Note: Thank you all for the favorites and follows. As always, I apologize for the delay, I only have so much brain capacity and refuse to upload something subpar.
Feedback is appreciated. The rating for this will also be changed due to a request for a little more juicy bits.
Please enjoy, Chapter Six: PTA Meeting
Mass Effect
"Foreign Relations"
Chapter Six: PTA Meeting
Cerrus couldn't sleep, no big surprise, he'd never slept well but his insomnia got worse when there was a crisis. The Reaper War qualified as a crisis and he had other things on his mind besides that. He thought of Tali, the last he heard she was fine with the fleet but there were things going on within the fleet that worried him. He missed Tali, in the years he'd spent alone he was happiest when he was with her. After his resignation he'd intended to join her in the flotilla, his military skills would have been invaluable to them and he was happy help. He tried not to think of Taetrus, his family, missing or otherwise. His brother was still missing, and he had a bad feeling. It also didn't help that the Normandy was on Earth time and he was on Palaven time.
When he couldn't sleep, he did the same thing he always did. He worked. The armory was somewhere that things made sense. Something he could focus his mind on, mistakes could get someone hurt so when he was working on armor and weapons he focused his mind on that and that alone. Space was a premium on the Normandy so the armor in the hanger deck had Vega snoozing.
He set up quietly and went through the arms lockers. Sidda's was one that he paid close attention to, but he'd never tell her that. Rifle and pistol was her typical loadout and she was fantastic with both. That being said he paid close attention to her weapons and her armor, they couldn't lose Sidda and he'd do what he could to make sure it never happened.
He'd lost track of time as he moved on through the lockers. Calibrating and cleaning by the time he was done everything was in top notch order. Still, the only weapon he didn't touch was Garrus' sniper rifle, that weapons was an instrument of precision and Garrus would murder him if something was changed. He rubbed his eyes and finished off the cold dextro coffee, his eyes were tired, and his mind was somewhere in between awake and tired. He was working on his equipment now, there was minor damage from the turret but nothing serious.
He heard something around the corner, voices…actually, it was a recording. His Omni-tool showed the shipboard time was 0530 and he stepped around the crate that blocked his view of the control center, he found Cortez intently watching a recording on the console. Cortez clearly had not seen him and the longer he listened the more he realized that he shouldn't be listening to it. It was a private message and by its content it wasn't cheerful, it was clear he'd lost a loved one to the Collectors. He felt like he was intruding and tried to quietly leave, the last thing he wanted was to eavesdrop on something like this and imagined the violation if someone had done it to him.
His escape wasn't successful. "Major," Cortez began in a slightly shaky tone as he wiped the tears from his cheeks and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."
Cerrus felt embarrassed and cleared his throat as well while he stammered for the words. "I've been here all night." He commented but that was irrelevant information. He still felt like he was intruding on a private moment, it wasn't proper to listen in. "I apologize. I didn't mean to disturb you. I'll go."
"Major," he called and Cerrus turned. "Nov mentioned that you…you lost your wife."
Cerrus straightened and his mandibles clinched partly because he was trying to peacefully handle the situation and partly because he was reconciling why Nov felt the need to blab his personal history. He'd beat Nov later and addressed Cortez now. "Yeah." He answered quietly. "The Collectors killed your mate?"
"Ferris Fields." He replied.
Despite his feelings on Humans, it was private information and felt compelled to apologize. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to listen in."
Cortez wasn't bothered by that; Vega and Shepard had heard it. He couldn't stop playing it. "Does it get any easier?"
Cerrus was uniquely suited to talk on the subject even though he did not like to. "No." he replied honestly. It didn't matter the species; mates were mates and losing one was an experience like no other. "It's been almost ten years and nothing's easier. You just…learn to live with it."
There was a connection in shared loss and Cortez never expected to be talking to a Turian about this. It was a strange time indeed. "I thought I was over it, thought I'd moved on. Then the world ends, and this is what I grab?"
Cerrus understood. He used to have recordings of Anara but managed to reduce that to an image. Stages of grief were different from person to person. "I understand." He said and moved toward him. "I had a recording of Anara talking to me about what she was going to make for dinner. I played it over and over and over again…I still have it."
Listening to someone talk about making dinner was a hell of a lot nicer than hearing panic before being taken by the Collectors but it was a sweet story. "How'd you get over it?"
"I haven't. I know I never will." He answered but knew why he asked it. Everyone had probably told him that he should get over it or let it go. It wasn't that simple for some people. "It's not something you have to get over, that person was a part of your life so much so that you vowed to spend the rest of it with them. How you deal with it is up to you…but I'd balk at using me as a role model."
For Cortez, the truthful words were comforting, someone who understood the pain and understood that nothing about it was simple. For Cerrus, the words surprised him; he understood the loss but knew for a fact that he'd never be able to let it go.
He found Cerrus intriguing. On the surface he was prickly and grumpy but knowing a little more about him shed light as to why. He'd heard the stories and gossip as they spread like wildfire on a ship this small but chose to reserve any judgement. Cerrus appeared unfriendly but right now…he was just what he needed to be, a sympathetic ear. "You know you're not as unfriendly as people warned."
Cerrus shrugged, he had heard that many times before. "Give it time, Lieutenant, that assessment will change."
Cortez chuckled and extended his hand to him. "Thank you, Major."
"Tyr." He corrected and shook his hand firmly.
"Steve."
The morning alarm sounded and startled Nov awake. This was day ten of the Reaper invasion, ten days since his home fell to the Reapers and killed his mother and cousin in the process. He still tried not to think about it. Instead he thought of the woman next to him, his mate, and the person he loved more than anything else. Sidda was on her left side and he saw a clear view of the healing bruises and the fresh bite mark on the upper right side of her back. Turians bit when they mated and he got a little carried away when she managed to leave a mark on his neck. The female's bite was a part of Turian mating but she'd break her teeth trying anywhere else but his neck. When she finally managed to succeed it ignited a whole new level of passion for him.
He reached over her and shut the alarm off and she stirred under him. "Morning." He whispered before settling back in behind her and pulling her tight.
"Time to see what new fresh hell is waiting for me now." She muttered and he shook his head.
"No, no. Don't think like that. You're not in this alone, I'm here with you every step of the way." He said and she smiled inwardly. She didn't have to voice how she felt, he knew without even asking. This wasn't her first insurmountable task but he could see when it felt like her alone against the universe.
She rolled over in his arms and pushed him to his back so she could straddle him. "How do you know just what to say?" she asked, and he sat up to be close to her.
"I don't know." He replied and ran his fingers through her hair. "I'm just that good." He finished and she giggled to his playful behavior. He took a handful of her hair in his right hand and made a fist gently. Sidda felt his erection press easily into her as Nov held his position and kept a firm grip on her hair.
Sidda's moan was music to his ears but he force her still as he snugged his entire length into her. He growled to the way she felt. People said Asari were the best lovers but in his opinion now that crown belonged to Humans. The best kept secret that he intended to keep. He smirked to the totally erotic look on her face then growled as the agonizing stillness took it's toll on him. He purred but it sounded more like a growl and flipped Sidda to her back.
