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Post by Vynx on May 18, 2009 0:34:22 GMT -5
Date: March 31st, 2184 _
Location: Somewhere near the boarders of the Terminus Systems; _
Unregistered Pirate Vessel: "The Ravenheart" - 21:43 Hours _
"You're a dumbass Saul!" Exclaimed Johnson. "Out of all the things you've ever done, this is the most stupid idea you've ever come up with!"
"Says you." I replied. "Those bastards stole something that was important to me, so you can bet your ass that I'm going to steal something that's important to them."
"This is suicide Human." Said Riahr, blinking his large, Salarian eyes. "You are suggesting that we infiltrate a fully fortified Batarian Base in the Terminus Systems with a team of less than 20 men. What you are proposing is insanity!"
"You're wrong." Said Leon. "If everything goes according to plan, we'll be able to sneak in, steal the ship, and maybe even take a few hostages with limited to no casualties... actually, this is genius!"
"But still..." replied Riahr. "Daring as this plan is, we are leaving too many things to chance. If one thing goes wrong... we are going to get slaughtered."
The entire crew is all standing around a huge round table in the briefing room of the Ravenheart. Strewn about said table are various maps, coffee mugs, pencils, pens, mapping tools, etc.
"Honestly though, don't you think this is a little more than worth the risk?" Asked Sniknej. "I mean think about it. The Batarians devoted a solid Trillion credits to this ship - that's fifteen zeros! Fifteen! That's more than we've taken in all of our raids combined!
"Not to mention more than I've ever seen in my life..." I commented, triggering a chuckle from Allan. "I think we get it: this is going to be the heist of the century." I continued, nodding my head. "But there's only one thing I can see going wrong... and that's our initial diversion."
"What?" Asked Riahr. "The initial diversion seemed like the only thing that was sure to work when I looked at it."
"Still..." Began Jacob. "To think this could all have been avoided if we didn't try to raid that ship... Those bastards were waiting for us... Once it was too late for us to just turn around and go, they stung us."
"They totaled this ship, and they're not going to get away with it." I said. "I'm going in there and stealing that prototype if its the last thing I do."
"Man... Its going to be hard to say goodbye to this ship... after all we've been through." said Sniknej.
"I know," added Allan. "We've had some really good times with this baby. Its going to be tough getting used to a new ship."
"I should know..." I said, interjecting. "I built this beauty with my own two hands... And now, thanks to the Batarians, she's beyond repair. There's nothing else we can do." I said. "She's had a good run, but we're going to crash her into the facility to cause the diversion."
"And that is phase one." Said Derrick. "We should go over the rest of the plan. Just to be safe."
"I'm getting to it." I began. "Kirrahe." I said, calling to the Salarian. "Do you think the Kinetic Barriers will work?"
"Positive." Replied the Salarian confidently. "I installed them myself. Crude, maybe. But effective, surely."
"We'll abandon ship in the escape pods once we set her to autopilot. The course I plotted will send the Ravenheart through the atmosphere." I said. "The Kinetic barrier generators we installed--"
"I installed." Interrupted Riahr.
"Excuse me, Kirrahe installed." I continued. "Regardless, they'll protect what's left of the Ravenheart as she enters the atmosphere. Granted its not much of an atmosphere, but given her condition, too little shielding will break her apart before she hits the ground. We were able to do just enough so that this would be possible... this ship is barely holding together."
"No doubt the Batarians will defend themselves however." Said Derrick.
"The Kinetic Barriers will repel the fire too." answered Ayame. "That's also what they're there for."
"We all contributed a large sum of money, and I put a lot of time into those barriers." Continued Riahr. "If they work right, not only will they get the Ravenheart through the atmosphere, but she will also be able to take anything that those four-eyed scoundrels can throw at her. By the time she has had enough, The Ravenheart will be too close to the ground for them to stop what she is trying to do."
"I love this more and more every time I think about it." I said.
"Not for nothing human," Riahr added, "but I just have to say that the idea of crashing a ship into a building just to cause a diversion is a little extreme."
"Extreme?" I asked. "Extreme he says!"
"Hold on." interrupted Allan. "The Ravenheart will crash here, right?" Asked Allan, pointing a pen at the center of the map. "Smack in the middle of the facility."
"Bingo." I said, circling the highlighted area with my pen.
"That's a good idea." Continued Allan. "According to this map, a lot of the facility's crucial systems are based around there. Once the Ravenheart hits, I'm guessing that most of the defense garrison will be focused on putting out fires and making sure life-support doesn't fail."
"But that is the problem," said Riahr. "Suppose they do not divert defensive forces to 'putting out fires.' I do not know about you human, but I would rather not take the risk of trading blows with the entire defense garrison.
"Which is why we use a second diversion." Came a deep, bellowing voice.
Everyone looks over to the left wall of the room, to see Karsakien Fivrelm (who had remained completely silent this entire time) walk over to the table with the rest of the crew.
"Give me that pen." He said, pointing to a blue pen on the table, and picking up a red and green one that both happened to be near him. Leon handed him the blue one he had requested.
"We split into three teams." The Krogan began, turning in my direction to talk to me. "I'll leave who's where to you Franklin."
"Go on." I said, crossing my arms expectantly.
"Red Team and Green Team will split up once they get close enough to the facility." He continued, using the red and green pens to draw arrows to supplement his explanation. "You guys will go up and push in over here to draw attention. You got that Franklin?"
I nodded. The idea sounded good so far.
"Now, the Blue Team will be Franklin's team: While this is all going on down here and the Batarians send troops towards the Red and Green teams, the Blue Team will land in the escape pods over here." Said Fivrelm, marking a location with a blue circle. "Franklin, you and your boys will sneak in through the back while the Batarians're distracted."
"So a sort of 'Anaconda' Strategy is what you're suggesting? Surround and squeeze?" Asked Ayame.
"I'm not done yet," Replied the Krogan, turning around to face Ayame.
Fivrelm then turned around and continued.
"These plans say that this factory is also a prison, and I think we all know about how Batarians love to take prisoners."
This comment triggered a laugh from all of the crew members.
"Franklin's team goes in the back and frees the prisoners. You figure that if there're at least five guys in these cells, we can arm them and make them fight with us."
"That's a good idea." Agreed Derrick.
"Wish I'd thought of that." Added Johnson. "But still..."
"Franklin and the rest of Blue Team frees the prisoners. After that, Blue Team comes out - with the freed prisoners - behind the Batarians that are already busy with the Red and Green Teams. We'll trap them. The poor bastards'll be surrounded, and when faced with a two-pronged attack, they won't know where to turn. We can mow them down easily."
"Genius..." I said, my mouth hanging. "That's... freakin' genius..."
The normally "mentally-unstable" Krogan had just created a brilliant plan of attack. If done correctly, there was no way that we could fail. The satisfied juggernaut dropped the pens on the table, picking up a black pen, and drawing an arrow to a large room labeled "Large Hangar."
"After we meet up, we go together, checking for traps. Now because of where we busted in, getting to the hangar should be easy. Considering all of the hackers we've got here, you figure getting into that ship and getting it off the ground'll be no problem."
To this last bullet point, the Krogan nonchalantly flipped the pen out of his hand, and it gently landed on the table under him.
"Mission accomplished." He said.
---
Riahr to himself:
"I still think this is suicide........ But as long as I am in blue team, I should be safe. And when will Franklin stop calling me 'Kirrahe'? I'd prefer not to use that title anymore. I don't deserve to be related to my brother, not even in name."
---
Jacob wasn't a fan of this mission, it didn't seem that he could blow up anything. He didn't like the idea of baiting the Batarians out, they were monsters that he could easily take out with explosives. However, that could mean the lost of some humans they had taken prisoner and Jacob didn't like that either. The mission did have some value to him personally, he could potentially find out if these Batarians had any connection to the ones that attack Mindoir, he may be able to find out where his friend was taken.
The Salarian, Riahr, seemed nervous about this mission, not surprising considering they seemed like fragile beings. Jacob slide his hand over his grenades, a habit he picked up when around non-humans, it frighten a few of them. Jacob sighed, this mission could be suicide and if Jacob was going out, he was going to go out with a bang.
---
[Leon] I would follow Saul on any mission and this is no exception. I gather my my equipment and prepare for the mission. I'm not sure why the salarian was against this plan; he could be scared, or nervous thats all. By the looks of him, Riahr has some skill with a rifle, so I trust him with my life on this mission and would be honored to have him on my team.
---
Allan takes another swig from his coffee mug and looks at the captain.
"So...what are the teams, Saul?"
---
[Ayame] Hey ill go with the blue team and keep the weapons for the prisoners. I'll also cover the rear of the team.
---
"Well, if we are accepting volunteers here, then you better take me on blue as well. No one in this room is going to get through batarian encryption quicker than me. It's likely they have those cells locked down nice and tight."
Allan smiled.
"Lucky for us, the batarians aren't much for complex code. It shouldn't take me long."
---
Derrick begins to adjust his armor and check his inventory with mounting excitement.
"If no one objects I will be more then happy to lead Green Team. With me and JR, if he's willing, and some one to give us support we should be able to hit em with the big stuff from further away and make them think they are facing a much larger attack force. But I don't mind you putting me where ever. I just want to spill some Batarian blood."
---
"Thanks for showing some love for other parts of the color spectrum, Derrick."
Allan looks at Ayame.
"Sure you don't wanna go with Derrick, Ay?"
Allan raises his eyebrows.
---
[Ayame] Don't make me shoot you. It be fun as long as you don't get the squad killed by eying me.
---
[Allan] "Ay....I'm gonna tell you something about me, and you probably should have picked up on this by now. I'm very good at multitasking."
---
[Riahr] "Ayame, the key to blue team's mission is getting to the prison without firing a shot. The group will need to be as quiet and unnoticeable as possible. If you're already close to pulling the trigger, maybe you should think about going with green or red team......."
---
Derrick let's out a sigh at the two bickering, "Ayame, don't let Allen get to you. In fact he does have a point. With you covering JR and I with your sniper rifle, we should be able to drop holy hell on anyone who gets in our way with my grenades and whatever JR might be able to rig up. Also if it gets intense and we have to switch to up close and personal with these guys you would be able to move up and help with the assault rifle while JR is able to pick them off with his own sniper rifle. We should be able to handle anything that comes our way."
---
"Ok, ok, lets focus on the task at hand: it appears that i wont be needed on blue team, so i will take charge of the red team. I'll be able to mount a good resistance against the batarians once inside. with the help of a good support team, we should be able to give Saul and blue team enough time to free the prisoners and get to the hanger where we will meet them and get the hell out of there."
(Leon is itching to get the show on the road. he hasn't seen much action in a while and is getting a little trigger happy. This makes him uneasy because he is normally calm and collected, even before fighting.)
---
"Before we do anything, we should wait for Saul. Until then, I'm going back to my room and resting before our advance."
Leon gathers his equipment and returns to his room for the time being to rest until Commander Saul returns.
---
[Allan] "Sure. We'll wait. It's not like out ship is falling apart or anything."
---
[Ayame] Fine ill stick back and pick off some guards. Then work my way forward to the front line to give covering fire. So i guess ill go with green team.
---
"Also I'd like to be a part of red team as it reminds me of blood and fighting," Karsakien laughs eerily.
---
[Saul] I walk back into the room with a new pot of coffee, just in time to see Leon moving to walk out. I stop him with the full mug I am holding in my right hand.
"Just where do you think you're going pal?" I asked him.
"I'm going back to my room and resting before our advance." He replied.
"No you're not." I said.
"What?" Leon answered, "Why not?"
"Because there's nothing there." I answered.
"...What do you mean?" He asked, a little confused.
Derrick, Fivrelm, and Johnson all laugh at this, knowing what I was talking about. I look nonchalantly back at Leon and begin to explain.
"Well, let me think..." I started. "This ship's going to become little more than sub-atomic particles in a few hours if I remember correctly. Knowing that, I'd say there's no need to make her take all of the useful stuff we have on board up to the big shipyard in the sky with her, am I right? See, me and some of the other boys stripped it of anything valuable and stored it all back at central command before we left."
I take a sip from the mug in my hand. I smirk, and continue.
"Think about it. We could use a lot of the stuff we had on this ship for later, am I right? Like for instance, the bunks in the on-board quarters are going to be broken down into raw materials for us to use when we need them. To take another example, the keyboards, the batteries, the lightbulbs... there's a lot of stuff that we used on this baby that we could still use, and it'll help the new ship feel more like home right away. Of course, if you stayed up with us two nights ago, you'd know this yourself. Now get back to the table."
I turn Leon around and together we walk back to the table.
"So, any volunteers for who's going where?" I asked as I walked.
***EVERYONE RESPONDS***
"Excellent... so everyone knows where they're going?"
Everyone nods and gives their words of assent.
"I think I've got this right..." I finally said. So this is how the teams look:"
Red Team
Leon Sentarious (Leader)
Karsakien Fivrelm
Shawn Johnson (Human Infiltrator)
George McClay (Human Soldier)
Wayne Elmer (Human Sentinel)
Jin Takahari (Human Engineer)
Green Team
Derrick Crowe (Leader)
Jacob Rose
Ayame Kuroskai
Conan Rudolph (Human Adept)
Kiyo Tanaka (Human Soldier)
Jason Morris (Human Infiltrator)
Blue Team
Saul Franklin (Leader)
Riahr Kirrahe
Allan Jacobs
Larry Sniknej (Human Soldier)
Denise Joyce (Human Vanguard)
Yasir Abdul (Human Engineer)
"They all seem pretty solid." I said. "I'm looking for balance here, and it seems that you guys looked for it too. The only things we're really missing are Biotics... but then again, what else is new?"
"I'm not going to lie," commented Ayame. "This is better than any April Fool's prank I've ever come up with!"
"She's right," said Allan. "Those four-eyed bums will never know what hit them."
"Just one question Saul." Asked Sniknej. "Why can't we drop down in the Mako units? Why do we have to use the escape pods and hit them on foot? If we used those tanks, we wouldn't have to worry so much about getting picked off."
"I could answer that for you." Replied Derrick. "The Mako is too conspicuous. Besides, what do you think will be harder for them to hit? Three tanks, or eighteen well-trained footsoldiers?"
"He's right." I said. "Besides, there's not much chance that we'd be able to recover them after we steal the ship. After all the trouble I went through to get three of them, I'd rather not waste them on a mission where I know we won't be getting them back. The escape pods we can detonate by remote when we steal the ship, but I wouldn't want to do that to a Mako... they're useful."
I take a deep breath. It was true that we would be taking a major risk by trying this plan, but our premeditation would without a doubt save us both risk and time.
"Abdul..." I began. "I need a number crunch here. What are our odds?"
"Just a sec..." He said, turning on his Omni-tool. "...Got it. I'm getting a... 32.33 - repeating of course - percentage of failure... but that's counting if they're ready for us."
"Which they probably will be." Commented Riahr, still unconvinced. "With this boondoggle you call a 'plan,' we still have a 1 in 3 chance of getting wiped out... I hope you know what you are doing Saul."
"Of course I know what I'm doing." I said. "Just be ready for a tie score."
"He is right though." Said Jacob. "A 1 in 3 chance of failure is really taking a gamble."
"So the odds are a little worse than what we usually get." I said, stroking my chin. "Big deal. But keep in mind that this ship is being built specifically for the Batarian government, so of course this is going to be tough. Still, I think we can do this."
The room fell silent for a second. To be honest, I was unable to tell if the silence was caused by confidence, or by a sudden intrusion of doubt over our odds. Not wanting to let doubt interfere with my thought process, I decide to speak up.
"I think that takes care of everything we need to know. Make sure everything is in order and get into your positions. We strike in an hour." I finished.
I was the first to leave the room, heading towards the bridge to prepare for the diversionary strike.
---
Allan finishes the dregs of his coffee.
"Well...we've got a prison break and a heist all in a couple of hours. It's stuff legends are made of... I guess."
Allan puts down his cup.
"Just say the word."
---
"Just remember, get in the way of my bullets and you'll be ash in a matter of seconds," grumbled Karsakien.
---
Riahr stares into the distance quietly.
"The plan does seem to be shaping up nicely," He think to himself, "And I am in blue team. Maybe Saul was right, maybe we really can- no, no, can't think like that. I can't admit Saul is right. That would make the score 33-33, and I can't give up my lead so quickly. Besides, a one in three chance of survival is far from promising. If I am still breathing in 24 hours, maybe I will admit Saul was right. Maybe."
"I will go prepare my gear then." Riahr says out loud, and gets up to leave the room.
---
Karsakien goes off with Leon. "You better know what your doing............ leader, grrr a human in charge of a krogan! Its unthinkable! The only Human I'd allow to be in charge of me is Saul."
---
[Leon] "Don't worry Fivrelm, I know exactly what I'm doing; I've done more missions like this than you could even imagine. I hope that you'll be able to keep up."
I check my scope calibrations and the action on my sniper rifle and walk over to the table with the map of the Batarians' ship and look for all ventilation shafts, side passages, and anything else that could help in navigating the ship. I then sit down and await Saul's order to go forth with the attack.
---
[Karsakien] "Me keep up? You cheeky bastard, boy the day I have to keep up with you is the day I die."
---
Jacob was in the same team as Ayame, it was not what he really wanted, but he had to deal with it. Jacob made sure he was set for the mission, his skills would be more suited to distraction due to his expertise in explosives, he should be able to keep the Batarians guessing.
---
Allan looks at Saul.
"So what are we supposed to do with the prisoners once we free them? I mean, I get they're likely to help us against the batarians, but what about after that? Are we just going to Shanghai them into our crew? Are we gonna play taxi service and drop them off or what?"
---
[Ayame] "This should be a blast." Cleaning her guns for the mission. Anyone got a beer?
---
Date: March 31st, 2184 _
Location: Somewhere near Planet Maraaq IV, out of scanner range, Terminus Systems; _
Unregistered Pirate Vessel: "The Ravenheart" - 23:47 Hours _
The crew had all moved to the escape pods, ready to put the plan into action. I however, am standing at the ship’s bridge with Allan, watching Riahr make the final preparations for the diversionary strike. Riahr was sitting at the helm, getting the ship moving along.
"Setting course..." Began the Salarian. "Reaching maximum non-FTL speed."
"This is it." Said Allan. "Time for 'Operation Retribution' to begin."
"Course plotted..." Continued Riahr. "Activating autopilot... now."
"Let's make it happen!" I said. "Initiating Phase 1!"
"Engaging security systems..." said Riahr. "Security locks and firewall engaged."
To this, Riahr pushed a small green button on the piloting console. All of the specifications for the plan were set - there was no turning back. Riahr rose from his seat and looked at me once everything was in order.
"We have twenty minutes." He began. "We have masked the escape pods from sensors. The Batarians will not find them until well after we make planetfall."
"Good." Allan responded. "Just as we planned."
After Allan's acknowledgement, the three of us stood there for a few seconds, not saying a word, until I finally broke the silence.
“She is still a fine ship… even if she can't fight anymore." I said, looking at the ceiling with a slight exhale-chuckle. "The inside still looks about as good as it did during her maiden voyage."
"We did always keep her in good condition," added Allan.
To this, Riahr only looked at the ground, not knowing how to react.
"I know this is strange for me to be talking like this, but... this is a little hard for me." I continued. "I've had this ship since I started out here... I wish there was another way, but we need a new ship. If we ever got jumped on a run with the Ravenheart as it is now… we’d get killed… and you can bet that Mursai wouldn’t show us any mercy if he found an advantage he could exploit.
I know I'd do the same thing if it meant destroying that bastard once and for all.” I finished.
Upon my monologue's end, Riahr rose his head. It seemed that a sudden revelation had just crossed his mind.
“Now that you mention the Turian..." He said. "I just realized that our paths have not crossed in a while..."
“You're right! " Allan said. "Wow. I forgot all about him!"
Allan then stroked his chin, thinking.
"Well, now that I think about it, its been about three weeks." He said. "But then again, that's the average amount of time that we go without bumping into him."
"Three weeks is the average..." I agreed, my mood immediately changing from somber to dreadful. "Dammit... we're going to see him as soon as we pull off this heist, aren't we?"
"When you see someone often enough," Allan added, you start to sense when they're around. Call me crazy, but I'll almost guarantee you that he'll be rearing his ugly Turian head sometime soon. Not right after this mission... but soon. I can feel it.”
To this, the three of us looked at the floor, as a brief moment of nervousness about the future entered our thoughts. Not wanting us to lose focus, Allan spoke up.
"I... I never thought that we would see the Ravenheart go like this." Allan said. "If she was going to be destroyed, I always thought that we'd go down with her."
"I know that this is what needs to be done human," Riahr remarked, addressing me. "But I do wish that we could have made a more dignified end for a ship that your team has so many memories with."
"I wish that too, Kirrahe." I said, looking up from the floor to view the starry abyss just outside. "After we built this ship... OUR ship... and after all we've done - all of the blood, sweat, and tears that've gone into this operation over these past few years - I'm going to be honest to you two: it hurts. I don't care if you call me a crybaby or not, its hard to say goodbye to all the memories I have of this ship."
My two comrades understood, and allowed me my second of tranquility.
I took a deep breath. I was getting a little worked up, and that was out of character for me.
I could not afford to be emotional - I was a leader. I rarely, if ever got like this, but I could not let a moment of sentimentality cloud my judgement. The Batarians attacked and rendered my ship beyond repair. In response, I had to go steal a new one from them as compensation. Payback; an eye for an eye. It was that simple. I had to keep it that simple if this plan was to succeed.
The repreieve was over. Knowing that it was time, I shook my head, turning to Riahr and Allan.
"Now that's enough reminiscing! What're we sitting here talking for?" I said, regaining my usual tone. "We need to get to the Escape Pods!"
Riahr and Allan just looked at me, making sure that I was ready to move. I tapped them both on the shoulder, and turned them around.
"C'mon! Time's a wastin'! Lets move, or we're going to run behind schedule!"
With a push forward from me, the two walked away to the escape pod, ready to begin.
I however, stayed back for a few seconds longer.
I looked around, observing for the last time the ship we had built; just taking in all of the past memories - six years - in one final moment. I finally turned around behind me, looking down at the command console where Riahr always used to sit, which was always the heart of the ship in my eyes. With a final, silent sigh, I gently bowed down to the central dashboard, and kissed it.
"I'm gonna miss you baby." I said. "Give 'em hell for us..."
I took a few steps forward, turning around for a second to look back, and take a final glance at the Ravenheart's bridge.
"Goodbye, Ravenheart." I said as I turned back around.
With a feeling of unmatched resolve beginning to well up inside of me, I walked towards the escape pods, ready for the mission to begin.
Eventually, I reached the escape pods. The others were already inside, and the teams were ready to begin. I climbed into the pod with the Blue Team, and closed the hatch. The escape pods were jettisoned, and we made our way down to the planet, leaving the Ravenheart by itself as it neared Maraaq IV's airspace.
The pods entered the atmosphere without a hitch, and as we neared the ground, I opened up a communications channel with the other pods.
"Phase 1 is almost complete. Are we ready to begin Phase II?
"Green Team is ready." Came Derrick's voice.
"Red Team is good to go." Said Leon.
"Its time to synchronize watches..." I said. "Set time... 00:00 Hours. Changing to 00:01 in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."
"Done." Came Derrick.
"Watches set." Came Leon, at the exact same time as Derrick.
"We have synchronization." I said. "April 1st... 00:01 Hours... Happy April Fool's Day."
---
Allan looked around the pod.
"Well...reentry in an escape pod. This should be fun."
---
As Riahr prepared to enter the escape pod, he took one last look at the interior of the Ravenheart. Time seemed to stop. This ship had been his home for a few years now. It had been his shield from incarceration and possible execution by Salarian patrols. The thought of never seeing it again, never piloting it again, never feeling the familiar rumble as the ship slipped into FTL speeds again seemed..... impossible. Riahr looked over at Saul in the escape pod. For a split second, Riahr saw his brother sitting exactly where Saul had been. Riahr blinked, and his brother was gone.
"Loss is a terrible thing," Riahr thought as the escape pod left the ship.
---
I took one last look at the main deck and reminisced with myself about all of the missions we went on and the time we spent on the Ravenheart, and then put it out of my mind and focused on the task at hand. As the door to the escape pod closed, i began to go over the mission plan in my head, thinking about the possible outcomes to this. I feel we have a good chance of getting everyone out alive, but deep down i know there will be some casualties. The escape pods eject from the Ravenheart and begin moving toward the atmosphere.
Leon to Red Team- "Stick to the plan and everyone will get out of here just fine. Stay close and watch each others backs. If things go to hell down there i just want to say that its been an honor serving with all of you." There is a loud roaring as the escape pod enters the atmosphere. "Get ready for Phase II. Brace for impact!"
---
[Ayame] Thinking back on how she met Saul and reflected on it. "Everyone stay out of my firing zones I can say and pray that you all will come back alive." Then closes her eyes and waits for the landing.
---
[Leon] I open up a com link to Blue Team's escape pod and say "Elevation is approximately 16,000 ft. Estimated drop time in two minutes. What are your orders, once we land Saul?"
---
The pod door seals shut and I allow myself to let my body relax to let any sort of tension out. I slow my breathing to light steady breaths that allow my hammering heart to slow down a little. I can sense the others around him preparing their own selves for the upcoming battle. Letting go of all the other thoughts in my head, I ready my mind for battle. Opening my eyes I look about the "Green" team. Doubt tries to enter when the realization that some, if not all, but hopefully none, will be continuing on with Saul and his crew. I quickly push that thought away.
They are all good soldiers and good friends, I thought. They will do their jobs well or die trying.
Looking around I see that JR is running his fingers over the keepsakes left to him by his parents. His faraway look tells me that something might be bothering him. Even being cramped together in one of the Ravenhearts escape pods with five other people he still seams to be sitting by himself. Hopefully JR would keep a cool head when we hit the ground, he's a fine fighter but often seems too enthusiastic about his bombs.
Ayame on the other hand looked cool as a cucumber. I thinkback on the time when she joined the crew. Being one of the better things to look at on the ship, I always liked being around her. If it wasn't for Allen's hairbrained idea thatAyame and I were made for each other and with his ongoing"plan" to get us together, coupled with a sense I got that she just didn't trust me, I would have hoped for a closer friendship. But if it couldn't be that I'd be more then happy to have her at my side in battle. Her smaller frame was as deadly as most of the larger soldiers I had known, and knew that she would be a steady rock for the team when the going got tough.
To her left was Conan Rudolph, one of the more guarded crewmates. Conan was older then the other humans on board. At 47 his crewcut (cut at Alliance regulation length) was now moving more towards grey then the natural red it used to be. Being one of the L2 Biotics he experiences horrible headaches and nosebleeds when pushing his biotic abilities. Sometimes though it does prove useful in battle. I remembered one time during one of the pitched battles between Saul's crew and Mursai's. How Conan was able to frighten 3 of the enemy crew into running away at the sight of a 6 foot bear of a man, streaming blood out of his nose while throwing a Warp their way. Nobody except Saul knows his story and the Captain respects his privacy and his decision. Jason and Kiyo were next. Kiyo's eyes were shining with excitement while Jason was the exact opposite. His brow drenched with sweat, his eyes clenched tightly shut.
"C'mon Jason. Loosen up." Kiyo said, smiling. "When we hit planetside you got nothing to worry about. Derrick, 'The Human Krogan' is our leader for this op. He'll make sure none of those four-eyed weasels even get a shot at you, right boss?" He turned his smile to me where it fell off his face. I really hate that nickname, and he knows it. The look I gave him reminded him of this fact and he quickly looked away.
"It's not the battle that's bugging me, although it's not something I'm looking forward too. It's having to rely on this little sardine can taking us through reentry, and landing us in the predesignated spot with no pilot. Just some coordinates programmed into the computer by that Salarian Pipsqueek." The sweat was now rolling down his face. "Why couldn't we have just jacked some other pirates ship instead of doing this suicide mission?" Jason had been one of the only ones, along with Kirrahe, who opposed of Saul's plan. His ugly feelings towards the other races prevented him from seeing that they at least thought alike.
"Cut the talk, Morris." I didn't want his negativity infecting my team. "We are hitting the atmosphere in 10 seconds and will be on the ground soon after so knock that shit off." The pod shook violently as if to drive that point home, even though it was just the reentry. After the first few jolts it steadied into a slight shudder. "I want us to give them no mercy. Hit them hard and fast. Try not to focus fire on any groups unless you need to. Spread your shot around at first to give them the idea that we are a huge strike force, not a team of five." I was having to speak up over the vibration the shook the pod. "After they send more units our way to make up for this we hold them until Red team says so, then I want a controlled push after them to mop up the leftovers. Stick to this plan and we'll all be having drinks on the new ship in no time." I allow myself to smile for them to see that while this would be tricky it's nothing they should worry about.
"Everyone stay out of my firing zones and I can say and pray that you all will come back alive." Says Ayame as she closes her eyes, awaiting the landing. Leave it to her to always brighten the mood, I think to myself.
---
"If any of us get out of this alive, I'm buying you all a beer" said Karsakien.
---
Jacob had no desire to follow the lead of someone else. He followed Saul because it was his ship, Jacob was going to look out for himself first and foremost. After all, he was suppose to be a distraction for Saul's team. Jacob touched his armor, underneath was the crystal necklace. To those other then himself it would look like he was praying, but he was not religious; it was just a habit he had picked up.
Jacob had lost all faith in a higer power after the Raid on Mindoir. He was going to enjoy watching those Batarians blow up today.
---
Just then Karsakien thought back in his life and wondered if this is the right path.... then he realised he just wants to kick some batarian ass and prepared for landing.
---
Date: April 1st, 2184 _
Location: Planet Maraaq IV, Terminus Systems; _
Outside the Batarian Federal Ship Factory - 00:14 Hours _
"And... we have impact!" Came Leon's voice over the radio, "Ravenheart has collided with the facility. Phase I complete." He said.
"Excellent. I see it." I said with a sigh. "...May she rest in peace."
"Orders Saul?" Asked Derrick, after a pause.
"Wait until we see the extent of the damage, then proceed with Phase II." I replied.
"Copy." Derrick replied.
After that, the comms went silent. While I was expecting some claps of relief, I was happy that everyone understood that it was too early to celebrate. Phase I had gone perfectly: the Ravenheart followed her course straight into the facility, colliding at the exact point where we had hoped she would. Try as they may have to stop her, the Batarians could do nothing but watch as the ship drew closer and closer. Every shot fired was repelled (even reflected) by the Kinetic Barriers installed by Riahr. I looked over at my crew members in the escape pod, especially [ZACKER'S CHARACTER], who was absent during the meeting.
"Are you up to speed?" I asked him. "Do you know the changes that have been made to the plan?"
To this, my comrade only nodded. [ZACKER'S CHARACTER] was never much for conversation, and as such, he often avoided interaction with the other crew members when he could.
"Just where were you?" I asked him. "Why'd you miss the meeting?"
"...I had to use the john." He said, looking straight ahead of him. "...Is that a problem?"
"No." I said, not even attempting to prod for more information. "Not at all."
As shady as he was, he was loyal, and when you asked him to do something, he did it. It also seemed like he didn't want to be anywhere else, and these three facts were all that mattered to me.
Maraaq IV had a rather weak surface gravity, and only a trace atmosphere of carbon monoxide and methane. The crust was mostly made up of a black, sulfuric dust, and while the planet was not habitable in any way, the ship factory has been in use for almost a half of a century. If it lasted this long, it was probably well defended, and with that said I was admittedly anxious to know if our preemptive strike had done any damage.
With everyone in the pod beginning to get antsy, I peered out the window, looking for anything that could show me if we had at least scratched the place. I pulled out my binoculars, trying to get a close-up of the facility. I was able to make out a faint orange glow, as it began to project from the spot where the Ravenheart had struck. I watched the glow for a while, and once the actual fire was visible, I also saw some partially mutilated corpses float into the air. Phase I was definitely complete.
I was just wondering if the Red and Green teams on the other side of the facility had seen anything when the com-link opened up.
"I can see those fires from here." I heard Fivrelm say. "We've thrown that whole place into chaos. I'd say now's as good a time as any."
"The Krogan is right," Said Riahr to me. "We should take advantage of the confusion; we are already 2 minutes and 26.5 seconds behind schedule."
"Then we move now." I said to everyone. "Open the escape pod hatches and maintain radio silence unless something goes wrong."
"Roger." Said Leon.
"Understood." Said Derrick. "Initiating Phase II."
"Phase II begins now." I said. "Red and Green Teams, do your thing. Contact us once the defenses are on you. Lets go."
With that, I clicked open the hatch of the escape pod, flipping on my environmental mask faceplate (which looks like Shepard's) as we prepared for exit. Once everyone was ready, with a nod, I jumped out and ran towards the facility, with my comrades closely behind.
---
Date: April 1st, 2184 _
Location: Planet Maraaq IV, Terminus Systems; _
Outside the Batarian Federal Ship Factory (Red and Green Teams) - 00:27 Hours _
"This is Blue Team," came my voice over the com-link. "We're in position. Hit 'em hard guys!"
"Saul is ready to break in." Said Derrick. "Its time to cause the diversion. Go!"
"On it." Said Fivrelm.
The Red and Green teams immediately shoot at the walls of the facility, not really aiming for anything; just trying to cause the diversion... until the sound of opening doors is heard.
***EVENT BATTLE***
Batarian Trooper (X25)
Batarian Shock Trooper (X15)
Batarian Sniper (X12)
Batarian Engineer (X6)
Batarian Defense Drone (X10)
Batarian War Beast (X12)
***MEANWHILE***
Date: April 1st, 2184 _
Location: Planet Maraaq IV, Terminus Systems; _
Outside the Batarian Federal Ship Factory (Blue Team) - 00:30 Hours _
Even from the other side of the facility, I could hear the sounds of gunfire. The Diversionary Strike had worked, and it was time for my squad to move. I pushed my back against a wall, looking to my left and right. Once I was sure that the coast was clear, I nodded my head, waving my comrades on to proceed.
My team ran past me, with Sniknej taking the lead.
"There should not be any spotlights around here according to the map." Riahr said as he looked at a map projection from his omni-tool. "That is the wall we want to cut through over there."
"Awesome." Said Sniknej. "I'm pumped up!"
"Keep your head on straight." Said Allan. "Don't be stupid Larry."
"I know what I'm doing!" Sniknej said, turning around. "I'm ready man! Let's do this! LARRYYYYYYYYYYY SNIKNEEEEEEEJ!!!!"
Knowing that it was a good idea to keep quiet, Sniknej's war cry was said in an exaggerated whisper. With a satisfied chuckle, Sniknej turned back around, widening his already significant lead in front of us.
"Are you sure we're in the right place Kirrahe?" I asked.
