Shepard really had a great many secrets. But only one held much power over him. That secret was revealed on Feros; not all at once you understand, but in gradual stages. Most of his crew knew something made him fear closeness, but held too much respect to pry.
Yet, what builds bridges among friends more quickly than battle? No VeeOne; that was a rhetorical question. Yes I'm aware of the Turian Special Engineering group – mute. Mute!
Ahem. As I was saying. There is no other method for making friends than shared danger. Having people willingly dive into the jaws of death at your side engenders value. Strangers caught in a bombardment can come out with closer connections than they do with their own flesh-and-blood. That is what happened to Shepard … and the realization he could let things go.
Dr. Arnold Pavenmeyer
~Project Ragnarök Files
Zhu's Hope, looked far different when seen from the opposite direction. It had been under fire when Shepard had entered from the shipyard the first time, via an aerial drop. From his position in the Mako, the walls looked taller, more foreboding. At the same time, the distant towers remained impossibly regal, watching the affairs of man rattle past. Roiling clouds of water, or perhaps dust from the never-seen ground far below, added to the majesty of the picture. Light from the system's mid-phase star reflected off the nebulous bodies, failing to reveal the hidden secrets of the dead civilization. It sometimes felt to Shepard as if Zhu's Hope had cleaner air than neighboring buildings. Perhaps … due to the Thorian? Or yet another hidden mystery of the Protheans?
The presence of a malformed gargoyle made of plants didn't help matters any. Its presence appeared new – nothing Shepard could remember when setting out.
"What … is … that?" Tali pointed.
Shepard took another look. "Some kind of hedge? Topiary, I think they call it."
He stopped the vehicle. The plant's basic shape was humanoid, but only superficially. Hands, curled around the legs locked in a fetal crouch lacked fingers; instead, four long claws extended from the palms, a grotesque imitation of a human's hands. Shepard tore his gaze away from the mocking hands to the face, only to see something worse; oiled, tear-like trails traced from hollow sockets where eyes should have been. The head was only made more eerie by the comically distorted cheekbones of a skull, smirking through a death's head grin.
"Can anyone hear me?" Ashley's strained voice cut through the atmosphere inside the Mako. "Please tell me you can hear me – no, non-lethal! Non-lethal! You heard me!"
Shepard slapped the tab. "Williams, I'm here. Sitrep!"
The relief was palpable in Ashley's voice. "Shepard, thank God; most of the squads are back in the Normandy. The colonists are … they went crazy. Punching and clawing at everything. Then these … these … creepy zombie things came out of nowhere. Can't really describe 'em except green and ugly as sin. They're crawling from the sides, through the vents, everywhere! One of 'em hit the relay tower, engineer just rigged a temp fix up here."
"Where are you?" Shepard eyed the unmoving green statue of a man next to the street entrance. Its skull-like grin flaunted arrogance personified.
"Topside, in the mech. They got Hodgkins, he's hurt bad. Willens and Sigurd are holding them off at the Docking bay, the rest are up here with me."
He took a moment to think. Keeping calm in a crisis saved lives. "Are the …" zombie felt unprofessional. "Creepers human?" That wasn't any better.
"Negative, negative. We have colonists fighting alongside creepers." Ashley latched onto his term immediately. "Don't know how or why,but the creepers are … protecting them. It's gone all FUBAR, sir."
That couldn't be good. But … if they weren't human … "Williams, lethal force on the creepers. Non-lethal on the humans. My squad has gas grenades that should be effective against both. When we breach, get Hodgkins out and help clear the rest of the floor." He paused, "We'll have to go underneath Zhu's Hope once we get the main floor cleared. There's a … plant … alien … thing … creature … under all of this."
"Yessir," Ashley's tone radiated dark humor. "Sounds like fun. Once we get most of those creepers out of the way, I wanna see this thing in person. Only polite thing to do after all the attention it's been showing a girl like me."
Shepard glanced over at Garrus, who shrugged. Female humor was alien to aliens as well then. "Sounds good to me. You'll know when we get in."
Laughter came over the line. "Follow the booms, gotcha. Good luck, Skipper."
Closing the link, Shepard caught Garrus smirking at him. Fearing the answer, he raised an inquiring eyebrow.
Garrus's smirk grew wider. "I wonder, does the term skipper mean anything in human literature? There are a quite a few euphemisms for captain in turian of course, and it's a downright common deviance among quarians, but … it looks like you are quite the ladies' man Shepard."
Ignoring the turian seemed to be the best choice at the moment. It was harder to ignore the suddenly attentive body language currently displayed by both Tali and Liara. "Open the garage door. If it's green like our friend over there, kill it. If it's human, gas it. Mix of the two, gas it. Clear?"
He didn't wait for a response, escaping into the comparatively simple war zone. His blade slipped out, decapitating the man-like hedge before it started moving. Vulnerable to melee weaponry. Good to know. Now all I need is some farming equipment. Mow 'em down without wasting a single round.
Groaning, the massive garage door began to rise, letting an unnatural rasping cry escape the widening opening. Shepard crouched at the sound, raising his blade in a simple guard while drawing a pistol. Through the widening gap, he could see more crouched green-hued forms, the more vibrant clothing of colonists mixed in the group.
Taking careful aim, Shepard fired the Brawler one-handed, wincing at the recoil. Recovering, he braced the barrel on his right forearm. Then, he stopped – sensing something off.
The squad pivoted around him, the near-artillery piece Wrex carried belching its storm of pellets into a creeper's chest, disintegrating it into mulch. Tali's quieter weapon punched straight through another creeper, damaging the rising bodies of yet more monsters behind. Gunfire, all behind me. None in front … except for that colonist.
Winding up, Shepard overhanded the makeshift gas grenade into the vicinity of the shooter. She and her partner – the second man partially hidden by the mass of green bodies – collapsed at the merest wisp of faintly yellow gas. Highly effective. Too effective maybe? Either them or us; not going to be us. But still … didn't see the second one until after the bodies hit the floor. Long rifles will go through a dozen bodies.
"Hold your fire," Shepard raised one fist in a universal signal. While taking small steps backwards, he kept his eyes on the oncoming creepers. "Any of you know how to fight hand-to-hand?" He risked a look, away from the meandering plant-like corpses. Three limbs were in the air: Wrex, Garrus and … Liara? "Doctor T'Soni, are you certain?"
An irritated snort responded. "Why is it everyone doubts an asari? Yes, I can."
He shrugged. "Alright. Garrus, Tali; watch our backs. Wrex, Liara, with me. We can't risk shooting the colonists, so we'll do an ol' fashioned bull rush. Humans get a grenade, everything else is dead."
A murderous chuckle emanated somewhere from deep under the ground, or so Shepard thought. Then he noticed the number of teeth Wrex was showing, and the eight-inch blade that had somehow appeared. It slid below the shotgun's barrel, clicking into place, emanating a deadly clicking sound. "I'm beginning to like you human. You got style."
