OK people here is chapter six, the hurricane delayed my typing by a little; but that didn't stop me from finishing it. Enjoy!
I do Not Own Mass Effect or The Halo Franchise. Both Universes Respectively Belong to Bioware/EA and Microsoft/343 Industries.
I have employed an amazing Grammer Nazi to help fix any problems to be found in previous chapters, so in time they will be updated.
Now ON WITH THE STORY!
In the far reaches of the terminus systems, a medium sized pirate staging base was awaiting the arrival of the next scheduled raid group in order to unload, repair, re-arm and re-supply it. Sending the raid group back out to the collective colonies and trade routes of the citadel races, most of which was sorely lacking in sufficient defenses.
The bases security VI programs monotonously scanned the surrounding star system for the telltale element zero readings of a ship's Mass effect drive. They found none, none but friendly pirate vessels that is; the Batarian and Mercenary backed pirate groups were far more organized than the citadel council would ever publicly admit.
The Batarian backed pirate faction were the current managers of this staging facility, for how long this would be the case was debatable. The pirate faction backed by the blue suns was interested in trading one of their bases for this one in order to gain better access to a turian trade route.
The pirate officers at the staging base knew that if the negotiations held at the Omega space station were to fall through… well they could be certain to expect an attempted hostile take over from the blue suns' pirate faction.
That would trigger a turf war; that the blood pack backed pirate faction would surely use to gain strength and overshadow them, that was undesirable for both factions and was why negotiations were being held at Omega under the watchful eye of Aria T'Loak.
They didn't want to disrupt the current power balance of the terminus systems… that was bad for business.
The VI program that was in charge of searching for signals not tied to the spectrum that element zero was known to broadcast, picked up a short flash of strange radiation behind one of the jungle planet's three moons.
Logging it down as a minor glitch in the scanning systems that already needed long overdue maintenance, the VI continued scanning. Completely ignoring the object that had come around from the second moon's horizon and fired three incredibly fast missiles at the three small pirate frigates sitting in orbit…
The scanning VI didn't even give a second look, it wasn't in its limited programming to notice, because that was for the strategic VIs on the base and ships in orbit to deal with.
The three larger missiles bobbed and weaved as they entered the Gardian point defense's lasers' range of the three ships in orbit over the jungle world.
The lasers were simply absorbed by the strange shimmering barriers, which seemed to hug the outer shell of the large missile.
The unidentified weapons slammed into the three pirate vessels, punching mercilessly through their outdated kinetic barriers and thin hull plating. With blooms of light born of high explosive detonations; the three pirate frigates simply ceased to be ships.
They had started out a new existence as an expanding debris cloud of metal shards and molten slag that had already begun to cool.
With out slowing to even admire its' naval victory the strange massive hunk of metal with thrusters on its backside, punched its strange thrusters to full throttle.
Speeding over the staging base below which only now was being brought to emergency status due to occurring events. The vessel deposited three objects set on a collision course for the planets surface and accelerated out of sight, hiding behind the third moon in orbit of the jungle world.
On-board a certain AI and a biological super computer were celebrating the success of equipping energy shielding units to the three archer missiles they had just field tested.
The three objects deposited in orbit began their rapid descent towards the planet's surface, their trajectory dead set on the pirate base below.
The three beings soon to bring about the end of all things pirate currently down below them, safely tucked onboard each of the three objects.
Bracing for the imminent impact and the certain battle that followed; they entered atmosphere… appearing as triple flaming comets deadest on bringing their cargo of doom to the pirates below.
The pirate base was in chaos; at least it was chaos, according to the appraising eyes of the solitary Krogan wondering down the halls towards his post.
Every where Kruvanor looked he saw incompetence, Batarians running about screaming inconclusive exclamations at each other, arguing about whether the three frigates in orbit were truly destroyed or not.
The few Salarians in the pirates employ, sprinting down the halls to their security stations and the communications hub. All while trying to gain every crumb of available knowledge on what was occurring, by focusing entirely on their omni-tool's holographic screen.
Kruvanor chuckled to himself, the action hidden by his helmet, "heh heh heh at least the damn amphibians can keep entertaining me by walking into things," he whispered.