She let out a squeaking moan as Nov did everything possible to make her forget about the outside world. He nuzzled her neck and felt the need to bite her again, he didn't but he'd learned that a light bite made her crazy. He listened to her noises and growled in her ear. "Mine." He growled and raked his teeth on her again.
He rocked back on his knees and took her hips in his hands pulling her to him. If he climaxed near her neck or shoulders he bite her again and she may shoot him for it. Instead he gripped her hips tight and gave a guttural growl.
Sidda was out the door first, it was tough talking a shower with Nov trying to start stuff they didn't have time to finish. They weren't late yet but they were getting close. Sidda had her own meetings to attend and Nov had inserted himself in meetings he may not have been invited to but Victus could either go with him or fight it. The Primarch didn't want to fight.
Nov snorted when he entered the war room, granted he wasn't as early as he would have liked to have been after playing with Sidda for a while but Cerrus, of course, was the first one there. "Come on, Tyr, don't you ever sleep?"
The short answer was no. "I have mastered the art of living on the minimum." He replied and gulped down the cup of coffee to his right.
"I'm sure that stuff helps." He said and could smell the stuff from where he was. Cerrus made his coffee undrinkable for most anyone else. Because he didn't sleep well, he made it too strong for anyone else. "I think I'd rather drink battery acid."
Cerrus chuckled and cocked his head to the side when he observed Nov. "What the hell happened to your neck?" he asked and Nov smirked.
"I bit myself." He answered with the smirk still on his face. "Recognize it? You used to have one yourself."
Cerrus rolled his eyes. "Shut up." He hissed. The bite from Sidda did heal and was only visible if you really looked for it.
Victus came down from the QEC and didn't look happy. Ten days had passed since his planet came under fire and it was the hardest thing he'd ever experienced. He regarded Nov and Cerrus standing at the map table in the War Room. He had a surreal moment as he looked at them: a flashback to his command with them as the two best officers he'd served with. He'd failed them both in some regard but Cerrus was the biggest one. By sheer virtue of timing…he still had Cerrus in his command.
"Something wrong, Primarch?" Nov asked and Victus shifted his attention to his former officer.
"Casualty report." He replied sounding dejected. "Palaven's at a stalemate. Coronati, Corinthus, and Maridus, all three of them, are holding their own but it won't last. We still have fuel; the Reapers are having a hard time walking through Admiral Indaril and the 79th at Gemmae." He said and then leaned forward on the table. He looked at Nov knowing he was going to be acutely interested in the next report. "I also got a report from Veliraka on Rylo," Nov looked up sharply. "the Reapers are harvesting not destroying but the General is holding strong."
"Any idea on the casualties?"
"Nothing official. With the destruction of the 3rd Division and the defense platform the majority of the planet is in chaos." He said and sighed heavily. This was a battle that was impossible to win…even with the Krogan. "Let's focus on getting the Krogan."
"Are you getting along with Wrex then?" Sidda interrupted as she came through the secured door.
Victus got an angry earful from the Krogan for the bomb he secretly tried to manage. In the end, Wrex was smart. Victus didn't put it there and tried to manage it but that didn't prevent admonishment, all Victus needed to do was tell him about it. He looked to the Krogan who walked in a few moments behind her. "For the most part." He said with a clipped tone.
The Krogan grunted. "So long as you keep up your end any issues between us can be solved later."
Sidda agreed with that. "Good. Mordin is still working on the cure. Talk to me about this gun."
"Rebellion Era. Planetary defense…it shot down several Turian ships and had been abandon for years now." Wrex explained. "I have scouts that say Cerberus is sniffing around."
Sidda's expression mirrored her groan. "Can I go one damn day without hearing that name?"
"Should have blown them up when you had the chance." Cerrus commented and Sidda made a face. She did…a few times. Passed information on to the Alliance, stole the Normandy, blew up the Collector Base, she'd done as much as possible except kill the Illusive Man himself.
"I did." She stated and sighed heavily. "What do they want the gun? Krogan don't have ships and the only ship in orbit right now is us."
"Personally, I don't care why they want it. They're not getting it." Wrex said.
The mission of the day was the planetary gun that Cerberus was keen on, helping Wrex with anything that he needed was good for building trust. Victus knew that and used Blackwatch to his advantage. After the debacle with the bomb he still had the remains of the unit crowded onboard and his son was still in the infirmary. He'd offload them onto another ship once he had the change but right now they might be useful. Valerian was doing well as the commander and they aided the Krogan with Reaper sightings.
Tarquin had to go through two surgeries by Chakwas and Mordin. His shoulder was fine but he had to have a synthetic graft to subclavian vein. "How are you, son?" he asked.
"Tired of staring at the ceiling." Tarquin answered. The pain he felt was dull but that was only because of the pain medication he was on. "You're taking me off of Blackwatch aren't you."
Victus had faith in his son, he made a mistake, things went wrong but he was a natural leader. It crossed his mind to relieve him of the command but the person he wanted to take command refused. "No." he answered simply and pulled a seat up next to his bed. "Your second, Valerian, is managing quite well, but you'll stay in command. Once we are able we'll get you to the Citadel."
"Silix and Banna?"
"Dr. Chakwas says they are stable. Surgery corrected the internal bleeding for Silix but Banna's back is broken. Compression fracture, multiple vertebrae." he explained, and Tarquin immediately felt responsible. "Accidents happen, Tarquin, what happened to them was not your fault."
"Agree to disagree…Primarch." His son responded tightly.
Victus didn't blame him for his attitude. He was wounded, tired, and felt responsible for everything that went wrong. He was his father's son in that regard. "Rest, Tarquin." He said before getting up and leaving him to heal.
Sidda made her rounds after talking to Wrex and Victus and came to EDI and Joker to get their opinion on the mission. Seeing EDI as the synth that tried to kill her was still hard to accept. Nov didn't say it but he was unnerved around her. He didn't mind EDI the AI but EDI the synth was another story.
Victus met her on the isle between the CIC and the cockpit. "Sid," he began and the awkwardness between them was still palpable.
"How's Tarquin?" she asked pushing past it. They could be adults about this.
He appreciated her concern. "He's fine. He'll be on his feet in a few days." He said and Sidda saw that he had more to say. "Sid, we don't have time for this. The casualty reports from Palaven are staggering."
Sidda held her hands out to the side and gave him a shrug. "I understand that, but you want the Krogan, they need help too."
"Right from the mistake you can't seem to shake."
She sighed heavily and started walking. "Seriously, you wanna pile on the Cerberus train too? I know. But we can't do anything for Palaven until we cure the genophage and we have to wait for Mordin on that."
He stopped her from walking into the CIC. "I spoke to Mordin."
"And?"
"He said it'll be done when it's done."
Sidda laughed. "Spirits."
"My sentiments exactly."
"I'll talk to him."
"Thank you." He nodded and kept walking with her. "I suggest we go to the Citadel as well. Off load some of the wounded."
"Yeah, as soon as we're done with this."
"Commander, a moment please." Traynor requested and Sidda gestured for Victus to go ahead. "We've received a distress call…from Grissom Academy."
