Thrax was having a chat with the Zaeed. Discussing job stories, for a human he had a lot. Taking down a blood pack cell. Invading a turian cruiser, the only thing they didn't have in common was blowing up a space station. Thrax was about to start the space station story before Shepard walked in and said "Thrax there you are I need another krogans opinion on something."
"I'll tell you that story later." Thrax promised Zaeed.
"You'd better." Zaeed said with playful threat.
"Alright Shepard what the problem?" Thrax asked wondering what he'd need a krogans opinion about.
"Its Grunt, Kelly's said that he's been very agitated."
"So he a krogan." Thrax said with a shrug. They entered the cargo hold and saw Grunt pacing and fidgeting. "What's your problem whelp?" Thrax asked with a small hint of concern in his voice.
"There's something wrong. I feel angry. Like I want to kill something. But more than usual." Grunt then head butted the window that showed the stuttle bay. Leaving little cracks. "See that's not normal!" Grunt yelled causing Thrax to head butt him as hard as he could, knocking him out.
Turning to Shepard he said "I have no idea what's wrong with him and don't bother trying to look up krogan medical history. My people were defeated by scientists and laboratories. You want to know what's wrong with him you got to go to Turchanka."
"Tell me how will the other krogan react to him?" Shepard asked.
"The fact that he has no clan makes him a clanless. We treat our varren with more respect than we do clanless. Since he's a tankborn he'd be treated worse than other clanless." Thrax explained.
"EDI tell Joker to set a course for the krogan homeworld." Shepard said to the ship.
"Well looks like I'm going home. First time in sixteen hundred years. Wonder if they still have that ryncol that I like."
Turchanka. Shepard had taken the quarrian, Tali who, after someone let slip (Vakarian) that he'd set foot on her homeworld, kept bombarding him with questions along with him and Grunt, and Garrus. They walked out of the shuttle bay, after an incident with a Urdnot member and walked towards the clan chief.
The four walked up to the throne but were stopped from approaching it by two krogan. "Can you give me a minuet?" Thrax walked toward the store and said "you got any ryncol?"
"I've got several different kinds."
"Can you deliver them to the blue shuttle that landed?"
"Cost extra." The krogan store clerk said.
"Don't matter." Thrax grunted as he pulled a bottle and paid for it. He looked down at the varren beside the store clerk and said "this guy yours?" As he petted it on the head.
"Nope I'm just taking care of him. See the scars? Pit champion right here." Thrax knew that a board varren was not a good thing and he grabbed some of the meat and gave it to him. Which he devoured.
Thrax walked toward the clan chiefs throne and took a drink when he heard "a the benefits of a redundant nervous system eh Shepard."
"Humans don't have that whelp." Thrax said.
"Well, well. The great Warlord Talz working for Shepard." Wrex chuckled.
"You don't know what I've been paid." Thrax said back with a laugh.
"Looks like you've done well for yourself." Shepard said.
"Not for me Shepard for all krogan. Once I'm done the krogan will be whole."
"You weren't around for a unified krogan whelp. You sure that's a good idea?"
"Before the rebellion we were out of control. Still drunk on the attention and respect we had from destroying the rachni. But now we understand what its like to not know if our species will survive." Wrex said with such conviction it surprised Thrax.
"Your alright whelp." Thrax said as he offered Wrex a bottle of ryncol.
"So are you. For a fossil." Wrex said as he took the ryncol.
"Ah. I remember a time when the krogan respected there elders." Thrax sad as he shook his head.
"So Shepard what brings you to the glorious krogan homeworld." Wrex said glorious as a joke.
"I have a krogan on my ship. Can you tell me what's wrong with him."
Wrex walked towards him and sniffed him. "Where are you from whelp? Was your clan destroyed before you could learn what was expected of you?"
"I have no clan. I was tank bread my Warlord Okeer. My line distilled from Charr, Morro-" Grunt said before being cut off.
"You recite warlord yet you are the offspring of a syringe." The krogan who was standing in the corner said.
"I am pure krogan. You should be in awe." Grunt said with zero emotion.
"Okeer is a very old name. A very hated name." Wrex said.
"He is dead." Grunt said.
"Of course he is. Your with Shepard, how could he be alive?" Wrex said as he looked at Grunt.
"Does that name mean anything to you Wrex?" Shepard asked.
