Chapter 31
Combat Information Center - SSV Normandy SR1
"Hey, Commander!" greeted Joker as Shepard approached the navigation seat.
Smiling, Shepard looked down at the man and nodded. "What's up Joker?"
"Two questions. First, has Liara been in the caffeine again? Every time I talk to her she's smiling like a maniac," he asked with a curious stare.
"No, that's not a result of caffeine," said the spectre as she crossed her arms and grinned at him.
"And you're not going to tell me what it is, are you?" he asked as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"If I did, I'd have to kill you," she said, pointing her finger at him like a gun.
"Yeah yeah, you Spectres and your secrets," he said as he rolled his eyes. "Now, can you tell me why we're in Asgard? This is mainly Alliance territory."
"An old friend sent me a message, telling me that there have been sightings of batarian activity nearby. As you mentioned, this is Alliance space. So batarian activity usually either means smugglers, or something a lot more serious," she said as she looked over to the navigation officer on duty, Lieutenant Lowe.
"Eww," said Joker sourly as he turned back to his console. "The last time batarians were involved in a human colony, a building was destroyed, and the nearby Fleet Depot was attacked."
"Yeah, I heard about that," she said with a knowing grin.
Joker shrugged as he adjusted their course slightly. "Not much to hear. Somehow the Alliance found out about the attack and blasted the batarians to scraps before they could do any damage. Thank the cosmos for small miracles," he said as he looked back up at her curiously. "Hey, where were you when that happened?" Shepard pointed at him with her gun-hand again, causing him to chuckle.
Suddenly, Lowe, the blonde navigation officer next to her spun around. "Commander!" she shouted but corrected herself. "I mean... Spectre!"
"It's fine, Lowe. What's up?" asked Shepard as she eyed the woman's surprised face.
"I'm picking up a distress signal," she said as she pressed the comm device to her ear.
"Where from? Terra Nova?" asked Joker as he moved to alter their course.
"No! It's... coming from nowhere? The signal appears to be coming from space, maybe a ship?" she said in confusion as she passed the information to navigation.
Pressly eyed the information curiously. "That's no Alliance distress call. Maybe civilian?" he said as he nodded to chief Tanaka.
The man scanned thoroughly before his eyes widened. "Spectre, what we're looking at isn't a ship," he said as Pressly too gasped in horror.
"An asteroid!? How the hell did it get that close to the planet without some kind of warning!?" he asked, almost outraged.
Shepard reached over for the comm, and Lowe handed it to her. Placing it in her ear, she listened intently. "Hello? If anyone is out there, please help us! X57 has been hijacked by batarian extremists and if someone doesn't intervene, millions will die!" came the female voice over the comm.
Looking at Lowe, Shepard's glared deepened. "Can you connect us to her frequency?"
"On it!" snapped the lieutenant as her fingers scrambled over the keyboard. Finally, she gave her a thumbs up.
"This is Spectre Jane Shepard with the Citadel Council. Give me your name and tell me why the hell an asteroid is headed directly for Terra Nova!" she snapped over the comm.
"A Spectre! Yes! Please, you have to help us! X57 was scheduled to arrive at Terra Nova for mining! But a crew of batarian extremists have taken over the facilities, and now have it on a direct collision course with the capital city of Scott! You need to disable the fusion torches-" said the woman rapidly.
"Who am I speaking with?" asked Shepard as she nodded to Joker. The man immediately set the course directly for the asteroid.
"My name is Kate Bowman, but that isn't important! What is, is stopping this thing from smashing into a planet!" said the woman in a hushed, but urgent voice. "You have to disable the main three fusion torches on the far side from the planet, then activate the reverse torches facing it to stop it! The reverse controls can be activated from the communications center at the top of the highest peak!" Suddenly, the woman's voice became muffled as someone in the background said something, then the comm went dead.
Handing the headpiece back to the lieutenant, Shepard sighed and shouted behind her as she rushed back towards the CIC. "We're taking the shuttle down Joker! Lowe, send a message to the Alliance immediately and warn them about what's going on!" As she hit the lift, she opened her omni-tool. "Wrex, Kaidan, Garrus, meet me at the shuttle bay in ten minutes, armed and armored to the teeth! We're jumping into hell!"
Surface of X57
Within minutes, the team had been assembled, and they all jumped into the shuttle as Shepard taxied them down at a rapid pace.
"What's going on Shepard?" asked Kaidan as he held onto one of the braces above him.
"A mining asteroid has been hijacked by batarian extremists and is currently heading full speed for Terra Nova," she said as she steered the ship down to one of the lit torches.
All three of the others looked at each other before looking back at Shepard. "Never knew working for a Spectre would be this eventful," said Garrus as he shook his head. "So, what are we doing?"
"We're flying down to the surface and shutting the fusion torches off that are propelling it off, activating the reverse torches before the asteroid reaches the point of no return, and taking out any batarians on the way," she responded with a heavy sigh. "If we hadn't been here..."
"No more Terra Nova," said Wrex as they all looked at him. "The krogan did this a few times back during the rebellions. We'd grab an asteroid and drop it from space right onto turian colonies. Depending on where it hits, the world may no longer be habitable afterward."
"Don't pat yourself on the back too hard," said Garrus sourly.
"Don't complain to me, turian. I was just a whelp on the front lines when that started happening. I wasn't anywhere near it. And on top of that, I wouldn't have done it even if I was in charge," snapped the krogan as he looked to Garrus. "It's just a waste of planets."
