27/3/2186
SSV Normandy.
"Captain, what's the situation?" Admiral Hackett asked in his hologram form. They were flying towards Sur'Kesh, hoping that they could attempt a peaceful handover of the Krogan females. Yet, Mads had a feeling something was going to go south, it always did.
"We are flying to Sur'Kesh to try and fulfill Wrex's demands. The Dalatrass agreed to hand over some Krogan females… Under protest." Mads replied.
"Interesting. So, do you think it will be uneventful?" Hackett asked further.
"Things are never peaceful when you put a Salarian and A Krogan within 50 yards of each other, but I think Wrex will play nice. I should be able to calm him down. If there is one thing Wrex cares more about than a good fight, it's the future of his people." Mads answered.
"I see. Well, your current orders are still to make sure this alliance becomes a reality. We need all the support we can get. By the way, there was something I wanted to update you on." Hackett said.
"What is it?" Mads asked, almost excited on what news he could get.
"Your former squad mate, Jack, and her students have been liberated from the Grissom Academy." Hackett informed him.
"Jack? It's good to hear she is alright. Was the Academy under attack?" Mads then asked curiously.
"Funny enough, we thought it was being evacuated, but it turns out that Cerberus was actually trying to take the students. They had sent out an encryptedTurian signal, that the Turians were evacuating the place-" Hackett explained.
"Huh, they tried that trick twice? They did the same number on me when we boarded a collector ship 6 months ago." Mads remarked.
"Hmmm, that is interesting. Although, we would have been none the wiser if it wasn't for William Sheridan." Hackett finished explaining.
Mads chuckled. "Of course William was there. Is he back with the Alliance?" Mads asked.
"No, he runs his own operation. Though, he is fast proving himself as an ally to the alliance. He is focusing on Cerberus activity." Hackett answered.
"I can see him as a good ally. Right now, we need everything we can get in the fight against both Cerberus and the Reapers. Now, was there anything else, Admiral?" Mads asked.
"No Captain, that will be all. Hackett out." And with that, Hackett disappeared. Mads should have known that William would be pulling his strings to get Cerberus down. That made Mads wonder what someone like Conrad Rorke was up to. He hoped that the manhad been killed, but that was wishful thinking. Still, it didn't matter, what mattered was that Cerberus had taken a beating, and that the students, alongside Jack, were safe. Mads wondered how Jack ended up there in the first place, she didn't seem like the type that would teach other people. She always struck him as a lone wolf.
Mads turned his attention to the matter at hand. The retrieval of the Krogan females. Wrex had an inside source, and Mads wondered who it could be. Though, it probably didn't matter. Mads needed Wrex to help the Turians, otherwise, they were all dead in the water.
Mads had spent some time chatting with Wrex since the meeting. He had assumed the leadership of most Krogans, and from what Mads could gather, he intended peaceful things for the Krogan. It made Mads smile, perhaps there was hope for the Krogan, if only they would be given the chance. Mads promised Wrex he would do whatever it took to cure the Genophage.
While they flew towards the Salarian home world, Mads went down to the shuttle bay, mostly to check up on his gear, but also to say hello to the various crew members he hadn't fully met yet. Alongside these, was his shuttle pilot. A certain Steve Cortez. So far, he seemed skilled, and easy to talk to. James on the other hand, he had some emotional baggage stored away, some he didn't want to talk about.
"Hello Captain." Steve greeted with a smile.
"Hey Steve, what's up?" Mads asked.
"Not much at the moment, Captain. Currently sorting out the Kodiak, considering James likes to CRASH THEM." Steve yelled high enough for James to hear, Mads chuckled.
"You guys know each other?" Mads asked.
"Oh, we served together a few times over the years. Mainly on Fehl Prime." Steve answered with a smile.
"So, were you always a shuttle pilot?" Mads asked to make more conversation.
