Disclaimer: I do not own the Mass Effect games. This story is written with no profit in mind. I make no money from it. It isn't for sale or rent.
Chapter 7
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Part 3
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28.04.2183 GS
SSV Normandy
low orbit above Noveria
Pax system
Horse Head Nebula
"Shepard, ground fire just took out my probe!" Joker's offended voice came both from the cockpit and the Spectre's communicator. "Sending you data to the main plot."
The holo tank in the center of the bridge shifted, changing from a close in the representation of Nov
eria, the Normandy hanging above it, and the approaching Citadel task force, to sensor data from the shot-down probe. VI's and intelligence specialists quickly turned the raw feed into easily digestible symbols. A long, perilous path built into the side of jagged mountains led from Port Hanshan to Peak 15. Despite the quickly encroaching storm, there were multiple distinct power and thermal sources identified all along the way. A few convenient hills nested what suspiciously looked like AA batteries. One of them lit up, and the probe's sensors just had enough time to focus on the source, before heavy-caliber slugs tore through it, stopping the recording cold.
"I want a full spread of probes and reconnaissance drones sweeping all viable approaches to Peak 15," Shepard ordered. "Joker,
XO, prepare an appropriate strike package – we aren't going down there before taking out all enemy positions the drones locate. "Inform Commodore Quale about the complications…"
The defenses outside obviously meant that there was something important in Peak 15, which made it that much more important that they got inside, yesterday. Every passing moment gave Benezia more time to erase evidence and silence witnesses.
For the next half an hour, there was nothing other to do for Shepard but wait. Meanwhile, Joker took the Normandy on a sweeping orbit above the mountains, unleashing a spread of stealth drones, and one-use sensor probes packed up with powerful active sensors. Two more AA positions unveiled themselves to take out the probes before they could get a proper fix on all Geth positions in the region. The slower-moving drones slipped through and began building a comprehensive picture with their passive sensors. Soon, the CDF detachment arrived in orbit and rained more probes, all over the area, before launching their drone platforms.
"We've got the enemy positions locked on, Commander,"
Pressley reported. "As soon as we launch the shuttles, the task force will begin bombardment clearing up the way."
"We won't have ground-side reinforcements in reasonable numbers for at least twelve more hours." Commodore Quale added. "I've contacted both Palaven and CDF Command. They both agree we couldn't afford to wait that long. We'll have all our shuttles outfitted appropriately for the weather within ten more minutes, then we launch."
"We agree." Vasir simply nodded. "The current plan is to establish a CP and casualty evacuation area in front of the main entrance of the facility. While the cold and snow will be an issue, the fleet is going to be able to offer precision bombardment stopping cold any concerned assault coming out of that mountain."
"We'll have a safe spot to retreat after we accomplish the mission or confirm that we won't be able to crack the damn place without heavy reinforcements," Shepard noted.
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Eighteen shuttles silently left their mother ships, which quickly accelerated, and pointed their primary weapons towards Noveria. The third round of probes burned brightly through the atmosphere, struggling to maintain course within the storm-front. Below them, half the drones went active, shining brightly to all sensors in the region. Geth AA emplacements and missile troopers opened fire, trying their best to blind the organic fleet in orbit. At the same time, the frigates and handful of cruisers unleashed their firepower in precise bursts that shaved off chunks of the mountainside with each impact. The mountains shook, and massive avalanches crashed down, burying the bombarded road in snow and steam.
Even before the last kinetic impactor struck, the shuttles entered the atmosphere at a vector that would allow them to approach Peak 15 with minimum exposure to the discovered Geth defenses. A wing of drones swept before them, seeking any threats, while a frigate pack was in a position to silence them.
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"We're five minutes out. Drone assets show no remaining active Geth defenses on our approach vector." A typical Turian voice came from the sealed cockpit of the shuttle.
The small craft shook as it tore its way through the howling storm outside. The combination of the screaming engines and the whipping freezing winds was enough to make a normal conversation all but impossible. Everyone had to use the communications suite built in their armors.
