Hello, It's me again. No one have left any comment about two episodes that I've put in here and it's been a long time since I did it. But lately I've got more free time then I thought I would have, so... I have translated one more episode.
Sooo, I repeat - english is not my first language and I'm sure, that my stories ara veeeery far from being perfect if we talk about language correctness. Still, I hope that it's readable, and if you see that story kind of interesting, please let me know. And I would be grateful if you'd show me my most irritating mistakes
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EPISODE III
FRANCE
IFlight through the France was uneventful. Wrex told Samara everything he learned from Dr. Cole. Despite both has worked with Commander Shepard, they've never had the opportunity to work together. Samara helped the commander during mission in the base of Collectors - beings working for the Reapers - who were abducting entire human colonies in purpose to create a powerful weapon - the human Reaper. Shepard's team stopped those plans. Krogan, at that time, was busy with political affairs on his home planet - Tuchanka - where he was able to seize power in Urdnot clan and make it a major force in both - political and military.
Many did not understand their chief's ideas. He tried to unite the clans in a diplomatic manner, with the less bloodshed possible. His brother - Wreav - had a completely different approach to the case, and everything could've become very complicated, but Wreav died on Tuchanka during the battles to spread the cure for the genophage. Wrex, unlike his brother, did not want revenge. He understood that it was time for his race to show that they can be more than a mindless tool in the hands of others. At the moment howewer, his mind was occupied with the current mission. He was satisfied about having a powerful biotic in his team. He watched Samara, who calmly observed the small screen on the side of Kodiak, which flashed the news broadcasted by the Alliance command in London. The radius of the messages was getting better, but still the majority of the Earth's surface suffered from radio silence. The old methods of communication returned to grace -there were no other option. Satellites have been destroyed during the first hours of the invasion of Earth, which took place a few months ago.
Despite problems, more and more massages were getting through. Those, who expected the imminent end of the war, were dissapointed. Lots of Reapers teams still continued their tasks. Intel reported, that the ones commanding the enemy are genetically modified turians. The Alliance Headquarters discovered, that - for example - the Reapers operating in the British Isles do not cooperate with those, who are in France. They were very strong, but separate cells. They did not have anything like a chain of command, or one, common strategy. It seemed like eliminating them is only a matter of time. There was no doubt, however, that many more soldiers will have to die, to achieve a complete victory.
Throughout the journey the platoons communication officer tried to establish radio contact with Allience troops in Marseille and vicinity - without any response. Wrex ordered to look for a place to land at some safe distance from the city itself. The choice fell on a small village east of Martigues, a few kilometers west of the purpose of the expedition. They had to be ready for anything.
The pilot has found a large flat place at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea. When the team was a few feet above the ground, Wrex repeated orders:
- Second group secures a camp at the highest point in the area. You need to mask it solidly! We must be cautious. I know it's risky, but we are krogans! If we're gonna lose radio contact, we will be trying to get to the highest hill on the way back. You'd better be there... Alive. First group goes with me. Even last night, I thought that some of us will die here, but now we have the support of damn good biotic, so all of us could see Tuchanka again. Fight for it! We take only wapons and clips. Save your ammo, because you all know, that we have no chance to resupply here. Besides, we need to be as fast, as we can. We take Lawson and we're back. Easy, fast and fun.
The clock on the monitor inside the Kodiak pointed a few minutes after noon. The sun was at the highest point of its daily journey. Vehicle came into contact with the ground and turned off the engine. The second platoon has split into two teams. First of them dealt with Kodiak's camouflage, the second took the most of equipment and headed in an easterly direction, to the hill, which seemed to be the biggest.
First platoon, along with its commander and Samara, turned on the old-fashioned radio, and called for Lawson.
- This is krogan allied troops. If someone is on that frequency, talk!.
Asari held a datapad in her hand, which was given to her by Wrex. She had to keep an eye on it. " If it gets hot, we will go ahead. Keep it safe. Dr. Cole says that the information on it could save Shepard. You need to show it to Lawson, and she will figure out, what is going on ."
