The walk back to the Mother Base's ground floor was painfully awkward. As soon as Sev and Shepard reached the command center, Shepard slammed the door closed and stared the commando down.
"So, you going to tell me what happened down there?" Shepard asked.
"Bacara just touched a nerve Commander. That's it." Sev replied.
"Bullshit Sev, not even you would try to execute someone because they 'touched a nerve'." Shepard said, making a pair air quotes with her fingers to emphasize the point.
Sev paused to think. "I… suppose this requires some context."
"Yeah that would be nice." Shepard sarcastically stated. Normally she wouldn't be so hostile to a comrade, but the events that just transpired have left her patience dangerously thin.
Sev nodded his head. "Right. Well for starters, how much do you know about where I came from, the army I was a part of?"
"You were part of a clone army right? Fighting in a civil war for the Galactic Republic?" Shepard recalled off the top of her head.
"Right on the money. See the Clone Wars started when the CIS tried to declare independence from the Republic. They had an army of battle droids, while the Kaminoans gave the Republic an army of cloned soldiers based off the then greatest bounty hunter, Jango Fett." Sev explained. "Grown from artificial wombs, we were raised from birth to be soldiers. To have the combat capability to out match the battle droids, and the creativity and logic of an organic to out think them as well. They gave us everything possible to make us an elite army. Virtual training, top of the line equipment, accelerated aging, the best drill sergeants, it only took a few years for us to become a fighting force feared across the galaxy."
"Wait, did you say accelerated aging?" Shepard wasn't sure she heard correctly.
Sev grunted. "Hmm, used to get us to the battlefield faster. Us clones age about twice as fast as a normal human. Physically, I think I'm somewhere in my mid-twenties. Chronologically, I think I'm thirteen, maybe fourteen?"
Shepard couldn't believe what she was hearing. "That's… despicable." The whole idea was just so ludicrous to Shepard she didn't even know how to describe it. "How could you be okay with that? How were any of you okay with that?"
Sev only shrugged. "It's just the way it always was for us. Most of us didn't even really question it, especially the basic troopers. They were instilled with this idea of pure obedience and loyalty. They would never question why they had shorter lives, only ask what their next orders were. Some of the commandos and ARCs, essentially special forces who were granted more free will and independence resented the Kaminoans and Republic for it, but I never did. We were made for a purpose, not by accident. And we were going to see it through."
"So you were essentially an army of slaves. And no one in the Republic spoke out against this?" Shepard thought that this Republic was starting to sound like some dark parody of what an actual intergalactic government should be.
"Some did, saw us as slaves like you said. Anti-war senators, maybe a few of the Mandalorian Sergeants, or the occasional Jedi who had too much compassion. But by and large, no one really seemed to mind. Moral implications aside, we were too valuable to just... throw away or disband." Sev stated matter of factly. The politics and morals of his situation were never something he really cared about. That was more for those bleeding hearts like Darman in Omega Squad.
Shepard rubbed her temple. She could feel herself rapid aging just thinking about how awful this government was. So she decided to change topics. "Ok, well how about your brothers. I assume you referred all of your fellow clones as brothers?"
Sev shrugged. " Sure, any of the clones could be called brothers, and that's how most of the troopers referred to each other. But for me my true brothers were my squadmates."
"And that's Delta Squad." Shepard recalled Bacara using that name to taunt Sev.
"Hmm. There were four of us total. Funnily enough, our leader's name was Boss as well, RC-1138. He was a good leader, took care of us throughout the whole war. Then there was Fixer, the second-in-command. He was our squads designated slicer and damn nerd." Sev chuckled. "Last was Scorch, an idiot and our squad's demolitions expert. I swear he was as dumb as a bantha sometimes, but he was fun to talk to at least." Sev didn't notice, but despite his gruff demeanor, he was grinning as he recalled the memories of Delta Squad.
"You really must have cared for them." Shepard noted.
"Yeah. They were my brothers, my family. Anybody that would mess with them would get a vibroblade to the throat." For Sev, that was not a threat, but a promise. "Last time I saw them was on the planet Kashyyyk. We were sent to rescue a local Wookiee chieftain named Tarful who was captured by Trandoshan mercenaries." Sev's expression changed from nostalgic to bitter as he scowled.
