Date: May 4th, 2357

Time: 03:00, Galactic Standard

Location: Commander Vyrrnus' Office, Separatist Black Site, Gothis

"She's not here"

I shake my head. "Anything in those files that might tell us where she is?"

Nihlus' mandibles twitch. "Possibly. Lemme take a look… Odd, she's not in the normal registry, let's see… Oh, spirits, that's why"

I look over to the Spectre. "What'd you find?"

Nihlus sighs. "She's in the operating room right now. Seems Vyrrnus wanted another 'subject' to experiment on"

The implications of that disturb me. "You mean like all those people we saw on our way here?"

Nihlus nods. "Exactly like those"

I frown. "We need to get to her"

"We also need to grab Vyrrnus" Nihlus says, as he transfers the files to a data module

"Hopefully the two of them will be in close proximity. Two birds, one stone"

Nihlus ponders this for a moment, then nods. "Given Vyrrnus' extreme sadism, he'll probably be in or near the operating room"

"Let's go then"

"Hang on"

I shake my head. "What?"

Nihlus holds up a large bag. "Personal belongings, I think. Helmet, some pieces of equipment I don't recognize, one heavily customized R-99 SMG"

I nod. "That'd be the Commander's gear, alright. Now can we go?"

[-]

Time: 03:42, Galactic Standard

Nihlus opens up the sliding door. It's really dark. There's no one present, save for a heavily malnourished, mistreated and abused body.
It's Melissa.

"Nihlus, it's her" I whisper to the Spectre

Nihlus nods. "And no sign of Vyrrnus anywhere. We'll need to check – "
A noise from the table, and Nihlus turns around. Melissa's woken up, and…
Her hands are glowing with a blue energy.
She snaps the manacles binding her to the operating table off, then sits up and does the same to the ones binding her feet.
Nihlus walks over. "Damn, that bastard did it"

Melissa's breathing hard. I can barely hear her speak. "Did… what?"

"He manufactured a biotic. He turned you into a biotic"
Melissa stands up, but her knees buckle as soon as she puts weight on them. Nihlus catches her.
"We need to get you out of here"
The door slides open, and two separatist guards step in. I raise the R-99, but Melissa is faster. Her hands still glowing with that blue aura, she swipes left, breaking one guard's neck, then swipes right, doing the same to the other separatist guard. She then blacks out

Nihlus shakes her head. "David, take point. I'll carry our friend"

I nod. "I'm gonna make the call"

Nihlus sighs. "Okay"

I raise the emergency radio on my omni-tool. "Logical Approach, this is Bravo Actual, do you copy?
Silence.
A few minutes pass… "Logical Approach, this is Bravo Actual, do you copy?
I shake my head. "I'm getting nothing"

Nihlus sighs. "Probably a jammer of some sort blocking comms. We'll need to find it and shut it off"
I nod and open the door. I check the hallway for hostiles. Surprisingly enough, it's clear.

"Clear left… clear right. Did those files include a map?"

Nihlus shakes his head. "Unfortunately, no. Vyrrnus knew the base like the back of his hand. Our dead guards should have one though. Personnel is on a rigid rotation schedule"

I check the bodies. Sure enough, each one has a map program in their omni-tool. I transfer one to mine and send the other to Nihlus. I check mine… "Found it. It's on the far west side of the compound"

"So, only a whole base of angry Separatists to get through"

I chuckle. "You make it sound so easy"

Nihlus smirks. "So, we'll need a distraction. Ideas?"

I think about it for a moment. "How about a prison riot? After all, a large portion of prisoners here are part of the general population, not under Vyrrnus' direct overview"

"A general riot could work, but we'll need another element to make it a sure distraction, rather than a routine occurrence"

I nod. "Let's see… arms locker… Well, well, well. Looks like Vyrrnus got a hold of some Stalkers and Reapers somehow. We reprogram those…"

Nihlus grins. "And let them loose on the guards"

I nod, grinning. "Let's start a prison break"

[-]

Time: 04:19 Galactic Standard

"Nihlus, I'm approaching the robotics section"

"Good, let me know when you're at the main control room"

"Wilco. Be careful out there"

"Same to you. Out"

I open the door to robotics and step inside. I didn't think the base could get any darker than it was in the operating room, but this is ridiculous. It's near pitch-black in here. I activate my night vision module, and the room lights up on my visor. I make my way through the racks of machines, when I stumble across a dead body with an audio recording nearby. I blink, thinking something's tricking my brain. Then I check his tags…
It's Kuben Blisk.
"Hey Nihlus"

"Yah?"

