I've been meaning to do a kind of response to reviews inside chapters for a while now, but never got around to it, but I'm starting now!
Sinikettu: I'm glad you're enjoying the mystery around the Illusive man, and Serina's investigation into him, and as for how Artemis feels about Rocket, that will be handled when I eventually get around to a Guardian's of the Galaxy fic.
Shepard was waiting in the conference room when Jacob finished giving Garrus a tour of the ship. Garrus nodded and thanked Jacob, and the man turned to leave. Garrus watched him leave, unwilling to take his eyes off a Cerberus agent.
He turned back to face Shepard, shooting her a quizzical look. "Really Shepard? Cerberus?"
She raised a hand in a placating gesture. "I know, I know. But nobody else was doing anything about the Collectors. Desperate times and all that."
"But you can't trust them, Shepard."
"I know that too. That's why I'm glad you, Kara and Rocket are here. I need people I can trust."
"Alright. But if everything goes wrong, just remember: I told you so."
"Whatever Garrus." Shepard smirked.
The two of them left the conference room, Garrus taking the elevator down to the second deck to do some weapons calibrations, while Shepard moved to the CIC.
She was approached by an auburn haired woman. "Hello Commander, I thought I'd introduce myself."
"Of course." Shepard nodded in greeting.
"I'm Kelly Chambers. The Illusive Man assigned me to be your Yeoman. My official role is to notify you of important messages you've received."
"And your unofficial role?"
"Everyone here knows how dangerous this mission is. I'm also here to serve as a therapist of sorts. To help the crew deal with the stress they're sure to suffer from."
"Then I'm glad you're here."
"Thank you Commander."
"Out of curiosity, what do you think of the crew so far?"
"Garrus seems like he's been through a lot, even if he puts on a brave face. I feel kind of sorry for him."
"What about Kara and Rocket?"
Kelly's demeanor changed. "Rocket's very... uncomfortable here, at least without Kara present. I don't think he fully trusts anyone but her, and the way he is... I can't imagine what he's been through, as for Kara...." She drifted off. "She's clearly a professional, she'll work with us, but I get the sense she's prepare to kill any one who's Cerberus. They both are."
"Can you blame them? Cerberus doesn't exactly have the best reputation."
"I know that our methods sometimes leave a lot to be desired, but we do have noble intentions."
"If you say so." Shepard said skeptically.
Shepard and Chambers talked for a few more minutes, then Shepard notified Rocket, Kara and Garrus to meet her in the docking umbilical.
The three arrived shortly, and the four of them proceeded onto Omega station.
"And to think I thought I'd seen the last of Omega." Garrus sighed.
"We need to find Dr. Solus, then we'll leave." Shepard said.
"Alright. Where is he?" He responded.
Serina's voice echoed over their COMs. "According to the chatter I'm hearing, Solus set up a clinic inside the quarantine zone to help survivors."
Garrus twitched. "Quarantine zone?"
Shepard smirked. "What's the matter Garrus? Scared of getting the sniffles?" She mocked
He scoffed. "I didn't survive Saren and the Geth just to get taken down by a bug, don't worry Shepard."
Kara huffed. "You should worry. Disease has killed far more people than any war. And according to the data Serina is sending now, this looks especially virulent."
Shepard's HUD opened a window as it received Serina's data. Airborne transmission, near 100% mortality rate, and it affected practically every species. All but Humans.
"Great. Now I am worried." Garrus sighed.
"This says Humans are immune? Why?" Shepard asked.
"Two possibilities. It was developed by Humans, which isn't unbelievable, or it was developed by someone who wanted to make people think it was developed by Humans." Kara answered.
"But who would do that?"
"Are you kidding?" Rocket huffed.
"What?" Shepard said defensively.
"The Collectors are the obvious suspect. They are advanced enough to develop such a weapon, and they have a good motive to make Humans look like the ones behind this."
Garrus rolled his shoulders. "But why not target Human's with it too?"
