"Please proceed to dock K31, MSV Echo Empress," the controller said. My weight swayed, a slow breath easing out my tense lungs. The small ship we 'borrowed' navigated its way through the mass of other ships around the Citadel. My toes bounced my weight to stop me pacing, waiting for this to operation to start. Lanster guided the ship in, but his constant grumbling set me on edge. Something about heavy controls and God knows what else. What his problem was, well, that didn't matter right now.
We found this poor ship and its crew – or what remained of it – while jumping towards the Citadel. Mercenaries decided they wanted to steal the cargo and kill any crew member who resisted. Well, the mercs weren't happy to see us. We were ecstatic. So relieved were the crew to have someone rescue us, they offered to help us reach the Citadel, with the Starquake as an escort. They took out the piloting crew first, thus Lanster moved from the Starquake to the Echo Empress. Maybe that's what upset him so, leaving Sershin in charge of the Starquake. Yeah, that made sense.
The Starquake hid within the thick gas that surrounded the Citadel, emissions hiding the shup while it stood ready to scream in and pull us out should we need it. Ach, who am I kidding? When we needed it. The absolute minimum required to fly and maintain the Starquake in combat, 11 crew members with Gideon: Raisha, Sershin, Saere, Mysinous, Ferilsa, Arthan, Alice, Belak, Deolls, Sallis and Eshoria. Everyone else stood beside me now. Gideon's submission under my orders took strain off my shoulders. He didn't even bother to fight me on coming. Either that or Mat'al already had a stern talk with the rebellious 10 year old.
My arms shook out to hide the quiver shaking my knees once we docked, plucking up the courage to show myself to the rest of the crew. I hoped the crew's new armour would be enough to fool security into thinking we were just another merc group here for a pit stop until we sorted our next contract. The matching armour pleased my eyes, dark, de-saturated purple armour with coloured marks on the shoulders or thighs to show what team they belonged to; Green for Combat, Black for Science, Red for Engineering and Blue for Intel. Raisha and I stood as the exception; lighter purple marking stained my suit while Raisha had gold. It made the Captain and XO stand out.
"Captain, we cannot thank you enough for helping us reach the Citadel," the asari captain said. A smile masked my unease as we shook hands.
"A pleasure, ma'am. I wish you the best for the future. With luck, there won't be any more pirates for the foreseeable future," I said.
"I'll drink to that," the pale asari agreed. "I still feel terrible that you won't accept a reward…"
"Ma'am, we were on our way to the Citadel and you needed help. You have lost and damaged enough, I will not take anything more," I said, desperate to get this mission on the way. The relief sagged the asari's face.
"Thank you, Captain. Levon Roche, yes?" she asked. I nodded. "I'll remember that for when we need an escort," she grinned. "Thank you again," Once my 34 strong crew stepped free from the bullet ridden husk of the Echo Empress, my shoulders rolled back.
"Everything is ready, Dell," Val muttered as Mat'al and Indira herded everyone into some kind of informal formation. "I just hope this contact of yours can help,"
"I do too," I sighed. Val clicked his mandibles. "He agreed to meet us in Dock D71 so we need not pass through any security yet. He said he'd be the security check for us to get us in. I gave him the name of the ship we were on so he should know we've docked…" My head shook. "Mat'al, let's get everyone moving. I want to get there ASAP before we raise any eyebrows," My gaze glanced over my shoulder, the dark skinned salarian smiling.
"Lead on," he answered, his eyes sharp as he prepared for combat. My fingers crossed for some good luck, praying we could get Saria on her on, but that would be too much to hope for. We had to prepare for the worst.
The layout of the Citadel remained a mystery. My visits here hadn't given me a chance to memorise the layout. My eyes glanced down to the map on my omni-tool, leading me down the network of corridors and elevators to reach the assigned dock. Déjà vu swam through me. So long ago, a naïve Dell had walked down these halls, following a man who said he was C-Sec. Valérien frown behind me, thinking on the same memories. He didn't have the mental scars of an attempted kidnapping, but that was how we first met. I snorted as a door passed, wondering if that was the door where everything went wrong.
"Feel like walking down memory lane?" I asked Val with a dry smile. He snorted a laugh.