"Oh god no. I used to fly the F-61 Tridents. Those birds could fly, the Kodiak flies like a concrete fridge, but she has the same technology as the Normandy. On a scanner, we are invisible." Steve replied.
"Unless someone looks up in the sky." Mads remembered the words Joker had muttered when they went with Legion to the Geth station. Seemed like ages ago now.
"Exactly. But I can pilot her just fine, not to worry Captain. I'll make sure you get from A to B." Steve reassured him.
"That's great. It would be quite a dishonorable death to die before even reaching the battle." Mads joked, Steve joined with a chuckle. "Are you in charge of Requisitions as well?" Mads wondered as he saw all the equipment stored there, but no requisitions officer.
"Yes. Originally I was assigned to the Normandy to help with the retrofit team. I was tasked with bringing the armory down the shuttle bay. I don't understand why anyone would place it behind the CIC, it makes much more sense to have it here, ready to go when you need to get to battle." Steve explained.
"That's Cerberus for you. They might have made a good ship, but not every aspect was perfect." Mads replied.
They continued their banter for a little while longer. Speaking about various topic relating to Steve's work in the cargo hold. He seemed like a nice guy, one you could talk easily with. But, there was also some scars beneath the surface. Steve seemed like the man that was currently working himself to death. Mads decided not to press the issue right now. Instead, he would go have a talk with James.
The lieutenant was currently lifting himself up on a metal bar. Mostly in an attempt to keep his muscles in shape. He was really going at it too, Mads silently approached the lieutenant, who was still caught up in counting his progress.
"How many so far?" Mads asked.
"152, trying to beat my current record. Why? You came to observe?" There was some sort of passive aggressiveness tone to James' voice. Which only supported his current theory.
"I like to know my team, so I was hoping we could chat a bit." Mads corrected himself.
"Cool." James said as he continued his work out. "I don't see what there is to talk about though, you already know my dossier and service record." James replied while taking short breaths to continue pushing himself.
"I don't actually. Alliance kept me under lock and key, and you made sure that happened." Mads chuckled.
"Right… Forgot about that…" James remarked. He did a few more lift ups, and then jumped back to the ground. "You think you can dance and talk at the same time?" James then asked.
Mads laughed. "You want to go toe to toe with the Red Eagle? Sure, I can dance Vega." Mads replied. James and Mads went to the center of the cargo bay, where they both raised their fist. They went into a fighting stance, and proceeded to dance or so to say.
"Come on, let's dance." James said as he took the first swing, Mads dodged it and chuckled a bit.
"I been in this game since before your grandfather was born. With age comes wisdom… And rank." Mads said as he returned a few swings. They were easy to dodge, Mads wanted to see how good James' fighting skills were.
"At your age, I'd expect you to be grand admiral." James fired back. "You talk exactly like my former CO." James remarked as he swung his fist again, Mads jumped a bit back.
"Oh yeah? And who might that be?" Mads asked, as he came James another swing to dodge.
"Captain Tony. He was a real hardass, but a damn good leader-" James was in the middle of explaining, when Mads saw a small opening. He went for it, and landed a nice blow to James' face. Some blood was already gently flowing down James' nose. James however, recovered quickly.
"Nice one cap" James complimented.
"Was?" Mads then asked. James had tightened his defenses after the last blow, he was now on guard.
"He died, along with the rest of my squad when we were protecting a civilian colony from a collector attack." James replied.
"And what happened to the colony?" Mads asked curiously.
"It was either them, or the Intel we had on the collectors… Intel we could have used to destroy THEM!" James tunnel his anger into his blows, and while Mads was still dodging them. Mads jumped back a bit.
"Shit man… That's a tough call." Mads said with sympathy.
"Best part?" James asked himself. "We didn't even need the Intel in end, because you were out saying the galaxy by taking down the collectors." So that was what had been eating away at James. The pure irony of the fact that he sacrificed his squad for Intel that was useless in the end.
"You didn't know. You can't blame yourself for that one." Mads reassured him.
