Interloper Rewrite: Chapter 34

The Hard Bit


"I can't let you interfere with the mission, Wrex. If Saren gets access to an unlimited supply of krogan warriors..."

"And I can't let you destroy the best chance at freeing my people from the scourge of the Genophage," Wrex bellowed, cutting the Commander off. The two legendary figures squared off over the white sand of the STG camp, each taut, ready for violence. Wrex hulking and seething with a rage I had never witnessed, Shepard stock still, cold, focused. Neither had yet pulled a weapon, but that could change within the blink of an eye. "My people need this, Shepard!" The Krogan's eyes were still locked on Shepard's, but his body swayed, his clawed feet fidgeting in the sand. There was a change in his voice. An undercurrent of desperation had slithered in under the usual gruffness, a sharp edge to the anger that was almost entirely alien to the massive mercenary. "And if you're determined to see it all burn, I'll have to stop you myself."

Wrex moved fast for a soldier so large and ancient. His shotgun was in his hands with a blur of motion, matched only by the STG agents posted around the camp site. The Salarians had their sinuous white rifles and handguns in their hands before Wrex could sight in on Shepard, the twinkling of red dots painting patterns on his heaving chest. My own hand went to my hip in a delayed grab for my Devlon Stinger, but Steiner caught my arm by the elbow. She motioned with her eyes significantly. For all the weapons pointed and ready to dispense hot steel with murderous intent, one gun was still very conspicuously undrawn. Commander Shepard stared down the barrel of the shotgun leveled on her with steely determination and raised a hand slowly, signaling for the camp to keep back.

"Wrex," she said slowly, carefully, "you must know what's at stake here. Not just for your people, but for the rest of the galaxy. What use is a cure to the Genophage if it brings about an end to civilization?"

"Why should I care about the rest of the galaxy?" Wrex snapped harshly, "they turned their backs on the Krogan long ago. Your vaunted civilization imposed centuries of horror on us as a reward for saving them the last time something slithered out of the unknown. And you want me to make that sacrifice all over again? The Krogan are strong. Maybe my people survive this cataclysm that brings down your 'civilization.' I only have one option, to protect my own kind." Wrex took another step forward. The red dots swarmed again, arresting his advance.

"They're not 'your kind,' Wrex, can't you see that?" Shepard retorted, "Saren is breeding them for slavery. Slavery to the Reapers. The Krogan deserve more for than what's been given them, for what's been done to them. I know that, but this is neither the time, nor the place to start righting wrongs."

"Righting wrongs? This is about more than a little social justice, Shepard," Wrex shot back, but his shotgun lowered. He paced back and forth in the sand, his short tail thrashing. "This is about survival."

"This isn't the way, Wrex, this isn't the way," Shepard slowly approached him, arms outstretched, more for some of the more twitchy STG agents posted up behind him than for the Krogan battlemaster. If he looked like he was going to make a move, it was very likely they'd be less inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt that Ashley did in the game. Wrex's brooding form was silent for a long time. The STG looked almost ready to jump the gun when he looked up with a feral grin.

"Fine, I'll trust you this once, Shepard. If this place needs torching, I'll make sure to get it done right. But if you ever stand between me and a cure for my people again, not even the entire STG could save you." And with that he turned and brushed by the camp guards, making sure to knock one to the ground. With the situation defused, at least for the moment, I was able to breath easily, at least for a while.


The Mako departed with a rising shriek of its fusion engines. It was odd to see its taillights, and watching the IFV rumble off with not only Commander Shepard, but Tali, Liara, Wrex, and Garrus as well. The Mako turned a corner into one of the many side gullies that spiraled mazelike away from the camp. It took something nameless with it, leaving a hollow feeling that sucked at my chest. I tore my eyes away from it and trudged towards where the stay-behind team gathered. Ashley Williams stood atop a crate in a set of heavy armor. Before her, the marines of the Normandy and Everest were arrayed and ready. I fell in between Steiner and Jenkins as the remaining STG troops emerged from their camp.

"Alright, listen up, people," Ashley started, calling her men and women to attention, "According to the intel gathered by our good friends in the STG, this place is a krogan cloning facility for Saren and his goons. It's Shepard's job to shut it down, but it's our job to do the hard work, we will be drawing the Geth guarding this facility away to allow her strike team to enter. I'm not going to lie to you, we have our work set out for us. We'll be fighting not just more of Saren's tin soldiers, but it sounds like he's growing himself some krogan as well. But that doesn't scare us, does it boys and girls? The Geth might have sent the Quarians running from their homeworld, but they never had to meet the Alliance Marines! The Krogan might have left the Turians quaking on their perches, but they never had to meet the Alliance Marines. When the Fleet failed against the Turians, the Marines held. When the Batarians sought to take what wasn't theirs, the Marines held. And when all of Saren's little minions come calling today boys and girls, we will hold! You get me?"

