From Ashes
Chapter Twelve: Species 37: The Thorian


They discussed the Geth's initial tactics during the early attacks. Nothing had changed all that much from when Shepard had encountered them on Therum. They had deployed the same tactics there: deploying heavy units near the dig site and then scattering heavy-hitters throughout the path leading to it with occasional dropships supplying reinforcements.

"Is there anything else we need to know about ExoGeni before heading out there?" Ash questioned. "Does the building have defenses?"

"ExoGeni is the reason we're stuck here." Arcelia answered. "They fund the colony, so the colonists work for them in trade. Their main goal here is to find anything of value, but we never did. The geth may know something we don't, I suppose."

"As far as I recall," Fai Dan picked up and answered the last part of the chief's question. "The building itself didn't have any real defenses. With the geth there now, I'm sure it is fortified by units and tanks now."

"Noticed the colony is having issues with water, food, and power." Garrus remembered the comments from earlier. "Those from the geth attacks as well?"

"Mostly, yes." Fai Dan admitted. The water system was shut off when the geth invaded and took up residence in the tunnels. That's really all I inow at the moment."

"We can look into getting those issues resolved while we're here." Shepard offered. "What else can you tell us about the colony and Feros in general?"

"Life is hard and often brutal; even without our current problems." Fai Dan answered. "Still, we're having a go of it. There's something peaceful about this world; tranquil, like I've never felt before. It's why most of us have decided to stay at this outpost."

"What was the population of the original colony?" Liara prompted.

"We were nearly a thousand at the main site, and another two hundred here at my outpost. When the first wave obliterated our defenses, we fell back to Zhu's Hope." He motioned around slightly. "This is our home, and it has been for four years. None of us really want to be driven out of here."

"Who would know more about the power, water, and food shortages?" Tali asked. "While looking around, we could attend to those issues."

"Davin Reynolds, over inside the Borealis, is in charge of the hunt." Fai Dan began. "May O"Connell is working on the power, and Macha Doyle is checking on the water system. They will know more about those problems."

"There are also still geth in the lower tunnels." Arcelia voiced the last concern. "They're probably bunkered down; guarding a transmitter to coordinate attacks. We need them gone and that thing destroyed if it's down there."

"We'll get on it." Shepard nodded. "Garrus, Ash, you two are the best sharpshooters I've got. You two up for target practice?"

"If those flashlights come back around, you bet, Skipper." Ash took position at hthe stairs leading back to where the one dropship had left a few moments ago.

"Don't worry." Garrus checked the scope on his rifle before preparing to take position near the barricades by the docks. "They won't get past us."

"Good. Liara, Wrex, Tali, and I will head down into the tunnels and see what we can find down there." Shepard nodded to the retreating turian as she and the others followed Ash.

"I'll give you a hand." Arcelia followed and took up position at the top of the stairs with Ashley. "More of them come from this way anyway."

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Ash asked casually. "About Zhu's Hope, ExoGeni, or anything?"

"Not much else." Arcelia checked her thermal clip before continuing. "We were hung out to dry by every government organization that promised to protect us out here. ExoGeni claimed to have sent off for a small fleet, but that never came." Her frustration was understandable. Ash and Shepard could both easily relate; Eden Prime and Elysium were both situations where there could have been more manpower. "I worked security at the main facility. None of us were trained to deal with the horrors of war like this. ExoGeni still thinks this place is profitable, but they're not the ones dealing with everything." She took a deep breath as if to calm herself. "I got back here just in time to pull Fai Dan out of a shitstorm. The outpost was swarmed, and all I could do was empty my first clip into a colossus that had managed to get dropped in here. With the rest of them shooting, we managed to bring it down, but yeah…"

"Don't worry." Shepard paused as they neared the hallway that would take them to the tunnels. "We'll head down and find that transmitter if it's down there and clear the other geth out. Then we'll head to the main ExoGeni building; get some answers."

"Good luck." The security officer raised her gun and leaned against a wall. "You'll need it."

