Chapter Three – Tuchanka
"Is there anything I should know?"
The Yeoman nodded to her CO. "You have unread messages at your private terminal. Operative Lawson would like to see at her station on the crew deck. Operative Taylor would like to see you over in the armory. Jack would like to see you down in her hidey-hole on the engineering deck. Grunt seems very anxious, pacing down in the cargo hold. You might want to check on him. Anything else, Commander?"
"That'll be all."
"I'll be here if you need anything."
Shepard turned and headed into the elevator. Time to deal with personal missions.
Miranda:
Shepard walked into Miranda's office and her XO looked up from her work.
"Shepard, I find myself in the unpleasant position of asking for your help." The ice queen said, cupping her hands. "I don't like discussing personal matters… but this is important."
"Miranda, you're one of my crew." Shepard responded softly. "Tell me what's on your mind."
"My father was extremely wealthy. He wanted the ideal daughter, and he paid a great deal to genetically tailor me. When I learned that my father was more interested in controlling a dynasty than raising a daughter, I left."
"How did your father take that?"
"He was less than pleased. Several of his security guards were injured in the process. He knows not to come after me. But this isn't about me…" she said as she stood up and walked over to Shepard. "I have a sister. A twin. And he's still hunting her. Cerberus has kept her safe. Until now. She's living a normal life on Illium, safe and hidden from my father."
"So you think your father has tracked her down."
"Precisely, Commander. My sources indicate he knows she's on Illium. I've tried to keep her hidden without impacting her life, but I'm out of options." The commander folded her arms. "He's too close. I need to relocate my sister's family before it's too late."
"What do you need me to do?"
"My father is extremely persistent. I'd like to go to Illium while Cerberus is moving the family to make sure none of his agents get too close. My contact's name is Lanteia. She'll be waiting for us in the lounge near the Nos Astra docking bay." The Cerberus operative went back to her chair.
Jack:
The moment Shepard approached Jack she jumped up and started pacing like she was crazy. Crazier. Surprisingly, Star wasn't down there to witness it.
"I got thoughts like little bugs crawling in and out of my head. I can't stop them." The biotic said, holding her head. She stormed past Shepard and sat on the staircase.
"You know I have a history with Cerberus. You know how far back it goes?" she asked as the commander walked up to her.
"We've got work to do. Get to the point." Came the reply.
"I work for you, and you work for Cerberus. They're in my face all the time. This is gonna make me crazy. Crazier." Jack braced her hands against her thighs. "Your pal, the Illusive Man? Never seen him before, but Cerberus raised me. First thing I remember is my cell door in a Cerberus base. They did experiments. Drugged me. Tortured me. Whatever chance I had to be normal, they stole it by trying to turn me into some super-biotic. The doctors… the other kids… Every one of them hated me. They let me suffer."
"You're absolutely certain that Cerberus was running the facility?" the marine stood with her hands behind her.
"I was a kid, but I wasn't dumb. I know how to listen. It was Cerberus. Don't care how far down the chain it was. They thought they were so clever. Turns out, mess with someone's head enough and you can turn a scared kid into an all-powerful bitch. Fucking idiots."
"I'm going to talk to the Illusive Man, and he'd better have some answers."
"He'll just deny everything. That's not what I'm after anyway. I found the coordinates in your files. I want to go to the Teltin facility on Pragia, where they tortured and drugged me." The convict stood up. "I want to go to the center of the place, my cell. I want to deploy a big fucking bomb. And I want to watch from orbit when it goes."
"I'll set a course for Pragia."
"I owe you, Shepard." Jack said, walking back to her cot.
Grunt:
Just like Jack, the moment Shepard walked into Port Cargo, the krogan started pacing around the room.
"Chambers said you're tearing up the place. Something wrong?"
"Something… is wrong, Shepard. I feel wrong. I just want to kill something. With my hands." The tank-bred stormed over to the window overlooking the shuttle bay. "More so than usual, like it's not my choice. Like I just want to, I don't know…" Grunt suddenly head-butted the glass in front of him, cracking it up. He walked back over to Shepard. "See? Why do that? What's wrong?"
"Okeer didn't imprint anything to help you figure this out?"
"I see pictures of old battles, voices of warlords. But this is… a blood haze in my head. I want control. When we're moving, fighting, I focus. But here, my blood screams, my plates itch, and even you are just noise!" the krogan paced between the commander and his tank. "I'm tank-born. What is this?"
"I want you in the infirmary. I can't have some krogan disease running rampant."
"Your doctors only see victims of krogan. My kind do not share with aliens, not after the genophage. We won't find someone who's seen this. A krogan my age would still be on the homeworld, Tuchanka."
"Joker can get us to the krogan homeworld. I need everyone at their best."
"Thank you, Shepard. I don't like this. Fury is my choice, not a sickness."
Jacob:
Shepard walked into the armory and towards Jacob, who turned to her.
"Commander? Sorry, I'm a little unfocused. Personal matter. It won't affect my duties."
"The yeoman said you wanted to see me. What's this about, Jacob?"
"As I said, it's a personal matter. I don't want to waste our time if it turns out to be a goose chase. But…" his voice trailed off as he wandered to the other side of the table and leaned against it. Shepard folded her arms. "Well, I got pinged by a ghost the other night. Family."
"It's only a waste of time if you jerk me around. What is it?"
"My father was first officer on a ship that went missing ten years ago. I had not talked to him for three years prior. His ship, the Hugo Gernsback, sent an SOS last week, reporting a crash and a request for rescue. Just like that, out of the black. I'm not convinced it isn't just some automated distress signal ticking over. It's been too long."
"I'd think you'd be more excited that your father might be alive."
