Chapter 7
Target: Clan Uragor
Ventius landed the Aequitas on the landing pad of Tuchanka.
Several Krogan stood guarding the platform.
Another group was approaching the landing ship.
"What business do you have on Tuchanka Turian?" one of the Krogan asked, irritated that he even had to address the likes of Ventius.
"I was sent here by the Citadel Council to deal with an ongoing situation." Ventius answered.
"We can handle our own situations. Get back on your ship and leave." The Krogan said, almost pushing Ventius backwards.
"I request an audience with your Clan Leader. Immediately." Ventius said, pushing his way through the Krogan towards the "settlement."
Scarred by bombardment craters, radioactive rubble, choking ash, salt flats, and alkaline seas, Tuchanka, the krogan homeworld, can barely support life. Thousands of years ago life grew in fierce abundance under the F-class star Aralakh (a Raik clan word meaning "Eye of Wrath"). Tree analogs grew in thick jungles, their roots growing out of shallow silty seas. Life fed upon life in an evolutionary crucible. This world died in nuclear firestorms after the krogan split the atom. A "little ice age" of nuclear winter killed off the remaining plant life. In recent centuries many krogan have returned to their homeworld. The reduced albedo has caused global temperatures to rise. In order to maintain livable temperatures, a vast shroud was assembled at the L1 Lagrange point. It is maintained by the Council Demilitarization Enforcement Mission (CDEM) which is based on orbiting battlestations.
"You must be the Turian who was causing trouble on my ship platform. Welcome to Tuchanka. Anyone who stands up to Krogan and lives to talk about it is ok in my books. So what brings you to Tuchanka?" the clan leader asked Ventius.
"The Citadel Council sent me to deal with a situation regarding one of the other clans." Ventius answered.
"Citadel Council?! Bah! They have no say here. If the Council sent you, then you must be a Spectre. Oh, I almost forgot introductions. The name is Jorgal Togar. I lead Clan Jorgal. We have one of the longest krogan breeding lines in Krogan history. I continue that legacy. Now you said something about a situation with another clan. Which clan might that be?" Togar asked Ventius.
"I believe they said Clan Uragor." Ventius replied.
"Uragor?! Gives me a bad taste in my mouth. Or that might be the pyjak meat I ate earlier. I don't know. Anyways, I give you permission to pursue Clan Uragor. Take one of our Makos. Their base is in the outskirts. I believe it is located in an abandoned military base or some nonsense like that. Captain Rigor tells me a scout was taken captive by them. If you happen to find him, send him back here. We can afford to lose our numbers to a rival clan. You understand. Preservation is the name of the game around here. Preserve our legacy and preserve our blood line, though that is tough these days. But, on to the point. Good Luck Spectre. Remember, leave enough alive, so when we go in to clean up your mess, we can assimilate the survivors of their clan into our own clan." Togar said to Ventius.
Ventius nodded and followed one of the Krogan over to the Mako.
He handed Ventius a map and a radio.
Ventius entered the Mako and began to make his way to Clan Uragor's hideout.
The terrain was bumpy and filled with cracks and craters. Broken bridges littered the roadway.
There were rumors that a different assortment of creatures aside from the Krogan called the planet of Tuchanka home.
Even the mighty and dangerous, Thresher Maw could call this place home.
Thresher maws are solitary creatures; two or three at most can be found on a single planet. They live alone in nests spanning large areas underground. They can grow in excess of 30 meters above the ground, with a body nearly twice that size beneath the surface. The body of an adult thresher maw never entirely leaves the ground; only the head and tentacles erupt from the ground to attack.
Aggressive and highly territorial, thresher maws feed by absorbing significant quantities of solar radiation and survive best on planets, asteroids or moons with little or no atmosphere. They also consume minerals and ores from the ground itself for use in an unusual form of photosynthesis. This metabolic process, utilizing solar radiation and minerals as raw materials, creates the fuel that powers their various biological processes and allows them to move their significant mass with surprising speed.
Due to their size, and their burrowing method of movement, thresher maws are mostly immobile above ground, but can move at incredible velocities through subterranean environments. They can absorb a tremendous amount of damage and are very hard to kill. Their attacks consist of spitting a powerful, viscous acid that splashes on contact, burrowing up from beneath their prey, and smashing their targets with their claws in close range while emitting infra sound. Due to the overwhelming, direct physical nature of their attacks, shields are completely ineffective at mitigating any damage that is taken.
The Krogan base lay just a few hundred yards away, but Ventius had stopped to scope out the place from a distance, in case they had any exterior defenses.
A few guards patrolled the base's exterior, but it was nothing Ventius couldn't handle.
He got back into the Mako and drove closer to the base.
"What do you think you're doing here?" one of the guards angrily asked Ventius as he approached him.
Rather than come up with some excuse, Ventius decided to just pull out his gun and take out the guards.
He then proceeded into the base and decided it was best to use stealth from here on in.
A Krogan scout went to check up on the situation outside, but Ventius quickly and quietly took him out.
He continued through the building, avoiding the rest of the interior defenses and finally reaching the bases command center.
"Welcome Spectre!" Ventius heard a voice say from above.
On the steel walkway above, stood a Krogan wearing a ceremonial helmet and armor.
"You must be the leader of Clan Uragor." Ventius said to the Krogan as he slowly walked further into the command center.
"I don't have time for niceties and formalities. Your head will fetch a pretty hefty price among black market dealers. My clan will be the most powerful clan on Tuchanka if I am able to successfully kill a Spectre." The Uragor clan leader said to Ventius.
"That is only IF you are successful." Ventius said, just as he fired a round at the Krogan.
The Krogan just barely dodged the round, the wall behind him being struck by the high-powered sniper rifle shot.
The Krogan jumped down and charged at Ventius.
Ventius fired a few rounds which struck the Krogan, but he kept charging at him.
Ventius was knocked back, falling through one of the tables as the Krogan struck him.
"Hahaha! Not so sure of yourself now are we Spectre?!" the Krogan shouted as he charged again at Ventius.
This time, Ventius was able to move out of the way.
The Krogan crashed into the wall and held his head in pain.
Ventius drew his knife and jumped on the Krogan's back, stabbing him in the side of the neck.
The Krogan tossed Ventius over his head, slamming him into the wall.
Ventius slowly got up as the Krogan fell to the floor, pulling the knife out of his neck and tossing it aside.
Before the Krogan could get up, Ventius fired another round at the Krogan, this time striking him in the temple.
The Krogan's body slumped to the ground in front of the center command console.
Ventius went to retrieve his knife, when he heard a bang and his vision blurred.
He turned around to see what had happened and was struck in the face by the butt of a gun.
"Tie him up and get him aboard the ship!" a voice ordered as Ventius fell into unconsciousness.