The sound of hundreds of feet crunched, the flutter of shuttles whisking overhead, the stench of ezzo as two frigates fading behind me. A turian fighter took a pass over the encroaching army, circling back around. All around us, the sprawling plains dropped far below our feet, the edge of a destroyed civilisation poking from around the flat-topped peak. The crags formed neat slices through the mountains, giant stairs down if we needed. But we didn't need to go down. Not yet. A flurry of more shuttles, these ones beaten up to hell and back. Not like the sleek grey, white and blue that glittered in the overwhelming sun. Krogan heads peered down from the upper layers, canvas of colour fluttering in the wind. Dust curled around my feet, marching ahead. The admirals kept pace behind me, decked in their armour. The rock trembled before us, the krogan narrowed their eyes as the endless stream of people kept pace ever onwards. Another haulage of shuttles took the skies, more shuttles sweeping low to pick up more of the endless sea of people. The Normandy loomed above us, casting a cool shadow over us as the onboard crew assessed us.
Ahead, a hole in a rock wall. Krogan filed out, many already working their way down to waiting tomkahs. Shepard himself was atop a rock by the mouth to this meeting ground, binoculars in hand. As we drew closer, he lowered them, focusing his eyes on us. He jumped from the rock to land in the dust, hands going to his hips as I approached. My closed fist raised in the air, the Admirals stopping a step later. I took the extra 4 steps to meet Shepard, his eyes on the people behind me, to the flurry roaring further behind. He released a slow breath.
"...You brought an army," he said.
"700, turns out Imperious can fit a fuckton of people desperate for a fight into a frigate and not cause World War 4 to break out," I said. "I would have brought more if I had more ships," Shepard didn't say anything, eyes still on the aliens.
"Just as well there was no onboard emergency," he said.
"Modified turian stealth transporter, all this thing has is crew carrying capacity, escape pods galore and basic weapon systems. The Normandy and Starquake will be the heavy hitters here if we need them," I said. "I have Behemoth Specialists calibrating equipment, ground team and air support prepped and a wild Raisha probably getting her arse kicked in somewhere out there," Shepard frowned.
"She's not towing the line?" he asked.
"...She's out of the fleet now. I have no command over her," I admitted, teeth grabbing my lip to hold it steady. Shepard made a sound in his throat, eyes across the wastelands beyond.
"...Well, her loss I suppose," he shook his head. "I've dealt with the krogan politics. They're mobilising and marching for the Shroud,"
"Good, my teams will support where possible. We have people keeping tabs on our frequencies so we shouldn't be fighting each other unless we need to talk," I said.
"Sounds good… also, it's weird seeing you in not purple," he said. A taut smile twitched up.
"I know. I need to get my crews ready. We'll make our way to Innot's last known position with our shuttles, we aren't too far," My eyes scanned the horizon. Around the peaks and flat top plateaus, a faint spire dotted the horizon. But a dark shadow didn't provide any emotional support.
"Just to warn you, they spotted a small Reaper beside the Shroud. I'll deal with it though," Shepard said as he turned. A sound rolled in my throat, watching him delve back into the cave to reach the ruined city beyond. The city was a crumpled disaster, levelled skyscrapers with only the most stubborn of steel beams poking towards the sky. Mountains of rubble kicking dust into the air with every breeze. It swelled like a surging sea frozen in time, rolling to the horizon. And part of the city curled into the mountain below my feet, and deeper yet below ground. Tuchanka was known for its subterranean cities. Miles of the damn things. Most filled with Thresher Maws and their spawn. In the distance, the faint hum of an army of engines. The krogan prepared to move. My eyes tore away from the scant view of the city, turning to march back down the line. The Admirals watched as I stopped beside them. A blink to wipe the grainy dryness holding them, only a quiver gave away the unease settling over me.
"We're moving out. To your stations," I said. The Admirals saluted.
"Stay safe, Admiral. I doubt the fleet would survive without you," Katus said. I nodded, my throat tightening.
The Admirals turned, vanishing into the mob of people. My shoulders rolled, casting one, final look to the faint spire on the horizon before stepping into the abyss of people. A convoy of shuttles moved people to the site. The Behemoth specialists were already in place, gone silent who knows how long ago. Kala was also silent, making only the barest of pings to Gideon to let him know they were fine. Closer to the heart of our basecamp, the mass of people was thickest, despite half of the team already on their way groundside. My eyes found Gideon as he jumped inside a large shuttle, a small platoon of mechs already loaded on. Mat'al caught my eye before they vanished between the bodies. My own shuttle grew before me. Phentos saluted as I approached, the ground team already inside and waiting. Without a word, I stepped in, ducking inside the cockpit to take the only free seat left, the co-pilot chair. Brelam glanced over, the batarian suited up and ready for flying.