"He wasn't around long enough for me to have bad memories. It's an old, well-healed wound. But if he's actually alive and needs help…" he folded his arms. "I also want to note that it's not normal procedure for distress calls to be routed to the Normandy. This was passed to my personal log through Cerberus filters."
"I think we can spare the time. Pass the coordinates to Joker."
"I appreciate that, Commander. I don't expect to find more than dusty old bones, but it'll be good to close the record." Jacob said and went back to his station.
Mordin:
Shepard walked into the tech lab, hoping to hear the elder salarian's opinion of her latest mission. But before she could say anything, he spoke first.
"Shepard. Important news. Know you're busy. Have to deal with Collectors. Planning attack. Too important to wait. Just received data, still processing, analyzing likely scenarios. Not sure how to begin. Too much intel." He was talking much faster than normal, his mouth trying desperately to keep up with his thoughts. Shepard's mind was having a hard time keeping up with either. "You remember our talk? My work on genophage modification?"
"You stopped the krogan adaptation to the genophage."
"Part of a team. Scientists, all different types. Blood Pack mercenaries captured former team member, Maelon. Last seen on Tuchanka. Might torture him. Make an example. Recovering Maelon would be a personal favor to me." He said, looking down as he spoke."
"We'll go to Tuchanka and see if we can find your team member."
"Appreciate it. My assistant. My student. Want to see him safe. Maelon last seen outside Urdnot territory. Scouts might have seen Blood Pack. Talk to them or clan chief." The scientist turned his attention back to his console.
Shepard turned and headed back into CIC and went up to the Galaxy Map.
"Joker, head for the Krogan DMZ!"
The Kodiak descended into the tunnel leading to Urdnot's landing zone on Tuchanka. Shepard, Garrus and Grunt stepped out and were greeted by a group of krogan waiting for them. If 'greeted' meant 'barked at'. They pulled out their guns and pointed them at the squad.
"The clan leader wants to speak with you." The Overcaptain said in the least-friendliest way. "Keep your rutting pet on a short leash. Get him the Rite soon, or put him down." He looked at Grunt, who started fidgeting again.
"You know what's wrong with him? What he needs?"
"There's nothing wrong with him. Just go speak to the clan leader." The krogan barked, waving them off. The squad headed into the underbelly of the structure, to the center of Urdnot. EDI's voice chimed in over their comms.
"Urdnot clan reports use weak encryptions. I see references to a captured salarian in the logs of the chief scout. Also, I have been unable to access local medical records. I suggest asking the local clan leader for assistance with Grunt's problem."
As they entered the clan square, Shepard went left towards the krogan standing near a kiosk with a varren. The krogan looked up from his datapad.
"Greetings, human. My name is Ratch. Have a look at what I've got." He said, motioning to his kiosk.
"Everyone I talk to hates that aliens are in Urdnot. Except you." The commander said, raising an eyebrow.
"I don't have the luxury of turning away paying customers. I do enough business off-world to know you aliens have more credits than the people here do."
"What do you have in stock?"
"Most of its food and drink that's toxic to humans. Ryncol's a local favorite. Don't try to act tough. It'll tear your insides apart."
"He's not joking. Ryncol hits aliens like ground glass." Grunt added.
"Otherwise, I've got weapons, scrap… and whatever food those pyjaks don't steal. Which isn't much. Take a look at my kiosk other there if you want to buy something."
"I'm a good shot. Maybe I can help out with the pyjaks." Shepard offered. The krogan shrugged.
"Feel free. You can use the console out there to control the guns. Make a dent in the pyjak population, and you get a discount." He gestured to the console near the defense guns, where a cheeky pyjak was sitting, staring at the krogan working there. "Good luck with that."
"I should go."
"Suit yourself." Ratch went back to his data pad. Shepard headed to the guns, stopping to hear Grunt's opinion of Tuchanka.
"This is the great krogan homeworld? This is the land of Kredak, Shiagur and Veeoll? This chunk of rock is barely worth standing on! Never thought I'd miss the tank." The krogan muttered. Shepard chuckled lightly and went up to the console beside the chief scout, where the defense guns were.
"At first I thought it was a waste of ammunition, just to kill incoming vermin." Garrus piped up behind her. "Now I think, if these Urdnot can pinpoint such small mammals with these guns, they'll make short work of incoming invasion force."
Shepard activated the console. "Look at 'em run! Ha!" the chief scout yelled as she started blasting the incoming pyjaks. After she'd finished three waves of the little animals, Shepard went back to Ratch.
"Seeing those vermin roasting from the heat of an explosive shell… I swear, it was glorious." The krogan said happily.
Shepard folded her arms. "I didn't do that for my health. Let's talk payment."
Ratch nodded. "You have a lot of skill with those cannons, I'm not going to argue with you. I'll give you a discount at my store. Anything you want, you'll buy at cost."
The marine nodded and walked over to the kiosk, purchased a few upgrades and some pyjak meat. She turned to the varren sitting beside Ratch and it stood up. She petted it. "Good varren." It growled contently. "Here. Try this." She threw the pyjak meat at it and the varren ate it up happily. Ratch turned at the happily growling varren.
"Hah! Looks like Urz finally found someone to follow around!" he said grinning. Urz snarled in agreement and started following the commander, who made her way up to the makeshift throne where a familiar face sat, looking particularly bored while another krogan in blue armor was ranting away at him. The guards stopped her just before she could get close.
"Halt!" the krogan guard ordered. "You must wait till the clan leader summons you. He is… in talks." The guard glanced behind him at the ranting krogan.
"You know what tradition demands – Clan Urdnot must respond." The ranting krogan paced before the clan leader. Ignoring him, the leader sat up and looked who the guards had stopped. "Your reforms will not go unopposed. You risk appearing weak at a critical time." The clan leader stood up, cutting the other krogan off.
