Chapter 5: Commander vs Commandos
Reflexes kicked in. Shepard's feet moved automatically as one slid forward and the other back to the side, rotating her torso until her shoulder slipped through. She pushed the assailant away to create distance and buy enough seconds to see who it was. Those seconds were ripped away when an invisible force came crushing against her chest, pinning her to the wall momentarily. She blindly fired her new shotgun and fell to the floor with a grunt, released by the biotics for the assailant to dodge.
The shotgun was ripped out of her hands, and her pistol followed the same fate when she made the mistake of taking it out the holster. All she had left was the knife strapped to her boot, hidden under her pants. She rolled away to dodge a kick for her head and took out the knife, concealing it as she held it upside down to press the flat of the blade against her wrist. She came up and settled in a stance, but it was all for nothing.
Her own pistol pressed against her forehead.
For a minute, they had a stand off. Shepard tilted her head a little to see who was beyond the barrel of the gun. A pale blue asari with simple white markings, and her choice of attire did not reflect one who expected to be in combat, or perhaps one who was confident in their capabilities with the casual clothes they wore. The soldier knew she was being observed as well.
"You are with the Alliance," the asari noted robotically.
"Yes. Did you think I was a burglar or something?"
There was no answer. The asari's gaze travelled up and down, as if sizing Shepard up. Then her empty eyes snapped back to the soldier's.
"State your rank and occupation."
"Not until I know who I am speaking to."
The grip on the pistol was renewed with vigilance. Shepard watched the finger on the trigger and reacted when it began to press, grabbing the barrel of the gun as she drilled the hilt of her knife into the asari's wrist to forcibly turn her hand in towards her. The pistol was taken away with ease but Shepard hadn't aimed. She stuffed it back in her holster and secured it with the strap, then made a show of doing the same with her knife as she slid it back into its sheathe.
"It's not necessary for us to fight," Shepard urged calmly. "I can tell you aren't a soldier."
"I can also tell she isn't actually here, in her mind. Is she medicated?"
"Are you Commander Shepard?"
"What the hell?"
The soldier was caught off guard for a moment, her mind working to piece the puzzle together. Was there somebody at port security that leaked her location, that she was here on Thessia? Was it not wrong to be suspicious after all that Saren - or Matriarch Benezia - had sleeper agents?
Shepard crossed her arms with a shrug. "No. I'm Xio," two clicks off the roof of the mouth, "Mara."
It was mildly disconcerting that this asari seemed so subdued, at least for a civilian. She had the thousand-yard look without the haunted scars in her eyes. She spoke and carried herself with a sense of clarity that betrayed what she did not seem to possess of mind. She wasn't medicated. But what was she, then?
Suddenly, arms trapped Shepard again in a headlock in the blink of an eye. An invisible force pushed on the backs of her knees to make her kneel. This time, even with reflexes and training kicking in, she had trouble escaping the trap with the unnatural strength pushing on the back of her head to choke her against the forearm, her nerve expertly pressed.
She had seconds before she'd be rendered unconscious.
Shepard angled her synthetic leg towards her assailant and fought to create more distance between that and her organic leg. She was forced to let go of the arms and quickly engaged her omni-tool to send a command. In seconds, molten heat seared the air with a loud crackle. The calf of her pants became incinerated as the jet on her synthetic leg burst to life, firing away to burn the asari.
Charred flesh suffocated the soldier, as did the arms that refused to release her.
"What are you doing?!" Shepard wheezed, able to get the pressure off her nerve, but not the forearm crushing her throat in.
There was no response. The asari was sure to have her legs melting beneath her, and there was no expression of pain. As their height differences levelled out, Shepard was able to break free the second there was a gap, prying off the hand that clutched behind her head and throttle the asari over her shoulder. She disengaged her synthetic leg's jet and looked down, where the back of her boot was melted straight through and slipped off. The asari's purple blood was a puddle behind her.