"No," he said, one half of his mouth lifting. "Wait until we see if you don't get jumped by Blue Suns first," That brought a smile to my face, despite the urge to throttle him. He remembered well enough. "I'm feeling peckish, any brain on the menu?" My smile dropped, a glare replacing it. He grinned like a bloody Cheshire cat!
"I will shoot you in a minute," I said. Now Val laughed, relaxing a touch. Well, glad someone was enjoying themselves. A grumble rose in my throat. My anger dissipated once we entered the assigned docking bay.
The charcoal coloured turian, my contact, stood on the other end of the dock. He didn't give me pause. The 50 C-Sec officers around him did, fanning out behind him. Gins raised to eye level once they spotted me, the officers moving into position. It struck me as a firing line, freezing my feet only 3 steps into the room. The crew behind me assessed the situation, fanning out with guns to their eyes against the threat before them. My jaw clenched. Had my informant betrayed me? Lured me into a trap to arrest me? Dammit, why couldn't my luck hold out just this once!
"Stand down," I snapped to the team behind me, raising an arm for good measure. The 34 strong team stared. Mat'al glanced over before the shotgun returned to his back, standing straight with chilled eyes. Val clicked his mandibles as he gripped the Tempest, but he lowered it. "I've got this,"
"Stand down!" Val cried, making the crew shuffle. The guns lowered, but mutter rose. A souring air in my lungs released, my tongue wriggling to free itself of the taste before turning to the larger problem at hand. At least Val kept everyone in check, a nice change from a week ago. My head shook as I took a step wards the C-Sec officers, hands out by my sides.
"Commander Satrino Wilcerous," I called, keeping my tone light. "Long time no see," I added after a slight pause. Satrino nodded his head, the off-white markings glaring on his charcoal skin. "I see you brought a few friends,"
"Well, I wasn't expecting to get a message from a dead woman," he said. "A dead woman with a murder charge on her now non-existent file," My skin crawled at his tone, at the words. We only met once, during the Geth attack on the Citadel I made enough of an impression back then to make me memorable. Please don't be indoctrinated, Satrino!
"That… is a long story," I said, running a hand through my hair. "I had nothing to do with my records disappearing or that ship, if that makes you feel better,"
"So you admit you murdered Arnold Keplar?" he asked, his tone dead. My eye twitched, muscles tensing as the words to defend myself rose. It was old news but dammit it still stung. A hand ran down my face, frustration and stress peaking.
"Yes, alright, yes! It was me, unwilling I might add but it was still me," I snapped, exacerbated. Satrino blinked once, narrow eyes studying my expression. His own remained unreadable, damn turians and their non-expressive faces! Val's mannerisms I learned over the months of knowing him but that didn't mean they transferred for every turian. Satrino took two steps towards me, closing the 20 metre gap between us.
"How big is your crew?" he asked. My face straightened, controlling the fear bubbling under the surface. If fear overtook me now, Nyryntha would gain control of me again, that would ruin everything!
"35 including myself," I answered, restricting my number to the current ground crew. Satrino's eyes wandered to the side, glancing behind him. After a moment he turned again.
"You want Saria?" he questioned.
"I want Saria's head on a geth plated platter," I muttered. The turian laughed. He grinned then, unfolding his arms from across his chest. He turned to the officers behind him.
"Stand down," he commanded as he strolled towards me. My shoulders sagged as he reached me, holding a hand out. Mine grasped it. "Saria has been giving me a severe headache, in both meanings of the word," he grumbled. My heart leapt at his words.
"Any strange thoughts, dreams?" I quested. The charcoal turian crossed his arms again, turning to the C-Sec officers behind him, ready and waiting.
"Yeah. When I got your message, I distanced myself from Saria as much as possible. Not too difficult now she has climbed the ranks faster than a Varren on fire," he growled, mandibles snapping against his cheeks. "The dreams stopped, the headaches faded and I feel like someone has just released my mind from a cage. Be thankful I trusted your warning and test it out otherwise I would arrest you and your entire crew,"
"Thank you for giving me the chance," I said, relieved my new reputation hadn't damaged my contacts.
"And thank you for saving me and my men. Everyone here was experiencing the same headaches and dreams as myself. Several here said anyone who also complained of the same symptoms became infatuated with Saria. That is not right, not in any sense," he held an arm out by his side, letting me step beside him as we left the dock. My hand raised and waved my crew on. They fell in beside the C-Sec officers.
