...
0757 Hours, March 5th, 2683
ExoGeni Skyway
Surface of Feros
Theseus System, Attican Beta Cluster
...
Well in the merry month of May, from my home I stated
Left the girls of Tuam, nearly broken hearted,
Saluted father dear,
Kissed me darlin' mother, drank a pint of beer,
My grief and tears to smother,
Then off to reap the corn,
And leave where I was born,
I cut a stout blackthorn,
To banish ghost and goblin,
In a brand new pair of brogues,
I rattled o'er the bogs,
And frightened all the dogs,
On the rocky road to Dublin.
One, two, three, four, five,
Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road and all the ways to Dublin
Whack-fol-lol-e-da!
Tali held on to the dashboard as N'tho ran over yet another Geth rocket trooper. Rocket trooper. As in the boshing thing was shooting rockets at them while N'tho was aiming to run it over.
Tali was relieved when she learned that she wouldn't be riding with the Chief. N'tho, however, turned out to be just as bad.
"Now, THIS song has a very interesting history." N'tho explained as the celtic punk song blasted from the warthog's speakers. "It was first written by D.K. Gavan in the 19th century. It's about a man from Ireland, an island nation on Earth, and his experiences traveling from his home in Tuam to Liverpool, England, England being another island nation that's actually very close to Ireland."
"Geth rocket trooper!" Tali yelled as she pointed at the Geth.
"I see him." N'tho replied before swirling the wheel around and running over the Geth in question. He hit the Geth so hard that white hydraulic fluid splattered over the windshield. N'tho flipped on the windshield wipers, which quickly solved any vision obstruction issues that the Geth might've caused.
"Now THIS particular incarnation of the song is by the celtic rock band 'The Shanxi Shamrocks.'" N'tho resumed. "Now, there have been hundreds of versions of the song done over the centuries, but at the end of the day, there are two main interpretations; a slow, easy pace like the original, or a faster-paced rock and roll version like this. I like both, but it depends on the situation. I like the slower-paced versions for when I'm just chilling out, but I prefer the rock versions for situations like this, you know? Gets the blood pumping. Oh hey, a Krogan."
N'tho swung the hog sideways towards the Krogan warrior. The reptillian alien blasted his shotgun at the vehicle, but to little avail. The warthog slammed into the Krogan, the Krogan finding himself pinned beneath one of the hog's tires.
N'tho slammed his hoof on the gas pedal. A howl of pain accompanied the sound of a spinning tire and orange ichor splashing up at the side windows.
After that speed bump was dealt with, N'tho resumed his journey on the rocky road.
In Mullingar that night, I rested limbs so weary,
Started by daylight, next mornin' bright an' early,
Took a drop of the pure,
To keep me heart from sinkin', that's a Paddy's cure,
Whene'er he's on for drinking.
To see the lasses smile,
Laughing all the while,
At my curious style,
'Twould set your heart a-bubblin'.
They ax'd if I was hired,
The wages I required,
Till I was almost tired,
Of the rocky road to Dublin.
One, two, three, four, five,
Hunt the hare and turn her down the rocky road and all the ways to Dublin
Whack-fol-lol-e-da!
"Interesting thing about Ireland. In the late 19th century, there was a lot of immigration going on from Ireland to the United States. A few centuries later and virtually half of all Humans living in the United North American States can trace at least part of their ancestry to Ireland. Isn't that amazing? Half of an entire continent is descended from one little island."
"GETH JUGGERNAUT!" Tali yelled as she pointed at the Geth in question.
"I see him." N'tho said as he turned towards the large Geth. The bumper of the warthog hit the juggernaut in the legs, making the massive Geth buckle over the hood of the hog. It raised its eye, staring right at Tali.
"GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!" Tali shrieked.
N'tho swiveled the wheel back and forth, making the warthog do the same thing. Eventually, the juggernaut lost its grip and flew off. "N'tho, I thought you said you knew how to drive!" Kaidan yelled, apparently about as satisfied with N'tho's driving as Tali was.
"Yeah, I did! Raced all the time back in the day!" N'tho replied.
"Wait, how do Sangheili ghost races work exactly?" Kaidan questioned, voice still yelling over the hog's roaring engines.
"Oh you know, like how I'm driving!" N'tho answered. He turned hard, power-sliding the warthog, knocking down three more Geth troopers.
"I think I read about ghost racing in an article once!" Garrus yelled over the engines. "It's one of the most dangerous sports in Citadel space! So much so that it's actually illegal in some states on Sangheilios!"
"...I plead the fifth!" N'tho yelled.
"Oh Goddess on high, mother of all life, protect me now in this trying time..." Liara quietly prayed.
"Hey! It could be worse!" N'tho pointed out.
"HOW?" Tali shrieked.
The group then saw Ashley, Wrex and the Master Chief speed past them in their hog. They sped towards a squad of Geth rocket troopers who were ducking behind barricades. They blasted several rockets at the incoming hog. Most of them missed, but one rocket got lucky and impacted just underneath the warthog's undercarriage, the blast sending the hog flying.
Flying over the squad of rocket troopers and landing on its wheels behind them, Wrex turning the gun around and mowing the whole squad down in short order. The Master Chief paused just long enough to make sure the hog was properly self-righted before continuing his trip.
"Chief could be driving this thing." N'tho said.
"We're with the lesser of two evils. Very reassuring." Kaidan deadpanned.
"The last batch went south." an unfamiliar female voice suddenly said over the hog's radio. "What are they looking for?"
"Who's that?" N'tho asked before splattering another trooper.
"It's a comm signal. Tali, see if you can pinpoint it." Kaidan ordered.
Tali tried to shake the mind-numbing terror off and hooked the radio up to her omni-tool. She began tapping on it. "Can't. It's too weak."
"Any sign of movement?" the female voice asked. "Lizbeth could still be in there. It's only been a few days."
"You getting this, Master Chief?" Kaidan asked over TEAMCOM.
...
"Affirmative." Master Chief replied as he splattered yet another Geth. Ashley continued to pray, a datapad in her hands. Chief glanced at it earlier in the drive. It was a bible that Ashley apparently liked to keep on her person most of the time.
