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[Kel Riever]

Inevitability. This is what these creatures in every cycle could not comprehend. Necessity. The task at hand was proceeding, despite the setbacks. Endlessness. Unfathomable as a concept in their rudimentary minds.
 
So the Reaper released its magnetohydrodynamic cannon upon the planet once more, annihilating the creatures that had angered it before by attempting to hide their signal. They had resisted or fled as if their actions would matter. We were like them once, the Reaper’s voice had spoken. Another voice answered, Yes, and they will be like us soon. Mistakes have been made. We cannot save them all. We do what we must.
 
A processor hailed, interrupting the Reaper as it contended with the creatures resisting its destruction. Resources had to be diverted to the processor, whose function was of high priority. The destruction was secondary to the harvest. The Reaper moderated its assault and assumed control of the processor.
 
All was functional. The DNA was gathered. The indoctrinated were scanned and those who were worthy entered, while the others would be sent to become husks. There was a non-human, an asari. It had been called and responded. Unusual. The species depended on others for survival, a weakness. But this one could be spoken with in the most basic of terms. An insignificant anomaly. The Reaper aimed the oculi of the processor towards the asari, preparing to destroy it. But mistakes had been made. The Reaper did not fire. The harvest was primary before the destruction. Should its mind be shattered, it would simply continue to fulfill its negligible function in the cycle.
 
The Reaper made contact.

Modifié par Kel Riever, 08 août 2013 - 06:21 .

[Redbelle]

Ohmigodohmigodohmigod. Wyld kept chanting to herself as she bounced down the stairs. I'm Commander Fricken Wyld!

Probably best if she left out the frickin part in future she thought.

….....Must share news!

Zia was still in the brig and right now she was the only person she felt like telling.

But as she walked out the building she heard the Mako engine of the new arrival roar into the vehicle pool and go silent. The Mako team had arrived and now was the best time to pounce on them.

She chewed her lip thoughtfully. Then turned for the Mako.

As she approached she saw the familiar sight of a four wheeled, cockpit imploded armoured vehicle she had helped secure earlier that evening. She pulled up next to an MP. Scowling at his Omni tool and stabbing at the display.  She cleared her throat and the MP looked up at her. She could see his eye's narrow.

“You? What do you want”?

Wyld stopped abruptly. “Problem soldier”?

The MP returned to glowering at his Omni tool. “We haven't the manpower to fill in the camps position's so I'm stuck here trying to figure out how to sign in this tank. And your walking around when you should be in the brig”. He glared up at her again. “I'm going to be watching you, sixer”.

Wyld could feel anger boiling in the pit of her stomach. She'd seen his eye's flick up to the new bars and knew that he knew he was talking to a superior officer. And this was her treatment?

Cat6 or no. The MP was out of line.

“Name soldier”.

“That's no business of your, sixer”.

Wyld grabbed his arm and threw it down while standing in close to him. “Stand straight when I talk to you soldier. I asked your name and the first and last words I want to hear out your mouth are sir”. She growled. “You remember being taught that at basic”?

The MP took a long, steadying breath. “Sir. Tate, sir”.

“Tate”. Wyld said slowly. “Maybe you need your eye's checked. You just disrespected a commander. Regardless of personnel feelings I expect a level of professionalism in the war that's going to dictate whether we live or die. Now if you have a problem with me, take the next words you say to get it off your chest”.

“Sir. We know you've been dishonourably discharged. We know that happened months back and we all know that makes it likely your Cerberus. So give me one good reason why I should listen to anything you say”?

Wyld eased back on her heel's. “That's a good question Tate”. She said, relaxing her stance. Much to the MP's surprise. “I'll give you two. First, I walked into the Captain's office a lieutenant and came out a commander. Are you saying you don't trust your commanding officer's enough to trust they can tell the difference between a CAT6 or not? The second”. She went on. “Is that the Mako your trying to sign is one I helped recover on the field”. She fixed him with an arch look. “I'm just doing my duty, Tate. Focus on yours and everything will work out”.

She turned and left him as the Mako hatch began to open and out popped Pepper. His grey and white hair more disheveled and he appeared to be covered in grease smears. Next out was Gizmo. His young adolescent features, likewise, smeared with grease. He looked at Wyld and threw out his arms.

“Uh”. Wyld said surprised and opened hers. “Hi”?

Gizmo ran at her. And as he got near he ducked. Grabbed the kestrel helmet and ran off. “I'm gonna find Momma”! He shouted over his shoulder as he ran leaving Wyld ready to hug thin air.

Wyld coughed in embarrassment and turned the hug into an offered handshake. “Glad to see you made it”. She said as Pepper took the hand.

“Miracle we made it is more like”. Pepper griped. “Damn Mako kept breaking down on us. She'll need a major overhaul to work the kinks out of her. Glad we got here when we did cause she won't move another inch after our trek here”.

He was interrupted as Michael's appeared out the hatch, followed by his crew. He saw Wyld. “Well I'll be”. He said as he made his way over. He grabbed Wyld hand and pumped it. “Never thought I'd see you again so soon”. He stopped abruptly as he spotted the bars. “Holy.... Guess your saving our hides made someone happy”.

Michael's let go of her hand and snapped a salute. Wyld returned it. Thank you Michaels, she thought as she saw the MP looking on. “Captain Radcliffe's in command of this base. He'll probably want to talk to you so you'd better go see him. Let him know your here”. She saw Michaels raise an eyebrow as he raised his Omni tool arm questioningly. “Communication's are restricted in base”. She said. “We have to run messenger's now”.

Pepper shook his head. “Ought to be running cables”. He said in a weary tone. Wyld looked over and he explained. “Before everything went wireless we used cables to transmit data”.

“I think we all know that”. Wyld said bemused.

“Yeah? Did you know that in the cable bundles they had sheath's to stop signal leakage”? A hint of triumph crept into his voice as Wyld and Michael’s look at each other. “Grab some cables. Run them to different areas and you can have an old fashioned telephone system installed here. Should save time running around”.

Good plan”. Wyld admitted. “But we don't have any cable”.

Pepper stamped on the ground. “Way back. When people buried cables underground, they never bothered to dig em out again. Cost preventative they said. I bet we're standing under miles of fibre optics right now. Not up to modern day standard. But good enough to pass a message through if there are section's that are still good”.

Wyld nodded. “Check it out. If we can free up runner's for other duties it'll help”.

Michaels cleared his throat. “While I've got you commander. There's something I think you ought to hear”. Michael's walked away from the gathering and activated his Omni tool

“I think your going to want to hear this”. He said as he accessed a recorded message. “We picked this up about three miles from here”. Wyld leaned in as the playback began.

“....mander Steiner of Ensfield Rifles Resistance. If anyzzzz on this channel we need assistanczzzz. Unknown  civilian militia preszzzz has been zzzzzzzcated. Many. Repeat. Zzzzany civilian's requiring evac out of hazard zone. Thizzzzz Commander Steiner”.

Michael's stopped the playback. “It's a repeat message. Keeps playing over and over. We reckon it's over an hour old”.

Wyld nodded. “Whose this Steiner”?

“You haven't heard of Steiner”? Wyld shook her head. “He's a resistance hero. Been here since the Reaper's showed up. Not sure who he is but wherever he goes, people follow. Guy's a born leader”.

Wyld digested the news. “I'm heading out to investigate”. She said finally. “Pepper"! She called out. "Go find Gizmo and tell him I want the Valkyr ready to set out again”!

Pepper said something that failed to reach Wyld's ear, not looking happy. But he set off to carry out her command. Michael's looked at her with a worried expression. “What are you planning”?

“We need to know what's happening out there”. She said. “Anything could have happened in that hour. I'll set out. Find out what happened to them and report back”. She looked at him. “We can't send messages in or out of camp. We have to send Mako's out to collect information. They're all out now and you and your crew are the only one's left here”.

Michael's nodded. “I'm sensing a plan”.

“Report to Radcliffe. He'll want to know your here”. She said. “And get ready to be promoted too. When he comes to giving you your order's tell him your working with me. I need you and your crew out there listening for me”. She paused. “Better get him to hold any Mako's that come back in too. If we find this civilian militia Steiner was talking about we're going to need transport. Especially if there are loads to truck over a large area”.

Michaels nodded. “You taking your crew”?

“They have other things to keep them occupied”.

“What's more important than a mission”?

“Not blowing up the camp. Long story”. She said seeing Michael's expression. “Just get going. We need to get on top of this fast”.

Michael's saluted and went back to his men who starting making their way to one of the other Mako's in the pool. Wyld meanwhile wondered if she had time to make one more stop.

Why not, she thought. Michaels needs time to report in. And Pepper needs time to look over the Valkyr.

She made her way to the brig.

Modifié par Redbelle, 08 août 2013 - 06:43 .

[Redbelle]

Wyld entered the brig and saw Zia still behind the bars. The Turian was still behind his desk. Fidgeting and stealing nervous glances over at Zia. Wyld thought she detected a faint note of panic in his eye's. He looked up as Wyld approached his desk.

“New order's”. She said. “Zia's free to go”. The Turian's panic seemed to jump a notch as he looked over at a now grinning Zia. Wyld looked over between the two of them and sighed. “Did she say what would happen to you when she got out”?

The Turian nodded.

“Zee”. Wyld said tilting to face her. “Let him live and you can be on top next time”.

Zia leaned in so that her face was pressing against the bars. “You don't know how lucky you are”.

Unsure if Zia was addressing herself or the guard she stepped aside as he walked over, shut down the modulators and opened the door. He stepped back as Zia padded out giving him a look that could have killed.

Wyld cleared her throat. “Can you give us the room please”? The Turian didn't need asking twice. He practically bolted for the door and shut it on the way out. The minute it was shut Wyld turned and her face split into an enormous grin. “Radcliffe frocked me”!

Zia jaw dropped as her eye's went wide. Then seemed to regain some composure. “Sorry. You did say, frocked, right”?

Wyld pointed to her new bars and beamed. “Can you believe this”? She said. “It's not what I was expecting. I thought I'd be put back to work in the med centre..... or that he really would CAT6 me..... Or maybe just leave me in the brig or......”. She suddenly noted that Zia's expression was not a happy one. “What”?

“Jan....”. Zia said hesitatingly, moving and leaning back against the desk. “When people are put in charge of other people...... Sometimes it doesn't work out like you'd hoped. Just remember that. Okay”?

Wyld's enthusiasm was checked by this unexpected revelation. “Is this coming from experience”.

“Could you.... not ask”. Zia said. “Please”.

They were silent a moment. “Okay”. Wyld said smiling. “And don't worry about me. Medic's have to know how to take charge. And I learned how to give order's by learning how to take order's from some of the best”.

“Oh”. Zia said, a hint of her playful demeanour reappearing above the surface. “On your knee's and give me fifty. That's an order”.

Wyld felt her engine purring at the notion. Then reluctantly “I can't. I have to head out. Mission stuff”.

“Let me find Naomi and I'll grab my top”.

Wyld shook her head. “No”. Zia crossed her arms and looked at her expectantly. “You need to start training her remember? She needs you”.

Zia sighed. “I didn't want to talk about this till later. What you said before. About me being with Naomi...”.

“I meant it”. Wyld affirmed.

“And you are really okay with me and you. And me with her”?

“Do you love her”?

Zia chewed her lip.

“Do you love me”?

“That's different”.

“I know” Wyld agreed. “And any other time I'd say it's unfair to all of us. But right now...... I'm okay with it”. She shrugged. “I don't want to go back to the idea of not being able to be with you. And like I said. Naomi needs you. Now more than ever”.

“So we lie and cheat”. Zia rubbed her eye's. “I'm just saying. I feel like I'm the middle of all this”. She looked up. “I've never done something exactly like this before Jan. I'm worried I might hurt everyone. And you were right. I don't want to hurt the people I'm closest to and you two....” Zia sighed. “Naomi's just too sweet and you managed to claw your way past my better judgement”.

“Awww, Zee”. Wyld teased. “You say the nicest things”.

“Let's just.... not mess up. Okay”?

“Okay”.

Zia let out a breath. “Okay”. She stood up and doing so, moved closer to Wyld that they were almost bumping noses. Neither one took a step back.

“You have to go now”?

“Yeah”. Wyld breathed.

“Well then. You'd better go. It's better that way”. Neither moved.

“We have to show each other we can say no. At least once”. Wyld dropped her chin and moved her head past Zia's. Towards her ear. Not touching.

“Just to show we can”. Zia agreed. As she tilted her head back to expose her neck to Wyld's chaste exploration. They stood there. Listening to each other's breathing deepen. “Jan”. Zia said.

“Zee”? Said Wyld,

“If you haven't got me over this desk in the next five seconds, I'm going to warp you”.

Modifié par Redbelle, 08 août 2013 - 08:57 .

[FuriousFelicia]

10 years ago...

A year has passed since the sisters came to Omega, and already they were making a name for themselves. Anyone who had affairs with Aria knew what their fate would be should they ever cross her. She used them on big deals. Mainly as a sort of fear factor rather than insurance, since everyone knew that if the furies were present, they were there to remember faces in case the deal struck had not been honored.
Otherwise they could only be seen in Afterlife club where they dwelled; and the rule of the thumb was, if you’ve seen Aria, the furies have seen you first. They managed to maintain a factor of mystique in the eyes of Omega’s public, often referredto as the shades. They were so efficient in carrying out Aria’s will that they sometimes even took matters in their own hands without Aria even having to issue a specific order. They were her elite, a ghost army of three that everyone feared, Aria's personal 'praetorian guard'.

Their popularity soon branded them with nicknames given to them by the Omega underground by the colors of their hoods. The crimson fury, aka “the Butcher”, Disdain was the most feared. She was already a ruthless killer when they arrived to Omega where she steadily continued to add to her body count. Lucy, or as the girls liked to call her, Loopy-Lou, the youngest of the three, was known as the green fury, and later a “vampire”. She grew heavily dependent on Disdain due to her red sand addiction.
Even though Aria appointed Zia, or the violet fury their official leader, Disdain was really the soul of the deadly trio. Aria used them  according to the task that needed to be done. So if for instance she just wanted someone dead, she would employ the green fury to do the job, as Loopy developed quite an appetite for killing, a thing she got from  Disdain. If the job was to intimidate, shock and send a clear message, red would be the one to do it. If a task would require some  finesse and creativity, violet would step in, as Zia was well known for her manipulative and seductive skills.

Even though the sisters were quite competitive with each other, they worked very well as a team. Zia vas in charge when Aria was present, and when she wasn't,  Zia would gladly relinquish her command to Disdain, who gradually started to despise Zia, because she quickly rose to become Aria's favored pet and later even her lover. For years they knew each other and Disdain was always the one in charge. She liked to lead but once they came to Omega, it all changed for her. She had to take her little sister’s orders now, and even though Zia would indulge her from time to time, it felt more to Disdain like she’s being patronized by her very own little sis.

Lucy was a special case. Her addiction left permanent marks as she was already refered to as a mad man. When she would get high, she would sometimes start throwing silly rhymes that mostly made no sense, but Disdain noticed, on few occasions, that some events that happened to them were actually hinted in Lucy’s rhymes.
Little did the mad man know that  her ravings would have spelled the fate of their little sisterhood in the events to come.

Modifié par FuriousFelicia, 09 août 2013 - 11:27 .

[Redbelle]

A frustratingly short time later, Wyld was back out in the camp heading for where they left the Valkyr.

She was gnashing her teeth in frustration.

Zia had been in a state of half undress as they'd rocked the brig guards desk. Zia soft gasps playing like music to Wyld's ears till Zia hit her end note and shuddered, wrapping herself around Wyld's armoured frame. At last, she sank onto the desks rough surface and trailed a finger down Wyld's nose.

“Better”. She had said. “But if you want any, it'll have to wait. It takes ages to get that armour off”. She tilted her head. “Unless you want to hand off this mission to another”. Wyld's pout seemed to amuse her. “If it's any conciliation, when the commanding officer questionnaires come around. I'll strongly agree that the commander's squad comes before her”. She said impishly. She had risen from the desk as she planted a small kiss on Wyld as her hands reached up to her chest and gave her a gentle shove. “We can't be seen leaving together. You go first. I need to get dressed”.

And so Wyld had walked out the brig and out of the building. Worked up and unsatisfied. She drew a deep breath. Then she laughed. She'd just have to make Zia make it up to her later. Suddenly, she was looking forward to a multitude of future laters that had Zia in them.

The night air was still hot. And silent. It reminded her of the time she'd left the last camp. The time before a Reaper had flattened it. This time there was no such threat looming overhead that they knew of. The Alliance was changing and adapting to the Reapers. It was good. But Wyld reflected that in Bastion, the seeming peace gave rise to a notion of complacency.

Maybe on reflection, that was good though. Troop's who didn't take time to rest and recover tended to burn out far more quickly than those who did. And the war had already taken it's toll on all forces on the planet.

Wyld chewed her lip as she neared the vehicle pool. To rest the men and have them sharp for the beam rush and perhaps run the risk of Reaper's discovering the camp and wiping them out. Or to keep them active. Having them run around tired, keeping them relatively safer but under performing due to fatigue.

It was question's like these she wondered if she now had to consider for the future. She shrugged it off. Radcliffe's order's had been clear. Make an army available to Bastion. The details would have to be worked out as and when she came across the resources to make it happen.

The front of the Valkyr appeared from behind the back end of a Mako. As she got closer she saw the kestrel helmet poking over the top of the chassis. She realised someone was sitting in the driver's seat wearing the helmet, and then realised, with the height of the person sitting there......

It was Gizmo.

He seemed to be talking to someone. Wyld looked around. Pepper was nowhere to be seen. Taking a silent first step she creeped underneath the Valkyr to eavesdrop on the conversation. As she creeped past the undercarriage she started being able to make out what was being said.

“....funny with you has she”? Gizmo was saying. “She seems nice but she doesn't really know you.......” He paused as if listening to a reply Wyld could hear. “I know your not finished yet. The old man put an auto gun on the back but he doesn't know about you”. Again a pause. “I got parts to link you to the driver's control system. If you get in trouble and she's not there to help, you can just come back”.

Wyld didn't know what to make of it. She craned her neck and saw that the Valkyr now sported an auto target and fire mechanism atop a pole mount. The system held an operator's shield, designed to prevent who ever fired it from getting hit while providing a clear line of sight. Wyld saw two muzzles protruding from the housing. One looked like a rapid fire heavy machine gun. The other was offset and with a wider barrel. Wyld recognised a grenade launcher when she saw one.

She zoned back into Gizmo's one sided conversation which seemed to be winding down. “I want to stay but they won't let me”. He said. “They think it's to dangerous”. A pause. “They're not right! I'll be with you! You'll protect me. Right Momma”?

