Sahrabarik System.
Omega Space Station.
The Gozu District.
"Don't shoot. They're cleared to come in!"
The District Guard captain. Assigned by Aria T'Loak's lieutenant to command the district guards stationed at the main access point of Gozu's quarantine zone, commanded his subordinates to lower their weapons as the five Maag Drones took defensive positions near the start of Gozu's main road. The assembled district guards nervously watched as the Locust warriors thoroughly swept the surrounding area for any signs of danger; when no threats were found within the vicinity, a Maag Drone activated their Omni-tool's communication system.
"My Queen, we've encountered the armed forces assigned with containing the plague," the Maag dutifully reported his squad's findings to Commander Shepard whilst the other Locust warriors kept a close eye on the district guards. "They're garrisoned behind a makeshift barricade and seem to have the situation contained." The Drone further reported that no enemy presence was found near the guarded access point into the quarantine zone and that it was relatively safe for the Normandy's main group to arrive at the Maag's location.
"Understood, Maag T'kanis," Commander Shepard replied through the Drone's Omni-tool communication system whilst heavy footfalls could be heard echoing from the direction the Locust had initially arrived from. "We'll arrive within a minute, so sit tight until we reach your location."
Maag T'kanis, even though he knew Shepard couldn't see him through the communication system, respectfully bowed his head. "We shall guard this location with our lives, Your Majesty." Maag T'kanis vowed as the other Drones glared distrustfully at the district guards, who tried not to cringe at the intimidating sight of five well-armed Locust Drones. Maag T'kanis deactivated his Omni-tool and took position near the barricade to get a decent shot at the District captain's head. If the guards suddenly decided to betray the Queen, it would be the Drone's duty to make them pay for their hubris.
Fortunately for the District Guards, the next sixty seconds went by without incident; Shepard walked into view, followed shortly after by the rest of her team. The five Maags left their available cover and took guard position surrounding the Locust Queen. She was already heading towards the entry point, which should take the Normandy crew into the heart of Gozu District. The District Guard protecting the sealed door politely nodded to the approaching newcomers whilst waving his Omni-tool towards the access point, causing its locking mechanisms to unseal themselves to allow entry into the infected zone.
"Good luck in there," the Turian guard, wearing red face paint, simply said as the door opened for the Normandy crew, revealing a staircase which lead downwards into the inner sections of the Gozu District. "Be careful; the Blue Suns and Vorcha are shooting at anything that moves." He warned as two Maag Drones went ahead to secure the bottom of the staircase; Shepard gave a silent nod of gratitude for the warning before descending into the Gozu District. A moment later, Krav Savage directed his Queen's remaining Drone soldiers and allies into the quarantine zone.
The entrance into Gozu District automatically sealed itself after the entire Normandy crew walked into the darkness of the stairwell.
Time Skip, A Few Seconds Later.
Commander Shepard reached the bottom of the stairwell within a couple of seconds; upon arrival, she saw the Maag duo taking cover behind some shipping containers that must've been left out after the plague spread throughout the Gozu District. The Commander's gaze went towards the end of the dirtied street where two Blue Suns could be seen energetically arguing over something whilst making wild gestures at a sealed door. Off to the side were a few bonfires, which provided the street with much-needed illumination.
Shepard quickly kneeled next to the two Maags. "Are those the only Blue Suns you've seen?" She inquired in a soft whisper while Krav Savage lead the rest of the Normandy crew onto the street; the Locust captain swiftly gestured with some hand signs for the others to hide behind anything which might conceal their presence from the arguing Blue Suns.
"They're the only two we've spotted so far, My Queen." The Maag whispered as the Normandy crew subtly scattered throughout the abandoned street. The horrible stench of rot, burning meat, metallic decay and something unbelievably foul-filled the District's atmosphere as the Drone gestured towards the Blue Suns. "We suspect they're here to guard whatever is behind that door." It was the only logical explanation since nothing on the street could justify leaving two Blue Sun mercs alone while the Vorcha actively tried to take control of the District.
The Locust Queen agreed with the Maag as the locked door was the sole thing of interest within the street. "We'll have to check what's inside after we've dealt with the Blue Suns." Shepard pulled out her M-92 Mantis sniper rifle and carefully aimed for the nearest mercenary's skull. A thunderous boom filled the street as a mass accelerator bullet sailed across the area and pierced directly through one guarding merc's skull, causing brain matter and blood to cover the sealed door. The surviving merc frantically searched the street for his comrade's killer and paled as the Drones raised out of cover to take aim at his position.