"We get you, Chief!" the Marines gave a resounding cheer before reaching for rifles and other weapons. The Salarians were more subdued, responding to Kirrahe's own speech with grim readiness. My battle rifle felt heavy across my back, but Ashley's words still rang in my ears.

"That's what I like to hear! Grab your rucks, we've got a long day ahead of us. I want A through C Squads loaded for bear and carrying every grenade you can lay your hands on. D Squad, you're humping our field entrenchment kit and mortars. Now go, we move out in ten!"

The mix of humans and Salarians broke apart and went for their packs. A heavy, boxy container was strapped to my back by another of the marines, its weight distributed over magnetic anchors on my armor's back plate. "You're going to want one of these," Steiner said in apparent good humor. She pressed something into my hand. My fingers locked around something automatically. I looked down to the shaft of a folded metal shovel, sharpened on one side and serrated on the other. The other end terminated in a simple D handle.

"What, no mass effect micro excavator? Entrenching charges? Nanites?" I asked, half amused, half concerned. The simple nature of the tool stood out amongst the futuristic gear of the assembled troopers. I'd never done any serious digging outside of pottering around the garden. My stomach churned at the prospect of digging a trench like I was getting ready to see off the Hun.

"No, the nanites are in your sandbags. Now strap that on, trust me. When we punch that robotic beehive in the nose, you're going to want to be able to dig a hole." She left the entrenching tool in my hand with a firm shove. "You doing alright? You looked ready to crack under the Mako there." Her words were kind, for Steiner, but there was more than just a friendly ribbing to the set of her eyes.

"I'm ready to do my duty," I replied, "Don't worry, I've got your back."

"And I've got his," Jenkins interrupted, clapping both of us on the shoulder as he came up from behind, "you know, in case Michael's forgotten how to shoot something that isn't strapped to a tank." His words sliced through the tension and I felt a genuine upwelling of relief in my chest. I clapped him back and smiled.

"Thanks, Rick. I'll remember that when we compare scores after the battle."

"Loser buys the beer once we return to the citadel for the 'We just beat the eldritch robotic abominations from beyond the stars' party." Jenkins hefted his rifle and struck what he must have thought a heroic pose.

"You're on," Steiner added. At our raised eyebrows, she continued, "WHat, just because I'm the only one taking this seriously doesn't mean I can't get something out of it when I soundly thrash the both of you."

We laughed standing there under the tropical sun. Laughed until the order came down the line that we were marching. Ashley led the column; the mixed group of soldiers and specialists fell in behind her at a fast jog. We pounded towards the Geth base in determined silence. While the two rousing speeches did a lot to fire the blood, and the shared moment between the three of us had lightened the grim mood, every one of us knew the odds we would be facing. I tried not to let the worry show on my face, my mind raced above the steady thumping of boots on ground. I had a terrible feeling this would be the final mission I took part in. As part of the diversionary force, it was almost inevitable that I would be one of the ones ambushed when Saren returned to close the trap. Shepard would be given the choice between protecting the bomb, and rescuing us. And if she showed half the dedication to the mission that she had shown so far, my prospects weren't looking good. I trudged on regardless, trying to keep my head down. The first drops of rain began to patter on my hardsuit's helmet.


A heavy breeze blew across the river. On the far bank, the high walls and spires of the Geth compound rose up and into the sky as if they were growing out of the ground. Already the light smattering of rain had risen in tempo and volume, it stirred the sluggish current until it seethed against the shore. From places of concealment amongst the various larger shrubs and bushes, the mixed force of Marines and STG agents watched the Geth patrol the walls of their fortress. I nestled in behind a cracked stub of rock, trying to ignore the way the rain splattered off the sand in front of me and into my face. The attack began without warning. Smart munitions launched from portable mortars arced over our hidden lines and slammed into the compound with a fury that lit the young twilight. Rents were torn in the compound walls and Geth were shattered and broken. The response was instantaneous. The surviving geth platforms turned as one and flailed the beach with searching fingers of hot plasma. Shapes erupted from the river, more of the larger armatures wading in to shore. Their sporadic fire blew craters in the sand as they searched for us. A smattering of return fire lit up our side of the river but it wasn't long before the order went up and we began withdrawing up the beach. The bait was set, and the Geth obliged, surging from their positions to give chase.

"Here they come!" someone yelled further back in the group. They came on foot, maybe a dozen at a time. We made short work of them, focusing fire by sections in an effort to halt their advance. It seemed to be working at first, but something seemed wrong.

"Why don't they come all at once?" A called over to Jenkins. "There's more than enough out there to completely swamp up." I shifted my aim, loosing a shot that clipped an approaching trooper, dropping its shields. Jenkins took it down with a chatter of assault rifle fire.

