"Taris was once a magnificent planet-wide metropolis of towering skyscrapers. But that was a long time ago." - Carth Onasi
The Hive, Subterranean Level, Hadley's Hope, Feros, Theseus System, Attican Beta Cluster, July 12, 2183
Author's Note: The conclusion to the FEROS ARCs. This will be a bit long as I cover and conclude everything that happened from the BATTLE OF LAGRANGE POINT TWO, THE SIEGE OF HADLEY'S HOPE, and MASTER OF PUPPETS.
And, of course, TEAM LION and the SSV Normandy.
Check out the KOTOR reference on top! Old-School!
Happy Halloween, All Hallow's Eve, Samhain, and Diao de la Muerta for those celebrating the holidays.
Like the story from Chicken Little, the sky was falling.
The sounds of devastation erupted from overhead as death came from above, a concentrated strike of no less than four vessels firing their main cannons into a point designated by the SSV Normandy as the Frigate-Class SSV Langemarck, the Destroyer-Class SSV Doss, the Cruiser-Class SSV Timbuktu, and the Galaxy-Class SSV NCC-1701 Enterprise all fired their main weapons into the breach that the Normandy created, a growing crater in which the kinetic strikes drove the damage deeper, splitting open a portion of the surface of Feros into a rent that measured half-a-kilometer in radius and driving downward several hundred meters. The strikes occurred as fast as the vessels could maintain as a Lion called for their wrath, the woman who had saved the IV Fleet from total destruction getting the favor returned as Sailors manned their positions and struck with fury, those survivors of the IVY Fleet having come to call themselves the LION'S PRIDE after the battle of LaGrange Point Two (Feros). To many of them, Humanity's First SPECTRE would forever be held in their minds as 'Commodore' Jane Catherine Shepard; the woman who snatched them from the very jaws of defeat and death only to lead them to victory and retribution. Despite the damages done to their vessels and the losses they had incurred, those Sailors held the line with pride as rounds of Depleted Uranium strike the earth of Feros apocalyptically, wedging the planet open to kill what was underneath. No less than four batteries were fired from the Naval Vessels, shots screaming in through the atmosphere, burning away any water vapor in the air as they speared towards the planet at greater than a percent of the speed of light, a microsecond beam of death imprinting upon anyone who could witness the totality of a planetary strike where the corona of the rounds' passing lasted much longer than the round itself.
The Finger Of God wasn't merely a saying, after all.
The earth cracked as stone was pulverized into sand, dirt turned to glass from the intensity of the heat, and the very air around it choked with ash and debris as a new-born volcano was created from the Naval Artillery, splintering the local area of Feros with the weight of death and destruction as the area was obliterated from the cascading shockwaves and microquakes occurring on the surface. If anything had been alive within a kilometer of the region, it would surely be dead now due to the environmental catastrophe caused by the normally-illegal act of firing a kinetic strike upon a Garden World, a colony, or within fifty kilometers of a settlement according to the Council of Law. Yet it was a Council Agent who had called in for the strike, that officer of jurisdiction known to be able to supersede law and regulation in order to act out with the Will of the Council; what made them so dangerous in the eyes of the galaxy. What would have been heavily-frowned upon if asked by any other SPECTRE was done so without question for the Lion of Elysium.
For their Commodore, the LION'S PRIDE would have done it three times over.
Sixteen devastating strike struck Feros with fury at the same spot, opening up the planet and letting more round penetrate deeper. The crater grew into a gash, and then in to a canyon. Still the rounds strike, deep and hard, as the planet was stabbed with velocity and devastation, a growing fissure of hell appearing on its surface. Millennium-old Prothean buildings swayed and trembled at the growing earthquakes as ash and soot began to plumb into the atmosphere, all the pulverized rock and dirt catapulted upward by the strikes causing a pillar of steam and ash to eject upward into the atmosphere, growing into a mushroom cloud. An hour later, the order had been given once more as every vessel above Feros delivered more strikes towards the location, pounding upon it with space-borne artillery as they continued to fire until the planet itself announced its defeat; a blast of pyrocumulous clouds and magma erupting from the breach as a volcano noisily announced its birth, blasting rock and debris for kilometers on out as a continuous cloud of steam and lava erupted from the crater, magma spewing from the fissure as the atmosphere grew darker and darker from all the ejecta and particlization. The cease-fire was given when the volcano erupted powerfully, the crust of Feros having been drilled to the point to where the mantle had forced its way up and out, obliterating the site with the fury of a planet and destroying everything within a fifteen kilometer radius over the next several days as lava seeped through new tubes and the titanic shockwave of the first volcanic eruption flattened the nearby colony of Hadley's Hope as if it had been made of straw. Earthquakes rocked the region pegging a seven in the Richter Scale, collapsing nearby Prothean structures after millennium struggling to survive their long-forgotten duties as where an ancient horror once stood was completely wiped from the face of the galaxy.
A Cruiser Captain of the LION'S PRIDE named the newest volcano of Feros Jane's Wrath after the cessation of fire. The name stuck.
Captain Jane Catherine Shepard (SAN, N7, OST), held onto Petty Officer (Second Class) Sara Elaine Ryder as hell unleashed itself from up above. The entire cavern shook as she felt herself almost being knocked back from the force of the multiple kinetic strikes pulverizing the surface above where they were, threatening the Thorian with something she didn't doubt the Protheans used millennium ago to eradicate the species. Admist the rumblings of earth from above, the N7 heard the sickening sound of something organic being torn, like flesh ripping open. Her eyes looked upon the immense spherical creature known as Species 37 begin to list and sway, its overhead roots obviously losing to gravity as the ripping noise continued, even louder and greater. Sara struggled in her arms as Jannie held her tight, watching as the gigantic testicle monster emitted a loud pop and began to fall, descending from its lofty purchase and striking the caverns' floor with a teeth-jarring impact, who knew how many megatons of monstrosity splattering against the floor. Ryder went limp in her arms as Shepard saw the green-covered humanoids all drop bonelessly to the floor, like puppets with their strings cut. The blistering torrent of gunfire ended with that as TEAM LION ceased firing, the threat seemingly over, at least temporarily as everyone took the opportunity to dispense the heat from their weapons and reload their ammo blocks just in case. Victory was apparent, but no one lived a long life assuming.
Jannie looked upon the plant-like monstrosity as it laid upon the ground, having fallen from its perch, its white fleshy appearance sickening to see as it began to 'bleed' out from hundreds of cracks and wounds on its plant-like body, no longer spherical as it listed to one side and slowly seemed to deflate as brackish ooze came from its cracked carapace. The smell of it was nauseating, but the N7 would see this thing dead with her own eyes for the crimes it had committed and wish to commit, and she wouldn't leave the job half-done.
"Team? Spread out and see if we can find any of the colonists." Shepard commanded, still holding Ryder's' limp form in her arms, absently stroking the face of her best friend with her armored hand. "Keep close, as we don't know if this thing is dead yet." She looked down to Sara's ruined face, her heart aching at the sight of the younger woman in her arms, as still as death. Jannie caressed her veiny cheek with a gentle thumb, feeling the ache of sorrow clutching at her heart, gripping it fiercely. The redhead felt hot wetness building up in her eyes as she held Sara in her arms, refusing to let go.
"Sara… please say something." Jannie whispered as she knelt on the ground, cradling the body of Sara Elaine Ryder, still remembering the first time she had ever done so when Sara had been but an hour-old newborn. "Don't do this to me, kiddo." Shepard tried to bite back the sob that escaped her but failed, the grief and pain welling up within her. Even as hard as she could be, being an elite warrior, an N7, there was no protection against this kind of pain. "I want to see you strive and succeed. I want to see you go to the Villa and get your stripes. I want to see you on your wedding day, as beautiful as can be. I want to be there when you have your first child, and I want to hold them like I held you." Jannie's hand went to stroke back Sara's brunette hair, tears trailing down her cheeks and dripping downward. "I made a promise, Sara, the most important promise I've ever made my life when I was just a kid. I said I'd be there for you always, but that doesn't mean to make good that promise today. I want to see you gray, wrinkled, and bitching about how big your ass has gotten. I want all the good and bad out of life so that we can share it together, to be there for each other. You didn't want to bury me in Elysium, and I don't want to bury you here in this fucking shithole. So you had best wake the fuck up, Doc, because I will break open Hell and rescue your ass if I've got to. I owe you a couple, after all."
And much to Jannie's' shocking surprise, Sara's eyes fluttered open.
"A-Aun…tie?" Her voice came, ruined and the ghost of its normal tone, but it was her voice, not that of some fucking monstrosity. Blue eyes opened to look at her as Sara looked dazed, but Jannie saw that the green bloodshot lines in Sara's eyes were slowly fading and receding while the exaggerated green-tined veins in her face too slowly began to be erased. "Auntie?"
