The ship rocked with every muffled bang echoing along the skin of the Starquake, My blood froze, heart skipping a step as we swerved, expecting the engines to surge and tear the ground from beneath me. Yet no such force arrived. They hadn't spotted us. Somehow. The last of the armour clicked on with trembling fingers, sirens a constant companion within all rooms of the ship. The ship rocked again, stomach swaying with the movement. I dragged a bile flavoured breath in, rising to my feet to leave the safety and privacy of the captain's quarters. We took no chances; the elevator was out and the engineers installed ladders climbing up and down the entire ship. So far, deck 3 and 4 had ladders, but everything else was still in the works. Deck 2 to 3 were next, they suffered the next highest toll of traffic. My feet staggered at another bang, the muffled sound shaking every muscle. At least I can fear now without fear... as backwards as that sounded. Inside the engineering tunnels, people swayed and swelled until deck 3, where everyone was kicked out, captain included.
A pair of shining steel ladders sat behind the either side of the elevator. It narrowed the hall as a result, creating a choke point, but some simple movement planning minimised any issues. You passed the elevator with it to your right, a clockwise corridor movement. You also descended on the starboard ladders and ascended on the port. It kept people running in the same direction, splitting the halls - which weren't narrow by any standard - in two traffic corridors. Arrows on the floor kept people right, more painted on the walls with roof installations next, just in case. My lips pursed. Still wanted a 'Do Not Enter' road sign on sides to stop people walking through, but that had to come later when we had an actual emergency to deal with. We needed to test this set up, but not now, not in a live situation. The metal froze my fingers even through the gloves as I shambled down a deck. Some had learned to slide down, maybe when we weren't in a life or death situation, everyone would learn. These were temporary until we had a more suitable fix. we had the stairs in the bridge, but we needed one further back, just in case.
Speaking of the bridge, it was alive with people. The combat department behind me wasn't quiet either with Phentos leading the crew through the motions, pushing them as chaos reigned hell around us. Val barked orders from the Control Ring, pacing as he steadied himself. Traitorous as they were, my eyes drifted up. The darkness of space brought little comfort when Reapers and destroyed ships littered as far as the eye could see. We shuffled between broken ships, hoping to keep our emissions down and pretend to be another dropped ship until we got close enough to the planet to land. Beams of red streaked passed, aiming at what few ships remained of the Batarian navy. Escape pods lay broken and stranded, shuttles in pieces. No one was safe, no matter what ship you flew. Nothing seemed to leave the planet, massive fires smothering the surface. My heart sank. There was nothing left... there would be nothing left. My eyes squeezed shut, grabbing the captain's chair as beam crashed into the remnants of a dreadnaught beside us, the shockwave shaking us.
"Status?" I asked, voice strained. Val clicked his mandibles, grunting as he too grabbed the captain's chair.
"You really want it?" he asked. A disquiet moan escaped my chest. "Could be worse, there could be no planet at all," he said, eyes back on the screens." Spirits, how are we meant to fight these things?"
"With difficulty," I said. "If Gunner isn't alive, we bail. I... I cannot risk my crew like this," Val's grip tightened on the chair as the ship swayed, bolting behind another debris pile. Impact warnings blared, but the crew and Kala ignored them.
"Aye, agreed. Hell, part of me is saying fuck all of this and bail now," he said. My eyes diverted.
"So am I..." I mumbled. Val's hand shuffled, smothering mine and giving it a firm squeeze.
"Do what you got to. I'll cover things from here," he said. A weak smile stained my face.
"If everything goes according to plan, I'll make it up to you tonight," I said. Val grinned, eyes dancing for a moment.
"Fine... but I'm choosing the music this time," he said. My eyebrows snapped down, tongue sticking out. He chuckled, moving away. "Ground team to your stations!" he ordered. "You know where to find us if you need anything,"
"Stay safe, all of you," I said, turning to leave the sight of burning ships and dark monsters creeping through the shadows.