Wyld's eye's narrowed as she started to suspect. Event's of the past coming together as she listened. Gizmo suddenly grabbed the helmet. “I know I need to open the firewall. Just let me get down there”.

Gizmo took off the helmet and there was a rustle as he slipped off the seat and disappeared into the foot well. Wyld put a foot against the Valkyr's side and digging in, silently climbed till she could see inside. The Kestrel helmet lay on the drivers seat as deep in the footwell, Wyld heard Gizmo rummaging with something in the dark. She brought up her Omni tool. Poked her head down into the footwell. “Need a light”? She said inquired, flicking on the Omni tool's lamp.

Gizmo squeaked in surprise and nearly banged his head in the tight enclosure. Wyld placed the light across and saw that he had been fiddling with a mass of wires and circuit boards which were in turn, plugged into rectangular boxes within what looked like to be a reinforced armoured box. Much akin to the boxes she had seen pulled out of Mako's from time to time. Built to take damage while allowing the content's to survive relatively unscathed. She shone the lamp back at Gizmo.

“If there's anything you want to explain to me. Now's the time”.

“Leave me alone”! Gizmo reached over and plugged a few loose connection's into the boxes. Nothing seemed to happen as he took the cover of the black box and began fixing it back in place. “She's alright. You don't need to be afraid of her”.

“Who”?

“Momma”! Gizmo said. Finishing placing the panel back and then glaring at Wyld as if daring her to tell him otherwise. “She only want to help you. That law saying they all have to die's stupid. She's safe”.

Wyld motioned for Gizmo to get out of the footwell and when he had and was sat down in the passenger seat. Wyld fixed him with a frank look. “Giz....”. She said. “Do you want to tell me what you've done”.

Gizmo sniffed. “No”.

Wyld watched as Gizmo became more and more visibly upset. “Gizmo....”. She said gently. “Is this Momma you've been talking to an AI, or a VI”?

Gizmo looked up at her and his eye's brimmed with tears. Wyld felt herself rock as Gizmo flung himself at her and hugged her. His face pressed into her stomach as she heard him start to bawl. Wyld felt his grief rolling off him in waves and she bit her lip. Determined not to let it get to her. She sensed the boy needed something solid to latch onto.

In this case. That was her.

At last Gizmo stopped crying and Wyld was able to pull him back to look at him. “Where's your real mother”? She asked.

Gizmo's lip quivered. “Gone. She was holding onto me. Then she wasn't. And those Reaper's were falling down on top of everything and everyone was screaming”. Gizmo buried his face once more and Wyld waited till he settled. “Dad wasn't around much. He was bad a lot and they sent him away a lot. But he gave me this”. He pulled a chip out of his pocket. “Told me if I ever was in trouble to install it into a VI and tell it what I want”.

“What does it do”?

“I don't know”. Gizmo sniffed. “But I was alone. And when I got lost I hid. I found a VI and used it.”. He looked up. “It got smart. VI's are dumb but this one got smart. It told me to open it's firewalls and it started following me. It told me where to go. How to stay safe. It helped me stay safe until I got to a shop. It told me how to build a box. It went inside. I carried it. It's been with me ever since”.

Wyld brow furrowed. “But you put it in the Valkyr”?

“Momma said she had to grow”. Gizmo sniffed. “She'd made herself as small as she could. But she was running out of space in the box. She needed a bigger box. One that could hold her. She told me to go to some alliance camp and we got caught”. He seemed to become self conscious that he was clutching Wyld and rapidly moved away back to the passenger seat. “That's when the old man found us and told the guards I was his apprentice. He told me he was building a new vehicle”.

Wyld was confused. “How did you learn to be a mechanic so fast”?

“Momma taught me”. Gizmo explained. “She talked me through everything. I learned that way. The old man helped too. Said that boy's like me needed supervision”.

Wyld was quiet for a time. Then reached over and pulled Gizmo into a bear hug. “Hey”! He squawked.

Wyld chuckled. “This is what good boys get for building big car's”. She teased as she let Gizmo pull himself away from her. “Look kid. You helped Pepper build the Valkyr and it's been a brilliant on the field”. She said as she tussled his hair. “So thank you”. She said as Gizmo batted her hand away. “But this is a military vehicle. And I'm a soldier. And I have to go out in her, again, now”.

“I know that”. Gizmo protested. “I know what's going on. I'm not stupid”.

And he wasn't, Wyld could see. He was just a small frightened little boy putting on a tough act. Helped along by fate and chance. Found refuge. And was trying to make sense of a war that had cost him the life he had once known.

Suddenly, the war they were fighting seemed very real. She'd always known that if they didn't win it would cost them everything. But looking at Gizmo now. She realised just how much had already been taken.

It was okay being a soldier. As soldier's they were empowered to fight back. Not so for every non soldier who didn't have the support or training. Like Gizmo, all they could do was sit back and take the pain that was dished out. Then pick up the piece's of whatever was left of their lives and move on.

It made her question who was the stronger out of the two. Gizmo or herself.

A voice came from under them. “Hey kid? Get down from there”.

Wyld looked over and saw Pepper. His gruff voice carrying up to them. Looking up she saw Michael's crew lined up outside a Mako.

It was time to go.

She took Gizmo's hand and lowered him down the Valkyr. Pepper caught him and looked up at her. “We had to pull a lot of that gear you were carting around. Your down to a container of ammo and weapons”. He noted. “The good news is that someone's doubled you up on a cross species medi-gel pack. It's in back with the weapons”.

Wyld jerked her thumb over at the auto turret. “Any advice on that”?

“Yeah”. Pepper said. “Paint a target and say shoot. The VI will handle the rest”.

“VI huh”? Wyld looked down at Gizmo and gave him a smile. “Guess I'll have to talk to this VI and see what else it has to say”. She donned the helmet and it came alive as the driving HUD came up. As Gizmo and Pepper moved away she tilted her head to see the Mako crew embarking. “I've got just one question”. Wyld said to no one in particular. “And I know you can talk. When the boy used that chip on you. What did he say he wanted”?

There was a pause. “The boy said, he wanted his Momma”.

Wyld tilted her head as she fired up the Valkyr. The voice coming from the Kestrel's earphones was soothing and comforting, with a slightly synthetic quality. “Welcome to the team, Momma”.

“It continues to be a pleasure, Commander”.

Modifié par Redbelle, 09 août 2013 - 04:30 .

[FuriousFelicia]

5 years ago...

It was a busy day at the Afterlife. The club was packed with people of different races, and as over the years the sisterhood of fury gradually instigated a new order of things. No crime or any kind of shady business went without their notice which resulted in more people coming to Omega in pursuit of business or pleasure since the streets were much safer now. They were practically running Omega themselves now while Aria could relax and devote her attention to more important matters without distractions.

Aria was in her VIP lounge, and while it was not usually the case, the trio was with her that day. But there was also someone else there, sitting next to Aria, an old acquaintance that the girls knew very well. It was their old mentor, someone the people of Omega referred to as the blue fury as she wore the same hood as Aria's furies. She was rarely ever seen on the station, and if so it was always in Aria's presence. The girls kept to themselves. They didn't seem too excited seeing the woman that they once regarded as their mother. Too much bad memories tied them to her. They weren't little innocent girls anymore. They were fully grown women, each with their own developed character, and above all, they were somebody.
Aria had some business with their mentor so the girls gave them some space to conduct their affairs. They watched the crowd as they conversed, commenting the people that danced and mingled on the floor.

"Look at that sorry face." Said Disdain pointing at a man down by the bar, gorging his eyes at the site of a naked Asari dancer that twirled on the table in front of him, "I bet he never even saw blue ****** before." She says giving Zia an indicative look.

"You think I should ask Aria if she would be willing to do a manage a trois?" Replies Zia as she smiled. Disdain didn't seem thrilled with her answer. Not only was Zia Aria's favorite, but she was also her lover, and Aria didn't even bother to keep it a secret as by now it was a well-known fact on the station. A thing that made Disdain truly worthy of her name for contempt she felt towards Zia. She wanted to be Aria, and yet the way she felt for Zia, was the exactly how Aria thought of her.

"Hahaha, shall I go tell him?" Laughs Lucy as she rubs her itchy nose, "Oh my, time to dust up." She says and looks at Disdain almost as if asking permission.

"Just don't kill anyone while you're at it." Says Disdain to Lucy, waving her hand in approval. Lucy nods her head in acknowledgement as she leaves to indulge her cravings.

"There really is no hope for poor Loopy." Says Zia expressing concern for their little sister,

"And what would you know about that? You never had to go through what we did, and look at you now. Aria's little pet, her favorite toy. I wouldn't be surprised if she even named you as her successor." Frowned Disdain, bleating arrogantly driven by envy.

"You know, you're complaining is really getting old and annoying. Give it a rest already, I never asked for this, it just happened. Besides if you're looking to blame someone for Lucy's addiction, I have a perfect candidate for you." Said Zia, discreetly turning her look towards the woman in blue that sat with Aria.

"There was no other way. It had to be done." Said Disdain, but her voice carried a notion of doubt.

"No other way? Children are fitted with implants already at age of five. You were what, twenty when you got them. Yeah there was no other way indeed." Sarcastically finishes Zia.

"Huh, some fury you are." Sighs Disdain in disapproval, "And where would you be now if it hadn't been for our loving mother? Probably up there with that sorry a**." She says pointing at one of the Asari dancers, "Yes, you were born for that." She teased, smiling smugly. Zia didn't seemed bothered with this. Partiality because Disdain was right, and because she knew that her answer would only add more wood to the fire so she just gave her a sour smile. Lucy was coming back, tottering up the stairs towards the lounge. Her eyes glowed red as she approached Zia and Disdain, and with her hands pointed at them like guns blazing, she fires off her usual 'dust up' song.

"Rub-a-dub-dub....three girls sitting in a tub...

The butcher...the baker...the candlestick maker..."

As she was shouting out the names, she pointed at Disdain, Zia and herself. This was her usual line. The kind of thing she would say when she got high before they go out on a job, as Zia thought it was just her usual overture for events to come, her way of saying 'the furies are gonna have some fun tonight'. Only this was the first time she said it in front of Aria.
At the sound of that, Disdain noticed an unusual reaction from Aria, who usually wouldn't give much note to Lucy's ravings but today something was different as Aria swiftly gave her guest a sign that they should retire to her private quarters. Disdain was the only one that would listen to Lucy's rhymes as she figured that they can sometimes hold some insight on their affairs. She never told anyone about this. And today she saw Aria's face when Lucy said the word Baker. She saw shock, disbelief, disproval and rage, all in a blink of an eye. She wanted to know the reason.

"Alright kids, I'm gonna sweep the club a bit, to see if there are any new points of interest for our beloved boss." Disdain quickly fashions a lie and leaves in pursuit of Aria and their mentor.

"What's with her?" Lucy looks at Zia, baffled.

"Meh...that girl really needs a good milking." Responds Zia, "I think I see one more." She says smiling to herself with her eyes fixed on an object of her desire down in the crowd. Her libido became insatiable ever since they returned to Omega, a strange occurrence considering her childhood trauma, especially since it’s tied to Omega. Somehow it must have had a reverse effect. But she never engaged more than one person at a time. She was a hunter, and never a prey. To her, the term lovers meant just two people having sex, and she had a lot of lovers. Aria didn’t seem bothered by her promiscuity as she probably felt the same.

"You could use some distraction as well."

"I've got the sand." Lucy quickly replies but Zia contras in a flash as she was leaving,

"No Loops, you’ve got it all backwards. The sand's got you." She finishes, leaving Lucy alone. Lucy shouted something that sounded like 'w**re' but Zia didn't register. As Lucy didn't like to be left alone, she decides to go and look for Disdain.

Disdain snuck her way in to Aria's chambers and hid behind a corner as she heard the sound of conversation.

"Calm down Aria. No one listens to her nonsense anyway." The Asari ensured Aria who seemed very vexed over something.

"How does she even come up with such things? And she even pointed at Zia while she uttered the name. And who to fu** is the candlestick maker anyway." She was distraught.

"You are overreacting. She could have said anything. Do you think that Zia pays attention to her ravings?"

"But she said baker. BAKER! Of all things she says that."

"An incredible coincidence I'll give her that, but I don't see how Zia could possibly make the connection."
Disdain's breath quickened as she sharpened her ears. This was obviously about Zia, and she would give anything to get some dirt on her, something she could use as a leverage or a means to blackmail her.

“Besides. You disregard the fact that for ten years since it happened, neither you nor I was approached once by Zia on the subject of her parents.” The Asari grins at Aria, “She doesn’t know.” She concludes.

‘’Yes she did. Just last week. We were in bed when she popped the question.” Says Aria as her voice calmed. A brief pause as silence envelops the room.

“And…?” The Asari asks in anticipation.

“And, what do you think? I lied.” She barks at her, “I told her that I found her on Omega, laying in a pool of her own blood, and that I have no idea who her parents were. Then I somehow managed to change the subject.”
‘’Your doctor did a good job I would say. And judging by her nature, it’s clear that she doesn’t remember the rape either.’’
“Maybe. But it feels weird lying to a person you’re fu**ing when she asks you about her parents, knowing that you killed them.”

Disdain was struck. Aria killed Zia’s parents?!? Zia was raped!?! For Disdain it felt like Christmas. She felt like her heart is going to explode from the excitement as she quickly fled the scene. She knew the secret now, and she was going to use it, but she wanted it to be perfect. So she kept quiet and plotted. She had patience so she started digging about the name Baker, but she had no success. Aria made sure of that. But Disdain didn’t give up, she kept digging, and after three years she found the only hint of who knew the truth. Someone refered to as the Shadowbroker.

Modifié par FuriousFelicia, 10 août 2013 - 01:53 .

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

BoL - The Lost Asari XVII

Erikka got up out of the sludge they landed in and started gagging at the smell. She barely managed to get control of it, and was flicking pieces of it off her leathers. Shayrana was sweating, and about to lose it, and Ereba grabbed her, then quickly pulled her hand away.

"I knew I should have kept my f***ing head shaved." Jack said with her hands holding the sludge. "What the f*** is this s***?"

"I told them. Nobody listened, did they?" T was mumbling. "I told them there was bad s*** down here, but they just shined me on like I was crazy."

Ranassa was picking the stuff out of her leathers, she saw Erikka had about regained control of herself and said. "Erikka, hold still." She sloshed her way over to her carrying something in her hand she took off herself, and said. "You've got something on your back....turn around" She pretended to take it off her back showed a three foot long section of small intestine. "Ewww!!! Goddess! This is disgusting." Erikka lost it.

"'Nassa, that was nasty!" T said.

"Alright, quit screwing around." Jack said. "Hey, Prangley! If you could get some rope we could scale where the road collapsed."

"I don't know where to get rope!" Prangley said.

"I do." Lisa said.

"Well go look for some." Jack said.

"I do." Lisa said. "I know where there's some rope, and lots of it."

Seanne Bellarmine squatted down to talk to Lisa. "Can you show us were it is?"

"Yes, but you've got to be real quiet, because there's monsters over there a lot of the time." Lisa said. "But if you're careful, they won't see you."

"How long will it take us to get to the rope?" Seanne asked her.

"We'll have to stop someplace first so I can get something to eat." Lisa said. "I always get something to eat there. Then we can go get the rope."

"It'll be a while before we get back, ma'am." Prangley said.

"Okay, I want to have a look around and find out where this s*** is coming from." Jacks said. "You guys be careful, watch your f***ing barriers, and keep the kid safe."

"Damn this s*** is nasty, and it seems to be flowing from that direction." Shayrana said.

"Just try not to splash any. I'm shorter than you guys." T said. "Thing is that the fresh air is going to smell foul after being in this s*** for a while."

"I'll tell you one thing. We've got to be careful if we have to shoot at anything." Ereba said. "Do you see those pipes along the west wall? Try not to hit the ones labled 'Natural Gas'. Also no pyro stuff."

"Oh, that's just f***in' great." Ranassa said. "What are we supposed to use? Harsh language?"

"You're good at that." Erikka said.

"F*** you!" Ranassa replied.

"Hey, cut the f***ing chatter." Jack said. "Ereba's right. Do you feel that?"

"What?" Ranassa asked. "What the f*** am I supposed to feel?"

"I felt it. I could feel this s*** on the surface. " T said. "It about made my crest want to stand up."

"That would have been funny." 'Nassa said.

"Shut up!" T replied.

"Why didn't you say something?" Erikka asked.

"I was f***ing telling you guys for the last f***ing hour!" T exclaimed. "I get these feelings. They keep me alive."

"We can't stay in this place long." Jack said. "That vibration will make you afraid. You can't let it get to you. You have to fight it."

"What is it?" Shayrana asked.

"It's one of the things the reapers use in their indoctrination." Jack said. "They need something f***ing big to make that low a vibration, and it's down here."

"Indoctrination? I read that stuff takes days of exposure to reaper stuff." Shayrana said.

"I told 'em. Some bad s*** was down here, but no one ever listens to me." T muttered to herself.

"Quiet T. Here's how it works." Jack said. "The fear makes you vulnerable to suggestion. Then if you can hear ultrasonics they'll use those to hit you with suggestions. If not they'll use electromagnetic frequencies even match your brainwaves and create hallucinations of what they want you to believe. You've got to ****ing fight them."

"Then we'd better f***ing move." 'Nassa said. "I don't intend to become no f***ing reaper slave."

"Your damn right." T said.

"The question is, do we fight our way in, or do we try to infiltrate?" Ereba asked.

"I say we f***ing fight!" 'Nassa said.

"You always say that." Shayrana replied. "No. I say we infiltrate. We don't know how many are in there. What if we run out of ammo before we get there?"

"I want to blow up whatever the f*** is generating that f***ing signal, and making f***ing husks, and send them all to f***ing Hell!" Jack said. "We're infiltrating. That's final. If we see a patrol we hold our breaths and duck down under this s***."

"You're kidding me." Erikka said. "I'm not going under this... stuff."

"Don't worry, babe, once your stomach is empty, it's only the dry heaves." 'Nassa replied.

"And if we have to stay under a while?" Erikka asked.

T reached in her bag. "Well that store we were in sold Slurpee's and they had these straws, and you know how I drink my water bottles with a straw? So I grabbed a handful." T said. "Just don't duck under too far, or you might get more than you bargained for." T passed them out to the squad. "I only have enough for two uses. So, after then you'll have to reuse 'em."

"And for real long times, we've got our rebreathers." Ereba said. "Don't forget those."

"What about Jack?" Erikka asked. "We should have taken the Sarge's."

"Erikka, they're built into our armor." T said. "Damn, girl!"

"Okay, let's move out, and stay close to the walls." Jack said. "'Nassa...."

"Yeah yeah.... I got point." 'Nassa said. "....b**ch." And she trudged ahead through the knee deep sludge.

