Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Warhammer/Mass Effect crossover.
For those of you wondering, I will be putting in links to the artwork that the artist I mentioned in the previous chapter has created. Just remember, I am using his OC faction with his permission. It does not belong to me. To access the links, just remove the spaces and re-add the periods and colon.
ht tps / www deviantart com/ tato rosas/ art/ Fedorov- pattern- Las- Rifle- 8736 670 10
ht tps / www deviantart com/ tato rosas/ art/ Evgenov- pattern- Laspistol- and- Hellpistol -87 437 86 68
ht tps / www deviantart com/ tato rosas/ art/ Krasnikov- Mk- VII -pattern- Autogun -87 287 57 96
ht tps / www deviantart com/ tato rosas/ art/ Kraymiran- standard -battle -gear -version -03 -85 490 50 74
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Korlus
Imir System
65.185.M3
The interior of the Kodiak was silent as it descended towards the surface of the planet Korlus. Looking outside, Shepard could see why the planet was described as a 'garbage scow with a climate.' quite plainly. The clouds they were flying through were a slate gray color, while the air that was between them was filled with a thick haze. While it would get clearer as one went towards the ground, it was one of the reasons why Korlus was such a dismal place.
On top of that, it was located in the Terminus Systems, but that wasn't what made the planet bad to visit, aside from the pollution. Korlus ranked as the planet with the 2nd highest murder rate in the Terminus Systems, courtesy of it's underworld of scavengers and criminals. Travel advisories made it clear that having highly professional security personnel with you was, practically speaking, mandatory if you wanted to survive there for any length of time.
Good thing we're not going to be here for long, Shepard thought as turbulence caused the shuttle to shudder slightly. We're just here to grab our next target and get out of here, he thought. With that in mind, he reviewed his objectives for the mission.
According to the dossiers the Illusive Man had provided him, there was a Krogan geneticist on the planet known as 'Okeer.' The dossier indicated that Okeer was highly talented, and had fought in the Krogan Rebellions before becoming a geneticist in the hopes of curing the Genophage. What made him important, though, was that he'd made a deal with the Collectors on obtaining highly advanced genetic engineering technology.
However, he'd been 'acquired' by an unknown mercenary group, though from the sounds of things, it was either the Blue Suns, or the Blood Pack. We'll know more once we're down there, Shepard decided. Either way, I intend to find out.
That brought him to the people that he'd decided to bring along on the mission. Tyrellus, he felt, needed a break from the fighting, so he decided to bring along the two Guardsmen to see how well they would fare in a fight. While the action at Purgatory,was a good sign, he wanted to see how they'd handle something like this.
Looking up, he could see Vladim and Ivan making sure their gear was ready for battle. Ivan was whispering something under his breath as he made sure his Fedorov-Pattern Lasgun was ready for war, along with a smaller weapon that was holstered on his belt. According to Vladim, that was the Evgenov -Pattern Laspistol which, while small, still packed quite a punch thanks to the design being based off an ArcheoTech weapon.
Vladim was checking his own rifle, the Krasnikov Mk. VII Autogun that he'd come to their Universe with. He also had another sidearm, but it wasn't one that Shepard recognized. "What's that?" he asked.
"What?" Vladim asked. When Shepard motioned to the sidearm, Vladim said, "Oh, I know what that is. That is the Makarov Mk. III Pattern Combi-Pistol. It's a Laspistol and Stub gun in one."
"Curious about design," Mordin remarked. "How is it designed?"
"I won't tell you, xeno," Vladim replied, a hint of hostility in his voice. "I can let you find out for yourself."
Shepard frowned as silence reigned in the Kodiak once again. That hostility towards aliens might be restrained, but it is definitely not gone, he noted. I'll have to be careful when managing that in the future.
After a few seconds, the Kodiak began to slow down, indicating that they were nearing their objective. Making sure his weapons were drawn and ready, he said, "We're about to arrive. Keep your head on a swivel. Korlus is known for being a murder world. Understood?"
"Got it," Mordin nodded.
Jack, who'd also come along on the mission, despite being distrustful of Ivan and Vladim, said, "Bring 'em on! I'll kill 'em all!" With that, they landed.
As soon as the doors to the Kodiak's modestly sized troop bay opened, they piled out, weapons ready as they landed on terra firma, or what counted as such on the Scrap World, as Vladim had taken to calling it.
As they took cover behind some debris, Shepard said, "The dossier doesn't say if Okeer is here by choice or not. Assume hostilities."