"So, what are we looking at as far as damage then?" asked Alenko as he gripped the strap above tightly.
Wrex flexed his neck as he thought about it. "Well, that depends on the size of the asteroid, and where it hits. If it hits land, you're looking at a cataclysm that would potentially wipe out all life on the planet. As soon as it impacts the ground, we're talking continental shift on a grand scale; and that's after the blast that wipes out everything within a thousand kilometers. Instant liquification of land on the impact site, earthquakes that could crack a planet in half, fire and ash raining down across the entire world as debris is scattered into the atmosphere, and climate shifting as a blanket of ash and fire covering the world for millennia. The volcanic eruptions alone would prevent new ships from coming down to rescue anyone who survived. And if it hits the water, then you're looking at all the same crap, but add in skyscraper-sized tidal waves that would destroy anything in their path. Basically, you're looking at literal scorched earth," finished the krogan as he sat back in his seat.
"Great. So, the only option that doesn't end up with millions dead is stopping it from hitting. How long do we have before the point of no return?" asked Garrus as he looked to Shepard.
"About four hours," she said as she looked out the window at the cragged surface of the asteroid. "That should be plenty of time, but I guess that depends on what we run into down there."
"Damn..." said Kaidan sourly. "If we hadn't been in the system already, nobody would have been here to stop it."
"Well, we are here. And we are going to stop it," said Shepard as she tightened her brace. "Now, sit back. Landing on this thing while it's rotating is going to be rough."
X57 Fusion Facility 1 – Surface of X57
It took less than thirty minutes for them to reach the first fusion torch facility. As Shepard anchored the ship, she turned to the others and pulled up a grappling gun. "We don't have time to mess around in here. You kill batarians on sight, and if they have human hostages, then freeing them only comes after the batarians are dead." As she opened the shuttle door, she aimed for the facility wall and fired the small device. A hook shot from the weapon and nailed the wall, securing itself before Shepard tied the other side to the ship.
Reaching out, she began to shuffle along the cord, preventing the lack of gravity from sending her flying off. The others looked at her, then at each other. "Well, she was special forces. Can't blame her for being prepared," said Garrus as he followed, using his talons to gently pull him towards the door.
Once at the door, Shepard used her omni-tool to open it, then held on for dear life as the sudden decompression exploded outwards. The blast of air sent her spinning around the cable, but she leveled herself using her grip on the cord. Finally, she planted herself firmly on the ground and used her leverage to throw herself inside the door.
It took another ten minutes before the others made it inside as well with Wrex being the most unsuccessful. But after they were inside, she finally closed the door and allowed the pressure chamber to rebalance again. She was prepared, but they were not. Once the cycle had completed, the gravity returned, and she landed on her feet.
Alenko unceremoniously landed on his rear end, and both Garrus and Wrex fall flat on their faces. "Ugh... some warning would have been nice," groaned the krogan as he got back to his feet.
"Quiet. Private comms only," she ordered from inside their helmets. All of them silenced their voice emulators and Shepard finally opened the door inside the building itself. It was incredibly small and tight. The only thing inside was the engine for the fusion torch in the center of the room, which made the atmosphere incredibly hot. Drawing her pistol, she moved forward silently. "They likely know we're here due to the main door being used. So be prepared for anything."
"Heh, no worries," said Wrex as he took a hand off his assault rifle and patted the heavy weapon on his back.
"We've got movement on the second floor. Looks like there's a small balcony where they can get the high ground," responded Garrus as his visor scanned the area.
"I'm going dark. You all try to take them out whenever they fire, and I'll hit them from behind," said the Spectre as she activated her cloaking.
"I just love it when she does that…" complained Kaidan as he hid behind the working engine. It was loud enough that it may have covered their entry into the building. "So, how do we-?" started the lieutenant, but he was interrupted as Wrex burst from cover and shot straight up at the balcony.
"Well, I guess that answers the question," said Garrus as he peeked out from cover and assisted. It was only seconds before the fire was returned. Wrex hid behind cover again as bullets rained down on their position.
"You've got mechs heading your way! Be careful!" Shepard warned over the comm. Garrus peeked from cover again and saw the threat. Several mechanical beasts that were similar in size to varren charged at them from the doorway leading to the upper level. Stepping back, he waited a moment before the mech sprinted around his corner, then he lashed out with a roundhouse kick that buried his spur blade directly into its head. As soon as the attack hit, it went dark and dropped to the ground.
Kaidan lifted two of his targets off the ground with biotics before accessing his omni-tool, then tossed them back towards the balcony with another throw. "Heads up, Shepard! Got a few boomers headed your way."
"I've got eyes on them," she said as the two mechs floated rapidly towards the balcony. The batarians that were firing scattered as they landed and exploded.
One of the batarians fell due to shrapnel, and Shepard jumped out while they were distracted. Using the butt of her weapon, she smashed one of their face plates in, causing him to shout in pain as the shards entered his eyes. Grabbing him, she flipped him over the balcony before turning and putting a round straight through another's helmet. As the extremist slumped to the ground, the spectre bounded over the scrapped mechs to finish off the rest.
While Shepard fought the batarians above, Garrus and Kaidan moved towards the door to assist her while Wrex finished the last of the mechs by kicking it into the giant engine itself. It tried to rise again, but one stomp from the large krogan's boot ended its struggles.
