A/N: This chapter and the previous were meant to be one chapter but it was too long (13'500 words) so it has been split. This chapter has 2 POVs, line breaks will signify when they change.
The warning alarms bleated behind me, fading as we sprinted into action. An hour ago I stood outside the med bay like everyone else, waiting with butterflies in my stomach. Now I charged with everyone else to our designated stations. As one of the most powerful biotics, they wanted the infamous Indira Thermi'a on the front lines. They put me down with the biotic supports between Nyryntha and everyone else. A biotic captain would be in command, but something happened to her, it'd fall to me, being a commander. My teeth nipped my lower lip, leaping into position behind the barriers. Asari dominated the party with humans then turians behind them. The odd salarian joined us too, although salarian biotics were rare. I was the only drell here, well, at least on this side of the defence systems. The asari captain strolled down the ranks, voice raised to rally us. My lips pouted, eyes scanning the darkened field before me while she gave a spiel of a speech. Nyryntha's darkened form jutted from the sands, flood lights surrounding the Reaper to make sure no husks could take us by surprise. The wind drifted by, calm after a violent storm. No one explained what the alarm was for, but rumours flew of a small army attacking the outer defences. Nyryntha might take the chance to release more husks and weaken us from the inside. With this Reaper, anything was possible. The air defence cannons above our heads whined, twisting on their pivots. It made me frown, confused. Why were they pointing away from Nyryntha?
The cannons fired, an unknown salarian frigate swooping low enough to kick up a dust storm. The order flew, the biotic shields flew up. Four cannons hi their target, the frigate swaying as flames erupted along the sides. From the cargo door, however, a bigger problem emerged. Blue mist dropped, following the frigates path as Wraiths tumbled from the cargo deck. They surrounded Nyryntha, the mist growing thick and fast in the cool, calm night. Another frigate swooped down, releasing Husks and Abominations. The cannons worked hard, firing for what they were worth, but the sky ignited with ships. An artillery shell slammed into the biotic shield, hurling many weaker biotics flat on their backs. The reserves stepped in, bring it back to a full complement as our own flight defences kicked in. Fighters battled in the sky, shuttle swerved as mounted guns took aim. Before we could launch any of our docked frigates, the first warning signs set in. The air defence cannons paused, freezing as they awaited their orders. Crews around the base of the machine cried out, something about cut communications. They leapt to the controls, turning them manual. It was nowhere near as efficient, but something was going on at the control centre.
Before I could think about that problem further, the biotic shield fluttered, screams ringing. A swarm of 10 Praetorians rushed us, their shield destroying beams shattering may of the fields. We broke rank, scattering as they crashed through the defences, the quakes from Scions thundering behind them. My shields shattered, snapping my attention to my surroundings. The screams of Hunters clenched my fists, biotics flaring. The asari captain called out, screaming to rally once more, but the line broke. We couldn't fight that many Praetorians, and the soldiers before and behind us scattered long before we did. Husks poured in, the thick Wraith mist following like an avalanche. It smothered us, chilling every bone. The Talon popped into my hand, erupting as a Husk leapt for me. The biotics formed shields around individual groups, giving them some form of protection against surprise attacks. Hunters loved sneak attacks. My own biotics flared, my call rallying soldiers to my side as the shield formed. I stood in the centre, a ring of mixed aliens around me. Hunters leapt at the shield, falling to the hail of bullets. A Scion quake thundered past, my shield waving as my amps burned to hold it. The pain felt like lightning running though my bloodstream, but I couldn't release the shield, not with so many husks swarming around us. A fighter smashed into the rock face above us. My voice screamed to scatter, kicking the rubble away with biotics.
The radio screamed in my ear, everywhere under seige. We weren't expecting a Saboteur assault on this scale, did we even know the scale? A threw flew from my hand, knocking a foaming, indoctrinated salarian away. The captain's voice rang in my ear, an annoying shrill that rattled my hackles. The soldiers followed me, seeking biotic protection from the thick mists around us. A Hunter collapsed before me, head ripped clean off. A relieved sigh escaped; the snipers were in place. I hoped they had a good view of everything, because we sure as hell couldn't see jack shit down here! A quake shattered the ground before me, my recovered shields gone once more. The soldiers behind me fired at moving targets as they poked through the mist, only a faint green beacon the only sign if they were friend or not. A shape loomed from the shadows, towering so high above me. The soldiers around me yelled and screamed, scattering in all directions as the beast charged. My biotics threw me to the side, back flipping onto my feet in time to see a huge krogan smash an oversized hammer into three soldiers, killing them. The beast lumbered, amber eyes glowing through the dark metal plate surrounding the beast's tender spots. He was, hands down, the biggest krogan I had ever met. And judging by the colour of those plates…
"Thebe?" I asked. The krogan smirked; four long scars running left side of his crest and face before more plate grew, covering his dark blue crest and dark brown skin. "…How's the weather up there?"
