Chapter 46 - Redemption

March 30th, 2211, 0441 hours —Anhur, City of New Thebes

Data Corruption… Automatic Reconstruction Failed…Data Corruption….Profile Reconstruction Required…

(Spectre Operative – 10082181-Elektra)

Rally Point Alpha

Garrus was crouched atop the Jiris IFV like a coiled serpent, ready to strike. Though the area was swarming with hungry, nightmarish beasts and his soldiers were dying around him, the turian Primarch looked completely unperturbed. He was an island of calm amidst a roiling sea of chaos. He was sitting in the eye of the storm, in complete control, and from that center he dealt out death.

His Mantis barked. A human Corpser who had just a split-second ago been mere inches from tearing into a turian soldier dropped with half its face torn apart, its metal rictus grin shattered by the high-velocity slug.

Garrus racked the charging handle as he panned to another target. His sights shifted to a Charger, poised to pounce on an unwary mercenary. His round caught the creature in the neck where the armor was weakest, half-severing its head and causing it to slump to the ground.

Before the mercenary could turn to eye his saviour, the legendary sharpshooter was already moving onto his third target. Every single movement of his was efficient, precise, and measured. Whereas younger fighters like Cade or Cloud might sometimes engage in showy martial displays or target strategically or tactically insignificant targets, not a single movement of Garrus' was wasteful.

He targeted only those creatures about to harm his troops, thus simultaneously saving one piece on his side of the board while removing another on the opposing side. A marvelous display of martial calculus that awed Elektra.

His next target was a small Chimera that appeared out of the rubble. All metallic sinew and tendon, it leapt across the battlefield, chittering madly while seeking to use its long, serpentine tail to skewer fleeing mercenaries and turian troopers.

It leapt from a ruined building and landed out onto the square. The impact momentarily stunned it, which was all the turian Primarch needed. Garrus let out a shot. It slammed into one of the creature's multiple eyes, causing it to burst apart in a shower of blue fluid. The Chimera immediately stopped in its tracks and began to chitter in pain.

A torrent of white-hot flame suddenly enveloped it. It's chittering intensified. It tried to put out the flames by rolling around on the ground, but to no avail. Second later, a massive boot came careening down onto his head, going straight through it to dent the concrete beneath, putting it out of its misery.

Revak Ghar'aran looked down at the creature in disgust. Beside him, his brother Malan reloaded another canister of fuel into his flamethrower.

With the death of the Chimera came a lull in the battle. Elektra quickly finished off her own combatant – a gruesome asari Corpser with half its jaw torn off – and paused to survey the battlefield. This square and the adjoining arterial roads were where the turian legions would form a wide wall or perimeter around the crash site, which was still some eight-hundred meters deeper into the city. Here, the turians would hold and attempt to collect any survivors still in the city who were capable of getting in touch with them.

The number of creatures were starting to dwindle. Elektra was looking forward to a well-earned breather before proceeding onto the second phase of the operation. At this point she felt as if she could sleep for a week They had been fighting non-stop all throughout the night and it was quickly taking her to the edge of her endurance. She was built for wetwork, espionage and information acquisition, not all-out warfare for god's sake.

A chorus of gasps suddenly roused her from her thoughts. All around the Spectre, turians were suddenly pointing up into the sky, prompting Elektra to look up as well.

A Systems Alliance F-61 Trident Fighter Jet hurtled through the sky, one of its engines on fire. It careened into a towering skyscraper and erupted into a shower of fiery debris. Three turian A-61 Mantis Gunships zoomed by as well, forward guns blazing as they engaged another squadron that appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

What looked like several-dozen Kodak shuttles then began entering the atmosphere, headed straight for the city. Turian fighters were in hot pursuit, but enemy Systems Alliance fighters were laying down heavy covering fire. Explosions and white-hot tracers lit up the night sky as aircraft from both sides began to engage each other in deadly games of cat and mouse. Squadrons hunted one another in vicious dogfights. In a matter of seconds, the sky over Anhur had become complete pandemonium.

A strong hand grabbed Elektra by the pauldron and shook her. Elektra twisted in alarm, pistol out.

But it was only Percival. The N7-turned-Spectre looked even more battered than he had just a few short hours ago, right after their desperate battle at the spaceport. His red tech armor was still glowing strong, but nearly half of his once jet-black armor had been scared and dented to the point where you could see the silver alloy showing through.

"Percival, what's going on? Did the turian fleet collapse? How did they get their small craft through the blockade?" Elektra asked.

Percival shook his head. "I have no idea! Come on! We've got to get to the Primarch!"