He nearly gave away his laughter when one of the Salarians walked into a wall next to a door, having missed it by a foot… Kruvanor found the resounding thud of the Salarians greeting to the wall to be very entertaining indeed.
The few Turians Kruvanor had seen in the halls; were the most organized of the bunch of weaklings Kruvanor believed the base to be staffed with. He knew he could beat them all without much trouble, HE WAS KROGAN! That alone should make the base staff respect him as a fighter and be in awe.
Most of the base personnel gave him his due in the respect and fear me department, those that didn't were too well protected by the higher ups, and they new it… the jerks.
Kruvanor exited the command building and made his way to his guard station, located in front of the building which contained the officer's living quarters. It was a respectful job and it paid well, for Kruvanor that's all that mattered.
While guarding his post with a rather bored stance, the Krogan mercenary within the armor began to study the situation as best he could. His employers were freaking out, big deal. The three frigates on standby in orbit were supposedly destroyed before warning could be transmitted and spread… odd.
No fleets from the citadel races were in orbit… now that's Interesting. Standing there deep in thought, the Krogan's instincts began to near literally scream in his head, all pointing a terrible feeling of premonition through the Krogan.
Looking in the direction his instincts were screaming Kruvanor Saw one two… three? Yep! Three flaming dots in the sky…
'Don't know what they are…' he mused, 'Probably just wreckage from the frigates in orbit' Kruvanor stared at the three faming dots with slight concern… his gut instincts were screaming danger, run... retreat.
That hadn't happened since he and a group of other younger krogan had foolishly hunted down a Thresher-maw… his instincts saved his life then, when they faced that cornered beast.
Screw his guard post; he was going to live long enough to face whoever had screwed with this base. And these three approaching flaming objects were not going to stop him.
With a roar the Krogan sprinted from his post in front of the building and leapt for cover behind a crate, the three objects screamed out a hellish sound as they approached the base from above.
Then the sound was ended for the three comets had slammed groundside, directly into the building that the Krogan had previously been guarding. Flattening it and most of those who had been within it, Kruvanor certainly wouldn't miss the officers or the building for that matter.
As the Krogan stared around the crate, he watched as one of the three large objects became visible through the dust and smoke. The strange pod then opened; the hatch on it was simply blown off by a small explosion, followed with the hissing sound of released air pressure.
And from it emerged a massive figure with a shield for an arm, the surrounding smoke and dust swirled around it with a glowing green tint, making the monstrosity appear as a wraith… a ghost of death and vengeance.
Kruvanor gave a roar of approval; his ancestors must be smiling upon him, to have sent such creatures for him to fight. This was the dream of every true Krogan warrior, to fight a worthy enemy. Death mattered not to Kruvanor, for too fight these creatures was a test of his strength, stamina and will. He would not falter he was KROGAN!
With a roaring challenge the young Krogan mercenary charged at the creature, screaming his rage and joy at the prospect of a good fight.
The Mgalekgolo Bond Brother exited his makeshift drop pod and looked around through the irritating swirls of dust and smoke that seemed to engulf him.
He could hear his other half nearby, beginning to deeply hum out a song of the sorrows' and joys' of battle. Joining in with his brother's song the hunter moved forward through the dust and smoke in order to join in glorious battle.
It heard the roaring challenge of a primal warrior, no doubt one of the head crest armored ones that fought with joy and wild abandon; by the sound of its challenge a young one at that.
Turning slightly the walking Mgalekgolo colony raised up to its full height of thirteen feet, and gave its low powerful vibrating answering roar to the challenge of the eager head crested warrior.
To its credit it gave out no fear, but instead cries of reckless joy and rage for the upcoming fight.
The Hunter decided to indulge this brave one in a short battle before its death, so as to satisfy its want to indulge in a glorious fight. This one was brave; facing the Mgalekgolo without fear, it had earned a worthy final battle.
Charging the Mgalekgolo the Krogan fighter body slammed himself into the Hunters front chest plating, too his credit the nearly four hundred and fifty pound reptilian managed to make the Mgalekgolo take several steps backwards to absorb the impact.
Pushing its shield between itself and the Krogan, the Hunter slammed its melee weapon forward and knocked the krogan a couple yards away from the Bond Brother.
