Objective spotted.
The room they entered was large as well, the grilled floor under their feet still ten feet above the bubbling purple acid. This room was better lit however, lights built into the ceiling casting a pale white light over a room where computers on desks and trays with various lab equipment lay strewn around haphazardly...and ignored by the one inhabitant.
Not one, two.
The Rachni queen stood in a massive jar of reinforced glass at the far end of the room, the container suspended above the acid by steel arms descending from the ceiling. The massive creature was like one of its children, only far larger...and its scales purple in tint rather then brown. The big alien eyes glowed white...as the head turned to look at them with a slight cock of its head.
Contained, currently irrelevant.
In the far left corner there was a closed door...a red warning sign riveted to the wall above it. Likely elevator to self-destruct mechanism and Rachni nest. He felt a jab of apprehension at the sight, but shook it off. Secondary concern, irrelevant until primary objective is complete.
Michael's gaze moved away from the creature to the other one in the room, to the primary objective.
She had her back to them. Standing before a desk in front of the Rachni queen's cage the Asari looked like a queen herself in her regal dress, her movement slow and measured as she picked up a glass of water from the table and brought it up to her mouth.
Danger.
Michael raised his pistol, jaw clenched as he heard Liara whimper.
A sip...and the glass was put back onto the table, Benezia's voice hushed and calm: "Saren said you would come." She turned, head held high, looking down at the group confronting her. "He also said you would be too late, and you are...he knows the location of the Mu Relay now, you cannot stop him..."
"You know it too." Michael retorted, holding Benezia's gaze while keeping his weapon trained on her, well aware that her arms still hung limply to her sides. "And you are going to give me that location..." He nodded towards the computer behind the Asari's back. "...or your computer will, you've lost, surrender." He glanced back at Liara, finding the woman wringing her hands, the pistol at her hip forgotten. Please...
"Lost?" Benezia shook her head, smirking. "You cannot win against the storm that is coming...you cannot win against Saren...you are the one who has lost...my death will not change that." A flare of biotic power in the woman's hands. "If you can kill me."
No body armour, no weapons, only biotic power, she cannot win... Michael frowned, puzzled. Surely she understands this too...
"Mother, please..." Liara's voice, always so calm and logical, shook. "...we can help you, you don't have to do this..."
A derisive snort, Benezia shooting Liara but a glance before looking back to Michael: "That's your plan? You think the presence of my daughter will stay my hand? You think me that weak-willed?"
"You...mother..." Liara shook her head, then took a step past Michael, hands held before her as her voice quavered: "...you've always looked to the future...how could you help Saren if he wants to destroy it? This...this isn't you."
There was a glint in Benezia's eyes...then a darkness, face twisting into a mask of anger: "My daughter, always stumbling in the darkness, unable to understand...even unable to understand her own mother." Liara flinched, the words like a blow. "You left me decades ago child, don't pretend to understand my motives, your words are that of a weakling, I raised you to be strong...obviously I failed."
"W-why a-are you..." Liara stumbled a step backwards, but straightened before Michael could move to assist, her back straight as she faced her mother, even as he voice broke:"...sa-saying these things? Y-you...aren't th-there any more...are you?"
"I made the difficult choices you could never have, don't judge me." Benezia snarled, the regal mask in her stance cracking as she turned to Michael, revealing something...feral. "You cannot break me Spectre, you and your..." She shot Liara a disgusted glance. "...allies are nothing but dust to what the future holds."
"I repeat, surrender." Michael aimed for the Asari's head. "Now."
A laugh, low and foreboding, escaped Benezia, her head tilting back. "You cannot break me Spectre..." Only to come back, revealing eyes afire with biotic energy. "...but I can break you!"
Her arms shot forth...and Michael found himself jumping back at the sight of the massive beam of dark blue power hurtling at them...
Only for Liara to step in its path, hands raised...and the massive bolt exploded outwards as it raked a purple field of biotic energy suddenly around the group.
A hiss...and Benezia took a step forth, more energy rushing forward, nearly blinding Michael as it in a flash of white streamed against the field where Liara stood, the beam breaking up in fiery tendrils of dark blue energy that snaked their way out and around the rest of Liara's field, like something living trying to break in...
Liara gasped, her arms shaking as she stood in front of the group, as if holding up a great weight. Her voice shook even more though, strained, gasping: "M-mother...p-please..."
Michael's pistol moved up to aim again...only for him to hesitate, gaze drawn to Liara and her desperate struggle, every fibre in her struggling to hold Benezia at bay, to reach her mother...