His good mood died, a robotic snarl rumbling the air. Before my muscles could bounce out of the way, they turned numb, pins and needles tickling every inch of me. My hearing fizzed, white noise stealing me away as my knees collapsed. He raised the hammer, charging. He got two steps before 4 throws crashed into the side of him, knocking him off balance. Feeling returned in a snap, every nerve aching. My head shook, deafened by the white noise before the sounds of gunfire and explosions filtered through. My feet struggled back under me, hoisting me up. A group of four asari launched attacks at the beast before realising their mistake. The Saboteur snarled, charging for them. A Reave warmed up, launching towards the beast. It didn't do much but distract him. He swung for me, my feet kicking me off his face, missing his hammer by 4mm before landing on the ground. His fist slammed down, hurling me back into the mist. He went to charge, cables sliding out from under the plates, but a rocket smashed into his face. He rumbled in complain, turning to peer at an army of mechs thundering to our positions. The FENRIS mechs were faster, rushing the Saboteur. They wouldn't do much, but they were here to distract them. Another Throw smashed him, but he only stumbled. My eyes found the asari captain, biotics flaring. Before I could scream a warning to the bloody idiot, she collapsed, my sight failing. It snapped back a second later as the mechs did their job, but the hammer flew before they could stop it. It crushed the asari in a shower of blood.
His cables picked up a FENRIS mech, hurling it towards a group of human biotics. They screamed as it smashed into the shield. He sprinted, grabbing his hammer and charging for them. The YMIR mechs fired another missile, faltering him as feeling returned to my legs. Ok, this sucked ass. My hands shoved me onto my feet, stumbling before flaring the biotics once more. The LOKI mechs got close, shooting tiny bug bites at the massive monster. His cables smashed them to pieces. He growled as I charged, hurling a Throw to throw him off balance. His cables anchored him, holding him still while a singularity flew. He snarled, a robotic promise of pain. His lumbering frame saved me from his crushing stretch, but what his body lacked in movement, the cables made up for. One snagged my leg, hurling me through the air. Only a YMIR mech trundling close distracted him enough to get back onto my feet. My sight faltered once more until a sniper on high shot him. Every nerve stung, but it was the only sign I had that he hadn't killed me yet.
An eruption snapped my gaze up, the high pitched whine of a tumbling shuttle the only warning. The mist towered high this close to the battlefield, the downed shuttle masked from view. My teeth grit, a squad of asari biotics crying out as something tumbled above them. The amps burned, throwing a shield around the team as the burning metal crashed into them. It bounced, slamming into the ground and sliding along the ground, disappearing into the mist. My voice cried over the noise, to watch for falling objects. In the haze, it would be hard, even fire didn't burn through this mist. The cold blue fog seeped into your bones, even the under temperature regulators couldn't combat it. A scream returned my attention, a salarian flying into the mist. The krogan's attention returned to a human crawling along the ground, a trail of blood behind her. A singularity flew, charging for the krogan. His amber eyes narrowed, hammer raised. A throw from a purple asari hurled it out of his grip, swaying from the Sensory Overload. The Saboteur made a swing for me, snarling as his fist failed to connect and watching me flip over his shoulder. The cables reached, but a flare of a biotic shield kept them at bay. He swung around for another hit.
From the mist, a salarian form emerged. Sitoln slid into view, eyes drawn down with bared teeth. Oh great, two of them at the same time! My amps powered up once more, shield flaring. The krogan Saboteur flew back, a loud bang flooding the mist. My eyes flew towards the sound, catching sight of Gideon and his spotter lying on the ground, Daemon recoiled. The robotic rumble behind me threw a Quake, Sitoln leaping around the assault. His eyes focused on Gideon, setting my teeth on edge. The krogan Saboteur stumbled back onto his feet, roaring as he charged towards the pair. Every instinct wanted to turn and pull the krogan back, but Sitoln was the more immediate threat. The salarian thrust a cable in my direction after dodging a Pull. A rocket flew between us, crashing into the krogan Saboteur, giving Gideon enough time to escape his grip. A pistol fired at Sitoln, but bounced off his armour. The krogan charged after Gideon once more, enraged. But his steps stumbled, the cables twitching in irregular patterns. The Daemon glowed like blacklight, my lungs releasing a heavy breath. He hit him with the Anti-Reaper round! We had a chance against this monster!
