W.i.t.G

Well. Here's to having loads of things to do, but I sit and choose to write anyway!

Adulting = Success.

The Commander stood for a moment in front of his motley ground team, his mind trying to piece together what he wanted to say next.

Within the Normandy SR-1, Shepard and the ground team were situated in the communications hub, which had been transformed into an impromptu briefing room at the start of their mission to stop Saren, with seats dotted around in a semi-circular pattern.

As Shepard was about to bring up his next order of business before they landed on Noveria, the internal comm system chimed, with a slightly bored voice filtering through:

"The authorities on Noveria have verified us Commander. We've got the green light to land. They were hesitant at first, but seeing as you're a Spectre, they can't do much about it. We should be docking soon. I'll let you know if anything out of the ordinary happens."

With a sly grin, the Commander replied carefully, "Like Saren showing up at the airlock with a welcome party? Does that count as out of the ordinary, Joker?"

It was quiet for a moment, before a slight chuckle could be heard; "Depends. Is he bringing flowers and chocolates, or just death and destruction?"

Shepard had only just realised the significance of Joker's previous statement, his expression turning serious, his reply reflecting his sudden change, "Death and destruction. Keep me in the loop, Joker."

"Aye aye, Commander." Without any hesitation, Joker cut the comms, allowing silence to reign in the briefing room.

All eyes had been fixed on the large standing human, their individual focus levels not wavering.

Chris began to pace, his mind running amok, before he finally spoke, "Well, looks like this meeting's gonna be cut short unfortunately. If we had more time, we could have planned for any additional contingencies. But, we're Alliance marines at the end of the day. We work with what we've got."

A small smile creased the human man's lips as he stopped his pacing, a solid idea having fixed itself firmly in his mind; "At least for the final bit of business, Wrex and Tali can unveil some goodies they picked up on the Citadel. Guys?"

Tali and Wrex stood up from their respective seats before coming to stand next to each other; Wrex's eyes held a mischievous glint as he looked upon his fellow ground team members. Tali had her omni-tool engaged, a list of sorts appearing just above her arm.

Before the pair could speak, Ashley piped up, her focus not leaving her Commander; "Goodies? Is it Christmas already, Skipper? I know we're preparing to be deployed in the snow, but will we have any reindeer or elves helping us out?"

Chris barked out a laugh, "That depends Gunny. Have you been naughty, or nice?"

Alien eyes went wide at that strange statement. Liara seemed to shift uncomfortably in her seat; Garrus's mandibles split ever so slightly; Wrex merely grunted, and Tali's fingers began to nervously dance at her waist, the list having been closed for just a moment.

Ashley grinned, and with a wink she replied to her superior's question: "Both, sir."

Chris continued to chuckle, his smile widening, "Good to hear marine! You're right. Santa's come early!"

As the humans in the room continued to chuckle at the terrible joke, Garrus quickly typed out a message on his omni-tool, which he quickly sent to the only other alien in the room who looked as stunned as he did, "Uhh, not gonna lie here Tali; do you have any idea what they're talking about? Spirits only knows they sound like they're talking in riddles. And what was that whole naughty and nice thing?"

Tali noticed the message, before penning her reply, "Keelah, I have no idea. I knew Shepard was a little bit strange, but I've got a feeling it's just humans in general. But this is something I've never heard of before. What's a Christmas? What's a 'Santa'? And why the fre'eg did he ask Ashley that question?!"

"... Jealous?" Garrus grinned evilly as he looked at the young Quarian.

A blush crept up on Tali's face as she solemnly replied, "As the humans like to say, 'fuck off'."

The chat between the two ended, with the pair of them smiling for their own reasons.

As the laughter began to die down, Wrex cleared his throat; the sound of rending metal didn't even come close to how raw it sounded; "Listen up, whelps! I don't know what Christmas is, nor do I care for who this 'Santa' is. What I do know is, Shepard finds us plenty of good fights. So that means, we need good equipment. Luckily for you, we got the supplies that were requested, plus some extras."

Chris' head cocked to the side, his eyes displaying his curiosity, "Extras?"

With a toothy grin, Wrex grumbled, "You'll just have to wait and see."

"Alright then," Shepard nodded his head, before smiling in Wrex and Tali's general directions, "Wrex, Tali! What do you have for us?"

