Chapter 36 Part 2: The Liar's Cause
I Think I'm Familiar with the Fact you're going to Ignore this Problem
Until it Swims up and Bites you on the Ass!
-Matt Hooper
Another Jackal fell as bullets raked across its body, it's overloaded shield unable to save it. Chief pushed up to the next set of rocks as he and the other Spartans advanced closer to the motor pool via the secondary gate to its right flank. They had expected resistance, even a significant defensive position. They didn't not expect how fast the Jackal Pirates would be in barricading themselves within the motor pool's perimeter and setting various lines of defense as well as fallback positions. Perhaps these pirates weren't as completely devoid of strategic thought as they had hoped.
Every time they took down a few of the pirates, the line of them fell back. Then more would push up to bolster their ranks and the process would repeat. It made things slow going and with some of the Pirates playing Sniper it made pushing up a bit slow. At least they didn't seem to be using the vehicles, it was likely they were saving them, holding them in reserve. Given that they were after the vehicles, it was probably a wise choice as pushing them into the field would've given the Spartans a chance to grab them.
They were still facing the obvious problem that the Pirates weren't going for a straight up fight. They were trying to wear them down, make them waste ammo, slow their progress. The intent was probably out of a hope the Brutes in the security complex up the road would soon arrive to help them. All they had to do was hold out long enough for the murder gorillas to decide they cared. Not the best plan, but it was a better one than trying to actually fight Spartans on their terms.
Perhaps their success against the Brutes in the camp below had an undesirable sobering effect on the Jackals. Chief couldn't fault them for that logic. If a group of insanely powerful, well-renowned battle-hardened mercenaries with a terrifying reputation couldn't stop an enemy it would give even him a little pause. And Jackals weren't known for their bravery to begin with. Still, it made for rough going just trying to get as far as they had.
They had two minor equalizers, Samara's biotics and to a lesser extent Grunt's healing factor. The Asari's powers were able to rip through the enemy defenses. Her throws knocked the enemy lines back, or she pulled them in out of cover for others to rip into. The Jackals had no real defense against the biotic powers, save for firing on the Justicar whenever she made herself known. This forced her into cover and back to shooting at her opponents.
Grunt came in at this point usually, charging the lines like mad and bowling over the enemy while they distracted with Samara. The krogan could withstand the needle shots, his fortification armor absorbed some of the plasma pistol bolts. The only thing he couldn't handle was the long-range snipers, who forced the krogan to seek cover. Luckily, his aggressive style gave Samara a respite, allowing her to proceed with her attack. And it gave Jun a target to shoot, zeroing on the enemy sniper and taking him down.
They didn't really need to break the defenses though, they just needed to chip away at them. The Master Chief had faith in Linda's ability to get the Female Elite back over here with a sizable army of rioting slaves. Until then, they'd keep pushing and see if they could find a weakpoint. As Chief watched Anton take down a line of Jackals with precision shots, he moved up to his side. A few needles hit the rocks as Chief slid into place beside his squadmate.
"Three by that large cart over there," Anton warned, pointing to the cart full of rocks and material. "Still no activity from the vehicles. We're almost to their wire."
"We need to draw them out and move to the cart," Chief told him. "Can you get a better angle?"
Anton looked about.
"I can move to that boulder there," he suggested. "It's just in front, they might try to take a shot."
"I'll cover," Chief told him. "Go."
Anton rushed out into the open, moving towards the boulder. One of the Jackals took the chance, firing his Carbine rifle at the Spartan's feet. Chief quickly fired two clean shots from his rifle that brought the alien down before he could get off too many shots.
The second of the Jackals instantly opened up on the Master Chief. The Spartan kept their attention, firing sporadically, just to keep their focus on him. Anton, in the meantime, made a move for the cart. He circled around it once he reached it and then two loud shots rang out, as the Jackal that had been shooting at the Chief fell forwards, dead.
Chief moved up to Anton's position as he moved into the cover behind the cart. Already, plasma and needle fire was hitting the cart, bouncing off or sizzling into its side. At least it was decent protection. Better yet, it was mobile protection. The cart was on a very low-powered hover skirt. Minimal ground clearance, but better than nothing.
"Cortana, can you reactive this cart?"
"Child's play," the AI replied as Chief pointed his omni-tool towards the hover skirt. In a second it lit up and floating about and inch or two off the ground. "Anti-Grav is minimal, this thing is overstuffed with material already. They've clearly be overworking their slaves."
Unfortunate, on a number of accounts, but the cart would do for Chief's purposes.
"Anton, stay behind the cart while returning fire," he ordered. "I'm going to push this thing while you do. We're going to move up towards the enemy lines and flank them hard from the right. That should give the others the chance to push."
"Yeah, right up into their wire," Anton agreed. "Let's do it!"
Chief pushed the cart while Anton fired on the enemy lines. It was slow going, but it was better than running from rock to rock. They kept getting hit by plasma bolts of course, scorching the cart's side as they kept moving. Chief just focused on moving up, slowly bypassing the pirates' lines of defense. As they closed on the flank of an enemy position, Chief looked to his motion tracker, noting red dots moving to his left. Anton was still firing on the enemy ahead of them. Pulling out his sidearm, still pushing the heavy cart with his shoulder, Master Chief leaned out to the left.
He spotted a trio of Pirates, energy shields raised, moving towards them. The Spartan Leader took aim, hitting one in the foot. When he tripped, his fellow near him stumbled. The remaining upright Pirate rooted himself as Chief's shots hit his shield. The Jackal tried to circle round, charging his plasma pistol as he did. Chief managed to land a shot on the Jackal's hand, using the energy build up to center his shot.
The bullet cut right through the pirate's hand, forcing the overcharged plasma shot to discharge into the ground. A second bullet collided into the pirate's skull, now open to the Chief's crosshairs with the energy shield lowered. The other two Jackals on the ground were just trying to get back up when Chief fired into their backs, forcing their limp bodies back down.
They kept moving, Anton focused on what lay ahead of them and their right flank. He could see the secondary gate, open wide now strangely enough. The reason soon became apparent. A sudden wild burst of plasma fire hit them hard and Anton heard the distinct noise of a Ghost powering up before it sped out into the field. Some Pirate had decided to break with the defense plan it seemed. Possibly because of the cart encroaching on them.
"Ghost charging!" Anton warned.
The Ghost slammed into their front soon after, bits of top heavy rocks falling out of it on impact. Chief dug his feet into the dirt and pushed back. He had braced just before the Ghost's collision, it was enough to keep the cart upright, even as the Ghost kept pushing hard against them. The pilot was clearly persistent, or perhaps he was just trying to delay them.
Anton realized it was the latter. For at the same time, a few Jackals were moving up to overtake their flanks on his side of the cart. Anton moved out to open fire on them, hitting two in the head as the scrambled over the terrain and third in the stomach. He then turned to the Ghost, still pushing hard against the cart. He rushed up and grabbed onto the side of the alien vehicle. With a swift kick to the surprised face of the pirate, Anton relieved the Jackal of his craft. He then fired into the crumpled form of the psycho turkey before taking over the Ghost's controls. He pulled the craft away from the crate and then turned it on the Pirate Lines, perforating the ranks with plasma fire.
"Everyone, form up on our position," Master Chief radioed. "We have additional fire support!"
Chief moved in behind Anton's Ghost, mindful to warn him that he was there so his fellow Spartan didn't back into him. It wasn't that much of a concern, Anton was focused on filling the Pirate lines full of plasma, forcing their enemy to fallback towards the motor pool/armory perimeter. They were close to breaking the wire. With the others moving on their position, it looked like they'd have a path inside. They had punched a hole into the enemy line and it looked as if it would collapse.
However, the pirates seemed to be bolstering their defenses around the break in their lines as the Spartans, Asari and Krogan moved in to exploit the weakness. It wasn't a stable defense, their wild shots were evidence enough of that. It was clear this was a fighting withdrawal though and a last ditch effort to prevent the perimeter from falling. Still, Chief could see them faltering and believed they could keep pushing here.
That was when red plasma cascaded onto the field. It was creeping up on Anton's Ghost in particular. The Spartan jumped from the vehicle, landing next to Kelly who dragged him into cover, just as the Ghost was struck by a pair of red plasma mortars, decimating the vehicle.
A Revenant had moved up to the front line, directly blocking their path forward as the Jackals gathered around it. They weren't going to make the same mistake as the last time, they were planning on pinning them down under sustained close ranged artillery.
Chief believed they could still get by it, but he suspected the Jackals were already preparing another surprise. This was a delaying tactic. The longer they stayed pinned down outside, the more the Jackals within the motor pool had had to ready themselves. Perhaps they were preparing the Wraiths for combat or amassing whatever weapons they had on hand in the armory or even just trying to keep them stuck here until the Brutes finally got involved. Whatever the case, Chief couldn't wait on it.
"I'm going far left," he told the others. "If they're all concentrated here, I can break through on the flank and grab the Revenant."
"We'll cover you!" Fred replied, opening up on the Revenant.
The enemy vehicle turned, letting loose a few shots towards where Fred was. Kat and Jun fired on the enemy lines themselves, doing their best to keep everyone's eyes off of the Master Chief as he began to move to the flank. Chief moved through the rocks and makeshift barricades, towards the perimeter of the motor pool. However, he never would get to find out if he could pull off his plan, because the Revenant suddenly stopped firing.
While in cover, Chief looked to see the vehicle's operator slumped over dead. Half his body was in the seat, the other half was sprawled out onto the ground. Had Jun managed to land a shot or something? The answer came through the radio.
"Sorry for being tardy, took a hot minute to round everyone up."
It was Linda's voice. Chief looked off to the left a bit further down the slope. Atop a large boulder, Linda sat, her rifle still smoking. She waved briefly at him, before a throng of Jackals and Grunts rushed past her. They were armed with plasma weapons, mining tools, some were driving heavy duty mining vehicles. On one of them, its scooper held high like a shield, an energy cutlass in her hand, rode the Female Elite, beckoning on her little army.
