Quick shout-out to another TLS spinoff fic; "Last of an Ancient Breed" by Zgamer. It's good. Go read it.
…
0942 Hours, March 10th, 2683
New Alexandria, Surface of Reach
Epsilon Eridani System, Forerunner Cluster
…
New Alexandria. Reach's capital city and the largest one she has. The crown jewel of the Epsilon Eridani throne. As Chief walked down one of the city's many concourses, he took in the shining towers and skyscrapers as they glistened in the bright sunlight of a busy new morning. Humans of various ages and races and backgrounds passed him by, many stopping to get a decent eye full, a few taking pictures with their omni-tools. The Spartan was impressed with how well the city was rebuilt. It was as if the city was never burned to the ground. It was exactly as it was before the Covenant came.
Well. Almost exactly; something the Chief noted as he passed a restaurant. The sign read "Fishdog Foodshack," and the menu in the window outside showed that it mainly sold varren meat. The Chief shook his head as he continued his way down the concourse towards Fleet Command Headquarters.
Earlier in the Hghland Mountains, the Master Chief's team was relieved by several squads of marines that arrived via kodiak shuttles; ONI if the S-1's on their shoulder pads were any indication. Over the next few days, they'll be investigating just how exactly the VI went rogue. If the Master Chief knew ONI, the general public will likely never hear of this incident. Indeed, even the Citadel Council likely won't know about this incident if ONI would have its way; news of an Alliance VI going rogue and possibly developing sentience could severely set back Humanity's long-term political goals.
Once ONI had the live-fire course secure, Chief keyed the Normandy to pick up the team and the mako, and then charted a course northeast for New Alexandria, a short flight that only took about fifteen minutes. The ship was currently parked at the New Alexandria starport, being refueled and tuned up by Huragok dock workers, while Requisitions Officer Lawrence was working on resupplying. There was no doubt that, by now, the rest of the ship's crew had already spread out across the city, intent on making the most of their brief shore leave by exploring New Alexandria's many tourist attractions, of which there were more than Chief really remembered.
As for the Master Chief himself, he was heading for Fleet Command Headquarters. He had already put in a requisition order for armor repairs there and didn't want to keep the engineers waiting much longer. He could see the Olympic Tower off in the distance, so he knew he was heading in the right direction.
"Is that really…Wow! It's you!"
Chief turned and saw a man come jogging over to him. He was caucasian with short blonde hair, thick blonde eyebrows, and a scruffy blonde beard on his chin. "You're the Master Chief! The Hero of Earth! The Last Spartan!" Once he came to a stop in front of the Spartan, he bowed. "I am so honored to meet you!"
Chief sighed. Great. A fan. This was the last thing he needed right now. "Likewise." he reluctantly replied, knowing that he had to avoid another PR disaster. "And you are…?"
"My name is Conrad." the man answered. "Conrad Verner. They say you killed more than a hundred Geth on Eden Prime!"
"I was just doing my job." Chief stated with a shrug.
"Hey, I know you're probably busy but, um, do you have time for a quick autograph?" Conrad cautiously asked.
"Sure." Chief said. Conrad handed a data pad to the Chief and the Spartan quickly signed it with the data pen. "There you go." he said as he handed it back.
"Thanks! I really appreciate it. My wife is going to be so impressed!" Conrad gushed. "I'll let you get back to work, but next time you're on Reach, I'd love to buy you a drink! Thanks again!" With that, he jogged off with a spring in his step, giddy as a school boy.
Chief sighed in relief. Boy was he glad that was so mercifully brief. He was also glad that Cortana wasn't here to tease him about his new biggest fan. As the Spartan resumed course for Fleet Command Headquarters, he idly wondered how Cortana was doing.
…
"How much further is it?" Liara asked as she walked down the concourse.
"One hundred and twenty seven feet." Cortana chirped in reply. "Just keep following the arrow, Liara."
The Master Chief was heading for Fleet Command Headquarters, hoping he could get his armor repaired there. Thing was, he didn't want ONI examining his helmet with Cortana still in it. And since Cortana didn't want to spend any more time twiddling her metaphorical thumbs in Chief's PC, they opted for a compromise.
Thus, Liara was Cortana's 'AI-sitter' for the day.
Liara kept following the arrow on her HUD, passing by many Humans wearing odd clothes. The young Asari never did do particularly well in crowds. Further compounding the anxiety was the fact that Liara was still wearing her combat armor, as her 'civilian' clothes as Chief called them couldn't carry Cortana. It had to be a hard suit, otherwise the AI would be deaf and blind as nothing more than a chip in Liara's pocket.
Still, it flattered her, knowing that Chief trusted her enough to keep Cortana company. Cortana and the Master Chief had been through a lot together. She knew how important the AI's well-being was to him. She was still a little nervous with the prospect of having an AI loose in her hard suit, but she was willing to overcome that for the Chief's sake.
"There it is! Dead ahead." Cortana replied as Liara found where the arrow pointed to; 'World Cuisine,' a restaurant of some sort. Earlier, Liara had mentioned to Cortana that she was hungry, due to having a light breakfast. The AI had guided her to the restaurant so the Asari may eat her fill. However, she was hesitant.
"I've….never really had Human food before." Liara said. "Not off board the Normandy anyway."
