Edit: Now fixed for formatting

So the unthinkable has happened. I have officially become burnt out on my Walking Dead RP and I want another change of pace. So here I am and here is more of the story.

For this section, I decided to use an actual side mission from the game. It has some...embellishments of course but it will hopefully pay off. Now what I had planned was a little too long for just a two part segment like usual, so I will portion it out over the course of three to four chapters which I am working on as we speak. It'll have action, drama, a couple laughs and, of course, more action!

So with that set up, let's drop into the debriefing room to see what Captain Ralston has in store for Kyle and the crew...

...

0235 Hours, February 27th, 2683

Surface of Klensal

Dis System, Hades Gamma Cluster

...

"Planet Klensal. I assume some of us are vaguely familiar with this financial sinkhole."

"Was that comment directed to me, Captain?"

"Not unless you were involved with Merida Industria, La Rosa."

"Not even a little."

"Then shut the hell up and listen. Red Sand trafficking has seen an abnormal increase over the last few months across the Gemini Sigma, Hades Gamma and Voyager Clusters. Our anonymous tip, given graciously to our boys and girls at ONI and Command, identified one particular crime syndicate as the culprit. There's no official title for their group, but we know that they've usurped distribution control from the local crime rings through strong economic manipulation and an even stronger mercenary payroll. Bad enough, you say? Two days ago, a Batarian crime ring was raided by local law enforcement and guess what was found amongst their 'merchandise'? That's right, Red Sand users. Turns out the syndicate sells defaulting customers as 'compensation' for missing profit."

"You'd think the Batarians would prefer healthier humans over 'dusters'."

"I don't think they care, Resolme. As long as that human can work, the Batarians are willing to buy. And 'dusters' are easier to break than the average person. Regardless, ONI won't let this stand. It's only a matter of time before Jiralhane pirates or worse want in on the operation, so we're going on the offensive. Lieutenant Nolan."

"Thank you, Captain. The tip named Klensal as one of the syndicate's base of operations. Our squad will be dropped near the base alongside several of Captain Ralston's marines. Scans have shown the exterior is lightly defended, but there's no guarantee what kind of resistance we'll face inside."

"So it's just a 'kill everyone' procedure?"

"Actually Engelbrektsson, there will be a capture targets. And the key target is this man: Garrett Parker. Parker has been associated with other smaller crimes in the sector, but it looks like he has graduated to the big money. He runs the syndicate cooperatively with a Kig-Yar named Nak 'Seva, who already has an outstanding arrest and bounty for prior trafficking activities. 'Seva's location is currently unknown, so detaining Parker and the key associates listed is vital to shutting this syndicate for good. We deploy at 0200 hours. Any questions…?"

Salim Dalamar checked his helmet's temperature gauge as he patrolled the front of the base. -35 Celsius flashed red on the visor. His suit was insolated against the cold, but just seeing that number made him shiver. Having these snowstorms providing cover from Alliance patrols shouldn't be worth being stuck on this damn freezer planet! It didn't make him feel any better patrolling this late at night either…or early in the morning depending on one's perspective. He mumbled Arabic profanity between his yawns as he switched on his helmet's heat sensor. That prick Dargus was screwing with him as usual. This was the fourth night shift in a row that Turian bastard scheduled Salim for. He'd think that being the unofficial 'second in command' under Dargus would give him more benefits but evidently Parker was ok with having Raptors boss around his own kind.

Work was work though and tonight they needed to be extra prepared. The Eclipse, their chief Red Sand supplier, was bringing in a fresh shipment for distribution. However, that was supposed to happen half an hour ago. It spooked the boss something good, so he made sure Dargus kept everyone on their toes. With luck, it was just some technical problem caused by the cold.

Salim looked back to see the base's snipers, a human and a Salarian, still guarding the front door. He gave a signal with his hand to see if they spotted anything. The snipers shook their heads. At least they had his back.

As he checked behind a rock cluster nearby, his comm. opened a private channel.

"(Everything looks good here, brother)," the voice said in Arabic. Salim was glad there was at least one other Arabic speaker in the group. Even though universal translators made it unnecessary to learn new languages, hearing his birth language warmed his heart.

"(Allah be praised, Hama)," Salim replied. "(Looks like we'll be out of the cold soon. Meet me back up front)." Salim then opened a broader channel for the two guards patrolling the opposite sides of the base. "Anything to report?"

"Jack shit," the Turian guard answered.

"Negative," the other human guard answered too.

All right, so far so good. "Ok, meet up front. I'll let Dargus know before we go back in," Salim replied. He gave one last quick look around. Nothing but snow, wind, rocks and more snow. He glanced back to check the cameras above the main door. He still found the patrolling excessive when the cameras could pick up anything suspicious, but at least they were still working.

