A/N
Okay! Here is Arvuna! A.K.A Firebase Hydra
I don't not own any of the names, characters, or any possible parts of this story. It mostly goes to Bioware.
Haven't put one of those in for a bit, did it to be safe!
Enjoy!
Chapter 12: When the Dam Bursts
What would happen next? A simple question that hung in his mind as his ship landed on the dam popping out above the ocean of Arvuna. But, the question was irrelevant. He already knew. Khoshekh, the thing inside him had plans outside of this petty war with the Reapers. It now had his full cooperation, begrudgingly a bit this time, but for good reasons that were his own. He needed the power, the time, and the backup. Still that didn't change the sting of his fist meeting Tali's chest. He had failed a promise. He could no longer keep Tali safe.
"MP, has anyone attempted to follow us?" asked Kerris. The Prime unit next to Kerris shook its head.
"No, we have eluded the crew of the Normandy" replied the giant custom Prime. When the Geth had gained sentience, only MP had stayed. All the other units had disbanded back to Rannoch to help the Quarians rebuild. They were all traitors to Kerris. Everything had gotten screwed. Climbing out of the hatch of his ship, which was settled on the far side of the dam he took his mask off taking in a deep breath.
The salty air helped remind him that they were home. Despite the many setbacks, he still had things to do. MP dropped heavily next to him causing Kerris to look out over the horizon. A few scattered mountains lay to the west marking a small island chain. Most of Arvuna was covered by water pocked by a smattering of volcanic chains. The whole reason the Quarians built the dam he was on was to seal off a massive volcanic caldera. The whole island turned into a massive rain barrel. Being located a good bit south of the equator helped the processes by being cooler than most of the planet. Frequent squalls drenched this place with fresh water.
"We have so much to do" said Kerris as he began to walk along the dam. He looked below to see the hydroelectric control base. His lab for over a decade. A wash of emotions began to surface, but he looked away at the massive vat of water in the caldera. Khoshekh was standing on the water looking directly at him. The manifestation of his shadow giving a deep dark gaze.
"They will follow, Kerris" said the dark being.
"I made sure that wouldn't happen" he replied as he continued walking toward his lab. A deep rasping laugh followed him.
"What makes you so sure? You saw Kyson's rage as we fled" laughed Khoshekh. Kerris growled in agreement, but he had screwed any leads the Normandy might have had.
"I saw Tali's thoughts. She let me escape, thus we shall no longer interfere" said Kerris with finality.
"A wager then: If for one galactic cycle no one from the Normandy shows up, we are doing it your way, Kerris" said Khoshekh. Kerris looked out over the water with a scowl.
"And if they do?" he asked wanting to know what was at stake. Now, with a shifting shadowy smile that used his own shadow as a body, a force of pure malevolence washed over Kerris.
"You will be mine entirely" said the shadow, letting every syllable drag out. Kerris screamed at Khoshekh by throwing his mask at it. The visor hybrid sailed through the laughing shadow only to skip across the water a few times.
"Damn you! Fine! Why not? I know Tali, she would dissuade the others from following us. She has a people to settle down in peace with the Geth. They do not have time" said Kerris agreeing to the deal.
"Gooooooood" hissed Khoshekh before leaving Kerris in silence. Heaving chest in frustration, he began to stomp his feet in rage. Damn the Quarians, damn the Normandy, Damn that Shepard, and most of all damn Kyson Sorley!
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" screamed Kerris who began to punch the dam. He didn't do any real damage, but a few loud steps from MP made him look up.
"Kerris, there is a problem" said the custom Prime unit.
"What?" screamed Kerris, still full of hate.
"You threw your visor into the artificial lake" said MP. Kerris slowly looked out at the vast body of water with resignation.
"Well just fuck everything then" grumbled the cyborg. This was no real problem for his helmet had a backup shield much like the temp patches for the hull on ships. He would not have any fancy HUD or read outs is all. With his suit sealed, he shook his head in bewilderment before dropping down into the water.
"It's going to take a mother fucking life time to find this thing. Great start Kerris, great start to your new beginning of waiting out the war...shut up dam! No one wanted your opinion on this! If I wanted an opinion, I would ask the rocks at the bottom thank you" Kerris snapped at the inanimate wall before him as he free fell to the bottom of the lake. Turning his lights on, he saw the murky bottom approach. With a muted thud, he began his search.
"MP, what are you doing still up top?" he asked after noticing he was alone.
"Posting a watch" replied the Prime.
"Oh, posting a watch...very good very good, I'm sure there are thousands of fucking birds with lasers attached to them ready to take us out. Get down here and help me!" he snapped.
"On my way, Kerris" replied the prime.
Kerris growled as renewed his search for his mask. Next time, I'm just going to weld the damn thing on and call it a day...