"Is everyone in position?" I asked.
"Soon, it's mostly hauling the soldiers across to the fight zone. Looks like Innot suspected we'd be coming. There's a small army of husks down there," Val said over the radio.
"Details," I said, the shuttle lifting off.
"She's holed up in the underground city beside the Shroud, the Reaper is causing havoc with just walking overtop. It's collapsing sections when it noticed our ships in the area. We have snippets of husks diving underground in preparation for battle, a few on the surface as scouts most likely," Val said. "There were even more on the surface, maybe they were expecting the usual Starquake crew and the krogan, they husks are scrambling for positions,"
"Then we better get moving before they solidify. Let's get some early air support to thin those surface husks. Any signs of Behemoths or Maws?" I asked.
"We have nothing from the Behemoth Specialists or Kala, Dellion," Indira said. My lip quivered under my teeth.
"Keep me posted," I said, grabbing my helmet and sliding it over as the shuttle dropped low to the ground. A high-pitched whistle skimmed past us, but Brelam kept his course true. The shuttle tucked behind a half-collapsed wall, granting a moment of shelter before the crew popped to their feet and sprawled out around the shuttle, a dusty breeze blowing irradiated dust inside the open door. The door closed after my feet touched rotted concrete. The ground trembled, swayed as its supports strained under the additional weight. The shuttle took off, the guns popping free.
All around us, mounds of eroded and broken concrete like sheets of paper petrified against the breeze. Steel rusted under the heavy sun, giant spikes of snapped metal lying crushed under dust. This wasn't like Feros. Feros had been broken and dusty like this, but Feros had been slaughtered by the Reapers and left to rot. The population who caused this still lived. An endless sea of proof and reason to why the krogan were first uplifted to fight the enemy no one else could. Proof and reason why we needed their help once more. My head shook, settling back on the mission as each step eased me down onto more stable ground. The Starquake combat team huddled around me. It felt weird not having Algenis beside me, but he was still watching me. He and other specialists were already deep in the ruins, scouting out what lay ahead of us. They'd report in once they were sure the Reapers weren't listening in.
With Paladin in hand, we slipped from our solid ground. The terrain wobbled as we walked, loose concrete cracking under our weight, dust kicking up with every step and breeze. We sought shelter from the sweltering sun above, the dust clogging the air filters as we delved into a darkened maw diving down. Within seconds, our feet echoed, the wind disappearing behind us. Not a sign of movement ahead or around. The eerie silence held us as we inched ever onwards. Only the snippets of radio contact held our sanity together. Tension crept over my shoulders, almost begging something - anything - to break it. Torchlight pierced the darkness in thin beams. In the distance, faint pops rang out like water droplets, distant moans echoed down the cavernous walls. My own torch scanned everything. ignoring the broken murals painted and carved on the walls, on the cracks that threatened to tumble the ceiling upon my head.
Something shuffled nearby, and at last a bullet flew. At a junction, a swarm of Husks tore down towards us. The gunfire deafened me. Every sound bounded and echoed until you couldn't see straight. The swarm was huge, the wave getting close enough for the shotguns to plaster me in blood. A used heat sink joined the dozens on the ground, still smoking. Then silence. The sound of movement stopped aside from the clinking of armour and the sound of blood in my ears. A slow breath released; tension eased out with it. No one hurt. We continued down, dropping down a large hole after spotting the collapse ahead of us. My omni-tool stained the walls purple as we crept, the ongoing map building painting the city in full 3D. A maze of corridors, rooms and blockages. I nodded down a hall, inching towards sunlight.
The room was massive, the size of a football pitch. Sunlight poked down from ragged holes above, limp steel struts and concrete pillars hanging by a thread all around. Husks groaned like ping pongs around the cavern, every gun trained and ready. This was the main area of this section of the city, from here, one could move almost everywhere; collapse and husks permitted. The ceiling towered high above. The hairs on my neck jolted upright. Instinct spun me on my toes, the Paladin raised upwards. In the gloom, a pair of scythes. Gunfire deafened me once more. The Hunter tumbled to the ground beside me, more crawling along the floors like fleas on a dog. Before I could raise a finger to my ear, gunfire crackled overhead. A team of soldiers found rundown catwalks of stone around the edges of the room, taking up positions. A trundle of mechs wasn't that far behind, more working their way around to the ground floor. My eyes caught something white high above, the fainted sign of yellow. My heart skipped a beat. Why was he here-?