"I just found our errant war criminal"

"Vyrrnus?"

"No, Kuben Blisk"

"Well then. You find out what happened?"

"There's an audio recording nearby. I'm about to"
I pick up the recording and start it

"Let go of me!"
Sounds of scuffling, then a loud thud

"The hell… Where are we?"

"Your grave, Blisk"

"My name isn't Blisk, it's MacAllan!"

"We know who you are, Blisk. Your Titan friend had all kinds of secrets"

"What have you-"

"Enough. You will die here, Blisk, among the machines your Simulacrum friend helped perfect"

"What? You can't mean… "

"Goodbye"
The sound of a Reaper drowns out the old Pilot's voice. I stop the recording.

"Killed – mangled, really – by a Reaper"
I reach down, pull the Pilot's helmet off and take the jump kit. "There's an intact Titan somewhere in here. Once I activate the array, I'm gonna find it"

"Don't you need certification for that?"

I grin. "Ask Jack Cooper about his certification. I guarantee you'll find the story most interesting"
I take off my helmet, don the Pilot helmet, and attach the jump kit to my suit
'Pilot Helmet OS activated. New User detected'
'Sergeant David Anderson'
'Initializing Display'
The R-99 appears, with a heat monitor underneath. A count of my grenades appears, as well as a pulse knife module. A radar module appears in the upper left portion of my screen, taking the map data from my omni-tool to populate it
'Jump kit calibrating to new user… 10%'
I make my way to the control center, running with the kit's assistance.
"You better be careful with that equipment. I can't carry both of your asses on my shoulders"

"I'll be fine Nihlus. I did some training with the Commander not long after the attempted raid on Elysium, at her insistence. She's of the opinion that I could be a good Pilot"

"Alright then"

I arrive at the main control room. "Nihlus, I'm looking at the control panels for the robotics array. You in position?"

"Yep. Hit it"

I reconfigure the IFF protocols, then start the activation protocol. Reapers and Stalkers are lowered onto the catwalk, then march out of the room"

"Reapers and Stalkers headed your way. You won't have any trouble – they're configured to only recognize us and the prisoners as allies. I'm heading to find that Titan now"

[-]

It doesn't take long for me to locate Blisk's titan. It's in the back of the robotics facility, deactivated. I shake my head. They gave him a Ronin-class Titan, sword and all. I pop my neck and start looking around for the eezo batteries. The Titan emits a pulse as I approach, searching for power sources. Two viable power sources appear, below the walkway. I sigh, climb down, and retrieve one of the batteries. I climb up, insert it, climb down, grab the other, and insert it.
"Systems at full power. Initializing optics module… You are not Blisk"

"Afraid you're right there. I'm David Anderson"

"Searching database… David Anderson. Sergeant with the Frontier Militia Fleet. Son of the late Major Eli Anderson of the Special Recon Squadron"

"Yup, that's me"

"Pilot certification… Learner's certification given by Pilot-Commander Melissa B. Cooper of the Marauder Corps"
The hatch opens up and I climb in.
"Protocol one: Link with Pilot. Establishing Neural Link…"
Green lights, like those inside the simulation pod I trained in after Elysium, light up in the Ronin's cockpit, as the Titan links with me
"Sergeant Anderson, you are now confirmed as Learning Pilot of NAX-4170"

Breath in, breath out. "Let's get moving, eh?
The neural link makes it easy for me to operate Nax
"How did you end up with Blisk?"

"I was captured by the IMC and forced to link with Kuben Blisk. When we were captured on Thracia, I saw the opportunity to rid myself of him, and provided the separatist general known as Desolas Arterius information regarding his affiliations and methods. He was subsequently executed I was told before being shut down. I am unaware of how, though"

"I can clear that up for you. He was torn apart by a Reaper"

"I see. Thank you for this information, Sergeant Anderson"

I think a bit. Where had I heard that name before?
"Nax, who is Desolas Arterius?"

"Desolas Arterius is the commanding general of forces on Gothis. Affiliation: Turian separatist faction 'Hierarchy Resurgent'"

Interesting... "Nihlus, come in"

"Nihlus. Something new?"

"Yah. I'm on my way to the jamming tower. Our titan friend was a captured Frontier Militia titan, and prisoner of Kuben Blisk. Moreover, I think I know who Vyrrnus was answering to here on Gothis"

"And who would that be?"

