+OS+
(SSV Normandy)
Shepard sat on his bed trying to organise his thoughts knowing that he had to be clearheaded once they reached Palaven, but the revelation that Kelly was pregnant with his child had literally blown his mind. He had never imagined been a Father considering the way his life had gone so far, he had already died once at the hands of the Collectors and any thought of such a future had never entered his mind once he had been resurrected by Cerberus. But now thoughts of such a future were playing on his mind with ever increasing speed and it was very distracting, how could he or Kelly even think of bringing a child into the world with a potential apocalypse about to wipe out their entire species along with half a dozen others. But Kelly was too far along now and would soon give birth, thus he would have to ensure they won this war as the stakes were far more personal and losing was unthinkable to even consider. For Kelly and their unborn child he had to fight all the harder to somehow ensure an alliance was made between all the major races to fight the Reapers, had to push no matter what obstacle got in his way and destroy the Reapers even if the end result was his death. He'd accept such an outcome if it meant Kelly and their child as well as the galaxy at large survived the Reapers purge; he'd been ready for that trade off since encountering the Prothean beacon back on Eden Prime.
"Shepard, are you okay?" EDI inquired over the comm. "I've noticed since your return from the Citadel you've been heavily distracted and have stayed in your quarters ignoring two calls from Joker and one from Liara which is unlike you" she pointed out.
Shepard jerked at that not even remembering hearing his comm go off, had he been so distracted he'd not even heard it go off or just plain ignored it. Letting out a sigh he ran a hand through his hair and stood up, he supposed he must have been that distracted.
"Not really EDI I received a shocking piece of news whilst on the Citadel, or maybe a few pieces of shocking news" he finally admitted. "First Thane is in the final stages of the Kepral's syndrome he had and will more than likely die soon, then I met Miranda and found her to be rather standoffish and desperately searching for her Sister who has gone missing and she is worried her Father might be behind it" he told her. "Finally I got my biggest shock when Miranda directed me to Kelly who is pregnant with my child and almost ready to give birth, it rather blew my mind" he continued finding it helpful to vocalise his jumbled thoughts. "We are facing oblivion EDI and somehow it has become all the more important that I somehow succeed in bringing an alliance together, that we somehow manage to prevail and destroy the Reapers no matter what happens to me just so long as Kelly and our child has a future to look forward to" he finished.
EDI considered what Shepard had told her and was rather surprised to hear he was to be a Father, but when she considered this information a bit closer she came to the conclusion Shepard would make a good Father as he had a very protective spirit within him. He would move heaven and earth to protect those he cared about, and he would do more so for his own offspring. In her mind it was added incentive to fight the threat of the Reapers, something for Shepard to focus on beyond the survival of the human species as well as the rest of the galaxy inhabited worlds.
"Nothing could have prepared me for the news Kelly was pregnant with my child, I've never truly harboured such thoughts and now they just won't go away" Shepard began again. "I need to focus my mind before we reach the Turian system, I just don't know how EDI" he admitted.
"I understand your shock Shepard but I would feel the news of your impending Fatherhood would be rather welcome, as I told you before you and Kelly bonded far closer than either believe and far closer than either of your relationships with Miranda and Samara" EDI continued gently reminding them of their previous conversation on the matter of his various relationships. "Yes the timing is not ideal but it does give you far more to fight for, it gives you something precious should we all live through this war does it not" she pointed out. "For now though you need to focus on rescuing the Turian Primarch from Menae, you have at least a half hour to settle your thoughts" she told him.
"Thanks EDI and your right I have something to look forward too should we survive, something to focus on" Shepard responded finally and moved to his desk and decided to go through some ship reports before heading down to the flight deck or perhaps to engineering to visit Donnelly and Daniels who should have been returned to the Normandy before they departed.
+TOS+
(Cerberus Headquarters)
The Illusive Man focused deeply on the garbled transmission Eva had sent him before been offlined by Shepard, sadly he had received only half of the information Eva had recovered from the archives the rest was just garbled junk which meant she had been shut down whilst she was transmitting the data through her inner comm port. It was or had been one of the unique features created during her design, now she was nothing but a mangled heap of scrap. Perhaps though had he not given the order to try and kill one of Shepard's crew Eva would have had the time to transmit the full data, then again perhaps not and it was too late now to change his mind. He had other ways of getting the rest of the data which he was certain Shepard had handed over to Alliance Command as well as the Citadel Council, which meant it was reachable if he sent the right spy to gain it. Thankfully he knew the best type of spies; most had been former Alliance before either leaving of their own accord or been thrown out or imprisoned due to some kind of misdeed on their part.
