Author's Note:
Thank you everybody for reading still. I didn't know what to expect when starting this and all the support has really kept me going. This isn't easy writing, and I fully intend to finish this with a full 100,000+ words story. Just don't expect me to finish it in the next two months.
This is the first true combat chapter, so any tips on describing battles would be great. I'm reading through some Halo novels again for help, but your comments are always welcome.
For future use, I still want any comments on a name for Six. While I actually don't want to name him, writing an intimate moment with Tali referring to him as Noble Six would just be silly. Write name suggestions in reviews or message me.
As for Six's personality, over the course of the story I plan on portraying him much like Jun, comical and always chatty with those around him, but more conflicted and distraught during private conversations with Tali, Garrus, and Leliana. Thoughts on that approach would be EXTREMELY helpful.
As always, reviews are very helpful to me for writing. Keep them coming, even if you aren't sure if you have a good idea. I listen more than you think.
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"EDI, inform the ground team that I want to see them in the briefing room in the next 15 minutes. We have a lot to go over." Shepard had been anxious ever since the Illusive Man had informed him of Tali's whereabouts. While it didn't surprise him that she would agree to the mission, he was concerned that the Admiralty Board would willingly send a team deep into Geth-controlled space. How could her own father assign Tali to a mission that would likely result in her death? He had never met the man, but Shepard could already tell they don't think the same way. Shepard always looked for alternatives to sacrificing people, and this was the complete opposite.
"Very well, commander… I have alerted the entire team and they will join you within 15 minutes. Would you like anything else?" The blue hologram by his room's door pulsed gently with the faceless avatar EDI used.
"No, thank you EDI. Just make sure Joker keeps the ship cloaked during the entire mission. Only reveal the Normandy if I order it or it's absolutely necessary. As soon as we reach the planet, scan the surrounding space for Geth patrols." Shepard stated this as he was already in the elevator, cursing its slow speed to reach the CIC.
The doors opened up to the CIC, and Shepard didn't even bother speaking to Kelly as he jogged around the corner through the armory. Jacob was still fiddling with some disruptor mods when he walked by; that's fine, because they may need the extra firepower. He made his way around the next corner into the briefing room, and was surprised that he only saw a single person occupying it. But, it was someone he was happy to have a private conversation with.
"Noble Six, I'm glad you got here first. I wanted to talk to you about the new mission, and some other things."
"Other things? What's the problem, commander?" The Spartan walked over to Shepard, obviously realizing the commander had something specific to discuss.
"I wanted to thank you for joining the mission, first off. Garrus told me about your little run-in with those Krogan on the Citadel. I'm more than impressed, but I'm glad you didn't actually try and kill them. I hope that means you know you can't always shoot first."
"Of course, sir. After the trouble we had getting onto the station, I figured causing more trouble like that would earn me a swift trip out an airlock. And they looked like they could be a handful if I decided to pick a real fight. Now what did you really want to talk about, if you don't mind me asking?"
"You don't waste time, do you lieutenant? That's fine; we don't need to play games. I was wondering about your commitment to this mission. You've been very accepting of me and the crew so far. I couldn't have asked for a better response considering what you went through. But as you can imagine, it's a bit odd to see you accept all this so quickly."
Six knew something like this was going to come up. He already started getting along with Garrus, something that even surprised him a little. No doubt Shepard had thought about it already. "I understand, Shepard. I was surprised you didn't lock me up as soon as I woke up, and I appreciate it. I realize it was all fast, but Spartans can process things quickly. I just figured that I'm not going home any time soon, and Leliana agreed with me, speaking of which…" He reached to the side of his helmet and removed the data chip and held it in his hand again, Leliana's avatar appearing for Shepard to see. "She might as well speak her mind too."
"You always are such a gentleman, Noble Six." She smirked a little, and then looked at the commander. "I agree with the lieutenant, Shepard. We're stuck here, and you seem like a unique leader. We need something to do, and stopping kidnapping aliens and rescuing damsels in distress seems fitting. What's this Tali girl like?"
"She's a Quarian, and that's one of the things I wanted to talk about. I'm sure by now both of you have read the codex enough to learn a little about Quarians and their history with AIs. If you would avoid alerting Tali or any of the other Quarians of your existence, I'll talk to Tali about you first. She won't like you; that I know. But she trusts me to make the right decisions, and once I explain everything to her, she at least won't say anything too rude to you. And she won't try to shoot you."
"Gee, can't wait to meet the girl. Another person in this galaxy that hates AIs. I'm sure glad we didn't get sucked into a galaxy that was ruled by computers… don't worry Shepard. I'm joking." She confirmed her joke to the commander when she remembered the typical perception of her kind's desire to control organics. "Between that and the Illusive Man trying to study me, I feel right at home."
