Palaven
Corbulo, led a squadron of the Armigier Legion, through the orange and blue halls of the new Turian High command building. A makeshift looking building since the old one was a vaporized pile of dust, a monument to the Reaper war; this was en lieu of a new building that the Hierarchy was hoping to complete by the end of the year.
He was here with his men to 'take care' of a problem the Hierarchy had developed, namely one Garrus Vakarian. The former War Hero had been declared a threat to everything that he stood for. And so, he would remove that threat.
"Alright men, you know who we are dealing with, he is armed and presumed dangerous with special training from across the Galaxy."
"Sir…isn't he a war hero sir? Why are we going after a war hero?" The youngest member of his squad spoke out.
"Because we have orders, straight from the Primarch."
"Yes sir."
"Just be careful."
He got back to his watch aiming down his weapon and watching for the inevitable threat. Garrus is the only one in here, after all.
"Sir!"
"What is it?" He snapped to his second in command.
"I don't know…something."
The Special Forces Commander glanced around the room, nothing, just a few offices down the hall and a sweeping staircase that led to a balcony overlooking one of the buildings three plazas.
Wait…a balcony.
A popping sound shot out among the silence and a spherical looking device appeared next to the leg of one of the guards, they blinked at it, before it exploded knocking the guard back, into one of the stations pieces of pottery.
Bringing the Harrier to hand he looked down the sights, but a rapid fire sequence…sounds like a Viper, caused him to duck yet again. Just in time to see another one of his men get hit repeatedly in the chest by the flying rounds from the unknown assailant.
Of course we know who it is you idiot, he admonished.
Getting up again on his hands and knees he charged for the edge of the wall, firing his Harrier, snapping off three quick bursts at the banister. He got himself in position.
His maneuver was answered by an overload blast; it knocked through his men frying their suits and causing them to stumble, fall, and their shields to fail. Before they could recover a full stutter from a Phaeston took them out en masse. The look of shock was permanently plastered on the corpse of the youngest, and newest, recruit of the squadron, the one who mere seconds before wondered if Garrus Vakarian was really a threat.
He closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and resolved to do better. He activated his suits rocket pack and launched himself into the air, through another burst of Phaeston fire which took out his shields, a bullet lodging in his hip. He ignored the pain and closed on the target.
Activating his Omni-blades he landed, swinging his arm around trying to take off the head of the attacker.
His enemies Phaeston went flying from his hand and Corbulo grunted in satisfaction to himself. This turned into a grunt of pain as Garrus slammed full bore into his wound, and deployed an Omni-blade of his own in one hand.
Corbulo ducked out of the way, stepped on the Turian general's foot, and launched himself backwards.
When his maneuver completed he deployed a stimulant pack with his Omni-tool and fired on the fleeing general, all it did though was make some very large and smoldering holes in the banister and the wooden walls.
The Turian Ghost popped in a fresh thermal clip, and got the weapon back in fighting shape. He glanced around the room, walking through the debris from the fight, only to be slammed against the wall by a flying Turian body.
He winced, but had no time to recover as Garrus activated his Omni-blade once again and swung down for his hip, the Ghost blocked the strike and retaliated quickly by knocking into one of Garrus's mandibles. The Turian general responded by slamming a fist into the hip causing Corbulo to cry out in pain behind his mask.
Driving a leg into Garrus's stomach he drove him off, and made his way out into the center of the room again. They stared each other down, Garrus raised his arm up, activated his Omnit-tool, as did Corbulo, as they both stunned each other with a dual overload blast.
His shields cut out again and he fell, but he heard the proper hiss as Garrus's did likewise. He charged again swinging his arm around to bash it across Garrus's face from above, but his opponent was already waiting for him, catching the blow, and kneeing him in the gut. The general went to back hand him and the Ghost's arm reflexively went up to block the strike.
The two opponents traded rapid fire blows with their hands knocking into each other's trying to get through their manual defenses, Corbulo felt that he was beginning to strain the elder Turian though.
But it didn't last; Garrus slammed his foot down into Corbolu's ankle, then took his other foot and slammed it into his gut. The powerful double strike took the Turian infiltrator off guard and flipped him over the railing.
He landed in a heap, fortunately his suits automatic functions kept him from being snapping his back into a million pieces, just straining his suit. He glared up onto the upper balcony, as Garrus flipped open a pouch in the side of his armor and popped open a pistol. He aimed down at Corbulo, the Infiltrator's eyes widened, and he tried to flee under the hail of gun fire that the Turian general sent after him. One of the rounds imbedding itself in his lower back, and the other one in his right shoulder blade.
