A/N: Just to let you all know, and to avoid confusion, I'm changing the titles of the books. It was slightly confusing to have Book III be Mass Effect 2, and so on, so I've changed the early tales of Jane in her N7 days to its own story rather than having one of the numbered Books. And this story will now be known as Book II.
I debated not doing this, but it's just a bandaid that needs ripped off. It shouldn't affect your reading at all. But as a treat to you all, I'll also be adding a kind of "stories untold" book to the collection as well that tells of Shep and crew when they're not focused on fighting reapers. That'll come later though. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and thank you all for sticking with me thus far.
Chapter 43
Great Hall – Urdnot City – Tuchanka
"Alright everyone, first thing's first!" shouted Wrex as he calmed the party down. Shepard watched him shove his way through the crowds as he made his way to the corner of the room. There were about a dozen or so krogan there, all of them looked like they were sulking. She stepped up behind Wrex and eyed every single one, wondering what he had in store for them. "Clan Gatatog." Immediately, every krogan in the room fell silent. It was then that Shepard realized what was happening.
"You've already killed half the fighters in the clan, Wrex. Have you come to finish us off?" asked one of the krogan who appeared to be more into the ryncol than many others.
"Your clan leader is dead. Eaten alive by varren to balance out the cowardice he showed in trying to kill my friends after they battled saving everyone's lives," said the warchief as he sneered down at the man.
"So, what? Are you going to disband our clan? Force us to integrate into Clan Urdnot?" asked another man nervously.
"I'm not doing any of that crap," growled Wrex angrily as he waved away their concerns. "Clan Urdnot is big enough already without taking you slackers on as well."
The krogan at the table looked up in surprise. "But… then what…"
"You all need to pick a new clan leader. I suggest someone who isn't as big an idiot as Uvenk was. And when you finally pick one, have them meet me in parliament for inauguration," he said as he crossed his arms. "Clan Gatatog is old blood, and does not deserve the dishonor of what Uvenk did staining its name. He was branded a traitor, and you will carry on with his name stricken from history. Understood?"
"R-Right…" said the formerly angry krogan as he looked from Wrex to the other surprised members of his clan.
"That's for tomorrow. For tonight, we celebrate the naming of the thresher maw slayer!" he shouted as he turned to Grunt and lifted his hand. "Welcome to the clan, Urdnot Grunt!"
"Urdnot Grunt!" shouted the entire crowd, making Shepard have to cover her ears again.
"Now then, you've gotten thousands of mating requests," said the warchief as he grabbed Grunt and shoved him towards the door. "Go meet clan leader Ravanor Teska. She'll set you up." Grunt looked from Wrex to Shepard, who just shrugged. She didn't know if he wanted this or if he felt obligated to do it. All she knew was that it wasn't her culture, so she really shouldn't have an opinion on it. It was also his choice, and not hers.
"We'll be fine until you get back," she said with a grin, causing him to grin back at her. Now empowered, he turned and left the room.
"How about you, Shepard?" asked Wrex with a smug smile of his own.
She looked at him suspiciously. "How about me, what?"
"You got over a hundred mating requests," said the warchief as he opened his omni-tool. Shepard's jaw nearly hit the floor at the claim. "Ash got twenty, Jack got nothing…"
"Weak ass bitches," said Jack from her corner as she laughed at the claim. "Can't handle this much power."
"Biotics can sometimes scare the shit out of krogan. And they saw what you did to Uvenk's men," he said as he shook his head. Then he returned to the list. "And Thane got two."
The drell bowed his head politely. "Frankly, I'm just happy to be included."
"Well, I'll not be taking anyone up on that offer. Though, I'm sure they're all great people," she said as she glared at Wrex for even offering.
The warchief laughed before patting Shepard on the shoulder. "I'm messing with you, Shepard. I know you only have eyes for the blue bombshell or whatever you humans call them nowadays. Speaking of, where is she?"
"She's… indisposed at the moment. She got a promotion recently," said Shepard as she told her old crewmate a half-truth in front of everyone else at the party.
"Well, good for her. Tell her to get her blue behind over here someday so we can have a proper reunion," he said before looking down at the ground. "Ah… if only Kaidan were here."
"So, about that…" started Shepard as she placed her hands together thoughtfully, preparing to unleash everything onto the warchief. "Kaidan is actually alive…"
Wrex stared at her for a long moment before reaching over and grabbing a bottle of ryncol from a nearby krogan before pulling up a chair and sitting in it. "Explain," he ordered before taking a long pull from the bottle.
"The bastard really did it then? He managed to defy the reapers long enough to save our crewmate?" he asked, getting a nod from the spectre. "Well, that makes me feel only a little more guilty that I had to blow him in half with my shotgun."
