...
0630 Hours, February 24th, 2683
Forest of Promise
Surface of Eden Prime
Utopia System, Exodus Cluster
...
Master Chief ducked behind a boulder while Jenkins and Alenko took cover behind a fallen tree as the three made their way through the small forest. Even though Jenkins was a rookie, he was born and raised on Eden Prime, and so knew the land better than the spartan or the biotic. Thus, the rookie became the squad's unofficial guide. They were making their way through a small field just on the edge of a forest, not far from the LZ. His Lancer Assault Rifle primed and ready to fire at anything at a moment's notice, Chief poked his head out of cover. All he saw was more rocks and trees. No sign of any hostiles. Not yet. He ducked his head back down as quickly as he poked it up and nodded at Alenko and Jenkins.
The two marines returned the spartan's nod before heading off to take cover behind a tree. Chief then leapt out of his own cover and rushed to behind a tree of his own. Alenko poked his head out of cover and immediately drew his rifle.
"The hell is that?" he yelped in a panic. Chief didn't wait, and boldly swung out of cover, his rifle primed and ready to open fire...
On what looked like a mini-parade float.
"Relax." Jenkins said with a chuckle. "Those are gas bags. Native animals. They're harmless. Like, floating sheep."
True to Jenkins word, the odd alien creature gave no hint of aggression, and just floated onwards, paying no heed to the three humans. Chief looked towards Kaidan, who seemed more than a little embarrassed by how a floating bladder scared the crap out of him. Chief just sighed and shook his head.
"I've got point." the spartan said as he moved forward. "Cover me. And check your targets."
"Will do, Chief." Kaidan replied, getting the feeling that last order was targeted at him, specifically.
After another minute or so of marching, Chief suddenly crouched and held up a fist, the universal order to stop. The squad was at the top of a small hill, and before them laid a path strewn with boulders. They'd make good cover if the squad got attacked. Chief waved the team ahead. Jenkins wasted no time and rushed to one of the first boulders, Kaidan and Chief right behind him, taking cover behind boulders a couple of behind the rookie. Jenkins shifted uncomfortably and took a quick peek over his cover. No sign of hostiles. He felt confident. He boldly leapt out of cover and made for the boulder on the other end of the path.
And then, first contact with the enemy.
A dozen aerial drones swooped in out of nowhere and immediately began opening fire on the rookie. It all happened so fast that it wasn't until Jenkins' shields were down to half power that he even realized he was being shot at. By the time he raised his rifle to return fire, the drones' firepower had already brought his shields down to nothing and didn't find much resistance in his armor. Jenkins went down.
Chief immediately reacted upon seeing the drones and opened fire with his rifle, Kaidan following suite. Chief restricted himself to short controlled bursts. Practice with these new rifles had shown him that, not only does endlessly firing the rifle send its accuracy to hell, but it also makes the gun overheat quicker. Kaidan didn't seem to show this same intimate familiarity with the rifle however, as his gun was positively blazing and soon overheated. Cursing, the biotic switched to his pistol which, as it turns out, he was far more proficient with. The firefight ended as suddenly as it began, and probably lasted a whole ten seconds. Chief motioned Kaidan to help Jenkins while his rifle was still out. He'd cover the LT.
Satisfied that no further drones were on the way, Chief cautiously came out of cover and walked over to where Kaidan was kneeling over Jenkins. Kaidan sighed as he closed the rookie's eyes.
"Enemy fire ripped right through his shields." Kaidan grimly reported as he stood up. "He never had a chance."
Chief looked down on the young man. He sighed. He didn't know Jenkins all that well, aside from being a rookie who was enthusiastic to the point of being annoying most of the time. Still, he didn't deserve this. This was by no means the first time he saw a marine die, and the spartan had gotten used to it over time. But it was still not a pleasant thing to bare witness to.
"We should keep moving." Chief said as he walked away, stoic as ever. Kaidan nodded in reply.
"Lead the way." he replied.
...
A colorful array of curses known only in the Alliance military escaped the lips of the marine as she ran for her life. On her tail were a couple of aerial drones, their rapid fire cannons giving the soldier's feet more incentive to move faster. A shot slammed into her shields, taking another chunk out of it and eliciting another string of curse words from her mouth. It was then that she tripped. Now at this point, most soldiers would be dead.
But Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams wasn't most soldiers.
Immediately after falling to the ground, she rolled onto her back with her pistol primed and ready. She started shooting at the recon drones, which thankfully weren't all that sturdy as they quickly exploded into showers of sparks and scrap metal. Williams took a few breaths as she got up, hearing the familiar and all-too-welcome hum of her shields recharging. However, her adrenaline began kicking in again as she saw something further up the hill.
It was another Human, civilian judging from the clothes, being manhandled by two more of those...things. The civvie must've been injured, due to a pained expression, and was either too injured, too tired, or both to fight back as he was placed on top of a strange device.
Then, with a sickening sound of skin, flesh and bone being torn asunder, a long spike suddenly erupted from the device, impaling the hapless man right through the chest. The only thing keeping Ashley from vomiting at the sight was her realization that the two synthetic creatures had spotted her. Not having time to throw up, she ran off down the path and took cover behind a boulder, just as the abominations began shooting. She took out her assault rifle and got ready to return fire.
It was then that a huge grey blur ran past her.
...
Chief was still very much new to this century, and was still adjusting to the fact that most aliens were now allies of Humanity. However, he was fairly certain that when a marine comes under fire by hostile non-humans, the appropriate response was still to eliminate the non-humans in question. He briefly ordered Kaidan to cover him as he charged towards the two creatures.
