…
"The difficult we do now, the impossible takes a little longer."
(Seabees)
…
MFV Normandy, January 14th, 1:49 AM, 2185
…
I cautiously peered closer at the anaerobic chamber in the ship's science lab, watching the winged creature bounce off the hardened glass as it tried to get out. The sight of it still made my skin crawl, but after spending a few hours examining it the feeling was diminished.
Mordin and I had begun observing it immediately after we were a safe distance from the colony. During the many hours we had scanned and prodded it, we discovered three things about these creatures.
The first was that the "armor plating" on its back was part of an odd bio transmitter system built throughout its body. It broadcasted a weak signal that disrupted communications, but would get stronger the more of them there were. We easily countered the single creature's ability by isolating and jamming its frequency.
The second was that the "venom" they injected into their victims was actually a form of concentrated neurotoxin. When injected into the bloodstream, it's absorbed into the whole body, but affects muscles near the surface of the epidermis. How it specifically targets the movement muscles we still haven't figured out, but Mordin was hard at work trying to create both a cure and some kind of countermeasure.
The third, and most interesting, was that the creature was mostly cybernetic. Despite looking like an organic flesh and blood creature, it was a genetic hybrid of several species held together by a hardened biomechanical shell. We weren't able to identify how it actually functions, especially without a power source, but given enough time I was confident we would figure it out.
"Interesting creature, will provide more than enough data on Collector capabilities." Mordin gushed, pacing back and forth in front of the anaerobic chamber before looking at me. "Thoughts?"
"It gives me the heebie-jeebies." I remarked in a deadpan, one hand held under my right armpit as the other fiddled with my chin hair. "I hate bugs, and its artificial nature doesn't change my gut feeling towards it one bit."
"Fear reaction normal for most humans, ingrained fear of insects." Mordin immediately replied without missing a beat as I shot one of my eyebrows up in bafflement. "Curious… is reaction normal?"
"I've always hated bugs." I replied back, folding my arms as I focused all attention on him. "Well… except the Praying Mantis. I always thought they were pretty cool, even if the females do occasionally eat the males after having sex."
"Sexual cannibalism normal among many insects. Most common in arachnids." He added with a smile, walking closer. "Vorcha known to engage in similar acts."
"I don't need any more information on that subject, thank you very much." I immediately deflected with my hands held up, looking away from him. Before either one of us could continue the conversation, the door to the lab opened, revealing Shepard in a standard Alliance crew uniform.
"Hello Commander." I greeted, standing stiffer despite technically being higher in rank.
"Hello Sean." He returned, allowing me to relax a little bit as walked over to us. "I just got done talking to Hackett about the fate of the colony and what we found there… he wasn't too happy."
"Can't blame him. What did he think about the info we got?" I redirected, not wanting any of us to dwell on the grim fate of the colonists.
"He didn't like the source of our info regarding the population figures, but he couldn't deny their accuracy. As for our physical evidence, he was ecstatic." He answered quickly, folding his arms as he too looked at the bug creature. "Mordin, as soon as you've developed that countermeasure I want it forwarded to my personal computer."
He nodded in response, smiling as I stepped forward.
"So… what's the plan then?" I asked after a brief pause, folding my arms as I tilted my head.
"Hackett wants us to make our way to the Titan Nebula to reinforce the small colony of Fehl Prime. It has a small garrison of Alliance marines already stationed there, but we're going to make sure those people stay safe." He outlined, face completely stern as he spoke. "He predicts we'll only have six or seven days before they attack another colony, so we'll only have enough time to make a few stops on our way there."
Mordin and I both nodded silently, looking away from him before another thought quickly crossed my mind.
"What did Hackett have to say regarding our encounter with Cerberus?" I probed, curious to know what kind of response, if any, this would get from the Alliance.
"He's not happy that they've become involved, but then again he isn't surprised." He stated, sounding slightly tired as he tilted his head. He then leaned back against the wall, letting out a deep sigh.