"You ask me," Jenkins replied, "They're testing us, seeing how many troops we brought along." The gunfire from down the beach slowly petered out, the existing geth melting into the lengthening shadows cast by the shredded foliage we had previously occupied. To my left and right, Marines took the opportunity to start digging shallow holes in the ground, throwing sand behind them in hurried sideways thrusts of their shovels. The last obvious platform fell to a shot to its flashlight head and the amassed Humans and Salarians gave a half-hearted cheer.

"Quiet," Ashley hissed. The sound of fighting from far across the river drifted towards us. "Damn, the Commander's already got stuck in." The silence among the group continued as shots echoed from the compound. "Where are the Geth?" That's when they struck. Geth troopers moved in from both sides, closing a pincer as a third force of striding armatures slammed into our front. The mortars gave their tunk-tunk reply, orange blooms of fire lit the beach to reveal the swarm of incoming Geth. The former drizzle of incoming fire became a storm that snapped overhead and threw up blizzards of stone fragments to patter down on me. I was pinned behind a rocky outcropping and half buried in sand when the first Geth trooper charged me. Jenkins sprayed it down, momentarily distracting it long enough for me to pull up my rifle and crack open its chest. The wind turned against us, blowing the sound of explosions and the bitter smell of smoke up and over our positions.

"Fall back! Shorten the lines and bring them in!" Ashley ordered. Around us, Marines abandoned their hollows and ran crouched up and over the ridge of the hill. A man to my right jumped up and turned and was rewarded with a spray of bright teal shards that ran up his back. The armor their erupted in puffs of red and the man collapsed, falling to the ground in a crumpled heap. To my left, Jenkins readied a grenade and threw it in an arc over the rock. It exploded with a flat krump and the fire coming back at us slackened slightly.

"Time to go," we uttered, our words intermingling. Geth fire nipped at our heels as we sprinted for the rise, our feet skated in the sand. In front of us, a quartet of Salarians turned and gave fire. One of them fell back, armor smoking. Two of his comrades caught him by the armpits and began to drag him back as the last one readied another grenade. Jenkins ducked behind the fourth agent and turned to join him as I dropped into a slide over the last few meters. I scrabbled back up to a kneeling position to cover their retreat. Already the grey-skinned forms of more Geth had reached the line of dugouts. The line exploded as left behind mines triggered. Jenkins and the unnamed Salarian took the oppurtunity to slither in beside me. Overhead, the rain fell in heavy drops, the swirling clouds swallowing the last of the sunset.


"Here they come again!"

The cry came from the front, less than fifty meters away. It was quickly followed by an upswell in crackling mass effect rifle fire and the harsh thrumming bark of the snipers hidden in the rocks above us. The mortar section beside Chief William's little command post joined them, their thumping retorts launching shells near vertical to fall on any Geth trying to work their way up the beach to reinforce their vanguard. The pounding rain filled the pit the command post occupied, sloshing under our boots. Ashley was hunched over, her fingers pressed to the radio set in her helmet, head cocked, listening. I peered out over the edge of the pit, letting my short-hafted shovel rest in the soft clay of the floor. The Geth were pushing in on the flanks again, tall armatures leading wedges against the thinnest parts of our lines. As I watched, two mortar shells landed at the closest war strider's slender legs, knocking it over onto it's back. Two of the dark-armored Salarians flickered out under visual cloaks that popped and fizzled in the rain to afix a charge on its chest. The blast was audible from the pit as actinic fire sundered the armor of the platform turned turtle. As one, the advancing attackers shifted, pressing another point in the lines as our reinforcements moved up through waist-high furrows cut in the sand. There was another explosion as someone landed a lucky hit with a grenade and the Geth advance froze and melted away. Stretchers came back, troopers went forwards, and soon enough dirt began to rise from the forward trenches as the digging resumed. Just as it had twice before our retreat from the beach. Behind me, the radio crackled.

"Commander, they've got us pinned against a cliff face. Any news on that uplink?" the Normandy's chief asked over the comms. I didn't hear the reply, but she didn't look happy. "Liddle, I want you up front, some of those Salarians are getting a little flighty."

I snapped off a short nod and scurried from the command pit, dragging my shovel and rifle out behind me. I shuffled forward, keeping low over the wind riven sand and into the low slit trench leading up to the front. Shots snapped out in the growing dark. Somewhere forward something exploded loudly. I hopped up and over into the rough-cut forward trench with a splash. The occupying Salarians looked up in alarm, wide barreled weapons at the ready. They eased up as they got a good look at me and returned to their positions. Those nearest to me nodded grimly and returned their round, black eyes forward.

