Mass Effect: Razor 3/? (Saren/Ashley)
anonymous
February 4 2013, 08:16:24 UTC
Only Ash and half a dozen others fell back in good order, providing covering fire for the rest of the routed soldiers. Ashley knew that she’d hit the three targets at least a dozen times each, but their armour was just soaking it up. The difference between soldiers with crack grade armour and weapons vs poorly equipped garrison troopers was almost comical.
No one got past the attackers. Seeing this, the garrison tried to flee the other way, only to come up against the drop where the loading dock ended. Some chose to take the chance, dropping away into the thick trees a good ten metres below. Others tried to look for rope, a ladder, anything...but once the three soldiers in armour arrived, it was all over.
Ashley fell back, step by step, her rifle red hot in her hands as she tried to squeeze a few extra rounds out of it, even as the butchers in front of her swept through the unarmed soldiers, weapons on full auto.
Then there was a horrifying sound, worse than the screaming around her. The awful click of a weapon jammed. Tilting her rifle, Ashley bashed at the side, cursing furiously as she tried to persuade the auto-clear system to do its job.
Back, back, back. The garrison troops were quickly understanding that it was fight or die. If they’d just had hardsuits, something to keep them alive for a few extra seconds while they returned fire, then maybe the three humans could have been halted. But the foe was unstoppable, their accuracy lethal, their co-ordination freakishly perfect.
Ash charged, her now useless weapon held high as a club. Maybe she could buy a few more seconds...
Yet another biotic explosion went off, Ashley catching the fringe. Even that was enough to send her flying backwards, landing just in front of the beacon. Getting back on her feet, she whipped up her sidearm, firing off seven rounds before the cheap heatsink began to whine.
“Come on, nugget.” One of the human’s in front of her, just a fresh faced kid underneath his helmet, grinned sadistically as he held his arms wide. “Have another go.”
Ashley gritted her teeth and waited for the weapon in her hand to cool. “Why are you doing this? You’re Alliance.”
The smile disappeared, to be replaced by an oddly sad expression. “I’m afraid...there’s not going to be an Alliance left in a little while.”
The bar on the rear of her pistol turned green, and Ashley took aim. “We’ll see about that.”
One, two, then the dull thud of the recoil made her take a step back into a more stable firing position. Three, four...
And then...
“THE OLD ONE’S MIND HAS LEFT US!” A voice screamed inside her brain. “OUR MESSAGE WAS TAINTED! YOU MUST CARRY IT! CARRY THE TRUTH! IT IS ALL WE CAN DO NOW! YOU ARE ALL THAT ANY OF US CAN DO!”
Then the images began. And Ashley screamed.
-----------------------------
Shepard nudged the unresponsive human with the tip of her boot. “And the beacon just exploded after that?”
“Affirmative, ma’am.” Jenkins levelled his rifle. “Shall I finish her off?”
“Negative, Corporal.” Shepard turned away. “That beacon would have turned her brain to mush without the correction. She’s as good as dead.”
Even as Jenkins growled his disappointment, Shepard turned her gaze toward Kaidan. The biotic was shaking slightly, his eyes dismayed as he looked at the destruction he had wrought. “What...what have we...?”
She needed a way to calm him, to keep him firmly on side. In retrospect, it was painfully obvious what he needed.
Stepping forward, she took him by the hand. “Lieutenant. Just think. A hundred here today, so that billions more may live.”
Nodding slowly, the Lieutenant turned back to her, his eyes once more emotionless. “Of course, Commander. What next?”
Shepard gestured to the ship in the valley. “Sovereign awakens. We should be going, there is a long journey ahead of us.”
The three soldiers moved fast, vanishing from the loading dock as quickly as they had come. The only sign of life was the feeble twitching of Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, sprawled out in front of the ruined beacon.
Mass Effect: Razor 4/? (Saren/Ashley)
anonymous
February 5 2013, 19:10:44 UTC
The turian observed the simple coffin with an impassive stoicism. “How?”
Councillor Sparatus shook his head. “His barriers were down...he was taken by complete surprise...he could never have predicted it.”
“Nihilus was paranoid to the point of obsession.” The turian turned to the councillor. “No one took him by surprise. Least of all a human.”
“He was going to her aid...she had been knocked unconscious by the beacon.” Sparatus rested a hand on the other turian’s shoulder. “She was not an enemy.”
“Clearly she has proved otherwise.” The turian gritted his teeth slightly. “How did she escape? Surely Anderson is not so incompetent as to...”
“There was a ship.” Sparatus replied. “An ancient Prothean vessel, we suspect. Shepard managed to reactivate it, then used it to wipe out entire brigade of Alliance Marines and one of our patrol cruisers in the Artemis Cluster. This is all...quite a mystery, Saren.”
Spectre Saren Arterius turned away from his student’s body, his face still reasonably controlled. “I trust we are assembling a fleet to go after her?”
“Saren...”
“Don’t!” The Spectre’s mask shattered, his rage showing through in a brief, blinding second. “Don’t tell me you’re letting her get away! Tell me that there’s a dreadnaught being readied to pursue her and bring her to justice! Better yet, tell me that the Destiny Ascension is under my personal command, I’ll go and get it done myself! Don’t tell me you’re giving up like a scratched quarian!”
Sparatus drew himself up, his own eyes narrowing. “You forget your place, Spectre.”
Saren wanted to snap back, break the older turian of his undeserved superiority...but that would get him nowhere. “Perhaps, sir, but you are forgetting the excellence of this soldier’s service. This cannot go unavenged. I will not allow it!”
Sparatus stared at him, half reluctant, the other half just as angry as his subordinate. “Walk with me.”
The last thing that Saren wanted to do was walk. Hunt, track, fight and kill were more his priorities. Nevertheless...
“The Council is worried, Saren.” Sparatus explained as they walked toward C-Sec headquarters. “We did our own assessment of Shepard. As volatile, unpredictable and brutal as she is, she was sane, and she was loyal. Much like yourself.”
Saren highly doubted that particular statement, but kept his silence.
“Her appointment to the Spectres would have been a boon to turian-human relations. It would finally have resolved the trade issues from the First Contact War and set humanity on the slow, steady path that we wish for them, rather than an impetuous charge that most of their leadership favours. First Shepard, then a few others. We might have eventually made up ten percent of the Spectre ranks with humans. It would have satisfied their leadership and given us some valuable operatives. Sadly, that is all in jeopardy.”
“And why should I care? They’re a primitive, and violent race.” Saren balefully eyed a human detective disappearing with his asari partner into an office. “Bad enough we make peace with them, invite them into our home, allow them to patrol our streets. I have never understood the fascination with appeasement.”
“Like it or not, Saren, the humans are our allies, and a damned sight more useful in battle than any of the others. Imagine if the krogan ever rose again, or a species with the might of the Rachni. Could you guarantee a turian victory?”
“Speculation is useless.”
“The Hierarchy disagrees. Hence, why we prompted Nihilus to recommend his choice of human soldiers for us. He chose well...at least we all thought he did.” Sparatus turned back to Saren. “We’re beginning to think that maybe the beacon did something. Made her mad...made her see things.”
Mass Effect: Razor 5/? (Saren/Ashley)
anonymous
February 5 2013, 19:13:57 UTC
“For what other reason would a man described as a living poster boy follow her into destroying a company of the local garrison troops with his own hands, and allow her to wipe out the rest with the guns of that ship? Shepard, Alenko, Jenkins. Now the most wanted criminals in Citadel Space, and they are on the run. One survivor from their rampage, one. We want them found, captured and brought in for medical testing.” Sparatus brought his face close to Saren’s. “Prothean technology is the lifeblood of our civilization. If we can no longer use it because it turns our people into rampaging psychopaths...we cannot let this matter rest.”
Saren flinched, recalling a dusty temple...and the obelisk... “No sir, we cannot.”
“Glad you see it my way.” Sparatus turned into a side corridor. “Now, let’s get on with this. Captain?”
“Councillor.” A deep voice acknowledged the politician, its owner stepping out of the shadows, brow furrowed in concern. Saren’s hackles were instantly raised.