"She's my daughter. I'll wait as long as I have to." the woman continued.
"Got it." Tali reported. "It's coming from the building just up ahead.
"These soldiers have movement!" an odd voice reported. "Two vehicles. Not Geth."
"Hold fire, but watch them close." another voice said, as odd as the last one. Yanme'e, if Chief had to guess.
"Sounds like they uh, spotted us, sir." Ashley pointed out as she came out of her prayer. "We must be close."
"I've got a visual on them." Chief replied. They were approaching a building. His visor zoomed in and saw three Yanme'e clinging to the wall of the building, near the roof. They had plasma SMG's trained on them. The fact that they weren't Geth was likely the only reason they hadn't started shooting.
It was strange, seeing only three Yanme'e guarding the building. There were probably more inside. A whole swarm. Hopefully, they would quickly see the team as friendlies. If not, he knew how to deal with drones.
Chief turned off his external speakers and TEAMCOM. "Cortana. Can I radio them back?"
"Negative." the AI replied. A door automatically opened as the two hogs zoomed inside. "Slow down, and just come out Chief. Nice and easy."
The two hogs eventually slowed down and stopped near a ramp that led down into a room. "Reading movement. On the ceiling." Cortana said. Chief looked up. As he suspected, there were more Yanme'e on the ceiling pointing their guns at the hogs. About fifty if Chief had to guess.
"Come out of your vehicles! Hands where these soldiers can see them!" One of the Yanme'e shrilled.
"Nice and easy, people." Chief said over TEAMCOM. The warthog's glass canopy opened up as he and Ashley slowly came out. Wrex hopped off the gun but otherwise showed no hostile movement. The others from the transport hog did the same thing. Pretty much everyone except Chief, N'tho and Wrex all said a silent prayer, thanking whatever deity they believed in for allowing them to stand on solid ground again.
"Who are you?" the Yanme'e questioned.
"Master Chief Petty Officer Sierra-117. Special Tactics and Reconnaissance." Chief replied. "I'm here to help."
The Yanme'e that had been asking all the questions, the leader apparently, pointed towards the ramp with her gun. "Jeong and Juliana will speak with you." she said, sounding like an order more than anything else. Chief nodded and made his way down the ramp, gesturing for his team to follow.
"Looks like some Yanme'e soldiers did survive the initial Geth attack." N'tho silently commented.
"That is fortunate. We may need their help." Liara added.
"Don't bet on it. I only counted a few dozen." Ashley countered. "They'd only be good for cannon fodder at this point."
The team walked into a chamber. Inside were what looked to be several civilians, but they didn't wear the usual colonist garb. Instead, what they wore looked more like uniforms. Given their proximity to the ExoGeni building, they were likely workers there. In addition to workers, there were also a few more Yanme'e guards in the room, their compound eyes intent on the Spartan and his team, making sure they did not try anything funny.
An Asian man walked up to the Spartan. "That's close enough." he said as he raised a hand.
"Relax Jeong." a woman said as she walked up next to Jeong with a roll of her eyes. "They're obviously not Geth."
"Get back, Juliana." Jeong harshly replied. He turned back to the Chief. "Master Chief, huh? Well, might I ask what the so-called first Human Spectre is doing here?"
"Like I told the Yanme'e; I'm here to help." Chief said.
"Sorry about the Yanme'e." Juliana said. "They've been protecting us ever since the Geth hit and they take their jobs very seriously."
"Like any good employee should, unlike some people." Jeong practically hissed.
"I'm just happy to see a friendly face." Juliana said as she turned to the Chief. She suddenly noticed his visor. "Er, so to speak." she added. "I thought we were the only Humans left on this planet."
"Zhu's Hope is still intact. Some of the colonists there are still alive, including Fai Dan." Chief replied.
Juliana's eyes widened. They then immediately narrowed as she turned to Jeong. "You said they were all dead." she said in an accusing tone.
"I said they were probably all dead." Jeong replied in a defensive tone.
"Looks like these two have been at each other's throats for a while." Cortana observed.
"They're not dead. But the Geth have really been pounding them." Ashley threw in.
"We know what that's like." Juliana replied with a grumble. "Those damn synthetics are relentless."
"Well, the colony's a little more secure now." Kaidan pointed out. "Maybe you guys could link up with them?"
"No no no, I don't think that's a good idea." Jeong quickly and nervously replied. "We, we have no vehicles, and the skyway offers little protection."
"Like the building we're in now?" Juliana sardonically asked.
Jeong sighed from weariness. "Listen. Our best hope is to sit tight and wait for company reinforcements. They'll come eventually."
"Jeong's right. Your best bet is to stay here for now. Lay low and keep quiet." Chief said. "Now, I understand the Geth are using the ExoGeni headquarters as a command post?"
"Yeah. You're about halfway there." Juliana said. "It's further along the skyway. Can't miss it."
"Those headquarters are private property soldier." Jeong sternly warned. "Remove the Geth and nothing else."
"I'll try to minimize collateral damage to the headquarters." Chief said.
"No you won't." Cortana wryly quipped.
"Chief, before you go..." Juliana sighed wearily. "...My daughter. Lizbeth. She's missing."
"They shouldn't waste time poking around." Jeong pointed out. "We can do a proper accounting of our casualties after the Geth are gone."
Juliana scowled at him. "That's my daughter you're talking about." she spat. "She's still alive. I know it." She turned to the Chief. "She was working in the ExoGeni building when the attacks came."
"Well, I suppose there are severalplaces she could hide." Jeong said. He shrugged. "For a short time." he added.
"No guarantees." Chief said. "But if I find her in there, I'll do what I can for her."
"Thank you, Master Chief." Juliana gratefully replied. "Thank you."
The Spartan nodded at Juliana before turning to Jeong. "Give me a layout of the building." he said.
Jeong shrugged. "Mostly offices with a number of light duty R&D labs."
"Room size?" Chief asked.
"Er...varies...from...small to large?"
Chief's visor pierced through Jeong, and Jeong felt it.
