Noveria hadn't exactly greeted them with open arms, both Shepard and Joker having to put up with an immense amount of scrutiny and delays before finally being allowed to dock. She led a small team of Liara and Garrus toward the security gate, going over the details of their interim plan in her head. While they were en route to the planet, Tevos had helped provide an excuse to get them into Port Hanshan, one Shepard wasn't entirely fond of, but hoped would work. Having a minority stake in a medical technology research and development firm, she had provided paperwork for clearance into the port; Liara as her representative, with Shepard and the rest of the ground team as her protection. On paper, it seemed likely to work, but they would be expected to check into the medical firm instead of Binary Helix's facility, wherever it was. Basically, easy getting in, but hard to get around. Especially with this many people…and then there's Liara having to do all the talking…with her and her social issues…
It wasn't that she was terribly worried that Liara would fail if their bluff was called, it was just that she knew the asari didn't do well in crowds and while under scrutiny, and didn't want her to be more uncomfortable than the situation demanded of her. She'd spied Liara talking to herself in the med-bay, pacing around and trying to work herself into the role for hours on end. I just hope all that paid off… she thought, as the trio approached a number of guards, two women in particular standing ahead of the rest. They had all decided a small initial team would cause less hostility and suspicion, though she was certain that Garrus wasn't pleased about having to carry some of Liara's luggage. Shepard was surprised that Liara actually had any, though she had noticed the doctor had gone missing for a few hours during their last stop at the Citadel. I guess she could have ventured out to get some things. Can't always wear that green scientist's stuff all the time, I suppose… she mused, her eyes constantly trailing back to the coat and dress the asari was wearing. She'd never had an eye for fashion, but she imagined it was a sort of formal wear appropriate for the occasion. Looks nice on her anyway…really nice…
"That's far enough." The darker haired woman spoke, bringing the commander's attention back to the task at hand. Shepard immediately knew they could be in for a long talk; the woman looked both terribly disgruntled and tired, and she was sure that they had made the woman's long day even longer. "This is an unscheduled arrival. I need your credentials."
Liara subtly gestured to Shepard, who in turn stepped forward with their documentation from the Councilor. As the apparent head of security looked it over, the blonde slowly circled them, shotgun in hand.
"And what's your business here?" the dark haired guard asked again, the blonde finishing her circuit and coming to rest to the right of her.
"I assure you, the documentation is rather clear in our purpose here. While it is unfortunate that our visit is on short notice, I am certain that the Councilor would prefer that we receive proper treatment." Liara spoke, her tone and posture as regal as Shepard had ever seen. Christ, it's almost like she's a different person… "And I would very much like to know the name of the security chief who so kindly allowed us passage without unnecessary molestation."
The darker haired woman shrugged slightly and nodded lightly. "Captain Maeko Matsuo, Elanus Risk Control. I'll just finish checking over your documentation, and then you'll be free to proceed."
"Load of horsecrap, ma'am. Councilor Tevos always schedules in advance, we should impound their ship until we hear back from her." The blonde noted quietly, but not quietly enough for it to be inaudible to the trio.
Matsuo quirked her mouth to the side then shook her head subtly, placing her full focus back on Liara. "Also, I must advise you that firearms are not permitted on Noveria." The captain spoke, gesturing the woman beside her to see to the trio. "Sergeant Stirling, secure their weapons."
Shepard cocked her head to the side and averted her gaze from Liara, who seemed to be doing a good job emulating a simmering disdainful appearance, to the dark haired guard. "Spectre Authority lets me keep firearms, Captain. Councilor Tevos assigned…" she started, taking hold of her weapon, but was immediately cut off by Liara, who gave her a piercing look.
"You will speak only when requested, Spectre." She spoke coolly, her voice dripping with ire. Shepard gulped back her shock and nodded, turning her gaze lower.
"Yes, Lady T'Soni." She said politely and remorsefully, trying to act along as best as she could. Shepard had never truly interacted with nobles outside of Liara and Tevos, and those were under more amicable circumstances. She let Liara take the lead, having considerably more experience in such matters.