"When did that happen again?" asked Shepard playfully.
"Shut up, Shepard," he growled as he looked over and swirled the liquid around in the bottle. Suddenly, a varren popped its head out from under the table. "Hells!" shouted the krogan as he slid his chair back.
Shepard did the same, wondering where the creature came from. "Sorry, is this one from outside?" Despite her question, she knew better. Those outside had reddish, rust-colored scales and blue striped patterns. This one was pink with purple stripes, and while she wasn't positive, it looked like their teeth were bigger than the wild ones.
"Nah, that's Urz. He's one of the idiots we use to breed better varren for training," said Wrex as the varren began sniffing around for something. "Dumb as a brick and won't listen to a word you say. But he's also the biggest, strongest varren we have. Luckily intelligence isn't genetic."
Shepard's brow rose curiously as she looked down at the creature. It looked up at her as well, its large, almost empty looking eye looking back at her. It looked as if it was blind in the eye, but she knew that behind that glassy looking exterior were the inner workings of a predator. Varren could see heat signatures, could smell as good as the hunting dogs on Earth, and had the biting power of a crocodile. They were everything you'd want from a protective companion, except that they didn't hear nearly as well as the dogs from Earth.
She felt something welling up inside her that she almost didn't recognize. Her inner child had always wanted a dog as a pet. But being the child of two star surfing Alliance officers meant that dogs weren't an option. Instead, her parents had gotten her a hamster. But now she felt that pull again as she looked down at the empty-eyed creature in front of her. Pursing her lips together, she whistled loudly.
The varren's head jerked to the side as it looked around before it finally faced its snout up to her and began sniffing her heavily. Shepard raised her arms and allowed him to take in his fill as the krogan around her all stared in awe. The spectre knew that krogan couldn't whistle. Their skin layer was too close to their teeth for them to get the kind of traction that was needed. But her whistle had immediately gotten the hound's attention.
As it sniffed her, it began to nip at her leg gently. But gently for a varren was still skin piercing for a human. Reaching up, she smacked it on the nose. "No. Sit," she ordered with a single finger. When it did nothing, she looked up. "What's the krogan word for sit?"
" Urast," said Wrex, and much to his and everyone else's surprise, the varren sat in front of her as it heard the word. "How the hells, Shepard!?"
Jack laughed from the corner before walking up and gently petting the scaly creature. It began to sniff her as well. "Humans have been side by side companions with dogs for almost twenty-five thousand years. Training canines is basically in our DNA," said the convict as she stood up and stared at Wrex with a grin. "As for why he listened to Shepard, ask her what she's got on her wrist."
Shepard reached up and rubbed her head gently. "Please do not," she said as she stood up from her seat. Immediately, Urz stood up as well. "I have to go talk to my crewmate. You all, you're fine to party, but don't get blitzed or I'm leaving you behind," she ordered to her crew.
Bio Lab – SSV Normandy SR2
As she entered the lab on the ship, she found Mordin simply sitting and staring at datapads. On any normal day she would say he was trying to cram elcor enzymology into the already brilliant mind of his or even doing statistical analysis as a hobby. But she could easily see that he was looking straight through the datapads as if they weren't even there. "Doctor Solus?" The lab was mostly shut down at the moment with the lights off, and the only visible light coming from the glow of a small lamp he had at the desk.
He snapped out of his stupor and looked around briefly before spotting her. "Ah, Spectre! Apologies. Buried in thoughts."
"You're really worried about him, aren't you?" asked Shepard as she crossed her arms.
Mordin let out a heavy sigh. "Feel almost responsible. Showed much potential, asked to have him along on Tuchanka mission personally. Didn't react well. Traumatized. May have caused this."
"Why did you bring him along?" asked Shepard curiously as she rested her elbows on the desk he sat at.
"Thought he could handle it. Wanted to train him. Become apprentice. Felt… almost fatherly connection," he said as he pulled up one of the datapads and looked at the picture of Maelon. "Rare for salarians males to feel attachment to own children. So many, unable to keep track. Suppose it's easier to find connection outside relatives."
"I see. It's easier for salarians to form stronger bonds outside of family," she said, getting a nod from the scientist.
"Salarian dynamics unlike other species. Haplo-diploid species. Lay eggs, unfertilized hatch into males. Fertilized hatch into females. Females go on to lead in Salarian Union. Men find their own way. No chance for father of clutch to form relationship. Father's role finished once fertilization begins," he said as he sighed heavily again. "Never had fatherly connection in my life. May have influenced feeling of guardianship over Maelon. Wanted him to be like me."