"Hey, what do you want from me? I'm an accountant, not an architect. I don't know the exact measurements of every single room in that building."
"ExoGeni didn't build the headquarters. The Protheans did. ExoGeni just re-purposed it." Juliana elaborated. She glared at Jeong. "ExoGeni is a master at re-purposing anything and everything." From the way she said it, that last statement wasn't meant to be a compliment.
"The company has to make a profit somehow, Juliana." Jeong shot back. "Feros is a long way from self-sufficient."
Chief shook his head. He turned to Juliana. "Any ideas what the Geth are after?"
"None." Juliana replied. "We certainly haven't found anything of use." She cast a dirty sideways glance Jeong. "Something ExoGeni is keen to remind us of."
"We need to recoup our expenses." Jeong stated matter-of-factly. "It's nothing personal."
"Alright." Chief said. He felt as though he was going to get all the useful info he could out of these two, which wasn't much. "We're gonna get back on the road and head for the headquarters. Remember; lay low and keep quiet."
"Of course, Chief." Juliana replied. "And remember, if you find my daughter-"
"I'll do what I can." Chief interrupted. Juliana nodded. With that, Chief turned around and made his way out of the chamber, the Yanme'e warily watching him and his team the whole time.
By the time they reached the warthogs, Tali walked up to the Spartan. "Er, Chief? Can I ride with you, this time?" Tali asked.
Chief thought about it. Then shrugged. "I don't see why not." he said.
"Thanks." Tali said with a sigh.
He can't be any worse than N'tho. Tali thought to herself.
...
"ANCESTORS AMONG THE STARS, YOU'RE EVEN WORSE THAN N'THO!" Tali screamed as the Master Chief sped right towards a Geth colossus. The hog narrowly weaved around a pulse blast before speeding right between the colossus's legs. Wrex pointed the hog's gun up and tore up its underbelly. The Geth tank collapsed just as the hog came out from underneath the giant machine. Wrex turned the gun and mopped up what little Geth infantry was still behind them.
The Spartan looked up at the ExoGeni building as they approached it. Sure enough, it was very tall with three large letters on it. EXG. The company logo, Chief assumed. Just like Fai Dan said. Chief finally brought the warthog to a stop inside an alcove in the building that he presumed was once a garage, N'tho's hog pulling up next to his.
"WHY DO YOU DRIVE LIKE THAT?" Tali screeched.
"So that I can get from point A to point B quick, and eliminate some hostiles along the way." Chief plainly replied. With that, the glass canopy opened and Chief climbed out of the hog.
Wrex dismounted the hog, a broad smile still on his face. "That was fun." he said. Tali cautiously climbed out of the hog, her legs like jelly after such an intense ride. The others climbed out of the transport hog, virtually everyone except N'tho also a bit jelly-legged. N'tho turned to the Chief and shrugged.
"HUD's jammed." Cortana reported. "There's a hopper nearby."
"Which means he has friends." Chief said.
"Who has friends?" Ashley asked, apparently over-hearing the Spartan. Chief mentally kicked himself for not turning off his external speakers.
"HUD'S jammed. It means a hopper's inside and since hoppers never travel alone, there's probably a welcoming party through there." Chief said as he pointed at the doorway before them.
"So? Let's just kill 'em." Wrex said.
"I'm trying to work out how to do that, Wrex." Chief said. An idea suddenly occurred to him. He turned to N'tho. "N'tho. You're spec. ops, right?"
"Er, yeah?" N'tho answered.
"That means you have a cloaking system?"
"Well, yeah." N'tho went on with a shrug.
"Wait, you have a cloaking system?" Ashley asked. "You can turn invisible? Why are we only just now learning this? Because I can recall SEVERAL firefights in which invisibility would've been useful!"
N'tho shrugged. "I'm not really the sneaking type, so I barely ever use it."
"You're using it now." Chief said. He pointed to the doorway. "Cloak and scout the room inside. I need to know what we're up against."
The Sangheili nodded before pressing a button on his omni-tool. Slowly, N'tho faded from vision, becoming only a Sangheili-shaped refraction of light. The squad was barely able to track the transparent silhouette as it jogged into the doorway. Two minutes passed.
"Oh wort." N'tho's voice crackled over TEAMCOM.
"How bad?" Chief asked.
"A Geth juggernaut, two snipers, two more Krogan, a little hopper, and about a dozen Geth troopers." N'tho reported.
"And all that just for you. You're getting popular these days." Cortana wryly said.
"So, any idea on how to kill 'em?" Wrex asked.
"N'tho, what's the layout of the room?" Chief pressed.
"Pile of rubble in the middle of the room. Most of the force is gathered there. The snipers are on a catwalk above the rubble. There's some more rubble in between the big pile of it and the entrance, so you could use that as cover."
A plan quickly formed in the Spartan's mind. "N'tho, where are you?"
"On a catwalk above the doorway." N'tho said.
"Can you hit one of the snipers from your current position?"
"That's a big can-do."
"Paint your target and wait for my signal." Chief ordered. He turned to the rest of the squad.
"Alright, here's the plan. Wrex, Kaidan, you two are with me. We'll head in first and draw their fire. N'tho will take out one of the snipers and then Garrus will take out the other from the doorway. Once the snipers are dealt with, Ashley, Liara and Tali can move in and provide support. N'tho and Garrus will provide further covering fire from their positions. Sound good?"
The squad winked green.
"Hurry it up Chief. My cloak won't last much longer." N'tho said.
"Wait for my signal, N'tho." Chief repeated his earlier order. The Spartan tapped his omni-tool and activated his overshield. Following the Spartan's lead, both Wrex and Kaidan surrounded themselves with biotic barriers. The three moved in.
The Geth firing squad immediately opened fire when they saw the Spartan and two other targets enter the room. Wrex, Kaidan and the Master Chief all squeezed the triggers of their assault rifles and didn't let go. They stayed out of cover to pour on the fire for as long as their overshield and barriers would allow, and then they quickly scrambled for cover.
"N'tho, now!" Chief ordered.
