MASS EFFECT ANDROMEDA SERIES II
CHAPTER 19
MASS EFFECT 2...
With the pockets of Geth becoming little, Garrus was counting down the days when he may be able to return to the Citadel. Andromeda responded to him often when he was able to get a message through the comm relay. When he asked how things were going at Chora's Den, he noticed that she kept her responses short and not in much detail. This concerned him. A part of him wanted to believe that she was trying to keep something from him. What was there to hide? With Fist out of the picture, there shouldn't be too much trouble at the night club. Wrex was humming to himself as he came out of the elevator to drop his equipment at his locker. "I take it, things went well out there?" Garrus asked from his station.
"Took out a few Geth," Wrex responded nonchalantly. "Kind of miss the old days on Noveria. At least there were bigger ones to kill."
"You really miss the cold?" Garrus chuckled as he walked over to continue the conversation.
"Nope," Wrex shut the locker door. "Too bad, Vakarian. I overheard Shepard say that was the last one and he was reporting to the Admiral. That leaves me ahead on the kill count," He bantered.
"Head-butting one down does not count as a kill like you did on the last mission we were on, Wrex," Garrus pointed out.
"Sorry to interrupt, boys," Tali came out from the engineering room. "But I believe that I'm ahead."
Wrex pouted and remained quiet. "Where to now?"
"Home, I hope. It's been so long since I have seen my father or my friends in the Flotilla," Tali sighed heavily.
"What will you use that data we recovered from one of the Geth for?" Garrus inquired.
"I'm hoping that we can study it. My father is working on a project and I'm sure he can put this to good use. Anything to take down the Geth and go back Rannoch." She lingered on the last word sadly. Garrus felt sorry for their new Quarian friend. He hadn't been back to Palaven in years, but it was his decision and he knew his family was safe there. He wasn't forced off by synthetics like Tali was and his family wasn't roaming around in the Outer Rim hoping to survive.
"You, Garrus?" Wrex looked over to him. "What's your plan now? Return back to the Citadel?"
Garrus turned his focus to the Krogan. "Momentarily." His mind flashed to reuniting with Andromeda, but he quickly pushed it away. "I think I'm going to re-apply for Spectre training shortly after my return."
"You going to be like Shepard?" Tali's voice lit up through the breathing apparatus.
"Hope just as good. Though I don't think I'll be as good as him. It would be interesting though if I do become a Spectre and be able to work with him again side by side. I learned a lot."
"As for me, I think I'm going to return to Tuchanka." Wrex chimed in.
"That crater?" Ashley broke in the conversation as she exited out of the elevator and overheard their conversation. "I thought the Krogan basically destroyed their home world."
"It's been through a lot. I never really thought on stepping onto it again, but after seeing what my kind is doing, I need to go back. The Krogan can't divert to someone like Saren and be used. We were already used once by the Salarians. My kind is so divided now…there may not be hope left for us."
"That sounds…almost admirable, Wrex," Garrus was taken aback by the Krogan's words. Who would thought a once mercenary who never did anything unless creds were involved was now willing to go back and help his kind. Even when they were destined to die off thanks to the genophage. "Is the mercenary becoming soft?" He teased light heartedly.
"No. I think it's stupid for Krogan to sit back and do nothing while we waste our lives on creds. After visiting Saren's breeding facility on Virmire and seeing how desperate we are becoming. I think it's time that we put our resources to curing the genophage."
"I'm behind you, Wrex, one hundred percent. Until I met you, I never really thought much on what the Turians did to the Krogan. Who are we to judge what race dies off? You made that clear on Noveria. I'm sorry," Garrus bowed his head as guilt overcame him.
Wrex waived him off. "I don't want your pity, Garrus or your apologies. You didn't do this to us or me."
"I'm behind you too, Wrex," Tali joined in then she turned to look at Ash.
Ashley stared at Wrex hard as if she was conflicted on what to say, then she grinned big. "You know I got attached to you, big guy."
Wrex grunted and started to walk away from the team to go to his usual spot. "Don't get all soft on me now just because the missions are done."
"Come on. You are going to miss us. We had an adventure," Garrus called after him.
"You act like this is the only 'adventure' I've been on." The Krogan leaned up against the wall and crossed his arms as he looked over at the trio.
"I envy you, Wrex. Being able to walk among different cities without anyone wondering if you are going to steal from them," Tali moved over to him.
"Even when you're a merc, you still have to tread lightly. No job is easy. I had an old friend who was an Asari Commando who was a mercenary and a contract job turned us against one another. Her name was Aleena."
"Aleena?" Ashley teased as she listened in. "An old girlfriend?"
Wrex stared at her incredulously. "No."
"Asari Commando? Never heard them turning into mercs. Must have been desperate." Garrus commented.
"She was good. Probably one of the toughest fights I have had."
"Tougher than Saren?" Ashley asked with interest.
"Just about. I didn't have help either. I was hired by a Volus diplomat. What an ass. He wanted me to erase his past. Get rid of an old friend that knew too much."
"Aleena?" Tali guessed.
"Yeah. I met her when we were hired to take down the same Turian. I told her of the contract I had with the diplomat. She had a good laugh about it."
"So you turned down the job, right? I mean not to kill your friend?" Ashley kept her attention on Wrex's story.
Wrex chuckled," I never turn down a job. I gave her the choice of where we would fight. She chose an old Salarian space station overrun with mercs and slavers. That way I didn't have to worry about casualties. For two days, I hunted her down. Used my entire storage of ammo. I had to kill a bunch of mercs just to use their crappy weapons. By the third day, the station was barely holding together. All the mercs were dead and life support was failing. She locked herself in the med labs to patch herself up. Just when I thought I had her, the station's core went critical. Barely made it back to my ship in time."