"You think you pushed him too far?" asked Shepard curiously as she tilted her head.
"Perhaps. Expected thrilled reaction from his first successful mission, with exception for worry about injury," he said as he reached up and rubbed the missing horn from his head gently. It was then that Shepard realized he had lost that during their excursion onto Tuchanka. "But… entirely unpredicted. Nearly inconsolable. Needed sedated. Perhaps felt only justice is giving himself over to them."
"Do you think he would tell them what you all did?" asked Shepard sternly as she eyed him up and down. She knew sometimes feelings about someone could get in the way of rational thought.
"Highly doubt it. Knew importance of secrecy. Even if he did, no proof. Unlikely to be believed," he said waving off her concerns. "Good kid. Would never betray team. Not a traitor."
"Alright," said Shepard as she finally leaned back. "We're going to head out for the Weyrloc Compound tomorrow."
"Likely to be met with resistance. Make sure team prepared," said the salarian as he finally got to his feet. Shepard stood as well and headed out as he turned off the lamp behind her.
Medbay – SSV Normandy SR2
Being continually excited about moments like this was surprising. She had already spoken to Shepard herself and Garrus, two of the members of the original team that had taken down Sovereign on the Citadel. But being able to talk to another thrilled her. With Tali on the ship, she hoped to have at least half the team before their mission was finished. And depending on how long she stayed with Shepard, she might even be able to angle in the newly discovered Kaidan, as well as Liara and Wrex who were off doing their own things.
But at the moment, she was focused solely on the woman in front of her. Ashley Williams was a sight to behold. Up until now the woman had only ever been in her armor around Kelly. But without it, the young yeoman couldn't help but admire the work she had put in. She looked to be as strong, if not even stronger than Shepard. She was definitely bigger in frame and even taller than Shepard, making her look every inch the imposing human spectre that humanity could ask for. But even more than that it looked as if she hadn't missed a day in the gym since the Battle for the Citadel.
Kelly cleared her throat, looking away from Williams in her PT clothes with the towel around her neck. She knew she had to keep things professional. Clearing the datapad, she opened the notes section of a new case file she had made for the spectre before finally looking up. "Spectre Williams. I'm so glad we could speak."
"Me too… I guess," said Ashley as she sat on a medical bed, her face an expression of discomfort.
Knowing exactly what this was, Kelly soothed her. "I know that therapy has a lot of stigmas tied into it with the galactic community. But I want you to know that having someone to talk to about your problems and situation is actually one of the healthiest things you can do."
"I… I know that," said Ashley with a sigh as she squeezed the towel around her strong neck. "I'm not opposed to therapy, per se. It's just weird that Shepard is having you be the agent by which we hash out our problems."
"Me? What do you mean?" asked Kelly in surprise.
Ashley's face melted into a look of stern sourness. "Look, I'm sure you're a nice girl and all. But you're with Cerberus. I don't mean any offense when I say this, but if I had been in charge, day one you would have been gone and I'd have gotten a crew I trusted."
"I… see," said the yeoman, slightly hurt by the words.
"Nothing against you personally. But just having you around means there's a danger of information being fed to the Illusive Man," said Ashley as her brows furrowed. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I love me some black and white fashion. But as friendly as you all are towards us on a daily basis, you still wear Cerberus colors. So, why wouldn't I believe you'd take my psych information straight to him?"
"I understand," said Kelly with a sigh as she set the datapad aside. "You're not entirely wrong about the crew of the Normandy. We are very casual about our association and many of us have even forgotten we have those ties due to Shepard's detached relationship with Cerberus."
Nodding, Ashley gave her an analyzing stare. "So, why should I trust you?"
The young woman thought for a few long moments before finally coming to a conclusion. "There probably isn't something I can really do to get you to fully trust me. But I will say, for your comfort, that nothing I do or say goes beyond the Normandy besides some basic reports to the Illusive Man that are filtered through Shepard. I would also like to say that Shepard herself trusts me."
The spectre's brows rose at the claim. "So… You're also her…?"
"I cannot say any more than that, but yes. She trusts me, and while I understand your skepticism, I can promise that I'll keep your information as safe as I do hers," said Kelly with a sweet grin.
The woman stared at her for a moment before finally nodding and sitting in the chair opposite of her. "Alright. As long as Shepard trusts you, I'll trust you. But just know that I don't take kindly to my trust being broken."
"Noted," said Kelly, feeling the thinly veiled threat creeping up her spine. She knew exactly what she meant. "Since we've now established a rapport with one another, how does it feel to be a spectre?"
Ashley sighed heavily and looked off into the distance before answering. "Better than I thought, but not as good as I hoped."
