Oh god. It's all over I realized as the storm of bullets came our way. As we had failed. Saren reached the Chamber first.
Game over man. GAME OVER-
"Friendly Fire! Friendly Fire!" someone suddenly shouted as soon as we dived for cover, causing the incoming rounds ricocheting off the crates to quickly cease. Probably a good thing too, what with all the explosives currently resting inside them and what not.
"Lamont?!" Chellick quickly called out from behind his column.
"Decian? That you?" the voice immediately responded.
And after cautiously leaning out of cover, Chellick let out a sigh, realizing that it was not Geth, but in fact, a team of C-Sec officers that had been responsible for the recent barrage. It wasn't too hard to see why C-Sec was currently getting their asses kicked if this was common practice for them. But I digress. The officer who had responded to the detective's voice, and the first officer I saw upon rising, was the one Chellick had referred to as Lamont. A Turian that stood a foot above the rest of his squad, tangerine tattoos embellishing most of his cobalt visage, alien's icy blue eyes currently directing a steely gaze at Chellick.
"You're lucky you're such a terrible shot," my detective started before Lamont could speak, already approaching the other C-Sec officer. "You could have hit someone just now."
"Apologies," the other Turian admitted before quickly retorting, "But then again, maybe you shouldn't sneak up on armed units in the middle of a war zone. Especially if you're not partial to getting shot at."
"I would have let you known I was coming if comms weren't still down."
"Hmph, right. Did HQ give you an ETA on when they'd be back up?"
"No. I left the Academy before we got any word." Then Chellick did a quick look over of the small squad currently present, all five of them, with each officer looking as tense and high-strung as an unappreciated house wife orchestrating a three-year old's birthday party with their husband nowhere to be seen, and thusly remarked, "...is this it? Where's the rest of Tower Guard?"
"Don't know. When the reports came in, we decided to head straight for the Tower and reinforce their position. But when we got here, we found no one home."
"Interesting," a voice suddenly purred over us.
And before the officers could even react, the person had already leaped off the balcony above us, their body basked in a violet light, soaring through the air as they vaulted over the entire gathering present, eventually coming to a graceful landing just inches away from Lamont's face, performing a fancy flourish to finish it all off. And I was so taken aback by the show I had to clap in response.
"Thank you, thank you," the Asari whose face was covered in snow-white markings mused, already curtsying toward me. "I do appreciate a good audience."
Now, while I was impressed by the display, don't think I didn't fail to notice that bright blue armor set she was wearing. Nor the fact that it looked eerily similar to the crimson one Shepard often wore. Anyway, in contrast to me, the grizzled Turian officer Lamont did not seem too amused by said performance.
"Who the hell gave you permission to come here?! Civilians need to-"
"Permission?" the Asari immediately laughed. "I don't think so. Nona B'Sayle, Special Tactics and Recon. And I'm officially taking charge over this little tea party."
"Over my dead body. What's a Spectre doing here?"
"Uh, the same as anyone right now? Defending the Citadel?"
"Bullshit. Then why aren't you in the Presidium where all those synth bastards are?" Lamont continued.
"Why aren't you?" she replied caustically.
"I'm the one asking the questions here!"
"Yes, and for no good reason," Chellick immediately interjected. "Why would she be lying about being a Spectre Lamont?"
"Yeah, do you not see the badge dullstone?" 'Nona' replied, tapping the insignia on her shoulder plate. "How stupid are you-"
"And that's the point! You know Saren was a Spectre too Chellick! If he has some of his coworkers helping him-"
"You think I'm working with that traitor?" the Asari scoffed, white tattoos creasing along her brow.
"How else do you think he got access to the Citadel if he didn't have someone already on the inside?!"
"Someone's application to the Spectres got rejected I see-"
"Shut your mouth! If you want to help, go back to-"
BLAM BLAM BLAM.
The abrupt sound of gunshots in the chamber immediately caused the entire group to whip around, weapons out, each and every member determined to kill the perpetrator responsible without hesitation. Or they had been, before they realized the shots had all come from the unassuming Human standing alone in a corner.
"What the hell-"
"Shut up," I immediately replied while kicking off a crate lid like a badass. "There aren't any traitors; Saren got here through the Relay Monument. But I really don't have time to explain all that shit right now. So just grab a gun," I finished, tossing the first one I picked toward the officer closest to me. And despite being surprised, he still caught it, bewilderment at the weapon's amazing specs clearly evident on his face.
