Mass Riddick Effect

Chapter 4: Into the Fray

Riddick


The eight people kneeling on the landing dock seared their way into his skull.

Eight more human lives that could be lost today.

Riddick grimaced. He set the monstrous dreadnought free from his mind for the sake of those down below. Those who needed him.

In the grassy valley ahead, the enormous transit station seemed to sparkle in the day's sunlight. The impressive structure was nestled amongst the planet's natural-stone preformations, its rectangular platforms expansive and loaded in places with towers of cargo. Several shuttle-sized slabs and wedges of rock dotted the descent downhill to the station. The coverage such obstacles would offer during the squad's approach would prove invaluable. So long as they didn't lose their element of surprise they could attack the station from any direction thanks to the terrain. They would need every asset they could get. The geth outnumbered them and did not miss their marks in combat. He recalled earlier how they had poured rounds at him while he hid behind that boulder in the trench. Without backup, he'd have been breathing through new holes the moment he tried returning fire.

His few prior geth encounters told him that regardless of how this hostage situation played out, there would be a gunfight. Too bad the reward for winning would be bittersweet. Surely the enemy dreadnought would get away before Alliance reinforcements could arrive.

The realization brought his frustration back. The slow-cooked anger clung to him like sweat after a workout. A distraction that refused to quit. The day's trying events had tested him. Tested them all. Filled their veins with adrenaline, ripped at their morality, and crushed their spirits. Their experience, training, and precision balked against the wild twists and turns the mission threw. Even Shepard, the Hero of Elysium, seemed lost and confused. He regretted the voluntary risk he took earlier in the mission when cornering her. In hindsight, it had been stupid, as the mission developed into something unpredictably chaotic. His selfish curiosity only further compromised the matter. And all that before he made the call to leave one of their own.

The corporal's youthful face lingered crystal-clear in his mind's eye.

It shoved the knife in his heart deeper, but stayed hidden. Emotion on a battlefield should never be shown, which is why he found himself staring downhill, trapped in his own mental cage. He and he alone would bear his guilt.

Bringing him out of his thoughts, one of the flashlight-headed machines suddenly popped into view where he stared. It offered no personality and did not act differently than those geth from before. The geth were all identical. Just as they should be, he decided, considering that these machines apparently specialized in killing; now that they were free from their quarian masters. The sheer number of mangled gray-cybernetic bodies and Jenkins flashed by in his mind. Geth had eradicated the majority of the colony in a matter of hours. They were the perfect killing machines.

From what he had observed so far, they were not only intelligent, but organized and fearless. Meticulously lethal in their methods. Once one understood something, he could stop fearing it. He held strong to that belief, so he would have to keep studying them whenever possible. He pressed his lips into a line and let his muscles grow taut, as one geth grew into three when two others stamped into view. They appeared to be patrolling the station's perimeter as if on guard duty.

"I think we can⸺" Shepard cut off abruptly, stealing his attention away from the synthetics. He craned his neck to get a look around Alenko at the woman with a stripe of red dyed into her havana-brown hair. That streak of red caught the sunlight and gleamed. A strong contrast to the battered woman he saw standing there. Riddick could mistake her for someone who wrestled varren for a living. Grime caked her once shiny-N7 armor, strands of her hair were matted with sand, and sweat stuck to her face as if makeup. Only when she dropped down to one knee did he catch a hint of life in those eyes. A dark-warm fire. A glint that told him she had plenty of fight left.

In seconds, she clicked the rifle free from her back, extended the barrel, lodged it to her shoulder, and took aim. She consumed his attention with her surety. She did not fake her serious expressions.

Oh Little Bird, what do you see, Little Bird? His mind began to wander at the possibilities, but her voice yanked him out of the maw and back to reality.

"Jesus Chirst. It's a turian."

A turian? Riddick pulled his gaze from her to examine the spectre's expression. Their turian comrade's expression. The intricate white markings on Nihlus' leathery dark-brown face folded and danced as he worked his mandibles, trying to formulate some kind of reaction despite his obvious shock. His pointy teeth flashed and eyes narrowed as his face did somersaults of emotion. Finally, with his brow plates arched, his emerald eyes darted to Shepard.

"What?" he demanded, his tone meshed with disbelief and frustration. It appeared that he was infuriated by the concept that one of his kind might be standing down there.