"Desolas Arterius"

"Desolas? Confirm, is this correct?"

"Confirmed"

"… shit. Saren's not gonna be happy"

"Why?"

"That's Saren's older brother"

Big breath out
"Pilot, are you distressed?"

I nod. "Yah. That general is the older brother of a Spectre friend of mine"

"You are concerned about how your friend will respond"

"Yah"

We burst out of the side of the facility, sword and shotgun at the ready. "Nihlus, the distraction is working perfectly. I'm looking at the jamming tower right now, and there's not a single separatist here"
Nax and I walk over to the tower. We use the broadsword and destroy the jamming device at the bottom of the tower.

"Jamming tower disabled. Logical Approach, this is Bravo Actual, do you copy?"

"This is Logical Approach Actual. Confirm, Bravo Actual"

"Deploying beacon"

I hop out of Nax's cockpit and deploy the signaling beacon. "Logical Approach Actual, copy signal read?"

"We copy, Bravo Actual. You are now confirmed"

"I've recovered a Ronin-class Titan and need CASEVAC. We have a priority package and VIP"

"Bravo Actual, dropship launching"

"Solid copy. Bravo Actual out"
I turn around and start sprinting towards Nihlus' position.

[-]

Time: 06:16 Galactic Standard

"Nihlus, friendlies approaching on – "

"I could hear you sprinting a mile away. You don't mess around, do you?"

"Well, there were a few guards Nax and I had to deal with on our way here"

"Nax?"

"That would be me, Spectre Nihlus. I am NAX-4170"

"Ah"

I hop out of Nax's cockpit. "I reactivated him in the back of the Robotics Center. Idiots left his eezo batteries underneath the walkway"

Nihlus barks a laugh. "Proof that the Spirits have a sense of humor"

I grin. "There's a Widow dropship on approach, to make transporting Nax easier"

I spray down an approaching Separatist guard with the R-99. "Should probably start moving. Nax, follow me and Nihlus, and deal with any stragglers"

"You know, blowing my cover like this is rather fun, to be honest"

I chuckle. "Only a daredevil would say something like that"
Another guard approaches, then gets crushed by a Reaper leaping onto him
"Damn, that's brutal"
Two more guards approach, and I blast them with accurate fire from the R-99. I hear Nax swing the broadsword, dealing with enemy stragglers

I see the dropship approach. "There's the dropship! We need to move, now!"
I sprint towards the Widow, along with Nihlus and Nax. Under heavy fire from guards, we scramble on board and close the doors. "Get us out of here!"

[-]

Date: May 4th, 2357

Time: 09:32 Galactic Standard

Location: Medical Bay onboard STG-RV "Logical Approach"

"Damn. What did they do to her?"

I shake my head. "Nihlus said that Vyrrnus was running a supersoldier program to make unstoppable turian soldiers. He was subjecting prisoners to torture and extreme procedures to design a procedure to show to the commanding general"

"Who's this general?"

I turn to Saren. "Your brother, Desolas"

Saren closes his eyes, and clenches his fist. "Dammit. That spirits-damned brother of mine gives me no end of grief. His betrayal brings dishonor upon my parents, my other siblings, and myself"

Saren turns to face me. "Word is you found your war criminal down there on Gothis. How did the fight go?"

I shake my head. "There was no fight. Nax got him killed before we found him"

Saren raises a brow. "Really?"

I nod. "He was mangled by a Reaper"

"Damn"

"Sergeant Anderson, Spectre Nihlus to the bridge"

"Looks like you've been summoned"

I nod. "I better get going"

[-]

Date: May 4th, 2357

Time: 11:47 Galactic Standard

Location: Medical Bay onboard STG-RV "Logical Approach"

I open my eyes to a white, sterile room. I see Kirrahe and an Asari doctor talking with Doctor Chakwas. Had I really escaped that dreadful prison?
"Water, please"

Doctor Chakwas turns to me, handing me a bottle of water. "Slowly now. You're severely dehydrated"

Kirrahe nods. "Welcome back to the land of the living, Commander Cooper"

I look around. "Where is everyone?"

"Sergeant Anderson and Nihlus are being debriefed by Admiral Graves and Councilor Sparatus. Marauder Corps and the rest of Bravo Squad are just outside, if you want someone else to talk with"

I shake my head. "Current company is fine"

Chakwas sits down. "Okay then. Talk to me"

[-]