Sidda looked past Traynor to another crewman behind the Specialist. "Get Cal up here." She ordered. "I thought Grissom was already evacuated?"
"A handful of biotic and engineer students stayed behind. The distress call was apparently received by a Turian ship or ordinarily I'd say we have nothing to worry about."
"But?"
"The distress call bears a striking resemblance to the one used as a lure for the disabled Reaper vessel." EDI said and Sidda blinked.
"Cerberus? Cerberus is at Grissom?" Sidda ground her teeth. The worst thing she could ever have done was get in bed with Cerberus. They were a pain in the ass before now they were just being rude. "Son of a bitch, Cal's gonna flip."
"Cal's gonna flip about what?" Nov asked as the lift opened and he heard his name.
"Remember the disabled Collector ship?" she asked and her husband made a suspicious face.
"You mean the Illusive Man's trap?" he commented. "No, no, I forgot about that…and all the other times he's tried to kill you."
Sidda appreciated how protective he was. "Brace yourself. The signal used to fake the Turian distress call is back this time used as a response to a distress call…for Grissom."
"Cerberus is at Grissom Academy?" he asked and no part of that comment was good. "Sid, David is still there."
"I know and no matter what it is there is nothing good about Cerberus being there." She said and sighed over the situation. "Let me sort it out, Cal. We're certainly going to do a mission…question is which one."
Nov left and Sidda leaned on the railing. "Cerberus…I swear…what do I have to do drop a fucking bomb on them?" she complained.
"Is David his son?" Traynor asked sound a little confused. David was a human name and she inferred that he was human from that.
Sidda shook her head. "Just a brilliant young man Cal rescued from a horrible situation. Took on the role of his legal guardian."
Cerrus and Wrex were together in the War Room but all she was looking for was Wrex. "Problem, Wrex." She announced and Wrex scoffed loudly.
"There's a change of pace." He muttered in response. "What now?"
"We got a distress call from Grissom Academy." She said and Wrex grunted a so what noise. "99% sure it's our current and seemingly constant dance partner, Cerberus. If that's that case…it can't wait."
Wrex sighed. "I don't know what they want with that Gun, Shep, but it ain't good. It can't wait either."
"I agree, Wrex, but we'll need the Normandy to jump that far. Kodiak doesn't have the range." Sidda commented trying to think of how they were going to divide and conquer this. Tuchanka was the priority but she wasn't going to make Nov choose between that and someone he was responsible for.
"So what? Brilliant Alliance kids take priority over a weapon that can cause significant damage. They shoot that thing at Turians…or Humans and this alliance of yours might take a turn for the worst." Wrex said and Sidda cursed under her breath.
"We can handle the gun, Commander." Cerrus offered. "I'll put a team together and take the second Kodiak. When you're done with Grissom you can come back and pick us up."
Since the Krogan still were not being given a fair shake Sidda deferred to Wrex with a single look. Cerrus was one of three Turians that he trusted and he nodded. "Sounds good."
As the meeting broke up Cerrus lingered. "A moment, Commander."
The room cleared and Sidda waited. Cerrus' behavior had been a surprise. She wanted to ask him more about his resignation but talking to him was always a bit like a minefield. "What?"
"With your permission I'd like to take Cortez." He said and she furrowed her brow.
"Why?" The arrangement, thus far, was Isla was his pilot and Cortez was hers.
"You're the head of all this, Commander, the people who fly with you need to be vetted." He said and Sidda gave a half smile. "And I think I'm uniquely suited to help him." He said and Sidda understood what he was talking about. Ordinarily, she would decline any special treatment but Cerrus was turning over a new leaf, as it were.
"Boy, you have come a long way." She snorted in disbelief. "Fine, you can have him."
The majority of the Turian Barracks had mustered up and moved out, Ruvvak and Garrus were already in the Hanger and Cerrus was collecting some of his gear. He hadn't heard from Tali in a few days and that worried him. The Quarians had been too quiet but he had no messages from her on his Omni-tool.
"Major," Liara called as he passed her on the way to the lift. "my I have a moment?"
He pressed the screen for the elevator and glanced at her. "I'm gearing up for a mission, Liara."
"I understand that, which is why I wish to talk to you." She said in her polite and professional manner.
He gave her his full attention. "What's up?" he asked not wanting to be rude to her.
"I would like to go with you."
His expression narrowed. "This is not going to be a scientific mission, Liara, we're going to evict Cerberus." He said.
"I know." She said. "But I know you could use the technical help and even biotic help."
Cerrus had trained Liara for the pursuit of Saren. She wasn't a warrior like him or Ruvvak or Sidda but she was resourceful and smart. "Alright." He said making his decision, quickly. "Grab your gear. Meet us on the hanger deck."
Cerrus collected his team, Ruvvak was a given, career soldier and a demolitionist of the best caliber. Liara was a strange collection, Ruvvak barely knew her but Cerrus only picked people he knew could do the job.
"Not that I don't appreciate the change of scenery but any particular reason why I'm riding with you?" Cortez asked as Cerrus checked his weapons.
"I requested it." The Turian responded bluntly.
Cortez gave him a strange expression. "If this is about this morning, Major, I'm clearheaded…not suicidal."
Cerrus gave a slight shrug. "Prove it. Every member of my team come back alive and that includes my pilots."
Cortez wanted to protest but didn't push further. "Okay, copy that." He was being evaluated.
There was a lot of activity on the hanger deck, ships were being armed, people gearing up. Both teams had run through their objectives and familiarized themselves with callsigns.
Sidda's team was the typical one, Nov and Garrus. They were ready to go and doing the same thing that Cerrus' team was doing but on the other side of the hanger. Nov was quiet as he did a final check of his Mattock.
"Hey," Sidda said bumping into him gently with her shoulder. "you here?"
Her voice pulled him from his thoughts. "Yeah." He replied. "I'm good." He put David at Grissom because he would be safe…now that had backfired. Over the past few month the young man had come a long way in his recovery. The last time Nov visited he didn't look like the scared kid that was begging him for help and actually gave him a new program to improve his Omni-tool.
"Cal," she questioned in a lower tone as she didn't believe his quick response.
"I'm fine, Baby." He said again sounding a little more reassuring than before.
"Commander, jump prep complete. Ready when you are." Joker came in over the comm.
"Understood." She replied and turned her attention to the hustle and bustle behind her. "Dev, Cortez, status?"
"Good here." Isla responded feeling a little strange that she was the pilot for Sidda and not the other resident pilot in Cortez. Cerrus had absorbed her into his team and that was by his request, taking Cortez revealed another motive she wasn't sure what it was.
"All green, Commander." Cortez answered.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen, last boarding call for the Gun Run. Collect your luggage and board Kodiak number one." Sidda said like she was a flight attendant. "PTA Meeting…shuttle number two."
"Gun Run," Cerrus commented and then chuckled. "I like it."
"My goal in life." Sidda replied. "May take us a little longer to finish our mission. I don't have a good feeling about Cerberus mucking around with the Academy."
Her mission was an unknown, they didn't know what they would find and he shrugged off the fact that it may take them a little longer. "It's fine, Wrex gave us all the information we need if we need to hang out a bit." He nodded.