After a few minutes of trying, communications officer heard the words:
- Hey! It's Jason Prangley here, Miranda Lawsons group. I hear you! Ha! Amazing. This **** works! You are here to help us? Then i must say, you've arrived just in time!
Wrex heard the answer, he took few steps towards the radio:
- Prangley, it's Urdnot Wrex, commander of the krogan. Give me your position and tell me, is Lawson with you?
- Uh, yes she is. I mean, she is not, but should be, soon . She went to the last ship in the area to look for some intel, because we haven't found anyone alive in these terrible places... We are in an abandoned church in the suburbs. Should I fire a flare? You will locate us faster.
Wrex was about to respond positively, but Samara put her hand on his shoulder, whispering:
- It will reveal their location to our enemies.
Krogan frowned. I do not have time - he thought in frustration .
- You know about any Reapers in the area? They know your location?
- They are in a lot of places in the city - Prangley said - loads of them. It was fifteen of us here. We lost seven... But they doesn't know exactly where we are.
Wrex was thinking. He looked at Samara. Her facial expression hasn't changed. Still calm and composed. He was the leader, so she waited for his decision. When the Executor starts a mission with someone, she promises to herself, to perform any of its orders. It's an oath to herself . It doesn't matter, what she thinks about the specific order. For this reason, Samara didn't intend to undermine any of Wrex's decision.
- Firethe flare, Prangley. We are about an hour away from the city. We will try to reach you as soon, as possible. Hold on to that time.
- All right.
After a moment, they saw a bright, red flare in the air few kilometers from them. Damn, more than I thought - thought Wrex.
Samara sensed his disappointment. She leaned over the radio, saying calmly:
- We are on the way. You could not demand better aid.
IIThe hallway was narrow and dark. Some kind of liquids were flowing on both sides of it, close to the walls. It was not the water, certainly. Under the ceiling, a little bulb swung on the cable, flickering with pale light. Two cannibals were standing beaneath it. Suddenly, the light flashed, thunder. Bulb bursted.
Singularity detonated by warp. Always works - thought brunette in tight costum, walking past the corpses of her victims.
Woman walked to the end of the hallway. Found a console there, which - as she thought - opens processing ship. Last one in the area. There were seven. Her team has found human remains in one of them. Several people from the group did not stand these horrors - they've been vomiting, wanted to get the hell out, but she had seen it already. She had seen worse. In the last two ships, they found something more. Cannibals, zombies. It wasn't expected. She lost a few people and sent the wounded to the church under command of Prangley, where they founded a base. There, they had to wait for her return from the last ship. She felt guilty and did not want to lose anyone else, so she went alone. It's been well so far.
The console worked exactly as the previous one. Woman has entered a command seized from the enemy at the first of their goals. It worked, and the door were opening slowly. She used this time to grab the gun and prepare another biotic warp. She waited a moment. The door was open for a few seconds now, but nothing came out from the inside. Probably the same, dead bodies - she thought and relaxed.
She took a few steps forward, entering the interior. Processing ships were not large, they were functional. Usually consisted of several cells in which "raw material" - peaople - has been stored. One average ship was constructed to hold more than one hundred people. This one was smaller, had just three cells.
She walked beside the first, covering her mouth and nose with left hand. The stench was unbearable. These people were after " processing ", but before putting the implants in - it hasn't happen because the Reapers lost the war, so those people just died. They lay in a pile of bodies and ragged clothes. The second room was empty. Empty cells usually meant, that those prisoners were considered as individuals with " favorable " DNA. In recent days, it turned out, that such people were transported to the Earth's orbit, to the Citadel. The reason was unknown, but she suspected why.
Miranda Lawson, a former Cerberus officer, has been sent for this mission for two reasons. She was aware of them. First reason was, that the mission was secret, and many high ranked Alliance officers still thought that she, as an important member of a criminal organization - Cerberus - should not be identified with the official activities of the Alliance. Nobody expected miracle.Humans have never found anyone alive in processing ships on Earth. Turians were more lucky, as the rumours say, they've rescued a few on Palaven. Reason two: no one was more suitable for this mission than her. Her work with Commander Shepard was a well known fact for the generals. Despite their reluctance, it was difficult to hide their great respect for her skills and accomplishments.
