Author's Note: It's simply impossible to ask for reviews without looking pathetic. It's just a simple fact of life. That being said, I am now going to ask for reviews.
Also, Chapters 1-27 have been edited.
Chapter Eighty Four: I Spent the Winter in Blood
"Liara, we cannot spook him off. We have to act cool, you know? Like we don't care, even though we really do care."
"Okay, got it."
"Alright," Colt said, "Here it goes". The pair stepped off the elevator and into the mess hall. There was already a ton of crew milling around, waiting for Grunt's decision.
Colt navigated through the crowd, stopping by the Med Bay. Liara pulled up beside him and leaned against the wall.
A moment later, the Med Bay's door slid open to reveal Chakwas and Grunt. The two stepped out and stopped in front of the crowd.
"Well, Grunt, what are you thinking?" Shepard asked. "You gonna join the crew or not?"
"My company is dead. I got nothing better to do," the krogan muttered, "So ya, I'll join the Normandy crew."
Shepard launched through the air towards Grunt, slamming into the krogan, and letting out a high pitched keening noise. He jumped up and down all over the poor thing. Garrus emerged from the crowd flapping his arms. Colt turned and jumped on the turian's back. He wrapped his arms around Garrus's neck while the turian took off running.
"Heeeellllllll yessss," Colt hollered. Garrus whooped in agreement. The pair dashed around frantically, letting out various cheers. In an impressive show of strength, Garrus jumped onto one of the Mess Tables, Shepard and all. The turian did a little jig while Colt laughed and pumped his fist. Garrus jumped down and started to run laps around the Mess Hall. Colt hung on with one hand while flaying the other wildly. Grunt was back! What a day!
"Commander," EDI said, "We are half-an-hour from Lesuss."
"Way to ruin the fun, EDI."
"You requested an alarm."
"Ya, ya, ya. Blame it on me." Colt rolled his eyes and grinned. "Garrus! To Liara!"
The turian carried Colt over to the asari, where he slid off Garrus's back.
"So much for keeping cool," Liara said once he was firmly planted on the ground.
"Ya, ya, ya," Shepard said, "Rules are meant to be broken."
"I'll remember that next time you give me an order."
"When I say rules are meant to be broken, I'm only referring to myself."
Liara laughed loudly before saying, "That's very convenient."
"Speaking of convenience, I hope your High Command appreciates us going all the way to Bum Fuck Nowhere just so they don't have to," he snorted.
"Well, muffin," Liara started, "We all appreciate your generosity." She smiled and planted a kiss on his cheek.
Colt narrowed his eyes at her. "You want to be on the ground crew, don't you?"
She batted her eyes before saying, "Now, what gave you that idea?"
"Well, it's your lucky day," he said, "You and Ashley are up."
…
Shepard shifted his feet and switched hands on the overhead grip. The shuttle gently rocked him from side to side. So far, the ride to Lessus was far more gentle than his previous ride to Utukku. Whatever that meant.
He looked down at the seated asari and asked, "Liara, dig up any information on this mission? Intelligence is a little scarce."
"I did," she said with a grimace, "I certainly did."
"That doesn't sound promising."
"Now I know why the Asari High Command wanted to keep this quiet. We're headed to an Ardat-Yakshi Monastery."
"That's it?" He asked. "I was imagining man-eating butterflies."
"You're not more concerned?" Ashley said.
"Nah," he replied, "They're just people. If I'm being completely honest, I'm always surprised at how the asari treat Ardat-Yakshi."
"Really?" Liara said, "Morinth was a monster."
"She was," Shepard admitted, "That doesn't mean all Ardat-Yakshi are like that. I've met some pretty people despicable people who were definitely not Ardat-Yakshi. Just depends on the person, not their genetic abnormalities."
"Well," Liara said, "We should still be careful."
"Agreed."
"I also learned that several asari commando units have gone MIA in the monastery investigating the distress signal," Liara continued.
"Missing asari commandos?" Colt said, "Now, that is horrifying."
"That's fucking great," Ashley grumbled, "Anything else, Liara?"
"If there was a chance the Ardat-Yakshi could escape, the commandos were told to purge the monastery," Liara explained.
"Purge? You mean destroy?"
"That's generally what purge means, Shepard."
"Well, excuse me," he said, holding his hands up in surrender. Liara was probably a bit pissed by his comments on Ardat-Yakshi.
"I hope the Commandos brought explosives or else we're SOL," Ashley grunted.
"I'm sure they did."
Colt scratched his beard before shifting his weight to the other foot. This whole mission was starting to feel like an incredibly bad idea. Shaky intelligence? Ardat-Yakshi? Missing asari commandos? He'd been on missions before that had the same feeling of unpreparedness and they never ended well. He licked his lips before asking, "Explosives seem a little excessive, don't you think?"
"No. I mean Morinth was just hitting her stride," Liara answered, "Ardat-Yakshi in their prime can wrack up astronomical body counts."
"I see."
"That's why they can never be free, Shepard, and why they're such a great shame to the asari people," she told him.
"Is that why they're such a great shame?" Colt wondered, "Or is it because they don't fit the mold? Shove them in some monastery so the asari don't have to publicly deal with them. Out of sight, out of mind, right?"
Liara's jaw tensed and she shot him a nasty look. Apparently, she did not take kindly to having her people criticised.
