Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Gears of War/Mass Effect crossover.
My apologies for taking so long to update. I was really feeling down for the past few days, and I really only had the energy to do one story that week. Thankfully, I'm feeling much more upbeat this week, so I'll be able to post new chapters more frequently.
As always, leave a review, and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Gears of War or Mass Effect franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of BioWare, Electronic Arts, Microsoft Studios, Epic Games, The Coalition, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.
SSV Normandy
Herschel System
March 4th, 2183
It took the Systems Alliance around four hours to arrive at their location, during which Shepard had the team go through the decontamination checkpoint on the late Dr. Saleon's ship in order to destroy any hint of Imulsion on their armor. The fact that their armor had been sealed prior to them boarding the ship made it much easier, and thanks to the equipment Saleon had, the team had made sure that no trace of Imulsion had gotten into their bodies. That left them having to wait for the Alliance to arrive.
Once the Alliance Navy had arrived, even they were shocked by the level of Imulsion infestation that was present on the ship. This had led Captain Winston, the CO of the SSV Madrid, to have the entire ship destroyed by overloading the ship's fusion reactor. As for the two sole survivors, they had them decontaminated before sending them to the Normandy.
Now, they were headed to Digeris, where a Turian medical frigate would pick up the two sole survivors of Saleon's twisted experiments. Walking into the medical bay of the Normandy, Shepard found Chakwas checking over the two mutated Turians with an omni-tool. Apparently, Chakwas had finished cleaning the two up, as the smell of feces and urine had been replaced by the smell of antiseptics and deodorizers. Walking over to her, he asked, "How are our guests?"
"Doing quite well, though I deeply disapprove of what Dr. Saleon did to them," Chakwas frowned. "Personally, Dr. Saleon is one of the very few people I wouldn't provide aid if he were injured. What he did onboard his ship was extremely disgraceful and a blight on the ethical pursuit of knowledge."
"I agree," Shepard nodded. "He wasn't a man anymore. He was a monster, one that I'm glad we put down for good."
"Normally, I would disagree as a ship's doctor, but after seeing the depravity that he descended to, I cannot help but agree as well." Scanning the two Turians with an omni-tool, Chakwas explained further. "From what I can tell, Dr. Saleon heavily mutated their genetic makeup, resulting in the two growing a tail that their legs eventually merged with, forming the bodily structure that now makes up their lower body. That's the best explanation I can come up with. I'm a doctor, not a geneticist."
"I know. Any complications?"
"Not as far as I can tell. Scans show that their bodily systems are functioning normally, though they've grown a second heart in order to handle the increased requirements for blood transportation, and their lungs are more efficient than before. Beyond that, they're perfectly healthy."
"Good. I'd hate it for Dr. Saleon to send us one final insult if he made it to where these two wouldn't last long without his help." Turning to Vorenus, he asked, "You OK?"
"No," Vorenus frowned, "but thanks for asking." Starting for a moment, he said, "I forgot to introduce my wife to you onboard the ship. Shepard, this is Ivania, who I am honored to be married to."
"Pleased to meet you, Ivania," Shepard replied.
"Likewise," Ivania nodded, though she frowned as she looked at her limbless lower body. "Thank you, Shepard, for saving us from that madman. If you hadn't come along when you did…" She trailed off, unable to find the words.
"That's alright," Shepard shrugged. "I was just doing my job."
"You did more than that, Shepard. You saved my husband and I from a fate worse than death."
"I agree," Vorenus added. "You saved us from a lifetime of torture and horror. For that, we cannot thank you enough. We are in your debt."
"OK," Shepard shrugged again. "What's going to happen to the two of you now?"
"Primarch Fedorian is going to be speaking with us once we arrive at Digeris," Vorenus explained. "According to your ambassador, who we spoke to earlier, Primarch Fedorian and Councilor Sparatus were deeply shocked, enraged and disgusted by what Dr. Saleon did to the two of us. Given that what happened to our bodies is permanent, we're going to be doing regular medical checkups to make sure that our bodies are still working properly. Beyond that, we'll be seeing a therapist, and we'll be just trying to live our lives as normally as we can."
"So you won't be ostracized or shunned because of what happened to you?"
