Chapter 7: Team
Trust Exercise Part 2
“Spear maneuver
now!” Shepard bellowed over the hail of death raining from our
would-be executioners, Jack and I snapping into position throwing up
biotic barriers to protect the group.
Without missing a beat, Kaiden,
Garrus and Tali activated several programs on their Omni-Tools and
started overloading several of the asari's weapons, sparks flying
from the intricate parts and the metal becoming noticeably
superheated.
Funny aside about
the weapons of this world. Technically every single firearm has an
unlimited supply of ammo. Each gun takes a fraction of a piece from a
large block of metal, something smaller than a grain of sand taken
out of something the size of a giant brick, and that fragment is then
propelled with Mass Effect technology, ignoring certain things like
inertial mass in order to make something already quite deadly even
deadlier. The problem is firing too often without discipline or
discretion leads to the weapon overheating, making it a giant space
age club for a few minutes. So, naturally several talented engineers
and hackers have taken advantage of this fundamental flaw. Unless
your target has some powerful anti-virus software ready to go or
other form of cyberprotection, your guns aren't gonna be getting much
use.
Thankfully for us,
these asari weren't prepared. Then Wrex charged in with a powerful
bellowing roar, activating his krogan berserker mode, ignoring the
reactionary fire by the commandos attempt at a kill box. His shields
were shredded along with any biotic protection he implemented; and he
didn't care.
Then a single shot
rang out through the barrier Jack and I were maintaining. Garrus
Vakarian had his sniper rifle at the ready, taking one of the
commandos' heads off. Wrex slammed into the second asari next to
Garrus' victim, hitting with the force of a semi-truck. She flew past
Benezia and crashed into the far wall, her helmet shattering like
cheap fiberglass and her neck snapping like a twig.
The kill box was
broken. Jack and I lowered our barriers, much to the joy of my
buckling knees and heavy breathing, and the soldiers proceeded to
take point as we dropped to cover. Shepard and Ashley started firing
from the hip as we took advantage of the hole punched through by
Wrex. Kaiden took advantage of his tech training in addition to his
biotics to overclock his armor's shields and layered it on top of a
biotic barrier, but not before igniting a highly compressed container
of liquid nitrogen near three other commandos. They all saw what
happened, but the brilliant thing about cover fire is that it's meant
to induce panic, not death. The explosion of flying metal and subzero
temperature coolant that flash froze their bodies to brittle icy
chunks saw to that. Apparently even with centuries of experience, a
fraction of a second of indecision is all it takes to mess up.
Five down, five to
go. Garrus stayed in position and started scanning for new targets.
Tali charged through with Shepard and Ashley, pistol at the ready and
unleashing some more impromptu flamethrower action.
In the chaos of our
reactionary attack, I lost track of the others. Hunkering down near a
dissection table and taking potshots at an enemy with way more
experience than you tends to do that. She had the high ground and was
slowly chipping away at my table, so I took a risk and sprayed from
my smig while diving to a better form of cover. There wasn't any, and
my gun was glowing red. But I was already moving in her direction,
why not do something even more reckless?
I threw my full
weight into a single strike, vaulting over the supply crate she was
using as cover, coming down on her crouching form with a double kick
to her face. She moved just in time to avoid such a major blow, but
thanks to a quick shift of weight I was able to redirect the attack
into kicking the assault rifle out of her hand. Without missing a
beat, my opponent got into a fighting stance and opened upwith some
rapid punches and kicks.
Before this crazy
Jump nonsense began I did have some knowledge of martial arts. About
ten years of Tae Kwon Do, seven years of Hap Ki Do, and some weapon
disciplines like bo staff, swords, nunchucks and sai, and a
fundamental understanding of other martial disciplines like wrestling
and fencing. Broke some bones, won some medals and trophies in
sparring matches, and even used it in self-defense in several small
instances. This is now on top of two years of living in prison with
cutthroat criminals, some of which could easily qualify as miniature
tanks, and two months of hardcore military training by humanity's
best and brightest martial artists and marksmen.
With all of that
muscle memory and knowledge, I was made acutely aware of how much my
opponent outclassed me. Moving quickly yet efficiently, her body
perfected to that of a killer, her blows were ruthless and precise as
they broke through my guard and exploited my weaknesses. Powerful
punches and kicks were felt through my armor as I tried to double
back and get some distance, the wind knocked out of my lungs and the
pain adding up.
