Chapter 16

Tuchanka. The Trial.

Normandy Sr 2. 9 41 ship hour. Training room

The sound of fighting reverberated inside the Normandy's training room. Loud, banging noises followed by short grunts of pain and heavy breaths. Nothing uncommon, considering the place.

Here, in this small, retrofitted room placed in the lower decks, Shepard and his crew regularly trained and fought together or against each other in mock combats to improve their already amazing combat capabilities. Holographic dummies, shooting grounds, arenas, punching bags, the room may be considered little compared to other training facilities in the galaxy (barely thirty square meters large) but no one ever felt constricted by this, apart from Grunt from time to time. Shepard had devised a cyclical regime where every single agent of the Normandy could train for three hours a day if he wanted and still allowing everyone to participate. By pairing his agents in groups of three, everyone managed to have a go inside the training facility without sacrificing an hour of sleep or work, mostly thanks to EDI that supervised the cycles and always managed to merge the small groups without ever creating confusion or dissension among the agents. Always managing to avoid clashes between training and their routines.

One of many assets of being an AI.

Today the first group was a new one among the Normandy's routine, an experiment of sort decided by EDI after some minutes of rapid calculation.

The first one of the group was Kasumi; the second one Lena and the third one…

Lena flew across the air like a piece of paper, the strength behind the attack powerful enough to make even someone like her lose her footing. The Claymore hit the metal floor with a dry sound and Lena felt all her breath escaping from her lungs. Years of battle immediately kicked in and Lena drove the pain away from her brain, her body rilling away from her place, just before a gloved fist hit the floor with a thunderous sound, exactly where Lena was standing a second ago. Snarling in pain, Lena attacked his enemy once again, using every trick in her book at her disposal: quick kicks followed by sharp jabs, elbow strikes, head butts, all tried in an apparent disorder to surprise her attacker.

She failed. Any attack, any strike, any move, her enemy saw it thought them and parried the blows effortlessly, bypassing her attempts with consummate expertise like a warrior humouring a toddler.

"You have been slacking," said the enemy in front of her, still so insufferably untouchable. Even her abnormal strength was useless against him, diverted and moved away with quick, practised movements.

"This is unacceptable. You need to practice even more."

Then, he moved for the kill.

Lena never saw the hand that broke her jaw. Nor the punch that hit her stomach. She only felt them when it was too late, her body wheezing in pain. Wobbly, her breath escaped from her panicked lungs, the Claymore tried one last, desperate attempt at fending off her attacker. It was another failure: the Claymore felt a strong hand grabbing her weakened fist in mid-air, twisting it with practised ease while another fist grabbed her right shoulder joint and locked it in an inescapable stranglehold.

"Aargh!" cried weakly Lena when she felt her wrist breaking under the pressure. Her focus was lost under the pain now emanated from her broken bones, and the enemy quickly capitalized on this.

One quick hit on her legs and she was once again on the floor, her footing lost but this time a rough hand gripped her neck and hairs.

"And now I break your neck. I won." stated calmly the person in front of her. Lena snarled weakly toward him but did nothing more. Instead, her mind raced back in time, adding this defeat to the dozens already suffered under his damnable, slimy hands. Too many defeats.

Oh! How Lena hated all of this: being weak, helpless, nothing more than a mewling child under his prowess and ability, but what could she do?! She was a Claymore, goddesses' sake! She was supposed to be far beyond normal humans, or aliens for that matter. To be an unstoppable juggernaut of strength and power, capable of swatting people away like leaves on the wind. And yet that insufferable, stone-faced bastard always managed to defeat her in a hand to hand contest despite all of her training and exercising, as if she was a helpless trainee on her first battle and not a veteran warrior!

The fact that she now knew about his disease, disease that was supposed to weaken him in battle, only added salt to the wound.

"That you did Thane," grumbled Lena back to her adversary. "Sometimes I wish you could give this kind of walloping to Galatea, or Audrey. Maybe this would tear their smug smiles away from their faces."

Thane smiled softly back to Lena, already helping her rising back from the floor, mindful of her now broken bones. If he was proud of his abilities, or the capability of defeating Lena even when she used her yoki, he never showed in the face.

Like any great teacher, he simply pointed at the flaws while encouraging his pupil to do better.

"Keep training with me, and you will teach them yourself, siha."

Lena grunted at this and thought about an answer, but someone else beat her on time while breaking the moment with him. Kasumi of course. Sitting on a bench close to the fighting ring, clapped vigorously her hands in excitement instead of training as she was supposed to be, her grinning face well visible despite the omnipresent cowl.

"That was so cool guys. You were both moving like some actors from a film. All dropkicks, punches and flashy moves! I wish I had a camera to record this. Oh, wait a moment! I had it!"

smiled Kasumi while proudly showing to them her Omni-tool

"I wish you would stop doing that Kasumi" growled Lena back to the girl "We are here to train, not to entertain you." The Claymore nimbly grabbed her broken wrist and, with a swift movement coupled with a bit of yoki, she snapped it back into the right position. Both Kasumi and Thane were so used by such things, they simply shrugged at this.

