CHAPTER 6: THE EDEN PRIME MASSACRE
Mallory grunted as Haber-Bosch thumped into place on the tarmac of Eden Prime's spaceport. The captain voice came over the intercom.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Eden Prime, jewel of the Traverse. Prep cargo for offloading. Mister Calhoun, please take an away team to Alliance Control and inform them that they need to answer to goddamn radio."
Mallory snorted and got up off the bed. The woman reached down and threw her duffel bag over her shoulder. As she walked towards the door, she reached into her pocket to pull out the photograph of her family.
She looked at Crystal's smiling face before sighing through her nose.
Alright, momma. I ain't looking back.
The former Red walked out of the stateroom and into the passageway of the ship. The crew bustled about and as Mallory looked around she saw Rahim at the end of the passageway, waving.
"Mal, come on, I'll show you the way."
Mallory moved in that direction.
Just as she opened her mouth to ask Rahim how to get off of this tub, the Haber-Bosch rocked.
Hard.
Mallory steadied herself on a support beam and then heard the curses of crewmen who hadn't been so lucky.
"What the fuck was that?" Mallory wondered aloud as she looked around. The sentiment was echoed in curses and groans as some of the fallen crewmen stood up.
Rahim looked up at the ceiling, suddenly pale.
"Was that…did something just hit us?"
The public address speakers screeched as someone tried to speak, but then went quiet. A crewmen of some rank pointed at Rahim.
"Get to the bridge and get us some orders. Everyone else to muster points."
Apparently God felt the need to countermand that order because at that moment the ship rocked again before falling away underneath Mallory's feet. The ganger joined the crew in shouting in alarm as she slammed into the ceiling. As she began to fall towards the floor, the lights went out.
Mallory groaned as she heard screaming in the dark.
Somebody broke some bones.
Mallory groaned aloud as she sat up. The ship's dim red emergency lighting powered on and the first thing Mal saw was Rahim laying facedown on the deck, a pool of blood spreading from around his head.
"Shit. Rahim?"
No answer from the crewmen. Mallory got to her feet and moved over. As she turned the man's head she saw unseeing eyes staring back. Poor bastard.
A voice of authority shouted in the reddish gloom. Older voice.
"Alright, people! If you can walk, get up, help those of us who can't. The Bosch is grounded so we're on shore leave! Let's find an exit!"
Hm. Mallory agreed with that plan. The Earther decided to follow the crew as they walked or hobbled through the passageways. She dropped her duffel bag to return for it later and patted her pockets to ensure she had what she wanted. Her gun, the family photo, and, ugh, Red Sand. As they got closer to the doors Mallory heard crackling and pings from outside the ship's hull. A sound she knew well. There was one motherfucker of a firefight going on out there.
You've got to be fucking kidding me.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Run from the AMX to the "Jewel of the Traverse" and when she gets here the first thing is a goddamn war. Great.
Fuck you, God and your magnifying glass to!
Ahead there was light showing through a tear in the hull. The gunfire got louder and the crew began to slow as they realized what it was. As they neared the hull and explosion sounded and the freighter crewmen stopped in their tracks. Mal couldn't really blame them. That was something big.
Mallory stood quietly as the crew began discussing staying in place, perhaps even moving further into the ship to shelter from any gunfire. As they did so, the smell of smoke filled the passageway and fire began licking from the vents. Mallory grit her teeth. How could this get any fucking worse at this point?
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, all thought fled as an ear-splitting screech seemed to sound from her own mind. A screeching thunder that drowned out thought and reality. Mallory covering her ears and clenching her teeth only made it louder as the monotone roar sounded from between her own ears.
The crewmen covered their own ears or screamed as the noise seemed to drown out reality.
As soon as it began, it was gone. The pain left and Mallory uncovered her ears as the crew did the same, bewildered.
Mallory spoke for the first time since boarding the ship.
"I'm getting the fuck out of here."
The crew looked back as if noticing her for the first time. A man in a nicer uniform glared and began to say something. Probably an order to stay put, as if he could make her do anything. The crew overruled him, discipline finally breaking.
