Operation Mordhau
The single surviving prisoner was brought aboard the Normandy and taken to the med bay to be checked over. It took some effort, but we were eventually able to get him to speak. His name was Mark Ravenscroft, taken from a small start-up colony in the Terminus Systems. It was called Virtus, Latin for virtue, and was so small that the Reapers had not even paid attention to it. Likely they would have come back to it later, but a population of a few hundred Humans and no industry what-so-ever gave them no reason to send forces there.
I asked Mark if the other abductees were from Virtus, but he shook his head and explained how none of them had known each other. But they had all been nabbed in the Terminus Systems, given the far more decentralised and less secure nature of that sector of the galaxy. Once he was given the all-clear, we provided him with food and water before giving him a bed in the crew quarters in which to rest. If he needed anything, all he had to do was ask and he would have it.
Having done everything we could for poor Mark, I checked in with EDI to see how her analysis of the data we had pulled from the station was going.
"I have organised all relevant information and am ready to send it to all military forces. I have taken the liberty of attaching the directive that they coordinate their efforts for a simultaneous strike."
"I knew I could rely on you, EDI," I smiled at her. "Send the message immediately. I want the Blades ended before they can pull off any more stunts. Anything else you found? Where were the prisoners due to be dropped off? Could it give us a lead on Tolan's location?"
"It is likely, given Tolan's paranoid nature, that he will be aware that he will not be receiving his next "shipment". I will send you the data regardless."
"Make sure to send it to Ryder and Kasumi as well," I pointed out. "What about that message that was displayed at the end there? The one that said "almost, Commander". Can you track where it came from? It could be from their leader!"
"I have been unable to trace an external source. This leads me to believe in the possibility that the message was created and set to play on the station itself. If true, this would mean that…"
"They knew we were coming?" I scratched my head in confusion. "That can't be. No one knew anything of our mission except for… Irissa! Councillor Irissa called for an update after we finished our mission on Sanves. I don't want to believe it could be her, but… it's highly suspicious."
EDI waited patiently as I thought things through. Why would Councillor Irissa create a group such as the Blades of Retribution that specifically targeted high-ranking Asari officials? Was it just a blatant power-grab? Trying to make herself the most powerful Asari in the galaxy with complete control over the Asari Republics, at the same time as occupying what was arguably the most prestigious position on the Council? And then there was the question of Tolan. What use would someone with the power and influence of the Asari Councillor have of an illegal arms dealer who wanted paid in Human hostages? I guessed it would be a good way to cover her tracks.
I dissected the theory as best I could, but realised that whatever evidence we had to prove our speculations was minimal. Yes, Irissa knew of our impending mission at Apo, but it was also highly probable that the leadership of the Blades likely deduced that their base over Apo would be hit after they lost contact with their base on Sanves.
"EDI, tell Liara and see if she might have anything on Councillor Irissa. If she is involved, we need to find out as soon as possible. Taking down a Councillor would make this infinitely more complicated, and that's before any political fallout is taken into account."
"Done," EDI replied. "I have received a communication from Alec Ryder on Omega. He says that he and Kasumi have located the Blades' headquarters on the station. They are currently monitoring all comings and goings on in the area and will gather all possible Intel."
"Then that's where we're going next," I decided. "Stay in constant contact with the galaxy's militaries to see how the preparations for our retaliatory strikes are shaping up. We attack at the same time as them."
"Acknowledged, Commander. We should have several days before all forces are assembled at their target locations."
I nodded to my AI friend and made my way out of the command room. I ordered Joker to take us to Omega and sent a message to the Tibmius to let Garrus know where our mission was taking us next.
I contemplated on heading to question Leena and Lia whether or not Councillor Irissa was involved with the Blades. They did answer directly to the leader of the terrorist organisation, after all. However, I was in no mood to deal with the two Asari right then. Instead, I headed for the Starboard lounge where I hoped to find some of my friends. Some people who I could just relax with.
On my way there, I received a nice surprise communique from Jacob Taylor. I had been sending him small updates about our progress from time-to-time. But, apparently, Kasumi had been sending him messages far more frequently and, with the end of our enemy in sight, Jacob had decided he had been sitting on the side-lines for too long.
