Fields of Armor
Noveria - Aleutsk Valley – 1230 hours
Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams – Squad NCO
It sounded like the world was being torn apart – a near deafening roar engulfed the M35 Mako followed by the entire vehicle being shaken like a child's toy. Red lights flashed in the cabin and a monitor showed a blank spot where their shields once held.
Thank God for sloped armor.
"Go hull down in that defilade, chief," Commander Shepard said with only the hint of tension in her voice. They had gotten lucky. The shot that fried their shields had deflected off of the armor and detonated just behind them.
Ash didn't have to be told twice. She floored the accelerator and the six fat tires of the Mako dug into snowy ground, spitting up ice behind them. If they could make it to cover, Tali could fix the shields right quick. The quarian had an uncanny knack for mechanics. Too bad she had to be all scrunched up in the back of the tank to fit. A sudden electronic shrieking in the cabin snapped Ash back on task and she saw a spike on their warning receiver. A laser sight had lined them up for a shot.
"Incoming!" called Lieutenant Alenko in the Defensive Operators seat next to her. He'd saved their asses several times already by disrupting Geth targeting. Alenko waved his hand over the glowing control panel and the Mako began releasing smoke as chaff shot out of tubes on the hull. "Countermeasures deployed!"
Ash saw the plume of energy on the monitor coming from the port side. That damn Geth Armature had just fired another charged round. She could hear the rattle of the Mako's coaxial machinegun firing in retaliation. Seated just behind her, the commander was on the Mako's guns. The chief watched as the round closed like a lightning bolt. The timing would have to be close.
One, two, three….
Ash pumped the other peddle and thrusters lifted the Mako off of the frozen ground. The Geth's shot shrieked underneath them and slammed into the valley wall. For a couple of moments they floated midair until the feeling of weightlessness took hold.
Here it comes. She always hated this part and grit her teeth. The squeal of metal and rubber hitting the ground combined with the sudden jarring sensation of gravity told Ash that they were back on the surface. If it wasn't for that Mass Effect core instantly reducing their mass they'd all be jello by now.
"Target, two-two-five, engaging!" Shepard shouted over the din and the whir of an energy pulse spun up. The 155mm cannon spat out a guided APDS round, which quickly scanned for the Armature. Upon leaving the barrel, a ceramic sleeve, or sabot fell away, and guidance fins deployed from the round. The projectile changed course and rocketed at the enemy. An Armature is nothing if not tough and it threw up a blizzard of small caliber fire to defend itself. One shot nicked the body of the projectile, but it wasn't enough to stop all of that kinetic energy. The 155mm shell crashed into the head of the Armature, its hard casing slicing through armor like warm butter to inject molten metal into the enemy's electronics. A millisecond later, the warhead detonated, shattering the Geth and hurling chunks of metal dozens of meters away.
"That's a kill," Shepard said as the Mako stopped on a dime behind cover.
Ash turned back to see Tali shake her head as if dizzy. "You okay back there?"
The quarian's bright eyes blinked a couple of times. "I'll live. Just let me clear this nutrient paste from my mask and I'll fix your shields."
It looked like there were blotches of goo stuck on the inside of the tinted visor. It was a rough ride and it was better if the chief didn't ask. A jet of air from inside of Tali's helmet blew the goo away and she gave Ash a thumbs up. Tali was starting to catch onto some of the quainter human customs.
"We're going to get more company soon," Kaiden said, pointing out more red triangles on the countermeasure scanner.
"Where the heck are Garrus and Wrex?" Ash asked. "Are we fighting this war all by ourselves?" Just like she predicted, the aliens had probably bugged out on them. So, here they were, the Citadel's war dogs, fighting the bear all alone.
"The M29 Grizzlys are pretty slow, chief," the commander said. "Give them time to catch up. After all, not every tank can fly like the Mako."
When they left Port Hanshan down the hill, the turian and the krogan "borrowed" one of the M29 Grizzly tanks to follow the Mako. Even Lance Corporal Fredericks jumped in, still eager to prove his mettle. Behind them came Captain Maeko Matsuo with three more vehicles. Well, they were going to need them all as a battle was brewing.
Shepard tapped her headset. "Garrus, what's your status?"
"…just under a klick…making best speed…. Be advised…not…. Over."
Ash sighed. Communications were horrendous in this storm that was raging over the valley. They just had to hunker down for a minute while Tali got the shields back up. The chief put her hands together and said a silent prayer to the Man upstairs. There had been a lot of prayers lately, especially after the gig to Therum. They barely made it out of the Prothean ruins before being roasted alive or crushed. Ash knew that God was looking out for her though. It was His loving hand that had kept her safe in battle after battle against all odds. What was that passage from Isaiah that she loved so much? She couldn't recall it at the moment.
"Hey chief," the commander said, drawing her attention behind her, "you up for another history lesson?"
"Sure, commander."
"Battle of Kursk, Eastern Front, Nineteen Forty Three. German Field Marshal Von Manstein nearly beat the Soviets, but in the end, was decisively defeated. The Russians had great defense in depth and were masters of deception. This'll be the Geth's Kursk."
Ash furrowed her brows but didn't quite get it. "Commander?"
Just then, Tali tapped on the ceiling of the Mako. "Shields ready, Shepard."