"I'm here, Sara, I'm here." Jannie's whole body was wracked with sobs as she clutched at her friend as tightly as she could, tears streaming down her face as Shepard pressed her cheek against Sara's forehead as she held her fiercely. Oh thank you Lord, thankyouthankyouthankyou, the N7 thought as she sobbed out of stress and joy, holding Sara as she cried, her dread disappearing as she felt the younger womans' arms tentatively clutched her affectionately. "Detective! Doc! Check the others! Sara's coming to!" The Captain said, her words being transmitted over the SquadComm as Detective Garrus Vakarian, Seaman Monica Negulesco, Corporal Jeanette Vasquez, and Doctor Liara T'soni moved from their search towards their members who were apprehended by some sort of sticky bomb that the Rapid Response Officer had used to keep them down so that the Protheantologist could use her Biotics to defend TEAM LION. "Lieutenant? Any sight of the colonists or the Marines yet?"
"Negative, ma'am." 1st Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko replied over the communicator. "All we found are these Thorian spawn creatures. No cocoons or anything else to suggest where they might be held." Jannie had been afraid of that. She had noted the numbers of the moss-covered humanoids and they had been horrifyingly close to the amount of persons inhabiting Hadley's Hope. She had a real sickening idea where those colonists and Marines had gone.
They were right at their feet.
"Auntie… w-where am I? Where are we?" Ryder asked, her voice slowly becoming more normal as Sara sat up slowly with a grunt, moving as if in pain as her blue eyes went around the cavern, looking up when the sound of cascading rock pelted off the collapsed form of the Thorian before them from the minor cave-in that evidently killed the creature. The green-tinged look that had crawled under the skin of her face faded away as her face went pale and she quickly turned her head and began vomiting some thick, sticky-looking dark green mucus upon the cavern floor, flipping over onto her hands and knees as she regurgitated whatever contents out of her. Shepard held her hair back as Ryder vomited a third time, coughing loudly after wards as a shaky hand wiped away at her nose and mouth, greenish slime coming away on her armored hand. The Corpsman regurgitated one more time, dry-heaving a few times afterwards, coughing out flecks of globby slime onto the ground as she sat up, her body shaking weakly from the act. The younger woman looked to her Auntie with somewhat horrified eyes at what she had spewed out, and then at what was around them, obviously starting to recognize that nothing was right with this scenario. The N7 saw Vakarian spraying something onto the captured members of TEAM LION to break down the solidified goop that restrained them so that it could be broken apart and the four members pulled up from the ground. Liara was collapsing Sergeant First Class Ashley Williams' helmet as she too sported the decaying signs of the Thorians' control fading away, green veins disappearing from view as the Colonial Soldier vomited the same sputum that Sara had. Doc Nugee was helping up Marshal Samantha Collins, Vasquez 2nd Lieutenant James Vega, and Vakarian Agent Zevin Raeka, each of them returning to normal as they were helped up, each of them throwing up whatever substance was in them; obviously the thing the Thorian used to control them, purging their bodies of the substance and effect. Her team, her friends, her family would be okay.
"Oh… oh God, what have I done?" Sara asked holding up shaking hands to look at them as tears began to run down her face. Jannie saw her look to the redhead with horrified eyes. "Auntie…? I… I…" Oh God, she's remembering… Jannie did the only thing she could do; she held onto Sara as Ryder began to bawl. Her sobs distorted her words, but Shepard's heart broke when she heard the word monster uttered several times. No Sara, you're not a monster, Jannie whispered back, holding onto her friend tenderly as the Corpsman cried.
"Chad? Chad!" Sam got up on shaky legs, Nugee trying to help while also trying to get the Federal Marshal to relax as Collins weakly pushed away the hands to stumble forward, moving towards where the plant-line monstrosities laid upon the ground, still and motionless. "CHAD!" The Butchers' tone was one of desperation as Jannie watched on, holding Sara while feeling her heart sink in her chest. "Nonono…" The Marshal picked a form that was lying on the ground, falling to her knees as the Level Two Council Agent sobbed, scooping up the moss-covered body in her arms and bringing it closer to her. Shepard saw how the body seemed so… rubbery, almost boneless. She wished she hadn't seen it begin to leak fluids from its skin, or that she hadn't seen the body slowly deflate. "No, Chad! Please…" The Marshal cried as she too held on to the Thorian-spawn as it began to slowly dissolve in her hands, sobbing as she held it close even while it began to seep in her very arms. "Please don't leave me, Chad… please…" The pleas from the Marshal of Therum went horrifyingly unanswered as the body in her arms began to turn into a more liquid-state, oozing away in the Butchers' grasp. "Chad… I'm so fucking sorry…"
"Oh God…" Jannie realized what was going on, what was happening as she looked to the other plant-line sapient beings, seeing them dissolve slowly, deflating as puss-like ooze leaked from their bodies. Those were the colonists, those were the Marines.
Unlike TEAM LION, they weren't coming back.
Jannie saw James Vega sitting on the ground, hugging his own knees, the man's face one of agony as Jeanette held him from behind, comforting as best she could as the Marine Lieutenant's eyes looked to the plant creatures, his eyes all too knowing. Ashley was holding onto Liara, the Asarikin whispering something to the Colonial Soldier as Williams held onto the Protheantologist as if she were a life preserver in a hurricane, desperate and pleading. Raeka was being helped up by Garrus, and even the Not-Dalatrass gripped onto the Turian more-so than needed, her whole body quivering. There had been over a thousand souls in Hadley's Hope… and all of them had been down here in the grip of the Thorian. Only five had been left as some sort of infected leaders while the rest had been consumed, meat for the cannibal plant. This was why the Protheans had eradicated the species so thoroughly, destroying them down to a lone single survivor. The horror of it etched its way into Jannie's heart. Hadley's Hope had been depopulated, its entire population gone save for two Marines and one child. The realization of it haunted Shepard as she realized one heart-breaking fact.
They had lost.
UT-47 "Rey Kenobi", In-Transit To LaGrange Point Two, Feros Space, Theseus System, Attican Beta Cluster, July 12, 2183
The trip back to the SSV Normandy aboard the Bell Aerospace UT-47 Kodiak Utility Transport Vessel "Rey Kenobi" was both a sobering and somber one as TEAM LION was shuttled from the surface of Feros to the SSV Normandy, still in geosynchronous orbit over the area it had bombarded with kinetic strikes. Chief Warrant Officer-2 Patricia Holloway (SACAF) kept the music off and the chatter to a minimum as she piloted the Rey through the hazy atmosphere of Feros, the plumb of ash and soot darkening the skies and limiting her Mk. I eyeball from the normal visual flight, but did little to disrupt the electronic sensors of the astronautics of the Kodiak as she piloted the vessel through the chop of the atmosphere. She had been flying shuttles and dropships for five years now on Elysium and Benning, and was use to the jaw-jacking of Army grunts pissing and moaning in the back about flight-times in between some training module out in the boonies for some regimental training or even a detachment of Marines who wanted to get out and stretch their legs on a planet before shooting everything in sight and drinking up all the booze. The one thing a pilot hated to hear was nothing; a clear sign that everything had righteously gone to shit.
The last time she had a 'quiet' shuttle was during an Army Table where a full Battalion decided to go do a full compliment of maneuvers; Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery… even the damn cooks and truck drivers were out in the dusty pains of Benning's southern continent, waging a fake war to practice up in case the real thing ever happened. The gun-ho grunts and knuckledraggers had all been transo'ed out to the Dorne Continent to blast the landscape silly with mechanoid targets and simulated locations for the Army yahoos to practice open-field combat, urban ops, house-clearing… they had gone full out, Patty fully admitted. But some fucking doodad motherfucker in the FDC Tent had misread some numbers and put a real-life artillery round where some real-life Infantrymen had been building fortifications to play some wargame against an opposing Company. Just one shell had wiped out half a company of men and women in less than a second, sixty-plus dead.
The silence in that UT-40 Klondike Transportation Insertion Vessel had been just as oppressive and thick as it was on the Rey now.
Holloway looked to the co-pilot seat for a brief moment, hoping that her 'secondary' hadn't noticed, Captain Jane Shepard sitting in the seat, looking ready to chew through some diamondglas. The Chief wasn't paid to ask those kinds of questions; she flew people into the Slag for a living, and then she flew them out. But she had been around long enough to know something had gone terribly, terribly wrong. Army Combat Medics and Navy Corpsmen were generally insanely overprotective of their troops, but cabbies (as the ground-borne Air Force wrenchturners liked to call shuttle pilots) such as herself were a clear second place, bringing warriors and needed personnel to the exact location they were needed… no matter how fucking hot or dangerous it was. When she had evacuated Marshal Aquila, her remaining Deputies, and a dangerously-injured Tali'Zorah nar Reyya, Patty had gone tits-to-the-wall full-tilt boogie getting the Rey on-station as fast as she could without actually crashing the shuttle, and then had done it again getting back to the Normandy. TEAM LION had been down two, but was coming back with three; a rather beefy-looking Marine Lieutenant, a no-shit 'Total Party Kill' Marine Corporal Gunner who looked tough enough to make a Turian Centurion cry… and a little girl. Holloway hadn't seen anyone else on the elevated Landing Zone affectionately called 'the Frizbee', nor had she seen one lifeform in the dusty boulevards of Hadley's Hope.
