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Salvation - Episode I: Chapter 8

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Salvation: Episode I - The Taking of the Carmenta Illustria


Disclaimer: This fan-fiction is part of an episodic series taking place after Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction, which will lead directly to its sequel, Salvation II: Project Prometheus. These episodes and sequel take place OUTSIDE of the Mass Effect 3 continuity. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.



Chapter 8: The Taking (Part I)

Lambs to the slaughter...

The door to the bridge slid open, and in rushed a short, out-of-breath, human crewman, sweating, and panting heavily. When he ran in, the frantic operations on the bridge seemed to come to a standstill for just a moment, as every crew member turned to him – hoping for some shred of reassurance. The reassurance they were quickly denied when they saw he was alone, and the grimace he held upon his face. It was a look of dread in his eyes, as he shook his head, and tried to force words out of his mouth.

"C-Captain Ryback, sir!" He called out, in a heaving, panicked voice, as he hunched over, with his hands on his thighs, trying to catch his breath. "There's no...! I-I couldn't find...! They're gone! There's no one...!"

"Whoa, whoa, take it easy, lad..." The burly Captain urged, putting a hand up at the short-winded crewman. "Slow down, take a breath..."

The officer stopped, nodded his head, and tried to regain his composure. His breathing slowly grew quieter, and less labored, as he began to calm down.

"Now... Tell me what happened. Slowly..." The Captain calmly ordered.

"I couldn't find anyone, sir..." The crewman began again, still sounding slightly short of breath, but in less of a rant. "I went as far back as the aft passenger staterooms, and all the way up to the fo'c'sle... There's no security personnel nearby, whatsoever..."

"That... That's just not possible!" Ryback retorted, in a voice somehow resounding with both conviction and uncertainty. "There are supposed to be at least five guards stationed within the immediate vicinity of the bridge, at all times...!"

"I know, sir!" The officer acknowledged, in a fright filled tone. "But I looked... There aren't any around!"

Ryback exhaled a lengthy sigh, as his eyes sank, and he shook his head. The beads of sweat began to roll off his forehead, as he lifted the white service cap off his head, and stroked his hair back with his opposite hand – trying to assess the situation.

"Mr. Kryk." The Captain turned and called out to his nearby salarian comm officer. "What's the status on our communications?"

"No good, sir..." The salarian regretfully answered back. "I'm still trying to reestablish our link with Lycuna, but I can't break through whatever's scrambling our communications..."

"Keep trying." He ordered adamantly, before turning and taking a couple of steps towards the front of the bridge, and his turian helmsman.

"Mr. Davrik." Captain Ryback began, addressing a turian, who immediately shot out of his seat, turned and stood at attention. "How far are we from the nearest mass relay? Give me an ETA."

"Yes sir!" The disciplined turian acknowledged with a stoic salute, before quickly sitting back down and turning towards his large control console. He immediately went to work, punching in various keystrokes, and cuing up a multitude of read-outs, as a galaxy map appeared on his screen.

"ETA to the nearest mass relay... One hour, twelve minutes, sir."

"Damn it, I was hoping it'd be sooner..." Ryback whispered to himself, through his teeth, with a damning shake of his head.

"...Alright." He continued with a sigh, looking back up at the turian. "Plot a course, Mr. Davrik... Make your destination the Citadel. Get us there."

"Aye-Aye, Captain!" Davrik saluted, and began to carry out the Captain's orders.

Captain Ryback nodded with a look of shear, undaunted determination in his eyes, as he turned away from the forward controls, and once more approached the short human officer, who had moments ago rushed into the bridge in a huff.

"Franklin, you're coming with me." He asserted, as he straightened his officer's cap – pulling the black brim down snugly over his eyes, like someone preparing for a grisly undertaking. "You and I are gonna scour this ship. We're gonna find Commander Kim, figure out what's going on, and make sure these passengers stay safe."

"Yes sir. I'm with you, Captain" The small in stature Franklin concurred, as the two turned and headed towards the door.

"Well now, that seems unnecessary..." A brash voice suddenly announced, as the metallic door to the bridge unexpectedly slid open before them. "I'm right here..."

"Commander! Thank g..." Ryback's out pour of relief suddenly screeched to a halt, when he noticed the armed mercenaries in the one-eyed Security Commander's company.

Commander Andrew Kim, the Carmenta Illustria's head of security stood at the doorway, and slowly stepped in, with a devious, crooked grin on his face. He held a large, gleaming, silvery pistol tightly in his grip, pointed idly towards the ceiling. On his left, an asari in slightly battered light Blood Pack armor stepped in, brandishing a heavy machine-pistol, and keeping it aimed steadily at Captain Ryback's head. To Kim's right – a turian, wearing a reasonably heavier version of the same Blood Pack armor stepped in. He held a large assault rifle, primed and ready, as he aimed it back and forth at the various crew members on the bridge, allowing it to do the talking for him. Every crewman in the room immediately put their hands up, with their mouths agape, and a look of terror on their faces.

With his two mercenary subordinates keeping the crew under control, at gunpoint, Kargas casually strolled in, with his weapons still holstered, not seeing the need to draw them. And as soon as the doorway was cleared, Tarrik's stout little frame impudently marched in, with an arrogant demeanor and his head held high, as if he were some conquering warlord.

"Andrew...?" Captain Ryback began again, in a hushed tone, that reflected shock, disappointment, and disillusion. "It was you...?"

"Well, what can I say, Arthur?" Kim replied with a snide smile, and a sarcastic voice. "I'm an opportunist. And this opportunity was just too good to pass up."

A look of seething contempt overtook Ryback's expression. He clenched his fist, and his chest and brow tightened with anger, as he took a step towards the armed gunmen.

