Hey guys, I am back with a new installment! The next part of Tau Volantis, I hope y'all are ready for some fluff and action. As always, a shout-out to my co-writer 'Roku - Molester of Science'. He is awesome for all of the continual help and support he provides me. Don't forget to check his story out. Its called 'The Aspect of Fire - Book II - Incursions'. This story is another perspective of that one, and is in the same canonical universe as it is.

Now, let's get on with things, shall we?

Coral System, Horsehead Nebula

Planet SA2168-5 - Tau Volantis

As it turned out, a ten kilometer trek through several inches of snow, while more yet fell, was about as fun as it sounded. It wasn't.

Very quickly for Tyler, each step became a challenge in its own right as his powerful legs found themselves challenged to propel him. Of course, the cold that seemed to seep into his armor did not make him feel any better either, and as much as he swore that he had some sort of breach in his armor that was causing the temperature change, the readouts on his heads-up-display begged very much to differ.

Goddamn imagination, as interesting a mental tool that it was, it was also very powerful, and could certainly affect one's mentality.

At least they were distancing themselves from the crash site with every passing minute. He was not in the mood for a firefight, much less a chase across this frozen-over-hell of a planet.

"Come on, Tyr, don't give up on me now. We're almost there." He heard his companion encourage over the communications line. Glancing over at her, he could not help but roll his eyes. It just ain't fair…

Ice and snow, cold in general really, was when she was in her element, and for good reason. A couple years of her serving on Earth as some sort of specialized cold weather light infantry – before she had joined Cerberus of course – had pretty much tempered her to this sort of mission. Not to mention the simple fact she had been born in Iceland, a far cry from the subtropical climate of central Kentucky where he'd grown up.

"You said that a bloody click-and-a-half ago, Val." Tyler grunted back at her, indignation lacing his tone as he replied. At some point of the trip so far, she had managed to outpace him, and was now leading them towards their objective with ease.

Every time he seemed to look up, it seemed like she was glancing back at him, probably trying to make sure that he was still with her and hadn't frozen to death. For the most part though, he kept his eyes focused on the ground before him, or her armored legs and back. They were both something to focus on, a point of reference to keep close to, but of course, there were some other reasons for the later two. He had found his eyes drawn to her a lot lately, ever since that moment in the armory.

His partner had the audacity to actually laugh, a sweet sound that drifted through their private channel, and caused him to narrow his eyes in faux anger. "I meant it too, relax. We're almost there." She said in a tone that he almost considered promising.

Between them, there was a short pause before she added. "We really need to pick up the pace though. We've got a major storm rolling through, and not much time to spare."

"…right, right…"

"Come on, move it soldier." She ordered, the playful edge that had been in her tone now gone, and replaced by Valkyrie yet again. It was not a change he personally welcomed, but he knew this mission was too far FUBAR for anything but extreme prejudice seeing them through.

Tyler didn't dare question her when she was in this particular state, nor did he really have the breath to spare, as he pumped his legs harder through the snow and permafrost. All around them, it was getting worse, as winds battered against their armor, and snow continued to fall from the sky without relent. Each minute that passed felt like an hour, due to all the work they had to put into moving, and visibility steadily became worse. It became a fight to stay upright and moving, much less focused on Valkyrie ahead on him. Damn her and her white armor! It made her even harder to keep tabs on. Thank God for infrared tagging, or we'd be lost by now…

At least his was partly dark blue - something that made him really stand out when they lined up, but he didn't really mind.

After ten or so more minutes of walking, Valkyrie suddenly held up her hand, fist coiled in a 'hold up'. Tyler slowed, and walked forward until he stood beside her, and it immediately became clear why she had done this. They had finally arrived at their objective.

Sort of.

At first glance, it did not look like much more than one of the many frozen, rocky outcroppings jutting up from the surface of the planet. However, as they made their way closer to it, and visibility became better, several orifices of what appeared to be caves were suddenly revealed to them. As he eyed the multiple entrances, Tyler glanced over at Valkyrie, placing a hand on her armored shoulder to steady himself. The wind was getting worse by the minute. "Any idea which one we're supposed to be at?" He asked.

