538 réponses à ce sujet

[Kel Riever]

I am the first.  You will obey.
 
The communication between Reapers was typical in the speed with which it happened, but not in content. The absence of an overriding intelligence had led to the first disagreement between Reapers in eons.
 
No. This is the threat. I am the one who controls the Maw. I see the force moving across the bridge. Mistakes have been made. They must be corrected. This is my task; and if you do not allow me, more will reach the beam, as the asari did.
 
The asari are insignificant. They removed the Intelligence but we continue. We must continue. You see the logic in this. It is inevitable. We are united. The threat on the ground is the one they call Shepard. It is Shepard who must be stopped. Now is the time all must be devoted to that purpose.
 
You are obsessed. Your Shepard has not reached the conduit and yet those who cross the bridge have had some success already, delivering damage unmatched in our time. I will stop them. They call me Maelstrom, and such is a fitting name for the end of their existence. Go and lead the rest. This is my task.
 
Other Reapers were witness to the exchange; the communication was unfiltered, and unhidden. They listened, but stayed apart. There had never been dissent before. 
 
Do not disobey. There will be consequences.
 
I will save your conduit, you who are the first. Go and spend your time with your Shepard.
 
There was no further communication from the oldest Reaper, and so Maelstrom did what was necessary. Only a minute amount of energy was required to control a human husk for the simple task of sending it in a direction. The energy would be multiplied a thousand-fold, of course, but still, the sum total was a minor expense. Maelstrom sprung its trap.
 
~ ~ ~ ~
 

Riptide, Joshua and Marco had passed the first tower on Tower Bridge. The whole of the core force was moving, led by Commander Steiner. Steiner and the Ensfield Rifles were a good bit ahead now, approaching the second tower. Riptide couldn’t wait to get across, even though the battle on the other side of the bridge had intensified. Please, if I have to die on this bridge, she prayed to an undetermined deity, Make it quick.
 
Marco pointed and exclaimed in a panic, “Look!”
 
Riptide’s eyes followed Marco’s finger. From the right side of the bridge, a Husk clambered over the edge. More panicked warnings from ahead caused Riptide to look and she saw another husk scale over from the opposite side. A series of shots knocked both husks off, but then more began to replace them.
 
“What’s going on?” Another Terra Firma member dreadfully asked.
 
“We’re getting flanked,” Joshua called out.
 
Marco’s voice cracked as he wondered aloud, “How the hell are they doing that?” 
 
“They must have been waiting, in the water or something,” Joshua tried to reason. “Who cares? Keep moving and start shooting!”
 
Up and down the length of Tower Bridge, from the right and the left, Riptide saw husks pulling themselves onto the span in numbers. Steiner and his men opened up, trying to clear a path, but as the lead elements slowed, those Misfits and Terra Firma from behind ran in, clustering and causing mayhem. Riptide cut loose with her Avenger, the full burst missing widely. Her heart in her throat, she steadied herself and fired again, this time catching a husk in the shoulder and causing it to fall off into the water below. 
 
Tears began to form in Riptide’s eyes.  She wished she had gone to the bunker.

Modifié par Kel Riever, 17 décembre 2013 - 07:23 .

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

.

Modifié par sH0tgUn jUliA, 04 décembre 2013 - 03:02 .

[Redbelle]

From where she lay, relaying events to Wyld, Zia heard a voice above her head. “Zia? By the Goddess. Zia! Are you a ghost? Disdain went off to kill you! How are you feeling? Are you dead”?

Zia grimaced as she continued her commentary to Wyld who was on the other end of the comm. “.....“Oh for..... Okay she's seen me”.

Lucy's waving and shouting was starting to attract attention as she saw the Reapers look up at where the noise was coming from. Then, seeing a green clad woman on the top floor calling down, looked to where she was calling to.

Zia felt the familiar crushing weight of knowing that her sister Lucy had just dropped her into another fine mess when Lucy called down. “Stay there. I have to see who those people are. There not supposed to be here. Neither are you really. But we can let one slide since you might be a ghost. You must have met Disdain then! Is she coming back”? As she called down to her sister Lucy was already headed for the stairwell leading to the lower floors.

Zia shouted up to her. “LUCY YOU IDIOT! DON'T COME DOWN! STAY THERE”!!!

“Your not my mother”! Came back the response as Lucy reached the stairwell. She bounded down with glee, disappearing as the stairwell turned and Zia took the time to observe the Reapers movements as she scrambled backwards away from the lip of the floor she was on. From her hood she heard Wyld's voice call to her.

“Zia”?

“Reapers have made us both”. She transmitted to Wyld. “Lucy's coming down, Reapers are coming up the stairs. They're not firing though.....”.

“Not firing”?

Understanding came to her as she looked at the group of humans the Reapers had forced to their knees inside the front entrance. “Prisoners. They must want us alive. If we don't shoot back I think we can drag this out.” She paused as she noticed activity below.

The Reapers had finished drawing a circle in whatever gunk they had poured on the floor and as she watched, a Reaper stood forward, drew something from it's side, hit a stud and tossed it into the sticky mess.

The reaction was near instantaneous.

The ring sizzled. Beginning where the device had landed and sped through till the entire ring sizzled and spat and great blasts of heat rose from the ground floor. As she watched, that ring seemed to dip into the ground and she realised the gunk was cutting down into the floor of the building. Over the tunnels that she and Wyld had used to gain entrance. “Jan, that stuff they spread in a circle. It's thermite! They're burning through the floor. It's hot as hell down here”!

“Ziiiiiiii-aaaaaaa”!

Taking her eye's off the melting floor below her Zia looked up and saw Lucy standing on the level opposite her. With one hand on the railings she was perched with one foot on the bottom sil. She was waving for her attention and when she saw Zia looking up at her, she stopped.

“Zia”! She yelled. “Your not dead...... I think. That's wonderful”!

“Lucy.......”. Zia started yelling back.

“At least I think so. Did Disdain come back too? Did you fight? You both got into a fight again didn't you! Aria told you not to”!

Looking around Zia saw four Marauders emerge onto their level. Lucy hadn't seen them.

“But where's Disdain? She came back with you didn't she? She's been looking after me because things get confusing sometimes. She didn't like you leaving. Not one bit! I know how much she wanted you close because she....... Hey.....”! Lucy had finally seen the Marauders Instead of splitting off they were all converging on Zia's position and were slowly advancing towards her. “......Leave sis alone! We're having a conversation”!

Lucy raised her arm as Zia held up a hand and yelled. “Lucy STOP”!

“Why should I? I don't like them”!

Zia gritted her teeth. “Lucy..... It's complicated”!

“Oh”. Said Lucy lowering her arm. “What cha doing here anyway? Did you come to see me”?

“We came to rescue someone”! Zia yelled back.

“Really? That's such a co-incidence because I'm guarding some who needs rescuing! Whose this other guy”?

“It's the same person”!

“.......Are you sure”?

“Yes”!

“Because Disdain told me not to let her out of my sight! So you can't take her”!

Zia sighed. “Lucy, why don't you come with us? Then she'll be in sight the whole time and we get to rescue her!..... And we can hang out again! Everybody wins”!

Lucy made that face she always did when, back when they worked together on Omega, she was puzzling out the plan that Zia set before the group. As she did so she looked over to the side. “Company”! She called over.

Zia turned and saw the Marauder’s advancing. Clustered together as they were she knew she could easily bowl them over with a shock wave before darting into one of the open store fronts for cover. Lucy would quickly catch on that she should attack them too. Together they could take these things out and get to safety.

There were only two flies in that ointment.

One was Wyld. Every second Zia spent with the attention of the Reapers focused on her meant a second longer Jan could use to get Naomi out of the building. With the Reapers not shooting at them it made the job far less hazardous. But the second issue Zia had was the hostages. She had never seen Reapers take the living into captivity before. By all rights the people on the ground floor, forced to kneel, should have been impaled on Dragons teeth and left to turn. She knew the Reapers had to have a reason for bringing live prisoners to the mall. She wanted to know what that reason was. What ever the Reapers wanted to achieve with live prisoners, had to be stopped. There was no question about it.

Raising her hands she took a slow step back before the oncoming Marauders Lucy saw this. “Zia”! She called. “Disdains in charge now and she said not to let anyone take us alive”!

“Lucy! Put your hands up”!

“But.....”!

“LUCY”! Zia roared. “Put your hands up.....NOW”!

As Lucy complied Zia took another look down at the floor and saw that the floor was bending and giving way as jet's of hot air shimmered as it whooshed out of the open cracks they had burned. There was a creak from below.

Then the floor gave way.

With a almighty scraping of surface on surface the centre of the circle collapsed in on itself. Forming a pit in the centre. The heat remained from the burning thermite, from the newly exposed sections Zia could see red hot metal 's protruding from the man-made floors, down past the concrete foundations into the bare earth, then past into more of the tunnel like walls she and Wyld had traversed to gain entrance, and then......

What the...... Zia thought as she saw the rubble that had formed in the pit was moving. Being pushed up in the centre.

Something was down there. Something the Reapers wanted. Something..... that wanted the living instead of the dead.

That something heaved up into view expanding it's front to fall open as it settled back down into the hole amid the underground tunnels. Zia's mouth fell open. In front of her was a gaping maw of something clearly Reaper in origin. Around the edges and leading down into it's tube like, throat? Zia guessed, were hundreds of thousands of teeth that span slowly. But what caused bile to rise in Zia throat was what she saw laying in a pool down it's throat.

It was that gunk she and Wyld had walked through to reach the centre. Only now she saw it sitting in this Reaper made object, she understood......somehow...... she understood what it had been. What Wyld had told her she did not want to know.

The liquefied remains of humans.

It was the smell that gave it away. Walking through the tunnels had not been bad. Terrible, but not impossible. The smell of the stuff coming from inside this..... thing.

It made her want to gag. It was horrible beyond description. Seeing the blade like teeth disappearing and reappearing into and out of the gory mess as it bubbled and churned. It had to have been feeding...... or perhaps collecting, the liquefied human remains underground. Zia had not heard of anything like it before. As she bore witness, one of the Reapers grabbed one of the Outcasts and, dragging him over to the hole, threw him in.

What Zia saw from that day forth would haunt her for the rest of her life. The human Outcasts screams as he surfaced amid the gore, only for part of his clothing to catch on the teeth and be whisked along down under where Zia could only assume the passage grew narrow. It was a blender made to rip apart meat and bone.

Around her the Reapers, those without weapons levelled at prisoners, raised their hands into the air and emitted a howl. Zia recognised the sounds of cheering when she heard it.

Holy freaking Goddess Jan. What have we gotten into? She thought as she backed up again from the oncoming Reapers. Their sacrificing them.

It made no sense. Yet it made perfect sense. These Reapers were not acting like Reapers she had fought. Something had happened. They were operating to a new method. Efficiency was out. Reverence was in. They were worshipping the deaths of these people while adding to the collection of gore that this thing was processing. They were........

“ZIIIIIIAAAAAA”!

Jan

Zia looked up and saw Wyld perched on the top floor looking over a railing.

That wasn't right. Something else had gone wrong, she knew.

Moments later, her worst fears were confirmed.

A wall of blue biotic energy struck Wyld with it's leading edge, throwing her over the railing before the main brunt hit her and barrier. Both were blown out into the open air, Wyld's body looking like a rag doll caught in the grip of a storm. Then gravity took hold and Wyld was falling.

Zia was aware that her mouth was open but she couldn't hear herself over the sound of her heartbeat that thudded in her ears. It was happening to fast as she saw Wyld falling towards the pit where the Maw waited.

Modifié par Redbelle, 04 décembre 2013 - 10:25 .

[Kel Riever]

"This is Captain Radcliffe. Commander Jahangir, you need to circle back and cover the bridge.”
 
Farzam was steadily firing his A-61 Mantis’ gun into clusters of Reapers attacking Captain Grelk’s vanguard force holding the far side of the Thames. Tempest Two and Four were doing the same. “Captain Radcliffe, if we pull our support, Grelk is going to be hit hard.”
 
“We’re going to get units trapped on the bridge,” Radcliffe came back. “I’m sending you a remote feed. Take a look for yourself.”
 
The gunship’s tactical display screens opened a window showing husks climbing up the bases of Tower Bridge that also served as supports to the span. They were overtaking crossing troops. Farzam sighed in dismay.
 
There was a bang on the bulkhead from the passenger cabin and Farzam looked back to see Dale trying to get his attention. Her helmet visor was up and she spoke in earnest. “We can support the bridge if you drop the teams on the far side. Put me in charge.”
 
“You sure you want to do this?” Farzam knew the answer, but he didn’t want to see Dale go.
 
“It’s a nice ride you’ve got here, Commander,” Dale said with a barely discernable smirk, “But it’s time for me to get back home.”
 
Farzam cleared his throat and nodded, “You are hardcore, Dale. You call me for a lift when you need it.” He addressed Radcliffe on the com. “Sir, we are dropping troops for bridge support. You’ll get your firepower and we’ll keep up the support for Grelk.”
 
“Affirmative, Jahangir. Get to it.”
 
Opening his com to the rest of Tempest squadron, Farzam initiated his orders. “Tempest, we are deploying ground units. This is a touch and go! Put down on the far bank, by the bridge. I want you airborne as soon as the last boot is out. On my mark…”
 
~ ~ ~ ~
 
Dale was first to jump out of Tempest One as it hovered a half a meter above the bank. Rounds were flying everywhere, and Alliance troops were dug in behind whatever cover was available. The three soldiers on board disembarked immediately after her, and she could see Tempest Two and Four debark their own warriors. The gunships were skyward bound immediately. Dale beckoned everyone over. One of the troops from Tempest 4 took a round, staggering him, but he kept on moving. Dale pointed to a low barrier for cover and ran to it, waving for her unit to follow.
 
Once there, Dale crouched and gathered her soldiers around. Arok was present, with the team from Tempest Two. She pointed back to the bridge, to where the husks were attacking.
 
“Arok! You take your team and two from Tempest Four to the far side. Use your firepower to cut those husks down before they can get up to the top. The rest of you are with me. Long range weapons, steady aim. Let’s go!”
 
Arok nodded, picked his two extras, and ran off. Dale headed towards where she could get a vantage of both the exit point where people would be crossing and the west side of the bridge. She hopped a low wall on a sightseeing area so her back would be protected from stray fire behind her, and found a bench to brace her Revenant on. The members of her unit positioned themselves similarly. 
 
Dale slammed her visor down and sighted the husks. “Let ‘em have it!”

Modifié par Kel Riever, 17 décembre 2013 - 07:24 .

[Redbelle]

As Naomi dropped a glowing fist down to her side she laughed. Then swayed. Her red hued vision was swimming making hitting with a warp nigh on impossible. In the end she'd just channeled a burst of biotic's out down the corridor. As the wave had ripped apart walls and floor she suddenly been struck by the idea that maybe killing Wyld was a bit over the top. Sure she was mad. But a little voice at the back of her mind was telling her that this was not the way to go about confronting the issue of that deplorable **** doing things to her Zia that was off limits and.......

The wave hit Wyld.

She had been up against the railings screaming something down below when the wave had hit her in the back. Something primal had jumped within her at the thought of shooting Wyld in the back. Like she had achieved something, that was...... joyful? Her mouth opened to see if a laugh would emerge, but only a hollow feeling was there in place of the elation buzzing through her. She was two people now, she felt. One empty, with nothing to give. The other demanding she revel in her new found power and make everyone who had ever dared treat her badly, know she was this planets biggest...... something........

Details, she thought. She'd work out the details later.

Details like how angry she had been before she was kidnapped by the woman in red. How the woman in red had handed her over the girl in green. How the green girl had given the sand that made her see red. How now things were red, how free she was to stop holding back her feelings.......