She sighed and looked up at the tall Turian she never thought she would have a good relationship with. "Don't get yourself killed."
He snorted. "Not exactly a ringing endorsement but I'll say likewise." He said and turned to Shuttle one, he was the last to board, just like normal.
After they launched the Normandy jumped into nothing, vanished where had been leaving them at the mercy of Krogan hospitality. "Alright, Lieutenant, take us in." Cerrus ordered Cortez who complied without question.
"Anything additional we should know?" Liara asked and Ruvvak tapped a few things on his Omni-tool. Ruvvak she'd briefly worked with, he was a fellow crewmate of Cerrus'. He was a demolitionist and a career NCO.
"Callsigns. If you don't remember, Doc, that's Havoc," he said pointing to Cerrus. "Blackstone."
Liara never knew Cerrus' callsign, no one used it on the Normandy. No one really liked Cerrus, he was hard to deal with but Liara's observation was that he enjoyed being around people he trusted. Cerrus was patient with her, she wasn't a soldier and he knew that, but she was a scientist and smarter than he was. Liara's combat tactics could firmly be attributed to paying attention to what Cerrus taught her. "Black stone…clever," she commented. "Ruvvak literally means black stone."
"I know…not very original." The Turian chuckled.
"Major, that gun is active." Cortez said and he took evasive action from it. "They're not shooting at us though. Looks like a Cerberus cruiser is on the way in."
"Wonderful." Ruvvak commented. "Who invited them?"
"They invite themselves, no matter what." Cerrus replied. "Find a place to set us down."
"If Cerberus gets a cruiser in orbit they can use the Krogan's lack of planetary defense to create a staging area for whatever they want." Liara deduced and Cerrus shook his head with irritation. He was about to make the dismantling of Cerberus his goal in life.
Cortez avoided the firing line and dropped the squad off at the edge of the old base. The attack was immediate, Cerberus saw them coming.
"So much for the element of surprise, Havoc." Ruvvak commented after fending off the initial volley of troopers.
"We never had that." Cerrus replied switching to his sniper rifle. "Liara?"
Liara had an old schematic of the base and she pulled it up on the Omni-tool. "Should be up that ramp across the way but that is a very exposed walk."
Ruvvak and Cerrus agreed with the assessment. "Looks like a rear entry here." Cerrus suggested.
Ruvvak shrugged. "More risk of an ambush better cover though."
"Shot out in the open or shot from cover." Cerrus muttered sounding cynical.
"Those our only two choices?" Liara asked and Cerrus chuckled.
"I'll take point, let's go."
Contrary to popular belief and past actions, Cerberus wasn't stupid. They knew the lower entrance was vulnerable and they deployed as such. The front of the building was the obvious entry point but it was also easy to defend. Elevated with one entry…near suicide to assault. The back was narrow, still hard to assault but it was also hard to defend. The benefit to narrow was it cut down on the number of Turret Cerberus used. That didn't mean the troops were fewer…in fact there were a lot of them. In such a small area it nullified the need for rifles. Ruvvak switched to his shotgun and Cerrus to his pistol.
Watching Cerrus and Ruvvak work together was a like watching the finest choreographed dance. They barely spoke but knew exactly were one another would be. Liara just did as he trained her back when they met. She maintained her position as support using her biotics to slow them down in singularities and stasis fields, her biotics proceeded to cause significant mayhem when applied to Cerrus' snap freeze and Ruvvak's carnage blast. Of the Turian's Liara could have come with these two were the best when the numbers were not in your favor. They were both soldiers but Ruvvak's loadout and Omni-tool set up was always geared toward being outnumbered. He had the ability to provide tripmines which people didn't think about until it was you against them.
Cerrus' combat tactics this time focused on speed, they had a smaller number but they had better training and of course his tactics. Through the armor he could feel the biotic energy from Liara and watched her cave in the face of the trooper she had to melee. Biotics was something that he could never understand, he understood the mechanics of it but bending dark energy to do your bidding wasn't something he would ever understand fully.
The last biotic explosion brought on by the stasis field that had blanketed the room literally blasted bodies out the door. "Clear?" Cerrus asked as he and Liara remained in close proximity and Ruvvak was further in the main control room.
"Clear." Ruvvak responded and checked the main entrance.
That was a hard fight even if it didn't last too long. "Everyone whole?" Cerrus managed to keep track of them for the most part but he couldn't watch them all the time. Liara was the one who was with him most of the time and she even saved him from being blindsided.
"I think I left a piece of my soul back there, Havoc." Ruvvak commented. "Those guys with the shock batons are something else. You see that rifle they're firing? Like a suped up version of the Mattock."
"Glad I paid for that armor upgrade." Liara added. "Alright, lets get this gun under control." Liara went to work to get control of the gun as Cerrus and Ruvvak made sure the area was secure.
Liara was a good addition to bring along. She was a well-rounded squad member. She could do it all to be perfectly honest. Even in a fight she could fight like a soldier. The console went dark before the override was complete. "We lost power." She said to Cerrus. "Looks like Cerberus cut it."
Cerrus grumbled. "Of course they did. Can you get it back?"
She nodded. "Yes. We'd have to manually override it at a relay station."
"Where's the junction?" Cerrus commented and Liara brought the schematic up to show him. "Back across the way. Alright, we'll go. You cover us." Cerrus ordered and the Sergeant turned away trading his Phaeston for his Mantis.
Cerrus and Liara went back the way they came up; they passed the dead troopers on the way including the one that had his face caved in by Liara. "I don't like this." She commented quietly.
"Me neither." He responded quickly. "Watch yourself."
Their location was bad for security but better for cover. The platform up the ramp was extremely exposed and the bottom had better cover but ripe for an ambush. The nagging feeling Cerrus had was vindicated as he watched Liara take a shot and stagger into cover.
He reacted the same way and ducked into cover behind a wall adjacent to her. "You okay?" he shouted to her.
The round hit her barriers and took them down but nothing more. "Yeah. Got the barrier. I'm okay."
Cerrus didn't like being exposed and growled his frustration. "Sarge?"
Ruvvak saw the entire exchange and was already homing in on the sharpshooter. "Stay in cover, hang on." Ruvvak said in their ear. He switched the view of his scope to thermal which highlighted the Cerberus Nemesis nicely. His Mantis was outfitted with the armor piercing modification, it didn't matter what it was he was shooting at, the Mantis was powerful unmodded…with the modification it would penetrate pretty much anything.
"Don't miss, Blackstone." Cerrus commented.
"When have I ever missed, Havoc?" Ruvvak replied in an even tone. He was in the sniper mentality, blocking everything out to focus. He fired and dropped the hidden enemy marksman. "Clear."
"They would have heard that." Cerrus commented now torn between escorting Liara and going back for a vulnerable teammate. "They're gonna swarm you."
