Chapter 5: Fight in the Tunnels
"Scoped and dropped!" Garrus belted, taking down the geth at the top of the stairway. Shepard and the team had been fighting through the tunnels under the colony. Enduring wave after wave of close quarter combat against geth and Thorian creepers, Shepard, Tali and Garrus advanced slowly through the tunnels.
Shepard raised his shotgun. "You missed one." Shepard fired, slimy green ooze from a creeper cut in half by the blast splashed onto the turian.
Tali exhaled. "Keelah I hate those things."
"The last time we fought them I couldn't get the smell out. Even with the suites air filtration units disabled."
The team continued fighting up the stairs, fighting through synthetics and creeper alike. Shepard sent a biotic shock wave down the hallway, clearing out a group of charging creepers. Garrus armed with his vindicator battle rifle fired several bursts at a team of geth, while Tali drained their sheilds giving Garrus free shot at the synthetics. They pushed through, getting closer to the end of the tunnels.
The tunnels shook violently, sending debris falling from the ceiling. The shaking caused the team to stumble. "What the hell was that?"
Joker shouted over the radio. " Shepard... geth... are...!" The message was broken up by static, but Joker was clearly panicked.
"Joker! Jeff whats going on up there?" Shepard didn't get a response. "We have to keep moving."
Shepard and his team continued. Shepard didn't run into any geth or thorian creepers on the way to the end of the tunnel. An asari stood at the far end of the last stretch of the tunnel. She stood there looking somberly over the pit where the Thorian fell all those years ago. The asari wore standard light armor that asari commandos wore to battle. Her green skin seemed to blend in with the dim lighting of the tunnel.
She turned her head, finally noticing the group she had been waiting for. "Shepard."
"Expecting any one else?"
A grin formed in the corner of her mouth. "I've been meaning to thank you, but I didn't think Illium was the place for it." She walked closer to the group. The team raised their weapons at the thorian possessed clone.
"Before I kill you..."
She interupted. "Want to know about the cold ones or geth as you call them?
Shepard nodded. "The cold ones invaded several weeks ago. They quickly discovered my existence and a deal was struck with their masters."
"The Reapers?" Shepard said aloud.
"Maybe. They offered me this planet to have as my own while the rest of the galaxy suffers its cleansing by fire and..."
Done listening to the rant Shepard opened fire on the possessed asari, his team following the lead. Each shot was absorbed by the asari's biotic barrier. Outstretching her arm, she unleashed a wave of biotic power that sent Shepard and his squad flying into the wall. "Foolish creatures. I will not be defeated again!"
Shepard got back to his feet and bioticaly charged the thorian controlled asari. The asari stumbled back as Shepard fired at shot point blank with his shot gun. Her barrier absorbed this as well and she sent Shepard flying back with another biotic throw. Garrus and Tali fired at the asari, only for them to be absorbed by her sheild as well. "Damn it her barrier is to strong!" Garrus yelled.
She turned her attention to the turian. With a flick of her wrist she pulled Garrus towards her and slammed him into the wall next to her. She walked closer to Tali, each shot the quarian fired only bounced off the barrier. "Foolish off worlder." She out stretched her arm and sent a wave of biotic energy towards the quarian.
"Ugh!" Tali doubled over in pain. She had been hit by a warp field. The quarian raised her head to meet the eyes of the asari above her. She unsheathed the knife she carried on the side of her boot and thrust it at the asari. The blade made it through the armor and from the pained look that flashed on the asari's face the blade made contact. Another wave of biotic energy sent Tali flying into the wall behind her.
The asari stood over her seemingly beaten opponent, dark blue energy enveloping her hands. Tali raised her arm, flashing her omni tool. "Hmm... you believe that will save you?" She looked down at the quarian. "You have lost."
"You should really look up." Humoring her beaten victom the thorian did just that. A green disc floated in the air. "What is this?" With out warning the disc exploded and a blinding green flash of light.
A blue flash charged across the the tunnel. The asari slammed against the wall, creating a very audible thud against the stone wall. She slowly raised her head, making eye contact with Shepard's hand cannon. "What did you..."
"Damping grenade." Tali answered, picking herself up. "You aren't so tough without that barrier."
Shepard held his pistol steadily, not moving in the slightest. "You think you've won this day do you?"
"Your colonies will burn!" She taunted. "They cannot be stopped!"
"Maybe." Shepard said, without any trace of emotion in his voice. "But I'll stop you right now." Two shots then rang throughout the tunnels.
The team left the tunnels without saying a word, taking the trek back to the main colony in silence.
Back on the Normandy:
The team that consisted of Tali, Jack and Garrus met in the briefing room. The Feros colony had been completely destroyed and Alliance ships would be conducting search and rescue missions on the colony. But as far as Shepard could tell the colony was lost. The geth had bombarded the colony from orbit and fled the system shortly after.
"Shepard the Alliance is sending a carrier to the colony, I think we're done here."
"So Shepard, does rewriting the geth sound as good now as it did back when you did it?" Jack commented.
"I'll have to agree with Jack on this one Shepard." Tali added. "The geth wouldn't have been in a position to attack a human colony if you didn't..."
"We don't know that." Garrus cut in. "We have know idea whether or not those were heretic geth or any of Legions."
"So you suggest we fly into the veil and ask who's, who?" Jack snapped.
"That might not be a bad idea." Shepard sighed.
"You aren't serious?" Tali questioned, her voice full of shock.
"We don't know what's going on out there and Legion's geth could be of some use." Garrus reasoned.
Jacked scoffed. "So they blow up a colony and you wanna knock on the front door and ask for help? They say I'm the crazy one!"
"I'm not deciding any thing yet!" Shepard cut in. "Crew dismissed."
Jack, Tali and Garrus made their way out of the briefing room. E.D.I's avatar popped up on the railing. "The council is trying to call you. Do you want to respond?"
"Put them through."
"Is this report correct Shepard!" Udina bellowed as soon as the connection was made. "The entire colony is destroyed!"
"If you don't believe me you can go there yourself." Shepard snapped.
"I'm more interested in the geth presence on Feros." The salarian councilor chimed in. "Why have they attacked if as you claim is correct and you rewrote them?"
"It sounds like you got played Shepard." The turian councilor added. "And your decisions are catching up with you."
Shepard darted a glare at the councilor. "I had no idea about the geth, but I intend to look into it."
"The council does not wish to know the exact details of you mission Shepard. Just that you get results." The asari councillor contributed.
It was always this way. Shepard would try his very best, but for the council it was often not good enough. Now that the geth destroyed a colony in the traverse and Shepard's recent failures in stopping Reaper attacks on colonies elsewhere are only serving to fuel the councils complaints.
"I'm actually a little surprised at you Shepard." The turian said in a chastising tone of voice. "I would have thought you would have been more motivated to save a human colony."
Shepard shook his head. "I don't need this."
The holographic images of the council dissipated. "Woops!" Joker yelped over the inter com.
"I guess when they rebuilt the ship they didn't fix that `cut out' problem commander."
"Jeff cut communication commander." E.D.I corrected. "There is no `cut out` problem."
Shepard laughed. "Oh you'll get it one day E.D.I "
End.