The resounding bang jolted every part of my skin. My eyes swung when a large twang rang out. The Paladin trembled in my grip. A wall of Reaper blue metal crept towards us, glittering neon cyan eyes poking out between the gaps. The metal plates covering the face and crest screamed krogan, the lumbering monsters garbed in thick metal plating. On each arm, a tower shield. And behind them, I saw cannibals raising weapons. My voiceless cry got feet moving as a hail of bullets flew. We took cover behind fallen debris, attempting to return fire. But these pure krogan husks continued on their slow, lumbering advance. Grenades did nothing against them, their legs were pure metal, all organics removed from below the knee. Even landmines wouldn't stop them. I grit my teeth, reloading the Paladin. The Locust was useless here.
Another deafening bang sent a krogan husk flailing, the force kicking it back a step and throwing a tower shield flying out. But the bullet did not puncture the metal at all. My heart sank. If the Daemon couldn't smash through, what the hell could? Searte and Zeedra glanced to each other, the two asari biotics nodding. One threw out a singularity between two husks. The cannibals screeched, fighting the pull. The krogan husks hunkered down, a low rumbling the only sign of discontent. The other cast a Pull, an unsuspecting krogan husk stumbling forward, staggering. My eyes widened.
"Don't push them back! They're designed to resist being pushed!" I snapped. I heard another bang, not as loud as the Daemon. The stumbling husk's head splattered, blood and flesh firing out from the slits in the armour around the head. My face twisted at the sight. Grenades soared, soaring high over the wall to the lines behind. The explosions were glorious. Incinerates, warps, grenades of all kinds flew and arched in the air. The cannibals took aim to knock as many as they could out of the air, but with the biotics yanking these new husks forward and the snipers – Mat'al and Gideon from the sounds of things – coaxed them down.
My brows drew down, however, when a strange sound echoed from above. My eyes cast skywards, bewildered. It sounded almost insect like, but… huge. I reloaded the Paladin, staring down the scope at an exposed cannibal. A shadow smothered the polka dot sunlight. My blood drained to my feet. A shriek shattered the air, a huge beast, insect like, with various turrets sticking out of its mouth. Brilliant white lights like eyes spewed over the head, a network of cables running down the neck to a huge glowing circle on the chest. And it could fucking fly. And worst of all, husks poured off it. Wraith mist began pouring in from above, the temperature plummeting. Hunters crackled as they climbed the walls.
"Fall back!" Phentos cried. I grunted, backing up with the team towards the corridors. The monster above stamped on the unstable room, rubble tumbling down.
I lost sight of Gideon, but I had to keep myself safe, and the team. In the corridor, we could force them through the tight halls. But those damn krogan walls now didn't have the snipers. We kept falling back until Savanor dragged us towards a small hallway. We dimmed our torches and followed after the lights on his armour. We found ourselves creeping upwards. My throat tightened, tension in my chest as we slowed to crawl, creeping forward. We emerged in the same room as before, but higher up. Some husks still crawled around, a thick blue mist down on the ground floor. But no sign of Innot at all. But the wall of krogan husk were gone. I released a slow breath before powering onwards. A finger rose to my ear.
"Shaik to team. We have a new husk. Pure krogan. They're walking walls. Pulling them seems to be effective, but killing them is still an ass," I said. I blinked. "And there seems to be a giant flying beast as well,"
"Those are Harvesters, Admiral," a voice rang through. I frowned. "They normally prelude a Reaper invasion. They were seen on Khar'shan, Earth, Palavan and Irune, and a few other worlds besides. They're troop carriers,"
"Oh wonderful," I rumbled. "And the krogans?"
"Those are new," a new voice crackled.
"Then if someone comes up with a good name for it, that's a bottle of whisky for you," I said. I felt ears prick around me. If we weren't groundside, they'd be shouting ideas with people over the radio. But we kept pushing. We needed to find Innot. That was our goal.