Riddick knew turians believed themselves incredibly noble and disciplined, 'turian honor' and all that, but that did not make the species one of purity. Just like humans who fell to lust and greed, so too did turians. A number worked as mercenaries or common thugs and arguably, turians were one of the most common to find as such across the galaxy. Riddick had gunned down plenty in his time as a marine. So why Kriyik acted so surprised left Riddick a bit perplexed. Though even he had to admit that a single turian invading a human colony with geth did constitute as abnormal.

"A turian," Shepard repeated. "There's a turian down there with the geth." Her tone left no room for interpretation. She meant what she said.

The spectre's doubts stuck like military-grade duct tape. "You're seeing things." The spectre lunged around Riddick and stormed toward the small woman. "There's only geth down there. Let me see that rifle." She handed it over to him without protest. The spectre lifted the weapon and stared down its scope with everyone watching him. When he lowered the rifle, he looked to be in pain, his face locked in a scowl. "Spirits. You're right." He returned the rifle back to its owner, his eyes falling to the vibrant, green grass at his feet. "This is bad."

"No shit it's bad," Willaims chimed in, shaking her head. "Of course some non-human is leading the attack on a human colony. I say we take him down with the rest. No questions asked."

"Take him down? Wait just a damn minute," Nihlus started, placating her with a hand. "That's Saren Arterious down there, he's a fellow spectre and a friend." Riddick saw his predatory eyes search the human faces surrounding him. "We need to get answers from Saren on all this. Maybe he can explain what he's doing here and why he's with the geth."

"Sure, let's just walk down there and ask him," Williams retorted, gesturing to the scene below. She met the other stares with a look of incredulity. "The corpses on the way here make it pretty damn clear to me what he's up to down there. I see geth not shooting him and our people being held hostage! What more proof do we need?"

"Williams is right," Shepard admitted quietly. "This Saren… he's with the enemy."

Riddick peeled his focus away from those discussing and lifted the protective goggles away from his eyes. With the sun still out, the hyper-luminescent hues hurt to look at, but they helped him make sense of the situation. By identifying individuals and organisms via the discoloration, he could quickly conduct a survey of enemy forces. The geth were ubiquitous and purplish in color to him, the human hostages a mix of orangey-red, and then the cool customer Saren, reflected as a bluish-teal. Wincing, Riddick adjusted the goggles back down over his eyes and retreated a few steps while his vision flashed like strobe lights.

The doctor of the program who had enhanced his vision had warned him of such. Warned him that following surgery, the strain of daylight on his eyes would permanently cause extensive pain. Too much exposure would lead to permanent, irrevocable damage. Seeing in the dark came at a price. A hefty price. Still, Riddick had volunteered and so had Nicholas Warren. Unfortunately, Warren paid the price for the experiment a few years later by getting killed in action during an operation. Reports claimed that part of the marine's final words involved 'burning, sun, and eyes'. Today, as far as Riddick knew, only he endured as an N7 'Shine Job' participant and understood what Warren had been trying to say.

When the waves of compressing nausea subsided, he pinched the bridge of his nose, then sighed in relief.

"This Saren guy, who is he?" Carson had just asked, when Riddick tuned in again.

Kriyik sighed, "As I said, he's one of us. A Spectre." His eyes dropped to the ground as he shook his raptor-like head, perhaps trying to encourage belief in what he had seen. "Saren's one of our best, actually."

"So, not good?"

"Really not good," Alenko affirmed for the private. The other lieutenant took on a grave tone. One that made Riddick do a double take at the man. He didn't know the LT could sound like that. "We'll need to act fast if we're saving anyone down there," Alenko continued, then nodded at him. Considering what happened at Jump Zero, Riddick couldn't help but wonder if Alenko held a grudge against turians. He had no way of knowing. His experiences with the other lieutenant in the line of duty had been short-lived and swift. This mission would serve as their first true service together. Thus, this hyper-focused Alenko could just be him finally settling for the type of resolve this fubar mission mandated.

A mission that required deliberate action. Orders were needed for those actions to happen as they should.

He took control of the situation by issuing such, "All right, Alenko checks our scans. I don't want any geth shooting me in the ass. Shepard, keep your eyes on em'. Anything changes, report it." When those two met his gaze and nodded, he sauntered to the center of the group. "I want everyone else to take a knee and get a sitrep of what they got on them," he announced. They eyed him suspiciously, so he reinforced his words with, "Do it. Everyone take a knee." Carson watched the bearded Kowalsky lower himself into the grass, then reluctantly, did the same. Soon everyone began rummaging through their belongings, activating omni-tools, and testing shields. A plethora of hums, crackles, and clicks. When most of the group resembled impatient children, Riddick nodded, "All right, report. What do we got?"

