Sorry it took so long to get this up. I'm having to deal with the loss of a job. Really cuts into my writing time. I have this really bad habit of eating that requires money which requires a job and time. Anyway, this chapter finishes up the Noveria portion of the story and we are going to get back to the Shepards' family drama. Let me know what y'all think. Reviews, comments, and constructive criticism are always welcome.
"Have you faced and asari commando unit before? Few humans have." Benezia hissed. Two commando's stepped to her side holding assault rifles and leveled them pointed straight at the Normandy ground team.
"You would kill your own daughter for a mad man? For someone who wants to wipe out all sentient life in the galaxy?" Claire shouted. Luke and Garrus had their weapons aimed at the two commandos, but Luke could not hold his aim steady. His arm ached far too much. But the massive creature in the chamber behind Benezia seemed to be making him forget how much pain he was in. He did not was to show any kind of weakness in front of such a terrifying creature.
"You will not sway me. My mind is filled with his light!" Benezia shouted she released a powerful biotic field that send all four of them flying back in to the door they had come through. In mid air, Garrus managed to get a shot off before they collided with the door. The shot ripped through the asari's shields and her head sending her to the floor.
The group scrambled to their feet and immediately took cover. "Two and two. Garrus, you are with Luke. Go to the right. Liara, with me. We're going to have a chat with your mom and hold the upper platform." Everyone moved in unison, firing and covering each other like clockwork.
Claire sprinted up the stairs using her assault rifle to bring down the commandos that were guarding Benezia, but when she tried to shoot her in the leg to capture her. The biotic barrier absorbed the shots like they were nothing. The asari councilor was right about her being a powerful biotic. They would have to wear her down if they hoped to capture her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Luke and Garrus take down a small squad of Geth and kill two commandos. Garrus' shields had been hit pretty hard but other than that they had take very few hits. Though she could tell that Luke's arm was really bothering him. He had had to switch to his left arm to fire his weapon. She admired his persistence but she worried about his survival with him not at his best.
The fighting was brutal. Claire's shields needed to be boosted several times as wave after wave of geth and asari commandos poured into the chamber. Liara and Claire held to cover every so often firing a shot back at Benezia to keep her from attacking them from behind. Suddenly, an explosion on the far side of the room drew their attention. Out of the smoke, Luke came hobbling toward them with Garrus using him for support.
"Come on big guy. Stay wake. Claire's got medigel." Luke spoke loudly more trying to be heard over the still raging firefight but also trying to get his friend to keep his eyes open.
"What happened?" Claire shouted taking Garrus and helping him into cover. Luke knelt next to her and fired a few round at a geth trooper that immediately took cover.
"One of the commando's threw a grenade and it landed on one of those barrels. I guess they have some kind of explosive compound in them." Luke replied. Claire applied some medigel to the burns on Garrus' mandible and neck and took a close look at the bleeding cut on top of his head. It was not bad but he had a concussion for sure. Claire propped the turian up against one of the support struts and shoved his rifle into his hand.
"Garrus, I know you can hear me. I want you to put a round into Benezia's barrier every couple seconds until it goes down or she surrenders." Claire ordered. Garrus nodded.
"Got it Shepard."
Claire turned to Luke and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Liara will stay here and hold. You and me, we sweep them out." Luke smirked and nodded. The pulled their weapons and charged.
Within a minute, the fight was over and Claire stood over Benezia with Liara and Luke as she braced herself against the guard rail.
"I will not betray him! My mind is filled with his light. You…" She blinked and winced. "You…" Her voice softened and Liara's started to light up as she recognized her mother's usual demeanor. "You must listen."
"Are you going to attack me again?" Claire asked.
"No, I sealed a part of myself away. Saren's words still whisper in my ear but I can fight him for a moment."
"Why did you come here?" Claire asked without lowering her weapon.
"To find the position of the Mu relay. The Rachni were the last to see it."
"Rachni? I thought they were extinct." Luke broke in.
"No, they are not. This is the last queen." Benezia closed her eyes once more and shook her head. "Listen please. There is not much time. I send Saren the coordinates for the relay only a moment ago. Here, I copied them onto this OSD. Stop him. But beware of his command ship, Sovereign. It gives him great power." Benezia winced and shook her head once more.
"Come on, stay with us. Where is Saren now? Where is he going?"
"I can't fight him any longer. You must…" Benezia shrieked in pain as she covered her face and backed away.
"Mother, I - " Liara started.
"I was always proud of you, little wing." She said. "I can't keep him out. You must…" Her face hardened once more. Luke saw the cold killer return to Benezia's eyes. "Die!"
Luke fired as soon at Benezia's last word escaped her lips. The bullet ripped through her chest and she fell back against one of the support struts.
