Thanks again guys for the reviews and all that such, means a lot to me.
So now that Miranda and Peter are official I can stop worrying about when they're going to be a thing and how they are going to become a thing.
That's the fun part.
But for now we are concentrating getting to the time gap. Now unofficially the time gap has already begun really. It's just a matter of officially announcing it by this point. Like I already said after this chapter we are jumping into the three year gap in all its free creative glory.
So yay.
I'm gonna have a lot of fun writing the next few chapters
Usual shout out to my main two contributors for the crossover Bioshocker and Jebest
Really, nothing else left to say for the moment
Rate Read and Review and As Always Have Nice Day
Along Came A Spider Chapter 17: Let's bring down the sky
The Normandy currently remained docked in the Citadel, getting a great deal of upgrades over the past few days as well as a brand new Mako which made the team pale save for Shepard pale considerably.
There was a sense of peace for the moment as the Citadel continued to reconstruct the damaged Councils tower.
The team took advantage of this moment of peace as they relaxed, going about their usual business.
Garrus with his calculations
Ashley keeping her weapons in check
Liara behind the med bay
Shepard in his office
Kaidan at his little terminal
Wrex beside the Mako, in an intense Slipknot session
And Tali and Peter were now making the final touches to the Normandy ID cards with Joker observing the whole thing, having nothing better to do right now.
"So how exactly is this gonna help us?" Joker asked, bored and all
"It serves a lot of functions" Tali explained "It's a special communication device that can only be used by the user it's assigned to"
"These cards are also universal. You can magnetically attach them to any suit you are wearing and it links up, allowing you to communicate amongst the team without always having to reach for it"
"And we're still going to be adding more features to it" Tali said excitedly
"Oh and by the way" Peter reached out to one of the completed cards and held it up for Joker "Here's yours"
"Uh yeah" joker idly took it, seemingly uncaring. But when he gave it once over, it did look a little cool actually. It got a picture of him grinning triumphantly with his full name Jeff "Joker" Moreau and an added title of "Best Pilot in the galaxy"
"Ok I admit it, this does seem pretty cool" Joker bashfully stated when he silently contemplated, staring at his new card "I still can't believe you're from another universe man. This is way too crazy for me"
"You are not the only one" Tali said now looking at Peter "I still wanna know more about these Avengers you're a part of"
"Well what do you wanna know?" Spider-man asked, making a tweak to a card "The Origin? The various members? Our battles? Our split-ups? Our reunions? The new teams? The old teams? The…"
"Alright" Joker cut in "Enough already dude, we get it"
"But seriously, where do you wanna start?" Spider-man asked when he remembered something "Hang on, didn't Madame Web create like some file thingy for the team to look over?"
"Yes but I'd rather hear you talk about it" Tali said "After all, you know them better than we do by a mile"
"More like Universe really" Joker remarked
"Hmmm" Peter leaned back into his chair, crossing his arms in thought "Well, I guess I could talk about the current team right now"
"This should be good" joker said, taking a seat beside Tali
"Ok, children, listen up good and well" Spider-man said in a more dramatic voice "So as of right now, this is probably one of the more larger teams of the Avengers history. We've got close to about nearly 25 members"
"Of the 25 are the original founders, Cap, Tony, Widow, Hawkeye, Hank Pym, Janet, Thor and Banner" Spider-man listed them off "Then we've got some of the long term members who've really toughed it out on the team like Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Scott Lang. we've got some newer guys, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Jessica Jones, White Tiger. Man, we really got bloated these past few years"
"So you've got more than 25 members" Joker asked curiously
"Most likely" Peter said with a shrug "Geez, it's really hard to pick a starting point"
"Well, why don't you start with the ones you're really close with on the team" Tali suggested "The ones you know very personally"
Now that was something Peter could easily do.
"Alright then" Spider-man said cheerily, bringing up a file of a rather feral looking human.
Though the male looked more akin to an animal than to a human, Peter still held a very fond smile on his face.
"This is one of my best friends, Logan Howlett better known by The Wolverine" Peter said to Tali and Joker
"Wolverine?" Joker said with a quirked eyebrow "He sounds like quite the charmer"
"You would not believe how true that statement is" Peter said exasperatedly still holding that smile on his face making Joker go a bit bug-eyed "This guy is an Unbelievable womanizer. He has been with so many girls in his life, it's not even funny"
"What's he like?" Tali asked
"For starters, he is one of the most stubborn men I have ever met, period" Peter said with emphasis "Holy mother of god, I swear to you this guy rarely backs down from anything he sets his mind to. I can't even begin to describe the sheer insanity of some of the things he's done in his life, seriously the list is so long Logan himself has lost track several times"
"Sounds like a real swell guy" Joker quipped
"That's so ironic cause he is that as well" Peter said now a bit more serious and respectful "Logan here is one of the most trustworthy, most loyal friends you can have. Beneath that gruff fury exterior is a man with a heart of gold. This guy is someone I could easily talk to about any of my problems. Wolverine to put it simply is one of my best friends"
As soon as Peter finished that statement, alarms went off on the Normandy, with Shepards voice booming in the intercom.
"Attention Normandy crew, prep for launch, we've got a serious mission on our hands. All personal report to your stations, Team, the meeting room NOW"
Tali, Peter and Joker all glanced at one another.