N'tho unfolded his plasma minigun and let loose on the Geth sniper on the right. The plasma quickly tore through the sniper's shields and melted through its armor. The Geth collapsed, a hole in its chest, the edges of which still glowed blue from plasma.
N'tho leapt off the catwalk and leapt behind a bolder as the remaining sniper took a shot at him, and missed. "Garrus!" Chief shouted over TEAMCOM. Garrus then peeked around the corner with his own sniper rifle, lined up the shot, and fired, shooting the Geth right through its 'heart.'
"Snipers are down! You're clear, ladies!" Garrus crowed. With that, Ashley, Tali and Liara all rushed into the room, took a few shots at the Geth with their assault rifles before ducking behind a collapsed pillar.
The Geth troopers and one of the two Krogan hopped off the pile of rubble and slowly marched towards the spartan, their guns still blazing. "Singularity!" Chief shouted as he pointed to the spot where he wanted it. Liara put away her weapon and thrust out both her hands to summon yet another biotic black hole.
Soon, a black orb surrounded by a blue aura formed in the midst of the infantry advance and every Geth trooper was sucked in. The only one that was able to fight it was the Krogan warrior, though he was struggling. He tried to walk backwards, looking as if he was fighting against a powerful wind.
Chief touched Wrex's shoulder. "Grenade!" he pointed at the singularity.
Wrex winked green as he whipped out another spike grenade and threw it into the swirling mass of Geth. A clanging sound was heard, indicating that the grenade had managed to hook one of its spikes into the chassis of a Geth.
"Take cover!" Chief shouted. The grenade detonated, killing most of the Geth trapped in the singularity.
A second passed. Chief then heard a blood-curdling scream. The Spartan was suddenly reminded of a UNSC armory officer's remarks on the type-2 antipersonnel fragmentation grenade.
Those things ain't made to wound anyone - to make you use up time and resources treating casualties. They were designed to make you die screaming.
If that was true, then the spike grenade was working exactly as intended. The Krogan that was fighting the pull of the singularity earlier had a foot-long spike lodged through its eye-hole. And if the screaming was anything to go on, it was also lodged in the Krogan's eye. Chief withdrew his sniper rifle and finished the Krogan off with a headshot. It almost seemed like a mercy kill.
What few Geth troopers were left after that blast were quickly cut down by assault rifle fire. However, there still remained the Geth juggernaut. It had a very long spike in its chest, but it seemed oblivious to it as it slowly marched toward the Spartan's position, gun blazing. Chief, Wrex and Kaidan tried to return fire, but the juggernaut had an overshield active and seemed all but invincible.
"Tali! Overload!" Chief ordered. Tali winked green before taking down the machine's shield with a thrust of her omni-tool followed by an explosion of sparks. Ashley unfolded her focus rifle and took aim at the juggernaut's torso.
The golden beam screeched like a train derailing as it pierced the air. More than the air, actually. Ashley hit the juggernaut right where the spike was lodged, where the armor was now weakest. The beam pierced through the chassis and exploded out of the juggernaut's back. When she let go of the trigger, the hole was so neat and clean that Ash could see daylight on the other side. The juggernaut's flashlight eye went dark, and then it fell.
"If this gun were a man, I would have his children." Ashley quietly said in reverence.
"We clear?" Kaidan asked.
The second Krogan warrior roared before charing at the squad from the side, trying to flank them.
Wrex stopped the charging Krogan dead in his tracks with a headbutt, knocking him to the floor. Wrex then planted a foot on his fellow Krogan's chest and fired his assault rifle into his face until the weapon overheated.
"We're clear." Wrex replied.
"Wait, about the hopper?" Liara asked.
A gunshot suddenly rang through the chamber. A dead hopper fell from the ceiling and landed right in the middle of the floor.
"You're welcome." Garrus said over TEAMCOM.
"Good work everyone. Let's secure a perimeter." Chief said. "Garrus, Ashley, watch the door. Tali, Wrex, search the bodies. If any of them are still twitching, put a few rounds in them. Kaidan, N'tho, search the left side of the chamber. Liara, you're with me. We'll search the right side."
The Spartan looked on in satisfaction as each squad member began to fulfill their orders. Tali and Wrex were piling the Geth bodies in the middle of the room. Kaidan and N'tho ascended a ramp that looked like a piece of collapsed ceiling as they searched that side of the chamber for anything interesting. Chief and Liara did the same on the right side, searching for any stragglers.
"You've missed this, haven't you?" Cortana asked.
Chief was sure to turn off his external speakers this time. "Missed what?"
"Leading a team." the AI stated.
Chief thought about that for a moment. A team. He supposed that's what this was. In fact, now that he thought about it, it actually surprised him a bit.
A Krogan mercenary, a former Turian C-sec officer, a mildly insubordinate elite, a Quarian engineer, an Asari archaeologist, and a couple of Human marines for good measure. By conventional standards, this group should be a horrible team. Too many people with different clashing backgrounds; Chief barely trusts N'tho, it's a wonder Wrex and Garrus aren't at each other's throats more often, Ashley seems to have a distrust of damn near everyone except Kaidan and Tali, and Liara's mother is a known accomplice to the very same war criminal the team is supposed to be hunting. Back in Chief's day, ONI wouldn't call this a team. They'd call it a time bomb.
And yet, somehow, this team worked. Yes, there was the occasional disagreement, but for the most part, the team was able to set aside personal differences in the face of the real enemy. Even more amazing, Chief realized, was the fact that they didn't feel like a burden to the Spartan. Wrex and N'tho helped Chief with most of the heavier fighting. Kaidan, Ashley and Garrus were good for providing support fire. Tali and Liara provide exceptional tech and biotic support respectively. N'tho had some discipline problems on Trebin, but aside of that, Chief had not encountered any noteworthy problems with this team.
Master Chief was a super-soldier. These guys weren't. By all rights, they should've just slowed him down. But they didn't. They helped him. If they had never been by his side, every fight the Chief had been in since Eden Prime would've been significantly more difficult. They were of help to the Spartan. They were of true, genuine help.