"What was that? I'm leaving."
"I'm going with her."
"I'll take my chances outside. Bosch is on fire anyway."
Leaving them to work it out amongst themselves, Mallory moved to the tear in the hull and peered around the corner to gaze upon devastation.
Bodies littered the tarmac. Ships and buildings burned. The control tower's top burned and it looked for all the world like a giant torch. The sky was red and the sun obscured by ash and smoke.
As the ganger scanned the area she found the source of the gunfire.
A unit of Marines and what looked like Alliance Security Forces, cops.
There were a few of them holed up in some sort of office building, shooting from the windows and doors. In front of the building were humanoid figures, but they were all wrong.
They were tall, heads stooped and tubular. A single glowing eye stared out, unfeeling, from underneath a metal hood. They each held a rifle and were currently utilizing said rifles to blast away at the human troops inside the building.
Mallory breathed in slow.
Ok. The apocalypse. Doable.
Mallory stepped out of the tear and dropped the few feet to the ground. The ganger sheltered behind a pile of crates to further assess where to move from here. As quickly concluded that going in the direction of the firefight was, in fact, a bad idea, the crewmen stormed past her and scattered in seemingly every direction.
Mallory watched as a few of the humanoid figures whirled and cut down the humans with precision shots, not a round wasted, before turning back to the firefight at hand.
Jesus.
Mallory blinked at the quick massacre of the crew.
Ok. Run away.
Mallory looked around and saw the wreckage of dozens of ships scattered across the tarmac. Intermixed were the wrecks of luggage carts and trucks. Good cover.
Alright.
Mallory decided she needed to get away from the gunfight and then she would decide on where to go.
Sure as hell not staying on Eden Prime. Place is jinxed now.
The ganger stayed low and moved underneath the hull of the Haber-Bosch. The Kowloon-class freighter was wrecked. Two of the four landing gear skids were smashed, resulting the bow of the ship resting on the ground, with the stern up in the air. That would be why Mal got so rudely introduced to the ceiling.
As she got to the other side of the freighter, she found a gaggle of dockworkers hiding behind a truck. She crouched beside them and tapped the one that seemed the calmest.
"Hey. Where do we go to get out of here?"
The man looked at her and, stone faced, said,
"There is no escape. The Lord hath wrought his judgement and we are naught in the face of his fury."
Ok...someone else.
"Shut the fuck up, Carl. Look lady, the tram station is across the tarmac." One of the other dockworkers turned and addressed Mal.
"Which way?"
The dockworker pointed but she then shrugged.
"Probably get killed getting there. Fucking robots are everywhere?"
That struck Mallory.
"Robots?"
The dockworker raised her eyesbrows.
"You ever seen an organic with a flashlight for a face?"
Fair enough.
Mallory didn't answer but moved in the direction of the tram station.
As the ganger moved amongst the wreckage she peered up and stopped in her tracks.
A massive object was hovering over the colony.
Squid-like and purple-black it was seemingly hovering with no assistance from ant sort of boost. Mallory had never seen anything like it. The thing was absolutely colossal. As she stared at it, the screeching inside her own head returned and Mallory covered her ears as red haze creeped into her vision. The longer she stared the louder the screeching got and the further the red creeped into her vision.
Mallory turned her head and away and gasped as the screeching stopped.
Her throat felt raw.
Had she been screaming?
The taste of blood in her mouth brought the ganger back to herself and she looked around. The tram station was station was still far off. Lots of open ground between her and the way out.
As she moved to hide underneath a docked ship and out of the line of sight of the ship.
The taste of blood returned and Mallory split out bloody phlegm along with a small piece of tooth.
She heard a whistle and trill, akin to a bird, and turned to find the sound. She found a tall, somewhat spindly alien with spikes sticking out the top of its head. It was wearing some sort of light armor and was grasping a wicked looking knife.
Mal brought the Glock up to aim at the alien which brought the knife up in front of his face and held it like an ice pick. A style that was apparently universal.
"Wait a moment!"
As Mallory put pressure on the trigger a blue woman stepped out from behind the landing gear of the ship.