Scuttling back through the engineering ducts, the foot traffic dropped, but with a ground mission on the way, it wasn't as quiet as it should be. On deck 6, the ship rolled again, the supplies behind me creaking as they threatened to shift. inside the armoury, the ground team waited. Shaul, Searte, Laegan and Cathleen waited with armour and weapons primed. They saluted as I entered, grabbing onto bolted down lockers as we took a sharp sway. We waited, wordless, until the ship shuddered, entering Khar'shan. Normally, entering the planet would be a death sentence, an act of aggression. I don't think the batarians had much choice in the help they received. Once the ship stabilised - or as much as it could - the team moved to the cargo door. Gunner said he would have everything sorted once they got here. That was all they had to do; get there. It took a good 15 minutes, maybe longer before the ship stopped, hovering in mid-air. My heart rattled, demanding to know what happened. We docked with something, the clamps shaking both ship and nerves. Shaul unhooked the shotgun, the rest following his cue. My hand floated over the Paladin. Then the shaking returned. My heart leapt to my throat.
"Lanster!" I hailed.
"Relax, Captain. Subterranean docking station," Lanster said. My fluttering heart settled, somewhat. So we were going underground, away from the carnage of the surface... a small relief.
The quaking stopped, the ship settling itself as the mass effect barrier spread across the cargo hold door. It clunked, whining it as it opened. A mangled, dirt covered metal floor was all we could see with until we stepped down the ramp. My eyes flew, disheartened already.
The towering chamber where we landed in lay darkened at the top, only thin lines of light leaked through from the cover hiding the dock from the surface. A mangle of unkempt people lay huddled in groups in an empty dock, seeking shelter from the collapsing walls on the left side of the station. The metal reinforcements were buckling, this place wouldn't last much longer. Only spotlights lit a rough path through the darkness, the Starquake in shadows herself. The torch attachment popped off the Paladin, piercing through the darkness, giving my crew a little extra light as we reached the end of the ramp. A mass effect field kept people at bay should they try to rush the ship, seeking freedom. Another 5 docks lay in a circle, but something destroyed three, the docking elevators crumpled and shattered on the ground, fallen walls making them useless. Only 2 working docks existed, with the third used for refugees. My eyes diverted, away from the injured and sick, the desperate souls who couldn't flee fast enough. Batarian or no, no one deserved this fate.
"Shaik!" A voice hailed. The earlier tension vanished, eyes rising to the tan male batarian marching towards me, large grin on his face. My shoulders sagged as he flung his arms around me, squeezing tight.
"Gunner, long time no see," I said.
"Shaik, what a time you chose to come to Khar'shan!" he chuckled. A scowl lined my face, understanding his meaning.
"I am not becoming your slave," I said. Gunner's chest shook with the laugh.
"You'd be my favourite though," he mumbled. The scowl snapped to a frown, but before the Paladin could snap in my hand, a secondary turret on the ship whined, lining up with us.
"Try," Val's voice said, echoing from the loud speakers in all his sugar coated wonder. Well, someone was listening in. Gunner burst out laughing, backing away with hands beside his head.
"I can only presume that is the ball and chain," he said. My smile widened.
"Want to meet him?" I said, thumb thrust to the Starquake. Gunner shook his head, smile creaking ever wider.
"Nay, nay, I'll decline. Can never trust a damn turian to fight square," he said.
"And you trust a batarian to do the same?" I asked. Gunner grinned.
"Hell no," he said. His smile softened, eyes drifting to the startled refugees. "You come in troubled times, Shaik," he sighed, nodding his head along the collapsing dock. The team and I followed as we walked, get clanging on the remaining metal. "Although I think you have a good estimate of our chances here already,"
"Give it straight, Gunner," I said. "What are we dealing with?"
