CHAPTER 38: Comin' Under Fire
2185 CE
The next few minutes were a blur of gunfire and movement as Tali exited the tube. The Collectors surrounded us, they'd opened up from the high ground and it was all my Fortification routines could do to keep my shields up.
'Come in!' Shepard radioed.
Tali hit the switch for the door letting us in. Garrus is the first one in, and he immediately hugs the slightly open doors, firing back through them at our enemies in order to cover our squadmates.
'Look out! Seeker Swarms!' Garrus warned as Tali begins working on closing the door for us. There was something wrong with the lock. I threw a Frag grenade as far as I could, but none of the Collectors were in reach.
'We're in position. We need this door open now!' Shepard yelled from the other side of the door.
'Go! We'll cover you!' Garrus ordered Tali. The doors are still open on our end and still closed on Shepard's. I can't see what she's up to. My full focus is now on taking out Collectors with my sniper rifle.
'Something's wrong! The door's stuck!' Tali yelled
A few seconds later a loud boom rocked the door Tali was working on; from Shepard's side of it.
'Got it!' Tali crowed, triumphantly as I heard the door slide open.
'Here they come!' Shepard shouted.
Grunt planted himself in the doorway, laying down covering fire for Kasumi who was trapped behind cover.
'Fall back!' Shepard commands.
Almost on instinct we line up to fire through the open door.
'Suppressing fire! Don't let anyone through that door!' Garrus ordered as we fired through the opening.
Suddenly the doors shut.
'Nice work, Tali. I knew you wouldn't let me down.' Shepard praised, practically patting the girl on the head.
Miranda immediately called Shepard over. 'Shepard! You need to see this!'
Pods lined the walls, as far as the eye could see.
'Looks like one of the missing colonists.' Miranda explained, gesturing to the pod.
I immediately began tearing it open. 'Grab them now, or they'll melt!' I shout.
'There's more. Over here.' Mordin points out, already working on the catch of one of the pods.
'They're melting!' Shepard cries as the colonists start to melt.
'Get them out of there! Hurry!' Shepard ordered.
We managed to each get a colonist free. Grunt and I managed two each, me from starting early, Grunt through the simple expedience of ripping pods off the wall and throwing them into the center of the room before they could activate. I didn't bother to count how many we finally saved, but it seemed like it was somewhere between 10 and 20. That's a significant amount for a rescue mission. But it's a drop in the bucket for running a colony. Horizon was officially a failed colony.
A reasonably pretty human female was the person who woke up first. 'What's going on? Did you... did you save us?' She asked.
'Not yet. Still need to get you out.' I replied.
'Thank you. I'm Lillith. We're all grateful you came for us.' The woman, Lillith, gushed; the other colonists gathering to her as they emerged from their pods. Maybe she was important? I didn't remember her though.
Miranda nodded. 'So are we. But we still have a job to do. We've done well so far. Let's hope we can finish the job.'
Shepard agreed. 'Joker? Can you get a fix on our position?'
'Roger that, Commander. All those tubes lead into the main control room right above you. The route is blocked by a security door, but there's another chamber that runs parallel to the one you're in.' Joker announced.
EDI objected.'I cannot recommend that. Thermal emissions suggest the chamber is overrun with seeker swarms. Mordin's countermeasure cannot protect you against so many at once.'
'What about Biotics? Could we create a biotic field to keep them from getting near us?' Shepard asks.
Samara nodded. 'Yes... I think it may be possible. I wouldn't be able to protect everyone, but we might be able to get a small team through if they stayed close.'
Miranda agreed. 'I could do it, too. In theory, any biotic could handle it. Shepard, who do you want to maintain the field?'
'Krell?' Shepard asked.
'You're gonna need a biotic with Asari-like output. Kaidan can't do it. I'm not even sure if you could, Shepard. Jack would definitely be able to. Probably Samara too.' I advise.
'Hell, yeah! I'm the strongest human biotic in existence!' Jack gloated.
'Yes. Human.' Samara nodded.
Shepard looked pained, considering between the two.
'Alright Samara, you're up.' She finally decided.
'Samara and I will take a small team through the seeker swarms. The rest of you provide a diversion by going down the main passage. We'll open the Security doors from the other side and meet you there.' Shepard announced.
'Who should lead the diversion team?' Miranda asked, immediately.
'Krell, you up for leading it?'
'If you're sure Shepard then so am I.' I agreed.
'What about us? You aren't going to just leave us here, are you?' Lillith asked.
Joker's voice squawked over the radio. 'Commander? We have enough systems back online to do a pickup, but we'd need to land back from your position.'
'We can't afford to go back, Shepard. Not now.' Miranda shot back.
'You'll never make it without help. I'll send someone with you. Kaidan, you're up.' Shepard decided.
'Joker, where's the landing zone. I'm escorting the civilians.' Kaidan declared as he fiddled with his omni-tool.