“Captain Anderson.” The Spectre nodded in recognition. “Once again, the Alliance’s talent for rewarding incompetence remains unmatched.”
The human was unmoved by the insult. “Saren, I am here at the invitation of the Council. Should you feel that invitation was unwarranted, I can depart just as swiftly.”
Before Saren could agree, Sparatus intervened. “Captain, please. I am aware you two have history, but now is not the time for it.”
Saren was eager to disagree, but the Councillor’s patience was likely used up. No matter, Saren would just have to wait until later to rub Anderson’s newest failure in nice and deep.
“Shepard is loose. She has a ship capable of unknown levels of destruction, and the entire Terminus to hide in.” Anderson folded his arms behind his back. “There’s only one person in Council space that knows the Terminus well enough to hunt her down.”
“So I’m being sent after her?”
“Yes.” Sparatus nodded. “But you won’t be going alone. We need Shepard alive to interrogate, to find out what it was that the beacon did to her. And since, to put it mildly, you have a tendency to shoot everything that moves, we need you to be...accompanied.”
“So send Bau with me.” Saren replied irritably. “He’s practically a pacifist. We can deal with this with a minimum of bloodshed. And should the worst happen, he can always preserve her brain for scientific analysis.”
“If that ship possesses a tenth of the power we suspect, you won’t get anywhere near it.” Anderson informed him. “You need a vessel capable of sneaking up on her undetected, and people who have a vested interest in bringing her back breathing.”
Saren folded his arms. “I have a feeling I’m not going to like this.”
“We’re detaching you to serve under Captain Anderson’s command, aboard his vessel, the SSV Normandy. A stealth ship, first of her class.” Sparatus explained. “You’ll have full autonomy, and tactical command of the mission. Strategic command, however, belongs with Anderson. He has more...direct experience with this kind of mission.”
No one said it, but they all knew what the Councillor meant. Saren’s tendency to bring in live prisoners was...less than average.
“This is a bad idea.” The turian spoke bluntly. “If you’ll forgive my candour, Councillor, Captain Anderson has certainly proven a certain capability against...less elusive enemies....”
“How do I put this...?” Sparatus pondered the problem for a few seconds. “If we want Alliance support, Alliance intel, and more importantly, the Normandy to aid our hunt for Shepard, then turians and humans will be working together, with Anderson in command.”
Saren clenched his talons imperceptibly, but finally just nodded. “As you wish it, sir. Anderson is in command. For now.”
To his credit, Anderson barely reacted to the implication of the words. He’d always been hard to shake. Truth be told, he’d never even been that bad of an operator. But typically arrogant, reckless, overconfident and at the end of it all, unfit for Spectre status.
If Anderson wanted to bring in his protégé alive, Saren could take care of that. It was surprising just how many amputations, gunshot wounds, missing organs and burns humans could survive.
Saren simply stared back at the human officer. “Now, I believe I heard something about a survivor.”
Mass Effect: Razor 6/? (Saren/Ashley)
anonymous
February 5 2013, 19:15:17 UTC
“This is fucking bullshit!” The woman pacing the interrogation room pushed the table out of the way. “Why the hell are you questioning me?”
“Ma’am, I’m going to need you to calm down.” The asari C-Sec officer instructed her. “Now, can you tell me again what you observed...”
“You want to know what I saw?!” Ashley snarled back. “I saw three people. Three! I saw a man lifted a pair of rifles like sticks! I saw biotics that tore entire platoons apart! I saw a psychotic bitch kill thirty good men with a shotgun and a knife without even pausing for a coffee break.” She smacked the side of her head. “And then to top it all off, I saw a whole fucking heap of shit that I don’t even understand. Put me in a fucking coma.”
“Yes, but if you could explain what you saw in the beacon, that might explain why...”
“No, I saw billions of people screaming in pain and dying in droves. I saw...something. Something big, something dark.” Exhaustion showed through the cracks of the soldier’s rage. “Look...I don’t know if the asari have a word for it. But from what I know...what I saw comes from a lake of fire and drags people back down into it. I saw...hell. That’s the only word I got for it.”
The asari did not look at all satisfied by her explanation. “There must have been more than that. Were there instructions of some kind? Would you be willing to submit to a voluntary joining of the minds in order to ascertain the truth of the...”
Ashley leaned forward. “Lady, you take one step toward me and I’m going to break your nose. Politely.”
The door to the interrogation room opened and another alien walked in. This time it was a turian, though not in C-Sec kit. He was dressed entirely in grey and black armour, cutting an imposing figure against the drab uniforms of the Citadel cops. He looked over at the asari and simply nodded. “Leave. Your assistance is not required.”
The asari opened her mouth to protest...then shut it just as fast. “Yes sir!”
Ashley’s anger faded into the background, curiosity replacing it as she observed the newcomer. He didn’t walk like a cop, but he didn’t look like a soldier, either. Clearly above the asari, yet he wore no insignia of any kind.
The turian examined her in kind, alert grey eyes scanning her up and down. His mandibles parted, teeth bared slightly. “I couldn’t believe it when they told me who you were. General Williams’ granddaughter, here in the flesh. Sole survivor of her entire brigade. There’s something very fitting about that.”
Ashley folded her arms. “Who the fuck are you?”
“I’m the alien who beat your grandfather.”
Ash didn’t know turian facial expressions from pyjak migration patterns, but she could have sworn that the alien had a grin plastered over his feature. “Really? And who’s that?”
“He never mentioned it?” The turian began to walk around her. “No...I suppose I wouldn’t have either. Always an embarrassment when you lose a war. Saren Arterius. Spectre.”
“So it was a war after all? Strange how you guys always try to palm it off as the ‘Relay 314 Incident’.” Ashley took the seat vacated asari officer. “I’ve never heard of you. You come to ask me another bunch of bullshit questions about stuff I don’t even understand? ”
“No, just to deliver your marching orders.” Saren replied, his tone that of boredom. “You’re being transferred under my command, until the apprehension or death of Commander Shepard, Systems Alliance Navy.”
“Yeah?” Ashley’s rage flared back up, fresh and fast. “Well I don’t think I’m feeling like serving under a turian.”
Saren nodded. “That is good. You have hate, a lot of it. But the question is, who do you hate more? Turians who beat your grandfather? Or the humans who massacred your friends...your unit?”
Ashley remained silent.
“You’re not happy about this, I can see that.” The Spectre moved closer to her. “To be honest, I have very little use for you. Had you been competent, you might have managed to at least kill one of Shepard’s team, or keep some of your own friends alive. You did not.”
Mass Effect: Razor 7/? (Saren/Ashley)
anonymous
February 7 2013, 10:39:42 UTC
The Marine bristled. “That wasn’t my fault.”
“It rarely is, for anyone, and yet there you are.” Saren shook his head. “Your real value to me, Gunnery Chief, is what is in your head. Like it or not, that beacon gave you information, information similar to that given to Shepard. And yet, while Shepard regained consciousness almost immediately and with a homicidal edge, you woke up two days later with almost no side effects. I need your head examined, Williams, and not by any of the amateurs here.”
Ashley continued to stare at him, chewing her lip slightly as she thought about it. “If not here...then where?”
“There is a friend of mine. A Matriarch who has experience with this, more than most of her kind. It is possible that she will be able to give us a reasonably accurate interpretation of whatever the Protheans left inside your head. With luck, there will be information that directs us toward Shepard.”
Ashley lowered her gaze, staring back down at her boots. “And when we find her?”
“I am aware that N7s are held to be particularly good, the best, even. But I’ve killed the best of many species before. We will track her, find her, and then take her down. Now, I can’t promise you her head, that’s going straight to the Council, but you can take your time with her subordinates, and handle any preliminary interrogations that you see fit.” The human penchant for revenge. Such an easy way to manipulate...but very understandable. His own code held revenge to be essential to maintaining order, but he could ignore it when he needed to.
“Deal.” The Marine stood up. “So where do we find this Matriarch?”
“Ah...” Saren nodded. “That part...you might not enjoy as much as the revenge.”