A thousand colonists… five hundred Marines… and TEAM LION came back with three.
Patty went to Chief Warrant Officer School; she could do that math and come back with an answer no one wanted to say out loud.
"Chuán zhǎng? You and your folks going to hang in there?" Holloway asked as she manned the helm, seeing that the Rey was still about halfway out from its RP back with the Stealth Frigate.
"Bad hit, Chief. Real bad." The redhead replied softly, taking a moment to look back into the cargo area of the Kodiak to see if anyone else could overhear her. "Too damn close a call for us, and…" Even the N7 didn't want to say it, but Patty could fill in that blank.
"That's all that's left?" The Colonial Air Force pilot asked softly, doing her best not to sound too hopeful or too demeaning in her tone. Please don't tell me I might be escorting the only survivors out of this Godforsaken planet was not the impression she wanted to give. A Marshal and some Deputies, a couple of Marines, and a kid? Six out of fifteen hundred? The Lion didn't answer, but that was an answer all unto itself. Oh fuck, Patricia had to shut her eyes hard at the thought, knowing she was getting off light. Flying into the Slag could get bad, but she wasn't a groundpounder by any means. She didn't slug it out with pirates or slavers, didn't eat dirt or crawl through the mud. At the worst, she had an exciting minute or two dropping off personnel so some galactic asshole got whatever fucking reward they so richly deserved (an ass-kicking and a round to the head) and sometimes another exciting ride picking up the wounded to save some brothers and sisters in Blue. She had men and women die on her shuttle on MEDEVACs, but she had always felt confident that there was nothing else she could have done; shuttles could only fly so fast, prayers and wishes be damned. But that kind of hit?
Patty guess she knew why there had been an orbital bombardment; revenge strike.
The shuttle shook slightly as it passed the planets' Kármán Line, the theoretical line that separated a planets' atmosphere from true space as they passed through the troposphere and entered into the black, the display indicators showing that all systems were green and the cockpit windows showing the great black backdrop sprinkled with stars. Patricia was already queuing up the projected flight path to lead to the Normandy, a waypoint displayed by a small circular ring that was locked onto the Frigates' modulated homing beacon so a shuttle could find a vessel in space instead of hunting for it in orbit against the OLED glass of the shuttles' cockpit windows, the Augmented Reality Overlay letting her 'see' where to go. She also queued up a projected Time-To-Arrival and Distance display that appeared at the upper left hand corner. Patricia flew in silence, trying not to mull upon what she now knew, and what she knew was going to happen. Whatever happened down on Feros, whatever TEAM LION and Humanity's First SPECTRE saw down there? It had earned itself the complete and full attention of the Lion of Elysium.
And her unrequited wrath.
"Havana X-ray, this is Lion-6." Captain Jane Catherine Shepard called out from the Rey's communication suite at the co-pilot's seat, using the shuttles' more-powerful receiver/transmitter array to connect with the remains of IV Fleet as well as the Tenth Reconnaissance Flotilla being led by Rear Admiral (Lower Half) Brian Kahoku. The York-Class Cruiser, the SSV Havana, was the flagship of the Flotilla and patrol squadron. Essentially, she was calling 'big bird', so to speak, Patty thought.
"Lion-6, this is Havana X-ray. Go ahead."
"Request fire mission." The Lion began, her tone as hard as iridium. "Repeat last mission; fire-for-effect at known point."
There was about a ten second silence on the radio. That wasn't a good sign, Holloway knew.
"Jane, it's Brian." The rumbling voice of Admiral Kahoku and current Acting Commanding Officer of IV Fleet and Tenth Reconnaissance Flotilla spoke over the cockpits' speakers, Patty instantly moving to turn down the squelch on the receiver/transmitter to turn down the volume. This was a conversation between an Admiral and the Lion, and the pilot was going to pretend that she was deaf. "Jane, you're asking me to deliver a massive set of kinetic strikes onto a Garden World and a colony again. I know you're a Council Agent and you have the authority to make such calls, but someone's going to be screaming for someone's head in the next day or two. I need something a little more concrete in case some fagot-ass politician wants to use me as a dartboard for the politicial ambition or cover up whatever scandal they're trying to keep in the dark. It's one thing when you're on the ground. But we don't have eyes-on and I don't know exactly what's going on."
"I'll tell you when we get back one-on-one, but I'm carrying the entire party of survivors from Hadley's Hope on this shuttle, and I can count them all on one hand with fingers to spare." Oh… oh fuck, the pilot thought while school her face to passiveness, not daring to show or say anything. She was right, oh God she had been right. TEAM LION had pulled out six people from Hadley's Hope, six out of fifteen hundred-plus. Marines, colonists… families. Lord, please make this right somehow, Patricia prayed to a God she really didn't put a lot of stock into, but in this instance she'd make an exception. There had been but a single survivor from the Assault on Eden Prime, only one person known to have escaped the Geth invasion. Not one soul had been saved on the ACV Horizon, and Patty remembered that particular shuttle ride as well, coming back one person light, a Marine having lost his life. Now it was Hadley's Hope.
She didn't want to say it, but Patricia knew, deep in her heart, she knew.
We're losing.
"I need you to target this thing and make sure that what's dead stays dead." The Lion continued, no mercy in her voice, none whatsoever. "Protheans fucked up a long time ago and didn't finish the job. And we just paid the price for their arrogance.
"I need to make sure that there's no way it can ever survive." The radio went silent for a long moment as Holloway continued to fly the shuttle, getting closer to the Normandy, the ETA set at twelve minutes.
"Fire mission approved, Lion-6. One mike." The man's voice came back, somber but steady. They were going to do it, oh God they were going to do it.
They were going to glass the area.
At thirty seconds prior, the Air Force pilot cut the forward thrusters of the Rey and engaged the docking thrusters to flip the vessel a hundred and eighty degrees, letting the UT-47 coast backwards as they faced Feros, knowing what the Captain would want without her having to say it. They were out of the fire corridor as time ticked by, Patty feeling her heart thudding in her chest at what was going to happen. Never had the Systems Alliance ever done such a thing. Oh sure, there had been discussions of the act, and certainly there were movies and video games that had it portrayed. But turn an area completely and utterly inhabitable? To reduce an area's potential survivability to zero for all time? No, that had never happened amongst Humanity. Even the most vicious and most cruel of assholes had never gotten close to such a thing.
Patricia watched as no less then the entirety of the IVY Fleet and Tenth Reconnaissance Flotilla began firing upon a planet until the unthinkable happened; cracking the planets' surface open like an egg. It took approximately three minutes of continuous orbital bombardment as twenty-seven vessels glassed the site until there was an eruption that even Holloway could see from her vantage point in space; the bright orange glow of lava. God… a volcano, she thought as the area of the target was quickly covered in a grayish cloud that was expanding rapidly, knowing what was happening. They had drilled the site so hard that they had cracked through the crust of Feros and exposed the mantle, liquid earth erupting from the fissure and exploding outward with volcanic force. A geothermal event, Patty thought disquietingly, remembering what the Lion had said about fixing a Prothean fuck-up.
Just what in the good-Goddamn-fuck had they found on Feros?
The Chief Warrant Officer decided she was better off not knowing as she flipped the shuttle back and continued course to the Normandy, the sight of the brand-new volcano staying in her thoughts for a long time.
SSV Normandy, LaGrange Point Two, Feros Space, Theseus System, Attican Beta Cluster, July 12, 2183
The Rey Kenobi had docked with the SSV Normandy but a few minutes ago, the shuttle going through its docking procedures and decontamination process before the gullwing doors opened to reveal the Cargo Bay of the Orlop Deck as the passengers inside began to file out. Several were being led to the Frigates' MedBay by other members while others were taking the same members weapons to check and clean them before putting them back in the Armory as was usual for post-mission. Seaman Monica Valerie Negulesco had Petty Officer (Second Class) Sara Elaine Ryder in hand though the HM-8404 didn't need any assistance in walking or finding the MedBay. No, she did it because Captain Jane Shepard had asked her to, the Lion knowing that the Navy Corpsman would see to the others first before getting herself seen, which under most circumstances was understandable. But this time it was Sara who was a part of the casualty list, and possibly needed to be seen first. The Angel hadn't been pleased with the order that the Lion had given to Monica in front of them, but she hadn't argued it either. Nugee didn't have to look hard to see how traumatized they all were, the haunted looks and pursed lips, how fragile each and every one of them were coming from the grips of that terrible monster. These members, these few survivors, were in need of care; possibly more than anything that the Normandy and her medical staff could give. But that wouldn't stop them.