"No light. They always said there would be a…" Luke sighed and lowered his weapon feeling the eyes of Claire and the others on his back.
"I couldn't let her attack…" He started but Claire pulled her brother into a hug.
"I know. You did good?" She said softly in his ear. Luke nodded and embraced his sister tightly. Claire released him and he made his way over to Garrus. He sat down next to his friend and rested his head against the strut.
"You alright?" Garrus asked.
"Couple bumps here and there, you?"
"Same. Thanks for pulling me out of the fire." Garrus said nudging his friend with his elbow. Luke smiled and nudged him back.
"Thanks for carrying my fat butt through the tram station." They chuckled softly but the laughing stopped when they saw one of the dead commandos start to stand.
"Claire!" Luke shouted. He ripped his gun from his side and took aim. The commando had left her weapon on the floor as well as a massive pool of blood. There was no way that she was still alive.
Claire pulled her own pistol and but kept glancing back at the rachni queen in her prison. The commando turned to face them and opened her eyes as the Queen opened what appeared to be her mouth and pressed it to the glass of her chamber.
"We speak through this one. We cannot sing, not in these low spaces. Your musics are colorless." The commando said.
"The queen is speaking through her, but how?" Claire said lowing his weapon.
"Does it really matter? That thing is talking through a dead person." Luke said keeping his weapon up. He was not as good a shot with his left arm as he was with his right but he was still good enough to cover his sister as she spoke to the creature.
As the conversation went on, Luke found himself looking at the rachni and examining her cage. There were acid vats on top that would kill and dissolve anything it touched. Was the corporation going to use it to kill the rachni in case it got out of hand or was it to hide the evidence if something happened and they were exposed?
"What will you sing? Will you destroy us, or give us the chance to compose anew?" The Rachni looked over at Claire and Luke as the siblings looked over at each other.
"The rachni nearly wiped out the galaxy the last time they were set loose. I don't think we should risk it again." Garrus said.
"But that was centuries ago, besides, are we really going to wipe out the last of a species?" Liara said stepping forward. Luke could see both sides of the argument and was happy that he did not have to make the call.
"If I were to release you, what would you do?" Claire asked.
"We would isolate ourselves and teach our children to sing the song of peace. We would rebuild." The rachni communed. The telepathic ability sent shivers up Luke's spine.
"I think what we are all wanting to know is will you threaten the galaxy like your kind has in the past?" Luke asked. Claire looked over at her brother. He was not worried about appearing diplomatic or even being polite. He wanted answers. She couldn't blame him. She wished she could pass the decision up to the council but they needed to decide now. The facility was going to have to be cleansed to get rid of all the rabid rachni and the queen would not survive. They either needed to be merciful and kill her now, or release her so that her species could continue.
"We wish for peace. We remember. We understand. We will compose the song of peace." The queen answered.
"It's not a definite yes, but that is probably as close as we'll get. Claire, your call." Luke said turning and facing his sister.
"I won't destroy the last of a species. However, I'm warning you. You try to come back and invade the galaxy, I will hunt you down and kill you myself." Claire said stepping to the controls.
As the containment chamber lifted and opened, the asari breathed a thank you from the queen before falling to the floor limp again. The rachni looked back at the group as she slipped out of the chamber in vanished from view.
"I really hope that doesn't come back to bite us." Garrus said softly.
"Me too, but I think it was the right thing to do." Claire said waving them on. Luke stopped as the turian and his sister made their way down the steps toward the exit headed for the main lab. Liara was standing over her mother's body, looking down on the woman.
"Liara?" Luke said placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Yes, I am coming." Liara said turing to follow Claire.
"Hey, hold up a minute." Luke said catching her arm. "Liara, you are my friend and I know watching your mother die was heartbreaking. Don't do what I did. Don't bottle it up."
Liara's shoulders started to shiver and started to sob softly laying her forehead on Luke's shoulder. "She is gone… I… I do not…" Luke hushed her and held her in an embrace.
"It's okay Liara. It's okay to cry. She broke free from Saren's influence long enough to help us. She broke free for you." This made Liara sob harder but after a moment she sniffed and gathered herself.
"I am ready to move on." She announced and started after Claire once more.
As soon as she was out of ear shot, Luke knelt in front of Benezia and placed his hand on her forehead and closed her eyes. "May your goddess have mercy on you, and may my God forgive you." Luke placed his hand over his heart and bowed his head. She may have been an enemy but she was Liara's mother. She deserved respect not only for her relations, but for her skill as an opponent.
Jumping back to his feet, Luke sprinted after Claire and the others meeting them in the elevator that was going to take them down into the heart of the facility. Perhaps they could find a way to get rid of Peak 15's pest problem.