Shepard smiled as she tapped her headset. "Garrus, we can't get our shields back online. We're falling back!"
Again, Ash furrowed her brows. What in God's name…?
"Commander," Alenko chimed in. "The Geth are closing rapidly. I've got four Armatures and infantry. Initiating jamming."
The chief understood. She'd read about Kursk in her staff school back on Arcturus – it was the largest tank battle in human history and it took the lives of two and a half million people when it was over. From then on, the Nazis fought a losing war to complete annihilation. Ash hoped this 'Kursk' would have a bit less casualties. "On your orders, commander."
The red triangles on the scanner panel accelerated towards the Mako. A distant warbling sound broke the quiet wintery landscape, signaling the Geth onslaught. "Arty, incoming," Shepard said with calm determination. "Hang tight, marines." In the dim red light, her face had a scary juxtaposition of serenity and demonic bloodlust that gave Ash a shiver.
A moment later, the deep crump of artillery rumbled through the cabin and bits of ice and shrapnel tinkled along the hull of the Mako. It was really tough to tell with quarians, but Tali's scrunched up face behind the nearly opaque mask spoke of near terror.
"Normally," Tali said nervously, wincing with each explosive near miss, "the Geth would have their infantry screen their heavy machines, but I think they really want to kill you, Shepard. They're throwing caution to the wind."
Shepard looked at the back of her hand as if she were casually checking her nails. "That's what I'm hoping for."
Suddenly, the barrage stopped. The Geth would be closing in for the kill. The commander patted Ash on the shoulder. " Chargez!" she said in French. The chief smirked as she jammed down on the accelerator. The commander always had a thing for Napoleon. Vive l'Empereur!
The fat tires bit into the snow and the Mako jolted from behind cover. Ash kicked in the thrusters to give them that extra push and the tank sailed into the blizzard to land on a Geth trooper, knocking it under the wheels. The Mako bounced on the trooper and Ash squealed the tires over it, smearing its metal innards over the surface of Noveria.
The Mako jumped ahead again, catching a rocket trooper full on the front of the tank. Ash swore she saw a head fly by the window. This was a good day to be a marine.
Ash swerved the Mako left, sending up a spray of snow as the left tires lifted off of the ground. They had to keep moving. Speed was life and only a tank like the Mako could survive this maelstrom. They tore into the heart of the enemy formation, denying them the use of their long-range weapons. The turret slewed to starboard, launching another APDS round into an Armature, ripping two of its legs clean off.
"Mobility kill," called Shepard. The thing could still fight, but it wouldn't be moving anymore.
"Incoming!" shouted Kaiden as a spike appeared on his warning receiver. He shot chaff from the starboard dispenser and more metal strips burst into the air. It was too late though. A charged round clipped the aft panel and burst into a blue fireball. An ungodly grinding noise pierced Ash's ears and she thought her head would come apart.
"God have mercy," she cried more in pain than any real prayer. She skidded the Mako to the left none too soon and the right tires gripped the very edge of the roadway over the valley before the Mako lurched back onto the trail. Another meter and they'd be on their way a mile down to the bottom. Even the Mako wouldn't have survived that.
"That was too freaking close. Fall back, fall back now, chief," Shepard told her.
"Roger that, commander." Ash stomped on the accelerator and they flew back down the road with the Geth in hot pursuit. Rounds pinged off of the shields and a rocket whizzed by. Ash's heart pounded in her chest – they had whittled the Geth down by a bit, but they were still just a blink away from a fiery death. She wiped a dribble of sour sweat from her brow.
For such big beasts, the Armatures moved pretty quickly and they weren't too far behind. Fountains of ice erupted all around them as the Geth lay down a sheet of fire from behind. What other trick did Shepard have up her sleeve? It had better come soon or Kaiden's countermeasures were going to run out of luck.
"Garrus, we're coming around the corner!" the commander called. "Be ready."
"I'm here, Shepard."
The Mako veered around a turn and past the four M29's coming up the hill. The tank battle was joined. The slower Grizzlys rounded the corner and opened up with their main cannon, bringing down one of the Armatures in a hail of explosions. Ash yanked hard on the right brake, causing the Mako to spin 180 degrees around, kicking up snow in a circle. Shepard gripped Ash's shoulder. "Get back in the fight, chief. Get back in the fight!"
Garrus and Wrex' Grizzly lumbered up the road, leading a single file armored column towards the Geth in the counterattack. A shot from its main gun shattered another squad of troopers. As Ash sped to catch up, Shepard got on the radio. "Deploy in line. Let's get all of our guns on them."
Just then, two shots smashed into the lead Grizzly. Its turret tumbled into the valley as smoke poured from holes in the hull. The dead tank now blocked the way, threatening to stall the whole attack. Ash's stomach churned at the thought of Fredericks in the burning tank.
Suddenly, that passage came back to her:
Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Come what may, she knew she would be forgiven and absolved for the crimes of her family.
"Dear Lord, give us the victory this day," Ash whispered as she continued to accelerate into the inferno of battle.
CODEX –
APDS – Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot. A type of anti-tank ammunition.
Jamming – Broadcast of RF energy to disrupt the search or targeting of enemy sensors. Also known as Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) or Electronic Attack (EA).
Arty – Artillery.
HE – High Explosive. More useful for anti-personnel attacks.