Six snapped his head back at Leliana's awareness of his conversation with the Illusive Man earlier. "Wait, Leliana, you were still in the lab when I spoke with him. How did you know that?"
"The Illusive Man is one paranoid character. He has over a hundred surveillance bugs on this ship. I hacked into them as soon as I noticed them. I was listening to your conversation through a few. I counted nine bugs in this room alone."
"That doesn't surprise me Leliana. The Illusive Man insists on having total control over anything of his. Well, he at least can try. I don't let him influence my decisions on this ship. But Six, I wanted to go over the current mission too, are you ready for a…" Before Shepard had time to finish he was interrupted by the door opening, a provocatively dressed woman stepping through.
"Shepard, you don't honestly think we can rely on this man and his toy, do you? He's completely unknown; for all we know, he could be a spy for the Shadow Broker or something worse. Having him on the ship is one thing; trusting our lives with him on the team is foolish." Miranda clearly didn't share the same enthusiasm as some of the other team members.
"I was wondering when the first person to doubt me would show up. We haven't met yet miss…" Six was more entertained than insulted at the accusations. He didn't blame her, but her cold attitude wasn't a pleasant surprise.
"No, we haven't." She stared at the lieutenant, clearly upset with his presence. "I'm Miranda Lawson, Shepard's XO and overseer of the Normandy's mission. I represent the Illusive Man, and he was less-than pleased with your attitude towards him during your meeting, Spartan. Don't expect me to be your friend like the Turian."
"Cut the act, Miranda. You may have justification in your doubts, but the attitude act needs to stop. I trust our newest team members, and I won't be second guessed on my own ship by you. Understand?" Shepard shot a glare at the Cerberus Officer, being answered with a near-emotionless stare from her; one that conveyed her annoyance.
"As I was saying before being interrupted, lieutenant, you haven't known us long, and going onto a Geth planet with possibly heavy resistance… I wanted to make sure you're up to it. I won't think less of you if you decide you want to observe this mission to get an understanding of how we operate."
"No need to worry, commander. I familiarized myself with the new weapons Jacob provided me, and my armor can interface with your battlefield commands. But that does bring me to something else. If we get to this planet and determine the Geth are present, how quickly can your dropships get us to the combat zone?"
"After the Normandy orbits over the location, it would likely take us 30 minutes to touch down. Why do you ask?"
"Well, Shepard, you may recall me stating that the armor I'm wearing is capable of atmospheric reentry. While I don't have a built-in drag chute, if you have any type of parachutes onboard, my own shields would keep it protected during reentry, and I could then use it to get to the battlefield in less than 5 minutes. The extra 25 minutes may very well prove vital."
"That's ridiculous! You don't honestly believe this, do you Shepard? He's going to get himself killed!" Miranda didn't seem thrilled with Six. Something she was all-too comfortable with stating.
"Then you should be happy, if you think I'm a spy. And I was asking the commander, not you Lawson. What do you say, Shepard?" Six looked towards Shepard for a response.
"I'm not going to try and persuade you otherwise. You seem capable of making your own decisions, and you're right anyways. Getting a 25 minute head-start on the rest of the team could be invaluable. If it comes down to that, you have my support. Just remember you'll be alone before you link up with the Quarians. Head down to the launch bay; one of engineers can get you a drag chute. Do note that they aren't designed to slow a thousand pound super-soldier."
"I wouldn't have it any other way, Shepard. I spent most of my career as a lone infiltrator; it should be just like old times for me. I'll grab my gear from the armory and head down to the shuttle bay. I'll wait at the dropship for your word." He offered a crisp salute to Shepard, receiving one in return. He then walked out the door without a second look at Miranda.
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"Commander, we have reached Haestrom and I have detected a Geth frigate in stationary orbit over the coordinates where Tali is located. It is not transmitting any communication signals, but its shuttle bay is open and appears to be missing a dropship." EDI chimed into the team meeting, confirming Shepard's fears.
"I had a feeling it would be too much to ask for the Geth to have gone without noticing the Quarians. EDI, please inform the lieutenant that he will be dropping as soon as the rest of the team and I load into the Kodiaks. As for everyone else, I have a plan to deal with the Geth in the Quarian compound." Shepard activated the hologram displays on the table, bringing up a map of the soon-to-be battlefield. "We have two clear points of entry, here and here. I'll take a small team from the first landing zone and we'll move our way into the area and locate Tali. Garrus and Grunt, I want you two with me for this one. Miranda will lead the second fire team and will land at the second landing zone, here. I want you to hold the area in a defensive stance to help draw fire from the Geth. We may also need a second evac point if things get too out of hand. I want everyone to do what they can to save as many Quarian lives as possible." He paused to speak with the ship's helmsman. "Joker, has the Geth frigate done anything since we arrived?"
"Negative commander, it's still stationary in orbit. No comm signals sent or any more dropships have been deployed."