Kyson's POV
Sitting in the copilot chair on the Kodiak, Kyson slowly twirled the little brass trench lighter between his armored fingers. He felt numb, but that could just be the medi-gel he had been given by Liara. Many of them had finished putting on temp patches on their armor as they traveled towards the Perseus Veil's relay. He needed a few moments to think so, he decided to join Steve up front.
"Trajectory is set, ETA is in fifteen to Arvuna" said Steve.
"Thanks Cortez. How is the bird holding up?" he asked. Steve shrugged.
"A fine-tuned cinder block" he replied with a smile.
"I hear that. I never was one for flying ships myself. You are a real virtuoso with these things" replied Kyson letting up a bit in his previously furious mood.
"Ahhh, you are just saying things to make sure I pick you back up after this mission. If you don't mind me asking, how do you think this is going to play out?" asked Steve who was busy studying for any enemy contacts.
"Well, I hope Kerris isn't home and there is a dead trail. I don't want to deal with this anymore" he said honestly. Cortez checked that the door was shut behind him so a particular Quarian couldn't hear them.
"I can understand that. Word has it that you and Tali are going through the ringer on this" said Steve. Kyson nodded while letting out a long sigh.
"My orders are causing her great pain Steve. We are fully bonded...I don't know how much you know about that with Quarians, but we can literally feel each others emotions. I have a job to do, I have my own vendetta against the cyborg but..." Kyson couldn't finish for the waves of pain, fear, along with resentment he felt coming from Tali had almost broken his heart at the trial.
"I know a bit about it. On Horizon, we had a few Quarians helping us out. They were in their late sixties. Very nice and wise folk. When my husband and I were having a fight one night, they heard it and helped me calm down. They told us all about how Quarians bond; gave us tips to help. So I can get an idea of how strained things are right now" said Steve. Kyson sucked in a breath, he needed to focus.
"Thanks Steve. And, I'm sorry about Robert. He seemed like a brave man" said Kyson who had heard the recording the lieutenant had played once while he thought he was alone in the hanger bay. Steve smiled a bit.
"Thanks Kyson, it means a lot. Now, we are landing in eight. Scans have found a small land mass with a matching structure to what Liara has us looking for" said Steve. Kyson got up and got ready to address his team.
"Understood, low and slow. Knowing Kerris he has us pinned down already, might as well throw him off a bit" said Kyson as he opened the door.
"You got it" replied Steve. Kyson walked into the main bay of the Kodiak. All eyes were on him.
"I have no idea what we are getting into here guys. This is home turf for Kerris. This may also be where the dark thing came from that is possessing him. So keep sharp. If anything seems odd to you, look into it. And stay in constant contact. I want constant chatter between us unless you have no choice" said Kyson as he checked over his custom M-98 Widow.
"You got it Jumper" said Vega with an easy smile. Kyson nodded.
"You seem calmer" noted Liara.
"It might have to do with the Medi-gel. Did that dose have any light sedatives in it?" Asked Tali. Liara looked directly at Kyson with a soft smirk.
"It did in fact. I must have used the wrong one on accident" said Liara. Kyson couldn't hold back a roll of the eyes causing Tali to snort.
"Oh stop it Kyson. You made a man face. No one likes that" said Kyson's girl who sounded almost lighthearted.
"What's your definition of a man face Tali? Or is it any time a guy does something instead of commenting?" asked Garrus.
"When it's you Garrus, everything is male stereotype" said Tali. James began to chuckle a bit along with Ashley.
"Isn't that the truth" agreed Williams. Kyson let a small smirk be seen by Tali. He winked an eye showing his thanks. It was hard to tell through the visor but he saw her wink back. For Kyson, that was all he needed.
"Okay everyone here we are. Landing now. You are on the west end" said Cortez. Kyson put his goggles on, thankful for the breathable atmosphere. He opened the door and was assaulted by salty air and a massive dam in front of his vision.
"Move out!" he ordered as he jumped down. He began scanning the entire area. Silence. Nothing moved a hair around him.
"Steve, get to a hidden spot if you can" he ordered.
"You got it, sweeping area for any outside forces" replied Cortez.
"Thanks. Okay, Garrus. You take Ashley and Liara, head left towards what looks like the main lab. From my scans it's by the base of the dam. James, you are with Tali and I. Anything you see, record it. Any data, mine it. Watch for traps. I'm a paranoid person, but this guy is a whole new level as we know. Move out" he ordered. Everyone got to work with James on point for Team Beta, while Ashley took point for team Alpha.
"Hey Kyson, you know how we needed to report on anything strange? That is going to be everything here. It looks like there was a large Geth presence here. I recognize their server nodes" said Garrus over the comm.