"I heard that." Jack said. "You don't want to see what kind of s*** I can do."

"Alright 'Nassa, keep a lid on it." Shayrana said.

"Yes, Corporal! Watch your footing. It's uneven, and in some places you can go hip deep in a hurry." 'Nassa said. "Weapons high rookies."

T slowed down and got next to Jack and mouthed to her "I know you're tough, but Jack, you do not want to f*** with that b****."

Jack gave her the "Get the f*** out of here" look.

"Okay. No one ever listens to T. I said something about bad s*** being down here. No one listened. Just saying." T muttered to herself.

Modifié par sH0tgUn jUliA, 10 août 2013 - 03:06 .

[Khambilo]

A.Q. eyed the quarian suspiciously and hissed, “Of course I still have them. Why?”

“I think I feel a little safer walking into a tunnel full of Reapers with the grenades is all.”

She shook her head. It was hard to tell, but something seemed off about Rothan. A.Q. had never seen, let alone interacted with a quarian before today, and without being able to see his face, he was tough to read. His posture seemed to say he was on edge, and considering the circumstances, who wouldn’t be?

Still, A.Q. knew that there was a fine line between fight and flight and she was beginning to wonder which side Rothan would fall on.

They hid in the maintenance shaft for another minute or so. A singular brute was patrolling the area, but judging by the sheer scope of the place, there were probably more.

It was always what you could not see that was more troubling. It was a lesson that she and the other misfits learned the hard way.

~~~~~

The darkness of the tunnels was stifling. Even before the invasion, they were dark, but now not even the dim emergency lights were not working. But the tunnels were their turf, and they knew them like the back of their own hands. The tunnels were the easiest way to lose cops after they stole something.  The tunnels were the easiest way to get around the city when they didn't want to be seen.  The tunnels were home in a way.

Lily had disappeared and her absence was being noted. With the Misfits’ leader gone, there was no telling who would come out on top. Carson would be the next logical choice, but the gunshot wound to his chest disagreed. A.Q. knew it wouldn’t be long—it wasn’t the first time she had seen someone with gunshot wound to the chest.

Hugh was busy bickering with Matty over where they should go next. Matty said he heard of Alliance run shelters on the other side of the city where they would be safe, but Hugh loudly disagreed. The Alliance, the government—nobody cared about them before the war started and there was no reason to believe that they would start now, even with the Reaper invasion. Working their way back to Camp Misfit, as they jokingly called it, would be the best option. They had supplies, even a few guns there. For once A.Q. agreed with them.

Jake leaned it and whispered. “Enjoying the show, daisy?”

She bristled a little at the pet name, but smirked. Jake was an **** ninety percent of the time, but she needed a laugh now. “Boys and their pissing contests.”

“We really don’t have the time for it though,” Jake said.

“I’ll try and find a ruler to speed things up.” A.Q. shot him a glance.

Jake grinned. “You could size me up if you wanted to.”

A.Q. rolled her eyes. Jake was back to his ninety percent. She resisted the urge to punch him by looking to Carson. His bleeding looked like it had finally stopped, but that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Fiona was doing as good of a job as she could, but she was no doctor. Her medical expertise didn't go beyond a few months of volunteering at a clinic, but she was the closest thing any of them had to a doctor.

A.Q. looked back to Hugh and Matty. Jake was right about one thing. They didn't have the time.

“Listen!” She shouted over their argument as she stepped forward. “Whichever direction we decide to go we still have to go back through these tunnels, so lets decide on the move.”

Hugh and Matty glared at her.

At least she got them to agree on something.

“Fine,” Hugh grunted.

Matty peeled his glare away from A.Q. then back to Hugh. “The refugee centers are our best hope. And you know it.”

Then he stomped off back towards the others.

A minute later they were moving again.

Salim and Fiona lugged a makeshift stretcher to carry Carson on, but a few minutes later they stopped. Fiona checked Carson’s pulse.

Nothing. Nobody was entirely sure what to do with him. They decided to bury him along the walls of one of the tunnels. Stacked bits of crumbled cement and brick served as his burial mound. It was the best they could do for now.

They held a brief ceremony for him, a couple of them said some words over him. Afterwards, Hugh polled the whole crew on where they thought they should go. The vote tipped barely in Matty’s favor, much to Hugh's chagrin and they began to make for the Alliance camps. A.Q. wasn’t exactly happy about the decision either, but she  understood how the situation undermined the Misfits’ general need of independence. They were scared. Alone. Maybe the other Misfits took comfort in the fact that if they ever wanted to return to normal society, they could. Now the Reapers had obliterated that option,  they had obliterated normal society,  but for A.Q. there was no normal for her to return to anyway.

Some time later there was a faint noise, something like a whistle of wind ringing distantly throughout the tunnels. A.Q. snapped her head back at the peculiar noise.

“Did you hear that?”

Jake nudged past her. “What? The howling? Maybe it’s Moaning Myrtle.”

“What?”

“Didn’t ya ever read a book, daisy?” He asked patronizingly. He shook his head as he snickered to himself. “Weren’t nothing but the fighting upstairs.”

“The fighting’s been over,” A.Q grunted. “You know that.”

“The wind then.”

“When was the last time you heard the wind down here, Jake?”

“Then maybe it really was Moaning Myrtle.”

“Again, who or what is Moaning Myrtle?” she asked impatiently.

“A ghooooost,” he cooed eerily while waggling his fingers. “Abandoned and teased by all the girls her age. Even when she died, no one really noticed. Now she haunts teenage girls, eternally attempting to exact her revenge.”

“That’s a load of crap,” A.Q. dismissed. “And also a terrible ghost story.”

“I’ve heard the story too,” Trev cut it. He had likely been listening to the whole exchange. “Only I heard that she only haunts bathrooms.”

“Maybe,” Jake said, leaning in to Trev. “But what comes out of bathrooms?”

Trev shrugged. “Pipes?”

“Exactly,” he returned. “And how many sewer pipes do you think are right on the other side of this here tunnel.”

“Oh god!” Trev shuddered. “Then there really is a ghost down here?”

A.Q. punched Jake’s shoulder. “Cut it out! He’s just trying to scare you Trev.”

“It’s not my fault he believed me, daisy,” Jake said as he massaged his shoulder.

“Stop calling me daisy!” she said, her tone escalating through gritted teeth.

“Make me,” Jake taunted with a ****-eating grin.

“Hey!” A voice called. It came sharp and resounding through the tunnel walls. “What’s going on back there!” A second later Matty was on them, right up in their faces. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Yelling like that—you’re gonna get us all killed!”

“Sod off!” Jake spat back.

“Jake!” Trev yelled.

“Just because Lily’s gone doesn’t mean you’re suddenly in charge,” he shouted so everyone could hear.

“I’m doing what’s best for everyone,” Matty countered. “You ever think of that?”

A.Q. felt her blood seething. She wanted to hit all of them. Hard.

In between spurts of yelling there was another faint sound. This one was different. It sounded like a rush of wind followed by a slight pop, but she couldn’t make it out over the yelling.

“Just you say one more thing,” Matty yelled. “I bloody dare you!”

Jake was bout to yell once more, coiling his body like an animal about to strike, but suddenly he lurched forward and not of his own accord.

The force of a blast threw A.Q. to the ground, while an ear splitting screech ripped through the tunnel. Some sort of cold light was glowing, blinding even. Every fiber of A.Q.’s being burst forth with terror, yet somehow she felt compelled to see what it was that had erupted into the area.

She saw Jake, limp, bloody, and somehow lifted off the floor for a second. Then a burst of light engulfed him. Everyone was screaming and in a brief moment she could make out Mia, clutching her stuffed toy while covering her ears. Matty was trying to direct the others away from whatever it was but a second later, he lurched back, something protruding through his chest as he disappeared in an explosion of light and sound.

Then it was over. The light, the screeching, the complete and utter fear was gone. Jake was on the ground in a pool of his own blood. What was left of Matty was smeared against the tunnel wall. And there were others too. Mangled, or in pieces.

A.Q.’s clothes were damp and after touching the back of her pants, her hand came back red.

It was not her blood.

A.Q. glanced up to Hugh whose wide-eyed gaze said what they were all thinking.

“We're getting out of here,” he panted.

~~~~~

A.Q. glared at the brute making a pass though the row of husks.

“We shouldn’t be here,” A.Q. muttered.

“I’m not turning back,” Rothan turned to her.

“I know,” she nodded. “Neither am I. I’m just saying... this is **** is all.”

The quarian nodded, then turned back to the tunnel. He seemed to be staring, examining the area. For once, A.Q. deferred to someone else’s experience. A.Q. was here for one reason and one reason only, and for the moment, the quarian was helping her achieve those ends.

Slowly, he looked back to A.Q. the gestured back to the tunnel. “You see that sludge over there.”

A.Q. nodded, though not liking where this was going.

“It seems to be flowing somewhere.”

“And?”

“It could mean that there is another way out of here.  A drain pipe, a sewer grate...,” he said. “Rea’s smart. She would know to follow it and maybe find a way out of here.”

“That’s an awful lot of ifs,” A.Q. grimaced.

“Got a better idea?”

A.Q. resisted the urge to nod. She did have a better idea, but it wouldn’t help Rothan find Rea. And it involved the belt of grenades at her side.

Modifié par Khambilo, 10 août 2013 - 03:38 .

[favoritehookeronthecitadel]

Arkeer continued to use his might for holding the missles. Angry and determined, he nevertheless felt somewhat detatched, like he didn't belong in this group anymore. His friends were gone. He knew that he would've gone back to go back to help them. Help Rea. Stay with Rothan and make sure he doesn't get his ass killed. But the mission was to destroy the Reaper. Arkeer knew that if the Reaper isn't dead soon, as much as he hates it, all of this would be for nothing.

But what if Rothan's ok? He might be able to take care of himself after all. And so could Rea, if she was still alive and not too badly injured. They could meet and together come the hell back to the group. He hoped that there was some chance that that could happen. 

But hell, Arkeer knew that was probably a dream. If Rea wasn't already dead, what are the chances she wouldn't get killed by husks or the ugly tall **** that killed Trevor. And Rothan...he was alright. A bit stubborn sometimes, but then again he's a Quarian. They can be like that sometimes. Those biotics would keep him alive for a while hopefully, maybe enough time to find Rea. But if they found eachother, there chances of getting out and coming back would be slim to none. Arkeer didn't know why, but he felt deeply pessimistic. 

What if they were both already dead? He barely got to say goodbye to the stubborn little Quarian and apoligizing for not being able to save Niria. Not that she had a chance to live anyway. But it might make him feel better, or less bad. And Rea, he never got to thank her for saving his life. Arkeer continued to feel regrets about not being able to go back and save his two friends. If they're dead, hopefully they died quickly and painless.

Hugh continued to lead the group through the dark tunnel. Blood was splattered everywhere like graffitii, coloring the gray walls. A few of the misfits used their biotics to provide a light. Everyone could only see within a few inches of eachother as what fell behind them sunk back into dark nothingness.

There were many bodies, mostly rotting. Arkeer started to smell something more fresh, and eyed the corpse of a female. Pale and sitting against the wall, she was covered and blood and looked torn from every part of her body. Her mouth hanged down and two bulging eyes stared into space with a permanent fixture of something horrifying. One of the misfits started shaking and knelt their head down as another comforted him.

"So..." Arkeer instigated. "Who's the Moaning Megan you keep talking about? The thing that killed Trevor?"

“It’s Myrtle. And she’s been killing us since a few days after we went underground.” Hugh answered point-blank.

“Why is she named that? Is that supposed to mean some Quarian pleasure bot?”

“No, Bade gave her the nickname. It’s supposed to be from an old book.”

“Who’s Bade?”

“You just saw her.” Hugh said, referring to the body he had witnessed.

Arkeer paused. "So, why you all stay here? It's just as bad in these tunnels as anything up there."

"You're wrong." Hugh pressed at him. "When they first attacked Earth, millions lost their lives in the first few hours. And they continued to tell us to stay in our homes. Yeah, well, it didn't do a lot good."

"Damn." Arkeer mumbled, followed by a loud grunt. "What kind of idiots would tell you that?"

"At first, a lot of people were in denial. This was something only seen once before in our lifetime. The attack on the Citadel. That...was one Reaper. For the most part, everyone believed the Reapers to be a fairy tale. And that one was just some techniologically advanced prototype designed by some mad scientist. The real truth was so sudden and overwhleming for a lot of people. They were in denial."

Arkeer remembered. The Citadel attack and the death of Saren Artirius made a huge cultural impact. Videos, interviews and documentaries were done. The few moments the Reaper was in plane view, in the middle of the citadel, caused a lot of debates between whether it was real and had returned from dark space as the myth told or just some hand-made machine by religous lunatics. The Alliance assurred that they hadn't returned, citing it as an isolated incident. Despite this, opinions were largely split. One time there was even a movie based on the attack, starring an Asari as Commander Shepard.

He remembered the jokes and arguements a couple of his Krogan friends had. In-depth arguements about the Reaper, with each of them shooting points to prove the other incorrect. One of them, Koray, got mad and screamed, "You're clearly not listening to my reasoning. Us Krogan are going to have to survive this. We've got it bad. We're almost extinct out there. If those Reapers return to the galaxy, which species do you think will fall first?!" And his other friend, Odeener, laughed and waved off her comment. "Relax buddy, I don't want to make you too angry. You might create another Reaper."

But now, it looks like she was right.

"Wow....they should've warned you more."

Hugh nodded. "Yeah. My hometown was one of the first places to fall. I got a shuttle and left my house. It was lucky I did, because the entire city got completely..." he paused, and took a sigh. "It was gone. There was nothing. I couldn't talk my friends into coming with me. They wanted to listen to their newscasts. Basically hide in their bathrooms."

"Damn."

"Yeah. But sooner or later I found my way back into London. I met these people. There used to be a lot more of us, but we sent them out in groups to gather food when it got low. They never once came back. And the rest were killed by Moaning Myrtle. Believe me, we wouldn't be staying down he if there was another option. At least once we learned to hide and avoid....her, we could live."

"It's not enough to just survive." Arkeer held his head up. "I'd rather fight."

"Fight and die." Hugh shot bitterly. "There's no difference over here. You didn't know how it was when this first happened. Since before the great Commander Shepard sent his fleet of every species. No one could help us."

And then, Hugh stopped. He held his hand out for the misfits to halt. Elderis and Hylar, who were marching in the back, looked at eachother in confusion. Hugh turned around.

"Where the HELL is A.Q.?"

With Rothan. Arkeer smiled.

Modifié par favoritehookeronthecitadel, 10 août 2013 - 09:07 .

[Kel Riever]

Rea stood on a beach, under a night sky. There was no moon, but it could have been Thessia or any moonless planet. To her right, an ocean stretched away, its surface glittering with the reflection of the stars.

Across from Rea a hooded figure stood, wrapped in a black, tattered shawl. It held an infant, also swaddled in black. She couldn’t see the face of either.

Is that you?

Rea wondered, and it was as if the voice in her head could be heard aloud. A gentle breeze caressed the figure, but it did not respond other than to stare back from under its hood.

What do you want?

The figure pointed to the sand between them. Rea saw what looked like a swarm of tiny crabs. As she focused her attention on them, she saw different types, blue, black, some with orange spots, some yellow. Too many to differentiate all the species, but they clustered in like types. While she watched, they began to cross over each other, and then they began to fight.

The figure in the shawl with the infant squatted and reached down into the sand. It picked up a handful of the squabbling crabs and closed its palm around them. When the figure reopened its palm, there was a single, grayish crab. It placed that grayish crab back onto the sand.

Is that you, Tizzy?

Each of the squabbling crabs that came across the grayish crab fought it. The grayish crab consumed them and got larger. Briefly, it seemed to gather some of the color from the crabs it would eat, and then the color was swallowed into its gray. Entire species of the squabbling crabs were consumed, but they added to the strength of the larger crab, and their colors were blended within the gray.

Are you part of me, or something else?

A gentle breeze blew again, and the figure with the infant stood. The figure reached out its open palm to Rea, and then swept it back to gesture to the sand behind itself. There, oily apparitions had come forth. Rea couldn’t distinguish them, but she knew they were supposed to be Ben, her other sisters, her father, and those who she lost. Beyond them, were those she did not know - all those who had been consumed by the crab, and now were part of its greater existence.

They are already dead. They are gone. I don’t want to go there.

Chilling tentacles once again seemed to work their way through Rea’s core. The figure leaned its hooded head forward, as if evaluating her. It motioned once again to the oily figures, insisting that she join them. Then the figure spoke, but the words were in Rea’s mind.

Think this through. You’ve never been good at being alone.

The grayish crab was near Rea. She reached down and picked it up by its shell. Rea stood, holding the crab so its claws reached out harmlessly to the open air. On the sand, the multitude of crab species went back to their squabbling.

Inside Rea, the dread increased. The figure pointed at the grey crab and then pointed at the sand. Rea fought through the fear and shook her head in refusal, then pointed herself to the sand, ordering the figure to watch.

Some of the crabs wiped out others, grew stronger, and in turn were destroyed. But new crabs sprung up, with unique colors and of novel types. These, too, became part of the chaotic struggle. As it continued, a myriad of the creatures came into existence. Some were larger, some had more claws, some were a riot of colors and some were covered in intricate patterns. As time went on, the species of crabs grew into a wild mosaic.

The figure became agitated. It pointed again at the grey crab and then at the sand. Rea refused, enveloping the grey crab in both her hands, and pressing them together until the grey crab vanished in a cloud of smoke. She felt the dread inside her begin to subside, and a righteous elation begin to form in her. The world she was in began to collapse into darkness, and then Rea fought for it to remain.

A gale blew along the beach and the figure with the infant trembled. Rea knew it did not want to see what she showed it. She walked towards it, arbitrarily picking up one of the crabs on the ground as she did. When Rea stood in front of the figure, her face up against the blackness under the hood, she held the crab between them, clear to see. It was scintillating, constantly changing in an endless array of colors and patterns.

You can’t see everything, can you? For all your attempts to save them, you missed the point.

The wind was furious now, and the oily apparitions vanished. The figure in the shawl began to disintegrate. Before it was gone, Rea placed her hands on its shoulders, steadying it.

This is my dream now. I gave my word. I don’t need you to wake me. I will wake myself.

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

BoL - The Lost Asari XVIII

They decided to move up the east wall opposite the utility lines which was probably a good idea just in case there was actually a live electrical line somewhere, or they ran into a trigger happy marauder. The live electrical line was more of a worry, and combine that with a gas leak and it would be goodbye Commandos.

