Took long enough, didn't it. I'm back with another chapter. No, I'm not dead. Given the last month and a half of finals, work, and life in general, though, I really had to make the effort to get this done, making a re-write and being somewhat unsure as to how far I should take it. Still, thank you for waiting the astronomical wait. I won't promise anything here, but I should be able to write more over December and into January, as I'm on break for the most part. Haven't scanned through this chapter yet all too thoroughly, so let me know if you see any mistakes. Enjoy!
12/25/12: Edits completed! Fixed errors here and there, thanks to laure! And Merry Xmas! :)
Chapter 6: Pride and Prejudice
This is just great, Ashley thought bitterly. We have a quarian in the engine room, a turian roaming the ship, and a krogan hulking about who could rage at any minute. The Normandy is still an Alliance vessel, right?
She tapped her foot impatiently as the elevator moved at an agonizingly slow pace. Not sure what Shepard's plan is on this one. Really, we hardly know anything about these aliens, and he just offers for them to come aboard after they help us for an hour or so. Either he pegged them right, or we're going to have a situation on our hands soon.
The elevator finally made it to the sub-deck, upon which she promptly exited. She had to take her mind off of this somehow. At the very least she could work on the weapons; could probably use an inspection, and it would probably be a good idea to check what weapons they'd be using before they go toe to toe with Saren and his geth.
Servicemen Emerson was in his usual spot near the Mako, and standing next to several large Alliance crates. Jackpot.
"Emerson." she greeted him, he returning a quick salute in return. "Did Captain Anderson give us an early Christmas gift?"
"Sure did, by the looks of it," he said with a smile, dropping the salute. "Shepard already came through here, but you're welcome to have a look. Some of the Vindicators look particularly promising."
With a smirk, Ashley went over to one of the crates he gestured to. Sure enough, the container was loaded with a variety of weapons and equipment: Vindicators, Mattocks, even a few shotguns here and there.
Selecting a Vindicator from the crate, she felt the weight of the gun, taking aim down the sights. Good grip, good balance… she could definitely learn to like this one.
"Looks good, Emerson," she said, putting the gun aside. "Looks like some of the others got first pick."
"Yeah, Shepard already got some selected for his locker. Wrex over there took a look as well, grabbed a Crusader and an Argus while he was at it."
Ashley froze, feeling the urge to go for her gun again. "Wrex? You just gave the krogan some of the hardest hitting weapons while he's on the sub-deck?" she said with an icy stare.
Emerson looked taken aback. "Well, yes. Shepard gave us the all clear when it came to the aliens we have aboard. If he trusts them, so do I."
"Being quick to trust has come back to bite us before in the past. This is still an Alliance ship, after all, and I'd be damned if I'll let some aliens we just picked up have free access to weapons whenever they want."
"Well, human. I'd like to see you try to take them from me," Wrex growled.
Ashley nearly jumped at the sound of the krogan's voice from behind her. Emerson gave her a look that said he wasn't getting involved and went back to checking the crates.
Swallowing, she turned to face the krogan, trying not to appear intimidated by the way the reptile was staring at her. Well, shit.
"You're the human that Shepard picked up," he rumbled. "Fought the geth on Edem Prime, right?"
"What's it to you?" she asked, aloof.
"You've fought Saren's geth and are a skilled warrior. I respect that. But if you're trying to pick a fight, know what you're getting into." Wrex leaned forward until he was inches from her face, glaring at her with a gaze that could freeze lava.
"We would settle things through a fight, krogan to krogan, until one of us couldn't stand when someone insulted us back on Tuchanka, and if they offended your honor, you had grounds for execution. I don't think you'd be able to take the same punishment."
He stepped back for a moment, giving her some (much needed) space. "So before you dictate who comes on board with your commander's permission and how they should be treated, I think you should realize that not all of us fall under some stereotype." A malicious grin split the krogan's reptilian features. "Then again, maybe we do." Wrex lumbered back over to the place he had been resting, next to his newly acquired weapons.
Ashley released a breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding. A brute she could handle, but one that had brains as well…
The sound of the elevator brought her back from her thoughts. The slow lift revealed a pair of three-toed feet in full armor, which could only belong to the one turian on the ship. Garrus was here now too, it seemed.