A moment later, a woman's voice came in over a PA. "There is only one measure of success: kill or be killed! Perfection is your goal!"
"I already want to kill this person," Jack said acidly.
"Stay focused," Shepard chided her. "We're looking for a Krogan warlord." Turning to Ivan and Vladim, he asked, "You two ready?"
"Always," Vladim nodded.
"I am always ready to serve the God-Emperor!" Ivan nodded emphatically.
"Then let's go."
With that, they proceeded forwards, weapons at the ready as they advanced through the area. As they advanced, the woman came onto the PA again. "Being hired is merely the beginning. You must earn your place in the mighty army we are building."
"Cold hard money is no compensation for service to the God-Emperor," Vladim grumbled.
"I agree, sir," Ivan nodded. "Duty to the God-Emperor is far more fulfilling than earning money by killing." With that, they proceeded forwards in silence.
Eventually, they came to a large section of hull that had a ramp leading to a hole in the middle. Getting into cover, Shepard peered over cover to see some mercenaries up ahead. "Lookout position," Mordin informed him and the others. "Equipped for combat."
"Good thing we're geared for combat," Shepard nodded. Looking around, he said, "OK, I've got a plan. Vladim, you'll take a shot with your Krasnikov, while Ivan provides you with cover fire. The rest of us will provide support. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Vladim nodded. With that, he took aim with the Krasnikov, lining up the sights onto the head of the mercenary, who was oblivious to the fact that he was about to die. Moments later, Vladim pulled the trigger.
There was a loud BOOM-BANG as the Krasnikov fired. A 14mm sized projectile zipped down the barrel before exiting at high velocity. In an instant, it covered the distance between the muzzle of the Krasnikov and the mercenary, burying itself into the man's head.
The merc's head exploded. Blood, bone and brain matter flew everywhere as the 14mm Manstopper round tore through his head as though it didn't exist. The bullet retained so much energy that it continued onwards, hitting and penetrating a piece of metal before continuing on it's trajectory. The mercenary's body slumped to the ground, his lower jaw being the only thing that had survived.
The merc's buddy, who'd been turned around when this happened, whirled around and jumped backwards at the sight. Unfortunately, he didn't make it to cover, as Ivan fired his Fedorov Lasgun a moment later. A brilliant red beam of light blasted the man's head apart, the skull exploding as the cerebro-spinal fluid inside was flash vaporized into steam. The corpse fell to the ground moments later.
Jack, who'd saw the whole thing, whistled. "Damn, you weirdos have some awesome guns! I'll bet my biotics are better, though."
"We shall see," Vladim remarked. "That was just a single round from my Krasnikov. Soon, we will be in combat against the enemy."
"Good work," Shepard nodded. "Everyone, advance." With that, they quickly moved upwards.
As they did, Shepard found that those mercs weren't the only one there. Another merc was lying on the ground, his leg armor shattered around a small hole that was in his thigh area. Blood was weeping from the wound, but it didn't seem serious at all.
The merc, however, was having a panic attack from the pain, and the sight of the wound. "Shit, shit, shit!" he gasped. "It won't stop bleeding. I'm gonna, I'mma… oh, son of a bitch!"
"I've seen far worse than that," Ivan frowned as he looked at the wound.
"He doesn't need to know that," Shepard told him.
The merc, hearing that, growled, "Shit! I knew it wasn't berserkers, not at range. You're mercs, or Alliance. I'm not… I'm not telling you anything!"
Shepard, though, had an idea. "I've got a fresh batch of medi-gel ready to go," he snarked. "But if you'd rather I just keep walking…?"
"Son of a…! I just… I don't know anything. I just shoot the overflow from the labs. The old krogan up there, he's been really cleaning house lately. Jedore hired him to make an army, but the krogan he creates are insane, so we use them for live-ammo training. It's all crap; I don't get paid enough to fucking bleed out!"
At that moment, a comm call came in for the merc. "Outpost Four? Jedore wants us to move. We need coordinates on that krogan pack."
Shepard was about to act when Vladim stepped in close. Without warning, he punched the man in the face, causing him to gasp from the pain. "Tell your friends that the xenos dispersed, or I will gut you myself with my bayonet!" He flashed the weapon to make his point.
Already demoralized from the fact that he was bleeding from his injuries, the mercenary immediately obeyed, not wanting to get disemboweled. "Uh, patrol? The last group… dispersed. Lost sight five minutes ago."
"Dispersed?" came the reply. "Jedore'll be pissed. She wanted a show."