Ruvvak was one of the best of the best. He was a senior NCO and strangely enough, he'd been here before. "I can handle it. Get it done, Sir." He said quickly and got to work. He saw a drop ship on the way and knew he needed to work quickly. He tossed a trip mine at the two entrances. He could hold the position but sure enough more Cerberus were dropping in. He needed to hold out long enough for the power to flipped back. Once they took the gun, mopping up Cerberus would be simple enough. Cerberus wouldn't just let them have it though. The base would been to be garrisoned and held.
"Need a hand down there, Havoc?" Cortez asked over the comm.
"No." Cerrus replied tightly. "Keep an eye on that cruiser."
The Command Center was a nightmare to contain. Two main entry points had a trip mine sitting on them but Ruvvak's Omni-tool could only deploy two at a time, so he couldn't plunk one down on a latter that led up the wall. When Cerberus came, they came in droves but there was a reason Ruvvak was one of the best NCOs still actively serving and this wasn't the first time he'd had to hold a position by himself.
Cerberus had two objectives, they needed to regain control of the control room and prevent the splinter team from getting around their stop gap of cutting the power. Ruvvak knew that and made the control room as juicy a target as he could make it.
"Drop ship, incoming. Times two." He reported, acting as spotter while in the middle of repelling an attack at the main entrance.
They found his trip mine and he took cover. He lobbed a frag grenade to the same location and then redirected his attention to the rear, more were coming from there. He pulled the knife from his boot and sucked up to the wall, the same place he'd been sucker punched before. The trooper didn't know what hit him. The second Ruvvak saw him he gave a quick stab up under the chin, no matter the armor, the neck was the most vulnerable. His strike was quick as a pit viper and the trooper dropped instantly. His next strike was into the next trooper that he advanced on him. The knife went into the chink on the thigh, humans had a major artery near the groin. Blood sprayed all over him as his Talon's blade severed the artery. When that trooper dropped Ruvvak was hit at least four times with whatever Cerberus was carrying. His shields took one of them and the rest went into his armor. The top of the line armor managed to absorb most of it but it drove him back into cover.
His Omni-tool screamed at him as his armor had been breached at his lower right side. "Ow." He groaned out and realized what he'd been hit with. A damn turret. Behind him he heard the hum of the console meaning Cerrus and Liara found their target at least. "I took some fire. Turret, rear entry. Watch yourself."
"You okay, Blackstone?" Cerrus asked hearing that his fellow team member was injured.
All Cerrus heard immediately was gunfire. Cerberus put all their eggs into the Control Room basket and were swarming Ruvvak. "I'm great!" Ruvvak barked back.
Cerrus pushed on the turret was lethal force, those damn things were the most dangerous things on the field when fighting against Cerberus. So much so that the moment he saw an engineer he put a round in their head. Liara broke off from him and used her biotics to handle the swath of troopers trying to go up the access ladder. One singularity was enough to gather a bunch of them and then a warp caused a massive biotic explosion.
Before he could get to the turret, he tangled with a Centurion. They carried something that looked like a Mattock but wasn't and had decent shields, but they didn't stand much of a chance against him. This one really wasn't bad and gave Cerrus a run for his money. In a hand to hand fight the Turian had the upper hand bigger, stronger, and faster but as he had learned from Sidda, Humans were adaptable and resilient.
The Centurion resorted to the shock baton and hit Cerrus in the chest. The Turian's armor absorbed it all and Cerrus stripped it from him during the ensuing fight the Centurion's helmet came off. The horror underneath was barely human and Cerrus seized the opportunity to shove the shock baton in his eye. If it didn't kill him, he'd certainly wish it had.
Liara's biotics, like Sidda's, were extremely valuable, between the two of them they were able to draw the attention of Cerberus and split their focus. Liara's singularities and subsequent biotic explosions left a hell of a mess where Cerberus used to be. Cerrus employed the cryo blast to incapacitate the turret long enough to destroy the damn thing.
"Sarge!" Cerrus shouted up the ramp as the shooting suddenly stopped.
Ruvvak hadn't taken any more hits but the one that did hit him hurt like hell. "Clear." He responded and dropped his hand to the wound in his side. "I feel like I've been shot by a damn mortar."
"Let me take a look." Liara said and Ruvvak waved her off.
"I'll live." He replied. "I got medigel already on the case. What do you say we give that Cerberus cruiser a wave off and get the hell out of here?"
Cerberus was indeed at Grissom Academy; it was a cruiser and several fighters as a blockade escort. The Normandy wasn't big enough to take them all on so Sidda took the shuttle and conducted a stealth entrance at a cargo port.
"Leave it to these bastards to attack a school." Garrus commented.
"Told you, you should have gotten out of bed with them a long time ago." Nov said as they cycled the airlock.
"Yeah. I know, I made a mistake." She replied bitterly. "You have an opinion. Adrien has an opinion. Joker has one and Garrus has one too but it doesn't help me very much right now, now does it?"
The tension, Garrus could feel, Cerberus was a mistake they all made but hindsight was 20/20. They didn't have a choice in the matter of working with them since the alternative wasn't acceptable. "We all made it." Garrus said providing support to Sidda.
Nov was worried and that made him a little unfiltered and grumpy. "I didn't and now the whole damn galaxy is paying for it."
Sidda's glare could have burned him. He wasn't saying anything she hadn't said herself but now wasn't the time for this. Nov was angry but mostly worried about someone that he felt responsible for. He found David in that hell hole and after seeing the memories of how it all went wrong he had had a deep connection to him. While Sidda was sequestered on Earth and he was bouncing around the galaxy like a interspecies, Council Spectre beach ball he keep close tabs on David's progress.
After the Doctors rehabilitated him to the point he could go to the academy it took two or three visits before David would even look at him. He remembered who he was, the VI construct was an interest bridge, but it did the trick, and remembered that he was the only one who stopped and listened and then helped him.
"Do you remember who I am, David?" he asked the brilliant but traumatized young man.
"Spectre Callus Nov." he replied but still wouldn't look at him. Nov didn't pretend to understand the mental condition David had but the key was patience and understanding. Mostly, this kid needed a brother that didn't take advantage of him. "Normandy SR-2. 'Hang in there, Kid, I'm going to help you'." He went on staying the exact words Nov said when he was in the VI construct.
Nov smiled. "That's right."
"Cal," Sidda's voice began and pulled him from his memory.
"What?" he replied in a testy manner as the security door opened. The woman they had been talking to he was familiar with. She didn't bother him on a good day but today was not a good day. "Dr. Sanders." Nov greeted, curtly and the woman blinked.
"Spectre Nov," she greeted. "David's on board still."
"I know. Where is he?"
She looked from Nov to Sidda and then to Garrus. Odd bunch to come to the rescue but Shepard was someone Anderson trusted so she put her faith in that. "All the students that remained on board are with our remaining instructors."
"Why were they here in the first place? The galaxy is in the middle of a war." Nov snipped sounding a little more irritated about the situation.
"The students wanted to help. How could we tell them no?"
"Did you try no?" Nov's professionalism went up in flames and Sidda stepped in.
"Cal, stop." Sidda ordered and her mate glared at her. She was right but the glare still remained. "How many?"
"About 12 total, biotics and engineers." She replied. "Most everyone else we managed to evacuate."
"Should be able to get everyone on one Kodiak." Garrus commented and Sidda nodded. "Tight fit but it'll work."