"Shepard."
Shepard and the guard turned to face him. "Good enough?" she said. The clan leader pushed the other krogan aside and marched up to the commander, who slid between the guards. "Excuse me."
"Shepard! My friend!" Urdnot Wrex bellowed, grabbing Shepard's hand and shaking it. "You look well for dead, Shepard. Should have known the void couldn't hold you." He said with a grin.
"Looks like helping me destroy Saren and the geth has worked out for you. Glad we didn't have to kill each other on Virmire." She responded.
"Ha! You made the rise of Urdnot possible." Wrex said, taking a few steps back. "Virmire was a turning point for the krogan, though not everyone was happy about it." He glanced at the other krogan, who walked up to him. "Destroying Saren's genophage cure freed us from his manipulation. I used that to spur the clans to unify under Urdnot."
"You abandoned many traditions to get your way." The other krogan said, waving him off. "Dangerous."
Wrex turned to him, and headbutted him hard. "Speak when spoken to, Uvenk. I'll drag your clan to glory whether it likes it or not." He said, walking to his chair and sitting. Shepard glanced at Uvenk, who was rubbing the point of impact, and followed Wrex. "Now, Shepard. What brings you here? How's the Normandy?"
"Destroyed in a Collector surprise attack. I ended up spaced."
"Well, you look good. Ah, the benefits of a redundant nervous system!"
"Yeah, humans don't have that."
"Oh. It must have been painful, then. But you're standing here, and you've got a strong new ship. Takes me back to the old days. Us against the unknown, killing it with big guns. Good times."
"Sounds like you've got big changes ahead for the krogan."
"We are making a neutral ground where all clans are welcome. Fertile females can be shared among clans. We will strengthen the race as a whole."
"You threaten everything that makes us strong." Uvenk spoke up. "It will not last."
"Maybe." Wrex replied. "Until then you're lucky to be a part of it."
"This sounds ambitious." Shepard said. "How's it gone so far?"
"Better than I'd feared, worse than I'd hoped."
"It can't continue. You are going against what makes us strong." Uvenk interjected again.
"Sounds like you're not making friends." The commander commented.
"Traditionalists like Uvenk are chained varren. Always fighting, guarding their pathetic stick in the ground. When the smoke clears, I can plant the flag on their corpses and rally the rest around a new krogan hub."
"Sounds like you're counting on a lot of bloodshed, even after you unite."
"It will be slow, but I won't change what we are. Krogan are judged by the strength of their enemies. Our worst insult is to say someone's 'not worth killing.'"
"I hope that works well for your people. But back to the reason I'm here…"
"We don't often allow aliens to do business on Tuchanka, but you're an exception."
"I have a krogan on my crew." She pointed to Grunt. "He's got some kind of sickness and needs treatment." Wrex stared at Grunt as he stepped forward.
"Where are you from, whelp? Was your clan destroyed before you could learn what is expected of you?"
"I have no clan." Grunt responded as Uvenk paced around him. "I was tank-bred by Warlord Okeer, my line distilled from Kredak, Moro, Shiagur—"
"You recite warlords, but you are the offspring of a syringe!" Uvenk interrupted.
"I am pure krogan. You should be in awe."
"Okeer is a very old name. A very hated name." Wrex commented, standing up.
"He is dead." Grunt replied, as Wrex walked up to him.
"Of course. You're with Shepard. How could he be alive?"
"Does that name mean anything to you, Wrex?" She asked, stepping forward.
"A vicious warlord responsible for many deaths. Who apparently toyed with genetics." He turned back to Grunt. "A clone undertaking the Rite…?"
"You are considering it? Tank-bred allowed to status as an adult?" Uvenk piped up again. "This is too far!" Wrex ignored him, turning back to Shepard.
"There's nothing wrong with him. He is becoming a full adult."
"Adolescence?" Garrus piped up. "Can't we just take him to Omega and buy him a few dances?"
"I don't care what aliens call it. Krogan undergo the Rite of Passage."
"Too far, Wrex! Your clan may rule, but this thing is not krogan." Uvenk yelled, stomping off as Wrex, Shepard and her squad watched him go.
"Idiot." Wrex muttered, then turned back to Grunt. "So, Grunt? Do you wish to stand with Urdnot?"
"This is his choice." Shepard said.
Grunt looked over Urdnot thoughtfully, then responded. "It is in my blood. It is what I am for."
"Good boy. Speak with the shaman – he's over on the second level. Give him a good show, and he'll set you on the path." Wrex went back to his chair. "You too, Shepard. How many times have you stepped in a mess for your crew, hmm?" he added as he sat down.
"Good to see you, Wrex. Sure you can't come with us?"
"Wish I could, but I need to keep these shortsighted fools in line. Hunt well, Shepard." The team made their way to the shaman, where Uvenk was arguing with him.
"You go beyond yourself, Gatatog Uvenk!" the shaman barked. "The rites of Urdnot are dominant!"
"How do we know it will challenge him? He's unnatural! The beasts of the Rite could ignore him like a lump of plastic!"
"They know blood, no matter the womb. Your barking does not help your case."
"I'll speak for myself!" Grunt interjected. The quarrelling krogans turned to him.
"This is the tank-bred?" The shaman asked, stepping to Grunt. "It is very lifelike. Smells correct as well. Your protests ring hollow, Uvenk."
"I don't care what this idiot says. Grunt has a right to be here." Shepard said annoyed, gesturing to Uvenk.
The shaman chuckled. "There's some fire – and from an alien! Oh, the shame it seeks on those who whine like pups." He glanced at Uvenk.
"If this must stand on ritual, then I invoke a denial! My krantt stands against him! He has no one!" Uvenk barked again.
