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Salvation: Chapter 35

Deviation Actions

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Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction


Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.



Chapter 35: Between a Rock and a Hot Place 

There was a ghostly silence as the sun peeked over the earth, bathing all it touched below in its warming luminance. High above the Earth's atmosphere, their metallic hulls glinting in the orange glow, the few thousand ships of the System's Alliance Navy stood poised, waiting for battle. The cerulean blue marble that hung suspended behind them against a curtain of night, served to remind them what they would be fighting for, and likely dying for. A cheerful backdrop in a dire situation.

"All vessels reporting shields online, and weapons hot, sir!" CO Barnes declared, swiveling in his seat slightly, to look up at the Admiral. "And Delta and Eagle squadrons confirm first strike capability armed, and ready at your command, Admiral."

Admiral Hackett stood behind the reporting Communications Officer, taking in every word he said, although he stared blankly into space, tapping a curled finger against his upper lip.

"Hmm..." He uttered softly to himself. Then he was silent for a moment. He lowered his hands, gently tugging at his uniform, straightening it out, and brushing himself off.

"Nuclear attacks are a last resort, Barnes." Hackett asserted calmly, stoically standing up straight, regal and dignified. "Send word to Delta and Eagle. They do NOT launch without my go ahead, understood?"

"Aye sir, Understood." Barnes acknowledged respectfully, gently nodding his head as he prepared to relay the Admiral's instructions.

"And have the fleet stand ready for my attack orders." He said sternly, as he turned away and slowly began to walk towards the front of the Orizaba's bridge.

"Aye sir."

"Steady people..." He called out loudly, his voice echoing throughout the bridge, as he watched the worried, and frightened expressions on the faces of his crew. "This isn't our first outing, and I don't expect it to be our last. We hold strong, and we attack strong. But no one fires until..." He paused for a moment, clenching his lips, and inhaling deeply as he searched for the right words. He could feel the eyes of his crewman on him, listening, waiting.

"Until we see the lights of their eyes..."

There was an eerie, almost supernatural silence on the bridge of the flagship dreadnought, and it was the same for every ship in the massive fleet. Save for hum of the engines, and the buzzing and beeping of various instruments, there was only silence. It was in silence that they worked, in silence that they waited, and in silence that they feared, and prayed.

"How are we doing, Captain?" The Admiral inquired mildly, as he came up beside her.

She had been standing alone at the front of the bridge, gripping the railing overlooking the forward windows, with her head hung low. She stood staring blankly at the floor - her mind running rampant with the chattering of a thousand dreadful thoughts at once, until the voice of her superior caught her attention.

"Sir." She turned and stood at attention, presenting him with a formal salute. "All ships are in position, and are ready in all respects."

"We expect the incursion within twelve to fifteen minutes." She continued in a highly disciplined tone, as she placed her hands behind her back. "They'll exit FTL speeds approximately forty-four hundred kilometers directly before us. Any later than that, and they wouldn't be able to slow down in time, before colliding into the Earth."

"Heh..." The Admiral let out an abrupt, uneasy chuckle, as he bowed and shook his head. "Well, let's hope that's not their intention..."

"But that's not exactly what I meant." He continued, as he leaned forward on the railing, gripping them tightly, as he torqued his wrist back and forth, like someone gassing a motorcycle. "I meant how are YOU doing, Erin?"

"Me sir?" She beckoned, somewhat surprised by his inquiry, as he gently nodded in response.

"Well..." She struggled to answer in a soft, almost timid voice. "I suppose I'm... I'm scared, sir."

Admiral Hackett watched as she closed her eyes tightly, and looked away in shame. The look of stern resolve she held on her face quickly dwindled, replaced now by an almost child-like countenance.

"These... things aren't like anything we've ever dealt with before..." She continued, reluctantly speaking freely, however keeping her eyes solemnly turned away.

"I saw what just one of them did to our fleet two years ago... I saw how much it took to take the last one down... And I know that they were collectively able to destroy the entire Arcturus Station within a matter of minutes..."

She suddenly turned back to look at him; a pleading look in her eyes, as she stood up straight, jutting her chin forward, trying desperately to fight the dread that threatened to overtake her.

"I don't know how we can hope to stand up to something like that." She asserted in a lightly trembling voice. "It shames me to admit it, but I am scared, sir..."

The Admiral was silent for a moment, gently nodding his head, as he contemplated the words of his finest officer. It did come as something of a surprise to him. So often did he find himself dictating command in the face of utter devastation, that he didn't stop to think of what those around him must be going through. Especially her.

Here was the woman whom he knew to be the strongest, most courageous person in his entire fleet, bar-none. She was an intrepid leader. Her presences commanded only the highest echelon of respect and loyalty. And her stewardship of the fleet was rivaled only by his. He knew, should his nerve ever falter, should his will ever break, she would be there to take the reigns, and lead the charge. But he also knew, only too well, that she, much like himself... was only human.

"You want to make Admiral someday, don't you Captain Donaghy?" He asked with a smile, leaning further down against the rails as he gazed out at the stars.

"Uhm... Well... Yes sir." Captain Donaghy stuttered nervously, unsure if her superior was seeking a specific answer. "I do. It's been my dream ever since I enlisted."

