The air wasn't right. Kaidan had been a lot of places in his life, but nowhere had smelled quite like this before. He'd wanted to chalk it up to the lingering effects of the firefight the Normandy's crew had with the geth forces at Zhu's Hope, but with everyone winding down, and Shepard and her team having returned a dozen or so minutes prior, the sinking feeling in his gut wasn't going away.
The colony had seen a lot of damage; it had been small to begin with, but all but two of their prefabs were charred debris, and the ones left standing weren't in the greatest shape either. The vegetation still had a heavy presence, but most was marred by geth weaponry and what looked to be good ol' fashioned ballistics. The colonists didn't exactly have the most powerful weapons, mostly just pistols and the odd worn out assault rifle, so he figured they had either started with a lot more, or they had held out for a long time. He couldn't quite settle on an answer there, and it ultimately wasn't truly what was troubling him.
Kaidan took a look around at his surroundings and couldn't help but feel apprehensive. The colony wouldn't last much longer, at any rate, and likely would have collapsed under the geth's most recent attack had they not arrived, yet the colonists met them with a cautious hostility. He understood the reaction; hard not to be on edge when you're constantly under threat, and the disappointment of such a small team being their backup likely dimmed their hopes. He wouldn't blame them for feeling bitter, and he hoped that was all he was feeling as he slowly traversed the area around the tiny series of prefabs.
If Feros was anything, it was a hazy, humid mess, and the heat was borderline annoying. He felt sweat drip down his right temple, and wished he could take his helmet off, but they were still fairly blind in terms of the situation, and he felt it was still necessary. Though, as his eyes scanned across a colonist laboring over the damaged water filtration system, he wondered why she was so covered up. Surely, she could take a bit of a break from the heat… he thought, giving her a sidelong look as he passed her. Though…she's kind of pale, and maybe the UV index is pretty bad here.
He caught a glimpse of Wrex in the distance, hanging back near where they had entered the colony, pacing by the entrance as if he were a caged beast waiting for a fight. The relief from knowing someone else was feeling the tension was mitigated by the fact that he couldn't exactly find a source of it. I've visited and been posted at a few colonies before…what makes this one different? He wondered, looking back to the colonist working on the pipes, whose gaze swiftly moved away from him to her work. Well, there's the hostility. Or maybe she's just looking at me…I mean, I have to admit I'm an alright looking guy, but…hrm…
Kaidan circled back through slowly, mentally taking note of the colonists. Twenty three that he could tell, though there would likely be a few more in the smallish prefabs. The colony was not in good shape, and he couldn't see any sign of farming equipment or anything to help with subsistence. Must all work at the Exogeni lab, wherever that is. He mused, turning his focus to the two apparent leaders of the community, who were in the midst of a discussion with Shepard. He approached slowly and hung back a few metres, leaning against the wall of one of the buildings, not wanting to interrupt, but wanting to keep an eye on everything as best he could.
The lieutenant's eye caught sight of a functioning crane, yet there were no objects in sight that would put it to work, and he couldn't think of any reason to keep it as maintained as it seemed to be if it wasn't getting frequent use. He could see the relatively fresh coat of oil on some of the parts, and the odd minor puddle still visible on the ground. He wondered if they were getting regular supplies from Exogeni, or if they'd recently run out. Perhaps that's why they're as on edge as they are…no food, probably no lasting help…I guess I'd be pretty pissed too… he thought, turning his gaze to a nearby colonist, working on repairing some defenses. But…they don't look pissed…they just look…blank.
The colonist's face was pallid, her eyes aimed at a portion of a railing that needed patching up, but her expression was slack and utterly blank. By the intricate work she was doing, he figured her focus would be intently placed on the small area, yet she toiled away, her green eyes saccading more than fixating.
"Kaidan." He heard Shepard call out nearby. He turned to her and noticed her gesturing him to follow her. He fell in step alongside her and the two walked through the colony in silence, back toward where they'd come from. Kaidan occasionally stole a glance at his CO, noticing she was deep in thought, and felt that maybe she might have a better idea at what they'd need to do from here on out.
"Shepard, any news on what exactly is going on here?" he asked, drawing her immediate attention as they closed in on Wrex, who was still slowly tromping around intensely. "My gut's screaming at me to get this all over with as fast as possible."
"So you feel it too?" Shepard asked quietly, leaning up against an aging steel railing. She looked unsettled, a look he wasn't used to seeing on her. "What do you think about the colony, Alenko?"
