The peace of space drifted by the camera feeds, fed from the Constellation but it wasn't the same. It looked off without the rotary, but soon. We just needed to refuel and say our farewells. The Council received the message I was back in action and ready to work, the ship was under my command once more. They didn't have much to send me, but Julian said he had something for me. A welcome surprise after everything he did in the past to keep me from danger. The crew rummaged through the ship, an electric hum holding them. They were eager to be off and running again, as was I. My head shook, stepping out of the bridge to walk to the lock. There was a few things to do before leaving. The dock of the Constellation hummed as the refuelling tanker pumped ezzo and fuel into the Starquake. Time to leave, time to get back to work. The elevator whisked me up, away from the busy dock and into the heart of the ship. With my memories back, my mind knew every hall after 2 years of living and wandering through these halls. Getting lost no longer bothered me. The bridge of the Constellation smashed me with noise, multiple ships ready to take to the stars once more. Julian sat in his chair, overlooking the room as dozens of screens hovered around him. His eyes slid towards the door, noticing me. The guards at the bottom of the stairs to his raised viewpoint didn't stop me.
"And don't forget to scan those asteroids out there, Janet said she can take more resources," Julian said, a circle hovering by his ear. My hands folded behind my back, waiting for him to finish. "Good, give me the details as soon as you get them," his finger tapped the circle, vanishing under his touch. He heaved a sigh, shoving himself to his feet. A healing wound stained pink against his jaw. My guess was he cut himself while shaving. "You ready to leave?"
"Almost, just waiting for the refuelling to finish," I said. "You ok?" Julian swung his jaw, eyes trailing over the room.
"I suppose it was too much to hope for that you'd stay out of this," he said.
"Julian, you know I couldn't do that," I said, keeping my tone soft. Julian crumpled under it, rubbing his eyes as another headache swelled. "How's Palalrian?" I asked.
"Bothersome as usual, it's fine," he said. My teeth nipped my lip. "Just… please stay safe. I know it's hard in our line of work,"
"I'll be careful," I said. "So, what's our mission?"
"Rakhana. My scouts have been scanning the planet for a while now and what we've found has concerned sources down there. The planet may be on its last legs, but preserving the population is of many people's interests. New facilities are popping up far from population centres and the already sparse population is noticing drops and people disappearing. There isn't much there, but be careful. The drell there are not as friendly as you are used to. Those saved by the hanar outnumber those native to the planet, but the hard life has made them distrustful. I wouldn't recommend bringing drell with you, they have a… distaste for any drell who aren't from the planet," Julian said, his omni-tool passing the details to mine. "Stay safe, Delly. Any problems, radio for help, we'll be a relay jump away and the other ships won't be too far either,"
"I will. Julian, thank you, really. I know this is hard but at least I'm not fumbling around. Take care of yourself, Julian… please," I said. Julian's face tightened, holding his expression taut to hide his true feelings.
"You know me, if I'm causing trouble, something's wrong," he said, a grin rising to his face. A smile lifted my lips, but it didn't feel warm. He pulled me into a hug, squeezing tight until my ribs ached. He was too full of muscle to notice my attempt, but he still chuckled.
"We'll head off soon, but I need to speak to someone before I go. Do you know where Raisha is?" I asked. Julian's shoulders tensed.
"Why?" he asked.
"Julian," I said, throwing on my mother-scolding tone. Julian frowned, eyebrows snapping down. He breathed in, shoulders rolling forward. With reluctance his hand reached for a console, tapping away with stiff fingers. He folded his arms across his chest.
"This is mistake, Delly. She's not the same creature you knew," he said.
"Then maybe I can understand a little of what you went through when you found me," I said, fighting to keeping my tone light and soft. Julian blinked once, shoulders quivering. "I'm sorry-"
"Enough, Delly, stop apologising. God knows you do that often enough," Julian said, clenching his teeth. My chin raised, dropping a hip. Julian breathed hard out his nose, but his shoulders settled. "Why do you want to speak to her? She's off her nut,"
"I see to see her for myself, I need to see if I made a mistake giving her back to XO position," I said.