Jacob told me his guilt at not helping was starting to eat him up, even though his reasons for doing so were more than justifiable. He asked if we were going to Omega any time soon, stating in no uncertain terms that he would be travelling there himself within the day. Also, he wanted to see if Tali was alright with his own eyes. Not that he did not believe us, he just needed to see her for himself to put his mind to rest. In reply, I told him that he was most welcome to join the party as we inflicted the death-blow to these infernal terrorists.
With the Normandy on course for Omega, the plan was that our frigate would linger in the system while we took the shuttles onto the space station. If people saw the now galaxy-famous sight of the Normandy, word would quickly spread and the Blades would either close-up shop and disappear, or have some nasty surprises in store for us when we launched our attack.
The Alliance shuttles were a risk in and of themselves, so I ordered all Alliance insignias to be removed immediately. I would try to contact Aria T'Loak and see if she would allow us to use one of her secret hangers. The hidden tunnels would prove extremely useful in getting close to the enemy's lair without being compromised. However, there was always the chance we would catch the Pirate Queen on a bad day. If that was the case, our chances were slim.
The blue and white colour scheme still remained on the shuttles, but we had done what we could. A few hours remained before we would reach Omega, so Tali and I retreated to our old quarters. Once again, Ashley sarcastically reminded us to behave and for no "adult activities" to take place in her room.
"No guarantees," Tali chuckled before sauntering off towards the elevator, making a show of swinging her hips for me. I sent Ashley a sideways glance and grinned before following after my sexy Quarian wife. I heard Ash throw another mild warning after us, but I pretended not to hear and as soon as the elevator doors closed, I drew Tali close to me.
Despite our joking around, we would respect Ashley's wishes and keep her room clean. We simply settled down on the sofa and cuddled. It felt incredible after the previous mission had ended so sourly. The two of us together just made everything better for the both of us.
"I can't believe the Blades would just murder those people in such a brutal way," Tali murmured softly.
"Just another reason we need to take them down as fast as we can. It makes me wonder though…"
"Wonder what?" she asked as she ran a smooth finger along my jaw. As her finger stroked along my skin, I felt the fabric of her envirosuit catch on the stubble that had grown. It felt strange, given that I had always kept myself clean-shaven while I was in the military and had kept up the habit after I had left.
"After the Reapers, you'd think people would be sick and tired of killing and murder. Maybe I'm just over-thinking it, but is there something larger behind all this? Some other power behind the Blades and Tolan. Using them as unwitting pawns."
A heavy silence hung over us and I realised that this was the last thing that Tali needed after her recent experiences.
"Here's an idea, a blast from the past," I smiled down at her as she rested the back of her head on my lap. "Let's get a movie on and relax like normal people for a while. What d'you think?"
"Best idea I've heard all day," she giggled and moved over to the vid screen. Tali and I had spent a lot of time together in these quarters when the Normandy was mine, so she knew exactly how to set everything up and get to the menu displaying a vast choice of movies. Naturally, we were in the mood for spirits-lifting comedy. Something silly, something fun.
Surprisingly, the movie we settled on was a Turian-made vid. Turian movies were usually of a more serious, military nature. However, this one broke that trend as it was set on a luxury cruise-liner that took tourists around the most popular and glamorous places in the galaxy. The Turian boss was a hapless but lovable fool who could just never get anything right, and most of his multi-species crew were almost as silly and useless.
Then there was that one member of the crew who actually had their head on straight and was constantly running around trying to keep the ship from falling apart. The ensuing shenanigans brought both Tali and I to tears from laughing and I had to clutch my sides from the pain. The movie was easily on par with some of the funniest Human comedies I had ever seen and allowed Tali and I to forget our current trials.
All too soon, however, we were nearing Omega and I went to the War Room to call the most infamous woman in the Milky Way.
"Commander Gardner, to what do I owe the honour?" Aria's hologram grinned. It seemed she was in a personable mood. Good news for me.
"Been a while Aria. Hope the years have been kind to you."
"I can't complain. Things aren't as exciting as they were before and during the Reaper War, but that brings its own benefits," she replied.
"I'd have preferred for things to stay calm, instead of all this crap we're currently dealing with," I told her. Aria nodded in agreement.
"I knew those Blade idiots made a mistake when they went after you and your wife. I take it this call involves them?"
