Flung through the void at the speed of sound, relative to his target, Atlas used his as he flew towards the Batrian frigate. If power weapons are too large, then why take Monte Carlo? Firelight asked in his head. It's a rather long rifle.
Bayonet is funny. Atlas said back.
Really? Firelight somehow managed to sign over a mental communication. Impact in five seconds.
Atlas drew Telesto and aimed at a spot that Firelight marked on his HUD. He fired one shot at the point, the Boid energies the Fusion Rifle fired weakening the molecular structure of the outer hull. He began charging the second as he used the slightest amount of light to correct his course, but even that caused pain in an area he couldn't quite identify. Atlas however was quite used to pain much worse and such a shock had absolutely no effect on his aim.
Atlas fired his second shot into the hull, and dismissed the rifle immediately, a second before impacting. Curling into a ball and spinning around in a millisecond, Atlas impacted the side of the ship at speeds no mortal flesh should be able to survive. But a Guardian. A Guardian is flesh remolded by the will of a damaged God. It is anything but mortal.
The screeching of metal being torn through resounded for but a second as Atlas flew through the outer ablative armor, the middle kinetic armor, and finally the inner atmosphere containing the wall. Finally ending his jump at the end of a hallway, his momentum carrying him 20ft in. He rolled across the ground, well his corpse did.
Even if Titan bodies are abnormally durable compared to even other Guardians. He was still flesh and blood. His bones were all shattered on impact, but Firelight was ready with the revive and Atlas awoke shortly after coming back from the dead, he mag locked his boots to the ground as the atmosphere began to be sucked out of his newly and cheaply installed window.
Atlas tensed his body as the air tried to pull him out the hole, but his boots held firm and moments later the emergency bulkheads slammed shut behind him sealing off the damaged section of the ship.
As Atlas looked up at his surroundings he found himself at the entrance of what appeared to be a brig. A brig occupied by guards but only empty cages.
The slavers were in the process of getting back up when they spotted Atlas. There were two of them, one 4 paces away and another 20 paces. Everyone paused for a second, when in a flash of movement the three of them drew their weapons simultaneously. Atlas drawing Monte Carlo as he moved forward, he fired off a stream of rounds at the far Batarian. The first round stopped at the barrier, the second popping it and the remainder ripping holes in the slaver.
Moving forward in a blitz of speed, Atlas fired a burst at the closer Batarian, the first couple bullets doing much the same as the first. Instead of hosing the creature with bullets however, he got in close and thrusted forward with the bayonet. The long ultra sharp blade fixed to his rifle slipped right through the gap in between the helmet and chestplate of the Batarian and into its neck.
Behind you.
Trusting in the callouts of his companion, Atlas let go of the pistol grip of his rifle. Using his now freed right hand he drew Ace of Spades and brought it about behind him. The barrel almost met the forehead of the Batarian behind him. He fired one shot out the massive handcannon, the explosive bullet causing the Slavers skull to explode out in a spray of gore.
They know we are here now. Firelight said to Atlas as he pulled the bayonet out of the slavers neck.
What are they doing?
One of the boarding teams appears to be trying to use cutters to get into the bridge of the Wind. The rest of them are looting the ship of valuables. The only ones who appear to know something is wrong is the bridge crew, but I'm jamming their comms. Firelight said.
Seal the docked doors if you can, and trick them into crowding one space if possible. Atlas asked of his ghost. Not even bothering to reload Monte Carlo knowing that the War Rig already did that.
Aren't you supposed to be the laborer here? Why do I have to do so much work? Firelight said with fake exhaustion
Are you gonna do it or not? Making his way deeper into the ship.
I already did. But just remember I am your conduit to God's power. You should be begging me for the slightest mercies. Firelight said with overwhelming smugness.
Oh great and merciful Firelight please grant a blessing of opening this damn door to your so faithful soldier.