Going down into the tunnels, Wrex and Liara split off and looked for any source of water. Garrus had spoken to the people in charge of each issue up top and was feeding information to them as they went. The water valves were easy enough to find, and so was the alpha varren that Reynolds had mentioned. Shepard and Tali explored an area across the way from the crashed vessel and varren. They found the geth transmitter and eliminated the other geth that were around it. On their way back out however, there was a human blocking their way across. Standing with a slight limp, his hands were shaking slightly as he pointed an accusatory finger toward them.

"Y-you." He stammered. "You're here for them too, aren't you?"

"Who are you?" Tali asked when they approached. "Are you from the outpost above?"

"Doesn't matter wh-who I am." He said in a strained voice. "You don't want to go down there."

"Alright then." Shepard tried. "What are you doing here?"

"Nothing I should…" The man supplied. "And everything I shouldn't. It knows you're here. It-" He broke off and doubled over in pain. Though it seemed to be localized to his head, he acted otherwise. When he finally recovered and straightened up, he breathed in deeply. "Oh, that was a good one… Very intense."

"What just happened?" Tali asked next. "Do you need help?"

"Just invoking the master's whip." The man responded. By this time, Wrex and Liara had rejoined them from the other side. "Reminds me I'm still alive."

"Who did you mean by "them"?" Shepard pressed. "The geth?"

"Yes, the geth."

"What about them?" Wrex urged. "Who else is after the geth?"

Not looking for them. It wants to-" He screamed again and clutched his head only this time. Still, he fought through it. "They tried to-" He cut himself off again with another wave of pain.

"Can we do anything to help you?" Liara ventured. Once the man recovered again, he straightened up and looked right at her.

"Help?" He breathed in deep and ragged breaths. "No… No one can help me now. I'd rather… die… fighting!" The pain seemed to be returning again as Shepard spoke next.

"Fighting what?"

"N-not that kind of fight. It's like running through a thorn bush… The more you endure…" He went deadly calm before speking again in a low and angry tone. "Time's up. They're coming. Ask Fai Dan…" Pain crept into his voice again. "Ask him about the Aaaahhhh!" He fell this time; fell to his knees, and no one had time to help him due to the few geh units coming out from around the corner of he area where the water valve was. Shepard, Wrex, and Liara all renewed their barriers while Tali released a drone to assist in combat. They opened fire and sent troopers flying through the air. Juggernauts emerged next, but Tali was waiting for them with a well placed hack that sabotaged their weapons and caused them to backfire. Only when they had been brought down as well did they hear the man behind them whispering.

"I won't… I won't do it… I can't… My mind is my own…"

"Let's leave him while it's clear." Wrex muttered.

"Perhaps Fai Dan will know who he is and a bit more about his… condition." Liara finished.

They returned to the outpost through the tunnels and reported back to Fai Dan and the others. Wrex and Liara had found the power cells needed to restore power as well as killing the alpha varren. Shepard and Tali had destroyed the transmitter, and they had cleared the geth from the tunnels; restoring the water system while doing so. When joined by Garrus and Ashley, they all confirmed slightly strange behavior. It wasn't just the man from the tunnels, Ian. There were signs of it from most of the colonists within the outpost.

"Something's not right here, Skipper." Ash confirmed. They're all acting odd. I know they've been run ragged, but some of them are talking to themselves. They start to tell us something then they clam up like someone is putting a knife to their neck."

"Hopefully ExoGeni headquarters will have more information." Shepard said as they approached the stairs again. "We managed to restore power, allow for hunting, and the water is flowing again."

"I talked to that salarian, Shepard." Garrus added. "From what I saw, he's the one the volus mentioned back on the Citadel, but he doesn't seem to remember that. He just says he's stranded here and finds it peaceful, so he wants to stay here."

"I don't find this place peaceful at all." Shepard muttered. "IfI'm honest, there's something downright eerie about it." Motioning for the others to follow, she went on. "Come on. I saw a service lift that should take us to the skyway."

"What about the outpost?" Tali looked back. "Should we leave it unguarded?"

"The transmitter is down, and they have no real means to coordinate attacks." Shepard dismissed it. "I think it's safe. Besides," she added. "We might be in for it at that main settlement."

