A/N: I'm rather surprised with myself being able to update so quickly. And since I've made so many chapters with dialogue I'm more than ready to get back into the action. The first half of the chapter will be the aftermath of Alex telling his story before we get into it, but it's all part of the overall background of the fic.
So let's get this out of the way and start kicking ass! (I own nothing)
Alexander 'Maverick' Drake
SSV Normandy - Cargo Hold
August 4, 2183 - 13:11 hours
The last few days had been tense ones. Alex felt a little odd walking around the ship without being in his suit, but it was a breath of fresh air knowing he didn't have to be trapped inside it all the time to keep his identity secret.
Everyone had given him space since he talked with Jane days earlier. Though that didn't stop them from coming up with what they were going to say to him when he finally did come to them.
Jane had constantly come to his room or approached him when he was in the mess hall to talk. She may not have known the full extent of what he was feeling, but that didn't stop her from wanting to bring him out of the emotional armor he built around himself.
As she promised, he was there for her, she was there for him. And after what she and everyone saw she'd do anything to help him. And Alex felt grateful for that.
At the moment, Alex was in the cargo hold loading up on rounds for their next mission. Sitting at a workbench wearing jeans and a black under armor shirt as he pressed bullet after bullet into clips and stacking them off to the side.
They would be at Feros in a few hours, and considering the situation on the ground was most likely deteriorating quickly with the Geth presence they might be taking the team to help retake the colony.
Finishing with the clip he was working on and starting on another, Alex's sharp hearing picked up footfalls on the metal floor approaching him from behind. "Mav-Alex?" He turned in his seat and saw Ashley standing uneasily behind him.
"Chief." he said nodding at her before returning to his task. "Is there something you needed?" he asked finishing the last clip before taking out his Grendel and started cleaning it.
"Just wanted to talk. None of us have seen much of you in the last few days." she said standing next to him, picking up on of the magazines and looking it over with a careful eye. "Old clips and rounds that still work. Never thought I'd see something like this and have it still be effective."
Alex finished cleaning the Grendel and began working on the Jackel. "Any soldier knows how to maintain their weapons, Chief. You know this better than anyone. Though I do know how to use the weapons from around here as well, just incase I need to use them." he said as he disassembled the auto-shotgun and cleaned the parts before putting it back together.
Ashley set the clip back down on the bench, "You know, had I not seen all that with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed it." she said speaking about the incident days ago. "But seeing all of that puts things into a different perspective."
"How so?" asked Alex slapping clips into his Hammers and setting them aside.
"Despite the fact that even through your stronger than a regular Human and power around in a suit that's more advanced than any hard suit in production, your still a soldier at heart. A Marine with honor and morals that would make anyone proud. And for what it's worth," the Gunnery Chief stood at attention and snapped a salute to him. "I'm honored to know someone like you, sir." she said smiling.
Alex stood and saluted the woman back. "Thank you, Williams. As you were." Ashley nodded and headed over to her work station. The nano soldier shook his head smiling as he put his weapons and clips away before heading toward the elevator.
He stopped halfway when he saw Garrus working at the terminal bank next to their new Mako. Most likely doing calibrations to make sure that the vehicle was at full capacity for when they needed it again.
A sigh escaped him, he had put off talking with his friend for too long. It was cowardice, and that was something that wasn't who Alex was. Squaring his shoulders, he made to walk over when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.
Following the hand, he saw two crimson-slitted eyes looking back at him. "Drake." said Wrex as the Post-Human turned around to face him.
"Wrex." said Alex as he stood at his full height in front of the Krogan Warlord.
Silence filled the air a moment before Wrex started chuckling. "Always thought you were a tough son of a bitch. Now I know." he patted the man on the shoulder hard a few times. "On Tuchanka you'd be looked at as a comrad, and brother among my people for what you've done."
Alex smirked, "Good to know I got the Krogan seal of approval for kicking ass."