"Relay? What...who the hell are you?!" Lamont shouted, now noticing me for the first time.
And with the spotlight finally front and center, shining down on this scene's true protagonist, I couldn't resist from hamming it up. Because it was finally my time to shine baby.
"The name's Shield. Marauder Shield. The Galaxy's Most Well-Informed Expert on Galactic Conspiracies, a Fighter of Fate, and An All-Around Professional Bad Ass. And while I'd love to hear you pointlessly stammer some more, Saren's currently sauntering his scaly self up here with an army of synthetics, so we really don't have the time for it."
"Shield huh? I like your style," Nona replied with a smirk.
"What the hell is this jack ass doing here?" Lamont now directed toward Chellick.
"He's with me," Chellick remarked, already returning to my side, preparing to open the other crate. "And as ludicrous as it sounds, I can confirm his intel. He was sent here by Commander Shepard in fact. Part of the team specifically tasked with investigating Saren and his motives."
"You still didn't answer my question Chellick-"
"I'm here because the Citadel Tower is Saren's main objective," I cut in.
"And how the hell do you know that?!" Lamont snapped.
"I know a lot of things I probably shouldn't," I coyly replied. "Let's just say I have it on good authority-"
"Then it was him," the Asari Spectre spoke up next, beginning to chuckle while shaking her head.
"What was him?" Lamont immediately retorted, obviously growing irate with all the new developments currently flying his way.
The Asari placed a teal hand against her chest for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing. "...shortly before the relays went out, someone released a broadcast over the Tower Emergency Network. Said the Council was being evacuated, and the Guard should join them en route to the Destiny Ascension. That their duties of the Tower Guard would be transferring to Special Response, and to immediately clear their posts."
As she spoke, said Special Responders of Lamont's team had already begun to rifle through and nab some of the equipment Chellick and I had brought in. And then one of them suddenly popped their head up, obviously confused.
"...uh, Special Response definitely didn't get that memo before comms went silent...did we LT?"
"No, we just came here on a hunch," Lamont replied grimly.
"The same for me," Nona announced with a smarmy smile. "Thought the order seemed a little off. Really no reason for control to even order such a thing. And after looking into it, I found that someone with Spectre authorization was responsible for the order. A dead Spectre's authorization."
"Who...Nihlus?"
"You knew him?" the Asari lazily asked.
"...I saw his body on Eden Prime."
"Well...apparently Saren took his code keys along with his life."
"Dammit. Then it looks like he was intent on making his invasion as smooth as possible. I'd admire the bastard's plan if it wasn't just to kill us all," Chellick muttered in response, hefting his assault rifle up towards the ceiling. "Still can't believe Tower Guard followed the order regardless."
"The Guard is filled with idiots who didn't have what it takes to make Special Response. I'm not surprised," one of the C-Sec officers present said.
"Well, like I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I'll be taking charge from here on out," Nona began speaking again. "You all need to-"
"Hah, you wish! Spectres work alone if I recall correctly, so I imagine you wouldn't recognize team work if it shot your blue ass," Lamont immediately spat. "You'd have us all be cannon fodder for you if it meant you'd have the glory of getting the last shot on Saren-"
"You should be so lucky to take a bullet for me," the Spectre snapped back.
The Turian only snorted. "My team and I are actually trained for this exact scenario-"
"Really," she scoffed. "This exact scenario."
"That's right," the Turian Lieutenant replied adamant. "So we'll be taking care of this situation. You can do whatever you want on the sidelines while the real lawmen of Citadel Space-"
BLAM.
Another gunshot deafened whatever words were coming from his mouth next, and both parties again turned toward the one responsible for the action.
Which was again...me.
"Actually, I'll be taking charge here since you two are incapable of acting like mature adults, and because neither of you have any idea of the equipment we even have to pull this whole thing off."
"Ha. Like hell you will," Lamont immediately snapped.
"You know what, I don't have anything to prove," the Asari Spectre sneered. "Fine by me."
"Well it's certainly not with me," the Turian barked back.
"I can vouch for Shield's capabilities Lamont. He was already planning a defense for the station before the Geth even set foot here," Chellick quickly backed me up.