"Positive." He said. "That is the hangar over there in the distance. If we stay along the wall, we--
Then, right at that second, as if it were a response to Kirrahe's words, there was a flash of light. We looked ahead, just in time to see Sniknej standing by himself in the middle of a white circle, 20 feet in front of us.
"Oh no..." Said an obviously shocked Denise under her breath.
"Wait... there is not supposed to be a spotlight there!" Said Riahr.
"Oh my God... OH MY GOD!!!" We heard Sniknej yell.
"No... Sniknej! Get out of there!" I yelled back.
"That's it... we're screwed, WE'RE SCREWED!!!" He yelled again.
With that comment, Sniknej began running to his right; away from us, and away from the facility. We looked up at the tower where the spotlight was coming from, and saw three blue lights fly down to the ground.
Naturally, when one sees lights outside of a prison, one usually knows what is coming next.
The blue lights flew close to Sniknej, revealing themselves to be defense drones. We all drew our weapons, but it was already too late. The zaps of laser rounds permeated the air.
The feelings I felt when I heard those sounds were nothing compared to those that came when I heard the horrible, heart-wrenching noise that soon came from Sniknej.
"YAAAAARRRRRRGGHHUH!!!!" was all I heard as the lasers pierced his armor. The rounds went right through his body, and came out the other side, not stopping until they hit the ground. The scene seemed to go in slow motion as I saw one shot go straight through the kid's head. Just like the others, the shot came out from the other side, causing his helmet to practically shatter.
"SNIKNEEEEEEEEEJ!!!!!!!" I yelled as his body went down.
Sniknej's now-headless corpse hit the ground, and his blood slowly floated into the toxic air.
Without hesitation, both Abdul and Allan hacked two of the drones, as Riahr, Denise, and [ZACKER'S CHARACTER] fired their pistols. The three all hit their marks, taking out each of the drones with one shot.
While my teammates were busy, I was standing behind them, aiming my Sniper Rifle carefully at the watchtower. It didn't even take me a second to locate the operator of the spotlight. Taking careful aim, I shot the unsuspecting Batarian right between his upper eyes. After I clicked my rifle to prepare the next round, I took another shot, piercing the spotlight, shutting it off, and rendering it inoperable.
This was all done before any more of us could have been seen.
Knowing that the mission may have been compromised, we ran over to the downed Sniknej, examining what was left of him.
"Ripped right through his shields... Never had a chance." Said Abdul.
This was not right - I liked the kid. Still, I tried to suppress my emotions. "Sniknej... Stupid... stupid Sniknej..." Was all I could say as I shook my head.
"It could've been any of us." Said Denise. "What do we do Saul?"
"I say we--"
I stopped as I heard another voice.
"Up here! Up here!" it said.
"Oh no..." Said Riahr.
"RELEASE THE VARREN!!!" Came the voice again.
***EVENT BATTLE***
Batarian Trooper (X5)
Batarian Shock Trooper (X1)
Batarian Sniper (X2)
Batarian Engineer (X2)
Batarian Defense Drone (X4)
Batarian War Beast (X6)
"They've sent troops!" I said lowly. "Get back to the wall!"
The six of us that were left walked back to the walls of the prison, back into the shadows.
"We have been compromised human!" remarked Riahr. "The plan has failed!"
"Not yet it hasn't!" I said. "Split up! Kirrahe, Jacobs - break in and spring the prisoners! The rest of us'll stay here and take these guys!"
"What about you guys?" Said Allan.
"Please." Said Denise. "This is a feeler to see if we're still around; 20 men tops. I could do this myself if I had to."
"She's right!" I continued. "We'll be fine here! Kirrahe, pick off the security cameras with your pistol! Once that's done, Jacobs, blow open the cells with a shotgun or something! There's an armory near the entrance to the prison; we marked it on the map. Use that to arm the prisoners! We'll meet up with you in a minute!"
Knowing that I would not budge from my plan, the two went off with a silent nod.
By this time, the Varren that were released by the Batarians had advanced, and began to feast on the charred, bloody remains of Larry Sniknej.
"I guess that takes care of him..." Said Abdul. "Poor guy..."
"...We should contact the others." Said Denise. "Tell them what happened."
I nodded, and opened a link with the other team.
"This is Blue Team." I said. "We've been compromised, but we're still going through with the mission. Sniknej is dead - Repeat: Sniknej is dead. Batarians have sent troops to our location, but we can handle them. Jacobs and Kirrahe are going for the prisoners. Once the Prisoners are out, we will resume the plan as was outlined on the Ravenheart. Do not falter - stick to the plan! Repeat: Stick to the plan!"
I closed the link immediately, and drew my Sniper Rifle.
"I'll cover you guys." I said. "Lets kill these hacks then meet up with the others!"
---
Fivrelm shouted "Oi, here boy!" as he let off a load of assault fire into a shock troopers face burning it to ashes, "I expected a challenge from a major batarian base!!!!!!! I could kill all of these with my eyes closed!" he said as he threw another shock trooper with his biotics. "Saul, how is it going by your position?!"
---
Allan nodded at Saul.
"You got it. Try not to get yourself shot!"
Allan left the reminder of Blue Team with his salarian companion and headed towards the prison.
"Let's go. We've got some rescuing to do."
---
Riahr had never been close to Sniknej. They rarely spoke. Still, Riahr could imagine the fear the man must have felt when the light had shined on him. Riahr could imagine the pain he must have felt as the rounds pierced his body. He quickly turned away from the smoldering corpse and chased after Allan.
"Remember, Allan, the focus of this mission is stealth. We should do everything we can to avoid a fight. The fewer Batarians we have to shoot, the better," Riahr said to his partner.
Riahr tried to calm his mind and focus. They would try, but Riahr knew there was a small chance he and Allan could secure the prisoners and get them to the armory without fighting. Riahr didn't want to die, but he didn't want to have to kill, either, unless it was absolutely necessary.
---
"Don't worry, Boyo. I'm not aiming to make a lot of noise here."
Allan and Riahr reached the exterior door to the prison compound. Allan's onmi-tool glowed and came to life, and ten second later the door opened with a hiss. Allan smiled to himself.
"Open sesame."
He redrew his pistol and nodded his head toward the door.
---
Reign calmly walks around his cell, repeating the same words over and over again. "In the gun. Five. All of them". Continuing his pacing, he noticed several of the other prisoners were looking at him. Reign again tried a futile attempt to use biotics to get out. Shoving his hand towards the crude bars they were contained in, the biotic fizzled and shocked him. Staggering back, he kicked the bars in frustration.
"Seriously," Reign asks, "how fucking lazy are these batarians that they give us METAL bars? METAL! Guess they got to cut costs to make that gigantic peice of crap we hear them toiling on."
"Shut up!" one of the other prisoners yells.
"Huh-hey, I'm just making conversation." Reign says, "Don't blame me you got stuck in this place. I'm just trying to find a way out of here. They put in a damping feild generator. I can't use biotics. My suit is broken, its power core blown to hell, and my omni-tool with it. The only way to get out is from the outside. And I don't see a rescue force. Nothing but that fabled ship "Normandy" can get through all the turrets, plasma cannons and such without harm. That or a ship with a massive amount of kenetic barriers. I could figure out how to... but there are not many people with my skill..."
Noticing a guard was coming, Reign quickly sat down on the floor. Tossing him a peice of... something... This ain't food, this is ANIMAL FODDER Reign thought. Reign pulled apart a side plate on his suit, as his suit had no power, and picked out the emergency stash of rations he kept there. Tearing the pack open, he shoved the contents into his mouth, trying to ignore the smell of the... thing... in the middle of the floor.
Why do they want us alive? Surely we would be of more use working on that ship of theirs. Heh, they almost got that thing done too. They just have not fit in the weapon systems. Reign had bore a hole through the wall earlier in his containment with biotics before they fit in the damping feild. the hole was not large enough to crawl through, but he had a good look at the ship.
***MEANWHILE***
Date: March 31st, 2184 _
Location: Planet Maraaq IV, Terminus Systems; _
Batarian Federal Ship Factory's Prison - 22:16 Hours _
"The ship is done." Came a deep, calm voice. "The government will be coming for inspection early tomorrow."
Reign T'sumaraki immediately rose from his light sleep with these words. He looked behind him, through the hole he had made with his biotics earlier. It was then that he saw two Batarian workers talking to each other. One was identified as "Sharr," and the other was called "Mal." Thinking that this could be interesting, he listened in.
"It took those guys a while, but its finally done." Said Sharr.
"One trillion credits..." Began Mal, "But I just want to ask you: FIFTEEN ZEROS, an entire decade's savings... for what? Just so those morons in the government's fleet can keep themselves hidden from the Citadel?"
"Don't let anyone else hear that." came Sharr. "If the government finds out you're against this, they'll have you killed."
"You think I care?" Asked Mal. "They don't tell us anything! You know what? Maybe I'd be more supportive of this overdesigned piece of tin if they told us more about it."
"We're just security guards Mal." said Sharr. "We're not supposed to know more. Hell, we probably already know more than we should."
"Just what is it though? A Frigate or a Cruiser?" Asked Mal. "For all they put into it, you'd think it was a new dreadnought or something."
"Its a frigate, but barely. Seven decks. Smaller than your average cruiser, but bigger than your average frigate, even though its built like one. Its supposed to move even faster than a run-of-the-mill Frigate too."
"Tch," retorted Mal. "What does it matter? We'll never get to fly in it or see it in action anyway... Why do we even bother?"
"Yeah... you're probably right." Agreed Sharr.
With that, the two walked away. Reign turned his head around and leaned against the wall.
"Soo...." He began, calling out to the other prisoners. "I heard those Batarians finally finished whatever they were working on."
"Quiet down human," came a Salarian voice (Hyrati). "You are not making this any easier for any of us you know. I would like it if you just let us keep some piece and quiet for a change... please."
"Well excuse me for trying to be friendly!" replied Reign. "I was just trying to pass the time."
"Well if you would like to pass time," said the Salarian, "How about you make yourself useful and break through those bars so we can get out of here? I have heard that your species gets a rush out of fighting for a lost cause."
"I would say that is a little stereotypical." Came a second male human voice (Auron). "The man is just being friendly."
"Shut up. All of you." Came another human voice, this time a female (Elouera). "We've been stripped of weapons and they have Damping Fields set up inside these cells. There's nothing any of us can do, so just shut up and keep quiet... I have a headache."
"I do not see what reason you have to be so rude," said a calm, feminine voice. By its tone, one would assume that it belonged to an Asari (Aylena). "We are obviously going to be stuck in here for a while, so we may as well try and get to know each other, if only a little bit. If we converse, perhaps it would help to take our minds off of our current situation. We cannot lose hope, and we should take advantage of each other's company, if only for our own sanity."
"Finally, someone who agrees with me!" Said Reign. "See, its a good idea to--"
"Enough of your mystical Asari crap!" Said the female human. "I don't want to hear it!"
"Hey! I take offense to that!" came another, more assertive, female voice (Jheyva). "In case you don't know, I've been in these situations before, and I can tell you that the one you just cut off - whoever you are - is right. Talking amongst ourselves will keep us from going crazy. There is little else we can do, because like it or not, we're not going to be getting out of here any time soon."
---
Hyrati slouches, back against the wall, thinking how he ended up in this mess. What is worse is now he has to spend all this time with these humans. The Asari are not bad, but he would rather be figuring out his chances of getting free than developing a friendship with any of these prisoners. He always thought humans were too emotional anyway.
Ignoring the other people in the cell for a moment, he determines that they have a 0% chance of breaking out on their own, a 23% chance of escaping when the guards bring food, and a 38% chance of escaping with a few casualties if the Batarians try and move the group of prisoners together. Hyrati realizes a third party will need to be involved to make it worth it.
He then looks up and begins to listen to anything the other prisoners are saying.
---
Elouera is silent a moment after Jheyva chastises her, then gradually mutters out. "Fine, then. Talk. Just not so loudly." She pushes herself against the wall, letting it's comparatively cooler temperature soak into the back of her head.
Normally she'd manage to refrain from making an outburst like that, but when her headaches get this bad, she loses herself. Besides, she was never expecting to deal with other prisoners here.
"How did you lot get yourselves caught, anyway?" She speaks up in spite of her earlier sentiment. "You don't all look that obtuse."
---
"Obtuse? HA! They SHOT me down. I am the ONLY surviving crew member of The Jagged Prophet. Do NOT insult me, my intellegence, or my ego. If you can somehow take out this damn damping feild I am probably your SINGLE best chance to get out of here. If we get out of these bars we have to get through security locks, blast doors, and probably steal that ship. To do that you need an expert on how all this is put togeather, and how to manipulate it. I AM that expert."
After ranting, Reign takes a deep breath, and sits down. Kicking the... thing... in the middle of his cell in frustration, he tried to think of another way to remove the damping field.
---
Aylena thought that she understood the sentiments of the other prisoners. It had taken her many years to perfect her control over her emotions that led to her calm aura now. It was perfectly understandable that people wouldn't be in the best of moods in such a stressful situation such as this. As the prison again fell silent for the moment, she tried to will her body into a state of meditation, but it was not meant to be. Her mind was just too swamped with thoughts about what had happened recently so she gave up the effort. It was then that one of the humans inquired into how they had ended up there. It was immediately followed by an outburst from a different human, the one that liked to talk judging by the voice, but after that she decided to answer.
"Well, including everything leading up to it is quite a lengthy story. I'll give you the short version though." Aylena took a moment to arrange her thoughts and then stated, "Basically, I was traveling through a system on the edge the Terminus Systems, when I was suddenly surrounded by a large group of Batarian pirates. I tried to put up a fight but it was just no use; I was outgunned. So I surrendered and they brought me back here. Anyone else care to share their story?"
---
Calmly waiting his turn before opening his mouth, "If you must know, I was on assignment with a small group of Salarians. We were sent to monitor and assist a group of human Alliance soldiers as they attempted to map out potential forward outpost sites. The Human Commander felt that our presence was not needed and made a few decisions without heeding our advice and we landed right in the middle of a Batarian raiding party. We were only a scouting party on a lightly armed vessel. It wasn't long before they captured us. Since the first two days I have not seen any of the others that were on the ship, Salarian or Human. Funny to think that not three weeks ago I was up for consideration for entrance into the STGs."
Hyrati stares blankly towards the floor as his voice trails off on his last words.
---
Reclining on the concrete floor, Jheyva leaned her head against the prison cell and rested her arm across her extended leg, feeling abnormally relaxed but still alert. She listened intently to the other prisoners, mainly the brash humans, waiting for a chance to exploit the vulnerability of this situation. She could just feel them growing desperate. It wouldn’t take much to convince them of jailbreak, and even if it failed, their deaths would be a great favor. The smell of unhygienic humans was repulsive.
Still, her chances of that were far from promising. The humans could still take days to break and the salarian seemed too troubled to do something so reckless. Her fellow asari also seemed unnaturally composed.
Though she wasn’t about to reveal her story to this sketchy group, she was inclined to keep the small talk going. Maybe she could learn something useful.
“I must’ve blacked out, as I only recall waking up in this putrid excuse for a prison. Not that it matters now. What were your occupations beforehand? Any skills we could find of good use?”
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Post by Vynx on May 18, 2009 0:42:30 GMT -5
"HA! SKILLS!" Reign jumped up, and prepared himself for another rant.
"I was the Engineer on my ship. I am rather skilled in biotics, and am a master at strategy. If I get out of this cell I could probably take on their entire army."
Reign thought about his last statement for a bit, then added, "if they came in intervals of 3 or less. Besides that I am skilled at hacking, controlling, repairing, mantaining, modifying, and reprogramming machines, and I figured out how to make a standard core of any weapon into a granade or mine. If I can get my hands on one if their weapons, I can blow our way out of here, or maybe blow the hole in my cell larger, possibly large enough to crawl through. If that happens, we can make a mad dash for the ship, I can hack into it, provided I can find an omni-tool, and we make a clean getaway. But this is all, you know, my mad ideas. Oh, and I CANNOT congure up a singularity."
---
[Reign] "Am I the only one with an optimistic view of this situation? I know for a fact we have two talented biotics, maybe more. If they try to move us in a group we can easily take them. You, Asari, can you link to another person's mind without making it blindingly obvious? Like help all of us form a hive mind? Or is that beyond your abilities?"
---
Elouera visibly flinches every time Reign opens his mouth. What she would give for a painkiller right now... or a pistol. Still, she's careful to listen to everything that's said, hoping for something that could turn out to be of use.
"I have few skills to offer." She shrugs, not as eager to flaunt her abilities. "If the damping field he mentioned..." She glances at Reign. "... wasn't messing with my implant, I could be of more help than I am now." The biotic stares at the breach Reign had been working on. "If I tried, I could probably focus enough to punch the hole open just a little more." She comments, genuinely confident that she could, too, if circumstances were more in her favor. "For all the good that will do before the batarians come and kill us all." What inspiring optimism.
---
Reign looked around the room, everyone asleep. He of course slept during the day, if he ever slept at all. A slight whistling sound came from the small hole in his cell. Quietly shifting over, he looked out to the sky, where he saw a ship... a very well made one at that... decending towards the facility. No doubt the political leader of the Batarians coming to get the ship. But something was out of the ordanary. Reign wished he had his scouter, but it was, of course, confiscated by the batarians. A giant blast sounded across the facility, as the Batarians began to open fire. "Well what do you know..." Reign said, "they actually sent a rescue force..." But no... A rescue force for one person? The alliance would not risk open war with the Batarians and a ship to rescue anyone... Looking to the side, he saw several objects, that looked like escape pods, heading towards the facility. By this time everyone had woken up. "Ladies... Gentlemen.... I think we're in luck."
---
Elouera rarely ever fell into anything other than a light catnap. The fact that she felt just safe enough, here of all places, to slide into a deeper slumber, was an irony that was lost on the exhausted biotic.
But something broke through to her unconscious mind, something loud and irritating. Her pale brown eyes snap open and she quickly ascends to her feet, going from a dead sleep to near perfect awareness without any drowsiness in between to trip her up. She looks around at the other prisoners, ascertaining that none of them had managed to do anything particularly destructive.
Because he's the first to speak, and seems to have a better idea of what's happening, she snaps at Reign. "What's going on out there?"
---
"Well... from what I can tell we got a ship heading towards the facility. I'd say its not Alliance. Probably not turian either. This ship must have been custom made... I don't see why it's heading for us though. The Batarians starting firing immediately. It also looks like several small objects are heading at high speeds towards the facility. I'd wager escape pods. The kenetic barriers on the ship are suprisingly strong for such a small ship. Most likely raiders or pirates. This facility was talked about a lot over the Batarian cannels. These guys probably decided to come in here and try and steal this thing. Lets hope they stop here, or at least cut the power to these dam damping feilds. I heard some Batarians... One night ago was it...? Talking about how it was recently finished."
Reign looked through the hole again, the pods close to impact with the facility.
---
Aylena had been dozing in the corner of her cell when suddenly she was awakened from her sleep by a lot of excited voices coming from the other prisoners. She listened to Reign's account of what was going on outside, but as he finished there was one thing that still puzzled her. "If these are pirates out on a raid, why would they launch escape pods like that? Reign, are you sure the small objects aren't something else?" she questioned. "Well, no matter what they are," she remarked, "I doubt the Batarian government will let these pirates off easy. They'll probably give them one hell of a fight."
---
[Reign] "I'm quite sure they're escape pods. They would not be jettisoning anything else. I'm counting around five pods... if those are standard they could hold 10 people each. Thats probably the entire crew of the ship. I don't have any idea why they would crash their own ship unless... Ahhhh... I think they are trying to steal this one and blow the other one up. That explains the kenetic barriers around it. If they autopilot their old ship into the facility the Batarians will be occupied shooting the ship to try to shoot the pods. That lets their entire crew land inside the facility! Most of the defences are on the outside, and the hanger doors are open. These guys are smart. As for fighting the Batarians... I don't know about you but, If they do get me out of this dam cell I'd probably be willing to help them fight the things, given that I find a new friggin omni-tool."
---
Date: April 1st, 2184 _
Location: Planet Maraaq IV, Terminus Systems; _
Batarian Federal Ship Factory's Prison - 00:02 Hours _
"This factory is under attack!" Came a Batarian voice through the hole in Reign's cell.
"WHAT?!" Responded another.
"There's an unidentified ship incoming! Its an unmanned Kamikaze!" Spoke the first. "Get to the defense towers! We have to shoot that thing down!"
"Yes sir!"
The sound of footsteps echoed throughout Reign's cell. (Reign's cell has a window that views the outside. The hole he made with his Biotics leads to another room of the facility. He can see the Ravenheart through the window.) Reign turned his head towards the prison corridor, addressing the other prisoners.
"It looks like we were right..." Spoke Jheyva, overhearing. "They're definitely pirates... or something of the like."
"So you're saying that this base is under attack?" asked Elouera, not overhearing the Batarian chatter.
"Looks like it." Said Reign, looking out his window. "And you figure by a group of... no more than fifty guys in those escape po-- wait, there're three of them, not five... so you figure there are thirty guys... forty tops.
"Thirty men?" Asked Aylena. "They are assaulting a Batarian federal installation with only thirty men? Th-that's suicide if its true! A team of elite soldiers maybe, but average untrained pirates?"
"It definitely looks like they're trying to steal the prototype that the four-eyes just finished, like I said." Reign continued.
"Of course they are!" Said Elouera. "Why else would they crash their own ship into this place? They want to create a diversion and make off with the new ship while everyone's running around in a tizzy!"
"You do all realize..." Began Auron, "That the Batarians may think that these Pirates are coming for us."
"I doubt that, human." Responded Hyrati. "If the intent was to rescue us, these people would not have gone through the trouble of creating such a grand distraction. This area is at the edge of the facility - they could easily sneak around, break in, and leave before they are noticed... Still, if these 'Pirates' are attempting to steal the prototype, then it would certainly be in their best interest to... 'bust us out of here' so we could help them."
"Not that I'd mind that." Added Reign.
"So we just wait?" Asked Elouera. "Wait and hope that the Salarian is right?"
"Unless any of you can think of a better alternative." Responded Hyrati. "We are all unarmed, and these Damping Fields are not going to let us claw our way out. I see no other options... at least none with better chances."
Reign looked out the window again at the approaching ship. The Batarians were firing AA Guns at the kamikaze, giving it all they had. Strangely, every shot was either missing, or bouncing back at the base, as bluish hues appeared in front of the ship at the exact spots where the projectiles were connecting.
"Kinetic Barriers..." Said Reign. "I was right. The Batarians are just wasting ammo; they aren't going to be able to destroy that thing before it touches down. That, and the Barriers will only amplify the effect of the impact... This wasn't just a spur of the moment; whoever's in charge of that crew has been planning this for a while."
"We get it." Said Jheyva. "They mean business."
"Stealing a ship from the Batarian government itself..." Said Auron, slightly amazed. "I have to tell the truth: that's pretty bold. The Batarian government will chase them to the edges of the galaxy if they succeed."
Hyrati remained silent, not stating what he thought about the odds of the attackers.
The silence remained for a few minutes, with none of the prisoners making a sound. The only noises that could be heard were those generated by the mystery ship's engines as it quickly closed in on the factory. The prisoners could only watch and listen as their cells were bathed in the bluish light of the ship's exhaust fire. The base's alarms began to sound, with soldiers mobilizing, and technicians screaming with fear in the room just behind the prison.
The noise kept coming, and the ship was now so close that the cell block began to rumble. The noise kept getting more and more deafening, culminating with a slow, loud,
CRASH!!!!!!!
---
Date: April 1st, 2184 _
Location: Planet Maraaq IV, Terminus Systems; _
Batarian Federal Ship Factory's Prison - 00:19 Hours _
"That ship really did some damage," said a Batarian to his superior. "Class 3 fires are burning in sectors 2, 3, 6, and 7. A lot of good people died as the life-support failed, and the reactor's about to shut down... we're in bad shape. The worst part is, we don't know where their assault is going to come from."
"But you know that one IS coming, right?" Responded the superior.
"Yes, but we don't know when... or where."
"Ugh..." Said the superior, obviously going deep into thought. "These aren't just average pirates here... these guys are pros."
"Orders." requested the underling.
"...Mobilize the soldiers - get the entire defense garrison. I want you to meet their little attack at full force! Go wherever they strike and put them down. Am I clear?"
"Crystal." Said the Underling. "But just one more question, sir."
"What is it?" barked the superior, impatiently. "Spit it out man!"
The soldier hesitated, but finally let it out.
"...What about the prisoners?" He asked.
To this, the superior went into his thoughtful state again, finally deciding on an answer.
"...Leave them." Answered the superior. "We were going to use them as slaves anyway, but we've got more important things to worry about! ...This whole operation's gone to hell, and I'm gonna pay for it... I always told the higher-ups that this was a bad place to build such an important ship; its too close to the humans."
"We need to get the prototype... and the other one, out of here and into safer territory." recommended the grunt. "It's obvious that these guys are coming for one of them."
"Don't you think I know that?" Said the superior. "You just worry about killing the worms, I'll take care of the ships. We're going to abandon this facility, so screw the prisoners. ...Here's hoping that this'll teach the higher-ups a lesson."
"Yes Sir." Said the grunt.
The two then went their separate ways, amid the sound of the alarm, with Reign letting out a sigh as he shook his head and looked at the ground. Reign went over what he had just heard in his head, trying to figure everything out, when suddenly, the alarm stopped ringing.
"The power is out!" Said Hyrati. "The reactor just shut down!"
"Wait a minute... that means that the Damping fields are down!" Said Jheyva.
"They are..." Said Elouera. "I can feel my strength returning."
The room was pitch black, but Reign could see a powerful, purplish, glow coming from one of the cells - Elouera was ready to release some of her frustrations. Two other glows, from Aylena and Jheyva respectively, were also seen.
"Blast these cells!" Hollered Hyrati. "Now is our chance!"
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Elouera replied.
Elouera's glow intensified, as she powered up for a full-on Biotic Throw. Just as she was about to focus her energy however, a computerized voice filled the room.
"Activating auxilary power..." it said.
As soon as the computer's words were done, the room lit up with a reddish hue, and all Reign could hear were sounds like circuits shorting out. Elouera immediately felt as though a shock had pierced clean through her brain. The same was true for Jheyva and Aylena.
"AAAAH!!!" they all yelped, holding their heads.
"Are you all OK?" Asked Auron. "That did not sound good."
"...Damping Fields are back up." Said Aylena, short of breath.
"Dammit... NO! I was so... CLOSE!" said Elouera, still grasping her head. When the pain of the shock finally began to lessen, she leaned up against the bars. "Well, that got nothing done..." She said with a sigh. "...Dammit... so what do we do now?"
"What else can we do?" Responded Aylena. "The fields are back up, so we are right back at square one."
"Let me guess..." Said Jheyva, slightly angered. "We wait..."
"Yes." Said Aylena in response.
"This is stupid..." Said Elouera. "I hope they send a guard to 'check' on us or something. If they send the guard, that would at least give us something to work with..."
"We will be fine." Said Aylena. "Whoever was behind the ship drop will come for us. I want you all to believe me when I say that we will all get out of here alive... and without fail. Someone is coming, and they will be here before it is too late. I know it."
---
Reign sniffed the air. Yep. Definately gunfire.
I think I saw an armory on the way in... If I'm lucky there should be a new power core for my suit... It would restore power to my omni-tool too... I could probably disassemble some of the weapons in there to make some explosives too...
"Well ladies, gentlemen, Its a sure bet that we're going to get out of here. I'm assuming everyone is skilled in some form of combat."
---
Elouera only just barely managed to restrain herself from kicking the bars of her cell. The flickering of the damping field had agitated her implant. With some dread she takes note of the paresthesia in her hands, and the fog that's fallen over her vision. It's the typical sign that she's soon to suffer another migraine.
She shakes her head firmly, trying to anchor her attention in the present. She listens restlessly to the weapon report that echoes throughout the factory. Some of it seems to be getting closer, if her assessment can be relied upon.
There's no faith in her mind that the invaders would actually be coming to free them. Elouera wonders if their demise would be the sharp, rapid death of of a bullet, or if the slow deterioration of being left to rot. "What makes you think they're going to help us?" She mutters cynically. "Sorry to break this to you kid, but they're pirates. Criminals. Mercenaries. Whatever. They'll either leave us here, or we'll be prisoners of them instead."
The biotic sinks into the back of her cell. She wants to be wrong, but it was an unspoken rule that people only look after themselves and their own interests. The few exceptions that come to mind can't possibly be the ones here now... She isn't that lucky.
---
"Someboody's a pessimist. Look, they'll need all the help they can get to get out of here with that ship. From the looks of it, they're smart. Really smart. They may be pirates, but they're a cut above. The ship was expertly built, their plan elaborate, and their crew skilled. You can never force a biotic to submit to your wishes unless you have damping feild generators. And those cost quite a bit. Better to let us out, arm us, help them take the ship, and then go back to our respective homeworlds. Wait... what?" Reign said, as he heard a hissing noise from several corridors down.
Reign smiled, and looked back at Elouera. "See?"
---
Allan and Riahr make their way quietly through the darkened halls of prison. To their surprise. They encounter no resistance.
"I guess the diversion worked better than we thought." Allan says wryly.
They spot a security camera, which Riahr promptly shoots. Allan makes his way to where it used to be and interfaces with a small control panel nearby.
"Well, that should knock out the security cameras. Of course, if anyone is actually watching the things it's going to be really obvious what just happened. Cross those fingers, I guess."
He looks at the map Saul gave him.
"If this is accurate, there's a central control console in the cell block. It shouldn't take me too long to break in and spring our jailbirds."
After a few more uneventful corridors the duo enter the large prison holding area. Allan quickly surveys the occupants and then immediately moves to an elevated platform near the entrance on which the security console rests. He activates his omni-tool and begins to break into the computer. Riahr looks around anxiously, as if to express that he feels a bit too exposed for his liking. Allan notices this.
"Don't worry, it'll just be another second annnnnnd-"
Allan raises his arms dramatically.
"LET MY PEOPLE GO!"
The damping fields power down and the cell doors swing open. Allan looks at Riahr, smirking, but after realizing that this was Riahr here, his smirk quickly falters. Allan moves away from the platform and down to the center of the room to address the former prisoners.
"Well....I've got good news and bad news. The good news is all of you have been unconditionally pardoned. The bad news is we haven't exactly shared that information with your former jailers yet, so there may be some disagreement as to your sudden release. Now, I understand more than a few of you may have been harboring some long standing grudges with your captors. That's highly encouraged, and there's and armory to that effect not far from here. That being said, please remember that we do have the secondary goal of actually getting out of this place alive. So stay focused, stay cool, don't get us all killed and we should get along just fine."
Allan finishes his speech and looks at the prisoners.
---
Allan was cocky and undisciplined, but Riahr could not deny that he was skilled. Not even he could hack a computer that quickly. As he and Allan burst into the holding area, he surveyed the prisoners. A few humans, Asari, and...... One Salarian. Riahr could recognize a soldier when he saw one, and when he looked at this Salarian, he could tell. The straight posture, the look in his eyes, the calm and calculating demeanor, this was almost definetly a member of the Salarian military. Riahr's hand subconsciously drifted near his pistol. If this Salarian had heard of him, he would know Riahr was wanted. And if he made it back to the Salarian Military, he could tell them where he had seen Riahr, and the ship he was flying away on. But he didn't have it in him to shoot a man in cold blood. Riahr hoped with all his heart this soldier had no idea who he was. Riahr would not go to jail, and if it was absolutely neccesary and there was no other way, he would have to take care of the Salarian. He just prayed it would never come to that.
---
Reign smirked and stood up. "I am Reign T'sumaraki, at your service. Skilled in biotics and technology." Reign bowed graciously, then realized his suit was still powred down, he ran towards the armory.It was sealed, but Reign blasted through the door with a giant Biotic Throw. He immediately went for the suits of armor on the walls. They were of batarian make, but the pwoer cores on the backs were... as hoped for... still working. Removing one of the cores, he replaced his suit's burnt out one for the new one. His omni-tool flickered to life, and the kenetic sheilds turned on. He went to the weapon rack, and immediately picked out one of thethe best assault rifles he could find, a Pulse Rifle. He locked it onto his suit, and went for the useless weapons, pistols and ruined sniper rifles.
"Hey if any of you guys need any of this stuff, tell me." Reign said, and tossed the better-gradeweapons behind him to the exit, where he blasted open the door. Converting the power cores of some of the weapons to low grade explosives and mines, he put them into the storage devices on his suit, and reducing some to omni-gel. I'll need it...
Reign walked back outside, now ready for combat. "So I assume you guys have a plan to get out?"
---
"Not pessimism... realism." Elouera responds defensively. "And you don't know all that. Avarice and skill are not mutually exclusive." She's ready to argue more, but somehow it doesn't seem worth it. In any case, here's little left to do now but wait and see. They don't wait very long.
She identifies a human and a salarian. Both look vaguely familiar, but she can't place where she might have seen them before. For all she knows, they're one of the persistent enemies she's managed to make. Something in the back of her mind tries to allay her fears, however; stop being paranoid... Elouera watches wordlessly as the restraints that held them all back slip away, lips twitching with a narrowly avoided smile at the stranger's dramatics.
"Wonderful. Thank you." She steps out, but her first thought is not of escape. If freedom were her highest priority, she would not have gotten herself captured in the first place. Elouera's initial action is to glance at each of the occupied cells. "Can everybody walk?" But her eyes never leave either of their liberators for very long. She doesn't trust them, regardless of the current circumstances.
After moment, she steps after Reign, but stops at the entrance to the armory. Spying a decent looking pistol, Elouera uses her biotics to lift and retrieve it. She takes only a few seconds to examine it, before turning back around. "I take it your lot is after the big prize, hm?" She questions, assuming they'll know what she's referring to.
---
Allan looks at Elouera.
"Well...I'd say we're idealistic wanderers on a slave freeing mission but...that would be lying. Yeah, we're here for a new ship, which is only fair since these guys kind of wrecked our last one. I like to call it reparations...or maybe some form of insurance...."
Allan trails off as he looks at her again.
"Don't....I know you from somewhere?"
---
When the human and the salarian shut off the security systems so that the cell doors could be opened, Aylena could hardly believe it, they were finally free!She addressedboth of them, saying,"You don't know what it is like to get out of there; my gratitude can hardly be expressed in words. I normally wouldn't consider helping pirates, but I do owe you, and it is just against these good for nothing Batarians, so you can count me in. You could say that helping you being the only way off the planet had a small effect on my decision as well."
Aylena darted off to the armory room and found a suitable shotgun and pistol. After making sure that both guns were fully loaded she questioned the entire assembled group, "Is everyone about ready to get out there and get a little pay back?"
---
Elouera smiles thinly. "Revenge is a good enough reason for pulling off something insane like this." Her voice is just empty enough that it's impossible to tell whether she's being derisive, or if she genuinely means it.