Sitoln noticed the odd behaviour himself, the strange sounds. The krogan fell to one knee, sparks dancing out the hole in his chest. He found Gideon in the mist and smoke, the boy lining up another shot towards the salarian. He fired another round, the kickback thrusting him back until he landed on his ass. It hit Sitoln's arm, but he ejected the metal plate, growling as he backed off, noticing another round entering the chamber. My hand threw a Singularity, to pin the Saboteur in place but the salarian leapt away, escaping the attraction. He aimed a snarl at Gideon before backing into the mist, breaking Gideon's eye contact. His spotter returned to his side, pistol drawn. The krogan Saboteur gurgled, swaying as the sparking worsened. Dammit, I knew I was forgetting something! The omni-blade snapped free, sprinting towards the krogan.
"Get out of here!" I screamed. If another Saboteur came at me now, if this krogan could still disable my senses before I could pull the spine out, could I still protect him? What if the Tech Incap came over?! "They're not the only Saboteurs here!" The boy trembled, but his grip on the Daemon tightened.
"Stay safe!" he shouted back, disappearing into the flames and fog. His spotter chased after him, disappearing as my feet left the ground, leaping onto the krogan's back.
Despite the Anti-Reaper round, he still had enough control to fight back. Sensation in my hands weakened, but would spring back at random. My nerves screamed in pain as the omni-blade dug deep, finding a weakness in the thick armour. It peeled away, piece by piece. A human leapt up beside me, his dark hair clumped with blood as his hands grabbed plates and forced them apart. The bottom connection sprung free, the sides popping free with agonising cuts. The Saboteur roared, a robotic snarl of defiance. My grip tightened, the human flying off as he spun, stumbling on unstable legs. My arm raised for the final cut. The krogan kicked back, falling onto his back at force. My eyes widened. A second later the full force of his weight and the fall crushed me into the ground. Air emptied in an instant, the lower half of my body trapped beneath the huge krogan. My raised arm twitched, a weak jab aimed for the spine. The first failed as warm blood and oil coated me. The second sliced the muscle holding the final joint in place. It snapped free from the corpse. The spine smacked me in the face, unable to breath under the weight. Hands grabbed my arms, biotic fields throwing the armoured corpse off my chest. People dragged me out, a combat medic's omni-tool blinding me. Omni-gel flooded my system, pushing back the pain. A Hunter screamed, but bounced off a biotic barrier.
"We got to get you out of here, Commander," the medic grunted, ducking from an explosion.
"I'm still breathing," I wheezed, rolling onto my front. Damn that hurt… the medic opened his mouth, but stopped after watching me apply my own medi-gel and pushing myself onto my knees. All the while my radio buzzed with activity; we lost the dock, the air defence control was still down, Releeva was bring in help, the frigates were in danger of burning, shuttle dock a slaughterhouse. A Quake thundered by, the air vibrating. My bleary eyes blinked, staring through the mist. The Quake pushed the mist away for a second before it closed back up. My brain kickstarted, the medi-gel high drowning any pain from my nerves. Would… would that work?
"Biotics," I wheezed, stumbling onto my feet. "Biotics on me!" I screamed through the battered ribs. My order echoed, repeated, bodies piling close. My command repeated through the noise, limping towards the battered defences. "Biotics! Prepare a Quake! Release on my order!" My finger raised to my ear. "Snipers, do you read? We'll give you a clear shot, use it!" A confused hum sounded above us from the rock pinnacles. Blue sparks danced along my skin from the biotic build-up. "Loose!" I snapped.
