FREEDOMS PROGRESS
The shuttle ride to Freedoms Progress had been quiet, apart from a few snippets of conversation, the rest had been mostly silent. As they approached the colony from the East, Calen took in the view around her. A beautiful world, it reminded her a little of her own home world, Mindoir, yet, even on the approach to the main city, they could see the empty farms and villages. No one moved, animals grazed in the fields but no humans could be seen.
No women, men and children. That hit the hardest, no children. Whomever was doing this were very very thorough.
They landed just outside the main docking area and Shepard stepped out first, the silence rang louder here than anywhere else, it was a ghost town, like one of the old western towns on earth that had been abandoned for something more modern. Jacob shook his head a little, he, like the Commander had hoped to find some survivors, but even on the fly over and now, stepping from the shuttle to look around him that hope fled.
Miranda for once remained silent, she really did not have the words to convey what she had seen flying over or landing. She had changed out of her white and black uniform, for an armoured black and gold uniform, her headset looked like a very expensive modern pair of glasses, the data feed scrolling up one side.
Jacob was wearing the same uniform he had on when he met Shepard, she was a little fed up with seeing how tight it fit in some places. Assuming she stayed with the bunch of murdering sons-of-bitches, then she would insist he wear a proper set of armour on missions. What he wore casual on whatever vessel they would be on, well that would be up to him. She didn't much care for him or his attitude, and she certainly didn't much care for his barely hidden hero worship of her.
However, there was obviously something between Miranda and himself, what was it Miranda had told her? Oh yeah, Cerberus didn't have the same stringent regulations on fraternisation. Why she was told that was unusual, but every now and then Miranda would shoot Jacob a look that said they had, at least at one point, been more than friends.
Calen herself wore her N7 armour, Miranda had it made for her, for which she was very grateful, at least it was something she could relate to. Her helmet let her data feed scroll up and, like Miranda's, there were no life signs at all.
"We better search the buildings" She sighed, the sinking feeling of finding anyone was becoming stronger.
They searched building to building. Nothing, and Jacob had even pointed out that it looked like the colonists had been settling down for an evening meal. Whatever had happened to them, happened fast, there were no signs of gunfire, no bodies, and no signs of struggle. It was like they had all been transported out of here before anyone could raise any defence.
She thought about the old Science fiction vids she had watched as a child, it reminded her of them although she found that a little hard to believe right now. Just as she was finding Miranda's statement about Liara even harder to believe. Calen leant on one of the stone stair walls and looked out over empty town. She waited for a moment and silently pointed, there was the gateway that led into the main hub of the colony.
Maybe, just maybe someone managed to hide in one of the observation towers or the generator bunker. She wanted desperately to find someone. As they walked through they were attacked not only by mechs but Fenris mechs, mechanical hounds that acted like security dogs,
"What the fuck are they!" Shepard demanded as she ducked beside Miranda.
"They were created two and a half years ago" Miri explained, loosening off an overload "They are very effective, and someone is here, because they should have tagged us as human. They have been programmed to attack"
"Well that's something at least" Calen slammed a pull field then followed up with a biotic throw that sent the mech hound into the side and exploding.
"Before we continue Commander, I want to say a couple of things"
"Can it wait until we have sorted out what's going on?" Shepard was brusque in her reply.
Miranda couldn't blame her for that one, when the had reached Ontario station and Calen had attempted a conversation with her, she had been rather cold.
"You do realise, that you have access to the biotic spectrum, you are not just a Vanguard Shepard"
"Some of your handy work Lawson?" Shepard asked as she shot another Fenris.
"No that's just it...it was always there, when we implanted the cybernetics into you I read the readouts that came up. You were classed as a Vanguard because that was your strongest field, but Shepard you can use any biotic ability."
Shepard looked at her for a moment and shook her head, "This week just keeps getting better and better."
"It might have something to do with the drive core burst over Mindoirs polar region, before you were born." Miranda explained.
"Can we do this later, I think I have had enough shocks for one month don't you" Without waiting for a response she stood up, her body glowed and she moved across the space between Miranda and the last mech with astonishing speed, sending it back and over the edge of the walkway. Terminal system failures emitting from its mechanical voice as it fell.
"I hate mechs" Calen muttered, then drawing her Tempest, she moved into the next building to see four Quarians studying a map.
"Cerberus!" One unhooked a shotgun "Shoot the bastards."
"No one will shoot anyone Prazza, not unless...wait a minute...Calen!"
For the first time since she woke up Calen felt like crying. There before her stood Tali'Zorah, Calen holstered her gun and grabbed Tali, hugging her so close that Tali knew that it was her Calen, her friend, and she hugged her back.
"I thought you were dead...what happened?" Tali had a thousand and one questions then stepped back "Wait this could be a trap."
Calen took Tali's hand "Did the information on the Geth I gave to you help with your pilgrimage Tali?"
"Yes, yes it did...oh Calen its so good to see you!"
"Likewise Tali" She hugged her again and stepped back "So, want to tell me what's going on"
"What we are working with Cerberus now?" The one called Prazza shook his head "Fuck that"
"No!" There was an authoritative tone in Tali's voice that Shepard had never heard before, she smiled a little "You are working for me, if you can't deal with that, then go back to the ship Bosh'tet" Tali turned her attention to her old Commander "We are here for a Quarian named Veetor, he was here on pilgrimage and we want to take him home."
"I thought you all went on ships" Calen frowned in puzzlement.
"We can choose where we want to go, Veetor always wanted to help on a small colony and he was always nervous in big crowds."