"Delly, you made your decision based on what information you had in the time. None of us saw your… sudden holiday," he said, coughing. A smirk rose on my lips. Julian's eyes slid to a door on the right side. My eyes followed, noticing the golden crested krogan march into the room. It looked odd seeing her garbed in blue, grey and white. Julian nodded his head to the small war room behind his chair, leaning on the back of his chair. "Any problems, yell,"
"I will," I said, crossing to the war room. My back pressed into a wall, waiting for Raisha to walk into the room. When the krogan strode over the threshold, her sky blue eyes snapped up, rolling her shoulders back. She took another two steps before the door closed. Her eyes narrowed, fingers twitching by her side.
"Endellion. You look well," she said, keeping her tone light. My head shook, eyes never leaving her face. This was the woman who saved me on Virmire, who was an eternal rock for my rattling nerves. And look at her now, a shell of her former self.
"What the hell happened to you, Raisha? Where the hell did I go wrong?" I asked. Raisha rumbled, a haze of biotics surrounding her. Butterflies bustled in my stomach.
"I was unaware you were my mother, Endellion," she said.
"You felt like one to me," I said. Raisha blinked, the biotics fluttering before disappearing. "I trusted you, trusted you to look after my family. You stabbed me in the back harder than Julian ever could. You worked my home to breaking point, worked my crew until they couldn't walk, you abandoned my son without even trying to look for him, you wanted to hurl people out of the airlock, you threw my partner, you XO, into prison for trying to do what you refused to. Julian did a lot, a lot of things I'm still fighting to forgive, but he never tried to murder my friends and family,"
"So you came to belittle me?" Raisha asked.
"No. I came to thank you," I said. Raisha frowned. "Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today. Without you, I get to see Val in the XO or CO position without complaint and with confidence. Without you, my son wouldn't be able to defend himself. I wish he learned this further down the line, but war doesn't let us be picky, does it?" I said. My back pushed off the back wall. "I needed to see you for myself, to see what kind of monster could shove everything they once fought for to the side. Once you ran up and down the wreckage of the original Starquake, once you defended us, protected us when I couldn't. Thankfully for you, I know how to help you."
"Oh? Am I to re-join you crew?" she asked. My eyebrows dropped, darkening my face.
"You will in my ship one last time. One trip, one only, and it will be your last trip to space by any ship in the Constellation fleet," I said. Raisha's eyes narrowed, the biotics returning. "But not now. I will collect you when the time is right. Not a moment sooner. Don't die before then. I want one story to end on a brighter note before this war kills us," Raisha sucked in a large breath, eyes refusing to leave my face.
"Are you going to kill me, Endellion?" she asked.
"I should, after everything you did. Leaving my son to die, working my crew to death, turning Shayan into an even bigger train wreck than he already was. But no, you won't die to my hand or even Julian's. You need no more than that," I said. Raisha blinked. My back pushed myself off the wall, striding towards the door. "Goodbye, Raisha. Keep yourself out of trouble," I said.
"No promises," Raisha said, watching me pass her and exit through the door. Julian leaned against the back of his chair, a silent predator. His dark look only relaxed once I was closer to him than Raisha was. He nodded his head to the side, Raisha rumbling. She stalked down the stairs, leaving the bridge.
"You alright?" Julian asked. A slow breath escaped my chest.
"She… yeah, I'm good," I said. Julian frowned, reading through my hesitation and feigned mask. "I know what to do with her, but you'll need to hang onto her for a while," Julian snorted.
"The things I do for love," he said, fighting the smile. He laughed and side-stepped my elbow aimed at his gut. A shadow lifted from his eyes. "Let me know what you find, I don't have many resources down on Rakhana. The population is too small. Also, I've assigned a new soldier to fill the blank in your combat team. He's an old friend of Savanor so he'll fit in well,"
"Much appreciated. Don't let Raisha get to you, she'll be off your ship soon," I said. Julian hmmed, eyes diverting as his dashboard lit up.