Wrex began to read from the list on Tali's arm. Unfortunately for her, Wrex hadn't cleaned his armour for a while, so her olfactory sensors were flooded with the smell of blood and Krogan sweat. At least, that's what she hoped that was what that smell was:

"For the Asari-"

"Liara. My name's Liara." The Asari's cheeks flushed with a bright purple as she stared defiantly at the large Krogan.

If Wrex was supposed to falter, he hadn't taken any notice; "Like I was saying, the Asari-" A look from Shepard caused Wrex to stop for a moment, before, with a growl, he continued, "Liara's got a new biotic amplifier, a new pistol, some ammo mods, and some armour mods."

Liara looked to her Commander, a gentle smile creasing her azure lips.

"For the Turian-"

"Garrus."

Wrex growled, "-The Turian gets a new sniper rifle, ammo mods, and armour mods. Plus, Shepard thought it would be wise to get you new armour, seeing as you look like shit."

Garrus' sub harmonics trilled with what could only be the Turian equivalent of sarcasm, as he looked at Wrex, "Thanks Wrex! I didn't think you cared so much! See? Krogans aren't that bad..."

Wrex merely growled once more, before allowing Tali to continue down the list, her time to speak had come; "For Gunnery Chief Williams and Lieutenant Alenko, there's new armour mods and assault rifles."

"Ashley and Kaidan, Tali," Chris smiled warmly towards her, his body language displaying a desire for her to continue speaking, "I'm sure when we're aboard the Normandy, they won't mind the lack of formalities. Especially when we're in a debriefing."

The Gunny and LT nodded their heads, wholly agreeing with their Commander.

Tali nodded, before continuing, "Wrex and I already have our gear sorted, so that's pretty much it. The rest of the supplies are armour mods and ammo mods that you requested Captain."

"Oh yeah, those. They're not for me. I ordered them for the rest of the marines. Besides, the mods I've got already will be fine. They cost a lot, and seeing as Spectre's don't get any assistance when it comes to resupplying, this has come out of my pocket. Along with some additional supplies that I had no knowledge of. Though I'm sure Wrex will tell me soon enough."

Wrex considered the statement for just a moment, before smiling mirthfully, "Maybe."

"Good enough."

'Of course, Chris is selfless. He would make the perfect Quarian' Tali mused.

To a round of nods and acknowledgement from everybody present, it was fair to say that the debriefing had come to an end.

Except for the fact that Tali just didn't feel right about it. Her Captain had given everybody else brand new equipment, but hadn't taken any for himself.

"Are you sure, Captain? I don't need all of my mods. They are yours after all, so if you want them back-"

Chris shook his head, "Nah. I've been shot and stabbed that many times, my skin's turned itself into like a secondary layer of armour anyway. Besides, when supplies are distributed, they're done so in a specific way. I know you like to charge at the enemy, so that's why you've got extra shields. Whereas Wrex on the other hand, has an additional medi-gel unit to help him battle."

"As long as it keeps me fighting." Wrex grumbled.

"We marines trained without mods, so we can fight without them if needs be."

"Oorah!" The two other marines in the room bellowed as they stomped their feet.

Silence reigned for another moment, before the comms chimed once more, "Ten minutes till we dock, Commander."

"Copy that Joker. We'll be ready."

Once the comms had disconnected, Shepard addressed his team:

"Alright! You all heard Joker! Get your shit together and prepped. We're hitting dirtside in ten minutes; I want everybody locked and loaded. Bring what you need, but don't overburden yourselves. Noveria's not exactly a hostile territory, but I want everybody ready. Your new gears in your respective lockers. Dismissed."

As everybody began to stand and file out of the room, Shepard hung back, "Liara, if you wouldn't mind staying for a moment."

Once everybody had left, and the door had shut, Liara asked the obvious question, "What is it Commander? Is there something wrong?"

"Where's your mother, Liara?"

"Uhh, w-what? W-Why do you ask?"

"When was the last time you spoke to her?"

"I-I haven't spoke to my mother in years..."

"Hmm. Alright then. Well, the Council has intel that indicates Saren passed through here recently, and he was accompanied by an elderly Asari. As far as they can tell, the Asari seemed to share a lot of likeness with one Matriarch Benezia."

"M-My mother's with Saren?!"

