The Terminus Systems.
Omega Space Station.
The Gozu District.
"Argh, kill them all!"
The Vorcha Commander, given overall command of the Blood Pack soldiers stationed near the staircase leading to the Clinic's back entrance, murderously roared whilst his subordinate Vorcha mercenaries fiercely battled against five Maag Drones. Currently taking cover behind several metallic crates located next to the aforementioned staircase. The war zone in question was a plaza smaller than the one previously visited by the Normandy crew on their way to Mordin's Clinic. However, this plaza was converted into a makeshift outpost for the local Blood Pack.
The Locust warriors had already reduced the mercenary outpost's garrison to almost a third of its original size thanks to detonating several fuel canisters clustered near the greatest concentration of Vorcha soldiers within the plaza. The Maag Drones reaped more Vorcha souls after unleashing a hailstorm of mass accelerator bullets upon the disoriented and understandably panicked mercenaries. Then, they proceeded to hurriedly duck behind the metallic crates before the Blood Pack could appropriately retaliate against them.
Maag T'kanis, currently replacing his Lancer assault rifle's spent thermal clip with a fresh one, humorously smiled. At the same time, the Vorcha Commander furiously repeated his demand for the Locusts' deaths as weapons fire thundered throughout the plaza. "Hm, I wonder how many times the Vorcha Commander has screamed for our deaths?" T'kanis tossed a grenade over the assembled metallic crates, thus allowing for the explosive to sail across the plaza and land next to a Vorcha wielding a flamethrower. The explosion killed the fire user and six other Vorcha unlucky enough to be nearby when the pyromaniac's fuel tanks ignited.
Another Maag Drone, busily shooting at several Blood Pack mercs hiding behind a makeshift barricade, casually responded to the inquiry. "I believe the number has risen to nine, brother." The Maag removed a grenade from his utility belt and carefully threw the explosive device at the bloodthirsty mercenaries. "Although given the relatively low intelligence these Vorcha have shown, I'd imagine that number shall increase as the battle escalates." Unlike what previously happened with the flamethrower, the Vorcha saw the incoming grenade and attempted to run for safety.
Unfortunately, their attempt to escape the soon-to-be explosion caused most of the Vorcha to head straight into the Locust warriors' direct line of fire. The results were horrifyingly bloody since most retreating mercenaries were mercilessly blasted into small chunks of blood-soaked meat and bones. The few survivors quickly jumped behind friendly cover and then swiftly retaliated by returning fire with their standard-issue Blood Pack weaponry, most of which was outdated assault rifles and pistols.
Maag T'kanis agreed with his brother's statement. "Our previous interactions with these scavengers do support that idea." Without warning, the Vorcha Commander's head exploded into a gory shower of bone fragments and brain matter thanks to receiving a sniper round through the skull. The Vorcha turned their attention past the Maag Drones and furiously cursed as Commander Shepard lead the Normandy crew away from the top of the staircase and was quick to order them to take defensive positions next to the five Locust warriors.
"Your Majesty," Maag T'kanis respectfully bowed his head while the Locust Queen took position next to the Drone. "I'm pleased to report the enemy has taken heavy losses during our initial assault upon their defences. The survivors should be terminated within the next few minutes.." Whilst T'kanis dutifully informed his Queen on the events regarding the Maag Drones battle against the Vorcha mercenaries, the Normandy crew busied themselves by adding their considerable firepower towards slaughtering Omega's local Blood Pack.
"Excellent work, Maag T'kanis," Shepard's tone radiated satisfaction towards their progress in eliminating the Blood Pack threat. "Is there anything else we should know about the Vorcha stationed in the plaza?" She inquired while Krav Savage reorganised the other Maag Drones into a more effective battle formation. Meanwhile, Vurl Rage and Zaeed Massani combined their heavy weapons' destructive capabilities to overwhelm any Vorcha foolish enough to try to close the distance between their positions.
Jacob Taylor provided Biotic support from behind the Normandy Crew's defensive line by pulling unfortunate Vorcha victims high into the sky, where Shepard would generally eliminate using her excellent skills with a sniper rifle. The male Cerberus operative would sometimes even erect powerful Biotic barriers to absorb multiple mass accelerator rounds from the enemies' mass effect weaponry, and those barriers held the additional bonus of creating temporary shelter for any comrades wanting to avoid the Vorcha's counter fire.
"The scavengers are behaving within our expectations," Maag T'kanis answered whilst the Blood Pack rapidly lost more mercenaries as the seconds ticked by. "And there's no evidence to suggest they've anything special waiting in reserve." However, the Drone was soon proven to be false regarding the Blood Pack's lack of surprises since two crimson-armoured Krogan mercenaries descended from the stairwell on the Vorcha's side of the plaza.
The two recently arrived Krogan warriors were carrying the latest model of rocket launchers in their muscular hands. Old shotguns, appearing to be manufactured during the infamous Krogan rebellions, are magnetically attached to their backs and just waiting to spill more blood for their masters. Etched upon their crimson armours' shoulder pauldron was the infamous symbol of the Blood Pack, thus making it relatively easy for the Normandy crew to identify the allegiance of these particular Krogan.
Jacob grimaced upon noticing the new arrivals. "Dammit, Krogan reinforcements are approaching our position and they're armed with rocket launchers!" The Cerberus operative hurriedly gathered a significant amount of Biotic energy since he'd need to reinforce the barriers when the Krogan mercs finally decided to fire those rockets upon their defensive line. The Locust Drones collectively fired upon the advancing Blood Pack, who allowed their kinetic shields to tank the damage long enough for them to reach an acceptable firing range.
