Mass Effect - A Hero Rises Ch. 04

"Aye. Give us a moment. Garrus, Tali, we'll need to go the rest of the way on foot."

Clambering out of the Mako, I should have known we'd be fucked straight away. Not only were there loads of geth waiting, but there were two Armatures and a Colossus. I started issuing orders immediately. Anyone capable of tech would take out shields. Once shields were down, biotics would drag geth towards us, leaving them as easy pickings for Ashley and I.

Focusing on the foot soldiers first, we had to move fast as the Armatures and Colossus definitely knew we were around. More than once, one of us had to leap out of a way, a fired pulse shot landing far too close for comfort once or twice. But we managed to take out the foot soldiers quite quickly. I had grenades, so yelled out what I planned, running straight towards one of the Armatures, sticking grenades to three of its legs, before sprinting off the side for cover, sliding behind a barrier just as the grenades exploded, hearing the Armature collapse and explode seconds later.

Moving back towards the rest, they'd forward a line and were mixing up all sorts of attacks, biotic, tech and gunfire. The second Armature slowly but surely wilted under the attacks, and once that was down, it was the Colossus.

It took ages. Two of my colleagues focused on its shields while the third made sure it could fire its main weapon. Ashley, Wrex and I kept firing, and once its shields disappeared, we started to breach its armour and small fires soon appeared. I thought taking out its head would help, so all of us focused fire on that, and once that exploded, the Colossus simply collapsed to the side and blew up. By now, we were all feeling the strain but we still had to find Doctor T'Soni.

Heading into the ruin, I was left thinking it had been a mine before they found Prothean ruins. "I could be misinterpreting, Shepard, but I think the geth are here for other reasons than just stopping us," Wrex stated.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, they're here in force, to locate an archaeologist? I don't think they were here because they just happened to assume we'd be coming this way."

I came to a halt as it was a bloody good point. "So... They're here to what, take her?"

"Or kill her. She might be the daughter of Benezia but who is to say what their relationship is?"

"Guess we should talk to her then. That was the plan to begin with."

It was definitely an old mine, operations likely coming to an end once they found the ruins. And even more geth were down there waiting for us. With six of us, I'll try not to sound too arrogant when I say we handled them with relative ease. With all the tech and firepower on display, we caused havoc in their ranks, disabling shields, overheating weapons, and I'm fairly sure Tali managed to make a couple simply blow up. Ashley was certainly getting things out of her system, near enough taking the lead at times. I didn't mind too much as long as she was sensible.

After taking out a few geth drones, we approached a barrier and had to divert. We had to clamber down collapsed walkways, assuming they'd collapsed long before the arrival of the geth. There was a coating of rust on a lot of the equipment around us, left thinking it had been abandoned for quite a while. We eventually approached another barrier and it was there that we could see an asari.

"Can you hear me out there? I'm trapped in here and I need help!"

"Doctor T'Soni, I presume?"

"Yes, that's me. Listen, I'm willing to do introductions, but I'd rather do it after I'm released from this thing. This is a Prothean security device. I can't move so I'll need you or one of your friends to get me out of it."

"Might as well release her then raise questions after, Commander," Garrus stated.

"Agreed. Miss T'Soni, we'll see if we can find some sort of release to get you out of there. Then you'll need to answer one or two questions for us."

"Of course. There should be some sort of control out there, but be careful. There is a krogan that appears to be in charge of the geth. Geth, outside the Veil! What is going on out there?"

It was a good question. Wrex was excited at the news of another krogan, mentioning that he wouldn't mind going to battle if he was a fellow master. We had to arm ourselves again as the geth were still looking to get behind the barrier, handling them quite quickly with a series of tech attacks and plenty of bullets. No sign of the krogan yet, Wrex muttering his disappointment.

We eventually had to override an old mining laser to create a hole in the ground. Thankfully it didn't attract the attention of any geth, and we managed to slide down the hole and ended up below where the asari was trapped. Finding an elevator, it took us up a level or two where we could see the asari trapped in some sort of field.