"Um, Commander Sir? How is this supposed to help exactly, Sir?"

He recalled that the 232nd was assigned with glorified supervision of scientists on a human colony. So there's a chance the young man had never seen combat.

Riddick turned to him, leaning forward slightly. "Carson, ain't it?"

"Y-Yes, Sir." He looked to the person he did for everything, Kowalsky, but the burly soldier did not notice. His 'Sarge' left him to fend for himself on this one.

"Don't look at him. Look at me," Riddick snapped, making Carson flinch. "I'm your CO now. So follow the damn order and tell me what you got."

"Aye, aye, Sir!" The soldier fumbled to set his Avenger rifle down in the grass, then brought up his forearm to reveal an omni-tool's haptic interface. "I've got my Avenger, Kessler, 2 grenades, medigel, and some gum, Sir."

"Yeah, that gum is really going to stick it to them." Riddick heard Alenko mutter under his breath. When Alenko looked up from his omni-tool and found Riddick's waiting gaze, his face sobered. "Yeah, I know. That was bad. Apologies. I've got a first aid kit, some overload charges at the ready, and some decryption files." He swiped up from his wrist to summon a holographic orange circle from his omni-too. Occasionally, several dots could be seen blinking away from the center of the circle. "Scans are also in our favor. Nothing behind us, Sir."

Riddick nodded his satisfaction then shifted to Willaims, who started listing her items, but his eyes found Shepard's intense gaze instead. She brushed a wisp of hair away from her face and pretended not to see him. She went back to scoping out the scene below.

In a minute's time, everyone had spoken except for Kriyik.

"Guns. That's what I'm bringing to the table here, I believe is the human saying."

"Can never have enough of those," Kowalsky grunted, nodding to himself. Riddick agreed. Guns could be a man's best friend if the dog was missing. Especially in space.

Riddick weighed their situation in his head. A far greater force down the hill than their seven, hostages in need of rescue, and a Prothean beacon to somehow locate. Things felt pretty upside down considering the mission's initial simplicity. The captain had played the whole thing off for days. Now they had one dead, a regiment of marines KIA, significant civilian casualties, and potentially a rogue spectre. This mission had not just gone sideways, it had gone fubar.

"Alright, here's the plan." He did not know what compelled him to do so, but he found himself eyeing Shepard as he spoke. He moved his head to make it seem as if he were not singling her out. The googles let him hide whom he was looking at. "We hit them hard and fast. I want our heavy hitters up front in the van with me. Alenko, Williams, Kriyik, you're with me." He turned to his side to see Kriyik nodding out of his peripheral vision. "That leaves Kowalsky, Carson, and Shepard for support. Shepard stays topside. Questions?"

Shepard's frown drew his eyes. Course Short Stuff has a problem with it.

"What cha got? Spill it."

"Why put the LT up front," she asked, bobbing her head in Alenko's direction.

"He's our only biotic. That makes him a heavy hitter."

"Sure, but he's also our only field medic." Her eyes widened as she looked around at the others. "Unless I'm mistaken and someone else knows how to stitch a leg or set a bone during a crossfire?"

Kryik sighed, "I have some knowledge as well, but we won't have time for niceties in his fight. Why bother strategizing around it?"

"Because we're marines and no one else is dying today." She glared the turian into submission, but more than anything it seemed Kriyik did not care enough to argue. He waved a dismissive hand and looked away. "Riddick, please." Her warm brown eyes found and targeted him. "At least allow the LT to stay top-side and provide support with me. His biotics and omni-tool can assist from a distance. He can also treat injuries without being shot himself if the need arises. We can provide covering fire if he advances from the rear."

"Fine," Riddick relented, then turned to face the sergeant. "Kowalsky, that means you're in the van. Got it?"

"Yes, Sir." The bear of a man seemed fine with the change in plans.

"Good." He surveyed the rigid expressions surrounding him. When no one protested further, he stood. "If you're with me, let's go."


The geth's foreign language of chirps, squeaks, and warbles penetrated their ears as they got closer to the station. So far, a successful downhill descent of sixty yards without detection. Whether their enemy allowed it or truly had not discovered them, Riddick could not tell. In part, the robots were still a mystery. A new foe to add to his decorated collection.