"Go, you guys" Joker said in total seriousness "I'll get this ship up and ready in ten"
Tali and Peter immediately got up from their chairs and left to meet with the team, Kaidan and Wrex joining them on their way to the room.
Entering they already saw Liara, Garrus, Ashley and the very serious face of Shepard.
"I'll get right to the point guys" Shepard said with no nonsense in his tone "I had just received a distress signal coming from the Asgard System in the Exodus Cluster. To put it simply, the message said something the lines of a research facility on an asteroid getting hijacked by unidentified extremists that have now set the asteroid on a collision course with the nearby colony of Terra Nova. We're going to go over there and stop it before it's too late"
"By the goddess, how did they manage to do that?!" Liara asked in shock and disbelief
"We'll find out once we get there" Kaidan said with determination
"Any other questions?" Shepard asked
Instead of questions, the team got…
"WOW" Spider-man said neutrally "This is so much like an Avengers level mission it's not even funny. Seriously, on the way there, I gotta tell you about that one time with Sokovia getting turned into a make-shift meteor by Ultron, it's crazy"
"By all means then" Shepard said "Get your gear ready, get everything you need. this is definitely going to get ugly"
The moment Shepard finished giving out commands, the Normandy's engines were heard powering up momentarily and the team felt themselves shift slightly from movement signifying that the Normandy was in the air.
"Coordinates locked in, all systems go" Joker chimed in from the intercom "The Normandy is airborne and away"
The team got prepared within minutes and were already on their way to the Asgard system. They idly waited in the meeting room.
"So what was it you said about that Make-shift meteor?" Garrus asked curiously
"Oh boy" Peter sat up a bit, placing on his armor "This one is a doozy. It involves the creation of Ultron and how Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and Vision joined the team"
Scene cut
The Normandy arrives at their destination and instantly, the Normandy sensors picked up on the giant moving asteroid headed towards the colony.
The VI Normandy then spoke
"Status: Sensors reveal three fusion torches propelling asteroid X57" The VI Said to the team that awaited drop off in the Mako with Kaidan driving this time
"At its current rate of acceleration, the asteroid will collide with terra nova in approximately four hours"
"Analysis: Torches must be disabled to cease the acceleration"
"So we now know our objective" Shepard said
"But will that be enough?" Spider-man said aloud "If we haven't forgotten the laws of physics and gravity in space, objects will continue on their projected path"
"Then we'll just have to reverse the torches somehow before shutting them down" Tali said with finality
"You heard our tech expert" Shepard said like a brother with pride "We have our mission"
"Sir" Joker chimed in "We've got another transmission coming from the asteroid"
"Play it" Shepard said
There was static for a moment, then…
"Hello? Hello?" A female voice "I heard your transmission. Can you hear me? Please, Shut down the fusion torches or we are all going to die here. god I hope you're hearing this"
With that, the team was in the new Mako and was dropped off onto the surface of the asteroid.
"First Fusion torch sighted ahead" Kaidan said, gunning the Mako.
"Heavy Turret" Garrus said, whirling the gun around, promptly taking out the gun with several precise shots
"You're headed in the right direction" The female voice chimed in again "I don't know who you are, but I'm-Damn it! Got to go"
And the transmission cut off
"Hmmm, I'm worried for her safety" Spider-man idly commented "But I can't deny the whole cutting off thing being a bit to cliché in my opinion"
"Save it for when we're done here" Shepard said as the Mako stopped in front of the entrance to the first Torch
The team exited the vehicle quickly and entered the facility to find….
"Batarians" Shepard growled out and the Batarians snarled at the new arrivals, one of them shouting at the Varren they had with them to charge at the Normandy squad.
What the Batarians didn't expect was the instant reflex of Spider-man who webbed them down in place.
"Aw, didn't see that coming" Peter taunted as the team ran in to engage the Batarians
"RELEASE THE VARREN"
"Oh joy" Garrus remarked dryly, sniping the two Varren with ease.
Tali and Liara shot one down together.
Wrex ran through another.
Kaidan caught one in a biotic field giving Ashely the chance to easily kill him
Shepard took down another with a well aimed shotgun
And finally, Spider-man cleared the room by smashing a Batarian down to the ground, effectively knocking him out
"Room is clear" Garrus announced
"Let's keep moving Then" Shepard said
They made quick scans of the area before entering a stairway corridor that lead to the second floor of the facility.
The team entered what seemed to be the control room.
"Tali" Shepard said to their tech expert
"Roger that" Tali went up to the controls and with her expertise, broke through the encryption placed on the controls, turning the torch off before making some adjustments to it.
Linking up the controls to her omni-tool, Tali prepped several commands for later
Suddenly, the same voice from the distress call came from the control panel
"Hello? Is anyone there?" The woman asked "I'm reading that the torch is offline. Was that you? Can you read me?"
"I hear you" Shepard responded "What's going on? Who are you?"