-----------------------------------------------
“Millions of worlds in the galaxy.” Ashley grunted as she followed Saren. “Beach resorts by the handful, skyscrapers that go into low orbit...and we have to come to Tuchanka? Man, this place is so bad they don’t even have pics of it on the extranet.”
“You have a talent for complaining, really.” Saren was stoic about the heat, dust and potentially radioactive particles clinging to his armour. “Maybe you could complain about having to walk all this way?”
“Maybe I will?” Ashley growled back. “Why on earth does your asari friend have to come to Tuchanka?”
“She feels...obligation. Duty to those less fortunate than herself. Not something a human would understand, I’m sure.”
“What are you talking about?” Ash glared at him. “You hate it here as much as I do.”
Saren chose not to dignify her accusation with a response. He simply pointed. “Down there, cluster of pre-fabs. That’s where she’ll be.”
The climb down was almost as treacherous as the climb up from where the Normandy had dropped them. While technically just a simple pick up, Saren was not setting foot on Tuchanka without enough armour and weapons to fight off a thresher maw if need be. And so they walked, blessedly in silence this time.
She kept his pace...he’d give her that. “Your armour and weapons are terrible.”
Ashley blinked. First time he’d spoken to her about something non-mission related...and it was that? “Yeah, I know.”
“If you know, then why don’t you requisition better?”
“In the Alliance, only two groups get the good stuff. Special Forces and biotics.” Ashley shrugged. “Hell, I had to source my own armour. This was the best I could afford.”
Saren was silent. It just confirmed yet another of his theories about humans. Nothing he didn’t already know.
At the gate to the compound were a pair of krogan, both carrying high tech kit. SHE was probably splurging, pumping credits into a whole community, bolstering up education and local services. Always the good matriarch, always the wise teacher. Insufferable do goodery, really, but better he was her ally than enemy.
The gates opened slowly, with krogan weapons trained on him and the human as they walked through. On the other side, a massive krogan in deep red armour was standing, waiting for them. He growled slightly as he saw the turian. “Saren...”
“Wrex.” Saren greeted him neutrally. “Been too long.”
Mass Effect: Razor 8/? (Saren/Ashley)
anonymous
February 7 2013, 10:45:27 UTC
“Not long enough.” Wrex bared his teeth. “And here I was hoping we’d meet somewhere nice and quiet where I could kill you in peace.”
Saren’s mandibles quirked slightly. “Better luck next time. Now where is she.”
“Right here.” A voice spoke from the entrance to the nearby pre-fab.
She was not dressed in her usual robes and headdress, but she was no less stately or magnificent for the plain overalls she wore. Descending down the short steps, she strode to Saren and embraced him warmly. “You are most welcome, my old friend.”
Saren was taken aback by her display of affection, awkwardly aware of Williams and her sniggering. It would take him a while to live this down. “Matriarch Benezia. It is...good to see you again.”
Benezia pulled away. “Likewise, Saren. And who is your companion?”
The human self consciously straightened up. “Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 2...of the SSV Normandy.”
Benezia’s face drained. “Then...the rumour’s are true. Nihilus is...”
“He’s dead.” Saren replied shortly. “I am tracking his killers. But to do that, I need the information salvaged from a Prothean Beacon. Information that the human has in her head.”
“Human has a name, split jaw.” Ash shot back.
“Please.” Benezia held up her hand. “Why don’t you both come inside. The children have finished class for the day.”
“Children?” Saren looked incredulous. “You are acting...as a teacher?”
“Saren, I think the krogan have earned the right to whatever education they wish.” Benezia’s eyes narrowed. “Unlike you, I grew up in the days when we remembered what they sacrificed for us.”
Saren had no wish to argue with her. She was always better with words. “Perhaps we could...?”
“Of course.” Benezia turned to Wrex. “The Shaman wishes you to instruct the children in the Rite of Challenge, as well as the Rite of Settlement today, in preparation for the Passage to the Hollows next month.”
Wrex bowed his head slightly. “As you command.”
Saren followed Benezia inside. “How much did you have to pay for his services?”
“Wrex? Not a credit, despite my insistence.” Benezia smiled. “He demanded that I simply add his fee to the cost of building this compound and properly arming it. It’s working wonderfully. This is neutral ground, partly because of our weapons, and partly because we picked up the allegiance of five or six major clans who are firmly on our side.”
“Ten years you’ve been down here.” Saren shook his head. “Seems like a waste of your time.”
“It is my time to waste.” Benezia sat cross legged on an elegantly woven carpet. “And now, I presume you wish me to meld with Chief Williams?”
“Yes, that’s the general idea.” Saren did not sit. “And I was hoping we might do this quickly.”
“In a minute.” Benezia turned to Ashley. “And you, Ashley? You have agreed to this?”
“Her agreement...” Saren began, but was silenced by the asari’s glare.
“Yes.” Ashley nodded, feeling a little smug over Saren’s sudden deference. “If you can find something in there that helps us kill them...then I’m fine with that.”
Benezia nodded, reaching out a hand to the side of Ashley’s head. “Be warned, Ashley. You may find this...strange.”
----------------------
Ashley gasped as she surged out of the water, hauling in mouthfuls of air as she struggled back onto the beach. She collapsed to her knees, retching slightly as she brought up seawater. “What...the fuck?”
“My apologies.” Benezia stepped out of the water alongside her. “I have been experimenting with easier ways of introducing the meld for the better part of two centuries. I find that the best thing to do is immediately introduce the subject to a situation of their choosing. In your case, this beach.”
Ashley glanced around. “This isn’t what the beacon showed me.”
“No, but I’ve had first hand experience with various artefacts such as the beacon you encountered. Experiencing a thousand memories at once can be an unpleasant experience. Better to view them from the outside, looking in. Are you ready to begin?”
Mass Effect: Razor 9/? (Saren/Ashley)
anonymous
February 7 2013, 10:46:56 UTC
In all honesty, all Ashley wanted to do was lie down on this beach and go to sleep. But that would not avenge Nirali or the 212. “I’m ready.”
In an instant, the world changed. Ashley found herself walking through a battlefield. Around her, thousands of armoured figures battled against twisted, deformed shapes in the middle of a fog of war. Overhead, massive behemoths did battle against blocky cruisers. It was like the images she had experienced...but more clear, less terrifying and more informative.
“Interesting...” Benezia walked beside her, examining the figures. “My daughter would be fascinated by all of this...”
A voice rang out through the fog, the same one Ashley had heard when the beacon seized her. “THE REAPERS ARE UPON YOU. TAKE ARMS AND RALLY TO WAR. ASSEMBLE YOUR FLEETS AND PRAY TO YOUR GODS. ABOVE ALL, KEEP THE CITADEL SAFE. WE HAVE DONE OUR BEST, BUT YOU MUST SECURE OUR GREATEST WEAPON. FIND THE CONDUIT. FIND ILOS. MAY OUR SPIRITS AND WEAPONS GUIDE YOU TO VICTORY. AVENGE US!”
“This...is a lot clearer than before.” Ashley stared on with fascination as one of the massive ships lifted a tentacle and blasted away a cruiser.
“I have enough experience with the Prothean language and culture to interpret what you see.” Benezia frowned. “But there is far more than that. This is simply the top layer, easily available to anyone. There are deeper memories beneath. I can see co-ordinates, star charts, schematics for something. But there’s no way to access it.”
Ashley did her best to conceal her disappointment. “So there’s nothing to indicate where Shepard is going?”
“On the contrary, there is much there...just very little to piece it together.” Benezia looked frustrated. “Oh, if I had my daughter here, she could solve this in a few minutes. She spent her childhood in history books and the past forty years in Prothean ruins. If I had a tenth of her knowledge this would be easy.”
“So where is your daughter?”
“I don’t know.” Benezia turned to face her. “Her guard captain sent me a message two days ago, saying she and Liara were going on a last minute trip after their excursion on Therum, and that they would be out of touch for a while.”
“So we’re back to square one?”
“It might seem that way.” Benezia tapped her foot gently. “Come, we should probably take this conversation out of your head.”
------------------------------
Ashley blinked for a second as reality swam into view. “OK...that was trippy.”
