Aboard UNSC Infinity
Classified Staging Area
11:51, 2557 Military Calendar
August 28th
Five years. Nearly five years.
It had been a quiet reunion. A...confused and distant reunion… And maybe...seemingly indifferent.
...John wasn't really sure how to react. What to say. He first saw their helmets, their armor. And like him, they wore the old, ancient green MJOLNIR Gen One Mark VI Spartan-II armor with few modern upgrades and modifications. ARGUS, EVA, and CENTURION. Battered, worn, faded, and scarred.
And they saw John. Saw he tightly gripped his assault rifle, as if he were...afraid. The massive scar that ran along his chest piece. No face. Just the dark orange reflective visor. He was grateful for the helmet. The others couldn't see his face.
It had also been a brief reunion. United only a week ago they immediately had to prepare for this op. Everyone knew their role. Everyone knew their job. They knew what to do and what would happen.
"Commander?" Captain Lasky stepped aside from the Condor transport. He had hands in his pockets and looked tired. "This is Spartan Blue Team. UNSC Naval Special Forces. They'll be the ones you're working with."
The Master Chief stepped up. Shepard's crew had gathered around the Condor. James, Ashley, Liara, Garrus, Tali, EDI, Thane, Kasumi, Miranda, and two Krogan John recognized. Grunt and Wrex if he remembered correctly. They were waiting to depart to either the Normandy or to the launch shuttles with Battle Group Dakota. Shepard crossed his arms, looked to the Chief's team.
"Why am I just meeting them now?" Shepard asked.
"We were on vacation." Fred replied.
"The Master Chief had been separated from Blue Team. The rest were deployed...elsewhere." Lasky responded. He looked to Blue Team.
"Blue Team, this is the Normandy crew." Lasky said. No one stepped up to introduce themselves or break the ice. It wasn't necessary to the mission. "You've all been briefed. Snatch and Grab op. Elite loadmaster and combat support teams will deploy to the surface a few hours after you land to prep for the Shadow of Intent's arrival.
"However, civilians aren't a priority. Get that intel, end this war, save everyone else. Since Shepard is senior officer and 'Prothean expert' he'll be commanding this op."
The Spartans quietly nodded. Some of Shepard's crew shifted uncomfortably and looked to one another.
"We've already been given a brief on your team's capabilities." Kelly said. And that was true. Rapid deployment. Biotics. Limited assault tech. Like Blue Team, they were small and maneuverable. Special Purpose.
"And we got a full assessment on you," Shepard responded. "But like everything else the UNSC gave us its rather...vague."
"Spartans are more blunt...for the lack of a better term." Lasky responded for Blue Team. "Heavy hitters. They can take a lot of damage and still keep moving."
"Yeah, looks like they aren't very sneaky." One of Shepard's crew commented. Garrus if the Chief remembered correctly. "They can hide behind me if they get scared."
Lasky scoffed. He stepped down from the loading ramp of the Condor onto the hanger deck. "Well, we'll see. You know your roles. You know what to do."
"Civilian casualties, sir?" The Chief asked. Lasky didn't say anything for a moment.
"We all know the penalty for civilian interference of a Spartan operation. The Citadel has sent word to Thessia, so no one should get in your way. But if they do...well, Commander Shepard you'll have operational discretion as you see fit."
It looked like Lord Hood hadn't told Captain Lasky about the plan. The rest of Blue Team had just gotten the briefing a few hours ago. They knew what was going to happen.
Lasky could see Blue Team had nothing more to say. There was no point.
"Maybe we'll talk another time? Understand, the rest of Blue Team just embarked on the Infinity. They need to time to..readjust." Lasky said. "Um...dismissed."
Blue Team, without another word, turned and headed back to what was essentially their assigned area. A couple of vacant Pelicans with a few cargo containers surrounding them acting as chairs.
Captain Lasky continued to talk with Commander Shepard and his crew.
They turned a few side ramps, out of sight of the Condor, and finally reached their area. The Spartans sat down on the crates. None of the Infinity crew were around. John assumed Lasky ordered them to stay away.
They sat in silence, facing one another. Not a word.
The others couldn't see his face.
"John…?" The first words spoken since they saw each other. Fred lifted his hand to his helmet. He held it there briefly, then decided against taking it off. There were too many people in the hangar who might see.
"We all heard what happened… Lord Hood briefed us…" Fred quietly said.
John still didn't say anything. He didn't look at anyone's helmet.
Fred sighed. Kelly took the reigns. "We all know how much she meant to you, John… She was important to all of us."
"I'm fine." The Chief simply said. "We all know what's going to happen. I wish we had more time to train and prepare, but we're gonna have to make due. The Condor can fit in the Normandy, so we have our incursion options."
Linda looked over to Fred, who only shrugged.
Fred unclasped the locks on his helmet. What stopped him before didn't stop him this time. John saw his pale face. Dark brown hair and black eyes. Dark circles and grey wrinkles.
"John… I know it's been a long time… For us at least. But it doesn't matter. We're here for you. You're the best of us, and we need you as much as you need us right now. We'll follow you anywhere, John. We're family." He said.
What would you sacrifice for me?
John slowly raised his hands. Unclasped the locks on his helmet, and took it off… He didn't realize how heavy it was… And he didn't realize how the recycled air of the ship hurt his nose…
He looked down at his helmet. The perfect hexagonal patterns underneath the outer bulletproof glass of the visor...The…
John felt something roll down his cheeks…. His breath was raspy. His hands began to shake. He clenched them, tried to maintain his bearing.
A tear fell down on the visor… It slid down and pooled where the visor met the olive green armor…
...They really were here… For John, real time it had only been a few months for him, but...it felt like another lifetime. And with them here, the memories...the training, the ones they lost...all the missions… Eridanus Secundus, Chi Ceti, Circinius IV, Sigma Octanus IV… Reach.
And with Cortana gone…
She...she had saved him.
"John…" Kelly said. "You helped us get through it when we lost someone in the squad….I guess what I'm trying to say is that...it's okay."
Cortana...she had just faded… After everything...she only...she…
Linda and Kelly slowly and cautiously took off their helmets… They all...they all had tears rolling down their cheeks. Silently… They had learned very early to cry silently. No sniffles. No long gasps for air… Silent.
She...she couldn't be gone.
"I had spoken to her...On the Citadel.." John stated.
"You did…?" Fred asked.
"...She said the mission didn't matter anymore… And I felt the same way. The mission didn't matter anymore…" John almost whispered. He couldn't raise his voice. "She..she asked who I would sacrifice…for her…"
Blue Team looked to each other for a moment, perplexed. Fred looked back, "that doesn't sound like the Cortana we all knew…"
"It was her voice." The Chief quickly said. He looked up from his helmet. "If not…"
He couldn't say anything more. He felt his throat close up.
And they were quiet for a while. Merely quiet. It didn't matter where the rest of Blue Team had been for the past five years. All that mattered was that they were here now. They were with John again.