A growl and Benezia advanced even further, her beam glowing an almost icy blue now, vibrating with power as it hurtled against Liara...who with a gasp took a step backwards, moving into a crouch as she struggled: "M-mother!"
No time. Michael glanced at Liara, regret sneaking into his heart. Sorry...
Benezia snarled, her eyes afire with a lust for blood: "Daughter...die!"
A single shot rang out.
And the struggle ceased, Liara's field collapsing even as she slumped to her knees, body shaking with the strain...and Benezia's power fizzling out as the Matriarch took a step backwards, the feral look gone, the power in her eyes gone.
She was nothing but an old woman...clutching at the purple blood running from her stomach, eyes vacant as she stumbled backwards...before slumping to her knees.
Michael reached out for Liara...
No, the mission comes first.
...and then gripped his smoking pistol with both hands as he brushed past the woman and advanced on his wounded target, pistol levelled at her. "Target neutralized, Alenko, medi-gel here."
"No..." Benezia coughed, but the hand raised demanded obedience, refusing the aid. "It's...no...no use..." Her voice was...different, less regal, calmer...
"The wound is treatable..."
"But my mind is not..." Benezia wavered where she sat, but looked up at Michael, a new fire in her eyes as she spoke: "I feel it crawling in my skull...the need to do as Saren says...the need to kill you...even now...I feel it..."
Need... Michael shuddered, feeling a brief moment of fear for his own needof the mission...a cold shudder, as if it was something unnatural.
It is...
No...ignore.
"Saren, he was here, where did he go?"
"Saren..." The woman's eyes rolled back, a soft shake of her head: "Saren isn't...the ship..."
Again, the ship, why is the ship important?
Irrelevant, focus on mission. "Saren. Where, is, he?"
The woman's head lolled back, voice a whisper: "Saren...Virmire...gathering his army...Virmire..." Then shot back, her eyes flashing with a flicker of energy. "You must stop him! He must not..." She shuddered, the energy dying. "...must not reach the Conduit...if he does...he must not..."
"The Conduit, what is the Conduit?" Michael pushed.
But the Matriarch merely rolled her head back, a muted whisper escaping her as she shuddered, her blue colour fading. "Stop him..."
Michael reached back for his medi-gel...only to see Liara crawling towards them, the grief in her eyes stopping him, then making him look back to Benezia, remembering the commando Shiala's words of her sudden freedom. Better to die as you then...whatever they're turned into.
He shook his head. No, mission...
A glance at Liara holding her mother's shoulders, regret and grief in her face...and her memories of a distant mother, of bitterness and words not apologized for washed over him...he looked away. Not...this time...
Yet he could still hear them.
Liara's voice, a pained whisper: "M-other..."
Benezia's, weak and fading: "Little wing...I never...told you..."
"I...p-please don't..."
"Told you how much I..." A cough, then another...and Michael found his gaze drawn to the scene.
Benezia's lips were flecked with purple blood, her skin pale blue...and Liara on her knees opposite the woman as the Matriarch faltered, the grip of her daughter's hands on her shoulders all that kept her from falling.
And Liara's face, wet with tears, shaking with regret and grief, lips moving in questions and words she'd never had an opportunity to speak.
All that escaped her was a tiny whisper however: "M-mother...?"
Benezia swayed. "...told you...how...much...I..."
A rattle...and the Matriarch dropped to the floor.
Liara's hands remained out, as if still holding her mother, eyes wide, mouth opening...but there were no words, only a look of shock.
Silence.
And then a choked sound, her lips trembling, twisting into grimace, eyes narrowing as her face crunched up...and her hands moved to her gut as she with a sob doubled over.
Michael holstered his pistol, reached out...only to flinch back as Liara pulled her shaking shoulders away from his hand.
He looked down at his gun...and nodded. Understandable...I...understandable.
Kaidan came forth, slipping to one knee behind her he placed both hands on the Asari's shoulders...even as he with a sympathetic look nodded to Michael to go for the computer back by the Rachni queen.
A last look at Liara...and Michael turned and moved towards the desk.
In its tank the queen was still watching them, one tentacle reaching out, pressing against the glass as if in greeting.
Michael ignored it, finding the computer, fingers taping forth, searching the recent documents as he spoke into the com-link. "Locating Mu Relay...transmitting coordinates to the Normandy...done." Primary objective complete, search additional data.
Then the glass next to the computer...hummed.
Michael shot it a glance, then shrugged: "Searching additional documents, no hits on Saren, no hits on Benezia, no hits on-"
"You...sing a different song."
Michael blinked, looking back, finding Wrex advancing with narrowed eyes focused on the queen, neither Liara nor Kaidan having moved, a small island of grief.