They headed up and found afew men behind barricades when they exited the lift by the skyway. There were dead geth and a vehicle that looked pretty shaken up. Moving past the two watchmen, Shepard and squad boarded the vehicle and headed out along the skyway. Skyscrapers as far as the eye could see met them, and they were all connected by bridges like this one. Some of the skyways were worse for wear, but they could be repaired with time and effort. Shepard and the others marveled at it, but at the same time, they were constantly defending the vehicle; sometimes using the cannon, other times, using their own firearms to shoot when the cannon was recharging. Half way along the skyway, they picked up communications from someone; a woman.

"That last batch went south… What are they looking for?"

"That sounded rough, like comms are jamming." Ash commented. "Hard to pinpoint." They went a short piece down the skyway, and they heard it again.

"What are they doing…" It was the same woman. "Lizbeth could still be in there… It's only been a few days." There was a break, in which they heard patches of static, then: "She's my daughter… I'll wait as long as it takes." Finally, they entered what looked like a garage, and the woman's voice came back a little clearer. "We've got movement; some kind of vehicle. It can't be the geth-" It cut out then.

"They have us on visual." Liara said as they pulled over and exited the rover. "We must be close."

"There, that alleyway." Garrus pointed to one that had a string of lamps leading down it; lighting the way to a larger room.

Heading down the pathway, Shepard kept her gun at her hip, but others had theirs drawn. Only when they reached the end, did they see people crouching behind makeshift barricades; ExoGeni staff.

"Hold it!" One in a tan and red uniform called out. "That's close enough! Who are you?"

"Relax, Jeong." It was he same woman from the comm earlier who spoke next. She wore a tan and lavender research uniform. "They're obviously not geth."

"What do you want?" The one called Jeong questioned again.

"Relax, I'm Commander Shepard with the Special Tactics and Recon branch of the Citadel. I'm here investigating the geth attacks."

"Put that down, Jeong." The woman spoke again. "You worry too much."

"And you trust too easily, Juliana." Jeong retorted.

"I'm just thankful to see another friendly face." Juliana waved Jeong off. "We thought we were the only ones left on this planet."

"Fai Dan and a hand full of others are still at the Zhu's Hope outpost." Garrus answered.

"Thought you said they were all dead." Juliana turned to Jeong again. Shepard could see the name on his tag said "E. Jeong. Clearly, there was some hostility. Juliana called him only by his surname. Still, she dismissed her own accusation and went on. "How are they holding up?"

"Not well." Liara answered promptly. "They are fairing, but the geth took a toll on their numbers."

"Figures," Juliana shook her head. "They wrecked the main settlement as well."

"We'll do what we can to eliminate them." Shepard managed while watching Jeong shift uncomfortably. "First, I need some information."

"What kind of information?" Jeong spoke up again. "Those grounds are corporate property. I don't want you all snooping around, Soldier."

"Ignore him." Juliana cut him off. "The building is just a little further ahead along the skyway. It was crawling with geth when we got out."

"Not interested in your company's secrets." Shepard said in regard to Jeong's comment. "We'll do what we can about the geth." Turning back to Juliana, she spoke again. "You mentioned something about your daughter being missing earlier over the comm."

"She was in the research building when we were attacked. We got separated." Juliana nodded as she explained.

"Aah, yes. There are several places she could have hidden… for a short time." Jeong offered. "We can do a proper accounting of our casualties when this is over."

"That's my daughter you're talking about." Juliana snapped. "I know she's still alive, Commander."

"If she's in there, we'll find her." Shepard said in a more reassuring tone. She did notice a man waving Garrus over from where they were standing. After a quick word, the turian nodded and returned.

"You say that the colonists at the outpost are fairing?" Juliana questioned. At Shepard's nod, she continued. Zhu's Hope was really used more as a port. Most of us lived closer to the building. When the geth came, we assumed that they had been eliminated during the first wave. We never heard anything from them."

"It's secure at the moment. I'm not sure for how long, but you could join them."

"Maybe we should."

"No, no, no, no, no." Jeong raised his hands in regard to Shepard's suggestion. I don't think that's such a good idea. The skyway isn't secure, we have no vehicles, and it's just not safe to go walking around. No, we need to just wait for company reinforcements."