"Can you explain what you mean," asked Kelly, immediately drawn in by the cryptic statement.
"Being a human spectre is an honor that few others can claim. Being a human spectre while being the granddaughter of General Williams who surrendered at Shanxi, that's just icing on the cake. Because everyone knew that I put in the work to be here, and I wasn't given the position out of favoritism," she said as she dried her brow with the towel.
"Right. If I recall, all reports said that you and your family were basically shunned by the Alliance. So, any claims of favoritism would have to bend spacetime and reality itself to back up," said the yeoman as she recorded the information.
"Correct. But like I said, it's an honor to be one of the first. But at the same time, it feels as if some of the fire was taken out of getting the role," said Ash as she interlaced her fingers together. "When Shepard died, I felt like it was up to myself to keep up the legacy of her work."
The therapist nodded thoughtfully. "Those are huge boots to fill."
"Exactly. And I felt like I was going to be the one to fill them. I pushed myself to the breaking point to become an N7 using the training that Shepard herself had given me. And when it was all said and done, I got my seventh N stripe, then I started training for the role of Spectre. I knew Udina wasn't going to sit quietly on his butt and never pick another spectre," she said as she flexed her arm gently, emphasizing the work she had to do to get where she was.
Kelly eyed her arm before snapping her gaze down to her datapad. "He is very aggressive in politics. You knew he'd be looking for another candidate."
"Of course. I intended to be the next one. And when I did eventually become a spectre, I was going to continue Shepard's role in fighting against the reapers," said the woman thoughtfully as she looked at the ground. "I put so much effort in, and then she comes back to life."
It finally dawned on Kelly what the spectre had meant earlier. "You thought you were going to have to lead things, and then she resurrected and took the reins back."
"Yeah. And I recognize that that's an entirely selfish thought I'm having. I'd rather give up my ambitions a thousand times over to keep her alive. But I couldn't help but feel disappointed that I was no longer aiming for the number one spot. Instead, I would always be at number two," she said with a shrug.
"We're all allowed to be selfish, Miss Williams," said Kelly, but Ash immediately cut her off.
"Alright, I'm putting a moratorium on the formalities. Call me Ash," she ordered as she pointed at the yeoman.
"Understood, Ash," said Kelly with a smile. "Anyways, we're going to have selfish feelings. And we're entirely allowed to because we're human… well, other species are as well but you get my meaning," she said waving away the generalization. "The greatest people in the galaxy have selfish thoughts, but they don't act on them. They don't let them affect their life and drag them into despair."
"I suppose you're right. I still think it's weird to feel disappointed that I don't get to fight the reapers myself, but that's some Freud shit even you aren't experienced enough to untangle," said Ash with a chuckle. "Either way, I love my role as a spectre, and I'm happy to be back on the Normandy. We've flown through a battlefield while stealthed as pirates and geth destroyed each other, we nearly got buried in an ancient prothean ruin, and ask me one of these days about the time that we nuked a thresher maw from orbit."
Kelly let out a chuckle of surprise. "I'll have to do that…"
"But fighting one on foot, that's some legend stuff that isn't going away. I'm glad things haven't gotten boring around here despite how the crew of the Normandy could essentially commit a coup on the Citadel and C-Sec wouldn't be able to stop us. We're that powerful with the team she's assembled, but somehow we still get roped into some wild shit," she said with a dry chuckle.
"You love living life on the edge then," asked Kelly thoughtfully.
"In a manner of speaking. I don't particularly like fighting, but it's nice to feel like we're actually doing something. From what I could tell from my position on the ground at Horizon, those defense towers really jacked up the collector ship. And ever since, we haven't seen one colony disappear," said the spectre with a shrug. "I don't think we killed them, but we definitely hurt them enough to stop them from continuing their work. And imagine if we put this kind of power behind stopping the reapers."
"Ah," said Kelly knowingly as she gave the spectre a grin. "You're excited at the prospect of taking down the reapers for good."
"I don't know who wouldn't be. But I am excited that I have the best of the best at my back," she said with a grin. "I know I won't have to worry about my six while Samara or Grunt are there watching it."
"You've grown on the new crew then?" asked the yeoman.
"Oh yeah. Like, me and Garrus will always be drinking buddies. But have you talked to Thane? Or Kasumi? That's some Hollywood movie shit that they've seen and done," she said as she shook her head amusedly. "Kinda hard to compete with them."
"I could say the same about you, as I'm sure many from Earth could," said Kelly with a playful grin.