He sighed and hoped that he wouldn't sound as paranoid as he thought he was being. "It's just…a little eerie is all. There's so much carnage, and everyone looks like they're starving to death, and…and…" His voice trailed off as his conscience was telling him he was just feeling skittish. Wrex made his way over and stood silently by the Commander. Kaidan wasn't sure what to think of the gesture, but he felt that maybe their conversation drew his attention. Though he's not really the talkative type…
"And their eyes are all goddamn green. Different shades, but…green. That's weird. You notice all their prefabs have been smoked pretty substantially aside from the two near where the geth came from? You'd think that those would be hit hard, that they'd see some damage, but they've really kept those two in great shape. The rest are falling apart and are basically debris." Shepard added, shaking her head slowly. "Their water systems have been out for longer than the three days they've been telling me, and they are starving."
Feeling slightly encouraged by Shepard being on his wavelength, he decided to point out some more minor things. "Their faces too…they're just…it's as if they're not all there. Like an uncanny valley. They have this dull, blank expression. I guess if they haven't had food or water or much sleep lately…it might be affecting them…"
"Yeah, even Fai Dan and his security jerk were…off. They constantly gave me the run around, and they were pretty angry at me for some reason. Lots of damn suspicious looks around here. We're not wanted, and we should find out why. Especially since we could be the only hope they have not dying to the geth, or starving to death."
Wrex scoffed at Shepard's remark, drawing both of their attention to him. "Got something to add, Wrex?" the woman asked tiredly. To be truthful, Kaidan wasn't sure that Shepard was looking much better than the colonists. He was pretty sure she hadn't slept in days, and it was showing.
"The air is stale here, Shepard. Even Tuchanka smells more alive than this." Wrex grumbled, leaning close to the commander. "This place is wrong. We should burn it to the ground."
"That's a bit much, Wrex." Kaidan stated, surprised and unimpressed at the krogan's flair for the dramatic. "These people are just on edge. Here I thought I was being paranoid."
Kaidan quickly found himself inches from the krogan, as Wrex glared down at him. "You have barely lived a tiny fraction of my life, whelp." The krogan growled. "You didn't watch them bring their dead into that oversized coffin there." He finished, pointing to the sturdiest looking prefab.
"So maybe they're preparing them for burial." Kaidan noted, rolling his eyes at the krogan. He knew it was a bad idea as soon as he did so, but surprisingly Wrex turned to face Shepard instead.
"Shepard, are all humans so stupid to store their dead where they sleep? Where…" Wrex's voice trailed off for a few seconds as he slowly paced over to the commander. "Where are the children?"
Wrex's words froze Kaidan momentarily, as he went through his memories of the colonists. All adult age, most at least in their upper twenties, if not their thirties or forties. If they're in danger from the geth, wouldn't they be trying to get any vulnerable colonists to the Normandy for safety? I…I mean, it's possible that none had kids, but if there's twenty-something now and it looks like their used to be more…you'd think there would at least be one or two.
"I did tell them if they had anyone they needed to be kept safe, that they could be escorted to the ship for a bit, but…and this colony used to house close to ninety people, Fai Dan told me." Shepard said, her mouth quirking off to one side. "Something's just not all that right here. Not sure what it is, and frankly…I don't really care. We're here to get stuff done, and we'll do that."
"So…what exactly do we need to do?" Kaidan asked, thankful they had some direction to go off, even if Shepard was being vague.
She brought her hand up to her earpiece in response. "Joker, I need you to send Chakwas down here for a quick supply run. Have her and some of the crew bring down water and some nutrient pastes for the colonists. The way should be clear, but I'll be sending Lieutenant Alenko to escort you anyway, just in case." The commander spoke, turning to him as she brought her hand back down. "Kaidan, you're going to be leading this part of the mission from the camp. You keep it safe and hold your ground. If you start to get overrun by any geth, and either cannot contact my group or my group is too far out to help, you get back to the ship, understand?"
Kaidan gave a quick nod, a little disgruntled that he'd be given a watchdog task, but at least he'd be keeping busy. "I can try and help fix some of this equipment up too. Maybe boost their spirits." He added.