"Who says I'm blaming myself?" James asked. Mads landed another hit while James was preoccupied.
"I do. It's as clear as day." Mads replied.
"Oh yeah? Are you a shrink too?" James asked with a little bit of anger in his voice.
"Nope, but even I can see that crashing a shuttle is a little bit reckless. You should consider yourself lucky for even standing here now." Mads answered.
"So?" James asked, clearly refusing to see the point.
"So maybe you are just looking for an excuse to off yourself. You don't seem to care if you live or die." Mads explained. They continued their stalemate fighting.
"Or MAYBE I'm just willing to do whatever it fucking takes to win this god damn war!" James ranted and went for another blow, but Mads managed to grab a hold of his arm, and wrestled James to the ground.
"Perhaps so, Vega. But I see fire in you. You are a god good soldier, and I need the fucking finest for this war. So, I need you alive." Mads explained to Vega as he got off the ground again.
"Thanks for the prep talk." James remarked ironically.
"Anytime, just call me down, and I'll beat you into the floor." Mads replied equally ironically.
"And thanks for the dance… Loco." James said.
"Loco? That's a new one." Mads replied.
"I can think of much worse things to call you." James said.
"Just remember who runs this ship, Vega." Mads ordered.
"Oh, I won't forget." James said as he returned to his station. Mads looked at him as he went over there. Mads had meant what he said. James was indeed a fine soldier, perhaps one of the best. He wasn't sure if he was leadership material, but he had the willingness to do what was needed.
Mads looked down at his watch. It wasn't more than a few hours before they would hit Sur'Kesh. Mads just hoped everything would go to plan.
2 hours later
Shuttle, approaching LZ on Sur'Kesh.
"How long 'till we touch down?" Mads asked as he grabbed a hold of the grab handle in the ceiling. The Kodiak could be quite rough to ride in now and then.
"Probably 2 minutes." Steve replied as he typed away at the commands.
"Only two minutes until I get the females then." Wrex laughed as he checked his shotgun.
"Remember Wrex, we are only allowed here because of our mission. We get the females and nothing else. Don't go around and make a scene." Mads ordered.
"As long as I get the females, I'll play along with the Salarian's rules and so on… By the way, nice gun." Wrex said as he went over to the minigun Mads had installed in the shuttle. He took a look at it. "Just my size too!" Wrex laughed.
"Yeah, you like it?" Mads asked.
"I sure do." Wrex said. "Wouldn't mind giving it a spin." Wrex remarked.
"Maybe you'll get a chance some day." Mads replied. He then turned around and saw Liara and Garrus sitting at their seats. It was good that some of his old crew was back on the ship. He hadn't served with Liara for nearly 3 years, of course, it was more like 6 months for him. She had improved greatly in her combat skills.
"Remember Romanov. These females are our best, and probably only, hope for the Krogan." Wrex said.
"Don't worry Wrex, we'll get them back. I promise." Liara replied as she stood up.
"I appreciate that Liara. I wouldn't want anyone else along for the ride." Wrex smiled.
Garrus made a fake cough to alert Wrex to his existence. "I suppose I can make room for you too, Garrus." Wrex laughed.
"I figured you had gone all soft playing king. You probably don't even remember how to hold a gun." Garrus fired back. Mads chuckled at the comment.
"Captain, we are nearing the Salarian STG base." Steve remarked from his seat at the front of the shuttle. Mads went up to him.
"Drop us in." Mads ordered.
"Huh, that's strange. They say we aren't cleared to land." Steve remarked.
"What? Tell them that the Dalatrass authorized our visit!" Mads quickly ordered.
"I knew they wouldn't keep their word!" Wrex snarled as he loaded his shotgun. "Let's see how they react to a Krogan airdrop!" Wrex said as he opened the shuttle door and jumped out.
"WREX NO!" Mads yelled after him, but it was useless. Wrex was already on the ground, and he had already headbutted a Salarian. Mads quickly jumped out as well, wasting no time to calm Wrex down. The Salarian were on him in no time. A full squad turned up, snipers on the roof aimed their snipers at Wrex.
