Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my MechWarrior/BattleTech - Mass Effect crossover.
Thank you all for your wonderful support. I greatly appreciate it.
Just so you know, I'm going to be closing the poll that I've got going this weekend. If you haven't voted yet, go ahead and do so. On Monday, I'll announce the choice that got the most votes.
As always, leave a review, and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the MechWarrior/BattleTech or Mass Effect franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of BioWare, Electronic Arts, FASA Corporation, FASA Interactive, Catalyst Game Labs, WizKids, Piranha Games Inc., etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.
SSV Normandy
Aysur System
September 23rd, 2186
Onboard the Normandy, Shepard was making sure that everyone was good to go for the duration of their new assignment. So far, everyone appears to be happy, he noted as he did his rounds on the ship. The crew's relaxed, and the ground team's having some fun. Just yesterday, we celebrated Garrus' 62nd birthday. For a Turian that's over sixty years old, he looks good, and he's doing extremely well.
That also reminded him of when he had first met Edward Wright, their liaison for the Taurian Concordat. His mind drifted back to when they had just left the Citadel.
. . .
Four Days Earlier
Walking onto the crew deck of the Normandy, Shepard looked around to see where the liaison for the Taurian Concordat was at. Spotting Garrus, he asked, "Excuse me. Did you see anyone new come down here?"
"Yeah," Garrus nodded. "I heard that we got a liaison for the Taurian Concordat from the AFFC. Correct?"
"Yes."
"I saw him come through here on his tour of the ship. Big guy too, probably had gigantism at some point in his life. He exchanged a few questions, looked me over, then headed down to the cargo deck. He's probably using Vega's weights."
"Thanks." With that, Shepard got back into the elevator and went down to the cargo deck. It was here that he found the newest member of his ground team.
It turned out, Garrus' guess that Edward had gigantism wasn't too far from the truth. Edward was huge, standing roughly eight feet in height, tall enough to match a Krogan. Much of that height was in his legs and spine, though the rest of his features were also larger than that of the average human being.
Right now, he was at Vega's exercise equipment, with the smaller Alliance Marine watching the big man doing his own routine. Looks like Edward's had some genetic work done for him, Shepard noted as he saw the man's muscles. They were large, but proportionately so, which was good news, as Shepard knew that people with gigantism often suffered from various complications, such as weakness, severe headaches and so on so forth. Walking over, he cleared his throat and asked, "Are you Edward Wright?"
That had the man stop, before he dropped down from the bar and turned to look at Shepard. Despite his large size, Edward was a handsome man, with black colored hair, brown colored eyes, and an olive complexion. His voice matched his size, a deep rumbling bass that carried itself throughout the entire cargo hold. "Yeah, that's right. You're Commander Shepard?"
"Yes."
Immediately, Edward saluted. "Lieutenant Edward Wright reporting for duty, sir!"
"At ease," Shepard replied, though he returned the salute as well. "I heard you were our liaison, so I thought I'd come and see for myself." Looking around, he asked, "So, what do you think of the Normandy?"
"Honestly speaking, sir? It's a bit cramped, but it's a fine WarShip. Just don't go up against anything too heavier, and you'll be fine."
"That's sound advice," Shepard agreed. "Still, given the Concordat's history with the Federated Suns, as well as my affiliation with them, I'm surprised we managed to make an alliance with them."
"Same here, Shepard. Thomas Calderon is so paranoid that he wouldn't sign the paperwork, believing that the Federated Commonwealth was going to attack for no damn reason. His son, Jeffrey Calderon, however, is much more reasonable and sensible, so we signed the treaty with him in private. In addition, he confessed to us that he plans on removing his father on charges of mental instability. It's also thanks to him that we got the four Concordat-class WarShips that we did.
That had Shepard impressed. "Nicely done on Hanse's part. I guess there is hope for the Concordat after all."
"That there is," Edward nodded. "As for me, they needed someone from the AFFC that was going to be a liaison, and I was the only one that Jeffrey was willing to accept, so I got the job. I'm military, so I've got training, especially in explosives. Basically, if you want something to explode, I'm your man." With that, he pulled out his choice weapons, which he had lying to the side.