"You asked for a report, you got one! Dispersed!"
"Understood, returning to the labs."
Looking at the others, he said, "There. You see? I'm helping."
Motioning to Vladim to step back, partly to keep him from doing what he did again, Shepard decided to get some more intel. "Have you seen Okeer?" he asked. "Does he know about all of this?"
"We can't go into the labs," the merc replied, "but everyone sees what happens when the Krogan come out. I've shot hundreds. They're crazy, mindless! Anyone up there, they'll know what's going on."
"What is Jedore doing with all of these krogan?"
"Replace us, probably. I sure wouldn't want an army of them coming at me. The only thing is, she can't control them. They aren't supposed to be crazy, but they're krogan. How smart are they to begin with?"
"Is Jedore's lab heavily guarded?"
"There are big guns to keep ships away. We're not outfitted to fight fucking commandos!"
"I see," Shepard noted. "If you start limping now, you might find a shady spot before you bleed out." Becoming pale, the merc began to limp away, all while grunting and cursing as he did so.
Vladim smirked, while Ivan actually chuckled at the sight. "Ah, it brings a smile to my face to see a fool like him humbled so," Vladim smiled. "I have every reason to believe that you enjoyed that, Shepard."
"I thought as much," Shepard nodded. "Now, let's go. We've got a warlord to recruit."
With that, they began to proceed forwards. Around the bend, they came to a couryard-like area that had cover on the ground level, as well as a walkway that led to the left and right above their position. To the left was a pedestrian bridge that led to a walkway where they were at. As they advanced, Jedore came over the PA once more. "Training is a part of your contract. Failure to perform means liquidation, legal and otherwise."
"Can that Emperor-damned woman shut her mouth for just one minute?" Ivan complained.
"I don't like it, but keep your head on a swivel," Vladim replied. Just then, he spotted movement. "CONTACT!" he shouted.
"Blue Suns, upper catwalk!" Mordin shouted.
"Open fire!" Shepard ordered.
With that, everyone scrambled into cover, before opening fire. Peering down the sights of his Lasgun, Ivan thought he spotted something to his left. Looking that way, he spotted a pair of mercenaries that were hefting what he realized were missile launchers of some kind, if this galaxy's 'Codex' was correct. "Oh, no you don't!" he growled as he aimed and fired, causing the missile launcher on one to explode, killing both of them.
Shepard and the others fired on the two remaining mercs, who were taking cover. Vladim, spotting this, fired directly through the cover the mercs were hiding behind. Metal plates that would otherwise stop mass accelerated rounds were rendered useless against the Manstopper rounds the Krasnikov fired, with both mercs slumping over, dead.
"I've got to get me one of those," Shepard remarked.
"Perhaps I can assemble a spare from the parts that we have," Vladim shrugged. "There might even be a fully assembled replacement in one of the crates, but I won't count on that. Either way, we must move forwards."
"Agreed." With that, they continued, moving beneath the walkway and to the next area.
As they did, more Blue Suns mercenaries came in, weapons blazing as they fired. Not wanting to waste ammo, Vladim holstered his Krasnikov and, taking out his Markarov Mk. III Combi-Pistol, fired at the mercs. High powered handgun rounds tore into the mercs, with one's head exploding, while Shepard, with Jack's help, gunned down the last one.
One more tried to charge into the open, only to be set on fire by Mordin, courtesy of his omni-tool. The man let out a long, shrill shriek of pain as the flames licked at his flesh, even as they burned through the fabric armor. Ivan, seeing this, actually laughed. "Burn, heretic!" he roared. "BURN!"
Shepard, hearing this, actually cringed at the sound. Already, he could imagine a pile of burning Blue Suns mercenaries, with Ivan sitting on the top, cackling madly as the mercs burned. A cathartic, if disturbing image, which led to him shaking his head to clear his thoughts. A gunshot later, and the merc fell to the ground where they were at, dead.
Moving up, they found themselves in another courtyard like area, with even more cover, and another walkway ahead of them. As they took cover, Shepard overheard the OpFor's comm calls. "Team Four, do you read?" a merc asked. "Team Four, do you copy?" No response, then, "Comm, tell Jedore that we have a problem. Patrols are going dark. Either the krogan are pushing, or we're being ambushed!"
"Well, the scum know we're here now," Vladim dryly noted.
"Won't matter," Jack beamed. "We'll kill them anyways."
