Bones in the ocean
Disclaimer
Starcraft is the property of Blizzard entertainment.
Mass effect is the property of Bioware.
Any elements used in this story are used only in order to create a story for no monetary gain nor do I claim any ownership over them, beyond the names and characters unique to this story.
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Welcome to the Galactic codex, your request has been processed:
Thresher maw: Carnivorous megafauna of robust physiology. These predatory entities combine aspects of creatures from both the animal and fungi kingdoms. Their robust forms combined with their reproduction via spores has allowed these beings to colonize most of the Galaxy due to unwilling transportation via space faring civilization.
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Hill overlooking the valley - Edolus
Shepard
You left them to die.
These words echoed in Shepard's mind as the commander overlooked the horrible sight in front of him.
The exact same words that almost made him end his own life.
They were the product of guilt and a mind shattered by the sorrow of losing friends, family and loved ones.
They were the product of countless nights filled with nothing but the gargled screams of his unit as they were eaten alive because of that blasted creature. Every time he closed his eyes in peace the sight of the carnage took away any kind of comfort that remained in his life.
That sight.
That damned sight…
Appeared in front of him once again.
But he wasn't dreaming, no.
This was real.
…
The valley held the remains of most of the platoon.
An exact replica of the incident in Akuze, the place where commander Shepard was born.
Commander Shepard… he who would never leave another soldier behind.
Commander Shepard… he who earned the right to become a spectre.
Commander Shepard… he who had survived.
The commander continued to go down this train of thought as he could just be a witness to what had haunted him ever since that day.
He pondered if he should even go down there to desecrate this mass grave.
Should he just accept his fate and join his brothers?
A voice whisked him away from this line of thought as he realized once again that he wasn't alone.
"By the spirits… " Garrus exclaimed as he overlooked the carnage from his vantage point in the turret.
Shepard did not have to guess how more horrifying the sight would have certainly looked as if it was magnified by the turret's optics.
And even if Shepard knew that all turians were drilled in the manners of war as part of their culture due to their martial society nothing could prepare somebody for such raw butchery. Shepard was acutely aware of this.
"What could do such a thing?" Garrus asked as he continued to move the turret in order to get a better view of the whole battle he most probably wanted to know what had destroyed a whole platoon of the alliance.
But Shepard already knew.
"Thresher maw…" Shepard replied plainly.
His lack of any emotion in his answer must have alerted Garrus that something was wrong as he found that the turian had descended the turret emplacement and had made his way to the commander.
"Everything alright, commander?" Garrus asked. The human on his part just continued to stare at the scene below. Not blinking even once.
"Do you know…" Shepard began but cut himself mid sentence. He was about to ask Garrus what he knew about the commander's past.
Garrus sighed before he paused for a moment as he sat next to the commander on the copilot's chair "I… I do know what happened" the turian rubbed his neck and shifted in his seat in an uncomfortable manner "I saw the reports… the ones on Akuze" Shepard looked down. The turian was aware of his grandest failure… his gravest sin… one which was now repeated before them "I don't blame you for it commander. No one does" he placed his hand on Shepards shoulder "I know that nothing I say may bring you any measure of peace. But I want you to try something…" Shepard was confused as he turned to look at him "Not at me… keep looking towards the valley…" Shepard did as he was asked and turned to look at the place where Garrus had instructed him to look "Think of those that were there at that moment… Think of their names"
Shepard remembered them all.
Daniels, that moron could get her hands on anything. She even managed to steal a spot in Shepard's soul. What a victory…
Os, the smartass managed to get himself demoted only on his god forsaken attitude. He was the man you wanted covering your ass all your life. He had lost his best friend that day.
Toombs, he was cheerful and trusting to a fault. Shepard had led him to death, he had led one of the bravest soldiers in the alliance to his end.
Kowalski, the genius of their unit. Had Shepard not shown some backbone to him, the unit would have remained under his thumb. In time he saw the error of his ways, he then learned because of this and then he grew. He would not do that anymore.