"I'm not personally blaming you. All I'm saying is that maybe the asari people need to re-evaluate how they treat Ardat-Yakshi. Are they really blood thirsty killers or are they just people born with a genetic condition? And maybe the asari are right about the Ardat-Yakshi. Maybe they are a danger to society." He took a deep breathe. "I think what I'm trying to say is that it's not a bad thing to question how people are treated. Is there any basis in fact for why Ardat-Yakshi are shoved in some monastery? Or is it just centuries of rumor scaring people into mistreating them?"
"Well, whatever our moral stances are, the High Command has made it abundantly clear to me that they will not rest until the monastery is destroyed," Liara said, "They won't risk having the Ardat-Yakshi on the loose."
"The last thing we should do is assume anything. For all we know, the Ardat-Yakshi sent out the distress signal," Colt said, "It will do us all good to remember who the real enemy is-the Reapers."
Liara and Ashley nodded in agreement.
"And if High Command is so hell bent on us destroying this place, I need to know what happened. I'm not into leveling places on a whim," he said sternly, "I'm not gonna wipe the monastery off the map unless I absolutely have to. No matter how much High Command wants me to."
"Alright, Shepard," Liara conceded, "I just want to report back to High Command so they stop wasting lives here."
"Agreed."
The shuttle stopped for a second before slowly descending. Colt pulled on his helmet and signaled the others to do the same. The shuttle door slid open, prompting Shepard to jump out. Ashley and Liara followed behind quickly. He picked his Eviscerator off his back and scanned the deck for any signs of combat. There wasn't much to see besides some boxes and an abandoned shuttle.
"Commander, there's heat comin' off this shuttle," Ashley said, "Someone must've just used it."
Colt turned around after he was satisfied that the deck was clear of enemies. He felt the shuttle and nodded. "You're right. We're not alone, people," he said, "Stay sharp." He looked up from the shuttle. "Oh, wow."
"What?" Ashley asked sharply. Shepard pointed towards the rows and rows of snowy mountains that lay just beyond the monastery. A blue sky to boot made it just about picture perfect.
Liara hummed in appreciation of the view. "Remember the Mako guys?" he asked. "I could've climbed those babies like nobody's business in that thing."
"And just like that, you ruined the view," Ashley said.
"You are very welcome," he said smugly, turning back to the monastery's entrance. "Ready to rock and roll, people?"
"Affirmative," Liara replied.
"Ready."
"Good," Colt said. He slammed his fist against the door, which slid open without protest. The inside was blackout conditions, making him turn on his helmet and gun's lights. "Flashlights on," he ordered, "And let's switch to a closed comm system. I get the feeling noise discipline is gonna be important."
Liara walked up next to him and looked inside. "The elevator's disabled. To prevent entry or escape, I wonder," she said. They looked at each other with a mutual feeling of discomfort.
"You two first," he said, "And be careful of the jump." Ashley jumped onto the elevator's top first before Liara joined her. Colt leaped over the gap himself and immediately felt chilled to the bone. A fully-functional monastery wouldn't dare have the lights off and they wouldn't disable an elevator unless something was seriously wrong. "I'll take point. Ashley, you'll watch our six," he said.
"Understood."
"Got it."
He walked over to the ladder and peered downwards. About forty feet down was a walkway with no visible threats. "Cover me on my way down," he ordered. Ashley and Liara stood on either side of the ladder while he quickly slid down. Once he touched down, he turned to scan his surroundings. There was a wall to his left and more walkway to his right. He couldn't hear or see anything dangerous. "Next," he said. Liara slid down the ladder and landed lightly next to him.
"Doesn't look good," she said. Her light was focused on a nearby wall splattered with blood. Judging by its color, it was a few days old.
"No, not at all," he agreed, "Hold this position. I'm gonna go up a few more feet." He moved up a little and still didn't see anything. "Alright, Ash, your turn."
He listened for the sound of her feet hitting the ground before saying, "You guys good?"
"Yes," they said in unison. Colt started walking, moving his light back and forth. Just because he couldn't see or hear anything didn't mean something wasn't there.
There were more bloodstains on the wall. They looked to be about the same age as the stain farther back. Judging by the amount, there was no way the victim was still alive.
An inhuman scream below them stopped Colt dead in his tracks. He held up a hand signaling the others to stop. "Listen," he whispered. The screaming continued and seemed to get louder.
"That's a lot more than one," Ashley said. As soon she she stopped talking, the screaming ceased.
"Let's keep going," he said after a moment. Shepard walked over to another ladder and peered down. There wasn't any visible threat below. "Same process as before," he ordered, "Same order on the ladder."
His squadmates sounded off in the affirmative. Colt slid down the ladder and turned around quickly. Ladders were weak points seeing as whoever was on the ladder had to holster their weapon. He listened and scanned but he didn't pick anything up.
This mission was screaming danger. He felt an air of deep disturbance and dread all the way to his bone. He rarely felt so unnerved by a mission, but this one was sure doing it. Twelve years (fourteen if you counted the dead years) in the military told him to pay attention to gut feelings. He sure as hell wasn't gonna let his concentration lapse for even a second.
"Alright, Liara," he said. The asari landed next to him. "Hold here," he told her. Shepard moved up a few feet and looked around. "Ashley."
Once he heard her land, he led them into a slightly larger room. At some point it had to have been a common area. There were entertainment consoles and bullet hole riddled couches directly in front of him. Some datapads were scattered across the floor.