"Yeah, we have two Geth fighters on a pad I'm looking at now. But remember, Kerris worked with the Geth for over a decade. It's no surprise" he said.
"Yeah but, where are they now?" asked Vega. This was a good question, but not a hard one.
"They just gained sentience. They must have left to join those on Rannoch. I doubt they would keep following Kerris now that they can make their own lives" Tali mused aloud.
"Hmm, you might be right. But I don't think Kerris ever forced them in any way" added Liara. Kyson panned the Widow out towards the back section of the facility. It was filled with crates. Nothing stirred.
"Hey Garrus, there is a plus side of the terrain" said Kyson.
"You mean the open, clean lines of sight? Yeah, I have missed my Viper as well" agreed the Turian.
"Hitting the main lab now. Kyson, you might want to come see this" said Ashley. Kyson's team had reached the small room next to the Geth fighters. It looked like the control room for the dam, but it was packed with pictures posted all over the place. Paper files and ancient tomes from all races. A small plate lettered in Khelish: Conspiracy Room. Oh boy, just what I need.
"Okay Ashley. Garrus, trade with me, meet me on the back side ramp to the main lab. I got something here you will love" he said.
"Can't wait" said Garrus. Kyson told James to watch Tali while she began her scans. As he walked off he looked at every square inch of the place.
"Has anyone found any security measures yet?" he asked. Everyone gave him a negative. He met Garrus half way. Seeing a few second opportunity he lit a cigg.
"Tali is looking into a room literally called the 'Conspiracy Room' have fun with that" he smirked. Garrus actually laughed out loud.
"Are you kidding me? Oh this should be good" said the Turian as they continued to walk past each other. As Kyson got closer to the main lab he could here Liara talking with Ashley.
"This is some serious equipment Liara. I can't even imagine the amount of time it took to get all of this set up. The power draw some of this stuff uses is crazy" said Ashley.
"This whole place is a giant power plant, also, the Geth only need time and resources. If Kerris was working with them for so long it would have been easy" replied Liara. Kyson walked up to the lab. Ashley wasn't kidding. The place had several work stations including a quantum entanglement communicator. But in the very center of the place was a giant holo display. A sphere was floating in the middle of it.
"What did you want me to see?" he asked. Liara pointed to the sphere.
"That is Rannoch. But do you see the construct around it? It's called a Dyson sphere. It is a giant solar array that encapsulates the entire planet beaming energy to it. If what I'm reading here is correct, Kerris was the one behind its construction. It's nearly complete, but he was having trouble on deciding on an efficient means to transfer the energy. It came down to how much resources he had. The tech needed is hard to come by" said Liara. Kyson rubbed his chin in contemplation.
"If I'm correct, the Salarians had once put up a similar array around a local star for the Krogans during the Rachni wars. Then it was taken out during the rebellions" he said.
"Correct, but instead of a single chained system around the circumference of a star it is around the entire planet. Easier to repair without the threat from being so close to Tikkun. But there is more, it looks like there are clues as to Kerris's ultimate goal with the Geth. He was trying to help them gain sentience as well" said Liara. This didn't surprise Kyson.
"It's hard not to see Kerris as a monster, but when he was lucid on the Normandy, he called the Geth his family. He wanted the best for them. It also didn't help that he got the dirty secrets the Quarians had covered up over the years. The Geth were innocent, and he knew this. So the resentment grew for his race" said Kyson
"Yes, but he wasn't very close to a break through on that project. He was working in a vacuum. No outside influence but the Geth helping him. Makes it a bit hard to develop a full A.I. without many variables" said Ash. Kyson nodded.
"EDI, you getting all of this?" he asked over the comm.
"I am Kyson. I find it, interesting. To see that there can be many avenues for sentience to be gained" replied EDI. Kyson could understand that it must be like looking at a troubled history for her.
"I bet. Anything you can see that we can't, EDI?" he asked.
"No, but we are staying in position at the fleet. We are fortunate, the comm buoys between Rannoch and your position are still intact. Repairs are under way now" said EDI.
"Good work, keep me posted the moment you guys are up and running. Kyson out" he said before doing another scan of the area. Still no movement.
"Liara, how long would it take to mine this whole place of its data?" he asked. Liara seemed to do a calculation in her head while staring at a terminal.
"It's hard to say, days? Weeks? It's no Mars Archive, but there is a lot here. On the far side Kerris even has a Weapons R&D lab" said Liara with respect.
"Man, this guy was busy" commented Ashley as she looked back towards the landing pad.
"Ain't that the truth. Garrus, how are things on your side?" he asked.
"I don't even know where to begin" said the Turian who seemed much caught up in something.
"You must be in heaven right now. Ashley, can you two handle things over here? I'm going to take the long way over to the others and check on the perimeter" he said.