"No, we won't. We were normal Turians before all of this happened. Fedorian intends to make sure that we are able to live as comfortably and normally as possible. Anyone that we will work for will be made aware of the circumstances behind our condition in order to prevent any discrimination. In addition, my family has agreed to house the two of us for the time being. Mother was especially distressed by what happened. I told her not to worry, but…"
"No need to tell me more," Shepard replied. "Still, it's good that the two of you won't be shunned because of something that a monster did to you." Looking around, he said, "I should be going now. See the two you when we get to Digeris."
"Likewise," Vorenus nodded. "Oh, and Shepard? Thank you."
"Anytime."
. . .
Once they got to Digeris, they had linked up to a Turian corvette that had been sent to pick the two up. Many of the Turians that had seen the two had openly wept, while others had become extremely angry at what Saleon had done. Garrus was hit especially hard, given that it had happened while chasing down a known criminal.
Just before they left, though, Primarch Fedorian came aboard the Normandy. An older Turian with green eyes and silvery facial plates, he wore full combat armor even as he came aboard. "Shepard," he said in his deep, rumbling voice, "thank you for the service you performed for the Turian Hierarchy. What Dr. Saleon did was unforgivable. Is his body present?"
"Yes," Shepard nodded. "We're about to send it over."
"Good. I intend to perform a desorvas rite, in order to punish his spirit for the evil he did. Before I go, I wanted to ask you a question. If he hadn't done such a depraved thing, would you have arrested him."
Having made that decision long ago, Shepard said, "Yes, if he hadn't descended to that level of depravity. Given that he did, I decide to allow Vorenis and Ivania to kill him. The two deserved to do so, given what Saleon did to them."
"I agree," Fedorian nodded.
"Also, can you make sure they won't be ostracized for what happened? None of it was their fault at all."
"I will do what I can," Fedorian nodded. "I intended to before I met them, and I certainly intend to do so now." As he turned to leave, he said, "Also, Shepard. Given the service that you've rendered, if you need anything from us, I will be more than happy to provide help."
"Thank you, sir."
"No, Shepard. I must thank you instead. You corrected a grievous crime against the Hierarchy, and you brought a madman and psychopath to justice. For that, I thank you, and I sincerely hope that the Spirits bless you for what you did." With that, Fedorian left the ship, while Shepard prepared to cast off.
. . .
Once they left the Digeris system, they began to head out. Marcus, who was on the crew deck, was eating some food with the others, while Baird was pacing around on the deck. The incident that had happened just a few hours prior had shown Marcus just how far Saleon had descended into the evil that he had practiced.
It reminds me far too much of what I saw at the New Hope Research Facility, he thought to himself. Dr. Niles was just as bad, if not worse, than Dr. Saleon. If there is a Hell, then I hope the two of them are burning alive in it. He bit into his MRE some more, the foul mood he had only dissipating slightly.
"Shit," Carmine muttered. "That was the most despicable thing I've seen a man do. What kind of a madman tries to play God by experimenting with that shit?"
"The most evil kind," Baird replied, this voice indicating that he was just as angry. "It's fucking assholes and motherfuckers like Saleon that make the world a dark and cruel place. Marcus, if I ever get ideas like that Dr. Saleon did, shoot me in the ass."
"Alright," Marcus nodded, though he was a little taken back by the request.
"That shit ain't right," Cole frowned. "I rarely get that angry and disgusted, but Saleon pushed all of those buttons by hurtin' those two. They didn't deserve any of that."
"I agree," Baird nodded. "Those two Turians were just trying to live. If I ever make my own company, I'm definitely going to make sure those two are happy again. They deserve it after this nightmare."
As the two ate, Wrex came in. He had a disgruntled expression, but that died out immediately when he sensed the tension that was emanating from the Gears. Sitting down, he asked, "That bad?"
"Worse," Marcus replied. "You saw those two, right?"
"Yeah," Wrex nodded. "It's people like Saleon that infected my kind with the Genophage. Him, though… he was worse than all of them. It's a relief to know that he's dead."
"Yeah. It is." Looking at Wrex, Marcus asked, "So, what are you here for?"
"Got some good news," Wrex beamed. "We're going after my family armor."
"That's good to hear. Any ideas on who's got it?"
"A Turian named Tonn Actus. He makes money off of the suffering of my people, especially when it comes to ancient relics like my family armor. If we find him where my armor is, I plan to kill him."
"I see. We'll get your family armor back, Wrex."