Together the two sprinted over to where Garrus was. The Turian Primarch was barking orders at a number of high-ranking turians. Captain Elias Murgen along with several of the other Jaeger squad leaders were there as well, whispering urgently amongst themselves.

Another explosion happened right above them. A turian gunship was hit by a missile, sending flaming debris raining onto the turian forces.

"Primarch, what's our status?!" Percival called out.

"Spectres, good to see you both alive!" Garrus replied. "Casualty numbers were as predicted but we're still operational, but the space battle is another story. My fleet commanders report that enemy carriers suddenly released a swarm of small combat craft and that some of their ships are now starting to retreat towards the relay!"

Percival looked at the Primarch in utter confusion. "What? Why would they do that? Why release their fighters now? If they were going to release them, they would have done so at the start where they'd be the most use. The Ninth is a veteran hunting fleet, not some fat core planet fleet. Octavian is a seasoned battle commander, he wouldn't make a mistake like that unless its part of a larger plan."

Garrus shook his head. "I don't know, Spectre, but our Vis are projecting that the enemy's personnel shuttles are headed for the downed freighter. We don't know why, but I'd guess that it has something to do with the Reaper core."

"If they're headed for the Reaper core then we have to reach it first and destroy it," Elektra urged.

The turian Primarch rubbed his cheek. "Maybe, or maybe not… We don't know why they're suddenly so interested in the Reaper core when by your reports they've left it unattended for weeks."

"It could be a feint – a diversion," Murgen offered. "You said some of their ships are peeling off towards the relay, could the fighters and the troop carriers be an attempt to divert your attention away from them?"

"Maybe…" Garrus mused. The turian Primarch went silent for a moment as he thought about what to do next, and while he was thinking everyone around him held their breath.

Finally the turian spoke. "Either way I'm not willing to risk the core falling back into their hands. We need to remove it from the board and fast. As for the fleeing ships… I'll stick to the treaty. Since they haven't made their intentions clear I have to assume they're fleeing, so unless they fire on us my fleet won't engage them. My fleet will concern itself with the ships that remain to fight and with the landing and fighter craft."

As Garrus finished speaking a fresh wave of enemy shuttles suddenly landed east of their position, between them and the spaceport. Hundreds of soldiers in blackened Systems Alliance armor charged out and began to assault the turian forces. Cries and gunfire began to echo from the rear lines as the turians now found themselves fighting on two fronts.

Garrus looked over at the fighting in the rear and cursed before turning to Elektra, Percival, and the two mercenaries.

"Regardless, we're running out of time. We need to assume that they're after the core. You all need to take the bomb to the freighter and detonate it before the other side does whatever it is they came here to do. Captain Murgen has agreed to send Lieutenant Burton and his squad, minus Corpsman Flyssander who will be staying behind to triage the wounded. Corporal Verus will also go with you, but the other two Excalibur specialists I'll need here," he told them.

"You can't insert above-ground, there's too many of those things up on the streets. The air is no longer an option either!" Murgen added apologetically. As if to emphasize his point, another Systems Alliance fighter jet suddenly blitzed by and gunned down a turian Mantis, sending it careening into the streets below. The veteran Jaeger opened up his omni-tool and pulled up a map of the city.

He pointed at a spot, then traced his finger across the map. "There's a subway tunnel entrance in this square that connects to the main line. The main line runs parallel to the crash trajectory of the freighter, so it should be intact. It runs all the way here, to the edge of the city by the sea. Come out at this exit, and the freighter will be a few short blocks away."

Revak stomped over and studied the map. The batarian's two good eyes narrowed as he surveyed the Jaeger's route. "It will be dangerous, but it may be our best course of action given the circumstances."

"Fighting them where they can only come at us from two directions instead of twenty will be a vast improvement," Malan added.

"That's the spirit – and it's true, you're less likely to be swarmed in a subway tunnel than you are above-ground. Just don't you all reload at once!" Garrus called out jokingly. With that, the turian Primarch turned and dashed towards the enemy newcomers, his Blackwatch bodyguards silently following in his wake.

Revak growled in annoyance at the turian Primarch and began to head towards the subway entrance, his brother close behind him.

"Come on," Accer added. "My squad's already waiting for us with the neutron bomb!"

He waved for them to follow. The group quickly fell in behind him and together they all rapidly made their way towards the entrance. Around them the fighting grew fiercer and fiercer as the turians found themselves caught between the creatures on one side and the saboteurs on the other. Turian ships began landing as well, disgorging what marines they held to join the fight. Fighters from either side continued to engage each other in deadly duels. The night sky was so bright with explosions and tracers and thruster flares that it was almost looked as if they were fighting in the middle of the day.