"I've seen a lot of shit, but this..."
Shepard gawked at the asari who had still persisted, crawling towards her. She walked backwards as she tried to analyze the asari's empty eyes, but was forced to react when a hand stretched out to her. She stepped out to the side to dodge what she assumed were biotics, then circled up behind as she stepped over what was left of the asari's body. She unsheathed her knife and gave a merciful end as she grabbed the asari's crest to lift the head, slitting the throat.
Still, bleeding out, the asari tried to fight to her last breath, never making any move to grab her throat in an attempt to save herself for her last few seconds of life. There was never an ounce of pain betrayed on her features.
The soldier went over to the far wall and collected the shotgun off the ground, never taking her eyes off the abnormal creature that eerily crawled towards her, however slow. When the empty eyes turned glassy, and the head suddenly fell with a flop, Shepard kept her guard up even higher and aimed the shotgun as she waited.
"No telling what kind of shit will happen now, even with her 'dead'. Was she already dead to not feel any of that?"
Whatever was going on in here, she needed to find Dr. T'Soni right away. She won't be able to fend off with biotics alone.
The halls were guaranteed not to be safe anymore, and Shepard's gut rang strong that this asari wasn't going to be the only one here. She looked around the room, wondering how she was even able to be ambushed in a brightly lit one, until she spotted a vent cover in the ceiling. If the enemy was hiding and watching from in there, she needed to flush them out. She dragged the table of shotguns over and climbed up to remove the cover. She put her shotgun inside before she hopped up and grabbed hold, carefully lifting just enough to scan both ends of the vents before she pulled herself up and in.
Shepard took out her pistol then slung the strap of the shotgun over her shoulder. She crawled down the shaft and peeked through every cover she passed, trying to see if there have been any signs of a struggle.
Faint voices propelled her to crawl faster, especially when she had recognized one of those voices.
And it was in distress.
"Just hang on for a little longer..." Shepard inwardly prayed and steeled herself for what she might see this time. The vent shaft dropped straight below, the only way to peek through the cover was to jump straight through and enter the fray. She couldn't. She needed to analyze the situation, and closed her eyes as she listened to the distressed voice choke.
"Wh-what's gotten into you, Kaleema? Why are you doing this?"
"Kaleema. She knows the assailant." Shepard almost grimaced. "She'll be rattled if she sees the state of the other body, but perhaps I can describe the appearance to see if she knew that person as well."
"All of you, I don't understand... Did mother order you to do this?"
"All? How many? C'mon, Dr. T'Soni. Give me an idea here."
There was nothing but continued pleading for the 'others' to come to their senses. Pleas that evidently fell on deaf ears as it sounded as though it was getting harder and harder for the archaeologist to speak, gasping quick shallow breaths in between. There was a clatter. Something that sounded as though it was getting knocked over. It was getting harder and harder for the soldier to listen.
"Please," Dr. T'Soni wheezed. "I know none of you would ever do this or want this..."
Another clatter, another gasp. Then a muffled rhythmic thudding, as if she was kicking something soft.
"I-I could..." A gasp. "I c-could go for some Shirvan..."
Shepard clenched her teeth and holstered her pistol. She flipped in the vent shaft and began her rapid descent, curling her organic leg so that the cybernetic one would take the brunt of the impact. She crashed through with the cover and had landed on something, never stopping as she embraced the momentum of surprise - only that surprise didn't last long, as if she was expected.
With the nearest asari, Shepard kicked the back of a knee to force her down, grabbing the chin and crest as she snapped the neck in a swift motion. Her gaze glossed over the archaeologist's for a moment, levitating in air as she had grabbed her throat, choked presumably by precise control of biotics. Not for long.
"Please close your eyes, Dr. T'Soni."
"Wa-wait, Commander! They're not themselves!"