"The Council seems to believe so. I'm not overly concerned if she is. I'm here for Saren. That's it. I do have to inform you though, If she has sided with Saren and she attacks us, I won't restrain myself when it comes to self-defence. Similarly, if you wish to stay aboard the Normandy for the duration of the mission, then I understand. I'm not forcing you to go out there."

Chris expected the young woman to buckle and her emotions to overflow. Nobody could be prepared with the thought of possibly killing a member of their own family.

Liara surprised Shepard though, her expression and body language suddenly turning icy, "I appreciate the concern Commander, but I'll be fine. If my mother is on Noveria, then I shall be one of the first to ask questions."

Slightly taken aback, Chris replied: "Good to hear. It's definitely handy to have two strong biotics in the ground team. You're a key part of the team, so I need to make sure you're fit and ready to go."

Liara smiled gently, "I'll be fine, Shepard, and I thank you for your concern. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and get prepared."

Once she'd left, Shepard couldn't help but reach for the dog tags that hung around his neck. He passed the metal chain between his right thumb and forefinger; an action similar to that of what he'd seen some of his more religious subordinates do with rosary beads. Shepard was by no means religious, but it was reassuring to feel their weight, the memories they represented.

He had a pretty good idea on what had caused Liara's change in expression.

Speaking to no one in particular, the Commander could only comment out loud:

"I've seen that look before. She's not the same naive archeologist I found on Therum. She's turning into a cold hearted killer..."

"Freeze! Don't take another step!"

Shepard didn't stop because he was told to; it was more out of the desire to know why a young blonde human woman was pointing an assault rifle at his head. She was flanked by two Turians who were also wielding assault rifles; their rifles rested on Garrus' and Wrex's chest pieces.

The ground team all drew their respective weapons, pointing them at their new foes. Garrus and Tali stood in front of Shepard in an instant, showing that they would take any rounds that were meant for the human if it came to it.

The blonde woman and her Turian counterparts had matching sets of armour, with a small white logo painted on their pauldrons in the shape of a pointed tower. However, Shepard noticed very quickly that the young woman also had three white chevrons painted on her right shoulder, signifying the rank of Sergeant. The weapons remained levelled on their respective targets, although the two Turians seemed to get a little bit nervous at the prospect of facing down the small, but well armed team in front of them.

It was fair to say, Shepard was intrigued.

"I don't know how you managed to get past control, but you won't get past me. I don't believe for a second that you're a Spectre; everybody knows Humanity doesn't have any Spectres. So I suggest you get back on your ship, and leave before things get ugly," The Sergeant pointed to the Normandy, before adding, "If you don't comply, then Noverian Security will be in their rights to impound the ship and imprison the crew. Time's ticking. You better make the right decision, and leave."

This, was gonna be fun.

Taking a step forward, causing all three rifles to aim towards the Commander, Shepard placed a reassuring hand on Tali's shoulder, "It's alright Tal, I've got this."

Wordlessly, Tali stood to the side, allowing her human to walk forwards unobstructed. That didn't mean her aim wavered. If anything, it caused her to focus on the blonde bosh'tets face even further.

"So. That was a great way to introduce yourselves, really. Any more meaningless threats, or can we carry on with our mission and be on our way?"

"Mission? What are you, Jehovah's witnesses? Fuck off. You've got one chance; leave now in one piece, or leave in a body bag after being riddled with holes. Your choice." The blonde Sergeant's words were vicious, but Shepard knew there was nothing behind it.

For one, the safety on her rifle was on. Secondly, she was too focused on him. She was trying to intimidate in order to disperse. If it came to any conflict, he was confident that his team would emerge victorious. Finally, the Turians flanking her looked as green as fresh cut grass. They knew how to hold a rifle, but the Commander doubted if they'd ever taken another sentient being's life before.

Before the commander could retort, Tali gave a raw guttural growl, stepping forward once more, "I'd like to see you try, you fre'eging Bosh'tet!"

The rest of the ground team shouted their encouragement, as they readied themselves.

Another step forward now and the Sergeant braced her rifle. The two Turians though, took a step backwards.

Wrex growled, hefting his massive shotgun; whilst Garrus' mandibles spread slightly, his sniper rifle tucking neatly into the crook of his shoulder. Liara began to glow with her biotics, and Ashley prepped a concussive shot. Kaidan and Tali both started to initiate their respective 'overload' programs, ready to strip their shields within a split second.

