Vanguard of Vengeance: Chapter 14

DIE. The thing howled again, its words slick in Shepard's ears. Faces, Turian, Human, and Asari turned up from the quivering mass to whisper in chorus with the single, bellowing Salarian head. Javik stood, tall and defiant. Hot vengeance burned in all four of his baleful eyes as he depressed the firing stud on his angular particle rifle. The weapon bucked, its brilliant green-white lance piercing the monster before them.

The thing wailed, its Salarian head writhing as Javik advanced, still firing. A cruel smile twisted the Prothean's split lips as he held down the trigger. His rifle split, its side flanges popping open as the emerald lance became a raging pillar of light. Flames caught in the quivering mass and it gave a final piercing scream as its core was shattered and its back was broken.

An ugly smell coiled like thick smoke from the destroyed indoctrination node. In the back of the room, Liara retched and Garrus coughed in disgust. Shepard herself looked on unfazed.

"Is that it then?" Nihlus asked, after a long silence.

"No." Javik said in a heavy voice. "Indoctrination is not a simple signal that can be switched off by smashing the node. It is subtle; it twists the victims mind with whispers and voices. It is not reversible."

"So like brainwashing rather than a remote control?" Ashley asked.

"A crude yet fitting metaphor," Javik replied darkly. Ashley was about to respond when the unnatural quiet was broken by the staccato clatter of a mass driver out in the foyer. Garrus was the first to react, his birdlike head snapping towards the source of the sound. Another burst of fire rippled through the cold air, followed by the sounds of yelling from further afield. Nihlus made a rapid hand signal, sending Ashley and Garrus out into the former Administrator's office lobby. The small team burst into a world almost entirely alien to the deathly silent city that had existed only minutes ago.

All around the wide concourse that ringed the port's administrative district, aliens of more species than Shepard could count flailed madly, as if strings that had once invisibly bound them as puppets had been cut. The majority of them frothed madly, the same words on their lips. Die. A small minority, however, were looking around bewilderedly.

The mass driver rattled again, drawing Shepard's attention. A figure in the black and grey of the ERCS knelt amongst the scattered bodies of similarly uniformed soldiers.

"Spirits," Garus muttered. Somehow the quiet oath must have carried across the noisy hall, for the figure swung around, rifle raised.

Now that they were closer, Shepard recognized the close-cropped black hair and pointed features of Port Hanshan's Chief of Security, Captain Matsuo.

"Stay back!" the nigh-frenzied security chief called, a panicked warble slipping past the wall of cold discipline that she had displayed out on the docks. "I don't know what's going on here, but I do know I can put a bullet through your eye from this range!"

"We're not going to hurt you," Shepard replied.

"Do not be so sure," Javik cut in, "this could be some Reaper ploy. The indoctrinated can be devious."

"I don't think so," Nihlus said. He raised his voice to address the disturbed security chief. "Captain, what happened here?" He nodded towards the crumpled and scattered bodies of her former subordinates. Something changed in the woman's eyes as they fell on the Turian, a sharpness rising to replace the fear. Her rifle wavered and her head made a stunted bow.

"Spectre-sama, I… I can't quite explain it. I've been so fuzzy, wrong. All until just now. There was a blinding pain and everything became clear. My crew, they were mad… like animals. They attacked me. I… had to put them down."

"You did what you had to do, Captain," Nihlus said in a lowered voice. "Something's gone very wrong here; I'm going to need all the manpower I can get if I'm going to get to the bottom of it. Can I rely on you to help me?"

"I think so," Captain Matsuo said, stronger this time. Her hands clenched around the grips of her rifle and she set her jaw. "Yes, I'm with you, me and whoever's still walking and talking amongst my security personnel. I'll need to know what's going on first, though. What could even do this?"

"We'll have to walk and talk," Nihlus replied. The shaken woman accepted the offer and took up her rifle again, the pair of them moving off ahead. Garrus and Ashley followed close behind, with Liara nervously taking up the rear. Javik stood rooted to the spot, his four eyes focused on the pile of dead security guards.

"This is a mistake," He said quietly. "The indoctrinated can not be trusted." His lip lifted in an angry sneer.