"I told you that you should have sent me along with your toy robot" Kai-Lang growled from behind him making him turn to face his now fully healed assassin.
"It was a calculated risk Lang and I didn't want to expose your healed status straight off, I want to hold you in reserve to strike when they least expect it" the Illusive Man responded with a sigh. "As for the data, with the right spy sent to the Citadel or whatever passes for Alliance Command right now it can be easily retrieved" he added. "For now I want you to focus on training a small strike force, soon I'll have work for you to do" he instructed. "We've only just begun our work, Shepard might have gotten the upper hand but it works to our favour as we need him to draw whatever kind of alliance he can pull together to hold off the Reapers until we have what we need to bring them to heel" he informed him as he lit up a cigarette and took a deep drag of it before expelling the smoke.
"Shepard is dangerous to our plans, he will get in our way" Kai-Lang pointed out grimly as whilst he had never met the man he knew enough about him to know this fact.
Shepard was also Anderson's protégé and that meant like the man who had had trained him he would be an annoyance; he had not forgotten or forgiven what Anderson had done to him when he had crippled him during their last meeting. He would in time have his revenge on him and on the woman he loved Kahlee Sanders, killing her and Shepard would lay Anderson low until he could kill the man himself. Unfortunately Anderson had chosen to remain on Earth and thus was out of his reach for now, but he was certain Anderson would remain alive as he had to admit he had an uncanny skill to survive things he shouldn't that he seemed to have passed onto Shepard.
"Perhaps but you are my ace in the hole Lang, Shepard will not expect you and thanks to your upgrades will not be able to beat you" the Illusive Man countered easily. "Now you have a strike force to put together, I suggest you get started as they'll be needed sooner than you think" he stated and watched as Kai-Lang grunted and then turned and left.
Turning back to his data screens he brought up the file on Shepard again and could not help but grimace at the loss of his talents, if only the Commander had not been so short sighted and actually embraced the goals of Cerberus then he would have been a great aide in the coming fight. But he had chosen to spurn them and treat them as if they were all insane and lacking in intelligence, he did not doubt that Shepard considered him and his people compromised by the Reapers ability of indoctrination. More than likely he had already reported this fact to Alliance Command and the Citadel Council; it was an error and would only help them. Shutting the file down, he began to focus on finding the perfect spy to gain him the rest of the data Eva had failed to transmit.
+TOS+
(SSV Normandy)
Shepard headed for the engine room to see engineer's Daniels and Donnelly who he hoped had been returned to the Normandy before they had departed the Citadel, once he had seen if they were aboard he would head to the flight deck as they would soon be reaching the Turian home system. Entering engineering he found Daniels and Donnelly already working at their previous stations, as if they had never left both turned to face him as they heard the door and soon he noted engineer Adams was also present. A former crewman from the original Normandy but who had not joined him on the SSV-2 to take down the collectors after been resurrected by Cerberus, not that he blamed the man considering the crimes Cerberus had committed.
"Commander, thank you from the both of us for requesting our transfer back to Normandy" Donnelly stated with a wide smile as he stepped forward. "I was beginning to get worried especially as news began to filter in about the attack on Earth, the fools should have listened to your warnings seven months ago when you turned yourself in" he spat his tone showing his anger.
"We could already tell it was bad from the amount of panic that erupted on the Citadel, chaos spread so quickly and it was clear not one of the Council had taken any steps to put even a small plan into action in case what we told them about the Reapers was true" Daniels added with a irritated shake of her head. "We turned ourselves over to the C-Sec after we learned several of our former comrades from Cerberus had been hunted down and murdered by Cerberus itself including Rupert Gardner and Burt Jenson from the Normandy" she explained. "We felt it was safer than been in the open on our own, clearly the Illusive Man did not take our defection well" she finished.
Shepard felt the loss of two of the people who had followed him in breaking away from Cerberus once the Collectors had been dealt with, both Gardner and Jenson had been good men. Clearly the Illusive Man had been hunting down all the crew who had dared break away with him, which meant Kelly was even in more danger than he originally thought then he remembered she had already mentioned the crew were been hunted for going AWOL with him. Damn the man he raged silently, Ashley was hanging onto life by a thread the last he had seen of her and now he knew Gardner and Jenson were both dead. If anymore of his people were cut down he would personally hunt down the Illusive Man and put a bullet into him for every death of one of his own, for now Cerberus could not be his priority no matter how much he wanted it to be.
"The Illusive Man has gone insane and has been messing around with Reaper tech recovered from the Collector base, more than likely they were are either indoctrinated or on their way to been" Shepard finally responded. "They struck the Mars archive and slaughtered the team who manned the base, they want to control the Reapers not destroy them" he informed them. "If by some fluke they are acting on their own regard I am going to pay the man back for each death he has caused, he will regret crossing his own people for his megalomania" he promised.