None of them was the owner of the voice however, none could have been, the voice soft and melodic, a strange whisper of an echo within it.
"You...face those holding us."
Michael followed the voice...and found himself staring at the glass, the water at the bottom vibrating even as it hummed with the voice. Wrex's voice was but a growl: "What is that?"
And the glass hummed loud: "We...are the Rachni."
Michael looked at the glass, then up to the Rachni pressing her tentacle against its glassed cage. "It's the queen..." A growl from Wrex...and Michael held up his hand, beckoning silence: "Can you understand us?"
"Your...song...is not our song...but we see yours...vibrations...through memory...we understand." There was a hint of confusion in the voice: "You...are different...you move by self...not by all...driven by a single song...we do not understand."
"They're a damn hive." Wrex snarled, the Krogan's hands closing into fists. "She probably told her children to attack us."
"Our...children..." The Queen's body shook, head twitching to the side, as if in pain. "...do not hear the song...they were taken...they cannot hear our song...yet we hear their agony...they desire an end...yet do not know it...for they know not what they are...nor what all around them is..."
"Seems they did go mad." Michael looked to Wrex, shrugging. Not important, does not change new objective, nested Rachni must be destroyed.
"Yeah, if you can trust the bug." Wrex snorted, clearly showing what he thought of that.
"Please...we...wish their agony...to end." The glass hummed, insistent. "...end their suffering...let our ruined children...know peace."
Michael looked back up, back to the monstrous alien. "That is already our mission, they will die."
"Thank...you...the Rachni are grateful."
Silence.
The queen tilting her massive head as she looked back at him, utterly alien eyes the size of his fist glowing at him.
And the glass hummed: "But...what of us? We...are the last of the Rachni...there is no song but ours left...we are alone."
Alone...Michael blinked, the word reverberating through him. Alone...
"Destroy it, drop it into the acid." Wrex grunted, snarling at the caged creature. "The Krogan died in millions against these beasts, let it end here."
"We...did not fight the Krogan..." The glass retorted, voice soft. "We...hatched not long ago...we wish...release."
"You are a hive creature." Wrex growled, pointing a clawed finger at the queen. "You know what your people did, you remember, you would do the same if you weren't shackled."
"We...know...but we...do not understand..." The queen's body shuddered. "...we remember our song...fading...changing...and blood...our cry pushing against enveloping darkness...unheeded."
"It's blabbering nonsense, kill it." Wrex growled, turning to Michael.
Who ignored the Krogan, head downcast. Mission requiring death of Rachni, correction, attacking Rachni, queen not attacking, queen not in mission parameters. Could turn hostile with release, could attack, might not, no data supporting either conclusion. Release risking future war though, but future war irrelevant with impending Reaper attack...does that make it irrelevant? Prisoner of war, should be treated according to...no, Spectre status superseding regulations.
Freedom or death will not affect mission, nor campaign against Saren or Reapers...it's irrelevant.
He flinched, the thought painful. Change approach. "What would you do? Where would you go?"
"We...would leave...rebuild, remake our song..."
"Michael you can't-!" Michael held up his hand, silencing Wrex.
"Why would I trust you?"
"We...have nothing...but the Rachni's song is almost at an end...we would never win a war...even if we wished one."
Logic...Michael nodded. Correct, Rachni strength minimal, even with rebuilding they would not win a war, but they could still cause damage...self-preservation demands them to not attack however.
He nearly snorted at himself. Applying human logic on alien species, weak argument, they could still wish to attack.
Wrex growl cut through his thoughts, harsh and low: "These creatures killed millions of Krogans Shepard; the war turned us into the council's tool, only to be discarded when we weren't needed! Don't let the genocide of the Krogan become in vain!"
Do unto your neighbour as you would...no, religion not applicable, is only driving, emotions must never influence decision process. "The genocide is on the Council's hands, not the Rachni, you know that."
"Fine, but the Rachni still killed millions of Krogan, you can't ignore that."
Michael blinked, the hatred in Wrex's voice disturbing his struggling mind. Freeing unnecessary right, killing safer...but... Once more he remembered Shiala, the Asari commando was still on Feros, a resource to be used, a source of additional information, how was the Rachni any different? ...wasting a potential resource.
He blinked, hands coming down to rest against the desk as he looked down at the computer to hide his confusion.
Logic...failing.
It...hurt.
If he couldn't think through the mission...or logic...what was left? His soul? The soul of a brutal and monstrous thug? It could not be used, must not be used...he had locked that man away, holding him at bay with logic, missions, feigned humour and that need...the need to repent.
No, avoid, evade.