"Saria has been a complete menace, there are no kinder words. Her methods are brutal and yet she never gets pulled up by command for it. She's always first in line for promotion and those in command leap to her every beck and call. She has about 130 good officers now under her command. They do not listen to me or anyone else. Not only that, she's been keeping her trail well hidden. I found her fingerprints on a few C-Sec databases. All of your records have disappeared, even the backups and the prison ship that carried you has vanished. Everything has disappeared apart from one file, one minute report from a chat you had with the human Councillor. That was last edited by Saria but some low level cop got access to it before she hid it. There is something not right with that asari," he explained as he led us down the halls, desolate of any life.
"And we aren't including the people she has commanded to delete the records either. Where is she now?" I asked. Satrino clapped his mandibles together.
"The Tower," he answered. My eyes drifted up, putting a crick in my neck, as my brain trudged his words around to find their meaning.
"You think Saria was behind the assassination attempt," I said. Satrino laughed.
"Assassination attempts," he corrected. My jaw slackened. "Four in total since she got promoted to Commander," he held his face in a taloned hand. "Every drop of evidence I gather vanishes before I can present it to the Council. Messages, weapons, forensics, witnesses. Everything just disappears as soon as it appears!" he roared in frustration. "And I know I will get the fall if she succeeds. She knows I know something is up with her, she's been trying to have me demoted for months,"
"We'll stop her," I said. How remained unknown, but she would go down today. At worse, we'll expose and force to flee her position for a time. But the fight worried me. Mat'al never trained me in countering biotics. Val gave me a taste of what it was like, but he said he wasn't very strong. Indira threw me across the cargo hold with a flick of her finger. Only Anthon cushioned my crash. Without luck, this fight would either be the end of me, or put me in hospital for weeks. My teeth gnawed my lip at the thought. Killing Saria was another problem to worry about. Did Saboteurs die like ordinary people? Only one way to find out.
"I'll be able to get you and a small team into the tower, there is a backway that doesn't require the elevator but it is one heck of a climb and that is before we even attempt to get into Council Chambers. Saria is in a Council meeting just now. With any luck, she'll have enough distracting her for you to strike," Satrino explained.
"Imagine the worst case scenario," I said as he gave me a wary glance. "Multiply that. That's what's going to happen. Nothing I have ever done with these damn Reapers has gone to plan,"
"Oh don't sound like Shepard, he was borderline madman," Satrino dismissed. A mimic of Mat'al's chilled smile tugged at my lips.
"I didn't like the asshole," I said. "But he was right about the Reapers…" My shoulders rolled to ease the tension. "How many can you get into the tower?" I asked. Satrino pulled his shoulders back, eyes ahead as he tapped a code into a door just outside the docking bay.
"About 8," he answered. "No more,"
"Is that so…" I murmured. "You can't squeeze another 27 into that?" Satrino scowled at me.
"No," he snapped. My gaze locked with the turian from under my drawn eyebrows, giving him a measured look.
"Is that so," I said. Satrino frowned at me, mandibles flared. "Indira," The drell bounded to my side in an instant. "You and Mat'al sneak as many as you can into the tower. Val, pick 7 people to back me up. I want this asari dead. The Starquake is on standby if things get too hot," I ordered. "When I say retreat, every single one of you get to the outside of the tower. And remember, children, it is space we are talking about. Please put your helmets on before going out,"
"Don't worry, Dellion," Indira winked. "We'll keep our helmets on, just in case!"
"Alright, move out. Satrino, take us up the Tower," I said, casting a glance to Val as he organised a strike team for me.
Val considered the current team, extracting people to come with me for the mission. He took about 5 minutes to decide. Val presented his team. Without himself part of it. Shock trembled my body, taken aback by the move. The strike team was made up from those from the combat team; everyone except Andria, Aroqoul and Mirrot. The female turian, male salarian and female salarian seemed disappointed, and Iona looked more than upset to be stuck with me. We weren't best friends. Not by a long shot. Val prepared to travel with Mat'al and Indira, keeping himself on the other side of the bundle of people. A renegade strand of hair poking out from behind my ear slipped back into position. Val still tried to show me he could follow orders, that he didn't have to shadow my every move. It was touching… If we survived this, I would thank him for it.