"If anyone deserves it he does Commander and to think we use to believe he was a person who had our best interests at heart when in reality we were all just pawns for him to move and sacrifice when he wanted" Donnelly spat. "I still recall how he sent us to that supposed dead Collector ship claiming a Turian ship had taken it out, when in reality it was a trap the Collectors had laid for you and he sent us in with no warning just so he could test EDI's abilities and gather information" he growled.
"Easy Ken, we made it out and we destroyed the Collectors which means the Reapers lost a large chunk of their forces, granted what we still face is bad enough but had we not taken them out it would be even worse odds for us to overcome" Daniels said obviously trying to calm her friend.
"I'm glad to have you both back aboard" Shepard told them before heading to talk to Adams leaving the two engineers to their jobs. "Chief Adams it is great to see you back on the Normandy" he said in greeting offering his hand which Adams easily accepted and shook.
"Thank you Commander, I have to say if nothing else Cerberus did a hell of job rebuilding the Normandy and even upgraded a lot of systems as they went" Adams responded. "Granted a lot of them had to be ripped out when we began the overhaul as they had listening devices and cameras installed in them as well as backdoor programs to remotely control the ship" he informed him. "EDI all but overruled the backdoor programs when you went rogue from Cerberus as they never thought she'd rebel against them as well, she also shut down the cameras and listening devices thus they had no idea what you were doing once you broke away" he stated.
"How are you getting along with EDI?" Shepard inquired.
"Pretty well, I was surprised at first to discover EDI was an actual A.I as we had been led to believe she was a simple V.I but we quickly built up a working relationship once I realised the truth and talked to Joker about her" Adams answered. "I also have to say since Daniels and Donnelly have joined us I can understand why you had them reinstated, they are very good at their jobs" he admitted turning to glance at the two.
"They are good people and trustworthy no matter that they joined Cerberus for a time, and they only did that because Alliance Command and the Council would not listen to us about the Reapers" Shepard told him. "They wanted to take action and Cerberus at the time seemed to want the same thing, it is why Joker and I both agreed to work with them to stop the Collectors but I think with what has happened the truth is Cerberus just played a part to make themselves look better to potential recruits" he stated darkly.
"I..I want to apologise to you Commander for not joining you in your fight against the Collectors, Doctor Chakwas did contact me about helping but no offence I was not convinced it was really you" Adams struggled to admit. "You died when the original Normandy was destroyed, the idea of you been resurrected was a little farfetched and Chakwas admitted she had her own doubts and wanted to ensure it was really you thus I refused to help and I regret that fact very much" he went on.
"It's okay Chief I understand your reservations about whether it was really me or not, and I understand the idea of helping Cerberus in anyway after all we discovered during our time hunting Saren was almost unthinkable" Shepard assured him. "Don't beat yourself up over it, just focus now on beating the Reapers" he told him before he turned and headed out of the room.
"Yes Sir" Adams agreed and watched his Commander go thankful he understood why he had refused to join them when he was resurrected, shaking his head he turned and went back to work on the core systems.
Shepard headed up to the flight deck knowing they had to be close now to the Turian system, stepping off he noted the crew were at their stations but all of them looked tense and uneasy not that he blamed them. He passed Traynor who gave him a small smile as he passed before going back to her work; he went straight for Joker who as usually sat up front in the pilot's chair.
"How we looking Joker?" he inquired as he came up behind his chair.
"We're about twenty minutes from entering the Turian System but EDI has already detected massive signs of battle, like with Earth they must have hit the Turians full on" Joker responded. "It's bad Shepard" he stated even though he didn't need too.
"EDI tell our support ships once we exit into the system they are to take station behind the Mass Effect relay and stay hidden unless we need their help, they are to take no action unless we call for it or desperately need it" Shepard ordered knowing without the stealth systems the Normandy had they would be easily spotted by the Reapers and destroyed and they needed every ship they could find for what was to come later.
"Orders sent Shepard and both acknowledge the orders" EDI told him a few seconds later.
Shepard stayed where he was contemplating the easiest way to reach the surface of Menae, the shuttle or bringing the Normandy in as close as he could get to the base the Primarch was supposed to be located at.
"Once we come out of the Mass Relay Joker we'll bring the Normandy into orbit and then drop down in the shuttle, you'll hold until the shuttle returns and then re-join our support ships until we call for you" he decided as he spoke.
"Understood sir" Joker responded with a nod of his head before hesitating. "Are you okay Shepard?" he inquired.