Shepard ignored the plea as she worked on the second asari, who advanced to her. Her synthetic leg snapped up and kicked for the head, watching the empty eyes of the second asari who had dodged to the side. Before she had a chance to counterattack, Shepard bent her leg and locked the asari's neck in the crook of her knee as she bent down in a swift kneel, snapping the neck between her hamstring and calf.
"Kaleema, please, stop," the archaeologist shouted, strained. She clawed at her throat and coughed her words. "Don't throw your life away!"
"These ones are geared," Shepard noted as the third asari charged for her. "They're not civilians. Are these the commandos Dr. T'Soni spoke of?"
Whomever they were, they all wore the same blank expressions. Something was very, very wrong here. Shepard was distracted by T'Soni's pained shriek and glanced over, then took off running to catch the free-falling archaeologist, who had been lifted up to the tall ceiling. She engaged her synthetic leg's jet for a short powerful burst as she leapt, propelling herself faster for the last few meters. As soon as a body crashed into her arms, she turned to protect them as they sailed and crashed into a couch, knocking it over.
Gulps of air were taken as quickly as possible. T'Soni scrambled off and onto her hands and knees, either ignoring the injuries she sustained, or numbed by the adrenaline coursing through her. She grabbed hold of the soldier's shoulders with one last plea.
"Please, Commander. Don't kill Kaleema or Neekoo."
"That's not them anymore," Shepard grunted as she pushed herself up more into sitting. "I got attacked earlier by a civilian. All their eyes look the same."
She touched her temple out of instinct from feeling something slide down her face. T'Soni grabbed the hem of her sleeve up onto her palm and gently wiped the soldier's blood away, though it streamed steadily. Heavy footsteps methodically approached, and Shepard watched as panic seized the archaeologist when she looked over the couch. Even when she was on the verge of death, she wanted to show mercy to these assailants?
"Emotions are clouding her judgment because she knows them." Shepard nipped the edge of her tongue as she turned and peeked over the couch. "I understand, but..."
"Comma-"
"I have to. It's us or them. Our mission is too important to die here."
"They wouldn't ever do this, not willingly. Let me try talking to them again."
"I'm not letting you die either," Shepard hissed over her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Dr. T'Soni. The least I can do is make it swift and painless."
She launched herself over the couch before the heart overpowered the mind, a lingering puzzle in the back of her thoughts as she pondered what exactly the archaeologist was doing to even threaten to dissuade her in the first place. Was it the emotions in her eyes, contrasting the lack of such in the commandos that calmly advanced towards her now? Was it the way her voice was breaking, on the edge of a cliff, behaving as if it was worse than when it was her life that was hanging there moments ago?
"I don't have time, I can't afford to be distracted right now."
Shepard watched the watchers, who had spread apart and surrounded her on her sides. She had done what she could to prevent this place from turning into a battlefield out of respect for the archaeologist, but the commandos had holstered guns. It was only a matter of time before they'd come out into play.
Before they could, the commandos were knocked off their feet. Shepard glanced over her shoulder and saw how the archaeologist had come out into play herself, her hands stretched out as she wore a look of intense concentration. The commandos were lifted in the air, though they remained eerily calm as their gazes locked onto T'Soni like some kind of missile-guiding system. The archaeologist grunted and she had slid back a few feet when a force attempted to thwart her and knock her away.
"Please," T'Soni managed through gritted teeth.
The omni-tool was engaged before things could be thought through.
"Normandy, this is Commander Shepard. Lock onto my position and send the coordinates to Lieutenant Alenko."
≤Roger that, Commander.≥
A comm-link was established after with Kaidan as Shepard approached the two commandos levitating in the air, their gazes slowly swivelling over to her. She was directly beneath them, disconcerted even with efforts to remain calm, putting her trust in T'Soni to maintain this biotic field. It was impressive that the archaeologist could manipulate control of her biotics to this degree, despite being a civilian herself.