Satrino waited inside the door he had opened. It led into a stairway lit only by long, vertical lights that stained everything in a glaring white light. A shuddering breath trembled my lungs, settling the fear wishing to rattle me. Nyryntha couldn't win, she couldn't gain control of me, not here, never again! The ground team pressed into the stairway, mounted the chairs. Satrino closed the door, but not before calling out he would prepare an escape route. The long ascent up the stairs would give me time to reflect on the upcoming battle, the battle with the asari. After meeting the woman – or whatever she was now – that one visit was more than enough to strike fear into me. But it was time to end this once and for all.
Once at the top, nerves strangled my heaving chest. Keeping count of the number of stairs was impossible with the impending battle on your mind. Well, it was nerves or my parched mouth sent my body into overdrive. Regardless, to best Saria, I needed a stiff spine and an even stiffer lip. Saria would show no sympathy towards me and who knows what tricks the Saboteur had up her sleeve… if any existed. My head shook hard as we crept out into tower, the pink stained leaves a welcome change from the bleak white and blue grey stairway.
With Satrino preparing our escape route my mind wandered to what else he would do. With luck, once the shit hit the fan, he could direct the C-Sec officers not indoctrinated and not in on the plan away from us, letting us escape. Without Satrino covering our asses, this plan wouldn't work in a million years. The station was too protected and after the Geth attack, the defences had only risen. Satrino wasn't willing to put his metal ass on the line by standing with me – which suited me fine. Keeping my friends out of the firing line would keep said friends in the long run. At least he could still help us beyond getting our people into the tower.
My crew kept low as we meandered our way towards to the head of the tower. Not a soul wandered the tower floor, setting my teeth on edge. No witnesses, no crime. My jaw clenched when voices echoed through the massive hall, the only sound that dare shatter the silence. We shuffled up the stairs, use every piece of cover possible, minimising the sound should anyone appear on the upper balconies or from around a corner. After hugging a wall, we ducked by the base of the stairs leading towards the Council Chambers. Saria's voice sounded.
"With the influx of attempted assassinations, Councillors, I implore you to take extra precautions. Someone wants you dead, I am unsure who but I swear to you, they will not hide forever. I can have an elite guard at your sides at all times, watching the room for anything suspicious," Saria said, her voice calm. No trace of robotics in her voice, nothing suspicious at all about her. The Reapers built us Saboteurs too well. My gaze scanned the balconies above her, wishing to see the sea of purple armour. The balconies were still empty.
"I understand your concerns, Commander," the asari Councillor said. God forgive, I couldn't remember her name. "However, we cannot grant you the access you are requesting. Such access to those databases is restricted to Spectres and members of the Council,"
"The vaults as well are under strict jurisdiction, Commander, out with your allowances," the salarian Councillor added, his tone accusing, although all salarians had that in them.
My head poked around my cover, looking past the stairs to Saria. Movement above caught my eyes. They bulged when they saw the balconies above the Councillors covered in C-Sec officers. Shit! My head withdrew with a snap, head pinned against the wall as much as possible. Air gulped down my throat as panic rose. Deep breathes, Dell. You'll be fine, just wait until the rest of the team get into position… whenever they appeared. Don't think about them, just don't think about them! Think about what they said. Something about a vault and databases with Spectre access… was Saria trying to get into the Spectres? Fuck, that was a walking time bomb! The data she would have access to… although if Saria wanted access to Spectre level access, that meant that they had no one in the Spectres yet… a small comfort given the situation.
"I understand, Councillors, however without that access, we cannot know if the assassinations are coming from an internal source," Saria said.
"Your request to gain access to the HSD System and the vaults has been denied, Commander," the turian Councillor said. Saria paused, choosing her words.
"I see… a pity. I hoped to secure your safety, Councillors," Saria answered, chirpy. The mass of C-Sec officers, at least 80, moved then. The still statues shuffled like a field of wheat, guns clicking in their hands.
"Commander Saria?" the asari Councillor asked, confused. A glance around the room provided no sign of the crew yet. But dammit, we couldn't sit her and let her mow down the Councillors!
"Stay here," I hissed. The crew stared at me. "If shit goes down, then go in all guns blazing. I'll stall her until the rest get here,"
"Aye, aye, Captain," Shual rumbled. The others nodded, necks tense. Either they were nervous too or they questioned my sanity. I agreed with them. My lungs pulled air in, muscles tensing as my legs shoved me out from my cover, bounding up the stairs. Words weren't planned, what could I say anyway that didn't sound ridiculous or stupid?