We seemed to walk for hours, getting into small scuffles along the way. No matter how far we went, everything seemed the same. More husks, harvesters screaming overhead. But no maws, no behemoths and nothing else. I swung my jaw as we took a break, getting water back into our systems. I stared at my water bottle, listening to water slosh inside. We could faintly hear the Reaper stomping around. It was still far enough away to not be a threat to us. Something about this itched the wrong way. I scanned across the combat team. There were plenty of husks, but maybe they were too focused on the surface battle Shepard was fighting. But where was the Saboteur…? My eyes narrowed.
"Ogre," Alder said.
"Na. Too human. Rampart," Savanor said.
"Boring. If you want to go down that line of thought, Bastille," an unknown voice said over the radio.
"Fuck that. Palisade," another cried. My head shook as more voices rose up from across the Constellation crew. A small smile lifted my lips.
"Golem," another voice rose. There was a pause.
"Fuck that's good," Shual rumbled. My head shook.
"I like it, honestly. Suits em," I said. If only to stop the chaos over the radios. Hundreds of people were answering back and while my team was taking a break, it didn't mean they were. It also clogged the comms. A cheer rose up over the radio. "Who was that?" I asked.
"Private Willus Dermanian," Vice Admiral Xanilra T'Eroa said. She was helping to monitor and record all the comms.
"Congratulations, you've earned a bottle of whisky, any preference? Bear in mind that you will be judged by the rest of the crew for this," I asked with a grin.
"Oh, not gonna lie. Real partial for Asari Sheral Malt," Willus said.
"Yo, that's not bad! It's not batarian but-" another voice said.
"Batarian whisky is overblown and terrible though," Laegan said. Chaos roared over the radio. I winced at the noise. Laegan laughed.
"Troublemaker, you said that on purpose," Utren laughed. Laegan winked. I shook my head, a grin on my face. Gods, it was good to be home… My shoulders sagged. I basked, wondering how long it would last for…
"Saboteur spotted!" a voice cried over the radio. The whisky talk silenced immediately.
"Where?" I demanded.
"Krogan matching Arahunaa is a klick west of your current location, Admiral. They are trying to disguise themselves, but it faltered just enough," the voice said. I gulped down another mouthful of water, securing it to my belt and throwing myself back on my feet. The crew rose with me, following wordlessly.
Back into the ruins, back to the short scuffles with husks and darkness. Back to the dust and ruin. It took nearly half an hour to trudge the kilometre hike. With a slow breath, light feet crept into an open colosseum. Fighters swarmed overhead, the screech of harvesters as they tangoed with the fields in the sky. The open bowl sprawled before us, the tips of the Reaper visible, the Shroud so close. Hopefully, the Reaper stayed away from here so we cou- Movement caught my eye. Squinting through the rolling dust clouds, guns clicked and reloaded. Another team had driven some prey from the shadows. I nodded my head to Cathleen, the blonde human pulling her sniper free and lining up. I winced at the bang. But the satisfying twang brought a smile to my face. Through the shadows of the collapsed stands beyond, a female krogan hissed, a group of 7 golems with her. Although her crest was no longer a dull mint green, it was clear the paint was not coping with the dry heat and radiation of Tuchanka. It was flaking. Her eyes swung to my crew, and found my eyes.
"Y'know, running around with husks really isn't that subtle!" I called over the distance. Her eyes narrowed. A golem rose a shield suddenly, and after a deafening bang rang out, was sent spinning onto the ground. The others rallied around. A growl formed in my chest. Was that my fault, or was Gid hoping their attention was on me rather than their surroundings?
"I am surprised my mother isn't with you," Innot said, secure behind her wall of golems.
"Aww, are you so spooked by me you need to hold your mama's hand? I think you have enough boytoys with you as is," I asked.
"Twould be foolish to not come prepared. Though, none of us suspected you would be here given the death of Palalrian's Shell. Twas a shame Inuntza couldn't turn him before you arrived. What I would have given to see you fight-" her sentence died as a huge bang reverbed through the air. Innot ducked, the golems grabbing her and yanking her away as a cloud of blue burst beside her. Innot hissed, the golems tightening around her.
"I think my son took more offence to that than I did," I said, my voice dry. Push the grief away. Push it away. Push. It. Away! "It's time to end this, Innot. One of us isn't leaving alive. And I need to repay you for that shotgun to the leg I took for your part,"
"I did not pull the-" Innot started.
