AN: Okay, this is a long one. I am going to try to make the chapters a bit longer, but this one will still be on the extreme end of it.
John Shepard, Cerberus Shuttle, Freedom's Progress, Human Colony
"You sure you don't need a better secondary omnitool?" Jacob asked him again, for probably the eighth time.
John just chuckled as he ran his fingers over the bulky, older omnitool he had strapped to his right wrist. "I'm sure jacob. If this could survive reentry and still work, I think it's earned it's job."
"Well, fair point there I guess," Jacob laughed as well. "Where did you get that thing anyway? It looks positively ancient!"
"About three hundred years old," John nodded. "It's quarian design. So, you know, built to last."
As it was, John was amazed the quarian omnitool had survived, considering what his...remains...went through.
He still had a hard time thinking about it. Every Time it came back to him…. Hand...flash welded, the red light flashing on his HUD...oxygen leak! Where! Neck! Hand tries to close over it. Hip seal. He only has the one free hand. Doesn't matter, another breaks on the rebreather itself on the back of his helmet. Vision turning red. So cold. Open mouth to scream. Tongue freezes solid….
"Shepard!" Miranda's voice cracks through his waking nightmare, shocking him back to now.
John nods and slowly opened his eyes. "Yes, Miranda. I'm fine," he said as he sat back in his seat with a sigh. "Just some bothersome memories."
Miranda looked at him hard for a moment, her mouth set in a line. "Alright Shepard," she nodded slowly. "Have you looked over the information from the colony."
Grateful at Miranda's discretion, John nodded. "I have," he said, bringing up the map on his new primary omnitool. Like everything else he had received, it was bleeding edge tech.
"From what information we have," John started before pausing and glancing up at the two Cerberus operatives. "Which is way more than I would expected, I might add."
Miranda kept a passive face even as Jacob grinned, pulling a chuckle out of John, as he shook his head turning back to the map.
"We will be coming down here on the north shuttle pad. From there, we move down through the port and into the colony proper," John's finger traced a line over the map, drawing the path they were to take. "The pre-fab units begin here," a tap circled the point. "Then through here is the administrative sector. On the far side of that is the main security hub. If we can't find anything in the rest of the colony, security should, at the least, have recordings we can use."
"Looks good Shepard," Miranda said as both she and Jacob looked over the map. "Good to see that...wait…" With a frown, Miranda scanned over the colony data. "Shepard, it looks like there is a shuttle sitting on the southern landing pad. Looks...quarian."
"Quarian?" John's eyebrows shot up. "What the hell would quarians be doing here?"
"I don't...ah, I see it," Jacob said as he pushed the data file he found to the other's 'tools. "Looks like a quarian, one Veetor, was on colony for his Pilgrimage. They are probably here for him."
With a quiet grumble, John sighed. "Allright, if we encounter the quarians, you let me do the talking, got it? I don't want conflict here if we can avoid it." Maybe they can give me information on how Tali is doing….
Tali
"Aachoo," Tali sneezed quietly, and shook her head slightly.
"Fever?" Xera tapped the taller quarian on the hip with her elbow.
"What?" Tali asked without looking up from the console she was hacking. "No, just a random nose tickle." Pausing, Tali glanced at her best friend. "Shepard used to say, random sneezes like that mean somebody is talking about you."
With a chuckle Xera tilted her head. "That's a weird superstition."
"I know, isn't it?"
Jacob Taylor, Freedom's Progress, Human Colony
"Target down!" Miranda called out as she crushed a FENRIS mech against the side of a large cargo container.
"Air units," Shepard called out as he flicked his hand out, overloading both flying turret's shields, before finishing them off with short burst from his submachine gun. "And they're down!"
Not willing to fall behind, Jacob reached out and jerked the last of the doglike FENRIS mechs off the ground before throwing it over the balcony to shatter on the rocks below. "All hostiles down!" he called out.
Jacob couldn't help but grin as he walked up to Miranda. "Told you," he said to her quietly. "Told you he was ready."
Miranda watched Shepard as he collected spare thermal clips for the two LOKI mechs they had eliminated. "He does seem to be combat effective. His tactical skill, marksmanship and engineering skills seem to be as good as the rumors say. I admit to being impressed."