"Slaughter," Gunner said, trotting down a set of stairs and along a dim metal path to a bunker of buildings. Batarians wandered, rushing against the clock. "We've lost most of our species already. I suppose you could class us as endangered now. Millions dead every day, but the number is dropping... if only because they are running out of people to slaughter. What few escaped are far from the system or hiding, hoping they'll be able to hide through the invasion,"
"Not going to work, the Protheans tried that themselves," I said. "It's only a matter of time,"
"Agreed, which is why you are the last ship this facility is receiving. We can't trust they have infiltrated us or that the Reapers know of us," Gunner said, ducking inside a metal box, away from the ramble of people behind me. The tiny box was a rundown office, documents last scattered on the tiny metal desk in the corner, more spilt on the floor. A single light kept the place lit, but it was yellow and dim. In the quiet he sighed, digging through a drawer. "We have little time left, Shaik. I'm giving you what refugees I can and then activating every defence system we have left to make sure you get out,"
"We can't take all of those people, there's hundreds there," I said, the beaten faces returning to the forefront.
"We'll give you the fittest. The sick and injured... probably won't make it anyway," Gunner said. "Cruel, but we can't be sympathetic when we are on the brink of extinction. I don't even know how many batarians are outside of Batarian space,"
"You still have a lot on Omega and the neighbouring systems," I said. Gunner snorted.
"Yeah, the same station Cerberus has raided," he rumbled. He passed me a disk, the amber lights dancing along the metal skin. "This is everything I could get my hands on it. Remnants of our culture, our history, our people,"
"Gunner, your people are not dying," I snapped, fire filling my weakened voice. Gunner grabbed my wrist, staring me square in the eyes. He was inches from me, every wrinkle around his eyes prominent.
"Take it," he said. "This has everything," My mind churned, taking in our previous conversations, our banter and hidden little key words. A moment later my eyes widened a touch. Everything...
"People won't forget. I promise you that," I said, spitting the words no matter how hard they were to say. My fingers closed around the disk, holding it for a moment before sliding it away into the hidden pocket under my chest piece.
"We need to load up. We have had indoctrinated servants wandering outside the hidden entrances for a few days now. The Reapers will be on their way,"
"Then let's get these people out of here ASAP," I said, spinning and leaving the tiny shack. My finger raised to my ear. "Saere, how fast can RIT detect if we have an indoctrinated servant?"
"At best, 2 to 3 minutes. At worst 8 to 10 minutes," she said. My jaw swung.
"Has it been moved to the shuttle deck?" I asked.
"It was moved this morning, yes. It's ready to get to work," she said.
"Good, prepare for intake. I want to get through as many people as possible," I ordered, re-entering the dock. My helmet unfolded, flooding obey my head. "We'll scan and load them up,"
"We don't have time for that, Shaik," Gunner rumbled. He barked orders as he passed people, the weary batarian soldiers rushing to the refugee pit to bring out the chosen few fit enough to escape.
"I am not letting indoctrinated servants on my ship. Again. Do I have to recall the tale of what happened last time?" I asked. Gunner swung his jaw. "They nearly killed us last time, I very nearly died. It takes time, I know but I cannot risk it," Gunner ground his teeth, but he couldn't argue. No doubt he had horror stories of indoctrinated servants on ships himself. He wouldn't want his favourite potential slave dying because of him.
A queue formed, the batarians keeping guard as the ground team secured the area around the Starquake. Within minutes, the crew led the first person in, a cream female. Her narrow face stuck out against the males, disappearing behind a screen to have the headset thrown on. The RIT room was in a soundproof box, just in case 'the deed' was required. They would enter the room blindfolded and leave blindfolded. They couldn't see the blood, they'd panic. The crew led her, blinded, to a chair hidden from view and plugged into the machine. 3 minutes passed, no violent behaviour and no warning signs. They led her from the seating area, the headset removed and led to the holding chamber.
This repeated, 2 headsets in constant use to keep the flow moving. Person number 4 was not so fortunate. A mint male thrashed within seconds of the machine starting, the soundproof room keeping panic levels to a minimum. A moment later, they ripped the headset off and a bullet put in his head. My heart sank. The next 5 were all indoctrinated, 2 after that were clean, another was indoctrinated. An hour passed and we scanned 43 people, 17 were indoctrinated. Just as number 44 slipped the headset on, a low, metallic groan danced through the air. Like metal screeching on sinking ship. A creaking beast chilling the blood of everyone in the rundown shelter. Every hair on my body tingled, heart leaping. The sound didn't set my skin alight, twas my instincts.