The shaman sighed. "My patience is tested, but Uvenk invokes correctly. Grunt, who is your krantt? Your allies willing to kill and die on your behalf?"
"Grunt will strengthen Clan Urdnot. Name our target, and it will die." Shepard answered.
"Spoken well!" the shaman exclaimed. "Most aliens – and some krogan-" he glanced at Uvenk "-do not understand our ways. I believe this human does."
"Aliens don't know strength! My followers are true krogan. Everything about Grunt –"
Before Uvenk could finish, Shepard stepped forward and rammed her head into his. The krogan stepped back, half by the force and half out of shock.
"You… you dare?"
"Ba ha ha ha!" the shaman laughed. "I like this human! She understands!"
Uvenk glared at the human. "I withdraw my denial. This will be decided elsewhere!" The krogan grunted, pushing Shepard out of the way as he stormed off. The shaman watched him leave and chuckled.
"You have provoked them. Reason enough for me to like you. They're your problem now." He commented.
"We're ready. Let's do this." Shepard said as Grunt hit his fists together in agreement.
"Excellent." The shaman said, then motioned to them to follow him. Before they left Urdnot, Shepard called for another squad member, switching Garrus for Star. The three piled into a truck with the shaman and they drove out from Urdnot. When the truck finally stopped, they filed out and Grunt and the shaman walked ahead.
"This is Tuchanka's most recent scar, the last surface city to fall in the rebellions. The keystone was at the heart." He said as they walked into the fallen city's remains. "It has survived wars and the passages of centuries. It endures – like the krogan." He continued as they entered the city. Grunt looked around at the vast wasteland. "If you wish to join Clan Urdnot, you must contemplate the keystone and its trials."
"What will happen?" Grunt asked as they approached the keystone.
"Who knows? You must adapt. You must thrive, no matter the situation. Any true krogan will."
Star wiped the dust from her eyes as the shaman left them and looked around. So this was Tuchanka, the krogan homeworld. No wonder they were so proud. Their home was a wasteland; pride was all they had left. The squad prepared for the rite and Shepard walked around, salvaging credits and thermal clips lying around.
"Let's get started, Shepard. Hit the keystone!" Grunt called. She obliged momentarily and the shaman's voice sounded over the intercom.
"First the krogan conquered Tuchanka… and mastered a natural world only we are fit to hold."
A large hammer that was being raised behind the keystone as the shaman spoke dropped, and the sound of snarling and growling caught the squad's attention. They moved to the edge of the platform.
"Here they come! I'm ready!" Grunt yelled, a little excited.
'Krogan.' Star shook her head, then turned her attention (and bullets) to the incoming varren. The firefight was short, the varren didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell against their guns and Grunt's concussive shots.
"There! These beasts will know I am worthy!" Grunt kept yelling things like that while they fought. Star intentionally hurled a varren in his direction with her biotics, but he blasted it in half with his shotgun and laughed like a mad… like a krogan.
After they gunned down the last of the beasts, Star wandered around picking up spare thermal clips and Grunt called to Shepard to tag the keystone again.
"Then the krogan were lifted to the stars to destroy the fears of a galaxy, an enemy only we could chase to their lair." The voice over the intercom said, and the hammer fell again, shaking the earth. A Harvester flew overhead, landing in the field below them and let out a screech as it dropped smaller insects and flew off.
"Crawlers! Come to your death!" Grunt yelled at the red beasts that approached them. Klixen. The team started peppering the crawlers with their incendiary ammo and concussive shots. Star found herself in the unfortunate position of running from one of the beasts when it started spitting flames at her. Luckily, her barriers held out. Grunt charged at it, laughing maniacally and was seemingly unaffected when it blew up. Okay, now he was a mad krogan.
The klixen were a little more challenging than the varren, but with enough concussive shots, even they were no match for the three.
"We need to trigger the keystone to continue the rite." Grunt said. It seemed like he'd calmed down now. Shepard triggered the keystone again, and the intercom sounded.
"Now all krogan bear the genophage, our reward, our curse. It is a fight where the only goal is survival!" the hammer dropped once more, even harder than last time. The ground kept shaking and a loud roar sent a chill down Star's spine.
"Feel that? Everything… is shaking. I am ready!" the krogan yelled with renewed vigor. Somehow, Star didn't share his enthusiasm. Several blue tentacles rose up from the ground and the commander fired at one of them. They all sank back into the ground and the shaking got more intense as a giant worm-like beast rose from the ground in the tentacles' wake. Star's face fell.
'Is that a fucking thresher maw.'
"Finally! An enemy worth fighting!" Grunt yelled, firing at the maw's thick armored hide. The monster responded by spitting acid blasts at them and relocating every few seconds. The squad blasted it with everything they had, Star threw Warp field after Warp field at it, Shepard blasting it with her heavy weapon and diving out of the way of the thresher maw's acid projectiles, which burned right through Star's barriers when she got hit. When Shepard ran out of heavy weapon ammo, she had to resort to using her Widow, and a well-timed shot was what finally brought down the dreaded beast. Grunt cheered loudly at their accomplishment and Star joined him. An incoming shuttle brought the celebrating to a halt, and Grunt looked up at it.
"We have company. Good. I want more."
You'd think a thresher maw would've been anyone's definition of 'more'.
The squad walked over to where the ship landed, and were greeted by Uvenk and, judging by the color of their armor, krogans from Clan Gatatog.
"You live, and you brought down the thresher maw. No one has done that in generations. Urdnot Wrex was the last." Uvenk said as they approached.
"My krantt gave me strength beyond my genes. Which are damned good." Grunt responded gruffly.
"This will cause discussion." Uvenk stepped off the ridge and walked up to Grunt. "I wonder… you say you are pure? No alien meddling in your construction? Just the warlord Okeer?"