"Shut the fuck up," I said, narrowing my eyes. Innot stared, a coldness to her. The ground thundered then, my eyes looking skywards as a shadow fell over the open space. The Reaper Destroyer's roar trembled the air, every air standing to attention. And yet… so numb to everything, I simply stared up at it as if it were the sun poking from behind a cloud. My team shuddered, shrinking back towards the tunnels.
"…You really want to distract a destroyer with me? I'm honoured! Well, that makes Shepard's job easier then," I said. Innot frowned. The destroyer swayed, before it turned to gaze back towards the Shroud. "Do entertain me, do Destroyers have names, or are they simply forgotten about? Hmm, I suppose species with large populations become Capital ships, smaller ones Destroyers," The destroyer half swung back, considering its options.
"Go! I can handle the former Advocacy," Innot said. Another air shattering rumble resonated from the smaller Reaper before it vanished from view, trampling back towards the Shroud.
"You still haven't answered my question," I said. Innot scowled at me. "It got a name?"
"…Melokuhle," Innot said.
"And my curiosity has been sated. Thank you. I'm going to kill you now," I said, my team slowly coaxing themselves back to my side, almost bewildered.
"You can try. But I think the former Enforcer misses you. So let's help that and send you to him," Innot said.
It was the crackle of hunters that alerted me first. Guns fired all around me as husks began pouring in through the holes in the walls. I dived under rubble gathering in the centre of the arena, the team following as we bunkered down. Husks, cannibals and hunters poured out. The occasional Marauder turned up as well. They were particularly annoying since they kept giving armour boosts to their allies and kept them on a tactical advantage. The high-pitched whistles of Reavers finally caused a chill to run through me. And more harvesters delivered more husks in flaming red fireballs. Abominations tore across the field, exploding as they died. Hydras began appearing to prevent us from sniping their more valuable assets. And that dreaded blue mist poured from the cavities. And across the distance, Innot watched, her golems guarding her.
But I wasn't alone. Nor was my 12-man team. We braced as we heard the engines roar. Husks screeched as fighters dropped their loads, explosions rocking the air as they dived before the Destroyer could take aim at them later. The Harvesters were under constant bombardment from the air support. More guns blazed then, my forces congregating. Within minutes, the airy colosseum was a warzone. Incinerates soared, drones whizzed overhead, bullets sang, grenades shattered the air. A symphony of war. We had our eyes on the Saboteur, and we weren't letting her away. A huge bang sounded. One of the golems around Innot's brains seemingly imploded in the armoured head, guts firing out of the gaps. The others huddled close, raising the tower shields on their arms.
All the while, my team edged closer, working around the edges, gaining higher ground, sneaking on lower ground. Thank God we packed as many heatsinks as we could carry. It took nearly 30 minutes for us to traverse across, the battle chaos around us. Don't ask me how many husks I felled. I stopped counting. They were just blurs to me now. The roar of a brute echoed from the ground floor, clearly hunting us. But with so many wearing Constellation colours, and nothing to distinguish us by except tiny little bars on our shoulders. Even the Reapers were struggling to find me. We paused long enough for a Scion's quake to rattle past before we edged into the last piece of solid cover between us and Innot. Her eyes scanned the battlefield, almost frantic. Had she miscalculated how many I would bring? Had she thought 'she'll bring the usual'? A cold smile lifted my lips. There was another massive bang. And at this distance, I could just make out a flash striking a golem in the eye. The internal matter inside the skull exploded, the golem collapsing. Innot managed a robotic growl of discontent. And over the radio, I got confirmation that our dear Melokuhle was now preoccupied with a certain human and his team.
Fehan, Alder and Laegan crept the shadows, Searte and Zeedra warming their biotics to rain hell on the group of remaining golems and Saboteur. Shual, Utren and Savanor prepared the charge, Catheleen and Alder watched the rear while I eased up to a slightly higher area, creeping along carefully. Timing was crucial. And more of our forces were swimming into the area. The husks were beginning to fall back, especially as the harvesters couldn't restock them fast enough. We waited, counting the seconds. Another massive bang echoed down the stadium. Another golem's brains exploded. A breath, releasing the tension, before my body fell from the higher perch, a blade in hand. The biotics flew, the golems grunting against the singularities pulling them upwards. The krogan charged and cover fire opened. Innot managed to spin her head around as I jammed a blade between her shoulder blades. She howled, a vicious sound that caught the attention of most of the husks.