"Yep, they have a base on Omega and we're going to take them out. I was hoping you'd allow us to dock our shuttles at one of those very handy hidden hangers? And from there use the secret tunnels to covertly approach our target. Would that be a problem for you?"
The Pirate Queen sat in contemplation for a moment before she casually checked her nails,
"What do I get out of it?"
Seriously? I did not think I would have to barter with her to get the use of a hanger. The incredulity of the Asari visibly stunned me and she burst out laughing.
"Oh, Gardner. You need to learn to lighten up. Given that you played a huge roll in bringing Omega back under my control, I'll allow you use of a hanger and the tunnels. Do you know where the Blades' base is?"
EDI spoke up,
"The base is located on G-Deck, in the Ditama District. According to our Intel, it is less populated than what is typical for residential districts on Omega."
"G-Deck," Aria repeated to herself as she activated her Omni tool. Soon, a set of coordinates was sent to mine, along with an access code which would open the hanger doors for us.
"Much appreciated, Aria." I said. "We'll try to make as little mess as possible, but…"
"Don't make promises you can't keep, Gardner," Aria rolled her eyes. "Everywhere you go ends up getting blown to bits. I'm already sending out orders for a clean-up crew to assemble. Let me know when you're done."
"Will do," I chuckled. "Thanks."
"You're welcome. Try and not get killed like an idiot," Aria said before ending the call. Her concern for me was always heart-warming.
Joker guided the Normandy through the maze of tower blocks on Omega, heading for Aria's coordinates. Once we arrived, I would open the hanger doors and the shuttles would make the very short trip from our ship to the hanger. The two shuttles from the Tibmius were also in the Normandy's hanger and we were already embarked in full battle gear.
G-Deck was actually one deck down from where we were landing. According to the local map provided by Aria, there was an exit in a shop just one place over from where the Blades base was. This meant we could attack our enemy from right under their noses by simply blasting through into their warehouse base and attacking from behind. However, a diversion was planned to draw the defenders to their positions and keep them occupied.
Once the infiltration team entered, they could slaughter the defenders from their exposed rear. Then it was a simple case of racing up through the building, clearing it as we went. All across the Terminus Systems, other militaries stood ready to pounce on their unsuspecting prey. The Blades of Retribution were entering their final hours.
We did not hang about. As soon as we disembarked from the shuttles, we moved through the tunnels to our designated positions. Ludwig's troops had landed at one of the regular docking bays on their own ship and discreetly moved to link up with Alec Ryder, who were waiting in the Ditama District. Jacob Taylor arrived only minutes behind Ludwig and was guided by a very happy Kasumi to the target area. They were our diversionary force, who would begin their assault a few minutes before we made our move.
Given how many of us there were, we could afford to split all the Normandy veterans up into multiple teams again and breach our way into the Blades' base on all floors simultaneously. I could not help but smile as we traversed the winding passages of Omega. The Blades had no idea what was about to hit them. There were still a couple of hours before the various military forces would be ready to strike across the Terminus Systems, so we would have to sit tight for a while.
Our Intel on the base's interior was relatively limited, despite the best efforts of Ryder and Kasumi. They had been watching the comings and goings around the base for a few days and had identified at least twenty individuals that we would have to fight. There were fall-back positions within the warehouse and chokepoints where they would put up the best resistance. However, considering we would be attacking all floors at once, this strategy would be rendered ineffective.
Five minutes before the galaxy-wide attack was due to begin, we emerged from the hidden passage into the building adjacent to the enemy base. A couple of Aria's men had swung by the shop before our arrival to "encourage" the inhabitants to vacate the premises for the day. The five teams quietly moved to their assigned floors and waited as the final seconds ticked by.
Once again, I had told Tali to support the Spartans to bolster their offensive tech abilities. I would trust any one of my friends and allies to protect my wife, but four super-soldiers with the durability of a Krogan and the reflexes of a cat just added an extra layer of assurance. Mace's team were going to be assaulting the very top floor, where we suspected the leader of the base would be residing. As for myself, I was jumping into the thick of the fight on the first floor where the enemy had set up their most formidable defences. Machineguns, missile launchers and plenty of sniper perches had been set up to cover all angles of attack. Except for from the rear, of course.