She sensed us coming, her voice a mixture of fear and tiredness. Finding the button to release her, she fell to the ground, stepping forward to help her up. She looked up into my eyes and, I'll admit, I thought she was rather cute straight away. She took a step back to look over us and I saw the concern cross her face. No doubt she would have figured out we were not exactly there to rescue her, so no doubt wondered what we did want.

"Why are you here?" she wondered.

"We were looking for you, Miss T'Soni."

"Please, considering you are my rescuers, call me Liara."

"I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance Navy. These are my colleagues. We might make introductions later. What I can tell you, Liara, is that there's a lot of shit going on and we were hoping you might some answers or information."

"We should really get out of here."

"True, but I'm not taking you anywhere until I know where your allegiance lies. Your mother is involved with a Spectre by the name of Saren. He is now persona non grata, and your mother was involved in an attack on Eden Prime. Saren has also allied with the geth, which might be a reason why they are here now, looking for you."

"I haven't spoken to my mother in decades and certainly have no idea what she is up to."

"Pretty convenient," Ashley stated.

"While it might seem so, it is the truth," Liara retorted, "I want to know why the geth have come after me? Has Benezia really sent geth to kill her own daughter?"

"No, I don't think she wants you dead. But Saren is looking for something, and considering what you are researching, you would no doubt be forced to help him."

Before we could continue the conversation, the area we were standing was struck by a small earthquake, Liara calling it a 'seismic event', suggesting the laser we had used to rescue you had destabilised the ruins. Suggesting we should get out of here, everyone readily agreed. Using the same elevator, Liara got it working so we ascended all the way to the top.

Any thoughts we were going to get out safely ended when we stepped off the elevator, the barrier ahead having now disappeared as an enormous krogan walked through, flanked by at least half a dozen geth. I heard weapons being readied behind me though I kept cool, wondering if I might negotiate a way out. The krogan looked across the team before looking at me, I guess figuring I was in charge.

"Surrender. Or don't. The latter will certainly be more fun."

"This place is coming apart and you now want a fight? What are you doing?"

"Hand over the asari."

I couldn't help sigh. "Wrex?"

"Aye?"

"Want to kill this bastard?"

"Gladly."

"The rest of you, kill the geth."

I fired at one of the geth straight away, the impact of a shot impacting my shields as I got into cover behind the console. Glancing around, I saw plenty of tech attacks causing havoc with the geth shields, so immediately opened up, Ashley and I taking out two at the same time. I heard Tali near enough swearing to herself as she handled another geth, Garrus and Alenko appearing to fire at the rest. I took down one more before I swung my attention to the two krogan.

I was surprised they were fighting with knives and not guns. Yelling, "Why not just shoot the bastard?" Wrex simply replied that this would be the more honourable way of kill a fellow battle-master. Considering their size, the pair were rather graceful in their movements. Both ended up with numerous wounds.

"I can take the shot!" Ashley yelled.

"No! This one is mine," Wrex growled in return.

Ashley, Garrus and I were all in position, ready to fire, checking no more geth approached. The mine was now really starting to shake, so I ordered Wrex to hurry up and kill him, otherwise we would assist. That forced his hand, proof Wrex had been toying with his opponent. His hand movements were deft, his opponent definitely surprised when Wrex buried the knife in his chest.

There was no time to waste as the seven of us made haste towards the ramps that would take us back towards the entrance. With every passing second, the shaking seemed to get worse. I heard everything collapsing behind us, one or two explosions at the same time. Dust was starting to blind us, yelling at everyone to just keep moving. Making it to the actual mine shaft, I was right on Liara's footsteps, noticing her glance behind, eyes wide with fear. "Keep moving! Don't stop!"

Most of us ended up jumping and rolling down the ramp outside, ending up in a pile at the bottom. I got to my feet first, helping up everyone else, noticing the Normandy is position nearby.

"Better not be like this all the bloody time," Garrus muttered.

"Come on, Garrus. That was fun!" Wrex added.

After we managed to collect the Mako, we climbed aboard the Normandy and took off. We had some more questions for Liara and I assumed the Council would want a quick report of our progress.