"I need to get back to work. We've got a new ship inbound. Stay safe," he said.
"Will do," I said, turning towards the stairs. My shoulders shook out, leaving the bridge and Julian to his work. In the elevator to reach the docks, my omni-tool lit up.
Julian's fleet scoured the galaxy, gathering information about Reapers, Saboteurs and anything that could help pin point them. And with me back on my feet, Reaper Free, it led to a 5 hour discussion with him about adding me to the fleet. Not as a scout, but as a sword. Julian chewed his lip the entire time, causing it to bleed at least 8 times as he watched his words, fighting the protective will instilled inside him. He agreed to a trial, after much debating. After nearly losing me countless times before Xawin, when I was helpless, he still battled to remember that wasn't me now. That kept my tone soft and my temper down. The purple hue of the omni-tool outlined what they knew about the Rakhana problems. Although the planet was dead with only a few thousand left living on the planet, there could be anything there, from what they saw. We had coordinates, a few satellite images and messages from the one or two contacts Julian had on the planet. He didn't know what to expect, but the situation was deteriorating. He wasn't sure if waiting until the Reapers arrived was a smart idea, but he didn't trust Saboteurs to leave a trap waiting for us. My hands folded together, the elevator freeing me into the docks. No vehicles hung near the Starquake, the engines humming. My eyes trailed over my shoulder, towards the elevator once more. It disappeared as the airlock swallowed me. It hissed, closing behind me.
"Let's get a move on," I said, walking down the hall. The docking clamps rumbled as they released, the ship whining as it turned and departed the dreadnaught. Air trembled with the hum of activity surrounded me on the bridge, even though my mind wandered elsewhere. The galaxy map blinked our trajectory towards Rakhana in the Remince Basin. My back pressed into the captain's chair, losing myself in the stars. This mission would be the test to see if I was ready to get back to work. Even if I wasn't, we didn't have time to wait. My hands scrubbed my face, a bubble forming in my stomach. One step at a time. One baby step at a time. Hands reached down, squeezing my shoulders and rubbing the muscles. A smile spread over my lips, head flopping back. Val grinned down, mischief in his eyes.
"And now we don't have your big bad wolf of a brother hanging over our heads," he chuckled.
"Val," I scolded. "He's my brother, he wants to wrap me up in a bubble. To be honest, I feel like I'm the one meant to wrap him up in a bubble,"
"I don't think he needs that, Dell," Val chuckled.
"I'm not so sure," I mumbled, eyes drifting away. "Where's Gid?"
"In the labs with Mat'al. Looks like the two of them are causing mayhem again," he said.
"So long as it stays in the labs," I said. My hand raised to the datapad, staring at the teams. "Indira's warming the bench for this mission," Val's mandibles waved.
"I would've thought you would want her to come," he said.
"Non-native drell don't get the warmest welcome," I said.
"Ah," Val said. His eyes studied the room around us. "What's the team makeup going to be then?"
"I'll have to drag Mat'al from whatever he's doing back there. You need to stay to keep the ship safe. I'll bring along two Spectres to compensate for my lack of a boyfriend beside me," I said, trailing my eyes over his smug grin. "Julian also had a new member join the combat team so it'll I get to see him in action,"
"Fehan, yeah. Met him while he was bringing his stuff aboard. He's a very to the point kind of quarian," Val said. He took the datapad out of my hand, reading over the mission brief. His mandibles clicked. "Doesn't sound too pleasant, but we'll be fine. We'll be there in a few hours, go get ready, I'll check your guns,"
"Shouldn't I be checking my own guns?" I asked, spinning to face him. Val chuckled.
"Dell, appease your boyfriend, just this once," he said, winking. My head shook.
"Fine. If they break, you're on the couch for the next week," I warned. Val laughed, taking 2 steps back before turning and leaving the bridge. My head rolled on my neck, standing to return to my quarters.
