Chapter 2

"Hostile forces have engaged," beeped the LOKI mech, discharging its pistol repeatedly. "Friendly unit casualties: substantial."

The husks shuffled forward, the dim glowing lights of their Reaper technology giving their twisted forms an even more frightening appearance. The soft blue light pulsing through their veins and radiating from their eye sockets were enough to drive a normal man mad. But here, on Earth, they did not face normal men.

"Keep up the pressure!" Sayn called, blowing a hole through the torso of a rushing husk. "Remember what the Major said: Hold the line!"

Sayn was the newly promoted leader of Aria's Eclipse mercenaries. Newly, because the previous leader and founder was completely insane and locked up, and Commander Shepard had decided it was better to leave her right where she was. Sayn had been in very few firefights in his life, and he certainly had never worked with the Salarian Tasks Group before, but this enemy was unlike anything the Eclipse had ever face—unlike anything anyone had ever faced. Sayn was going to take advice and inspiration from wherever he could get it.

"Target acquired," buzzed the YMIR mech, a hulking behemoth with a machine gun built into one arm and a rocket launcher built into the other. It fired a rocket down into a pulsing swarm of husks, sending a dozen flying through the air in a geyser of rotted flesh and blue fluid. The YMIR's machine guns lit up, easily cutting down another five or six husks that were attempting to circle around behind where the Eclipse and their allies were entrenched.

"Harvester!" someone cried, and Sayn looked up in time to see the winged black beast soar overhead, it's awful cry shaking the ground as it's tattered wings cut through the air.

"When will backup arrive?" shouted a human soldier over the din of the Harvester.

"Heavy Reaper forces spotted downriver. Arrival of backup is unlikely," Sayn replied, his eyes never leaving the circling Harvester.

"Who needs backup?" cried Wrex, a particularly vivacious Krogan, gripping his shotgun tightly. "Things are finally getting interesting."

"Your definition of 'interesting' and mine are very different, Wrex," Sayn replied, holding his rifle as steady as possible. "Perhaps backup will arrive yet."

"We're taking heavy fire, Sarge!" Private Canton cried as a shell impacted maybe a dozen meters from where them, spraying dirt and debris high into the air. Jeran shook his head. You could always trust a human to state the glaringly obvious.

"The real trouble is that marauder," Tadius shouted over the cries of Reapers, looking downfield with his sniper rifle. "He's keeping the cannibal's and husks coordinated. Take him down and most of this lot should go down pretty easy. He's pretty smart though; he's staying just out of range of my rifle."

"So we've got to get in close, or at least, closer." Jeran mused, closing his eyes. "Tadius, you loop around the side through these buildings while we hold their attention here. Try and get the drop on him."

Tadius nodded, eyes narrowed. He knew the odds of coming back from an attack like this were probably slim. But if that is what it was going to take, then that is what it would take; he was a Turian, and this is what he had trained for all his life.

"Good luck," Pvt. Canton said, his face unreadable. Tadius was surprised that these solemn words from his human acquaintance actually brought him comfort. How times change.

Tadius nodded his appreciation and wished the young private luck as well before shouldering his rifle and scooting down out of the line of fire. Tadius stepped cautiously through the burned out ruin of the neighboring building, painfully conscious of every heavy footstep, every clink of armor. The rooms were filled with ash and soot, pillars twisted and black, warped on their sad journey to the ceiling. The devastating fire that had gutted this place had long since been exhausted, leaving this place nothing but a forgotten shell of a previous life. Had it been a home? An office? A school?

Tadius didn't know, and honestly, he didn't want to think about it.

Tadius passed through several more buildings such as this, desperately trying to ignore the skeletal remains littered about, their jaws open in an endless scream of terror. Tadius quietly hoped that their deaths had been quick and painless, though an honest part of him highly doubted it.

The end passage of the last building was blocked by debris, forcing Tadius to climb to the next level. From a hole in the wall he could see his target; the marauder was crouched behind cover almost directly below him, energy pouring from his hands and enveloping the Reapers nearby.

Marauders were the worst, as far as Tadius was concerned. Not because of their capabilities, really, but because of the knowledge that they used to be Turians.

Used to be. Not anymore. The Reapers had changed them, turned them into something else entirely.

Monstrosities.

And monsters needed to be destroyed. But for Tadius, when looking at a former member of his species, he couldn't help but feel the lines of morality blur a little, his convictions waver.

That, of course, would never stop him from doing his duty.

With a battle cry that would make a Krogan proud, Tadius leapt from the roof, knife in hand, ready to plunge it into the marauder's heart.

He would never get the chance to. The marauder was too fast for him.

The marauder turned, his cold hand catching Tadius by the throat and knocking the knife to the dirt. With an effortless twist the marauder slammed Tadius to the ground, hard enough to break a rib. Tadius writhed on the ground, clutching his side as the marauder towered over him. Its blue eye scrutinized him furiously as it leveled a gun at Tadius' head.

MEET YOUR DESTINY.

The words roared inside Tadius' mind and blood seeped from his ears. Tadius clenched his teeth together as hard as he could.

"Fuck. You."

The marauder cocked its head slightly. Something shimmered slightly next to Tadius, almost imperceptible. Perhaps the spirits are with me, Tadius thought, meeting his opponent's gaze dead on. Its finger twitched, a hairs breadth away from the trigger…

A curved blade slashed from the darkness, severing the marauder's head from its shoulders. Its lifeless body slumped to the ground and Tadius saw the shimmering light again.

What the…

The shimmer dissipated and revealed a stunning young woman in black and grey armor, a hood concealing most of her face in shadow. Her face split into a coy grin.

"You looked like you could use a hand," she said, extending hers toward Tadius.

He gladly took it.