Wrex barked a laugh, "Just know that if you go stepping into any kind of hell like that again. This old Krogan will be right there watching your six every step of the way. It's too bad those Ceph bastards don't exist here, they'd prove to be one hell of a good fight." he said slamming his fists together.
"Who knows Wrex, but let's focus on taking down Saren and his army of toaster ovens before we go jumping into another war." said Alex shaking his head.
The two walked away as the nano soldier approached his Turian friend. "Garrus." he said standing a few feet behind him. The C-Sec detective kept doing his work. Alex let out a breath. "Look, I know your pissed. You have every right to be with all I've kept from you. But you have to see it from my stand point. Anyone out in the Traverse would kill to have the nano suit and my corpse. I couldn't put people in danger like that."
Garrus stopped typing at the terminal as he continued. "Ever since I came here I had no one. Just like in New York. Then I met Zen, Reena, Chellick, you, and I felt like I actually belonged somewhere for the first time since my nightmare began."
Alex walked forward and put a hand on the Turian's shoulder, "You and Chellick are like brothers to me. Reena like a sister. You guys are family in more ways than you can possibly imagine. And I'd die protecting my family. I'm sorry I lied to all of you for so long, but I wouldn't put this burden on anyone else."
His hand fell away as he turned and headed for the elevator. "You know...I should be pissed at you." he paused and turned back to see Garrus facing him. "But all I can see is you burning alive inside that Ceph Spire in your old world. Willing to die to make sure your Earth was safe. Then I think about all the other crazy shit I've seen you do as Maverick here in this world. And you know what?...I still think your the same Alex we met at Flux three years ago."
Alex smirked and Garrus did the same. "Don't get me wrong, I still consider you a crazy bastard. But now I know your a crazy bastard I can trust." said Garrus holding out his hand. The Post-Human shook it, the two friends nodding at each other before going seperate ways.
X
Jane sat in the mess hall after going through her rounds. Joker had told her that they'd be coming out of FTL above Feros in about two hours and they would try to reestablish radio contact with the colony before docking at their spaceport.
Liara and Kaidan were sitting with her talking about different forms of biotics, Tali not too far away eating from a nutrient paste tube.
As she sat there, her mind began drifting to Alex. Ever since he revealed himself to them he kept coming back into her thoughts. They had shared a few more talks after the first one when he talked about his past and she really started to get to know him.
He as still guarded about certain things, but he knew he could trust her and told her what he was comfortable with. And in turn she told him a bit about herself. Mostly about her military career and her role in the Blitz.
The Commander enjoyed their talks greatly, and she couldn't help but feel warm when the nano soldier said her first name when they were together.
Jane perked up when she saw the others looking at her. "You alright Commander?" asked Kaidan.
"Yeah, just a lot on my mind lately." she replied drinking her coffee.
They all looked up when they saw Alex walk into the room, fixing himself a tray of food and coming over and sitting down next to Jane. "Afternoon." he said digging into his plate. Everyone at the table looked at each other before going back to him.
"Hello Alex. Are you well?" asked Liara kindly.
Alex nodded, "Yeah, I feel pretty good today." he looked up at the Asari. "I wanted to ask you the same. Prophet wasn't too kind tossing you out of my head the other day."
Liara smiled in understanding. "It is alright. It was your minds way of fighting against my intrusion. I am sorry for going into your memories without your permission, that was not my intention when I melded with you."
"It's fine. Water under the bridge Liara." said the nano soldier smiling.
The Asari looked confused, " 'Water under the bridge'?" she asked the others.
"It means that he forgives you and that it's in the past now." clarified Shepard.
"I see, I am still trying to understand the many phrases and meanings you Human's use when speaking. I must say it's refreshing to learn something new." said Liara.
Kaidan regarded the Post-Human, "If you don't mind, I have to ask. What else are you capable of Alex? I mean we've seen you in combat, and seeing what you've gone through proves that you can adapt to just about any combat situation."