The door opened to a long room with a man sitting on a folding chair. Luke glanced around the room slowly before tapping Garrus on the shoulder.
"Does this layout remind you of anything?" Luke asked. Garrus stopped and looked around the room.
"I don't know if it is the injury or the medi-gel, but this looks like that entry wall to that illegal casino that we brought down a few years back." Garrus said softly.
"That's because they are almost identical. You stick with Claire, I'm going to secure our exit. It looks like the only way out of this place for the moment." Luke said drawing his pistol. Garrus pulled his rifle and nodded.
Luke leaned against the door frame leading back to the elevator, but almost immediately he heard something moving under the floor. He took a steady aim focusing down at the floor. They're using the ducts. Luke looked up trying to find the vent where they would be able to exit. But when he found it, it was too late. A rachni had emerged and used one of its long appendages to pierce the scientist through the chest. Garrus opened fire immediately, quickly joined by Claire and Liara. By the time Luke had lined up a shot, the rachni was dead.
"Luke, Garrus, keep an eye on these vents. Liara, stand watch at the door to the control room; I'll get the codes and authorize the purge." Claire said kneeling next to the scientist's body. Luke's heart pounded seeing all the blood on the floor but he shook his head and focused on his sister.
"Purge? As in destroy the facility?" Luke asked.
"We'll put enough of a delay on it to get out before the barrage drops." Claire said scanning the scientist's omni-tool.
"As long as escaping certain death is on the agenda, I'm good with it." Luke said. Claire smiled and stood heading for the control room.
"Just like old times, huh?" Garrus said standing back to back with Luke.
"A little too much like old times if you ask me." Luke responded. Then he paused and turned to look at his old partner. "The rachni are a new touch though." Garrus laughed.
"Yeah, they are."
As if called, the creatures' shrieks echoed from the vents. The group opened fire as the beasts emerged. Luke's arm ached as he continued to fire over and over again sending shockwaves of pain through his arm. Perhaps the limb was fractured and being held steady by his armor. He hoped that it was merely a bruised bone but pushed through the pain.
"Forget this!" Luke snapped. He holstered his pistol and retrieved his assault rifle from his back and slammed down on the trigger. He sprayed bullets wildly at the rachni and managed to injure several while killing only one. Claire emerged from the control room with her rifle up and firing controlled, accurate bursts killing several rachni in her path.
"We have less than one minute. Run for the elevator! Move!" The order made everyone sprint. Garrus switched weapons to his assault rifle and sprayed bullets in a wild stream to try and clear a path as Luke did the same. Claire was right behind them firing with deadly accuracy as they ran, killing anything that escaped the boys' barrage of bullets.
The group tumbled into the elevator as the doors closed and they began to rise. They could hear the explosions as the neutron bombardment crushed the wing of the facility.
"Is everyone okay?" Claire asked. Her voice was labored and sounded like she was hurt. Luke turned to look at her and saw why. One of the rachni had spit acid or venom of some kind and it was burning through her armor on her back. Luke quickly jumped and ripped the plate from her back and applied a small bit of medigel.
"I think I've got all my parts." Luke said spreading the medigel over the burn.
"I'm good." Garrus said checking himself for acid.
"Shepard…" Liara breathed. Luke and Claire both turned to see a large gash in Liara's side.
"Damn it. Hold on Liara. Stay awake, we've got you." Luke said taking her hand in one of his and applying medigel with the other.
"Luke, we need to get her to the Normandy. All of us need some medical attention." Claire said nodding to Luke's arm. Luke sighed and nodded back.
As the doors of the elevator opened to the tram station, the radio sparked to life. Claire put two fingers to her ear and listened.
"Commander? Come on answer me!" Joker came over the radio.
"I'm here Joker. What's going on?" Claire asked.
"Short range sensors picked up a neutron bombardment headed down toward your position. Just wanted to make sure your were still in one piece and not, you know, scattered at a molecular level."
"We're banged up a little but we are alive. Contact Captain Matsuo with the Noveria Security force and tell her that we need medical transport for the researchers at Peak 15 and for ourselves. All four of us are hurt." Claire turned just enough so that no one else could hear her. "Liara is pretty bad off. Have an evac team at the tram station when we get there to move her to the Normandy."
Claire looked back as Luke examined the gash in Liara's side. She could tell his arm was bothering him quite a bit but he was far more concerned with Liara's wellbeing. She could not help but smile. That was the Luke she remembered. Constantly looking after others, sometimes with a complete disregard for himself. Maybe she was on the verge of having her brother back? Maybe she could finally find out what happened to him on Mindoir.