A ball of synthetic fire appeared, curving around Shepard's shoulder to slap against a creeper. Its form disintegrated under the force, leaving just the limbs intact. Within seconds, those too vanished, leaving a green stain on the ground.
"Liara?" Shepard asked. She just gave him an innocent smile that looked remarkably rehearsed. He shook his head. "Garrus, go long and crowd control. Tali, keep communications open and watch his back. Anyone needs help, call. Move out."
Wrex moved fast, three-quarters of a ton lashing forwards, quick as a snake. The creeper receiving his attentions divided nearly in two from the shoulder across the torso. "One for me," he rumbled. The weapon's action ratcheted, booming a death knell for another monstrosity. "Two. Better catch up pyjacks."
Frozen in surprise, Shepard barely had the presence of mind to flick his ulfberht in a salute. Well, you wanted a show. The blade turned sideways, a mocking acknowledgement to the creepers. Here we go.
As if in response to the invitation, the entire mass lurched forwards. A clue.
Central control. Shepard lopped his blade through an arm, cutting it with surprising ease. One command center, many bodies. No time lag. A creeper stopped in front of him, throwing its head back as if to scream. On instinct, Shepard dodged as a foul-smelling liquid spewed from the creeper. The ground hissed, a small amount of steam rising from the puddle. To his widening eyes, the puddle shrank, becoming deeper until the liquid expended itself against. Acid. Very strong, higher than sulfuric. Weak musculature, acid throwers. Fun.
Cyan energy orbited past him, almost lazily tapping the one of the creepers. It floated upwards, hovering just a few inches off the ground, covered in a blue-tinted field. Shepard cast a glance back, to meet Liara's … unreadable face. The invitation was unmistakable however. Turning back, he undid the catches inside his gloves, releasing the connections deep inside his Nightstalker armor.
A pure white field emanated from his gauntlet, silent but blindingly bright. When it touched the floating creeper, the mis-matched biotic fields combined in a display of pyrotechnics unachievable by standard means.
His lips curled back. I've missed this.
Movement above caught his attention. Confident in Wrex's skill, he took his eyes from the battle. A colonist, trembling either from emotion or exhaustion, crawled over a cross-strut. Without breaking stride Shepard resumed his assault. "Garrus, one o'clock high. Gas him."
The shifting bodies cycled, becoming a pattern in his eyes. That was a talent of his, spotting the patterns. Chaos and order, woven amongst themselves, merging one within the other. A quick stroke upwards cleaved gravitic-forged steel through organic flesh, accompanied by a side-step to give Liara enough room follow through. Cyan energy arced behind his back, shredding into yet another creeper. Decaying plant matter smacked wetly, clearing a gap.
Good. Shepard leveled his pistol, firing downrange. Textbook rules stipulated verbal cues, guidelines for everyone. Reality held a different set of rules. Keep trusting them. They have your back. His Brawler sparked death at the creepers, following their movements unerringly. Make every shot count. Incoming left, tracking left, Shepard downed two more. Headshots, off moving targets.
Wrex speared the front of his shotgun through the torso of a creeper, lifting it upwards like a pitchfork. A ripple of purple fire emanated from the fist clutching the weapon's grip beneath the barrel, launching the body into the ceiling. "Come on," he bellowed. "Try to make it a challenge!"
The din of an oncoming group shook the pavement. Both Wrex and Shepard spun towards the sound, raising their firearms. Before they could open up, the roar of a different kind of thunder rushed. Before them, the ground erupted in streams of iridescent biotic fire, explosions rippling along the ground in bursts that strangely left the floor intact. The series of blasts continued onwards undeterred, detonating in the midst of the creepers. Each blast tore through the leaf-green legs, ripping them to shreds before flinging the rest of the body aside. Bits of vegetation smeared across the front of Shepard's faceplate, obstructing his vision until wiped it off.
As one, the two warriors looked back. Liara, arm already retracting, gave them an almost mocking gesture. "You were taking too long."
Suppressing a grin, Shepard led the charge for the airlock. That's where the resistance will start. Not this weak pushback.
Fighting through the levels of ancient prothean architecture felt … comfortable. Familiar. It was almost as if he knew exactly where each turn would be, like the complex N7 trainers used to on neophytes. Gleaming new walls and doorways bordering long stretches of rubble-filled piles gave a more jarring sensation than even he would expect, places that felt as out-of-place as the gap of a missing tooth.
Garrus held point this time, the final approach to the main hangar bay. Talons flipped upwards, lowering sequentially. As the last digit collapsed, Shepard rushed past, blade prepared. As a consequence, the two creepers standing next to the entrance didn't even make a sound. Or wouldn't have, if the weapon in his hands hadn't squelched through the sodden material composing their necks.
Shepard examined the blade, wincing at the acid marks. Have to clean it off, then see if I can buff them out. The markings drew his attention to the hilt portion, the length of blade just above the guard. Maybe use more of the blade. You paid for the whole thing, not just the last six inches; use it.
The nauseating groans of more creepers reached his ears. "How come we can't fight regular people?" he muttered. "Why does it always have to be a hive mind?"
Wrex stepped past, lumbering onward. "One-on-one is just for fun. Easy. We're hunting bigger game."
A horde of the creepers made their appearance. Shepard stood back, letting Wrex and Garrus tear their ranks apart. Between the turian's precision and Wrex's indiscriminate pellet-swarms, less than three creepers reached his position. Just as he readied himself for a quick slashing strike, a miniscule, glowing sphere lifted the remaining three off their feet, staggering even Wrex with its gravitic force.
Singularity … Shepard turned eyes to Liara. Few knew the intricacies of biotic combat better than he; and the total number of individuals capable of that remarkable technique ranged in the low hundreds. Only a dozen humans were capable of pulling off the lesser variation, none below a Tier VI on the intergalactic scale. Even among asari, the Singularity was reserved solely for the more powerful, and generally not learned until their fourth century. A little over her first century, and already mastered?
His eyes quickly shifted back to the miniature black hole. The lesser versions simply affected their immediate surroundings, neutralizing local gravity fields with their intensity. This one however … Shepard spent a moment simply watching a creeper flail at empty air before drifting into the pinprick-sized dot of pure black in the disturbance's center and … vanishing. A second creeper followed it into oblivion before the field collapsed. Instinctively, he ducked letting the feedback blast overhead. Admiration turned to irritation.
"Watch your fire!" Ignoring the shouted apology, Shepard pushed forward. Tali's shotgun roared from somewhere to his left – from high ground – giving him an opening.
"Ash, give me a barrage." Shepard highlighted a spot twenty meters ahead. "Miss the terminal if you can."