"Cerberus involvement troubling, not known for altruism. Past history suggests ulterior motives." Mordin pondered, speaking rapidly as he held his hand up to his chin. "Interest in Collectors? Technology? Information?"
"Well, we know they weren't there to spread the good word of the Lord, that much we know." I mused, allowing myself to smile as I leaned against the table. "After seeing how they operate from the inside, it can only be for their own benefit."
"Perhaps our new friend down in the holding cell can give us a better idea of what to expect…" Shepard suggested, giving me a small smile as I nodded.
"Time to ask a few questions." I said, cracking my knuckles as we left the lab.
…
Three Minutes Later
…
The hangar bay was eerily quiet despite the flurry of activity that had occupied it hours earlier. There were only a few members of the twilight crew working down here, but there was a noticeable shift in activity once we entered the portside section of the bottom deck. Here, we kept one of our auxiliary generators, extra storage, and our holding cells. There were only two, and they were quite small. Two marines stood guard, making sure our guest didn't do anything funny.
"You can take a break, men." Shepard ordered, nodding towards the door as they walked off. "I like to think they enjoy it when I send them away."
"Yeah, I love it when my boss tells me to take a hike." I replied dryly, shooting my eyebrows into the air as I looked at him out of the corner of my eye.
"Very funny." He shot back, shaking his head slightly as he walked over to the cell door and banged against the window. "Hey, you awake in there?"
"Who wants to know?" Messner's slightly muffled voice answered as I saw him get up and walk towards us.
"You know exactly who it is!" Shepard yelled, surprising me slightly as he leaned forward into the glass window. "And you know exactly what I want to know."
"Sounds like wishful thinking to me." He mocked as I got a better look at his face without the visor, seeing how pale the line across his eyes was without it. "Heh, your doctor friend there probably knows more than I do."
"What do you mean?" I asked, taking a few steps forward as I crossed my arms.
"Oh, you didn't know?" He smiled, focusing on me. "The Collectors have been taking people of all races for years, but only recently have been focusing on humanity. I thought even you egghead types would have been able the piece that together."
"That's not what we're here to talk about." Shepard redirected, getting the attention back on him. "We want to know what Cerberus was doing in the system so soon after the Collector attack."
Messner looked between us both, narrowing his eyes before tugging on his beard.
"I don't know… what's in it for me?" He asked with a cocked eyebrow, taking a seat next to the window.
"Your life." I immediately threatened, getting both him and Shepard to turn and face me. Shepard looked like he had been caught off-guard, and Messner looked unamused.
"Oh yeah, real scary. What are you going to do to me? Bore me to death with your scientific mumbo-jumbo?" He mocked as I maintained my composure and focused harder on him.
"Oh, it's not what I would do, but what the quarian Admiralty Board would do." I said, putting my arms back down as I took a step forward. "Little do you know, after that attack your organization pulled on Reach, we had each and every last one of the survivors tried then ejected into space."
His face softened slightly as my comment sunk in, and even Shepard looked slightly taken aback.
"You're bluffing." He tried to argue as I kept my face rigid, making sure not to move at all.
"Not at all. The Migrant Fleet doesn't have prison facilities." I pushed further, trying to get him past the event horizon. "After they're through with you, you'll be so broken that you'll beg for a bullet to the brain. Only if you tell us everything we want to know will I use my pull with the Admiralty to save your worthless excuse of a life."
I could see from his shifting facial features that I had succeeded in getting under his skin. The marbles in his brain were rolling, and it didn't take a genius to tell he was more concerned about his own life than his loyalties.
"The Illusive Man created our cell, Eos, after Lazarus went dark following the attack on Minuteman station." He began, speaking very carefully as if his life hinged on every word, but maintaining his stiff facial features. "Our goal, well… their goal is to track Collector movement in the Terminus and connect it back to the Reaper threat."