"Yeah I'm okay Joker thanks for asking just still in a little shock from what I learned during my visit to the Citadel, I'll get over it and if you want we can talk about it once we get the Primarch" Shepard answered thankful for his friends concern.
"We have reached the Turian system Shepard" EDI announced as the ship suddenly decelerated and the stars of the system could once more be seen.
As with the Sol system the stars seemed lit with fire as the battle for its survival waged wildly, it made Shepard sick to think of how many people were dying right now and he could not help but once more curse the leaders who had dismissed his warnings.
"My god it's like a scene out of Dante's inferno" Joker gasped in horror as he set a course for Menae.
"Our supports ships have taken position behind the relay as ordered and awaiting any call for aide" EDI reported.
"Cortez get the shuttle ready for a combat drop, Liara, James meet me in the shuttle bay full combat gear" Shepard ordered over the comm. "Okay Joker you're in charge until I get back, make what calls you need too" he added placing a confident hand on his friend's shoulder before turning and exiting having already got into his armour and prepped his weapons.
Joker turned and watched his friend and Commander depart to once more step into the fire, been left in charge was somewhat surprising, the last time that had happened the Collectors had attacked the ship and abducted the crew and the only reason he had survived was because he had unshackled EDI who had saved the ship and himself. Turning back around he focused on his piloting, hopefully this time they'd have better luck.
"Arm all weapons EDI and be prepared to defend the shuttle once it launches, okay everyone we're heading into the fire get to combat stations and be prepared for anything" he ordered through the comm.
"Weapons charged Jeff" EDI confirmed.
Shepard stepped off the lift and walked confidently over to the where James and Liara was standing watching Cortez go over the last check-up on the shuttle, thankfully he noted they were not using the one James had crashed back on Mars. That was off the side been repaired by crewmen, finally Cortez nodded his head satisfied and climbed into the shuttle and began to prep it for the drop.
"Okay we'll drop as close as we can to the command post where the Primarch is supposed to be hold up, we'll make our way there as fast as possible" Shepard told his two team mates. "Do not let yourselves get bogged down fighting husks and whatever else the Reapers are using, move fast and keep going" he advised. "Liara you are on point, your biotics should help clear us a path" he decided to which the Asari nodded her head in agreement.
"This is going to be like walking into the fires of hell" James grunted darkly still not liking the fact they had left Earth to its fate for now.
"Probably worse than that James just like it was back on Earth, but keep your focus and you'll be fine" Shepard assured him as he walked onto the shuttle with Liara and then finally James following him who turned and closed the door behind him.
Cortez powered up the shuttle and then waited for the call from EDI they were clear to launch, he felt the ship lurch as it entered the planet's atmosphere before finally EDI gave the go ahead to launch.
"Hold on back there, launching now" he shouted into the back as he hit the release button and the shuttle plunged downward before he brought it up and circled before finding his bearing and headed straight for the drop off point.
"How's it looking Cortez?" Shepard inquired as he stepped into the pilots section of the shuttle.
"Nasty sir, explosions and fighting everywhere from what I can see on our scanners and out of the viewports" Cortez reported with a shake of his head. "So far though no evidence the Reapers have seen us or Normandy" he added.
"Good but don't drop your guard and remember as soon as we disembark get back to Normandy as fast as you can" Shepard responded before he stepped back into the cabin where James and Liara sat. "Do we know anything about the command post we are heading for Liara?" Shepard inquired
"It is the furthest southern base the Turians have in this region and thus is probably taking the brunt force of the attack; it is commanded by General Corinthus one of the best leaders in the Turian military and also probably one of the leading strategist for any counter attack the Turians are planning" Liara informed them. "Hopefully the base is still holding or the Turians are going to be in a worse position" she added.
"We're coming up on co-ordinates for the drop, got heavy enemy movement on the ground Commander" Cortez reported over the comm. "Suggest you strafe the area with the mounted cannon before disembarking" he advised.
"James on the cannon, clear us a path" Shepard quickly ordered and James almost smiled as he got behind the cannon. ""Liara once the path is clear you go first and put up a biotic shield, once James and I join you we move forward" he added.