"They're here!" Gunner shouted.
"Pack up! We're leaving!" I barked. The crew launched into action, the poor soul next in line for RIT thrown into the chair as people rushed to close the cargo door. The air rumbled, but it wasn't a normal rumble. It was robotic, chilling every nerve until they burned. The refugees still waiting in the queue panicked. Guns clicked as desperate people flooded to the cargo door, those told to wait in the abandoned dock running for all their worth. My heart sank, the screams trembling the air louder than any Reaper. The mental groans continued, batarians soldiers racing down darkened tunnels to meet the incoming foe. Gunner ran with them, leaving only the Starquake crew to deal with the wild refugees. The refugees pressed against the crew, forcing their way inside. In the distance the crackle of husks roared, a new husk stumbling around the corner. Bulky body on spindly legs, the batarian style husk raised an arm, a deformed hand replaced with a small cannon, wires climbing all over the skin.
The sight of these monsters struck terror into the refugees, the panic rush for the ship doubling. The cargo door forced itself closed, people scrambling and jumping to reach the ramp. Dozens tumbled into the hold the frantic screams of the others echoing until the door clamped shut. The general alarm on the ship roared, the red lights disorientating every sense as my hand drew the Paladin, forcing what batarians I could against the door. More crew flooded the lowest deck, grabbing guns to control who knows how many people now stood trembling in the hold. Kala snapped every door shut, every engineering hatch, her voice trilling through the ship as she contained the un-scanned refugees in the shuttle deck. A krogan burst into view, Savanor grabbing three batarians racing for the door to escape the shuttle deck and throwing them back towards the cargo door. As more crew abandoned their stations to control the situation, the chaos quietened, all stragglers now held against the wall at gunpoint.
The ship trembled as the dock raised the ship towards the surface. The engines hummed, the roars of Reapers driving ever closer even as the ground trembled with ground-based cannons working overtime. My eyes stayed forward, down the sight of the Paladin, towards the trembling people as the engines powered and the main gun lowered, shaking the ship again. Everything shuddered, the ship dropping several metres. My stomach found itself in my mouth, unable to breathe.
A loud screeching tore through the ship, one mighty bang swaying the ship side to side. The people screamed, my feet splaying for balance as the ship righted itself. A loud crash echoed from below, the docking clamps and elevator collapsing to the ground. The drive core whined, Kala called 'Brace, Brace, Brace'. Everyone dropped to the feet, grabbing the ribbing on the floor. The refugees had no such instincts as something crashed into the ship from above, shaking everything and dropping the ship again. Then the artificial gravity switched for a time, no longer coming from above as the ship rotated bow to the sky. The engines roared.
Refugees screeched as they flew past the crew, crashing into the back wall of the shuttle deck, taking several members of crew with them. Within seconds the gravity rolled back to normal, but the G-forces swam as the Starquake swerved and dived, seeking safety in space once more. The ship was faster over ground than a Reaper, so once a safe distance away, the bow rose once more, the ship rumbling as we fled the atmosphere and into the perils of space. My teeth clamped as refugees lay in a huddled mess against the back wall, the glass separating shuttle deck from the rest of the ship littered with spider web cracks. Lanster wasted no time once free from the planet, already dodging every Reaper in the system and preparing the drive to jump. No doubt with Kala's help, seeing as the gyros would still spin out of control.
The wild minutes passed before we found time to leap away into FTL, away from the dangers of Batarian space, away from the havoc destroying the once lush world. My brows upturned. Would I ever see Khar'shan in its full glory? My teeth grit, forcing trembling legs to bear weight as my crew reorganised. We still had at least 50 new stowaways to deal with. My head shook, resettling itself as the Paladin, trapped between my legs after dropping to the ground, re-entered my hand. The crew swept away by the catapulted refugees stumbled free, limping or holding various parts of their bodies. My jaw set, teeth grinding.
"Congratulations, you bloody idiots, you may have just killed us all," I snapped. The batarians quaked.