The fight ended as Kaidan finished the batarian that had fallen, and Shepard put down the last two who were defending the torch's controls with quick shots from her pistol. The others reached the top of the stairs just as her cloaking dropped. "Let's hope the others are this easy," Garrus said as Shepard opened the door to the control room.
Her brows furrowed as she did. In the small room, there were three bodies lying on the ground. Stepping over to one, she looked into the figure's broken faceplate and saw a dead human. "They aren't screwing around. No prisoners."
"They executed them. Almost all of these entry wounds are either through the back of the helmet or through the faceplate," said Garrus as he examined them.
"Unfortunately, there's no time to mourn. We have business to take care of," said Shepard as she accessed the controls on the torch and deactivated it, then disabled the panel so that it couldn't be used again when they left.
Almost as soon as the fire deactivated, her comm turned on again. "Hello? Spectre, are you still on this frequency?"
Reaching up, she activated it and responded. "I am. Now, can you tell me what the hell is going on? Why was this asteroid headed for Terra Nova? Mining asteroids aren't usually moved to host planets," she said as she turned around and headed down the stairs.
"I'm an engineer, and we were instructed to bring this asteroid to Terra Nova. They wanted it nearby because it was close enough to move, and after it was mined out, they were going to use the remainder as a frame for a new orbiting space station. It was relatively easy until... shit, I have to go again. I think they know the torch went out. Keep up the good work and watch yourself out there!" said the voice before the comm cut off again.
Sighing to herself, Shepard headed for the door. As she stepped into the entryway, she was startled to see another human. Grabbing her weapon, she raised it. "Who are you?"
Startled by the shout, the man fired his weapon before ungracefully falling on his rear end. The shot easily deflected off Shepard's shields as she glared down at him. "Oh god! I'm sorry!" he shouted as he got up again and dropped the gun. Garrus and Kaidan stepped up behind her just in case he tried anything. "I didn't mean to... are you hurt?"
Shepard stared at him a moment before shaking her head. "I'm fine. Now, how about you answer my question?"
"Sorry, I didn't realize you were human. I'm not much of a soldier…" he said, clearly flustered after the panic fire. "My name is Simon Atwell. I'm the chief engineer on this rock. Look…" he started as he held up his hands defensively but stepped closer to her. "We don't have much time! The batarians have the torches lit, and if we don't turn them off, we're going to hit Terra Nova!"
"I've already been informed. That's why we're here," she said as she put the weapon away.
"Oh, right. Sorry. It's just, I've got family down there. Kids, grandkids, the works. And four million people on top of them will die if the batarians aren't stopped," he said nervously. Despite the atmospheric control that came standard on most space-faring suits, Shepard could see that the man was sweating profusely.
"We're working on that now," she said, hoping her point was made. But apparently, the man didn't take the hint.
"One last thing! I had a crew working on the surface when the attack hit. I'm worried about them. If you have the time, could you check on them for me?" he asked hopefully as Shepard narrowed her eyes.
"My primary objective is to stop those torches and activate the reverse thrusters on this rock. After that and the batarians are taken care of, I'll look for your team. Until then, I'm afraid we don't have the time."
"Right, I understand. Thank you regardless," he said as he stepped out of her way.
"I'd recommend making yourself scarce. The batarians may come back here to try and activate the torch. They won't be able to, but I doubt you'd want to see what happens when they figure that out," she ordered as she entered the decompression chamber in the entrance. Simon followed her and the team in and nodded.
"Y-You're right. I saw them smash in the face plates of people working in vacuum. And those mechs... ugh," he responded as he shook his head. "Anyway, I'll take my ship to the other side, away from the action. When you finish... if you finish, please contact me and I'll head for the main facility."
"I'll do that," said Shepard as she received his data. "In the meantime, keep your head down and let us take care of this. If you have any updates, contact me. Otherwise, keep off the mic to prevent them from tracking you down." Finally, the door opened to the outside and they began to float again. Shepard used the door and cannonballed herself directly inside the ship with one hand on the cord for stability. Her team followed her as Simon headed for his own ship.
Once inside, Shepard lifted the shuttle off the ground and headed for the next fusion torch facility. Filling the time between landing, Garrus decided to strike up a conversation. "So, we've got at least two survivors, two more fusion torch facilities, and the main facility. It's likely the next two are going to be packed with batarians."
"After they found out one of the torches went off? Definitely," responded Kaidan with a sigh. "Time isn't as much our enemy as these batarians are. They don't usually attack in small numbers. They like to overwhelm their enemies."
"Ha! What a cowardly tactic!" said Wrex with a chuckle.
"Cowardly, but it works," said Shepard as she steered towards the next building. "Also, when did you learn about batarian tactics, Lieutenant?"
"I took a page from your book, Commander. I learned who I was working with, and I read quite a number of intelligence reports that you sent to the Alliance," he responded with a smirk.
"Was it as bad as it sounds?" asked Garrus in his droll tone.
"It was a bit of a dry read, but very informative," said the lieutenant firmly.
"Joke's on you Garrus. If you don't survive our mission, I'm gonna write your eulogy," she said sarcastically as she landed the ship again.
"Oh spirits no," responded the turian with a shake of his head.
"Alright. Jokes are offline for now. We're going with the same plan as before, so get yourself ready," she ordered as she opened the hatch and fired the small harpoon again.
X57 Fusion Facility 2 – Surface of X57
Unlike before, the team of batarians guarding the engine was numerous. It was a hard-fought battle, but Shepard's squad came out successful again. With the batarians dead, she stepped into the control room and shut the torch off. Once again, as soon as the engine in the main room died down, her comm activated.