"Wait! I surrender!" The Blue Sun said with a panicked tone. However, the Normandy crew ignored his attempt at surrendering and ruthlessly fired upon the terrified merc, whose kinetic shields and subpar armour was shredded within seconds of receiving the hailstorm of mass accelerator bullets. Within ten seconds, the hailstorm ceased, and all that remained of the Blue Sun mercenary was a pile of shredded flesh, bloody hunks of meat, scattered bone fragments and destroyed standard issue Blue Suns equipment.
Zaeed blew an impressed whistle at the carnage they'd unleashed upon the mercenary duo. "Damn, that was overkill, even by my standards." The scarred merc lowered his M-96 Mattock while Vurl Rage, with three Maag Drones following him, went to the sealed door and began to hack into the locking mechanisms. Without any enemies nearby, Zaeed walked over to the nearest bonfire and saw, much to his disgust, multiple burning corpses of people who probably died from the plague that had infected the entire District.
"Plague control at its most basic," Zaeed's tone was blank as Shepard, flanked faithfully by Krav Savage, walked over to stare at the burning corpses. "Pile the bodies in the streets and burn 'em." The scarred mercenary knew it was a moronic tactic; the virus was airborne, and the plague wouldn't be overly affected by the loss of a few thousand corpses. If anything, the uninfected should prioritise obtaining a couple of enviro-suites and then finding Mordin's clinic since the scientist was supposedly working on a cure for the virus, thus making him their best hope for survival.
Jacob moved over to a pile of valuables near the bonfires and quickly deduced the items must've belonged to the corpses. "The mercs appear to have looted a lot of valuables from the corpses and nearby shops," the Cerberus operative pulled a random item from the pile and soon regretted his decision as the object in question was a child's toy. "It's rather obvious these guys didn't have much in the way of common decency." He gently returned the toy whilst morbidly wondering which bonfire contained its owner.
"Decency is the first thing to go for Omega's mercenaries," Zaeed replied coldly as the smell of burning meat grew worse by the second. "The fools will probably begin burning plague victims alive within a few more days once they realise that simply burning corpses isn't going to cut it." Massani knew the Blue Suns won't hesitate to enact what he had just told the others. The disturbing part was that Zaeed had seen the mercenary organisation do far worse to innocent people throughout the entire galaxy during his time as a freelance mercenary.
"Then we'll have to cure the plague before that happens," Shepard replied with an authoritative tone whilst her expression steeled with determination. "After Vurl Rage has finished searching the area behind the sealed door, we'll move onwards for Mordin's clinic." The Commander began walking away from the bonfires. Yet, paused when the sound of something coughing reached her ears, Krav Savage must've heard the cough as well since he hurriedly barked orders at the nearby Maags to search the street for the source of the cough.
The two Maag Drones saluted their Krav before running over to the sole pathway leading deeper into Gozu District; what the duo found at the mouth of the path was a Batarian plague victim slumped against the wall. The Locust Drones swiftly reported to their Queen about the found plague victim, who appeared to be holding onto life simply to spite the Blue Suns. The Batarian weakly raised his head just as Shepard arrived at the scene; he sneered with hatred upon recognising that several humans had found him.
"Human. Should've guessed." The Batarian spitefully said whilst violently coughing up blood. "Bad enough infecting us with this plague. Now you lack the decency to even wait until I die before you and your pets come to seal my possessions." The Locust Drones growled at the Batarian's insults toward them. However, Shepard immediately commanded them to not harm the man since the plague was obviously affecting his mind.
Shepard, once sure the Drones won't simply kill the sick Batarian, kneeled next to the plague victim. "Is there anything I can do for you?" She attempted to check his condition only to be forced to jump back when the Batarian pulled out a heavy pistol which he kept hidden behind his back.
"Get away from me, human!" The plagued Batarian screamed outrage while poorly aiming his pistol at the Commander. "Your kind has done too much already!" He coughed up more blood as white-hot pain flooded his bloodstream. "Your plague did this to me! Your feigned pity is just the final insult!" The plague victim suddenly dropped his gun due to the pain becoming too much for him to handle, ironically saving his life since Krav Savage would've shot the Batarian if the sick man had actually fired upon the Locust Queen.
