Ch. 15
"Among the natural rights of the colonists are these: First a right to life, secondly to liberty, and thirdly to property; together with the right to defend them in the best manner they can"
Samuel Adams quotes (American patriot and Politician of the American Revolution. 1722-1803)
I decide to talk to Tali, learn more about her. So I'm in the elevator down to the garage. When the door opens to the garage floor Liana is standing there. Why is it whenever I go looking for Tali people find me and throw me off track. "Will," Liana says.
"Yes, Liana," I say.
"Here is your payment for your continued work," She says scanning my credit chit. I check it she had added another 100,000 into it.
"I suppose you were right," I say, "he does pay people enough not to care who he is."
I walk by her and head to engineering, I feel her staring at me until the door closes, "Tali," I say getting her attention.
"Will," she says turning to me, "what's up."
"If your not busy I'd like to get to know you better," I say.
"What do you want to know," She asks.
"Do you have a family," I ask I feel a slight twinge, her dad dies in two years.
"Yes, I have a father," she says, "he's an admiral in the flotilla, do you have a family."
"No," I say, "after the Cerberus experiments were over I couldn't remember my past." "Luckily I found Liana."
"You two are very close," Tali says.
"We've been through a lot, but I just don't know where I'm at right now," I say, "a lots happening fast, I haven't really been able to think much."
"But I had heard you had been together for a year," She asks.
"We've been partners for a year," I say keeping true to cover, "but I don't know where she's at either."
"You seem to be very confused," Tali says.
I laugh whole heartedly, "You have no idea."
We talk for a short while longer, I learn everything I pretty much already knew from talking to her in the game. She though doesn't get many answers.
We say our goodbyes and I head back to the elevator, I stop for a second, "Garrus," I say as I walk towards him.
"Will," he acknowledges.
"Is this rifle good," I ask pulling out the geth sniper rifle I had taken on Therum.
After he examines it for a short while, "Interesting," he says.
"What is it," I ask.
"This rifle fires pulse rounds," he says.
"Meaning..."
"They go right through shields," he answers, "highly experimental."
"So it's good to use," I ask.
"Very good," he answers.
"Thanks Garrus," I say heading back towards the elevator.
"Any time Will," he says.
After a bit of wandering around the ship I run into Shepard, "Commander," I say passing by her.
"Will," she says I turn to her.
"Yes Shepard," I say.
"We are headed to Feros next, I would like you to be a part of the ground team again," She says.
"Got it Commander," I say. Okay gonna save some colonists.
She has the ground team meet in the conference room, so I was sitting with Liana, Wrex, Garrus, and Tali. "We are investigating a colony that just went silent, unconfirmed reports say Saren has visited here," Shepard says. "Will you'll be with Tali and Liana you'll focus on the safety of the colonists," I nod. "Wrex, Garrus, you'll be with me we'll search for any clues as to why Saren was here," Shepard says, "if he was."
"So I'm in charge of protecting the Colonists," I ask.
"Yes," she answers.
"Commander we are coming up on Feros now," Joker says.
After re-entry and docking we all stand in the air lock. "Equalizing interior pressure with exterior atmoshpere," The Normandy's VI says, "the commanding officer is ashore XO Pressly has the deck.
"Ladies first," I say.
Shepard's team leads the way, we see a colonist he talks to Shepard, "We saw your ship Fai Dan wants to speak with you immediately."
"Who's Fai Dan," Shepard asks.
"He's our leader," the Colonist says, "he needs your help to prepare for the geth." "They're making another push," He continues, "please, up, the stairs past the freighter."
"Look out," I shout as a geth appears and fires a rocket at the Colonist. We all duck into cover and begin firing at the geth, Shepard's combat heavy team makes a push through, with Tali and Liana using their various abilities to support. I try to fire my SMGs but being near the back of the group it put the others in danger. We reach the stair case I see something white flash by above us. "Geth," I say firing up at them. The geth hoppers leap around avoiding my fire until Liana uses her biotics to force them into the air, they get torn to pieces. We reach the top of the stairs.
"Head to the tunnels," a colonist we pass says, "make sure they're secure."
Everyone we talked to said, "Speak to Fai Dan." And while I know it's because they are all being mind controlled by a giant plant, I can tell the others are getting a weird feeling.