"The Illusive Man thinks they're connected to the Reapers?" Shepard remarked, looking back at me before narrowing his eyes. "What gave him that idea?"
"I wasn't around when the cell was initially formed, but I imagine they found some correlation between the two." He added, leaning against the door to get a better look at me. "With the limitless access your drive tech affords Cerberus, they could have found just about anything and claimed it all for themselves."
I shifted my stance slightly as he mentioned that last part, knowing how true that statement was. If we found an old Prothean data cache under CASTLE Base, who knows what else could be out there for those with our Reach System to find.
The thought alone made the tips of my toes cold.
"We're getting off-track here. We want to know why you arrived in-system so quickly." I redirected, leaning towards him as he dipped his head down slightly.
"Well, according to Maya, one of our agents embedded in the Blue Suns contacted the Collectors on the behest of the outfit claiming they wanted to "deal" with the disgusting creatures." He went on, causing me some serious surprise which I did my best to suppress. "I don't know the details, but apparently they managed to trace back their communication channels and identify the signals they use on their ships."
I let out a small huff of approval, having to admit to myself that was a clever move as Shepard moved in closer to the window as well.
"They traced the signal to Ferris Fields?" He asked, looking harder at the man as he slowly nodded his head.
"Those cockroaches of a species have been attacking progressively bigger colonies as they've gone unopposed." He said, rubbing one of his eyes with the back of his hand. "They show up so quickly that no one can fight back. We still don't know how they've been taking entire population centers with such ease."
"You don't, but we do." I shot back, allowing a small amount of smugness to creep onto my face as I crossed my arms. "Any chance you know the signal Cerberus is using to monitor their locations?"
"Hold up, I'm not telling you jack shit until I'm guaranteed safety!" He rebuked, immediately angry as he pushed his face into the glass. "That's all you get!"
"We'll work on it." Shepard finished in a dry tone, turning to leave the room as I did the same. "Get comfortable, you'll be in there for a while."
"Assholes!" He shouted from behind as we walked back out, sealing the room door behind us.
"Geez, I had forgotten how full of themselves these Cerberus assholes are." I said, shaking my head with crossed arms. "Eos? Give me a break."
"Well, at least we have some idea of how they're involved." Shepard mused, shaking his head slightly as he let out a deep sigh. "Still doesn't explain their involvement in the first place."
"Knowing how they operate, they likely want to use the entire situation as an excuse to bolster their recruitment numbers." I suggested, leaning against a supply crate. "If they manage to somehow ward off a Collector attack, they'll be seen as saviors by the colonists."
"Still doesn't explain the Reaper involvement…" He replied, shaking his head.
"Maybe the Reapers hired them?" I theorized, shrugging my shoulders. "Didn't they work with Saren before?"
"Yes, but that was different." He denied, looking at the floor as he recalled information. "The Reapers don't deal in money, they indoctrinate people into joining them, eventually turning them into thralls or worse, mindless husks."
"Perhaps they've indoctrinated the Collectors and are being used the same way the heretic Geth were?" I remarked, forcing myself to think of logical conclusions to a situation I still had little hard data on.
"I don't know." Shepard replied calmly, closing his eyes and taking in a breath before focusing on me once more. "Hey, you were joking back there, right?"
"About what?" I replied, cocking one of my eyebrows in minor alarm.
"Venting those prisoners into space." He clarified, allowing me to smile.
"Of course I was. We did sentence them, but we sent them to the Alliance after individually interrogating each one." I reassured, tilting my head to the left slightly. "Trust me, no amount of hatred would ever get me to do something so cruel. I've already been down that path once before, and I promised myself I'd never stoop to that level again."
"Good, you had me worried there for a minute." He finished, looking back at the door for a moment. "Anyways, I'll plot our next destination. I want you to get some sleep, because it looks like you need it."
"Yes sir." I nodded, getting a quick pat on the shoulder before he walked off towards the elevator.