"Forward! No prisoners! No mercy!" She decreed. "Baptize ourselves in their blood! By their blood our shame shall be cleansed!"
The Jackals and Grunts seemed to howl in unison, plasma bolts laced into the Jackal ranks. Since they were coming in on the left, and all their forces were now focused on the right, the pirates had left themselves exposed to the larger incoming force.
There was no real time to reposition, in moments the slaves were at the perimeter. They flooded into its walls, bypassing the Spartans altogether. Plasma and needles now sailed into the Pirate Lines and in moments the defenses utterly shattered. The Pirates had been planning to deal with the Spartans and their smaller force, not hundreds of slaves that greatly outnumbered them.
One of the larger mining vehicles smashed through the barricades at the front gate. Another burst through the perimeter wall. In moments, the pirates manning the secondary gate folded, retreating into the motor pool directly. This was what the Master Chief had been waiting for, no sense in wasting the chance.
"Move in everyone," Chief ordered. "Watch your targets, let's not accidentally shoot our new friends."
Grunt was taking off almost as soon as the Spartan ordered the advance. He trampled over a pair of pirates before unloading his shotgun into a third. He was joined soon by Samara, who used her throw attack to send a number of the Jackals at a makeshift barricade flying. Kat took over the now vacant Revenant, turning it on the retreating pirates. Fred jumped into the seat beside her, firing his rifle as Kat pushed up into the compound.
They were in the wire now, at this point it was mop up. Jun took up an overwatch on a deployable lookout tower near the gate. He had to remove a number of Jackal snipers that had piled up on the hovering platform, most of them his kills. Now that he had the high ground, he took shots at whatever high-ranking pirates were left to further hamper their defensive efforts.
Anton, Chief and Kelly moved through the rows upon rows of Pirate Vehicles, Wraiths, Ghosts, Revenants, Spectres, the place was packed with them. A few of the Jackals tried to take up the vehicles to fight off the invaders, but that was of little help to them now. Chief shot down a Jackal on a Spectre's turret as Kelly shot up a Jackal trying to scramble his way into a Wraith.
"We're closing on the armory," Cortana reported. "Keep clearing the area."
As they exited the rows of vehicles, they came upon a scene of carnage, the slaves gunning down or beating their captors into the pavement. In the middle of their ranks, was the female Elite, easily dispatching the Jackals around her with the Energy Cutlass in her hand. It was no plasma sword, but it didn't seem to matter, the pirate weapon was more than enough to suit her needs. She easily lobbed off the shield arm of a Jackal as she sidestepped around his defense. Then she rammed the sword down his still screaming throat.
"I guess she wasn't just boasting to save face," Cortana confessed to Chief.
"So long as she keeps swinging it at the enemy," the Spartan stated.
The battle was interrupted with a massive blue plume of plasma crashing down in the middle of it. A few slaves went flying as it crashed down. Chief spotted the cause easily enough, a Wraith Tank rolling into view.
"Kelly, Anton, cover!" He ordered.
He was already running for the Wraith, both his Spartans firing on the tank. Specifically, they were firing on the plasma gunner who was taking aim at Chief. The Jackal laced the ground in front of charging green demon, but a burst from Kelly's rifle raked across his face and he fell back in his seat. The Wraith's pilot tried to run Chief down, but the Spartan just grabbed onto the incoming Tank's nose and clambered up to the hatch.
Usually, Chief would just throw a grenade inside and call it a day, but they needed every tank they could get. He punched the hatch repeatedly, eventually wrenching it free. The Jackal inside looked up in shock, frantically trying to grab at his needler. Chief grabbed him by the beak and forced him up out of the Wraith's seat. He then tossed the pirate into a waiting crowd of slaves, Jackal and Grunt alike. They didn't waste time in literally ripping the enslaving buccaneer apart. Brutal, but Chief supposed they had more than earned their day of reckoning.
With the Wraith dealt with, focus returned to the Armory Bunker. Kelly was already at the door trying to bypass the lock. With Kat still clearing things out with the Revenant, this job fell to her for now. Not that it seemed to be much trouble.
"Simplistic locking system," she reported. "They didn't count on any threat worse than a slave sneaking in somehow. Bypass running... and done."
The door slid open. Just as soon as it did, plasma raked the doorway, forcing Kelly to press herself into the wall nearby and everyone else to vacate the area. They had set up a plasma cannon nest, a last ditch effort to save themselves.
"Wish we had a flashbang or something right now," Anton grumbled.
Chief had a better idea, he headed back to grab the hatch he had ripped off the Wraith and held it in front of him. If it worked for Jackals, it could work for him. At least for a little while.
Chief held the broken hatch against him as he moved into the door, the plasma blasts hitting the metal slab. The hunk of alien steel went white hot under the blaze of fire. So much so even Chief shields were taking damage from the residual heat despite the face he hadn't been hit by a single bolt. In the last second, Chief flung the super-heated hatch, smashing it into the Jackal's face hard, crushing her skull and removing the threat.
Kelly and Anton moved in next, a few of the slaves following suit as they began to move through the armory room by room. There were a lot of weapons lining the walls on display, some of them the Spartans recognized, others weren't as common. That was for later though, the building still had hostiles occupying it.
There were only a few Jackals left inside, most likely the leaders given their better looking armor and dress. The self-serving pirates had abandoned the field like cowards apparently. Typical of Jackals, always the first to try and save themselves. In the end, they had just sealed themselves in a closed space with nowhere left to run to.
Their desperate attempts to fend off Kelly and Anton alone were dismal as well. One tried to stab Anton with an energy shard dagger as he rounded a corner. The Spartan just grabbed him by the neck, smashed him into a wall and crushed his windpipe. Kelly mounted her rifle to the wall and moved around a corner carefully, her eyes landing on one Jackal before opening up. She rushed and turned to another corner where she gunned down a second and then just as quickly pivoted to a workbench where another Jackal with a needler opened up, but received a burst of bullets to the face.
There was a fourth Jackal that Anton and Kelly found in a corner, trying to open a locker with likely a highly valued weapon inside. When he saw both of them, he turned and reactivated his shield. He still had his plasma pistol, but he didn't raise it, he knew he was screwed. So he defaulted to what cornered rats like himself always did, bargaining.
"Hey, hey, listen," he tried to say persuasively. "Let's cut a deal here. I have a credit stash, I can cut you in. Just let me go and it's yours. Deal? We got a deal on that humies?"
Kelly and Anton looked at each other perplexed. Anton however spotted something in his peripheral, motioning to Kelly who spotted it as well. She just nodded, realizing what her fellow Spartan had just pointed out.
"Yeah, we're not the people you should be trying to bribe for mercy," she told him flatly.
"I think you're gonna have to discuss it with them," Anton added.
The two Spartans parted, revealing a throng of Jackal and Grunt slaves, all armed with sharp and blunt objects, a few more with guns. The Spartans didn't bother to watch, they just left the room and let the slaves do what they wished. They could hear the Pirate pleading for a few moments, then a lot of screeching, panicking followed by punching, stabbing, gurgled cries and then nothing.
"Armory secured," Kelly reported to Chief as silence filled the room behind them.
The Spartans all reconvened outside, shortly followed by Samara and Grunt. Kat had taken quick stock of the vehicles they had just liberated. It was pretty good news from the sounds of it.
"Four Wraiths, five Revenants, two Spectres, six Ghosts, all in working order," she reported. "Sufficient enough to bust a hole through that high security compound."
"Not counting all the stuff in there," Kelly pointed out. "I was focused on clearing, but I think we might have more than the usual Fuel Rods and Brute Shots inside. Might be some of these... Ex-Banished guys' equipment. Probably collateral for letting them stay here on top of everything else."
"Sounds like we might be good to go then," Grunt stated. "Let's smash the humans out of their prison already."
Chief agreed, but he suspected it wouldn't be that easy.
"These mercenary Brutes won't stay put in their little fort for long when they realize this place has fallen," he warned. "We need to prepare for their counterattack and push up to the security complex when they do. And we'll need the Elite's help with that."
"Kesa," Linda informed him. "I think she'll be more agreeable if we address her by name. Or less angry anyway, it's hard to say."
Still easier than just calling her the Female Elite. Speaking of, she was already approaching the group, her slave army already looting corpses or... finishing off what was left of the pirates. The Elite had already decapitated one of the Slaver Officers moments ago, the blood was still sizzling on the Energy Cutlass as she approached.
"The criminals lie dead and broken, the Jiralhanae are all that remain," she declared. "I would hope you have a plan, Demon Lord. Killing this scum was one thing, they are another and if I am to risk my life to save your fellow abominations, I need to know the strategy is worth my time."
"It's simple enough," The Master Chief explained. "We load up on heavy weapons, grab these vehicles and assault the Brutes as they move to meet us. We'll create a line of fire among the tanks to take down their own vehicles. When we've decimated their numbers, we push through and break open the front door. We take on the Brutes directly, your people support us. We gather the human colonists inside and then we all get the hell out of here."
"A sound enough plan," Kesa agreed. "So long as you do not dictate orders to me in the field, I will go along with it. In regards to that, I have another request... the Jiralhanae commander, Krillous. I demand his head. I must present it to my father for the honor of my house and myself to be restored. And YOU will let me take it."
Chief cocked his head a little, he didn't really understand Elite tradition, outside of its obsession with honor. This just all seemed a little... much. Did it honestly matter that much who killed him? Whatever, he wasn't going to argue this point. He wasn't going to risk her getting killed either though. Not out of a desire to keep her safe, mostly just because without her this slave rebellion could get messy.
"I'm fine with that," Chief assured her. "Question, do you have to kill him in single combat or-?"