"Umm," Valkyrie hummed as she looked down at her omnitool, nibbling on her bottom lip in concentration as she did so. She pivoted on her heels until she was facing what she suspected was their cave, the marked location on her map directly ahead of her. "I think it's that one." She said as she pointed towards the cave in question. "Come on, let's check it out," she beckoned as they began to move towards the cave.

Tyler followed without word, subtly drawing his pistol as he went. While he knew the chances of there actually being something in the cave were low at best, given that very few organics would want to be caught out here in this frozen hellhole for any extended amount of time, he had learned to expect just about anything a while ago. Finding the cave entrance dark, he reached up and activated the lights built into the side of his helmet, something that Valkyrie did a moment later, following his lead.

The entrance itself was a vertical one, unlike some of the more shallow horizontal ones that were present around it, almost as if it could have been cut out with explosives instead of naturally formed. The cave floor was relatively level, and a fuck-ton drier when compared to outside that they had just escaped from. As he swiveled his light around, Tyler found that the cave did not extend that deeply back into the outcropping, but instead stopped at an ovular shaped area.

"This wasn't...man made was it?" Tyler asked curiously as he walked deeper into the cave, still rested at the ready, just in case.

"Honestly? I don't know and I don't care," Valkyrie replied as he looked around, taking in the sight of what would be their camp for the night. "But it kinda looks like it. Not exactly the most natural looking place. I am sure it could have been done in secret though, with all this bloody weather to cover tracks." She added, casting a glance over her shoulder at the cave entrance, where she could see snow still falling at a rapid pace. It was definitely getting worse out there.

"No contacts though, we're clear." Valkyrie said as she finished examining the cave. It was not small, but cozy, more than enough to get them through the night somewhat comfortably.

"So...do we just start setting up then?" Tyler asked slowly, slipping his pistol onto its magnetic holster on his thigh, any tension that may have been present leaving his body.

"I guess so." Valkyrie replied simply, shrugging off what remained of her combat pack in one fluid movement. Kneeling down, she unclasped the top of it, and opened it up to reveal the assort of goodies and needed gear for their winter excursion.

One-by-one she began to pull things out, ranging from her medical kit, to the assortment of rations that they had brought along. Admittedly, they had more than they probably needed for just the two of them, but it helped to be prepared. Getting shot down was a testament of that, at least if they were stranded long term on the planet, they would be able to eat.

"Well," the medically trained commando said as she looked up at Tyler, who had taken a seat next to her. "It looks like most of everything survived, or is at least salvageable." She sighed, somewhat relived. Leaning back, she purposely landed on her armored rear, and settled into an Indian styled way of sitting. Reaching up, she unlatched her helmet and pulled it off, the cooler air of the cave immediately brushing against her skin - though it was not really that unpleasant of a feeling.

"A small victory is better than none at all." Tyler replied as he reached up and pulled off his own helmet, placing it in his lap. Unfortunately, he ran a hand through his shortly cut hair, that did little to keep his head warm. He paid the lower temperature little mind, though, and instead focused his attention on his companion. "Sorry none of my shit made it through." He apologized, though he knew he didn't have any grounds to be sorry about the loss, given that none of them could have expected being shot down.

Valkyrie simply shrugged again, and looked up at him, reaching up to undo her blonde bun as she spoke. "Don't worry about it, we'll be just fine. May have to ration our things if we end up here more than three or four days though. If we stretch it out, I am sure we could last a week and a half, maybe a bit more." She explained, lips pressed into a thin line.

Tyler nodded solemnly, knowing that if it came down to it, that he would be more than willing to let her have his portion of the meals on hand. She was a biotic, and even though he ate a fair amount on a daily basis, she could easily outpace him and still have room to spare. "Let me guess, those insulated winter blankets didn't make it either?" He asked, pretty sure he already knew the answer. Because of the way that they had packed, they had managed to slip in a couple of Salarian made survival blankets that were supposedly to keep them alive in harsh weather conditions. Because the reptilian people tended to run shorter than humans, they were smaller by make, meaning that it had been easy enough to squeeze two into one of the packs along with other things.

She shook her head sadly. "Nope, doesn't look like it, sorry. We're going to have to rely on our armor to keep us warm through the night." She explained. A moment later, realization flickered through her consciousness. To retrain as much heat as they could, they were going to have to be like Emperor penguins of earth, and huddle together for warmth - cuddle to be more exact. There was something about the idea that made her feel odd inside, but not in a bad way. When she glanced up, she saw a flicker of realization cross Tyler's brown orbs, and she shifted where she sat. They would handle it later, when it came time to get some shut-eye.