She meets Allan's eyes, looking very leery... until he asks the question that had been on her mind as well. "Know me? I thought maybe... who's the ringleader in all this?"
The adept answers Aylena's question with a brief nod.
---
Allan looks at Elouera again.
"Saul...Saul Franklin. Now that I think about it I definitely remember you..."
---
[Reign] "Revenge? Revenge is only a side effect! We are about to control one of the most advanced warships in the galaxy. I saw what that ship is armed with. And I heard the Batarians talking about how it cost over a TRILLION credits to make this thing. And who is going to be mad at us? Batarians will not be able to catch us if we're flying their best craft. The Geth plain don't care, and the rest of the galaxy is going to be glad we took control of this warship from the Batarians. Revenge, my good friend," Reign put his hand on Elouera's shoulder, "Doesn't matter now. Not compared to that ship."
---
"Saul? You mean..." Real recognition finally clicks into place. "You're from the Ravenheart!"
Elouera is about to say something more, but when she feels the touch to her shoulder, a crackle of dark energy bristles over her. Thankfully, a precise mastery over her biotics keeps her from doing anything harsh.
"I don't think we can afford to stand around and talk much longer." She says finally, gesturing at the door leading back out. "We have a ship to steal, and some batarians to slaughter."
---
"I heard that," Reign said, waiting for the others to arm themselves.
---
[Ayame] From a sniping position out of the main doors: "Are you guys about done so we can get the heck out of here. I'm kinda getting pinned down now so any help would be NICE RIGHT NOW."
---
Allan nods at Elouera.
"Right you are, Sister."
He touches his earpiece.
"Saul, this is Allan. We busted the prisoners, and gotten them armed up. You want us to make for the ship? You guys aren't in imminent danger of death or anything like that, right?"
---
They couldn't have found a worse group of prisoners to free, Riahr thought. They all seemed overly violent and blood thirsty, traits that Riahr severely disliked. As the prisoners began to crowd him and Allan, barraging them with thanks and demands for revenge, Riahr withdrew from the group and watched from afar. Just as he began to grow tired of waiting, he heard footsteps coming from down the corridors. Batarians, surely. Break time was over.
Riahr tapped Allan on the shoulder to notify him and drew his assault rifle.
---
Allan retrieved his shotgun from his back.
"You don't think they just want to say goodbye, do you?"
---
Jheyva didn't like the idea of being rescued. She wasn't weak, she didn’t need to be saved. And though she never intended to stay in the clutch of the batarians for long, to be rescued by a salarian and smug human was far from her ideal escape.
Along with a resentful feeling of debt, she accepted her only chance to get out alive was to cooperate. While she had full intentions to do so, she found hard to ignore the anger and disgust that bellowed inside her.
She collected herself and nodded briefly to her rescuers, not bothering to introduce herself. She made her way to the armory, grabbed a suitable pistol, and prepared herself for what led ahead.
---
[Reign] Looking around, I try to calm myself down, It doesn't work. I have always had a lot of bottled up energy, but I hate showing it. Battle is the only place I can release the energy without others thinking I am criminally insane. Having nothing better to do while the others are arming themselves, I begin to tinker with my radar, trying to get it to work. It was one of the systems burnt out by the energy overcharge I submitted my suit to. I'll probably need more advanced tools for working on it, its pretty badly damaged.
"SO.... The Ravenheart you say? I believe I heard of it while in the military. You guys don't raid human colonies though, so the alliance could not care less. I have advanced training in first aid, did you suffer any wounds on the way in?" I said, trying to gain as much trust as possible from them. Now that I think of it... what would be so bad about joining them? For the next five years I could go across the galaxy, both saving lives helping settlements and gaining quite a large amount of money in the process from rewards and selling the guns of fallen enemies... Unless they are the kind of pirates that ra... wait no, what am I thinking. These guys are just illigal, not immoral, there's a difference Reign. Smirking at my satesfaction of the situation, I contenued to tinker with my suit's systems. The biotic though... She seems angry at me for something...
---
Allan looks at Reign.
"Thanks, Boyo, but we're fine. The whole goal of crashing our ship here was to get the bad guys out of here. Looks like it worked."
He addresses the group.
"Alright, I just got word from Saul. He's the guy in charge for those you who don't know that yet. He said we should link up with our other fire teams and wait for him. After that we're going to steal a very shiny new ship, and then we're getting the hell out of this system. So whatever you guys need to get, get it now. We'll be leaving shortly."
Allan makes his way over to Elouera.
"Alright, so we know you. We've established that now. Now I need to know what's up with your former cellmates. Because that asari over there..."
Allan gestures at Jheyva.
"has been giving me the evil eyes since we busted her out. And your energetic little biotic buddy..."
Allan points at Reign.
"is freaking me out. Also, my salarian friend over there has been incredibly on edge since he saw your salarian friend. Now I've always had the notion that Riahr was running from unpleasantness back home, so I need to know something: is there going to be a problem here? Because I can kind of foresee a few issues with this plan if we're all going to suddenly try to kill each other."
---
[Ayame] Moving down the hill picking batarians of with her assault rifle she was on to link up with the rest of her squad.
"Blue team are you guys about done because were getting bored just making the diversion. We want to push the guys back and get the heck off this planet.
Hey The Human Krogan having fun with out me thats a no no."
---
Riahr wasn't deaf. He managed to hear everything Allan said. "Was I really that obvious?" Riahr thought. He tried to ignore the other Salarian and calm down.
"There is nothing wrong with me, Allan. I am fine," Riahr called out. "Batarians will be here soon and I am simply nervous. You know how I get before a battle."
---
Allan looks at Riahr and gives him an exaggerated "what the hell?" look. He then returns his attention to Elouera, smiling in apology for his friend and then cocking his head slightly to the side.
---
Elouera frowns. "I can't tell you much about her, except I'm not sure she can be trusted. No need for paranoia, but we should keep an eye on her." She keeps her voice low, so that Jheyva can hopefully not overhear. "As for Reign over there... I wouldn't worry about him. He's young..." Under her breath, she mumbles; "And aggravating..." And then back to a regular tone; "But I have a feeling he can be counted on." She eyes Reign carefully. "If you'll care not to prove otherwise. I can't stomach being wrong twice in one day."
The biotic looks at Hyrati. "The salarian was in the military, I think. Other than that, he's a mystery to me." She shrugs, unfortunately not having anything more useful to volunteer.
"What about the rest of the Raven--" She cuts herself off, remembering what Allen had told her earlier. "Um, Saul's crew. Anybody new since we last met... anybody I should watch my back around?"
Riahr's comment did serve to remind her of the present situation, at least. As they talk, Elouera discreetly manipulates dark energy to surround everybody in the room with an individual barrier; a preemptive measure before the imminent battle. She can certainly sympathize with feeling restless.
---
Allan looks amused for a second.
"Saul's crew? I wouldn't worry about us too much. I don't think there's anyone of them that would have any reason to start up trouble with you, or anyone here for that matter. J.R.'s a little down on non-humans, but Saul runs a tight ship...or ran...will run agi...never mind. Anyway, the point is we know how to play nice."
Allan changes his demeanor.
"It strikes me that I don't remember your name."
He holds out his hand.
"I'm Allan. Allan Jacobs."
---
[Reign] "Don't freak out until I am your enemy. And as long as people are not attacking me 4 or more at a time I'm fine." I opened the firing chamber on my gun, to check if the metal inside was enough to go through several battles. It's good. I may not be experienced with assault rifles, but the pulse rifle is pretty accurate, so it should not be too hard to use. "And I'm good at using technology. I could probably hack into that ship in less then ten seconds."
---
"I'm glad to hear it. One set of potential backstabbers is bad enough."
Elouera is hesitant only a moment, before shaking Allan's hand. "Elouera Cross. It's good to meet you, again."
She glances toward Reign. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. First we have to get to the ship... Where ever the hell it is."
---
Allan smiles cordially. Elouera looks at Reign after his comment. The kid was excitable and cocky. Allan was cocky too. The difference was he had earned it.
"'Don't freak out until I am your enemy?' Someone needs to help you with your lines, Kid. Just don't go running out into a hail of bullets thinking you're Superman. You aren't."
---
"Leon watch out!" Karsakien said as he used his biotics to throw away a bullet that was merely millimetres away from Leon's head. "As the "team leader" I expect you to be more cautious and helpful you moron!, Eat lead you batarian scum!" he said storming through the facility slitting batarian throats and shooting batarian limbs. Then just as he was distracting away mostly all the batarians from blue team more came to the green and red teams positions. "Holy ****** ****!" screamed Karsakien.
---
[Reign] "Don't worry, I'm not stupid. I only go running into a hail of gunfire if I have my Biotic Barrier up. Then I use some Biotic and Tech abilities then retreat. And the ship should be easy to get to, I can see it through my cell wall. Oh, here..." I said, and tossed several of my 'homemade' granades at them. They will probably come in handy. "Don't try and upgrade them though. They're nothing more then a timer on an explosive. It's set for 15 seconds. It's not elaborate, but it works. Mostly. Now lets see..." I said, looking around the room for more things to fiddle with. It was all weapons and armor. No tools, no weapons upgrades.
---
If there was one thing Riahr hated more than fighting, it was awkward conversation with people you just met.
"Allan," Riahr said impatiently, "I understand you and Elouera have a bit of catching up to do, but is now really the time? The battlefield is not the place for idle conversation. The longer we stand here, the more likely it will be that we get caught. Now, can we go? Or do you all want to be Varren food?"
---
"This isn't small talk, Riahr. Idle conversation is if I ask how her family is doing or if she has dinner plans. This is shop talk, for instance: I wanted to know if that salarian over there was going to try and kill you. That's pretty pertinent information if you ask me. Don't get so jumpy, Riahr. Don't worry, I'll protect you. Just as soon as everyone is ready here we'll get moving."
---
Elouera stares at the grenades Reign made, but doesn't show a great deal of interest in them. She only barely could justify carrying the pistol around.
She looks at Riahr when he speaks, then around at the other former prisoners. "The salarian does have a point, though. I can't imagine there's much more we can accomplish here, and I'd count on not being the only one sick of seeing this place by now."
---
[Reign] "OH SHIT" I yelled, as one of the containers I opened exploded in my face. I flew across the room and landed on my back. My HUD was flashing and beeping to indicate my kenetic barriers were running low. The container was labeled "biohazard".
"Yeah we should move. Give me another five minutes and I'll probably blow something else up."
---
Allan nods in affirmation.
"Gotcha. Alright people, we're heading out! Now, don't be surprised if we run into a few of our four eyed friends. Let's keep our guard up, yeah?"
Allan draws his shotgun, and follows the group out into the corridors and towards their destination.
---
Hyrati heard gunfire. A few of the prisoners were beginning to think we were going to get out. Just going to have to wait and see. Unless this side of the facility was abandoned, there was little point to breaking out when the damping fields went down. Without weapons and shields they would be very vulnerable.
Hyrati remained quiet and patient. There was no hope until circumstances changed, which could be remarkable soon if the people attacking the base were smart. It sounded like they crashed a ship into it, but there was no way to be sure without seeing it himself. Suddenly he heard some gunfire closer than the first set. Someone was attacking their side of the base as well. Hyrati got up and stood near the bars of his cell.
Before long a human and Salarian were standing there about to free them. Hyrati didn't recognize the Salarian at all. He wondered how long he had been a pirate, as these men were clearly not part of any organized military. Hyrati couldn't imagine being a pirate. He was too loyal to the Salarians, took too much pride in serving them, or maybe he was just doing his duty.
As the cells opened and the Human spoke it was clear they wanted the prisoners to help them. Hyrati preferred to work alone, but if helping them got him off this rock it was a risk he had to take. He remained quiet throughout, watching his liberators closely. It was clear they were not looking for slaves themselves, just volunteers, something about stealing a ship.
Quietly Hyrati made his way into the armory they opened and found himself a power core for his armor, a good pistol and a sniper rifle in unfortunately poor condition. Looking around the room he found a large locked section of the armory. Activating his omni-tool he had it open in no time. Surprised, he found his possessions from when he was captured locked away, along with many other weapons and tools.
"Anyone who was locked up may want to look through here, it seems as though everything they confiscated from me was locked in here. You may be just as lucky" he shouted.
Hyrati noticed the other Salarian seemed on edge, almost afraid of something. Meanwhile the Human seemed to have found someone he knew. It was that powerful biotic, Elouera was her name. As he watched them interact from the side of the room he overheard them talking about him.
Speaking up, "Your Salarian friend has no reason to fear me Human. I would much rather kill you before knowing anything about you than kill one of my own." Hyrati stepped towards the center of the room.
"Regardless, I have no intention of killing any of you right now. I want out of here just as much as you and keeping you alive gives us a much better chance of success. Please do not take it personally, I don't want to kill you. You just need to realize that I have no reason to kill you along side my lack of will."
Looking over at the other Salarian, "Now he is right, we would be much better off if we left this place and kept moving. Are you the only two in your group? I am assuming there are others. Are we able to meet them somewhere? Let us hope you are more organized than them." Hyrati finishes as he points over to the other prisoners greedily picking over the contents of the room he unlocked.
---
[Reign] I instantly went for the armor upgrades. Combat exoskeliton, no, medical, no, sheild battery... Sure. I used my omni-tool to attach it to my armor, not interested in the other things in the other room. The old gun I had does not interest me, it's worse then the pulse rifle. "HEY! I'm organized. But I usually work alone."
---
"If we are finished, then we should proceed to the second phase of the plan," Riar said, "Saul will need backup at the entrance. You have all had plenty of time to raid the armory. We're leaving. Now."
Riahr turned his back on the group and halted at the doorway that would take them back to the entrance. Being the first in line wasn't his style. He waited expectantly for Allan to take the lead.
---
[Reign] "Fine with me." I said, and followed behind Allan, biotics at the ready.
---
After Hyrati finished his speech, which included many references to killing him, Allan put on his best smirk and turned to Elouera.
"Can you believe the batarians had the heart to lock him up. He's adorable."
Allan rests his shotgun on his shoulder.
"Alright, then."
Allan leads the group down the corridors out of the prison, taking the quickest possible route to meet up with Green Team.
---
Figures a Human wouldn't understand the logical thoughts he was sharing, Hyrati thought. He has no inclination to kill anyone, surely they could understand that. Hyrati was ready to keep moving rather than talk. Still no one had answered his questions as to what their plan was. He hoped his liberators had just ignored them rather than them not actually having a plan.
"I am ready to leave, but could you at least tell us your plan of action? We have the best chance to survive if we all know what we are doing."
---
Allan looked at Hyrati.
"We went over this. We're moving to the position of our other fire teams. We meet up with them. Our last team, which includes our leader, then meets up with us. We then, as a big group, go and steal the ship the batarians have been working on."
---
"You aren't very bright for a Salarian, are you?" Riahr said, just loud enough for Hyrati to hear.
---
[Reign] "Hey, we haven't eaten in days. Well... The batarians were feeding us some sort of repulsive thing that you probably noticed the smell of when you entered the prison. I personally did not eat it, 'cause I had hidden rations in my suit. We're all hungry, tired and thirsty. Give him a break. LEAVE HYRATI ALONE! LEAVE HIM ALONE!"
---
Allan looks at Reign blankly for a few seconds and then falls in step with Elouera.
"Tell me I'm not going to have to put up with this for much longer. I mean, I don't even have L2 implants, and I have a migraine from this guy. You must have one hell of a happy place."
---
"Human..........." Riahr said, looking at Reign, "Screaming at the top of your lungs will only A: get us caught, and B: make me want to insult you instead. Before you give us all a headache, I suggest you keep quiet."
"Are all human soldiers this poorly trained?" Riahr thought.
---
Elouera weakly scratches the side of her head. "Oh believe me, you learn to shut it out after a while. If the kid gets to be too bothersome, we can always leave him here." She suggests, with a heartened smile. "It wouldn't be that devastating a loss."
Her eyes trail ahead, multi-tasking between listening and responding, and keeping alert for anything that might be heading their way. Or anything they're heading toward.
---
[Reign] "If we get caught, big deal. They only have footsoldiers in here. No turrets, No heavy artillary. And YOU, Elouera, are wrong. Leaving me behind would cause a host of problems for you. Just hurry up and get us to the battle. You'll reconsider my usefulness after you see me in combat."
---
Allan continued to walk and rolled his eyes at Reign's comment.
"Yeah, he's right, Ellie. We leave him behind, we might be so distracted by relief we'd be caught unaware and shot."
---
Riahr watched Allan jealously as he sent Reign straight into the ground. Riahr just wished he could have gotten Reign first.
"Reign, do you remember what Allan said about not being superman? You say there is no problem because all they have are footsoldiers. One stray shot from a simple footsoldier is all it would take to blow your flapping mouth right off. Now keep quiet and listen to the advice your superiors give you." Riahr said, making no effort to keep the edge out of his voice.
Elouera and Allan seemed as annoyed by this obnoxious human as he was. "The three of us are bonding already," Riahr thought jokingly.
---
[Reign] Now getting annoyed with my would be rescuers, I said "One stray shot hits my kenetic barriers. Big whoop. And I got a sheild battery installed. My shields could probably take bullets from 20 people for 5 seconds. And then there's my biotic barrier on top of that. And when did I not listen? I'm trying to help you guys out here, and you give me a stun gun to the arm? What's wrong with you?"
---
"You want to know why I call you Kid? That's exactly it right there. What you just said. It's not about how old you are, Kid. It's about how you act."
Allan looks serious for once, a rarity.
"Now, I'm all kinds of immature, but the point is I still know where I belong. You, on the other hand, like to go on and on about what you can do. You like to give everyone the impression that you could do all of this yourself. So you know what? Go ahead. You say you work better on your own? By all means, do so. Away from us. So until you stop acting like one, I'm always going to call you Kid."
---
Elouera stands back, with no intent to interfere or break it up. Let it settle itself, she figures. Even so, if things get out of hand, she's not above throwing one or both into stasis for cooling off.
Besides, this is amusing. The biotic crosses her arms, half-leaning against a wall to watch.
---
[Reign] "I'm not saying I can do this by myself. I say thats how I'm used to doing things. I by no means am gonna take that ship by myself. Especially when my biotics wear off. I can do something fierce in battle, but I can't fight an entire batarian army by myself. Especially the shock troopers. If more then five of them come running at me and I don't have cover I'm screwed. I'm saying I'm talented. But I am not saying I'm invincible. So, lets get moving. We gain nothing while we sit here and argue." I hate having to explain myself to a complete stranger. I'd much prefer killing batarians to sitting and argueing. But then again, this guy has never seen me fight. He probably thinks I am less adept in combat then an elcor. "Lets find something to kill, I need to release some steam."
---
Allan shakes his head.
"I'm pretty sure we crossed the brink of sanity a few paces back. You sure the batarians didn't just hire him to make your stay in the cells even more unpleasant."
Allan sighs.
"Well, we better go. It would be an awful tragedy if he was suddenly shot or captured. I just don't think I could take it."
Allan tries to put on his usual carefree grin as he moves forward, but he falters and then sighs again.
"Could someone please make an inadvertently sexual remark or say a ridiculous phrase so I can make a sarcastic comment and get my mojo back?"
---
Elouera straightens up. "Glad you realize it. Let's get going before your crew decides to leave without us." She doesn't really believe that. Buy, hey, in any other situation it would have been a valid concern.
As she follows alongside, the biotic looks Allan over, then lets out a brief laugh. "Oh, but you were so charming for a moment there. You should get worked up more often."
---
Riahr was suprised to see Allan's calm nature crack, even if it was only for a moment. They had known each other for a few years now, and never before had Allan's smile faltered. Was he just worried that the human would get himself hurt? Or was the human really that annoying? Riahr assumed it was the latter.
"Allan," Riahr whispered, out of earshot of Reign, "you should keep watching that boy. He says he doesn't think he is invincible, but I believe we both know his overconfidence has not changed. You know, in a way, he reminds me of you a little."
"No offense," Riahr added.
---
Allan looks at Elouera.
"Thanks, Ellie," Allan then adds slyly: "You didn't have to say that."
Allan then responds to Riahr.
"No offense taken, Boyo. Still I mean, we only share certain small character traits. Let's face it, my shenanigans are cheeky and fun. His shenanigans are annoying and tragic...which makes them not really shenanigans at all."
---
For the first time in a long while, Riahr cracked a very small hint of a smile from Allan's reply. He quickly returned his face to its normal, slightly depressed look, and kept moving towards Saul's team.
---
[Reign] "Who was it that installed those massive kenetic barriers on the Ravenheart? Those sheilds were taking way more hits then any normal kenetic shield for that size ship would take. It must have been someone extremely skilled." I asked, trying to avoid a offensive tone.
---
"I installed the shields." Riahr said from the back of the group, "It took months to perfect. Now all my work is a pile of molten slag. Saul still owes me for that."
---
[Reign] "Don't worry. That new ship is going to be worth it. And if you want to do some modifications on the new ship, I can definately help you in that area." I pulled out my weapon, hearing a click to the right of me. Security camera. I used Sabotage on it to disable it quickly.
---
Karsakien just killed the last batarian war beast and then...."Saul! Allan! Where the hell are you *****!!! I need backup!!!!!!!!!!!!" he said just as he is shot in the arm "**** now I can't shoot! **** you guys better get here fast cos we ain't gunna make it soon!" he says as he puts up a barrier around the red team.
---
Riahr raised an eyebrow at Reign. (Or whatever the Salarian equivalent is) "You? Help me? Modify a ship? I think you have proved through your immature actions that you lack the intelligence to make a paper airplane. Until you prove you are capable, I will never let you touch this Ravenheart replacement, no matter what Saul says, Kid."
Riahr had to hand it to Allan, he created a good nickname for this human.
---
Allan looks at Riahr and laughs. He then turns to Elouera.
"They grow up so fast." He says wistfully.
He then taps his earpiece.
"Don't worry, we'll be there soon."
---
[Reign] "Capable? I just ripped out the power cores of weapons and turned them into explosives not even 10 minutes ago. I'm egotistical, but that does not mean I am not intelligent. I can hack into almost any kind of system in less then five seconds. I have advanced anatomical knowledge of most of the sentient species in the galaxy, and I designed my own malicious code to send any synthetic berserk, I designed and built my own light armor FROM SCRATCH, and I was the the most skilled engineer on my ship. There were about 500 engineers on that ship. And I was the one to repair and power the prototype prothean mass relay on the citadel. Please do not question my intelligence."
---
[Riahr] "As I recall, you blew yourself up in the armory. You attack a comrade for teasing you, a comrade that just saved you from death by Batarians. You say you can do all those things, but you have yet to prove it. I have ample reason to question your intelligence. Stop your bragging, keep quiet, and show gratitude to your rescuers, Kid."
---
[Reign] "Hey, I was curious. And why do you think that mass relay on the citadel worked? It has not been used for over 50,000 years. And the keepers don't mantain it. And I was trying to show some gratitude by offering to help with ship modifications. But whatever."
---
"Are you trying to say you fixed the relay single handedly? Again, brag all you want, but after your immature behaviour, I will never believe a word. Now, don't make me repeat myself again: keep quiet. This bickering will get us nowhere. It is only going to make it easier for Batarians to hear us. If you want to show gratitude, stop talking and keep a lookout for guards."
Riahr could not handle any more of this human. Hopefully, after they stole the Batarian ship, it would be the last time he would be forced to deal with him.
---
[Reign] "The relay on the citadel is tiny compared to the actual ones. But I had to modify my omni-tool. Once we get out of here with that ship I'll show you. I also still have the ID code of my old ship. Once we get on board I can change it's ID code so nobody will think you're batarians. And besides, probably all the the batarians are attacking the rest of your crew. If any attack us it's probably a small patrol, probably no more then 10-15 people. And we can easily take that."
---
[Riahr] "Your overconfidence will be the death of you. 10 to 15 men is still a threat if they get the jump on us. And they WILL get the jump on us if you keep talking. This is the last time I will say this: Stop. Talking. If you make any more noise, I will do more than just stun you."
---
After listening to the constant back and forth tit-for-tat banter between Reign and the two newcomers, Aylena finally couldn't take it anymore.
"Guys, cool your jets. Both of you. Remember it's the Batarians that are our enemies, not each other. Save the fighting for them."
---
[Reign] "She's right. I apologize for anything I did to piss you off, now lets go."
---
Allan smirks slightly and continues onward.
"You can always count on asari to make the little children play nice." He remarks.
---
"I hope you were including yourself in that 'little children' comment," Raihr said to Allan, "Who was it who attempted to knock out an ally? But the asari is right. Enough fighting, we should move faster. Saul will need our help."
Riahr had no intention of apologizing to Reign.
---
[Reign] "Play nice..." I said under my breath. If he did not release me from the prison, I would have cut him down then and there. Containing my rage became ever more hard with the insolent remarks. But what could you expect... from pirates. We have never seen them in combat, or see them in general, why should we have to kiss up? Helping them and changing the ID of the ship should be thanks enough for freeing us. But no, they have to insult us as well, even when we try to help. Hopefully their leader will be a bit more respectful and civil. Seeing another comera, I Sabotaged it. I kind of almost want Batarians to try and ambush us, to show what I can do. To show them that the reason I have an ego is because I have skill.
"Which failed by the way" I said quietly, keeping track of the battery in my pocket, and keeping checks on my barriers. "You know, I could upgrade that thing to give more of a kick once we get to the ship."
---
Tired of trying to deal with Reign, Riahr decided to try starting a conversation with the one person in the group that seemed capable of talking without tazering or tripping anybody.
"So, asari," Riahr said, looking at Aylena, "how did you end up in a Batarian prison?"
---
"You know..."
Allan pointed at the cameras.
"Those aren't actually on. I disabled the entire surveillance grid for this part of the factory when I came in here. Besides, if they're actually watching those cameras right now, do you think destroying them is going to be any less telltale than just walking by?"
---
[Reign] "Oh. Okay. I was destroying them because if they get a good glance at our weaponry and abilites they can organize an assault to stop us much more effectively. For instance, your salarian friend is in the back. He is I'm guessing a tech expert, very valuble to the crew. Knowing he is in the back, they can get a sharpshooter to take him out easily from the back while distracting us with several shock troopers. I thought by destroying the cameras any assault they would plan against us would be less effective." I said, wishing I had known this before.
---
Accidently, Fivrelm kept his earpiece on throughout the argument and then slightly shouted "will you bunch of girls stop whining and gets your ***** over here!"
---
"Well Riahr, since you asked, I suppose I could give you a little summary of how it happened. I was in my personal transport ship, you know pretty small, not muchdefenses wise, ina system adjacent to the Terminus System, heading down to one of the planets with an outpost to get some more supplies.Suddenly a large group of Batarian raiders appeared seeminglyout of nowhere. My ship wasn't very fast, so they had me surrounded before I could escape. I wasn't really able to put up much of a fight, so they captured me and brought me back here."
Aylena smiled meekly, trying to make it appear likeshe had gotten over it, but not really succeeding.
"To this day I am still surprised that they came that far out of the Terminus Systems. Anyway, how did you come to take up this..." She paused for a moment, breiflyunsure how to phrase what she wanted to say, "line of work?"
---
Allan taps his earpiece.
"Alright, alright keep your shir....body armor on. Be advised, there is a potential situation heading your way. He should be considered armed and dangerous...ly annoying. Seriously don't shoot him, though. At least not unless Saul tells you to."
Allan looks back at everyone.
"Do krogan even wear clothes. I mean...I've only ever seen them in body armor?"
---
[Reign] "Probably not. Their home world is very hot, they would have no need for clothing. Is he injured? He sounds pissed, I can hear him over here."
---
Allan laughs in response to his "pissed" comment.
"You don't meet many krogan, do you?"
---
[Reign] "I just joined the military. I've only been on seven missions, and I've only seen one Krogan. A merc who was hired to help us. I really have not seen many non-humans."
---
[Karsakien] "You useless pieces of **** if you don't get over here now I will shove a pipe up your *** into your **** and beat you with a stick till your ***** fall off!!!!!!"
---
[Reign] "Yeah he sounds angry."
---
[Ayame] "Blue team are you about done because this is getting to be a little to easy now so any time your ready let's hook up and take the ship."
---
"Yeah..."
Allan says.
"He's pretty much always like that."
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Post by Vynx on May 18, 2009 0:47:23 GMT -5
"According to the map, the main entrance is this way." Riahr said, pointing forward. "Our allies are outside fighting the defense garrison."
"We need to get a move on." Allan said. "Saul said he'd meet us there, but by the way our Krogan friend sounds, its not going too well..."
"Wait..." Said Jheyva. "Listen! We're not alone!"
"RRRRRGGGHHH..." Came a soft sound down the hallway, accompanied by a few sniffing noises.
"What? What is it?" Came a deep, bellowing voice, obviously Batarian. "Do you smell something?"
"RRRRRRGGH!" Came the sound again, this time louder. "RRRRRRAG!-RAAAGGH!!!"
"Oh no..." Whispered Riahr, quietly. "Varren!"
"Guards..." Said Elouera. "Finally, some action..."
"We should move. Maybe we can still avoid--" Riahr said, getting cut off mid-sentence.
"I don't think we're going to be able to pass a team of trained scent-seeking Varren in such a confined area." Reign remarked. "They're going to find us."
"He's right." Aylena said. "We will need to fight our way through."
"Of course..." Said Riahr sarcastically. "Whenever there is an opportunity for violence..."
"If we are going to fight, we should use the pillars in this hallway to our advantage." Hyrati began. "They will send a small force to check the anomaly at first. Once we take care of the scouts, we can move further into the hallway and engage whoever else is running about the area. Everyone is trying to get out, so we can take advantage of the confusion and ambush whoever is in our way. If we move down this corridor, make a right, and proceed into the security station, we can then make it outside."
"This way! This way!" Came the Batarian voice again. "We have intruders! Get more guys up here! Follow me!"
"Lets make it happen!" said Allan.
***EVENT BATTLE***
Batarian Trooper (X3)
Batarian Engineer (X2)
Batarian Rocket Drone (X2)
Batarian War Beast (X3)
ALSO DOWN THE HALLWAY
Batarian Engineer (X6)
Batarian Trooper (X4)
Batarian Shock Trooper (X1)
---
***MEANWHILE, OUTSIDE***
***EVENT BATTLE***
Batarian Trooper (X5)
Batarian Shock Trooper (X1)
Batarian Sniper (X2)
Batarian Engineer (X2)
Batarian Defense Drone (X4)
Batarian War Beast (X6)
"Saul, this is Allan." Came a voice over my Com-Link. "We busted the prisoners, and gotten them armed up. You want us to make for the ship? You guys aren't in imminent danger of death or anything like that, right?"
"I'm fine." I said. "Don't go for the ship yet. Like I said earlier, stick to the plan! Meet the others outside and hit the defense garrison with the two-pronged attack. I'll meet you guys there. Over!"
With that, I closed the com-link, and turned to address my remaining teamates.
"Abdul." I said. "Go left. I'm going to cause a diversion. Once the Four-Eyes see their varren dropping like flies, and come over to check, I want you to hit them with Overload. While they're disoriented, Joyce, catch as many of them as you can with a Lift after you go to the right. Then I'll pick them off from the air. I figure that'll take care of about six of them plus the varren. Then we can storm the others, Neural Shock and Shotgun them to death."
"Got it." Said Denise.
"Just give the signal." Said Abdul.
My two teammates went to the side, as I placed my Shredder Rounds into my Sniper Rifle. Once the two were in position, I took aim at the still feasting varren."
"Gotcha." I said.
With a loud "THOOOOM!" My Sniper Rifle let off a shot, piercing a varren clean through its hide. The shot tore a hole through its body, yet the varren continued to eat. The death of one seemed to go unnoticed until another suddenly dropped dead. After the second one fell, the varren stopped what they were doing and began to look around. In the darkness, the trained beasts could see nothing but the ground under their feet.
"Hit 'em hard." I said to the other two over the com-link, drawing my pistol.
Not knowing where they were going, the Batarian war beasts charged blindly into the night. Having no idea where to look, Abdul, Denise, and I were able to make short work of them with our pistols. I activated my Marksman ability and peppered the two varren that came to me with slugs until they dropped dead.
"Stay sharp." I said over the com-link. "Now the real fight starts."
I looked ahead of me, at the remains of Sniknej's corpse. After hearing the shots, the Batarian soldiers immediately ran over to see what had happened. Two engineers, two troopers, and two defense drones looked around, wondering where the Varren had gone.
"Now." I said.
Upon my command, the entire area quickly lit up with a bluish-white flash. I activated my Omni-tool and pointed it at one of the two drones near the soldiers. After a split second of twitching, the drone began to fire at its Batarian controllers.
"Joyce!" I said. "Do it!"
After my sentence had finished, I saw a purplish-blue glow envelop the four unsuspecting Batarians surrounding my fallen friend. Defying gravity itself, the four began to float into the air, as one of the drones was locked in combat with the other.
Activating Marksman again, I aimed high, blasting holes through the guards as they rose higher and higher into the air.
---
[Reign] "Hehe. AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" I yelled, and went after one of the drones, two of the troopers, and one engineer. Sending a string of code towards the rocket drone, I hacked it, forcing it to go berserk and fire on the engineers, and also distracting the troopers. I flung a massive biotic punch while they were occupied, catching the engineer in its blast. His head hit the wall and cracked open, blood spilling out the back. The droid was still under my control, but I ordered it to detonate it's core near the troopers, blasting one of them back, but not killing him.
"DAAAA!" I said, my kenetic barriers were down, and my left arm has taken a hit. Throwing up a biotic barrier, I used stasis on the engineer, leaving the troopers. I used Neural shock on one of them, stunning him and sending him to the ground. On the other I used both my tech explosions. Now my Biotic barriers were down too. I ducked behind one of the hallways, waiting for my sheilds to recharge. I spammed granades into the hallway, and I heard the death gurgle of one of the batarian troopers.
Now for the last one. I ran out into the hallway again, and poked him in two of his eyes. Reeling back, It bought me time to get out another granade. When he opened his eyes, I shoved it down its throat as I pushed the button. I Lifted him up with boitics to prevent him from running at me, and watched at bits of shrapnel came out of his throat, shredding it. I sat down and got out my medical tools from the plate on my right arm. Painfully getting out the metal slug, I repaired the damage to my suit and healed my arm back up with medi-gel. "Easy" I said. I proceeded to pick up their weapons and make more of my granades out of them while waiting for the others to finish up the other groups.
---
Right before the Batarians arrived, Riahr slid behind a corner and waited. He took deep breaths, trying to keep calm. "My life matters more than the lives of the Batarians," he thought to himself, though he didn't fully believe it. After one last breath, Riahr managed to regain his senses and prepared himself for the fighting that would break out any second. The Batarians reached the hallways and his allies opened fire. The chaos Reign caused broke one soldier away from the rest of the group, and as the lone Batarian rounded the corner Riahr hid behind, Riahr lashed out with his knife, dropping the man instantly.
