REQUIEM
CHAPTER NINETEEN:
HARMONY IN ABUNDANCE
November 4, 2185
1406 hours.
Project Control, Project Base, Project Asteroid, Bahak System, Viper Nebula.
Chief Scientist Amanda Kenson.
Never had an asteroid field spooked her so much. Kenson was largely unafraid of everything; having seen all the galaxy had to offer. She was a woman devoted to science, and was a strong patriot of the Systems Alliance, of Terra, and humanity. Nothing caused enough fear in her to have her surrender that duty.
Until now.
The Bahak System's asteriod field, which stretched across the first ring of the system, was one of the largest in existence. Asteriods of all sizes could be found, and it was hypothesized that the field was so large due to one planet orginally having occupied the ring had exploded and its debris now littered the debris field. Kenson didn't care, she was only here to do what was important; preserve the galaxy's future.
With a sigh and a stretch of her tired limbs, Kenson leaned forward over the console, eyes peering down at the schematics of Project Base; the newly formed headquarters of The Project. It was by no means small; the asteriod was kilometers in length, and Project Base covered an entire kilometer of the spacebound rock. The base had a fully operational command center, known as Project Control, a laboratory, med bay, multiple living spaces, a lounge, a reactor and multiple stories of other facilities. With the help of everyone, they had finished the base in three days; it was largely blocks that just needed to be connected.
Project guards were stationed all over the bases, along with other scientists, who were currently examining the artefact that currently occupied the central reception area, along with the crew of the Ground Zero, which was currently docked with the base. The Ground Zero would go to and from the system to gather supplies, and Kenson and the rest of The Project team were just hoping that the Hegemony didn't get suspicious.
The artefact located deep in the asteroid, titled 'Object Rho' by the scientists who looked upon it, was not of any species known; not even Prothean. Instead, judging by the design, especially when compared with Sovereign, they learnt it was actually of Reaper origin, and had been sitting there for millions of years, undisturbed. And, just like they picked up on the Ground Zero, Object Rho would release a pulse of white energy every three minutes, which for some reason, seemed to give everyone on the base headaches simultaneously. But every time it pulsed, only one image appeared in their minds.
It was the Reaper fleet, with Harbinger at the front, flanked by two smaller Reapers known as Vanguard and Oblivion. It was vast; hundreds of vessels, possibly thousands, of varying sizes, shapes and purpose. There was so many. But all Kenson saw was what they were heading for; travelling through vast black nothingness, the only light being their galaxy in the background, and the Reaper fleet's destination; a pulsing blue relay.
The Alpha Relay.
From there on, they all knew it was a race against time. The artefact had sent them a warning, and they had to follow it or their would be no galaxy to protect. The scientists had later learned that the pulse is a countdown; the time between pulses will decrease as the Reapers get closer to the relay; and closer to destroying their galaxy. And once the pulses continued relentlessly with no stops inbetween; then you knew the Reapers had arrived. They could not let that happen.
With another sigh, something of which she was doing alot of lately, she flicked through the schematics and began reading the plan for stopping the Reapers. It was drastic, and the Hegemony would deem it bordering on a terrorist action, but there was not much they could do; the Alpha Relay had to be destroyed, plain and simple. They were tough, but not invincible, and the people of The Project had found one possible way.
They had no weapons of mass destruction on them, and even those probably wouldn't work anyway, so that left one option; they had to ram an asteroid into the relay, hoping that the momentum, force and sheer size of the rock would pulverize the relay, effectively crippling or destroying it, and stopping the Reaper attempt to enter their galaxy. Of course, that will cripple the system's transportation system and cut off the Viper Nebula from the rest of the galaxy, but there was no other option.
The chosen asteroid for this task was the one they currently stood on; when the time came, the fusion torches would be activated and they would set a course for the relay, before evacuating to the Ground Zero, taking off, and going through said relay before its destruction. It was risky, but it might just work. They were running out of time. The Arrival was coming; she could feel it. They all felt it.
"Ma'am, you should take a break," Williams advised over to her left, "You've been working nonstop since 0636 hours. Have someone else cover your shift."
Kenson smiled weakly, looking at the soldier standing there, vindicator assault rifle in his grip, helmet covering his features, the man standing clad in black armor. She rubbed the tiredness from her eyes, and inhaled, before exhaling, "I wish I could Williams; but we have to make sure this is perfect. To screw this up could mean the damnation of the entire galaxy. The Reapers cannot be allowed through that relay."
"I know," Williams replied, wincing as he raised a hand to his helmet, trying to rub at the headache that seemed to annoy him so much, "But noone will be able to stop them if you die of exhaustion. Take a rest, have Deala cover."
Kenson laughed, "Deala? She'll have us plotting a course for the Widow Relay if I put her in charge! No Williams, I must be the one to do this. Why don't you get some rest? You've been standing there an awful long time, and I really don't think I'm in need of protection."
"Fair enough," she heard the marine yawn, "It is almost time for my shift to end anyway. I'm going to catch forty winks and then come back. See you doctor."
"Have a nice sleep Williams," Kenson waved at him, watching as the marine spun on the spot and left, the thud of his boots clicking on the polished steel floor getting more and more distant before the sound was finally cut off by the sound of door closing. All became silent except for the beeping of numerous consoles and Kenson braced herself against the working terminal, hunched over the information streaming in before her.
She hadn't told anyone yet; but there was going to be one, unintended side effect of destroying this mass relay. Forget the fact that they were destroying a major 'prothean' artefact and cutting off Hegemony transportation to the Viper Nebula, but she had done her readings on the amount of eezo stored in mass relays. There was thousands of megatons worth of the substance, and to have it explode...
Kenson gulped at the readings; the explosion...
...it was equivalent to that of a supernova. So if Kenson and the people of The Project rammed this asteroid into the Alpha Relay, not only would they be destroying it, but they would create a supernova that would destroy everything within millions of kilometers of the blast radius. Asteroids. Planets. Even Bahak itself.