"Don't you have something better to do?"

A Cheshire smile appeared on Kasumi after hearing these words. How much the thief loved to prod Lena, the Claymore had no idea.

"But it was soo cool! And hot! Seeing you squirm under Thane's hands. These strong, muscular and leather-bound hand." Kasumi changed her tone is one of false excitement, knowing full well just how much Lena hated that part of her.

"Would you shut up already? It was nothing like that!" Lena took the bait, of course, the redness of her cheek now fully visible. Although she tried to hide it by looking at a set of new weights.

Kasumi laughed heartily at this, all while Thane simply smiled. Lena was simply too easy to tease sometimes.

"Come on Lena." replied Kasumi cheerfully "I know that you have the hots only for Kelly, but you cannot deny that"

A steel dumbbell flew the second Kasumi mentioned that name in Lena's presence, missing the young thief by mere centimetres, the sound of metal against metal loud enough to be heard even outside. Startled, Kasumi barely avoided the heavy object and so failed to notice Lena charging at her a second later, tackling the young thief to the ground while moving so quickly thanks to her yoki that not even Kasumi could avoid her. They ended up on the metal floor with an audible thud, the Claymore stopping her from finishing her sentence with one hand while the other kept the girl into place.

"I said shut up!" cried Lena a hairbreadth to Kasumi's face, all flustered and angry. Just to hammer the point, she kept her yellow eyes pointed at Kasumi like spears to scare her into submission "This is none of your business!"

"Wow! That feisty?! It must be true love then!" snickered Kasumi back to Lena despite her current predicament.

Any other person would have freaked out at the idea of being grappled by a very angry, and flustered Claymore, but Kasumi was not anyone. The thief simply smiled back at the flustered Claymore and her eyes became ever more mischievous. A simple gesture from her free hands and Lena quickly left Kasumi, her body jolting under some kind of low electrical discharge. Of course, a second later the smirking thief disappeared from Lena's hands' thanks to her cloaking, only to appear next to her.

"But you are soo cute when you look at her with such a longingly gaze Lena. And the way you brought her back on the ship two days ago, carrying her like a bride. A prince saving the princess!" she continued next to her once again. Lena grumbled in frustration and tried once again to tackle the annoying thief, only to see her lithe body disappear in a flash of light a second before contact. Only air remained on her hands.

Goddesses she was so insufferable some times.

"And Kelly fancy you, Lena! She can spout all of that nonsense about professional conduct and such, but her cheeks go on fire every time someone talks about you. And no one is allowed to speak badly about her favourite girl when she is present, unless you want to see an enraged kitten hissing with all her might."

"So you have found your second half, siha?" asked Thane back to her, just to worsen the situation "I am happy for you. Finding your mate is the most important moment in a person's life. You should cherish these moments as much as you can." there was a pang of sadness nestled inside Thane's words, a tone that Lena noticed but failed to understand.

"For the last time!" grunted Lena while trying once again to grab Kasumi, and failing. "We are NOT engaged! I and Kelly are just friends, nothing more!"

"Friends. Sure!" snickered Kasumi back to her. This time she appeared behind Thane as if asking for cover. "Friends that go on a date together and gift to each other such interesting trinkets. By the way, good thinking about the earrings! We girls love our shinies and I couldn't have stolen a better pair."

Lena groaned and prepared herself for another strike when EDI's voice boomed inside the training room

"Attention to all agents. We have reached the planet Tuchanka. All gold level personnel must immediately interrupt their activities and report on their assigned posts!" in their case the briefing room

"Saved by the bell" smiled Kasumi to the Claymore. She immediately stopped her annoying antics and moved toward the exit. "But this is not over Lena!"

Lena groaned soundly, again. Why Kasumi loved to torture her so much?


Briefing room. Five minutes later.

The hololitic image of a large, mostly deserted planet greeted all the people's eyes the moment Shepard started talking about the mission. It was, in all due honesty, a rather unappealing sight: Tuchanka was a planet with almost no water, constantly hit by scorching sandstorms and almost devoid of natural resources. Meteorologic scans also showed powerful nuclear radiation and yet, according to EDI's sensors, more than 2 billion Krogans lived on his surface. Nothing compared to the populations of any other planet in the galaxy, but still.

It was the epitome of a dustball. Packed to the brim with the most dangerous creatures of the galaxy barring the Rachni, but still a dustball.

Still, now it was not the time to be lost in wishful thinking, a problem that for once involved not only her.