"Hey," Chief spoke up softly as they reached the elevator that would bring them up to the Gun Deck, looking to Negulesco with blue eyes that were now clear of any sign of infection, "proud of you." Corporal Jeanette Maria Sanchez Vasquez had regaled the Angel before the Rey had picked them up on the Frizbee with what 'Doc Nugee' had done on Feros; fighting alongside TEAM LION, pushing herself forward to try and pull men out of danger, keeping Tali'Zorah nar Reyya alive, and the final battle against the Thorian. Adios was 'lugging' 2nd Lieutenant James Vega, seeing to her last remaining comrade from the Fourth Marine Expeditionary, but Nugee knew that Jeanette had pretty much attached Doc to her hip, the Gunner looking out for the young woman on her first deployment just as Urdnot Wrex had.
"Thank you, Chief." Monica tried really hard not to blush with the compliment, given to her by no less than the Angel of Illyeria. This was the woman who, as a girl, saved her father and dozens of others in Illyeria General. This was the woman who had recognized her contributions and efforts and gave Monica the chance to fulfill her dream, to be a Navy Corpsman. God it had been hard, oh so hard, but people had needed her and Negulesco had been there. Now the very woman who believed in her, who had given her her chance, she needed Nugee. She wasn't about to disappoint. Eleven people entered the elevator as the doors closed and began taking them to next deck above as Monica looked to see its occupants. There was Sergeant First Class Ashley Williams with two people looking out for her, Doctor Liara T'soni and little Rebecca 'Newt' Jorden standing by the Colonial Soldiers' side. There was James Vega and Jeanette Vasquez, the last two survivors of the Fourth MEU. 1st Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko was standing with Federal Marshal Samantha Collins, a gentle hand on Marse's shoulder and whispering something to her. There was Detective Garrus Vakarian standing alongside Agent Zevin Raeka, the Turian having appointed himself and no one nay-saying the Rapid Response Sniper. They were all here for their team, for their friends, and it ached Nugee's heart a little seeing that, being a part of it. When the doors of the elevator opened as Monica saw Marshal Teresa 'Tequila' Aquila standing on the other side, it surprised the Seaman at first until Marse Tequila's eyes went right to hers with a nod.
"She made it, Doc." Teresa said, and Negulesco's heart skipped a beat when she realized what the Frontier Marshal meant. Tali…
"She's a tough kid, and we have a good Doc." Ashley said immediately, the heavy bags and dark smears under her eyes didn't take away the fact that Williams was looking right at her and meant every word she said. Chief Ryder looked at her with a smile, and Nugee felt her heart do a little lazy flip-flop. I really am a Doc, now, Negulesco realized, having completed a combat deployment with a ground team, having pulled troops from out of the line of fire, having patched wounds and armor while under fire. Any one of those three would have been enough for anyone to call her as such, but she had done all of them. She had gone on a mission with none other than TEAM LION itself and had proved herself. Doc Negulesco… Doc Nugee, oh, she knew that nickname was going to stay, but Monica didn't find herself minding nearly as much.
"Alright, everyone." Monica raised up her voice inside the elevator. "File into the MedBay for post-ops checks and evaluations. No shirking or I sic Commander Chakwas on you to browbeat you to tears."
"Aye aye, Doc." Williams said with a smirk, echoed by Newt's childish voice.
"Aye aye, Doc." Collins said, her voice subdued, but she meant it.
Sara looked at Monica, and gave her a nod and a smile before she said;
"Aye aye, Doc."
Monica tried not to blush. She failed.
"Tali! Oh! You… you silly, stupid… bosh'tet!"
Sha'ma/Ensign Tali'Zorah nar Reyya woke up to see the blue-tinted visor of her cousin Niki'Raan nar Tombay standing outside of her isolation tank; the medical apparatus that would allow a medical professional work on her through the means of sealed gloves connected to the protective duraplast cylinder that would keep her sealed off from the outside environment so to limit the risk of infection and allergic reactions. Niki was standing on the other side of the horizontal tube from where Tali laid upon the disinfected table that was inside the tube, the interior cramped and confining; built for saving a life, not for comfort. Still, it was certainly better than dying from exposure. The Quarian Pilgrim had been away for almost two hours now, having been told by Doctor Karen Chakwas that the shuttle was coming back with Niki alive and on-board, as well as her own prognosis. She would be 'tanked' for several hours to make sure that her reactions were down and any possible secondary infections or flare-ups could be addressed quickly, but the minor surgery needed to remove the shrapnel that had been in her side, him, and right thigh had been removed without issue. It was the exposure that was the real threat to a Quarian.
"Hey." Zorah said, still feeling a little loopy from all the anti-histamines and anti-bacterials she was on, lifting her right hand and placing it on the inner-curve of the clear tube that protected her from the ships environment, hermetically sealing her with its slightly-distorted surface. Niki looked at little silly, the duraplast making her figure a little warped, but that was fine. They were both alive and that was enough for now. Niki's hand went to the other side, her three-fingered hand matching Tali's own, the attempt to touch hands meaning everything to the Pilgrims. "I heard you got to beat up a plant."
"Ugh! It was in the planet! With all that dirt overhead!" Her cousin exclaimed, making Tali snort. Niki had never really been comfortable on planets, much less in them. "Ancestors as my witness, I swear the roof was going to collapse on us all. And that was before the Captain decided to glass the place!" The silvery eyes blinked several times as Niki got closer to the tube, placing both hands on it, no doubt where the Rifleman's point-of-view looked to be as if she were holding Tali. "I was really worried, Tali. I don't want to lose you."
"I-I know." Tali didn't need Raan to elaborate; she knew exactly what Niki was referring to. "I'm a Quarian, not some Salarian with a tummy-ache! Give me about a day and I'll be as right as purified air."
"You'd better be, else I'm coming in there and planting my foot up your clochea, tuho." Niki moved to hug the tube, and Tali touched where Niki was, knowing it was the best that they both could do. It was enough for now, but Tali promised herself that she would return it properly when she got the chance. Her cousin had been given quite the scare, and Tali knew that Niki had been worried. She held up a lavender-colored hand to press where Raan's head was so her cousin would know that if Tali could comfort her and ask for forgiveness, she would. "You get better, cousin. I'll keep Ensign Reid in line as she tries to play acting Chief Engineer. Ancestors know you put a Human in charge of an engine, and half of the components get replaced without you looking. What is up with them and not fixing anything?"
"They're used to swapping something out, old for new, instead of fixing it in place." The Pilgrim replied, remembering asking that very question to 1st Lieutenant Gregory Adams. She now held his position, his team was now her team. Thankfully, everyone worked well with her before and having a Quarian in charge didn't seem to upset anyone. Of course, someone one who might have an issue kept it inside, probably figuring that since the Captain, Lion of Elysium, and Council Agent Jane Shepard put her in charge of Engineering after her actions on the SSV Langemarck as well as the ACV Horizon, anyone with a problem quickly realized that saying something would get them nowhere fast. Not at all like a Quarian vessel, though a Captain's word was Law; in that Human and Quarian vessels were the same. Still, being a Chief of Engineering even on a Human vessel was a big deal for a Quarian, and being one on a state-of-the-art vessel? Under the command of a warrior-Captain? Oh, the stories she and Niki would be able to tell when they returned to the Flotilla! Fighting the Geth, hacking and captaining a ship, serving with a SPECTRE, even meeting Lady Varis!
Shrapnel be damned.
Best… Pilgrimage… ever!
Rebecca 'Newt' Jorden shared a bed with not one but two people.
The MedBay of the SSV Normandy looked like something right out of the movies; everything was cleaned and polished, and looked dopes awesome! There were several monitor stations for computing needs, and Newt saw quite a few medical apparatuses that she had no idea what they did or what they were for except for patient care. Oh, she knew that the MedBay wasn't like some Doctor's Office where some old man or woman stuck some flat stick on her tongue and made her say 'ahhhh' while tapping her knee with some funny rubber hammer. No, this was the MedBay for heroes; everything in here was to help fix the hurts and injuries of TEAM LION! There was Doctor (sometimes Commander) Chakwas, an older lady with a nice posh accent that immediately had Newt smile at her voice; she sounded like that one teacher from her Harry Potter movies, Professor Minerva McGonagall. It was voice that made everything alright.