The monstrous Quake blasted us back a step, rushing forward. The blue mist parted like a curtain, corpses and fires littering the ground. The force pushed the flames flat to the ground before they sprung back up. Husks screeched, revealed from their safety, Wraiths scuttling away to safety as Hunters, Husks and Abominations rushed towards us. Above me, guns roared with snipers and assault rifles bursting to life. A Wraith stumbled, its hardened armour shattered by a Widow. The husks tumbled by the dozen as the mists closed back in. The shields reared as the Quake biotics recovered and recharged. The radios swam with the revelation. The echoes of large Quakes rang low in the air, other biotic squads rallying together. A chance, a chance to punch through the mists! A whine above my heads lifted my heart further. The air defence cannon boomed, turned and fired again, too quick to be manual. Had they defeated the other Saboteur? My head shook, limping up the lines of biotics as the shattered defences slapped back together, holding back the forces overwhelming us. Another call, another quake thundered free, another round of dead Husks. The snipers focused on any Reavers and Wraiths hiding in the mist, the most dangerous enemies. We had a chance, a real chance! Another recharge, another swarm of angry husks rushing our fumbling defences. The next Quake hurled them away from the fluttering barriers, my own biotics giving the shield a needed boost to swap out a tired biotics. Calls from behind caught my attention, grabbing the pistol at my hip. Through the purple fog, stained with amber fires, a salarian form sprinted forward. My chest tightened. Could I fight Sitoln again, in this state? My finger hovered over the medi-gel button on my omni-tool. A cry hailed friendly. Mat'al appeared, my shoulders relaxing.
"Mat'al," I said, words rushing in large gasps.
"What the hell happened, are you hurt?" he asked, looking me over. My eyes scanned me, stained dark red from the krogan blood.
"Fine, fine, it's mostly his blood," I said, nodding to the krogan corpse. "My nerves are still tingling,"
"Saboteur?" he asked. He frowned at my nod. Another Quake leapt me out my skin.
"Sensory Overload," I said with a smile, settling my heart. "Damn near killed me had Gideon not come along,"
"He was here? Where is he?" he demanded, eyes flying around the battlefield. My hand raised, towards the docks where the boy ran towards.
"He and his spotter went that way. Mat'al, there's other Saboteurs here-" I said, to warn him.
"I know, I just killed one," he said, grunting.
"Sitoln's back-" I added.
"I know, he tried to shove me off the sniper point," he said between his teeth, eager to leave. My brows snapped down.
"The entire dock is on fire, we've lost complete control over it. Sitoln went after Gid, he won't survive over there, we don't have any forces over there!" I snapped. Mat'al opened to cry 'I know' before freezing. Fucking finally…
"I'll grab him," he said, sprinting away.
"Releeva is sending backup! She sent people to rally the krogan!" I called after him. If he killed a Saboteur and the air defence cannons were back online, he may have tangoed with a Tech Incap Saboteur. He might have missed the earlier transmissions. A brief flash of a raised hand before the mist swallowed him was all I saw.
My attention returned to holding the front defences, to keeping the biotics charged and ready to fire quakes and not overload their amps. A fighter slammed into the ground after one Quake, the erupting fuel smothered by mist as it came back. The assault had been going on for near 2 hours now, exhaustion and injury rattled up. My teeth grit as the shield fluttered, the metal wall separating us from Nyryntha's area now repaired if rickety. My amps ached, pleading for a rest, but we couldn't stop. We couldn't until we had the situation under control. No word from the docks, nothing from Mat'al about Gideon. Nothing about anything! Although, looking at it now, the mist didn't seem as tall, as thick. We were thinning down the Wraiths, our biotics could ease up on the Super Quakes soon. Smoke billowed into the air, an arid stink clinging to every part of me.
The ground rumbled below my feet, my teeth grit, shield flaring as everyone prepared for a Quake from a Scion. It wasn't a Quake. My eyes bulged as a swarm of krogan powered through the mist, a roar of battle drowning out the gunfire. Behind them, friendly forces joined them, intoxicated by the battle cry of the krogan. My hand fumbled for the friendly beacon, not wishing to tango with another krogan. MY order cried out, another Super Quake launched into the mists. The krogan flooded past us, forming corridors between our exhausted support teams. A Praetorian cried, but it cut short when two krogan tackled it, another leaping onto its back. The mist closed in again, but the Praetorian screeched. Soon after, it erupted. A hand grabbed my shoulder, eyes wheeling to face a smirking asari.
"We'll take over from here. Move back towards the dock. We'll tidy up," the pale asari said. My eyes trailed over the captain stripes on her shoulders.
"Aye, aye," I said, forcing the bitterness out of my tone. "My squad! On me! New orders!" I cried. The biotics stirred, passing control the new biotics that joined from the flood of extra hands. My eyes turned back towards the dock, the thinning mist helped, but the thickening smoke still smeared our vision as we shambled through the stampede of help towards the docks to control the area.