A Salarian came running up to them. "Hold your fire!" He ordered. "Captain Romanov. Please restrain your colleague. We only found out about this transfer moments ago!" The Salarian pleaded.
"I'd like to avoid a gun fight. Wrex please, Calm down" Mads requested. Wrex growled a bit, but ultimately trusted Mads. He always did in the end.
"As would we." The Salarian assured Mads.
"But, Wrex wants something valuable here." Mads reminded the Salarian.
"Something worth dying for!" Wrex broke in and said.
"We can resolve this peacefully, but I must insist he remain under guard!" The Salarian requested.
"Wrex, play nice. I'll get the females for you, not to worry." Mads turned around and said.
"If anything goes wrong, and I mean anything, then all bets are off." Wrex promised. One that Mads knew Wrex would upkeep if they didn't go this swift and properly. The Salarian gestured for them to come along.
"I'm Padok Wiks, and I do appreciate your help back there. With war on everyone's mind, we are all on edge." Padok explained.
"I understand." Mads replied. He looked out over the base, and instantly spotted what appeared to be a Yahg being transported in a containment field across the base.
"I had hoped to never see one of those again." Liara remarked.
"Me too." Mads agreed. He remembered the fight against the shadow broker, and how hard it had been to take down that Yahg.
"As you can see, Captain, what goes on here is highly sensitive." Padok told Mads.
"Yeah, I can see that. But I came here for the Krogan females. It's all I'm interested in." Mads replied.
"Of course, I'll need to clear you for access to the lower levels. But keep in mind, Captain. The females were in poor health when we found them. We moved them here to stabilize their health." Padok said.
"Sure." Mads replied.
Mads took the time to speak with Wrex before going in. They had no real idea who the inside source was, not even Liara knew, and she was the Shadow Broker. Wrex also told them about the reaper scouting parties that had landed on Tuchanka. The situation there could become dire. Mads would lie if he said he wasn't worried. He just hoped they could fix the problem before it got too out of hand… But that was probably wishful thinking.
Mads also bumped into Major Kirrahe. The Salarian who helped them on Virmire 3 year ago. They talked about how life was treating them. Kirrahe was always an interesting individual, but he had been promoted from Captain to Major. Kirrahe greeted both Garrus and Liara. Kirrahe reassured Mads that he would help him in any way possible when the time came. His way of repaying the favor of helping his team.
Mads then shared one last word with Padok. Padok seemed in favor of curing the Genophage. Which was good. Mads wondered for a second if he was the inside source, but he decided to not press it. He'd rather not have Padok killed for his good deed. Mads then proceeded into the elevator and took it down alongside Garrus and Liara. Before they could even press the button, and Alarm went off. The security at the base went into alert and sent off a gunship. Mads hoped it wasn't a nasty surprise, but it probably was. Padok urged them to hurry up and get down there.
The elevator was fast. There were on the lower levels in no time. Down there, the Salarians were hard at work doing… Whatever they were doing. Mads noticed someone in a very familiar lab coat standing not too far away from them.
"Romanov! Excellent timing! Good to have you here." Mordin said. The speed of his speech hadn't slowed down at all, so nothing had changed on that front.
"Mordin?!" Mads was clearly happy to see Mordin still alive and kicking.
"Eyesight still sharp. Understand surprise. Hadn't expected to return to work." Mordin replied.
"You're back with STG?" Garrus asked from the sideline.
"Special consultant. Had to be me, someone else might have gotten it wrong." Mordin explained. He stopped and looked around, then he leaned in closer and said with a lower voice: "Helped female Krogan. Fed Information to clan Urdnot. Encouraged political pressure to free females."
"So you're Wrex's inside source?" Mads asked.
"Yes. Can explain later. Security warnings not normal. Need to get off world for Krogan's sake." Mordin suggested.