He was right, I needed to get some shuteye.
…
MFV Normandy, January 14th, 2:13 AM, 2185
…
I quietly took my shoes off, pulling myself into my personal capsule bunk and closing the door with a small hiss. I let out a deep sigh as I laid my head against the pillow in the back, forcing myself to be still as I closed my eyes and continued to breathe deeply. The cool air blowing through the small vent next to me filled me with a sense of bliss as I listened to the sound of the reactor through the hull.
The gentle vibration of the engines could be felt when perfectly still, acting to calm my breathing even further as I thought back to home. My mind drifted to the mountains around Serenity Valley, the wispy clouds moving between them as the sun rose over the eastern end of the valley, making them glow a brilliant orange as shadows could be seen through the trees for miles.
My concentration was suddenly shattered as I heard a loud clang outside of my capsule, forcing me to lean forward. I carefully opened the door, feeling a gush of warm air surge inside. I stepped back down onto the floor barefoot, surprised to find it wasn't nearly as cold as it normally was.
That wasn't all, either. All the night lights were off, and the only light source other than my capsule was a hazy, orange one farther down the corridor. The air suddenly began to smell like charred meat as I walked towards the light, inching closer until I heard a gunshot. My ears rang as one of our crewmembers fell dead to the deck, eyes wide open with an expression of pure terror.
I fell backwards, landing on the deck as Linda Embry walked around the corner with a fully-armored Cerberus commando behind her. She smiled, a manic look in her bloodshot eyes as she leveled a rifle at me.
"No!" I shouted as I got back up on my feet, attempting to run the other direction. The moment I looked down the other end of the hallway, she was suddenly right there with her rifle planted directly in my gut.
She fired, causing me to scream out in pain as flew backwards, landing in a pool of my own blood as she calmly kneeled next to me. She placed her hand on my bleeding wound, looking at it for a moment before rubbing the side of my face.
"You were never in control." She mused with blackened eyes as my body began growing colder. She smiled, noticing my weakness as she got closer. "Just let it go… it'll all be over soon."
She then leaned forward, plunging her fingers into my eyes as everything went dark and debilitating pain shot through my body.
…
I screamed out loud as I hit my head against the roof of my capsule, temporarily causing me to see stars and feel a sense of vertigo. After giving myself a moment to recover I realized I was soaked in sweat, and had grasped my sheets so hard that my right hand had cramped. I let out a sigh, only now feeling a dull ache from my abdomen. I pulled up my t-shirt, rubbing the scar on my belly until the phantom pain faded away from my conscious mind.
I leaned back, allowing my breathing to normalize as I suddenly realized how dry my throat had become. I quickly opened the door, checking to make sure everything was normal before putting my shoes back on and walking over to the vacant mess hall. I quietly poured myself a glass of water as the ANN played on a loop in the background.
"In other news, stock in SpaceX, Bigelow Aerospace, and Eldfell-Ashland Energy have all dropped as news emerged from the Terminus of yet another privately-funded human colony in the region going missing. The colony of Ferris Fields, established in 2180 by Samuel Davies, it was a primary supplier of biofuels and grain-based produce before going dark Monday morning." The anchorwoman went on, drawing my attention to the monitor. "Initial reports tell us there are no survivors, though the cause of their disappearance has yet to be discerned by official sources. More at 6:00, only on the Alliance News Network."
I shook my head in disappointment, drinking the entire glass of water in one go before letting out a satisfied sigh. I opened my omni-tool, checking to see it was 5:34 in the morning. I knew there was no chance I was going to get anymore sleep after that dream, so I turned right back around to make myself a cup of coffee.
"Hey, is everything alright?" I heard Lydia ask as she appeared in the center of the mess table, floating a few inches above it as she "sat" down in a cross-legged position. "I thought I heard you… scream."
I almost told her right then and there what exactly I had dreamt, but the words refused to come out as I decided instead to walk over and sit down on top the table next to her.