If you insist. They're setting up defenses around the bridge, I've jammed the bulkheads and given you a straight shot. Go wild bayonet boy.
Atla stepped out into the hall only to be met with a hail of gunfire. Quickly diving behind cover, he checked his light shield only to notice all those bullets barely took it down to about half.
Firelight I thought my light was damaged, why is my shield more durable? Atlas questioned.
It isn't. Their bullets are just weaker than ours, it'll take a couple seconds of sustained fire to bring down our shields. Firelight informed him.
Noted. Rounding the corner Atlas charged the Batarian position, firing and putting down targets as he ran. The closest five died in a hail of gunfire. The next died from a bayonet piercing their chestplate. From Atlas's right a slaver came at him with a shock baton. Atlas punched it out of the Batarians hand, breaking the limb, and grabbed the creature by the neck. He held the man in front of him, letting his hostage soak up the fire while his shields recharged.
With his left hand, he mag locked Monte to his back and switched his grip of the batarian to his left hand and drew Ace with his right. Atlas marched forward firing with Ace as his corpse shield was slowly torn apart by sustained fire. Ace's massive powerful rounds tore right through the kinetic barriers of the slavers.
Tossing away his impromptu shield, Atlas continued charging forward into the Batarians, the massive high explosive rounds ripping bodies apart, leaving the hallway behind him a gore soaked mess. By the time he reached the bridge his shield was nothing more than the neck he was holding.
How many targets left Firelight?
Five all on the bridge. They responded.
Would you mind opening the door for me? Atlas asked.
But of course my big orange friend.
When the bridge opened Atlas saw five targets. Four bridge crew and a captain. Assuming these aliens used a similar clothing doctrine as humans. Three of the bridge crew brought their weapons up, while one crew and the captain dropped their guns and put their hands in the air. His hands moved with the sure experience of 800 years of war, but for the first time in decades, those years failed to prepare him. He fired in five medium bursts of bullets. All five targets dropped..
"Firelight, what was that weird pose that they were doing just now?" Atlas asked, hoping his ghost could provide some insight. "I know that I should know it, but I can't recall what it is.
"Let me search this extranet."
"Extranet?" Atlas said confused.
"The almost total knowledge of these people is stored there. With exception to certain military secrets of course, but I can probably find those too if you want them." Firelight replied. "Anyways I think those guys were trying to surrender to you."
"Surrender? That's right back when the Iron Lords ruled we had given other risen the chance to surrender. Though we didn't do it very often."
"Apparently it's rather common here. Looks like you can turn them in at someplace called the Citadel." Firelight informed him.
"Sounds like it's one hell of a prison if it's called the Citadel. Wait so you can just give up midway through a fight here?"
"Not only can you, it's encouraged by law. Apparently criminals who surrender get better treatment than those subdued by force. You can also get paid more if you turn them in alive rather than dead so there's economic incentives as well. However it looks like most slavers prefer to go out fighting."
"Fascinating. I wonder what their prisons are like, since they don't have to contain reality breaking entities like the Vex." Atlas wondered aloud.
"Well for one the Citadel isn't a prison." Firelight interrupted. "It appears to be a gigantic space station made by a long extinct species called the Protheans. It also looks like-"
"Later Firelight. We're on a mission, remember." Atlas interrupted. "Pull as much data from their ship as you can, and wipe all the camera footage of my executions. If these people encourage surrender, they'll probably frown on killing those who do give up."
"Understood… done. What's our next move?" Firelight asked.
"Unlock the airlock doors. We have civilians that need saving."
—-Line Break.-
Liara T'soni had only just begun her career as an archaeologist. Since she was little she had always loved learning about the past and civilizations that existed in a past tense. In fact her mother would have old cooking bones buried in the dirt behind their house so that Liara could dig them up.