Something clinked across the floor to his right, making him turn quickly with his gun ready.
"What was that?" Liara asked.
"Stay sharp," he said. He couldn't see anything or hear anything after the initial sound. Shepard moved closer to where the noise came from and immediately spotted an asari corpse.
"Looks like she was the Commando's Captain," Liara said from behind him, "It seems they gave their lives fighting off the Reapers."
He looked at Liara and back to the fallen commando. "This monastery isn't exactly down the road. Why would the Reapers come all the way here? What do they want with the Ardat-Yakshi?"
Liara shrugged.
"Find anything, Ash?" He asked. She was kneeling by the body and searching the Commando's pockets for any clues.
She held up a datapad. "Found this. It's a floorplan of the monastery with a NavPoint location of a bomb. It's in the Great Hall."
"So the Commandos started the purge after all," Liara said.
"Ardat-Yakshi or not, evacuating this place would've saved a lot of lives," Colt said, "Let's keep investigating. We may have to set off that bomb if it comes down to it. Keep looking around and tell me if you find anything important."
…
"Anyone find it hilarious that the most important bit of info we found was that the Ardat-Yakshi managed to sneak in Vaenia?"
Colt shrugged. He wasn't really in the mood for jokes. This mission demanded too much of his undivided attention.
"Oh, come on!" Ashley whined, "Joker, you have to back me up on this."
"I did think it was pretty funny," Joker admitted over the comms.
"Stay focused," Shepard ordered, "And be careful with your footing in this next room. I don't wanna give our position away." The door in front of Colt slipped open and he stepped through it with his gun raised. He moved slowly and listened.
Biotics exploded below the platform the three stood on. A Cannibal flew across the room below them before collapsing into a bloody mess. Samara walked out from behind a flower pot and looked up, saying, "Very good. I almost didn't hear you."
Colt tapped at his omni-tool in order to open the comm up again. "Samara?" Colt asked. He straightened out and slung his Eviscerator on his back.
"It has been some time, Shepard," she replied, "You are a most welcome sight. The corruption here runs deep."
"You feel it too?"
"Right down to my bones," she said.
"Me too," he said with a sigh, "Me too."
Liara stepped forward and crossed her arms. She cocked her head to the side which meant she could either be mildly annoyed or livid. Colt was interested to see which it was. "I assume you're here on your own, Justicar? Perhaps for something special?" She asked coldly.
Damn. What the hell did Samara ever do to Liara?
"You are correct. Two of my daughters live here and I have come for them. Unfortunately, the Reapers got here before I did," Samara answered, graciously ignoring Liara's accusing tone of voice.
Colt looked from Liara to Samara before saying, "I'm sorry Samara, but I have to ask, "Are your daughters dangerous?"
"Falere and Rila have shown no inclination towards violence."
"Good to hear," he said, "I hope they're okay."
Samara looked down and then back up at him before replying, "As do I. They are my responsibility and it's one that cannot be abandoned even as the galaxy crumbles. I know you understand better than most."
"Maybe," he said, shrugging. He abandoned his responsibility once things on Elysium started going south.
A sudden thought came to his mind. "Let's go together. Maybe Falere and Rila can tell us why the Reapers are here."
Samara hung her head and turned around, "I suspect they will have much to tell us. It has been centuries since I last saw them." Another scream identical to the one they heard earlier sounded in the distance. Samara turned around and focused her gaze to her right. "We're out of time. We'll meet again soon. I'll draw these creatures off," she said. Her biotics lit up her whole body in blue and she stormed off.
"Wait!" Colt called after her. He leaned over the railing just in time to see the door close behind her.
"Got something over here, Commander," Ashley said. Shepard turned from the railing and walked over to the Lieutenant Commander. She handed up a voice recording to him.
"My name is Tashya Porae. I'm wounded. Bad." The recording said. Colt hit the stop button and shoved the recorder in his pocket.
"We'll review it post-mission," Colt ordered, "Let's keep going for now. And switch back to closed comms." He turned and led the squad through a locked door and into another pitch black room. "Stay close and search for intelligence."
The three spread out and started the long process of combing the area. Colt found a few datapads and started to go through them.
"So, you got beef with the justicar, Liara?" Ashley asked after a few minutes.
"What gives you that impression?"
"Crossed arms, tone, general look of hatred."
"I can't say that I'm a huge fan of any justicar. They're extremists incapable of understanding that complex situations call for complex answers. Everything is black and white to them. Anyone who disagrees with them is wrong and deserves to die. They're not badass or cool, they're terrorists," Liara replied, "As for Samara herself, I cannot get behind anyone that leaves their children for centuries. How can you abandon your children for some ancient code that fails to acknowledge today's intricacies? Plus I cannot get over how she has three Ardat-Yakshi daughters. I can understand one, even two, but three just seems irresponsible."
"Well, don't hold back or anything," Ashley said with a laugh.
"In the interest of honesty, I just wanna let you know that I plan on leaving our kids," Shepard said.
"Do explain."
"Think about it. Almost everyone on the Normandy has some sort of daddy issue. The best-of-the best have daddy issues. If I leave them, we could create super asari. They would accomplish so much in their quest to spite me," Shepard said, "Then I would return to them as an old man and ask for money."
"Naturally," Liara said.