This had to be a fluke. Parker and Dargus were just being overcautious as usual. They haven't been operating as their own business for long, but being jittery like this would be crippling if they kept this up for long.

As he started walking back, he saw Hama round the corner. He waved in greeting as they met up.

"Damn, these Eclipse are slow," Hama said frustrated.

"What do you expect with mercenaries, brother?" Salim replied as he folded his assault rifle. "Cheap bastards who work purely for money."

"Isn't that what we are?"

"At least we work for people with vision, even if it's an opaque one. The mercs just tear shit up. Our bosses have an empire planned."

"(As long as they don't step on certain people's toes)," Hama muttered quietly in Arabic.

"(What that certain person doesn't know won't hurt them)," Salim reassured. "(More money for us. Besides, we don't need that bitch's help.)"

"(She's got Parker shaking in his boots.)"

"(And he's got some very powerful friends working for him. He needs to grow a pair and deal with it. She tries to mess with us, she's gonna get stuck like a pig.)"

"(You better be right.)"

"(When am I not?)"

The other two guards approached them as the winds picked up outside.

"You tell Dargus everything's clear?" The Turian guard said. "I can feel my organs freezing together."

"I'm going to. I'm going to," Salim said. "We were just waiting for your slow asses to get here."

"Well they're here," the other human guard said.

Salim rolled his eyes as he opened a channel to Dargus. "Dalamar checking in. Nothing suspicious going on a few yards in any direction."

"You can't be too sure, Salim," Dargus replied. "It's been half an hour. The Eclipse is more punctual than that. Keep watch until they get here."

That wasn't what Salim wanted to hear. "It's freezing out here, Dargus. Just let us back in. The radar and cameras will pick them up."

"Stop whining like an Unggoy bitch! You're suits are insolated, so you're not going to die staying out for a few more minutes. Make sure they get here and then we'll talk about letting you in. Dargus out."

The channel abruptly closed. Salim kicked the snow with another Arabic swear. He was tired and just wanted to rest. Having Dargus talk down to him like that only made things worse.

"What?" One of the snipers asked.

Salim turned to the rest of the group and sighed loudly. "Just…just keep an eye out. They'll be here shortly. I'm sure."

Just then, Hama looked out to the distance and pointed something out. "Salim, they're coming!"

Salim turned to see three armored delivery vehicles making their way to the base. The insignias on the front and sides were unmistakably the Eclipse's. Wow, he was actually right! Salim exhaled loudly. "(Damn, finally!)" He muttered relieved.

"It's about time," the Turian said agitated.

"Go help them unload," Salim told the group. "The sooner we do that, the sooner we go back in." The snipers would stick to their positions of course, but having three helping hands would be enough for the time being.

The vehicles pulled to a stop nearby as Hama and the other guards approached them. They seemed to be in better spirits now that they didn't have to wait any longer. Salim walked over to the snipers by the front entrance to radio Dargus...

…until he heard something. As he looked up, one of the cameras had shorted out. It wasn't just a subtle electrical thing either. It was some sort of major malfunction. One of the snipers noticed this too and looked to Salim concerned. To draw more suspicion, the other camera on the opposite side of the wall also shorted out in similar fashion.

"What kept you guys so long?" Hama said as the vehicle doors opened.

"You better not have lost an ounce of product," the other human guard said. "That stuff pays for your freaking ugly armor!"

Salim turned back and saw the people exiting the vehicles. Something wasn't right. He caught a glimpse of the vehicles' sides. If he wasn't mistaken, he could make out…mass effect slug holes? And huge dents all around? And…and then he saw what their armor looked like. Those were not Eclipse colors!

"They're giving us the cold shoulder," Hama said as he turned back to Salim. "What? Did they take a piss on the-"

"Hama!" Salim shouted and pointed to the armed Alliance soldiers.

Hama turned too late as three of the soldiers unloaded their weapons on him, tearing through his shields quickly and mowing him down. Two other soldiers simultaneously popped the Turian guard in the head, while the other human guard had his weapon explode from an omni-tool tech power before being gunned down.

The snipers raised their guns to retaliate. From behind the Alliance soldiers, a loud boom sounded and the sniper to Salim's right took a shot in the eye. Salim ran as another shot took out the second sniper. Another shot, which was aimed much lower than the others, skimmed his shields near his legs as he dove behind a nearby large rock. He pressed his back to it as he scrambled to unfold his assault rifle.

"What happened to the goddamn cameras, Dalamar?" Dargus' voice crackled on Salim's comm.