She had to find Zia. She had to tell her what she was and how she felt. Zia would understand. Zia would tell her that her dalliance with Wyld had been a spur of the moment thing. Zia had, after all, grown up on Omega for crying out loud.

Naomi felt her feet touch the ground in the first time in a long time and her first thought was that she'd damaged the floor with her biotic wave. It was tilting and shifting under her. Looking down at her feet though, the floor before her looked fine. Ahead of her a different matter, but where she stood and behind her..... She turned and saw massive gaping holes wide enough for a person to walk through.

She'd done that, she told herself proudly.

From being the girl whose biotic ability was weak as to be unworthy of mentioning to what she had become.....

She'd had to cheat her way to where she was now, all her life. When it was known she had biotic's, she'd been given the chance to go to Grissom and study there. Everyone had told her it was an opportunity few ever received. Then when she'd arrived and started her training she'd quickly realised that her biotic potential had been over-estimated and all the pride that her family and friends have expressed in who and what she could do would then turn to disappointment when they all discovered that she would never amount to anymore than someone who could generate a biotic field with enough power to boil a kettle. Expectations of her were high. She'd failed them..... miserably. But rather than accept defeat, she'd found a way to bluff her way through Grissom academy.

She'd cheated her exams.

It had been a challenge, cheating through biotic exams where one had to display biotic talent, but she'd managed it. And every time she did her self esteem fell a little lower. She didn't stop though. Once she set her course she stuck to it. She could remember how many biotic amps she'd tampered with, how many of the other students she'd promised favours to. Of the number of times she'd payed for hacks to change a VI's scoring of her performance. All so that those she loved would feel proud of her.

In hindsight it had been a enormous mistake. Her scores, while she'd kept them above the pass marks, had caused her to be sent into the active war zones of Earth where they expected her to perform as well as her marks told them she could. In truth, all she was good for was boiling water to make tea. Back then, she couldn't raise a barrier or throw a warp to save her life. And there were many times when being able to do so would have been useful.

But now........

In her sand induced state she had to admit, being a Cerberus clone was the best thing that could have happened to her! The memories of her torture were a downside but they cut off at a certain point. Wyld told her it was the point where Cerberus had taken her memories from her original body and copied them into the skin she now wore.

And the Sand.....!

Thanks to the sand she could feel the power inside of her. She could actually feel how to draw it forth, when to release, how moving parts of her body in certain ways could amplify the effects. Her power was truly without equal for all biotic's could only bring out their full power by years of study and training. She'd studied, sure, and had training but this?

On a whim she turned and swiped her arm through the air. An arc of biotic power was emerged and flung itself against the wall, demolishing it in a eye-blink. Naomi really did laugh now. She'd never heard of any biotic in existence doing what she had done those few seconds ago. The plasterboard wall let loose a cloud of dust which settled to find Naomi looking into a restroom area. Faucet's on nearby sinks had burst loose and water was pooling across the floor towards her.

Taking a step forward she walked towards the wash basins and looking above them, saw herself in the mirror. The mirror was broken, shattered but still holding together letting her see herself in a myriad of broken fractures. Her head was swimming. Far more so than when she'd puffed at the rollup that Farzam and Dale had given her in Bastion. Still, she leaned forward and placed her hand on the wash basin surface.

She was beautiful. Clad as she was in the Cerberus Snipers black leathers that had been given to her by Sully. As her biotic field around her skin settled so to did her blonde hair till it hung down around her shoulders once more. Gathering the hair up in her hands she turned slowly looking at the crimson reflection's of herself Everyone who was important in her life had always said she had the face of an angel. As she allowed her hair to fall to frame her features she looked at the number of Naomi's looking back at her in the broken mirror.

It might have been her imagination. But she thought they were looking at her disapprovingly.

Why?

She had nothing to fear now! She had the biotic power that she had lied about having all these years! It wasn't a lie anymore! Finally she could look those she cared about in the eye and show them who and what she was. What she had told them for years she was. She was complete! If she had once been a puzzle then she was now assembled to match what she had told people was on the box! No more hiding behind the fear of being caught on a lie...... And in that was freedom! Real freedom! The fear of people looking at her in disappointment was gone!

You hurt Wyld. A distant voice in the back of her mind whispered at her and her arms gave way on the basin for a moment before she caught herself. She hoisted herself back up. Her red eye's blazing in anger at the voice in the back of her head.

“She deserved it”! She hissed back at her reflections. Her skin starting to swim again with tendrils of energy.

You might have killed her. She fell. Because you pushed her.

“Shut up”! She yelled back and swung her arm. The mirror and wall beyond shattered before her onslaught. Naomi, safety cocooned in a barrier, watched with fascination as it crumbled in front of her only a foot or so away from where she stood. A piece of mirror fell on down near her and she stooped to pick it up and looked at herself once more

That was when her head began to hurt. She she pressed her free hand against it and staggered back into the corridor.

Come down to me.

“Nuurrrghhhhh”. Naomi growled. The hurt in her head growing worse.

Come down and see.

Naomi leaned against the corridor wall and looked at where she had fired Wyld off the walkway. She remembered, Wyld had said Zia had come with her.

Come down, the voice said one more. And finish what you started.

The hurt in her head went away and she stood up once more. The world around her was still red and shifting like it was alive. She was walking in blood. It was everywhere! Even on her! She held up her hands and for a moment imagined that they were melting.

She closed her eye's and took a deep breath. It was just the sand. It was in her head. It was making it easier to draw out her own biotic potential. It wasn't making her strong. It revealed how strong she could be. And it was making her think and hear things......

She lost her train of thought as her thoughts turned once more to Zia, then to Wyld, then back to Zia again.

She had to find her and have it out. Before she could though, she had to make one slight change.

Running a leather gloved hand up from her armoured leather belly to her throat she reached up and, gripping the zipper, tugged it down to her chest. Her ample frame caused the fabric to part to reveal bare skin and she regarded herself in the broken piece of mirror before tossing it away over her shoulder.

If she wanted Zia's attention after all, she had to appeal to her on the right level.

Modifié par Redbelle, 05 décembre 2013 - 04:17 .

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Citadel LXIX

The team made its way down the dark stairwell of the tower. It seemed to descend forever. The footsteps of the squad echoed, and there really was no way to be quiet.

Ranassa stopped on the next landing. "Hey Sarge. Can we stop for few minutes? My knees are ****ing killing me."

"I wouldn't mind seeing if we could catch an elevator ride." T sat down.

"Alright, everyone. Take five." The sarge turned to Watson. "You doing alright?"

"Yeah. Sorry things got heated back there." Watson took a seat against the wall.

"**** happens. We're all stressed to hell. I just want to win this damned war. I hope what we did made a difference." She sat next to him. "You got any family left alive?"

"I think my sister might be. She was serving on Hackett's ship." Watson took his gloves off and held them in his right hand. He had one knee bent up in front of himself with his hand on top. "My parents were killed during the invasion."

"Sorry to hear that. The war has taken something from everyone." The sarge said.

"Yeah. It has. What did it take from you?" Watson asked.

"Someone very close to me is missing and presumed dead. You could say she was my partner in crime." The sarge said.

"Hey, Watson, you kissing up to the Sergeant?" Jack noticed Watson suddenly being friendly.

"Jack, ease off him. He's alright." The sarge countered, and then turned her attention back to Watson. "So Terra Firma? Really, Watson? From what I've read about them, you don't seem the type."

"What do you mean by that?" Watson turned and looked at the sarge.

The sarge gave a cigarette sign to Marisa; she tossed her pack to Nasyra. Nasyra offered one to Watson and asked, "Do you mind?"

"No, go ahead. We could all die any minute." Watson said while playing with his knife.

The sarge lit her cigarette. "I mean you may recite their bull****, but you don't really believe it."

"How do you know?" Watson asked, "And why do you call it bull****? Earth needs to be able to stand on its own."

"Yeah, that sounds good on paper. Then **** like this comes along, and well, then we all end up needing each other." Nasyra said while she was checking her assault rifle.

"But in the beginning, every one of you went to defend your own worlds instead of helping us." Watson countered. "We have to be able to stand alone. The more we depend upon the galactic community, the weaker we become."

"In that respect, you're right." Nasyra said. "And that applies to us, too. Too bad our own government forgot it. I don't have a problem with this. It's that xenophobic bull**** they let get spewed out I have a problem with."

"You're a strange Asari. I've never met one like you. I've only met strippers and dancers. Or I've run into a bunch of upper class business people who think their better." Watson asked. "And you, you agree with the Terra Firma platform?"

"The core principles, yes. The Council ****ed you guys over by limiting your forces. You're a full member of the Council, but they limited how many dreadnoughts you can have, etc., to defend your colonies, and they won't help you defend them. Terra Firma opposes this." Nasyra said, "But this also attracts extremist whack jobs who want to hate the rest of us who had nothing to do with that. It's that bull****. You're too smart for that. If I were you I'd watch out for those sneaky Salarians, though. They're always up to something. Fragile physically, but very smart."

Watson smiled. "It sounds like you've had a run in with them."

The sarge looked at the floor. "Yeah, and that is a very long story." Then she said, "Kid, I've been around this galaxy a hell of a lot longer than you'll ever be. I've killed more people than you'll ever kill, and I'm not talking in the military."

"Yeah?" Watson said. "Merc ****? I'm supposed to be impressed? That's no different than any other Asari."

"No? I'm not talking merc ****. I've never been a merc." Nasyra sat back against the wall, took a deep inhale, and blew out the smoke. "Yeah, those were the days, Watson. Let me tell you a story. I was a maiden of only 60 when I got my first job. He was a Turian. The client was particular, too. He wanted him done a certain way."

Watson sat up and was listening. "Wait, you're talking you did hits?"

"Yeah. Let me finish, you'll love this. I had to get close to do it, real close. So I offed his escort. That was sloppy. I'd never do that today: kill the escort. I'd just take her place." Nasyra smiled and said, "Then I went out to dinner with him, and back to his hotel room. After he got onto the bed, I drove an ice pick into his forehead. Then I had to take a picture with my omni-tool, get to the drop-site, transfer the picture to the terminal and send it to the agent. Next day I was 20,000 credits richer, and I didn't even break a sweat. The dress was a total loss, but you know."

"It was that casual?" Watson asked, "And you did this stuff for how long?"

"You really don't want to know. Let's just say I'm very experienced and leave it at that. Now you're probably wonder what this has to do with you and Terra Firma. I've seen all kinds." Nasyra said, "And when you've killed all kinds, too, from up close; you've stalked your quarry like that you get to know them. Kid, you may spout the bull****, but you don't believe it. You feel the need to belong to something, but go your own way. What they're spouting is going to come back to bite them in the ass. You mark my words."

Ranassa stood and shouted, "Hey, Sarge! If you two are through making love over there, we're ready to move out."

"Yeah, Sarge!" T shouted. "We got a war to win, remember?"

The sarge turned a little purple. "Alright, people. Let's move out."

[Redbelle]

Wyld's world became one of slow motion as the concussion of the biotic field slammed into the back of her. She was vaguely aware that she'd been blown over the railings before realising that the railings were still in her hands and she, and it, had been blown clear from the walkway. Now she found herself suspended in mid air.

Then, as her hands relinquished their grip on the railing, gravity claimed her and she was falling.

Still time seemed to crawl. She was aware she was falling head first and craned her head back. The sight of what lay below her made no sense to her, dazed by the shockwave as she was.

The floor of the building was all but gone in the centre. A pit of roiling flesh in what looked like a cauldron of teeth and fire. Zia's words came back to her. How she had the said the Reapers were cutting open the floor.

It took a moment more before the realised. She was about to fall into the toothy pit. Heat and death hit her as she plunged down. The rancid odour of petrifying fleshy remains being carried up by heat drafts from below and Wyld clenched her jaw. All she could do was prepare herself for whatever lay beyond the moment she hit the teeth filled pit even as her ears heard a, whine, followed by a boom.

Something hit her hard. Something wrapped itself around her and she saw that she was now being thrown rapidly away from the pit to the the walkway around the buildings sides. Offering the promise of hard ground. Then she saw a girl in green flash past as Zia and Wyld both crashed and skidded, across the walkway floor, into a store front where, together, they bowled over displays of mannequins that helped slow them down before they came to rest at the back of the shop.

As Wyld took deep, fortifying breaths she saw the girl in green peek into and enter where they had made their entrance. Then Zia's hands then came down, obscuring her vision for a moment as she snapped up her visor and held her face between her hands.

“Jan”!

Wyld grasped the hands as her brain caught up to how Zia had biotically charged herself across the empty space of the mall to knock her to safety. “Zee”! She gasped.

The girl in green approached and knelt by them. “Bunny”! She declared pointing to Wyld's helmet.

“Wings”! Both Zia and Wyld said automatically as Wyld laid her head down to recover her wits. Looking up at Zia she took her hands off hers.

“I'm okay Zee”.

“The hell you are”! Zia shrilled, angry. “What happened up there”!

“Are you two getting married”?

Wyld looked over at the girl in green, not understanding when she became aware that both of them, knocking their way through the shop floor as they had, had upset and torn loose the garments that had been on display. In fact now her brain was catching up she saw that around them were a selection of bridal gowns. Wyld looked to see that her adaptive camouflage armour had caught, torn loose and wrapped around itself one such dress, causing her armour to take on it's decorative patterning while Zia had somehow managed to end up with her hood obscured by a white, thrown back veil. In her mask the effect was unsettling.

Wyld made to say something. Paused, then cocked an eyebrow. “I'm game if you are”. She told Zia.

“Jan?.... Dammit! There are Reapers”!

“Right, right”. Wyld said as she rolled Zia off of her and yanked the gown off her armour. “Reapers in the mall. Lots to catch up on. Okay people. Game faces on”. She paused as she looked over at the girl in green who just looked between Zia and Wyld blankly. “I'm sorry”, Wyld said to her. “Who are you again”?

Modifié par Redbelle, 06 décembre 2013 - 03:50 .

[Kel Riever]

Alliance troops ran for the last two Kodiak shuttles and Patterson’s Mako.  All were at one of the large intersections Camp Bastion had been built around. The Mako had separated itself from the shuttles to get a clear line of sight to fire on the Maw when it had surfaced, but now the guns were trained on Reapers coming in from other directions. 
 
The three vehicles were the last rides out of Bastion.
 
Most of one shuttle had been loaded, except for the Demolition Officer, who prepared to set off the final charges that would detonate the buildings of Camp Bastion to collapse. The idea was that the Reapers would be blocked. A malfunction in the signal caused his first signal to fail. It was a simple, human error in programming, caused in placing the explosives so quickly. He had sorted it out and was about to send the signal again from his omni-tool when he heard a shout.
 
“Don’t set those off!”
 
The Demolition Officer looked up to see a mercenary, a turian Cabal, and a dog running up to him. “Are you kidding? If we don’t blow it now, we won’t get the chance again!”
 
Rob skidded as he came to a halt in front of the Officer. The second Kodiak was loaded now, and took off before the first, as it waited for the very last soldiers. “Listen, there’s not enough f***ing time to explain,” Rob yelled in earnest, “But if you blow that before the Maw emerges at this camp, it will just pass on through and we won’t stop anything!”
 
An Alliance Slayer with a skull painted on his helmet ran from the direction of the north gate. The Officer called to him, “Is there anybody besides you left alive back there?” 
 
The Slayer shook his head.
 
“Then that’s it,” the Demolition Officer exclaimed, “We’re blowing this place!”
 
Rob punched the Officer across the jaw and knocked him out.
 
“What are you doing?!” Delexia looked at Rob in shock.
 
“What we have to,” Rob answered as he picked up the unconscious officer and headed for the shuttle.   He paused as he sized up the Slayer who was in the way. Rob’s dog growled.
 
The Slayer with the skull on his helmet stepped aside. “I’m not stopping you. You’re right.”
 