"Oh fancy meeting you here! You come here often?!" I grunted, clinging to the blade. Fuck me, krogan were made tough! A freshly sharp blade barely cut through the hide.
Innot snarled. The material on her back fluttered. My grip tightened on the blade, throwing swinging my body away from her back as a mass of cables and plates erupted forth. The purple hued omni-blade lashed out, slicing many. But not all. A grunt burst from my mouth as two snagged me. One around my wrist clinging to the blade, the other around my left calf. My hands clung to the blade, but the force of which she ripped me from her back was too much. I crashed along the uneven floor, sliding from the edge of the floor. A rod of rebar saved me from tumbling down into the heart of the arena. Instinct saved me a second time. I swung onto a rebar behind me, a bullet crashing into the rubble before me. Another swing, and I had a foothold to kick myself back onto the crumbling floor. A scan gave my location to my team, backing up to them. Another massive bang felled another Golem.
"Silence the spawn before he fells more!" Innot barked. My blood froze, a calmness seeping in.
"You lot truly haven't thought of a better name for him, have you?" I asked, ducking as a Hunter leapt for me, missed, and tumbled into the middle of the chaos.
"Pest is the best I will muster for him. You are a scourge, a blight," Innot growled.
"I prefer nuisance, but I'm happy with either," I said cheerily as the Paladin roared in my hand.
My team gave me cover fire, a distracted golem roared as he fell from the side, Shual shouldering him from behind off the edge as he made a grab for the knife in Innot's back. He cursed as her cables ensnared him, hoisting him off the ground and throwing him at me. The jump jets spared me, curling over Shual as he tumbled past, firing more Paladin rounds at the Saboteur as metal plates began smothering her. She turned before I could land and grab the knife myself, rolling with the edge to my back to avoid getting slammed by a golem. And in that heartbeat, a moment for terror. Innot noticed as well. I backflipped off the edge, grabbing the rebar and clinging on as Innot roared in a robotic cry. She soared past me, another body wielding a krogan hammer atop her.
"Raisha!" I snapped. Fuck me, she nearly too me with them! My head snapped up as a shadow fell over me. A golem with a raised shield. I winced as I heard an almighty crunch, the golem soaring over my head. My hand reached up, grabbing Utren's arm as he hoisted me up.
"Orders?" Zeedra asked.
"Watch the flanks and rear, and keep those fucking things off Raisha!" I ordered.
We eased towards a more defensible position, Hunters howling above our heads as they tried to pounce. And my eyes kept drifting to Raisha battling in the arena. Innot blocked another hammer blow with an arm coated in Reaper plate, but the force was still enough to fling her arm in a direction. More than enough time for Raisha to reach out and grab her by the growing plate armour around her chest and hurl her over her shoulder. The pair disappeared as a wave of Hydra fire pushed us back to cover away from the edge. Forced under cover, we watched the flanks as Hunters growled all around us. And then a new danger emerged into the fire.
I somewhat recognised them, if it wasn't for the bulging red sacks. They way they moved, the sounds they made. I had one encounter too close with their kind before. The uncorrupted version anyway. A barrage of gunfire flew from the twin turrets mounted on the sides of their head. And if a bullet destroyed those sacks, tiny versions of themselves burst free and dived for the nearest organic to explode in their faces. Rachni. They crawled over the walls and made most cover and the little ones hid in the thick blue mist with ease. Between them and the Hydras, my team found ourselves pinned. And I spied some Golems creeping closer with the unmistakable crackle of Hunters and Cannibals.
"On the six!" Utren roared. My head spun, just in time to see 4 Brutes in a charge for us.
"Up and over!" I ordered, bursting from the cover to dive off the edge and plunge into the thick mists smothering the ground floor.
And straight into the carnage. My omni-blade slashed a Hunter down as it leapt for me, Savanor shouldering a Marauder that made a grab for me. A Scion's quake rolled by, clearing the mist just long enough to empty a clip into a series of Cannibals rushing more Constellation crew. A Harvester screeched above it before it exploded in scarlet light, the shockwave forcing most people to their knees. A Reaver bullet missed my head by a hair. We battled through the madness, cutting down what we could as more soldiers flew in, more fighters, more mortars. A biotic team ripped a wave of Husks and Abominations off the floor, crashing into the crumbling side walls. The faint screech of a Praetorian sent shivers down my spine, but leaping Hunters were still stalking in the mist. And then I found them.
