Author's Note: Okay so Chapter is finish now, going back to my writing binge from the long weekend now. Read, Review, Favourite and Enjoy!
Chapter 9: Union Space Part 3
The Prethoryn Queen's screams hadn't quieted down any, nor had the assault of the Prethoryn. Just as Shepard's group was about to get overwhelmed but the shrieking monsters the tunnel leading to the Queen was suddenly consumed by flame and acid. Shepard simultaneously grabbed everyone she could and held them down with a with a psionic barrier as the fire passed over them and scorched the creatures they had been fighting, then a few minutes later as they were about to be overwhelmed again it happened a second time, and then a third. And then the Screeching finally stopped.
"Commander!" Zaeed contacted Shepard from the Queen's chamber. "We've secured the Queen and are now on our way out."
"Make a hole!" Shepard's fellow Dragoons stood up, along with whatever charred Prethoryn were left that could still be reanimated after being fried extra crispy and mauled by fighting their fellow Prethoryn, and opened fire on the gathered enemy. "The thing we came here for is about to arrive so hurry it up!"
"Back up's on the way commander." Zaeed informed as Shepard heard something making a great deal of ruckus as it charged down the tunnel. "Very angry back up!"
"RRRAAAWWWRRR!" Wrex's entire body was wrapped in glorious biotic light as he charged down the tunnel system. Shepard attempted to read his mind and figure out what he was doing but all she got back was almost pure unbridaled rage mixed with some pain.
Wrex grabbed hold of the nearest Prethoryn and ripped it in half, another had his plasma shotgun rammed down it's throat and Wrex fired repeatedly sending red hot plasma down it's throat and torching it's insides. Shepard used her psionic abilities to mask their collective presence leading to Wrex to focus on the living Prethoryn exclusively. Charging by the group of Union Mercenaries the Krogan grabbed hold of one Preythoryn by it's tail and used it as a bludgeon to hit the other Prethoryn with. Trampling with slams, pinning with biotic fields, brutal acts of savagery, the unity of Biotics and Union weapons technology. These acts of blatant destruction filled the tunnel alongside the smell of Prethoryn carcasses. The Preythoryn were focusing their attention on Wrex, this was naturally as Wrex had the blood of the nascent queen all over his body and the Prethoryn could no longer feel her presence.
"Where'd you find this one?" Zaeed asked looking at Wrex in amazement, two Golema behind him pulling along the Prethoryn in a anti Psi containment cell.
"Council Space." Wrex ripped from arse to appetite corpse of a Prethoryn flew over the group's heads and landed down the tunnel behind them. Zaeed made a note to recruit in Council space in the near future. "Support him and move out! We got ourselves a battering ram people!"
As the group approached the entrance they were greeted by the sound of chittering slugs as they continuously dropped the bodies of dead Prethoryn. And then suddenly, all as one, the dead monsters rose up under the influence of Lich Necromancers and, out numbering the living Prethoryn three to one, proceeded to drown them in acid bile as Shepard's group arrived at the entrance. After several minutes of continuously ripping apart the Prethoryn and using his warp ammo on his plasma shotgun Wrex had been exhausted, if there was any good takeaway from his rampage it was the excess number of acid spitting turrets they now had covering them.
"Lower your Draw Cables!" Shepard snapped to the sound of Chittering laughter coming through her coms. "I said lower your cables we're buggering out of here!" Shepard shouted into her communicator.
The Tebrid's subsequently lowered their cables. Shepard and the rest of the team attached the cables to their suits and to the Prethoryn Queen allowing them to be ascended to the top of the opening and from their, pulled on a cord and inflated hydrogen balloons lifting them into the air into a awaiting space ship, after that they fled through the nearest laneway to safety as the space born Prethoryn went mad.
"Well." Wrex cracked his neck. If he was back in his ship he would be cracking open a cylinder of Ryncol right now. "That was fun."
"Can't say I disagree." Shepard stated getting some catharsis out of killing the shrieking abominations after going through simulations of being eaten by them for over a decade.