The subway station entrance was guarded by a squad of turians. A team of familiar, armored figures were also standing nearby. It was Accer's squad plus Corporal Galen Verus, the lone survivor of the many security personnel that had been stationed on the Hippocrates. Right behind them was some sort of hovering, robotic dolly and on it was a large, metal device.

"Tee, is everyone ready to go?" Accer asked. His fellow Jaeger tossed him a spare ammunition block, which the young Jaeger plucked out of the air with his robotic hand and slid into his utility belt.

"We're good," replied Gunnery Chief Teewin. "Sophie is just finishing up with calibrating the dolly."

The female Jaeger in question was standing closest to the robotic dolly. Despite the intense aerial dogfights occurring in the immediate airspace around them, the technician remained remarkably focused with the task at hand. She tapped a command and the dolly chirped. It went right, then left, and then rose a few feet before drifting back down. Satisfied, Sophie gave the crew a thumbs-up.

Jay unslung a satchel he was carrying, set it down onto the ground and opened it to reveal an assortment of grenades, heat sinks, and ammunition blocks. Percival and both Ghar'arans all quickly walked to the bag and started to pull extra supplies. Elektra should have immediately done the same, but Elektra's attention was instead drawn to the metal device strapped to the dolly. Roughly the size and shape of a cooler, the neutron bomb looked both innocuous and ominous at the same time. Metal bars criss-crossed around the device, and an alphanumeric panel was affixed to one end of it.

Her apprehension must have been evident on her face, because Teewin decided to speak up. "Don't worry, its nothing more than a multi million-dollar paperweight without someone manually imputing the activation code."

Elektra jumped slightly in alarm, but she recovered quickly. She immediately flashed him a smile. "Wow, what would I do if I didn't have you here to explain things to me? How does a girl get so lucky?" she said in a playfully-sarcastic tone.

The Jaeger shrugged sheepishly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to mansplain. To be honest, its for my own piece of mind as well. I've never been in such close proximity to a neutron bomb before."

Everyone glanced at the device they'd be escorting, a degree of worry on each of their faces.

"You don't have to worry. We're not going to be anywhere near it when it detonates," Percival assured them. He grabbed a water canteen from Galen and jerked his head at the device. "We're going to set a lengthy countdown so we can easily run out if you needed to," he said, before taking a long pull from the canteen.

"You aren't afraid the sabbies are going to disarm it in the interim?" Rake asked.

Percival was about to open his mouth, but Revak beat him first.

The massive batarian slowly turned his head and looked at the Jaeger. "There won't be anyone left to disarm it," the batarian said quietly. Rake decided not to push the subject any further, having decided that his fears had been sufficiently addressed in the face of such compelling evidence.

Having finished re-arming, the group signalled to the turian squad. The sergeant-in-command nodded and had one of his men open up the door that led down into the city's subway system.

The doors opened into an inky, almost-impenetrable darkness. The city's emergency power grid must have finally ran dry after all this time, because even the emergency lights weren't working.

Her fellow Spectre turned to the group. "We're probably going to lose contact down there at the three-hundred meter mark, but short-range radio should still work. Put your helmets on, I want us as quiet as possible," he ordered.

Percival pulled his helmet out and slid it over his head. Galen and the Jaegers followed suit, with Galen donning a simple turian vacuum-rated helmet and the Jaegers donning their standard-issue full-faced helmets with the narrow red visors. Percival then racked the charging hangle on his Avenger assault rifle and passed through the entrance without hesitating.

Revak followed immediately behind him, carrying only a scavenged Katana shotgun in his massive hands. Him and his brother had each pulled on a modified Death's Mask helmet, the quadruple red eye slits giving the two of them a nasty, demonic look. Galen and the Jaegers went in next, then the robotic dolly.

Elektra took a moment to compose herself, then pulled on her own helmet – an Ariake Tech model with a dark-purple faceplate to match the trim on her armor. She wondered where Cloud was right now, and whether he was okay. Until he came back however, she intended to make good on her final promise to him. She'd do her best to ensure that they all made it back alive.

March 30th, 2211, 0502 hours —Anhur, City of New Thebes

(Spectre Operative – 10082181-Elektra)

New Thebes Subway Station – Blue Line

The team descended silently into the subway station. Percival and Elektra had taken the lead, followed the Jaegers and the bomb. The two Ghar'arans were guarding the rear.

Elektra scanned the area back and forth. Rotting, dessicated bodies that the Corpsers couldn't repurpose lay strewn across the station, and though she was protected from the stench by her helmet she wrinkled her nose nonetheless. Their silhouette was made all the more gruesome by her night-vision. It was a tomb. A silent, terrible tomb.