"Yes, it's about as safe out there as it is in here." Juliana shot back.

"Besides, those reinforcements aren't coming." Ash finished off the conversation. "We're only here because an ambassador on the Citadel thought a rogue turian spectre was around here. ExoGeni isn't sending anyone for you." After that comment, Jeong walked away to talk to a few others who were further back in the room. Juliana shook her head.

"I apologize for him." She began. "He wasn't always like this, though he was high strung. This colonial work would be fine aside from the lack of resources. There's really nothing here of value, but even still; the colony was starting to feel like home before the geth showed up. The building ahead was repurposed sometime ago to serve as headquarters. There are a few R&D labs, storage, and communications set up in there. Unlike Ethan Jeong, some uf os came out here to make a difference and start over on a new world; as opposed to focusing on the financial side of it. "

"Stay bunkered down here, if you won't join the others back at Fai Dan's outpost." Shepard said so that the rest of the room could hear. "We'll sweep the building and try to eliminate the geth presence."

"We'll keep an eye out for anyone still in there as well." Garrus added.

"Just keep in mind what I said, soldier." Jeong managed as they were leaving the makeshift bunker. Shepard and the others shared a look as they left.

"It's like people don't matter to him." Ash commented. "Whatever happened to no one left behind?"

"That's not applicable to the corporation." Garrus muttered. "I've seen firms like that many times. All they care about is the bottom line."

"Well, at least there are some who care." Tali pointed out. "She seemed concerned for the outpost."

"No way to know if Lizbeth survived." Wrex said honestly. "With a building full of geth, who knows if we'll find her."

They returned to the rover and headed up a set of ramps that led to another skyway. Crossing it was the same as the other. There were walking tanks, primes, juggernauts, and even bomber drones here. Taking them out by hand rather than using the rover's turret and cannon, they eased their way toward the large building. After pulling in, Ash and Garrus took point and scouted ahead while the others made sure their clips, medi gel, and the rover were still in good shape. When the pair returned, they reported.

"There's nothing in the immediate area." Garrus announced. "We found a walking tank in one of the rooms up there, but it looked curled up; like it was repairing itself."

"With luck, it will stay that way." Tali muttered. "That is the best time to attack them. They are most vulnerable during repairs."

"Didn't notice when we came in or when we left." Ashley added. "Should still be repairing itself."

"Anything else?" Shepard asked.

"There's some sort of energy field blocking our way into the main building." Ashley answered. "Not sure if it's geth generated or otherwise. There is a way to drop down and go into the lower level. It's the only way forward."

"Alright then." Shepard switched from the pulse rifle she was carrying to her sidearm. "Move out."

They rounded the broken down wall and headed right. The room where the colossus had been spotted was unlocked and open now. Slowly, Tali led the squad in, and she scanned it with her omni tool before nodding to the others. They aimed their weapons and opened fire. In a quick flourish, the colossus attempted to right itself, but Tali's quickly deployed sabotage tech made its joints jam. Shortly after, it was sparking and finally fell apart. After that, they left and saw the geth barrier and drop down that Ash and Garrus had referred to. Knowing it was fortified, they still approached anyway.

"It isn't like the barrier curtain I encountered on Therum." Liara scanned it carefully. "It wasn't a natural defense left by the protheans. I will assume it is geth technology based on the amount of power it requires."

"There is a definite geth signature here." Tali was looking over it with her omni tool as well. "There's no question. They have to have a power supply set up here somewhere."

"Let's head down and find it." Shepard rounded the oblong obstacle and dropped down from a hole in the side. The rest followed, and they proceeded down into a flooded area. Water was standing in the center of the room, and they could still hear more coming in. There was also the sound of growling. Turning toward the way they had just come, they could see large white varren coming out from a few places in the back of the room. Advancing, their teeth were bared, and there was no choice but to shoot them. Only when they were all dead and the room was clear did Shepard cross to the door on the other side. It led to a stairwell and a Krogan somewhere above. They could hear him shouting from their position at the bottom of the staircase.