The whirring of automated machinery overhead met his ears. "Gotcha Skipper." The voice paused, before getting rebroadcast over the colony's public-address system. "Hey creeps! A little something – from me to you!"
Ducking again, Shepard rode out the shockwave of an artillery power-armor fusillade. The whine of light-assault jets soon followed. By poking his head from cover, Shepard could see contrails of the soldiers landing, assault rifles shooting death at professional grade rates. The sight brought a warm feeling to his chest, each form drifting through the sky. Fluid movements combined inherent mobility with the deadly grace constant training imbued, a beautiful sight for those so inclined.
Within seconds, the last of the creepers had fallen, the seemingly endless swarm beaten into submission. At least for now. Lord only knows when they'll be back, eh?
"Good work," Shepard tapped his earpiece, leaning back so he could see the stationary power armor above. "Williams, perfect timing. Everyone clear?"
"We're missing Fai Dan," the armored helmet swiveled around in a slow scan. "I have a headcount for the colonists. No news on Hodgkins. Got a couple heavy marines up here with cover fire if you need it."
"I copy," Shepard frowned at the mess of rapidly decomposing plant-soldiers. "See if you can get the colonists anywhere else. The Normandy doesn't have the room, and I don't trust Jeong. Just get them clear for now. Lock 'em in a warehouse or something and keep them down for now."
"Aye-aye, Skipper."
He did another quick look over the ground, searching for clues. "Tali, can you unlock the Borealis control? Credits to Crullers, they tried for an encrypt."
The quarian moved past, omni-tool already starting its glow. He watched her for a moment before resuming his search. If I were Fai Dan, where would I hide?
"It gets in your head … doesn't let you think …." A voice creaked. "You try to fight it, but the pain … the pain …"
Shepard's head snapped around. The voice was familiar. "Fai Dan?"
The bent shape of the old man appeared. His movements were slow, shuffling, each step in tiny motions. Agony hunched the old man's shoulders, fingers twitching. Shepard knew that kind of reaction; had inflicted that kind of pain. Slavers, rapists … none deserved mercy. But this man … "Why?"
Fai Dan jerked sideways, arm flailing before coming under control. It slipped into a pocket, out of sight. "It wants me to kill you. But I won't …."
Shepard stepped back at the rage burning in the other man's voice, and the gun suddenly appearing in his hand. None of the others had a good angle, even if they'd been in position to see what was going on. Garrus didn't have his rifle up, Tali's position at the terminal had her back partially turned, Liara didn't have the experience or training – and was too far away – and Wrex was too far. If he were careful, a quickdraw could take out something important; the gun itself, or a shoulder or hand. Pain wouldn't stop a man that already had every nerve on fire, but an impact could throw off aim.
Then, everything went wrong.
"I won't!" Fai Dan twisted the pistol, not at Shepard, but at his own head.
Desperately Shepard's pistol flashed out of its holster, trigger squeezing before the weapon fully expanded. Two gunshots split the air … and all Shepard could do was watch a body collapse.
I missed.
Around him movement ground to a halt. A marine crouch-walked forwards while a second covered him at an angle. The man poked Fai Dan's eyeball with the muzzle of his gun, tensing for a moment. His shoulders relaxed. "He's dead. Good shot Commander, right between the eyes."
Shepard nodded, expressionless. I missed. One inch to the right … and a man is dead because of it. His eyes flickered to the floor. No, because of some plant that's playing god with his pets.
He stared at the fallen man, at the mess two rounds in close proximity had made. Failure … "I was aiming for the gun."
The marine jerked. "Wha …? I mean … sorry, sir."
Space opened around Shepard – uncertainty in the air. Was … was it from him? He closed his eyes, centering himself once more. Not the first time you failed, it won't be the last. Pull it together, the squad needs you. Mourn later.
"Tali," the chill in his voice surprised even himself. "How's that terminal coming?"
"Almost have it," he caught her helmet peeking at him, whipping back to face the terminal. "And … done."
Shepard felt anger growing again. Too much, it's too much. Geth, Saren, the damned batarians. When will it stop? The comfortingly rough patches in his gloves, catches eager to unleash fury at his command itched to be used. The batarians will pay. All of them. Saren will die, as painfully as I can manage. As for the geth … they're a quarian problem. Focus: here and now.
"Commander? You alright?" A concerned voice. Who? It didn't matter.
He lifted one shoulder. "I'm good. Williams, get everyone in the Normandy except for a skeleton scout crew. Stay in contact at all times. Understood?"
"Yessir. Move it maggots! Get your butts in gear!"
The Borealis slowly rose under the force of the industrial crane, its mass shifting from side to side in obedience to physics. Shepard could see a clean place where it had once rested, centered on a squared off opening, steps leading into depths.
"Wrex, on point with me. Tali and Garrus, rear guard. Liara, in the middle. Move out." Shepard dropped from the position he'd maintained, just before Fai Dan had attempted suicide. At least there was a chance he'd been saved from that kind of fate. Only a chance, but a good death at least; fast and an end to pain.
The steps didn't move when Wrex landed a hair behind him and to one side. The krogan stamped once or twice, grunting approval. "Protheans knew how ta build. Pity they're all dead."
"Pity." Shepard clicked his omni-tool's tactical light. The depths yawned under his feet, jealously hiding its secrets. "I'm going to send a few more to join them. Soon."
The stairs descended for what was beginning to feel like eternity. The distance tracker in Shepard's HUD claimed they'd descended roughly half a mile, nearly four thousand steps. Through it all, Shepard kept up the pace, watching over the others and keeping a hand on his weapons. For once, there were no insane colonists or death-crazed machines trying to kill them – on the other hand, the stairway felt overcrowded, and at least a thousand steps longer than absolutely necessary.
Every step had to be taken in partial darkness, ancient lighting older than Earth's oldest civilization still operating in minimal capacity. Tiny points of light at distant intervals glowed at the edges of steps, only to fade by the time he reached them; artifacts from unknown designs. It created a haunting effect, like they traversed an endless path, a Mobius staircase without end.
Making matters worse, roots lined the walls, visible in the illumination from their weapons and sporadic wall emplacements. Half-formed creeper bodies sprouted from the roots with no attention to logic or order. Destroying them proved cathartic – a fact enthusiastically supported by the few marines accompanying the squad – but only raised the question of how many more lurked below.
Between exercise and the threat presented by artificial people, exercise was better.
"Hey, uh, Commander, I got a priority message for you. You'll probably want to hear it before you're out of range …."
Shepard paused, holding up one hand to stop the others. "Go ahead Joker."
A different voice filtered through the network. Human, hoarse to the extreme, yet filled with raw emotion – familiar. "Shepard. I'm not sure if this will reach you in time. I managed to track down my squad since we last spoke. They died in a Thresher Maw nest, to the last man. I've beentryingto find out why … but gotten almost nowhere."