"We got things here Kyson. I'll cover you as you head out" said Ash. Kyson began to move forward. All he found were boxes full of parts, ammo, and food for Kerris. And a whole bunch of other stuff for maintaining the pumps and generators of the dam. All in all it seemed like a normal place for Kerris at least.
"I see you Kyson" said James who was on the ramp to the 'CR', Kyson walked up and patted James on the shoulder.
"Good man. Seems like we have ourselves an altruist on our hands. Kerris had his hands into as much stuff as possible" he said as he walked into the small control room.
"You can't even imagine" said a much focused Garrus.
"There are secret documents that could buy off the Reapers here! I mean, look at this Kyson. This data pad is full of Dark Energy studies. Haestrom is here and about another two dozen stars. Most of them near the Veil. Then over here..." said Garrus who looked like a child on Christmas.
"This file of papers is all in Turian. It is about how we almost sold out to the Rachni in a damn partnership for the galaxy! If any of this stuff is real? I can't even imagine Kyson. The whole hunt for Saren really opened my eyes but...how many more secrets are there? Is everybody hoarding things to extort others?" asked a very frustrated Garrus.
"I would say it's human nature, but that doesn't work. It seems it's the way of advanced species. The more tech, the things we learn, the more it takes to ensure survival. It's no longer just about food or breeding" said Kyson. Garrus nodded as he dove back into the files.
"Tali, found anything in this treasure trove?" he asked. Tali had a very large object in her hands.
"I'm, I'm not quite sure. But one thing I have figured out is the lack of security. I think Kerris never thought that this place would be found" she said.
"This reminds me of when we hit the Shadow broker. He never had any security on his stuff because he thought no one would ever get past his army. Much less find him. But, I also think there would have always been a Geth presence as well. What just happened on Rannoch must have been a large unforeseen turn of events for Kerris" added Liara. Kyson was nodding to himself. It seemed appropriate. This planet was almost as back water as you could get for a garden world.
"I have found something though. We can't access the main servers without tripping something. I'm not sure what it is yet. But it appears to be a very large stash of data. Everything we are seeing now are all on local terminals. He didn't risk any of this being hacked" added Liara.
"Smart, keep doing what you can and be careful" said Kyson. Tali tugged on his arm while motioning to the ramp he came in from.
"You have a moment?" she asked.
"Always. James, keep at it" he said as he walked off. Now in private he turned his comm to passive.
"What's up babe?" he asked. Tali held up the thing in her arms. On closer inspection it was a gigantic tome. It looked very old and worn.
"This is Kerris' journal. It is nothing like I have ever seen. It is both a data pad, and a traditional book. I have heard that our people had a hard time letting go of old tech. This was one of our first fusions of old record keeping along with new tech once we joined the galactic community. These books were used for recording the life of an individual in its entirety. A transition before our ancestors turned to all VI recordings of their lives" said Tali reverently.
"This thing is priceless even without it belonging to Kerris. Only five are intact that we know of. All of which are in private collections of wealthy Asari" she added. Kyson saw a heavy lock on the metal case. Along with Quarian text saying 'May ones journey be bountiful' on it.
"So these things need a pass code it looks like" he said. Tali nodded.
"Some of them used retinal scans. DNA, or even voice depending on the person. I'll need time to work at this thing" she said.
"No problem. If it comes down to it, we can take it with us" he said. Tali looked down at the book.
"Kyson, I know why you are really here. This was supposed to be the end all of end all. To kill Kerris" she said. Kyson felt a little sick on his stomach. Garrus' words of sarcasm were hitting him in the gut from earlier.
"Those are my orders Tali" he said. He would not lie to her. He couldn't bring himself to do so. He was already holding enough back as it was. Tali just stood there staring at the book.
"Tali, I know something is making Kerris do things against his will. But I can't see any way to help him. We have no idea what we are up against" he said. It was no reassurance, he knew that. He lit another cigg as he looked over the sea. He ran a hand through his buzzed hair as he studied the mountains in the distance. The salty cool breeze felt amazing against his cheeks.
"I never told you that when we were on earth, I was going to take you to the beach did I?" he asked looking for another topic.
"No, why didn't we?" she asked. Kyson shook his head.
"We had to get to the fleet. I wanted to show you so much at home. We have breezes just like this on Earth. It's where I developed my love for the hammock..." he said letting himself indulge in a pleasant memory. He found himself placing a hand on his suit where the Pal'tec Vis Surden rested. He knew this wasn't the time by any means, but it was a reminder of the things he had promised. It also felt like an immense weight, of how he was failing her.
"I wish we had the chance Kyson...I'm sorry" replied Tali who had come to stand next to him. Kyson gently grasped her hand.
"I know. But I'll tell you what. If we can find anything on what is infecting Kerris, anything that could help him we will do what we can okay?" he asked. Tali's grip tightened on his.