"First, we visited an active volcano world. That would have been fun if I was down there able to break heads and shoot Geth!" Wrex rumbled happily. "Now, we're making our way through one of the nastier storms I've seen, to fight Geth, rogue Asari, and who knows what else!" The Krogan slammed a huge armored fist into his breastplate. "What's next? Are we going to go diving into an acid lake on a proper death-world?!"
"I don't think Saren has any reasons to go to Tuchanka." Vasir blandly pointed out.
Wrex raised his head and laughed merrily. "I like you girlie, you've got quad!"
"If it's going to make you happy, you can be on point, Wrex. Just remember, we will need at least a few prisoners left for interrogation." Shepard pointed out.
At that point,
Garrus raised a hand, as if she was in a classroom, and tilted his head to the side."
Is it too late to change my mind and wait back on the ship?" The Detective asked with mock sincirety. "I'll be back down investigating as soon as the shooting and screaming is over.""
That's why we're sending Wrex on point." Vasir pointed out lazily. "When they Geth see him, they'll be shooting him with everything they've got. That way, you can snipe them at your leisure."
"Angry Krogan Battlemaster." The detective
nodded thoughtfully. "He can take them, right?"
"Vakarian, you must be very careful. At this rate, I might decide that you aren't all bad for a Turian whimp!"
"That would be a problem why exactly?" Garrus foolishly inquired.
"Then I'll have you charging the Geth right beside me as a part of my new Krant of course!"
"Nope. I'm more than happy hanging in the back and providing marksman support."
"Two minutes to the LZ. Sensors show the garage is sealed tight. There are no visible weapon emplacements on the structure itself. No detected mines or IEDs…"
"Game faces on people." Shepard interrupted the banter. Biotic specialists will exit first." That was why they sat closest to the doors. "And create barriers just in case. Heavy infantry goes out second, and specialists last."
"Don't worry, we'll keep the big bad Geth from shooting you." Vasir shot back in a sarcastic tone.
After their last encounter with the Geth, the Asari Spectre had forgone any trace of commando leathers. She wore thick segmented armor that provided as much protection and mobility as possible.
The shuttle shook and bled velocity until it grew to a halt in front of the facility's main entrance. The side doors slid open, letting in howling freezing winds and snow. Vasir and Wrex scrambled out of their seats and jumped out, surrounded by glowing Biotic fields. Shepard was right on their heels. Despite all the sensors cramped into his helmet, the storm was nasty enough to cut down visibility to just a few meters. He could see, or at least hear, other shuttles disgorging more troops, or landing, carrying the parts of a modular command post.
Surprisingly enough, no one tried to overrun their landing zone. Instead, Peak 15 remained silent and sealed.
Fireteams carefully approached the massive door of the garage, while more troopers took whatever cover they could and searched for hostiles. A combat engineer was the first to reach a concealed control panel and began working on it, while four Turian marines fell in defensive positions around her.
Most of the shuttles turned and headed back towards orbit, while a few gunship variants kept buzzing above the landing zone, looking for threats.
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Part 3
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28.04.2183 GS
Peak 15
Noveria
Pax system
Horse Head Nebula
Two pairs of Turians, covered by the rest of their squads, brought long cases near the garage entrance. They put the cargo down within the cones of cover provided by the walls besides the gate, and opened the crates, revealing dozens small neatly stacked drones.
"Everyone check your IFF and make sure it's both on and the right one!" A Turian Lieutenant ordered. "We're about to release drone swarms as soon as the door opens."
"I'm supposed to be on point! It's been too long since I had the opportunity to properly smash heads!" Wrex grumbled.
"You smashed more than enough of them during the ambush." Shepard futilely tried to be the voice of reason.
"Nah, that was just a warm up to get the blood pumping!"
The combat engineer working on the door panel, turned and gave a thumb up. "I've hacked through the controls. The gate is opening momentarily." She joined her squad, a SMG held in one hand and omni-tool on the ready.
The massive garage door began slowly rising up. Ice cracked, and cool metal groaned in protest all the way up.
Drones rose out of their small compartments with quiet hum swallowed by the storm and raced towards the opening.
"Geth programs are attempting to breach the network…" One of the combat engineers announced. "Swarm communications and coordination are rapidly degrading."
