Chapter 14

The elevator was taking forever as usual, and Shia felt her pulse pound painfully behind her eyes and cursed the ships VI as it repeated its alert mantra yet again. Her mouth was dry and her skin cold and clammy, the slightly foul scent of brandy still lingered in her nostrils to the point where she could still taste it. I'm never drinking again... for real this time. Jani had headed straight for engineering, of course, and while her own station was to simply be on standby in the armory, it also involved reporting to the TL, and she was pretty sure that she'd find James in the CIC. She did her best to compose herself as she exited the elevator, though the chaotic atmosphere on the command deck rang in her ears as orders were barked across the floor in attempts to be heard over the alerts.

"No enemy contact at the relay, flight lieutenant?" James spoke loudly into his comm from behind his private terminal.
"Confirmed, sir. Whatever it was it's gone now; could just have been a shadow." Ces chimed in, barely audible over the noise.
James hung his head in relief. "Good, stand down condition one, takes us to Condition two but keep us in stealth mode."
He rubbed the base of his nose before raising his head from the console "Would someone please kill that fucking alarm?" he barked "Haddad!?"
"Almost got it, sir!" a young man by a comm terminal piped up, all the while looking like a pyjack about to be fried by a shuttle thruster. Shia thought he looked far to young to be on active duty, and coming from her that was saying a lot, though she was sure she was the exact same way just a few months earlier. The young serviceman finally managed to complete his task, and there was an audible sigh of relief at the relative silence that ensued as the alarm was silenced at last.
"Finally..." James grumbled "Now, about that commlink?"
"There's heavy interference, sir, we've been unable to establish a stable connection." Haddad replied with a hint of uncertainty.
"Just fucking perfect" James sighed "just... keep working on it."

Shia took a deep breath and straightened as much as she could muster without toppling over before approaching James slowly.
"Captain?" she called out with a voice that was still a bit sliggish.
"Hey, I was wondering whe-" he began before stopping mid sentence to stare at her with a bewildered expression.
"Either you just went ten rounds against a krogan or you had a run-in with my old friend mescal. Either way, you'll need this" He continued with a chuckle, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a tube of hydration tables.
"Brandy, actually..." she said nonchalantly, knocking back a few of the pills while gratefully accepting a canteen from James to wash them down.
"You getting fancy on me, corporal?"
"A girl's got to have standards" she replied in between sips from the bottle "So you just carry this stuff around with you?"
"Never know when a corporal's going to do something stupid, best come prepared." he teased.
"Uh huh" she replied, rolling her eyes at him "so what's going on?"

James sighed deeply and rested against his console.
"We got the information from that data package we picked up; they're going after Euler."
"They what?" Shia gasped. "How is that even possible?"
"They fucking played us, that's how!" James cursed between clenched teeth. "We've got the bulk of the fleet tied down defending the Verge colonies, they'd be able to get a whole fucking fleet through the relay before the forces in Arcturus could react in any meaningful way."
"What are they hoping to gain anyway, aside from a couple of million dead humans? Wiping Benning off the galaxy charts won't get them the Verge."
"Strategic move" he muttered "Without Benning's industries and agricultural output; not to mention the shipyards, we'll have enough trouble just securing the Stream..."
"And while we're busy rebuilding, they move in on the Verge undisturbed." she added indignantly, crossing her arms over her chest.
He nodded his confirmation, having arrived at the same conclusion. Shia looked at her Captain in anticipation "So what do we do?"
James furrowed his brow in concentration for a moment before tapping his comm and turning back to Shia. "We go after them, try to raise the fleet as soon as we can." he said, tapping the comm again to unmute it "Ces!".
"Sir?" the turian pilots reply was swift and curt.
"Set course for Euler... quickly but quietly."