Alex smirked, "That's a trade secret Alenko. But trust me, when it comes to combat I'm ready for almost anything." he said going back to his lunch.
"I'm actually very curious about this VI of yours." said Tali. "The way you described its functions sounds effective, and dangerous.
"The VI isn't sentient Tali, believe me. I wouldn't let Prophet anywhere near my brain if it had the ability to completely assimilate me like it almost did to Major Barnes." said Alex. "Consider it a hyper-fast data tool that can store any and all information into the most powerful supercomputer known."
"And what's that?" asked the Quarian interested.
Alex tapped the side of his head. "The Brain. It has near infinite storage for all kinds of data. Prophet, or SECOND as it was once known as, can download anything from video links, blueprint schematics, audio files, and can process real time combat data in the blink of an eye from the suit right to the user's brain."
"Sounds like one hell of a headache." said Kaidan thinking of the migranes he gets from his L2 implants.
"How does something like that work?" asked Tali now very curious.
"Its powered by a parasitic blood-glucose infusion and an electrolytic microstack that takes the form of a small chip." explained the Post-Human. "Since its essencially a DNA computer, it can process data at 1.5 BIPS."
Tali's eyes widened behind her visor, "Keelah...that's unfathomable. All of that technological power sent straight to a person's brain?"
Jane looked at Alex, "Isn't that dangerous, letting something like that free reign inside your head when your in the suit?"
"Prophet is strictly non-sentient. It was designed that way to ensure the user's mind wouldn't become corrupted should the suit assimilate the user." said the nano soldier talking about symbiosis.
"And that asshole Hargreave knew full well about symbiosis too." growled Kaidan. "Advancements in warfare be damned, nothing is worth losing your Humanity in such a way and becoming just a living weapon."
Alex stared off into space a moment. "You've never been in that situation before. You wouldn't understand." he said somberly. "Laurence Barnes sacrificed everything he was to become Prophet. When his flesh and blood held him back, he sacrificed that too, replacing it like a spare part. Victory always costs, Alenko. And Everytime, you pay a little more."
Everyone at the table felt the air getting heavy, Alex looked at each of them. "The scary thing about that is...I would have done the same thing if it meant stopping the Ceph and saving lives. That is why I renamed SECOND after Prophet. He taught me the price you have to pay to do what needs to be done. And it's one of the credos I will follow everytime I go into combat."
He slowly came back down from his mood, "I'm a soldier, my job is to protect." he said smirking, "And now I'm going to protect this galaxy from Saren and the Geth. And I'll take them down just as hard as I did CELL and the Ceph."
Jane smiled at him, the conviction in his words just as prominent as the other times he spoke. A conviction that matched, if not surpassed her own. And deep down she knew that it was that drive that would help them win this.
X
Alexander 'Maverick' Drake
SSV Normandy - Feros Docking Bays
August 4, 2183 - 15:15 hours
The Normandy had managed to get into contact with the colony when they came out of FTL. Joker had reported that they were still getting hit hard by the Geth, so Jane and Alex both agreed that the whole team would be going in to help secure the colony.
When the ship finished docking, the whole team stood at the airlock in full armor and weapons ready as they stepped out on to the concrete path of the docking area.
Alex looked around for any hostiles while having Prophet scan the area for anything abnormal. "Unknown Spore Detected." said the AI bringing up a read out of the spore on the HUD. "Scanning...Neurological Chemicals Present. Potential Distortion of Organic Brainwaves."
"Shepard, Prophet's picking up some strange spore in the air. Says that it possesses neurological chemicals that could alter the brainwaves of organics." said Alex speaking with his voice filter.
Jane gave him a startled look, before addressing the rest of the team. "Helmets and masks on people." she said slipping her own helmet on to filter out the spores.
They finished up just as a lone man approached them slowly. "We saw your ship, Fai Dan wants to speak with you immediately." he said standing before them.
