Shepard's Fireteam - 05
Fireteam Starfall stared at Shepard as he convinced the Blue Suns people that they were just recruits to fight against Archangel. They were shocked that the guy just readily agreed to let them fight.
They piled in a couple of skycars, Blue Sun's members at the controls, and made their way over to the temporary base the merc groups had set up.
It wasn't even worth comparing the difference in weapons and armor between the Guardians and the mercs in the compound. That included some awkward-looking human male in full pink and white armor that made Rico shake his head in amusement.
In their Fireteam Chat, Kessa spoke up, "So...these guys are getting ready to attack Archangel?"
"Yes, apparently they also have people flanking him somehow... We should just take these guys out then we are only fighting from a single angle," Sam said.
"That is probably best, can you patch Aurora and Shepard into our Fireteam chat for now Sam?" Rico asked.
"Yup, one sec! Wait, do you want Miranda and Zaeed in too? Both of them don't have closed helmets so it will be possible for people to hear what they are saying," Sam replied.
"Yeah, might as well, they seem competent enough to know not to broadcast everything we are talking about," Rico said.
"Aurora, Shepard, Zaeed, Miranda, can you hear us?" Sam asked.
"Read you loud and clear," Shepard said.
"Oh! This must be your Fireteam Chat!" Aurora said.
"Yes, it is! So, we were thinking...why don't we just take all these people out right now?" Kessa questioned.
"Well...Don't we want to make contact with Archangel first?" Aurora asked.
"They are already sending people to flank under this facility, I say we just take out these three groups and move forward," Rico said.
"Hmmm, not a bad idea...but don't you feel weird attacking them when they are just relaxing?" Shepard asked.
"Honestly Shepard, if you have new abilities it could be a great time to practice them," Miranda finally said quietly as they walked through a hallway, "I know your Biotics and their implants were up to scuff before-"
Aurora interrupted her, "Actually, I have removed all cybernetic implants from John, they are weaker than his new body which is empowered by Light."
Miranda looked on in horror, "But...they were all that was keeping him alive...we spent billions of credits saving him..."
"Hmph! You should have just brought him to me in the first place! It was always my responsibility to save him," Aurora said with the pride and hope a Ghost has for their Guardian.
Shepard found himself smiling at the Ghost, the connection was immediate and intense. He could sense its feelings and there was no doubt in his mind about the little thing's conviction. Looking at Miranda though, he didn't need a connection to see that she was infuriated by the circumstances.
"Let's just let them start the attack on Archangel, then we can react. I don't need to kill people just sitting around. If they want to die, they are welcome to come to us," Shepard said.
Rico nodded, "Well said, it will be a better fight that way. We will stay back and allow you to try out your new abilities."
Shepard noticed that when he said that all of the Guardians were still holding weapons as if ready to fight, regardless of Rico telling him to go first.
Shepard just shrugged and they walked deeper into the staging area the merc groups were set up in. The Blue Suns were in charge of more area it seemed as the Eclipse and the Blood Pact both kept to themselves. There were a few opportunities for the teams to sabotage them but he felt the need to fully exert himself in the coming engagement and a group of six people drew a lot of attention.
Shepard ignored almost everyone and spoke exclusively with Aurora telepathically, "So when you say I can use my fists, you mean it don't you?"
Aurora replied with a light tone, "Exactly! Your powers seem to be unique to your situation, I mean you were walking around half-dead!"
"I won't lie to you Aurora, I felt dead inside. Like something essential to being who I am was missing. When you hit me with that Light I...well I felt hope again. I just have to thank you for saving me," Shepard said with sincerity.
"That is my duty, and to be honest, being chosen as a Guardian is a duty as well. The living beings under the Light need your help. I am going to make sure that you are as strong as possible to do your part. Don't worry though, it's hard to believe that Fireteam Starfall themselves is helping with our training, but with them here, there is no way we can fail," Aurora ranted.
"Are they that special?"
"I haven't told you much of the history of our versions of humanity, but you have to understand how bad things were. During the Red War, the Cabal found a way to cut the Light off from all of the Guardians and their Ghosts. Losing the Light was losing all hope. But they couldn't steal The Guardian's Light. They couldn't stop her," Aurora explained with reverence.
"I am not trying to take anything away from it-"
"No, I know. It isn't just that though. She is a beacon of hope for all Guardians, hell damn near everyone in the Last City for that matter. Her team was chosen from the best of the best. Rico has been in the top 5 or all Titans at the Guardian Games for a long time. Not to mention that he is a Thundercrash Titan. Very few of those survive long enough to talk about it."