Visiting a cemetery world wasn't high on my agenda, but we didn't have much choice. The Saboteurs were mobilising, that didn't fill me with confidence. If the Saboteurs upped their game, it meant the Reapers were on our doorstep. My jaw swung as the door closed behind me. My eyes trailed over the desk computer, a pool of information about the Andromeda Initiative waiting. It seemed too good to be true, going through the different files and brochures. No, talk to Gideon about it later. My lip caught my teeth. It was tempting, even for me. But I couldn't abandon the Milky Way, not with Saboteurs running rampant. My top pulled over my head, dropping to the floor. But if Gideon stayed, what would I do? He's my son, he needed to have a future and a life but if this war went south… My eyes squeezed shut, grabbing the under armour and yanking it on. It's his decision, whether or not I liked it. He's 13… no, 14 – goddam it death! – so he's more than old enough to decide. Forcing him would only cause more resentment and trust me, after taking Kala from him, it wasn't something I wanted to do again.
The armour clicked on, the definite cracks setting the unease in my stomach. We weren't far from Rakhana, Julian dropped us off a relay away, well within an hour travelling. With everything in order, and going through the mission brief another few times for safety, it was time to move. The trip to the armoury took a little longer with the uptick in activity but the ground crew were waiting. Fehan, an indigo quarian with red decorating parts of his face and the brilliant white mask covering his face, saluted as he geared himself up. My tongue clicked. Quarians weren't known for being frontline soldiers, not with their suits, but if Julian sent him then he must be a good compliment. Val passed me the Locust and Paladin, already grabbing his Tempest. No Gideon today, he popped his jaw but said nothing. Mat'al did a good job, but it made me wonder why I couldn't do it. Well, I never took him out on combat training before. Maybe that would change… maybe. The hail from the cockpit rallied us, pushing into the waiting shuttle. Minutes later, we took to the stars, the Starquake entering a holding pattern in orbit should we need backup. The shuttle rumbled, pushing through the ionosphere. My helmet slid over my head, waiting for the flames to vanish. When it did, the wasteland sprawled.
You would've thought Tuchanka would have prepared me, but this wasn't the same. The terrain had small mounds, but closer inspection revealed they weren't normal hills. Normal hills didn't have skeletons poking out of them as erosion whipped the soil away. My throat tightened, mass graves dotting the area in their hundreds. Billions of people had lived here once. Billions now lay in unmarked graves, bones muddled with others. A city decorated the landscape's horizon, but broken spires, shattered skyscrapers and the lifeless activity sent chills down my back. Time was rotting these ancient cities, although had the drell gone to war for supplies, to feed their dying families? Craters dotted areas around the city, but some were full with more bodies. My gaze diverted, unable to stare at the barren landscape. They used the old bomb craters as mass burial grounds. God, what was it like to force themselves to do that? The shuttle banked, soaring over a dead sea. The ground was still white from the evaporated salt, but nothing else waited. This wasn't like Feros. At least with Feros, the Reapers had cleaned the damn bodies up. My head flopped against the headrest. How much longer before this planet couldn't support even a single person? A few thousand remaining from billions. That could've been Earth, what with our terrible environmental policies at the time.
We pushed towards the towering peaks, nestled between the dead plains and the shallow ocean. Even from here, the ocean looked ill, nothing decorated the bottom other than rocky remains and an ill green colour as algae stole all oxygen from the water. Black slicks danced over the water like poison, shoals of dead animals rotting on the surface. In the distance, a few sprinkles of lights of a small town, one of the few settlements left on the planet. Was no one trying to help them? They build atmospheric correctors for the Krogan, was it so hard to do the same to Rakhana? We banked around a towering peak, remnants of a defence tower crumbling down the slopes. On a plateau between the ragged peaks, a new building glinted in the sunlight. My resolve hardened, preparing for mission time. The shuttle hovered, lowering itself down a safe distance away. The door broken open, exposing us to the dry, dead air.