No. Not a woman.
She had tentacles on her head. Fucking alien.
"Don't shoot! We're not a threat."
Mallory bared her teeth.
"You're fuckin' aliens. Tell Spike over there to drop the blade."
Without translation the spiky alien retorted in the whistling and trilling language. The tentacle lady translated.
"Davus will lower his weapon, when you lower yours."
Mal didn't move the gun and decided Spike, Davus, could understand her.
"You brought a knife to gunfight."
The alien continued looking at her before he lowered the knife.
The tentacle lady, Asari that was it, looked at Mal.
"In the interest of cooperation, please lower your weapon."
It crossed Mallory's mind to drop both of them, but she doubted her archaic piece would penetrate Davus' armor. The Asari smiled and placed an open hand on her chest.
"I am Latheyta. You are?"
Mallory scowled.
"Armed. I am armed and not making friends."
Latheyta's smile didn't move.
"I assume you are moving to the train station? We have common cause."
Oh great. Now the aliens are going to stink up her ride out of this shithole. Maybe she should just shoot them?
"Of course, your fellow humans may come as well."
What?
About a dozen people, humans, showed themselves from behind the crates and machine parts of the ship.
Mallory eyed them before her eyes fell on a five-year-old girl. Dirty. Looked tired even while being carried by her mom.
Mallory looked to Latheyta. The Asari was still smiling.
"They were our passengers onboard the transport, you see? Davus and I would like to bring them to safety. They are our responsibility after all. We would like to use the transport to get to Fort Ernest Smith, the Alliance garrison here."
Mallory stared at the Asari.
'You crooked bitch. You're not saving these people, you're looking for a way into a jarhead garrison.'
Latheyta's smile was just a bit too sickly sweet for Mal.
'The kind that a hooker gives you before she steals your wallet.'
The human little girl yawned and this drew Mallory's attention.
'Shit…alright…I'll play ball.'
Mallory looked the Asari in the eyes.
"Alright. If we're going, we're going now. Anybody who falls behind, stays behind."
The spiky alien, Davus, nodded in agreement before trilling at Latheyta.
The Asari seemed disturbed before turning and looking to the humans.
"Ok! Davus and our new friend here have agreed to lead the way out."
A trilling got Mal's attention. Davus gestured to Mallory before making an "after you" pose.
Mallory grinned savagely.
"By all means, Spike. By all means."
Mallory stepped out from underneath the ship and heard the Turian step out behind her and follow.
'That's right. First Contact War.'
Davus followed along as the ganger darted from wreck to wreck, steadily moving towards the tram station.
As she reached the ramp up, she heard mechanical burbling at the top of the platform.
Davus touched her shoulder to get her attention.
The human looked to the Turian who made a circle with its hands before putting it in front of its face and then gestured to the platform.
'Flashlights. Cool.'
Mallory checked that a round was chambered in her weapon before slowly moving to the top of the ramp. Three Flashlights.
'Doable. Probably.'
Mal gestured with three lifted fingers over her shoulder and the Turian slapped her on the back to acknowledge its understanding.
Mallory stood and made a hairpin turn around the corner as the Glock cracked and a cylindrical blue field appeared around the Flashlight she shot at.
'Fuck! Shields!'
Kinetic barriers weren't unheard of in the AMX underground but were pretty damned rare.
Mallory took cover behind boxes as she saw Davus make a run for a low wall opposite her position. The Turian had the big knife in its hand again and ducked behind the wall before making a gesture towards the Flashlights that Mallory interpreted as "cover me."
The ganger stuck the pistol around the corner and pulled the trigger until the magazine was empty. The empty fell to the ground at Mallory's feet and a fresh one was fed in without looking.
There was suddenly a mechanical hissing and cybernetic howling. Mallory peered around the boxes to see Davus ripping the knife through the hoses and cords in the necks of the Flashlights.
'Nice.'
The other two Flashlights were both turning to shoot at Davus. The Turian stood and rushed the closest one, knife extended menacingly.