She watched the blonde stop inches away from her, thankfully stopping her weapon collection for the moment. The woman gave Liara a questioning look, hesitating before speaking. "As in… Benezia T'Soni's daughter?"
Liara's reaction was immediate and, if Shepard were to be honest, slightly frightening. "You will address the Matriarch accordingly. With how many holdings she has in Noveria's facilities, I would not doubt she could take interest in restructuring Elanus Risk Control's presence here." The asari noted, her voice calm, collected, yet an undertone of venom emanated from every syllable. Liara turned to the darker haired woman. "Do all of your human subordinates lack manners and wit? I arrived to oversee the Ylentek facility for Councilor Tevos, not to have the head of my family disparaged and treated as a commoner. Client harassment has been remarkably absent from Noveria's reputation, yet perhaps that may be inaccurate."
"My… sincerest apologies, Lady T'Soni." Maeko spoke hastily, handing back the documentation to Liara as she held her hand to her ear-piece, hesitating for a number of moments nervously. "You can proceed through the checkpoints, secretary Parasini will arrange for your tour of the facility shortly. Your other staff are clear to enter as well, whenever necessary, Lady T'Soni."
Shepard fell in line slowly off to the side of Liara, stunned as she saw the asari nod and smile coolly to the captain. Shepard worked quickly on her omni-tool, giving the rest of the ground team clearance to enter in ten minutes, letting them find their way to the hotel to book rooms for the night.
The trio moved slowly through Port Hanshan, Garrus taking lead due to his experience at the port, leading them to the hotel Tevos had specified. Shepard wondered why the councilor hadn't found the time to call and grant them clearance in advance; though the possibility of that clearance quickly working through the security network in the two hours since the plan was erected was admittedly slim.
Her eyes would occasionally wander back to Liara, her posture and expression still so proper and regal. And arrogant…Christ, I can't believe she pulled that off! And when she snapped at me, I...alright Shep, mind out of the freaky gutter. It was an act…a really, really good act.
Liara practically glided over to the desk of the hotel, quickly gaining the attention of the asari clerk behind it. "I will have the Jakaht suite, if it is available." The doctor spoke as she handed a datapad with Tevos' account data and her own identification; her words more of a demand, the qualifier at the end merely a custom to provide them notice.
"Yes, Lady T'Soni. If…if you'd like, I could provide you the Gilana suite, it is beside the suite reserved for Matriarch Benezia. I assure you, it is identical to hers and it would be no trouble to afford you it, we are grateful to your house for your continued patronage." The clerk spoke calmly but quickly, an excited smile plastered on her face.
Shepard gave Liara credit for not skipping a beat, returning with a polite smile. "That will do nicely." Liara spoke as the clerk turned to Garrus and provided the access codes. On the elevator ride up, she could see the façade slightly cracking at the seams, and once inside the suite Liara practically made a beeline for the nearest seating area and hastily sat on the sofa, breathing heavy.
She let Garrus take a convenient tour around the suite, choosing instead to sit alongside Liara, whose hyperventilating was growing slightly worse. Her hand reached out, taking one of the asari's blue ones in her own, giving a slight squeeze for support.
"She is here! I cannot…she is… here!" Liara spoke between breaths, her gaze slowly shifting to meet Shepard's. "What do we do?"
Shepard just shifted slightly over, her shoulders flush with Liara's as she gave her best confident smile. "What we came here to do. And…and we're bringing her back, if luck is with us." She spoke, hoping to reassure the asari whose gaze was piercing through her, full of uncertainty.
"She will have commandos with her…she always does." Liara said, her breathing slowing slightly, her shaking body stilling minutely.
"Well, we'll have to make do. Shiala said that since Eden Prime, they've been more scattered. Maybe she doesn't have many with her. If that's true, then we've got you, me and Shiala…we're not exactly pushovers, same with Wrex and Kaidan. Ash, Garrus and Tali aren't biotics, but they could help out too." Shepard rambled, taking Liara's hand in both of hers. "We can do this, Liara."
For her part, Liara merely shook her head slowly, nervously looking away. "My mother…if she is indoctrinated, she will not go without a fight. She is…incredibly powerful, Shepard."
