There's nothing left.
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.
Sharjila - Outskirts of the pirate base
Tali'Zorah
Tali was worried.
This whole mission stank of being nothing but trouble as the sheer quantity of omens and clues as to something being wrong with this place left her on edge.
A pirate base that was seemingly abandoned with no real trace of the disappeared inhabitants was something that the ghost stories that were told in the migrant fleet and had were likely made by the adults to scare the children for their own amusement.
These stories were supposed to be nothing but fairy tales. Something childish with no real merit behind such words in the first place.
But now… Tali began to believe that there might be some truth behind the words of those soldiers and explorers that returned to her people with such stories.
They may have omitted the most gruesome details in order to not directly traumatize the young quarians as even Tali would be incapable of retelling such gruesome details to any other person without feeling revolted by the experience.
If what they had only witnessed in the sole entrance was also repeated in the interior of the structure then the team would have been spared the gruesome sight by the only team member that seemed to understand partially what was going on.
But what worried her most was the request of this same companion for them to leave that place and allow him to investigate what had happened there in private. Under any other circumstances this could have been seen as suspicious by the group as a whole but it was Shepard who heard the advice of the protoss and ordered the team to leave. And even now she came to understand that there were things that the group did not know about this strange person even if he had supposedly agreed to share with them the truth as something new would eventually happen due to his actions.
And it had been only after ten minutes since the whole squad had been herded out of the compound and there had still been no words from their companion that Shepard had ordered some of the squad to investigate the grounded vessels while the rest of them stood guard next to the pirate hub.
So it was left up to Kaidan, Garrus and herself to investigate these wrecks as only the three of them had any real knowledge when it came to electronics and computer systems.
Tali decided to distract herself from her current situation by focusing solely on examining the ship she was now in as she tried to ignore the unnerving feeling that remained as to what was truly laid inside that facility and what had Xiltar kept from them in the first place.
She was now in the process of looking over the components of the ship's control panel in order to see if she could find anything else that could tell them what had truly happened.
Tali was even surprised at how quickly she had progressed in this endeavor since she found it curious that the ship's records indicated that a malfunction had occurred sometime before their arrival but upon further inspection there had been no true malfunction in this small shuttle save for a small window in which the communication relay had only gone dark during a small window of time.
Was it due to some sort of jamming technology?
She didn't know for sure.
The quarian was now beginning the process of analyzing the flight control and found something peculiar in-between the connections of this vessel's instruments and the flight computer in the form of a faulty connection between these components. Upon further investigation she managed to trace this fault to some power regulators and for some reason its main connection to the ship's engines was also missing.
She found this odd.
The quarian tried to rationalize why somebody would do this and then she realized that this would be a good play if someone intended to ground this particular ship on purpose. Granted, a person as skilled as Tali could divert the secondary connections to make it levitate a few meters off the ground. But such a maneuver would only work for some time.
Tali was so engrossed in her work that she failed to realize that a figure had entered the same vessel as her and was now looking over her shoulder…
That is until Kaidan began to speak to her "Sooo… what have you found?" The sudden break in silence startled the young quarian. Alenko saw this and apologized "Sorry Tali".
"I-It's okay" she tried to recover from the embarrassment as best as she could "I didn't hear you enter" she turned her gaze to the circuit board and pointed towards it "I haven't found anything concrete. Just some info on a sudden loss of communications from this ship" she then pointed to where the missing component was supposed to be "There's also the absence of the…".
"Main connection to the engines" Kaidan finished her sentence without skipping a beat. This surprised Tali, who turned to the soldier as she found this odd. Kaidan answered her curiosity "While I was checking one of the ships, something about the missing components reminded me of a thing Shepard mentioned while we were on Eden Prime…" Kaidan kneeled next to the flight computer and pointed towards the missing connector "He had originally begun his N7 training under as an infiltrator before he was reassigned to the standard marine program. He mentioned that one of his first lessons was on that of black ops operations…" He paused as he pondered something "He told me that his first priority as an infiltrator was to cut the communications of the target. Followed by cutting any escape route" Tali was surprised that her teammate was revealing what was possibly classified information in such a manner but she continued to listen "He also told me that he was trained to always search for the easiest manner to disarm an opponent" Kaidan then reached with his hand towards the place where the missing cable should be "The easier way to do this…" he then jerked his hand quickly and forcefully "Is to take them out ot the sky".