The explosive breaching charges were set in place, and I watched the seconds tick down to zero-hour. Three, two, one… boom! The blast was focused inwards, and I heard muffled screams and cries of alarm from inside the enemy building. Gunfire could be heard out on the street as Ludwig's squad, Jacob and Ryder began their diversionary attack. I was first through the hole in the wall, closely followed by Garrus, Samara and Wrex. A burst from my Harrier put an end to one terrorist's life. Wrex roared in delight as he slammed into an enemy Turian with his full weight, crushing her against the wall. My blood was running hot and the chaos had the Blades in a state of complete shock.
Garrus and Wrex moved to secure the rooms towards the back of the building while Samara and I took the fight to the front. An armed Asari emerged from a room to the side of the hallway and did a double take at the Justicar, just before she was bowled over by a wave of biotic energy. She landed at a strange angle and broke her neck. A hand with a handgun appeared at the same doorway and fired off a couple of shots. They went high, seeing as the shooter was firing blind. I dropped to my knee and aimed at the wall, blasting several shots right through it at where I thought the enemy's body would be. My efforts were rewarded with a Human toppling over into the hall, bleeding out of two holes in his chest.
Upon reaching the front-most wall of the warehouse, I could now see down into the expansive storage area. There were at least one hundred shipping containers, as well as many crates of what could be weapons and ammunition, arranged in neat stacks. One stray shot could set off a chain reaction that would blow a sizable chunk of Omega into space.
My attention was dragged away from the potential disaster zone by the chattering of a machinegun a short distance along the walkway. An enemy pillbox was making life difficult for our guys down on the street, so it was high-time the threat was removed. I lobbed a grenade and it landed perfectly behind the enemy troops, blowing them to pieces in a glorious shower of blood, bone and gore.
No sooner had the pillbox been eliminated than there was a blur of purple energy and a figure in dark armour appeared in one of the windows. The Human man peeked along the walkway and took cover, motioning for me to advance. With the tinted visor, I could not see who this man was, but he had biotically charged himself from the street below and into the warehouse. However, as I neared him, I saw the iconic N7 red stripe going down his right arm and knew this to be Alec Ryder.
"Nice move," I said as I joined him. "You never said anything about being a biotic before."
"That's 'cus I'm not," he laughed to himself. I was confused, but a bullet zipped past our cover and I was snapped back to the task at hand. Leaning out of cover, I drilled several rounds into the Turian aggressor and moved up.
"We blocked an outgoing emergency broadcast seconds after the attack began," Alec informed me as we continued clearing out enemy fortifications. "It mentioned a shipment of "subjects".
"More prisoners," I grimaced. "We need to make sure we get them out safely."
My last attempt to save prisoners of the Blades had ended in all but one being killed. This time, I had to make it right.
"All callsigns," I said over the comm, "there are prisoners somewhere in the base. If you locate them, do everything you can to keep them safe and secure."
I received numerous affirmative responses as the fight continued. Mace checked in, telling me his team had come to a reinforced door and made the assumption that it led to the main command centre for this facility.
"Prioritise procuring data over prisoners," I ordered. "if there's a lead on Tolan, we find it."
"Yes Sir!" Mace replied.
I surveyed the scene unfolding on the ground floor. Ludwig's two teams had forced entry and were busy clearing out the enemy forces that opposed them. With the multitude of shipping containers, it was like fighting through a maze for Ludwig, Price and the rest of their troops.
"We should help them," I told Alec, Garrus, Samara and Wrex. "Take out enemies from up here."
"We should make sure this floor's clear first," Garrus stated. I nodded,
"Wrex and Samara, you two make sure this floor is secure. The rest of us will provide top-cover for Ludwig."
"It shall be done," Samara dutifully answered. The Asari and the Krogan charged off and just as they moved out of sight, I heard Wrex's shotgun announce itself.
My Harrier rifle turned to the ground floor, aiming right along a corridor of stacked containers. Three Blades moved in tandem, but were soon dropped on the deck after a prolonged burst from me. Garrus was snapping off shots with his customised Viper, aiming purely on instinct instead of using the scope. He had honed his skills to such perfection that he could fire at one target and immediately move on to the next, without even checking whether his first shot had connected or not. He simply knew.
From our vantage points, we could take out enemies and advise Ludwig's men on where to go. I advised him that the prisoners could well be in one of the containers. If they found them, their primary objective was to get evacuate them to safety.
