Chapter 38
Shepard stood before the ground forces which were now composed of mostly humans and Quarians, but also with a smattering of Krogan and Geth.
"Looks like there are about a hundred loyalists still on the Dreadnought. There's no doubt we could take it with a frontal assault, but it'd be ugly, so instead we're going to use maps given to us by the refugees, and come at them from every conceivable angle." Shepard said, bringing up a holographic map of the dreadnought. She pointed at a highlighted section in the center.
"This here is their reactor, it's where they are most likely to be holed up. Unfortunately we can't come at them with explosives or AP rounds, if we breach their reactor containment this whole area will be a glowing hellhole for the next twenty thousand years. Instead we're going in with pistols and shotguns, and anything you can swing or stab with." Shepard said.
"However, before we even try that Rothschild's cooked up something devious. Pretty soon he's going to hijack their internal communicators and unleash hell on these bastards. Reload, hydrate, use the latrine and be ready in 15." She said. Everyone milled out and Shepard jogged out towards the medical tents. After asking around she eventually found what she was looking for.
"How's she doing?" Shepard asked Dr. Chakwas who had left the Normandy to assist with the medical efforts.
"She slips in and out of unconsciousness, I'm almost positive she has a concussion and she's going to have a hell of a headache when she wakes up. Aside from that no major damage." Chakwas reported.
"I'll take any good news I can get." Shepard said, brushing hair aside from Ashley's face revealing a black eye. The movement caused her to stir, and slowly she opened her eyes.
"Ash..." Shepard said, tears springing to her eyes.
"Shep, what's going on?" She asked.
"You were hit by a suicide bomb attack. Your squad... didn't make it." She said.
"No!" She complained weakly, then dissolved into sobs. Shepard leaned in and hugged her.
"I'm so sorry Ash we didn't have time to do anything. We got the bastards that did it though." She said. Ashley clung to her as though her life depended on it, sobbing into her shoulder. A few minutes went by and she finally gathered herself, tried to sit up and was interrupted both by the world tilting on its axis and spinning violently and Shepard's hand pushing her back down.
"Easy Ash, Dr. Chakwas thinks you have a nasty concussion. You need to rest." She said. Ashley wanted to protest, truly she did, but whenever she moved her head she struggled not to vomit.
"We've got them on the ropes, Ash. A hundred or so holdouts near the reactor. Rothschild's gonna try to smoke them out, and if that doesn't work we're going in slow and careful." Shepard explained.
"Go get ready then, and Shep... Jane? Kick their asses for me?" She asked.
"Of course." Shepard said, giving her hand a squeeze before stalking out of the medical center. She waved at the Batarian boy on her way out and found the rest of her squad. There were still a few minutes before showtime for Rothschild, so she brought up her omnitool and called Tali.
"Jane! Keelah I was so worried!" Tali said.
"I'm fine Tali. We're almost done out here, only about a hundred left in the ship." Shepard said.
"I need you to be careful, you hear me Jane? I don't know what I would do without you." Tali said, worried.
"I promise I'll try to be careful." Shepard said, that was truly the best she could honestly promise her.
"Any word from Ash?" Tali asked. Shepard's expression darkened.
"She's got a concussion but should be fine... Her squad though..." she trailed off. Tali gasped, and covered her mouth with her hand in shock, tears brimming on her eyes.
"Oh no... Where is she?" Tali asked.
"We've got a makeshift med center, bunch of tents and a couple prefabs. Dr. Chakwas is out here with her.
"We have things buttoned down on the Normandy for now, at least as much as we can go without getting more supplies. I'm going to come down and stay with Ashley. I'll see you when you finish beating these bosh'tets." Tali said.
"I love you, Tali." Shepard said.
"I love you too." Tali said and severed the connection. Shepard checked the time and realized Rothschild's performance started about a minute ago. She wondered what unspeakable horrors he'd unleashed. She leaned her head out from her defensive position to get a better look at the Dreadnought only to see around a hundred Batarians running, unarmed, out of the ship holding their ears and shouting.
"At the ready!" Shepard yelled and everyone took aim with their shotguns and pistols, but soon realized they probably wouldn't be necessary.
"Secure the prisoners! Frisk everyone, understand?" Shepard bellowed, and got several dozen 'Yes Ma'am's as the soldiers jogged over to the Batarians and began wrenching their hands behind their backs and tying them with zip ties. Shepard got close to the Dreadnought and caught the tail end of what had forced them out. She rolled her eyes and shook her head incredulously.
Rothschild meanwhile was in his nondescript gentlemen avatar in the bridge of the Mayhem looking stoic and somber. Despite his synthetic nature, Rothschild was an emotional being capable of both malice and mercy, and today his wrath had been felt. Deep in the bowels of the dreadnought, the hundred or so Batarian holdouts had learned firsthand the extent of the AI's capacity for cruelty. Had the Alliance still adhered to the Geneva Convention, Rothschild was certain he'd be shackled and awaiting execution for war crimes, however they did not and Rothschild had been asked, quite politely, to see if he could do something. They gave him no parameters, no limitations and so for the rest of their days those hundred Batarians would be tormented by the hellish trauma they just endured.
"MAKE THE MUSIC STOP I BEG YOU!" The Batarian commander wailed, clutching his ears as hard as he could. Shepard pulled his hands away and shouted back at him
"THERE IS NO MUSIC OUT HERE!" She shouted, as soon as she let go his hands clamped back onto his ears, but after a second he experimentally lifted his right hand and sighed in relief when he realized all he could hear were voices, wind and machines. He gladly allowed his hands to be bound behind his back and he was led off to be questioned.