"My name is Kate Bowman" The woman replied "I'm an engineer. I was part of the team assigned to bring this asteroid to Terra Nova. We were attacked yesterday by Batarian Extremists. I've been in hiding since they arrived. I think they know the torch went out"
"Why are Batarian extremists trying to cause a global catastrophe?" Spider-man asked then murmured to himself "Seriously wish the Avengers were here right about now"
"I don't know, but if this asteroid isn't stopped, millions of people on Terra Nova are going to die"
Kate exhaled "If I find out anything I'll…"
A noise from the other end cut her off
"I've got to go. Good luck"
The line cut off
"The plot thickens" Kaidan quipped
"Batarians are known slavers" Liara commented "But this is far more extreme than what they usually perform"
"They're called extremists, Liara" Wrex said as everyone turned to return to the mako "They really don't give two shits about anything else other than what they want"
The team reached the exit of the first torch facility when they saw a man nervously holding a gun.
"Oh hey" Spider-man called out to the guy only to instantly tilt his body to the side as the man yelped, firing a shot at Peter
"OH GOD" The man cried out in horror "I didn't mean to…Are you alright?"
"No scratches on me man" Spider-man said casually "Don't worry about it"
"But I would appreciate if you drop the gun for the moment" Shepard said wryly "Don't want you shooting at my team"
"Yes of course, I'm sorry" The man said right away, dropping the gun to the floor "I didn't even realize you guys weren't Batarians until….well, I guess I'm not much of a soldier"
"I know you're scared, but it's going to be alright" Shepard assured "My Name is Shepard, I'm a Spectre of the Citadel and with the Alliance. This is my team"
"Shepard?" The man murmured in awe "The Normandy team? I know all about you guys. You've garnered quite the reputation in the galaxy"
"We do have that effect" Garrus said smugly, puffing out his chest in pride. He got elbowed by Tali in amusement and some annoyance
"My name is Simon. Simon Atwell" The man introduced himself "I'm the Chief Engineer on this rock"
The engineer got more somber then
"Listen- We don't have much time left. The Batarians still control the other fusion torches. You've gotta shut them down before we hit Terra Nova" The man said with a sense of frantic desperation "There are four million people down there Shepard, i…"
Simons breathe hitches for a moment
"My Family. They live in Aronas. My kids and my grandkids. Nice Community, good schools…"
"We'll get this done" Spider-man said with determination "We promise"
"Asides from the dozens of Batarians and fusion torches" Shepard said "Anything else we need to know?"
"One of the torches is surrounded by living blast caps" Simon informed the team "We were set up to excavate when we arrived at Terra Nova. I rigged them with proximity detectors. That tank you guys arrived on will set them off, so you'll have to go on foot. Even then they'll explode if you get to close. So just take it slow and you'll be fine"
"Hang on a second, you set them up, right?" Kaidan spoke up getting a nod out of Simon "So can't you disable them?"
"Not from here, no" Simon answered "There are manual controls by the entrance to the torch facility, inside the blast zone. You can disarm the blasts from there"
Garrus then leaned over to Peter and whispered
"Can't you like, use your Spider-sense to navigate through the minefield?" Garrus asked
"…Yes"
"One last thins" Simon added "I had a crew working off-site when the attack hit. I'm worried about them"
"We'll rescue them" Ashley said confidently "Don't worry"
Simon gave the gunnery an appreciative look as the others nodded in agreement
Simon decided to say one more thing
"These Batarians….they're ruthless" Simon said with a slight shudder "I saw them smash the faceplates of guys working vacuum. And those Varren…I don't think they always wait for a corpse before feeding"
"Before we go" Shepard said "Any idea where we could find your crew?"
"They were running checks on our perimeter equipment" Simon said "Easiest thing to do would be to tap into the transmission towers on the surface. The equipment stations will show up on your sensors"
"We'll do what we can" Shepard said to the engineer "But stopping the fusion torches are our top priority"
"I understand" Simon stated "Terra Nova is more important right now"
That didn't exactly sit well with Peter but now was not the time for overly grandiose heroics.
"There were a bunch of engineers over at the main facility, but they're probably dead" Simon said dejectedly "That or being held hostage by the Batarians"
"We'll hope for the latter" Liara said confidently
"Before we go, A woman named Kate Bowman contacted us just a while ago" Shepard said to the engineer "The Batarians haven't found her yet"
"Katie's alive" Simon said, now regaining hope "She was one of my best engineers. She signed on with her brother. Aaron, I think his name is. He's part of the security detail. I hope they're alright"
"We're burning daylight here Shepard" Ashely said to the commander
"You're right" Shepard addressed Simon one last time "You'd better find a place to hide out. Don't want the Batarians coming back around to find you"
"Yeah, I think I'll make myself scarce" Simon nodded "Good luck Shepard, good luck to all of you"
As soon as Simon left to go deeper into the base, the team made a jogging exit from the station, all running over to the Mako.
"You think there would have been enough time to evacuate Tera Nova?" Tali asked the crew
"Unlikely" Kaidan said with a shake of his head, getting into the drivers seat "I got a friend who lived there for a while. Said it took them nearly 20 to 30 years to get to the population they have now. At most they would have been able to evacuate a couple thousand max. they just don't have enough ships for that"
Kaidan stepped on it, beginning to drive towards the next fusion torch, stopping by several posts along the way with at least one dead per post.
Taking what they could in terms of info regarding the situation, the team pressed on, Kaidan cautiously maneuvering the Mako up the nearly vertical jagged mountains of the asteroid.