The first was a modified M42C, which Shepard noted looked similar to what would happen if someone blended the M41A Pulse Rifle from Aliens with the historic AR-10 of ancient Terra using modern materials and technology. The rifle had what looked like a reflex sight installed, along with a modified magazine and muzzle device. The second weapon, he noticed, was what he realized was a grenade launcher. It looked like a snub nosed LMG, but had a wider barrel, and a box magazine that held what he realized were 40mm grenades. In addition, there was a fore-grip behind the muzzle, and a modified stock.
He whistled at the sight of the firepower Edward had on display. "That's a lot of explosives ready to go," he noted.
"That it is," Edwards remarked. "Most people call me the 'Demoman' as a result, though I prefer the title of 'Demolitions Artisan.' I can make just about anything explode, be it a door, or one of those Reaper Brutes that you guys are so worried about at times. Hell, I've even loaded my rifle with the new HEAP rounds that came out on the market during the Clan Invasion."
"Sounds like it," Shepard nodded. "Well, if we need any Brutes to explode, you're the man."
"Thank you. I also carry LMG's from time to time, so expect those too."
. . .
Present Day
The memory faded from the forefront of Shepard's mind as he strode towards the cockpit. Entering the cockpit, he walked inside to see Joker calmly at work. "Anything yet?" he asked.
"Not yet," Joker replied. "We've got passive sensors engaged. We're about to do an active scan of the area we're in." The area they were in was currently an asteroid belt that the team was flying through. So far, there was nothing worthy of note, even as Joker activated the active scanners.
That was when EDI said, "Commander, I have detected a low level radio signal in the nearby area. I believe we might have found Garneau."
"Good," Shepard nodded. "Have Garrus, Hastings and Liara come along. Also, inform Edward that he's coming on the mission too. I have a feeling we'll need a few explosions applied precisely."
. . .
Onboard the shuttle, everyone was quiet as they flew towards the source of the signal: an asteroid that they were about to do a fly-by of. EDI had been able to find out more about the place, though she mentioned that Cortez would have more details as to what was going on. "What exactly is on this asteroid?" he asked Cortez.
"EDI and Victor Steiner-Davion were able to tell me," Cortez replied. "There's a mining facility on the asteroid. T-GES Mineral Works. Small operation. Could be a good place for Leviathan to hide."
"We've all read Bryson's notes in the lab. Any questions?"
"Is there a clearer idea of what this 'Leviathan' was?" Garrus asked.
"Yeah," Hastings nodded. "The notes really didn't elaborate much."
"Agreed," Shepard frowned. "We only know that it killed a Reaper."
"That and we're looking for Dr. Garneau," Liara added.
"Right. If we find Garneau, we find Leviathan."
"I'm not so sure it's going to be that easy," Edward frowned. "I wouldn't be surprised if we went on a merry goose chase across this place."
"Same here," Hastings nodded. "One good lesson I learned at MIIO was to always expect to go on a goose chase. You're not disappointed as often that way."
"Still, Dr. Bryson's right," Shepard added. "Anything powerful enough to kill a Reaper needs to be investigated. I just hope Garneau has the answers we need."
Just as he said this, the computer aboard the Kodiak II reported, "Enemy Detected."
"Shit," Cortez growled. "I've got Reaper signatures in the asteroid belt around us."
"Well Bryson said that Reaper forces were shadowing his field teams. If they're after Leviathan, Reaper forces are a good indicator that we're in the right location."
"That's not something you hear every day."
"Take us in." With that, they continued their journey in silence.
Looking out of the viewport, Shepard could see the facility. From orbit, it looked like a reverse C, with one of the arms holding what appeared to be buildings, while the interior likely held the mining equipment. Small pipelines extended from the facility, while there were various sections that had mass effect fields that served as barriers to prevent atmospheric leakage.
Cortez, seeing a potential landing zone, expertly guided the Kodiak II through the barriers and towards the landing zone. Once they came to a landing, he opened up the hatch, allowing the team to step outside. "Don't go anywhere, Cortez," Shepard instructed him. "We'll grab this guy and be right out. Keep me updated on the Reaper situation."
"Yes, Commander," Cortez nodded.