"Come on, Uvenk. You want to try killing him, give it your best shot." Shepard taunted.
The krogan held up his hand. "Not yet. This deserves consideration."
"Why? I'm not getting any more natural." Grunt said with a hint of sarcasm.
"You are powerful. You are a mistake, but your potential could tip the current balance of the clans."
"You spit on my father's name! On Shepard's name! But now you stop ranting because I'm strong?"
"With restrictions." Uvenk continued. "You could not breed, of course. Or serve on an alien ship. But you'd be clan in name."
"If I know Grunt, your answer's coming at muzzle velocity." Shepard retorted with a small smirk.
"You do know Grunt." Grunt turned to Shepard and responded with a grin. He slammed his fists together. "This varren is dead." He sprinted up to Uvenk and rammed himself into the krogan. Star grinned and the other krogans drew their weapons. Grunt and Shepard exchanged glances and the squad dived for cover as Shepard barely dodged an incoming missile. The ensuing firefight didn't last very long after Shepard took out Uvenk, while Star and Grunt dealt with the other warriors, gunning them down and throwing them around, a mixture of fire, biotics and brute force.
"Uvenk is meat. Let's signal the keystone to get out of here, and leave him to rot." Grunt said after the fight. Shepard activated the keystone and moments later, an Urdnot scout showed up and led them back to the truck.
"You have passed the Rite of Passage, earning the honor of clan and name." the shaman exclaimed as they walked up to him back at Urdnot. "Many survive, but it has been years since a thresher maw fell! Your names shall live in glory." He commented with admiration as Grunt knelt before him. "Grunt, you are Urdnot. You may now own property, join the army, and apply to serve under a battlemaster."
"Shepard is my battlemaster. She has no match." He replied.
"Understood. Congratulations, Urdnot Grunt." He said as Grunt stood. "Accept this token from Fortack. His weapons are the finest we have."
"I should go." Shepard said.
"May your foes be strong enough to keep you sharp." The shaman replied as the squad walked off. Before heading back to the Normandy, Shepard decided to go see Wrex again.
"You just can't help making trouble." Wrex said as the squad approached him. "No one has killed a maw since my turn in the Rite. Next you'll tell me he's a quint and craps dark matter. Guess that's what it takes to replace me." He peered at Grunt as he walked up to him and stroked his chin. "You are Urdnot Grunt. Welcome." He said finally, nodding.
Shepard stepped forward. "I'm looking for a salarian. He was captured by the Blood Pack and brought here."
"My scout commander can direct you. He's probably near the perimeter running target practice. Don't take too much of his time. I need a constant watch on the other clans."
"I need to go. We'll go over this another time." The commander said, and started off.
"Watch yourself, Shepard. Tuchanka isn't safe and homey, like Feros and Ilos." Wrex called after her. As they headed back to the Kodiak, Star overheard the krogans around the camp talking about the results of Grunt's rite, specifically the dead thresher maw. EDI chimed in over their comms again.
"Urdnot clan reports use weak encryptions. I see references to a captured salarian in the logs of the chief scout. In addition, killing the thresher maw has produced several breeding requests for Grunt. And one for Shepard."
Star and Grunt burst out laughing.
Back on the Normandy, Shepard called for Garrus and Mordin, and Star and Grunt went to clean the dust and blood off themselves.
Shepard went back into Urdnot and to the Chief Scout. The krogan turned from his console at the guns.
"What do you want, human? Wrex told me to be polite. He didn't say you were going to talk to me." he said gruffly.
"I'm looking for a salarian. The Blood Pack captured him, and he was last seen around here." Shepard replied.
The chief turned back to the console, leaning against the surface. "I heard about that salarian, poor bastard. If it's Blood Pack, then Clan Weyrloc has him. Sent one of my scouts to check it out, but he never reported back. Guess they got him, too." He added, turning back to the group. "Chief told me to give you one of the trucks. Just follow the highway to Weyrloc's base, if you've got the quads to deal with him and the Blood Pack."
Shepard nodded to him and they headed for the waiting truck. They got in and followed the highway, like the chief scout said, and soon they were outside the Weyrloc base. The squad vaulted out of the truck and moved forward. They were soon greeted by a few klixen crawling towards them, and made short work of the giant insects with Garrus' concussive shot and Mordin's incineration tech. As they advanced, they were met with more klixen and varren, and Blood Pack vorcha with flamethrowers and krogan warriors. When they'd killed the last of the vorcha, Shepard picked up a spare truck part outside the base before bypassing the door and going inside.
"Repurposed krogan hospital. Sturdy. Built to withstand punishment." Mordin commented.
"That's unfortunate. Hospitals aren't fun to fight through." Garrus said.
"What is fun to fight through?" Shepard asked over her shoulder.
"Gardens, electronics shops. Antique stores, but only if they're classy."
Shepard chuckled lightly, but her face fell as she noticed the dead body at the bottom of the stairs. Mordin stopped to examine it.
"That body. Human. Need to take a look." He said, kneeling beside the body and scanning it with his Omni-tool. "Sores, tumors, ligatures showing restraint at wrists and ankles. Track marks for repeated injection sites. Test subject. Victim of experimentation."
"They're trying to cure the genophage. Why experiment on non-krogan?" Shepard asked.
"Humans useful as test subjects. Genetically diverse. Enables exploration of treatment modalities." The salarian replied as the commander knelt beside him.
"Experimenting on humans? That kind of crap is what makes Cerberus start to seem like a good idea!"
"Never used humans myself. Disgusting, unethical, sloppy. Used by brute force researchers, not thinkers. No place in proper science." Mordin inhaled sharply. "Krogan use of humans unsurprising."