Lisa… Shepard had only loved one person in his life. The woman who joined the alliance without the soul of a warrior. The woman who only cared about patching her unit up and keeping their spirits in good company…
The world grew darker with their loss.
They were… smiling?
Shepard could see the faces of each of his lost companions but in each of them he saw nothing but the warmth they had shown towards the lone soldier in life.
But one amongst the smiling stood out above the rest as her cheerfuñ smile melted his heart all over again.
Shepard smiled back "I see them…" he whispered as this trick of his mind showed him the figures of those he would never be able to meet again.
But just for this once, he let it be.
The turian nodded at his side "They were there for you Shepard… At the end they stood by your side and even now they stand by you" the turian placed a hand on his shoulder "So you better remember them, so that the day you see them again you can see them in peace" the words of Garrus seemed to have an effect as the figures in the valley seemed to vanish in peace..
Only the two of them remained now.
In silence.
…
The moment continued for another minute before Garrus departed for his turret with an idea in mind.
With a single shot, the beacon that rested in the middle of the valley was destroyed.
They wouldn't go down and disturb the fallen.
But the commander let out a sigh of relief at the knowledge that this would not happen a third time.
Shepard was certain that this is how this unit was ambushed. A beacon that laid in the middle of the Maw's territory was used... Just like his own on Akuze.
The fact that this had happened twice… This only meant that whoever was behind this atrocity was also related to the events of Akuze in some way.
The alliance would dispatch a team to get rid of the nest and secure the bod-.
A small tremor shook Shepard in his seat as the ground began to grumble.
This could only mean…
…
Shepard quickly began to drive away from the maw's nest and tried to outrun the incoming monster but as suddenly as he did this the Thresher maw began to move towards…
Not them?
The maw left its own nest and began to go away from them.
Where was it going?
…
Oh no.
"Garrus, better have your belt on!" Shepard said as he proceeded to put the pedal to the metal as the tank began to follow the maw.
"Commander, why are you… Spirits" Garrus whispered that last part as realization struck him.
The monster was making its way towards the complex
Towards the rest of his team.
Xiltar
They could not hold.
Wrex and Xiltar were fighting off a pack of creatures that apparently were the offspring of much, much larger monsters.
The protoss just wished that they hadn't alerted the sire of these abominations as to their whereabouts.
The first onslaught of creatures was a surprise to begin with. Both Wrex and himself were assailed by a small pack of worm-like beings that attacked with a ferocity that pointed towards these creatures having the potential for becoming apex predators.
The worm-like beings launched themselves from the ground as they exited their tunnels and assaulted the two warriors with razor sharp claws that forced them both to react quickly.
The krogan managed to defend himself from an assault of two beings as he clobbered one with his fist while retrieving his shotgun with which he then proceeded to punch the second one as the first retreated underground.
Xiltar fared slightly better as the two creatures that assaulted him were no match for his blade and had no hope of going through his shields as the plasma contained their assault.
But the protoss guessed that more would come so he had to quickly dispatch those that were assaulting them now.
The protoss pierced one of the creatures with his blade and as his kin boiled and melted, the other one tried to retreat as it launched itself into the ground in order to escape the wrath of the protoss.
But Xiltar wouldn't allow this.
The protoss grabbed the creature by its tail and reaped it from the ground as it intended to retreat and continued to rail it in with one hand before he readied his blade one more time and sliced the head of the creature.
He then quickly turned to Wrex and was relieved to see that the krogan had managed to dispatch his assailants too.
The old warrior seemed to have some experience with the creature as he had managed to stun the whelplings by striking them directly in their 'eyes'.
They were allowed a short reprieve but the both of them stayed on guard.
The onslaught had mirrored an assault from the zerg in a very uncanny manner…
The end war had been a conflict within a short timeframe, but it provided his warriors and by extension himself with invaluable experience on how the abominations attacked.