Broken shops and storefronts lined both sides of the hall they were currently walking through, offering numerous locations from which the creatures could ambush them from. The Jaegers kept their weapons trained on these spots, eyeing them warily.

Eventually they reached a door that led into the boarding platform. Percival signalled to Sophie. The young Jaeger tech stepped up and began to splice open the door with her omni-tool.

"Every time we find ourselves entering somewhere dangerous, it's always pitch-black," sighed Rake.

"We're entering a city whose emergency energy infrastructure was likely compromised weeks ago. I'm not sure what you were expecting," Sophie replied. She tapped a few more commands into her omni-tool as she continued to splice the door.

"I know, I know… but still. I just wish that whichever higher deity was responsible for dragging us into these messes would get a little more creative."

"You believe in God, Gunny?" Jay asked. Elektra knew that the marine was a devout catholic.

"I'll believe in any deity willing to get me out of this shit in one piece."

The door opened and the team made their way through to the boarding platform. With no trains in sight, they jumped down onto the tracks themselves, doing their best not to disturb the bodies rotting quietly on the platform. The dolly followed them obediently, sliding down onto the tracks without a hint of hesitation. Unlike her, it wasn't afraid of the monsters that might be hiding in the darkness.

Elektra shivered nervously. The air down here was stale but cold, and she could feel it even through her climate-controlled bodysuit.

"Spread out, arrow formation," Percival ordered. "Soph, Rake, Jay… switch with the Ghar'arans. Malak, Revan, come up front – I want you on the wings."

Elektra tampered down her growing unease and did her best to project an air of confidence. She immediately made her way to stand beside Percival. Revak, Accer and Teewin stood off to Percival's left, while Malan took his place beside Elektra.

Together the group began to make their way down the tunnel, weapons raised. There was more than chill and decay to the air around them though. It was also charged with apprehension – a nervous energy emanating from each and every one of them.

"Eight hundred meters… should take us no more than fifteen minutes with the dolly," Sophie calculated.

The only sound in that tunnel was the sound of their footsteps against polysteel flooring. Of course, Elektra could also hear the beating of her own heart as well. It thudded rapidly against her chest, threatening to give away her position to any creature who may be listening. What she wouldn't have given to have Cloud beside right now. He always seemed so calm and level-headed, and he was the best biotic support she'd ever worked with. His ability to prime targets was second-to-none, and Elektra had worked alongside several asari commandos.

"Boss, train up ahead!" Rake called out.

The faint outline of a subway train appeared about twenty meters ahead of them. It didn't look like it had crashed, but instead had rather just stopped on the tracks. Cobwebs covered most of it, and the outer shell was covered in scratches. Thankfully, it didn't look like it would impede their progress.

As they got closer however, it became apparent that the subway train was more than just a random curiosity. Elektra could see the silhouettes of numerous bodies slumped across their seats – mostly turians and quarians, but also a few that were clearly too far gone to be reanimated. Bloody handprints belonging to different species were smeared across the windows. It was a tomb within a tomb, filled with innocent people.

"This is but a taste of the horrors we can expect to see should we fail our mission on Anhur," Malan said to Elektra over a private channel.

Elektra couldn't help but notice that some of the bodies were smaller than normal. They must have been children.

A biotic spark appeared between her fingertips as Elektra felt herself grow increasingly angry at the sight.

"I'm looking very forward to meeting those transcending little shits again. I think I probably went a bit too easy on them the last time we squared off," she replied, thinking back on her mission to the facility in the planet's polar region with Cloud and Cade. "I'm going to make them pay for what they did here," Elektra growled.

"The hottest flames die the swiftest," Malan warned. "This city may very well be lost, but there are millions of more people on Anhur who stand to share the same fate. Across the galaxy as well. They will need your light."

Personally, Elektra had her doubts about the impact that she alone could have in this fight, but she didn't want to infect Malan's belief in her with her self-doubts. "I won't let them get away with this," Elektra said instead.

They passed by the gruesome scene and continued down the tracks towards their destination. It was another uneventful few minutes until Revak suddenly lifted his hand.

Everyone stopped, weapons raised. Elektra couldn't see anything, but that didn't mean that nothing was there. Percival and Revak both cautiously stepped to the front of our formation.

"Switch to thermal," Percival ordered.

Elektra did so and she was immediately greeted with the sight of almost two dozen ghastly, greenish-orange silhouettes. Shit.

"Open fire!"

Elektra's finger was already squeezing the trigger before Percival could finish his order. They all opened up on the creatures. One by one the Chargers shimmered into existence as their tactical cloaks failed under the gunfire. Snarling, they all poised to charge.