"I don't care Chellick! I won't have my team die because they followed the inane orders of some inexperienced Alliance marine-"
I now stepped forward, taking in a deep breath as I did, reassuring myself once again that I was up to the task. Because I was. And I had already racked my brains while they bickered, had already chosen how I would persuade them if they didn't agree. And after consulting my vast encyclopedia of viable tactics, I knew that there was truly only one option to take. A riveting speech from the upper-left most choice of the dialog wheel. For when in doubt, just ask WWSD.
What would Shepard Do?
...Paragon Shep that is.
"Look, I won't lie to you crew, this mission isn't going to be easy. Saren is coming, and that bastard is bringing an army with him. And I'll be DAMNED sure I won't just sit here watching you bicker until they're walking over all our corpses! We have to put aside our differences and work together here! Because we'll being doing this not just for our own sake, but for the sake of every other species in Citadel Space! Saren must be stopped. It has to end here!" I finished, thrusting a finger at the floor beneath us.
Damn was I good.
Several of the officers immediately turned toward their Lieutenant after the performance, awaiting his final say. The Turian eyed me, a Turian grimace clear on his Turian face. But we really didn't have time to waste on this sort of pomp and circumstance. Saren would be here any minute...and fortunately the Lieutenant knew this too.
"...then what do you have for us, Human?" Lamont begrudgingly asked.
I only grinned in response.
"There's Mark 14's in the crate right there. And we have enough of them to mine every entryway in this bitch before Saren and his Geth show. The stairwell to the main elevator should be our main priority though. Guarantee you that's where Saren will be making his entrance."
"Mark 14's?"
"Standard Alliance Ordinance," Chellick answered in my stead. "I'm familiar with the model. I'll help your officers get acquainted with them."
Lamont immediately motioned to two members of his team. "Myena, Talus, get on it. Guns out in case they come up early."
"You got it LT!" a blue babe replied, a couple mines already in hand.
"I'll help them set up," Chellick remarked next, placing a claw on my shoulder.
"Hey...thanks for having my back," I quickly whispered to him.
He only gave me a curt nod back. "I really do hope you have something in mind."
And I smiled as wide as I could in response. He didn't need to know the answer to that.
"Is that it?" Lamont questioned while crossing his arms.
And the flanged voice returned my attention back to the matter at hand.
"Not even remotely. And do your men have training with those?" I quickly asked next, pointing to the two weapons being removed by another, rather giddy, Turian.
Because while I'd love to fire one myself, I could guarantee you I had no idea how that shit even reloaded, let alone fired. Would firing a military grade rocket launcher really be as simple as pushing a single button? I don't think so. Sooo, it would be up to C-Sec's version of the SWAT to manage that front.
"Are those ML-77's? Yes, we can manage. Kiron, Faris, they're yours."
"Alright! You heard him Saddick! Hand them over!"
"Damn," the C-Sec officer currently holding both frowned.
The two other Turians of the team quickly took the rocket launchers off Saddick's hands, upon which I then directed their attention towards the peak of the room. "The top of the Council Chamber would be a good place for you two to take point-"
"I was going to station them on the balconies. They'll have a better line of sight over the entire chamber room from there."
"Huh? Oh, yeah that's...that's better. Balcony. Okay. Yeah. And don't forget to bring some extra guns up there, alright? I don't know how many shots those 77's have."
One of the officers waved me off, slinging their newly obtained missile launcher across their back, a rifle already in their other hand as they headed for the stairwell leading up.
"You got a lot of toys," Nona quipped in our circle that was growing ever smaller. "Where'd you get 'em all? We aren't becoming accessories to weapon smuggling now are we?"
"No time to waste," I mouthed, glancing at the two Special Responders already laying mines at the other side of the room, Chellick instructing them how. We really did need to work fast. "...who's the best person for overwatch here Lieutenant? I got a fancy sniper rifle and I'm not exactly trained to use it-"
"You're looking at him," Lamont replied, already extending a claw to accept the Armax Punisher Rifle I was holding out. And his mandibles slightly twitched as his eyes ran over the gun. "Hm...polychrome thermal scope. High velocity barrel. Ultralight stock, a...Figor Flash mod? This is very nice-"
"Thank you."
"-and highly illegal."
"Oh...well then I'm gonna need that back after we're done."
"I'll think about it-"
"Set up on the Petitioner's Stage since those two are already headed for the balcony," the Asari Spectre opined.
"I was already planning to," he snapped at her before I decided to cut back in.
"Now, I'm just curious but...do you also happen to have any 'tech' guys on your team Lieutenant?"