"Saria!" I cried when my feet hit the top of the stairs, skidding to a stop when the clicks of dozens of guns reached me. The indoctrinated officers snapped their guns to their eyes, staring at me down the sights with dead eyes. My nerve quaked. The asari stood at the bottom of a walkway before me on a dainty platform. A garden sunken in the floor beneath her separated her from the four Council members. Alas, when that blue alien turned, my mind blanked.
Her jaw slackened, eyes wide with brows high. When she composed herself enough to close her mouth, her eyes narrowed, judging whether my presence was to help or hinder her. A trickle of tension skirted over my head. My back stiffened against her stares, flashbacks to our first encounter surfacing. She forced me to endure flames and grenades when we had last met, so many dead because of her. A slow smile broke out over her face as she turned, taking slow strides towards me. She folded her arms, the black and blue uniform poisoned by her Saboteur frame.
"Endellion Shaik," she half smiled. "My, my. It has been a long time. As I recall, little human, the last time you were on the Citadel, you committed murder," My eyes narrowed, the sting her words lost as rage boiled my system, the words bouncing off me. It was time I came to terms with what happened, best do it now before she took advantage of my weakness.
"And a certain asari C-Sec officer was so nice enough to slaughter God knows how many innocent people, destroy a ship, aid said wanted murderer in escaping and erasing all records of the human from every system available," I said, a snarl hidden beneath the surface. My thick sarcasm dripped onto the floor. Saria raised a brow.
"Then I will need to find this little asari, won't I? Did you catch a name?" Saria asked. A frown grew on my face, shoulders hackling at her calm, feeling the beginnings of a niggling headache.
"Oh, well she went by two names, so maybe that will help. The first is her less common name, Xanthe," I said. "Commando Xanthe to be exact. Her more common name is Saboteur Saria T'Spia, sleeper agent for the Reapers. I'm sure you've heard more than enough from Spectre Commander Shepard about those," My gaze steadied, keeping them locked to the asari's brilliant blue eyes. This far away, the circuitry remained hidden. "How is little Xanthe doing? I saw what happened to Nazara and his little Saboteur. Saren was it?"
"Saren was no true Saboteur, Advocacy," Saria said, smile dropping with a snap and her tone emptying as she forgot about the Council members behind her. Either that or dismissed them as dead once the conversation ended. Her arms unfolded. The Council stared, confusion flitting across their faces. "He was a puppet, not even worth the time to create. Nazara failed in his mission, as you are,"
"Sorry, Nyryntha isn't allowed to come out a play," I said, gaining the upper hand as the Saboteur lost her cool. "She's been a bad, bad girl. I also had a lovely visit to Cassianus. He says hi," Saria stared, listening to my words, her eyes wide. She burst out laughing, the tone dead and cold. My triumph faded, wishing to shake my head as the headache formed.
"You entered the body of a Reaper? The wild Shell thought it was a good idea to be near a Reaper? Oh Nyryntha, your Shell is a fool! How has she kept you tamed?" Saria frowned, emotion draining. "I'm impressed, Shell. Entering an Enforcer and escaping with your Reaper repressed… I suppose madness has weakened his ability to bring you to heel," My embarrassment hid under the cautious curiosity mounting.
"Enforcer?" I echoed. Saria smiled.
"Well, you wouldn't be the first Shell to resist their master. We need someone to police us just as much as we need a Vanguard to ensure our return," Saria took slow, sure steps towards me.
"Who failed, I might add," I said with a grumble. Dammit, what was with this headache?! Wait… headache? Wasn't that a sign of- "Get out of my head!" I roared, drawing the Carnifex. The guns above me clicked in warning.
"You are resistant, which is unusual. I presume he must have put countermeasures in place. But everyone succumbs, even with help," she said, smiling. Who was she talking about- Pain erupted from my body, every muscle ignited in a sea of pain. My knees collapsed, body trembling as my jaw locked from pain. My vision flashed white. This wasn't like anything before. This wasn't Nyryntha, despite the robotic screech of frustration ringing in my head. My body trembled, unable to see straight and only my locked jaw supressed the screams. Stubbornness forced my jaw apart, the screams demanded freedom.