"Lieutenant Alenko, the Normandy will send you coordinates of my location soon. I need your assistance in apprehending two suspects and taking them back to the Normandy for interrogation. Organize whoever is currently with you and come as soon as you are able to. Take Wrex if you can, his biotics will be necessary."
≤Aye aye, Commander. I received your location. ETA: 21 minutes. Alenko out.≥
Good, he - and hopefully others - were relatively nearby. Shepard glanced over her shoulder at the archaeologist who was visibly straining by the second.
"Lower them to the ground, Dr. T'Soni, and make sure their arms are locked down more than anything else."
T'Soni nodded tiredly. The commandos were lowered cautiously, and Shepard came up to stand face-to-face with one of them as she peered deeper into their eyes. Nothing. No reaction, no anger, no fear. The pupils weren't even dilated with adrenaline. Could the asari exercise superior control over their nervous systems like this?
She was pushed back by a force targeted at her stomach, and swiftly stepped out to the side when she had noticed the other commando was able to wiggle a finger. They were able to engage like this biotics even without activating more neuro-receptors for it.
"C-Commander, I can't hold this forever," T'Soni confessed.
"Sorry," Shepard said as she circled behind the first commando.
With arms locked in a sleeper hold, she pushed on the back of the crest as she tightened her organic arm against the throat, clenching her fist as tightly as possible to flex the muscle. The biotic field around this commando was suspended as the body slackened significantly against Shepard, who grunted from the weight, and carefully took the asari down to the ground. She repeated it with the second commando, disturbed by the way a head was able to turn and calm eyes observed her throughout the whole hold, until rendered unconscious. As soon as the asari was down on the ground, T'Soni fixed the couch with her biotics and collapsed onto it, her head buried in her hands.
Shepard didn't know what to say, as she had looked at the other two she had killed. She slowly approached the archaeologist and stood awkwardly, her rear finding the couch when T'Soni had sucked in a sharp gasp.
Before the soldier knew it, there was a body leaning heavily against her. It did not seem to satisfy and T'Soni had grabbed onto a shoulder to turn Shepard, where arms were thrust out and pulling into an embrace. Instinct guided Shepard's hands as they found the archaeologist's waist. She had no words, and as adrenaline faded away, she felt aches and pains throughout her body, unaware when she had received her injuries herself.
"By the Goddess, how am I supposed to stop this madness?" T'Soni shuddered with her words. "They did not even seem to be present nor recognize me, and I grew up with Kaleema." Poisonous anger swiftly swept her tone. "What has mother done to them? How could she allow this, to leave them here for... For what?"
"It could be Saren," Shepard blurted. "We have yet to investigate the property. They may have been left here to guard those secrets."
Blaming Saren was the only comfort she could think of to give. Even though she had deduced it did not seem to be the cause of medication, she pushed forward with that white lie anyways, puzzling herself in the process.
"They could be under the influence of drugs, or drugs were used in order to manipulate them in the first place. I have seen that before with batarians using slaves and children to fight 'willingly' for them."
The body in her arms tensed. She felt more awkward by the growing second and wanted nothing more than her precious space. She bit back a sigh and tried again, seeking something less depressing as she formulated a plan in hopes it would ease whatever concerns the archaeologist may have had, moving forward from this mess.
"Dr. Chakwas will run scans on them and find out if there is anything in their system. I will ask her to induce them in a temporary coma if we do not find any information here. Later after we've finished our investigation at your university, we'll return to the Normandy and set off for our next destination. We will wake them and I will interrogate them."
"The university," T'Soni sighed, her body sagging further as if she was melting into a puddle. "I forgot about that... Could we rest for today and investigate tomorrow? I don't know if I can make the 3 hour trip without losing my mind on our way there."
"Of course. Take the time you need to collect yourself. It is vital that we remain composed in order to be more effective in our investigation."
Shepard removed her hands as a hint, only to place them back when the archaeologist did not seem interested in heeding the hint and pulling away.