Many people inside the briefing room were keeping close attention toward the hololitic coverage and Shepard's words, rightly wishing to know just in what kind of hellhole their commander was about to throw them this time, but Lena noticed that many more were staring at the still folded tile left two days ago by Lena, wondering just what had managed to fold one square meter of pure steel. Bets on the ships were already going about the possible perpetrator. Grunt was on top, but Lena remembered when yesterday Jack launched strange glances at her while eating in the mess hall, followed by her insufferable cocky smirk when Lena refused to react on her provocation.

"As you already know" continued Shepard's voice all while pointing at a specific place of the planet showed by the hololitic map. A small settlement in the northern hemisphere marked in red as -Clan Urdnot's main camp- "We are here for two reasons: the first is discovering just what the hell is wrong with Grunt, and the second is looking for Mordin's assistant. For this, we are gonna need some help from the local populace and, according to Cerberus, Wrex is the current leader of the Urdnot Clan."

"Wait?" asked Garrus to Shepard, a hint of a smirk twitching from his mandibles "Wrex is now a leader? Our grumpy bounty-hunter? Our Wrex?"

"So it seems Garrus" smiled Shepard "From bounty hunter to clan leader, one hell of a career jump! Let's hope he still has a place for dear old us inside his twin hearts. Jokes asides, we will need his help if we wish to simply set foot on the planet, let alone investigate. We shall move in two squads; I will command the first one and deal with Grunt's problem. Miranda, you are in command of the second squad. Your duty will be investigating Maelon's disappearance, but only after I am done speaking with Wrex and received the green light from him. Lena, Garrus, Tali, Grunt, you are with me. Mordin, Samara, Thane, you are with Miranda. Any questions?"

"In case of hostilities with Urdnot clan, how should we proceed?" asked Miranda

"Try to defuse the situation without using weapons. If it is impossible, deal with the enemy and then immediately call for a shuttle and run like hell. I want every single person linked with EDI's mainframe at all time."

"And what if Wrex refuses to help us and denies access?" asked Tali this time

"Let's cross that bridge when and if we reach it Tali. Any more questions?"

A silence greeted Shepard's words this time

"Good. Go to the armoury and prepare yourselves. I want all of you ready in less than five. Dismissed.


Planet Tuchanka. 12 49 local hours. Urdnot's main camp

It was official. EDI's scans told them that the planet was a dustball. The various testimonies coming from extranet told her that it was a dustball, and now that Lena had set foot on this insufferable place she could easily say that it was far worse than a dustball!

Growling and sputtering, the Claymore spat another mouthful of saliva mixed with goddesses knew how much sand all while she tried to not sink in the unstable ground.

-Fuck this sand, fuck these ruins, fuck the Krogans, fuck this planet!- she cursed again and again while drudging through both sand and wind, trying together with the rest of her squad to reach the door leading to what the Krogan considered a residential complex, nothing more than a pile of rubble still miraculously standing despite the wind and the wars.

Reaching the planet had been easy. No one shot the shuttle or tried to stop them once reaching the space-port, although calling that rough, one-kilometre square plaza of cleared rubble spaceport was a horrible disservice for the category.

The guards also left them alone: more than ten Krogan warriors covered in silver armour and armed with massive shotguns greeted them once they moved away from the shuttle and yet, except giving them a wide berth, no one attacked them. They simply told them to meet the chieftain all while grumbling something about Grunt being a runt. Nothing more.

No fighting, no insults, no blockades. Definitively easy to reach. Too easy to reach.

But moving across its ash covered plains?! Now that was a challenge!

The moment they made planetfall, a veritable storm of ash and smoke hit the squad with the power of a cannonball. Smoke and dirt hit their armour with enough strength to ruin the paint job, and thanks to the Goddesses they had already inserted their helmets, otherwise who knew what would have happened to their faces!

They all moved slowly, their scanners devastated by the storm and their feet barely managing to move, all while small particles of sand somehow managed to enter inside their fully sealed armours, making every movement itchy in the extreme. Only one minute of walking and Lena felt the almost irresistible urge to tear her armour apart and scratch as hard as she could her limbs, and she could only imagine what Garrus was feeling with all his fringes and scales.

It took almost ten minutes to reach the main entrance of the residential complex, a long, rust-covered door almost two-meter tall that looked more like a blast door than anything else. Ten minutes for a ten meters ride because the wind was that powerful.

And when they finally reached it, and the entrance door slowly, slowly cracked back to life allowing them to get inside, they didn't find that much of an improvement. The wind was mostly gone thanks to old, stone walls and roof that croaked and shuddered under the elements, but the rest was an utter mess. Piles of rubble, ruined walls, lines of tents, small dumpster fires, this was the sight that greeted the tired and thoroughly dust-covered group the moment they reached the relative safety of the indoor spaces, a pathetic pile of filth and rubble that only a mouse would dare to call home. There was almost no sign of technology, save for some barely powered screens kept running by rotten cables that showed the image of a wizened Krogan half mumbling today's news on the galaxy, followed by some strange words in Krogans dialect, some decayed lamps hanging from the roof and one of two archaic terminals strapped on the angles of the building. And weapons. The only things both clean and cutting edge inside this pile of junk were the massive stores of weapons placed everywhere in the camp, even next to what looked the infirmary.