“Well?” Saren asked impatiently. “Where is Shepard going?”
“In all likelihood? To find a weapon called ‘the Conduit’, on a world called ‘Ilos’.” Benezia told him straightforwardly. “None of which will make any sense until we go to the Citadel.”
“The Citadel?” Ashley was exasperated. “We just came from there.”
“Nevertheless, my daughter’s research works will be there, stored in the Council databanks in the Presidium libraries.” Benezia rolled down the sleeves of her jumpsuit. “I must confess, you have tickled my curiosity. Nihilus was an honourable soldier. If you need my help to avenge his death, you shall have it.”
“And your project here?” Saren indicated the classroom.
“The Shaman shall take over for now.” Benezia nodded thoughtfully. “She is wise, and the children love her. Besides, I know how you work, Saren. This will all be over in a few weeks. Then I shall return.”
A commotion outside interrupted their conversation. Wrex stormed in, his jaw set in a hard line. “My Lady, something dark is coming. Shadows on the horizon, shifting in the winds.”
Benezia moved fast. “Anything on the scanners?”
“No, but they’re calibrated for ground assault, not air invasion.”
The group rushed back out into the compound. The sun seemed to beat a little less harshly...for which Ashley would have given thanks if she hadn’t seen what was blocking it out.
An oddly insect shaped ship, about the size of a dropship, swooped in over the buildings. From the centre of its body, a hole opened, two dozen box shapes dropping into the compound. Saren’s eyes widened as he saw it. The same sight he had seen on a covert recon mission all those years ago. Geth. “PROTECT THE MATRIARCH!”
Benezia had different ideas. “PROTECT THE CHILDREN!”
Williams had already unfolded her assault rifle. “SHOOT THE BASTARDS!”
Mass Effect: Razor 10/? (Saren/Ashley)
anonymous
February 8 2013, 03:12:13 UTC
The krogan mercenaries were well trained, and it showed. They moved in synch, some rushing towards the cluster of splitplates, others rushing to cover Benezia, the rest feverishly working on manning the compounds sole AA gun.
Then the geth unfolded and opened fire. Three krogan fell in seconds, smoking from plasma fire. The rest returned fire in a vicious fusillade that turned half of the synthetics into smoking metal.
Ashley’s rifle whined as the heatsink cooked. Not even bothering to wait for the reload, Ashley dropped the useless stick and pulled out her shotgun in one hand and her pistol in the other. Guns akimbo, she fired in staggered bursts, waiting for one gun to cool down while shooting with the other.
A geth bearing a rocket launcher took advantage of the chaos, shooting a missile directly at Saren. At the last possible second, the turian saw it coming and leapt clear, the blast throwing him against the side of a pre-fab. The turian shook his head, dazed
One of the geth noticed the target of opportunity. Closing quickly with the turian, it placed its odd foot against his chest and levelled its smooth barrelled rifle.
Saren looked up into the barrel and waited for the end...
*BOOM*
...and then opened them again as the synthetic toppled off him, missing its head.
He felt a human hand grab him. Williams. “Come on, split jaw. We’re not finished yet.”
In seconds the fight was over. The geth were scrap metal, the dropship was flying away and the krogan were roaring with victory. Saren frowned. It had been too easy...surely there would be more...
=Saren, Saren can you hear me= Anderson’s voice interrupted his thoughts. =You’ve got an unidentified dropship inbound. We already took out the cruiser it launched from.=
So...the Normandy wasn’t completely useless... “Already dealt with, Anderson...thank you for your assistance. Saren out.”
He turned back toward Williams. “You ever seen a geth before?”
She shook her head. “Just in the history books and the vids. They haven’t been out of the Perseus Veil in centuries, right?”
“Correct.” Saren looked back at Benezia. “I’ll have to add it to my to do list. Deal with Shepard, then investigate sudden appearance of geth.”
Benezia nodded. “Agreed. We should leave quickly. I doubt the geth were after a simple krogan encampment. They were after either you or I. The sooner we leave, the sooner these people are out of danger.”
“Wait.” Wrex held up his hand. “Where the Matriarch goes, I go.”
“Wrex, that is not necess...”
“You have sown the seeds of hope for my people.” Wrex shook his head. “You MUST live. I am coming with you to ensure that you do.”
Benezia opened her mouth to refuse his offer, but Saren stepped in. “Agreed. Welcome to the crew.”
Ash suppressed a giggle at the put out expression on Benezia’s face. Ah well, so maybe the mission would have its highlights.
--------------
Shepard waited in the chamber, slowly cleaning her shotgun. She sat naked on the cold metal, her armour scattered around her. She had no other garments besides that armour, not that she cared. Things like that just seemed...petty. There was higher work to be done.
Footsteps lightly brushed across the metal behind her. “Report.”
Clearing her throat, the asari awkwardly spoke. “It seems there was an Alliance vessel, the Normandy, in orbit over Tuchanka when the cruiser jumped in. They got off a single dropship before they were destroyed. Forces on the ground likewise finished off the geth we sent.”
Shepard remained impassive. “Your mother is not in our hands?”
“And without her, finding Ilos will be increasingly difficult.” Another figure stepped out of the shadows. Kaidan still wore the bottom half of his undersuit, but his chest was likewise bare. “Where do we go?”
Shepard ignored them both for almost five minutes as she lovingly reassembled her weapon. Finally she spoke. “We continue as planned on all fronts. Our assault on Virmire will be more difficult without Benezia to aid us, but the geth are expendable. Once we have the krogan, we move on Noveria and seize the Queen. By then, Jenkins and his assault force on Feros should have produced results. Then we go to Ilos, and seize the Citadel.”
Mass Effect: Razor 11/? (Saren/Ashley)
anonymous
February 8 2013, 03:19:18 UTC
Liara nodded. “I will attend to Noveria personally. The Queen will require a firm hand to bring her in line.”
“Do what you must. Now leave me.” Shepard instructed her as she turned to Kaidan.
The biotic massaged his forehead with a grimace. Shepard noticed. “Your migraines?”
“Getting worse.” Kaidan admitted. “I prefer spending time down in the drive core...the ambient noise makes things a little more bearable.”
“I understand. I can move down there later.” Shepard turned away. “Are the reports true? Did the marine who accessed the beacon survive?”
“Unfortunately, yes. My contact also informed me that she was seen in the company of Spectre Saren Arterius.” Kaidan moved up behind her, slowly planting a kiss on her neck. “Shall I order a battlegroup to ambush the Normandy?”
Shepard flinched. “That would mean killing Anderson.”
Kaidan paused for a second, almost panicking. Anderson...Joker, his friends...how could he have forgotten about...
“Put out feelers through the Shadow Broker.” Shepard informed him bluntly. “He’ll come in line once he realises what’s about to happen. I want this marine dead...Saren too. And if Liara’s mother gets in the way...”
“I understand.” Kaidan’s hands snaked their way around her hips. “Will there be anything else?”
In a second, her mind flashed through all the necessary tasks yet to be done before the Return. She could not think of any.
THEN YOU MAY TAKE YOUR REST AND PLEASURE. EXCELLENT WORK.
She surrendered into Kaidan’s embrace.
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“I have it!” Benezia looked pleased with herself as she pulled up the documents on the interface. “My daughter’s first thesis, on the possible reality of Prothean mythology. She surmises that Ilos was indeed a real world, painted as a fairy tale castle in order to disguise it from potential enemies. Now we know that they were these ‘Reapers’.”
“Did your daughter write anything else?” Ashley was hoping for something a little more...like a map to the damn place.
“Much more.” Benezia nodded enthusiastically. “She theorises that the Muu Relay, also known as the ‘Great White Missing’ by some cultures, was the only relay by which Ilos could be reached. As a consequence, when it was lost or hidden, all contact to Ilos could be terminated.”
“So we’re still no closer.” Saren stood up from his chair. “This is a waste of time.”
“You will sit down, and you will listen.” Benezia didn’t even bother to glare at him, her tone was not one that brooked argument. “If my daughter’s research was correct, then only two pieces are needed to lay a road toward Ilos. The exact co-ordinates of the system, and the location of the Muu Relay.”