"Good, and one more thing Joker. Can that ship communicate with anything planetside?"
"Don't think so sir. The star's interfering with planet side communications heavily. I doubt it can even reach something in the upper atmosphere."
"Alright, thanks Joker. As soon as the Kodiaks launch, I want you to blast that frigate to hell. It will pick up the dropships instantly on scanners, and we can't afford to have it calling for help. One volley of Javelin torpedoes should do the job."
"Sounds good commander. It'll be fun to test out the weapon systems; I still haven't had a chance to fire these babies. I'll wait for your order, then we'll light that frigate up."
Shepard paused for a few moments, debating with himself if there was anything he could still do. "Everyone head down to the shuttle bay. Remember, switch your weapons to disruptor ammunition. That should give us an edge over those synthetics. Any questions?"
"Are you sure we should be trusting that guy to go in alone? Do you even believe that he can jump safely from the ship?" Jack didn't have any hesitation in speaking her mind about the Normandy's new lone wolf.
"I've already made it clear to Miranda that our new team member is to be treated just like anyone else on this ship, Jack. He wouldn't have offered if the jump was going to kill him. I brought you on the Normandy, and not many people trust you, Jack. Besides, the worst it will do to you is make you have to drag his body back onto the ship. Now would anyone else like to second-guess my judgment?"
Before Jack or Miranda could answer him, Garrus decided it was time to get the mission started. "We all trust you Shepard. Now let's go get Tali off that planet."
Jacob and Garrus saluted Shepard, while everyone else moved out of the briefing room, leaving Shepard a moment to call Six over a private channel for an additional order. "Lieutenant, it's Shepard. You probably heard all that over your armor's radio, right?"
"Yes sir I did. Don't worry, I'm not heartbroken that Miranda or that tattooed basket case don't trust me. I'm glad Garrus tried defending me, even if it didn't change their opinions."
"Good to hear, Six. I have one more thing, something I want only you to know since you'll be working alone on this one. I want Tali out at all costs. I don't like leaving civilian researchers or friendly military personnel behind, but if you have a chance to safely get her out, you let me deal with her when she gets mad; I know she won't happily leave her friends behind. Understand, Noble Six?"
There was a slight break in his response, but after a moment it came through clear and without more hesitation. "Absolutely, commander. Consider it done. But, with respect, I'm going to rescue as many members of the science team until that happens. I'm sure the Quarian marines would appreciate it. I'm ready to jump whenever you give the order."
"Alright, Six. I'll make my way down to the shuttle bay now. As soon as Joker destroys the enemy frigate and we hover in orbit, you're free to jump." Shepard switched the private channel off and made his way out to the elevator.
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"Commander, the Geth frigate is dust! We're directly over the Quarians' location and you're clear to go." Joker came in over the shuttle's speakers almost as soon as the team felt a slight shockwave resonate through the Normandy. "I had to overcharge the torpedoes, though. I think Garrus should make himself useful and look into weapon upgrades."
"For once, Shepard, I actually am glad Joker can't keep his mouth shut. After the mission I'll get in touch with my old contacts in the Turian military and see what I can do about upgrading the weapons." Garrus smiled at the thought of installing bigger, better guns on a ship that already was as powerful as a cruiser.
"EDI, activate atmospheric barriers on the shuttle bay doors. Six, jump as soon as you can. Good hunting, lieutenant."
Six answered the commander with a green indicator light through his HUD. He turned from the Kodiaks and stood directly in front of the bay doors. A ripple of shields activated in front of him, and then the doors slowly opened. He looked out at the planet before him; the entire planet was a dull beige and brown mix, holding only a small amount of cloud cover and no lakes or oceans he could see from where they were. "Not the prettiest planet, is it Leliana?"
Before she had a chance to answer him, the Spartan carefully jumped from the bay and was quickly pulled down from Haestrom's gravity. He turned himself to face directly at the planet, in the form of a dive. Leaving the atmosphere of the Normandy, all the Spartan could hear now was his calm breathing. The quietness of the drop brought his mind to an old memory, one of another jump from a ship in orbit.
'I'll find some way to make your sacrifice mean something, Jorge… I promise you that.'
Before he could begin to think about the rest of the old team, he was violently interrupted by the friction and heat of entering Haestrom's atmosphere. Even with his shields active and the controlled environment of his armor, he still felt warm. He even broke a sweat.
"Leliana, activate the drag chute as late as you can; I don't want these bastards to have a chance to shoot me down from the sky."
"Of course, lieutenant. May I remind you, you'll still need to activate your armor lock. The drag chute is only going to slow us down and impact without the additional shields will shatter every bone in your body. I think we both would like to avoid that."