"Oh come on, you're an Asari maiden, right?" Cortana asked. "According to the codex, Asari your age are all about exploring the galaxy and experiencing new things. So just think of this as a new experience."
With a nod, Liara walked inside. It was a large restaurant with rows upon rows of tables and booths by the windows, a few of which gave a decent view of New Alexandria's harbor. She got into the line that formed in front of the cashier. As she waited, she observed the menu. 'Burgers,' 'hot dogs,' 'sundaes,' 'tacos,' Liara had no idea what any of those things were. "Need help?" Cortana asked.
"Yes." Liara replied aloud. The person in front of her, a Human, looked at her over his shoulder, giving her a puzzled look. "Uh….Yes! I am in line! I am waiting! Indeed I am! Waiting for food! Yes!" The Asari cheefully said. "…I am normal!" she added for good measure.
He gave her another odd look before rolling his eyes and turning back to the front of the line. "Okay, first of all, try not to verbally answer my questions. Kinda makes you sound crazy. Second, I would recommend the Classic Moa Burger for your first time. Cheese, lettuce, tomato, onions and moa meat. Nothing too fancy."
Liara nodded instead of giving her reply verbally this time. Once it was her turn at the cashier, she ordered the burger, which was ready within a few minutes. She took the tray and began walking around the restaurant in search of a quiet, out-of-the-way place to sit. She didn't have much luck. There were adolescent Humans having a conversation at one table, a mother with a rambunctious child at another, she thought about eating at one of the tables outside the restaurant in order to enjoy her meal in peace. She then saw a Sangheili in typical casual clothes for the species; loose-fitting sleeveless cotton shirt and pants, along with leather shoulderpads, oddly enough. He was sitting at a booth seat and had half a dozen rectangular-shaped food items on his tray, and was currently in the middle of eating one of them. Despite the change of clothes however, Liara quickly recognized who it was. "N'tho?" Liara asked as she walked over.
"Huh?" the Sangheili said as he looked up. "Oh, hey Liara. Didn't think I'd see you here." N'tho said as the Asari took a seat across from him. "What are you doing here?"
"I was hungry. Same as you, evidently." Liara replied, noting all the food N'tho had in front of him.
"What can I say? I love burritos." N'tho said as he took another bite of the food tube. He swallowed before going on. "These moa burritos are pretty good, but they got still got nuthin' on the skaven five-layers we got back in Sraom."
"They have burritos on Sangheilios?" Liara asked. "I thought they were a Human food."
"They are." N'tho clarified before taking another bite and swallowing. "But after the Human-Covenant War, my species fell in love with burritos. They fit our mouths perfectly, which is great because eating burgers or pizza can be tricky with the way our mandibles work."
"I see." Liara replied as she removed her helmet to eat the burger more easily. "I went with this burger myself, on Cortana's suggestion."
"Cortana?" N'tho asked.
"She…" The Asari paused after realizing that she might have been speaking too loudly in such a crowded public place. "She's in my hardsuit." Liara said in a quieter voice. "I'm looking after her while the Chief is getting his armor repaired."
"How's that working out?" N'tho asked before finishing off the last of his burrito and starting work on another one.
"Very well." Liara answered. "Cortana is nothing like the Geth. She's very polite and helpful. She actually guided me here so that I would not get lost in this city." She unwrapped her burger and took a bite. She was pleasantly surprised with how flavorful the meat was.
"Cool." N'tho replied after he swallowed. He shook his head a bit. "Still can't believe the Chief kept her from us this whole time." he muttered.
"I do not blame him for it." Liara said after she swallowed herself. "She is his last surviving friend from his home era, and furthermore, she is an AI. You know what the Council could do to her if they ever found out about her."
"Okay, I can get why he'd keep her a secret from the Council." N'tho admitted. "But why keep her a secret from us?"
"Because he barely knows us." Liara pointed out. "He's only known all of us for a few weeks. We are practically strangers to him."
"Strangers or not, you don't keep secrets from your team." N'tho argued as he took another bite of his burrito, his frustration evident in the apparent viciousness behind the bite.
"…I get the feeling that you're still angry about what he said to you back in the Registry." Liara said. N'tho gave no verbal response, instead opting to swallow and then take another vicious bite out of the burrito and avoid eye contact with the Asari. "Please understand, N'tho. The Master Chief is a product of his time. He was frustrated, and by refusing to leave, you all but invited him to lash out at you."
"Whaddya mean by 'frustrated?'" N'tho asked as he regained eye contact with her.
"Chief told me about how Garrus tried to push Chief into revealing Cortana's existence to the crew." Liara explained. "It made him mad. He is-"
"Oh what, one of his guys tells him something he doesn't wanna hear, he gets pissy about it, and then he decides to take it out on me? Is that what you're telling me? Is that how it goes down now?" N'tho interrupted.
"Well, essentially, yes." Liara tried to answer delicately. "Before now, he's only ever worked with other Spartans, who usually follow his orders unwaveringly. He is not used to people confronting him, questioning his decisions so persistently. He is in an unfamiliar situation, and like anyone else in unfamiliar situations, he is having trouble adapting."
"Uh-huh." N'tho said as he took another bite from a burrito, evidently not fully believing Liara, or at least not liking it. The two of them were silent for a time. Liara, not wishing to carry on with this awkward conversation, tried to resume eating her moa burger, the flavor being slightly more difficult to enjoy now with this tension hanging in the air between her and the Sangheili.