"I mean I have daddy issues and look at me! I turned out great, " Shepard said. Some asshole coughed to cover up a laugh.
The comms fell silent once more as they searched for anything significant.
"This place is enormous," Ashley said after awhile, "There must've been thousands of people living and working here."
"And not a single survivor yet," Shepard said grimly.
"I bet most of these people were civilians."
"Most likely," he said. He took a step forward, causing his foot to collide with something on the ground. Shepard jerked his gaze downwards only to be greeted with the sight of a half-eaten asari commando. She was on her side and her ribcage was showing. He bent down to further investigate when he heard a slight wheeze. Neither Liara nor Ashley ever wheezed.
Colt stood back up and listened again. There it was again, the wheeze. And a new scraping sound.
"Stop whatever you're doing and stand absolutely still," Colt said. He moved slowly to the sound's location. He walked about fifty feet when he almost ran into a wall. He shined his light over its top and watched a long, thin, blue hand dart out to another dead commando. The hand ripped a piece from her thigh and brought it back behind another wall. He could hear a scraping noise and then chewing.
Colt's breathe caught in his throat. He'd never seen anything like it. Not once in all his years fighting Reapers. His hands tightened around his Eviscerator and clenched his jaw. What exactly was he looking at?
The hand reappeared and dug into the asari. It was easily ripping and pulling the Commando apart.
"Rally on my position. Maintain noise discipline," he ordered. Immediately, Liara crept up on his right side.
"What's up?"
Shepard nodded at the creature still framed in his light.
"Goddess. What is it?"
"I don't know," he said, "Ashley, where the fuck are you?"
"Coming," she breathed over the comms. The sound of metal getting kicked across the ground made Colt's blood run cold. "Shit."
The creature's extended arm froze and then pulled back quickly. A bloodcurdling scream shattered the previous silence. The creature stood revealing a Reaperified asari. She glowed blue before firing off a biotic charge towards Ashley. Fuck!
Colt couldn't shoot or fire off his biotics for fear of wounding Ashley. Nope, this issue needed an old fashioned fix. He took off after the fucked up asari at blazing speeds. He caught up to her just as she was climbing down a wall that separated her and Ashley. Colt grabbed the top of the wall and pulled himself over. He used his momentum to swing his legs into the asari's chest. She flew backwards like a ragdoll about ten feet before crashing through a pane of glass and landing somewhere below them.
"Holy shit!"
"What?" Colt looked at the shattered glass a moment longer before turning to Ashley.
"First off, that thing. Secondly," she said while gesturing at him, "You just fucking ruined that thing. That was fucking insane! Holy shit!"
"You're welcome. And next time be more careful. Let's keep moving," Shepard said. He held up a hand to his comm. "Anybody have any clue what the hell that thing was?"
"There are a few scattered reports of converted asari, Commander," Traynor responded, "They are becoming more frequent, however. They have even been dubbed Banshees in recognition of their distinct screams and biotic abilities. Most reports claim their biotic abilities are similar to those of Vanguards."
"A Vanguard?" Ashley said, "Hell, we could slap a shock collar on one of them and call her Commander instead. Then we wouldn't have to put up with so much bullshit."
Shepard smiled to himself. "You'd miss my devilishly good looks."
"You got me there, Skipper."
Liara poked her head out and the broken window and looked down for several seconds. She turned around before saying, "Those used to be asari, Shepard. They had thoughts and feelings and family. And now they're...those creatures."
"You mean like all those humans that are husks or all those turians that are marauders?" Ashley said, "I don't mean to sound callous, but welcome to the fight, Liara."
Colt expected a sharp rebuttal from the asari. Instead, she turned around and nodded slowly.
…
The trio walked through another set of doors, this time into a well-lit room. An unfamiliar asari ran past them with a Cannibal hot on her heels. Before Shepard could even think about using his biotics, Samara jumped down next to the Cannibal and hit it with an biotically charged fist, causing an impressive explosion of flesh, blood, and whatever else.
"Mother! You came," the other asari said. She had light blue facial markings and was dressed in white robes.
"As soon as I was able."
Samara turned from the asari to him before saying, "Shepard, this is my youngest, Falere. She and her sister are Ardat-Yakshi. They-"
"Mother! They have Rila," Falere cried.
"What?" Samara turned quickly towards her daughter.
"Some of those creatures dragged her into the Great Hall. I've been trying to get in there."
"Falere, we'll get Rila. I promise," Shepard said, "But can you explain to me why the Reapers are here?"
Falere turned around and pointed towards a dead Banshee. "They're harvesting us. Turning us into those monsters. Please don't let that happen to Rila."
Colt had to hand it to the Reapers, it was a pretty solid plan. Kidnapping Ardat-Yakshi for Banshees gave them a psychological advantage. It didn't matter if Ardat-Yakshi were basically like every other asari in existence, as long as the asari people believed they were monsters that were created into even worse monsters. That sort of thing could really fuck with a fighting force.
"High Command thought that the Ardat-Yakshi were to blame for the attack," Shepard said
"This is our home, Shepard. For the most part, we're grateful to be here. We can find peace here."
"Falere speaks truthfully," Samara said, "I vouch for her with pride." Falere smiled at that.
"I didn't think that, High Command did," Colt said, "Let's go find Rila. There's a bomb in the Great Hall."
"A bomb? Didn't you come to rescue people?" Falere asked.