Turning to look at Jacob directly, Miranda shook her head slightly. "He seems to not be using his biotics. Almost avoiding them, in fact."
Hesitating for a moment, Jacob nodded. "Yeah, well," he started, looking over at Shepard. "He seemed to be startled by the increase in his power."
Frowning, Miranda turned to follow Jacobs line of sight. "Yes...that was...unexpected. We need to do some tests when we return to the station. I want to know if it has to do with the upgraded implants."
"If you two are done gossiping," Shepard called as he popped a fresh thermal clip into his weapon. "I'd like to get moving."
Miranda Lawson, Freedom's Progress, Human Colony
It didn't happen often, but she was impressed. Shepard was everything they said he was. Maybe more. She had only encountered two other people that shared Shepard's raw charisma. But neither the Illusive Man nor her father wielded it as naturally as Shepard did. It was almost like he did in unconsciously.
Now Shepard slowly looked around the third pre-fap they had walked through, a dark frown on his face. "Nothing," he said, turning back to her. "Food is sitting out, as if they set down for dinner, but then just up and left."
Looking around herself, Miranda could only nod. "It's...unsettling. Nothing is out of place, no signs of a struggle."
"If it wasn't for the security mechs set on 'kill everything that moves' mode, I would say this looked like the set of some horror vid," Shepard sighed turning to the pair. "So, I suppose if the Great Monster shows up, try not to run upstairs."
Miranda frowned slightly, not seeing the joke as Jacob laughed. "Yeah, I've seen those. Better not have sex either, that's a sure sign that you're dying next."
"Enough with the bad jokes, please," Miranda sighed as she keyed the door to the next building. "We have a job to-"
"Don't move Cerberus!" the quarian marine yelled as he and his squad brought up assault rifles.
"-do…" she finished.
Tali
"How are they?" Tali asked as she squatted next to Xera. Thirteen marines and six of them already down. This is a hell of a rescue, Tali mentally sighed. Something weird is going on here. An entire colony, just gone, the security mechs turning on anything that moves. This is like something Shepard would be involved in.
As she thought of Shepard, Tali could feel the tears burn in her eyes, the knot that formed in the pit of her stomach as her body went cold. But she fought it down, swallowing the sob that threatened to choke her.
But it was nothing she couldn't handle. She was almost used to it by now. Yeah...keep telling yourself that….
When Tali opened her eyes again she saw Xera looking back at her, sympathy written in her body language.
"They will be fine," Xera said after a moment. "Nothing lethal. One broken arm, couple of fleshwounds with accompanying suit ruptures, so they will have minor fevers in a few hours. Tomala got it worst, but it's a through and through, no contaminates. So, he'll have a rough couple days with Ancestor's know what dripping from him, but he's a tough male, aren't ya?" Xera punctuated her question by slapping Tomala's arm directly over his wound.
"Bosh'tet!" the marine exclaimed, grabbing his wounded arm.
Tali shook her head and slapped Xera on the shoulder. "For a medic, you probably have the worst bedside manner I have ever seen."
Xera turned to her friend and was about to speak when the door to the pre-fab unit the squad was using as a makeshift medic station opened.
Spinning to her feet, Tali pulled her shotgun from her lower back as she stood to see three humans in the doorway.
"Don't move Cerberus!" Tali heard Prazza shout from the front of the squad.
"Bosh'tet…" Tali muttered to herself as she pushed past her people. "Prazza! I told you to leave this to me! Now, point your weapons down!"
Tali could see Prazza's back tense as she stepped up beside him, and for a moment she almost expected the marine to turn on her. But he slowly lowered his rifle.
One crisis averted, she thought. Now for the next…Turning back to the humans, her eyes narrowed as she looked them over.
The first one to draw her attention was the female. Because...Keelah! Did they glue that suit to her skin? Our suits are close fitting, but you have to be kidding me! She was wearing a white bodysuit, with black sleeves and tall black boots. The Cerberus logo, stood out on the left side of her chest. At least she looks surprised to see us….
To her right, and behind her, a human male in a lightly armored body glove hefted a shotgun, but looked about as surprised as the female. His darker skin stood out in a stark contrast to the female's exceedingly pale. How do they come in so many colors?