A frown grew on Shepard's face. Wasting time.
"We met on the Citadel, you were escaping reporters, and I was attempting to get someone with some spine to get me answers. Well, I know you managed to get what you want – well done on that. I managed to get a name: Cerberus."
He grew still. Admiral Kahoku had been on the Citadel, searching for something related to Intelligence. The other name, a three-headed dog, guarding Hades, had made its appearance in the remains of the tower. What happened?
"It's a terrorist group now, but once it was a Black Ops organization. Decades ago it was given charge of alien investigations, but the founder died. Since then, it's gone wrong; very wrong. Everything I've been able to find is under Triple-R protocol. I've had to resort to threats to get anything done."
Triple-R … Redact, Retract, and Revise Shepard knew. Intelligence was very fond of the practice.
"The trail's leading me to Feros. I found another hit at Noveria, but my authority there is severely limited. At least at Feros I have rank and a station of Alliance soldiers to back me up. Although the way things are going, I wouldn't count on their support. Cerberus has gone completely rogue, Shepard. Biological warfare experiments, kidnapping civilians, killing entire squads … I have to stop them. But I don't know if I will. Meet me on Feros, I'll be in the port station. Please, hurry."
The message ended, leaving Shepard with a rush of adrenaline. Pieces were beginning to fall together now, almost faster than he could watch. "Joker, what's the timestamp on this? Why didn't I receive it earlier?"
"Um, it's listed as being set up … a week ago. Just before the comm blackout happened."
"Blackout? What blackout?" He didn't mean to be sharp, it simply came out that way.
"Ummm … one sec." The pilot dropped from the frequency for a moment. "The station told me the entire system was under a communication blackout just before the geth got here. An order from higher up; when the geth arrived, they blockaded the Relay, nothing came in or out. Now that the geth are gone, Admiral Hackett ordered all signal traffic resumed."
Shepard waved his hand forwards, directing the team's progress once more. "Forward this to Hackett, with my compliments. I want to know who ordered that blackout, and why."
Cutting off the switch, he rejoined his team. Liara acknowledge him, and turned back to Ashley's solid presence. Her steps visibly lightened as the sight of an end to the stairs came into view. "By the Goddess, light at last!"
Murmurs of appreciation echoed her statement, backs straightening. She hurried ahead of Shepard, checking the corners the way he remembered the Commandos preferring. "So all we have to do now is locate this plant and we … and we … we –"
Movement ground to a halt. Shepard pushed himself forward through the stalled advance, reaching daylight. He came to Liara's flank and found himself looking up. Then craning his head to see higher still.
"That," Shepard paused, at loss for words. A massive stalk, wide as a redwood, taller than the legendary trees on Eden Prime stretched before him. Superficially, it resembled a drupe, dangling over the tower's vast interior. Thick vines coiled along the walls, digging into the super-dense material; incredible strength evident in each bit of vegetation. "Is a plant? We might need bigger guns."
Wrex chuckled. "Always need bigger guns, never a bad thing."
The plant's form twitched, attracting their focus. A massive portion, suspended in the middle of the tower's gutted infrastructure, rotated in their direction. Its ponderous motion almost froze Shepard in place, until he remembered himself. "Ash, Wrex spread out. Tali, Garrus, take cover. Eyes open people."
Jumping, the squad moved to obey. In the staircase behind him, the sound of readying weapons made a welcome clatter. Half of Alpha squad had volunteered for this; their added firepower looked to be needed.
Groaning on a level that made the stone under Shepard's feet shake, the plant finished its movement … and stopped. Shepard estimated its size at over a third of the Normandy, taking almost the entire width of the building. The circumference of the Thorian somehow felt larger, edged by narrow walkways eroded by the passage of time and enough roots to populate a forest. Its pseudo-face seemed to look at him, watching with the patience one would expect from a plant. It didn't seem to precisely acknowledge him, just that motion had been sensed.
Shepard kept his weapons sheathed, waiting. Watching.
"Shepard …?" Ashley's Menelaus power armor whined into higher gear.
He nodded once. Immediately the armor shuddered into lockdown mode, one leg lowered to brace the upper half. Underslung rotary carbines hummed into position, twirling idly under her forearms.
Satisfied, Shepard took a long step to the side, and approached. The plant didn't follow his movements, either unaware, or keeping its concentration on the larger threat. The hair-like fringe below its pseudo jaw extrusion started working, dropping a foul-smelling liquid on the pavement's edge.
"Commander," Tali's voice came through the cavern, echoing in the emptiness. "There are a lot more creepers in here. But they're … dormant."
He raised an acknowledging hand, and gave Garrus a meaningful look. The turian flashed needle-sharp teeth in response. Casually, his omni-tool started fabricating proximity mines. Or at least, it was with small, unobvious movements. Making weapons never felt casual to Shepard.
The plant's face seemed to convulse for a moment, making sounds like a whale choking. A pair of feet suddenly appeared, lowering from the plant's orifice. A pair of long legs followed, quickly resolving into an extraordinarily fit asari … that also happened to be a deep, unmistakable green. Its dark pupils scanned the group from a crouching position, before she casually reached out to one side, catching an assault rifle as it also dropped from the plant.
Did that thing just … make … a weapon, or did it steal it from the geth? Shepard wondered. He revised his opinion of the plants capabilities. A person? A mobile, thinking, feeling person, or just an organic automaton? What else can it do?
The verdant-colored asari rose in an easy, fluid motion, rifle sliding back with the grace native to what seemed to be her species.
"Invaders." Her voice dripped regal arrogance. "Your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you only as meat, good only to dig and decompose. I speak for the Old Growth as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands that you be in awe."
Shepard remained silent as the last mote of empathy he had for the ancient being vanished. He narrowed his eyes. Plants weren't the only thing with patience, even if this one seemed to have a flair for Shakespearean theatre.
A hesitant voice whispered into his earpiece. "Shepard, Liara here. That is Shiala Ner'Sen, one of my mother's Acolytes. What … happened to her?"
He stretched his neck in Garrus's direction, continuing to ignore the green asari while disguising the motion. A few quiet discs orbited past a pillar, landing with the quietest of taps. A good question. Can't be an actual asari, unless she's been severely modified. Didn't think the asari went for that kind of genetic modification.
"Why have you come? You silenced the meat serving the Thorian. This cannot be allowed."
Shepard stared over the asari's shoulder, pretending he looked at her temple. At the same time, he palmed a short but extremely sharp knife from its pouch, all while faking an intense interest. The inflexible material of the plant's external wall stared back at him, unmoved. "Saren came to this world, looking for something. I hunt him. What did he want?"
The asari withdrew sideways, a decidedly organic twitch, yet not composed by any bipedal lifeform. "Saren sought knowledge of those who came before. Trades were made. Then the Cold Ones came, killing the flesh that would tend the next Cycle. Flesh fairly given!"