She could only shake her head as she grabbed the Vindicator and the rest of the gear she gathered from the crates, moving to a workbench by the lockers. She was now on the opposite end of the cargo hold, but at least she didn't see Wrex from here. Great. We have the turian, krogan, and quarian, all on the same deck. Throw in an asari and a hanar and we'd have the whole gang.
"Turian. You sure it was a good idea to come down here?" Wrex growled. Ashley set the rifle down on the workbench, going looking it over while listening in to the conversation.
"Wrex. Look I… was thinking about what I said earlier, and I feel that we got off on the wrong foot." Garrus' flanged voice sounded, catching Ashley's attention.
"If I remember right, turian, I was the one on my feet. Yours were dangling a few inches off the floor."
Garrus sounded nonplussed. "Regardless, I thought I'd stop by and say that… I'm sorry, for what I said back there. Could we forget about it, and start fresh?"
Oh ho, boy, here it comes… Ashley thought, her hand drifting back to her rifle through reflex.
There was a pause in the conversation. "You can't take back what's been said…" the krogan rumbled, "…but you're lucky that I'm in a fair mood right now. Shepard's allowed both of us to come on board. Out of respect, I won't start anything here."
There was a pause as the krogan shuffled closer to Garrus. "…but if you even think about pointing a weapon in my direction, you won't have the benefit of the doubt. Cross me, and you're dead. You stay out of my way, and I'll stay out of yours."
Ashley released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Okay, they still hate each other, but at least they won't go shooting the place ups… not just yet, anyway.
"Fair enough." Garrus replied, sounding more relaxed. "I guess I'll have a look at the weapons the human captain got us. Wonder if they have any decent sniper rifles…"
Ashley frowned as the turian came into view by Emerson, discussing the weapons and inventory that Anderson had been able to get them. It was crazy to just allow aliens who they'd met just a few hours ago to not only board their ship, but give them free access to their weapons as well. Why didn't anyone else seem to realize—
"Shepard." Wrex's baritone voice rang out again, interrupting her thoughts.
"Wrex. Heard a little commotion going on in here earlier. Everything okay?" Ashley heard Shepard's voice reverberate through the cargo hold, calm but commanding.
"Yeah. Just making conversation."
"If I could hear it through the engineering doors, it wasn't just casual conversation. Was that between you and Garrus?"
Garrus turned from the weapons crate, holding one of the Valiant snipers. "Nah, our chat was fairly civil, all things considered."
"Oh?" Shepard's confusion was audible even from where Ashley was.
"The turian's right. Might want to take it up with your human female."
"Williams? She's down here as well?" Ashley tensed a little at the change in his tone of voice.
"Went off to hide by the lockers. Too scared to be seen in the same room with a turian and a krogan."
She couldn't hold back a comment. "I heard that!"
"See? What did I tell you?" Wrex chuckled. Ashley fumed silently, not willing to see (or hear) the krogan's satisfaction of getting to her. Quick footsteps were heard as someone approached the workbench area. Shepard rounded the large crate near the lockers, a frown crossing his features.
"Williams? Is there something you want to discuss?" he asked, his gaze level and unwavering.
"Actually, Commander… could we talk privately, sir?" she asked, not wanting to have Wrex and Garrus listening in to the conversation. Shepard's gaze softened slightly, but the frown remained.
"Come on up to my cabin. We can discuss this there." Shepard motioned for her to follow him. Relieved, Ashley walked with him to the lift, attempting to avoid eye contact with the rest of the hanger's inhabitants. The krogan gave another low chuckle in her direction as they passed, adding to her embarrassment of the situation. If only you could have kept those thoughts to yourself.
"Wrex, Garrus, Emerson." Shepard said in parting, nodding to each as he entered the lift with her. Pushing the button, they waited the long seconds for the elevator's hydraulics to move them the two and a half meters upwards. Upon reaching the middle deck, they exited without a word, turning right and into the mess hall.
Ashley was nervous, for whatever reason. She knew that she shouldn't have said what she did in the hanger with Wrex hanging around, but how was she to know he was there? Actually, that didn't sound too good either. Why didn't she—
They stopped at Shepard's cabin, originally Captain Anderson's quarters, across from the now empty mess hall. The dim military lighting was comforting to an extent, and the fact that no one else was around to witness this. The cabin doors slid open, and the two Alliance soldiers stepped inside.