Shepard shrugged and looked off to the colony again. "Look, Kaidan, I'm going to have you, Liara and Murakami stationed here. That should be plenty. If you want to help the colonists immediately with any local issues they have, then that's your call and I'll respect that. I certainly don't like seeing them like this." She stated, an uncertain pause filling the air for a few seconds. "But while the colonists are busy eating and drinking, I want you and Murakami to find and hide their weapons, if you can. They don't have many, but I have a bad feeling that there's a reason we're not wanted here, and their loyalty might be a little too tight with Exogeni to be sure of their support. You can help them, but if you do, you do it as a three person team. No one left alone with these people, I don't want anyone taking risks."
Kaidan understood her suspicion, even if he thought she was being a little paranoid like Wrex. Still, she didn't get this far by not having a plan…I guess it makes sense, and really, if nothing goes wrong then no harm, no foul. He mused, nodding his head.
"So you're taking the rest of them…where?" he asked, curious. "I mean…"
"Fuck, sorry. My head's just not all there right now. This whole colony's got me into a bit of a twist. The rest of us are heading out to Exogeni's HQ, the majority of the geth have come from that direction, and it was apparently where the geth attacked initially. It's our only lead, but if Saren's interested in whatever's over there, so am I." Shepard apologized, shaking her head slightly at the end. "Go grab Liara and Murakami and head back to the ship. Chakwas is waiting."
He watched Shepard lug Wrex toward the colony and lead on through toward where he saw Ashley sitting. Well, it could be worse. I could be stuck babysitting Wrex…
There didn't seem to be an end to the swarms of geth. It had been a long, hard-fought battle to get near the Exogeni complex, but Ashley's hopes that they'd face less opposition once inside were dashed; the carnage outside was seeming more like an appetizer as the minutes ticked by. Truthfully, she wasn't at all sure why the geth had invaded; the building had a lot of terminals, and that was about it. Even the employee they had run into earlier couldn't give a straight answer, which was even more frustrating. If we're in here fighting for nothing…
Ashley slid her head out of cover as the gunfire stopped, noticing Shepard standing over the smoking wreckage of a geth, still switching from the damage.
"Aww, this one's hydraulics are moving. Must be having a nightmare…bless its processing unit." The woman noted playfully, earning a giggle from the quarian beside her. "Come on. Stairwell ahead, may as well try our luck up there."
The five of them slowly moved into the stairwell and up a few floors before the commander called them to halt, a rumbling voice above them the culprit for the delay. Shepard pointed to Wrex and signaled him to fall in beside her, and then for the rest to follow suit. As they crept up to the next floor, a krogan became visible and more audible, grumbling and cursing at a VI.
"Stupid machine! Access the encrypted files!" the krogan growled, followed by a loud thud. "No I don't want to review protocol!"
Ashley watched as Shepard and Wrex quietly walked up behind the krogan, guns drawn.
"I am unable to comply, please contact your supervisor." The VI stated politely, the holo offering a small smile which seemed to further incense the silver-armored brute.
"Damn it! Tell me what I want or I'll blast your virtual ass into actual dust!" the krogan yelled, practically roaring. Ashley wanted to laugh at his misfortune, though she couldn't help but have some sympathy. She was comfortable with some bits of technology, the things that made life easier, but sometimes it seemed like there was just too much, especially when Vis were involved.
"Please contact your supervisor for a level four security exemption. Or make an appointment with…" The VI began before the krogan's fist smashed into the wall beside it.
"Stupid machine!" the krogan growled in frustration, and Ashley was sure she could hear Tali snickering behind her.
The VI was entirely unshaken and continued its cheerful, polite banter. "If there is nothing else, please step aside. There is a queue forming behind you for the use of this console."
And this is why I hate Vis…if I could take them and politicians and just leave them all on some deserted island somewhere, the galaxy would be a better place…she thought as the krogan angrily turned to face them.
"I got this, Shepard." Wrex said, a smile audible in his voice as he rushed out to meet the fellow krogan in the small hallway bridging their positions. Over the course of the mission Wrex had proven to be very durable and, at least to Ashley, ludicrously aggressive, but she couldn't fault his ability. She worked her way up to the top of the stairs alongside Shepard and watched as Wrex continued to pummel the other krogan into the ground with his biotics and the sharp end of his enormous shotgun.
"And…you're going to spar with him?" Ashley whispered to the woman beside her, who kept her eyes firmly on the battle, if one could call it that, that was happening in front of her.
"Yeah. I'm sure he's got some tricks up his sleeve. Would be good to learn from someone with a few centuries experience on me." She noted quietly, smirking momentarily. "Not that I'd tell him that to his face, especially when he's out there trying to prove he's as tough as I know he is."
