Commander John Shepard
Damn kid doesn't know it yet, but I saved his life. Trying to sign up as a freelance with a sorry excuse for a gun he paid fifty credits for and fell apart with a few light slaps. Not even any armor. Thinking his experience on the streets of Omega was enough to count as combat experience. Wonder how many others like that signed on. The shuttle ride took about fifteen minutes, and so far, no one had recognized Zaeed. He passed it off as the fact that so far, all we had seen were 'fucking grunts.' We touched down in what appeared to be a residential area. Likely empty of civilians by now. Mercs may not care about their lives, but they wouldn't want them getting in the way either. Another Blue Suns Batarian was waiting at the base of a set of stairs leading out from this… shuttle parking bay. If you can call it that.
"Bout time they sent someone who looks like they can actually fight," he remarked. He had a red stripe in the middle of his face, vertical between the eyes. "They tell you what we're up against?"
"I know Archangel's a marksman, but that's from reputation. Not recruiter," I remarked.
"Ha, marksman. Understatement of the fucking year. He's holed up in a building at the end of the boulevard over there. He's got a superior position, and the only way in is over a very exposed bridge. It's a killing ground." Hm, need to either get really lucky or find some way to signal that we're trying to help. "But he's getting tired. Making mistakes. We'll have him soon enough."
"So, what's the plan?"
"We have a small team waiting to infiltrate the hideout, but we need to draw his fire before they can move in. You'll be on the distraction team. Straight over the bridge to keep him busy while the infiltration team sneaks in behind him."
"Thought there wasn't another way in," Zaeed added gruffly.
"They only got over thanks to more distractions. Now they need another, so they can actually move up. Tarak used a gunship to keep him busy."
"Not even a gunship took him down?" I exclaimed.
"No fucking idea how. Tarak was absolutely pissed when he returned. I wasn't about to ask how."
"So, a damn suicide run?" I raised a brow.
"Pretty much," the Batarian shrugged. "Unlike the others though, looks like you lot have quality gear. Probably make it. Head up to the boulevard, and get to the third barricade. Talk to Sergeant Cathka. He'll tell you when."
"Alright, we'll head over."
"Good. Just watch yourself, even along the boulevard. He's killed dozens back there already." I let out a whistle. The dossier wasn't doing his marksmanship any justice. Damn impressive. We started moving up the stairs. EDI entered our comms.
"Shepard, I have scanned the area, but I am unable to plot any other paths to Archangel."
"So, no other choice," I muttered under my breath. "We'll try to do a bit of sabotage, go from there. I doubt he'd trust it, but try and hail him. Tell him we're trying to help, describe us."
"Understood." We approached the first barricade, and I saw my first Vorcha. It reminded me of some sort of reptilian bat. Without wings, at least. Large, sharp teeth, rows of them, skin is clearly rough and even has spikes at the elbows and side of the head. Large eyes, bent legs, and, unfortunately not many clothes. Just a bandolier and something that looks like a diaper. Covers only the ass and groin. The Vorcha stared at us and hissed. The barricade had a few mercs taking potshots at the apartment down the way, I saw a blue helmet at a balcony, a sniper in hand. Couldn't make out many details, not from this distance. And wouldn't be able to communicate with him like this either. He sees me, I'm sure of it.
A round struck me in the chest, punching right through my shields. The force of it was like a hammer and I reeled back, grunting, then staggered to the side, out of the line of fire.
"Commander! Are you alright?" Miranda asked. Hm, not sure if that's surprising or not, having spent two years on me. Wait… I patted my hands around the impact point. There wasn't a hole. My armor was intact, but… dented.
"Bullet didn't penetrate, but, feels like someone just slammed a hammer into my chest."
"Strange… sounds like a concussive round," Miranda murmured.
"Has to be. A bullet would have at least lodged itself in the armor, not just leave a dent," Jacob added.
"No way in hell that was an accident," Zaeed remarked.
"Strange indeed." I stood straight again, taking a deep breath. The pain was already going away. "Come on, let's keep moving." We passed through a door to see Eclipse officers waiting and sitting. Salarians, all of them.
"As the first wave goes in, the infiltration team will attempt to take Archangel by surprise. I don't expect much from the freelancers. When they fail, we're up next. Light mechs go in first. If that's not enough, we send in the heavy. Be prepared," one of the Salarians, one with a red skin tone ordered.