"We did and we'll keep looking. I won't detonate the bomb unless it's absolutely necessary. Don't worry just yet."
"Okay." Falere nodded. "But we have to hurry." She turned and jumped over the railing. Both Samara and Colt watched her float to the ground, thanks to her biotics.
"Meet you there," Samara said. She jumped over the railing and slowly descended to the ground.
Colt turned to Ashley and Liara. "We're going down people. Ash, get your ass over here. You're first."
"Uhhh, Shepard. I'll break my legs if I jump."
"I know," he said, "That's why I'll get you down via my biotics." He extended his right arm out and let his biotics envelope Ashley. He concentrated on the connection until he was sure he wouldn't drop her. Her heartbeat thumped in his ear, as well as the hum of her blood running through her veins. "Go ahead and jump. I won't drop you...probably."
"That's reassuring," she said. A moment later she vaulted over the railing and into the air. Colt lowered her down gently and released the connection once he was sure she was on the ground.
"Liara," he said. The asari activated her biotics and jumped over the railing. He followed close behind, landing lightly next to her.
"The Great Hall is just through here," Falera said, pointing to some doors.
"Alright. Buckle up, everyone," Colt said, "I wouldn't be surprised if there's more Banshees." He hit the door's controls and charged in. Immediately, he stopped and threw his right arm out to protect the people behind him. There weren't any problems that he could hear or see. It was just a simple feeling, one that shook him to his core. Everything in him was screaming to turn around and run. The feeling was rare but not unheard of. He'd felt it here and there, and it never ended well. He was terrified for his friends.
"What's wrong?" Liara asked.
"Something's not right in here," he replied, "I don't like it. I don't like it one bit."
"Me neither, but we need to get Rila," Samara said. He turned his head to look her in the eye. She stared back calmly. There was nothing to indicate even an ounce of nervousness. He lowered his arm tentatively and looked back into the Great Hall.
"I know. I just want everyone to be careful," he said, "Be on the lookout, people." He moved forward with his Eviscerator raised.
"She's corrupted."
"What?" Colt asked.
"We didn't say anything."
"Hmmm," Colt hummed. "Ashley, there's the bomb. Get on it. I think we might have to blow this place after all."
"Yes, Commander."
"Rila!" Falere yelled from a few feet behind him. She charged past him towards the front of the room.
"Falere! Wait!" He yelled. Once it was clear she wasn't stopping, Shepard sprinted after her.
She ran up to an asari leaning against another section of the bomb. He reached them just as Falere began gently shaking who he assumed was Rila.
"She can't hear us, Falere," he said softly.
"Rila! Can you hear me?" Falere brushed her fingertips softly against Rila's cheeks.
"She's corrupted," someone whispered. Colt shook his head vigorously.
"Falere," he sighed. He grabbed the asari's shoulder. She wiggled out of his grasp and continued trying to wake her sister.
Rila's eyes flew open suddenly. Shepard flinched away from her, putting up a hand defensively. Her eyes were pitch black and unblinking. Colt shoved Falere backwards with his forearm before turning back to Rila. She stood up with a nasty grin plastered on her face. He lashed out at the asari with a balled fist, hitting her square in the chest. She stumbled backwards and bashed her head on the bomb's edge. Blood started pooling under her head at an alarming rate.
"Oh God," Colt said. He backed up and tried to understand what he'd just done.
Samara flashed past him and crouched next to her daughter.
"What did you do?" Falere screamed. She pulled herself off the floor and and stomped towards him. She smacked him across the helmet before he could say anything.
"I didn't mean to," he tried explaining. It was just an involuntary reaction. For some reason, her twisted grin had sent him over the edge.
"Falere," Samara said sternly. Falere didn't seem to hear her; instead, she continued to land punches on Shepard. "Falere!" Samara hissed. Almost immediately, the younger asari stopped. "She was gone, Falere. She was already corrupted. We would've had to kill her one way or another."
Falere fell to her knees and started sobbing into her hands.
"I'm so sorry," Shepard said, "I'm so, so sorry. It wasn't my intention to-"
Falere held up a hand, prompting him to stop speaking. Someone brushed past his shoulder, causing him to jump a little. Ash walked out from behind him a second later. "God damn," she said under her breath. She was staring at the blood still pumping from Rila's head.
"What do you need, Ash?"
"Oh, right. Sorry. Umm, the bomb is ready. All we need is the detonator."
"Alright," he said more to himself. "Alright! The commandos would've had one. Spread out and search for it."
"Found it!" Liara answered immediately. She lifted up a short pipe-looking thing.
"Okay…" Colt trailed off. How did they get out of the Great Hall to the outside?
"The elevator to your left will take you to the surface," Traynor said over the comms.
"Thanks," Colt said. He looked at the door, shook his head, and tensed his jaw. They couldn't leave just yet.
"What's wrong?" Ash asked.
"We can't blow up this place without searching for survivors. We just can't," he told her. Maybe they could announce they were leaving. "Falere, is there a P.M. system in here?"
The asari shot him a dirty look without saying a word. Samara looked at her daughter and back to Colt. "Over there," the older asari said. She pointed at a metal panel against the wall.
Shepard opened the panel up, pressed the comm. button, and started talking. "This is Commander Shepard speaking. We are going to blow this place. If you are still alive, please respond with your location." He stepped back and waited for a response.
