Mass Effect: The Man Who Saw Tomorrow
Chapter XI: Pillars of Resurrection
She was fire in his hands. She sparkled below the fluorescent lights like a thousand stars, light years away. She glimmered her radiance across his face before he gripped the diamond tightly in his hand, and placed her over the left arm of his newly blackened Ajax Armor, freshly painted.
He began to graft her into place, sealing Commander Shepard to be with him until the moment he fell in combat.
Two days had passed since Alchera. They had taken her ashes, and turned them into diamonds. A hush fell over the Ishmael when they all gathered down in the hangar bay. There were no words to say, none that Venom Snake could think to mention.
She was with them now, and slowly, he took the glass urn that carried her gleaming stars, and handed them to the crew of the Ishmael. One by one, they held her close, whispering a soundless thank you to their Commander, and Big Boss.
The only ones not to carry diamonds, were Joker and Jack— the latter citing that she did not know Commander Shepard, nor did she care. The helmsman refused to leave the cockpit, or even speak to Snake since the ice planet.
Garrus went to him instead with a few diamonds and set them on his console before being cursed away by the pilot. But when the turian returned later, the diamonds were gone from where he left them, and he caught a glimpse of a capsule, poking out from in the pilot's pocket, with a lustrous diamond hidden inside.
The crew carried Shepard in their own ways; some held her loosely, in their pockets or at their workstations or bunks. Others tied her into necklaces, tucked into their fatigues, safe and secure. And more embedded her into their uniforms, following Big Boss' example.
Zaeed took a diamond, and placed her into the glove of his left hand. Jacob carried her around his neck, as did Miranda. Mordin placed one in a vial, sealed tight, and kept in his lab between machines. Kasumi also carried one, tucked somewhere beneath her hood. And Garrus embedded his on his visor.
Snake watched him seal it on, and it was the first time since his recruitment that he saw the turian's visor-less face. He glanced into the underside of the tool and saw nine names, crudely carved into its surface, with one of them scratched out.
He did not ask the turian what the names represented. He knew. Nine names for the ones he lost, one scratched out for the one who betrayed him.
When he asked him if he was any closer to the uncovering the traitor, Garrus mentioned a few whispers from his contacts in C-Sec, but that was all they were for now, whispers.
Venom Snake inspected his grafting job, seeing the Commander Shepard sparkle and sit snugly in her place.
With satisfaction, he placed his armor back in its locker, and secured it, ready for its next mission.
They had no objective at the moment, not while he was recovering from the bone weave surgery he underwent less than a day ago. He prodded the back of his skull tenderly, and winced at the pressure.
"Big Boss, there is an incident in the Cargo Bay." EDI's voice sounded through the intercom.
Snake raised a brow, "Incident?"
"The krogan you recovered from Korlus, has released Okeer's Krogan from its tank, and they are engaging in combat. I have sealed the room and I am prepared to depressurize."
"Don't. I'll take care of it." Snake rushed out, earning a curious look from Kelly Chambers as he jumped into the elevator.
"Understood, Boss."
His head rocked into the wall behind him, and the air in his lungs burst free, forcing him to struggle to breathe.
He could not remember how he entered the Cargo Bay, which did not bode well for his orders from the good doctor— rest and avoid stress.
A krogan's hand was gripped tightly on his shirt, pressing him and holding him against the wall with unbowed strength.
Instinct took over, and Big Boss apprehended the krogan's thumb and palm with his robotic hand, and jerked it back with a violent twist. It loosened the grip enough for him to kick out with both legs against the krogan's chest, and send himself crashing to the floor as the krogan reeled away.
The other krogan with midnight eyes, caught Okeer's krogan from behind with a wrap of his arms around his core and hoisted him over his head, suplexing him through the table behind.
Snake hoisted himself quickly and reached for the shotgun nearest.
When the slammed krogan sat up, his forming brow plate met the barrel of the Katana, and his blue eyes met that of Snake's one, glaring down at him from above.
The other krogan joined the one eyed human, standing over him with a furrowed brow and a huff.
The grounded krogan snickered as he sat up, pushing into the barrel, "Heh… Good fight." He said, looking between the two standing over him.
"Gimme a name." He said.
Snake eyed him, and made a gesture to himself, "Big Boss."
The krogan shook his head, "Not you. Me. I am trained, I know things, but the tank… Okeer couldn't implant connection. His words are hollow in my head."
The standing krogan shifted on his feet, "Then you are not perfect?"
"Okeer failed. I feel no connection for his clan or his enemies. But I am better. Stronger than he ever was."