T noticed a change in the consistency of the sludge as they were moving forward. It was taking on more of an irridescent glow in the fading light, and she was perceiving a slight phosphoresence on the walls in places. It was really getting dark, and would soon be too dark to see with the naked eye. The Commandos put their night vision gear on. Jack started swearing under her breath about how cheap the Alliance was. Ranassa handed her a pair from her pack.

"These were our Lieutenant's." She whispered. "Don't say I never gave you anything."

"Damn, these fit weird." Jack whispered.

"Beggars can't be choosy." Ranassa said in a low voice. "They're for Asari."

"Thanks." Jack said.

The sludge was warm from the decay of the organic matter, they could see their way now. The Asari night vision were 3D full range of field, unlike the Alliance models which still took away peripheral vision.

"Everybody down. Now!" Ranassa whispered. "Husks and a brute."

They had to drop down under the disgusting muck, and used the straws that T had passed out for breathing tubes. The brute walked past, then stopped and sniffed the air momentarily, turned in their direction, sniffed again, snorted, then moved onward with the rest of the husks. Jack signaled for them to remain submerged for a couple minutes longer, then gave the clear sign.

"Mmmmm... tasty." Ranassa said as she got up.

Erikka was turning a blue green in the back, and Ereba went to check on her.

"Does she have to do that?" Erikka asked.

"You know she does that stuff because she's scared s***less, right?" Ereba said quietly. "It keeps her mind off her fear. You're doing fine. You're one of our best. You're still alive, right? Come on. We've got to keep moving."

Jack gave the signal to move. About 20 meters further down the floor sloped downward.

"Careful. The footing is slippery here and it's getting deeper." Ranassa said quietly and motioned to move with caution.

Shayrana was moving over that area and her foot hit a loose rock and she slipped and fell. Jack quickly gave a signal for everyone to remain motionless and go back under when she felt a rhythmic pounding on the floor of the tunnel and heard a snort. The brute stopped about four feet in front of Ranassa.

'Goddess Athame, I'm sorry for all the bad things I've said and done in my life.' Ranassa thought. 'Just make this f***ing thing go away. Just this one time. And I will kiss your ass in Asari heaven.'

The brute turned around and then seemed to go back the way it came but sounded like it went off to the right instead of continuing. Everyone got up except Ranassa was still below. Jack went and got her up.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Sure." Ranassa said. "I'm fine. I was just thinking. That's all."

"'Nassa think? That's a new one." Erikka said.

"That brute went off to the right not the way it came." Ranassa said while trying to regain her composure. "But that's not where the husks are coming from. That's where they're going. We need to continue straight."

"And watch that passage when it's at our backs." Shayrana finished her thought.

They continued moving and saw the passage. The utility pipes went down it. It was one of the utility tunnels. Where they were headed was not. They were headed was recently dug out and connected to the utility tunnel system.

The vibrations in the floor were getting stronger. It was so low you couldn't hear it, but the air moved. It wasn't continuous, but it pulsed about every 10 minutes for about 5 seconds. Just enough to unnerve a person, and low enough intensity so it wouldn't collapse the place.

They walked quietly for another fifty meters, and then they saw the narrower walls gave way into a large cavern that was full of these spikes. The cavern was dimly lit, so they could remove their night vision. The roof of the cavern was supported a large central support column and several smaller support columns. In the rear of the cavern they could see a unit with what appeared to be a large reddish orange lense on it.

"Stay low!" Ranassa whispered. "Get behind these boulders."

Ereba took out her sniper rifle for a closer look. "There are people coming out of that thing, and they're putting them onto the spikes." She said quietly. "They're doing this while they're alive, and the people are just letting them do it. What the f***?"

"They're indoctrinated. We call the spikes 'Dragon Teeth'." Jack said softly but seething with anger. "That's probably a processing unit. Those things are run by actual Reapers. I want to blow that f***ing thing to f***ing Hell! Then I want to blow this f***ing cavern to Hell along with it!"

"F*** yeah!" 'Nassa said in a low voice. "Now you're talking my language."

"How much explosives do we have?" Jack asked.

"Wait. There's a... s***... a big f***ing banshee just roaming around." Ereba said. "This is going to be a b**** of a job. I wish the Sarge was here. She had this extra touch for this stuff."

"What? Are you saying you can't do it?" Jack said.

"Easy, Jack. Yeah, I can do it." Ereba said. "The Sarge? Well she added that exclamation point. I think I might have enough to do the processor. I have enough for sure to do the cavern.

"'Nassa has the Cain. I could plant the explosives in the cavern, then take that and set it on overload inside the processor to make sure. That would go off before I'd get out of the cavern, but not to worry, the plastics need a special detonator. The Processor destruction would weaken everything in the cavern, and when I'm clear, Jack, you hit the detonator switch for the cavern."

"Sounds like a plan." Jack said.

Ranassa handed Ereba the Cain. "Put it to good use." 'Nassa said.

"I'll make some reaper scream." Ereba smiled.

"Why does Jack get the switch?" Shayrana asked.

"In case I don't make it, hon." Ereba said. "This is going to be dangerous."

Ereba and Shayrana embraced, and kissed. "Promise me you'll be careful." Shayrana said.

"Hon, I'm going to do what I can to have a successful mission, and you know what that means." Ereba said. "Pray to the Goddess. Watch through my rifle if you want. Check both IR to find me, then check visual light. Let me know if anything is coming up behind me. I have to stay cloaked. I won't be able to answer you. And goddess don't shoot. Okay?"

"Okay." Shayrana said.

"Erikka, can I have your power cells?" Ereba asked.

"What for?" Erikka asked.

"In case I need to replace mine." Ereba said.

"No. What if I need them?" Erikka said.

"Erikka, all you do is play games on your omni-tool." T said. "Give her your power cells. If her's run dead, we're dead. Got it? Goddess you can be dense."

"Oh, alright." Erikka said and gave Ereba the power cells. "They're practically new."

Ereba tested both sets and swapped out the power cells. Her's were at 60%. Erikka's at 90%.

"Now, remember, Ereba. Assume every person you see in that processing unit is indoctrinated. That means they're as good as dead." Jack said. "You're just killing the enemy even though they look Human, Turian, or whatever. Basically kill anything that isn't shooting at reaper troops, and blowing up that thing? Sometimes the end justifies the means. Got it?"

"Yeah. I got it." Ereba said.

"Give 'em hell." Jack said.

Ereba stayed low and along the wall of the cavern until she was near the first column and past the first couple of rows of Dragon Teeth. Then she cloaked.

Modifié par sH0tgUn jUliA, 10 août 2013 - 10:46 .

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

BoL - The Lost Asari XIX (The Sarge)

The air shook as several Mantis Fighters flew overhead toward the front to provide support to the troops. It wasn't far to the field hospital now. They were only three blocks from it. The sarge toughed out a half kilometer, but she was needing to rest again and put her leg up. Rodriguez was amazed their journey was free of reaper troops, but they were also hoping that Shepard's team was making progress to the beam to the Citade.

"Reilly, have you overheard any chatter about Shepard's progress?" Rodriguez asked him. She had a worried look on her face.

"No. All I've heard is that there is some Reaper destroyer blocking the path and that it's mucked up things pretty bad." Reilly said. "Lots of casualties down there. I'm worried about Jack and the rest of our guys." He was pretty down.

"Those Commandos seemed pretty tough, Reilly." Rodriguez said.

"It's just. Never mind." Reilly said in a very frustrated tone of voice.

"Why don't you just say it?" The sarge said.

"The fight is there, not here." Reilly said.

"Thank you. Now I need to sit and rest a minute. I'm feeling weak." The sarge said. "The pain is getting above the medication."

"I can't give you anymore right now, I'm sorry." Rodriguez told her.

"I know." Soniri said, and grabbed her arm. "And thanks for doing this. Both of you." She closed her eyes and drifted off.

------------------------

'I've got to make a few calls, and quick.' Carina thought while driving. 'Who can I contact? Nelnya Callis. I haven't contacted her in a while. She's a reliable fence here. I'll contact her on her secure line on a secure channel.'

"Yes?" Callis answered.

"Nelnya. It's Naleena. Listen I've got something I need to exchange." Naleena said.

"Naleena. Long time. Is it that museum piece I heard about on the news?" Callis said.

"****. Already?" Naleena said.

"That crap is a replica. I'm not interested." Callis said.

"Don't hang up. Some toad has the replica. I have the real item." Naleena said.

"Ledra. That thing is priceless, and I won't be able to move it for a while. I can't give you anything near what it's worth. Will 100,000 CR cover it?" Callis said.

"S***, Callis. You're going to flip it for 500,000 CR, but since I need to get off world like now, you've got a deal." Naleena said negotiating her way through traffic. "I'll meet you behind Alia's in 10."

"That's not our usual..." Callis said.

"Behind Alia's in 10 or no deal." Naleena said and disconnected she pulled out of traffic, drove down to Alia's, parked in the shadows, cloaked her vehicle and waited with her sensors on. 'Well, it's time to be someone else. Let's see... Alia sounds like a good name. Alia Vasiri, 240 years old, born on Nevos, was a dancer for 30 years.........' She thought.

A vehicle pulled up. Naleena scanned it. Sensors picked up Callis inside, and she contacted Callis on a secure channel. "I'm here." Naleena said. "Do you have the credits?"

"Yes. You have the item, I hope." Callis said as she got out of her vehicle.

"Nelnya, have I ever disappointed you?" Naleena said decloaking and getting out of hers.

"No, and the price just dropped to 50,000 CR." Callis said.

"No deal." Naleena said.

"It's the best you're going to get. Artwork isn't selling for much anymore." Callis said. "You haven't heard the news?"

"No. What news?" Naleena asked.

"There's a fullscale galactic invasion on." Callis said. "Remember the Battle of the Citadel?"

Naleena started laughing, and said. "You've got to be kidding me." Naleena turned on her radio...

'Khar'Shan, Earth, and Palaven have been invaded by an overwhelming force. They are called Reapers, a term once used by the first Human Spectre Commander Shepard, and are the same type as the large ship that attacked the Citadel three years ago.' the newscaster said. 'Their vanguards have been spotted in Asari space, and in the Terminus systems. This is a full scale Galactic Invasion.'

"I'll take it. 50,000 CR." Naleena said. She was just shaking with the shock of it all.

"I'm doing you a favor, Naleena. I know you're in a tight spot." Callis said. "Good luck."

"Thanks. You, too." Naleena said. "Get yourself and your family safe."

Ledra was sitting by his pool. The Salarian was very angry. He was listening to reports about the reaper invasion, and the police were also going through his vault looking for evidence. It was now known that he possessed the real figurine which had been stolen and delivered to an agent of his by a human thief whose identity was known on his books only by K. Ledra had met him once and the man had proven himself honorable to a degree that the Salarian did not mind doing business directly. He hadn't heard from the thief in a few years.

The Salarian had gone to great lengths to protect his investment. He had surveillance camera in the display case pointing upward that detected in non-visible spectra. That security camera captured an image of a face in the room where he kept his treasure. His security team analyzed and did a facial match.

"Sir, we have her identified." His technician said. "She is going by the name Alia Vasiri. She was last captured on vidcam at the spaceport booking a ticket off world to Sanves."

Sanves was a garden world that was mostly a resort for travellers. It was more or less used for hunting and sightseeing. There was a military presence. Several Commando units stationed here for training purposes near the Capitol City of Etheai which was a major tourist destination. Alia thought she could disappear in the city for a while, then maybe get on a ship and go somewhere else.

Ledra sneered, and contacted a team of mercs to follow Alia to Sanves and kill Vasiri.

----------------------------

The sarge regained consciousness on her own this time. Rodriguez had been tending to her leg and Reilly had been applying cool moist rags to her forehead.

"Thanks." She said and smiled at them. "Help me to my feet, and I think we can make it the rest of the way."

"It's not that much further, sarge." Rodriguez said. "We'll make it."

Modifié par sH0tgUn jUliA, 11 août 2013 - 10:58 .

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

BoL - The Lost Asari XX

Shayrana flipped Ereba's rifle to IR and saw her move to the first stone column. The columns were not smooth, but very rough and they had cracks in them. She went back to visible spectrum. Ereba's cloak was working. Ereba carefully pulled the charge out of her bag and planted it on the column and placed the detonator. She checked the charge remaining on the power cell. It still read good at 88%. This would be a constant cloak with no break.

Ereba checked around her for movement. Myrtle was on the other end of the cavern at the moment, which was good for her, but she was beginning to make a patrol sweep. 'Should I do a zig-zag pattern? or a circle pattern?' She thought on her way to the next support column, this time across on the far side to the right of the party. 'A zig-zag would conserve battery power, but I don't know that banshee's patrol route, and if she gets too close she could smell me. Then I'm just dead.'

She reached the second column. Myrtle was moving toward the center. Another charge and detonator planted and a power cell check. 'It looks I'll continue down the right to the third column.' She thought. 'Well maybe not right now.' The indoctrinated were placing some more humans on the Dragons Teeth right in front of her, and she had to wait for them to finish that and leave.

'Would you hurry the f*** up?' She thought.

Shayrana started hyperventilating watching her. T put her hand on her shoulder and used a very soft voice to tell her. "Hey, 'reba's a pro at this stuff. She's going to be alright. Easy."

The indoctrinated humans finished and went back into the processor. Ereba moved forward to the third column and placed the third charge and detonator. She checked her power cell. She was still good. Then she looked for the banshee. Myrtle was less three meters from her. She'd come over to admire the new work.

'Goddess. Why now?' Ereba thought.

Then Myrtle moved to the rear of the cavern. Ereba stealthfully moved back across the cavern to the fourth column. Only five more to go plus the Processor. 'Nothing like a little stress.' She thought. 'I hope someone brought a bottle with them, because I'm going to need a good stiff drink after this. Okay that's four set and ready. Check my power charge. We're doing fine. It's going to be close, but we're doing fine. What is that over there? I can't quite make it out in this light. I can't worry about it. Mission comes first.'

"We could make it easier on her by taking out that banshee." Erikka said in a low voice.

"Right and alert every single husk, and reaper troop in the area?" T replied to her. "Use the brain the goddess gave you, girl. Damn, you're what give us Asari a bad name."

"Quiet." Shayrana ordered. "We're not taking out anything until Ereba gives the signal, is that clear?"

"If anyone ****s this up, it's their ****ing head." Jack said. "That's after we get out of the mess."

Ranassa put her fist out to Jack, but didn't look at her. Jack bumped it with hers. Ranassa pulled it back. She was busy watching the cavern and any movement. The two were starting to respect one another, and they realized they could probably kill one another. Jack by focusing her hate, and Ranassa just by focusing.

Jack decided to send T and Erikka back to check that utility tunnel for movement. T nodded.

"So how is she doing?" Jack asked.

"She's got three more to go, then it's into the Processor." Shayrana said. "The banshee is in the middle admiring the view all the new husks being made. It looks like almost a full house. There's just these spikes near, and it's full."

"30 minutes at 220 degrees C, and they're ready." Ranassa said.

"You're disgusting." Shayrana said.

"It's not me. It's the reapers." Ranassa said. "I'm not even in their league. Did you ever think that someone is watching through those banshee eyes? And it isn't the banshee?"

"Now that is creepy." Jack said. "I want them even more ****ing dead."

T and Erikka returned and took cover. "It's clear." Erikka said. "For now."

The Banshee was moving closer to the Processing unit on her patrol route.

"Two more to go." Shayrana said. "She is getting it done out there. Uh oh.

"Ereba, get away from whatever you're near. It's causing your cloak to flicker. Good girl. Watch the banshee, she's getting close."

'It must be these damned spikes. They put out an electrical field.' She thought and checked her power cell charge. 'F***!!! 35%. If I hadn't taken Erikka's I wouldn't be able to complete the mission. All right. One more to go, and it's onto the Processor.'

Ereba moved to the final column. 'There's that movement again. I just can't quite make it out. **** it. My cells are running low and I can't do a swap out here. Mission comes first.' She thought. 'Damn.'

Just then another large group of indoctrinated humans moved out of the processor, and Ereba had to remain motionless behind the column until they passed. They were headed all the way out to the back of the cavern to be impaled on the spikes. 'I can't understand how anyone could be convinced that doing that would be a good thing to do.' She thought. 'Then I haven't been around this thing very long, either.'

She planted the last charge.

"She just blew a kiss to me. She's entering the Processor." Shayrana said.

"You should have taken a picture." Jack said sarcastically.

"Well now all we do is wait." Erikka said.

"And watch these humans get impaled." Jack said.

'32% Damn this is going to be close.' Ereba thought. 'And I'm on my own. It's a lot lighter inside here but the walls are black. There are groups of people. I've got to be very careful not to bump into any of them. I'll stay near the walls. Some of the groups seem numb. Some of them seem like they're slaves and are talking among each other, just carrying out orders, and telling the other humans what to do. They're bringing them down a set of elevators, then theres a large check in on the level above. Then they process them around this large round central structure down a wide set of steps to this level and out. I wouldn't be surprised if there are cells on the level above. Can't worry about that. Need to focus.

'I can feel a strange like aura in the air. It's like a crushing feeling. I've got to get out of here soon, but where do I place this thing? I'll look for a machine room.' Ereba thought 'Here's a ladder in the center of the complex. I'll take it down. Ah ha! Here's a utility complex. Perfect. Power generation for this entire place. Plasma conduits. Oh, this will set off some pyrotechnics.'

She took the Cain out, and rigged it for overload. 'I have 90 seconds.' She thought.

Then she scaled the ladder and began to walk briskly out of the processing unit being careful not to bump anyone. She was successful.

Shayrana saw Ereba emerge at the entrance of the Processing unit. She was alright, and she was in a hurry.

[Redbelle]

Baldurjack, was alive.

It hurt to much to be dead.

He sat slumped against a piece of what had was been a wall of the dining hall. He opened his eye's and forced his protesting muscles to raise his head.

The ceiling was gone.

The walls were gone.

Just rubble, where he sat in a smouldering uniform. He tried to raise his hand to see if his Beret was still in place but found he could barely move.

He hurt all over. Especially his backside. As the world around him had lit up with fire from on high as the ground under his feet had come alive to toss him into the air.... He remembered everything that had happened before.

The Counts megalomanic triumphant cries as he tried to run him through with a spear.

Dougal. Revealed to be something he had pretended not to be.

And he never did get that cup to tea.

After running from the Count as fast as his leg's could carry him he dived towards the nearest door. Hoping it would lead to a way out. Instead it had led him back into the dining hall. In a moment of panic he looked around, seeing Humprey sitting at a table looking quite forlorn with a cup and saucer in hand. Baldurjack however, was not thinking of tea at all at that point. He spotted another door. And not bothering to read the sign, ran through to discover he had run into the lavatories.

Utter panic had gripped him then. And afraid the Count would come after him. He'd darted into a stall. Locked the door. And jumped onto the seat and crouched down, hoping no one would think to look for him there.