Suddenly, she felt a tremor on the hip. She heard the sound of an old-fashioned rugged radio that hanged from her belt. So far, she's been irritated only because of it's weight, now she was afraid, that the enemy, if it is nearby, will detect her .
- Miranda Lawson. Speak up! Lawson!
The voice sounded familiar. Miranda was about to reply, when suddenly, a few meters from her, young girl leaned over from the third cell. Her eyes were frightened. She was terribly thin and dirty. She reached out, losing balance, but Miranda jumped quickly and catched her, showing great reflexes. Then, with corner of her eye, she saw the inside of the third room, in which there were five people. Living people! A man and elderly woman were holding hands, leaning against the wall. Two young men stared in amazement toward Miranda. It was obvious that they did not expect rescue. In the corner of the room, on the floor, was another woman. She did not move. Lawson walked there, kneeled, put her fingers on woman neck. No pulse... Four living people, five, including young girl - she corrected herself.
- How long have you been here? - Miranda asked.
The girl, who came to her, had more strength than others, both physical and mental.
- Radio. Reply. Let them help us...
Ah, yes. Radio! Miranda slapped a hand to her forehead. Perfect? Yeah, right - she thought.
- I'm Miranda Lawson. I'm in the processing ship at the stadium. I found five survivors. I repeat, five survivors! - At the sound of her own words, Miranda smiled to herself.
After a while, the radio answered with the same female voice like the moment before.
- Miranda! We are looking for you. The stadium, you say... Prangley told us, where you went. Wrex is coming for you with a few krogans. They should be there soon.
Lawson recognized that voice. Samara. They knew each other since working for Cerberus, or, perhaps, for Shepard, because asari biotic thought about it that way.
- What about Prangley and the rest?
- They are ok. I'm with them. I help as I can, biotic barriers and stuff, but the enemy grows in strength. Wrex will help you to withdraw to us, and then we're gonna run to Kodiak.
- But how is that possible, you all here, I mean? We've been told to contact the Alliance, if we find someone alive. And just now we did - Miranda was surprised.
- We're here for you, not them. We've got informations from Brynn Cole. About Shepard, but it's a long story. There's no time for it now. Get those survivors ready to hit the road. Wrex will be there at any moment.
IIIFive krogans were marching through the ruins of a deserted town in a disciplined formation. They've been moving from one cover to another. Prangley showed them on the map some stadium, which was used by people to play some kind of sport before the war. The only sports, that krogan practiced on their homeworld are varren races and shooting to pyjacks. They believed, that the physical activity, in which no one was losing blood, was meaningless. The stadium had been in sight. Only fifty metres was between them and their goal.
- Banshee on our second! - one of them shouted.
They looked. After a while, they saw two. Banshee - mutated asari. Powerful and unpredictable. They could jump a dozen meters, using just biotic, which in itself makes them a difficult opponent. Moreover, they were amazingly strong. Why Banshee!? Wrex regretted that he'd left Samara with Prangley and the rest of the survivors. She could be useful right now, but surely there is a lot of work for her in the church as well. Flare certainly alarmed the enemy. We need to take out these two and move on. - Wrex thouught. - It's close.
He made a few quick gestures with his hands. Krogan obediently scattered in the blink of an eye. They were looking for cover to avoid asari's deadly biotic hits. Wrex had some biotic abilities, but he knew, that he's no match against mutated asari, whose potential was further enhanced by implants. He decided to let go throwing stasis. Wouldn't work. Instead, he strengthened his own barrier and moved to one of the attackers, running around her. By this, he focused her attention on himself, so two of his subordinates could mercilessly shoot her from the back, what they gladly did. The other two krogans played on time with the second of them. Alternately, they opened fire, going back for another cover. In this way, they've been dragging her into the other street.