"That would be me," the last remaining C-Sec officer at my side voiced.
"Oh! Alright, awesome. Good-"
"Were you going to have him try and access master control?"
"Master control?" I couldn't help but ask, curiosity getting the better of me.
"Supposedly, there's a console somewhere in the Tower that would give us control over the chamber's defenses," Lamont immediately explained. "Lock down the doorways, shut down the elevators, activate drones, things like that-"
"We could even lock down the Citadel itself if we had the authorization," Nona added.
Huh. So this was the thing Saren accessed when you confronted him here then? The console currently like...several yards away from us, up these steps right here? If so-
"While tempting, I don't want to waste time if you don't know where it is or how it works. The Geth can scale the tower without the elevator, I don't want Saren knowing where it is when he arrives, and I don't want to lock anyone out that could reinforce our position-"
"I can assure you that no one else will be joining us," Nona chuckled. "You're lucky anyone's even here at all-"
"I can assure you that someone is," I immediately bit back. Shepard and the rest were coming, I would bet my life on it-
"Then what did you need me for if not that?" Saddick asked, still idle.
And I shook the salt off, as I had a job to do, and turned my head to the Turian tech. "Comms. Is there any way we can restore comms? Call for reinforcements? Help organize some kind of resistance, get people up here to help defend this place-"
"The techs are already trying to get that done down on the ring," Lamont quickly asserted. "There's nothing my officer here can do that they haven't...no...wait-"
"Just remembered the Redline did you?" Nona reckoned with a smirk as the Turian's mandibles slacked.
"That's it! If the Tower Guard was evacuating, they wouldn't have bothered to reactivate it after emergency power came on! That's why it hasn't been operational! If you could get that working, we might still be able to use it to contact them!"
"What is it?" I couldn't resist from asking again.
"A QEC that links the Citadel Tower directly to C-Sec HQ. There's no way the Geth could disrupt the carrier for it so-"
"What's a QEC?" our 'tech' immediately replied.
"Uhhhhhhh," I began to gutter before someone covered for me.
"I'll show you," Nona groaned before turning to us. "I'll take him down and double back before they arrive-"
"What do you mean down?" Lamont questioned next.
"The Redline's located at the nerve center of the Tower Guard," the Asari explained, "It's just several levels beneath us. There's a corridor right over there that can take us straight there."
"Here's the frequency for our local team radio," Lamont quickly spoke, waving his omni-tool. "Contact us when you get it done."
"Awesome," I replied first, seeing that my 'tool received the channel too. "Yeah, then get on that, and double back."
"Mhm. Right. Will do."
"What do you want me to say if I can get it back online?" Saddick quickly inquired as the Spectre already began jogging away.
"Citadel Tower under attack. Need reinforcements. Relay Monument is where Geth are emerging. Something along those lines," I clarified for him.
"Relay monument? What-"
"GO!" Lamont yelled, scaring the tech into getting his rear in gear, Turian scampering off after the Asari already headed downstairs.
"Myena and Talus are already planting the last of the mines," Chellick suddenly spoke behind me in a stern tone. "Is there anything else?"
"Uh-"
"What's your status Faris?" Lamont spoke into his 'tool next.
"-nothing more that I can think of Garrus. Oh shit. Chellick. Sorry."
The Turian detective only shook his head in response.
"We're still setting up LT!"
"I'll remember that Shield."
"Make it fast sergeant! We don't have time for you two to screw around up there-"
BOOM.
And it was at that very moment, as that last word left his lips, did an explosion suddenly rock the room, eliciting a scream from the Chamber entrance, as well as a magnificent display of the power held by a cluster of several, well-placed, military-grade explosives.
"MYENA!"
A swarm of hornets then whizzed by me, shields immediately flaring, causing me to drop to the floor, ripping my gun off its holster while doing so, ready to retaliate. It took all of a blink for me to realize that it wasn't my shields that were tanking however. It was the person next to me. A guttural gasp escaped the Turian Lieutenant after his shield quickly went down, several rounds already ripping through his armor. He then hit the ground hard, writhing in pain, as more Geth began swarming in to our right.
"The Lieutenant's down!" someone shouted over the frequency.
"Enemies everywhere!" another officer shouted louder from above, already firing a rocket on their position.
Adrenaline Rush.
Ignoring the ones just blown to smithereens, I instead turned my focus back to the main stairwell, where the mines had already been tripped, where several Geth were still pouring in, stepping over their fallen comrades without second thought, and where the two officers that had been originally laying the mines were still located.