All around this mess, Krogans of various age and power milled their way, giving only glancing blows to Grunt and the strange posse that had just entered their home, too busy doing whatever Krogans do on their free time.

All in all, a desolate spectacle, and Lena was no the only one thinking about this

"So this is the home-world of Kroll? The resting place of the destroyers of worlds? It is a two-credits dumpster fire where I would not even keep a pet Pyjack! Okeer's version is much, much better." mumbled Grunt to everyone and no-one, but loud enough for anyone to hear.

The memories inside his head must have granted him another type of spectacle and is always hard when an illusion is destroyed by reality.

"Come on, here is the throne room," said Shepard to his squad, urging them to follow him toward a small room placed in the centre of this junk-pile, roughly two square meters wide and surrounded by snarling guards in silver armour. It was mostly covered by walls and dust, but Lena's trained eyes could see a ruined throne with a massive Krogan sitting on it. She could also hear harsh words booming and bouncing across the dusty walls.

Shepard quickly covered the room, but many guards immediately snarled at him when he tried to enter and barred their pass.

"The chieftain is busy, pink skin. Come back later!" said a Krogan while blocking their path. A massive brute covered head to toe in a battered, red-painted armour and wielding a massive shotgun. Many scars marred its fringes and its eyes promised death to anyone that tried to piss him off. The chief of the guards, probably.

Still, despite his bulk, he could not hide the annoyed warlord's frame inside the room, currently listening to another Krogan quite busy screaming and babbling something in harsh tones. Tradition, continuing, forbidden, these were the snippets of conversation that Lena managed to grab.

The warlord was big, bigger than Lena had expected, and quite intimidating: more than two meters tall and covered in a scarlet armour that shoved dents and burns marks all over the metal, he showed blood-red eyes capable of piercing any soul. The paper yellow scaly skin was scarred everywhere, granting him an aura of power and danger that managed to worry even a seasoned warrior like Lena. There was also intelligence, a spark of knowledge seldom found inside brutish people like the Krogans that made him even more dangerous in her eyes and was now thoroughly annoyed by the current problem. She could see it from the look he gave to the other Krogan, an unassuming warrior with silver and violet armour and average build for one of its race, still too busy braying to him to even notice the newcomers.

But when the chieftain noticed the new arrivals the same, tired red eyes, awoken like newborn stars.

Lena saw the chieftain slowly rise from his ruined throne, the other Krogan already forgot, and ordering with a clipped move to let Shepard's team pass. He didn't utter a word toward the newcomers, content to simply staring at Shepard with his bloodshot eyes, his mind refusing to believe in what he was seeing. Then, all of a sudden, Lena witnessed the warlord tackling Shepard in one bear crushing hug that almost broke the commander's spine, all while booming the loudest laugher ever heard by the Claymore. It was so strong that Lena swore she saw the walls cracking under the sound.

"Shepard. My old friend!" He roared with full force, drowning in joy. "I knew it! I knew it that not even the void could kill a tough son of a Pijack like you!"

Yep, they were old friends just as he had told them, it was clear to see for Lena now. She only hoped that this Wrex would not crush Shepard's spine by mistake because she swore she could hear it groaning under the pressure, alongside the armour.

"I am glad to see you too, you old pissy bastard," replied Shepard to Wrex while he tried to not choke and die. It took some seconds for Wrex to disentangle Shepard, so happy he was to see him, no matter how many time the other Krogan brayed and shouted about some kind of breach of etiquette and position. And when he did, he still refused to acknowledge anyone else while offering as much space as possible to the newcomers. Everyone simply ignored the old guest, something that pissed the Krogan off even more.

"So Shepard" began Wrex while sitting once again back on the throne, finally calm "I am so happy to see you here, but I am ready to bet that this is not a simple courtesy visit. How you survived by the way?! Knowing you, it must have involved lots of carnage, and guns."

"Remember the attack on the old Normandy? I was still inside when the Collector ship inflicted the killing blow. Their last shot threw me into the void like a bullet." replied Shepard, remembering that particular day

"Spaced eh? Aah, the privilege of a redundant nervous system." said Wrex to everyone and no one in particular."

"Yes, we humans do not have it." deadpanned Shepard

"Oh," Wrex sighted, actually surprised "In that case, it must have hurt like hell. Still, it does not matter now. How you managed to escape from suffocating to death? You swam toward a planet with those spindly arms of yours?"