The tactic he was using was a favored one by SPARTAN-II's against one, two, or three-man enemy patrols, dubbed by one ODST as the 'Charge 'n Barge.' The first step was to raise the assault rifle and just hold down the trigger as he charged forward. Every shot hit one of the two creatures, its kinetic barriers already having been reduced to zero by the time the Chief reached it. The spartan then melee'd it, striking it across its odd-looking head with his rifle butt, knocking it to the ground. His rifle was already overheated so he took out his pistol and started firing on the other one at point blank range, the edge of the pistol poking through its shields. Fourteen shots right in the chest. White liquid spurting from the holes, the creature went limp and fell forward. Chief looked down at the first hostile on the ground, and noticed it was still moving. A few quick stomps to the chest fixed that. The hostiles down, Chief took a step back to observe these new enemies.
They definitely weren't Covenant, that was for sure. In fact, he couldn't even call them aliens. 'Robots' was a more appropriate word. They had what looked like flashlights for heads and had fleshy-looking muscles on their arms and legs, their torsos protected by a thick metal (though not that thick, as the boot-shaped hole in the first one's torso can attest to). "What am I looking at here?" Chief whispered, so that only Cortana would hear.
"Not sure." the AI responded. "Definitely androids of some kind. Look at the antennae on their shoulders." Chief realized that there were long rods coming out of each android's left shoulder blade. "I'm detecting a lot of chatter coming from those things. I think it's safe to say their buddies know we're here now."
"So much for not drawing attention." Chief commented. He then turned around to see Kaidan jogging down the hill towards him and the marine coming out of cover, looking as though she just saw a ghost.
"You alright, marine?" Kaidan asked. The marine ignored him.
"You're...Holy...you're..." she stuttered.
"Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117." Chief finished for her. "You got a name, soldier?"
It was then that she regained her composure and nervously saluted. "Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212, sir!"
"At ease." Chief replied. "Give me a sit-rep."
"Oh man, where do I begin?" Ashley began. "My unit and I were on perimeter patrol when the attack hit. We tried to send a distress signal but they cut off our communications. I've been fighting for my life ever since."
"Where's the rest of your unit?" Kaidan asked. Ashley dipped her head in grief.
"Dead. I'm the only one left." Ashley replied. It was then that Chief looked over his shoulder back at the downed hostiles.
"What are we fighting here?" the spartan asked.
"Geth, I think." Ashley answered.
"The Geth haven't left the Perseus Veil in over three hundred years. Why would they leave now?" Kaidan asked skeptically.
"They must be here for the beacon." Ashley replied.
"Where is it?" Chief asked.
"The dig site is just over that rise. It might still be there." Ashley said as she pointed in the mentioned direction.
"You're with us, Williams." Chief said with a nod.
"It'll be an honor, Master Chief." Ashley said. "It's time for some payback."
...
Kaidan Alenko was crouched behind a boulder, Master Chief and Ashley Williams not far behind, giving him cover. Chief whipped out his sniper rifle and Ashley her assault rifle. Chief peeked over the boulder and lined up a shot.
*THOOM!*
With a low-pitched, reverberating sound, the rifle delivered its payload and the Geth trooper's head exploded in an array of sparks and metal as the body staggered back. The first shot was the cue of the other two. Kaidan demonstrated his biotics as, much to the Chief's surprise, his arm became enveloped in blue energy and he thrust his arm out forward at a Geth. As if by magic, the Geth was covered in a blue aura itself as it flew through the air, crashing into the rock wall. Ashley peppered the shields of the Geth as Kaidan and Chief picked them off with their biotics and sniper rifle respectively. Chief was glad he took the time to practice with these new weapons. A few weeks ago, he wasn't very good with bolt-action rifles, but now handling one was all but second nature to him.
Eventually, there was only one Geth remaining...and oddly enough it was allegedly the first kill. The Geth stumbled around, headless, pointing its rifle every which way trying in vain to detect the enemy. The three humans were rather bemused by the sight. Then, Kaidan took out his shotgun and, when the Geth unwittingly got close enough, blew a hole into its chest. He turned to the other two.
"Looks like the head only contains visual sensors. All the vital parts are in the torso." the biotic observed.
"Hey, I was gonna say that!" Cortana commented. "Okay, this guy better not take over my role as 'useful observer' or I'm gonna start feeling like dead weight."
Chief ignored the comment as he and Ashley came out of cover and started walking towards the dig site...which did not have a beacon in it.
"The beacon was right here last I saw it." Ashley exclaimed, apparently to negate any possible attempts at accusation. "It must've been moved."
"By who? Our side or the Geth?" Kaidan asked.
"Don't know. Maybe we should check out the research camp, up the ridge." Ashley answered.
"Lead the way." Chief said. Williams nodded and lead the spartan and the biotic up the ridge. As Ashley led them, Cortana chimed in.
"Head's up. Incoming transmission from our new best friend." she said.
"Chief, it's Nihlus. These are definitely Geth we're dealing with. Just finished checking out a camp. Lot of dead bodies." the Turian reported. "What's your status?"
"We think we might've found the beacon. Stand by." Chief replied. Sure enough, Ashley successfully lead Kaidan and the Chief to the research camp. It was a wreck. Piles of debris in some corners, fires in the other corners, a few barely-intact sheds, but the most eye-catching feature by far was what looked like a collection of dried up bodies mounted on those spikes.
"Camp got hit hard." Ashley observed.
"It's a good place for an ambush. Keep your guard up." Kaidan said. No sooner did the words escape his mouth did it happen. With audible screeches, the spikes began to lower, making the spartan and two marines snap their guns in that direction. As the spikes fully lowered, the bodies ripped themselves off and faced the Chief and his group. They were humans. Emphasis on WERE. They were naked, their skin had turned a grayish-blue with cybernetics strewn out across their bodies. Their eyes glowed blue with menace as they opened their mouths, blue light and a menacing moan escaping from them.
"Oh God..." Kaidan breathed in horror.
"What did the Geth do to them?" Ash asked. It was then that the creatures charged. Acting on reflex, the three opened fire on them. It didn't take long for them to fall to the ground.
"Secure the area." Chief ordered as he switched out his assault rifle for his shotgun. He walked over to each creature and put one round each into their chests, just to be sure, as Ashley and Kaidan began working on a shed's locked door. Chief took a moment to look at the...things.