"You know, that archive really was the only one of its kind." N'tho said, breaking the silence. "A complete library of every sentient species in the galaxy today, including my own, during their tribal days. If the Chief had just let me stay in there while everyone else fought the Geth, Flood and Promethean, I could've learned something about my species that no one else knew before, you know? Make a discovery that could improve our lives or at least help us better understand our past. But nope. Chief dragged me out of there, and now the Registry is floating in the eighth dimension or wherever it got teleported to."
"Which is where you'd be if you did stay." Liara pointed out. "You couldn't stay there, N'tho. You had a job to do. We all did."
"You know Liara, for an archaeologist, you don't seem too broken up about the loss of what was most likely the archaeological find of the century. What gives?" N'tho asked in an almost accusing tone.
"I too was disappointed about the destruction of the ruins at first." Liara admitted. "But I've been talking to the Master Chief over the last few days. He misses his old life. He wishes he were back in his old time instead of a century that is in many ways alien to him. I know that the Master Chief is being difficult, but I imagine anyone else would be in his position. He is not sure that he can trust us, so we must demonstrate to him that he can. That means not only being his team, but also being his friends. And are friends not supposed to have a little patience with one another from time to time?"
N'tho said nothing in response, but he did not avert his gaze from the Asari this time. Quite the opposite. He all but glared at her. He turned his head to the side like a curious animal, as if trying to observe her from a different angle. "So…..yes. That's my argument." Liara added, growing increasingly uncomfortable under the Sangheili's stare.
N'tho's mandibles then shifted into his species' equivalent of a smile. "…You and the Chief have been hangin' out a lot in the med bay's storage room." N'tho noted.
"Er, yes." Liara replied. "As I have said, he and I have been talking much over the last few days, and that is where we do most of it."
"….Holy wort, it's true, isn't it?" N'tho asked with a chuckle.
"What?" Liara asked.
"I didn't believe the scuttlebutt goin' around the ship, cuz the Chief didn't seem like that kinda guy, but it's right, isn't it?" N'tho went on, his anger having been replaced by a near-sadistic glee.
"Right about what?" Liara pressed.
"You and the Chief have been mating. " N'tho said with a pointed finger and a boyish giggle.
"WHAT?!" Liara yelped in reply. "No! No! By the Goddess, no!" she emphatically denied.
"Then why are you blushing?" N'tho asked.
"I'm not blushing!" Liara denied.
"Yes, you, aaare." N'tho said in a teasing sing-song voice.
"To be fair, you are blushing." Cortana noted. It was then that Liara's omni-tool suddenly activated as it glowed a light shade of blue.
"Hey Cortana." N'tho greeted. "You've been kinda quiet."
"Well N'tho, your conversation with Liara was so entertaining that I didn't want to intrude." Cortana said. Though the AI's avatar did not appear on Liara's omni-tool, it still glowed a light blue and pulsed with every syllable Cortana spoke.
"Entertaining?" Liara asked.
"What can I say? I like watching drama and conflict unfold. And some of the stuff you guys talk about is better than most daytime TV." Cortana replied. "Though Liara's right, N'tho. Chief's going through a rough time right now, so you really should cut him a little slack. He may be a jerkass, but he's our jerkass."
"Maybe." N'tho replied. "….So have Chief and Liara been mating?"
"N'THO!" Liara yelped again in protest.
"Not to my knowledge." Cortana admitted. "However, since you first brought it up I've been picking up increased thermal activity around Liara's cheeks, so that does make me suspect that-"
"Please stop talking please stop talking please stop talking!" Liara panicked as she smacked her omni-tool over and over, trying to silence the AI. N'tho just sat there and laughed.
…
"So you've been to this place before, Kaidan?" Garrus asked as he, Kaidan and Tali walked down the concourse.
"Last time I was on Reach, yeah." Kaidan answered. "It's a good place to go to if you're looking to unwind and have some fun."
"Do they even allow Quarians?" Tali grumbled.
"Don't know. Don't see why they wouldn't." Kaidan replied with a shrug.
"You know damn well why they wouldn't." Tali pointed out with a venomous tone.
"Well, I hope they do, because it sounds like you need to unwind a bit more than either of us." The biotic said.
"She's still kind of cranky about the whole 'Cortana' thing." Garrus explained.
"I gathered." Kaidan replied with a nod.
"I can't believe I'm the only one who has a problem with this." Tali said with a shake of her head. "It's an AI. It's an AI, and no one else on the ship seems to have a problem with it. Has everyone forgotten that we're currently at war with AI's?"
"Not all AI's, just the ones who don't like us." Garrus argued. "Cortana doesn't want to kill us so, personally, I've got no issue with her."
"Doesn't want to kill us yet." Tali amended. "I know about Rampancy. How long do we have until it turns on us? How long until it endangers the ship's crew and possibly even the entire galaxy if it ever sided with the Geth?"
"You're one to talk." Garrus scoffed.
Tali turned towards Garrus and glared at him through her visor. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"The Quarians endangered the entire galaxy when they let the Geth break free in the first place. Maybe you should be a little more contrite, Tali." Garrus bluntly pointed out.