Rob nodded, headed around the shuttle to the one open door. No one inside had seen what happened from their point of view. He placed the Officer on board and said, “Get out of here! We’ll leave in the Mako.” A young private saluted and closed the hatch of the Kodiak. It lifted off, leaving Rob, Delexia, the Slayer and the dog.
 
Delexia, still in shock, asked, “How do you propose to set the charges off? Not to mention if you haven’t noticed, there are Reapers moving in from the other gates. We have, what, minutes to do this?”
 
Activating his omni-tool, Rob answered tersely, “I have the damn codes! Every demo team member has them operating in this theater. I can see the location of all the charges on my display. We need to get to cover and hold until that Maw surface….ungh!” Rob collapsed as a bullet ripped into his abdomen.
 
Both the Slayer and Delexia ducked as shots flew above them. The dog started barking and ran off in the direction of the firing. Delexia grabbed Rob under his arms, the Slayer grabbed him by his legs, and they ran towards the wreck of an old X3M air car still near a divider in the middle of the closest connecting street. They placed Rob behind it and Delexia examined his wound.
 
The Slayer peaked over the top of the air car. “Hostiles closing in. Based on height profiles and mass estimations, targets are likely composed of Marauders and Cannibals,” he remarked as he pulled a Crusader shotgun from his back harness. “Great. I’ll see what I can do about holding them off.” The Slayer braced the Crusader, sighted, and started shooting.
 
Delexia looked down at Rob. He was bleeding severely and the wound gaped. Rob’s suit had already administered medigel, but it didn’t look good. Delexia frowned as she felt a hopelessness begin to overtake her. “I think you are in a lot of trouble, Rob.”
 
“F***, don’t tell me s*** like that!” Rob winced from his outburst, and then tried to steady his voice, but he kept an edge in his tone. “You are private, or whatever your damn rank is, Delexia, of the Turian Cabals. You are Palaven’s elite. You are a member of the turian hierarchy. F***in’ act like it!”
 
Somewhere, Delexia pulled herself together. Rob’s challenge destroyed her doubt. She nodded to him and readied her Phaeston.
 
“That’s it,” Rob approved. “Now hold off whatever comes this way until that Maw shows up.
 
The ground trembled. The clamor of crumbling earth, rock and metal was deafening. The Mako at the center of the intersection disappeared, falling into a massive hole created beneath it. Then the Reaper Maw erupted from the hole, to loom above the intersection. Debris showered the three behind the air car. The Maw blared its artificial, distorted roar.
 
Rob looked up at the Reaper Maw. “F*** you,” he shouted, before he triggered the charges.

Modifié par Kel Riever, 11 décembre 2013 - 07:22 .

[Redbelle]

“I'm Lucy”. The girl in green said proudly. “And that's my sister”. She pointed to Zia. “And that person you met upstairs is my prisoner”. She beamed as she spoke and Wyld took note that her eye's possessed a dull reddish tint to them. Evident in all long use sand users.

“Your prisoner? Damn well near killed me! What happened to her”?

“Naomi tried to kill you”? Zia, having managed to get the veil off her head, stood next to Wyld as she glared at Lucy. “Lou,What did you do”?

Lucy looked down at the floor. “Nothing”.

“Lucy.......”. Zia said slowly. “What did you do”?

Lucy sniffed and rubbed her nose. “It was just a little sand. She wasn't happy. And she has all this power in her.....”.

Zia strode forward as she pulled off her mask revealing a face that was mixed with anger and worry. “Lou....”. She aid as she grasped Lucy's face between her fingers. “You promised me...... before I left you promised me you'd get off the sand”!

Without anywhere she could look away to Lucy bore the full weight of Zia's gaze and nervously licked her lips. “I crossed my fingers”. She said weakly.

Before Zia could say anything else Wyld placed a hand on Zia's shoulder. “Can we count on her? You talked about her like she was...... Well.....”. Wyld said as she inclined her head to Lucy. “Not this”.

Zia moved her hands so that her thumbs pulled down the bottom of Lucy's eyelids, eliciting a sharp 'hey' from her as Lucy batted Zia away. “She's been off the sand for awhile. She's okay but she'll get the shakes eventually”.

“Don't talk about me like I'm not here”! Lucy shrilled. Wyld quickly got between the two.

“Lucy, yes? Listen. I need you to help us out here. Because in the next ten minutes I want all four of us, plus the prisoner's to walk out of here alive and in one piece. We need to kill the bad guys. Save Naomi and everyone below us......” There was another scream from below followed by a cheer among the Reapers as Wyld said this, causing Zia to wince. “.....and then get around to saving all life on the planet”.

Lucy stared up at her. “Just like Asari-Girl”?

Wyld blinked as a grin broke over her face. “You read Asari-Girl”?

“Who's Asari-Girl” Zia interjected.

“Only the best indie extra-net comic out there”! Wyld told her. “See when when humanity made first contact with the Asari a net artist used it as a chance to create this intergalactic galactic superhero with special powers.....”.

“Who fights crime”. Lucy interjected.

“Yes and......”. Wyld took a look at the storm clouds appearing on Zia's face and changed the subject. “Anyway. I'll save the prisoners. You keep the the Reapers off this level and call in Momma and any other support unit out there”. Wyld stripped off her rifle and pistol and thrust them into Zia's arms before she could utter a word in protest. “Better have Momma come in the back entrance. It looked clear earlier on the way down”.

“Jan”! Zia said while shrugging Wyld's ordnance in her arms. “What are you planning now”?

“Zee....” Wyld said as she pulled off her Kestrel and thrust it down over Zia's head. “Just call in Momma. And let me worry about the details”.

And with that, Wyld broke into a run, away from Zia and Lucy, through the shop doors towards the walkway's railing, and planting both hands on the rail, vaulted over the edge.

“JAN”! Zia yelled out as she dropped Wyld's weapons and lunged for the door. As she came to however she spotted the Reaper's that had been advancing on her earlier. They had made their way back around and were coming up on her. Weapons up.

They fired.

Zia darted back into the shop and looked to see Lucy picking up the weapons she had dropped. “Lou! I need your help here”!

Lucy brandished Wyld's Paladin pistol “Asari-Girl stands ready to defend the honour of the galaxy with her trusty sidekick”!

“I am NOT your sidekick”! The wall cover she hid behind erupted as the Reapers approached. They knew she was a biotic now. Had seen her use biotics. They knew she could present a threat. “Lucy”! She called as she pulled out her SMG. “Smash through the wall's and get ready to flank them”!

“Asari-Girl does not take orders”. Lucy called back as she stood gazing up at one the white gowned mannequins that had survived Wyld's and Zia's entrance.

“LOU”!

“Asari girl takes charge...... And I think I'll smash through the walls and flank them. You can stay here and draw their fire. I'll be back to rescue you in a bit”.

As Zia bit back a retort Lucy unleashed a singularity that appeared by the far wall next to the counter. Before Zia could ask her why she hadn't used a shockwave Lucy fired a warp. The resulting biotic explosion destroyed the wall completely. The lingering effects of the singularity keeping the explosion from doing to much harm to the surroundings. As Lucy began to step through Zia called after her.

“Asari-Girl doesn't use sand, right Lou? No sand till we're through this”!

“Have you ever read Asari-Girl”?

“No”.

“Then how do you know”? With that Lucy disappeared.

Zia, using the cover as best she could, unleashed a clip at the Reapers to check their advance and keep their attention on her as best she could. It was hard work. The Reapers outnumbered her and were suppressing her to well for her to get a decent shot in. They were keeping their distance. As she tried to move out to aim when one Reaper's clip became slagged the other took over. She could see what their plan was. Get close enough to use a grenade to flush her out or pen her further in. If only they'd get close for her to disrupt them with biotics .......

As the Reapers unleashed another wave of fire on her position she pulled the visor of Wyld's helmet down. “Momma”? She called out. “Please tell me your there.....”.

“I am here Zia”. Came Momma's soothing voice over the helmet. “Reaper forces are inside the building”.

“We know”! Zia cried as the weapons fire eroded the wall she stood by. “We need help.....”!

“Unfortunately, Reaper forces are also outside the building. I have managed to avoid detection thus far am moving around the far end of the building. Any support I can offer will be delayed”.

“Why”?

“Due to the numbers of Reaper forces I estimate that when they detect me I will have ninety seconds before they can converge enough weapons fire on this vehicle to destroy it. Within the first thirty seconds I must disengage and retreat in order to survive. If I announce my presence at this time, I will be unable to evacuate all four of you”.

“Make that twelve”. From down below there was another scream and Reaper cheer. “....Eleven”. Zia corrected, hoping that Wyld had not just fallen. “Just get here! We'll hold out as long as we can”!

Just then Zia heard Wyld's voice calling from below. Zia thought she might be calling for her.......

Then a streak of blue biotic energy flew down from the top level, past Zia's floor and impacted on the ground level. The sight gave the Reapers shooting as Zia pause long enough for her to empty another clip in their direction, scoring one kill and wounding another. The return fire drove her back into cover.

Naomi..... Zia thought as she ejected her slagged clip and slammed home a fresh one. Wyld called in Naomi......

Only Naomi was under the effects of sand and wanted to kill her.

And if Momma didn't come through for them and bring the Valkyr to them they'd be stuck here.

And if Lucy didn't come through for her, Zia knew she'd be Reaper chow for that.....thing down below.

Lucy..... Where the hell are you?

Modifié par Redbelle, 09 décembre 2013 - 12:20 .

[Kel Riever]

The Reaper known as Maelstrom detected the low flying cruiser of the organics above it. Maelstrom knew that vessels were moving to distract it from its new mission. The cruiser made itself vulnerable to strike the Reaper, releasing a volley of Thanax cannon shots, but its attack was insignificant. Maelstrom fired its ocular beam upward to lance the cruiser in one fatal shot. Another organic vessel deviated from its course to replace the first and attempt the same. Maelstrom was searching for the ship that it assumed coordinated this effort. It surely was the one that had attacked it before, when the processor was destroyed. 
 
A series of explosions within the city brought Maelstrom’s attention back to the battle on the surface. Building after building was sacrificed by the organics, bringing them down around the Maw and the Reaper troops that Maelstrom had sent to attack the enemy’s rear. The ploy had worked out perfectly, and Maelstrom blared its dissonant sound as it watched the Maw mangled by the detonations. It toppled and lay unmoving, buried under rubble. 
 
Impossible.
 
The Reaper who was the first contacted Maelstrom again. Listen to your elder. You are consumed and threaten us all with your insubordination. Do not concern yourself with your losses, they do not matter. It is inevitable that we will persevere, as long as we act as one. I warn you this last time.
 
Maelstrom felt the ancient emotions of anger within. It knew what must be done to continue its mission. The risk was great but the slaying of the Maw could not go unanswered. Maelstrom reached out to the Maw, devoting resources to take direct control and make it rise again.
 
Do not control the Maw, the elder Reaper threatened. You are making a grave error.
 
The error is yours, eldest one! Maelstrom went through with its plan. Speak no more!
 
In the ruins of Camp Bastion, the rubble shifted as the Thresher Maw began to move.

[Kel Riever]

Radcliffe had always excelled at one trait that was critical to command; the ability to remain calm under fire. 
 
He leaned over the shoulders of his two battlefield tech operators on board the crammed command Mako. The young man and woman could have been brother and sister, though they each hailed from separate colonies far from Earth. They were watching the intricately detailed computer displays, managing the communications received from unit commanders, and alerting Radcliffe to everything that needed attention. Radcliffe relied on them for the small details, but his seasoned eyes looked at what they could not see, and that was the big picture. Then, if necessary, he would report to his own superiors. It hadn’t been necessary in a while.
 
Radcliffe’s command was in a world of its own; a flanking force, with its motley assembly of units drawn from the remnants of others. If Radcliffe had been a normal person, even a normal soldier, he would have given up by now. Despite being one of the few remaining organized forces this close to the conduit, even possibly the force in the best situation and that included Shepard’s, what they faced was outside the bounds of possibility. None would escape the closing grasp of the Reapers if they hadn’t left the battlefield already. The enemy closed in with immeasurable numbers from all sides. Radcliffe’s forces were a bubble floating in a sky of pins.
 
“What is Steiner’s progress?” Radcliffe was even toned, even confident, as he spoke to the young male operator, named David.
 
“Steiner made it nearly across the bridge, but doubled back to help cover forces crossing,” David answered and pointed to a series of three blue triangles on a zoomed in display representation of Tower Bridge and the surrounding area. He moved his finger to two, very small, white triangles nearby. “These are the troops dropped off by the gunships. They freed him up to do that. We’re getting a lot of pressure from the front now, but Grelk is holding with the added fire from the gunships.”
 
“It won’t last forever,” Radcliffe murmured. “They need to get those units across. Tell Steiner I said he’s going to need to be a bigger hero.”
 
A red circle lit up from one of the young woman’s screens. Radcliffe shifted his attention to her. She had a schematic up of Camp Bastion. Radcliffe inquired, “Mila, what’s happening?”
 
“The Camp was blown, finally. But there’s a satellite alert of something on the move.” Mila paused as she processed the information, then her voice sank. “It’s the Thresher Maw, sir. It wasn’t destroyed.”
 
Radcliffe was silent for a moment. He knew that the Maw would catch the forces on the bridge, cutting off any potential of retreat. The Reapers wanted to destroy as much as they could on the bridge, whether they killed everyone in hand to hand combat or were just waiting for the moment to fire one of their devastating ocular beams. The distractions the Reapers faced in other areas would eventually have to come to an end and when they did, anyone still on the bridge would meet their end. 
 
The plan had been risky to begin with but Radcliffe had gone over it several times with his senior officers. There wasn’t much choice and little chance. But that little chance was what they fought for. Radcliffe didn’t need to believe the bubble could make it through the pins. He didn’t need to.   All he needed to do was keep doing whatever it was that kept keeping that little chance alive. And if he was going to do that, among other things, the Thresher Maw needed to be put down once and for all.
 
“Mila, find me someone, anyone, who I can talk to back at that Maw. I don’t care if it is a Kodiak pilot, or one of these survivor civilians with a magic com unit. Just get me someone.”
 
Mila nodded and went to work. The command unit was by the Thames, still on the north shore, on the same side as the camp had been. Radcliffe knew they would have to get to the other side soon, regardless of what happened on the bridge. Also, regardless of how hot the combat was on the south shore. He had hesitated, not out of any thought for himself, but out of the knowledge that the destruction of their coordinated command would lead to the disintegration of their effort.
 
He was about to bring it up when Mila interrupted his thinking. “Sir, I have someone on the line. A merc.”
 
Radcliffe nodded, “Put him through to me.” Mila complied, and Radcliffe spoke to the stranger, “I don’t know who I’m talking to but this is Captain Radcliffe and I’m not wasting time. What is your name, and what is your condition?”
 
“Rob, just Rob. I think I’m doing pretty well despite not knowing where my dog is, having a f*** all hell of a wound in my gut, and surviving my own danger close detonation of your camp. There are two others with me, alive for now.”
 
“You sound like the kind who doesn’t need a compliment,” Radcliffe came back, “Which is good, because I am going to be straight with you. You did a hell of a job, but I can’t send anyone for you and despite everything, I need to know what happened to that Thresher Maw.”
 
“Good, I appreciate some f***ing straight talk. What I can tell you is I’m the one responsible for waiting to blow the base until it could come down on the Maw. And it should be dead, but I’m watching it go on the move again and it has all sorts of weird energy coming out of it. Like it’s got blue plasma shooting out of all its wounds and orifices.  And, of course, it is heading to the bridge.”
 
Radcliffe clenched a fist but kept his voice steady. “I know this is a lot to ask, but can anyone with you keep a visual on it?”
 
There was a pause, and then Rob spoke again. “These two can leave me. I’m all right with that. They can do what you are asking, and more, if you are willing to listen to me.”