But it was the third one that truly drew her attention. He was taller than the other male, and broad. He wore a helmeted armor that caused her to frown at first. It was matte black with a red and white stripe down it's right arm. And right over the right breast was the human elite special forces logo. 'N7'
He held a submachine gun casually pointed down at the ground, but somehow he looked more dangerous than if he had it pointed at her.
And there was...something about how he held himself. The way he stood. It...drew her. It made her want to go to him. Something deep inside her knew him.
"Tali?" the armored male spoke as he stepped forward, in front of the female. "Tali, is that...you?"
His voice cut straight through her. It felt like someone reached into her chest and squeezed down on her heart. It was his voice!
"Who…Who are you?" Tali demanded as she took an involuntary step forward. Her hands flexed around her shotgun, but she did not bring it to bare.
Slowly, the male set his gun down on a nearby table and reached up, unsealing his helmet.
Xera
As Tali pushed her way forward, Xera quickly scrambled to follow, unfolding her submachine gun and slapping a fresh thermal clip in place. "Move!" she growled elbowing a marine in the side. "Move it you bosh'tets!" Sometimes being small had advantages. This, however was not one of those moments.
Forcing her way through with curses and jabs at uncomfortable places, Xera stepped up behind Tali as she seemed to take a stuttering step forward.
"Who...Who are you?" Tali demanded of the black armored human. To Xera, Tali's reaction was...worrisome, at best. She honestly hadn't seen her friend this unsure of herself since she had gotten back from her Pilgrimage.
As the human stepped forward,, he set his gun on a table and reached up to unseal his rebreather helmet. But Xera wasn't watching him. She was watching Tali.
Tali had gone still, her body tensed so hard she vibrated slightly. It was a pose of shock and awe. Of longing, but fear. Xera knew…
As the human removed his helmet, he set it on the table next to his weapon before slowly looking back up at Tali. His eyes really were the deep blue that Tali had described…
"It's me, Tali," Commander John Shepard said quietly. "I see your Pilgrimage gift went over well?"
"Fuck…" Xera muttered.
John
Tali looked….different. Her suit was new...well, new to him. It was not the hand-me-down suit of an adolescent, but a tailored suit of an adult. And it fit her well. Very well… Stop it, Shepard!
Her realk was still purple with the swirling design he was used to, but was more full and of a better quality. It wrapped more fully over her head and was secured at the chest by some gold discs, before wrapping tightly around her body and ending bound around her thighs. It looked...very good…
"Who...Who are you?" Tali demanded. She seemed to take a small step forward as she hefted her shotgun, not quite pointing it at him, but still getting her message across.
Of course, John thought to himself. To her it's been nearly three years….
Slowly, John reached up and unsealed his helmet and slowly pulled it over his head, placing it on the table next to his gun. Taking a deep breath, John looked back up at Tali.
"It's me, Tali," John said, attempting to make as comforting a smile as he could manage. "I see your Pilgrimage gift went over well?"
"Fuck…" A small female quarian said. She was the smallest quarian John had ever seen She stood, maybe, up to his sternum, but still, she wore a marine red realk.
"You…" Tali began quietly. "You're dead...Shepard."
Then with a shake of her head she took another step closer, but aimed her shotgun directly at John. "You're supposed to be dead, Shepard!" now Tali growled, her voice was a tangle of pain and anger. "Tell me how I am supposed to believe you?"
Tali
For a moment, Tali just stared at him. He looked just like Shepard. Hie eyes were the same deep blue. His hair, though shorter was the same darker blonde that she saw everytime she closed her eyes.
Tali's body screamed at her. It demanded she go to him. That she throw her weapon aside, to cling to him, hold him, hug him, and never let go again.
But it was impossible! Shepard was dead! He died in space over Alchera! She heard him! But...he was there, right in front of her…
Anger swelled up in her, anger and pain over the last three years of suffering. Why? Why would he do this to her? It's impossible! Shepard wouldn't do that! Tali's mind screamed at her. It can't be him...But it is him…
Then, with a shake of her head, Tali swung her shotgun around and aimed it directly at Shepard's chest. "You're supposed to be dead Shepard," she growled harshly. "Tell me how I am supposed to believe you?"
John
His eyes widened for a moment as John looked down the barrel of Tali's shotgun. That was the moment that this whole nightmare became real. He did die. He did spend nearly three years as meat on a table. He was now some sort of metal and flesh Frankenstein's Monster.