"Be gone, human! Where is the captain?" a mouthy soot black male demanded.
"You're speaking to her," I growled. The batarian's face fell. "Right, from the top. Get over there!" I snapped, pointing to the cargo door.
"You're going to space u-" a woman cried, clutching two small children to her.
"What kind of monster do you think I am?! We need to scan every one of you to make sure you aren't indoctrinated! While I understand that you are freaking the fuck out, I am not risking any more of my crew than I already done to save your asses! Now form a queue! Lanster, find us somewhere near friendlies just in case!"
"You got it, Captain," Lanster replied, still recovering from his extreme escape.
The batarians shuffled, limping sore and battered after crashing into the wall back towards the cargo door, although many stared at it with suspicion. Batarians and humans didn't go well, I knew much history, but this was ridiculous! The crew settled, helping the injured escape to the med bay. The process began again, people led into the various stages; they led those who passed to the holding cells, now almost full. Those who failed met a timely end and smuggled into a shuttle hidden from view. My hand hovered over the Paladin, eyes scanning the people as they shuffled, waiting for their turn. A sound hummed in the air, one that made me pause. It sounded like strained electronics, a faint zapping like a short. Every nerve ignited, spinning. The RIT machine, kept outside the 'examination' room, erupted, shrapnel exploding into every wall, object and person near it. Fire and smoke burst like a ghost, the sprinkler systems swinging into action. The 20 people waiting screamed, backing away towards the door as the Paladin straightened in my hand, aimed at the chamber. A side wall collapsed, thrown open by Searte's hurled body. My heart quaked as a fist thick cable flew in my direction.
Instinct took over, my body dived to the ground as it flew overhead. My limbs pushed up, the returning cable whizzing under me before landing chest first back into the ground. My head flew over my shoulder, regaining my feet just quick enough for a new cable to lash out and grab my chest, shoving me against the far wall. A creak trembled from my ribs, my back flared with agony and my head swam. A second later my body dropped to the ground, the cable cut by a swift Laegan with a sharpened blade. My hands scrambled for the dropped Paladin, raising it once more as the combat team swung into action, additional help rushing to our aid. Searte coughed, groaning as she contorted on the ground. She was alive at least...
"Get out of here, I know what you are!" I ordered, the examination room masked behind a rough curtain. Everything fell still, the frantic shrills of panicking batarians hanging in the air. A moment passed, no one daring to get closer. My eyes narrowed, suspicions rocketing through the roof. "Saboteur, and I'm willing to bet its Mental Assault. Why delay otherwise?" I asked, sugaring my tone. A chuckle rang from the hidden box.
A rain of cables erupted, a tsunami rushing out like snakes. My heart leapt, hand dropping to the knife as the jump jets hurled me up and away from the ground. Six cables smashed into the ground below me, three still rushing to meet me, anticipating my moves. The Paladin roared, one cable sagging, the other staggered. The third grabbed my thigh, dragging me to the ground with a definite crunch. My teeth snapped together, holding in the gasp as my other leg pushed to get itself under me. A bang rang nearby, the cable breaking, freeing me once more. A headache bloomed, small and threatening. It only hastened my racing mind. A low whine inside the shuttle deck bounced off the walls. A few seconds later, the room quaked, an interior cannon pushing through the small box. The rounds weren't strong enough to go through the floor, we made damn sure of that. A robotic snarl rang, a batarian tumbling into the open as the smoke cleared. The blue eyed male fixated his gaze on me, the brown toned batarian's face flared with red along the skin folds. My jaw clenched, limping back to my recollected crew.
"You thought we wouldn't install more security after your colleague's attempt?" I asked. The batarian snorted, dark, angular armour moulding around his skin.
"I suppose it was too much to ask you would have a lapse in common sense," he said. Understanding his words took more brain power than required, so distorted by electronics as it was... or was that the Mental Assault eating away at my mind? The batarian stood.
"Bitch please, common sense if my speciality," I said, eyes narrowing. "Now do be a dear and die," His lips rose as the dark helmet smothered his head.