"Ah-Ah-Ah..." Kim said discouragingly, swiftly bringing his pistol down to target the Captain's head, halting him in his tracks. "I'd advise against any flashy bravery, Captain..." He continued, sarcastically tilting his head, with a conniving smile "You know what a 'loose cannon' I can be..."

Ryback clenched his teeth in a rage, nearly trembling with anger. "You.... Despicable!"

"Alright, that's enough..." Tarrik asserted, interjecting with a hefty breath. "You two can pick this up later..."

Tarrik slowly stepped forward, towards the rest of the crew, and looked them over. Kim snickered mockingly, under his breath, and shook his head with a look of disdain at the sight of the miniscule volus vying to seize command.

A feeling of accomplishment swelled within the stout little figure, as he examined the crew members. Each of them still stood by their respective station's on the bridge, holding their hands up by their heads, with a frightened look in their eyes, especially at the intimidating presence of the armed mercenaries, and the herculean krogan before them.

"Listen up people!" Tarrik continued, attempting to project a commanding presence, accompanied by the sound of a heavy respirator. "You've all done a terrific job, but you're now officially relieved of duty... I'd like all of you to step away from your stations, and line up against this back wall with your hands on your heads..." He demanded, as he pointed to his left, towards the rear wall of the bridge. "Please note that my men's weapons are real, and so is their capacity to use them... If you do as you're told, no harm will come to you... But if anyone decides to try anything heroic, we will not hesitate to kill you, AND the person next to you... Have I made myself clear?"

"Pfft... Who's 'we'? I don't see him holding a gun..." Kim scoffed in a whisper, as leaned towards Kargas, who simply shook his head, and rolled his eyes slightly.

The crew stood silent... They were too frightened to placate the volus with a verbal response, but after a very brief moment of contemplation, possibly considering any alternatives, they simply accepted Tarrik's terms, and nodded their heads submissively.

"Good..." Tarrik happily acknowledged. "Then please line up against the wall... Quickly now, don't doddle..." He waved them on, as the various members of the crew began to weave around their consoles, and move towards the back wall, with their hands locked behind their heads, while Teshya and Davix, the two armed mercenaries, kept their weapons primed for a little added incentive.

"Leahr...?" Tarrik called out, as he turned back towards his men, searching for the quarian. "Leahr'Haan!" He demanded again, angrily.

"...Yeah." A reserved voice acknowledged, as the burgundy veiled quarian stepped out from behind the burly krogan, with his head sunk between his shoulder. "I'm here, Tarrik..."

"Well, what are you waiting for...?" Tarrik questioned condescendingly, placing his stubby little arms on his hips, as Leahr stepped further into the bridge. "You've got work to do, my boy... Get to it."

Leahr was silent for a moment, as he tried to push down the queasiness settling into the pit of his stomach.

"Right..." He acknowledged in a hushed, sickened voice, as he moved towards the largest control console, at the fore of the bridge.

"What have I gotten myself into...?" He whispered to himself, as he reached the console, and set the portable terminal he carried under his left arm down – opening it, and powering it up.

As Leahr's computer came on, he had already begun masterfully working the console on the bridge, while at the same time keeping an eye on the omni-tool he had materialized over his right forearm. With an apparent knowledge of all things technical, he went back and forth from his portable terminal, to his omni-tool, to the bridge control console, seamlessly and adeptly. "Ancestors forgive me..." He said to himself, with a gulp, as he worked.

"...It'll take me a few minutes to upload my specialized VI and gain control of the ship." He announced with a shameful sigh. "After that, you can give your order..."

"Good." Kim affirmed with a devious grin, and an air of arrogance about him. "Then I better have my guys check in..." Just as the uniformed Commander raised his hand to his earpiece communicator, he was quickly interrupted.

"How can you do this, Andrew...?" The Captain beckoned, from his place along the back wall, with his hands locked behind head, the moment before Commander Kim's fingertips could press against his communicator. "How can you, of all people, be part of this? We fought together... Served the Alliance together...!"

Without moving an inch, Kim simply turned his head, and glared a burning look straight through the Captain.

"Fought together...?" He retorted with a seething gaze – finally breaking his statuesque stance, as he turned and slowly stepped up to Ryback. "Served the Alliance together...? No.... YOU Served the Alliance, Arthur! I was exiled, remember...? Crucified... Cast out like an animal..."

"These people aren't soldiers, Andrew. They aren't to blame for what's been done to you...!" The Captain exclaimed, pleadingly. "They don't deserve this!"

"Shut up!" Kim demanded with a ferocious snarl, waving his gun dangerously close to Ryback's face. "I didn't deserve what I got either... The way I see it, this is just me taking back what the galaxy owes me, after putting me through a lifetime's worth of bullshit..."

Kim turned away from Ryback, giving his back to him, as if no longer able to face him. Without a sliver of remorse, pity, or hesitance on his face, he brought his hand up to his ear, and pressed a finger against his communicator.

"This is Commander Kim. Bridge is secure. All teams report in..."




"Geronimo!!!" A human child excitedly exclaimed, as he charged into the pool, tucking his knees into his gut to execute the perfect canon ball.

His friends, already afloat the water, laughed as they were splashed by his tiny tidal wave. All around the pool area, children and adults alike laughed, and played games. The brief scare from the dreadful impact they felt just moments ago had all but subsided. They'd bolt into the pool, from the twisting, towering water slide, only to rush out, and ascend it again. Those that weren't in the mood for a swim lounged nearby, in beach chairs – relaxing, and taking in the artificial rays, or perhaps grabbing a smoothie from the many nearby snack bars.

There couldn't be a more perfect portrait of a sunny day on a warm beach. Even if that portrait was merely an expensive simulation. Sunlight, generated by a massive glowing lamp. The clouds, and the trees – nothing more than a convincing projection. And the soothing sounds of the tide washing ashore, and the gentle breeze wafting by, simple ambiance from a speaker.