"Help!" He shouted back. "The Eclipse aren't Eclipse! It's Alli-"

Before he could finish, his body was wrapped in a blue biotic field and lifted into the air. With great force, he was slammed against the side of the base, dropping his gun from the impact. He struggled to move, but that field stuck him to the wall like glue. It was an ambush! An Alliance ambush!

More soldiers exited the vehicles as they surrounded him with their weapons raised. Some of them were dressed in traditional Alliance marine armor, but the others wore something much more sturdy and ugly looking. He saw the insignia and realized who they were. ODST's. Shit, he thought to himself. Dargus, their men and their new friends were going to have a hell of a fight very soon…

Kyle Nolan followed behind his squad and the rest of Ralston's marines as they surrounded their target. He had tagged Salim Dalamar upon arrival once they ID'd his voice on the comm. chatter. The man struggled to move, but Engelbrektsson's biotic field was too strong.

La Rosa turned to Kyle with a nod. "This the drone we're looking for?"

"One of them, yes," Kyle responded. "Bag him."

Engelbrektsson released her biotic field, dropping Salim to the ground with a thud. Two of Ralston's marines rushed over, rolled him onto his front and detained him. With a heave, they dragged him to one of the Eclipse vehicles as he struggled to free himself from his cuffs.

Kyle had considered this operation luckier than expected. Shortly after their arrival on the planet's surface and the Tokyo moving out of any potential radar detection, Ralston had caught wind of an Eclipse supply delivery coming to the base. It only took a little tracking and a quickly improvised ambush to overpower them and follow their route to the base. And to top it off, they had already nabbed one of the three capture targets.

The fight wasn't over though. If Ralston's estimates were correct, they'd have to face a good twenty or thirty people inside the base aside from these guards. Hopefully Tangilanu jamming the cameras would help cover their numbers for the time being. Parker and his goons may be expecting an army or a small attack force like this. Either way, Kyle was going to be prepared.

"Tangilanu!" He said pointing to the front door.

"Already on it," Tangilanu replied as he ran to the door and opened his omni-tool. It would only take him a minute to decrypt the lock software on the door. Ralston's marines followed suit as Kyle's squad brought up the rear, checking for any other guards to pop their heads out.

"I totally nailed that Raptor before you, Engelbrektsson," La Rosa said as he swept the area with his Punisher sniper rifle scope.

"You'd be lucky to pull your trigger before I did," Engelbrektsson said as she swapped her Naginata sniper rifle for her Gorgon assault rifle. "I think your celebrity status is slowing you down."

"Well at least I kept practicing during the shore leave. How much did you spend on music again?"

"Does it always have to be a game for kills?" Resolme asked. "The guy's dead."

"Make your first kill, greenhorn, and then you'll understand," La Rosa said.

"If you guys are done, let's move it," Kyle said as he led them to the door that Tangilanu was still decrypting.

"Taking your sweet time?" La Rosa said.

"This isn't some cheap Peruvian door lock, amigo," Tangilanu said holding back some annoyance. "These guys got some top notch software."

"You could just slap some omni-gel on it," Resolme noted.

"What and cheat? Nuh uh. I'm smarter than that," Tangilanu replied. After a few more taps, his omni-tool gave off a positive sounding beep. "Alright, we're in."

The door slid open with a hiss to reveal a darkened hallway inside. The lights had been forcibly shut off and all that was inside were some cargo crates, some Red Sand canisters, scattered weapons and a couple personal items. Kyle signaled Beckett and La Rosa to take the lead as they flicked the lights on their weapons on and charged in. After a quick check, Beckett gave the all-clear.

The rest of the group followed inside. Passing through the hallway, all they could hear was the hum of electricity. It was too quiet for Kyle's tastes.

This didn't escape Beckett's attention. "I think they're waiting for us."

He nodded as he opened a channel to the group. "Be on your toes. They're expecting us."

"What kind of resistance should we expect?" Resolme asked.

"Probably more of the same," Beckett answered. "They'll have more cover to utilize inside, but I can't imagine they'll be much tougher."

"I dunno," Kyle said. "Ralston mentioned their merc payroll. If they have Eclipse at their disposal, it's possible they have a few heavy hitters waiting for us."

"You scared of Eclipse or Blood Pack mercs?" La Rosa taunted.

"Not scared. Just cautious. There's got to be a few ex-soldiers amongst their ranks, so don't call them pushovers yet."

"Alright. Just saying. I doubt they need an army to back them up."

Everyone got into a breach formation as they reached the door to the base's interior. Tangilanu checked the door for any traps before giving the all clear.

"Remember, the capture targets take priority," Kyle said to all the soldiers. "Keep your eyes peeled for Dargus Turatus and Garrett Parker. Eliminate any other hostiles. Confirm."

The group winked green all at once.