Riahr proceeded down the hall parallel to the ones the Batarians were grouped in. When he was behind the enemies, Riahr turned the corner and overloaded the shields of the men with his omni-tool. He then pulled out his assault rifle and sprayed fire down the hall, causing the remaining Batarians to break formation and scatter. He pulled back behind the corner and made his way back to the section of the halls his allies controlled.
---
As Reigh and Riahr charge ahead Allan looks on in disbelief.
"Uhhh...guys...did you forget something?" He asks.
The three varren skid into the room. They make a bee-line for the ones behind Riahr and Reign.
The first jumps at Allan, but a well placed shotgun blast sends it backwards. The second jumps, but he dodges out of the way.
---
As the second varren goes leaping passed Allan, Elouera quickly sends it flying upward to smash into the ceiling. It falls, dazed, back to the floor. Before the stunned creature can quite recover, she sends it back the way it'd come with a powerful throw. The beast becomes an unwitting, macabre sort of shield, as a trooper appears in the hallway and starts spraying rounds, not realizing his mistake until the varren is already dead.
---
Allan stares transfixed at the odd sight of a varren being used for a shield, his head tilted slightly to the side in light of the surreal situation. Then realizing that another batarian trooper had come into the room, he quickly tosses an overload mine at him. It detonates and his shields ware instantly fried.
Allan makes to shoot him, but something is telling him he has forgotten something. The third Varren jumps at him, but he dodges out of the way. The beast skids and turns around, bearing its teeth. Allan simply shoots it, the varren falls to the ground.
---
When Riahr saw Allan bring down the Batarian soldier's shield, Riahr quickly turned out from his cover and fired at the now defenseless man. The Batarian lurched back as rounds hit him in the leg and stomach. Before Riahr could finish him, Batarians down the hall opened fire on him, and he was forced back behind cover. The injured Batarian tried to limp back behind a corner.
---
But Elouera won't allow for his retreat. She throws him back against the nearest wall, then fires a few shots from her pistol. Her aim is horribly wanting, so it takes a few tries before she actually hits him fatally. A few opposing rounds bounce off her shields, and she quickly ducks into cover.
"How many more are there?" She questions, raising her voice to be heard over the battle. "Can anyone see?"
---
"Dangerously annoying? What the hell Allan? Just tell him if he pisses me off he won't see the next moon" says Karsakien as he grins widely while his barrier is being pelted by gunfire. "Alright, **** this, I'm kicking ass with my biotics now!" he said as he charged into the batarians swaying them left and right and crushing their bones with his powers until ultimately as soon as he kills the last batarian he gets shot in the chest, the lung to be precise. "Allan.........come quick........you.........****..........." he said as he fell unconscious.
Just as Fivrelm was slumping into a deep sleep he realised something..........he forgot the drones and shock troopers....
---
Aylena had been at the back of the group when the fight had started, but she made sure the it didn't stay that way for long. She quickly moved up towards the front of the pack, using cover when she could.Shestill took a few hits here and there, but it wasn't anything her shields couldn't handle. Half of the enemy forces had already been taken care of when she arrived and the the other half was in the process of being dealt with, except for a lone drone that was taking aim at her teammates. Aylena targeted it with a throw, except that she pulled it towards herself at high speed, readying her shotgun as she did so. When the drone was scarcely a fewmeters from her she unloaded her twoclips straight into the drone, immediately rendering it into useless scrap metal that fell harmlessly to the floor.
The immedate threat gone Aylena commented, "I took a few more hits than I would of liked, but my old skills are quickly coming back to me."
---
[Reign] "Is everyone all right?" I asked, "any injuries?"
---
Ayame meets up with the rest of her squad. Then she raises her assault rifle and shoots 2 more Varren down while taking cover behind a wall.
"You guys look like you could use some help."
Peeks her head around the corner and takes down a shock trooper who peek around the corner carelessly.
"You guys take this spot I'm going to move forward and secure further ahead. "
---
Allan took a few shots at the engineer, but he moved behind cover.
"Damn it. Ellie, this would be a good time for your mind bullets."
---
Elouera sighs with feigned exasperation. "If you insist."
She moves into the open again, and casually extends her arm. The engineer has a grenade in his hand, ready to toss it at them. He's in mind-swing, when a glowing energy field erupts around him. The engineer is frozen in place, along with his grenade still in hand, and a horrified expression on his face.
The adept smiles sadistically.
---
Seeing no threats remaining, Riahr walked into the open and drew his pistol. The Engineer looked back and forth frantically, unable to move from the stasis. Riahr slowly walked forward until he was arm's reach from the paralyzed soldier. The Batarian's four eyes met Riahr's two with a look of utmost hatred and disgust. But in the depths of the loathing, there was a small hint of fear. Riahr raised his hand holding the pistol and pulled it back. The second the stasis field dropped, Riahr swung his hand out, slamming the pistol into the Batarian's temple. The Batarian dropped to the floor, uncounscious. "Consider yourself lucky," Riahr whispered.
"This one is no longer a threat," Riahr called out, "By the time he wakes up we will already be gone. We should keep going." Riahr moved down the hallway, waiting for the others to follow.
---
"I'm taking this..." Reign said, and picked up the granade. He disarmed it, and put it in the container with the rest of his granades.
---
"Everyone's fine."
Allan says.
"Sounded like our krogan friend wasn't, though."
Allan sighs.
"We better keep moving. Wish we knew what was up ahead. Too bad we didn't leave one of them conscious so we could ask..."
Allan looks pointedly at Riahr.
---
"What's wrong with him? Where was he hit?"
---
Allan looks at Reign, dumbfounded.
"Well...contrary to popular belief I can't astrally project myself. How the hell am I supposed to know?"
---
[Reign] "I donno. Slim chance that he yelled where he got hit. Is he still conscious? Before we get there I'd like to get the supplies I need ready."
---
"You should work on that, then." Elouera suggests to Allen facetiously.
She steps ahead of the others, continuing on the way they were meant to go. "And..." She sighs. "No way to know now what we're walking into now, until we do it." The biotic pauses to look back. "Take your time getting ready. I can scout ahead quickly, make sure we're not charging into some trap."
---
Allan laughs lightly.
"Heh, you're cute when you try to be sarcastic."
He draws his pistol and follows Elouera.
"Well too bad...you don't get to die alone."
Remembering that Reign had asked him a question, Allan turns around.
"Look, I don't know. I thought we just had medi-gel. Isn't that the battlefield cure-all or some such?"
He then turns back around and continues the direction he was going.
---
[Reign] "Go right ahead. Just don't get shot." I said, sitting down. "I'll keep the medical supplies ready." I took the supplies out of the plate in my armor, and began to sanitize them. By the time I took the tools out, Elouera was already gone. Dang, I thought, she's stealthy.
"Ha, nope. Medi-gel Just acts as a adaptable stem cell that can be used to seal up most wounds. If you get hit in a vital area, just pumping stem cells into your body ain't going to fix it. It works well for regenerating lost blood though. Most soldiers use omni-gel, but I like to be a little more precice. Thats why I need to know where he got hit. He got hit in the leg, medi-gel can fix it. He gets hit through several vital organs though... I'd first have to restructure the organs if they got disfigured from the impact, then apply the medi-gel. Otherwise, he'd end up with disfigured organs, which may lead to complications."
---
"I'm not going to die." Elouera objects, although in truth she's relieved.
Which is why she does wait until Allan's finished talking at Reign, before proceeding down the corridor. She is indeed rather stealthy, although perhaps it's not so surprising given how physically weak she is, that she'd learn quickly how to move around silently.
As they round a corner, the biotic comes to a stop, listening carefully for a moment. "Do you hear that?" Voices and footsteps, someplace up ahead.
---
Allan nods silently. As Elouera is in the lead, he hands her some binoculars from a compartment in his suit.
---
[Leon] I signal for my squad mates to get ready to cover me. I pull out a hand crafted ink-smoke grenade, arm it, toss it toward the batarians, detonate it, and signal my squad to open up with some covering fire. The grenade detonates in the middle of the closest group of batarians, temporarily blinding them. Arming my assault rifle, i turn from cover and fire three bursts into the bodies of the nearest enemies. I located Fivrelm. He lay unconscious, in a pool of his orange blood.
In one smooth movement, I sling my rifle on my back, grab a hold of his armour, and pull him a few meters behind some rubble. I turn him over and use my limited (but not lacking) first aid knowledge to address his wounds. The Krogan had several relatively minor abrasions from a few stray shots and one clean shot straight through his torso. There was an exit wound so i knew there was no bullet inside him. I applied a few medi-gels to the hole in his torso at the entrance and exit wounds. The gels morphed to his krogan skin and stopped the bleeding. I gave him a double dose of morphine and reactivate his kinetic barriers. While fixing him up, i notice a red drip off my glove; it appears i took a glancing shot to the arm. "A close call," i think to myself. Nothing a little medi-gel can't handle.
I begin to see some life return to Fivrelm's face, but he is extremely dazed and confused. I open up a com-link to Reign's team and say amidst the gunfire, "I've got the Krogan and he should be good as new it a few minutes once the sedatives wear off, but is going to need some medical work once we get the hell out of here. We are all still in deep shit over here and really need some support. We can hold them off for now but I don't know for how long. Red team out.'
I close the com link and look at Fivrelm. He looks 110% better than five minutes ago, but thats not saying a whole lot. He appears to be fully conscious and grabbs his gun.
'Good to have you back," I say to him, "try not to pull any crazy shit like that again."
---
Riahr slides up worlessly behind Allan and Elouera. Riahr glares at Allan's back. Now wasn't the time to express his anger outloud; Batarians could hear him.
Did Allan - no, did all of them not understand why he knocked out the Batarian? If he hadn't, they would have "questioned" him. And after all the "questionings" Riahr had witnessed over the years, he had learned that they rarely ended without bloodshed. How could Riahr stand by and watch someone be tortured when pain and violence were the things he feared most? Fearing it himself, yet happily allowing others to experience it would be the height of hypocrisy. Men always died in battle, Riahr knew that. Riahr had to kill in battle, and he knew that. There was rarely a nonviolent solution in his line of work. But when there was an easy way to save someone from that pain, Riahr would do what he could.
He tried to keep focused and drew his pistol and prepared to launch a sneak attack when the Batarians exposed themselves. There seemed to be no lives that could be spared this time.
---
Elouera gives the binoculars a cursory glance, before looking through, positioning herself just enough to see around. For time, there's nothing but silence as the biotic surveys what she can see. Finally, she lets out a breath.
"I see at least seven or eight batarians, mostly techies. The hall opens out, so it's possible there's more that I can't see." She leans back, returning the binoculars, so that Allan can take a look. "Probably an ambush, but I can't see that we---" She's startled a moment by Riahr's appearance, but is able to keep from reacting outwardly. "... have any choice."
---
"Yeah...they're waiting for us, alright."
Allan hears Elouera's break in speech and looks behind to see Riahr. He gives him a quizzical look before returning to the binoculars.
"Maybe there's a way we can shake 'em up a bit. Get them off their game."
Allan looks at the interfaces along the wall.
"We could always turn out the lights..."
---
Elouera stares ahead, deep in thought. "Well yeah, or we could..." She trails off, absorbing what he just suggested. "That's, surprisingly, not a bad idea."
---
"Whatever we are doing, we should do it soon." Riahr whispered impatiently. "The guards will not wait for us to kill them forever."
---
"I have been known for a brilliant notion from time to time," Allan says with slight smirk.
He interfaces his omni-tool with the wall circuitry.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we're sorry to inform you we've been having some off and on power complications..."
The lights cut off and everything goes dark.
"Please do not panic."
Though no one can see it, Allan smiles.
"Alright, then. Let's get started."
---
"Alright **** this, I'm ******." the krogan says as he lifts up a batarian war beast and throws it at its masters. "Ya like that? ya ****** punks, Leon cover me while I'm shooting" Fivrelm says as he starts throwing a single batarian into loads of them knocking them down while shooting them.
---
Almost instantaneously after the lights die, there's a confused uproar among the batarian ambush. Some turn on the flashlights that are a part of their armor, and there's plenty of shouting. They're too far away for the words to be understandable, but it's essentially implied that they are bewildered and pissed off.
"This is going to be fun." Elouera whispers.
Before long, five break off from the group, heading down the hall to investigate. The tables have been turned; it is now they who are running into an ambush.
---
"Leon watch out, War beast comign your way! Now eat slugs you ugly peices of crap!" Fivrelm says as he rugby tackles a stray batarian to the ground and shoves his elbow into his skull crushing it completely.
---
[Reign] "BREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" I yell, startling the troopers in the dark. I use Sabotage and overload on the group, lowering their sheilds and damage protection.
---
Reign's shouting snaps Elouera out of her concentration. She had a plan in mind, but... well, they're distracted, so this works, too.
She swings around the corner, while the defenseless batarians are still scurrying back to find cover. The three of them, along with the third trooper, find themselves weightless. The momentum of their movements results in their bouncing helplessly off the walls and ceiling.
One of the engineers was missing from this equation, although the biotic fails to realize in time. It's dark enough, that she can barely see anything. As she's preparing to toss the floating batarians back the way they'd come, Elouera is stopped by what feels like her nervous system going into shock. A painful sensation shoots all the way through to every nerve ending, her muscles lock up, and a sharp nausea turns her stomach. ((Neural Shock))
To her credit, she makes a substantial effort to stumble back into cover, before dropping to her knees and dry retching.
---
Allan takes aim at the helpless floating engineer with his pistol and fires. The batarian dies but continues to float placidly through the air.
"That's kind of spooky," Allan muses out loud.
---
Aylena took advantage of the of Elouera's lift and targeted one of the immoblie troopers with a warp. Then drawing out her pistol as well,she fired several times, each one hitting its mark even though it was hard to see in the darknessas her enemy was stationary.The Batarian's kinetic barriers were soon overwhelmed, and the trooper's life ended not much later.
---
Riahr let out a quiet, angry sigh. "Congratulations, Reign. So much for a sneak attack." He thought to himself.
Riahr popped up from behind cover and fired at one of the suspended soldiers with his pistol. The bullets pierced his chest right over his heart. His blood floated in the air, still suspended by the lift. The corpse dropped back to the ground with a loud THUD when the mass effect field disappeared.
---
[Reign] "Here..." I said. and knelt down next to Elouera. I keep forgetting that neural shock sometimes has different affects on different species. I quickly apply medi-gel to stop the poison effect that a neural shock can sometimes create, then apply morphine to lessen the pain. Getting back up, I take careful aim with my pulse rifle. Spewing bullets untill the gun overheated, I managed to kill one. As I start to see the lift fading, I quicly reinforce it with my own.
---
Allan puts his hand on Elouera's shoulder.
"You okay, Ellie?"
He sounds sincerely concerned. Then, realizing this, he readopts his casual demeanor.
"Those things can be kid of unpleasant. The best way to deal with that is to shoot the guy who did it to you. Unless me or someone else did that...in which case...just shoot someone who looks like him. Yeah..."
Allan trails off. Noticing a tight group of batarians he throws an overload mine. It detonates.
"After you."
---
[Reign] "FALCON...." I said, charging my biotic punch to it's full effect "PUUUUUUUUUUUUCH!" I yelled, as I released it, forcing one of the troopers caught in the biotic lift to fly into the wall, cracking it's spine with a sickening crunch, and making another fly out of the feild. Though not mortally wounded, this batarian is badly hurt.
---
Elouera props herself up against the wall, gritting her teeth. "Thanks." She says quietly to Reign, then sits back and waits for the drugs to kick in.
She looks up at Allan. "I've... been better. How are you?"
Unpleasant is an understatement. She lets out a strained laugh. "Heh. All batarians look the same. I can use my imagination well enough."
Feeling some of her strength return, the biotic rises to her feet, unsteady at first. Her sight locks onto one of the unprotected engineers. No way of knowing if this is the one, but it hardly matters. She takes aim with her pistol. It takes her three rounds to kill him, but she continues firing for a little longer than necessary.
"That was... satisfying."
---
Riahr stared in disbelief as his comrades all crowded around Elouera in the middle of a fire fight. She was clearly affected by a neural shock, which would fade in less than 20 seconds. Yet Allan and Reign both ignored their enemies to shower her with unneeded concern and sympathy. Riahr looked away in distaste.
When Riahr saw Reign finally rejoin the fight and send the two men flying, Riahr aimed at the wounded survivor crumpled on the floor. A bullet went straight through the Batarians lower left eye, spewing bone, blood, and bits of brain on the wall behind the body. At least Allan had the sense to bring their shields down.
Before Riahr could pull back behind cover, rounds from an assault rifle hit him in the chest and sent him flying backwards. His shields absorbed most of the impact, but one shot made it through and left a bleeding hole in his right shoulder. Riahr crawled back behind a wall and cried "Reign! Help!" as black dots began to appear on the edge of his vision.
---
[Reign] "You're welcome." I said, noticing that there was a single engineer firing at me with his pistol. Doing minor damage to my sheild, I put up a Biotic barrier and walked toward him calmly, while the others are engauged with the other batarians, looking frightened, the engineer fired with increased panic, not being able to penetrate my shields with such a puny gun. I slapped the gun out of his hands and pull out my surgical tools. "ALL I CAN TELL YOU, IS THAT THIS NEXT PROCEIDURE, WILL BE VERY, VERY PAINFUL!" I tell him. Running in terror, the engineer runs around a corner.
Hearing the plea for help, I keep my surgical tools out and run behind the wall to where I heard the voice. Sure enough, It was the fragile sararian. Seeing the bleeding hole, I immediately looked for a puncture on the other side. Luckily, there is one. NO bullet extraction required. And even better, it did not hit the bone.Bending down, I immediately seal up the back of the wound to prevent unnecessary bleeding.unlike humans, if salarians lose more then 25% of their blood they start to die.I alsohate getting blood on my suit. I quickly and skillfully repair the damage to the muscle and nerves, and let the medi-gel go to work on the blood vessels. I seal the wound up with medi-gel. Getting out a strange needle, I inject it into his shoulder. The mix inside contained plasma, antibiotics, and morphine. Confident he would be back up within the minute, I turn my attention to my teammates.
---
Allan sighs.
"Well...that was officially the worst batarian in history."
Allan looks at Reign.
"Reign, in case you hadn't noticed you're out of cover and exposed! You might want to come back here and die less. You need to live and work on your one liners."
---
[Reigh] "Die less?" I asked. "As opposed to dying just a little bit? I got a shield battery and Biotic barriers up. A single pistol is not going to get through the kentic barriers anytime soon."
---
[Allan] "Pistol? There's still soldiers out there, you idiot! With assault rifles! So yes, dieing less would be a good idea to consider!"
---
[Reign] "They're occupied. And if one comes charging at me I got stasis to stall them untill I get to cover. Don't crawl down my throat and have babies, I know what I'm doing."
---
"Where the hell is the bloody blue team! They should be here right now!" Fivrelm says just as he is kicked in the back of the leg and pinned to the floor by a war beast. "Oh now you don't, eat this!" He says as he throws a toxic grenade into its mouth and while it's coughing up his blood and organs he jumps on the back of it gets his pistol out and shoots about 9 bullets into its skull then finally stomps on his body "That's what you call a ****** kill!!!!!!"
---
[Reign] Hearing loud, angry voices coming out of Allan's earpeice, I said "I'm guessing the krogan is back up?"
---
As Riahr struggled back to consciousness, he surveyed what enemies were left in the hallways. He pushed himself to his feet, grimacing in pain from his arm. Riahr tried to pull out his assault rifle, but the pain was too much. He needed both arms to use it. Riahr redrew his pistol.
---
[Reign] "You ok there man?" I asked, concerned about the salarian's well being. My concern was quickly broken as a shock trooper launched a biotic throw at me. "AAAAAAH!" I yelled, as I flew through the air and into a wall. I threw him into a stasis before I hit the wall. For once in my life I'm glad I wear light armor, as the miniature mass effect feilds in my suit lessened the impact. Still, it hurt. Dropping to the ground, the stasis wore out. I quickly used Neural shock, dropping him to the ground and causing a seizure. Ducking behind cover, I check if my sabotage or overload has recharged. It has. Launching them both at the shock trooper, they blow his sheilds to hell and weaken his armor. "Hurry! Get him while he's weak!"
---
[Derrick] "I want those snipers and shock troopers taken out, asap!" I said letting a volley of assault rifle rounds at the Batarians causing them to break for cover. "Jason," I fire another series of rounds at the oncoming enemy horde scattering a few more of them. I quickly look over my shoulder to see him staring slackjawed at the size of the troopers we faced, "Snap the **** out of it and get to a good sniping spot and take out their support troops. If any of those four eyed pukes pop their heads out I want gray matter coming out the other side, you copy?" He glances at me then seems to shake himself out of it.
"Copy, sir." He runs off as bullets careen of the spot where he was standing. I duck my head down and take cover myself. I pull out a grenade and prime it, leaning out long enough to launch it at the ground where two varren were charging, and detonate blowing them into chunks of undistinguishable meat and viscera. Conan launches a lift at two soldiers and fires several rounds into the two of them taking them out and leaving their bodies floating above the ground acting as meat shields for enemy fire that focused on him. A few of the bullets bounced of his shields before he made it back behind a rock close by.
"Kiyo, on the count of three let's break cover and focus on the nearest shock trooper. Ready, 1...2...3!" We both pop out and unleash hell upon the heavily armored foe. His shields quickly fail under the constant fire and the bullets rip through his body armor, leaving his chest a mass of gore. Bullets tear at the area near Kiyo and I train my assault rifle on an engineer firing from nearby and look for an opening. The only shot I have from my vantage point are his legs. Letting off a few rounds I see that they hit and tear through his shin and kneecap. He lets out a scream and drops from view. Kiyo and I both drop down, back under cover. I look over and see Conan use throw to launch a drone into another one carrying them into the wall of the facility leaving nothing more then scrap metal, I can see the blood flowing freely from his nose now. I chance a look around my cover to survey the battle and get tackled by a 200 pound varren for my troubles. The slobbering beast is trying to get at my face and throat but I'm doing my damnedest to hold it at bay. Just as I push up on the beast a sniper round blasts through its cranium, coating my visor with gore. Looks like Jason finally found an adequate sniping position. Kiyo pulls me back under cover and I see as we move that their forces are making their way closer to us.
"I really hope that JR is able to get some explosives onto those shock troopers soon otherwise their numbers will overwhelm us soon."
---
Riahr saw the shock trooper on his knees, vulnerable. He quickly lifted his right arm, firing five shots at the Batarian. The two rounds that hit their target sent the shock trooper back into a wall. He coughed up a gob of blood, then slid to the floor, dead.
Riahr cursed. The wound was affecting his aim. Shooting with one arm was a major disadvantage. He continued to supress the pain and overloaded the shields of the three remaining men. The Batarians quickly turned around, trying to flee to cover.
---
Elouera doesn't let them get very far. Again, they're lifted into the air, defenseless and unable to move of their own power. The biotic lifts a hand to her face as a nosebleed starts, but smirks in spite of it. "All yours, everyone."
---
Allan takes aim at the helpless floating solider with his shotgun. He fires. The batarian dies.
"Okay, that's one down. Two left!"
---
Riahr unloaded with his pistol on one of the two remaining engineers. In seven shots, the Batarian was killed and his body dropped to the floor.
"Only one left. We need to hurry, Saul is waiting." He said.
---
"Leon there's too many for us to take on we have to retreat! I propose we make a barrier of junk and find the blue team, you in?" says Karsakien as he punches a batarian in 3 eyes and then uppercuts him on the chin. "Looks like we got a POW too hehehe."
---
When Aylena saw that the last Batarian was helpless she broke from cover, returning her pistol from her holster and retreveing her shotgun in one fluid motion. She then dashed foward and unloaded her shotgun right into the Batarian as soon as he was within range. The shot was a direct hit; the enemy was dead within seconds.
"Well that was the last one, for now at least. Now we can continue on to regroup with leader," she commented towards Allan and Riahr. "If the your Krogan friend's comments anything to go by, it sounds like they could use some backup soon."
---
"Good. We should keep moving." Riahr said. After walking a few feet, he paused. "And Reign....... Thank you for the medical assistance." he added, just barely loud enough to hear. As the group began to move down the hallways, Riahr turned to Aylena. "I'm sorry I could not answer your question before. The Batarians were a bit of an interruption. Were you still wondering how I got into this 'line of work'?" Riahr asked.
---
"Sure, I'd really like to hear that story," Aylena responded to Riahr. "As long as you don't mind telling it as we walk, for we do need to keep moving."
---
"Unfortunately, it isn't a very long story. I had some...... family problems back home. I needed to get away for a while, and Saul, my current CO, had an empty ship. I flew the ship for him, and he gave me a place to stay. I have been with him for a few years now. Pirating isn't exactly my dream profession, but right now I don't have very much of a choice. But Saul is a good leader, and I guess I have some friends on the ship, so my stay has not been as unpleasant as I initially thought it would be."
---
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Post by Vynx on May 18, 2009 2:44:54 GMT -5
***EVENT BATTLE***
Batarian Trooper (X3)
Batarian Shock Trooper (X1)
Batarian Sniper (X2)
Batarian Defense Drone (X2)
***http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqaO1QACUdw&feature=related
THIS BGM PLAYS IN THE BACKGROUND DURING THIS WHOLE SCENE***
"That surprise attack worked." I said over the Com-Link. "We got the jump on them. Only about eight left."
"Well our weapons aren't silenced." Replied Abdul. "I'm sure they heard all of that noise. This atmosphere may be thin, but there's enough to where sound travels."
"That's fine." Said Denise. "We've got Troopers, Snipers, Drones, and a single Shock Trooper. As long as we keep our distance, this'll be easy. So what if we don't have the element of surprise?"
"Stay in the shadows Saul?" Asked [Zacker's character].
"I'd say that might be wise..." I said, alluding that he was stating the obvious. "Try to keep moving; they know we're here, but that doesn't mean that they can see us."
"Roger." Said Abdul.
"Right." Said Denise.
"Copy." Said [Zacker's Character]
"Set me up and I'll take care of the Snipers." I said. "Once they're done, I want a set up for [Zacker's character] and me with the Troopers.
"Scrambled or overeasy?" Asked Denise.
"Warp them while Abdul and me hack the drones." I said.
"Scrambled it is then." Said Denise. "Perfect."
The Com-Link closed.
The four of us were well-spread-out over the terrain. We made sure to stay separated, attacking our foes from different angles so as to confuse them. In the darkness that was Maraaq IV, our strategy was working well; the Batarian defense had no idea where to aim. The team that was dispatched obviously did not think that we would destroy the searchlight that signaled the end of Larry Sniknej. Relying upon the light for guidance, the Batarians didn't seem to have any sort of contingency in place to see the attackers hiding in the shadows.
In addition to not knowing where to attack, the defenders also failed to learn how many attackers there were. Were there two others hiding behind the one felled by their drones? Or were there six? Maybe even as many as twelve?
We studied this facility inside and out before we came here, but we did NOT anticipate the searchlight that found Sniknej (as it wasn't in the plans). Our initial strategy was for the Blue Team to stay hidden and not run into a fight, but this change could actually be turned in our favor.
I wanted to manipulate the lack of information on the Batarians' part to my advantage. I used my binoculars (equipped with Thermal Imaging for this operation) to pinpoint the locations of my allies, as well as my enemies. My crewmates were running in a circle around the Batarians, making sure to stay at least 40 feet away from them, staying hidden in the darkness. Upon some examination, the lone Shock Trooper, who was obviously the leader, stood in the middle of a circle created by the three remaining Troopers. The Troopers served as his shield, and said shield was flanked by the two Snipers. The Drones covered the air by flying in a circle overhead of the Shock Trooper.
Their numbers were clustered together: I could exploit this.
The four of us continued to move, setting ourselves in a sort of square around the Batarians. Once I ascertained that I had a clear shot at both the Snipers, I crouched and reached for my back, as my own Sniper Rifle activated, ready for use. I was just about to take the Rifle off of the magnets on my back as the com-links opened, and a deep, bellowing Batarian voice spoke to the four of us.
"Intruders! Identify yourselves!" Began the voice that I could only assume was coming from the Shock Trooper. "I have already called for reinforcements! It doesn't matter how many of you there are - in less than five minutes, you will be up to your necks in Batarian Commandos and Varren! Surrender now, and I promise that your punishment will be light! If you drop your weapons and offer no more resistance, I will see to it that you are all sold off as domestic servants! You may be pirates, but I know you're not stupid: listen to me and you will keep your dignity!"
My side of the com-link was closed; I could only hear what the Shock Trooper was saying. Giving a small chuckle, I finally pulled out my Sniper Rifle, activating Master Assassination. I looked at the Shock Trooper through my scope for a second as he looked around. His weapons were still stowed away, yet all those around him were ready and pointing their guns ahead, just waiting for the right minute to "spray and pray." I smirked, and locked my crosshairs on the Sniper at the Shock Trooper's right flank.
"...This smug dirtbag's going down." I said to my squadmates over a private channel. "Abdul! Get the shields!"
With another instantaneous bluish flash of light, the entire Batarian crew was caught in Abdul's Overload field. With their shields disabled, I cut loose. I drilled the unsuspecting Sniper at the right flank with my Assassination shot, knocking him down to the ground - completely defenseless. I pulled the lever on the side, clicking the next round into place, and and all it took was another well-placed shot to end it.
During this time, Denise and [Zacker's character] let loose a wave of concentrated Marksman shots with their pistols to soften up the other Sniper. The fact that I didn't even have to tell them to do this was a testament to how well we all worked as a team.
After clicking my rifle one more time, loading the next round, I was able to make short work of the other Sniper with a perfect headshot. The Sniper's helmet was pierced clean through, but unfortunately this was not done before he let out a round in the direction where Denise's volley was coming from.
I couldn't tell from where I was if the shot had made contact or not.
"Joyce!" I said, ready for the worst. "You all right? Are you there?"
I was admittedly relieved when she spoke up, with not a hint of pain in her voice.
"I'm fine Saul. He completely missed me." She said. "I'm not standing still - he had no chance."
"Good." I said. "That's good news. Keep at it."
With the Snipers down, the Shock Trooper drew his Shotgun, and the Drones quickly split up. One quickly made its way over to me, with the other swiftly hovering in Abdul's general direction.
Perfect.
"Abdul." I began. "Its time to do what we do best!"
"Say no more." He said.
With those words, I activated my Omni-tool and pointed it at the drone that was headed for me. After a second of twitching, the drone performed a complete 180-degree turn and began to fire at its Batarian controllers. Abdul did the same, and the two hacked drones wreaked havoc upon the four remaining Batarians. After slaughtering one of the shieldless Troopers with a double-team barrage of rounds, the remaining two (As well as the Shock Trooper that was in the middle of the circle) were forced to scatter. With no one else in close enough proximity, the two drones fought amongst themselves. As I watched the two drones tear each other apart with laser rounds, I contacted my squadmates over the com-link.
"Ten credits says the one I hacked outlasts yours Abdul." I said, watching the duel through my Sniper Rifle's scope.
"...Are you kidding me?" Was all Denise could say.
"Tch!" Cracked Abdul. "You're on Saul!"
The two drones continued to fight, hovering in a circle around each other. They seemed evenly matched until the one that I hacked launched a rocket at Abdul's, causing the defeated drone to explode into pieces. Before my drone could do anything else, I pierced it clean through with my Sniper Rifle, taking it down.
"Dammit..." Said Abdul.
"You can cough up the pork when we get back to base. But I'm holding you to it!" I said.
"Go to hell Saul!" Said Abdul. "How was I supposed to know that yours had a Rocket Launcher?"
"Yours probably did too." I said with a chuckle. "But yours was probably just too stupid to use it!"
"Quiet!" said [Zacker's character]. "Our enemies are regrouping. Saul, they're 50 feet away at 20 degrees east from your position"
In response to [Zacker's character]'s comment, I lowered my Sniper Rifle and looked through my binoculars. I swept the terrain, eventually seeing that the three had gotten back together near the facility, with the Shock Trooper in the middle. Our enemies were closer to Denise than they were to me, and Abdul was quickly moving in.
"Roger." I said. "Disable them. Denise, get the right, Abdul, left. We'll snipe them."
"Got it." Said Abdul.
"Done." Said Denise.
I looked through my scope again, as Denise and Abdul moved into position.
A purplish light permeated the scene, as Denise prepared a Biotic Throw. I looked through my scope back at the remaining Batarians, as the one on the Shock Trooper's right was violently cast away, his back hitting the outside wall of the facility.
At the same time, the Trooper on the left fell to the ground, temporarily glowing red.
"Neural Shock..." I said to myself. "Classic."
Not missing a beat, I shot a slug at the Batarian on the ground. The downed soldier was subsequentially peppered with Pistol shots, as I saw the Shock Trooper let off an orange glow.
"He's ready for us." I said. "Finish off that one at the wall, then focus on the leader."
I watched as Denise quickly ran towards the Batarian at the wall. She activated her Biotic Barrier, running past the Shock Trooper, who had also formed a barrier around himself.
"Immunity and a Barrier... Smart." I said. "This'll be fun."
I zoomed in with my scope, just in time to see Denise get to the disoriented Trooper. She quickly turned her Shotgun around, smashing her enemy's faceplate in. The Trooper fidgeted for a second, then fell limp, his body floating into the air.
Everything was going perfectly, when I suddenly felt a violent wind push against my body, sending it flying backward.
"WHOA!!!!" I yelled, surprised.
The Shock Trooper had found me, and he met my presence with a Biotic Throw of his own. I adjusted my weight, turning around so I would hit the ground earlier than I would have normally in Maraaq IV's weak gravity. I looked ahead of me, to see that I had been thrown a few dozen feet from where I was. As I was beginning to regain my composure, Sniper Rifle still in hand, I saw a veil of dark blue particles appear before my eyes.
The obstruction of my vision was accompanied by a tightening pain around my chest and lungs. I could hardly breathe, and the shortness of breath was taking a toll on my stamina - the desired effect of a Biotic Warp. I started coughing, unable to inhale or exhale properly. It was at this time that I felt a hand grab the front of my neck, and predictably, I was lifted into the air.
Of course, Batarians are a little taller than us humans, so when my feet were unable to touch the ground, it was obvious who owned the hand currently ringing my neck.
I dropped my Sniper Rifle. I could hardly see and I could hardly breathe, but I could hear just fine. Knowing this, the Shock Trooper spoke to me.
"You had your chance!" said the Shock Trooper. "Not only can I tell that there're no more than ten of you, I can also tell that you're human."
"It...*cough* ...took you that... *cough* ...long to... *cough* ...notice that?" I said, almost wheezing out the words.
"You shut up scum!" Barked my opponent, pulling me closer. "You think you humans are so superior... but then again, considering the price that you'd fetch on the slave market... I'd be inclined to agree in terms of resale value."