"My God..." Cortana said, apparently just as horrified as Kaidan and Ashley.
"What happened to them?" Chief asked.
"I'm not sure." Cortana said. "Those devices must have made them this way. I'm only detecting faint biological signatures from these things. I think those devices drained the bodies of organic fluid and replaced them with cybernetics, turning them into shells...husks..."
The Chief shook his head in grief. He hadn't seen anything like this since...well, since the Flood. "Why are the Geth doing this? What do they have to gain from it?" he asked.
"I don't know." Cortana replied.
"Chief! We got this shed open!" Kaidan called. "We've got a couple of civilians in here."
Chief walked over to the shed and joined Kaidan and Ash inside. It was a shed in the truest sense of the word. Nothing but a table and a shelf on the far wall. It was a man and a woman. The woman looked to be in her thirties and had very short red hair. The man looked to be in his forties and his wrinkled face in a terrified scowl and a balding head showed that he had seen better days.
"Hurry! Close the door! Before they come back!" the man said in harsh, panicked whispers. Chief nodded and pressed a few buttons to close the door.
"You're safe now." Chief said.
"Thank the maker for that." the woman sighed in relief.
"Hey, you're Dr. Warren. The one in charge of the excavation." Ashley said. "What happened to the beacon?"
"We shipped it off to the spaceport earlier this morning." Dr. Warren began. She then gestured to the man beside her. "Manuel and I stayed behind to pack up the camp. When the attack came, the marines held them off long enough for us to hide." She paused and shook her head in sadness. "They gave their lives to save us."
"Nobody is saved." Manuel said as he shook his head. "The age of Humanity has ended. Soon, only ruin and corpses shall remain."
"Give us details on the attack." Kaidan said.
"I doubt we could tell you anything you don't already know. It all happened so fast. One second we were gathering up our equipment, the next we were hiding in the shed while the Geth swarmed over the camp." Warren answered.
"Agents of the destroyers." Manuel whimpered. "Bringers of darkness. Heralds of our extinction."
"Sounds like somebody isn't in their happy place." Cortana commented.
"What about the beacon?" Chief asked. "Why do the Geth want it?"
"I don't know." Warren confessed. "The beacon is some type of data module from a galaxy-wide communications network. Remarkably well-preserved. It could be the greatest scientific discovery in our lifetime. Miraculous new technologies, groundbreaking medical advances, it's easy to imagine that a lot of hostile factions would want to get their hands on it. Apparently, that includes the Geth."
"We have unearthed the heart of evil!" Manuel exclaimed. "Awakened the beast! Unleashed the darkness!"
"Okay, I've gotta ask. What's with him?" Chief asked. Spartans weren't known for their patience.
"Dr. Manuel has a brilliant mind, but he's always been a little bit...unstable. Genius and madness are two sides of the same coin."
"Is it madness to see the future?" Manuel asked.
"A little bit, yeah." Chief deadpanned.
Manuel shook his head. "I see it all now. The destruction rushing towards us. There is no escape! No hope! I am not mad. I'm the only sane one left!"
"I gave him an extra dose of his meds after the attack." Warren said in a reassuring tone.
"Alright. You two stay here. Wait on rescue." Chief said to the two scientists as he drew out his shotgun. He then turned to Ashley and Kaidan. "We need to head for the spaceport. Williams, you've got point."
"Don't you understand?" Manuel resumed his rant. "The end times are upon us. The Darkness of Eternity is falling and nobody..." he pointed at the spartan. "Not even YOU can stop it!"
"Don't worry." Chief said as pumped his shotgun. "This wouldn't be the first time I stopped the Darkness of Eternity."
...
Nihlus Kryik carefully made his way through the spaceport. A few minutes ago, he had just received a report from Master Chief. The spartan had learned from two surviving civilians that the beacon had been moved from the dig site to the spaceport before the attack hit. The spectre and the spartan both agreed to link up with one another there. Nihlus was pleased. So far, he now knew that when Chief set off to look for something, he left no stone unturned. A good trait for a spectre to have. And given his physical statistics and history of the spartan program, it was easy to imagine his combat skills were nothing less than amazing.
However, there was more to being a spectre than combat. A certain amount of diplomatic skill is also required for the job. If Chief had any weakness, that may be it. A spartan's idea of diplomacy probably involved aiming a gun at somebody's head. On future missions, Nihlus will have to teach Chief that shooting isn't always the answer.
Being a spectre meant unlimited freedom in citadel space. Freedom to choose how and in what nature you want to complete your missions. But that freedom of choice carries with it a great burden. Choices have consequences, consequences that you'll have to carry with you for the rest of your life. 'I was following orders' is not a valid excuse when you're a spectre; the only orders you ever receive are from the council, and those orders are usually just vague enough leave you with some wiggle room. More often than not, spectres give the orders. Both the choices and the consequences of those choices are theirs, and theirs alone.
When you're a spectre, you face many choices. Few of them are easy. Master Chief will need to understand that if he is to become one.
It was then that Nihlus spotted someone, or something. He was snapped from his thoughts as he quickly took cover behind a crate. He checked his assault rifle. Armed and ready. He quickly moved out of cover and kept the rifle pointed at the target. The fact that it didn't look Geth was the only reason the target was still standing, but Nihlus was ready to pull the trigger at any moment. However, when he got a better look at the mysterious figure, his stance changed entirely.
"Saren?" he asked as he lowered his rifle and his mandibles splayed apart in surprise and confusion.
"Nihlus..." Saren said as he turned around to address the younger Turian. Saren was a rather unusual sight among Turians. For one thing, he lacked the facial tattoos that were typical for his species, indicating he swore no allegiances to any colonial heritage. He also had elongated 'horns' extending back from the sides of his skull, showing that he was part of a racial sub-group of Turians. Finally, there was his artificial left arm; he lost the real one on one of his most dangerous missions. Of course, when you're the Council's top spectre, you go on a lot of dangerous missions.