"Who's Fai Dan?" asked Shepard noticing something wasn't right with the man. He seemed distracted, a little too calm despite the situation. His eyes looked left and right like he as waiting for something.
"He's our leader. He needs your help with the Geth, they're making another push." said the colonist.
"Hostiles Detected." Alex grabbed the colonist and dropped to the ground as a rocket flew over their heads. A squad of Geth had massed by the exit to the docking bay as they were talking and had now taken defensive positions.
The team got into cover and returned fire. Alex poked up with his Grendel and shot through the optic of the Rocket Trooper that had fired at them from before. He tagged all the synthetics on his HUD before taking out another.
Kaidan and Liara both used their biotics to lift several Geth into the air allowing the others to shoot them down.
With most of the Geth down, the squad moved up to mop up the rest. A few more Troopers came out to engage them but were cut down before they could get an effective shot off. Alex burrowed the blade of his knife into the optic of the last one standing before giving the all clear. "At least we know what we're up against." said Ashley from under her helmet.
They entered the stairwell with the shaken colonist safely tucked behind them as they made their way up to the colony. Jane caught movement and fired her assault rifle into the air. A Geth Stalker collapsed to the ground dead after being hit in mid-leap. A second one landed on the wall above them, but Wrex's shotgun registered. Blowing the agile Geth in half before it could dodge.
"Looks like the Geth have a good foothold to have troops this well spaced." said Garrus as they exited the stairwell and into the colony.
The place had been hit hard. A few buildings were smoldering ruins while several others had bullet holes and pulse burns along the sides. Colonists were everywhere. Either tending to damages done to their homes, tending to the wounded or setting up perimeters.
"These are colonists, not warriors." muttered Wrex looking around for possible hostiles.
"When pushed to a certain point. Anyone will take up arms to save their homes." said Alex casting a glance Jane's way. The Commander sent a silent thank you with her eyes as the colonists on guard let them in.
"Spore Toxicity Increasing." warned Prophet as the level gauge for the spores went higher. Alex activated a private comm channel with Shepard. "Jane, the spore toxicity in the air is getting worse the farther in the colony we get. Whatever is causing it is close by." he said knowing full well what it was.
"Can you figure out the cause?" asked the Commander through the link.
"Not yet. I'm having Prophet work on it now, but it's unlike anything that's been encountered before." he replied as they continued to move through the colony. "Also...I think the colonists are already being affected by the spores."
Jane looked around and saw that he was right. Even through the Geth had hit them hard, the colonists seemed a little too calm. Like something was easing their minds even while exhausted from the constant fighting. "You think they'll turn on us by whatevers releasing the spores?"
"Possible. Keep your eyes open for anything else that's out of the ordinary." said the nano soldier ending the link as they approached the colony's leader.
"Commander Shepard, Maverick, I'm glad they finally sent someone to help us with all of this." said Fai Dan.
"You're a bit late aren't you?" asked the woman next to him heatedly.
"Arcelia." Fai Dan said sternly. "I'm sorry, everyone's on edge since this all star-"
Alex saw movement in the stairwell behind them and fired his rifle. The Geth Shock Trooper fell dead as more started to come out of the opening. "Get in to cover!" he shouted as everyone scrambled into action. "Protect the heart of the colony!" Fai Dan orders as the colonists fought back with them.
Tali dropped into cover next to him, firing an overload that shorted a Geth Trooper out before it could step out of the stairwell. The others wasting no time putting the synthetics down before they could get a foothold within the colony's boarders.
After a few minutes the Geth pulled back realizing their attack had failed. "Keep pushing! We have to drive them away from the colony at all costs!" Ordered Shepard.
"Tali, Kaidan, with us. The rest of you help secure the colony and make sure no more Geth can flank us." said Alex as the four of them entered the stairwell guns drawn.