The Starquake's alarms blared, my fists clenching and releasing by my side. Everyone sprinted out of the operation room apart from the medical staff, the damned turian pulled me out too. My eyes flicked over my shoulder, catching sight of the operation scene once more before the doors closed. Valérien's voice barked out orders, armour up and get into the assigned positions. My jaw tightened, a decade of experience stilling the pounding heart in my chest. Unlike the other members on the ship, my armour stayed in med bay for quick and easy access. The area emptied aside from the guards outside, giving me time to grab the under armour. The grey, blue and white jacket eased off, laying it on the nearby bed before ripping the rest off. It didn't matter, it never mattered. With a definite click, the armour snapped together, Serrice design. The jacket folded inside the armour case, sliding it into a cubby hole in the wall used for storage. The Talon slipped to my hip, the Mattock on my shoulder. Delly's omni-tool snapped onto my left wrist glowing and closing to assure me it worked. My eyes trailed over the operation room once more before my hand rested on the Talon's guard. No one was getting my sister, no one.
The radio screamed in my ear; an assault of ships from the outside defences, swarming our air defences until they broke through into the central defences. My jaw swung. Did I not put enough cannons in place, no enough men on the outer reaches? The Constellation had more, but would leave the ship under-staffed. If this assault also took to space, it needed every hand. From the window, Gideon sprinted past, decked in full armour with the Daemon on his back, the salarian beside him the entire way. My teeth gnashed aware of the door behind my back. The operation team would remove the device from her brain, ready to close up the small holes they made in her skull. It was better than removing the entire top of her head but it made their work more difficult. Would they wait until the fight was over or risk doing it now to prevent infection? My head shook hard. No, Delly would be fine. She had to be…
"It will fail," the voice rumbled. A snarl ripped my mouth apart. Palalrian, ever the haunting voice of deceit, not wishing to an opportunity and torment me.
"Then why the sudden attack?" I hissed through my teeth, pushing through the migraine. The Reaper growled, spots flashing before my eyes.
It was so much worse these days. Ever since learning Delly… Palalrian was relentless. After a decade of RIT, the Reaper Nightmares haunted me every night, even after a full dose of RIT. It was a fact of life now, something I would have to live with until the end. Who would do it, to pull my spine out and end the pain? Would Delly do it or would remembering our time before that fucking attack falter her resolve? My hands scrubbed my face, Palalrian reaching for the memories. Her screams of terror as the shuttle thundered, the fire overwhelming us, the Saboteurs hunted us, despite what the expansive crew did. Saria… came, to break my heart again and again- No! Palalrian hissed, the robotic crackle a welcome sound. My eyes glowed in the reflection. You don't have me yet, fiend. You'll never have me. His displeasure raised a bitter smile.
Instinct demanded to lead, to bark the orders and get people moving, to end the fight quick. But they needed to keep Delly safe and give us the best advantage. They hid everything from me; I didn't even know the state of Nyryntha. All I knew was they had her and she couldn't move. What weapons we had available, where everything was, our numbers, resources, even the layout of the compound. No, the stars and stripes on my shoulders carried nothing but deadweight now. But they didn't matter, they could burn before anyone got through me to Delly. My teeth grit, the ship rocketing with noise and activity, the engines humming as they prepared to take off. We needed a few more reports before we could judge if it was safe to leave; all those systems sat in the CIC further up the hall, but no one would let me in. Too much information to leak if this was a Saboteur assault. We had to trust our dear captain, the turian Delly is so infatuated with. Go on, little turian, lead and we'll see what kind of man you are.
A hail came in; a Saboteur spotted on the field. My eyes tightened, the Talon snapping free. My hand raised, omni-tool flaring to life as the name ran through the databases. He popped up; Sitoln Noverok, Mental Assault. The one who stabbed Delly and tried to destroy her ship from the inside, the one who slipped my net. My teeth set on edge. He slipped the net, slipped the net and the forces inside the Constellation who helped him remained hidden. Nothing short of watching every member of the 15'000 man crew would pick up the indoctrinated servants… or the Saboteur. Oh we had flushed out plenty of indoctrinated servants already with the new testing methods, but that still didn't mean some slipped the net. A Saboteur could have snuck aboard, indoctrinated and fled again. More trouble sounded on the radio. The Air defence cannons stopped responding to the control centre. Power failure or another Saboteur? Hope bubbled in my chest. If two Saboteurs appeared on the scene, they didn't trust this not to work. We were on the right track. Palalrian growled, his control slipping a little more. The lack of cannons, however, proved a problem. We wouldn't be able to leave if the air assault was as bad as radio said. Dammit, what was going on out there?