Mallory holstered the gun and inhaled a hit of Red Sand. The chemical hit her system and set biotic energy to flaring at her fingertips.
Concentrating the energy in her hand, a ball was formed that to Mallory just felt like the mother of all fist packs.
The young woman rushed the Flashlight that was about to shoot Davus and slammed her fist into the back of its head with a roar. Her hand punched all the way through the head and when she jerked her hand out of the hole, blood spattered on her face. Her own blood.
The ganger looked over to the Turian, who nodded and gestured towards a tram waiting at the dock.
Mal stepped back to the ramp and looked at the people and the Asari huddled at the bottom.
"Flashlights are dead. Let's go."
The humans rushed up and over to the tram. The Asari strolled up to Mallory.
"Flashlights?"
Mallory shrugged and echoed the hiding dockworkers from earlier.
"Have to call them something."
The Asari seemed confused before saying,
"These are Geth. They've not ventured from behind the Veil for over 200 years."
Mallory shrugged again.
"Flashlights. Geth. Whatever. They're dead. Get on the train."
Mal took her own advice and made her way to the front of the train to find a middle aged human male in orange coveralls at the controls. Just as she was about to yell at him to shag ass, the train lurched underneath her feet and they began to speed away.
Davus walked up and held out a boxy thing to her. A Mass Accelerator pistol. Mal took the gun and checked it over. A Predator Heavy Pistol. Nice.
The former Red knew how to use a mass accelerator weapon, but they were hard to come by and very visible down in the AMX underground.
The ganger looked at the Turian who held up an M7 Avenger assault rifle. Blood was spattered across the rifle's casing. That'll be where he found them then.
Mal nodded and the Turian nodded back before moving back down the train.
The tram came to a stop and Mal turned to Coveralls. The older man smiled.
"End of the line."
Mallory turned to walked towards the exit when she heard a meaty smack and turned to see Coveralls falling in a heap, minus his head.
"Cover!" Mallory shouted as she saw multiple Geth headed towards them down the dual walkways on either side of the tram station.
Davus' Avenger roared as Mallory's Predator snapped off a few rounds down the walkways.
The human civilians hid behind whatever cover was available and screamed as projectiles travelling at a fraction of the speed of light flew back in forth over their heads.
Davus got Mallory's attention while she was kneeling, waiting for the Predator to cool, he made a motion towards a catwalk crossing to the opposite side of the tracks. He wanted to flank them. Alright. His ass.
Mallory stood and fired off rounds towards the Geth. The machines hid behind pillars and boxes as Davus dashed across the catwalk and to the opposite platform. He opened up with his Avenger and a Geth fell to the wayside with a binaric screech.
Mallory dropped another before the Predator vented and beeped annoyingly. The ganger dropped to let her weapon cool.
As she hid, a clink-clink-clink caught her attention as the pistol continued to vent. She looked over at the disc sliding across the ground. The ganger's nostrils flared and she opened her mouth to shout a warning just as the flashbang exploded.
The world turned black and shadowed for a moment. Pain flared in Mallory's shoulder as she fell on to her side. Her head swam and her vision blurred. She clenched her eyes tight and reopened them in time to see four Geth walk onto the platform from a lower level.
In the middle of the Geth was a Turian.
He was striking.
White armor and all kinds of cybernetics wired into him. Mean eyes.
Mallory clenched her eyes again and reopened them and the Turian was gone. Fast enough that Mal wondered she'd imagined it.
As her vision cleared Mallory rolled over and saw two robots standing in front her with their backs to her. They were shooting at the civilians. Mallory frantically looked for the Predator but couldn't see it. Instead she reached into a pocket and pulled out a packet of Red Sand. Rather shoving it up to her face, Mallory bit her tongue as the Red Sand hit her. A coppery taste flooded her mouth. The ganger quickly came to her feet.
Mallory saw biotic energy flare at her fingertips and she turned to look at the robots. She went at the closest robot concentrating the overwhelming biotic energy into her right hand. The ganger punched the closest robot, and the explosion of biotic energy sent the thing flying off of the platform and through the tracks to the ground below. Out of the fight.