The entire Bahak System would cease to exist.
She thought of all those batarians living on Aratoht, whether in prisons or not. All those children, all those families, terrorist or not terrorist, slaver or not slaver, prisoner or not prisoner...three hundred thousand batarians...
All annihilated. All blasted into atoms. All because of the destruction of one relay.
The implications of it all had hit Kenson like a rocket. They would have to murder thousands just to stop the Reapers, and why? What's the point? They'll arrive eventually anyway! What's the point of exterminating thousands if it'll only delay the Reaper invasion? What, give the galaxy more time? To do what? To continue their delusions before play time is over? What's the point of delaying the inevitable?
Because it gives Shepard more time to draw evidence.
She slammed her fist against the console, the numbers running through her head. Three Hundred Thousand. Three Hundred Thousand. Three Hundred Thousand. Three Hundred Thousand. Three Hundred Thousand. Three Hundred Thousand.
Again and again, like the tick of a clock. All she had to do was press a button. One button would choose the fate of three hundred thousand innocents. Of course, she could try and warn the colony; tell them to evacuate immediately, but what would the Hegemony do? They don't care about their citizens; they'd most likely leap on the opportunity to arrest everyone involved with the Project had execute them. Warning the Hegemony would be pointless, and even if they could evacuate the colony without them, it would take too much time. Time they didn't have.
Why did Hackett have to choose her for this mission? Why not someone else? Shepard was better suited to these kind of decisions. He'd know what to do. He was an artist at decisions. But instead here she was; Amanda Kenson, the Decider of Fate. Three hundred thousand lives put in her hands, and all she had to was ball those hands into fists and crush them; all to stop the Reapers.
We kill each other just to delay what's already coming. Is this what the previous cycles were like?
No, because they didn't see the Reapers coming until it was too late. This cycle had a fighting chance. They had to make the most of it.
If three hundred thousand must die so trillions may live, then that's a choice we should be willing to make. Not out of joy, but out of necessity. It has to be done. For the good of all life, they must be sacrificed for the greater good. Shepard would understand.
She pushed herself away from the console, turning towards the door and moving towards it. When this is over Hackett, you owe me a drink. All those lives lost; I'll need a bottle to drown out the screams of each one. And as her hand hit the haptic interface of the door before her, and she made her way through it, she choked out a sob, a tear streaking down her cheek.
The numbers were merciless.
Three Hundred Thousand. Three Hundred Thousand. Three Hundred Thousand. Three Hundred Thousand. Three Hundred Thousand. Three Hundred Thousand.
Three Hundred Thousand.
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November 4, 2185
1406 hours.
The Brig, Killmanjaro-Class Dreadnought CAW Elbrus HA-2, Asteroid Belt Around Omega, Sahrabarik System.
War for Omega.
Ruler of the Terminus Aria T'Loak.
Aria's world was a hazy mess. Every came to her in a blur, waves of light and darkness combating to gain control of her senses, but light easily winning now. And as Aria's world came to, she began to see more. Gold and white coloured walls, polished to perfection to be nice and shiny and new looking, but for some reason, the asari only felt seering hatred and anger at seeing them. Why was that?
She shook her head, trying to raise a hand to rub one of her eyes, but found that she couldn't; a matter of fact, she couldn't raise either of them. As everything came to focus, she could see that she was standing up; how she had been unconscious and standing was beyond her at first, but as she looked around, she soon came to understand.
She was in one of the cells in the Elbrus' brig, and Petrovsky had her chained up tight. As she looked to her sides, she could see that the reason she couldn't raise her arms or even move them was because they were paralyzed; two cylinder like devices were closed around each arm in a vice, only retractable by command code. She growled as she tried to summon her biotics; but only got a blood nose for her troubles. Fuck. Not only are they chains, but biotic dampeners. I can't use my biotics.
She looked down to see similiar devices locked around her legs, but these were bolted to the floor. Only her head could move, and that didn't sit well with her. Aria was completely powerless. Petrovsky, that scheming motherfucker. When I get out of here, I'm going to tear him a new one. But first I have to get to Omega. How long have I been out?
The bright light in the brig was blinding her; or was that due to weary eyes? Fuck, she wished she could rub them to get rid of the soreness. She examined the room, but all she saw was one door infront of her, and the four walls around her, all sporting the gold and white of Cerberus, along with their golden eyesore of a logo.
To her knowledge, there was no guards, which would make her eventual escape attempt all that much easier. She desperately looked around the cell as she tried to locate a route for escape, but she turned up nothing. Damn it! I need to get the fuck out of this place so I can reap retribution on these assholes! Goddess knows what they're doing to my station.
Her arms began to ache, her body held in a T like shape by the restraints, and she eventually just gave up, unable to summon her biotics. Just as she did however, a familiar voice came over the intercom, and she felt herself snarl in barely contained rage.
"I see you're up Aria," Petrovsky monotoned, the usual emotionless tone omnipresent, "I didn't think a simple sedative could ever put someone to sleep for such a long period."
"I'll fucking rip you apart General," Aria hissed, "First off, how long was I out?"
"I see no reason to answer your questions," the general replied, pausing for a second, as if contemplating what to say, "I always see no reason not to answer them, so very well. The date is November 4."
Aria's eyes widened, "I've been unconscious for a whole day?" She left no emotion play through her voice; she wouldn't give the Cerberus general that satisfaction.
"Yes, and we've been able to do quite alot in that space of time," Petrovsky informed her, "While you were sleeping, the rest of the twenty adjutant infested vessels were able to sneak by your distracted fleet and land on the lower sections of Omega. It would seem they are no longer following our commands anymore." She noticed a hint of defeat in his voice, and she grinned evilly.
"Good. I hope you get fucking infected, Petrovsky," Aria spat, "Ashe too. And the rest of your fleet. I hope you all burn. It'll teach you to try and take my station from me."