He glared at the standing krogan, "Better than you'll ever be too."
His eyes fell to the ground, as if searching, "Warlord, legacy, grunt... grunt. 'Grunt' was among the last. It has no meaning. It'll do. I am Grunt."
Snake gazed down at him curiously.
Grunt stared back, and pushed more into the shotgun, "Well, get on with it, human."
A few beats passed before any of them spoke.
"We need your help." Snake said, pulling the shotgun away, but keeping it in hand.
The krogan spat, "Help? Only the weak ask for help."
The standing krogan shifted, "No. This time, we fight enemies bigger than us. More than us."
Grunt looked between them, "You will give me strong enemies? A chance to find my own reason for the skills in my blood?"
Snake nodded.
Another beat among them, before the grounded Krogan rumbled. "Hm… Very well. I will fight for you."
Switching the Katana back into safety, Snake extended a hand to him.
The krogan pushed it away and stood on his own, "But If I find you unworthy, Big Boss… I will kill you." He said.
Snake gave Grunt one more stare before he turned to leave. His hand touched the back of his head carefully and he grimaced when his fingers brushed against the tender spot of his bone weave.
"Big Boss."
He stopped as the krogan with opal eyes as he approached him.
"I… need a name, too."
"What do you want it to be?" Snake asked.
The krogan frowned, and looked into the hangar bay window, "I do not know."
Snake ran a hand over his beard in thought, following his gaze into the hangar. A knotted rope whizzed through the air to the far side of the bay, and the nameless dog chased after it with wild abandon. He saw a few of the crew down below, talking and laughing, watching the dog run and swing her knotted rope around.
He looked back at the krogan, "What does your voice?"
"Hm… My voice says… Voice."
He looked at Snake with a nod, "Voice. It is a thing that I hear inside. Tells me what to think, what to do, what to say. Good name, yes?"
Snake nodded, "Good name."
Voice smiled a toothy grin before pointing down through the hangar to a small section of the bay, "I have set up quarters in the hangar. I will be there now. My voice says two krogan in one room is bad for the Ishmael."
Snake gave into the tug at the corner of his lip.
The krogan said, "Your next battle, I will follow."
Snake gestured to his injured shoulder, and he responded with a pounding fist against his chest.
"I am battle ready. Take me with you." He said.
"Be ready to suit up when it's time."
Another evening passed by without incident. The Ishmael hummed as the central elevator opened for Snake to walk onto the CIC. The ship was still as time ticked late into the early hours, with the exception of a few crew members who operated the bridge.
He stretched his neck and lightly probed the sore spot of his cranium, finding it was healing fast. Kelly Chambers was nowhere to be found as he approached his terminal, and he checked through his messages, only seeing only the three new dossiers he had read twice already.
He decided that the asari Justicar would be their first recruit. Her file read that she was part of some monastic operatives, dedicated to pursuing justice over the galaxy. Her biotics were noted as extremely powerful, even for an asari, and she followed her code always, without question.
The assassin was noted as too hard to locate, and the Illusive Man would provide an update as soon as his location was verified. But they were both sighted on the planet Illium.
The third dossier caught his attention, as it mentioned, Tali Zorah, the quarian from his first mission. He was tempted to recruit her first since he knew her face, but she was deployed on a mission for her migrant fleet, and the Illusive Man mentioned withholding until her mission neared completion before recruiting her.
He inhaled deeply before shutting the terminal down, and looked across the bridge to see Joker still in the cockpit.
He was usually in his cot at this hour...
Snake passed through the bridge and glanced over the pilot's shoulder to see the vial of diamonds that Garrus left with him, fiddling carefully away with it.
With a purposeful scrape over the cold surface of the floor as he entered, Joker's head spun around and he tried to hide the diamonds before he realized who was behind him.
"Boss." The pilot turned back to the vial and continued to thumb it between his fingers.
Snake looked up into the viewing windows, at the passing stars and planets, the nearest; a red dwarf, millions of kilometers away. It shone through the tinted window like that of an atom bomb.
"No sleep?" He asked.
"Nope. It's a little hard when I have my diamonized dead commander sitting in a vial in my pocket."
"Joker—"
"I already had this talk with Garrus, Big Boss. I don't need to hear it."
"…How close were you?" Snake asked after a brief silence.
Joker sighed, "Close. Too close."
"She died saving you?"
Joker spun the chair, his face contorted in anger. "Yeah. If she had just stopped giving a damn about me for one second, she'd still be here! She'd be here, and you'd still be iced over hundreds of feet in the ground. It's my fault she… It was my fault that she—!"