Shepard gestured for her and the rest to follow past Wrex, who was standing over his downed, conquered prey, and over to the terminal on the far side of the room. Ashley walked past the mutilated corpse and stifled a gag at the sheer amount of blood. That's kind of unnecessary…
"Too bad he wasn't up for a fight, Wrex." Shepard remarked as she approached the VI. "Must be frustrating."
The only response Wrex gave was a low grumble and the sound of the krogan corpse being kicked down the hall.
"Exogeni Corporation reminds all staff that the discharging of weapons while on company property is strictly forbidden." The VI spoke in a chiding manner, drawing a chuckle from Garrus beside her. "Welcome back, research assistant Elizabeth Baynham. What can I do for you?"
Well, at least that skittish girl from before can maybe be helpful now. Good thing Garrus asked for her ID, or we'd be locked out like that krogan was. She thought, hoping the VI could spare some well-needed answers.
"What was the last user trying to get access to?" Shepard asked the VI, motioning for Garrus and Wrex to keep an eye on their surroundings in case of an attack. Ashley kept her gun active and ready just in case; she knew firsthand that the geth were quiet enough to get the jump on them if they weren't paying full attention and prepared.
"Fetching data…the previous user was attempting to access details on the study of subject species 37, the Thorian." The VI answered politely.
"The thorian? Why don't you tell me everything you have on file." Shepard responded, the species unfamiliar to her as it was to Ashley. They're doing testing on animals here? Saren's interested in animals?
"I may be unable to provide you with any relevant data. There have been no new data available on species 37. All sensors monitoring the observation post at Zhu's Hope have been inactive for several cycles." The VI answered nonchalantly, but the mention of the human colony had caught more than just Shepard's attention.
Zhu's Hope is the only colony left standing…those others we found on the way here were pretty much just hiding in the rubble of another small settlement. So Saren comes in and tries to destroy this research? Is that why that Exogeni guy from before was all nervous and on edge? And what does Zhu's Hope have to do with anything? Are they keeping Thorians as pets? Ashley wondered, her mind racing at the possibilities. She needed more answers.
"Why was Zhu's Hope being monitored?" Shepard asked, her voice a little harder, a little quieter. She hadn't known the commander for all that long but the woman was fairly transparent at times. One of those few times was when her crew could possibly be in danger. Her eyes would harden, and she'd clench and unclench her fists repeatedly. Not that she's alone in worrying…I hope Kaidan and everyone are alright over there. Last thing they need to deal with are wild, maybe starving, animals.
"Species 37 was discovered weeks ago within the substructure of the Zhu's Hope outpost. It is a simple plant life-form that exhibits a sentient behavior uncommon with other flora. Through dispersion and the eventual inhalation of spores, it can affect and control other organisms." The VI stated. Ashley found its placid tone unnerving, considering the content is was spouting. Mind control? What? "The Zhu's Hope control group has yielded interesting results. Within twenty one days, 58% of the control group were infected and exhibited altered behavior. Before sensors went offline, at the twenty eighth day, almost 85% of all test subjects were infected."
They're…testing on humans?! Who in their….why? Ashley's thoughts fractured at the mere idea of live human testing, especially with something that might be able to take over their minds. God, this is like a bad horror vid come to life…Oh God.
"Exogeni knew the colonists would get infected. They…they took these people who just wanted to build a new life and they trapped them in an experiment. Am I understanding you right?" Shepard grit out each word, each syllable stirring up more anger. The commander's eyes were on fire.
"It was deemed necessary to avoid consent and standard ethics procedures, in order to assess the true potential of species 37. It naturally releases spores as an act of survival rather than predation. It does trigger advanced behavior in the humans it enslaves, but we are unable to discern whether it can recognize humans as more than tools." The VI answered simply, the smile still on the holo's face. Ashley wanted to destroy the VI. No human would smile over this… "The most recent finding was that subjects' wills are subverted through administration of intense pain when directives are ignored. This has proven to quickly condition the subjects so that potentially, even minor thoughts of rebellion would be avoided. As the thorian seems to view its subjects in a utilitarian manner, care is taken to avoid injuring them. However, there were recent observations showing degrees of what seemed to be decay. Further study was prioritized, but sensors went offline shortly afterward."
"That's why everyone was acting weird." Tali piped up. "Their…their body language was really stiff and their faces weren't like other humans I've seen."