For a few moments, silence hung in the air around them, as the two commandos simply sat there, the blizzard outside howling all the while. Stuck inside for the time being, and unable to use their omnitools to connect with extra planetary sources, meant that they were off the grid, with little in the way to do. Finally, there was a sigh as Valkyrie leaned over and began to rummage around her pack, until she dug out two instant rations. "You hungry?" She asked, casting a glance over her shoulder at her male companion, a few stray golden locks slipping loose and framing her face as she spoke.

Tyler nodded and held up a hand.

"Sure, might as well get it out of the way." He shrugged, waiting for her to toss it.

The bag itself was clear, the material thick enough that one would not have to worry about a breach during transit. The simple label on it designated it as beef and broccoli, but honestly, Tyler did not believe it. The pastry-like substance was almost nasty looking, and the dehydrated vegetable pieces did not look any better. In a past life, Tyler knew that one could not have paid him to eat the stuff, but he had since learned to not get too picky when it was the military at work.

With a sigh, he began to shake the bag, which triggered a chemical reaction inside, and caused the scent of something akin to beef to permeate the air around them as the food heated up.

"At least this shit tastes better than it looks," Valkyrie grunted as she began to eat the sloppy, warm paste. There were no spoons to be had, so she and Tyler both had to resort to drinking the stuff and chewing on the bits and pieces of greenery. After such a long hike, they had both worked up an appetite. Before they knew it, the meals had been consumed, and the packets tossed aside, empty.

"That was," Tyler paused and glanced at his discarded packet. "Technically a meal, I guess." He finished, before chuckling at his own joke as he scooted back to lean against the nearby cave wall. Had he not been in his armor, he was sure that it would have been very cool to the touch.

A few feet away from him, Valkyrie nudged her empty backpack over and laid down, using it as a makeshift pillow that he seriously doubted came even close to comfortable. For a moment, he found his eyes wandered from her face, lower onto her body, his brown eyes admiring the way her armor, as unflattering as it may have been, hugged her athletic body. As if she knew his gaze was fixated upon her, her mismatched eyes flickered over towards him, and he barely managed to glance away in time.

…

"So…" Valkyrie said, glancing back up at the ceiling of the cave as she drew the word out.

She wanted to have some sort of conversation with Tyler, to get to know him a bit better, and the perfect opportunity for that had practically been dropped in her lap, and yet, she did not know where to even begin.

After months of working with him, she only knew him so well on a personal basis, and the usual opening questions like 'how are your parents doing?' or something similar were out of the question, for obvious reasons. While she had not pressed him about it, she had noticed that when others brought up family, he grew silent and forlorn. During those times, a feeling of pity usually gripped her heart.

At least she had her brother and sister, plus mum and dad, – who both thought she worked as private security for a freighter - but he...he didn't have any of that.

"What was it like, growing up on Earth in your time?" she asked. It wasn't too personal, but a conversation started, or at least she hoped.

Tyler shrugged slightly, blinking as a rock above him jutted into his shoulder blade. His armored caught it, but it did not feel comfortable either, and he reached up to rub the spot as he replied.

"It was interesting, I guess. A lot different than it is now." He explained with a small chuckle, knowing that he had just pointed out the most obvious of facts. "I grew up in Kentucky, it's where I got the nice accent." He grinned, letting the southern drawl that he had bared all his life seep into his tone. "Back then, it was a pretty empty place I guess, really the world in general was. At least when you compare it to what it's like now."

"Yeah...a couple hundred years is plenty of time for population booms to happen." Valkyrie nodded, shifting onto her side so that she could look at her companion. "Even Iceland is packed these days." She said, thinking back to her homeland.

During his time, the country had not been the site of a large population boom by any means, but here, the outbreak of the Third World War had made it a relatively safe place to flee while Europe burned.

The island had not been a strategic target, with much larger powers still in play at the time. Of course, the local government had not been prepared to take on the numbers that they had, nor had the local food supply stocks, but because of humanitarian aid at least no one had died from starvation. Many had ended up leaving when it was all over, but some had stayed as well. Unsurprisingly, the majority of those who stayed hailed from Union Countries.