Mallory looked at the other robot about to shoot the little boy she recognized from the spaceport. The kid was covering his mother with his body. The woman had been shot. She was alive for the moment. The kid was throwing things at the robot. As the robot raised its rifle a screaming rage flooded Mallory and came out of her mouth as she sprinted towards the machine. The scream got the thing's attention and it turned towards her. Mallory threw a bubble of biotic energy at it and it stumbled. It raised its weapon again.
Mallory wasn't going to get there before it shot her.
The machine suddenly crumpled as a shot exploded the flashlight head.
Mallory whirled and saw a few armored humans approaching with Davus in tow. She tried to calm her breathing as biotic energy flared across her arms and hands.
The Marine in the lead lowered his weapon while the female Marine right behind him kept hers trained on Mallory. Mallory smiled at the chick jarhead. What a try hard. The leader raised a hand in greeting as the second male Marine walked past Mallory and opened up an omni-tool next to the wounded woman the kid was protecting.
"I'm Commander Shepard. Alliance Navy. You are?"
Mallory wondered if arrest warrants from Earth were any good out here before just saying,
"I'm Mallory."
Shepard nodded and gestured to the dead robot.
"Good job protecting these people from the Geth."
Mallory shook her head and shrugged.
"I went my own way. They followed."
The male Marine working on the wounded woman spoke up.
"Commander, her wounds aren't responding to the medigel. Burned clean through."
Shepard looked at Mallory for a moment. He looked thoughtful. Very thoughtful.
"Alenko, if you monitor that medigel, can you make it hold?"
"Yes, Commander."
Shepard worked his jaw back and forth before nodding to himself.
"Look. Mallory. You seem like you can handle yourself. I need a biotic if I am to leave Lieutenant Alenko here to work on that woman. If you aren't opposed to assisting me, I'll see you're compensated."
Mallory hesitated. These jarheads were going into a firefight with the Geth. She'd barely survived this one. The first fight hadn't really counted.
Not just no, but fuck no.
"Uh…look Commander."
At that moment the civilian woman screamed before Alenko placed more medigel on her wounds. Mallory turned and looked at her. The woman's son was seated by her side. Fast asleep. Exhausted.
Fuck.
Mallory turned back to Shepard.
"Alright…but I need a gun."
The female Marine removed a box from her back, and it opened up into what Mallory recognized as a shotgun. The Marine looked to Shepard.
"Commander?"
Shepard nodded. The Marine extended the shotgun to Mallory and Mallory waited a moment before taking the weapon by the grip. The female Marine didn't let go.
"If you shoot me with this I will be irritated."
Mallory snatched the weapon.
"Don't get in my way then."
The female marine sneered before turning away.
Commander Shepard turned to Davus
"Can you look after these people while my people continue to our objective? I'm taking Mallory with me and leaving Lieutenant Alenko here."
The Turian trilled and whistled back. Shepard nodded.
"Thank you," he turned to the squad ", let's move out."
Mallory followed the Marines. As she passed the Turian he eyed her with a mix of distaste and respect before grudgingly nodding. Mallory just stared at the alien as she went by. She turned back to the Marines. Shepard and the squad moved towards a ramp that lead down further into the colony. Shepard dropped back with Williams.
"Mallory, stick to Gunnery Chief Williams. If she asks you to do something, please listen. Chief, look after our friend."
Mallory nodded when Williams barked out an affirmative.
"Alright. Ready? Move. Chief, on point."
Ashley moved down the ramp and instantly began shooting. Shepard followed and opened up as well. Williams moved forward and Mallory followed behind her. As Williams rounded the corner she let off a burst with her assault rifle. Mallory held the shotgun close as she rounded the corner and saw a large cargo platform. Off to the right of the platform was a smoking crater. A huge one. In front of the crater was a tall glowing pillar. Weird.
Mallory saw several Geth across a small gap in the platform and rushed forward to take cover behind a concrete pillar by Williams. Williams let off a burst and Mallory heard something like a growl from the other side of the gap.
Mallory leaned out from the other side of the concrete pillar and fired off a blast at a white armored Geth behind some kind of shield. It was completely ineffective from this range.