"As evidenced by the fact that most people outside the quarantine zone are unaffected, a weaponized disease like this isn't the most effective way to attack a spaceborne species. But make it look like Human's are developing weapons to use against the rest of the galaxy, and the Citadel just might be forced to take action, weakening Humanity at large." Serina said.
Shepard came to a halt as she reached the door to the quarantine zone, a single Turian standing guard, who was currently occupied with an irate Human woman.
"Well, whoever did this, we're putting a stop to it." She said resolutely.
The Turian guard raised a hand to stop them as they approached. "This area's off limits."
Shepard cleared her throat. "Look, you're gonna be on guard here until this thing is over, and that could take weeks. But let my team through, and we can take care of it right now."
The guard looked them over. "Well… the quarantine is more to keep the infected in…"
"Seriously? You're going to let them through?" The woman asked, furious.
"They have a grenade launcher." He turned back to face Shepard. "Just a heads up, the Blue Suns and Blood Pack are having a turf war in there, so keep those safeties off."
As Shepard and her team entered the quarantine zone, their noses were assaulted by the stench of burning flesh.
Shepard nearly gagged at the nauseating smell as it filled her lungs. There was a crude barricade in front of them, and atop it stood three Turians. Aria must not have a lot of Human's on the payroll if she was sending them in as guards, Shepard thought.
They made their way through abandoned streets, with Kara on point. Acrid smoke filled the air and stung Shepard's nostrils. They passed the corpses of nearly every species that could be found on Omega. The alien's corpses were burnt to scorched ashes, while Human's had simply been shot dead and left to rot.
The team came to a stop when Kara raised a closed fist, and raised her rifle, edging out from behind a corner. Shepard knelt beside Kara's leg, and Garrus stood behind her, allowing everyone a firing angle on the Blue Suns mercs loafing about near a barricade in front of them. There were four of them, two were under the barricade, two were standing on top. None of them had noticed Shepard's team.
"I've got top left." Kara said.
"Top right." Rocket whispered.
"Bottom right." Garrus muttered.
Shepard sighted on the remaining target. "On my mark." She slowly exhaled, and squeezed the trigger, the round punching through the center of her target's helmeted head. Kara's shot followed the instant Shepard fired, and Rocket and Garrus fired a split second later, all four targets were eliminated before they could react.
Kara edged out into the open, Shepard and Garrus following close behind.
They followed several signs directing them towards Solus's clinic, when Shepard spotted a Batarian civilian keeled over against a wall, who had managed to stay alive.
She approached him, while Kara and Garrus took covering positions behind her.
The Batarian sneered at her. "Human. Of course, you don't even have the decency to wait until I'm dead to steal from me."
"I'm not going to steal from you, I just want to-" Shepard attempted to get closer, but the Batarian weakly brandished a pistol, and she backed off.
"Filthy Human… I hope you-" He started to cough uncontrollably.
Shepard quickly activated her omni-tool, and administered medi-gel. "This won't cure the plague, but it might help."
The Batarian's coughing fit began to subside, and he stared at her in disbelief. "You… you helped me?"
"I'm here to help." She paused. "Can you make it to Mordin's clinic?"
The Batarian hesitated. "I… I think I can."
Shepard nodded. "Wait a few minutes, then move, that should give us enough time to clear the way." Shepard stood, and gestured for her team to advance. They didn't get far however before Kara signaled for them to stop. "What is it?" Shepard asked.
Kara remained silent for several moments. "I can feel movement in that room. I want to check it out." Kara gestured to a door on their left.
"Alright, stack up." The four of them moved to the side of the door, and Shepard watched as Kara focused. "What are you thinking?"
"They stopped moving. I don't think they're looters, or they wouldn't have stopped. I think they're trying to hide."
Shepard scanned the area behind them for a moment, thinking. "Probably not the best idea to have a bunch of people with guns break in then huh?"
"Agreed. You should take point Shepard. I would, but I don't want them panicking."
"Can you tell if they're armed?"
"Assume they are. Put your hands up, and make sure they know you're coming in before entering."