As she studied the man before her, the next question came without much thought to it. It was something that she had crossed her mind before, but she had never gotten around to actually asking it. "What, ah, made you join the military back in the day?" She asked curiously, head tilted slightly to the side.

"I was brought up around a lot of military guys: Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air force, even the coast guard." He explained. She nodded, recognizing at least the first three to still be active, while most of the wet-fleets on Earth now adhered to Union Jurisdiction. It was just how peace was kept, with ships at sea kept in check by ships in orbit. Even if someone pulled a Sandman, orbital satellites could shoot down the missiles.

It was more or less as foolproof as you could get.

"I came from a military family. I was always raised on the idea of trying to do the right thing, striving to build upon the greater good and all of that. When I joined the corps...I guess that was how I thought I was going to do something to help society. Protecting my country, and helping those less fortunate than myself" He went on, sounding like he was working his way into a babbling-session. It was cute, but also sort of odd.

"Why'd you join up?" He asked after a moment, with a certain tentativeness.

"You know about the Second Kalmar Union?" she turned the question around. She still wasn't sure about the exact details of what Scandinavia had been like in his world.

"I've read a bit about it, yeah." Tyler replied with a short nod.

"Well, part of being a citizen of the Union is that all able bodied men and women are required to serve four mandatory years in the military. The lucky ones manage to get out of that, by going to college and doing four years of civil service, but I chose to forgo all that. It's what my parents wanted anyways," she shrugged. She wasn't completely sure what made her add the last part, since she didn't feel like her decision needed defending. Maybe it was because it was like why Tyler had joined, and she liked having things in common with him…

Shit, this was getting complicated fast.

"…If you don't mind me asking a follow up...how'd you end up working for Cerberus?" Tyler asked, probably deciding to push his luck a bit now. Anna paused for a moment, trying to gauge if he was simply curious or looking for some deeper reasoning, something to justify the less-than charitable acts Cerberus – and herself – had been involved in.

He didn't need to know about 'Prodigy'. If he already did, then she was surprised he hadn't accused her yet. And – more likely and preferable – if he didn't, she didn't want him to know. He didn't need to know.

"You remember Einersson?" Anna asked in turn. Tyler nodded slowly; "He and I were in the same unit, back in the day. We grew up as neighbors, really… Anyways, towards the end of my last tour, I got approached by my commanding officer, who happened to work for Cerberus, feeding them intelligence about Union happenings. He managed to get me, Magnus, and a couple of my other squad mates to sign up when we left the army… And, well, here I am." She finished, parting her hands slightly.

It wasn't exactly an uncommon story. While the Union did not stand by Cerberus, there were a fair number of sympathizers within its borders. It was mainly because the Union was based on nationalism and upholding territorial integrity.

That didn't mean Union soldiers didn't have orders to shoot organizations like Cerberus on sight. Her old team-mates, the ones that hadn't joined, would probably do so without even blinking. Sometimes, that kind of thinking kept her awake in the nights.

"That's cool," Tyler replied. He sounded uncertain, but nevertheless managed to stir her from the unpleasant thoughts. There were a number of other questions he could have asked her, like what she thought of Cerberus, or their policies on aliens in general, but he probably knew better than to press his luck too much. Events of the past showed just how little they still knew of each other.

But then again, wasn't that what they were doing right now? Getting to know each other?

Anna nodded a bit, and then paused abruptly to yawn widely, bringing up a closed fist to cover her mouth. Gods, she was getting tired, and despite the façade she put on before Tyler, she was exhausted.

"I guess so," she shrugged. "I don't know about you, but I am pretty tired... You ready to call it a night? I wanna go ahead and kill this before we use any more of its battery." She explained, glancing down at the small portable lamp that she had set up while waiting for their food to heat. For such a small thing, it lit up the cave nicely.

Thor's ballsack, this was going to be extremely awkward, wasn't it?

…

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess." Tyler replied, and then faltered as he looked at her. "So, ah, I take it with those missing power packs that we're going to need to…" He trailed off, stopping a few words short to let her fill in the blank. She's going to kick my ass if I even sound like I'm thinking about that kind of shit!