"Only if I take you with me," he said.
"Yeah, not happening," I said. "Get 'em, quick!"
The fight roared once more, the combat team flaring out as weapons drew and loaded. The Saboteur ignored them, content his armour would protect him as he went for me. Oh so predictable, the thought crossed my mind. the blade in my hand flicked, slashing at an outreached cable. He kept coming, the headache worsening the closer he got. A duck, a swipe, a Paladin to the face, the batarian kept close, utilising the one skill I had yet to master. At least Julian taught me a few things. A few. The jump jets hurled be back, to get space. What if I couldn't win? What if all this was just pointless- Oh shit no! My head shook hard, fighting the trickling thoughts. They weren't my own, they were not my own. I repeated that over and over and yet it didn't seem enough. Pain lashed around me, the Saboteur grappling me and pinning me to a wall, bullets bouncing off his armour. Yet the crew didn't dare draw too close with those twitching cables surrounding him.
"You should've stayed dead," he said.
"And you should've stayed off my ship, Macaulay," I said. The Saboteur twitched.
"And why assume I am Macaulay?" he asked.
"Nazara said you were in with the batarians. It's a safe assumption," I said, grunting. Oh how easy it would be had I given in then, back when I learned what I was, what I was always meant to be- oh shut the fuck up! "And get the fuck out of my head,"
"Credit where credit is due," Macaulay said.
"Thanks, but i suggest you let me go," i said. The Saboteur frowned, the grip on me tightening.
"And why would I do that?" he asked, pressing close. There was no danger to him, I couldn't stop him. The crew was too far, too afraid to leap to my salvation Just as well they didn't need to. Macaulay froze, reading the rebellious thought even if he never heard the words. He flew, crashing and sliding along the floor as a deafening bang ricocheted around the shuttle deck. My knees found the deck, head swimming as the headache worsened.
"Because my son doesn't like men getting too close," I said, grunting as I stumbled on shaking legs. My eyes rose to the engineering decks between decks 5 and 6, a small hatch slid away as the Daemon disappeared from sight. "Thanks, Gid! Extra dessert tonight!" My eyes refocused on Macaulay, struggling to his feet with sparks dangling along the hole in his side. A direct hit. "Really, standing still in enemy territory, you are either desperate or stupid. I'm willing to bet both," Macaulay raised his eyes, a vicious, static laden growl vibrating the air.
"The cycle will continue, creature. You will not have a quick death. Neither will they," he said, eyes on the closed hatch. My body chilled, every thought dying. My lips pressed into a fine line.
"Get that pistol," I ordered, teeth clenched. Cathleen shuffled, rubbing her side from where a cable crashed into her. She hobbled from the room and into the firing range. Macaulay frowned, eyes twitching between the door and me as the affects took hold. He twitched and jerked, his snarl worsening. Cathleen returned, offering the pistol. A full clip in the heatsink. The Paladin slid into my hip, unfolding, loading and cocking the heavy pistol. Both hands held it tight as it lined up with Macaulay's head.
"You ain't hurting anyone. Especially mine. Tell that to your friends, because if they try, they'll get what you're getting. Annihilation," I snarled, venom dripping like a leaky tap. The pistol fired, threatening to kickback the gun into my face had the death grip not clung to it. The first shot, near point blank, shattered the armour, pushing through into the flesh. Then the second buried deeper, the third hit the top of the spine, horrific robotic static flaring as the body spammed. The fourth just missed the spin head, the twitching cables and armour in the upper body twitching and tumbling free, their connections severed. The fifth clipped the spine, sparks dancing light lightning through everything electronic. But the sixth backfired, the gun erupting in my hand. The armour protected me, the gloves saving my hands from the worst damage. The explosion drove me back, Anti-Reaper round dust filling the air around me. Blades sang as the rest of the crew leapt to action, cutting the spine free. My blood boiled still, a red haze consuming me, dulling any pain. A sigh sounded over the intercom.