"Good. Everyone inside now."

Tangilanu opened the door and took point with Engelbrektsson as the group followed. What they were greeted with was…nothing? No people in sight anywhere. Just large metal cargo crates scattered and stacked about the first and second level, with the second level open in the center. All the lights were shut off too. The doors all displayed a red sealed symbol on their locks. It was cold and quiet. These guys were ready for Kyle and his men.

As the last soldier entered, the door slammed shut behind them and sealed. Tangilanu quickly tried to unlock it with his omni-tool.

"Shit," he said. "They've thrown up a new encryption code."

A trap! Kyle winked red and everyone stopped in their tracks. "Don't wander off," he warned.

A few of the people who wandered ahead walked backwards to rejoin the group as they kept their eyes peeled. Kyle flipped on his heat sensor and checked around. There were no immediate heat sources, but he knew that these walls were thick enough to hide people in the sealed rooms. He was about to give an order…

…when he heard a creak above them. Everyone turned and shone their lights to the second floor, but nothing was there. Another creak was heard on the opposite side, prompting some other marines to shine their lights there.

"Did you see that?" One of Ralston's marines said.

"What?" Another asked.

"Everyone switch on your heat sensors," Kyle said. He hadn't seen what that marine had, but he did see the remnant of a heat source that had darted across the balcony and leapt off the railing to the main floor.

That was only confirmed as he heard another light thump nearby. Something was coming towards them. Some of the other marines heard the noise too, acting more jumpy and cautious than usual. Kyle lowered his Mattock rifle slowly and unfolded his pistol. Whatever the thing was, it was getting closer. He just needed one good glance. One trace of the enemy so he could-

Then he caught what he was looking for. It wasn't hard to miss. Behind Engelbrektsson's back, a Sangheili stood upright and cocked its arm back with an energy sword hilt prepared to stab.

With split second precision, Kyle hip fired over Engelbrektsson's shoulder and struck the shields around the Sanheili's neck, shattering them upon impact. The Sangheili gave a loud grunt and took a loud step backwards.

This drew everyone's attention immediately. Without missing a beat, Engelbrektsson and the four marines around her unloaded their assault rifles into the Sangheili. Without its shields up, the assailant howled as bullets tore through its torso. It collapsed with a loud thud onto the ground, purple blood spraying over its body and the floor.

The blood couldn't cover up the armor design of the assailant though. The shining blue and purple color scheme, the weaponry design, the insignia…

"It's the Storm!" Resolme said as the lights suddenly switched back on, revealing four more Sangheili, a dozen Unggoy and six Kig-Yar emerging from a now unsealed room across the way. Two more doors unsealed from the upper floor, revealing the base's own merc forces, a mixture of humans, Turians and Salarians, preparing to fire.

"Take cover!" Kyle shouted. His squad and the marines quickly scattered behind the crates to avoid the volley of mass effect rounds and multiple colors of plasma flying at them. He rolled behind a crate next to Beckett and Resolme. The plasma and mass effect rounds scorched the edges of the crate above their heads. A few of Ralston's marines attempted to return fire, but the enemy's barrage was too intense for them to stick their heads out for long.

The last group Kyle expected to find on this syndicate's payroll was the Covenant Storm. A super cult masquerading as a mercenary group, the Storm was the remnants of the old Covenant who would not let go of the fight. Though officially disavowed by their races' governments, they continued to gain followers amongst the disenchanted, rebellious and young within the Sangheili, Unggoy, Kig-Yar and Mgalekgolo. They initially were dead set on continuing human extermination, but they've since resorted to working for hire like any other merc group. None of this information was beneficial to Kyle at the moment though.

A blue plasma shot scorched the ground next to Kyle's foot, prompting him to slide it out of the line of fire. He needed to flank these guys, but they had multiple levels of vantage points against his team. He peeked out and saw the enemy spreading out to trap them. He had to think quickly.

"Tangilanu, take the marines next to you and advance on the left side," he said over the comm. channel. "La Rosa, see if you can strike those bastards on the balcony. Engelbrektsson, give the other marines cover to help them advance." He turned to Beckett and Resolme. "You two follow me and cover my ass."

"Consider it covered," Beckett said as she and Resolme prepared to jump out.

Kyle pulled out two grenades from his belt with flash bang enhancements. He saw Tangilanu motion the other marines to follow, all the while keeping their heads down as the moved. Engelbrektsson shimmered with biotic energy as she prepared a barrier around the marines next to her. La Rosa dove past some stray plasma fire to find a good vantage point. Time to strike!

He flung the grenades at two separate areas where the majority of the enemy was congregated. "Shield your eyes," he warned the team. Once the grenades had latched onto their respective spots, he pushed the detonation trigger.