Still... It was as close as one could possibly get to the real thing, without actually being there. And two calculating brown eyes observed it all very, very closely. The two eyes of one of the Illustria's many security officers, standing guard over the Lido Deck, to ensure the security and protection of all the nearby passengers. Her presence was anything but ill-fitted.

"This is Starling." The black haired, brown eyed, female human officer announced, keeping a watchful eye, as she pressed two fingers to her ear. "Team Three ready on the Lido Deck..."

***

The low rumble of laughter could be heard spilling out into the hallway, as a decided figure patrolled through one of the ship's many grand atriums, past a  nearby, on-board comedy club. Many stately dressed patrons breezed past him, coming, and going – most either oblivious, or uncaring about anything other than their own amusement. They held smiles on their faces, and delight in their hearts, as they browsed the shops, took in the shows, and floated around the clubs.

"Kyllek here..." The salarian security officer announced into his earpiece. "Team five standing by on the Empress Deck."

***

"Ohohoho Edmund! I haven't felt this spry since our honeymoon!" An elderly human woman chortled with youthful glee, as she and her congruently aged human husband stepped out of their staterooms, and walked down the hallway.

"And I haven't felt this nimble..." He said with a sly cunning in his voice, as a turian officer approached them from the opposite end of the hall. "Maybe after dinner we'll... head down to the spa for a soak."

"Edmund..." She replied, pretending to blush and trying to hide her beguiled fancy behind a facade of bashfulness. "You know I didn't bring a bathing suit..."

"Neither did I..." The slick old Casanova replied without missing a beat.

"Oh hush, you awful, awful man!" She admonished, giggling and playfully slapping his arm, as their paths crossed with the turian guard.

"Good evening, sir." The old woman politely greeted, with a refined bow, trying to contain her amusement.

"Good evening, madam!" The turian greeted with a perky cheerfulness. "I hope you're both enjoying your cruise experience."

"Oh, it's just wonderful..." The happy old woman replied, placing one hand over her chest, as she took a brief, loving glance at her husband.

"Terrific!" The officer affirmed, amicably. "Well, if there's anything I can do for you, please let me know... Enjoy the rest of your evening."

"Thank you."

The couple continued on, with their arms hooked, and their spirits lifted, as they turned a nearby corner and stepped out of sight. The turian's fraudulent smile quickly faded, and his cheerful demeanor turned to one of disgust, as he watched the old bats leave.

"Kastus reporting in..." He announced, with two fingers pressed to the side of his head. "Team four awaiting orders on the Riviera Deck."

***

The dice rolled, the cards were dealt, the cigars burned, and the casino lights danced in the eyes of the gaming patrons. It was all back to normal on this provocative pleasure cruise, as the champagne continued to flow. All back to normal, except for one very elite group of individuals, who stood near the center of the casino with wary, almost worried expressions on their faces. Two humans, a salarian, a krogan, a geth, and a turian who knew they could smell trouble in the air, amidst the cigar smoke, but they just couldn't distinguish it. Perhaps they would soon notice the security officers exchanging errant glances, as they patrolled the room.

***

"This is Toril on the Promenade Deck." A voice informed, within Shepard's ear, as he and the finely dressed Tali rapidly descended a long, nondescript stairwell. "Team one in position and awaiting go ahead."

"Damn!" Shepard exclaimed angrily, halting his descent, after listening in. He was still dressed as if he was attending a wedding, but instead of holding a wedding gift, he clutched a pistol in his grip. The same pistol he'd commandeered from the unsuspecting Officer Strenners.

"What is it?" Tali questioned, after Shepard's disheartening outburst.

"They're already on the bridge..." He replied, staring off into space, as he continued to listen in. "And the team leads are checking in all over the ship... I was hoping we had a bit more time. They'll be given the order to take the ship any minute..."

John stopped, and took a slow look around the hollow feeling stairwell, making a quick assessment.

"We have to hurry..." Tali began, obviously drawing the same conclusion that John was coming to. " If they're planning on gathering everyone up into a single deck, like the guard said, they'll most likely be taking them through the stairwells..."

"Exactly what I was thinking..." He affirmed, as they both continued to descend the steps. They reached a door labeled 'Riviera Deck', and continued on past it.

"What deck was our stateroom on?" He queried, as they continued on, with a rapid pace.

"The Vista Deck." Tali answered, as they reached another door labeled 'Verandah Deck', only to pass it by. "Should only be one or two more floors down."

"...Are we gonna try to meet up with the others?" She asked, finding herself with the awkward problem of needing to hold her dress up at her thigh, so as to avoid stepping on it, as they rushed forth. A most unusual dilemma for a quarian.

"No." Shepard affirmed, pointedly. "As much as I'd like to, I doubt they know what's going on, and we can't let ourselves get caught with everyone else..." He elaborated, as they breezed past another floor."Strenners said they were planning to rob everyone, not kill them. So, we have to be stealthy about this. There's too many civilians on-board who could get hurt if we tried anything out in the open. Besides, the others can handle themselves. We just gotta make sure we get that message out."

As they neared the bottom of the current flight of stairs, their steps slowed as they read the sign by the door.

"Vista Deck, this is it..." John announced, as he readied his pistol, and approached the door.

He pressed his back against the wall beside the doorway, holding the sidearm primed and pointed up towards the ceiling, with Tali taking the same position on the opposite side. With his other hand, John slowly reached out towards the door's green holographic panel, activating it, and ushering it to slide open with a quiet swish. He cautiously and discreetly move his head to the edge of the entry way, peering out to make sure it was safe.