Jani felt the familiar tingle in her skin as the drive core activated behind her, painting the engine room in shades of sapphire and sending ripples like reflecting water across the bulkheads. She always liked it, though the color blue held a lot more significance for her now, she admitted with a snicker. She enjoyed the sensation too, imagining it to be something similar to what biotics experienced, only much more timid. She strolled over to the core access panel and made a quick rundown of the readouts; all within tolerance, at least for now. Her comm chimed brightly, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Engineering, Bridge. Nara, you present and accounted for?" Ces asked. She spoke rapidly, her subharmonics betraying some mild stress and apprehension.
"Go ahead, bridge."
"Ah, good. Hey, what's the word on those tolerance levels? Can we go to full power while running stealth?"
"I haven't been able to iron down the stabilization problem completely, but it should be fine as long as I monitor it and make the adjustments manually..." Jani replied, trailing off to run a projection of the scenario.
"So you hate the idea, but it's possible, that about it?
"Yes Ces, that's about it." She sighed.
"Great, let me know if there's a problem. Bridge out!"

She sighed again as she flicked off the comm "Oh, yeah, I'll tell you if there's a problem... you know, unless the drive core exploding doesn't give it away first" she muttered to herself, leaning over the console and entering the first set of corrections for the stabilization field.
"Chain of command getting you down?" a voice behind her asked and she felt a flutter in her stomach as she spun around on the spot to face Shia standing at the end of the walkway, watching her.
"Hey you." she exclaimed happily, a bright smile lightning up her face instantly at the sight. "Feeling any better?"
Moving in closer, Shia glanced at the drive core apprehensively. "You're sure it's safe to be close to that thing? Looks like it might pop any minute..."
"About as safe here as anywhere on the ship, really." Jani said with a giggle "You'd have to be pretty far away if it decided to blow."
Shia reached out to her, placing her hands around her waist and pulling her in close. A small gasp escaped from Janis lips as she placed her arms around Shias neck in turn.
"Well, that's reassuring." Shia said teasingly.
"I don't think you'd believe me if I wasn't honest." she replied, tracing a finger along the back of Shias neck. "And you didn't answer my question. Feeling better?"
"Oh yeah" Shia chuckled "Turns out the captain keeps a hangover cure on him at all times... good to know for future reference."
Her smiled faulted slightly, and Jani could see the worry and apprehension that was still darkening her admittedly cheerier mood.
"Something wrong?"
Shia bit her lip for a moment before reaching to her lower back, pulling out a small object wrapped in cloth.
"I have something for you" she said, taking a small step back and handing the object to Jani.
Jani took it and weighed it in her hands, it felt heavy. She pulled the cloth aside to reveal a compact pistol. It looked old and weathered, the markings nearly worn off the metal, but it still looked well kept.
"You want me to have this?" she asked, giving Shia a quizzical expression.
"Yeah..." Shia said, nodding slowly "We might be taking the ship into battle... soon. I want you to carry this with you, just in case."
"Thank you... I don't really know how to use one though." she replied, staring anxiously at the metallic monster in her hands. Shia shifted to stand next to her, guiding her hands to grip the weapon properly.
"It's a Carnifex... It packs a lot of power, but doesn't have that much recoil. I used to shoot this at the range when I was a kid; my first gun, actually, dad gave it to me for my tenth birthday. Though She kept it locked away of course." she said, guiding Janis hand to a small switch on the side of the weapon. "Feel this? That's your safety, you just flick it and you're good to go; point and squeeze."
"Point and squeeze, huh?" Jani replied, tucking the weapon away at her hip. "You worry too much, you know." she continued, placing her arms back around Shias neck, pulling her down and kissing her passionately. Shia chuckled and pressed her forehead against Janis.
"I'd be a pretty shitty girlfriend otherwise."
"Not possible" she replied, raising her head to seek out Shias eyes. "Just remember to worry about yourself as well... Just be careful, ok?"
Shia leaned in and kissed her again, pulling her into a warm embrace.
She let her fingers wander over Janis back until they reached tangled with the jet-black hair at the base of her neck. Her mind reached out to her and they allowed the universe to melt away momentarily.

"Finally!" Haddad exclaimed. "Sir, I've gotten through on one of the civilian channels, I have Illyria control for you."
"Il-... what for?" James asked puzzled.
The young serviceman rubbed his neck anxiously before responding. "Well... see, I figured they might be able to connect to the fleet in orbit... So I thought we might use their tower as a comm relay."
James just looked at him for a moment, a smile creeping across his face. "Not bad, son, not bad at all. Patch it through."
He walked swiftly over to his private terminal and tapped the comm button.
"Illyria control, this is captain James Vega, service number 7228-AC-4610. I need you to patch me through to the SSV Fuji..."