Chris cleared his throat, before asking the only question that mattered, venom dripping from every word he spoke, "You're making all of these threats, and yet, you've not once asked for any evidence of who we are. So I think I'll start: who the fuck are you?"

The Sergeant cleared her throat, before speaking, her voice not as confident as before, "My name's Sergeant Kaira Stirling from Noverian security. Now, you tell me who the fuck you are."

"Commander Shepard, Alliance military and Humanity's first Spectre. This fine bunch behind me, are my ground team; some of the toughest and meanest sons of bitches this galaxy's ever seen. So I suggest you put down your guns, and move." With one swift, practiced movement, Shepard drew one of his sidearms, levelling it right in front of the blonde Sergeant's face.

Kaira shifted slightly, with the Turians behind her starting to look at each other, as if to unconsciously show that they'd made a mistake coming to shake down their new visitors.

Before the situation could escalate any further, more Noverian security arrived. The ground team shifted their aim to accommodate the new arrivals. The ground team were now outnumbered two to one.

Chris smiled maliciously, his aim not shifting from the Sergeant in front of him, "Looks like this just got a lot more interesting."

Another woman spoke now, from the new arrivals, a Captain if Shepard could tell from the markings on her armour, "Sergeant Stirling, stand down. Commander Shepard-san, I ask that you and your team lower your weapons."

Immediately, Sergeant Stirling and her Turian companions relented, lowering their weapons. The Commander paused for a moment, before nodding his approval. With a quick hand signal, the ground team also stood down.

The Captain began to make her way to Shepard, her stride purposeful and confident. Shepard couldn't help but notice how striking the human female Captain was: Her golden skin seemed to glow in the low lighting of the hanger, and her soft brown eyes held an alluring but serious expression; her long black hair had been pulled into a tight ponytail that simply highlighted her facial features.

Most human males would have been dumbstruck; Shepard wasn't most human males. Yes, she was good looking, but looks weren't everything...

"Commander Shepard-san, I am Captain Maeko Matsuo, head of Noverian security. I apologise for Kaira-san and her companions behaviour. She's always been hot headed, but I didn't realise the situation would have escalated as bad as it did."

"I don't appreciate having weapons pointed in my, or my team's, general direction. If truth be told, you actually saved their lives by showing up when you did."

Maeko's lips pursed in slight annoyance, "Although they acted out of accord, Commander, they were within their rights as members of Noverian security to ward off any potential threats."

"Threats? The human and the Turians were simply going to be target practice," Wrex interjected from the back of the conversation, "I've seen pyjaks that look tougher than they do."

The Captain didn't bother to respond to the intended insult. Instead, she continued to focus her attention on the large human in front of her, "I have been informed by control that you are indeed a Council Spectre. I have also been informed that you are simply here on Council business. As far as I'm concerned, that doesn't make you a threat to Noverian security."

Shepard nodded, a small smile on his lips. Spectre's really did have a lot of privileges.

"However-" Maeko continued:

There was always a 'but'...

"I must ask that you and your team disarm yourselves. You won't find any threats on Noveria, so there is no need to carry your weapons. I believe the best way for you to gain our trust, is to adhere to our rules."

The Commander weighed up the statement for a moment, before another sly grin was placed on his lips, "You and your goons are welcome to come and get them..."

"Please, Shepard-san, there's no need for violence."

The Noverian forces drew their arms once more. Within a split second, the ground team had drawn their own weapons.

"I don't know if you already know this Captain, but I'm Alliance first and foremost. That means," An outstretched finger pointed towards the Normandy, "I have a platoon's worth of battle hardened Alliance marines under my command. Now, I think the best course of action that we're gonna take here, is that I'm going to get on with my mission on this God forsaken rock, and then I can leave. As long as you stay out of our way, then we won't cause trouble. However, if you really don't want to co-operate, then I'm afraid I will have to take matters into my own hands."

The two stared each other down, neither one wanting the relent.

As Captain Maeko began to retort, an external speaker crackled into life, above their heads.