“And can you get those for us?”
Benezia frowned. “We’ll have to see. Give me a few hours, then we’ll talk.”
Saren wanted to point out that a few hours was a nebulous amount of time...but debating the Matriarch in regards to her timing was a waste of it. The asari just didn’t seem to understand the concept of meeting a deadline. Thousand year lifespans were clearly not good for an individual’s sense of urgency.
Ashley followed him out of the library. “You know, I think I like her more than I like you.”
“I don’t think it’s possible for me to state how little I care.” Saren replied brusquely, hoping she would shut up. “If your species cared more about solving problems than getting along with people, your grandfather might not have shamed your name at Shanxi.”
“Y’know, I think you’re twisting history a bit.” Ash shot back. “He surrendered because you were dropping shells from orbit on anything that moved. An illegal tactic in Citadel space, I’m told.”
“The laws mean nothing if they get in your way.”
“So you get to break them whenever you want...but call humanity reckless and irresponsible if we even bend them?” Williams did that odd human thing with her right eyebrow. “Care to explain that one.”
“Easy. Humanity is weak and unstable, I am not.”
Williams took a step back, as if seeing him for the first time. “Wow...an arrogant prick AND a colossal hypocrite, all in the one bundle. I’m impressed.”
No one got past the attackers. Seeing this, the garrison tried to flee the other way, only to come up against the drop where the loading dock ended. Some chose to take the chance, dropping away into the thick trees a good ten metres below. Others tried to look for rope, a ladder, anything...but once the three soldiers in armour arrived, it was all over.
Ashley fell back, step by step, her rifle red hot in her hands as she tried to squeeze a few extra rounds out of it, even as the butchers in front of her swept through the unarmed soldiers, weapons on full auto.
Then there was a horrifying sound, worse than the screaming around her. The awful click of a weapon jammed. Tilting her rifle, Ashley bashed at the side, cursing furiously as she tried to persuade the auto-clear system to do its job.
Back, back, back. The garrison troops were quickly understanding that it was fight or die. If they’d just had hardsuits, something to keep them alive for a few extra seconds while they returned fire, then maybe the three humans could have been halted. But the foe was unstoppable, their accuracy lethal, their co-ordination freakishly perfect.
Ash charged, her now useless weapon held high as a club. Maybe she could buy a few more seconds...
Yet another biotic explosion went off, Ashley catching the fringe. Even that was enough to send her flying backwards, landing just in front of the beacon. Getting back on her feet, she whipped up her sidearm, firing off seven rounds before the cheap heatsink began to whine.
“Come on, nugget.” One of the human’s in front of her, just a fresh faced kid underneath his helmet, grinned sadistically as he held his arms wide. “Have another go.”
Ashley gritted her teeth and waited for the weapon in her hand to cool. “Why are you doing this? You’re Alliance.”
The smile disappeared, to be replaced by an oddly sad expression. “I’m afraid...there’s not going to be an Alliance left in a little while.”
The bar on the rear of her pistol turned green, and Ashley took aim. “We’ll see about that.”
One, two, then the dull thud of the recoil made her take a step back into a more stable firing position. Three, four...
And then...
“THE OLD ONE’S MIND HAS LEFT US!” A voice screamed inside her brain. “OUR MESSAGE WAS TAINTED! YOU MUST CARRY IT! CARRY THE TRUTH! IT IS ALL WE CAN DO NOW! YOU ARE ALL THAT ANY OF US CAN DO!”
Then the images began. And Ashley screamed.
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Shepard nudged the unresponsive human with the tip of her boot. “And the beacon just exploded after that?”
“Affirmative, ma’am.” Jenkins levelled his rifle. “Shall I finish her off?”
“Negative, Corporal.” Shepard turned away. “That beacon would have turned her brain to mush without the correction. She’s as good as dead.”
Even as Jenkins growled his disappointment, Shepard turned her gaze toward Kaidan. The biotic was shaking slightly, his eyes dismayed as he looked at the destruction he had wrought. “What...what have we...?”
She needed a way to calm him, to keep him firmly on side. In retrospect, it was painfully obvious what he needed.
Stepping forward, she took him by the hand. “Lieutenant. Just think. A hundred here today, so that billions more may live.”
Nodding slowly, the Lieutenant turned back to her, his eyes once more emotionless. “Of course, Commander. What next?”
Shepard gestured to the ship in the valley. “Sovereign awakens. We should be going, there is a long journey ahead of us.”
The three soldiers moved fast, vanishing from the loading dock as quickly as they had come. The only sign of life was the feeble twitching of Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, sprawled out in front of the ruined beacon.
Silence had fallen.
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Councillor Sparatus shook his head. “His barriers were down...he was taken by complete surprise...he could never have predicted it.”
“Nihilus was paranoid to the point of obsession.” The turian turned to the councillor. “No one took him by surprise. Least of all a human.”
“He was going to her aid...she had been knocked unconscious by the beacon.” Sparatus rested a hand on the other turian’s shoulder. “She was not an enemy.”
“Clearly she has proved otherwise.” The turian gritted his teeth slightly. “How did she escape? Surely Anderson is not so incompetent as to...”
“There was a ship.” Sparatus replied. “An ancient Prothean vessel, we suspect. Shepard managed to reactivate it, then used it to wipe out entire brigade of Alliance Marines and one of our patrol cruisers in the Artemis Cluster. This is all...quite a mystery, Saren.”
Spectre Saren Arterius turned away from his student’s body, his face still reasonably controlled. “I trust we are assembling a fleet to go after her?”
“Saren...”
“Don’t!” The Spectre’s mask shattered, his rage showing through in a brief, blinding second. “Don’t tell me you’re letting her get away! Tell me that there’s a dreadnaught being readied to pursue her and bring her to justice! Better yet, tell me that the Destiny Ascension is under my personal command, I’ll go and get it done myself! Don’t tell me you’re giving up like a scratched quarian!”
Sparatus drew himself up, his own eyes narrowing. “You forget your place, Spectre.”
Saren wanted to snap back, break the older turian of his undeserved superiority...but that would get him nowhere. “Perhaps, sir, but you are forgetting the excellence of this soldier’s service. This cannot go unavenged. I will not allow it!”
Sparatus stared at him, half reluctant, the other half just as angry as his subordinate. “Walk with me.”
The last thing that Saren wanted to do was walk. Hunt, track, fight and kill were more his priorities. Nevertheless...
“The Council is worried, Saren.” Sparatus explained as they walked toward C-Sec headquarters. “We did our own assessment of Shepard. As volatile, unpredictable and brutal as she is, she was sane, and she was loyal. Much like yourself.”
Saren highly doubted that particular statement, but kept his silence.
“Her appointment to the Spectres would have been a boon to turian-human relations. It would finally have resolved the trade issues from the First Contact War and set humanity on the slow, steady path that we wish for them, rather than an impetuous charge that most of their leadership favours. First Shepard, then a few others. We might have eventually made up ten percent of the Spectre ranks with humans. It would have satisfied their leadership and given us some valuable operatives. Sadly, that is all in jeopardy.”
“And why should I care? They’re a primitive, and violent race.” Saren balefully eyed a human detective disappearing with his asari partner into an office. “Bad enough we make peace with them, invite them into our home, allow them to patrol our streets. I have never understood the fascination with appeasement.”
“Like it or not, Saren, the humans are our allies, and a damned sight more useful in battle than any of the others. Imagine if the krogan ever rose again, or a species with the might of the Rachni. Could you guarantee a turian victory?”
“Speculation is useless.”
“The Hierarchy disagrees. Hence, why we prompted Nihilus to recommend his choice of human soldiers for us. He chose well...at least we all thought he did.” Sparatus turned back to Saren. “We’re beginning to think that maybe the beacon did something. Made her mad...made her see things.”
“And why would you think that?”
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Saren flinched, recalling a dusty temple...and the obelisk... “No sir, we cannot.”
“Glad you see it my way.” Sparatus turned into a side corridor. “Now, let’s get on with this. Captain?”
“Councillor.” A deep voice acknowledged the politician, its owner stepping out of the shadows, brow furrowed in concern. Saren’s hackles were instantly raised.