"You the Eclipse leader?" I asked, leaning against a wall.
"Figure that out by yourself?" he raised a brow. "I'm Jaroth, and yes, I run Omega's Eclipse. You need something, Freelancer?" he certainly wasn't pleased to be talking to me.
"Just curious what Eclipse's problem with Archangel is."
"We control twenty percent of Omega and then he comes along and mucks up our operations. Eclipse is well oiled, Omega is not. We're already constantly battling the system here, and he is too much. He's killed some of our best operatives, and one of them was my brother, so I am going to end this problem," Jaroth growled.
"Good luck to ya," I remarked and made to move. I noticed that Miranda and Jacob had wandered a bit. And Jacob pocketed a data pad off a counter. We left the eclipse 'base' into an empty hallway.
"Seems the Mercs are planning to gang up on Aria. Thought you'd like to have that, decide to tell her or not," Jacob explained his actions.
"Tell her. You don't have to like her, I know she's a beauty and a bitch, but she at least keeps Omega stable. She leaves the people be, so long as they don't interfere with her and her shit. The Eclipse and the Suns? They see a fucking goldmine in protection rackets and cheap labor. Don't even get me started on the fucking blood pack. At least with the others, buying protection would actually mean protection and safety. Those bastards will look at you as a meal or a quick rape no matter how many credits you throw at their face. If none of that convinces you, she'll sure as hell give you something for it," Zaeed argued.
"You make a point I can't ignore. Fine, I'll throw the info her way later," I relented. Zaeed just nodded, and we came to two doors at the end of the hallway. The door on the left had been hastily labeled "mech storage." Seems like a good time for some sabotage. They did have a heavy after all. There were rows of LOKI mechs folded up like the old Battle Droids in Star Wars, and a YMIR mech towering, offline, ahead.
"EDI, how do I shut this thing down permanently quietly? No! Wait! Can I mess with its Friend/Foe targeting ID?"
"You can. There is a button on the left side of its neck. If you press it, it will link to the nearest Omni-tool. I will use the connection to hack through its firewall and re-write its programming."
"Sounds good." I found and pressed the button.
"So, who's this EDI? She sounds pretty?" Zaeed asked.
"She's an AI," Jacob answered.
"Huh. Go fucking figure," Zaeed shrugged.
"Hack complete. When activated, the Heavy Mech will now attack Eclipse," EDI confirmed. We left the storage, and the next door was a crossroads between another pair of doors. One door had "Blood Pack! Keep out!" Painted in red, likely blood along the door. And with their skull symbol as well. I'll leave that be. The other door led back to the barricades, and we opened the door just in time to see a Vorcha take a round through his skull, virtually turning the upper half into red mist as the body fell off the barricade and to the floor. Another Vorcha was taking cover. Staying safe, we kept our heads down and kept moving. I could see Archangel and his rifle a bit better now. Just enough to make out armor color, a navy blue.
"Oi, that door, there. Should have Blue Suns leaders. Tarak knows me. Might be able to learn something," Zaeed suggested.
"Friend of yours?"
"Hmph, no fucking Sun is a friend of mine," he growled. I glanced back. Strangely, I noticed the tattoo on his neck. It was their logo.
"Then what's with the tat?"
"Long story. Part of the arrangement," he grumbled. So, later then. A freelance at the barricade lost his head as we got moving. He's making these shots while being shot at. We went through the doors Zaeed pointed out. Some Suns were standing guard inside but didn't care enough to stop us. We followed the short hall into another room with Suns lieutenants looking over a holo map. One obviously with tactical information.
"I don't want excuses! Tell Cathka to get that gunship working, or he'll be next over that bridge!" a Batarian shouted. "And somebody get me those damn blueprints! Now! And get these freelancers out of here. I don't have time for this."
"Tarak, what's eating your ass?" Zaeed piped up. Tarak stopped and stared him down.
"Zaeed?" he was surprised. "Since when do you work for so little?"
"Credits aren't the goal for this job. And since when are you such a goddamn madman?"
"It's Archangel. This guy's gonna kill me. Almost did already," Tarak muttered.
"That bad, huh?"