We finally meet Fai Dan, the leader of the colony, "Oh Commander I'm glad they finally sent somebody to help us."
"You're a bit late aren't you," The woman next to him said, I never really remembered her name.
"Arcelia," Fai Dan says reproachfully. "Sorry Commander, everyone's a on edge since-." He turns his head, we hear the approach of the geth.
"Watch out," Arcelia says, "we've got geth in the tower."
"Protect the heart of the colony," Fai Dan shouts. I draw my SMGs and hose down the door the geth are coming through with the added fire of Shepard, Garrus, and Wrex, intermingled with the tech powers of Tali, and the biotic powers of Liana, we drive the geth back to the staircase, and up it until we reach a room with no roof. A geth drop ship comes to a stop over the room and begins dropping geth. We keep fighting until the geth finally fall back. The geth dropship pulls away.
We head back to the colony, "The tower's secure thanks to you Commander," Fai Dan says.
"I'm just glad your colony's safe," Shepard says.
"I appreciate your concern," Fai Dan says, "and your efforts against the geth."
"They may have been slowed but they'll be back," Arcelia says, "they always come back."
"Help me find what the geth are after," Shepard says, "and you'll all get out of here alive."
"We don't know what their after here," Fai Dan says, "they came they attacked us, that's all we know." "They're main base is at the ExoGeni headquarters," He continues, "a good place to start looking if you want answers."
"What's ExoGeni," Shepard asks.
"It's the company most of us worked for before the attacks," Arceilia says, "they fund this colony." "The skyway leads directly to ExoGeni headquarters," she says, "you can't miss it."
"Of course there's an army of geth between here and there," Fai Dan adds.
Shepard answers, "I didn't expect this would be easy."
"Then maybe I can get this colony operational again," Fai Dan says.
Man listening gets a little boring after a while, they continue talking Shepard asks about geth defenses.
"I don't have any details, but I'll wager it's a lot more fortified than the command post," Fai Dan answers.
"They landed at least one geth ship at ExoGeni and, I've seen large walking tanks on the skay way," Arcelia says, "expect a hard fight."
"Alright Will your job is to help get this colony on its feet, Wrex, Garrus let's go," Shepard says as she head off towards the elevator that goes to the Skyway.
I turn to Fai Dan, "What do you need," I say.
"We need those geth destroyed," Arcelia answers. Duh I think to myself.
"Arcelia is right, there are still geth in the tunnels," Fai Dan agrees, "we also have more mundane problems, like food, water and power." "I'm not sure where we stond on those matters," He continues, "you should talk to the people overseeing them."
"Who's in charge of your water supply," I ask.
"Macha Doyle has been assigned to that particular issue," Fai Dan answers, "if you have any insight to offer, please speak with her."
"Who's in charge of power," I ask.
"May O'Connell is working on our power problems," He answers, "she'd know more about it than I do."
"Wouldn't want you running out of food who's in charge of that," I ask.
"Davin Reynolds is tasked with securing food for the immediate future," Fai Dan answers, "if you can assist, please speak with him."
"Okay the fun part what about the geth in the tunnels," I ask.
"Nothing new, they're in the tunnels somewhere," Fai Dan asnwers, "likely gaurding a transmitter to coordinate attacks." "It's not a critical threat right now, but getting rid of that transmitter will help us defend against further attacks," he continues.
"Okay I'll get right on it," I say heading off to find the various heads of resources.
I eventually get a list of chores, kill alpha varren, find power cells, fix leaky pipes, and destroy geth transmitter.
When we set off to fix all the problems Tali says, "Something is wrong with the colony."
"I know it feels like they are all hiding something," Liana says. You have no idea I think to myself.
"Come on lets get this place back up and running," I say. We reach a walkway that leads into the tunnels and are set upon immediatily by a group of geth. With my SMGs, Tali's tech powers and Liana's biotics we tear through them. We head up to the pipes after the geth are gone.
"This valve looks like a part of a large system, there are likely others we need to activate as well," Tali says after I activate it.
We continue down the tunnel, "Look there's another one," Liana says, "there must be more."