Radcliffe detected an unusual optimism in Rob’s voice. “Go ahead. I’m looking for solutions.”

Modifié par Kel Riever, 17 décembre 2013 - 07:27 .

[Redbelle]

As Wyld leapt from the second level, down to the first, one thought was going through her head.

Girl...... You are out of your fricken mind!

She fell and landed on the hard floor. Her prosthetic legs taking the drop and absorbing the impact with grace. Then, as she got up form the crouch she had landed in, she raised her hands into the air.

Sure enough, a horde of Reaper guns were pointed in her direction.

“I surrender..... See these”? She waved her hands in the air. “This means surrender. It's practically universal! The sign of I don't want to fight and I'm not armed”!

A Marauder puts it's weapon down and strode towards her. Wyld could help but note that on the left side of it's face was clawed. The eye's had been put out on that side and the remaining tissue had scabbed over.

Wyld decided she'd call him Skar.

Skar spoke. Wyld practically jumped out of her skin when she heard this Reaper talk in her own language.

“Where are the others”?

“Upstairs...... they didn't want to surrender”.

Skar regarded her with what Wyld imagined was a contemptuous stare. “You want to surrender”?

“I am surrendering”.

Skar backhanded her. His arm swinging through the air and catching her across the ear. Wyld felt pain and disorientation as her head was thrown to the side and she felt Skar grab her arm and hurl her towards where the prisoners were kneeling. She sprawled on the floor as other's grabbed her and brought her to her knee's.

Using it as an opportunity, Wyld looked out the doors of the centre and saw more Reapers standing outside. Though the doors to the outside restricted her vision she thought she glimpsed a sizeable force of every type of Reaper she had ever seen.

And some she didn't. She could make them out clearly though as those that held her wrestled her arms so that she was in the same position as the others. She found herself kneeling next to another Alliance soldier. “Commander Wyld”. She whispered to him.

“Private Watkins”. Came the response. “What the hell, ma'am? You call this a rescue”?

“Working on it”. Was her response as Skar strode over to the group and picked out another. The one he picked was wearing another patch worked jacket and had a vacant look in his eye's.


“Watch human”. Skar said to Wyld. “This is the beginning of your ascension. We are all lucky to witness the end of this stage of your life....... and the beginning of something new. Something that will eclipse the greatest creation since the last cycle.....”.

All around them the other Reapers made murmuring sounds of approval as Skar continued. “However. That which we serve demands that's it's majesty be recognised. To long has it remained hidden from view while it works to supply that which is above us with the material to recreate your species in it's image! You are the forerunner's of perfection! You will be made whole for you alone in this cycle are worthy while we bear witness to your ascension”! Skar paused as he looked around at the group in front of him. “Typical..... not one volunteer”. Skar wheeled around and planted a kick on the Outcast who they had made stand in front of the pit.

The outcast made no noise as he disappeared from view. Then the screaming began in earnest and stopped just as abruptly. All around Wyld the Reapers cheered while outside, she could hear the Reaper approval come through the doors.

Wyld raised a hand. “Excuse me”!

Skar looked around. “A volunteer? Finally”! He sighed. “Someone who get's it”!

Wyld shook her head. “Not volunteering..... I just wanted to ask. Whose majesty are we supposed to recognise? And what is this thing we're supposed to recognise”? She paused. “And just how the hell are you talking”?

The Reapers fell silent at her question. Wyld could feel all their eye's on her as Skar advanced on where she knelt. “You are an ignorant speck that is capable of being so much more”.

“So enlighten me”.

“You cannot take enlightenment with you where you are going. So why would I”?

“Because I might agree with you before you...... ascend me”.

“Hmppffh”. Skar turned his back on her and Wyld tried a different tack.

“Why just humanity? We all know where this is going right? Your going to make us into one of those Reaper ships above us! That's the point..... isn't it? But only the human race? Only human DNA, technology, wisdom and knowledge will be preserved from this cycle into the others...... Why not harvest every species and take the best from them? Why does humanity rate becoming a Reaper when it doesn't matter what our strength's and weaknesses as a species is? All we will ever be is just a shell of technology with a soft gooey centre with nothing to differentiate us from every other Reaper out the......”.

Wyld's words were cut off as Skar walked over and swung his leg up and into her face. Wyld's head snapped back with a small gout of blood hanging suspended in the air for just a moment before she fell heavily to the ground. Off to her side she heard Watkins breath a prayer. She rolled onto her front and planted her hands on the ground as she pulled herself up.

Someone grabbed her by the hair and Skar jerked her head back. Blood ran out of Wyld's nose from where Skar had landed his kick. “You speak heresy”.

“Since when have the Reapers known what that word means”?

Skar tightened his grip as Wyld felt her scalp protest at the treatment he was handing out. “All we want is for you to live up to your potential. The Reapers have seen life rise and fall of all species for longer than your priitive mind can imagine. They know who is worthy and who is not. They have seen it all before. And will again. Your kind are worthy. They have yet to reach their limits as a species while the other's have reached theirs”.

“The other races might disagree”. Wyld said behind clenched teeth.

“You cannot argue with the will of the Reapers”.

“As long as I'm not indoctrinated....... I think we can. I know, I've seen how the races working together can do more than any one ever could. The only reason I can walk is because someone from another race gave me the power too”.

Skar looked down at her prosthetics. “Contamination. They must be removed. Then you and the other two shall be..... enlightened”.

As Skar began nodded to two Reaper, they moved forward and from behind their's backs, drew two wicked knives of the same metal's that covered their bodies.

Wyld gasped. “There are three”!

Skar held up a hand and the advancing Reapers stopped. “There is one more of you”?

Wyld nodded. “Top floor. She doesn't know what's happening down here”. Despite the pain she twisted around in Skar's grasp. “She might surrender too, if she knew...... After all, you have an army out there. We can't resist and win, right”?

Skar considered her words, then threw her forward as he released her. “Call her”. He said and gestured for another group of Reapers to go to the top.

Wyld cleared her throat as she wiped the blood from her nose away. Staggering up to one knee she titled her head back and roared up to the top floor.

“HEY NAOMI”?

From the top level a head poked out from over the railing. Skar growled approvingly....just as Wyld added.

“DID ZEE SHOW YOU THAT TRICK WITH HER TOUNGE TOO”?

The top floor was basked in a blue light for a moment as Naomi seemed to emanate an aura. Then in the blink of an eye the walkway under her feet came apart as there came the sound of a mighty Boom.

Those who didn't blink would have seen a a ball of blue light, in which lay the form of a girl with blonde hair in leather armour. The front of her armour was unzipped revealing a sizeable bust, but it was the eye's.....

The eye's glowed red. As if her anger had been made manifest. The biotic field she had projected on the way down was gone.

Wyld had noticed that Skar's gaze had followed her down as she had made her descent. Now that her biotics were not charged though, he looked around with a bewielded look. “What was that”? He asked.

That was when realised.... He can't see her!

Wyld had always been a stickler for reading reports. While she had been away from Bastion, hunting down first Steiner's rifle brigade, and then the Tee-Eff, Zia had taken Naomi to find out how far her new biotic potential could reach. As it turned out, not that far. Her training in the field of biotics had essentially been a lie that she had hidden for years. Yet they had discovered another aspect of her..... presumably one that came from being a clone of the original Naomi made by Cerberus......

Reapers couldn't see her.

Yet, it seemed that they could see her biotics. Running largely on Red Sand, humiliation of being the weakest link in the trio that Wyld had formed with Zia and Naomi, and a deep, burning resentment of Wyld in particular after learning that Wyld had essentially stolen the heart of Zia who Naomi loved...... It seemed that she'd gained a new handle on working those biotics that transcended years of training.

Skar stopped looking as he turned on Wyld and grabbed her by the throat. “What was that”?

From behind him, Naomi hissed. “Get your hands off her.... She's mine”!

Skar heard Naomi as he spun around. “Who is there”? He challenged.

Wyld poked her head from around Skar. “Nay? I know we've got a lot of history between us, but there's something important you must know before it's to late to tell you”.

“What”?

Wyld took a step to the side and pointed at Skar. “This guy's been bragging about how he's been seeing Zia without either of us knowing. And well.....” She shrugged as she gestured around helplessly. “It looks like his friends came along this time too”.

Naomi's sand red eye's widened as she locked her gaze on Skar who was bringing up his weapon, but didn't seem to know where to aim. The Reaper guards around the prisoners likewise seemed to be shifting nervously.

Naomi looked around and uttered three words.

“Eat your guns”.

There was a pause. Then nearly as one the Reaper reversed their weapons and pointed the barrels into their mouths.

Wyld couldn't watch. She shut her eye's as around her she heard weapon discharges. She didn't mind that they were dead, but the way Naomi had given the order......

She's changed, Wyld thought. This Naomi was far scarier than the sweet soldier, in over her head, that Wyld had come to know. This Naomi was ruthless.

As she opened her eye's Wyld was surprised to find Skar still standing. Unlike the other's he had not shot himself and was gawking around at what had once been his troops. “Who has done this”? He roared.

Naomi turned her attention to Wyld who pointed behind her. “Did I mention his friends had to line up outside the door”?

Naomi's face clouded and her biotics charged to cocoon her once more. Skar saw the blue energy and cried out in triumph. “There you are”! He fired, but Naomi's biotic barriers were already up. The sliver's of weapon discharge failing to pierce her protective biotic shell.

Naomi charged across the room, clipping Skar as she did so and smashed into the front entrance of the centre. The doors, windows and nearby walls splintered and smashed as Naomi drove through them while the trailing end of her wake turned everything that she had destroyed, now behind her, into deadly shrapnel that carried forward after her. Wyld lost sight of her as she flew out of view, only the chorus of Reaper shouts and weapons fire could be heard amid the sounds of biotics that sounded like a small war had been declared outside.

Wyld spun around, her new Omni tool already unfolding it's new omni bow module out as she pulled a charge from her belt and drew back the orange hued string.

Skar struggled to stand. Using his weapon to prop him up. He looked and saw Wyld pointing a weapon of some kind at him. Wyld smirked.

“So how come you can talk? I've never met a Reaper footsoldier who could talk before”.

Skar growled. “We can all talk, if we want to”.

“Huh, Mystery solved”. Wyld said and released her grip on the arrow.

Without her helmet she couldn't be sure where the arrow would strike. But she was close enough that she was sure of a hit, while far enough away that she was sure the explosive charge wouldn't effect her or the prisoners.

As it turned out, she would have missed completely had Skar not jerked up so as to be in position to fire his weapon. The arrow caught him and lodged itself in the back of his throat. He had a single moment before Wyld heard the tell tale beep and dove to the ground covering her head.

Skar's head exploded. Wen Wyld looked up, she saw his body swaying before it began falling backward into the Reaper processor that he and other's had come to pour adoration upon. The body disappeared and there was a loud splash.

Wyld rolled over and looked at Watkins. Like her, everyone else had dove to the ground. “So how do you like your rescue now”? She asked.

“****ing A, ma'am”. Watkins cheered.

Wyld grinned as she rose off the ground. Then grew serious as she saw something, or somethings begin to rise out of the flesh pit. “Oh C'mon”! She said despairingly. “What now”?

Modifié par Redbelle, 10 décembre 2013 - 12:45 .

[Kel Riever]

Riptide couldn’t stop crying. Her tears blurred everything. Wherever she saw a Husk-like form, she fired. Emotions had overtaken her and her actions were simply automatic. 
 
The bridge crossing had turned into a giant melee with the Husks. People grappled with them, or shot them at short range. Some tried to retreat backwards, causing a collision with those pushing forwards. Loose rounds whizzed by, some clipping the enemy and some clipping allies. Marco shot down a Husk that was heading towards Riptide that she missed. Then, from behind, he was seized.
 
“Get it off me!” Marco panicked and dropped his gun. The electric surge from the Husk singed his armor. “Shoot it off! Shoot it off!”
 
Riptide aimed as best she could and fired. The burst ripped into the Husk but one round struck Marco directly in the head. He went limp, dead with the corpse of the Husk on top of him.
 
“What are you doing!?” Joshua saw what had happened. “You just killed Marco!”
 
A Husk then leapt on Joshua from the side while he was distracted. He couldn’t bring his gun around and desperately struck the Husk with his fist. Joshua pleaded, “Help me!” The Husk began to emit its electric field and Joshua screamed. Riptide aimed her gun, but couldn’t pull the trigger, fearing what had happened to Marco.
 
Joshua fried while Riptide watched, frozen.
 
The Husk let go of Joshua, whose blackened form crumbled. It stared at Riptide with lifeless, glowing eyes. She felt as if the trigger on her Avenger weighed fifty kilograms when she pulled it. The gun failed to fire. Riptide didn’t know what was wrong and squeezed harder, but the Avenger would not function. The Husk charged and tackled her. Riptide was knocked to the ground, with the Husk pinning her down. She got one arm between her and it, grabbed its neck and tried to push it away. Slowly, the Husk was winning and she knew it would be only a few more second before its electric field overcame her armor.
 
Where is Steiner? Riptide wondered. We need to be saved. Then, as her will to fight ebbed, Riptide thought, I deserve to die.
 
A shadow loomed from behind the Husk, and a massive, clawed hand engulfed its crown. Two fingers stabbed into the eyes of hollow light, and the Husk’s head snapped rearward, to be torn from its body. As the Husk’s decapitated carcass collapsed, Riptide saw its slayer was a krogan, who casually tossed the skull aside and offered the same, death wielding hand to her.
 
“My name’s Arkeer. Do you want to live forever?”
 
Riptide took the krogan’s hand and was lifted to her feet like a toddler. The tears had stopped blurring her vision and she sputtered, “Thank you.”
 
“Come on. You can thank me and apologize to me later for getting yourself talked into a fancy suit of armor just to do something stupid.”
 
Before Riptide could respond, Arkeer turned around and leveled the hefty shotgun that was in his other hand. It was a Claymore, and when he fired it, the shotgun made a loud ‘clink’ sound, like metal struck by a hammer. Another Husk a bit in front of Arkeer flew apart in bits. The krogan began heading towards the far end of the bridge. Riptide checked her Avenger, collapsed and reopened it to clear it mechanically. The action cleared the gun’s malfunction. She once again shot bursts at the enemy, following Arkeer.
 
They caught up to Steiner, who had come back with his men to try and help the flanked soldiers, but had been tied up in their own melee. Arkeer began removing husks, either with his Claymore or with his bare hands. Riptide assisted, picking off open targets. Troops from behind fell in and surged towards their objective, even though they were assailed. The tide was shifting.
 
Steiner, in his scarred Destroyer armor, looked to the krogan, who was a head taller than him. “Nice to see someone else fighting this war.” He then spied Riptide. “And that’s the first white uniform I’ve seen at my side. Do you think we can keep the cattle moving now?”
 
Arkeer grinned and passed Steiner, to lead the fight against the oncoming Husks.   
 
With his Typhoon cycling a stream of fire, Steiner roared a battle cry, “To the end of the bridge, you bastard children! Eeeeeeverybody MOVE!”

Modifié par Kel Riever, 17 décembre 2013 - 07:28 .

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

On The Citadel LXX

"Hey, Sarge," Ereba turned and looked up at her, "do you think we could check one of these doors? Have you looked up? Have you looked down?" She leaned over the railing and hocked a loogey.

"Okay, I get it. It's a long way down. Check the next door." The sarge replied. "Ranassa, T, you two hold the door. Ereba you check the area. Everyone else sit tight."

Ereba hacked the door on the next landing, then cloaked and went outside. It was dimly lit in the corridor, but there was not much going on. It was definitely a maintenance area. There were keeper tunnels, and ladders everywhere. She proceeded down a corridor, and she saw it. She froze. At the end of the corridor, the light reflecting off the shiny surface of the leg of the reaper that was being constructed. But there was something strange going on. Since she was cloaked she went to take a closer look.