"Spectre, are you there? Oh boy, you've really pissed them off. The leader is setting charges everywhere in the main facility. I think he's going to blow this whole place to hell," came the voice of Kate. Shepard went to respond, but suddenly a massive scuffle was heard.
"Get away from there!" came another voice over the comm, this one definitely batarian.
"Please, don't shoot!" shouted the woman defensively.
There was a long silence before yet another batarian voice came up, this one much deeper than the others. "Who is shutting off the torches?" Everything was silent as Shepard turned and headed for the door, signaling to the others to move quickly. "I won't ask you again." After another long silence, there was a gunshot. Shepard gritted her teeth as she heard the woman gunned down. "Find this problem, and deal with it," ordered the voice of the leader.
Suddenly, the comm died again. "Damn it, they found her!" Shepard growled as she left the facility.
X57 Fusion Facility 3 – Surface of X57
The last of the fusion torch facilities was a bigger pain than the others. Almost as soon as they reached viewing distance, they were fired on by turrets that the batarians had set outside the building. Shepard flipped the shuttle to escape the blasts and nearly crashed them onto the surface.
Garrus gasped as he recovered from the intense roll of the ship and stared at the window. "Damn. Those aren't cheap weapons. We're dealing with a high class of terrorist," he said as he unbuckled his safety harness.
"Garrus, what the hell are you doing?" asked Shepard as she swung the ship into cover behind a large rocky hill.
"If we want inside that building, then we need to take out those turrets! Give me your grapple gun!" he ordered, holding out his talon.
Shepard stared at him for a moment as the shuttle idled in place. "I hope you know what the hell you're doing." Reaching down, she pulled the object from her belt and handed it to him.
"You and me both," he said as he grabbed the safety rail and stood as much as he could in the cramped compartment. "Now, I need you to set me on top of this hill, then provide a distraction."
She glared at him as the shuttle started to ascend. "This is revenge for something. I don't know what, but I will find out, Vakarian," she said as she flew above the crest of the hill and opened the shuttle door. Garrus held onto the rail and aimed the grapple gun at the asteroid and fired. As soon as it hit the surface, the cord began recoiling and it pulled him downwards until he was on the rocky surface of the asteroid.
Hooking the grapple gun to his belt, he steadied himself and pulled his long-range rifle off his back. Gripping the rocks with his talons, he aimed over the hill and sighted the first manned turret into his scope. As the shuttle flew high, the turrets spun and began firing again. The shuttle was too high to be reliably hit by the fire, but they fired regardless. And the distraction made it easy for Garrus to focus on the targets.
He slowed his breathing as he sighted the long-distance target, and focused, then fired. The shot immediately snapped the safety cord holding one of the gunners to the turret, which whipped upwards and surprised the batarian gunner. Immediately, he released the handles of the turret and went flipping backward as the lack of gravity took him. Then Garrus moved his scope again. "Two more," he said, both to himself and through the comm to Shepard.
As he focused again on the second one, this time aiming for the head, as the cable wasn't in view. As his scope zeroed in on the helmet, he released his breath again and fired once. The batarian's shields winked out as they stopped the shot. Then he fired again and sent the man spinning. It was blatantly clear that he was now dead, as each rotation of his body sprayed out icy red crystals, his blood freezing as it sprayed from his helmet.
Finally, he moved his scope to the last one and cursed as he saw its main gun pointed directly at his position. "Damn! They figured us out!" he shouted as he tried to move. But even being anchored, it was difficult without gravity to hold him down. One of the rounds hit his shields and knocked them out as he flailed around. But he quickly realized that his only hope was to make as little a target as possible. Slamming his talons down on the button of the grappling hook, it yanked him down against the ground. He laid as flat and still as possible as the rocky hill was peppered with more rounds. His shields came up again, then went down again as another round hit them. "I'm pinned down, Shepard!"
"We've got you!" yelled the commander through the comm. Garrus looked up and saw the shuttle descending rapidly. Suddenly, it crashed nose first into the turret and sent both the batarian and the scraps of the weapon flying into the darkness. "Coming to retrieve you now."
The shuttle swerved and sped towards his pockmarked position before the door opened and Kaidan leaned out with his hand extended. Reaching out, the turian grabbed him and released the grappling hook, then was yanked into the ship's interior. "Thanks for the backup. I thought you were actually going to have to do my eulogy there for a moment."
Shepard chuckled as she moved the ship towards the last, now unguarded facility. "Don't count your chickens before they hatch," said the spectre as she finally anchored the ship. Turning, she saw Garrus staring at her for a moment. "Oh... chickens, right. Sorry," she said as she got the grapple gun from him again. "It basically means don't get ahead of yourself."
"Ah, understood. And no worries, Shepard. I know you well enough to know you'd never use that in a derogatory manner," said the turian as he waved off her apology.
X57 Fusion Facility 3 – Surface of X57
Shepard speared the door of the facility once more, and she entered in the same manner as the rest of the facilities. But to her surprise, the inner door of the building was already opened. Before she could get a grasp on the reasoning, fire raining down on her. Shepard dove behind the engine just in time as a rocket went screaming through the door and out into space.
"Careful entering! They're aiming at the door!" she shouted as she felt bullets pinging off of the engine next to her.
"Baak talak!" shouted one of the batarians as he shoved one of the shooters.