"Good," Wrex beamed. "Let me know when we find one of Actus' caches. They'll likely be heavily guarded."
As Wrex left when he said this, Garrus came inside. "Marcus, Carmine, Baird, Cole," he nodded as he went and began getting some rations for himself to eat. Once he did, he sat down and began to eat. "Any fond memories?" he asked.
"Why?" Carmine asked.
"I really don't want to think about earlier."
"Fair enough," Marcus agreed. "Carmine, any funny times you had?"
"Oh, sure," Carmine nodded. "I remember when my brother, Benjamin Carmine tried to feed some pigs we had at the farm at one point with Derek Carmine, one of our siblings. Benjamin thought he was prepared for what it takes, though Derek kept tellin' him that he was making a few too many errors."
"Pigs?" Garrus asked.
"Fat little animals that like to eat and roll around in mud," Carmine explained. "I'll tell you more later on that. So, I was getting my bacon for breakfast when Derek ran in, all worried and mad at the same time, and insisted that I rescue Benjamin Carmine. Guess he didn't know what he was getting into."
He chuckled at the pun. "I remember that place. All four walls of the pen made out of wood, with the only way in being this rickety gate. From what I remember, they got started off just fine, but Benjamin was having an enormous amount of farting that day, which wasn't especially good because we had a small oil lantern in the building.
"The next thing I heard was this muffled WOOSH! When I got over there, Ben was rolling on his ass, trying to put out this fire, while the pigs were squealing like crazy due to their fur being singed. Once we got it all sorted out, we took Ben to the doctor, where we learned, much to our relief, that he wasn't that badly hurt. Just a few first degree burns. Ben, though, though it was cool."
At that, everyone shared a chuckle with each other, especially Marcus. It was well known that Benjamin Carmine had a bit of an obsession with fire, though not enough for him to be classified with pyromania. Kids like him made the COG Army more bearable, Marcus smiled. It's a shame what happened to him too. Poor kid didn't deserve to go out the way he did. With that, he continued to silently eat his food, while the team swapped dirty stories.
. . .
It was around the 9th of March that they came across one of Tonn Actus' caches. It happened when they were in the Argos Rho cluster, specifically during their survey of the Phoenix system. Joker, who had finished a few mineral surveys of a few asteroids, had been doing some work when he caught a stray radio signal. "Don't know what it is," he informed Shepard, "but I can tell that it's not an Alliance signal. My guess: maybe it's one of that guy's caches, like Wrex said."
"My thoughts as well," Shepard nodded. "The Argos Rho cluster seems like a good place to hide something you don't want found. Tell Marcus, Ashley, Wrex and Tali to head to the Mako. We're going to be heading down to the planet surface." With that, he quickly strode to the cargo bay, while Joker flew the ship closer to the planet in question.
Down in the cargo hold, Marcus and the others were getting themselves pulled together for the mission. Making sure his armor was on securely, Marcus quickly donned the helmet before getting inside of the Mako. Hearing a growling sound, he could see Tai looking at him.
"Not today, buddy," he replied. "Gotta get you actual armor first before any major firefights." The Varren looked disappointed at this, though it stepped back and sat down, looking at the vehicle as Marcus clambered inside. A moment later, Wrex, Ashley and Tali clambered inside as well.
Shortly after that, Shepard got inside, while Ashley manned the main gun. "Joker, any updates? he asked.
"Yeah," Joker nodded. "We're approaching Tuntau. Interesting place, if you're interested in breathing in methane and helium that is. On top of that, I've narrowed down the odd radio transmission. It's coming from a region of highlands that I'll be setting you down at."
"Alright," Shepard nodded. "Once we're on the ground, we'll head in that direction." With that, he powered up the Mako, just as the doors were fully deployed.
"WHOO!" Cole shouted as they began to drive. "Bring it on, baby!"
A moment later, the Mako shot out of the Normandy's cargo bay, with the jump jets activating. There were a few seconds of weightlessness, then they landed on the ground, bouncing a few times before coming to a stop. Once they came to a halt, Shepard took a moment to look around the place.
From what he could tell, they had landed in a highland region as Joker had said, but they were currently inside of a small bowl in this region. In addition, he could tell that they had landed just as it became nighttime, as the dull glow of Tuntau's star was visible from where he was. Pulling up the map, he could see the signal's source's location, as well as a few things that the Normandy's sensor suite had detected. Let's see if we can explore a little first, he noted as he began to drive around.