Shepard nodded her head, knowing she was heading into uncharted territory. She assumed matriarchs were powerful; she had heard as much from Tevos, and she knew commandos were tough from fighting the Shiala clones, even if they may have been weaker forms. She knew she had no knowledge of where the Matriarch was, how many followers she had with her, or how to beat her, if need be. To say it was a troublesome situation would be putting it mildly. "Then we'll figure out a way to do it. We know she's here, and it's a damn blizzard outside, so I doubt she'll be traveling back until the storm ends. We find out where she is, we craft a plan, and we'll do it." She said softly, letting go of Liara's hand. "But first, we deal with this tour of that medical lab and get that over with. I'll have Garrus, Kaidan and Tali checking around for any intel on her whereabouts while we're gone, or any way to just get the hell out of this port."
Liara sat straight up, looking puzzled at her. "You…you are coming with me?" the asari asked, seemingly calmed down.
"We've come to a dangerous place, and a lady needs protection. A Spectre should suffice." Shepard noted playfully, shrugging her shoulders as a wide grin spread across her face. "And I really have to say…you were amazing back there."
A purple blush bloomed across Liara's cheeks as the doctor nervously looked down to her hands. "I…did my best emulating mother during our last outings together. Although, she would have scolded me for my actions today…one cannot act like a leader, they must be one. And I was far too emotional in my tone. I am lucky I'm a maiden, otherwise they may have become suspicious."
Shepard leaned forward, arching her head and neck to get into Liara's lowered field of view. "I thought you were…very convincing, Lady T'Soni." Shepard noted politely, emulating her role from before.
She watched Liara's expression turn to amusement before it shifted to an indignant expression. "Must I remind you of your rescinded speaking privileges, Spectre?" Liara asked with the same cool tone from before. Shepard couldn't help but blush and sit back against the sofa, turning her gaze to the fireplace across the way as Liara broke out into giggles.
"No, my lady." Shepard spoke quietly, perhaps a little too enthralled by the role play. She knew there were dangerous times ahead, and felt perhaps there were a few seconds to spare for lighthearted fun. If anything, she was glad to have Liara in better spirits. She knew that it wouldn't be long until that all changed.
"So…what have we got?" Garrus asked, drawing a tired sigh from Tali, who was simply tired of being the information mule for the team. Luckily, others had returned from their assignments, hopefully with better results than she'd had.
Not that she had found nothing; it had taken a while to hack through some of the terminals on Port Hanshan, and what information that was there was vague. She'd been able to narrow down which garage was taken by Liara's mother, but which peak facility Binary Helix owned was still a mystery. She wished Shepard was there to help.
"I managed to get that administrator's secretary, Parasini, to pass some information along for Shepard. She's hoping her and Liara can get that medical lab's shareholders to spread dissent and get him out, or at least shake him down in person." Kaidan mentioned, immediately drawing Garrus' attention.
"Anoleis? I talked to a turian business owner who says he's been harassed by him. Says he has some information he needs recovering, but I thought it'd be too big of a hassle." The turian spoke, Tali quickly understanding the connection.
"Who would be in charge if Anoleis lost his position?" she asked, curious to the answer. She wondered if all corporate ports were run so poorly that incriminating information was left lying around casually.
"That would be…" Kaidan started, the other marine slamming her fist down on the table in excitement, effectively cutting off his train of thought.
"The head of security!" Ashley said, vibrating with anticipation. Silence quickly blanketed the table, aside from Wrex's continual mumbles of annoyance.
Garrus's mandibles twitched slightly in what Tali could only imagine was amusement. "It would be Parasini, Ash. Or maybe someone who's more willing to pay a favor for a sudden, unexpected promotion."
Ashley's head slumped slightly, her eyes widening a little in embarrassment. "I knew that." The marine mumbled to herself, and for a moment Tali was happy Ashley couldn't see the grin behind her visor. Investigation didn't seem like the marine's strong suit.
"Wrex, did you find anything?" Kaidan asked cautiously, slowly drawing the krogan's attention.