She knew the phrase quite well. It was used in formal Kar'Salk, essentially the language of upper-class batarians, and it was an order to stop firing. She wasn't sure why, but she knew it wasn't because they wanted her alive. Holding her pistol up, she activated her comm. "Stay out there for a moment. They have rockets aimed at the door and I don't want any of you spaced."
"Shepard! That means you're in there alone!" growled Kaidan.
"That's an order Alenko! Just sit tight!" she commanded as she killed the comm. Suddenly, her eyes widened as the batarians spoke again.
"Come out of there, Shepard. We know who you are!" shouted the higher class batarian in Galactic Common.
"See, that's really odd. Usually, when batarians hear my name, they don't live to tell of it later," she said as she stalled, trying to come up with a plan. She knew they had to be circling around the engine to flank her.
The terrorist chuckled at her response. "Very true. But we're a lot smarter than you give us credit for."
"If that were true, you'd have left as soon as you found out I was here," she said bitingly as she fired an adhesive grenade around the far corner of her cover. She was rewarded with batarians yelling in Kar'Toka, the lower-class language, just as it detonated.
"Shakas! Don't let her damage the engine!" yelled the leader angrily.
"Hey Shepard," came Wrex's voice through the comm.
"Yeah?" she asked as she prepared another explosive.
"We just need to turn the engine off, right?" asked the krogan curiously.
"Yeah. Why am I suddenly nervous?" she responded, wondering where the krogan was going with the line of questions.
"Heh, you might want to duck. And I mean on the ground, face first," he said, and her eyes widened. Immediately she did exactly the opposite and used the lack of gravity to her advantage. Thrusting both feet down, she hurtled towards the ceiling, putting much more distance between her and whatever Wrex had planned.
"See, Shepard, we've heard everything about the Nemesis of the Alliance. And we were relatively surprised to find you here. But now that you are, we've got you right where we... wait, what's that noise?" asked the batarian as he stopped his monologue.
Out of nowhere, a heated laser burst through the wall and drilled into the side of the engine. Shepard grabbed a safety rail built into the ceiling and used it to thrust herself away from the device as the heated attack began melting through the machine. "I'm coming out! Open the far shuttle door!" she ordered as she used the distraction to barrel towards the entrance. The laser had burned completely through the metal now and scored on a very unfortunate batarian, whose chest now had a flaming hole through the center.
Overriding the outside door, she threw herself out and let gravity take her. She soared over the shuttle itself before using the grapple gun to tag it, then swing herself directly inside the vehicle.
"Okay, now you're just showing off," said Garrus as he helped her up.
Shepard ignored the comment and stared as Wrex's heavy weapon started doing serious damage. The fusion torch above began sputtering wildly before going out. Then the inside exploded as the machine overheated, killing most, if not all of the batarians, and sending the roof of the facility scattering to space. Jumping into the pilot's seat, she began to fly the ship away as Wrex held on tight, his weapon no longer firing, but instead sizzling madly as the coldness of space cooled its surface.
They all watched as the destruction of the facility caused the torch itself to begin breaking apart. "Heh, now that's how you turn something off."
"I'll keep that in mind next time I can't find the remote," responded Kaidan with a smirk as he belted himself in again. The lieutenant then looked at Shepard. "Also, Commander, what's this about the Nemesis of the Alliance?"
She moved the ship towards their next destination, the comm center that engineer Bowman had told her about before turning and looking back at the squad. They all looked back at her curiously, and she sighed to herself. "I can trust you all, right?"
"Trust us how?" asked Wrex curiously.
"Not to gossip like a church clique," she said sternly.
Now knowing she was serious, they responded more formally with Kaidan taking the lead. "Of course, Shepard."
"It would damage the spirit of the Normandy to do such a thing," responded Garrus.
"I ain't got nothing to say to anyone about you. Unless I'm threatening them, of course," said Wrex, getting a smile from the spectre.
"Good," she said as she sighed to herself. "When I was still in the Alliance, before I became N7, I worked with intel in the Traverse. I kinda made a name for myself for handling batarians, both escapees and extremists. I guess I didn't cover up my work good enough because someone found out about me."
"I wouldn't put it past the Hegemony to hire a Spectre to find out who you were. So, I wouldn't misjudge yourself too hard," said the turian.
"Even so, I've done a lot of work with them. Rescuing defectors, taking out troublemakers, siphoning information, and so on. I worked for years with that team and have had a hand in no less than a hundred dealings with batarians," she finished as she finally caught sight of the comm center.
"I see. So, they knew you by reputation and gave you a nickname?" asked Kaidan curiously.
"That nickname was actually given to me by someone in the Alliance. That revelation only deepens my concerns that the batarians know it," she said as she finally stopped and anchored the ship. Turning to them, she glared daggers. "Now, please don't make me teach you what happens to information leakers."
"Can I tell Tali? I'm sure she'd love to hear about it," said Garrus playfully as he readied his weapon.
"Ugh, fine. But the same rules apply to her. It doesn't go beyond our team," she ordered as she readied her grapple gun again. Using it to spike next to the door, it appeared the comm station was less of a facility, and more of a trailer set up to link all the other stations together. She slid inside the door easily enough and floated towards the console before turning it on. "Looks like the batarians haven't found this place yet."
"Good. That Bowman woman said you can activate the reverse thrusters from here, right?" asked Kaidan as he followed her in.