"You know" Peter said, staring at the world below "If it weren't for this dire mission…I wouldn't mind just standing on one spot, enjoying the view"
"Sentimentalist much?' Wrex teased
"Hey, I may seem extraordinary, but sometimes you gotta appreciate the simpler things" Peter said, gesturing his head to the lush Terra Nova "Like a good view of something beautiful"
"Here here" Ashley remarked
"We're coming up on our next Turret" Garrus announced, already firing the Mako gun at defense turrets targeting them
Garrus made mince meat out of the turrets as they did not possess his superb accuracy.
"Damn I'm good" Garrus murmured as the Mako stopped at the entrance
"Save it for a time where it really counts Vakarian" Shepard japed, getting his gun
The team lined up in a formation that was becoming a bit all too familiar with them with Spider-man, Garrus and Shepard leading with Wrex and Ashley right behind them followed by Kaidan, Tali and Liara.
They entered the first room before entering the larger room and right away.
"We've got enemy on all sides" Spider-man said, leaping up to the wall
"Garrus, Liara, Ashley with me" Shepard said, running up the stairs "Wrex, you and Tali and Kaidan cover our left, Spider-man, take out any we can't see"
Like clockwork, the team ran right into position, each taking down a Batarian as soon as they found a comfortable spot.
Spider-man of course being the exception as he instantly jumped onto a Batarian stomping him into the ground, only to instantly tilt his entire body back from several Batarians shooting at him.
They were quickly killed thanks to Garrus and Shepard who were now moving up as the team thinned out the Batarian forces in record time.
Wrex head butted a Batarian down before killing him with a shotgun shell
Kaidan snared two with his biotics giving Tali the chance to kill them with ease
Shepard and Liara shot several back with such force with their biotics, it killed all upon impact of the wall
Spider-man webbed down several more with enough power to knock them all out
Ashley elbowed her last one, killing him with a quick headshot which Garrus did the same to the last Batarian in the room with his sniper rifle
"Clear" Garrus announced, cockily checking his invisible watch "A new record you guys, that was less than three minutes"
"Great to know" Shepard said with a grin which went away a second later "But we need to hurry. Find the control panel"
The team went up a similar set of stairs like the one in the first facility and found an exact copy of the first terminal.
Tali shut down the torch and synced it up with her Omni Tool in no time
And once again, Kate contacted them, only this time she sounded much more frantic
"Are You there?" Kate called out, clearly indicating she was panicking "You've got to hurry, you've really pissed them off"
"Isn't that our job?" Spider-man quipped
"No that's your job" Ashley countered "Ours is to slightly irk the enemy before we kill them"
"Morbid much?" Spider-man said
"Their leader's setting charges everywhere" Kate said more frantically now "I think he's going to blow this whole facility"
Then, a different voice was heard
"GET AWAY FROM THERE" An angry male voice called out from afar
"Don't shoot please" Kate begged
The team heard nothing but very faint footsteps from the other line. They listened in hushed silence as there was an odd brief thumping noise
"Who's shutting down the torches?" A vicious Batarian demanded
A beat
"I won't ask again" The Batarian said savagely
There was another pause then a gun shot was heard, jolting some of the team followed by what they could easily guess to be a body slumping to the ground
"Find this problem and deal with it" The Same Batarian said again, obviously to another one of his men "Get her out of here"
"Let's go" Shepard said in complete seriousness, everyone running out of the station to the Mako
"I have the coordinates of the last torch station" Tali stated
"Punch it in" Shepard said to her, getting in his seat with Kaidan revving up the engine
Kaidan swerved the Mako around and gunned it right towards a harrowing mountain. But Kaidan simply didn't care and with expert movement, managed to go over t he mountain in record time and began falling down, using the thrusters to keep himself leveled
The moment the final torch was within their sights, Garrus was already taking out every turret that defended the final station.
After taking out the heavy turrets, the Mako was fast approaching the fusion torch station, a barrier of lights clear as day.
Kaidan stopped in time as the Normandy VI chimed in
"Warning: ground-penetrating radar detects anti-vehicle demolitions nearby. Proceed on foot"
"You heard her" Shepard said and everyone cautiously stepping out, standing on the edge of the mine field.
Spider-man bounced a bit on his spot, rotating his neck and shaking his shoulders
"Whelp" Spider-man clapped his hands "Follow me guys"
Spider-man walked in first, his spider-sense not going off at first. Then he had a very unusual tingle in the back of his head. A familiar tingle that had been developing over the past few months that seemed to be willingly called upon in situations such as these.
Peter felt a truly odd feeling as he began to 'feel' everything around him.
Underneath his mask, Peter held a befuddled expression as he now felt the presence of his friends and team right behind him along with a good feel of the entire area around him for a good few yards.
It was suddenly amplified three fold by this surge and now he 'felt' everything that reached the entrance of the torch station.
This greatly startled Spider-man to the point where he wobbled on the spot before stumbling back, tripping.
He was caught by Garrus and Wrex
"Peter?" Shepard said in concern, crouching next to him "Are you alright? What happened?"
"I…I don't know" Peter murmured, still in a bit of a daze "I…I think my spider-sense…literally sensed everything"
"What?" Ashley said "What do you mean?"