"What is a Thundercrash Titan?"
"Hmm...well...you will have to see it. Anyway, Kessa is a Nightstalker so it is no surprise she gave you that bow. She is also one of the top Hunters out there in terms of assassination and stealth. They were the only ones the Guardian has ever approved of. Her giving us weapons...that is an amazing thing."
"What type of Guardian is she?"
"She is something special...a Dawnblade that can also launch Void Novas. She is the strongest by a large margin."
"How would I hold up against her?"
Aurora laughed, "I would revive you pretty fast, but that would be the result 100 times out of 100."
Shepard's jaw dropped in his intimidating helmet, "That can't be right."
"It is. Look, she is the strongest for a reason...she has saved all of us, our whole race. Multiple times. She has been fighting since her rebirth and she has never lost."
"She has never died?"
"No, you have to die to become a Guardian. That is how this all works. Service to life after your life was lived."
Shepard's thoughts swirled continuously for a few minutes before Aurora interrupted again, "So, try to summon a melee weapon if you can. We should go into the fight with some idea of how to use your powers, and the ability to summon a basic weapon out of Light is a good indication of your potential."
"Right, what kind of weapon should I summon?"
"Hmmm, I saw you pull void out, so maybe a shield?"
"Like a riot shield?"
"Uhh, to be honest, I haven't seen a riot shield, only a buckler or something like that?"
"That would be weird...I don't want some crazy weapon like that."
"Hmm well, what do you want?"
"I used to be a Vanguard, charging into combat with Biotic explosions, following that up with my shotgun."
"So, you like the close-quarters style and punching things, maybe your weapon would be a gauntlet or knuckles or something?" Aurora asked.
"I wouldn't mind that at all, how do I do that?"
"Well, focus on this feeling," Aurora sent the feeling of summoning the Light through their bond and Shepard easily followed along, "Great, then think of using it as a weapon that would be unique to you."
Shepard focused for a moment and the group seemed to realize he was focusing on something from behind his new helmet as he stood silently. He pulled his hands forward and formed them into fists. Void energy formed over his fists and two simple gauntlets with purple void Light came into existence.
The history of Mass Effect technology is literally in the name, it is technology that has arisen from the use of Eezo, aka Element Zero, that when applied to objects and things literally affects the Mass of said object. Element Zero is the lifeblood of the technology in this universe. While there is a new influx of technology from the second earth appearing, everything was still based on Eezo Tech.
Shepard was extremely familiar with Eezo, having been affected by it at a colony when he was a child. The mutations were painful, but with the help of implants, the power could be directed. The feeling of mass changing and gravity pulling was nothing new to him, but this Void Light was still on another level. He focused his energy and summoned his weapon: a set of void-purple gauntlets. The gauntlets that now adorned Shepard's hands looked as though they could rend the fabric of space itself. super-imposed over his new Moonfang gauntlets.
"Nicely done! Those things look dangerous!" Aurora said happily.
"Right...they seem like they might be in the way?"
"Well, when you gather enough Light, you can infuse yourself with it. This is called a 'Super' move, we won't know what yours is until you activate it. You can always release the energy to pick up your gun. You can feel your Light passively building, right?"
"Yeah, it's like when I pull all the Biotic energy I can gather, except it's growing on its own..." Shepard said as they walked.
Fireteam Starfall was trying to figure out what type of Titan Shephard would be and Rico thought he had an idea, "I am thinking he will be something similar to a Doomfang-Bash Titan, but since he doesn't conjure a shield, it might not work right."
"Wait! Rico, remember those crazy melee gauntlets you got? What were they... synthetics or something?" Kessa asked.
"Synthoceps?!" Rico said with surprise, "Not a bad idea...I have a pair in my storage, we will have to pass them along when we get a chance."
Miranda had been listening as Rico and Kessa were speaking in Party Chat, "What do these Synthoceps do?"
"The Synthoceps have a perk that is rather ironic, considering the day that Commander Shepard here has had," Rico said with amusement, "The Exotic Gauntlets have a perk called Biotic Enhancements which refers to something completely different from how the term is used now. It increases the effective distance of your melee attacks, extending your energy out. Also, when you're completely surrounded by three or more enemies the melee and Super damage you deal is increased. Do we have the numbers on that Sam?"
"Yes, we do," Sam started, "The additive bonus for melee damage is increased by 200%, while the bonus for Super damage remains at 50%."