Without extra thermal clips, without shields, and with his suit badly damaged he started to limp, heading for the exit, intending to get out of the area and inform the rest of the military what had happened. He rounded a corner…
And saw his plan was no longer necessary, as a group of Turian soldiers mounted one of the entrance stairs, led by…
"Primarch Victus?" The Infiltrator asked surprised.
"Yes." The Turian leader announced.
"I am surprised you would be leading this mission yourself, given your importance, and the danger of the fugitive we are facing."
"I thought it would be good to be here, I gave Garrus his position, and I trusted him to fulfill his word."
"He is around the corner on a balcony." Corbulo gestured with his thumb over his shoulder.
"Thank you Captain," The Primarch gestured for his guards to rush forward.
The two guards ran around the corner and fired their Phaestons up at the bannisters. But they were unsatisfied as their work as they continued onto their position.
The Permieter
Abigail Shepard stood holding the hand hold on the top of the Kodiak Shuttle as it pivoted in midair.
The cargo bay door popped open showing the outside of the Turian's currently military headquarters. Shepard wasn't sure but she could've sworn from the building that it was standing long before the Turians had moved into it to make it the command center. Though she noticed what looked like rubble strewn throughout the complex.
"Is that gunfire?" James asked behind her.
She strained her ear and heard what sounded like the rapid fire stutter of Turian Phaeston fire.
"Yeah, I agree." Miranda supplanted before Shepard could start anything.
"Alright, get ready, Cortez put us down on the deck by one of the balconies." Shepard said getting the Valkyrie off of its back port.
"Right away Commander."
Shepard heard James and Miranda deploy their Hurricane and their Harrier respectively.
"Alright get ready…get ready…get ready…OK…Jump!"
The three of them jumped as one as the shuttle gently strafed over the external balcony, they landed in a heap, and Abigail kicked out the glass door. Satisfied she went through, drawing her Valkyrie out in front of her as she heard the weapons fire continue to reverberate through the building.
"Come on, we don't know who we are dealing with here." She ordered, "Watch your corners, and anyone who is not Garrus or not one of the squad consider a hostile…and deal with extreme prejudice."
"But…we're here under the Alliance…if Alliance officials murder Turians…" Miranda started.
"I don't care, we can deal with the fall out later, I am a Council Spectre, I don't like it but that is where we stand, in an active combat situation without the ability to knock out the enemy without exposing ourselves to undue harm."
Vega nodded, as did Miranda.
"Lead on boss," The latter said.
And Shepard did rounding the corner with her Valkyrie out before her, scanning ahead for any possible threats or foibles. And one of them appeared in front of her, a Turian stalking across the upper hallway, not expecting to run into her.
So I will run into him, she decided, rushing forward, deploying her Omni-blade, twisting it into the unsuspecting soldiers gut, and then slamming him against the wall.
Satisfied he was dead she gripped her Valkyrie tighter, and slowly made her way around the perimeter, the gunfire was getting louder and more severe, as it burst back into activity. She used the opportunity to run silently, getting into position, rolling around one of the corners.
And she saw Garrus, up another floor; it looked like he was bleeding from one of his shoulders, his talon holding it trying to stop the bleeding. Down from him was a group of soldiers led by the Turian…Primarch…Victus. She scowled seeing him, figuring she knew why he was here, and the implications for it weren't exactly pleasant to her Military mind.
"Garrus!" She hissed.
Her Turian friend rolled his eyes over to her seeing who called him, his mandibles twitched in the light, "Shepard." He mouthed.
She smiled assuredly at the Turian before getting to work.
Gesturing to Miranda and James she ordered them to go around the perimeter and establish a cross fire with their weapons. They went off to do that and she moved getting closer to Garrus, right in the way of the marching Turian Primarch and his guard, she could look down in slits in the railings.
She placed her Valkyrie back on its back panel and switched it out for her Black Widow. She then leaned the weapon up against the railing.
"Primarch Victus!" She called out craning her head over the railing so he could get a good look at her face before she jolted it back behind cover.
"Captain Shepard? Congratulations on the promotion. What are you doing here?"
"Oh you know, trying to rescue a friend." She replied, thrusting her hand in a compartment in her armor and rummaging around.
"It is not in the nature of Council Spectres to interfere in the internal affairs of the Council Races. Even for personal friendship."
"And it is not in the nature of Turian Primarchs to be led to the slaughter by beings far beyond the Hierarchy's boarders." She countered deftly.
There was a long silence, but finally the Primarch responded, "I see you believe the same things Garrus here does, that makes you a threat to our people, just like Saren, and you will be put down."
"You sure you want to do that?" She countered again.
"Would you really assassinate a Turian Primarch? Me your old friend?"