Tali huffed in reply. "As you are contrite for your people releasing the genophage upon the Krogan?" she asked.
"You're assuming that sterilizing them was a mistake." Garrus replied.
"Enough. Both of you." Kaidan said. He then looked over his shoulder at Tali. "Just relax, Tali." he said. "It's like Cortana said herself back on Eletania; if she was gonna kill us, she would've done by now. We can trust her."
"It." Tali corrected.
"Pardon?" Kaidan asked.
"Don't use she or her. It's a synthetic. A machine." Tali tried to explain.
"You have seen Cortana's avatar, right?" Garrus asked as the group turned the corner. "It's really hard not to think of Cortana as a 'she.'"
"Okay you two. Enough politics and conspiracies. We're here." Kaidan said as he pointed to a large building further down the concourse. A dozen or so feet above the front entrance was a yellow circle being pierced by the name 'Errera.' Immediately underneath the logo was the word 'casino,' written in large, golden neon letters. In the courtyard in front of the casino was a fountain decorated with statues of women wearing long togas, using large jars to pour water into the fountain. Dozens of patrons, Human and non-Human alike, walked into and out of the building, some hoping to strike it rich, some already striking it rich, some having busted out, and others just looking for a good time.
As the trio approached the casino, they saw a large Mgalekgolo walking out the door. It was easily a dozen feet tall, but it had large robotic hands in the place of a fuel rod cannon and shield. In one of those robotic hands, it held aloft a Salarian struggling to escape the gestalt's grip. "Put me down you walking can of worms! This is unnecessary handling of my person!" the Salarian ranted. "You put me down right this second or you'll be hearing from my lawyer!"
The Mgalekgolo snuffled indignantly before tossing the Salarian through the air, landing in the fountain with a splash. With something resembling a chortle, the Mgalekgolo sauntered back into the casino. The Salarian eventually waded to the edge of the fountain and climbed out. He tried to shake his arms dry, though his purple suit was still completely soaked. He then fished an odd device out of his pocket and examined it, seemingly relieved that it wasn't damaged.
"Caught cheating, huh?" Kaidan asked as he, Garrus and Tali walked by.
"Hey, they didn't have a clue what I was doing!" the Salarian defensively snapped. "They assumed I was cheating!" He then slipped the odd device back into his shirt pocket.
"You were cheating though, weren't you?" Tali asked as she put a hand on her hip and leaned on one leg.
"I was just tipping the scales in my favor. Only as an experiment." the Salarian justified. He pulled his device back out. "This device is merely intended to simulate situations and record results. Recording losses is easy, of course. No one notices those."
"Why would you need to record these outcomes?" Garrus asked as he crossed his arms.
"Aaaaah, now you guys are getting to the heart of it!" the Salarian said as he pointed a finger at the trio in approval. "I've spent five years developing a system that can accurately predict wins and losses on the quasar. I just need a few more recorded wins and I can complete the algorithms."
"Pretty sure that's still cheating." Kaidan argued.
"If you use it? Probably. But I won't use it." the Salarian went on. "I'll sell it to others. I just need a few more wins recorded."
"How does that device work?" Garrus asked.
"The device is set to emit a frequency that will slightly increase your odds. Nothing like my system eventually will, but enough to allow you to record your wins more quickly." the Salarian explained.
"Why not just sell the device then?" Garrus continued to probe.
The Salarian looked at the Turian as though he grew a second head. "Wh- No!" he said. "This device is archaic! It uses brute force to achieve its goal. You saw how easily it was detected. My system, when it's complete, will be far more efficient and completely undetectable."
"Hmmm….Tell you what? Let's make a deal." Garrus began. "Give the device to us, and we'll record the wins for you. In return, we keep however much we win."
The Salarian put a hand to his chin in contemplation. "Huh…..I suppose I could let you try it." he muttered to himself. "Okay. Here you go." he said as he handed the device to Garrus. "When you've recorded enough wins, it'll let you know. Of course, if you get caught with the device, well, you saw what happened to me." With that, the Salarian walked away.
"Come on. Let's head in." Garrus said as he marched to the casino with purpose.
"You're actually going to help that Salarian cheat?" Kaidan asked.
"Hell no." Garrus said. "I'm turning this in to the casino's owner. Damned if I'm going to let some lowlife like him invent a system so ripe for abuse by the wrong kind of people."
"Kind of odd that he told us all of that so readily." Tali commented.
"He was slightly drunk. Buzzed, at the very least." Garrus explained. "I could smell it on his breath. He was bragging about how smart he was, I saw it all the time back on the Citadel's bars. Can't hold your tongue if you can't hold your liquor."
"Buzzed?" Kaidan asked. "It's not even ten am."
"To a drunk, it's never too early for a drink." Garrus replied.
"You've seen this kind of thing before, haven't you?" Kaidan asked.
"Work in C-Sec long enough, and you get to see all kinds of things." Garrus answered.
Once the doorman checked their ID's and confirmed they were of legal age, he let the trio inside, though not without giving Tali a wary look for obvious reasons. They were immediately greeted with rows and rows of quasar and slot machines in a massive grand hall. Further in the back of the massive room were numerous roulette and poker tables, as well as a diner / bar. Lining the back walls and mounted atop small polls in the middle of the machine rows were vid-screens showing various sporting events, including varren racing, lutaball, and arena combat. Finally, on each side of the massive room was a spiral staircase that lead upstairs.