"I'm right there with you," Shepard said from beside him, "But neither of us calls the shots around here, not anymore. Come on, we better catch up before these freaks decide to try anything more than standing there hissing at us." The alien nodded slowly and hefted his particle beam rifle. It only took a short run to catch up with the rest of the group, which had taken to slowly moving forward through the chaos that was rapidly enveloping the port station. "So, what's the plan?" she asked plainly. Not looking back, Nihlus answered.

"First thing's first, we need to secure the path back to the Normandy. Dr. T'Soni here says the dock was unusually busy just before she brought out the cutter. If the people on the dock are already indoctrinated, we'll need to find a way to immobilize them before we take any further actions."


If the veranda was a picture of chaos, the dock was a full motion video. The snow driven steel heaved with wide eyed gibbering figures of seemingly every profession and species. Some wore the black on grey of security; some wore nothing at all, as if they had been driven straight from bed and out into the freezing cold. However, they were all single mindedly attacking the outer door of the Normandy.

"Remember," the voice of Nihlus said inside Shepard's helmet, "Gas and less lethal ammunition only. I don't want this turning into a slaughterhouse."

Shepard obeyed, if reluctantly. With a flick of her thumb, the whole front end of her heavy pistol flipped downwards, revealing the back end of the solid tungsten ammo block. She plucked it out and slipped in a larger cube of flexible putty. She snapped the action closed with a flip of the wrist, checking the status lights for the accompanying drop in the weapon's power output. Every instinct told her to listen to Javik on whether or not the wretches in front of her were even salvageable, but she sure as hell wasn't going to be the human the council pinned the blame on when this mission went tits up.

"I want a nice neat formation," Nihlus continued, "drop your gas grenades against the hull; we'll drive them away from the Normandy and towards us. Anything the gas doesn't get, we drop and drag them back inside. I don't want them to freeze to death out her because that blob that used to be the administrator got inside their heads." There was a flurry of acknowledgements and a shuffling of feet. The indoctrinated crowd still hadn't noticed them when the first salvo of gas grenades arced overhead.

With a series of sharp coughs, the grenades burst against the metal hull of the Normandy. Thick clouds of grey-white gas descended on the crowd and there was a great hiss from every throat. The indoctrinated in the front row went down, grasping at their throats and eyes. Those left standing turned as one.

"That's it, now we've pissed them off!" Ashley yelled. She was right; the indoctrinated workers' previously slack jaws had become bestial masks.

"Shouldn't all that gas have gotten more of them than that?" Liara asked with a quavering voice. Shepard's eyes scanned up and down the front row and saw that she was right. The specs on those grenades should have taken out about half the pack, but at least three quarters still stood. Her eyes flicked to the rapidly descending cloud of droplets. Recognition flashed.

"The cold! The cold's liquefied the gas. It'll be next to useless outside the splash zone!" Her voice was lost in the howl that arose from the crowd. In one motion, they lurched into a run towards the arrayed team.

"Open fire!" Nihlus barked. Everyone with a weapon opened up. The slow thud-thud of less lethal rounds rippled through the frigid air. The putty rounds caught the men, women, and aliens in the front row in a vicious crossfire, pitching them over or tripping them up. Some continued to crawl forward. Shepard took careful aim and caught one of the crawlers dead in the forehead. The indoctrinated salarian lay still.

Beside her, the green lance of Javik's particle rifle bit out and the snow was splashed with scarlet.

"Are you sure you should be using that thing?" Shepard asked with an aside glance.

"The Spectre ordered that we avoid taking lives. He was fuzzier on the subjects of kneecaps." Javik's split lip curler in an ugly grin and he took aim again, this time slicing a foot out from under a runner. The team's concentrated fire continued to take a harrowing toll on the defenseless crowd, but it wasn't enough. Shepard soon found herself rapidly giving ground as the surge of people threatened to crash like a wave on top of them. Shepard could handle herself in a scuffle, but she wasn't looking to get herself torn apart by a bunch of mindless zombies.