"I'm not here to hurt you," Shepard bluntly told the sick Batarian while a Maag Drone took away the man's pistol. "I need to find Mordin Solus." The plague victim seemed to know the scientist as his four eyes widened with recognition at the name.
The Batarian shifted slightly against the wall before answering. "Humans and their pets looking for the human sympathiser," more violent coughs escaped his lips while disdain shined within his four eyes. "I hope the Vorcha burn Mordin and his clinic to the ground." The coughing grew rapidly, and Shepard knew that if nothing was done, the Batarian would die within the next few minutes, so without delay, she activated her Omni-tool and prepared to give the sick Batarian some much-needed Medi-gel.
"Hey, stay with me!" She quickly injected the Medi-gel into the Batarian's bloodstream, which thankfully reduced the coughing to more manageable levels. "This won't cure the plague, but it might help a bit." When the coughing fit was over, the Batarian weakly stood on his feet; the Medi-gel was slowly restoring the plague victim's strength, if only temporarily.
"You helped me. Why?" Four-midnight orbs stared at the Commander with disbelief as he figured no human within the Gozu District would willingly help him.
"It's what I do." Shepard always wanted to help those in need, even if said person had been waving a gun around not too long ago. "I don't know if we can cure this plague, but I'm going to try." Her tone held conviction as he promised to try finding the cure to the deadly plague.
The tension within the Batarian's body seemed to lessen as his brain processed Shepard's words. "Your words sound sincere," the coughing returned. However, this time it lasted for a split second. "Maybe it's the fever, but as you said, what have I to lose?" He continued by asking what Shepard wanted to know about the events happening within the District. They discussed why the plague had to be created within a lab and how the Batarian concluded that humanity must've made it because of their immunity to the virus.
Shepard hadn't agreed and suggested the Vorcha might've been responsible for the plague; the Batarian laughed at the idea and retorted by saying Vorcha weren't smart enough to create such a deadly virus. The topic then moved on to Mordin Solus; the Batarian gladly informed the Normandy crew his clinic was on the other side of the District past multiple groups of Blood Pack and Blue Sun mercenaries that have thus far survived the plague. The plague victim admitted to being afraid of Mordin after hearing rumours of what he did to the Blue Suns, who tried pressing him for protection money.
Krav Savage approved such methods to keep troublemakers away and mentally noted to try it in the future. The next topic discussed was the Vorcha's sudden increase in numbers and how it was only a matter of time until the scavengers overrun the remaining Blue Suns and ultimately control the entire Gozu District.
The Commander satisfied that she leaned everything of importance from the Batarian, stepped backwards while ordering the Maag Drone to return the Batarian's heavy pistol. "When I find Mordin, I'll tell him about you." She promised as the gun was pushed into his hands. "If he has a cure, I'll ensure someone gets it to you." Hopefully, the cure would be ready by the time she arrived at Mordin's clinic and that the sick Batarian standing before her held on long enough for somebody to race here to deliver it.
The Batarian gratefully nodded as his frame lost any signs of hostility. "Thank you. My time is running short," another coughing fit emerged from his blood-stained lips. "But at least you've given me a flicker of hope to brighten the darkness of my final hours." He continued by saying that no matter what happens now, he'll risk accepting the Salarian's help should any of his assistances make it to his location. A short goodbye was exchanged before the Batarian slumped back onto the dirty metallic flooring. The Medi-gel's effects were starting to weaken thanks to the efforts of the relentless plague.
Shepard walked back to the centre of the street where Vurl Rage was patiently waiting for his Queen's return. "What've you found in the sealed section, Vurl Rage?" She inquired as everyone assembled around her position.
"We've found two Turian corpses confined within a locked room where they apparently died from the plague." The ill-tempered activated his Omni-tool and sent copies of the dead Turian's log entry's to his Queen's own Omni-tool. "The Turians were Blue Suns whose allies locked them inside once they began showing signs of the plague." Vurl Rage further explained while Shepard listened to the five log entry's the Turian managed to record before the plague killed him; apparently, he began hearing his dead friend's voice before the virus finished him off within a few days.