"Worse. Look, Zaeed. I gotta deal with this shit. You have questions, just let Jentha answer them," Tarak calmed down. "It's good to see you, Massani. Who knows, maybe you'll be the one to solve this. I'll throw in extra if you do."
"Anything's possible," Zaeed shrugged. Hm, smug bastard. A human woman with dark brown hair stepped up.
"Good thing you know him. Tarak hates needing to hire freelancers. Doesn't trust anyone outside the Suns," she remarked. Must be Jentha.
"You don't say?" Zaeed gave some sarcasm.
"First off, what's the backup plan for the infiltration? If it goes wrong?" I asked.
"After Tarak shoots any Freelancers still alive? Eclipse and Blood Pack take their shots in that order. Then us. I suggested we work together more closely, but he just doesn't trust them. Our go will have the gunship back in working order. But it won't come to that. Archangel's good, but can't hold out that long. Been in there over a day already."
Yeah, whoever this guy is, everything I'm hearing confirms what I already know. I need this guy on my team.
"Can't die soon enough if you ask me," Jentha added.
"Sounds personal," I prodded.
"He went after Tarak in his home. Almost got him. Tarak's been paranoid ever since. And even though I was there with Tarak when it happened, he second guesses everything I do. Less personal, we worry every job is a trap now. Does he know about the meeting? Will this shipment disappear? How many losses this time? List goes on."
"Thanks, we'll go see Cathka then," I nodded. Jentha returned the nod and returned to the holo table. We took our leave.
"Good, three different waves. Keeps them separated. Let's see if we can't hurt that gunship," I spoke over the comms. We got back to the barricades, kept our heads down, and sprinted across to a large garage that had the gunship waiting. And a humanoid working on repairing it. Must be Cathka. Sparks from his welding tool were flying out as he repaired some damage near the back. Under one of the wings. "Cathka?" He stopped, turned to face us, and pressed a button on the side of his helmet, removing the tint it had taken to protect his eyes from the light of the wielder. A Batarian, of course.
"Sergeant Cathka. Ah… Must be the group Salkie mentioned. You're just in time."
"Salkie?"
"The one who spoke to you when you landed. The four of you stand out from the other Freelancers. Anyway… the Infiltration team is about to give us the signal. Won't be long now. Any questions?" he asked as he set the welding tool on the table. Hm… it's one of those wielding blades. Strange design, not meant for small repairs, but for when part of a large piece of metal gets damaged. He lit himself a cigarette
"Just one. How the hell did Archangel ground that?"
"Believe it or not? The best damn shot I've ever seen. Not only did he shoot the perfect fucking spot in the wing, but it ruptured a fuel line and shredded the wing before the safeties cut it off from the rest. This entire wing is basically brand fucking new. No idea how Tarak managed to land the damn thing. Just a bit longer, and it'll be attached securely." There was a pinging from a console. He turned his back to us, down at it. "Check. Bravo team - go, go, go!" a group of Freelancers ran out towards the barricade.
"Archangel's got quite a surprise waiting for him," he chuckled and darkened his visor. I nabbed the wielder before he began to look for it. His back turned again. I turned it on.
"You and him both." I jabbed him with it right in the center of the back, taking a hand to cup it over his mouth and suppress the cry of pain. His legs went limp, his spinal cord was severed and probably melting from the heat if it was not evaporating. I lowered him to the ground, then used the wielder to slit his throat. We then ran out to the bridge, weapons out and ready. Archangel was already taking shots at Freelancers. His first target, one with a grenade launcher. We immediately opened fire on the other freelancers, taking them by surprise, putting bullets in the back of their heads. Just like that, all the mercs on the bridge were dead. Now to take care of infiltration. Archangel didn't shoot at us, and we ran towards the large two-story building. One merc was working on an Explosive device, so we took him down before he realized what was going on. We ran up to the second level, where a merc had managed to get to the door without being shot, but it was locked. He was trying to cut it open. I knocked on the door.
"Archangel? We're on your side. Mind letting us in?" The interface went green, and I opened the door, stepping through with the others. He was staring down the scope of his rifle, towards the inside. Seems we missed one. The Turian held up a single talon, signaling for us to wait. I peeked out towards the main room. A human slowly poked his head out around a support column, and his head turned into mist. Archangel stood up, rocked his neck, and reached a hand up to remove his helmet. It came off. Holy fucking shit. My jaw dropped, and I froze. He set his helmet down on a crate and sat down, partially resting on his rifle as well. Same markings, same visor, same eyes. It was fucking him.