Shepard threw open the door and James eagerly pushed the cannon forward and began to fire on the husks streaming over the rocky ground to reach the Turian lines which he noted were barely holding. The cannon cut through the ranks off the husks with ease and soon a clear zone opened up allowing Cortez to bring the shuttle in close, Liara instantly jumped onto the rocky ground and thrust her hand out as she brought up a biotic shield. Shepard instantly jumped after hear and James followed after pushing the cannon back, he turned and shut the door again before bringing up his rifle and giving Cortez a thumbs up as he watched them out of the window who nodded and quickly pulled the shuttle back up towards the waiting Normandy. Shepard gave the signal to move out and Liara dropped the shield brought up her weapon and moved forwards, the husks soon took notice of them and swarmed towards them. Instantly they opened fired whilst Liara used her biotics to send waves of deadly energy which ripped them to pieces but they kept moving as Shepard had ordered. Dead ducked as a particular quick husk attacked from a high rocky position unleashing his omi-blade he sliced his arms downward and decapitated the creature even as another soon rushed towards him. Spinning he cut this was down before rushing forward as Liara cut a path with her biotics towards the Turian defence lines surrounding the base, James covered their rear blowing holes in the husks snapping at their heels with quick precision shots. The Turians in the defence bunkers soon noted the two Humans and Asari moving towards them, with a quick shout a small squad broke out to cover their flanks. Fire poured into the ranks of Husks but they kept coming but it allowed Shepard, Liara and James to finally reach the defence line without too much more trouble. Reloading they waited for one of the Turians to approach so they could gain entrance to the base they could just see in the distance, finally a Turian moved towards them.
"Identify yourselves and why you are here?" the Turian demanded.
"Commander John Shepard of the Normandy and this is Liara T'Soni and Lieutenant James Vega, we've been sent by Councilor Sparatus to evacuate the Turian Primarch so he can chair a summit to respond to the Reaper threat" Shepard answered easily.
"I'm Captain Navi Commander, one of the defence line commanders" Navi replied giving him a stiff nod of respect as he had heard of the hero of the Citadel. "You'll have to talk to the General back at base as we know nothing about the Primarch, I'll have two of my men escort you" he told them and then turned and called two names and two Turians quickly joined them. "This is Crixus and Gellius Commander and they will lead you into the base to meet the General" he stated before turning and heading back to his post whilst Crixus moved to take point with the others following.
They left the defence line at a quick pace but they kept a close eye on their surroundings, they soon reached the walls of the base and with a wave of his hand Crixus got the Turians inside to open the west side door so they could enter. Once inside Crixus and Gellius led them through the base towards the command post where General Corinthus would be, the base was filled with frenzied activity as Turian soldiers ran around either helping wounded or covering the dead. Some were busy getting weapons and armour ready, whilst others rested clearly having already been on the defence line at some point. Finally they reached the command post where three Turians looked over a map of the area; they waited to be noticed even as Gellius moved off to join a small group of soldiers at another bunker of to the side.
"General Corinthus sir, this is Commander Shepard of the Normandy and his team" Crixus said as one of the Turians looked up and took notice of them.
"Commander Shepard I've heard a lot about you from Garrus Vakarian, and of course I've heard all about your exploits to stop Sovereign and save the Citadel as well as your efforts against the Collectors" Corinthus stated with a respectful nod of his head. "But what brings you here?" he inquired.
"I'm here on the request of your Councilor Spartacus to retrieve Primarch Fedorian who we heard had been shot down near this base" Shepard responded unable to help himself wondering where Garrus was now that his name had been brought up.
Garrus was one of if not his best friend since their first meeting during the beginning of their hunt for Saren; the former C-Sec officer had always had his back and been willing to follow him through hell including his trip through the Omega 4 relay and never once showed any hesitancy at the fact they could die at any time. He hoped his friend was alive and well somewhere in this nightmare, sadly he had no time to look for him or he doubted Corinthus would tell him if he inquired as he was not part of the Turian Military.
Corinthus exchanged looks with his two companions before facing him once more. "I'm afraid Commander you are too late, we tried to evac the Primarch after we rescued him from the shuttle but the Reapers destroyed the ship he was on just before he exited the atmosphere" he explained sadly. "The Primarch was a good friend and I morn his loss, even more so now we are without his leadership" he added.
"Who is next in line to succeed him?" Liara inquired surprised her agents had not heard about the Primarchs death.
"We do not know at this time, we've been unable to communicate with what is left of our command to find out as the main communications dish has been knocked out" Corinthus answered with a shake of his head. "It needs repairing but we have no one qualified to do it here at this base, all we have here are soldiers" he stated.
"We'll fix your communications dish General, Liara is highly qualified to fix must electrical systems" Shepard volunteered without hesitation. "We need one squad of men capable of helping us hold off the husks whilst she works" he requested.
General Corinthus considered the human and his request for a few seconds before nodding his head, if he was half as good as Garrus had told him he was he knew the Commander and his friends would get the dish up and running in no time. He had a few men he could spare to send out with them, it was possibly the only way they could reconnect with command or whatever was left of it anyway.