Slowly, John closed his eyes, fighting back tears of his own. before looking up at Tali. "I...died. I think. I remember the cold. Then...dark." With a quick shake of his head, John sighed. "Apparently Cerberus," John gestured over his shoulder at the two operatives behind him. "Well, let's say they spent a lot of time putting me back together."
Tali's glowing almond shaped eyes narrowed slightly. "I don't hear a reason I should believe you."
John smirked as he looked at her. To him it was a few days ago, that she was a meek girl, not an adult, not a child, just a girl trying to find her place in the galaxy. Look at her know….
Then, pondering a moment, John nodded with a deep self abused sigh. "Alright, well...this is terribly embarrassing, but...Does my Evil Overlord, intend to take me, the….Ineffectual Pince, hostage to your evil lair?"
Tali
For a moment, she just stood there, staring at Shepard, not quite able to process the information she had just been given. But then…
"Pffftt...ha ha ha ha!" Xera burst out beside her. Tali hadn't even realized she was there until the small girl started laughing. A laugh that was contagious.
"Ha ha...Okay…" she said, stowing her shotgun behind her back and glancing at the marines behind her. "It's definitely Shepard." The hows and whys could wait for later. At the moment it was all she could do not to leap on him.
"What is your old captain doing with...Cerberus?" Prazza spat out, his hand tightening on his rifle.
With a frown Tali shook her head at the male. "I don't know, Prazza. Perhaps we could ask them? Rather than shooting them? In an enclosed area? Next to our wounded?"
Looking up at Tali, Prazza growled something unintelligible even to her helmet's audio pickups before stepping back.
Tali stared at him for a moment, but he avoided meeting her gaze, properly cowed. Then with a quiet snort of dismissal, Tali turned back to face Shepard.
"So.." Tali started, trying to sound casual, while fighting down her body's impulses. "Why are you here Shepard. And with Cerberus?"
Shepard grimaced before glancing back at the two Cerberus operatives. Do they have some kind of hold over him? Her brain worried at her. Did they put a control chip in him?! Like the Batarians used?!
"Apparently, Freedom's Progress isn't the only human colony in the terminus to disappear like this. It's been happening one after the other out here," A dark from passed over Shepard's face. "But, because it's the Terminus, neither the Council, nor the Alliance can, or will, do anything about it. Only Cerberus, of all radical terrorist groups."
"Not quite how I would put it, Shepard," the female said, rolling her eyes.
Shepard shot her a glance before turning back to Tali. "This was the first colony hit since I have been awake. And we have been able to get here before Alliance ships have been able to arrive and mess up the scene. With luck we'll be able to find some sort of clue."
With a slow nod, Tali glanced down at Xera, who only grinned up at her. Not particularly helpful there… "Yes, we had heard rumors of the colony disappearances. But that is more of a human matter, so we didn't look into it. We are here because one of our people was here on his Pilgrimage."
"Yeah, I've seen the colony listings. You're looking for Veetor, I believe his name was?" Shepard sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Do you have any leads?"
"Yes...actually, I think I do," Tali nodded as she stepped forward, bringing up the colony map and showing it to Shepard.
As he leaned in to her, and looked over her shoulder, Tali swallowed heavily, staring at the side of his neck. Her instinct was to bite. She wanted to lock her teeth onto him and leave her mark there. Claim him as hers. Especially when she saw that Cerberus fre'eg.
"Tali?" Shepard's voice snapped her out of her reverie. "You okay?" he asked, his voice concerned.
"Uh..yeah," Tali nodded quickly. "Fine. Just a lot...happening...very quickly." She looked into his eyes and nearly got lost again, before she was able to shake herself and cling to the present. "Anyway...I was looking at the map of the colony. So far we are here," Tali tapped a spot on the map that was three quarters of the way through the colony proper, if moving in towards the center. "From what I am seeing from the inventory, all the mechs we have encountered, and, I assume you as well?" she paused long enough for Shepard to nod. "Yes, they all seem to be on the security list. So I am guessing Veetor has taken control of the security station and turned the mechs loose, probably to defend himself."
"That makes some sense," Shepard nodded. "But why would they be going after you as well?"
