MASS EFFECT ANDROMEDA SERIES II

CHAPTER 5

"So what do you think of this mess?" Ashley called over the rover's loud engines. "It's hard to imagine the colonists going crazy."

Ash's question pulled Garrus away from the radar screen. Their bodies shifting as the Mako ran over the ruined Prothean Skyway on Feros. "I can't believe ExoGeni would hide this Thorian creature from the colonists on Zhu's Hope." He added in disbelief.

Ashley's brown eyes glanced ahead of where they sat to see the Commander focusing on driving the rugged vehicle. "Commander, anymore Armatures?"

"No, I think we took down the Geth reinforcements and we are almost near the entranceway." Shepard called back, keeping his head forward.

"Those things are a pain in the ass," Garrus muttered as he looked back down at the radar screen as a blip caught his attention. "Commander, we have activity dead ahead! Looks like one…and too small to be Geth."

"This is the end of the line anyway." Shepard slowed the Mako down as they neared the entranceway's door.

Garrus was the first one to exit and he looked out in front to see some sort of twisted humanoid rising up. There was no hair on their body and their skin tone was a deep green. Their eyes were sunken in, sharp razor teeth glistened. Their fingers and toes long and twisted. "Kill it!" Shepard shouted as he heard a sickening groan come out of the creature's mouth. Garrus took no time in lining up the humanoid in his sights and pulled the trigger. Ashley did the same and the bullets from their assault rifles pierced the creature's body till finally it could not take any more and exploded in several pieces with green liquid oozing everywhere. A moldy soil smell invaded the air.

Ashley approached their target slowly and tapped a piece of the flesh with her weapon. "Target eliminated, sir."

"Careful, we don't know if that thing is toxic." Shepard gave a look of disgust.

"What was that creature?" Garrus asked in disbelief. "It certainly didn't look human."

The Commander shifted his rifle, "I want a clean sweep. Nothing hostile takes a second shot."

Dread filled Garrus' mind. Was this the fate of the colonists that were infected at Zhu's Hope? Were they turned into these vile beings much like the Geth did to the humans on Eden Prime? Was this the final stage of the infection? How far gone was Andromeda? Even if they weren't these things, what if they attacked Shepard's team like they were doing to the Normandy? Would the Commander use the Thorian Gas that they acquire from Dr. Baynham or would he order them to kill all hostiles? Garrus didn't think he could pull the trigger on someone who was attacking them against their will…but then again would he disobey the Commander? "Sir, we have that Thorian Gas." Ashley brought up as she waited for the order like a true soldier. Her weapon ready and her posture erect. Garrus looked on hopefully.

Shepard's hard eyes looked down at the ground, as if he was pondering his decision. "Fine. Let's save all that we can, just make the grenades count. We don't have many."

"Right behind you, Shepard." Garrus felt a wave of relief hit him. He knew he was always for not going by the rules to get the job done, but killing innocents to complete the mission? He didn't think he could ever do that…Saren most definitely, but not him. He looked at Shepard as the dark haired man turned to open the doorway. Maybe all Spectres were not as heartless as Saren Arterius.

"Kill them!" A woman ahead screamed as she and several others took fortified positions behind barriers in the loading chamber. Garrus felt his heart stop as he took a breath. Into the Frey he went.

The upper level that held the colony was filled with more controlled colonists. They took spots at all angles, angrily shouting at Shepard and his team. Garrus mentally kept count the number of grenades they had left, but it was hard to not dodge every bullet and his shields were taken a beaten. "Enemy is everywhere!" One male colonist yelled as he desperately tried to shoot sloppily at the squad. Luckily for Garrus and the others, the colonists were not trained in combat and the Thorian's control didn't improve their skills. "Commander, we have three over here!" Garrus yelled as he rolled to take cover behind a barrier that once protected two colonists that were now on the ground unconscious.

"I'm down to two grenades!" Shepard utilized one at the three.

"Great and we have five more colonists!" Ash yelled out as she peered ahead.

"Hit them with your guns if you have to!" Shepard charged at two taking several hits to his shields before he got in close range making it difficult for the colonists to shoot. He hit them both in the head with the rifle knocking them out, their limp bodies falling to the ground. Ashley followed suit on one while Shepard finished the existing pair with his last grenade.

"I think that's all of them." Garrus looked back from where they came to see the settlers all lying on the ground. He was glad that this didn't turn into a bloodbath but it could have turned out that way if the scientists at ExoGeni didn't provide them the Thorian Gas. There was no way they could try to hit every colonist in the head with their gun without taking a punishing hit to their shields. The barrage would have been too great. Thankfully, he didn't see Andromeda aka Krysta among the hostiles and he looked back over to the unit that contained her. He felt a strong urgent feeling to go check on her. Was she alright? Did the colonists kill her once they were fully controlled by the Thorian? Would the Thorian see her as a threat even though she was restrained in the bed?

"I found something!" Ashley was over at a control console where majority of the colonists had bunkered down near.

"What is it?" Shepard asked as he walked up to investigate.

"Lizbeth said that ExoGeni were studying the Thorian that was under the colony right?"

"ExoGeni had the tunnel that led to the Thorian sealed off." Garrus finished her statement as he examined the console in front of them.

"Good job, Chief. Let's go find this thing," Shepard walked over to where the tunnel was closed off as Ashley activated the lift that uncovered the tunnel. A dirt pathway was revealed leading down into a dark underground. Garrus and Ashley joined his side as they peered down into the depths of the colony. Taking a step first, Shepard led his squad down into the murky tunnel. It seemed to go on for several minutes and then leveled off. The darkness began to fade as they saw a light up ahead that came from a large open chamber.

"All right, we just need to find this creature and determine what it-," Garrus paused in midsentence as he looked up once they entered the chamber. A very massive bulbous object dangled up above with red flesh tone. It had several protruding arms that seemed to be used as anchors holding it up with the same greenish ooze dripping out from what appeared to be the creature's mouth. The body moved in and out like it was breathing and a gurgling sound was produced each time it did. This was definitely not what Garrus expected. He figured it would be like most plants with several vines that they would need to destroy. The mouth of the Thorian was so enormous that Garrus was afraid it could easily suck them in and process them as plant food. "What it-"Garrus' voice lingered. "This was not covered by my training manuals." He added trying to make light of the perilous situation they were now in. The creature seemed to breathe a bit faster ever since they entered the room so he knew that the Thorian was aware of their presence. If they tried to run, it could trap them down with it. Vakarian just hoped they wouldn't be infected by the Thorian. The thought of him being unable to control himself or his mind scared him just like the man they found in the tunnels.

"Nothing is ever simple is it?" Shepard looked up at the bright sunshine that peered down in the ceiling that apparently gave the plant it needed to complete photosynthesis. His voice had some essence of sarcasm. He approached the plant cautiously and the plant gurgled faster as more ooze flowed down its mouth. A glob form exited the mouth and once the ooze dripped away, the glob revealed itself to be a green skinned Asari with facial tattoos in a commando's outfit.

The Asari glared at them angrily. "Invaders! Your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you as meat, good only to dig or decompose. I speak for the Old Growth, as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands that you be in awe!"

"You enslaved the colonists!" Shepard shot back. "You destroyed their minds. I don't know what Saren wanted with you, but I just want you dead!"

The Asari Commando took out a pistol to engage them. "Your blood will feed the ground and the new growth!"