Shepard nodded, and the rest of her team moved to cover her. She holstered her rifle, a satisfying click sounding as her magnetic clasps secured the weapon. She extended her hand, and knocked against the door. "Can you hear me? This is Commander Shepard. I'm here to help."
Shepard waited for several seconds. She heard some ruffling coming from behind the door. "I'm coming inside." She waited for a few more moments, then opened the door, raised her hands and entered. She spotted two Human's, a man and a woman. Neither were armed, which was good for her, but not so good for them considering their current circumstances.
Shepard slowly lowered her hands as she began to speak. "Are you two okay?"
The woman nodded, while the man spoke. "We heard the gunfire, we thought someone was going to break in… they already killed plenty of human's because they think we made the plague."
Shepard considered her options. She knew they couldn't stay here, it wasn't safe. But sending them back wasn't a guarantee, hostiles might already have reoccupied the area they'd come from. And there was bound to be more on the way to the clinic. She looked up as Kara approached. She tilted her head towards the civilians. "What do you think?"
Kara turned to look at the two of them. "They can't stay here. And the route to the clinic isn't confirmed clear. I'll escort them out of the quarantine zone."
Shepard nodded. She didn't like it, but she, Rocket and Garrus would be able to handle things without Kara.
The two civilians reluctantly followed Kara out of their house, and Garrus eyed them curiously. "Where are you going?"
"She's taking them out of the quarantine zone." Shepard responded.
"Won't the guards at the checkpoint try to stop you?" Garrus asked Kara.
"The point of the quarantine is to keep infected individuals inside. Humans are immune, so there's no reason to keep them in."
"And what if they won't let them leave?"
"I wasn't planning on asking for permission."
Rocket fell in line behind Shepard as they pushed forward towards the clinic. She opened a door, and they found themselves in a stairwell. They could see that the floor beneath them led to an empty square, while the stairs leading up terminated in a large balcony overlooking the square. As they advanced, Shepard and Garrus flinched as they took fire.
They ducked behind the pillars for cover, and began to return fire.
Rocket growled. The mercs were firing from an elevated position, Shepard's team could barely get a bead on them. He turned to Shepard. "We need somebody to head upstairs! We can't get a shot on 'em here!"
Shepard nodded, and motioned for Garrus to move. Shepard and Rocket laid down suppressive fire as the Turian moved out of cover.
Rocket and Shepard waited for the crack of Garrus's rifle before pushing forward. They heard a shot, then shouts of panic as the mercs tried to react to Garrus. Shepard and Rocket pushed the advantage, opening fire on the retreating mercenaries as they advanced.
The last mercenary collapsed as Garrus blew their skull open. Rocket and Shepard swept their weapons over the square, making sure it was clear as Garrus joined them. Garrus slung his rifle over his shoulder, then was wracked by a violent coughing fit.
"Garrus!" Shepard shouted as she ran to his side.
He held up a hand as he cleared his sore throat. "I'm fine, but we should definitely hurry."
Shepard turned to Rocket. "We need to double time it. Rocket, get on." Shepard said as she extended a hand towards the procyonid. Rocket looked at her for a moment, then climbed atop Shepard. She grunted in surprise as he did. He was a lot heavier than he looked.
She turned back to Garrus. "Can you run?"
Garrus breathed in deeply. "For now. Let's go."
The path to the clinic from that point was clear, the only problem was making sure Garrus made it there alive. He had an arm wrapped around Shepard, and she was almost carrying him to the clinic. Once they entered the clinic, they were greeted by a cadre of security mechs, and a single human attendant. "Where's Dr. Solus?" Shepard barked.
"Go through the door, down the hallway to your left, first door on the right. And keep those weapons holstered."
Shepard quickly moved through the door and proceeded down the aforementioned hallway, then through the door. She saw two people, a Human nurse, and a somewhat grizzled looking Salarian. Before Shepard could say anything, Rocket's gruff voice filled the room. "We need a doctor, this guy's coughing his guts up!"
The Salarian turned, and analyzed Garrus. "Turian, onset of initial symptoms, lucky you got here so quickly." His omni-tool flashed, and he administered the cure.