Shepard turned to see Edward coming out. Unlike the others, Edward was massive enough, and strong enough, that he couldn't wear a standard combat hardsuit. Fortunately, the AFFC had provided him with a suit of Light Battle Armor. Named after the SLDF tank of the same name, the Puma Light Battle Armor was designed primarily for soldiers that needed more protection than a standard combat hardsuit, but needed to have more mobility than other Battle Armor wearers.
Despite this, it was well armored, with 300 kilograms of Advanced-Lamellor armor that made up half of the armor's weight. The rest was taken up by the power supply and technology inside of the armor. To assist the user, the armor made use of myomers and actuators to eliminate the burden of wearing the armor. That allowed the user to run 30 kilometers/hour and jump jets in the armor gave them a jump height of 90m and a flight time of two minutes. Beyond that, it had no integrated weapons, though the use of Armored Gloves allowed the wearer to use standard infantry weaponry.
Turning towards Edward, Shepard asked, "You ready?"
"Ready," Edward replied. With that, the team moved out, weapons at the ready. Moving along a short pathway, they came to a small lift that was currently at their level, as they descended, Edward asked, "You hear that?"
"Yep," Shepard frowned. "Trouble." As he said this, they soon saw the source of the trouble. Down below, Shepard spotted two Marauders, as well as a Brute that were in the area. The Brute was hammering into a metal wall, with the massive dent in it growing deeper with each hit. "Scouting party," Shepard frowned.
"And it sounds like they brought friends," Garrus frowned.
"Alright," Shepard decided. "Garrus, Liara, you two and I will take out the Marauders. Edward, the Brute is all yours. Hastings, give him cover fire."
"Yes sir," Edward nodded. Pulling out the grenade launcher, he made sure it was loaded, before taking aim with the weapon. Years of training and practice allowed him to mentally calculate where the grenade was going to hit. Once he had the Brute sighted, he switched the launcher to semi-automatic mode and fired three HEDP grenades.
There was a series of loud BLOOPs as the grenades were launched of the launcher via electromagnetic rails. Zipping through the air at high speed, each one impacted the Brute, detonating and sending molten jets of metal into the Reaper creature's body. The Brute roared as one of it's massive claws was ripped off, before the third grenade penetrated it's head, blasting it apart.
The two Marauders staggered back, their barriers shimmering as the blast waves and shrapnel weakened their barriers. Firing his M61B, Shepard cut one in half, while Liara elevated the other with a biotic lift, allowing Garrus to fire his Hawk Eagle sidearm at it. Within a few moments, the trio of Reaper troops had been eliminated.
"Here come some more!" Garrus shouted, pointing at another Brute that was up ahead, along with two more Marauders. Another BLOOP rang out, then an explosion consumed part of the Brute. Firing the last two grenades at the Brute, Edward ran forwards and, exchanging weapons, fired his M42C at the Marauders.
The first one's barriers held momentarily, before the HEAP rounds tore through and into it's body, terminating it. The other one, which was too close for comfort, lashed out with a talon, only for it's claws to scrap against Edward's armor uselessly. A moment later, a laser beam cut the Marauder in half, courtesy of Hastings. "Incoming!" he shouted, pointing at another one.
"I've got it!" Edward replied. Dodging a blow, he smashed a fist into the Marauder's head, before grabbing hold of it and flipping it over. Using his jump jets, he jumped five meters into the air before coming back down, slamming the head of the Marauder onto the ground. There was a loud CRUNCH-SPLAT as the Marauder's head was crushed, splattering gore all over the place. "All hostiles down," he reported a moment later.
"Wow," Garrus whistled. "If only Vega had seen that. I think he'd call that a 'piledriver.'"
"I'm sure that Vega would've found that to be deeply amusing" Liara nodded.
"Good work," Shepard nodded. "Let's get to Garneau before the serious troops arrive."
"The civilians inside are going to be scared," Liara frowned. With that, they moved upwards, reaching the door to T-GES' facility.
"Damnit," Shepard growled. "The door's locked, and mechanically too. Any ideas?"
"I've got one," Edward replied. "Hastings, look into my armored 'pack for a roll of white cord." When Hastings pulled the cord out, Edward said, "Good."
"What's that?" Garrus asked, having done demolitions before. "I've never seen explosives like that before."