Wrex snorted in annoyance and crossed his arms. "I would have threatened the garage supervisors, but you decided that a few broken ribs could jeopardize the mission instead of making it fun." He grumbled, stamping his foot lightly on the ground. "I talked to a contact here. He can get us a shuttle for travel, but with this weather, it's not looking likely to pay off. Can get us an extra tank if we need one."
Tali couldn't help but stare in amazement. It was the most she'd ever heard Wrex talk before, and the idea of him managing to acquire them resources was the furthest from her mind before he'd opened his mouth. Maybe I shouldn't keep making bad assumptions…even if he keeps calling me pyjak...
"So we have transportation, we just need clearance to get people to it…or at least, to get all of us to it. And we need a specific location." Garrus summarized, drawing a nod from most of the group, barring Ashley and Wrex, who looked confused and bored respectively.
"Uh, Benezia's over in peak fifteen. I thought I told you guys that." Ashley spoke slowly and cautiously, her eyebrow quirking up like Shepard's did at times.
Tali leaned forward staring at the marine intently. "How did you find out about that? Are…are you sure?" she asked, noticing everyone's attention was on the woman.
"Yeah, when I stopped to grab some weapon and armor mods earlier, the hanar shopkeep couldn't stop going on about her. Said he was worried because she left for peak fifteen during the blizzard. Apparently that area's rife for avalanches." The woman said casually, her gaze focused on the turian across from her. "I told you when I got back."
Garrus merely scratched the back of his neck casually, whether out of nervousness or amusement, Tali wasn't sure. "I…kind of stopped listening when you started rambling about jellyfish."
"Hey! He…he looks like one… kind of." Ashley moped, a hint of a blush reaching her cheeks. "I really am trying, you know." She muttered quietly to herself, though Tali's audio sensors were able to pick it up rather clearly. One of the benefits of suit living, I guess…listening to people mope about themselves…though maybe she really IS trying…eh…
"Anyway…" Kaidan spoke, grabbing everyone's attention away from the muttering marine beside him. "I think I might have a plan…"
Port Hanshan seemed to press down on her; the hallways deceptively narrow and seemingly becoming more so, the ceilings lower than she'd like, the blizzard outside trapping her in. It was much too claustrophobic for Liara to bear for much longer, and she was thankful that Shepard was leading her back to the port so they could soon embark.
Her mother was near, and her brain raced around all the possibilities, each passing moment adding tension, adding pressure. There were too many ways for their endeavour to end, and it was nerve-racking. For the first time in over a decade, she would see her mother. She could also, potentially, see her mother for the last time. It was difficult for her to stomach, to even fathom. I want this to be over with…I want my mother to return…
Liara felt fortunate that the small tram car was empty aside from herself and her protector; she needed time away from her façade, it was draining to control her body and emotions to such a degree under such stress.
A light tapping at her wrist broke her out of her haze and to a small silvery flask resting by her hand. She nodded silently in thanks, taking it and unscrewing the lid, taking a swig of jihliq. Despite knowing the woman's intentions, she couldn't help but smile at the gesture. Shepard knew she was having a difficult time, and had made a series of minor distractions throughout the day, assuredly hoping to get her mind off of the current situation. It never truly did, but knowing the woman was trying to help made it a little easier. At least this might help calm my nerves…
"Do…do you think the plan will work?" Liara asked, sealing the flask and placing it on her lap."I…cannot help but be wary of relying on Wrex for important resources."
"I do." Shepard noted quietly, her fingers dancing to some mystery rhythm on the armrests of her seat. "He's a bit of a brute, and cares a bit too much about killing for my liking, but he's loyal and blunt. If he says he can give us a shuttle, he can give us a shuttle."
Liara nodded, turning her gaze to face the woman beside her. She looked more than a little on edge, but it was understandable. Benezia always had the ability to make people nervous, intimidated; even in kindness, she tended to make the minds of those around her clumsy. "What if the storm remains?"
"Should fade away in a few hours according to reports. We can't waste any time, so we'll be heading out as soon as we have clearance, entering through the building's shipping bay. I'll leave someone behind to help with the shuttle, maybe, and when it gets clear enough to fly, they take it to the main entrance of the facility. We should have made serious headway into the facility by that point." Shepard said calmly, staring off at a groove in the floor as her hand blindly reached for Liara's. She promptly took the woman's hand and held it tight in hers, appreciating the physical contact, even though she knew in mere minutes, they would have to return to their detached role-play.