Ashley, noting the dim twilight, said, "Switching to night vision."
"Yo! Someone turn on the lights!" Cole frowned. "Can't have no game without lights!"
At that, Shepard turned on the Mako's powerful floodlights. They illuminated a turquoise colored ground, as well as small veins of white sand or salt. "Happy?" he asked as they drove on. The lack of a response was the confirmation that Cole was quite happy, though Ashley had to turn off the NV for her systems.
It wasn't long before they encountered one of the many oddities that had been detected. Moving towards an icon on the map, he spotted what appeared to be a pyramid-like structure nearby, as well as what appeared to be a wrecked shuttle of some kind. Driving closer, he found a few corpses, as well as a container. Must've been Tonn's men that did this, he thought as he got out, after everyone had verified that their armor was sealed. "Tali?" he asked.
"On it," Tali replied, using her omni-tool to access the container. There were a few seconds of silence, then she said, "Got it. Shepard, looks like we have a Prothean data disk inside, relatively intact at that."
"Good," Shepard noted. "We've been finding similar ones in some of our exploratory efforts. We'll send this to a lab for analysis once we're back aboard the Normandy." With that, they took the Prorthean data disk, while leaving the wrecked shuttle behind.
With that taken care of, he began to drive towards the source of the radio signal. That took them into more difficult terrain, which he had to navigate through with some difficulty. Seeing hostile contacts on the sensor suite, he switched off the lights, while Ashley switched to Night Vision for her camera feed. Slowly, but quietly, Shepard eased the vehicle forwards. "Ashley, what do we have?" he asked.
"Let me see," Ashley replied. Moving forwards slightly, they cleared part of a nearby bend, which allowed them to see what was up ahead. Up ahead was a hidden structure, similar to one that Shepard had found previously on some of his exploration missions. Outside were a few barricades, as well as people that were milling around. "Looks like anti-tank crews, and a few snipers and riflemen," she reported. "They don't appear to be aware of us right now, but I wouldn't bet on things staying that way."
"OK," Shepard mused. "The anti-tank personnel are top priority, as are the snipers. We'll put a shell into the middle of the formation and blast them apart. Anyone have any ideas, now's the time to share them."
"How 'bout I use my Boomshot?" Cole asked.
"Good idea, but I'd rather save the explosives. Marcus?"
"None here."
"Alright," Shepard nodded. "Ashley, get ready to put a shell right into the middle of the formation. Once that's done, neutralize any stragglers with the coax.'" With that, he eased the vehicle forwards enough to clear the terrain.
As soon as she had a target, Ashely immediately opened up on the pirates. There was a dull THUNK as the railgun for the Mako fired, sending a shell flying towards the enemies at high velocity. The high velocity, combined with the atmospheric composition, resulted in a tremendous fireball at the point of impact, with a dull WOMP-BANG echoing in the area. Using IR equipment, Ashley targeted any pirates that were still up and about.
When the dust settled, it revealed a grizzly scene. One of the hostiles had been blasted into thousands of tiny pieces, while another had half his body ripped apart. The others were also dead, with some having bullet holes in their bodies, or shrapnel sticking out at odd angles. All of them were charred and burnt, as though they'd been held over an enormous charcoal grill. Nearby in the ground was a small crater, the result of the shell's impact.
"Nice work," Shepard beamed as he drove closer to the structure. "How'd you get that good?"
"Practice," Ashley replied. "I've been teaching Carmine as well. He's a fast learner."
"That he is," Cole beamed. "I taught him to play Thrashball once. Kid's better than most I've seen." With that, they came to a stop, with the team piling out of the vehicle.
Moving forwards, Shepard and the team stacked on the door, before Tali breached the controls, allowing them to move quickly inside the airlock. Once the repressurization procedure was complete, they moved into the forward chamber, which was just outside of the main one. "This is the place," Wrex noted. "My armor's in here somewhere."
"How do you know?" Shepard asked. In response, Tali held up her omni-tool, which had hacked the internal network for the building.
"Supply manifest," Tali explained. "Looks like they've got some weapons, as well as a couple shipments marked, 'Unusual. Cross reference later.' Wrex's family armor is also listed."