"Oh, have no worry," Petrovsky reassured her, "My fleet arrived in time to destroy a large percentage of the enemy vessels before they could land; only five landed."
"Oh, but its like you said Petrovsky," Aria murmured, her smug grin always there, "One adjutant is all that's needed, remember? You've got quite an infestation on your hands. You want this station so bad? Now try and take it."
Petrovsky, as always, showed no signs of being provoked, "You'll remember that Omega is your station as well, Aria. Its fall rests on both our heads."
That shut Aria up, as the grin dropped from her face. But before she could think of anything else, Petrovsky spoke up once more.
"I always thought it my duty to inform you that your 'fleet' exists no more," the general explained, "The adjutant vanguard had weakened it proportionately, and they were never a match for fully-armed warships, so my fleet made short work of them. Some fled, but they won't be able to regroup into a sizable force, so Cerberus now rules space. I have ships stationed at the relay to monitor traffic, and I am currently in orbit of Omega, watching as my troops deploy all over Omega. We are avoiding the lower areas and sectioning them off to keep the Adjutants under quarantine, but its only a tiny portion."
He paused for a moment to let this information sink in for Aria before he added the finishing blow, "Your lieutenants, Anto and Bray, I believe they were called? They are currently leading what's left of your forces in a bitter final battle, but Colonel Ashe assures me they will fall eventually. Preitor Gavorn was killed; a pity, as he did die bravely, but his sacrifice was ultimately pointless. Omega will be ours, Aria. As far as the Illusive Man and I are concerned, it has already fallen."
Aria widened her eyes, "What...how the hell did...Ashe is in cuffs..."
A sigh came over the comm, "We wanted him put in custody as part of our plan...we planned on it. Ashe broke free as soon as we took you beyond the relay, and killed everyone in Omega Control; we now control all of Omega's systems, but it would seem your Anto escaped. Its only a matter of time before Omega falls, Aria."
Aria let out a drawn out, barely audible hiss, "This isn't fucking over...until its fucking over."
"Precisely what Ashe thought. That's you and I differ unfortunately; where myself and Ashe become entirely different men," Petrovsky coughed, "Unlike him, or you, I am not willing to sacrifice innocent civilian lives so I can win. Your continued resistance will end in the deaths of thousands of innocent lives. I will not allow that. But Ashe, and apparently you, harbor no such greviances, it would seem."
Just like Nyreen. If your moral compass is so fucking paragade, then why release adjutants on the station? "Oh, so the general suddenly cares about 'collateral damage?' Well 'woe is you.' If you're so fucking perfect, then why release all those adjutants on the station, hmmm?"
That gave Petrovsky pause. When he responded, it was followed by the unmistakable sound of a gulp, "That was...the Illusive Man's plan, not mine. I suggested we take the station via direct assault; your forces would never have held out against ours; the usual plan, just with sleeper agents instead of adjutants. The Illusive Man wouldn't listen, and used my care towards my men against me to get me to agree to such a tactic. But I do believe I can minimize losses." The general sounded unsure of himself.
Aria was shocked. Am I talking to a Cerberus general or what? I thought they were all human supremacists, but not only did this guy respect me and even agree to Ashe's imprisonment, but he seems to care about the people of Omega...just like Nyreen did. "Its not working out, is it?" she spat.
Petrovsky showed no anger, "It can. The Illusive Man may be ruthless an idealistic, but his plan did not come without continegency. He made sure our occupation forces would be able to deploy force fields; they are a new form of barrier developed from Reaper tech that creates a barrier of solid orange energy that incinerates anything trying to pass it. They'll be set up all over Omega. Even the Adjutants can't get past it; which will be the station's saving grace."
"Can't you just vent those levels that are infested?" Aria asked, "Blow the fuckers into space?"
"Omega's designers did not plan for a infestation of this magnitude Aria," Petrovsky seemed to admonish, "All systems are linked; to open one airlock is open every airlock on the station. We could evacuate, but we'd never gain control of the situation again and there's just too many people to account for, not to mention those stuck in the Adjutant areas. For now we have sealed off all levels in that area from the rest of the station; they'll hold until the barriers can be set up. They are mostly centralized in the mining sector."
Aria sighed, "Anything else you'd like to gloat about while I'm trapped here?"
"I do not gloat Aria. Gloating is for fools like Ashe," the Cerberus officer dictated, sighing, "I'm merely giving you facts. You should also know that the only real resistance being posed now is by your forces and whatever pockets of Blue Suns, Blood Pack and Eclipse still exist. All the minor forces have either fled or been wiped out. But if this keeps up, innocents will be caught in the crossfire. Put an end to this Aria, for all our sakes, and yours. Admit defeat."
Admit defeat...? Who the fuck do you think you are?
He didn't mention the Talons. He didn't mention Nyreen. Maybe they're all safe? And what about Sata? Should I mention any of them? No. Keep the Talons a secret; they might be useful for when I get off this ship and back on Omega. But what about Sata? The more I keep her a secret, the more likely Ashe will find and kill her on sight...
"If I admit defeat...what about my daughter? Sata?" Aria asked, voice low. What the fuck are you doing?
Petrovsky seemed unsurprised by this, "The Illusive Man did mention a Sata T'Loak. He said to use her as leverage if you refused to cooperate, but I am not that kind of man. Unfortunately, Ashe is, so I'm glad you brought her up. What about your daughter?"
"If I surrender...will she be safe?"
Petrovsky thought over this for a minute before responding, "Yes. Ashe will disapprove, but I am done past caring about the trivialities of my subordinates. I will guarantee your daughter's safety if you surrender."
Aria thought long and hard. Could she really choose Omega over her own flesh and blood? That station was my life...it is my life. Everything about it; shaped to be how I wanted it. Its people, by pirates, Afterlife...my home...everything about it is my essence. To lose it...it would be like losing a precious lover...it'd be like losing Nyreen, as much as I hate to admit it...and to sacrifice it to Cerberus just to ensure the life of my daughter...