"Navy life runs through my veins, Admiral." The Captain continued, a deep sense of pride now replacing whatever trace of fear she held within her. "Most of my family has served to some degree or another. My mother served as Gunnery Chief on the Gettysburg during the Skyllian Blitz. And my grandfather skippered the SSV Kilimanjaro in the First Contact War. Captain Rupert James Donaghy."

"I suppose I do my family proud, don't I?" She remarked softly, a tinge of sarcasm in her voice. "Captain of the Orizaba, flagship of the Alliance Navy... Quivering like a child..." She bit down on her lower lip, as she shook her head in shame.

"You're right..." Hackett affirmed, standing up straight against the rail, as he gave her a stringent gaze. "You do your family proud, indeed."

"Captain, for as long as I've known you, I have never known a more exemplary officer." He continued, as she turned to look at him. "You're strong, you're courageous, you're intelligent. You've got a gleaming service record. And you believe in what it means to be a Captain."

"Thank you sir, but I don't..."

"And it's true." He spoke up again, as Captain Donaghy attempted to interject. "This is a new kind of threat, a kind that we've never seen before. But so were the Turians during the First Contact War. And let's not forget the seemingly hopeless struggle our ancestors faced against their mysterious Combine oppressors..."

"Aye, sir..." Donaghy grinned to herself, as she gently nodded her head.

"Don't worry, Captain." The Admiral said reassuringly, as he adjusted his navy officer's cap. "There's always going to be something new threatening to take our freedom and our lives. But we could not call ourselves free, if we weren't willing to die to defend it. If it's a war these bastards come looking for, then we won't disappoint. But as sure as I am that the sun will rise again tomorrow..." He turned to face her, a look of resolve, and father-like pride etched on his face. "I'm sure that I will one day call you Admiral."

"I...Uhm... Thank you, sir!" Donaghy stuttered nervously, quickly presenting a salute with a grin from ear to ear. "You have no idea what an honor it is to hear you say that. I only hope I can..."

"Sir!" An alarmed crewman abruptly yelled out, interrupting the Captain, with a significant amount of urgency in his voice. "Activity on radar!"

"What?!" Hackett demanded, as he turned with a jerk and headed toward the center of the bridge. "What is it, Ensign? Report!"

"They're here..." Donaghy said in a hushed voice, as she watched four golden beams of light suddenly pulse in out of nowhere.

"Sir, we are detecting a multitude of unclassified energy signatures on approach." The ensign reported, keeping his eyes glued to his instruments. "They're exiting FTL speed now sir. It's them..."

"Damn things are earlier than anticipated..." Hackett uttered to himself, as he turned to have a seat at the center of the bridge, a quick shiver running down his body. "Alright, I want a full readout!"

Far off in the distance, directly before the amassed fleet, an obsidian titan appeared, bursting in at the speed of light. It's black, metallic body gleaming with the twinkle of twilight. Suddenly, a second dark silhouette appeared, then a third, and a fourth. Then three more after that, and seven more after that; a dozen, a hundred... Rapidly they all came, an ink blot of gargantuan, onyx bodies cascading across the star woven tapestry of the cosmos. Like a row of candles in dark room, their eyes burned brightly, creating a luminous horizon of speckled, golden light.

"How many?"

"Counting approximately one-thousand two-hundred so far sir, and still coming!" A crewman called out from his station, as a black tide of Reapers continued to wash in, outside. "They're disengaging FTL speeds, but they're still on approach."

"Hold positions until they are in attack range." Hackett ordered, as he leaned forward in his seat, peering out at the encroaching mechanical menaces, many still popping in out of the cold void. "No one breaks away from the fleet, and no squadron fires until I give the order. Whatever happens, we hold this line!"  

"Sir, enemy is increasing velocity." The ensign called out, struggling to obscure his panicked state with a placid demeanor. "They'll be in attack radius within one minute."

"They're up to four-thousand three-hundred, sir!" A voice echoed through the room, as the Admiral studied the enemy's approach with a narrow gaze.

In one conformed wave they came, showing not the slightest sign of deviation or hesitation. They stayed on course, and barreled through the black of the abyss directly at the armada of ships that stood ready to defy them.

"I want all ships locked on and ready to fire!" The Admiral demanded, gripping the edge of his arm rest tightly. "The INSTANT they're in attack range, I want every damn thing we got, save for a nuclear assault, raining down on them."

"Aye sir, orders acknowledged!" The Communications Officer called out hastily, as he prepared to relay the orders.

Admiral Stephen Hackett glared at the gleaming eyes of the behemoth at the fore of the dark fleet, and its eyes seemed to glare back into his, burning with contempt and disdain. They moved as one, their devil-yellow eyes piercing the darkness, as they grew in number and in stature within the forward windows of the Orizaba.

"Vessels coming into attack range, sir!" The ensign's clutched voice called out, as the bridge bustled with frantic activity. "Ten seconds!"

"Lock all weapons onto the frontmost ship!"

Heavy cannons of all shapes and sizes extended from their retracted positions on the hulls of every ship in the Alliance Armada. Large shutters pulled back to reveal numerous rows of missiles and heavy projectile ordnance. Javelin disruptor torpedoes, plasma cannons, thanix cannons, and GARDIAN point defense lasers to name but a few of the armaments that stood between the Earth, and an obsidian tidal wave of certain annihilation.