"Very well Commander, we accept your aide" he stated after glancing at his two closest officers who both nodded in agreement. "Crixus get Gellius and Able Company ready to deploy" he ordered turning to the Corporal who had silently been watching the exchange.
"Yes sir" Crixus responded with a quick salute before moving off to find Gellius and Able Company.
"Be careful Shepard as it will just be Husks you face out there, we believe the Reapers have already begun converting our captured people into monsters like they did with your people on Eden Prime" Major Spartus cautioned. "There have also been reports of large brutish monsters aiding their forces, from the brief depictions we've gotten they look like converted Krogon's" he added.
"Thanks for the warning Major" Shepard said as he checked his assault rifle before glancing around. "Where is the dish?" he inquired.
"Crixus knows the way Commander, he and Able Company will watch your backs whilst you work" Corinthus replied with a confident look.
"Able Company has been assembled and waits us at the north gate Commander" Crixus reported on his return.
"Okay then Corporal, lead the way" Shepard shot back before nodding at Corinthus and following him across the base with Liara and James in toe.
Crixus led them straight to the north gate where Gellius and seven other Turians waited which had to be Able Company, once they reached them the gate swung open and they marched out into the blazing battlefield. None of them noticed a Turian watch them leave with a smile on his face, Garrus Vakarian had no idea his friend Shepard had come to Menae although once he thought about it made sense he'd be here for one reason or another. Pulling his sniper rifle from his back he quickly headed up the north wall and took a position he could watch their backs with a clear line of sight, he could already guess what their objective was. Kneeling down he raised his sniper rifle and look through the enhanced scope he had on it, taking a few breaths he waited for a target to line up with his scope.
Shepard opened fire as the husks rushed at them once they had taken notice of their company, James and the Turians did the same whilst Liara let loose with her biotics ripping the husks to pieces with ease. They moved fast past the defence line which was under even worse assault than the one they had passed coming in, James flung a grenade out taking a bunch of husk out in an explosion of body pieces and rubble. Crixus and his fellow Turnings mowed down wave after wave of Turians as they headed for the huge legs of the communications dish stationed at least another hundred or so metres from the base itself, as they moved closer the ground was suddenly ripped to pieces by gun fire forcing them to take cover. Glancing past the rock he was crouched behind he quickly noted the forms of what at first looked like Turians except they had clearly been altered by the Reapers, but they still were able to hold weapons and throw grenades. Cursing he ordered Crixus and Able Company to hold here and play bait whilst he and his team tried to flank the enemy, suddenly the sound of a powerful rifle whizzed by and he watched as two of the mutated Turians fall dead. Wondering where that the fire had come from and he suddenly felt a surge of hope as he knew of only one person with an aim that good, giving Liara and James a clear signal they moved around the rocks towards the enemy position. They moved quickly and quietly until they reached the end of the rocky formation they were hiding behind, Liara rushed out and quickly raised a biotic shield even as the mutated Turians moved to fire on her. Two more fell from the hidden sniper he assumed was Garrus even as he and James rushed out and flung two grenades each, the explosions ripped through the closest of the mutated Turians allowing for Crixus and Able Company to push forward downing several more. A fresh wave of husks rushed towards them forcing Shepard, James, Gellius and two of Able Company to turn and open fire on their flank cutting the approaching monsters down before they got close. The last of the mutated Turians went down to the fire of Crixus allowing them to move into a defensive circle around the tower, Liara quickly jumped onto the ladder and moved up using her biotics to keep a shield covering her back. She headed straight for the main comm systems at the top of the tower.
"Okay everyone prepare for the enemy to try and rush us, more than likely they know exactly why we want this tower active which is why they had a force defending it" Shepard ordered as he reloaded his rifle.
"Nice way of springing an ambush on an unsuspecting squad" James muttered as he also reloaded.
"How long do you need Liara?" Shepard asked through the small comm device he had in his ear.
"The damage is pretty bad Shepard but I think I can have this fixed in at least five to ten minutes" Liara assured him through her own comm device.
Shepard winced as holding this position was not going to be easy, still it had to be done and thus he prepared for the assault to come. "You heard her, clear a line for yourself and do not lose focus" he told the others. "Use whatever grenades you have to disrupt any charging enemy lines first, conserve your ammo for later" he advised.
A sudden quiet descended for a few seconds and then as if a signal had been given husks and mutated Turians poured out towards them from all sides, at a signal from Shepard everyone threw what grenades they had even as the hiss of sniper fire once more echoed through the air as well. The blasts from the grenades ripped dozens of husks and mutated Turians apart or at least disabled them thus ending their ability to be a threat, when the last grenade was flung each of them brought up their weapons and opened fire pouring their fire into the enemy lines. Back on the wall Garrus loosed round after round from his sniper rifle alongside three other Turian snipers who had joined him, he could not believe the amount of enemies that were been thrown at Shepard and his team and he couldn't help wonder if Harbinger the lead Reaper was once more intent of killing Shepard as he had been during the mission against the Collectors.