"Copy that." Mads replied.
Mordin explained what Maelon's experiments had done to the females. While they had mostly gotten rid of the genophage, they had a weaken immune system. Most of the females didn't survive, as Mordin showcased their bodies. He sounded ashamed, but Mads remembered Mordin's old saying 'My patient, my responsibility.' But, saving Maelon's cure did do some good. It would help with creating a cure.
Mordin then showed off the last living female. "This one is the only survivor. Last hope for Krogan. If she dies… Cure problematic." Mordin said as they went down the steps. They stood in front of her. She was tied down, and behind a containment field. "Please be careful. Krogan slow to trust." Mordin requested. Mads nodded at him.
"I'm Captain Romanov. Alliance Navy." Mads introduced himself.
"Are you here to kill me?" The Krogan female asked. Even the females had deep voices.
"Goddess, what has she been through?" Liara asked as she went through scans of her.
"No, I'm here to recuse you. I'll get you home with Urdont Wrex." Mads assured her.
"Why? What am I to you?" She asked.
"The last hope for the Krogan." Mads replied with confidence.
"Then I hope you brought an army..." She remarked. The ground began to shake a little. Mads quickly turned around to the nearest soldier.
"What's going on up there?" Mads asked. He really wasn't in the mood for this to go sideways.
"Unidentified vessels have breached the perimeter." The Salarian soldier replied.
"20 credits on it being Reapers or Cerberus." Garrus joked from the sideline.
"Shit..." Mads muttered. He then heard his omni-tool beep, alerting him to the fact that someone was trying to get in touch with him. Mads quickly opened his omni-tool, and found it was Wrex.
"Romanov! Cerberus Troops are attacking the base. Get the females out of there now!" Wrex commanded.
"Only one survived Wrex… It might be safer to keep her down here." Mads replied.
"What? So the Salarians can kill her like the rest? No deal! If you still want this alliance, then get her out of there now!" Wrex demanded. Mads sighed.
"Got it." Mads replied and hung up. He turned around to the scientist behind him at the console. "Release her now. We're leaving." Mads ordered.
"Can't. The protocol states-" The scientist was cut off from his reply by a jolt of electricity. It seemed Mordin was as eager to get the females out of there as Wrex was.
"Objection noted." Mordin said, still holding up his omni-tool. "Now, release the Krogan." Mordin ordered. The Salarian did as requested, and opened up the pod for Mordin to step inside. Mordin explained that he would monitor the female, while Mads should make sure they reached the surface. It was as good a plan as any.
Cerberus was there in numbers. They had tried to take out Mads by planting a bomb in the elevator, but Mads managed to dodge it by the skin of his teeth. Sometimes Mads wondered just how many soldiers Cerberus had, or where they got all of their funding. But, it was no matter.
Upon their way up to the higher levels, they faced Cerberus again. Mads didn't know what they were after, but it was probably some scheme to deny them the Genophage cure. Mordin urged them move faster. The pod couldn't withstand punishment for long. But, it seemed Cerberus was careless in their raid, they accidentally let out one of the Yahg specimen, it tore the Cerberus soldiers to sheds.
"Careful! I think that one has ambitions of becoming the next Shadow Broker!" Mads instructed, mostly as a joke.
"I think he was muttering 'T'Soni'." Garrus added.
"That's not funny!" Liara replied. Clearly her encounter with the Yahg Shadow Broker hadn't fully healed yet.
Garrus and Liara helped Mads get to Mordin and the Krogan atfirst checkpoint. The fight was tough, but they had fought tough before. "Are you okay?" Mads asked as he went to the console.
"Pod suffered minimal damage. Will try and repair if necessary. Can't be sure of Krogan's health however." Mordin replied.
"I'm fine, Captain." The female reassured Mads.
"Females kept secret. Possible mole within STG, could be indoctrinated. If no Krogan alliance with Turian. Reaper forces left unchallenged." Mordin explained.