"I only need to be the one to do the killing blow if you're asking if you can assist," Kesa clarified most annoyed. "I am not stupid, a warrior must use every advantage and Jiralhanae do not deserve honorable single combat to begin with. They have no understanding of it. Help if you wish, but do not interfere with my kill. You already stole one from my list when you defeated the Chieftain from before. That was his second."
"Alright, just setting down some ground rules," Chief explained.
"With any luck I will not need you anyway," Kesa claimed. "I was outnumbered when I was captured, this will be different."
That was when Jun reported in from his overwatch station.
"Guys, we got movement in the fort up the road," he warned. "Best we get rolling, fast."
"Right," Chief acknowledged. "Everyone, grab a weapon from inside or a vehicle out here! We move in five!"
Every passing second just confirmed in Retz's mind that there was something off about how Snarlbeak's men were responding. They had completely neglected sending reinforcements to the slave pit section of the compound. With the loss of the Narcotics Processing Plant and subsequent chemical biohazard now engulfing much of that section, they had pulled back their forces from it.
A portion of the Nest's Defenders moved towards the docks, creating a blockade around the area between the slave pit and the most likely escape route. They weren't trying to retake the docks though, despite the fact Shepard's small team probably couldn't handle their numbers alone.
Perhaps they didn't want to risk destroying the merchandise located in the various warehouses, but part of Retz thought it was less about that and more about keeping them trapped. They knew the ships were the only way to get the slaves out, it was why they were creating the blockade. If they kept the raiding parties isolated, they could eventually pick them all off one by one. As far as they were concerned, everyone was stuck here and they could wait for reinforcements from above to rally on them soon enough.
However, even with the substantial buildup around the docks, the main focus of the Plunder Nest's defenders were still amassed around the distillery. This was their primary concern, this was the place they had to retake at any cost. This was why their defense made no damn sense. It seemed like the Distillery was the entire lynchpin of their plans. They were building containment around the docks, but striking hard at the distillery constantly. As if they only needed to retake this building and everything else was secondary.
Retz knew who likely understood WHY this was happening, Zix. But he knew it was pointless to ask, especially after last time. He had no faith in getting a straight answer. All he could do was try and figure it out before Snarlbeak's men completely overran them. Keth had reported in that it looked like Zek had killed another Razorfin, there was just one left. If he could pull it off, they could release the Chroka, set the charges and get the hell out of here. But at the same time Retz didn't want him to kill the last Razor until he found out why this damn brewery was so damn important.
Luckily the ODSTs and Marines had brought much needed extra firepower to the party. They were more suited to defensive warfare, having been at it for a very long time at this point. Defending a single building was nothing compared to doing the same for whole colonies and systems. The next few probing waves of Snarlbeak's minions failed to penetrate too deeply and were repulsed. They even kept the hostile pirates from clearing the field of wreckage, delaying another full on offensive.
Although it probably helped that Garrus was assisting in picking off the enemy from afar. That turian had an impeccable marksmanship. He was with Keth on the roof at the moment, alongside a few other Marine and ODST snipers. They seemed to be getting on. Which said a lot about Vakarian, because Keth didn't get along with many people.
Eventually another attack did come though. A Wraith forced the wreckage away, both by bombing and then ramming it. It opened fire on the Distillery next as it rolled forward through the gap. It did little good as the Marines still had plenty of Rockets on hand which they used against the singular Wraith. Two slammed into the tank's main gun, blowing it clean off and decimating the Wraith directly.
It had done its job though, the break in the wreckage wall gave access to the wider field. Ghosts and foot soldiers came through of course, as did a pair of Spectres and three Revenants. They were holding the Wraiths back it seemed, for now anyway. Perhaps they were worried about damaging the brewery too much? It had taken a good deal of pounding from their heavy guns after all. The walls were strong, but they couldn't hold up forever under that sort of bombardment. Maybe they were trying to shift tactics a bit though. Change up their methods.
The foot soldiers were advancing more with the vehicles as mobile cover for one and the Spectres were laying down suppressing fire as they roamed the field. The Revenants were trying to do something similar, staying out of direct fire as the Ghosts and moved up with Shield troops and the marksmen pirates held back further. They were playing it smarter now, what with the fact there were more raider forces to dislodge now.
To Retz it mattered little, right now he just had to keep them out.
"Keth, Garrus, focus on the Spectres," he ordered. "Keep their guns silent and be mindful of their snipers."
"Already on it, Retz," Keth assured him. "We'll keep their heads down or pop 'em."
Retz always appreciated how professional Keth was, maybe that was why he was getting along with Garrus as the turian was similar. With that problem sorted he would focus on the foot soldiers and Ghosts. Then maybe figure out how to deal with the Revenants, assuming the humans didn't have their own plans on that front.
Retz aimed out one of the windows, firing and overcharged plasma bolt into one of the Ghosts. It disabled the craft, leaving its occupant open to be filled full of lead from Marines on the ground floor below. A rapid-fire sling of shots also overloaded the shield of one advancing footsoldier who he then blasted a final bolt into his head. Retz then retreated to cover as needles struck the wall.
As he was relocating, he heard a machine gun turret open up. Following the noise, he looked out another window and spotted a Revenant under heavy fire. Its position suggested it was taking hits from the garage. The Revenant was still strafing the area though, even as lead cut into its armor. Charging up his plasma pistol again he fired another shot that stalled-out the vehicle. Moments later, a missile, likely fired from one of the Batarians in the garage with the Marines, collided with the stalled out Revenant, blowing it open.
Taking a look down the field, he spotted a Spectre's gunner silenced with a sniper's shot. The body slumped out of the turret and onto the ground hard. Not that it seemed to deter another of Zhoc's pirates from taking up the position in turn. Snarlbeak's work contracts had to have a lot of benefits for his henchmen to be this dedicated to the job. Or maybe they just feared failing their boss more than dying. Zhoc seemed to think that's how business worked best.
Some of the enemy pirates managed to breach the perimeter and get inside. They didn't get far though, as whenever they got too close, the Marines pulled back and simply surrounded them as they piled in. They had no luck getting through the front door as Zhad's plasma cannon, combined with ODST support simply saw them cut down.
This said nothing about the added benefit of the extra Normandy crew. Zaeed was on the second floor, laying down fire from above. His inferno grenade lit up the Ghosts and Shield Jackals, engulfing them in fire before he raked them with bullets.
Kasumi was lending her services to the Marines, sneaking behind the enemy Jackals with her cloak and clocking them from behind, mowing down their surprised squadmates as the Marines moved back in.
Jacob's biotics were good as lifting the Shield troops into the air where he or others filled them with lead. His barriers also gave him added shielding to keep up the fire on the attackers.
Garrus was counter-sniping with finesse, removing Snarlbeak's marksmen from the field.
Retz was grateful to know he could rely on everyone here, and the additions of Johnson and McKay greatly took the weight of command off his shoulders. They knew what they were doing. It meant he could focus on his own people, Krez among them. He was using a needler rifle to pick off enemy attackers from the second floor. He managed to get good shot on one. Retz supported him, using his plasma pistols to overload the shields of the enemy as they approached.
However, there was one person who wasn't here.
"Krez, wasn't Zix here?" He asked.
"Yeah, but she took off down that way," Krez grumbled. "Said she needed to check if they were trying to go around a flanking attack."
More likely she just wanted to be out of his sight. They had snipers up top, they were keeping an eye on various directions. Either she didn't trust them to spot an attempted flanking maneuver, or she was trying to outmaneuver him. Retz always defaulted towards the option that involved screwing him over, it saved a lot of time.
Retz wanted to instantly track Zix down... but that would prove to be a problem. A new threat emerged onto the field moments later. It was not a Wraith though, it was something different. It crawled in through the gap in the wreckage, stomping across the field on four legs. It was moving about like a crab as it side-stepped about the field as it entered. It had an elongated cockpit head, similar to a banshee's, but clearly not an aircraft. No, this was a Locust and it was on an attack run.
"Locust! Everyone! Heads down!"
Johnson's warning over the radio was apt, as Retz could see its singular plasma beam charging up. He pushed Krez's head down and away from the windows as a powerful beam cut across the second floor. It laced through the windows, cutting into the back wall. Luckily everyone had either ducked in time thanks to Johnson's timely warning or got into cover. The Locust didn't let up though, it kept lacing the distillery's walls as it moved about the field.
"Where does Snarlbeak get all these toys anyway?" Krez complained.
"Probably pays off more than few Covie leaders to 'misplace' some things," Retz grumbled. "And the Locust used to be a mining platform. I doubt he lets his slaves use it though. You don't want to be handing them that sort of hardware."
The Locust instantly received fire from everywhere, rockets, fuel rod shots and machine gun fire raking it hard. They did little damage, because Locusts had shields. The vehicle itself was lightly armored, but its shields were its true defensive capability. It seemed Zhoc's people had supercharged this one's.
"We need to take out that damn thing's shield!" McKay called out. "It's gonna rip us apart!"
"Don't worry, switching to Disruptor rounds on my rifle!" Zaeed reassured. "I got the bastard in my sights!"
Zaeed's shots hit the Locust, the sniper rounds ripping at the Locust's shields, causing them to shimmer. At the same time, Garrus spoke up over the radio.
"Kasumi! Aim an Overload at that thing! On my mark!"
"Ready, Garrus!"
"Mark!"
The combined Overload strikes along Zaeed's continued fire, managed to bring the Locust's shields down.
"Let 'em have it!" Johnson ordered. "Aim for the legs!"
Fire renewed on the Locust, which was quickly retreating out of range. However, it still took a few good hits, so it didn't escape unscathed. That didn't mean it was gone though.
"Keep your eyes open!" Garrus warned everyone. "It will be back!"
Hopefully not for a while, Retz thought. Although he suspected that it wouldn't be alone. There was no way Zhoc had only smuggled one singular Locust into his possession. However, now they had an idea on how to fight it. Locusts themselves were pretty pricey for a pirate to procure, the fact they were using it now suggested they were getting desperate to dislodge them.