A swirling vortex flew out from Accer's fingertips and caught the first few, tearing them up from the ground and causing them to float haplessly. Elektra understood and quickly slammed her a palm into the ground, sending a cascade of biotic energy rippling outwards to slam into the vortex. The ensuing biotic detonation caused havoc among the creature's front ranks, buying her friends time to react to the ambush.

Percival activated his tech armor and his omni-blade just in time to catch a Charger that was just about to bury its teeth into his neck. The creature ended up impaling itself on the red blade, snapping angrily at the Spectre, before Percival threw it to the floor and put a burst into its head.

Malan had opted not to use his flamethrower given the close confines of the tunnel and instead was firing a Revenant at any Charger that looked as if they were going to attack Revak. His brother on the other hand advanced into the pack of creatures without fear, his shotgun barking again and again as it tore the creatures apart one by one.

Revak's advance would prove to be overly-reckless as he found his Katana shotgun overheating amidst a pack of the creatures. He slammed the spent weapon into the head of one Charger, killing it, but another had grabbed hold of his other arm.

Revak dropped the shotgun and slammed a heavy fist into the Charger currently latched onto him, but it refused to let go. Almost as if they could sense his weakness, a quartet of Chargers that had until then been busy evading shots from the Jaegers suddenly turned their heads toward the batarian, hackles raised. As one, they charged at Revak.

Elektra cursed at the sight of Revak's predicament and decided to hell with it. She brought her hands behind her and launched herself into a biotic charge towards the creatures. She slammed into them with destructive force, sending all four of them to the ground and sparing Revak from their claws and fangs.

But the creatures were starting to recover and now it was Elektra who was caught within the pack. Her eyes flickered warily between the Chargers who had now started to circle around her.

They paced around her, their human-like faces bearing toothy grins filled with razor-sharp metal teeth. They did not care that their brethren were dying like flies around them, only at the prospect of sinking their fangs into the prey currently before them. They were like rabid animals, hungry and wild.

Elektra's eyes widened as all four prepared to simultaneously leap at her.

Three black-armored figures suddenly appeared around her. Teewin, Accer and Jay brought down three of the creatures with combined gunfire. The fourth managed to pounce but Galen managed to intercept it. The turian darted forth and somehow managed to stab it in the neck while it was leaping. The creature dropped limply to the ground. Without missing a beat, Galen sheathed his knife and with the same hand primed a frag grenade.

He rolled it down the tunnel towards another group of approaching Chargers. It detonated, disorienting many of them where they were quickly put down by the combined fire of Percival and the Jaeger team.

Using a combination of biotics and more gunfire, they managed to finally bring down the last of the Chargers. When they were finished the subway tunnel reeked of ozone, metal, and rotting flesh.

Revak waded through the gory mess, dispassionately eyeing the Charger's lifeless bodies. Chargers were made from the corpses of dead saboteurs. The armor that they were wearing when they were transformed was what gave them their cloaking abilities. They were built like wild dogs, but their eyes were hollow and sightless, forcing them to hunt by sound.

Elektra wiped away a splotch of gore off her armor. As she did so, she saw Revak eyeing her out of the corner of her eye. She turned to look at the batarian.

The scarred warrior looked almost embarrassed. He nodded to her briefly in what she assumed was his way of saying thank you, then continued on his way.

Elektra was glad she had her helmet on, because she couldn't help but let out a wry grin. The batarian was probably embarrassed that he had to have his ass saved by a girl half his size.

Malan walked up to her as she stared after Revak. "I saw what you did," he said. "If it weren't for you my brother may not have survived that one."

She jerked her head in Revak's direction. The mercenary had advanced so he was now at the head of the group, out of formation and too far for anyone to effectively cover him. "Is he always this reckless? I've seen him fight several times now, and he fights so recklessly that its honestly borderline suicidal."

Malan gazed at his brother. "My brother relies too often on his sheer strength. That tendency has only gotten worse over the years. Honestly, he used to be an excellent tactician… now, not so much."

"Maybe he changed for the worst, or is that impossible according to him?" Elektra joked.

"I can do without the sarcasm, that is my brother after all," Malan chuckled, but it was the kind of dry chuckle that carried no real humor in it. "I think that the guilt of his actions on Bahak is what propels him to fight so recklessly. He fights recklessly and takes these risks because deep down he believes that's what it takes to right the scales. Every battle it's like he deliberately chooses to gamble his life, as if somehow that will make up for what he did. He cares little for strategy and tactics now…"

"Still, thank you for saving him. For all his faults, I still believe he is not only the Ghar'aran name's best chance at redemption, but also the best chance that my people have of rebuilding our homeworld," Malan admitted honestly.