"Well, we're in private now. So, I'll ask again; anything you want to discuss?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest.
"Commander. I know things are different aboard the Normandy, but… I'm concerned about the aliens. With all due respect Commander, should they have full access to the ship?"
Shepard's brows furrowed, the frown never leaving his face. "They may not be a part of the Alliance, but they're allies in this mission. We all have the same primary goal."
"Right sir, but this is the most advanced ship of the Alliance Navy. I don't think that we should give them free reign to go about the ship as they please; I mean, there's a krogan done by the engine room with a stockpile of weapons, a quarian that could be stealing engine schematics, weapon tech…"
Shepard's frown deepened. "You're stereotyping, Williams. Not exactly the best attitude to have when working with a multiracial crew. And you don't want them to have the same rights on board as the rest of the crew does?"
Ashley felt nervous again. It didn't look like Shepard was going to see her way.
She shook her head. "No sir, but I think we should be… cautious, of them, until we know more about them."
"So you're concerned that they'll act against us? If anything happens to this ship and its crew, then they would be in the crossfire as well. It wouldn't make sense for them to do anything to put us in harm's way if that's what you're thinking," Shepard eyes still searched hers, intense in their piercing blue gaze.
Well, she hadn't really thought about that. The blue-lit cabin seemed to close in on her, its metal walls unforgiving to her current predicament.
"Well, sir, I'm just… I've never worked with non-humans before on a mission. Spent most of my service groundside, and only got one rotation onto a space station for ZG certification."
At last, Shepard's arms came uncrossed, and fell to his sides. His features relaxed, but he remained pensive towards her.
"That's odd, considering your record. With technical scores and a record like yours, you should be serving with the fleet."
Crap. Hopefully he doesn't know about the Williams' history, she thought anxiously.
She coughed. "Yeah, well… that's why I haven't served with any aliens, anyway. Sir."
Shepard raised an eyebrow at her behavior, and a few agonizing seconds passed without conversation.
Finally, he spoke. "All right, Williams, I can understand where your concerns are coming from, having had no real experience with aliens and probably only heard rumors. But you need to be more trusting of our allies on board. This is their mission as much as ours. Like it or not, you're going to have to work with aliens."
She breathed a sigh of relief, as it didn't seem like he would pursue the topic. "Thank you, Commander. Don't worry, it won't be a problem. You say jump, I say "how high?" You ask me to kiss a turian, I'll ask which cheek."
The commander smiled. "Well, I don't think you'll go that far, but I do think that you should work on your team-building with the aliens. Wrex is going to be down in the cargo hold, and Garrus might well decide to stay there as well. How are you at maintaining and modifying weapons?"
His question was a little random, but she took it in stride. "My record shows that I've received several commendations in both field augmentation and modification of weapons and ammunition, sir." Where was he going with… oh damn it.
"Excellent. For now, I want you to be assigned to the cargo hold for duty, modifying weapons and ammunition and keeping them in good shape. This will also be a good opportunity for you to learn more about the non-Alliance crew, as well. Are we clear?"
Ashley gave a thin smile as she saluted him. "Yes, sir! I won't let you down!"
"Good work, Williams. Dismissed." he said with a nod, getting to the desk and picking up a data-pad. Turning, she left out the door, her smile fading as soon as the door closed. She had to give him credit; forcing her to interact with the aliens, whether she liked it or not.
She shook her head with a sigh. It was times like these she wished that alcohol wasn't contraband. Well played, Commander. Well played.
Shepard looked over the holographic tablet in his hands, going over the details of the mission. Navigator Pressly had determined the coordinates of Dr. T'soni's whereabouts, or at least the planet she was on. Located in the Knossos system of the Artemis Tau cluster, it seemed that the mostly uncharted planet Therum was claimed by the Alliance, providing vast amounts of heavy metals to fuel the manufacturing on Earth. Apparently, the world was also once far more inhabitable than it was now, with core samples showing fossils of simple silicon-based life, and many prothean ruins could be found throughout the planet's surface, though most had been looted by now. One could only guess as to why the protheans were on the planet. Perhaps they had been studying the silicon-based life, or harvesting resources like the Alliance was now. With a now scorching average temperature of 59 °C and rife with geological activity, it would probably remain one of the galaxy's many mysteries.