"Shepard. I thought you were dead."
"Garrus fucking Vakarian!" I exclaimed, laughing. I stepped forward, leaned down, and wrapped my arms around the bastard. "What the hell are you doing here, buddy?" One of Garrus' arms patted me on the shoulder, partially returning the hug.
"Just keeping my skills sharp," he grinned. "A little target practice."
"You good? Got plenty of Medi-gel, clips," I began.
"Thanks. I've been better, but spirits is it good to see a friendly face. Killing mercs is hard work. Especially on my own."
"But what brought you to Omega?" Garrus sighed.
"I never forgot what you taught me, but the bureaucracy on the Citadel only got worse. I wasn't putting innocents at risk anymore, but they were letting known criminals walk because of a bought judge, threatened jury, worse. Figured I could do more good on my own, so came out here." I nodded.
"Zaeed, Jacob, Miranda, keep an eye out. They're probably trying to figure out what to make of this, let us know when they're moving." They got in positions overlooking the bridge. "Sorry to hear that, Garrus. So, I gotta know. How'd you manage to piss off all the major merc gangs in Terminus?"
"Wasn't easy. I really had to work on it," he joked. "Amazing they teamed up for this though. That really surprised me.
"And, Archangel. How'd you get that name?"
"Locals gave it to me. For all my good deeds," he shrugged. "But," he chuckled. "You? Garrus. Please."
"Asking for first names with the guy you nailed in the chest?" I teased.
"Oh please, you know damn well that was a concussive round. No harm done," he retorted. "Didn't want the mercs getting suspicious of you."
"Uh huh, sure," I teased further. He gave me that look. The, 'we are going to have a competition later and I will prove it to you, you bastard,' kind of look.
"If I wanted to take your head off, I could've. Besides, you were taking your sweet time. I had to get you moving." We shared a brief laugh. Just like old times. "My turn for a question. How?"
"Long and short start the same way. I died, body was found, restored over two years with an ass load of credits. I only just woke up a couple days ago." His mandibles flared. "I'd be more than happy to give you the long version, but it should wait until we're out of here. We have shuttles, but not sure it'll be safe for them to come down just yet."
"It won't, you're right. Any hints to their backup plan? The bridge has saved my life by funneling those witless idiots into scope, but if not for you they might well have had me here."
"Eclipse with mechs first, then Blood Pack. Not sure about their plan. Then Blue Suns, but I ensured that gunship wouldn't be fully repaired. Even if they do fly it, still got a big hole in the side of the wing, ain't secure. Plus, I got a missile launcher."
"Spirits damned miracle," Garrus breathed. "Hold position, last through the waves, call that shuttle. That's my suggestion."
"Best we can do. I'll have it on standby, waiting somewhere nearby. Want it to have the doc?"
"Won't turn it down. Got nicked a few times. Think they're just flesh wounds, but I haven't had the time to check either. The fact I've yet to drop dead from them makes me feel a bit better."
"Good. EDI, I know you heard all that. Make it so," I ordered.
"You're giving me more and more questions," Garrus murmured.
"I promise to answer em all after this. So, ready to kick some ass?" Garrus' mandibles went wider, a bigger grin.
"Just like old times."
"Mechs coming over the Barricade," Jacob called out. Garrus and I nodded to one another and ran out to the balcony overlooking. We lined up and opened fire. Aiming for the head. Miranda using a Phalanx pistol, Jacob using an Avenger, Zaeed with his Vindicator, and myself with my Mattock. Garrus still with his sniper. The mechs moved slow, meaning they were easy targets. So, some Eclipse joined the next wave personally. They moved faster, but Salarians have large heads. Though not all of them were Salarians, so many of us were shooting, and the numbers not large enough, that it didn't matter much. Jacob's and Miranda's biotics helped slow them down and leave others more vulnerable. Warps helped counter the barriers of any Asari who tried their luck. A cargo lift started to bring out the YMIR.
"Shit, heavy mech," Garrus called out.