"It is you who have turned against your friends and all you held dear."
"Then we have nothing more to say to one another."
"No…we do not…"
Abby saw the Primarch nod to two of his men who leapt forward at her. She nodded, went into an Adrenaline Rush, and tossed a grenade over the railing right at their feet.
The Soldiers glanced down at the grenade, and lurched back, too late though as it exploded. The blast staggered them, even though their shields, driving them back on one foot. Abigail nodded to herself and mounted the railing with her Sniper Rifle; she fired, snapping off two quick rounds, switching between the targets. The Slug slammed the armor aside, knocking through their heads, dropping the two soldiers.
Abigail ducked, preparing for the reprisal, holding a new thermal clip in her hand, but she changed her mind and switched back to her Valkyrie.
She glanced over her shoulder as more Turian's came through the doorway at her.
"James!" She yelled.
The Soldier and the Sentinel opened fire on their own targets, she heard the weapons fire, and saw the flash from the weapons as they pinned their targets down and gave them something new to think about.
She used the distraction and leapt into action, rolling around one of the pillars getting closer to Garrus. She glanced around the corner again watching the battle, watching the Turian forces continue to advance closer to her; one of them had tech armor deployed.
Satisfied she held herself low to the ground, and fired down on the incoming soldiers, through the railings, her Valkyrie sticking through it, and she aimed down.
The Soldier took a hit in the chest, and felt in a heap to his death.
She grinned and finished her approach to Garrus, "Well my friend, you have gotten into another real pickle."
He rolled an eye at her and chuckled, "And you are always here to pull me out of the fire. Just like old times."
"Hey," She grinned, "I figured I owed you after you had bailed us out at Tiptree."
He chuckled and coughed. After the coughing had subsided he looked at her again, "You have an escape plan?"
Abby stood up and hefted her Valkyrie, "Yeah," She said, "escape. Get to the Kodiak, get to the Normandy then haul ass out of the system."
He snorted, "Sounds good Shepard."
She offered him his hand and hefted him up, he winced all the way, but he was on his feet, favoring his shoulder, but alive.
Abigail popped off another thermal clip keeping the forces honest, they were still in a three way cross fire and they could not advance too quickly, but they were about to have their chance.
"Alright people, everyone, retreat, ordered retreat, meet at rally point three." She ordered into her head set.
All that greeted her announcement was the rapid fire stutter of Harrier and Tempest, followed by silence, and then the repeated stutter of weapons fire as the two squad mates engaged in a fighting retreat, keeping the enemy on their toes.
"Come on," She muttered to Garrus grabbing his arm.
Abigail and her former Turian squad mate fell back; she held the backdoor with her Valkyrie.
They went to another stairwell heading up to the third and final floor, going up it. The Turian squadron came up them; Abigail turned around and fired at them. They continued to come up the stairs but slower and less certain then they had before.
Almost there, she thought to herself, a fleeting pang of guilt going through her at all the Turian lives she was ending needlessly, dying for a cause they probably did not truly understand, but I have no choice.
She finally bumped into Miranda and James; they briefly nodded at each other before going through the door. The grand balcony of the Turian Military complex greeted them, a solid path leading to a sharp over look, overlooking the mountains of Palaven.
They ran, as a group, heading for the edge, but the Turians began to pour in after them.
"Staggered approach, covering fire!" She shouted turning on their assailants.
She felt the Kodiak swoop down behind her as she moved to acquire the target in her sights. Firing she forced them back taking out two of the soldiers, the rest advanced, she fell back staying low.
James replaced her on the line, unleashing his own hail of bullets in three straight bursts into the enemy formation.
She felt her shields drop from the impact of a Phaeston burst and looked behind her to see James's armor sheen as he applied his fortification bonuses.
She went into Adrenaline burst adding power to her shields restoring them for a few seconds.
"Wall of fire!" She yelled out.
The squad fired their thermal clip as a single unit, draining their weapons at the enemy, forcing them to take cover behind them, giving them a few seconds.
"Come on! Break for it!" She yelled.
She turned with her squad as they ran for the shuttle, the Turian weapon fire breaking out behind them trying to stop them, her shields took a beating from the rear, failing. A round plowed through her shoulder, but she applied medi-gel quickly and continued to work through it.
Gathering her feet up under her she leapt, crossing the distance from the balcony to the waiting Kodiak.
She landed with a crunch, gathered her feet back under her, and turned around to flash a sneer at the Turian Primarch. As he whipped out of view as Cortez punched the accelerator, she saw him cursing at her, shaking his fist.
The Shuttle quickly ascended into orbit, onto the Normandy and the Normandy rushed off to the Mass Relay.