"Det-cord," Edward replied. "High speed explosive I trained with at EOD training. You can use it to cut through thick walls and doors if you do it right." Using his omni-tool, he applied a detonator, before pressing the cord to the wall. Adhesives built into the corded material ensured that it stuck to the door with little trouble. "Stand back!" he ordered. Once they had backed up, he hit the detonator.
There was a loud POP-BANG as the det-cord fired off. In an instant, it appeared to vanish into thin air, though Shepard was surprised to see the material blasting a thin, but deep, cut into the door mechanism. A moment later, Edward walked forwards and forced the door open. "All clear," he reported.
"Good work," Shepard nodded. With that, they reached the inner door. Fortunately, the innermost door was operating normally, as there was a green holographic interface present.
"Welcome to T-GES Mineral Works," a PA announced. "All guests need to sign in at Reception." A moment later, the door opened.
Inside, they could see a small room that had a railing on the upper floor, and a small stairwell leading to the second part of the room. A series of windows in the roof provided some illumination, though the station was starting to head into it's night cycle. Another door was present down below, and there was a station built next to it, likely Reception.
There were people inside, but that was the strangest part of all. Much to Shepard's surprise. No one was panicking. In fact, everyone inside seemed unusually calm and tranquil, though there was a noticeable lack of conversation or gossip that would normally be going on.
Garrus, who noticed this as well, said, "They're taking it pretty well, don't you think?"
Edward, though, was unnerved by the situation. "This is not normal at all. Shepard, I've got a really, really bad feeling about this."
Shepard, while he didn't vocalize his unease, fully agreed with Edward. Something is wrong here, he frowned. Looking at some of the people, he then saw what was wrong. They all have that glazed-eye appearance, like they're there, but not really there at the same time, just like what happened to Derek back at the Citadel. Walking over to the Receptionist booth, he said, "I'm Commander Shepard of the Alliance. You had Reaper troops knocking at your door."
At that, the guard there asked, "Are they still there?"
Almost immediately, Shepard was on edge once again. His voice sounds flat, monotone in nature. Something is definitely wrong here. Hiding his unease, he said, "I've taken care of them for now."
"I see. That will be all."
Again, Shepard was creeped out. "That will be…?" he asked. When they didn't respond, he asked, "Hello?" On a motion from him, Liara pressed the assistance button nearby.
"Yes. Welcome to T-GES Mineral Works. How can we help you?"
"Yes," another guard added. "For the tour, please sign in."
"I'm looking for a researcher named Dr. Garneau. He would've arrived within the last couple of weeks. If he's still here, I need to speak with him."
"We have no Dr. Garneau," came the reply. "Do you need a doctor?"
"How about I just look around?" Shepard suggested, the feeling of unease growing stronger.
"No. The access elevator is broken."
"That it is," Edward noticed, seeing that the display over the door was flashing red, indicating the need for immediate repairs.
"I don't suppose you know how to fix electronics, Edward," Garrus presumed.
"No, I don't," Edward frowned. Just then, he spotted Hastings working at a console. "Hastings?"
"I'm getting a repair drone set up," Hastings added. "I'll stick with it too, just in case something happens. Either way, whatever's going on here is really wrong."
"Bad vibes with these guys," Garrus noted to Shepard, who had finished the conversation from earlier. "I don't think we wanna push it."
"Let's look around, carefully," Shepard ordered. Hearing some sparking, he looked to see Hastings accompanying a drone. Apparently, the repairs were completed, as moments later, the door's panel winked green,while the drone vanished out of existence.
"Got it," he said to Shepard. "Busted up door motor, but that's been fixed." Looking around, he said, "You notice the odd behavior?"
"Yep," Shepard nodded. "Something like this happened with Derek, a research assistant for Dr. Bryson. His notes didn't mention, though, that Leviathan could cause something like this."
"Same here. I'm getting serious Lovecraftian horror vibes from this, Shepard. Best watch yourself, or something really, really horrible is going to happen to us."
"Don't the Reapers count as a kind of Lovecraftian horror?"
"True." With that, they used the elevator to move deeper into the facility.
As the elevator moved upwards, Liara said, "The security log for the elevator said Dr. Garneau was here in the last week. Why would they lie about that?"