"No rest for the wicked, huh?" Kelly said.
"Not for us." John was able to reply. He looked down again. The tear was gone… The electronic hydro-sweeper on the helmet had wiped it off. "...Not yet…"
Aboard UNSC Infinity, Classified Staging Area, 2186 Citadel Calendar, 13:04, Two days prior to Operation SUN GOD
August 28th
Meeting Blue Team was...strange. They were quiet and highly introverted, much like John himself. They didn't say anything, and Shepard was sure under their helmets they weren't even meeting eye to eye with anyone on his team.
Still, Shepard wanted to talk to them. They were about to work together in a combat situation. For the sake of his own team, and his own sanity, he needed more than simple information briefs on Blue Team's capabilities.
Liara followed close behind. The rest of the team stayed back, making last minute preps before Miranda and her chalk departed with Battle Group Dakota.
"What exactly are you hoping to learn about them?" Liara asked as she followed Shepard through various side ramps and cargo areas. Shepard wasn't really sure where he was going. He only knew that the Spartans went somewhere in this general direction.
"Well, I guess the same things I do when someone new joins the crew. Ask questions. Get to know them a little. Maybe try to figure out why exactly John is a god within the UNSC." Shepard answered.
"John…?"
"Oh, uh...that's his name. The Master Chief?"
Liara nodded, "I see. Well, anyways Captain Lasky gave us that info brief…"
"Which barely told us anything."
"Yes, but nearly one-hundred-ninety-five missions? How many have we done?"
"I kinda lost count after the first time we've been shot at."
Liara smirked. They continued to walk through the hangers. Flight crews were locking down large amounts of cargo and vehicles for transit. Most of them were busy and didn't seem to bother the two. More than likely Lasky gave them security clearance here.
"You answered any more of your questions in the past few weeks?" Shepard asked.
"Here and there. Minor ones mostly in the grand scheme of things. Most of what I've been working on is trying to piece together what we know about the Forerunners."
They turned down another cargo section.
"And what do we know about them…?" Liara stopped Shepard. Tugged on his shoulder. Don't go further, she mouthed.
It took a moment for Shepard to see why.
About a hundred meters ahead, through cargo crates and parked UNSC transports was… Blue Team, alone, sitting in a circle.
John's back was to him, but the rest of them… Their helmets were off and…
They were tired. More tired then Shepard would've thought. The dark circles were so deep that they were nearly pure black. The grey wrinkles across their cheekbones and mouths were almost like old scars. And their skin was...so pale. Unnaturally pale.
And all their faces...tears were flowing down their cheeks.
Shepard...wasn't sure what to do. He froze up. They haven't noticed the two yet, and… he wondered what would happen if they did.
Liara tugged at his shoulder, slowly and calmly pulling him back. Shepard carefully stepped back until they were out of view of Blue Team.
He wasn't exactly sure what he just saw, but he was absolutely certain he wasn't supposed to see that.
"Shepard…?" Liara began. He looked to her. She seemed normal. "Are you okay?"
Shepard didn't know what she meant.
Liara sighed, "I wasn't expecting that either…" She quickly looked back, made sure none of the Spartans had seen them. "...I guess we won't have the pleasure of getting to know one another."
"...Yeah." Shepard quietly said.
"...If I had to guess, most likely they were mourning Cortana." Liara said. "According to Captain Lasky, she was close to...John."
Shepard was a little out of it. It took him a second to respond. "EDI never told us what happened when she was plugged in with Vergil and the Geth."
"And realistically, I don't think we'll ever find out."
...
18:32
A mix of Normandy crew and UNSC support teams carefully loaded the Condor inside the frigate's shuttle bay. It was a tight fit, but it'll hold. A regular modified transport. A vast array of weaponry and engines. Crude, ugly, and ran on no eezo.
Tali closely observed the ship, running her Omni-tool in every nook and cranny she could. She utilized Chika to run in depth analysis. The ship crew, only three people, quietly stood by, watching her movements.
"Jesus, talk about cramped." Joker said on the team comms. "You know how many recalculations I have to do in order to account for the mass?"
"How many recalculations I have to do." EDI added. "And I already finished."
"Yeah, yeah. Show off." The comm line cut.
"Commander?" Lasky asked. He walked up to Shepard as he supervised loading. The Commander was standing about thirty meters away from the Normandy ramp. "Sorry if this is all last minute."
"Don't worry, Captain. We're used to it." Shepard said. Spartan Blue Team finally came along. They were carrying sea bags filled with gear. The bag had imprints of weapons and other unidentifiable objects.
"Blue Team will get you trained in UNSC weapons, and of course you can do the same for them." Both he and Captain Lasky watched as the Spartans placed the sea bags down at the foot of the Normandy ramp. Garrus and Thane approached them. Garrus was holding an avenger rifle.
One of the Spartans, Fred, hesitantly looked at them for a second. He then reached into one of the sea bags and brought out an assault rifle. The two exchanged weapons, looking over the nomenclature and conversing about designs.
"Looks like you already started." Captain Lasky commented.
"Looks like it…" Shepard crossed his arms. Sighed. "Any word on Cerberus?"
Captain Lasky was silent. He watched as one of the Condor crewmen let Tali inside.
"We're becoming a little open now…" Lasky commented. "Every since Miranda handed over all that intel over to Lord Hood, HIGHCOM has been keeping me more out of the loop than ever."
"Why's that?"
"For starters, they probably know where I stand. But...admittedly, for reasons I won't explain, Miranada's intel is...concerning."
"There's a lot of things that make the UNSC concerned." Shepard responded.
"True…" Lasky said. "Well, HIGHCOM wants me to keep a close eye on her. I'll entertain her. Let her roam around on the bridge, make sure she doesn't dig too deep."
Shepard debated bringing it up for a moment, but...if there was any time to do it, and with any individual…
"Liara says you know what that thing is. On Thessia…
"And I know you can't tell us, but...can we trust Blue Team?" Shepard asked.
"They have a long service record, but as people…" Lasky thought for a moment. "Fragile is not the term I would use, and the psychological descriptions…"
Liara appeared behind the two, "what are the psychological descriptions, Captain?"
Lasky sighed. "Aren't you nosy, Doctor?"
"The difference is this concerns the safety of my team." Shepard defended.
"Yeah…" Lasky was observing the Master Chief. They continued to converse with Garrus and Thane over weapon types. "...They've been through a lot. Fighting for nearly thirty-three years."
...Thirty-three years?
How old were they?
"...I can't even imagine." Liara said. "How are they still able to fight?"
Lasky sighed. He crossed his arms, "has anyone ever told you what Spartans exactly are?"
Garrus looked down the barrel of a UNSC rifle
"Well, we assume they're special forces, similar in a way to the Spectres, Asari Commandos, or N7 soldiers." Liara responded. "Advanced armor. Genetic alterations. Based on how everyone treats the Master Chief, he's a hero of some kind."