Next to Newt was Ashley and Liara, the blue Asari fretting over both of them in a nice manner. Doctor Liara was combing through Newt's hair with her blue fingers, saying how she did enjoy the feel of Human hair (that made Newt wonder what an Asari's headcrest thing felt like!) while talking to Ashley, while Ashley and Newt were engaged in an intense game of Slaps. The young girl knew what both she were Liara were doing without having being told; Ashley had gone through something bad, and they were trying to make up for it by being there for her. Like how Ashley had been there for her when the monsters had come. Now it was Newt's turn to return the favor as best she could, seeing in the Soldier's face, the grief that was around the edges, the things without words. Ashley put her hands on top of Newt's as the young girl pretended to concentrate while sticking her tongue out and corkscrewing her eyes before trying to swat the back of the older woman's left hand with her right. The Soldier snatched her hand back in time with a lopsided smile.
"Geez, I remember playing this game with my sisters. All three of them." Ashley said as she placed her hands back on Newts'. Newt thought about Timmy, an ache forming in her heart. They had forever been fighting and arguing over something constantly, Timmy never listening whenever Newt tried to keep him out of trouble or just plain ignoring her. Her last real memory of her eleven-year old brother was back in The Building, when Mom had been trying to soothe them while Dad had gone down into the depths to find a way out. The young girl remember hugging her Dad before he left, begging him not to go. She remembered her Mom tucking her into her make-shift bed, promising everything would be alright. Timmy? Timmy had been a brat, pushing her and nudging her with her feet where they laid upon the same shared bed, keeping her awake with his antics. He had irritated her badly enough that Newt stormed out of their little family room to get away from her older brother, claiming that she hated him.
Her last words to her brother.
Newt's eyes burned as she felt her cheeks grow wet. She tried remembering the last time her brother had given her a hug, or told her that he loved her. It certainly hadn't been in The Building, where Timmy had been practically bouncing off the walls, frustrated with the forced confinement (her Dad's words). She couldn't even remember anything from before then either, in their assigned quarters while Dad worked his job at the Hydroponics Lab and Mom as a Colonial Administrator. Timmy had hated Feros at the same time he wandered off to go exploring, sneaking off in the ducts where only maintenance was allowed, running off from the group of kids only to disrupt something and get into trouble, never listening to anyone at all. He… he hadn't been like that back on Benning. The Company (what Dad called them) had been paying 'twice as much' for people in his job (Hydroponics Technician) and even Mom had been thrilled at the idea of being able to do her job with a substantial pay raise. They had moved to Feros several months prior, and Newt had quickly made some friends around her age days of their arrival, Linda, Becky, and Samiah bringing her into their little group and latching on. Timmy's first several days had him coming to their family's assigned quarters with split lips, a bruised face, and reddened knuckles. Except that Timmy wasn't getting bullied, not even in his own words. He was getting into fights with other kids because he resented moving to Benning and had wanted everyone to know it.
Newt tried to think hard on a memory of Benning, something where she could remember Timmy being happy. All she could really remember was him being away from home most of the time and getting into trouble. Small stuff, but it was all she could recall. She couldn't hold it back as Ashley snuggled her as she cried, weeping for her brother. She loved Mom and Dad, and had been able to let them know that before the Bad Things happened. But she couldn't remember one good thing about her brother. He hadn't been a bad person, just… difficult. But she couldn't think of anything at all. The grief hit her so bad as Newt sobbed, finding herself telling Ashley and Liara as both of them held her and listened to her, Ashley and her arms around her to comfort her, Liara with a caring hand on her shoulder. It isn't fair, any of it! Newt had her head leaning against Ashley's chest as she cried. Not what happened to my family! Not what happened to those people! Not what happened to Ashley or Sam or Sara! Why did this all happen to us?
It hit her hard, everything had happened in the past week or so, and the young girl sobbed into Ashley's chest as the Soldier held her and comforted her, her thin arms wrapping around the older woman's waist as she clutched at her. She missed her family, she missed her friends, but they were all gone. I'm the last one left, Newt knew, and until now she had no idea what that meant.
"You're not alone, little one." Ashley said to her, kissing the top of her head, her words soft but kind. "I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you."
"P-promise?" Newt sniffled a little, looking up to the soldier.
"Promise." Ashley smiled as Newt hugged her again, the pain going away a little as she held on, feeling the comfort that was given to her by a pair of Human hands and Asarikin hands as Liara held her from behind, pressing her blue cheek against the top of Newt's head. There was pain, but it was being held back. It was enough.
None of them noticed the smile that Sara Ryder had on her face as she discretely Chirped something on her OmniTool.
Corporal Jeanette Maria Sanchez Vasquez found herself entering into the Ready Room of Captain Jane Shepard, her dark eyes trying to absorb everything that was inside. The pinche room was like… an ode of several hundred years of Navy tradition as the Marine Gunner found her jaw dropped slightly at the sight of artifacts and memorabilia displayed throughout the room, everything from an actual underwater Diving Suit to what appeared to be a hand-crafted and probably very accurate model of a wooden sailing ship that wasn't that small… with the name of the vessel HMS Victory on the side of it. This was… damn, to think my room had pics of cholo rappers and thugs, Jeanette thought to herself. This was obviously a collection of someone who was proud of who and what they were, and certainly classier than a bunch of light-posters of muscled Latino men covered in gang and prison holo-ink. She felt like an intruder until she heard a woman clear her throat to remind Vas why she was there when she turned to the deck that was to her right and immediately saluted the redheaded woman sitting behind it.
"Have a seat, Adios." Captain Jane Shepard gestured to the chair that was in front of the the desk, which Vasquez took after finishing the salute. She was surprised to see the Captain pull out two glasses and a bottle of Whiskey from inside her desk. Damn. Well, it's been some tough days, and I think everyone could use a drink or three, the Latino woman thought to herself as she found herself accepting the glass from the Captain and tried mimicking how much Shepard drank instead of swilling it all in one go. This isn't bottom shelf mierde, Jeanette realized, feeling how smooth it was. So that's what sipping whiskey means. "I brought you here for a couple of reasons, none of the bad. First, I've sent to BuPers my recommendation for a Bronze Star with Valor Device for you for your actions in the ExoGeni Headquarters and the fight against the Thorian. Lieutenant Vega said you were spot-on, and you were that and more. I can count at least three separate occasions that you were a deciding factor, and you really are an artist with that Marshal. I've served with the Teams for over five years, and I can honestly say I've never seen anyone handle a machine gun better. Which brings me to my second point, Corporal.
"I would like to you to join TEAM LION permanently."
Vasquez felt her jaw drop at that.
"You serious, ma'am?" Jeanette had no illusions as to what she was; just a jumped-up street thug in a Marine Corps uniform. She joined to get away from Old LA, from the violence and crime of the barrios. She knew that if she had stayed, she'd be in prison or dead by now, some worthless trash hocking drugs, boosting aircars, or boosting herself. She didn't take schooling seriously, had several minor black marks to her name from petty shit, and spent a couple years running around with a crew called the Decimas Rojas de la Calle doing some pretty stupid shit. Muggings, beatdowns, armed robbery… that had all changed when she held her best friend in her arms, Mark Drake having been shot in a tussle between the Reds and another crew. Mark had been all of seventeen-years old, a boy trying to be a man, but ended up dying in the gutter. Jean hadn't wanted to ended up like that, or some booze whore or corner-walker with a monkey on her back. Joining the Corps had been her escape plan, and it had worked. Her recruiter, some burly Latino Sergeant name Arias, had gotten the waivers and whatnot to gloss over her record and gotten her into the next shuttle to Marine Boot in Pendleton in record time, his old ink telling its own story; he had once been like her.
The Marine Corps had changed her life.
Oh, she struggled with it at first. Boot was hell, and the first time some Drill got into her face and screamed at her over some petty mierde, she flat-out decked his ass to the ground unconscious. Ten minutes later, she was in the CO's Office looking at time in a brig. Her first chance at getting away clean and she had fucked it up. She had burst into tears when the Marine Captain had told her what she was facing, spitting out everything she had tried to escape, but the barrio was still in her, not letting go. She must have said something close to being right because the same Drill she knocked out had given her an offer; she'd serve an off-the-books punishment that wouldn't be put in her military jacket, and during that time they would help her become something better than just a kid coming off of the streets. Four months of extra duty swabbing floors and cleaning toilets was miserable hell, but that was only one half of it. The other half was working in a real Marine Corps company, not a training one, seeing Marines call each other brother without care of color or street. It had been… shocking, so different from the life she had known. Tough hombres who had each others' backs, just like the street, but for something more than a few blocks of territory to pan out Sand or Grease. She didn't have to fuck everyone to get into a crew or fuck every new member. They were more concerned with her doing her job right than the fact she had a pinocha or a set of tetas. She struggled with the discipline of it, but there were Marines who had come off the street just like her that had taken her under their wing, had taught her the difference.
Four months later, she entered back into Boot under that same DI, and the first time he got into her face and screamed at her, she took it like a champ. She knew without DI Briggs saying it that he was proud of her, that she had kept up her end of the bargain. He had been the first person to stand up for her not because they were friends or in the same crew or whatever. No, he had done it because it was what she wanted, what she needed, but just didn't know how. Thirteen-weeks later, when she graduated Eagle and Globe, it had been DI Briggs that pinned it to her uniform. It had been the proudest day of her life.