"Then I best get to work on this book then" she said letting go of him. Kyson nodded as he walked to join Garrus.
"Kyson, thank you" said Tali as she used the barrier as a place to work.
"No promises, babe. But do what you can. There are things here showing that Kerris is a better man than his actions have dictated" he said before walking away. He already knew this, but Tali needed to hear it aloud from him. Kyson checked in with everybody. It was slow progress with still no movement. Might as well get busy myself then. Hmmm pick a file, any file will do. What's this? These files are all in Khelish as well. And damn are they old. The label read 'Asari/Salarian stance on Dextro life' on the front of the string bound folder. It was dated CE-3. Galactic standard year three. Holy shit, three years after the council was formed. I know the Quarians were first contacted by the Asari just before the council was formed by a hundred years or so. But to have something this old is amazing! Here in my hands is a document written down by a Quarian almost three thousand years ago.
Kyson began to read the words of a troubled Quarian man named Zopt'Urr vas Rannoch nar Freben. Using the planet then town where he was born I see. The man was a young researcher tasked with the job of seeing what foods Quarians should avoid by testing other samples from the Asari and Salarians. What puzzled Kyson was the large swaths of food they could eat. These notes dated well before the contact with the Turians. Could the Quarians eat many foods prior to becoming sterile messes on the fleet? Tali never said anything about it. Kyson found himself looking around for any kind of containment for the documents so he could read them later. He was in luck. Several crates were empty.
"Okay guys, all of these papers. I want them kept in order that you find them in and stuff them into the crates. Hump them over to the landing pad for Cortez to pick up" he ordered. Garrus nodded.
"On it. Some of this is crazy Kyson" said the perplexed Turian.
"You got that right. Liara, any progress?" he asked.
"Not really. The main server is linked up to some fail safe. Every time I try to find out what it is I get close to triggering it. For all I know it's a bomb waiting for us" said Liara. Kyson waved over to Tali.
"Hey babe, can you go help Liara? We need to finish gathering these files" he asked.
"Sure thing. No luck on this book though" she said sadly.
"I'm sure you will get it" said Kyson as he began to help Garrus and James. Kyson took out an OSD disk and began to copy all of the data on the two terminals in the room. They were local files only so there was no risk in tripping the illusive fail safe. In all, they had four crates filled with papers dating back to the early Asari periods.
"So who gets to go through all of this stuff Kyson?" asked Garrus. Kyson was puffing a bit after helping James with the last crate.
"Well, I should give them over to Alliance command. But I have some questions on the stuff I started to read. I think you and I have a new project Garrus" said Kyson. Garrus grunted.
"Most of this stuff is in Asari writing or Khelish. Not much I can do with it" said the Turian.
"I'll compensate with food and booze" said Kyson.
"Sold" said Garrus in a bright tone. Kyson nodded.
"Kyson, you are approaching on two hours down here and still not a peep. How are things?" asked Cortez.
"We have four crates of files at the landing pad. Going to check with the girls and see how they are faring. Still no leads on Kerris though" he said.
"Roger that" said Steve. Kyson led the others to the main Lab where Ashley was leaning against the main holo display. Liara was working at the main terminal while Tali was busy taking in what she could. James and Garrus were told to keep watch on the far side.
"Any news?" asked Kyson. Liara shook her head.
"I can't seem to get past this. It feels like there is something actively blocking me" said Liara. Kyson walked up close and watched her work. He could hack things, but the level she was working at, he would only be in the way.
"Tali, can you come take a look at this?" asked Kyson. Tali was over in seconds. She watched Liara work for a few moments before offering to give it a try.
"Please, this is more frustrating than talking to Javik" said Liara letting slip her anger with the Prothean.
"Not what you imagined huh? Javik is a damn nuisance" said Tali flatly. Kyson chuckled a bit along with Garrus.
"All the power and glory turned out to be a bunch of imperialistic shit sticks. Hell, almost makes the Batarian Hegemony seem friendly" quipped Garrus.
"Ain't that the truth" added Kyson. Tali sighed before placing a hand on the terminal keys. What happened next caught the team off guard.
"Welcome Tali'Zorah nar Ryya. Please designate what files you are looking for" said the deep voice of a VI. Kyson looked at Tali with a million question on his face.
"Why does it know you Tali?" asked Ashley bluntly that which everyone wanted to know. Tali shrugged.
"VI, how do I have access?" she asked.
"Kerris'Vateevah, upon creation of this once defunct station made it a priority for you to have all access to this lab for your eventual cooperation" said the VI. Kyson furrowed his brow thinking of connections but then it hit him.
"Tali, he wanted you to help him here. I bet him finding you on Noveria put a hamper on his plans. But then he saw the usefulness of your position by John. Ask the VI when Kerris first started acting odd. Also, see if you can find his location" said Kyson. Tali nodded.