The colonists had certainly been strange, Ashey recalled. They wouldn't stop staring blankly at her as she'd moved around camp, especially when she'd gone near their intact prefabs. If they might be hostile…
"Shepard, we should contact Joker as soon as possible. Give the rest of them a heads up just in case." Ashley added quickly, earning a stiff nod from the commander.
"The field's been blocking long range comms since we've gotten in the building. We're going to need to shut it down to get a message out." Tali said with regret. "We'll need to find a way to get that geth ship off the tower for that to happen, first."
"The geth have effectively blocked all sensors within the facility." The VI piped in, drawing the ire of the soldier. Last thing we need today is more bad news… "I have registered a number of power fluctuations, but I am unable to determine the source."
"Damn it. Tali, I want you to scour the layout of this building for anything we could take advantage of. Anything. Garrus, I want you to take a look too, maybe you can help." Shepard grunted, shaking her head. "VI, what can you tell me about Exogeni?"
"Exogeni Corporation is at the forefront of human expansion in the new galactic economy, funding colonial development and securing resource rights to ensure our progress as a species." The VI answered. Ashley wasn't sure why this was more important than shutting the shield down, but she knew Shepard must have caught onto something.
"Who's in charge of this facility?" Shepard asked impatiently.
"All decisions about local resource analysis and acquisition are determined by on-site management personnel. They defer to the board of directors only when seasonal quotas are missed or exceeded. Individual…" The VI stated before the commander cut it off.
"And who are the board of directors?" She asked breathlessly.
The VI paused for a moment, as if thinking. "Insufficient security clearance. This request will be logged in your personal files, and an Exogeni supervisor will be in contact shortly."
Shepard spun away from the VI and pulled her shotgun from her holster. "You have anything Tali?"
"The…ship's literally holding onto the building. If we could find a way to detach its…arms…maybe it could just fall away? That's all I can think of, Shepard." The quarian answered quietly.
"That's better than nothing, Tali." The commander responded with a strained smile. "Alright, I'm going to need you and Garrus to help lead us to any potential weak point, and once that shield is down we split into two groups. One tears a hole through whatever geth are left here en route to outside. We need to let the rest of the crew know what's going on. The other group searches for a goddamn mainframe and mines it for all it has. I want to know what the hell's going on here, and I need proof before I go on a witch hunt."
Garrus stepped forward a bit, pulling out his own assault rifle and handling it casually. "Shepard, there's an area on a lower level that has two of those arms in the same room. If we want to do damage, it could be our best option, but…there's probably going to be a lot of geth there waiting for us."
"Excellent. After what I heard from that VI, I'm ready to cause some god damn destruction." She growled, motioning for Garrus to fall in beside her. "Pass me the map, I have a feeling were going to need you to cover our asses once we make contact."
The turian nodded and quickly, the commander's omni beeped, bringing Garrus to slide to the back of the pack again beside Tali, Ashley covering Shepard's flank as the team pushed through the complex and navigated toward their destination.
The colonists were afraid. Or, at least, that's what Doctor Chakwas felt as she pushed a small hover pallet along with the supplies she'd brought. None had accepted anything she and the others had offered, aside from the food and water, despite them all looking sickly and in need of a check-up. Far too many winced when she approached, and there were far too many blank stares and monosyllabic responses afterward. Sometimes they would actually leave what they were doing when she'd pester them, which was something she was used to on the ship, but not from wounded, ill, half-starved colonists. It all gave her a feeling of unease, and of regret. She wanted to do something, but she was in no position to demand anyone's cooperation. At least they took the food and water…for whatever that's worth… she mused, sighing over the resistance she'd faced.
"Doctor Chakwas!" a familiar voice called out from behind her. She didn't need to turn around to know the asari scientist was behind her, and she gave Liara a smile as she strode up alongside her. "How are the colonists?"
Chakwas shook her head and frowned, wishing she could have done more. "Not well, I'm afraid. The food and water may help them yet, but there is certainly something else ailing them."
She almost laughed at the immediate serious look on the prothean expert's face. Liara had been sterner with the colonists during her visit, and her inquisitive, prying personality had all but scared off the colonists to the prefab eventually. She couldn't help but feel she could hire her to shake crewmembers down for medical checkups, if it wouldn't potentially put Liara in a compromising position. The crew still harbored ill will toward her to some degree, and she'd heard more than a few remarks already about Liara's alleged promiscuity. Not that I believe such a tale…just silly rumours, but not ones I would want to subject her to…
"That is…unfortunate. Not even one would allow themselves to be examined?" Liara asked, in disbelief.