A role-play which both frustrated and intrigued Liara. She disliked acting on the training of her youth, pretending to be the daughter she imagined Benezia had always wanted. Or, at least, had wanted for the past two decades, when her mother began tiring of her career as a prothean archaeologist. As years had passed, her confidence in her career path had grown, but so had the feeling that she was nothing but a disappointment to her mother. In her earlier years, that was not something she could have ever imagined, it was something her mother had promised would never happen. Thus, acting that role out was at times painful, uncomfortable, and brought miserable past experiences to mind.
On the other hand, she had not expected Shepard to react how she had. Truly, she took the advice of acting slightly submissive to heart, considering her relative newness to being a Spectre and being under Tevos' authority for the mission. She recalled another asari Spectre being much the same way during her mother's seven hundredth birthday, being a guest to the ceremony shortly after her induction into the ranks, providing security for the councilor. She had felt it would be appropriate for Shepard to perform in a similar manner but the woman was far too honest in her expression at times, and the amount of blushing had honestly intrigued her. She wasn't entirely certain that it was all acting on Shepard's part.
Often, her mind would recall the night that Shepard had shown Torfan to her, and the events prior to that. I had yelled at her then, with no similar effect, no blushing…yet earlier today when we met security and I requested her silence, she turned rather red. However…when I had held her down on the bed, she had turned a similar shade…and I was…controlling her then, just like during the massage, was I not? Was I not controlling her in the security checkpoint as well, just…verbally? Was I embarrassing her, did she feel shame? Or…or perhaps it excited her? I recall her heartbeat quickening, that slight hint of a grin on her lips…
Liara looked Shepard over once more, noticing the woman's eyes looked glazed over, deep in thought. Her own thoughts began drifting to a future with her mother free, and herself and Shepard learning more about each other. Perhaps… intimately… she mused, before quickly shooing away the thought. She knew that future was not likely to be, and she had to focus on the task at hand. I cannot afford to be entirely distracted, and neither can Shepard… she thought, hoping Shepard's plan would work, praying to the Goddess Athame that it would.
As the tram came to a halt, Shepard stood and, after pocketing the jihliq, gracefully guided Liara up over to her side. "Ready, Lady T'Soni?"
Liara steadied her nerves as best she could, taking a deep breath to calm herself before slipping back into her role. Shepard needed her for just a little while longer. "Come, Spectre." She said, a hint of a grin curling at her lips. Perhaps…perhaps a little distraction wouldn't hurt…all in the name of keeping me less anxious, of course…everything in moderation…
"…and that's when security hauled him out. I don't think I've ever seen a salarian so raving mad before!" Williams said excitedly, recounting their ousting of that sniveling worm, Anoleis, as much of the rest of them laughed along. Wrex couldn't help but find the whole event somewhat amusing, at least more than he had expected when they had landed, but he felt Williams was missing the bigger picture.
No one is untouchable, he thought to himself, having learned that the hard way in his younger years. He knew that they should always keep their guard up for any possibility, no matter how rare. Had Anoleis protected himself, he would still be in his seat of power. Power…power and pride can blind us to our failures. Can blind an entire people…
"I'm just happy you managed to get Parasini to green-light all this. Really gives us a better shot at extraction." The commander noted casually, seemingly pleased to have been able to get through the red tape Noveria seemed to be strangled by.
He was at least pleased that they were quickly en route to the facility, controlling a Mako through the narrow paths through the mountain ranges. Wrex had bargained with Garrus for the main cannon controls, leaving him and Williams in control of the smaller turrets. It was better that way, he had more experience and it at least kept him from boredom. Once more he unleashed a loud blast at a line of entrenched geth, the explosion propelling a half dozen into the air as the two smaller turrets took out the rocket troops on the side. They had been effective on the turrets, so much that they continually drew the ire of the Commander.