"Can you bring up any files on Kerris' behavior? I need to find any data on a 'living shadow'" she asked. After a few moments thousands of pages of data. Mostly extranet searches done by Kerris on the topic came up.
"Many of these topics are what I came up with after John asked me to do similar searches. It's all legends even more scarce then that of the Reapers. Most of them are in Human lore" said Liara.
"Us humans have always been fascinated with grim things" commented James. Kyson nodded his agreement.
"How long have these searches on these topics been going on?" asked Tali.
"Five years" said the VI.
"So, during most of his worst crimes then. I think he stumbled into this Tali. Whatever is in him is above his pay grade" said Garrus. Tali agreed.
"He got dead ends as well, damn it. Okay, what are the fail safe protocols of this base?" she asked next.
"Upon any unauthorized downloading of data, or hacking attempts, a full purge will go into effect. This is the beginning of a sequence. The seismic device is under the dammed lake to weaken the structure. Then, an Electromagnetic Pulse will take care of any ground forces. Finally, when the facility is flooded, a singularity charge is set to go off rending any possible trace of this base from existence" said the VI.
"Holy shit" said James. Kyson felt his gut in his throat. He looked up at the dam with apprehension.
"Cortez, did you get that?" he asked.
"Every bit, I have to say it makes me want to high tail it out of here though" said Steve. Kyson felt a little weak in the knees for he wasn't prepared to be in such a trap.
"Oh fuck me..." he mumbled.
"Kyson, this is the worst time to say those words. Spit it out" snapped Garrus.
"I bet you anything that this is a trap for us but then; have we triggered anything?" he asked hurriedly. Tali looked back at the terminal.
"Have any safe guards been tripped?" she asked with a harsh edge to her voice.
"No" said the VI. The team let out a collective breath. Kyson could hear Liara calming down it seemed like.
"Where is Kerris now?" she asked.
"Here, at the base" said the VI. Kyson felt his finger tense a bit on the side of the trigger guard. Was the cyborg watching them this whole time?
"Specify location" said Tali.
"Unable to specify" said the VI that sounded very much like Sovereign to Kyson all of the sudden.
"This place must be bigger than we know. That dam probably has a facility up top as well. But I got no reading on a ships' signature. He could have a bay for it in the lake" said Kyson.
"Very possible, but I have another question" said Tali.
"VI, bring up all data you have on the Reapers" ordered Tali. Almost instantly, hundreds of files popped up. Most of them over the past few months of the war.
"Find the earliest entries" said Kyson. Tali relayed to command to a single vid marked CE-2178. The first screen shot was of Kerris here on Arvuna. Almost ten years ago.
"That's five years before Eden Prime" noted Ashley.
"Play it" said Kyson. Tali hit play.
The whole video was the feed of a Geth unit who was working with Kerris. The platform was busy working on a terminal before it looked to its left. Kerris was there without his helmet, long black hair still but fewer scars. And what looked like an easy smile for once.
"MP, any news on our targets? We need some extra income" said the younger Kerris.
"Negative" replied the custom Prime unit. Kerris shook his head in feigned disappointment.
"I am so thoroughly bored" said Kerris. The Geth unit began working again at its task, but the voice of the VI announced something.
"Kerris, there is a visitor requesting your presence" said the VI. Kerris was seen scrunching up his brow in confusion.
"Visitor? What visitor? Who the hell knows that we are..." Kerris stopped short as a massive shadow covered the entire dam. The Geth unit recording the video looked up at the sky as a massive ship two kilometers long dropped in from orbit to land in the ocean. Kyson felt a chill run down his spine.
"Sovereign" growled Garrus in shock. Even Tali began to shake her head in disbelief. In the video, a figure emerged from the Reaper on a flying pad of sorts. Kerris in the vid began to run around in circles.
"Holy shit! Shit shit shit shit shit! What the fucking fuck is that thing? Who the fuck is that coming here? How the fuck is that thing real?" stammered the very freaked out Quarian. Now only meters away was a Turian who looked very familiar too all watching the feed. Saren, the traitor.
"Kerris'Vateevah vas Nedas nar Tasi! What are you doing lurking about with the Geth?" asked Saren in what was supposed to be a warm, interested tone. It was as if Kerris was an old friend.
"I uh, Specter! What a surprise um...I have to ask...what the hell is that thing behind you?" asked Kerris who was completely out of sorts. Kyson swore he could see a twitch in the Quarian's eye. Saren calmly looked back at Sovereign.
"My new ship. I have been getting some upgrades these days. But enough about that, I need your assistance" said Saren getting to the point. Kerris looked at the Geth unit recording, his features showed a mind smoking as the gears turned.