He glared down the tunnel to the CIC, before twisting around in his chair to face the pilot controls.
"Just drop it, please? You just don't understand, Boss."
Snake did not say anything. He understood. More than most, he knew Joker's pain. He believed Shepard dead because of him, and there was no other reality. There would be no easy way to convince him otherwise, it would take time to nurture his resolve into something more than guilt. That there was a brighter path to walk down.
"Let me know when we reach Illium." Big Boss said, and turned back to the CIC.
When he blinked. the floor down the corridor was a river of blood and bodies, rotted and frozen with terror at their demise. A red light blinked at the end of the tunnel, and he heard the snarls and growls of dogs at the end of it, waiting for him to come home.
He blinked again and they were gone. In that suddenness, there were no dogs, there was no blood, nor were there bodies. He saw only the hall that connected the cockpit to the bridge.
With a clenched fist, he exhaled only after a brief second, and moved through the deck to the elevator.
He descended down to the crew deck and into the Mess Hall, where it was just as void of life as the bridge. The only two occupants were the Japanese chef who was beginning the morning task of breakfast for the crew, and Miranda who sat with a steaming tea in her hands.
She glanced up at his arrival, "Boss, what are you doing up?" She asked.
He joined her at her spot at the counter, and poured himself a coffee from the dispenser into a free mug. It smelled revitalizing—bitter and sweet all at once.
"Can't sleep."
She sipped her tea, "Same here. I haven't been to Illium in quite some time."
"Anything I should know?"
"Don't sign anything you or several lawyers haven't read over and revised a hundred times, or you could end up sitting on display in a museum somewhere." Miranda joked over her mug.
Snake snickered and drank his coffee. There was a comfortable quiet. He found himself relaxing around the woman more often than he was used to. Years past, he could count on one hand, the people who he let his guard down around after Diamond Dogs. He was becoming familiar with the crew of this ship— and of this time. From Garrus to Jack. From Hadley to Goldstein, they were reminding him more and more of a time he had long since missed.
He turned his head to look at the woman, and saw a momentary frown on her face. He raised a brow at her when she saw him looking.
She shook her head, "It's nothing. It's… not important." She offered him a reassuring smile.
The chef slid two trays forward, full of breakfast foods. "Eat, Boss. Dr. Michel's orders."
The smell from the food was enamouring and he could not stop himself from diving in.
He and Miranda ate quietly before she spoke between bites. "Why did you want to join the Ishmael, Junji?"
The chef diced more vegetables, and splashed them into a frying pan filled with simmering eggs and mixed them in, "My shop on Citadel running out of business, ever since that high end sushi joint; Ryuusei, opened in the upper wards. I served as chef in Alliance long time ago. Quick money to be made on combat frigate." He jostled the pan, and the contents tossed into itself, mixing with a soft hiss.
"Who's watching your store now if you're here then?" She asked.
"Nephew. Better chef than I, but has no backbone. Tried to convince him to join Alliance, but he's too content in my store. Won't push himself. It won't be around forever. I won't be around forever."
Snake eyed the chef curiously.
Junji said, "I have mid-stage neurodegeneration disease, ALS. Runs in family. Usually skips generation, so nephew should be fine. But I will die. Year from now, or longer. But... want him to do something worthwhile."
"No cure?" Snake asked. He was familiar with ALS, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. He knew it was incurable in his time, and they had only made snail paces in curing it in that age. But at mid-stage, Junji did not appear as if he were sick. If anything, he assumed him to be a healthy middle aged man.
The chef shook his head, dumping the fried eggs into a tray behind him, and placing a lid over it. "No."
He looked to Miranda, and she shook her head. "Neurodegenerative diseases are still difficult to develop cures for, and incredibly expensive. The most our sciences have come up with is delaying the onset of symptoms for a long while, years even."
"… But you can bring the dead back to life." He retorted confusingly.
"Yes, but at the Illusive Man's astronomical cost. To replicate the Lazarus Project a second time, I don't think even the Illusive Man has those finances."
Junji spoke up again, rinsing his frying pan clean before beginning the process again. "It is okay, Big Boss. I will die knowing that I am on this ship, saving the galaxy, by making sure you are well fed and fit to carry us there."
Snake frowned, but he understood. He resumed eating until the tray was void of food.
Another day passed, and he was finally cleared for duty.