"She did. Let me see if I can figure out how they work," she responded as she activated her omni-tool, drifting lazily through the air as she worked. "It looks like the transponders from Atwell's crew came back to here as well. We'll have to check them out before we head to the main facility."
"Once the X57 is in full reverse, there should be plenty of time to look," said Kaidan as she downloaded the locations quickly.
Suddenly, another ship flew out from behind the trailer and shined a bright light on their position. Immediately, she sighed and alerted the Normandy of their position. But if these batarians decided to fire on them, it would likely be too late for the Normandy to respond. She had to stall them. Using her omni-tool, she connected to the ship's comms. "So, are you going to threaten me with death too?"
It took a moment, but she finally got a response. "Not exactly. This doesn't have to end in bloodshed. Your choice, Shepard. The hard way, or the easy way."
"A batarian extremist who knows how to parlay? Color me surprised," she responded as she glared through the windows at the ship. Its guns were big enough that they'd get through the trailer glass in a matter of seconds.
"Look, I'm just doing my job here. Hijacking this rock wasn't my idea. I joined for profit, make a little slave grab, that's all," responded the pilot. It was a small batarian gunship, which meant there were likely at least two more inside.
"Well, your little slave grab turned into the potential destruction of a planet. So why the hell are you still here?" she snapped impatiently as she continued to work on the thrusters.
"If it were up to me, we'd have already left. But I'm following someone else's orders. Someone who knows how to hurt me," he replied, his voice all but angry.
"Well, here's your chance to leave. Do so, and I won't have your ship blasted into scrap metal," she said as she smirked through the window at him.
"Wha? Shakas…" cursed the batarian as the Normandy locked onto his position.
"That's right. Now, open up the ship before I do it permanently," she ordered as she finally finished. The reverse thrusters activated, and her job was done, even if they killed her now, even if the batarians tried to undo her work. The Alliance would be here long before they figured out how to get through her programming. Terra Nova was safe.
The ship landed on the rocky surface, anchored itself, then the cockpit opened. As expected, three batarians were sitting in adjacent triangular formation seats. "Damn you Balak…"
"Quiet," she ordered as she halted the Normandy from firing. Looking up at the three, she moved until she was standing in the doorway of the trailer. "Now, here's what's going to happen. You're going to tell me who you are, who you work for, and then you're going to leave. Do I make myself clear?
"Yeah yeah, I got it," said the batarian with a sigh. "My name is Charn, and we're working for Balak."
Her eyes widened at the name."Balak?"
"Yeah, him. No doubt you've heard of his work," said the batarian, who didn't get any more than a silent stare from Shepard. "You know what he's capable of, and you know what he'll do to me if I betray him."
"Well, it looks like you no longer have a choice," she said, her glare deepening as she realized what she was dealing with. "Now, Charn, I know for a fact that's not your real name. I know enough about the batarian language to know when I'm being mocked," she said as she opened her omni-tool. "Now, tell me your real name before I rip you out of your suit and scan your DNA myself," she snapped impatiently.
The batarian sighed and slumped back in his seat. "Fine. My name is Jamen Dolsokk."
She smirked and nodded as she put her omni-tool away. "Good. Now, here's what's going to happen. I've added a number to all of your comms. When I message that number, you respond immediately, and you follow the instructions. If you don't, I'll find you, and I'll make you regret it." Her eyes focused on Jamen this time. "And, if I ever hear about any of you coming into Alliance space again, I will personally hunt you down. Balak will seem like a dream when I'm done with you."
The batarian stared at her for a long moment. "Only if you kill Balak."
"You seem to misunderstand. This isn't a negotiation," she said irately.
"I understand perfectly. But betraying him is worse than suicide. Kill him, and you'll never hear from us again," said the batarian resolutely.
Sighing to herself, she glared at him. "That's the plan anyway. But just in case, I wouldn't go back to batarian space. You might want to stick to the Terminus Systems from now on," she said as she pulled herself back to the shuttle.
The batarian growled but closed the cockpit and spun the ship around. He immediately fled the asteroid and headed towards the nearest relay.
"You know, I could have shot them down with my gun," said Wrex, almost sounding disappointed.
"You could have, but now you don't have to. Save it for when we meet Balak," she said as she climbed back into the pilot's seat.
"So, who is this Balak character?" asked Kaidan as he entered the vehicle as well.
"A big player in batarian extremism. Almost every attack on human colonies from batarians, he had a hand in. Elysium and a few small hits are the only ones that he wasn't involved in," she said as she looked back at the lieutenant. "He spearheaded Mindoir himself."
Immediately, Kaidan's brows furrowed. "He's got a lot of blood on his hands then."
"Yeah. Let's go see if we can't wipe it clean," she said as she lifted off again and flew towards the main facility.
Outside X57 Main Facility – Surface of X57
"Well, I guess they know we're coming then," said Garrus as they received the report from Pressly.
"It looks like it. The facility ahead is armed to the teeth with men and turrets. And these ones are automated, so you can't just take out the operator," replied the XO from the bridge of the Normandy.
"Fighters would come in handy right now," growled the turian as he tapped the handle of his weapon impatiently.
"Frigates aren't known for housing many fighters," said Shepard with a smirk. "Pressly, put me through to the Fire Team."
"Roger, Spectre. Patching you through now," responded the navigator as the comm changed over.
"Fire Team Leader here," came Zannia's voice.
"Zannia, the Excalibur cannon would normally send an asteroid of this size spinning, correct?" asked the spectre.