"Pah she's being too kind" Prazza snarled, "What she means is, he is unstable, and add to that he might have damage to his suit and his CO2 scrubbers then he will have a fever too."
"So, what happened to make you all hate Cerberus so much? Tali I can understand, but the rest of the Quarians?"
Miranda shifted a little, the Commander noticed the uncomfortable expression that hit her features. This was going to be a dozer of a revelation that was certain, nice to see the Ice Queen could get uncomfortable.
"Cerberus attacked our Flotilla, killed some of our people and tried to blow up one of our ships" Prazza explained.
"That's not exactly how I would have put it Commander..." Miranda began,
"We can stand here and play the blame game or find this Veetor and get the answers we need" Jacob interjected.
"Tali," Calen asked, her grey eyes still focused on Miranda "We should team up, we'd have a better chance of finding him, use the old communications code we used on the Normandy OK Tali?"
"Good idea" Tali nodded "and Calen, its good to see you alive and I am glad to see that you are still in charge"
"We have a lot of catching up to do Tali, but it can be done later."
Tali stepped forward and lowering her voice spoke in Quarian, she had taught Calen her language on their downtime between missions, it helped when Tali wanted a private conversation.
"I saw you die Calen,"
"I did die Tali, I am still trying to wrap my head around it all. Have you seen anyone else?"
Tali was silent for a moment "I saw Ashley a few months ago but I haven't seen anyone else."
Calen nodded and rested a hand on her shoulder, "Take care Tali, lets get this done"
Tali left with the other Quarians and for the first time since she woke up into this nightmare, she was happy.
They made their way through the colony, destroying the flying drones that Tali warned them about. She also warned them that Prazza and her squad had gone on ahead, wanting to get to Veetor first. Miranda scathingly uttered that they should not have trusted them. Calen glanced at her.
"I don't blame them Lawson, if Cerberus did that to me, I wouldn't want them touching anyone I cared about...oh that's right, they did"
Miranda didn't say anything more about it. They moved to the large gate and did as the Commander directed, taking a position either side of the massive gates, Shepard took point. Tali opened the doors and in they went, taking cover and witnessing the deaths of Prazza and his squad at the hands of a YMIR mech, A brute of a machine with rocket launchers and Gatling gun attachment. Due to its new programming it showed no mercy, even treading on a Quarian female before blowing her head off at point blank range with a rocket launcher. That was overkill by anyone's standards.
Calen peered round the corner to see Tali safely out of harms way. She glanced at Taylor and chucked him a rocket launcher, then blink clicked Mirandas icon.
"Commander?"
"Hit it with a large Overload, when I've charged it, hit it again with a warp"
"Yes Commander"
"Taylor"
"Commander"
"Keep distracting it with those rockets"
"Yes ma'am"
Shepard waited for Miranda to hit with the overload, it was a massive hit too, took its shields down completely. She gathered her focus and charged, smashing into the machine with such force it stumbled backwards, at that moment Miranda hit it with a warp field and shortly after another. Calen did another charge, just as Jacobs rocket launcher hit home. Calen dived for cover as the YMIR exploded.
"Nice work" Shepard complimented and gathered her strength together. Then, with the two Cerberus operatives headed into a secluded building.
The voice that came from the seat in front of them was disorientated, scared and racked with fever. He kept going on about swarms and monsters, monsters coming back for him, they never forget. Shepard didn't get an answer when she called his name, and Jacob was not convinced that they would get anything from the Quarian.
Using her omni-tool Calen waved it and the screens went blank, causing the Quarian to turn round. The shock at seeing them reflected in his voice. Calen gently explained that they had just got there and could he tell them anything.
He did better then that, he showed them.
Before their eyes, they saw the colonists taken from their homes, and put into piles, then moved into what looked like stasis pods and taken away. The creatures that took them looked like giant bugs and Shepard had never seen anything like them before, Miranda and Jacob had.
"What are they?" Shepard wanted to know.
"Collectors" Miranda whispered, afraid that if she said it too loud, they might jump out the screen at them.
"The what?" Calen arched an eyebrow "I've never seen or heard of them before."
"Not surprising Commander" Jacob told her "They are so rare most people think they are a nothing more then a myth. They come into our space, trade their technology for whatever they want and disappear beyond the Omega IV relay."
Veetor went on to show them the swarms that seemed to incapacitate the humans, Miranda thought they might be some sort of neurotoxin, designed to keep their victims in stasis until they were ready to move them elsewhere. When Veetor told them he had readings that included dark energies, Miranda told the Commander to grab him and bring him with them.
Tali chose to make her entrance about then, and just in time to catch Mirandas order.
"Veetor is sick, he needs help, you are welcome to his omni-tool data but I want to take him home"
"How do we know you will send us the data, your betrayed us last time." Miranda remarked.
"I promise you, he won't be harmed, just want to talk to him about what he saw" Jacob tried to smooth things over, but Tali wasn't having it.
"Prazza and his squad were fools and they paid for that with their lives" She snarled.
"Veetor goes back to the flotilla" Shepard quietly said "Tali will make sure we get the information we need, I am not handing him over to your...investigators" Calen made her stance clear.
Jacob could barely contain his surprise when Miranda inclined her head a little "Of course Commander, whatever you say."
"Take him home Tali" Calen turned to her friend "When you are done doing whatever it is you are doing, maybe you'll be able to come help me"
"If I can" Tali nodded "and thankyou Shepard, I am glad Cerberus hasn't changed who you are"
Calen hugged her again and watched her walk away with Veetor, then turned her attention back to the screen which had frozen on the images of the Collectors. She had a really bad feeling about this.