Elektra glanced at the elder batarian. He was a hard man to read, tight-lipped and aloof. He was prone to brutality and he pig-headedly refused to believe that he could change and become better. A former slaver-turned-mercenary, the batarian had been complicit in the deaths and enslavement of countless individuals.

Though she would never say it to Malan directly, perhaps his hopes for his brother were a bit ambitious. If Elektra were to bet on one of the Ghar'aran brothers actually going on to restore their family's good name – let alone help rebuild the batarian empire – it would be Malan. He seemed much more level-headed and wiser than his older brother. He was the kind of person who actually seemed capable of fostering and cultivating good relations with the leaders of the other species.

"He's going to have to survive this planet first before he can do all that, and if we're going to be brutally honest with one another I have to tell you — his chances aren't looking great from where I'm standing," she told the batarian.

"That's why he has me, to protect him," Malan laughed. The batarian glanced at his brother walking ahead of him and shook his head sadly. "It's strange. I looked up to him so much when we were younger. He was one of the SIU's finest soldiers. When the Reapers attacked, he was instrumental in rallying what was left of our military might. He advocated for methods for rebuilding the batarian empire that didn't involve slavery. He was confident, focused… now all he is concerned with is righting the scales."

Malan shook his head sadly as he gazed after his brother. "He could have become so much more…He can still become so much more."

Malan didn't speak after that, and Elektra decided not to press the topic. Instead she quickened her pace, eager to leave the darkness of the tunnel and what other horrors that might befall them in it. At least the exit wasn't too far now.

She sighed and said a silent prayer to no one in particular, in the off-chance some deity or being was actually listening. Maybe — just maybe — things could get just a little easier from here on out.

March 30th, 2211, 0522 hours —Anhur, City of New Thebes

(Spectre Operative – 10082181-Elektra)

Downtown New Thebes

Their group exited from the subway station and out onto the street, careful to keep as low a profile as they could. Above them the sky was still filled with dueling aircraft from both sides, flitting between the skyscrapers like hornets. Gunfire and shouting could be heard in the direction of the turian line, though the fighting hadn't yet extended this far out.

They weren't far now, maybe half-a-dozen blocks from the crash site in the downtown core of New Thebes. The streets around them were filled with debris, crashed vehicles and decayed bodies, but it was thankfully clear of the creatures. With any luck, the lull would hold until they reached the downed batarian freighter, dropped off their payload, and exfiltrated to a safe distance.

But Elektra knew they weren't going to get that lucky, and she knew her gut instinct was going to be confirmed when Sophie suddenly stopped and pressed a finger to the transmission toggle on her helmet. Percival raised a fist and the whole group stopped.

"Lieutenant, I managed to pick up a short-range transmission on the public band. You're going to want to hear this," the marine said.

"Copy it and send it through to our group channel," Accer ordered.

Elektra stopped as well. She put her back to Malan and began to scan the streets and the buildings around them, watching for possible ambushes as the Jaeger worked the comms.

A gruff, unfamiliar male voice suddenly appeared on the channel. "Help, we are under attack! This is officer Barto Danovan! If anyone can hear this, please send help! We're holed up in a hotel on Sixth and Caladon! We have women and children with us! Please help us!"

Everyone collectively held their breath as the message played. When it finished, everyone remained silent.

Jay was the first to break the silence. "How far away is that?" the marine asked.

Sophie was already pulling up a city map on her omni-tool. "Six blocks south, we're the closest ones to their location."

Elektra continued to hold her breath. She knew exactly what was about to unfold. It was just a matter of who would speak up first.

"Soph, we can't… it's not our mission…" Rake said quietly.

And there it is, she thought.

The marine immediately glared at her squadmate. "They're going to be caught in the blast radius if we do nothing," she argued.

"Maybe we can radio back to the turians, see if they can get a unit out there," Teewin suggested in an attempt to placate his two squadmates.

Jay shook his head. "They won't go for that, gunny. Those creatures and the sabbies are all over the turians, they won't be able to spare a unit, let alone get a unit out to them. We're the only ones who can do it. We can split up, rescue them, and take them back out via the subway tunnels.

"We can't split up," Accer argued back. "We're facing unknown numbers at both the downed freighter and at the hotel. If we split up we are likely potentially jeopardizing our ability to accomplish either objective."

Elektra didn't say anything, and neither did Malan or Revak or Galen. Percival stayed uncharacteristically quiet as well. When Elektra looked at his face, the other Spectre seemed to be staring off into the distance, his broad shoulders slumped and his rifle hanging limply in his fingers by his side.

The Jaegers continued to bicker until Elektra decided she'd had enough. They needed leadership and they needed it now, and it sure as hell wasn't going to be coming from her.