The grenades exploded with a flash of light that stunned the mercs on the lower level. Kyle rushed from his cover with Beckett and Resolme behind him, spraying cover fire onto a group of Storm mercs. The Kig-Yar's handheld shields absorbed a lot of the fire, though Kyle and Beckett managed to cut down two Unggoy next to them.

He saw Tangilanu and his marines engage in a firefight against two Sangheili taking cover behind the cargo crates. Engelbrektsson engulfed herself and the marines near her in a biotic barrier as they rushed to a nearby staircase to engage the mercs on the upper levels. A boom sounded off as La Rosa picked off a Turian sniper on the balcony, drawing the surrounding mercs' fire his direction.

Kyle shot a concussion blast from his Mattock and knocked a Kig-Yar off its feet. This created a hole that Beckett filled with gunfire, taking out that bugger and the Kig-Yar to its right. With the upper balcony mercs shooting at La Rosa's position, Engelbrektsson lowered her barrier and her marines fired on them. Two mercs were cut down as the others scattered for cover. La Rosa rushed to a new vantage point and took down one of the Sangheili firing at Tangilanu. This gave Tangilanu the opening needed to overload the other Sangheili's shields and advance on its position. The Storm mercs started pulling back. This might actually work out.

Then a door opened nearby Tangilanu's position followed by two eerie roars. Kyle saw two lumbering blue armored masses emerge out of the room with fuel rod cannons ready. It wouldn't be a proper Storm encounter without these guys.

"Mgalekgolo!" Kyle said through the comm. Tangilanu and his marines turned just in time to see the new enemy aim at them. They rushed out of the way as two fuel rod blasts blew a hole at their last position. The Mgalekgolo's back spines bristled as the worms inside the armor forming their 'bodies' squirmed in anger.

Engelbrektsson and her marines fired at the Mgalekgolos, but they had already raised their arm shields in defense. Their armor was impenetrable once they blocked off their openings. One of Mgalekgolos fired at Engelbrektsson's group while the remaining Storm mercs advanced behind the other to chase Tangilanu.

"We're can't do anything with those bruisers firing at us," Engelbrektsson said as she and her team made their way up to the second level. The Mgalekgolo attacking her ascended the staircase in pursuit.

"I can't get a clear shot at their openings," La Rosa also said.

Kyle looked to Beckett and Resolme. Neither Kyle nor Beckett had fought many Mgalekgolos in their time, but they knew that it was possible to take one down. It just required not being blown apart or stomped on in the process. He raised his Mattock rifle at the ready. Beckett nodded as she also prepped her Avenger.

"Tangilanu, lead that wormy bastard to us," Kyle said. "Engelbrektsson, give Resolme some cover so he can join up with you. Keep your fire focused on the mercs first but don't let the other bastard out of your sight. La Rosa, target the biggest merc threats first." He turned to Beckett again. Here goes nothing, he thought to himself.

"Go!" He shouted. Resolme ran out from cover and blind fired at the Storm mercs. Engelbrektsson and two other marines gave covering fire from the balcony as he frantically dodged plasma shots. Two more Unggoy and a Kig-Yar were gunned down in the process. Resolme finally made it to the staircase and took cover in the entrance. He still had an Mgalekgolo between him and the squad, but they would address that shortly.

Kyle and Beckett navigated between the cargo crates until they managed to find an opening behind the pursuing Mgalekgolo. The Storm mercs following it then walked into view. A proper flanking position!

Kyle and Beckett sprayed rounds at the mercs, taking out most of the Unggoy and Kig-Yar in the group. The two Sangheili who remained turned to fire, but a well-placed shot from behind by La Rosa struck one of them in the chest. The remaining Sangheili ducked behind more crates, its shields shimmering as it activated its cloaking device. La Rosa would take care of him!

Once that was dealt with, Kyle and Beckett charged out and faced the Mgalekgolo's back. Kyle took one of his remaining grenades and flung it at the opening on the beast's back armor. With a loud bang, the grenade exploded, spraying orange blood and bits of worms onto the ground. Beckett shot the opening with some extra gunfire for good measure. The beast roared as it turned back and fired a fuel rod blast at them. It skimmed above Beckett's head as they dove to cover.

From the other side, Kyle heard Tangilanu's group open fire at the beast. "Come back and fight us, you bag of dicks!" Tangilanu shouted as they fired.

The Mgalekgolo's rage went into extreme as it swung its arm shield and smashed a smaller crate towards them. Tangilanu and one of the marines dodged it in time, but the other marine was grazed by the crate and knocked into a wall. He fell unconscious from the impact as the Mgalekgolo directed itself to shoot again.