"Damn…" Garrus was in awe about the carnage that happened just to take down one person. "Did she make it?"
"I watch the station blow from my ship and never saw her leave. I headed back to the diplomat to give him the good news and collect my pay. But before I got back halfway, I got a message from Aleena." The Krogan's eyes almost seem to twinkle as he recalled the event. "Better luck next time." He laughed at the private meaning.
Ashley smiled, "You are hardcore, Wrex."
"Remind me not to get a bounty on my head." Garrus added.
"Garrus? A bounty? What would you have to do? Piss off all the merc bands?" Wrex teased.
"I hope not."
"So, Ash, where did Shepard say we were going?" Tali questioned with hope in her voice.
"He got a call from Admiral Hackett. While we are nearby, he wants us to change course to investigate why several ships have been reported missing in this one sector. We are almost to the coordinate now." Ashley moved away from her team mates to put her gear back up.
"How do entire ships just disappear?" Garrus asked.
"Pirates?" Wrex countered.
Suddenly the entire ship shook so violently that all of them were knocked hard to the floor. Alarms blasted throughout the ship deafening their ears. Joker screamed through the ship's PA system, "Taking hits! Everyone hold tight!" Just as he said that, the ship rocked hard again throwing Garrus back down to the ground as he tried to regain his footing. The Mako made a loud squealing noise as the impacts were knocking the vehicle's restraints loose. Garrus stumbled to get up and ran over to fix them.
"Who the hell is firing on us?!" Wrex wobbled to get his footing.
"I'm going to find Shepard," Ash raced to get back into the elevator. Tali ran over to help Garrus with the Mako.
"Keelah! I don't like this," Her voice trembled as she fidgeted with the controls.
"We'll be fine, Tali," Garrus tried to speak courage into her as he managed to get the last lockdown in place. "That should hold her. I don't think we need the Mako to roll around by itself down here." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wrex opening his locker and grabbing as much as he could. "What are you doing?!" Another jolt shuddered the ship but they were able to keep their footing.
"We are not going to be able to stay here. I'm not losing my family armor again!" Wrex yelled back over the noise trying his best to drown out the klaxon that wailed.
"I-I should get my stuff too. I was able to transmit the data I recovered to the Flotilla but I will need the hard copy." Tali made her way to her own locker.
This time the piercing sound of metal apart could be heard and the ship rocked so violently that Tali was slammed back down to the floor hard and her body slid up against one of the walls. "Tali!" Garrus stumbled as he almost had to crawl on all fours to get to her.
"Everyone abandon ship! Get to the pods!" Ash's voice came over the PA. Fear overcame her.
"Let's go, Vakarian!" Wrex closed his locker as he moved to help Garrus and Tali.
"The data!" Tali exclaimed as she tried to fight to get free.
"It can wait!" Wrex kept his tight firm on her arm.
"I'll get it, Tali. Go with Wrex." Garrus encouraged her as he turned to head back to the locker.
"Garrus! Get your Turian ass back here!" Wrex paused in midstride.
"I'll be fine! Go! Hold the pod for me!" Garrus yelled back. He raced to the locker and opened Tali's and grabbed the hard drive. He then opened his locker and grabbed what he could. He lingered on what he had to leave behind. Without a second thought, he shut the door and raced back to the pods.
Fires were breaking out throughout the ship and tiny explosions were going off everywhere. Some Alliance crew members were not lucky and they succumbed to their injuries from the explosions. Their bodies littered the path. Garrus tried to cover his head with his arms from any debris. Where was Shepard? Suddenly a piece of the ceiling fell down striking his leg hard. He slid down and his leg ached bad with pain. Adrenaline kicked in and he managed to get the piece off. With pressing as much weight as he could, he continued on. Wrex was waiting at the pod door while the interior was filled with frightened crew members and Tali.
"Garrus!" The burly Krogan called to him. Pumping his legs harder, Garrus jumped into the pod and threw his stuff on the floor as he strapped in. There was no time for storage. Wrex sealed the door and activated the launch procedure. Looking over, Vakarian could hear Tali whimpering and saying a prayer in her native language. He could hear the deadly assault as their attacker continued its endless rage against the Normandy and then screams from people who were not lucky to make it to a pod. He gripped the seat handles tighter and felt the blast as the pod ejected from the Normandy. The inertia pressed him tightly into his seat. The pod's lights dimmed for a few moments and some of its occupants became alarmed and wailed. He kept his eyes shut. Was this going to be the end?
What felt like an eternity in the dark, the pod's interior light came back on and they felt the pod traveling to its pre-determined rendezvous point. He just prayed to the spirits that their assailant wasn't going after any of the pods. "Did we make it?" Dr. Chakwas spoke up, he noticed she was sitting in the back and he didn't see at first. Everything was happening so fast earlier.
"Who the hell did that?!" An angry crew member spoke up.
"Just calm down. Don't get your quads in a bunch," Wrex barked at him. Garrus agreed with him. They had to remain calm until help arrived. Panicking was not going to do any good.
"Did Shepard make it out?" Tali asked what he was thinking.
"I hope so," Garrus answered out loud.
"We are admitting a beacon now to the Alliance. They should be en route to picks us up," A nearby officer spoke up that made a calm go over the pod's occupants.
With a sigh of relief, Garrus relaxed a bit against the wall as his grip loosened. The attack on the Normandy was nothing like he ever experienced. The Geth were nearly destroyed. Who with that kind of firepower was against the Alliance?