"Percival? Percival!" Elektra called out. At the sound of her voice, the Jaegers stopped fighting. It also seemed to snap Percival out of his trance. His body shook as if he had been struck by a small bolt of lightning, and he turned to face her.

"What should we do?" Elektra asked.

His eyes met hers, and Elektra could see in them a storm of emotions. She could see fear, panic, and remembered pain. The look in his eyes was the look of someone who had found themselves trapped in their own memories. Their worst memories. Such memories were like quicksand. The more you tried to struggle, the deeper you felt yourself pulled into them.

Elektra was about to say something further to try to snap him out of it when a large hand grabbed the Spectre by the shoulder.

"We have to try," Revak rumbled.

Percival looked into the eyes of his counterpart. A shared understanding passed between the butcher of Bahak and one of humanity and the Systems Alliance's most distinguished heroes. They were two people with dramatically different histories. One was a former soldier-turned-slaver and had done unspeakable things in an attempt to save his people while the other was one of humanity's most decorated soldiers – one of the youngest to have ever achieved the rank of N7 and the sixth human to have ever been made a Spectre. Yet now, they were of one mind.

The haunted look in Percival's eyes instantly melted away, like ice before a bright sun, and Elektra immediately gave an inward sigh of relief. His look was replaced with a look of determination and purpose.

"Sophie, link the dolly to my omni-tool. Accer, take your team to the hotel. Get those people out."

"Roger that," Soph said triumphantly. She tapped a command on her omni-tool and the dolly chirped and pathed to wait obediently beside Percival. The moonlight was fading now, but what was left of it still managed to make the metal device glimmer like a gem. It seemed alive to Elektra, watching the scene unfolding around it with anticipation, wondering if it would actually get to accomplish what it was created to do.

"Percival we can't," Accer protested. The young Jaeger wasn't going to give up without a fight. He balled his fists up and refused to move. Elektra eyed him warily in case the Jaeger was desperate enough to start a fight. "Our mission is to destroy the Reaper core before the saboteurs can get their hands on it."

Percival slid a new ammo block into his rifle and charged up his weapon. "We can," he said.

"Lieutenant Commander, we can't," Accer pleaded again, this time using Percival's rank in a desperate attempt to make his friend remember his duty.

Percival stopped and rounded on the man. "We can, First Lieutenant, and we will," he returned sternly. "Take your squad and Corporal Verus and rescue those civilians. Leave the bomb to me. That's an order."

The young Jaeger pointed in the direction of the downed freighter. "The saboteurs managed to land dozens of soldiers around the core! Its probably swarming with creatures as well! You can't split our forces now!"

He then pointed towards the survivors. "You think I want to abandon those people to die? I don't. But I also have a mission, and that mission is to save Anhur! The mission has to come first! It has to!"

Percival pivoted and took a few angry steps towards the biotic."We're not abandoning those people, First Lieutenant! Our objective is to save this planet. What do you think that means? You think we're here to save these buildings?" he gestured around him. "These trees? This dirt?" he said, kicking at the ground.

"No," he said emphatically. "We're here to save its people. That's what it means to save this planet. That's what it takes. Saving its people."

They glared at each other wordlessly. For a moment, Elektra thought Accer was preparing to strike at Percival.

But instead the Jaeger simply dropped his arms to his side. "Percival…you can't save everyone," Accer said sadly.

A pained look immediately crossed Percival's face, as if he'd just been stabbed.

"I know I can't, but I can try. Please Accer… help me at least try," Percival pleaded.

The young biotic gave the Spectre a long look. The look in his eyes shifted rapidly from anger to disbelief, then sadness, and finally to understanding and acquiescence.

"Okay… okay. Good luck," Accer eventually said.

Percival starred gratefully at the Jaeger and nodded in thanks. Elektra watched as the Jaegers turned and headed south towards the survivors. That left only the four of them to deliver the bomb.

He let out a big sigh, and then he turned to her. "What do you think, El? Do you think I've doomed us? Sunk our chances of destroying that core?"

You definitely didn't increase our chances, the more smart-aleck side of her wanted to say, but she had grown to like Percival and she considered him not quite a friend but someone she could at least rely on.

"I think if those two knuckleheads were here right now, they'd have kicked Accer's scrawny ass for even thinking about leaving those people behind," Elektra said instead with a grin.

Percival let out a laugh. "Yeah. Cade for sure. I mean, Cloud might have hesitated a little bit, but I know he would never have gone on with the mission without at least trying to save those civilians."

The Spectre looked down the street towards the departing Jaegers. "Accer is what? Twenty-two? Twenty-three? He's still young – and he's still a Systems Alliance marine to his core. He still believes that the mission ought to come first, even if it has to come at the cost of innocent lives."