"I'm good with big guns and special weapons. That's not all that special, but I'll take the compliment anyway," said Ash as she leaned forward in her seat. "At least I can keep up with them. That's all I could really ask. And when I finally have my own ship, I'll have to put in the work to keep up with Shepard."
"Good luck with that one," said Kelly as she chuckled at the task ahead of Ash.
"Thanks. I'm gonna need it," said the spectre with a sigh.
Scout Station – Urdnot City – Tuchanka
"What can you tell me?" asked Shepard as she opened the communicator aboard the tomkah.
"Weyrloc Guld wasn't the leader of the family for a very good reason. His brother Garm was in charge of the family and the Blood Pack dynasty that they built together on the corpse of the former leader, a krogan by the name of Drau Gesark…" said Liara from her small holographic form on Shepard's wrist.
"There's a name I haven' heard in a long time," said Zaeed from the back.
Shepard looked up at him curiously. She wanted the heaviest guns she had when dealing with the Weyrloc Clan, and that meant Ash, Zaeed, and Jack. Grunt would be here too if he wasn't currently up to his neck in mating requests. Mordin sat in the back with his own weapons and equipment ready as well. But if battle happened, those three would be leading it. She even had Legion along to infiltrate the facility and set themself up as support. "You a fan of his?"
"You could say that. I was such a fan that I killed the loony bastard," he said with a grin.
Shepard's brow rose as she turned back to Liara. The small figure looked away for a moment, then nodded. "That checks out. He was found dead after encountering Zaeed Massani."
"You never told me you axed the leader of the Blood Pack," she said with a grin.
"You ain't exactly asked. Real mystery innit?" he said before nodding to her. "Me and your mate Vakarian got something in common."
"A-Anyway, Garm was head of the Gowthra Family of the Blood Pack mafia and he was the head of Clan Weyrloc at the time. Though he didn't have a very strong presence on Tuchanka, nobody messed with them because of him. But he wasn't even the first in line to receive those titles. Guld is the older brother, and he was going to lead them both, but was removed from the line of succession due to his obsession with war. He was determined to wage war on Omega and take it from Aria before casting out every other species aboard," said Liara as she let out a heavy sigh.
"For once can't we get the quiet, diplomatic brother that took charge of the mercenary organization?" asked Ash from the back as she sat next to Mordin.
"What, and miss out on increasing the price on my head by another million credits?" asked Jack with a smirk as she leaned back in her seat far enough to look at Ash upside down.
"I appreciate your lofty pirate goals, but we're dealing with an army of bloodthirsty krogan here," said Ash as she furrowed her brows, then used her finger to pop a bubble that Jack was blowing in her face with her gum.
"Regardless of who is in charge, Maelon seemingly left with Weyrloc clan," said Mordin as he inhaled sharply. "Spells trouble. May be trying to torture information out of him."
"If he's here, we'll find him," said Shepard reassuringly.
"How we gonna do this, Shepard? Guns blazing? Or are you gonna try and be all diplomatic with them and ruin the element of surprise?" asked Zaeed sarcastically.
Shepard glared at him. "They took their clan women with them when they left Urdnot. We're not about to level the entire base unless they give us no other option. Not to mention they could execute Maelon if we go in too hot."
"Wouldn't they do that as soon as we ask them to hand him over?" asked Ash, slightly bewildered.
Shepard smiled thoughtfully. "We'll get to that," she said as the tomkah slowed to a halt.
"This is as far as I can take you without sparking all out war," said the Scout Captain as he reached into a compartment and pulled out what looked like a small rectangle with a trigger. Shepard recognized it as a one-time use flare. "When you get out of the base, use that flare on this spot. I'll pick you up here within five minutes. Do not waste it, otherwise you're walking back."
"Understood," said Shepard as she pulled the lever, allowing gravity to open the door for her. It fell slowly and folded down into stairs that allowed her to step down to the ground. "Legion, with me."
The geth did as was ordered and climbed down from the top of the vehicle like some kind of metal arachnid. Once he was at her side, he stood to his full height again. "Affirmative."
"Legion, I need you to infiltrate the building and find Maelon. Once you find him, radio to us out here and we'll proceed inside the base and give you a distraction to get him out," she said as she pointed to the spot that they were standing on. "He may not come with you willingly. If he puts up a fight, then stay with him until we get there."
"We understand," responded the geth as it began to skitter away towards the building.
"The rest of you…" started Shepard before she looked over and saw the tomkah that was leaving skid off the dusty path, nearly wrecking the vehicle. She thought something may have happened until a smaller dust cloud on the road began to approach. Her eyes widened at the sight of the familiar varren that had apparently followed them for miles sprinting up to her, its tongue lolling out as it finally sat at her feet.