Spider-man shook his head, managing to stand back up
"We're on a bit of a time schedule" Spider-man stated "So I'll explain everything afterwards. All you guys need to do is follow me and get ready for the 20 armed Batarians waiting for us at the entrance"
The team stared at the web-head before sharing glances with one another.
"Ok Spider-man" Shepard said after a few seconds "Lead the way"
"Alright then" Spider-man said before muttering to himself "Let's try this again"
Once more, stepped out onto the mine field, willingly calling upon his Sider-sense this time.
And like a few moments ago, Peter felt a wave of this power that made him stagger somewhat before he managed to focus up and actually get a feel of this 'enhanced' spider-sense.
Almost instantly, he saw a clear enough path as he saw the proximity detectors that were set underground.
"Alright guys" Spider-man gestured them over to follow "Single file line please"
The team did just that, making sure they were in step with every step that Spider-man took.
As they neared the last fusion torch facility, Spider-man flexed his hands, the circles on his armored palm began glowing more radiantly.
Then his Spider-sense blared.
"MOVE NOW!" Spider-man shouted and with his palm repulsors, he flew up into the air while the team scattered for cover, engaging the Batarians that began firing upon the team.
What they didn't account for was the flying Spider-man that came rocketing towards them in their midst.
Many turned quickly to focus fire on Spider-man only for them to get gunned down by the Normandy Team.
Spider-man knew that his web shooters were rather worthless for the moment so he chose to rely on his repulsor blasts which were more than effective in clearing out the Batarians.
"Clear" Spider-man said, rejoining the team who now stood at the entrance of station, weapons all at the ready
"This is definitely where the main boss of these Batarians must be" Shepard said determinedly
"Man, my Spider-sense is all screwy right now" Spider-man said, rubbing his head "It's telling me we have at least three dozen enemies waiting inside for us"
"This is a rather convenient development" Liara stated
"Let's make the most of it then before everything goes to shit" Ashley said "It always does"
"Hear hear" several members of the team said knowingly, raising their weapons as they entered the facility.
The entrance, was exactly the same as the others only this one had a large stack of crates to the left.
They approached the entrance, Kaidan nearby pressing the panel only for the door to remain closed.
Tali wordlessly came up to the panel, bringing up her Omni-tool. She began decrypting the code that held the door locked yet still the door remained shut.
"Maybe they welded it shut?" Wrex suggested/guessed
"Well then" Spider-man said with a shrug of his shoulders as he walked to the opposite wall
The team quirked an eyebrow when spider-man shot two webs on the door above and then did an old style kung-fuesk screech
"WATAAAAAAAAAAAA" Spider-man as he pulled with all his might, rocketing towards the door with both his legs forward
The team all jumped aside in time as Spider-man smashed through the doors and instantly flipped up, landing on some railings
"HERE'S JOHNNY" Spider-man declared, instantly roundhouse kicking the nearest Batarian
The team recovered from their brief daze to rush in, engaging the stunned Batarians.
That was the perfect opportunity for them, clearing out practically all the Batarians within.
"We've got more Varren incoming" Ashley casually pointed out, Moving to s hoot at the charging wild beasts that were suddenly caught within a Biotic field thanks to Kaidan
"There's more on the other side of this room" Spider-man said to the crew
"Tali, Garrus, Kaidan" Shepard said to the three "Go with Spider-man and clear out the other side"
"Copy that Commander" Garrus said and he along with Tali and Kaidan jogged over to Spider-man who was hanging on a line before they went around the corner, engaging more Batarians who were now fighting more viciously
"Oh now you want to take us more seriously" Spider-man mocked weaving and jumping around the shots fired at him. The armor he had on him may have hindered him in his movements somewhat but he had been constantly working on it in his spare time and thanks to his own brilliance and Tali's technical knowhow, he managed to slim the armor down to allow for better movement while still retaining the armors basic functions
The four of them defeated the Batarians and once more the team ran up a set of stairs that lead to the controls of the Fusion torch.
Tali deactivated the Torch, syncing it up with her Omni-tool.
"That's all of them" Tali declared happily and when she inputted the controls to reverse the Fusion torches and fire away from Terra Nova, it was rejected
"Oh no" Tali said in concern "It's not working"
"What?!" Several of them said all at once
"What do you mean?" Ashley asked
"Exactly what I mean" Tali said frantically, trying to gain control of the fusion torches "It's not working, something else must be interfering"
"Oh wonderful" Kaidan groaned out "Now what do we do?"
Shepard checked the remaining time they had. While the Torches were no longer working, the asteroid was still drifting towards Terra Nova. And they had only two hours left. They couldn't search the entire asteroid for an answer.
Right now, all they could do is keep moving
"Let's get going" Shepard said warily, when an idea came to mind "Maybe we could find some other Batarians on this rock. They should know who's in charge of all this"
"So the ones we haven't killed(Peter cough) Or killed yet" Garrus said condescendingly "Where are we going to find another one?"
"I know you're up there" Shouted a new voice from behind them that came from the first floor "So just come on down so we don't have to"
The team all gave each other looks
"Convenient much?" Wrex commented
"We'll see in a second" Shepard said and the team turned to leave the room and descended back down to the first floor. Walking out onto the large room they saw on the far left a couple of Batarians.