Another matter, however, soon reared its head.
"Retz, Sir, it's Kaz," the kig-yar engineer reported in. "I think I have something."
"Don't waste time, Kaz, we have precious little of it," Retz cautioned. "What is it?"
"There's an extra layer of security for the building, mostly for its sub-levels," Kaz explained.
"Sub-levels? This place has a basement?" Retz asked confused.
"I didn't know either, it's off the main readout schematic, complete secrecy," Kaz clarified. "I cracked its encryption though, it's there. I can't gain access to any cameras down there, but I know how to get in physically. I've unlocked the building's full layout now, there's an entrance, past the Chorka pens to the west end of the structure. In the mixing bay, there's some sort of lift off to the side in the manager's office. You can head down into it from there."
"Fine, but where would I go?" Retz asked, still unsure.
"There seems to be a large space down below and... I don't know, it looks connected to a tunnel?" Kaz said, sounding just as perplexed. "I have no clue, sir, I just know it's there."
That settled it, Retz was intrigued enough at this point. He looked to Krez.
"Hold down the fort here," he said. "I'm heading down."
Retz walked off before the rookie pirate could inquire further. They had found what made this place so important and what Zix was after. There was no question in his mind what he had to do next. He would see to it personally.
Their predicament being as it was, jumping up and down, rocking the boat side to side, they were probably not the best ideas. Yet, Zek was doing all that, as well as splashing the water with the blunt end of a rifle. Why? To draw the last Razorfin in. It was going to show up eventually, why waste time they didn't have?
"Does that usually draw them in?" Varvok asked from the wheel.
"Not really," Zek confessed. "But I'm seriously kinda desperate to get him over here already."
Varvok took a look through the scope of his rifle, scanning the water.
"He's just circling," Varvok groaned. "Not even around us, just in this little circle over there."
Zek was enraged at that and the sounds of battle at the distillery did nothing to ease that for him. Retz was counting on him, his crew was on him and this damn stupid fish was not cooperating! He was in a barely functional boat, he was running out of ammo and he was all out of patience. So the Shipmaster of the Fallen Serpent raised himself over the side of the boat, stuck his feet in the water and began to thrash.
"Come on, you fucking stupid fish! I've killed your fucking friends! I've wrecked your fucking face! Get the fuck over here so we can fucking end this! You worthless! Primordial! PIECE! OF! SHIT!"
In the next moment, Zek took his feet out, repositioned himself on the railing, took a deep breath, leaned forward, and dunked his whole head into the water. He screamed aloud under the wave, letting the sound just reverberate in the bay as he stared out towards the position of the Razorfin. He saw through the dim blue, far away, looking back at him was the Razor from about several feet away.
He glared at him for a second. The predator did the same. And in the next instant, the Razorfin darted forward like a torpedo. Zek pulled his head out of the water and threw himself back on the deck.
"Go! GO!" He told Varvok. "Towards the shore! Go!"
They only had so much engine power, but Varvok gunned it for all it was worth. They sped away, as fast as possible. While Varvok turned the wheel hard to the beach, Zek went to grab at the weapons they had left and picked what he could. A Focus Rifle, a Concussion Rifle, the empty Brute Shot, his plasma and needler pistols, one needler rifle, one carbine and his plasma machete, he took them all, overloading himself. Hopefully at least one would kill the bastard.
"When it gets close enough it's gonna try and bite the boat," Zek warned Varvok. "I'm gonna wail on it with fucking everything we got!"
"If the plan is to let him bite us, why are we running?" Varvok asked.
"Just get us to the shallows near the beach," Zek pleaded. "It's how we even-"
The conversation was cut shot, when the nose of the boat got hit hard. Hard enough for them to start spinning wildly. Varvok was thrown from the wheel and Zek knocked onto the deck. Before either could properly stand and regain their sea legs, the water on the Starboard side exploded outward before something smacked it hard.
Zek stumbled towards the port side railing as a massive maw jutted out of the water and began pulling the starboard end down. He rushed to the other end, pulling out the Brute Shot. He found the Razorfin biting down hard on the boat. He'd make the dumb fish regret it.
Bringing it down hard, Zek slashed the Brute Shot deep into the Razor's face. It thrashed in the surf, refusing to release. It was only when the blade lashed against the fresh scar tissue around the eye that it even jolted back in pain. But it smashed its head into the side of the boat all the same. Zek stabbed the Brute Shot down hard, penetrating about where the tear duct would be if these things could cry. That pained the monster and it dove down hard. Zek could hear a scraping sound, the sharp razor end of the dorsal fin cutting into the bottom of their boat.
"He's not leaving," Zek insisted. "Fucker ain't leaving!"
Zek moved to get to the port side, so sure it was going to emerge there and try on this side. But no, he came up behind them, breaching the water hard and slamming down on the stern. The whole boat began to lean up out of the water, the bow pointing up hard. Varvok grabbed onto the wheel to keep from sliding down, Zek had no such hold. He slid towards the massive mouth the beast, gnashing its teeth. As he slid closer, the pirate could also see the second mouth within, opened wide in preparation to tear him apart.
"No, no, no, no! Fuck no!"
Zek pulled out the Focus Rifle and let it loose, letting is scorch the inside of the monster's maw. The beast shrieked aloud as plasma fire melted the flesh around its teeth. It thrashed against the boat's sides, allowing Zek to roll to the starboard railing and grab onto one of the ropes there. He had to let the focus rifle go to do so, but it was better than getting eaten alive. With his needler now in hand, Zek pelted the bastard fish's face. Soon, a pink burst forced the predator to thrash again, slamming its head into the port end of the boat's stern and then again into the starboard when it recovered. The needler slipped from Zek's grasp from the force of the impact and his grip on the rope slipped.
Zek's feet came within inches of being snatched by the monster's maw. He kicked the beast in the nostril and then ignited his Plasma Machete. He slashed at the monster's mouth and massive eye, hoping to blind it like he did with it's brother.
"I'm gonna fry you up! Serve you with a special sauce!" Zek screeched. "I'm gonna serve you to my mother fucking crew with the rest of your worthless family! You fucking stupid fish!"
The Razorfin turned hard, prepared to bite down hard on Zek's leg. As the pirate moved to pull his limb away from its jaws, a several bullets crashed into the beast's face. followed by an ejected omni-blade that plunged into one of its eyes. Zek looked up to see Varvok hanging out of the turret section, rifle in hand and raised omni-tool in the other.
Zek didn't waste time, he regained his grip on the rigging rope and climbed the side of the boat. He took the concussion rifle off his back and fired several blasts into the maw of the monster. That was effective enough, the beast slowly back off the stern, eventually dropping back into the water. The ship listed back forward. But the damage was clearly done, as the stern was still dipping into the water. Also, Zek could no longer hear the engine.
Pulling out the Needler Rifle, Zek scanned the water, expecting another attack soon. Nothing came. He turned to Varvok, currently resting in the hole for the now damaged plasma turret. He looked just as exhausted and out of it as Zek imagined he was.
"You alright?" The Batarian asked.
"Yeah, I'm good," the Kig-Yar assured. "I'm good. Just get down off of that and we'll..."
His eyes caught something out of the corner of his vision. Port side, cresting the waves, the Razor's dorsal.
"Varvok! Duck!"
As expected, the apex predator burst out of the water, intending to jump the ship. But it's head bent sideways, towards the turret. Everything felt like it was in slow motion at that point. Varvok was ducking, but the Razorfin's jaw were slowly closing. Zek fired at it with his Needler Rifle, striking the monster in the stomach with every shot. Varvok's head just cleared the bottom of the port hole for the turret, the jaws of the Razor closing around the damaged plasma cannon. Zek landed another needle in its side and that was when all his shots detonated into a bright pink burst. The blast was enough to send the Razor tumbling off its trajectory. It smashed into the nose of the boat and rolled off into the water.
Zek rushed over to the front to see which end of the boat the Razorfin peeled off of, hoping to land a few more shots in it. Varvok was quick on his feet, taking his rifle and heading Starboard, so Zek went to Port. He saw the bastard fish, scraping against their side, digging its fin hard into the hull. Zek fired at it as it past him and the Razor finally peeled off.
But Zek saw something as the predator retreated. It's mouth, the first one, something was stuck in its teeth. Lodged in them like a piece of veg or meat from your last meal. Zek wasn't sure what it was for sure, until he looked back to the turret port. The plasma cannon, the damaged one, it was gone. The needle blast had erupted when the Razorfin had its jaws around it. The weapon had gotten stuck in its teeth as a result.
There was little Zek could do with that information now. The Razor had peeled off and submerged into the deep. Varvok was also calling him over, leaning on an open hatch to below decks. Zek already guessed why and it was instantly confirmed when he looked in and saw water pouring into the boat.
"We're sinking, hard," Varvok stated.
"There's gotta be a pump, something to give us time," Zek insisted. "I think... I think it's under that seat? I saw it there when I was rummaging around here."
Varvok opened the seat, sure enough, there was a pump. For all the good it will do them now. Varvok put one hose end into the water outside the boat and the other into the deck below. Switching the pump on, the water inside was quickly being deposited out. But it was barely keeping up. This thing just had too many holes in it.
Zek took stock of their situation. They seemed to be a good ways away from the shore. He didn't think they were strong enough to swim that far before the Razor got them. They didn't have much time now. They'd lose their boat soon and nothing would separate them from the Razorfin after that. They had lost or used up most of their weapons and that damn fish still seemed to be working at a hundred percent despite all the damage it had taken
In all honesty, at this point, taking all that in, if there was ever a time to pull out another trick from his pirate bag this was the moment. This was the time for Zek to think of some crazy new scheme to save their asses. Zek was thinking, but it was exhausting to think. And he honestly wondered if he had anything left.