"I do not know anyone who could be composed after this," T'Soni muttered. "Goddess..."
There was a slight tremble in her muscles, and her skin was cool and clammy. She was about to go into shock, if she already wasn't.
"Lay down on the couch," the soldier commanded. She looked around for a blanket, though hands wrapped around her wrist and prevented her from moving too far away. She frowned softly as she looked at the pleading eyes. "You are going into shock, Dr. T'Soni. We need to treat it, it can turn dangerous in the blink of an eye. Afterwards, if you are comfortable, I would like to remove your clothing to assess and treat any hidden injuries."
"W-we should do that for you first." T'Soni flushed a little. Not a good sign. "You have visible injuries. Serious ones."
Shepard looked down at herself, at the cause of the aches and pains. Her organic hand was chafed from the rapid descent in the vent shaft. She had a couple gashes and little cuts here and there, and she was sure to have bruises from the biotics. Her synthetic leg was now on full display with her boot and pant leg burnt off. She could see the cause for concern.
So, somewhere, it was easy to find that measure of comfort to give. She smiled.
"I'm fine, don't worry, Dr. T'Soni. It's just a scratch."
There was a mirthless chuckle. A victory. A small one, but she would always take them wherever she could get them.
"They look worse than that, Commander. And how are you not even disturbed by any of this?"
The soldier's smile grew wry, and she shrugged. "Well, I've been knocked down, blown up, poisoned, shit on and shot at, so nothing surprises me much anymore." She squeezed T'Soni's shoulder before she gently pulled away. "The only one who nearly succeeded was when she attempted to assassinate me with horrible cooking."
Another chuckle, one imbued with just a touch bit more life. Good.
"Lay down and try to rest now, Dr. T'Soni. I'll look around here to see if I can find something to cover you."
"Alright." T'Soni's gaze flickered to the dead bodies for a second, and then she rolled to face the couch. Her voice fell to a mumble. "Thank you, Commander."
Her shoulders quivered. The soldier was at a loss of what to do or say again. She awkwardly patted T'Soni's shoulder. "Anytime."
Shepard searched for some kind of blanket in what appeared to be an entertainment room, with a bar that sported a wall fully stocked with the notoriously expensive Serrice Ice Brandy. Some bottles were broken, a sad day indeed with good liquor wasted.
"A sad day with me having to hurt her friends," Shepard chastised herself.
She found a throw blanket that had been thrown under a regal looking sofa, where it's legs were up in the air. She quietly fixed the sofa and propped it against the wall before she took the blanket back with her to cover the archaeologist, then sat down on the small sliver of space as she pressed against T'Soni's back. The muscles tightened and shivered occasionally. Shepard took out the vool-bar in her pocket and blindly reached behind her, the offer wordlessly taken. The noise of the packaging ripped open was all that was between them, and the silence was uncomfortable straight from the start.
"What the hell can anyone even say to this? About this?"
Shepard scanned the dead bodies, making a mental note on where to drag and hide them out of sight before she let T'Soni back up. She listened to the munching behind her, occasionally checking her omni-tool for the time. They would have to go back to the gate to unlock it and let Alenko in, but they couldn't afford to let the unconscious commandos out of sight.
"I can't let her go on her own. What if-"
"Commander... Are you more suspicious of me now?"
The question was concerning. Shepard glanced over her shoulder to take a peek at the side of the archaeologist's face that she could see.
"Why do you ask that?"
"They're people that I know. We are in my mother's home. I did not aid in... I was a hindrance instead, and stopped you from..."
"Neutralizing the threat," the soldier stated flatly. She looked back at the dead bodies. "No, I am not more suspicious of you, Dr. T'Soni."
"Even with all this evidence?"