"So what are we going to do with that?" Wrex asked indicating the captive Queen.
"Give her to the Egg Heads." Shepard stated by way of reply. "In the mean time we wait and rest, heal, various other adjectives for recovery." Zaeed looked at Shepard expectantly while he was tapping his foot. Shepard opened her tablet and made several transactions, Zaeed received a notification from his bank, nodded his head in satisfaction, then left. "Pay the hired thugs."
"I'm gonna be heading back to Council Space soon enough. Got another job I need to finish with." Wrex cracked his neck. "Afterwards I need to pay a visit to my home world Tuchanka." Wrex dropped a souvenir he had picked up in all of the commotion, a Prethoryn head, still attached to most of its spine. "Seems as good a time as any to pull my people back together again."
A shipyard had been built around the Quarian world of Rannoch, the Quarian's themselves were formally beginning the various legal procedures to begin joining the Union proper, in the mean time their ships were seeing some long, long over do TLC. By council standards, even the most advanced technology of the ships were a generation out of date, most of them were manufactured a period of time ago that stretched the triple digits, that didn't even touch on the fact that even modern council technology was far below Union standards. To put it another way, rather than receiving long overdue maintenance, the ships were more accurately being taken apart, broken down and recycled into new ships. With the use of Omni-gel technology the vast majority of ship components could be easily recycled, it also gave the Tebrid's the opportunity to experiment with the limits of Omni-gel as well. That said the majority of technology being installed necessitated shipments from the Union. One of these ships suddenly got hit by a massive biotic pulse causing its exhaust port to detonate disabling the ship in the process, the source a Council Ship that had approached the unarmed cargo liner under diplomatic pretences.
One of the results of the Volus's experiments with Union Materials went as follows. Plasma formed from Exotic Gases, dubbed Exotic Plasma, had a volatile reaction to Biotic fields, this made it difficult to perform the usual Mass Effect upgrade to the technology but there was a upside from the experiments, a way to disable Union ships that are propelled by a plasma exhaust. The disabled ship was boarded by a group largely consisting of Salarian's, however there was one Turian and one Asari as well.
"Ruin their day." At the Turian's command the Asari moved forward.
Several Custodians were armed with plasma shot guns in their hovering drone, the blue heavily armed woman responded with a laugh and a singularity, the ball of super gravity caught all of the attacks and pulled them inside itself along with debris from the environment and even some Custodian's themselves. The Ball exploded in a red hot mass of fiery doom and wiped the drones off the map.
"They don't look so tough." The blood thirsty Asari stated as she shrugged her shoulders.
"We were lucky. This is a civilian ship, I've seen what their military is like." Seen his own ship sucked dry of all of it's power, seen his crew reduced to laughing and dancing idiots by some mystery gas, they were lucky that whatever that crap was it didn't have a bad reaction to Dextro life, beyond being humiliated that is. Somehow the damned slugs had taken video footage of the entire incident and uploaded it to the extra net, he attempted to have it taken down but every time he did so it uploaded itself again.
"Then lets go get what we came here for before we get caught." Lots of speciality parts were loaded onto the cargo ship, moving this much stuff out in a timely fashion would require the brute strength of an Elcor, or the biotic might of a trained Asari. "What are we here for? Thrusters? Weapons? Shields?"
"The juiciest fruit is right over here." Saying that the Turian leading the raid indicated a console like contraption with three pedals and six keyboard like things.
"What kind of creature was this made for?" One of the Salarian's asked looking at the console with a strange look.
"The kind with six arms and three feet." General Desolas could hear the little yellow bastards chittering with laughter already. "Now move it, I don't want to have to be escorted off of the ship dancing again do any of you?" At that point General Desolas looked at one of the few surviving Custodian's that were on the ground and promptly rectified the issue there by ending the video transmission.
Already the Custodian's were processing the new information and making countermeasures. To begin with they brought up audio recordings of all the known Turian's they could access, based on the comment about Dancing off of the ship they zeroed in one incident in particular.
"Stellar Union! You have violated Council Space! Turn your ship around immediately or we will open fire!" General Desolas Arterius of the Turian Hedgemony.
Audio... inconclusive. Facial... Inconclusive. They never had to identify a Turian before. They brought up several audio and visual files of Turian's they had on record and compiled a record for the diversity of their facial features. Eye distance, Mandible length, head shape, most distinctive of all: face tattoo's breaking them down by colony. It was difficult to identify Turian's voice from voice, the universal translators garble their voices. But the face on the other hand? By every conceivable measure the Custodian's could make use of, and there were many, these two were one and the same.
Inside of the Council meeting room Sparatus and Tevos were watching video footage taken from within a research facility inside of a gas giant. The Volus were successful in weaponising the materials the Union had given them, dare say it but in some areas they may have even improved upon them. At least if the union ops to wreak their ugly heads they may win.
"Looks like we have the basics of how the technology works down pat now." General Sparatus would be having a great day if not for one detail. "We've almost reached the point where your hoard of mad scientists can start tearing the technology apart and put it back together again."
"Erg." Valern barely gave a grunt of acknowledgement as he furiously flew his hands over a omni-board. A cusp of a new technological era and this guy could barely even pay attention to what was going on. Something was definitely wrong. "Valern, what in spirits name has your rapt and undivided attention so badly that you can't even watch this video?"
"Better that you do not know." When a Salarian says that to you it either means that they are preparing to do something horrible to you or they have done something to wit words cannot describe the horrors that they have unleashed. The other two councillors hoped for the first. They would still have the chance to avert the apocalypse if he did the first.
"Please tell me you haven't done what I thought you've done..." Sparatus asked looking at his fellow Councilor with clear concern.
"Trying not to. Too busy saving civilisation as we know it." As Valern explained, a new arrival made itself known.
Unless it is in a state of emergency the Citadel is normally 'open' it's massive cylindrical/oval shape folded out like the petals of a flower, the ceiling there in projecting a holographic representation of the space outside. Thus above all five of the artificial skies above the City station of the Citadel a massive gothic ship like a tomb the size of a city made itself known, easily twice the length of the Citadel while in it's 'closed' state. A single ship departed from the massive flying tomb and proceeded to make it's way over to the Citadel's docks.
"Unidentified ship you are-"
"Move." A single gravelly voice echoed out, indicating the civilian ship that had just parked before the massive ship had arrived to clear out.
"You are not autho-" A single laser beam fired from the ship, blowing a hole through the docks, the ship that was occupying what it considered it's parking space, and terminal station on the other side. The shot managed to narrowly avoid mass casualties, a group of biotics had thrown some junk in the way to prevent explosive decompression, now was that intentional or... "Make a hole before they punch anymore into the station!"
The Council directly contacted C-Sec, C-Sec contacted the dockyard, the dockyard immediately complied with the demands made of them. Technically the docking clamps on the Citadel weren't compatible with the Union ship but it wasn't to the point that brute force would resolve the situation. The boarding hatch immediately opened and the sound of loud stomping boots echoed out as a familiar figure in golden scalemail armour stomped his way out of the ship. Everyone felt a presence simultaneously, like a knitting needle being jammed into their skulls. And then it vanished as the Dragoon had stepped aside to make way for more figures. Anyone who was in attendance at the peace conference would instantly recognise High Lord Xidre of the Lich Necropsy in his regalia walking out of the ship, accompanied by two more Flerkin Bodyguards, strapped to their backs a set of intimating plasma shot guns, and at their sides familiar mace staffs strong and durable enough to smash their way through a ship.
"High Lord Xidre." The docks captain had his hand on his ear as if holding a ear piece, likely the one he was using to communicate directly to the council with. "If you allow us a moment we'll have a shuttle ready to take you directly to the coun-"
"I have my own." The wall next to them made a creaking noise as the ship opened a hole in the wall to make way for another ramp, from which a vehicle resembling a muscle car rolled down the ramp. "And I know exactly where the council has their chambers." The Dragoon made a show of opening the shotgun door for Xidre who walked in and sat down followed up by his three bodyguards taking up the driver's and passenger seats respectively.