"You're not wrong." Lasky said. "They're good soldiers. They'll get the job done."
There was something in Lasky's voice that Shepard wasn't sure of. A distant, almost sort of melancholy tone towards what, the Commander wasn't sure.
Captain Lasky walked towards the Normandy ramp. It was a slow, deliberate walk. Shepard looked to Liara, who only shrugged.
They followed the Captain. Garrus had given the Master Chief an Avenger Rifle block. It transformed in his hands, and from there he carefully studied the nomenclature. When the Commander walked up, the Master Chief handed the rifle back to Garrus.
He and the rest of Spartan Blue team approached the Commander and stood at parade rest.
"Sir, we're readying our gear. Only a few more hours." John reported. "Orders?"
"Um, as you were. You don't need to stand like that." Shepard said. The Spartans instantly reverted back to normal position in unison.
Shepard wasn't exactly sure what to say. Strangely enough, most of his crew weren't military. At least Alliance military. It oddly made it easier to deal with and integrate them with the rest of the Normandy crew.
But these were men and women with orders. With their own chain of command and leaders they follow. They weren't really under Shepard's command. They were essentially leased to him.
"I assumed you all have been briefed?" The Commander asked.
"Yes, sir. We're still studying the topographical map and local Asari asset positions." John said.
"And also still studying your weapons." Fred added.
"Learning anything new?" Shepard asked.
"Yeah. Their average rifle is a lot heavier than ours. I don't know how you can provide fire discipline with this thing without a scope." Garrus commented as he inspected the silver rifle. A 'MA5D' if Shepard remembered, but colloquial the UNSC just called them assault rifles.
"You don't." Fred said. "We have reticles linked to our HUDs, but generally it's just the 'spray and pray' method. Fire it in bursts of three you can lay down pretty accurate fire."
Fred seemed to ease the two groups. He had a friendly and charismatic tone.
"That sounds reasonable." Shepard said, "um, so, I'd like to get to know you all."
Fred went quiet for a moment. They looked to each other as if Shepard was speaking in a different language.
"It should say everything there is to say in the briefs." Fred said for the team.
Liara stood at Shepard's side. "And yet that's extremely impersonal."
The Spartans didn't say anything. They stood absolutely still, as if they were frozen.
"Captain Lasky told us you've been fighting for a while." Shepard pressed. "Thirty-three years?"
"That's correct, sir." John said.
They didn't say anything more.
"I see… So how did you join the UNSC?" Shepard asked.
"Spartans!" Lasky interrupted. He turned from observing the final docking procedures of the Condor with the Normandy. "Continue working. I need to speak with the Commander."
Captain Lasky quickly and almost angrily led Liara and Shepard back to where they were, away from the Normandy crew and Blue Team.
"This is just one op." Lasky began. "I think it's best for everyone to just do the job and go home."
"Captain, what's wrong?" Liara asked. She crossed her arms and took a step forward. "What are you trying to hide?"
"Blue Team'll do the job, Doctor. You do yours." Lasky also took a step forward. Shepard got in between the two. He placed a hand on Lasky's chest. "Just leave them alone. Get in. Get out. It's done."
Whatever took hold of Lasky immediately slipped away. He sighed, and looked more tired than ever. He didn't say anything, and stepped away.
"You want the truth, Commander?" Lasky balled his fist. "These Spartans are not in a good place. And sending them out like this is only going to make them worse."
"All hands, all hands, now here this!" The ship intercom echoed throughout the hanger. "This is UNSC AI Roland! Standby for slipspace transit. All cargo class B and under is now secured. Captain is needed on bridge."
"Commander, take care of them." Lasky said. "Get them back alive."
With that, hesitantly he walked away towards the hanger tram station.
Liara pinched the bridge of her knows. "Well, at least we know evern Lasky can be pushed. Question is what is he protecting?"
"The Spartans." Shepard answered.
"I know. But from what? It's certainly not the enemy."
"From us?"
"We've seen how they were." Liara continued. "They don't thrive socially. They nearly disappear into the background when there's no combat.
"They're just machines, Shepard." Liara concluded.
Shepard wanted to bring up what they had witnessed a few minutes ago, but after a moment he realized what she meant.
He wondered what their real mission was then.
"Do you think they're dangerous?" He dared asked. He already knew the answer. She knew he already knew the answer.
Aboard SSV Normandy, incursion into Thessian atmosphere, ETA: five minutes, inbound to
Insertion Point Cadillac, 2186 Citadel Calendar, 07:19, Operation SUN GOD
Shepard took a shaky breath. For whatever reason, the armor seemed heavier than before. More constraining. It was becoming harder and harder every time he had to do this.
"Shepard?" Liara stepped next to him. She now wore a modified white and blue Alliance combat load. Gear with metallic cuts all over the body, similar to Shepard's N7 armor. "Will you be okay?"
Shepard only managed a quiet nod. Maybe a signal that he really wasn't gonna be okay, but at this point they had no other choice.
Liara kissed him on the check.
"We're going home, Liara." Shepard said. "Are you sure you can handle that?"
Liara didn't answer. She looked away and proceeded towards the elevator…
Shepard will follow in a minute.
"Elite Corvettes are standing by to enter the system. Condor has been launched and is prepping to slip into Thessia. On your orders, Commander." Joker reported. He moved some orange holo-screens on his terminal and prepped for atmospheric incursion.
"The Reapers have slowed down the Asari advance to a standstill. Friendly forces have tried punching a hole to the Temple of Athame, but currently the area is contested." EDI reported.
Ever since her...encounter on the Citadel she had slowly recovered. But Shepard and Joker noticed she was a lot more quiet than before. She spoke more softly and wasn't as active.
Shepard had tried talking to her, but she refused to divulge anything that had happened. She didn't want to talk about it at all.
Shepard would respect that. For now.
"Contact the Elites. We're about to go in." Shepard turned and headed towards the hanger. Liara was waiting for him at the end of the hallway of the CIC.
"Do you know how bad it is down there?" Shepard asked. He tried to keep his eyes off the CIC crew. They tended to their work, and Specialist Traynor was at her station prepping communication lines.
He couldn't even look Traynor in the face anymore.
Shepard sighed. The two entered the elevator.
"My contacts on the ground say it's...utter chaos. Asari High Command in the last week has switched priority from pushing toward Athame to prepping as many civilians for mass evac as they could." Liara placed a hand on Shepard's shoulder. "It'll be okay."
Shepard took a breath. He was pretty sure she was saying that for her own sake.
Liara remained closed to him, and despite the armor he could still feel her warmth.
The elevator doors opened.
"Oh my God, will you two lovebirds get a damn room already!?" Urdnot Wrex yelled from across the Normandy hanger bay.
"You know those two are a thing, right?" Tali answered as she leaned on a stack of crates, overlooking her shotgun for any discrepancies.
"...Wait, really? For how long?"
"A bit before we almost died on Ilos." Shepard wasn't sure why but she almost sounded angry. "You didn't know that?"
