Upon arriving at a repair dock at Illium, she called shore leave as they all deserved some much-needed R & R after battling the Collectors. She mourned her damaged armour, having scorched the first set while battling an invading Oculus in the hangar, and the second was partially shredded during the assault on the base. After replacing what plates she could, she suited up, made a mental note to buy replacements after the meet, and called Miranda and Garrus to the airlock to accompany her. Miranda arrived first.
"What do you need, Commander?" The former Cerberus operative asked her as she arrived at the lock, witnessing Shepard putting on the remains of her worse-for-wear battle gear. "I suppose we're not going shopping?"
"As much as I would love to relax and do something mundane for a change, something came up." she explained, adjusting a shoulder piece, "I need to borrow you and Garrus briefly to help me check something out. I'm meeting someone the Illusive Man recommended we recruit."
Miranda's right eyebrow rose. "The Illusive Man? I thought you were done with him after you told him to..."
"I did, and I was, but he sent me another dossier which seems worth looking into. Here, take a look," Shepard said, handing her the dossier on a datapad. "They contacted Cerberus specifically to find me. Let's hope they're not a fanatic."
Miranda Lawson skimmed through the datapad given to her, flicking the screen after quick pauses to read its contents. "A Prothean expert may be useful, assuming they know how to use a gun, but…" she paused, "this mention about the Prothean ruins, I'm not sure what to make of this."
"My thoughts," Shepard agreed. "Doesn't make much sense. Also, that bit about 'anomalous interactions with dark energy fields'? Prothean tech, maybe?"
"It's possible. We've been learning new things about them every day."
Seconds later, Garrus Vakarian came walking up the steps fully dressed in civilian attire. He looked at both of them and their fully armed suits. "Oh. Did I miss the memo?"
.
Shepard had not been expecting what she saw while walking through the lower levels of the slums district. Having only been in the well-to-do parts of Illium, she was reminded that poverty still existed just outside the main city gates. The city's cleanliness and order disappeared quickly near the outer borders. Garbage littered the alleyways, faces appeared then disappeared from dirty and broken doorways, and Vorcha hissed at them from every corner. There was a reason, she thought, for this meeting location. Illium was known for its near-total surveillance, and yet she had yet to see a single camera or security measure to record them in this neglected place. If the Illusive Man couldn't gather much on this individual, then whomever they were meeting took steps to keep themselves hidden.
Shepard glanced at Miranda as they advanced. She noticed the ex-Cerberus operative looking over her shoulder often, but her face was serious, as always. Garrus, on the other hand, seemed more at ease. With a huge sniper rifle on his back and experiences from his time on Omega, this was like any other day.
"Please tell me again how you persuaded me to come down here? This almost makes Omega look welcoming."
"I'm starting to wonder about that myself," Shepard replied, checking her omni-tool. "We'll be out of here soon. We're supposed to meet them at the rendezvous point at exactly 1200 hours. Hopefully, they're punctual."
As they neared the waypoint, Shepard noticed something that was earlier overlooked but then became increasingly unusual; It was getting steadily quieter, even though the evidence of active living seemed to increase. There were tattered popup tents, collections of discarded trash, and small huts, but they were all empty. They passed through something of a communal space for the impoverished, but it was quiet and still.
Garrus, too, noticed the change, and he poked his head into a couple of the enclosures, checking for signs of life. He reported no souls found when he returned to them, only spoiled food and remnants of drug paraphernalia seemingly left behind in a hurry. "This is very strange," he remarked. "I'm not getting a good feeling from this."
.
"Hey, dumbass, wake up." the Eclipse mercenary said to his comrade, voice crackling over their comm as he prodded the slumbering form awake.
"Aww, dammit, what did I say? We've been on duty all night. I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I'd really appreciate it if you could keep your mouth shut until our shift is over."
"Stop complaining and look at the screen, you ingrate."
The tired mercenary sluggishly got up from his seat and approached the viewing console. "Alright, so what so damned interesting you gotta... shit. Are they law enforcement?"
"No, not down here; besides, look at their suits. Gotta be independent mercs or something."
"What are they doing all the way down here? Ugh, here I thought this gig would be easy. Alright, you know the drill: notify backup. Hopefully, we clean this up easy and then get out before questions start being asked."
.
From what seemed like a lifetime ago, Shepard's instructor at the Interplanetary Combatives Academy had made her train so very hard: lessons in fire-team integration, hand-to-hand combat, battlefield tactics, biotic training, zero-g-fighting, the works. They were all hardwired instincts now - but that didn't mean the underlying biological impulses were worthless. Quite the opposite. If she bet credits on all the times her instincts were right, she'd be the wealthiest woman in the 'verse. Right now, her soldier sense was buzzing like crazy. The rendezvous area they found themselves in was a terrible place for a firefight. Though ideal for secrecy and remaining inconspicuous, they could quickly get cornered and ambushed, not to mention plenty of the available regions for snipers all around. "Look sharp. I don't like the locale."