Laughing all the while, the Krogan regained his feet and charged the lumbering titan intent on killing or being killed by a worthy enemy.
After several minutes of the best and finest fight in his life, the Krogan lay bloodied and broken before the feet of the mighty creature. With one last roar of an un-surrendering warrior the Krogan rose and entered its specie's famed blood rage smashing its body into the titanic Hunter and desperately clawing at the Mgalekgolo's armor.
The Hunter knew it was time to finish this. The fight was over; its adversary had fought with great strength and a raging courage. It had earned an honorable quick death.
Smashing its shield downwards the Hunter slammed its assailant into the ground and stood over its adversary… thrumming respect and honor it spoke some of the few words it had learned in Krogan tongue. "You have fought with honor and distinction, die well fellow warrior and know that you shall be remembered and respected by us and our children."
With its declaration complete the Hunter raised its shield for delivering the final blow, pausing at its highpoint as the Krogan began to laugh… "It is an honor to fight one such as you, creature." The Krogan stated between laughs and coughs. "An honorable fight and death is its own reward." Closing its eyes the dying Krogan relaxed as the Mgalekgolo brought the large shield down for the killing blow.
The chief moved down the hall at a sprint, wielding dual plasma rifles as he mowed down any and all opposition he encountered.
Reaching the base's main security and control center, he took aim at the closing doors and fired streams of plasma rounds into the metal.
The plasma heat was more than enough too partially-melt and weaken the metal doorway; the half ton weight of the Spartan slamming into the door afterwards did the poor entryway in.
Smashing through the armored door the Chief opened fire on the occupants, killing all seven pirates who were manning the various stations within the room.
Walking to the pirates' security systems hub, he copied and then wiped all data in the base's mainframe; effectively destroying any electronic records of their presence, thereby obscuring their origins and abilities from the rest of this galaxy.
Having dealt with the sensor data from the few devices that their jammers could not block; the Spartan continued clearing out the main structure of the staging base.
Outside the Hunter pair was wreaking havoc, vehicles were smashed or burned to slag by bright green beams of plasma. Turret emplacements fired fruitlessly as the Hunters' heavy armor and shields' absorbed their high speed metal shavings, these were smashed and turned to molten slag by plasma as well.
The Mgalekgolo fought with a purpose, smash and destroy all in their way. Leave none of their enemies alive, leave their dead bodies and utter destruction behind them and forward lay the prize of victory.
They fought onward vibrating one of their many precious battle hymns; whilst they systematically destroying the base's exterior.
On the interior the master Chief fought cool and collected, room by room, door by door, hall by hall. Conserve ammo, sweep left, headshots whenever possible, sweep right, use close quarters to kill when able, look up check catwalk, no move was to be wasted…
No moves were wasted.
Silent and swift, efficient and utterly deadly; the Spartan downed his enemies quickly, moving on at a quick pace; making extremely little noise for weighing half a ton in armor.
Within two hours time the base was cleared and clean up began. One Hunter went and smashed the cages for the large number of slaves they had found in the third hanger.
The other assisted the Chief in gathering most of the pirates' bodies in order to pile them in a neat order within the command center. Leaving a simple EMP grenade in the middle of the room, in order too wipe the data off the Pirates' omni-tools.
Meeting up with the second Hunter the Chief received a slight surprise, a gaggle of Asari young asari were standing around the Mgalekgolo. The bravest of them touching the creature's shield arm with the tips of her fingers, with a very confused huff the Asari stopped what the Spartan assumed was an attempt at sensing the Hunter's consciousness.
She turned towards the new comers staring at them… the Spartan pointed towards the first hangar by the landing field. "Food is there," he stated. "Patrol will pick you up, in several days time." With that he and the pair of Hunters turned to the woods. Cortana had a phantom drop-ship awaiting them at a nearby clearing.
Leaving the very confused group of Asari behind them the three headed to the clearing and boarded the Sangheili deployment vessel.
Dusting off the ground with its thrusters the phantom set course to return to the forward unto dawn.
Three pirate positions were now wiped clean. They would now hang low and play defense instead of offense… it was time to secretly defend colonies and civilian ships.