"I was more or less concentrating on the whole trying not to die thing." Wrex answered.
Admittedly, Shepard was glad Wrex decided to tag along instead of heading back to Tachanka. It was a last minute change. Shepard felt like Wrex would be more useful here than back at his home.
Not only that...but Grunt decided to tag along too.
He looked over to the Kodiak shuttle. Cortez was making last minute checks before they launched. Ever since Illium he fully recovered and was back in action.
"How many bad guys you think will be down there?" Grunt asked, crushing his fist with his other hand as he stepped away from a weapons rack. "I wanna show these Spartans a thing or two."
"Hopefully the Asari have tried their best to clear what they can...but, well we've seen what victory means in this war." Cortez commented.
Shepard had already organized them into two squads. Shepard was taking Liara and Wrex on the surface to make contact with Blue team. Tali was leading the second squad, composed of Thane, Grunt, and Ashley, who'll punch a hole towards the Temple of Athame. Soon after, the Elites will deploy to secure landing zones. Asari troops were stuck and spread thin. Hopefully the Elites will help.
"Stand by, we're entering atmosphere. Team prep for deployment." Joker announced on the ship intercom.
Aboard UNSC Condor
Atmospheric Incursion ETA: Sixty Seconds, inbound to Insertion Point Archer
07:24, 2557 Military Calendar
It felt different this time.
The assault rifle almost felt...foreign, as if it were the first time John had picked one up. It felt like he was in boot camp again, so long ago. The very first few days where he was unsure. Just like all the others, he didn't know what to do. He didn't know where he was at. And he was…
Scared.
This was the first time in...the first time in a long time where he felt scared. After a while, over the years, that feeling became...numb. He was always calm, always knew exactly what to do without hesitation. Fear became...excitement in a way. A wanting to begin the mission and get it done.
But now… He didn't… He almost didn't want to…do this.
"Blue Team, stand by. We've entered atmosphere, pushing towards I.P Archer. Stand by to drop." Spartan Miller announced on the intercoms.
The rest of Blue Team grabbed their weapons. Kelly grabbed the shotgun, holstered it and grabbed a DMR. Linda readied up her sniper rifle. Besides that, all she took was a standard pistol. That's all she would really need.
Fred grabbed a battle rifle from the weapons rack and stood next to the Chief. He nodded to him.
They were here with him.
So...why...why was he scared?
"Chief, should I flip open the gencomms?" Fred asked.
It was something the Asari High Command had given to them. It was an open long range frequency channel with all friendly forces in range. AHC had informed all local friendly units that both Blue Team and Shepard's crew had priority mission status and they were to assist by any means necessary.
John was only able to nod. Fred blinked to a certain spot on his HUD, and thus flipped the switch. Asari heavy traffic began to burst through their audio feeds.
"-I say again, we have sustained heavy casualties and are pulling out of the A.O-"
"-WE HAVE NO EFFECT ON TARGET! WE'RE BUGGING OUT! WE'RE GETTING-"
Linda tapped his shoulder… Somehow, John had almost forgotten. He turned around to find she had an extra jetpack. He quickly equipped it. The fuel indicator lit up on his HUD.
"Lyindan Five-One has been wiped out. Lyindan Five-Two, retrograde back across the Askera River-"
John checked his HUD. His teams' vitals and status were linked in the corner, surrounding his twenty-five meter motion sensor. Shield status at the top of his vision. Rifle type, status, and ammo counter linked in the top right corner.
"-is Wetwork FAC, we have no available firemission at this time. All units are engaging-"
More voices and static screamed on the comms. Each one more gargled then the next.
Grenade indicator was active. Two frags, plus two plasma grenades the Chief was able to acquire.
"Roger up." The Chief ordered.
"-Talon three-two we are going down. Ejecting! EJECTING!"
"Spartan Sierra-104, Blue Three up." Fred reported.
"We are taking heavy fire from that Reaper destroyer. We are down to fifteen percent-"
"Spartan Sierra-087, Blue Two up." Kelly said.
"GET THAT ROCKET UP NOW! WE GOT ENEMIES ACROSS-"
"Spartan Sierra-058, Blue Four up." Linda whispered.
The cargo bed of the Condor began to shake. John could hear the engines strain even from inside the ship.
"Spartans, we are nearing the dropzone." Spartan Miller's voice reported. He was ecstatic and energized. "Once you drop, the Condor will go dark and be on station. We'll push back to I.P Archer and provide weapons drop pod deployment and CAS as needed."
That was the only thing they lacked. Spartans, as in all things, were highly trained in Forward Air Traffic Control. They could coordinate strikes with precision. John just hoped that Asari firemission protocols were in some way similar to the UNSC.
That was the only thing that would go wrong, and it was minor… So why was he still...scared?
Why could he feel his heart beat faster and faster? And why did his armor feel...heavy again?
"-this is Star Four actual, our position is untenable. We are having no effect on that Reaper destroyer, and it is continuing to push towards the Temple defensive lines-"
"-Good copy on all. We have no reinforcements available at this time. Suggest you abandon the civilian evac site and retrograde to-"
"Darkstar One-Three, this is Talon Swarm. Be advised, we spot two-hundred plus foot mobiles converging on your position, advise immediate evac-"
"We are not evacuating civilians fast enough. I say again, we are not evacuating civilians-"
The cargo bay went dark. A small red light appeared over the cargo door.
The Chief cocked his assault rifle.
"Asari Battery Serpent three is combat ineffective. Pulling back remaining assets-"
"-WE'RE BEING OVERRUNNED! THIS IS DAGGER THREE-TWO! WE CANNOT HOLD OUR POSITION! THE TEMPLE IS BEING OVERRUN-!"
"This is Jewel One-One, requesting to prosecute and destroy all positions west of the Askera River-"
"-this is Bridge Talibtha evac site, Ashera One-Five, Task Force Vendora. Defense team is down to ten percent combat effectiveness. Our situation is critical. We are taking heavy military and civilian casualties. Requesting immediate reinforcements on our position.
"Does anyone copy?"
The last transmission was nearly crystal clear. Bridge Talibtha. The nearest friendly stronghold near the temple. If the temple was being overrun...
John did something he hadn't done in a while. Something CPO Mendez had taught him… How to at the very least hide fear.
And it was to simply speak with confidence.
The Master Chief got on the Asari general comms. He spoke.
"This is Spartan Sierra-117, Spartan Team Blue. We hear you Task Force Vendora. Leave it to us. We'll eliminate local hostile elements and proceed to push towards priority objective uniform x-ray."
The light turned green, and the doors opened up to reveal a smoldering blood red and orange sky filled with black fires and clouds of ash. The air was crowded as groups of Asari and Reaper fighters fought for contested skies. Explosions of random flak rounds that missed their targets patterned the air.
And...without hesitation, Blue Team sprinted towards the door and jumped out. Exposed to the atmosphere. A fall of nearly eight-hundred meters.