As Brute Choppers descended from atop the hill, Chief moved his Wraith into the field. It was a relatively small first group, but Chief imagined there were more waiting. It didn't matter, they wouldn't get very close. Cortana would see to that.
"I've already laid in a targeting solution," she reported. "Transferred it to everyone's Heads-Up Displays. Light them up when ready."
Kelly, Anton and Fred had taken the three other Wraiths. They were at the head of the now steadily advancing column of armed rebellious slaves and their own people either riding in or piloting their own vehicles. They were ahead of the Brutes, not by much though. The mercenaries clearly hadn't expected things to turn south so quickly at the motor pool. Chief imagined they weren't expecting they'd have to deal with a full-on slave revolt. Now they were trying to mobilize quickly to make up for their lack of action, it was going to cost them.
"We're lined up, Chief," Kelly reported.
"Then open up," he ordered.
The Wraiths all fired in unison, sending massive blue plumes into the sky. Cortana's firing solution managed to track the Choppers almost dead-on. A few shots landed short or a bit to far back, but more than enough ended up coming down right on top of the Choppers themselves. The plasma mortars blew apart the Choppers easily enough. The iron slicing wheels spun out across the ground, the frame of the vehicle engulfed in fire. Others smashed into the dirt, breaking apart like they were cheap toys. The Spartans didn't let up the barrage, even as a few of the Choppers closed in. Their blue plasma was soon joined by Red, as the Revenants piloted by the former enslaved Grunts, let loose. They blew apart the Choppers with ease and continued pressing towards the high security complex.
The Brutes answered the aggression by launching more Choppers and a few of their Prowlers, scrambling out of the main gate. They closed them up though, locking their own people out. As if any Brute would retreat from a fight, they weren't built to understand that concept. Even Elites, honor-obsessed as they were, knew when to fallback.
The Revenants opened up of course, hitting the Choppers just as hard as they hit them. The Brutes tried to circle around to the Wraith's sides and back, intending to attack them where they weakest. That didn't go so well for them though. The armory had been stocked with stolen human weapons, as Zix had promised. With them, they had more than ordinance to even things up against any Brute assault.
For example, Grunt was in the possession of a rocket launcher. And when a Chopper tried to flank the Wraith he was guarding, the krogan fired his launcher straight into at driver of the vehicle. He laughed at the resulting explosion and continued marching forward alongside the Wraith.
There were Brutes charging among the Choppers, but they didn't exactly last long either, not with Linda and Jun picking them off with Covenant Beam Rifles. They were riding shotgun in two of the Revenants. While their methane-sucking pilots kept up fire on the Choppers, they prevented the Brutes from getting too close on foot.
Given how dangerous these particular gorillas had proven themselves to be, Linda and Jun made sure to go exclusively for the head, at all times. Even hopped up on Snarlbeak's special painkiller brew, Brutes couldn't function without a brain in their pans. Sure, it wasn't much of a brain, but it was there given the burst of dark red that exploded out of their skulls every time Linda landed a shot between their eyes.
Samara forwent any heavy weapons from the armory, although she did find a M739 SAW Light Machine Gun among the racks that she decided to procure for herself. She only used it sparingly though, to take down the charging Brutes that were headed for the center of the line. She picked that area because it was the most open section in their thrust, where many of the slaves were congregated during their advance. As a Justicar, it was her duty to protect them and she would, no matter what.
The Machine Gun was mostly just to finish off whatever Brutes she launched into the air. Her real weapon was, as always, her biotics, which she used upend a few Choppers that tried to squeeze through the gap. She sent one hurtling backwards through the sky, only to land on a group of Brutes and then smash into another Chopper.
All the while, Chief kept pushing his column forward, firing the Wraith's gun as fast as he possibly could. His main targets were the Choppers as they swarmed the field. He kept an eye on the Prowlers though, as they raced across the field, taking potshots where they could. Whatever these ones were armed with, they were a bit stronger than the usual plasma cannon. These mercenaries had switched it out for something else that seemed to feature explosive rounds that rocked the Wraiths hard.
"Someone take those things down!" Chief ordered.
Luckily, Kat took up the call, using a new toy she had located in the Armory. Some sort giant spear gun, clearly not Covie, or at least not regularly used among them. More than like Brute in origin, Kat was eager to see what it could do. She clambered onto a Revenant's shotgun seat and took careful aim at one of the offending Prowlers. She fired the harpoon-like projectile, which sailed across the field and embedded itself into the engine of the heavy assault craft. Not even a second later, it exploded, ripping the Prowler in half.
"I think we should raid these Banished more often," she said somewhat jovially.
The second Prowler was all the Master Chief's. In fact, it zeroed on him, firing a torrent of explosive rounds as it charged across the field on a collision course. It even ran over a few of its fellows as it did and bashed away destroyed Choppers. Chief aimed his sights down at the incoming Prowler and fired. The first hit damaged the vehicle, but only slightly as it had moved away from the direct portion of the plasma. A second hit landed a bit short, but set the front of the vehicle ablaze. Chief aimed for a third and this one landed.
It tore open the Prowler, engulfing it in plasma. And yet, it still kept coming. Chief ducked his head down low as the massive burning hulk charged his Wraith. It hit the nose, slid over the open hatch and crashed down into the dirt beside him. A few of the slaves had to run for cover as it tumbled a bit, but there was minimal damage.
"That's it for their heavies, push through," Chief ordered, not even missing a beat.
The Choppers were so swept from the field, the Wraiths doing much of the damage. They then approached the gates of the High Security Complex. Together, all at once, they opened fire. There were Brutes on the palisade walls, firing down on the advancing army. The furious barrage of plasma soon silenced them. It wasn't long before the gate themselves were torn clean open, the walls crumbling down as the furious barrage of plasma cascaded onto the small fort. From the ranks of the Jackal and Grunt slaves, a lone female voice cried out.
"The demons have crumbled their defenses! Go! Take my revenge to the Jiralhanae! Secure our safe passage! Leave none breathing!"
Already the Jackals and Grunts were charging up to the broken gates. Chief spotted Kesa among them, her blade held out and eyes full of fury. Whatever else you could say about the Covie, she led by example and from the front. Still, there was a grim certainty about this charge. Even better armed as they were, they were still Jackals and Grunts taking on Brutes.
"This is gonna be a slaughterhouse," Kelly warned. "We've seen what these mercenaries are capable of."
"As long as they distract the majority of the Brutes from our rescue operation," Kat stated rather coldly and bluntly. "They're not our main objective, remember?"
"No, but we still need them," Chief reminded them. "But it's also out of our hands mostly, this is what Kesa wants and what they want. Help out where you can, but push to the main holding cells no matter. Everyone out, we're on foot from here."
Chief dismounted his Wraith, landing feet first in the dirt as Slaves raced by him, charging the open gates. already they could hear fighting inside the embattled walls as alarms blared loudly. Soon, the rest of the squad joined him. He was already walking ahead, so he didn't waste time in giving orders.
"Cortana, where are they most likely keeping the colonists?" He asked.
"Central structure there," Cortana said, highlighting a stout building in the middle of the compound. It had a fairly large tower and sizeable bunker base.
"Spartans, proceed to objective," he ordered. "Linda, Jun, provide overwatch. Samara, Grunt, with me. We're going to keep our Elite alive and direct her people towards the objective for additional support. Find the colonists, kill the Brutes, get the hell out. Understood?"
"Copy!" Came a reply in unison.
"Get it done," Chief declared, breaking into a run.
The Spartans charged forward, splitting into their individual teams. Samara and Grunt stayed with the Master Chief, rushing into the already thick fighting that had broken out in the main courtyard of the high security complex. Despite the plasma flying and screams of pain, Chief wasn't concerned. This was their element, this was where Spartans excelled, where Samara and Grunt excelled.
There was no question in his mind that they'd get this done. Chief just wanted it done fast, because he imagined the other Raid Parties were feeling the heat themselves by now. And they didn't have a whole army led by a very angry Warrior Princess backing them up.
Just one more push and they could all get out of here. Every last person trapped in this pit could go home. Funny, he was built and trained to save human lives. By the end of this day, he was going to be responsible for saving some alien ones. Strangely enough, he didn't feel too conflicted about that, but it was something he'd think about later. Right now, he had Brutes to kill, colonists to rescue and a Slave Revolt in need of aid.
Time to do what Spartans were made for.
Retz found the lift behind the shelving unit in the office, just as Kaz said. He didn't bother closing it back up, he just entered the lift and pulled the switch to start the descent. The lack of a proper grav lift in favor of this older winch and gear system was obvious enough. To hide it better and reduce power usage.
There was something down here that Zhoc did not want many people having access to. Evidenced by the fact when the lift finally stopped, he soon ran into a large door blocking the hall. Lucky for him, Kaz was still in the system, he just needed access.
Connecting his omni-tool to Kaz's terminal upstairs with a few commands.
"Kaz, I'm running a bypass program up to you," he said. "Crack the lock."
"On it, sir," Kaz assured him.
After a few seconds of holding the omni-tool up to the locking mechanism, the door began to creak open. From there, Retz descended a few stairs towards another large door. Kaz by now already had a backdoor into the sublevels systems though and had unlocked it.
"Still no camera access?" Retz asked.
"None, but that big room is just beyond that door, sir," Kaz informed him. "Do you want me to send backup? I can ask one of the Marines or-"
"Don't concern yourself, Kaz," Retz said calmly. "Just worry about what's happening up there. I'll handle this."
Retz opened the door with a click on its terminal, it slid open loudly as Retz took his first tentative steps inside. He didn't see much at first, it was very dark, almost pitch black. He could hear something though, water... a lot of water. Slowly but surely though, lights began to turn on automatically, illuminating the massive room.