Shepard sniped another Vorcha between the eyes before returning to the safety of cover. "Why are Krogan mercenaries assisting the Vorcha in taking over Gozu?" The galactic heroine asked nobody in particular while a duo of rockets slammed into Jacob's Biotic barrier. "They're just as vulnerable to the plague as other species within the quarantine zone!" It made little sense to the Commander since whatever rewards the invading Vorcha promised these Krogan couldn't possibly be worth the risk of dying via the Collector plague.
Fortunately, Zaeed knew the answer to that particular question. "They're from Garm's Blood Pack," the scarred mercenary flipped a combat knife between his fingers before launching the blade straight into the closest Krogan's eye socket. "Dead bastard always loved choosing those less intelligent than a sack of bricks to join the Blood Pack's ranks on Omega." The injured Krogan roared in agony while fresh blood flowed freely from the pierced eye. Yet, those cries were silenced forever after Zaeed introduced a shotgun blast to the Krogan's face.
Jacob grunted while concentrating on keeping the Biotic barrier active. "Basically, they're too stupid to know that assisting the Vorcha is a terrible idea." The Cerberus operative allows some amusement to spill into his tone whilst pain shoot through his entire system thanks to the sole remaining Krogan relentlessly firing rocket after rocket at the mass effect shield covering the Normandy crew's position. However, the assault wouldn't help the infuriated Krogan much since only a handful of Vorcha mercs were alive.
Krav Savage, knowing the missile-wielding Krogan needed to die before the barrier disappeared, lead the Maag Drones in a full frontal assault against the remaining Blood Pack mercenaries. The Vorcha mercenaries tried to support their bloodthirsty ally with a hailstorm's worth of covering fire. However, the Normandy crew countered this plan via terminating any of the Vorcha stupid enough to attempt rising their heads out of cover. Within seconds the remaining Vorcha were killed off, thus leaving the Krogan without any aid against the Locust Drones.
The Krogan, realising how unwise it would be to take on the Locust with his current weapon, hurriedly switched from the missile launcher to the shotgun magnetically attached to the back of his armour. Employing missiles at close quarters would be suicide for anyone, regardless of their species. After the gun was wholly unfolded into its proper battle-ready mode, the Krogan merc bellowed an ancient war cry of his people and charged forwards with the full intention of meeting his enemies head-on.
"I am Krogan!" The Blood Pack Krogan roared proudly whilst wildly firing at the enemies that massacred the outpost garrison, which he and the other now-dead Krogan were assigned to protect with their lives. Suppose today was indeed to be the Krogan's last in this universe. In that case, he'll ensure the following battle would be so grand that his opponents shall never forget how a single Krogan warrior fought to his dying breath to protect this outpost.
"For the Horde!" The Locust Drones bellowed their battle cry as multiple Lancer assault rifles unleashed countless mass accelerator rounds at the charging Blood Pack mercenary. The crimson armour was shredded within mere minutes, allowing numerous bullets to pierce directly into the Krogan's central body mass. Blood rapidly poured from the countless wounds. Yet, even with such gruesome injuries, the Krogan warrior refused to die without giving his foes an excellent battle to remember.
"It's gonna take more than a few papercuts to kill me!" The Krogan merc taunted while firing his primary weapon at Maag T'kanis, who hopped backwards to avoid the shotgun blast since receiving a direct hit could take out the Drone's kinetic shield. The bloodthirsty mercenary hurriedly readjusted his aim towards another Maag Drone. Yet, before the Krogan could fire his weapon, Vurl Rage suddenly appeared at the Krogan's left flank. The Blood Pack never realised what was happening until the ill-tempered Drone unloaded several shotgun rounds directly into the mercenary's helmet-covered face.
A startled cry escaped the Krogan's lips whilst the buckshots' mercilessly tore apart the helmet meant to protect the mercenary's skull from harm. Metallic fragments pierced deeply into the Blood Pack Krogan's flesh, thus causing crimson liquid to spill through the gaps created in the damaged helmet. Sadly, the merc wouldn't have time to contemplate the pain caused by the shotgun rounds as two Maag Drones swiftly grabbed his arms and, without hesitation, proceeded to break every bone contained within those limbs.
Maag T'kanis took that moment to enact his revenge upon the Krogan's earlier attempt on his kinetic shields by using the Lancer rifle he wielded to shred the merc's kneecaps. The Maag Drones responsible for scattering the Krogan's arm bones then forced the heavily injured mercenary onto his blood-soaked knees. The shotgun and other weapons were quickly thrown to the side by Vurl Rage, who personally searched the defenceless Krogan's form for any signs of hidden weaponry or devices that might be dangerous to the Normandy crew.
"You cowardly Bastards!" Furiously screamed the restrained Blood Pack merc while Krav Savage violently ripped off the damaged helmet from the Krogan's head. "I'll slaughter your entire families for this humiliation!" The merc attempted to stand. However, the Drones rewarded the effort by twisting his broken arms, thus causing pain to flood the Krogan's veins. An agonised cry left the mercenary's blood-stained lips as the white-hot pain forced him back onto the plaza's dirty flooring.
"Brave words for someone entirely at our mercy," Zaeed commented with a deadpan tone while he calmly followed Shepard as she walked over to the restrained Blood Pack mercenary. "Then again, Omega's Blood Pack has never been known for their intelligence." The injured Krogan glared murderously at the Normandy's resident merc. However, his attention was soon forcefully shifted towards the Commander after Krav Savage roughly grabbed his crimson head plate and then pulled until his eyes focused entirely on the Locust Queen.