"This isn't your mission, Saren. What are you doing here?" Nihlus asked.
"The Council thought you could use some help on this one." Saren answered as he casually walked past Nihlus. The younger spectre nodded in reply, the explanation being good enough for him. Saren was, in truth, Nihlus's old mentor. He was the one who subjected Nihlus to his trial to become a spectre, just as Nihlus was subjecting the Master Chief now. He had no reason to not believe Saren at his word. He trusted him.
"Situation looks bad. Geth are all over the place and it looks like they're dead-set on the beacon." Nihlus explained.
"Relax..." Saren said coolly. "I've got everything under control..."
...
*BANG!*
Chief brought up a fist, a signal for the squad to halt, having heard a gunshot in the distance. They stayed there for a long time, not hearing anything else after that sole shot.
"...Keep moving. Eyes and ears open." Chief ordered after twenty seconds or so of silence. With a 'Yes sir' and an 'Aye aye', they resumed their path to the spaceport.
They continued on their way through the trees until they found themselves at the top of a hill overlooking the docks of the spaceport. However, the hill was also over looking about a dozen Geth troopers and about half a dozen more husks. The Geth immediately opened fire as the husks charged forward at the three humans.
Chief took cover behind a tree while Ash and Kaidan took cover behind yet another boulder (of which Chief couldn't help but notice that there was an abundance). Ash fired her assault rifle at the husks while Kaidan kept them at bay with his biotics. Chief dished out potshots on the husks the other two missed with his shotgun. Once the husks were dealt with, it was time to move on to the Geth. Kaidan leapt over the boulder and began firing with his pistol while Ash and Chief covered him with their sniper rifles. Chief smiled. Between him and Ash, every click of their rifles was a guaranteed kill. Ashley's shot would lower the shields of a Geth, while Chief's shot took it out. Sometimes they switched. So far, Chief was impressed with both of them. Ashley's mastery of all four of her weapons was as good as Chief's and that's saying something. Back during the war, she would have made a good spartan. Kaidan was no slouch either. Granted, he wasn't so good with guns, but those obviously weren't his specialty anyway; biotics were. And his biotics were very powerful. Any Geth or Husks that didn't end up flying into the far wall floated up into the air as if somebody turned the gravity off, making them easy targets for Chief and Ashley. If the group kept going like this, Chief just might be able to get the beacon and complete the mission by lunch.
After a while, the firing stopped. Kaidan peeked his head out of cover while Ashley and Chief scanned the area from afar. "I think we're good, Chief." Kaidan said over the radio.
"Chief, I'm detecting Nihlus's radio signal on those docks up ahead." Cortana also reported.
"Lovely." Chief deadpanned. He still didn't like the idea of working with an alien. But when you're in the middle of a battle, you can't be too picky about who your allies are. He clicked his communicator. "Alenko, head up to the docks and make sure the area is clear." he ordered.
"On my way." Kaidan replied before coming out of cover and trotting up to the dock. Chief turned to Ashley and motioned her to follow. Kaidan chimed in when Chief and Ashley were about halfway down the hill.
"Chief, you need to get over here. Now." Kaidan said. Chief didn't need to ask why, instantly knowing it was something bad. He broke out into a sprint down the hill towards the dock. After getting over the momentary shock over his speed, Ashley took off after him. Chief jumped onto the dock and saw Kaidan standing over a corpse. Notably, a corpse that wasn't Human, Geth, or husk. Chief walked over to get a better look at it. It was lying face down on the deck, the back of the head, neck and upper back coated in blue blood. Chief had a feeling who it was before he flipped the body onto its back.
Nihlus. Damn.
"Shot in the base of the neck, execution style." Kaidan explained. "Geth might have captured him and killed him on the spot."
"A Turian?" Ashley asked as she finally caught up with the Chief. "You know him?"
"He was a spectre on the mission with us. He was going to help secure the bea-" the sound of some metal being knocked over interrupted him. "We've got movement! Behind the crates!" Kaidan snapped to attention and brought out his pistol, Chief and Ash doing the same, and pointing them at the crates.
"Stop! Don't shoot!" cried out a comically high-pitched voice. With a snuffle and a trot, a familiar figure (well, familiar to the Chief anyway) waddled out of its hiding place.
Chief had killed grunts by the truckload back during the Human-Covenant war. They were decent fighters...so long as their numbers were adequate and their leaders strong. Once you killed the leader, usually an elite or a brute, the grunts would panic and would either fire blindly in the general direction of their target or run away screaming. Get a lone one cornered, and it will likely beg for its life. Some UNSC marines took pity on cornered grunts and took them as POW's. This grunt was different from the others he had fought though. It was dressed in a black uniform instead of the usual Covenant colors, and its methane backpack didn't have that pointed triangle tip. It had no weapons on its person, none that the Chief could see anyway.
Kaidan was the first to lower his weapon. "Just a dock-worker." he said.
"What's a grunt doing on Eden Prime?" Chief asked, hesitantly lowering his gun. He knew the tiny alien posed no threat, but he was still Covenant.
"Same reason a grunt is on any Human colony. Cheap labor." Ashley said in a condescending tone as she too lowered her gun. "These guys would do for ten credits what Human workers do for fifty."
"Excuse me?" The Grunt said, apparently offended. "Let's not resort to racial slurs, okay people? I'm an Unggoy, thank you very much!"
Chief raised his pistol and pointed it at the Unggoy, changing the alien's attitude completely, as evidenced by his sudden cowering and incoherent babbling. "We've got a dead spectre, and seeing as you seem to be the only one around here, you seem to be the prime suspect." the spartan said.
The Unggoy's eyes widened in fear as his gaze darted between the three humans and the dead Turian. He began babbling again as he shook his head repeatedly. "NOT ME! NOT ME!" he yipped. "IT WAS THAT OTHER TURIAN! NOT ME!"