Nov had been to Grissom a few times since placing David here so he knew his way to Orion Hall once he found his bearings. "Christ," Sidda commented as they watched a student being drug away by Cerberus. There was no way they could get to them from their position but it irritated Nov and Garrus.
"Can you believe this shit?" Garrus said and Sidda scoffed.
"These fuckers attack a school…" Nov grumbled. "I swear, Sid, I find the Illusive Man I'm gonna shove an arch grenade up his ass."
"Come on, guys, move on." Sidda added attempting to refocus not only herself but her Turian entourage as well.
As they moved through the corridors and classrooms they could hear Cerberus spewing propaganda. Bullshit about them being there to help and family members being missing or dead. Garrus had a pet peeve about propaganda over loudspeakers, especially when it was coming from Cerberus. "I'm gonna put a bullet between that bastards eyes." He muttered as they ushered two kids to safety…or at least back to Sanders.
Orion Hall was enormous and practically deserted. The last time Nov was there it filled with students, Grissom housed thousands of students and it pestered him to no end that some of them were still on board. They found the stranded biotic students and they were being watched over by none other than the Psychotic Biotic herself, Jack. The surprise that Jack was there was because no one would have guessed she'd have been tapped as a teacher or any sort. Nov snorted and couldn't wait to see Ruvvak's reaction when he was told he missed the opportunity to rescue Jack.
Her wardrobe and hair had improved but her attitude hadn't. Jack walked straight up to Sidda and punched her for not seeing through Cerberus' lies like everyone else had.
Nov didn't see David in the group and that irritated him greatly. He'd lost enough over the past few days; colony, family, unshakeable faith in his beloved. David wasn't someone he was going to lose…not after taking it upon himself to look after him. "Jack," he called interrupting her bitching about Cerberus again. "where's David Archer?"
Jack glowered at him. "Looking for a date, Cal?"
He wasn't in the mood. "Don't jerk me around, Jack, where the hell is he?"
"Not here." She snapped back in reply. "He was with another group in the engineering lab."
As Sidda got the rundown of the situation Garrus' comm chirped. "Archangel, do you read?" Isla said and Garrus turned his attention to her.
"Yeah, go ahead."
"That cruiser is on the way back. ETA 2 minutes. I'm not going to be able to hang out much longer safely."
Garrus sighed, they found most of the students but David wasn't one of them. "It's gonna take us too long to get back. Did you get the other students we sent?"
"Yep, Sanders collected a few more as well. What do you want me to do?"
Garrus didn't bother to ask Sidda her opinion, there was only one. They couldn't get back in two minutes and they weren't done with their mission anyway. "Take off. Get back to the Normandy we can find an alternate route out." He said and then turned to Sidda. "Sid. We have a development."
One thing everyone agreed with was that next fight was awful. Too many turrets, too many engineers, and to top it off…an Atlas. The Atlas, to be honest, wasn't even the hardest part. They fought their way through the first half of the atrium from hell and turned the Atlas to scrap. Garrus and his large bore sniper rifle gave not only the pilot of the Atlas something to think about but the Guardian troopers with the riot shields as well. It was almost laugh out loud funny the first time his shot went through the shield and took off the soldiers head. The rest of the scattered and threw curses about the sniper in position. He also managed to penetrate the canopy of the Atlas but it only injured the pilot, Sidda did the rest with the pilot and Garrus hit the power coil on it's back causing it to explode. The other half of the atrium was harder and it didn't even have an Atlas. It did have six…count them…six turrets.
Nov was putting his tech skills to use, namely his hack and overload. He really was the best engineer in the galaxy as he hacked two turrets at once and got them to shoot at each other. Jack and the biotics rained down from above which was an immeasurable help. Sidda and her biotics were as destructive as they came. Once in a while she just let loose and displayed exactly how deadly she really was now that Cerberus gave her an upgrade.
When the fighting stopped Nov and Sidda were slow to get up. Nov got into a close quarters fight with three troopers near the back the atrium. There had to have been a broken rib or so because his entire torso hurt. His right arm hurt too as he used it to get up off the ground. "Ow." He grunted and ground his teeth.
Sidda picked up several clips and reloaded all her weapons. With as much biotics she just used she could feel her implant, she'd sleep for a while after this and would have a stress headache by the time she got back to the ship. Normal side effects of continuous use. "Jack, everyone okay up there?" she asked and rubbed the spot she knew the headache would be.
"We're fine. Rodriguez took a hit because she didn't watch her barrier." Jack replied as she was obviously chastising the young girl at the same time.
"Keep moving and stay safe up there." She said and grimaced as she moved.
Garrus switched over to his Mattock and noticed Sidda's body language. "Sid, you okay?"
"Yeah…sure." She replied and notice Nov slow to get up and appeared injured. "Cal,"
He grimaced and growled but took a moment to collect himself. "I'm fine." He replied but wasn't convincing at all. "I'll be fine anyway. Those guys with the riot shields should all be spaced…damn."
"Did you get a load of the pistol they're using?" Garrus said. "Like a mini shotgun…ripped right through the shields."
Nov's chest hurt; he knew a rib had to be broken even through his armor. Last time someone hurt him through his armor it was a Yahg and that Yahg hit him with a desk hard enough to nearly kill him.
Sidda noticed his body language. "Babe, you alright?"
"I think I broke a rib." He replied and leaned against the wall before they pressed on. Broken ribs hurt on anyone but they hurt a lot on a Turian, they had more ribs, their bones were hollow and hard to break but they had in increased lung capacity. His chest had to expand further and it hurt like a bitch.
Her eyes gave him an up and down glance. "Well, pace yourself, Baby, I need you in one piece."
"Just be gentle with me." He said with a wink and they moved on.
They were on a timetable, they needed to keep moving and get the kids to safety and off this station. Luckily, most of the students got off the station before it all went to hell. They found the biotic students but there were engineering ones as well that they needed to find.
"When was the last time you saw David?"
"Couple weeks ago. He gave me an experimental program for my omni-tool. Doubled its efficiency." He said and she chuckled.
"You are going to be a good Dad." She said and appreciated the thought. The signal from Garrus cut their conversation off and they moved to the left against the wall.
"Contact." Garrus said. "Three Cerberus. Kids inside a shield, looks like they modified a pylon."
"That's David…behind the pylon." Nov said and Sidda put a hand on his shoulder to make him stop.
"I got it." She said and her biotic aura appeared. "Hey!" she barked getting their attention and she tapped into the dark energy. The reave field smacked them all before they could react to her presence. It was a rush as the nature of the biotic power gave her a significant boost, the pain in her head from all the power use went away…it almost felt like a high. The power cut right through their armor and they screamed in pain. She successfully incapacitated all of them at once and she nearly growled like a predator. Three shots went by her head and ended her biotic rush as those she was sucking the life from died from Garrus and Nov.
There were three students in the shield including David. Sidda's biotic aura lingered as she was still absorbing power. It was something to witness really. "Drop the shield. We're friendly." Nov said and the woman looking like she was ready to fight kept her guard up.