"I got this one!" Xera cut in, and pushing Tali aside, roughly, ignoring the taller girl's cry. " Xer'Raan! Migrant Fleet Marines!" Xera nearly yelled cheerfully. "I am a combat medic and Tali's bestest friend!"
Then, to Tali's growing embarrassment, Xera stuck out a hand and grabbed one of Shepard's vigorously shaking it. Much like a varren on a pyjack. Unfortunately it was the hand on the same side as Xera was facing.
"Keelah! Xera!" Tali exclaimed, slapping a hand over her visor.
"What?" Xera asked, her head tilted in confusion. "Not doing it right? Ya know what, don't worry about it. Anyway, as I was saying." Xera dropped Shepard's hand as she grabbed Tali's, jerking her over, then gestured at the map. "Veetor was a bit...unstable to begin with. Didn't like crowds, that sort of thing. You can see why he would have trouble on the Flotilla, right? Of course you do, anyway. If he was hurt, maybe had a suit rupture? Any infections would have sent him over the top, yeah? Probably can't tell who is what anymore. That being said, how about we work together, get in there and find Veetor, and probably find you the information on who is snatching up your colonies!"
As Xera finished what seemed to be a single breath, she dropped Tali's hand and looked up at Shepard, beaming a grin as her fists dropped onto her hips.
John
It took John a moment to process everything the small quarian, Xera'Rann had said. "Yeah...yeah, that sounds like a good plan," John agreed looking to Tali, who seemed to be as shocked as he was. "Work for you?"
For a moment Tali just stood there staring at Xera before shaking her head and looking back to John. "Yes, that sounds like a good idea. I'll take my squad down around the west side here, and you go through the east?"
Pulling up the map on his secondary omnitool, John nodded in agreement. "And we can meet up here, just outside the main security compound," he said, marking the spot on the map.
Then there was quiet for a moment, causing John to glance up at Tali, only to see her staring at his omnitool. Slowly, she raised her hand but stopped herself. "Is that…" she started.
Confused, John followed her gaze before realizing what she was looking at. It was his omnitool. "Oh…" he nodded, looking sheepish. "Yeah. It survived, apparently. It was made to take a beating, apparently."
"What?" Xera stepped between the pair again. "What are you guys...oh!" Xera started as she too followed Tali's gaze. "Hey! That looks like a quarian 'tool!"
"Uh..yeah, it is," John confirmed. "Tali gave it to me when I bought her a new one."
With a slow blink Xera looked between Tali and John. "Seriously?" she exclaimed. "All somebody has to do to get a Savant mark ten omnitool is to give you their old one? Well fuck…" Xera made to remove her own omnitool, before Tali put a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Enough Xera," Tali admonished the marine. "You're scaring the humans and embarrassing the rest of us."
"I am not embarrassing anybody!" Xera exclaimed, her voice offended.
"Yes you are!" a marine in the back shouted, breaking the tension.
"Oh, really, Icen?" Xera yelled, her hands on her hips. "You want to go there, huh? Well, let's see if you get pain killers before we get back to the Fleet. Maybe I'll embarrass them away!"
John looked to Tali only to find her looking back at him. Meeting her eyes, he smiled a real smile. Probably for the first time, this life.
"So...we are working with Cerberus now?" The male marine that had first greeted them snarled, wiping the smile from the pair's faces.
"No, Prazza you're working for me," Tali spun on the male. "And I'm working with Shepard. If you don't like it, you can go and wait on the ship."
John, Later
"Shepard!" Tali yelled over the comm they shared. "Shepard, you have to hurry, Prazza and his squad went on ahead. Prazza thinks that if he can get to Veetor before you, he can take Veetor off planet!"
"Of course," Miranda snorted behind him. "Can't trust-"
"Don't finish that sentence," John growled. "Or you'll be picking up your teeth. Tali wouldn't betray us."
He had to admit, the startled gasp from Miranda and the chuckle from Jacob almost made him smirk. Almost.
"We're on our way Tali, we just cleared the outer door, but I don't have a hack point!" John said as he slapped a hand against the heavy steel security door. It was the heavily armored sort, designed to be the last refuge of the colony if it ever was attacked by slavers, or pirates, or the like.
"Yeah, I can get…" Tali started before being cut off by what sounded like a busrts of heavy weapons fire.