Wrex rushed for a pile of rubble, that once was the main entrance to the stadium. Banshee was completely exhausted. He could see it, but they had to kill her quickly, because two companions might not have time to entertain the other mutant. He jumped out from behind the cover, and ran toward the enemy while firing his shotgun in great rage. He loved this gun and knew, how to use it. He took the Banshee powerful biotic hit on his armor, but overcame the pain and did not stop shooting. The krogan have lost his breath for a moment after the hit - she was still powerful. Wrex has lost sight of two of his soldiers, who disappeared somewhere in the second street. Three rifles focused on the enemy had to bring her down, and they did, just few seconds later. Banshee exploded with biotic for the last time. Krogans, without a moment's delay, started to run for the street corner, where two of their comrades were fighting with the other of them. They were too far, but then, they heard a loud bang. Biotic strike disrupted Banshee's balance. Two krogan, overwhelmed by her, used the moment, jumped behind the ruins of a wall and opened fire, shooting at the beast. On the other hand, Wrex and the other two attacked from behind. In that kind of cross-fire no one would survive. Banshee fell. The krogans were not injured. A few scratches was not able to break them. Wrex looked toward the entrance of the stadium. Biotic strike was the work of Miranda, who stood in the doorway, straight and confident. Behind her, however, Wrex saw five people. They did not look good.
- Who are these people, Lawson ? - Wrex muttered .
- Survivors of the processing ship.
- Leave them. We take just you and your team, if it's possible .
- I fulfilled my mission, Wrex. You will fulfill yours, only if you'll help them - Miranda made it clear.
- Despite I'm krogan, I'm quite good with counting. There are five of them. Just like us. It's hard to shoot, while you carry man on your back.
- Two of them can still walk, so two of you will have free hands. I'll cover our group with biotic barrier. I think we can ... - Her voice seemed to lose strictness - get to the church.
- I hope it will be worth it - said Wrex and ordered his soldiers to help three weakest people. He and fifth krogan changed clips in their shotguns.
IVSamara hasn't had time to think. Half an hour after Wrex and his group came out looking for Miranda, she had to put a fully sealed biotic barrier. The church have been attacked by the group of cannibals lead by modified turians. Lawson's team, though decimated, was seasoned in battle. They shot on target, killing a lot of enemies. Jason Prangley strengthened Samara's shield with his skills. Asari learned, that he is one of the students of Grissom Academy, of Jack, her companion from the time they worked for Shepard. If Jack taught him, he must know a lot of biotic tricks. - thought Samara. - And bad words too.
The third hour passed. On the other side of the square, that separated church from the rest of the buildings, biotic shield has appeared, with a few krogans and humans inside it. Reapers forces were catched in ticks, surrounded, at least they thought so. The commanding creatures had to expect, that powerful support for the church is coming. So they retreated. They could not know, that inside the blue bubble are just five krogans with last clips of ammo and several people on the verge of death.
- It's them! - Prangley shouted victoriously.
- Get ready to march. Now! We don't have much time - Samara tried to curb his enthusiasm. The four people from the squad started packing hardware, which they still had. There wasn't much of it.
Group of Wrex and Miranda came to the church. Smiles appeared on all of faces. On the line of buildings on second side of the square, they've seen more and more profiles of the Reapers. Cannibals, Marauders, zombies. Banshee.
- They will storm - said Wrex, and changed clip in his gun.
Miranda's people took the wounded from the Reaper's ship and they put them in the car, which Prangley was able to fix. Seven people could get in. People. Krogans, for obvious reasons, wouldn't fit .
- Five survivors, Lawson and asari. To the vehicle, now - Wrex gave an order.
- What about you ? - Miranda asked.
- This is about you, it's all about you here. You can save Shepard. We all owe him a lot. Samara will give you a datapad with information that will let you save him. Doctor Cole provided us with it. Do not ask questions, not now. Keep moving. Samara knows, where you need to go. We will try to join, but if we will not be there within an hour, then you have to move without looking back.
Miranda nodded, accepting the order.
- Prangley, can you handle it?
- I will destroy them - he said firmly, and raised his fist.
Vehicle was ready. They drove towards the highest hill in the area. There have been five Wrex's krogans and several people under Prangley's command in the ruins of the church. The onslaught was about to begin.
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