"Well uh, what did you have in mind?" asked Kerris knowing he was at a large disadvantage.
"I need your Geth. I have a great need for them" said Saren giving no sign to his intentions.
"Why?" asked Kerris who began to reach for his rifle ever so slowly.
"That, is none of your concern" rumbled the deep bass of Sovereign. Kerris looked like he was about to do a back flip. Eyes wide with what might be awe, but more likely terror.
"Holy fuck...it's alive...I'm sorry. I can't help you. Well, maybe I can but I need to think about it" said Kerris quickly. Shock and awe. Sounds like the Reapers: mused lowered the platform to get close to Kerris.
"Surely we can come to an agreement. I need the processing power of the Geth to help me with a little project I have going on. In return, I can help the Quarians potentially get Rannoch back? How does that sound?" asked Saren. Kerris shook his head.
"How about I help you weed out the Geth Heretics? Oh don't look so surprised Kerris, I know all about them. But, I can see you are not convinced at all" commented Saren.
"You are fucking crazy, Saren! That ship is alive!" snapped Kerris focusing back on the Reaper.
"Quarian, you have reached synthesis. You would do well to aid Saren in his endeavors so others can follow suit" said the Reaper. Kerris twitched before looking at Saren.
"Synthesis? What makes that so special? Is it talking about my synthetics? Never mind. You have given me no reason as to why you need the Geth. The true Geth" said Kerris who seemed to become defiant all of the sudden.
"It's of galactic importance. Peace in the galaxy, if you will" said Saren. Kerris scoffed a bit.
"Peace my ass. Without conflict there is no advancement. Leave my home. Now" said Kerris. Saren held his hands up.
"I understand, this is a lot to drop on you. Here, take this OSD as a gift. You might find it useful in your projects. If you change your mind, contacting me is very easy" said Saren. Kerris carefully took the OSD before Saren nodded and flew off. With a loud blaring horn, the Reaper activated its mass effect drive and left Arvuna. Kerris began to dance about.
"No! Nonononononono! This is not good, not good at all. Geth! Scan this disk for any threats on an isolated terminal. MP! For fucks sake get Admiral Xen on the comm!" snapped Kerris who became a blur of motion.
"Affirmative, it has been several years since last contact with the admiral, what should I send as a notification?" asked the Prime.
"I don't care just say that shit has hit the fucking fan!" screamed Kerris as he ran to the far side of the lab. Kerris was then picked up by a Geth unit working in the conspiracy room. The Quarian began throwing papers all about cursing under his breath.
"They are real! I knew it! The legends, the rumors all true! I can't believe this... this is so very bad! Ah! Here it is, ancient myths!" exclaimed a now nail biting Kerris.
"Creator Vateevah, Admiral Xen is on the comm" said MP.
"Good. And for fuck sakes, stop calling me that!" said Kerris before the video cut. The whole team was in silence.
"Well, we knew Saren got around but damn" said Garrus. Kyson looked around to see Liara thinking hard.
"It almost seems like Saren was trying to gather more..." Ashley broke off her sentence with an audible gasp. Kyson looked back at here but he noticed the holo of Rannoch wink out of existence. Then, the warning klaxons began to blare all around the team.
"What the hell did you touch?" shouted Kyson who struggled to be heard over the alarm.
"I bumped the power! We need to get out of here" replied Ashley. Kyson took a deep breath before getting Cortez on the comm. This was going to suck from here on out.
Kerris' POV
He had been searching for hours! How could he miss his mask so many times in the same patch of rock over and over? Kerris sighed as he griped about how he had done it to himself, but there was a little bit of satisfaction. He could spend the time he needed on anything now. He no longer was tied to the petty war with the Reapers. Not that he wanted them to win, but it didn't matter so much if they did, it felt like.
"I would be much more comfortable if my damn mask was around" he said to himself aloud getting back on track. Kerris was starting to widen his search pattern when a red flashing glow began to emanate from a few feet in front of him. He jumped for joy even under water as he picked up his mask.
"MP! I found it! That took ages didn't it?" he asked. The Geth Prime walked over to Kerris.
"I agree. There seems to be something wrong though" said the still very stoic Geth. Kerris frowned a bit at this. Why was his HUD making such a display of lights? He snapped the mask in place, the water was forced out from between the enviro-shield and the re-attached mask. Instantly he saw a million and one warning signal signifying that his base had been infiltrated. He began to play clips of the intruders which began to nearly make the water boil around him with his seething anger. Then he watched as the dark haired woman wipe out his Dyson Sphere project. A massive warning like a ticker tape began to read across his HUD. Seismic Charge countdown: 2 hrs...1:59:24
No, Tali came here. All is lost, and now the mark has been made. Kerris felt in his gut the seeping dread as he remembered the wager. Khoshekh had known.