"Wait..." Kaidan interjected. "What do you mean other Turian? Nihlus was the only one that came with us."
"No! There was two!" the Unggoy went on. "One was a bone-fac and the other had a robot arm and they talked and there was a bad situation and there was relaxing and control and then BLAMMO!"
"Woah. Slow down." Kaidan said as he held a hand up. "Just calm down and start from the beginning."
The Unggoy took a few deep breaths from his methane before beginning. "I was back here napping when the Geth attacked."
"Napping?" Ashley asked.
"Yeah. I do that sometimes." the diminutive dockworker explained before he continued. "Anyway, I woke up and there were Geth everywhere!" the Grunt said as he waved his arms for emphasis. "But the scariest part was the mothership..."
"Mothership?" Chief asked.
"It was horrible! It looked like a giant...metal...squid thingy! Dropped Geth all over the colony!" the methane-breather described. The image of that strange squid-like creature popped back into Chief's head. That thing was a ship?
"And the noise it made..." the Grunt gripped his head in agony. "It was like the screeching of the damned! Came from inside my head! Like nails scratching on the chalkboard that is my little grunty brain!" he paused. "I wet myself after that."
"No surprise there." Chief said. "What about the Turian?"
"After a while of hiding behind these crates here, I saw that other Turian. He looked like he was waiting for your friend, Niley."
"Nihlus." Kaidan corrected.
"Whatever." the Unggoy said. "They talked. I think they knew each other. Nihlon...Nigel...Nihlay-loo...your buddy let his guard down and then BLAMMO! The other Turian shot him right in the back."
Chief lowered his pistol and took a step forward, looking down at the grunt, reminding the alien of just how small and weak he really was. "Give me a name."
"I...I..." the Unggoy stuttered. "Saren...I think...no, Saren! That's what your buddy called him, Saren!"
"Er, Chief." Cortana intervened. "As much as I love playing 'murder mystery' we still have a mission to complete?"
"We're looking for the Prothean beacon. We heard it was moved here. Where is it?" Chief questioned.
"It's at dock 21." The Unggoy then pointed further down the spaceport. "The cargo train is the fastest way to get there. But I saw a lot of Geth head that way. I think Saren went that way too."
"Noted." Chief said before turning to his two companions. "Let's move."
And with that, the spartan took off for the tram with the other two marines following.
"Yeah! That's great!" The Unggoy called after them. "You guys go get the beacon! While I stay here...by myself...with no weapons to defend myself in case any more Geth show up. Never mind that I'm a key witness in the murder of a spectre. I'll be fine."
...
"I need a hug."
...
The Prothean beacon was a tall, slim structure. It was about fifteen feet high and was only about half a foot across at the tip. Knowing its value, the Humans of Eden Prime who dug it up were readying it for transport to the Citadel. That was, until Saren and his Geth showed up.
The Turian looked upon the beacon. He had been worried that it might have been damaged, but from the looks of it, it was still like new. Launching an attack on a colony this deep in Alliance space was a big gamble, but one that ultimately paid off. He turned to a Geth trooper standing next to him.
"Set the charges. Leave no evidence that we were here." Saren ordered. He looked up as he heard gunfire in the distance. It sounded like it was coming from further down the spaceport, which was too close for Saren's liking. He'd have to make this quick. He walked up to the beacon. Then, he was lifted into the air as he had a vision.
He landed on his feet with a thud. The vision was confusing, but it was only one piece of the puzzle. Once the other pieces fell into place, all would be made clear. He summoned his ship. He got what he came for, so now it was time to leave. He'd leave some Geth behind to set the demolition charges and if need be, defend them from any Human survivors stupid enough to try and retake the spaceport. The synthetics would be destroyed in the blast, but it was a necessary sacrifice. Besides, there were plenty more Geth where those came from. Once the bombs go off, the entire colony will be destroyed in a massive nuclear explosion, effectively erasing any evidence that there was even an attack to begin with.
Saren smiled. He knew that there wasn't a single person in the galaxy who could stop him now.
...
"Damn." Ashley said as she looked down the catwalk to see all the Geth defenders behind them...or rather what was left of them. "No wonder the Covenant called you a demon, Master Chief."
The spartan looked to the colonial marine.
"Er, not to imply that you ARE a demon sir. It's just that...uh...you're very powerful and I'm sure the Covenant was intimidated and..."
The spartan kept staring.
"Shutting up now sir."
"Alenko." Chief said.
"One more second." Kaidan replied as he typed away buttons at the tram's control panel. "Got it." he said two seconds later. With a jerk, the tram began moving.
"Don't let your guard down." Chief said as he looked up at the ledges that surrounded the tram. They were good defensive positions, and the Geth would use them if given the opportunity. Ashley and Kaidan had the same idea as they too looked around, rifles at the ready.
That's when they heard it. A vile, screeching sound that made lesser beings cringe. It was the same sound Chief heard in the Normandy's comm room. The three soldiers looked off in the direction of the sound just in time to see it taking off into the sky.
"That's the mothership!" Ashley shouted, her voice barely audible over the roar of the thing taking off.
"That thing's a ship?" Kaidan shouted back.
Chief looked on in silence, recognizing the flying structure as the one he saw in the distress feed. If the Unggoy's story carried any truth, that was the mothership on which the Geth arrived...as well as the Turian who murdered Nihlus. Before he found the spectre's body, this was just a simple battle, not too different from the battles he fought before, the only differences being the weapons he was using and the enemies he was fighting. But a Turian, whom Nihlus apparently knew, shooting the spectre in the back? That meant there was more going on here than just a simple battle.
"If that's their mothership, then the Geth might be withdrawing." Cortana observed as the ship rocketed up out of sight, leaving Eden Prime's atmosphere.
"Maybe they already have the beacon and they're getting the hell out of dodge." Chief suggested.
"Maybe...hold on, getting weird signatures...Oh boy..." the AI said.
"What?" Chief asked. Cortana had that tone that practically sang 'things are about to get worst.'