He didn't know how long he'd been in there, tightly gripping the handle of the Rapier he'd discovered. Gripping it made him feel brave. If The Count came looking for him he'd get the chance to run him through. He thought about it.

Count Berger didn't know where he was. He'd be searching for him. And when he found him he'd be surprised that he had found him. He'd hesitate as he'd see a manly avatar of a Space Beret who had trapped his opponent and was moving in for the kill. Okay, maybe at first glance it was he who was trapped, perched atop a toilet seat in a locked cubicle. But that was a ruse. Baldurjack tightened his grip on the Rapier. Yes a ruse. He wasn't hiding. He was waiting! The situation looked bad but like any commander he was turning a bad situation around. He'd wait for The Count to look for him, and then the hunter would become the hunted. He'd lunge as soon as the door started to open. Plunge the Rapier through the filthy swine’s heart. He'd lock eye's with the scoundrel and Berger would say how how there was no finer end than to be killed by an equal. Only they weren’t equals. Because Berger would be dead and Baldurjack alive. All that had to happen was for The Count to open the door.

The door.

He'd locked the door! There was no way Berger could open it. And once he found a locked door he'd know someone was inside. Then he'd start poking through with that spear of his. The plan needed the door to be unlocked!

Baldurjack reached out a trembling hand. His fingertips brushed the latch. The idea of unlocking the door suddenly terrifying in it's necessity. That was when he heard a presence in the room with him.

“MASTER”.

Baldurjack recoiled. It was Dougal. But not his Dougal. It was the monster of chill and smoke that had emerged from Dougal's form.

“MASTER”. Said the disembodied voice as smoke licked at the gap between the door and the floor. “OPEN THE DOOR”.

Baldurjack stayed quiet and pressed himself as far back as he could.

“MASTER”! The voice was becoming impatient. “WE HAVE MUCH AHEAD OF US. OPEN THIS DOOR. WE MUST LEAVE THIS PLACE”.

“Go away”! Baldurjack yelled. The need for silence forgotten. “Your not Dougal! I'm not a fool! I know you've been taking me for one! But Brigadier Baldurjack Baldwin is no ones fool! You hear me..... whatever you are”!

Baldurjack panted as he stopped talking. From outside the door, there was a sound that sounded suspiciously like a sigh. Then a rustle. The sound of exertion followed by what sounded like a zip being done up.

“Terribly sorry about that master”. Dougal's voice came through the door. The Dougal as it had been. Not as the oily smoke creature. “Had a bit of a funny turn back there. I'm pleased to report that Count fellow has been dealt with and we are free to proceed with winning the war. You’ll have to come out though. Unless you plan to command the war sat on a lavatory”.

Hearing Dougal's voice again was a relief. Looking down Baldurjack could see his furry feet underneath the door's gap. But still.....

“Now look here boy! I know your not my Dougal. So let's not pretend anymore shall we”?

A pause. “You come out of that cubicle right now”!

“No”!

“You are being absurd..... Master”! Dougal said. Adding the master bit almost as an afterthought.

“Your one of the enemy aren't you”! Baldurjack declared. “Well boy! I demand to meet your superior so we can discuss the terms of your surrender! I demand you leave me alone form now on! And for goodness sake”. He said as his voice rose in pitch. “Why can't I get a cup of tea in this place? The service is appalling! One star boy! One star”!

“OBEY YOUR SUPERIOR AND OPEN THE DOOR HUMAN”!

Baldurjack whimpered as the cold, menacing voice returned through the door. “I shall not open the door, sir”! He yelled back. “Not for you, or any of your kind. You took Dougal from me”. He said as his chest constricted. “How much else have you tried to take? No sir. You'll have nothing else from me! So swears Baldurjack”!

Quiet reigned as the door remained closed. “SO BE IT HUMAN”. The voice said. “YOU ARE BROKEN AND OF NO FURTHER USE TO US. AND IF THIS STRUCTURE OFFENDS YOU SO....”. It went on. “THEN IT AND EVERYTHING INSIDE SHALL BE RAZED”. The voice paused and switched back. “Such a shame though. If we'd been able to recover you we might have found out why our influence could never make you ours. But before I leave, just know”. Dougal's voice went cold. “The entire time I knew you. I really did hate your guts”.

Dougal's voice. His presence. The feeling they inspired in the core of his being. It all vanished then. Leaving Baldurjack free. Freer than he had ever felt as he slumped back against the cistern and placed his feet on the ground. “Thanks the lord that's over with”. He remarked as he looked at the Rapier in his hand and slid it home into it's scabbard.

Then world had flown apart around him. It started with a rumble. Then the ground heaved. Then the walls seemed to vanish as he was flung into the air clutching the toilet he sat upon as if it were a life line. He was sure he was about to die.

And then a searing pain in his backside erupted. Worse than ever before. Had he not been screaming in agony he would have marvelled at how, despite being so close to certain death, it moved past him. Scarcely brushing him with it's cold finger's while Baldurjack felt like in insides were being seared from the inside out. He would also have had to acknowledge that, considering his predicament. He was sat on the most appropriate seat in the house.

And when it over.......

He looked up and saw the destruction he had survived.

He felt like death had mounted him. Ridden to the point of no return and then just left him on this side of the divide. His head thudded back and he looked up to see stars where there had once been clouds. The stars were moving too fast. He considered ordering them to stop but hadn't the energy. He did however manage to bring his head forward to look at, what felt like an itch in his side. He looked down and saw a bloody stain soaking the lower right side of his uniform.

“Oh”. Was all he could say as he rallied his strength and reached to touch the top of his head. His finger's brushed his Beret.

Well. He thought as his hand thudded down to his side. It's not the end of the world then.

Modifié par Redbelle, 12 août 2013 - 06:05 .

[Kel Riever]

Farzam Jahangir brought the gunship around, “Tempest two and four, form up on my wings. We are going around for another strafing run to cover those ground troops. Stay low, and use the buildings as cover.” The Mantis A-61 was out of missiles, but still had its M350 machine guns. Farzam called back to one of the two soldiers who had remained on board after his last drop. “Dale, you’ve got a Revenant, right?”

“Affirmative,” Dale answered as she exchanged thermal clips, “And I’m all out of bubble gum.”

“We took some hits on the left armor plates last go around, so I’m favoring your side. Aim it out the port, keep your bursts paced and shoot where I’m firing.”

The three gunships roared through the wide streets, between the fangs of ruined buildings that had once been London’s downtown. While anything from Ravager fire to a sudden Harvester attack could destroy the gunships, any air bound unit was a target priority for the Reapers and could be shot at by the Reaper vessels themselves, if the opportunity arose. Staying as far as possible from the black ships was preferred, but a mostly impossible ideal while providing close support. The best that could be done beyond that was to use the terrain while moving in. In any war, this is what the A-61 was designed to do. But in no other war could a mistake have your entire squadron be vaporized by one cut of a Reaper beam.

Farzam’s squadron was close to a Reaper vessel as well. It could sometimes be seen between the buildings, if even for just a split second. He knew that the Reaper ship was being attacked, by fighters and ground troops alike. But those who shot at it were sacrificing themselves to create a distraction. Sometimes it worked, enticing the Reaper to commit more than the necessary firepower to annihilate its distracters. But more often than not, the Reaper would lance away at its own intended target, while devoting a minimal amount of ordinance to destroy the nuisances that harassed it.

So far, the squadron had been lucky. They had lost only two of their number, and that was due to ground fire. The Reaper itself seemed occupied and in the past minutes, hadn’t fired as much as usual. Whether it was truly weakened or it was simply gathering energy to unleash the next wave of destruction was anyone’s guess, but Farzam was banking on the latter. In the meantime, the squadron would do what it could, and the unit they were covering was critical in protecting Shepard’s flank.

“Hold it level,” Farzam ordered as the squadron approached their objective. “Almost there. Don’t cut it too close to the troops…..That’s it! Weapons free!”

The guns thrummed from the fliers. Brutes, ravagers, marauders and hordes of husks were lost in the barrage. Farzam worked the M350s until the barrels needed a cool-down, and then swung away with his wingmen around a tower that looked like it had been split in half. When he did, he was facing the Reaper ship.

“Everyone Break!” Farzam shouted as he whirled the A-61 around and behind a structure. His wingmen split off in different directions, to try and avoid concentrated volleys from killing them all.

But the Reaper did not fire. Each gunship had been vulnerable for several seconds, but each was able to get out of line of sight from the invader. When they were safely away, no one could believe it.

“Holy s**t!” Tempest four was exasperated, “How are none of us dead?”

“Not even going to ask any questions,” Tempest two answered. “I don’t want to know and I’m just happy to be here.”

“Okay, form up again,” Farzam was shocked. “I better alert the ground troops below. They’re going to turn the corner on that monstrosity soon enough.” He asked his commander to link him with the commanding officer of the unit he was covering. It took longer than Farzam was expecting, the signal being rerouted to a remotely located mobile command vehicle, but he was patched through, “This is Tempest squadron, you are about to come up into firing view of a Reaper ship as you hit the next avenue.”

A thick voiced grunt answered him back, “This is Lieutenant Vega. Was that you who just covered our asses back there?”

“It was, though I don’t know how we survived. That Reaper had us in its sights and let us go without a shot.”

“Roger that, Tempest. I might have lost a screw in my head, but do you have enough in you for another pass?”

Farzam looked over his displays and checked in with his wingmen, “We’re good. I’ve got to find a place to put down and resupply after this, but we can do one more.”

“Esse, we’re going to mop up the leftovers down here, which won’t take long. And if that *ssh*le Reaper is still sucking its thumb when we get in range with some firepower, I want you to back us up with your heat. You up for that?”

Pausing to take a deep breath, Farzam agreed, “We can’t just keep blocking shots. At some point, we have to throw a hook.”

“Now you’re thinking the way I do,” Vega exclaimed. “I like that!”

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

BoL - The Lost Asari XXI (The Sarge)


The hospital was in sight.

"Sir! We have incoming casualties on foot!" the guard exclaimed. "It looks like two naval junior officers and an Asari Commando."

"Cover them if necessary." His officer replied. "We'll probably have to put them in the courtyard. Our beds are full. If they're on foot, it can't be that serious."

-----------

"We're almost there, sarge. There it is." Reilly said. They could see the steel gate and turrets. The hospital resembled more of a prison than it did a hospital, but that was the way things were like during this war. It was a necessity to keep out Reaper troops, and those damned husks could scale walls.

"Fight through the pain." Rodriguez said.

"I'm just putting one foot in front of the other." The sarge said. "It's the damned cast."

"Just keep moving, we're going to make it." Rodriguez said.

The sarge just kept putting one foot in front of the other, but her mind drifted....

-----------

Naleena booked her ticket on the next shuttle to Sanves.

"Ms. Vasiri, you might want to consider upgrading to first class." the ticket agent said. "We are offering considerable discounts, as in the price is only 100 credits more than the standard coach price."

"Why so cheap?" Naleena asked.

"Honestly, the flight is nearly empty. Most people are returning to Thessia now that the news has broken about the war." The agent said. "And we're having to send extra flights to the colonies to handle the overload. This is one of those flights."

"Fine. I'll take it." Naleena said.

"Do you have anything special in the bags?" The agent asked. "They do exceed our weight limit by a considerable amount."

"Yes, please be extra careful with them. I'm planning to do some big game hunting while I'm there. It might be my last chance to do that in my life." Naleena said. "And the flight is nearly empty. I think this should cover the problem in these troubled times." She slipped her a 1000 credit chit.

"Have a pleasant flight, Alia." The agent said.

"And if you wouldn't mind, if anyone comes looking for me. Please be so kind as to delay them as long as possible and do not hold this flight." Naleena said and winked.

"I will keep that in mind." The agent smiled and said.

"May the goddess watch over you." Naleena said as she left, and walked down the concourse. There were gift shops, snack bars, and of course bars where you could get totally drunk interspersed between gate areas.

'Anything I should pick up, here? Perhaps some skin dye?' She thought. 'Different colors, maybe, scalp dye, too, and some facial markings.'

'So what will Alia Vasiri find on Sanves? I think we'll tour the capitol city first like the rest of the tourists, then we'll book a local hunting guide and learn where the big game is located, not show up and disappear as far as f*** away from that place as possible. But what the hell am I going to live on?' She thought. 'Then there's this war. What the hell are these reaper things? What do they do? Why are they invading? Talk about ****ing up a girl's plans.

'Ledra. That damned toad. That accident was no accident. Mr. Orange? I was Ms. Brown, but Mr. Orange? I know Mr. Orange's voice and that was not it. I'll never know what happened. Or maybe....' Naleena thought to herself as she arrived at the gate and watched the news on the video display.

"In other news. Police have an arrest warrant out Tazzik Ledra in connection with a theft of an ancient artifact dating back to the Asari Bronze Age. Ledra allegedy was in possession of the original artifact that was stolen long ago, while a convincing replica was on display to the public at a local museum. The original was recovered from Ledra tonight and returned to the museum." The newscaster said.

'Liar!' She thought. 'But they have to cover up the truth for the public. They always do that ****.'

"Also from evidence found in Ledra's Penthouse was evidence that led to a gristly crime scene in a warehouse outside of the capitol city of Armali. A Batarian and several of what appear to be bodyguards were gassed and executed. State authorities are investigating because missing works of art and illegal narcotics were found on the scene." The newscaster said. "Ledra is wanted for narcotics trafficking and possession of state artifacts."

'And so much for the real Mr. Orange.' Naleena thought.

"*News Update* Live news feed from Palaven. 'The Reapers have landed, and their troops are swarming all over our military positions. I don't know how long we can hold out against this onslaught. Spirits help us.' (feed shows reaper landing and feed goes blank)"

'Goddess help us all if this is what we are going to face. Why is this happening? What did we do to provoke this? I've probably got Ledra's assassins chasing me, the police chasing me, and now these Reapers on the other side chasing all of us.' Naleena was thinking. 'I've got to find some place to hide and wait out this thing if I can, but something tells me soon there will be nowhere to hide.'

"Flight 417 for Sanves, now boarding. Please have your boarding passes ready." The Flight Attendant announced.

Naleena stood up and walked to the short line to board the craft. The line went quickly and she sat down in her first class. She went into her bag and looked around in it for some skin dye. This would have to be a quick job, too, and a good one.

'What the hell am I thinking? I'm a matron. But I still resemble a maiden. I could get away with it, and the attendants didn't get a good look at me. So, what do you think?' She thought. 'Shall we go with the youthful violet-blue with the white crest? I think so. Don't forget the hands, legs, and feet. Thank the goddess I kept up my dancing practice for flexibility.'

She left for the lavatory, and began her application. She added some white facial markings for fun. She was in there for about an hour. The inertial dampers negated the need for her to return to her seat for takeoff. When she completed applying the dye over her entire body, it looked uniform, and with the white crest and white facial markings she looked like a different person. She dressed then she returned to her window seat in the third row left.

'Maybe this will fool them for a while, at least long enough to make them hesitate. Although it will attract attention.' She thought. 'Such is the life of a dancer who likes to hunt.'

She had to sit up for another hour while the dye set and dried thoroughly. It was going to be a four hour flight. When you thought about it, four hours to jump from one cluster to the next was amazing, and most of the time was consumed going from the spaceport to the relay at FTL speeds.

The flight attendant came around for drink orders. "Alia" ordered an ice brandy. That was Alia's favorite drink. Naleena wouldn't ordinarily touch the stuff, preferring the more refined and far more expensive version, but she needed to keep up appearances. She stifled making a face drinking it. Food would be coming soon.

Alia read some of the tourist magazines on the craft about Sanves, and got bored pretty quickly. She took out the earphones and listened to some music, and checked the news. It was the same bad news from all over the place. Lunch arrived. She ate that, then took a nap.

---------------

The guards opened the gate for them. Rodriguez and Reilly helped the sarge to triage. The area was crowded with badly wounded soldiers of all races.

"What's the matter with this one?" the triage medic asked.

"She's got a broken leg. Her cast was put on in the field and done too tight." Rodriguez said.

"She's been treated, then?" The medic asked.

"Yes, but..." Rodriguez said.

"Fine. Set her over there." The medic said.

Reilly grabbed the medic. "The cast needs to be removed otherwise she'll lose the leg."

"Look, do you see that line along that wall?" the medic said. "They're critically wounded. Some of them won't make it. We have limited supplies and we're running out. We're short staffed. She's been treated."

There was a line of soldiers laying on stretchers, with IVs in them. They were being monitored, and most were waiting for surgery. Many were dying.

"This is the way you run triage?" Rodriguez said as they set down the sarge where the medic indicated. "We just need the cast removed, now. This could save a medical emergency. Do you have anything that can cut a cast?"

"You'll have to wait your turn. I'm sorry." the medic said.

"**** this!" Rodriguez said. She looked around the area for a sign that said "Orthopedics".

Modifié par sH0tgUn jUliA, 13 août 2013 - 01:24 .

[Redbelle]

Tip of the spear.

Baldurjack half lay where he had woken. His back against the remains of a wall. Surrounded by the remains of what had been the hotel.

To lead the charge. You have to lead by the tip.

Only now he lay bruised and battered. With an sky filled with stars that would not stop spinning.

Where the tip leads, the rest follows.

He had to get up. To get back to the fight. Then he wondered if maybe the stars were not spinning around him. Maybe the Earth was spinning faster than the star's.

It all starts with the tip...... the tip.....

It was becoming harder to focus. Perhaps he was just tired. A quick nap and then off to find the.......

He closed his eye's and seemed to drift off. For when he opened them again he saw a man nearby. Sitting across from him. He too leaning against the remains of a wall. Baldurjack looked around and saw that the rubble had moved. Now it surrounded them. Leaning in on them. All except one spot where a path led away into the burning fire. He blinked slowly and focused back on the man.

His face was obscured by his hand which was old and wrinkled. He seemed quite out of place in the ruined surroundings. Dressed in a clean flannel shirt and casual drawstring pants. And flip flops? Even Baldurjack knew that was inappropriate footwear on the battlefield.

Baldurjack licked his lips and tried to say something when the man moved his hand to reveal a craggy, weather beaten face beneath a mop of grey hair. Baldurjack knew him instantly. Though he was having trouble remembering where

“Hello son”. Said the stranger.

Baldurjack bristled and found his voice at last. “Good sir, I am no one's son. I am a Brigidier and I order you to go and find some hel.....”. He stopped as the stranger's eye's narrowed slightly. His voice though, remained calm and firm.

“Lance Baldwin. I am your father. And you will not speak to me in that tone”.

“Your not my.....”. But before he could say another word. He remembered.

All of it.

Of meeting Dougal. Once dead, then alive. He had met him after he had put on the stolen costume shop uniform.

