pushy."
"Adaaya?"
"Is in the hanger bay with Wrex, Tali and Garrus. Kaiden and Ashley are supposedly trying to get back, but had gotten into the showers supposedly."
"Understood, tell her I'll be there in a second, with both our Spectre and new addition with us," Desoals stated, much to Nihlus and Liara's surprise as he turned and opened the door.
"Doctor T'soni is a non-combatant, she will not be-"
"I have a feeling that your Spectre friend is after either you, or her, so you both are coming so we can ascertain what this friend of yours wants," Desolas declared as he walked out, small Jolts of electricity trailing behind him.
" . . . Goddess, I've never seen a Turian so arrogant! And what was wrong with his mandibles?" Liara asked fearfully.
"He's not a Turian, not anymore," Nihlus admitted quietly as he walked over to the bed and grabbed his rifle off of it. "And I don't think it was arrogance. I think he meant every word."
"But, there's no way he could beat you or any other Spectre, right?" Liara asked hopefully.
"You know who he is, right? Desolas Arterius, bother to Saren Arterius, survivor of the contact war, first Turian magician, and one of the first to join to Alliance. He saw what they could do firsthand, and then joined them. And after seeing him in action today, I honestly don't think I could take him."
"But you're a Spectre?" Liara pressed, sounding shocked by Nihlus's words.
"Doctor, how long have you been out in the field?" Nihlus suddenly asked as he began re-donning his armour.
"Uh, a little over seven years, why?"
"Then you don't know. Some Spectres tried to infiltrate Alliance space to find information on them, but few have ever returned alive. Their bodies, usually just their heads, are returned to the council. Since this, Alliance operatives have been considered on par with most Spectres, at least publicly. In truth, many believe that the Alliance has yet to show its true strength, even during the first contact war."
"What? But they devastated the Turians forces in that war, and then went on to devastate the Batarians home world as well! No one could do that while holding back!"
"That's why the council is holding back when dealing with them, and why almost no Spectre takes them lightly now. No one is sure why, but the Alliance is planning something, and everyone wants to be ready for it," Nihlus explained as he finished putting his armour back on and then left the room, Liara following after him nervously.
"I had heard that their ambassador is cocky and constantly causing problems for the council but . . . . . if all of that is true, why? What are they planning?"
"No one knows, and any time the idea has been mentioned to any Alliance person, they apparently laugh it off. Especially the ambassador. I heard that when the council asked, her response was something akin to a 'you'll find out when it happens'."
"That . . . is absurd! How can the Council allow such a thing!?"
"Because they don't have a choice right now," Nihlus said darkly as the two of them entered the hanger again. The back of it was fully open, showing the void of space outside, the atmosphere only being kept in by what appeared to be a glowing green field of energy. Standing in the centre of the hanger was Adaaya and Desolas, while Wrex and Garruss stood to their left, near a group of crates and metal plating. Across from them, Tali stood in her heavy armour, giving Liara her first view of a mechanically suited up Quarian. Above her on a walkway stood both Kaiden and Ashley, holding what appeared some form of large heavy weapons in their hands stoically. Everyone appeared ready for a fight, and from the way arcs of electricity were coming off Desolas, and the way Adaaya's wings were twitching, they were hoping for it.
"So, how long until they arrive?" Nihlus asked as he walked right up beside Desolas.
"About time you got here, I wasn't walking that fast. Joker, how long?" Desolas called out.
"About a half minute, if that cruiser doesn't keep sending reminder pings to not move or activate weapons. Not like they aren't already active," Joker replied, sounding very annoyed.
"Good, then we can deal with these blue shits!" Adaaya said angrily. A few seconds later they could see the shuttle approaching. It was a generic shuttle common among the council forces, but was painted solid blue and had no markings. The shuttle glided gently towards the field and began going through it, but as it did, strange green arcs of energy began jumping across its hull, and as soon as the shuttle was fully inside the hanger, it fell to floor with a crash made many wince.
"Yeah, I figured as much," Adaaya said with a sigh. "They want to board us, but don't have their shuttle properly protected from magic, bloody blue idiots."
Hearing Adaaya speak so ill of her people, and seeing the shuttle crash so unexpectedly, Liara took a step forward to speak, but stopped when she saw Nihlus glance at her and shake his head slightly. A second later the doors on both sides of the shuttles creaked open with a shower of sparks and the groans of bending metal. As they fully opened a full squad of six Asari in full armour with weapons in hand and at the ready came out three to each side. They quickly fanned out and all dropped to one knee, aiming their weapons at everyone assembled. Finally, a moment later a seventh Asari came out, holding a large pistol in one hand while her uncovered face held contempt and disgust.
"So, forgot to shield your shuttle from magic, huh? Pretty basic mistake, don't you think?" Adaaya said first just as the Asari opened her mouth to speak.
"Silence! You humans need to learn your place!" The Asari called out loudly as she pointed her gun at Adaaya, then shifted it to Desolas, then Nihlus, unsure who to point it at. "Regardless, you are ordered to hand over Doctor T'soni immediately, she is too important to the Asari Republic for the Alliance to endanger with their disgusting breaths!