John rubbed his temple with a sigh. They didn't have any other information on this mission besides the fact that T'soni was there, and that Saren and his geth may be involved. If she was in one of the prothean dig sites, then it was likely there were dense industrial mining areas nearby. A perfect place for the geth to set up an ambush.
He looked at the clock, which displayed both the countdown for their ETA to the system and the current time on board, the classic twenty-four hour display reading 23:13, reminding him of his second shift hours for which he had to be up and ready by 06:00. With only another fourteen estimated Earth hours before their arrival, it would be important for him to get what sleep he could. If he could get any.
Frustrated, he set down the holo-pad on the plain, metallic desk. He had the only bed on the Normandy, and he didn't even feel like using it. Everyone else used the sleeper pods out by the mess, but he didn't think he could rest any easier there. It wasn't for the lack of trying, though.
Already in his undershirt and shorts for the night, he selected a clean pair of dress blues from a drawer… and stopped. The Star of Terra, his medal of honor, stared back at him, still in its case as it had been the day he had received it. It's glittering golds and silvers shone brightly even in the dimly lit room, the words "for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty" engraved in the plaque below it. He shut his eyes at the flood of memories, closing the drawer without a second glance. There wasn't anything gallant about what was done back there.
Mechanically, he set the clothes out by the foot of his bed, folded and ready for the morning. With a touch, the lights dimmed, and he laid his head against his pillow. Silently, he went over the plans for the mission.
Okay, we'll drop in the Mako from 100 meters up, probably landing near one of the industrial complexes. The planet is geologically active, and there's a considerable amount of volcanos covering the surface. There will probably be geth resistance at and before the dig site, if they are trying to get a hold of Matriarch Benezia's daughter as well. So far, we've only fought their infantry, but there have been Alliance reports of larger versions, armatures. Those have a similar firing output as the Mako does, and would be dangerous to engage on foot. Their shields would be weaker, though, so if we had to face multiple of them, it would be best to snipe them from a distance with the main cannon. If we were to be surrounded by the geth on foot, though, the best case scenario would involve a lot of cover; possibly a building, or a mining structure to take cover in. We'll have all six of us on the ground, but since it will be our first full on combat mission, I should—
"Shepard!"
He awoke to the sounds of gunfire, acrid smoke burning his nostrils. Rubbing his eyes, he leapt from his bunk, the small building filled with soldiers hurriedly grabbing their rifles and donning their armor. Amy Johnson was getting her combat armor on, and she tossed him his helmet. There was fear in her green-eyed gaze as she looked at him.
"What's our status?" he asked, gearing up in his own armor, the greys and blacks of the N7 program identical to those of everyone else in the room.
"We don't know. All we know is that the air raid sirens have started, and we've heard explosions."
"Yeah, you'd think they'd tell us about this place being a combat zone before we came here, you know?" Jack Adams said, grabbing an Avenger from his footlocker. "Not exactly how I envisioned N6 training to start."
"Command would've let us now before we had our assignment. This must be different," Shepard said as his helmet sealed to his suit with a hisss! of decompression as others followed suit. His team of ten assembled, they left the building in an orderly but hurried fashion, scanning the area. The other squads exited the quarters as well, orders ringing out as he ventured out into the night with his team, the stars hidden in a sky ablaze with the fires of the capital of Elysium. Illyria was under attack!
The N5s had decided to stay near the outskirts of the city, from which they were only a few hundred meters from the perimeter. By the sounds of things, the outer walls and barricades were where the attack was coming from.
"Let's move! Get to the barricade!" he yelled out, running through the local streets as he and his comrades raced to get to the colony's defenses. Smoke choked the air as they sprinted among the complexes. The city was caught completely off guard. Aside from the few dozen Alliance soldiers on shore leave and several GUARDIAN anti-air turrets, the colony's military strength was in mobile planetary defense cannons; they had little defense against a coordinated ground offensive. The naval base was positioned several miles from their location, and the local militia couldn't hold off the attackers for long, their training for small raids and attacks from local fauna would do little in the face of an organized attack. No sooner had they reached the perimeter then they were set upon by a dozen of the invaders. Diving to cover behind a fountain's wall, Shepard was close enough to recognize the telltale skull and symbols of a pirate gang on their red armor; batarian pirates, or slavers. Despite the batarian two-man advantage, the ten alliance soldiers quickly disposed of the intruders, but not without difficulty; one of the soldiers had taken a hit in the arm, seething in pain even as medi-gel was applied to the wound.