And Sata already hates you enough...why not send her to the grave hating you even more for abandoning her just so you could continue to fight for a station that's already lost?
Fuck you Petrovsky. Fuck you Ashe. Fuck you Illusive Man. Fuck you Cerberus. I'll make you all pay for this. "Tell your forces...to withdraw. I surrender."
There was silence over the line, long, painful silence, and it tore Aria apart. Everything I fought to protect...gone. All for one little, fucking asari. She'd better be worth it...Damn you Nyreen, why did you have to get me pregnant?
Having sex with a turian had ultimately lead to the loss of that which was most precious to her.
Could I hate and love Nyreen even more?
"You made the right choice Aria," Petrovsky replied, "The respectable choice. I will ensure that Ashe pulls his men out immediately. I will make sure the people of Omega know that you were responsible for putting an end to a conflict that could have ended with their deaths."
Yeah...let them know their ruler and protector abandoned them...I will fucking kill you Petrovsky. I swear it. This is far from over. You've won the battle, but you haven't won the war. Its only just beginning.
"I don't want your thanks Petrovsky," Aria spat, looking lazily down at the ground, "I just want you to fucking die. And my daughter, too."
Seemingly out of nowhere, Petrovsky chuckled, "Aria, for all our differences, I can positively say that you are the most arrogant woman I've ever known. And that...that is respectable in my books. I may have won this game today, but I believe my king will be taken down one day...maybe by you, or Shepard, or maybe anyone. But one...I'll meet my match."
"How poetic of you," Aria deadpanned.
"I must go Aria. I have orders to relay," the general told her, "However, someone would like to speak to you. I'm patching him through. Also, I believe I owe you one more favor."
"What?" Aria asked, but just as she finished asking the question, she heard a beeping and whirring of machinery. Just as she turned to the source of the sound, the restraints on her arm disengaged and they fell limply to her side, followed by her leg restraints. She fell to her knees, body aching from the twenty-four hours of being held still. She felt biotic essence flow back into her body, but her abilities didn't flare up.
She looked up and surprised herself, "T-t-thank you."
Thank you for letting me free. Thank you for allowing me the chance to rip your throat out.
But Petrovsky's voice didn't respond. No, instead this one was far too familiar for her liking, "Aria, it would seem Petrovsky's chivalry has gotten the better of him. But from what I hear, it doesn't matter. I'm glad you took the more intelligent path in releasing Omega into our grasp. It has made life easier for both sides."
Aria's eyes filled with hatred as she peered at the man on the vidscreen, cigar in one hand and glass of whiskey in another, sitting patiently and calmly in his chair on some far away space station, peering at her with calm, synthetic eyes. The Illusive Man himself.
"What a pleasant surprise," Aria spat, weakly getting up to her feet, "I didn't expect to meet King Motherfucker himself. Come to gloat some more? Like I need to be reminded of what I've lost even more, asshole."
The Illusive Man seemed to sigh, unimpressed by Aria's bravado, "I came to congratulate you, Aria. But if you must speak like a impudent, immature child, then I believe we have nothing more further to discuss. I just want you to know that any attempts to try and retake Omega after this, or any actions against Cerberus in general, will result in the death of your daughter. I will not do it out of joy, but out of necessity. I cannot have you hampering my operations, as you must understand."
She hissed. Using my daughter against me? What happened to the old Illusive Man who was willing to make a compromise? What happened to the idealistic asshole? When did he become a total monster using people for his own gains? What the fuck changed? She snorted. Like I give a shit what he is or once was. The asshole's got my station by the throat.
It was then that she remembered who she was, the Illusive Man's droning continuing in the background, becoming nothing more than noise as her thoughts echoed long and loud. She was Aria fucking T'Loak, the Ruler of the Terminus, and she didn't get to this position without being the most ruthless pirate bitch in the galaxy. She murdered, destroyed and annihilated those who got in her way, and those who lived to tell the tale remembered her name for what it was; they remembered her as the Queen of the Terminus Systems.
They knew her as the Omega.
Because she was Omega.
And she was going to bend the knee to some old human in a fucking chair? What the fuck was she doing? She wasn't going to leave her daughter in Cerberus hands; she was going to do what she always did. She would take what was hers, by force. Or she'd fucking die trying.
Her body glowed with liquid fire, newfound energy flowing through her blue asari form. This shut the Illusive Man up, who looked at her through the vidscreen with a raised a eyebrow. She smiled evilly, and shook her head, allowing herself to laugh sadistically as she visualized tearing him apart as the calm fucker begged for mercy. But first up was Petrovsky. Then Ashe. Then it was his turn.
"Aria, any action against Cerberus will result in your daughter's death," the Illusive Man seemed to growl, but she couldn't be certain, "Do not force my hand. I never bluff."
"You want my daughter?" Aria roared, forming a biotic flare in her palm. She snapped one final look at the calm, unfazed form of the seated leader of Cerberus before giving one final smirk, "Then come and fucking get her."
Her palm shot forward, a lance of biotic light smashing through the vidscreen and slamming into the cell's door. The vidscreen shattered, with the Illusive Man's calm face disappearing before a thunderous boom rocked through the ship as her biotic flare blew the doors from their hinges and sent them flying across the corridor. Grinning like a maniac, she stepped through the carnage she had created, and out into the empty corridor of the Elbrus. She was free. And soon, her station would be free.
She turned right and watched two assault troopers rush towards her, molten death erupting from their avenger assault rifles. They impacted harmlessly on Aria's biotic barrier before she then dropped it, and sent a reave into one trooper, before biotically charging into the second. The sounds of hundreds of bones cracking went echoed through the corridor like a orchestra, the body shooting away like a rocket to slide across the floor, dead, assault rifle pulverized from the force of Aria's impact.
The second trooper fell to the ground shortly after, gold and white armor sopping in red blood that pooled onto the floor and stained the polished floors. She picked up the trooper's assault rifle and continued to fight her way through the dreadnought and towards the bridge.