"I don't think so." She snapped. "I didn't buy it from them, I'm not buying it from you."
Nov gave her a look. "Do I look like Cerberus?"
"The square root of 906.02 is-…"
"30.1." Nov finished.
"Hello, Callus." David said finally looking up at him. His Autism didn't handle a lot of commotion at the same time. He'd gotten better at it over time but a way for him to rest was the same thing he said when he was locked away in the Overlord contraption.
"David, drop the shield. It's okay." He said and the shield came down.
"It's alright, Octavia." David said to the woman still ready to defend. "Callus is my guardian and person who saved my life." He said and Nov was amazing by his behavior. This place had been very good for him.
If Nov heard nothing else from him for the rest of his life he would be content with the ones he just heard. He saved a young man from a situation was would have most certainly killed him. That was his job, to help those who needed it. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Garrus. Commander Shepard." He acknowledged.
"He looks better." Garrus commented.
"I am better. Thanks to you. All of you." He said and moved over to the security door behind him. "They are taking people. Wanting to turn them, change them."
Nov was following him both trying to keep tabs on him and figure out what he was doing. "We know. We're going to get everyone out. You know who Jack is?"
"Yes." He said and fiddled with the lock on the door. The lock went from orange to green and
"She has the biotic kids on the upper level you'll be safe with her." He told him and finally asked the question. "What are you doing."
"The Security office. You need weapons and supplies." He told him and Nov gave smile.
"Proud of you, Kid." He smiled and patted his arm. "Get upstairs and stay with Jack, take those two with you."
"Of course." He nodded. "Be careful, Callus."
Sanders was able to procure two shuttles, between Jack and Sidda they put on enough of a biotic display to dazzle the students. Jack was by far more powerful but Sidda had more control. Garrus stole a damaged Atlas and together created one of the messiest fights to take place in a school yard. There were injuries but everyone made it safety. The two shuttles were packed full and the long-standing station of Grissom was abandon. One more reason to exterminate Cerberus, there was no telling how many people they kidnapped or killed in their bid to disrupt the station.
Space on the Normandy was at a premium now. They couldn't do anything else but head to the Citadel or the ship itself was going to run out of supplies.
"You wanna go pick up Elysium refugees as well?" Victus asked as the shuttles unloaded twenty more people to the Normandy.
"Funny, Adrien."
Her tone reflected her irritation and he reversed his track. Now was not the time for the smart ass as she was clearly at the end of her rope. "You get everyone?"
"The ones we could get. Who know how many Cerberus made off with before we could get there and don't start back on the Cerberus Parade, frankly, I'm tired of hearing everyone bitching about it." She snipped and Victus cocked his head to the attitude. "James!" she called and the Lieutenant gave her his attention. "Alright, listen up," now address everyone who just arrived. "if you need food or medical attention go with Lieutenant Vega. Cal, you too."
Nov didn't argue. His armor kept the pain down but as soon as it came off it was going to hurt like hell. "Don't mind if I do."
He touched her arm on the way by. The past few weeks had been rough and it wasn't getting any better. "You hear from Cerrus?" she asked Victus.
"Yeah. They took the gun. Krogan First Division is securing it."
"Everyone whole?"
"Ruvvak took a hit but he's okay."
"Fantastic." She muttered sarcastically. "Garrus, head up to the CIC and tell Joker to get us to Tuchanka ricky-tick and then then back the Citadel before we run out of air."
Garrus chuckled to the acknowledgement that they were way over the Normandy's approved capacity. As he obeyed her request Victus assumed that they were all leaving the steadily emptying hanger deck but Sidda didn't follow. Instead she looked drained and sat down on the floor at Cortez's console.
"Sid, are you alright?" Victus asked.
She had her hands over her face and looked like she was trying not to lose composure. "How the hell am I supposed to fight two enemies at once?" she asked but it wasn't a question that needed an answer. "How am I supposed to focus on stopping the Reapers from destroying the galaxy planet by planet when I'm having to go to schools and save students from be kidnapped by Cerberus for their sick experiments? I caused all of this. I pissed off the Reapers and I gave Cerberus free rein to do whatever the fuck they want by not firebombing the organization when I had the chance."
The venting session ended when she said that. "No." Victus said emphatically. "They Reapers were coming no matter what you just gave us a fighting chance and as for Cerberus…" he said crouching down in front of her.
"What? I worked with them…gave them credibility."
"And we will succeed in shutting those bastards down." He told her. She didn't need someone telling her everything she'd done wrong or even some telling her everything she'd done right. She needed someone to tell her that it wasn't her against the universe. It was them against the universe. Nov should be the one boosting her confidence but he wasn't sure how damaged their relationship was now. "You are not alone in this fight, Sidda, I promise you that. The Turians will aid Earth and you can always count on me." She appreciated the effect that he had on her, maybe it was the General talking or the person who still loved her but his confidence and faith in her made the bad stuff feel just a little bit better. He stood up straight and offered his hand she took it and he hauled her to her feet. "Now we don't need you to get us to Tuchanka and then to the Citadel. You look tired…go get some rest."
Gathering Cerrus' team was simple enough, but his team didn't come back unscathed, Ruvvak's would was pretty serious despite the fact he was brushing it off. Liara got him to medical leaving Cerrus in the hanger with Cortez on the Kodiak.
"I assume I passed, Sir." Cortez commented as Cerrus was collecting gear from the Kodiak. Most just left it to the pilot or deck crew but Cerrus wasn't like most people. There was blood on the deck from Ruvvak and an open med kit.
Cerrus spared him a glance. "Passed what?"
The pilot continued his post flight check. "The psych and combat evaluation you put me through. Deciding if I'm all there enough to ferry Shepard around."
Cerrus did request him to be his pilot this time and he was trying to gauge his mental status. He obeyed orders and was a self-starter. Not the hallmarks of someone who's mind was going around the bend. Cerrus had suffered the same kind of loss Cortez had and he knew what to look for. The scene in the bay earlier raised some warning but the pilot was right, for all intents and purposes he did pass. "Wasn't really a test, more of an observation. Carrying trauma like that into combat can get people killed. Trust me, I know that from personal experience." He said and Cortez turned his attention to him. It surprised Cerrus to see that the Human wasn't offended, he just accepted the feedback. "You obey orders and you do your job well…keep that up and you and I will get along fine."
Cortez was still puzzled by him. Cerrus had the reputation people liked to a monster. He was anti-human and never tied to hide it. He'd heard the warnings and seen the grouchy and prickly attitude, but he genuinely seemed to care about Cortez's mental wellbeing. "You know that I think?" he began. "I think that reputation of yours is all smoke. You genuinely care about the people you work with no matter their species."
Cerrus paused and glanced over to him. Kaidan had told him something similar that he wasn't sure he believed then, now, for the first time the thought of caring for a Human that wasn't his friend Kaidan Alenko didn't offend him.
Medical was crowded and Chakwas only kept those who needed the supervision. Tarquin, Banna, and Silix were joined by Ruvvak, Nov, and Rodriguez. The Turian contingent was certainly represented.