"No idea. Let's hope we don't have to look too far," Shepard shrugged, moving through the door they reached when the elevator came to a stop. Moving into a hallway, they followed Shepard into the minerals lab.
Here, they found more workers, including a few non-human ones. All of them, however, were having the same unusual behaviors, and it was starting to become very unsettling. "And I thought the Reapers were unsettling," Edwards frowned. "This is worse."
"I agree," Garrus nodded. "There's something really bad at work here. I really don't hope this happens to us. Still, is it just me or are these people doing anything but mining?"
"My observations as well," Liara agreed.
Reaching a door, Shepard found that it was locked. Using the console, he heard a computerized voice say, "This is a restricted area. Personnel ID is required."
"I don't have one," Shepard replied.
"Access Denied."
"Great," he grunted. "Now we have to deal with code locked doors. Any ideas?"
"I've got an idea," Garrus smriked. "You remember that Advanced Codebreaker that Quintus lent me for that one mission? They gave me an updated one that let's me hack into other computers, like the ones we're looking at here."
"If it works, go ahead," Shepard nodded. With that, Garrus, making sure he was being subtle, opened up a panel and, pulling out a small data-pad, connected some wires and hit a few buttons. "This should take just a minute."
Exploring around in the meantime, Hastings bypassed a few doors as the others waited. Moving into another room, he found a few workers standing around a holoprojector. As he moved past them, he noticed how they all seemed to look at him, like he was a specimen in a zoo. This is some creepy bullshit, he said to himself as he bypassed another door. What the hell is going on with these people?
Entering another room, he nearly stepped on a data pad that was on the floor. Picking it up, he noticed that it had a message. Hitting it, he heard the pad's computer say, "Attention: Comm system is offline. This message was not sent."
A moment later, Garneau's voice came in over the speakers. "Dr. Bryson, it's Garneau. I've had to go into hiding and I need you to come get me. I found another one of those artifacts here. They're more important than we realized. It's in the mines – here's the navpoint. That''s where I'll be. If something happens… I'm attaching a passcode that I hacked together. It'll open any security terminal. Bryson… something is very wrong here. Please hurry. Garneau out." A moment later, the message ended.
That's not good, Hastings frowned. I can probably see what went wrong. If that artifact causes the kind of mind-control that was observed with Derek. Standing upright, he walked out, but not before downloading the passcode and navpoint. Reaching the door, he found Garrus and the others nearby. "What is it?" he asked.
"Got through," Garrus replied. "We were waiting for you."
"You find anything?" Shepard asked.
"Yeah," Hastings nodded. "Turns out, Garneau came here, but he had to go under the RADAR. He managed to put together a passcode that'll allow us to get into the main security terminal. I say we give it a go."
"Good idea," Shepard nodded. Reaching the security console, he watched as Hastings put the code in. A moment later, he watched as a video played. "A ship dropped him off a week ago."
"Looks like he had full access before going dark," Hastings noted. "In addition, the reports here say that an unknown male was involved in an altercation in the mines."
"Garneau was headed to the mines," Garrus noted. "Where did he end up?"
"Medical bay," Hastings replied. "You can use your codebreaker to get through the security and to where Garneau is at."
"Good idea." With that, they proceeded to the medical bay.
True enough, the codebreaker, which was a fully up to date model, was able to generate a file number for the medical bay. Moving through the more brightly lit hallways, they came to a series of rooms. Looking inside of one, Shepard noted a body. "Is that Garneau?"
"If it is, then we came a long way for nothing," Garrus frowned.
"That would be a waste of time," Edward grumbled.
"I don't think so," Hastings frowned.
That was when another voice spoke up. "If you're looking for Garneau, you have found him." Turning around, the team saw another man in one of the rooms. The glass, though, was tinted dark enough to where they couldn't really see his face all that well.
"I'm Commander Shepard of the Alliance," Shepard replied. "You alright?"
"Yes… Only I'm trapped in here."
"What's been going on in this place?"
"I was doing my research – until the incident."
"They attacked you."
"It true. Aside from my confinement, I'm fine."
"Bryson's research led me to you," Shepard added.
"Bryson sent you?"
"He's alive and well."
"Uh, Shepard," Hastings frowned. "I don't think this is Garneau."