"Go... to... *cough* ...hell..." I grunted.
"Ha!" The Batarian chuckled. "You're through. First, I'm going to crush your trachea with my brain. Then after that, I'll--"
Just then, I heard a loud noise, as if a circuit had just been blown. I abruptly fell to the ground, as the blue veil in front of my eyes began to dissipate. I was able to breathe again, and I quickly drew my pistol, pointing it at the Shock Trooper (who was now in a defenseless and stunned position).
"Damping..." said the Shock Trooper dejectedly. "Dammit-- Gah!"
Just then, I heard another noise coming from behind my enemy. Unlike the explosion-like noise I had just heard, this one was more of a "pop," accompanied by a small sizzle. I shook my head and looked up, to see Denise standing behind the Shock Trooper that just seconds ago, had been in control of the situation.
"I think that's about enough." Denise said.
Taking advantage of the Shock Trooper's conceit, Denise and Abdul had snuck up behind him. Once they were in position, Denise was able to use her Beam Dagger to pierce the Batarian's armor.
Her target was the little "backpack" near the two sets of magnets that attached the Assault and Sniper Rifles to a person's back. This "backpack" linked directly to the armorsuit's helmet via two cords, and upon its rupture, the armorsuit's breathable air supply was immediately cut off - a tragic design flaw that many of us risked losing our lives to whenever we put on most humanoid suits of armor (Turians, Krogans, and even Quarians do not have this flaw in their armor).
Despite losing air, and quickly dieing of suffocation, the Shock Trooper still had something to say.
"You're... with the ones at the front, aren't you?" He began. "This was an interesting diversion... but your friends won't get out of here alive... Even now... more troops are headed to the front door of this place... *cough* Unless you can take control of a defense satellite... you're going to get overrun. You hear me human? *cough* You're... all... screwed..."
After these words, the trooper began to gasp and cough, even more violently than before. Other suffocating noises were heard as the trooper knelt down to the ground, holding his neck. The four of us just stood there, until at last he dropped to the ground, dead. His body began to float off the ground, and I walked over to him as his corpse just sat in mid-air.
"Dead and done." I said. "Just the way I like 'em."
I gave the floating corpse of the Shock Trooper a karate chop to the chest, sending it towards the ground. The corpse hit the ground with a light "pat," and I slapped my two hands together, signaling that the job was done.
"Thanks for that." I said. "That was pretty uncomfortable."
"We were waiting for the right time." Said Abdul, "but we weren't going to let him kill you."
"As easy as that would've been." Added Denise.
Not wanting to joke, I shifted my gaze to the right, looking over at a certain fallen comrade.
There was work to be done.
"...This isn't over." I said. "Follow me."
I led my three comrades over to Larry Sniknej's corpse (or rather what was left of it).
All that remained of the young pirate was a few torn up limbs and nearly the entire skeleton - the Varren had wasted no time in doing what they did best.
Before we left the Ravenheart, I had handed each of my crew members a special container that Riahr had developed. The container was circular, started out about as small as a canteen, and could be carried at the side of a person's waist or leg.
See, the container had a button on the side of it. Once this button was pressed, the height of the container expanded to 3 feet, and the circumference of the circular main section increased as well. When the container reached its maximum size, it could be worn like a backpack, adhering to the back of our armorsuits. Each container also housed a small Mass Effect drive, which, when activated, makes the container, as well as all of the contents within, nearly weightless. These containers were created to carry a lot of stuff, without hindering our mobility on the battlefield. I gave each of my crewmates one of these containers, and I left it up to the individual to decide when to use it.
I removed my container from my waist and pressed the button on the side. Within two seconds, the container had expanded to its maximum size. With my own two hands, I took Sniknej's remains and placed them in the capsule. I activated the capsule's mass effect drive, and affixed the container to my back.
"I was hoping to save mine for some loot... but nobody gets left behind." I said. "We'll bury him once we get back to Central Command."
To this, my comrades only nodded.
"We're finding where Kirrahe and Jacobs busted in." I said. "Let's move."
---
Date: April 1st, 2184 _
Location: Planet Maraaq IV, Terminus Systems; _
Outside the Batarian Federal Ship Factory (Red and Green Teams) - 01:10 Hours _
***http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4SFXIzNf1o&feature=related
THIS BGM PLAYS IN THE BACKGROUND DURING THIS WHOLE SCENE***
The Red and Green teams continued their valiant effort to draw out the Batarian defense garrison. Despite the fact that the Ravenheart crew was fighting an offensive battle, the attackers had more than enough objects to use as cover. The Pirates continued to hide behind rocks, anti-vehicle barricades, fuel tanks, etc., while the Batarian soldiers in contrast had to rely upon hastily deployed off-the-shelf steel shields (The destroyable ones used by footsoldiers in Mass Effect 1 to protect them from the Mako)
Interestingly, since the facility's design was built to protect against artillery and vehicle assaults, there was actually very little that was designed to protect the place from on-foot attackers. Even worse for the Batarians was the fact that the anti-vehicle defenses seemed to actually help the attackers in this situation. Batarian troops were getting mowed down left and right, with the attackers suffering no real casualties other than minor injuries. Still, despite the tacticianship and resourcefulness of the attackers, the Batarians had numbers, and predictably, the defenders were advancing despite their losses. The Ravenheart crew stood on the ground outside of the faciliy, facing the main door, with a half-as-large side door to their left. Over the main door was a balcony - perfect for sniping, yet it seemed that the Batarians had no true desire to use it.
"Maybe we should try to sneak a sniper or two to that balcony." Said Jacob, safely behind a vehicle barricade. "Get me and Ayame up there and we could secure this entire area in a minute."
"Bad idea." Said Leon, putting his back to the vehicle barricade after firing a few rounds. "There're still too many of them. If we try to get around there, you'll get caught by a sniper yourself."
"Then what do we do Sentarious?" Asked Fivrelm, who was getting patched up. If we keep defending like this, they're eventually going to advance enough to where they can push us back away from our cover. We have no idea when the others are getting here, and who's to say that they don't have extra guys waiting inside?"
"We just have to hold the line." Said Johnson, throwing a grenade to his right. The grenade was equipped with an Incindiary Explosive, and its detonation instantly fried two troopers who were creeping up on the barricade. "I know that the others are on their way - we just have to keep them pinned!"
After this comment, Johnson looked ahead, at the main door. Firing his pistol at a few troopers before they dove to the ground, Johnson saw the main door beginning to move. Conan, who had seen the same thing from a different angle, decided to speak up.
"Yo guys!" Said Conan. "Heads up! The main door!"
The door began to open, raising up. As the door opened more, it seemed that Batarian reinforcements stood behind it. It wasn't until the door was completely open however, that the figures were revealed as the rest of the Blue Team, led by Allan. Allan stood with his pistol ready, Riahr at his flank, and the prisoners at his sides, weapons ready.
"Have no fear ladies and gentlemen!" Came Allan's voice over the com-link. "The cavalry has arrived!"
"Its the Blue Team!" Said Ayame. "Now we can move forward with the plan! We've got them surrounded - we can squeeze now!"
"She's right!" Said Derrick, gripping his Assault Rifle with renewed purpose. "We've got them on the run! Everybody Move in!"
Aylena, Jheyva, Elouera, and Reign immediately made their presence known with simultaneous Biotic Lifts. Ambushed from behind, the Batarians had very little ground to fall back on. Roughly a dozen Batarians soared into the air from the Biotic Lifts, which served only as a setup for Shotgun and Sniper rounds from the Red and Green team members. Surrounded on both sides by a two-pronged attack, it seemed that the tide had turned permanently in favor of the intruders, until...
the door on the left side opened, revealing:
Batarian Trooper (X20)
Batarian Shock Trooper (X10)
Batarian Defense Drone (X10)
Also, four different floor pieces near the main entrance opened up, revealing
Heavy Turret (X4)
"Reinforcements?" Said a surprised Ayame. "You have got to be kidding me!"
"We can take them!" Said Fivrelm. "So they've got some toys now; we can steal toys."
"Take cover!" Said Allan. "They're coming out of that door, but watch out for the turrets!"
The Batarians quickly came running out of the door, ready to turn this back into a one-front battle. The Ravenheart crew was ready to fight when suddenly the air was filled with four loud noises.
"POP!!!"
"BOOM!!!"
"BOOM!!!"
"THOOOM!!!"
As these noises echoed through the air, two Batarian troopers (The first out of the door) dropped dead almost as if from nowhere.
"Did somebody call for an army?" Came a familiar voice over the com-link.
"Saul!" Said Derrick, surprised.
"Well if it isn't 'Fearless Leader.' " Said Fivrelm. "Its about time your scrawny little ass got here."
"Tell me: did you miss me?" I asked.
Jacob looked up, and saw that I was standing on top of the balcony that he had seen earlier. I was standing with Denise, Abdul, and [Zacker's character]. Denise was glowing, and Abdul's Omni-tool was ready to roll. [Zacker's character] and me were functioning as a well-oiled machine - one fired a shot while the other prepared the next. With one person firing a shot at one time, we were able to fire in an almost rapid fire fashion. I clicked my rifle as the Batarians began to advance.
"Now!" I said to my comrades. "I'm going all out! Lets take them down!"
---
Riahr let out a brief sigh of relief. Despite the massive numbers of the Batarians, the other half of blue team was seemingly intact. Even green and red had suffered no casualties.
"Perhaps the plan will work after all," Riahr thought.
Riahr stretched his wounded shoulder and prepared his omni-tool. He quickly sabotaged the weaponry of two nearby turrets, the biggest threats, rendering them temporarily useless. Next, he hacked a drone, forcing it to open fire on the others. He pulled back to a safe hiding place with the regrouped teams and waited for his next chance.
---
Allan cocks a smile at Saul.
"Saul...I do believe you just upstaged my heroic entrance..."
Allan takes an overload mine and tosses it toward a group of three shock troops before quickly returning to cover. It explodes, and the batarians are left shieldless.
"Remind me to buy you a drink they next time we're in one of our particularly disreputable and seedy locations."
He finishes with another smile.
---
Ayame: About time you guys came. We were about to leave without you. She had a smirk on her face.
She turns her attention to the hacked turrets and unloads on both until they go down. With a load boom. Then she sees a Batarian Trooper running for cover she lays lead in front of her target just to him to stop. The plan almost worked until he dived and got hit by two rounds in the legs.
Ayame: Well are the rest of you going to jump in or am I half to do all the work.
Then she scans were she could lay down the best covering fire for the rest of the squads.
---
Fivrelm slaps allan across the back of the head and says "took ya bloody long enough to get here! Haha! Now lets go kill some bug eyed freaks" he says pulling out his assault he lifts two troopers up and sprays them both with assault fire then stomps on their skulls just to make sure none missed.
---
Fivrelm runs for a turret ramming down any batarians in his way as he gets to the turret he says a simple trooper sitting there dazed at him.
"How about we go for a bloody swim?" Karsakien asks as he repeatedly smashes the batarians head into the turret controls as it short circuits in the troopers face he then throws him into the water and starts punching up the turret controls.
But then a trooper runs at him and tackles them both into the lake. "Sonuva! well you wanna wrestle, then lets wrestle! He says as he punches him in the face knocking him out he then shoots him in his balls with a pistol as he climbs back onto land.
As he gets out he spots Reign and a bullet going for his head, he grabs Reign and throws him onto the floor. "You ****** idiot do you wanna die?! Next time ****** watch yourself so were not babysitting you 24 ****** 7" says Fivrelm.
He then walks back to Saul, "So what are we gonna do after all of these are dead cap'n?".
---
Getting back up, I wonder why the krogan threw me on the ground. "I have kenetic sheilds you know." I spot the injury on the krogan's chest. It seemed to have been patched up fine though. "Watch yourself Krogan. I sure as hell don't need a baby-sitter, and I sure as hell am not the only one who can get shot full of holes here." I said. Ducking into cover, I surveyed the battlefield for wounded troops. I spot a downed human, but his remains have been torn apart by the varren. Using my HUD in my helmet I activate my omni-tool and select the stream of code required to send any robot berserk. I used it on one of the defence turrets, then ducked behind cover. I heard it fire on one of the sheildless troopers, making me laugh. I took my head out of cover. Yep. He was dead, but the turret was back under their control. I sent both sabotage and overload towards the group of drones flying overhead. "AIM FOR THE DRONES!" I yelled to the rest of the team.
---
Derrick hears the Salarian's call for the drones and had an idea, "Conan, chuck a warp at those drones, I'll cover you and take out what I can. Kiyo I want you to cover JR while he laces that remaining turret with grenades. I want their support taken out ASAP."
Conan nods understanding and breaks cover to throw a warp at the weakened drones, they catch his movement and set their sights on him. I follow up behind and pepper them with assault rifle fire, not enough to destroy them but at least distract them from firing on him. Conan launches the warp and I can see the anomaly begin to form within their ranks. The drones begin to wobble as their thrusters try to compensate, but it's a lost cause. The warp begins to grow and grabs three of the drones and sends them careening off one another until two of them smash into each other, I let loose on the two and take them out,the third loses control and falls to the ground. I hear a scream as it lands and notice that it had fallen on the wounded trooper that Ayame had taken down, killing him and destroying the drone. Grinning I turn to her, "Now that's ******* teamwork people." Conan and I take cover again and I look to where Kiyo is firing into a group of four troopers while JR runs around their perimeter to get closer to the turret. Kiyo manages to take outtwo of the troopers on the fringe of the group and I see round from Jason sniper rifle pierce the faceplate of another sending the corpse falling into one of the remaining troopers.
"I got them covered from up here boss." Jason says over the comm. "But there is no way Kiyo will be able to handle the rest of that group."
"Roger that." I slide my assault rifle back into its slot on my suit and pull out my own sniper rifle. I pop up from my cover and train my sights on the Batarian whose legs are still tangled up in the body of his fallen teammate. I let off a round which catches him in the throat and the body falls to the ground. I quickly move the sights around to see JR's progress to the remaining turret. I'm able to see JR throwing several of his altered grenades onto the frame of the turret then make his way back under cover. A deafening explosion quickly follows as the turret blows raining debris onto the battlefield. "Awesome work JR, Kiyo head to his position and give us support from there." As I swing around to set my sights on another target a series of rounds hit and take out my shields and knock the gun out of my hands. I'm thrown back to the ground where pain explodes in my chest upon impact. Tilting my head down to see what's wrong I see that two rounds have hit my shoulder and high up on my chest. "**** that hurts!" I pull out a medi-gel and quickly apply it to the wounds. "I'm hit and down. Don't know the extent of the injuries, anyone available to patch me up?"
---
Elouera immediately ducks out of the fighting for a moment, leaning against the wall, just inside the main door. Her head is tilts down, and her eyes shut. Did she... just fall asleep? No, she's just thinking, but it still looks as much.
The biotic remains like that for nearly a whole minute, before leaping back to her senses. She peers around, looking for the furthest congregation of batarians from the rest of the team. When she's picked out a target(or rather, a mass of targets), the biotic tilts herself just enough into the open to unleash the most devastating of abilities.
What starts a just a spark to a sub-atomic particle, invisible to the eye, rapidly evolves into an immense cluster of blue-ish violet light. The air around it ripples, and everything within its radius that's smaller than the building itself, ally or enemy, would feel itself drawn toward the Singularity.
The batarians struggles to anchor themselves is nothing but an effort in futility, as they are dragged out of cover, slamming into their own teammates. Even the turret that's closest to the massive gravitational field, bends and creaks, threatening to snap off of its base. And it probably would, if it were not as well built as it is.
Elouera's nosebleed worsens, and she feels dizzy. But she isn't afforded time to rest. A shock trooper rounds the corner before she has time to even register it happening, and uses his biotics to throw her back. She slams into the floor, hard. He fires his shotgun. The first round tears through her shields. She tries to throw him into stasis, but her implant rebels, jarred by the impact. The second round sheers away armor and the flesh on her right side. This time, her stasis succeeds.
With the batarian frozen in place, Elouera then allows herself to relax. "Damn, that really does hurt." She mumbles, before blacking out.
---
"Oh **** Elouera!" he says as he throws reign at her feet "You better hope you got good medical skills boy!and by the way im treatign you like **** because you havent proven yourself yet!"
---
[Reign] Looking to my left I spot more drones inbound. As I did I saw Derrick get shot in the shoulder and chest. Breaking cover for a moment to get where he was, I threw up a biotic barrier while sprinting. Ducking behind cover, I get out my medical tools. I sealed up the wounds after skillfully allying medi-gel. Luckily, I still have plenty of the mix of chemicals. I sanitized the injector and refilled it; then injected the contents near the wounds. As soon as I do the SAME KROGAN picks me up and throws me towards Ellie. I Immediately inspect the wound, trying to ignore the battle around me.
"Keep your guns on that Batarian, I don't want him interfering!" I said.
There was severe blood loss, and her armor had been torn in several places. Easy enough to fix, but It would take quite a bit of medi-gel to repair the damage to her skin. I Repeat the procedure I did with Derrick, only with a little more morphine. I then asses the full damage to her suit. Quickly and skillfully repairing it with omni-gel, I don't try to wake her. It would take time for any body to recover from that amount of stress. If she woke up, good. I examined the wounds once more. Satisfied that she was no longer in mortal danger, I tossed the Krogan some grenades.
"Have fun."
---
"Grenades? Boy if your trying to help give me something useful!" Says Fivrelm as he throws the grenades away and they acidently stick to the last remaining turret blowing it up. "Uhhhhh, dont expect thanks from me!"
---
Allan grimaces as he watches Elourera collapse from her wounds. The group's krogan has taken to air delivering Reign to the wounded and after he finishes with her, he simply moves on, leaving her out of cover.
"Uh....did you forget something, Florance Nightingale?"
Allan rushes from cover, his shields taking a few hits in the process, and runs towards Elourera. He notices the batarian in stasis close to her. Feeling a small twang of righteous anger, Allan puts his pistol against the batarian's head, past his kinetic barriers. The batarian's eyes widen and Allan simply glares. He pulls the trigger and the batarian falls to the ground. Suddenly realizing his predicament, Allan quickly hoists Elourera over his shoulder and stumbles his way back to cover. He makes it just as his shields fail. He sets her down.
He looks over at Saul.
"You know....that looks a lot easier in the vids."
---
"Krogan, don't throw me. If I feel like taking to the air I'll lift myself up with biotics." Helping Allan set Elourera down, I check her again for wounds. Luckily, Her shields regenerated while on the field. I saw a shock trooper trying to sneak behind our cover. I used neural shock. crippling him. As soon as he got back up, I forced a huge biotic throw in his direction, throwing him back near where his allies were, severely injured but not dead.
---
Allan casually aims his shotgun at the severely weakened batarian and shoots it. It gurgles as it keels over.
He replaces his gun at looks at Elouera again.
"Trust me, Kid, if a krogan wants to throw you, it's going to throw you. Just think of it as a clean and efficient mode of transportation. It's not like he's trying to kill you...well, not yet anyway. They're kind of temperamental like that."
Allan examines Elouera's wounds.
"Well, these don't look too bad. The medi-gel should do most of the work here. But look at this..."
He points at the blood under her nose. He lifts an eyelid, and points at her pupils.
"She had a seizure. I guess she overexerted herself? That's an L2 side effect."
Allan sighs.
"She's gonna be okay, but she's going to be out of commission for a while. Damn shame too. Most asari can't produce a singularity that powerful."
---
[Reign] "Most people in general can't produce a singularity that powerful. I myself have never got the hang of making one at all."
---
[Allan] "It's uncommon unless to your body is especially attuned to it. For humans it depends on a lot of factors...level of eezo exposure, implants, body makeup....Jesus, I'm starting to sound like Naomi. We're being shot at. Let's focus on that."
---
JR switched from his pistol to his sniper rifle, it backed more of a punch than his pistol with a quick pop out from behind cover to take a shot at a Batarian Trooper what he wasn't expecting was that a Batarian was waiting for move and hit him with a burst from his AR. The final shot managed to get through his shields and tore into JR's shoulder joint. It would have been a lot worse without the armor.
JR cursed under his breath and dropped his sniper rifle quickly to switch back to his pistol. When did Batarians start thinking ... JR thought to himself quickly. He fired three shots and saw that the Batarians shields faded after the third. JR brought the pistol to bear for another volley, but had the Batarian fire again shredding through his leg armor on his right leg. JR screamed in pain and wildly fired, the Batarian was toying with him. JR didn't like that.
Through the pain, JR let loose another round of shots and saw the Batarian fall to the ground.
---
[Reign] "What is it with you people and getting shoulder wounds?" I asked, as I saw JR get hit. Dodging the krogan, I activated biotic barrier, and sprinted to where he was. Sitting down and catching my breath, I performed yet another procedure. This time a ligament was nearly torn. That would take some working around. I also saw bleeding from the right leg. "Dammit, I'm running out of serum..." I said. Probing his leg, I found that the muscle was not majorly injured, but still damaged. Quickly sealing it up with medi-gel and repairing the damage to the muscle, I moved on to his shoulder. "Wonderful." I said. This would take a bit to fix. Using medi-gel to temporarily stop blood flow to that part of the body, I opened him up and began to work on the joint. I had to work quickly, too long without blood and the cells would die. 10 seconds later I finished and removed the medi-gel, restoring blood flow; then I sealed up the wound. Yet again I injected the special serum of low-dose steroids, anti-biotics, morphine, and plasma. I got up again, and looked around the corner. A bullet came flying by my face, and hit my kinetic shields, making me go crosseyed by looking where it impacted. Drawing my head back behind cover, I began throwing grenades to my allies, who probably have better aim then I.
---
As the fighting intensified, Aylena ducked behind cover and pulled out her pistol. She took aim at a pair of troopers that had gone out dangerously far from cover, but they both were able to sprint back to it before she could do any lasting damage.
"Damn," Aylena thought aloud. "I really need to work on my aim a bit more."
Just then she saw a shock trooper begin to charge her position. She rose up, and braced for the coming confrontation. When the shock trooper was within range Aylena unleashed a throw at the same time as the enemy. They both went flying back in opposite directions, stunned by the impact when they hit the ground. Aylena's throwhad been more powerful though, so she recovered first.
She got up, and returned her pistol to her pack so she could unveil her shotgun. Charging forward to towards the paralyzed trooper, she leaped over a few bodies that already littered the ground. The trooper began to pull himself up just as she reached him, but her shotgun slugs stopped his progress. The shock trooper fell back to the floor letting out a hideous moan as his life ebbed out of him. He wasn't quite dead yet, but Aylena knew he would be after another half minute of blood loss. She then sprinted back to cover, taking enough hits from near-by assault rifles to overwhelm her shields, but she did get back safely.
---
Riahr felt a tinge of pain as he saw Elouera and Derrick drop to the ground. But now was not the time to waste energy worrying. He would check on them later. Riahr tested his shoulder one more time. The pain was mostly gone. Reign had done his job well. Riahr equiped his assault rifle and looked around for his next target.
He saw the mass of enemies caught in Elouera's singularity and activated master overkill. Two shock troopers and two soldiers were torn apart in a rain of bullets. The surviving batarians trapped in the mass effect field struggled in vain to keep away from the gobs of blood and flesh now swirling around them.
---
Ayame: Will some of you give me cover so i can find a sniper spot>
She moves from cover to cover just laying down fire to keep the remaining bad guys heads down. She finally gets to a some what good position to lay down sniper fire it covers her from the back and some what on the sides so she doesn't half to worry a bout friendly fire. She then pulls out her sniper and lays down covering fire.
Ayame: Guys I'll try to keep their heads down. You guys out flank them and get the wounded out of the line of fire.
---
Ayame takes aim and leads a drone a little bit to make sure it hits she fires the shot the drone goes down. Then out of nowhere bullets start kicking up junk from where she was sniping from. She peeks though the scope sees a trooper running for cover she try's to get the rifle in there in time but dives behind cover and he poke the gun out from the corner a fires.
She ducks as much a she can to not get hit by this blind fire. He then pokes his head out to see if he got the sniper. At that moment she looks through the scope. he goes down with a bullet right through the helmet.
---
[Reign] Once all my abilities recharged, and seeing no other injured allies, I launched an offensive. I used Lift on three of the batarian's cover, leaving them defenceless. I launched both sabotage and overload at them, weakening the whole group. While trying to recover, I caught one in a Biotic Punch, throwing his against the wall, his weakened suit no match for the massive amount of energy that sent him into the wall, breaking his spine. By the time he dropped from the wall, it was covered in blood. I hacked one of the drones in the group above me, and sent it berserk. While I still had control, I tried to command it to detonate it's energy battery. It worked, and the drones around it suffered. Sadly though, the three drones who were hit by the explosion and were weakened turned their attention to me, and began firing rockets. "Ummm..." I said, "A little help here?"
---
Riahr simply watched Reign and sighed. He used his recharged sabotage to disable the weaponry of the three drones. Even when they couldn't fire their weapons, they kept pursuing Reign across the battlefield like angry metal bees, floating near him harmlessly.
"Those things either really like you, or really hate you," Riahr said into his headset.
---
"THANKS!" I yelled. Without the drone's constant rocket fire I could actually do something. They were already weakened and without shields too. I rased my pulse rifle and fired, taking down one of them.
---
Hearing Reign's call for help, Aylena shifted her attention over to where he was, and she saw that he had managed to get three drones to come after him at once. Immediately, she used lift to stop two of the drones in their tracks, but the third managed to elude her biotics. Leaning out from behind her cover she finished off the lifted drones her her pistol, using her marksman ability to be sure that her aim remained true.
"That's all I can do from here," Aylena shouted. "Someone, make sure that Reign doesn't get hurt. We'll be in serious trouble if our medic gets injuried."
---
[Reign] "As long as I'm not knocked out, lazy, asleep, lazy, lost control of both arms, or lazy, I don't care if I get injured. I can just treat myself."
---
"What did we tell you about that attitude Reign?" Riahr said irritably, "If you keep thinking like that, you will get killed."
---
Allan sighed as he blind-fired from cover at the shooting batarians.
"You've obviously never tried to doctor yourself when you've already been shot. It's not a movie, Kid. It isn't easy."
---
[Reign] "Thinking like what?" I said, "I included getting knocked out on that list. Tust me. First chance I get one of you gets to be a meat shield. No offence. And STOP CALLING ME KID! I already have applied first aid to myself on numerous occations, but for the most part they were minor injuries that could be healed quickly by a injection and medi-gel."
---
JR hid behind cover, he was still in no real condition to fight, but the aid he got and his Medical Exoskeleton were healing him. JR readied his Sniper Rifle to aid anyone who needed it. How many Batarians were on this damn rock anyway, JR thought to himself.
---
[Kirrahe] "We will stop calling you a kid when you stop acting like one. Now enough with the bragging. There are still Batarians left."
---
"Hey, Riahr, tell ya what. If you die and he tries to turn you into meat shield, I personally guarantee you he'll be taking a very chilly walk out in space once we get out in the black. In fact, how about we make it pact. You can do the same for me if I die."
Allan glares at Reign.
"Oh, and , Kid...best way to get me to stop calling you that is to start acting like an adult, something you've done very little of since I met you."
---
Riahr let out a small, short laugh.
"Alright then, it's a pact Allan."
---
Riahr looked across the battlefield. Only eleven Batarians remained: 5 troopers and 6 shock troopers. All the drones had been dealt with. Riahr raised his assault rifle again and fired at the 3 enemies Reign had weakened. Two were riddled with holes in seconds, but before Riahr could finish the survivor, pain lanced through his shoulder and his rifle dropped to the ground. Underneath his armor, Riahr felt a trickle of blood pour from his wound. Excessive firing had reopened the injury. Riahr pulled back behind cover, gasping for breath.
---
[Reign] Looking over, I see the salarian bleeding again. He must have stretched the injury too much. Yet again running towards the salarian, I deemed it necessary for a most crude method of first aid. Stitching, seeing as the medi-gel was failing to hold to wound closed under situations of stress. I first apply a numbing agent, then begin work. When I finish, I jumpstart healing underneath with a weak steroid. Confident tow wound would not open back up, Reign picked up the gun and handed it back to Riahr. "Don't strain yourself too much. You seem to be good at doing that."
---
Ayame take aim at a trooper that is peeking and taking shots at Saul's team he peeks to do a short burst with his AR as he dose that she loads a round in the chamber of sniper and another through the helmet.
Ayame: Saul you owe me a beer after this.
She then sees a shook trooper is standing up giving out orders to the rest of the troopers he then sees Ayame readying another shot. He then lets out a heavy amount of fire at her. She gets cuts on her face from dirt and concrete from the ground so she ducks as far as she can.
Ayame with the bullet ready lets fly right through the helmet again. She then wipes the small amount of blood from the wounds when she gets a bullet right through the shoulder.
Ayame: MEDIC I NEED A MEDIC!
---
Looking through the scope of his sniper, Leon sees Ayame take a bullet and go down. The Batarian trooper that fired the round begins to move in on her postion. Leon takes aim and fires a precise shot through the right kneecap of the trooper. The Batarian drops his rifle and lets out a cry of agony while falling to the ground.
While he is lying there, another Batarian notices his wounded comrade calling for help. The Batarian moves from cover to cover making his toward his fallen kin, unknowing to the fact that Leon was watching his every move. Finally, the four eyed bastard breaks cover to try to pull the wounded one to safety. Leon takes careful aim on the healthy Batarian's skull and lets a round loose. The shot drills a hole from between the top and bottom left eyes, through the brain and pops out the back taking bits of skull and brain tissue with it.
Realizing that he was being used as a pawn, the wounded Batarian on the ground picks up is rifle and begins to shoot wildly in all directions. Leon says to himself, "This poor bastard has had enough," as he activates master assassination and fires a shot straight through the Batarian's heart. "Hehe, two less Batarians to worry about."
---
[Reign] Medic? Again? People on this crew are very careless... Ayame was in a good vantage point. Looking around, I try to find the krogan to throw me up to the ledge. Once he tosses me up I grab the ledge and pull myself up to where Ayame is. I quickly assessed the damage. Nothing major. I quickly and masterfully treat it with medi-gel, then follow up with the serum to make sure Ayame would be back up soon. I gave Ayame an extra of the serum, seeing as Ayame is our sniper.
"I think YOU owe ME a beer after this." I said.
---
[Reign] Now at a vantage point, I decided to get out my pistol, an old Kessler. which I had minor training in. Activating Marksman assist in my HUD, I took aim at one of the shock troopers daring to venture out in the open. I managed to take out his sheilds before he tried to retreat back to cover. Before he could, I used neural shock, causing him to fall.
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Post by Vynx on May 19, 2009 18:36:44 GMT -5
[Saul]
***OUTSIDE THE BATARIAN SHIP FACTORY***
"What should we do now that they're pretty much dead?" Said Fivrelm over the Com-link.
"I would like to know that too Saul." Came Derrick's voice over the com-link. "There're no more than six of them left; Shock Troopers and a single footsoldier. We have them on the run."
"Well its about time reinforcements stopped coming." I said, clicking my Sniper Rifle. "These guys're like cockroaches, they keep coming out of the cracks, and they don't know when to quit."
"There are enough left to where we could just bypass them and go through to the hangar if we wanted to." Said Johnson. "But something tells me that that wouldn't be a good idea."
"Are you mad human?" Said Riahr. "We are trying to steal a ship. It would be wise to not leave any witnesses."
"Kirrahe's right." I said. "We can't leave a single one of them standing - keep fighting! Move in and surround them!"
I lined up a Shock Trooper in my crosshairs, but before I was about to pull the trigger, I felt a tap on my shoulder. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that it was Abdul.
"Saul." He said. "Look over there, right in front of us. Its a fuel tank; bigger than usual too."
I looked up from my scope and down at the ground under the balcony. I was able to count out five soldiers, but it was very likely that there were a few more hiding behind cover. I looked ahead, and saw that Abdul was right. In the distance, near the back of where the firefight was taking place stood a gigantic fuel tank. While conspicuously out in the open, the tank was not only bigger than average, but it was also better-armored.
"We've definitely got them outnumbered." Said Denise. "If we can get them close enough together, we can take them all out in one fell swoop."
Knowing that that was the best course of action, I issued my order over the com-link.
"Back them into a corner." I said. "Biotics, send them over near that fuel tank to the South. Once they're all there, make sure to Damp the Shock Troopers. That'll stun them and render them just about helpless. Once that's done, wait for my next order."
Various words of acknowledgement went over the com waves. I looked down at the ground to see a lone Shock Trooper running backwards towards the fuel tank. He activated a Biotic Barrier, and dove to the ground just in time to avoid getting hit by another Shock Trooper that was being thrown towards him. The thrown trooper's back hit the fuel tank, and he was only the first of a few others to make an abrupt entrance to center stage.
Within the next few seconds, I saw four other large purple figures fly in the direction of the fuel tank. Three of those solders landed a few feet away from the tank, and quickly rose to their feet. All six of the remaining troopers eventually caught their bearings, and stood in a circle near the front of the fuel tank. That was all of them; they were cornered.
"Damping Fields away!" I said, "Deploy now!"
The Damping Fields were immediately launched by every techie on the field, including me. The area around the fuel tank was illuminated with a greenish glow, and the sweet sounds of blowing circuits successfully drowned out any noises emitted by the doomed Batarians. Amid the Damping fields were volleys of gunfire coming from my frontline Soldiers and support Biotics. With the Damping Fields supplying our advantage, now was the time to act.
"NOW!" I commanded. "THEY'RE OPEN! I WANT AN ALL OUT ASSAULT - GIVE IT ALL WE'VE GOT!!!"
Upon my orders, the volleys of gunfire intensified, as the ground lit up with flashes of blue and orange. Between the bursts of energy, I could see the Batarians dropping their weapons as they overheated.
"SNIPERS!" I signaled. "HIT THE TANK!"
The Batarians tried to run away, only to see that they were surrounded on all sides by advancing Pirates. Trying to find some sort of exit plan, a few troopers looked behind them, only to see the conveniently-placed fuel tank as it was constantly peppered with the signature red, green, and blue streaks of Sniper Rifle fire.
Eventually, a shot from Ayame's Sniper Rifle pierces the tank clean through. Crumbling under the pressures of constant high-powered fire, the container explodes into a flaming ball of gas, taking all of the remaining Batarian soldiers with it. The explosion ruptured armorsuits and tore bodies apart. What was left of the troopers flew forward, hitting the ground dozens of feet away from the explosion.
"So that's that." Said Ayame, looking on at the still-burning fuel tank.
"Good **** Ravenheart crew." Said Fivrlem. "Good ****."
"I am not picking up anymore anomalies on scanners." Said Riahr. "I believe that is the last of them."
The explosion subsided, leaving behind flaming debris, burnt corpses, and ashes. The entire area within a 5-meter radius of the fuel tank was charred completely black.
The first battle of my little campaign was over, and I was rather pleased that deaths were at a minimum. Predictably, a few of my men were wounded, and I decided that it would be better for us to rest and recover for a minute or two.