"I'm detecting faint nuclear signatures down the spaceport. They're bombs, Chief."
"You sure?"
"Positive. I'd know that signature in any century. They've rigged this whole colony to blow."
That was all Chief needed to know. He checked his sights on his assault rifle for the umpteenth time as he readied himself. He didn't know why the Geth wanted to blow up the colony. Maybe it was a scorched earth strategy; there was something here that the Geth didn't want to fall into Human hands. Maybe it was to erase evidence of the attack, implying that they did not want anyone to know about what happened. Maybe they were simply sending a message, just like the Covenant did whenever they glassed over one of the UNSC's planets. It didn't matter, because no matter the reason, the Geth had to be stopped.
The tram reached its destination with a click, and as the spartan expected, the three got one hell of a welcoming committee. Eight Geth Troopers, all lined up around the catwalk. Ashley and Kaidan ducked behind a crate, while Chief was a little more proactive. He ran past the crate and up the stairway leading to the catwalk. He lobbed a grenade and took cover. The explosion didn't take out the entire force, but it took out two and disoriented the rest, which was good enough for Chief as he rose out of cover as he opened fire with his rifle, Ash and Kaidan's own rounds lending a much-appreciated hand.
"First bomb, right below you Chief." Cortana chimed in. Chief looked over the railing to see a bomb the size of a fridge, complete with beeping and blinking red lights. He pointed to it, his two companions following his gaze.
"Bomb!" Kaidan yelled, instantly recognizing it. "I'm on it!" He rushed up to it and began furiously pressing buttons on its control panel. The bomb gave a few beeps and Chief saw the lights fade away and the beeping stop. Kaidan gave Chief a thumb's up. Chief was glad, but his relief was short-lived when he remembered what Cortana said.
"First bomb?" Chief asked.
"I'm detecting five other bombs." Cortana said.
"I'm detecting five other bombs." Chief told his comrades.
"Hey, that's my line." Cortana said. "What is with everyone taking my lines today?"
"How did you know?" Ashley asked.
"Check your HUD." Chief said. They did and sure enough, they detected five other signals, likely from five other bombs. "Alenko, disarm the rest. Williams, cover him. I'll keep the Geth off of both your backs."
Chief didn't even bother waiting around for a 'Sir, yes sir!' and took off. "Cortana, hostiles?" he asked.
"Oh yeah." Cortana said. "About two dozen others...and a really big one."
"Big one?" Chief asked.
It was then that the SPARTAN-II heard a thumping sound, very heavy footsteps not unlike his own. He turned and saw a Geth. A really big Geth. It was easily a foot taller than he was, dwarfing the two Geth troopers flanking it. It was a bright red in color and had what looked like two long rods sticking out of each shoulder, giving it an almost regal look. It held up a very big rifle, one with two barrels, both of them aiming right at him.
"Like I said. Big one." Cortana quipped.
The three geth let loose their pulse rounds, but not before Chief threw a grenade as he dove for cover, taking out one trooper's shields and killing the other one altogether. Chief finished off the second one with a burst of rifle fire, meaning the juggernaut was now without its backup. It fired another round of pulse fire as Chief came out of cover, running down the catwalk to get some distance between he and it while he fired at the juggernaut, its flickering shields indicating that, at the very least, he was doing damage. Then, Chief had to duck because the juggernaut fired what looked like a rocket at him. Now he knew what that second barrel was for. He reached the end of the catwalk and turned the corner...
Only to find another Geth trooper waiting for him. He gave it a backhand, hitting the Geth's head with the backside of his forearm with enough force to knock it off the deck onto the tram-way below. He then ducked behind the fence to avoid another rocket aimed at his head, seeing another trooper heading his way. He fired at its feet, penetrating its shields and tearing up its feet in a shower of metal, sparks and white fluid as it collapsed onto the ground. Once it was down, Chief punched a hole into the Geth's back with his own fist and pulled it out, leaving a nice clean hole. He pulled out his pistol and fired a few rounds into the internal circuitry, and the machine's whirring and stuttering stopped as its flashlight head went dark. Another rocket exploded against the wall in front of him, letting him know the juggernaut was still a threat. He checked his belt. Two grenades left. It could be enough to take this thing down, if only he could flank it.
Meanwhile, Ashley took out another Geth with her rifle as Kaidan furiously tapped buttons on the control panel. Chief was doing a good job of keeping the Geth busy, particularly the big one. Any Geth that chose to go after them met heavy resistance from Ashley, who so far was proving to be a one-woman army. Why she hadn't been promoted past Gunnery Chief of a colonial defense unit was beyond Kaidan. Obviously, somebody in Alliance brass wasn't paying very close attention.
"Got it." Kaidan said. "Four down, two to go." The biotic was ridiculously fast with disarming the bombs, each one only taking a few seconds at a time. As a Sentinel, it was part of his training to be a tech expert as well as a biotics expert.
"Got one more!" Ashley shouted as she saw one more Geth trooper head their way. Ash pulled the trigger on her rifle, only to have nothing come out due to overheating, earning yet another swear from the marine.
Kaidan reached out his hand as his biotics kicked in again. The trooper kept coming, but this time rather than charging forward guns blazing, it was doing loop-de-loops through the air. Kaidan drew his shotgun and unleashed a round of buckshot on the Geth once it got close enough, sending it careening over the tram-way, then falling into it once the effects of the biotic manipulation wore off.
"Nice one." Ashley complimented.
"Let's go. There's still two more bombs we need to disarm." Kaidan said as he took off, Ashley not far behind.
Meanwhile back on the catwalk, the juggernaut had apparently gotten tired of firing and was now slowly marching down the bridge towards Master Chief's location. Its weapon was switched to assault rifle mode, intent on tearing the spartan to ribbons once he was in range. The juggernaut turned the corner...