"F-Fuck you, Saboteur!" I roared, pain rupturing my sanity. My gun clattered to the ground, my hand unable to hold it. Blindness set in. "Fire!" I screeched.
The thunder of guns roared around me. My lungs wheezed as the pain ceased as quick as it appeared, a krogan hauling my ass back a few metres as Saria whipped her gaze to the balconies. Carnage ensued. Smoke bombs, flash grenades, Incinerates, Overloads, Warps, Lifts, drones, turrets. All of that soared overhead from my side alone. The indoctrinated servants took seconds to adjust, answering with their own roar of weaponry, tech and biotics. The relief at the sight of my crew, Val leading the front with Shayan shaking beside him as he cracked orders out, sagged my weakened shoulders. Mat'al was on the other side of the tower with Indira.
"Incoming on the ground level!" Iona called out behind me. My gaze swung behind me, my head spinning from the action. More C-Sec, indoctrinated themselves, flooded out from doors along the sides. God, how many had Saria indoctrinated?! She said over 200… how the hell could 37 hold out against 200?! Utren roared as he charged into the flood, abandoning me. Bodies flew like ragdolls under his might.
"They're indoctrinated! They won't show mercy! But remember why we're here!" I called out over the noise. Keep the team focused, you need to keep them focused. My gaze swung to find Saria, the real danger in the room. She frowned. "The Saboteur can't kill the Council. The galaxy is fucked if that happens!" My Locust popped free, holding it straight as the Carnifex holstered at my hip. A biotic aura encircled Saria. "Let's kick these Reaper shitheads in the balls!" A hail of bullets flew from the Locust towards Saria.
Saria ripped a railing off with her biotics, throwing it in my direction. My body rolled out of the way, ducking behind a low wall. Shit, didn't consider that! Despite Val's best attempts to teach me about biotics, they didn't cover this! How the hell do you counter this shit? Marshal flew out into the carnage to distract the enraging Saboteur. Failed Incinerates crashed into the ground, smoke covering the ground like a haze as fire, ice and smoke billowed around us. My next volley of bullets crashed into concrete as she ducked behind her own cover. Why didn't she draw a weapon?
"So, little Advocacy, you believe you can best me? One on one?" Saria asked with a haughty tone. A growl rumbled in my throat as a Warp took Mar out of action. "You have already proven to be foolish, why persist with this hopeless endeavour?" she snapped. My head peeked out from my cover. It snapped back in with a wince when an Incinerate landed beside me from above.
"That is none of your damn business, Xanthe!" I snapped.
My arm swung a cryo blast over my head in her general direction. She rolled out of the way, the ground near her cracking from the cold. Aware of the fight overhead, only the minimum required to see poked out to fire another round of Locust rounds towards her. She grabbed my arm with her biotics. A scream ripped free as she dragged me from my cover, my body flying as she unfolded herself from her cover. She marched towards me, a severe scowl contorting her face in cruel ways. She didn't even flinch at the flash bang exploded beside us. Any sound creaking from my throat stopped when her hand slammed against my neck, threatening to break it. My limbs flailed, throat gagging to find air, to resist her, but the biotics spread to my whole body. She had me right where she wanted me.
"You are too weak, little Shell. Your Reaper is strong. She could best me in combat," she snorted. "I have over 200 people under my control. Your entire crew will die and you, Shell, will aid us when we finish with you. Why have you resisted for so long?!"
A bullet smashed into Saria's back – a sniper bullet – shattering her barrier. Her biotics faltered enough for my limbs to free up. The omni-blade snapped free, my arm jabbing forward to land a hit while she stumbled forward. Saria was not an average person though. She recovered, throwing her head back as her body twisted to one side, flinging me away from her with the remaining biotics holding me. My teeth grit, snapping down on the rising helps as my body skidded across the floor. My hands scrambled to pull me behind cover as my lungs tried to breathe. God, her grip would've crushed my throat! My head poked out behind the low wall. Saria's face contorted, lips snapped down with teeth bared, biotics flying around her body. She growled in my direction.
"Nyryntha, take control of your Shell! She is a weak creature who should never have survived this long! That she has was only because of him! Do it now!" she thundered, her voice underlain with robotics and clicks. She threw a warp up towards the balcony, towards my crew. My heart leapt to my aching throat. Indira threw a lift towards it, the two biotics crashing in a brilliant show of light that trembled the air. My head ducked under the cover, body trembling at the thundering sound. Saria snarled.