I took a deep breath, and looked out at the battlefield before me. Amidst the flames and blackened Batarian corpses, I saw my men either thrusting their weapons into the air in victory or pointing them ahead, looking for any soldiers that might have escaped the blast.
I looked to my side at the wall next to the balcony. Taking out my Sniper Rifle, I let off a few focused rounds that grazed the wall. Each shot I aimed about 2 feet closer fo the ground than the last, and once a shot was in enough feet from the ground, I had created little inlets that I could use as a sort of makeshift ladder. Pleased at my work, I climbed down to ground and met with Allan near the main door. I was greeted with a handshake as the former prisoners and the rest of Blue Team fanned out to secure the area.
"Status report." I said to Allan.
Allan knelt to the ground, and at his feet was a body, obviously a female human. She wore light armor, so I could tell that she was still breathing. It seemed that the woman was unconscious, but before I could ask, Allan spoke up.
"I've got a surprise for you, my man." He said, looking up at me. "You won't believe who I saw in the prison!"
"I know. I know." I said, thinking that he was being sarcastic. "I took my time - I'm Sorry. What's the count?"
"Five down, none dead... well, one dead, if you count Sniknej." He replied.
"Good." I said. "No one on this end's going home in a bag... that's good. Thanks." I finished.
"Now as I was saying," Allan continued, gesturing towards the body (Elouera). "Who I met in the prison. This lady look familiar to you?"
"Hm..." I said, putting my hand on my helmet's chin plate. "Now that you mention it... From what I can see, I've definitely seen this beauty before... In fact, I'd know this body type anywhere! but then again, every broad nowadays has this kind of build... (ba-dum-tish!)"
This triggered a chuckle from Allan, who, realizing my sarcasm, just shook his head.
"Well is she OK?" I asked.
"She's an L2." He replied. "She overexerted herself; suffered a seizure."
"Ouch." I said. "God am I glad my mom stayed away from eezo powered stuff. But anyway, we should have someone look at her..."
Afraid of who that task would probably fall to, Allan simply let out a sigh.
"But not out here." I said. "Pull everyone inside and lets catch our breath."
"Gotcha." He answered, rising to his feet.
With that, I opened up a com-link to everyone.
"We're done out here." I said. "Everyone get into the facility. Once we're all inside, I want Abdul to close the door. Right in front of him will be J.R., Derrick, and Fivrelm, just in case if we have any stragglers. Move!"
Closing the link, I looked at Allan. We nodded at each other, and he took the unconscious body in his arms. I take out my pistol and look around as I walk backwards into the facility.
Once we are all safely inside the air-lock chamber, J.R., Derrick, and Fivrelm all put their weapons away as Abdul closes the door. The air-lock activates and the other door opens, allowing us to proceed into the main lobby.
With the airlock cleared we fanned out into the large room, taking a second to shake off the tension of the battle. I looked around the room at everyone, eventually turning my attention to one of the prisoners. This one was a Salarian, and seemed to project a much more poised and confident air than the feeling I always got from Riahr. The Salarian was looking at his Omni-tool, apparently getting a reading of the air inside the building.
"The life support has not failed yet." he said. "We can take our helmets off. It might be wise to preserve our air supplies for now."
Understanding, I nodded my head and opened my faceplate, taking a breath of the air. Allan found a spot on the floor and set the body down, taking his helmet off afterwards.
"Did you manage to rescue a medic?" I asked.
"You don't want to know..." He said. "But I guess I have no choice..."
"Who is that?" I asked, motioning at the body. "Take off her helmet so we can have a look at her."
"Gladly." Said Allan.
Allan unlatched the woman's helmet, taking it off, and revealing her identity. Immediately, my eyes opened wide with shock. Chuckling at the look on my face, Allan spoke up.
"Surprise." said Allan with a smirk.
"No way..." I said, my mouth hanging. "I know her! That's Elouera Cross!"
"Yup." Said Allan. "Its her all right. Believe it or not."
"How the hell did she wind up here?" I asked. "Small galaxy..."
"Trust me, I was just as surprised as you." He said. "She never struck me as the type who'd get captured by Batarians."
"I know what happens when she overdoes it." I said. "These seizures and stuff can be brutal... But we need to get her up. Which one's the medic?" I asked.
"Do you really want to know?" Allan asked.
"Elouera can stir up a Singularity even better than most Asari I know." I said. "We need all the help we can get - so yes. I would like to know."
"OK..." Allan said, raising his arms. "He's over there. The kid with the omni-tool and the totaled armor. But be warned: he'll really get on your nerves."
"Duly noted." I said.
I then looked over at the person who Allan had just pointed out (Reign)
"Hey you, kid!" I said to him. "What's your name?"
"It's Reign. Reign T'sumaraki." He said, looking over at me. "What is it?"
"You're a medic you said?" I asked. "Can you patch up our wounded?"
"Sure." He replied. "I don't see why not."
"Good." I said. "Start with this lady here."
"Her?" Asked Reign, pointing at Elouera's body. "She suffered from a seizure. That, and you've got a lot of wounded from that little scrap. Even if I have help, I'll need about ten minutes in order to get everyone."
"You've got five." I said.
"Ooooh. High standards." said Reign, interested. "I like it. Consider it done Mr... Mr... Comman--"
"Saul." I said. "My name's Saul... but Mr. Commander works too. Now get to it pal - we don't have all night!"
"Roger." He said.
Activating his omni-tool again, Reign walked past me, and over to Elouera and Allan.
As he walked away, I was approached by Fivrelm, Riahr, and Leon.
"How did it all go?" Asked Riahr.
"Well enough." I said to him. "When Denise, Abdul, and me finished off the last Batarian back before we met up, he said that more guys were coming to the front."
"Figures." Said Fivrelm. "They obviously know what we're trying to do, so odds are they'll send more guys to stall us while they get the ship out of here."
"As much as I'd like to see if that four-eyed stooge was lying to me, I don't feel like sitting around here and calling his bluff. I want to get back on the move in less than ten minutes." I said.
"Ten minutes'll be easy." Said Leon. "We'll be ready. That kid's already hard at work." He added, pointing to Reign. "But speaking of him... I saw you literally throwing that guy... uh... what's his name?"
"Reign." I said.
"Right." Said Leon, giving a hand-wave to signify his thanks. "Yeah, anyway, I saw you throwing him around a little earlier... through the air."
"It's one of the advantages of being light." Added Fivrelm. "Rush delivery available."
To this, Leon and me shared a laugh.
"But anyway, so that's our new medic?" Leon asked. "I can tell already that he's not as good as our old one."
"He's our substitute medic; a temporary." Fivrelm said. "That kid's no Katie Freezeman, but he'll do the job until we can find a pro." He said.
"Katherine..." Said Riahr. "No one will ever be able to replace her."
"She was the best medic a crew could ask for." I said. "...Remind me to prepare another bullet with 'Lord Darius's' name on it...
"Has it really been two-and-a-half months since those 4 guys were captured?" Said Leon. "Sniknej was the only survivor from that incident... and now he's gone too."
"Yup." I said. "The whole four who were captured on that day are now dead... I remember it like it was yesterday... four were captured. Sniknej managed to escape, but 'Lord Darius' took it upon himself to kill the other three... man that was a bad day."
"Honestly Saul?" Said Riahr. "It was stupid to do this without a real medic."
"Well what do you expect me to do?" I answered, shrugging my shoulders. "Put out a want ad on the Extranet? Please."
Fivrelm and Leon only responded with silence.
"Go and help everyone back on their feet." I said. "We can't waste time."
---
[Reign] "I am a very good medic thank you very much. I know how to treat any known species." I said while helping the wounded.
"And I hate seeing the pain of my allies. I prepared and perfected a serum..." I said, getting it out, "That acts in several ways. It has anti-biotics to prevent infection, adaptable plasma to make up for lost blood, and low grade sterioids to get someone back up fast. I am not the best medic in the world, true, but in the field I am skilled enough to get anyone back up in a short amount of time if they are not on death's doorstep. You can count on me."
---
Before Reign can get near her, however, Elouera begins to stir. She's not even fully transitioned into consciousness, before letting go a long string of curses, from a wide spectrum of languages.
Thankfully, her words soon turn a little more coherent and a little less profane. "What happened? Where the hell is this?" The biotic tries to get up. but her head is still spinning, so that's quickly written off as a bad idea. "Don't touch me with that." She snaps at Reign, eying his serum as if she thinks it's poison.
---
[Reign] "This stuff ain't dangerous. Trust me, it'll help." I said, loading it into the injector. "You're not the only one who's an L2."
---
Allan puts on a Wry smile.
"Well, well. Sleeping Beauty is up. Hope you enjoyed the shut eye, Sweetheart, because we apparently aren't out of this yet."
Allan looks at Reign's syringe.
"Don't feel bad. If it's any consolation, I wouldn't want to take that either."
---
Leon looks around at all of the crew and freed prisoners; some wounded are being treated by Reign. He walks over to Riahr and asks him: "So, how do you feel about all this, ya know, that little skirmish and all of these newcomers?"
---
Riahr looked up at Leon. "The skirmish? I believe we handled it as well as we could have. Only a few wounded and just one dead. I expected a worse result. As for the prisoners?" Riahr continued, lowering his voice a bit, "Reign, as I am sure you can already tell, is simply childish and ridiculously overconfident. I'm suprised he survived the fight. The Salarian Hyrati has not spoke much, but he seems well trained. Aylena, the asari, seems like a skilled biotic. I know little about her, however. As for Elouera, the human, she is nice enough. She also seems to share a distaste for Reign, which is something. However, she acts carelessly in combat. Her biotics are powerful, but if she continues to push herself to the point of seizures, she will only be a liability."
"What exactly does Saul plan to do with them?" Riahr asked, "They don't all seem like pirate material, and even if they were, I doubt many of them would want to join us for very long. They all have lives to return to."
---
"Don't talk to me about L2s, kid." Elouera grumbles, not in the mood to argue. "If I'm not dying, I don't need any drugs."
She turns to Allan and frowns. "Wait, this isn't the part where I wake up after our big escape?
---
Ayame: Why are all the wounded complying so much (holding on her shoulder) be happy we have a decent but cocky medic. By the way kid the beer i owe you will be paid off as long as you don't get cocky with me ok.
She looks around and shakes her head "none of these are going to amount to much" she think to herself.
---
Happy that I would at least get a beer out of this whole situation, I looked over at Elouera and said, "Several of my... companions had the L2 implants. Trust me, you'll want the steroids in this stuff. I already tested it on numerous occasions on my comrades." I injected it into Elouera's right arm muscle, near where I saw most of her biotics come from.
"The steroids might sting a bit. And as for me...," I said, turning to Riahr, "I don't have much to return to. My ship is a smoking pile of trash. I probably would not mind hanging with you guys for at least a few months as a medic. My unsurpassed knowledge of any kind of technology might come in handy too."
After I finish talking, I gather up all the batarian weaponry and rip out all of the power cores on their suits, and take them near the ship. I began work on the grenades, starting with the larger turret guns, seeing as they had more energy stored in them. "I am also very adept with explosives." I added, quickly adding a trigger to one of the devices, and stacking them in a pile next to me.
---
Allan looks shocked at Reign.
"Did you just...stick a needle in her arm when she told you not to?"
He turns to Elouera.
"In my code of ethics, you're well within your rights to hit him, and if you don't, I will."
---
[Reign] "It's not like this stuff is poison. You'll feel much better within minutes. If you have to hit me, at least wait until then."
---
"No... I don't want the steroids." Elouera protests, but it's all in vain anyway, because their medic doesn't know how to take a hint. "Damn it, this is why I hate doctors."
She pushes herself up, regarding Reign banefully. Her fists twitch, and the air around her crackles faintly with dark energy. Fortunately for Reign, she knows better than to actually use any of it. "Forget hitting him. Can we space him? If we're taking the kid with us, I can't be responsible if he ever doesn't wake up in the morning."
---
Ayame: Elouera you want help making sure he doesn't wake up. (with a grin on her face)
Ayame: I'm only kidding kid you don't have to worry about me killing you........yet
---
Karsakien then says"Ayame shut up you blood loving freak........only kiddin haha, Reign when a woman is tellin you not to stick something into her you dont ****** do it or me and allan will hit you so god damn hard you'd be known as "the boy with no face" mwahahahahah"
---
[Reign] "Don't hate the doctors whom your life depends on. The half-life of the steroids are about 24 hours, long enough for you to recover from the seizure. How often do you have the seizures anyway? If they're chronic I can possibly cook up something to help."
---
[Leon] To Riahr- "Well, its not like the prisoners have a choice, now do they? They can either join us, or they can rot on this godforsaken rock until some more Batarians show up, and then they will be right back to where they started. I don't think the skipper is gonna want to run an intergalactic taxi service to bring all the prisoners back to their homes. The way I see it, we're their only hope of getting off this planet, and they already owe us for springing them out of the prison, so the least they could do is join us for a while."
---
"boy, you touch me and I. WILL. BREAK. YOU." says Fivrelm.
---
"Half life? What exactly did you put in her? Can you explain to me exactly what kind of steroids you use that are radioactive, and how that isn't slowly killing her right now? And what do you mean cook something up? You gonna just whip up a seizure cure from this stuff here? If you can cure the symptoms of implant induced side effects with basic medical equipment, I'll put us all on my back and fly us out of here."
He continues to stare indignantly at Reign.
"Scientists have been looking for a cure or even a slight treatment for L2 symptoms for years. Nothing has come out of it. I doubt you could do it either, Kid. It's not like she's epileptic. Standard methods for treating seizures won't work. There's only one way to stop the symptoms, and that's to "upgrade" your implants, which with the stuff you can do, Ellie, would be like breaking a stained glass window. The massive power drop you would get wouldn't be worth the risk of the upgrade."
Allan thinks for a moment and looks at Elouera.
"The only way to cure yourself and keep your spikes as high is with an L4 implant, and those haven't rolled off the shelf yet. They've only been tested on kids. And before you ask, yes I bring it up because I can get you them, and again before you ask, I gotta say no because it's tremendously dangerous."
---
"hey ive seen those L4 implants in action, and if they seriously think im gunna use that **** they can think again good ol' L2, thats for me alright" said Fivrelm to allan and elouera
---
"Uh....no you haven't, my krogan friend. L4s haven't actually been released yet. The only people who have them right now are children at the research facility, so unless you've been fighting kids recently...."
"And for the record, they have the spiking ability of an L2, with the safety level of an L3. That was the point."
---
Riahr watched angrily as Reign brought himself to a new low, forcing medication on Elouera. He focused all his energy on preventing himself from swinging the butt of his kinfe
into Reign's face.
" Kid.... " Riahr growled, "If you ever do something like that again, we will leave you to die on this planet. And you? Stay with us for a few months? Don't make me laugh. After the way you have acted towards our crew, I will never let you stay on our ship. The best you can possibly hope for is a drop-off at the nearest space port."
Riahr turned towards Elouera. "Your self control impresses me, Elouera." He said, "Anyone else would have put a bullet straight between that man's eyes."
---
Jheyva stood silently aloof, watching the reactions and listening to the bickering of the medic and biotic and almost chuckled out loud. Their species is so petty, and peculiar.
But, the talk of L4 made her physically react in disgust. She projected from afar, "Your kind experiments on its own children? What’s the purpose of harming the young when you have adults who could actually benefit from it?"
---
[Reign] I sighed. I hate being around people who know less about medicine then I.
"The steroids have a half-life because without it, they would drift in your system forever. After a few hours they start to break down into simple protean chains, nothing harmful. The steroids themselves are little more then mental and physical stimulants, which usually cut recovery time down to a matter of minutes rather then hours. You of all people should know that salarian, I gave you a jolt of it less then thirty minutes ago. If there is anything that I have learned as a medic it's that the patient never knows what's best for them. Nothing in anything I treat you guys with has been shown to cause allergic reactions or major side effects. Worst side effect of the serum ever shown was dry mouth. Pity though... If I had been born a few years later I would be using the L4 implants right now..."
---
Riahr sighed and glared at Reign again, then spoke up.
"Not even so much as an apology? This is exactly why we call you Kid."
---
[Allan] "Reign, we aren't medics here. You start throwing around the term "half life" what is everyone going to think? And even still, it doesn't matter even if you gave her a shot of saline, you still stuck a needle in her when she explicitly told you not to. I know guys who would kill you for less, so unless you want to get yourself spaced any time soon, I'd recommend asking before you do anything as invasive as an injection, got it?"
---
[Reign] "Aight, I apologize. I'm used to being around people who trust me and my abilities. Know this: I will never let anyone die or get injured if I can help it. Now lets stop bickering and do something useful. Should we go on the ship now? I'll need to change its ID signature to the one of my old ship to make sure nobody thinks we are batarians. I'll be able to hack into the controls fairly easily to do that, but I'll need time. The wounded are mostly..." I said, then I noticed the fairly large krogan was still somewhat injured. Whoever treated him did a fairly good job, but the previous medic did not completely heal the wound.
"Hey, you, Krogan, can I take a look at that wound? From here it looks like it was patched up fairly well, but there still might be some damage on the inside."
---
When Jheyva interjects with her comment on humanity's morals, Elouera responds to her. "Of course they do. The Alliance wants soldiers, not volunteers. A kid's easier to brainwash."
Elouera rubs the side of her right arm, where the injection had gone in. "And on the topic of the Alliance." She points out, looking at Reign now. "We're different from them. Nobody here wants to blindly trust some kid who claims he knows what he's doing. Least not me." Maybe she's being a little too hard, considering he did technically help save her life before. Not a chance in hell she'll ever admit it, though.
Lowering her voice a bit, Elouera turns to Allan. "So, where'd you pick up the krogan from? Amusing guy."
---
"Well..."
Allan says.
"All the other cool mercenary groups had a krogan, and we knew that if we didn't get one we'd be laughed at, so here we are. He's short tempered, but that's pretty much standard. He hits things hard enough and pulls his weight. It's win/win for us."
Allan looks at Elouera.
"I'm more interested in you. How'd you end up all the way out here, behind bars no less...well, metaphorically speaking."
---
After the battle had finally ended and they had entered into the facility, Aylena took a minute regain her energy. She leaned up against the wall near her as she rested, taking in everything and everyone around her. After a cursory glance around the room, she couldn't help but think, "Thissure isa motley crew, but I have to admit that these pirates are skilled."
As she watches, Aylena noticed that the man that seemed to be in charge,Riahr, another human, and the only Krogan were conversing with each other. "I should probably go talk to their commander" she thought, and so she went over to where they were standing. As she came over she overheard the most inauspicious line of, "but 'Lord Darius' took it upon himself to kill the other three... man that was a bad day." This immediately caught Aylena's attention, her mind filled with hundreds of questions, and just as she arrived, the other three theleaderhad been talking to wandered off in Reign's direction.
"Do you mind me asking who this "Lord Darius" fellow is? It sounds like it is quite a story from what I heard." When the leader's only reply was a slightly quizzical look, Aylena started and said, "Oh that's right, I failed to introduce myself. I am Aylena Nentilus. I was one of the prisoners that your team rescued. I really must thank you for that; I don't know how long I would have been there if they hadn't come along."
---
JR is bored with the lack of action and a lot of talking ... he wondered if their were anything that he could blow up near by.
---
[Reign] As I was making my grenades I looked to the side to one of the crewmembers. He had a crazy look in his eye... the same one I get when I get a crazy idea or when I want to blow something up. I take my equipment behind a sturdy crate and continue my work, preparing for a loud noise and explosion.
---
"I was afraid somebody was going to ask me that."
"I'm on a job, looking for a batarian who really needs to die." Elouera begins to explain. "Elusive bastard. I chased leads all over the place trying to find him. Eventually I ended up here, and well... I don't generally have a crew of skilled pirates at my beck and call, hence my capture."
---
Riahr overheard Elouera and turned towards her to speak.
"Well, anyone who dislikes Reign is a friend to me. Who exactly are you looking for? After all the traveling we have done, we may be able to help. That is, of course, if you are willing to give us that information."
---
[Reign] Fed up with the salarian's attitude towards me, I decided to try a new tactic. I attempted to swallow my ego and seem as humble as possible. "Ellie. I apologize for the uncalled for medication. I was only trying to help. Salarian. Look. It's obvious we started out on the wrong foot, and under different circumstances we could be friends. It's also apparent that we're going to have to work together at least for the next hour. So how about we both drop our hostilities towards eachother here and work together. We'll both be more productive if we're not at each other's throat."
---
Allan smiles.
"Well, Ellie, if there's one thing I've learned about this galaxy, it's that it's a lot smaller than it looks. For the sake of posterity, though, does your guy have a name?"
---
If there was anything Riahr was good at, it wasn't apologies. He simply looked at Reign from the corner of his eye and said nothing. But before he could stop it, he felt his glare and frown soften, if only a little. He turned his back on Reign and waited for Ellie to catch her breath and reply.
---
Ayame sits down and thinks "man when did everyone start getting along" looking at the kid. "Well at least he grew up a little bit just now." With that last thought she lets out a low sigh.
---
"His name is Eruk Rel'lah. Apparently he's some small-time crime lord, or something of that nature. Missing both his right eyes." Elouera explains in further detail. "I haven't the faintest idea where to find him yet, but I'd heard rumors that some of his men worked here. That's why I came."
She stops to look at Reign. "Apology accepted. So long as we have an understanding." Somehow Elouera effectively sounds both forgiving and threatening in the same breath.
---
[Karsakien] "kid.......if you touch me......god i dont even wanna know how you'll end up ask allan if you really wanna know he knows what i do to people when they **** me off"
---
[Reign] "All right Krogan. If you start bleeding tell me though."
---
JR noticed some explosive barrels nearby and decided that at least he could have some fun. JR took them and put them in a line far enough away from everyone else. He got himself to a safe distance. He took a moment to think Why did everyone seem to have Explosive Barrels in and around their bases?
He took out his sniper rifle and then took aim of the first barrel.
---
[Saul] "Do you mind me asking who this 'Lord Darius' fellow is?" Came a voice from behind me.
Obviously it was from one of the prisoners, as my men all knew very well who Darius was. I turned around, to see an Asari walking towards me.
"It sounds like it is quite a story from what I heard." She said.
To this, I just raised an eyebrow, at a loss for words over how to respond.
I was very rarely, if ever, left speechless, but I just did not know how to react to the Asari's eavesdropping. During my years of travels, I had only interacted with Asari a few times, and I predictably still had a bit of trouble dealing with their mystical and cryptic ways of thinking. Needless to say, the keen senses of the Asari often were often lost to me, as they would often pick up things that would fly right over my head.
Apparently understanding what I was trying to say, the Asari spoke up again.
"Oh that's right, I failed to introduce myself." She said. "I am Aylena Nentilus. I was one of the prisoners that your team rescued. I really must thank you for that; I don't know how long I would have been there if they hadn't come along."
"Don't mention it." I said, scratching the back of my head.
To this, I extend my hand.
"I'm Saul." I continued. "As I'm sure you've noticed, I'm the ringleader here, and I just want to say that we're glad to help. Besides, it works out nicely - we need all the help we can get."
As I am talking to Aylena, I notice Jacob lining up a few barrels near the edge of the room. Witnessing this out of the corner of my eye, I turn around when I see J.R. pull out his Sniper Rifle.
"Yo J.R.!" I said. "Bad time for target practice pal - Knock it off! Are you trying to blow any cover we've got left?"
---
[Reign] Noticing their leader, a man named Saul, I walked over and and asked him, "I have heard from conversations that you are short of a medic. Do you mind if I join your crew for the next few months? I've had enough of a strict military life for a while. I am a field medic and tech specialist, both of which I excel at."
---
Elouera stares at Jacob, and murmurs to herself. "Why does it sometimes feel like everybody around me is crazy?"
---
Miffed, JR replied. "I am not doing anything that will give us away nor destroy anything ... they are too small."
---
"Hehe. Because everyone is. But I have a question for you." I said to Elouera. "I am an L3, but my Biotic throw spikes as high as an L2. All my other biotics are normal for an L3. Despite my medical training I am not able to explain this. You have any idea why that is?"
---
Elouera lifts a brow. "I'll assume you mean the 'average' L2. In spite of the common misconception, we all spike differently... some can't even lift a feather if their life depended on it." She can only shrug.
"But to answer your question, I can't honestly say. It could be some genetic thing. Or you just have an odd implant, it happens. But I'm not an expert on L3s. Never had a lot of interest in them."
---
[Reign] "Eh. I still can't make a biotic warp or singularity worth ****. Guess the nodes never developed or something. Once the L4's come out I wonder if I'll spike even higher... Now that would be fun." Just for fun I lifted up one of the large boxes in the corner of the room, and shortly after launched a biotic throw at it, shattering it. Inside were a lot of weapon upgrades. "Ohoho, look at here..." I said. I walked over and picked out the modifications for hammerhead rounds and two upgrades for a scram rail. I quickly installed it, and tested it by shooting the wall after activating marksman. Overheated a lot faster, but I should not spend too much time out of cover anyway. "Hey guys you might want to pick up some upgrades... There's a good assortment over here!"
---
Ayame: I hate upgrades never going to use them only weak soldiers use them. I really on my given talents and nothing else.
---
Allan sighs.
"That kid is the worst kind of biotic. It's a wonder he hasn't gotten himself killed."
---
Elouera shakes her head. "Kid, do you have even a minim of self-restraint? Or is breaking open random boxes you don't know the contents of some new part of Alliance training?"
---
Allan smiles.
"Yeah...that's why I never joined the Alliance."
---
[Reign] "Well it's not explosive and we've got nothing to lose... And there's a bunch of upgrades. There's probably stuff in these other boxes too..." I said, and prepared to break open another one. Before I do though I think better of it and stop myself.
"For the most part... Yeah I get bored very easily."
---
Riahr sighed as he watched Reign smash the boxes and spray the walls with bullets.
"Kid," He called out, "why don't you do something more productive while you wait? Say, sit in a corner and try to count the number of screws on the wall? It would save us all a headache."
As Riahr waited for the team to move on, he drew his knife. A wide splash of crusted blood covered the top half of the blade. Blood from the Batarian he had killed earlier. He had forgotten to clean the knife before he sheathed it. Riahr began to chip away the blood and watched the crusted flakes drop to the floor. A pang of guilt hit him, as it always did after a battle. He let out a long breath and put the knife away. He would take care of it later.
Riahr leaned against a wall and closed his eyes, trying to force the thoughts of death out of his mind.
---
[Reign] "This is productive!" I said back to Riahr. "This way I'm more prepared then before. I don't want to be jumping into combat without testing my weapon, that would be stupid. And I'm not just going to leave some perfectly good high end upgrades just sitting on the floor." I sat down on the floor, getting out both my guns. I checked the ammo supply. My pulse rifle I had nicked still had a very sizable chunk of metal left. My kessler though was running a bit low. I scraped through the weapon upgrades untill I found a new block for my gun. I threw the old one out, then loaded in the new one; then I attached it to my suit.
---
As Riegn tried to validate his destructive behaviour, Riahr slipped his helmet on, turned off his mic, and polarized the faceplate. "Much better....." He thought.
---
Fivrelm then says to Saul, Riahr and Allan "so when do you think we can steal the ship and get off the pile of **** they called a base?"
---
Ayame: I second for that option Saul lets just get the **** out here please I'm getting sick of this planet already reminds me of my garrison days back on in the Alliance Navy. Just so much boredom right now. Wake me when we are moving.
Walks over to a wall leans her head against it and closes her eyes.
---
"I am not doing anything that will give us away nor destroy anything ... they are too small." Said J.R. after my reprimand.
"This is crazy..." I said. "I think we'd better move on soon..."
I put my head in my hand, as Reign, done with his medical duties, walked over to me.
"I have heard from conversations that you are short of a medic." He said. "Do you mind if I join your crew for the next few months? I've had enough of a strict military life for a while. I am a field medic and tech specialist, both of which I excel at."
Honestly, I wasn't expecting any of the prisoners to outright ask me to join the crew. Of course, the choice was theirs, and if they decided to leave I would let them.
But his statements about our lacking a medic were all too true.
"You want in with us?" I asked. "I was planning to extend the invitation to everybody once we stole the ship, but since you asked so nicely... fine. Just earn your keep, don't cause any trouble, and follow orders and you'll fit in fine." I said.
Before Reign could respond, Fivrelm spoke up.
"So when do you think we can steal the ship and get off the pile of **** they called a base?" he asked.
"I second for that option Saul." Added Ayame. "lets just get the **** out here please I'm getting sick of this planet already reminds me of my garrison days back on in the Alliance Navy. Just so much boredom right now. Wake me when we are moving."
To this, Ayame walked over to a wall, as Reign did his own thing (obviously to the chagrin of Riahr, Allan, and Elouera.
"Maybe we should move on..." I said, scratching the back of my head. "Is everyone ready?"
---
[Reign] "I'm ready sir. When you give the word I'll get in the controls and change it's ID."
---
"No offense, Kid,"
Allan said, though it didn't sound like he meant no offense.
"But there's no way in hell you could change the control codes on that ship faster than me. It's kind of my job."
---
Fivrelm then walks up to allan menacingly "and i coudl do it as good as you,kid." Kaksakien then breaks the tension by slapping allan on the back "only kiddin my good man haha, the kid bit i mean, i could still change the codes as good as you
---
Through the muffling of his helmet, Riahr heard a faint familiar voice: Saul. Riahr removed his helmet slowly and looked up. He managed to hear Saul say "Maybe we should move on..... Is everyone ready?"
Riahr walked over and rejoined the group. "Yes, Saul, we should go." He said. "And Kid, do not go anywhere near those controls. We need someone we can trust to do a job this important."
---
"Fine. Here's the ID code..." I said, lighting up my omni-tool and sending it to Allan. "We can change it later once we get to a port. And from how fast you hacked the cells I'd say you're about as good as me at it."
---
"kid if you dont stop with the attitude ill chuck you off the ship......while its in flight"
---
Allan looks at the code Reign sent him skeptically.
"Uhh...how did you get the ship's ID code? They wouldn't have..."
Allan pauses.
"Yep, see this? This is way to simple to be the ID codes to that ship. This is probably the security code to the hanger door that leads to the ship. Still, that'll save us some time. Oh, and Kid..."
Allan looks at Reign.
"When it comes to this..."
Allan holds up his omni-tool.
"I'm better than you. That's not arrogance talking, that's years of experience. So you let me do my thing, and you can do...whatever it is that you do."
---
Fivrelm replies to allan's wonder at what reign does and says "to be a arrogant egotistical lil ****?" he says with a wide grin on his face
---
"All right. Say what you like, on my ship I was better then most people that have been doing this for decades. It's not all about experience. But I will leave it up to you, for the reason that you guys don't trust me yet. I am certain in time I will more then prove myself."
---
Allan gave a lopsided grin.
"Maybe you will. Hell, I'm an optimist."
---
[Saul]"That's enough ***-**** bickering!" I hollered, getting everyone's attention.
"We're a team here. Let's act like it dammit!" I said.
---
[Kirrahe] "The longer we stay here, the closer we will get to fighting each other, not the Batarians. And I would like some time to examine the controls for our new ship before I fly it. Saul, when exactly do we plan to move out?"
---
After Saul had finished shouting at one of his men and he had turned back around, Aylena responded to his greeting, saying, "Well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Saul. I will gladly assist in any way I can, because the sooner we get off this planet the better."
Just then, some of Saul's crew members spoke up, expressing that they thought they should begin to move on. "Well, I am about ready to go. is everyone else prepared?" Alyena openly questioned.
---
JR let loose a single shot and the first canister blew. It was small, and loud, he had reduced its explosive force. It blew green, that meant it was poisonous, but nothing to worry about being how far away. He was taking care of potential dangers as well as blowing off some boredom.
---
"Saul and Riahr is right! All of us stop acting like ****** kids! Were adults in looks so lets be adults in personality! Now lets just get in this ship and off this planet so i can get my ****** beauty sleep!" Karsakien says angrily but then jokingly later on
---
Tired of waiting around and listening to the constant bickering between the crew and the ex-prisoners, Leon walks off to search the dead Batarians for anything useful. Leon comes up on the two he shot earlier, and removed the power cores from their armor suits and the ammo blocks from their rifles, then converts the rest of the weapons into omni-gels for later.
While exploring some of the facility, Leon comes across an aid station and replenishes his supply of medi-gels. Upon further exploration of the area, Leon finds a deposit of Lithium, which he surveys for credits. Later, he finds a storage locker, decrypts the lock and loots its contents, consisting of some high explosive upgrades, cryo rounds(converts to omni-gel), and a couple hundred credits.
Leon returns to the group and approaches Saul: "We just about ready to space this place or what?"
---
Ayame: i agree whole heartily shall we space this good forsaken planet already.
---
Allan smiles.
"Really? I was just starting to like it here."
---
Ayame: Don't piss me off have you forgot how good my shot is. She says with an evil smile
---
Allan smiles wryly at Ayame's comment and then looks at Elouera.
"She likes me." Allan says.
---
JR had finished with the canister and was bored again. He laid down and wondered why everyone had so much to talk about ... JR wasn't exactly talkative, but he was direct most times when he spoke. His Drill sargent was told him that he was the only thing in the Universe more straight forward than a bomb.
---
Ayame: Hey Allen I hope you now I was kidding when I said that.
Puts her head against the wall and starts to doze off.
---
Date: April 1st, 2184 _
Location: Planet Maraaq IV, Terminus Systems; _
Batarian Federal Ship Factory Main Lobby - 02:10 Hours _
"...I believe it's time to move on..." I said finally.
With that, I walked over to the main door, with Riahr, Fivrelm, and Aylena right behind me. I checked my Sniper Rifle and took a confident stance in front of the door. Once I was ready, I put my right pointer finger and thumb into my mouth, creating a loud whistle.
"YO! Everyone get over here!" I called once the whistle got their attention. "It's time to move out!"
With that comment, everyone moved from their scattered positions and gathered in front of me. As everyone stood in front of me and got ready to move, I saw Aylena walking past me.
"Oh. Aylena." I said.
She turned around.
"About who 'Lord Darius' is..." I said. "...That's actually a really long story... If you decide to stay with us though... I promise to tell you about it some other time."
To this, Aylena let out a small smile, and joined the rest of the group. Once everyone was together and all eyes were on me, I began.
"For those of you who don't know, my name is Saul Franklin - and I'm a pirate." I said. "Like it or not, you're all going to help me steal this ship so we can get off this barren rock. As I'm sure each of you are aware, our target is an extremely valuable and expensive prototype - ahead of its time. To all of my crew members: We've been planning this for a while, and we're doing good so far. So let's keep it up! Now to all of our just released prisoners - and I will learn your names - I'm just going to say right now: I need help from every one of you if my plan is to succeed. Also, so it be noted that once the ship is ours - and it will be ours - I am extending an invitation to all of you to join my crew. Do keep in mind however, that if you decide that the pirate's life isn't for you, and you don't want to stay with this operation... that is fine with me. After we're clear of the Batarians, I'll drop you off on an asteroid in an amply-equipped environmental shed. I'll leave you with enough food and rations to last until the next Human Alliance Patrol comes through; if these Batarians don't kill you, I won't either. So the decision is yours."