I pulled the trigger as I ran forward, succeeding in taking out a Geth focusing fire on the one officer not downed by the recent explosion. And thankfully, that success gave the Turian ample opportunity to heave his out of commission Asari partner back behind cover. I then slammed myself behind a tree as a handful of the Geth's buddies began concentrating fire on me. The following explosion that shook the ground did little to help the situation.
"The Tech knows what to do! I'm already heading back!" someone screamed in my ear.
Then, before my very eyes, one of the walking Pixar lamps entering the room across from me, already aiming at me, was suddenly knocked off its feet, head snapping back as a round slammed into it with overwhelming force. I unconsciously turned around to see who was responsible, finding Chellick already ducking back behind the large boulder in front of him. But of course, I was an idiot for having done so. Because what kind of a dumbass takes their eyes off the enemy in the middle of a firefight?
The next thing I knew, my shields were being pelted by shaved metal, and I became frantic to use my rush again, whip around on my attackers, flip the script. But as I did, I found the Geth to have already stopped shooting, already downed by someone else from above, threat already ended. Rocket launchers OP I realized as a platform sailed across the room. Of course, the Geth knew this too. More missiles were shot in response. Not from our guys however, no, from the Geth rocket troopers standing behind the several just downed. My head recoiled as the explosions reverberated throughout the chamber, aftermath from the missiles shooting across the ceiling, shrapnel flying across the room, various trees and greenery in the Chamber immediately combusting into flame as the incendiaries rained down upon them.
I began firing upon the perpetrators' positions, downing two of the heavies before my gun hissed and ejected its clip. Which was bad. The only other though that really passed through my mind as the third then turned its sights on me, rocket level with my face, and-
Was quickly downed by someone above, right before Chellick slid up beside me.
"Shield, we have to fall back. Now!"
I nodded my head a little too violently and pushed off the ground, ready to follow the detective up the stairs to the next level. Or I had been before our shields suddenly evaporated around us, electricity crackling through the air, Geth overload having done its job. I then had a second to hit the floor with Chellick before incoming fire killed us both.
"Dammit!"
I immediately flipped myself over, haphazardly firing my pistol back at the robots while Chellick jumped back up, already in the process of firing his own.
"We have to-"
An abrupt grunt left his mouth as his words were cut off. At that moment, I again took my eyes off the enemy to look at Chellick. And I caught a glimpse of the Turian gaping in agony, shortly before collapsing to the floor completely limp.
Adrenaline rush.
In the heat of the moment, I caught the Turian before he hit the ground, scooping him up in my arms without a second thought, and thrust myself off the ground, single-mindedly sprinting for the Chamber colonnade in front of me. One of the corridors covered by a balcony and currently out of the enemy's line of fire. And after taking one step, I began to realize how fucking tall Turians were. And how fucking heavy.
Metallic carapace. Hardsuit. Weapons on top of it all. He definitely didn't make it easy. The Turian could definitely stand to lose some weight. But still...I ran, carrying him through the battlefield regardless. During my mad dash, Geth still firing on our position, shields in the middle of flickering out, still unable to defend myself...I can't really say I was paying much attention to where I was running, or stepping for that matter, which is the main reason why I quickly stumbled and tripped over a piece of rubble just inches away from cover moments later.
This caused me to mutter "oops," as Chellick flew out of my arms and onto the floor, colliding violently with the ground, and I could only grit my teeth as several rounds next buried themselves into my back.
ADRENALINE RUSH!
...but I had been spamming the ability like a porn site spamming popups on a user without adblock. The sepia tone barely differed from my usual one. My actions still felt sluggish. And I was confident at this point that even the rush wouldn't save me this time. For I had apparently made the wrong decision here. The wrong key choice. I shouldn't have tried to save Chellick. By doing so...I had just killed myself. Killed us both in fact. Fuck. Because there were no more deus ex's remaining that could save us now-
Which I consequently learned was wrong as a bright burgundy barrier suddenly burst into existence before my very eyes, nulling the entire volley of bullets that immediately rained upon it not seconds later.
"I see things have been going well here."
"Yeah," I could only laugh, mostly out to fear, a little due to panic, a smidgen from relief since I had just narrowly avoided death yet again. "No problem here. Everything's fine."