Garrus was also feeling something. His intuition had never let him down. It had saved him time after time on Omega, and right now, his brain was telling him to bail. For a post-industrialized slum, it had become hushed.
Suddenly came the sound of gunfire and marching boots. Mass affected slugs sputtered against their shields, having caught them off guard.
"I knew it! Form up!"
The three immediately moved into formation, but there was little cover. The space they moved into was flanked by buildings on both sides, and they scurried down the narrow street like rats trapped in a maze. There was only one barrier they could use for cover, and it was cramped with Shepard's squad crouching behind it. They were surrounded by at least a dozen Eclipse mercenaries holding pistols, submachine guns, a sniper rifle, and a rocket launcher in a fury of activity. They opened fire on them without further warning.
They, too, would shoot first and ask questions later. Miranda and Shepard put up their biotic barriers to bolster their peppered shields and broke for the nearest cover, retreating backwards. Despite their defensive position, they reacted efficiently. Their return fire stopped the mercenary advance and took out the thinnest shields for Garrus to finish the job. Three loud cracks from Garrus' rifle, and three shieldless mercenaries had holes through their heads. He was lining the fourth when he heard the hiss of a rocket streak low. Ducking and running just in time, he narrowly missed getting roasted as the barrier exploded behind him seconds later.
Shepard used a biotic lift on two mercs intent on routing them, and Miranda applied a warp, their combined powers sending the lifted bodies dive-bombing into a building wall with a sickening crunch. Shepard fired a burst, then another. The mercenary with the sub-machine gun went down. Reload. Burst, burst, burst, reload. She stayed her hand, only selectively firing. The mercenaries had plentiful cover and were using it. Excessive suppressive fire would only ensure she ran out of sinks before they did.
Garrus came rushing over to their position, having retreated from the smoking barrier. The vanguards and biotics in the Eclipse group were getting too close for comfort, while the support ones in the back had good cover and blocked their way out of the area. They were running out of options and time. "Dammit," he growled, "Worst shore leave ever!"
Firing up his omni-tool, he disabled a nearby mech to drop its shields and lobbed a grenade. The merc controlling it was nibble enough to flee, but the mech wasn't, and it exploded in a shower of sparks. Garrus used the available window to fire his rifle into one of the overhanging buildings, hoping to hit the sniper stationed there. A mercenary went down, but it wasn't the sniper he had hoped.
They could afford to check for backup, but when he checked his comm he found the mercs had disabled their communications equipment. He went to fire his rifle once more when he found it overloaded, and his mandibles grated as he swore. Beside him, Shepard and Miranda also swore, and he could see that their weapons had been forcibly locked out as well. This ambush seemed remarkably well planned.
As Shepard attempted to use lift on the group of mercenaries covering a way out down an alleyway, three well-placed shock-waves from the biotic mercenaries drew upon them suddenly, throwing them off their feet and against the building behind them. Her already damaged suit landed hard on the shield generator on her lower back, and she felt it crack. Consequently, her kinetic barrier sputtered around her, unable to hold a steady charge. Irked, she resorted to more personal means of dispatch. Merc lieutenants were always brightly identified on the field for quick order transmission, which meant she could find one quickly. She spotted one reasonably close to them and biotically pulled him toward her and past the group's foot soldiers in a flash. The distance was a stretch even for her, but she managed it. The lieutenant must not have expected her to reach either, for he yelped and dropped his weapon while he tumbled through the air. The blade stored on her boot was in her hand with practiced speed, and she held it up to the man's throat. A meat shield should cool things down, she believed. She wanted answers. The crossfire stopped.
"Let me guess, the Illusive Man sent you guys?" she demanded of him, her voice like venom over his shoulder. The merc wiggled in her grip, but she held fast. "Answer me!" she seethed, her voice betraying sheer anger.
"I don't know who that is." the merc spat, twisting in her grip.
Shepard held tighter. The knife in her hand pressed harder against his throat, drawing blood. "You think I'm playing here? Wiggle again, and you're dead." she snapped. "What's your beef?"
"Alright, alright, easy," he pleaded, raising his hands. "You're in Eclipse territory..." the merc explained to her, holding his hands up and swallowing carefully. "… we have orders to guard the area against any… intruders..."
While the lieutenant told her of their contract, her omni-tool beeped to signify mid-day - 1200 hours. Simultaneously with the beeps from her wrist came the sound of sharp, pained cries… only the cries weren't from her or her team, but from the mercenaries farthest back in the group. The ones closest to the front remained oblivious to what was quickly approaching them from behind. Only Shepard and her meat shield, Miranda, and Garrus were facing the attacking force and were able to glimpse at just what was causing the commotion. A dark shape was weaving its way through the mercenaries one by one from behind, and sounds of muffled gunshots were slowly getting closer.