The door opened up into a very short, narrow hallway, tucked away into one of the corners of the far reaching deck. John and Tali both stepped cautiously out, after spotting no immediate presence in the vicinity, and quickly scanned the area. To their left was a locked door, indicated by the red holographic panel covering it – and it was marked with a sign displaying an image of a dustpan and a broom. To the right, the narrow corridor opened up and intersected with the deck's main hallway, which was lined on both sides with the doors to the extravagant Deluxe Grand Suite Staterooms. Divided in half by intermittent pillars of ivory and gold, the corridor spanned virtually the entire length of the deck, from stern to bow. And at both ends of the luxurious hallway, sat the decks main elevators.

Shepard moved to the edge of the narrow, tucked away passage, pressed himself against the wall, and carefully poked his head our, to peer around the corner into the main hallway. There was still a moderate amount of foot traffic from the unsuspecting passengers, as they came and went from their staterooms – completely unaware of anything about to befall them. But the Commander's attention immediately fixated on the three uniformed officers patrolling the area in the distance – nothing out of the ordinary to anyone else.

"There's a few guards on patrol..." He announced to Tali, in a low voice that wasn't quite a whisper, as he pulled his head back, and turned to her. "We gotta find somewhere to lay low. Stay outta sight until they clear the decks..."

"Would that work...?" Tali asked, pointing a thumb over her shoulder, to the locked door behind her, with her other hand on her hip.

John tilted his head, and peered around Tali, as she turned to the side, granting him a better view. "Yeah, that should do." He assured, with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "Can you get it open?"

"John... It's a janitor's closet." Tali retorted, with a mild sarcasm in her voice, as she turned around and walked a short distance to the door. "I could probably get it open with a piece of string..."

"Hmph..." Shepard smiled, and chuckled under his breath, shaking his head, as Tali went to work. She quickly brought up her omni-tool, pressed in a few rapid keys, and swiped it in front of the door's holographic panel. Just like that, the dissuading red light switched to an inviting green, and the door slid open.

Tali turned back to John, tilting her head, and crossing her arms with an arrogant stance. "What is it you humans say?" She began again, as she extended a hand towards the door, showing it off in the same way a model might show off a sports car in a showroom. "Ta da...?"

"Forgive me for ever having doubted you..." Shepard concede with a playful sarcasm.

They both stepped up to the newly opened door, and took a peek inside the tiny room. And tiny was all it was. There was barely enough room for one person to stand, let alone do anything else. There was an old mop, sticking out of a large bucket. A small, VI operated vacuum cleaner, which looked to be in slight disrepair, and shelves along the inside walls, each housing a plethora of cleaning agents and utensils.

"Oi... This cruise just gets better and better..." Tali muttered under her breath, with a shake of her head, as she sighed and stepped in.

"Oh yeah..." Shepard concurred, in a voice drained of exuberance, as he followed her in. "I guess a relaxing vacation, after stopping an army of ancient space monsters, was just a little too much to ask..."




Leahr'Haan worked with a dexterous fervor, as he manipulated the large control console at the head of the bridge. At a moment's notice, he'd switch to his own portable terminal, adeptly punch in a rapid set of keys, then turn back to the main console. He seemed nervous as he worked, but it didn't appear to be affecting his concentration. If anything, he thrived off the tension, like a true quarian mechanist.

"What's the hold up, quarian?" Kargas' creaky voice bellowed, crossing his arms, as he came to stand behind Leahr.

"...I have a name, you know." The veiled machinist muttered, just loud enough to make himself feel daring, yet secretly hoping his remark would go unheard... Or ignored.

"No hold up..." He finally announced out-loud, as his keystrokes grew faster. Suddenly, with the adamant punch of one final key, he stopped, and laid his hands down on the edge of the console, while subtly shaking his head. "There..." He said, grievously. "It's done..."

"You're finished...?!" Tarrik questioned – his voice coinciding with a heavy breath, and brimming with awe and anticipation, as he stepped up to the front of the bridge, coming to stand beside the towering Kargas.

"Yes..." Leahr acknowledged with a drawn out sigh, as he slouched down in his seat, and draped one hand over his helmet, covering his eyes. "I've overwritten all emergency protocols..." He began to explain, causing Tarrik's eyes to light up with delight behind his suit, matching the artificial glow already radiating from his suit's optic visors. "My VI has taken control of most of the ship's primary systems... Radar, navigation, communication, surveillance... Everything important... You'll still need a skeleton crew in engineering to monitor vital systems, but you can pretty much run the entire ship from this console... And I've locked down all the life pods, escape shuttles, and emergency hatches like you asked... There's no way for anyone to get off this ship..."

Tarrik was overtaken by silence, as he took a moment of revelry, before speaking up again.

"Leahr, my boy...!"  He began, with a newfound glee in his voice, nearly singing, behind the hiss of his heavy breath. "You never disappoint me!"

"Whatever you say, Tarrik... But I'm done." Leahr decisively affirmed, as he sat back up in his seat, and swiveled around in it. "You've got your mechs, you've got your overrides, and you've got control of the ship... I've fulfilled my end of the bargain. So as soon as we reach the Terminus, I'll take my share and be on my way... I want nothing more to do with this..."

"You're done when we say you're done, pyjack." Kargas disdainfully admonished. "You'll get your credits. But in the meantime, if we need you to do something, you're gonna do it... So I suggest you settle in."

Leahr didn't respond... He just sat silently, bowing his head, and looking away as an unforgiving weight bore down on his shoulders. But what could he do? He was in far, far too deep now... Sinking... Drowning... But soon, it would all be over. He'd have his money, and he'd return to his people a champion... A hero...! The wonderful gifts he'd be able to bring back with him to the Flotilla would be hailed by all quarians, everywhere. Oh, what a difference his endowment could make...! But they'd never know what he had to do to get it. They could never find out... And he'd never look back on it. All this would just be a bad memory, that in time, would surely fade, and go away...