Jade Shepard immediately began interrogating the prisoner. "I suggest giving us all the info you possess about the Vorcha stationed at the slums environmental controls," the Locust Queen lazily gestured towards the Maag Drones currently holding their prisoner against the dirty flooring. "And just to be clear, any signs of stubbornness will be met with ruthless methods, so do try to be honest with your answers." It was a bluff since the Normandy crew hadn't the time for a proper interrogation, not with the environmental systems offline and the local air supply dropping by the second.
The Krogan, unaware that the Commander was bluffing, spat blood near her feet. "There's my answer, Bitch!" The Blood Pack merc taunted only to cry out in pain a moment later when Krav Savage delivered a devastating haymaker to the Krogan's head. While Krav Savage punished the Krogan for his disrespect towards the Locust Queen Maag T'kanis, plus the other Drones not involved with restraining the prisoner, busied themselves searching for any supplies which might be helpful for the assault on the slums' environmental systems.
"You're not gonna get anything useful out of him, Shepard," Zaeed said with absolute certainty after spending a few moments watching Krav Savage brutalise the Blood Pack merc. "The idiot's probably just another low-level grunt the Vorcha intended to use as an expendable meat shield." The rest of the Normandy crew agreed with their teammate since the Krogan would've sold out the Vorcha stationed at environmental control by now if it meant getting out of this unfavourable situation alive.
The Blood Pack mercenary laughed at Zaeed while his wounds slowly healed thanks to his race's regenerative capabilities. "Ha, I'm not some pawn of the Vorcha nor the last Krogan warrior working for them." He revealed, unaware of how Zaeed subtly smirked in the background as the fool played directly into the more experienced mercenary's hands. "Our base of operations is filled with a dozen mighty Krogan warriors who'll destroy anyone foolish enough to restart the environmental systems!"
Boastful laughter bloomed from the Krogan's maw since he believed the Normandy crew wouldn't succeed in eliminating the Vorcha and their Krogan muscle stationed within the environmental control centre. Shepard chuckled at the idiot's boasting since the Krogan foolishly gave out valuable intel on how many Krogan were waiting for her group at the Vorcha's stronghold. The crimson-armoured mercenary uttered a few more things about his comrades. Yet, most of it wasn't overly beneficial to the Locust Queen.
"Thanks for the intel," Shepard thanked the Blood Pack merc, whose dark brown eyes widened as the realisation of what he had revealed to the enemy finally registered within his brain. "Now, usually, I'd just release my prisoners once they've fulfilled their part of a deal, but since you needed to be tricked into giving away information, I'll have Savage kill you instead." Plus, Shepard wasn't about to take any chances with the Blood Pack, especially when this guy willingly assisted with the attempted murder of thousands of innocent civilians.
The Blood Pack Krogan defiantly roared while trying to free himself from the Maag Drones. However, their grip upon the mercenary was too strong to break, especially with the level of injuries the Krogan sustained during the earlier confrontation. Krav Savage stared dispassionately at the struggling mercenary whilst carefully aiming for where Krogan's primary and backup hearts were located. Once the necessary adjustments were made, the Locust captain fired several armour-piercing rounds, which shredded the Blood Pack's internal organs.
"The deed is done," Krav Savage spoke with finality while holstering his assault rifle as the Maag Drones carried the now-dead Krogan towards the bonfires for proper disposal. "My Queen, what are your orders?" The Locust captain politely inquired whilst Maag T'kanis returned to the main group to report what was found amongst the plaza's ruins and multiple piles of corpses that the Vorcha hadn't gotten around to burning. The Maag Drones apparently found a small number of credits amongst the bodies, and they've managed to gather enough thermal clips to replace the ones spent during the skirmish.
Shepard thought over the question for a full minute before finally giving an answer. "We'll stay here for a few minutes to share out the thermal clips found by Maag T'kanis's search team," she gestured towards the Maag in question, who was already distributing thermal clips to the rest of the Normandy crew. "Whilst that's happening, we shall use our Omni-gel reserves to heal any wounds we've received during our latest encounter with the Vorcha." The Locust Queen also ordered all weapons or armour damage be repaired before they moved out for the Vorcha stronghold.
"Understood, My Queen." Krav Savage bowed his head slightly before immediately barking commands for the other Drones to check on their equipment for any signs of damage. Meanwhile, Vurl Rage took upon the responsibility of administering medical aid to those injured during the fighting against the Blood Pack garrison. Thankfully most of the wounds are minor and should completely disappear either by the Drones' natural regenerative abilities or after some medi-gel was applied to the damaged area.
"There sure was a lot of Vorcha stationed near the Clinic," Zaeed offhandedly commented while activating his Omni-tool to scan the Mattock for anything unusual which might harm its performance during combat. "I'm guessing the bastards were planning on raiding the place so the cure couldn't be given to the populace." Zaeed holstered the Mattock after the scan reported back negatively for damage and then proceeded to wander over to the other dead Krogan in order to retrieve the combat knife he threw directly into the deadman's eye.
"That would explain the sudden build-up of their forces," Jacob agreed while resting against a metallic wall. The constant use of Biotic power had really drained the Cerberus operative. "Vorcha may be stupid, but even they know how big a threat Professor Mordin's cure is towards their goal of conquering the Gozu District." If the cure got into the environmental systems, the Vorcha could kiss those dreams of conquest goodbye. Plus, the Blue Suns would ensure those scavengers suffered once they're cured of the plague.
"The Vorcha's motives for this outpost's increase of manpower doesn't change our objective." Shepard reminded them while switching out weapons for her new heavy pistol generously gifted by Professor Mordin. "The environmental controls must be brought back online before everyone suffocates." The Locust Queen's allies nodded in understanding since the district must've only a few more hours of air before the whole population suffocates to death. They conversed a little longer before Shepard gave the order to move out.