"Stupid machine!" He bellowed. "Access encrypted files."

"I am sorry," It sounded like a male VI. "You do not have the proper clearance level to access this information. Please try again later with the appropriate credentials."

"Access the data before I turn your virtual ass into actual dust." The krogan tried again, but it didn't work. Shepard moved slowly up one of the sets of stairs, and she could hear the krogan stomping about. When he spoke again, she motioned for the others to start following up slowly. "You!" There was a gasp and the krogan spoke again. "Get it to access the files!"

"Wait… No!" It was a younger woman. Shepard edged along the stairs further on, and she saw the krogan gripping a woman's arm. She too was in a researcher's uniform; tan and light green.

"Get it to access the files or you're dead!" The krogan snarled. Unfortunately for him, he didn't have long to say anything else. Liara had gotten to the same step as Shepard and had caught the krogan in a stasis field. The researcher was caught as well, but that didn't matter at the moment. Shepard and the others advanced.

"Let it fall on my mark." Shepard directed her words toward Liara who nodded. Wrex stood ready with his shotgun. "I'll get her out of the way and he's yours, Wrex." Shepard got close enough to not get enveloped in the field as well and nodded. "Now."

Liara let the field drop, Shepard took the woman's shoulder, pulled her back, and Wrex fired at point blank range at the back of the krogan's hump. Once the body had hit the ground, Wrex then kicked it down through a large hole in the side rail. The dead krogan hit the water with a large splash; leaving the researcher to look around at her rescuers.

"Whoever you are, thank you." She began. That krogan came in here a short time ago and tried to access the terminal. He's been shouting threats at it for the last ten minutes." Brushing the wet dust off of her uniform, she straightened up again. "I'm Dr. Lizbeth Baynham."

"You must be Juliana's daughter." Ashley offered.

"Yes, Juliana Baynham is my mother." Lizbeth confirmed. "Wait, have you seen her?"

"She's with some of the other researchers that got out." Shepard nodded. She gave the introductions for herself and the rest of the squad before continuing. "What was that krogan trying to learn from the terminal?"

"He was probably wanting to know about what ExoGeni deems so important." Lizbeth shrugged. "Ever since we discovered it, it's brought nothing but trouble."

"What has?" Wrex asked.

"The Thorian." Lizbeth clarified. It's a plant that they discovered under the Zhu's Hope outpost. I'm not sure how far it reaches, but it seems to be centralized under the port."

"The colonists never mentioned it." Ash thought for a moment. "I wonder why."

"It's not like they have a choice…" Lizbeth admitted. "They can't. It won't let them."

"The Thorian, a plant lifeform won't let them?" Liara wondered. "How is that possible?"

"Hang on." Lizbeth approached the VI interface and accessed it. "Access data. Search parameter: Species thirty-seven."

The VI began giving out information about a sentient plant species that ExoGeni named "Species 37". The plant released spores as a defense mechanism or act of survival, and when those spores came into contact with organic life, the thorian was then able to take control of it. The process was subtle: victims would simply feel a slight prickle at the back of the neck at first if they did not do what the thorian intended. If the thrall continued to rebel, pain would increase. This was similar to Sovereign's indoctrination. Shepard, Tali, Liara, and Wrex remembered the man in the tunnels; Ian had been "invoking the master's whip" as he put it.

"Are you saying that the colonists at Zhu's Hope are…" Tali trailed off as Lizbeth nodded grimly.

"Test subjects." She almost spat. "I was against it from the beginning and told the others on the project so. I was put on probation and threatened." At the others' questioning looks, she clarified. "If I said anything about the Thorian or the control group at Zhu's Hope, they were going to make me a test subject as well. That's why I'm here. I stayed behind on purpose to send a message to Colonial Affairs back on Earth, but as I was doing it, the facility lost power."

"Where is this Thorian?" Wrex questioned. "Can it be killed?"

"From the data they managed to gather, it exists under the Zhu's Hope outpost. The colonists there covered the access stairs with the freighter after they were infected. The readings we got suggest that it exists as a weave of tendrils, but there are sensory nodes that gather data and release spores."