Illium was a bustling, monstrous metropolis. In comparison to the Citadel, it possessed natural beauty, but was very dryly hot. To Venom Snake, it felt like the Arabian deserts, and if not for his power suit, he would be sweltering.
He, Jack, and Zaeed exited the loading terminal and out into the winding balcony. He could not see the ground below, just swirls of white in the wind. Buildings and wild life mingled in the air and offered the scent of morning dew. A city in the clouds.
Zaeed spat over the edge, "Illium. Haven't been here in months. There's some asari matriarch out here worth a lot of money to someone back on Omega." He scanned the lively faces that scooted to-and-fro, and offered a mean glare to those that looked back at him.
"Maybe when we find our Justicar, we'll find your Matriarch and actually get paid for this gig." Jack said, wiping away the sweat that was forming over her brow.
Zaeed laughed. "You aren't getting paid?"
"What, you are?"
"A whole shitload." The veteran replied with a snarky chuckle.
Jack crossed her arms and shot Big Boss a scowl, "We need to talk about something when we get back, Snake." She said.
An audible growl echoed from behind. Snake turned to see Grunt and Voice approaching behind. "I said, go away! I don't give a damn about your stupid voice!" Grunt shouted, and shoved the more bluish krogan away from him.
"I only said—" Voice spoke, and grabbed Grunt's shoulder.
Grunt spun around and hammered his head into Voice's, knocking the taller krogan to the ground with a huff, "Shut up. Weak blood."
Snake was beginning to believe Garrus when he said bringing both krogan along was a bad idea. He stepped to Voice and offered a hand to him and hoisted him up.
"He will not listen, Big Boss. Was only telling him armor coupling was loose. Do not want Grunt to hurt himself."
Snake shook his head. "Just watch his back. It's all he needs."
The krogan huffed, but nodded and they returned to the group outside the terminal.
Snake tried to ignore the faces that passed by, but could not help himself from glancing at all their different shapes and sizes. It felt normal, and not strange that there were aliens, that he was becoming brothers-in-arms with species from other worlds.
He felt he would wake from this bizarre dream at any moment, but it all felt too real to be a dream. His body felt every pain and his mind experienced everything as it happened. It was all too real for him to be simply asleep or dead.
He conjured up his omni-tool, finding his way to the dossier that contained the Justicar's file.
"We need to find an Officer Dara." He announced to his team.
Zaeed scratched his chin, "Probably down at the precinct. Good place to start lookin'. I'll lead us there." He said.
Snake nodded and they trailed after the old veteran.
There were faces upon faces; more blue than any other.
He wondered if this was the asari home planet, given how many there were about.
Grunt glared at the aliens that glanced at him. "All these species are soft. Not one worthy of a fight. Why are we here?" He asked loudly.
"To find someone who can fight." Jack called over her shoulder.
"Here? Bah! We'll see." The krogan spat.
It was not long before they finally came to the precinct.
It bustled, and asari officers pushed and escorted shackled criminals in and about the complex.
Zaeed led them in and flagged down the receptionist, asking where officer Dara was.
"Cubicle down in the Annex." She pointed down the hall, "Watch out though, she's not in a good mood." She warned before returning to typing away at her omni-tool.
Snake led the large group down the way and found the asari they needed. She looked up at the group with tired eyes and a no-bullshit frown.
"Can I help you all with something?" She asked, annoyance oozed from her voice.
"Asari warrior. Goes by the name Samara." Zaeed answered.
Dara groaned and massaged her brow as she leaned back in her chair, "Ugh… Why? Do you have a problem, or... Did she kill somebody already?"
Snake shook his head. "We need her help."
The asari exhaled in relief, "Good. Samara's the first justicar I've seen on Illium. If I'm lucky, you'll take her far away from here." She pointed back out of the precinct, "She went to the commercial spaceport a few hours ago. If you want to get there, the pedestal on the balcony will summon a cab."
She frowned and leaned forward. "Just be polite when you meet her. Justicars embody our highest laws, and they usually stay in asari space. She's not used to dealing with aliens."
"Pft, is she really that dangerous?" Jack asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"If you follow the laws, you've got nothing to fear. And a justicar would die without hesitation to protect the innocent. But their code orders them to stop law breakers—with lethal force, in most cases. And everyone skirts the law somehow on Illium."
Big Boss nodded and gestured for the others to leave.
Officer Dara called after him, "Just don't do anything to conflict with her code; a Justicar killing a human is just a diplomatic incident waiting to happen."
They hailed a cab at the pedestal, and they were soon in the air, on the way to the spaceport.