"Dreams again?" She guessed correctly, putting her holographic hand over my own as I nodded without a sound.
"I know it's not the best overall solution, but perhaps you should try taking a doxepine pill before going to sleep at night." She suggested, bringing up an image of our medical inventory.
"Are you trying to say there's something wrong with me?" I asked in a mildly whimsical tone, leaning my head backwards as I tried not to laugh at how ridiculous it all seemed.
"No, but the long-term effects of sleep deprivation have been heavily documented over the years." She argued, sounding more like a teacher than a colleague. "I know the idea of therapy doesn't appeal to you very much, plus we don't have the time for it given our current situation. I figured this is our second best option."
"You always were the optimist, weren't you?" I joked, allowing myself a small smile. "Your brother and I were always glass half empty types anyway. You? Always a glass half full."
"How else would I be able to maintain my charming personality?" She remarked with a thin veneer sarcasm, standing up as I did the same. "You know, there's something I've always wanted to ask you..."
"What's that?" I quickly inquired, cocking one of my eyebrows as I looked directly into her eyes.
"Was there ever a time you were… interested in me?" She asked in a much softer tone, actually looking away slightly as the words finished coming out of her mouth.
Her questions seemingly came completely out of left field, catching me off guard. I sat there for a good, long moment, giving it serious thought before turning back to her.
"Ye-yeah." I admitted in an obviously uncomfortable tone. "Near the tail end of high school, there was a time I considered asking you out on a date, but I never did manage to work up the courage. That, and um… it seemed a little weird in my head, the idea of asking. Dan was always so protective of you… you seemed more like a little sister to me after a while. I'm sorry."
She didn't say anything in response to my confession, deciding instead to nod and smile before her hologram flickered.
"Is everything okay?" I asked, hoping I hadn't offended her in some way.
"Yes." She replied in a hushed tone, a wide smile crossing her chiseled face. "Thank you, Sean."
Her hologram then faded away before I could think of a response, replacing her image with that of a schematic of the ship. Her question and subsequent response left me confused and mildly worried, but knowing how eccentric she normally was anyway, I forced myself back to the cup of coffee I had poured, knowing today would be interesting.
…
MFV Normandy, January 14th, 11:22 AM, 2185
…
Shepard had recently gotten off the comm with Admiral Hackett for the second time, passing along our findings and giving him a general update of our plans. We were going to swing through the systems to recruit Warlord Okeer and this biotic woman Jack, hoping both would be willing to join us. Once we had them aboard, we'd go to Fehl Prime and assist the colonists and Special Forces marines in preparing for the attack. Once that ordeal is over with, we'd return to Reach for resupply and to drop of our "guest."
It sounded rather simple when you didn't give it any thought, but I already knew from the small amount of time I've spent with Shepard not to take things at face value. Warlord Okeer was currently in the employ of the Blue Suns on some junkyard planet called Korlus, while Jack was locked up in the mobile ark ship turned prison, Purgatory, currently in orbit around the same planet. It wasn't by accident that Purgatory was there, the warden of the prison was currently demanding "tribute" of sorts from the government to "maintain" their running costs.
It roughly translated to "give me money and I won't dump my worst criminals off on your planet." This was a frequent tactic he employed, especially around planets as crime-ridden as Korlus.
I wouldn't be part of the team for the Korlus mission, though I would be involved with the mission to Purgatory. I personally had no reservations against fighting the Blue Suns after our encounter on that Geth derelict, but breaking into a maximum-security prison sounded risky. Miranda, Garrus and I were meeting to cook up a plan in a few minutes.
I thought back to the recent conversation I had with Dan over the comm network. He answered my call in the place of Mara, who was busy digging into the Prothean archives below the facility.
