Mass Effect 30 Day Challenge: Day 10

Prompt 10: Favourite Weapon

SPOILERS: Mass Effect 2

Power

Horizon; 2185 CE

Shepard studied the two colonists trapped in the seeker swarm stasis field with an expression of concern. "Think they're still conscious?" she asked Garrus, who stood just behind her while Grunt stalked the perimeter, shotgun in hand and keeping a look out for any more Collector drones.

Garrus leaned forward to study the standing colonist and he nodded slowly. "I think so. Good thing Mordin's countermeasure's working, or this would have been a really short mission."

"And we'd be here with the living statues," Kara shuddered. "I wish we could help them."

Garrus put a hand on her shoulder. "Stopping that Collector ship will help them. No matter what happens to them, if we stop them from being abducted, we've saved them."

She nodded, stepping away from the two colonists, her mouth a grim line. From their position, it looked as if they'd been frozen just as the one on the ground, a woman, was being helped up by the other, a man. Both of their faces were frozen in expressions of terror.

"Any sign of Williams?" Shepard asked as Garrus scouted up a set of stairs towards to inspect two other stasis colonists.

"Not so far," Garrus replied, returning. "Maybe they missed her."

"Or maybe she's already on that ship," Kara Shepard drew her assault rifle and signaled to Grunt to regroup. "Let's get moving."

The three of them went down a flight of steps towards more of the empty collector pods. According to EDI's data, their destination was on the other side of a large door just ahead.

"What's that?"

Shepard looked over to see Garrus pointing at a large greenish-grey item leaning against one of the pods. She crossed the stubby brownish grass and crouched down to study it. "Looks like one of the weapons the Collectors were using," she said. "Those energy weapons."

"Nasty," Garrus said. "But could be useful."

Shepard picked it up and studied the weapon. It was much lighter than it had looked and she found the trigger mechanism easily. After some inspection, she nodded and checked to make sure it was equipped with ammunition. "Definitely useful," she said. "These things were cutting through my shields like they were soft butter."

"Trouble!" Grunt called from just ahead of them in a courtyard just in front of the large door. Shepard and Garrus whirled to see more Collectors flying in over the tops of the buildings, armed with energy weapons. As the two of them sprinted forward to find cover, Shepard watched as one of the drones suddenly lurched forward with a spasm and its entire body crackled with a glowing yellow energy. It flew up into the air and a hollow, mechanical voice echoed around the courtyard. "ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL."

"What the hell is that?" Garrus yelled, picking off one of the drones with his sniper rifle.

"No clue," Shepard replied, "But it's ugly as hell and it looks like it hurts."

The creature flung a ball of black energy in Shepard's direction and she leapt out of the way, feeling the attack singe her scalp. The creature spoke again.

"WE ARE HARBINGER."

"That's NOT good,"Garrus muttered. "Crap, Grunt!"

The Krogan was charging across the field towards the mutated Collector, hollering his signature battle cry: "I. AM. KROGAN!" Harbinger flung out an arm and Grunt went flying across the courtyard, crumpling against a stack of crates.

"Go help him!" Shepard ordered Garrus. "I'll deal with this asshole."

She hoisted up the Collector weapon and aimed it at the yellow glowing monster. She glared at it. "You fucked with my Krogan," she growled. "Now you're gonna get it."

"MY ATTACKS WILL TEAR YOU APART." Harbinger flung more black energy at her, but Shepard ducked and rolled behind one of the abandoned pods.

"Don't think so buddy," she yelled, popping up out of cover and pointing her new weapon at the creature. "Have some of THIS!"

She fired the Collector weapon and was almost blown backwards by the force of the energy beam that pulsed out of it. She hit Harbinger square in the chest and he stumbled backwards. Shepard saw out of the corner of her eye that Garrus had given Grunt medi-gel and the two of them were now back in action, taking out the drones surrounding Harbinger with their rifles.

The weapon vibrated in Shepard's hands and she did her best to maintain a firm grip, keeping the beam focused on the possessed Collector, and within seconds the creature disintegrated and his ashes scattered on the wind. The hollow voice echoed across the courtyard one final time and Shepard felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end: "THIS CHANGES NOTHING, SHEPARD."

The last of the drones fell and Garrus and Grunt rejoined her. "Everything all right Commander?" Garrus asked. "What was that thing?"

Kara Shepard blinked a few times and looked around the now empty courtyard. She looked down at the energy weapon that had taken out the possessed Collector faster than any other weapon she'd used could ever even dream. She began to laugh and Garrus and Grunt looked at each other a bit uncertainly.

"No clue," she said, grinning madly at her companions. "But this baby here? This is like fucking Christmas."

Answer: Collector Particle Beam