"Tali!" John cried, slapping at the door again. "Tali! What's going on?!"
"Prazza and his people are getting ripped apart!" Tali exclaimed. "There is a heavy mech! It's matching as a YMIR, according to my catalog! Shepard, my people don't stand a chance!"
John looked at the ground and closed his eyes for a moment before slowly looking back up. He was calmer now. Steady. He knew what to do. Tali was in danger. He needed to stop that. It was very simple now.
"Alright Tali, I'm with you," John said as the heavy doors began to part.
Miranda
As soon as the heavy door opened enough to fit through, Shepard was already passed them and moving. Quickly.
Miranda knew of the implants, and what they, theoretically could do, but Shepard was an unfinished project. And they had not had the time to give him a full medical examination. But this...this was far beyond her imagination.
Jacob
"Shepard! Wait!" Jacob yelled as he followed after the Commander. He was in good shape, it was something Jacob took great pride in. But Shepard ran like a man possessed. Well, possessed of extensive combat grade cybernetics, anyway.
But when he passed the last pre-fab, and came around the corner of the clearing, Jacob stopped, unbelieving of the sight before him.
Tali
Several more heavy rounds punched through the wall of the pre-fab Tali had taken refuge in, scattering debris over her. "Usl'sa yze tabb…" she muttered as she cracked the final code and releasing the heavy blast doors.
Veetor was pretty good...but he wasn't nearly as good as Tali was.
Hearing another explosion, Tali lifted herself enough to peek over the edge of the newly created window.
To her horror, the last of Tali's team, ironically, Prazza, was ripped apart by the giant YMIR mech's heavy rotary barrel cannon.
"No…" she muttered quietly. But it was still true, no matter how many times she shook her head, or ordered it to be different. Her squad, the group she had been entrusted with was eliminated. Even her best friend. Even…"
"Fuck Tali!" Xera yelled, as she dove over the taller quarian. "Keep your helmet down before big ugly out there shoots it clear off, huh?"
"Xera!" Tali yelled, grabbing Xera into a hug, squeezing her tightly.
"Ack! I give! I give!" Xera grunted, slapping at Tali's shoulders until the hysterical female released her.
"Xera! I was afraid you…" Tali started but only could bite her lip.
"What?" Xera demanded, shoving Tali off of herself and settling her back against what was left of the wall of their shelter. "You thought I was stupid enough to get myself a missile up my-"
"Okay! I get it!" Tali interrupted. There were times when Xera's colorful language got to been too much, even for Tali. And, oddly, this was one of those times.
With a chuckle Xera pulled a roll of sealent tape from her medical kit and held in between her knees as she pulled out a medi-gel applicator. "Yeah, like I am that stupid. I tried to see if I could grab any wounded, maybe get them out of the line of fire. Maybe use Prazza as a distraction."
"Keelah! You're injured!" Tali yelled as she saw the mess of blood that was her friend's right arm.
Xera paused in her self administration to slowly look over at Tali. "Yes, Tali. Yes I am." Xera then turned back to her injury.
"I took a direct shell from the at fucker," Xera gestured back at the mech with her helmet. "Right bicep. Shattered the bone. Got foreign matter in my system. What's left of my sleeve clamped down. Gonna loose the arm though."
Xera was so matter of fact, it took Tali a moment to process what she had heard. But when Tali's brain caught up, she lept to Xera's side. "How can I help Xera?"
"Well," the injured quarian grunted as she applied a coat of medigel to what was left of her own arm. "If you could take the sealant tape here," she gestured at the roll she was holding between her knees. "I'd be grateful if you could fold the sack of meat that was my arm back up to my chest and securing it. I just got that armored gauntlet and don't want to lose it."
"Xera!" Tali yelled even as she moved to follow her friend's instructions. "How can you joke about this?! You sound like Shepard!"
"Heh," Xera laughed quietly. "Well, that sounds like a compliment to me. You should really make up your mind. Are you mad at me or envious?"
"Mad, you bosh'tet!" Tali yelled as she closed off the wound as best she could. "I can't lose you!"
"Pff," Xera waved a hand. "This isn't going to kill me, Tali. I'll have a hell of a fever. Definitely going to lose the arm." Xera leaned her helmet back as she looked at the ceiling. "Fuck, it really hurts. I guess my career as a professional hugger is only a pipedream….what the fuck….?"