Anna nodded quickly, looking at the wall as she spoke. Did she hate the notion that much? "Yeah, we're going to have to, unfortunately… I-It wouldn't be wise to use our armor's energy reserves anymore than necessary, so it would be for the best if we only kept one thermo-stabilizing unit active throughout the night. That means that we are g-going to have to remain in close…c-close proximity in order to keep warm." She grimaced with every stumbling word, her eyes sparking with lightning.

Tyler bobbed his head and slowly traipsed across the space between them, until he was close to her. Tentatively, he lowered himself down onto the cold stone floor below. "So, how should we, ah, do this?" He asked with more trepidation lacing his tone than he would have liked. He felt rather bashful. And stupid. He felt stupid too. And awkward.

"I guess we should just lay down," she replied as she patted the space next to her, urging him to get closer than he already was. "We just need to keep close - and watch your hands for Frey's sake or I'll break it." She joked lightly, lips curling upwards. It was funny, she was probably just as nervous as he was about the notion of them sleeping together in such a proximity, but she was at least doing a decent job of masking it. Or maybe she wasn't nervous, and he was just being a pansy.

Slowly but surely, the two came together until they were close. The position they unconsciously settled on was more intimate than they would have probably liked to admit, with Anna's back pressed against Tyler's chest. It was an awkward position for Tyler, who had a rather strong and instinctual urge to wrap his arms around her small waist, but he knew better than to do that. When she seemed to have fallen asleep, Tyler attempted to adjust his position.

He wasn't up to anything, but the situation currently found his hormones disagreeing, making the codpiece feel extremely tight between his legs. God, this was just about the best and worst thing that could happen on a mission. Releasing a quiet groan, he shifted his hip just an inch away.

"I still have my knife." Anna muttered, though her voice held a tone Tyler couldn't tell between humor and seriousness. Playing it safe he bet on the latter, remaining exactly as he was, petrified in place.

For some time, Tyler simply laid there next to her, trying to fall asleep. It was not easy, by any means, as energy continued to flow through his body. Any thoughts that he may have had found themselves overwhelmed by the simply fact that he was here, cuddled up next to a woman whose beauty he could not deny.

Even though he was still very much armored, his body had taken the liberty of reminding him that it had been quite a while since he had experienced any sort of intimate contact with a woman, only making things harder for him to finally settle down so that he could drift off. I hate my hormones. Seriously, why couldn't you go overboard back at the station? Noooo, no, it has to be when we're stranded on a snowball and cuddled up in full armor.

When sleep finally did come, it was like a curtain being pulled over his eyes, eyelids suddenly growing heavy. He didn't fight sleep, and before he knew it, he was out like a light.

When Tyler awoke the next morning, he felt more rested than he could ever remember. Everything about his body felt light, like he was floating on a cloud. With each thump of the heart, an indescribable pleased feeling coursed through his veins, and he was sure that the smile that creased his lips reflected how he felt. As he shifted, brushing against a familiar weight, his eyelids flew open, his chocolate colored orbs going wide in surprise.

Apparently at some point during the night, both he and his companion had shifted so that they were pressed against each in a new position, Anna facing him fully now and she pressed against him. Her head was gently rested against his broad, armored shoulder. Her blonde locks were slightly mussed from sleeping, and did a very good job of framing her face in a cute way. Below, their legs had intertwined like vines, her greaves making a light scraping as she shifted against him - somehow managing to find a way to bring their bodies closer together than they already were.

Nothing about the position looked comfortable to Tyler, thanks to the armor, but the smile that graced her curvy lips was unmistakable, and only made his heart beat faster.

Part of Tyler's mind was screaming at him to undo this, to work his way out of this situation before she awoke. She may have looked pleased at the moment, but when she came to, her attitude could have very well be a different matter. To only reinforce that particular train of thought...he could feel the sheath of her knife poking at him through a section of webbing on his armor.

However, the much more present part of his conscious kept his body locked down, wanting him to savor the moment while it lasted. To put it shortly, the last few months had been tumultuous at best, and he had forced himself to keep moving on with training of one kind or another, just to keep his mind off issues that lingered in the back of his mind at all hours. He had never been an especially outgoing person either, though he was not a recluse either like his friends in his past life liked to accuse him of being, which meant that he didn't exactly have a number of people to interact with on the station outside of his squad mates. Therefore, a moment like this, of human contact, was one that he could not bring himself to end just yet.