"I imagine you had to do some live-subject testing while developing the new genophage."
"No. Unnecessary. Limited tests to simulations, corpses, cloned tissue samples. High-level tests on varren. No tests on species with members capable of calculus. Simple rule, never broke it."
"Now we've got two reasons to shut this place down."
Mordin shut of his Omni-tool and they rose. "Focus on Maelon. Too late to help the dead."
They continued through the corridors until we went through a door and saw a group of krogan walking out of the door on the balcony upstairs.
"I am the speaker for Clan Weyrloc, offworlders." The krogan up front said. "You have shed our blood. By rights, you should be dead already. But Weyrloc Guld, the Chief of Chiefs, has ordered that you be given leave to flee and spread the message of our coming."
"If I flee, I might trip over the dozen krogan I killed to get here. I think I'll take my chances." Shepard replied smugly, gesturing over her shoulder.
"You killed our youngest and weakest, human. They were not worthy of remaining near our glorious work. Inside you will find only hardened Blood Pack veterans, tempered by savagery and war and dedicated to one goal." The krogan barked. "The salarian will cure the genophage and Clan Weyrloc will spread across the galaxy in a sea of blood!"
"Appears they discovered Maelon's work. Unfortunate." Mordin muttered.
"If you care about the future of Clan Weyrloc, you'll hand over Maelon. Now." The commander ordered.
"When we cure the genophage, Weyrloc Guld will rule all krogan! The Krogan Rebellions will become the Krogan Empire!" the clanspeaker rattled on. While he spoke, Shepard noticed a gas tank under the balcony,and had an idea.
"You talk too much." She said, interrupting his speech, and shot the tank with her sidearm. The krogan, thinking she missed him, scoffed.
"See? The human cannot hit a simple target!" he said, pulling his own weapon. The clan guards stepped back as he paused for a second. What was that smell…?
Shepard's second shot ignited the gas, lighting the clanspeaker on fire in the process. The other krogan began to fire at the squad as they ducked into cover. The squad brought down the advancing krogans quickly then focused on the vorcha firing rockets at them from above. Once the area was clear, they moved on down the corridor.
"Labs likely through here. Can smell antiseptic, hint of dead flesh." Mordin commented. Surely enough, the next door they went through led to a lab of sorts, and Shepard approached a computer terminal that was still operational.
"Active console. May contain useful data. One moment." The scientist salarian walked up to the terminal. "Genetic sequences. Hormone mutagens still steady. Protein chains, live tissue, cloned tissue. Very thorough." He read through the files on the screen. "Standard treatment vectors. Avoiding scorched-earth immuno-suppressants to alter hormone levels. Good. Hate to see that."
"Most people wouldn't be so casual about developing a sterility plague, Mordin."
"Not developing. Modifying. Much more difficult. Working within confines of existing genophage. A hundred times the complexity. Errors unacceptable. Could cause total sterility, malignant tumors. Could even reduce effectiveness. Worse than doing nothing. Had to keep krogan population stable. One in one thousand. Perfect target, optimal growth. Like gardening." The salarian said with a smile.
"You're saying you were working just as hard to keep their population from falling?"
"Yes." He nodded. "Could have eradicated krogan. Not difficult. Increase mutation to degrade genetic structure further. Chose not to. Rachni extinction tragic. Didn't want to repeat. All life precious. Universe demands diversity."
"Pretty it up however you like. You're talking about murdering millions!"
"No. Murdered no one. Altered fertility, prevented fetal development of nervous system. Have killed many, Shepard. Many methods. Gunfire, knives, drugs, tech attacks, once with farming equipment. But not with medicine."
"We're not going to find Maelon staring at consoles. Come on." They left the console and Shepard walked around the lab, picking up minerals and research data. In the next room, they found a krogan body and Mordin went to examine the datapad beside it.
"Dead krogan. Female. Tumors indicate experimentation. No restraint marks. Volunteer." He said, turning his attention back to the corpse. "Sterile Weyrloc female willing to risk procedures. Hoped for cure. Pointless. Pointless waste of life."
"I didn't expect you to be disturbed by the sight of a dead krogan."
"What? Why? Because of genophage work? Irrelevant. No, causative. Never experimented on live krogan. Never killed with medicine. Her death not my work, but reaction to it." The salarian said almost angrily. He walked back to the body. "Goal was to stabilize population. Never wanted this. Can see it logically… but still unnecessary. Foolish waste of life. Hate to see it." He added, leaning on the table.
"I didn't think you'd had much direct contact with things like this. Did you come to Tuchanka after dropping your plague?"
"Yearly recon missions. Water, tissue samples. Ensure no mistakes. Superiors offered to carry it on. Refused. Need to see it in person." He stood up straight. "Need to look. Need to see. Accept it as necessary." He drew a deep breath. "See small picture. Remind myself why I run a clinic on Omega." Mordin raised his hand over the body. "Rest, young mother. Find your gods. Find someplace better."
"I didn't expect spirituality from you, Mordin."
"Genophage modification project altered millions of lives. Then saw results. Ego, humility, juxtaposition. Frailty of life. Size of universe. Explored religions after work completed. Different race. No answers. Many questions."
"Sounds like you were trying to deal with your guilty conscience. The doctor who killed millions."
"Modified genophage project great in scope. Scientifically brilliant. But ethically difficult. Krogan reaction visceral, tragic. Not guilty, but responsible. Trained as doctor. Genophage affects fertility. Doesn't kill. Still caused this. Hard to see big picture behind pile of corpses." Mordin said solemnly.
"Can you really just rationalize it all away? How do you justify it?"