"Viper one to squadron command." The prominent voice of the Orizaba's CO came in over the radio of every dreadnought, carrier, cruiser, and frigate. "You are clear to engage! I repeat you are clear to engage. All vessels fire at will! Fire at will! Fire at will!"

"Fire!" A uniformed man, with a grainy, brown beard, and a large scar spanning across his cheek, from his left ear to his nose, ordered on the bridge of the SSV Elbrus.

"Let 'em have it, gentleman..." A tall, middle aged, African-American male instructed, as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back on the bridge of the SSV Everest.

"Open fire!" A haggard old Captain, with a gravely voice, and a black patch over his right eye, demanded as he gripped the front rails on the bridge of the SSV Cairo. "Let's send these gahd damned things back into the hole they crawled out of."

Throughout the assemblage of ships, the Captains of the Alliance delivered their attack orders as missiles, rockets, and torpedoes exploded out of their chambers, on a collision course with the encroaching Reapers. The dark tunnels of the artillery cannons slowly illuminated, as powerful charges ignited within them, and then burst forth with incredible velocity.

The twilight sky was lit up, as a wave of fire hurdled toward a wave of darkness. Within moments, the Reaper fleet was engulfed in an orange and blue fireball. Doing little more than singeing them, however, as their demonic eyes, and ghastly silhouettes sliced through the flames with ease, undeterred.

"Keep firing!" The Admiral ordered indignantly, leaning with his elbow onto his knees, as he sat on the edge of his seat on the bridge. "I want a non-stop volley!"  

A second wave of hellfire erupted forth, as every ship on the line let loose a furious maelstrom of firepower, and it continued without cease. The hulls of the ships rattled, as the thunderous explosions boomed outside, their blinding red glare spilling in through the windows.

"Twelve-hundred kilometers, and closing..." Captain Donaghy uttered to herself, as she looked on at one of the officer's holoterminals, an alarmed countenance in her eyes.

"Javelins!" Hackett demanded, pointing a stiff finger at one of his officers.

Just then, the Orizaba's main cannons released a rapid battery of high-powered energy blasts. Fwip... Fwip... Fwip... Fwip... Came the sound, as the massive guns discharged the energy projectiles.

"Admiral Hackett, sir!" Donaghy called out, turning to face Hackett, though still standing by the terminal. "We have to disengage!"

"What are you talking about, Captain?" The Admiral inquired sternly, shifting his attention back and forth from her to the window. "We're not about to turn tail and run. We haven't lost this yet, and they have yet to fire on us!"

"Nine-hundred kilometers, and closing fast ma'am..." The crewman by Donaghy informed.

"That's just it, sir!" The Captain yelled out rigidly. "Our attacks are having very little effect and they're increasing velocity! They're not gonna fight us, they're gonna ram us!"

Admiral Hackett sat silently for a second, his chin resting on his closed fist, as he watched the ensuing torrent of fire outside. The shadow of the Reapers had grown significantly in size and number since their initial arrival.

"Six-hundred kilometers!"

"Stephen, break away!" Captain Donaghy screamed in a panic driven outburst.

"Evasive maneuvers. Evasive Maneuvers! All ships disengage!" Hackett immediately called out, watching the figures growing in the window. "Helmsman, get us outta here!"

"Aye-aye, Admiral!" The helmsman grunted, clenching his eyes tightly, as he pulled back on his controls as hard as he could.

Captain Donaghy stumbled a bit, before grabbing onto the backing of a crewman's seat, as the Orizaba canted suddenly, pulling up and away from the fast approaching Reaper fleet.

As the order was relayed, the propulsion system of every vessel in the Alliance Armada ignited, providing a powerful thrust as every ship began to maneuver up, and away from the impending collision. Like a slow moving flock of pigeons evading a jogger, they scrambled, desperately attempting to avoid contact as the deadly Reaper fleet continued, dead set on its course.

"One-hundred fifty kilometers!" A tension riddled voice announced, clearly attempting to mask the trembling tone.

Captain Donaghy gripped the seat backing tightly, as the artificial gravity generated on-board made it harder and harder for her to stand up straight under her own power.

Admiral Hackett watched with narrow eyes, biting down on his own knuckles as the view outside slowly turned to one of the distant cosmos, as the metallic giants sank in the window.

"Seven-hundred meters!"

Every vessel trembled turbulently, the roar of a hundred powerful engines blaring at their utmost capacities. Captain, officer, and crew members alike held their breaths in collective, anxiety-driven anticipation as the ships scrambled. Those lucky enough to be strapped in, needed only to man their stations as the gravity shifted.

"Three-hundred meters!" The crewman called out, with a deeply heightened sense of urgency. "Brace for impact!"

Suddenly, it seemed as if everything just went silent. A few deep breaths could be heard, as they waited. Pat... Pat... Pat... the sound of a lone crew member gently dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief, his collar soaked in sweat.


An angry rumble could be heard through the floor, as if something demonic, or otherworldly was passing by below them.

"Ensign..." Hackett gulped, before calling out in a hushed voice. He didn't notice the small, bleeding lesion on his knuckles as he lowered his hand. "Are we clear?"

The addressed crewman simply sat silently for a moment, his eyes searching in every direction obliviously.

"Ensign!" The Admiral yelled out ardently.

"Uh... Yes sir?!" The daydreaming ensign replied emphatically, snapping himself back into reality.

"Are we clear?!"