Commander Kim had returned his sidearm to his hip, as he kept his one good eye on the members of the bridge crew, lined up, facing the back wall, with their hands on their heads. Teshya kept her machine pistol, and Davix, his assault rifle, attentively aimed at their backs, as they watched for the slightest flinch or sign of insurrection.

"Commander..." Tarrik's voice announced, with the hiss of his breath, garnering Kim's attention, and coaxing him to turn around and look down at the pudgy little creature. "Leahr has control of the ship. You may give the order when ready..."

As the information reached his ears, the corners of Kim's lips immediately began to curl upward.

"Don't do this, Andrew!" Captain Ryback pleaded one last time, with his forehead pressed against the cold steel wall.

"Sorry Artie..." The Commander shot back, paying no heed, as he raised his hand to his ear.

"Kim to all teams." He announced, as his brow furrowed. Before he continued, a twisted smile grew on his face, and an angry, sadistic gleam overtook his eyes. It was the look of a starved predator, that just zeroed in on its prey...

"Take it."




The Illustria's impressive FTL Drive Core hummed and whirred with life, as it sat idly in the engine room, waiting for incitement. It wasn't like the gleaming, silvery Tantalus Drive Core on-board the Normandy, though it was probably every bit as powerful. The Illustria's FTL drive was comprised of two tremendous, vertical cylinders, each standing an impressive thirty, to forty feet in height. Both were marked with vertical stripes of brilliant blue light, radiating from the inner workings of the apparatus. And they continued to speak with a soft murmur, as multiple engineers worked frantically around them – traversing the narrow catwalks and platforms that surrounded the drive core, in a complete stupor.

"Hey Kryllis, what the hell's going on?" A turian in a dark blue work uniform demanded to know, as he walked over to a salarian co-worker, pounding and laboring over his control console in a befuddled state. "My station just went dark."

"I know, I know! Mine too!" The salarian engineer snapped back, as he pounded his closed fist down onto his controls in alarm, as if hoping to some how elicit some sort of response. He shook his head, as he turned around, and walked a short distance across the catwalk, to a terminal on the opposite side. Again, all he managed to do was prod at dark, inert buttons, exacerbating his distress.

"Damn!" He exclaimed, as he just gave up all together. "Nothing... It's like something just rerouted engine control..." With a worried sigh and a shake of his head, he turned and looked up at the turian. "Any luck contacting the bridge?"

"No. The radio's still out..." The turian informed, bowing his head, with a subtle shake, as an increasing nervousness shone in his eyes. "What's going on, Kryllis? What the hell was that impact...?"

"I dunno..." He uttered, in a hushed, panic-struck voice, as he turned to look up at the drive core, and the other engineers working around it – taking scans and readings with their omni-tools.

"Hey!" He yelled out, earning their attention. "What's the status on the engines?"

"Anti-proton thrusters are working fine. So is the drive core!" A human engineer yelled back – his voice echoing loudly off the metallic walls of the large room. "All readings are optimal. There's no loss of functionality. We're just completely locked out of the system..."

"...Damn. Just as I thought." Kryllis whispered, just loud enough that his nearby turian co-worker could hear. "Something's going on..."

"What do you think it is?"

"I dunno..." He replied, swallowing back a gulp. "Go lock the doors, and keep trying the radio." The salarian instructed, as he lowered himself down to the steel grate floor, maneuvering his upper-body under the console, like a mechanic sliding under a car. "I'll keep trying to regain control of the engines."

"Right!" His turian co-worker acknowledged, without hesitation. He quickly bolted down the length of the walkway, and turned a corner, down a ramp, that led to the lower level, and the engine's room main entrance. As he neared the door, it suddenly slid open with a swish, causing his sprint to slow to a jog, when he saw who stood at the entrance.

"...Hey." He began, exhibiting a mixture of surprise and relief, both in his voice, and on his expression, as he watched the four armed guards step in – A drell, a pair of turians, and a human woman.

"It's about time you guys showed up..." The turian engineer expressed, starting to show signs of a grin, as he came to a stop a few feet in front of them. "What the hell's going on out there? We've got no radio communications, and we've lost control of the engines..."

His proclamations fell on deaf ears, as the woman at the head of the armed security troop stepped forward, past the turian.

"Hey! I'm talking t..."

"Alright, listen up!" She demanded, shouting out at top volume, cutting the turian off, and causing every worker on the engineering deck platforms to stop what they were doing, and give her their full attention. "I want everyone but the two highest ranking engineers cleared outta here! Engine room's closed!"

"Cleared out...?!" The turian engineer beckoned, with a dismally confused look on his face. "We can't clear out, we've got--"

He was suddenly cut off by the mechanical buzz of a pistol extending, as it was drawn and pressed against the his head, ushering a collective gasp, and backwards reel from the other workers.

"That wasn't a request." She harshly berated, holding her sidearm's barrel firmly against the bridge of the turian's nose, as her abetting security guards drew their weapons, and aimed them up at the others.

"....Oh! By the spirits! W-Wh-What are you doing?!"

"If we have to go up there to drag you people down--" She continued, yelling out at the other workers, but keeping her cold, emotionless gaze focused on the turian. "--someone is going to die... MOVE IT!"

Her enraged outburst sent a simultaneous shudder down the spines of the other workers, as they trembled, put their hands up, and began making their way down.  

"Move it! Lets go! Come on, you think we're joking?!" The drell accomplice barked, keeping his weapon drawn on the engineers – shoving them along, as they descended the ramp, with their hands up. "Single file! Eyes on the man in front of you! Nobody tries anything, nobody has to die!"