"Did you really need to ruin another prototype, Dell?" Mat'al's voice called. My teeth refused to release to speak. He got a snort. Mat'al sighed again. A minute passed, a slow minute while everyone recollected, keeping the 20 odd people yet to be scanned separate and huddled in a corner while the spine snapped free with a wet slurp. My eyes found Val as he forced the shuttle deck doors open.
"Clean up this mess! Shayan, get the engineers down here, I need a damage report pronto! Saere, we need another RIT machine rolled in," Val ordered, he paused beside me, eyes dropping. "And we need to have a word with showing off our new toys to Saboteurs," he muttered, keeping his voice quiet.
"They would have suspicions we would capitalise on these weapons," I said, sighing as the clenched fingers teased apart. "They would've found out," Val snorted as he pressed on, helping the injured crew onto their feet and assessing the situation.
"Problem Val," Cathleen said. Val raised a brow. The woman flushed. "Uh, XO. We uh... we don't have another RIT machine,"
"What do you mean we don't have another?!" Val and I shouted in sync. The pale woman turned white.
"Saere said we have only ever had the one! We kept it in the RIT safe space to stop it from getting damaged from infighting but no one ever thought we would plug an actual Saboteur into the machine!" she said. My eyes squeezed shut, Val's mandibles snapping.
"I'll contact Julian," i said, My eyes turned to the huddled group of batarians. "Alright, let's get these people into a holding cell together then, if possible. We can't know if they are indoctrinated,"
"Wouldn't the fact they aren't going mental a key sign?" Iona asked, frowning. My jaw swung. She wasn't wrong, every time we killed saboteurs in the past, their servants lost control and turned into beasts. But still...
"With the Reapers here, who's to say it hasn't changed?" I said. "Maybe direct indoctrination from a Reaper differs from a saboteur. I'm taking no chances, take them somewhere secure and keep them together, we'll scan them once we get a new RIT set up,"
"No, you won't," a voice said. My heart thundered, whipping around to the group of batarians. At least half grew pale, a look of sheer terror smothering their faces, others stared me in the eye, deadpan. three short bleeps shrilled as the batarians screamed. Understanding hit half a second before a massive explosion shook the whole ship.
My own screams fell silent against the rush of decompressing air, the entire cargo door gone and a fair chunk of the starboard wall bedside the door. My hands scrambled for the ribbed flooring as objects and shuttles alike tore out the hole, crashing into intact walls until the upper deck bowed, structural support failing and the fail safes creaking to hold everything together. Everything not bolted down vanished into space as Kala snapped a mass effect field around the hole, people and objects falling to a sudden halt as the explosive depressurisation stopped. My breaths heaved, fingers bleeding from ripped flails for holds, the armoured gloves already wrecked from handling an exploding gun. In an instant my eyes scanned, looking for people. The combat team lay sprawled in various places, a small shuttle missing and a massive shuttle sized ding in the port wall showed where it went. Val lay precariously close to the hole, hands on the ribs as he pulled himself away before trying to stand, should the floor collapsed. No one seemed missing. Except the 20 odd people who stood in the explosion's heart. The busted RIT machine was also gone, no chance to repair it. My eyes squeezed shut, the blood radiating from the epicentre vanishing from sight. No limbs or bodies though, they now lay floating in space. My head pressed to the floor, heaving massive breaths. Fuck... fuck... fuck!
"All crew, evacuate the shuttle deck. I repeat, all crew evacuate the shuttle deck. All engineers proceed to the mid-bow, Sub-Deck 5 engineering tunnels. Main battery housing now unstable," Kala's voice called, snapping everyone awake. Feet clanged against metal, a pair of hands grabbing me from the ground and dragging me through the door. Val did a head count before sealing the door shut. I sat on the ground, trembling.
"I fucking hate depressurisation," I moaned as he grabbed my arms, forcing me onto my feet.
"We all do, Dell, we all do," he said, eyes to the crew.
"Kala, status," I wheezed, shambling towards the elevator, only to find she had locked it down. Great, back to ladders. We turned to the unlocked engineering ducts.