Kyle barely heard Beckett telling him to wait as he ran ahead and primed a grenade. That marine would be dead if he didn't move now! Up above him, he could hear Engelbrektsson and the remaining marines fighting the second Mgalekgolo with some difficulty. The sooner he did this, the sooner he could help them.

He ducked and rolled as the Mgalekgolo swung its arm back towards him. With a heave, he flung the grenade on its now exposed neck and stood up to run. The Mgalekgolo aimed its fuel rod cannon at Kyle and primed a blast…

…and then its head exploded! Orange blood and worms flew about as its helmet rolled off and onto the floor. The body collapsed onto the ground with a loud clang and the remaining worms spilled out from the openings. One down!

Kyle heard an explosion and saw one of the marines from upstairs fly over the railing, landing hard onto the floor. Kyle rushed over and checked the marine's vitals. He was still alive, but that fall would put him out of commission.

"We're getting clobbered out here!" Engelbrektsson shouted.

Kyle motioned to Tangilanu and the remaining marine with him. "Get up there and help them! We'll keep the wounded out of the way." Tangilanu primed his omni-tool and led the marine still on its feet to help fight the Mgalekgolo. Beckett went to drag the marine who fell over to the other wounded marine. La Rosa then emerged from behind another crate.

"La Rosa," Kyle said. "Did you catch that Sangheili?"

"No," La Rosa shook his head. "I thought you got him."

That was not what Kyle wanted to hear. Thankfully, it was then he felt an urgent prompting screaming in his head to turn around right that moment!

He turned just in time to see an energy sword swing down at him. He managed to fall away to the side, but not before the energy sword took off two of his synthetic fingers. He shouted in pain, even though it didn't hurt.

La Rosa fired at the assailant, narrowly missing its head as the Sangheili decloaked. With a loud roar, the Sangheili lifted its plasma rifle, firing as it ran to avoid La Rosa and Beckett's returning fire. Kyle scrambled behind a crate as he heard their fighting, along with the continued fighting upstairs.

"Almost got it," Engelbrektsson said over the comm.

"Keep up the pressure," Tangilanu replied back over an explosion.

A plasma shot scorched the edge of the crate Kyle hid behind. He wouldn't be able to grip his Mattock securely without those extra fingers, so he folded the Mattock back up and took out his pistol again.

As he exited his cover to return fire, he saw La Rosa roll out of the way as the Sangheili swung its energy sword. La Rosa attempted to stand back up and 'no scope' shoot the Sangheili with his sniper rifle. However, the Sangheili kept up with its momentum to turn and kick La Rosa in the head. La Rosa tumbled backwards onto the floor stunned.

Kyle fired his pistol at the Sangheili, nicking its shields. The Sangheili retracted its energy sword and returned fire as it ran towards him. It then leapt onto a crate in one fluid motion and ran across the crates towards him. Kyle could sense its preparation for an aerial lunge!

He raced between the crates, narrowly avoiding the Sangheili's plasma while returning fire. He had to keep himself in a narrow space so it couldn't get to him, but he would run out of cover soon. Out of his peripheral vision, he could see Beckett waiting ahead with a now unfolded shotgun. All he needed to do was lead the bastard out so she could plug it.

However, before she could get a clear shot, the Sangheili leapt off the crates and tackled them both. Beckett was knocked onto her back, her shotgun sliding across the floor. The Sangheili then grabbed Kyle by the head and flung him against a wall with a loud slam. His pistol fell from his hands and the wind was forced out of his lungs.

The Sangheili rushed up and wrapped its large hand around Kyle's neck, lifting him up against the wall. He struggled and gagged trying to free himself, but the bastard had him. The Sangheili's energy sword surged to life and it gave an equivalent of a smile as it cocked its arm back. Kyle closed his eyes in anticipation.

Then he heard a grunt of pain. Which was weird because it wasn't his. He opened his eyes to see the Sangheili stopped mid-attack with its eyes wide open. Two prods of an energy sword stuck out from its chest. The sword sizzled as the Sangheili's purple blood dripped out between the cauterized parts of the wound.

It was Beckett!

The Sangheili dropped Kyle onto the floor as the prods were pulled out. Clutching its chest with its gun hand, the Sangheili attempted to recompose itself and turn to fight back. Beckett shouted as she swung the energy sword she picked up and sliced the Sangheili's head in half. Its body went stiff and collapsed onto the ground limply, its hands twitching a couple more times before expiring.

Kyle then heard another loud roar and a huge crash as something fell on the balcony.

"It's down!" One of Ralston's marines shouted.

"Good work, everyone," Tangilanu replied back.