The hair on the back of Mallory's neck stood up and she whirled to see a person…or what remained of one. It looked like a person but it was pale blue and looked like it all of its insides had been replaced with electronics. Including its eyes.
What the fuck?!
The thing moaned almost in pain and swiped at Mallory. Mallory put an arm up to blunt the strike and spartan kicked the thing in the chest before shooting it nearly point blank with the shotgun. The thing disintegrated under the shotgun blast. In the puddle was something very clearly human remains, but was accompanied by weird looking tech. Nothing Mallory had ever seen before.
"Shepard! Behind us!" Mallory shouted as more of the things approached. The Commander looked over at her and then over his shoulder. His lip curled.
"WIlliams! Mallory! Shift fire! Deal with those husks!"
Husks. Ok then.
Ashley turned and began firing her rifle in the direction of the Husks. Mallory waited for them to get a little closer before firing on them with her shotgun. On her fourth shot her gun beeped and vented steam. Overheat.
Mallory looked at the shotgun and then at an approaching Husk. It was going for Williams. Mallory reached into her pocket and took a hit of Red Sand before concentrating biotic power in her fist. When the Husk got close Mallory ducked low and threw an uppercut into the thing's jaw. Its head exploded and Mallory was covered in blue gore.
"Ah gross!" Mallory shook her hand off as Williams began laughing uproariously. The Gunnery Chief looked over at Mallory as Shepard dropped the last Geth Trooper.
"Dude, badass."
Mallory stared at Williams uncomprehendingly. From a complete uppity bitch to a complete bro in thirty seconds. Williams' face schooled as Shepard called in on his radio that the "beacon was secure."
Mallory scanned the area and found nothing alive besides Williams, Shepard, and herself.
As Shepard spoke on the radio, Mallory eyed that other Marine, Alenko, coming down the ramp onto the loading dock. Doctors didn't take long then.
Alenko walked over to Shepard, seemed to give a report, and then began strolling over to the glowing pole.
"Shit…" Williams' voice caused Mallory to look over at the Gunnery Chief. The woman was walking over to the railing and eyeing the magma filled crater. Cool. The ganger walked to stand next to the Marine.
"That's Fort Ernest Smith." There was a quaver in Williams' voice. Mallory looked at the Marine. Her eyes were locked on the burning wreckage in the crater.
"That's home." The Marine looked at Mallory. Mallory looked at the crater.
"Family there?"
Williams shook her head and laughed.
"Nah. Not blood anyway. Just everyone in the world I knew besides my family."
Mallory felt incredibly uncomfortable. What the fuck was she supposed to say? I'm sorry? That's so dumb. Who cares if you're sorry? The ganger thought about putting her hand on Williams' shoulder or something. Instead, Mallory just stood next to the Gunnery Chief awkwardly. Before Mallory could break from her indecision, Williams slapped Mallory on the back.
"Well you didn't die. Of course…Red Sand is a hell of a drug."
Mallory whirled and looked at the Marine who was now eyeing her coldly.
"You will not utilize that substance in combat while you're with this team. I don't give a fuck if you kill yourself in your off time, but I don't fight with twacked out junkies. Only sober ones."
Mallory bared her teeth and prepared to tell the jarhead just where she could stick her opinion, but was interrupted.
"Shepard!" Kaidan's voice was alarmed. Williams and Mallory turned to see Shepard levitating in the air in front of the glowing pillar. The fuck? The Marine and ganger ran to Alenko's side.
Alenko made to grab Shepard but Williams grabbed him around the waist and held him back.
"Wait! Don't touch him!"
Shepard began violently convulsing before the glowing pillar exploded, sending Shepard flying across the platform. Mallory, Williams, and Kaidan rushed to Shepard's side.
"Normandy this is Lieutenant Alenko! The Commander is down, I need an immediate medevac on my position! Most urgent! 9-Line to follow!"
Mallory looked at Shepard's unconscious form and then at the sparking remains of what she would later learn was a priceless alien artifact. What the fuck just happened?