I wasted no time in getting back to my feet, though my back was still aching pretty bad from where those bullets had embedded themselves in my armor. And I then grabbed Chellick, who was currently gasping for air, dragging him behind a nearby column, right as the Asari dropped the barrier she had been holding up for us.
"How many are out there?" she wasted no time in asking, saddling behind the pillar adjacent to ours.
"No clue," I responded, ducking my head as I heard bullets pelting our position, despite them having no possible way to even hit me. "...some were coming in from the sides of the Chamber. But I'm pretty sure most of them were downed by Lamont's guys. I think the last of them are coming thru the main entrance now-"
"Well then, I suppose you're in for a treat," the Spectre grinned, body already glowing as she cheesily cracked her knuckles. "You're going to get the rare pleasure of watching a real live Spectre in action."
I didn't have time to tell her that I already did on a regular basis before she suddenly disappeared. The Asari had shot out of cover in a violet flash, body simply phasing out of existence as she entered the fray. The tell-tale signs and sounds of biotic powers suddenly filled the room, and the gunfire inside it echoed even louder than before. It was so loud that it almost drowned out the next voice that came over our team's personal channel.
"I need backup! I got Geth attacking the Tower Nerve Center! I need someone down here! STAT!"
"That'd be us." I stopped where I was, just in the process of peeking out of cover, and instead, turned back around to the Turian sluggishly pushing themselves up off the ground. "Saddick needs our help. We need to get down there."
"She needs our help Chellick, everyone else is-"
"No...she'll be just fine," the officer grimaced. "We can't do anything that Spectre can't. And we know Saddick is still alive. Unlike her, he WILL need our help if we want him to stay that way."
"You think you're in a position to help anyone right now?" I asked him bitterly. Because despite what he was saying...I really didn't want to leave. My gut was telling me that'd be a mistake. To leave Nona here alone in the Chamber. To have Chellick put himself in harm's way. If we could even reach the Turian Tech in time.
But how could I also just leave the man to die? Was that even a choice? How could I know what would happen? In fact...hehe...wasn't that me just being selfish? Just like Lamont had said? Was the reason I didn't want to leave just because I wanted to be the one to kill Saren myself? Just so I could feel like a Hero-
"If I can still move...then I am," the bloody Turian only deigned to reply, raising the rifle he had somehow held on to this entire time.
"...Chellick-"
SCHWOMP.
"Enough B'Sayle."
It wasn't the abrupt sound of a biotic blast, but the sinister voice that had caught me off guard, derailing whatever my next topic of assault was. Had both of us freeze where we were in fact, faces stiff, eyes still, figures frozen in time. And I'm pretty damn sure it was because we both knew who the hell that voice unmistakably belonged to.
"I was wondering how many toys of yours I had to break," a blithe voice suddenly chirped over the room next. "So glad you finally decided to show your scaly ass Arterius!"
I immediately crept my head around the column, getting a nice view of what ruins were left standing in the room now that the battle had 'finished'. Trees ablaze, boulders obliterated, bits of architecture and foundation scattered across the floor...and Nona at the center of it all, Asari-looking shotgun in hand, an aura glowing brightly around her, eyes focused on the opponent hovering in the air across from her.
"Step aside," the Turian simply advised, aiming a geth-like rifle at her, hovercraft floating completely still in the air. "Do not attempt to stop me."
"Why? Scared?"
"Yes. For you all."
"...what? The hell you-"
And then a crimson bolt of energy shot out from his gun, barreling towards the Asari before she could finish. But the carnage merely hit an afterimage, Nona already gone from sight. And the Asari reappeared right before him, aboard the hovercraft listlessly floating several dozen feet in the air. The subsequent biotic explosion from the charge then sent both Spectres flying back off it. The Asari floated back to the ground elegantly, seeming to have anticipated that exact result. Saren took it in stride as well however, backflipping through the air before striking the ground with his fist upon landing.
"Is anyone there?!" sounded over the radio again, gunfire clearly audible in the transmission.
Saren sprayed rounds everywhere Nona flitted now, Asari using her biotics on whim to phase in and out of existence to evade them. Her talent with them clearly surpassed anyone I had yet to see, even Shepard's, and the Asari began firing her weapon as often as Saren did his own.
"Shield, we need to move now!"
"Agh!"
Even Chellick's attention returned to the battle as Saren's hovercraft suddenly rammed into the Asari from behind, Nona yelping in response, completely blindsided by the device's nosedive. And several more Geth had now just entered the room.