"Yes sir." He replied, looking over his instruments, finding it difficult to discern the massive blot of alien starships from friendly vessels. "Yes, I think we're cle..."

At that instant, before the word could even vacate his lips, there was a violent impact accompanied by the sound of a thundering explosion.

"Umph!" Admiral Hackett grunted in pain, as he was tossed out of his seat, and he and Captain Donaghy slammed against the floor.

Outside, the beasts let fourth a bellowing cry, as they collided into a small congregation of ships, swiping their thruster engines as they tried desperately to avoid impact. For many, the blow sustained was superficial, creating a rift along crew decks or disabling an engine or two. For others, the percussion was close enough to the fuel tanks, that it started a chain reaction, engulfing entire vessels into a burning blaze of smoldering debris.

"Damage report...!" Admiral Hackett demanded in a pained voice, gritting his teeth as he used his chair to pull himself to his feet.

Captain Donaghy struggled to get to her feet, using one of the nearby control consoles to pull herself up onto wobbly legs, as the rest of the crew tried to shake themselves off. Red lights flashed, and an alarm wailed as sparks flew from cables knocked loose, near the ceiling.

"Argh... Hull breaches in sections thirty-one to thirty-five, on decks C, D, and E..." One of the crew members responded, rubbing his chest near his neck as he squinted his eyes in pain, after having nearly been throttled by his seat restraints. "Shield integrity down to sixty-five percent, and we've lost two of our starboard engines..."

"Seal the necessary compartments." Captain Donaghy ordered, standing over the officer's shoulder, rubbing the side of her neck. "Have our medics get down there, and do what they can for the wounded."

"Aye-aye, Captain."

"Gimme a situation report." Hackett entreated, as he resituated himself in his seat. "Where's the alien fleet now? What are our losses, were we the only ones hit?"

"We've lost the Fuji, the Warsaw, and the Olympus..." CO Barnes reported, holding his right hand to his headpiece as the information came in. "Fox, and Bravo squadrons reporting heavy damage to multiple vessels, and the Hastings and the Ain Jalut are dead in the water..."

"Damn it!" Admiral Hackett bucked his head forward, as he slammed an infuriated fist down on his armrest.

"Sir, the alien fleet has not changed course!" One of the officers on the bridge reported, with a hefty hint of dread in his voice. "They're entering Earth's atmosphere, and spreading out over Eastern Europe."

Hackett clenched his lips with a scowl on his face for only a moment, before standing up with a look of resolve in his eyes.

"Radio our ground forces." The Admiral's voice echoed throughout the bridge with a commanding presence, as he pointed at the Communications Officer. "Let them know our blockade has failed, and the enemy is descending on their position. Have all carriers dispatch their Interceptors to engage, and have all capable vessels turn around to pursue targets."

"Aye, sir!"

"Helmsman!" He called out heartily, as he walked to the front of the bridge, a heart of courage swelling within his chest. "Hard to port! So help us, these damned monstrosities are not gonna get Earth..." He said, shaking his head. "So help us..."

"Hard to port, aye-aye, sir!" The Helmsman acknowledged, as he worked his controls to turn the ship around.

Outside, the debris of the eviscerated ships floated off into darkness - smoldering metals, and piles of wreckage coupled with lifeless bodies, now forever adrift in oblivion. Slowly, an obsidian curtain of death descended onto the Earth, darkening its skies with their numbers.

Just then, the heavy hangar doors on the sides of every Alliance Carrier in the Arcturus Fleet slid open, as one by one a flood of miniature starships poured out and cascaded down towards the Earth, intrepidly giving chase to the metallic behemoths. Angry hornets darting out of a disturbed nest, seeking retribution.

The colossal, kilometer-long ships of the Alliance Navy slowly began to turn - carefully maneuvering around one another, as they readied their descent, and prepared to make their last stand...




The bodies of the vile vorcha continued to pile by the dozens, as they advanced on Garrus' team's position. Like creatures possessed, not showing the least bit hesitation or slightest regard for their own self preservation, they persisted forward - climbing over the bodies of their own fallen, snarling as they fired, determined to reach and kill their enemies.

The insect-like silhouette of the mechanical leviathan still hovered odiously overhead, casting its malevolent shadow on the large, contested vortigaunt village. The ground trembled below, as the creature rumbled above, almost as if the land itself feared the horrific beast. Perhaps it was watching the battlegrounds, in the same way one would study a chess-board. Observing as it's pawns vied for control of the vital territory.

"So just what the fuck are we gonna do about that-that giant shit stain in the sky?!" Jack demanded angrily, as she held two quivering, glowing hands out in front of her – generating a protective biotic dome around them as her teammates reloaded.

"What do you want us to do?!" Garrus snapped, a mixture of anger, doubt, and frustration in his voice. He slid a new clip into his handgun and drew it forward, using his targeting visor to zoom in and select his targets. "It's not like we can do anything about it... We've got our orders, we take back that control room! Nothing else matters. 'Sides it's not like it's bothering us."

"Yet..." Added Thane, in a stoic tone of voice.

"Grrr..." Jack growled suddenly. She bared her teeth with a burning rage on her face, as she pulled her arms back, channeling the energy she used to create the barrier into two tightly clustered orbs of power – pulsating at her palms, as her hands trembled violently.