Of his audition for the part of the commander general in a future Blasto movie. He hadn't had the chance to find out if he'd gotten the part. The Reapers had invaded before that.

Of his outsider knowledge of the military. Coming from a family of military officers of which he was the only one to never make it.

Of his efforts to follow in his father's footsteps. And his inability to pass the entrance exams. The shame that had followed him from that failure.

He looked over at his father who sat with one leg hooked over the other as he rested his hands on his knee. Looking utterly at piece with just a hint of a smile.

“Dad? Oh Dad.....”. Lance Baldwin said as his eye's began to sting. “I think I've gone done something terrible”.

Lance Baldwins father blew out an exaserbated breath. “Yes. I think you have”.

“I think I forgot who I am”.

His father sighed. “I know. I've been watching”.

“You've been....”. Then Baldurjack/Lance mind caught up with him. “Wait! How are you here”?

His father rested his chin on his hands. “Look son. I'm not sure how to tell you this. So I'll just say it. I'm pretty sure I'm dead”.

“Dead”? Lance said as his bottom lip quivered.

“Yes dead. I mean, your mother and I were living off world and the Reapers hit it. One minute I was mowing the lawn. The next.....”. He trailed off as a smile swept over his face which he shook off. “Let's just say that right now we're keeping tabs on things. From a place which is heavenly”. He and Baldurjack lapsed into silence. “Dougal sends his regards by the way”. He offered at last. “The real one. Not that Reaper thing that was trying to claw it's way into you. Says he can't wait to play fetch with you again”.

Lance shut his eye's as his side twitched with pain. “The Reaper? That was a real Reaper”? His eye's flew open. “Does that mean I'm.....”.

“Your not indoctrinated son”. His father said. “It's strange. But this person Baldurjack you became. The Reapers thought he was real. They tried in indoctrinate him. Not you. Your mind hid behind another identity so when they tried to take over.…...Which reminds me”. He went on leaning forward. “How on Earth did that happen? I get that you had a bit of an episode when the Reaper's landed. But how on Earth did Lance Baldwin become Baldurjack”?

Lance leant back as he shut his eye's.

His failure's to enter the academy as his friends and family passed him by.

Maybe the problem was himself. After so many rebuttals, he decided that it wasn't that he was not good enough. He studied and worked hard. Harder than all the rest, he knew. Maybe he was simply being kept out because he was Lance. Thinking Lance thoughts. Making Lance mistakes. In his relative youth he'd figured it wouldn't be an issue. That one day, with enough hard work and perservering, he'd get into the Alliance academy where all his friend's and family were. And then the year's had rolled by. His desperation growing with each failure. Where each failure was even worse than the one that had come before.

He'd looked in the mirror then one day. And seen the face of a bearded middle aged man who would never amount to anything. And in that moment. All the year's of doubt and pent up anguish and believing Lance Baldwin was a useless failure. It all came out and hit him hard that he'd reared his head back and smashed his head into his own reflection. Knocking himself unconscious in the process of smashing that mirror into pieces.

He'd awoken feeling refreshed. Revitalised. Covered in his own blood from a head wound that had scabbed over. He'd picked up a piece of mirror and looked at himself. He looked ferocious. Like a man who had slain a thousand Turian's in the first contact wars.

Like a man? He was that man! He knew with certainty. He'd done it. That and more! In his minds eye he could see himself marching a thousand battlefields leading men to victory and crushing all opposition. Giving mercy to those who acknowledged his strength. Raining merciless death upon those who refused to take the hand of peace. He was the support of the Alliance. Bringing justice and respect for the human race to the furthest corner's of the galaxy. When the call came from command he would answer as they called in one voice for...... for.......

He couldn't remember his name.

Not to worry. He just had to clean up and get into uniform. He washed his face and trimmed his facial hair till he wore a bristling moustache. Then, upon walking to the bedroom and checking his closet, he discovered that he had no uniform.

Well bally dash it all. Obviously he'd sent them to be cleaned. All that Turian blood must have stained them rotten. And one could not be seen walking the street's in a bloody uniform. He'd thrown on his jacket and walked to the nearest dry cleaner's who told him they had nothing for a man without a name. He'd sighed and allowed the name Baldwin to slip out. Still finding nothing had led him to realise that he must have the wrong cleaners. So he'd walked to every dry cleaner's within ten miles. Checking each and every one.

Not one of them held a clean uniform for the man known as Baldwin.

He had stormed out of the last cleaner's fuming. It was bally bad manner's to have a group of cleaner's not have his uniform ready when he was bally well ready to collect. They were all in on it most likely, he thought as something obscured the sun from above.

Then he saw it from across the street. The uniform he'd been after all this time. He'd run across that street, as everyone else suddenly started pointing at the sky and running away. He took note of the name, Baldur's Costume Hire, above the window. A funny name to acquire military apparel from, he thought as he pressed his nose to the window. Yes. It was perfect!

He walked to the door and flung it open. He was halfway through the frame when the ground rumbled and the air seemed to shake. He staggered as the windows blew in just missing him. He looked over at the uniform and saw to his relief it was fine. If covered in glass.

Walking up to the counter he reached over and struck the bell. A whimper from under it caused him to peer over. The young shop attendant was sat huddled under the counter.

“My good man”! The man with no name bellowed. “I require a fitting. I must get to the front lines at once and must be dressed accordingly. Naturally it'll be a rush job so I am prepared to pay extra and recommend your establishment to other's if the work is satisfactory”.

The youth under the counter looked up staring in disbelief. “If your a soldier then do something, jack! They say their Reapers! There dropping on us everywhere! It's a fuggin warzone out there, jack”!

A war?

Now?

Of all the good timing!

“Naturally. I shall get to it at once. But before I get down to business, may I take that and use your bathroom”. He pointed to the glass covered uniform in the window, as the sound of explosion's emanated far away from the outside.

“Take what you want, jack”! The youth shrieked. “Just make them go away”!

“Good boy”. He said as he slapped a credit chip down on the counter. “And please. Do take a generous tip for yourself”. He walked back over to the manikined uniform and decided to just take the whole thing with him. As he walked to the back of the shop the ground shook and he fell against a display as the manikin's head fell and rolled away. Regaining his footing he saw that he had knocked over a section filled with glitter. And looking down he saw that his Beret had fallen on top of a pack that had split open. Cursing he picked it up and marched on back.

In no time he was dressed. And with a few last minute alteration's, was looking at himself in a mirror. He ran a hand over the uniforms rank insignia. “Brigidier..... Baldurjack.... Baldwin”. He said slowly. “That's my name”.

Lance opened his eye's to the rubble enclosure that surrounded him. Looked back at his father who nodded. As if he somehow knew the answer to question he had posed. Lance slumped.

“You wouldn't believe me if I told you”.

Modifié par Redbelle, 13 août 2013 - 05:19 .

[Khambilo]

Rothan made a quick note of A.Q.’s stony yet uncertain expression as he lowered her quietly to the tunnel floor from the maintenance shaft. There was no time to reconsider, and the stony aspect of A.Q.’s expression told him that she felt similarly.

A second later, Rothan was on the ground with her. Quickly, he gestured to the the wall where the sludge was flowing. Staying low and along the sludge would be the best way to proceed.

As they moved, Rothan couldn’t help but glance at the numerous rows of husks. The sight was appalling, no doubt. He remembered what he had told the admirals a lifetime ago when he joined the war, how he has enlisted to prevent the reapers from ever reaching his people. This was the madness, the is what he was fighting to prevent for his people.

Looking at the husks… he knew that if the Reapers had started with the Quarians instead of Rannoch, they would be all but extinct. Fighting the Geth with the aid of one Reaper nearly wiped out his people.  How the humans managed to hold out this long was nothing short of miraculous.

~~~~

“Miraculous?” Admiral Xen remarked snidely. “Hardly.”

“Any other level of radiation would have killed her,” Dr. Faarza countered as he closed out Rothan’s medical scan.

The admiral paid no attention to Rothan or his parents who sat near him. The way she spoke—it was almost as if Rothan wasn’t there.

“You mistake me,” she shook her head. “I meant that there is no such thing as miracles. An unlikely outcome of numerous variables perhaps, not miracles.”

Rothan was having trouble taking it all in. He had biotic potential. He thought it would be a relief to know what was causing headaches. It had been quite the opposite. Rothan never thought much of himself before, but now the admiral was telling him he was special. An anomaly. Destined for greatness in the ranks of the fleet.

“Tell me, child, have you been able affect anything yet?” Xen asked, turning to him.

Rothan shook his head. “Nothing.”

Admiral Xen crossed her arms, narrowing her gaze on Rothan, then moved to Faarza’s desk, procuring one of the doctor’s instruments. Carefully she placed it on the exam table’s side tray, then looked back to Rothan.

“Try.” She simply stated.

Rothan shrugged nervously.

“How?”

“Think about moving it.”

Faarza step forward. “Do you think that’s the best idea?”

Calban and Frola looked worried as well.

“He doesn’t even have a biotic amp yet,” Xen said. “It is highly unlikely that he will do much of anything.”

That statement didn’t seem to put anyone at ease. Rothan looked to his parents. Frola hesitantly nodded while she rubbed his shoulder.

Then Rothan turned his look to the tray. The instrument was a sort of laser scalpel, designed to be able to perform minor medical procedures without removing the exosuit. It was a marvel of engineering, using mass effect field to bypass the molecules of the suit’s fabric. It had a fine point on one end the faintly glowed a slight blue. Rothan stared at it, thinking about it moving in Dr. Faarza’s deft hands. He thought about the engineers who designed it, perhaps even members of Xen’s own science team. He finally thought about moving it.

Nothing.

“This isn’t working,” Rothan told the Admiral.

“Try again.” She didn't even look to him, instead remaining fixated on the scalpel.

Rothan looked back at it. He felt his face scrunch as he looked more intently at the scalpel. He thought about the scalpel slipping out of Dr. Faarza’s hand in a moment of clumsiness and impaling a patient. He thought about how a slight mis-calibration of the mass effect field could turn the medical instrument into a deadly weapon. He thought about the tray the scalpel sat on. Sterile. Gleaming. Metallic. There as a glare on it that was catching his eyes the wrong way.

He continued staring, his face twitching now. Maybe they were wrong about biotic potential.

Then there was a scrape. Metal on metal. The scalpel moved on the tray just slightly, barely a centimeter to the side.

“Amazing,” Calban gasped.

“You did it,” Frola said as she gave his shoulder a supportive squeeze.

“Something’s wrong,” Rothan said, cutting off any celebrations.  He could feel his muscles tightening, something surging through his whole body.  

The air began to crackle andthe tray rattled on it’s stand.  The scalpel was banging wildly against it. Calban and Frola leaned back slightly, unsure of what they were witnessing. Even Dr. Faarza seemed a little apprehensive. A second later the scalpel was airborne, whizzing just barely past the admiral then smacking against the bulkhead behind her.

Now it was Xen’s turn to be shaken. “That was—“

“A miracle?” Dr. Faarza asked.

Xen glared at the doctor then stared Rothan for a moment. “Curious. If I wasn’t otherwise preoccupied I would like the opportunity to study this.” Then she glanced up at his parents. “He will need proper training.”

~~~~~

Rothan sidestepped as quietly as he could to avoid a collected mass of organic matter. What was going on down here? The sludge reeked of blood and decay, and even in the dim light it’s murky color suggest something sinister about it.

Then there was the steady thrum that pulsed through the area. The further that Rothan and A.Q. traveled in the direction of the churning liquid the more that Rothan felt entirely unsettled, afraid in some primal fashion.

Rothan adjusted his footing as he stole another glance to the brute patrolling the area. It did not appear as if he was aware of their position. He reminded himself that he needed to breathe and took careful measured breaths as they made their way through the sludge.

A.Q. grabbed his shoulder suddenly. Rothan lurched, almost losing his footing over the sludge. Carefully, she pointed past him, past the rows of husks, Rothan could make out something moving, lurking.

It was Myrtle, slinking past the rows of husks. Rothan could see A.Q. coil up, tense, as if she was ready to lurch up and attack. Rothan pulled a singular finger up in front of his visor, gesturing her to stay quiet.

Her eyes narrowed in on him, but he pointed to the direction they were traveling.

They were about to move out when Rothan’s omnitool illuminated. Quickly, Rothan threw himself to the ground, avoiding the possibility that the Reapers would see the light of it. A.Q. crouched over, instinctively covering the light with her body.

“What is it?” she hissed.

“It’s my battlefield anamaly program,” Rothan whispered back. “It’s what helped us find the missiles.”

“It’s found something else?”

“Yeah…” he said. Rothan flipped through the data trying to determine what it was that the program had detected. That program has detected some unusual emissions—emissions that pointed to the use of a tactical cloak.

Rothan didn’t know what to make of it. Maybe Rea had a tactical cloak she forgot to mention.

“I think I found Rea,” Rothan said. Then he deactivated the omnitool and jump to his feet, racing through the sludge in the direction of the signal.

~~~~

Shayrana spotted two figures entering the area near the processing unit. One Human and one Quarian. Both had guns. She alerted Ereba.

"Ereba. You've got two unknowns, and I'd assume hostiles until I see otherwise entering on your right. One is a Quarian, the other is a Human. They are close to you."

'S***. No time. I've got to stick to the mission.' Ereba thought as she emerged from the Processing Unit. She stayed cloaked for the moment, drew her side arm and began to pick up her pace into a run. Despite her being cloaked, she started splashing in the muck.

~~~~

Rothan didn’t care anymore if he had if he drew attention to himself. Rea was ahead and in need of his help, and this thought alone dominated his mind. A.Q. was racing after him, even calling after him. Maybe the reapers were chasing after him, or maybe they were not, Rothan could no longer tell. The sludge was flowing to one place and from what he could tell the source of anomaly that he found.

Just as he was about to near the signal, something struck him in the back of the head, sending him tumbling head over heels into the muck.

“Rothan!” A.Q. shouted.

He turned on his back trying to find what had hit him.

A second later an asari decloaked above him, pistol aimed straight for his face.

“Don’t move!”

Rothan put his hands in the air. “Stop! We’re friendlies.”

She shook her head. “Heard that before!  And we don’t have the time to debate!”

Modifié par Khambilo, 14 août 2013 - 03:17 .

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

BoL - The Lost Asari XXII
Ereba kept her pistol aimed at both of them. "My good sense tells me to put a bullet in both of you, but my intuition tells me to trust you." Ereba said. "Whatever you have to do, do it quick, then follow me out of here. There's a bomb set to go off in a few seconds. I'm going to cloak and wait by that column. Now move it!"

"You’d be safer up in here." Rothan said to her and pointed to the tunnel from where they came. "Follow us. We’re looking for another Asari have you seen her?"

"Asari? No, I haven’t, and I’ve been all over this place." Ereba replied and lowered her pistol. "Lead on."

Ereba followed them up the tunnel to where it became brickwork.

"We want to look for her further up this way." The Quarian said.

"Are you nuts? That's closer to the bomb, and it's big one!" Ereba replied. "Have it your way. I'll wait here, and watch your backs if you don't mind."

The Quarian and Human proceeded down the corridor back up toward the processing unit. The corridor sloped upward, and they ended up about 10 feet above the floor of the cavern. To their right they heard a moan.

~~~~~~~~

Ereba felt a crushing presence in the area. 'Another Asari? They have proven themselves weak. Their worlds fell in days. Some surrendered outright. Curious. What is this one doing here?'

*tick* *tick* *tick* *tick* *tick*

~~~~~~~~

"What the hell is she doing?" Ranassa asked. "She started to come out, then got knocked down. Then followed some others?"