"Scott," I heard Tali over the comm, "we've seized control of their command centre and are downloading all the data we can. I have access to their security systems and can close off any escape routes."
"Brilliant," I said. "If you can, try to herd them into one or two areas and lock them down."
Tali's voice was coloured with amusement,
"I'll do my best. I also know exactly where the prisoners are. Ludwig's troops are only two rows over, but there's several Blades between them."
"Got it. Advise them on enemy movements. We'll reposition and cover them."
"I can do better than that," Alec said from beside me.
In a sudden burst of movement, Alec Ryder activated a jump-pack on his back and leapt over the railing. While in mid-air, his body became enveloped in biotic energy and he surged towards a pair of enemies in the blink of an eye. Smashing into the Turian, practically crushing him to death, Alec immediately set upon the second Blade, a Human. With well-practised hands, Alec swatted aside the rifle-butt that came flying at his face. He grabbed the outstretched arm, flipped his foe over then placed the muzzle of his Carnifex handgun to the man's temple.
One shot later, Alec sped off to attack the Blades around the prisoners at the same time as Ludwig was pushing from the other flank. I allowed myself a second to reflect on how damned useful a jump-pack would have been during my missions against Saren, the Collectors and during the Reaper War. So much mobility, so much possibility. Feeling slightly jealous of the senior N7, I continued to hammer rounds into enemies that exposed themselves to my overwatch fire.
"Commander, we have located the prisoners and have the area secured. We'll begin escorting them out of here immediately," Ludwig reported in.
"Excellent," I replied. "Everyone else, that means the main objective is to simply hunt down the last of these rats and finish them once and for all. Tali, EDI, how's the data-mining going?"
"All relevant data is secured and we've identified a lead. There's no mention of Tolan, but the prisoners Ludwig rescued were due to be shipped to a facility on Sur'Kesh," Tali informed me.
"Sur'Kesh?" I said in surprise. Had Tolan been operating on the Salarian home world all this time? How had the STG not caught onto something like this happening on their own home turf? Then again, Tolan was former STG. He would know how to avoid them. Possibly even have the guile to send them chasing false leads. Never-the-less, we had him now and I would make sure to inform Major Kirrihe of what we had found.
Ten minutes flew by as we chased after the last Blades like bloodhounds. Some prisoners were taken, to be handed over to authorities once we were back in Citadel Space. However, most of them fought to the death. The last survivor was a Krogan who, predictably, was determined to go down with a fight. And what a fight it was! The Spartans had cornered him in a storage room on the top floor. With no way out, the Krogan decided his best option was to draw his pistol, shoot himself in the arm to instantly induce a blood-rage.
As the Krogan's body was flooded with adrenaline and he began to lose control of his senses, he emptied his pistol at the door, blasting through it at the Spartans. Once empty, the pistol was discarded and his shotgun was brought to bear. With a tremendous bellow of rage, the Krogan charged forward, smashing through the door and immediately coming into contact with Mace.
Krogan were strong bastards. Everyone knew this. But once stoked into a blood-rage, they were a truly terrifying force of nature. Their strength increased far beyond what even their imposing physiology would appear. This Krogan slammed into Mace and hammered him against the wall, the metal buckling with the impact.
Misha's rifle unloaded on the enemy, but it only seemed to piss the Krogan off even more. Bellowing like a mindless monster, its hand took hold of the rifle and crushed the barrel like it was paper. Misha, not missing a beat, immediately drew a combat knife and lunged at the beast, plunging the blade deep into its neck. Axel leapt to Misha's aid and shot out the Krogan's knees. Several more bursts of rifle fire were unloaded into the Krogan's body, moving up towards its head.
In one last act of defiance, the Krogan swiped at Axel and knocked him back. Misha found himself with both of the Krogan's hands holding his head, squeezing as hard as it could. In the tight confines of the corridor, we could not overwhelm our foe with numbers without tripping over each other. But Dexter rushed in, pushing us out of the way. Mace, Axel and Dexter all armed their omni blades or drew combat knives and set about the Krogan in a gory show of bloody savagery.