The wind rushed passed them. The Master Chief's gut tightened. He observed the topography below. Large buildings few and far inbetween that looked like white cones. In between those buildings were glistening rivers, artificial lakes, and smooth geometric bridges dotted with Reaper Capital ships that seemed to rise and disappear into the clouds above. Directly below was Bridge Tabitha. Covered in wreckage and destroyed barriers, the Chief could see the exchange of blue and red lasers even from seven-hundred meters in the air.
"This is Ashera One-Five, Task Force Vendora. Say again your last, what was your callsign?" The voice repeated.
Six-hundred meters to surface. The Chief steadied his assault rifle, used his jetpack to make adjustments to get the landing zone just right.
"This is Talon Swarm to Wetwork Actual, we have a unidentified user on comms and a UFO on scope. Please advice."
"-Spartan Team blue? What in Goddess' name is that callsign?"
"All friendly elements in the A.O, can we confirm on that priority uniform x-ray?"
Four-hundred meters. Thessia was coming in faster. The Chief could make out the finer details. Twelve Asari soldiers holding the line and rows upon rows of what looked like orange body bags only a few meters behind them.
"By the Goddess, it's them!"
One-hundred meters. The Chief twisted his body to ensure his jetpack was faced downwards. He activated them, slowing down the descent.
It was still a hard landing, but his armor and shields held. His feet were now on a crumbled bridge. He instinctively aimed his assault rifle forward. All that was in front of him was the horde of Reaper husks and cannibals.
And the Chief pulled the trigger, eliminating the nearest husks. One of the husks got to close. The Chief grabbed it by the arm, used his other free hand to shove the barrel of the assault rifle into its stomach. He unleashed a few rounds until its body went limp.
The rest of Blue Team landed behind him. Linda aimed down her scope, and in less than a second a A.P round pierced two cannibals, knocking them to the floor. Fred fired off steady rounds from his DMR, scoring headshots on each cannibal that came in his scope.
They pushed up. A few Reaper rounds hit their shields, but so far they were holding. It didn't hit as hard as plasma rounds, but it did slightly eat away at shields even after impact.
Right. Careful.
The Chief fired off another controlled burst. Another Husk went down.
The bridge itself was long and thin. No cover at all. If the Reapers got here mostly unharmed, then this is the only local gun position the Asari have.
Something flew down from the sky, landed only a couple dozen meters away from the Spartans. It crushed a few Husks in its landing zone.
Harvester. It screamed, robotic and deep, as if it were trying to scare the Spartans. The Master Chief holstered his assault rifle, brought out his secondary weapon. Shotgun. He charged forward. The Harvester wasn't sure what to do at first. It seemed frozen. After a mere second, it began to fire its three round burst silo.
It missed the Chief. He slid the last couple meters, getting under the Harvester's belly. It was just more unnatural red skin interlaced with metal tubs. Unlike the rest of the body it didn't seem to be armored.
The Chief cocked the shotgun. Fired off a round. Cocked it. Fired another round.
The Harvester screamed. It tried to maneuver to grab the Chief. He twisted his body, rolled on his side until he was out from under the Reaper. He holstered his shotgun, brought out the assault rifle. The Chief grabbed a tub connected to its main body and pulled himself up. He unleashed a full mag into the Harvester's unarmored body.
It still wouldn't go down. As the Harvester tried to shake him off, the Chief maintained balance. He forced himself forward toward its head. He ripped out chunks of dead flesh and tubing with his bare hands to keep balance.
He reached the head, quickly reloaded the assault rifle and fired off another few rounds. The Harvester seemed to scream in pain. The Chief unsheathed his K-Bar from his chest plate, forced it into the armor chinks along its neck. A black fluid seeped out of the wounds, stained his knife.
Still wouldn't go down. He had one last trick. He unclipped a plasma grenade from his belt, pressed the green activation button. One of the wounds he made was large enough to fit it. He threw his assault rifle away, using one hand to pry off the remaining armor plate. He shoved the grenade deep into the wound. His hand and the blue ball of flame disappeared in a black puddle.
He jumped off the Harvester and looked back in time to see the Harvester give one last scream. The plasma grenade went off. A flash of blue light separated a good portion of its neck from its body. More fluid seeped out, and the Harvester's body gave out, collapsing on the deck.
One of the Asari soldiers slowly and cautiously got out of cover. She looked at the Harvester, then to the Spartans.
"Goddess… It didn't even blow up this time." She said.
The Harvester emitted a bright red light, and disappeared in a large explosion. All that was left was smoke and ashes.
"You always had a flare for the dramatic." Kelly said as she walked up to the Chief.
"First impressions." John merely said. The rest of the Asari combat team slowly lifted themselves out of cover. One of them approached Blue Team.
"Goddess… Are you guys the Spartans command told us about?"
The Chief turned to face her. "Ask the Reapers."
...
I.P Cadillac
Liara was staring at the holo-feed of Thessia. It was linked to a camera feed on the surface. It showed a Reaper pushing past an Asari skyscraper, a mere shadow in the Thessian sun.
"Spartan Blue Team is already on the ground, pushing towards the Temple. Normandy'll be on station to provide firemission and CAS, Commander." Joker reported.
Shepard acknowledged and cut the line.
"Liara…?" Shepard began.
"...I can't believe this is really happening…" She quietly said. "This is...I…"
She was the Shadow Broker. She had seen all the reports, read all the articles and briefs. But she could never bear it, never forced herself to actually watch it. She knew she would fall apart the instant she witnessed the same genocide taking place on Earth and Palaven here. At home.
As the buildings and the skyline of her childhood burn to cinder.
"Hey…" Shepard said. He placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked to him, and...she knew he had the same level of fear. "We have to stay focused, okay? If we let up we can't stop this."
"Shepard!" EDI said over the team comlink. "I'm picking up heavy Asari radio chatter. Elements of Task Force Verdona that had been deployed to the Temple and the surrounding residential area have been overrunned by Reaper forces. They lost all contact with the Temple."
"Copy. Revert Tali's team to the nearest Asari position, stand by for orders." Shepard ordered. EDI acknowledged.
"Wow, the Asari can't hold something down. Who would've guessed?" Wrex commented. It caused Liara to laugh a little. "I know this is hard, but get angry. Use your anger against the enemy."
She couldn't get wrapped up in the planet. The Asari that were dead are dead. There's nothing she could do about it.
Nothing.
"Get ready! This is gonna get hot!" Cortez yelled.
Liara braced herself. The cargo doors opened up. Flak rounds ignited near the ship. She could see a makeshift base in the ruins of an Asari apartment complex. Small arms fire as Asari soldiers continued to hold their position.
The shuttle lowered itself into the Asari basecamp. Reaper fire scraped the outer hull, leaving bits of burnt metal and ash to fall to the floor. Wrex brought out his claymore, and Shepard his Mattock. They pushed forward under heavy fire. Liara stayed close behind them, providing them with a biotic shield and some cover fire with her Carnifex.