"Sounds about right," Zaeed commented as the dead Turian's voice echoed through the foul-smelling air. "The Blue Suns haven't possessed much loyalty towards each other for the last couple of years now." Zaeed allowed some bitterness to colour his tone as he listened to the recording. Once upon a time, the Blue Suns had been an organisation which bravely stood against slavers and the worst criminals the universe had to offer. Yet, the Blue Suns were a shadow of their former selves, who had become as monstrous as the warlords they once fought.
"Either way, it does explain why those two guards were arguing," Jacob joined the conversation while kicking the mostly recognisable Blue Sun corpse. "They were trying to decide if it was time to burn their friends' bodies." It disgusted the Cerberus operative on a personal level how these mercs could quickly turn on each other without even showing the slightest shred of loyalty. It was times like these that made Jacob glad he ever seriously considered mercenary work and instead joined Cerberus after he decided to leave the Alliance.
Shepard deactivated her Omni-tool after hearing the last log play out. "The Blue Suns are mercenaries, so their behaviour shouldn't come as a surprise," she began moving towards the sole pathway out of the street while Krav Savage and the other Drones dutifully followed their Queen. "At any rate, we should get to Mordin's clinic before any more innocent lives are lost to the plague." The two human Normandy crewmates agreed that time was of the essence and joined the Commander as she moved down the pathway that went deeper into the Gozu District.
The path lead the Normandy crew into Kokomo plaza, one of Gozu's central market hubs, which was abandoned when the plague hit, and saw Blue Sun mercenaries stationed behind a barricade that blocked the only way forwards into the District. Krav Savage immediately commanded to open fire upon the Blue Suns; the mercs were taken off guard by the sudden attack upon their barricade. However, despite losing some comrades from the initial volley, the Blue Suns still managed to take cover behind the barricade and soon retaliated against their unknown assailants.
"Brothers, come with me!" Vurl Rage shouted at the Maag Drones whilst raising his M-23 Katana shotgun towards the Blue Suns. "For today, we shall be our Queen's vanguard!" The ill-tempered Drone charged the barricade with three of the five Maag Drones following closely from behind with mighty Battlecry thundering from their maws. The defending mercenaries reacted by firing a concentrated volley at Vurl Rage, who allowed his kinetic shields to tank the hailstorm of bullets so he could get near enough to jump over the barricade.
Vurl Rage pointed his shotgun at the nearest Blue Sun, a Turian wearing their organisation's standard issue uniform, which displayed a captain's symbol on the left shoulder and proceeded to blast a massive hole through the merc's ribcage. The other defenders attempted to avenge their fallen leader. Yet, they were forced to turn their attention elsewhere when the Maag Drones vaulted over the barricade and began slaughtering anything dressed in a Blue Suns uniform. The situation worsened for the mercenaries after Shepard, along with the other members of the Normandy crew, added their own preferred weaponry to the carnage.
"What in the hell are those things!" A human Blue Sun, having survived thus far by hiding behind overturned tables on the plaza's left flank, screamed in a panicked tone while watching the barricade team getting massacred by the Locust warriors.
A Turian Blue Sun, the panicking human's teammate, fired at the Zaeed before ducking back into cover. "How the hell should I know!" The Turian replied whilst another human mercenary got their brain's blasted out of their skull courtesy of Zaeed's heavy assault rifle, the duo stared at the corpse for a split second before the Turian came to a decision on what to do next. "By the spirits, I'm not being paid enough to deal with monsters." The Turian ran for the barricade with the intention of escaping to a safer location.
"Hey, you can't leave me here!" The human Blue Sun shouted angrily at the retreating Turian. However, the coward didn't make it very far since Zaeed noticed the escaping mercenary and proceeded to shoot the asshole with his trusty M-96 Mattock. The Turian's kinetic shield lasted five seconds before collapsing, and it took even less time for the heavy assault rifle's bullets to tear into the merc's flesh. A terrified cry escaped the Turian's maw as the mass accelerator rounds caused uncountable damage to his internal organs; mere moments later, the Turian dropped dead onto the plaza's metallic floor.
"Well, I guess karma really does exist," the human Blue Sun happily said while sneaking backwards in order to escape through the same way Shepard's group came from. "Now I just gotta stay low, and hopefully I can get away before…." The merc suddenly felt something collide with his back; turning his head upwards revealed the glaring expression of Krav Savage. The Locust captain had come over to the plaza's left side to check if any Blue Suns were still alive, and it seemed his suspicions were indeed correct.