"After Bahak, I didn't want to ever have to choose between lives ever again. Instead, I'd rather try and save as many as I can. It's why I eventually opted for being a Spectre," Percival continued to say. "As an N7 working inside the Systems Alliance, they were asking me too often to put human lives and military interests ahead of others."

He shook his head and smiled. "It's funny. The day I became an N7, my sponsor told me I wouldn't remain one for long— that I'd soon set my sights on being a Spectre. Turns out he was right. As a Spectre, I get more freedom to do what I want. My hands aren't tied in situations like these, and I feel as if I can save more people. Do more good."

Elektra could see remembered pain fill Percival's eyes once again.

"I was young like Accer once. A long time ago I let a lot of people die. Not even for the mission… I… God, what I did was pretty much insubordination but as luck would have it, the brass considered it the pursuit of a more pressing military objective."

"I didn't know they'd die at the time, but if I had… I would not have done what I did," he said softly.

They began to walk towards the crash site now, the dolly chirping quietly as it followed obediently behind them. "Choosing to let people die haunts you in ways you can't imagine. Though he doesn't realize it right now, I sent Accer to those survivors for his sake as much as mine," Percival said.

"For what it's worth, I believe you made the right decision," Malan added. The batarian turned to the Spectre. "Young soldiers often underestimate the guilt that comes with abandoning people to die. It clings to them like an undispellable shadow. For me… the faces of the slaves I left to die behind on Bahak haunt my every waking moment."

The batarian closed all four of his eyes. "When I close my eyes," he said, "I can still see their hands reaching out to me."

He opened them again and looked downward. "That day… I relive it all the time. I will never forget the look in their eyes as I flew away," Malan said. "Percival, I never intended for those slaves to die. I was fighting your troops when a fire broke out. It spread terribly fast and out of control. I should have stayed to help… but I chose to save my men and my brother. I had to."

They passed by what looked like a small grocery store. It wasn't one of the big conglomerate chains that Elektra was familiar with, so it must have been a local or family-owned one. Through the broken window Elektra could see rows of shattered shelves and rotting produce. Just another sad scar that the city now bore.

Percival nodded morosely. "I know. The Systems Alliance has always known. We also knew you two never lobotomized those slaves. It was the brass that decided to label the incident as an intentional act, exaggerate the death toll, and pin it all on you. They thought it would make for a better story. I tried to speak out but they shut me down."

"And so the honor of the Ghar'aran was destroyed," Malan chuckled ruefully.

Elektra turned to Percival. "Is that really what happened? Why would they do that? Why not just tell the truth?"

Percival let out a bark of laughter. "Because some people are rotten. The Slave wars was the first major intergalactic conflict since the Reaper Wars. While everyone agreed freeing the slaves was the right thing to do, there were still ambitious officers in the Systems Alliance who saw it as a means to climb in rank. They rewrote history to make themselves and the Systems Alliance look better."

He looked sorrowfully at Revak. "To create heroes, you must first create villains."

"Lies need not last forever," Malan said. "Percival, I believe that if we can succeed here, we might be able to not only right the scales on what we did at Bahak, but to also take the first step towards clearing my family's name," he said earnestly.

Revak suddenly let out a loud scoff – a harsh, unexpected noise that hit deeply given that he'd been quiet up until now. The mercenaries fingers tightened around his shotgun and he quickened his pace so that he was now walking ahead of the group. "Clear them for who, little brother? For mother and father? They've been dead for twenty-five years! Our cousins? Those still alive have scattered to the far corners of the galaxy, too afraid to bear their true names."

He turned around but continued to walk. "Will you clear them for our children so that they will no longer have to feel ashamed of their heritage?" he called out almost mockingly. "The children that don't exist?"

Revak shook his head and scoffed again. "Focus on the mission, little brother. Nothing more, nothing less. Let them spit on our names, what's it matter? You think the people on this planet cares who it is who has come to save them? They don't. Bury your hopes and dreams with the dead. Bury it with the countless batarians who died after the Reapers came because no aid was given. Bury it with the ghosts on Kar'shan and Bahak."

Elektra could feel Malan bristling angrily beside her. Percival had grown quiet as well, unwilling to interject in the feud that had grown between the brothers.

"Is that what this is to be then?" Malan challenged. "Have you no thought for our future or for the future of our name and family? Is this all it is? A mission we're taking just to tip the scales? No – I don't believe that brother. I don't believe you're here to just make up for what we did on Bahak."

The older Ghar'aran didn't rise to his younger brother's challenge. Instead, he continued towards the fallen ship and the dangerous cargo it carried.

"That is all this is, brother," Revak answered calmly. "That's all this needs to be."