Not since he led Blue Team in the Human-Covenant War had Master Chief truly felt like he was leading a team. Not simply being in the presence of a group of marines that happened to be shooting what he was shooting, but actually leading a team whose skills were on par with his own. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized that this team actually was a bit like Blue in a few ways.
The most obvious was Garrus. Chief knew right from the moment Garrus took that shot in Michelle's clinic that he was a fairly competent marksman. But since then, Garrus had become the squad's go-to sniper and so far, he was excelling in the role, impressing even the Spartan with his aim. Of all the marksman that Chief had met, only Linda-058 could beat Garrus in a marksmanship competition, Chief felt. Garrus was much chattier than Linda though, so the two probably wouldn't get along very well if Linda were alive today.
Samuel-034 would probably get along with Garrus pretty well though, war-time xenophobia not withstanding. Sam easily had the biggest sense of humor out of the SPARTAN-II's, always cracking jokes with Kelly-087, and Garrus definitely had Sam's sense of humor. Kelly might've liked Garrus too, but she actually might have gotten along better with Wrex, now that Chief thought about it. Wrex had a sense of humor as well, but it was more cynical than Garrus's. Kelly liked cynical jokes.
Now that Chief thought about it, virtually all of his squad members had real mouths on them. Kelly and Sam would probably like them all. Though it seemed like they all had emotional baggage of some sort. Garrus had authority issues, Ashley had alien issues, and Wrex seemed more than a bit depressed with the fate of his people. William-043 had some emotional baggage too, though he never showed it. When he was younger, Will was every bit as much a jokester as Kelly and Sam were. His jokes and riddles helped keep spirits high. But as the war went on, Will hardened. Something special in him had been lost somewhere along the way.
Oddly enough, Tali actually reminded Master Chief of James-005. You wouldn't think a 150lb Quarian would have much in common with a half-ton super-soldier, but Tali and James had one thing in common; a refusal to give up. Even after getting his arm blown off by a hunter's assault cannon, James was still able to help John, Kelly and Fred immobilize both hunters by crushing them with a huge hunk of crystal quartz. He later saluted John with his remaining hand. Likewise, Tali was determined to prove herself a worthy soldier and wasn't going to let anyone, not even the Master Chief himself, stop her. She shot a brute in the face. She earned the Spartan's respect after that.
Frederic-104 would probably get along best with...anyone, actually. John had grown to see this squad as a useful one. Fred, having had so much in common with John, would probably see the squad in a similar light over time. In a bit of serendipity, Ashley Williams had something in common with Fred; both had exemplary contest scores, but neither had ever been in a position that really reflected that. Maybe Ashley declined any position above Gunnery Chief offered to her for the same reason Fred was always second best in everything; Ashley COULD ascend the ranks if she wanted to, but didn't want the attention it would bring.
Of course, Kurt-051 would also get along well with pretty much everyone in the squad. He was always the most sociable of the SPARTAN-II's. He would've been better at integrating with the Normandy's crew than Chief, that was for sure. Maybe Chief was the one that should've died on that recon mission and Kurt was the one that should've went on to defeat the Covenant and the Flood, destroy the Ark, and then wake up a century later to find the Conduit and defeat Saren.
They would all find N'tho incredibly annoying. Of that, John-117 was sure.
Though you've yet to fully realize it, you are surrounded by hearts much like your own. Hearts that are as willful, fierce, and wise as your own.
Maybe that's what the consort was talking about. On paper, this team was horrible. In practice, this team was actually just as good as the original Blue Team. Maybe it was because each of them was like someone from the original Blue in a certain kind of way.
"This area's clear, Chief." Liara reported, snapping the Spartan from his thoughts.
"No sign of movement outside." Ashley reported in over TEAMCOM.
"I just unlocked a door." Kaidan reported. "I sent N'tho in to see if-"
"Oh jeez!" N'tho's voice suddenly crackled over the radio. "Uhm...we do NOT want to go in THAT room, sir."
"Why not?" Chief asked.
"Because there's a dormant armature inside it." N'tho elaborated.
"...Acknowledged. Steer clear of that room." Chief ordered.
"The other door on the far left has a kinetic barrier blocking it." Kaidan went on. "We tried shooting it, but the barriers just absorbed it. Didn't drain at all. That just leaves the hole in the ground."
"Highlight it on TEAMHUD and we'll all rendezvous there." Chief said.
Kaidan winked green and followed the order. The hole was highlighted on Chief's HUD, as well as everyone else's. They all gathered at the hole's edge and looked over it. The floor below was covered in dust, pebbles, and rocks.
"Twelve foot drop. One way." Ashley estimated.
"Drop in after me. One at a time." Chief ordered. The Spartan dropped first, the rest of his squad dropping in behind him one at a time. They entered another large chamber, possibly the remains of another subway like the one back in the tunnels under Zhu's Hope. Chief looked down at a dead varren which had bullet holes in it. The Spartan bent down to inspect it more closely.
*BANG!*
"Damn it!"
A shot rang out, barely missing the Spartan's head. He immediately rose and pointed his gun at where the shot came from. It wasn't a Geth, but a woman. Another ExoGeni worker if the uniform was anything to go on.
"Oh my God, Master Chief, I'm SO sorry!" she babbled out as she dropped the gun. Chief put his own gun away after confirming the target as not Geth, as did the rest of the team. "I thought you were Geth! Or one of those varren!"
"Take it easy. You're safe." Master Chief said in his best reassuring tone. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh...it's my own fault." the young woman said with a tired voice. "Everyone else was running and...I stayed to back up data. Next thing I knew, the Geth ship latched on and the power went out. I was trapped, I-I-I tried to get out, but the way was blocked by an energy field. The Geth don't want anyone getting access to the...uh..."
"The what?" Chief asked.
"Um..." the woman was very nervous. She was already nervous, but now it was for a different reason. "I...really...I really shouldn't-"
"What do the Geth want?" Chief pressed. "I need to know."
The woman finally sighed in defeat. "Well...I'm not a hundred percent sure on this...but I think they're here for the Thorian."