"Raaaaaa!" Jack screamed in a ferocious outburst, as she drove her arms forward, releasing a chaotic wave of concentrated biotic energy that blitzed down the long passageway, destroying everything in its path.

Small vort dwellings along either side of alleyway erupted into piles of rubble, as the shimmering blue shock wave traveled toward its destination. The corpses of the already defeated vorcha ground troops were swept up into a whirlwind, as the force plowed into the unsuspecting peons.  

They could be seen being tossed about in the distance. Hurled high into the air, and slammed onto the ground and walls as the energy dissipated. And foreseeably, the gunfire against Garrus and his team abruptly ceased.

"Impressive!" Thane declared with an awestruck smile on his face.

Jack stood beside him, hunched over trying to catch her breath, panting heavily with a devious smile on her face. .

Unexpectedly, she stood upright, grabbed the drell by his shoulder, and pulled him over to her with a jerk, adamantly pressing her mouth against his.

"Uhm......" Garrus uttered, completely at a loss for words as he watched the two lock lips; Jack wrapping her arms around Thane's neck, as he wrapped his around her waist.

Various mechanical components within Legion's head motored back and forth as he watched what was happening, attempting to compute.

"Did you know about this?" Garrus questioned sarcastically, pointing at the lovers as he turned to Legion.

"Negative. We are confounded." Legion replied in his usual metallic, monotonous voice. "These actions are counter-productive to our objective. We are attempting to build a consensus."

The two finally pulled apart, after several impassioned seconds.

"You're damn right it's impressive..." Jack affirmed with a sly grin, as she softly massaged her bottom lip with her index finger.

"Ahem..." Thane and Jack turned to the sound of Garrus forcibly clearing his throat, finding him standing beside them with a befuddled eyebrow raised. "Something you two wanna share with us?"

"Argh!" Grunt bellowed as he walloped the heads of two vorcha together, between his hands. Before they could drop to the ground, dazed and disoriented, their eyes glazed over from the blow, the angry krogan clutched their foreheads, one in each hand, and brutally careened them into the hardened wall of one of the adjacent huts.

"Grunt!" He heard Jacob call his name, in a mildly abrasive tone of voice. He looked over to see that he had been left behind by the assault team, and the bulk of their vortigaunt allies, as they advanced further in through the village. "Quit playin'! Come on, we're almost there. There's not too many of 'em left."

Grunt snorted like a raging bull fixing to charge, as he once again pulled his shotgun off of his back, and jogged forward to meet up with the others.

Green jolts of lightning flew, striking the vorcha aggressors as they continued to charge blindly into the fray – their numbers dwindling rapidly. Samara's entire body radiated with a blue luminance, as she hurled a multitude of large rocks and fragments of debris at them with her biotic powers.

"There's the door!" Jacob released the trigger on his rifle momentarily, in order to point. Approximately a hundred yards into the distance, embedded in the towering canyon wall that encompassed the vort's village, stood their objective; a large, thick, door constructed of some unknown, alien metal, adorned with strange Vortigese carvings.

"We must make haste..." One of the vortigaunts affirmed, as the onslaught continued.

In a clearing further down, towards the center of the sizeable settlement, the table where they had all been honored with a feast the previous week, could be seen. Then, it was a symbol of peace. An altar where the vortigaunts, and the various species of Shepard's team broke bread with one another. Now... just another testament to the genocidal war they waged. The dark shadow loomed overhead, as corpses, scattered body parts, and splattered insect pieces littered the ground around the table, and throughout the once peaceful village.

The fusillade of gunfire persisted as Mordin, Jacob, and Grunt continued to unload on their targets. The vorcha desperately continued their counter-assault, however now they began to find themselves in the precarious position of being forced into the center of the village, and surrounded.

This also presented a new problem for Jacob and his team. As they drew themselves out, into the open – they no longer had the luxury of being able to use the various huts and dwellings for cover.

Jacob gulped nervously, as multiple rounds ricocheted off of his kinetic barriers, leaving tiny ripples wherever they struck on his person. He took a brief glance at his wrist display, watching as his shield meter dwindled dangerously low, to twenty-four percent. But this was his charge, and he was going to lead it.

"Ughh..." one of the vorts with them suddenly moaned in agony, as he took a round directly to the eye.

Time seemed to slow down around them at that instant. Jacob watched as the vortigaunt reeled his head back with an excruciating jerk, before his lifeless body collapsed to the ground.

His shields were wearing thin, and he may not have had the benefit of wearing protective armor beneath his kinetic barriers – the type that Garrus, Grunt, Freeman, and Shepard wore. But he had forgotten that their alien allies lacked even the most basic defenses.

"Stay back. Stay back!" Jacob ordered the vorts, as he watched a few of them gather around their fallen kin. One of which was hopelessly attempting to revive him by discharging jolts of his vortal energy directly into the other's chest. Unsuccessful.

"We'll handle this from here, you vorts stay back!"

"But we must render our assistance to the allies of the Free M..."

"You don't have any sort of protection, you'd be sitting ducks out there!" Jacob asserted harshly, interrupting one of them before he could finish. "Please, just stay back. We'll push on from here."

"I'm afraid Jacob is correct..." Samara concurred, holding a brief, protective barrier out in front of them. "Please, for your own safety, allow us to handle things from here."