Then she pulled out
a combat knife and went for a killing blow. My legs were like jello
and she pummeled my body so hard I was sure I had some broken bones;
I was in no position to deflect that attack the way she was holding
it and the way she oriented her center of gravity. Then my own
special turian guardian angel delivered some aid with a shot to the
head, her body falling over in a lifeless pile. I breathed a sigh of
relief.
I turned to thank
him but saw several things in the chaos of the battle that made me
bite my tongue. First, Wrex was unconscious, the three remaining
asari commandos had combined their biotic power and had launched a
focused distortion field in his direction. They brought the
equivalent of an air strike to a close quarters gunfight, and the
crumpled crater that was once the laboratory's testing area with a
barely conscious krogan inside was the result. At least I hope he's
just out cold. As for the others, they were casually being beat back
by Matriarch Benezia. She didn't even have a firearm, she was just
casually using her biotic power to throw blasts of energy and deflect
attacks like they were nothing.
This wasn't right.
As powerful and versatile as biotics are and even with almost a
millenium of experience, Benezia shouldn't be this powerful. There's
a reason why even asari biotics still wear body armor after all, this
stuff is exhausting. Yet there she was backing up the other two
commandos casually lifting my teammates out of cover with a thought
and casually deflecting fire with barriers conjured with her other
hand. Tali and Garrus were already thrown bodily into a wall, their
weapons clattered on the ground. Kaiden tried for a close quarters
shotgun blast but was slammed into the ground by the commando's
coordinated telekinesis. Shepard's team was losing ground fast,
Benezia's unit closing in on them, and their strikes were becoming
more desperate.
Then I saw something
on her hand, some sort of metal device that was grafted into the
flesh of her skin. Then it hit me like a slap in the face; Matriarch
Benezia has gotten cybernetic upgrades from the Reaper, Sovereign. A
sort of experimental defense system that can somehow cancel out and
absorb the kinetic force of incoming fire, and then channel it in
other ways. Such as redirecting that kinetic energy in a concussive
blast, or bolstering shields...or biotics if you have implants
compatible with the tech. The kind of tech that's over three years
too soon for this world and was originally the result of untold
ethical tampering and illegal body modification.
Meaning the more and
more Shepard and his crew try to punch through her defenses, the
worse it'll get for us. I saw it in her eyes, even from far away.
That predatory sneer before the kill, the euphoria of taking down a
prize for a master. The shell of a woman who was once a loving mother
to a brilliant scientist currently on our ship worried out of her
mind. A puppet controlled by heartless machines....
I leapt to the top
of the containment unit containing the rachni queen. With some
adjustments on my Omni-Tool I cut a hole through the transparent
protector. I then leaned down and spoke to it.
“If you can
understand me, nod now.” I projected.
The queen did so.
“I know your
children are scrambling, unable to join in your guidance. I shall
guide them to you, but you must help us. Do you understand?”
The queen nodded a
second time.
Then I unhooked all
the grenades on my belt and the remote detonator for all of them. I
threw the grenades in the containment unit and held the remote in my
hand. The queen screeched in fear.
I then leapt down
behind Benezia and her five troops, interposing myself between her
and the command console to the queen's prison.
“Benezia! Stand!
Down!! Now!!” I yelled over the gunfire, holding out my detonator
with as much menace as I could muster.
She turned and saw
what I had done. Her face went from arrogant pride to a bitter scowl.
She called for her troops to hold their fire. Just around the same
time they were about to execute Wrex's helpless form and finally
brought together the rest of the crew for a mass execution.
“Any of your
groupies shoot my friends there, I pull the trigger and your little
science experiment for Saren goes up in smoke. Rachni share a hive
mind with their queen, you know what that means if she goes.”
Benezia's face went
from anger to one of amusement. She slowly approached me, I took one
step forward and held the detonator out. She stopped. Nevertheless,
she elected to speak.
“Oh my dear,
aren't you the bold one? Saren was right to mark you as a person of
interest. No history, no records, and the first record of you showing
up anywhere was you trying to kill him. Tell me something, Variza,
what makes you think you can rebel against something as gloriously
all-powerful as the Reapers? The ones that lead to a new golden age
of power and knowledge,” She let the sleeves of her dress to roll
down, exposing her azure flesh covered in harsh looking metal
protrusions.
My hand was starting
to shake, but I forced down my anxiety and maintained my stance.
“That's
simple, I
haven't been indoctrinated. Maybe you shouldn't be spending so much time
in a ship that actively messes with your head overtime” I declared.