They had two advantages in this engagement: the first was that unlike the zerg this Thresher Maws lacked any semblance of coordination a hive mind would provide. The second was that both of them were resilient in such a manner that the beasts couldn't easily overcome.
But they were… persistent.
A second wave emerged and they were forced to defend themselves once more.
Wrex began to shoot any of the critters that dared to make its way towards them. When his shotgun began to overheat he beat those remaining with a hot gun and his free fist
Xiltar on his part had begun to track the primal minds of these creatures. Striking at them as they began to emerge from the ground.
But the protoss could feel something else… something more insidious taking place in this place.
These creatures were frenzied by something within the complex. Xiltar did not know what it was but he could feel a presence in his mind that felt… uncomfortable.
He also found that their movements began to follow a sort of flow in their attacks as they did not manage to kill them with a first strike.
After a flow of combat was established he could invest a part of his attention on what these creatures looked like rather than just killing them blindly.
They stood at the same height as Wrex and much like the zerg hydralisks of his own realm , they slithered over the soil with a long tail.
While they had been spewing acid in a wild manner, none managed to completely overcome them as his shield and Wrex's barrier were holding..
But they were still at a disadvantage.
They needed to find a better position to resist the onslaught.
After slaying another of the beasts he turned towards the domed structure. They could create a killing field in its main gate as the creatures would be forced to come at them through that place.
Xiltar just hoped that the metallic floor would hold the creatures at bay.
"Whatever you're thinking…" Wrex was interrupted as another of the creatures emerged right next to him before he killed it "Better make it quick".
(Hold on) Xiltar grabbed the Krogan and made it so the void engulfed him as well. His intention was to teleport them to the entrance of the structure. He just hoped that the creatures wouldn't follow them inside.
After a moment, they were both teleported through the void into the structure.
While his krogan companion took a moment to regain his bearings, Xiltar turned immediately to the entrance to face the creatures…
But none dared to follow them.
They… stopped right at the threshold of the gate and just looked at them.
"Could have begun with that" Wrex remarked as he sat on the floor.
Xiltar made sure that the creatures wouldn't follow them and then turned towards the krogan.
(Wouldn't you find humor in that?) The protoss jokes, an alien concept to him (Now that they are distracted I could cloak and explore the complex).
"Not a good idea, they would follow the vibration of your steps and attack wildly around you" Wrex said "Best we stay here and wait for Shepard…" the krogan then turned to look around the complex "Where is here anyway?".
(The domed structure as I believe) Xiltar began as he turned towards the krogan (And I thought you would be inclined to rescue this young one) he joked again.
"With any other creature? Yeah." Wrex began to explain "Whatever made the Threshers leave the safety of the underground would sure as hell piss off whatever parent remains near them".
The protoss shuddered.
If Wrex's memories were something to go by then these creatures were a threat on par with that of an ultralisk.
And Xiltar had never seen one of those creatures die without the aid of heavy firepower.
But it wasn't like he could just request that an immortal be warped into his position now.
The protoss remained on edge as another creature approached the threshold but suddenly lost interest and retreated underground.
Why were they doing this?
Wrex got the protoss attention as he tapped his arm. Xiltar turned around and looked at what the krogan had been watching.
They found themselves in a dark corridor that was only illuminated by the light from outside and the faint glow of Xiltar's blade. At first he could not make out most details of the darkly lit place but as his eyes adjusted he could finally see what had gotten the warrior's attention...
Humans.
Many of them…
All of them silent…
All of them unmoving…
All of them dead…
He shuddered at the sight of what they found inside of that place.
(What happened in this place?) Xiltar asked in horror at the sight of several dead terrans whose bodies were not even touched by the creatures outside.
He turned to Wrex in search of answers but the krogan did not answer as he approached one of the bodies and began to examine them.
Xiltar also paid a little more mind to these deceased terrans and saw that all of them were wearing a white garb or clothing similar to that which he had seen in the citadel once…
On the clinic of one doctor Michel as he recalled.