The rest of the team had taken down the second Mgalekgolo! Kyle propped himself up, still coughing to catch his breath. Becektt was still standing in agro stance breathing hard as she retracted the energy sword. He noticed that their little chase had brought them back near the entrance of the building and that the Sangheili he helped take down earlier was now missing its own sword. Clever girl!

Beckett took a moment to relax before reaching out to Kyle. "Are you ok, Kyle?"

He grabbed her hand and she lifted him up. "Yeah, I think so," he said shaking his head to calm the nerves. He caught her eyes spotting his missing fingers and moved his synthetic hand out of sight. "It's fine." He motioned for them to move. "We can't wait around here."

The two of them saw La Rosa use a nearby crate to get back on his feet. His helmet was off as he rubbed his temples.

"Goddamn," La Rosa mumbled under his breath as he messed up his hair. "That was a ride." Kyle and Beckett attempted to help, but he lifted a hand to stop them. "I'm fine. Let's just keep moving," he said putting his helmet back on.

After they collected their dropped weapons, the three of them quickly ascended to the second floor. The rest of the team had secured the area and were inspecting the other rooms nearby. The bodies of the mercs and the Mgalekgolo were strewn about the floor, their blood mixing together into a hideous blend of color. Two of the syndicate mercs, a human and a Salarian, had surrendered and were being detained by two of Ralston's marines. It was not the neatest operation Kyle had done, but aside from the injured marines on the bottom floor, they had suffered no casualties. He hadn't lost a person under his command for at least three years now and he didn't plan to break that any time soon.

Kyle pointed to the two other marines. "Watch the wounded downstairs. We'll secure this floor," he said as they rushed back down the stairs.

He then saw Tangilanu, Resolme and Engelbrektsson attempting to decrypt a door on the other side. He motioned La Rosa and Beckett to follow as they rejoined their squad.

"Sitrep?" Kyle asked.

"A Turian and a human locked themselves inside during the fight," Tangilanu replied as he tapped on the omni-tool. "They threw up some crazy decryption code, but I can handle it."

"Any ID on Dargus or Parker?"

"Haven't seen their ugly mugs yet," Engelbrektsson replied. "It might be them."

La Rosa adjusted the scope on his sniper rifle as Tangilanu broke the decryption.

"Don't fire unless I say so," Kyle said to La Rosa. "Our orders are to capture."

"Right, because they'll just roll over and surrender after all of this," La Rosa replied sarcastically.

Kyle motioned everyone to breach. It would only be two people, but he wouldn't take chances. There was always the threat of booby traps or surprise attacks when you least expect them.

With one last tap, the door slid open and the squad raised their weapons. At the end of the room were two people next to a terminal surrounded by crates, storage lockers, a large executive looking metal table and computers. One was a young blonde haired human who, in spite of holding a pistol trying to look tough, was shaking in his boots. The other was a particularly tall Turian who had just finished sabotaging the terminal with his omni-tool. He was unarmed and acting nonplused by the situation. A quick glance confirmed to Kyle that this was the Turian they were looking for, but not the human.

"Drop your weapon and put your hands to your heads!" Kyle shouted to the human.

"You will not be hurt if you surrender," Beckett added as the squad took a few steps into the room.

The merc took a step back and his hand continued to shake, but he would not lower his weapon. "Please, I don't want to die!" He pleaded.

"Listen to the scary people with the big guns, kid," La Rosa said with his rifle trained at Dargus. "Throw your pistol down and put your hands to your head."

"We will not warn you again," Kyle pressured. "Drop it now or we will shoot."

The merc looked back to Dargus, who gave the most unpleasant look of 'I'm not helping you' Kyle had ever seen. The merc whimpered as he took in a deep breath. He then chucked the gun to the side and got on his knees with his hands over his head, still shaking and panicking.

"Move in," Kyle ordered.

La Rosa, Engelbrektsson and Resolme detained the merc as the rest of the squad surrounded Dargus. The Turian gave a snide look while casually lifting his hands in the air.

"Here to slap me on the wrists for being a bad boy?" Dargus taunted them. "Or are you going to shoot me too?"

"Can it!" Kyle shouted. The last thing he needed was a 'Raptor' being sassy with him. He pointed a finger at Dargus, only to realize it was the synthetic hand still missing two fingers. He switched hands and kept up his demeanor. "Where is Parker?"

"I have no idea who you're talking about?" Dargus denied.

Kyle gripped the collar of the Turian's armor. "Don't play games with me, Raptor. Tell me where your boss is now-"

"Or what? You and your monkeys will beat a confession out of me? I know my rights and I have nothing to say about a 'Parker' in this or any other building." Dargus leered at Kyle. "And I'd watch the racism if I were you."

Kyle leered back. "Don't think sabotaging your terminal will help you. We're going to find him and grill all of your asses."