"Attention all crew, attention all crew. Prepare for sudden departure! When we get the green we leave! Guard the airlocks and cargo door. We've got husks inbound!" Valérien called.
Oh good, so we couldn't leave. My grip on the Talon tightened, the gun trembling. Keep Delly safe, that's all that matters right now. Gunfire popped outside the ship, explosions rocking against the hull like dull thuds. There weren't any windows in this room, leaving me to guess the carnage raging outside. A call on the radio had to Corvus pull out of dock, despite the danger. Abominations stormed the dock and erupted, catching anything that would burn. The ship would catch fire if it didn't flee. An eruption trembled the entire ship, a frigate firing upon an ezzo store. That would not help the small fire problem we had. The tacticians would've had the dock designed to keep fire from spreading to the ships. Did they take in an army of Abominations into account? Dammit, this is why I should be part of the planning process! The gunfire worsened, the radio cried as emergency fire suppressants activated. They did little against the roaring flames. The captain from the Indus cried to abandon ship. A tremor took my body as anger settled in. Take off, dammit take-
A new alarm blared, an enemies boarding alarm. Gunfire rang down the hall from the airlocks, security systems to keep the cockpit secure activating. Only a bomb would break through to the bow of the ship. The Talon pointed to the ceiling, ready to engage. Keep them out of the operation room, that is all I had to do. Screams rang out, chilling my blood. Was it husks storming the ship or something more? The ship shuddered, a thud echoing. Something was coming, The guards outside the door cried out, guns firing. Whatever was coming didn't stop for them. One cry cut short as one flew down the hall. My feet pushed me into a charge, knowing what would happen. At the door, my feet launched me, the door opening with my omni-blade flashing. It didn't open on my command. A blinding pain flooded me, blinding me. My eyes stung and watered, but my flying body crashed into something hard, the pain ending like an off switch. Everything burned as my back slammed into the ground, head shaking to waken myself. My vision cleared, a vorcha hissing at me. The yellow/gold creature glared at me with blood red eyes, dark brown spots and lines decorating him like a cheetah. Black armour folded over his face, recognising me. A name vibrating in my head; Oyunbileg. The headache followed me didn't compare to the pain that followed. The Physical Disablement floored me, but every nerve screamed 'Protect Delly'. Two things can overcome SS: PD; krogan and sheer will. The vorcha jumped back on his feet, a cable flying in my direction. My body twisted, rolling out of the way. Pain winded me. To add to my burden, Palalrian assaulted, spotting an opportunity. My head erupted, the Reaper seeking to overwhelm me. Between Saboteur and Reaper, will alone couldn't command the muscles, teeth clamped shut to stop the screams of pain. Oyunbileg turned his attention to the med bay doors. Panic swelled.
"Security!" I screamed. "W-We need more-"
Delly's omni-tool buzzed. My eyes bulged, a purple drone flying towards the Saboteur. The pain ended in an instant, the creature snarling as the drone floored it. Palalrian hissed, fading away to prepare another assault. Why did… her drone… My head shook, pushing through the burning nerves to stand. Oyunbileg shattered the drone seconds before my omni-blade struck, digging deep into his collarbone. The vorcha twitched, another wave of pain overwhelming me, throwing me to the ground. Before Oyunbileg could turn back to the med bay doors, a biotic throw hurled him down the hall. My eyes landed on Valérien, sprinting past me with biotics flared.
"He's PD!" I thundered, shambling on weakened knees.
"I know!" he roared back, hurling an overload to the creature. "Get the mechs up here!"
"They're on the way!" the pilot said over the intercom.