"You really enjoy that human word way too...Shepard!" Tali yelled, half standing over Xera. "What the FUCK ARE YOU DOING!"
John
The moment the doors had opened up enough to fit through, John was through them and running. A part of his mind realized that he was moving faster than he should have. Much faster. Fast enough, in fact, that he was actually having some trouble keeping his feet.
As John reached the last corner, he turned sharply to the clearing around the main administration hub. Or that was the plan, at least. Instead, as he attempted the turn, his forward velocity was such that he skidded sideways, slamming him into the side of the pre-fab that had been in front of him, bouncing him off of it like a human shaped pinball.
The impact created a decent sized dent in the building, not that John noticed. He was far too focused on his destination.
John had put things off for too long. He didn't say what he should have said. He hesitated, and that was one of the greatest regrets in his life. But now, now he had been given a second chance, and by the goddess he was not going to lose it again.
He heard the guns thundering before he saw the mech itself, as he finally cleared the buildings. It was huge. Standing a good nine feet tall, with heavy bone white armor. Each of the mech's two massive arms held weapons so heavy, they were normally considered crew served.
As John watched, the YMIR's left arm opened up, revealing a mini-missile rocket pod, and fired three incendiary rounds into cover a pair of quarian marines had hid behind. The detonation shattered the cargo crate, flinging the marine's broken bodies different directions.
John was still moving when the machine began firing it's heavy rotary barreled cannon into the small group of remaining marines. But not fast enough to save them as heavy shells ripped into them and threw their shattered bodies down.
Charging the mech, John hit his omnitool, bringing to life the glowing orange armor overlay of his tech armor. He hit the mech's cannon arm with just enough force to push it out of line, it's salvo ripping through the ground around the small form of the quarian medic John had met earlier.
John watched in horror as several round blasted straight through the marine Xera'Raan had been attempting to move to cover, ending his life and sending the small form spinning away to impact into a nearby building, spattering it with her deep red blood.
With a curse, John shoved up on the mech's arm as hard as he could, forcing the gun arm up despite it's internal motors whining in protest.
The effect actually surprised John himself, but his victory was short lived as the mech, which still probably outweighed him by a factor of hundred swung it's left arm around, catching John in the chest and swatting him away.
John, for his part was sent tumbling end over end and skidded into the wall of a building opposite the one Tali had taken cover inside of.
"Thank the goddess for small favors," John muttered to himself as he stood quickly and drew the submachine gun from his hip. "Now… to fight a three ton machine that was designed to fight platoons by itself…"
Then, steeling himself, John charged the mech again, it's heavy cannon working against it now, as it was unable to fully track John's comparatively smaller form as the weapon's shells chewed up the ground behind him and allowing John to get in under the gun arm again.
This time, however, John thrust his left arm, clad in the glowing form on his omnitool, hard against the mech's kinetic shield and releasing a powerful electrical overload.
John's hope was that his blast would be able to bring down the formidable shields of the mech, allowing him a chance to bring his weapons to bear on the heavy armor that John would still need to burn through.
Unfortunately, that was not what was what occurred. Instead, the overload coursed over the mech, it's shields drastically depleting, but not quite enough to bring them down completely.
Instead, everything paused for half a second. John's right arm, holding his submachine gun, was braced under the YMIR's left arm, holding it aside. His left hand was pressed against the mech's right side, under it's heavy gun arm.
It was that split second of stillness that John heard the voice he longed to hear say his name
"Shepard!" Tali's voice cried out, vibrating with anger. "What the FUCK ARE YOU DOING!"
Then, as before, the mech's superior mass was brought to bear, as it's torso spun on it's axis, slapping John away again, this time into, and through the wall of the pre-fab Tali stood in the window of.
Hitting the opposite wall. John's tech armor flared, bleeding off most of the impact before collapsing, dumping him to the building's floor.
"Shepard!" Tali yelled, helping John as he pushed himself to his knees. "Keelah! Are you alright?!"
John nodded, spitting a mouthful of blood onto floor. "Yeah, doing dandy," John wheezed. "Xera...You look terrible."
For her part Xera chuckled briefly before hissing with pain. "Ah, fuck you Shepard."
"I never should have taught her that word," Tali grumbled, then turned to John. "What was that?" she demanded of him.