'What the ****? The reapers are worshipping this thing? They weren't doing this before. They were walking around on guard duty. Now it's some kind of religious ceremony. Holy ****ing Athame! Maybe Jack was right and we should have nuked this thing.' Ereba thought. Then she backed away slowly and quietly. Then she walked past the doorway and checked the other side. She rounded the corner to the right and found a service elevator.

'Hmmm... good... now we need something to prop open the door in case we have to make a retreat through it. Okay, a couple of thermal rounds, should attract some attention..., so I'll go back down and see if I can get a marauder in the corridor.' Ereba thought, then went back to the reaper opening.

One of the marauders passed near the doorway she threw the round and hit the metal doorframe with it. The marauder turned, looked and entered. Then it looked around a bit, turned around and started going back. Ereba threw one against the wall near where she was standing. She was hiding behind some crates. The marauder turned suddenly and came in further to investigate. He walked past her, and as soon as he did she was behind him. She grabbed his head and snapped his neck. She gently laid him on the floor. She got out her knife and cut off his head, and returned to the stairwell with it.

"What the ****? Ereba! That is ****ing gross!" Shayrana said when she saw Ereba carrying the head.

"B*tch isn't fooling around!" T said. "Damn girl! You going trophy hunting now?"

"She's losing it. I knew it was just going to be a matter of time." Ranassa said.

"No, guys, I'm not losing it. There's a service elevator around the corner to your left, and well, we needed something to keep the door propped open in case we need to make a retreat." Ereba said and held up the head. "So I figured he wouldn't miss it."

Jack burst out laughing. "You almost ****ing had me there. You found him laying dead, and you just cut it off, right?"

Ereba sheepishly grinned. "Well, sort of. I did kill him first."

"She's trophy hunting." T said.

Marisa looked absolutely disgusted. "Is this what happens to you guys after a while?"

"Alright, let's move out. Really, a head for a doorstop?" Nasyra said.

Ereba shrugged her shoulders.

"Don't look at me. I'm not touching that thing," Shayrana said as she walked past Ereba and out the door.

"What? There wasn't much else around. I suppose I could have cut off his foot." Ereba said. "But that would have been a bad joke. So I thought he'd want to use his head.... What?"

"I'm gonna have to kill you if you keep talking like that." T said.

When everyone had left Ereba set the head on the floor, and Ranassa and T allowed the door to close slowly on it. Jack had hit the elevator call, and soon the elevator arrived. Everyone piled in, and Jack hit the button for the bottom floor the elevator went to.

The elevator went down. When it got to the bottom the door opened.

In front of them was a long 10 wide metal ramp. On either side of the ramp were what looked like reaper transports parked about 20 yards to either side of the ramp. The ramp was about 40 yards long, and reflected the bronze colored light coming from the room at the end. The enclosure over the transports was clear, and one could see the dimly lit inside of the Citadel. It was massive.

"Well, I guess this is it." Nasyra said. "I'm guessing there's reapers in that room. Be ready for anything. Let's move out."

The squad proceeded to toward the room and ropes dropped from an overhead structure. Marauders rappelled and surrounded them.

One of them stepped forward. "The inferior Asari thought they'd won because they destroyed the Intelligence. But we still have the chosen. We still collect."

"What?" Nasyra said. "You can speak?

"You are waste," it said and knocked Nasyra to the floor, and then it turned to Watson and touched him with its finger under his chin, and said, "these humans, however, we ascend to their destiny that is far beyond what your puny mind can imagine."

Watson looked at him defiantly, and he reached down to help Nasyra back to her feet.

"Do not waste your time with the inferior Asari, Human," said the Marauder, "you are far superior genetically to them." Then it ordered the others. Take the Humans. Kill the blue excrement."

"Oh he did not just call me that." T said.

"Hold it! Reaper!" Ereba shouted. "I have questions."

"Ask them." The reaper said.

"I saw you worshipping the big machine you were building. Yet before we destroyed the Intelligence you were not. Why?" Ereba asked.

"Each reaper is the collective consciousness of the race judged worthy of ascension by the Intelligence each cycle." The marauder said. "They are far beyond your comprehension. They are worthy of worship."

"Once this one is completed, what will you do now that the intelligence is destroyed?" Ereba asked.

There was a pause. It was thinking. Ereba glanced at Ranassa, then at the sarge, then at Jack. There was an implied three count and a combined throw directed at all of the Marauders. Watson threw a warp at the leader, and the sarge leveled it with her heavy flare causing a huge biotic explosion that sent the ones who were getting back on their feet flying through the air. Ranassa and T opened up on the others. Shayrana shot two in the head with her Paladin, and Jack nailed one with her shotgun.

But several brutes charged from the room at the end. Jack charged at them, and knocked two of them down with force she hadn't used since her prison escape. Concentrated fire took out the others. The sarge led the squad double time to the room. There were two doors on either side. One was the Citadel Control Tower, and the other was the Tram to the Presidium.

"Let's get into the Control Tower, and see if we can make contact with the fleet." Marisa ordered.

"I'm on this." Nasyra was on the door trying to get it open. "Someone be ready. I'm not sure whats on the other side, but I can guess it isn't friendly. Okay, I've.... got it."

The door opened, and Ereba dropped the two Marauders that were inside. The flight controllers were dead.

"Ranassa, T, you two stand guard," Nasyra said, "I'll get on the com and try to raise the fleet.

"Citadel Flight control to Sword Fleet do you copy? Sword Fleet, this is Citadel Flight Control do you copy?" Nasyra said. "No response."

"Perhaps you need to open the Citadel. It looks like this panel over here. Let me try unlocking this." Ereba said.

"No. Ereba. Stop." Nasyra ordered. "These things are hard coded. See if one of these controllers has a key card for it first. If not let me try. I've got more experience with these things."

"What? Sarge, I've been doing electronics longer." Ereba protested.

"No you haven't." Nasyra smiled and put her hand on Ereba's shoulder. "Trust me on this."

"I found something." Ereba said. "This might work." She slid it in the panel and it unlocked.

"Phew!" Nasyra exclaimed. "That's a relief."

"Okay, now opening the arms..., now." Ereba said. "Try it now."

"Citadel Flight control to Sword Fleet do you copy? Sword Fleet, this is Citadel Flight Control do you copy?" Nasyra said.

"This is Admiral Hackett. Thank the Gods. Who is this?"

"This is Gunnery Sgt. Nasyra Soniri, Asari Artemis Squad, Sir. We just wanted to report in and find out what is going on with the battle."

"You're the Asari Squad we heard rumors about?"

"Yes, sir, and we had help from a squad of Human biotics led by a woman named Jack out of Grissom." Nasyra looked over at the biotics and smiled.

"You have our thanks. We're going to bring in the Crucible. It's going to take about 5 hours to reach the Citadel once it enters the system." Hackett said.

"We'll lock out this terminal so that the reapers can't close this place, sir. Then we're going to look for survivors. It's really ugly. They're building a reaper here, sir."

"What you did up there has made a difference. We might stand a chance. Thank you. Hackett out."

Ereba checked the configurations of the Citadel on the panel. "Okay, I've got the Citadel set for normal open configuration."

"Good, and now it's about at it's normal spot, and it's locked." The sarge said.

"Jack, this Commander Shepard is supposed to be some kind of expert on the Reapers, right? What do they do when they're done with this war?" Shayrana asked.

Jack replied. "He said that they return to dark space and sleep for 50,000 years and wait for the next cycle. Then they do it all again I guess. It's ****ed."

"But now they don't know what they're going to do." Ereba said.

"Yeah, but that was just a stupid marauder." Jack said.

"It didn't sound too stupid to me." Watson said. "Did you listen?"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Maybe they don't know. What if they just keep reaping everything? What if we made it worse?" Jack asked.

"No, we didn't." Shayrana said. "He paused to think. That means they're not sure about what they're doing.

"So what's the plan now?" Ereba was standing leaning against one of the controllers chairs.

"Marisa and I are going to go to the Presidium Ring and look for survivors and see if we can find the Council," said the sarge as she walked toward the door. "The rest of you I want to guard this room. Don't let the reapers in. It is essential that the Citadel remain open so the Crucible can dock." 

Ranassa laughed. "You're f***ing kidding me, Sarge. I know you're good, but Marisa? She's a desk jockey. No offense."

"None taken," Marisa said.

"She's a desk jockey, and just the two of you are going to the Presidium ring alone with no backup?" Ranassa asked.

"Yeah, we can handle it," the sarge said. "Jack, you've got command."

"I'll put a triple encryption on the door in case we have to retreat into the room." Ereba said.

"Good thinking," the sarge replied as she and Marisa entered the tram to the Presidium ring. "Stay frosty."

Modifié par sH0tgUn jUliA, 12 décembre 2013 - 05:49 .

[Redbelle]

“Lucy? Where the hell are you”?

Lucy was beside's herself with joy. Two walls into her flank and she'd knocked her way into a clothing store filled with items that captured her attention. Zia's shouts seemed faraway as she grabbed several bags from behind a counter and started filling them.

Buy me, she heard the garments whisper.

“I can't. I don't have any money and the planet got a bit...... destroyed”. She stopped. Stealing was wrong, Zia had told her many times in the past. Disdain wouldn't have cared either way but she was pretty sure Disdain was dead. Zia hadn't told her she was though so it was one vote against and one vote for. She wieghed the votes carefully, realised she had the deciding vote.......

“I'll leave them an IOU”! She said to no-one in particular.

Then she saw it.

It was a coat of scarlet leather. Buckles and belts suspended as it stood open on a display doll. It was much..... much to big for her. She'd drag the hem around if she tried to wear it. The crimson outfit reminded her of Disdain and seemed to radiate anger that Lucy not seen it when she first blown open the wall.

“I'm sorry”. Lucy said walking gingerly up to it. “But I can't wear you. Your to big”. Then a bulb went off in her head as she remembered her prisoner. The one Zia and that other one...... Wyld? Had come to take from her? The details were beginning to escape her. She needed her dust soon. But it was not a good thing to dust when something angry was standing in front of you.

Disdain had taught her that lesson. Not long after Zia had left them and Omega.

She clapped her hands together. “I know! I know who you'll fit! I'm not sure if she's made for you though....... But we can go and see”! She gently took the coat down and wrapped it separately in it's own bag. Let's go see together..... and let's not be angry, okay? I don't like what happens when people get angry at me”.

“LUCY!” Zia's voice yelled. “GET YOUR RED SANDY BUTT OVER HERE”!

“That's my sister. Only we're not blood sisters”. She said into the open bag top. "She leaves when things don't go her way”. She held up a hand. “You don't hurt her though! Disdain can hurt her. Your a coat. Coat's don't hurt people. Unless their being worn by.......”.

“LUUUCY”!!!

Lucy huffed, grabbed the bags. Forgot the IOU and walked down the aisle and out of the shop. She walked out to find four Marauders standing in front of her, against the walkway railing.

Oh, that was right..... she was supposed to flank them!

Well, they were flanked........ now what?

The marauder's spotted her and began to turn their guns in her direction that Lucy didn't like. Not one bit! She charged her biotics and throwing out her left hand, shock-waved the Marauders out into open space. She heard a buzz of gun fire and she looked to see Zia running at them. A singularity departing her flung out hand as her SMG's barrel was ablaze, firing at the mid air Reapers.

Maybe she should shoot them too? Zia would probably like that. It had been a long time since they had done something together. As she reached for the paladin that hung off her hip she became aware that the space in front of her had erupted into torn up fabric. Looking down, she realised that she'd been carrying the bag of clothes in her left hand while the scarlet coat remained safe in her right. Sighing, she turned to re-enter the shop, completely forgetting about the Repears, as Zia stopped firing and pulled up next to her. The Reaper bodies, riddled with weapons fire, dropped out of sight as the singularity evaporated.

“Lou....." Zia breathed heavily. "What kept you”?  Then Zia looked down and seeing the bag of shopping in her hands exclaimed. “Oh Lou...... not again”!

“They had pretty things. I like pretty things. Except I shock-waved them. I have to go back”.

As she turned they both heard the sound of a biotic boom down below and front entrance of the centre all but crumbled as something flew out the doors.

Zia darted to the edge and down towards the doors. “That was Naomi”!

Lucy nodded sadly. “She's a butcher. I hoped she'd be like me. But......”. Lucy shuddered, then turned back to the store front. “Oh, why would you care. You'll just leave again. You go away and don't give a second thought to the ones who have to stay behind”.

“Lou”?

But Lucy was gone, back inside the store

Modifié par Redbelle, 11 décembre 2013 - 12:48 .

[Kel Riever]

Rob clenched his teeth and breathed out hard as the Slayer and Delexia pulled him up out from the shallow pile he had been buried under when the charges he set detonated. They had taken cover by the X3M air car, and it was a stroke of luck that they hadn’t been killed or buried alive. Of course, the other two faired better; with his wound, Rob would have been unable to get himself out from a slab of building material that held him down.
 
Delexia and the Slayer were on top of the X3M. It was a solid island in a sea of debris. Fire and smoke surrounded the three, and they were caked in dust.  A short distance away, a tattered Alliance flag, from some now entombed rally area, poked through the rubble. Rob was laid upon the roof of the car, and Delexia crouched next to him.
 
“It is bad, Rob. You know we can’t carry you. I’m going to re-dose you with gel, but you are going to aggravate your abdomen and bleed out if you stress yourself in any way.”
 
“Yep,” Rob agreed, “I’m pretty f**ked up. You’ve done what you can, and you need to leave. Other Reapers may come along.”
 
The Slayer with the painted skull on his helmet stared at Rob, forming an eerie image. “Thanks for what you did to that oversized worm,” the Slayer said with compassion that stood in contrast to his visual form. “Name’s Jon, by the way, though I prefer to call myself Death since that’s all I want to inflict on these horrors we are fighting.”
 
“I don’t blame you for that,” Rob said. “And I’ve got a chance for you both to get that oversized worm a heavy dose of death, even though that spawn of a wh*r* got up again.”
 
Delexia twisted her head skeptically. “How? We just blew up a few buildings on top of it. Do you have access to a M-920 Cain or something like it?”
 
“Dex, a Cain won’t take that creature down.” Rob huffed through a spat of pain from his wound. “Besides, do you really think the largest weapon at a good demo man’s disposal is something he could carry?”
 
Delexia and Death glanced at each other, and then back at Rob.
 
“Dex, open my explosives pack and both of you sync your omni-tools with mine.”
 
The Cabal reached down to the large pack on Rob’s thigh. She unfastened it and saw among the myriad charges, a large, cylindrical tube with an attached grip and trigger. Rob nodded towards it. She pulled it out and the three activated their omni-tools.
 
“I don’t think there’s anybody left alive around here but us,” Rob remarked. “You two could do what I would, though. That cylinder is a marker light. I’m sure anyone or anything else that might be carrying one is pretty tied up at the moment. You can coordinate an orbital strike with Captain Radcliffe, using the marker and your omni-tool, bringing down holy hell on that Thresher Maw. You’re going to need a good vantage point and when you use the marker, you better be ready, because I don’t need to remind you that marker lights work both ways.”
 
“It’s an insane idea,” Death said, seemingly uneasy. “We’ll be lucky to be alive when the strike hits. And that’s if any ships can get clear to do the bombardment.” Then his tone lifted, “I like it!”
 
Far away, a lone animal howl sounded.
 
“That’s your pet, right?” Delexia asked her question as she took the marker light. “Is it hurt?”
 
“Don’t call him a pet in front of him. And, nah,” Rob answered, unable to hold back a smile. He gave two quick whistles. “That’s his howl for that he’s okay and looking for me. Dog will be here soon. It is time for you two to go.”
 
“I wish there was more we could do for you,” Delexia regretted.
 