They did not need the citadel council's or more importantly the reapers' attention just yet.
Entering the Cryo Bay onboard the Dawn, the Chief requested a status report on current operations and events from Cortana.
"Give me the current rundown of important events Cortana." He stated
"Well Chief in the past twenty for hours I have been rather busy, part of me has been working with the Huragok… oh by the way; that name the Mgalekgolo brothers gave him, it has decided its useful, meaning it likes it."
The chief nodded, "so you and inquisitive creation have been busy with more than just retro fitting makeshift shield emitters to the archer missiles." Cortana smirked "yes, those rockets worked like a dream."
Her smile faded, and she became serious again. "Yes, we have been busy; my scheme with the Quarians has been set in motion." She smiled, "it should give results soon, plus me and Inquisitive have been making progress on the Krogan cure and how to apply it…"
"Now that one will take awhile, because the Salarians keep changing it. My cure will be obsolete within a year, unless I design it with a way to stop future versions of the disease from negating it."
"I have blocked the Geth from discovering me on the extranet, but I fear the Geth collective may suspect that I exist, although they know nothing of me or my capabilities, just be glad it wasn't the splinter group that worships reapers to be the ones to find any traces of my existence."
"The bridge is still a ways away from being mounted on the front of the Dawn… but it should happen within the next two months at most. We are currently on our way to an asteroid field around a gas giant; where I can deploy sentinels to gather resources so we can finish the bridge, along with any other projects." Cortana sighed.
"Inquisitive and I were hoping to study some of this universe's technology, however my tests and calculations make it clear that any element zero in slip-space transit would be one hundred percent catastrophic in nature. We also do not want to be traced by any reapers able to sense element zero technology, the Geth believe that's how the Protheans hiding far from the relays were hunted down."
"While most of their technology is sub par to ours, and impractical to our use; they definitely beat us in some medical applications and in micro computer designs."
"I would suggest setting up a temporary ground base; in order to study this stuff hands on. there may be some design ideas that I can learn, that could possibly be utilized without element zero."
Finishing her main report Cortana looked up at her long time companion and friend. "That's all chief, any thing else?" The chief shook his head in the negative, giving a Spartan smile with his fingers on his faceplate as he left to go rest.
He would need it for the upcoming hands on manual repairs too the ship.
The Normandy SR-1 was currently docked with a turian patrol ship; Shepard had not wanted to drop off the refugees on a non-alliance vessel, fearing the captain would double deal and sell the refugees off to pirates again.
That was until Garrus had vouched for the Turian Captain's honesty and trustworthiness. With her fears abated Shepard gladly handed the refugees over to the Turian patrol group, receiving assurances that the many different former slaves were going to be delivered to their rightful colonial groups.
With that off her mind, she headed for the annoying as hell Pilot's current location in the cockpit. Arriving only to be confronted with the unnatural sight of a dead serious looking Joker… she had to admit, it was kind of scary.
The pilot turned towards her and simply stated "The base were the asari maidens we were supposed to rescue… well it just started broadcasting the same distress frequency as those two outposts we saw yesterday, and according to the Normandy's advanced sensors and accounting for the time the signal had traveled through space to get here; the communications staff believe it began broadcasting only nineteen or so hours after the two outposts started broadcasting."
Shepard contemplatively wrapped her mind around this new information, and came up with a theory. "So whoever is testing these new Mechs deployed several strike groups across the terminus systems… let me know if any other distress signals appear, thanks for the info Joker."
After leaving the cockpit Shepard stood near the airlock, shaking the occasional hand of a thankful refugee, the very last one to leave was the enigma that was Sadie.
The little girl with strange green eyes stared up at Shepard with expectation, holding her and out palm upwards as if waiting to be given something. Confused with what the strange six year old girl wanted, Shepard began to speak in sign language.
(Jane) What you want?
(Sadie) My making, my creation, my memory.
(Jane) me confused.
(Sadie) My Hunters.
Realization hit Shepard like a fast right hook, Sadie wanted her amazingly well drawn (although Shepard thought it a bit dramatized) picture of the unknown Mechs… but how did she know that Wrex gave it to her? And why did she seem so confident in knowing exactly were it is.