"Deputy Liddle, it is good you are here." One of them chirped. He carried a lancer-pattern rifle from the Normandy's stores and had layered himself with bandoleers of grenades. "Operative Tarel." He identified himself.

"This your squad?" I asked, firing a few rounds over the lip of the trench. The Salarian nodded. "Is there anything you need?"

"Stocks of medigel running low, we have, wounded." The Salarian sadly turned to were several of his men lay with their backs to the sand. While most looked like they would pull through, if we weren't overrun, a number looked in very poor shape.

"I'll see what I can…" but I was interrupted by a fresh wave of attackers. They announced their presence with the now familiar and hated electronic rattle and the pulsing of the curved rifles. I threw myself against the wall of the trench, firing wildly at the attackers. They moved up fast, each group covering another with interlocking fire, making it very hard to get a clear shot on any of them. With the majority of the defenders focused on the blistering advance, very few had their eyes on the nearby cliffs.

The whine of a sniper's targeting laser reached my ears scant seconds before the retort. Sand erupted to my left, narrowly missing Operative Tarel.

"Snipers on the hill!" I rolled and tried to fire back, but already more of the telltale red beams were focusing on my position. It was all I could do to say ahead of them, rolling further down the trench. Some of the Salarian defenders weren't so lucky. A thin black mist descended on the sand as a shot caught one in the chest. He went down with a sickening gurgle. The rest clung to what little cover the sandy wall provided. The snipers had set up in such a way that they could fire down along each line of the hastily dug defenses, using the press of the frontal attack to keep the men pinned while they picked us off one at a time. Just when it was looking like the end was upon us, the frontal attack disappeared. I risked a look forward to see the platforms moving away, from the look of the parts left scattered across the beach, we had done enough damage to give them pause. The brief respite gave us a chance to deal with the snipers. Without the scope on my rifle, it was of limited use against the far-off threat, but the Marine marksmen to the rear had no such problems. Their rifles barked, and the Geth sniper fire ceased.


The last 'sand bag' fell into place. The colony of nanites inside buzzed as they converted the sand inside into hardened concrete. The reinforced parapet was lined with the things and my arms burned with the aftershocks of their filling. With the defenses shored up and the dead or wounded dragged rearwards to await pickup, all that was left to do was nervously watch forward. From what scattered reports I was still cleared to receive, Shepard's strike team had run into the uplink station, silencing the signals directing the multipronged attack that had almost seen us overrun. They were making good progress through the compound, which added a solitary bright ray to an otherwise dismal day. There was a wet slap as someone landed in the increasingly waterlogged trench beside me. Something was pressed into my hand. The field ration's foil pouch crinkled as I turned to see Steiner already tearing into hers.

"Compliments of the Chief." She said between bites. "Eat up, we're shelling the compound again soon to clear out some more Geth. I figure retaliation won't be far coming." I nodded and tore open the foil. Despite the bland taste, I wolfed it down eagerly. Amidst the fighting, I had forgotten how hungry I was. Water dripped from my helmet and off my nose as I stared out across the sand. The thumping of mortars behind me signaled that the temporary calm was coming to an end.

An ominous hum filtered down through the rainstorm. Nervous eyes scanned the sky and the sand, looking out for a sign that the mortar attack had roused something within the Geth Base. The attack didn't come across the hill, or from the opposite cliffs, but straight down on our heads. Geth drones strafed our positions, raking the bags. Screams emanated from the rear trenches. The platoon returned fire. A few drones dropped in flames from the sky, but there were too many and they moved too quickly. I dropped my battle rifle in favor of a shotgun, trying to catch them as they swooped in close. Behind me, Steiner cursed as she aimed up at the sky. Her rifle chattered. Her shots shredded into a dawdling drove as it hung above the battlefield. There was another hum, this one louder than the last. Reinforcements were rushing in to replace the fallen flyers as the current wave jetted off to refuel. More marines fell under the sustained assault. As the battle continued, I found myself slipping into a daze, automatically firing, ducking, and weaving. The battle had dragged on for at least a few hours now, and it was getting exhausting. I sipped on my hardsuit's water supply and lined up another shot. The drone went down like a flaming pinwheel. Something splashed into the water behind me. I turned hesitantly; it was Steiner. The female marine had caught a shot low on the leg, just above the knee. A thin river of blood trickled into the cloudy trench water.

"Steiner!" was all I managed. I dropped down beside her and gave her a weak shot of medigel from my already depleted reserve. Her gritted teeth relaxed somewhat and she leaned back against the wall.

"I'm alright."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, just hand me a rifle, I've got a better angle on the bastards from down here anyway." I slapped a weapon into her hands and waited for her to swap out the charred ammo block for a fresh block of tungsten. "Well, go on then. What are you waiting for?" She slapped the breach closed and fired a burst into the air.