"Actually..." began Shepard "I died Wrex. Seriously. I floated like a piece of rock for who knows how much time. Until Cerberus found my corpse and resurrected me somehow. Now I am on a mission funded by them: saving colonies from the Collectors while those stuck up idiots of the council leave them to die while accusing me of treason. Still, I am the one calling the shot. Cerberus merely granted me some freedom and the funds for the mission"

"Freedom that you use to see new planets, find new, big enemies and kill them with even bigger guns. Just like old times!" concluded Wrex for him, not even perturbed by Shepard's admission about Cerberus "Gods Shepard. They fire at you with orbital grade weapons and they only manage to piss you off. You must have Krogan's blood in the veins, it is the only explanation. And I see that you brought some old friend. Like you Garrus! You did some work on your face."

"Wrex, old bastard. You know me!" replied Garrus with mock modesty "My dashing looks kept stealing all the girls away from Shepard. I decided to give him a fighting chance."

Wrex's laugh boomed across the entire campus this time. Not just the room.

"Garrus, you are the only Turian in the galaxy that I do not want to kill. And you Tali: do you still remember the trick I taught you with the shotgun?"

"Yes Wrex, and I have even improved it!" answered Tali as if she was talking to a kind, old uncle and not a two-meter tall killing machine

"My brave, little Quarian. Two years ago you were too scared to even utter a word in front of me, and now you move with the grace of a veteran. I am so proud of you." Lena swore to have seen an actual tear escaping from Wrex's massive eyelids, but it quickly disappeared once his snake-like eyes ended up on her. For interminable seconds these old, dangerous eyes looked at every inch of her body, judging her prowess, smelling her like a predator. There was so much aggression behind them, so much power, that Lena almost ended up unsheathing her sword for a second.

"You." whispered Wrex finally "Bone-white skin. Silver eyes, and a sword bigger than your body. You can be only one person: the Ripper."

The mentioning of her nickname stopped every single Krogan on its track. Many, both inside the throne room and outside, started whispering and pointing at Lena with their massive hands. Many more eyes lit in rage and desire, while some Krogans even quietly charged their weapons, but still refused to use them. For now.

"Yes. I am the Ripper. Is this a problem?" asked Lena with caution. She was not liking how the situation was turning. Half of the camp, now that they knew about her identity, were looking at her with a mixture of lust, hate and desire. Many guns were already out their holsters and the Claymore noticed that a maniple of Krogans were already locking all the possible exitis.

"Many Krogans died inside the arenas of Omega, under your blade, and their souls call for vengeance. Besides, the glory of defeating a great warrior like you, of claiming your still-beating heart from your shattered body is something that many Krogans wish to do. Even among my clan."

No. Lena was definitively not liking the way things were going. And not even Shepard, judging by his face. On the back on her skull Lena could feel the weapons aimed at her shoulders, and the gaggle of excited Krogans ready to fire.

This was not good at all.

"They can try." replied Lena and this time she did not stop her arm from grabbing the hilt of her sword "And die."

The tension was now so heavy, you could cut it with a knife. Everything pointed at a gunfight ready to explode just inside the throne room, and Shepard quietly unholstered his heavy machine gun, followed by Garrus, Tali and Grunt all while Wrex's guards come ever closer to her, grinning savagely to her.

Then, Wrex laughed at all of this. A loud, sharp sound that broken the tension and eased everyone's souls.

"I believe you, warrior. You smell like a berserker. But you do not have to worry: you are with Shepard, and this is enough for me and my clan. Right?" Wrex sent a look full of authority toward his tribesmen behind Lena, and it somehow worked. The Claymore witnessed the massed Krogans them backing off from their places and returning to their mansions. Even the ones with the weapons already primed scampered away like scolded children.

"Good. Now Shepard. What brings you here? There are no Collectors here to kill, unfortunately."

"Many reasons, but let's start with the more pressing one. I have a Krogan in my squad, but he has some kind of problem." he began Shepard while pointing at Grunt "I was hoping to find a cure for him here."

Wrex's eyes moved toward Grunt after hearing these words. Red eyes met the white of Grunt, and the old bounty-hunter looked at Grunt with an expression never seen by Shepard in all his life. Not even during his permanence on the Normandy.

"Where do you come from, whelp?" asked Wrex with a mixture of authority and confusion, breaking the staring "Has your clan died before they could teach you what it truly means to be a true Krogan?"

"I..." answered Grunt back, hesitant and unsure for the first time in his brief life "I do not belong to a clan. Okeer created me artificially using the blood of Kredak, Mooro, Shazir."

"A tank-bred!" shouted the Krogan guest next to them "You spout the name of great warlords, but you are only the product of a syringe," he added with venom.

"Shut up Uvenk!" quickly snapped Wrex, silencing the Krogan "And you Grunt, mind your tongue. Okeer is a very old name among my people. A very hated one."

"he is dead." deadpanned Grunt in response. If he was angry about his father's reputation, he hid it well.

"Of course he is, you are with Shepard." scoffed Wrex back, just before turning toward his friends "There is nothing wrong with Grunt, Shepard. He is just becoming an adult."

It took some seconds for Wrex's words to sink inside Shepard's mind. And even more, seconds to truly understand the meaning of them. When it finally happened, the expression his face showed was beyond surprised.