To find no spartan there. Just a couple of Geth trooper corpses. Before the juggernaut could even dedicate its subroutines to finding its target, there was an explosion at its feet. The explosion was enough to make the juggernaut stumble forwards, dropping its weapon as it waved its arms to regain balance. Chief leapt out from his hiding place and saw his opportunity. He rushed forwards and grabbed the weapon dropped by the hulking machine. He ran down the walkway a little while longer to get an appropriate distance between him and the juggernaut. The juggernaut tried to catch him, but its speed was no match for a SPARTAN-II in full sprint. Once he was at an adequate distance he turned around, pointed the large rifle at the juggernaut and switched to rocket mode. SPARTAN-II's were trained to make use of any weapon, human-made or otherwise. He wasn't terribly familiar with the Geth dual assault rifle / rocket launcher, but he figured out enough about it to know how to shoot it. He fired a rocket, which flew from the rifle's second barrel towards the juggernaut.
*BOOM!*
There was an explosion, of course, wrapping the massive Geth in smoke and flame. When the smoke cleared, the juggernaut was still standing, though it stopped moving. The rocket did a real number on it. One of the shoulder rods was cracked, the other snapped off completely. Its torso was covered in soot and seemed dented, likely from the impact. Aside from that and a few soot marks and cracks around its armor, it was still a standing. These things were built tough. But not so tough that it didn't give a few more stutters while its flashlight head blinked before falling over on its back, the blinking and stuttering stopping upon hitting the floor.
Chief checked the rifle to see if there was any ammunition left. There didn't seem to be anymore rockets, and not enough assault ammo to justify lugging around such a heavy weapon. He dropped it and then activated his radio.
"Alenko. Status report." Chief said.
"Five out of six bombs successfully disarmed." Kaidan reported. "But there are a lot of Geth guarding the sixth one, and they've got me and Williams pinned down. We could really use some back up right about now."
"Sit tight. I'm on my way." Chief replied. He clicked off and took off for Kaidan's position, which Cortana helpfully highlighted on the spartan's HUD. He unfolded his rifle as he ran with all the speed of a SPARTAN-II.
...
Another blast from Ashley's shotgun knocked another husk to the ground with a hole in its gut. She turned and blasted a Geth trooper trying to flank them. It staggered back, and another blast sent the Geth to the floor sans head. Another blast to the chest made sure it stayed down. Kaidan biotically lifted a Geth into the air, peacefully floating above the firefight, wrapped in blue energy. The two soldiers would've shot the Geth down if they had time, but there were more Geth baring down on them that needed more attention. Besides, the Geth fell over the edge of the spaceport and into the forest below, so it was no longer a problem.
All in all, it wasn't good. The bomb was about to blow, and there were about a dozen Geth standing between it and the two soldiers. Thankfully, this was when the Chief arrived. He charged into the thickest part of the Geth lines, intending to draw their fire. It worked, as the Geth immediately labeled the spartan as a priority target. Any Geth that weren't killed by the Chief were killed by Ashley and Kaidan as they tried to kill the Chief.
Chief moved like water across the battlefield. He jumped into a Geth's hiding spot and took one out with a shotgun blast. He got another one with his bare hands, crushing its flashlight head by slamming it between the crate the android was using for cover, and his fist. He took out his assault rifle and took out the others. His shields were down to zero for a time, but thankfully his new armor was just as thick as his old armor, shrugging off the pulse fire without too much visible damage.
Aside from a few outstanding kills (which Cortana recorded. It was a hobby of hers), the firefight itself wasn't too difficult or special. Chief killed the last Geth by stomping on its head, crushing it. He then fired into its torso a few times with his shotgun. He then turned to Kaidan.
"You're clear. Go." he ordered.
"On it." Kaidan said with a nod. Ashley's jaw was on the floor as she came out of cover, looking at all the dead Geth before her.
"Holy...I can't..." she sputtered. "You are...just...damn...I mean...wow..."
"Yeah, I get that a lot." Chief said with a shrug. It was then that he heard a by-now very familiar stuttering and stomping heading their way. He looked up, Ashley following his gaze. There was the Geth juggernaut. Cracked, half-broken, but still standing and ready for more.
"Oh hell..." Cortana swore.
The juggernaut raised its rifle and fired another rocket at the Chief. He leapt for cover, Ashley doing the same. Their shields took most of the damage from the shock as Chief and Ashley whipped out their rifles and began firing at it.
"Okay, I'm calling shenanigans!" Cortana yelped. "That gun was out of rockets when we checked! Where did that thing get more rockets?"
Chief ducked behind cover to avoid another rocket before popping back out and shooting back. "Seriously, where did it get more rockets? We should have rockets!"
Chief ducked behind the crate he was hiding behind and smacked the side of his helmet.
"Alright, alright. Shutting up now." the AI admitted.
"Kaidan, we could use a hand here..." Chief said into his radio. "Wanna defuse that bomb so you can help?"
"Already did." Kaidan replied. With that, the air around the juggernaut distorted with a blue warp, knocking the juggernaut back a bit. It didn't quite stop it though, as it kept on firing at the Chief. The odd biotic attack did not get by the spartan.
"What did you just do?" he asked, a clever plan already forming in his mind.
"A biotic warp, why?" Kaidan asked back.
"Okay. Alenko, get in position. Hit him with another warp when I give the signal. Williams, see if you can't grab that thing's attention." Chief ordered.
The two marines agreed and followed their orders. Ashley got a little closer to the juggernaut and hit it with everything she had. She dove behind another crate once her rifle overheated, drawing the juggernaut's attention.
"Any time now, guys." Ashley said as she noticed the hail of pulse fire slowly eating through the crate she was hiding behind.
"Now Alenko!" Chief shouted.
Kaidan reached outwards as his hand was wrapped in a biotic aura. He hit the juggernaut with a warp that stunned it, giving Chief the opportunity he needed. He ran out of cover towards the stunned juggernaut and rammed into it with his shoulder, and then back-handed the rifle out of the juggernaut's hands. The juggernaut reacted by raising its arms and bringing them down on the spartan, crushing him with sheer brute force. But the armored human did something, something a human should not have been capable of.