Meanwhile, a black haired little boy, no more than nine or ten years of age, pouted and groaned, with his arms crossed, and a little wrinkled sneer on his face, as he followed his parents along, down a hallway lined with stateroom doors, on the Vista Deck. His parents, a human couple, in their late thirties to early forties, were cordially dressed, in fine evening attire, no doubt for a pleasant night together as a family. The gentlemen were both donned in matching, dark gray dinner suits. And the lady was adorned with a silky, dark green ensemble, complete with matching pumps, and shoulder wrap. The little gentleman however, didn't appear too happy with what his parents undoubtedly selected for him – awkwardly fidgeting and tugging at his clothes, as he continued along, complaining the whole way.

"But dad, I don't wanna go to the stupid dancing place!" He griped and bellowed, as he followed along. "I wanna go on the water slides!"

As per the norm, passengers came and went around them. Some were retreating to their staterooms after a full day of self-indulgent delights – possibly to get a good night's sleep, and get ready for whatever excitement tomorrow may offer. While others, much like this family, were just now preparing to embark on another day of luxury entertainment.

A few security officers were stationed within the vicinity - no doubt keeping the peace. They patrolled back and forth, keeping out a discerning eye, and holding a deceitful smile on their faces. One officer in particular, a salarian, was at the north end of the main corridor – working a small, holographic control panel on the wall, located beneath a sign etched in red lettering that read: EMERGENCY LOCK OVERRIDE – AUTHORIZED USE ONLY.

"Matty, sweetie... You've already been on the water slides..." The boy's mother reproached, while applying the final touches to her ultra-glossy, cerise lipstick, as they continued on through the hallway.

"I don't care! I wanna go again!" Matty demanded, stopping dead in his tracks, with the angry stomp of one foot on the ground.

"Alright Mathew, now that's enough!" His father sternly admonished, as he turned around, and hunkered down before his son. "We all agreed this was going to be a FAMILY vacation. Since we've been here, all we've done is everything you wanted to do. The shows, the water park, the mini-golf, the... the Kid's Quadrant thing..." He explained, as he counted the activities off on his fingers. "You've gotten your way enough. Tonight, your mother and I wanna do something we'll enjoy."

"Now come on." He insisted, as he stood back up, and wrapped his arm around his wife. "Stop being a bad boy. And apologize to your mother."

The frowny faced little boy just stood there for a moment, not saying a word. And then it came...

"No!" He refuted in a scream, before turning with a jerk, and marching away in a huff. "I'm going back to the room, I don't wanna go with you!"

"Oh, Matty, sweetheart...!" His mother beseeched, with a sorrowful tone – melting like butter, as she reached her hand out, and tried to follow the child, before being stopped by her husband.

"No, no. Let him Angela..." He demanded, with a look of anger and disappointment on his face, keeping a close eye on his son, as he watched him walk a short distance away. "He can't unlock the door. He has to come back. And when he does..."

"Oh, Alex..." His wife responded, with a pleading voice, and anguished eyes. "Maybe we should just go to the Lido Deck tonight? We can go dancing some other time..."

"No!" He sternly, and immediately refuted. "No. Absolutely not. How's he ever gonna learn that he can't always get what he wants if you give into him every time he throws a fit...?!"

Little Mathew marched on towards their stateroom's door, in a self righteous huff. All the while, the salarian security officer at the North end of the corridor continued his work on the small control panel. Suddenly, a tiny little light on the control pad switched from red to green. As if saying "No turning back now..." with his breath, the salarian closed his eyes, exhaled a long, deep, breath, and moved his finger to input one final key.

Mathew reached his little hand up, towards the door's holographic panel, as his parents stood by, watching in disappointment, a few feet away. At that moment, just before Mathew could even reach the door's panel, it shot open with a swish. The strange thing was, so did every single other door on the deck.

"What the hell...?" Alex muttered, with a confused look on his face, as he and Angela stood in the middle of the hallway, looking around at the gaping entry ways of every single opened door. From their vantage point, they had a clear view of two Stateroom interiors, directly on either side of them.

"Everyone out!" The shriek of a shrill voice tore through the air, as the guards standing post suddenly drew their weapons, and began waving them around menacingly. "Out of your rooms! Now! Move!"

A chorus of screams began to flood the deck, as panic and chaos ensued. Many passengers awoke from their sleep in a daze, hearing the calamity outside, as guards began barging into their rooms – dragging them out of their beds, and onto the floors, holding guns to their faces.  Others were in the middle of getting dressed, or simply relaxing. Some were even caught in the throes of passion, as the vicious siege began, and all hell broke loose.

"Shut up! Get the fuck out here!" The aggressor's voices demanded, carrying over the screams, and shrieks of terror, as chaos spilled out into the hallway. People scrambled to get away, trying to get to the elevators, or anywhere that would provide safe haven, but they found this impossible, as every exit was carefully guarded by a gun toting uniformed assailant.

"Alex! Oh my god, what's going on?! Where's Matty?!" Angela cried out, in terror, as she looked around at the flooding crowd trampling the hallway, savagely being herded into the stairwells.

"I... I-I don't know!" Alex shouted, consumed by an equal panic, as he sifted through the crowd with his eyes, hoping to spot some sign of his little boy. "Come on, stay close!" He demanded, as he took her hand tightly, and began to weave through the flood. "Mathew...! Mathew! Where are you son?! MATHEW!"

"Mom!" Matty cried out, scared and confused, as he looked around – nearly getting trampled with every step he took, by the scurrying crowd. He couldn't make out any faces, it was just a sea of hips and legs brushing, and pushing past him, as his frantic search persisted. "Mom! Dad! Where are you?!" He continued to beseech, as tears began to drip from his eyes. Suddenly, he felt himself bump into something.

"Hey!" An angry, female voice bellowed over the clamor, as Mathew gasped and looked up at the asari in uniform standing before him, holding a gun. "Come 'ere you little brat!" She demanded, as she bent down, and reached for the child.

Without a second thought, a moment before the armed asari could grab him, Mathew turned, and bolted in the other direction, nimbly dodging, and squeezing his way through the crowd.