Pumping stations, similar to what he saw up in the Chorka pens, just bigger and more of them. There were hoses, traversing the walls and ceiling, but bigger. Tons of barrel containers, more than a few vats, purification and filtration chambers, all surrounding a massive tank. No, not really tank, more of a big aquarium. And there were a lot of hoses leading into the aquarium. When the last light came on... Retz realized why.
Inside the massive aquarium tank, swimming around it meekly, hoses plugged into its back and constantly pumping was a Chorka. No ordinary Chorka though, this one was huge, bigger than any adult Chorka Retz had ever seen. Twice the size of a regular full-grown male at least. That wasn't the most distinctive element though. Most Chorka were of course pale white. This one was black, a dark pitch black that covered it, like an all-encompassing shadow.
The massive Chorka soon spotted Retz and swam up to the glass. It placed its eye up to it, curious at this new face. Chorka had good memories, this one probably knew every handler it had. Retz obviously wasn't one of them and it didn't understand why he was here. For whatever reason though, the Chroka looked... hopeful. Retz couldn't explain it, but the creature's eyes seemed to ask at him, plead to him... to help. It's mournful cry all but cemented it.
Why was this Chorka down here? Why was it so big? Why was it black? Why was it hooked up to everything like this? This wasn't normal for milking Chorka. This wasn't how you did it. Although he imagined someone could explain it, specifically the person walking up behind him. He already had his plasma pistol out and pointed ahead. When he turned, he found the interloper. Who could it have been but Zix? Because of course it was Zix.
"Well, you found it first," she shrugged, her hands suddenly up. "What a shock. Knew it would happen in due time. Still disappointed in myself."
"What is this?" Retz demanded to know. "Why is this Chorka here?"
"Come now, Retz," Zix questioned back, sounding rather disheartened by the ask. "Don't tell you're not up on all your Pirate Lore. It's obvious why it's down here, it's a Black Chorka!"
"The Black Chorka are myths," Retz declared. "This can't be... a natural one!"
But Zix looked insistently.
"It is natural," she said, grinning widely. "The Black Chorka, the rarest of all Chorka. Who dive so deep and for so long that few sailors of old have ever seen them. Somehow though... Snarlbeak found one and he brought it here."
"Why?" Retz asked.
Zix just scoffed.
"You can't take a guess?" She questioned.
"I want to hear you explain it because you already knew it was here!" Retz snarled. "This was why you came on this part of the raid! This is your primary objective! So explain it because for once I want to hear the truth out of your goddamn beak!"
Zix just sighed, it was evident she was over being coy. Now Retz would get his answers, good. They'd all likely be very condescending and pissy with a hint of some kind of lecture, bad.
"The Black Chorka's ichor is said to be more than just the top tier in terms of flavor, it is also supposedly highly addictive," she began astutely. "It is the greatest prize, the ultimate opportunity for any prospective Ichor Rum Brewer. Pirates went mad in the old days just trying to find one, so they say, just trying to get another taste. And it would seem, Zhoc found one somehow. No doubt by utilizing his impressive tact for recognizing patterns that made him a logistics genius to determine when one would come up for air. He caught it, transported it here and has been extracting ichor from as many of its pores and glands as he can ever since."
Retz looked up at the ceiling, noting the massive harness swaying up above the rafters. No doubt used when Zhoc needed to suck more of the ichor from specific spots and didn't need it moving around. Didn't stop him from having extractor pumps plugged into its back constantly though. And the poor thing, while never completely drained, looked exhausted all the same.
"This isn't how you're supposed to extract from Chorka," Retz observed, grimacing. "You have to give them a break now and then."
"And you're not supposed to capture and hoard them either," Zix reminded Retz. "You already know what Zhoc is planning, did you honestly expect him to respect the code for this?"
"But why?" Retz asked once again. "What purpose does this serve?"
"Do I honestly have to spell it out?" Zix asked exasperated. "The Black Chorka is the key! Did you really think having a lockdown on several pods of Chorkas would give Snarlbeak the monopoly over the Ichor Market alone? That's just the supply, meet the demand!"
Zix pointed directly to the Black Chorka, who bellowed loudly.
"Every bottle of Ichor, every batch of brew, from beer to ale to rum to mead and even ordinary grog, it ALL has just a little bit of this big fella in it," Zix finally explained in frustration. "The dosage varies from batch to bottle, but every sip of every flavor is enhanced by some of the Black Chorka's own mixed in. That in turn hooks his customers and keeps them coming back.
"He could make a full-on Black Chorka brew, but everyone would know at that point because it would taste so radically different. And then everyone would be after it. This way, the secret stays hidden and everyone just thinks he's a master brewer or employs them! That is how Snarlbeak built a brand! That is why he has dominated even the Syndicate in bootlegging for years!"
In that moment, it all clicked together for Retz. Truthfully it had started more or less when he saw the Black Chorka, but Zix admitted to it all more or less confirmed it. Everything had been about this.
"So the chemical warheads, the captured sangheili girl, not telling us about the ex-Banished or the Razorfins," he listed off angrily. "This whole raid, even your stated goal of crippling Snarlbeak. It was all... what? Secondary? Cover to keep me guessing? Running in circles, all to get to this?"
Zix unassumingly shrugged.
"The chemical warheads and the kidnapped Sangheili were important objectives," she replied, sounding almost bored. "This was primarily about crippling Snarlbeak though, it always was. Drugs? He can plant more. Slaves? He can capture more. His smuggling operations? He can replace the ships and merchandise we're going to steal or destroy. His Ichor Distillery? He has more Chorka and he can always build a new brewery. Keeping him out of the bio-weapons market and preventing him from cozying up to a Covenant Warlord are good starts to containing his influence."
She walked up to the tank as she spoke, Retz keeping an eye on her. She then placed her hand on the glass, near the magnificent but sad creature's eye.
"But the Black Chorka? He can't replace that," she declared with a slight smile. One that grew into unmistakable wonder, something Retz had never seen on Zix before. "Ocean's depths, such a beautiful creature. So rare and... majestic. Just seeing it here... that was worth all the aggravation I had to put up with working alongside you."
Retz was almost fooled by Zix's admiring gaze, the Chorka itself playful chirped at the new face hear its tank. Beneath the veneer of rapturous amazement at the sight of a creature of legend though was the real reason she was smiling, profit. It was the same for every Kig-Yar, Retz would never claim otherwise, but it was always present in Zix's eyes even when not at the forefront.
"So that's the Syndicate's play then," he reasoned. "You steal the Black Chorka from Snarlbeak and take over the Ichor Market entire."
"Would you rather we let Zhoc keep it?" Zix chortled derisively. "Look what he's doing to the poor thing. At least the Syndicate will give it a decent home and won't hook it up to extractors for cycles upon cycles. We already have a reserve ready for him and we'll make sure he's well looked after and only extracted from once or twice a month."
"What about the code?" Retz asked sneering. "You just said you're not allowed to hoard Chorka!"
"Hoard... Chorka. As in regular Chorka. Not many people believe BLACK Chorka even exist," Zix gleefully corrected with smarmy smile. "You didn't until you saw our friend here but a few minutes ago. Besides, you can't have a hoard of a ONE to begin with. And even still you know the code... they're not RULES in the strictest sense... they're, you know..."
"Guidelines," Retz growled low.
"I was going to say Recommendations but I like that better actually," Zix confessed.
It was weird how well human vids understood pirates, or at least the kind of pirates like the Syndicate and its prized pupils like Zix. It turned Retz's stomach.
"You're just bending your own damn traditions to suit how you play the game," He spat back. "This is why I left the Syndicate! You preach about how you're defenders of what the Golden Age represents, but you're just like every lying lowlife out there! Tradition is your grift! You're barely better than Zhoc!"
"The Syndicate has defended the pirate way of life ever since our useless government sold out to the Covenant centuries ago!" Zix declared boldly and vigorously. "Without us, there would be no pirate clans, not even freelancers! The Covenant would've hunted us all down long ago! We'd be extinct! Thousands of years of proud true independence GONE! And you dare try to lecture us over how we go about doing it? What have you done to keep that legacy alive since you left, Retz? NOTHING!"
Retz scoffed aloud, tired of this sanctimonious bullshit Zix spewed.
"You just replaced the true spirit of the Golden Age with this fabrication!" He argued back. "You run this place like a damn government yourselves! All so you can keep your own damn power base! You claim it's to keep us all safe, but it's all about YOU in the end. You could've kept the spirit of piracy alive just fine without making every damn clan bend the knee to you! You act hands off, but you pull everyone's strings hard enough to choke any you deem even a small threat! All Zhoc taking over would do is just wipe away the illusion that you're anything but defenders of tradition! You're just the Covenant without the religious blather."
Despite the vitriol, Zix was unmoved, unbowed and seemingly unoffended.
"I won't try to convince you otherwise," she stated flatly. "But everything I just said is the truth for me, my truth. I believe in the Syndicate, Retz. You lost faith in it, but I've always believed in its mission, always will. Say whatever you want, I know what I stand for. What about you, Retz? What do you believe in? What do you stand for? Hmm?"
Retz looked at her confused, unsure of what she was getting at. What was her game?
"What are you implying?" He asked. "What do you mean believe?"
"Just say it," She reiterated. "What do you believe in?"
Retz grimaced, unsure of where this was going, but answered simply enough.
"I believe in my crew," he said. "I believe in my friends."
"Pfft, you mean Friend, singular, Zek," Zix corrected with flippant roll of her eyes. "You believe in Zek, a drunken failure son of an even more drunken idealistic failure. But at least Dreadfeather believed in something, stupid as it was. But Zek? Heh, he's just a joke... and you believe in him. Which makes you a sad joke."
"Zek is not a joke," Retz snarled in anger.
Zix groaned in equal disgust and rage.