Shepard felt the strength returning to Garrus's body, and he pulled away. The Salarian, Dr. Solus Shepard figured, analyzed each of them. "Not here just for cure, not mercenaries, no insignia, came here looking for someone, looking for me, why?" He paused for a split second. "Doesn't matter, work too important., cannot leave, must cure plague."
"Does this flarkin guy stop to breathe?" Rocket muttered.
Shepard silently agreed, Mordin thought and spoke rapidly, even by Salarian standards.
Shepard felt the ground beneath her start to tremble, and she turned to face the door. Sure enough, after several moments Kara stepped through. A look of surprise washed over Mordin's face. "Physique matches description of unknown alien species rumored to work with Shepard, first Human spectre, high end equipment suggests… Are you Shepard?"
Shepard nodded, and Mordin began to pace. "But what would you want with me, no no, doesn't matter, work too important, apologies Shepard, cannot help you."
As Shepard fought to process the torrent of words that Mordin threw at her, Kara spoke from behind her. "Maybe we can help you."
Mordin brought a hand to his chin. "Cure is complete, just need to distribute, could use help with that." Mordin moved to a case carrying vials of the aforementioned cure, and handed a vial to Kara. "Cure is airborne, need to insert into environmental controls, rapid distribution will cure plague, then I can help you." He paused for a fraction of a second. "One more thing, assistant left clinic, good man, bit impulsive, left to administer cure to others who couldn't reach clinic… Hasn't come back."
"We'll keep an eye out for him." Kara said as everyone turned to leave. Shepard could hear Mordin muttering to himself about how a species without eyes would be aware of that saying, and she shook her head.
Garrus rolled his head slowly. "Well that was… interesting."
As they entered the lobby, they heard the fans stop dead. Shepard paused, then burst into a sprint. "C'mon, somebody's trying to kill everyone here!"
Shepard followed the signs to atmospheric controls, her team close behind. Kara's head twitched, and she quickly stopped. Before anyone else could slow down, she spoke. "Keep going, I won't be long, Rocket go with them." Kara handed Rocket the vial containing the cure, and Rocket hopped down from her shoulder, and followed Garrus and Shepard while Kara readied her rifle and entered a door to her left.
She opened it, and entered slowly, and was greeted by half a dozen Batarians, and a lone human, who Kara surmised was Mordin's wayward assistant. The Batarians were unarmed thankfully, and it looked like they were about to start beating him before Kara arrived.
She snarled. "What's going on here?"
One Batarian, their ringleader, spoke up. "We found this human spreading the plague! He was carrying vials of it. "
"Those vials are to cure the plague I swear!"
A low rumble emanated from Kara's throat. "If he were spreading the plague, why would he be in Blood Pack territory? They're immune."
The group of Batarians looked at each other. "She's right, it doesn't make sense." One said.
The ringleader paused. "If we agree not to hurt him, will you let us leave?"
Kara hesitated. If they were willing to beat a man to death just on the suspicion that he was up to something, without putting even the slightest amount of thought into how little justification there actually was to do so, it would probably be better to just kill them.
But she decided against it. "I will."
The Batarians quickly left the room, leaving the two of them alone. "Are you alright?" Kara asked the man.
He released his pent up breath. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. I almost thought you were going to kill them."
"I almost did. Dr. Solus wanted me to find you, can you get back to the clinic on your own?"
"Yeah, I know the way. Thanks."
Kara left, and moved to rejoin her team.
Shepard, Garrus and Rocket arrived at the large atrium that was atmospheric control. There were two large corridors on their left and right, and in front of them was central control. Between them and the Main Control Unit, were half a dozen Vorcha; their scaly, spiky exterior colored a sickly orange in the harsh Omega lighting.
Shepard's team readied their weapons as one of the Vorcha confronted them.
"We make everyone choke and die, then Collectors make us strong! You not stop us!" They growled. Before they could reach their weapon, a ball of plasma flew past Shepard and struck the Vorcha in the chest, killing them. Shepard smirked, Kara had arrived just in time, and the rest of her team opened fire on the Vorcha, killing several of them. Shepard fired a burst into the abdomen of the last Vorcha.