The ceiling buzzed for a second before a female voice said, "We're in the Dining Hall. Please help us!"
"Ash, stay here with with Samara and Falere. Protect them and keep setting up the bomb," he ordered, "Liara, you're with me. Let's go get these people. Traynor, get us to the Dining Hall."
"Go out the door to your left. Keep going for about a thousand feet and then turn right."
"Thanks, Traynor. Liara?"
"Right behind you."
"EDI, get that door open," he said, turning to his left.
"Open."
Colt bolted through the door and down the corridor. He ran a little ahead of Liara, hoping to catch any Banshees before they could ever reach her.
"Right here," Traynor said. Colt turned on the ball of his feet and readjusted courses. The door swished open just as the pair reached it. His first glance into the new room prompted him to pull Liara behind some storage boxes.
"Banshee," he said, "Wait here. I'll get it." He crept out from behind the boxes towards the turned-around Banshee. She was clawing at another door, occasionally letting out a grunt of frustration. Shepard activated his omni-blade once he was right behind her. He lunged forward, put his hand around her mouth, and whipped her head backwards. Before she could even think about wiggling out of his grasp, he drew his omni-blade across her throat. Shepard caught her before she tumbled to the ground. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and dragged her into a storage room. The smell of blood could attract other Reaper creatures, so getting her away from their path back to the Great Hall was an absolute necessity.
"The Dining Hall is just beyond the door that thing was clawing," Traynor said.
"Copy that," he replied, "Liara, on me." He started tapping at the door's controls. Unfortunately, each tap seemed to lock the door even more securely. "EDI?"
"Working on it," the AI said. A moment later the door's red control panel turned green. Liara walked up next to him with her body ablaze with biotics. They nodded at each other before Colt slammed his fist against the control panel. The door slid open to a sad site.
The Dining Hall was dim inside. The once-soaring architecture of the monastery was shot to hell and in some places, completely collapsed. About twenty-five or so people were huddled together in the back corner. Colt stepped over the pieces of wall and ceiling to reach them. The only sound was Liara's and Shepard's boots clanking over the uneven, torn up ground. He ducked under a fallen support beam just before reaching them.
"I'm here for you," he told them, "I'm here to help. I'm Commander Shepard and this is Liara T'Soni. We need to move quickly and quietly to the Great Hall. From there, we'll evacuate to the Normandy. Who absolutely cannot walk by themselves?"
An older looking asari, maybe a matriarch, spoke up, "Only Ashita cannot walk. The rest of us are okay."
"Sounds good. And where is Ashita?" A little blue hand shot up in the crowd. The young asari girl kept her head down.
"Okay. I'll carry Ashita. Is there anybody else who needs to be evacuated?"
The same older asari spoke up, "No. We're it."
Colt nodded his head slowly at this information. Thousands of people lived at the monastery and thirty were left. He snapped out of his thoughts and said, "We need to get going."
The asari slowly rose to their feet. They looked like they were in bad shape if the malnourishment, bloody bandages, and general sickly appearance were anything to go by. He walked over to Ashita and gently lifted her into his arms. The tiny asari was just a child. She didn't look any older than a six-year-old human. Her legs were clearly broken. Someone tried to splint them as best they could, but the materials used weren't quite right for the job. Ashita burrowed her head into his shoulder but remained quiet.
He started to lead the group out of the dining hall when he heard a distant Banshee scream. The whole group of asari visibly shrunk back from the noise. "It's far away, yet," Colt reassured them. He pressed on through the doors and down the corridor.
Liara was bringing up the rear. He glanced back just in time to see her pause for a second to listen. Another Banshee scream, closer than before, sent a shiver down his back. "Keep going," he said. The asari were breathing heavily but still shuffling along. Colt desperately wanted to sprint out of the area. They were exposed and moving much too slowly for his liking.
Another scream, directly behind them, shattered Colt's nerves. "Got it! Keep going, Colt!" Liara said. He turned his head just in time to see her launch a biotic attack against a Banshee. Shepard willed himself to keep moving against the urge to protect Liara.
He rounded the final corner and started his way down to the Great Hall. Another scream was interrupted by the explosion of biotics. His inability to turn and help Liara felt like a stab to the chest. The very worst kind of betrayal. Terror settled in his stomach like a rock. She had to hold out until help could arrive. She just had to.
"Ashley," he said over the comm. "I've got about twenty five asari coming to you. I want you to evacuate them, Samara, and Falere to the outside. Is the bomb ready?"
"Can do, Commander. The bomb is ready when you are."
A Banshee scream set his teeth on edge. Only a few hundred more feet. That's all he had to endure.
Four hundred feet.
Three hundred feet.
Two hundred.
One hundred.
"Ash, get the damn door," he growled. The door to the Great Hall slid open, revealing a lone figure.
"Detonator," Ashley said, placing something in his hand.
"Get these people outside!" He ordered, "I need to go get Liara! I'll be back!" Colt shoved Ashita into her arms before turning and racing back down the corridor. He'd never run so fast in his life. Around the final corner, he found Liara putting up a formidable fight. The asari was surrounded by Banshees and was still somehow alive. Shepard ripped his way through the Banshees until he was by Liara's side.
"Let's go, the others are out!" he yelled over the growls and screams of pain.
"My leg," Liara huffed out, "I can barely put any weight on it." Colt looked down and saw her leg oozing blood out of four distinct claw marks.
