Hello Project Renegade Viewers, it's good to be back to this story! I hope I didn't keep you too long in the dark awaiting to be awoken! Anyways here it is!
Mass Effect Project Renegade
Chapter 39: Broken trust
As Jack's team left for the sky cars, Leng prepared for his operation on retrieving the dossiers on Illium.
"Okay people listen up Shepard has left me in charge of the operation, while he's doing a rescue mission, I'm in charge while he gone… so I expect nothing but your best. If you screw up…. Well we're going to have some problems…"
Garrus rolled his eyes seeing the situation the remaining crew is in with Leng's in charge. Shepard knew Leng was his second in command but that didn't mean he approved of the choice, Leng was an extremist in Garrus's eyes, from what Jack told him he stacked up a massive body count during the First Contact War.
"So who are we going to recruit first?" Bethora asked with a calm tone.
Leng switched to his arm tool on his armor checking the two Dossiers, reviewing who he would most likely recruit.
"The Assassin is our first objective, apparently he's assassinating some Asari Corporate Owner, known as Sedaris. Our job stop the assassination to contact the Assassin."
Leng ordered the crew to follow him to the docks, in order to execute the mission. While Leng led the remainder of the crew, Jack's was already at the port sector being stalled by Eclipse Mercenaries.
The Eclipse Lieutenant made a mistake of stalling Jack, as he broke his neck while ordering his squad to fire on the Eclipse soldiers who were standing by. Jake provided excellent fire support bringing down a fuel canister on three squads of Eclipse mercenaries. Jack, Jake, and May moved forwards either blade or gun in hand moving in dispatching Eclipse soldiers to the elevator.
Miranda, (Jack), Tali, and Kasumi made their way through the mutilated eclipse corpses, trying to reach the elevator while picking off any stragglers. Turning a corner the rest of the squad saw Jack, May, and Jake praising each other.
"Holy Shit… Just like old times huh Jack?"
Jack patted Jake on the back signaling it was quick execution of getting towards the point.
"Okay let's not waste any more time, Niket could be dead or dying if we don't hurry up."
Hearing that Miranda shook from thinking her friend dead at the hands of some Mercenary, May picked up a radio by the dead eclipse mercenary, may hacked in to the transmission by the leader in the area.
Alright we're almost ready, once Niket has given us the location of Oriana we can move in an extract her.
May transferred the com link over to Jack for him to review, May and Jack then nodded each other seeing they were in the same mind set.
001: So Niket may be working with the Eclipse Mercenaries.
100: it looks that way, but let's not jump to conclusions Jack, we need to complete this mission.
Miranda approached Jack, seeing his mind was elsewhere.
"Commander, what did you find?"
Jack threw the radio on to the crates, as he turned to Miranda waiting for other crewmembers to move in to the elevator.
"Niket may have sold your sister out…. Their leader is talking about Niket giving the location of your sister, and it sounded like he did willingly."
Miranda's face held an expression of shock, she couldn't believe what her Commander just said, it had to be a lie, but what would he gain from lying.
"No that's impossible, I known Niket for a long time, there is no reason why he'd stab me in the back, there has to be a reason why he gave out the location, maybe… maybe they tortured the information and… Damn it! We need find Niket."
The elevator took about twenty seconds to speed its way up to the next floor. An Eclipse Mercenary saw the elevator coming up on the control panel, he thought it was more reinforcements. As the door opened Jack's 1911, discharged through the Mercenary's skull while hitting another one in the neck.
001: EDI?
Yes Shepard?
001: We're going to need another route to Niket, can you find one?
One Moment… There several routes that you can take but two of them involve a ventilation shaft. The only crew members I know who would be skilled for the job are Kasumi and Tali.
100: Send them ahead Jack to prepare an Ambush for the Eclipse Captain, while we draw their attention to us.
050: Is that a good idea?
Jack and May looked at Tali, causing Tali to wonder what they were thinking about.
"What?"
Fifty Seconds Later in the Ventilation Shaft .
"Keelah the things I do for Shepard… Kasumi how is it on your end?"
Kasumi was gracefully crawling through the Small Ventilation shaft, as if she was used to this kind of work.
"It's not so bad I'm used to this, sneaking in stealing priceless artifacts, I noticed you froze up when May and Jack looked at you… what's wrong Tali I can tell body language, any yours is screaming to be heard."
Tali turned the next shaft towards the objective trying to maneuver in her tight space.
"*sigh* I'm… I'm not sure if… I can keep up with Shepard… I love him with all my Heart… Keelah this is so hard to say… It's just Shepard and May have more history with each other then I do. What if Shepard likes her more than me?"
"Tali you can't worry about that, Shepard Loves you a lot I can tell it when he walks in to the room, you two are like different people when you're not fighting enemies."
Tali smiled behind her faceplate, but that didn't mean she was going to let her guard down against May, there was no way in Hell May would let Jack go without a fight.
"Thanks Kasumi, maybe I am overthinking this…"
"Hey Tali?"
"Yes?"
"How's the Sex?"
"Kasumi!"
Tali heard Kasumi giggle over the com from Tali's reaction.
"What I'm just kidding… sort of…"
While Kasumi and Tali were in the ventilation shaft, Jack and May we're facing several squads of Eclipse Mercenaries. A mercenary kicked an explosive canister in front of May, causing an explosion to knock May in to Jack's chest. The two flew into a crate crushing the exterior of it.
Jack laid there on the ground flat on his back while May, sat up on his pelvic area.
"Well this brings back memories… "
Jack made a quick laugh remembering when the two took out the Manae artillery piece protecting the forward base.
"Manae?"
May got up along with her shotgun, she offered her hand to Jack which he accepted it. May quickly pulled Shepard up causing him to bump in to her making no space between their bodies.
"I.. Jack…"
Jack placed his hands on her shoulders, then on her helmet. Some memory sparked inside Jack's thoughts, their nights together.
"May…"
However trip back to memory lane was halted when a rocket nearly hit them. Jack got on top of the crane equipped with a LMG, May hacked in to the console making the Crane move above the Mercenaries letting Jack fire a barrage of bullets. Jack dropped down below drawing his sword and combat knife. The three unsuspecting Mercenaries were ambushed from above the middle one was crushed while the two others were skewered by Jack's blades.
The Mercenaries foolishly charged Jack thinking to overwhelm him with numbers. Twenty were cut down to pieces while the others hid behind cover. Jack sheathed his blades leaving the Mercenaries to fire blindly at Jack their weapons doing little to no damage. Out of Jack's arms on his armor were steel wires being deployed, the wires immediately turned in to an electric red color. Jack swung the wires around in his environment dicing his enemies in to pieces causing the rest of the Mercenaries to break rank and run.
The armor retracted the wires leaving Jack to smirk has the cowards ran before him, Jake aimed down on his rifle and began to release a barrage at Jack's targets, gunning them down.
Jack is having feelings for May return, while Tali is worried about her relationship with Jack. Will Jack overcome this challenge as he continues his journey for the betterment of Humanity?