“Please,
indoctrination is for the weak-minded. I simply see the truth” she shot
back defensively
“And for those
with more common sense, they use more aggressive body modification to
directly influence your mind. All the easier to have more slaves to
do the Reapers' bidding.”
Benezia took a step
back, her stance oozing self-doubt. I took a step forward, detonator
over my head.
"You're lying! This was a gift for my loyalty! I am still me!"
“Come on Benezia,
you're more than this. Your daughter Liara has spent decades of her
life studying the Protheans, their vast empire of technology and
intelligence, the kind that we're still figuring out to this day. If
the Reapers wiped them out without a second thought all those
millennia ago, what makes us any better? I mean, our entire Mass
Relay network is just us borrowing their old tech, we're not exactly
on their level.”
“Liara,” Benezia
gasped, her mask of callous hatred shattering into a mother's warmth,
“my girl, my brilliant girl,” she started muttering.
“Yes. Liara
T'Soni. Your brilliant scientist of a daughter. The one who is
helping us stop Saren. We just need your help to know exactly where
he is going. What he's planning.”
And for a beautiful
second, I saw the true Matriarch behind all of the mutilation done to
her by the Reapers. Wise but strong. Motherly but stern. All ready to
do everything and anything to protect her family.
Then she started
holding her head, screaming in excruciating pain. Several of the
asari commandos were looking at each other in confusion. I stared
them down while Benezia fought Sovereign's programming. I also
proceeded to take several steps towards the console and hit some
buttons. The rachni queen slipped away. I looked quickly to Commander
Shepard, he recognized what I was doing, even if it was perfectly
clear he didn't approve.
Benezia managed to
collect herself and spoke once more, but in a more urgent tone, like
she was afraid of retribution by some dark presence.
“Saren has
rediscovered the Mu Relay, a Mass Relay at these coordinates,” She
quickly pressed several buttons on her Omni-Tool and sent them to
Shepard. “they lead to the lost Prothean planet of Ilos. He
believes that is where the Conduit is, that will help summon the
Reapers.”
The Mu Relay was
considered lost to the galaxy in the aftermath of the Rachni Wars.
Made sense that Saren and his Geth would discover intact rachni eggs
and try breeding an army.
“Good, Benezia,
now we need more,” I pressed. “this technology that Saren bonded
to you. Where was it discovered? The Reaper flagship Sovereign have
it on board?”
“No!” Benezia
bellowed! She fell to her knees, her arms beginning to spasm.
“Sovereign did
this to me! Sovereign is a Reaper!!” She screamed. Her body
contorted and twisted in horrible ways, her bones snapping. Sovereign
was trying really hard to shut her up.
The commandos
finally had their weapons completely at their sides, some actually
looking away at the grotesque spectacle of it all. Shepard and the
others were also dumbfounded and shocked by it all.
I couldn't bear to
see her in pain anymore. No matter what, she didn't deserve this. I
got as close as I could and drew my pistol, aiming it between her
eyes. There was a flicker of understanding through her teary eyes,
and she nodded in acceptance.
“I'll tell Liara
you died like a hero,” I say, my voice shaking as much as my hand,
“she loves you very much.”
And I pulled the
trigger.
An eternity of
silence followed. Then I realized I started crying at some point as
tears hit the floor. I may not be a true asari, but there are certain
primal things that all sentient life hates to do.
“Tali,” I
finally managed to say, “I know you were recording this on your
Omni-Tool to send back to the Normandy in case we didn't make it.
Please tell me you got all of that.”
She nodded. I
breathed a sigh of relief.
Whoever was the new
lead of the asari commandos finally broke their silence.
“By the goddess,
what did we just see?”
“Saren's glorious
future for the galaxy,” Shepard replied.
“Holy shit,
Commander!” A voice exclaimed on our comms.
“Oh it's you,
Jeff. Thank heaven.” I mentioned.
“That's Joker to
you, hot stuff,” he shot back
“You two can flirt
later, we need pick up and medical evac. We got four down and in
critical condition.” Shepard ordered.
“We also have five
eyewitnesses willing to give testimony to what happened and... a body
to collect.” I added, looking back at the pile of mangled flesh and
metal that was once a proud asari Matriarch.
I started to lose my
balance and started to fall forward, the adrenaline wearing off. I
remembered someone catching me. Or maybe it was two people, I
couldn't tell. But I could definitely hear them distinctly say one
beautiful phrase,
“You did good
soldier, you did good.”
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