The salarian took a deep breath. "Wheel of life. Popular salarian concept. Similar to human Hinduism in focus on reincarnation. Appealing to see life as endless. Fix mistakes in next life. Learn, adapt, improve." He said as he paced slowly. "Refuse to believe life ends here. Too wasteful. Have more to offer. Mistakes to fix. Cannot end here. Could do so much more."
"If you need this much soul searching to get over it, maybe the genophage was wrong."
"Had to be done. Rachni Wars, Krogan Rebellions all pointed to krogan aggression. So many simulations. Effects of krogan population increase. All pointed to war. Extinction. Genophage or genocide. Save galaxy from krogan. Save krogan from galaxy."
The commander walked up to the doctor and gestured to the corpse. "Look at the dead woman, Mordin. It doesn't look like you saved her."
Mordin glanced at the body. "No, it doesn't." Shepard walked past the salarian as he hung his head. "Worked with available data. Only option. No other possible…" He shook his head. "Doesn't matter."
They moved forward and came to a room at the end of the hallway. There was a krogan sitting in the room, and another krogan corpse, Blood Pack. Shepard walked up to the krogan.
"You killed the Blood Pack guards!" the sick krogan piped up.
"Not Blood Pack, not member of Clan Weyrloc. Wrong clan markings." Mordin said.
"I'm an Urdnot scout. Weyrloc guards got me. Brought me here." The krogan responded.
"The chief scout told us to watch for you. We've taken out the guards. Get back to Urdnot." The Commander said to him.
"I can't. The Weyrloc did things to me. Drugs. Injections. Said I was sacrificing for the good of all krogan. Experiments to cure the genophage. Everything's blurry. Hard to think. Have to stay."
"Mordin, can you get him back on his feet? Stims, maybe? Something to bolster his immune system?" she turned to the salarian doctor.
"You don't understand. I'm not too sick to leave. I have to stay." The scout said again. "They're curing the genophage. They're going to make it all better! They have to keep doing the tests!"
"Caution, Shepard." Mordin muttered to her. "Patient unstable, susceptible. Brainwashed."
"Why do you want them to keep doing the tests?" she said to the scout.
"This is my fault. I got caught. Wasn't strong enough, not good enough. This is the best I can do. This is all I can do. I'm not big enough to have a real shot with the females. I'll never have kids of my own. But if I helped undo the genophage, then I mattered!"
Shepard's face got serious. "You've got a bruised ego! You got caught and beaten, so you tell yourself it was for something important." She said, stepping towards the krogan on the floor and kneeling in front of him to make eye contact.
"That's not true! I need to stay! They're gonna cure us all!"
"You're not a real krogan." She sneered. "When a real krogan gets knocked down, he gets back up!"
"I did! I got back up every time they hit me! So many times…"
"You're lying there right now like a vorcha grubbing in the mud. You gonna just lie there, vorcha?" she jeered at the scout.
"Screw you, human! Nobody says that to me! Nobody keeps me down!" the krogan barked, getting up.
Shepard stood as well. "Damn right they don't! Now get back to Clan Urdnot and report in! Go, go!" she ordered.
"Rah!" the krogan bellowed, then stormed out of the room. The squad watched him leave, then Garrus commented.
"There's no pep talk like a military pep talk."
Shepard smirked slightly. 'Damn right.'
They walked to the next door, and before Shepard opened it, EDI's voice came on over their comms.
"Shepard, I'm detecting crates ahead that are holding unstable materials. A misplaced shot could cause a significant explosion."
"Or a well-placed shot. Explosives useful. Burn through krogan armor." Mordin commented.
They advanced through the door and immediately, the firefight started as two vorcha across the room from them began shooting. Shepard made quick work of one with a headshot from her Widow, while Mordin froze the other with a cryo blast and Garrus smashed it. They turned their attentions to the two krogan moving toward them, one firing a blast at Shepard, who ducked it. A few shots from the Widow burned right through its armor, and her squadmates finished him off as she fired at the other krogan coming across the bridge. A well-placed headshot went right through his armor and a third of his health, and one more shot did the trick. Another krogan came after that one, and the marine switched to her Vindicator assault rifle, firing at the explosive crate behind the krogan. They finished him off quickly and moved ahead, down the stairs and into more gunfire, as another Blood Pack krogan came out with a pair of varren, and charged into Mordin. Incinerate, concussive shots, cryo blasts and incendiary ammo, and the team kept moving. More Blood Pack warriors, and some varren, then the thundering voice of the clan leader.
"Tremble and die, offworld scum! I am Weyrloc Guld, Chief of Chiefs!"
Shepard ducked back into cover before the varren could flank her. A pair of krogan closed in on them, but some incineration blasts and concussive shots did the trick. Weyrloc Guld closed in behind them, and blasted Shepard with his biotics. She pulled back and switched to her heavy pistol, as her trusty assault rifle was out of clips, and blasted him with bullets and concussive shots. He fell momentarily, and the team moved ahead. They headed downstairs until they found the room where Maelon was being held. Only, he didn't look like he was being held.
"Maelon. Alive. Unharmed." Mordin said, surprised. The other salarian glanced at him over his shoulder. The group walked up to him. "No signs of restraint. No evidence of torture. Don't understand."
"For such a smart man, Professor, you always had trouble seeing evidence that disagreed with your preconceptions." Maelon spoke up, turning to Mordin. "How long will it take you to admit that I'm here because I wish to be here?"
"He wasn't kidnapped. He came here voluntarily to cure the genophage." The salarian nodded at the commander's words.
"Impossible. Whole team agreed! Project necessary!" Mordin interjected.
"How was I supposed to disagree with the great Doctor Solus? I was your student! I looked up to you!" Maelon yelled.
"Experiments performed here. Live subjects! Prisoners! Torture and executions! Your doing?" Mordin yelled back.