"I am no expert," Liara started. "But for something to exert control of that magnitude, there must be a central node somewhere. How else could it coordinate and maintain such an effort?"

"That's what I thought." Lizbeth nodded. "I think that the way to it is that same access stairway that the freighter is sitting on." She let the VI go to standby mode before speaking again. "Why else would they move it if not to protect the Thorian? To me, that says it can be killed."

"We'll have to get back to Zhu's Hope and destroy it, then." Shepard muttered. "That definitely explains the strange behavior."

"I'll go with you." Lizbeth decided. "I've been working on a means to counteract the thorian's spores, but I'm not sure if it will work. Still, I need to try and stop this. Those people didn't deserve that."

"They're lucky to have someone who cares." Ash commented. "Doesn't seem like most of the other researchers do. Come to think of it, they didn't mention the Thorian."

"They wouldn't have." Shepard had led them down a hallway away from the VI in an attempt to find another way out while Lizbeth continued. "Some of them didn't know. My own mother didn't know." She added as an afterthought. "Only a handful of us knew."

"Hold it." Shepard held up a hand to stop them all. Just below, she could see the glint of a geth trooper. Taking aim, she fired and destroyed it with a high explosive round. "We're good, but there's no way back up once we get down there."

"No other way, Skipper." Ash quipped as she dropped down to the floor. "Holy shit, look at that thing."

"It's a claw that anchors the geth ship to the building." Lizbeth explained. "We saw them attaching when we were running. I think that's what is powering the obstruction."

"It makes sense." Tali commented. "We will need to find something to either dislodge this one or find one with a weaker grip."

Following a corridor around a corner, they came to an open room. Ash, who was ahead, motioned for the others to stop for the moment, and Shepard saw why. There were at least two wall-crawlers and a juggernaut-class unit. Those were the ones they culd see from around the wall. Liara eased forward and charged her biotics for a singularity. Once deployed, that drew the two remaining troopers out to join the juggernaut while the crawlers jumped to opposite walls. Shepard, Wrex, and Ashley focused on the ground units while Tali, Garrus, and Liara went for the crawlers. Once they were down, everyone came out of cover and met in the center of the room. This was the other side of the barrier that the geth ship was powering. From here, there were three ways to go: back where they came, a stairway to the right, and a corridor to the left.

"Wrex, Garrus, Tali," Shepard indicated the stairway. Head that way and see what you can find. The rest of us will go this way."

"Gavin Hossle's terminal is that way, but there could be more geth up there." Lizbeth called as Garrus began to head up the stairs.

"Hossle, that was the one that asked me to look for his data." Garrus nodded quickly. "Good, hopefully It'll still be here."

"What was he working on that was so important?" Shepard asked. They were heading down the corridor now, and from the look and smell, they were getting close to a small fire.

"He is a freelancer who was working on some weapon modifications, I think." Lizbeth pondered it for a moment. "Really, we didn't talk much. He kept mostly to himself."

They headed up the stairs, seeing as the lower flight was blocked by flaming debris. The area ahead was a large room where the center beam had collapsed. The only way across was the stairs and catwalk nearby. Hanging back, Shepard motioned toward the two geth in the room. She and Ash took them out with two quick shots to the head, and they examined the consoles. Some of them were freshly placed by the geth, while oters were there from ExoGeni's usage of the building. They found a confidential report that suggested samples of something had been sent to a colony on the planet Nodacrux. The colony and vessel had gone silent, and there was the hope that it wouldn't be linked to ExoGeni if either were discovered. Crossing the catwalk, Ashley and Liara took out the geth forces and Shepard examined another console. This one was a private log of a Dr. Gamorle. He or she noted that Cerberus was not to be trusted and that ExoGeni had worked with them on a project that required sending more samples to the Matano system.

"What is this…" Ash had already replaced her rifle into her weapons pack and was looking around the rest of the room. "A containment lab?"

"It looks that way now." Liara mused as she too looked around. "It could have been a shuttlebay at one point due to the size of it and…" She trailed off for a moment before pointing to a console. "Shepard, perhaps that could dislodge this claw." It was a console that controlled what looked to be shuttlebay doors.