There was no cover between us and the building, but the air defence cannons on the roof hung limp. The shuttle evacuated just in case, leaving us to push towards the building and pray nothing nasty came for us. At the main entrance, Laegan set to work hacking the door open. The facility had power, but everything smelt trap. Either that or we caught them off-guard. The huge metal door opened, clearing the path to enter the inner courtyard. All was quiet, the scattering of empty crates piled up in random spots around the area. My eyes narrowed, inching towards the main door. Inside the building, nothing looked odd. Other than the lack of anyone here. We filed in, scanning the bright room for a sign of anything, but came back empty every time. Every room and hall was deserted, not a soul. It itched me the wrong way a million times. We pushed deeper into the facility, seeking a console or something. Nothing. My jaw swung as we took the stairs, diving down deep into the mountain.
"No idea what this place was for?" I asked.
"None, they've covered their tracks well," Mat'al said, frowning at my side. "Don't do anything stupid, Dell, something doesn't feel right,"
"I've got that feeling too, keep the team awake, Phentos," I said.
"Oh they're awake," Phentos said. "Just wish something would break this atmosphere,"
A hmm sounded from my throat, agreement to the turian's concerns. We stopped about 9 floors down, investigating the empty halls with concern. Around a corner, a large door loomed at the bottom of the hall. it raised suspicions since it was larger and darker than any door we had passed to date. My eyes narrowed, stalking closer. Our guns clicked, preparing for anything. The door opened, revealing a darkened room beyond. Mat'al and I crossed the threshold together. Yells behind me snapped us around, the doors whooshing shut over Utren. The krogan snarled, fighting against the doors, but the pressure was too great. Without a second thought my foot kicked out, hurling the krogan out of the crushing door.
"Everyone alright?" I called.
"Fine!" Phentos said.
"What do we do? I am not getting separated in this place," I said.
"Agreed. Stand back! We'll blow the wall!" Mat'al cried.
"We'll set charges here!" Phentos answered.
Mat'al ushered me deeper down the darkened hall while he and the team opposite the wall set charges to blow through the wall. We didn't trust the door to be blast proof. The torch on my Locust burst into life, scanning the darkness for any sign of anything. The hall was long, glass lining both sides like an underwater glass tunnel. Curiosity pulled me closer to one, snapping the torch off to activate the night vision in my helmet. The green vision picked out faint shapes of tanks along the outside walls, but they didn't look occupied. A cold stone filled my stomach. Every hair snapped straight, the air rumbling as an explosion ripped through me. My eyes spun, blinded as light poured in from the hole in the wall. The crew stumbled through, brushing themselves down. My heart settled, calming with the whole crew filing in around me. Torch beams punched through the shadows of the darkened hall, scanning the rooms below the viewing windows. My earlier suspicion of tanks was proven, but they were empty. Something wasn't right, not right at all. The hall opened out into larger viewing platform. The crew fanned out, my eyes on the forward set of glass walls. An unlit panel sat in front of the windows, a series of dead buttons and screens glinting under my torch. My omni-tool burst into life, a screen on the console lighting up. With some careful button pushing, lights flicked on from the room beyond. Blood drained to my feet, mouth floundering for words.
"C-C," the words stalled on my tongue.
"Captain?" Phentos asked. Mat'al frowned, creeping up to my side. His eyes lay on the same sight holding me in place. His eyes bugged.
"Constellation?" he asked. My head nodded, mute. Mat'al raised a finger to his ear. "Valérien, call the fleet… we've just found a Thresher Maw husk,"
It was huge. Dark Reaper plates fanned over the back, glowing blue plates covering holes with multi-chambered cannons on the flanks. Cables interweaved along the belly, red glowing plates bolted in place. The mouth piece transformed into an AA gun, deadly arms with glowing tubes floating limp in a huge tank at the back of the room. But what froze my blood wasn't that here was this Reaper-ised maw here, it was the hundreds of empty tanks of similar size expanding in all directions, and even down. Was this the last one, or the first? If it was the first, we could end this madness now. But I wasn't so hopeful.