Were these supposed to be medics?
But why would they be in such a remote place?
Unless… scientists?
…
Xiltar overlooked one such scientist and saw that while this person had been using what must have been some sort of breather there weren't any clear signs of this person dying due to a reaction to the atmosphere.
"They were murdered" Wrex spoke and these words got Xiltar's attention immediately.
He saw as the krogan was angled the head of another human up to reveal a wound on the neck of the body.
Xiltar kneeled next to the woman he was overlooking and also saw the wound.
A slicing gash made with a knife.
(This is… horrific) Xiltar began before he stood up and looked at the rest of the corridor (It would seem that all of them met their fate the same way).
Wrex snarled "I thought it would have been the atmosphere which killed them".
The atmosphere…
…
Wait.
There wasn't any wind inside the corridor.
The protoss wished to know why this was and made his way to the entrance and looked carefully.
He looked at the edge of the doorway and saw a slight glimmer of orange light. He then reached with his hand and shivered as his armored gauntlet seemed to pass through an invisible barrier that left a strange glow in his hand as he moved it through the entrance.
One of the beasts sensed this and tried to launch itself against him.
Then Xiltar finally saw why the creatures were avoiding the complex.
As this maw breached the doorway and tried to reach the protoss it began to shrivel in pain as his mind screamed in utter agony. Xiltar also recoiled slightly in pain as the orange glow from the entrance flared at the presence of the creature and made him feel a cold and empty sensation that chilled the protoss to the bone.
But it would seem that this countermeasure was mostly designed for the maws as it had only reacted to the presence of the creature.
And it would seem that only Xiltar had perceived it.
"Well…" Wrex spoke from his side as he saw the creature recoil in pain "Now we know why they weren't following us" the krogan then readied his weapon and fired at the creature.
As life left its body and the corridor fell silent of its screams the orange glow from the entrance receded and the low screeching in his mind disappeared along with it.
(That… that wasn't what I expected) Xiltar said before he began to fil dizzy and his mind became numb after the experience (Its mind was being shattered… How horrifying).
The protoss turned to his krogan companion and saw as he just shrugged in response.
Before the krogan could speak a sound from beyond the door at the end of the corridor startled them as they heard a muffled explosion somewhere deeper in the facility.
The both of them looked at each other for a moment before the orange glow from the door began to flicker for mere moments before it disappeared completely.
"It would seem we blew a fuze" Wrex said as he readied his weapon "Prepare yourself".
Xiltar activated his weapon and saw as it flickered for a moment before the blade ignited properly.
He thanked the ancestors for his weapon working some more as he would be needing it.
The duo prepared their weapons and readied themselves for an assault as they retreated slowly into the structure because several of the creatures began to emerge from the ground a short distance from the door.
They looked angry,
And as they began to slitter towards them they steeled themselves for the battle that was to unfold…
…
A battle that never came.
The creatures stopped right as they had entered the building and started to move their heads from side to side as if looking for… something.
After their heads looked towards one certain direction in unison they began to retreat slowly.
A screech was heard as one of the creatures retreated underground…
This screech was followed by another as they all began to retreat.
…
They were left confused.
Xiltar stepped forwards slightly and sensed that the creature's minds were getting further and further away at great speed.
They wished to get out of there as fast as possible.
"This… What?" Wrex began to speak as the protoss and the krogan made their way outside but failed to find any words to express his confusion.
(They are… running away?) said Xiltar before Wrex looked at him in confusion (I feel their minds. They are retreating further and further underground… Why?).
"Did… did something scare them?" Wrex asked in confusion.
Their shared train of thought was interrupted as a sound was heard from Wrex's communication piece.
"...ex… Xi…ar… do… ou… rea… me?" The message seemed to be garbled but it would seem that Wrex knew how to make it clearer.
"Shepard, is that you?" the old krogan asked as he adjusted the receiver through his omni-tool.