"Captain Maeko, this is Gianna Parasini. I have orders direct from Administrator Anoleis to stand down. Spectre Shepard and his team are to be given full access and are not to be hindered in their investigation. Spectres are, by Council law, allowed to carry their weapons on them at all times. Even we can't disregard that fact," For a split second, Maeko looked as if she was about to interject, but the comms continued, "The Administrator wishes to talk to the Spectre personally. See to it that he, and his team, are escorted here as soon as possible. Parasini, out."

Silence reigned for a moment, before Maeko barked out an order, "Sergeant Stirling! Escort the Spectre to the Administrator."

"But-"

"That's an order, Sergeant."

With a grumble, Kaira muttered her reply, "Yes Ma'am. Follow me, Spectre."

And with that final defeated statement, Shepard motioned for his team to follow, straight past the armed members of Noverian security.

Once far enough away, Shepard messaged Kaidan on a private frequency:

'Alert the Normandy. I want the marines prepped and ready for when the shit hits the fan. If they want a show of force, then we'll give them one.'

The reply the large human got was simple, but effective; 'Already on it, Shepard.'

With a smirk, Shepard began to collect his thoughts as well as planning on his next move.

Unfortunately for Shepard, it didn't look like he, or his ground team, were getting off of Noveria any time soon.

Once Sergeant Stirling had escorted the ground team to the Administrator and Gianna Parasini, she and her Turian companions immediately left. Shepard began to ask his questions once the introductions had been made, and the Commander would later realise he had made a mistake in being so direct.

Administrator Anoleis was a Salarian; so naturally, he avoided or redirected all of the Commander's questions, allowing Parasini to answer in his stead.

It was safe to say, the ground team learnt very little.

As they were leaving, Gianna pulled Shepard to one side, and then began to explain everything:

She confirmed one of the Council's suspicions; Matriarch Benezia had been seen making her way to Peak 15, where the experimental labs were located on Noveria. She also revealed that if they hoped to make their way to Peak 15, they would need a 'garage pass' to request transport. When Shepard had mentioned that they had access to a Mako on the Normandy, Parasini vehemently argued against trying to use it; they were already walking on thin ice with Noverian security, and rolling out a combat assault vehicle without any notification would cause a lot of unnecessary trouble. Not to mention the paperwork...

The Commander reluctantly agreed.

Once Parasini had informed the ground team on all the information that they would need, and where they could acquire a 'garage pass', Shepard instructed Kaidan to return to the Normandy. The marines were being prepped as it was, and if the situation did really turn sour, someone needed to be there to co-ordinate and manage. Shepard knew he could trust Kaidan with the task.

Solemnly, the group made their way to a hotel bar where they would meet a Turian by the name of Lorik Qui'in; their way of getting a garage pass to reach Peak 15.

"Fucking political bullshit," The Commander couldn't help but groan in annoyance, "If the weather, and the shitty reception was anything to go by, I should have known we were gonna have to do some menial crap just to get on with our jobs."

Most of the ground team grunted in agreement, but Ashley spoke up, "That was pretty poetic, Skipper. I'm impressed."

The group stopped in their tracks, with all eyes rounding on the Gunnery Chief.

"How was that poetic Gunny?" Shepard asked, his mood suddenly brightening with the compliment he had just received.

"Well Skip, you linked the weather outside to reflect the emotions of everybody inside. Quite a common poetic device; it's called 'pathetic fallacy'. Tennyson used it a lot in his works," Everybody's eyes went wide with shock, before Ashley continued, "I like poetry. What's wrong with that? What's with the strange looks?"

Chris laughed heartily before continuing to walk forwards, "Never really took you for a poet, Ash. It's nice to see. I guess there are things in this galaxy that can still surprise me..."

Ashley's face lit up with joy, "I'm just saying what I see, Skip. You're probably more of a poet than I am, anyway."

"What makes you say that?"

"You've seen a lot more than I have..."

"Yeah. I can agree with you on that one."

Silence reigned for a moment, before Wrex spoke up from the back, "So, did you mean to be poetic Shepard? I never took you for being soft."

Before the Commander could respond, Ashley interjected, "Poetry's not soft, Wrex. A lot of humanity's greatest warriors were poets and artists. They took the horrific nature of warfare and transformed it into something else. That's pretty impressive if you ask me."

"Soft's still soft, Williams."

Shepard made a sub-conscious note of Wrex finally starting to use people's names to refer to them, rather than their species. Except for Garrus. He would probably be referred to as 'the Turian'.