"Y-you're right!" I stammered back. "He does need help. So go help him Chellick-"
A shockwave of energy suddenly shot out from Nona, flinging said platforms away from her, and then, just barely threw herself aside as Saren fired another carnage shot. The warp that followed however visibly sundered her barrier, staggering her.
"Don't be an idiot Shield! Joining that fight is a house in an Invectus Jungle! You'll be killed as soon as you poke out your head!" Chellick rasped, hitting himself with another fresh delivery of medi-gel.
"Heh." How many credits would I have for every time I've heard that since I got here? Or rather...how many times had I even said that myself? God knows I should have died ten times over by now. Eden Prime. The Lower Wards. Therum. Luna. Noveria. Every single other blasted planet I stepped foot on. God was I lucky. Or maybe it was just because I was on a team consisting of Shepard and Friends. But life's just funny like that I suppose. Who could really know. The only fact I knew...was that I made it this far hadn't I? "...Nona needs help Chellick. And Saren isn't invincible...I can take him."
I've done so countless times before in fact.
Just not in person.
"Don't...just follow me," he muttered, approaching the stairwell.
"...call for backup once you help him out Chellick. Leave the rest to me."
And the detective only looked over his shoulder, teal eyes peering at mine...sadly? That probably wasn't right. Hmph. I guess I still had some difficulty reading their expressions. Turians were alien after all. Haha, I still remember the first time I saw Nihlus...man had his body grossed me out. I had blamed that initial sickness on seeing a corpse for the first time but...no, the Turian had just physically repulsed me. Man did Eden Prime feel like ages ago-
"Shield."
I strengthened my resolve.
"We all make our own decisions Chellick. This is mine."
The Turian closed his eyes, turning his face back towards the staircase, words barely audible over the biotic explosions that immediately followed. "...just buy time until I get back. Alright?"
"Alright...but you don't mind if I beat that thing before you do, right?"
And he laughed painfully as he took his first step forward.
"...spirits watch over you."
Then the stairwell door abruptly shut behind him.
Codex Entry:
Lamont Taneer [Special Response]
Planet of Birth: Digeris, Castellus Cluster, Apien Crest
Born: 2157 CE
Rank: Lieutenant
Taneer, L. was transferred to Citadel Security Services' Enforcement Division in 2177 CE from the Turian Hierarchy, previous posting: Digeris Hastatim. Aptitude in Advanced Weapons Training and Tactics flagged him as a candidate for Special Response in 2177 CE. Suspended in 2178 CE after altercation with fellow officer Cardus Tanum. After investigation, Board ultimately deemed his actions were in self-defense, and his suspension lifted after evidence proved fight was instigated by Cardus, referring to Lamont's father as a xenophile and insulting Taneer for having an alien name. Transferred to Special Response Division in 2179 CE after collecting evidence necessary and personally apprehending [redacted] of the Laksh Consortium Ring.
Designated Squad Leader of Special Response Team Rykis in 2181 CE. Other members of SRT Rykis include Sergeant Faris, Corporal Kiron, and Officers Myena, Saddick, and Talus. Notable deployment of SRT Rykis under Taneer's leadership include the Torc Gang Raid on Quiln, the Assault on Chora's Den, the Manash Riots of '83, and the Flux Turf War.
Additional Info: Mother Aquin Taneer served Citadel Security Services as a Network Division Investigator.
Author's Notes:
You know, one of the things that fascinate me about ME are the biotics. At first, they were made out to be terrorists and extremely ostracized by the general public in ME1, what with all the biotic cults and terrorists and killers you encounter in the game's sidequests. Then Bioware kind of dropped that angle, and the potential for their power over others is never really focused on from then out. How much more dangerous biotics are than the average soldier. How they can create forcefields with their mind, throw people across the room at a snap of their fingers, immobilize people without caveat. How a Krogan biotic could basically take on 10 soldiers of any race. If you had an Asari or Krogan that honed their biotic potential their entire lives, training for hundreds of years, since they were like 5...the results would be horrifying. The fight with Tela Vasir is the only real example we get of how amazing a biotic battle can be (if you're a vanguard). So depicting a battle between two extremely talented biotics was really riveting. A battle in fact that will continue on in the chapters ahead! See ya then!