If only she could be back there instead of here on this ship the Tomorrow's Wind. Her mother set up a trip for her and her classmates to get hands-on experience exploring already discovered Prothean ruins. They had even managed to discover a few artifacts that she was sure her mother could pull a few strings to allow her to keep. Now however, she would trade anything she owned in order to be anywhere but here.
Of course it was her ship that got chosen by the Batarian slaving parties to be attacked. The Captain of the ship, Aloa something, ordered everyone into the bridge of the ship. Only 8 of her classmates decided to go, so while it was cramped, everyone was able to fit.
After the Batarians started using a laser cutter to open up the blast doors, there was a brief moment of hope when one of the bridge crew spotted an orange ship coming.
That hope cracked when they overheard that they couldn't identify who the ship belonged to, cracked but it didn't disappear. Usually if a ship couldn't be identified it was a mottled together scrap heap, a ship made custom by a mercenary or criminal group, a secret government project, or the rarest circumstance a first contact meeting, but the odds of something like that happening is beyond rare.
If it's a scrapper or criminals they were screwed, if it's mercenaries they might be able to pay their way out. They're best bet was a secret government project. They would be watched in the shadows until said project became public but they would be saved.
Based purely on appearance, Liara was betting on the government project. The ship was too sleek, too well made to be any of the other three. She wanted to say it was Salarian, but Salarians preferred to make long ships not wide. The unknown craft was small only 13
meters long, and 20 meters wide. It was triangular in shape, and for some reason bright orange. Everything about it screamed stealth, except the paint.
That cracked bubble of hope swelled when they saw the ship was on an attack heading on the Batarian ship.
"Why aren't they firing anything?" One of her classmates asked aloud.
Captain Aloa turned and Liara saw on her face the realization that the entire room was trying to watch the ship approach on the tiny comm screen.
"Comm put the view on main."
"Yes Ma'am."
With the view of the ship now on the main screen. With a better look on the larger screen Liara was now more sure of her previous assessment. The ship was definitely a secret government project. The only questions was whos was it and why Orange.
As they watched it come in on an attack run they saw something fall out of the back and the ship peel off.
"Track the new target." The captain ordered her confidence returning with the appearance of the new ship. "And see if you can hail that shi…"
The Captain's words trailed off as the camera tracked what appeared to be a person flying stick straight through the void firing some sort of gun at the Batarian frigate. Once again said person was the same bright orange as the ship they jumped out of.
"Wha…" Someone in the crowd started to say, before they were interrupted by the sight of the person impacting the side of the frigate at high speed.
"That was the single worst rescue mission I have ever seen." The Captain said to no one in particular.
Liara found herself agreeing. They saw their supposed savior for what, five seconds and then they died against the hull of the other ship. A new sense of somberness had taken over the room. No one spoke in the shock of losing their on savior.
It was then that Liara noticed how quiet it had gotten in the room. There was of course the lack of talking but that wasn't it. There wasn't enough background noise. There was always a level of background noise on a starship. Whether it be the rumble of the engines, the hum of electricity, or the soft clumps of people walking around. But there was something else missing.
The rumble of the engines had stopped due to damage, the reactor was still active so the hummin was there, the Batarian were cutting the door so that add-
"They've stopped cutting." She said it as quiet as a whisper, but it seemed as though everyone heard her as they all looked back at the door, and saw the laser had indeed stopped its circular cut through the blast door.
"Check the cameras!" The Captain shouted over the whispers spreading through the room.
Switching the screen to the cameras just outside the bridge they were greeted to the sight of a squad of six Batarians arguing outside the door. One of them was turned away, smacking the side of their helmet. Another was doing something on their omnitool, while the last four were talking to each other and gesturing wildly.
"What are they arguing about?" asked one of Liara's classmates.
"Looks like they can't contact someone. Probably their command, and are trying to figure out their orders." Said the first officer. "Check the other cameras."
Liara watched as the officers began to flip through the different security cameras. She could barely keep up with the speed they were flipping through, but evidently the crew were keeping based on their facial expressions. Luckily for Liara they would always stop to analyze the feed whenever the slavers showed up.