"Well, that was me getting my ass kicked," John grunted as he hit his omnitool, reactivating his tech armor. "Tell you what, how about we- Down!" John yelled, pushing Tali down and leaping over her.
Tali
"...how about we- DOWN!" Shepard punctuated his cry buy grabbing Tali's helmet and bouncing it off the floor of the building as he lept bodily over her.
Cursing, Tali rolled with the impact, springing back up as she heard the YMIR's heavy gun opening up on them, it's shells shredding through their bodies. Tali had only enough time to thank the Ancestors for allowing her to die with John….
Except, instead, Tali was bathed in the bright blue glow of a powerful biotic shield.
Shepard was half turned toward the giant mech, his shoulder, facing the machine was pressing itself against his shield, his teeth gritted as his lips pulled back in a snarl. And blood slowly began to roll from his nose as the mech's gun pounded away at them.
"Tali!" Xera yelled, breaking her from her shock. "Tali! Kill the fucker's shields!"
Tali answered be pulling up her omnitool and overriding its safety systems. The energy shot ripped from her outstretched hand and hit the mech, burning out her 'tool even as the mech's shields shattered. The overload was powerful enough that the residual energy then rolled over the mech's chassis, stuttering it back a few steps.
Then, Tali saw Xera reach back with her good arm and threw a cluster of probably six grenades, all held together with sealant tape.
Cursing again...Doing that a lot today, Tali inwardly sighed as she grabbed Shepard, and jerked him back and away, her body landing on top of his, barely a second before the explosion washed over them and sending the pair rolling across the floor.
Groaning, Tali looked up to see the YMIR mech standing outside the building, its armor cracked and blackened. The right cannon arm hung limply from the torso as sparks shot out of it's body from various joints as it tried to move forward.
"Shepard!"
"Commander!"
Tali heard the voices of Shepard's Cerberus companions as they finally reached the courtyard. As she glanced back, she saw them lay into the barely functioning mech, the male firing his shotgun into the now exposed sections of the mech's inner core.
The female unloaded a full clip from her submachine gun, and then, when the mech finally gave up it's life, and it's core began it's doomsday overload, she hurled it away with a biotic shove.
Once it was safely away, and the YMIR detonated impotently on the far side of the courtyard, the pair entered the nearly collapsing pre-fab structure.
"Um…" the male started, smirking. "I was going to ask if you were alright, but...well, you seem to be in pretty good shape Shepard."
"Jacob…" the female admonished, her forehead resting lightly in her hand as she rubbed slightly. "Don't encourage the Commander…"
"Tali," Shepard's muffled voice came from under her. "We need to stop meeting like this…."
Blinking, Tali slowly looked down at where she and Shepard had ended up being thrown by the explosion.
Shepard, himself, had skidded across the room and been wedged into a corner between a fallen bookshelf and an overturned chair. Tali, for her part had landed atop him, her hips between his spread legs, and her breasts pressed fully against Shepard's face.
"Ancestors kill me…" Tali muttered as she recalled the last time they had ended up in a position like this was when they had first met. Then, also recalling last time, she slowly extracted herself, so as to not fall into a more compromising position.
"Shepard," Tali said quietly as she sat back. "Are you alright?"
Sitting back against the wall, Shepard had his head back, the crown of his head pressed against the wall, his face in the same position he was in when she was laying atop him. Now, however, a slow smirk spread across his face as he opened one eye to look at her.
"Hey, Tali…." said cheerfully. "What's new?"
"Ha!" A laugh came from the far side of the room, drawing everybody's attention to where Xera sat, her shoulders shaking as she laughed so hard she couldn't actually make any audible sound.
"Xera?" Tali said concerned as she stood shakily to her feet. "Xera, are you alright?"
"Heh, fuck no!" Xera laughed. "My arm's been blown off!"
"Then why are you laughing?!"
"You tried to kill Shepard with your tits!"
"Xera…Shut up."
Quarian Lexicon
Realk: Cloth covering used by the quarians. It is used to describe not just the hood seen on most but any material adornment.
Fre'eg: Curse word. Literal translation: Clinging waste. In old earth english, a dingleberry.
Usl'sa yze tabb: Term of insult. Literal translation: Slow children of an inbred family.