"Vicious warlord responsible for many deaths. He's considered one of the worst krogan to live. Surpassed in cruelty by only a few. One of which being-"
"Me" Thrax finished for him.
"A clone undertaking the Rite." Wrex muttered.
"You cannot be considering this!" The krogan in fancy armor said looking shocked. "This abomination as an adult? This is to far!"
Wrex ignored him and looked at Shepard and said "there's noting wrong with him he's becoming an adult."
"So we take him to Omega and buy him a dance?" Garrus said.
"What are you an idiot Vakarian?" Wrex said. "I don't care what aliens call it. When a child becomes an adult they undergo the Rite of Passage."
"To far Wrex! Your clan may rule but this thing-" Thrax had enough of this guy and as he walked by he got a headbutt to the face.
"You watch how you talk to him whelp. This tank bread is worth at least ten of you." Thrax said angrily.
"Idiot." Wrex said once the krogan got up and walked away before he looked back at Grunt and said "so Grunt, do you wish to stand with Urdnot?"
Grunt took a moment and looked at the clan camp. A moment later he turned to Wrex and nodded. "Good boy speak to the shaman he'll tell you what to do."
Shepard brought Thrax, who was still drinking his bottle of ryncol, and Grunt up to a balcony that overlooked the camp, and walked toward a krogan who was arguing with the krogan from before. "You go beyond yourself Gatatog Uvenk!" The shaman was saying.
"How do we even know that the beasts will attack him? He's nothing more than a lump of plastic!" Uvenk argued.
"They know blood no matter the womb." The shaman countered.
"I'll speak for myself." Grunt said to the pair.
"So this is the tankbread? Looks life-like." He sniffed Grunt and said "smells real to. Your argument is void."
"I don't care what this idiot says, Grunt has a right to be here." Shepard said looking at Uvenk.
"Hmm, this alien has some fire in him. And is putting you to shame." The Shaman said.
"If this is to happen, then I invoke a denial. My followers are true krogan everything about Grunt is a lie-" Just then Uvenk stumbled back. In recoil after he was head butted from Shepard.
Looking at Shepard in disbelief he said "you, you dare?!" He said.
The Shaman and Thrax broke out in laughter and the Shaman said "I like he human. He understands!" before he let out another laugh.
Uvenk looked angry "I revoke my denial. This will be settled elsewhere." He said as he walked away.
"Can that idiot interfere in the Right?" Thrax asked.
"He's forbidden from interfering. Whether is actually will is another matter. Now Grunt are you ready to become part of Clan Urdnot?" The Shaman said.
"I'm ready!" Grunt said as he pounded his fists together.
"Grunts not going anywhere without me." Shepard said.
"Very well." The Shaman said before he looked at Thrax and said "but I'm afraid you cannot take part." Thrax nodded and didn't argue. It wouldn't be right for a krogan already considered an adult to take the Right. Thrax saw the Shaman, Grunt and Shepard off and started to walk towards the shuttle bay when he saw another shuttle land. The one who exited was the salarien, Mordin. "Mordin? Are you suicidal?" Thrax said wondering how a salarien could be so smart and dumb at the same.
"No time to worry about harm from krogan. Just learned that a former college is on Turchanka, kidnapped by blood pack on Weyrloc orders." He said rapidly.
"So just wait til Shepard gets back." Thrax said knowing that other krogan were staring.
"No time! Maleon may be tortured as we speak!"
Mordin shouted. Thrax groaned and said "fine let's go to as the whelp." He said as he walked with Mordin towards the throne.
"Need something else?" Wrex said as he saw Thrax.
"This salariens has a friend that was kidnapped, possibly on Weyrloc orders. We need to know where he would be held." Thrax said.
Wrex thought for a moment before he said "I remember my scout master mentioned something about Clan Weyrloc taking over a hospital. They have strong ties to the blood pack. If your friend was a doctor that'd be the best place to told him. If you feel like clearing them out go talk to my scout master." Wrex said.
They walked towards were Wrex said the scout would be and Thrax noticed someone following them. He quickly turned and saw it was a varren. "What the?" Thrax muttered as the varren started to rub its head against his leg.
"Nuzzling, common sign of affection among many species." Mordin said.
seeing the store clerk come up to the pair he said "well looks like Urz likes you." He said before his eyes lit up with an idea "hey listen why don't you take him with you? He's board around here and never gets to see any action."