Shepard's team took covering positions as she moved to the MCU. Rocket handed her the vial he was carrying, and she inserted it into a receptacle near the console, and input the command to disperse it. The fans spun up a moment, before stopping again. "What happened?" Shepard asked, frustrated.
"They've disabled the auxiliary systems. You need to reactivate them." Serina said.
"We'll go left, Rocket, you go right."
Rocket nodded, and retrieved several disks from a pouch on his hip as he rounded the corner to the auxiliary system. There were several Vorcha, and a Krogan between him and his objective. He lept towards the Krogan leading the charge, and stuck one of the disks to the his skull, then hopped from one Vorcha to the next, sticking a disk to each of them. He pushed off the last Vorcha, and rolled as he landed.
Before they could retaliate, he tapped the device on his wrist, and the disks sent currents of electricity through his victims bodies, enough to fry their nervous systems. They convulsed, and fell to the ground dead as Rocket reactivated the system.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the atrium, Kara, Garrus and Shepard were advancing to their objective. There were three Krogan, and four Vorcha facing off against the three of them. Kara activated her wrist mounted plasma blade, and charged the Krogan, while Garrus and Shepard engaged the Vorcha.
Kara impaled the lead Krogan through the stomach and yanked her arm upwards, the crackling blade burned through his body, bisecting his torso and head, while Garrus sent a round from his sniper rifle through the skull of a Vorcha, another collapsing as Shepard fired a burst into their torso.
One of the Krogan let out a bloodcurdling roar, and charged Kara. She stepped to the side just before he collided with her, and seized his arm, pulling him into a spin, and threw him over a nearby railing, sending him screaming into the abyss beneath him.
Shepard and Garrus finished off the last two Vorcha, and focused fire on the last remaining Krogan, his torso and skull rupturing as the combined fire ripped him apart.
With the last hostile eliminated, Shepard reactivated the auxiliary system, and she heard the fans begin to spin, dispersing Mordin's cure through the station.
Rocket climbed onto Kara's shoulder as Shepard rejoined them. "Now that that's done, let's go see Mordin."
Shepard's team returned to the clinic, and found Mordin analyzing results. "Cure distributed, mercenaries dealt with, situation stabilizing. Thank you Shepard, should be able to help you with your mission now, will leave assistant in charge of clinic, should be able to handle it."
Shepard nodded. "Glad we could help Mordin. Now if you'll follow me." The Salarian nodded, and they left the clinic, and Omega behind them.
Mordin followed Shepard to the Normandy SR-2, and he was surprised to see the Cerberus insignia emblazoned on the ship. Shepard was strongly considering having the emblem removed; having their ship immediately identifiable as Cerberus would probably only cause them problems that would otherwise be easily avoided.
Shepard was reading the dossiers of more potential recruits in the meeting room as Jacob finished giving Mordin a tour of the ship. The Salarian thanked him for the briefing. Shepard looked up from the datapad. "You're not concerned about working with Cerberus?"
"Used to working with organizations with questionable morality, but mission too important to let personal feelings get in the way. Will do whatever is needed."
Shepard nodded. "On that note, can you help us find a way to protect ourselves from the Collectors?"
"Yes, will need lab though."
EDI's holographic image appeared. "There is a fully stocked laboratory to your right as you leave the meeting room. Please notify us if you find anything lacking."
Mordin shifted. But before he could say anything, Shepard nipped his curiosity in the bud. "Yes, that's an AI. There are two actually, EDI and Serina. You'll probably get to know Serina better soon, Kara and she will be helping you with the Collector countermeasures."
Mordin twitched. "Working with AI, and new technologically advanced species?" Mordin inhaled deeply. "Exciting opportunities, will enjoy this."
The Salarian turned to leave, and Shepard looked back down at the datapad, re-reading its contents. The ship's crew already had a reasonably effective makeup. Heavy hitters and tech experts. But what it didn't have were biotics, not ones Shepard trusted anyway. But their next recruit would fix that. All they had to do was pick her up.