"They're here for the what-now?" N'tho asked.
"It's an indigenous life-form. ExoGeni was, uh, studying it." the woman explained.
"What kind of life-form?" Chief asked.
"I don't really know that much about it." she confessed. "I think it's some kind of plant-being. I do know it's very old though. Thousands of years, even."
"Thousands of years huh?" Cortana commented. "Maybe...Fifty thousand years? Give or take?"
Chief silently agreed. The Geth were here for a Prothean relic alright.
"Why do the Geth want it?" Chief went on.
The young lady shrugged helplessly. "It's a plant. I don't know why the Geth would care. ExoGeni was studying it, but I don't think they found anything special."
She was lying. Chief could feel it. But this was neither the time nor the place for an extended interrogation. Besides, he knew enough. The Geth wanted the Thorian, which meant he needed to get to it first.
"Where is it?" he asked.
"I...uh...I might be able to show you where it is, but not with those Geth crawling around everywhere. We need to get out of here, past that field." she replied.
"How do we shut it down?" Chief asked.
"I don't know exactly." the woman replied with another helpless shrug. "But I think the Geth ship is powering it. I've noticed the Geth laying power cables everywhere. You could follow those cables, but there's Geth all over the place."
"I'll deal with them." Chief said. "You stay here. I'll go unlock some doors."
"Okay. Oh! Wait!" the young woman suddenly said as she started fumbling for something in her pockets. She pulled out a card after a few seconds. "Take my ID. It should help you unlock some of those doors."
Chief nodded as he took the card. He looked at it for a moment.
Research Assistant Elizabeth Baynham
Elizabeth. Lizbeth.
"This may sound unusual but...do you have a mother named Juliana?" Chief asked.
Lizbeth's eyes widened at that. "Yes. YES! Have you met her? Is she okay?"
"She's fine for now. Holed up in a building down the skyway with some others." the Spartan explained.
"Oh, thank God. I thought I was the only one left." Lizbeth breathed in relief. "Please...Master Chief...just...get that field down so I can see my mother again!"
"We will." Chief said as he slipped the ID card into a pocket on his utility belt. He turned to the rest of the team. "Move out."
...
Gatatog Gark was having a very bad day.
When he woke up this morning, he received reports that Zhu's Hope was, in fact, still holding steady. This put him in a bad mood. His forces had been attacking that piss-stain of a colony for a few days now, and the colonists' insistence on not dying was seriously starting to get on his nerves.
Don't get him wrong. Like any right-minded Krogan, Gark enjoyed a good challenge. In fact, he was initially pleased to realize that the colonists of Zhu's Hope might actually be a worthy match for his army. But after a few days, trying to kill them all stopped being fun and now was just irritating.
Then, the Master Chief showed up. That's when everything really went to hell.
First, he foiled the Geth's attempt to seize the tower above Zhu's Hope. Since strikes from the tunnels weren't working, Gark opted for a change in tactics and ordered a raiding party and a Geth dropship to take the tower. And the Master Chief fought them all off.
Next, the Master Chief went into the tunnels and took out the primary communications transmitter that was vital for coordinating continued strikes against the colony, screwing over THAT campaign too.
And now, after fighting his way across the skyway, carving a path of dead bodies through the Geth patrols, the Master Chief was now in the ExoGeni building, right on his door step.
Gark swore to his ancestors that he would piss on the Spartan's corpse once he'd killed him.
No matter. Gark had already ordered every last Geth and Krogan on the planet to fall back to the ExoGeni building. New Objective: Kill that damn Human before he screws up anything else. It would take them a while for all of them to get here though, so in the meantime, Gark decided to try and access this VI terminal he'd found. He was hoping that it would give him more data on the Thorian. Maybe there was another way to kill it that Gark didn't know about.
"Stupid machine! Access encrypted files!" he barked.
"Your request does not follow protocol. Do you wish to review protocol?" the VI asked.
So far, this plan wasn't working.
"No. I don't want to review protocol!" Gark seethed. "I want to know everything about the Thorian!"
"I am unable to comply. Please contact your supervisor."
"Damn it! Tell me what I want, or I'll blast your virtual ass into actual dust!" Gark threatened.
"Please contact your supervisor for a level Four security exemption, or make an appointment with-"
"STUPID MACHINE!" the Krogan warlord roared. He began headbutting the wall to vent his rage.
"If there is nothing else, please step aside. There is a queue forming behind you for the use of this console." the VI said.
"What?" Gark asked.
It was then that he was hit with a biotic stasis. Unable to move, he was helpless as the Master Chief, the very person who'd been the source of his rage, slid up in front of him and gripped his windpipe.
He strangled out a 'fuck you' before everything went dark.
...
The Chief watched as the Krogan collapsed to the floor after he choked him out. For all their endurance and ferocity, even Krogan needed air.
"Nice stasis." Chief complimented.
"Thank you." Liara said as her biotics powered down, the blue aura around her fading. Wrex walked up to the Spartan, his eyes downcast at the other Krogan.
"He dead?" the mercenary asked.
"No. Just unconscious." the Spartan replied.
"Good. Cuz he and I need to have a chat." Wrex said as he grabbed hold of the Krogan's foot and dragged him back downstairs, not caring that his head bumped against every step. Chief turned to the VI.
"Welcome back, Research Assistant Elizabeth Baynham. What can I do for you?" the VI asked.
Chief was confused for a moment. Then he remembered the ID card. He pulled it out, just to make sure the VI saw it. "What was the last user trying to access?" he asked.
"Fetching data...the previous user was attempting to access details on the study of Subject Species 37; the Thorian."
"But he couldn't access." The Chief said.
"Correct. I was unable to provide the previous user with any relevant data. Aside from lacking proper access, there has been no new data available on Species 37. All sensors monitoring the observation post at Zhu's Hope have been inactive for several cycles."
"Observation post?"
"Species 37 is located within the substructure of the Zhu's Hope outpost." the VI stated.
"Substructure, huh? So that's why the Geth have been trying to take Zhu's Hope." Garrus said in an 'ah-ha' tone. "They don't want the colony. They want what's underneath it."