Tali took a moment to ponder what he had just told him… And then it struck her "Someone sabotaged the shuttles" she was confident that if they analyzed another of the vessels the same component would be missing. Not good "We should inform the commander".
Kaidan nodded but just as they turned towards the exit of the small shuttle a small tremor shocked the vessel.
Both of them froze in place and looked briefly at each other before another tremor rocked the vessel.
"What the-" Tali was interrupted mid sentence as the vessel moved violently forwards and she was forced back into the cockpit as she lost her balance and fell atop the control panel.
The shuttle was now angled forwards for some reason and as she was beginning to lift herself up to look at what had happened, a sound from beyond the shuttle's main window got her attention.
Tali focused her eyes on what lay beyond and saw the reason as to why the vessel had moved so violently in the first place... In front of the shuttle there now was a giant hole that she could swear wasn't there moments before as she saw that more vessels on the edge began to fall towards it.
The quarian could not clearly see what laid at the bottom but she could swear that something was moving just beyond the edge of the darnkess.
"Tali. Are you okay?" Came the voice of Kaidan from above as he had managed to cling to the shuttle's wall before they were sent forwards.
"Yes. I'm fine" Tali answered as she tried to remain in balance so as to not make the vessel fall even further "And you?".
"Holding just fine" the human replied as he gazed over the edge of the entrance and looked directly at Tali "What do you see?".
Tali turned towards the soldier "A massive hole… And I think there is something down th-".
*SCREEEEAAAAACH!*
A horrifying sound was heard from beyond the confines of the vessel and chilled both people to the bone.
Nothing they had heard before sounded so animalistic… yet filled with so much hatred.
The quarian slowly turned towards the window once more and awaited in dread for whatever had made that sound to emerge in her field of vision.
It didn't take long.
A small shadow launched itself from the side and grasped at the ship's hull with two clawed appendages.
But grasped was an incorrect observation on what this figure had done.
It had perforated the metal with such ease that made it seem as if its claws had been done for such a task.
And what creature sported these claws was like nothing Tali had ever seen in the real world or dreamt in the worst of her nightmares.
A brownish carapace adorned the outer shell of the monster that had landed just in front of Tali and its two small arms that ended in claw-like bones while being created with smaller ones and the length of the hand.
She managed to see as two more appendages emerged from its back and she looked in horror as they ended into bigger bones that were pointed at her.
A toothy grin welcomed her sight as its mouth was filled to the brim with rows of sharp teeth. Glowing red eyes stared back at the quarian in an animalistic glare as the young girl could do nothing but quiver in fear.
*GRRRAAAARRGGHH*
The creature screamed at Tali and lunged forward in an uncoordinated attack that only managed to crack the crystal but almost slipped off due to its careless onslaught.
Tali reacted quickly and retrieved her shotgun and before the creature could react she shot at it and got it square in the face as the shot pierced through the already damaged viewport and launched the crystal shards and the propelled shot at the alien.
The creature screeched a guttural scream as Tali had managed to shoot at its head and then it slumped atop the vessel.
A lucky shot.
"What was th-" Kaidan tried to ask as he managed to look over the viewport as the carcass began to slowly slip from the vessel.
It felt towards the hole and the sudden loss of balance propelled the vessel so it angled even further forward.
Kaidan wasn't as lucky this time and also fell into the cockpit with her.
Tali wanted to ask if he was okay but a series of sounds from beyond the vessel got her attention.
She could not see clearly into the darkness but the frightened girl managed to make out as several red stones shone at the bottom.
No… not stones.
Eyes.
From more of them.
"Tali…" Kaidan began as he recovered from the shock of falling and saw what laid beyond "Get this vessel out of here…" the soldier reached for the rifle in his back and took aim "NOW!".
The quarian quickly ducked and began to reactivate the ship's engines with the trick she remembered.
She frantically worked on patching that connection as she heard gunshots from her side that were sometimes mixed with more screams from the monsters and the biotics of Kaidan as he most likely pushed the critters away.