The ten of them climbed up to the barricade, only to be greeted by the sight of dozens of gunships and shuttles on approach, flying low in an attempt to avoid the AA guns. A mass of bodies approached, and they were forced to take cover from rifle fire, the shots peppering the side of the wall. Shepard dared a second look; hundreds, if not thousands, of pirates were on the ground, and countless more were undoubtedly in orbit, waiting to strike. They were trying to take Elysium, and there wasn't nearly enough of a force to defend it.
Dammit, we're only on shore leave, he thought. This isn't how things are supposed to—
"Shepard!"
A GUARDIAN turret's laser tore through one of the many air vehicles on approach, bringing him back to reality.
"Johnson, Adams, you're with me! The rest of you, spread out! Hold this position!" he commanded, taking up his rifle and opening fire as his team followed suit.
"Sir, there's fucking hundreds of them! We don't stand a chance!" Adams cried out, his Avenger assault rifle spraying fire as he ducked back into cover.
"Stand your ground, serviceman! Johnson, we need to contact the orbital defense stations. We need an orbital strike!" he ordered, picking off two more of the advancing pirates as gunfire continued to ring out. Service Chief Johnson fumbled at her omnitool while Stevens' shields overloaded as a round found its way through his helmet, his body slumping to the ground in a heap as Davidson darted over to move him back against cover, checking for vitals. Several shots impacted Shepard's own shields as he attempted another burst of fire while Johnson frantically typed away at her omni-tool.
"Fuck! They're jamming us! No one knows we're here!" she cried, her desperation evident. "It could be hours before reinforcements arrive!"
"We'll make it, Amy! Just keep—"
A pirated Mako's main gun hit the barricade, throwing him from the wall as he crashed to the street below. His shields were down, his respirator damaged. His breathing became more and more shallow and labored as he tried to get up, falling back to the ground. He had to breathe, he needed to breathe—
He bolted upright in the bed, his chest heaving as he gasped for air. He shook his head, trying to rid himself from the images. Just another damn dream, he thought ruefully, checking the clock to his right as he tried to slow his breathing. 05:15 shone on the small display, still another forty-five minutes from when he should get up. With a sigh, he got out of bed, grabbing his clothes and heading to the showers. Looks like it's going to be a long day.
"Hey Commander, you awake?" Joker's voice sounded over the comm. He stopped, glancing up at the comm.
"What is it, Joker?"
"Just got a ping from Rear Admiral Kahoku, says that he wants to speak with you. Though, seeing as you just woke up, I think he could spare you five minutes."
Hurriedly, Shepard walked back into his cabin and quickly threw on his clothes, getting his boots on with as much speed as he could muster. "I'll be there in two."
Shepard quickly ascended the stairs to the CIC, several servicemen saluting him as he passed. The winding staircase made for an interesting design on an Alliance vessel, but again, the Normandy was of both human and turian design. His walk was fast-paced but professional; even as eager as he was to see his family friend, he still had to maintain some discipline.
Entering through the doors of the CIC, he was presented with the galaxy map, displaying both the Normandy's position in the Artemis Tau cluster and another point in the Serpent Nebula. The Citadel, presumably.
Stepping up to the glowing console, he pressed the holo-key to activate the communications.
"Commander Shepard, is that you?"
Shepard smiled at the sound of his friend's voice. "Here, Admiral. Good to hear from you."
"Likewise, Shepard. Heard that you are now in charge of the Normandy, and a Spectre no less. Moving up in the galaxy since the last time we met, it seems."
"As long as you're there with the Agincourt when we need you, we'll be in good hands," he replied, half-joking about the Admiral's involvement above Elysium.
He could hear the smirk in the Admiral's voice. "Indeed. Though I'm no longer its captain, been stationed on the Citadel for a while now for… diplomatic matters. Which brings me to my point of contacting you, Shepard."