The SSV Narva shot through the relay swiftly, a blue hue surrounding the hull as its barriers and shields worked overtime to contain its energy emissions, hiding it from view.
James stood on the bridge, grasping the back of the pilots seat tightly, his eyes firmly focused on the readouts projected over the viewport. Shia rested against the co-pilot seat, awaiting her orders. She felt helpless at times like these, nothing to do but wait until you had to deal with the shit that would inevitably come flying your way.

"How's it looking?" James asked, glancing down at Ces in the seat below him
"Not good, sir." she replied exasperatedly. "The few ships stationed around Benning have all been destroyed or neutralized. Enemy fleet has the planet nearly surrounded."
He cursed under his breath. "Ok, take us in closer, but keep a safe distance."

The enemy fleet came into view, the visual scanners providing closeups on selected targets. Shia felt a chill down her spine as she watched the readouts.
"There!" she called out "Are those bombers?"
Ces swiped a across the interface, bringing up a visual scan of the vessels in question.
"Heavy bombers." James seethed.
"They're going to glass the planet?"
"Sure fucking looks like it... what's the fleet's ETA?"
"Still 4 hours out, sir." Ces replied anxiously.
"Fuck!" he barked out, slamming his gloved fist against the bulkhead. He rested his forehead against the hull, breathing heavily, brow furrowed as he planned their next move. If they waited for the fleet, the planet would be nothing but dust once they engaged the batarians; but they were only one ship.

"There's no choice." he said after a moments pause, turning back to face Shia. "We take our chances, do what we can to hold them off until the fleet arrives."
Shia and Ces both nodded in understanding. This was the job, for better or for worse, dead or alive.
"Orders, sir?" Ces asked, en eerie confidence apparent in her voice.
"Charge the main battery and take us in, draw out a firing solution on those bombers. We'll take out as many as we can, all of them if possible." he replied coldly.

Watching Ces fly was like watching a painter create a work of art, the ship skirted craciously and quickly between the batarian ships so closely that they might have been able to see their reflections in the hulls, had the cockpit been facing them directly. They emerged from behind a cruiser and came up in a direct line of fire of the first bomber. They were massive ships, nearly equal to dreadnoughts in size but with weaponry limited to orbital bombardment; not a formidable foe on their own, lacking defensive weapons and significant shielding , but with a fleet of cruisers backing them up this was another matter entirely.

"You realize that once we fire, we'll light up like one of those holiday bushes you people use...?" Ces asked, directing the question at James.
"They're trees. And yes, I know." he replied. "There's no choice, Ces. Have all stations reported combat ready?"
"Aye sir, ready on your command."
They watched in unison as the massive ships grew larger in the viewport, both Shia and James felt the familiar rush of adrenaline begin to surge through their systems. James took a deep breath, and then he gave the order. "Fire!"

The main battery tore through the bombers shields as if they weren't there, managing to ignite it's armory in the process. The massive lump of metal cringed silently in the void of space before sending a shattering shock wave in all directions, ripping it's neighbor that had strayed far to close for comfort apart, taking it with it as it went. It was poetry in motion, the Narva soared through the debris and honed in on its final target. The alarms in the cockpit began to sound as soon as the first volley had been fired, multiple target locks, the blackness outside beginning to fill with bright streams of light as the cruisers tried to hit a target to close to properly paint with a targeting solution. They approached the final bomber, the pulse of the main battery vibrated through the hull of the ship again as it released its deadly payload, leaving its target adrift in space, falling towards the atmosphere below.

The ship shook violently as enemy fire began to deflect against the shields. James screamed for Ces to get them out of dodge, but it was too late. A massive impact reverberated through the ship and all the instruments died. The engines followed suit, giving out in sequence and misfiring as they went, sending the ship into an uncontrolled spin. A moment of silence ensued before another impact shook them, the change in air pressure instantly noticeable.