"He is...becoming an adult? That is the problem? Teenager issues?" he asked toward his friend, that simply nodded back at him

"In that case" intervened Garrus all of a sudden "The solution is clear: we go back to Omega, pay a couple of strippers and be done with him."

Few appreciated his idea: Wrex laughed heartily at this brief outburst, all while both Tali and Lena glared at him with looks of pure outrage. Shepard simply remained silent

"It does not work that way with us Garrus. Grunt needs to perform the rite of passage," replied Wrex back to his friend, but this time someone else vouched for his outrage in full power. Uvenk.

"What?!" he roared Uvenk back to Wrex "First you spit on all our traditions, and now you allow this….creature to test itself on the rite of passage?! My clan will never allow this! And neither the others! If you dare to continue to this path we" Uvenk never had the chance of ending his words, because the moment the enraged Krogan dared to approach Wrex, he received a devastating head-butt that sent him sprawling back on the ground.

"I am tired of your useless prattling Uvenk. I am the leader of Clan Urdnot, not you! And if I decide that Grunt can participate in the Rite of Passage, then so it shall be! Now, keep that sewer of a mouth shut and begone from my place! Tell your Clan that I will unify all the Clans of the planet, and drag them to the glory we deserve whether you old fools like it or not!"

Told Wrex to the still stunned Uvenk and, no roars, threats or shouts come from his mouth. Wrex was merely stating a fact, something that made his words even more terrifying. So much that Uvenk simply raised back from the floor and left the room. Rage was still seething inside his eyes, but not to the point of being suicidal.

"Idiot." commented Wrex when they were finally free from his presence "So Grunt? Do you wish to become a member of my clan?"

Grunt didn't answer immediately. First, he turned back, gazing at Wrex's camp without saying a word. Shepard could see that some kind of battle was raging inside the young Krogan's mind, and simply let it goes. It was Grunt's choice after all.

Then, after some seconds of tense waiting, Grunt finally spoke

"It is in my blood. I have to do it!"

"Good answer boy! To meet the shaman now. Give him a good impression and he will let you go. And Shepard" Wrex smirked at all of this, remembering old times "Still busy putting your friend's asses out of the fire eh? Like the old times!"

"Don't remind me!" replied Shepard with a tired smile "People back on the ship are starting to call me mother hen."

"I have no idea of what a hen is, but it must be a dangerous beast if they compare it to you."

Garrus's laugh could be heard even outside the spaceport.


Shaman's quarter

Shepard felt his annoyance for this planet, previously dissipated by Wrex's meeting, quickly reappearing on his face like a snake on a tree. That annoying bastard of Uvenk didn't want to leave Grunt alone, to the point of actually trying to sway the shaman to his side.

Hell both he and his squad-mates found the shaman's quarter only thanks to the cries reverberating inside the complex! Roars of traditions, honour and being unworthy that riled up Grunt to no end.

Thankfully the old Krogan, dressed in a mismatch of armour and cloth, seems uninterested about all of this hogwash just like them.

"So this is the tank-bred?" asked the Shaman when finally having the chance of looking at Grunt "He seems big enough. Smell correct as well. Your claims ring false Uvenk."

"Then I invoke the denial! My Krantt stands with me. But him? He has no one ready to die for him." replied Uvenk back. Shepard had to give this Krogan this: he was determined! To the point that he truly wanted to shoot at him and be done with this mess.

He was not the only one judging by the shaman's face

"My patience is growing thin, but Uvenk is right this time." growled the shaman "Grunt? Do you have the Krantts? Are there warriors ready to die for you in battle?"

"So a Krantt is alike...a battle brother? Or sister? If that is the case, we are his Krantts!" quipped Tali more out of instinct than anything else before Grunt could answer. Both Shepard and Grunt looked at her, surprised, and Tali simply shrugged her shoulders "What? It is true! We fight together, like a family just like the time of the old Normandy."

"An oversimplified way of seeing a Krantt, but still acceptable." murmured the shaman with satisfaction. "I allow you aliens to participate, if Grunt wish so."

"Aliens?!" Of course, Mr. sympathy decided to intervene another time, trying to weaken their position "They are weak! They do not know the true meaning of strength. I do, just like my Krantt! They should" but this time, Lena lost her patience, and simply asked with a nod to being allowed to intervene. When she received the green light, she stroke, but not with weapons.

It happened all in a second: Uvenk was speaking hotly against the shaman, then all of a sudden Lena charged him with her yoki already flowing and head-butted the annoying meddler into the ground. Now, usually humans are not strong enough to even dent a Krogan's ridge, let alone break it, but Lena was far more than a human, and when she hit Uvenk, she did with all her yoki-infused might at her disposal. With remarkable results.

For the second time in this day, Uvenk felt someone head-butting his head with such strength to make him tumble. Such a move was the equivalent of the middle-finger for his race, and receiving from a powerful war leader without being able to retaliate in blood was a great shame that would never be washed away.