"Why do you say that?" Shepard asked.
"His voice sounds all wrong. I've got good ears, and I know a voice when I hear one. This guy ain't -" He didn't get a chance to finish, as the patient promptly interrupted him by jumping at the widow, causing everyone to jump back. In addition, the man's voice changed, becoming much deeper.
"Turn back," the man said to them. "The darkness must not be breached."
"What the -?!" Hastings shouted. Edward had his rifle out and ready in an instant.
"What's going on?" Shepard asked. "Who are you?!"
"Why do you pursue me?" the man said to them. "Leave the artifact. You will not take what is mine."
"I don't think we're speaking to Garneau, if it is Garneau that is," Garrus frowned.
It was then that Shepard realized what was going on. I'm not speaking to Garneau. I'm talking to Leviathan! Taking a moment to steady himself, he said, "You. You killed a Reaper. I need your help."
"You bring only death," the patient growled, just as the glass shattered. Everyone, except for Edward, staggered back. The patient jumped out the window, then ran… but he wasn't as fast as Edward, who barreled right at him. Just before he could be caught, the man turned around and held out a hand.
Suddenly, Edward found himself being flung backwards, like a hand had grabbed the back of his armor and pulled hard. "SHIT!" he shouted as he was thrown to the ground. Getting up, he watched as the door closed, with the door panel turning red. "Alright, enough of this bullshit!" he snarled. Pulling out his Automatic Grenade Launcher, he loaded an HE shell and fired.
There was a loud BOOM as the door was blasted inwards. Charging forwards, Edward smashed through the remains of the door, while firing a grenade at the other one, blowing it apart as well. "Follow Edward!" Shepard shouted. "He'll get the doors for us!"
Spotting the fugitive, Edward shouted, "Get back here!"
"Leave this place," the fugitive retorted, closing another door. Edward fired, though this door was made of sterner stuff, as it didn't suffer as much damage.
"Damnit! This'll take too long," he grunted.
"Let's take another route," Shepard decided, spotting a ladder. "Up the ladder! Go! Go!" With that, everyone scrambled up the ladder, while Edward fired up his jump jets, as the ladder was too weak to hold his weight. Flying out, he angled himself so that he would land just behind Shepard and the others. "Edward, keep up pursuit! You're faster than us!"
"Got it!" With that, Edward charged up ahead, while Shepard and the others followed behind as quickly as they could. "More Reapers!" Edward snarled as Husk's came into view.
"We'll handle the Reaper troops," Shepard shouted. "You get after Garneau or whoever that is!" With that, Edward began leaping to higher areas of the facility, while Shepard and the others moved through the horde.
Firing her MP-20, Liara pumped HE rounds into a pair of Husks, blasting them apart, while Garrus fired his M42C in short bursts, both to maintain accuracy and to preserve ammo. Spotting a Marauder, he fired a six round burst, tearing through the Reaper troop's shields, before gunning it down a few rounds later.
Spotting a Ravager, Shepard took cover, before firing his M61B at the creature. It screeched as a 510 kilojoule laser beam tore through it, causing it's 'head' to explode in a shower of gore. Spotting another one, he fired an Anti-Personnel grenade, shredding some of it's armor with the concussion and shrapnel from the blast.
Spotting another Ravager, Hastings took out his own M61B and fired the grenade launcher. There was a loud explosion as the Anti-Personnel round detonated, shredding some of the Ravager's armor, while blasting at some of the smaller creatures spawned from it. Firing his rifle, he cut the creature down with the laser weapon, before using his Pulse Laser Pistol to blast at the smaller ones.
They continued to fight their way through Ravagers and other Reaper troops, weapons blazing as they cut a path through the area. Up ahead, Edward was in hot pursuit, though he was having to deal with a quandary of his own. I've got to take the guy down somehow, he thought as he spotted 'Garneau'heading through a door. Too fast, and I'll end up breaking his bones in the process. Snarling, he shook his head and jumped down to the door. Reaching it, he lashed out with a kick.
The door crumpled inwards, though not enough to separate the locking mechanism. Pulling out a knife, he switched on part of the blade, causing it to vibrate at an extremely high frequency. Slashing downwards, he cut through the locking mechanism, before forcing the door apart. Spotting another door, he shrugged, before charging through at full speed.