The team approached the Batarians when the one in the middle held up his hands.
"Alright, stop right there" The Batarian said "This doesn't have to end in bloodshed"
"You kidding us with that shit?" Ashley said angrily, jabbing an accusing finger at the Batarian "You Batarians hijacked an asteroid station and are sending it on a course to destroy an entire planet"
"We can do this the hard way..." Charn the Batarian said calmly "Or we can end this peacefully"
Shepard scoffed at that
"I didn't think you Batarians knew the meaning of that word"
Charn squinted his four eyes at Shepard, recognition dawning on his face.
"Commander Shepard" Charn said with a level of respect "The supposed 'hero of the skyllian blitz' and first human Spectre. I heard a lot about you. Listen, I'm just doing my job here. hijacking this rock wasn't my idea"
"I signed on to make a little profit" Charn said "A quick slave run, nothing more"
This however did not sit well with Peter
"Slave run?!" He said, outraged at the mere thought of that "You signed on for that?!"
"Peter" Shepard turned to the hero, placing a firm hand on his shoulder "Now is not the time for this. We'll do something about it later"
"You do realize this isn't a stupide slave run anymore" Garrus said, addressing the Batarian with disdain "There are millions of lives on the line right now"
"Don't you think I know that?" Charn said sounding a bit affronted "I'm just following orders here. if it were up to me, we'd have left already"
"It's not too late for that" Liara reasoned "You can still walk away from this"
"I don't think so" Charn said shaking his head "Balak would skin me alive and sell my hide out of spite"
He then added bitterly "Crazy bastard. This whole missions gone to hell and I'm going to pay for it"
"So this Balak guys is the one in charge?" Kaidan asked
"Why follow him?" Shepard asked
"Good question" Charn said to himself "I had a bad feeling about this from the moment we landed. Now Balak wants you dead. And what Balak wants, Balak gets. I can't change that"
"Listen" Shepard started "You seem to be one of the more reasonable Batarians on this rock"
"OH yeah? And how'd you figure that?" Charn questioned
"Simple, you asked first rather than shoot first" Shepard said "Help us out of here and we'll take care of Balak. Then you can be your own man and call the shots yourself"
Charn actually contemplated this for a moment
"An interesting proposal" Charn stated "It sure has better benefits then the current situation"
Charn turned to one of the Batarians standing beside him
"Shut it down" Charn ordered "This is Balak's problem now"
Neither Batarian even bothered arguing with him as they too really wanted nothing to with this.
"I hope you're as quick with a gun as you are with your promises" Charn said to the Commander "For both our sakes"
"We've taken rogue Spectres and crazy mad geniuses the past year now" Garrus said confidently "We can handle a wild terrorist on an off day"
"And Balak will get what's coming to him" Shepard said sternly "And so will you if I ever find you doing this again, anywhere else. Are we clear?"
There was a brief stare down between the two before Charn consented with a nod
"Perfectly" Charn pulled something out and held it out for Shepard "Balak is hold up in the main facility of this rock. You'll need this to get in. Don't underestimate him. He's a mean bastard"
"That's our specialty" Spider-man remarked
Charn nodded at the hero, turning to his comrades "Let's go. We're getting off this rock"
The Batarians departed and the team followed suit.
"So where is the main facility?" Wrex asked the group
"I know" Tali said, waving her Omni-tool arm "I downloaded a map of the asteroid while we were going through those control terminals. I just need to put the directions onto the Mako"
"Great job Tali" Peter exclaimed with an over dramatic thumbs up "I knew we could always count on you"
Tali was flustered with the praise.
"Oh it was nothing"
"Alright, let's get there before Tali faints from the adulation" Shepard said with clear amusement further embarrassing the Quarian tech expert
Scene Cut
"What an upgrade huh?" Garrus said lamely, not even trying to move around quickly on the gun of the Mako as he shot and destroyed… "Moving turrets. At least make it a challenge"
The Mako stopped in front of the main facility entrance and the team entered the building.
There were some medi-gel and ammo lying around in the first room.
Moving to enter the main room, the team found themselves in a more grandiose area.
"Wow, this place reminds me of the Citadel tower" Garrus idly said
"Talk about that some other time" Wrex said, Biotics flaring "We've got incoming"
More Batarians along with defense drones and more Varren were running at them.
The Normandy team were now so used to this cycle, they took out the entire small battalion of Batarians in a few minutes.
"Oh man" Spider-man stretched out "That was too easy"
Their victory was interrupted by…
"You humans" a growl came from above
The team turned to face the arrival of two Batarians standing at the top of the staircase to the floor above along with a Varren.
It was easy to assume that this was Balak
"You're almost more trouble than your worth"
"I'm only giving you one chance" Shepard said coldly "Let the hostages go and maybe just maybe you'll live long enough to speak to the Council about your actions"
"I don't answer to the council" Balak barked back "Or to you"
"I'm leaving this asteroid" Balak stated "If you try and stop me, I'll detonate these charges and your helper and her friends are all going to die"
"What do you know a terrorist and a piece of shit" Ashley shot at the Batarian
"THIS IS NOTHING" Balak raged "You humans have done far worse to the Batarians"
"We've been forced into exile. Forced to survive on what we can scrounge up" Balak lamented "It's been like this for decades"
"My people have been living in the flotilla for CENTURIES" Tali deadpanned at the madman "Once you reach a few centuries on surviving on scraps, then come talk to me"
Balak grit his teeth "YOU'RE PEOPLE ARE NOTHING MORE THAN A PLAGUE ON THIS GALAXY"
"Says the guy who comes from a species that are known slavers" Garrus also deadpanned "Who's the plague here?"