Dargus eyed Kyle's missing fingers and smirked. "Might do it quickly then. Wouldn't want you to lose another finger, would we?"

Kyle angrily tossed Dargus onto the floor. "Bag him," he said to Tangilanu and Beckett trying to hold back frustration.

As the two moved in to detain Dargus though, Kyle saw something was amiss. Dargus quickly looked up and glared at Kyle before looking over to where the rest of the squad was. Then he did the Turian equivalent of a smile as his hand reached for something at his hip. It wasn't a gun. It was too small. When Kyle realized what it was though, the Turian had already pressed a button on top of it.

A detonator!

Resolme had lifted the surrendering merc to his feet, while La Rosa and Engelbrektsson kept watch for anything suspicious. Directly behind the two of them, a green light hidden among some crates switched to red. Kyle couldn't see how many or what types of explosives had been put in place there, but he had no time to react.

"Behind you!" He shouted to them.

Engelbrektsson responded the fastest as the explosives went off. She quickly put up a biotic barrier around her and La Rosa, but the force was too much for the barrier to absorb. The barrier shattered and flung the two of them into the metal table. Resolme was far enough that he wasn't hit by the fire, but was still knocked back with the merc onto the floor.

Then Kyle heard a struggle behind him. During the explosion, Dargus sprang to his feet and wrapped his arm around Beckett's neck, forcing her Avenger out of her hand. He fired at Tangilanu and Kyle one handed, forcing them to quickly take cover. He then pointed the Avenger to Beckett's head. He was about to execute her!

Kyle could care less about the consequences now. He emerged from behind his cover and pulled out his pistol. Beckett was dead if he didn't ice this asshole!

Which caught him off guard when he heard someone else shoot and nail Dargus between the eyes. Dargus' blood sprayed across Beckett's helmet as his eyes went cold and he collapsed still holding on to her.

Kyle looked around to see who did it. Tangilanu had also stood up to fire at Dargus, but his shotgun wouldn't have made that clean a shot. La Rosa was still trying to get back on his feet after the impact against the table. Engelbrektsson wasn't moving, which worried Kyle beyond the fact he knew she didn't fire.

He then turned back as he realized whom it was. Resolme was still lying on the floor with his arm outstretched and his pistol smoking. He breathed hard into his helmet trying to ease his adrenaline rush. The detained merc didn't dare move in fear of being shot next.

Resolme looked up to Kyle realizing what he did. "I was aiming for his arm…." He lamely gave as an excuse.

Beckett pulled Dargus' arm off of her and stood to her feet as she folded her Avenger back. "I'm fine by the way," she said annoyed.

"Guys!" La Rosa shouted to the group. "She's not getting up!"

Everyone turned to see La Rosa pull off Engelbrektsson's helmet and attempt to wake her to no avail. Kyle rushed over with everyone except Resolme, who was too shocked to move but not enough to let the surrendering merc out of his sight.

"Is she still breathing?" Kyle asked.

"Yeah…yeah, I think so," La Rosa said as he checked her pulse. Engelbrektsson's eyes were closed tight, but La Rosa heaved a sigh. "Yeah, she is." He felt a tinge of pain from his back and put a hand to it. "Shit…"

Kyle sighed and stood up. "Keep an eye on her, La Rosa. Beckett, sweep this place clean. Tangilanu, salvage whatever you can from the terminal and any of the computers in this building. I want any indication of Parker's whereabouts found right now! And everyone keep an eye out for any more damn booby traps!"

As the others cleared to check the building, Kyle's comm. started crackling.

"Tokyo to ground team," Captain Ralston's voice called on the other line. "Tokyo to ground team. Report your status."

Kyle put his fingers to his comm. "Nolan here. The base has been cleared, but we have several wounded. Requesting evac back to the ship."

"Roger that. Are the targets secured?"

Kyle sighed. "Dalamar is in captivity along with several surrendering mercs. Parker doesn't appear to be in the building and Turatas is KIA."

"Shit. Alright, we'll send a shuttle down ASAP. Finish your business and get out." Kyle was about to continue with his work when Ralston continued. "How the hell did all of this happen?"

Kyle sighed as he examined his damaged synthetic hand. "We'll fill you in when we get back…"

And...scene! Ok, well that was tense! The next chapter will be more of an intermittent segment bridging this and the next part of the story, but expect a few fun surprises coming your way very soon.

Feel free to leave your reviews and comments here on the fanfic, stop by my Walking Dead fanfic A Life of Service (which I hope to update soon too) through my profile or come visit my new Tumblr page Zgamer Presents where I will update more details on my work as I write them.

Ah...I forget how nice it is to keep writing these chapters!