"We need to blast this place, we can't let that thing out," I said, finding my voice. "That behemoth will slaughter thousands in a second,"
"I don't know if it's complete, look, the plates, they look contorted and some of the lights aren't even working," Fehan said. His words didn't fill me with confidence.
"A shame, but not all survive the change," a voice said.
We turned around before a sea of cables slammed us back into the glass. It crackled under the pressure, my limbs straining against the mass of cables choking me and the team. A drell stepped forward with lithe steps, eyes on me. The pale teal drell covered himself in Reaper armour, hiding the yellow tips to his scales as his blue eyes narrowed. The crew around me struggled against their own restraints, crushed between glass and cables. My teeth gnashed, fingers itching towards the Overload. He stopped before me, eyes trailing over the gap between my head, the cables and Mat'al.
"And here we thought Palalrian would never put you in danger. Despite our best attempts, he didn't fall for our lures. And so he sent a sacrificial lamb instead. I am unsure what to call you," he said. "You are no longer a Shell and no longer the Advocacy. Annoyance would be apt,"
"How about suck my non-existent cock?" I snarled. The drell frowned, the cables around my neck tightening.
"I believe you organics would call that 'crude', human," he said. "No matter, you and Palalrian are too late,"
"We can still blow this place," I said. The drell smiled.
"And what makes you think this is our only facility?" he asked. My heart thundered. "Still, allow me to congratulate you on returning. I'm sure Harbinger and the Ravager are eager to meet you," he said.
"Yeah, not happening, beast," I said. My hand had enough wiggle room to reach the Paladin at my hip. My fingers closed around the trigger, pushing the barrel behind me. "We'll kill every last one of you. And then the Reapers when they come to the slaughterhouse themselves," The drell rumbled, robotic undertones shaking the air.
The Paladin roared in my hand, the glass shattering behind us. The pressure holding us released, giving the team time to release Overloads and bullets to free themselves. We dropped to the ground, jump jets cushioning the fall to the floor below. The guns popped free even as the screams of husks filled the air. Please don't have any of those damn things running around! Glass shattered as empty tanks cracked and collapsed under the fire. The room with the tanks had a small floor that ended with a drop into darkness, tanks lining all sides of it. It was a huge husk creation facility, maybe even an experimentation lab. Blue mist poured in from above, chilling my skin through the armour. So this was Wraith mist… God, how did people fight in this? My answer lay in Rosmeni, the biotic goddess releasing a huge quake, parting the mists enough to see a wave of Praetorians floating closer. The orders rang, we sprinted through the mist towards an exit under the walkway we fell from. A wall of abominations waited. The biotics threw a shield in front of us as the technicians hurled Incinerates into the mass. They erupted with explosive force, pushing us back several steps before letting us carry on down the hall.
The screams of clambering monsters hardened my nerves, the Paladin roared in my hand, the kickback a familiar friend. A scion wave waited for us at a crossing, but nothing a quick pause and sprint couldn't cure. Hunters screamed overhead, lunging from the sharp turns and vents. The walls burned with Incinerates, the ceiling crawling with Overloads, Warps and the floor trembled with Quakes. We gunned it for stairs, to get back to the surface before more Husks swarmed us. Husks rushed up from the lower levels as we reached the surface, the team dropping bombs behind us before sprinting for dear life. Seconds later, the building rocked with the resounding booms. We got breathing space as we ran for the deadened air.