Thrax thought about it for a moment and said "that Cerberus bitch is gonna be pissed." Before he started to laugh.
Thrax agreed and the new trio went off to talk to the scout master. "What do you want? Wrex said to give you a truck if you need it." the krogan said.
"Do tomkahs still operate the same was as they did during the rebellion?" Thrax asked not sure if they changed.
"Course. Why change a good thing?" The scout master said like the question was stupid.
They got in a tomkaha and Thrax punched it into high gear before he turned and asked Mordin "alright salarien the truth now. Why is clan Weyrloc after your friend?"
Mordin sighed and said "probably discovered work on genophage modification."
Thrax slammed on the breaks, turned and looked at him "genophage modification?!" Thrax shouted.
"Yes krogan were adapting to genophage. Breeding more rapidly. Not near the extent to before the rebellion but still more rapidly than should be allowed."
"Should be?! What the fuck gives you the right to decide how many krogan births should be allowed?!" Thrax screamed at him.
"Had to make choice. Couldn't allow rebellion to happen again. Hoard of krogan equals a threat to galactic peace. Genophage most humane decision." Mordin said, voice completely devoid of emotions.
Thrax was furious but in the back of his mind he knew that he was right. If the krogan ever had the chance most of them would want revenge against the galaxy for what was done to them. But that still didn't make it right. Turning back he started driving again. Thrax stopped five minutes from the hospital. Walking on foot would be a better decision than alerting every being there about their arrival. They walked toward the hospital. Halfway their Thrax saw a pair of crawlers and pushed Mordin out-of-the-way and shielded him. Getting a back full of flames in the process once he felt it let up slightly and spun and backhanded the crawler and hollered "Urz kill it" he indicated to the still standing crawler which didn't have a chance to shoot flames at Urz before it was torn to shreds.
"Thank you." Mordin said as he got up and pulled his omni tool up and scanned him.
"What do you think you're doing?" Thrax said not moving very well.
"Scanning you to determine the extent of your injuries." Mordin said.
"Don't worry. Give it a few seconds." Thrax said as he started to walk towards the hospital.
"Fascinating! Cellular regeneration on a scale equal to that of a vorcha!" Mordan said sounding astonished. Before Thrax could respond they were attacked by vorcha, varren and a few krogan. Grabbing his shotgun he pumped a few slugs into the vorcha before he charged the krogan, lifted him up and threw him off the side. Before he saw Urz tear the throat of a varren out and Mordin launching a fireball from his omni tool at another krogan.
"They teach you that in STG?" Thrax said.
"Yes" Mordin said seriously.
Krogan hospital. Sturdy, built to withstand punishment."
"A hospital is a place of birth. Something that doesn't happen much thanks to you." Thrax said still angry.
"Did what had to be done." Mordin replied sadly. They walked into a giant room with pipes everywhere and a catwalk above them and a group of krogan and vorcha were spread across it. "I am the speaker for Clan Weyrloc! You two have shed our blood. By rights you should already be dead! But Weyrloc Guld, Chief of Chiefs has given you permission to flee and spread the word of the new krogan empire! For once the salarien has cured the genophage the krogan rebellions will become the Krogan Empire!"
"By the Void! Will you shut up?" Thrax roared as he pulled out his pistol and quickly put two shots into the pipe beneath the speaker causing him to catch fire. Thrax bolted for the ramp that lead up to the catwalk. When he got there he shot two vorcha that were in his way and launched a shockwave at the last two krogan before blowing away there heads.
"Troubling. Appears they've discovered Malons involvement with genophage modification." Mordin said sounding worried. Thrax didn't respond but Urz rubbed his scaly head against Mordins hand which seamed to cheer him up a little. They went through the door that the Speaker came from and they saw a laboratory. They walked through it but they saw the body of a krogan covered by a sheet laying on a slab. They approached it and Mordan picked up a data pad and quickly examined it "dead krogan, female, tumors indicate experiments, no restraint marks, voluntary. Sterile Weyrloc female, willing to risk procedure. Hoped for cure. Pointless waist of life." Mordin said sadly.
"What? Did you expect us to just sit back and accept that the the salariens are killing us off? Is your genophage still the most humane decision?"
Thrax asked him. Mordin just silently stared at the female and said "so many variables. In the end decision either genophage or genocide. Did what was best."