"So, where shall we start?" Kaidan asked.
"I'm going to go find the casino manager. Let him know what that Salarian's up to." Garrus said as he walked away.
"They have a dance floor here, right?" Tali asked Kaidan as Garrus walked up to one of the guards.
"Yeah. Upstairs." Kaidan said as he pointed a finger to the ceiling.
"Then that's where I'll be." Tali said with a nod. With that, she walked towards one of the staircases that led upstairs.
"I'll be by the diner if you need me." Kaidan said as he began walking toward the dining area in the back. Tali made her way up the winding staircase up to the second floor of the casino.
"Up next, by popular request, an old favorite; The Siege of Madrigal." a deep voice from upstairs said, though Tali could just barely hear it. As she made her way up the staircase, the sound of the casino below gradually gave way to a thumping beat draped around oddly serene piano music. She arrived at the top of the stairs and found herself in a small bar nook that was lit only by dim purple light. She walked through the bar and was in awe.
She was in a large room, the dance floor taking up nearly all of the chamber's center. There was the expected assortment of Humans on the dance floor, but surprisingly enough there were also Unggoy, thrusting their shoulders back and forth in time with the beat. High above the dance floor, casting a dim yet fiery orange light on the whole room, was a massive, holographic sun. Floating circles and vertical lines of the same shade of orange orbited the faux-star as its light pulsed with the beat.
Embedded in three of the room's four walls were dimly lit nooks like the one she just walked through. However on the fourth wall, there was no nook, but a dozen feet up the wall was a DJ in his booth. Tali zoomed in with her helmet and found to her surprise that the DJ was, in fact, a Jiralhanae. Rather than mauling anyone though, the intimidating alien had one hand to the side of his head and the other was waving in time with the music. She supposed that not every Jiralhanae was a pirate or savage. Good. She didn't want to have to shoot another brute in the face while on shore leave.
The Quarian was only in the room for a minute or two, and already she could feel the music taking over. Her head began to bob to the beat as her hips began to sway. Eventually, she could no longer contain herself. She then shimmied her way on to the dance floor. She shook her hips, waved her arms, stretched her legs and closed her eyes, completely losing herself in the euphoric, blissful beat that was the Siege of Madrigal.
After all the stresses of the last few days, Chief taking the slipspace data from her, the revelation of an AI's presence on the Normandy, Tali needed this. She needed to dance, to forget her troubles, if only for a time.
…
Wrex flew through the air, slamming into a cliff face and landing on the ground face-first. He got up onto his hands and knees and spat out some orange blood, along with a couple of teeth. The teeth weren't a huge loss. Like most other reptilian species, Krogan go through many sets of teeth in their lifetimes. Factor in his race's legendary regenerative abilities, and he'll have replacement teeth in about a week. Right now, the Krogan had far bigger worries.
Wrex got up as the beast lumbered towards him. It was a large, bipedal creature with thick grey hide and a pair of long claws on each hand. On either side of its face were long tusks that looked to be about four feet long. It roared at Wrex as it charged.
Wrex smiled. He heard about gutas by talking with Human mercenaries in bars across the Terminus Systems and Attican Traverse. These creatures were supposed to be big, powerful, and quickly develop a mean streak if you've got enough quad to poke it with a stick enough times. So as soon as Wrex heard that the Normandy was going to Reach, he naturally had to hunt one down. As soon as the ship docked in New Alexandria, Wrex wasted no time in renting an aircar and driving it to the nearby mountains where these fearsome beasts are said to call home. He got lucky. It only took him a few minutes find a rutting male and provoke it into a fight.
Wrex biotically charged over to a rocky outcropping once the guta was close enough. The beast slammed slammed into the cliff face head first. The Krogan let out a hardy laugh at the monster's expense. Tracking down the most ornery wildlife on any given planet and then picking a fight with it was Wrex's favorite hobby whenever the mercenary had some extra time to kill. His love of fighting rabid animals was genetic. Clan Urdnot was a beast-slaying clan with a proud tradition of doing battle with the most dangerous fauna (and even flora) that Tuchanka had to offer. Beast-slaying was such a large part of the clan's battle song that their rite of passage, their very entry into adulthood, was to fight a thresher maw and live to boast about it.
When Wrex took the rite all those decades ago, he didn't just survive his fight with the thresher maw; he killed it. It was a feat that no other Urdnot had been able to accomplish since.
He jumped off the outcropping and landed on the ground with a thud. He unfurled his shotgun, the only weapon he brought with him, and opened fire on the guta. The beast was still stunned from running straight into a rock wall, but the feeling of bullets striking its hide aroused it back into its rage. The guta was so far proving to be a good challenge. It was a little on the slow side, but it had an extremely thick hide and hit like a tomkah.
The beast snarled as it turned towards Wrex and roared. It roared with such force that it felt like a mighty wind was blowing past the Krogan. The sound of the roar itself was so loud and deep that it shook him to his very bones. Breath smelled oddly nice though. Sure, there was the usual scent of rotten flesh, but there was the sweet smell of fruit mixed in as well. Apparently, gutas were omnivores. Fine by Wrex. He knew of plenty of creatures with vegetarian diets who would kill you for territorial purposes. Sometimes, they were even more dangerous than the predators.