"Those are huge increases. Any multiplier to base damage is a worthy cause," Adam said over Party Chat.
Aurora finally spoke up, talking to John and listening to the Fireteam at the same time, "That sounds exactly like something John would need. What do I need to get to acquire a set of those gauntlets for my Guardian?"
Kessa chuckled, "Don't worry little light, it's on the house."
"Thank you very much."
Rico planned to pass the gauntlets on after this mission.
Aurora had presented Shepard with a full holographic map of the facilities, something that Sam had sent over. Archangel had been held up in a walled-off balcony with great lines of sight.
It enabled him to unleash a swath of destruction in the form of well-placed mass effect bullets upon the merc companies that had him pinned. Bodies lined the single bridge that had been the playground for Archangel. To get an angle on the sniper was to put yourself in his sights, to come after this entrenched foe was to spend the lives of many.
Shepard could only shake his head as he walked past the raging Eclipse mercs. He would soon reveal the truth. A truth of combat that has been a part of his life since he joined the Alliance - if you are not willing to bring your full might immediately, you might as well surrender.
When it is time to go, there can be no hesitation, no compromise, and no remorse. These foolish mercs are trying to wear someone down with tides of green soldiers, a cowardly path. Shepard would change that.
He received the call for the mercs to move forward and Fireteam Starfall had found a spot to hide.
Shepard, Miranda, and Zaeed followed the foolish and unaffiliated mercs that thought they had a chance against Archangel.
They began to fall the second their boots hit the bridge and Shepard's squad walked unmolested.
Zaeed shook his head as one of the mercs that were immediately wounded gave him a scathing glare, "Why the hell aren't you fighting old timer?"
"You're a goddamn fool, kid," before the sound of his pistol echoed through the area.
"Let's take them down!" Shepard called.
Miranda launched a Singularity, pulling 6 mercs into the air.
Shepard wasted no time and activated his melee attack skill which took inspiration from his Biotic Charge ability as a Biotic. He flew 20 meters forward, throwing a punch that connected with explosive force.
The Void Light reacted to the Singularity from Miranda, and sent a torrent of gravitational force cascaded out in a single devastating wave, destroying all of the mercs and their gear. They were broken and torn as the gravitational waves slowly dispersed.
They burst into purple void dust as their screams were cut off. Shepard flew through the explosion and continued sprinting forward. Making it up the stairs they ran into a Turian in blue armor sighting down at another wave of fodder.
The Turian held one finger up, and a second later took a single shot.
Another merc dropped.
Shepard's helmet dissolved into a small burst of light as Aurora stored it. Archangel stopped attacking and leaned against the limited cover he had, putting his rifle at rest.
"Shepard? That you?" The Turian asked as his own helmet folded back into his armor.
"Garrus! Holy shit, how the hell are you?"
"Hehe, I am hanging in there, you know how it goes," Garrus said.
"So how the hell did you end up here...with three heavy merc groups after you?"
"It's a long story, and I don't think these goons are going to give us the chance to keep talking."
Zaeed spoke up, "He's right, fuckin' Eclipse...they got a buncha goddamn mechs too."
"Alright, let's put this wave down, then worry about getting out of here," Shepard said.
"What about our Guardian friends?" Miranda asked.
"They are giving this to us as a trial run for...whatever these powers are," Shep began, but Aurora cut him off.
"They are testing our connection, John, we need to make a good showing so they know what to work on with us," She said.
"Right..."
"You going to explain that?" Garrus asked.
Shepard just shook his head, "We can talk about that later, let's put these guys down."
"Right, looks like Eclipse is ready to make their move..."
Shepard looked off the balcony and sure enough, troops with Eclipse colors were pouring over the wall and starting to lay down suppressing fire.
"I changed your weapon to the Hammerhead, light 'em up!" Aurora said.
Shepard looked down and realized that he was indeed holding the huge light machine gun, "That is convenient."
He leveled the gun, Miranda, Garrus, and Zaeed following suit. The LMG lit up in a series of devastating bursts, each trigger pull finding the Mass Effect shields not up to the task. Light-empowered weapons of the Guardians ensured that Eclipse was swiftly taken down.
Nearly 30 mercs and mechs had been neutralized as Shepard's crew had better sight-lines, weapons, and skill.
"Here it comes, that big bastard they had waiting..." Zaeed said as he ducked back under cover.
Sure enough, Eclipse deployed their YMIR Mech, a massive and bulky robot with a rocket launcher.