“Captain Anderson.” The Spectre nodded in recognition. “Once again, the Alliance’s talent for rewarding incompetence remains unmatched.”
The human was unmoved by the insult. “Saren, I am here at the invitation of the Council. Should you feel that invitation was unwarranted, I can depart just as swiftly.”
Before Saren could agree, Sparatus intervened. “Captain, please. I am aware you two have history, but now is not the time for it.”
Saren was eager to disagree, but the Councillor’s patience was likely used up. No matter, Saren would just have to wait until later to rub Anderson’s newest failure in nice and deep.
“Shepard is loose. She has a ship capable of unknown levels of destruction, and the entire Terminus to hide in.” Anderson folded his arms behind his back. “There’s only one person in Council space that knows the Terminus well enough to hunt her down.”
“So I’m being sent after her?”
“Yes.” Sparatus nodded. “But you won’t be going alone. We need Shepard alive to interrogate, to find out what it was that the beacon did to her. And since, to put it mildly, you have a tendency to shoot everything that moves, we need you to be...accompanied.”
“So send Bau with me.” Saren replied irritably. “He’s practically a pacifist. We can deal with this with a minimum of bloodshed. And should the worst happen, he can always preserve her brain for scientific analysis.”
“If that ship possesses a tenth of the power we suspect, you won’t get anywhere near it.” Anderson informed him. “You need a vessel capable of sneaking up on her undetected, and people who have a vested interest in bringing her back breathing.”
Saren folded his arms. “I have a feeling I’m not going to like this.”
“We’re detaching you to serve under Captain Anderson’s command, aboard his vessel, the SSV Normandy. A stealth ship, first of her class.” Sparatus explained. “You’ll have full autonomy, and tactical command of the mission. Strategic command, however, belongs with Anderson. He has more...direct experience with this kind of mission.”
No one said it, but they all knew what the Councillor meant. Saren’s tendency to bring in live prisoners was...less than average.
“This is a bad idea.” The turian spoke bluntly. “If you’ll forgive my candour, Councillor, Captain Anderson has certainly proven a certain capability against...less elusive enemies....”
“How do I put this...?” Sparatus pondered the problem for a few seconds. “If we want Alliance support, Alliance intel, and more importantly, the Normandy to aid our hunt for Shepard, then turians and humans will be working together, with Anderson in command.”
Saren clenched his talons imperceptibly, but finally just nodded. “As you wish it, sir. Anderson is in command. For now.”
To his credit, Anderson barely reacted to the implication of the words. He’d always been hard to shake. Truth be told, he’d never even been that bad of an operator. But typically arrogant, reckless, overconfident and at the end of it all, unfit for Spectre status.
If Anderson wanted to bring in his protégé alive, Saren could take care of that. It was surprising just how many amputations, gunshot wounds, missing organs and burns humans could survive.
Saren simply stared back at the human officer. “Now, I believe I heard something about a survivor.”
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“Ma’am, I’m going to need you to calm down.” The asari C-Sec officer instructed her. “Now, can you tell me again what you observed...”
“You want to know what I saw?!” Ashley snarled back. “I saw three people. Three! I saw a man lifted a pair of rifles like sticks! I saw biotics that tore entire platoons apart! I saw a psychotic bitch kill thirty good men with a shotgun and a knife without even pausing for a coffee break.” She smacked the side of her head. “And then to top it all off, I saw a whole fucking heap of shit that I don’t even understand. Put me in a fucking coma.”
“Yes, but if you could explain what you saw in the beacon, that might explain why...”
“No, I saw billions of people screaming in pain and dying in droves. I saw...something. Something big, something dark.” Exhaustion showed through the cracks of the soldier’s rage. “Look...I don’t know if the asari have a word for it. But from what I know...what I saw comes from a lake of fire and drags people back down into it. I saw...hell. That’s the only word I got for it.”
The asari did not look at all satisfied by her explanation. “There must have been more than that. Were there instructions of some kind? Would you be willing to submit to a voluntary joining of the minds in order to ascertain the truth of the...”
Ashley leaned forward. “Lady, you take one step toward me and I’m going to break your nose. Politely.”
The door to the interrogation room opened and another alien walked in. This time it was a turian, though not in C-Sec kit. He was dressed entirely in grey and black armour, cutting an imposing figure against the drab uniforms of the Citadel cops. He looked over at the asari and simply nodded. “Leave. Your assistance is not required.”
The asari opened her mouth to protest...then shut it just as fast. “Yes sir!”
Ashley’s anger faded into the background, curiosity replacing it as she observed the newcomer. He didn’t walk like a cop, but he didn’t look like a soldier, either. Clearly above the asari, yet he wore no insignia of any kind.
The turian examined her in kind, alert grey eyes scanning her up and down. His mandibles parted, teeth bared slightly. “I couldn’t believe it when they told me who you were. General Williams’ granddaughter, here in the flesh. Sole survivor of her entire brigade. There’s something very fitting about that.”
Ashley folded her arms. “Who the fuck are you?”
“I’m the alien who beat your grandfather.”
Ash didn’t know turian facial expressions from pyjak migration patterns, but she could have sworn that the alien had a grin plastered over his feature. “Really? And who’s that?”
“He never mentioned it?” The turian began to walk around her. “No...I suppose I wouldn’t have either. Always an embarrassment when you lose a war. Saren Arterius. Spectre.”
“So it was a war after all? Strange how you guys always try to palm it off as the ‘Relay 314 Incident’.” Ashley took the seat vacated asari officer. “I’ve never heard of you. You come to ask me another bunch of bullshit questions about stuff I don’t even understand? ”
“No, just to deliver your marching orders.” Saren replied, his tone that of boredom. “You’re being transferred under my command, until the apprehension or death of Commander Shepard, Systems Alliance Navy.”
“Yeah?” Ashley’s rage flared back up, fresh and fast. “Well I don’t think I’m feeling like serving under a turian.”
Saren nodded. “That is good. You have hate, a lot of it. But the question is, who do you hate more? Turians who beat your grandfather? Or the humans who massacred your friends...your unit?”
Ashley remained silent.
“You’re not happy about this, I can see that.” The Spectre moved closer to her. “To be honest, I have very little use for you. Had you been competent, you might have managed to at least kill one of Shepard’s team, or keep some of your own friends alive. You did not.”
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I can see Ash and Saren butting heads, especially over the "I'm the Alien who beat your Grandfather." And what Saren just said.
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“It rarely is, for anyone, and yet there you are.” Saren shook his head. “Your real value to me, Gunnery Chief, is what is in your head. Like it or not, that beacon gave you information, information similar to that given to Shepard. And yet, while Shepard regained consciousness almost immediately and with a homicidal edge, you woke up two days later with almost no side effects. I need your head examined, Williams, and not by any of the amateurs here.”
Ashley continued to stare at him, chewing her lip slightly as she thought about it. “If not here...then where?”
“There is a friend of mine. A Matriarch who has experience with this, more than most of her kind. It is possible that she will be able to give us a reasonably accurate interpretation of whatever the Protheans left inside your head. With luck, there will be information that directs us toward Shepard.”
Ashley lowered her gaze, staring back down at her boots. “And when we find her?”
“I am aware that N7s are held to be particularly good, the best, even. But I’ve killed the best of many species before. We will track her, find her, and then take her down. Now, I can’t promise you her head, that’s going straight to the Council, but you can take your time with her subordinates, and handle any preliminary interrogations that you see fit.” The human penchant for revenge. Such an easy way to manipulate...but very understandable. His own code held revenge to be essential to maintaining order, but he could ignore it when he needed to.
“Deal.” The Marine stood up. “So where do we find this Matriarch?”
“Ah...” Saren nodded. “That part...you might not enjoy as much as the revenge.”
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“Millions of worlds in the galaxy.” Ashley grunted as she followed Saren. “Beach resorts by the handful, skyscrapers that go into low orbit...and we have to come to Tuchanka? Man, this place is so bad they don’t even have pics of it on the extranet.”