Shepard nodded and came up with a new plan. He built up as much biotic energy as he could in the span of a few seconds. Deep breathe in, deep breathe out. His biotics pulled at him, begging to be released. Tension coiled in his legs, then his stomach, and finally his hands. As soon as he felt the familiar tingle of biotics prickle his palm, he let out a massive Nova.
Banshees flew through the air away from the pair. Since the Nova was spread out over a fairly large distance, the Banshees were only knocked to the ground instead of killed.
Colt took the momentary lapse of fighting to heave Liara onto his shoulders. Once he was sure that she was secure in his fireman's carry, he took off. Down the corridor, around a corner, down another corridor, and finally into the Great Hall. Despite the Nova, the Banshees were hot on their tail. Shepard couldn't run nearly as fast as he usually could.
A quick glance around the room confirmed that he and Liara were the only two left. The absence of Ashley probably meant the bomb was ready to go. At least he hoped so.
Colt turned quickly on his right foot as he reached the center of the Great Hall. The turn was a bit much, causing him to stumble. Shit! A desperate scramble back to his feet propelled him forward but not enough. The Banshees were five feet behind him at the most. If they unleashed a biotic charge, they'd be on top of him.
He was so fucking close to the elevator, it hurt. Ten feet and dropping. Get on that thing and he and Liara were free.
A Banshee screeched in tandem with the sound of biotics. Colt tensed his body for the inevitable biotic charge. A half second later, a body slammed into his back - hard. He flew off his feet and skitted across the floor on his stomach. Liara slid across the floor just in front of him. Shepard launched to his feet, grabbed Liara up in his arms, and dragged her onto the elevator.
Once she was on, he let go of her. Shepard started to turn to push the Banshees out when one of them grabbed his neck piece. It pulled him backwards onto the ground, forcing the wind out of his lungs. Shepard fought for breath while also being dragged out of the elevator.
"Colt!" Liara screamed.
"Just go!" he yelled back. The detonator was still in his hand. She could still make it out alive.
A blue flash crossed his line of vision and cracked like a whip. A boot appeared out of the sky and drove itself into the Banshee that was dragging him. Each time the boot went down, blood sprayed across his visor until he couldn't see a damn thing. He started to get pulled the opposite direction before being unceremoniously dropped to the floor.
He drew a hand across his visor, which more or less cleaned his vision up. He sat up and looked around. He seemed to be safely in a Banshee -ree elevator. How the hell was he still alive?
Liara sat across from him, looking exhausted. Somewhere along the way she'd lost her helmet. Her knees were up and she was leaning her head against them. Her crest was all cut-up and actively bleeding.
"Well," he said, "At least we're not dead."
She looked up and gave him a bloody smile. "At least we're not dead," she agreed.
Colt brought the detonator up to his line of vision. He looked at the nondescript piece of black metal before glancing up at the asari. She gave him a tired nod. Colt pressed the button on the very top.
The elevator shook a moment later before an ear-shattering explosion sounded underneath them.
After the noise died down, Liara asked, "What was that about not destroying the monastery? Something about 'I won't do it even if High Command wants me to?"'
Shepard raised a shaky hand at her and stuck out his middle finger.
She grinned another bloody grin at him, and went back and forth between coughing and laughing.
The elevator stopped and opened up to a nice balcony overlooking the snowy mountains. The twenty five asari plus Ashley were spread out all over the ground. Some looked to be putting medi-gel on others.
Colt stood and bent over to help Liara. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and helped her limp over to a wall. Once she was situated on the ground, Colt took out a packet of medi-gel for her. He ripped it open and started applying it to her leg. Her gloved hand grabbed his wrist mid application.
"I can do it," she said, "Go help the others."
"You sure?"
"Positive."
Colt handed over the medi-gel pack, took his helmet off, and turned back to the few asari survivors. He picked out Ashley from the crowd and walked over to her.
"What's the sitrep?" He asked.
"Good to see that you're still in one piece, Commander. You had me worried for a second. I should've known that a few Banshees couldn't do you in," she said, "As for the situation, Chakwas is prepping for medevac as we speak." She looked around and then said quietly, "We can't let any Ardat-Yakshi aboard the Normandy. I talked to the asari over there-," she pointed at the matriarch from earlier, "-And she explained that a ship and its crew are condemned to death by Justicars if any Ardat-Yakshi come aboard. It's against the stupid fucking code or whatever."
"Fuck, that's right. Okay, well, besides Falere, are there any Ardat-Yakshi left?"
"No. None. They were heavily targeted by Reapers."
"Okay, well. Umm, we'll just have to figure something out on the fly. Let me go talk to Falere. She may have some idea of a loophole."
"Alright, but be careful," Ashley warned, "She's still all cut-up about Rila."
Colt nodded before turning away and heading for Falere. The asari was sobbing into her hands. He sat down next to her carefully and remained silent for a while. "Are you hurt?" He asked after a bit.
She shook her head and continued to sob.
"We'll get you the medical care you need. You don't need to be scared. Are you sure you're okay?" He asked.
A cold piece of metal dug into the side of his head. He froze and his heart jumped into his throat. "Shepard, stand up," Samara said cooly.
Colt slowly raised his hands while staring straight ahead. "Samara, what the fuck?"
"She's wounded, Shepard. A wounded Ardat-Yakshi cannot control themselves."