"We'll get that Alliance, and I'll get you both out of here." Mads promised as he cleared the final points on the console for them to move on. Mordin implored Mads to meet them at the next checkpoint, but before he could finish his sentence, Cerberus struck at the pod once more. The situation was becoming more and more complicated as time passed.
The Salarians were dropping like flies. Udinawas right, Salarians likes their wars won before they even started. They hadn't been ready for a full-on attack like this. The Cerberus troops showed no mercy when dealing with aliens. Mads showed them no quarter to them in return. He was beginning to get fed up with Cerberus at this point.
Mads moved as though on instinct. He fought the Cerberus troops before they even landed on the base. Most of them never even drew their gun before they had already kicked the bucket. Mads' FAL made short work of them. Their blood smeared the walls. The Salarians would have quite the clean up job afterwards.
Garrus and Liara supported him wonderfully. They moved without direct orders. They knew how he operated, and they performed like a dream. It didn't take long for them to reach the next level, where they found Major Kirrahe beating up some Cerberus troops.
"Captain, stay back! There are hostiles just down the hall!" Kirrahe warned as he took position.
"Any other way around?" Mads asked, feeling the minutes ticking.
"You could say that." Kirrahe smiled as he loaded his gun. He then jumped out of cover, and sprayed the Cerberus troops with bullets, only these weren't normal thermal clips, these were small exploding devices. The three Cerberus troops were annihilated.
"How come I don't have one of those?" Garrus asked.
"I'll get you one for Christmas. Now come on!" Mads replied as he moved from cover. A Cerberus engineer appeared, and quickly placed down a new Cerberus gadget: A turret. As fancy as it was, it couldn't withstand that much punishment. After making history of the Engineer's toy, Mads moved up with the rest of his squad.
After clearing the room, Mads, Liara and Garrus moved into the next section. Cerberus had unleashed hell in this base. Every creature the Salarians were studying had been let loose and was fighting everyone in their path. The squad moved slower than Mads liked, every minute wasted fighting Cerberus, was a minute Mordin and the Krogan female was left without protection.
By the time they reached Mordin's pod, they must have killed a platoon's worth of Cerberus soldiers. While that might not seem like many in the grand scale of things, it was enough to slow them down. Mads managed to reach the pod before any real damage had been done. But, the power was out, and they had to restore it pronto.
Doing so was easy. But, that just meant more Cerberus troops showed their deformed and ugly faces. Mads thought back to how that soldier looked on Mars. Maybe it was mercy to put them out of their misery. Before Mads could reach the console, another shuttle appeared with more reinforcements. Mads only managed to make it in cover in time, before the Cerberus troops unleashed hellfire upon them.
Mads heard another shuttle approach, and feared it might be another squad of Cerberus troops on their way, but alas, it was his own shuttle. The side door opened and revealed a most welcome sight: Wrex manning the minigun. It spun it's course, and then mowed down the Cerberus troops like they were grass for the lawn mower. Wrex had a stupid smile on his face the whole time that gun fired it's load.
Mads waved a thank you to Wrex as he got up. The shuttle then flew off again, most likely to meet them top side. Mads quickly went to work with getting the pod moving again. "Everything alright?" Mads asked concerned as he typed in the commands for the console.
"Containment shield strong, but not designed for direct fire." Mordin replied.
"This isn't your problem, Captain. You don't even know me." The female Krogan said. Her voice carried sadness, like it was devoid of all hope.
"You're wrong. This is very much my problem. And I'd like to know you." Mads replied as he continued typing. "How many checkpoints are left?" Mads then asked.
"Just one at the landing area. Hope Urdont Wrex is still there." Mordin replied.
"Wrex can't keep his hands off a fertile female. He'll be there." The female Krogan reassured Mordin.
"Alright. I'll see you up top. Bon voyage!" Mads said as he finished the commands on the console.
Meanwhile…
Purgatory Bar, Citadel.