After transferring Commander Brun to Alliance Intelligence, Shepard led a team through the bulkhead to confirm everyone had left, and they confirmed, no living beings aboard. The morgue was stuffed with corpses, mostly Batarian, to the point where the door to the main refrigeration unit was unable to close properly thanks to a foot flopping off the pile of bodies and falling in the way. Shepard didn't know why they were there, but assumed Alliance would be able to extract that from their new guests. After the last room had been cleared, she called in the Intelligence spooks to come in and strip every bit of information they can from the ship. Computer databanks would be mined, technology analyzed and if useful taken, and the eezo core removed and repurposed, and none of this plunder would ever compensate for the lives lost in this failed invasion.
Outside the dreadnought, looked up in the sky and saw the tiny black blobs that could only be resupply and evac ships dropping out of orbit to come and lend aid. Pretty soon the civilians would be allowed out of the bunkers, repairs would be made and life would slowly return to normal for the Alliance colony of Shanxi. They had prevailed, beaten off an invasion attempt by a spacefaring civilization older than their own, and in doing so had solidified their cooperation with the Krogan and Geth. Having freed hundreds of Salarian, Asari and Turian slaves, they'd also probably earned significant goodwill from Thessia and Palaven at least, perhaps not Sur'Kesh but who cared? Shepard's musings were interrupted by a Geth platform approaching her.
"Shepard Lieutenant Commander, we have been asked to accompany you to debriefing. Would you join us?" It asked.
"Of course, let's go." Shepard said, indicating the platform to lead the way. They passed the Krogan, and she signaled Kurg to join them, which he did happily. They walked to a medium sized prefab unit that was uncomfortably full of computer and communication equipment. Admirals Raan, Xen, Chambers and Hackett were there along with Captain Anderson and Rothschild.
"Lieutenant Commander Shepard, and uh.. Geth.. Reporting as requested." She said. Anderson ignored military propriety and walked over and hugged her.
"Sorry, kiddo. It's just really good to see you in one piece." He said.
"You too sir. How much did this lunacy cost us? She asked. Anderson frowned.
"Six hundred humans and Quarians, three Krogan, and fifteen Geth died saving the colony." Anderson said.
"Excuse us, Anderson Captain, the Geth were able to upload before the destruction of their platforms, no Geth were lost." The Geth reported.
"That's good to hear, I'll take any good news I can get." Anderson said. This provoked a huge reaction amongst the Geth consensus who were watching through the platform.
"We have taken one hundred thirty-two prisoners including the enemy Commander. It will likely be a while before we can get anything useful out of them though. Whatever Rothschild's idea was it did a number to them." Chambers observed. Shepard grinned.
"Oh boy yeah those guys are gonna need therapy I think." Shepard said.
"What in the name of the ancestors did he do to them? Raan asked.
"So, ever hear a song called 'Surfin' Bird' by the Trashmen?" Shepard asked. Anderson, Chambers and Hackett groaned, the Quarians and Geth had no clue what was going on. Kurg laughed.
"I'm not sure why they're being such babies, I thought it was catchy. " Kurg said.
"Anyway, Lieutenant Commander Shepard, did you have anything to report?" Anderson asked.
"We discovered a lot of bodies in their morgue. Not sure whether they were just dead slaves, or if it's some sort of organ trafficking thing, but we can't tell whether it's a health hazard or not. We sealed off the whole section just in case. If we can make sure they're not carrying some horrible illness though we should try to find families and release them for burial." Shepard said, Anderson nodded and noted it.
"Anything else?" Anderson asked.
"No sir." Shepard said.
"Shepard, before you leave, that was some of the finest leadership I've seen. You went down there expecting to command a squad and you picked up an entire company without a second thought. I'm going to you in for commendation." Anderson said.
"Thank you, Sir, but I wouldn't have been able to do anything without my squad leaders like Kurg here." She said, Kurg grinned.
"Your performance far exceeded our expectations, Lieutenant Commander." Xen said.
"Thank you Admiral. If there's nothing else, I'd like to go see to the soldiers." She said
"Of course, dismissed." Hackett said, letting her off the hook.
"Anderson, I mean no offense, but that woman's potential is being wasted as your second in command." Hackett said
"I agree wholeheartedly, I'm planning on putting her in for a promotion and hopefully her own command after this." Anderson said.
"Well let's get the colony settled, no pun intended, then we'll talk about LC Shepard's future." Hackett said, an idea was forming at the back of his mind, one he felt Anderson would very much be on board for.
"All of you did amazing work out there. Thousands of civilians will sleep safe and sound tonight thanks to your actions, but not only that, the Batarian Hegemony, a nation of slaves has been sent a loud and clear message today! DON'T FUCK WITH THE ALLIANCE!" Shepard bellowed. The crowd, even the Krogan who weren't technically with the alliance cheered.
"Go get cleaned up, fed and grab some rack time you've earned it. I'm sure we'll have our orders in the morning. Dismissed!" shepard said and everyone except Tali walked away. She was going to to say something to Shepard but was immediately interrupted by her lips on hers. Tali melted into Shepard's embrace, all of the worry and fear of the day draining from her.
"I know Tali, I'm sorry I worried you." Shepard said
"No Jane, we're both military we both know what that might some day mean. Just let me thankful you came back to me." Tali said, snuggling into her.
"Let's go get something to eat, I'm starving. Then I'm taking an hour long shower, the colonies have tons of clean water and geothermal heat." Shepard said.
"Ooh, mind if I join you? Tali said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.
"Maybe... Hey! Ouch!" she said, after having been pinched in the ass by her Quarian lover.