The Asari had established a crumbling perimeter around the mouth of one of the apartment buildings. One of the soldiers saw the landing team. She came up to them. Liara recognized her…
"Fucking Goddess, small galaxy, huh?" Lieutenant Kurin said. A ravager round hit near her position. She ducked down, then continued on as if nothing happened. "We got word you were coming, Commander."
"Lieutenant." Shepard said. They kneeled down as Reaper fire flew overhead. "What's the situation down here?"
"Fucked, that's for sure. Reaper opposition has been hell and we're taking heavy casualties. I'm pulling my unit out of the A.O."
"What about the team sent into the temple?" Liara asked.
Another ravager round landed near their position. Lieutenant Kurin led the group towards the back of the perimeter. At the apartment complex entrance was a small Asari radio station. Inside the building was a hallway. It was filled with...rows of body bags.
My people…
Two radio operators were manning the comm station.
"Teara, play the last message we got from the Temple." Kurin ordered. The operator nodded, inputted access codes to a message dated about two days ago.
"-is… Commander Shila...Unknown contacts inside Temple…" There was a lot of static. She could hear gunfire in the background.. "Unidentified Reaper infantry units inside the Temple…. Position untenable. I say again, unidentified Reaper contacts…. Goddess…"
Liara couldn't hear the voice anymore. It was simply replaced by an inhuman scream. It almost sounded like a Banshee, but not quite. It was more controlled, robotic, and had a deeper pitch.
Shepard looked to Liara. Like him, she wasn't sure what it was.
"What elements do you have in the area?" Shepard asked.
"Task Force Verdona was made of whatever assets we could scrape up. Command sent a human team, Feros Commando team, something like that, to secure the Temple. Armali Second Biotic Infantry Division was deployed to secure the local residential area and establish a defensive perimeter. I think a Justicar named Samara or something like that was embedded in their unit. Went into the area with them."
...
Bridge Tabitha
"Second BID is scattered. And we've had no further contact with the Feros team since." The Asari officer explained to Blue Team.
"How far is the Temple?" The Chief asked.
"Five klicks. A little less. The Reapers sent a destroyer into the residential area, so the enemy has the area pretty much locked down."
The Chief nodded, and the Spartans turned back toward the bridge. For the moment it seemed clear. However that didn't mean there weren't any enemy sniper teams keeping watch.
"Friendly forces?" He asked.
"Um, well again, Second BID is scattered. Their nearest position to the Temple was Outpost Tykis, but Goddess knows if they're still alive. We're the nearest known surviving friendly position…. Command told us to wait for civilian evacuations… It made us a juicy target for the Reapers."
The Spartans began to slowly take their first step toward the bridge. If the Chief remembered correctly, this bridge will take them directly into the residential zone.
They were about to step off.
"Wait...I lost nearly my entire unit… What's in that Temple? What the hell have we been dying for?" The officer pleaded.
The Master Chief stopped for a moment, and he responded, despite fear trying to stop him. "We'll handle the situation from here, ma'am. Follow your orders, hold this position."
The officer didn't know what to say. But either way, Blue Team was already off. Linda pulled up a local topography map and was scouting possible sniper positions that could overlook the bridge.
"It's a suicide trek across this bridge, but it's the fastest way to the residential area." Fred said. "Shepard and Tali's team are already on the ground."
There were a few possible enemy sniper positions the Chief could easily see. The Reapers would only have direct positions that gave them a perpendicular firing line with the bridge.
The team began to move out, leaving the Asari officer and her soldiers speechless. Kelly played scout while Fred played Linda's spotter. A simple two-hundred meter sprint.
They pushed out, running. No resistance so far.
He heard a sharp snap. He turned around. Linda had spotted something and had taken the shot. The Chief saw the distinctive bullet trail of the sniper rifle. She hit a target four-hundred meters out in a fifth story window. Direct hit while she was moving.
…
Residential Area, Five klicks from Temple
"Shepard, Tali's team is reporting heavy resistance. I've scanned the Asari gencomms. There are still some scattered remnants of Second BID fighting. They indeed report that a Justicar has been embedded with them but at the moment she's MIA." EDI reported from the Normandy.
Shepard got off the commlink. He looked to Lieutenant Kurin. "What's the fastest way to the Temple?"
"We had an MSR from here to the Temple… MSR Angel, but most people call it MSR Suicide."
"And why's that?" Wrex asked.
"Because it's better killing yourself then trying to push through it. Second BID took heavy casualties just to establish it, and even more casualties trying to hold it. Course now with shit hitting the fan, the MSR is most likely compromised."
"All Asari apartment complexes are interconnected above ground and on a sublevel. We can move there without as much resistance as we'd get on the surface." Liara said.
That's if the Reapers haven't destroyed the access ways or flooded it with husks and cannibals to snuff out whatever civilians were hiding. Either way, it seemed like the best shot towards the Temple.
"Tali, can you hear me?" Shepard said on comms.
"We're here… Boshet! Reapers are putting up a helluva fight! We've got a few Asari soldiers helping us out, but it's a warzone down here!"
Shepard knew the priority, but if Samara was still alive… He had to get whoever he could out of that hellhole…
He won't let more people die.
"EDI, connect me to Blue Team." Shepard ordered.
"Copy, Commander. Stand by…" EDI reported.
A few moments passed by. A ravager round hit one of the Asari barricades. A soldier went down.
"This is Blue Team. Go, Commander." The Master Chief said on the line.
"Master Chief? There's been a change in plans." Shepard said.
"Send it, sir."
"Residential area has been compromised. What's your ETA?"
"We landed northwest outside the residential area. We're pushing through to reach the A.O. ETA: fifteen mikes"
"Copy. We're proceeding through sublevels of Asari apartment complexes. We'll meet up at the secondary RV."
The Master Chief acknowledged, then immediately cut the line. Spartans weren't very talkative Shepard quickly learned.
"Lieutenant," Shepard turned to Kurin. "Have your men hold this position, and try to get a link with Asari High Command. We need to push through to the Temple!"
"With all due respect, Commander, fuck that! We're down to twenty percent combat effectiveness. I'm getting whatever men I have the hell outta here." Kurin yelled. "AHC didn't even tell us what the hell we're dying for."
Liara briefly looked to the Thessian horizon. To the numerous Reaper capital ships that glassed the surface of the planet. Liara put her hand up, stopping the Lieutenant from merely walking away.
"Lieutenant...you're witnessing the extinction of our entire race." Liara said. "If you fall back...then this may be the very last time you'll see Thessia. What's in that Temple...can end this war."
Kurin didn't speak. She was silent, looking to her men as they held the line against the seemingly infinite Reaper forces. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Goddess, fuck…
"Alright. Alright… I'll raise comms with AHC… Shepard," Kurin turned to the Commander. "We also received word that something will get a lot of civies outta here emass. If we die here… get 'em the fuck outta here. Promise me."
