Chapter 17

Dream A Dream

The surface of Tuchanka wasn't exactly a hospitable place. Blasted to hell by the krogan during their frequent wars, a large chunk of the planet was now covered in rubble. Abandoned by the krogan, the shells of ancient buildings jutted up from the blasted earth like broken teeth of some ancient monstrosity long since slain. New construction was evident around the mountain that housed the ruins (and at the moment, the Meridia), but while some effort was being made to reclaim the area, the ancient roads around the ruined buildings were deserted. This worked out great for Finn and his new friend Glen.

"Reminds me of home." Glen said, her hands behind her head as she and Finn walked down an abandoned road interlacing the ancient buildings. "Still, it could be worse. They're still alive."

Shaking her head, Glen turned her attention back to Finn. "So you're some sort of secret agent, huh?"

"Something like that." Finn said. He had told her pretty much everything. She had asked questions, which was understandable, but the questions she asked weren't the ones he'd expect given the circumstances. She seemed far more interested in what races and planets Finn had encountered than his adventures, though she had not dismissed his activities as uninteresting.

"That's cool. I tried the secret agent thing once; never really cared for it. I guess I'm more of a lone wolf." Grinning, she added, "Guess that makes me a bitch, huh?"

Finn didn't respond, which just made her laugh and punch him playfully in the arm. "Ah, don't be so uptight, Finn. Gotta be able to make fun of yourself, ya know."

She gave him a playful jab in the shoulder that made him stumble slightly. He didn't complain; she reminded him strongly of his sister, Alea, even though they couldn't have appeared more different. Alea was small, pale-skinned, and graceful, whereas Glen was muscular, a bit clumsy, and so deeply tanned that Finn would've thought her of Indian descent had he not caught a glimpse of the pale white skin of her stomach while she wiped her forehead with the front of her shirt. Still, both had a strange energy to them, a kind of bossiness that came off as more protective than demanding.

They were slowly but steadily making their way to a large building near the mountain that was more or less intact. A platform had been erected nearby for incoming vessels more or less recently, which Finn took as a sign that it was a place of some importance.

"I still say it's a bit of a stretch." Glen said as they continued down the road. "I mean, it could be anything."

"Most krogan settlements are underground." Finn explained again, refraining from sounding exasperated. "If there's a building in use, it stands to reason it's important."

"I know, I know. From what Tuck said, I'm guessing the new krogan primarch has a bit of an ego, probably why he's reclaiming the mountain. Where there's an ego, there's usually a tower."

She said it in such a matter-of-factly matter that Finn didn't question it. She had said a few things like that before; phrases she considered bits of wisdom, but didn't really make any sense to Finn. It was a little disconcerting.

A shadow passed over them, making them both stop dead in their tracks. Fortunately, the shuttle was high overhead, and didn't stop.

"Okay, that's the third one." Finn said, "We need to get off the road before we get spotted."

"Agreed."

Direct access to the building was out of the question; even from a distance, they could spot more than a few krogan milling around the outskirts, no doubt watching for just the sort of trouble Finn and Glen represented. Fortunately, while the buildings were mostly ruined, the sewers and drainage tunnels were mostly intact.

Unfortunately, they were also guarded; as they neared the grate that led into the storm drain, a loud chorus of guttural growls filled the air, awakening Finn's inner monkey. A pack of varren had nested around the storm drain, and they were evidently not too happy about the prospect of visitors.

"Great." Finn muttered reaching for his pistol only to remember it was still on Ilium.

"No worries." Glen strode straight toward the pack, drawing their attention almost instantly.

"Come on, boys!" She shouted, holding out her arms. After a brief flash of light, both arms were engulfed in heavy-looking metal gauntlets. They clamped around her shoulders, making her already large arms appear even larger.

The first varren took a leap at her, only to get casually knocked aside. The other varren immediately spread out, surrounding her.

"Ah, smart, are we?" She grinned at them with a malevolence that made Finn glad she was friendly to him. "Well, let's see how you manage this."

A rope of light shot from the end of one gauntlet, entangling a varren. With a wild spin, she sent the trapped varren flying into the other members of its pack. The smarter varren quickly fled, while the slower got knocked aside.

Glen released the varren, which amazingly rose to its feet, albeit unsteadily. It trembled as she strolled up to it and knelt down to look at it in its face.

"Go." She barked.

With a yip, the varren scampered off, followed by the frightened members of its pack.

Brushing off her metal-clad hands, Glen turned back to Finn. "Just gotta know how to deal with 'em."

"I can see that." Finn nodded at her arms. "What are those?"

"What, Headache?" She glanced at her arms. "Just a little something I put together a long time ago. They're for building stuff really, but I added a few functions just in case I found a little trouble."

"And did you?"

"Did I what?" She knelt by the storm drain and yanked the heavy metal grate off the ground with a grunt. Finn could see the bolts that were previously holding it in still embedded in the frame.

Shaking his head, he said, "Find trouble."

She let out another laugh. "I always find trouble."

With that, she leapt into the storm drain.

"Just like Alea." Finn said, shaking his head as he followed suite.

The storm drain was a little cramped, but they were able to walk upright at least. As Glen had theorized, it did indeed seem to lead toward the populated building. Finn found himself grateful they decided against the sewers.

"So," Glen asked after a few minutes, "What's the plan?"

"Haven't thought that far ahead." Finn told her. "I've come this far, though; if I can manage it, I need to get the jewel of the head krogan's ceremonial headpiece. Hopefully, he'll have it locked away somewhere, in which case we'll find where it's hidden and steal it."

"No, I mean once the whole mess with this is over and you're back to dealing with the Evasive Man."

"Illusive Man." Finn corrected automatically. "The Shadow Broker's deciding the plan of assault. I'm just following her orders."

