Author's note: In case you were wondering... No, I have not forgotten about this story, but I have other priorities that need tended to. This chapter I felt detracted from the whole idea of the story through the eyes of Harry Namarr. However, I feel that what is written below is important to the story as well. Although this isn't Chapter 9, Chapter 9 is coming and will be uploaded when it's written and ready. Until then I hope you enjoy the read as the story continues.
-The Boarding Party (Chapter 8.9)-
"So... What do we know?"
Shepard, along with his other crew members; Mordin, Garrus, Tali, Grunt, Thane, Samara, Kasumi, Zaeed, and Jack were in the comm room around the conference table studying a holographic display of the damaged vessel EDI had found. Of course Miranda and Jacob were there as well, they were always there with Shepard when it came to important decisions. Shepard knew why, and it bugged him that the Illusive Man was keeping close tabs on him. The Alliance and the Council almost did the same thing while he was pursuing a rogue specter named Saren, but in his mind, they weren't the enemy. Images of the sick experiments he found that were done by Cerberus in the past resurfaced to remind him why he hated the organization. But for now he had to play nice. The real threat was the Collectors abducting hundreds of thousands of human colonists and Cerberus was actually doing something about it. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, but in this case, only to a certain extent.
"It's a hunk of junk Shepard," the gruff tone of the bounty hunter, Zaeed, was unmistakable, "Why are we even here?"
"Maybe Tali would like a souvenir?" Garrus joked.
After giving Garrus a mean look, Tali replied, "Although it would be a nice ship for the Flotilla, I don't think we can salvage anything from that, It's too badly damaged. Keelah, Bits and pieces are falling off the ship. We would have to repair a lot of bulkheads on that thing. And thats resources we just don't have."
"If the Quarian doesn't want it then why are we here Shepard?" spoke Grunt, he was obviously getting bored, It didn't look like there was anything to kill on that ship, and he really wanted to try out the Claymore Shotgun that Shepard put together for him.
"Because of this." Answered Shepard as he activated his omni-tool to replay the looped mayday message.
"You believe that someone still lives on that ship." spoke Samara. Her voice was stoic but not as stoic as Thane's.
"If life-support still running then..." Mordin took a breath, "Still possible."
"Unless this is a trap laid by the Geth, they have been known to do that in the past." spoke Miranda, negative as ever.
Shepard was silent on that possibility. Her statement was correct, he wasn't denying it since he ran into a few Geth traps in the past, but he wondered how Miranda knew this. In the end he decided not to dwell upon it, She did bring him back from the dead after all.
"You really think this is a Geth trap?" questioned Jacob. "That wreck doesn't look like a Geth ship."
"But we do know that the Geth are more technologically advanced than we are." reaffirmed Miranda, "They may have created this ship in secret."
"Hold on Cheerleader," Jack butted in, "you're missing something. I'm no tech but that thing is a fucking wreck. If they were so advanced, how'd it end up like this?"
"Thats what I would like to find out." spoke Shepard, silencing everyone. "Regardless of if it's a trap, I'd bet there's something there that could aid us against the Collectors. Is there anything else you could tell us EDI?"
EDI chimed in and reported her findings from her initial scans. "Visual scans show that the ship is heavily damaged. Scorch marks on the hull indicate the ship was bombarded by high energy weapons. I was able to hack into the ship's on-board network. However, I am unfamiliar with the network protocols. Complete decryption of retrieved data will take time. The decrypted data so far indicates that the thrusters are cold and although the ship is currently at rest, at one point it has been drifting, for how long I am not certain. The data also shows that the ship is running on very low power. A lot of the essential subsystems have been shut down, with the exclusion of life-support. Gathered records show that the life-support subsystem was recently restarted. Unfortunately, that is all the information I can gather currently."
"Were you able to find a blueprint of the ship?" asked Shepard.
"No," coolly responded EDI, "However, Visual scans also show an opening at the front of the vessel. You can use that as an entrance. I advise caution when boarding this ship. I cannot guarantee that I can help you once on-board."
"Noted EDI" replied Shepard, not deterred by the warning. Turning to his crew, he continued. "In case this is a Geth ship, I need a specialist who knows the Geth best." He turned to Tali, "That leaves you, Tali. Grab your gear and meet me at the shuttle-bay." Shepard ordered.
"Of course." Tali responded as she made her way out of the conference room.
"You too Zaeed, we may need the extra firepower." ordered Shepard.
"This is a waste of time." Grudgingly spoke Zaeed, but he did as he was ordered and left the conference room.
"Miranda, prep a shuttle for us. We'll need it to board the wreck." ordered Shepard.
"Right away Commander." answered Miranda, without hesitation.