He smirked a little, happy to have her company. The heat and smoke from the drop had faded, and he was now falling through a thin cloud layer, barely able to make out the ground that was below him. He zoomed in his visor's vision, and tried to make out any of the coming battlefield. Six only saw a few trails of smoke coming from the ground before he felt an enormous tug at his back.
"Drag chute deployed! Prepare to activate your armor lock Six!" Leliana was yelling in his ear now, eager to ensure he was ready for the less-than safe maneuver they were about to try. "Dammit! The chute didn't slow us down enough, lock your armor now Six or we're dead!"
She didn't need to tell him twice. The near-unbreakable shields wrapped around his body, quickly pulsing and pulling him into a fetal position. A moment later, he felt the violent impact against the top of one of the buildings he was trying to avoid. Before he could curse the drag chute for failing, he came to an abrupt halt on the surface of the planet, creating a small crater around him.
Six struggled for a moment against the pain in his body, cracking several kinks in his back while standing up. "Ugh…let's make sure all the equipment is ready next time we try something like that Leliana. Can you get a reading on the area? I think we landed a little south of where the Quarian team was located. I can barely hear the gunfire." He looked around at the area; no hostiles in sight. This definitely wasn't the right place.
"The star's interference is annoying, but I can give you a map of the area. It looks like the area they were reported to be in is to the north, about 200 meters. We can use those passage ways directly in front of us to get into the next area. I also detect what appear to be element zero signatures all over the area. EDI had told me it's a good way to locate Geth mobile platforms. There are dozens, Six."
"You want me to be challenged, don't you?"
"I also like it when you stay alive, lieutenant. "
Six chuckled a little, loud enough so Leliana would hear in his armor's internal speaker. He took a moment to evaluate the surroundings before moving. He was in a courtyard, Quarian buildings all around him. He noticed everything was stone. If this place was 300 years old at least, they sure knew how to build things to last, even if their materials were a bit outdated. Above the building lines he could see that the star was setting, and decided he didn't want to be fighting at night.
"Alright Leliana let's get going. Keep scanning the area for anything you can find. Hopefully we can find the Quarians… what the?" As Six reached over his shoulder to grab his Mattock, he was surprised that he found nothing there. After reaching for his Incisor and Arc Projector, he turned around and looked at the bottom of the crater he just made. "You have got to be kidding me." There, right in the middle of it, were all three of the weapons he just hoped to find, broken into dozens of pieces.
"It looks like the rough landing managed to destroy those weapons Six." Leliana sounded more surprised than upset, unlike the Spartan.
"You don't say." Six then reached to his lower back and was relived to find his Eviscerator. He removed it from its magnetic lock and was happy to see the gun fully-functional. Looking down at his leg next, he was again happy to see that his Phalanx was still in one piece. "Well, looks like we're going to be getting close to those Geth. I hope they don't value personal space too much, heh." He activated the disruptor ammunition, and took off through the tunnel in front of him, searching for Tali.
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"Tali, get down!" Reegar screamed in her ear as he threw himself and her into the ground, not waiting for her response. The Geth Destroyer's rocket whizzed by overhead only a moment later, impacting the wall behind them and peppering them with small stone chunks. "Dammit, we have to take that thing out before it gets close, cover me marines!"
The other Quarians around them all popped out of cover, spraying the destroyer with assault rifle rounds. Only managing to annoy it, they all hoped the squad leader had a plan to deal with it.
Kal sprinted as fast as he ever had to the mining equipment on their left, reaching it just as another rocket flew past him. He dove behind, hoping the Destroyer decided he wasn't the larger threat. Crawling to look around the other side of his rusted cover, he was happy to see the other marines had been able to grab its attention. Using this to his advantage, the red-clad marine sprinted again to a large stone pillar farther behind the Destroyer. Happy to see that it still was making its way to the others, he readied grabbed the rocket launcher off his back and was just about to fire…
"Kal, you've got two Geth troopers moving in behind you! We can handle the Destroyer, you just keep yourself alive!" Now it was Tali's turn to yell, not hesitating to look out for her friend. She crept over the stone cover she was behind, sending an overload blast into the Destroyer, slowing it down.
Cursing to himself he had to ignore the Destroyer for now, he reequipped his assault rifle just in time to see two Geth troopers come around the corner, immediately firing on him. Firing while he ran, Kal was able to hit them both enough to stagger them, giving him a chance to get behind some new cover to protect him from the new attack angle. Replacing the rifle's thermal clip, he peeked around the side and fired several bursts into the closest platform, watching its shields drop and several shots create holes in the vital points. Throwing a grenade near it, he was rewarded with the synthetic scream of the platform and the sight of it now in pieces. Laughing to himself, he dropped back behind cover and scanned the area for the other Geth. But he couldn't find it. Just as he was about to throw another grenade towards the mess of the other platform, he caught sight of it directly to his side.