"You're neglecting to address the key fact that has presented itself." Shepard blindly reached until she cupped the asari's shoulder. "You did aid me, and you are in shock. That's not something a guilty person would do." She felt a body twist towards her and then felt eyes on her. She met them steadily. "Just because you did not neutralize the threat the way I would have does not mean you are an enemy. You showed there's a better method, a reasonable and merciful one. Apprehending them may very well give us the best information than it would with us blindly searching this entire property, though I would still like to visit offices, if your mother had any. And if you are feeling up to it."
"They did not respond no matter what I said," T'Soni rolled back into the couch, threatened to wallow in defeat. "How will we get any information?"
"That's for me to worry about. You just rest." Shepard checked the time. "Lieutenant Alenko should be here any moment. We have to think of how to open the gate without leaving these two unattended."
"There is a manual lever on the other side of the gate, I can-"
"Rest." Shepard rose and sent a message off to the LT that she would wait by the gate. "I'll be quick, and I'll set up motion sensors outside this room in case if anyone else is here."
For some reason, T'Soni suddenly slammed on her back on the couch, her expression rife with concern. The soldier looked up at the ceiling to see if there was some unsuspecting threat hiding up there, but there was nothing. She arched her brow as she looked back down to meet the terrified eyes.
"Motion sensors? Non-exploding motion sensors?" T'Soni clarified.
Shepard chuckled as she walked out. She decided the best answer was no answer as she gave the archaeologist something else to panic about.
On the cab ride back to the Normandy, Shepard sat silently beside the archaeologist as she monitored the vid-feed on her omni-tool with the connection she shared with Alenko, who was on another cab. The commandos were still unconscious and Wrex was sandwiched in between them to guard them. She never took her eyes off them for a moment, even when T'Soni broke the silence.
"I should have heeded your caution when you took measures to ensure we were not walking into a trap..."
She seemed almost as if she was in utter refusal to release herself from guilt. Shepard couldn't afford to look over, though, and blindly felt along until her hand found a knee.
"We did not walk into a trap, Dr. T'Soni."
"We... We didn't?"
"No." Shepard squeezed gently. "We would not have had the success we had if they had expected us and planned their ambush."
For some reason, the archaeologist sighed at that instead. Was it not comforting? Perhaps not. Perhaps it did little to prove her sense of guilt wrong and appease it. Right now, Shepard's focus was invested in the vid-feed. There was no telling when those commandos would awaken, and if they would be able to break free from their binds. She shoved danger onto her team, not geared or adequately prepared.
Emotions were just going to have to wait.
"So that she can shut off completely?" Came the inner chastising, renewed with full force. "Success? I killed two of her friends and was about to kill the other two. I still didn't tell her about the one I encountered. What if they're best friends, or a nanny? This is a shitshow."
"Commander... If it's okay... Could I return home after Dr. Chakwas treats our injuries?"
"We both will." Shepard squeezed the knee again. "I apologize if you would rather be alone right now, Dr. T'Soni, but I won't let you be."
"N-no, that's okay. You're the only one I trust right now. I was hoping you would stay with me, but didn't know how to ask."
"She trusts me, and I'm still... Even after what I told her..." Shepard frowned at herself. "What's wrong with me? My instincts absolved her. It's not as though I believe she's the enemy, anymore. So what exactly don't I trust her with?" She shook it out her mind and gave a quick smile, before she glued her attention back to her omni-tool. "You can ask me anything at any time, Dr. T'Soni. Well, that is, so long as it's not about my cybernetics, or if I'd like to be poisoned by nonperishable goods again."
For some reason, there was no answer. There was a sense of wide eyes crawling all over the soldier. She confirmed it with a quick glance.
"What? What's with that look?"
"Do you have any food aboard the Normandy that we could take with us? That soup is all that I have."
"Oh. Oh, this couldn't have been timed any better. It's going to be my turn now."
It took all of Shepard's discipline not to smile evilly.
"Of course, Dr. T'Soni. We'll take some MREs with us before we return home."
At that, the archaeologist visibly melted with relief.
"Just you wait. Sweet, sweet revenge..."