Ash laughed loudly, while comically pointing at Shepard to emphasize her hilarity. Meanwhile, Jack jumped excitedly over to the creature. "Urz!" snapped Jack as she began to scratch under his chin. "Who's a good boy?"
"Looks like we 'ave more company," said Zaeed as he looked down distastefully at the dog-like creature.
"Maybe he'll help," shrugged Shepard with a sigh before turning towards the former krogan hospital. The building had been all but abandoned after the war. It was only just standing after being hit by a nuke and left to the exposed wasteland. It would do enough for shelter from storms, but only because it had been built sturdy by krogan architects. She hoped this would be an easy job. Maybe Maelon was sitting silent in a cell and Legion could break him out easily enough that they wouldn't have to even enter the building. But a heavy sigh escaped her nostrils as her gut rebelled against the idea. "This is going to be hell…"
Weyrloc Compoud – Tuchanka
Unfortunately for the group, Maelon was unable to get free. She didn't know if he was the obstruction, or if it was simply impossible to sneak them both out. But she had her suspicions that wouldn't be said to anyone. After she ended the call with Legion, she turned to the others. "He's fine, seemingly unharmed. But he's not willing to go anywhere."
"Maybe he's afraid your geth will kill him," offered Zaeed thoughtfully.
Shepard shrugged. "Either way, we're going to have to go in to get him. And I don't see Clan Weyrloc being too happy about that."
"Apologies Shepard. My request. My fault," said the doctor as he checked his weapon. "Ready to make up for it."
"Understood. Let's go," she said as she looked them all over. Ash had one of her weapons ready to go, Jack was always ready, and Zaeed decided to grace the likely fight with his grenade launcher. Armed to the teeth in a show of force that'd make even Clan Urdnot hesitate, she turned and ordered them to follow.
It took minutes to reach the front gate where two krogan held up their weapons threateningly. But Shepard could easily see the discomfort at the actions on their faces. "Hold it right there! Who do you think you are-"
"Message Weyrloc Guld and tell him that Spectre Shepard wants the salarian scientist he's got stashed here," ordered Shepard at the two flabbergasted krogan.
They looked at each other then shook their heads. One of them pulled up a communicator and activated it. "Underboss, it's Vorbus at the door. We've got a human spectre here telling us to contact Guld about some salarian." The krogan stayed silent for a long moment before looking to Shepard. "Your request is being processed."
"Understood," said Shepard as she leaned back against the nearby wall and stared directly at them. They would get no peace if they were screwing with her. The two guards looked between everyone present nervously. They were probably silently praying that they would cooperate just so they wouldn't have to tell her no.
Finally, after a long few minutes, a message came back. "Our clanspeaker wants to see you inside."
Nodding, Shepard stood in front of the big armored door as the two opened it for them. Inside was a mass of destroyed floors, walls, and debris from when the bomb had hit. Most of it was intact enough to be structurally sound, but there were messes everywhere as a result of the war. As she made her way inside, she was led into a large room with a walkway going all the way around the upper edges. The only door here was on the upper floor, but luckily there was a ramp leading up to the walkway if they needed it.
As the five of them stepped into the room, the upper door opened and krogan flooded in, holding weapons trained on them all. Finally, after all the stomping and grunting that came with a small army of maybe a dozen krogan marching into the room, a krogan man in red robes, the color of Clan Weyrloc, appeared and stood over them all. "I am Clanspeaker for Clan Weyrloc, offworlders. You have shed our blood by killing our former leader. By rights, you should be dead already. But Weyrloc Guld, the Warchief of Warchiefs has ordered that you be given leave. Is he not merciful?"
"Clan Weyrloc doesn't let anyone go. What's your game here?" asked Shepard as she stared up at the robed krogan.
"Do not mistake mercy with patience. We offered you an opportunity to leave and we urge you to take it before we are forced to show you the full force of Clan Weyrloc's might," growled the much older man. Shepard couldn't tell his age, but he looked to be near that of Wrex and the shaman from the rite.
"I'll be happy to take you up on that offer," she said with a cheeky grin. "Just as soon as you hand over the salarian you have stored in this facility."
The clanspeaker sneered at the words. "Impudent human! You dare give an order to Clan Weyrloc?"
In the moments of silence that followed the underboss's question, Shepard immediately noticed the white piping that lined the ceiling above the heads of the krogan. It had a very clear marker on it that she recognized from before. "Legion. I need to know if you have a white pipe anywhere near you and Maelon."
"We are unaware of any such infrastructure. The room we are in has only electricity coming in from outside," claimed the geth. "Addendum, the krogan here appear to only be a small attachment of the main clan. There are no living women or children in the facility."