"Enough of this," she spat, mostly to herself. Gathering the coils of her biotics, she thrust her arms forward in a wide, spreading gesture. A wave of purple-black hard gravity rocketed out from her body and slammed into the leading edge of her attackers. Those unlucky few leading the pack were bowled over and tossed against those following. The attack rapidly descended into a tangle of limbs. Another salvo of grenades went out, this time bursting in and amongst the crowd. The pile went still. Nihlus looked at the pile of struggling and unconscious figures and the sprays of bright blood in the snow with a dark expression.

"Let's get these secured and moved through the airlock. We can plan our next move after that."


The comm room was quiet as the ground team moved in. No one spoke as Nihlus looked around the room.

"Well," he started. Shepard felt a small pang of relief to hear that much of the anger had left his voice. "That could have gone better. But that's in the past; we should focus our efforts on our current objective."

"And what is our current objective… sir?" Ashley asked.

"Peak 15," Nihlus said, bringing up a wireframe image on the holoprojector. "We've heard it mentioned all day as the location of the Matriarch, Benezia. From what we've heard and from what Captain Matsuo remembers of the time before her incapacitation, I am led to believe this is where… Saren and his agents are keeping her captive."

"We'll need ground vehicles that can make it there through the storm," Shepard said, her eyes tracing the path that cut through the valleys and mountains.

"Port Hanshan maintains a small fleet of extreme cold weather Makos," The ERCS captain helpfully offered. "With my security authorization, I should be able to draw one or two to transport your ground team to the Peak."

"That's a good start," Nihlus agreed, "Now the big question is how do we access it without going through the main living spaces of the port. We're not equipped for a pacification mission of this magnitude." He cast a significant beady glance in Javik's direction.

"There will be ways around, there always are in built-up areas like this," Shepard interjected. She leant across the display and dragged the window back across the mountains to where the Normandy lay berthed. "You know, maintenance ducts, alleyways and…" Her eyes gleamed as they alighted on a bright bead of light. She tapped it and a web of spidery lines illuminated themselves against the wireframe background. "…Air circulation. In a city this size they should be perfectly navigable."

"Yes…" Nihlus scratched at his mandibles. "And well centralized, perfect for deploying what little gas we still have for maximum effect. Where's the nearest access point?"

"There's an exhaust port just outside the hanger, but we'll have to do some climbing," Captain Matsuo said. She tapped a circular icon just three hundred meters from the mouth of the hanger bays. A more detailed picture of the exterior overlaid the rough wireframe. The outer walls of the city were smooth metal, broken only by the striated runs of exterior conduits and thin rails. The ground, far below the curve of the wall was rocky and rose up in icy teeth.

"That's quite a climb," Garrus commented with a slight flutter of his mandibles.

"Not scared of heights are you, Garrus," Ashley chided.

"Please, I worked the upper wards on the Citadel. You don't last long staring the miles down to the Presidium without conquering any fear of heights." The turian said proudly.

"Either way, we'll need our best climbers for this operation. And we'll need a team to hold this point. I want somewhere to fall back on."

"Permission to lead the holding team," Ashley said immediately. Shepard shot her a sharp look, but the Gunnery Chief only shrugged. "My marines should be more than enough to hold a choke point this narrow. And besides, they know me."

"Permission granted, Chief Williams, though I want you to keep Doctor T'Soni and Miss Zorah here." The Spectre replied. Ashley nodded reluctantly, but Liara half rose in protest. "Yes, Doctor T'Soni?"

"I'm going with you," the asari scientist said firmly, though her set jaw quivered a little. "If Saren has Benezia held captive up at Peak 15; that is where I must go. I'm not going to stand around if my own mother is in danger. And besides," she said, squashing Nihlus' spluttered protest, "You said you needed trained climbers. Many of my digs involved underground installations; I am well accustomed to tight spaces and free-climbing." Nihlus looked over at the stubborn woman for a second before finally relenting.

"Okay, that puts myself, Officer Vakarian, and Doctor T'Soni on the climb team. I assume you will also insist on coming, Commander?" Shepard simply nodded. "Very well. Chief Williams, you have permission to lead the blocking force. Keep casualties to a minimum if possible. Remember, we are dealing with brainwashed civilians. Draw up your Marines immediately and dig in. We don't know how long we might be here. Dismissed." Ashley rose and snapped out what almost looked like a genuine salute. "Captain Matsuo," the turian continued, turning this time to face the still pale ERCS officer. "Once we reach the vehicle hanger, we'll need your authorization. Are you feeling up for a little climbing?"