At that moment, more mercenaries came out of the woodwork, firing their weapons. Firing back, Shepard nailed one right in between the eyes, sending the corpse to the ground almost immediately. Another merc burst into flames courtesy of Mordin, while another was flung into the air by Jack, courtesy of a biotic attack of hers.
The ones that Jack flung into the air were terminated by Ivan, while Vladim assisted Shepard and the others. Firing his Lasgun, he watched as the merc was nearly blown in half, with the water inside the merc's cells flash-boiling, causing a small steam explosion in the process. Another had his head vanish, before some oil that had dripped onto the corpse burst into flames.
"I love the smell of burning heretic in the heat of battle," Ivan beamed.
"Do you always say that?" Jack asked.
"Why not? After all, is it not fitting, since the God-Emperor will burn his soul in the fires of His wrath?" Ivan asked
"You're weird," Jack deadpanned, focusing on her work once again.
Nearby, Vladim was using his Krasnikov once more, firing in single shots to conserve ammunition. Nearby, Shepard found that he couldn't help but note how powerful Vladim's rifle was. Every shot that connected, which most of them did, was always lethal, with the mercs crumpling before falling over, while one had his head explode from the round passing through. I need one of those, he thought as they moved on.
"Look out!" Ivan shouted, firing his Lasgun twice in rapid succession. Moments later, two mercs slumped over, ML-77's dropping from their dead, limp hands to the ground.
"Good catch," Shepard noted. "Thanks, Ivan."
"I was merely performing my duties," Ivan remarked.
"Still, that was a good shot. Let's keep moving."
As they advanced, the mercs came in over the comms again. "Code Six! Offworld presence! Shift fire from the krogan! Hostiles in the compound!"
Right on cue, Jedore added in her own remarks. "We have guests in the compound. If they are not killed immediately, all bonuses will be denied!"
"Get to work canceling them," Shepard remarked under his breath, "because your friends will be dead soon." As he said this, they proceeded down a ramp that led to yet another courtyard-like area. This time, though, there was a Krogan that was fighting against the mercs, who were using the walkways above for shelter. It wasn't long before Shepard and the others made short work of them.
With the firefight over, the krogan began to advance towards them, prompting Vladim and Ivan to raise their weapons. Shepard, not wanting a fight, and since the krogan approached them with it's weapon lowered, motioned for them to stand down. While they lowered their weapons, they didn't do it very much out of caution.
Fortunately, they need not have worried, as the krogan approached Shepard and said, "You… are different. New. You don't smell of this world." Looking at Vladim and Ivan, it said, "The two of you are new as well. You smell of blood, and ozone. Seven night cycles, I have felt only the urge to kill, but you… Something makes me speak."
"Seven what?" Jack asked. "He's only a week old?"
"Very peculiar," Vladim remarked. "That's the same in Imperial Days."
"They must breed them full size, ready to kill," Shepard surmised. "Not much improvement over regular mercs if they need training."
"Bred… to kill," the krogan replied. "No. I kill because my blood and bone tell me to, but that is not why I was flushed from glass mother. Survival is what I hear in my head, against the enemy that threatens my kind. But I failed even before waking. That is what the voice in the water said. That is why I wait here."
"Strange," Ivan remarked. "How can one fail before even becoming awake? It doesn't make sense."
"I agree," Vladim nodded. "This is very strange indeed."
"I see," Shepard noted. "You're supposed to be a part of a mercenary army. Do you remember Jedore?"
"I know that name," the krogan nodded. "It causes anger, but also laughter. It is not a name that will be sung when we march. I don't know what that means, but I have heard it many times."
"How can you speak when you're only a week old?"
"There was a scratching sound in my head, and it became the voice. It taught things I would need: walking, talking, hitting, shooting. Then the voice said I was not perfect, and the teaching stopped, and now I am here."
"Interesting," Mordin noted. "Raised, then rejected. Control group? Failed test?"
"I don't know, but I'm not perfect."
"Okeer's voice?" Shepard asked. "Did he speak to you while you were in your tank?"
"I heard the voice," the krogan nodded. "Not like now, with ears. Inside. I called it 'father.' It liked that, but it was disappointed. I am not what it needs me to be."
"A breeding program," Mordin surmised. "Trying to escape Genophage effects?"
"Escape? Escape was never whispered. Survive. Resist. Ignore."
"How did you disappoint the voice before you were awake?" Vladim asked, thoroughly confused on that part.
"I don't know," the krogan replied. "It was decided before I left tank mother. I was not perfect."