Conrad Rorke felt less than comfortable walking around on the citadel since his last visit there, but he had been exiled, alongside Aria, from Omega by Cerberus. Rorke usually prided himself on being prepared and ruthless, but he hadn't been prepared for the fight that went down over that shit hole of a rock known as Omega.
He sighed as he blended into the Crowd. Aria had a lot of connections on the citadel, running as far as the Asari councilor herself. Rorke didn't have as much. He was wanted by C-Sec for his… Disposal of Elias Kelham. Rorke walked down to where Aria had seated herself, and was greeted by her own personal bodyguard… Bray.
Rorke never much liked Bray, considering he was a… Batarian, but that didn't matter. Aria liked having him around, so Rorke would have to get comfortable with him. Aria was busy discussing an issue with customs.
When that matter had been settled, Rorke went to sit down with Aria. She smiled at him. "Is everything going as planned?" She asked.
"I been in dialogue with a few of the Merc gangs so far. They can help us, if we help them. Don't see the point though, we should focus efforts on retaking Omega." Rorke replied.
"That's one of the benefits of having these Mercs in our back pocket, we can use them when taking back Omega. But, there is also another use for them." Aria remarked.
"And what might that be, sweetheart?" Rorke asked with a cheeky smile.
"Please don't call me that." Aria replied with an annoyed voice. "From my viewpoint, we'll be dead if the reapers win. No matter where we are sitting." She explained. "So, if we can get the Mercs to rally around my banner, we can take Omega back, and take the fight to both Cerberus and the Reapers." Aria finished.
"You want mercs to fight a ground war?" Rorke asked with disbelief.
"Why not? They are capable warriors. Romanov can certainly find a use for them." Aria answered.
"Don't you dare use his name. I fucking hate that guy." Rorke demanded with great anger in his voice.
"You need to put your feelings aside. As capable as you are, Rorke, we need Romanov on our side. He could be used to help us retake Omega." Aria replied.
"Whatever you say. I'll go and see what the Mercs want." Rorke dismissed as he went up and left. Aria shook her head at him, clearly disappointed.
Back on Sur'Kesh
"Romanov! Get your ass up here! I can't keep flying around like this forever." Wrex ordered over the comm.
"I'm on my way Wrex! The female is on it's way to the landing area!" Mads replied as he opened the door and quickly went for the ladder that would lead them up.
"You pull this off, and I'm making you an honorary Krogan!" Wrex joked. At least he kept the spirit high, even if the situation was grim.
Cerberus had beaten them to the landing area, and were unloading everything they had on the pod. Mads quickly began returning fire to distract them from the female. The very last thing Mads needed was for Cerberus to kill the female and ruin his chances for an alliance. That hate burned through Mads' veins as he fought, making him an even deadlier soldier. It even made his biotics flare up, ripping the Cerberus troops apart piece by piece.
One shot, one kill. That's how Mads operated. With ammo as scarce as it was, Mads couldn't afford prolonged firefights. Quick and efficient. That was a point both the N7 Program and the Spetsnaz boot camp could agree on.
As the final Cerberus bastard fell, Mads quickly turned his attention to the console. Mads worked quick to get them out of there. Mordin instructed him on what to do, which made the whole thing go smoother. The pod then went up into the ceiling and began it's slow path towards the loading area.
That's when Cerberus drew their final card, and dropped in an ATLAS. Mads had never faced them before, sure he had faced the giant Mechs, but this wasn't controlled by a VI, but rather a human. It was sure to be quite a bit tougher. Wrex ordered Mads to protect the pod at all costs, since he couldn't land until the thing was dealt with, of which Mads was happy to oblige.
All three unloaded on the ATLAS at the same time, they spilt up to make sure it would have a hard time tracking all of them. The guy sitting within the ATLAS instantly went after Mads, seeing him as a high value target. The Krogan could wait. This suited Mads just fine, as he tried to stay in cover and out of sight.