"Oh come on, just leave one next time! Just one, that's all I ask!" Shepard yelled out at them, drawing a digitized giggle from the pyjak. "Just…just a single geth soldier, please! Be a friend!"
"I'm sorry we want you focusing entirely on driving, Shepard. This thing weighs a hell of a lot and this storm's still throwing you around the paths." Garrus called out from beside him.
"That's just me sliding on ice, Vakarian, I have it all under control…but that might change if I can't even ramp off a hill onto some geth." Shepard spoke, words tinged with the same frustration he often felt during stretches of inactivity. Especially between missions on the ship. If I have to spend another four day trip between stops, I'll probably do some weapons testing in the cargo bay…heh…
Out of the corner of her eye she noticed the younger asari lean toward the driver's area. "Perhaps it is because we fear you will ramp off a hill and into a ravine, Shepard."
"One day you all will appreciate my driving. One day…" the commander spoke dramatically, shaking one of her small, fleshy fists in the air. He wasn't sure if she was trying to be intimidating, or was just going along with mocking herself. He didn't really care either way, focusing back on the sights of the weapon, firing at another series of geth far off in the distance.
Nearly an hour later, the Mako skidded to a stop by a windowless, non-descript building built nto the face of the mountain; a few minutes afterward, while the pyjak and Shepard were out trying to hack the doors open instead of merely blowing a hole in them, the other Mako arrived. He'd managed to secure both an extra Mako and shuttle from one of the agents he'd worked with before, who he'd done a favour once or twice in the past. In truth, he only bothered taking him up on the offer when he'd heard about peak fifteen having a code omega crisis, which likely meant a lot of fun. More of a chance to show off the power of a true krogan battlemaster.
Still…fighting a matriarch and commandos… he mused stepping out of the tank and into the bitter blizzard. He'd fought asari before, and many were incredibly squishy; they still healed faster than other non-krogan species, but they didn't have the organ redundancy that he knew made him more durable. Most of his opponents had difficulty with that. Most commandos he'd fought had difficulty with that, but some were on another level altogether. Aleena…and she wasn't even a matriarch… he thought, shaking his head as he recalled hunting her through the abandoned space station. Had he not been able to regenerate, he would have lost a heart and at least one lung, along with the other broken bones and fractures and gaping lacerations he'd suffered at her hands. Wrex still felt he'd bested her in general, but that she had slipped through his fingers still had him wondering how close he ever was to finishing her off. He knew commandos don't live that long without having tricks up their sleeve, but Wrex knew that age didn't necessarily mean one was stronger in combat; in biotics, though, it was usually true, and that made their target a difficult adversary. He'd seen what Liara was capable and could only assume her mother was more powerful, something that didn't bode well.
"We're in!" he heard the pyjak call out, letting everyone file into the garage, which was relieving. The cold didn't bother him, but standing around bored witless did. Wrex looked over the ground team and snorted, skeptical that some of them could withstand serious biotic attacks. Even with the armor implants to protect against biotic attacks, it still didn't look promising. He knew that after himself, Shepard and the older asari would be capable enough. The young asari and the human male could be halfway effective, he figured, though he wasn't holding out hope that the pyjak, Vakarian, or Williams could withstand the kind of assault he expected to come eventually.
The early portions of the facility were what humans would call a cakewalk. Weak, fragile geth swarmed the initial areas, slowly whittling out as they continued on, a frustrating turn of events that left Wrex on edge. As they progressed, more areas were blocked off and quarantined, more security lockdowns had needed bypassing, keeping something IN rather than keeping it out. There may have been less geth, but there were more signs of death and destruction and battle. Far too much blood was spilled, and the oil from geth wasn't red or green, through there were magnitudes more red than green. Salarians bleed green…but there haven't been any signs of salarians yet. Not that they would have trouble with these lockdowns, with their hacking and stealth systems. Cowards.
"Something's wrong here, Shepard." He grumbled, looking around a dining area as they passed by, noticing upturned tables, destroyed equipment and blood. So much blood…no bodies yet, either.