“You have a talent for complaining, really.” Saren was stoic about the heat, dust and potentially radioactive particles clinging to his armour. “Maybe you could complain about having to walk all this way?”
“Maybe I will?” Ashley growled back. “Why on earth does your asari friend have to come to Tuchanka?”
“She feels...obligation. Duty to those less fortunate than herself. Not something a human would understand, I’m sure.”
“What are you talking about?” Ash glared at him. “You hate it here as much as I do.”
Saren chose not to dignify her accusation with a response. He simply pointed. “Down there, cluster of pre-fabs. That’s where she’ll be.”
The climb down was almost as treacherous as the climb up from where the Normandy had dropped them. While technically just a simple pick up, Saren was not setting foot on Tuchanka without enough armour and weapons to fight off a thresher maw if need be. And so they walked, blessedly in silence this time.
She kept his pace...he’d give her that. “Your armour and weapons are terrible.”
Ashley blinked. First time he’d spoken to her about something non-mission related...and it was that? “Yeah, I know.”
“If you know, then why don’t you requisition better?”
“In the Alliance, only two groups get the good stuff. Special Forces and biotics.” Ashley shrugged. “Hell, I had to source my own armour. This was the best I could afford.”
Saren was silent. It just confirmed yet another of his theories about humans. Nothing he didn’t already know.
At the gate to the compound were a pair of krogan, both carrying high tech kit. SHE was probably splurging, pumping credits into a whole community, bolstering up education and local services. Always the good matriarch, always the wise teacher. Insufferable do goodery, really, but better he was her ally than enemy.
The gates opened slowly, with krogan weapons trained on him and the human as they walked through. On the other side, a massive krogan in deep red armour was standing, waiting for them. He growled slightly as he saw the turian. “Saren...”
“Wrex.” Saren greeted him neutrally. “Been too long.”
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Saren’s mandibles quirked slightly. “Better luck next time. Now where is she.”
“Right here.” A voice spoke from the entrance to the nearby pre-fab.
She was not dressed in her usual robes and headdress, but she was no less stately or magnificent for the plain overalls she wore. Descending down the short steps, she strode to Saren and embraced him warmly. “You are most welcome, my old friend.”
Saren was taken aback by her display of affection, awkwardly aware of Williams and her sniggering. It would take him a while to live this down. “Matriarch Benezia. It is...good to see you again.”
Benezia pulled away. “Likewise, Saren. And who is your companion?”
The human self consciously straightened up. “Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 2...of the SSV Normandy.”
Benezia’s face drained. “Then...the rumour’s are true. Nihilus is...”
“He’s dead.” Saren replied shortly. “I am tracking his killers. But to do that, I need the information salvaged from a Prothean Beacon. Information that the human has in her head.”
“Human has a name, split jaw.” Ash shot back.
“Please.” Benezia held up her hand. “Why don’t you both come inside. The children have finished class for the day.”
“Children?” Saren looked incredulous. “You are acting...as a teacher?”
“Saren, I think the krogan have earned the right to whatever education they wish.” Benezia’s eyes narrowed. “Unlike you, I grew up in the days when we remembered what they sacrificed for us.”
Saren had no wish to argue with her. She was always better with words. “Perhaps we could...?”
“Of course.” Benezia turned to Wrex. “The Shaman wishes you to instruct the children in the Rite of Challenge, as well as the Rite of Settlement today, in preparation for the Passage to the Hollows next month.”
Wrex bowed his head slightly. “As you command.”
Saren followed Benezia inside. “How much did you have to pay for his services?”
“Wrex? Not a credit, despite my insistence.” Benezia smiled. “He demanded that I simply add his fee to the cost of building this compound and properly arming it. It’s working wonderfully. This is neutral ground, partly because of our weapons, and partly because we picked up the allegiance of five or six major clans who are firmly on our side.”
“Ten years you’ve been down here.” Saren shook his head. “Seems like a waste of your time.”
“It is my time to waste.” Benezia sat cross legged on an elegantly woven carpet. “And now, I presume you wish me to meld with Chief Williams?”
“Yes, that’s the general idea.” Saren did not sit. “And I was hoping we might do this quickly.”
“In a minute.” Benezia turned to Ashley. “And you, Ashley? You have agreed to this?”
“Her agreement...” Saren began, but was silenced by the asari’s glare.
“Yes.” Ashley nodded, feeling a little smug over Saren’s sudden deference. “If you can find something in there that helps us kill them...then I’m fine with that.”
Benezia nodded, reaching out a hand to the side of Ashley’s head. “Be warned, Ashley. You may find this...strange.”
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Ashley gasped as she surged out of the water, hauling in mouthfuls of air as she struggled back onto the beach. She collapsed to her knees, retching slightly as she brought up seawater. “What...the fuck?”
“My apologies.” Benezia stepped out of the water alongside her. “I have been experimenting with easier ways of introducing the meld for the better part of two centuries. I find that the best thing to do is immediately introduce the subject to a situation of their choosing. In your case, this beach.”
Ashley glanced around. “This isn’t what the beacon showed me.”
“No, but I’ve had first hand experience with various artefacts such as the beacon you encountered. Experiencing a thousand memories at once can be an unpleasant experience. Better to view them from the outside, looking in. Are you ready to begin?”
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In an instant, the world changed. Ashley found herself walking through a battlefield. Around her, thousands of armoured figures battled against twisted, deformed shapes in the middle of a fog of war. Overhead, massive behemoths did battle against blocky cruisers. It was like the images she had experienced...but more clear, less terrifying and more informative.
“Interesting...” Benezia walked beside her, examining the figures. “My daughter would be fascinated by all of this...”
A voice rang out through the fog, the same one Ashley had heard when the beacon seized her. “THE REAPERS ARE UPON YOU. TAKE ARMS AND RALLY TO WAR. ASSEMBLE YOUR FLEETS AND PRAY TO YOUR GODS. ABOVE ALL, KEEP THE CITADEL SAFE. WE HAVE DONE OUR BEST, BUT YOU MUST SECURE OUR GREATEST WEAPON. FIND THE CONDUIT. FIND ILOS. MAY OUR SPIRITS AND WEAPONS GUIDE YOU TO VICTORY. AVENGE US!”
“This...is a lot clearer than before.” Ashley stared on with fascination as one of the massive ships lifted a tentacle and blasted away a cruiser.
“I have enough experience with the Prothean language and culture to interpret what you see.” Benezia frowned. “But there is far more than that. This is simply the top layer, easily available to anyone. There are deeper memories beneath. I can see co-ordinates, star charts, schematics for something. But there’s no way to access it.”
Ashley did her best to conceal her disappointment. “So there’s nothing to indicate where Shepard is going?”
“On the contrary, there is much there...just very little to piece it together.” Benezia looked frustrated. “Oh, if I had my daughter here, she could solve this in a few minutes. She spent her childhood in history books and the past forty years in Prothean ruins. If I had a tenth of her knowledge this would be easy.”
“So where is your daughter?”
“I don’t know.” Benezia turned to face her. “Her guard captain sent me a message two days ago, saying she and Liara were going on a last minute trip after their excursion on Therum, and that they would be out of touch for a while.”
“So we’re back to square one?”
“It might seem that way.” Benezia tapped her foot gently. “Come, we should probably take this conversation out of your head.”
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Ashley blinked for a second as reality swam into view. “OK...that was trippy.”
“Well?” Saren asked impatiently. “Where is Shepard going?”
“In all likelihood? To find a weapon called ‘the Conduit’, on a world called ‘Ilos’.” Benezia told him straightforwardly. “None of which will make any sense until we go to the Citadel.”
“The Citadel?” Ashley was exasperated. “We just came from there.”
“Nevertheless, my daughter’s research works will be there, stored in the Council databanks in the Presidium libraries.” Benezia rolled down the sleeves of her jumpsuit. “I must confess, you have tickled my curiosity. Nihilus was an honourable soldier. If you need my help to avenge his death, you shall have it.”
“And your project here?” Saren indicated the classroom.
“The Shaman shall take over for now.” Benezia nodded thoughtfully. “She is wise, and the children love her. Besides, I know how you work, Saren. This will all be over in a few weeks. Then I shall return.”