Now the Lion was asking her to do something that was well above-and-beyond anything she could ever expect to be a part of.
Vasquez honestly had been surprised when Lieutenant Vega had pushed for her to join TEAM LION back on Feros. Yes, she was in fact the best gunner in the entire Battalion, but she didn't think she was necessarily good enough to hang swag with an N7 (who just so happened to be a Council Agent, to boot) and her hand-picked team of dedicated killers. She had seen them fight against the Geth on the Frisbee, pulling out so many different weapons systems and tech that it absolutely boggled her. There was like six different species fighting on the Lions' side, and many of them were experts in their field. She was good with a gun, yes, but that was it.
"No offense, ma'am, but… really?"
"Really." Shepard took another sip of her own whiskey. "When we were hip-deep in Geth territory inside a fifty-thousand year old building that was falling to pieces, you never once faltered or bitched. You're eyes were always moving, you were calm and cool on the trigger, and you didn't give into rash impulses or silly notions. You used cover, you worked well with a team you had no experience with, you had no issues with the various members, and you stayed on target the entire time. That's something I'd expect out of someone with more than two years in the Corps; usually five or six. Your ERB states that you're twenty. You've got some maturity to you if you can face something like what we had without going off the fringe, especially when we're wading neck-deep in the unexpected. I'm not asking you because I need a seat-filler. What I need is someone that is spot-on, someone that can keep their eyes open without flinching. We've… we've been facing some rather radical shit, and having someone who isn't flipping their shit every five minutes is certainly a boon. That kind of thing can wear a unit out. And I need the best." It went unspoken what that last sentence meant; the Lion thought she was amongst them.
"Alright, la Capitan, I'll do it." Jeanette polished her whiskey in one go, setting the glass on the desk before taking the Lion's hand and shaking it. Vasquez had a pretty damn good idea why the Captain was asking instead of just doing paperwork and shuffling her around Needs of the Navy and all.
"When you get a chance, we got better armor and weapons, as well as materials and the means to make improvements as you see fit. Sergeant Williams is the Armory Officer, and she might have so ideas if you want to beef up that Marshal of yours." There was a lop-sided smile on the redhead's face as Vasquez made to leave before the Lion interrupted her before heading out. "And Adios? If you got things that need addressing or family back home? I'd get to it." Jeanette took one look at the Captain and nodded her head once, knowing what Humanity's First SPECTRE was implying.
There might not be another chance.
[Encryption Protocol Established… Handshake Successful… Communication Uplink In-Progress… Connecting…]
Captain Jane Shepard stood in the middle of the Communication Network Room, a Faraday Cage location in which a singular hardline was connected to on of the strongest and most encrypted communication devices the Systems Alliance had ever conceived, meant for a vessel that was depending on stealth insertions deep in enemy territory without a signal being detected or their frequencies hacked into. There was another additional layer of security thanks to her status as a Council Agent, a protocol from the Office of Special Tactics that had been inserted that thickened the firewalls and scrambled the cryptokey even further in a mutating quantum algorithm to further secure communications. Especially when one was getting a call from the Council of Law. Said persons came to be in the display of the Augmented Reality Display SMARTglass, three holographic images in color and with depth to their appearance. Jannie immediately went to the position of attention and saluted, knowing that a species' acknowledgment was considered acceptable, regardless of the different kinds of salutes that there were in the galaxy.
The Level Three Council Agent had sent her report of the events of Feros over an hour ago. The Normandy had gotten the message for her to contact the Council. Heaven alone knew what the conversation was going to end up being like considering she just glassed a portion of a planet to kill a fifty-thousand year old mistake.
"Captain." Councilor Sparatus Quinlinus nodded his robe head to her in acknowledgment, his fringe covered to mask the few missing fringe-quills that Detective Garrus Vakarian had told her some time ago were missing from an action some fifty years prior. Like Vakarian, Quinlinus was a former member of the Blackwatch, a ExOrD Combat Engineer. "We have received your reports on the events on Feros. What caught our interest is that you suspect that the entity you encountered below the planets' surface was, in fact, a Thoi'han?" Jannie easily noted that the other two Councilors, Tevos T'essus and Valern Namnor, were equally as attentive.
"This conclusion is based upon references given to me by the four members of my team who are Academy Alumni." Shepard began, standing at parade rest. "They mention some class that teaches about ancient horrors, and that the Thorian was one of them. It certainly matched many of the hallmarks that they told me."
"That is… most interesting news." Councilor Valern Namnor said quietly, seemingly lost in thought. "There were records of the Prothean purge of the species long ago, but data had suggested that they did not feel the job complete. The warnings that we found pertaining of the Thoi'han were… most elaborate." Jannie suspected that there was a good deal she wasn't being told. Why would someone teach a class to some of the most brilliant young minds in the galaxy over a possibly extinct race? The Thorian under Feros had thought itself the last, having been taken and captured as some sort of pet for the Protheans to fondle their ego to, but who was to say others weren't captured for science, study, or military purposes? Shepard knew better than to ask, but she assumed that one of those monstrosities had been encountered in the past before, probably causing a great deal of damage. For all she know, it had started off for the same reasons that ExoGeni had been doing it for; getting an edge over its competition and money.
"My Alumni were quite eloquent about the threat, and I didn't disagree. The Thorian depopulated an entire colony and a Battalion of Human Marines with everyone none-the-wiser." Jannie replied, looking at Valern, as he was the last one to speak. "I guess they were warned of the threat, and to take measures that would likely conclude to area sanitation. I feared biological contamination or some sort of quarantine violation, and performed an orbital bombardment of the site until I cracked the crust. There's now a new volcano where it once stood."
"Are you aware of how it initially survived?" That was Councilor Tevos T'essus.
"My conclusion is that the Protheans got greedy or stupid." Shepard replied immediately, going for what she believed to be the truth. "The Protheans were adamant about eradicating the race, but somewhere near the end of their campaign I guess someone thought it would be a swell idea to have a trophy or a new addition to the zoo." Those were the 'nice' possible scenarios. Jannie was beginning to suspect otherwise now that she wasn't in combat. "The creature was in some sort of scooped-out cavern, too nice to be natural. It had its own biome and vegetation, as well as the colonists and Marines from the surface. Once we understood the threat that the Thorian presented, I had my team eradicate the creature, and then we eliminated the possibility of any hope of its survival, big or small, by drowning the area in lava and explosions. I won't be making the same mistake as the Protheans."
"To that, you have our approval." The Asari Councilor intoned, though it was hard to tell if she were pleased or if it was just words to some lackey or thug to let them know that they weren't in trouble. Jannie wasn't exactly impressed with the Council members, more dithering over politics and ramifications. Oh, she understood the basic concept of their job, but arguing over every little point and waiting for more information to come it didn't solve everything… or anything. Typical politicians. "We shall have the Office of Special Tactics forward you any further updates as necessary. Citadel out." Two of the three figures faded away.
The Turian Councilor remained.
"Your request for a private meeting surprised me, Captain." Councilor Quinlinus said, his holographic image still present. "I assume that this has something to do with ExoGeni, Feros, or the Thoi'han."
"All three." Shepard replied. "ExoGeni knew of the Thorian for a few to as many as several years, discovering it before the colony was created. I have no idea of the true extent, though I did capture a good deal of their files from their Headquarters on Feros, but no one is stupid enough to leave all the incriminating evidence in one location, especially right near the scene of the crime. I forwarded this information to the Office of Special Tactics, not the Systems Alliance. I have evidence and collaboration that a few members of my government were in the know about this, though the depths of their knowledge and their true involvement I don't know for certain. But it sounds like someone or someones in ExoGeni were feeding people piecemeal to the Thorian for ancient knowledge, likely technological of some kind. Without having a stock portfolio in front of me, I think I remember hearing about ExoGeni's good run of profitable quarters for the past several years. Feros certainly wasn't a money-maker, and many colonies take time to turn into profits. There were most certainly collaborators on the inside and the outside of ExoGeni.
"Which brings me up to the point of this meeting, Councilor; did yourselves or the Office of Special Tactics know of this creatures' existence prior to my report?"
The Turian looked at her for a long period of time without saying a word, but his stare was certainly baneful.