After the guta roared at him, it stomped over to Wrex, raising its hand to smack the Krogan with another sweeping backhand. Wrex aimed his shotgun at fired at the guta's hand mid-swing. It pulled its hand back as it howled in pain. It then raised its foot to stomp the Krogan into the dirt. Wrex smiled as he used biotics to push the raised foot up, throwing the guta off-balance. The bipedal monster fell on his back. The Krogan jogged up its legs and hopped onto the creature's pot belly and aimed his shotgun downwards.
The guta wasn't going down that easily. With its huge hands, it grabbed the Krogan and threw him across the valley. Wrex hit the ground hard, rolling across the dirt and gravel until he stopped at the edge of a steep slope. As he got up, he looked down and noted that the slope went down for at least a hundred feet into a forest below.
That's when Wrex got a crazy idea.
He turned back toward the guta and noticed that it was charging at him again. Perfect. Wrex's body softly glowed blue as he got his biotics ready. He stood his ground, his shotgun aimed and at the ready. Judging from the slavering drool that had accumulated around the guta's mouth, Wrex had gotten the animal good and pissed. He patiently waited for the guta to enter just the right range…
…Now!
Once the guta was just a few feet away from the slope's edge, Wrex fired a biotic throw at one of the guta's feet as it charged, tripping the massive creature. It tripped and fell over the edge of the slope just as Wrex jumped off the slope after it. He got a hold of the guta's tail, which was short and stumpy in comparison to its arms.
Wrex and the guta rolled and tumbled down the mountain slope, hitting every rock that stuck out on the way down. Wrex gritted his teeth as he felt like he was in a tornado of stone and dust. The ride was banging him up pretty bad, but he wasn't a pansy-ass Salarian. He was Krogan. He could take it.
The guta finally ceased its tumble at the foot of the slope. It lied on its belly, groaning in pain as it tried to get up. Wrex seized his chance. He jogged up the animal's back and arrived at its head. He aimed his shotgun at the top of the animal's skull and fired.
While blood splattered out of the wound and Wrex could see bone, the shots failed to travel further than that. Apparently, the guta's skull was much thicker than Wrex realized. It shot up and shook its head around, trying to shake the Krogan off, but the mercenary had grabbed hold of one of the guta's tusks with one hand, the other still holding the shotgun. As the creature violently shook its head, Wrex realized he had a clear line of sight on the guta's throat. He waited for the guta to shake its head in such a way that it brought Wrex's shotgun a little closer….
*BANG*
Blood gushed out of the fresh gunshot wound in the guta's neck. Wrex let go of the tusk and landed on his feet, then turned to the guta with a mad grin. The guta collapsed onto its knees, and then onto its belly as it quickly bled out. Wrex walked up to the beast and fired several more shots into the guta's neck, aiming for the spinal cord, to finish it off. After a few blasts, Wrex looked toward its face and noted the faded color of the guta's eyes. It was dead.
He smiled. Now that it was dead, he needed to gather up some wood and start a fire. He couldn't wait to find out what guta meat tasted like. He had a feeling that it would be tender and juicy, though he wasn't looking forward to disemboweling and dismembering the corpse. That hide would be a bitch to cut through. He turned around to head into the forest to look for firewood.
And then saw a group of Humans in front of him. All but one of them looked to be children. They all wore blue uniforms with the title 'Alliance Star Scouts' framed around the Human Systems Alliance insignia on the upper left parts of their shirts. They all stood there in awe.
"….How did you do all that?" one of the children, a female with yellow hair, asked.
"…..Oh…you know…" Wrex replied, racking his brain for an appropriate answer. "Work out. Plenty of rest."
He shrugged. "Eat your green vegetables."
….
"Hoo, boy." the technician said with a vaguely New Yorker accent as he waved his omni-tool over the Chief's damaged chest plate on the table. "This thing got warped bad."
"What do you mean?" The Master Chief asked. He stood beside the technician, the various pieces of his armor spread out on the table in front of both of them. This left him wearing nothing but his undersuit, and as a consequence, he felt naked and vulnerable. The two men were standing in one of Fleet Command HQ's many armories where weapons and armor were stored, maintained and repaired.
"Your armor got this way after you got into a nasty scrap with a biotic, right?" the technician asked.
"Yeah." Chief replied. He left out the part that Saren Arterius was the biotic in question. Need-to-know basis, and all.
"Well, it shows." the technician explained. "Those warps he hit ya with did a bigger number on your armor than ya realized. See, warps work by creating rapidly shifting mass effect fields that shred a target to pieces, kinda like a disruptor torpedo. As a result, the armor is severely weakened. It's not gonna do you no good no more."
"Looks fine to me." Chief said as he looked at the chest plate. Indeed, save for the gash running diagonally across its surface that was filled in with omni-gel, it still looked to be in good condition.
"That's the real bitch about it." the technician replied. "It works on a molecular level, so the damage is invisible to the naked eye. But believe me, it's crap now. Observe."
He opened a drawer and fished out a large one-handed hammer. He then smacked it against the chest plate. The Spartan saw tiny bits of armor fly through the air and tiny spider web cracks appear where the hammer struck. "See? All those warps made the armor more brittle. And the subsequent biotic explosions sure as hell didn't help. Shit, it's actually a miracle that your armor held up as well as it did. If it didn't, your chest cavity would've been molecularly rearranged too."