More trembling told her that the vessel would not hold form much longer and just as she began to feel that they were moving slightly forward she finished patching up the connection and smashed a button in the ship's console.
Immediately, the forward thrusters that were usually used for stability came to life as they blasted an inferno into the furious critters and managed to cook several of the screeching monsters.
The ship began to level with the terrain and lifted them away from the critters but Tali knew that this would only be a temporary solution.
"Good job Tali" Kaidan said with a relieved expression as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
But just as he did this, the controls in front of them sparked and they felt as the front thrusters lost some power.
"We better get out of here!" The quarian said as she dragged the soldier towards the exit and the both of them jumped out of the vessel before it finally gave out and fell completely into the hole.
They both landed on solid ground a few steps away from the edge of the hole and they quickly crawled away to get away from any pursuers.
They were pushed to the ground as a shockwave from the exploding vessel blasted out of the crater in which the vessel had fallen.
It took a moment for them both to regain their bearings and sit while looking at the burning pit.
They waited for more of those critters to come towards them but were relieved that the fire ball had apparently killed most of them.
The pair unceremoniously picked themselves up and began to limp towards Shepard…
They continued to walk in silence across the field do vessels and as they began to go around another shuttle they were suddenly stopped by another tremor.
"No…" Kaidan whispered in horror as he began to aim his rifle around. Tali mirrored this and took out her own shotgun.
A smaller hole appeared close to them and they both knew what was coming.
"Oh for fucks-" Tali began to speak but before she could finish her sentence, another of this creatures emerged from the hole and began to sprint in their direction.
They reacted quickly and opened fire on the creature but to their surprise it took a fair amount of punishment before they managed to kill it. Once it stopped struggling the pair turned towards the hole where it had come from as another sound got their attention.
More of them began to emerge from the opening.
There were too many…
Was she about to meet her ancestor?
…
But just as the creatures began to launch themselves towards them in bestial attack, a sudden burst of gunfire began to comb through their numbers.
They both glanced quickly towards the origin of their would be saviors. They saw as several figures began to circle around the grounded shuttles, their focus on the hole from where the monsters were coming.
The moment they realized that Shepard and the rest of the squad had begun to converge on their location Tali and Kaidan began to kill as many of the criteres as they could.
"KEEP THEM DOWN!" Shepard ordered over the sound of the gunfire "There's more on the left. Ashley. Wrex. PIN THEM!" they did as ordered, the creatures that began to circle around one of the shuttles were met by a volley of accelerated matter. The carapace of the creatures were tough, but enough strikes from the mass accelerators of their weapons would be able to shatter the chitin like material and pierce the soft flesh with ease.
Over time, less and less of the critters continued to emerge from the tunnel from which they came. Those that were circling the shuttles also began to dwindle and just as their weapons were about to overheat they felt silent. No more of the creatures dared to emerge from the tunnel, the tremors that had continued as the assault progressed had suddenly come to a stop.
"Thanks… commander" Kaidan struggled to thank the commander as he continued to pant. The near death experience coupled with the sudden effort to repel the aliens took a toll on him. Now that Tali thought about it she also… Oh.
Tali suddenly sat on the ground as the adrenaline on her system began to disperse. Garrus made his way to her and tried to help her up, she waved her hand to indicate that she wanted to sit for another moment "What… How?" she began but something suddenly got the group's attention.
-Integrity of group has been preserved. Partial imperative has been resolved. Commander John Shepard, we must help the Wayfarer this instant- The strange orb that Xiltar had recovered from the weird temple began to speak as it floated next to the commander, it spoke with a voice that would pass as organic if it weren't coming from what clearly was a machine, no VI could do such a thing.
Tali frowned at the thought of what this was.
If her face had not been obscured by her visor her team could have seen how mad she was getting.
"Shepard, what is…" before Tali could ask shepard what was going on, the orb approached her and stared at her from above.
-Animosity is counterproductive to mission parameters. Commander, save the wayfarer- this last sentence snapped her out of her hate filled trance.
Xiltar was in danger.
"We have no time to waste. On the double!" Shepard yelled as his team began to make their way towards the building.
Xiltar
_Current objective: Survive_
Shame.