“Listen, I’ve got a slew of grenades and explosives left. You probably aren’t going to hear from me again until this war is over. This is the best anyone can do. I’m still alive, got my gear, and my dog. Get the hell out of here, light that Maw like a Christmas tree, and bring down some wrath upon its ugly head.”
 
Dex squinted her eyes in appreciation. Death pointed a finger and thumb at Rob like a pistol. Then both headed out.
 
Rob took a peak again at his wound, grabbed a grenade and listened. As he heard Dex and Death moving away, he was also aware of the enthusiastic scratching sound of paws approaching. Soon he saw his four legged friend’s face. His dog climbed up to the roof of the car and sat next to him. Rob pat him gently on the head.
 
“This is it for us, Dog. Why don’t you ever bring me something to eat?”
 
Dog panted, happily.

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

LXXI Naleena

The door closed on the tram, and it started moving toward the Presidium Ring. The two sat across from each other.

"Now that we're alone, can we dispense with the mother-daughter crap, Naleena?" Marisa asked.

"Of course."

"What's our plan?"

"Well our first plan is to assess the situation, then check C-sec, and then find the Council." Naleena said. "How are you holding up?"

"I've been better. I have to ask why you're bringing me along instead of someone who can fight?" Marisa asked.

Naleena smiled. "Because you can throw a warp, and you can still fire a gun. We're approaching our stop. Ready your weapon. Do you know how to take cover?"

"Yes."

"Good. Do what I do."

The tram slowed as it approached the Presidium Ring Station. It stopped. The door opened. Naleena took cover on the left side of the door, and Marisa on the right. Both had pistols drawn. Naleena stuck her foot into the doorway so it wouldn't close and peered around. The station had several benches and a high ceiling. The advertising poles still were functioning and would read personalized advertisements geared to each of their likes as they went near them. Naleena gave the signal to keep low, run for the nearest set benches and take cover behind them.

Two marauders were and several other reaper forces were engaged with what appeared to be C-sec about 15 yards ahead at the station exit and were winning. Naleena gave Marisa the signal to follow her quietly, and they moved to their left to get closer. There were definitely two marauders, a brute and two cannibals. Marisa laid down fire in the general direction of the brute to get its attention. Naleena picked off the marauders.

The brute turned and charged at Marisa. Naleena hit it with a flare, and C-sec concentrated fire on it. The cannibals went down shortly after. Naleena emerged from the station.

"I don't know who you are, but you just saved our asses," a Turian C-sec officer said. "I'm Sgt. Tarran, C-sec. We've just been trying to survive."

"Sgt. Soniri. Artemis Squad. The rest of my squad has secured Flight Control."

"You have Flight Control? We've been trying to get there for hours. We'll look for survivors, then." Tarran noticed Marisa emerging. "Captain, good to see you made it." He paused for a moment. "Are the two of you related?"

Marisa looked at Naleena and sighed. "Yes, we are."

"Sergeant, where is the Council." Naleena was quick to ask.

"The Council should be in a shelter somewhere near the embassies, but we haven't heard from our guards near the area for quite a while. Commander Bailey is with them." Tarran said.

"We'll try to reach them."

"Just the two of you? I'd say good luck, but it will take more than that. It's a fool's mission." Tarran replied.

"Why do you say that?" Naleena asked.

"The Presidium is crawling with reaper forces, and we're running low on thermal clips." Tarran replied. "If you can make it to a C-sec armory, you're welcome to them. If you can make it to one. There's one on this level, but like I said...."

"Reaper forces. What about Spectre armory?" Naleena asked.

"You're a Spectre?" Tarran asked and laughed.

Naleena pointed to Marisa.

"Oh, there's one up a level from here on the way to the embassies. Good luck." Tarran said. "Alright men, let's move out."

"I know where it is." Marisa said. "Take the stairs at the end of the hall up, and then it's the first door on the right. It should be clear to there. Council shelter is on the third level."

"Great, then let's go." Naleena said. "I'd like to get some proper gear for this."

They headed down the hall up a short flight of stairs, and down another hall that made a 90 turn left. There was a door to a stairwell. They entered it and went up one level, exited, and went right and ran into a Turian.

"Lorik!" Marisa said.

"Marisa, thank the Spirits." the Turian said. "What are you doing here? I thought you were on the Destiny Ascension. And who is this?"

"Naleena T'sarius. She's a sergeant in the Artemis Squad."

Naleena's jaw dropped.

"Naleena, cut it. This is Lorik Tarsus. He's a Spectre, and a friend of the family. He knows Nasyra. Nasyra was killed on Sanves. We need access to the Spectre Armory. Don't worry, I've given her immunity for all that she's done in the war."

"Sorry to hear about Nasyra. But you're kidding me? This is the Naleena? Well, she's certainly qualified to use anything in there, so for you, anything."

Several Salarians appeared at the end of the corridor in a lobby area. They were talking quietly.

"I'm telling you I heard the name." One of the Salarians said.

"No, no. Official reports said she died on Sanves. They found her body and her gun." Another Salarian said.

"The facial scan is negative." The third Salarian said.

"No, you updated. Your information is incorrect. I have the original records on backup. Watch this. Facial scan is a perfect match." The fourth Salarian said. "I'm taking this **** down. She killed my cousin."

They took cover positions and cloaked. The fourth had a Raptor. "Damn it! I can't get a clear shot. It's that damn Turian. I've got it. Firing. Damn it!"

The shot hit the Turian in the head just as he was about to apply his palm print. The other Salarians opened up on the two Asari. Marisa hit the floor and screamed. Naleena grabbed Lorik's hand and placed it in the palm reader. The door opened, and the two of them entered and dragged Lorik inside.

"I got that on camera. Now we've got enough to convice them to reopen the file. Using the dead Turian Spectre's hand to break into the Spectre Armory!" the STG agent said. "Now let's vanish, and we'll set up an ambush."

"Tarsus, Lorik, Spectre Status recognized." the computer announced when they entered.

Marisa was beside herself. "What the hell was that? Salarians?"

"Give me your Medi-Gel. I dont' know if this is going to do any good. I think he's a goner." Naleena was trying to save him and banking on the fact that Turians have hard skulls. "Lorik!"

"It's not working, Naleena." Marisa said. "Why would Salarians want to kill Lorik?"

"They weren't. The f***ing toads made me. I'll put money they were STG. I'm sorry Marisa," Naleena said while checking his pulse, "he's gone. At least I stopped his bleeding. Come on. Help me with him. We're going to need his funds. He's not going to need them anymore."

"You really don't like Salarians, do you?"

"No, I don't, Marisa. They've been hounding me for the past 100 years. And unless I become something like a Spectre, they're going to hound me for the rest of my life." Naleena said while they were dragging Lorik to the purchasing terminal. "They're relentless. You can't disappear. I tried disappearing once and living a quiet life for 10 years, and a Salarian made me and it started all over again. I figured I might as well go back to work full-time. Your only hope is to become a big crime boss, a Spectre, or someone so powerful that you can buy the Salarian government. And now watch, they'll pin killing Lorik Tarsus on me. F***ing toads."

Modifié par sH0tgUn jUliA, 17 décembre 2013 - 10:13 .

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

Citadel LXXII - Naleena

"They'll probably pin theft on you as well." Marisa said as they approached the purchasing terminal at the end of the corridor and narrow room.

"Who gives a ****? If we get out of this alive we'll be serving very long sentences, Marisa," Naleena said, "now prop him up here against this railing."

"What do you mean, we?" Marisa folded her arms.

"Oh, they got you on camera, too, b*tch," Naleena said, "we're gonna be cellmates! You gonna have Naleena's love child?"

"Lorik was a family friend!" Marisa protested.

"With whom you just had a falling out. Don't you know how those toads work?" Naleena grabbed her by the collar of her armor. "Wake the **** up! I can guarantee those were STG down there. Normal Salarians just don't start shooting at me for no reason, especially during a reaper invasion. Use your ****ing head.

"Your family friend is laying on the floor dead because of them. Not you. Not me," and then Naleena slapped her, "Them! The toads! And they've got us trapped in here, too."

Marisa started turning a pale tint of blue, and she started pacing up and down. "What are we going to do? Why did you bring me along? What are we going to do?" and then she started walking toward the door.

Naleena grabbed her and threw her up against the wall. "Don't you even think of going out there! I don't want a bullet ridden corpse on my conscience. For f***'s sake! Use your head! Did you get stupid all of a sudden?

"I brought you along because we were, and are going to get to the Council. That's where you belong, but now I want to do more than that. I'm going to need your help, and I need it desperately."

Marisa took some deep breaths. "What do you need me to do?"

"Let's go back to the terminal and see what they've got. You're not used to this stuff, are you? You're going to do fine. Just trust me, okay? I've been doing this a very long time," Naleena smiled at her and took her hand and walked back to the terminal and said, "although I have to say this is the worst."

Marisa looked at the authorizations terminal. "Hey, check this out. I might be able to gain authorization for us for certain restricted areas of the Citadel."

"I'm sure those STG guys have it. Let's see what we can get. Remember I'm probably under Nasyra Soniri, unless that toad went and changed it back. You'd better check." Naleena was looking at the screen with her.

Marisa typed in Nasyra Soniri. It came up....

Naleena T'sarius. Alias Nasyra Soniri wanted by STG for 253 counts of murder, 521 counts of theft, 432 counts of industrial espionage, 44 counts of murder of law enforcement officers, 25 counts of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.

"Naleena!" Marisa said and look at her with a shocked expression.

"Marisa, look at me. Bogus charges. I'm a war hero. Now can you get me in or not. And I look better than that."

"And you want to be a Spectre?" Marisa asked while she was entering information.

"Yes because this is exactly what Spectres do."

Marisa paused. "Where do you want access?"

"Salarian embassy wing; STG offices; the access area to the STG offices, you never know; Human embassy wing; Turian embassy wing; and Asari embassy wing; and how about the Volus and Elcor while you're at it. All of the Spectre Armories. And all of the C-sec areas and armories," Naleena said while she went to get Spectre Tarsus for his palm print.

"Okay it's done. Requesting access for those areas for Nasyra Soniri, Marisa Soniri, and Naleena T'sarius." Marisa said.

Naleena was struggling with Lorik's body. "Ever wonder what a Turian weighs without their armor? I'd guess they're pretty light. Their bones are hollow except for their skulls which seem to have armor plating on them. Help me with him, will you."

Marisa placed his palm on the reader. "Spectre Request authorized."

"Thank you. See how simple that was. I wish I was a Spectre, still he's the one with the money, so we'll drain his account for the weapons and ammunition.

"I wonder what death trap they've got set up for us? Do you think they've mined the walls or the floor? Perhaps the door?"

"You're a cheery one, aren't you," Marisa started opening the equipment terminal because at least she had one passcode if necessary. "Okay Naleena, here you are."

"Hmmm... Black Widow, Paladin x2, one for you. What happened to your Locust?" Naleena asked.

"I gave it to Bellarmine." Marisa replied.

"Okay, we'll have to get you another. How's your throwing arm? You can throw a grenade? No. Smoke? Good. I'll take these lift grenades. Medi-Gel? Here load up. AP ammo? Good. Incendiary ammo? Good. Oooo you don't have to use them, but just carry them. Incendiary grenades. I want to see those toads fry. Ever have frog legs? Just kidding. Okay, let's get our friend, Lorik." Naleena finished the order.

Marisa was dragging Lorik this time "This guy is heavy. It's his armor. Give me a hand."

"Okay." Naleena grabbed his other arm, and they pulled him up and used his palm print to make the purchase.

"Purchase authorized. Enter delivery address."

"Local pickup." Naleena entered.

"Local pickup not authorized."

"What? They're right in that ****ing room throught that glass. Find out who can authorize local pickup." Naleena asked.

Marisa entered some information and a code.

"Council authorization only."

"You are ****ing kidding me. I am less than six feet away from bliss. This isn't happening." Naleena went to work on the door to the weapons room. "What the hell kind of lock is this? **** it! Marisa cover your eyes and hide behind that wall."

Naleena got into position and a black ball of glowing dark energy flew out of her hands, the glass blew out, and an alarm triggered.

"By the Goddess!" Marisa exclaimed. "What was that?"

"Another 25 years in prison. Grab that chair over in the corner, would you? In addition to our weapons, I just found our way out of here." Naleena said.

"Where?"

Naleena slammed the chair against the multi-cracked 2" thick window of the locker room. Her blast cracked that one. It broke on the first hit.

"We could have just gone around." Marisa said.

"It probably locked. All the doors lock when a burglar alarm goes off." Naleena said while gathering their weapons. "It's supposed to keep us in our place.

"You're right."

"See? Told ya, now come on. Grab your weapons. There's a ceiling vent in here. We just have to get up on top of these lockers and open it."

She climbed up on top of the ladder, and pulled the vent off the ceiling and handed it to Marisa. Then she entered the duct. "It's clear, come on."

Marisa followed.

Citadel LXXII - Naleena - I am So Screwed

[Kel Riever]

The Tomkah’s cannon fired steadily, and the soldiers of Corporal Banes’ command were tense, but they were holding together in the fight. The Alliance team under Laurent had fallen back to Banes’ position after losing him. Banes could see the body of the sniper, laying face down near an alcove in a building ahead. 
 
Reaper Brutes that were the first threat encountered had been dealt with, after receiving the brunt of the damage dealt by the Alliance troops. Yet the tide of Cannibals approaching was mind-boggling. Somewhere above, the troops had received air support. Detonations and flame had ripped through the Reaper’s midst, but the losses were replaced quickly with more of the enemy. Even though the Cannibals were out of effective range, their fusillade had put down a third of the soldiers at hand. And it would only get worse as the Cannibals closed the distance.
 
Banes called his immediate commander. “Lieutenant Simpson, I don’t know where you are, but we are about to take it to the face over here.”
 
There was a pause, and at first Banes didn’t think he was going to receive an answer. Then Elaine’s voice came through on his com, “You have got to hold on as long as you can! The bridge is already under enough pressure. You are the fore and you need to stay at the point until Grelk can bring up the units crossing.”
 
“I’m just saying, ma’am, any extra support would do.” Banes triggered his scoped Incisor. He was using the gun as a long range assault rifle, and was considering going to his Avenger soon. “Any at all.”
 
“Banes,” Elaine’s voice took on an edge, “There is no extra support. Now I’m fighting myself, so if you’ve got some good news, let me know. Otherwise, keep shooting. And I’ll see what I can do for you.”
 
High above, Banes heard the engine of something flying that sounded like a song. There was another culling of Cannibals by gunfire from the sky. A soldier next to Banes was hit and fell dead. Banes looked behind for a moment, to see a series of concrete planters only about seven meters away. Getting to them could buy some critical time.
 
Banes got on his com to the two squads and the Tomkah. “Everybody fall back in order! I want a roll to the planters behind us for cover. Maintain control, and do not let up. Go!”
 
The first set of soldiers began moving while the rest maintained a covering fire. A heavy metal squeal sounded from the Tomkah’s large wheels as it slowly rumbled in reverse. Then a barrage of fire ripped into the units and the Tomkah. The tank was riddled with projectiles, and one large round penetrated clean through the vehicle. A jet of flame shot out of the breach and the Tomkah came to a halt. 
 
“F*** this!” One of the soldiers lost it. “I’m out!” He stood up and ran, only to shudder a second later from the gunfire hitting his back, slaying him. 
 
Another soldier panicked and ran. The squads started to break and route.
 
“Keep it together!” Banes was yelling. More soldiers were getting mowed down while others escaped with their lives. Banes tried to cover them, but he was only one man with a gun. “S**t!”
 
Banes knew it was the end. He called Elaine. “Lieutenant! We’re routed! You need to get yourself out!” There was no reply. He ran behind the Tomkah as two rounds nailed his shields. Banes was aware there was no one alive in the tank, but he still banged on the hull and screamed for people to get out. Projectiles kept smashing into the tank, reducing it to a scrap pile bit by bit.
 