Shepard chose not to interrupt so Sev continued his story. "Obviously we were successful, but the Seps retaliated by dropping an entire cruiser on the tree city we were in. We were the only Republic forces groundside, so it was up to us to rally the Wookiee's defenses. We split up, taking down the starship by manning the city's heavy AA guns. But because we were separated, the Trandoshans converged on my position, and threw everything they had to kill me. I was half buried in lizard bodies before the bastards were able to take me down." Sev spit at the memory.
"I'm sorry to hear that." It wasn't the first time Shepard comforted someone over their own death here, but it wasn't getting any easier to do it.
"Yeah but that's not the part that pisses me off. I knew I was going to die. We were made to be expendable. I was fine with that. What pisses me off is what Bacara said. That after all my brothers did for the Republic, not just Delta, but Omega and other clones, they were either thrown away or hunted down like animals." Sev spat out.
"There's nothing you could've done about that. It was out of your hands. The galactic powers at be don't care for the grunts, no matter how elite they are."
"But I should've been there, helping them. Instead I'm stuck here, fighting in this idiotic battle."
"Sev, I know it's hard that you can't be with your family. There's not a moment that goes by that I don't think about the loved ones I left behind." Shepard comforted. "But you can't think about what could be, or what could've been, only what is. You can't go fight with Delta squad anymore, but you can still help them by helping us stop the Masters of Chaos."
"I- I know, Commander." Sev sighed. The adrenaline of the interrogation now wearing off, Sev felt more shame and regret than anything else. For him, rage was a tool, a choice. He controlled it, not the other way around. Letting himself get carried away like this left a bad taste in his mouth.
"Don't focus on what you lost, instead be happy about what you had. What were some good times you and your brothers had?"
Sev leaned back on a wall as he started to dig through his memories. "Hmm. Heh, there was this one mission while we were on Kashyyyk, where we were working with the Wookiees to hunt down Trandoshan slaver squads. The locals showed us the pathways the Trandoshans were using, so we took the time to set up a pitfall trap. With the Wookiees' help, it took a few hours to finish the pit, though Scorch's nonstop complaining didn't help. Bastard just wanted to use a det-pack to blow the ground open. Anyway, not long after we finished it, a patrol walked by, lizards in the back and droids up front to scout. Once enough of the clankers were over the pitfall, we sprung the trap. The droid fell right to the bottom of the hole, impaling themselves on the spikes we set up." Sev then started chuckling. "And the look on the lizards' faces was priceless. Half of them were too stupefied to even draw their guns before we took them down."
Shepard gave an awkward, strained smile. Of course this is Sev's idea of a good memory. She thought to herself.
"And with the lizards dead, we needed to hide the bodies. If another patrol came by, they would smell the blood of their kin. But surprise surprise, Kashyyyk being the jungle hellhole it was, we were able to find some giant, carnivorous plants and dump the bodies there. Let nature do the dirty work of getting rid of the bodies for us." Sev laughed again. "Ah, good times. Of course Scorch and Fixer brought up some BS about how doing that to the bodies was psychotic and against regulation, but the Boss didn't seem to mind."
"Kashyyyk really seems like your favorite vacation spot." Shepard flatly said.
Sev shrugged. "I mean, dying sucked, but there's nothing more fun than a jungle hunt. Hiding in the bushes, waiting in ambush, putting a plasma bolt through an unsuspecting cranium. Makes you feel alive."
That gave Shepard an idea for how to help Sev, something that he'd really enjoy. "Follow me Sev. I know just the thing to get your mind off of all this."
Shepard gave a maniacal grin as she led him out of the command center. Sev hesitated, not sure what kind of plan the commander was concocting in her head, but he chose to follow anyway. Better to do this now than risk her wrath later.
A two hour warthog drive later, both Sev and Shepard found themselves crawling on their bellies through the Capital Wasteland. In all honesty, Sev had expected the Commander to be the type to take her soldiers out for drinks or for a spar in the ring to loosen up. However, instead they were now sneaking their way into super mutant controlled territory for what Shepard called "a shoot off."
In order to keep the competition fair, Shepard had both of them carry suppressed PSG1 sniper rifles from Snake's world, as both of them would be similarly unfamiliar with the weapon. Rifles in hand, they crawled their way up a mound of rubble, giving them a clear view of a super mutant camp about a kilometer away. The camp, if it could be called that, was a small outpost placed atop a road between two ruined skyscrapers, creating a chokepoint.
A series of scrap metal fences reinforced with rusted metal spikes and barbed wire were spread out along the road. The main building of the base seemed to be made of broken down shipping containers and cars, creating a hollowed out building with no roof, giving them a full view of the interior. The inside was broken down into two distinct areas. The first was the super mutant, quarters? Housing? Sev wasn't even sure if the big yellow freaks even slept but it's where they stayed. A large bonfire was placed in the center of it, along with the disgusting gore bags, some kind of wire mesh sack filled with various parts of humans and other prey, as well as several poorly maintained weapons. The other area was some kind of prison, where several Covenant aliens could be seen. Mostly jackals and grunts, but a few brutes also sat imprisoned, watching their captors angrily
The Legion had tagged this camp previously, and knew that the Super Mutants used it as a defensive point to prevent the Covenant from pushing further into the Capital Wasteland. And while they've known about it for quite some time, they haven't had the need to attack or raid it, leaving the base to continue its job fighting against the Covenant.
"So, back in my world, me and my best friend Garrus would always, and I mean always, argue about who was the better shot." Shepard explained as the two looked down on the super mutant base.
Sev cocked an eyebrow. Sure, Shepard was a good soldier, but he never really saw her as a sniper. She seemed to enjoy the adrenaline of CQB with a shotgun way too much to have the patience required for that.
"Which, just saying was me. Anyway, it started off simple. Taking shots at bottles and what not, but we were too evenly matched on that. Soon it escalated to who could score the most confirmed headshots in a mission. My XO at the time Miranda chewed us out for that one, since we would sometimes get more focused on the competition than the actual mission." Shepard chuckled. "So to get around that, we decided to go for one shoot off per mission, the goal to see who could get the most creative with their kills."
"That's sadistic." Sev deadpanned before shifting into a grin and chambering his rifle. "I love it."
Shepard nodded with a matching smile. "Thought you would. So that being said, why don't you take the first shot?"
Sev peered through his scope and watched the super mutants carefully. It looked like there were around a dozen super mutants. Half of them loitered within the base, with the other half patrolled the perimeter.
Near one of the barricades, a lone super mutant watched the roads, keeping overwatch for any incoming forces. He was far enough away from the others that his death wouldn't be noticed immediately. Lining up the shot, Sev exhaled as he squeezed the trigger. The bullet flew free, piercing the super mutants cranium and splattering the road with its brains.
Shepard let out a low whistle. "Impressive shot. Clean, didn't alert the base. But only half points because that was boring." Sev gave the commander an annoyed look, but she only shrugged. "Hey, I said it was about being creative, not efficient. Now watch a pro do her work."
The commander hunted for a target through her own scope, and soon enough, she found something that caught her eye. Along the walls, she spotted two super mutants squatting around a campfire. That wasn't what caught her attention however. What did was the fact that the two mutants were using a pile of scrap as a makeshift wall. And on top of that wall, was a retro-futuristic looking car, precariously supported by a thin, metal beam.
Swapping out her magazine for armor piercing rounds, she took aim at the pillar. With a depression of the trigger, the bullet tore a hole through the metal beam. Both super mutants looked up as they heard the sounds of metal pinging off of metal. While the bullet did not destroy the pillar, the force displaced it enough that it could no longer support the weight of the car. The thin, scrap beam then began to groan and bend as the bullet hole created a weak point for it to collapse.
Both super mutants watched up as the sedan fell right at them. They tried to dive out of the way, but were too cumbersome to avoid the wrath of Newton. The car landed directly on one super mutant, easily crushing its body. However, the impact seemed to damage whatever the car used as a power source, as the vehicle then started to glow orange. Both Sev and Shepard had to cover their eyes as the sedan exploded in a ball of nuclear fire, creating bright light and mushroom cloud they could see clearly from their position.
…
"Ok note to self, wasteland cars are nuclear powered." Shepard mumbled as the super mutants, now alerted scrambled to get their weapons. "So, your turn."
Sev gave her a deadpanned look before sighing and aiming once again. The mutants were now on the move, getting rifles and machine guns, some spraying wildly into the perimeter while others waited in cover. Sev saw that even the alien prisoners noticed the commotion, causing them to stir in their cells.
"Hey." Sev spoke, getting Shepard's attention. "What do you think they're going to do with those Covenant?"
Shepard readjusted her sights to look as the prisoners as well. "Honestly? My money is on eating them. I'd rather not think about anything else they could do to them." Shepard shuddered.
"I've seen those brutes flip warthogs like they're nothing. They should be able to break out of it no problem." Sev pondered.
"Maybe, but maybe they're not as dumb as we think they are. Probably make a lot of noise breaking through that prison. With constant armed guards watching them, they'd be gunned down before they'd even get close to escaping." Shepard guessed. "And if the brutes don't make a move, I doubt the jackals or grunts would."
Sev watched as the super mutants left the main building to look for the attackers, leaving only a single mutant to guard the jail cell. Waiting for the perfect moment, Sev pulled the trigger. The bullet flew, headshotting the super mutant, exiting the back of the skull, and flying forwards right into the lock on the cage. The round shattered the lock, the sound of clanging metal alerting the aliens.
Slowly the Covenant soldiers moved to the gate. Seeing that both their guard was dead and the gate was unlocked, one particularly brave brute opened the cage and exited, soon followed by his allies. Still unseen by the super mutants, the covenant aliens then began to take up arms, various decrepit and broken down firearms that barely looked functional. But they were functional enough to escape.
Now armed, the Brute gave a mighty roar as he and his pack mates charged from the main building, supported by Jackals using hunting rifles as snipers and grunts wilding pistols to soak up bullets. The super mutants turned around to engage the escapees, and the entire base erupted into chaos.
As the situation devolved into a massive battle, Sev and Shepard glanced at each other, silently deciding that now was the time to withdraw. Believing that both the super mutants and Covenant would be too busy to notice them, they decided to run back to their warthog, eschewing stealth all together.
It wasn't until they were back in the jeep that Sev looked as the commander and said, "So, my shots resulted in the most deaths, so I think I the exchange is mine."
Shepard laughed. "Fine, we'll call today in your favor, but I expect a rematch. I didn't get to use my second shot after all."
"Fair enough. Not like it'll help though." Sev jabbed.
"Keep talking Sev, just keep talking. It'll make my come back all the sweeter." The two laughed as Shepard continued to drive.
After a brief moment of silence, Sev spoke up once again. "This was a good distraction. So… Thanks, Shepard." Sev quietly spoke. Sev was never a person who ever really thanked or apologized, so this just felt awkward for him.
"Glad to help Sev." Shepard smiled. "And remember, you might've been expendable to the Republic, but you're not expendable to us. We may not be Delta Squad, but right now we're the only family we have."
"... Right." Sev nodded as he looked off into the distance.
The ride remained quiet as Sev drifted off into his thoughts. Shepard too thought on today's events, and couldn't help but be reminded of the conversations she had with both Pyrrha and Sarah. The commander sighed, and wondered if she was going to have to play therapist for everyone on the base.
Mother Base...
"Brraggh." was all Bacara could sputter out as he vomited water, expelling it out of his lungs.
His breathing was slow and laboured, his voice hoarse from the screaming. He could barely lift his head as the bzzzzt of Snake touching the two jumper cables together sent arcs of electricity between them. Waterboarding, electrocutions, direct beatings, Snake had spent the last few hours breaking Bacara, and he knew he the clone was going to crack soon.
As Snake stepped forward to apply the prongs to Bacara's chest once again, Bacara made a barely audible sentence. "Wait." he whimpered. "I'll talk. Just… stop, please." The clone commander was broken, both physically and mentally.
"Good." Was all Venom Snake said as he detached the jumper cables. "I want a name. Who is leading the Empire?"
"His name… his name is Thrawn. Grand Admiral Thrawn." Bacara exhaled, the last dregs of his strength now gone.
"Grand Admiral Thrawn?" Snake parroted.
"Indeed. The only alien to ever make it to such a rank within the Empire. He's a master tactician, better than anyone I've ever seen. I served under him for many years, he appreciated the skill and experience that clones like myself had over a lot of the newer Imperial officers. He was one of the Emperor's greatest weapons, and the leader of one of the most powerful Imperial Remnant factions." Bacara explained.
"Imperial Remnant?" Snake asked again. There was too much new information here. To him, it sounded like the current Imperials were from a time period after Galen's death.
Bacara scoffed with resigned disbelief. "Of course you wouldn't know. After Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader were killed, the Empire broke apart. There was no known successor to the Emperor, so different Moffs, Governors, and Admirals fought amongst themselves to take their piece of the pie, trying to take control of the Empire. The Admiral led such a faction, and he held the New Republic by its throat, until he was betrayed and killed. Many of us here fell during the many battles under his command."
Snake paused to think. That would be some welcome news for Galen at the very least, but at this point irrelevant to them. He needed to know more about the structure of the Imperial Remnant here in the Final Destination.
"And this Thrawn, he's the one who gives orders to Skull Face and Kai Leng as well?" Snake asked.
To his surprise, Bacara shook his head. "After we were defeated in our old galaxy, we were sent here. The Admiral wanted to regroup, get a starship operational and escape. But he encountered, something in Korriban. Something or someone that even he was forced to bend the knee to."
If Snake's hunch was correct, this something would most likely be the God of Chaos, but he needed to be sure. "Who did he bend the knee to?"
"That, I don't know. But what I do know, is whatever he serves, it's not human, and it scares him." Bacara felt a shiver crawl up his spine at the mere mention of his master's master.
Snake saw no dishonesty in Bacara's eyes. "I believe you." He flatly stated, pulling out his e-cigar and taking a puff.
"Oh thank the Force." Bacara muttered, his body sagging as all the tension left it.
Taking a short puff from his cigar, the Boss swiftly drew his pistol and put one bullet between Bacara's eyes. Bacara didn't even have time to be surprised before all signs of life were extinguished. The Boss had gotten what he needed from Bacara, and silently moved to dispose of the body as he contemplated this new information.
Somewhere in Korriban…
Kai Leng strode forward through the ancient halls of the Sith Tomb, the shadows clinging to his very form. To his left, was the massive, grey furred form of Tartarus, chieftain of chieftains, and flanking him to his right, was the scarred spymaster Skull Face. Together they walked in silence as they entered the inner sanctum of the tomb of Marka Ragnos, greatest of the ancient Sith lords. Standing in the great hall of the tomb, surrounded by obelisks and statues of the Sith Lord, Leng's cybernetic eyes scowled on a figure in the shadows in front of him.
"The insurgents may have escaped the Archives, but their days are numbered. Next time, they will not escape. I will not fail again." Leng hissed out.
"Indeed. You will not fail again because you are no longer in charge of operations against the Snake." the figure spoke in a calm, cold, and controlled voice.
Stepping forward from the shadows was a male humanoid, with blue skin and darker blue hair cut into neat crewcut. His pristine white uniform was adorned with several blue and red bars denoting his rank, as well as his many achievements. But his most distinctive feature was his piercing red eyes, filled with a calculating focus that absorbed all information around him.
Despite his cybernetics, everyone could feel Leng's eyes narrow on the alien. Not that anyone cared about it however. Tartarus merely found the argument between these lesser aliens amusing, while Skull Face and Thrawn cared little for whatever petulant outburst Leng was about to throw.
Thrawn continued his speech. "Thanks to the efforts of Skull Face, our war with the Covenant has come to its conclusion. And as such, I can now focus my efforts on destroying these insurgents."
"You cannot just claim to do as you see fit. Our master will hear about this." Leng warned, baring his teeth.
"Our master..." Thrawn calmly retorted. "... is displeased with your failure. That is why I am now being assigned to this role." His news delivered, Thrawn then turned away from Kai Leng, ignoring any response and faced their newest member. "Now onto other matters, Chieftain Tartarus, it is good to finally meet you. I often find it pleasing when I am able to give a face to an opponent who has given me as much trouble as you have."
That was a half truth on Thrawn's part. While the Covenant forces initially gave his Imperials trouble, that was mostly due to the shock of the new world, and the complete lack of any and all information on the Covenant. Their tactics, weapons, and technology were all unknown to the Empire, resulting in several early losses. However as the battles dragged on and as the probes spied on their camps, the clear hierarchical structure and theological glue of the Covenant became apparent. They were a flimsy alliance of aliens held together out of fear or zealous ignorance to their Brute overlords.
Thrawn had already planned half a dozen ways to shatter this alliance, through targeted assassinations of brute leadership, or through the usage of bait and feigned retreats to cause the overly aggressive brutes to overextend into traps and ambushes. He even entertained the idea of coercing the super mutants into a massive offensive, while his Imperials pushed from the South, creating a two front war that the Covenant would not be able to sustain. But an alliance secured by Skull Face was a satisfactory enough ending for Thrawn, and so the plans to annihilate the Covenant would be shelved for now.
Even Thrawn was impressed with Skull Face's ability to secure this alliance. It became apparent early on that the Covenant would never willingly negotiate with humans, however, Skull Face was far more powerful at mental manipulation than anyone Thrawn had seen previously. The spy master was able to infiltrate Covenant outposts, and mind control enough high ranking brutes to convince Tartarus to parley. And that single meeting was all Skull Face needed to worm his way into the brute's mind, tricking him into loyalty.
"Hmm. Save your pleasantries for someone who cares, human." Tartarus grumbled. While Thrawn wasn't a human, he looked similar enough to them that it made no difference for the Brute. "I am here for what I am owed. I was promised power."
"And power you shall receive." Thrawn gave a slight incline of his head.
Turning around, Thrawn drew a weapon, an ancient looking sword, sheathed into a rod made of black-iron material. At the end of the rod however, was some kind of two-pronged forked crest. Tartarus raised an eyebrow at the ornamental weapon, unsure what to think of it.
"This, Chieftain Tartarus, is the Scepter of Ragnos. An ancient artifact from my universe. With it, the power of the Force can be gifted to whomever we choose. And that power, will now be given to you. However, since I am not Force sensitive, I cannot perform the ritual for you. Therefore, Skull Face, if you will do the honor." Thrawn bowed his head, and held the scepter up with both hands.
"Of course, Admiral." Skull Face removed his fedora and moved to take the scepter from the Admiral's grasp.
As soon he gripped the artifact, the Scepter began to glow in Skull Face's hand. Between the prongs, an orb of black-red light formed, crackling and pulsating as the Dark side flowed through it.
Striding up to Tartarus, Skull Face looked him directly in the eyes and said, "Kneel, Tartarus, declare your fealty, and claim your reward."
The Brute's eyes narrowed the slightest amount, and with a small scoff, he kneeled. "By my honor, I, Tartarus, Right Hand of Truth and Chieftain of the Jiralhanae, bend the knee. In the name of our Great Journey, my army will fight alongside yours."
Skull Face nodded, and jabbed the Scepter into Tartarus' chest. A small trickle of blood flowed free from the wound, nothing but a nuisance to a veteran warrior like Tartarus. But then the condensed Dark side energy spiked, twisting and contorting into random forms, before seeping its way into the wound. Despite Tartarus' immense strength and fortitude, not even he could resist the pain he now felt. It was excruciating, ripping apart not only his physical body, but his very soul. Tartarus could only scream as he was gifted with the power of the Force.
As the ritual continued, Kai Leng silently skulked his way behind Thrawn, who was seemingly distracted by the ritual.
Without even turning to face the assassin, Thrawn called out to him, "If you have something you wish to say, Agent Leng, by all means I am listening."
Leng was silent for a few seconds, scowling at the Chiss. "I just had a passing curiosity, Admiral. You've seen the power of the Scepter, of the Force. You know more of its potential than either myself of Skull Face, yet you refuse to use it. Why?"
Thrawn continued to watch the ritual, not giving Leng a single glance. "The Force is power, true. But it is power that comes at a cost. I have seen the way the Force affects the minds of its users. It extracts a cost of sanity and self control. And if I am to lead our forces into battle, I cannot have my mind twisted by something so volatile." Finally Thrawn decided to grace Leng with his gaze. "After all, rage and lust for revenge can bring power, but it can also blind oneself, can't it Agent Leng?"
That was the final straw.
Snarling, Leng yelled at the Chiss. "An alien does not have the right to speak to me like that!"
Leng's anger did nothing to change the Chiss's impassive facade. If anything, he seemed even less impressed. "Your humanocentric bigotry is both boring and nothing I have not seen before, Agent Leng. Now if you'll excuse me, I have an operation to plan." Thrawn did an about face and began walking into the darkness.
Kai Leng glared at the back of the Chiss, contemplating running him through with his lightsaber. Only the fear of their Master kept him from acting upon that urge. Grunting, Leng turned around and walked towards the training grounds. He needed to train.
A/N: And now the leader of the Imperials is known. I've always thought Thrawn was a great character, yet I have yet to watch Star Wars: Rebels, so this Thrawn will be based on the Legends Thrawn, not canon Thrawn.
Also, I got the idea of the the sniper shoot off between Shepard and Sev from this old webcomic I saw a long time ago, where Shepard, Garrus, Thane, and Legion all have a contest to kill this last mercenary. Can't remember who wrote it.
Anyway, hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you in the next one.