His head snapped up, fingers flexing around the hidden weapon. "The flesh was not Saren's to give. He holds no authority over this colony."
She straightened, sneering at him. The asari figure had an advantage for that; turians conveyed disgust through vocal tones, while salarians either over-emoted or were as expressionless as a stone. The emotive power of an asari, backed by the conceit of a lifeform old enough to call a dozen matriarchs children however …. "Those who came before boasted the same. You will fall as they did, scurrying to –"
Shepard glared at the plant's pulsating extrusion, ignoring the asari standing in front of its bulk. "Have a care whom you threaten, Old Growth. Your servants will never return, and your presence is known to the rest of my people. Bargain with me, or prepare to know the pain of a thousand feelers burn every time you deny me."
The Thorians internal mass began to roll, emanating a cacophony of furious gurglings and deafening pops. Shepard could feel the ancient plant's rage pressing down on him, stifling like the humid gusts before the storm. The asari lowered her head, arms spreading in a threatening gesture, like a spider's legs.
"Ash," Shepard pointed at the bulbous plant's lower growths. "Focus fire about two feet above the bottom, as big a hole as you can. Then use it for grenade practice. On my signal."
A vicious growl answered him, out of proportion for the smaller woman. "Yessir. Just say when."
"The rest," Shepard gave his squad an appraising look, "fire on targets of opportunity. Alpha squad, support Ashley."
Accepting their rumbled affirmative, Shepard looked back as the fake-asari tensed, her fists clenched tight. "The Old Growth sees the air you push as lies."
Shepard glided forwards, uncrossing his arms to show the blade he'd palmed extending from his hand. It sliced through the false asari's right forearm. "Hear me, Old Growth, and harken well. I am Shepard, of the System's Alliance. Your servants fell before my blade like the wheat of harvest. Hear me, or I shall destroy you as I did your servants."
The pseudo-asari didn't flinch. Its truncated limb didn't bleed, or show any sign of discomfort – except for a faint pulse of emerald-green light. It lunged silently, extending its remaining arm in a classic approach – evidently, the plant had acquired its knowledge from an actual asari, down to the combat maneuvers.
Shepard sidestepped the move, letting her biotically enhanced strike shatter the air beside him. "Now."
Twin rotary carbines, already warmed up, shredded through the green asari. Green pulp sprayed Shepard's torso before the fusillade began chewing into the Thorian's lower anatomy. It resisted, strong enough to resist the ravages of time, but the highly focused fire chipped away at the surface, digging deeper into the protective layer with every round.
"Shepard, the creepers are moving!" Tali's voice cut in his headset, over the sound of Ashley's roaring weapons.
Calmly, Shepard exchanged his razor-cutter for the Brawler. The rest of Alpha squad was already pouring fire into the side passages, quelling the horde of zombie-like monsters. He directed their fire at weak points, making only the infrequent attempt himself. Ashley's Menelaus suit, on the other hand, managed to puncture the outer portion of the plant-thing's layers, and began launching grenades into the gap.
"Set for ten, got a full magazine for the reload twice over," she announced. "Take that you son-of-a –"
The rest of her sentence was drowned out by a muffled explosion. The opening expanded, dripping a viscous fluid. It was … smaller than anticipated … more of a longer crack than what one would expect from a grenade salvo.
"Squad!" Shepard made a gesture. "Heavies, focus rocket on that thing. One volley, Williams get clear."
"Aye sir," the heavily armored woman ratcheted out of place, jerkily shifting to Shepard's side. "Personnel grenades. Should have brought anti-tank."
He shrugged, watching the three heavy marines line up their shots. There weren't really that many creepers present to count as a real threat; those that charged forwards were hitting the proximity grenades, detonating in showers of pulp. "It worked well enough against creepers and geth."
"Bounced off the bigger geth," she countered. One of her arms extended, launching a grenade into a group of creepers running across the open sides of the building's innards, like the parkour vids constantly being pumped out from the Inner Colonies. "We didn't even need them with you and Wrex slapping those things around. With Liara working as heavy artillery, you almost didn't need any backup period."
"One moment." Shepard's pistol snapped up, picking off a creeper charging a preoccupied marine. Spinning in place he bracketed another creeper with the weapon's iron sights, disintegrating its head in a single shot. A breath later, he jerked in the other direction double tapping the first creeper to show its malformed chest.
"Downside of heavy armor," he muttered. Another pair of creepers dropped from the ceiling, forcing him to break off again. One received a bullet in its leg, slowing it. Balling up his fist, Shepard punched the second creeper in the throat, stunning it long enough to execute the first creeper, and follow up on the second. After checking again, he tapped the cooldown. "A bit lacking in mobility."
The small portion of transparent material on Ashley's helmet allowed him to see her purse her lips in a silent whistle. "Damn sir, you sure you're not some kind of T-800?"
He spared her a raised eyebrow. The unexpected horde looked to be the last attempt for the creepers' attack. "A what now?"
The armor's static build somehow managed to convey an amused shoulder roll. "T-800, you know, Terminator series. They released the latest movie what, two months ago? They had Josef Schwartzkpofen playing the role. Not sure the movie was so great, but he really pulled off a good Terminator."
"I …" Shepard couldn't process it for a moment. "I haven't really been much of a movie person."
The armored shell nodded, then froze. "Cover!"
A trio of armor-piercing rockets launched past, plunging into the weakened superstructure of the Thorian. A heartbeat later, the entire body swelled, deforming unlike anything he'd seen before, exploding in a shower of thick liquid. Ashley lunged forwards, intercepting the majority of material. A large chunk struck her front, rocking the entire frame into Shepard's own armor.
"On the other hand," Shepard looked up from his newly strengthened appreciation of the ground, "There are some very definite benefits to the larger armor sets."
Electronically modified laughter emitted from the woman's speaker. "Everybody says that."
Another chunk of woody material crashed into the ground next to them. The impact didn't scratch the Prothean made surface, but the kinetic energy knocked Shepard sprawling once more. He laughed aloud, chuckling until the obvious tilt of Ashley's helmet made it clear he'd spent enough time enjoying the moment. Shepard rolled to his feet, shaking away the helpful hand offered.
"Wanna let us in on the joke?"
Shepard glanced around, noting the curious body posture of everyone around him. Alpha squad was still examining the branching paths, but the specialists were behaving as if he'd lost all sanity.
They could have been right. Nonetheless, they awaited an explanation.
"Fifteen years of slavers and everything the galaxy can throw at me," He nodded at the piece of wood lying next to him. "Proton storms, pirate attacks, mercs and whatever the heck goes bump in the night. All that … and the latest thing to almost kill me is a plant. One with delusions of grandeur maybe," he gave the remains of the Thorian a salarian gang-slang motion, suggesting its ancestry took pleasure in illicit activities, "but a plant all the same."