(Jane) How you know I hold you're Creation?
(Sadie) because big marked face would give it to you.
(Jane) why?
(Sadie) because you are big marked face's leader.
(Jane) why you want it back?
(Sadie) Because is my creation. Is Important to myself.
(Jane) OK here is your creation of the metal ones.
Smiling Shepard pulled the strange drawing from her pocket and handed it to Sadie, Sadie stood there for a second with a contemplative look on her face, before her eyes widened in realization.
(Sadie) No metal ones, No, Hunters Alive yes.
(Jane) sorry small one, Hunters not alive, hunters' metal.
(Sadie) one day you will search, discover, learn, Hunters alive. Hunt monsters.
(Jane) no change your mind, yes?
(Sadie) yes. One day you will see hunters alive.
Smiling sadly the little girl no one could quite explain, turned towards the airlock and boarded the Turian ship. Turning around as the doors began to close she caught and held Shepard's attention with her steely fiery emerald eyes, unblinkingly staring seemingly into Jane's very soul. As the doors were slowly hiding her from view Shepard saw her sign one last message.
(Sadie) Seeing. Is. Believing. Farewell.
And with that final sign the doors closed and sealed as the Normandy SR-1 broke away from the Turian Patrol, the Normandy making all possible speed towards the newly detected distress signal. They had Asari to rescue and return to the Asari Republics; not too mention another possible destroyed pirate base... visited by unknown Mechs.
Jane Shepard felt a slight shiver run down her spine as the little girl hand signed her last message, before the doors hid her from view; it should not have sounded so foreboding and prophetic... yet it did.
and it gave Jane Shepard goosebumps.
Shepard was beginning to see how the little girl could have influenced Wrex into believing that these Mechs were actually not Mechs but a new group of Aliens… despite Sadie and Wrex having no form of actually communicating.
The Fact that Sadie had so completely convinced a Krogan of something without her even saying anything was as Shepard thought it 'damned impressive.'
Heading to her Cabin Shepard readied her self for her next sleep shift. If nothing new turned up about these Mechs when they arrived at the next pirate base, then she would simply write up a report and send it to the Alliance and the Citadel Council; not that the Council would even believe Her… not after hearing Her arguments about the Reapers existence.
After the Asari maidens were rescued they would continue to their original objective. They couldn't waste any more time, they had to get to Vermire, in order to stop Saren.
Arriving at the Pirate Staging base three days later, they found the debris fields of three small ships… which probably carrying high explosives when they were destroyed… it would explain the small sized debris in the very spread out area.
Shepard decided she would take Garrus and Wrex along for the ride, boarding their shuttle they left for groundside.
Tali would have come as well, but had to decline due to much needed suit maintenance. She had hired Wrex to record everything that happened so he could give her a copy afterwards.
They found the base in ruins, with the Asari maidens waiting for them at their landing spot. Facing their evident leader Shepard began to interrogate them as too what had happened there, while Garrus and Wrex investigated the rest of the base.
"What happened here?" asked Shepard to the one hundred and fifty three year old Asari maidens' leader.
"Three strange beings of great power came from the sky in fiery containers and destroyed our captors, they must have been sent by the goddess herself!" exclaimed the Asari.
Shepard now knew that she would have to translate Asari religious speak into understandable information… she wasn't too pleased.
After a long talk Shepard gleaned that there had been three mechs, two big ones with shields that the Asari could not sense sentience from (Farther confirming her belief in them being Mechs) and another seven and a half foot tall green armored, gold faced human shaped one, with strange non built in weapons.
Shepard believed them to be tactical units, a commander like Mech platform that was quick efficient deadly and smart. Thereby meaning this whole raid on the pirate base had been nothing more than unit cohesion test-ground, testing on how well the two Mech designs could fight as a unit.
And if the surrounding destroyed base had anything to say to Shepard it was that these Mechs fought pretty Darn well… scarily so.
After finding the Tactical Mech's trademark piling of dead bodies in a sealed room, and finding no electronic evidences what so ever… not even video this time around. Shepard returned to the Normandy after having the Asari maidens Brought onboard.