"Oh, Keelah…" Before he could bear his rifle at it, pulse rifle fire began to ripple of his shields, tearing at them relentlessly and efficiently. When his shields flickered one more time, he then felt an enormous, sharp pain in his stomach. He leapt over his cover, hoping his shields could recharge before the damn synthetic could make its way around and flank him again. He looked down at his chest, relieved to see only a minor wound. Section seals working perfectly, he sighed in relief he could at least keep fighting.
"Alright you Geth bastard, see how you like this!" Kal leaned over his cover and threw his last grenade in the area of the trooper. The explosion was enough to drop its shields and bring it to the ground, but he could see the flashlight head still on and looking for the rifle that had flown from its hands. Without a second thought, he sprinted over to the Geth, assault rifle in hand, and held the trigger down until its thermal clip was ejected.
Lucky for him, the Geth that had almost killed him was now a twisted mess of circuitry and scrap metal, the light of its optics dark. Smirking over its ruins, he remembered the Destroyer behind him and readied his rocket launcher.
He moved over to a new location to get a clear shot at the platform, catching sight of one of his marines being melted and burned by the Destroyer's flame thrower. Aiming at the fuel tanks on its back, he fired a rocket directly at it, hoping the other marines had already taken its shields down.
The soldier's hopes were quickly ruined, as he saw the rocket explode harmlessly against the kinetic barriers of the Destoyer. Prioritizing that he was now the largest threat, it turned at him and began to make its way to his cover, flamethrower at the ready. Kal only hoped one of the other marines would find his rocket launcher later.
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The first Geth that Noble Six found was a lone trooper, somehow cut off from the main force. He approached it cautiously, still not knowing their capabilities. It didn't appear to have a motion tracker, however, as he was only a few yards from the thing now. Still unknowing to his presence, he decided subtlety was the best choice and activated his energy dagger. Lunging at the Geth, he drove the dagger deep into center mass, bringing the Geth down harshly and quickly. The light that acted as its eye flickered and then went out, indicating he had destroyed it.
"Lieutenant, at the moment you attacked the trooper, I detected its radio activate for a moment. I assume it was able to send a message to the rest of the strike force. Probably means you'll need more than that dagger to deal with them." Leliana stated this to Six as he readied his shotgun again.
"Great. I almost thought we'd get through to the Quarians without too much trouble. Can you scan the area for the number of Geth near us?"
"Not here, the confined spaces of the tunnels are interfering with any reliable scans. Maybe if you move out into the clearing I can get something better."
Nodding needlessly, he moved out of the entryway to the tunnel he just went through to a clearing that overlooked a large open area. He looked out on the large valley for a moment before moving around the corner. The whole area looked like it had been developed by the Quarians in the past. The simple stone architecture was actually appealing to the lieutenant. He was never a fan of the overly dramatic styling of human citiesRather than be rewarded with thorough scans of the enemy force, he noticed his shields quickly flickering and dropping. Jumping behind some collapsed stone, he was surprised to see his shields stabilize.
"Leliana, what the hell was that? I went out into the sunlight and my shields went crazy."
"Interesting. Let me scan the atmosphere quick…wow. It appears the instability of the star has effectively destroyed the magnetosphere of the planet. The excess radiation from the star now is what's causing your shields to malfunction. I recommend moving between shaded spots to help minimize the damage. Your armor should keep you more than protected for the time we're here from any radiation or more damage, if you lose all shields."
Being careful of his surroundings, Six began to move in the direction the Cerberus intel deemed the observatory. He figured the Quarians, or at least Tali and the science team, would be holed up there. Before he got too far though, his motion tracker lit up with multiple red contacts. And since Leliana had set it to register any synthetic as hostile, he had a feeling what was moving towards him.
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The first one he saw immediately opened fire, rifle rounds bouncing against his shields and peppering the stone pillars around him. Diving behind the nearest cover, the synthetics relentlessly fired at his position, creating small clouds of dust all around him with the intense phasic rounds. Using his motion tracker, Six located four enemy platforms moving towards him at an alarming rate.
'I guess a lack of fear can be a big boost of comfidence…'
Not wanting to see how they intended to welcome him to Haestrom, Six quickly popped up from his cover and targeted the nearest Geth with his shotgun. The standard platform's shields were no match for the Eviscerator, and the buckshot penetrated its chest and staggered it to the ground in a cloud of electricity and circuitry. Snapping his attention to the next Geth, Six fired again and blew the unlucky Geth off the edge of the landing they occupied, sending it plummeting to its demise.