Every breath came thick with apprehension, his breathing tight and strained as he urged himself to somehow make less noise. Torfan and other places had molded him for this. Molded him into a killer. Someone the Alliance sent in for brutal, ruthless efficiency. Crouching, he pressed forward another five paces then pressed his shoulder against a stone prefab. He checked his left, eyeing each variation of stone shape with scrutiny. When nothing moved, he leaned out and made a 180 degree sweep with his shotgun. The clearing leading to one of the transit station's entry steps was empty.

"Nothing in front of you," Shepard said over the comms.

Riddick retreated behind the rock's safety to whisper back, "Thanks, Princess."

"Prick."

"Where are they?"

"Three moving in from your left," Alenko joined in after a long pause, probably because Shepard no longer wanted to help. "Another three at Williams' 2 o'clock. The rest seem to be content with pacing the station. They're not interested in the hostages."

"Got it." Riddick eyed the intimidating bulk of Nihlus lying prone, sheathed in shadows. "What about the turian? What's he up to?"

"He's walking toward the hostages again. This time he looks ready to━"

Shepard interrupted Alenko with urgency, "Riddick, permission to take the shot? He's going for the hostages."

"Absolutely not," Kriyik interjected, "we're taking Saren alive. That needs to be a priority." The spectre rolled from his stomach onto his back, closer to the cleft of granite offering him cover, so that he could look back at Riddick. His emerald eyes glinted from the shadowy hiding spot, as if challenging him. "Am I clear?"

Several heart beats passed while his mind roamed for the right response. He had never led a team before. He had never been in this situation before. Never dealt with such extreme hostage consequences or been so involved in a joint-species operation. The Alliance protocol handbook hadn't prepared him or any marine for this scenario. Fubar. It had to be the only word to describe this bull shit. Just like Torfan.

Riddick looked away from Kriyik and stared straight ahead. No more mistakes.

"If anyone raises a gun to the hostages you have permission to fire."

Shepard exhaled. "Understood." She sounded in purgatory. Between a state of ready to fire and when to fire. He figured that she already had the shot lined up.

"Aye, aye, Sir." Alenko came back more relaxed.

"Are you kidding me?!" Kriyik shifted up from his back to a seated position, his carapaced body seething. "Neither of you are fit for command. I hold authority here. We're taking Saren alive."

"Hate to be the bearer of bad news… but Saren is continuing his approach," Alenko said. "Good chance we have to take the shot."

Riddick inspected his Katana shotgun to ensure there were no hazards. "You heard them, everyone be ready to engage."

"This is ridiculous," Kriyik spat, starting to climb to his feet. "I'm not..." The sniper rifle's booming clap shook their hearing and prevented Kriyik from finishing.

Immediately, the battle erupted in full force. The symphony of exchanging gunfire roared all around them.

"Hostiles inbound!" Alenko shouted over the comms.

Remembering Alenko's marks, Riddick leaned out to the left and found what he sought. Three geth troopers advancing, their gunfire pelting the rise above where Shepard, Alenko, and Carson were positioned. He seized the opportunity by abandoning cover to allow his shotgun its full advantage. It took six strides to get close enough.

The shotgun's first cough blows one synthetic in two, a splatter of milky-white fluid splattering the ground. Dropping to a knee, he swiveled as the remaining geth spotted him, but reacted too slow. The shotgun's second cough obliterates the opposition by shattering shields and machine. The final geth trooper gets off a flurry of shots on his shields, but meets a similar fate when Shepard launches a round through its head. The flashlight-head explodes, white fluid spouting like a geyser as the lifeless being topples to the ground.

Rounds erupt from the station's platforms and start peppering Riddick's position, forcing his retreat. Huffing with each stride, he escapes the clearing for a nearby stone slab and plants his back against it. Only after catching his breath does he dare survey the battlefield.

The exchange of blue mass accelerator rounds spitting rapidly through the air resembles fireworks. Fierce, fast, and fiery. They crackled and hissed as they sunk into shields, metal, and rock. Thankfully they weren't finding flesh. Yet.

Shepard's sniper shots were popping off in rapid succession. No doubt she was laying waste to any geth in the open. Nearby, Riddick catches sight of Willaims unleashing a plethora of Avenger rounds before ducking. About ten yards ahead of her, Kriyik did the same, though he had returned to the prone position on his stomach. Only when his shields started to spark and fizzle did he roll closer to the rocky outcropping offering him cover. The last of the vanguard, Sergeant Kowalsky, looked to be more focused on not catching rounds. Unlike Williams and Kryik, he had less cover to utilize. The large man was having to make due with a slab of stone half his size.

"How many we got?" Riddick demanded through the comms, his body felt as if it were on fire. Seemingly like stepping into a sauna decked out in a full combat-ready hardsuit. Helmet and all. The flames of battle could have had that effect. Especially when one knew numbers were against him.

"At least a dozen, maybe more!" Alenko responded, the impact of enemy rounds drumming through the channel with his voice.

In the corner of his peripheral vision, Riddick caught a glimpse of something shadowy rising. Kriyik.

The turian stood up straight, socked the assault rifle into his shoulder and fired without remorse. Round after round stung his shields, but he kept at it, slowly walking out from cover and continuing to fire. Impressed, Riddick left his rock and dashed across the clearing to regroup with his comrades. He slid into cover just in time to watch Kryik drop a geth trooper on the steps.

"Just took down three, move up!" the flanging voice sounded extremely foreign in combat on an Alliance channel. Still, they heeded the command.

Emerging from cover in synchrony, Williams and Kowalsky rushed forward then dropped down into cover on either side of Riddick, both less than eight yards away. Kriyik pressed on even further, cutting the distance between him and the transit station stairs in half before stopping at what would be his last bit of cover before hitting the stairs. Alarm only took hold of Riddick when a geth trooper emerged from the rocks to Kriyik's 3 o'clock, its sights set on the spectre. With that clean of a lane, the geth would kill the specte in seconds. Too fast for Riddick or the others to react.

Relief butterflied through his chest when a crate from one of the platforms was enveloped in shimmering blue light, then leaped up into the air and down on top of the geth, crushing it. Biotics. Good call keeping him up there, Short Stuff.

"Looks like we've got an opening," Kriyik said, poking his head in and out of cover. Clearly he had no idea how close to death he had been. "Let's push up!"

"Got it. Take the stairs!" His gaze met with Williams. "Us first. Kowalsky, covering fire." He looked over his shoulder to see the sergeant give him a thumbs up. "Alright, let's move! Double time!"

Like varren set loose from their chains, they leapt out of cover and into a breakneck sprint. Kriyik left cover too, but only jogged. In less than thirty seconds, all three of them were up the steel steps and onto the station's platforms. It changed the terrain drastically. The greens and grays were abandoned for metallic silver surfaces that reflected sunlight and ricocheted stray rounds. Not to mention the increase in visible geth forms slinking toward them. There had to be at least ten. Thankfully, the level footing and stacks of crates offered better protection than the valley. Less open spaces to cross. Now both sides were on equal terms.

Less than an arms' length away, Williams stood up to open fire. Suddenly, an explosion of sound accompanied by her cry wrecks his hearing on one side. He turned to witness Willaims slam back first onto the metal flooring with a light show of shield sparkles. He made a move to reach for her, but she stopped him by gesturing with an open palm. "Shit, I'm good. Caught a rocket but shields held up." She panted, her chest heaving despite the hardsuit normally making such a thing hard to detect. It told him how badly her heart wanted to beat its way out of her ribcage. "Just gotta catch my breath."

She thought that rocket would be the last thing she saw, he realized. Can't blame her. She just got lucky and knew it. The black scorch mark burned into the torso of her white armor would be a permanent reminder.

"On your left!" Kriyik called out, his gunfire directed at a cluster of geth troopers straight ahead. Riddick heeds the spectre's warning, rising up just in time to be face-to-face with the machine. Making a methodical shriek, the geth raised its pulse rifle to strike him but his shotgun sounded first. The shotgun blast claims an arm and most of the synthetic's chest cavity in an explosion of shrapnel. Specks of hot white goo spatter his forehead before he can dive back down beside Willaims, who looks to be mostly recovered.

"Wow, LTC," she said, the corners of her mouth curving. "That's quite the look you got going there."

He swiped a rough forearm across his face, smushing the googles against his eyes. He pulled his arm away to examine the damage. The black bracer protecting his forearm was coated in slimy white fluid.

"Gross. Looks like..."

"Spare me," he snapped, then looked up to see Kowalsky struggling in the field. "Get Kowalksy some fire support."

Williams didn't need the command twice. She flipped around lightning-quick, socketed her rifle, and started spraying rounds at the geth approaching Kowalsky. Only as the rounds bounced off the thing's shields did Riddick realize how much bigger this particular synthetic was.

"Shit," he growled, sitting up as straight as he could to see better. He did a 180 to see Kriyik holding his own against the mob of transit station geth. "Stay up here and help the spectre. I'm going back for him."

"You sure?!" She spared him a wide-eyed glance before going back to her Avenger's scope and shooting. "This thing is just eating bullets!"

"Yeah. Stay put. Got that?"

"Aye, aye, Sir!" She spun around and vaulted a crate to get closer to Kriyik, leaving Riddick alone between the crates and stairs.

He stumbled to his feet and trotted down the steps, carrying his shotgun with one hand. "Shepard! Your 12 o'clock, Kowalsky is pinned down."

"So is Carson!" The sound of Shepard's sniper echoed. "Shepard and I are doing everything we can to get him out of it."

"I see Saren," Kriyik exclaimed, bringing Riddick to a sliding halt. "I'm going after him!"

Riddick spun back toward the station, putting his back to what had to be a geth shock trooper closing in on Kowalsky. "We go after him together, Kriyik." Growing dizzy, he whipped his head back to see the geth less than ten yards away from Kowalsky with its shotgun. Each hypersonic shot punched away bits of rock as it marched ever closer. Kowalsky jumped to his feet to return fire, but was knocked backward instantly, falling out of Riddick's line of sight.

Static filled his ears, adding further chaos to the commotion. "Sir, the Spectre's not listening!" Williams shouted, "You want me going with him?"

His legs started moving again but the plan on how to save Kowalsky hadn't stabilized. "No, stay put! That's an order!"

"Aye, aye! Could use some support here ASAP."

Gritting his teeth, Riddick raced up behind the monstrous machine and did not hesitate shooting it in the back. A flash of blue electricity flared as the ten-foot machine keeled forward from the impact, but kept its feet. He pumped the shotgun as it wheeled about to face him, then aimed at its circular, emotionless face and pulled the trigger. Again, blue electricity sparked with the impact. The geth nightmare rocked from the damage sustained, but abruptly charged forward with vengeance.

He couldn't move out of way fast enough.

His lungs went flat as pancakes when the metal shoulder thrashed into his chest, a supernova of blurry colors erupting filling his vision. He came back to consciousness as he hit the ground several yards away, his shields diasbled and chest piece severely cracked. When he tried rising, he found his body numb and resistant, his ribs screaming for mercy.

Gotta get up. Gotta. Fight.

When he managed to lift his gaze back to his adversary, it had its back to him.

"Shepard," he wheezed, "help… Kowalsky."

On cue, a crack echoed and the giant geth shook violently, a spray of white fluid flying free from its shoulder. Recognizing the absence of shields, Kowalsky ditched his deteriorated rock cover and started shooting with his rifle. The brave sergeant sent round after round through the machine and approached with each step, testing his weapon's strength at close range.

"Careful! It's not going down!" Shepard warned over the comms.

She spoke the truth. Somehow covered and dripping putrid white ichor, the machine had lost its gun but not its will. It kept teetering forward with slow, heavy steps. Before Kowalsky could react, it smashed him to the ground with a swing of its forearm.

No. Gotta get up. Gotta. Fight.

Riddick pushed himself onto all fours, his head pounding and senses scrambled. The soil and grass felt like quicksand, his limbs moving individually and not together.

Damn it. Gotta get up.

"I don't have a shot," Shepard groaned, "Williams, your 11 o'clock!" The crack of her sniper rifle followed.

Riddick staggered to his feet, the world spinning. Just ahead, he could make out the mutailed geth behemoth now crawling towards to the downed shape of Kowalsky. Somehow the thing still moved. Somehow the thing still wanted to kill.

He clicked the handgun free from his hip, raised it one-handed, and fired. The round bounced off the thing's slimy back. Armors' too thick. Gotta get closer.

With labored breaths he began hobbling forward, his gait awkward and breathing shaky. Each bark of the pistol landed a round in the synthetic. The thing refused to die. Its back gushed even more of the thick, milky white fluid as it dragged itself closer to Kowalsky. The marine just started to stir as the machine was upon him.

Riddick tapped the trigger of his overheated pistol that wouldn't fire, then fell to his knees several steps away. He watched a moment longer then closed his eyes to avoid the inevitable.

He heard the whir of the thing's arm rising to smash Kowalsky's face. An unfeeling fist of merciless metal that would squelch flesh. Kowalsky's bellow reverberated in his ears, accompanied with what sounded like a bone breaking. Confused, Riddick opened his eyes just in time to see the machine's right arm detach from its body in a splash of fluid. Screeching, the machine fell to its side while Kowalsky rolled out from under it and stood armed with… its arm?

Sure enough, the marine gripped the thing's arm with two hands and was covered head to toe in white synthetic fluid, his red beard resembling a soppy, sponge. Riddick felt his mouth part slightly as Kowalsky raised the arm high over his head, and brought it down on the geth's face. It reminded Riddick of hitting a car with a baseball bat.

"Is the Sarge okay!?"

That would be Carson asking. Riddick watched the sergeant bring the arm down again and again on the unmoving geth monster. A show of absolute brutality. "Uh, yeah kid. The Sarge is fine."

"Lost sight of the spectres, but I'm with the hostages, got some injured," Williams gasped, the hiss of passing rounds merging with her voice. "Need backup though. Still got uglies up here!"

"We're on our way!" Alenko and Carson came into view at the base of the hill, their heads rotating to look at Riddick then Kowalsky. When they caught sight of Kowalsky hitting the defeated machine with its own arm, they both did an odd sort of sideways stutter-step, but maintained their course for the transit station. When Alenko got close to Riddick, he landed next to him on his knees and waved Carson onward. Alenko's eyes roamed what seemed to be every inch of him, "You hurt? Where's it hurt the most?"

"I'm fine," he groaned, while forcing his body to comply. He returned the pistol to its magnetic clasp and took Alenko's hand when he offered it. The other lieutenant helped him stand, then studied his face intensively. "I said I'm fine. Get up there and help Williams."

Alenko did not look satisfied, perhaps the doctor in him, but nodded nonetheless. When Alenko departed after Carson, Riddick went and collected his shotgun. He found its sides scuffed and scraped from the geth shoulder, but otherwise the weapon remained functional. He sighed in relief. Soon after, the sound of gunfire from the platforms ensured the necessary adrenaline did not leave his exhausted body. When he turned to see how Kowalsky was doing, he found the sergeant and Shepard approaching.

He smirked. She may have looked like the one wrestling varren before, but now he and the Sarge had to look much, much worse. They came to a stop before him. "Have fun?" he asked, making sure he faced Kowalsky straight on. That way people could tell where he was looking even with his eyewear.

Kowalsky gripped his beard with a hand and squeezed, the milky-white liquid seeping through his gloved fingers. "Of course I bloody did." He looked back over his shoulder at the dismantled machine. "Showed that thing whose boss." He returned to Riddick's gaze with a toothy grin. Even his teeth had specks of white goo among them.

"Reckless, is what that was," Shepard said, shooting the sergeant a glare. Her gaze found him next. "But this isn't over. We need to get up there and help the others."

Riddick agreed, but had to know.

"What about the rogue spectre? Saren. Did you kill him?"

She lifted her sniper's aim from the ground so that it pointed up toward the sky in her sure-handed grip. "No. I wounded him." When he didn't react to that response, she continued. "I probably took his hand off. When he raised the pistol at one of the hostages, that's what I aimed for. The pistol."

Smart.

"I like it."

"You're sick."

The sergeant chuffed. "Ha. Love good banter, but the fight's still going! We've gotta get up there!" He looked at them both with those crazy bloodshot blue eyes. Up close, not to mention covered in the 'blood' of his enemy, the sergeant appeared absolutely insane.

Riddick acknowledged him with a nod. He didn't feel one hundred percent, but didn't know if he ever would again.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Kowalsky eyed them both, then took off running for the transit station.

Left alone, they stared at one another for a moment. A painfully long moment. Two leaders on opposite sides of the fence. One crafted from raw experience, fierce combat, and blood. The other natural-born, teeming with cold-calculated logic, precision, and intellect. Two different branches belonging to the same military tree. Yet in the pit of his gut, Riddick couldn't help but feel like they were brought together for a greater purpose. This mission would have a lasting impact impact on humanity and its progression. More importantly, it would have a lasting impact on the galaxy as they knew it.

That thought, and that thought alone, sang loudest in his head.


A/N: Again, sorry for the wait! This chapter is fun. Please enjoy, review, favorite, and follow if it pleases your heart. I LOVE constructive criticism and praise. It's what we writers seek!