According to him, the testing phase on the Desant-class dropships had nearly concluded, with only one test giving him and Dimitri trouble. Their work however was interrupted by the return of Biss, Powell, and his research team yesterday from Geth space. There wasn't much he could tell me at the time about Powell's meeting with the Geth Collective, but he implied it had been very productive and Richard was thrilled.
Biss' research had turned up interesting results. He indeed confirmed that Dholen was aging at an accelerated rate, experiencing magnetic "eruptions" and accelerated solar output. The reason why the mission took longer than predicted was due to the monitoring equipment getting periodically fried by the solar radiation. It was apparently so bad that all movement without protective gear had to be relegated to shaded areas only. Beetles native to the planet could be observed combusting when venturing into the light, something that had initially shocked the security detail sent with them.
The beetles actually helped to prove Biss' theory about the accelerated aging of the star. Normally the beetles would have naturally adapted to the extreme heat of the star or developed new moving habits, but it would seem there hasn't been enough time to naturally develop such countermeasures or habits. It hadn't "clicked" with them yet that going out into the sun spelled death.
The whole thing reminded me of The Chronicles of Riddick, and that planet called Crematoria that held a supermax prison under the surface. I could only shake my head at the irony as I walked into the briefing room and sat down next to Miranda.
"Sorry, had to do my daily check with my team back on Reach." I apologized, pushing the wrinkles out of my shirt as I looked at both of them and got nods of confirmation.
"Alright, I've already got most the basics laid out for our mission." She started, standing up and walking around the briefing room table. "Using my old Cerberus credentials, I can pose as a buyer for the organization and get us inside for a negotiation."
"You can do that?" I questioned, leaning my elbow against the table. "Wouldn't they have blacklisted you to hell and back by now?"
"Oh, they most certainly have, but I can easily forge new ones." She shot back with a smile, flipping her old Cerberus ID between her fingers. "My new name will be Olivia Mars. You will have to pick one too."
"Um… sure, I guess." I agreed, sitting up straight and shrugging my shoulders as I quickly fought to think of a name. "I'll be… Korben Dallas."
"Alright…" She said, hanging on her words as she focused on Garrus. "You'll be a little trickier, I think."
"Not being human kind of limits options, doesn't it?" He shot back in a dry tone, folding both his arms across his chest.
"We can still make this work." She reassured, opening her omni-tool and swiping through several pages of people before stopping on a turian. "You'll be Victus Tibnian, a freelance turian biotics specialist hired to assist in transporting Jack."
"I suppose, though I'd have to make sure I wear my helmet." He mused, tapping the side of his head.
"Same goes for me, especially with this Cerberus bounty floating above my head." I added, throwing my feet onto the table as I leaned back in my chair. "Tell me again why Shepard isn't leading this operation?"
"While mostly due to how noticeable he is, he's not coming because there are still other people interested in him." She explained, focusing on me with her cold eyes. "Before we recovered him, the Shadow Broker in particular was very adamant about getting his hands on him. I suspect his retrieval bounty stands."
"You think the warden might try to capture him?" I asked, still not getting where she was coming from with this.
"He's been known to turn on people if he believes he can get a higher profit." She replied, looking at her datapad for a moment before looking back to me. "Trust me, the Shadow Broker's bounty on Shepard's "body" makes the one Cerberus has on you look like pocket change."
I nodded in confirmation, knowing there was no other way to do this. We'd have to put our trust in Miranda for this op, and hope she was as talented of an operator as she was a scientist.
We'd move on the prison tomorrow.
…
A/N: Hey everyone, sorry it took so long to get this chapter out, I've been completely blasted with work and college the last few months and I've felt terrible knowing I hadn't gotten this out in a reasonable time frame. I'll try to do a better job at getting these out at reasonable times in the future, but as usual I can't guarantee anything.
But, as many of you may have noticed, this is my 50th chapter! We're on a roll! I can't wait to do another fifty and hope you'll all join me on the ride!
I'd love to read any reviews, I'm always up for suggestions or constructive criticism. Stay tuned!