"Definitely," the woman said, "I have not had much experience out on the barrier wall, but you won't be able to get those Makos started without my key. I am with you."

Nihlus fluttered his mandibles, drawing them back in the Turian equivalent of a predatory smile. "Good. I think that is planning enough for now, let's get climbing."


Wind whipped across the open mouth of the hanger, its icy fingers pulling at the folds of the climb team's winter gear even in the lee of the massive concrete opening. Shepard stared out of the great hanger from behind her already frosted visor and swallowed slightly. Around her, the other members of the team shifted nervously, even Garrus showing signs of tension. Shepard clicked her helmet comm. set once.

"Not chickening out on us, are you C-Sec?" the question broke the quiet, with a light smattering of chuckles rolling across the link. Garrus, for his part, tried to look indignant.

"As much as my people might resemble your Earth birds, you'll find no 'chickening' from me. I told you, I used to do this all the time back on the Citadel." The Turian cracked on of his alien grins. "Of course, the Presidium rarely gets a cross wind, and I don't think it's ever snowed there." Shepard nodded and looked back out of the hanger. It was snowing now, to be sure. A blizzard had blown up around the Port Hanshan docks, dense and full of sharp, icy teeth. Shepard checked the seals on her armour again before running her mass effect driven climbing gloves for the fifth time. All lights showed green.

"We should have left by now," Javik said impatiently. Shepard couldn't help but agree with him, especially given the sounds still emanating from beyond the airlock doors, but she wasn't about to raise similar objections over the open comms.

"It won't be long now," Nihlus said. The other turian stood stock still beside Captain Matsuo. His red-black helmet was an impassive mask, staring straight ahead at the steady rush of snowflakes past the opening of the hanger. Shepard was about to ask what they were waiting for when his arm snapped up in the signal to hold. With a sudden snap that almost seemed artificially designed, the winds turned. The falling snow was caught in a sudden standing column of air as the changing wind clashed with itself. Nihlus' hand jerked forward sharply. "Go."

Shepard didn't have to be told twice. Boots pounded on metal grating as the small squad advanced at a fast walk. The biting cold took hold almost immediately, but Shepard did her best to ignore it. She was first to the lip of the hanger. To her left, the world fell away beneath her, stretching away from the steel walls of the city towards the snow obscured depths. To her right, a thin covered walkway made its spidery way up the sheer metal wall.

"Hooking on," Shepard reported tersely. She reached behind her back to draw out the spooled safety wire and clipped it onto the narrow guard rail. "I don't like the look of this catwalk, sir. A lot of it is iced over, and up above the head cover gets sparse."

"We'll deploy ice cleats on the way up," Nihlus responded, "continue on, the wind won't stay stalled forever. Shepard nodded and took her first step out of the hanger. The walkway creaked in response, the thin corrugated metal flexing under her metal shod boot. Shepard swallowed and took another step as she tried very hard not to stare down into the abyss she was now fully out over. Beneath her, the serrated blades on the soles of her boots bit into the crust of ice. The wind was picking up again now, no longer swirling about but steadily pushing at her back. She took another step.

The climb was slow work. Icy stairs had to be carefully traversed, while the ever stiffening wind buffeted at the six climbers. Occasionally, the whole party had to stop and hug the metal cliff face as a rogue gust threatened to pluck them from the walkway, safety lines or no.

"How much further to the next junction?" Shepard called out.

"No more than ten," Nihlus' voice came back faint and crackling, even over the radios. "You should be able to see it by now!" Shepard peered forward into the white wall of the blizzard. She could see nothing past the first three feet. All else was consumed by flying flakes.

"I'm not seein…." Shepard's reply was cut short by a sudden, gut-wrenching noise. The metal beneath her feet squealed and pitched forward. Ahead of her, something twanged and it wasn't until too late that Shepard realized that her safety line had gone slack. The world turned beneath her and she found herself staring downwards at the valley below.