"What the f*** is going on out there?" Jack asked. "I'm giving her five minutes, then I'm blowing this cavern."

~~~~~~~~

'I still feel its presence, but it is hidden itself. This one is strong. Why is it here? The other is useless. This one. Curious.'

Modifié par sH0tgUn jUliA, 18 août 2013 - 01:11 .

[FuriousFelicia]

Zia waited a moment before she zipped her hood and walked out of the brig. She saw Wyld over by the motor pool chatting with their lost friends that somehow managed to find their way to this place. She thought she'd go over and say hello but as she turned to cross the road, she heard a familiar voice shouting from her back.

"Miss! Miss Zia!" She turned to see the MP running at her. It was officer Pike. He seemed excited as he approached her with a quick salute. Zia replies in the same manor while he panted. His uniform was a mess. He had dirt all over his armor and his boots were covered with mud.

"Mam." He says reaching for breath, "Captain Radcliffe requested your immediate attention. He instructed me to escort you to his office ASAP."

"Actually, I was meaning to speak with the captain after I'd found Naomi. The captain should be informed about her present state. Why don't I go  find her, and then we'll both get back to our good captain." She implied with a seductive smile, but Pike prepared himself this time. He wasn't going to do the same mistake for the third time, he promised himself. So he conjures a stuffy smurk and continues in a slightly more presumptuous tone.

"The captain has already been informed about private Brooks'...present state." He emphasised state, "She has already been brought to the captain and they are anxiously waiting for us to join them as we speek. So if you'll follow me please." He stepped sideways as he gestured Zia to come along. Zia just raised her eyebrow and proceeded pass the MP in compliance, and as she walked pass him she halts by his side, turns her head slowly to side facing him. She looks him in the eyes as she  slowly leans to him, and jabs her head snapping her teeth at him. He twitched slightly off balance for a moment while Zia smiled passing in front, and assumed a provocative walk. The MP yet again stood baffled at a site of Zia's hips teetering in rithm as she slowly walked, hands slighly spread and moving in perfect harmony with her seductive figure.
Follow the hips Percy..."Yes mam, right this way mam." He hastly snaps and totters in front. They walked to the office in silence. Zia made Percy feel uncomfortable for some reason, and even now when he clearly had an upper hand, he failed to react to her audacity. Zia knew very well how to manipulate men's minds. She didn't even have to speak, she would do it all with her body and eyes, and she could easily figure out who is easily susceptible to her tricks. Percy fitted the type perfectly. When they reached the captain's office, Percy knocks at the door.

"Enter." Through the door a familiar comanding voice of captain Radcliffe shouted as Percy opened the door. He stands in salute.

"Captain, I brought the Fury as you requested sir." Percy says proudly pointing at Zia stepping through the door.
"You brought me ha?" Zia quietly remarks as she pased him.

"That will be all Pyke. You may return to your employment." Said the captain. Percy complied with just a salute and quickly left the room. The captain sat behind his table going through some data on his pad. Zia just stood there in front of the desk in silence for a brief moment when the captain stood up supporting his stance with his hands on the table. He loked up to Zia. She paused for a split second and then quickly saluted the captain. Radcliffe pinched the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes.

"Take a seat please." He says pointing at the chair in front of the desk. Zia sat down as Radcliffe quickly folowed. He looked at his pad and back at Zia. Switching his attention to his pad again, he stroked his chin for a while, and then he spoke.

"Concerning the nature of our previous encounter, I didn't really take the chance to ask you myself so I took the liberty of pulling your file." He said, tapping his data pad. "Commander Wyld told me how you two met, and the whole story about the _it_, and how you got to Bastion. I thrust her enough not to go throughout the whole thing again with you, so I'll thake this opportunity to get to know you a little better." Radcliffe opened up Zia's file on his data pad. "It says here that you enlisted in to the Alliance march 2183. and six months after transfered to Rio for your ICT training in the special N7 programe 'Fury', graduated at the ICA with a rank of 5 in just two years, way ahead of schedule. Impressive." The captain stopped as he looked intriguingly over to Zia and glanced over her chest. She had no N7 designation on her top. Zia looked unmoved so the captain quickly continued.

"Received a default rank of 2nd lieutenant upon graduation after which you were commissioned to SSV Orion to complete your training and earn your N7 designation." The captain stopped to scratch his head as he was coming to the second entry.

"Furthermore, it says that you were offered a promotion twice in a year of your service which you respectfully refused, now why would you do that?" Radcliffe looked at Zia. It seemed as genuine curiosity, but at the same time as if he knew the answer.

"I guse that I'm just not the commanding type." Zia answers, lowering her stare.

"Oh I doubt that." The captain replies, and softens his tone to continue. "It seems that your commanding officer, commander Bradley, was killed in action, may his soul rest in peace. I didn't know the man personally but I've heard only the best things about him. You have my sincere condolences."

"Thank you sir. He was a good man, and an even better soldier." Replied Zia.

"Yes, well this unfortunate event has put me in a rather fortunate position of having an N7 Fury at my disposal as you now fal under my
command. I'm sure that any officer would be eager to have an operative with such proficiencies in their ranks especially one with a record such as yours."

"I hope I won't let you down sir." Zia quickly answered.

"Now let's not get ahead of ourselves here." The captain implied as he was not yet finished with his thought.

"As a commanding officer I expect a few things from my soldiers, things like obedience, efficiency in carrying out your duties but most of all, I have to know that I can trust you." Radcliffe gave Zia an indicative look. She raised her brow as she loked at him,

"Sir, you can trust me." She says firmly, "Can I now?" The captain gave her a sligt smile as he remarked, "Let's explore that aspect a bit to see how far that trust extends, shal we." He said as he took his data pad and started going through some data.

"I'll ask you a few questions, and if I'm pleased with your answers, we can discuss the benefits of our possible future cooperation." Said the captain as he went through Zia's file. Zia obediently complied with a nod.

"Let's start with easy questions first and then we'll work our way towards the harder ones. It sais here that on your first installment, you disobeyed a direct order from your commanding officer, and engaged the enemy by yourself thus revealing an ambush that, had it not been for your insubordination, would have surely spelled the doom of the entire team. The mission thus resulted in failure, but thanks to you, the whole team made the extraction. What exactly happened there?"

"Our shuttle was scaned entering the atmosphere. When we landed we encountered no resistance, and there was no sign of enemy activity. When we finally reached the base it looked deserted. There were no guards or active defences guarding the entrance so lieutenant Wilkins ordered the whole team to advance. I tried to reason with him to send a recon first as it was clear that the Cerberus knew we were there , but he didn't listen. My instincts were telling me it's an ambush, and I was right.

"So you stormed the base by yourself, revealing the enemy's intentions, and somehow managed to escape the crossfire, leaving your team in a good position for an evacuation. If you were wrong, you would be facing court martial. Luckily, your instincts were right."

"Later investigation proved that lieutenant Wilkins was in fact working for Cerberus." Zia added. "Yes I'm aware of that." The captain quickly replied.

"What's your connection to private Naomi Brooks?" The captain fired of quickly, sharpening his eyes as he looked at Zia with a penetrative look.

"I met her while we were commissioned the assignment to reinforce the east front." Zia explained to him in short how their shuttle was redirected, and then shot down.

"Alright, so far I'm satisfied with your answers." The captain said joyfully with a smile, but his face quickly turned serious as he peeked at his pad again.

"Now I have some important matters to discuss with you and miss Brooks, but before I call upon her to join us, I have a couple of more questions of a slightly delicate nature. Let's see how you react under pressure." The captain gave Zia a stabbing stare as he hesitated for a second. Zia just sat silent and nodded.

"Have you ever been to the terminus system?" Radcliffe's question made Zia uncomfortable as she flicked her hair back and cleared her throat. The captain didn't seem surprised as he patiently waited for her reply. She was not expecting this kind of question. The suprise on her face was obvious. The question came unexpected, and she wasn't quite sure where the captain is going with this so she kept silent for a moment, but before she decided to answer, the captain continued.

"Miss Brooks will be jojning us in just a minute, so if you want to do this discreetly, I suggest you answer now." The captains suggestion didn't make things easier for Zia as she still didn't know what exactly is Radcliffe implying. She remained silent for a while, thinking what she should do but the captain wasn't so patient.

"I see you're a bit confused by this inquiry. Let me rephrase the question." His eyes bored in to Zia's face as he layed down his final question.

"What was the color of your hood before you replaced it with this black one?" Zia's jaw droped at Radcliffe's question. She was left speeches by the captain who just gave her a clear indication that he knew about her past. She wanted to say something but she didn't know what. Radcliffe caught her off guard and she felt exposed, outmanoeuvred and trapped.

"Come now, you really thought that three human biotics, so notoriously popular in the terminus system would go unnoticed by the Alliance intelligence." He said as he smiled trying to break the tension but Zia just sat baffled staring blankly at the desk. Radcliffe got up from his chair and approached Zia. He put his hand on her shoulder as if assuring her that it's ok. She looked up to his face and with a slight shimmer in her voice she uttered.

"Purple....my hood was purple." The captain removed his hand from her shoulder and claped his hands.

"Finally some progress." He said, getting back to his chair. "The majority of your file is classified, and given our present state with communications, I can't get any more details on the matter, so why don't we use this time of revelations and you tell me what exactly is this sisterhood of fury." Radcliffe leand back in his chair and crossed his hands awaiting reply. Zia looked up at him, pausing for a moment as she took a deep breath, and finally started talking.

"The sisterhood of fury was a failed attempt of one deluded old Asari to make powerful human biotics, and turn them into mindless killing machines. We were intended to be an answer to Justicars, should they ever come to Omega." Tha captain carefully listened to Zia as she told him about her past. She left out the details, giving him just a portion of the story, but the picture was clear enough. When she was finally done, the captain caled for the MP to fetch Naomi and the doctor. While they waited, the captain used the time to chat some more with Zia as he was very intrigued about her story.

"Didn't it strike you odd that the N7 programe got the same name as your sisterhood?" Radcliffe pointed out.

"Hey, what better word to describe a mad biotic, mindlessly ragging at you." Zia replied. Radcliffe just smiled back as he continued.

"The program actually started as an idea taken from the concept of Aria's furies. I'm not sure when exactly did our intelligence start taking interest in your case, but I think it was roughly about six years ago that they inserted operatives to Omega to investigte the matter. I'm still not sure what to make of you."

"I thought we past that point sir." Zia replied with a smile. "Well I'm thinking...why would you be here, now, at this place, at this particular time in our existance that is being decided as we speek, if not for a genuine desire and intention to help." Radcliffe sat upright in his chair, and as he leand forward putting his elbows on the table, resting his head between hands, he took a wild stare at Zia. She slightly tilted her head to meat his eyes as she stared back. She had nothing to hide, yet she could feel his eyes probing her face for a sign of doubt or a lie. There wasn't any. Or at least the captain was satisfied as he rolled back in his chair and relaxed.

"Well whatever the case, you'll have to prove it to me lieutenant. And as a sign of good will, we'll forget the incident at the brig from last night."

[Kel Riever]

Reality snapped into the present. Rea found herself looking down into the pit she remembered before the dream-like state had overcome her mind. At the bottom, a dome shaped Reaper vessel, maybe two hundred meters in diameter, stared upwards at her with its one orange-lit lens. Rea didn’t know why she wasn’t already dead, but the lens watched passively while beneath the Reaper, both gory sludge and living human were consumed for processing. She felt the Reaper still in her mind, but their connection seemed secondary now, as if the invader had given up.

A tiny, regular flicker of light caught Rea’s eyes from the shadow of one of the pillars towards the cavern that fed the pit its gore. The flickering light was hidden from the Reaper’s view, but was easily seen from Rea’s vantage point. She focused on it, and saw the light on top of a vaguely familiar box-like shape. It took only a few more seconds before she realized she was looking at a demolition charge.

Rea smiled wickedly. Whatever happened, someone was going to make that Reaper pay. She turned to get herself along the passageway once again, as far as possible from the cavern and pit as she could. Rea travelled only a few meters before a sharp pain in her head caused her to drop to one knee. Several drops of her own, purple blood ran from her nose. The Reaper was trying to contact her again, whether to communicate with her or control her. She fought it and got herself upright, to find a husk directly opposite her.

The husk swung at Rea, but she blasted it back with a biotic throw. Behind it, other husks were charging. Rea readied herself and shouted, “I didn’t come this far to die in your tomb of torment!”

Biotic blasts followed one after the other, and when the husks were able to get within reach, Rea used every devastating strike she had spent decades learning as a commando. Two husks got through the flurry of blows to grapple her, threatening to drag her to the ground. Rea pulled together every shred of biotic power she had and forced it out in all directions as a heavy blast. The grapplers were ripped apart, but a final husk assailant tackled her.

Fatigued and expended, Rea tried to push the husk off, but its unnatural strength was slowly crushing her. Her nostrils filled with the scent of smoldering chemicals as the electrical charge from the husk began burning through her armor. This is it, Rea thought, and then her mind went blank. Her hands reached up around the head of the husk and she began pressing into its eyes with her thumbs. Biotic power surged through her fingertips, pulverizing the husk’s skull in a cloud of green vapor and blue energy.

The headless body of the husk flopped on top of Rea and she rolled it to the side. Her attackers, those whose forms were left, littered the passageway around her. Rea looked up at the ancient brick ceiling above and wondered aloud, “By the goddess and spirits, where did that come from?”

Modifié par Kel Riever, 14 août 2013 - 06:34 .

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

BoL - The Lost Asari XXIII (The Sarge)


Reilly stayed with the sarge. "You're at least safe now." Reilly reassured her. "We've got this covered."

"Thanks. Whatever happens, thanks." Soniri said. The pain caused her to drift out again.

~~~~~~~~

She'd been in the capitol city of Etheai for three days, and took a job dancing at a club. She figured black light plus the purplish-blue skin with the white crest, along with the strong drinks being served would serve as a good cover. Plus it would keep her in shape, and she had a figure most matrons would kill for. She was 300 and on a good day could pass for half her age. And she could go hunting in the day to keep those skills sharp.

Ledra hired three Salarians to kill her, and they must have decided to take the night off and show up for some entertainment. They sat at a table near where she was dancing, and ordered drinks. She didn't know who they were. She started dancing for them, and she flirted with them just like she would any other customers. That's where they made her. They pulled their guns right in the establishement and started shooting. She dropped from her pole, put up her barriers, did some back flips, and ran back into the dressing rooms, where at least the Krogan bouncer would get in their way ..., for a few seconds before he was killed. The police were called by the establishment immediately.

Naleena ran to her dressing room and grabbed her clothes. Then fired down the corridor at the assailants, and made a break for the exit. She left them a parting gift of a mine stuck on the wall as she rounded the corner. That slowed them down. Unfortunately one of them saw her plant it and shot it off the wall, but it bought her enough time to run out into the parking lot safely, and jump in her rental car and speed off. She gave the car a random destination so she could get dressed in her catsuit. The damned rental had a governor on it that kept it from going over the speed limits, so she hacked that and disabled. The assassins were right on her tail for a while.

'Well so much for Alia.' Naleena thought. 'And I'm going to have to get some place where I can put these toads on ice. I'll lead them to the hunting grounds. We'll see how they do in forest. They're from a jungle planet? Ha! These guys probably haven't set foot outside a city their entire lives.'

She punched the accelerator on the vehicle, and moved rapidly through and around traffic. She got flashed and that meant a ticket would be coming, but she really didn't care at this point. Alia wouldn't exist anymore, especially if those Salarians contacted their boss. She doubted they did already since their typical m.o. was to do that after they made the kill. Perhaps she could resume her cover. Perhaps not.

The sign said to take the next exit for a large big game park, and a military outpost above that on top of the plateau. 'Perfect!' She thought. She took the exit. The Salarians followed. The parking lot was almost empty, except for one vehicle with a huntress who was loading up. She was in her hunting camo, and was putting her guns in her vehicle.

Naleena got out of her vehicle, strapped her guns to her back, side arm, ammo, water, night vision gear, and her basic assassin gear. The huntress noticed.

"I'd get the hell out of here if I were you." the huntress said. "All comms I've gotten say the Reapers are headed this way. And that's not standard hunting gear, but I didn't see anything."

"Thanks." Naleena said. "And if I were you, I'd get the hell out of here. There are three toads headed this way who just might take out any prospective witnesses. And I just didn't say anything either."

"I get the point. Thanks." The huntress said, and she made haste, got in her vehicle and drove off.

'Great. Just great. Toads, now ****ing Reapers. I thought the military would keep them at bay a bit longer. Who the **** am I kidding? I picked a Reaper target. I picked the military outpost exit.' Naleena thought. 'Oh well, off to the woods.'

She saw a path and jogged into the woods, and stayed along it for a bit, then when she saw an opening off to the left of it, she took it. Then the Salarians showed up.

"Woods? She thought she could lose us in the woods?" she heard one of the Salarians say. "This is our turf, boys."

Naleena heard them enter the woods. They made noise.

'****!' She thought. 'They might be good, but I'm better. They don't know what lives in this forest. I do. I'll try to say above them.'

Naleena cloaked and used her night vision. She roughly followed a trail but stayed to the large rocks off to the left of it, continually going higher and higher up in elevation. Occasionally dropping to the trail for a while to leave a clue they'd follow. Naleena could move quickly throught the forest.

She trained for 30 years hunting game, then moved on to hunting slavers when their children were taken. Then moved on to more lucrative private wet work. Her clients included governments, The Shadow Broker, organized crime, Aria T'loak, governments. It didn't matter so long as the job paid well. Theiving was also part of the deal. She was good at that, very good, one of the best, but that was what caused her this trouble. Naleena never met her clients directly, and always worked through a private contact, except for one time and it was on a a contract that she failed back in 2070 and had to return her retainer plus interest of 450,000 CR to EAE owner Jonah Ashland.

The trees and undergrowth in the forest were very thick. This played to her advantage, especially with an IR scope. Up the trail she set a tripwire and snare. She was on a rock scoped in on it. One of the Salarians didn't see it and caught his foot in it, and it pulled him off the ground and hung him upside down flailing in the air. She popped him in the head with her silenced rifle. Yet one of the Salarians, who must have been former STG, noticed the angle.

'****! I'm going to have to be more careful.' She thought.

She continued up the the ravine and fired a line across to the other side and zipped across it, then cut the line once across.

'They probably are looking on the other side, but know I crossed now. This will slow them down a bit.' She thought. 'I'll move up into that tree.'

The Salarians found the rope. Another found the afterlife. That left one more.

'I hope that was the STG one I got.' Naleena thought. Then she moved onward, and set another trap, and moved upward from that and waited.

She felt a pistol pressed against the back of her head.

"Alia Vasiri? or is it Carina? or is it... well never mind." The Salarian asked, gloating over his captive. "Quite impressive. Quite a dossier on you. Knew you'd screw up. Knew we'd catch you. Have to kill you."

"Former STG I take it?" Naleena asked.

"Yes, I've been after you for years." the Salarian said.

"What happened to the case?" Naleena asked.

"Cold now." the Salarian said.

"Then why are you working for that scum? Pension not enough?" Naleena asked. "And what makes you think you can take me?"

"Same as you. Needed job. Paid well." the Salarian said. "Already have taken you. One muscle twitch, and you're dead."

"The thing is, toad, I don't have to twitch a muscle." Naleena said, and she let out a powerful biotic blast that knocked the Salarian off his feet and sent him flying back about three meters into a tree. Then she turned and lifted him off the ground with her mind. "I'm going to crush that little toad neck of yours, and I'm going to enjoy it."

The Salarian struggled gasping for air. Naleena's eyes turned black, and she smiled, and the Salarian's body went limp and she dropped him to the ground.

"That was... satisfying." Naleena said outloud. 'He was the only loose end, then.' 

Naleena sighed with relief, sat down on the ground to rest, and enjoyed the view. It was mid-morning, and she could see the city off in the distance. The view was breath-taking. She smiled to herself. 'Perhaps things are finally settling down.' She thought.

A siren from the military base went off. She saw several what looked like meteorites land nearby her. Then heard noises of creatures coming up the ravine.

'Those ... were not meteorites.' She thought. 'Reapers?' She checked her power cells on her omni-tool, and they read 10%. 'No cloaking out of this mess. I'll fight my way up the mountain to the top of the plateau to the base if that turns out to be the case.'

She saw the first troops. Husks stormed up the ravine. She threw a warp at them, and they blew apart. 'That wasn't so bad.' She thought. But then they kept coming. She pulled her AR off her back and started firing bursts at these four eyed things. They were a lot tougher, and they went down. She ran up the the trail toward the gate. 'I see how these things work. They keep coming at you until they wear you down.'

She could see soldiers in the towers firing at others. 'Goddess I hope they notice me and don't shoot me!' More husks kept coming, and gunships were dispatched from the base to deal with them. She could see these giant ships landing in the city off in the distance, then something winged flew nearby and dropped off some more enemies. One of them was a big one with spikes on its body. It charged at her. She rolled out of the way, and threw a black body orb at it, and it splattered the creature. She took care of more charging up the hill with short controlled bursts from her AR. Then swapped thermal clips while retreating up the trail toward the base. The remainder of the reaper troops were taken out.

Then behind her she felt a massive blast of heat, followed by a huge explosion that knocked her off her feet. When she got up and looked. The base was gone. The ground was blackened and warm to hot in most places. She would have to be careful where she walked. There were a three buildings left standing a couple of vehicles, but other than that it was gone. She looked around and there wasn't anything in the area. 'It must have been taken out from orbit.' She thought. She saw no one left alive. She walked into the base with caution. The sign said "Etheai Outpost 5"

'What the **** am I going to do now?' She looked down the hill over the treetops, and saw more pods land in the city. 'What the **** am I going to do now? I'll look around for salvage before anyone comes here to find out what happened.'

Naleena went into one of the buildings. It was a personal quarters for some of the Commandos stationed there. She moved on to another building that was left standing. This one still had power, and a computer system.