Thrax grabbed Mordin and made him look directly at the body and said "if this is your best, then what good are you?" Thrax left the labs and went down a ramp. He came to a big room with catwalks that connected both sides. He saw three vorcha on the other side of the room and launched a singularity before he threw a warp which sent them flying over the edge. Now alerted by the explosion several other vorcha and krogan began firring at him. Ducking behind a pillar he quickly popped out a hit a vorcha in the head. Holstering his weapon he pulled out his pistol and quickly popped out and fired three quick shots one hitting a krogan but didn't penetrate his armor, the other two killing a vorcha. When he popped out to deal with the last krogan he was surprised to see him covered in ice. Looking behind him he saw Mordin with his arm extended. Thrax walked to the frozen krogan and punched it. Nodding to Urz and Mordin they went down a ramp. At the bottom Thrax was sent to the ground by a tackling varren. Before he could shoot a nova Urz bit it in the throat. Which covered Thrax's face in varren blood, but it did kill it. Throwing the dead varren to the side, Thrax got up and threw two dark matter balls at a krogan sending him flying at a wall at lethal speeds. Just then a new krogan came out. "Revel in fear! For you now face Weyrloc Guld, Chief of Chiefs!"
Thrax really didn't like this ass hat and threw a warp at him which, to his surprise, he blocked with his own. Thrax grabbed one of the boxes from around the room and hurled it at Guld, which he stopped effortlessly and hurled it back at Thrax so fast he wasn't able to stop it. Thrax needed a new strategy and remembering a biotic move from long ago he started to use his biotics to tear apart the atmosphere, ripping the ions from the air. Guld having enough of an attack that did nothing launched another warp... Or tried to. When he made the motion to launch a warp nothing happened. He didn't even have time to wonder what happened before he was thrown against the all by a biotic charge. Thrax pulled out his gun a shot him. Leaving though the door Guld entered, they followed the hall and found a lone salarian on a holographic terminal. He turned a gave a quick glance their way before he returned to whatever he was doing.
"Maelon! Alive, unharmed. No evidence of restraint, torture, don't understand."
"For such a smart man professor you seem to have a hard time with the obvious. Did it ever occur to you that maybe I'm here because I want to be?" Maleon said.
"This pyjack wasn't kidnapped. He came here voluntarily." Thrax said barely restraining his anger.
"No! Whole team agreed. Modification necessary to stabilize krogan race."
"Well I didn't agree! But what could I say? Who was I compared to the great Dr. Solus?" Maleon said angrily.
"Experiments performed here barbaric! Torture, experimenting of living krogan! This goes against everything we believed in!"
"We've already got the blood of millions on our hands! What's a few more if it gets me to the genophage cure." Maleon said as he pulled out a gun and pointed it at Mordin.
That caused Thrax to react. He used his biotics to create a blade that cut of his hand causing him to scream. Mordin walked up to him and punched him in the face and said "unacceptable experiments! Unacceptable goals! Won't change, no choice, have to kill you." As he pulled out his gun.
"Mordin stop! Your not a murderer! You pull that trigger you'll be no better than him, or me for that matter." Thrax said.
"No...no not a murderer." Mordan said as he pulled out some medigel and placed it on the stump that was now Maleons left hand.
"What do you want to do with him?" Thrax asked.
"Let him go." Mordin said simply.
"You heard him leave." Thrax said.
"But where am I suppose to go?" Maleon asked.
"Don't know, don't care. Try Omega, could always use another clinic." After Maleon left, Mordin went to the holographic terminal and said "Maleons data, not sure what to do with it. Could destroy it, closure."
"After all this, after seeing the lengths that the krogan are willing to go through to end this curse, you still agree with the genophage?" Thrax asked.
"Now...I'm not sure." Mordin said.
"Keep the research." Thrax said.
"Genophage cure still years away but healthy start. I'm ready to leave, ready to be off turchanka. Maybe go somewhere sunny."
"I'm sorry about how all this turned out."Thrax said.
"Me to."
A/N well here's another Thrax. I originally was going to have this be Grunts loyalty but I found writing it boring Mordins on the other hand isn't. Well remember, read,review,follow,favorite, in that order.
Also the move Thrax used was basically a biotic version of overload. I got the move from The Encyclopedia Biotica by LogicalPremise.
Until next time
Jaffa3 out.