The two other Geth didn't skip a beat, and kept firing at Six as his shields collapsed and he felt the impact of projectiles against his armor. Leaping into new cover, he swapped out his shotgun for the Phalanx, hoping to utilize its stopping power from range. Activating his armor's sprint unit, he ran at 40 mph to a safer distance from the Geth. Not wanting the platforms to catch him, he turned from his cover and opened fire with deadly precision on the enemies gunning straight for him. Watching the first Geth's shields drop, he fired another round directly through its optical unit, dropping it instantly. With the final platform moving in close, he decided to jump at it. Activating his energy dagger, he collided with the Geth harshly and brought them both to the ground. While the trooper was struggling for its rifle, Six dove the dagger deep through its chest, stopping only once his fist created a dent on its chest plate.
Watching the flashlight on its head die out, he stood up, shrugging off the dust of the short struggle. Before he could evaluate the rest of the area, he heard gunfire in the next courtyard, and ran into the next section of tunnels to try and catch it before it was over.
"Leliana, can you give me a map of the tunnels we're in? We need to reach the Quarians now!"
"Already on it, Six… There, that should give us an idea of how to get through this area. The next courtyard is much larger, and I am detecting multiple organic and synthetic masses throughout the area. I suggest we move quickly to avoid any more additional enemies."
Taking off with haste, the Spartan made his way into the next tunnel system, unsurprised when he found them to be without any lighting. Switching his night vision on, Six followed the objective locater Leliana had activated on his HUD.
"Six, I've got multiple enemy contacts on the motion tracker. In these confined spaces they'll tear you to pieces; try hiding in that side passage to your right." Leliana informed Six just as half a dozen Geth troopers began to come around the far corner of the passage, their optics making them easy to spot in the dark. Six quickly leaped to his side, crouching to make himself less visible.
Not expecting the Geth to simply miss him, he readied his shotgun and aimed directly at the intersection he just hid from. As the lights of the Geth drew close, he tensed his finger on the trigger and waited for the first one to spot him.
But they didn't, they simply kept moving to the area he had recently cleared. He even saw that a few of the troopers looked seemingly directly at him, only to keep moving. With their superior numbers, they had no reason to draw him out into a trap. They just missed him.
"Leliana, any ideas why they didn't see me? I would think that some synthetics would have sophisticated enough optical sensors to see me here." Six was genuinely puzzled they walked by.
"While I haven't had any sufficient units to scan, it appears those flashlight heads they have are simple optical units, lacking any thermal or night vision. I assume they cannot see any better than the average human in a dark space like this. That's only a guess Six; maybe your armor just kept you off scans."
"I'll keep those both in mind. But this time they missed us, and we need to get to those Quarians quickly. We're moving." Six sprang from his hiding spot and darted through the tunnel, eager to avoid the patrol he just missed.
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At the end of the tunnel he was making his way through, the lieutenant saw that it opened to the outside, instable sunlight pouring through as a beacon. Through the opening he heard gunfire from multiple weapons, some like the pulse rifles he saw the Geth using, and others he didn't recognize. Assuming they were Quarian rifles, he hurried to the end of the tunnel and looked out at the fight before him. Just as he stopped at the entrance, he saw a rocket fly down the middle of the area and impact with a Geth. But it wasn't like the other Geth he had encountered so far. This red monstrosity was towering over the rest, easily 10 feet tall. And since the rocket had exploded harmlessly against its barriers, he guessed it was significantly more powerful. It turned in the direction the rocket came from, locating and prioritizing the lone Quarian that fired at it.
"Six, that Geth is armed with a flamethrower unit and its shield signatures are significantly more powerful than the standard platforms we've encountered so far. The Quarian marine that fired the rocket appears to be injured, and will likely die if attacked. We should probably do something, you know, to save his life!" Leliana added some sarcasm with her last suggestion, prompting the Spartan to spring into action.
Six ran towards the tall Geth, shotgun blazing as he burned through all three shots before the Eviscerator's clip was burned up. Before the Geth could turn and attack him, Six drew his pistol and emptied three rounds into the platform before he reach it, collapsing its shields with the last shot. Seeing the Geth aim its deadly flamethrower, he lunged at it and grabbed the weapon from its hand, landing on the ground on his back.
While he was temporarily victorious, the enemy adapted quickly and planted a strong leg on his chest. Even through his armor and shields, the Spartan felt the air pushed from his lungs as the thousands of pounds of force impacted him violently. Out of reach of either of his weapons, Six activated his energy dagger and swung it across the Geth's leg, staggering it to the ground in a loud and shuddering crash.
Taking his moment of opportunity, he jumped on top of the Destroyer and brought his arm back to deliver the killing blow to the Geth's chest. While his movements and reactions were superhuman, the machine beneath him was no different, offering a quick defense in the form of a mechanical arm around his neck. The machine tightened, keeping him at distance. With another swipe from his dagger, this time removing the Geth's forearms, he had his clear chance and drove the blade deep through the platform's center, causing electricity to burst forth and metal to boil with the heat of the blade. The emotionless eye looking at him slowly faded, finally going dark as all attempts to resist him died.
Noble Six stood up, panting, just now realizing how tough the Destroyer was to take down.