"Well, a deal is a deal, Kerris. It is time to come along and take care of the larger matters at hand"said Khoshekh with a deep smugness that washed over Kerris.
"No!" he screamed as he kicked on his thruster in his legs. The couple hundred feet of water did nothing to slow him. He blasted even further into the air screaming in rage.
"Damn it Tali! You failed me! After everything I did, why did you do this?!" He shouted as he tried to run away from the forces of Khoshekh. All he could hear in his head was the evil laughter of the darkness inside him as he landed on the grate in front of his lab. When he looked up, he saw Tali. He could feel the tugging of the demon in him fighting for control spurring his temper even farther as he screamed at his once dear friend. If this was to be his fall, everyone would go with him.
Kyson's POV
And there he was. The target; Kerris. Kyson felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end because for him, Kerris was more than just and objective to be taken out. He was the obstacle in his way from moving on with his life with Tali. Kerris was the bastard who had caused him more pain then he ever could have conceived. Now, if Kyson was a religious man, he could have justified his ordeals with the Quarian as part of life.
But Kyson wasn't a man of religion. He was a man of grounded, reliable action capable by the hands of the living that occupied space here and now. So as his hands tensed on his shotgun, he was ready for things to be done. No matter how ugly.
"You were not supposed to come here! Tali! How could you do this to us?" shouted the clearly unhinged cyborg. Kyson noticed the massive dent Kerris had caused from his drop from the top of the dam. The metal cat walk was bent in two neat twisted craters. Kyson made sure to keep in mind the power those legs had.
"What are you talking about? Kerris, there is something controlling you! I have to help you!" shouted Tali over the sound of the alarms. Kerris snarled like a rabid animal who was cornered. It was at that moment Kyson saw that same blackness start to envelope the manic Quarian. Instinct kicked in after what he had witnessed on the Neema. He pulled the trigger on his M-98 Widow. He wasn't going to wait for that bad space juju to get the jump on him again.
It didn't make a damn difference. The darkness enveloped Kerris as if it was a massive kinetic barrier, blocking both of his shots like it was nothing.
"He is mine now"said the shattering yet deep voice of the living shadow. Now Kyson felt like ice was digging into his flesh as he looked upon the shrouded cyborg. It reminded him very much of how his brother...
"It didn't even notice the gun" grunted Liara. Her voice was a mixture of frustration and quite possible fear.
"No! Damn don't you fools see! We were doing great things here! We were going to fucking disappear from the galaxy until this shitty war with the Reapers was over! But no, you had to come find us. You had to blood trail us like a wounded varren on Tuchanka. It's over now, and floor! Shut up! No one asked your opinion" ranted Kerris. While the crazy cyborg ranted at inanimate objects once again, Kyson was able to signal for the team to fall back a few steps. Like cover is going to help us right now. Kyson thought with agitation. No, it was dismay.
"Kerris..." said Tali trying to talk to him. It was a bad move. Kerris ripped off his mask revealing once again his scarred face. The glare seething with hatred made Tali step back. Kyson could hear her grip tighten on the old Quarian tome as her flexible armor made a leathery stretching sound.
"This is on you Tali. Once beloved sister, you chose that filth. Kyson. You are now expendable" growled Kerris in a tone so deep Kyson could feel it in his chest. Kyson gambled a glance at Tali and saw that she had done the same at him. He could see a hand starting to find its way to her shotgun. It was time, Tali now saw what he did. And if she didn't? Well, the time had passed for second guessing.
"MP! Get down here!" shouted Kerris angrily. Kyson wasn't sure what the shit he was talking about, but not more than three seconds later a Geth Prime dropped from the sky. It crashed down through the catwalk with only it's very odd looking head sticking up through the mangled metal.
"OOOOooooohhhh damn it! Now we have to patch that spot too! How many times do I have to tell you? Fucking watch your descent! We have the right mind to..." Kerris was cut off by a deep rumbling in the ground. Kyson began to lose his nerve for it was a damn earthquake, but he remembered something from the fail safes.
"You moron. The seismic charge went off early!" snapped Kyson in the beginnings of panic. Kerris had a confused, almost pensive look on his face.
"You know about the fail safes? Huh...wait. Uh oh, if that went off early, then we are all in big trouble. Fuck it!" shouted the cyborg turning violent once again. The Geth called 'MP' had gotten itself dislodged from the metal decking, two shoulder mounted spitfire light machine guns popped up on its shoulders to complement its siege rifle.
"We'll just have to kill you faster than we thought!" laughed Kerris. Kyson grimaced as his finger felt for his shotgun. The day had just begun.
A/N
Freakin love this map. So easy for sniper fire. Ungh yeah! just like that. Head shot!
Review as you will as always.
~RJ