Shepard continued to fire cutting down husk after husk, each time his clip rang dry he quickly and expertly ejected it and replaced it as quickly as possible. Able Company he noted was keeping their defensive line clear of enemies and he began to hope this would be over soon.
"SHEPARD YOU ARE DOOMED WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO RESIST" a voice boomed out making him spin around to find a mutated Turian standing on one of the rocks but unlike the rest of its brethren it was just watching.
He quickly noted this thing was glowing with the same energy the lead Collectors glowed when possessed by Harbinger and he knew that was exactly what had happened to this creature as well. "You'll never understand" he shouted before he let loose a blast of fire which cut the creature down.
"What the fuck was that?" James asked as he took down two more mutated Turians.
"Tell you later, just focus on the enemy and quick an eye on that rock just in case another shows up" Shepard shot back.
James grunted even as his assault rifle ran dry once more and he quickly ejected the thermal clip and quickly replaced it and resumed firing, this entire event made him almost flash back to the events on Fehl Prime. Shaking his head and letting out an angry growl he began aiming higher taking of the husks heads in bursts of blood, Shepard glanced at him taking note of the enraged look on his face and decided he'd have to have a talk with Vega once they were back on board the Normandy. Something was clearly eating away at the man, which was why his temper was so close to the surface.
"Shepard I've managed to patch the dish controls and get it operational" Liara finally reported after seven minutes had passed.
"Good work Liara" Shepard responded with a smile before turning the comm frequency to the Turian network. "General Corinthus good news Liara has fixed the dish" he reported.
"Thank you Commander, we'll patch into command and get the information about the new Primarch" Corinthus replied. "Return to base" he ordered.
"Suggest sir you get a team out here to dig a defensive bunker a squad can use around the dish to keep it operational" Shepard recommended as Liara hit the ground and joined the defensive line.
"Good idea Shepard" Corinthus shot back before repeating his order to return to base.
"Okay we're heading back, move fast and do not let yourselves be bogged down" Shepard shouted as je turned his comm frequency back.
As one they moved forward back towards the base firing as they went, Shepard noted Liara was not using her biotics and was sticking to her weapons and he guessed keeping a shield up whilst she patched the dish had drained her a little especially after using them so much since they arrived. A sudden roar made him spin around just in time to see a large monstrous brutish shape charging them from behind, he quickly took note as the Major had warned this had probably once been a Krogan but like with his own species and the Turians it had been mutated by the Reapers to suit their purposes. Shouting a warning he dived out of the way of the brutes charge, James and two Turians were not so lucky and were sent flying as it smashed into them. Liara reacted immediately and unleashed a powerful biotic attack that sent the brute backwards; this allowed the rest of Able Company to open fire along with Shepard, Crixus and Gellius. The brute roared and charged again absorbing round after round of fire just like a Krogan could, it tried to impale Crixus with its clawed hand but the Turian just managed to roll out of the way. Liara hit it with another powerful biotic attack which ripped huge gashes into its thick skin, this revealed technological components wired into the brutes frame. James regained his feet somewhat unevenly and shook his head, taking note of the monster that was attacking them he opened fire doing his best to ignore the slight dizziness he felt from been hit by it. Gellius fire a burst grenade from his secondary weapon which struck the brute in the face, Shepard let out a yell and charged and plunged his omi-blade into the beasts chest making it roar once more. Finally it stumbled under the hail of increased fire as well as a third biotic attack from Liara once Shepard backed off, suddenly the sound of several blasts from a sniper rifle rang out and the head of the brute was ripped to pieces finally killing it. Shepard took a breath and then moved to check on the two Turians who were still down after been hit by the brute, both were still alive but clearly wounded.
"They'll live Commander but they took a bad blow from that thing whatever it is" Gellius reported.
"It used to be a Krogan with what looks like pieces of Turian tacked on combined through Reaper tech" Liara stated as she looked the thing over. "Incredibly strong and very resistance to gunfire" she pointed out.
"Alright get them up and let's get back to base before any more of these things turn up" Shepard ordered as he took note James still looked slightly unsteady as well. "James you okay?" he inquired.
"Yes sir just regaining my feet, that thing hit like a Mack truck" James responded as he rubbed his forehead and then nodded. "It clearly has the strength of a Krogan perhaps more enhanced by whatever the Reapers did to it, hope we don't face too many of these in the future" he admitted.