Reaper armour did little against Raisha's unrelenting fury. Innot crashed to the ground after another well aimed hit with the hammer, the shotgun firing one handed in the other. Robotic growls of discontent rolled from Innot as a cable snagged Raisha around the leg, but she simply fired at the cable and charged. Innot was back on her feet and braced. I winced as she heaved Raisha up and over, the krogan crashing down on a flailing husk. An opportunity rose. Innot moved towards Raisha, while I used the corpse of a fallen Marauder for some extra height. The knife was still in her back. And this time I had a heatsink in my hand. And you can bet your ass I ignored the lesson learned on the Constellation. A run, a hop, a jump. Innot roared as I grabbed the knife high on her back, using the new Reaper armour to find enough of a foothold to yank it out, jam the heatsink in as close to her back as I could before thrusting the knife through it.
I remember the explosion, but not the sound. The flash, the smell, the taste. Not the sound. The ground crashing against my shoulder blades snapped my vision back to normal. Just in time to see a biotic field vanish from around me. My feet scrambled getting upright and grabbing the Paladin. Raisha was back on her feet, throwing Innot around within the blue cloud from the Anti-Reaper rounds. My eyes caught Zeedra as she sprinted to my flank.
"You have got to stop doing that!" she snapped.
"I'll stop doing it when it stops working!" I snapped back, running towards Innot.
"Goddess, damn you, Capt- Admiral- Fuck you!" she cursed as she ran after me.
"Don't be a coward and fuck me yourself!" I called back as the Paladin began singing in my hand.
Innot hissed as a cable flew in my direction. A sidestep avoided it, but she was still a krogan. And after flinging Raisha off her, her armoured hand grabbed my shoulder. She hurled me after Raisha. And Raisha simply grabbed me by whatever limb was nearest to her hand – my left leg in this case – before throwing me like trash to the side. Straight into the torso of a Marauder. He seemed just as insulted as I was judging by the sound he made. Four Paladin bullets point blank to the head took care of him before anything more could happen to me. My eyes found Raisha once more in a tango with Innot, but the ammunition was starting to kick in. The second knife slid into my hand, hurling end over end. Innot snarled as it jammed between her plates on her arm. Raisha wordlessly grabbed it as she swung the hammer and Innot was once more on the ground.
My attention focused on the husks around me as another Reaver bullet slammed into the ground beside me. A Hydra was right in my face as I rolled out of the way behind a huge slab of rock. Another Scion wave rolled past as gunfire deafened us all. I managed to get one look through the blue mist, Raisha with both hands on a partially torn spine before the mist closed in and the attacks intensified. It was only when I felt the ground shudder did fear spike in my stomach. My radio was alive with hails of a behemoth. Or a Thresher. The quaking ground worsened as I fought my way towards my team, they to me. Several members of the Constellation crew got to me first, unknown faces yanking me into cover, keeping themselves between me and the enemy. My teeth grit as the earth gave an almighty heave.
Part east, long wall of colosseum collapsed, sunlight pouring into more spaces as the dark, Reaper metal flank of a Behemoth erupted just a stone's throw from me. I never got a chance to get a proper look before hands grabbed me and hauled me away. All crew began a hasty retreat, the radio alive with chatter. My head spun, managing to catch a glimpse of the towering monster above our heads as it scanned the crew. But I was still mingling in the crowd, my helmet keeping my flame hair hidden. Darkness surrounded me as we plunged into the tunnels.
The Behemoth howled, the air shaking as every molecule vibrating as the AA gun powered up. And then an earth-shattering crash sounded. The air pressure behind me blew everything not tied down about 20 metres down the tunnel. I stared, dazed at a dark wall. It took a moment to realise why I couldn't move. There was about four people on top of me. I managed one pained bark to get people moving. Bodies moved, and a deep breath filled my lung with stale air. Before I was on my feet, another huge pulse of air pressure threw us back down the tunnel, everything shaking.
"What the fuck is going on?!" I demanded, kicking a salarian off me.
"It's the Behemoth Specialists, Admiral," a voice rang over the radio. "Who the fuck gave them a cruiser cannon?!"
"Who cares, they're flattening that thing!" another cried. A grunt escaped before a third pulse kicked me off the floor. Only this one was accompanied a massive flash of white light and a boom that shook the very stone, huge slabs of the roof collapsing around us. My eyes trembled as a rebar filled slab of concrete hung overhead, a biotic field holding it an inch off my nose. Hands grabbed my wrist and yanked me clear. And in the narrow beams of light, we meandered back towards sunlight, guns primed.