Snake looked out the window, down into the swirling clouds, "Why is this city built so high?" He asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Ground is too hot for organics. Most people who end up down there, cook for a good 10 minutes before they're a crispy mess." Zaeed said before adding, "Most people who break their contracts, end up down there."
Snake nodded, wondering what the ground might look like before the cab landed at the space port.
As they exited, an asari officer stepped away from an alien of a species he was not familiar with, and eyed them up and down.
"Nice guns— try not to use them in my district." She said, looking between the two krogans and three humans, "Detective Anaya. Can I help you with anything?"
"We're looking for a Justicar, names Samara." Jack replied. Snake observed the surrounding area. Various people were scattered about, all of them more or less looked impatient and annoyed. One area was sealed by holographic security tape and two asari officers.
The detective groaned at the name, "If you've got a score to settle with Samara, take it somewhere else. I've got more than enough trouble here already."
"We're just lookin' for her help. Got a mission for her." Zaeed interceded.
Anaya raised a brow, "Justicars usually work alone, but they are drawn to impossible causes."
They definitely had that covered. Snake thought to himself.
"If you're getting her out of my district, I'll get you to her ASAP. She's at the crime scene, behind that security tape, take a left and you're there. I'll send word for them to let you through."
Snake nodded, gesturing for the others to follow him there.
As the detective said, the guards let the group past the line, and they turned left down the corridor.
"Keep an eye out, Boss. Eclipse mercs run this district." Zaeed warned.
"Arm up." Big Boss said, drawing his Mattock. The group followed suit and he tapped Zaeed's shoulder to take point. He led the team down the corridor and took the first left, where he could hear a woman's voice shouting orders.
"Get the rest of Bravo squad prepped! Alpha squad went after that justicar twenty minutes ago and they've gone dark!"
Grunt drew his Claymore with an eager growl, "Finally, something to kill!"
Voice drew his Vindicator. "Check your corners, brother. Do not—"
"I know, weak blood!" Grunt muttered.
Jack drew her Katana and snickered at the bickering krogan. "Can it kids, we don't want to ruin the surprise."
The team stacked on the door, and Venom Snake gestured for Zaeed to open it.
It opened to reveal another corridor, where a long hall broke right and several asari stood agitated, until they saw the charging Grunt heading straight for them.
"Contact!" One of them shouted, lifting a heavy crate with her biotics and launched it at the krogan.
Grunt let out a violent roar, knocking the flying crate away with his shoulder before slamming a fist into the nearest asari's face with a sickening crack.
Snake and Zaeed fired their rifles into the distracted shock-troopers, while Jack used her own biotics to hurl a canister into the fray. Voice fired his Vindicator into the stumbling mercenaries, knocking down shields and clearing the way for the other rampaging krogan.
The skirmish was over before it even began. Grunt fired his Claymore point blank into the face of the asari woman on the ground and he let out an excited howl.
Zaeed smirked at the antic and gestured to Snake that the way was clear.
"On me." Snake said, loading his Mattock with a fresh thermal clip. The team stacked on the police lined holo-tape before entering in with Snake first.
Just as they entered, a screaming asari slammed into the wall beside them and Snake lifted his weapon, aiming at the source of the thrown body, only to see another asari mercenary fly through the air and hit the ground with a crushing thud.
A third asari, descended from the catwalk above in an elegant jump, her biotics glowed around her red armor, sweeping through the air with blue tendrils. She walked toward the injured Eclipse soldier with a stare that could cut through mountains.
The dossier said the Justicar was an asari, adorned in red armor. Snake lifted his hand for his team to disengage, lowering his rifle first.
The interrogation ended when the snapped neck of the asari on the ground. The red armour adorned asari turned to face Big Boss. Her eyes were silver, pale and beautiful. Her gaze was harsh and unclouded; she stared into the depth of his psyche it felt like.
"My name is Samara; a servant of the Justicar Code." She said as she sauntered to the group with careful, precise steps. "My quarrel is with these Eclipse sisters, but I see five well-armed people before me."
"Are we friend, or foe?" She stopped inches from Big Boss, she stood near eye level with him.
Snake switched his gaze between either of her piercing eyes. "Friend." He replied gruffly.
"Then how may I be of service to you?" She asked, taking a step back, and folding her hands together behind her back.
"We're goin' up against the Collectors on a goddamn suicide mission. We need a beautiful asari killer with us."Zaeed said, resting his rifle on his shoulder.
Samara looked at him with a straight face, before looking back at Big Boss, as if to verify what the bounty hunter said.
Snake nodded.