Wrex roared out a chuckle and slapped Shepard's back. "Big things to kill, good guns at your side. A good squad, Shepard. Proud to be part of it."
"Commander, Sigurd here. We have ahhh … situation."
Shepard stilled. "Go ahead Lieutenant."
"Two things, sir. There's some bodies here, pretty fresh. Definitely human, less than a week old."
Shepard frowned, the last of his good cheer vanishing. "And the second?"
"Um … there's an asari here. She's blue, but looks like one of those green thorian things you were kicking around … um, she's also claiming to be one of Matriarch Benezia's people. Want me to take care of her for you?"
The tone in his voice left no question about the permanence of the big man's solution. Shepard sighed. "No, I'm on my way. Stand by."
"Aye sir. If she moves, we'll give her the 'ol heave ho. Mighty tricky things, towers. Never know when someone might trip or something."
Shepard tapped off his pickup and groaned. "Remind me to never ask Sigurd to go undercover. He's as subtle as a … a …."
"A boot in the face?" Ashley helpfully supplied.
"Yeah. That."
The asari looked indeed like the others that had addressed Shepard at the Thorian's demand. Unlike them however, she wore a darker jumpsuit, one that didn't cling as tightly as the fake versions had. She also looked weary, arms sagging; he had no doubt her skills were sufficient to disable half the squad should she so choose … but then she would die. Fully rested was another thing entirely.
"Shiala? Shiala Ner'Sen? Is that really you?" Liara pushed ahead, ignoring how the human marines trained their weapons on the both of them.
Shepard signaled for them to relax, carefully observing the two asari. Liara's attitude looked worried, not the paranoid threat of discovery – he knew that well enough – but the concern one showed a friend. The other asari seemed relieved more than anything else; open palms, relaxed shoulders. It was simple enough for those with eyes.
"Liara T'Soni, are you a sight for sore eyes." The other asari hesitated, head twitching towards Shepard. "That is the correct aphorism, am I right?"
He shrugged. "Works in this situation. Probably."
Liara ignored him, flinging her arms around Shiala's shoulders. "When I heard Benezia had left, I knew you were with her. How did you escape?"
Shepard watched the two interact. While emotionally satisfying to see two old friends reunite, the more pertinent reason lay in Liara's familiarity. Unlike Garrus or Ashley, Liara could determine the authenticity of this … strange … asari with expertise the others could not match. She was also the least-accurate gunner, and the most powerful biotic – including his armor's capabilities. If this 'Shiala' proved hostile, a quick Throw would see her safely away, and the rest could be decided with a hail of gunfire.
The same chain of thought likely ran through Garrus's mind, he could see it in the turian's eyes. Tali would likely understand the reasoning, but long after the fact. Shepard focused on Wrex, whom was already in an easy cross-fire position, shotgun casually pointed at the ground, but the stock angled in such a way that only one movement would be needed to bring it to bear.
Krogan experience. Live long enough, and you'll see everything. Shepard felt envious for a moment, but pushed the emotion away. They pay for it. Every day.
"Commander, Shiala has it! She has what you need!" Liara bounced to her feet, pausing in a crouch to support Shiala. "She can help with the Prothean Beacon!"
The other asari still appeared weary, but interested. Very interested. "You withstood the Beacon, with no side-affects? Astonishing, you must have a magnificent mind."
Slightly uncomfortable, Shepard took a step forward, lowering himself far enough to avoid being hit by friendly fire. "Do you have what Saren wanted?"
She nodded, likely aping a mannerism she'd seen humans perform. "I have the Cipher. Saren needed it to translate the Eden Prime Beacon; it was damaged. Incomplete. The Thorian has – had it, and now it is in my mind. Do you wish for me to give it to you?"
Shepard backed up in lightning fast steps. "Wait, you mean giving it? As in, planting it in my head?"
The asari tilted her head to one side. "Of course, how else would you be able to comprehend the knowledge? Protheans viewed the world far differently than we do; it is like describing the color of invisible light, or a sound no one can hear. A pity the Thorian had to die … its thoughts were … incredible."
"That tasted purple," Ashley muttered under her breath. Shepard gave her an arched look.
"It might be better to wait," he suggested politely, "My head is a little … dangerous … right now. Perhaps –"
"I'll do it," a young voice interrupted. Shepard blinked to see Liara standing much closer – he hadn't seen her move. She looked … excited. More so than when the Normandy had discovered an ancient asari satellite, stuffed to the brim with ancient, classical literature. Or even when he'd demonstrated a limited capacity for unlocking Prothean energy barriers.
Shepard held out an open palm, stopping her advance. "Liara, are you sure? We don't know –" he stopped to give Shiala an apologetic look – "we don't know exactly what this data is …."
Bright blue eyes sought to meet his, before he looked away. "I am certain, Shepard. You do not have reason to trust Shiala. I am capable of defending myself inside the Meld, better than any human. When I link with her, I can examine her honesty, and perhaps … keep a copy of the data?"
He closed his eyes, weighing the options. The Fury agent back on the Normandy, the one that had so nearly achieved what Hegemony slavers had been trying to do for over a decade loomed in his mind. Worst case, Liara dies, no data. Best case, data gets replicated, good if something happens to me.
A different thought entered. Specialist's squad. Talk to Tali about Geth, take Garrus on crime scenes. This is Liara's field … only an idiot would pretend to be an expert.
Slowly, he forced his eyes up to meet hers. He nodded, once. "If Shiala kills you, I swear …."
Gravel, shaken from the walls in the battle, scraped under Shiala's boots. "Very well, if that's what you believe. I promise this is the only way for you to comprehend the Beacons. Not even a Matriarch would be able to decipher what the Protheans thought. Agreed?"
You'd be surprised. Shepard considered what he'd deduced so far; machines of death, terrified people running from them in absolute chaos. Very similar to geth, and the husks. Success or failure isn't likely to depend on this, not really. But I have to try everything. Just make sure the Will and Testament is ready. Right?
Shiala must have read his expression. "Very well, Liara T'Soni, are you prepared for this gift?"
Liara turned her full attention to her friend. "More than I'd ever thought possible."
Shepard tuned out the ritual chant, watching their body posture instead. While neither touched physically, his visor managed to catch a trace amount of energy wisp through the air, connecting the two asari. Unlike the normal biotic energy signatures, this one climbed so high on the frequency chart to be invisible to the naked eye.
"Garrus, Ashley, can you see that?" he nodded at the phenomenon.
"Trying not to … sir." Ashley sounded physically ill.
Garrus on the other hand, made a little gesture with his primary finger. "Adjusting … it's a lot stronger than I'd thought."