*****

Alenko and Ashley remained suspicious of Liara once we gathered for a meeting to breakdown what we'd discovered. Garrus was also a little suspicious, while Wrex didn't really seem to care, and Tali was probably a little nervous to raise objections if she had any. As for Liara, she immediately admitted to having little contact with humans, but was thankful we'd arrived in time to save her from the geth, shuddering at the thought of what would have happened otherwise.

"What do you know about the Conduit?" I wondered, having mentioned it before but never getting a response.

"Only that it was somehow linked to the Prothean extinction. That is my real area of expertise. I have spent the past fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them," Liara replied.

"Fifty years! God, I hope I look that good at whatever age you are," Ashley exclaimed.

"How old are you?" I wondered. Everyone knew asari lived long lives.

"I hate to admit that I'm only one hundred and six, Commander."

"Shit, I hope I look that good at your age!" Ashley stated, Alenko voicing his agreement.

"I know you live long lives..." I started to say.

Liara nodded before continuing. "A century may seem like a long time to short-lived species such as yourselves, or turian and quarian. Your krogan friend here knows something about a long life span."

Wrex grunted. "It's not all sunshine and roses, asari."

Liara looked at him wide-eyed for a moment. "Anyway, my youth is the reason my research has not received the attention it deserves. Because of my youth, elder asari scholars tend to dismiss my theories on what happened to the Protheans."

"I have a theory," I stated.

I think Liara wanted to scoff, or at least snort. She managed to hold it back. "With all due respect, Commander..."

"Whenever someone says that, they really mean kiss my arse," I retorted. Liara blushed, but I gestured for her to continue. "Look, I know I'm just a soldier. You're a scholar. Tell me what you know."

Liara cleared her throat. "As I was about to say, I have heard every theory possible. The problem is finding evidence to support said theory. The Protheans left remarkably little behind. It is almost as if someone did not want the mystery solved. It's like someone came along after the Protheans were gone and cleansed the galaxy for clues." She took a deep breath before continuing. "But here is the incredible part. According to my findings, the Protheans were not the first galactic civilisation to mysteriously vanish. This cycle began long before them."

Liara continued, speaking about things like cycles, civilisations rising then being violently wiped out. There was barely to no evidence regarding such a theory, but considering what happened to the Protheans, it was as possible as any other theory anyone would have read. What she did know is that the Protheans rose up from a single planet to dominate the galaxy, rather different to that which we lived in, where numerous species lived somewhat harmoniously. Except the batarians...

But when she was done, that's when I decided to drop the bombshell. "I can answer who is responsible, Liara. The Protheans, and possibly all those who came before, were wiped out by a race of sentient machines called the Reapers."

Liara couldn't quite believe it, immediately questioning my theory, until I told her about my contact with the Prothean beacon on Eden Prime. That gained her interested immediately as she knew all about beacons, and she immediately understood that the visions I'd received would make me confused, the visions unclear, as the beacons were made for Prothean physiology, not human. "I am amazed you were able to make sense of it at all. A lesser mind would have been utterly destroyed by the process. You must be remarkably strong-willed, Commander."

Even I heard the tone. I wasn't deaf nor dumb. Ashley decided hostility would work. "None of this is helping us find Conduit or Saren."

Liara simply smiled. "Of course, I apologise. Call it simply scientific curiosity. And, unfortunately, I cannot provide any information regarding the Conduit at this time. As for Saren, I don't even know the man and certainly don't know where he is."

There was no point continuing the meeting so I dismissed everyone, Liara heading off to see Doctor Chakwas, everyone else except Ashley heading off, only because I grabbed her forearm before heading out. She was a little surprise but she sat back down, taking the seat next to her.

"Something on your mind, Commander?"

"Just want to make sure you're okay, Ash. And in moments like this, I'm Shepard."

"Okay? What do you mean?"

"You experienced some rough shit on Eden Prime, Ash. And you were throwing yourself into the fight on Therum almost without care. I don't want you throwing your life away, Ash."

She met my eyes only for a moment before looking away. "I'm fine, sir."

"Shepard."

"I'm a soldier, Shepard. I'm used to seeing people die."

"What happened on Eden Prime isn't that simple. I've seen the mission reports."