"Alright," Shepard nodded. "Get ready to breach the door up ahead. I've got a feeling that we're going to have company." With that, everyone stacked on the door, while Tali hacked the door mechanism. Once it was unlocked, she opened the door.
Just as she did, Cole spotted something: a thin red laser that washed over Tali. "TALI!" he shouted, tackling her to the ground. Just as he did, there was a blur as something shot through the air the two had been. The deck below that spot was promptly smashed inward, as though someone had taken a sledgehammer to that area. A loud KRA-THOOM echoed in the air.
"What the -!" Shepard shouted.
"What was that?!" Ashley asked.
"One-Shot!" Cole explained. "Giant gun the COG used against vehicles! I've used one of 'em before; they live up to their name! They'd one shot a Krogan too!"
"Shit!" Wrex growled. "That means Tonn's got his hands on some of your people's hardware!"
"How'd that happen?" Tali, who was shaking from her brush with death, asked.
"We'll find out later!" Marcus decided. "Everyone, move forwards as quickly as possible. Once that gun fires again, we'll get inside fast. It takes some time to reload that weapon!" A moment later, he stuck his hand out, with the laser appearing again. Just as he pulled it back, the shooter fired, missing him by a few inches. "GO!"
With that, everyone charged in, getting into cover just as the shooter reloaded. Pulling out his Boomshot, Cole spotted the hostile firing on them. Up on an upper balcony in the main chamber was a human being that was loading the weapon, a wince on his face as he struggled with the weapon's weight. Firing a grenade, Cole smirked as he blasted apart the merc. "Not your day, motherfucker!" he shouted.
While he did this, Shepard and the others were contending with the hostiles on the ground floor. Popping out of cover, Shepard fired his rifle at a Turian merc advancing on him. The Turian's barriers flared, forcing him into cover and allowing Shepard to advance forwards. Pulling out a knife, he quickly rounded the corner, before stabbing the Turian in the stomach and in-between weak points on the armor. The alien screamed as his intestines spilled out of his body, before Shepard ended him with a shot to his unarmored head.
Marcus, in the meanwhile, was working with Wrex to neutralize some of the other hostiles. Feeling his barriers fail, he felt a round bounce off of his armor, prompting him to fire at a human being that was shooting a rifle at him. Said human's barriers failed within the first three hits, with the HESH rounds killing the main in another three. Just then, he spotted a Turian that was wearing better armor than the rest of them.
"That's him!" Wrex confirmed. "That's the little pyjack that stole my family's armor!"
"I'll handle him!" Marcus shouted. "You keep the others distracted!" While Wrex complied, Marcus advanced forwards, firing his rifle at Tonn.
Tonn, spotting the incoming bullets, zipped behind cover, though one round caught him in the arm, prompting a shout from him. Rounding the corner, Marcus was just barely in time to catch a two bladed metal talon coming at him. Arm raised, he allowed his armored arm to take the force of the blow. Titanium alloy scraped across osmium alloy plating harmlessly, allowing Marcus to get up close and personal.
The two men went at it with each other, each one vying for supremacy. Rather than go for any fancy moves, Marcus smashed a fist into Tonn's unarmored face, splattering dark blue blood across a nearby crate. Tonn, in response, kneed Marcus, stumbling the latter before attempting to check him with a hard blow to the stomach.
Sucking in a breath, Marcus tensed the muscles in this torso region, with Tonn hitting fully contracted muscles. It must've been like hitting hard rock, as he heard Tonn grunt from the force of the blow. Marcus let out only a little breath, before roaring as he charged forwards, tackling Tonn to the ground. His fists began to hammer into the Turian's face, shattering facial plates and knocking a few teeth loose. Getting up, he fired his Boltok four times, shattering Tonn's arms and legs. The Turian screamed in agony from the punishment his body had just taken.
Ashley and Cole were clearing the upper levels with Shepard, with the two neutralizing the last of the mercenaries. "All clear!" Cole called out. Walking over, he picked up the weapon he mentioned earlier. "Lookie here, hehe!"
Walking closer, Shepard got a look at the weapon that had nearly claimed Tali's life. To him, it looked like someone had taken a recoilless rifle from a museum, installed a targeting computer, and a magazine before calling it good. It was long too, almost as long as an SPG-9 that he'd seen in a museum. "No wonder you call that thing the 'One-Shot,'" he noted. "That thing's massive."
"It is," Cole beamed. "But for taking out a Mauler or a Brumak, there ain't a gun better, 'cept maybe what you have."
"Maybe," Shepard shrugged. Spotting a nearby door, he said, "Wrex, we're checking an upper room. Standby." Not waiting for a reply, he opened up the door.
Apparently, this was where Tonn kept his most unusual shipments, as he could see crates inside of the long but narrow room. Opening up the crates, he could see old weapons from Earth, some rare wines from Thessia, as well as what he noted was an armor safe. Spotting a nearby crate, he opened it up. It contained weapons, but not ones he was familiar with. "Cole?" he asked. "You see this?"
"Hang on," Cole replied. Peering inside, he said, "Marcus, you see this?"
"I'm coming," Marcus replied. A minute later, he came inside, dragging along a badly injured Tonn while he was at it. "What is it?"
"Check this shit out," Cole replied.
Peering inside, Marcus cocked an eyebrow, then he said, "Looks like more than just us and the Imulsion came along for the ride." Pulling one of the weapons out, he said, "Shepard, this is a Hammerburst II."
Looking at the rifle, Shepard noted the brutalistic architecture of the weapon, from the way it was shaped, to the magazine the weapon used. "Standard issue rifle for the Locust?"
"Yep."
"Damn. That's some nasty looking hardware."
"There's more in here as well. Looks like we've got a few Gorgon's, as well as a Mulcher." With that, Marcus pulled out the latter. To Shepard, it looked like someone had taken a minigun from a museum before stripping it down and reducing the number of barrels.
"Shit," he noted. "I wouldn't want to be on the other end of that thing."
"Same here," Ashley noted.
Still, that meant that Shepard had a few questions for Tonn. Looking the Turian in the eyes, he asked, "Where'd you find this stuff?"
"Got it from a wreck we found on another planet," Tonn coughed out, his shattered facial plates weeping blood. "Would've sold it for a good price, then you had to come and fuck everything up!"
In response, Wrex stomped on Tonn's already shattered leg, eliciting a scream from the Turian. "You have my family armor in here!" he growled. "Where is it?"
"Armored safe," Tonn replied, pointing at the armor locker. "In there. Wouldn't be useful other than a collectible."
"Thank you," Wrex nodded. Looking at Shepard, he asked. "Permission to kill him?"
Shepard thought about it for a long moment, then he said, "Granted." With that, Wrex walked over to Tonn and, grabbing the Turian by the head, roughly jerked it to the right. There was a SNAP as Tonn's neck and spinal cord shattered, with the Turian slumping to the ground, dead. With that done, he waited for Tali to hack the lock, before looking inside.
To Shepard, what he saw inside was nothing short of a masterpiece, even though it was seriously outdated. The armor plates were shaped to look like the armored chitinous plates on a Thresher Maw, with bands of some kind of metal holding them in place. There was no body suit, indicating that the armor would be used primarily for ground combat, or for ceremonies, given it's appearance.
Cole, spotting it, said, "Damn, Wrex! That's some nice-ass armor to look at!"
"That it is," Wrex nodded. "I can't believe my ancestors wore this piece of crap, but at least I have it back now."
"Don't discount it," Marcus countered. "Baird might be able to have custom armor resembling that made. He's good at that kind of thing. Either way, glad we could help you out."
"Same here," Shepard added.
Wrex nodded, appearing lost in thought, before he stood with a renewed resolve. "Thank you, Shepard," he added a moment later. "I'm starting to really like you now. Let's get out of here. We've done enough as it is."
(Author's Q&A)
Dark Lord Xehanort: I would say they are nagas, not lamias.
MarauderPrime12: I couldn't agree more.
edboy4926: Yep. That's what happens when you have power, but absolutely no moral responsibility. Great power requires great responsibility to be used in an ethical manner.
Helljumper206: Thank you. All chapters, especially filler chapters, need to be good. Otherwise the story becomes bland.
Nexus Gundam: You'll find out in this chapter.
Chronus1326: Good ideas, though I've worked part of that out already. Also, I'll get to that story when I've got the time. Right now, I've got a lot on my plate.
Guest: I have. I've read quite a few Gears of War novels, including Coalition's End. Karen Traviss is a master of military science-fiction if you ask me. Either way, thank you for your kind words.