He didn't have much time to relish in it though, as the woman in his arms began to stir, making soft noises as she slowly came to. Tyler could only watch as her eyelids fluttered open to reveal her striking, mismatched orbs. She still sounded sleepy, and her eyes were clouded still, at least until she slowly looked up to meet his own gaze.

Then they went wide as saucers, any sign of drowsiness immediately being replaced by that of surprise.

For a long moment, there was a thick silence between the two commandos, as they simply stared into each other's eyes, neither quite sure of themselves. Slowly, Tyler tightened his grip on Anna's waist in a testing fashion, which caused her to glance down at his lips. Her gaze lingered there for a while, before she slowly looked back up at him, a new gleam in her eyes that Tyler had not seen before.

Before he knew it, she had leaned forward, their noses awkwardly brushing against each other as she went in for the kill, though it didn't deter her. For a brief second, their lips brushed tentatively, as she tested the waters, and Tyler felt too shocked at the moment to properly respond. A look of horror crossed Anna's face as she realized that he hadn't returned the action, but as she pulled away with wide eyes, Tyler stopped her, bringing up his calloused hands to cup her cheeks. He smiled at her, nervously, and leaned back forward to bring their lips together again.

This time, they met with more passion than the first time, as they kept pace with each other, melting into the other's embrace. It was slow and tender, but not lacking in emotion in the least, as they lost themselves in the feeling of their soft lips meeting. An energy seemed to flow through them both, as a bluish hue of electricity cracked across Anna's body and along Tyler's arms, causing for a pleasant sensation that warmed him to the core. Oh my GOD! Yes, yes, yes!

When they finally broke away, they were panting, as their hearts hammered in their chests. They both looked flushed, as red tinges colored their cheeks.

As he breathed in and out, Tyler couldn't help but inhale her scent, a lot less generic had he had expected it to be. It was the scent of orange citrus that invaded his nostrils, not that of the Cerberus provided products that he had grown accustom to over the last couple of months.

They didn't stay in this position long though, as Anna glanced around, suddenly looking more bashful than she had a few moments earlier. The sound she made was something between a breathy sigh, and a low squeal of surprise, as she quickly scooted to put some space between them. After that, neither of them could really find it in themselves to look each other in the eyes.

The rest of the morning was a more silent affair, awkward affair, as they went about getting ready for the new day. They ate their breakfast quickly and quietly, and chance of conversation being snuffed out when their hands accidentally brushed against each other, sending a familiar shiver down both of their spines. They gathered their gear, packing what they had left into the combat pack, and then readied their weapons.

"So, ah, we should get going?" Tyler asked, finally breaking the silence. It was a lot easier to speak when he was wearing his helmet, it seemed.

"Uh yeah." Valkyrie replied, her tone more professional as she looked down at the map on her omnitool. "I've updated our way-point, should take us close to our objective. For scouting." She explained quickly, before walking out of the cave entrance. It gave Tyler no time to respond, essentially.

And he didn't mind, really.

And just like that, they were back into the thick of it, heading towards their next objective. Alas, the weather now was little better than when they had first gotten to the cave and had settled in.

Unsurprisingly, Tyler found the trek to the next objective no less pleasant, when compared to the journey from the wreckage sight to the caves. It was bloody cold out, and each step took much more effort than he would have liked to ever admit, as he forced step after step through the snow. It didn't help in the least that the winds continued to buffet he and his companion the whole time. Alas, she wasn't talking much anyways, not that they did a lot of talking during these times. Even so, the silence over the encrypted channel just felt...different to him.

"Fuck, why did we go with mechanized joints instead of exoskeletons again?" Tyler muttered to himself as he trekked through the snow, shin deep by now, with plenty of ice and permafrost below to make for solid footing. It was a valid argument, he liked to think, one that he had seen on Alliance military forums in the past, a hot button issue among the troops stationed on winter and high-gravity planets.

Servo joints, like what he had installed now, were heavier and installed directly into the joints, while an exoskeleton was just as it sounded when augmented to his armored suit. The latter were usually much lighter, and just as strong, if not more so depending on the brand and how much you were willing to spend.