"Is the Fleet Admiral alright?" a voice called.
"We got her here, she's good," a turian said. "Coming out of the tunnels now,"
The crowd parted, letting me push forward into the light. Hundreds flanked me on all sides. There were some husks still about, but the resulting explosion of the Behemoth had parts of the beast strewn everywhere. On top of the lovely crater that followed the length of its body and the fact this whole arena was now completely open with several new gorges into the wastelands of Tuchanka.
"And Innot?" I asked.
"You doubted me?" that bass voice rumbled. Guns clicked as the wall flared around me, people pressing close. My eyes narrowed as Raisha emerged, smothered in dust and blood. A spine lay clutched in her hand. My shoulders rolled back, pressing through the crowd to reach the krogan. And a body of krogan kept close. Shual, Utren and Savanor shouldered most of them away as they took my immediately flanks and rear.
"Thanks for throwing me like yesterday's dinner, by the way," I growled. The krogan bristled.
"You got in my way," Raisha said.
"Right into a Marauder?" I scowled.
"You had a soft landing," she chuckled. It took far too much control to not order someone to punch her.
"Any update from Shepard's side of things?" I asked into the radio.
"Judging by the fact that there is a huge ass thresher maw kicking that Reaper's ass, I'd assume it was going well," Val's voice rang. I stared at nothing.
"…How the fuck did he man- You know what, no, I don't care," I moaned. "Clean up as many husks as you can and make your way back to base! Before that Thresher comes and says hi to us, preferably!"
"Aye, aye, Admiral!" the call rang out.
Gunfire still popped through the air as my… guard, I suppose, marched through the new gorges in the tunnels and ruins to reach open wasteland. We hiked for about 10 minutes before something in the air changed. Heads spun towards the Shroud. It was a tall, delicate looking silver building that stood out against the ruin of Tuchanka. A golden ash fell from the sky, all eyes heavenward as we gazed. Murmurs spread over the crew, eyes flicking to me for guidance. My helmet yanked off, shaking my hair free from the bun to let the wind whip it as it pleased. It was soft, whatever this was. Almost like snow. It vanished upon touch, melting away to naught. Shuttles soared overhead.
"Do we have any krogan who are not on Tuchanka?" I asked.
"They're all here, Admiral," Shual said. "They were not going to say no to a battle on home soil,"
"Females too? Non-combatants?" I asked.
"Even our females fight, but they are here," Savanor said. "Why?"
"…Because if this is what I think it is. There's going to be a lot of baby krogan running around. And I don't think anyone wants to miss this," I said, marching onwards as shuttles hummed overhead, looking for landing spots.
"What do you mean?" Utren asked, stomping after me. Raisha frowned, following with cautious steps.
"Commander Shepard's mission was simple. Cure the genophage," I said, loudly to prevent repeating this. A lot of feet stopped following me, but I couldn't turn around. "And this, I pray, is the cure dispersing planetwide,"
"A cure…?" Raisha murmured. At last I found the will to spin, to pin the krogan down with the most authoritarian expression I could.
"This is my final gift to you, my farewell to an important mother figure. Congratulations, Raisha. I pray you can rebuild your family after what the Reapers stole from you, what my mission held you away from. The war is no longer your concern. Let go of the anger, let go of the hate, find that beautiful peace that lured me from my terrified shell once more. Maybe we'll meet in the future. Maybe I'll get to see your children and see you smile once more. But for now, I have a war to win, otherwise all of this will be for naught," A shuttle landed nearby, Starquake on the flank. "Goodbye, Raisha. Thank you for everything," my voice croaked. "But if I ever see you on one of my ships again, I will shoot you. Everyone onto the shuttles! We're going home! …And you can walk," I said to Raisha as I turned and stepped onto the shuttle. The Starquake's combat team followed me in. The door shut, and we took the skies once more.
"That was too kind for her. She needed put fucking down," Iona hissed. My eyes remained glued to the window, to the falling ash.
"…Yeah," I said. It was too kind for her, after what she did to everyone. But that may have been my last good act in this war at this rate. And I wanted to make sure what good I could do, mattered.
The Saboteur and Reaper Forces Sheets has been updated for this chapter. Please see profile for link to the archive.