Author's note: This story is a companion story to my long fic, Taproot. Narratively speaking, this story comes after Part II, Chapter 6. I highly recommend reading it for more context, but this story can also be read as a standalone story. Please know I will be posting Semper Vivum in several installments, the last of which will coincide with the next chapter of Taproot for narrative clarity/purposes.
PROLOGUE
It sounds like a discordant wind chime—the scalpel-like wafers of ablative ceramic raining down on the rock floor. A helmet rolls to a dead stop at the krogan's foot. His guffaw bellows through the blasted cavern as he crushes the helmet under his enormous weight. The polycarbonate visor pops out with a snappy spring, landing near the hand of a human body. The human's fingers curl slightly, and the fine grit on the ground catches beneath their broad, square nails.
The movement piques the krogan's attention. He shuffles toward the human and his boots smear the blood that is pooling like warm honey. Crouching, he looks into the human's eyes. They are wide and unblinking, but the corner of the human's mouth crooks into a stiff, half-formed smile.
Before the krogan can stand up again, a strained click comes from the direction of the barricaded blast doors, then four more clicks from each of the enormous pillars that keep the entrance structurally sound. The krogan tries to alert command, but it is too late.
BOOM.