"Not a one, my dear. At least we'll be able to keep these supplies for another day, but I fear their health is deteriorating." Chakwas answered. "Anyway, was there something you needed from me?"
She halted her journey back to the ship momentarily, seeing the asari's anxiety flare up. Chakwas hoped it wouldn't be anything serious, or that she'd caught something already while on the planet. She's an asari, so her immune system and cell regeneration are generally not much of an issue. Could she have an allergy, or perhaps she had cut herself on something foreign, or…
"I have been having these…sensations in my chest. I am…not sure why." Liara said, meekly glancing at her. Chakwas immediately grabbed her biometrics scanner and started it up.
"When did you start feeling these? Are they painful? What kind of pain, is it sharp? Do you have trouble breathing?" she asked, each question flowing one after the other. The last thing she wanted was for an asari to have a heart-attack on her watch. While she was well versed in asari biology, she was no expert and had never done significant surgery on major organs, and was hoping she could avoid that at all costs.
"Sometimes it hurts, but sometimes I just feel strange. If it does hurt, it's a deep ache, and…I do not recall if I had trouble breathing. I do not think so." Liara rambled, worry written across her face. "I started getting them…the day Shepard, Tali and I visited the Citadel."
Chakwas breathed a sigh of relief and cross off most known serious ailments off her mental list. "When would you feel these sensations? Stressful events?"
"Not always, no. They seem to happen randomly. Sometimes it happens when I'm simply engaging in conversation, and sometimes it's more specific. It happened when I was taunted by some humans after dinner with Shepard, but I have been in stressful conditions in the past without experiencing this. It happened when I heard her and Tevos arguing, and I felt helpless, but again, I have never felt these sensations in similar events in the past. I also felt them when I finished my biotic testing yesterday…among a few other times, but I have had to ward off local wildlife and mercenaries before and it has never had such an effect on me." Liara explained, her eyes seeming to will an answer to her problems from Chakwas, who leaned up against a nearby wall offered her best thinking pose to the asari, to hopefully quell any doubts that she'd receive help.
In truth, Chakwas had little immediate idea of what was causing Liara's mystery symptom. Well, they're a recent development, so it's possible that she has, somewhere along the lines, grown ill…however, when I brought her in after Therum, she was right as rain, just needing fluids, food and rest. She's been eating the same food as the rest of the crew, and I know for certain it's safe. She has rarely gone off the ship, and when she has it's been with Shepard and Tali, and… Chakwas's thoughts came to a halt as an inkling of an idea formed in her head. And these sensations seem to trigger when Shepard is around. After a dinner they apparently had, and during a visit to the councilor that they both made, during the training Shepard set up for her…
"And when you feel these when you're talking to others…who are you talking with?" Chakwas asked politely, feeling she may be onto something.
"Is that important? I…I have not put much thought into that. Do humans or quarians produce pheromones that affect different species negatively? No…no that would not make sense, Tali is in an enviro-suit, and I am certain would not be able to alter her environment…" Liara rambled, before Chakwas decided to have mercy on the bumbling scientist and took hold of her shoulder to still her.
"Liara, no, humans do not produce such things. Not in any way that would affect you, at least." She answered, unable to restrain a chuckle, which earned a sad frown from the asari. "I promise you, there is not likely to be anything serious that is causing this, at least not biologically. I will run a scan on you when we all pack up and leave here, but I'm confident that you will be fine."
"I was…hoping you would have an answer. These sensations have left me more than a little perplexed, and my own research has been inconclusive, and…" Liara began, before being cut off again. She knew that it was poor manners to do so, but while she adored the maiden, she knew that she could ramble on for ages. Liara was better off helping watch the colonists than escorting her back to the ship.
"And you want an answer. I promise I shall help you research when this is all over. Perhaps I will enlist Shepard's help in the matter, as well." She interrupted, trying to keep a cheeky grin from spreading across her face.
Liara, for her part, looked both surprised and a tad excited. "Shepard? But…why? Does she have some credentials I have overlooked, or…why?"