"The reason why I ask," Jannie continued, "is that the Geth were there. They thrashed a Human Fleet to get to Feros. While I have no physical evidence that Saren himself was there, I know he had to have been. I found the body of a possible confederate in the same cavern as the Thorian, one Shaila Janessa, a Huntress Guard of House T'soni; one of Lady Benezia T'soni's people. So either Saren was there, or someone he trusted. Right in the same location as the Thorian. He went to Eden Prime for a Prothean Beacon that was kept under wraps, though I don't' know what level of confidence or collaboration was kept on your end, if other SPECTREs knew or what the normal need-to-know was. He sent thugs to capture a Protheantologist that has had zero contact with her family for twenty-five years, but he knew exactly where to find her. Now he visits a fifty-thousand year old plant that was being kept under wraps by the corporation that found it and those they were bribing. I had to rip out the information from a heavily-encrypted databank that wasn't connected to any ExtraNet. Yet Saren knew and actioned upon it somewhere between three to seven days ago, convincing or ordering the Geth to send a hundred and twenty vessels to wipe out a twenty-seven vessel fleet. They even had reinforcements. Either he stumbled upon the information somehow, the Geth magically hacked the intel while looking up 'weirdest things we can find'… or he had to have known before Eden Prime. Councilor, this does not add up."
Quinlinus still looked at her, but it was no longer a stare. It had cooled down considerably.
"Captain… Jane." That was certainly a first. Her biggest detractor on the Council calling her by her first name? They certainly weren't on a first-name basis. "I now understand the seriousness of the question. We were unaware of the existence of the Thoi'han, both this office and that of the Office of Special Tactics. You are passionate about the protection of your race, and that I respect. I can see how you can reach the conclusion how it might have been on the Citadel that Saren discovered the Thorian through classified materials not made readily available to even trusted Agents. But I assure you that I had no idea of the Thoi'han's existence upon Feros, and how Arterius was able to glean of its survival from the Prothean Era is unknown as well. I must admit I am surprised that you forwarded the information from ExoGeni's involvement to the Office of Special Tactics. I… would not have guessed that from you, or even most Agents."
"Sending Marshals might tip some of them off, and then there's the whole issue that those men would cry long and hard about having a fair trial while hiring the most expensive lawyers to finagle their way out of their just desserts while Humanity would be getting a massive DLC on some of those threats you yourself said we weren't ready for. A Council Agent or three would be more discrete… and more final." There was no mistaking her tone on her thoughts towards this. ExoGeni had fucked up, and fucked up hard. Even if they had not known of the true dangers of the Thorian at first, they had certainly acted in a cautious manner enough to suggest that they had tripped over the possibility that the creature could and would gain control in a manner that had happen thanks to Saren Arterius and his Geth. Every death on Hadley's Hope and with Fourth Fleet she laid upon the boardroom table of the Board of Directors of ExoGeni, every one of their names confessed by Ethan Jeong. While it had been Saren to unleash the Thorian upon the unsuspecting populous above, it was because of ExoGeni's cute little science project that it existed in the first place. If they had burned down that damn plant once they realized the dangers, Fourth Fleet and Feros would have never lost a soul.
"I believe I have the perfect Agent in mind." Sparatus nodded once. "Thank you for trusting me with your concerns, Captain. I will see to it that they are addressed. May the light of your stars guide you." The holographic image faded as Jannie watched the ARD SMARTGlass returned to translucency, pondering all that she had heard. After a moment, she typed in the protocol and a communication address she had received a couple of hours prior along with a message for the address's owner. Shepard waited a few moments before the call connected and the Communication Network Room's VI indicated that the handshake for encryption was successful when she saw a holographic digital representation of whom she called appear on the Augmented Reality Display in front of her.
"Ah, Shepard. Good to see you, sister."
"Agent Rix." Jannie nodded her head and smiled at the half-image of Level Three Council Agent Avitus Rix, only his head and upper torso visible through whatever he was using to communicate through. It might have even been his OmniTool. "I take it you got my earlier message?"
"I did. I'm glad you came forward with your concerns." The Turian SPECTRE said. "I wish I could say they were unfounded, but some of the questions you brought up were quite… disturbing. I know of the ancient horrors, but not each individual species or what they can do. How Saren came to learn of one on Feros while exiled from the Citadel and supposedly unable to gain access and intelligence makes little since unless he knew of it before Eden Prime…"
"…or someone clued him in on it's location." Jannie finished the sentence, getting the Council Agent to nod his head in reply. "Believe me, I am fucking pissed at ExoGeni; enough to turn this Frigate around and gun right for their galactic headquarters. But then the truth would come out, and I don't think my Parliament and species need to know that the Citadel or the Council are purposefully hiding knowledge of threats such as the Thorian or some of the others I'm coming to learn about. God… Sara's the only one of my entire race that knows anything." Jannie had gotten the low-and-dirty on the thirteen ancient horrors, of which she had only known two of prior to Feros; the Rachni and the Metacons. Hell, she only knew of the Metacons from Sara! If the Systems Alliance got wind that such threats likely existed (why teach a class on a boogieman that didn't exist?) and the Council had kept them unaware? There would be political hell to pay. No one needed that right now, not in a time of war when relationships were already… strained. Jannie would clue in a few people to keep eyes and ears open; Poppa Bear, Uncle Steven, Uncle Royce and Aunt Val. But the last thing her mission needed was some brainless politician trying to score political points mouthing off and making a terrible situation even worse. "Which brings me to two points I'd like to bring up to you. Both are at apocalyptic-shit-hit-the-fan levels of stupidity."
"Humans and your foul language sayings." Avitus chucked with some amusement. "If it isn't excrement and profanity, it's mating jokes. What do you have for me, and I'll see what I can do."
"First, I'm pretty Goddamn certain that the Thorian I just threw into a volcano isn't the only one." Shepard began. "Just got done talking to the Council, and not one of them were arguing about their possible existence. Something Valern said about the details of their existence from the Protheans were elaborate, but I have a fully bona fide Protheantologist who has never encountered any mention of the Thoi'han in her quest in discovering what made the Protheans extinct. Said the Protheans didn't feel that they accomplished the job, and I guess we read it on some wall-scrawl somewhere. Easiest way to look at that is that the Council is lying."
"Keeping in confidence the true nature of a threat from the public is nothing new, but I think I see what you mean." The Turian mused. "It does seem odd that a school that is valued for its education would teach a class about supposedly extinct species gone for fifty millennium. To find even just a singular representative would be considered an archaeologist's dream, not a call to war. You think we've encountered such things before?"
"It would make history of the Rachni Wars more sensible." Having gone to the Systems Alliance Military Academy, Jannie, along with other Cadets, had studied military history. One assignment she had done was, in fact, the first century of the Rachni Wars. There had been a surprisingly great deal of gaps and questions about the start of the Wars. Opening a Relay and somehow magically a species of space-faring incests began pouring out and attacking everything? It never added up. That the initial First Contact had been lost was understandable, but supposedly the Rachni were Mass Relay-capable before the Salarians stumbled over them. The species from Sen had never opened the Relay for whatever reason, even though they had possessed the ability to do so. That… said things. Like fear of traveling into the unknown, what was taught now in reference to unmapped Relays. Had the Rachni stumbled onto something else… or did they know something terrible was out there to begin with and were avoiding it? It would have that first assault on the Salarians' expedition make a lot more sense if they were defending instead of attacking. "Not once did the Council ask what the Thorian could do, what it did, any of its possible abilities or tasks. Not one First Contact Protocol question whatsoever. They weren't even perturbed that I vaporized a creature that was a quarter of a million years old and what might have been the last of its kind. Not once did the word 'genocide' come up.
"I think there's another one. Just like on Feros."
"That makes a disturbing deal of sense." Rix did not sound pleased at all. "I have no idea how Saren could have come to this information unless it was given to him. The two most likely avenues would be the Geth and someone on the Citadel. But that last point would mean that they would have known about the Thorian on Feros. Perhaps… a deal was made between some element on the Citadel and your ExoGeni Corporation? Exchanges for information and technology to aid in the cover-up as well as finances?"
"It's been done before, so it wouldn't even surprise me if that turned out to be the case." Avitus hit upon what Jannie already assumed; the Citadel had to have known. Between all of the intelligence agencies and bureaus in the galaxy, data being sent on the ExtraNet, some drunk at a bar trying to impress someone… there was no way something like this could have been going on for years without anyone knowing. Shepard wondered if a Council Agent had been sent to broker a deal; that would be a great deal more clandestine than sending a diplomat. It would explain a lot.
If that Agent had been Saren Arterius, it would practically explain everything, all wrapped up with a bow.
"Which brings me to my second point, the one you're going to like even less, Avitus." Shepard continued, taking a deep breath. Being an N, she was use to having intel from several locations brought together to make a big picture out of separate puzzle pieces. Having been out of the loop since the Normandy's departure from the Citadel on route to the ACV Horizon eight days prior, she had caught up on some correspondences and other tidbits, mostly from Rear Admiral (Lower Half) David Anderson, her Poppa Bear keeping some of the better news stories about her accomplishments and sending them to her. Being the Commodore to the acknowledged most lethal vessel in the galaxy had certainly tickled her, but something had caught Poppa Bear's eye, and he had forward it to her. She saw the same thing, too, something that had made her blood run cold. She had checked the fact that Poppa Bear had sent her, and what they had both discovered was quite disturbing.