"It humbles me that you would seek me out. But I seek an incredibly dangerous fugitive. I cornered her here, but the Eclipse sisters smuggled her off-world. I must find the name of the ship she left on before the trail goes cold." The justicar said, looking over at the dead asari behind her.
The bulkhead opened behind the group, and Detective Anaya stepped through with a disappointed expression.
"I wish you were willing to go with the human, Justicar. I've been ordered to take you into custody if you won't leave." She announced sourly.
Samara stepped to her, her own expression unchanging, "You risk a great deal by following your orders, Detective. Fortunately, I will not have to resist. My code obligates me to cooperate with you for one day. After that, I must return to my investigation."
Anaya's face slipped into a frown, "I won't be able to release you that soon." She said regretfully.
Samara's voice was cold as she spoke next, "You won't be able to stop me."
The air was hot around them, and Snake looked between the much older, and much younger asari that eyed each other.
"A'right, easy. No need for you ladies to get your tentacles in a bunch. There's gotta be a way around this shit." Zaeed lifted a hand and stepped between the two.
Samara looked from the old soldier, to Snake, and nodded. "I see a way. While I am in custody, you find the name of that ship. Do that, and I will join you. Then, the Code will be satisfied."
There was an irritated growl in Snake's throat; they had more important tasks at hand… but, they needed to recruit this woman.
"Leads?" He asked.
The stone faced asari slipped her hands behind her once more, "There is a volus merchant, Pitne For, tied to this. Eclipse mercs are preparing to kill him. Get the truth out of him. He may know a way into the Eclipse base."
"He's back at the station, trying to jump ship, but we haven't let him." Detective Anaya informed.
Big Boss nodded, and gestured for the others to head back the way they came.
Samara turned to him as he went to pass by, "And your name?" She asked, stopping him short of the door.
"Big Boss." He offered.
She bowed her head deeply, "Thank you, Big Boss."
The group found their way back to the station, and they saw the stout volus that paced nervously.
"That's our guy, Snake." Jack said, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning on one leg.
Snake walked over with Zaeed and Voice in tow, leaving Grunt and Jack to cover the area.
The volus looked up at Venom Snake, looking between the new arrivals, "Greetings Earth-clan. Do you need something?" He asked.
Zaeed stepped up, "Eclipse mercs are after you. Why?" His voice cut the air with ferociousness.
The volus swallowed, and breathed. "I know nothing about mercenaries, Earth-clan. I'm merely an innocent merchant, trying to make his way in life."
"Speak." Snake said, crossing his arms.
Pitne For paused. He stepped cautiously on the tarmac before nodding and breathing deep, "…Your're right, Earth-clan—I'm desperate. I've got angry mercs after me, and now this asari Justicar." He looked about suspiciously before he stepped closer to the group.
Breath. "I smuggled a chemical onto Illium that boosts biotic powers in combat. It's also toxic. I may have… uh, forgotten to mention that to the Eclipse." Breath. "So they are perturbed and want to kill me." The volus said.
"How do we get in their base?" Zaeed asked.
Pitne For took a breath. "I have a pass card they issued me to bring my goods in. Well…" Breath. "I had to return that one, but I made a copy." He reached into one of his pockets and handed it to Big Boss. "Be careful… each Eclipse sister commits a murder to earn her uniform. They're all dangerous." He said and opened his omni-tool.
Snake's own omni-tool glowed with a notification; a map to the Eclipse base. He turned to the group, and gestured for Jack and Grunt to join them.
"We can take a cab near the location, Boss. C'mon." Zaeed said, leading them to the platform.
"All this damn work for some… asari. Why don't we just take her with us by force?" Grunt groaned, following behind.
"'Cause she'd rip you apart at the molecular level, kid." Jack voiced, jumping into a seat and reclining back.
"Hah! I'd like to see her try." The krogan shouted and joined the others in the cab.
The ride was short, and the group piled out into the street, outside the bulkhead that would lead them into the Eclipse base.
"Stack up on the door, we'll breach and clear." Snake said, motioning them to move out, "On me."
With a quick countdown, the group pushed through the bulkhead, and cleared the entrance hall. Not a soul was in the room, and they pressed on into another hall. Resistance through out the building was left to short skirmishes.
In the next area, a lone asari stood, a scared look on her face, "Wait! Stop! I didn't kill anyone! I pretended to because the other Eclipse sisters were watching, b-but I didn't really shoot!"
Snake raised a hand, and gestured for the others to lower their weapons.