"The rest of you are dismissed." Shepard spoke, giving his final order.
Shepard, Tali, and Zaeed all boarded the shuttle that Miranda had prepared for them and made their way to the wreck that was before the Normandy SR2. During their journey, Zaeed was grumbling. Shepard had a hunch as to why, and he didn't care. Tactically, Zaeed's use of disruptor ammunition would give them a superior edge if they did happen to encounter the Geth, and that was the only reason he brought him along. Shepard could use the same ammunition as well, but it was nice to have more firepower while Tali distracted the targets with her drone. Tali was talented, but he wasn't going to rely on her completely against a horde of Geth. It would be too much for her, and if her personal shields went down and her suit was ruptured... They were going to be in a lot of trouble. This team setup reminded him of the days before Cerberus, where he, Ashley, and Tali effectively, and efficiently, mowed down numerous Geth machines. That was when he and his team were chasing down Saren, the rogue spectre that nearly brought about the arrival of the Reapers. During that time, he became good friends with his team, and even more with Ashley. Ashley Willams was a soldier, through and through, and he loved that about her, but being forced to work with Cerberus drove them apart. Ashley said it herself on Horizon, she wasn't a fan of aliens, but she would never work for an extremist group like Cerberus... and he didn't blame her. Thats just another reason why he hated Cerberus. He died, and he was grateful that they brought him back, but it took them two years to do so. And while he was lying on the operating table, Ashley's heart was crushed. And being forced to work for Cerberus drove a dagger deeper into her heart. He has been holding a grudge against Cerberus because of that, and he is just waiting for the opportunity to inflict the same pain as they had inflicted on her. But for now, he has to focus on the mission at hand, and he has to make do with Zaeed, an infamous bounty hunter who only joined his team because the Illusive Man pushed a lot of credits his way. But Zaeed's grumbling started to annoy both Tali and Shepard, to the point where Shepard yelled,
"Zaeed! You mind grumbling at a later time? Or do I have to put you on the time-out chair?"
"I was hired under the assumption that we'd get a lot of fights, Shepard. But all we've done were crap missions, and my patience is startin to wear thin," Rebutted the infamous bounty hunter.
"Your marksmanship isn't the only reason why I brought you along," answered Shepard. "I also brought you along because of your training with Disruptor Ammunition."
"Yeah…. What of it?" questioned Zaeed.
Tali butted in at this point, "Each Geth unit has strong personal shielding technology so they can last longer while under fire. A weapon equipped with disruptor ammo can tear through their shields very quickly and disrupt their hardware as well."
"Ok then… but why bring me along when Shepard can use the bloody ammo himself?" Zaeed rebutted, still trying to win the argument.
"Two years ago, my team and I used this same tactic against Saren and his Geth army. I'm sure you're aware of our success that day. Tali's combat drone and hacking abilities distracted the Geth while I and another member mowed down Geth units like fish in a barrel. Since she's not with us today, you're all I've got," answered Shepard, "And if you don't like it, I'm sure the Illusive Man would love to get a refund." Shepard coolly added.
Gritting his teeth, Zaeed grudgingly obliged. "Alright Shepard, we'll do it your way. But I want to see some more goddam explosions after this one."
"Fair enough," accepted Shepard.
It wasn't long before the shuttle landed in the bay at the front of the vessel. When they landed, the shuttle pilot informed Shepard that there was a lack of atmosphere in the bay, and suggested they embark with breather masks. With that, Zaeed donned his breather mask while Shepard slipped on his N7 breather helmet. Tali just idly waited since her suit constantly maintains its own sealed atmosphere. Once they were ready, the hatch opened and the trio stepped foot onto the bay and began investigating with weapons drawn.
If there were Geth onboard, Shepard didn't see them. Zaeed voiced his disapproval, and Shepard ignored it. The trio searched the bay for traps, bodies, or anything else interesting. All they found were dangling wires, shattered walls, and rubble strewn about the deck. While they were searching, Shepard got an eerie feeling, like they were being watched. Zaeed felt it too and confirmed Shepard's suspicions. Tali interrupted their musings, informing him that her omni-tool was picking up energy signatures from what looked like small fighters. The trio investigated one of the fighters to try to get a better understanding of it. After running a few scans, Tali concluded that the fighters were unmanned autonomous fighters lying dormant, waiting for a command from some kind of signal.
"So these things could activate at any moment?!" questioned Shepard, a little worried.
"I don't think so," reassured Tali, "I think these fighters are similar to the mechs that we've encountered earlier. They shouldn't activate until they are given a command from a central computer. If that is true, then that computer must be on this ship."
"Do you think there's anything we can salvage here?" asked Shepard.