"Pests, every last one you is a pest!" she screeched. My expression flattened, jaw slackening as dark plates coated her arms, cables slipping free from her pores and linking up with other parts of her body. The plates encased her body like angular armour. The circuitry in her eyes spread from the corner of her eyes, large, blue lines occupied large portions of her face. "Nyryntha, you are a failure! The cycle must continue!"
My pathetic bursts of gunfire did nothing against her. She forced me from my cover, my legs scrambling to flee as she charged after me. Cables ripped free from her arms, sliding out under the black plates like additional limbs. They reached for me, smaller cables flicking like fingers. Her biotics snatched at whatever they could grab. My legs stumbled to keep my upright before my balance failed and sent me tumbling behind a small walled garden raised above the ground. Her biotics grabbed my leg before they vanished from sight, dragging me from my cover and flinging me into a tree. My scream couldn't escape before the tree winded me, shattering more than a few ribs, although my armour took more damage than me. My lungs wheezed when my back crashed into the ground, hand to my aching chest. The room swirled before me, throat and chest aching. Saria marched, the ongoing fight around us forgotten.
"If you will not deal with your Shell, then I will!" she snapped. She grabbed me by the back of my head, not even bothering with the hair. She yanked me up. My eyes saw a wall before me. Dread sank to my toes.
The wall rushed to meet me before she slammed me into the wall. Everything blanked; my thoughts, my ability to speak, to move. The pain punched me awake, cracking echoing as bone snapped. She yanked me back, throwing me forward a second time. My arms raised, pressing against the wall for only a heartbeat before the stronger woman overpowered me crushed me against concrete once more. As she drew me back for a third time, instinct reached my omni-tool, an Overload erupting free. We both screeched at the electrocution, the asari stumbled back, relinquishing her hold one me. A knee shuffled beneath me to push me up before the biotics found me again. My eyes squeezed shut as she hurled me across the room like a doll, my teeth gritted as the landing cracked my ribs once more.
She drew her pistol, glaring at me with electronic blue eyes glowing from the Reaper Tech inside her. My vision swam, smearing the colours together, dark spots decorating random patches of my sight. The room danced as my balance failed. She charged towards me as she fired. My feet pushed away, trusting my body to curl up and roll. It didn't. My back slammed into the ground as her pistol shattered my shields in 2 shots. A bullet tore through my hip at my hip, another on my right shoulder. A scream strangled in my throat. My hands fumbled to snap the Locust awake, yanking out the Carnifex. By the time the gun was ready to shoot, she was on top of me. Added to that, the Carnifex was in my weakest hand but at point-blank, that didn't matter. My bullet didn't dent her shield, even at this range. She dropped the pistol, raising her fist as an omni-blade appeared. The Carnifex thundered in my hand, bouncing off her shields once more.
Saria grabbed the front of my damaged armour just as a series of quick sniper rounds pounded into her shield, ripping it to shreds. Saria roared in rage as the hail continued dropping me as the hail of bullets forced her back several steps. Unable to see straight, one arm useless, my left hip unresponsive and my head swirling like a drunk, my good leg staggered me up enough to launch myself forward, omni-blade reaching out to counter hers. She was closer than what my eyes told me.
Everything moved in slow motion. Eyes blurred, hearing muffled, desperation licking every muscle, my brain hadn't reset yet. My first met her throat, the blade punching through. My hand followed behind though the slit the blade created. It met resistance the blade snapping to one side, Panic set in, my hand opening to find something to grab onto, for something to balance on. It met something hard, something like a pole. The omni-blade vanished as my hand closed around the hard object. A yelp sounded as my body tumbled over Saria, my makeshift pole yanking my shoulder in the joint. Saria screeched, flailing but my hand refused to release. Her neck snapped as my balance failed, landing on my ass and yanking her head beyond what it could handle. My body jittered, trying to pull my hand free from her throat, but a wet squelch turned my stomach. The other hand grabbed my wrist and pulled back to free it, something yanking free. My back whined when it crashed back into the floor. Silence deafened me as my eyes turned to what my hand refused to relinquish.