Reviews:
Welsh Corgi - Boss Hogg would have to be Councilor Sparatus, and Sheriff Rosco none other than Executor Pallin. I'll let you guess which Duke boy Chellick and Shield are. And knowing his luck, the upgrade would actually just result in Harbinger being able to 'Assume Control' of everyone, as Shield's plot would fail so hard it'd succeed. Damn Murphy's Law. In fact, he'd fail so hard, even Cole's Law would probably apply to him. You've heard of that right? Cole's Law? The thing you have with barbecue?
Griezzly Bear - And that's what I was thinking. Don't mess around with those mass relays man. And yah. Doubt the Illusive Man would spend billions of credits bringing that retard back to life haha...ha... :[
Elvisfonz23 - Hope you also like how this final battle with Saren will go! And I wonder too dude. How will things work out between them in the end? Pretty sure Shepard's just gonna poke him in the eyes after he says something stupid again.
Excise 'Em - And I want to apologize for completely missing your other review guy. I could have sworn I wrote a reply. So my bad...and I really have no idea how you people can consume so much in such little time. I actually consider reading that fast a super-power to be frank, so you have my respect on that front. And I can only thank you further for your obviously correct opinion. This story really DOES have great writing doesn't it? I am alarmed however that you knew how long the last chapter was. If you counted every word, I applaud your commitment and give you a Gold Star for your Beautiful Mind, while also fearing for your sanity. Get help. But on the other hand, if you just know the wordcount from hacking into my doc manager...please ignore the story titled 'Super Secret Dream Journal'. There's nothing interesting to see in there. So don't do it. Oh god please don't. Another user wanted me to save it for them I swear. Especially ignore all that cray with gay Kanye. It doesn't mean anything. REALLY.
NEZ - Ahem. In other news...STOP! Did someone publish all the content on my account online?! What the hell. And why do you feel like spoiling the upcoming story bro?! I've been working too long on ShieldxAndersonxVarrenZombieZaelxDleihs to have you ruin the surprise now. It was supposed to be the ultimate twist. Shield really learns the meaning of self-love when him and his clone Dleihs hook up. But now I'm gonna have to trash it all and start over. I hope you're happy.
Dekuton - And see, that's where you're actually wrong. For something to be a running joke, it actually has to be funny to begin with. But I got you buddy. There is a fine line between a character constantly dickpunching everyone and a character constantly getting dickpunched by everyone. I can only hope the final payoff makes all of it worth it however. And I'm glad you like Chellick! I don't know when or why he turned into a speed-racing, lightweight drinking, Asari conspiracy theorist but I'm sticking with it...just hope that he doesn't die or anything in the next couple of chapters haha...
Toothless is Best - And I know you would. I know you would. Its really the only dialogue option available.
Rainy Fair - Also...right? Deft move on his part. I did actually have half a mind to just have him stay in jail for a chapter though. Here's an excerpt from what I would have wrote: 'Shield sat in the white room. He sat where he was. Very still. Continuing to sit, he looked around. And he found nothing. And then he sat some more. It was a good sit. Worse than some. Better than most. But there he sat. The cell was white. And remained white as he did. Sit that is. Ah. Yes. Moving. Shield had dismissed that claim. Here he would sit. Sitting. Sat. Sut. The End.' Would have been a great storytelling experience. Missed opportunity. And again, I feel dialogue is one of the weakest points in this story, so it really is gratifying to hear you say that man. Thanks. As for Ashley...don't listen to Shield. She's totally gone forever bro. Totes ded. Definitely not appearing in this story again. Fact.
Creepy-Crawly of Catastrophe - Although you'll never see this, I'll still humor ya too. I know the beginning chapter is horribly cliche. Super corny and even passe. But that's why I found the flashback trope so tempting to use. It's a staple of every 90's movie storyboard. How could one NOT use it? I realized this whole story is practically written in the past tense anyway, so might as well have a reason for it. But I will counter your argument with this...have you ever read an ME SI that had the OC actually die before the end? I really would like to see one and how the writer spun it, so give a recommendation if you have. But no matter the impending danger and doom...it's already implicit the protagonist will escape by the skin of their teeth or return later, flashback or no. I mean, I get it, it can be boring sometimes if there are no consequences for a protagonist before a story's end...but really? No suspense at all? I don't know bout that bro. Sorry it turned you away from the story though. Hope you might give this one another chance some day :)
In the next chapter: ...who am I? WHO AM I?! You know who the HELL I AM!
Tune in next time on Mass Effective: A Hero Made!