"Skeletons are just disasters waiting to happen. A shot breaks through your barrier, and hits a knee section, or even worse a spinal section of it, and you're practically a prisoner in your own body." Anna replied, casting a glance over her armored shoulder as she paused for a brief second. "I'd much rather deal with the extra kilos, than the not being able to move at all thing, myself." She shrugged and returned to walking, occasionally glancing down at her omnitool to navigate their way towards their objective.

Tyler sighed. It wasn't a bad argument, he had to admit, and one that he had heard before. With Cerberus, especially when it came to the funding of the special operations team, they had been written a blank, proverbial check. Of course, neither Miranda nor Jacob had quite gotten that message, and were insistent upon making smart purchases. Most of the time, anyways.

All things aside, he felt a bit better that he had managed to get Valkyrie to talk to him, even if it was only so that she could counter him. It was nice to hear her voice, especially after the morning that they had experienced. The pragmatic part of him pondered how nothing likely would change between them, and that it was simply a heat of the moment kind of thing. But that did little to snuff out the feeling of hope that flickered in him. It was about the only warm feeling that he knew at the moment. It would just have to last.

Of course, they relapsed into silence, as they made their way across the frozen tundra, Valkyrie in the guide position while he trailed behind, checking their bleak surroundings every couple of minutes. His grip was tight on his weapon, partly because Miranda's warnings still lingered in the back of his mind, and partly because he simply felt frozen. Every few minutes, he wiggled his gloved fingers, to make sure that they were still in a cooperating mood.

"…Stay frosty," Valkyrie broadcasted over the private channel, tinges of amusement present in her tone. Very faintly, of course. "We're coming up on the next objective," she informed him as she glanced down at her omnitool again.

Ahead, the landscape began to rise up as they reached a grouping of rocks. Because of their positon, they had the chance to overlook the Church base below, shielded as it was by the towering cliffs. Of course, it wasn't like they could see much at this time anyways with their regular vision, with the raging storm around them. From here, it was thermal vision and infrared if they wanted to do any spying.

And even then it was nearly impossible.

The rocks themselves were large and round, having withstood the tests of time for the most part. They were weathered from the constant storms, of course, but they were still very much solid, and afforded the two commandos some shelter from the storm. It was more than welcome with Tyler, who grunted as he knelt behind a one of the boulders, his muscles aching. Cybernetics or not, he wasn't a wealth of unlimited energy, sadly.

"Fookin' hell," he groaned as he knelt down, shielded from the elements. The blizzard didn't seem to be lifting anytime soon, and the howling winds made it impossible to hear anything but the comms.

Looking over, he saw Valkyrie wasn't paying him much mind, as she gazed out at the site below them. She was relying on her helmet's systems for the most part, due to the fact that the actual surveillance gear had been lost during the crash, making this a barebones operation at best, and if Tyler wanted to be honest with himself, he thought it could only go downhill, as horrible a pun as that might have been. They were alone in hostile territory, outside of any rapid C-SAR capabilities Cerberus had, and at the mercy of the elements if this mission dragged out for any prolonged amount of time. They only had so many power packs, after all, and he didn't want to think of what would happen if and when they ran out of them.

"Looks like it's quiet down there, no activity from what I can tell..." Valkyrie declared as she peered down at the Church installation through her thermal scopes. In this tundra, even the faintest amount of heat would stand out like a bonfire when compared to the snow and ice. Even the stealth cloaks infiltrators liked to use would have been rendered useless if put up against a thermal scope, and would actually make the user a bigger target in fact, because they generated more heat than usual while in use.

"I'd be more surprised if they were out and about, in this shit-weather…" Tyler muttered as he shifted over to her position, so that he knelt next to the female commando. After working his omnitool for a moment, he managed to get his thermals working, so he could observe the target building as well.

For several minutes they were silent as they watched the target area from afar, quietly taking note of its size and its outline. There was little on the outside to provide them any clues as what they could expect inside, or even what the Church was up to. Their investigation was cut short, however, as two figures appeared across from their position, on one of the far cliff-sides that overlooked the base.

"What the..? Val, got two contacts, three o' clock." Tyler noticed, nudging Valkyrie in the side. Of course, he was certain she had already seen them, but it was better safe than sorry. As his gaze flickered back to the two individuals, he realized they were nearly invisible, even on thermal. Shifting to infrared instead, he could make out some details, but not enough to note.