The human Blue Sun, rightfully terrified upon being caught by Krav Savage, tried to talk his way out of this mess. "Hey, big guy," the merc nervously laughed as the screams of his dying comrades echoed in the background. "I'm just leaving, so don't mind me…." He attempted to run for the exit. However, Krav Savage wasn't in the mood for games and thus stabbed the idiot through the forehead with a serrated combat knife. The Drone captain retrieved his weapon a moment later and then went towards the barricade to assist Vurl Rage with the remaining Blue Suns.
Time Skip.
Kokomo Plaza.
"Brothers, victory is ours!"
Vurl Rage stood victorious upon the makeshift barricade. At the same time, the Maag Drones, covered in blood and surrounding their ill-tempered brother, cheered for yet another glorious victory for the Locust Horde. Shepard observed the celebration as Krav Savage examined the loot they found on the deceased Blue Suns; bastards possessed a lot of credits and some minor assault rifle technology. Which was most likely stolen from a local gun store that could be used to upgrade their existing weapons into more effective tools of destruction.
Zaeed came to stand next to Shepard with a serious expression etched upon his heavily scarred face. "I've counted the number of dead Blue Suns," the Normandy's resident merc informed the Command while reloading his weapon. "And the majority are indeed comprised of humans while the rest were a few Turians and Batarians acting as tactical support." Zaeed glanced at the scattered merc corpses as the Drones ceased celebrating their victory and dragged those bodies to the still raging bonfires since it was only fitting that the Blue Suns received the same treatment they gave the locals infected with the plague.
Krav Savage stared at the bonfires as the Blue Suns were thrown into them. "It makes sense they'd assign humans to the frontline," the Drone captain icily replied while he reloaded his assault rifle with a fresh thermal clip. "Their leaders need healthy soldiers to hold off the Vorcha, and the plague makes sending none humans into direct combat a rather bad tactical decision." Krav Savage knew he'd have employed the same tactic as the Blue Suns if he were in their shoes. However, the Drone would've ordered his subordinates to secure an alliance with Mordin since the Salarian was the sole hope for a cure.
"So we'll be fighting mostly humans and Vorcha on our way to Mordin's clinic," Shepard sighed with resignation as she doubted the path forward was going to be lightly defended by either Blood Pack or Blue Sun mercs. "Savage pleased; tell the others we'll be leaving the area after we've finished searching it for loot or survivors." Jacob was already searching the plaza's left side, and Maag T'kanis was checking the balcony on the right for any salvageable materials that might come in handy during this retrieval operation.
Krav Savage respectfully bowed his head. "As you command, My Queen." The Drone captain went over to the nearest Drones assigned to burning the mercs' corpses and immediately relayed their Queen's commands to them.
"Commander!" Jacob shouted urgently as the smell of burning meat worsened by the second. "I've found two human survivors. They apparently locked themselves inside their home when the Blue Suns set up camp in the plaza." The Cerberus operative came into view whilst being followed by two civilians who fearfully stared at the Drones as they uncaringly threw corpses into the bonfires. Shepard smiled at the news as survivors meant more intel on the enemy and how the current situation was for the District's inhabitants that live further ahead.
"Good work, Jacob." Shepard congratulated the Cerberus operative as Krav Savage returned to flanking her side. The Locust Queen soon welcomed the two survivors, who appeared to be husband and wife, if the rings on their fingers were any indication. Shepard politely asked them questions regarding the Blue Suns, how they operated before the plague hit, and how many Vorcha they'd seen since the epidemic eliminated most of the mercenary protection that once kept Gozu relatively safe from outside threats.
By the time the corpses were thrown into the bonfires, Shepard had learned quite a bit about the Blue Suns' operations within the District. She also got a clearer picture of the madness that the plague had created upon its arrival.
A quick goodbye to the couple and Shepard's crew were off to Mordin's clinic.
Meanwhile, Within Asari Space.
Freedom's Gate.
Dr Wilson's Secret Mountain Lab.
Primary Laboratory.
"Hum, the Harvester gene sequence appears to have bounded quite nicely with your genetic code."