With that, I clicked my Sniper Rifle, ready to roll.
"Now just to be democratic: Any questions before we initiate Phase III?" I asked.
---
[Reign] "Thank you Saul. You'll not regret having me on the crew." I said. "Allan. I know you think you're the main technical guy around here, but do you know how to maintain a ship that large? And other then that, do you know what kind of drive they have packed in that thing?"
---
Riahr sighed. "Kid," He began, "let me explain how this works: Allan hacks computers and opens locks. I make repairs and keep the ship that I fly in top condition. I can maintain a ship that large. When we get on board and we have escaped, show me what you can do. If I approve, I will let you be my assistant for the time being. Is that good enough for you? Anyways, yes Saul, we should move soon."
---
[Reign] I smiled. I saw a lot of the machinery installed into the ship, including the FTL drive and engines. I would know exactly what to expect.
"Indeed. I'll show you what I'm capable of. Thanks."
---
"Look," Allan says.
"If you're asking if I know how to repair a ship and how a drive core works, the answer is yes. But it isn't exactly my area of expertise. I can keep a ship running if I have to, but if you're saying you'd like to take on maintenance and engineering duties, then be my guest. So long as we don't fall out of the sky, I don't have a problem with that. Just leave the computers to me."
---
[Reign] I gathered up my new granades and stuffed them into a small container attached to my suit. I looked at my suit in detail now that I was no longer in mortal danger, and noticed it was completely broken. Most of the plating was bent and out of shape with puncture marks. The special pockets I had modded into my suit over the years to hold medical equipment and other things were intact... mostly. The medical system I had inside the suit was now broken, the computer smashed when I was thrown back by a biotic. I checked inside each container to make sure everything was intact. It was. But I was going to need a new suit.
"I don't suppose we could stop by a settlement or the Citadel and buy equipment once we get off this rock? I think I could use a new suit."
---
"I am sure we can find some spare gear for you on the ship." Raihr said irritably, "I would think the Batarians stored at least a little equipment. If nobody has anymore questions, we should move. We can't hide behind this door forever."
---
[Reign] In preperation for getting a new suit, I remove the battery from my suit, along with the other, still useful peices of the suit. As for the medical computer and other ruined parts, I reduced them to omni-gel, along with the scrap of some of the weapons and armor I got from the batarian's bodies.
"So... Allan... what type of adventures you guys been on? Allthough... it probably does not deserve such a romantic word... I'd like to know what I'm getting myself into here."
---
Allan raises his eyebrows.
"You mean our previous exploits in skulduggery? What hasn't happened? If you stick with our crew, you'll see things you haven't ever conceived of before. A lot of stuff you have, too, but you take the good with the bad. Who knows, you might even learn about the birds and bees, but baby steps, Kid."
---
[Reign] "Baby steps? Birds and the bees? How young do you think I am? As for baby steps, we have as much time as we want to hack the ship. Then we leave. And I've conceived of some crazy stuff. If any of it manages to worm it's way out my head and into reality I'll be suprised."
---
"Kid," Allan sighs, "have you ever had a sense of humor at any point in your life?"
---
[Reign] "Eh." I said. "I'll find things a lot funnier once I have a meal... I'm starving."
---
[Saul] "So we're ready to go?" I asked.
"Looks like it captain." Said Johnson.
"We're ready." Said Allan. "Let's do this!"
To this, I nodded my head and sealed my helmet with my face-mask.
"Then it's time to move!" I said. "Jacobs, Abdul, open this door! INITIATE PHASE III!!!"
The two nodded and moved to my flanks, Omni-tools flashing. Within five seconds, the giant door behind us slowly began to open, revealing the corridor leading into the facility's interior. Everyone's suits were sealed, and we were ready to go. I turned around and jogged ahead, leading the way. As I moved, Sniper Rifle in hand, Conan sped up, catching up to walk beside me.
"I see you've already brought out your container." He said. "Did you get any loot?"
"Nope." I said. "How would you feel if I said that it was Sniknej's remains in this container?"
To this, Conan looked at the ground and shook his head.
"You're joking." He said. "He was a fully grown human; no way he could fit in there!"
"His death involved a pack of hungry varren." I said. "Believe me: it wasn't difficult."
It finally set in.
"My God..." Said Conan. "That... that's horrible..."
"Yeah..." I said.
"Well, at least I was right," He continued. "I knew you wouldn't leave the kid behind."
"He deserves a proper burial so he can rest with the others." I replied. "But that'll have to wait until we get back to central command."
"I gotcha." He said. "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
"Stay focused." I said.
"Yeah." He said.
Up until now, the corridor was a nothing but a straight, brightly-lit hallway. After I was done talking to Conan, we were coming up on our first corner. I stopped, and signaled for the others to follow suit. I looked around the corner, and saw three sets of pillar-like support beams on the sides of the hallway, leading up to another intersection. The pillars were big enough to use for cover, so I decided that some recon was an order.
"Odds are they have ambushes set up." I said to everyone over the com-link. "I want to send small scout teams ahead to see if the coast is clear. With that being said, I'm going first."
I then pointed to the two that would accompany me to the next corner.
"Miracle, Ayame," I said, "Let's move."
"Copy." Said Fivrelm.
"You got it." Said Ayame.
The Lady and the Krogan walked up next to me, weapons ready.
"The rest of you, wait here. I don't want what happened to Sniknej to happen to all of us." I said.
I nodded at my two crewmates, and cautiously walked down the hallway. I put my back to the first right pillar, looked around, then nodded my head, signaling for Fivrelm to move forward.
Fivrelm dashed past me, and stood in front of the left pillar on the second set. After looking around for a second or eight, he waved his gun forward, signaling for Ayame to do her part.
Ayame walked ahead, gun ever at the ready and with her finger on the trigger. She stood in front of the right pillar on the third set, and looked behind her. She threw up a thumbs-up, nodding me on.
I ran from my position, past Fivrelm, past Ayame, and slowed down just before the intersection. I looked around each corner, pointing my Sniper Rifle forward. Despite my precautions, there was nothing around either corner but two hallways, identical to the hallway that I had just passed.
"Nothing." I said over the com-link. "All clear."
"No ambushes?" Asked Elouera. "Nothing?"
"They must be trying to evacuate." Added Riahr. "We must make haste."
"You're right." I said. "But I don't want to risk triggering any traps or anything... I want two groups of three to go down these hallways. Derrick, you take Aylena and Kirrahe right. Jacobs, you take the other Asari--"
"Jheyva." She said.
"Sorry." I said. "We weren't properly introduced. I will remedy that mistake later, but right now, you will go with Jacobs and J.R. to scout the left. Is that clear?
---
Riahr sighed. When would people stop calling him Kirrahe? He snapped back to reality as he heard Derrick say "Alright, let's move." Riahr, Derrick, and Aylena slowly proceeded down the hallway, their feet landing soundlessly on the cold metal floor. After a minute of silence, they reached a turn in the corridor that lead to the next hallway. Derrick raised his hand, stopping the group's progress. "Kirrahe," He said, motioning towards the corner. Riahr knew what he meant.
He silently slid up by the corner and slowly peered down the hallway. About 20 yards down, a small group of 4 Batarian soldiers was proceeding down the hallway away from their group. Survival seemed to be their top priority. Riahr opened his mike and relayed his observation to his squad and Saul. "Orders?" Riahr asked.
---
Allan nods at Saul and leads his team down the left hallway.
"This should fun, right? It's like a bonding expeirence." J.R. and Jheyva just stare blankly at him. "Gee, thanks a lot, Saul. I knew you'd give me the fun team."
The group reaches a corner and Allan cautiously peers around it. A small cluster of three landmines sits in the middle of the hall.
"Well, J.R., I think that's your cue. Just try not to get blown up."
Allan touches is earpiece.
"Saul, we've got a couple of landmines here, but once J.R. takes care of them the left should be all clear."
---
[Reign] "Kirrahe..." I said softly. I've heard that name before... But I can't remember where. I made a mental note to myself to ask later.
---
As Derrick peered around the corner and whispered back to Riahr and Aylena what he saw, she thought to herself, "We have caught them off guard. TheBatarian defenses seem to be in almost complete disarry at this point. That could besign that they're almost defeated, or maybethey are trying to lull us into lowering our own guards.Hmm, anyway, if we move quickly taking them out should be pretty simple." Riahr immediately commed Saul with the details of the enemies. As they waited for a reply Aylenastood motionless and near the corner in the hallway, ready to pounce and strike as soon the order came through.
---
[Reign] I finally got fed up with not being able to hear the rest of the team. I used my expert, but not mastered, knowledge of codes and wavelengths to scan for different frequencies in the area. I found the one that the rest of the team was using, and attempted to connect to it. It was coded, but I was able to bypass it without anyone noticing. I stayed silent to make sure nobody would notice. I wanted to help tactically, not annoy the team with alerts and useless chatter. Now I will not have to join the network through one of the other team members. That would take a while, and would waste time. As soon as I join, I hear, "...your cue. Just try not to get blown up."
They probably just found some explosives. I was good with demolitions, but I was not specialized in it. They sounded like they already had a demolitions expert, which is good. I could disarm and set high grade explosives, but the most dangerous I still had trouble with. And seeing as this was a secret military base armed with well trained troops, probably hand picked, there probably would be extremely high grade mines and explosives around.
"Good luck," I thought.
---
JR nodded and headed to the three landmines. They were a simple model, they should be easy to disarm. JR easily got the first disarmed, it was a standard model. The second had some modifications, JR had to think about what to do. He needed to be careful.
---
[Saul] "Saul," Came Riahr's voice. "We have four troopers going down the right hallway. They seem to be retreating further into the facility and are apparently unaware of our presence." He said. "Orders?"
"Pick them off." I said. "Use Sniper Rifles and take them all down at once. I don't care if it's a headshot - just take them down with one. I want this to be quick, clean and quiet, understood?"
"Yes." Said Riahr.
"Ayame, Leon." I said. "Ready your Sniper Rifles and get to the right. Help out Derrick. You guys should make four Snipers. Hop to it."
***AYAME AND LEON RESPOND***
"Saul, we've got a couple of landmines here." Came Allan's voice. "But once J.R. takes care of them the left should be all clear."
"You want backup, or can you guys handle it yourselves?" I asked.
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Post by Vynx on Jul 4, 2009 13:46:19 GMT -5
Allan nods at J.R. and then taps his earpiece. "Saul, the mines are out of the way. We've got a straight shot here. What do you want to do?" --- Riahr sighed in his helmet. Why did Saul always insist on killing? The Batarians weren't a threat. But it wasn't Riahr's call. He drew his silenced pistol and activated marksman. Derrick drew his sniper rifle and the air surrounding Aylena began to crackle with biotic energy. All three of them turned the corner simultaneously, and Aylena lifted the group of Batarians into the air with one flick of her arm. Before the Batarians could even cry out, Derrick and Riahr opened fire, the the bullets tearing through the Batarian shields and piercing their bodies. After a few seconds of sustaned fire, the Batarians were dead, and when the mass effect field faded, they dropped to the ground, lifeless. Riahr let out a breath he hadn't even realized he was holding. He and Derrick sheathed their weapons while Aylena relayed their success to Saul. --- [Ayame] Hey Saul witch team did you want me to cover. And don't forget you owe me a drink still. --- [Derrick] "Like a well oiled machine. Good work." I said. "Let's move a little further up then make sure none of the other teams need help." Walking past the dead I look down at the bodiesand smile slightly. "If this little group is any indication of the remaining forces, we're in good shape from here to the ship. Keep your eyes peeled though. These little four eyed bastards are cunning I'll give them that and there is no way that this ship, with how advanced it supposedly is, is guarded by a group of rookies like the ones we just took out." --- [Saul] After the strange event in the previous room, My crew and I ran through another hallway. After about three more minutes, we came to another door. In accordance with Riahr's advice, I employed more... "gentle" tactics to breach the door... or in other words, taking some extra time to hack the lock system. It took the entente of Abdul, Allan, and myself to hack through the door that led to the main frigate/cruiser assembly hangar. Once we were all inside, we were able to take a sigh of relief after we passed a certain point on the floor. Our presence caused several small ceiling and floor spotlights to turn on, and said spotlights revealed the head of what looked to be a giant lavender-colored bird-like creature. It turned out that we were not too late: the ship had not been evacuated off-planet yet. "Is... this it?" Asked Elouera, looking up at the green eyes of the bird's head. "It should be." Said Reign, a little impressed. "The Salarian has this room marked on our map - this has to be it." "This is our destination." Said Riahr. "But this ordeal is not over yet. It will not be until we escape and return to home base. We should stop talking and secure the area." "Kirrahe's right." I said. "There's still work to be done; spread out." The crew fanned out over the room, observing the work of art that we were about to claim as our own. While the room was only dimly lit, we could clearly see the head of the ship (in which the bridge was housed). We could also see the wings, the landing systems, and some of the weapons. In all actuality, the timing of our arrival could not have been better. "This ship is huge." Said Conan over the Com-Link. "And this is a frigate?" "By definition? Barely." Answered Riahr. "This vessel, the VLRE 0391, is a prototype; one of a kind. It has weapons on par with those of a cruiser, yet it was designed for quick maneuvers and agility. To put it in human terms: 'It looks like a cruiser, but it moves and handles like a frigate.'" "That makes sense." Said Ayame. "It looks just the same as it did in the blueprints." Said Allan. "Looks like we got this part right." "Our new ship..." I said, putting my hands on my hips. "we're going to have us a great time with this little birdie, aren't we?" I look to my left, watching J.R. pass me. When I look back up, I see Leon stopping beside me out of the corner of my eye. "I have to say Saul..." Began Leon. "Aside from our one loss... we did pretty damn good." "Just go ahead and say it." Said J.R., turning back to talk to us. "It was too easy." "Don't say that." I said. "We--" "He's right Saul." Said Denise, interjecting. "Once we got inside, this was actually pretty damn easy. We made good timing too: we're now only a minute twelve behind schedule." "Don't get cocky." Said Derrick, also adding his two cents."We've been very lucky so far; let's not jynx ourselves." "I couldn't agree more." Came another, unfamiliar voice over the Com-link. The voice was deep, and certainly did not belong to any member of my crew. "Oh no..." Said Riahr. Almost on instinct, everyone readied their weapons as the voice finished its sentence. "On guard team." I said to the others as I readied my pistol. "Looks like this party's got some crashers." "I knew it was too easy..." said J.R., putting his back to mine. Suddenly, one more light turned on. This one was directly above the prototype's head. As the light shined down, two figures were revealed. The first and smaller, obviously Batarian, was clad in dark red armor. His head was covered by his helmet-mask, and his arms were crossed. The second figure was much harder to discern. It was bigger, skinnier, and it's limbs were completely out of proportion to what they would be on a Batarian or human body. Shaking my head, I took my ready stance as the deep voice spoke up again. "I must congratulate you all for getting this far." It said. "...Are you serious?" I said, addressing our guest. "Are you seriously going to waste your time threatening us when you know what we're trying to do?" "You're right, Pirate." Said the Batarian with a chuckle. "Cliches aside then. Knowing that you'll want to do this the hard way, I won't bother giving you a choice." "That's fine with me." I said. "You're not going to stop us." "A cocky one." Said the Batarian. "If you weren't a human, I might actually like you." "Should I take that as a compliment?" I asked, triggering another chuckle from our foe. "Before we do this human," He began, "What're you called? What's your name?" To this, I let out a chuckle of my own, giving him the same response that I gave to every other opponent who asked me that same question. "You ask my honorable name?" I asked back. "Remember the gift you promised me, and I shall tell you. My name is Nohbdy: mother father and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy." Apparently unamused, the Batarian replied coldly: "You take the VLRE 0391 over my dead body, Pirate." Was all he said. "I can arrange that, Batarian." Was all I said in response. For the first time since this exchange began, I looked back up at the bridge of the ship, to see the Batarian looking over at me. From what I could tell, we made eye contact, and my opponent shook his head. Having had his fill of talking, he walked backwards into the shadows, towards the second, larger, figure. Soon, I heard the characteristic sounds of activating weapons, and I just as soon saw two red lasers moving towards me. "Scatter!" I cried. My men did just that. Leon, J.R., and I all dove down to the ground just in time to avoid a barrage of rapidly-fired slugs. I looked up at the bridge once again just in time to see the large figure emerge from the shadows. (http://www.robotechresearch.com/battlecry/mecha/zentraedi/officer_battle_pod.jpg) The large figure was a non-sentient fighting mech, no less than 25 feet tall, and armed to the teeth. The figure turned towards me and pointed one of its arms down, quickly firing a heat-seeking missile at me. I quickly fumbled to my feet, and ran behind the cover of a large metal crate. "Techies:" I began over a private channel. "Jacobs, Reign, Kirrahe, Takahari and Abdul - go around the back and get inside! I want those weapons disabled! Miracle, Elouera, McClay - back them up!" I said. "The rest of you, stay with me. We're going to have to take this guy down if we want to get out of here! MOVE IT!" --- [Ayame] alright Saul I'll be right behind you ready to follow your orders. As she ready her assault rifle for the tough fight ahead. --- [Narration] Ayame sees a red light and looks to her right to see a red laser moving towards her feet. As the laser moves closer, she hears the sounds of machinegun fire. --- Ayame runs for cover as the machine gun goes off at her. She then waits till it stop firing and she pokes her head out real quick. She then lets out a burst of fire from her gun. Ayame: Guys get to cover while I try to distract it from you guys. And then lets out more fire. Then returns to her cover. --- [Saul "Guys," began Ayame. "get to cover while I try to distract it from you guys." "Ayame, I'm with you." I said. "It's best to draw them out while the techies go in." "As much as I'd like to get those weapons out of comission, I think it's best that we take control of them instead." Suggested Jason. "That's probably a better idea than just destroying them." Added Kiyo. "Not for nothing guys, we're probably going to need to use them later." "That's fine then." I said. "But take out that robot! That's going to be our main problem!" "Roger." Said Leon. "Taking cover..." I myself turned around, trying to run backwards behind cover, but I was suddenly blown back by a sort of shockwave force that appeared as if from nowhere. Once I shook the cobwebs out, I saw that my path was now blocked by the armorsuit that was perched atop the ship's head just seconds ago. I backed up, but the armorsuit (known as a M.A.S.) kept me pinned. "I guess you're the ringleader here, huh?" Said the Batarian inside the suit. "Nothing personal Mr. 'Nohbdy,' but you know the saying: 'cut off the head and the body withers away.'" With that comment, the M.A.S. pointed its right arm at me, ready to fire a rocket. --- "A mech! A freaking mech!" Allan says. "Yeah, this day keeps getting better and better." Noticing the M.A.S.' current target Allan lobbs a sabotage grenade at the right arm aiming at Saul. It detonates and hissing sound can be heard. "Get down Saul!" Allan yells. --- When the mech burst from the shadows, a mixture of shock, awe, and fear filled Riahr. When it opened fire, Riahr rushed to the side with the rest of the engineers and pulled behind cover. He peeked his head out and looked at the ship they were trying to capture. It was armed to the teeth. High powered cannons and turrets were visible on the outside of the hull. The ship's entrance hatch was closed, but with help from another engineer or JR, that could change. "Saul," Riahr said into his mic, "if I can get into the ship and hack into its weapon systems, I can use the turrets to destroy that mech. I just need some time, ample distraction, and a bit of help to get through the sealed entrance hatch. Do you approve?" --- Ayame sees Saul pinned down and turns and unloads a large burst into the mech that had Saul pinned down. Ayame: Saul WOULD YOU JUST GET TO COVER I can't keep both of these pinned down for you. If we get out of this one you owe more then a couple of rounds at the bar. She then turns and unloads another long burst in the other mech. --- A mech, JR thought. How cliché. JR activated his omni-tool and molded an Overload Tech Mine ready. JR jumped out of cover and launched it at the Mech. The shields of the Mech flashed, but obviously didn't diminish as much as he wanted it to. "Damn it. It seems I need a bigger explosive," JR said outloud and JR unshouldered his sniper rifle and got back behind some cover. --- [Saul] "You want time and a distraction?" I asked. "You got it Kirrahe. Hop to it - I'm counting on you guys!" --- [Riahr] "Allan, JR, I assume you two heard the plan?" Riahr said into the mic. He heard a grunt from JR and a "yeah" from Allan as confirmation. The trio puleld together near the back of the group and waited for the rest of the team to provide suppresive fire on the mech. Saul barked a few quick orders into his mic, and the air was soon filled with the sounds of gunfire and explosions as the Ravenheart crew rained bullets, tech mines, and grenades on the mech. When the mech turned it's cannons toward the other side of the room, the trio burst from cover and dashed to the stairwell leading up to the ship's entrance platform. They bolted up the steps and screeched to a stop in front of the large hatch blocking the tunnel leading into the ship. JR wordless went forward and began pulling explosives from his pack. After a minute of frenzied work, he backed away from the hatch. An assortment of bombs and charges that Riahr could never hope to recognize had been placed on the seal. A big red 00:10 glowed on a bomb in the center. "Get back," JR said. The trio pulled away from the door and covered their ears. 10 seconds later, a deafening roar filled the deck as the charges detonated. The hatch slowly groaned backwards and slammed to the ground with a loud thud. "Very subtle," Allan said. The mech, noticing the commotion, rotated towards JR, Riahr, and Allan, and its cannons began to glow a deathly red. Before it could fire, a wave of biotics from Aylena and Elouera crahsed into its side and knocked the weapons askew. The lasers fired and harmlessly slammed into a wall on the other side of the room. Seeing their opportunity, the trio again dashed toward the ship and lept over the fallen hatch. Safely inside the armored tunnel, Allan activated his omni-tool and began working on breaking through the coded lock on the ship's outer door. "One more minute and we'll be in the ship." Riahr said into his mic, "Just hold out a little longer." --- [Saul] Just as the M.A.S. was about to fire at me, I heard Allan's voice come out over the Com-Link. "Get down Saul!" He yelled. Taking his words seriously, I dive down to my left, successfully dodging a well-placed Sabotage Grenade. Not being harmed by the orange flash of light, I looked up to see smoke emitting from the mech's arm, just fixed on me seconds ago. As the pilot tries to shake it off, I see an extended burst of Assault Rifle fire pepper the cockpit. "Saul," I heard Ayame remark, "WOULD YOU JUST GET TO COVER?! I can't keep both of these pinned down for you! If we get out of this one you owe more then a couple of rounds at the bar! "Yeah..." I said. "You got it Ayame." I rise to my feet and run for it, trying to meet up with Ayame behind her cover. "Thanks for the Sabotage Jacobs," I said. "I owe you!" "Always, Commander." He said. "Now go back up Kirrahe." I said. "We need to get that ship under control!" "Saul," I heard Riahr begin, "if I can get into the ship and hack into its weapon systems, I can use the turrets to destroy that mech. I just need some time, ample distraction, and a bit of help to get through the sealed entrance hatch. Do you approve?" "You want time and a distraction?" I asked back. "You got it Kirrahe. Hop to it - I'm counting on you guys!" After making sure that the mech was far enough behind me, I continue. "Kirrahe," I said. "Don't forget that you've got Jacobs, Reign, Takahari and Abdul with you too! If you run into any trouble, don't forget that I sent Miracle, Elouera, and McClay to help cover you!" "Understood." He said. "Leave the distracting to me!" I said. By the time I finish issuing my order, I reach Ayame. She keeps her rifle up as I run past her, and behind cover. I ready my Sniper Rifle and she slowly backs up behind the cover with me. "You OK?" She asked. "I'm fine." I answered. "Thanks for the cover fire." "You owe me big, boss." She said after a pause. "I heard you the first time." I said as I clicked my Sniper Rifle. I crouch, activating Assassination, and Ayame stands up straight behind me, activating Overkill. We emerge from cover and are about to fire when a big, blue flash illuminates the area around the mech; J.R. had just launched his Overload mine. "His shields are only down 20%." Ayame said. "That's not good." "Well we'll make it better!" I said in response. "Light him up!" The two of us immediately let loose with shots to the M.A.S.'s cockpit. I fire my Assassination shot, which damages the shields, but does not yet reach the body of the mech. Once my shot is done, Ayame pulls the trigger, releasing a torrent of Assault Rifle slugs. I click my rifle and aim again, shooting another round that I hope will pierce the shields. Though the attempt is unsuccessful, Ayame continues shooting. By the time Overkill runs its duration, the shields are completely down, but minimal damage has been done to the mech itself. Once we are done shooting, we retreat behind cover, poking our heads out to see if it is safe to fire. Instead of seeing an opportunity however, we see what I can only describe as an amazing sight. "Damn!" Ayame hollered, "That thing can jump!" And she was right. The M.A.S. had shot itself off the ground using it's massive legs. It flew through the air, closing the distance between it and us almost instantaneously. "GET DOWN!!!" I yelled. We dive in opposite directions, as the mech lands on the ground in between us. If we did not react so quickly, the Batarian would have crushed us underfoot. --- Riahr heard a loud "GET DOWN!" and a crash as the ten-ton mech landed on the floor. "Doesn't sound too good out there." JR stated simply. "Hurry, Allan...." Riahr whispered. After a slow and painful minute, the door to the ship hissed open and the three of them stepped inside. Ordinarily, Riahr would have stopped to examine the technilogically beautiful interior, but now wasn't the best time. They ran up to the main deck of the ship and stopped at the central console. As expected, the controls to the weapon systems were encrypted. Allan let out a loud sigh and got to work. As Allan worked on cracking the computer, Riahr went down the deck, looking for the turret controls. He found the proper console and sat down, tapping his foot impatiently. He looked to his sides as he waited for Allan to decrypt the controls. Across the deck were 5 more consoles, each for operating an individual turret. The ship was practically a flying tank. JR appeared behind him and dropped down in front of a turret console a few feet away. They both stayed silent as they waited for Allan to finish, trying to keep back their apprehension. "Just a little longer!" Allan called from farther down the deck. "We're almost ready Saul." Riahr said into his mic, "Stay alive just a little longer." --- [Reign] I ran onto the ship behind them, realizing there was no power to the ship. Emergency power was on to the base, and they would have likely cut the power to the ship. I hacked my way past several doors down to the engines and power. The doors were much less encrypted then the front door. I ran to the reactor and started it. I easily rerouted the controls to my omni-tool. First time this thing has ever turned on, works like a charm. Now when they activate the turrets they'll have some power. I started the element zero reactor on, and started running checks. I wanted to make sure that by the time that mech and the crazy batarian were dead, we could take off. Everything checked out, and the ship shuddered slightly as everything turned on, and the lights began to flicker on. "Aight guys, I got the power turned on down here, and the element zero reactor turned on. Get those controls hacked and open fire on the dam thing!" --- [Reign] As Riahr waited in the chair, he saw Reign burst into the ship unnanounced and run into the lower levels. Before Riahr could stand up to lecture him about abandoning the rest of the squad, he heard a low hum as the power began to flow into the ship. Reign returned from the engine room with a smug look on his face. Riahr stared at him for a moment, then turned back to his console wordlessly and resumed waiting. That was alright, I guess..... He thought. "FINALLY!" Allan roared from the other end of the ship. "WEAPON SYSTEMS ONLINE!" The console in front of Riahr flashed green for a moment, and then flared to life. Through the view screen of the turret, Riahr could see the mech firing lasers and bullets at the Ravenheart crew, slowly moving closer and closer to them. The Batarian was clever. The ship's weapons were meant for destroying massive, heavily armored frigates, not small mechs. The backlash from firing them indoors in a small hangar would fry the men on the ground if they were too close to the target. "Saul, you need to give us a clear shot." Riahr said into his headset, "If we fire now, we will kill you with the Batarian. Get out of there and keep the mech isolated. Then, we can destroy it." --- Ayame runs to some more cover as far as she could from the ship on the Mech. She then unloads another big burst into the mech barley doing any damage. Ayame: Will you guys just shoot the dang Mech already. Where not going to last much longer out here. So Saul get your butt in gear and MOVE. --- [Reign] I ran out of the ship, mech facing the other way. I pointed my omni-tool at the leg, and tried to hack into it. The leg was not operated without wires, so I could not hack it. Getting frustrated, I threw several of my grenades at it. They managed to stick to the back of it, and made a few dents in the metal. I ran back onto the ship. Somewhere on this ship there had to be some food. I heard explosions from outside the ship from the mech firing. I finally found some sort of kitchen. I looked inside. Perfect. The ship was being stocked with food before we invaded. The food was still in boxes, not in the fridge(There were several of them, all very decently large). I packed all of it in there, and grabbed myself a quick snack. I finished quickly, threw the wrapper in the trash compressor, and ran back to the cockpit. --- [Saul] "We're almost ready Saul." I heard Riahr say. "Stay alive just a little longer." This update comes as I'm crawling away from the M.A.S., which had just landed from it's super-jump. Once I am safely behind cover again, I respond. "Oh by all means!" I began sarcastically. "Take your time!" "I put my Sniper Rifle away and take out my Pistol, activating Marksman. "Saul!" Began McClay, watching from inside the ship's window, "Why don't you try Hacking that thing?" "Negative," I answered, temporarily leaving cover to let loose a burst of Marksman shots. "It's not an autonomous robot. If we Hacked it, we'd at best stun it for a second or two, but we can't do anything substantial." "He's right." Added Leon. "They look out for AI Hackers now. The companies build failsafes into these things, just in case of such an emergency." "Trust me, if I could've hacked him, I would've tried by now." I said. "Dammit..." Said McClay. "Sorry Saul." "It's fine!" I said, getting behind cover just in time to dodge a rocket." Meanwhile, back inside the ship, Riahr is sitting anxiously in the chair, waiting for another development. However, when he begins to hear the sounds of footsteps, he quickly springs to his feet. Nervous about what might happen, the Salarian is relieved to see that the sounds were coming from Fivrelm, who was effortlessly carrying two downed Batarians over his shoulders. "I see that you have kept yourself occupied..." Said Riahr to the Krogan. "Where did you find them?" "These pups were at the guns upstairs." Fivrlem said in response. "The others shouldn't have to worry about those turrets now." "Until we can use them ourselves." Said Riahr. "I don't know if there are any more of them." Said Fivrelm. "But from what I've seen, it seems that we could've taken our time in getting here: the ship's deserted aside from these two." "Better safe than sorry." Said Riahr. "Look around the ship again and see if you can find any more stowaways. Be thorough!" A short while later, back in the hangar, I keep firing my pistol, as Aylena provides support fire with her Biotics. "Saul, you need to give us a clear shot." Riahr said to me. "If we fire now, we will kill you with the Batarian. Get out of there and keep the mech isolated. Then, we can destroy it." "Well it's about time!" I said."You got it Kirrahe!" I gave the signal to Aylena, and the two of us began to fall back. I looked back to where we were, and saw Ayame doing the same. As we continued to move, I heard the sounds of doors opening. I looked behind me, to see that two doors opened, revealing Batarian reinforcements. "Saul," Said Jheyva. "We're picking up Batarian reinforcements. There are only 25 of them; all footsoldiers." "Go to town!" I said without hesitation. "I want no witnesses!" --- [Reign] Seeing the reinforcements, I immedeately drew my gun. I took aim with a powerful boitic punch, trying to aim at the troopers. I released the biotic, and the field sped towards them. It hit a batarian in the face, snapping his head back to a position impossible to reach. He was standing for a few seconds, then fell down on the metal floor with a thud. I Neural shocked another trooper, and threw an engineer into stasis. The less the others had to deal with for now, the better. I stayed hidden on the ship, so far nobody noticing me. --- Ayame: Man if it not a mech it troops can't we just steal a ship in peace. She Then spins for the group at the door and he unloads a bad aimed burst into them so she could reach cover. She the Peek around the cover and just above her face comes a round from a sniper. Ayame Dang I hate snipers . Well except for me anyway. She then pulls out her sniper rifle and peeks out and spots him but is getting to much cover fire from the others troops. She then pulls out her AR and points it a troop that was moving cover to cover. He then sees to late me with the gun ready he drops from a 10 round burst from her gun. Ayame: Well that's one trooper down and many more to go. This is why I left the navy for action like this. The same time she returns to her cover and said that most of the troops were unloading rounds in to her cover. --- [Saul] The troops come out and begin opening fire on Ayame. Of course, I my view is blocked by the mech, and I am unable to render any assistance. "Leon, Derrick, Tanaka," I ordered, "Go help Ayame!" --- [Riahr] Finally, Saul's men pulled away and left the mech isolated in an empty area of the hangar. Riahr and JR heated up the cannons and locked onto the 10-ton monster. With two satisfying button pushes, a missle duo launched from a pod on the underside of the ship and slammed into the mech and detonated, sending the robot flying backwards in a cloud of torn metal and fire. The remains of the mech crashed to the floor, still smoking from the blast. The Batarian pilot's body was visible in the demolished cockpit. The armor was streaked with black, and the faceplate of his helmet was shattered, revealing a face that could no longer even be distinguished as a Batarian's. JR let out a whistle of joy, and Riahr simply leaned back against his chair, taking in a long breath. After a short moment of silence, they both snapped back into the fight. Riahr cursed quietly as he examined the positions of the guards that came through the doors. One group was near Saul's team, creating the same problem as the mech, and the other was near the entrance of the ship, right in the blindspot of the cannons. Riahr spoke into his headset again: "Saul, I see two options here. Either we leave the ship and help you outside, or we remain here and wait for you to force the Batarians into our line of fire. Orders?" --- [Derrick] I pull out my shotgun and quickly let 4 shots fly at the troopers closest to Saul, tearing 2 of them in half and causing the others to scatter. Falling back behind some cover I put away the shotgun and pull out a few grenades and throw them at the nearest shock trooper. The first one flies past him before I detonate it, launching him forwardinto the other two grenade blasts leaving nothing but fine red mist hanging in the air. --- "There are other options," said JR. "Just mentioning that there are more than leave and fight or wait til the enemy is herded into the line of the cannon." --- "What do you propose?" Riahr asked, looking over at JR, "The only other option I can think of is to leave the ship and help the others, then return to the ship when the Batarians are in the cannon's range. But if the Batarians see us running back to the ship, they will know exactly what we are trying to do, and pull back out of the line of fire. If you have a plan, now is the time to explain it." --- "First, let's discuss the problems with your ideas. They are both too straight forward. Laugh it up later that the demo expert is saying that a method can be too straight forward. The Batarians aren't stupid enough to fall for either," said JR ... Rule one of combat, never assume the enemy is dumber than you are. "The first one, involves us going to help them on the ground directly. We aren't going to be able to be much help for two reasons. One we lose the big guns that will make the Batarians hesitant to move into certain areas. Secondly, we aren't going to change the balance of power down there. Your other plan involves them herding Batarians into the path of our guns, however this relies of the Batarians not knowing these guns. That is