Grunt was the only one who did not, who in turn laughed in response to the frightened woman. "Yeah, keep pretending to breathe."
The asari shook her head, "I'm not one of them! I'm new! I thought being Elnora the Mercenary would be cool! But… I didn't know what they were really like!"
"We're looking for a ship; Eclipse smuggled someone off-world." Zaeed voiced.
"You'll… probably want a shipping manifest then, they're in the warehouse." Elnora offered. She pointed to a sign on the wall, "Follow the signs and it should lead you there."
Snake nodded and gestured for the others to move on. He shot the woman a glare before he moved his head in the opposite direction of the team. She took the hint and dashed out the door they came.
It was not long before they reached an open catwalk connecting the base and a warehouse. Crossing over, they entered the warehouse, and pushed through to another hallway where a staggering volus stood in the center.
He turned to face the group, and they lowered their weapons. He lifted his head at them, and gripped a hand in front of him, "I… am a biotic god!" He shouted, his suit glowed with the familiar blue aura that biotics were comprised of. "I think things, and they happen!" He pointed at the towering group.
Voice looked from Big Boss, to Grunt. "Is he truly a biotic god?" He asked, curiously.
"Yeah, and I'm part hanar." Jack retorted, placing a hand on her hip, unamused.
"Fear me, lesser creatures! For I am biotics made flesh!" The volus stumbled, but quickly caught his feet, "Yes…" Breath."The asari injecting so many drugs into me was terrifying. But, then I began to smell my greatness!"
He turned to the door leading into the ship yard. Breath, "They may laugh when I fall over, but… they don't know what I know in my head!" He swept his arm at the door, pushing it with his biotics. "That I know that I am amazingly powerful!" He turned back to the group. Breath, "Fear me!"
"What's waiting for us in the next room, biotic bastard?" Zaeed asked.
The volus faced the door angrily. Breath, "Wasea! I shall toss her around like a rag doll! I will tear her apart!" He looked up at Snake. Breath, "My biotics are unstoppable!"
"She'll tear you apart. Take a nap before you get yourself iced." Jack said, stepping past the volus and purposefully bumping him with her leg.
Breath, "Are you mad? I'm unstoppable!" He faced Jack as she began to unlock the door, "Feasting on her biotic-rich blood will be the last step of my ascension to godhood!"
"Enough of this." Grunt grumbled angrily and shoved the volus as he stomped past, sending him stumbling into the nearest wall.
Zaeed followed, leaving Big Boss and Voice with the fallen biotic god.
Voice bent down and pulled the volus to his feet. "Are you alright, little god?" He asked.
Breath, "But… great wind! B…Biotic god!" Breath, "I'm… I… what was I saying?" The volus gripped his head, and pushed himself to his feet, "I'm… tired."
Snake gestured behind him, "Take a nap." He suggested and turned to the door.
"Yes..." Breath, "I'll nap. Destroy the universe… later." He left the group as they began to stack on the door.
"No telling how many are on the other side, Snake." Jack said, ejecting her thermal clip and replacing it with another.
"Move quick, find cover." Snake said as he moved into position, taking point on the door. He gestured for Zaeed to hit the button.
The veteran punched the button and its holo-interface shone from red to green. The group pushed into the warehouse; containers and freighters covered the open chamber.
To the far side, a violet asari in lavender armor stood, her back to the group with a tablet in her hand. She turned and eyed the group that wandered in, angrily.
"Everything's gone to shit ever since we smuggled that filthy creature off-world. First a justicar shows up, and now you." She dropped the tablet on the workbench and walked around it with patient steps. Her face was stoic, though the tone in her voice betrayed her rage.
"At least I can take pleasure in turning your heads—" Her body began to glow blue, her biotic energy rippled as she lifted a hand, and a container lifted off the ground with it, "Into a pulpy mass!" She shouted and swung her arm, sending the container hurtling through the air at the group.
Snake made to dive to the side, but a shockwave of biotic energy struck the container mid air and knocked it to the side. He looked to his right, and Jack offered a quick nod before turning her attention to the fury-eyed asari across the way.
Several other Eclipse Sisters revealed themselves, pushing into the warehouse and hiding behind containers and freighters alike, stepping between Big Boss and Captain Wasea.
Grunt and Voice charged in, a battle cry escaped Grunt's throat and he launched a container at the nearest asari with a swing of his shoulder. It shattered against the shipping freighter, dousing the area in a cloud of red.
"Goddamn red sand!" Zaeed shouted as he fired his Vindicator into one Eclipse sister, "Don't breathe that shit in, Boss!"