"Really? You struck me as more the leader type."

Now it was Finn's turn to laugh. "Yeah, that's me. Until this mess started, I was just a repairman on a station in the middle of nowhere."

"Hey, nothing wrong with that. I'm a bit of a repairman myself. Repairwoman. Person. You know what I mean."

"Shh!" Finn cocked his head. He was certain he had just heard something from above them.

Glen followed his gaze until they both spotted a vent above them. It was a wonder they hadn't missed it; it was currently closed, and blended in almost perfectly with the rest of the dark gray ceiling. Ever so slowly, Finn raised a hand and opened the vent.

They were below an intersection of a much larger, roomier corridor. A krogan was visible from between the slits, though the other krogan to which he spoke was out of view.

"What do you mean they got away?"

"The ship was gone by the time my squad got there. No sign of anyone, either."

"Damn asari spooks. Why would they come here now?"

The other krogan didn't respond. He looked, to Finn's eyes anyway, a little anxious.

"Well, whatever they're trying to do, they'll regret doing it here. Go join up with the rest of the teams and do another sweep to make sure they didn't leave anyone behind."

"Yes, Primarch Jorgal."

Finn's eyes widened. As the first krogan strode away, the second walked past the grate. Finn had seen a few krogans before, but this was by far the largest he had ever seen. While he bore the marks of age, he looked far from feeble. He was accompanied by two other krogans, both massive as well and carrying heavy shotguns that looked to be capable of reducing a person to giblets with a single shot.

What almost made Finn groan, however, was the embellished metal headpiece the krogan wore. Set into the center, just above the krogan's natural ridge plate, was the Blood of the Krogan. The red jewel glimmered in the dim light of the corridor.

"Son of a bitch." Finn whispered. "The bastard's just wearing it around?"

"There's ego for you." Glen said, peering through the grate.

Finn barely heard her; it sounded as though Noir had fixed the engines just in time. While this came as a relief, it did leave Finn in a nasty spot.

"Looks clear." Glen said, "C'mon; let's get out of this damn storm drain."

"But …" Finn stopped, as Glen had already yanked out the vent cover and was shimmying through the hole. Sighing, he waited for her to pull herself through.

"Don't follow her."

Finn nearly jumped at Hikari's voice. "The hell?" He whispered, hoping Glen couldn't hear him. "You forget about me or something?"

"I've been busy. Finn, don't follow that woman."

Something in Hikari's voice gave Finn pause. "Why not? She did help me escape."

"I am aware."

Finn frowned at her tone. "Look, if you can't give me a better reason-"

"Doesn't something about her strike you as a bit off? I mean, how did she even get here in the first place? You saw the border patrol; how does someone just pass through that?"

"We did."

"We got lucky."

Finn's eyes widened. Before he could say anything, however, Glen poked her head through the vent.

"Hey." She said, her hair nearly brushing the floor. "Who you talking to?"

"Don't tell her." Hikari said instantly.

"Don't tell her what?" Glen asked, her eyes narrowing. "You got a problem with me, Miss?"

Hikari didn't respond. Finn wasn't sure how Glen could hear Hikari, but somehow it didn't strike him as strange. Well, stranger than anything else about his new compatriot.

Glen rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Look, if you don't want my help, I'll leave."

She stepped away from the vent.

"Glen! Glen, wait!" Finn hurriedly climbed out after her only to find her leaning against a nearby wall.

"Please don't go." Finn told her. "'Cause I gotta be honest here; I haven't the foggiest how I'm going to get my hands on the Blood of the Krogan. Even then, I don't know for certain I kind find my way back afterwards. I need your help."

She regarded him with a serious expression. "Look, I'll make this straight for ya; help me, and I'll help you. I won't turn on ya or abandon ya, you've got my word. Deal?"

She spat into her hand and held it out expectantly. With some reluctance, Finn took it and gave it a good shake.

Beaming, she slapped him on the back and said, "Good. Now, let's go get your shiny. You got a plan?"

"Not really." Finn confessed. "I suppose we might be able to distract the guards and steal the gem in the confusion, but we don't have an escape plan. I'm not even sure where the Meridia even is anymore."

"Hmm." Glen ran her fingers over her chin thoughtfully. "I might be able to help with that. We'd have to find my thing first, though, and there's no telling how long that will take."

Finn was about to suggest that they secure the missing part before attempting to steal the gem when his internal comm activated and a welcome voice asked, "Finn, are you there?"

"Jake?" Finn asked, impulsively holding a hand to the side of his head. "Jake, is that you?"

There was a brief pause before the reply. "Yeah, it's me! It's good to hear your voice, bro."

"Yeah, sorry about the delay; it took a while to cut through the interference."

"Bet Hikari loved that." Finn said with a grin, "Glad to hear you managed to get away. Let Scarlet know that we've located the Blood of the Krogan."

"Whoa, really? That's awesome! You've already got it?"

"Not yet." Finn confessed. "We're working on it. Listen, where are you?"

"It's, uh, hard to explain. The krogans shouldn't detect us, but we don't want to make a move until we have to."

"Well, I think we can get the Blood of the Krogan, but we're gonna need a pickup pretty damn quick."

"You got it! Just ping me when you need the rescue and we'll come running!"

As Finn lowered his hand, Glen commented, "Thank the Creator for that, eh? I gotta ask, though …"

"Ask what?" Finn said.

She gave him a questioning look. "Finn and Jake?"

"Yeah. Jake's my … well, I think of him as my brother, but he's a-"

"A dog, right?"

"Er, right. How did you know that?"

"Lucky guess." Chuckling, Glen gestured down the hallway. "Well, let's go steal us a gem!"