"John now is a perfect time to use your grenade ability!" Aurora said on his personal channel.
"Right, give me that launcher, what was it called again?"
"Oh, that's called the Witherhoard, but that isn't what I mean. As a wielder of the Light, you can condense a small sphere of it to cause various effects based on your type..." She was speaking faster and faster as the YMIR Mech began to unleash its rockets and auto-cannon, pinning the team down.
"And how do I-" He was cut off as Aurora sent the knowledge through their bond. "Got it."
Miranda and Garrus both were able to get off an Overload, depleting the shield systems.
Shepard was leaning against the wall as he concentrated and a sphere of void energy began to build above his left hand. He let it grow until it felt like it needed to be thrown and he did just that.
The void sphere had a nice heft it, making the throw carry the full power of an armored Guardian. It hit the YMIR Mech dead center and then imploded.
Like there was a set distance based on the power of the Void Grenade, the entire area was pulled into a small ball, warped at the molecular level. This wasn't a simple Biotic attack, but rather the grenade set an area in which gravity was multiplied by several hundred times. Enough in which the YMIR mech was turned into a ball of metal and advanced plastics.
"Huh," Shepard said as he stared at his handiwork. The area of effect was so specific that a huge rent of metal was pulled from the bridge the mech had been standing on.
"Next time, why don't we lead with that," Garrus said.
Fireteam Starfall had found a small hideaway in which Kessa had been using her hunter abilities to maintain a wall of invisibility. If anyone looked they wouldn't so much as see a heat signature out of place.
The Fireteam was watching the scene, courtesy of Aurora who was recording everything. Rico spoke after they watched the first wave of mercs start to engage them, "Tsch, he's still fighting like a civilian."
"You mean a soldier?" Kessa said.
"I definitely don't mean a Guardian."
"It's fine, Aurora is coaching him as he goes, plus we can be there if we need to be," Ghost replied.
"I agree, but I still think a demonstration is in order!" Kessa said.
"If they get overwhelmed, we show them how it's done, oh hey a big mech thing..."
"More like walking target practice," Sam said, drawing a snort from Kessa.
They continued to watch as the Mech kept the whole squad pinned as if the slow-moving rockets and horribly aimed auto-cannon could actually do anything.
"I mean I get it, Miranda and Zaeed aren't even wearing helmets, but Shepard should be out there like a real Titan!" Rico said.
The Guardian nodded and Kessa spoke, "Wishing our new Guardian is a Thundercrash Titan?"
Rico looked sheepish, "Look, I just thought he might find a sweet void version of it, or at least run out and punch something. I mean did you see his gauntlets?"
"Yes we saw the gauntlets..." Sam said from his shoulder.
"Sam!? Those things are unique! All the other Void Titans are always rocking shields, talking about how epic it is to launch them..."
Kessa sighed and the Guardian face palmed, "Rico...please don't get started on this again."
"Et Tu Kessa?" Rico said, mock hurt.
That drew a silent laugh from the Guardian, but Kessa wouldn't have it, "No I am serious, just cause some Titans are proud of their shields doesn't mean they are wrong to-"
"Yeah, but Kessa, it isn't about right and wrong, it's about potential. And just like those-"
"Uhh, sorry to interrupt this little chat here, but look at that," Ghost said.
They watched as a purple sphere was thrown over the edge of the balcony and impacted center mass on the mech. The radius of destruction was enough to pull pieces from the bridge and even a few boxes into the maelstrom of gravitational forces.
"Not a bad void 'nade," Kessa remarked.
"Yeah, that'll about do it," Rico nodded.
They continued to watch as the group split apart, Miranda staying with Archangel, as Zaeed and Shepard went into a door under their balcony. They listened in on the Fireteam chat that Aurora was broadcasting. Shepard had closed three manually-overridden shutters, effectively sealing the flank route most of the Blood Pack had been trying to take advantage of.
The Guardian tensed as the rest of the Blood Pact, Garm included, rushed the bridge. This put pressure on Miranda and Garrus, but the reason the Guardian tensed was more local. The second of the three unclaimed Ghosts appeared in front of her. It was the one who hadn't spoken and had only nodded. The little Ghost zoomed right up to the edge of the cover they were in and peered around the corner.
Rico nudged Kessa who was already watching it, "Yeah, I see, who is it looking at?"
Adam appeared above Kessa's shoulder, "I think it's the Archangel or Miranda..."