This was the only thing that remained of the proud protoss called Xiltar.
For the months he had been banished into the forest of Eden Prime he remembered every kill he had been forced to make in order to survive. Everything he had stolen had been preserved onto memory as well as the name of every terran and alien he had been forced to spy upon as a way to stave off loneliness.
Yet he felt as if his honor had done nothing for him but serve as a cruel reminder of what he had been… of what he wasn't anymore.
He wasn't a proud warrior anymore…
He wasn't the brother who had sworn to protect the last member of his clan…
And he would never be the savior of his people as he had wished to see himself as.
He was now nothing but a liar serving the designs of creatures far older than what his memory could even recall.
What had been the point of his struggle?
He remembered the feeling of solitude as he had been appointed to the umbral choir due to the sudden death of his own mother and the loss of much of their leadership. He remembered the stares from the senior members as he took his oath and joined their ranks.
They saw him with nothing but contempt for even proposing an alliance with the protoss that they saw as impure heathens.
They may have called him foolish but Xiltar clearly understood that should they fight alone then they would die in the same manner.
And now he was the only survivor of said council.
But he foolishly decided to fight alone.
Where was the symmetry in this?
He remembered the days as more and more of his kind slipped away from life. This happened day after day, battle after battle and eventually he had lost so many of those close to him that he abandoned all hope of ever carrying about another soul.
He cared only for his people as a whole.
Xiltar now even doubted if he would feel sorrow at the loss of his last kin.
Was this fate?
For him to die alone for the mistakes of his people?
…
No.
He had chosen a cause for himself.
This protoss still stood for the defense of life no matter where it came.
He now preached of freedom for his people because that was the cause he now believed in.
So there he would stand…
Alone.
A willing sacrifice to the hunger of the great devourer so that his companions… his friends… would survive.
For them he would stand in defiance of death.
(COME FORTH, YOU FOUL BEASTS!) The protoss bellowed his challenge to the spawn of the great devourer and all the evil they had brought into reality.
Even though he retained the cover given by the void, the zerg would soon come in droves. Despite their lack of an active hive mind they could coordinate well enough through screeching and pure instinct so they could track his assault upon them.
…
The onslaught began as Xiltar launched himself against a pack of zerglings that emerged from the main hole that had breached the facility he now fought within.
He knew that the brunt of the attack would come for him as his battle cry carried his psychic signature along with it and he knew that no zerg would waste the chance of fighting a protoss.
Xiltar cleaved into the vermin that spearheaded the pack as he used his blade to perforate its head and end its miserable existence with that one swift strike while reaching for the head of a second one and launching it against a third creature as they were blind to his motion.
But even under the flow of battle, the protoss had been taught to analyze an opponent as to ascertain its weaknesses in time and it was due to this same skill that he discerned that these zerglings must have been of a weaker strain than the ones he was accustomed too.
He thanked the ancestors for this kind gesture as the poor constitution of his shields paired with the great numbers in which they came would have threatened to overwhelm him had they not been weaker than the ones he was used to fighting.
More zerglings emerged from the breach while more of the vermin began to emerge from the other holes as the sheer flow of monsters forced them to take alternate paths to reach the surface.
No other hydralisk had emerged to his relief as it would seem that this lobotomized zerg only came in the form of fragile but fast zerglings.
They were unaware of his exact location but as he engaged the beasts in close combat and was hit by glancing strikes, his shield would shimmer slightly and attract the attention of more zerg.
He would give them the fight they wanted.
Xiltar deactivated his shroud and continued to hack at the monsters (COME BEASTS! DIE LIKE THE MONSTERS YOU ARE!).
The protoss bellowed another challenge as his wrath began to intermingle with desperation so the aliens would remain with him and give a chance for his companions to escape the planet.
The zerg retreated a few steps from the protoss as they began to understand just how much of a threat this creature truly was. Some tried to charge him from his blind spots but they were swiftly met by the end of his blade or the heel of his both as he crushed their skulls with it.
Xiltar pondered for an instant if he should just cleave a path towards the exit in order to escape and live to fight another day but just as he was reading his stance to make a deadly charge against the sea of bone and blade the unthinkable occurred…
His blade faltered.