"Oh, you know. Her Spectre authority could help give access to restricted medical databases, and she certainly has a desire to make sure her crew members are healthy and happy." Chakwas added, recalling the first time she saw the heartwarming wealth of sheets, blankets and cushions lining the once measly little cot she'd offered Liara. Perhaps it was just in her nature, but…if there's something else…
She saw the smile on Liara's face and it confirmed her suspicions. The scientist has a crush on the soldier…ah, young love. Well, perhaps not young, as she's twice my age, but…still wonderful to see in times such as this where there's so much death and despair.
"Now go on back to the colony, I am sure they could use you more than I could. I'll be fine, and so will you." She said, earning a shy nod from Liara, who turned and walked back to camp.
I could have told her…but what fun would there be in that when I could watch it blossom myself? She mused, grinning as she pushed the pallet toward the ship.
"Garrus, what the fuck are you doing back there?!" Tali heard Shepard yell for what might have been the fourth time in their ongoing assault. It hadn't been a fun battle so far, and while her shields had held up, and they'd damaged one of the ship's arms, they were being attacked from two angles; worse, for every geth they killed, two seemed to take its place.
"I'm waiting for my spirits-damned shields to recharge! I'll be back in ten seconds!" the turian yelled out from behind cover as Tali overloaded a duo of geth, which Shepard capitalized on with a swift warp, ripping their platforms into shrapnel.
"If you would have ducked at any point in the past five minutes, you wouldn't be spending all your time waiting, Garrus!" Ashley yelled out, taking point near the turian, whose cover was deteriorating quickly. Despite Shepard and Wrex being the primary distraction, the geth had been slowly funneling more firepower her and Garrus' way.
Tali slid to the other side of the fallen pillar providing her cover and tossed out a proximity mine in case the geth decided to flank her, then tossed out another overload as an explosion nearby sent her sprawling to her hands and knees.
"Tali, cover me!" she heard over the comms, and saw Williams dash out of her cover toward the smoking wreckage that was Garrus' cover. Instinctively, she sent Chiktikka out after the rocket-wielding soldier, and leapt over her cover, darting over to where the human soldier had been set up before. Geth fire erupted against her shields as she sent a spray of shotgun-delivered fury into the encroaching geth, just making it to cover as her shields collapsed. Keelah! That was too close! She thought to herself, as she watched Williams haul Garrus into cover with one hand while firing her rifle with the other aimlessly.
Not taking the time to ponder the severity of her teammate's injury, Tali grabbed her two remaining mines and set their timers, tossing them onto the upper level cover some of the geth had been using against them. Whatever you can do, I can do better, geth bosh'tets! She muttered, as explosions rocked the room, sending the upper walkway crashing down onto a large, entrenched group of geth. She signaled Chiktikka to finish that group off as Wrex and Shepard quickly adapted, pushing the geth forces back for the first time in minutes.
"Come on you turian asshole!" Ashley called out as she lumbered past Tali, still supporting Garrus' weight as she pushed further into the depths of the room. Tali fell in beside them and kept an eye out for a good place to set up. "I swear, you're such an idiot! What were you thinking?"
"Turians don't duck, Williams." Garrus grunted out. "Not in our vocabulary."
"Then read a dictionary!" the marine yelled back. Tali found the whole situation kind of amusing, even if Garrus was bleeding badly from his right arm, and Ashley's armor was riddled with new holes and the odd fresh stream of blood leaking down it. For all of Williams' passively hostile attitude toward her and the other 'aliens' on the Normandy, it didn't seem to be keeping her from helping them, even at her own expense. Even when Garrus was still cracking jokes.
"Can you at least fire your rifle?" she heard the marine ask, taking the turian's gun and propping it up against the fallen walkway they'd hovered towards as cover. Tali decided to buy them time, sending Chiktikka to intercept an oncoming group of geth, firing two rounds of her shotgun at the approaching mob.
"Of course I can shoot, it's just going to take longer." The turian griped, his voice straining as he took hold of his rifle. Out of the corner of her eye, she could tell Garrus was in pain, and he'd be of little help going forward. His rifle was shaking ever so slightly, but from a range, it would keep his accuracy low.
Ashley, for her part, looked entirely unconvinced. "Well… don't kill yourself. Use your overload protocol more. I'm gonna leave you back here and give you two some room to breathe." Williams said quickly, waiting for another burst of Tali's shotgun to before she propelled herself over the cover and further into the room.
Tali decided to change tactics as she watched Willaims join with Shepard and Wrex in dispatching the remaining geth, having Chiktikka focus instead on damaging the supports keeping the remaining arm firmly locked into the building. As it meticulously worked away at its task, she used her overload alongside Garrus to weaken the front geth ranks as they continued to pour in.