"Gurrah nil'gu kurr gulla ma!" "Kuergo ma gallam, agla be'lek." "Berg gal ulmek? Callag gua dureg gilla ma..." The vorts convened anxiously as the rest of the group moved forward.

"Kuuram!" One of them exclaimed, as the lot seemed to reach some sort of unanimous agreement. A bright, pulsating flare of brilliant, green light began to radiate from his hands as the others quickly joined him. They stood, brooding in a sort of silent anger, over their fallen compatriot - creating an ethereal green beacon of light that spilled onto the floor and splashed against everything it touched.

"Shepard and Freeman should have reached element core by now!" Mordin shouted over the thunderous salvo, firing his submachine gun at the small vorcha force remaining in their path, as rounds rippled off of his own shields. "Curious they have not made contact. Must have run into heavy resistance below."

"Can't be any heavier than we've had up here..." Jacob responded in an exasperated voice, breathing heavily under his breath. His entire body shimmered from head to toe as he concentrated hard on enveloping himself in a light biotic barrier, to supplement his dwindling shields. "If we actually pull... pull this off..." He had to pause between words just to catch his breath. "I'm tellin' Shepard... I'm takin' a vacation... Whew..."

Unexpectedly, the vortigaunts suddenly rushed up beside them, their hands ablaze with an emerald fire, causing Jacob to turn with a stunned look on his face.  

"H-Hey, wait! What are you..."

"COMPANUM GANNENNEN VORGENOT!" The vortigaunts proclaimed in unison, their collective voice echoing loudly throughout the village, as they all threw their hands up into the air – jade lightning arching out in all directions over their heads, like a violent thunderstorm.

At that very moment, as if calling down the thunder from the heavens themselves, they simultaneously brought their arms down, slamming their hands against the rocky ground. The terrain itself lit up, as the immense energy they harnessed was channeled into the land, and directed forward. In the blink of an eye, a brilliant bolt of lightning swept across the ground, and struck the aggressors.

"Gaugghh!!" The unsuspecting creatures convulsed violently, as the electrical current forced its way throughout their bodies. After a few fevered spasms, their smoking, lifeless remains simply collapsed to the floor.

"...Doing...?" Jacob finished his sentence awestruck, as he stood in amazement after what he just witnessed, noticing for the first time that path to the control room was now clear.

"We are grateful of the Jacob Taylor's concern for our lives..." The foremost vortigaunt assured, as his brethren gathered around, bowing their heads. "But this meager world belongs to us. It is ours to defend. Our forebears combated the beasts. We would dishonor them greatly should we fail to do the same."

"I apologize..."  Jacob replied, smiling warmly and nodding politely.

Mordin, Samara, and Grunt cautiously walked forward, their weapons still brandished, as they scouted the area, making sure everything was dead.

POW! A thunderous sound cracked, as Grunt peppered a shotgun round into the body of one last, squirming creature. "All clear!" He assured, a touch of arrogance in his voice.

"Great." Jacob said to himself with a grin on his face, before turning back to the vorts, and motioning for them to follow.

"Jacob to assault team one..." He called out, pressing two fingers against his ear, as he walked forward with the rest of his team. "Do you read me?"

"Loud and clear, Jacob." Garrus acknowledged, pressing his left hand to the side of his head, as he scanned the area with the pistol clutched in his right. "What's your status?"

"We're ... clear, here." Jacob's voice replied, slightly muffled by a crackle of static. "All hostiles are down, and we're proceeding toward the objective."

"Yeah, we seem to be clear here, as well." Garrus assured confidently, as he, Legion, Thane, Jack, and a small handful of vorts walked forward, warily surveying the eerily tranquil battlefield. "We're gonna do one last sweep of the area, and we'll meet up with you in..."

Suddenly, the entire region trembled and quaked, as the obsidian giant above released a chilling, blood-curdling roar – forcing the vortigaunts and the two teams to immediately press their hands hard against their ears, and clench their eyes shut in pain.

"Ahhh! What the fuck is it doing?!" Jack demanded, staggering around trying to shield her ears.

"I think we pissed it off!" Garrus yelled in response, looking up at the Reaper, with his hands still pressed firmly against the sides of his head.

Just then, the vibrations ceased, as the dreadful sound came to an end. Suddenly, the entire vortigaunt settlement began to shimmer with an eerie red light from above. A scarlet veil bathed the area, like the light in a dark room.

Carefully, they each pulled their hands away from their ears, as they stood gazing up into the sky, with their mouths agape.

"Aw hell..." Garrus muttered under his voice, as he shook his head.

Up in the air, blocking out the celestial, emerald shimmer of the Xenian sky, the tip of two of the Reaper's metallic, tentacle-like appendages lit up and pulsated - creating a whirring sound like that of something powerful steadily charging up.

"Quickly! It's preparing to fire it's primary weapon!" Mordin shouted out profoundly, as the red light intensified. "We must fall back!"

Jacob took a fevered look around, desperately hoping to spot some sort of suitable cover, from what was likely to be a devastating attack.

Just then, he spotted a ravine passageway, formed by steep stone walls on either side, in the distance. It was the same, long geographic corridor that had allowed them access into the grand vortigaunt village on their first visit.

"There!" Jacob yelled out, pointing into the tunnel formation. "Everyone into that corridor! Let's move!"

Jacob ushered his team by, as they all sprinted towards the passageway as fast as they could.

"Come on, come on, let's move!" He demanded, as he waved the small vortigaunt force on.