A spine poked through my pocked vision, cables wrapped around my wrist. My initial nausea vanished as my eyes focused, staring at glowing lights running up and down the spine fade to nothing. A metal cable dangled limp from the sides of the vertebrae. My gaze turned to Saria, watching her head come to a halt apart from her body. Something didn't feel right, something felt wrong. Why… why was everything so quiet? My gaze flew up to the balconies and found my answer. The indoctrinated servants stared at me, their eyes dead. Dread surfaced as my feet flailed beneath me, struggling to push me up. They all roared; in rage, in pain, in revenge. They opened fire; on me, on each other, on my crew. Another sound registered when my feet rose me to a shambled stand.
"C-Sec! Arrest her! Seize the human!" a Councillor cried from the back of the room. Their hiding place didn't matter, they lived. But it only heightened my sense of confusion.
Verv grabbed my limp body off the ground, hauling me over his massive krogan shoulder. In my ear, Val call the retreat, Lanster already calling the Starquake for extraction. My hand clung to the spine for dear life, the room spinning, colours flashing and light dancing past me. Shadows spotted my vision, blotting out any chance of recognising where we were. Someone shoved my helmet on, the hiss of pressurisation the only true sense grounding me from the array of light swirling past. My eyes recognised steps below me. We must be in the stairwell, but my vision didn't cooperate. Everything danced like on LSD. A lack of depth suggested one eye refused to work at all. Another hiss, this time muffled by the helmet, echoed around me. A wall of utter silence smashed me, only my heartbeat and breathing accompanying me. The pressure on my stomach lessened.
My eyes rolled, dazed and confused as everything slowed down, trying to grasp where we were now. Darkness with a sprinkling of white, orange with blurred lines slicing through it. People no longer ran, there was no sound, there was no horizon to fixate to. Space, we must be in space. My grip tightened, the nausea returning with a vengeance. Something large and silver fly into view, my vision failing with each second. The adrenaline faded, a dull ache surfacing. A cold shiver ran down my spine, shooing the nausea away. What could… medi-gel?
The crew leapt the space between the Tower and the cargo door. A few jumped into the airlock from higher up the tower to avoid a crush. Gravity hit me, my stomach pressing into Verv's shoulder again. My limbs flailed to free myself from Verv's grip, the krogan hesitant to release me. My feet trembled beneath me, leaning on my good hip. Verv stayed close as my hand grappled his massive arm while my head spun. The white tower vanished from view, my gaze blinking to bring the cargo door into view. The ship was ready-
"Sit tight everyone, this will be rough!" Lanster cried, once again in the cockpit. What will be-
A cry punched free when the Starquake surged forward, Verv grunting as he held himself and me upright against the g-forces. The rest of the crew either fell over or withstood the forces. After the Gs dropped to a manageable level, my feet stumbled their way to the elevator. Verv stuck close to act as a walking stick and G-force holder. His hand punched the CIC elevator button when my own couldn't find the buttons. Stumbling into the room, the CIC was more chaotic than in the tower during the escape.
Verv stumbled as the Starquake veered hard to one side, flooring me. My vision failed, my eyes too swollen to stay open. Cries about 'enemy ships' and 'evasive manoeuvres' sounded around me, my disorientation increasing. Was every ship in the Widow Nebula trying to shoot us down? Oh dear God, please don't let every ship in the nebula aim for us. Verv got me to the Control Ring, shoving me into the chair. A large hand pinned me to it.
"Almost at the mass relay. We'll jump through as many as we can lose these guys- Oh fuck off, Alliance!" Lanster cursed. There was no point to continuing my fight to open my eyes, my brain focused on what it could work with. Alliance? They would attack us, goddam it. A panicked sound escaped my throat as the Starquake veered hard to each side, surging forward when needed. The engine rumbled, the FTL warming up. My stomach slammed into my back as we jumped forward.
It took hours. From what my destroyed senses could make out from the chatter around me, the ships followed us through mass relay after mass relay. We FTL'ed to another system, faking our disappearance through a mass relay and hiding behind a planet, utilising the stealth capabilities of the Starquake. We waited half an hour for the system to clear before using FTL to access another mass relay in another system and from there, spent about 4 hours delving deep into the Terminus Systems.
The Timeline, Saboteur Sheet and Galaxy Map have been updated for this chapter. Please see profile for link to Archive.