Once outside, the scene didn't fill me with comfort. A high pitched whistle flew overhead, spared only by a quick Mat'al shoving my head forward and dragging me to cover. The bullet bowed the door, my heart skipping a beat. The Daemon didn't look as powerful under that strength. Could the Daemon even replicate that? A large quake thundered towards us, forcing us deep into our cover. Only the lack of the ground trembling beneath me settled me. Maybe they didn't have any of those things here… but how many did they make? No, worry about that later, get this mess sorted first! My belly flattened onto the ground as another whistle crashed overhead, Alder responding with his own sniper shot. Cathleen let loose a hail of assault rifle fire, a Reaver collapsing from a higher point on the exterior wall. The biotics threw several Scions against said wall, the wave of bullets crushing through their armour. A Hunter leapt up behind me, but a drone to the face hurled it away from me in time to get a Paladin to the head.
The Saboteur emerged on a shuttle platform higher up the, staring down at the firefight below. My blood boiled, feeling his superiority from here. We had to take him down, then nuke this place from space. With a nod, a sea of smoke bombs flew, giving us enough cover to dive back inside the building. The earlier bombs still held, giving us a clear room to rush to a new set of stairs. The growl of predators echoed around us, but we pushed on until we burst out on the shuttle deck. He turned, regarding us with cold, dead eyes. Cables slipped out from beneath the plates as we fanned out, preparing for the fight ahead. Once we knew his specialisation. The Saboteur snorted, the cables flicking. No words needed, not now.
Shual, Utren and Savanor charged, their thundered roars drowning out the gunfire. My hand pulled a metal blade from my boot, just in case, lunging towards the fray. The lights on my gun stayed lit, even as Utren soared over my head. My vision didn't swim and my limbs didn't ache. There was only one option left. We had to kill it quick. A cable swung wide, forcing me to jump over it and duck under the second waiting to take me by surprise. My Paladin thundered in my hand, the Saboteur's armour tinking under the bullets. The Saboteur threw its cables out, the krogan flying off their feet. The blue drell's eyes narrowed on me, kicking off the ground to meet me head on. Now, my hand to hand has improved, but not that much! The anchors slammed on, diving to the side to avoid the collision. He turned on his toes, leaping after me a second later. He received an Incinerate to the face. It didn't stop him, but it gave me a few seconds to line up the Paladin before his head poked through the smoke and flames. The bullet punched through a gap in the armour, but the robotic crackle didn't fill me with positivity. My teeth grit as he shouldered me, my armour the only thing protecting my ribs from snapping. The jump jets fired, flying me off to the side to roll on the ground in time for Shaul to slam a hammer down on the Saboteur's shoulder from behind. The Saboteur crumpled, but cables flew out and gave him time to stand. We knew he was Mental Assault from what we saw. Laegan, Zeedra and Fehan stayed back, taking pot shots when possible to stay out of range from his specialisation.
Phentos barked new orders. Savanor hurled his krogan hammer, the Saboteur side-stepping and catching the massive metal rod with the cables. A blue aura surrounded it, the hammer crashing into the back of the Saboteur's head. The Saboteur stumbled just long enough to give me an opening. Mat'al and I leapt on the drell, my blade slamming into back near the neck. Mat'al got him lower down, using the side of my boot to guide his blade down through the gaps of Reaper plate. A cable snapped around my neck, yanking me off his back and onto the floor. Mat'al grunted, more hands rushing forward to control the swarm of cables. The drell's hand found my neck, only the armour keeping the crushing pressure off my windpipe. His face pressed close to the visor of my helmet.
"You're too late, Shaik," he said, grunting as more blades sliced into his back. Reaper armour flew in random directions as people rushed to free me from his grip. A growl rumbled in my throat as my muzzle of the Paladin pressed against his wrist. "We are finished here,"
"Then we'll destroy it to make sure you don't use it again," I said through grit teeth. A cold smile lifted his lips as the crew prepared to yank the final connections of the spine free.
"And what makes you think this is our only facility?" he said. Every muscle froze. "Take our smallest facility, Shaik. It matters not. We've done what we've needed to do here. You humans like fireworks, I'm sure you'll enjoy these ones,"
"You son of a-" I snarled. Before any more words escaped, the Saboteur struggled for a heartbeat before the spine snapped free. The half-armoured drell fell limp on top of me before hands grabbed it and hurled him off me. Mat'al and Phentos grabbed my arms and pulled me upright. Mat'al held a frown on his face.