"Understood. Get Maelon down and keep him safe," she ordered before addressing the mercenary. "Zaeed, Jack, you two remember what I told you to never do again back on Horizon?"
They both looked at her curiously as they heard the question over the private comm. "Aye," said Zaeed as he finally got the picture. "Jack, can you warp that pipe above their heads?"
"Oh hell yeah," said the convict as she loosened herself up for the attack.
Shepard raised a biotic shield ahead of time this time around, making sure they smaller group was covered by it. "I'm giving you one last chance to hand over the salarian before I take him. What is your answer?"
"Your very footsteps are a transgression, worm!" snapped the clanspeaker. The spectre sighed, concluding that his last words were poorly chosen.
"Jack, go," ordered Shepard as she held her shield up stoically. The convict reached up with one hand and snapped the pipe instantly. Every krogan began firing and unloading onto Shepard's shield as Zaeed fired a grenade through it and directly over the heads that were now being doused in liquid gas hydrogen. Even fully prepared for the explosion, Shepard was nearly blown off her feet.
The entire building shook as if an earthquake hit. Those on the catwalk above were hit with a massive jet of fire that practically melted their skin off and ignited their clothes as the spray of hydrogen was ignited from the pipe. The fire began to swim through the piping itself, blasting it from the wall and following it through the entire building where more screams were heard.
"Very crude, but effective," said Mordin as the group raised their weapons and began firing on the krogan who hadn't been entirely incinerated by the attack. Shepard used her battle rifle up close to bypass shields and blast the Weyrloc clan members directly in the face while Mordin used his heavy pistol to put a few down as well.
"Talk about crude, who powers their stuff with hydrogen anymore?" asked Ash as she raced up the stairs alongside everyone else. Her weapon mostly went unneeded once the explosion tore through the krogan.
"Hydrogen gas very useful for krogan. Tuchanka low heat planet, very humid. Still very dangerous, but less so. Used pre-nuclear war to power hospital, also used by Clan Weyrloc after war was over. Good supply of energy if careful," said Mordin as they all finally moved into the next room. "Likely abundance on world after Citadel banned nuclear energy."
"Hehe, so much for not leveling the base, eh Shepard?" asked Zaeed as he used his assault rifle to put one of the burning krogan out of their misery. The fire started from the explosion was rather limited, with most everything in the hospital being concrete it didn't have far to burn. But there were some sections of the hospital where it was obvious that a wall or ceiling had collapsed due to the blast.
"I drew a line, and they crossed it. I'm tired of being the only goddamn person in the galaxy who yearns for diplomacy. If they don't want to cooperate, then they've made their decision," she snapped as she strode through the fiery doorways. It was clear that the clanspeaker and his men weren't the only krogan hit by the explosion. Screaming could be heard throughout the facility as the maze-like pipes showered more of the clan than anticipated.
"Maybe we get lucky and that takes out Guld…" said Zaeed as he raised his assault rifle high.
But Shepard stopped everyone as they entered another room full of medical beds. It was clear that the damage to this room had been minimal. But it didn't take away from the horrors they were exposed to. Stepping inside slowly, she noticed that there were three krogan women on the medical beds farthest from her. And on the one closest to her was strapped a human. "God, what were they doing?" asked Ash as she covered her mouth.
Mordin immediately flew over to the human and began analyzing him as Shepard approached. "What do you have, doctor?"
"Genetic experimentation with mutagen. Human female. Discoloration around neck indicates likely slave traded to Weyrloc clan from batarians," he said as he inhaled sharply. "Disgusting."
"What were they doing to her?" asked Shepard curiously as she noted that she wasn't cut open, but instead had multiple track marks along her arm. Whoever she was, she did not die peacefully.
"Gene editing. Introducing genetic material into host through vectors. Viruses. Same way genophage was given to krogan through highly contagious, airborne pathogen. But… why?" he asked as he scanned the readouts on his omni-tool.
"It's obviously to cure the genophage," said Ash firmly, her face set in a grim expression.
"Likely. May be forcing Maelon to cooperate," he said as he looked down at the dead slave. "Mutagen effects multiple genes associated with uterus." He shook his head and sighed. "Cannot counter the genophage by altering eggs. Must fix endocrine problems first," he said as if he were scolding a student.
"Why were they testing on a human in the first place?" asked Ash as she reached up and closed the dead woman's eyes.
"Humans genetically diverse. Krogan, salarian, even asari have similar genetic structure. Humans wildly different from one another even among human populations of Earth. Genetic diversity of Africa a marvel. Cradle of life!" he said before looking down at the woman. "Unfortunate, had to test mutagen on wide ranging species before focusing on krogan. Would not work as well on human, but enough to see results." Then they turned to the krogan on the tables and Mordin began scanning again.