"Oh come off it already, Retz! This is your problem! THIS right here is every reason why you're a failure!" She declared uproarious. "You wanna know WHY the Syndicate doesn't care if Zek gets the Astral Cutlass? Because he is NOTHING like his father. He has no ambition, no grand scheme, no cause! He's an aimless, broken-down pathetic waste of a pirate! All he believes in is himself! That's all he's ever believed in! No higher calling, no greater purpose, just getting loads of creds and drowning all his sorrows in booze until he finally croaks! That's his measure of success, excess! It's pathetic! And you're even more pathetic for following him!"
"You don't know Zek!" Retz screeched back. "He's not that selfish! He's never been! He cares! He's not like any of you!"
"Oh really?" Zix asked with a snorting laugh. "What's his plan after he gets the Astral Cutlass, hmm? Plunder a bunch of ships? Get a planet all his own? Set up a little pleasure palace where the ichor flows forever? How far off am I, Retz? Be honest with yourself here, for once."
Retz wanted to say otherwise, to shout down Zix and tell her how wrong she was, but he couldn't. Because that was what Zek kept talking about. He wanted the Cutlass so he could take a pound of flesh from the Covenant and eventually settle down in a comfortable position as a pirate lord of some private planet all his own. Like the Plunder Nest was. Maybe he'd still do some jobs on the side, but, no his plan was to basically live the good life alongside his crew.
But... was that honestly so bad? It was a far cry from what Zhoc was doing. What the Syndicate was doing. He was just going to live his life how he wanted. Wasn't that the whole point? What was wrong with that? Nothing. Nothing at all. So, why did he seem to not like that answer? And why was it suddenly so hard to convince himself that nothing was wrong with that? Maybe... because it sounded nothing like the Zek he knew. The one he followed.
"See... silence," Zix said with a sense finality when Retz could respond. "Complain about how the Syndicate does things. How we lie and cheat to keep ourselves on top. But at least it's towards an end. At least it means something. When our people gave up what we were to serve the Covenant, it was because it was the easy way out. We forwent fortune and glory... for servitude and a steady paycheck. They chained us and we let them."
"Zek... he wants the Cutlass for the same reason any pirate worth his salt does," Retz tried to argue. "To capture that... fortune and glory you covet so."
"He wants it to cut a way to the easy life," Zix claimed. "To be just like Snarlbeak, but without the ambition, without the drive, without any motivator but what HE wants in the end. At least Zhoc wants something more for our people alongside his selfish drive for revenge. It's horrible, terrible, ghastly, against everything I believe in, but at least it's a cause. A least it's something.
Zek is too busy pissing and moaning about his own damn issues to care about anyone or anything else at the end of the day. He's his own worst enemy, constantly holding himself back from being anything but what he is already. And he'll probably get worse still, squandering everything, maybe moreso now that he knows what his father actually was."
Retz looked at her incredulously.
"Oh please, you think we didn't know? We didn't tell you because we didn't trust you not to spill it to him," Zix stated. "We picked up Dreadfeather's message too, we knew he was doomed from the second he sent it. But we admired his guts, even if we thought he was an idiot. His son is nowhere near the father's ambitions. Partially in thanks to you of course, what with you enabling him."
"What?" Retz snarled back in disgust.
"You claim he's your friend, Retz and he might even care about that to an extent, but he'll never put it on the line for you. No more than I would," Zix claimed rather self-assuredly. "Everything he does is for personal glory, every success he has is in spite of himself. He never would've gotten this far without you, but beyond his camaraderie, he'll never truly listen."
"Zek listens to my advice, he respects me," Retz sneered back with a growl.
"He respects that you go along with his stupidity, that you never challenge him, that you're fine with being rudderless," Zix snorted with vile contempt. "Zek at the end of the day will always care about how things turn out for him. It's why he was such a failure until you came into his life. It's why he keeps you around now. And your stupid little affectionate bond with him keeps you from truly pushing him in any direction. Because he won't listen and if you really push, he'll drop you. Like he drops everything that complicates his life. Even if it makes him happy."
Retz wanted to claim otherwise. But then he thought of Taq. He thought of how happy Zek was with her. How she made him just a little less miserable. How his eyes glowed when he saw her. How he was so absolutely in love with her. He knew he was, he encouraged Zek to keep at it. While he never felt that way or could, he wanted it for his friend. And then... then he dumped her out of the blue. Because he got scared. Because it "complicated everything," Zek's exact words.
"Zek has no cause," Zix concluded definitively, her voice sounding deathly fatal in its summation. "He cares only for what makes his life easy and free. He cares about tradition only in so far as it gets what he wants. He cares about profit over any other motivation. He has a chip on his shoulder that he just can't knock off and probably doesn't even want to. He's just like Zhoc, it would only take a few things to change that. But he'll never be another Snarlbeak, because he doesn't care for anyone to the degree Old Scratch did his sister. He's a lost broken bird who will never amount to anything and as long as you follow him, the same is true of you."
Her tone suddenly shifted, as Retz hung his head low, his mood darkening. Zix's mood in contrast shifted to a brighter, sunnier disposition, tinged with a sickening degree of self-satisfied righteousness.
"That's why we don't want you back, Retz," She said with a sick grin. "That's why we're happy to let you squander everything following him. Because as long you do, you won't come back to the family that gave you purpose and you won't threaten to take my place. And I'm just fine with that. With you lying to yourself that you have a friend."
Zix walked past Retz at that point, heading over to a console near the aquarium. Retz hated taking it all in, had no real answer to any of it. No real comeback. But he couldn't let those words stand. Because for everything she got right, Zix got one thing wrong about Zek and he'd speak it directly so she knew.
"Zek does believe in something," Retz stated proudly and firmly, his conviction clearer with every word. "He believes in the crew. He believes in owning up to what a Shipmaster should be. What a pirate should be. In case you forgot, he's out there now, risking his life to kill three of the deadliest creatures of the sea. Putting his blood on the line to get those Chorka out of here and give us a win."
He pointed at her accusingly.
"You could've done that easily enough if you were just honest, but you didn't because you wanted to make sure you got the prize first," he said flaring at Zix. "Did you really think you could slink this giant by us without us knowing? You were gonna have to come clean about the Black Chorka one way or the other, you just played around with us. Used us to get what you wanted, hoping that when you had the chance, you could slip away with it, maybe even the entire pod of Chorka as well. But you knew that was a longshot, didn't you?"
"What's your point?" Zix asked, sounding bored already.
"My point is... you lied to yourself," Retz implicated. "You were hoping against hope that you'd make off with a massive score right beneath our noses somehow. You believed that you could fool me, fool Zek, but we beat you, because Zek believed in his crew. He believed in us to be able to hold this Distillery, he believed in me to find out what you were planning and all he asked in return was that we believed in him to be able to finish off those Razorfins."
"He's going to fail, Retz," Zix spat back. "I've been keeping updated, his boat is on its last legs. Chances are he'll feed that four-eyed alien to the thing and swim back to shore scared. He'll probably at least beach the damn thing, but the only reason he even went out there is because he's foolhardy idiot who is constantly trying to prove to himself that he's worth a damn."
"He is," Retz said, his voice full of pride and reverence for his shipmaster, his friend. "Zek is more than our shipmaster, more than our boss or leader. He's family, he's been more family to me than any of you were. He's going to kill that last Razorfin and he's going to prove how wrong you were! He might not be his father, but he cares more about what the pirate life means than anyone in the Syndicate ever will. Just like Dreadfeather did, even if he doesn't know it. I follow him because he cares, because I want to see him succeed, because I know what he can achieve!"
He stood up straight now, conviction resonating in his voice more than ever before.
"That's my cause, Zix! That's what I believe!"
The Syndicate Spymaster merely looked back from the terminal she was working at... and smiled a sweet sickly smile.
"Well then," she said sinisterly. "We'll see what your faith rewards you with soon enough then. But either way, the Black Chorka is coming with me. It's going back to the Syndicate so we can reclaim the Ichor Trade. All thanks to you, Retz, you've been of great service to us... one last time."
"Fuck you," Retz snarled.
Zix's smug grin didn't leave her face as she returned back to the terminal. Let her have her moment of triumph for now, Retz thought. Zek would kill that Razorfin and then she'd see how wrong she was. About him, about Zek and most especially about this Black Chorka, all of it.
Zek and Varvok were laying on the deck, which was slowly but surely slipping into the water. The pirate's thoughts were both on trying to think of a way out of this while also regretting how he got into this. A stupid sense of trying to look like a legendary pirate in front of his crew. A desire to show up everyone and prove just how useful he was. A chance to rub it in doubters like Haverson's face that he not only saved the whole raid mission, but saved the lives of every Chorka in that building because he was just that good. Now it was likely going to end with him being eaten alive. How fitting. How absolutely typical. And why? Because he dared to think he was smarter than a damn fish.
Just his usual idiocy. His usual foolhardy expectations that he could be the best pirate ever. Better than his dad, better Snarlbeak, better than everyone. The worst part though, the prospect of letting Varvok and Retz down. Hell, even letting Shepard down because his delay on this whole thing was probably why they were all still stuck here. He hoped the Commander was holding out alright.
With all that in mind and Varvok right here, Zek couldn't just give up. Not just because he had made promises or that they were relying on him. He just didn't want them to pay for his fuck up, like everyone always seemed to. Even more than that though, more than feeling depressed or angry at himself, he was just angry at that Razorfin and by extension Snarlbeak. That was the dagger that really dug in hard.
"How much longer on the pump?" Zek asked Varvok.
The batarian looked over as the pump seemed to be slowing.
"I think it's running out of juice soon," he admitted. "Think we can make the shore?"
"Eh, it's a possibility... very low though," Zek confessed. "Maybe he's hurting enough that he can't keep up with us paddling. How good is your breaststroke?"
"I think I'm a decent swimmer," he claimed.
Zek nodded, knowing that actually meant it had been a while since the Batarian had actually taken a dip.