Garrus and Liara fired everything they had at the ATLAS, while Wrex even gave the minigun another spin. With their combined firepower, the ATLAS yielding in the end. It blew up, along with it's pilot. With the ATLAS down, Wrex and Cortez could land the shuttle, and get the female of Sur'Kesh before anymore Cerberus troops came along.
"Hurry along people." Mads ordered as he kept his eyes peeled. Wrex walked up to Mads and shook his hand.
"You had me worry there for a minute." Wrex said.
"Have I ever failed you?" Mads jokingly replied. Wrex laughed as he went up to the pod that held the very future of his people within it. Mordin tried to showcase it to Wrex, but Wrex was displeased with any and all Salarians, he pushed Mordin aside. Wrex then raised his hand to help the female out of there, but she refused. Clearly not impressed with Wrex.
Before any words could be exchanged, two Cerberus troops showed up. Ready to shoot and kill. The Krogan female yanked the shotgun out of Wrex's hand and killed them within seconds. Leaving the Cerberus troops a bloody mess. She threw the gun back into Wrex's arms and said: "I can handle myself Wrex."
Wrex smiled. "Women, eh?"
Mads shook at his head at the scene. At least they had been successful in their mission, despite Cerberus' best efforts. Then, Mads heard one of the fatally wounded grasp for air. Mads decided he would try and get some answers if he could. So, Mads went over there and grabbed the soldier by his collar.
"Why are you here? What does Cerberus want?" Mads asked with a harsh tone.
"we-" The soldier was in a bad way, pretty much on death's door.
"Answer me!" Mads demanded as he shook the soldier, but it was too late. He was dead. Mads dropped him on the floor. The fight was over, now they just needed to get back to the Normandy.
When they came back to the Normandy, Mads instantly went to the comm room to inform Hackett on the day's event. He was as unsettled to hear Cerberus' involvement as Mads had been. Though, he assured Mads that they were beginning to build the new device. Their ace in the hole, nicknamed: "The Crucible". Now, they just had to hope they could build it in time.
Afterwards, Mads went to the meeting room, where Wrex and Victus were arguing over the terms of the agreement. "You have the females, Wrex! A cure for the rest of your people can come later!" Victus argued. It was understandable, his home world was burning, he needed Krogan support.
"That wasn't the deal!" Wrex fired back.
"But Palaven needs your support now! We simply can't delay!" Victus persisted.
"Unless every Krogan gets the cure, there will be no alliance!" Wrex stated.
Mads rubbed his temples. "Mordin, how long will it take for you to make a cure?" Mads asked.
"Need to synthesize base antigen from Female. Also requires healthy male Krogan tissue. Will need sample." Mordin replied.
"You're looking at it." Wrex said.
"Acceptable. Will need you to remain on board for procedure." Mordin requested.
Wrex sighed. "Let's just hope the food has gotten better." Wrex hoped.
"Then let's get to it. If you need anything else, Mordin, let me know. Otherwise, chop chop." Mads ordered.
"Will see to it, Romanov. Will be in Medbay if you need to speak more. Eve will require more tests." Mordin replied.
"Eve?" Mads asked confused.
"Krogan female's real name unknown. Normandy a human vessel. Human mythology seemed appropriate. Suggest speaking with her. New perspective. Surprising in Krogan." Mordin answered. Mads nodded to him.
"Now, before I go. Is there anything else?" Mads asked the two remaining people in the room.
"There is a small matter regarding a ship we lost contact with." Victus replied.
"I'm listening." Mads replied.
"I'd rather discuss it-" Victus looked over at Wrex. "- In Private." Victus requested.
"Turian problems can't even come close to what I got." Wrex jumped in and said.
"Okay, I'll bite. What is it?" Mads asked.
"Some of my men went missing… The rest we can discuss-" Wrex looked over at Victus. "-Somewhere else." Wrex finished.
"Okay, I'll come find both of you afterwards." Mads promised. "Dismissed."