The battle towards it was mediocre; most of the ship's combatants were on Omega, fighting to take it and holding back the hordes of adjutants released on it. So for Aria, that meant she was able to reach the bridge in a matter of no time.
The main set of doors leading onto the bridge blew apart, and everyone turned towards her, fear in their eyes. She ignored them however as she dropped her rifle and focused on one man alone; Petrovsky.
Despite everything, the man only looked slightly annoyed by her presence; completely unconquerable by fear. She didn't care though; she only wanted him to die. She latched a biotically powered hand around the wrist diving for his sidearm, twisting it so he dropped the Paladin pistol before twisting his arm behind his back, turning his body towards his crew and allowing her to wrap an arm around his neck, pulling him backwards towards her, where she leaned into his ear.
"You should have kept me locked up," Aria hissed into his ear, preparing to snap his neck...
"Aria, wait!" Petrovsky yelled, seemingly desperate, "If you kill me, you won't get to Omega."
Aria snorted, "I'll just keep killing people until they finally do as their told and navigate towards it. They don't need you."
"The ship does. The VI does," Petrovsky dictated, "You kill me, and the VI's programmed to detonate the ship's drive core. A captain always goes down with his ship."
"You're lying," Aria hissed, "You're doing this to save your own life."
"I would never be so pathetic. And why would I want to preserve my own life?" The man asked, "I have no wife to go back to, and no children who'll miss me. My parents have long since been dead, and I have no relatives I know of. I have nothing worth living for, so what's the point? My job is to preserve the lives of others, and in failing that, die for them. What do I gain by not dying?"
"Continuing to fight," Aria growled back, "Continuing to fight me."
"If I die Aria, this ship goes with me, along with all its crew," the general responded, "Including you. I'm offering you a chance to land on Omega; are you willing to assume I'm lying and take the risk of this ship killing you? Who will protect your daughter then? Without me, there'll be noone to keep Ashe in line, and the Illusive Man certainly won't care of some asari's life."
Aria thought about what he said before letting out a final, defeated snarl. "Fine! Order your men to set a course for Omega; I don't care what dock, just nowhere near or in the Quarantine Zone. Do it!" You live now, Petrovsky. But when we reach Omega, I'll have no use for you. How useful will Cerberus' little party here be if I cut off the head? Then Ashe will be next; I'll kill that smug piece of shit.
Aria watched as Petrovsky gave the orders and the dreadnought sped towards Omega, locking onto a random dock and moving to board it. They reached it in a couple of minutes, and the dreadnought quickly docked with the station, Aria so focused with the station, that she ignored Petrovsky as she held him.
Once docked, she dragged the Cerberus general with her and out of the airlock. She dragged him through one of the dock's corridors before coming to a stop outside, smiling grimly as she forced Petrovsky onto his knees, raising her avenger to the back of his head with a large smile, "I told you I'd fucking kill you, Petrovsky. I don't bluff."
"No, but you should keep a better eye on your prisoners," Petrovsky mumbled, head moving up and into the barrel of her weapon as his eyes looked up, the whir of engines heard getting closer as Aria looked up to see what he was looking at. She was unable to hear his last sentence however, "Especially when they send a distress signal."
The engine sound was suddenly ontop of them, and a A-67 Mantis Gunship, flying Cerberus' colors, landed to hover above them chin-mounted gun lowered over Aria's form. She ditched her avenger and stood back, raising a biotic barrier to defend herself, but nothing came. Looking around, she watched a Centurion, followed by two nemeses, one phantom, ten assault troopers and two guardians land on the ground, all turning to face her, followed by another figure, wearing the armor of a centurion. And to her chagrin, five dragoons dropped down next to him as well. Two Atlases dropped from the sky, landing behind the main force, the motors in their legs twisting ever so slowly as their tremendous bulk spun to face her, heavy 150mm cannons turning to face her. And the figure, standing infront of the group, unarmed, smiled at her. And she recognized him with a snarl.
Colonel Raymond Ashe.
"Thanks for the call for help sir," Ashe spoke, practically yelling over the sound of the gunship hovering overhead, "Couldn't have found Aria without you. Still, I'm surprised she escaped."
"From a woman such as her, expecting foolishness was...illogical," Petrovsky responded getting to his feet and moving towards the Cerberus squad, Aria unable to stop him or shoot him, "It would I was wrong."
"Finally, our soft general admits his flaws," Ashe replied, turning to face Aria with a hiss, "But what shall we do with you?"
"She refuses to give up," the general dictated, turning to face Aria with a look of disappointment, hands clasped behind his back, "She doesn't know when to admit defeat, and that will end in the deaths of thousands. I cannot allow that. Anto already believes her dead, now we need to ensure it stays that way. Colonel..." he glanced at Aria one more time before turning back to Ashe, shaking his head, "Dispose of her."
Ashe whistled with glee, "About time," he turned to his men, "Troopers, open fire!"
Gunfire poured into the space Aria had occupied before and only just narrowly leapt away from. Aria knew her barrier couldn't hold against an assault of that magnitude, and she definitely couldn't take on a force like that, so she knew she had to do what she hated most...she had to flee. Her only hope to save Omega now would be to link up with her forces and devise a counterattack. That, and she had to save Sata. Then we'll head into the underground sewerage system. Petrovsky can't send troops down there because it'll be a slaughter house; he'll gain ground eventually, but only after wasting half his forces. He won't risk it; all of which he needs to occupy Omega and keep the adjutants under control.
She saw a manhole nearby and removed the plate, jumping inside just as the gunfire neared her location. As she landed below and continued running, she heard Ashe shouting orders at his men to pursue her, but she knew she'd lost them already; Cerberus soldiers weren't made for running in the dark. She kept running, and all she could think of was how to throw Cerberus off Omega.
Was it even possible by this point?
{Loading...}
November 4, 2185
1406 hours.
Mess Hall, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate Normandy SR-2, In FTL inbound for the Migrant Fleet, Enoch System, Rosetta Nebula.
Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Gunnery Master Garrus Vakarian, Staff Commander Kaidan Alenko, Second Lieutenant Jacob Taylor, Information Broker Liara T'Soni.
Life on the Normandy was the same as always. Nothing much had changed, not even since the beginning of the Shadow Broker's campaign. People went about their usual duties, and nothing really changed. Or so Marcus thought, as he sat there, eating his lunch while looking at his datapad. There were reports coming in of conflict on Omega, but nothing major, and the reports had since stopped coming in suddenly, so there was no more information on that end. Not that Marcus cared; Aria could handle herself.
He peered up from his datapad to look across the table at Tali, who sat on the opposite side and was currently in a very animated conversation with Garrus and Jacob about something, Kaidan simply just listening in casually. Liara sat by herself, next to Marcus, not that she cared; she was far too absorbed in all her datapads and work; far too busy trying to get leads on the Broker and her drell lover, Feron, to be bothered talking to anyone else. But Marcus couldn't care less at the moment; he looked at the ring on Tali's finger that she so desperately tried to hide. He knew Kasumi already knew; if the thief's constant peaking at it was any indication.
Tali didn't seem to notice his glances, but he didn't mind. Multiple thoughts went through his mind; Tali was his fiancee. They were finally going to get married, and he was extremely nervous. How would Shala react to this? How would the entire crew react to this? He knew of Jack's feelings for him, but she seemed to have forgotten about the encounter, instead talking to him normally, as if nothing had happened. But he had no idea how she would feel at the idea of Marcus marrying Tali. It worried him to be honest; would she get hostile and try and hurt Tali? He just didn't know.
Most of all, how would the quarians react? Kal and Madi? Lia? How about the entire quarian fleet? Hell Han'Gerrel, Tali's uncle, didn't even know they were together, let alone getting engaged. How the hell would he tell them?
His musings were broken by an elbow in the side and he spun to see Kasumi sitting next to him, a massive grin on japanese face. He sighed, shaking his head, speaking in a low whisper, "You know, don't you, Kasumi?"
Kasumi pretended to act innocent, bracing herself against the table with her chin leaning on double knuckles, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Shep."
"I think you do," Marcus deadpanned and the young thief sighed in exasperation, leaning back.
"Yeah, well...fine, I do," Kasumi shook her head, making sure noone could hear them as she leaned forward, "You know, I won't be able to call you Shep anymore. I'll have to call both of you Shep; and that won't end well. I'll miss calling Tali a buckethead; I always find it endearing. In my own, racist kind of way. But she likes it, so it can't be too bad, right?"
"Only because you call her that. Anyone else, and I'm sure they'd get the shotgun treatment," Marcus chuckled quietly, turning back to her, done with absent-mindedly playing with his food, "How much do you know Kasumi? Were you watching us the entire time?"
"No," Kasumi replied, her tone serious, "I'm not omnipresent, Shep. I can't be admiring Jacob's abs and watching you propose all at the same time," she sighed, "However, I might have been on the way down from 'admiring the view' when I heard the sound of a quarian yelling 'yes' followed by a few words that sound alot like accepting a proposal. I might have been imagining it though. So, going to spill the beans?"
Marcus sighed, pushing his plate away and putting the datapad in his other hand down before twisting to face the thief, "Might as well; I know you won't leave me alone unless I do. Just one question though; did you end your 'relationship' with Garrus? That was pretty short-lived."
"End?" Kasumi asked, cocking her head, "What makes you say that?"
"You said you were 'admiring' Jacob in the armoury," Marcus deadpanned, rolling his eyes.
Kasumi had an epiphany and giggled softly, "You men are so silly; so, what? Because someone's in a relationship means they can't admire another man's goods? Its not like I'm foddling his junk or anything," Kasumi waved a hand to dismiss his point, "Me and Garrus are still a thing, I think, but we haven't really...developed it anywhere yet."
"I'm not surprised," Marcus replied, smirking, "It was rather...sporadic."
"I'm a sporadic thief," Kasumi winked, "Be happy I didn't jump him there infront of you; which mind you, I was strongly considering."
"I did not just hear th-"
"Back on topic Shep," Kasumi said, holding up a hand to stop anything else he might say, "I don't like to be kept waiting."
"Yes, we're getting married," Marcus told her, rubbing his stubble, "It was a spur of the moment thing. We both know we could die in the coming war, and we don't want to go into battle as a fling. We want it to be official."
"Not what you call romantic, but hey, I never saw you as a romantic archetype," Kasumi giggled again, turning back away with a loopy grin, "Well, good to know Miss Vas Normandy and Mister Dense are finally getting it together. Just so you know, I'm the bridesmaid. No ifs, buts, or maybes. Tali's like a sister to me, and I demand to be there when she finally gets married. You two are perfect, you know that?"
"So I've heard," Marcus deadpanned.
"So Garbear, gonna hand those credits over?" Kasumi shouted, catching the turian's attention. Tali stopped as well, fixing Kasumi with a confused look and Kaidan and Jacob just shook their heads. Liara didn't seem to notice any of it. Suddenly, Tali broke into laughter, followed by Jacob and Kaidan sniggering.
"Kasumi..." Garrus growled, a flush of blue rising to his scaly cheeks, or at least, what looked like a flush, "I swear to the spirits, if you call me Garbear again..."
"Don't get so defensive!" Kasumi waved a hand, "Besides, its better than calling you Care Bear..."
Jacob's laughter turned into a howl as he fell from his chair, tears falling from his cheeks. Kaidan faceplanted into the table as he tried to contain his heaves of mirth, but gained a punch in the shoulder from Garrus in return, who shot Tali a confused glance. He turned to Kasumi, visibly embarassed as he spoke, "So, Kasumi...credits for what?"
"Our bet," Kasumi deadpanned, leaning back, ignoring Marcus' pleas to keep quiet, Tali frowning at her lover, "Shep here finally spilled the good stuff. I. Was. Right!"