'This thing could give some Mgalekgolo a run for their money…'
Picking up both his shotgun and pistol from the ground, he collapsed the weapons and replaced them on his armor's magnetic locks, now noticing the injured Quarian had made his way to him, rocket launcher still in hand. "Name's Squad Leader Kal'Reegar, Migrant Fleet Marines. What you just did human shouldn't even be possible, but I'm not going to complain about help. You just saved my ass and you have my thanks. An introduction would be nice, though."
"Lieutenant B312, Noble Six. I'm here with Commander Shepard of the Normandy. We're here to find Tali. I hope your team fared well enough to keep her alive this long."
"Maybe you should just ask her yourself, lieutenant? Here she comes." The wounded marine pointed to another Quarian walking towards the Spartan, a much more feminine physique meeting his eyes. In any other situation, Six would have been dead focused on the mission at hand. But her covered beauty was enough to cause the soldier to do a double-take, taking a few moments to snap himself back into combat mode.
"I'm Tali'Zorah vas Neema. I'm the leader of this expedition. Or what's left of it…" Tali looked to her side and saw the remains of one of the Quarian marines, causing her to drop her head in sadness and momentarily ignore the newcomer in front of her.
"Noble Six, at your service, ma'am."
She looked at the Spartan, crossing her arms. "I hope that you don't intend to call me ma'am from now on, Noble Six. Kal does that enough, despite my friendly protests." She looked over at the marine and shot him a sarcastic-looking glare, clearly upset that she was still not referred to as Tali. "If you don't mind telling us, what are you doing here? This mission is supposed to be classified. And we're in Geth space, so I doubt you were just in the neighborhood."
"Actually you could say that Tali. I came here with Shepard, I believe you know each other… He's on his way down with the whole ground team as we speak. We're here to make sure you get off Haestrom safely. I'm glad I found you now… it looks like you were having some trouble." He looked around at the mess of dead Quarians and Geth platforms, indicators of the intense firefight that had been taking place as Six arrived.
"Shepard, he's here? Keelah, how did you…what…it doesn't matter. I am still on a mission for the Admiralty Board. I have to secure the data we have gathered before I'm going anywhere. And I'm not leaving anyone behind, even for Shepard." She looked at Kal and nodded.
"The commander told me you'd be difficult. My orders are to make sure you get out alive, Tali. The data doesn't matter to me."
"Well if Shepard told you anything about me, then you probably know I can be stubborn about my duties to my people, and that I won't comply with you if my friends are in danger. So you can try and take me away from here, or you can do something important and help me retrieve the data we collected. You look like a soldier that…wait…you don't look like any soldier in the Alliance I've ever met. What are you, Noble Six?"
"It's a long story, Tali. Tell you what; I'll help you with that data if you let me get you out of here alive. When we're on the Normandy, I'll answer all the questions you have about me. Sound fair?"
She looked at the Spartan, contemplating the offer he just made. While it was obviously to her benefit, Tali still didn't like that her new savior didn't mention her friends and team. "You help get my team back to our ship, and you've got a deal. Also, am I just supposed to call you Noble Six? What's your name?"
"Well, my name is SPARTAN-B312 if you're up for that. I'm a lieutenant if you're feeling formal. But Six should work just fine. And fine, I'll help you with your team, but you sure as hell better keep your head down. I am here for you, remember."
"You're just forgetting one thing, lieutenanat. I'm not just going to sit by while you rescue the rest of our team. I was sworn to protect Tali'Zorah and the science team. Tali may be safe, but the other researchers are still in the science complex in the next courtyard. I'm not going to let you go after them while I just get on the ship." Kal was still clutching his stomach, but his voice made it clear he had no intention of quitting.
"You're not in any shape to fight, Reegar. I like your determination, but I don't want you just to be a bullet magnet while we do the rest. You stay here, and Tali and I can focus without worrying about you." Six said it politely but determined; he had no intentions of letting this Quarian die a hero. "Besides, you need to stay here with the wounded marines. You can at least still fire; the rest of your team here looks pretty rough."
Tali and Reegar both looked behind them and saw that two of the other marines were still alive; barely. Tali rushed over to them and started looking them over, finding more wounds and active suit seals than any healthy Quarian should have. She quickly activated her medi-gel, sealing several of the wounds in a gooey mess. It may have been sticky, but it was sure better than dying.
"He's right, Kal. We need someone to stay and keep these two alive. You can also guard this entrance into the science courtyard so we don't get attacked from behind. I know the Geth aren't finished and we don't need to be looking over our shoulder for more platforms. Besides, you aren't in any shape to keep up with us, and you know it." Tali reached to the ground and picked up one of the wounded marine's sidearm, handing it to Reegar. "Just in case they get too close for rockets. We'll get the other researchers to safety, and they can pick you up with the ship after. Stay safe, Kal."