"That does explain a few things," Vladim slowly nodded. "If that mercenary was correct, Shepard, then these krogan are susceptible to insanity. Might explain why he was flushed from his tank."
"I don't know of that, but I am not perfect."
Shepard, who's mind was still running through the data, asked, "I destroyed Saren's cure. How does Okeer expect these krogan to ignore the Genophage if not by curing it?"
"A very good question," Vladim nodded. "Mordin? Any ideas?"
"Uncertain," Mordin replied. "Likely irrelevant. Appears Okeer has had no success."
"OK…" Turning to the Krogan, Shepard asked. "Can you show me the lab? I need to speak to Okeer."
"The… glass mother. She is up, past the broken parts. Behind many of you fleshy things. I will show you." Walking over to a metal panel, the krogan lifted it up into the air with a grunt, before tossing it down to the ground.
Behind the panel was what appeared to be a pathway that led deeper into the facility. While it went down, Shepard spotted a bend that led to the right. As he looked, the krogan said, "You fleshy things are slow when big things are in your way."
"Brute strength," Mordin noted. "Key aspect of krogan."
"Tell me about it," Vladim remarked. "He's nearly as strong as an Ogryn."
"You could've run or try to fight your way to the lab," Shepard noted. "Why stay here?"
"I am waiting," the Krogan replied. "If they come, I fight, but I will not run. I will not follow. I am not perfect, but I have purpose. I must wait until called. Released." With that, the Krogan walked off, while Shepard and the others proceeded forwards.
"If he wants to stay, let him," Ivan remarked. "Besides, someone'll kill him eventually, and do us a favor."
"That's rather harsh of you," Shepard remarked.
"He's a xeno. He deserves it either way."
"Ivan," Vladim growled quietly.
"Yes, sir," Ivan frowned. It was clear he didn't like working with xenos, but the commands the Emperor had given him, and Vladim's remark, reminded him of his duty. As such, they proceeded forwards.
As they moved downwards, panicked voices reached their ears. "Run for your life!" a merc shouted, panic in his voice. "They're loose! They're free!" Moments later, two Blue Suns mercs charged around the corner, fleeing for their lives.
They barely had time to look up before Shepard and the others opened fire, guns blazing as they cut down the mercs. Moving forwards, they found the reason why the mercs were running for their lives. Several krogan armed with shotguns were moving forwards, each one in the throes of insanity and blood rage.
To make matters more interesting, the room itself wasn't fully solid as well. The room was split in half by a chasm that was bridged by a pair of walkways that were haphazardly connected to each other. On the other side was another area that was much more stable, but they would have to get through the krogan first.
"Ivan, Vladim, this show's all yours," Shepard replied. "Go get 'em. We'll help if you need it."
"Alright," Vladim nodded. Making sure his rifle was loaded, he stood up and roared, "FOR THE GOD-EMPEROR!", before firing his rifle at the incoming hostiles. Nearby, Ivan took aim with his Lasgun, putting the weapon onto pulse mode.
Bullets and red-white beams of laser light cut through the air, while Shepard and the others began weakening the incoming krogan using long range weapons, allowing Ivan and Vladim to more easily finish them off. Moving forwards, Vladim blasted one krogan's head in half, before switching to another one.
As he did so, he heard Ivan shout, "Look out!" Turning, he was promptly tackled to the ground by a krogan that charged at him. As it raised it's weapon to use as a mace, Vladim, acting fast, pulled out his Combi-Pistol and pulled the secondary trigger.
A beam of red-white laser light cut through the space between the two and into the krogan's head. It's head split apart like a watermelon, steam rushing out of the wound as the intense energy boiled the water inside. Using his legs, he moved the dead krogan off of him, while firing the ballistic portion of his Combi-Pistol.
He was about to get up when Jack hefted him up onto his feet. "Come-on, badass," she teased. "No time to be lying on the ground."
"Thanks," Vladim replied as he and the others began to push up.
As they did so, an ominous creaking sound echoed in the air. "Aw, shit!" Jack moaned. "The walkways are giving way!"
"Double time, NOW!" Shepard shouted. Dropping all pretenses, the team immediately rushed forwards as fast as they could. Just as Ivan stepped onto the solid ground on the other side, the walkways collapsed, with each one falling into the chasm with a tremendous CRASH!
"Emperor's Grace," Vladim frowned. "We won't be going back that way. Let us hope that, wherever Okeer is at, there is a way to get free."
"Same here," Shepard nodded. "Come on, let's go. We've got work to do."