"Don't worry about it. That problem will solve itself," I reassured. He gave me a confused sideways glance. "Just save your ammo, do any checks you need to do." The mech touched down. It started to march towards us, but then it detected the Eclipse who jumped down to join it. It turned and opened fire on the surprise operatives. Garrus chuckled and leaned back a bit. We just waited until enough mercs had thrown themselves at it that it finally started to go down, it's shielding not able to recover in time.
"Ah, seems Jaroth is going across himself. Mistake," Garrus clicked his tongue. He started to run, and I fired a burst from the Mattock to take down his shields, while Garrus followed up with a round straight to his skull. Easy.
"Skills haven't dulled, Shepard. Good to see you kicking ass again."
"I aim to please," I gave a mocking bow.
"Not to mention I rather like seeing Jaroth's corpse on the ground now. One less lackey for Jona Sederis. Been hunting him for months."
"What got you onto him?"
"He's been shipping tainted Eezo all over Citadel space. Half the goods I seized back at C-sec came from his team here." I nodded, and we looked back at the barricades. There were more of them, additional protection. But no one was going over yet. An explosion shook the ground. An alarm blaring.
"The hell?" Jacob questioned.
"Damn it, had to use their brains sooner or later. They breached the lower level. Fortunately, there are some blast doors down there that can be shut. Block it off all over again. You go do that, I'll hang here."
"Like hell, I'm leaving you alone again. You three, down there, close those blast doors."
"Yes, Commander," Lawson answered. Once alone, Garrus spoke up.
"They don't seem to be Alliance. And I wouldn't expect the Alliance to ever hire Zaeed Massani."
"That, my friend, is because they're not Alliance."
"So, who are they?" I sighed.
"I hate myself for it, but uh… it was Cerberus that brought me back." That made the Turian's eyes go wide. That surprised him.
"After all the trouble we caused them?"
"Same thought crossed my mind. Problem is, you know the Collectors?"
"Yeah, heard rumors of deals with them on the station. Left them alone, for now at least."
"Well, they've taken to kidnapping entire Human Colonies. Hundreds of thousands of people, Garrus. I've gotten proof myself. Making it worse, seems they're working for the Reapers."
"Hm, that changes things, doesn't it?" Garrus hummed.
"Yeah, makes it something I just can't ignore. I'm playing along, but I haven't been taking orders. Or going easy on any of the Cerberus loyalists. They're giving me money, intel, a ship, and dossiers on people to recruit against the Collectors. Archangel was one of those names, and I already planned to track you and the others down."
"They should be easy to find. I know Kaidan went back to the Alliance, don't expect Liara to really hide anywhere, and Tali's with the Fleet."
"Believe it or not, I actually stumbled across her on Freedom's Progress, a Colony I was investigating for that proof I mentioned."
"You saw her? What were Quarians doing on a Human colony?"
"Looking for a Pilgrim. Tali would have followed me, but had a mission to complete for the Fleet first."
"It'll be good to see her again. You two… reveal anything to one another?" he gave a smug grin.
"You all suspected it, didn't you?"
"Kaidan and Ashley picked up on it first. Liara and I took a while longer," he chuckled.
"Ugh… yes and no, seems like. But we agreed that we both needed to have a bit of a talk next time we see one another."
"Just talk? Hmph. If she wasn't Quarian, I'd have some serious doubts about talk being the only thing that happens."
"Shut it, Jackass. We're not out of this mess yet, haven't saved your life just yet." Garrus chuckled more. Then we heard something. We looked down to see sparks coming from the door to the lower level.
"Squad, get me a sitrep. We got hostiles breaching the door to the main floor," I ordered.
"Just closed the last shutter. A group must have gotten past us while we were working on them," Miranda answered. "We're on our way back."
"Understood." I turned back to Garrus. "So, you in?"
"You really need to even ask? To hell and back." Damn, it felt good to hear that. That's the second moment since I came back that it honestly felt good to be brought back to life. I took a hand and patted his back.
"To hell and back, buddy." I readied my rifle, and the door flew open. Vorcha, which we immediately began tearing apart. They can't regenerate their brain. Still, there were quite a few of them. Then a Krogan burst through, running for the stairs. And I saw the flare of bullets being reflected by a barrier.