But being head-butted into oblivion by a human? That was even more insulting!

Uvenk's scales turned in an interesting shade of grey, all while his reptilian eyes stared at Lena with a mix of rage, confusion and utter surprise. He tried to raise back from the dusty ground but tripped while doing so, his head throbbing in pain. Lena, on the other hand, merely smirked back at him, her eyes yellow for the yoki, her skin cut because of Uvenk's scales and a cocky smile plastered on her face.

"You…..you!" roared Uvenk back to Lena. Her smile, on the other hand, grew even wider

"Are you done talking?" she asked cockily "You look like a Krogan, but you keep spouting words and curses instead of fighting. Like a Salarian. Are the weapons on your back just for show?"

If a look could kill, Lena would be a broken mess on the floor right now, but still, Uvenk refused to react. He was on a foreign clan territory and in front of a foreign shaman. He could not attack, no matter how much he wanted!

Instead, snarling like a beast and trickles of foam escaping from his maw, Uvenk left the chamber alongside his bodyguards while promising to himself to exhact blood retribution once the time was right. his bodyguards, three Krogan warriors in black and white armour, quickly moved behind him.

"Ah-ah! I like you Ripper" boomed the shaman once they were alone "It is such a joy to see a female like you! Grunt, I allow you to partake in the Rite of Passage! When shall we begin?"

"Even now, if you are ready," replied Shepard

The smile of the shaman became even bigger.


Thirteen kilometres north from Urdnot's camp. 13 17 local hour

"So, this is it? We gong this oversized drum and the trial begin?"

Shepard said nothing back to Garrus. Instead, he simply watched the arena where the shaman had brought them after a short trek with a giant truck. Some kind of personal belonging of the shaman, for what he understood. He was not with them. Once they reached the objective, the shaman simply left them after telling them to move toward the arena and sound the gong when they were ready. He refused to utter a word about the ritual, content to leave them under the harsh wind of the planet and go on his way.

The arena itself was quite plain: a large rectangle of smooth stone surrounded by a literal sea of rubble and dirt. At its centre lied a black obelisk with ancient marking now faded under centuries of wind and time, and all around it, the corpses of dozens of Krogans lied dead on the floor, the one that failed the test. This obelisk must have been one of many others, because Shepard noticed many broken columns all around the arena, as black as the previous one but, unlike it, all dented and broken like the teeth of a dead beast erupting from the earth.

Despite the obvious age, Shepard immediately saw the care and love that the Krogans felt for this place: the place was relatively clean and solid despite being constanty whipped by howling gales of wind, and various crates of ammo and medicines bearing the markings of dozens of Clans littered the place. And the stone itself, despite the age, was clean and intact; lovingly repaired by generations of Krogans during the eras. And last but not least, a metal ramp placed just some meters away from the arena covered the only entrance of what looked like a complex of Krogan-made caves and subterranean buildings that spanned across the entire arena and far beyond. Even Lena with her enchanted eyes could not see the end of them. Next to the ramp a massive, metal gong with stone inlays covered half of the arena with its shadow, waiting to be used. There was even a stone mallet next to it.

It was the closest thing Shepard could see as a temple for a warlike race like the Krogans

"Pretty much." he finally answered "Grunt, it is your rite. You do the honours."

Grunt's maw opened slightly in mirths of joy, and soon the huge, stone mallet was in the young Krogan's hands. He raised it slowly, savouring the moment, and when it collided with the massive instrument he created a single note that reverberated across the entire arena and far, far further

"In the past, the Krogans conquered Tuchanka and dominated over the world that now belongs to us!" shouted a voice in the answer of the call, the shaman's voice but amplified by some kind of voice-caster. It was so powerful that it almost deafened Shepard's ears, but what came after it was far worse.

The metal ramp saw by Shepard started lowering with a groaning sound, fighting against decades of rust. When it finally lowered, Dust and wind covered Shepard's vision for some seconds, but not his ears, and what he heard worried his greatly.

"Shepard..." began Tali behind her, her hands already gripping the shotgun

"I know Tali. I know" A low, guttural sound well know among Shepard and his team-mantes. Even Lena recognized it, but only Grunt smiled at it.

"Varrens. Dozens of them." growled Lena, her sword already out "They will try to swarm us."

"Let them come. I am itching for a fight!" boomed Grunt

"Yes, good for you, but I am itching for surviving." deadpanned Garrus. After him, no more room for words was left, because the trial began.


two hours later

The air was thick with blood and death, Lena could almost taste it. It permeated the air, the stones around her, and her now drenched body.

All around her the corpses of dozens of slain beasts lied on the slippery floor, their guts and organs escaping from gaping wounds.

For how long they battled? Lena was not sure. Even a hardened warrior like he had lost count of time after the eleventh wave of beasts that tried to attack them. What she knew was that she was tired, wounded and thoroughly done with this damned charade!