"That's correct, Spectre. If it were larger, we could have used the main accelerator cannon to take out the fusion torches, but if we had on X57, it would have begun spiraling from the impact, making the reverse thrusters useless," responded the turian leader.
"We currently have rocket turrets keeping us from getting to the main facility. Is there a way you can knock them out without destroying the entire facility?" she asked, wondering how creative the woman could get with the weapons on the ship.
There was a moment of silence before the turian responded. "Actually, yes. The GARDIAN systems are light enough to destroy the turrets without damaging the main building. But the Normandy's scanners were meant for computer driven torpedoes. They won't be able to target something as simple and small as these turrets. You'll have to mark them from the ground."
"Understood. Send the marker in a drop pod to my location and prepare the Normandy for battle," she ordered as she opened the shuttle. Pulling the hook of the grapple gun off, she anchored it to the shuttle, then hooked it to her belt. After a minute of waiting, a pod from above slammed into the ground, where it stuck in the surface of the rock.
After the debris cleared, Shepard dove out of the shuttle, aiming directly for the pod itself. When she was in range, she grabbed one of the handles and entered the ejection code. The sides fired off in all directions, and a laser weapon the size of a rifle was the only thing on the weapon rack inside. Grabbing it, she reeled herself back in and unhooked the grapple gun.
"So, all we have to do is point this at the turrets?" asked Kaidan as he eyed the curious device.
"It's almost too easy with creative thinking like that. You just need a skilled pilot to compensate for the movement of the asteroid," responded Garrus with a chuckle. Suddenly, they all looked up as the Normandy swooped downwards and stopped almost directly over the facility.
"I'm sorry, you called?" came Joker's chipper voice over the comm.
"Yes, we did. Hold your position there, Joker! We've got some work to do!" called Shepard as she hooked the weapon to herself and began the process of climbing up their cover. Her hands gripped the rocky surface, making sure she didn't float away before she finally made it to the top of the hill. Already the turrets were aimed directly up at the invading ship and firing their missile payloads at it. But the Normandy's armor was world-class and meant for much stronger strikes than simple ground rockets.
As she secured herself to the ground with the grappling tool, she raised the laser weapon she put the butt to her shoulder and aimed the laser sight directly at one of the turrets. "Syncing weapon targeting with GARDIAN laser systems now, Commander," said Pressly over the comms.
"Target in sight," she said as she pulled the trigger and set the marking laser shining off its surface.
"Target spotted! Firing now!" came Zannia's voice again. The laser turrets on the Normandy immediately spun around and targeted the machine, then unleashed enough laser fire to crater the entire thing.
"Locking on to next target!" shouted Shepard as she marked the next turret. It was like a fantastic fireworks display. Each turret that she targeted was almost immediately turned into burning scrap. Within minutes, all of the turrets were little more than floating debris floating off from the surface of the mineral-rich asteroid. Turning, Shepard tossed the weapon back to the shuttle where it was caught by Garrus. "Now, let's get inside and get rid of this infestation."
X57 Main Facility – Surface of X57
"We know you're there human. You might as well show yourself," said the batarian leader as he paced around in front of a large doorway.
"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I'm going to give you an easy target," responded Kaidan from the door.
"Ah yes, the subordinate. Where is your Commander? Sneaking around cloaked in stealth? What was your plan, to distract me so that she could come up behind me and jam a knife into my heart?" asked Balak with a grin.
"Not exactly…" responded the lieutenant as Garrus and Wrex held the opposite side of the entrance.
Suddenly, the intercom system activated, and Shepard's voice echoed across the chambers. "I see the mighty Balak finally decided to show his face in Alliance space again. What's it been, ten years since you had the courage to do a job yourself?"
Balak chuckled to himself as he continued to pace around a device set into the floor. "Ah yes, calling my honor into question. A typical human tactic."
"Release whatever hostages you have Balak, and maybe you'll live long enough to explain yourself to the Council," said Shepard threateningly as she opened a door on the side of the large area and stepped inside.
"I don't answer to the Council, and I certainly don't answer to you," said the batarian as he looked around. "Though, it is rather amusing to be called a coward by someone who refuses to show themselves."
"Oh, don't worry. You'll see me soon enough," she said as she opened another door and immediately slammed her fist into the throat of an extremist who was guarding the door. The batarian gasped in shock before she pulled out her turian-styled talon blade and jammed it into his throat, silencing him forever. She then knelt down next to the hostages and began disabling the bomb as they called out to her through gags.
"I very much doubt that. See, I'll be leaving this rock in a matter of moments. And if you try and stop me, I'll detonate the charges that I have set all over this facility, taking out you and the hostages with it," he said with a grin on his face.
"Is that right?" she asked as she finally disarmed the last bomb. "Well then, I guess you've got me right where you want me!" she said mockingly as she moved over to one of the bound women. Kneeling down, she removed her cloaking and held a finger over her mouth, signaling the woman to be quiet. Gently, she reached up and tugged the gag out of her mouth.
The brunette immediately grabbed Shepard's hand and eyed her worriedly with tear-stained eyes. "Spectre! There's another bomb!" whispered the woman as quietly as she could.
Shepard's eyes widened slightly, both because the voice belonged to a woman she thought dead, and because of the news. "Bowman?" she asked, getting a nod. "Where is it?"
"Near the entrance! He didn't activate it so your scanners wouldn't pick it up! If he detonates it, the decompression is going to kill everyone inside and rip the entire facility off the face of the asteroid!" she said urgently.