The Guardian moved up next to the new little Ghost, both being silent seemed to be the first step towards communication between them. The Ghost turned and looked up at the Guardian who had been its carrier all the way to Omega. Reading the 'body language' Ghosts was a strange and surprisingly easy thing to do. The different blue-metallic angles on the Ghost acted as its body, and there was where it displayed its emotions and curiosity.
The little Ghost showed them that it was worried and nervous. It would find its Guardian soon. The Guardian held her hand forward and her own Ghost appeared in a small flash of Light.
"Don't worry friend, we will make sure you get to where you need to go."
The Guardian nodded along, and if the Ghost could sigh in relief at the promises of help, it would have.
"Shep, they are at the door, about to breach. I don't think Miranda and I can hold them off much longer."
Miranda was putting in all the work she could, Biotic Singularities and Warps had been flying as often as her bullets. Simultaneously
"Last shutter Garrus, hold on!"
"Ahh, shit, it's Garm. We are running out of options!" Garrus said.
Shepard held off the tide of Blood Pact, the large central hangar was filled with Vorcha, Krogan, and their strange dogs. Shepard had Zaeed hold back at the entrance, using his Vindicator Rifle to lay suppressing fire.
As he did that, Shepard launched a shot from his Witherhoard, taking down a score of Vorcha that Zaeed had pinned down behind crates. Shepard continued his sprint forward, A Sudden Death appearing in his hands. Two shots took down two dogs as he sprinted by them.
He activated his melee ability, charging forward at one of the two Krogan. His left fist struck forward, impacting the huge helmet. There was almost no resistance as his fist pushed straight through. The helmet might as well have been made from plastic as the fist continued into the skull.
The Void Light detonated as the Krogans feet lifted straight into the air, the impact on his face enough to flip the giant toad. The flips continued as it impacted the ground and dispersed into Void Light.
The second Krogan roared and charged. A Sudden Death lived up to its name as he rolled forward with the momentum of this punch and leveled the beautiful shotgun at the second Krogans head.
BOOM.
The blast eliminated almost the entire upper half of the Krogan, turning it into metal, chitin, and bloody paste. Shepard released Aurora to deal with the shutter controls as he continued to fight.
Another set of dogs was charging from beyond the shutter, 10 seconds starting to tick down on his HUD until it closed.
"Shit, I don't have cover..." Shepard said as he tried to move with dodges and jumps.
"Yes, you do!" Aurora said, "Think about forming a wall of Light, it is a Titans utility ability. You can do this!"
"Right...Wall of Light?" More and more shots were draining his shields.
"Do it!" Aurora said.
Shepard didn't think and just reacted, smashing his left hand forward as if to shove someone, a Wall of Light appeared in front of him. It was now taking every shot coming from beyond the shutter.
"It gets better, you and your allies can shoot through it, but enemies cannot," Aurora explained.
"How does that even work?"
"I don't know."
He turned and saw Zaeed taking down the last of the Vorcha. Shepard nodded and pulled the Witherhoard out once again. He had the lead on the next wave as they couldn't attack him and he dropped the burning AOE fields that Witherhoard loved to make, now working as a funnel for the next wave of enemies.
He switched weapons again, Aurora seamlessly storing and pulling the next one for him, this time the Hammerhead found itself leveled at the funneled enemies. He unloaded for the rest of the time until the shutter closed, dropping another 7-10 Blood Pact.
The shutter dropped and he wasted no time, "Double time Zaeed! Let's go!"
"You got it," was all he responded with. Both soldiers sprinted back to the rest of the squad.
Garm broke through the door, both Miranda and Garrus ready with Overloads.
The first Krogan through had his helmet covering his face and Miranda took the chance to drop an Overload on his shields. Garrus unloaded with his Vindicator at the same time, dropping the Krogan 5 steps in.
The second Krogan through looked like the first with red armor and a huge helmet on. This time Garrus dropped his Overload removing the shields as both he and Miranda unloaded on the Krogan. Miranda dropped a Warp on it, the Biotics now taking its toll on her energy.
It was enough though as the second Krogan died 8 steps in.
Then a booming laugh followed by a massive blast echoed through the chamber. Garrus looked at his armor to see it pierced by a spread of holes. Dark blue blood seeped from them.
He leveled his rifle and continued sending bursts at the last Krogan...Garm. The bastard that he had nearly taken down once.
"Looks like I finally have you where I want you," Garm said, his shields tanking any damage the Vindicator could output.
He looked over to Miranda to see her taking out the next Krogan that entered as well. She apparently didn't have the energy to drop another Singularity. Not that it would do anything against the remaining Blood Pact's shields, but it would have been nice for more help.