"I'm not a poet by any means," the Commander said quietly, "I'm just a soldier. I kill things. That's all I know, and that's all I'm good at."

Garrus' sub-harmonics trilled with mirth, before finally joining the conversation, "According to some of the other marines on the Normandy, that sounds about right. Apparently, your dancing is atrocious..."

Laughter broke out in the group

"Shut it, Vakarian." Chris growled, flashing a wicked grin in the Turian's general direction. Garrus saw the look on the human man's face, and realised quickly that Shepard was simply teasing.

"Shutting up, Boss."

They carried on for a little bit longer, before Liara spoke up, "I'm curious Chief Williams; who are these warriors you speak of when it concerns poetry?"

"I'll tell you about them sometime. There's quite a few though, so be prepared to take notes."

Liara smiled, "I'd like that." She was content with the answer.

The group made their way into an elevator, with their objective being extremely close now.

It was Tali's turn to speak in the group, her statement directed at her human, "I know something you're good at apart from killing, Captain."

"What's that then, Tal?"

"You're good at being humble. You're like a Quarian in that regard."

"Aww. Thanks Tal," Chris grinned, a blush starting to creep up on his face, "I appreciate that."

Everybody nodded their approval, agreeing with the young Quarian woman. Shepard was pretty damn humble. You couldn't argue against that.

"Speaking of Quarians, Tali," Garrus turned to face the young woman before continuing, "Why don't you tell us what it's like on the Migrant fleet?"

An audible sigh could be heard, whilst the ground team chuckled amongst themselves.

What really caused the laughter to begin is when the sounds of a cocking shotgun could be heard.

"I'll take that as a no then..."

The elevator doors finally sprang open, providing an entrance to a grand hotel.

"Come on," Shepard rolled his shoulders, before cracking his knuckles, "Let's go find this Turian..."

Shepard stood over a pile of Turian, Human and Asari corpses; his assault rifle smoking at the barrel.

"Ground team, give me a sit-rep."

One by one, the members of his ground team gave Shepard an idea on how they had fared in combat, and how they were now.

"Alright. Good shit everybody. Scavenge for any resources you can find. We've got five minutes before we pack up and move. Let's get to it."

Again, sounds of agreement sounded on the comms.

Shepard looked around the large room he stood in, remembering the events which led to the situation he was in at the minute:

Once the ground team had found Lorik Qui'in, they'd been subjected to another wild goose chase. Lorik did have in his possession a garage pass and he was willing to give it to the Commander, in exchange for his help. A favour for a favour. If it wasn't for the fact that security was all over the place in the hotel, Shepard had considered killing the man there and then, just to cut the bullshit and get the garage pass.

However, Shepard wasn't as cold and heartless as that. He would play Lorik's game. For now anyway.

Lorik was under the impression that Administrator Anoleis was dirty. He was breaking the one rule on Noveria for his own personal gain:

'Don't rock the boat'.

So Lorik had started to dig up evidence on the Salarian, and apparently, what he had uncovered would be crucial in taking Anoleis down. Lorik had been reluctant to inform Shepard of any ulterior motives, but the large human had sussed it out eventually, causing the Turian to reveal his whole agenda. Anoleis had shut down Synthetic Insights temporarily, a company that Lorik had a large share in. Although the closure was temporary, it was bad for business. The company were pioneers in the field of artificial intelligence, which caused a guttural growl to emanate from Tali's helmet.

The Quarians had paid their price for experimenting with AI. Although Tali had not been born during the Morning War, three hundred years prior, every Quarian had heard the stories.

Stories caused anger; anger caused the need for revenge; revenge caused hatred. Hatred, that burned so bright it was almost as powerful as a supernova.

Lorik had compiled all of his evidence against Anoleis onto his computer. Simple, right?

However. Lorik's computer was located within Synthetic Insights. And, seeing as there weren't any copies of the data, the only evidence that could secure Shepard his garage pass was inside Synthetic Insights.

Which had been currently locked off by Anoleis and was under 'inspection' by armed guards from a private military firm. Although they were mercenaries, they were disguised as standard Noverian security, so as not to cause any suspicion.

Lorik had mentioned that if they could refrain from staining the carpets, that would be wonderful...