"Hey!" The asari officer shouted, as she took off after him. She plowed her way through passing patrons, as she gave chase, trying to keep up. But the child's agile little frame, and quick little legs proved too elusive for the asari, as she quickly lost sight of him within the stream of lifeforms.

"Bah..." She griped, and waved her hand dismissively, as she turned around, and continued her task of keeping the rabble in line, and moving.

"Mathew!" "Matty, sweetheart! Where are you?!" Angela and Alex continued to call out, as they fought against the current of aliens and humanity being herded in the opposite direction.

"Hey!" A turian guard suddenly appeared out of the crowd, and halted them in place, with his gun aimed at Alex's chest. "Turn around! Other way!"

"No! I'm looking for my son!" Alex dauntlessly affirmed, showing no fear of neither the weapon, nor the man wielding it.

"I don't care, I said move it!"

"Fuck you!" The brave parent shouted in an outrage, as he lunged forward, and took hold of the turian's armed appendage, torquing it up towards the ceiling.

"Alex!" Angela screamed in terror, as she watched her husband suddenly engaged in a struggle for his life, against the turian security officer.

"Get off me mother fucker!" The guard shouted angrily, as they wrestled over control of the firearm.

Mustering up every last ounce of force he could, Alex swung the turian against the wall, pinning him against it, back first. Poom! Poom! Poom! The loud thuds resounded throughout the hall, as Alex attempted to slam the gun against the wall, and out of the turian's grip.  

In the bedlam of the violent takeover, most passer-byes didn't seem to notice the brawling men, as they were being ruthlessly, and systematically herded out of their rooms, and down the hall, like lambs being led to slaughter. But the altercation didn't go unnoticed by everyone...

"Argh! Umph! Agh!" Alex groaned and coughed, as the turian began pummeling his gut with hard, repeated jabs, from his opposite hand. Just then, Angela lunged forward, and grabbed the turian's arm - holding it back, in a desperate attempt to help her husband. Unfortunately, neither of them saw the salarian officer rapidly approaching the scene of the commotion.

"Hey!" The salarian shouted out, as he slammed the butt of his sidearm down hard on the back of Alex's head, immediately causing him to collapse down to the floor, with a thud.

"Bitch!" The formerly restrained turian snarled with anger, as he coiled his arm back, and careened a brutal back hand into Angela's face, slamming her down to the floor.

"You two are gonna wish you hadn't done that..." He continued, pulling the slide back on his pistol to cock it.

With an infuriated gleam in his eyes, he lowered his arm, and took aim at the human male writhing around on the floor, in a daze, clutching at the back of his head, with his eyes clenched tightly.

"No!" Angela pleaded - exhibiting a rapidly swelling, red contusion on her cheek, as she crawled over to her husband, and threw herself onto him. "No, please... Don't!" She begged, with tears in her eyes, as she held a hand up to the turian.

"Angie no... Ge... Get away...!" Alex pleaded in a faint, groggy voice – barely clinging to consciousness, with blurred vision, as he tried to push her out of harm's way.

Without showing the slightest symptoms of hesitation, the turian simply shrugged a bit, undeterred, as he began to pull back on the trigger, with the human woman's head now squarely in his sights.

"I wouldn't..." The salarian calmly interjected, moments before the turian could fire, causing him to look up at his slender accomplice. "Commander Kim said not to kill anyone unless we really had to... They could be valuable. And they're not worth anything if they're dead..."

A look of indignant anger began seething on the turian's face, as he clenched his teeth, shook his head, furrowed his brow, and swallowed back his pride. "...Fine." He complied, reluctantly withdrawing his weapon from the couple on the floor.

"Get up. Both of you! On your feet!" The salarian then demanded, as the turian turned, and continued waving the frantic crowd along.

Angela, now possessing a flushed, red, throbbing welt on her right cheek where she had been struck, slowly stood up, holding onto Alex's arm, and helping him stagger to his feet.

"No... Mathew..." Alex began again, in a pained, throaty voice, as he looked up at the salarian. "My... My son. Where's my son?!"

"Look, everyone's going to the same place..." The salarian replied, with a somewhat angered tone, despite keeping a composed demeanor. "Your clutch is probably already gone with everyone else... So I suggest you get moving. Don't make us have to kill you..."

The boy's father didn't say anything. He simply stood there, holding the back of his head, and glaring a hateful hole through the uniformed 'keeper of the peace', as his upper lip twitched, either from pain, or anger...

"Alex...!" His wife beckoned, tugging at his arm, trying snap him out of his angry trance, before inciting more hostility. "Alex, come on...! We have to do as they say... He said Matty's probably already gone down with the others. We have to go find him...!"

As he listened to Angela, his face suddenly softened. It melted from an expression of indignant anger, and rage, to a look of fear and uncertainty, as he turned to his wife, and took her hand. It wasn't fear for his own well being, but for his family's... The hallway now was nearly vacated. Most of the passengers had been dragged from their rooms screaming, and forced into the stairwells – going down to god knows where. As Alex held onto the back of his head with his left hand, and clutched his wife's hand tightly with his right, he took one last look around the nearly empty corridor, hoping by some miracle he would spot his little boy. Sadly, he would not... Now, he could only pray, that where ever they'd end up, they would be together, as they were both shoved from behind, by a human guard, into the stairwell...

"Hmph..." The human officer chuckled, and snickered, all at once, as the last of the crowd was forced into the stairs. Like a herd of stampeding cattle, the thundering clamor of their footsteps could be heard rapidly descending, as the echoing voices of his fellow guards continued to bark orders at them.

The human guard took a brief look around the mostly empty hallway, spotting a few of his uniformed accomplices individually checking each of the rooms to assure there were no hiding stragglers. Just then, as his head continued to pan across the area, he noticed something out of the left corner of his eye.