He tried to switch weapons but rolled to the left to dodge most of the next devastating shotgun blast.
Garrus was looking over the edge of the balcony, debating whether or not he could survive the fall when he saw the insanely armored form of Shepard coming.
"Take your time Shep..." He said with difficulty. There were only seconds until Garm turned around the pillar.
"HANG ON GARRUS!" Shepard screamed.
He sprinted with full power, taking the ramp in three strides. A Krogan was waiting with a shotgun blast leveled at Shepard's chest, his Light flared and the shielding that was constantly around him flared, and fully ignored the blast. The Krogan was shocked when a white shotgun was leveled at its face, Shepard not slowing his sprint. BOOM.
The blast turned the Krogan into a sudden pile of goo.
He kept sprinting, placing his foot on the doorway and pushing off. The step caused the frame of the doorway to rend and bend but it didn't slow the new Void Titan as he found Garm sprinting forward. Miranda had injured the other Krogan, but Zaeed was on his tail, mass-affected bullets already flying.
Shepard continued with his momentum and fully tackled Garm from behind as he was turning on Garrus. The massive Krogan grunted as he went flying forward, shotgun leaving his grip.
The leader of the Blood Pact roared, his blood rage taking full effect. He twisted and tried to pull the massive Titan over his side to regain control.
Shepard planted a hand and vaulted forward coming to his feet. Shotgun already firing at the raging Krogan.
His shields were still up so the first shot was deflected, and the second found its mark as his shields shattered.
The Krogan stood and began sprinting again, but this time at Shepard.
Shepard shook his head and ended the fight.
"That's it, Garrus, you good?" Shepard ran over and used his Omnitool to apply Medigel.
"Ahh, dammit, the big bastard has a cannon for a gun," Garrus said.
Shepard helped him to his feet and looked over at Miranda, "You alright?"
She nodded while shaking in fatigue, "I'm good, Shepard."
"Eat something, we have another wave coming," Shepard said.
Miranda looked down at her spandex suit, clearly without pockets, and shrugged.
Zaeed laughed, "Here you go, eat up that's my favorite flavor."
He tossed Miranda an energy bar and his water, "Thanks."
"So what's the plan...now," Garrus said through pain, blood coming from his mouth.
"Hell Garrus, you really pissed these guys off eh?" Shepard said, trying to bring the mood around.
Garrus laughed then grunted, "Ah, don't make me laugh."
Zaeed spoke up, "We still got those goddamn Blue Suns bastards. I don't know that making a run for it will be any better than sitting here. Any word on our friends?"
Shepard shook his head, "No, this is on us. We have to figure this out on our own."
"So much for being called Guardians...they will-" Miranda started but was cut off by Aurora.
"No! It's not like that at all. They are testing us, this is nothing that a Guardian shouldn't be able to handle. Even if we are getting put through our paces right now...we need to rise above this."
"She's right, I haven't been using my abilities to my full potential. I don't know what these Guardians can do, but they aren't going to help us right now."
"Well, what do we do then?" Miranda asked hotly.
Shepard was about to answer when they all heard the sound of a loud engine flying toward them.
"Shit, that goddamn gunship is up, we need to at least get under cover, NOW!" Zaeed said, pushing Miranda and himself into the most defensive corner, away from the windows.
Shepard pulled his Witherhoard out again, waiting for the ship to get close. He helped Garrus to cover as the damn thing arrived.
It dropped three shielded Blue Suns troopers, including Cathka, the local sergeant of the Omega Blue Suns.
Zaeed threw the last of his firey grenades as Miranda mustered the energy needed for a final Singularity. The grenade dropped two of the three shields and the Singularity pulled both of them into the air. Both Zaeed and Miranda finished them off with well-placed shots as Shepard fired his Witherhoard just once.
The launched grenade impacted Cathka's Chest and exploded, but it wasn't a blast. The Witherhoard grenade instead literally withered the lifeforce of the doomed sergeant, he screamed as he died in horrible pain.
"Damn Shep, that was brutal," Zaeed said. "I need one of them..."
Shepard shook his head until the Gunship leveled itself at the window. He quickly put up the Wall of Light blocking the missiles and machine gun fire as cracks started to appear.
Time seemed to slow down as Shepard made eye contact with the leader of the Blue Suns, Tarak. He was flying the Gunship and the Batarian seemed to smile as he fired the main auto-cannon on the front of the ship. The Wall of Light shattered, the bullets continuing onward.
The huge rounds tore through Garrus, launching the Turian backward. Shepard watched in slow motion as Garrus's armor was shredded and he landed against the wall in a heap. It didn't register in his mind that he might be on the list as the next potential target.
"JOHN GET DOWN!" Aurora said, but it was too late.
The massive auto-cannon peppered down his shield and a missile impacted on his shoulder. This would have killed a normal human, but it sent Shepard staggering back.
It was then that all sound was cut directly through by the sound of a sword being drawn.
The Guardian watched the events fed to her HUD by Aurora and waited patiently as the little Ghost floated nervously. Her own Ghost spoke to it, but the thing didn't respond vocally.
"Things aren't working as planned I think..." Rico said, now mirroring the emotions the little ghost had.
"Yeah, we need to be ready to jump in."
"Here comes the Gunship..."
As soon as Garrus was hit, the little Ghost took off, flying with all haste to find Archangel. The Guardian reacted faster and pulled the Ghost back, willing it to go into her storage. It reluctantly agreed as the Guardian took off.
"That's our cue!" Kessa said and followed after.
The Guardian sprinted across the bridge, ran directly up a series of crates, and took off into the air.
She pulled her light together and activated her Dawnblade Super.
'SCHWING' was the first sound that came from her light, as massive wings of flame sprouted from her back, nearly 20 feet in each direction. Her entire form was ablaze as she rocketed into the air.
Tarak didn't even see the angel of fire as she swung her sword from 50 meters away. The slash tore through the fabric of space, the fiery vengeance of a star flinging its wrath outward.
She sliced once and the station of Omega lit up with golden light as the figure of the Guardian made her presence known.
The blade of solar fire slashed right through the Gunship's shields, rending the armor, and bisecting the ship. It exploded immediately, the engines torn apart by the solar slash.
The explosion of the gunship seemed insignificant to the presence the Guardian held.
Her very aura ignited the air around her.
Shepard watched the slash of solar Light tore through the Blue Suns ship, unable to see what had caused it. He was still in a daze, barely able to get to his knees after the missile hit him.
Then a being of fire and grace landed through the window the Gunship had just been removed from.
Her wings were made of fire. Fire surrounded her, but it wasn't threatening.
Shepard's helmet dissolved into Light as his pleading face looked at the Guardian. He watched as her expressionless helmet turned and looked at the fallen form of Garrus.
He followed her gaze to find the lifeless eyes of his long-time friend staring off into space.
The Guardian pushed her hand forward, palm up, summoning two ghosts.
Zaeed and Miranda watched on catching their breath. One of the Ghosts, a little blue thing, flew over to Garrus's dead body.
The whole room was silent as the burning angel just stood there, not close enough to injure anyone with her fire, but enough that they all felt like they were looking into a star.
The Ghost sent a wave of light over Garrus, his wounds becoming scars, as breath flowed back into him.
He took a deep breath as if just surfacing from a deep ocean, "What the..." Garrus asked.
The Ghost floated in front of him and in a distorted feminine voice that paused at strange intervals, spoke up, "Hello, Guardian. Time to get back up."
Garrus turned and looked at Shepard, Turian eyes meeting human eyes. They just breathed as they stared at each other, Shepard finally nodding at him.
Garrus nodded back but didn't speak.
"Do you have a name?"
Rico and Kessa followed the Guardian at a much more reasonable pace. Still fast enough to witness the birth of another Guardian...The First Turian Guardian.
"Archangel, was it?" Rico asked.
The room turned to look at the new arrivals as the Guardian's flaming wings and sword slowly diminished back into her form.
Garrus looked are the armored Titan, "Sure..."
Kessa let her helmet turn to light, "Welcome to being a Guardian, Archangel."
Garrus looked over at Shepard with skepticism, but he just shrugged, "Glad you're alive, Garrus."
The floating Ghost seemed confused as to why he was being called two names and Garrus seemed to pick up on it, "Just call me Garrus."
"Gar-rus," The Ghost tried out as she nodded, "Do you have a name for me?"
"You want me to name you?" Garrus asked tiredly.
She just bobbed up and down.
He looked into the distance as the rest of the room rested for a bit, Miranda and Zaeed sitting on different couches.
Garrus thought about the one person he had missed for years now. She had been off on her own since Shepard died, but now that he's back...
Garrus nodded, "Zorah, how does Zorah sound?"