Time Skip.
Apartments Closest To The Environmental Control Centre.
After several hours fighting against small pockets of Vorcha resistance, the Normandy crew finally arrived at the apartments where environmental engineers chose to live. The apartments were in far better condition than most of the Gozu District inhabitants' homes since engineers were paid handsomely to keep the environmental systems running efficiently. The added benefit was that the apartments were built directly next to their workplace, meaning the engineers could arrive at the environmental systems within a few minutes.
Usually, Shepard would've walked past the apartments without a second thought. However, a strange noise emanating from an unlocked door caught her attention. The Commander quietly commanded her teammates to be ready for anything as two Maag Drones quickly took defensive positions next to the apartment entrance. The Locust Queen then activated her Omni-tool and gently waved the multi-purpose device at the access to the apartment, which remotely started the door's internal mechanisms.
After the entrance silently opened, Shepard was greeted with an expensive apartment similarly designed for upper-class individuals who lived on essential worlds. The Commander noticed a small group of heavily armed Batarian civilians surrounding a frightened human whose doctor's robes suggested he might be the missing Daniel, that went out into Vorcha territory to assist those infected with the plague. The young man was obviously in trouble since the Batarians were collectively pointing their weapons at the medic.
"Please, I'm telling you the truth," Daniel pleaded for his captors to see reason even while the Batarians leader roughly grabbed the collar of his medical robes. "I work for Mordin at the Clinic. I came to help those infected by the plague."
The Batarian scoffed, obviously not believing Mordin's favoured assistant. "We know you're spreading the plague virus, human," Daniel's captor gestured with his head towards the young man's medical bag, which lay upon the apartment's kitchen countertop. "We saw the vials in your bag!" The other Batarians sneered at the medic since the vials were all the evidence they needed to blame humanity for spreading the plague.
Daniel's eyes widened fearfully upon hearing the accusation. "No! Those vials contain the cure! Please, you have to believe me!" He continued to plead his innocence while the Locust stormed the apartment. A Batarian saw the newcomers and shouted a warning to the others, thus giving their leader enough time to place a pistol against Daniel's head. Shepard came into view, flanked by Zaeed and Jacob, whose preferred weapons were pointed at the Batarians stationed at the far corners of the room.
"Don't move!" The civilian leader ordered in a frightened tone. "One more step and we kill your friend!" He pressed the pistol against the captive medic's head. The Locust Drones growled threateningly at the scared Batarians who've never encountered their species until today. The Batarians would've usually pondered how useful they'd be as slaves. Yet the plague and the immediate threat of dying at the hands of the Normandy crew caused them to forget such ideas on obtaining a new type of slave for their race.
Meanwhile, Shepard slightly lowers her pistol while calmly talking to the Batarian leader. "Listen, I know you're scared. Of the Vorcha. Of the plague. But this man isn't to blame." The Locust Queen gestured towards the apartment exit leading out into Vorcha territory. "Besides, if he was spreading the virus, why would he come into Vorcha territory? They're immune." The Batarians muttered amongst themselves since Shepard had raised an excellent point as spreading the virus within the Vorcha's territory wouldn't benefit anyone.
"She's right. It doesn't make sense." The Batarian lookout says after a moment of reflection.
The civilian leader seemed to agree since he lowered his pistol, which caused Daniel to sigh with relief. "If we release the prisoner, we can leave?" He inquired as the other civilians holstered their respective weaponry.
"You have my word," Shepard promised the scared civilian who allowed Daniel to leave his side and walk over to the relative safety of the Normandy crew. Sadly, the medic wasn't warmly greeted by the Drones, who glared disdainfully at him for putting their Queen through the trouble of having to save his life. The Locust even wanted to shoot Daniel on the spot. Yet, their Queen's orders prevented them from taking such actions against Professor Mordin's favourite Clinic assistant. Thus they'd have to simply settle for sending intimidating glares at the medic.
After Daniel was freed from captivity, the civilian leader asked if his group was allowed to leave the apartment. Shepard told the Batarians they were free to go, which surprised the civilian leader since he never believed that human nobility existed until now. Regardless, the civilians hurriedly left the apartment. The Drones watched them like hawks, eagerly waiting for fresh prey until they vanished through the entrance; once the immediate threat was gone, Daniel went to check on the vials containing the plague cure.
"Thank you," Daniel's tone was genuinely thankful for the rescue. "I honestly thought they were going to kill me." He glanced at Shepard whilst expertly examining the vials for any sign of damage; the Batarians hadn't exactly been gentle with the medical bag after they'd captured him. "Did Mordin send you to find me?" He curiously asked since there weren't many reasons why a heavily armed group of people would risk their lives to save a random person taken prisoner by a bunch of angry Gozu inhabitants.
Shepard nodded in confirmation while the Maag Drones searched the apartment for anything of value. "The Professor could use your help right now. He's got too many patients and not enough volunteers." Daniel agreed with the Locust Queen, so the medic gathered his equipment without much delay and ran out of the apartment. The Normandy crew waited a few minutes to allow the Maag Drones to finish scavenging the place for anything useful. After that, Shepard lead her team further into the district where many Vorcha would be waiting to ambush their enemies.
Unfortunately, for the Vorcha, their efforts wouldn't be enough to prevent the Normandy crew from reaching the district's environmental systems.
Time Skip.
Gozu's Environmental Control Centre.
Main Control Hub.
Centuries ago, the main control hub for the environmental systems was constructed within a massive cavern which the early inhabitants of Omega hollowed out for gigantic fans that helped generate the necessary amount of air to keep the slums habitable. A central computer was located at the far back of the cavernous environmental centre, which engineers used to help manage the systems controlling the gigantic fans. The fans' primary and secondary activation switches
were flanked on both sides of the central computer.
For Shepard's crew to inject the plague cure into the environmental systems, they'd have to reboot the central computer, which the Vorcha deactivated so the fans would shut down, and then proceed to reengage the primary and secondary fans. After those three steps are followed, the entire environmental system should return online. The plague cure shall spread throughout the whole district, thus saving the surviving citizens yet to succumb to the engineered virus.
Sadly, the plan was easier said than done. The Normandy crew had already dealt with the Vorcha stationed at the environmental centre's front entrance, but that still left the internal mercenary garrison assigned to prevent anyone from reactivating the fans. The Blood Pack Krogan are a problem since they'll be dead-set on stopping anyone from bringing the fans back online. Still, Shepard had a lot of experience dealing with Krogan warriors thanks to encountering the clones birthed from Saren's cloning facility on virmire.
At any rate, The Commander carefully lead the Normandy crew through the final doorway, which connected directly to the environment's main control hub. Numerous Vorcha mercenaries, tasked with guarding the central computer's access terminal, hurriedly twisted around to face the new arrivals with weapons held at the ready. The most heavily armed Vorcha stepped forward. He'd been chosen to be the spokesperson for the garrison stationed there and, without delay, began screeching at them with barely restrained fury.
"You no come here." The Vorcha spokesperson angrily yelled at Shepard while wildly pacing near the cavernous room's main terminal. "We shut down machines, break fans!" He proudly pointed towards the none spinning fans that would've supplied the whole district with air if the Vorcha hadn't shut them off. "Everyone choke and die! Then Collectors make us strong!" While the Vorcha were distracted, cheering at their leader's words, the Drones subtly walked until they were next to the areas that'll prove the most significant amount of cover.
"The Collectors will never honour whatever bargain you've made with them." Krav Savage interrupted the Vorcha's celebrations while preparing to fire upon the bunch of halfwits the Collectors tricked into helping with the experimental plague. "They'll just take the plague data and leave your group to Aria T'Loak's mercy." Shepard voiced her agreement with the Locust Captain since the infamous pirate queen wouldn't allow those responsible for poisoning an entire district with a deadly virus to simply leave the station unpunished.
However, the Vorcha weren't so easily persuaded on the matter. "Lies! The Collectors shall gift us strength. We kill Aria and those who serve her!" Shepard sighed with resignation as it was obvious that these Vorcha weren't going to listen to reason.
"Well, they can't say I didn't try negotiating." The Locust Queen muttered softly while signalling her team to open fire upon the Blood Pack mercenaries. The Locust Drones, with Krav Savage leading them at the forefront of this engagement, unleashed a hailstorm of bullets which mercilessly shredded any Vorcha who decided it wasn't worth the effort to keep their kinetic shields active during the standoff between their mercenary company and the Normandy crew.
The smarter Vorcha, only because they possessed a few more brain cells than their slaughtered kin, immediately ran towards the closest form of cover. Yet, most never made it to safety, thanks to Jacob employing several Biotic pulls and throws to scatter a chunk of the mercenaries directly into Zaeed's line of fire. The scarred merc's favoured rifle thundered as its destructive armour-piercing ammunition reaped a dozen Vorcha lives within mere seconds. After the thermal clip ran dry, Massani tossed several grenades in random directions simply to cause more chaos amongst the Vorcha's ranks.
Shepard contributed to the massacre by sniping any Blood Pack mercs that tried to escape the explosions caused by Zaeed's grenades. After every confirmed kill, the Commander swiftly activated her tactical cloak and relocated to another section of the hub before the Vorcha could retaliate. Within mere minutes the Blood Pack guarding the alcove were utterly reduced to nothingness, and the Normandy crew, while the Drones kept a lookout for enemy reinforcements, carefully looted their corpses for thermal clips to replace those spent during the chaotic fight.
After the mercs' bodies were stripped of any thermal clips or valuables, Shepard went to the environmental controls central computer and, without delay, inserted the cure directly into the systems governing the slums' atmosphere. The thrum of electrical systems coming online sang throughout the cavern after the plague was fully installed into the environmental systems. EDI even connected to the crew's communication network to inform them where the fans' primary and secondary activation switches were located.
"Who wants to bet those two locations are where our missing Krogan mercenaries have been hiding." Zaeed gruffly said towards his comrades whilst inserting a new thermal clip into his Mattock. This would soon prove beneficial since multiple Vorcha, some wielding rocket launchers, stormed up from the directions leading to the fans' activation switches.
"That's a sucker bet if I've ever heard one," Jacob replied while unleashing a lot of Biotic power upon the newly arrived mercenaries. "Besides, it's the most tactically sound manoeuvre the Blood Pack can make to ensure we'll have difficulties reactivating the fans." The rocket-wielding Vorcha could be heard laughing in the background as they aimed for the Cerberus operative. However, their lack of caution and arrogance caused them to receive a bullet through the skull, thanks to Shepard busily removing all long-distance threats from the battlefield.
Shepard reappeared next to the Cerberus operative after sniping another Vorcha through the heart. "In that case, we'll have to split into two groups and take out the Krogan before either side can reinforce the other." A quick discussion was held over the matter while they continuously fought off the Vorcha. Within seconds of debate, it was decided that Shepard, Krav Savage, Zaeed and Jacob would form team A and head for the primary switch, whilst team B shall be comprised of Vurl Rage and the Maag Drones, who'll go after the secondary switch.
The confirmed teams waited until the Vorcha were thinned into reasonable numbers before charging their targets. The scavengers attempted to halt them at the staircases leading to their respective switches. Still, much like precious engagements, the Vorcha were swiftly slaughtered by the Normandy crew, thanks to them possessing better equipment, training and motivation than Omega's wannabe conquers.
Once Shepard's team reached the bottom of the staircase, they were immediately greeted by six heavily armed Krogan warriors exiting the backroom where the primary switch was housed. Following behind these mountains of muscle and bloodlust was a small pack of Vorcha wielding inferior equipment than those the Normandy crew previously encountered on the way to the environmental control centre. Team A swiftly fired upon the guards assigned to the backroom while ducking behind the nearest available cover.
The Vorcha predictably ran for cover while allowing their natural adaptability to heal whatever damage Shepard's group inflicted upon them. However, the Krogan ignored the hailstorm of mass accelerator rounds striking against their kinetic shields and, without hesitation, eagerly charged towards their enemies' position. Two died midway to their destination while another managed to get close enough to engage Krav Savage close quarters combat, leaving the remaining three Krogan for the rest of Team A to deal with.
"I am Krogan!" The blood Pack merc, who chose to fight Zaeed Massani, cheerfully roared as he aimed his shotgun at the veteran mercenary.
Fortunately, Zaeed reacted to the threat by grabbing ahold of the weapon and, with a surprising amount of strength, forced the Krogan to point the gun's barrel upwards. "And I'm Zaeed Massani," the scarred merc retorted in a deadpan tone while shoving the Mattock's barrel straight into his opponent's unprotected maw. "Shut the fuck up and die!" A gentle press of the trigger was all the warning the Krogan received before his brains flew out the back of his skull. Zaeed didn't wait for the corpse to hit the ground before engaging the Vorcha hiding near the backroom.
Jacob, currently covered in Biotic energy, managed to dispatch his own Krogan via violently slamming the merc into a metallic pillar and then. At the same time, the overgrown bastard was dazed from the impact, thrown into the abyss surrounding the entire environmental control centre. The Cerberus operative then ran off to assist Zaeed with eliminating the Vorcha mercenaries guarding the primary switch. He'd initially wanted to help Shepard, but a quick glance in her direction had shown that she was easily outmanoeuvring her opponent.
The former N7 constantly danced around the Krogan warrior by using a mixture of speed, flexibility and her tactical cloak to stay one step ahead of the mountain of muscle currently attempting to murder her. The Locust Queen had switched to her new heavy pistol during the beginning of the battle and was carefully shooting at the gaps between the mercenary's crimson armour.
Blood began to pool at the Krogan's feet as the Commander's strategy slowly withers away at her opponent's strength. The Blood Pack merc knew the situation had to change quickly; otherwise, he'll eventually bleed to death, thanks to Shepard's constant efforts to reopen wounds that his natural regeneration had sealed during the fight. Swiftly gathering Biotic energy, the Krogan slammed his armoured fist into the metallic floor, thus causing a powerful shockwave which sent the Commander flying backwards.
The Blood Pack merc immediately ran after Shepard, who didn't fight the shockwave's momentum as it carried her across the small corridor, and upon striking the metallic floor, she performed a barrel roll in order to bleed off any excess speed that might've been carried over from the Biotic wave. After coming to a complete halt, the Locust Queen hurriedly aimed at the advancing Krogan. Without hesitation, she fired at the merc's vital points and reopened most of the Krogan's wounds before her weapon's thermal clip ran dry.
The Krogan snarled while feeling himself grow weaker by the second. "Dammit, just die already!" He furiously roared whilst throwing wave after wave of Biotic power at the galactic heroine. Shepard expertly dodged the balls of energy and even returned fire at her opponent, which created more injuries between the gaps in their armour. However, the Krogan's tactic had bought him enough time to finally reach melee range, and the mercenary unleashed multiple Biotic-enhanced strikes on the Commander.
Unfortunately, for the Blood Pack, Shepard's regeneration kicked into gear the moment she received damage from the enhanced blows. The hired merc's reptilian eyes widened behind his helmet when Shepard retaliated with a ruthless amount of strikes at specific weak points naturally found within the Krogan species. Wrex had taught her much about Krogan biology and where to cause maximum pain during the last few days of the Saren hunt. The knowledge the Locust Queen was now using to introduce a world of pain upon the Krogan mercenary.
"Impossible you should be dead!" The merc cried with disbelief while Shepard delivered an uppercut to her enemy's jaw. The Krogan stepped backwards as pain flooded his nervous system. However, he wasn't given time to recover since Shepard grabbed his shoulders and delivered a savage headbutt upon his black helmet. The situation worsened a moment later when Krav Savage, covered in Krogan blood and beyond pissed off at the Blood Pack, appeared from behind with a combat knife held at the ready.
A thunderous roar exploded from Krav Savage's maw whilst he swiftly embedded the knife directly into the Krogan's left side, causing a fountain of blood to spill forth from the new wound. The injury was soon proven to be the final nail in the Krogan's coffin, as whatever remained of the merc's strength was quickly drained away after losing an unhealthy amount of blood. The Locust captain capitalised on the moment of weakness and fired several rounds from his assault rifle at Kenton locations that housed the Krogan's hearts.
A bloody gurgle softly etched from within the Krogan's helmet before the mercenary fell backwards a few seconds later since his peoples' famous regeneration abilities finally failed to fix the wounds inflicted by the Locust Queen and her loyal Drone. After the Krogan took his last breath, the primary fans came to life, thus causing a whirlwind of fresh air to blast through the corridor which Team A stood upon. Shepard's gaze when towards the backroom, where Zaeed could be seen guarding Jacob, who was busily interacting with the fans' primary activation switch.
Krav Savage removed some of the Krogan blood from his face. "It would seem our allies took the opportunity to activate the fans while we dealt with the surviving Krogan." The Locust Captain's tone was one of approval since the second switch was now all that stood between them and certain victory. Almost as if fate was smiling upon the Normandy crew, the secondary fans roared into action, which meant Vurl Rage's team must've eliminated the enemy and activated the remaining fans, which would help spread the cure to the entire district.
"Yeah, and they've also taken care of the Vorcha." Shepard offhandedly commented as dozens of dead Vorcha were scattered near the backroom. Judging by the minor injuries on her teammates, the scavengers put up one hell of a fight before meeting the grim reaper.
"Indeed." Krav Savage replied while taking the dead Krogan's helmet to adding a new trophy to his collection. "My Queen, what are our new orders?" The Locust Captain inquired while strapping the Blood Pack helmet to his utility belt a moment later.
Shepard gave an answer whilst the Normandy's human crew members returned to their side. "We'll meet back up with Rage's team at the main section of this area and then return to Mordin's Clinic." With the cure spreading throughout the district, the Vorchas plan to conquer Gozu are basically finished. The Blue Suns would soon regain their former strength, any sick comrades would become healthy again and thus rejoin the mercenaries' ranks, and they'll no doubt push the bloodthirsty scavengers out of the Gozu District.
"As you command, My Queen." The Krav bowed respectfully while Zaeed muttered in the background that he'll just be grateful to finally get away from this hellhole. Shepard's group walked up the staircase and, upon reaching the upper level, were immediately greeted by Vurl Rage, who held what appeared to be a severed Krogan leg in his right hand. The Maag Drones stood behind their Vurl, two of these Drones carrying T'kanis by the shoulders since he sustained a lot of injuries during the assault on the secondary switch.
Shepard asked why Vurl Rage was wielding a severed leg which the ill-tempered Drone happily replied by saying his shotgun jammed during the middle of the battle and that he needed to improvise a new weapon. Fortunately, a Krogan was 'generous' enough to volunteer to lend him a body part and was even 'enthusiastic' about being the first test subject for Rahe's temporary melee weapon. Needless to say, Shepard was very sceptical about the story but chose to ignore it since only the Blood Pack suffered at the ill-tempered Drone's hands.
At any rate, they've spent enough time at the environmental control centre. Once the most serious of T'kanis's wounds were treated, Shepard lead her people back through Gozu District, and during the trip, the Normandy crew didn't encounter any signs of the Vorcha. The scavengers must've realised their plan for conquest had failed and are no doubt trying to escape Gozu before the Blue Suns gain enough strength to begin hunting down any Vorcha which participated in the attempted takeover of the entire district.
Gozu District has been saved.
Timp Skip.
The Omega Clinic.
Surgery Ward.
"Environmental systems engaged. Airborne viral levels dropping. Patients improving. Vorcha retreating." Professor Mordin rapidly analysed reports from the surgery ward's main terminal with a joyful tone. "Well done, Shepard. Thank you." He says while the Locust Queen enters the ward, followed closely by Krav Savage, Vurl Rage, and Zaeed. The male Cerberus operative was with the Maag Drones at the front of the Clinic since someone needed to ensure that the Locust didn't kill anyone who might be stupid enough to insult the Commander.
Daniel, who was assisting Mordin with some paperwork, nervously smiled at the Commander. "And thank you from me, as well. Those Batarians would've killed me." He shuddered at the mere memory of being held captive by those Batarian civilians. "For a second there, I thought you were going to shoot them even after they let me go." Krav Savage's lips slightly twitched since he would've killed the Batarians if his Queen hadn't ordered the Drones to let them leave; the boy would've joined the enemy in death if the situation had been any different.
"I made a promise to spare them if they let you go. I honour my promises." Indeed Shepard had always honoured her promises, even when it meant allowing a criminal to wander freely through the galaxy. Balak, the leader of a terrorist group, even used Shepard's honour code against her during the X57 asteroid incident in order to escape the Exodus Cluster with what little remained of his criminal organisation. Although she never regretted her decision to save those civilians, Shepard planned on nailing that son of a bitch once she found him again.
Mordin, on the other hand, wasn't as enthusiastic about the news. "Merciful of you. Risky. Would have killed them myself." The Professor knew how harsh he sounded, but in the end, his subordinate's safety and those seeking medical treatment were his number one concern.
Daniel's eyes widened with horror at what his teacher was suggesting. "Professor? How can you say that?" The young assistant stared at the calmly working Mordin with disbelief. "You're a doctor. You believe in helping people." Daniel couldn't believe that the man responsible for the cure to the plague would just so casually say that he'd gun scared people down like animals.
Mordin paused, working for a moment to respond to his student. "Lots of ways to help people. Sometimes heal patients. Sometimes execute dangerous individuals. Either way helps." The scientist knew Daniel's heart only held noble intentions. Still, for the sake of his student's future, he'll need to understand that sometimes unsavoury methods are necessary to protect those under their care, especially on a station like Omega where the criminals wouldn't hesitate to exploit Daniel or the Clinic for their own purposes.
"Go check on the patients," Mordin said after allowing Daniel's mind the few seconds it needed to fully register his words. "Lots of work to do. Think about what I said." Daniel appeared like he wished to further argue with the Professor. However, the young doctor understood the patients came first, so without saying another word, he left to check on those still recovering from the aftereffects of the Collector plague.