Tali turned to her new companion and nodded she was ready. They turned from the other Quarians and made their way through the doorway behind them, on their way to the science wing of the compound. Along the way, they found a few more Quarian marines… or what was left of them.
"The Geth are relentless… We're going to kill every last one of these bosh'tets before we leave, Noble Six." Tali kneeled down to look closely at one of the dead marines, slumped against the wall of the tunnel they were in. "His name was San, he was a good friend of Kal." She looked a bit further in the tunnel and saw several Geth were destroyed. "At least he took a few with him. Come on, the science wing is just around the next tunnel."
They increased their speed and turned around the corner, sunlight indirectly coming through. It had set enough that the courtyard they were in now protected them from any direct sunlight, negating the need to move from cover to cover to protect their shields. Looking out from the doorway, they saw at least a dozen platforms, maybe more. But one in the middle of the group caught Tali's attention quickly. "That tall white one is a Geth Prime; it has extremely strong shields and additional armor, and it's armed with a heavy machine gun. Be careful when we attack it, Six."
"Thanks for the info. You know, everyone I've met here has been pretty quick to accept my help. Why no doubts?" He turned to the Quarian at his side, signaling her to stop before they entered the courtyard. Tali turned to him, taking only a moment to think of an answer for him.
"Don't you know anything about Geth? They don't work with organics, ever. Being a human here is enough for me to trust you. And if that isn't enough for you, you're with Shepard. He's one of the only real friends I have in this damn galaxy, and if he trusts you enough to send you after me alone, then I can too. Now that I think of it, how did you get here alone, ahead of the rest of the team?"
"Tali, if I just told you how I did, you wouldn't believe me for one second. I'll just have to show you the video feed from my HUD. You can tell me if you think it's real or not." Six raised his arm when he finished speaking, activating his blue TACPAD and scrolling through to find the video clip from earlier. He held his arm out, a small hologram projecting for Tali to see. Noticing the seemingly puzzled body language of Tali, he added an extra thought. "It's a called a TACPAD Tali; it isn't too different from the omni-tools everyone here seems to have. This is synced with my armor, though, and gives me battlefield data. But like I said, I can tell you more about me on the Normandy."
'Everyone here? Where is he from…?' Tali thought to herself as Six finished his sentence.
The feed came in clear, showing Six looking at the Kodiak shuttles in the Normandy's cargo bay. He turned from the shuttles, and walked to the hanger doors, shields flickering to life and the doors opening to reveal Haestrom below. While she didn't show any visible emotions, Tali was in awe of the beauty of the planet below, remembering she had been sleeping on her way down to Haestrom when her team arrived. She was immediately upset she hadn't been awake to see the sight with her own eyes.
Her trance was abruptly ended when something impossible happened; Six jumped right out the shuttle bay doors! The only reason she didn't gasp any louder was that the lieutenant was standing, alive, right next to her. She watched as he plummeted towards Haestrom, first gliding through the emptiness of space, and then the heat and smoke of reentry. As the video came through the cloud cover, she could see the buildings of the complex they were now in, and watched as Six slowed only slightly, and activated some weird shields she had never seen. The video was dark for a moment, blocked out by the debris and dust of Six's impact. And to her amazement, he simply stood up with only a few grunts and began to look around at his new surroundings.
"How did you… that was... who… what are you?" She almost considered yelling at him for making a joke at such a time, but she could see through his posture and calmness that he showed her how he really got there. For some reason she couldn't explain to herself, she believed what she just saw. Something about this new soldier told her to trust him.
"That's going to be a long talk, Tali. Like I said, when we get back on the Normandy, I can tell you everything. But right now we need to rescue the rest of your team. Shepard and the rest of the ground team should be arriving soon…" Before he could finish, he was interrupted by his radio, by none other than the man himself.
"Noble Six, this is Shepard. You alright down their? We're under a minute out; we're landing on the far side of the observatory and we're going to make our way through the Geth to it. Do you have confirmation that Tali is alive?"
Six looked at Tali and chuckled to himself before answering. "Maybe you should just ask her yourself, commander."
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Author's Note:
Well, Tali and Six have met finally. Hope everyone was satisfied with the chapter. The next one will probably finish Haestrom, and the rest will be dialogue between Tali and Six on the Normandy, and possibly Garrus will join. I also intend to bring Six's remorse and troubles detailing Noble's deaths during the end of the next chapter or at the latest two from now. We'll just have to see; but I haven't forgotten about it, don't worry. I just wanted to get Tali on the team first.
PS - WOLF - I don't have a Deviantart account, sorry. Just keep mentioning things in reviews, I read all of them so don't worry about them getting to me. Thanks for all the help so far!
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Revisions:
Just did a few revisions. If I messed something up, please let me know.
Thanks