"Sir the area beyond this point is not cleared for-"
"This vehicle is not limited to the ground." As Xidre said that Leo the Dragoon pressed a button on the steering wheel and the sound of hydraulics were let out as the four wheels folded downwards and turned into turbines promptly carrying the vehicle into the air as it headed directly for the council chambers.
"I couldn't stall them." The Dock boss stated into his ear piece once more. "I suggest you find cover, they don't look like they are planning on taking the elevator."
Once the flying car was aligned with the Council Chambers Leo put the thing into the equivalent of park, stood up in his street, was handed what suspiciously looked like a RPG launcher by one of his fellow humanoid cats, before taking aim at the Council itself. The blast rocked the area around the council as various civilians ducked for cover in order to escape the falling glass and other debris. With the obstruction out of the way Leo handed the weapon back to his fellow Flerkin and resumed the trip inside of the council chambers, turning the car back into a land vehicle and parking it in the middle of the council chambers.
"Well..." Sparatus was the first to step out from behind the Council's podium, followed up by Tevos. "You don't mess around do you?"
Sparatus noted that the apparent main cause of this turmoil, Valern, wasn't making his presence known, and so naturally rectified this gross miscarriage by grabbing the Salarian by the horn as he was finishing the matter he was so desperately typing out and threw him onto the council floors. In the mean time one of the Flerkin body guards had stepped out to the side of the car and opened the door for the High Lord. Xidre didn't step out, but he did swing himself around to face the council in time to receive a glass of an expensive looking wine from another of his body guards, with a straw so that he could drink it through his suit's food port.
"Karos Seven, with a vintage of over three hundred years. I would offer you a glass but I'm afraid it would kill most species."
"That's alright, I'm something of a teetotaller." Sparatus replied simply as he dragged Valern over by his horn and sat him down in front of Xidre. "I don't know what the source of your anger is, but I believe this person knows why you have come here."
The wine(?) drinking skeleton's eye sockets glowed a haunting green exposing a fanged skull behind the pitch black of the visor. Sparatus's eyes glowed the same green as the Skeleton, and then Tevos, before finally Valern's as well.
"Two of you weren't aware of what happened." The skeleton focused on Sparatus. "You however enabled him. Or did you think he meant to 'acquire' our technology via a more hospitable method?"
"There are black markets for everything if you look hard enough." Sparatus replied shrugging his shoulders.
"Meaning that you only meant to lightly offend us so that you wouldn't incur our wrath?" The Skeleton gave the impression of cocking his brow in thought. "Am I supposed to be less angry about that?"
Sparatus thought it over yet. The bone head already read his mind, there's no point in not being honest with him. "...no. I wouldn't be. Now that he knows the rest of us weren't involved in this mad scheme of yours do you finally mind explaining to us what it is that you did?"
"Deployed STG unit to attempt to acquire Union technology, preferred diplomacy, purchasing was made possible, didn't leave specifications." Valern explained simply as he prepared to stand up.
"Meaning that you didn't care what they did." Xidre translated before he sipped his drink. "After stealing the Tebrid's technology your men scuttled their ship, costing the Programs of the Custodian's and Tebrid's that were on board their continued existence, by all definitions that makes your people murderer's."
"Yes we understand." Tevos would back pedal on the lost of AI programs as murder later. People, small weird yellow people, were dead and that needed to be answered for. "We will assist you in any way that we can to find the ones responsible."
"Oh I hope so." Xidre held up a small holographic projector, above it images were filed through six at a time, most of them were Salarians. "Because despite your colleague's best efforts to keep you two innocent in our eyes it's not just his people that are involved." The final two of the individuals on the corpse's hit list were a purple skinned Asari, and a Turian with turquoise tattoos going across his face.
"Damnit Valern!" Sparatus cursed as he looked at the two individuals in question.
One was a decorated Turian General, was being the keyword, recently he's gotten into a rather unpleasant scandal involving a failed attempt to force a Union ship to stand down which resulted in a defeat that can be politely summarised as humiliating, the other was a known Council Spectre of ill repute Tela Vasir.
"I was not aware of the General's or the Spectre's involvement!" Valern snapped genuinely shocked.
"They didn't know what they were until you two opened your mouth's." Tevos however simply let out a sigh.
"All of you are guilty and all of you will help us to clean up the mess you have made. Am I understood?" Xidre didn't appreciate the attempts to shift blame around, they are in this together and they can take their lumps together.
"How do you want to play this? Spectre's are experts in stealth and espionage, if we publicly announce that we are looking for one then she is going to disappear with as many assets as possible." Tevos asked looking at the corpse concerned.
"Already knows that we're after her. Spent past two hours severing all ties to her leading back to the Citadel." Valern explained indicating his Keyboard.
The moment he found out about what the fools had done he severed any connection they had back to the citadel. You can't take too few precautions when dealing with telepaths.
"Which will make it a lot harder for us to bring her in. Are the Salarian's at least going to be this uncooperative?" Sparatus asked looking down at his seated colleague.
"Some attempted to go rogue, others stayed loyal, most have killed each other already." Valern stated shrugging his shoulders causing the other councilors to let out a sigh.
"We'll have to send another Spectre after them if we want to bring them in." Sparatus stated as he already worked on his Omni-tool. "I have one in mind."
"Desolas's brother? Really?" Xidre asked having already read the Turian's mind.
"It feels pretty rude when you just blatantly read our minds like that." Sparatus replied as he didn't stop working.
"We consider it rude when people blow up our ships." Truthfully, if Xidre really did just consider that on the level of 'being rude' then the council could consider themselves to be quite lucky. And they knew it.
"Touche. But my point is that we might be able to end this without any more bloodshed." Sparatus countered bluntly. "That is... agreeable. Very well, my man here will be joining yours on your little man hunt." Xidre stated while indicating the Dragoon next to him.
Within Batarian Space, however little of it had been left, a new group of refugee's had just arrived on Khar'shan the Batarian home-world, not one of the endless series of shoddy Batarian ships fleeing the end of their worlds, but rather a group that on any other era would have been blown off the map before they had even entered the system.
"Tough times make for strange friendships as they say." One of the former Batarian Priests led the group consisting of Desolas Arterius, Tela Vasir and their Salarian allies through the ruins of one of the ancient Prothean ruins of Kharsum. "We don't need to stay long, just long enough for Tela to get in touch with her contact."
Tela is a Spectre, which should mean that she first and foremost works for the Citadel Council. Except that Tela Vasir was also on the pay role of the top Information Broker in Council space the Shadow Broker, his previous attempts to derive information on the Union through his spy sent into their space has thus far fallen flat on its face, so now he was expanding the number of personnel on the job. Tela's own efforts were a touch more... savage than Wrex's were, the reputations of their respective species be damned, but the argument on their respective successes spoke for themselves, just as soon as she can contact the shadowy bastard.
"We don't let just anyone have access to these ruins." The Priest explained as he punched in a code to a door that was definitely not originally part of the ruins. "Tell me what you know about our people's history?"
"These ruins were supposed to have been partially destroyed when an earthquake hit the place, that's why all of your tech is second rate in comparison to the rest of us." Tela explained as her party followed. "It is true that these ruins have been partially destroyed, but not by an Earthquake, nor is the source of our technology Prothean." Desolas shook his head, something about this place was giving him a headache but he wasn't sure what.
"Then what have you been basing your technology off of?" Desolas asked if for no other reason than to take his mind off of his constantly growing migraine.
"Presenting..." The Priest made a dramatic wave with his omni-tool and several lights turned on over a vast space, revealing the broken burnt out husk of a massive cuddlefish-like space ship. "The Beast of Kharsum, the Leviathan of Dis." Desolas's headache was starting to get better, not going away completely but almost like it had settled. "If the Protheans are the god's of the Galaxy then this is the Devil."
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