"Only one way to find out." Shepard crossed to said console and found a note from maintenance on the display. It detailed that the door was having issues, but it would work fine if the PSI was at 30 and the safety kicked in with the PSI at 34 or higher. The note did specify that if the PSI was between 31-34 and the safety didn't kick in, it would slam enough to sheer a metal I-beam in half. "Looks like this is going to be tempermental." The spectre looked at the different switches and tested them all individually to see where the pressure was when flipped. Finally, she set the PSI to the point where it would come down hard if triggered and told the others to get clear of the claw. Hitting the activation, she watched as the shuttlebay door slammed shut; tearing the thick metal claw's brace in half. A groan of metal creaking was heard, and they could feel the vibration of the ship that was now not securely attached breaking away. The severed claw fell forward, and the shuttlebay doors sprang back open to reveal the side of the colossal geth ship as it was dislodged. The entire building shook, and it brought them all to their knees on the dusty floor. Finally however, the ship descended so that it cleared the bay's view, and hit the ground far below with a loud seismic thud.

"That's it." Ash managed as she stood again. "Power should definitely be down, and we should be able to get back to the others."

"I repeat: Normandy to shore party. Is anyone hearing me out there? Come on, Commander…"

"Joker?" Shepard asked over the comm. "That you?"

"Yeah… Finally." Joker sounded exasperated. "Look, something just happened, and these people are going ape shit over here. They're banging on the hull and trying to pry the hatch open."

"Looks like we got something's attention." Liara muttered.

"What just happened?" Joker asked.

"We just dislodged a geth ship from one of the buildings. We're on our way back to the outpost now, Joker. They can't do any real damage." Shepard said; not so much as an assurance. "Just sit tight. They'll focus on something else soon."

"Okay, we'll just sit here… You know, being pounded on."

"Shepard, what was that?" It was Garrus coming in over the comm now. "Just got back to the barrier and noticed it was down. What made the entire complex shake?"

"The geth ship we saw anchored to the building," Shepard started as she motioned for the others to follow back across the catwalk. "It's gone."

"Keelah…" Tali piped in. "We'll wait for you in the rover, Shepard."

"Copy that."

Shepard and the others went back through the other half of the shuttlebay, down the stairs, back through the corridor, and went back down to where the land rover was parked. Wrex had the wheel, and the others were inside as well. When Shepard, Ash, Liara, and Dr. Baynham boarded. Wrex turned and headed back across the skyway toward the bunker where Juliana and the other researchers were still located. As they headed down the ramps again to reach the lower skyway, they heard her voice over the comm again.

"Is anyone receiving this…" Preparing to respond, Garrus noted that it was a delayed transmission. It continued. "If that's you Commander, hurry. He's becoming irrational-"

"Get away from that radio!" The other voice was that of Ethan Jeong.

"That…" Lizbeth had heard. "That was my mother."

"Let's go, people." Shepard leapt off of the rover and headed for the room where the researchers had been when it stopped. Ash and Garrus flanked her on either side. Lizbeth stayed close with Tali, Liara, and Wrex bringing up the rear. When they got about half way down the pathway, they could hear arguing ahead. The barricades were still up, and it seemed there were pistols pointing from riot holes crudely cut into them. Motioning for the others to wait, Shepard stepped drew down and approached.

"You can't do this, Jeong!" It was Juliana's voice they heard first.

"E-everybody shut up!" Jeong could be seen in a right state. He raised his hands to his head as if to concentrate. "Just shut up! I need to think…"

"You won't get away with it-"

"Get her out of here!" Jeong shouted. Another man put Juliana into a vice grip, but she wasn't having it; neither was her daughter.

"Get your hands off of her, you son of a bitch!" The younger Baynham moved down the corridor and was prepared to challenge Jeong.

"Lizbeth!" Juliana elbowed the man restraining her sharply and broke away from him to reach her daughter while Jeong pulled his pistol and looked toward the walkway.

"D-Damnit! Come out here where I can see you… All of you!"