And Xiltar could swear that even in the darkness he could see the brittle smile of the zerglings as they began to approach him with joy and hunger.
(So this is it then…) the protoss made peace with the dead and the living but asked for forgiveness for those he would be leaving behind.
If he was to die in that place then he would burn these creatures to ash…
Alongside himself.
…
A spark.
Then lightning.
Then a storm unshackled.
The darkness of the room began to recede as electricity began to strike widely around the protoss.
Of those zerg that it touched there remained nothing but ashes and the smell of burnt meat.
The protoss groaned in pain as this power left his own body as it was being consumed for this attack he was preparing.
A psionic storm.
This was a painful ordeal in the first place for him as he never knew how to control the volatile energies of his being in the first place as he had been told all of his life that this was due to a birth defect of his that did not allow the organs responsible for such a task to develop properly.
But this had been a lie.
He now knew that for a protoss that was unable to host both his own psionic energy as well as those of the void meant that this creature was one of those that was deemed as the weak and undesirable amongst his people.
These were the ones that could never house the essence of a Xel'naga in the first place.
Xiltar lived because of a lie.
…
He loathed the memory of the grueling training he had to undertake as a member of the creator creed, for the use of the psionic energies inherent to his species felt like a torturing punishment to him due to this inherent genetic flaw within himself.
This flaw made it so the use of psionic energies made every moment of its use a painful challenge.
But he had no other choice.
He began to levitate slightly as he glared at the zerg near him, the effort placing a strain on his being and his mind as darkness and light battled for dominance over his body.
He gathered all the energy he could muster for one final attack, with one strike this fight would be over.
Along with the protoss.
But just as he was about to release the gathered power into an all consuming psionic storm the unthinkable happened…
A hail of matter and force began to comb through part of the swarm as the limp bodies of the zerglings fell onto the ground dead.
Xiltar continued to hold the energies within his grasp and turned his gaze towards the origin of the gale of bullets.
And because of this he saw them.
He saw hope.
His companions had breached the sealed gate and began to fire upon the zerg just as he was about to release the storm of psychic energies. Xiltar saw as the charge was being led by Shepard, Wrex and Ashley as their combined onslaught managed to eradicate some of the zerg on their approach.
Xiltar was partially glad for the rescue but was irate at what could usher them to such madness in the first place To launch themselves against the unknown and put themselves in the path of certain death…
What could possibly usher them to such madness?
…
Him.
They came for him.
As this thought coursed through his mind his focus returned to the battle at hand as he allowed the energies to emanate from his hand in the shape of rays of lightning that burned the swarm while they tried to approach the charging group.
He would not fight to eradicate the monsters, he would do so in order to protect those that returned for him.
Shifting his power once again he began to blast small zergs with a sort of feedback that reaped the minds of the beast as the heads of the zerglings began to explode.
His companions continued to use their primitive weapons and managed to thin the horde to such a degree that those that were adept at using their biotic abilities managed to displace and push the weak bioforms around.
Little by little they managed to quell the onslaught of the zerg. As no more of them came from the tunnels he reasoned that the attack from the swarm would end with this final group.
He was proven correct as his team managed to kill the last of the monsters and no more came to reinforce the attack.
He stopped levitating and immediately kneeled on the floor in pain. His exhaustion was shown to the rest of the team as his shields faltered as well, its strength expended after the engagement.
He felt as a presence began to approach the place where he had kneeled. As he looked up he managed to see as it was Shepard who approached his position.
"..." The protoss could not clearly see through the mask of the commander but he was acutely aware of what the warrior was thinking "What the hell was that?".
(...) Xiltar just continued to look up at the commander from where he was and continued to remain silent.
"Is he seriously giving you the silent treatment" Ashley added as he approached them both "After this little stunt I believe we should just leave him here" she said while glaring at the protoss.
Xiltar knew that there was no getting out of this mess after he had already explained the history of his realm to his companions.
…
What a mess.
(Zerg) he replied plainly as he shifted his weight around and sat on the blood filled floor while drenching what little cloth hung from his armor in the putrid blood of the zerg.