'Samara, Tali, Jack; with me. Jack, if Samara runs out of juice, you take over.' Shepard ordered. 'We've all got our assignments. Lets move out!'
2185 CE
There's not all that many clever tactics you can make use of in this sort of situation. Fundamentally, there isn't all that much you can do in terms of strategy when you need to lead a small group in a straight line to a goal, and then back out again. Luckily, thanks to Shepherd we were all both trained to work with each other; and to take on armies in small groups. Of course, Shepard's choice of favored squad size also gave me another benefit as well.
'Alright everyone else on the team, on me! We're gonna punch through this thing and make it home!' I roared. 'I want everyone on a buddy system. Miranda, you're with Jacob. Legion, you're with Grunt. Mordin, you're with Zaeed. Kasumi, you're with Thane. Garrus, you're with me. Watch your buddy's back! At the end of this thing we're gonna have to hold the line against an awful big shitload of Collectors. Your buddy's gonna make sure you get out alive and you do the same for them!'
We started down the main passage. A leisurely stroll accompanied by occasional gunfire. As the snipers, Garrus and I were taking up the rear near Kasumi, Thane, Grunt and Legion.
The main chamber was huge, like a giant concert hall with only two exits. In shape, from the inside, it almost looked like two wine bottles if you glued their bottoms together. In other words, it was a nightmare.
'We're gonna need some bigger guns.' Garrus posited.
'The Widow is the largest fire arm available to a mobile platform our size.' Legion replied.
'We're going to need a steady pace. We can't fall back or trip up. We can't afford to hole up in a space like that.' I pitch my voice loud enough for my entire team to hear.
'I dislike the lack of cover.' Thane admitted.
'Jacob and I can establish mobile biotic barriers.' Miranda suggested.
I looked at Jacob as he shook his head at me. He was probably right. There was no way that either of them could project a field strong enough to protect more than one of us.
'Kasumi, Thane, can you get to the end of the chamber without being noticed?' I asked.
'I can get anywhere without being noticed.' Kasumi bragged.
Thane just nodded.
'Alright. Kasumi, Thane, I want you to scout ahead and secure the exit. I don't want to be ambushed once we get there and squeezed into a crossfire. Legion, Grunt, I'm going to need you two to act as mobile bulwarks for the rest of us, your shield boosts and fortification let you tank hits everyone else can't. So you two get to take the front.' I decided.
'We will carry out this duty Nakmor-Professor.' Legion nodded.
'This would have been so much easier if I had brought my shuttle.' Grunt lamented.
'Miranda, Jacob. I want you on crowd control. We can deal with the barriers and armor without you, but keep alert for targets of opportunity with those. The biggest help you can give us is slamming these damn Collectors into walls. Every Collector we kill or disable now is one we don't have to fight later, so be precise, be ruthless, and be brutal.'
'Gotcha, Professor.' Jacob nodded.
'I'll play my role to perfection.' Miranda agreed.
'Mordin, Zaeed. Play to your strengths. If you see Harbinger possess any of the Collectors take out the other Collectors around him first so that he can't transfer his consciousness again.' I instructed. They were both old enough to have a better idea of what their strengths were than I did.
'Garrus, we're on overwatch. We're not here to stand and fight yet. We're here to whittle down numbers.' I finished.
'Got it.' Garrus acknowledged.
I activated my comms. 'Krell here. Team is ready to engage on your order, Shepard.'
All I got back was an occasional isolated word surrounded by static. 'Damn! -- Interfering -- Radio contact.'
I took a deep breath, and let it out.
'All right, team! Roll out!' I ordered.
Kasumi and Thane basically vanished, or I suppose literally vanished in Kasumi's case. Honestly she was easier to see, even while cloaked, than Thane was. Legion and grunt led the rest of us in our procession.
The entrance corridor was empty.
'So we all get out of this okay, right?' Garrus asked quietly.
'Tomorrow's never promised, Garrus. I'll tell you if we survive after we survive.' I replied.
'Well, I guess I have to survive then. I'll never find out if I die in this assault otherwise.' Garrus laughed.
As the entrance corridor began to widen, I finally caught sight of the damn Collectors.
'We've found the enemy!' I announce over the radio.
Then, extremely suddenly, we were swarmed.
'Pull, Jacob! Pull them our way! I'll detonate them!' Miranda ordered her... friend? Subordinate? Honestly I probably should know what their relationship was by now...
Mordin and Zaeed were playing around with cryo blasts and inferno grenades to clear very large swaths of the Collectors away. Garrus was fine and grunt was... Struggling.
'Hah! If you want to tear off that enemy's head you need more leverage! Grab the bit at the base of the neck and pull!' I instruct Grunt, grabbing a passing Collector by the neck and demonstrating the proper technique.