"Alright then," the Kig-Yar sighed. "Guess we only have a few options then. Well... two ultimately. Kill it or be eaten. Law of the fucking jungle and all that."
Zek took out the Carbine Rifle, looking at what was left in its magazine. More shots than the Needler rifle anyway.
"You know why I picked the Distillery?" He asked Varvok. "Why I really wanted to kill these Razors myself?"
"Didn't you already explain this?" Varvok asked in return, sounding most exasperated.
"Yeah, and it's all true what I said," Zek assured him. "But when you get down to it, the basest reason for something is the one all the others grow out of. And the base reason is... Snarlbeak's Ichor is delicious. It really is. Some of the best. I've had a lot of it over the years. Maybe way too much. And knowing what I know now, knowing what he was doing with every cred I spent on his brew, what he was planning with all that wealth. Well it pisses me the fuck off. I, me alone given how much I drowned myself in the stuff, more than likely personally funded Zhoc's whole revenge scheme that intends to drag down every pirate with him."
Zek was growing more visibly angry as he spoke this aloud. Varvok could only sigh.
"Don't blame yourself," he relented. "It's not like you could've known, or anyone really."
"No, but it still fucking stings," Zek explained. "Still fucking pisses me off to be used. Like the Covenant used me. Like a fucking pawn. That gnaws away at the side. I should have what that fucker has. ME! I'm more of a pirate than him, he's just a goddamn sellout. He's built this whole empire on fucking Ichor and he's planning to sell it off... why? Cause he's got a hard on for revenge on the Sangheili! Hell I don't even like the split-faces myself and he's just fucking obsessed! It's insane! All this because what? His sister died! He hates a whole race for what one fucking asshole did? An asshole he already killed!"
He looked up, glaring at the fin of the Razor circling further off.
"And then there's THIS asshole!" He declared, pointing at it. "This fucking little shit who just won't die! Who just won't give me what is fucking owed! Who won't step out of the way and let me get my fucking shit! My Ichor! MINE! I want that fucking stash! I want ALL of Snarlbeak's rum and beer and ale and mead and yeah even the fucking grog! I want ALL of it! Because I ain't paying half a cred more! A quarter cred more! I refuse to give up what I've rightfully stolen from that sellout old bastard! And this fucking ancient piece of primordial shit won't fucking give it up because he's too fucking stubborn to admit he's fucking lost!"
Varvok's four eyes looked between the kig-yar pirate and the Razorfin in the distance one after the other. And regardless of anything else, he gleamed a bit of an observation here.
"Are we still talking about the Razorfin or-?"
"It's MY Ichor now! MINE!" Zek declared in anger. "I stole it! I'm stealing it! I've won! And I'm gonna win again when I put this waterlogged watchdog down!"
With that, Zek took a shard dagger and cut into his foot some. He then stuck it in the water before Varvok could even stop him. Zek then climbed onto listing end of the boat, atop what used to be the cabin.
"Swim for it, Four-Eyes," Zek called out. "This is between me and the fish."
"I'm staying," Varvok said determined, climbing up onto the side of the boat. "I'm not letting you face this thing alone."
"Fine, the plasma cannon is stuck in its teeth," Zek informed him. "We land a good enough shot on its core... it goes critical, takes the fucker right out."
Varvok had his Kishock ready, but Zek was taking aim with his Carbine already. The dripping blood from his foot was no doubt attracting the senses of the Razorfin. Sure enough, the dorsal shifted and started heading for them. Zek zeroed in on it as it crested up into the waves. It's head poking out of the water.
"And it's all for me Chor, me jolly jolly Ichor," he sung as he took aim. "All for me beer and me sugar! Well I spent all me tin with the lasses drinkin' gin and across the great ocean I must wander!"
He fired a shot that hit the water, readjusting his aim as the beast closed. Gritting his beak and gripping hard to steady his shot, he kept singing just to keep his mind off the gravity of the situation.
"I'm sick in the head and I haven't been to bed," he sung, tracing the Razor's path, taking another shot that bounced off its head. "Since first I came ashore with me plunder. I've seen parasites and snakes, and me head is full of aches. And I have to take a path way out yonder!"
He kept shooting, hitting the Razor more often than not.
"And it's all for me Chor, me jolly jolly Ichor! All for me mead and me sugar! Well I spent all me tin with the lasses drinkin' gin and far across the great ocean I must wander!" He sung aloud as he kept firing, his aim closing in towards the mouth. "Where are me boots? Me noggin floggin boots! All sold for beer and sugar! See the soles they were thin and the uppers were letting in and the heels were lookin' out for better weather!"
One shot in the gills forced the Razor closer to the surface its mouth gasping open. Zek could see the Plasma Cannon still lodged inside. Varvok noted this and began shooting at the gills himself.
"And it's all for me Chor, me jolly jolly Ichor! All for me rum and me sugar! I spent all me tin with the lasses drinkin' gin and far across the great ocean I must wander!" He sung, firing one shot into the beast's eye. "Where is me shirt? Me Frogging noggin' shirt! It's all sold for beer and sugar! You see the sleeves were worn or and the color had turned about and the tail was lookin' out for better weather!"
Another two shots hit the nostrils and then took out a tooth clean. Zek readjusted, the predator getting closer, the margin for error decreasing.
"It's all for me Chor, me jolly jolly Ichor! All for me grog and me sugar! I spent all my tin on swallowin' my sins and across the great void ocean I must wander!" Zek cried aloud as he sung, another shoot digging deep into the back of the beasts throat and making it shudder. "Where is me girl? My naggin' flackin' girl? She all left for beer and sugar. See her patience was worn out and she got kicked about and I'm sure she's lookin' out for better weather!"
Zek fired another shot, now running low on ammo. It hit the Razor's tongue this go around.
"Blow the fuck up!" Zek snarled. "Show them pearly whites again!"
He took aim once more.
"It's all for me Chor! My Groggy Golly Ichor! All for me beer and sugar! I spent all my sorrows on makin' a new tomorrow, far across the black ocean I shall wander!" He sung aloud and high. "Where is me bed! Me rassin' frassin' bed! Sold all for beer and sugar! I gave it to the girls till the springs were all in curls and the sheets be lookin' out for better weather!"
Another shot, closer still, breaking off another tooth. Another shot hit the casing of the Plasma cannon, not it's core. It's bright purple core that was just in his sights. The Razorfin was close now, it's mouth wide open as it closed within feet of them. Zek grinned out of nervousness, fully taking in the moment and speaking to the opportunity raised.
"Smile you son of a-"
One final shot! One final round! It cracked in the air and loosed itself forward with a pull of the trigger. It sped towards the plasma cannon lodged in the beast's maw. It struck the core this time, direct, dead on.
And then... it erupted.
The top of the Razorfin's head separated from its lower jaw, as the blast split the beast wide open. Then a plume of water mixed with blue and purple plasma fire alongside dark red blood filled the watery bay. The splash struck the tiny sinking patrol boat, showering Zek and Varvok full on. The blast's shockwave itself was enough to send Zek toppling into the water below. But when he came up, he could still see the plume, still see bits of the Razor falling around. He cheered aloud in delight.
"HA HA! It's all for me Chor! Me jolly jolly Ichor! All for me beer and sugar! I spent all me tin on the lasses drinkin' gin and across great wide ocean I shall wander! HA HA HA!"
Varvok scrambled over the side of the boat, splashing down near Zek and swimming over.
"We did it, you did it!" The Batarian congratulated. "We killed the bastards! All three of them!"
"HA HA! I told you! I fuckin' told ya, Varv! They weren't smarter than us! Millions of years of evolution and we fucked'em! Fuckin' fried them we did! Fishsticks and fillets for everyone! HA HA HA!"
Zek lay back in the surf, finally just letting the water relax him. Varvok did as well, but only for a moment, the sounds of battle called out. They had finished the Razorfins, but they still had a job to do.
"Come on," he said. "We need to get back, let the Chorka out and set the distillery up to blow."
"Right, right, ugh, can't even enjoy the win, ah well," Zek sighed. "Come on."
Using a floatation device off the side of the boat, the pair began to swim back to shore. Kicking their legs as native flying creatures from above descended on the growing pool of Razorfin blood and guts floating in the surf.
"You know something Varvok," Zek said. "I think that was my most successful fishing trip ever."
"You lost the boat," he reminded him. "I think you're supposed to bring the boat back after a fishing trip."
"Eh, whatever, I'm still counting this as a success," the Kig-Yar insisted. "Think we have time to circle back and... grab whatever is left of that last one's jaw?"
"I'm pretty sure you blew it apart," Varvok told him.
"Maybe what's left of it's Dorsal fin then?" Zek asked.
Varvok sighed, but kept kicking towards the shore. Zek dropped it in any case. They had bigger problems right now. Like how they were going to set the bombs and get out of there now that the whole building was likely surrounded?
Well, Retz probably had a plan by now. He was always on top of things like that. He just hoped his friend wasn't too upset with how long things had taken. Something told him though that Retz was likely dealing with far more personal problems, given who he had been stuck with for so long.
Zek made a mental note to get Retz something special as a reward for dealing with all that shit. Maybe he could swipe a chocolate bar for his first mate out of the UNSC's galley? That would make up for being so late on things. First things first though, free the Chorka, steal all the ichor they could grab, blow up this brewery and get the hell off the planet. Hopefully nothing else would complicate that plan now.
AN: And that concludes Zek and Varvok's fishing trip. Next time we'll be gettin right back into Chief and his team liberating the human slaves, dealing with Ex-Banished Brutes and checking in on Shepard's team to see how they're faring so far. We kinda haven't done that for a bit. Hopefully next time will see the end of this arc so we can head to final relic and begin the endgame. Until then, check out the blogspot BTS Post, link in the profile and remember to leave a review if you can. Thanks always to my many readers who put up with my nonsense and still have faith in me for whatever reasons. I have to be doing something right I guess.