"And why are you taking out your pent up blue balls on the people here" Spider-man added with a grin seeing that it made Balak twitch in anger "They didn't do anything you at all"
"Didn't do anything?!" Balak said like it was the biggest insult he had ever received "Aside from colonizing a world that was ours? Aside from taking resources that should have been ours? We were left to defend ourselves. But The humans were stronger. We knew that. The council knew that. But it didn't matter. It was you"
Balak pointed an angry finger at Shepard
"You and your kind are the only reason we're in this position"
"So you kill innocent people" Liara said, affronted at the action "What does that prove?"
"We had no other options" Balak argued angrily "Sometimes, you need to get someone's attention before they'll listen"
Shepards expression morphed into one of cold rage
"Is that what Elysium was?" Shepard coolly asked with laced anger "A way to get our attention? Well you got it. And when we responded you ran like cowards. Now you want to start it all over again"
"ENOUGH" Balak Roared
"You're right" Spider-man interjected "Enough"
With lightning speed, Spider-man webbed up Balak, the Batarian beside him and the Varren, all three toppling over. They struggled to escape but the team knew they weren't going any where.
"Let's go disarm those charges" Shepard said
Balak was about to shout again only for his mouth to get webbed shut.
"Thank you" Kaidan said, rubbing his temples "That guy was giving me a headache"
Scene cut
After the charges were deactivated, Tali went over to Balak and took the main controls of the Fusion torches from his Omni-tool.
Inputting the commands, the fusion torches reversed themselves and fired away, diverting the path from Terra Nova.
Once the hostages were secured, Shepard held a brief conversation with Kate Bowman thanking her for her bravery in regards to aiding them in spite of the danger as well as giving her their condolences over the loss of her brother.
Making sure that Balak was secure, the Normandy team said their goodbyes to Simon and Kate and departed from asteroid X57.
"Whew" Spider-man slumped into his chair in the Normandy meeting room "Mission accomplished"
"All in a days work. Right Avengers?" Shepard said jokingly getting a laugh out of Peter
"Roger that commander" Peter said with a mock salute
"Let's head back to the Citadel" Garrus said "I am craving Al's Turian Bourgogne sandwich"
And I will end it there
MY GOD people, college is ending, two jobs are starting to set in and I am just all over the place.
There is one thing I want to address that some may or may not have noticed and have not brought it up yet.
Some of the scene cuts
There are a lot of dialogue based moments in the game that sometimes don't really need to be seen so I just skip it over with exposition so we can move along with the plot
And speaking of moving along with the plot.
The three year gap has officially begun.
So it's all original from here
It's going to be real fun writing up the next few chapters
And before I go, here's another teaser for you all
Enjoy
Daenarys Targaryen, last of the Targaryen Dynasty along with a myriad of nicknames currently resided in a lonely hallway in Qarth.
She had come here hoping to gain more aid in her journey to reclaim the Iron Throne for her families name but so far, it has been nothing more than a charade and parade around the city.
And though Xaro Xhaon Daxos was the primary reason for her being able to bring herself and her companions into the city, the Khaleesi can't deny her growing restlessness in being here. currently, while she did learn a deal of something regarding politics, she was gaining absolutely nothing else.
All she really got was a downright refusal from the Spice King and as much as she loathed to admit it, a lot of what he said was true.
Sighing to herself, Daenarys decided to walk down the long hallway of the palace before stepping out onto a balcony that had a staircase on the side that lead down to a garden like courtyard.
Daenarys blinked a bit at the sudden change of scenery but welcomed it. It was far more appealing than the stuffy castle she was currently in. It wasn't really stuffy per say. Just the atmosphere and the people.
Dany descended down from the stares, taking in the various flowers, plants and herbs from all around the world that grew here.
The exiled Targaryen found herself content in this brief moment of isolation. It seemed like here, here she had no worries. Nothing but herself and the tranquility of the plants.
That was until she saw that she wasn't alone in the garden.
There sitting on the ground, cross legged with his arms resting on both elbows was an oddly garbed man.
Oddly garbed being that he wore some sort of red body suit that seemed to cover most of his body. The trench coat like clothing stopped at his calves and had long sleeves and a high collar.
He wore mesh armor on his elbows and ankles but the truly defining physical appearance of this man was the large gourd strapped to his back.
Daenarys couldn't help but stare at the man before her, who just sat there seemingly oblivious to her presence when…
"It is rather rude to stand behind somebody without announcing themselves" The man said in a deep voice
Dany was startled by the sudden comment before finding herself flustered at being caught like this.
"Apologies good sir" Daenarys said bowing her head somewhat "I didn't mean to stare"
"You found my appearance odd and intriguing" The man stated, not to gloat but to merely state the facts "It is only natural. Anyone can do it"
"Still, I hope I didn't offend you in any manner" Dany said
"You did not" The man said now getting up "But I thank you for the kindness. Not many are kind like yourself"
The man turned to reveal his face to her and now Dany found him even more fascinating.