"Oh?" Shepard asked, his interest peaked.
"Yes. I had a team of scouts sent to investigate a planet in the Artemis Tau cluster. They were to locate the whereabouts of the Armistan Banes' ship, a man who was contracted by the Alliance military for research in the Attican Traverse. My men discovered his body, but not the data that he had recovered. We believe that his ship held the information and research, but besides the knowledge that the ship is in the same cluster that you're in, we have little to go on, especially since my men have not reported in for several days."
Shepard frowned at the last sentence. "Do you think there could have been pirates involved?"
"Unlikely, unless they were brave enough or stupid enough to take on an Alliance frigate. They could just have a faulty long-range comms transmitter, for all we know. Still, it doesn't seem right to me, either. I know you have a mission already, but if you could take a look around the cluster with your sensors afterwards, I would be grateful. It would be faster than trying to send in another ship to try to investigate, and the sooner I could learn about the condition of my men, the better." The admiral's voice sounded concerned, but hopeful of his response.
A recon mission after a pick-up mission. Easy enough, he thought, nodding towards the console. "I still do owe you that favor, Admiral. I'll look into it."
He heard a sigh of relief on the other end. "Thank you, Shepard. And good hunting." With that, the communication disconnected, leaving only the galaxy map in its place.
Navigator Pressly looked up from his omni-tool on the left, giving Shepard an encouraging smile.
"The Admiral's still at it, eh, Commander?"
"Looks that way, Pressly. And you are as well, Navigator."
"Yeah, well… some things never change," Pressly chuckled. The mirth fell from his face as he became more serious, giving Shepard a nod. "Still, it wouldn't have been so if you hadn't done what you had on Elysium, Commander. We got there to mop up, but you were the one who saved that colony."
Shepard frowned again at the memories, having had enough of them for a lifetime. "I did what I had to, Pressly. Nothing more."
The navigator seemed to take the hint, nodding in understanding. "Well, Commander, it was damn impressive. I'm glad to have you as the Normandy's Commander, sir."
"Likewise, Navigator. Still, we have a mission ahead of us in a few hours. Going to make the rounds to check on the team, make sure they're ready." That, and get some oatmeal from the mess for breakfast, Shepard thought. Truth be told, it was one of the only dependable foods on the ship, seeing as you made it yourself.
Shepard thought he saw the navigator's eyebrow twitch at the word 'team,' but didn't pursue it. "You do that, Commander," Pressly said as he went back to his station. "Get 'em home in one piece."
Nodding again, Shepard ventured back towards the exit of the CIC, heading for the sub-deck. Pressly went back to his data-pad, opening up a new entry. He didn't want to put anything on Shepard, but he had a few things he wanted to vent about at the moment, and his journal would do fine for now.
Tali felt the grip of her new shotgun, or at least the best she could through her gloved hands. A Scimitar was what it was called, fast hitting but best for close quarters. The Crusader looked to be promising, but she didn't think she'd be able to carry it around for an extended amount of time. Keelah, it had to weigh more than twenty kilos!
The rest of the combat team was down in the cargo hold as well, grabbing various equipment and gear for the mission. My first mission on the Normandy, she thought. She couldn't help but feel excited, and a little nervous. There was always a chance of not making it back from these things, but she didn't think about that. The fact that she was going to be going with the combat team, and that the Normandy's captain was going to lead the operation, was exhilarating. No quarian captain would have ever gone on a simple ground assignment when the rest of the crew was capable, but the Commander was no ordinary captain, it seemed.
Kaidan Alenko walked over to the crate she was looking through, selecting a few canisters of medi-gel from the stash.
"So, feeling nervous, Tali?" he asked warmly, attaching the medi-gel to his hip one canister at a time.
"Some," she admitted, getting some medi-gel as well, along with some suit patches to place in her pack. "I've never been in a "combat operation."
He smiled at her. "Well, don't sweat it too much. We're going to land, check out a dig-site for a scientist, and then we're going to leave. With luck, we might not even have to fire our weapons."
"Of course, we could also run into geth armatures every step of the way on this active volcano of a planet," Wrex rumbled as he raised his Crusader with the ease of lifting a holo-pad. "Might actually make this planet interesting."