...Another promise…. Shepard's breath was shaky…. "I will, Lieutenant."
...
Outskirts of the Residential Area, two klicks from secondary RV Gamma
"-GET THOSE GUNS… FALLING BACK TO…" More chatter on the gencomms, intermixed with static and small arms fire.
About four hundred meters behind them, the horizon was blocked by a Reaper destroyer that prosecuted whatever Asari positions were left in the residential area.
Blue Team carefully traversed a narrow alleyway located between what looked like a residential apartment and an abandoned warehouse. It was about three meters wide. There was an Asari soldier propped up against the right wall of the alleyway. Her face and chest was covered in purple blood.
Fred cautiously walked up, checked her vitals, shook his head. She was dead.
They pushed forward. The Chief was up front. He could see some sort of intersection up ahead about one-hundred meters.
He put his hand up. Halt. The other Spartans stopped where they were and kneeled.
The Chief listened to the gencomms. He put it on shortrange.
A voice came through. "This is Sunfire two-two on all frequencies, please Goddess, we need help! We can't hold them. Please…."
Her voice was panicky and nearly on the verge of shock.
A voice came on tac-comm. "This is Spartan Miller. I see numerous baddies surrounding what looks like a destroyed apartment complex. Multiple friendles are in there but they're getting their asses kicked. I'll start dropping weapons pods in the intersection up ahead to give you guys more firepower."
The Chief immediately cut the line. He didn't need to hear anything more. But… Spartan Miller was kind enough to send them a local tactical map. The destroyed apartment building was two-hundred meters down from the right turn of the intersection.
"Sunfire two-two, this is Spartan Blue Team. We're coming in from the west, two-hundred meters out. Hold your fire to the west!" The Chief said.
A static transmission came through. "Okay...okay, roger. We'll hold fire to the west. Please! Please, Goddess, hurry, we can't hold out!"
They reached the intersection. Fred leaned out. He made a couple hand signals. Around three dozen hostiles up ahead. Two armored ravagers. Standard infantry. Staggered lines.
Linda braced herself on the left wall, obtaining an angle on a few Reaper troops. She pulled the trigger. The Chief didn't see what got hit.
Fred was the first one up. He pushed forward, providing suppressive fire with his DMR.
Weapons pods rained form above. They hit the pavement in the middle of the intersection, piercing the ground until they hit dirt. One of them had a railgun.
Kelly pushed second. The Chief last. Already, multiple Reapers were down on the floor turning into ash. He could see a couple Asari in a makeshift barricade position along a rubble area of what the Chief assumed was the destroyed apartment building.
The Chief reached the weapons pod. Switched out his shotgun for the railgun. He immediately aimed it at one of the ravagers. The weapon charged up, and before the ravager could turn around a massive hole pierced through the center body. The round exploded in the wall behind the ravager.
It collapsed on the floor and began to turn into ash.
He loaded up another round. Aimed at the other ravager. This time, the Chief hit armored plating. A controlled explosion tore off the upper half of the ravager, and like a Promethean, it quickly disappeared into ash at the impact point.
Linda eliminated outer cannibals, punching a hole towards the destroyed apartment building. She dislocated from her position to join the other three and pushed to the barricade section.
There were a lot of Asari bodies everywhere. Only five were left. Two manning the barricade, one tended to a wounded, and one on the radio. The Spartans moved into cover near the Asari, and the Chief reached the radio operator.
"Oh...oh thank Goddess…" The Chief could see tears forming in her eyes… She had this black rectangle across this face. From the skin at the edge of her eye, traveling all the way to the other eye, over the bridge of her nose. She looked like a raccoon.
"Soldier, what's the situation!?" The Chief asked as he kneeled down. She seemed to be hyperventilating.
"...We're all that's left… All that's left. Half our platoon got wiped…" She was nearly suffocating. Her hand gripped the comm phone connected to the link box until her knuckles bright blue.
The Chief looked at her for a moment. She was going into complete panic. Spartans were taught the basics on how to handle this.
"Soldier, look at me." The Chief said. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "What's your name?"
"Uh…" She looked out in the distance. "Private...Private First Class Pelessaria B'Salye...everyone...everyone calls me Peebee…"
"PFC B'Salye, you have a job to do. Don't focus on the Reapers." The Chief robotically repeated from a class he had during bootcamp.
And he had repeated the same thing with Cortana...
"We heard you on the radio! You guys that specialized extraction team?" One of the Asari at the barricades said. "Peebee's… It's just hard on her but she's the only one who knows the radio callouts."
"Can you tell me the situation then?" The Chief asked. The soldier moved from the barricade to their position.
"We're second platoon, Beta Company, Second BID. We were deployed to help secure a MSR to the Temple for you guys. Half our platoon got wiped out bit by bit by Reaper forces. The other half got murdered by that Reaper destroyer."
As if on cue, the Reaper destroyer made a loud electronic hum as it continued to prosecute targets with its main cannon.
"Do you have any assets in the area to knock it out?" The Chief asked.
"Negative… We've got no ships in atmosphere or orbit. Our battalion was torn apart. We've been under siege for days and…"
Direct fire hit near their position. It hit the Asari barricade, and shrapnel hit the other Asari defender. She went down, screaming, gripping her forearm.
The Asari medic rushed to her position and dragged her back to the other causality.
Peebee pushed herself against cover, raising her hands above her head as if she could make it all disappear.
"Thank Goddess you guys got here when you did." She said. "I'm Corporal Kalinda T'Reve. We heard a lot about you guys…"
"UNSC?" Kelly said.
"Yeah, that and Spartans. Heard you guys can literally rip Banshees to shreds."
"Look at that. We're famous." Fred added.
The Chief briefly looked up from cover. Reaper forces were light but steady. The destroyer roamed in the distance, focused on large targets.
"Our priority is to push towards the Temple of Athame. We have limited intel of enemy positions in this area. Besides that destroyer, what else is there?" The Chief asked.
"For all we know, we might be the last of Second BID. It was only a matter of time, but...Reapers came pouring in. It's a damn sea of them from here to the Temple."
A sea of enemies was doable. Urban terrain. Chokepoints, high grounds, large areas of easily acquirable enfilade.
"We need whatever assets you have. Get online with the local FAC. Use priority code uniform x-ray." The Chief said to PFC B'Salye.
She didn't seem to hear him at first. She still gripped the phone. Brought it to her mouth. She was trying to speak but stumbled on words.
Corporal T'Reve dislocated from her position and moved next to PFC B'Salye. She kneeled down, hugged her.
"Peebee? Hey? It's okay. Just focus. Okay? It's gonna be okay…" Kalinda whispered in a soft and gentle voice. Reassuring and loving.
"...We'll get you out of here." The Master Chief felt like he needed to add. He wasn't sure why.
PFC B'Salye… Peebee took a deep breath, swallowed whatever fear she had, and spoke. "This is Sunfire Two-two to Wetwork FAC. Hal copy?"