The mercenaries collectively turned around one by one, vaguely aware they had been caught by someone who had flanked them. Instead of what they thought was a small backup force for the former Spectre, they saw half of their force dead on the ground behind them, with the thing that had killed them disappearing behind a corner. A couple ran after and opened fire upon the thing, yet none would confirm a hit. When they believed the thing chasing them was in one location, it would reappear from elsewhere, and another one of their own would be dead. Like a switch had been pulled, the buildings around the mercs ceased to function to their advantage and instead closed upon them, a cage for a preying animal to play with its food.
The sniper hiding on the second floor of the adjacent building fell limp over the windowsill, then tumbled out toward the ground, pushed by something. Now afraid, the mercenaries fired into the open window hoping to strike the thing that was hunting them, not realizing the thing had already returned to ground level and was rushing to meet them; this time was well within view so that Shepard and her hostage could see what was unfolding.
While one of the mercs cautiously stepped foot into the doorway of the targeted building, something slammed against it from the dark interior. Shepard watched the body sail through the crowd; the impact must have been tremendous. The attacker then appeared and lunged into the assembled and recovering group, plunging a long thin knife through the closest mercenary's chest. It spun the flailing body around so that the others could look upon the dead man's face and watch him claw at the sharp thing sticking out of his heart, and the shock caused the rest of them to momentarily cease firing. Using the dead man as a shield, the being's pistol came up alongside from behind and mowed down two of them while their own shots were blocked by the dead man's shields. The thing lifted and pitched the dead man into the arms of one of his more courageous comrades to distract them, then jumped forward, drew its arm back, and brought down its might in a considerable blow that caused the tricked merc to crumble down to the ground unconscious. Only the sentinels and the biotics were left.
Shepard watched the events unfold in slow-motion, still holding onto the Eclipse merc. Whoever it was, they knew how to handle themselves. They were single-handedly disposing of an entire regiment of Eclipse mercenaries.
The biotics closed in to trap the advancing shape in a fury of biotic flux fields between them, trapping whatever had been advancing toward them and presumably ripping the body into pieces - Only it didn't. The dark thing emerged through the combined warp unscathed, its dark visage running through the warped space like it had been nothing but a light show. The fear on the faces of the helmetless biotics was marked, as was Shepard's disbelief. The being's hand moved up to grab something from its back as it moved toward the enclosed biotics, and she watched with an almost enraptured fascination as the hand found the handle of the object it was reaching for, then quickly snapped downward in a blur.
In front of the blur, the biotic mercenary swiftly fell to the ground twice, having been cleft completely clean into two separate halves. Blood and entrails, now free from the trappings of their body, spilled onto the ground. It was disturbing, they could not look away, and Shepard watched as the remaining mercenaries fell to pieces like the first. The second, reacting smartly, had clothed herself in a biotic barrier. Had it not been the dark shape advancing, it would have helped. The sword and the monster reached past her defences like they were made of paper. Purple blood gushed forth like a stream.
Shields, armour, and sheer bulk had no effect on the lifespans of any standing member. Blood spurted from immaculately clean cuts, and the screams of those who weren't silenced immediately from shock rang out cleanly around them. From the three that had remained, the first had their head thoroughly and cleanly removed, another had been cut down diagonally from shoulder to hip, and the last had their outstretched weapon and arms severed just below the elbow, before the thing used the momentum of the sword to swing back around and impale them straight through the stomach. The lifeless body was booted off callously.
The battle was over, though it seemed less of a fight and more of a slaughter. The dark being stood among the bodies of over a dozen dead mercenaries who had been utterly decapitated, looking like a dark angel from hell. The weapon, she finally saw, was too big to be called a sword; Too big, too thick, too heavy and too rough, yet it had been handled with deceptive ease.
It walked over to them, bending slightly to look into the face of the terrified merc grappled in Shepard's arms, so close that Shepard could see the person that the metal and stone monuments had immortalized in detail. Dark combat armour wholly clad the contact, looking slightly out of place with etched designs.
"I swear that's all I know! I swear!" the lieutenant shrieked. "What... what... what the hell are you?!" he choked.
"Complicated," it answered the merc.
Shepard took the cue to boot the remaining merc forward. The mercenary looked back once before he fled on all fours, and Shepard would never forget the look on the man's face - complete and utter terror. The shaking merc rushed to his feet and took off as fast as he could, slipping on the blood-soaked ground and the blank faces of his dead comrades staring upwards at him.
Shepard had not really wanted to let him go without getting more information about why she was being hunted so casually but decided that seeing an entire regiment getting massacred in front of someone was enough punishment. The thing known as the Wanderer had obviously not shared her sentiment, and before she opened her mouth to speak, the being raised his pistol toward the fleeing lieutenant and pulled the trigger. The running man fell and did not get up.
"I had hoped," he spoke, turning back toward her, "that my meeting place would have shielded us from prying eyes, not placed us in mortal jeopardy. You have my deepest apologies."
He placed his hand over his chest. "I am your Wanderer, and I have waited a very long time to meet you. We have much to discuss."