A hundred rounds of metal jetted through the air, striking crate and freight alike and Captain Wasea
The Eclipse numbers diminished, the fury that was Captain Wasea spiked with each sister that hit the floor. She erupted with biotic energy as she reached both arms behind her, and began to pull a container that stretched to nearly the corners of the warehouse. Her shields rippled as Snake fired his Mattock at her.
"Just DIE!" She screamed, and fired the container at Big Boss. Jack jumped in front him and shot her hands forward. The container halted and she and the asari across the way let out angered growls as they pushed their biotics against back.
Jack pushed harder, seething through her teeth, her biotic glow grew and grew around her, pulsating the air in blue heat.
Wasea screamed viciously and pushed as hard as possible into the container.
but Jack pushed harder, and in a snap, the container launched forward, crashing into the asari in a cloud of red smoke and debris.
The battle was over, and Snakes team stood the victors in the scarred warehouse.
"Well, shit. What now?" Jack asked, taking a knee.
Snake looked around, and saw the command terminal, "Find any clue to the ship." He gestured to the terminal.
Zaeed sheathed his weapon and stomped over to the computer, summoning his omni-tool, while Jack looked through the mangled mess of blood and metal where Wasea had been, before pulling a tablet with a cracked screen from the wreckage.
"Here, Snake. Says a woman, asari, was smuggled off planet on a ship called the AML Demeter." She said, tossing the tablet to him.
He caught it with his bionic hand and looked it over, reading the text from the deceased Wasea.
He slipped the tablet into his storage compartment and signaled for the team to stack on the exit. "Let's move." He said, leading the way.
They soon found their way back to the police station, where the justicar Samara sat on the floor, her eyes glowing embers of white light, behind detective Anaya.
Anaya looked at Snake with a hopeful glance and said, "If you have something that'll encourage the justicar to leave, show it to her."
Snake nodded, and turned to the seated woman of blue, "AML Demeter. The ship your fugitive escaped on. Two days ago." He said.
The woman's eyes flicked from their glowing hue, to that of her piercing grey, "Big Boss, you impress me. You've fulfilled your part of the bargain, and I will fulfill mine." She stood from her seated position, and offered the seated detective a bow of her head.
"I am ready to leave immediately, if that will satisfy your superiors, detective?"
Detective Anaya leaned back in her seat and exhaled in relief, "You're free to go, Justicar. It's been an honor having you in my station." She paused before smirking, "And it's nice you didn't kill me, too."
In what might have been a smile a long, long time ago, Samara bowed, before she turned her gaze to Snake. "I must be sworn to your service, so that I am never forced to choose between your orders and the Code."
Snake nodded, and she dipped low, settling down on one knee. "By the Code, I will serve you, Big Boss. Your choices are my choices, your morals, are my morals. Your wishes are my code." And as if to seal the oath, her biotics glowed brightly, brightening the small department.
They faded after a short moment, and she stood once more, her eyes back to normal. "If you make me do anything extremely dishonorable, I may need to kill you when I am released from my oath." She informed passively.
Jack crossed her arms and clicked her tongue, "Ugh… asari bullshit." She said.
Grunt seemed to agree as he pushed past Voice. "Going back to the ship." He grunted over his shoulder.
"Same here. See you on the ship, Snake." Jack followed after him.
Snake stepped forward and offered a hand, "Welcome aboard."
Samara stared at it for a short second, as if unknown how to respond, before taking it with her own and said, "I will fight by your side, Big Boss. Kill your enemies, and protect your friends."
Zaeed stepped forward, "Let's get out of this cop shop then, huh?"
Samara nodded, "I will retrieve my affects and meet you aboard your ship, Big Boss. Excuse me." She bowed to the group and Anaya and left the building.
Zaeed stood beside Big Boss, his hands on his hip as he tilted his head, watching her leave. "That's a damn fine lookin' woman, eh Boss?" He asked, nodding his head approvingly.
Snake turned his head away, but was having a difficult time disagreeing.
"You're still standing at my desk, boys." Anaya announced, annoyed.
Sorry for the wait guys! I really didn't wanna write this chapter because I think Samara is boring as hell lol. I think I went through about several drafts before I left this for like...six months, and only recently found the strength to get it out of the way so I can get on with the parts I really-reallywanna write! Thanks for sticking around! You can expect the next chapter waaaay sooner than how long it took this one to come out. And check out BrightestDarkness' fic, Metal Gear Zero! Let's blow this odd crossover up! AThousandSuns