"Guess that's why they call me lucky." Chief said. "So basically, you're saying I need new armor?"
"Yeah." the technician said with a nod. "But finding a replacement set for ya won't be easy. This is a custom-made MJONIR MK-VI armor set. I highly doubt Alliance R&D have any more of these in stock for ya. I think you're gonna have to start lookin' into commercial armors."
The technician opened yet another drawer and pulled out a datapad. He then handed it to the Chief. The Spartan read through it, noting that it was a catalogue for several different brands of armor sets. "What I would recommend to you would depend on what you're lookin' for in an armor set. You probably like your armor nice and thick, so I'd recommend somethin' out of Kassa Fabrication's Colossus line. However, if you're really worried about gettin' messed up by biotics again, I'd go with Armax Arsenal's Heavy Predator armor. That shit's molecularly reinforced to withstand biotics. The armor itself might be a little too thin for your liking, but that's what the juiced-up shield generator's for. Also, the visor on the helmet does have a polarization function, so you can keep your face hidden. I'm assuming you're big keepin' your face hidden. Kinda creepy to be honest, but hey, whatever floats your boat."
"…Thanks." Chief said before walking towards the door out of the armory.
"Might wanna lose that undersuit and change into some marine overalls." the technician advised. "Fewer people on the street starin' at ya that way."
…
Ashley Williams looked up at the twenty-foot-high statue that stood in the middle of the plaza in front of Fleet Command Headquarters. Carved from solid marble, it was of a UNSC Marine, clad in the bulky combat gear of the 26th Century. He was holding an MA5B assault rifle, and though his face bore several scars and even a black eye, he also wore a smirk on his face. At the base of the statue was a plaque with the title of the statue engraved on it. Bruised, Bloodied, But Never Beaten.
Ashley didn't consider herself the artistic type, but she always liked that statue.
She reached into her pocket and felt the two ticket pads in her pocket. She then activated her omni-tool to check her watch. Half past ten. She ground her teeth in nervousness. She couldn't believe she was about to do this. She couldn't decide if this was crazy, stupid, or a little of both. But she had to at least try. When she heard that they would be arriving on Reach today of all days, and knowing how withdrawn the Master Chief had been since Eletania (more so than usual), Ashley was never one to ignore signs. She believed in a higher power, and when that power drops a couple of hints, you're supposed to pick up on them.
For the upteenth time, she turned her head to the door to the building. It was fairly busy, with a lot of Humans in dress blues entering and exiting and sometimes even just standing outside the entrance. She also saw the occasional alien, also dressed in military uniform, most likely liaisons to Fleet Command. It was then that she saw a man walk out of the building.
He was obviously much, much taller than the other Humans there. Six and a half feet tall, at least. He was dressed in Alliance overalls; blue t-shirt and blue pants, same as her and the rest of the Normandy's crew on shore leave. She could also see that his head was shaved and most notable of all, his skin tone was ghostly pale. The height and pale skin made it obvious who he was. She took a deep breath to summon up her courage and walked over.
As she walked closer towards the man, details in his face became more visible. For one, he looked fairly young, no older than thirty. Hardly surprising, in retrospect. Between all the time he spent in cryo during the Human-Covenant War and biological augmentations enhancing his physical fitness and vitality, it made sense that he would look ten years younger than he actually was. Surrounding his firm mouth and covering his strong jaw and wide chin was a layer of thick stubble. His neck was a bit thick, but she knew it was all muscle. She was also able to make out several scars. A small diagonal one across his chin, another small one on his nose, yet another small one on his right eyebrow, and finally one large scar, vertically crossing his left eye. Speaking of eyes, his eyes also drew much of her attention. They were bright blue and had a certain fierceness to them. Yet at the same time, there was also a certain weariness to them, a perception further substantiated by the visible bags under those eyes. Though he looked like a man in his early thirties, it was those weary eyes that betrayed his true age.
And on top of all that, he was actually kinda handsome. In a rugged, animalistic sort of way. Ashley stuffed that thought into the back of her head. That wasn't why she was here. "Chief?" Ashley asked as she closed the distance between them.
"Ashley?" the man asked in that low-pitched, raspy voice that could only be the Master Chief's. Ashley was quietly relieved that she approached the right guy. Even with the height and pale skin, she couldn't be one hundred percent sure. She never really saw his face before. "What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you." Ashley asked. "Is your armor getting fixed?"
Chief shook his head. "It was deemed beyond repair. May have to buy a whole new suit of armor commercially. Why were you waiting for me out here?"
"Oh! Uh…." Ashley stumbled as she realized that she didn't really plan this part in detail. Knowing that the Master Chief wasn't big on small talk, she decided to cut right to the chase. She pulled the ticket pads out of her pocket. "Wanna go to the games with me?"
Chief simply stood there. All he did was raise his scarred eyebrow. "Not a specific game, mind you. More like a series of games. That's kinda how the New Alexandria Colosseum does things." she explained.
"When did you get those tickets?" Chief asked.
"Not long after we left Eletania. Bought them on the extranet as soon as I heard we'd be on Reach by the tenth." Ashley explained.
"And you're inviting me because…?" Chief further questioned.
"Because it seems like you've been kinda stressed out lately and might need to unwind a little." Ashley answered as plainly as she could.
Chief sighed. "I don't think so." Chief said.
"Why not?" Ashley asked.
"Because I should be heading down to the markets to look for new armor." Chief answered.
Ashley took another deep breath. Now it was time to get really brave. "Come on, Chief. You can do that anytime. Meanwhile, the games start in just a couple of hours! Colosseum's on the other side of the city, but we can still make it there in time if we hurry."
"I can't. I have more important things to do." Chief said.
"Then what am I supposed to do with this second ticket?" Ashley asked.
"I dunno, invite someone else." Chief replied. "Like Kaidan."
"Can't. He's at the Errera Casino with Garrus and Tali." Ashley replied.
"Joker?" Chief tried.
"Still in the Normandy. Vrolik's Syndrome kinda keeps him from wandering around like us." Ashley replied.
"Dr. Chakwas?"
"Collecting seashells down by the beach."
"Pressly?"
"Visiting family."
"N'tho?"
"Going on a burrito binge up in the restaurant district."
"Adams?"
"Shopping for new engine parts."
"Monica?"
"Oddly convinced that there's a Varky Varren's Pizza Palace somewhere in this city and doesn't plan on giving up until she finds one."
"Liara?"
"AI-sitting Cortana. On your order, I might add."
"Lawrence?"
"Busy with trading and resupplying the Normandy."
"Grenado?"
"Looking for prostitutes of either gender in the shadier parts of town. I personally don't approve, but I know it's not my place to judge."
"Wrex?"
"Honestly? Don't know where he is. When I asked, he just told me he was gonna go on an 'enthusiastic walk through the woods.'"
After answering the Chief's last question, she held up the two ticket pads and gave the Spartan a hopeful smile. Chief screwed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Why are you being so insistent about this?" Chief asked.
"Because, to put it bluntly, you need this. Sir." Ashley said. Chief opened his eyes and gave the marine a skeptical stare. "Come on, Chief." she went on. "You've been through a lot in the last few weeks. It's not healthy to keep yourself wound up in this kind of situation. You need to loosen up. I mean, when was the last time you had any real fun?"
"Well over a hundred years ago." Chief deadpanned.
"Exactly." Ashley concluded.
The Chief let go of his nose and crossed his arms over his chest, his fingers drumming against his bicep as he looked off in thought. Come on, Chief. Ashley thought to herself. Take the bait.
The Chief then released a defeated sigh. "Alright. You win." Chief relented.
"Hell yeah!" Ashley cheered as she pumped both fists in the air. "Come on! There's a transit terminal right over here!" She said as she jogged over to the nearby transit terminal, her new Spartan companion reluctantly giving chase.
Ashley didn't believe in coincidences. She believed that everything happened for a reason. There was a reason that the Normandy docked in New Alexandria on the same day that Colosseum Season opened. It was because John-117 needed a friend right now. And Ashley's job was to give him one.
…
Given how long this chapter took, it really is disgusting how short it is. I was actually planning to make it much longer than this, but it was taking long enough already to put this out there so I had to cut this chapter in half. The other planned half of this chapter will be the next chapter. Hopefully it will be longer, or at least more entertaining than this one.
If you're wondering what distracted me this time, the answer is life. I won't go into detail, because this isn't a freaking live-journal, but let's just say that my life has been kind of hectic for the last month or so. All those real life stresses can make it difficult to focus on your writing. Hopefully things will settle down within the next couple of weeks and I can focus on my favorite hobby again.
Thanks to all the reviewers who offered suggestions on what the Master Chief's face should look like. I noticed that the reviews were kind of split on how old he should look; whether younger than he actually is or older than he actually is. I sought a compromise. In this story, the Master Chief will look pretty young, early thirties or so. Makes sense when you think about it. ONI designed Spartans not only to be in prime physical condition, but to also remain in that state a lot longer than any normal Human would. Look at Sergeant Johnson, a SPARTAN-I. Halo Canon says he's at least in his 60's, but he looks like a man half that age. And then of course, there was all the time Chief spent in cryo in between missions throughout the Human-Covenant War. However, the tiredness in Chief's eyes will remind the other characters in the story, as well as the readers, that he's not that young.
Shout-out to etoli on deviantART whose piece entitled "siblings" gave me the idea for what N'tho's civvies clothes would look like. You can find that pic on Spartan-II-Project's deviantART gallery, since that was where it was submitted to. Also, shoot-out to TrickyAcid on Youtube, because he kept bugging me to plug him more.
Some Mass Effect fans will no doubt raise their eyebrows over the assertion that Urdnot is a beast-slaying clan, but I think it makes sense. Wrex himself said in ME2 that each clan has its own unique rite of passage. I figured that whatever a clan's rite of passage entails reflects that clan's unique culture in some way. So if Clan Urdnot's rite of passage is to pick a fight with a thresher maw and live, then I don't think it's much of a stretch to guess that monster hunting is a popular hobby within that clan.
Next chapter should be up within the next few weeks. Hopefully I won't be distracted as I - NEW ROOSTERTEETH MINECRAFT LET'S PLAY IS UP!
…..Ha! Oh Ray! You and your hatred of cakes!