That brought Ashley up again. "Oh … the twisty things? Looks kinda like what had you Shepard, back on Eden Prime."
He agreed, silently. Prothean technology appeared to have mastered the asari mind-linking capabilities on an entirely artificial level. It brought back … painful memories. Like that teddy bear, sitting in his locker.
Nearly fifteen minutes later, the two asari broke apart. Liara fell back, supported by Tali's quick action, while Shiala seemed relatively unharmed.
"Doctor? Liara?" Shepard knelt by the prone asari, gloved hand resting its sensor-input on her armor's override. Her vitals appeared normal, although the blood pressure seemed a bit high for an asari.
"She will be fine. The memories of an entire people are …" Shiala lowered into a crouch, one hand resting on the wall. Her breathing did appear somewhat strained, now that he paid closer attention. "Difficult to process. The essence of an entire race, distilled into a single comprehensive whole; it is a glorious, terrifying burden."
Shepard turned in place, glaring at the asari. A protective urge rose; an emotion he'd most recently felt back when discovering the lost toy on Eden Prime. "And you want to put that in me? What did you do to her? She's comatose!"
A feeble motion jerked negatively. "Not … quite … Shepard."
Growling to himself, Shepard returned to the asari scientist. "Can you hear me? Liara?"
Her hand made another slight motion. "Barely … that took … a lot … out of me."
Shepard glanced at Garrus, who immediately moved forward to help. Hard as it was, Shepard stepped back, and focused his gaze on her eyes. "Did it work?"
"Yes …" Liara coughed. A long sip from a high-energy issue canteen seemed to put some life back into her. "But … be careful, Shepard. Asari do this … often. But … humans?"
That suggested a few options for the future … as well as a hint to the mystery of vanishing businessmen. Neural shock could devastate many species, but asari were practically immune to the kind of damage. Brain damage similar to Alzheimer's had been practically unknown among the species as a whole. Psychology was another matter entirely – but that could be considered later.
But first, there were precautions to take. "Ashley, keep an eye on the perimeter. Tali, work with Alpha squad, see if there's anything useful on the way up to the Normandy. With your suit, any contamination should be manageable."
He waited until the three acknowledged his orders, and moved. That left him alone with Shiala as Garrus moved Liara to a safer position. Engaging Shiala in small talk until they were out of earshot took more effort than he'd hoped, but still ensured a safety margin. Finally, when the area around him was secure, he turned his full attention to the former Commando. "If we're going to do this, I have to warn you about something."
Shiala lowered herself to a sitting posture. He read her attitude as attentive, but questioning.
"My brain is … different. Asari have a very difficult time working with it."
She tilted forwards. "Are you saying –?"
"I am compelled to warn you that if you are going to get inside my head, you might not make it back out intact. Or possibly sane. I don't know the full ramifications, but there is a chance that, should you attempt to engage in your usual manner, you will die." Shepard paused, weighing the costs and benefits. "An asari doctor, about eight years ago, tried to help me after a bad fight. She went into a coma – recovered fully two years ago."
One blue shoulder rose and fell; for such protective ideas, asari seemed to enjoy showing skin. "I just spent over a week trapped in a plant's seed pod, experiencing everything going through its mind – believe me, that's different."
"Point." Shepard tapped his comm once more. "Ashley, I'm going to try for the Prothean data. Take over until I'm back."
The whirring of powered armor answered a fraction of a second before the voice. "Gotcha Commander. I'll keep the boys out of trouble. Need anyone to … keep an eye on things?"
Shepard shook his head, eyes closed. "If anything goes wrong, no one else will be able to do anything. Semper Fi, Ash."
Good-natured grumbling faded as the group moved again. Shepard took a moment to admire Ashley's ease at command. Whomever had relegated her to colonial militia training had obviously made a gross miscalculation. The woman would make a formidable leader in the future.
"If you are ready, Commander? If I may, considering what we are about to undergo, may I call you Shepard?"
"Might as well," Shepard acquiesced without thinking. Going soft, Shepard.
He cast a final glance at the members of his squad, disengaging his armor. Despite his warning, there was a chance he would be the one failing to return. The sight of Garrus and the equally vigilant Ashley keeping an eye over the proceedings comforted him. Sending them further away was more of a precaution for what they might hear – not that they'd be able to affect anything in time from any position.
Forcing himself to concentrate, Shepard returned his attention to Shiala. The molten nature of her features evaded his attempts, merging at every effort. Closing his eyes and using a breathing exercise helped. Dimly, her ritualistic statements echoed past; flickering beyond his hearing in a ricochet pattern dissimilar to the previous effort.
Confused, Shepard opened his eyes, only to see twin black suns sucking away the light. The twin pools of darkness pulled on his vision, expunging every peripheral sight.
"Embrace Eternity!"
Time: Unknown
Location: Unknown
Vastness … nothing changes, or ever will. Sunlight – life-giving sunlight – strengthens all. Small scurrying things make demands, force obedience … then grant gifts.
Shepard winced. A throbbing sensation pulsed in time with his heartbeat. Pain was familiar, was family for long years. This was a different pain, but so very similar, a memory that intruded while staying outside. A mind specialist had tried linking to his mind before – he remembered – she'd nearly coded, then spent days exploring why. Annoying.
The little things crawled, feeding the weak into its tendrils. After each feeding, the Knowledge grew. Its Task continued: to cultivate the Knowledge.
Shepard's eyes closed then opened again; no difference. Something didn't feel right. The world moved both too slowly and at speeds beyond either Council or Alliance supra-light speeds. Data surged across his leaves, channeling through the vast network linked to his brethren below. No that wasn't right, humans didn't have leaves.
Learning … teaching. Those that scurry gave many gifts of such nature. Compared to the sessile members below, it grew far greater than had ever been possible. It began to be self-aware, to understand the concept of names. [Turns-back-time-with-gentle-strides] instructed, gave many flesh for learning. Called it the Thorian. Names made one different, made one special. It was right that one as great as the Thorian be given a name.
Colors and smells washed over Shepard, bewilderingly complex. Faces, aliens unlike any he'd ever seen before appeared and vanished. None stayed for more than an eyeblink, but some appeared again and again, changing as they did so.
Cold Ones appeared, things that bore the scent of fire. Cycles became disrupted, even more Knowledge gifted through the tendrils. Things it had never conceived of – imagination held no part of the Thorian – of worlds where none lived, where Its kin had never grown, all fed to grow the Knowledge.
The sheer abundance of color bombarded Shepard's senses. Surges of power bypassed visibility, passing straight through all the names he knew and bursting into the unknown regions. The brightness highlighted alien figures in fluorescent shades, outlining their forms in silver. Impressions of the shifting light stung, like ice crystals in a blizzard gale.
