Setting of the Sun (Part 3)
Rise of the Harbinger
New Hiroshima
The village was still under high alert in lieu of the bombing early Saturday morning. Police were put on heightened alert as businesses hired on some of Garrus' people. But as concerned as the residents were, they didn't want to live in fear of the Blue Suns. On this early Monday morning, parents were walking their children to school. Shia'va and Garrus were doing no different. Both Mikazuki and Kiyoko wore their school kimonos and carried their books as their parents, and even Legion, escorted them to school. As both girls walked into the schoolyard, Maven, the daughter of a Salarian and Asari, caught up with Mika and Kiyo. Shepard turned to Legion and asked him to stay close to the girls. Legion responded in his digital tone and followed the two girls in.
"Quite a weekend, wouldn't you say, Commander?" The Salarian asked as the pair of parents talked.
"That goes without saying, Jarood. What's your take on it?" Shia'va asked.
"Well, seeing as how you have Legion with your daughters, I can tell it can't be good." Jarood had been Shia'va and Garrus' neighbor for years. He and his wife, Salleen ran a pharmacy down the street.
"Shepard, is it true a Justicar is here as well?" Salleen asked.
"Yes. Samara. She's a very close and dear friend to us. The girls call her Aunt Samara." Samara had been there when the two girls were born and couldn't think of anyone better to be a godmother to her children. Shia'va turned and saw Garrus on the comm to one of his people. She looked back and asked how Maven was doing. As the two families finished their talk, a familiar voice was heard.
"Shepard. Damn, girl, you have gone soft." Zaeed Messani leaned against a tree as he barked at Shia'va. Once the leader of the Blue Suns, Zaeed had still been tracking Vido for years. "Looks like this place is gettin' ready for war. I'd be more than happy t' help with that."
Shia'va walked over and shook Zaeed's hand. "It's been too long, Messani. How've you been?"
"Can't complain." He looks around and then toward the school. Two of Zaeed's mercenaries came up and stood next to him. "Think Vido is gonna try to do somethin' t' hurt my girls?" The thought of Vido wanting to hurt two children, children that he considered granddaughters, was really pissing him off.
"If I know the Blue Suns, they'll use every advantage they can get. Good to see you, Zaeed." Garrus had finished with talking to his people. He walked over and shook Zaeed's hand.
"We can talk more about it inside. We have some coffee ready and we can go over what to expect." Shia'va motioned to their home.
-In orbit over Watson-
Harbinger walked up to the cockpit and stared at the planet below. The shuttle was being prepped for launch to the planet surface. Kal'Shon was getting his marines ready for the drop to the planet. They were only waiting on Harbinger. It was not customary for a ship's captain to go on dangerous missions like this among the Quarians. But even the Admiralty Board had agreed that any mission the Maelstrom was on, leaving Harbinger behind could be a fatal mistake. No Quarians had died under his command since the Delgan Outpost raid in the Far Rim. In that mission, a subordinate of another captain from the Icarus was on an exchange program to learn the command structure of the Maelstrom. But the Quarian disobeyed Harbinger's order to hold fire when another Quarian was threatened by Batarian slavers. Both the captive and the exchange Quarian were killed before the fight even started. Harbinger demanded an immediate tribunal against the Captain of the Icarus to the Admiralty Board. In that trial, Harbinger had been found not guilty of the two Quarians murders. But it was also amended within the laws of the Migrant Fleet that during any exchange program, the Quarian in that exchange will defer to the orders of their current captain regardless of their standing orders of their former.
Valna'Kreeza walked up to her lifemate, standing next to him. "Captain, the shuttle is ready for launch."
He looked over to her. "The ship is yours, Chief Engineer." Harbinger started to turn and walk past her as she took his hand. He looked back and touched his helmet to hers. "I will return to you, my love." Harbinger made his way to the Cargo Bay and ordered the marines into the shuttle. One by one the ten Quarians filed in. The Kodiak shuttle launched from the bay and began its decent to Watson. The marines began checking their weapons. None of them knew what to expect, but as they finished checking weapons, they looked at Harbinger. His arms crossed over his chest and his head bowed low. He was preparing himself for a fight; his body was beginning to emit a dull glow of biotic power. The Quarians lowered their own heads, saying a prayer to Keelah, preparing their own thoughts for the possible fight ahead.
It was a surprise that Mikazuki and Kiyoko would like the same subject. But their Salarian teacher was talking about Tuchanka, the Krogan homeworld. Mikazuki was enjoying the history of Tuchanka while Kiyoko found an aesthetic beauty to the place even though it was nothing more than a giant wasteland. Legion stood in the back watching over the girls and actually taking in the lesson himself. He actually found it interesting to hear it from an organic's point of view. He would have to share this information with the other Geth. Kiyoko was sketching a penciled version of the slides she saw. Mika was taking down notes. She wondered if her mother would take her there to study the way of the Krogan someday. It seemed that many of the students were actually becoming entranced by the subject. The teacher made note of how the students seemed very attentive to what he was teaching. He would have to include it in his lesson plans for next year. If anything, it was helping to take the children's minds off of the bombing. Outside of the classroom, an asari dressed as a janitor was pushing a garbage can around. But concealed in the can was a Vindicator assault rifle. She stopped by the closed door to the classroom and looked at the frosted window. Legion turned his head, the headflaps flaring a bit. The Salarian teacher looked at Legion. Legion detected a heat source just outside the window and a meter down.
The asari whispered into her comm device 'In position'. But she didn't know that Legion was in the room with the children. Legion moved forward and grabbed Kiyoko and Mikazuki. The teacher yelled, "Everyone down!" And the children fell to the floor seconds before the assault rifle fired its spray of bullets. The shots were high and not meant to kill but cause panic. The children screamed as another round of shots were fired. Legion kept the girls covered as he immediately contacted Shia'va.