"No restraints on these," said Jack with a sour expression on her face.
"Volunteers. Numbered," said the salarian as he stopped and stared at the armbands that marked each of the patients in question. Shaking his head, he scanned the data again. "Remarkable progress. Mutagen present in krogan women. Unsure of purpose, low survival rate as it stands. Given enough time, could improve."
"So they're close the curing it?" asked Ash in surprise.
"Unsure. Not enough data. Don't know what mutagen does. Alters genes in utero, birthing process. But don't know what genes. Patients passed before mutated gene could manifest," he said as he turned towards the door.
"Not so fast, Mordin," said Ash as she stepped forward.
He stopped, then turned and eyed her suspiciously. "Must be fast. Have to save assistant."
"Your protégé is safe for the moment. You're not leaving the room because of him. You're leaving because you don't like looking at the results of your genophage," she said as she nodded her head towards one of the bodies.
"Not my genophage, made long before I was born," claimed the doctor as he turned around.
"But you altered it," said Ash in an accusatory tone. "The krogan were developing a biological counter, and you intervened."
For the first time, Shepard saw an angry look on Mordin's face. "Access to Shadow Broker network?"
"I wanted to see if anyone had actually cured the genophage before and found your STG mission reports on Tuchanka," said the spectre with a glare of her own. "I don't particularly care that you aided in keeping the krogan sterile, doctor. What I do want, however, is for you to take responsibility of your actions. The salarians and turians aided in destroying the krogan back then, and you were plenty confident in wrapping those chains back around them."
"Not chains!" snapped the salarian as he pointed in Ash's face. "No craters, no destruction. Medical solution to krogan, not military!"
"You're being pedantic," said Ash in annoyance. "Just because the genophage didn't cause all of this destruction doesn't mean it isn't destroying them. You aren't taking responsibility because you're no different than the people experimenting on these women!"
"Never use live subjects!" shouted the doctor as he threw his arms up. "Not like them! Brutal, barbaric genetic alteration of live subjects. Always used samples! Data samples, tissue samples, fauna samples, never committed such atrocities!"
"Have you ever seen a krogan woman give birth under the effects of the genophage?" asked Ash as her face set into a mask of stone.
Mordin snorted his impatience. "Irrelevant."
"That's exactly what I mean. You weren't solving a problem, you were solving a puzzle. You hit a button and you're done with it. You don't see the aftermath and that gives you the idea that you aren't responsible for what happened here," said Ash as she stepped over to one of the krogan woman whose eyes had faded long since. Reaching up, she tore off the armband with the number on it and held it up for him. "This is how you see them."
Finally, Shepard spoke up as well. "Why do you think these women are even here, doctor?"
Mordin was speechless for a long moment before he looked over at the dead krogan women on the tables. Stepping over next to Ash, he reached forward and gripped one of their hands. It seemed as if he truly understood what she meant now. "Volunteers. Willing to suffer any torture to escape reality of genophage."
"The Weyrloc are responsible for torturing and brutalizing these women. But they weren't the ones that put them here," said Ash as she reached up and gently squeezed the salarian's shoulder. "It's time we stopped treating the krogan like they're a problem we need to solve, and start treating them like people."
"Understand. Not guilty of torture, but responsible for putting them in danger," he said with a heavy sigh. "Will… think about conversation again later. Right now, focus on getting Maelon free before they find Legion."
Nodding, the spectre grinned at Ash before moving forward into the compound. Shepard didn't know if this would actually change anything about Mordin's stance on the genophage, but it was something that needed said anyway. Shepard was just surprised to find such an advocate for the krogan in the same woman who had approached her with warnings of allowing aliens on board the original Normandy. She was extremely proud of the progress Ash had made since then.
CODEX ENTRIES
Urast Translation Krogan Rayloc A simple word that simply means heel. It's commonly used in the training of varren and other creatures used for hunting as well as security.
PT Military General A military acronym meaning Physical Training. It's used to describe the constant exercises that the military makes their soldiers do on a typically daily basis. This particular colloquialism is used by the Alliance, however all militaries have this same training regimen required by their units. Specific clothing is often given for this training, and are commonly referred to as PT uniforms, or simply PTs.
Tomkah Technology Vehicle A tomkah as a massive, six-wheeled vehicle made by the krogans. It was designed as an all-terrain vehicle and was fitted with an up armored cabin in the front to make ramming a viable option. It often comes with automatic weapons mounted on the roof for enemies the krogans deem too annoying to fight in straight combat.