We exit the tunnel just to go into another one a few feet further, "Geth," I shout firing at them. We clear this group quickly and continue on. We spot a colonist, oh yeah its that crazy guy, "You don't want to go down there," he says.
"Why are you away from the colony," I ask.
"NOOOO," she shouts and grabs his head. "That was a good one, very intense," he says.
I take a covert step back, "What's wrong with you."
"Just invoking the master's whip," he says. Okay he's a lot more crazy in real life. "Helps remind me I'm still alive." "You're here for the geth, aren't you your not the only one interested in those... things," he continues.
"Who else is looking for the geth," I ask.
"Not looking for looking to get rid of," he says. The thorian, I think to myself, obviously. "They're a thorn in the side of the– waagh, agh," he screams out. He strains through his talking, "Trying to get to the– aaiiiee." Then he starts laughing madly.
"This one is no longer fit, we should leave him," Tali says.
"Can we help you in any way," I ask feeling sorry for him, I mean he's fighting for control of his body with a fifty thousand year old plant.
He starts panting, "Help me, no, no one can help me now," he says, "I would rather die fighting."
"What are you fighting," Liana asks.
"Not that kind of fight," he says struggling, "it's like running through a thorn bush, the more you struggle..." "Times up company's coming," he says, "ask Fai Dan ask him about the, aaagh."
A group of geth had come up behind us, "Cover," I shout as we all scatter. A quick gunfight later. "Hey," I say to the colonist.
"I won't, I won't do it, I won't I can't– I can't– I wont do it," he rambles.
We head back a ways and found we had missed one of the valves, "There that did it the system is active," Tali exclaims triumphantly.
We head through a door on the opposite side, a pair of geth on a higher level fire down at us as a drone flies over into view, "Do it," I shout. The drone explodes when Tali points her omni tool at it and both the geth go airborne surrounded in a blue aura. I fire my SMGs till they run out and the geth crash to the ground. We make it down the hall, a group of krogan start shooting at us. Tali overheats their weapons, I pepper them with ammo, Liana finishes them off.
"This looks like the transmitter," I say.
"Back up," Tali warns, I comply she points her omni tool at the transmitter and it explodes.
"That takes care of that," Liana says.
"Okay all thats left is power cells and an alpha varren," I say. We head out and across through another open door.
I feel something thud on my back as I enter the weight pushes me to the ground. I hear a shotgun blast and I see a varren go flying covered in a blue aura across the room into a wall. I recover in time to fight the rest of the pack, I see the big alpha its red and black skin glistening. I unload my SMGs as it charges in on me it defies my bullets up until a foot in front of me and collapses. "Sorry brave one," I say sadly, "but it was you or me and I'm kinda partial to me." I head up the ramp and find a crashed vehicle burning, "Tali is there anything we can use here," I ask.
She searches through the wreck, "There's a power cell here that could be used, in the colony's generator."
"So our list is all done," I say, "let's head back to the colony."
We arrive back at the colony and I report to Fai Dan, "We took care of the geth transmitter," I say.
"Thank you Mr. Doe, was it," Fai Dan says, "we're in your debt." "You've taken a great weight off my shoulders, I just wish I had such good news for every problem," he says.
After a quick round of thank yous from the various heads of resources I try and contact the commander, "Commander," I say, there's no response, "maybe the Normandy can reach her."
We head back to the Normandy to check with Joker, "Shore party, stand by for decontamination," the VI repeats until the doors open.
"Joker any word from the Commander," I ask him.
"No somethings interfering with the signal," he says we start to hear thuds outside.
"What's that," I ask.
"The colonists are going crazy beating on the outside of the ship," Joker says.
"I'll handle it," I say heading for the air lock. I take a deep breath.
"Equalizing interior pressure with exterior atmosphere," The Normandy's VI says.
The door opens and 4 colonists rush in madly, I grab the leading one and use him to bowl over two of his comrades the last one continues his rush I bring my knee up and attacking me becomes the last thing on his mind. "Joker," I say through my comm.
"Here," he answers.
"Please send out some marines to secure these colonists," I ask him.
"On their way," He answers.
The airlock closes and a minute later Liana, and Tali are standing there. I just can't help myself, "Time to nut up or shut up."
WOW this is by far the longest chapter of the series.