"Looks like they've lost comms." The Captain said to the room. "Ideas peop- STOP! Go back one."
Liara watched as they switched back one camera and saw… an Asari? It certainly looked like an Asari, but it was too tall and much too wide. It had just boarded the ship through the airlock and appeared to be walking through the halls of the ship, not even bothering to take cover.
"Who the fuck is that and where are they going?" Demanded the captain.
The person carried what appeared to be a rifle in their hands and a massive pistol on their leg plate. The rifle appeared to have a long bayonet attached to the bottom of the barrel. Liara had only seen bayonets in history books and a museum. She didn't think anyone other than particularly crazy Krogan still used them. The bayonet and the warriors gauntlets were stained red with Batarian blood.
Covered in what was obviously a suit of combat armor, the same color as the third starship. It had pauldrons the size of her head, a blank faceless helm revealing no hint of emotion, and a long piece of thick cloth flowed down the back of their right leg. With the switch to another camera, Liara could see what looked like heraldry on the cloth. She had only ever seen heraldry on old preindustrial Turian clan flags.
The creature was obviously not a Turian however. Its legs and feet were the wrong shape, they were the same as Asari. It was the same with the hands.
"I think Captain. I think that that person was the one we saw jump out of the small starship. The coloration matches." The First mate said. "And based on their current route they might be goi-"
She was interrupted by gunshots as the Orange warrior turned a corner and began firing and charging down a hall. Not only were they large, they were fast too. They must have been using biotics to make themselves even faster. Three of the Batarians died from the warrior's gun fire. The bullets ripping through their shields near instantly. A gasp from the Captain let Liara know that such speeds are unusual to say the least.
With the back three dead the warrior closed with the last slaver and thrust out with their weapon. Liara finally learned why the rifle had a knife attached to the front. She watched as the knife slid right through the gap of unarmored neck.
"Are they using bullets?" She heard the pilot say. "Actual cased bullets?"
"I thought self contained bullets didn't have the power to punch through personal shields?"
Liara said, finally working up the courage to ask a question.
"They shouldn't." Replied the captain. "And the bayonet shouldn't be usable either. Not in modern combat. Either thats an insanely sharp knife or they have incredible physical strength to stab through a supposedly stab resistant underbody."
"The Batarians could just be using cheap armor." The first officer offered.
"An undoubtable possibility." The Captain replied.
"What's a bayonet?" asked a crew member.
"It's a-" The captain began.
"It's an old close range weapon attachment. Typically a blade or other stabbing instrument attached to the bottom of the rifle's barrel. Intended as a defensive weapon in case the enemy gets too close. Only the Krogan still use them in combat." Liara interjected, happy to finally have a topic she knew something about.
"Yes, that." The Captain said slightly annoyed at being interrupted. As they turned back to the screen the warrior in orange had moved on to the next room, slowly clearing the ship of hostiles. "Weapon usage aside, I do believe that she is here to save us."
"She?" Liara asked, her confidence in intruding on the conversation growing.
"Well what else could they be? It's clearly an Asari." Replied the captain.
"I suppose-
"By the Goddess look at this girl go!" One of Liara's classmates almost yelled. "She's fucking tearing them apart! Literally!"
Turning back to the screen Liara saw that she was right. She was tearing through them. Using a combination of shooting, stabbing, and punching the warrior was creating a blood bath as they cut their way through the slavers. Hall by hall, room by room, they cleared the ship.
By now the Batarians had realized that they were being attacked, and had managed to gather in a group in the cafeteria. She noticed that they even had two Krogan mercenaries with them.
The warrior had also seemed to know that her enemies were gathering up in one location and began moving there too.
All the crew and passengers were enraptured again by the screen. The sheer amount of violence the warrior was able to bring to bear was a draw, but the truth was they all knew that this next gun fight could decide their fate.