"Something doesn't feel right," he said.
"In what way?" I asked, shaking my head until my thoughts cleared.
"He surrendered to his fate too easily. Why?" he asked. My brow creased, turning his words in my head.
"He said something about enjoying the fireworks…" I said. Mat'al paused, my words catching him by surprise.
"Bralem, get the shuttle in here now!" he snapped, grabbing my arm and hauling me away from the facility. My mouth floundered, stumbling after the salarian. Shaul grabbed the drell, Searte the spine and the crew followed in hot pursuit. "He may have planted bombs in the area, we need to leave!"
My heart leapt to my throat. Every muscle burned as we leapt from the roof, jump jets cushioning the landing as we ran for safety. But the facility didn't explode, even as the shuttle swung down. The air defence turrets lay limp and still, not bothering to waste shells on us. Concern only bubbled higher, the shuttle pulling far from the mountain and every eye on potential danger. What fireworks was that Saboteur on about? What could he mean? My eyes trailed over the horizon, seeking something. My eyes fell on the sparkles in the distance, on the small settlement. A brilliant wave of light consumed the horizon, my hands flying up to cover my eyes. Seconds later, a loud boom rocked the shuttle. When the light died down enough to see, flames engulfed everything. My heart bumped in my chest, powerless as a sea of blue lights rose from the ground, red bullets shattering the remnants of the town. My helmet visor switched to night vision, zooming into the scene with my breath stuck in my throat. A few forms of people sprinting over the dead ground. But that behemoth in the distance rained gattling gun fire down on them. My voice couldn't free itself, stilled in horror. The ground rumbled as the beast plunged back into the ground.
The shuttle edged closer, the entire town overwhelmed by fire. We didn't see anyone moving, not a soul. The Behemoth cried in the distance, already moving to the next settlement. My hand raised to my ear, to stop it, to stop this slaughter, but Mat'al grabbed my hand. My flailing gaze found his. He shook his head, closing the shuttle door. My words couldn't escape as he shoved onto a chair, my knees giving in an instant. Grim faces crossed the crew as they settled down with discontented grumbles. Mat'al lowered himself beside me, nodding to Bralem in the front to move. A heavy sigh escaped him.
"We can't do anything about this, Dell. We're just over a dozen strong," he said.
"But it will kill everyone on this planet!" I snapped, finding my voice. My hands found my crushed collar, shaking at the emotion ripe in my voice.
"Dell, if you are breaking over this, you will not survive the war. We'll have the Constellation do what they can but we have to retreat out of here. We'll die trying to fight that thing like this,"
"But… it'll go for the other settlements…" I said.
"We'll have the Starquake broadcast an emergency signal to the remaining towns," he said.
"But-" I said, voice weakening.
"We can't do anything, Dell," Mat'al said, firming his tone. My eyes found my feet. "Get us back to the Starquake. We need to get rid of these remains and report on this new husk. What are we calling it?"
"Behemoth. Nothing else does it justice," I murmured, Mat'al swung his jaw, studying me as the shuttle soured back towards space, away from the burning carnage left behind in the Saboteur's wake. Even now, a smug laugh haunted my mind. We killed the Saboteur, but how many thousands would die because we investigated too late?
The Fact Sheet, Timeline, Saboteur Sheet, Galaxy Map and Reaper Forces have been updated for this chapter. Please see profile for link to Archive.
A/N: Sorry for the slowdown on chapters. I've been having a lot of personal problems, so things have been a bit hard recently. I have opened art commissions over on my deviantart for those interested (There will be a sale in March). Anyway, one last chapter and the book is finished! Then I get get ready for the final book of the saga.
Also, let me just give a huge thank you to everyone who has stuck with me through this nearly 6 year project. It's been a rollarcoaster and I really, really appreciate every review, watch and favourite. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!