Shia'va was wearing her old armor from her days with the Alliance. She was talking to Zaeed, Samara, Grunt and Kasumi. Grunt and Kasumi had arrived only an hour ago. Grunt was more than happy to join his old battlemaster again. There was always a good fight where Shepard was concerned. They went over the plans to start checking the village for bombs placed in the sewers below the village and city. Kasumi nodded as she listened closely. "The Blue Suns could have been at this for months or even years. If they have, there's no telling the damage that could be done or the lives lost." Shia'va looked at Zaeed. "Zaeed, I know how much you want to kill Vido…"
Zaeed put his hands up. "Yeah yeah, I know, Shepard. Don't worry, I'm not gonna blow anything up this time just to get to him. Not with my girls in harm's way this time. This isn't going to be like Zoyra."
Kasumi smiled. "Having the girls around has made you a bit softer, Zaeed. It's a nice change."
"Don't push it, Goto." The old merc growled.
Garrus couldn't help but laugh. It was good to see at least some of the old team back together.
"Just as long as there's a good fight involved, Shepard. My plates are itching right now." Grunt pounded his fists together.
As Shia'va was about to say something to Grunt, her comm came to life.
"Shepard Commander! The smaller mobile platforms are in danger. Hostiles are engaging. Multiple units are attempting to access the secondary levels." Legion could be heard saying.
Shia'va could hear the gunfire in the background. She could feel her concern as a mother creeping in. She was afraid of this. But if Legion was still transmitting, then the girls were safe, for the moment. "Legion, keep Mikazuki and Kiyoko safe. Try to make sure the hostiles don't get into that room." She was about to give the next order when an explosion ripped through the eight hundred block of Tiananmen Street. The street was only three blocks away from Shia'va and Garrus' home. Just as quickly, Blue Sun mercs came charging out of storm drain access point only two blocks away. With them were Batarian slavers, looking to make their quick score. Shia'va couldn't believe what she was seeing. This couldn't be possible.
Garrus pulled out his sniper rifle. "Shia'va, we have to get to the school!" He broke a window and took a sniper shot at a Blue Sun running down the street.
Garrus was right; they had to get to the children. God this was turning into a nightmare. She armed her Mattock Rifle and kicked the door open, spraying a few shots at some Batarians. "Try not to hit any of the homes! The people here are panicked enough!" Shepard and her team starting to make their way to the school, slowly.
Harbinger could feel the ground shake just after the shuttle touched down. As he stepped out, he saw a cloud of dust just two blocks away. It was already starting. He turned to Kal'Shon and the marines, his four eyes and body now igniting in biotic power. "Keep a tight formation. Check your fire and ensure you hit no innocents. Shepard and her family are the targets of importance. Ensure they are not harmed. But do not ignore others that are in danger." He turned back to the fight they were about to step into. "We are the harbingers of their salvation."
The group moved carefully through the streets of New Hiroshima with Harbinger on point. His biotics flaring as he increased the output of his power. The amps he was implanted with keeping his biotics in check. A group of Batarians rounded the corner to see the Quarian strike team in front of them, led by what appeared to be a human. Harbinger heard one of the Batarians laughing at what they saw. He raised the Batarian off the ground with a stasis field, his eyes flaring angrily. "I know you will feel this." He shot a warp field that detonated the stasis field, sending the first Batarian flying into a shop. The Batarian's neck snapped upon impact. The second Batarian looked at Harbinger in shock. Harbinger only glared back at the slaver. "Your form is fragile. Leave and you may survive this day." The Batarian raised his weapon and fired off a few rounds. The rounds were not well aimed, and the spray of bullets went wide. The strike team dove for cover as did Harbinger. Readying another warp field, he cautiously looked from behind the cover he was in to get a location on the Batarian. As he began to emerge from cover, another spray of bullets shot out at the group. Harbinger's barrier took the impact from a few of the bullets, but one pierced his shoulder as his barrier dropped. He fell back against the cover and grabbed his shoulder. He cursed angrily.
A female Quarian crawled over to him to check his wound. "Captain, we have to get you to the medical bay." She applied medi-gel to his wound to stop the bleeding.
Harbinger shook his head. "We will not leave until our mission in complete. Is that understood?"
"Yes, sir." She nodded.
Clenching his fist tight, he prepared himself to move quickly. This was going to hurt, and he knew it was. But he would have to push through the pain. Harbinger rolled from cover and as he stood, he threw a biotic shockwave. The Batarian had little time to react. He tried to dive away from the shockwave but it was too late. He was thrown into a delivery vehicle and rendered unconscious. The marines moved forward and stood behind Harbinger. He was holding his shoulder and looked down the street. Bodies were strewn everywhere from where the bomb exploded. The Blue Suns had gone too far. He walked over towards a burned teddy bear. He knelt down and picked it up. "They had done nothing to deserve this. Nothing." He held the toy to his helmet and said a silent prayer to Keelah. He was torn up inside over the death of a child, a child who probably just started to live his or her life. It was becoming clear to Harbinger that the Blue Suns were going to stop at nothing to get to Shepard. He stood up and looked back at his soldiers. "Take no chances. If we can afford prisoners, we will take them and question them. But if they give you no choice, give them no quarter. Is that understood?"
"Sir, yessir!" The Quarians answered back.
Harbinger looked towards the direction of the center of New Hiroshima. This was only going to get worse.
A/N: I apologize for the delay in posting. It's taken me a while to try to bring Harbinger into the story properly. I can promise one thing though; things are going to get worse before they get better.