"We're venting atmo!" Ces shouted, unblickling herself from her seat.
"Masks on!" James ordered. "Emergency power?"
"Coming online now, sir." Ces replied as she secured the final clasp of her mask.
"Fuck, we're sitting ducks here." James cursed through his suit comm. "Send the order, all hands, we're evacuating."
Ces spun around and stared at him, but his eyes told her there was no room for debate. "Yes sir..." she sighed, punching in the commands.
James turned around to order Shia into the escape pod, only to see her already halfway down the walkway towards the CIC.
"Corporal!" he called out, setting out to go after her.
"I have to get to engineering." she called out, snapping her head over her shoulder but without missing a step.
"We're evacuating, corporal! That's an order!"
Shia stopped for a moment. "I'm going, James..." she said without turning around.
"Alright damnit..." James sighed. "You just make sure you get your ass on one of those pods, you hear me?"
She glanced back at him and nodded curtly, setting out down the hallway.

To her surprise the elevator was still working. It was risky, but she didn't have time to go crawling through the shafts. She brought up her suit comm rapidly.
"Jani, you there?"
"Here! I'm so glad to hear your voice!" her lovers frantic voice came in, sounding slightly artificial from within her mask.
"Get to an escape pod, we're evacuating!"
"I know, but I have to perform an emergency shutdown of the core, the crew won't make it far enough before it goes critical."
"Jani-" Shia began.
"No, it has to be done..."
"Alright, hold on, I'll be right there."

Another explosion shook the ship as she exited the elevator and she stumbled forward, slamming into the glass overlooking the shuttle bay and the armory. Horror gnawed at the back of her mind as she saw the gaping hole into space where the hangar doors once were. She attempted to shake it off as she headed into engineering. Jani stood perched against the drive core controls, clasping her left arm tightly.

"You're injured!" Shia called out in horror as she reached her lovers side, seeing the blood drip from her arm. "We've got to go! Now!"
"We need to shut down the core, we'll never make it far enough!" Jani said weakly, the fear evident in her voice.
Shia pondered for a moment, weighing their options. "Alright, I'll do it. Show me how."
Jani stared at her in horror through the opaque glass of her suit. "No, I'm not leaving you!" she protested.
Shia grabbed Janis head gently and sought out her eyes. "Jani, please... I need to get you to safety, ok?"

Jani sobbed quietly but nodded and explained the shutdown sequence as best she could. Shia helped her lover to one of the escape pods and put her inside. She quickly applied some medi-gel to her wounds and made sure she was strapped in tight.
"You'll be fine, honey... Stay hidden, get help if you can, but stay out of the fighting."
"Shia, please..." Jani sobbed weakly
Shia leaned in and hugged her as tightly as she could without making the injury worse. "Hey, hey... It's going to be ok... I'll find you, I promise."
Pulling back slightly, she pressed her helmet against Jani. "I love you." she nearly whispered into her comm.
"I love you too." the quarian sobbed back in her ear.
She climbed out of the pod, and fighting back her own tears pressed the release controls and watched the pod shoot out of its bay rapidly.

The shutdown sequence was a simple matter, Jani had set it up and explained it well, but it had to be done in stages. The final stage was ready and she geared up to leave. The ship was falling apart at the seams, but at least the core wouldn't blow. She made her way to the remaining pod and climbed in as yet another explosion shook the ship. The pods were dreadful things, no dampeners and no kinetic barriers; a bumpy ride if there ever was one, but they would do in a pinch. She lurched forward as the g-forces shook her around in her harness as the pod launched. She watched in dismay through the small viewport the broken remains of her ship hanging dead in space. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes for a moment before activating the guidance system to take her down to the planet. The debris outside faded quickly as the atmosphere enveloped the pod in a blaze. She didn't know how many shipmates she'd lost, a small optimistic flicker in the deep recesses´of her mind allowed her to hope there had been none, though even her limited experience told her otherwise. She had never been a believer, not in the gods of Earth, nor in Athame or the spirits, still she offered a silent prayer for them all to anyone who might listen; and for the safety of the woman she loved.