Shepard smiled at the Turian, knowing his reasoning. He was close with Tali'Zorah, but Shepard didn't realize they were that close. He would tell Garrus about meeting her on Freedom's Progress later.
"Zor-rah, I like it. Thank, you Gar-rus," her strange voice said. Every Ghost was unique, so it wasn't that surprising.
It was time for Aurora to speak up, "So, Fireteam Starfall. How would you say that Shepard and I did?"
"And the rest of my team," Shepard said.
Zaeed laughed a bit at that but shook his head when looked at.
Rico looked at Kessa, who nodded, "Well, it could have been better. You are starting to grasp the basics of your abilities, though you are still fighting like a normal."
Shepard looked skeptical at that, but let him continue.
"You aren't used to your power threshold or fighting prowess. You do not need to hide under cover when moving or attacking is better. You only used your Wall one time, regardless if you knew about it or not, it is one of the most versatile Titan abilities. I still think you should come back to New Terra for some Crucible action...just to see how big the gap is between fighting like a normal and fighting like a Guardian."
Shepard looked over at The Guardian, standing still as a statue, "Fighting like her?"
Kessa laughed at that, "Maybe find a happy medium? She's the outlier..."
Zaeed spoke up, looking directly at the Guardian, "That was a helluva swing, how the hell did you do that?"
Her Ghost appeared and spoke for her, "My Guardian here is a Dawnblade, that is what you saw in action."
"Dawnblade, huh? Only one goddamn swing and a bloody gunship was torn in half. Never seen anything like it," Zaeed said while shaking his head.
Miranda nodded, "It seems your prowess in combat was not understated."
Rico spoke up, "Look, we should get out of here before more people show up. But I think we will have to give both of you a rundown on Guardian fighting tactics and methods. It's not that you don't know how to, just that you don't know how as a Guardian."
Shepard just looked tired as he helped Garrus back up on his feet. Regardless of Garrus joining the ranks of the Guardians, something that he had yet to understand fully himself, Shepard had failed.
He let a teammate die, and if he had been faster, stronger, or maybe even more aware...he could have stopped it. This weighed heavy on his shoulders, the weight of responsibility being a burden that he has to carry. If what the Illusive man is saying about the Collectors is true then he has a long road of fighting ahead of him.
Garrus slapped him on his massive pauldron, "I know that look...feeling like you are letting your team down. But you didn't, even if I died here, I would have done so proudly. Fighting the scum of Omega...it's what my team would have wanted."
Shepard realized that Garrus was holding much of the same burden as he, but his was long since gone.
"Your team?"
They started heading out the way they came across the bridge. Fireteam Starfall plus Miranda and Zaeed let the two new Guardians lag behind as they talked.
"It's what I got up to before all of this...the reason I became Archangel and have been taking so many of these...shitty mercs out. I left the damn Citadel, bureaucracy holding everyone back from actually helping people."
"What happened?"
"They let innocent people, be taken and refused to let us save them...we knew they were in for horrors, and yet...the bastards just let them go, no shots fired. I left C-sec after that and started doing vigilante work. Followed a lead on a drug operation all the way here, ended up taking it down and just stayed after that," Garrus coughed and realized that his Zorah was listening to every word.
"It started with this merc named Lantar Sidonis, who met him at Afterlife. We ended up working together and recruiting around 12 people in total. We were doing great work around here, taking down drug rings, trafficking, everything. We ended up making a large amount of money at one point and everything was going good...until Sidonis got captured by the Blue Suns."
Shepard turned and looked at Garrus at that, the Turian's ever stoic face only held rage.
"He betrayed all of my squad by convincing me to go investigate a lead on the Blood Pact, which was nothing, and the Blue Suns hit our hideout...killing the rest of the squad. I was back just in time to watch the last of them die...Sidonis was nowhere to be seen. I wasn't gone for more than 15 minutes... but it was enough."
They took eleven steps before Garrus spoke again, "11 of the best men and women a squad leader could ask for...all gone."
"Any leads on Sidonis?"
"Not yet...was hoping to get in contact with your old girlfriend to see if she has heard anything."
Shepard perked up at the thought of finding Liara again, but it was overtaken by the weight of responsibility for his mission. That was all that mattered right now.
Shepard nodded, "Well if we find him, I'll personally help take the son of a bitch down."
Garrus nodded in thanks. They let the silence hang as both Ghosts felt the emotions of their new Guardians.
The pain was part of being a Guardian, so the Ghosts didn't offer false words or fake sentiments. They just supported them by being there.
It was a unique feeling for both of the new Guardians.