Shepard immediately stood to her feet and switched her comm. "Wrex! Kaidan! Garrus! There's another bomb at the entrance! I have to disable it! Do not let him leave this facility!"
On her command, the three of them moved out of the doorway and began charging into the main room. It was very reminiscent of a hotel lobby, with a fountain in the center, and plants decorating the areas around the room. The plants were likely a regular oxygen supply while the fountain water was actually potable drinking water. As they entered the first level, enemy fire began raining down on them from the mezzanine levels above.
Wrex immediately bolted forward with his biotics, sending a batarian screaming and crashing through a window as his charge hit like a cannonball. Garrus pulled his sniper off and used Wrex's distraction to dash up the stairs to a higher level before setting up behind a small barricade.
Kaidan, meanwhile, bolted past the fire fighting with his barrier and had his sights set on Balak himself. Chuckling to himself, the batarian activated the bomb and turned to leave. "Your death will be the jewel in my crown," he said as the door behind him opened. Suddenly, he turned sharply as Kaidan's sub-machine gun fired directly at him. But the barrier around him blocked all the shots.
Kaidan looked down at the device at Balak's feet and growled angrily. "Damn it! He's got a forcefield generator!" he yelled angrily as he punched the shield directly.
"Better luck next time, human," remarked Balak as he attempted to leave. But he stopped dead as his feet began to float from the ground. "What in-" suddenly, he smashed against the forcefield itself.
"There won't be a next time!" shouted the lieutenant as he began to use biotics to warp the machine inside the field.
"Morons! Stop him!" shouted Balak as he was dropped to the ground and scrambled to his feet again. Kaidan went to grab him once more, but a sniper shot hit his barrier and sent him careening sideways. Moving quickly, he ducked behind a concrete planter for cover.
She could hear the gunfight going off in the large atrium. Leaving the fight killed her inside, but if she didn't get to the bomb then her squad might die anyway as the relentless vacuum of space ripped them apart and hurled them in all directions. She had to find the bomb, and that meant trusting her team.
As she entered the lobby, Shepard found the last of the bombs hidden tucked beneath the main counter and began her work of trying to disarm it. But most bombs of this style took at least a minute to disable, and the timer after activation had only been set to thirty seconds. As soon as she saw the timer, she knew she wouldn't be able to disarm it.
Looking for another way to get rid of it, she stood up and grabbed the device, lifting the heavy object and heading for the door as fast as she could. Her team would have to fight without her, unfortunately. And if her plan didn't work, then they might have to fight without her permanently. Exiting the building, she left the bomb floating and flung herself towards the shuttle. Once she grabbed the door, she aimed the grapple gun at the bomb and fired.
It hooked, and she anchored it to the shuttle. Quickly, she opened her omni-tool and activated the autopilot, making the ship lift off and fly out into the void, dragging the floating bomb with it. As the vehicle sped off, the explosive whipped around and slammed into Shepard's back, sending her floating away from the facility before it followed the shuttle into the darkness.
In mere seconds, the bomb exploded, taking the ship out without a sound or sight and scattering shrapnel to the universe. She hoped that none of the high-speed metal was aimed at her as she drifted in the darkness of space. Slowly, she made a rotation and saw a ship emerge from the facility. She had instructed the Normandy to stay away from the building in case the explosives went off but told them to watch out for a ship leaving. But she knew it was no use anymore.
Despite its small size, the ship immediately went into FTL and vanished from sight, causing her to sigh in frustration as the biggest batarian war criminal in the history of the Alliance escaped her grasp once again. Reaching up, she activated a small device built into her helmet that began sending out an SOS beacon. Closing her eyes, she waited for assistance as she continued to float off into the void of space.
CODEX ENTRIES
Whelp | Culture | Krogan
Whelp, or whelpling, is a term referring to the early stages of a krogan's long life. Typically in the age range from birth to the age of one hundred Tuchanka cycles, the true evolution from this life stage only begins once the whelp in question has gone through the Rite of Passage. This often includes copious amounts of violence, bloodshed, and alcohol.
Chicken | Derogatory Linguistics | English and Galactic Common
A creature from Earth, usually cultivated for its meat or eggs. Sometimes used by humans as a derogatory term for turians.
Baak talak | Translation | Batarian Kar'Salk
Do not shoot!
Kar'Salk/Kar'Toka | Linguistics | Batarian
Two similar, but very distinct batarian languages used commonly in its caste system society. Every citizen of Kar'Shan knows both, and always uses one or the other depending on who they speak to. Kar'Salk, the higher-class language, is only used by individuals when speaking to someone of lower class. Said person would then respond respectfully in Kar'Toka as a sign of acceptance of their place. Were two individuals of equal station to speak, they would speak in Kar'Toka, as two individuals speaking Kar'Salk to one another is considered a challenge of authority.
Shakas | Translation | Batarian Kar'Salk
A curse commonly used by batarians that refers to their hellish God, Shakas, a large tentacled monster that pries the eyes from the unclean, leaving their soul to rot in their corpse.
Spirit of the Normandy | Mythology | Turian Mythology
Turians commonly believe in spirits, not just of individuals, but groups as well. The 'spirit of the team' is the force that holds them together, and can be strengthened through teamwork, or damaged through dishonor. The spirit of the team is often used as a gauge on how well a group of people works together, with a strong spirit referring to a good team.
Charn | Translation | Batarian Kar'Salk
The literal meaning is "unknowing," or "unable to be known."