"Yes, it's us" the protoss heard through Wrex how it was that the commander sounded altered… scared even "Is Xiltar with you?".
"Yes. What do you-" Wrex began to speak but was interrupted by the commander.
"There is no time. You got a friend approaching your position and it's a big one…" as the commander said these words a small tremor was beginning to emanate from the ground "GET OUT OF THERE NOW!".
The protoss turned and saw a cloud of dust appeared over the horizon and as it approached the base at an unnatural speed and felt as the tremor became even stronger with its approach.
"Huh… never thought I would take on another one of those on foot" Wrex said before he shared the memories of his own fight with a thresher maw so that Xiltar could have an idea of what they were up against "Shepard. We could really use that tank of yours…".
"We lagged behind a little…" said Shepard as both Wrex and Xiltar prepared themselves "We'll be there… I promise".
Some remorse was heard in his voice as he said this last part.
But they would have to hold until the commander arrived.
(Mhmm… This creature reminds me a lot of the Zerg) Xiltar began to speak as a way to distract them from what was to come.
"Sure they do" Began Wrex before he remembered something "You never told me what happened in Sojix…".
Xiltar chuckled inwardly.
The Tal'darim had trespassed into their realm in their search for terrazine… but found a titanic deposit of vespene just above the meager deposit of terrazine they wished to exploit.
(They were mining a gas to use in one of their rituals) Xiltar said with some satisfaction in his words (I destroyed their fleet in orbit and scuttled their vessels to bombard their main outpost with them… we blew up their base with the same gas they tried to steal from us).
Xiltar could not see under the mask but the krogan was smiling at the end of the story.
Before they could continue, the rumbling came to a stop as the cloud of dust stopped just outside the wall of the complex.
Silence and anticipation prevailed for a moment…
Then the ground before them exploded as dust and stone were launched up with enough force to dent metal.
Xiltar managed to see as the titanic form of the beast rose from the ground.
It screamed its primal fury to the heavens as if it was challenging creation itself.
Xiltar found nothing but unending rage in its mind… along with confusion.
Why?
"TAKE COVER!" Wrex screamed as he ran sideways towards a destroyed tank for protection.
Xiltar moved to follow him but also managed to see as the creature focused on the domed structure from which they came.
As they moved away from it, the creature reared itself for an attack and let the full weight of its claws crush the structure.
Something odd happened in turn.
The thresher maw paused for a second as its confusion began to subside as it felt disoriented since it wasn't in its nest.
Its wrath had not been quenched though and as it smelled the air around it. And as it saw the bodies of the younger ones it became even more enraged.
The creature then screeched with both rage and sorrow at the sight of its dead offspring.
It then focused on those responsible for this as it moved its head to confront the two of them.
Xiltar had remained out of cover as he wished to distract the creature since he could evade its attacks more easily than Wrex.
He was ready.
The monsters launched a volley of acid against the protoss as he became more irate by the challenge. Xiltar teleported out of the way of the attack and was relieved to see that the creature became confused by this.
Wrex remained in cover as the creature continued to attack Xiltar.
The creature continued to attack Xiltar as the protoss continued to teleport around its massive frame. He got a window of opportunity and the young protoss teleported onto the back of the creature and he began to climb along certain spots.
Xiltar just hoped that the creature wouldn't rear back and flatten him while he tried to reach its head.
Wrex had been giving him information on the weaknesses of the beast through his thoughts and his feedback gave him a guide on how he should strike against the abomination.
The monster had lost track of his assailant for long enough so that Xiltar could get the drop on one of its visual organs.
All for the purpose of buying enough time for help to arrive.
Or die in the process.
Whatever comes first…
Xiltar launched himself against the long eye this creature had and cleaved the part of the beast that offered him sight. He teleported back onto the beast's side and signaled for Wrex to grab the creature's attention.
The krogan got out of cover and began to shoot at the beast's tongue as he also launched some grenades he had one himself.