All of them quickly made a frantic dash for the passage, as Jacob now began running along side them. The intense red light now shone with blinding strength, as the whirring sound above oscillated increasingly faster.

Unexpectedly, three of the vortigaunts at the rear of the group stopped. They shared a quick glance at one another, and uttered something in their native tongue, as they looked back at the large control room door, seemingly so close now. Suddenly, they turned around and ran the other direction.

As his team found cover in the narrow stone corridor, something beckoned Jacob to turn, and look back.

"Hey!" He hollered in alarm, as he watched the three stray vorts dart towards the control room. "Hey! What are you doing, get outta there!"

"Lets go people!" Garrus ordered on the opposite side of the village, as his squad and the handful of their native alien allies turned and began running back the way they came. "Move, move, move!"  

They ran towards a similar passage, nestled tightly between two high-reaching stone walls. The tall canyons, and high cliffs of Xen worked well in geographically fortifying the vortigaunt settlement, with small tunnels and passages like this being the only real way in.

Before they could reach haven, the group came to a gaping hole in the ground, previously made by the antlions that burrowed out, coaxed to the surface by the alluring scent of the pheropods.

One by one, Garrus' teammates ran around, or leapt across the dark, descending hollow. Just then, their amicable geth ally tried to do the same. Leaping over the hole, and planting his feet on the other side, the loosened soil around it suddenly gave way, sucking him down chest deep into it.

"Legion!" Garrus shouted, as he saw the geth fall in and struggle to pull himself out - the intense red light making things difficult to discern.

The ground around the hole was not able to sustain the hefty weight of the mechanical combatant, and simply continued to crumble and give way as Legion tried to claw his way out, only widening the hole.

"Gimme your hand!" Garrus demanded, as he crouched down and began pulling at Legion's arm in a desperate attempt to get him out. "Damn it, you weigh a ton!" He said in a pained voice, clenching his eyes as his ribs began to ache.

"The old machine's attack is imminent." Legion declared in a monotone voice, looking up at the radiating tentacles of the Reaper above. "Withdraw yourself. We are lost."

"Just shut up and push, you tin can!" Garrus reprimanded, as he continued to pull at Legion's arm, with Thane and Jack now rushing in to assist him.

The turian was unable to help himself from glancing up, into the sky, as they pulled.

"Oh no..."

"Get outta there!" Jacob kept shouting into the distance, with his hands cupped around his mouth, as the three vorts reached the control center door.

All of a sudden, a burning pillar of light shot down into the vortigaunt village, and swept across at blistering speeds. It decimated huts, and dwellings, and scorched the land as it raced towards the three vortigaunts attempting to open the door. It sliced across the large stone table in a blaze, vaporizing it in its place.

At that instant, moments before the three heroic vortigaunts were able to gain access to the nerve center of their contrivance, they were swallowed up by the red beam. From ashes, to dust, to oblivion...

"No...!" Jacob cried out, as he watched in horror.

Suddenly, a second crimson beam appeared, and began racing in the opposite direction.

"Siha!" Thane shouted frantically, as he watched the pillar of light bearing down on them, while Legion still struggled fruitlessly to climb out.

Unexpectedly, he grabbed Jack, pulling her away from assisting the geth, catching her totally by surprise. He pulled her tightly to his body, pressing his cheek against hers, and held her hand out in front of them, with his.

"We must meld energies!" He urged, as the hand he held adjoined with hers lit up with a shimmering blue radiance. "Channel your force through me, and do not cease!"

"What?!" Jack exclaimed in shock, at what she perceived Thane to be suggesting. "Krios, now is not the time to be thinking about..."

"Your biotic energy!" He abruptly replied, as the beam sliced toward them at incredible speeds. "A barrier dome!"

"Oh!" Jack's hands suddenly lit up, as their shared energy surged through one another's bodies; combining and intertwining as it was channeled outward, forming a powerful, pulsating, blue bubble, just as the colossal laser washed over them.

Thane, Jack, Legion, and Garrus were swallowed up entirely by the burning pillar of light, as the few vortigaunts with them stood by, watching helplessly from their shelter between the towering rock walls.

"Arrrrrr!" Thane and Jack both gritted their teeth and clenched their eyes tightly, as their hands trembled together, painfully trying to sustain the powerful biotic dome over their heads.

The temperature quickly began to rise, as Garrus and Legion both looked around in frightened amazement, unable to believe they were still alive. Steam began to rise from cracks in the ground, as the area was heated around them.

Sweat poured from the foreheads of the three organics, as they slowly began to simmer in the giant oven – going from the proverbial frying pan, to the fire.

"Alert." Legion announced, still lodged in his predicament, as steam poured out of the hole around him. "Temperatures rising to dangerous levels."

"Come on!" Garrus asserted, doing his best to ignore the extreme heat, as he hunched over once more. He placed his arms under Legion's shoulders and pulled with all his strength. A sizzling sound came, as his gloved hands made contact with the heated metallic being.

"Puuuuuush!" The straining turian said through his teeth, as he mustered every last ounce of energy he had. Slowly, Legion began to rise out of the ground, grabbing onto to Garrus' shoulders for added leverage, as his feet clawed against the side of the burrow.

With one swift, jerking motion, their robotic teammate popped out of the hole, and onto solid ground, as Garrus stumbled backwards a bit, clutching at his rib cage.