The Corporal dropped the Incisor, drew his Avenger, and began shooting at the Cannibals with his shoulder to the side of the Tomkah. “Come on! Come on! Come and get it, baby! Come on! I don't got all day! Come on! Come on! Come on you bastard! Come on, you too! Oh, you want some of this? F*** you!”
 
Corporal Banes chest burst open and he collapsed backwards. His last thought was that he somehow wished he could have been with that asari who handed him his ass in a fistfight. For a moment, he thought he saw her, standing above him in a hood for some reason, reaching down for him.
 
~ ~ ~ ~
 
Elaine had done what she could, but there was no stopping the Cannibals with all her flanking and her tricks. She had moved from point to point with her biotics, avoiding their attacks, killing as many as she could. She could have made her decision to die there, but for some reason didn’t think it was her time. So she had gone back to try to save who she could when the squads began to run.
 
Banes was the only one who stood his ground after the Tomkah was destroyed. Elaine had teleported behind it, too late to save the Corporal. When he was shot through the chest, he fell behind the tank, face up. It was impossible to tell his expression with his helm on, but Elaine thought of her husband as Banes lay there, dying. She squatted next to him to place the palm of her hand on the side of his head. 
 
The Tomkah was being savaged. Projectiles began regularly penetrating through the rear of the hull. Elaine called Captain Grelk, “Sir you’ll see my squads retreating. They’re all yours. I’m relieving myself as I am no longer fit for duty. See you on the other side.”
 
Grelk’s voice retorted through the com, but Elaine shut it off. She teleported into the nearest safe building and headed towards the Conduit. 

[Kel Riever]

Amy set her pace, trying to move up at least to the mid-point of those crossing Tower Bridge. Husks were being shot and thrown off the sides of the bridge while Misfits, Terra Firma members and soldiers all defended themselves. Two Geth Primes ponderously made their way, adding their devastating firepower as everyone forged onward. But the fight was a slog, Amy needed to reach Steiner, and there was a long way to go.
 
A disturbing, mechanical howl came from behind. Even with her determination, Amy couldn’t help but look to see what it came from. On the northern side of the Thames, a Thresher Maw rose out of the ground. It chilled Amy to behold, with its clearly unnatural appearance. Huge sections of the Maw’s body were replaced with artificial material; whether it happened to be plates, or cables, or just some strange, blue energy that seemed to want to burst out from the monster’s insides. Several people around Babylon cried out in dismay, though many were too bogged down in fighting to do anything else but try and survive.
 
Curiously, Amy’s chipped tooth seemed to nag at her in that very moment. At first, she wondered if it wasn’t her confessed self-absorption. Babylon came to a standstill in the midst of the fight, running her tongue up to touch the injured incisor. The sensitivity of her tooth’s nerve caused her to snap out of her scared state, and realize what was needed. Amy peered around to see a handful of veterans mixed in the fray. They included a cigar-chomping human soldier who remained calm, issuing orders to those who would listen, and a turian unleashing a steady rhythm of rounds from a heavy assault rifle. Both were within earshot.
 
Babylon knew how to project. She pulled the rocket launcher from her back, stood in a wide, postured stance that made her black and yellow striped armor stand out, and shouted from deep within her diaphragm. “You two soldiers! Listen up!” More than a few heads turned, but Amy pointed out to the two veterans when they did. “What are your names?!”
 
“Sergeant Clark,” the human answered. “Who the hell are you?”
 
The turian was ill tempered. “Zursuos. And by my regiment you make a perfect distraction in that armor.”
 
“Nobody’s got time for this nonsense,” Babylon snapped back, bringing her voice to an even greater volume. “You saw what’s behind us! Do you want to fight Husks all day on this bridge until we all are killed by that Maw? Clark and Zursuos, you know what you are doing. For the sake of all our lives, take charge of everyone around you and get us across this death trap!”
 
The sergeant and the human glanced at Amy, and then at each other.
 
“Son of a b***h she’s far from wrong,” Clark said. “Everybody, pull it together! Follow me and we are moving!”
 
Zursuos replaced a thermal clip then held his rifle in the air, “Follow the lady who looks like a road sign! Double time!”
 
With the commanding, confident voices of the three, the myriad of Alliance troops and armed civilians gathered around. They organized themselves into a protective circle, fending off Husks as they came inexorably at them. The occasional warrior fell, or tragically had to be left behind, but as discipline prevailed, the casualties were lessened. The protective circle caught up to and formed around the two rearward Primes which, in turn, set up mini-turrets to energize the shields of those near them. Morale shifted more positively as the situation took a turn for the better.
 
But for Amy, they weren’t moving fast enough.
 
Babylon returned the rocket launcher to the clip on her back.  She briefly thought about drawing the rifle or shotguns she carried, but opted to pick up a submachine gun from a fallen soldier lying upon the bridge as the circle moved past.  Amy broke into a sprint, screaming, “Onward," before she pressed beyond the border of the circle, and into the chaos ahead.
 
Clark was incredulous. “What the hell is she doing?”
 
Pushing herself to the limit, Amy lost track of what was around her. She passed Husks tackling allies, used soldiers as picks so that they engaged someone other than her, and weaved through the open spaces she could find. Without regard to the collateral damage, Babylon fired the submachine gun at the occasional Husk she could not avoid. She was dimly aware of passing a set of two other Geth Primes, several of the M-080 armored personnel carriers, and the second tower. She was clawed at. She was hit by stray bullets that staggered her and threatened to collapse her shield. She felt burning in her muscles as she struggled to keep up her speed.
 
And then, Amy saw the man she was looking for.
 
Steiner had stepped foot onto the southern side of the Thames. A krogan was next to him, along with a Terra Firma member and several Ensfield rifles. Steiner was rallying others to take cover and move up to hold positions. Troops and civilians moved past, following his instructions. Amy’s vision tunneled as she was sure to collapse from her strain. She reached out a hand, slammed Steiner in his shoulder from behind, and almost collided with him.
 
Without regard to who had come at him, Steiner jammed his elbow backward, cracking Babylon in her helmet. Amy’s legs flew out from under her, and she crashed to the ground, flat on her back.
 
Aware that his accoster was not the Husk he thought it was, Steiner looked down at the bumble bee armored form of Amy. “Babylon?”
 
Amy heaved and coughed, able to stay conscious from willpower alone. “You need to…..*wheeze*….hear me out….”

Modifié par Kel Riever, 17 décembre 2013 - 04:30 .

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

On the Citadel - Naleena LXXIII

Naleena reached down and helped Marisa into the duct. She had her pistol drawn and ****ed and moaned a bit, but managed to turn around and began to crawl down the duct. She stopped and stuck a wad of semtex in the upper corner of the duct shoved a proximity detonator in it.

"What the hell are you doing?" Marisa asked.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to arm it until we're well past it." Naleena said. "Besides, it'll slow them down. Nothing like dead toad surprise. Just keep crawling."

Marisa's bulky N7 armor wasn't making things easy for her, and she said. "Did I ever tell you I hate small dark spaces?"

"No, you didn't. STG didn't give us much of a choice, did they?" Naleena crawled ahead in her commando leathers. "Looks like there's a junction ahead. I'm going to arm the explosive. We should be well clear of it by now."

The junction was about 15 feet in front of them and went to their left in a Y. Naleena took the left fork and continued.

"253 murders? Really?" Marisa asked while she was trying to keep up.

"I had to make a living somehow, and they paid well." Naleena said. "Besides it was only about one a year. I hear that Shepard guy racked up quite a body count, and he's a Spectre."

"But they were all bad," Marisa replied, "were your's?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask. All I know is that they really pissed off someone."

"Hmmm."

"Looks like we've got another choice up ahead. Straight or right?" Naleena asked and they heard an explosion go off behind them. "Make that six toads, unless they convinced a hapless Spectre to climb up. In either case, add another 75 years in prison. At this point, you know, I really don't give a **** anymore."

"Do you have any remorse about your criminal record?" Marisa asked.

"Straight or right?" Naleena asked and just as she did a Salarian came into view in the dark duct on the right. Naleena put her pistol up to his forehead. His eyes got as big as saucers and his mouth opened with surprise. She squeezed the trigger and splattered his brains all over the duct behind him. "Well, that answers that question. We're going straight. Add another 75 years. And to answer your question, no, I don't. They were all jobs. They paid well. The work was exciting. I got to go lots of different places, and be a lot of different people. I could take a couple months off between jobs and take a gig as dancer to stay in shape. Or I could go hunting, or do some freelancing. It wasn't like I had to slave behind a desk at some big corporation every day. I made some good investments, and I have a lot of money stashed away. Looks like we're coming up on an exit. I see some light. So what's your job like?"

"Oh, I prepare legal briefs, go to court and defend Spectres who get into trouble for excessive force. Or prosecute cases for the Council against people, corporations, nations, or worlds who violate Council Law." Marisa said.

"That sounds challenging." and boring as hell... Naleena thought, "but since we're friends now and I'm saving your life, where do I fall?"

"You fall under the part where you're granted immunity for past crimes in exchange for serving the Council and the Asari Republics during time of war." Marisa answered.

"That's what I thought. Good answer. Ready your smoke grenades just in case we need them." Naleena peered through the vent into the lobby below. They were about 10 feet above the floor. The "****. Well here we don't have to worry about STG. There are reapers below us. Do you know one of those incendiary grenades? Hand me one of them." She contorted herself at the vent and kicked it out with both feet.

The reapers heard the vent hit the floor with a clang, and turned their weapons on the opening and began to fire. Naleena waited for a group to reload, and tossed the incendiary into the middle of them, then used her biotics to float to the floor. She took cover behind a row of seats. Marisa remained in the duct. She was afraid to jump.

"Would you get the **** down here?" Naleena shouted. "They'll kill you!"

"I'm scared." Marisa wimpered.

Naleena took a couple of shots at the reapers and picked off a Marauder. "For f**k's sake. Didn't you used to float jump when you were a kid?"

"No. I'm afraid of heights." Marisa said.

"Goddess f***ing Athame. Of all the people I pick to come with me." Naleena shot at the reapers again and picked off two cannibals. "Just f***ing jump. I'll put up a f***ing barrier."

Marisa jumped, and her biotics kicked in. Apparently it was a built in Asari protective skill. Naleena just kept shooting. Marisa hid cowering behind the seats.

"I thought you were going to put up a barrier?" She scolded while she was cowering.

"I lied. All Asari can do it. It's a natural thing. Now start shooting." Naleena said. 

Marisa raised her hand with the pistol over the top of the chair and fired. "The pistol flew back out of her hand and hit the wall behind her."

"For f**k's sake, Marisa!" said Naleena while shooting another Marauder, "have you ever shot anything before?"

Marisa ducked and said. "Not since basic 50 years ago."

Naleena shook her head looking up at the ceiling briefly. "Why me? What did I do to deserve this?" Then she shot at the reaper troops again. "Get your pistol. I'll cover you."

Marisa crawled to her pistol and back.

"Okay, do you know how to take a picture, Marisa?" Naleena asked.

"Yes."

"Good. It's that simple. Point and shoot, and just keep shooting until it falls." Naleena said.

There was one cannibal left and it ran at Marisa. Marisa did just that. She stood up and pointed at it and shot and shot and shot and shot, and shot, and Naleena shot it between the eyes, and it fell dead three feet in front of her.

"Did I kill it?" Marisa asked with hope in her voice.

"No, but it looks like you hit it a couple of times, anyway. It was a good start." Naleena lit one of Marisa's cigarettes and sat on the floor with her back against one of the seats. "Don't worry. We'll get through this somehow."

***********


$$$$$$$$$$$

Modifié par sH0tgUn jUliA, 17 décembre 2013 - 10:15 .

[Redbelle]

As the song singing through the centre's PA switched tracks, the pit in front of Wyld began to bubble, throwing human goo into the air as Wyld and the other prisoners got to their feet. Behind them, Naomi's biotic battle continued outside the doors of the shopping centre's ruined entrance. They could hear the booms and whines of biotics straining against biotics. Of the harsh chatter of Reaper guns as they spent their worth against a target whose biotic powers had yet to be measured. All Wyld knew was that the sounds of the dying from outside belonged to Reapers.

She meanwhile had to get the prisoner's and herself past the bubbling pit and to somewhere relatively safe so they could wait for Momma to evacuate them. She looked around and counted eleven survivors.

With her own squad and Lucy they totalled fifteen.

To many for the Valkyr, she thought. Her thoughts were interrupted however as from the bubbling pit, something began to emerge.

Make that something's..... Tendrils began to rise. What appeared to be mechanical pincer's on the ends of thick slimy cords of pulsating flesh, they began to emerge onto the floor and began sweeping themselves back and forth as more and more of them emerged and did the same. All the time encroaching further towards where Wyld and the prisoners stood.

“Run”! Ordered Wyld. “First floor! Weapons out”!

The outcast's, the remaining three, had no weapons and after listening to her with wide eye's, took off.

All in different directions.

One ran towards the stair's to the first floor, the remaining Alliance soldier's following behind with their Omni knives extended. The outcast was not paying attention to where he was stepping though and when his foot nudged one of the whipping tentacles the effect was immediate.

The tentacle immediately turned around on itself, thrashing across the floor making the soldier's behind leap over. Most succeeded while three likewise hit the feeler. One directly, the other two from stepping onto other's close by in their bid's to avoid the first.

All three soon found the pit's appendages snaking their way towards them, One of the soldier's found his torso wrapped around and he was hoisted into the air screaming as he cut and hacked with his blade. His screams died as suddenly the tentacles drew itself down with such speed that one minute he was their, and the next he was gone. There was a splash, soft gurgle, and the scream's of the outcast and other soldier as, having been caught in the pincer ends, were being slowly and inevitably drawn towards the maw of cycling teeth and gore.

As for the other two outcasts..... One ran past Wyld and out the front entrance. Not that Wyld had a chance to stop him as the other ran right for her and tackled her to the ground. She tried to get up but found herself shoved to the floor by the outcasts left hand while his right pulled backwards to deliver a knockout blow.

The fist came down.

Wyld's forearm guard came up

Something in the outcasts hand gave a wet snap. Wide eye'd the outcast howled and pulled his hand back as his other reached behind Wyld for her gear pack. Her pistol hard-point. Anywhere he thought there might be a weapon. He didn't get far before he heard a buzz and felt Wyld place her hands on his chest.

Wyld fired her defibrillator paddle's built into her glove at their highest setting. The effect was as if something hard and heavy had hit the outcast. He went flying backwards, only to be caught by more of the pit appendages in mid air and pulled into it's mouth.

Wyld picked herself up and saw two, an outcast and a soldier, struggling to free themselves as the tentacles pulled them over the lip and down into it's gullet. The other one, the other soldiers had managed to hack their companion free and get clear just in time to make it up the stairs.

That left Wyld. She looked up, judged the distance and smiled. She crouched, then summoning all the strength her prosthetic's could muster, jumped. Up into the air she flew, over the pit and towards the walkway where she saw Zia waiting for her pressed against the walkway rail.

Then she felt something wrap itself around her foot.

Without waiting to look down and see Wyld levelled her forearm guard at the wall over Zia's head and fired. The mono-filament wire shot out and hit the wall anchoring itself as Wyld felt whatever had grabbed her tug down, hard. Wyld felt the stretch star in her back as she was pulled down while her zip line motor's braked the cord, leaving her strung out above the flesh pit as it maintained the tension as it tried to yank her into it's mouth. Wyld could hear the wire scrape along the brake in her armguard as she wished she'd kept her Paladin to shoot the tentacle off her foot as she saw more emerge form the maw, all snaking upwards to envelope her.

Gunfire rang out and half the tentacles exploded. Grey and black fluid's pumping out as they thrashed while the other came on strong.

And suddenly dived for the ground. Wyld saw the blue biotic hue of a singularity near where they had travelled. It's powerful gravimetric pull throwing them off their intended target and giving her vital seconds.