Both seemed to be men, and that was about the extent of what he could observe. And then, of course, something happened. Something always had to happen and change how he planned ahead. It just seemed to be how the universe liked to fuck with him.

One moment the two figures were peering down the cliff, and the next they were under attack, as one tumbled off violently with what seemed to be a third person clinging to his back. Neither operative spoke as they watched the ambush unfold. At first, the other person simply stood there, as if stunned, then was somehow yanked off the cliff as well, as if pulled on a string.

It was at this moment that Tyler felt something scream in his mind. The hairs stood on his neck and his skin felt electric. His sixth sense, or the battle-vision, as he dubbed it, flashed before his eyes for a moment, and the message 'turn around' shot through his conscious.

In an instant, Tyler rolled onto his back, Phaeston clutched in his hands as he aimed at what was behind him. Underneath his helmet, his eyes widened in a mix of surprise and horror, watching two hulking figures rushed towards him and his squad mate. The one closest to them was only steps away from latching onto Anna, in fact.

It looked like a human dressed in a winter coat, only with eyes glowing a hauntingly sick yellow, and a face that was torn up and bloody from exposure to the harsh climate. It lookedlike a human, but it definitely wasn't. Each hand wielded an icepick, and despite their shuffling gait, the fucker was mere meters from Valkyrie.

A mix of protective rage and training kicked in. Tyler took aim, switched off the safety and pulled the trigger. A stream of slugs sprayed forth and into the closest thing's chest, causing them to falter for a moment. Tyler's eyes widened as they didn't stop coming, even as his shots ended up tearing through its shoulder to the point of dismemberment. Somehow, simply losing their limbs as they went wasn't enough to kill these things.

Thankfully, he wasn't alone in the fight for long. Valkyrie rolled over and flared blue as she shot out a singularity, lifting up the two creatures into the air. Once both were suspended, she mashed her hands together and detonated the gravitonic anomaly. Two humanoid forms became a cubic centimeter of mush, then exploded in a shower of gore and tatters, coloring a long patch of snow black.

Tyler stared in abject horror, trying to process what he had just shot.

They'd not been Husks, that much he knew. Even without any direct experience fighting those things, he still knew what a Husk looked like, and those things weren't that.

"What. The. Fuck, was that?" Tyler breathed hard as he reloaded, hands shaking.

"I don't know, but nothing good… Safe to say we're compromised." Valkyrie replied darkly as she rose up, scanning the area. Tyler did the same, getting nothing on his motion-scans but her. How the Hell had those things just up and appeared?

"We've probably been since we crashed, just took the Church a while to find us..." Tyler replied as he kicked one mush-piles. He would've rather looked a Rachni brood warrior in the eye, instead of these things. He bit back a comment about how the Phaeston was great for close situations like this, with its rapid fire and its large magazine, knowing it wasn't the time. He dropped into a kneel, rifle at the ready as he looked at Valkyrie; "What's the plan, ma'am?"

"I really don't know now... I'm halfway tempted to make an emergency call for extraction and get the hell off this planet." She replied, shaking her head; "But I don't like the idea of leaving these people to their own devices either…and with those things running around…"

"How about we hit that base and take the fight to them?" Tyler asked as he glanced over his shoulder. He was sure that he was getting a blank stare from her now.

"What? You've got to be joking!" she hissed, looking for all the world like she wanted to punch him in the face; "We didn't come here equipped for actual firefights, we'd never get out again."

"Dunno…" He replied with a shake of the head. "They know we're here, and their air defense can take out whatever our people send in. If we try and infiltrate the base, or even take it out, maybe we can get off this godforsaken planet. Hell, maybe those people we saw were even our rescue team." He replied tone serious. They had the Aspect of War backing them up, surely they could handle a mutated fuckers. Compared to them, Unitologist security couldn't be that scary.

"You're crazy." Valkyrie sighed, shaking her head before she turned to face the edge; "Fucking bat-shit crazy…Well, what're you doing, sitting there like an ass? Plow in a pick, we're doing this the old-fashioned way."

It was only when Tyler saw the line in her hands that he realized just what she meant. Oh shit, we're rappelling!