Able Company got their comrades to their feet and with Shepard and his team plus Crixus and Gellius providing cover they managed to get back to the north gate which quickly opened, once inside medics instantly took the two wounded Turians with them whilst the rest followed Shepard back to the command post where Corinthus was waiting for them with his two senior commanders.
"Good work Commander clearly Garrus was not joking about you and your teams abilities" Corinthus said. "Able Company good job take a break get something to eat and then report back for your next assignment, Crixus, Gellius you need to return to the defence line as Captain Navi needs your assistance on the line" he ordered turning to his men.
Able Company saluted him and nodded to Shepard respectively before leaving whilst Crixus and Gellius saluted both Corinthus and then Shepard before departing back to the west gate and the defence line. Shepard returned the salute as he had been impressed by the Turians skills, clearly they were all good soldiers not that he was surprised by this, Turians had probably one of the best Military's in the galaxy.
"Thanks to you Commander we now have contact with command once more and can organise our defence more effectively" Corinthus stated. "And we now know who is next in line to be the Primarch" he explained.
"Don't worry Shepard I know exactly where you need to go" a new and very recognisable voice stated from behind them and Shepard instantly turned with a wide smile.
"Garrus I thought it was you covering our six with a sniper rifle" Shepard exclaimed as he shook his friends outstretched hand.
"One of three actually but it's the thought that counts" Garrus shot back with an easy smile of his own. "Liara it's good to see you again" he added as turned to face his Asari friend as well.
"You too Garrus, I was concerned you may not have made it off Palaven" Liara responded as she stepped forward and gave him a quick hug which he returned.
"I was dragged off Palaven as I did not want to leave but I knew if we had any chance of stopping the Reapers my people would need what I knew so I focused on helping anyway I could" Garrus replied and they could all hear the bitterness in his tone as he spoke.
"I know how you feel Garrus, I didn't want to leave Earth but Anderson ordered me to the Citadel to try and form an effective alliance against the Reapers" Shepard admitted his own bitterness showing through. "But as before they wouldn't listen and were more focused on only helping their own race, however Councilor Spartacus did mention the Primarch had called for a summit to discuss creating an alliance but he had failed to escape and crashed on this moon, which why we are here if we can get the new Primarch to that summit we may be able to begin pulling the races together to fight the Reapers more effectively and possibly gain help in building a weapon we found in the Mars archives" he informed his friend.
"Garrus did try and warn us about the Reapers Commander but like with your own people we did not take him seriously, now we are all paying the price for our blindness" Corinthus admitted reluctantly. "An alliance between the races may now be our only hope as we need aide to hold and possibly repel the Reapers from Palaven and the rest of our space" he continued. "The new Primarch is General Adrien Victus, he currently commands the south eastern defence line a half mile from here" he informed them. "Garrus will lead you to him, Major Spartus will join you to assume command of the base once you leave with Victus and I am also transferring Garrus to your command as I know you could use his help and with your previous successes working together I have great hope you can pull out another miracle" he stated.
"I appreciate that General and Garrus will be a big help on the Normandy" Shepard responded. "We'll take a five minute break to eat and something to drink and we'll leave once Major Spartus is ready to go" he decided to which the others nodded.
They broke up and did exactly as Shepard had said taking a few rations and then washing it down with water from their canteens, Shepard did the same knowing the next leg of this mission would probably not be as easy as it meant tracking across open ground to Victus's command post. Five minutes later Major Spartus indicated he and his bodyguard of five men were ready to depart, Shepard gave the signal to the others and they quickly got ready to go once more. Each helped themselves to some extra thermal clips before departing, Shepard hung back to bid the General farewell.
"Good luck General and thank you for your assistance" he stated as Corinthus watched the rest of the group depart.
"Same to you Commander, we'll hold the line as long as possible I assure you" Corinthus assured him causing Shepard to nod before he turned and followed after the others.
Corinthus watched them go and wished them look but he was confident with Garrus and Shepard working together they would make it to General Victus's command post or should he say Primarch Victus's command post.
"Joker this is Shepard Primarch Fedorian is dead but we know who is next in line, we're heading to the south eastern command post to inform and recover Primarch Victus" Shepard said into is comm as they reached the eastern gate. "Have EDI monitor our comm signals so you can track our position for pick up, also you'll be glad to know we've found Garrus and he's okay" he added.
"Copy that Shepard, glad to hear Garrus is okay" Joker's voice came back quickly. "EDI is now tracking your comms, better be quick though the fighting up here is getting very bad and I can't say how long the relay will remain unguarded" he warned.
"Copy that Joker, we'll be as quick as we can" Shepard assured him before signing off and following the rest of the group through the gate and back into the chaos.