Garrus' jaw dropped, moving from Marcus to Tali continously before turning to Kasumi, "What!? But that's...oh come on!"
"Hand 'em over!" Kasumi ordered, "I won fair and square!"
"What's this all about?" Tali asked, still confused as Jacob recovered from his laughter and returned to his feet, Garrus reluctantly pulling out a credit chit and throwing it at the thief, who caught it in her five-fingers, putting it in her pocket with a grin. The turian then proceeded to punch Jacob in the shoulder, only managing to rouse another chuckle from him.
Marcus looked at Tali bregrudgingly, "Kasumi overheard our talk in the Starboard Observation yesterday and obviously made a bet with Garrus," he shot a glare at the turian in question before turning back to Kasumi with the same glare, "One she obviously won."
"Hey, he thought I was making it up," Kasumi defended herself.
Garrus sighed, guilty as charged, "I did. I thought you guys would keep it for when the Reapers are dealt with."
"Yeah, well I can't say I blame you Shepard," Jacob stated, slamming a fist on the table, "Now's the time to do it. There maybe no future after the Reapers; we might all die. Better to die with no regrets then die with a life full of them, if you ask me."
"Wait," Marcus looked at Jacob, eyes wide, "How do you know?"
"Um..." Jacob eyed Garrus, who seemed to be shifting uncomfortably, followed by Kasumi who seemed intent on leaving. When Marcus turned he saw she was gone, cloak activating behind her. Tali, blushing, turned to Garrus with a pure death glare. He gulped.
"I may have told Jacob..." Garrus shifted again, "And Legion...damn it, that geth never knows how to keep its mouth shut..."
"So the whole crew knows," Marcus cursed under his breath, noticing Tali's blush increase; he couldn't see it, but if her mask on the table with hands behind her head was any indication, she was beyond the lines of embarassment.
"Yeah..." Garrus deadpanned, "Everyone knows. But blame Legion! How was I supposed to know that the geth wouldn't-"
"Shepard-Commander," the geth in question spoke, approaching the group, "Our name was mentioned, and in a negative tone that we geth have come to recognize as hostility. Have we done something wrong?"
EDI's voice responded, "Shepard and Tali'Zorah are currently angry at the turn of events that lead to you informing the crew of their intended marriage."
Legion turned to the group, seeming to scan them all with its head flaps before turning to focus its emotionless flashlight gaze on Marcus himself, "An interspecies marriage made little sense to the geth; we do not understand the purpose of a union between two people who cannot provide offspring. However, we deemed it necessary to transfer this information onto the crew to increase unit cohesion. We have also transmitted this information to the geth consensus; we rejoice in this union."
"Wait...you did what?" Tali asked, head shooting up.
Garrus coughed awkwardly, "I tell Jacob, then I tell Legion, and now the entire geth species knows," the turian's right mandible twitched, "That certainly escalated quickly."
"So, have you set a date?" Liara asked out of the blue (no pun intended), eyes turning to face Marcus, "For the wedding, I mean."
Surprised by her sudden interest in the conversation, he turned to face her and shrugged, glancing at Tali in his peripheral vision, "No clue. We still have to tell her aunt and uncle, and I have to tell my mother." And Anderson. He may not be my father, but he's as close to one as I've ever had. He won't miss my wedding.
"Well, shouldn't we make preparations?" Liara asked, the old Liara shining through for a moment in time, "The wedding will be held on the Normandy, right?"
"Well, actually..." he glanced at Tali and smiled at her, the quarian raising an eyebrow at him. He turned back, facing Liara, "I was thinking we should hold it on the Rayya; Tali's birth ship."
Tali was suddenly speaking, "The Rayya? Are you sure Marcus?"
"Its where you were born Tali," Marcus gently clenched her hand from across the table, "I want it to also be where you get married."
"T-t-thank y-y-you," Tali choked out, tears of happiness likely fogging up her mask, "You...you have no idea w-what that means to me."
"Believe me, I do," he smiled reassuringly.
"If I understand marriages correctly, this'll take alot of preparation," Jacob pointed out, "And considering you're two different species, how will the marriage go?"
"Well since its based on the Rayya..." Tali responded, playing with her fingers as she eyed Marcus, "Ma-maybe it could be...um...quarian?"
"Maybe it could," Marcus coyly replied, "Actually, I like that. It'll be based on a quarian tradition."
"We have built consensus," Legion sounded, everyone almost having forgotten the geth standing there, "We have surmized that this course of action makes sense for both species, as quarian wedding practises run almost exactly the same as human ones. They involve a husband and a wife, words of devotion and a extravagant ceremony. Quarians view this as a waste of resources, and therefore, weddings are small and few. We have surmized further that the wedding of a hero of the Creator fleet to the hero of humanity would be greatly smiled upon. This action is acceptable."
"The geth approves," Garrus exclaimed happily, "Everything is right with the universe now."
"Talking about wedding practises," he turned to Garrus, "I've got to talk to you in private," he stood up and Garrus did as well, motioning to the gun battery. Before he left however, he turned to Tali and motioned to the lounge, "And Tali, I think Kasumi would like to talk with you."
It wasn't long before he and Garrus were safely locked away in the Gunnery Station, and Marcus turned towards the turian, now leaning against the main console, and sighed.
"What's this about Shepard?" Garrus asked, "I know I did wrong, and I'll make it up-"
"Please Garrus. You're like a brother to me. Just call me Marcus," this seemed to put the turian at ease, and this allowed Marcus to continue, "And I still think you're a bigot for telling Legion of all things, about Tali and I's marriage, but that's not why I brought you here. I need to ask you something."
"Yeah, sure...Marcus," Garrus replied, tasting the word on his alien tongue, "What is it?"
"I don't know if you understand human marriage practises but..." Marcus gulped, inhaling breath, "There's this man that is chosen by the groom...that's me...to stand beside him. He's usually the man's best friend or brother, and in rare cases, the father. They call them the best man...Garrus I...I'd like you to be my best man."