"That's bullshit," he snapped. Her gun clicked as her thermal clip locked into place. Colt swallowed hard.
"Get up," she said again. This time, he did stand up, but he placed himself firmly in front of Falere.
"She's your daughter, Samara," he pleaded, "And how do you know what you said about Ardat-Yakshi is true? It could very well be a myth."
"It's not. She could kill everyone here very easily. A simple slip-up could result in thirty deaths. Is that what you want?"
"Of course not!"
"Then get out of my way," she growled.
"Samara-"
Before he knew what hit him, Shepard was tumbling through the air via biotics. He collided with one of the steel beams, sending his head spinning. He looked up just in time to see Falere's brain exploding across the wall behind her. The roar of Samara's gun echoed off the monastery walls.
"No!" He yelled. Samara's back was turned from him, hunched over. She raised the gun to her own head. Colt took off towards her as fast as he possibly could. The ground rushed under him as he sprinted forward.
He reached her just as her gun went off again. She fell back into him, almost knocking him over. What was left of her head collided with his shoulder and smeared across his armor. Blood was pouring down his body at an unbelievable rate. It looked like someone had opened a faucet on him.
Shepard wrapped his arms around her, preventing her body from sliding to the ground. After a second, he became acutely aware of people screaming, setting his blood on fire. It was not a new sound, but it never got easier.
He dragged Samara's body away from the others and laid it down gently in a corner. He went back and picked up Falere's body. He laid her next to Samara.
Falere would have to be buried on Lesuss because they couldn't transport her on the Normandy. Samara would want to be buried next to her.
He pressed a hand into his earpiece, "Chakwas?"
"Yes?"
"I'm gonna' need you to bring two burial shrouds and a shovel when you get down here."
…
"Here. Just right down there."
The shuttle's thrusters rose to a dull roar and gently rocked the interior back and forth. Shepard sunk back into his seat while closing his eyes. The rocking back and forth, and background noise was kind of comforting in an odd way. Not relaxing, exactly, but safe. Familiar.
The shuttle stopped swaying before the thrusters completely cut off. Colt became aware of his own breathing and heart beat in the absence of any other noise.
"We've touched down, Shepard," Cortez said.
"I know."
Colt sat with his eyes closed for a few more seconds before summoning the courage to stand. He picked up the shovel off the ground and walked to the shuttle's already lowered ramp. The step off from metal ramp to crunchy snow was startling. Snow wasn't something he'd experienced in a long while.
He'd seen the tree while they were still flying. It was huge and barren of any color. The snowy landscape matched its bleached appearance. The tree was perfect in every way for this occasion. One: It was striking, worthy of a Justicar and her daughter. Two: When Shepard came back to properly bury them, the tree would be relatively easy to find. He'd been lucky to spot it.
Colt walked over to the tree and laid a palm against it. Its bark was smooth, almost soft to the touch. Just perfect really.
He gripped the shovel with both his hands and started digging a few feet from its roots. The dirt was frozen and packed down tightly. Still, he was able to dig two six feet deep holes in just under an hour.
Colt leaned his shovel against the tree and walked back to the shuttle. He gently picked up Falere's carefully wrapped body in his arms. He carried her out to the first grave, leaned her upper body against his chest, and dragged her into the hole. After he was satisfied that she was laying evenly, he went back to the shuttle.
Samara was a little heavier, but not by much. He carried her out to the second hole, leaned her upper body against his chest, and dragged her in. Shepard climbed out when he was positive she was laying flat.
The two laid in side-by-side graves with identical white burial shrouds. Chakwas offered to wrap them, but Colt decided to do that himself.
He picked up the shovel again and started to pile dirt on top of them. When he finished, he went back to the shuttle. He grabbed his hand-made crosses and went back to the graves. The crosses had Samara's and Falere's names written in English and the asari main language. He hammered them into the ground, only stopping once he was absolutely sure that they couldn't be knocked down.
The sun was setting into a vibrant pink color. Some pretty intense reds were also making an appearance. The blue sky mixed in marvelously with the colors, providing the perfect canvas.
The Reapers didn't notice stuff like that. Husks never watched the sky for the hell of it. Whatever the Reaper's reason for killing, it was bullshit. There wasn't a single reason why the day had to end like it did. There was nothing deep or meaningful to be found. Try as he might, Colt simply couldn't figure out the moral of the story.
Why did Falere have to die? Why did Samara have to kill herself? There was no explanation. No rousing speech. They weren't martyrs. It wasn't a story about heroes being cut down for the greater good.
Death was so much easier to swallow when it gave a reason.
He knelt to the ground just in front of the two graves. He bowed his head and whispered to no one in particular, "Kalahira, this one's heart is pure, but beset by wickedness and contention. Guide this one to where the traveler never tires, the lover never leaves, the hungry never starve. Guide this one, Kalahira, and she will be a companion to you as she was to me."
He looked up once he was done and stared at the two crosses. Samara would probably like that prayer. Once upon a time, she and Thane had been pretty good friends. Hopefully it was a good send off for her. As for Falere, hopefully the prayer fit her as well.
"Hey, Shepard?" Cortez called out tentatively.
"Yes?"
"It's getting late. We should probably head back."
Colt nodded. "You're right," he said, "Let's go home." He stood up and gave the graves a final look before turning for home.
…
Author's Note: Please accept my pathetic plea for reviews.