There was a loud CRASH as Edward smashed through the door. Metal shards and shattered components flew everywhere as he barreled inside of the room. Blinded, he tripped on a rock on the floor, sending him careening forwards. He felt something impact, before he rolled to avoid sliding head first into the wall. Getting up, he looked around where he was at.
It was a small room, but an important one. Inside there was an area that was filled with rock, as well as an orb that was glowing blue-green in color. The man he was pursuing was approaching it, along with a cluster of Husks in the room. "The darkness must not be breached," the man repeated, holding up a detonator.
"Oh, no you don't!" Edward shouted, firing his rifle… too late.
There was a tremendous explosion as explosives near the device detonated. The blast wave pushed Edward back slightly, while he covered his visor with a hand to keep shrapnel from flying towards it. When he lowered it, he saw a blast crater, and shattered components of the orb he'd seen earlier. "Fuck!" he snarled. "You fucking piece of shit!"
"Edward!" Shepard shouted as he ran inside. "You alright?!"
"I'm fine," Edward frowned. "Garneau isn't. He blew himself and the artifact the fuck up."
"Damnit!" Shepard snarled.
"Shepard, you need to see this!" Garrus shouted. Running over, Shepard saw what Garrus was talking about. Lying on the floor was the body of a man wearing a science uniform. The man's neck was at an odd angle, indicating that it had been snapped. "That wasn't Garneau," Garrus continued. "This man is – and he's been dead for a while."
"So, Leviathan can have Derek attempt to kill Bryson, take over this colony, and he can use them as puppets. Huh. Anything else useful?"
"Looks like some encrypted data and a personal log. Eight unanswered calls from a Dr. Anne Bryson."
"I know her," Hastings added as he came inside. "Dr. Bryson told me that she was his daughter." Just as he said this, he heard a door opening. Looking in that direction, he watched as a few workers came in, though they now appeared alert and cognizant of what was going on.
"Who – who are you? What are you doing here?" a worker asked them.
Clearing his throat, Shepard too command of the situation. "I'm Commander Shepard. Are you alright?"
"I think so," the worker replied. "I feel like… I feel strange, but… alright."
"Do you recognize this man?" Shepard motioned at the body on the floor.
"I've never seen this man before," one of the workers frowned.
"Someone here killed him."
"Someone here? How is that possible?! I'm… sorry…"
"Can you tell me anything about what happened to you?" Shepard asked.
"Not really," a worker frowned. "… I, uh, remember… it just seemed cold. I remember a feeling. Cold and dark."
"If dark was a feeling," another worker added. "That's exactly what I felt like."
"That artifact? Do you know where it came from?" Shepard asked.
"Came out of the mine," the worker in question added. "Right… head office was supposed to send someone. That's all I can…" He frowned a moment later.
"I see," Shepard nodded. Keying his comm, he said, "Cortez, what's your situation? Can you bring in the shuttle?"
"Affirmative," Cortez nodded. "Strangest thing happened. Couple of minutes ago, the Reaper forces broke off and left."
"Reaper?" a worker asked. "What's a Reaper?"
That had Shepard intrigued. Sharing a look with Liara, he asked, "What year do you think this is?"
"2176," a worker replied.
Oh, that explains, Shepard noted. Clearing his throat, he said, "2176 was ten years ago."
Surprised and confused expressions came across the workers faces. "What?" one asked.
Turning to Liara, Shepard said, "Let's arrange for these people to be evacuated into temporary quarantine."
"No memory of the last ten years," Liara frowned, "… they'll have a lot of catching up to do."
"Tell me about it," Edward frowned. "They were looking at me and Hastings confusedly. I guess they think I'm a robot. I'll bet they've never heard of the Taurian Concordat either."
"Definitely," Shepard nodded as they left for the shuttle. The mystery was starting to deepen.
(Author's Q&A)
SulliMike23: That they are. Plus, they're about to become even more desperate.
Just a Crazy-Man: Thank you.
edboy4926: Thank you.
THATs1I3ntGUY: Yep. If the Leviathans mess around, they're going to get messed by by a ship from the Concordat, courtesy of Jeffrey Calderon.
MarauderPrime12: Thank you.