"You are not Tela, you are her subordinate, correct?" Nihlus asked carefully, his talons not even moving for his weapon as he stood there calmly.
"That is correct. Why does it matter, you have your orders!" She spat back.
"I am Spectre Nihlus Kyrik, and while this may be an Alliance vessel, I am on it as part of my mission, and rescuing Docto T'soni was part of my mission as well. Tela Vasir has no right to get in the way of my mission!"
The Asari had a look of shock, but quickly put her free hand to her head, muttered a bit, and then slightly nodded. "Your mission is less of a priority than my leaders, you will hand over Doctor T'soni immediately so that her life is not endangered by Alliance lies!"
"Why am I so important?" Liara suddenly asked, surprising everyone.
"Excuse me?" The Asari captain asked in confusion as she stared at Liara.
"I asked why I am so important. I may be a Prothean researcher, but my studies and reports have been largely overlooked in the past. To most Asari I am simply a young one who has yet to settle down. I have done nothing yet that the Asari Republic would be interested in keeping me alive for! So why are you so interested in me?"
The hanger was silent for a few seconds as the captain, and the Asari under her, all simply gawked at Liara.
"Why do you not just accept it and come with us?" the captain then said, seeming to ty to ignore Liara's self-depreciating words. "The Asari Republic consider you important, so leave with us, and let those Alliance fools end themselves!"
"Well, I-," Liara began until Nihlus spoke up again.
"Enough of this. Get Tela Vasir on the line to speak with me now!" Nihlus demanded as he smiled. "Or does she intend to attack and intervene in another Spectres mission?"
The Asari captain took a step back, clearly unnerved by Nihlus's words, but quickly put her hand to her head and began muttering to herself. Then she raised her pistol at Nihlus, and her free hand came down, alighting with blue biotic energy. "Understood. Nihlus Kyrik, by the command of Tela Vasir, you will die by my hand for forgetting that it is the Council that you serve and that these Aalliance fools are-,"
A crack of lightening deafened the room as the captain was sent flying backwards into the wall right at the edge of the green field. Her body fell to the ground limply, steaming from heat and energy and filing the room with the sudden smell of charred flesh.
The other Asari all looked at Desolas, a hand raised at where the captain had stood, purple electricity arcing across his body as metal liquefied out of slots in his armour and began forming floating blades that slowly spun around him. His face was expressionless, but his words were thick with anger and echoed in the hanger, prompting a slaughter to follow. "Kill them."
A pair of brilliant beams lanced out through the hanger, coring two separate Asari as the beams burned past their kinetic barriers and through their bodies. The four remaining Asari tried to move while firing at anything and everyone, only for one to get tackled back into their shuttle by Wrex. Another took a trio of shots from a rifle, the first two popping their barrier, and the third burying into her helmet. Another was quickly dropped by Nihlus as he rushed her, knocked the weapon out of her hand and then broke her neck, while the last was thrown back into the shuttle by Adaaya. Then, much to Nihlus's surprise, Adaaya walked to the front of the shuttle, now with two injured Asari in it, and kicked it right out of the hanger and into the void. Their flailing bodies drifted out of the shuttle as it drifted away.
"Now then!" Desolas said with a grin as he walked over to the Asari he had struck with lightning and lifted her up by the throat. "Did you really think that we'd let you come here and act like you were in charge? Did you think I would let you use Biotics here!" He yelled as he threw her body through the field and out into the void.
"Joker, get us out of here before-," Adaay spoke up, only for the entire ship to shake, and a strange glow to flash outside in space around them.
"Too late, that cruiser has opened fire. Closing hanger door and escaping now, hold on tight!" Joker voice echoed in the hanger as its outer door slammed shut faster than was probably safe. The entire ship then accelerated, causing most people to lose their balance. The ship shook a second time, then a wave of energy passed over it, making Liara spill the contents of her stomach. "There, we're in slip space, ETA to nearest system, about ten minutes."
"Good," Adaaya muttered as she glanced around as everyone got up or stabilized themselves. "Haaa, debrief in one hour, provided no other friends of yours come to make demands!"
Nihlus merely shook his head. "No. This confirms that Tela is not on our side, though. She would not have ordered her people to attack if she was still working for the council. Something is up."
"No, really? I didn't notice that, Turian," Wrex muttered in annoyance as he rolled his shoulders. "Fastest I've seen Asari commandos go down though.
"Only the one was a commando," Nihlus countered.
"Doesn't matter, everybody get cleaned up. Once we debrief, then we'll decide our next move!" Desolas said as he and Adaaya quickely left the hanger.
Everyone else followed at their own pace, with Nihlus helping Liara up and out. The last person to leave however, was Garrus, who waited until everyone else had left. Once he was alone he walked over to one of the Asari corpses, the one he killed and looked her body over, quickly finding not only a datapad, but her omnitool in good condition. A smile formed on his face. " Well now, let's see what we've got here!"