"Damn it, Garm. Big Krogan bastard."
"Kill the Vorcha, I'll wait by the door," I suggested. Garrus nodded and kept on working as Garm ran to the door, already beating against it like a battering ram. I sealed my helmet and waited for the door to be knocked down. Garm stormed through, roared, and then I launched myself under him, my shotgun placed right under his chin. I pulled the trigger without a word. His barrier wouldn't help him here. The Eviscerator proved its namesake right there, as the Krogan's head was…. Well, eviscerated. Chunks of meat flying up and back down with bits of skull, and coating both my armor and visor in orange blood. The weight of the body started to collapse on me, but I shifted the weight to the side and it fell to the floor. I wiped my visor clean.
"That would have made Wrex proud," Garrus remarked. Zaeed, Miranda, and Jacob arrived and helped mop up the rest of the Vorcha, then regrouped with us upstairs. "This day just gets better and better. Starting to wonder if we should make a break for it. Tarak's got nothing we haven't- hear that?" A whirring noise outside. Glass broke, and a searchlight shone brightly through. My visor reacted, changing its tint to help me see, but it was still a moment of blindness. Enough for mercs to rappel through. One of them was Jentha. A burst from about a quarter of my clip broke through her shields and put a bullet through her skull while the others took care of the regular mercs. Next batch tried the ground floor. About eight of them. Two of them with missile launchers. Pinning two of us at a time. I readied my own once the last of them fell.
"Archangel!" Tarak shouted through the gunship's speakers as it flew up by the bridge balcony. Garrus' back was initially turned. Its chain gun was already spinning. Everyone dove towards cover, but I saw Garrus was too slow, a lack of energy getting to him. Bullets were impacting his armor. It seemed to be barely holding by the time he fell and pulled himself into cover. The bullets must not be too terribly strong, just a fuck ton of them so that normally, it wouldn't matter. The gunship lowered, and I had my chance. I got up and fired a missile, but Tarak had already done so himself. His rocket shot out, forcing Garrus to need to dive, but it was too fast and impacted right by him. Launching him away from the force, and he rolled onto his side. My missile impacted right on the cockpit, shattering it and sending glass all across Tarak's body, I'd suspect, and it crashed beneath us.
I ran over to my friend. There was blood. It was starting to pool. I rolled him onto his side. His right mandible was almost gone, paper thin almost, and a gash on his cheek and neck. His armor had clearly taken some damage. It was still mostly intact, though pockmarked by bullet impacts. No telling how many actually broke through. We need Chakwas now.
"EDI! Get that fucking shuttle here right now! Make sure Chakwas is ready for urgent care!" I ordered. I started applying as much Medi-gel as I could. "Come on… come on… don't you dare fucking die on me, Vakarian. Don't you dare," I murmured to myself. His eyes shot open and he took a deep breath. He coughed, struggled to breathe. It was loud, difficult, pained breathing. "Come on, man! Stay with me. Look at me. Stay here with me. The shuttle is almost here, we'll patch you up. Come on, fight!" I urged. He reached for his rifle, trying to clutch it. "Shh… it's over, Garrus. You don't need it. It's over. Just focus on staying here with me. Ok?" He started to gurgle, so I rolled him over onto his left side. He vomited blood and bile.
"He's not gonna-" Zaeed began.
"Shut the fuck up!" I bellowed. "He'll fucking make it." His eyes were still open, he was breathing. That at least was a good sign. A shuttle soared down and touched down on the bridge, the door to our side opening. Bullets came out, striking the shuttle, but its shields wouldn't easily be brought down by small arms. "Help me carry him." Jacob and Miranda's biotics came to life as they lowered his weight, making it easier for us to quickly carry him down the stairs and to the shuttle. I made sure Zaeed brought Garrus' rifle. Chakwas was inside, waiting."
"My god, Garrus?" she exclaimed. She began her medical scan. Saying nothing more. She took a syringe with some sort of medication, uncapped it, and I helped take off some of the armor on Garrus' left arm, then rolled the arm over so she could get at soft skin on the inside of the arm. His breathing started to slow, relax. But it was still more like wheezing. She got a respirator and put it over his face. Making sure he had plenty of oxygen. Quickly, there was nothing more that I could do.
Just wait and hope that Chakwas can save him.