Although Shepard was expecting heavy resistance, he didn't realise how bad the mercs had dug in till the shooting started. Synthetic Insight's consisted of two floors, with a central staircase being the only form of reaching the second floor. The mercs had set up barricades practically every ten feet, with metal sheets being used as rough cover for the defenders.

Rooting the mercs out wasn't too much of a problem; grenades made short work of the defences, and under sustained coordinated suppression, the squad members could 'leapfrog' towards their enemies.

Shepard hadn't been expecting any Asari mercs though, so when a biotic slam threw him off of his feet and halfway across the room, his attack strategy had to quickly adjust.

It had been a slog at first, but when the ground team were instructed to focus on the Asari as priority targets, the defenders biotic support suddenly disappeared.

From there on, it had been a simple clean up. Putting the wounded out of their misery, and making sure there were no more hidden surprises.

The Commander stood for a moment, pouring over the tactical data he was receiving through his visor in real time. His combat VI highlighted any injuries the team had suffered, and how accurate their shots had been. It looked as if Liara had suffered a gash to the head as well as a glancing round to her left arm. Wrex had taken the brunt of the damage, with orange blood starting to leak from slight nicks and holes in his armour. Garrus had suffered a slight concussion from an exploding grenade that got too close; the Turian sweared adamantly though that his sight hadn't been affected and that he could hear perfectly fine. Ashley had taken a glancing round to her side, but medi-gel should keep her in the fight for the rest of the mission. Shepard himself had taken a blow to the head, as well as a piece of shrapnel wedging itself slightly into his left leg. Tali, however, had appeared to exit the battle relatively unscathed.

And it wasn't for a lack of trying.

Tali had been as vicious, if not more so, than Wrex and Shepard as she charged into the dug in mercs. Her shields had dropped multiple times, but the lithe Quarian's armour managed to deflect or absorb the punishment that was sent her way. However, she had been hit by a biotic slam that had been meant for her human, causing bruising around her torso, as well as slight dizziness due to her breath being quite literally knocked out of her. Chris had simply laughed and picked her back up again, before beating a merc over the head with his rifle.

Oddly, Tali had smiled back, before her shotgun fired into the chest of an unsuspecting Asari. The two were practically invincible when they fought together.

If he could, Shepard would send the wounded back to get patched up, but he couldn't really afford to lose anybody from his team. They complemented each other so well, that it would seriously restrict Shepard's ability to adjust and adapt his tactics as battles inevitably changed.

The five minutes were up; his ground team began to reconvene again next to their Commander. Wrex and Ashley smiled triumphantly as they began to show what resources they could find. Liara showed what data she could glean from the nearby computers and Garrus merely showed the OSD that contained Lorik's data, a weary smile creasing his lips as well. Tali stood next to her human, simply cleaning her knife with a rag she'd found from one of the many corpses in the room.

No words were spoken, as Chris signalled for the team to move out.

However, a sudden familiar face appeared, causing the ground team to stop in their tracks.

Sergeant Kaira Sterling looked upon the carnage that was set in front of her: bodies were strewn about with some having lost limbs due to what looked like high explosives. Different shades of blood plastered the walls; blue, red, purple...

The Sergeant drew her weapon, a sapphire glow radiating from her body. Biotics.

"I'll kill every last one of you fuckers! You're cop killers! Fucking cop killers!"

Before the young woman could even fire a shot, or launch a biotic barrage, an outstretched hand cannon, loaded with explosive rounds, had already been raised.

Within a split second, the Sergeant's head exploded into a shower of blood and gore; a small hole was present in her forehead, but the back of her head had exploded outwards, brain matter flying out at high speed.

The blonde woman's eyes remained wide open as she fell lifelessly to the floor, like a marionette cut from its strings.

A voice spoke in the ensuing silence, that caused shivers to run down everyone's spines, "We don't have time for this, Commander. We need to find my Mother."

With that statement left to linger in the air, Liara stepped over the Sergeant's body, before marching her way back to the hotel bar.

The ground team stared in astonishment for a moment, before following Liara's lead.

The smell of death and shit permeated the air as the corpses started to alleviate themselves of any waste in their systems.

Sergeant Stirling laid in a puddle of her own waste and brain matter, her eyes showing her final moments in life.

Sterling had been terrified. But rage had clouded her senses, and now she was dead.

Like so many others who had fallen to the Normandy's ground team.

War, was a bitch.

First bit of Noveria done.

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