-1.3-

"Bullshit!" Balak yelled. The shaking and loud explosions continued above them. The voices in the room behind them had gotten more frantic – orders being given, guns loaded, and plans made. A base klaxon started to ring off and on.

Even with chaos descending on them, Balak needed more convincing.

Shepard said, "Go through your other comms, and see what you pick up."

Balak grunted as he fiddled with the omni-tool – different variables of static came out of it as Balak tried to find an open comm line. The batarian swore under his breath as he hoped someone, anyone, would answer. Most replies he got back were automated attack warnings. A few others had sounds of gunfire and fighting.

"This… this doesn't make sense!" Balak said in disbelief. "Your damn Alliance must have followed us when you gave yourself up."

"Your ships threatened to destroy the Normandy, unless I went with you." Shepard angrily corrected him. "I wouldn't have let my crew follow us."

And I know how ruthless you Batarians can be. Shepard privately thought.

"…Fine. Then I have to get to my men. Take the fight to those Reaper bastards." Balak grumbled, and tried to sit up. Shepard pressed harder against Balak's neck.

"No, we need to escape Kar'Shan." Shepard replied.

"What?"

"Turn your comm back on again."

Balak pressed a button on his omni-tool, and the static from before blared out again. Now there were no more automatic warnings, no sounds of fighting. All that was left was static.

"The Reapers are strong – too strong for one race." Shepard said, trying to hold back his anger. It was hard to not to feel for Balak, despite his crimes. Kar-Shan was falling. Immediately, that made Shepard think of Earth – he tried to ignore it.

"Allies?" Shepard asked.

"…fine." Balak replied. "This bunker is one level underground. There's an elevator close by that will take us top-side. On the surface are a few Kodiak shuttles. It's not much, but it'll get us off-world. And I hold on to the gun. Now get off me!"

"Then give me the omni-tool. I'll need a weapon too". Shepard demanded, putting more weight on his knee for effect.

"Fine." Balak said. Shepard heard Balak mutter under his breath 'damned engineers' while he took off his omni-tool. Slowly, Balak handed it to Shepard. Shepard grabbed the omni-tool from Balak and then placed it on his left hand.

Shepard then got off of Balak, quickly moving away from the Batarian. He began to hack the omni-tool, stripping safeguards and defense programs on it. He kept his eyes on Balak, though, as the Batarian picked up the pistol. Balak checked the heat-sink already loaded, and then installed a disruptor ammo clip on the gun. The clip attached to the side of the gun, and would now let it fire electrically charged shots.

Both Balak and Shepard finished modifying their weapons around the same time. When Shepard was done, the omni-tool could now use Overload and Cryo-Blast. It wasn't the same as having his gun and combat drone, but it would work for now.

"Here." Balak said, and tossed Shepard a flask of water. Shepard quickly drank it down. "Now let's move."

Balak then opened the door into the next room. Silence. Whatever Batarian guards stationed there moments ago were gone. The wide room led into a narrow hallway – the double doors leading into the hallway had been left open.

Carefully, the two men made their way to the open doors. Shepard took the lead, holding his omni-tool out and aimed forward. The front of the tool crackled with ice, as Shepard keep a cryo-blast ready to fire. Balak stayed in the back, ready to fire his pistol.

Suddenly, a blue human… 'creature' darted past the open doorway. Then two followed. The pack of monsters growled lowly.

"Husks." Shepard quietly whispered. He turned to Balak, and motioned for him to turn right when they got the hallway. Shepard would go left.

The two soldier then moved into position.

In front of Shepard stood the pack of three husks. They were occupied with the corpse of a Batarian guard. Quickly, Shepard fired off a cryo-blast. The three husks were snap-frozen in the seconds. Shepard then switched the omni-tool to blade form, and started to shatter the frozen husks with it.

Balak found two other husks charging him. He fired off five rounds into the first husk, toppling it to the floor. The second husk Balak ran towards. In mid run, Balak swung the butt of his pistol into the husk's skull. It caved in part of the husk's skull. Another swing with the pistol splattered it's skull entirely.

Shepard turned around from his gruesome work to see Balak continually stomping the headless husk now on the ground. When Balak eventually turned to meet Shepard's gaze, he snarled at the Commander. This could be you, Shepard thought Balak's actions showed.

The two then ran down to the elevators at the end of the hallway. While they waited for the elevator cart to reach them, Balak's omni-tool went off again. Shepard lifted the tool up to Balak.

"Commander Balak!" The Batarian on the other hand yelled. "You're alive! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Balak replied, trying to sound calm. "Just give me a status report – what is the Hegemony's orders?"

"HQ's giving us all sorts of orders!" The Batarian said between gasps for breath. He was on the move. "Some are telling us to stay, others to leave. I'm ordering my crew to get out of here!"

"What about civilians?" Balak asked. The elevator doors opened, and he and Shepard quickly stepped inside the cart. Before the elevator doors shut, Shepard and Balak could see another pack of husks running down the hallway.

The elevator doors shut. Silence came from the comm.

"What were the orders concerning civilians?" Balak demanded.

"…None, sir." The Batarian solemnly said. "Last I heard it was 'every man for himself."

Balak sighed in response, and rubbed his temples.

"Get in contact with all military vessels." Balak ordered "Protect civilian ships at all costs!"

"Are you crazy? Have you seen those things? We're leaving!" The Batarian yelled back. He then cut off communications with Balak. The line went dead.

"Gutless cowards." Balak growled out.

"You can't blame them for running." Shepard tried to calm him down "It's-"

"'Human' nature?" Balak asked "Do you think your people are doing any better than here?"

"Probably not." Shepard replied. " 'human' nature, after all."

Before they could talk longer, the elevator doors opened up. Outside, Shepard and Balak could see Reapers stalking the land far off, their lasers firing at local resistance. Fires raged in the distance.

Kar'Shan was burning.