The turian whistled, looking at him with a happy grin, "I'm your best man? Does that sound like what it sounds like to me? Are you admitting that I bested you."
"Whatever floats your boat Garrus," Marcus chuckled.
They both laughed for a while, before getting their act together, Garrus' smirk disappearing and tone becoming solemn, "I'll be your best man, Marcus. Its an honor to be chosen. I...I just want you to know that...I'm happy for you and Tali. I wish you two the best of lives. And its a privledge to be there as it happens."
He moved forward, arms wide as he locked his turian friend in a tight embrace, both of them laughing as they hugged.
For once, something was going right.
{Loading...}
November 4, 2185
1607 hours.
Docking Cradle 17, Liveship Rayya, Migrant Fleet, Enoch System, Rosetta Nebula.
Commander Marcus Lee Shepard, Chief Engineer Tali'Zorah vas Normandy, Major General Kal'Reegar vas Normandy, First Lieutenant Madi'Soi vas Ceresa.
The airlock for the Rayya seemed to take longer to cycle than normal; but Marcus could understand why. The attack was most likely still on every quarian's mind, and that were most likely jumpy; he could understand that, and therefore didn't lash out when they finally got out fifteen minutes later. The door slid open to reveal the decon team, but to his surprise, Kar'Danna wasn't there-
Then he remembered. Captain Kar'Danna vas Rayya was dead; murdered by Cerberus, on his own ship.
He sighed heavily, moving into the ship, quietly followed by Tali, Kal and Madi, the attack still on their minds as they moved into the vessel. Tali knew Marcus still blamed himself for the attack, staying it was due to his presence that Cerberus and the Shadow Broker even thought of attacking, and all she could do was reassure him. Hopefully their planned wedding reveal would assuage any bad memories he had of the ship.
They were immediately greeted by Shala who, to their surprise, stood as straight as she always had, nothing in her position giving away any grief she still had over her husband's murder. She greeted Marcus with a hand shake and hugged Tali as normal; but the hug was tighter than normal, and it was then that Tali knew Shala hadn't recovered; she was just being professional for appearence's sake.
"Admiral," Marcus greeted, seemingly noticing Shala's unusual act, "Maybe we should speak in private? This is about me and Tali, but we also came to let you know that we are sorry for your loss, and we will do everything in our power to make sure that your husband's killers are brought to justice. Cerberus will pay, I promise you."
"Thank you commander," Shala replied, thanking him with a slight nod before motioning to a room down the corridor, "If you'll follow me, I'll take you to a private room."
"Commander!" Came a familiar voice, making Tali roll her eyes. Even now, the man wouldn't leave her alone. She really didn't need this.
As they turned, they watched the familiar form of Peta running towards them, the quarian quickly stopped by Kal, the man standing protectively infront of the woman he considered a little sister, with Madi limping over to join him, confused however at why he was hostile towards this seemingly random quarian.
"Its okay Kal," Marcus reassured, laying a reassuring hand on the marine's shoulder, "Let him through."
Kal shot Peta one last suspicious glare, before stepping aside, the quarian moving past to look at Tali, smiling for a second before turning towards Marcus, eyes seemingly less...cheerful, than usual. Marcus clasped his hands behind him, Shala doing the same as she waited.
"What do you want, Peta?" Marcus asked, trying to be as polite as possible.
Peta stood firmer, suddenly more professional in his stance than he had been before, "I've come to ask to join your crew, Captain Shepard."
Marcus raised an eyebrow, surprised by the sudden request. Tali seemed to do the same, equally as shocked. Kal just shot the quarian the same suspicious glare while Madi continued to be confused. Peta just patiently waited for an answer.
"Why?" Marcus finally asked, breaking out of his surprised stupor, wanting answers.
Peta cleared his throat, "I assure you, this has nothing to do with my feelings for Tali. I have learnt my lesson, and am ready to move on. I wish to join your crew because I've read up on these Reapers. They seem like a dangerous threat, and I want to help you put a stop to them. I want to make a difference in the galaxy; not waste my life calibrating consoles in engineering for the rest of my life. I want the quarian people to remember me," he threw a nanosecond glance in Tali's direction before turning back to Marcus, finishing in a sadder tone, "I want to be important for once."
Marcus exhaled, unable to comprehend what he had just heard. This obsessed kid suddenly quits his obsession, comes to his wits and surrenders it all and then asks to join his crew? It seemed harmless enough, and the suspicion was unwarranted; Peta hadn't really done anything to him except harass his quarian fiancee, so why not?
Tali apparently thought the same, nodding her approval. Kal shot him a look that said 'don't trust him,' but Marcus would deal with that later. For now, Peta was asking to join his crew, and he didn't have a valid reason to deny him, "Very well, Mister Yala, we'll see you prove your true colors soon enough. Get your things and get set up on the Normandy; I'll have my XO show you to your sleeper pod and give you the tour."
Peta nodded eagerly, snapping a salute, "I won't let you down!" He then spun around and ran down the corridor towards the airlock into the Normandy, an evidently excited bounce in his step. He nodded to Kal and Madi, before turning to Tali, taking her hand in his and both of them followed Shala down the corridor towards her designated room.
Peta seemed harmless enough.
"Keelah, how much we didn't know..."
- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.
"He didn't win. The poor kid, he never won..."
- Marcus Shepard.
"The 'poor kid' tried to kill you. But I guess he..."
- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.
"Let's get back on topic."
- Marcus Shepard.
"Of course. Now...what happened next?"
- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.
"The end days. The Shadow Broker was beginning to work himself into a corner."
- Marcus Shepard.
A/N:
Holidays started officially today! I might be able to get chapters out faster now if I'm that lucky; alot of movies to see, and alot of work to do, so we'll see what I get time for. I'm aiming to reach Chapter 25 by the end of these holidays, so fingers crossed.