Now she looked back at me. "I'm not going to sit here and break down in tears, sir. I'm not like that."

I couldn't help smile. "And I'm not expecting that, Ash. I just want..." I paused. "You obviously know my record, correct?" She nodded. "I must have spent at least a year speaking with a psychologist after that. No matter where I was, I went to see someone once a week to get things off my chest."

"Did it work?"

"Mostly, yes. Most people don't know, Ash, but I will share with you so you can understand the loss I suffered. I was on Elysium with a woman by the name of Annie Stewart. We'd met a few months before when I was on Terra Nova, and we began dating. Elysium was the first time we'd been away together alone, as every other time, we were generally in groups."

"Sir..."

I held up a hand. "We'd only been there a day or two at most before they arrived. I'd booked us a beachfront apartment, looking forward to a week of sun, sea and sex." I noticed her blush slightly. "The morning it happened, I told her I loved her, Ash. The first time I said those three word to anyone."

"Shepard..."

"I didn't know she was dead until it was all over. I'd fought off a fuckload of batarians and whoever else. I was shot three times. Probably should have bled out but someone was looking out for me that day. Once I woke up in the field hospital, I immediately got up and hobbled towards the apartment block. There was nothing left, Ash. It was a ruin. I tried calling her on my omni-tool. I sent her message after message. I never received a response. I stayed until they found her body." She reached across to grab my hand, giving it a squeeze. "Trust me on this one, Chief Williams. You will want to speak to someone about the losses. You will want to get everything off your chest. You carry that shit around in your heart, in your soul, it will destroy you. So I spoke with someone. I got angry. I cried. I wanted to put a pistol to my head and pull the trigger... But once you speak about it, once you clear your conscience, your gut, your soul, your heart, you will slowly start to feel better. Perhaps not like you were before the loss, but close enough." All she did was nod, and I squeezed her hand in return. "I'm merely looking out for your welfare, soldier. You don't want those dark thoughts in your head. Clear them away then focus on the next mission."

"Thank you, sir."

"No worries. That's what I'm here for."

We rose to our feet and made to head out. Just before we exited, she turned to hug me. It was a surprise to start, but I embraced her in return. "Thank you for giving a shit, Shepard."

"Not sure who you've served under before, Ash, but I give you my word I will do everything I can to ensure we all come out of this alive."

She leaned back, and I noticed her eyes glisten. "I'm going to hold you to that one." I couldn't help chuckle as she stood back, came to attention and saluted. "Commander."

Returning the salute, she turned and disappeared, as I headed back to the galaxy map. It had been a long day so I suggested to Joker that we simply get out of the current system and we'd investigate the issue raised by Admiral Kahoku the next day.

Heading to my personal cabin, I had a shower, washing plenty of dust down the drain, enjoying the hot water, before I settled in the chair of my desk, writing a mission report to send to the Council, and also the Alliance. I might be a Council Spectre, but I was still human, and still technically part of the Alliance, so I'd keep them in the loop of whatever I was doing. I'm sure they'd appreciate the thought.

I ended up having a chat with Alenko in the mess, and over a beer or two, as considering this was now not an Alliance vessel, I'd made sure we'd stock up on certain things, he finally opened up. He'd been a student at BAaT, otherwise known as Biotic Acclimation and Temperance. To say he was still pissed about it all would be an understatement. He didn't go into any great detail about his experience there but there was enough to suggest it was a wound still healing. In fact, despite the calm exterior, I had a feeling the experience had left him rather bitter. Going into some of the detail, it was no real surprise when thinking about it. I didn't feel sorry nor pity him, he wouldn't have wanted that, and there's no doubt he came out stronger for it. But I could understand him being pissed off, and not wanting to speak about it too often.

He eventually headed off to a sleeping pod. I finished my beer as other crew members passed by, heading off to sleep themselves. Once I finished my beer, I headed back to my own quarters, going over the events of the day. All in all, it had been a success. We'd found Liara and found she was an ally, not an enemy. We learned a bit more about the Protheans, as none of us knew much about them before. Now we had two other worlds to visit and see what we could find.

First, though, was trying to find the lost patrol for Admiral Kahoku.