highly unlikely as well. They would dig in and slaughter our men down there before we can get a shot off. We need a diversionary Tactic. Borrowing from your idea. If we look like we are trying to herd them into the path of the guns, we could actually lead them into a slaughter somewhere else, a kill zone. However, I don't see anything that could work." --- [Riahr] "However, I don't see anything that could work." "I thought so...." Riahr muttered. --- "I heard that," said JR. --- (***BGM PLAYING IN THE BACKGROUND: www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4SFXIzNf1o&feature=related ) [Saul] "Stay in there!" I said over the com-link. "If you come out here, the Batarians'll just go in there and seize the ship. So stay put! And if they decide to come in and and take it by force, pick them off as they come in! As for the ones out here..." "Lure them into the path of the guns?" Asked Riahr. "But--" "--We've just been past that." Said J.R. "They--" "I heard the whole thing!" I said, letting off a burst of pistol fire. "They're not that stupid, I know." "Well then what do you want us to do Saul?" Asked Allan. "I'm not just going to sit in here!" "Well too bad." I said, "Those're your orders. Where's Miracle? Where's McClay? Where's Elouera?" "I sent the Krogan to look around the ship for any stowaways." Said Riahr. "George is right here, as is Yasir." "Ellie is at the entrance helping out you guys, I think." Said Allan. "Fine." I said. "McClay! Back up Elouera, if she's already outside, just cover the entrance." "Roger." He said, readying his assault rifle and running off. "Have Miracle keep doing what he's doing: that's actually a good idea." I said. "We'll take care of things out here, but if any of them get into the turret's line of fire, and we're not in the way, don't hesitate." "Understood." Said Riahr. "What is your plan?" "We're going to move behind cover, out of your fire lines." I said. "We'll stand back to back. Yeah, it'll be a two-front fight, but if they're smart and saw what happened to the M.A.S., they'll stay put. As long as they don't rush us, we outlast them." "And if they do rush you?" Asked Allan. "Then they'll be your problem." I said. "In order to get to us, they'll have to run past the turrets. I think you can take care of anyone who decides to be a hero." "They saw what happened to their Commander." Said Derrick. "They're not going to budge." "Some debris fell on the walkway behind you when that mech got blasted Saul," Said Ayame, "If we take advantage of the debris and use it as cover, we'll have a better terrain advantage." "She's right." Added Leon. "There's no cover where they are now. And we've got lots of Snipers. They'll be easy pickings." "Give them some ground!" I said. "Move back to the debris!" I moved back, eventually standing back to back with Ayame. There was enough debris on the ground to where we had ample cover. While we were able to easily duck and sidle behind cover, the Batarians were defenseless. Ayame and those with her were dealing with the group near the ship's entrance, while the others and myself dealt with the second squad. Due to the fact that we had upwards of 8 Snipers, 3 of the Batarian Snipers easily fell before the others attempted to retreat behind the doors from whence they came. --- "We sure this is a ship factory, and not a body factory?" Elouera quipped to herself. She'd been forced to take cover just inside the ship when the onslaught of batarians made their appearance. A small group of five troopers made a bold rush to enter the ship. She waited until they were all almost on top of her position before stepping out and throwing them all back. They weren't sent far, but she had the pleasure of watching them slam and stumbled over one another, both as they fell, and as they tried to scurry back up. Elouera got a few shots from her pistol at them, before a hail of gunfire forced her back into cover. Two of the batarians extracted themselves from the pile, and made another charge for her position. She threw the first one into stasis, just in time to freeze him as his barrel directed right at her face. The second one she focused on right before a rifle shot tore through his shields, and then his head. Elouera blinked in confusion, turning to see McClay running over. He finished off the frozen batarian, then ducked into cover. "Figured you could use some help cleaning these up." The soldier said. --- [Ayame] Now Saul lets see who kills the most out the two of us snipers. Who kills the least buys dinner for the other. How about it. As she finish that she pokes her head around her cover and sees a Trooper peeking really quick taking pot shouts at the team. She then get his timing down so when he pokes his head out from the corner. The next time he pokes his head out she hits him right through the head. Ayame: One down and some more badly trained solders to go. She then sees a Shook Trooper trying to get the other to try to move in closer so they do more damage and try to out flank Ayame"s team at the door. He got mad and decide to lead by example. As he turns the corner he spot Ayame prone with the sniper pointed at the door . He tried to get back in the door in time but it was to late he goes down with a shot to the back. Ayame: Well this is fun but i hate fighting sub par soldiers there no fun. --- Allan groans. "Ellie....that was, and I say this for your own good, a very, very bad joke." Allan continues to study the ship's weapon controls, trying to find a way to turn them on the enemy. --- As Riahr heard the sounds of gunfire from the ship entrance, he stood up reluctantly. He couldn't hide in the ship forever. Riahr tested his wounded right shoulder. The bullet hole had closed up, and the medi-gel had blocked out most of the pain. He drew his assault rifle and headed to Elouera's position. When he reached the entrance, he took a quick peek out of the ship. Two Batarians lay dead, and three were in a firefight with Elouera and McClay. Riahr activated his omni-tool and sent an overload-sabotage mine pair at the Batarians. All three stopped to stare at their weapons, wondering why they couldn't fire. Then they realized their shields were gone. Then one noticed Riahr in the doorway, aiming at his head. Riahr sent four rounds at the Batarian, blowing four holes straight through his head. As his body dropped to the ground, the other two pulled back behind cover, switching from their overheated assault rifles to their pistols. They popped back out and fired at Riahr, forcing him to hide back in the ship. --- JR sighed ... this was a dumb idea. --- "Hey, Al. I'd like to see you come up with something better when your ass is pinned." Only problem being, she knows he could. Elouera doesn't miss a beat when Riahr makes his appearance and disables the remaining batarians. She and McClay turn their weapons on the two that are still standing, and fire their weapons in unison. The soldier's target goes down almost immediately. Elouera has to fight with her aim; but one of her shots embeds itself into the trooper's abdomen. While he's keeling over in agony, McClay turns his rifle and finishes the last one off. "Good timing." She nods to the salarian. --- [Reign] "BRARARRARRARRA!" I yelled, coming at the opposite direction at the remaining shieldless troopers. I threw both of my tech explosions at them while running, then put one of them into stasis. I neural shocked the other, leaving him vulnerable and shieldless. I drew my pistol, and shot him several times in the head. I calmly walked up to the remaining batarian and placed my pistol next to his skull. He was quicker though. When the stasis wore off he smacked the weapon out of my hand and drew his own. He got off a few rounds before I unleashed my biotic throw. My fist made contact with his head, and it launched his skull clean off, leaving a stump squirting odd-colored blood. "SUCK ON THAT YOU FAT, BALD, FOUR EYED ******S!" --- "I try," Riahr said to Elouera. Riahr turned his back on the group and patched into the team frequency. "Saul," he began, "the ship is secure. Orders?" --- [Leon] With the battle as a distraction, I made my way around to the wall of the hanger and moved along it, darting from cover to cover to avoid being detected by the Batarians. I came upon a large piece of debris for cover and rested my sniper on it. I scoped out the battle, seeing Riahr and Elouera taking out some troopers with style, and saw a sniper bullet hit near them. I followed its trail and saw a Batarian sniper, about a hundred meters away and behind cover, taking aim on them again. I activated assassination and took aim and shot. The bullet flew true. A clean headshot, snapping the snipers head back. He fell backwards onto the ground, dead. Two troopers nearby were alerted to my presence and turned toward me, firing blindly in the direction they heard my shot from. I threw an overload mine followed by a sabotage mine to silence the gunfire. The two stood there helplessly staring at their guns and looked up. I pulled out my shotgun and swiftly advanced on their position. I came right up on one of them, stuck my barrel into his chest and pulled the trigger. He cried out in anguish and fell bloodied to the ground. The other one blind-sided me with the butt of his gun right into the side of my helmet knocking me to the ground. The filthy Batarian jumped on top of me and began to bludgeon my helmet with hes fists, but the well designed suit I was wearing was able to take most of the force away from my head. I reached blindly between blows for my survival knife with one hand, pulled it out of its sheath, and slashed the troopers wrist. He cried out and grabbed his wrist with his other hand. I quickly grabbed my shotgun from beside me and raised it up to the Batarians face and stuck the barrel in his mouth. He stopped moving. I saw for a split second that he looked up and closed his eyes, preparing for what was to come. PWOOSH! The shot turned his head into bloody firework, launching skull fragments as well as brain tissue into the air like 4th of July back on Earth. After i wiped the Batarian bits off my visor, i pushed the lifeless body off me and stood up. All of a sudden, a burst of stray bullets from the fighting came my way, hitting me in the abdomen. I fell to the ground and everything faded to black. Before losing consciousness, I called out on the com link: "I'm down and bleeding, send help...............losing blood.....I've taken out three Batariah...." my words trailed off as i passed out from the slight head trauma and loss of blood. --- [Reign] I picked up the batarian's ruined skull and threw it out of the ship just as I heard, "I'm down and bleeding, send help...............losing blood.....I've taken out three Batariah..." Woot for being the medic. I checked and readied my supply of serum and medi-gel as I exited the ship, careful to not draw attention. I slipped from different peices of cover untill I got to where he was. I threw a biotic barrier up, trying to avoid the shots fired at me. I lifted the batarians firing at me into the air to buy me some time, and dragged his body behind some cover. I applied medi-gel to the wound first to seal it up, locating the injured parts of his abdomen with my HUD. After I finished with that I got out my injector. I carefully slipped it into where the suit had been punctured, and injected the contents, the blue-yellow chemicals inside swirling. It would take a few seconds to wake him up, So I dashed out of cover, grabbed his gun, and dived back into cover. As I landed back behind cover, my sheilds were depleted, and I felt a pain my left arm. I looked over, and it was bleeding. I quickly patched it up with medi-gel, and felt a blessed cessation of pain. I knocked him on the side of the head and handed him his shotgun. "Hey Krogan! It's getting pretty boring at ground level, tell me if ya see any more injured!" --- Ayame hears the cry for help "man whats up with people on this mission" she thought. She sees a sniper ready to shot at her she rolled in to cover as the bullet just missed her. She then peeks her head out and spots the sniper. He quickly shots and hits just above Ayame face. She then takes careful aim and unloads a round into the sniper. She gets back behind cover. Ayame: Well that's one more sniper down. And a couple more left to kill.....lets get these fast i hate fighting bad snipers. Gives us real snipers a bad name. Ayame: Hey Riahr are you about ready to kill the rest of these with those guns on the ship already. I'm getting tired of fighting these wannabe soldiers. --- Riahr sighed irritably. "Ayame," he began, "we have already been through all of the problems related to using the guns on the ship. When the Batarians are in the proper position, we can fire again. Until then, please stop complainign." --- "This is going to take forever ..." JR complained quietly to himself. --- Ayame: Riahr i love it when you get mad makes you sound sexy. As she lets out a laugh. "man I hate long drawn out battles it means more dead then we need" she thinks to herself --- [Leon] To Reign: "Thanks Kid, i thought i was dead back there. You're starting to prove yourself LESS trouble than your worth so keep it up." As Reign walks away, I take a moment to get my head back together after my scrap with the Batarian. Once I felt back to normal, Opened up a com link to the rest of the crew: "Alright guys, I think we've been here long enough, and Saul wants to get going so lets take care of the rest of these puss bags!' I closed the com link and took out my sniper. Looking through the scope, I located the the remaining four snipers. I located the one that was the farthest away from all the others and made short work of him and ducked quickly behind cover to avoid being seen by the remaining three. They had heard the shot and were scoping in on my general area. I crawled about ten feet behind cover, parallel to where the remaining snipers were, and found a small gap to aim through. They were scanning the area when one of them sighted in on me. I saw a flash from his scope lens and fired. The bullet hit straight through his scope and into his eye. Alerted to my presence, the other two fired at me, one missing, and the other's shot was deflected off my shield. "Damn, that was too close," I say to myself. I didn't dare stick my head out again with those two so aware of my location. Com link: "I'm pinned down by two snipers and need fire support!" --- [Reign] Working my way to the ship, I snuck around it to where the snipers were. Sure enough, they were too busy to busy trying to aim then looking at their radar. I crept up, making sure not to alert them to my position. They were sniping from different points. The first was easy to get two, he was hiding behind a box with some sort of holed barricade. As soon as I was close enough, I lifted away the barricade startling him. he turned around, but not before I used my tech explosions. His gun sparked when he tried to fire it. I smiled, and began to advance on him. He pulled out his pistol, and I decided that would not do. I tossed him like a ragdoll with my biotics onto the ship, smearing blood on the hull. He fell and leaned over, trying to recover from the pain. I activated marksman, and began firing at him. After several shots he seemed to lost the will to live. Just to make sure, I put another bullet through his head. Just as I finished doing that, a red light showed up where my stomach was. "OH ****" I yelled, and dived for cover, but not before the sniper got a shot off, hitting me in the stomach. I kneeled over, incapacitated by the pain. The shot had ripped through my sheilds and my suit. In pain, I rached into my medical supplies and got another injector. I injected it into the muscle, feeling relief from the pain a few seconds afterward. In a little less pain, I located the wound and sealed it up with medi-gel, paying careful attention to what I was doing. After the pain ceased, I examined the wound again. Scarred, but I could easily remove scars later. --- [Leon] Seeing the Batarian distracted, I decided it was now or never to get this guy. I armed a tech mine and launched it toward the sniper. I took out my assault rifle and ran up on him. with a few dozen bullets he was down for the count. I walked over to Reign: "You gonna be okay?" --- [Reign] "Yeah I'm fine." I said, getting up. "Marvels of modern sci... UUUGH..." I said. My stomach was now violently reminding me that I was hungry. --- [Leon] "OK good, hopefully we can get off this rock asap." While scanning the area, i notice one of the remaining troopers out in the open. Because i'm not in the best of moods i decide to have a little fun with this guy. I quickly equip high explosive rounds on my sniper rifle and scope in. I center my crosshairs in the middle of his chest and activate assassination. "See you in hell," and i pull the trigger. The poor bastard popped like a water balloon and chunks of Batarian meat fly everywhere. I have too duck to avoid a arm coming at me. "Well, that makes me feel a little better." Com link: "Ok guys we got them outnumbered three to one lets finish them off!' --- [Ayame] Wow I've never seen any be blown to bits before. Now that was funny as anything I've seen in battle. She then turns from her cover lines up a trooper that was trying to run to cover that would give him a good firing position on the squad on the ship. He was so focused on the cover he never saw the Ayame lining up him. At the moment he was about to reach the cover he goes down with a good place shot. Ayame: Now that was close if I took more time he would of gotten there. She then pulls out her AR. She starts moving forward at the same time a a engineer pulls out from the corner. She stops on one knee and he gose down with a 15 round burst from her gun. She than scrambles for cover. Ayame: Well I'll leave the rest for you guys I have been pulling to much weight on this mission so far. --- [Reign] "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" I yelled, and charged at the engineer and soldier. I threw both my tech explosions at them, watching in amusement as they tried to fire their guns. Combined fire from the rest of the team hit them, shredding them. The upgrades from the different guns frying, freezing, and liquifying parts of their bodies. "All right guys..." I said, "we got the ship hacked, I warmed up the engines, and I'm hungry. Now can we please get the hell off this desolate rock?" --- [Ayame] You know you remind me of one of my old flings I had when I was back on earth before i joined the marines. --- [Reign] "That's... nice to know?... But honestly I find it hard to beleive the universe tolerates just one of me, let alone two." --- Ayame laughs: I would like you to meet him but I had to kill him to leave the *****y place I was in to leave. But hey I don't dislike you yet so I think we should get along. I would hate to put you on my **** list. Ayame: Yawn alright now that the battles over I'm going adored finding a room and going to sleep so no one please wake me i need my beauty sleep to keep up with the new Asari on the crew. --- [Reign] "Hahahaha! Alrighty then. I explored the ship a little bit." I told Ayame where I saw the elevator to the rooms. "Dibbs on the first one on the right on floor seven though." --- [Ayame] Well I'll just take the last room on the ship then just for the heck of it. --- [Saul] "Saul, all enemies are down." Said Leon over the Com-Link. "Think we can get out of here now?" "I'd like that." I said. "Kirrahe! Are we ready to fire it up?" "Yes." Responded Riahr. "Get everyone on board so we can leave." "Roger." I said. "Everyone, get on the ship! It's time for us to claim our treasure!" I was watching Wayne as he was tending to Kiyo. Once Wayne was done patching up the wound (not exactly patching it up as well as a medic would) I hoisted Kiyo on my shoulders and moved towards the entrance. --- [Ayame] Hey Saul I'm already aboard going to sleep. --- [Reign] I ran up the ramp of the ship, and ran down to engineering. I checked everything again. Everything was running smooth. I went to the elevator to the personal rooms. I went down to the seventh floor, where my room was. First door on the right.... Room 701. I went inside. Small, but much better then a sleeper pod. I marked it as mine and went back up. --- [Saul] "You're going to sleep at a time like this?!" I cried. "Screw that! Get to your post!" I looked around cautiously as I walked backwards up the ramp, just to make sure that no Batarians were left. "Abdul, Jacobs, get to Engineering!" I ordered. "Get us ready to move!" --- "Roger. Engineering, got it." Allan says. --- [Ayame] Well you cloulda asked me nicely Saul. Ok heading to my post. --- As the last of the batarians were killed, Elouera withdrew into the ship, eventually having to lean against a bulkhead for a moment. It's only exhaustion, after not getting any proper sleep or nourishment since she was first captured and brought here. She watches everybody who was not already aboard, cross through the entrance, and listening to Saul order them all to their various posts. At this point, she feels especially useless, having little in the way of skills that would be valuable right about now. --- [Leon] I quickly boarded the ship and turned to Saul: "What are your orders?" --- As Allan is about to make his way down to engineering, he spots Ellie leaning against the bulkhead. "Hey, Ellie," She wants to feel useful, Allan guesses. "How about you come down to engineering. We could use a few spare hands to get things running." --- Elouera straightens up, wasting no time in hesitating before following after Allan. "Machines and I don't have much of an understanding, but let's see what happens." --- Allan smiles. "Don't worry, we'll keep you from electrocuting yourself." --- As he sat in the pilot seat, Riahr turned his head back and watched the rest of the crew slowly limp their way back into the ship. Nobody approached him. Just the way I like it..... He thought. Riahr turned back and placed his hands over the controls. A pang of sadness hit him as he thought of the Ravenheart, now reduced to a pile of molten slag. He would personally make sure this ship never ended up like that. The battle was over. The Batarians were dead. The ship was secure. All that with only one person dead. Riahr reluctantly patched into Saul's frequency and spoke into his headset. "I guess that makes it 34-34, Saul." He said. |
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Post by Vynx on Jul 13, 2009 0:41:52 GMT -5
[Saul] "I guess that makes it 34-34, Saul." Said Riahr over the Com-Link. "See Kirrahe?" I replied. "What did I tell you? We had nothing to worry about." The doors to the bridge slid open with a quick hiss, and I saw all of my crew members at different consoles, getting everything ready. The bridge was comprised of 3 tiers, which were arranged in a split level fashion, somewhat like this (------ = placeholder, _____ = floor, and \ or / = ramp): Top -----------____ Middle --_______\__ Lower ----_____/ On the top tier are four stations, one of which is responsible for radar, another for communications, another for damage reporting, and the last for surveillance of the various places on the ship. On the bottom tier are six stations, all of which are used as alternate means of operating the ship's weaponry. And lastly, on the middle tier are two more stations, for navigation and extranet access respectively. The pilot's seat and helm are also located on this level. As I walked onto the bridge, I noticed that there was a large chair that sat in the air, smack in the middle of the middle tier. Upon some inspection, I saw that the chair was connected to a large arm (connected to the chair's back), and said arm was in turn connected to the roof of the bridge. Certain spots on the middle and top tiers were designed to open up with the press of a button, so that the chair could move between the tiers. In addition, the section of the arm directly connected to the chair was also able to extend and withdraw, so that the captain could supervise almost all of the aspects of the bridge. McClay and Jin were waiting for me as I walked in, and I brought Kiyo down from my shoulders and handed him off to them, moving towards the big chair. I sat down, and for lack of better words, it just felt... "right;" like the chair was specifically made for me. The chair was comfortable, and one could tell that it was designed for comfort as well as versatility. I pressed a button on the side, and a large holoscreen immediately flashed on in front of me, displaying a map of the ship. Not wanting to waste any time, I got right down to business. "Morris!" I said, "I want a status report!" "All systems green Saul." He said from the upper tier. "We're ready to move!" "Excellent." I replied. "Takahari! How's the 'reconfiguring' going?" "It's almost done." He answered. "In a few seconds, any heat signature not belonging to any of us will be looked upon as an intruder: this ship'll be ours!" "Good." I said. "That'll take care of the whole 'stowaway' prospect." "Its done!" Jin said abruptly. "And we're detecting an intruder on Deck 5!" "Is that all?" I asked. "It's the only foreign one we're getting." He said. "All of the others belong to us." "Well what're you waiting for?!" I cried, throwing my arms up in the air. "Get some guys up there!" "I say don't bother." Came a loud, bellowing voice over the intercom. "I've got it under control!" "Miracle!" I said, recognizing the voice. "You were expecting?" He said. "Listen: this guy's a Batarian: he should know better than to try and hide from a Krogan!" After this, the mighty Fivrelm let out a chuckle. "And he should know even better than to try and shoot a Krogan in the back when he's not looking." He continued. "I might be young... but I ain't stupid." "No! Don't shoot!" Came a deeper, more panicked voice, obviously belonging to a Batarian. "Please! Don't shoot me!" Knowing what was going on, I shrugged my shoulders and spoke up again. "Hey Miracle!" I said. "Can you try and keep the bloodstains off the new carpet?" There was a pause, and then I heard a single gunshot. More silence followed. "Done." said Fivrelm finally. "Damn!" Said Wayne, who saw the whole thing through the surveillance station on the top tier. "That had to hurt!" "I feel sorry for that Batarian..." Said Jacob, who was looking over his shoulder. A few of us simply shook our heads. We saw the whole ordeal coming from a mile away. "Saul." Said Leon, who was sitting at the top tier, at the radar for the time being. "We better get moving! We're wasting time!" "He is right Saul." Said Riahr. "Fighting those Batarians set us back. We are now ten minutes, seven seconds behind schedule!" "If we don't get a move on, the Batarian government will arrive!" Added Derrick. "There's no doubt they sent out a distress signal. We've been very lucky, but now it is time for us to make haste!" I smirked, realizing the need for urgency, and then I moved on to the next order of business. "Yo! Engine room!" I hollered. "What's going on down there? Why aren't the engines firing up yet? We don't have all night!" During all of the ruckus on the upper levels, Reign T'sumaraki is downstairs in the engine room, busy trying to decipher how the new ship's system works. After rubbing his forehead and exhaling sharply, he decides to take a breather by looking up. It is at this time that Reign's eyes are truly opened to the beauty of the VLRE 0391 Prototype. The deck of the VLRE's engine room, in contrast to that of the Normandy, is built parallel to the drive cores, like this: d | /`\ e | [o] c | [o] k | \_/ where the "o"s are the eezo masses at the center of the "claw-like" Tantalus Drive Core. The "\_/" and "/`\" is the cone that the "claw" is inside, and the [ ] are the "claws" themselves. In the VLRE's engine room, the cones are inside the ship's wall, and all that an onlooker would see by looking head on would be the "claws," with the two masses of eezo right next to each other. While retaining their color and brightness, the close proximity of the two masses causes them to interact with each other, forming what looks like a standing wave. Except instead of staying in one place like a standing wave does, one mass of eezo seems to be literally flowing in a sort of current into the other, and vice-versa. Reign is taken in by the sheer marvel of the amazing technological advancement, but is broken out of his trance as he hears footsteps behind him. He turns around to see Abdul, Elouera, Ayame, Johnson, and Allan as they walk into the room. "Yo! Engine room!" I hollered over the intercom. "What's going on down there? Why aren't the engines firing up yet? We don't have all night!" "We're getting to it Saul!" Said Ayame. "Have some damn patience!" "Patience is the one thing we do not have right now, Ayame," continued Riahr. "We are now more than ten minutes behind schedule! As you would say: we have to get a move on!" "Well we're trying!" said Allan. "Calm down! If you keep talking like that, you might knock another two years off of your life, Salarian." "...I fail to see the humor in your retort, Allan." Replied Riahr. "Maybe if you spent less time talking and more time--" "That's a good idea." Said Elouera. "Let's all just shut up and get to work. The quicker we get off this rock, the better!" After Elouera's response, Allan let off a sigh, and walked over to the console that Reign was standing at. "Hey!" said Reign as Allan pushed him out of the way. "What're you doing?" "Out of the way kid," Said Allan, obviously not taking Reign seriously. "Run along and go play somewhere else - the grown-ups need to work!" "Whoa!" Said Reign, holding up his hands. "Do you even know what you're trying to do?" "What's that supposed to mean?" Asked Abdul as he walked over. "We studied this ship inside and out before we came down here." "Not to mention the fact that he's been doing this kind of stuff since before you were even thought of." Said Allan. "I think we know what we're doing, kid. Scram." "That might be true," Said Reign, raising his finger. "But this is new stuff; Dual Tantalus Drive Core - not even heard of in Citadel Space yet." To this, Allan and Abdul looked at each other. Allan lowered his head as Abdul turned back around. "OK." Said Abdul, putting his hands on his hips. "I'll bite. You're into ships, kid?" "Hell yes!" Said Reign. "I. LOVE. Ships. I guaran-damn-tee you that I could point out what every piece of that core over there is meant to do! I could tell you that the--" "--Let's not, and say we did." Said Allan, raising his hand. "I--" "--If you thought that the original Tantalus Drive Core pioneered by the Normandy was something, you've never seen this." Continued Reign. "See, look at that energy over there." Reign pointed at the drive core at his left. "There's a right way and a wrong way to do this. Just a few months ago, this was thought to be impossible - this much eezo used in such a way was thought to be too unstable; yet they managed to do it." "Yeah..." Said Allan sarcastically. "It's pretty amazing what the Batarians can do with a trillion credits and a crap-load of illegally obtained parts." "You want more proof?" Asked Reign. "Look at how the two cores are spinning clockwise: they're going in opposite directions, one towards us, and one away from us. Now, that allows the two individual cores to enter a sort of symbiotic relationship. ...To keep it brief, I'll tell you that by putting them so close together, and making the cores rotate like that, it allows the two masses of eezo to work with each other. See how the two separate energies combine to form what looks like a standing wave?" "Yes." Said Abdul, "But it's not a standing wave... It's a back-and-forth flow of energy." "Exactly." Continued Reign. "The Eezo exists between the cores - as one mass. Yet at the same time, that narrow point in the middle allows each core to exist by itself - if one fails, the other can keep working. Because of this give and take, the two cores can work together without any risk. This ship can move faster, stay in FTL longer, and fly safer than any ship before it, and that's because of the simple interactions of the dual drive core. Its genius... but now that I think about it, its also pretty obvious. I just can't believe that the Turians didn't see it first." After this, Abdul and Allan looked at each other again. "...Saul?" Began Allan, over a private link. "Yeah, yeah, sure!" I said impatiently over the Com-Link. "It's fine Jacobs! Let him help! Just keep an eye on him like you said and get it done!" I closed the link, put my head in my right hand, and my right elbow on the chair's right armrest. We were now very far behind schedule, and I was admittedly getting nervous. I was rubbing my temples when I was approached by Aylena. "Excuse me, Saul?" Said Aylena. "...Yes?" I said, raising my head. "What do you need?" "I understand that you are short of a Navigator..." She said. "...You could say that." I replied. "What's it to you?" "Well, I just thought that it would be beneficial for you to know that I have experience in that field." Continued the Asari. "In the event that you required my assistance, I saw it fit to offer." To this, I looked at her for a second, my palm on my chin. "Well..." I began, scratching the back of my head. "I did lose my Navigator in an incident a little while ago, so why not? What do I have to lose?" To this, Aylena let out a smile. "I'll let you give it a shot." I said with a smile of my own. "Get to your post and earn your keep!" "Understood." She said, moving to the navigator's station. "What's the status down there people?!" I asked over the intercom again. "If I wanted a Hanar to fire up this ship, I would've called one!" "We're just about ready!" Said Reign. "This is the first time this drive core's been started for flight; We need another minute!" "You've got thirty seconds!" I said. "I can work with that..." He replied. After closing the link, I issued another check. "Status report!" I commanded. "We're not getting any more unfriendly signals." Said Jheyva, who was now at the station where Jin was before. "We're not detecting any bugs either. It seems that the Krogan took care of them all." "They've been dumped overboard?" I asked. "Of course," replied Conan, who was standing behind Riahr. "I'm sure Fivrelm knows how much you hate the smell of corpses." "Not only that." Said Fivrelm, who had just entered the bridge. "We wouldn't want to ruin that 'fresh-out-of-the-factory' smell so quickly, now would we?" I shot Fivrelm a smile. "Damn straight!" I said. With a smile of his own, he made his way down to the lower tier. "Saul!" Said Riahr suddenly. "We're getting power to the engines!" "Really?" I said. "What're the readings?" "Drive core output at 20% and rising!" Said Riahr, putting his hand on a lever to his right. "fuel cells at full capacity, propulsion systems warming up, vital systems showing green!" "...And we've got juice!" Said Johnson over the intercom. "We're ready to move! Fire it up!" "Joyce!" I said. "Status of weapons!" "All systems green!" She said. "Shields showing 100%! Weapons fully loaded!" ( BGM: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nMFLquJeCc ) "On the off chance that we bump into anything, at least we can defend ourselves." I began. "Leon! Short Range Scanners!" "No enemies on radar at the moment... Remaining enemy soldiers have already evacuated." replied Leon. "Coast is clear for takeoff!" "Long Range Scanners?" I asked. "No unfriendlies in orbit." Answered Leon. "Escape route is clear!" "All ashore that's going ashore!" Said Conan, thrusting his fist into the air. "All systems active!" Said Riahr, pressing the necessary buttons. "Drive core output maintaining 30%! Main engines powering up... 15% and rising..." "Blow the roof!" I commanded. "FIRE MISSILES!!!" "Roger!" Said Denise. From inside the bridge, we heard several noises coming from up above. After the distinctive "FWOOSH" noises of flying missiles, we looked out the bridge window as the factory hangar lit up with various flashes of white and red. Explosions were heard, and the sounds of crashing metal corresponded with the hangar roof that had fallen onto the ground. "Main Engines at 30%..." Said Riahr. "No obstructions to our liftoff path..." Said Leon. "We are good to go!" "Main Engines at 45%!" Said Riahr. "We have ignition!" (BGM REACHES 0:45) "LET'S GO!!!" I yelled, pointing into the air. "Engines are hot!" Said Riahr. "Retract landing gears!" I ordered. "Get us out of here Kirrahe!" Without a word, Riahr works his magic. He begins to pull levers and press buttons. We all watch with anticipation as the engines begin to whirr, and the ship begins to lift off without a hitch. "We're up!" Said Kiyo. "WE'RE UP!!!" "Keep it coming Kirrahe!" I said. "Easy does it!" Without saying anything, as if tuning out our comments, the Salarian continued to work. He pulled a lever above his head, and eventually we were brought face to face with the burning hole that we had created just seconds ago with the missiles. We continued to ascend, and were soon clear of the facility. "And we have liftoff!" Said Derrick. "All systems normal. We're steady!" "We're not done here yet!" I said. "Kirrahe! Move us over for the attack run, just like we planned!" The whirr of the engines grew louder as the ship tilted to the right. "Who's our bomber?" I asked. "Me!" Said McClay over the Intercom. "I've got it!" "Good." I said. "Remember McClay, we're going over 3 times! I want five bombs dropped in certain areas during each run. If we do this right, there won't be any ashes left when we're done. Are we clear?" "Crystal." He said. "Just fly us over!" "Aim for ammo dumps and the fires that we've already created." I said. "Keep it steady!" With that, the ship finally returned to its normal position after the tilt. We could see much of the burning wreckage that was the facility under us in the distance. "Beginning first bombing run..." Said Riahr. "Everyone hold on." The sounds of the engines grew louder as the ship sped up. "Dropping Bombs..." Said McClay over the intercom. We heard a series of quick explosions as we flew over the facility. The bombs that were equipped to this ship were special, and had a greater effective radius than those of the ships in Citadel Space. Despite the size of the facility, if the bombs were dropped from a high enough altitude, we could destroy the place in a matter of three runs, especially if the bombs reacted with the various ammunition dumps in the facility. And boy, did they react. After we made another turn, I saw that half of the facility was now a smoldering heap of metal. "Beginning second bombing run..." Continued Riahr. The sounds of the engines again grew louder as the ship sped back up. "Dropping Bombs..." Said McClay over the intercom once again. The process repeated, and now the entire facility was burning. "What do we do Saul?" Asked McClay after we made the next turn. "Do we go over one more time? Or do we let Rome burn?" "I'm not taking any risks." I said. "Finish the job! Go over the third time!" "Understood." Said Riahr. "Beginning final run." We flew one more time over the facility. "Dropping Bombs..." Said McClay. From under us, there was a loud explosion. The bombs had reacted with the already existing fires, creating a massive force that literally tore what was left of the place to shreds. Once we were able to see the wreckage, we saw that the entire place had been burnt to the ground, leaving nothing but a pile of slag behind. Not a single part of the facility was left standing. It was almost over. There was just one more thing that needed to be done. "Blow the 'Heart's escape pods! Now!" I said. "Leave no evidence that we were here!" "You got it." Said Conan, holding up a controller. Conan pressed the characteristic button, and upon looking outside, I see three small flashes of light come up from the ground. "It's done." I said, after ascertaining that they were in fact our Escape Pods. "We're almost out guys! Keep it up!" "Lets see what this thing can do..." Said Riahr, firing up the engines. "Preparing for atmospheric exit..." "Main Engine output at 50%!" Said Elouera over the intercom. "Let's get the hell out of here!" The engines roared, and we could feel the ship speed up. "Exiting the atmosphere..." Said Riahr. The next five seconds went by in complete silence, until Riahr spoke up. "We have officially cleared the atmosphere of Maraaq IV." Said Riahr over the intercom. "Repeat: We are all clear!" For a moment, we were all speechless as we ascended into the blackness of space. Had we really succeeded? "...That's it." I finally said, slouching back in my new chair. "...Mission accomplished." ===================================
-----MASS EFFECT: The Valkyrie Chronicles-----
-----CHAPTER 1: The Heist - COMPLETE!!!!!-----
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