"Tell me everything you know about the Thorian." the Spartan told the VI.
"The Thorian is a simple plant life-form that exhibits a sentient behavior uncommon with other flora. Through dispersion and the eventual inhalation of spores, it can affect and control other organisms, including Humans. The Zhu's Hope control group has yielded interesting results. Before sensors went offline, almost 85% of all test subjects were infected."
"Test subjects?" Tali asked. "You mean ExoGeni knew those colonists were getting infected?"
"It was deemed necessary to assess the true potential of Species 37." the VI stated matter-of-factly.
"ExoGeni has been experimenting on those people." Tali said, disgust dripping off every word.
"It would explain why that one guy in the tunnels was acting so loopy." Ashley said.
"Tell me more." Chief pressed.
"Species 37 was discovered several weeks ago, when a small team was infected with spores while examining ruins near the Zhu's Hope outpost. The outpost was quarantined immediately and study of the infections began. Within 21 days, 58% of colonists exhibited altered behavior. Within 28 days, 85%."
"How does it control its slaves?"
"The will-subversion process manifests as intense pain if directives are ignored. The effect is severe enough that subjects are soon conditioned against even minor thoughts of rebellion. Observation suggests the Thorian views its thralls in a utilitarian way. Care is apparently taken to avoid injuring them, much like a craftsman avoids damaging his tools. As long as no action is taken against the creature's objectives, the subjects are free to pantomime a normal existence until specifically tasked with something."
So that's why Ian was in such intense pain. He was openly defying the Thorian. Chief felt a bit guilty for thinking he was crazy earlier. "So this thing is sentient. Does that mean I can reason with it?" Chief went on.
"The Thorian does not exhibit the focused behavior of a predator. The release of spores is an act of survival, not aggression. It does trigger advanced behaviors in the subjects it enslaves, but we have yet to discover whether it recognizes, or is capable of recognizing, the subjects as more than tools. It is sufficiently alien as to defy classification at this time."
Didn't sound like diplomacy was an option. That left the Spartan with little choice but to destroy it. But how do you kill something like the Thorian? Does it even have something the Chief could shoot at? "What's the Thorian's anatomy like?" the Spartan asked next.
"The Thorian appears to be a diffused creature. Its cognitive abilities are centered in large nerve bundles, but it receives data from kilometers of meandering tendrils. We have discovered bundles approximately one meter in diameter, but they seem insufficient to coordinate the massive sensory potential it possesses. It may simply process such stimulation slowly, or perhaps there is a nerve cluster of a greater magnitude we have not yet encountered."
"Kilometers?" N'tho asked. "Oh, this is not going to be fun."
"Better contact Joker." Kaidan advised the Spartan. "Normandy's right next to Zhu's Hope. The Thorian might start feeling threatened and order the colonists to attack."
The Chief nodded. The Chief keyed the Normandy. "SSV Normandy, this is Spartan-117. Do you read?"
Nothing.
"I repeat. This is Spartan-117 to SSV Normandy. Come in Normandy."
Still nothing.
"Field's blocking long-range communication. Can't raise the Normandy." Chief reported.
"We need to drop that field and get back to Zhu's Hope." Ashley said.
"What can you tell me about the Geth ship?" Chief asked the VI.
"I have limited data on the Geth. They have effectively blocked all sensors within the facility. I have detected unusual power fluctuations, but am unable to determine the source." the VI said.
"Alright. Let's go get Wrex and move out." Chief said.
...
*THWACK!*
The strike from Wrex's rifle butt was enough to snap the other Krogan from unconsciousness as he awoke with a snarl. He snapped his head at Wrex. He stared Wrex down from where he sat on the floor, propped up against the wall.
"You're not one of mine." the other Krogan growled.
"No. I'm not." Wrex said. He pointed a thumb at himself. "Urdnot Wrex."
"Gatatog Gark." the other Krogan replied. "Why can't I move?"
Wrex tapped a gadget on the back of Gark's neck, between his head and his hump. A metallic disk that stuck to Gark's hide via needles that dug themselves in. "Neural-inhibitor. Custom-made for Krogan. A favorite toy of mine. Good for jobs where I get paid extra to bring 'em in alive."
"You're a mercenary? Pitiful." Gark spat.
"And you're not?" Wrex asked.
"I once was." Gark answered. "But then I found Saren...I found a greater purpose."
Wrex narrowed his eyes at Gark. He growled as he dropped down to one knee to get more in Gark's face. "I killed five adolescents today." he said, getting right to the chase. "Three in the tunnels, two here. Where is Saren getting them all?"
Gark gave Wrex no answer. He instead looked up the stairs. "You fight with the Master Chief?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Wrex pressed. The bounty hunter was losing what little patience he had to begin with.
"It has to do with everything." Gark cryptically answered. He turned back to Wrex. "By opposing Saren, you oppose forces completely beyond your comprehension."
"Don't piss in my ear and tell me it's raining." Wrex seethed. "Saren's just a crazy Turian that got a bunch of Geth to help him kill a bunch of Humans. I can comprehend that pretty easy."
"You don't understand." Gark went on. "Between the Geth and the Krogan, Saren is amassing an army the likes of which the galaxy has never seen! And when we find the Conduit, the Reapers will be added to our ranks! We'll be unstoppable!"
Wrex raised an eyebrow. "You mean you actually buy all that crap?"
Gark grinned. "Hundreds of Krogan from dozens of clans have already rallied to Saren's flag, and thousands more are on the way! The galaxy will fear us once more!" Gark paused in his rant.
"...It is not too late for you, Urdnot Wrex." Gark said. "Release me. Help me kill the Master Chief and his krant. Join us, and you too can share in our glory."
Wrex said nothing in reply. He simply, calmly, withdrew his shotgun. He pointed it at Gark's head and pulled the trigger. Several times.
Wrex spat on his corpse.
...