Dr Wilson, madman, former Cerberus medical scientist, and lead researcher on Locust biotechnology, smiled with sadistic glee as he observed the slow metamorphosis Tevalga Edois's body was undertaking. Midnight-coloured layers of skeletal chitin rapidly grew over Tevalga's youthful chest and ribcage, thus forming biological armour. The Harvester's genetic code had also increased Tevalga's height as the kidnapped Asari now stood at a frightening 9.7 feet, and her skin tone, once a beautiful shade of purple, was now darkening into an inky void.
"Hm, perhaps I'll try adding some Krogan D.N.A within the next few days," Dr Wilson pondered loudly as chitinous claws began developing on his captive's fingertips. "After all, you'd be surprised how multiple organs can come in handy during certain situations." The madman chuckled with delight as Tevalga's eyes slowly opened, revealing her cataracts had morphed from white to a brilliant golden shade. Within moments, she started crying sapphire tears which flowed across the inky flesh that comprised her face.
"Please…k….kill….me." Tevalga pleaded for release from the seemingly never-ending hell that was her body's metamorphosis; Dr Wilson ceased his chuckling and stared at the restrained Asari with utter confusion shining within his crazed orbs.
"My dear, I've zero intentions of killing you," Dr Wilson wiggled his finger at Tevalga while speaking in a tone a parent would use to scold a naughty child. "If anything, I hope to keep you here for the next couple of years." After all, he'd need the template in order to replicate whatever new Locust species Tevalga will become after the experiments are finished.
Tevalga sobbed miserably as more pain rocketed through her frame. "Please…the….v…voices….they…w..w…wouldn't…stop!" Even now, she heard them whispering into her mind. While dreaming, Tevalga saw images or memories of faraway places and long-since decided battles against dangerous foes that once threatened the galaxy. Dr Wilson, intrigued with this sudden news, came closer to the examination table, which caused the shadows within the lab to cover him within a silhouette that honestly made him appear like the devil to the tortured Asari.
"You've been hearing voices, Pet?" Dr Wilson asked with a curious tone as more chitin bloomed into existence across Tevalga's arms.
The young Asari managed to gather enough strength to nod. "Yes…they…say…the…Queen…shall….lead…us….t..t..to…eternal….v..v…victory." A pained gasp escaped her lips as Tevalga's head crest grew longer and moved upwards, making it appear like she was gaining multiple spikes upon the back of her skull. "The…v..v..voices….demand….obedience…the…Queen…her…will…absolute." Tevalga tried to say more, but the pain was far too much for her to bear, and the kidnapped Asari fell unconscious within seconds.
On the other hand, Dr Wilson smiled as if Christmas had just arrived early. "Oh, how marvellous," he ran to the lab's main terminal, ignoring the still transforming Tevalga's body. "My little pet has revealed unto me the existence of a Locust hive mind." Dr Wilson immediately wrote his findings within a unique document encrypted with the most advanced data protection programs that Cerberus had created during his time as an operative. Further discoveries on Shepard's divine gift would be added when his pet saw fit to reveal them.
"I wonder how developed the hive mind is at the moment?" Dr Wilson never felt more excited as his fingers entered more observations and key details he learned from Tevalga's ongoing metamorphosis. "I'll need more test subjects to see how the Locust Goddess gift evolves with new species!" Insane laughter thundered from Wilson's lips as plans to capture new victims began forming within his twisted mind.
"Ah, today is truly one of miracles," Dr Wilson closed the document and opened another, which held his contact list for certain mercenary groups who wouldn't ask too many questions when it came to completing their contracts. "At any rate, it's time I prepare a little surprise for those dogs the Illusive Man has sent out to find me." The Mad Prophet giggled as he selected a minor merc group with minimal connections with the Blood Pack while plotting to give the mercenaries a special gift he prepared for Cerberus.
Dr Wilson almost felt sad that he won't be there to see the expressions on the Cerberus operatives' faces when they witness his gift in action. Yet, the madman understood that his life needed to be protected until the holy Locust army was ready to destroy the Reapers. The other civilisations will either come underneath Shepard's banner or suffer the same fate as the genocidal machines. While the Locust Queen conquers the universe, Dr Wilson shall guide the Locust's evolution from the safety of the shadows.
Dr Wilson's insane giggles filled the laboratory as he began researching organisations that specialised in capturing live Thresher Maw spores. After all, It would be so much fun to see what he could create from those mighty beasts.