"The explosion has damaged the housing mounts for the main battery, it also damaged several pipes connecting to the ezzo and coolant tanks. We need to conduct repairs to ensure a save jump to the Citadel for more permanent repairs," she said.
"And our shuttle?" I asked.
"I've already relayed the incident to nearby ships. An asari carrier said they'd pick it up since they are passing through the area," Lanster said.
"The Saboteur's body?" I asked.
"Gone in the decompression. While we repair, we'll have a team look for it," Val said, grunting as he noticed the blood trail on the ladder runs.
"Wonderful," I moaned, reaching deck 5. One more ladder...
"Can this war end already, I didn't need my ship exploding... again," I rumbled, ignoring the pain radiating from my fingers. On Deck 4, Val grabbed me by the back of the armour and dragged me down the hall, earning a whine from me. I knew where he was taking me.
"It's only just started," he rumbled, opening the door to med bay.
"And I want it to be over," I said, dropping into a chair beside Saere's desk. The female turian waved Val back, scowling as she noted my torn hands.
"Back to the deck, XO, the captain will be out shortly. Once I treat these papercuts," she said, grabbing bandages and cleaning fluids. Val sighed.
"We're talking later," he said.
"But love, we always talk later," I said.
"Don't get cute, you're still in trouble,"
"But I'm adorable," I said. Val scowled harder, a smile raising my lips. He shook his head, leaving before more people filed in. Saere rolled her eyes as she cleaned the wounds.
"You are well?" she asked. My smile faltered.
"I'm... just trying not to think. Got anything for that?" I asked.
"Not that will keep you functional," Saere said. A heavy sigh emptied my chest.
"Got anything to help me survive my talk with Val?" I asked. Saere smiled, rolling her chair back to return with a packet of paracetamol. My head hung. "It was so much better when he wasn't XO, he didn't have the authority to scold me,"
"He always scolded you, Dell. Who hasn't?" she asked, eyes drifting to the door as Mat'al walked in. My head landed in the tray beside the chair. Dear God have mercy... I didn't need this level of shit after... after watching... My eyes squeezed shut, the tears bubbling in my throat. War... the innocent suffered the most. This wouldn't be the worst thing to see yet. That thought alone paralyzed on me on the spot. There was still so much more, so much worse things to come. My finger raised as Mat'al stopped beside me.
"I don't want to hear it," I said. Mat'al raised a brow. "What you can do is get Gid in here though,"
"Oh?" he asked. My brows dropped, glowering at the salarian. Mat'al smiled, raising a finger to his ear to summon the boy. And since it was Mat'al, Gideon rushed post-haste. He never messed with the man, especially these days. The every loyal mech trotted by his side. Gideon shuffled, noticing me with the bandaged hands, but he pressed his lips together and kept his eyes on my head.
"Mum?" he asked. My hand dipped inside the chest plate, slipping the disk out. A finger waggled, drawing him near. The disk pressed into his hand, my battered ones smothering his.
"I need you to examine this with care," I said. Gideon blinked, glancing to the disk. He opened his mouth. "Let me stress something, sweetie. A man died to save this, a lot of people died for this. This is the single most important drive we could get our hands on. This has everything the batarians learned from the Reaper invasion; their ships, their ground troops, their strategies, everything they learned about the Leviathan of Dis is on this disk," I said. Gideon's back straightened. "I need you to treat this with the utmost respect, Gideon. I know you won't, but you have to know what you are carrying,"
"I'll be careful, I swear," he said. A taut smile tugged my lips.
"Thank you," I said, releasing him. Gideon backed out of the room, brows dropped and eyes focused, Daemon strapped to his back. My eyes found Mat'al. "Keep an eye on him, relay everything you think is important to me,"
"Very well," he chuckled. "I'll scold you later for ruining a perfectly good pistol,"
"It was going to blow up anyway," I grumbled. Mat'al shook his head.
"Not the point," he said, saluting as he left. My eyes dropped to the ground, sitting on the chair as more people filed in. This was just the start… just the start…
The Timeline, Saboteur Sheet, Galaxy Map and Reaper Forces have been updated for this chapter. Please see profile for link to Archive.