"Definitely reading you loud and clear there, Wrex. Seems we've missed a good half dozen blood-baths." Shepard spoke quietly over comms, stepping into yet another elevator, taking them higher up into the mountainside facility. The eight of them all crammed into the moderately sized vessel and took off, Wrex ignoring the scowl on Williams' face as she was pressed in between himself and the turian.
As the elevator opened Shepard stepped onto the new floor, likely noticing the trails of red blood across the floor. "Williams, Shiala, I want you guarding the rear with Tali and Garrus, this place is a mess." The woman spoke. As Wrex exited the vessel and got a clearer view, he understood. Parts of bodies remained, human ones, some partially armored. They were not what Wrex was paying attention to however, they merely told him a battle had occurred very recently. It was all he needed to know from them. Instead, he looked at what looked to be ceiling panels and vent covers that had fallen from the ceiling, noticing dark potential hiding spots above them. And with how cowardly salarians are, no doubt some are hiding up there.
"Watch up top everyone, we might have company." Shepard spoke over comms, but the sound of doors opening across the large archive delayed that request, a number of geth swarming out from two of the entrances on the far side of the room, gunfire erupting around them immediately. Wrex rushed forward, spraying the geth with his shotgun and tossing biotic throws at them, knocking a number back into the doorway onto more in their group. He and Shepard commandeered both doorways mostly, with the help of Vakarian and Shiala respectively, the rest hanging back providing suppressive fire and biotic protection.
It only took a digitized shriek ringing out across the room to change everything. Quickly he gave a glance back at the pyjak's position and realized a real fight awaited him there, a number of large insects swarming out of the ceiling and down into their flanks.
"Hold this door!" he yelled out to the older asari and charged over to the fight, finding the new enemy somewhat familiar.
The blast of his shotgun erupted against the face of one of the bugs, sending it tumbling backward, its body knocking into Vakarian. As he turned to spy if any other bugs were in shooting distance, a spray of acid burst across his helmet, alerting him to another bug to his side. To his great frustration, he turned quickly enough to watch the elder asari biotically warp it into a slimy, scattered mess. The ground beside her caught his eye, his arm instinctively unleashing a biotic throw that landed mere inches from her, drawing her attention to the minor horde of smaller bugs quickly flowing down the ramp toward them. Once again, his brain racked to place a word to what he was witnessing, but it was failing him. He merely rushed over to one of the insects harassing Williams, grabbing it by the tentacles and violently hurtling it into the wall, finishing it off with a powerful warp.
The room now a slimy mess of green entrails and broken machine parts, Wrex moved over to one of the more intact corpses, noting the acidity of the insects' previous attacks against his helmet. He didn't want to believe what he was seeing, but as his mind cleared, he was certain. His clan's oldest shaman, back when he was a young whelp, would teach them the glory of his people's victory over the formidable opponent, and Wrex was old enough to be aware of the aftermath of achieving such success. It seemed impossible; as blunt as he often was, it was hard to put to words.
"What in the fucking hell were those?!" Garrus yelled out angrily, as Wrex stomped his foot violently onto the insect's corpse, crushing its head. He heard someone answer the turian behind him but he paid it no heed. They didn't know the enemy.
"Rachni." He spoke simply, unable to hide the growl in his voice as he stared down at the rivals of his ancestors. The species his people had eliminated from the galaxy. Or, so we thought. Guess I'll have to finish the job.
A/N: Whoof. Sorry for the long wait, all. Last week took a lot out of me, and I had to wrap my mind around how I wanted to start Noveria off. Still not too pleased with this chapter, considering I had to toss a bit of amusement in to get me started off, but I think it kind of fit alright. I don't think I could ever really do Noveria justice, so I'm not really holding myself to those standards. Hoping to get another chapter out soonish, but I've got a few school assignments still on my plate that are due soon, and that could toss a wrench into things. I think I can get another out by the night of the 28th, I want to get 4 chapters for this month, I think I can do that.
Anywho, thank you all for your patience and support. Whether you're reading, following me,reviewing, etc., I really do appreciate it, and I hope you've enjoyed the ride so far. Thirty chapters in this fic. Fifty in total. Really hard to believe, if I'm to be honest, but it's been fun so far.
See you around! Hope the rest of your weekend is great!