After Daniel left the ward, Mordin returned his gaze to Jade Shepard. "Good kid. Bit naive. He'll learn." The dark orange salarian says with a fond smile. "Letting him take over the Clinic. Should be able to handle it now that Vorcha are gone." Although, Mordin planned to leave the Loki mechs behind to guard the place since Omega's crime lords couldn't be trusted to leave the Clinic as neutral ground. The added cybernetic muscle should also keep common thieves from attempting to steal medical supplies.
Anyway, Shepard spent the next couple of minutes conversing with the Professor. Most of the discussion revolved around their agreement on Mordin becoming a part of the Normandy crew. However, the sneaky amphibian managed to ask a few questions about the Locust. After the details and necessary supply transfers were dealt with, Shepard left the surgery ward to explore the Clinic and was pleasantly surprised to run into some of the civilians she'd saved during the journey to Mordin. A few residents even came over to thank her for stopping the looters.
Needless to say, Shepard was glad that Gozu's inhabitants could return to their everyday lives.
Time Skip.
The Normandy.
Deck 5: Hanger and Cargo Storage.
The Normandy's 5th deck was where the Kodiak shuttles the crew used to transport themselves to various mission locations were stored for safety and maintenance. However, when the Locust came onboard, the 5th deck was converted into a barracks so they could rest while in-between missions. When they were not on duty, the Drones had managed to stack multiple empty containers together and then threw a couple of military tarps over the top to create makeshift shelters for themselves.
A small Locust-built R&D lab was built near the far back of the 5th deck, where most of the equipment and weapons they deployed in battle were kept for daily maintenance or repair. The department was overseen by Vold Mourn, whose expertise in various types of weaponry helped run the day-to-day operations within the R&D Locust Horde's department. The Vold had done so well at the job that he had already developed something new for the Horde and immediately invited Krav Savage to inspect the item in question.
"My Krav," Vold Mourn welcomed the Drone captain to the Locust R&D warehouse, a slightly larger makeshift shelter that the Drones had built for this particular purpose. "I'm pleased you've come to inspect our latest weapon for our Queen's army." The weapon expert lead Krav Savage past a few tables where several sniper Maag Drones could be seen tinkering with different pieces of equipment. No doubt they're studying the technology in order to assist with developing The Horde's own tech.
"The Queen is currently discussing some minor matters with the female Cerberus operative," Krav Savage followed his brother until both Drones arrived at a workbench covered by a light-brown tarp. "So I took the opportunity to visit whilst Her Majesty deals with the vermin." Mourn nodded in understanding since it was hard for Krav Savage to spend time with the other Drones down in the 5th deck as his responsibilities to the Queen kept him busy throughout most of the Normandy's day cycles.
"In that case, I'll make this quick." Mourn replies while grabbing ahold of the tarp. "Thanks to our endless efforts, we've developed a version of the Alliance's Lancer assault rifle." The Vold pulled off the brown tarp, thus revealing a slightly scaled-up black and red version of the aforementioned assault rifle. The new Lancer also had the Locust emblem etched into its sides which Mourn must've done whilst assembling the new weapon, and Krav Savage noticed an unusual increase of mass underneath the gun barrel.
Mourn smiled proudly at the Locust's creation. "My Krav, I present the MK 2 Lancer assault rifle." He gently picked the weapon from the workbench and carefully handed the prototype gun over so the Krav could look closer at the rifle.
"As you can see, we've bulked up the size, so our brothers have an easier time wielding it during battle," Vold Mourn then lifted a thermal clip which was slightly longer than what was considered normal from the workbench. "And to give more penetration power, our brothers have increased the size of the bullets fired by other galactic firearms." However, Mourn warned that increasing the ammunition size had caused the MK 2 Lancer's rate of fire to slightly decrease below that of its predecessor. Yet, the Vold Drone reassured him he was already researching a way to fix that issue.
"Impressive," Savage said after taking a moment to test the assault rifle's weight and balance. "But is there anything else this weapon can do that its predecessor can't?" The Krav inquired while returning the MK 2 Lancer to its creator.
Instead of answering, Vold Mourn pressed a button on the Lancer's side, which caused chainsaw blades to unfold underneath the gun barrel. A monstrous roar soon flooded deck five as the miniaturised motor hidden within the rifle forced the blades to begin rapidly spinning smoothly across the Lancer's surface. Mourn revealed the chainsaw bayonet had been designed to handle threats with Krogan levels of regeneration or certain species that evolved tough hides like the Vorch inhabiting Omega.
"I believe Rage will fall in love with this weapon once he sees it," Savage says with an amused chuckle, as the ill-tempered Drone would undoubtedly want to try out the chainsaw on whatever enemies the Horde encounters on the next available mission. The Krav would've said more on the subject. However, a message appeared on the Locust's Omni-tool. After giving the message a quick read, the Drone Captain immediately headed for the Normandy's elevator. Mourn followed his brother once the Lancer was given to the nearest Maag Drone.
Mourn asked what was happening as the elevator sealed itself off from the 5th deck and slowly began rising towards the third deck where Miranda's office was located. Krav Savage simply replied that the female Cerberus operative had done something to greatly upset their Queen, and Rage's message subtly implied that Savage should return quickly before the situation grew out of control. A few seconds later, the elevator reopened on the third deck, and without wasting any time, the two Drones ran for the XO's office.
Krav Savage just hoped he'll make it there in time to personally put Miranda's head on a spike for daring to anger his Queen!