It was almost a shock when they simply stopped. She'd had her omni-tool ready and waiting for the next to arrive through one of the doorways, or down a nearby staircase, but for a long twenty seconds, there were no advancing geth.
"Tali, what's the situation with the last arm?" Shepard called out from across the room, thankfully looking no worse for wear. She looked over at her drone's work and surveyed the damage it had caused. She had figured that damaging the arm itself would be difficult, but damaging the structure it was latched onto would be rather simple, so Chiktikka had been weakening its grasp.
"Well, it…it is still holding on, but maybe a grenade or a strong explosion could unmoor it." Tali answered over the comms, not feeling like yelling at all.
"Sounds good, Tali." The commander answered happily, as she watched the woman give a strange gesture to Wrex, prompting them both into a light shoving match. "I got this, Wrex! Calm down!"
"Use your grenades, Shepard." Wrex growled out, his voice rumbling through the room.
"Grenades are limited, Wrex. I have three energy bars left to keep my biotics going strong. Leave this to me." Shepard insisted, walking closer to the arm and widening her stance slightly, a growing blue sphere forming at the edge of her fingertips. Tali watched the woman take a long deep breath and hold it for a number of seconds, her biotic s flaring up across her body occasionally, before she swiftly flung her arm outward, sending the large warp attack screaming toward the wall that the arm had latched onto.
Tali ducked into cover and felt the explosion more than she heard it, as the arm violently came loose from the demolished structure, splitting the foundation of the floor as it crashed onto the ground and slowly but surely skidded outward. She dared a peek over her safe barrier of cover and witnessed the geth ship comically fall off the wall of the tower, hopefully plummeting to the ground in mere moments.
She breathed a sigh of relief, hearing Shepard off in the distance having a conversation over her comms. She could only imagine they were able to get a hold of the Normandy and while the tone of the discussion was more than a little tense, she was glad that the ship was safe for now. If anyone harms the ship… her thoughts ended at that, unwilling to consider what she'd do in response. There was still so much she could learn from it, and she didn't want to imagine what she would do to keep that opportunity.
Tali took a good look of the room around her for the first time, taking in details of all the machinery, the layout. It was familiar, yet different, than a similar setup on the migrant fleet that she'd had the honour to access a handful of times, but the purpose was similar. This is a server room. All the downed machinery…all of the same build, scarce user interfaces…definitely a server room.
She got to her feet and scampered over to the far end of the room where a large terminal was mostly intact, outside of some damage to the holo, which constantly flickered in and out. She opened her omni-tool and quickly linked into the mainframe, copying all accessible files and decrypting anything restricted. Occasionally she'd look back and see Shepard administering some first aid to Garrus, checking on Ashley's armor, or chewing away on her energy bar. Tali could tell Shepard wanted to get back as soon as possible by how she was pacing back and forth at a furious rate, but data decryption wasn't always a quick task.
A few minutes later, her omni-tool beeped as it registered all recoverable files had been transferred. She hoped it would be enough, and turned toward the rest of the group.
"I took all that I could, Shepard. A lot of it was damaged." Tali said, feeling bad that maybe they wouldn't have anything useful on their hands after all this. "How's the situation back at the colony?"
"Gone to shit. Apparently the geth are making a bit of a push, but there's not many left. The colonists all went inside their prefabs and locked Kaidan's team out, so…we need to get back there and see what's going on." Shepard stated, finishing her energy bar. "Let's grab that Exogeni scientist and move out. We have a lot left to learn today."
Of that, Tali was sure. She just hoped it wouldn't necessarily get any worse.
A/N: Alright, sorry all for the 2 week wait between chapters. If it's any consolation, I think my studying and (school-related) writing paid off…A string of A's and A+'s so far.
Wasn't really sure what to write for this chapter. I had a theme in mind, and I think I did alright setting it up a little, and I did want to use the info the VI gave on the Thorian, but…there may be some things the researchers hadn't noticed about it, so hopefully the next chapter will turn out better. Felt I had to cover a lot of old ground here to set things up, but *shrug* Such is life. Might be my weakest chapter yet in Feathers, IMO, but…well, I hope the next one will make up for it.
Anywho, thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing and following me and my stories. You all make this an easier process than it otherwise would be :) Hopefully next chapter soon! I'm starting it right away so…yes. Have a good night/morning/afternoon!