Fervor. Haste. Too much speed, so many things going through the Home. Strange things, larger than the Caretakers but of the same flesh seizing Flesh and stealing it. [Turns-back-time-with-gentle-strides], twitched, screaming on the floor while [Scent-of-oil-and-sky] performed rituals. Then, [Turns-back-time-with-gentle-strides] turned his face on the Thorian, and said The Word.
It had obeyed. Spores from every branch, arising even from Those Below, trillions upon trillions, were released to the ether. The Cold Ones fought it, compelling obedience from the flesh smelling of oil-and-sky. It was stronger.
Shepard clutched his head in both hands. The surface imagery made sense, the last days of something … Feros possibly? But he could feel countless streams of data sweep under the imagery before his eyes. What he could perceive – or at least make the most sense of – was only the foaming spray hiding the oncoming deluge. Incredible quantities flowed on invisible currents, but felt like terabytes of data falling into the abyss. His mind.
Battle raged. The Thorian understood now, the Knowledge it had kept in the Secret Places. Histories of clashes on a thousand worlds, merged into a single entity: itself. Strategies from over five thousand years of strife coalesced into its capabilities, taking every flesh, making it its own. First hundreds, then thousands, then millions obeyed its command. Some flesh smelling of oil-and-sky resisted, but were destroyed, by pain or the Flesh.
It hurt. Hurt. Every passing moment overwhelmed his mind, but if he hung on, just to the very edge of sanity, it became less so. Handstands on the normality curve of reason did not encourage longevity – but at least there would be an after in which to survive.
Then, the sky burned. The Darkness fell, crushing all the Flesh. The flesh smelling of oil-and-sky fell first, beset by the Cold Ones and Its' own attacks. The rest fell to ash, untended. Broken.
One of the Cold Ones descended, resting on the structures built by the Caretakers. Shuddering sounds emanated from its position, crumbling all around it. Then, they left, leaving the Thorian cast aside. Forgotten. Untended – except for the Knowledge.
Fire burned, collapsing structure after structure. Cries from Those Below sounded at each felling. A few frantic centuries of work, using the Flesh left Below, broke the cycle. Fire died, but so too did the Flesh. The last became food within a twitching tendril's growth cycle. Suitable only to be consumed.
The Thorian waited. It could wait forever, if needed. The Caretakers would return, and bring new Flesh. Meanwhile, it would carry out its task, and remember the Knowledge.
Present
Shepard pulled himself away, feeling Shiala reel back as well. He almost fell to his knees, caught by Garrus's strong arm. "Careful Shepard, it's not that pretty down there."
He looked around; he'd been standing near the largest opening to the outside, poised at its lip. He shook his head, letting Garrus pull him to safety. Steps from insanity, how had he gotten there? The last thing he remembered – Flesh below? Were there more Thorians below the towers?
"Commander!" Ashley's Menelaus armor had a fully warmed-up combat arm leveled at the green asari. Combat lights cycled from green to red – poised a hair-breadth from triggering. "Are you all right?"
That … was a relative question. But he had a reputation to maintain; this close to its conclusion, he would not lose it.
"Just fine," he rubbed his temples. Looking at the gloomy sky brought memories he'd never had to the forefront of his brain. Confusing images, of skies never clouded and faces bearing regal sneers. The concerned people looked so young. "I'll be fine. Just like the weekend after Hell Week. But less fuzzy."
That might have been an understatement however. The sensation, Shepard opined, was not supposed to be possible for a human. A living specimen, to be precise. Tasting the rainbow shouldn't have been possible, wasn't possible. And yet, there were new tints to the world, subtle hues he'd missed. Had Garrus actually displayed those little sparkling flecks in his epidermal layer before? Supermodels back on Earth would have killed for skin like that. And did asari always have that luminescent blue color?
Liara shuffled forwards. Her body language indicated astonishment, or deep surprise at the least. "Commander? You are … well?"
"He has an unbelievable mind, absolutely incredible!" Shiala sounded tired, but extremely enthusiastic. Her limbs tensed in Shepard's view – hunger? "I have not seen the Cipher so well before, even while living in the Thorian for days! I've underestimated your species Commander. If you are a typical example … perhaps I have been too hasty. The news I have heard from Benezia suggest he is your fiancée, Doctor, is that correct?" Before Liara responded, she continued. "Then your guardian chose well. Any of the Thirty would be eager to join minds with such as he. Perhaps after you are married, you might consider – ?"
"Annnd there are some bodies to examine, right?" Shepard interrupted before anyone could say anything else. This was not a conversation he wanted to get into. Ever. He could see Liara freeze, as if stunned. "Anyone have more intel?"
This time it was Garrus that answered. "I sent her up –"
A sharp "What?" almost pierced Shepard's earpieces, and a light blue flash from an enraged asari. He quickly put on his helmet; built-in safeties for automatic weaponry also helping against biotic-infused vocal chords. "Mother knew? How dare she?"
Shepard ignored the somewhat slower reactions of the male members of Alpha squad, whom were staring at the two asari seemingly prepared to engage in a weak battle for supremacy. Instead, he took a quick-march tempo away from the arguing pair. Colors swirled around him, leaving vision intact but redefining the term 'kaleidoscope.'
He managed to get a dozen feet further before the sound of a running body, smashing through the leftover foliage caught his attention. Tali's unique biometric signature rose on his visor. Her vitals were raised, above what could be expected at the current elevation. Besides, she has an enviro-suit on. She should be vacuum-proof with that.
She burst into sight, scattering a pile of debris into the yawning pit. The sight of Tali being so careless ensured Shepard's full attention.
"Shepard! Commander!" she braked to a halt less than a foot away. Quarian physiology allowed for closer maneuvering than the typical human – a fact Shepard could deeply appreciate. "Back there, bodies. The Admiral! Came by the Flotilla, five years ago. Hurry!"
Spinning in place, powerful leg muscles shifted into action, propelling the quarian forward at velocities beyond an Olympic athlete. In seconds, she'd vanished back down the tunnel, a last teetering piece of wood slowly losing its fight to remain on high ground the only sign she'd been present at all.
"Remind me," Shepard commented to empty air, "To increase the number of Evasion drills, back on the Normandy. Tali could be a good teacher."
No one answered.
A/N: Hello again, and thank you for visiting my little corner of the fanfiction universe. Short explanation: undergraduate degrees accomplished, Graduate School enrolled, and part-time jobs acquired. Also, quite a lot of writing drabbles that likely will never see the light of day. Not Mass Effect, just experiments that take up time. If anyone has suggestions for my writing style, do share! I love hearing what people think!
Also, next chapter for the collab work: Dawn of Titans is up!
This evening's tale suggestion is: Interloper 2: The Collector Crisis by M. . (8564229). Thanks Nightstrider, Reviewers, and Lurkers (looking at you Jotun!). Happy Fourth of July to those that celebrate it, and may our joy be shared among those that don't!