Tali tensed at the thought, while Kaidan shook his head at the krogan's remark, unable to stifle a chuckle. "You might be right, Wrex, but that doesn't mean we would want that kind of opposition."
"Whatever you say, human. You have your idea of a good time, and I have mine." Wrex said as he lumbered over to the "Mako," the human tank that the Alliance used. Tali guessed that the tank was how they would be traversing the planet, especially that the planet was significantly covered by volcanic activity.
Commander Shepard finished putting on his armor, the N7 shining on the top right of his chestplate. He paused slightly as he reached for his helmet, almost unnoticeable to those who would not have been paying attention. Why might he have done that? she thought as he continued, placing the rebreather helmet on his head and sealing it with his suit. Still, it wasn't important now. They had a mission to do.
"All right, our mission is to locate and extract Dr. Liara T'soni from a dig site located on the far end of this mining complex," Shepard said as he addressed the soldiers who had assembled in the hold. "The area is littered with magma pits and running lava, so we will only be able to take the main road for the site. Currently, we have the element of surprise due to the Normandy's stealth systems, but any geth sensors in the area will be able to detect the Mako that we will be using on the ground, so expect ambushes along the road and in the denser industrial areas. We should be ready for anything. Once we get to the dig-site, we eliminate any hostiles and deal with the doctor, one way or another. Any questions?"
No words were spoken from any of the other five team members. Nodding, Shepard gestured to the Mako. "Let's mount up."
One by one, the crew entered the Mako, surprisingly large enough to fit all six of them and with seats for two more, although the interior was a little cramped. Shepard was in the driver's chair of the vehicle, while Kaidan sat "shotgun," another one of the strange human phrases. Garrus took up the gunner's seat as Wrex and Ashley Williams sat in the back.
"Joker, what's our ETA?" Shepard asked, his hands resting on the wheel."
"Thirty seconds to the drop point, Commander. Looks like a fun house down there. I'll take my climate controlled bridge here on the Normandy, thanks."
"Copy that, Joker. Open the hatch when we're close."
Tali wasn't sure if she heard them right. "Wait, drop point?" she asked, confused.
Ashley gave a chuckle. "Yeah, the Mako isn't exactly a standard tank like the Grizzly, kid."
"What do you mean?" she began to feel more nervous about the situation by the second, not helped by the amused smile that Ashley was giving her.
"You'll see soon enough."
The hatch released, opening up to reveal a red and charcoal landscape of rock and lava, brown earth and ash mixing together to form an hellish scene.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for flying Normandy Airlines." Joker's voice came over the comms again as the Normandy began to slow down. "We thank you for your business, and hope you've enjoyed your flight. Have a nice trip!"
With that, Shepard gunned the Mako forward off the ramp, leaving the craft weightless as it plunged the hundred meters to the surface.
"Oh, Keelah!" Tali cried out of surprise as the Mako's thrusters slowed their descent just before they impacted the ground. She looked about the interior of the vehicle, embarrassed as she saw Ashley smirking at her reaction, and Wrex outright chuckling.
Okay, well, at least the worst part should be over— her thoughts were interrupted by the vehicle's lurch forward, literally bouncing along the uneven path. Ashley looked across from her again, still smirking. "First time on a Mako, huh? Don't sweat it, I almost threw up on my first ride in one of these. The things can really jostle you around."
A particularly hard bump punctuated this, causing Tali to feel nauseous, holding her stomach. Great. Well, at least they weren't being shot—
The Mako lurched again, taking a sharp turn to the right. "Garrus, man the gun. We've got geth contacts." Shepard said from the wheel as his driving became even more sporadic.
Tali groaned as the vehicle jumped about, Shepard even deploying the thrusters to avoid fire. Wrex was only laughing at the display, not even caring about the enemies outside.
"Ah, take it easy there, Shepard!" Wrex laughed. "Looks like we have a quarian with a stomach ache!"
Bosh'tet. Tali thought as the craft lurched forward again, her seatbelt her saving grace. The sooner they reached the dig-site, the better.
Wasn't too sure how to end this one, but again, I felt you guys waited long enough for it, and I'll make adjustments to it soon. I'll try my best to get the next chapter up sooner. Until next time! :)