"This is Wetwork FAC. Send traffic." Gencomms reported.
"Sunfire Two-Two transmitting for callsign Spartan Group Blue. Requesting immediate firemission and CAS on my pos. Priority uniform x-ray."
"Copy, Sunfire Two-Two. We're talking to Wetwork Actual. Standby."
A few Reaper bolts passed overhead. Too close for comfort. A few more moments passed by. The Chief fired off his assault rifle, providing suppressive fire for the rest of Blue Team.
"Sunfire Two-Two this is Wetwork FAC, firemission and CAS approved. Redirecting your transmission to Talon Swarm."
Another moment. Another voice came on the line. "Sunfire Two-Two, this is Talon Swarm. Callsign Talon One-Five is redirecting, entering the A.O in ETA three minutes. Flight of two, angels point two. Armed with Mantis Missiles and G.U Eezo guns, twenty-thousand rounds a piece. Close direct fire. Call the shot."
Peebee looked to the Master Chief. "Uh...where do you want them?"
Another burst of fire flew over them. Corporal T'Reve moved back to his position. He looked at her rifle. It was a sniper of some kind. The Chief ripped it from her hands, and gave her his shotgun.
"Um...okay…?" She said.
The Chief peaked out of cover, aimed the alien sniper rifle. It had a similar nomenclature to a Covenant Beam Rifle. He pulled the trigger, eliminating a Marauder.
...
Residential Area, two klicks from Secondary RV Gamma
...Lieutenant Kurin's men provided a distraction, giving enough time for Shepard and his squad to move out. Through broken alleyways and abandoned walkways, they pushed through to a nearby Asari Apartment center. There, hopefully if it's still intact, it'll give them direct access to the sublevels.
"Come on, Liara. We have to keep moving." Wrex said. Liara was staring at a distant Asari building. Most of it was rubble, and...Shepard could see an arm within the debris.
"Shepard…. How did you keep moving? Even after Earth fell?" She asked.
They reached a small intersection. Shepard stopped at the corner. Peaked out. It was completely abandoned. No activity save for the Reaper destroyer in the near distance, scourging the ground for Asari survivors.
"Well, for starts, I had you…" Shepard answered.
Liara sighed.
Shepard kept his Mattock up as he scanned every possible area of enfilade. Wrex dislocated and sprinted to the other end of the intersection.
Wrex peaked out of his cover. Shepard dislocated, and sprinted to his position.
"Shepard, we're detecting a sub-level entrance in that apartment center near your position. Two-hundred meters west." EDI reported.
"Copy. We're pushing through."
They dislocated and moved down through a small alleyway. Weapons up. Shepard could see the larger apartment structure. They turned a corner and soon he could see a service door. They approached it, and Liara opened up her Omni-tool to begin breach procedures.
"This is Sierra-117, come in, Commander." The Master Chief said on comms.
"This is Shepard. Go ahead."
"Be advised, we've proccured firemission. Talon one-five on deck standing by." The Chief reported. "We'll reallocate them to A.O operations. Use priority transmissions. Call the shot."
"Noted. What's your ETA to RV Gamma?" Shepard asked.
"ETA...Forty minutes." The Master Chief cut the line.
"Am I the only one who has a bad feeling about these Spartans?" Wrex asked.
"Are you sure that you just aren't jealous?" Shepard replied.
"Please. Size doesn't matter." Wrex looked back, made sure no Reapers were prepared to ambush. "They don't seem that tough."
Another moment past by. The echoes of artillery and Reaper cannon fire drowned the silence. Finally, the door was opened. They pushed in, clearing the small maintenance room.
"How do we get to the sublevel?" Shepard asked Liara. He saw multiple doors and signs. They were all written in the Asari language.
"This is it. The sublevel should lead directly to RV Gamma." She typed commands in her Omni-tool. One of the hatches opened, revealing a small flight of stairs that lead to the tunnels below.
They pushed through the stairs. Shepard opened a comm link. "Tali, I need a sitrep."
A mess of static came through. Tali spoke. "Boshet, fuck… Are you directing all the Reapers towards us?"
"Is the little Quarian having trouble?" Wrex teased.
"I swear, Wrex…" Shepard could hear an artillery explosion in the background. "Keelah. We can't punch a hole to the Temple without any Asari support or heavy guns to knock out the destroyer. We haven't seen any Asari or their bodies yet. The Reapers couldn't have assimilated them that fast, could they?"
"Wait…" Wrex said. They reached the ground level. A service tunnel with numerous intersections littered with large boxes. Some barricaded certain entrances. "I see peak holes in the barricades. This is an ambush."
"Goddess! They're friendlies!" Someone yelled out. "Hold your fire!"
...
Remnants of Outpost Tykis, two klicks from RV Gamma
"Talon one-five, CAS approved. Clear the way. Guns. Guns. Guns." The pilot said on gencomms.
Reapers had been deployed in large sporadic waves from an unknown origin point, leaving Blue Team immobilized…. They had other objectives, and...in the past marines may have slowed him down, but he wouldn't leave them. He would get as many out of here as he could. That's what CPO Mendez had taught him.
Still, despite this, they had an objective.
They had to keep moving forward.
"Get your heads down!" Corporal T'Reve yelled. The Asari braced, prepping for the shockwave.
The gunships made a low sweeping arc. Painted blue, they looked similar to UNSC Sparrowhawks. Their engines overpowered the sounds of weapons' reports. They began to fire their chainguns in quick seven to nine second bursts. Missile fire interlaced, eliminating groups of Reapers nearly instantly. Debris began to rain from the sky, along with clumps of ashes.
"Spartan Blue Team, this is Talon. Local resistance has been eliminated. Give us ten to refit and refuel, afterwards we'll be on station to provide CAS."
"Roger that, Talon. We're moving." The Chief looked back to the Asari position. The rows of Asari bodies were seemingly endless. "Corporal, we have an objective. We have to keep pushing."
"What…? We can't move and no way in hell we're going to that Temple. You gotta get us outta here!" She responded.
"That isn't our job." Fred dislocated to join the Chief. "We eliminated most of the resistance from here to Bridge Tabitha. Stay, regroup with Second Bid, get out. Doesn't matter."
"You can stick with us, but we're not waiting on you." The Chief said. Still...he saw something in Corporal T'Reve. That same look Dubbo had given him on Illium…
And it was only now that he was certain what that look meant.
"...If you get on the radio and use priority uniform x-ray, you may get CASEVAC. If not, at the very least firemission." The Chief added. "We already have to take out that Reaper destroyer to secure the Temple. If High Command can't send anything because of it, just stand by."
"And how are you gonna expect to take it out with just four of you?"
"We'll find a way." The Chief replied.
"Time to get creative." Fred added. "We've dealt with worse."
Corporal T'Reve, nodded. "Thank you...Spartan."
She headed over to PFC Peebee and leaned down. She squeezed her hand. "Hey, here that? We're getting out of here, okay?"