A commotion outside interrupted their conversation. Wrex stormed in, his jaw set in a hard line. “My Lady, something dark is coming. Shadows on the horizon, shifting in the winds.”
Benezia moved fast. “Anything on the scanners?”
“No, but they’re calibrated for ground assault, not air invasion.”
The group rushed back out into the compound. The sun seemed to beat a little less harshly...for which Ashley would have given thanks if she hadn’t seen what was blocking it out.
An oddly insect shaped ship, about the size of a dropship, swooped in over the buildings. From the centre of its body, a hole opened, two dozen box shapes dropping into the compound. Saren’s eyes widened as he saw it. The same sight he had seen on a covert recon mission all those years ago. Geth. “PROTECT THE MATRIARCH!”
Benezia had different ideas. “PROTECT THE CHILDREN!”
Williams had already unfolded her assault rifle. “SHOOT THE BASTARDS!”
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Love Ash's line, straight down to business "SHOOT THE BASTARDS!"
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Then the geth unfolded and opened fire. Three krogan fell in seconds, smoking from plasma fire. The rest returned fire in a vicious fusillade that turned half of the synthetics into smoking metal.
Ashley’s rifle whined as the heatsink cooked. Not even bothering to wait for the reload, Ashley dropped the useless stick and pulled out her shotgun in one hand and her pistol in the other. Guns akimbo, she fired in staggered bursts, waiting for one gun to cool down while shooting with the other.
A geth bearing a rocket launcher took advantage of the chaos, shooting a missile directly at Saren. At the last possible second, the turian saw it coming and leapt clear, the blast throwing him against the side of a pre-fab. The turian shook his head, dazed
One of the geth noticed the target of opportunity. Closing quickly with the turian, it placed its odd foot against his chest and levelled its smooth barrelled rifle.
Saren looked up into the barrel and waited for the end...
*BOOM*
...and then opened them again as the synthetic toppled off him, missing its head.
He felt a human hand grab him. Williams. “Come on, split jaw. We’re not finished yet.”
In seconds the fight was over. The geth were scrap metal, the dropship was flying away and the krogan were roaring with victory. Saren frowned. It had been too easy...surely there would be more...
=Saren, Saren can you hear me= Anderson’s voice interrupted his thoughts. =You’ve got an unidentified dropship inbound. We already took out the cruiser it launched from.=
So...the Normandy wasn’t completely useless... “Already dealt with, Anderson...thank you for your assistance. Saren out.”
He turned back toward Williams. “You ever seen a geth before?”
She shook her head. “Just in the history books and the vids. They haven’t been out of the Perseus Veil in centuries, right?”
“Correct.” Saren looked back at Benezia. “I’ll have to add it to my to do list. Deal with Shepard, then investigate sudden appearance of geth.”
Benezia nodded. “Agreed. We should leave quickly. I doubt the geth were after a simple krogan encampment. They were after either you or I. The sooner we leave, the sooner these people are out of danger.”
“Wait.” Wrex held up his hand. “Where the Matriarch goes, I go.”
“Wrex, that is not necess...”
“You have sown the seeds of hope for my people.” Wrex shook his head. “You MUST live. I am coming with you to ensure that you do.”
Benezia opened her mouth to refuse his offer, but Saren stepped in. “Agreed. Welcome to the crew.”
Ash suppressed a giggle at the put out expression on Benezia’s face. Ah well, so maybe the mission would have its highlights.
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Shepard waited in the chamber, slowly cleaning her shotgun. She sat naked on the cold metal, her armour scattered around her. She had no other garments besides that armour, not that she cared. Things like that just seemed...petty. There was higher work to be done.
Footsteps lightly brushed across the metal behind her. “Report.”
Clearing her throat, the asari awkwardly spoke. “It seems there was an Alliance vessel, the Normandy, in orbit over Tuchanka when the cruiser jumped in. They got off a single dropship before they were destroyed. Forces on the ground likewise finished off the geth we sent.”
Shepard remained impassive. “Your mother is not in our hands?”
“And without her, finding Ilos will be increasingly difficult.” Another figure stepped out of the shadows. Kaidan still wore the bottom half of his undersuit, but his chest was likewise bare. “Where do we go?”
Shepard ignored them both for almost five minutes as she lovingly reassembled her weapon. Finally she spoke. “We continue as planned on all fronts. Our assault on Virmire will be more difficult without Benezia to aid us, but the geth are expendable. Once we have the krogan, we move on Noveria and seize the Queen. By then, Jenkins and his assault force on Feros should have produced results. Then we go to Ilos, and seize the Citadel.”
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“Do what you must. Now leave me.” Shepard instructed her as she turned to Kaidan.
The biotic massaged his forehead with a grimace. Shepard noticed. “Your migraines?”
“Getting worse.” Kaidan admitted. “I prefer spending time down in the drive core...the ambient noise makes things a little more bearable.”
“I understand. I can move down there later.” Shepard turned away. “Are the reports true? Did the marine who accessed the beacon survive?”
“Unfortunately, yes. My contact also informed me that she was seen in the company of Spectre Saren Arterius.” Kaidan moved up behind her, slowly planting a kiss on her neck. “Shall I order a battlegroup to ambush the Normandy?”
Shepard flinched. “That would mean killing Anderson.”
Kaidan paused for a second, almost panicking. Anderson...Joker, his friends...how could he have forgotten about...
“Put out feelers through the Shadow Broker.” Shepard informed him bluntly. “He’ll come in line once he realises what’s about to happen. I want this marine dead...Saren too. And if Liara’s mother gets in the way...”
“I understand.” Kaidan’s hands snaked their way around her hips. “Will there be anything else?”
In a second, her mind flashed through all the necessary tasks yet to be done before the Return. She could not think of any.
THEN YOU MAY TAKE YOUR REST AND PLEASURE. EXCELLENT WORK.
She surrendered into Kaidan’s embrace.
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“I have it!” Benezia looked pleased with herself as she pulled up the documents on the interface. “My daughter’s first thesis, on the possible reality of Prothean mythology. She surmises that Ilos was indeed a real world, painted as a fairy tale castle in order to disguise it from potential enemies. Now we know that they were these ‘Reapers’.”
“Did your daughter write anything else?” Ashley was hoping for something a little more...like a map to the damn place.
“Much more.” Benezia nodded enthusiastically. “She theorises that the Muu Relay, also known as the ‘Great White Missing’ by some cultures, was the only relay by which Ilos could be reached. As a consequence, when it was lost or hidden, all contact to Ilos could be terminated.”
“So we’re still no closer.” Saren stood up from his chair. “This is a waste of time.”
“You will sit down, and you will listen.” Benezia didn’t even bother to glare at him, her tone was not one that brooked argument. “If my daughter’s research was correct, then only two pieces are needed to lay a road toward Ilos. The exact co-ordinates of the system, and the location of the Muu Relay.”
“And can you get those for us?”
Benezia frowned. “We’ll have to see. Give me a few hours, then we’ll talk.”
Saren wanted to point out that a few hours was a nebulous amount of time...but debating the Matriarch in regards to her timing was a waste of it. The asari just didn’t seem to understand the concept of meeting a deadline. Thousand year lifespans were clearly not good for an individual’s sense of urgency.
Ashley followed him out of the library. “You know, I think I like her more than I like you.”
“I don’t think it’s possible for me to state how little I care.” Saren replied brusquely, hoping she would shut up. “If your species cared more about solving problems than getting along with people, your grandfather might not have shamed your name at Shanxi.”
“Y’know, I think you’re twisting history a bit.” Ash shot back. “He surrendered because you were dropping shells from orbit on anything that moved. An illegal tactic in Citadel space, I’m told.”
“The laws mean nothing if they get in your way.”
“So you get to break them whenever you want...but call humanity reckless and irresponsible if we even bend them?” Williams did that odd human thing with her right eyebrow. “Care to explain that one.”
“Easy. Humanity is weak and unstable, I am not.”
Williams took a step back, as if seeing him for the first time. “Wow...an arrogant prick AND a colossal hypocrite, all in the one bundle. I’m impressed.”
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