Mass Effect : Shepard 's Letters
Chapter Nine – Two Towers and the Mad Knights
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"Goddamn Bosh'tets! Goddamn Bosh'tets! Damnit, answer Zaeed!"
"Goddamn Bosh'tets?!" Ashley shouts over the sound of her rifle.
"Old man Massani has not ear for music."
"No, not that! I've meant…" But it was impossible to speak over a Claymore on a Carnage shot.
"The Human Zaeed is with the Krogan?" Javik could hear them over any interference from the battle. At the Citadel, the Prothean had grown found of the veteran Merc, in his own way; akin Souls, maybe.
"Zaeed "Sole Survivor" Massani? Who besides Krogans would be entertained on sticking around such a reputable celebrity?" Wrex chuckled on his own joke but someone barked at his comms.
"I'll just tell'ya where I'll stick around you! You goddamn overgrown toad!"
"Cut the pleasantries! We'll do the Hunting Maw move I've told the other night. Get your ass…"
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Zaeed Massani's good eye got as wide as the artificial one giving a short symmetry to his battered face.
"Bloody frigging lunatics! Wrex should have put that runt to sleep early instead of telling tall tales and fuddling themselves with ryncol till morning!"
"Com'on Jessie, let's do it once more yet, eh?" He rises his old M-8 Avenger tenderly, goes to the Tomkah's front and orders the driver. His good eye follows the Skyscraper-high form of the Reaper, turning away from them and blasting viciously at something out of his sight, then just at its back, to the equally towering shapes of the remaining New Canary Wharf Complex.
"And you'll go down too, bitch…" He mutters biting a cigar.
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There was once a little girl called Jennifer, surname long-lost, who was abducted from her family at Eden Prime by Cerberus. She was abused and hurt in every way imaginable for no reason comprehensible for a child. The love of her parents stolen from her, the little girl is still hiding under a bare desk, scared, pathetic and defenseless, crying through the dark of Night.
And there was Jack, the all-powerful bitch, the pirate, the crazy murderer, whose definition of vandalism involved Space Stations striking Moons. All the biotic nightmare Cerberus wanted to create and more. The one who survived Teltin…that would survive anything, any treachery, any trap. The next fucker dead, one less to use her, to hurt her, just the better for her odds of survival! But then it wasn't enough anymore…
There was also Jacqueline Nought, a young woman, who was whatever that little girl managed to heal from a forever-long Hell that was her past. She had a heart, not openly shown but it was there. Not having seen much beauty over the years, she had found some she could muster from within. She was capable of Art, to transform her sufferings into something else, to be seen, to be read, to be heard. She was loved again. Once by someone who found her worth of an ultimate sacrifice. She hid again in rage born of loss, fear, self-pity and self-loathing, and then another man reached for her. He didn't hate her, didn't want her as a toy, yet he needed her as a weapon, but never treated her as less than a person. The only honest man she ever met, and the dumbest, most stubborn goody two-shoes crazy son-of-a-bitch ever! And he was her friend. After him, others came close, and for her surprise, behind her denials, she found...trust? Suddenly she discovered herself respected besides feared, dependable even! Children were put under her care! Biotics kids like she was, and that because of her they would not suffer or be treated like she was. Prangley, Danton, or Rodriguez… Ensign Rodriguez should have a life like Jack hadn't, safe, with love, happiness and… She should… She should…
Rodriguez was killed; her students who depended on her were killed. Shepard was dead. The others were lost. There was nothing else…
There was only Subject Zero…
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"I'LL DESTROY YOU"
A Mass Effect field embeds the Wraith's rounds. Shots already powerful enough to but down an armored Cannibal at first strike were putting down barriers and cutting Banshees at half. Minions would be struck to the air into pieces under a never-ending roar of hate and fury.
The Biotic Human's experience is nothing less than excruciating, if used nonstop the pain worsens each time, the abusive demand to the nervous system leading to hemorrhage, coma and brain damage. Jack was different, in some ways.
Putting down the Reaper forces savagely, Jack was torn between rage and glee. Her body and mind were built to relish with the violence, to lust upon the massacre. A biotic killing machine, made by Cerberus in their Human Supremacy Race in order to rival in power the Asari Matriarchs themselves...
And the Reapers took where they left their work, going further ahead. Forged in despair and hate… a Human Banshee came to existence.
Shepard tried to explain to Jack how he became able to Charge, but he didn't know well himself. His mind in the middle of a fight just pulled him ahead. Jack could do it now. Her rage raptured her frame, blasting her foes, her hate giving direction.
When the Reaper directed its red eyes over her, she just disappeared, zigzagging on the battlefield as the air above her head suddenly burned like a Red Giant. Jack was oblivious to it as fires of Hell were already burning inside her and blood was all she could see…
She hovered over the battlefield, ran, shot and biotically punched Minions apart like rags. Some corner of her mind registered she had help. Krogans mounted on... dinosaurs were racing, circling counterclockwise the Reaper, keeping ahead from its range of fire, and putting down a good fight… and cheering for her?
Then her advance had stopped short for blasting against something huge. Something huge watching her with multiple synthetic substitutes for eyes… The Brute punched hard, but her barriers held. She hadn't opposed the attack; her feet were off the ground as she was thrown up. She charged from midair at close quarters stomping it against the ground. The last thing the Minion saw was the barrel of a Shotgun before his head burst under a load of biotically charged tungsten.
Having paused almost made her faint as her body and mind's exhaustion came dangerously close to her senses. She slowed down as another Brute was already charging! No time to evade but…
"I. AM. KROGAN!"
Grunt jumped from his ride, tackling the beast and putting it to hold. The monster fights desperately to free itself, but Grunt holds fiercely its head under his arm, his titanic muscles rippling with the struggle until "SNAP".
The headless corpse falls inert. The Savage raises his horrid trophy and roars triumphantly!
"RRRROOOOOAAAAARRRR"
Then he kicks the corpse in contempt and turns his big head as Miranda rushes to his position.
"Corpses of Krogan warriors deserve better than being grafted to Turian's heads. But if you do something this stupid should at least not use necks thinner than a Salarian's."
"Grunt! Where's Jack?"
"Shit! I've forgotten!" He turns but the Biotic was nowhere near again.
"The Reaper will get to us and we're on foot! We must leave!"
"Why?" The perfect Krogan shows his most saurian smile as he sees his troops in place.
"The fun had just started…"