The sheer delight in Grunt's eyes as I snatched another Collector and handed it to him was well worth the inconvenience of having to continue to pass Collectors to him as he tried and failed to manage the technique.
'No, you're pulling straight up and down. You need to pull it out a bit too, so that it's at an angle, see?' I demonstrated, slowly tearing the Collector's head off.
You needed to teach vital life skills like these in target rich environments. Places where the kids could get plenty of practice. So it really was downright cordial of the Collectors to provide such an environment for us.
'Now you've got it, Grunt!' I cheered as Grunt pulled it off for the first time, and by it, I mean a Collector's head.
'The same technique can be used on Batarians, just jam your fingers into the eye sockets instead!' I instructed.
'Batarians really hate when you do that, by the way.' Garrus warns.
'I don't know if anyone enjoys having their heads ripped off, Garrus. But you are right. Batarians thing their souls leave their bodies through their eyes. Deliberately destroying the eyes of your enemies is one of their few war crimes. They think it's sacrilege.' I admitted.
'Damn, that would have been useful to know back when I was a corsair. I could have accomplished so much more if I didn't have to deal with so many Batarians...' Jacob observed.
'Assumption incorrect. Batarian numbers would increase in response to sacrilege. Would begin sending slaves.' Mordin corrected.
'Yeah, made that mistake once as a dumbass kid. Popped a Batarian eyeball out and squished it in front of all his friends. Probably had to kill double the number of Batarians I'd have had to otherwise, at least. And for years too. Those damn Batarians know how to hold a grudge.' Zaeed revealed as we hit the halfway mark in the chamber.
'Hold on! We're almost there!' Shepard suddenly ordered over the radio.
I could see Kasumi and Thane shooting away ahead of us to clear the air.
'Alright! Final push to the door! Don't exhaust yourselves! We're gonna need to defend it once we get there!' I order, as we move toward the door at a steady pace.
Mordin and Zaeed are the first into cover, followed shortly by Miranda and Jacob.
'Mordin! You and Zaeed take left flank. Miranda and Jacob take the other flank. I want area effects in play. Cluster up their sight lines. Deny them access to us if possible. Got it?' I order.
'Sure thing, Professor.' Zaeed acknowledges as I manage to get into cover and Activate my comms.
'Hey Shepard, It's getting pretty heavy in here. How you doing over there?' I asked.
'Copy. Where's your position?' Shepard finally replied over the radio.
'We're on the other side of the door. I think we pissed the Collectors off!' I replied.
'We're coming. Just hold out! Get this Door Open!' Shepard yells. Before I can even warn my team the door opens behind us.
'Come on!' Shepard ordered. I activated my fortification program to boost my shields.
My team retreated in an orderly fashion under heavy fire, first Mordin, then Miranda, then everyone else until finally I ducked behind the doors.
'Seal the door!' Shepard barks.
The shot comes as the door closes, it hurts, but doesn't penetrate. Shit. I can already tell there's some internal bleeding. I'm gonna be pissing blood for a goddamn week.
Shepard stares at me as the doors finish sealing.
'I'm fine Shepard. It's just my liver. I have another. I'll be fine in a week.' I reassure her.
'Got it. Joker? Are you at the Rendezvous point?' Shepard radioed.
'I'm here commander. The colonists just showed up.' Joker replied.
EDI's voice cut in. 'Kaidan's group just arrived, Shepard. No casualties.'
Miranda smiled. 'Excellent. Now lets make it count. EDI, what's our next step?'
'There should be some nearby platforms that will take you to the main control console. From there you can overload the system and destroy the base.' EDI replied.
Joker cut in. 'Commander? You've got a problem. Hostiles massing just outside the door. Won't be long until they bust through.'
Shepard climbed up on one of the platforms and turned to address us.
'A rearguard could defend this position and keep the Collectors from overwhelming us.
Miranda strode forth. 'Pick a team to go with you, Shepard. Everyone else can bunker down here and cover your back.'
'Alright then. Tali, Jack. I want you with me.' Shepard decided.
'I'm ready, commander.' Tali stated.
'Me, too.' Jack agreed.
'Anything to say before we do this?' Miranda asked.
'The Collectors, the Reapers -- They aren't a threat to us. They're a threat to everything -- everyone. Those are the lives we're fighting for. That's the scale. It's been a long journey, and no one's coming out without scars. But it all comes down to this moment.'
I grinned as I watched Grunt smack his fist into his hand at Shepard's comment about scars. I had to admit, the woman really knew how to motivate a Krogan.
'We win or lose it all in the next few minutes. Make me proud. Make yourselves proud.' Shepard finished.
'We'll do our best. Good luck, Shepard.' Miranda replied.
Shepard's platform began to move away.
It was time to win this, once and for all.
Author's Notes: Oddly enough the biggest delay in editing this chapter was figuring out a good title for it. The next chapter basically named itself, of course.