"Avitus, I think some or all of the Council may be in league with Saren's plan."
Fine: ARC VIII, The Master Of Puppets
END PRIORITY MISSION: Feros
ARC IX: Being Human
Dock 15-B, Lower Hub, Arcturus Station, Arcturus System, Arcturus Stream, June 14, 2183
The SSV Normandy was docked with the Arc for a quick layover; a disembarking of passengers. A supplies and physical reports were being handed off to by appropriate personnel aboard the Human Station that served as the Gateway into Sol as well as a dozen other colonies throughout Earth Alliance Space, two items in note being escorted by a squad of Systems Alliance Marines; Multi-Fusion Objective Acquisition Battery Missiles. Food stores were being replenished as quartermasters and Bosun's Mates accounted four and hauled up the deployment ramp onto the Cargo Deck something that had most Sailor's mouth water at the though off during a deployment; fresh food and booze, colloquy known as Class Six in the military. There were also a few personnel changes being done as well; Ensign Nov alee 'Nova' Reid was getting her Permanent Change of Station Orders for the Normandy (a bit of finagler done by its Captain), the Captain herself receiving a much needed Yeoman to help collate and help make manageable they great deal of data work that came with being a Captain of the Systems Alliance Navy as well as Humanity's First SPECTRE, and two more Engineers to keep up with the ever-increasing demands that the Stealth Frigate faced in its mission to hunt down a Rogue Agent. All this occurred under the watchful eye of Frontier Marshal Teresa 'Tequila' Aquila, who was actually standing Watch while 'ashore' at a space station, everything happening under the watchful eye of the former Marshal of Feros.
She watched as 2nd Lieutenant James Vega disembarked the Normandy with Captain Jane Shepard at his side, the beefy Latino Marine doing an about face to salute the Captain and shook her hand before he turned around and headed deeper into the Arc. World's worth of weight on that one's shoulders, Teresa thought to herself as she watched Vega head towards the Docks, where one could see the main strip of cafeterias, eateries, shoppes, stores… and of course Starbuck's. One had almost been installed in the Hadley's Hope Bar (and grill), and Aquila tried to picture some cute female Batista working as a bartender too, or vice versa.
"You sure, Marse?"
Tequila looked to Captain Shepard, the redhead standing a polite meter away. She knew what the N7 was referring to; Jane had offered her a spot on the Normandy.
"I am." The Marshal replied, taking a deep breath. "Back on Feros, when you wanted to evict the Geth out of the ExoGeni Headquarters and find out why they were on the colony, I thought me and my boys were tough enough to hang out in the big leagues." It wasn't the fact that two of them had died while serving alongside TEAM LION that had proved her wrong. There were a good deal of points that had Teresa realize that she was nowhere near cutting the mustard. "This is Earth Space Series shit, Captain, and I'm at best Triple-A. It's one thing for me to make a decision that sends me home in a pine box; that I'm okay with. But I'm not going to put on Aires thinking I'm good enough and endangering your crew. I'm a cop and a damn good one. You need something more than a damn good cop. Detective Vakarian and Marse Collins are the kind that you need, and I'm nowhere near like that."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Tequila, but I respect your honesty, insight, and decision." Jane offered a hand, and Aquila shook it. "Anything chincey happens out there in the black, don't be afraid to give out a holler. Geth are too damn good at being where they aren't wanted, and the rest of us scrambling." Yeah, Teresa had heard some of the stories on the flight back from Feros to the Arc, Sailors talking and all. "Marshal Services going to toss you onto another colony?"
"Actually, they're talking about setting me up as a Federal Marshal." That had the redhead nod. Frontier Marshals oversaw the law and protected the colonists of their proscribed posts. Federal Marshals were the true bloodhounds of the Systems Alliance Marshal Services, able to enforce the law anywhere a Human lived, worked, or prayed. "But firsts' things first; I've got two of my own that I need to see to. Pay my last respects and make sure they get home right and proper." There had been an End of Watch ceremony on the Normandy for the loses on Feros, and Captain Shepard had called out the names of all four of her lost Deputies as well as that of Lance Corporal Oblong Ubantu and the members of the Fourth Marine Expeditionary Unit. Tequila and her remaining two Deputies had been touched at the ceremony, seeing their own honored as heroes by the ever-growing legends of the crew of the SSV Normandy and TEAM LION. Teresa would have done anything to have her Deputies alive, but she knew that they would have been proud to have known that they would have been recognized by such an elite unit. They had done the Marshal Services, Feros, and the Alliance proud with their duty and sacrifice, and now Marshal Aquila would make sure that they were laid to rest properly, as any cop should. "Where to next for you, Captain?"
"The Cit. Some things that need to be looked into and addressed." The way Jane said it had Tequila pretty sure that whoever was on the other side of that equation wasn't going to like the scrutiny. Nor likely live much longer beyond it. "I've got a friend who's going to look into ExoGeni in a way I can only describe as disturbing and get rid of the rot. I forwarded your name in case he needs a consult or an extra pair of hands cleaning out the trash. So if you get a strange call from an unknown user, don't just discount it." The Marshal's heart skipped a beat at the implication of that; the Lion had sent a SPECTRE to get to the bottom of the debacle pertaining to Feros. Well… hot damn. Guess no one was going to weasel their way out of a very short, very bloody trial.
"If they holler, I'll come running. Captain." Teresa touched the brim of her Stetson as she tipped her head the redhead's way. "Do me a favor and look out for Sam for me, would you?"
"Of course, Marse. Good luck and good hunting."
Author's Note: As of 10/23/18, this story has hit the hallmark of 20,000 reads in 7.5 months. I also hit a hundred reviews with Master Of Puppets, IV. Not trying to beat my own drum, but I am pleased. Thanks to everyone who reads, rates, reviews, and rants, you certainly help this story along.
Feros. I know I promised a different sort of Mass Effect (it's right in the story summery), but I think between what happened on the Horizon, and even with the Battle of LaGrange Point Two, you were probably expecting Feros to go somewhat in the direction that it did in the game. But in reality, occupations are generally very horrifying, only a few examples existing in history where an occupying force doesn't decimate the native population. In fact, the First Crusaders put everyone to the sword when they overthrew Jerusalem on July 15, 1099. EVERYONE. But you probably didn't expect me to chalk up a loss, did you?
'Repeat' in the Military - The word 'REPEAT' is 99% never used in radio transmission in the military (you do not say 'repeat your last transmission', but 'say again last transmission') except for one instance only; fire missions. To 'REPEAT' is to drop rounds at previous location once more, essentially bombarding something for a second (or third) time. I don't know when this came to be or why the military (or at least Army Basic) was so persistent on it, so I assume that at some point in time in WWI or WWII, this SNAFU came up and probably did something bad, so the radio protocol was created (AR 24-18/19 involves Radio Etiquette in the Army if I remember correctly). BTW, saying 'Repeat' means one does not have to describe the mission again (ie. Jannie wouldn't have to say fire-for-effect; REPEAT would cover that).
Decimas Rojas de la Calle is probably a really butchered translation of 'Tenth Street Reds'. This would make Adios the Earth-born background, having been born in Old LA and being a part of a gang.
Jeanette Vasquez is, in fact, the Earth-Born Shepard of this story. This has been the plan from the start of The Siege Of Hadley's Hope mostly because of Jeanette Goldstein's portrayal of PFC Vasquez in the movie Aliens. The Vasquez character was (and in many ways, still is) quite unique for a female character; most females in Sci-Fi, Action, Horror, or other movies are generally damsels. The few that are actual 'heroes' are general second-fiddles until about ten to fifteen years ago, when female-led action stars have become increasingly more popular. It is interesting to note that Goldstein's portrayal of Vasquez, a female Marine heavy Gunner, was for quite a long time a source of inspiration for female actresses who wanted action parts (such as Michelle Rodriquez, who has cited just this).
SMARTglass - Something I was to use in A Fox Amongst The Wolves, primarily the interrogation room's two-way mirror. This would be similar to the OLED, but an actual thin piece of electronic plastic that one could get displays, images, and information on. You see this concept in Sci-Fi with clear panes of glass with HUD that aren't projected onto the glass, but instead displayed upon it. Tony Stark's sunglasses in Avengers: Infinity War would be a good example of SMARTglass.
The conversation with the Council and Avitus Rix was to cover just how Saren was suppose to know of the Thorian on Feros, which was never explained. It was obviously kept hidden/classified by ExoGeni, so how did Saren know of it? Here I introduce the thought that perhaps the Cit did, in fact, know.
And… what the hell are you doing, Jersey? The Council possibly collaborating with Saren? Well… the game did leave up the entirety of the Geth was in Mass Effect up to Shepard and Co., making it a Human problem. Even the Salarian Team had been dispatched to 'observe', not necessarily 'investigate'.