Shepard and the others did as prompted, but she was the only one that lowered her gun. Jeong, through wild eyes, snarled in frustration. "Shepard… Should have known it was too much to hope the geth would kill you…" He kept his gun trained on her. "I found out some interesting things about you from the ExoGeni database: I know what you did during the Blitz and Eden Prime. One spectre had to die before you got your title-"

"We can talk this out, Ethan." Shepard didn't take the bait. Though she appeared relaxed, Shepard's muscles were tense beneath her armor. "No one has to get hurt. Lower your weapon."

"Not that simple!" Jeong looked from them to the researchers. "Communications are back up; ExoGeni wants this place purged-"

"This is a human colony, Jeong!" Lizbeth shouted. "You can't just repurpose us or them!"

"It's not just you!" Jeong laughed nervously. "There's something far more valuable than a few miserable colonists-"

"Are you going to tell them about the Thorian, or should I, Jeong?" Lizbeth cut him off.

"Wait, what?" Juliana looked from her daughter to the analyst. "What are you talking about?"

"It's a sentient plant-based lifeform that's taken control of the colonists of Zhu's Hope." Lizbeth clarified. "It has telepathic properties. ExoGeni knew all along and let it happen."

"How could you…" Juliana shot a death glare Ethan's way. "There are good people that live and have died there, Jeong!"

"Like I said, no one will miss a few colonists-"

"There have already been problems with the samples you sent offworld." Shepard said while containing her anger. "A colony has already gone dark and so has a courier vessel and research base. You have no idea what you're dealing with here."

"How do you know that-" Jeong cut himself off. "You went looking around, didn't you?" He turned to Lizbeth. "And you… You led them around!" He threw his hands up again. "I knew we should have sent you to the outpost when we had the chance-"

"The hell." Juliana snapped.

"It doesn't have to be this way." Liara venturd forward. Jeong turned and looked at her with an almost maniacal expression while she spoke again. "Consider the publicity you could gain from this."

"What the hell are you on?" Jeong shot back. "We'll be ruined-"

"Consider: A colony on the verge of destruction managing to rebuild and show its strong will in the Traverse." Liara reasoned. Even Shepard had to admit it would bring headlines. "Such a turn-around would earn a good pres release."

"Unfortunately, she's right." Juliana agreed. "ExoGeni would make a killing from the positive feedback. If it lets us all get back to our lives, I'm al for it." Others around her nodded in their agreement.

"Well…" Jeong took a moment to consider. "It could work… No one's ever gone broke playing the Champion of Humanity card before." He lowered his weapon and prepared to nod, but he changed his mind. "Wait, the infected colonists; they'll throw a wrench in that plan. No, they need to disappear-"

"If the Thorian is killed, the effects may wear off," Lizbeth spoke quickly. "Or we can work on a way to try and create an antigen. There has to be a way. We can't just let them die."

"She's right." Juliana agreed. "It's not their fault they're like this. I may have a way to at least work around harming them if they defend it. Coe and see me before you leave, Commander."

And so she did. Shepard spoke with Juliana and Lizbeth at length about using an engineered gas grenade to at least neutralize the colonists until the Thorian was destroyed. They also spoke with Hossle and returned his data to him before they all left. The idea was that the researchers wait until the all clear was given at the outpost before they try and return. This left Shepard and her team to return to the rover and cross the skyway back to the port to confront the Thorian. They ran into no opposition as they neared the garage that housed the lift that would take them back down. Unfortunately, when the door didn't open, they realized the colonists had gone into a defensive state. Tali hacked the door, and when it finally opened, they were greeted by not only the two colonists; there were skeletal beings crouched on the ground. Their skin was replaced by what looked to be a nasty green moss. Brown muddy eyes looked blankly at them, and the things bared sharp yellowed teeth. They were not armed, but as they slowly rose, they staggered toward Shepard and squad with long talon-like fingers reaching out; a slurred sound coming from them.

"What do you want to do, Skipper?" Ash asked uncertainly as the mossy husk-like things drew closer.

"These things are beyond our help."


A/N: So I'm on a roll, lads. I've not had such inspiration for this story in quite some time. Anyway, starting work on chapter 13: Defeat. :) Thanks for reading!

Cheers!