This had the intended reaction and it lost focus on Xiltar once more.
He gathered his strength and as the monster began to launch itself against the krogan he jumped into the air over the creature's head and severed its other eye at the base.
The monsters recoiled in pain as it had become virtually blind and even more erratic than before.
Xiltar landed hard on the ground and was relieved to see as Wrex made his way towards him and while the creature continued to recoil in pain.
They had blinded the creature and this made it spew acid in random directions.
Knowing that it was a hazard to remain in the immediate area they voted for the exit and made their way towards the only entrance that remained.
But as they neared the complex entrance a lucky shot from the creature struck directly at the structure that once supported the now destroyed gate and the acid made it fall down right in front of the pair. This had cut their only option of escape as Xiltar was too exhausted by the effort of using the void so he had no hope of getting them both out of there.
"Damn monster!" Wrex screamed in fury as he took his shotgun out and fired against the beast. The shot managed to do nothing more than annoy the creature, but it found another use in giving away their position. As it began to tower over them, Wrex spoke again "Anything to say pal?"
The protoss remained silent only for a moment (I always thought your arms looked too short… old man) Xiltar said this with enough humor in his word that Wrex laughed at his brazen insult (En aru'din Arakyr) If he was to die he would do so with the memory of his home.
But just as the creature prepared one devastating attack with its claws towards their general direction a piercing sound broke the silence before a small explosion struck at the creatures head.
The lack of knowledge as to where this explosion had come from combined with the fact that it could not see its origin made the creature recoil and begin its wild rampage once again.
This time it struck with its claws towards a particular spot along the wall. Wrex and Xiltar made use of the opportunity their unknown savior had given them as they continued to attack the creature and both of them made their way towards the breach.
They climbed through the rubble and made their escape.
They continued to run without looking back as more explosions were heard and the creature continued to scream in pain.
Once they made it clear from the beast's reach they turned to see who had saved them.
Over the ridge opposite of them they saw a tank aim its weapon at the creature.
Xiltar would have smiled if he could as Shepard and Garrus pummeled the monster from a safe distance.
The creature got fed up with it being attacked so it burrowed itself and made way for the commander's mako.
The mako on its part began to drive circles around the wall, getting out of reach just as the monster tried to surface beneath them.
Little by little the commander and Garrus chipped away at the creature's armor.
Wrex and Xiltar saw from the top of a hill as the mako began to tire down the beast.
With its frenzied state gone the thresher maw was beginning to slow down. The maneuvers it had to do coupled with the long trek it had traversed made it more and more sloppy.
As it emerges once again it tilts its head backwards for a long period.
This gave them the perfect chance.
One final shot pierced its skull from the bottom and exploded right in the place where it's brain should have been.
A smoldering crater now took its place.
The behemoth fell backwards as that final action ended the beast's existence.
Relief came to Xiltar and his companion as the threat had subsided.
A short while later, the Normandy would arrive to pick the team up.
Afterword.
The spice…
In all honesty this chapter was too tiresome to write.
Now onto the answers:
Ikasuki: Hello m8, thanks for taking the time to review my work. I would like to address your concerns in relation to this story.
While the trek of this one Protoss may be hard and underpowered this is greatly due to the fact that it is only one Protoss against the unknown. But worry not, once the rest of them arrive I will respect the power scaling of both universes.
While, yes a full blown Protoss empire could conquer the mass effect universe fairly fucking easily there are two things you must consider:
-There are not many of them left. Even less after Amon ended what remained of the Daelaam.
-There is this common feeling in lore that states that the only reason as to why the Protoss don't control the galaxy is that they don't want to. I think of this as a cultural thing, since they see themselves as inheritors of the Xel'naga.
Hope you can enjoy the rest of the story. But if you don't want to I may recommend cycles upon cycles by the incredible muffin, good stuff.
IMPORTANT.
Edit - In my crusade to add a better continuity to this story I have almost arrived at the final chapter I intend to edit: chapter 28