Rapid fire and the distinct crack of overload fields lit up the garage, quickly mowing through the drones. Two gunships slowly flew forward, and as soon as the door was halfway up, their missile pods unleashed a hail of smart munitions guided by the sensors of the still active drones. Explosions crawled through the interior of the building.
Turians threw smoke grenades inside. They detonated with loud hiss, obscuring the entrance with silver mist.
"Cabals on point!" A Turian barked.
Two Turians, Wrex and Vasir blurred and appeared within the garage, while the rest of the assault team fanned in behind them. As soon as the remaining Geth noticed the Biotic specialists and opened fire on them, four Biotic charges got them out of the way and close to the nearest exposed robots.
A volley of Overloads cracked the shields of multiple exposed AI platforms, and even fried the internal components of a few of the lighter ones. Aimed fire smashed through the armor of the heavier Geth bringing them down in a quick succession.
Wrex smashed into the towering form of a Geth Prime, staggering the larger and heavier machine. He shoved his heavy shotgun in its belly, and the armor-piercing rounds nearly cut it in two, splashing energy-dense liquid all over the place. The Krogan grabbed the damaged platform with its left hand and brought it to its knees, while in one smooth motion vented some heat from the shotgun, before bringing it to bear to the machine's flashlight head. Wrex's second shot blew up the Geth's sensor cluster to bits and he displaced with a Biotic charge, before a pair of Hoppers could nail him properly.
Vasir finished her charge in front of a much larger Geth platform painted in silver. She didn't bother drawing a weapon, but instead used her Biotics to pick up the machine and smash it sideways into a nearby column holding up a raised platform. She slapped it with a Warp field at point blank range, bypassing it's barriers and sent a Throw field at it, before vanishing in another charge. The resulting Biotic detonation turned the Prime into leaking pile of shattered scrap.
The two Cabal members worked in tandem, flanking a third Prime. One used her shotgun to take out a knee joint, while the other shot off the heavy machine gun held by the platform. Then, they used their Biotics to tear the crippled platform in two. One of the Cabals managed to get away clean using another Biotic Charge. The second was less fortunate. He was in the open, in clear view of multiple Geth, including a pair of cloaked Hoppers. Before the Turian could gather the necessary energy and concentration for a quick charge, a hail of gunfire smashed through his barriers and shattered his armor, before biting deeply into flesh and bone.
Snipers cracked, taking out high value targets and Hoppers fell from walls they hung from. Rocket troopers fired blindly into the smoke, while the few remaining drones focused on them, marking them as high-priority targets. The assault shuttles released a second wave of smart munitions, targeting all Geth on the open. A few Hoppers were agile and lucky enough to get behind solid cover. All the remaining Geth could do was to try and shoot down the incoming munitions. To their credit, a few of the AI platforms actually managed to do it. Unfortunately for them, that left them painfully exposed to the attention of the assault team.
Overloads and massed fire soon demolished those platforms, leaving only the stealthy Hoppers as credible threats.
Four minutes of playing cat and mouse, and two casualties later, the garage was more or less secure.
"Get me a medic over here!" A Turian demanded.
"Secure those catwalks, and set up machine guns up there!"
"I want all exits covered by at least a fire team, yesterday!"
"Make sure all Geth platforms are deactivated and cover the engineers while they try to salvage something out of them!"
Turian voices snapped all over the command net, issuing orders, while eerie silence engulfed the garage. The respite lasted mere moments, before both people and sensors could hear distant muffled sounds of combat and something screeching in anger.
"That's coming from deeper in the complex." Wrex concluded aloud. "And it doesn't sound like Benezia's Geth executing witnesses. That's the sound of pitched battle." The Krogan happily declared.
"You're on point, Wrex. We're moving in. Major Narvis, see to the wounded and secure the garage, it's our fall back point." Vasir declared. "Cabal girl, you're with us."
"Specialist Krios at your command, Ma'am." The thin female Turian snapped a salute and fell behind the Spectres.
"Twenty Third Platoon, you're with the Spectres. Twenty Sixth, secure this compartment and take care for the wounded. The rest of you, follow the Spectres and keep a secure line of retreat open behind them!" Major Narvis barked.