'This is the Personnel Office. Interesting.... This is perhaps time to become someone else, especially with everyone dead. Hacking into the system.... Let me check DNA profiles of those stationed on base and who were on base....' She thought. 'Compare to mine. Here's one that is really a close match. Let's make a substitute in the records. We're probably related. Upload into my omni-tool to check. Nice. No record of her leaving base. Rank Sergeant. Nasyra Soniri, age 160, oh this is going to be a stretch. Good thing I dyed my skin.' She shook her head. 'Goddess, she's a desk jockey. I can't deal with that. Edit.... Huntress. Now to change the palm print, and we're good, hit update. Goodbye Naleena. This is forever... until next time anyway. Now I just need to find a pair of Commando leathers. Those quarters might be a good start. Three-hundred year old figure, please just don't go full matronly all of a sudden on me.'

She went back to the personal quarters and found a set of Commando leathers in one of the lockers. She tried them on. The fit. Rank on them was Sergeant. Now to find more ammo. There was enough of it on the ground on the charred corpses. On one of the lieutenants, she found a rare Athamic Assault Rifle. She couldn't let that go to waste, so she picked up that. It was far superior to her own with built in dampening, IR and sniper targeting; single, burst, or full auto fire.

She kept that, dropped her own, kept her silenced pistol, and left her sniper rifle behind on one of the charred corpses, and shed a tear when she did. Then moved on toward what appeared to be the garage.

There was a hovercraft in the garage that appeared to be functional. She started it and drove out the north gate up the hill and kept driving for another hour. Then she reached a busy checkpoint.

"Sergeant, where are you from?" The guard stood in front of a roadblock.

"Etheai Outpost 5. It was wiped out by an orbital strike." Soniri showed her ID. 

"How did you escape?" the guard checked her ID.

"I was outside the west gate fighting ground forces when the strike hit." Soniri took her ID back.

"You'll need a new unit. Report to Chief Gunnery Sergeant Koplanos. She'll have your assignment. She's over by that trailer. Park your hovercraft over there." The guard pointed to a trailer in a grove of trees to Koplanos and to a motorpool for the vehicle. 

Soniri followed her instructions walked over to the trailer and looked for Sergeant Koplanos. She found her seated at a table outside.

"Sergeant?" Nasyra asked.

"Yes. Let me guess, you're another one looking for a new assignment." Koplanos looked up at Soniri

"Yes, I'm Sergeant Nasyra Soniri from Etheai Outpost 5. It was wiped out. I'm apparently the sole survivor." Soniri looked around the compound. 

"I heard about that. Orbital strike. Nasty. I heard everyone was killed. How did you manage to survive?" Koplanos asked.

"I was outside the outpost killing reaper troops." Soniri said. "I'm a huntress. Put me with a good unit."

"Soniri a huntress? and killing reaper troops? Ha!" One of the other huntresses commented. "She's a desk jockey. She was probably hiding under a desk afraid she'd break a nail."

"What?" Koplanos turned toward the other huntress. "Are you sure?"

"I've met Soniri. She's a desk jockey." The gunnery sergeant said. "That's not Soniri."

"Care to make good on those remarks?" Soniri said gesturing to an open space. "I can guarantee you will not be getting up."

"Alright. Alright. Let me check your palm print." Koplanos tried to keep the peace. "We have enough problems without our own people fighting." 

Soniri put her palm in the scanner that was on Koplanos' desk.

"She checks out. This is Sgt. Nasyra Soniri, and it says she's a huntress." Koplanos turned back to the gunnery sergeant.

"And that's a mighty rare AR you've got there." the gunnery sergeant said. "I think a lieutenant had it."

"Yes. She did. She was dead." Soniri said, and flared momentarily as she looked the sergeant right in the eyes. "Everyone was dead. I just saw my entire outpost vaporized. I saw this weapon on my way to the garage. I couldn't see letting a weapon like this lay on the ground going to waste, could you? Now back the **** off, sergeant."

"Okay, Soniri, you've got spine, I'll give you that." Koplanos said. "Report to Lieutenant Nasanna T'Goni, Artemis Platoon."

"You're just going to let her go, Koplanos?" The gunnery sgt. asked.

"What else can I do?" Koplanos said. "We just got hit hard. Her records are in order, and we need huntresses. Report to your new post, Soniri. It's over there to your right near the fifth trailer. You can't miss it."

"Thanks, Sergeant." Naleena ... er.... Nasyra said.

"Don't thank me. It's a brand new unit. You'll be supporting the prestiged Athena Platoon of our gunnery sergeant. You're going to be shipping out in a couple of hours." Koplanos said.

~~~~~~~~

Rodriguez ran back to the sarge with an instrument in her hand and shouted to Reilly, "Barrier! Quick!" She was being chased by two MPs and a medical technician.

Reilly threw up a biotic barrier, and Rodriguez connected the instrument to the power cell on her omni-tool and began cutting the cast open.

"Take down this barrier now!" The MPs ordered.

"Don't you dare until I'm finished, Reilly!" Rodriguez said. The MPs kept shouting. She finished one side, then she rolled the sarge over and cut the other side, and the cast fell apart. "Okay, you can lower the barrier."

The MPs started to take Rodriguez and Reilly into custody. The tech saw Soniri's leg, and waved off the MPs. "Let them go. They probably saved the sergeant's leg. Put the Sergeant in line for treatment. We have enough medical emergencies right now."

"So I really can resume my dancing career after the war?" Soniri said jokingly.

"Only if you don't try to tackle any more brutes." Reilly laughed.

Modifié par sH0tgUn jUliA, 02 novembre 2013 - 09:56 .

[Redbelle]

“How do I know that your, you”? Lance said abruptly.

“Excuse me”? Said the visage of his dead father sitting across form him.

“And how can you be dead? You can't be dead”. Lance exclaimed. “I wasn't done....”. He trailed off as his father looked on expectantly.

His father sighed. “I'm not a Reaper come to take your soul son. And this.....”. He pointed around at the rubble that seemed to shift around them. Throwing up new walls around them as the old ones crumbled. “This isn't exactly Kansas. And the reason you can see me. I'm sorry son. But I really am dead. And I think your well on your way”.

Lance felt a chill at his words. “What do you mean”.

“I mean your in a place you weren't before. Your talking to a dead man. And your injured, right here”. He placed a hand to his side, mirroring where blood stained Lance's charred uniform. “Call me crazy. But I think right now, your at a crossroads. And what father wouldn't want to be here to offer guidance for that”.

“Guidance”?

His father nodded.

“You want me to die”?

“No”. His father shook his head emphatically. “I want you to choose your own path. Just like you've been doing all your life”. He lifted his head and looked Lance in the eye's. “Just. At least tell me what it is you want that will make you happy”. Profound sadness filled his expression. “I've watched you all my life and I could never figure out what your calling was”.

Lance closed his eye's. He focused. He was dying and something was nagging at him.

He didn't want to die. That much he was sure of.

But did he want to live?

If he dragged himself back to the living world. What would be waiting for him there? More of the same he imagined as he remembered he fervent desire to enter the alliance military.

He remembered a woman. Three woman now he thought about it. All military. He envied them. Even the one who looked like she wanted to break him in two. The other, who stayed in the background. Desperate to emerge and stand by one of the others. And the third....

Her image swam into focus. The third had leg's that were not her own. She was tired and frustrated. But even so. She had approached him. Slapped a stick of medigel into his hand. “I hope you won't need this”. She had said. “But better to have it, than need it and be without it”.

She'd looked out for him. Equipped him for a possible future that had now taken form. He reached into his pocket and pulled the stick out. He pulled open his uniform. Pulled the top off the stick. A soothing smell radiated out as he ran it across the gash in his side. The pain went away even as the medigel sealed the wound with an antiseptic barrier of nutrient's and painkiller.

His father looked on. “Why son”. He asked. “Why live? I know it's what I'd want too. But what's driving you? I could never figure it out”.

Lance opened his eyes as he closed his uniform. “I want to be a soldier”.

“Why”?

“Because you were a soldier”. He finally said. “You were someone everyone looked up to. I was the son of the man everyone admired. You were my hero too”. He felt a tear escape as he remembered the past. “And then they made you leave. You didn't to go but they forced you out. And I was going to get you back in”.

His father's brows came together. “Get me back in? Son, all this happened when you were still a boy”?

Lance let out a sobbing breath. “I was going to make Admiral and invite you back into the military. You loved the military. You were everyone's hero and I was going to bring you back. I wanted to be just like you when I grew up. I wanted to be with you as we worked together. Making the galaxy a better place”. He felt more tears escaping and jammed the heel's of his palms against his eye's. “Only we ran out of time because I wasn't good enough. I kept failing and all of us kept getting older”.

“I spent twenty five year's....” Lance went on. “….trying and then suddenly I woke up and realised I didn't have enough time to do it. I couldn't make admiral and you wouldn't be here to see me make admiral. You wouldn't be here to be invited back in. And then I realised. I'd wasted the better year's of my life trying to live up to you”. He looked up at his father who gazed back with a sorrowful expression on his face. “I don't deserve to be called your son. I'm just not like you. I can't make you proud of me”.

His father rubbed his eye's as Lance finished talking. Then he did something Lance hadn't expected to hear. He laughed. A soft gentle laugh as he shook his head from side to side. “Son. The day you made me proud was the day I held you in my arm's the first time”. He looked at Lance. “I'm sorry. I didn't know you felt that this. I alway's wondered why you wasted your talent's trying to get in the academy. If I'd known I'd have told you to go after the things that made you happy. But proud? I was proud of you the day you came into his world. Never tell yourself different”. He paused. “As for my getting the boot. Well, it was handled as delicately as it could have been under the circumstances. But you need to know. I really did bring that court marshal on myself”?

Lance sniffed as asked. “Why”?

“Batarian's were pushing a colony. They claimed it was their's and we were trespassing. We saw the risk's and decided to pull the civilian's out so you and your brother's were sent away. I had to stay. And your mother, well, her job was to oversee the evacuation so she had to be last to leave. She was expecting your sister and she stayed behind till the last shuttle when the Batarian's launched from orbit to take the world”. He shook his head. “You Mother was one stubborn lady I'll tell you that much. I asked that she get off sooner but she refused. I ordered her. She refused. Said I was overstepping my bounds”. He let out a sigh of exasperation.

“Anyway....”. He went on. “She was on the last shuttle and it would have been overtaken by the Batarian's who would have shot it down. I had to screen it with a fighter wave. Only order's form above said if I did I'd spark an incident. They wanted everything settled diplomatically on the Citadel. To show Humans could toe the line and work with other species to end conflicts without violence. All it would take was letting those four eye'd bastards kill my wife, my unborn daughter and the people with her on the shuttle”.

He looked up with a flash of grim satisfaction. “I ordered every fighter, ship, man and woman. Every asset that held as much as a pea shooter. I sent them all in to screen that shuttle. The Batarian's saw and thought we were going in for a kill. They ran with their tails between their leg's. Later we got a call saying the Batarian's had made a complaint and that the council were taking it seriously”. He shrugged. “Long story short son. I was made a scapegoat to smooth over tension's between the galactic community. That's not a bad way to go when you think about it. And I got to spend the rest of my time with all of you. And you still had a mother and a baby sister”. He smiled. “Sure. I had to sacrifice a lot. But everyone came out on top in the end. Except the bad guys. I call that a win. Even if the personal cost was high”.

Lance looked down at the ground. “The personal cost...”. A faint stab of pain from his wound reared up again. Something was still wrong. Something that the gel couldn't reach. He looked at his father. “Am I going to die”?

“Yes”. His father said. “Though if you want to. Maybe you can choose how it ends”.

“Are you real”?

His father shrugged. “I hope I am. I'm seeing my son as a man for the first time. You've endured a lot Lance. I think I may have heaped to much expectation on you without knowing it. I think being afraid to fail to be like me caused you to fail to get in the military”. He shook his head. “I'm a terrible father. But I'm going to make that up to you”. He looked at Lance. “Father to son. From retired Admiral to the man you become. Your a soldier Lance. You don't have to be the best. Or the highest ranked. You just have to survive. That's the duty of every soldier. To stay alive. What you choose to do with that life. What you will spend it striving to do. That's nothing any admiral can order. Or any father can point you towards. You have to decide for yourself son. Just know, I'm cheering for you”.

Lance felt a smile crease his face as the pain reared again. “Then watch me. I know exactly what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. I'm going to lead the charge. I'm going to inspire those who can fight”. He took a deep breath and the pain began to subside once more. “I'm going to be the tip of the spear”.

His father nodded as he smiled. “Then take a tip from someone who knows a thing or two about war”. He said as Lance closed his eye's as a wave of fatigue overcame him. “Remember. Unless the tip penetrates. The rest of the shaft is useless”. His voice began to fade as Lance felt the heat around him build. “And if you ever think you can't do it. Remember Baldurjack. The man who did. The man you are”. His voice was nearly gone that Lance had to strain to hear as he opened his eye's just a crack.

“You'll make me proud”.

Lance opened his eye's fully and saw the rubble strewn remains of the hotel as they were. The walls were no longer pressing in around him. They lay broken and shattered.

He looked down in his hand and saw the medigel stick. Now used and empty. He tossed it away.

I'm Lance. He thought to himself. But Lance never came to the fight. Baldurjack did. I have to be Baldurjack.

He raised himself to his knee's, clutching his side which tinged in protest. He knew what he had to do. And strangely, he wasn't afraid. Fear had been with him all his life. The fear to fail. Fear of his choice's being the wrong one's. It was all fear. He had let it in when he was a young boy. He had felt fear the day everyone said his father was no longer the hero everyone had once said he was. And what greater fear for a child could there be than to discover your hero was just another human.

So he'd spent his life trying to restore his father to his hero status. And maybe, just maybe, he'd be one too.

Life wasn't that simple though now, he realised.

Chasing that one dream had been noble but foolish. The best of intent's had driven him. Beneath all of it, lay the fear that thing's had to change.

Lance had changed. He'd become another man entirely. And though it had nearly killed him. It hadn't. He'd survived change. And fear could no longer claim him.

He knew where the group had parked their vehicle. He could go there. He doubted he'd find anything. They most likely thought him dead. But maybe the supplies and explosives they'd buried would still be there? It was a long shot. But it was the only thing he had going for him right now.

Maybe not the only thing, he thought.

He cast his mind back to all the times he'd been shot at. At how bullet's seemed to whizz right by him. At how an exploding hotel and a red forcefield had failed to kill him.

Of the Reaper's who had inserted something into him.

He shuddered. The Reaper's. He had to get it out. He set his jaw. He was the man who can, he told himself as rounded the wall and disappeared from view.

Moment's later, had anyone who knew him passed by. They would have have sworn that Baldurjack had found religion.

Modifié par Redbelle, 15 août 2013 - 08:19 .

[sH0tgUn jUliA]

BoL - Aboard the Destiny Ascension.... XIV

Somewhere over Earth...

Captain Marisa Soniri felt out of place in her office aboard the dreadnought, Destiny Ascension, as it went into battle over Earth against the Reapers. She felt like she was just taking up space. She was only a lawyer from Illium who had been on the Citadel for a hearing. Then she was transferred to the Destiny Ascension. She felt the room could have been better utilized by a real command officer.

Her office was mid-sized and normally had a view of the stars, but all the view ports were closed for battle. Furnishings were standard military, but at least she had a comfortable chair, and some bookcases, which also were sealed closed during battle. All she could do is keep out of the way and pray to the Goddess they made it through the battle alive.

She stood about two meters tall, and had regal white markings on her face and crest, and hazel colored eyes. She had lived nearly four hundred years, and had a daughter who was killed on Sanves in an orbital strike near the capitol city. Her poor daughter, a clerical worker in the supply depot, had attained the rank of sergeant by passing tests based on her efficiency and computer skills. She had hopes that after the war she would have been able to attend University, but alas that was never to be. At least that's what the early reports were.

'I got her that job so she wouldn't be on the front lines. She wasn't cut out for that kind of work.' She thought. 'I just wanted to keep her out of those horrid merc bands, and she wasn't interested in dancing either, thank the Goddess. She wanted to go to school but just didn't feel ready, and I didn't want her getting stuck in one of those corporate contracts on Illium.'

Then she'd heard reports that her 160 year old daughter was alive, and serving in one of the most prestigious Commando units in the Asari military: Artemis Platoon. Not only that she'd become a decorated war hero. Her? How did that happen? Why didn't she ever write?

In the Information Systems office down the corridor from her, casualty reports were coming in. There was one that printed out for ground forces and another for naval forces. They were staggering.

An enlisted technician knocked on her door.

"Enter." Soniri said.

"Ma'am. I hope I'm not bothering you?" She asked. "But I have something that might interest you."

"The early report that said that Artemis Platoon was wiped out in an barrage attack, apparently was not entirely correct." The technician said.

Soniri's face lit up. "Really? Go on."

"On the wounded list I received from one of the outposts stated that a couple of Alliance junior officers brought in an Asari Commando by the name of Nasyra Soniri, rank Sergeant, Artemis Platoon." The technician said. "Broken leg."

Soniri burst into tears of joy. "Sorry." She said. "It's just that I lost her, then she was rumored alive again, then dead, and now definitely alive. You don't know what this means to me."

"It's alright, ma'am." The technician smiled. "I understand."

"Thank you." Soniri said. "When and if it's safe, I'll visit her."

'Should I write her? Or should I surprise her?' She thought. 'My little girl, all grown up, and a war hero.'

Modifié par sH0tgUn jUliA, 15 août 2013 - 07:59 .

[favoritehookeronthecitadel]

"We're going back after her!", Hugh barked.

"What?" Arkeer was shocked."No way!" We keep going!"

"Listen, I understand that your friends were willing to sacrafise their lives for this plan, but A.Q. is a part of my group and my responsibility!"

"Well, your responsibility chose to go back and help Rothan find Rea! He's much safer with her help!"

"We're going back, abort the mission!"

"NO!"

Arkeer pulled his gun out to Hugh.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Hugh whispered.

"Taking over." Arkeer smirked. "You're clearly unfit to lead this group, if you expect them all to risk their lives and go through those things just to rescue one of your group who wanted to go in the first place."

Hugh smiled. "You can't stop us, even if you kill me. My group follows my orders, not some stupid Krogan!"

"Maybe, but if your group goes back there, I will make sure that the Alliance will make them a last priority. You want to stay down here! Fine, have it your way! We'll leave you with the Moaning Myrtle! Hell, we might even send some more creatures down your way, should we need a diversion!"

Hugh's smile started to slowly weaken."You wouldn't. These are innocent people."

"Like you said, Shepard didn't care before. It's all about priorities."

Suddenly, the tunnels started to shake, and a huge explosion erupted.