He had red hair that seemed to be too…bloody?
But what really stood out were the black outline around his eyes with the unusual tattoo above his left eye.
Daenarys couldn't but feel a bit mesmerized by his appearance. Out of everyone she had encountered, nobody looked as enigmatic or as exotic as the man who stood before her.
"Who are you?" Daenarys found herself blurting out. Realizing her sudden question, the Khaleesi had the dignity to look down a bit in embarrassment
"Just a traveler" The red haired man answered rather cryptically "One who has no end you could say"
"That's…interesting" Daenarys noted with curiosity "You travel for the sake of travelling?"
"More or less" The man stated, turning to walk "Care to continue this conversation with a stroll?"
"We have only met and now you wish to walk and speak with a stranger?" Dany said to the man, though she had a bit of a teasing remark to her comment
"It's called being polite" The man shot back with equal humor
"What is your name?" Dany then asked, the two beginning to walk through the garden
"My name is Gaara" The man said
"Gaara?" Daenarys tested the name "I've never heard of such a name before. No family name?"
"No" Gaara shook his head "Some of my friends share the same trait. It's not as uncommon as you think"
"That is true" Dany agreed "But it is just the name. I've been travelling Essos for many years and have learned a great deal on Westeros and I have never encountered one with a name such as yours"
"Hmm" Gaara simply hummed "I believe it is customary to say your own name once another had given them theirs"
Once again, Daenarys Targaryen found herself flustered at such casual comment
'Seven Hells, what is with this man' Daenarys thought to herself. She had managed to keep herself composed on the outside but for some reason she felt as though Gaara had seen through her little façade
"I am Daenarys of house Targaryen" Daenarys said with a hint of pride
"Pleased to meet you" Gaara said politely
"And you as well"
A comfortable silence fell between the two as they continued their stroll through the garden
"Tell me Gaara, why are you travelling?" Dany asked several moments "Are you searching for anything?"
"What makes you assume that?" Gaara asked "Perhaps I merely wish to travel and see the world"
"Excuse me for being forward but you don't seem like a man who travels just for the sake of travelling" Daenarys said confidently
Gaara actually made a 'hmph' of impressment.
"You are correct in you assessment, Daenarys" Gaara complimented "I am a seeker of knowledge. I seek towards a goal that is…rather difficult to comprehend. Only myself and my eight friends understand what we seek"
"This knowledge" Dany said "What is it if you don't mind me asking?"
"Sadly, I'll have to restate my previous statement. It is rather difficult to comprehend" Gaara said cryptically "Now if I may, what brings you here to Qarth?"
Daenarys contemplated on answering the man. When she had said who she was, he gave off no visible reaction of any sorts other than casualness. He didn't stare, or jump or sneer or make any sort of emotion that she had seen over her life whenever she was introduced to some high ranking lord or person.
Gaara here seemed to just take it in stride, as if meeting her was just meeting a new stranger entirely.
So she took a chance here
"I came here in hopes of attaining ships to sail across the narrow sea to Westeros" Daenarys said "I must return to Westeros, reclaim the iron throne and bring back my families dynasty"
Gaara was silent for a several minutes, divulging this information.
"Conquest and revenge" Gaara murmured "I have seen that circle far too often"
"Excuse me?" Dany didn't quite hear him
"Why do you want that?" Gaara asked sternly "What do you gain from it?"
Daenarys was rather startled by the sudden question. She did not expect that at all. To be honest with herself, no one had ever called her out on her claim to Iron Throne.
"It is my birthright" Daenarys said, now somewhat aggressively "My family has ruled Westeros for three centuries before being usurped by traitors"
"Hmmm, be that as it may, you didn't truly answer my question" Gaara said, now facing her "What do you gain from 'reclaiming' the Iron Throne? The only way you can reclaim that what was forcefully taken is by taking it back with force. And sometimes, far more bloodier. Is that what you truly want? War and hell to reclaim a chair that holds little significance? To throw lives away for something that may not even be worth it in the end?"
Daenarys actually found herself speechless.
"Who are you?" Daenarys now demanded, stopping to face him "Who are you really?"
Gaara didn't answer, simply continuing his stroll down the pathway.
"A traveler" Gaara said simply "Nothing more, nothing less"
"Forgive for being blunt, but I find that rather hard to believe" Daenarys deadpanned
"At least you are not as naïve as I first perceived you to be" Gaara said, now shooting her a twitch of a mocking smirk
That irritated the Khaleesi quite a bit. She had only met this man and she literally experienced practically the entire emotional spectrum in a matter of minutes.
Not even Drogo did something like this.
"That is quite a way to talk to a queen" Daenarys said haughtily though in her mind she berated herself heavily
'Hah, some queen you are' Dany thought to herself 'You're no better than a commoner….no better than Viserys'
"A queen eh?" Now Gaara sounded amused "Hmm now that'll be the day"
Daenarys just didn't know what to do anymore
"But, you seem to be willing so we shall see how things turn out for you" Gaara said politely
Then Gaara did something that Dany will never forget.
Sand floated around the man when it swirled around him in a tornado like fashion before he vanished from where he stood.
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