Misha's helmet was visibly starting to give in to the Krogan's frightening strength. His visor shattered and I heard the first grunts of pain come from the Spartan. Yet, he never stopped fighting. He still wielded his knife and continually thrust it into the Krogan's exposed neck. In, twist, out. In, twist, out. The dark green of the Krogan's blood splatted up the walls and drenched the floor until, finally, the enraged beast went limp and toppled sideways.
Mace put one shot through the Krogan's eye, just to be sure, before attending to Misha. His helmet was a misshapen mess, but he could still take it off and let out a breath of relief. I realised this was the first time I had seen one of the Spartans without a helmet. Misha's light brown skin was clear and unblemished. His hair was shaved extremely short and I was struck by his youthful appearance. With their brutally efficient performance in combat, it was easy to forget that these super-soldiers were still barely twenty years old.
However, it was Misha's eyes that amazed me the most. Underneath a strong, forward brow, his hazel eyes gazed out with a laser-like focus I had never seen before. They were a natural hazel, and yet they were unnaturally bright. It was the fierceness of his gaze that tipped me off about augmentations, both genetically and cybernetically. Were there any malice behind those enhanced orbs, I would have been reminded of the Illusive Man. However, the young man was a soldier of honour and integrity. Not to mention immense skill.
It was like looking at the next stage of Human evolution. Super-soldiers had always been a crucial element of sci-fi, but what if augmentations were spread across a wider demographic? Smarter scientists, faster and stronger athletes, pilots with faster reaction times, technicians who could virtually interface with technology. The possibilities were endless.
Shaking myself out of my daydreaming, I returned to the mission. We had achieved what we had come here to accomplish. The Blades were dead, their computers data-mined and the hostages were safe. Liara would arrange transport for them back to wherever they had been kidnapped from. A couple of them had simply been snatched off of the streets of Omega. Lost, unknown souls whose disappearance would not have been noticed.
My heart went out to them, to live an existence like that. Every day was spent living off the scraps of society. Were they in Council Space, perhaps they could have gone to some sort of charity organisation or homeless shelter. However, in the Terminus Systems, these people had little to no hope. They would live as outcasts of society, die, and be missed by no one.
After all of us made one more combined sweep of the ground floor, making sure no Blades had managed to scurry away somewhere, we left the warehouse. Outside, we were met by a large host of workers who immediately started moving into the building we had just vacated.
"What's your business here? That place was just a warzone," I said to the Batarian who looked like the manager of the team.
"We're Aria's clean-up crew. Hope you've not left too much of a mess for us."
I immediately pictured the Krogan on the top floor, killed by four Spartans and dozens of stab wounds, blood absolutely everywhere.
"Um… some bits are worse than others," I said with a wince. The Batarian sighed, lit a cigarette and moved into the building, grumbling to himself.
"Someone's not happy," Tali chuckled as she watched the man walk away. Taking my helmet off and running a hand through my sweaty hair, I said,
"It'll take them a few days to clear what we left them. Can't help but think we have the more fun job."
Tali cocked her head sideways and gazed at me,
"Our perception of "fun" is really skewed, isn't it?"
I only laughed in answer and we made our way back to the Normandy.
When we returned to the secret hanger where our shuttles were waiting for us, we were greeted by a rather prestigious Asari.
"That was quite the show," Aria smiled when she saw Tali and I. "Haven't been entertained like that for months."
"You were watching all of that? Maybe you could have joined us. I seem to remember you're quite capable in a fight," I replied. Aria's stern eyes followed Garrus as he walked by, acknowledging the Pirate Queen with a nod as he went.
"I was content as I was," she said. "Besides, the amount of people you have with you seems a little over-kill. Those big Humans… who are they?"
She did not have a clue who or what the Spartans were. Her eyes met Misha's as Sabre squad marched past and I could see her consternation at there being something she did not know.
"Sorry, Aria, I'm not at liberty to say. All you need to know is that they won't trouble you unless you give them reason too," I told her. One of her brows raised at that, but she understood what I was saying.
"Fair enough. So where are you going next?"
"Sur'Kesh. We found information related to Tolan, the one supplying the Blades and requesting they capture Humans for him. The Intel connected him with a hidden facility. The Blades are finished, so he's next."
"I hope so," Aria growled. "Councillor Tevos was an old friend… a long time ago. If this Tolan, or anyone connected to him appear on Omega, you'll be the first to know."
"Appreciated, Aria. Take care."