The Talon straightened on my grip, using my knee to hold my trembling arm. Valérien tumbled as the Saboteur straightened himself, cables snatching the turian and hurling him back down the hall. When he landed, the Talon fired, distracting the Saboteur for a time. Oyunbileg snarled, pain blinding me once more. The pain stopped when the elevator dinged, a swarm of mechs pouring through. Valérien shook his head, shaking off the pain as he stumbled to his feet. The Tempest in his hands fired, the Saboteur armour thick enough to deflect the bullets. Extra hands piled into the hall, guns aimed and fired with care. With the mechs and Valérien so close, they aimed low. My legs trembled as they took my weight, staying by the med bay doors. He wouldn't get close, not without going through me. Something stumbled behind the elevator, a flash of red and purple. A male quarian squealed at the fight, ducking before sprinting for the tunnels. Great, Delly's useless commander was on scene. Another wave of pain threatened to floor us, but it lasted a second before a FENRIS mech crashed into the Saboteur. A grumpy human beside me looked over his shoulder.
"Shayan, what are you… where'd you get that?" he asked. My brows furrowed, turning to the quarian. He carried a sink heatsink, the cap blacklight purple.
"G-Gid left a few in the armoury," he wheezed, shuddering from the suffering nerves. A loud clang sounded the end for a LOKI mech. "I-I couldn't get around the mechs…"
"Throw it!" the human snapped.
"B-But Seth y-you know what m-my throw is like-" he stammered.
"Oh give it here!" I snapped, reaching to snatch the heatsink from his hand. The quarian squealed and threw his hands over his head, heatsink out of reach. "
"No! You can't touch it!" he squeaked. He trembled at the murderous intent in my eyes. "It'll do to you what we want to do to him!" he pointed to the Saboteur. "Even touching the heatsink will set it off!" My brows furrowed.
"What are you blabbing about?" I demanded.
"Oh for fuck sake, I am too old for this shit!" Seth snatched the heatsink from the quarian. "Autllin!" he roared, hurling the heatsink down the hall.
Valérien lifted his head, down on one knee on the edge of the mech battle. He caught sight of the flying heatsink. He heaved himself to his feet, grabbing his pistol as he flew past him. The heatsink exploded beside the Saboteur with a well-placed shot. Oyunbileg snarled as smoke circled him, pain dropping us once more. The mechs distracted him once more, everyone crawling to the feet. Shayan slid a long blade from behind his boot, passing it to me. He quivered at my glare.
"Y-You can throw this…" he said. My fingers snatched the blade from his hand, my skin burning. My knees pushed me up, hand on the wall. A shambled step forward and the quarian grabbed me. He leapt away at my snarl. "D-Don't go down there! T-The same thing will happen to you!"
"What the fuck are you-" I started, anger reining.
"Just look!" Seth snapped, pointing his head.
My eyes swivelled forward. The Saboteur crackled, shambling on its legs as the cables refused to cooperate. My eyes widened. What was… was this that heatsink's work? Valérien shoved himself to his feet, leaning against the wall as his joints ached. The blade tightened in my hand as a FENRIS mech knocked the Saboteur over, the beast unable to recover. Valérien got one warning before the blade flew. He looked over his carapace, watching the blade fly past and jam into the top of the Saboteur's head. Damn those blades were sharp… Valérien launched for the blade, yanking it out and using a cable to hurl the Saboteur onto its belly. His knee collapsed, but the assault was less than half a second. The mechs fired bug bites, keeping the Saboteur pinned as Valérien sliced the spine out, tumbling to the ground when the last connection snapped free. Everyone lowered their guns, but people's attention turned elsewhere. The engines surged, the ship rumbling.
"Looks like someone is trying to get the air defence systems back. It's still fluttering like hell though but we can't stay here! We'll get cooked!" the pilot called.
"Go, Lanster, go!" Valérien called from his place on the floor. The docking clamps released, the screeching sound rippling through the hull. Valérien rolled onto his knees, crawling back to his feet. "Seth, grab a team, cleans this up. Shaik, get back in there and do not, for spirits sake, come anywhere near this area. Unless you want to end up like him," he said. My jaw tightened at the order, but Oyunbileg's shambling fate didn't sound temping. The med bay doors opened, the swaying ship forcing me to grab a bed to stay upright. Shells slammed into the shields, fighters squealing past as the frigate lifted, forcing her way through the mess to punch for the stars. Away from the area, the mass armies, the ship settled. Gunfire stopped, the ship settled once it ionised through the atmosphere. Valérien lumbered up to the bridge, leaving me to sit on a bed and stew. The radio crackled, the air defence cannons riddled the sky again, the dog fights would settle with time. My back landed back on the bed, waiting for the next foe to walk through those doors, even if my body begged no.
The Saboteur Sheet has been updated for this chapter. Please see profile for link to Archive.