"We've already got the blood of millions on our hands, Doctor. If it takes a bit more to put things right, I can deal with that."
"We're shutting your lab down, Maelon." Shepard said sternly.
"Shutting down more than that." Mordin added.
"You can't face the truth, can you?" Maelon yelled, pulling a gun on the three and frantically pointed at them one after the other. "Can't admit that your brilliant mind led you to commit an atrocity!" He was cut off when Mordin threw a solid punch at him, knocking him into the computer behind him. Shepard was impressed. It wasn't very often you met a salarian who could throw a decent punch.
"Unacceptable experiments. Unacceptable goals. Won't change. No choice, have to kill you." Mordin said, pushing his student against the wall and putting a pistol to his head.
"Wait." Shepard interrupted. "You don't need to do this Mordin. You're not a murderer."
"No. Not a murderer. Thank you, Shepard." Mordin muttered as he closed his eyes and stepped away from the cowering salarian. "Finished, Maelon." He said, putting his pistol back under his lab coat. "Get out. No Weyrloc left. Project over."
"You heard the professor. Get out before he changes his mind." Shepard added.
"Where am I supposed to go, Professor?" Maelon screeched.
"Don't care. Try Omega. Can always use another clinic." Mordin shrugged.
"The krogan didn't deserve what we did to them, Professor. The genophage needs to end." Maelon said, walking off.
Mordin turned to the console. "Not like this." He said, staring at the screen. "Apologies, Commander. Misunderstood mission parameters. No kidnapping. My mistake. Thank you."
"Don't worry about me, Mordin. How are you doing?"
"Should have killed him. Wanted to. Easier than listening. Easier for him, too. Experiments indicate how far he's fallen. Expected it from krogan. Not one of mine."
"Maybe you'll remember that the next time you're discussing the ethics of the genophage."
"Yes. So many variables. Stress responses. Impossible to truly predict. Something to think about." He turned to Shepard. "Maelon's research. Only loose end. Could destroy it. Closure, security. Still valuable, though."
"This is the research that included tests on living victims. It's tainted."
"Right now, victims died or nothing. Keep it, use it, deaths worth something. Maelon's work could cure genophage. Don't know. Effects on krogan. Effects on galaxy. Too many variable. Too many variables!"
"You regret what the krogan have become. You see the horror of what they did here, but you see the loss, too."
"Wasted potential."
"They don't deserve this, Mordin. Save the data."
"Point taken, Shepard. Capturing data, wiping local copy." The computer beeped as the data was erased. "Still years away from cure. But closer than starting from scratch. Done. Ready to go. Ready to be off Tuchanka. Anywhere else. Maybe somewhere sunny." The salarian said, turning to his CO.
"Let's get out of here." She nodded and they headed out of the Weyrloc base.
Back at Urdnot, Shepard went to find the chief scout. EDI piped up over the comms again.
"Clan Urdnot has increased in strength after the destruction of Clan Weyrloc. Based on population profiles, Clan Urdnot has adopted surviving members of Clan Weyrloc. Mostly women and children."
"Ah, intelligent move. Surprising from krogan. Glad to see it." Mordin commented. Shepard went up to the chief scout, Urz following them.
"My scout made it back." The chief said, turning to her. "We've got him at the tent. Doesn't remember much beyond getting tortured, but he remembers you. Said you yelled at him until he got his hump out of that base and back here. You've got a quad, human. Thanks for saving my scout. Saves me having to train another one." He said appreciatively.
"Talk to you later." The human said.
"Don't know about the rest of your species, but you're good in my books, human." The chief scout turned back to the guns and the squad went into the lab across from the krogan mechanic fixing a truck.
"Should you be in here?" the krogan scientist called as Shepard walked up to him. "As I understand it, Clan Urdnot has a new member." He said, turning to the squad. "You're the krantt for the new warrior, hmm? The shaman gave you the customary upgrades, I assume?" Shepard nodded. "He's fast to pass off my work as his reward. Use them well; the lord high researcher for Clan Urdnot has no time to make replacements! But, perhaps I can offer a discount."
"You must be working on something important."
"I was building the biggest, best offensive ordnance yet. A real ground-pounder!" Fortack said enthusiastically. "But the new clan leader wastes my time with frivolous research." He continued, a bit annoyed, turning to the pyjaks in the holding cells. "Crop genetics, medicinal improvements. We can buy that stuff from the salarians!"
"Salarians created genophage. I've heard." Mordin piped up nervously. "Still trust them with medicines and agriculture?"
"Yeah." Fortack turned back to the squad. "What else can the salarians do to us at this point? It's not like they can make us even more infertile. Actually, wait. Forget I said anything."
"Enjoy your research." The commander said, turning away.
"Yes, yes. Move along." The krogan turned back to his work. She bought some upgrades from the kiosk, then went outside back to the mechanic. He spoke up as she approached him.
"Do I look like I have time to talk? I've got work to do. Those fools brought this tomkah back from a skirmish without its combustion manifold. They say it got shot off in the field. You tell me: how can you expect a tomkah to run without a combustion manifold?"
"I've never seen a krogan mechanic before."
"What, you think we kidnap quarians and make them do the 'hard work?' Not anymore, we don't."
"I found a combustion manifold out in the field. Is this what you need?"
The mechanic turned to her. "That'll work. Faster than building one from scratch, at least. You just saved me three days' work, human. You've earned my time, if you want it."
"How do you feel about what Wrex is trying to do?"
"The old man's crazy, if you ask me. Which you just did. But that stuff fixes itself. If it doesn't work, Wrex gets torn to shreds, and we find out who's got the next best plan."
"Let me get out of your way."
"Don't do me any favors." The mechanic went back to work. Shepard headed back to the Normandy. It had been a long day.