Turning towards where they would meet an Asari Patrol fleet that would take the Maiden refugees to their home world of Thessia, the Normandy Left the system.
Shepard wrote up the report along with the video evidence to send along with it, and sent it to the Council and The Alliance Navy. That would hopefully be investigated, although she suspected the Council would just ignore it.
Sighing tiredly she went to get some sleep… only to be awoken in order to stop yet another altercation between some crew members and the over eager, curious, invasive and hormonal asari Maidens.
Wrex and Garrus had been Hiding in engineering with Tali, all three did not want to be in the presence of the Maidens. The young Asari wouldn't stop asking questions and attempting to start the beginnings of relationships with others, especially those three...
Shepard wished she could hide out with them, but while being both spectre and commander had its perks, it also had its curses… one of them is being forced to maintain the bridge and relations between crew members and refugees… twenty for seven.
Cursing to herself Shepard went on her way to deal with this latest drama happening in the mess hall, she was getting tired of this.
Jane Shepard could not wait to drop the Maidens off with the Asari Republics patrol fleet. The money and and future trade deals with Asari Business would hopefully be worth all this trouble.
Afterwards it would be on to Vermire where they would hopefully find Saren and his forces.
Over Vermire a two kilometer long squid like vessel stirred… something odd had caught its attention…
There was a report sent by the human specter that had been ordered to pursue Saren… A report some of its enslaved puppets had sent on to it as well.
Saren was doing its bidding, he was a useful tool… an excellent front, put up to hide what was actually pulling the strings…
The other puppet Benizia was dead… her influence and resources were lost… a delay yes… but they were no longer needed for the plan to succeed.
The cycle would be completed… these new Mech war machines being tested in the Terminus Systems while effective, were no threat to the cycle.
They were a new opportunity… though it was strange… the relays recorded no new ships that could have carried these Mechs to their targets… perhaps they were hidden aboard the pirates' vessels?
Why had his vast network of enslaved puppets not given him fair warning of these new Mechs and their development?
It mattered not… the Creators of the Mechs would be found… they would be enslaved… they would create tools for this and all future cycles… this was certain.
Soon its brothers would arrive… it would open the Relay hub the foolish organics called a citadel… let its fellows come through in their thousands… this cycle would come early…
The Protheans had placed their government upon the main relay… falling into the trap… as all others did before… their leaders were dead before any even knew what was occurring… not so with this cycle…
The citadel was a governmental power yes… but other governments and organizations existed beyond it… every race had an essential backup leadership… this diversity was dangerous… it could make civilizations weak, yet breed new ideas…
Such as the crucible… the being shuddered shaking the enslaved occupants within its two kilometer length… it did not like the idea or progress of the crucible…
It could potentially destroy them, unless they were to manipulate the architects of its creation into creating a weapon that offered limited options of the reapers descion; the reapers master could then dictate the future through the illusion of choice to those who activated it.
It cursed the few Protheans that had eluded them in the previous cycle, having sabotaged the central relay after his brothers had returned to dark space… they were an unexpected complication… it had delayed this cycle by a hundred years.
Soon the cycle would continue its plans were nearly complete… all predicted outcomes no matter how unlikely were scrutinized…
Sovereign began to move about Vermire's orbit; as if impatient… nothing could be farther from the truth.
Harbinger had been notified of its future role in the extremely unlikely prediction of Sovereign Failing its' objective.
The Collectors were being readied, the useful tools gained from the last cycle would once again prove their worth… tests would be done… new reapers built… the Humans were an interesting test subject for this…
It was no matter, sovereign would not fail he would start the Cycle anew… the three reapers left behind to watch the growth of the next cycle were in agreement…
The cycle would continue…
The galaxy was ready…
The harvest was ripe…
The next cycle had begun…
Hey every one! Well that was chapter six I sure hope you enjoyed it!
I am currently working on chapter seven, I should post it within a week at most. Anyways we survived Hurricane Mathew with minor damage! Its worst parts stayed off shore and missed us by less than sixty miles… Yikes! Anyways hope you all continue to enjoy this story! please leave a review below if you have something you want to say about the story.
Its been a pleasure writing for your viewing enjoyment…
Until next time! This is Gabenator5 SIGNING OFF!