He said this word in such a manner that the rest of the group would listen to what he said. They had all gone in different directions to search for more of the creatures but as he said this word all turned immediately to look at him in surprise and dread.
"Wha…" Shepard was incredulous at what Xiltar had just said "You must be wrong…" he tried to rationalize "They must be some sort of experiment… or some mutant from a world that we don't know of".
Xilar pitied the human.
(No…) Xiltar whispered as he began to pick himself up while the rest of the team approached the trio (I knew what they were from the very beginning…) Xiltar managed to see that the guidestone was floating next to Shepard and was looking intently at the protoss (I ordered for the artifact to guide you towards safety).
"Why did you do this?" Shepard asked as he looked at the artifact as it began to transfer its location next to Xiltar.
(I knew that swarm would have overwhelmed us had you come here with me…) he began to explain as he grabbed his right arm that had been hurt during the fight (This is how it was meant to be… It would have been better for the galaxy that you lived rather than I) Xiltar said this as he turned his gaze down.
"And you are the one that gets to decide that?" Shepard asked this as he looked at the protoss as if he was a moron "Unbelievable" the commander shook his head in disbelief and turned towards the rest of the team as he intended to depart the facility.
(...) Xiltar sighed in shame at what he had done (I have lost my race… I did not wish to lose my allies…) he looked at his bloodied palm in regret for what he had done (To lose my friends).
The group remained silent as they stared at the creature but Xiltar could not sense any outwards animosity towards him. But he knew that they still did not trust his judgment on this.
Xiltar numbed himself to what they believed of him and decided that they would best be away from him.
…
So he would remove himself from their concern.
Xiltar turned away from the group and began to limp towards the corpse of his first kill in this battle.
The hydralisk.
He found the greater corpse behind a mountain of corpses that remained from his battle before he was rescued.
(Construct) Xiltar spoke directly to the artifact with a cold thone.
-Yes, Wayfarer?- The orb spoke in a shame-filled manner as he most celery felt remorse for disobeying the commands of the protoss.
Xiltar kneeled next to the beast and reached for a sharp piece of metal that laid on the floor. He then angled the head of the dead alien upwards and stabbed the creature under one of its mandibles and reaped the first of the two free.
(You knew what would have happened should they return for me…) Xiltar said as he continued onto the second mandible (Was fate against us?).
-...- the orb hummed a sad tune before it spoke again -Probabilities of survival rested at 13.4% without further aid-.
(...) Xiltar looked at the machine as he sighed in defeat (Begin to compile all data you have on the zerg… they will wish for an explanation).
-Understood- the orb said before it began to shine more brightly -Request under wa…-.
*BOOOOM*
The machine was interrupted as a small explosion rocked the facility and interrupted the conversation that the two entities were having.
Xiltar struggled to stand up while holding his trophies and as he moved from behind the mound of flesh and towards the center of the facility he intended to see what had happened while he took a moment for himself.
He was surprised to see only one figure Had remained behind as it stood next to the edge of the crater from which the zerg had first come.
Xiltar approached the lone figure and recognized the silhouette of a certain quarian tinkerer he knew.
Tali.
He stopped his advance just as he realized who it was that remained behind and he also saw it as odd that it had been her that had remained behind.
But with an uncanny perception of where he was, the quarian turned around to look at him and approached at a steady pace.
Xiltar did not manage to react in time but just as he was about to ask the quarian what she was doing there she made an action that no terran would have even dreamt about doing.
She slapped him.
…
"This is for you being an idiot" Tali began as he grabbed something from her belt and tossed it into the chasm below.
Another explosion occurred as she most likely tossed some sort of explosive into it.
"We will be waiting outside" she said in a cold voice as began to depart before she stopped midway "I… I'm just glad you are alive".
Xiltar turned towards her as she said this while moving a hand to his still shocked face.
She left the building and he was alone once more.
Xiltar felt a rush of emotions ranging from fury to downright curiosity but he could not vocalize any of them in time before she left.
But one thing was for certain.
This outburst had been unexpected.
…
He liked that she had spirit.
Afterword
I have turned mad. YOU COWARDS CAN NOT STOP ME!
hellion117 - Don't worry. This group was a small one, you have nothing to worry about.
Yet.
Edit - more Zerg