"We're not really sure what these fighters are capable of," answered Tali, dismayed. "Besides, anything that we could detach from this fighter probably won't fit in our shuttle. If we can find that central computer, maybe we can learn more about these fighters and maybe even the ship."
"Then that's what we're doing," concluded Shepard. "Let's look around for a way into this ship… there has to be a door somewhere."
The trio switched on their flashlights and looked around for a doorway. After a while, they located a door at the back right corner of the bay and jogged towards it. When they arrived, they found a blast door with a terminal to the right.
"Do you think you can open this door Tali?" questioned Shepard.
"I'm sure I won't recognize the systems and circuitry here, but I'll do my best." Tali answered, smartly.
"In the meantime we should keep our eyes peeled Zaeed, and cover Tali while she hacks the door," commanded Shepard.
Zaeed obliged pulling his rifle up and answering, "Understood… Shepard."
Tali hunched over the terminal and used her omni-tool to aid her in her hacking attempt. She figured out half of the systems when suddenly the terminal lit up and the blast door began to slowly roll upward, letting loose a small breeze of air into the bay.
"Well that was fast," commented Shepard.
"That wasn't me. I was halfway through figuring out the lock when it opened." Tali was a little worried.
"Was that you EDI?" Shepard asked through the com.
"No." EDI simply responded, "I was in the process of data mining the ship's systems to find the command that would open that door. Something else is in this system. I advise caution."
Now Tali was definitely worried. "Are we dealing with an AI here?"
"I don't know, but we should keep our guard up. Stay focused. The faster we find that computer the faster we can leave," commanded Shepard once again.
The trio looked around the bay one last time before stepping through the doorway. Unfortunately, they failed to realize that one of the fighters swiveled around while they were hacking the door to get a better look at them and hasn't moved since then. As the trio stepped through the doorway, it rolled shut and atmosphere was restored in the corridor. Tali mentioned that her suit detected the new atmosphere, but suggested that Shepard and Zaeed keep their breather masks on as there wasn't a lot of oxygen. As one door closed, another opened not too far from their entrance. It felt like the ship wanted to guide the trio somewhere.
"I've got a bad feeling about this," voiced Zaeed, twitchy as ever.
Shepard shifted uncomfortably as he kept his rifle pointed at the open door. While the two marksmen kept watch over the open door, Tali attempted to hack the blast door open again. After some time, Shepard asked, "How are we doing Tali?"
Tali answered while she worked, "I'm doing all I can but my hacking attempts are being blocked as soon as I start them."
"Dammit," Shepard cursed, "EDI, what can you tell us from your end?"
The radios crackled to life as EDI answered, "I can tell you that there is vacuum behind that blast door now. I would advise not opening it. Also I have found that the entity within the ship's systems is actively blocking your hacking attempts Tali… and mine as well." Tali muttered a "Bosh'tet" as EDI continued. "The only option I see available at this time is to follow wherever the entity wants to take you. But do not fear, I will alert you of any dangers that may come your way," assured EDI.
"Wait… If this ship-board entity is actively blocking your hacking attempts, how can we be sure it's leading us into a trap without your knowledge?" questioned Tali.
"Interestingly enough, the entity has permitted me to access the ship's schematics and damage reports," confirmed EDI, "I believe this is an act of good will."
"Well either way we don't have much of a choice now," grimly spoke Shepard, "We should follow wherever this thing wants to take us and find out what it wants. Stay focused. I want to be ready when we spring a trap."
"Right behind you Shepard," answered Tali.
"Roger that, Commander," gruffly spoke Zaeed, still gripping his rifle.
Eventually, the trio were lead to what looked like the bridge of the ship… or what was left of it. The exposed circuitry within the walls, the rubble strewn about the deck, and broken, static monitors all detailed the mess that was the bridge. As the searched the room, Zaeed was the first to mention a casualty when he found a body slumped onto the deck. Shepard and Tali rushed over to assess the body while Zaeed stood vigilant, sensing a trap was about to be sprung. He didn't notice it, but there was a holographic, bald woman watching the trio through the static in the monitors.
"He's alive, but his vital signs are fading," Tali broke Zaeed's focus, "We need to get him to doctor Chakwas.
"Doesn't look like he has any broken bones or abrasions," commented Shepard as he hoisted the body over his shoulders. "Forget the computer, If he survives he can tell us what happened here and if there's any tech we can use for our mission. Let's head back to the shuttle. Zaeed, you take point. Tali, you bring up the rear. Let's move people!" commanded Shepard, half hoping that this is what the entity wanted them to find and would allow them back to their shuttle. As they left the bridge with the body, Zaeed began grumbling again about crap missions.