Several Geth were already waiting for them. A barrage of rounds, biotic attacks and overloads dropped each of them quickly as they pressed on. When they reached halfway, two colonists came stumbling down the stairs. One supporting another that had a bullet wound in her leg. "The Geth are right behind us!" she shouted..
Alex brought his rifle up and took the head off of a Stalker that had followed them, "Get back to the colony, move!" he ordered as the team covered their escape. Two Shock Troopers came round the corner and activated their shields when they were fired upon.
Jane pulled out a grenade and tossed it through the air, hitting the ground and rolling between them just before it exploded and blew them to scrap. "We have to be getting close." she said venting the heat sink in her assault rifle.
They reached the top floor and stacked up on either side of the entrance. "Options?" asked Kaidan powering up his biotics.
"Wait here." said Alex. as he activated his cloak and entered the room. The space beyond was a shooting gallery. Roughly eight Geth had established defenses with half a dozen assault drones hovering in the air. "We got eight Geth, two of them Juggernauts. Two others are snipers up on the high wall." he whispered into the comm while tagging the hostiles. "Six assault drones in the air for support." he finished reporting.
"Can you soften them up in any way?" asked the Commander.
Alex drew his bow and knocked an explosive arrow. "Wait for my signal." he fired the arrow, sticking the wall behind the two snipers up high. He drew a second and stuck the ground behind one of the Juggernauts. Job done, he took cover behind a wall and brought out his omni-tool. "Get ready." he said into the comm before hitting the detonation switch on the bow's handle.
The two arrows exploded. The first causing the wall behind the snipers to collapse and buy them under debris. The second blew the Juggernaut apart before it could get its barriers up to defend.
With the explosions past, Alex leapt out of cover and fired a strong overload that zapped half of the assault drones and caused them to fall to the ground disabled. The rest of the team stormed the large room guns blazing. The Geth fought back despite their decrease in numbers as they were being picked off.
Alex leaned out and fired the hacking program he and Prophet had made make on Therum. The remaining Juggernaut shuddered before its optic changed to red and it started firing on the other Geth. With the attacks coming from both sides the remaining Geth couldn't defend and were dead before they could recalculate.
"All clear." said Kaidan as they got out of cover.
"Not yet. Geth dropship!" shouted Tali as the vessel hovered over the large hole in the building's ceiling and began dropping additional support. Half a dozen Shock Troopers unfolded and began firing on them, forcing them back into cover.
The Juggernaut continued to provide support for the team before the oncoming pulse fire overwhelmed it and it shut down.
Alex popped up and took out on of the Shock Troopers before scanning the remaining ones. "Tactical Options Available." he looked to Jane as she got back into cover. "Shepard flank them with Tali, Kaidan and I will cover you." he said getting up. "Maximum Armor."
The Commander motioned for Tali to follow her as Kaidan and Alex provided covering fire. They moved in behind the Geth without them seeing, Jane popped a grenade and tossed it over their cover. The synthetics were unprepared for the explosive that ripped them apart.
This gave Alex and Kaidan the opportunity to strike back. Kaidan fired a shockwave that sent the remaining platforms flying and allowing the others to pick them off before they could move again.
Overhead, the Geth ship flew away. "Now we're all clear." said Alex putting a round in the back of the head of a Geth trying to crawl away.
"Let's head back to the colony and regroup. We've taken care of the Geth for now, but they could be back at any time." said Jane as they all fell in and started to head back.
Alex's HUD told him that Prophet had finished isolating and scanning the spores that had been floating around. He knew the Thorian was responsible, he just needed to figure out a plan that would save the colonists and kill the thing before things could get worse.
A/N: The Feros mission has started. I wanted to make this chapter longer, but I wanted the next one to be nothing but fighting every step of the way before leading up to the confrontation with the Thorian. And since Prophet was able to pick up on the spores right at the beginning you know things have already changed by a lot.
I ain't stopping for nothing guys. So you know I will deliver a new chapter before too long.