"Well, aren't we a merry band." Ruvvak commented as Liara deposited him into Chakwas' care. "What are you in for?" he asked Nov who had his shirt off and was sitting on the bed to his right.
"Busted rib." He muttered and then hissed as Mordin was a little less than gentle with the topical pain reliever. "Damn, Doc, easy."
"Minor rib fracture. More painful for Turian due to increased lung capacity." Mordin said and Nov's expression was that of amused pain.
"Thank you. Of course me being Turian I have a rather good knowledge of our physiology." He said and then grunted again to the continuing treatment.
"Apologies. Assumed Turians were tough." Mordin shot back.
Nov wasn't offended, in fact he was rather amused. Ruvvak laughed and Chakwas tended to him. "The medigel was applied correctly, Sergeant." Chakwas said after a few moments. "Lay back, I'll take a scan."
"I'm alright, Doc." Ruvvak said but Chakwas had heard that before from every soldier she'd ever treated.
Nov endured the bandage Mordin applied and groaned. It was meant to stabilize the broken rib, something Nov was familiar with but Mordin's bedside matter left something to be desired. "You are free to go."
The rec room was packed, the biotic students and the engineering students were checked by medical and now being fed by some of the Normandy crew and a few of the Blackwatch members.
David's interaction with others showed great progress and Nov notice that he interacted the best with Octavia, the young girl that challenged Nov. He didn't say anything to him and attempted to leave them in peace.
"Callus," David began, and Nov turned back toward him to give him his full attention. "Thank you. It is the second time you've saved my life. I will have to save your life someday."
Nov shook his head and put a hand on his right shoulder. "You don't owe me anything, David. It's not a competition. I promised I'd protect you. I have to go but if you need anything, call me or Sid. We should be to the Citadel soon."
Fixing up Ruvvak wasn't going to be too difficult. The immediate application of the Medigel and the first aid provided by Liara went a long way to ensuring that he wasn't going to be sidelined for too long.
"Just couldn't wait to get my clothes off could you, Doc?" Ruvvak teased and Chakwas gave him the smirking smile she gave every soldier who said that to her.
"That's what all of the strapping young soldiers say, Sergeant."
"None of them were Turian I bet." He replied and felt the wound start to mend under the laser. "Ow.." he growled through the pain that the analgesic didn't catch.
"It'll just hurt for a moment, Sergeant, I apologize." She replied and she was right, Ruvvak didn't feel anything after the initial contact.
"Call me Linus." He said and after a few minutes the procedure was over.
"Rest here for a few, Linus. Should be a full recovery but I want to keep an eye on you." She told him and he didn't argue.
As Chakwas moved onto other patients Ruvvak rested. She was working on the lone human girl who had a injury to her right arm. Chakwas had a good bedside manner, no matter who she was working on. The female Krogan stayed silent at the far end of the room. Mordin, the busy body Salarian amused him, he was supposed to be working on a cure to the Genophage but when an influx of patients arrived he helped out then returned to his work. Ruvvak could say that he'd never really seen a female Krogan before but she kept to herself as stayed out of the way.
The door to his left opened and he recognized the woman. Jack looked a little different from the last time he saw her. Longer hair, different wardrobe, and her body language looked better too. "They told me they picked you up." He said and Jack's attention shifted to him from Rodriguez.
Rather than rebuff him she approached his bed. "Yeah, just checking on one of my kids."
"Do you remember me?" he asked and the volatile biotic nodded.
"Ruvvak or something right?"
Ruvvak nearly smiled, the first time he met her he was intrigued by her then he saw her fight and wanted to get to know her more. She brushed him off each time he tried to talk to her until now. "Yeah. Call me Linus." He said and expected her to grunt and walk away but she didn't.
"That's easier to say…what the fucks a ruvvak anyway?"
He laughed lightly. "It means black stone. Volcanic rock on Palaven." He answered, it wasn't the first time he'd translated his last name to the laymen. "You're an instructor at Grissom?"
"Yeah…goddamn Shepard rubbed off on me." She answered and noticed the bandage on his side. "What happened to you?"
"Got between Cerberus and their target." Jack hated Cerberus, that much he was aware of, but he wasn't totally clear as to why. If she let him he'd get to know that gradually. "Don't worry though, Cerberus body count is going to be pretty high today."
Jack gave him a smile. "That's what I like to hear." She said and then decided that it was time to go. She felt awkward, like when did she let her guard down enough to have such a civil conversation awkward. "I gotta go…I'll see you later."
He didn't try to stop her. Jack needed space and for someone not to push too hard too fast. "Jack," he called. "I'll buy you a drink when we get to the Citadel." She nodded slightly but it wasn't an affirmation or a deny. She wasn't used to being asked out lease of all asked out by a Turian.
Sidda came out of the QEC room and found Victus entering from the other side. She tapped a few things on the center console, mostly looking at the networked feed of the state of the galaxy. The Alliance was in tatters but they'd gotten a headcount for ships and colonies that were both not under and under attack. Turian telemetry was still a mess but it was sufficient to say they were in one of three places: Palaven, The Citadel, or Gammae. The Asari and the Salarians had no real change, the Reapers hadn't sat on them yet and the Batarians were totally dark.
"I thought I sent you to bed." Victus commented pulling her focus from the sad state of affairs.
"Okay, Dad." He gave her a look that made her snort.
"Don't call me that." He said with a painful expression, he honestly was old enough to be her father.
Sidda chuckled to his response. She was a seasoned biotic master, after the hardest fight on Elysium she could handle a tough fight on Grissom. She was tired but not depleted. Nov entered and her concern shifted to him. "You okay?"
Nov hid the urge to bristle at Victus in proximity of his wife but nodded. "Broken rib. Mordin's bedside manner is more painful."
She snorted her amusement. "How's the rest of the menagerie?"
"Ruvvak insists that he's fine. Chakwas is working on him now. David and the biotic kids they all checked out." He reported as Vega was the last to arrive. "Biotic girl, Rodriguez, took one in the arm but she'd gonna be fine."
It had been a very busy day and a pretty bad day for Cerberus. "ETA to the Citadel is about three hours." Victus informed and began the little meeting. "We can drop off the passengers and head back out. Mordin's not finished with he cure yet so we can't further the plot until then."
Sidda had put things in motion for the passengers they'd acquired, at least the Human ones. "I spoke to Hackett, he's going to take the engineering students and put them with the Crucible and the Shield fleet." Nov didn't argue and she was impressed by his restraint. He was either okay with it or would voice his opinion loudly later.
"What about Grissom, we can't just let Cerberus keep it." Vega asked and he had a point. Sidda was certain some people were left behind, and that cruiser was up to no good.
"Hackett sent the SSV Seattle to reclaim it and sweep for anyone left behind if they can without drawing the attention of the Reapers at Elysium."
"I tasked the Vorash as well, only a frigate but should provide some support." Victus added. "We need to get some traction on the Reapers…stop fighting Cerberus."
"Well, why don't you tell them that?" she replied with a snap. It was hard enough trying to figure out how to fight the Reapers without tripping over Cerberus every step of the way.
"I'm working on sending them a message." The Primarch replied.
Note: Thanks for reading! Comments welcome!