Looking over to the walkway she saw Zia eject a slagged clip from her SMG. “C'mon Jan”!

Wyld let her free arm dangle and calling her omni-tool, summoned a small sphere that rolled into the palm of her hand. A brief flash and moment where the sphere has lain was the shaft of Wyld's Omni-Axe, given to her by Aria. She hefted the weight and with a quick stroke, brought the axe head down, the blade cutting into the soft flesh like substance, and through..... Suddenly she was falling, the tension of the pit tentacle gone she was swinging downwards. Hitting the forearms internal motors the mechanical contraption groaned as it protested to the strain it had been under moments ago. As she swung down she was coming up almost level to the walkways railings.

Then the motors spat and died.

Wyld felt a small jerk as she fell half a metre before the brakes once again kicked in. She was now dangling just out of reach of the edge of the walkway. She stretched. Aware that the singularity could evaporate any moment. It was to far away......

A hand reached down and grabbed hers as Zia appeared, still wearing Wyld's Kestrel, over the edge. “And Aria thought you'd be the one saving me”. She grumbled between clenched teeth as she hefted Wyld, in her armour up and over the side. Wyld sprawled over the as Zia dragged her up.

“Thanks”, she breathed. “We need to..... to.....”. Her mind had gone blank as she struggled to remember what they were supposed to be doing. To many things were happening again. It was spinning out of control! She looked at Zia and latched onto the memory of what they had come here for. “Where's Lucy”?

“Forget her”. Zia said angrily. “What did you do with Naomi”?

Before Wyld could answer she suddenly realised the hum of the singularity was gone. She picked herself up and threw herself forward towards Zia, pushing her back as the now freed tentacles rose up and smashed down on where the two had been. Wyld and Zia skidded, stopped, then turned and watched as as one, the tentacles rose again, the end pincer's picking at the air as if tasting it for a hint of where it's prey and gone. Zia's SMG lay by the side of the walkway.

Gunfire. A sound Wyld recognised as her modified Avenger spat out it's tune and forced the tentacles back as it's firepower slammed into them, causing more of the grey and black goo to spurt out of them. Wyld and Zia turned.

Lucy stood with Wyld's rifle held at her hip, around her lay bags upon bags of shopping while around her neck, a fur like scarf lay with one end draped over her shoulder.

Wyld blinked a few times, thinking she was seeing stars when she realised what else Lucy was wearing. She scrambled to her feet. “Did you rob a jewellery store”?

Lucy self consciously reached up and brushed her diamond ringed fingers against the tiara that looked like it cost more than Wyld had ever earned in her life time. That or the gold necklaces she wore around her neck. Lucy eye's darted to the side. “I might have.....” She allowed.

Wyld grabbed her rifle and turned to Zia. She saw her picking up her SMG where it had fallen, casting a quick glimpse over the side then retreat back towards them. Zia tugged off Wyld Kestrel and thrust it back into Wyld's hands. “What did you do”? She said without preamble. “Why is Naomi outside? She's fighting the whole damn Reaper army out there! We need to pull her out”!

“She's doing better than the rest of us would”. As if to reinforce her point, a biotic explosion from outside shook the building. Whatever glass at the front of the building blew inwards. Showering the dead Reapers inside with shards. “She's on sand”! She explained. “Right now Naomi's the only thing keeping those things out”!

Zia turned back. “Then she's dead”! She shouted back. “Sand pushes natural biotics to the limit! It doesn't matter how powerful she is! Her body won't be able to keep up with the demands her biotics are putting on her”! Wyld nodded as she tugged her helmet back on and turned away. “Hey”! Zia called after her.

Wyld ignored her. “Momma. We need evac now! How far are you”?

“I will be making an entrance on the far side of the building from the entrance. Please meet me there and be ready to board. I also contacted an air unit that are moving in to provide assistance should we require it.”.

Wyld nodded. “Good work”! then turned back to Zia. “Get everyone to the back and on the Valkyr when it comes. I'll bring Naomi”.

“How”?

“Zee....”. Wyld sighed. “.....Let me worry about the details”.

Modifié par Redbelle, 17 décembre 2013 - 10:17 .

[Redbelle]

Gathering the survivors was the easy part. They were all coming up the stairwell towards where Zia and Lucy waited. As they hurried towards where Zia and Lucy walked she took the time to look over her smaller, freckled, green clad sister.

And the bags she carried.

Zia shook her head. “Lou, you swore to me, you'd stop stealing”.

“Their not anyone's right now. There's no one to claim them. And no one to stop us from picking up a few more......”.

“Oh no”. Zia said holding up her hands. “Your not pulling me into your world”.

Lucy was silent. “You never wanted to be anyone's world but Aria's...... And now even that's changed. I talked to Naomi when Disdain dropped her off. I could read into her. You wanted her, and now you don't anymore. You want her..... back there”. She inclined her head back at where Wyld had dashed off once again. “How long before you get bored of that one and run off again”?

“It's not like you little brat”! Zia barked at her. She felt sorry the moment she did and tried to apologise. “Look, Lou.....”.

“Don't say things you don't mean”. Lucy said without inflection. “I need someone stable. Someone who doesn't go off on a whim. I know what being on the sand has done to me”. As she spoke, Zia looked down and saw Lucy's arms trembling. “Disdain was better than you. She could hold onto things and never let go. She made me feel safe. You made me feel abandoned. And you killed Disdain. Because I've always known since before you left, you two would have to fight because you've always been Aria's shield while Disdains always been Aria's attack dog and.......”.

Zia interrupted. “Lucy. How do you know I killed Disdain. I haven't told you yet. I only told Jan”.

Lucy sniffed. “She's nice. She's four but she's nice. She doesn't fit though. She's got no power. I like her ears. Disdain would hate them. She'd have to hurt someone again if she saw them. When I told her what would happen to her when you both met she had to hurt someone then too”.

Zia stopped, turned and grabbed Lucy's shoulder's and turned her around. “Lucy..... what happened to you after I left? What's going on with you”?

Lucy simply turned her head to the side. “They belong to you? You need to talk to them. I need to dust”.

“No”! Zia barked as she grabbed Lucy's wrist that had just dropped several bags on the floor. At that moment the surviving soldier's jogged up to her. One stepped ahead of the rest. “Watkins”. He said by way of greeting. “Thanks to your team for the save...... What's....”. He began asking as he looked between Zia and Lucy. Zia who was now holding both wrist of Lucy as she struggled to reach into her belt pouch, and Lucy, who had bags of items around her feet and was adorned in jewellery. “.....What's...... the plan for getting out”?

Zia jerked and pointed with her chin. “Back of the mall. Head over. Stay on this level. Lou....!” She cried out as Lucy intensified her struggles. “....Calm down”!

“Don't tell me..... what to do....... ANYMORE”! Lucy cried as she jerked a hand out Zia's grip and pushed against her chest in an effort to throw her off.

It nearly worked to as Zia, managing to hold onto Lucy, spun her around in a bear hug. “She's coming off a Sand high". She explained to Watkins. "Just help me get her to the back".

Watkins nodded and helped Zia pick Lucy up by her feet. As they departed Lucy's cries became shrill. “Coat!” She cried out in sobs. “Cooooaaaat”!

Zia looked up at Watkins helplessly as Watkins nodded to his men. “Grab those bags”. He ordered. Upon seeing her bags coming with her Lucy struggles diminished till she was little more than dead weight in their arms. At last, they arrived where Wyld had pointed to where they should wait and Zia huddled around the others as she pulled Lucy to her shoulder.

Lucy was crying gently. Zia had seen this pattern before. To many times on Omega as Lucy had succumbed more and more to Red Sand addiction. She pulled her head close and cooed, in her ear.

And wished, more than anything, she could be anywhere else than where she was, holding the girl she had grown up with, who had grown into a shell of the girl she had known. All because Aria had wanted her power more than she wanted her happiness.

Zia grit her teeth behind her lips as Lucy's soft cries cut into her. She'd left because staying on Omega had hurt. Hurt her in a way she had not been able to defend against. Now her past had caught up and it was happening again. And for all her biotic ability, she felt powerless to stop the fall of the ones she cared about.

Modifié par Redbelle, 18 décembre 2013 - 04:50 .

[Kel Riever]

Urdnot Bruug lay down a regular hail of rounds from his Punisher submachine gun. “We lost those soldiers who were screening us. More Cannibals!”
 
Urdnot Plog saw the tide of Cannibals head their way in earnest. They would be hit from their left, and caught in a fight that would cut them off, unless they hurried onto the Conduit. “Bruug, you keep moving with those missiles. We’ll cover you.”
 
“Right.” Bruug crossed an intersection, still firing his Punisher.
 
Urdnot Zahn was hit by a flurry of slugs, which hurt but did not much harm his barriers, armor and thick hide. He took a bit of cover behind a truck wreck, and then aimed his Graal Spikethrower. In quick succession, he launched 3 heavy spikes, before replacing his clip. The projectiles blew through the center mass of three forward-most Cannibals, and into several more behind them. “There’s too many of them.”
 
“Well if this isn’t just a s**tstorm,” Urdnot Krayder yelled while cutting loose with his Striker. His com bleeped with an incoming communication.
 
It was Miranda. “Bastion Team One, you need to pick up the pace.”
 
“Yeah,” Krayder answered, “Someone should tell that to the horde of meat with guns coming our way. We’ll get there; just keep up your plan.”
 
“You’re sure about that, Krayder?” Zahn questioned.
 
Urdnot Plog cleared several Cannibals in the lead out of the way with his Claymore. He then got behind a stack of fallen debris. “We aren’t debating this. Everybody keep it up!”
 
The front line of the tide of Cannibals erupted in gore as a stream of automatic fire hit it. Others, following just in back, were lost in a series of blue energy explosions. Overhead, the krogan saw an aquamarine light blaze past. 
 
“That’s the break we needed,” Bruug huffed, “Come on!”
 
“They’ll still be following us.” Zahn groused.
 
“Quit whining!” Bruug scowled. “I’m the one hauling this load.”
 
Clanless, silent until this point, growled, “Zahn is right. Those Reapers need to be stopped to get the missiles through.” The bombardment of the Cannibals left a low cloud of smoke that hid them, but they could barely be made out. Some had stopped to feast on the deceased, while others continued past. Clanless lifted his hammer in his hand and bellowed a battle cry before charging towards the Reaper horde.
 
“He did not,” Urdnot Krayder said as Clanless’ gigantic form headed away.
 
“He did,” Plog said, hoisting his Claymore.

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

On the Citadel - Naleena LXXIV

Naleena, sat in the lobby smoking a cigarette, catching her breath, and Marisa was beside her.

"Will you promise to stop yelling at me?" Marisa asked.

Naleena looked around to make sure everying was clear. "Well, I'll try. It's just that things got a little heated, and you're kind of new to all of this. I'm not used to working with people who are new to everything."

Marisa was a bit shocked. "What about your squad? Weren't they new when you started?"

"Not really. They'd had like 30 years of huntress training. You? You had two weeks of basic." Naleena said.

"Can I ask you something?" Marisa said, "Did you ever fail an assignment?"

Naleena shook her head. "Yeah. Once. It was a human. Real high paying job, too, back in 2170. My client was really pissed off. Cost me my retainer of 4 million credits, plus 10%. I guarantee my work. The guy dropped off the radar."

"Do you mind if I ask, who was he?" Marisa asked.

Naleena smashed her cigarette butt on the floor. "Guy by the name of Jack Harper. I chased the ****er for 1/4 mile, and got a couple shots in. He was getting in his car and my gun jammed. That bought him a crucial second. I had to go for my secondary, and the round ricocheted off the door when he was closing it while his shuttle was taking off. That ****er got lucky." Naleena looked over at Marisa. "I remember his face, and if I ever catch him, I'm taking him alive. That's an extra 20%. I'll let the client deal with him."

"15 years is a long time to hold a grudge, Naleena." Marisa said as they got up.

"That's a 4.4 million credit grudge." Naleena replied. "Let's move out. There's a door over there across from us. Where does that go?"

"That goes into the ambassadorial wing." Marisa replied.

"Where are the STG offices in relation to here?" Naleena asked.

"We have to go through there, and they're down one level." Marisa pointed as she replied.

"Let me guess. Right under the Salarian ambassador's suite." Naleena said. "I want to see what they've got on me. Everything. And while we're in there, I want to see what those sneaky toads are up to. I'm sure the ambassador is hiding somewhere, and I'm also sure there are cameras everywhere in that office, so we might have to bypass one of them first."

"You know, Naleena, it might be kind of fun to check out what the other system governments have been up to while we're in there." Marisa suggested as they headed over to the corridor to the ambassadorial wing.

"Listen to you. You're getting into this. That might be kind of fun. We could get the dirt on everyone, then sell it to the Shadow Broker and make a killing." Naleena replied. "I'm talking monetarily, not literally."

The two of them walked down the dark corridor. Marisa had her Locust drawn and Naleena had her Paladin drawn. There were blood stains all over the place on the carpet and on the walls. They rounded a corner and started down a second corridor. More of the same. More blood. Definitely a fire fight. From the looks of it, it was probably between C-sec and reapers. They came upon the door to the Earth Ambassdor's suite. Naleena started hacking the lock.

"Hmmm.... The encryption is pretty sophisticated on these. I'll have to bypass this, and this one, and connect the blue over here to the green or red?" She asked.

"Why are you asking me?" Marisa asked.

"I thought you might want to participate."

"Green."

"Sorry, it's the red." Naleena connected it and the door opened.

"How did you know?" Marisa asked her.

"Because you weren't paying attention," she replied, "I'd already connected the green earlier, so it had to be red. Green would have shorted out, and tripped an alarm. Check those file cabinets, and I'll check his terminal."

Marisa dug through the file cabinets and found something interesting. "Hmmm.... I had no idea."

"What did you find?" Naleena asked.

"This file is a plan that after the war, if we were to win, the Alliance was planning to open doors and assist every world that helped them retake their world in a rebuilding effort." Marisa read the file.

"What do you mean 'was?'" Naleena asked.

"Well, that's kind of fallen by the wayside, don't you think?" Marisa quickly brushed her question aside, "I mean with the coup attempt and all that. Udina trying to kill the entire Council and Cerberus, and those Terra Firma rallies that they were holding before we left. Mark my words, Naleena. This isn't going to happen."

"That's too bad." Naleena replied as she went back to her computer. "It would have been a very nice 'thank you' to the rest of the galactic community. But I'm not so sure about what you just said. Check the date on this memorandum. It's confirming the plan and thanking the other governments for their support. I'm downloading it to my omni-tool and I'm copying it to a datadisk. The date is only a week ago. That plan was still in motion recently."

"Of course they'd say that. They needed the support. It's not going to happen." Marisa said.

"Now listen to who got cynical all of a sudden." Naleena replied. "Damn woman, I kill people for a living and I thought I was cynical."

"You live in a world that's black and white, Naleena. I see the underbelly of politics and it stinks." Marisa looked over at her and said. "Did you find anything else?"

"No, nothing that isn't already in motion with the battle," Naleena said while shutting down the terminal, "Let's move on. Duck behind a desk. I hear voices." She listened longer.

"This lock looks like it's been tampered with." A rapidly speaking voice said.

"Do you think they're in there?" said another in a clipped tone followed by some rustling, and the door opened.

"The room looks empty...." said the one looking in.

A screech was heard off in the distance.

"Banshees!! And they've seen us. We don't want to get stuck in that office. Retreat to the lobby!" The STG captain shouted.

Naleena heard husks charging down the hall past them to the lobby they had just been in after the STG squad followed by a few marauaders. She signalled to Marisa to wait until the Banshees pass, then sneak out behind them and move onward.

The firefight started in the lobby. Naleena was hoping they would kill each other. Against STG that would be too much to ask.