He caught the arms. And they did not break.
During the Human-Covenant War, the UNSC publicized SPARTAN-II's as nigh-immortals, 'superheroes' if one wishes to be melodramatic, in order to keep morale up. While spartans didn't really care for this public image, it was pretty much true. They were stronger, faster, and more resilient than any other human. Super-strong muscles, unbreakable bones, and a mind as sharp as a tack on the battlefield. At the moment, it was the super-strength and unbreakable bones that were most useful to Chief as he grappled with the Geth juggernaut. Chief noted that the juggernaut's strength was comparable to his own as beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Overcoming this Geth would be difficult.
Difficult. But not impossible.
The two behemoths were evenly matched in terms of raw strength, but unlike the Geth, the Chief was creative enough to tip the odds in his favor. He pulled down on the juggernaut's right arm while pushing up on his left arm. These sudden jerking motions caught the juggernaut off guard and allowed the Chief to push him to the ground. Now the juggernaut was on its back, Chief still holding onto its arms as he stood above it. Still taking advantage of the juggernaut's momentary disorientation, he bent down and forwards on one of the Geth's arms, snapping the forearm in two. That arm now useless and no longer requiring holding onto, he stomped on a cracked spot on the Geth's torso, his boot smashing through the armor. He pulled it out of the new hole and whipped out his last grenade. SPARTAN-II's weren't usually fond of delivering one-liners. It was commonly viewed as a waste of time. But every once in a while, even a spartan can't resist.
"This time, stay dead." Chief said before arming and then jamming the grenade into the juggernaut's chest cavity. He then let go of the Geth's arm and sprinted away, before a massive explosion erupted from the juggernaut's chest. When the smoke cleared, the machine didn't even have a torso left, all the internal circuitry strewn about in charred bits and pieces.
Ashley and Kaidan came out of cover to inspect the damage. Kaidan whistled at the corpse, while Ash was flabbergasted once again. "Hey." Chief said, immediately grabbing both marines' attention. "Let's go get that beacon."
...
"Is that it?" Kaidan asked as they approached the Prothean beacon.
"Yeah but...it wasn't glowing when they dug it up." Ashley replied. "Maybe the Geth did something to it?"
"I'll establish a link with the Normandy for you." Cortana said, her voice once again unheard by all but her spartan. "You're on."
"Normandy, this is Spartan-117." Chief reported. "We've secured the beacon. Corporal Jenkins and Nihlus Kryik are KIA. Picked up one survivor. Over."
"What?" Anderson yelped over the radio. "Nihlus is dead? What happened?"
"Don't know sir." Chief admitted. "Some grunt said he saw Nihlus get executed by another Turian named Saren."
"...Saren..." Anderson said. Chief couldn't help but note the way Anderson said that word, as if testing it. "Are you sure that's his name?"
"That's what the grunt said, anyway." Chief clarified. Despite his mistrust of Covenant races, he honestly didn't think the grunt lied to him. He knew for a fact that they were hardly the types to lie, especially to a big scary spartan baring down on them. Besides, how would an unarmed Unggoy kill a Turian spectre anyway?
"...Roger that Chief. We'll lock onto your position and pick you up. Normandy out." Anderson stated before clicking off.
"Anderson's heard that name before." Cortana said, having also noticed how Anderson paused after hearing Saren's name.
"He knows who Saren is?" Chief asked.
"Most likely." Cortana replied. Chief paused in thought. He'd have some questions for the captain once they were back aboard the ship.
Then, Chief heard what sounded like a pulse, followed by a flash of green light. "WILLIAMS!" Kaidan yelled. Chief turned around and saw Ashley being pulled towards the beacon by an unseen force. Acting on instinct, he rushed to the marine and grabbed her arm, and then gently threw her away. Of course, 'gently' for a SPARTAN-II was hurling something three feet in the air and watch it land with a thud. She might get a bruise, but otherwise no worst for a wear.
However, now the force was pulling Chief in. Chief tried to pull away with all his might. But even his strength was not enough to completely break away. Suddenly, the spartan found himself floating in the air.
"CHIEF!" Ashley yelled as she tried to leap after him.
"No!" Kaidan said, pulling her back. "You'll just be pulled in too!"
Chief received the vision.
...
There were strange-looking people, aliens maybe, suffering.
Metal being welded to flesh.
Minds being tormented.
Blood splattering on the ground.
Screeching of the damned.
And eyes that spoke eons of malice.
...
The beacon exploded, sending the spartan flying. The Chief lost consciousness as Ashley and Kaidan rushed to his side.
...
Codex Entry (Aliens - Non-Council Races): UNGGOY
Unggoy are a diminutive race of creatures that hail from the frigid swamp world of Balahao. Although they display traits of mammals and reptiles, they are in truth arthropods. Due to having evolved in a methane atmosphere, Unggoy have naturally high-pitched voices. It also means that they require sophisticated breathing packs in order to survive in non-methane atmospheres.
Unggoy are a part of the Sangheili Empire and, despite having their own council of leaders and seats in the Empire's senate, have no independent government of their own. Similar to the relationship between Volus and Turians, Unggoy handle the economic side of the Empire, having long managed trade routes with the Human Alliance, Kig-Yar Confederacy and Yanme'e Hives.
When they first joined the Citadel races in 2657, the Council were initially worried about the Unggoy's high-reproductive rate, fearing a repeat of the Krogan Rebellions. Thankfully, Unggoy are nowhere near as aggressive as the Krogan, and to prevent overpopulation, the Empire enforces strict breeding restrictions on Unggoy couples, usually only allowing one brood per lifetime.
...
So yeah. That last bit was my attempt at a Codex Entry for the Grunts. And yes, I know you don't actually encounter a Geth Juggernaut on Eden Prime, but you know. "Creative License" and all that. Next chapter will be rather short compared to this one, so hopefully it won't take as long to update next time