"We... Can not... hold it... much... longer..." Thane uttered in a pained, raspy voice, as his hands shook violently.

"Aghhh!" Jack released an agonizing moan as a drop of blood rolled out of her right nostril, leaving a scarlet trail around her lips, behind it. "I... I can't..."

"We must, Siha...!" Thane insisted, as he felt each breath he took become more and more labored. He could feel himself growing weak, as his vision became blurred and dark. "H-hold on..."

"Arashu..." He prayed in a hushed voice. "Grant me strength..."

Just then, like a miracle, the blinding red light began to dissipate, and the temperature slowly dropped. As the beam faded, perhaps losing its charge, or a result of the Reaper believing its victims to be dead, the normal light returned to the settlement, or at least what was left of it, as the onyx giant remained overhead.

"Uhh..." Jack released an exhausted sigh, as she lost her ability to sustain the barrier, along with her consciousness. She collapsed forward, before being caught by Thane's fatigued arms. He himself was trembling from exhaustion. He was drenched in sweat, and he took deep breaths in droves, as he draped her limp arm around his shoulders.

"Let's get outta here..." Garrus advised in a raspy voice, as he clenched at his ribs, with a pained expression on his face. He began to stagger back, towards the vorts, when suddenly Legion came up beside him, putting an arm around his back, and helping him rush along.

A black, steaming, concave, ring of charred terrain encompassed the antlion burrow, as they dragged their feet through it.

Thane limped forward, carrying Jack at his side, as Legion did the same with Garrus. The vortigaunts quickly rushed out to render their assistance, as the four made it back to the safety of the surrounding canyon walls. Their skinned burned. Their hearts raced. And their circuits nearly fried.

Legion released Garrus as he slowly sat himself down, resting against the rocky wall, still favoring his abdomen. Thane gently laid Jack down onto the cool stone floor, cradling her head with the utmost care, as he lowered her down, and crouched beside her.

"Is she...?" Garrus questioned solemnly, as he watched Jack lay peacefully.

"No..." Thane assured, shaking his head, as he caressed her forehead and cheek with the back of his fingers, looking over her with adoration in his eyes. "She is worn out... Exhausted..."

"What about you?" The drell asked, looking up at Garrus. "How do you fare?"

"Heh, other than seein' spots?" Garrus chuckled and released a long, drawn-out sigh, as he shook his head, and pressed it against the wall behind him.

"Ribs are actin' up..." He answered, draping his right arm over his abdomen as he sat, recalling the injuries he sustained on Illium at the hands of the Blue Suns. "Guess they weren't as healed as I thought..."

A fresh breeze of air whistled, as it blew through the shaded passage. And the wind's gentle caress felt good on their seared skin.

Garrus turned his head, looking out through the opening at the now decimated vortigaunt village. "So now what are we supposed to do...?"

Jacob's seething, brown eyes glared out at the devastation before him. Hardly a structure remained standing, as the once prosperous village laid in ruin, littered with piles of flaming wreckage and smoldering debris. A huge black scorched mark painted the floor and wall near the control room door, where three innocent vortigaunts were incinerated.  The same mark was etched throughout the whole of the vortigaunt village – silently revealing the paths of the twin beams of death.

One of the vortigaunts with his team slowly came up beside him; bearing witness to the carnage and destruction for himself, for the first time.

Without sharing a word, the two stood silently, as Jacob clenched his lips. Suddenly, a thought popped into his head. He took a quick look around for something he could use, and spotted a large boulder about twice the size of a basketball.

His right hand lit up with a blue luminance, and engulfed the boulder as it slowly lifted off the ground. He brought it out, floating in front of him, and with one powerful pulse of energy, he threw it out as hard as he could.

It flew with authority out of the corridor entrance, and towards the center of the village, tumbling as it came to rest a few hundred feet from the control center door.

The colossal beam of light suddenly reappeared, without warning. Shooting down, and impaling the ground where the boulder had landed, as Jacob and vort shielded their eyes. Slowly, the beam faded away once more, having eradicated its intended target.

"Bastard!" Jacob exclaimed angrily, after what he observed. He shook his head with a despaired look in his eyes, as a chill ran down his back. "That thing could've killed us at any time... Son of a bitch is toying with us."

Jacob turned, and looked at the vort beside him with a grimace. "There's no way we can reach that control room now..."

"Then our cause truly is hopeless..." His green skinned ally responded, mournfully bowing his head. "All is lost..."
Merry Christmas! Hehe, almost. At any rate, here's Chapter 35 :D This is the second chapter to not feature either of our two heroes, although it does feature many of the main characters.

I had anticipated that this would be the third, to the last chapter, but the way I'm writing this I just don't know anymore lol. I hope that's not a bad thing, I don't want this to drag on, but there are just so many things happening, that i can't fit it all into the chapters i intended. Originally the contents of this chapter and the contents of the next chapter were going to be one. And I thought about doing another 2 part chapter like I've done in the past, but I really don't like doing that. Especially now that the climactic ending struggle is in full swing.

So I figured I'd just submit this one, and let the readers enjoy it (hopefully ;P) While I work on the next one. Hope you guys like it! :D

And Merry Christmas once again hehe :hug: :dance:

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NewRenegade's avatar
Godspeed, good luck, and pass the ammunition!