Chief descended the stairs after hearing the shotgun blasts, the rest of the squad behind him. He arrived at the bottom of the stairwell, Wrex standing over the Krogan, now dead, with a smoking shotgun in his hand. The Spartan looked at the corpse, then at Wrex. "I didn't order an execution of an unarmed prisoner." Chief said in a stern, disapproving tone.
The Krogan merc scoffed. "If you were thinking of interrogating him, it would've been a waste of time. He wouldn't have told you anything." Wrex replied. "Besides, I learned everything I needed to know from this pyjak."
"Which is?" Chief asked.
"That these Krogan following Saren aren't true Krogan." Wrex answered as he turned to the Spartan. "These are servants. They grovel at Saren's feet to lick his boots, trading their freedom for promises of wealth and power."
The bounty hunter turned back to the corpse. "My people were a proud species once. Some of us still remember that."
"Nice to hear you've found new motivation." Garrus remarked.
"We'll discuss your insubordination later, Wrex." Chief said. "Right now, there's a Geth ship latched to the side of this building. We need to find it and take it out." Chief said.
So much for 'not encountering any noteworthy problems with this team.'
As they made their way back up the stairwell, Cortana chimed in. "Chief. Garrus. I've been monitoring Geth communications and I've got good news and bad news."
"What is it, Cortana?" Garrus asked. Evidently, the AI had both the Spartan and the Turian on a private line. No one else but them.
"The good news is the Geth are falling back from Zhu's Hope, so the colonists there won't have to worry about additional attacks for a while." Cortana beamed.
"And the bad news?" Chief asked.
"The Geth are all falling back to the ExoGeni building."
"...Which we happen to be in." Garrus concluded with a sigh.
"Yeah. Turns out you're a target Chief." the AI said.
"Me?" the Spartan asked.
"Yeah. Word's got around about how you smashed through the skyway patrols to get here and now every Geth and Krogan on the planet is scrambling back here, looking to specifically kill you."
"How many?"
"Approximately six thousand, three hundred and fifty-six." the AI reported.
"This kind of thing happens to you a lot, doesn't it?" Garrus asked. The squad finished ascending the stairs and turned into a long corridor.
"Yeah, sometimes he's too popular for his own good." Cortana answered for her Spartan. "Sounds like you're a priority objective now, Chief. Guess Saren hasn't quite given up on the prospect of cutting you open and seeing what makes you tick."
"So a massive army of angry Geth is on its way here. What do we do?" the Turian asked.
"I might have an idea or two." Cortana said. "For now, you two and the rest of the team just focus on finding the Geth ship."
"Should we tell the others?" Garrus asked.
"I don't think so. They don't need to worry about this." Chief answered. That little standoff Chief just had with Wrex may have negatively affected team morale. They didn't need this bit of bad news too. "I won't tell them until I have to."
"Understood." Garrus replied.
"Keep monitoring the Geth channels, Cortana."
"Will do." the AI replied. He envisioned her giving a dutiful salute.
Yes, all those Geth reinforcements would no doubt make this mission tougher.
But then again, it wouldn't be a Spartan mission if it was easy.
...
Codex Entry (Ships and Vehicles): M17 FORCE APPLICATION VEHICLE
The M17 Force Application Vehicle, better known as the warthog, is the signature land vehicle of the Human Systems Alliance. First designed by AMG Transport Dynamics in 2512, the warthog got its nickname for the two tow hooks on the vehicle's front, giving it the faint appearance of the tusked Earth animal of the same name.
In the years since the Human-Covenant War, AMG Transport Dynamics, or Asklon as it is more commonly called, has tried experimenting with different warthog designs, specifically a canopy to give the driver and passengers better protection in combat. Problems arose when the canopies were deemed too heavy by UNSC marines, as it slowed down the hog considerably. Asklon's solution was to make the canopies out of bulletproof glass rather than steel or kevlar. The glass has been shown to be resistant to both kinetic rounds and plasma bolts.
To this day, the warthog continues to see action in various parts of the Alliance military. Its greatest strength still lies in its utility; viable for scouting, reconnaissance, ground transport, and even light infantry assaults. Additionally, warthogs are highly customizable, Asklon openly encouraging drivers to modify their designated hogs to their liking.
...
Because let's be honest, as much as we make fun of the mako, the warthog's handling can be just as bad sometimes...well, for me anyway. Though I might just be a crappy driver.
This chapter was originally going to be much longer (all the way up to where the Master Chief makes the Geth ship go boom), but then I remembered one suggestion made by one Hijokugei; I'm writing 60-minute chapters instead of 45-minute ones, so maybe I just need to reduce the length of each chapter to pump these out quicker. So I chopped this chapter in half to see if that would work. Guess we'll be finding out in a couple of weeks.
And yes, I've finally reached the end of Mass Effect 3. And yes, I can't honestly say I'm 100% satisfied with it. I could write an entire essay that discusses in gross detail what I did and did not like about the ending, but by now, every Mass Effect fan and their mother has already done that, so I don't think there's much I can say that someone else hasn't already said. So, I'll summarize my opinion in one sentence;
Up until the god-kid showed up, I thought the ending sequence of the game was actually rather good.
Oddly enough, ME3's ending kinda makes me look forward to Halo 4 even more. Why? Well, Halo 4 is going to reveal to us a bit more of the Forerunners' backstory, which will no doubt give me some interesting ideas for this fic. I mean, the Crucible was worked on by every cycle since the cycle started, right? Each cycle adding something different to it?
Well, here's some food for thought; what do you think the Forerunners added to their version of the Crucible? If they even built it at all, that is.
Also, I read in Game Informer that the Chief would be facing a whole new enemy in Halo 4; one that was neither Covenant nor Flood. Hmmmm...
Really, the only thing about Halo 4 that I'm worried will really 'break' this fanfic is if 343 suddenly introduces a new Covenant race. And even that wouldn't be such a big deal cuz, hey, Drell and Vorcha weren't even mentioned in ME1. I can just stick this hypothetical new Covenant race into the ME2 adventure and I doubt anyone would notice.
And finally, no, the Last Spartan will NOT end the way ME3 did. At the rate I update, I'll probably reach that point in about ten years, so I've got time to figure it out