He shuddered, searching his memories for an answer, but only finding death and a haze of his mind struggling to keep him going...
Except...
Ashley, father at Shanxi, surrendered, she's now branded for his deed... Michael's shoulders slumped as he looked up, finding the queen's glowing eyes. ...as you are by those before you.
No, should kill it, resource expendable, risk too great...
The words were hollow, it was a question of morals, morals that Michael had long done away with, replacing it with steel and ice...
And unleashing himself was not an option, that man was a fool and a thug, not worthy to make any decisions any more, a soul hidden away as his body and masks of his true mind tried to repent his sins...
At the end the question was simple...what would a good man do?
Michael wasn't a good man, he didn't know.
So he looked back, gaze finding Kaidan. The man had managed to turn Liara away from her mother's corpse, his arms around her as her held her against his chest, muttering words as the Asari wept...and Michael knew.
A-acceptable.
And then he relaxed, with the decision made; the struggle within his mind eased away as the conflict was resolved. "Can't believe I'm doing this..." He reached down to the controls...tapped away...and the Queen's cage moved upwards as the ceiling opened, revealing a dark corridor against which the short end of the glass was pushed against with a thump.
"You're...letting it go!" Wrex growled, stunned.
Michael watched as the door to the cage opened to the corridor, the Queen standing before the exit...and looking down at him, the tentacle reaching out to touch the glass in greeting. "Yes..." And then it scampered out, disappearing into the darkness. "...I am."
"What's wrong with you!" A clawed hand gripped his shoulder, spinning him to face Wrex, the Krogan's face twisting into one of rage. "The genocide of the Krogan would never have happened if the Rachni hadn't come! They were the reason we were needed! Their destruction was what eventually doomed us!"
And Michael felt nothing but calm, the conflict now resolved he looked back evenly at the furious Krogan: "And another genocide would have made that better?"
"It would have been justice!" Wrex growled, clawed finger jabbign Michael in the chest. "What if it lied to you! What if it will rebuild only to start a war again! By then there will be no Krogan to save you!"
"Then I guess the science that created the genophage will also have doomed its creators to death by remaking the horror they used the Krogan to combat." Michael replied, shrugging.
Wrex opened his mouth, only to close it as he looked down at his feet. "That would be amusing I suppose..." Then back up, teeth bared in a snarl: "...but you promised to end this! Instead you do this! Why!"
"Because the Rachni queen wasn't responsible for anything, and the Rachni weren't responsible for the demise of the Krogan, it wasn't..." His eyes flicked to Kaidan. "...right to kill it."
"Your damn human morality will get us killed if you continue like this! I ought to just-"
Assert dominance. "I'm your Commander, fall in line."
Wrex blinked, then scoffed. "You think you can-"
"Fall. In. Line." Michael narrowed his eyes at the Krogan.
Who snorted. "You think I'm scared of a human barely a tenth of my own-"
Enough. Michael grabbed Wrex's breastplate...pulled...and slammed his helmet into the Krogan's face.
A crack...and Wrex blinked, surprised more than dazed as Michael ignored the pain in his neck, voice cold: "I'm your Commander and you will do as I say. You are not making the calls here, I am, is that understood?"
Wrex blinked, eyes still aglow with surprise. "You dare to-"
Repeat.
This time Wrex actually took a step back as Michael's helmet slammed into his face. "You were a warlord on Tuchanka. Here you are under my command...that means you follow my orders and hold your tongue until I say otherwise." Michael pulled Wrex closer, so close that the Krogan's breath brushed against his as he glared into the big red eyes: "Is. That. Understood?"
Silence.
A slow blink...and Wrex's mouth moved into a broad grin: "You sure got a quad on you Shepard...I like it." Michael released Wrex's breastplate...and the Krogan took a respectful step back, still grinning: "Very well, as you said, the Rachni are your problem now, not the Krogans...and damn if I don't think it would be a close fight."
Michael offered the Krogan a short nod, ignoring the pang of pain in his neck from the head-but as he spoke: "I trust this will not affect our contract?"
"On the contrary." Wrex smirked. "I feel like halving my fee." Then chuckled. "Not that I will, but the thought is there."
Michael offered a smirk...
Situation resolved, new primary mission, enact.
...and the smirk died.
He looked over to the distant door...and felt his mind slip back into its familiar place.
High risk, minimize casualties, death of those under my charge...unacceptable, only one expendable...
"Alenko, Urdnot, take T'soni back to the tram and prepare the survivors for extraction..." He moved towards the door.
"...I'll activate the self-destruct."
8
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Thanks to Abydos Jackson for all her kind help.