-Just how many beasts have we killed?- asked her reeling mind, knowing full well that the number was too high to be truly counted. Now at least Lena understood why the Krogans allowed a young one to be helped during the trial because not even the strongest one could hope to win such an attrition battle all by himself!

Still, they were all alive, unlike the dozens of broken Varren, Klixen and Goddesses knew what else the shaman threw at them during this thrice-cursed Rite. There were so many corpses that the floor was now slippery for all the blood and guts sthrewn aroud.

"I think we are done!" shouted Shepard at the centre of the arena. Just like everyone his armour was covered in gore, blood and scratches. A section of his right leg armour was gone, gnashed and gnawed away by innumerable teeth but apart for that, he looked mostly unscathed. So was Garrus although he looked positively done with this day.

Tali, on the other hand, showed a deep gash near her sternum. Not enough to kill her, more more than enough to give her an immediate infection. The suit had immediately repaired the damage and isolated the open parts of course, vut one second was all that it took for Tali that she was now swimming in antibiotics. Still, she assured her that she could still fight and this was enough for Lena.

Not for Shepard judging by his worried face.

Grunt was the only one happy in the group, giggling like a schoolgirl and asking for more despite the blood and wounds. He was the phantom of himself, covered in gore and blood, its scales gnawed by beasts and acid, and yet he had never felt happier in his life!

"Yes!" he roared to the sky in triumph, holding the severed head of a Varren alpha "This is what i needed! But it is not over yet. I need more shaman! More!"

Shepard was not fine with this idea, but the choice was away from his hands. He only hoped that the shaman was not in the same idea with Grunt and simply decided to be done with this charade before it was too late. His supplies of ammo were running low, and he was not the only one.

Of course, the shaman, being an annoying, bloodthirsty Krogan like Grunt, opted for the opposite answer.

The gong sounded once again, this time not by them but thanks to some kind of machine, turning everyone's heads.

"And now" boomed the shaman's voice once again "All Krogans bear the Genophage, our reward, our curse. It is a fight where the only goal is survival."

Shepard grimaced and prepared himself for another onslaught, dreading about what else could come this time from the networks of grottos and caves. Behind him, Garrus and Tali readied their weapons, sombre faces waiting for the inevitable while Lena placed herself on the front, sword ready and swallowing away her tiredness.

But no one appeared. No creature dared to make its move toward them. No bestial roar or howl of challenge greeted their tired ears. What they heard instead was a strange, thrumming sound.

A sound coming from beneath the earth, moving toward them.

Ever stronger. Ever faster.

It took some seconds for Garrus to understand just what was the source of this noise, but once he understood, he began cursing loudly in his native language all while he tried to stop his legs from trembling. Shepard remained quiet, but his expression was so grim, you would think that the Grim Reaper had just appeared in front of him. Lena's breath became shallow and ragged all of a sudden. The yoki in her was useless, the scanners were gone rendering them blind, and yet she sensed in her blood the arrival of something terrifying. Something powerful enough to make her wrist quake in fear.

"Shepard?" she asked, trying to stop her voice from trembling "What is coming?"

Shepard looked at her with an indecipherable look locked on his eyes. Behind him Garrus's breath became ragged while he looked fearfully with the scope of his sniper rifle, watching for something and Tali moved behind them. Even Grunt had stopped laughing.

"The nightmare of every army soldier," replied Shepard cryptically

"What do you mean?"

But before Shepard could answer, an earthquake of massive proportions hit the arena with the power of a massive mallet. Everyone lost their footing while the earth was broken and shattered under the weight of something mastodontic coming from its insides. Tonnes of sand and ash soared in the sky with such levels that for some tense seconds the debris blinded the sky, rending everyone's vision useless under the dust

And when the dust finally settled, Lena's eyes almost bulged out from her sockets.

The beast was massive: maybe as long as the Normandy itself on her eyes, its serpentine body was covered in serrated scales each longer that Lena's arm. A massive maw covering three long, meaty tongues, each of a different colour, spewed acid and saliva all around the ground. No eyes looked at the minuscule creatures beneath it, only huge antennas lodged deeply inside its scaled head, moving and stuttering in the wind.

"A Thresher Maw." spat Shepard in both awe and utter fear "It is a bloody Thresher Maw!"

And as if called by Shepard's words, the beast opened its massive mouth and released a thunderous roar in the sky, so powerful that entire sections of the arena trembled under it, just before moving toward its new preys.

First part over boys and girls. Stay tuned for the battle against the Thresher Maw, the aftermath of the battle and the rest of Tuchanka's ark. Hopefully only in another part, but I doubt that.

Bye! Also, I am taking a short pause for writing I am afraid. Real-life stuff has come crashing down on my face.

And yes, i know that i am saying this while leaving the chapter like this. What can i say? I have never said i am not evil.