"I don't remember that being unlocked..." He muttered to himself dubiously, as he spotted what was likely a utility closet, as indicated by the sign painted on the door, marked with a dustpan and a broom. The door was also marked with an inviting green panel – one which should've been red.

With his handgun drawn, the traitorous officer tentatively moved towards the door. The grip around his pistol tightened, as he approached - expecting to find some frightened stray passengers, or perhaps a cowardly custodian hoping to weather the siege. With his weapon steadily primed, he slowly reached out to the door's panel, and activated it...

"Ah-Ha!" He shouted triumphantly, as the door flew open with a swish. He quickly brought his armed hand forward, and aimed his pistol around within the small, dimly lit room. How foolish he felt, when he realized it was empty... There was nothing in this tiny room, but a dingy mop sticking out of a grimy bucket. A beat up, old, VI vacuum cleaner, and shelves of used cleaning supplies. With a furrowed brow, the guard raised his omni-tool, and shined his flashlight into the dim closet for good measure. Nothing...

"Hmm..." He muttered pensively, giving the room a long look around, as something didn't quite sit right with him. But, without giving the notion a further thought, he simply switched off his light, and sealed the door, leaving the clearly empty room behind, choked in darkness...




Carmenta Illustria... The grand, auspicious words seemed to almost jump right off of the gleaming, silvery hull they were painted on, as it floated listlessly in space. The name itself rang with elegance, luxury, and grandeur. Like the name of some ancient, exotic goddess whispered, for all eternity, by the cosmos themselves... Carmenta Illustria.

Though her name may be whispered... Inside, her passengers were screaming...

Chaos broke out, and began to spill into every hallway, every corridor, of the luxurious cruise ship, as its frightened passengers were abruptly, and violently torn from their leisurely activities at gun point.

"You think I'm joking?! Get moving!"

"Lets go! You wanna die?! Get your asses up!"

"Form up! Straight line! Now!"

"Shut the fuck up and get moving!"

"Out of the fucking pool! Right now! Go, Move it!"

"Hands up! On your head! Let's go!"

The vile, shrieking voices of the aggressors shuddered the cowering flock, as they were methodically being driven into the stairwells of every deck. They were dragged out of their beds, and out of the pools... Driven out of restaurants, bars, and comedy clubs... Forced out of the concert halls, and the spas in droves... For any on-board, it was a nightmare, brought on as abruptly as a fatal head-on collision... Moments ago, they were relaxing, and unwinding, enjoying champagne, and caviar, and having the times of their lives... Now they were RUNNING for their lives...

"Why are you doing this?!" Some would ask, pleading with their eyes. But the pleas were met with an angry shove, followed by a gun pointed in their face, ordering them to move along. There was no marked sign of hesitation or remorse for what they were doing to these people, as they wantonly betrayed the badges pinned on their uniforms.

Passengers scurried about, in a panicked stupor, like ants in an unearthed dirt mound. The stairways became overwhelmed with life, as they were funneled in like cattle. And despite the guards' constant, continuous demands for single file, and orderly fashion... It was bedlam. Father's and mothers had to carry their children in their arms, and on their backs to prevent them from getting trampled. And any that fought back, were met with unforgiving force...

"I said get your humpty-dumpty ass moving, elcor!" A male human guard ordered, in center of one of the Illustria's shopping centers, as an angered elcor shopkeeper refused to budge, while the panicked rabble flooded out of the area around them.

"Infuriatedly: No." The massive quadruped replied, firmly standing his ground, in what could only be described as an elcor version of a stand off.

"Look, I'm not gonna tell your hippo ass again! I said mov—Hey, whoa!"

POW! The demanding guard was suddenly cut off, as he narrowly sidestepped a powerful, but slow swing from one of the elcor's tree trunk like arms, causing it to slam against nothing but the carpet - leaving a small crater where it dented the metallic floor underneath.

"Alright, that does it!" The baleful officer shouted, as the elcor slothfully tried to reposition himself for another attack. Before he could, the guard materialized his omni-tool, and with a lighting fast motion, he changed the holographic ring that surrounded his hand from an orange, to a bright blue. It emitted a loud, electrical buzz, and began arching volts of energy, as he swiftly jabbed into the elcor's side.

"Uaaghhhhh!" Even the elcor can make a bellowing exclamation of agony, when they've got an omni-taser jammed into their gut. The lumbering, ox-like frame of the massive elcor began to writhe, and spasm violently – his every muscle tightened from the crippling pain, as the guard continued to hold the incapacitating omni-tool at his side for a good five seconds, before finally pulling his arm back.

With one final, violent convulsion, the elcor's powerful limbs gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor with a resounding thud, like a horse collapsing from exhaustion – moaning in pain, and panting heavily.

The guard bit down on his lower lip, and shook his head, as he looked down at the squirming behemoth. With a sigh, he raised his hand to his ear, and pressed against his communicator. "This is Arden, team four on the Galleria Deck... I'm gonna need some biotics down here to move a big, pain in the ass load..."
This Chapter brought to you by The Omni-Taser.
From Coronix Electronics - Makers of the iTool and Omni-Laser.



Finally! Whew... Here it is "The Taking" in the Taking of the Carmenta Illustria!

I worked REALLY hard on this chapter, trying to make a great, entertaining story for you guys. I REALLY hope you'll like it.

First major battle in the story. The rest of the battles will actually be more detailed, but on a smaller scale, I guess would be the best way to put it. But the story is obviously taking an action oriented turn, and I'm happy to say that with this chapter, I'm about half-way done. So enjoy!

Don't expect any further chapters until after Christmas. Gonna use this time now to work on my Christmas Card. Anyway, let me know what you thought of these 2 chapters!

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NewRenegade's avatar
People! Just hide in a cardboard box! They would never think to check a cardboard box!

Everyone reading this: :facepalm: