
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/5888713.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      F/M, Multi
  Fandom:
      Mass_Effect
  Relationship:
      Male_Shepard/Multi
  Character:
      Male_Shepard, Orginal_Male_Characters, Orginal_Female_Characters,
      Original_Asari_Character(s), Liara_T'Soni, Joker, David_Anderson, Admiral
      Hackett, Garrus_Vakarian, Urdnot_Wrex, Canon_Character(s), Tali'Zorah_nar
      Rayya
  Additional Tags:
      Male_Protagonist, sex_scenes, Torture, Mass_Effect_-_Freeform, Graphic
      Violence, Earthborn_(Mass_Effect), Ruthless_(Mass_Effect), Threats_of
      dismemberment, Child_Abandonment, Gang_Violence, Consensual_Underage_Sex,
      Renegon_(Mass_Effect), Drug_Dealing, Mind_Rape, Child_Murder
  Stats:
      Published: 2016-02-03 Updated: 2017-08-06 Chapters: 25/? Words: 134793
****** Live for Something or Die for Nothing ******
by Renegadethoughts
Summary
     How a orphan from the slums of earth came from nothing to become a
     defender of everything. Logan John Shepard rose from the slums of
     Earth and became the First human Spectre. Will follow his time before
     the Alliance and maybe a bit afterwards
     Just because someone is a good guy does not mean they are a nice guy.
     Cold, calculating and brutal. Logan follows his own code which is
     "The punishment must fit the crime". The only question is the galaxy
     ready for a human Spectre with his own form of brutal justice?
     Later tags to be added, I don't want to give too much away. If you
     are after Pure smut look elsewhere, while this does have sex scenes
     in it, it is not the main basis of the story. The rating is what it
     is as I don't want to get into trouble for some of the war scenes
***** From Nothing *****
Chapter 1 From Nothing
John Shepard was behind the wheel of his garbage truck, the pay wasn't great,
but at least he wasn't below the poverty line and as long as he stayed out of
gang business he would be fine.
Stepping out of his truck he could hear the sound of a baby crying, with no
idea where the sound was coming from he followed the cries and came up to a
dumpster before opening it, he could see a newborn baby boy covered in blood
screaming with the cord still intact meaning the boy’s mother had placed him
there just after labour and left him to die.
Taking his jacket off and wrapping the baby up "shh little guy" he said as he
thought of what kind of mother could just dump a baby like that in a dumpster
"we will get you someplace safe" before climbing back in his truck and taking
him to the police, after giving the police his details he left the boy with
them.

The boy was placed into an orphanage and was given the name of Logan John
Shepard named after the man who saved him, Logan grew to understand it was not
a good place to be, it wasn't uncommon for orphans to be beaten, abused and
even sold off to slavers. Taking his chances on the streets instead, picking
food out of garbage bins, stealing whatever he needed and trying to stay warm
at night. Avoiding the street gang known as the Aztecs, a brutal street gang
who kidnapped people and sold them as slaves who also were known to cut the
hearts out of their enemies was a bigger concern. Children were worth more to
slavers so Logan would always hide from them which wasn't that difficult, as he
knew the best hiding places and when to run. At seven years old he had started
doing small jobs for the Tenth Street Reds another street gang who dealt in red
sand and stole from other gangs and were well known for their cruelty to those
who crossed them. Being a lookout for the Reds was an easy job for Logan as he
knew most of undercover police in the area and the ones he didn't know he could
spot them a mile away, it didn't take long before Logan was offered membership
into the Reds.

"All you have to do is stay standing for ten minutes and you're in" Ramon 'the
razor' said before nodding to the other young members all around Logan's age,
who had already surrounded him and quickly moved forward and attacked him.

Logan tried to fight back but there was so many of them, it was like he was
being mobbed, so many of them he couldn't see past the crowd of them he felt
his lip split open from a punch to the side of his face as well as taking a
kick to the ribs, he thought he couldn't stand much longer

"Times up" Ramon yelled

Logan had just kicked another boy between the legs and heard a groan he was
about to hit him again when he heard Ramon yell times up.
Ramon smiled as he walked up to him "you have heart kid" he told him "welcome
to the family" he said shaking Logan's hand smiling at him as he handed him a
red bandana.
From then on Logan's life was a little easier he had family, money to spend,
food and never had to worry about freezing to death in the street or having his
face eaten off by rats or kidnapped and sold as a slave by the Aztecs. It
didn't take long before he got in deeper with the Reds and started selling red
sand, at this time he bought his first gun a pistol and he always had it on him
a habit he continued into his adult life if he couldn't have a gun on him he at
least made sure he had a knife, his first time he killed someone came not long
afterwards.
He was nine years old and selling red sand, the buyer was a junkie or sand
tripper as they were called and desperate for his next dose of sand and when he
saw that his dealer was a nine year old he thought Logan was an easy target and
snatched the small bag containing two grams of sand out of Logan's hand and
went to run, Logan had never had anyone run without paying before but took
chase anyway and pulled out his pistol and fired off a shot which missed but
got the man's attention who pulled his own weapon out and fired back which did
not miss, hitting Logan in the shoulder, screaming out in pain Logan fired and
kept pulling the trigger spraying the alleyway with bullets, several shots
ripped through the man's legs and back sending him to the ground dead. Logan
stood there in shock before hearing sirens in the distance snapped him out of
his trance, picking up the bag of sand and headed back to the Red's clubhouse
clutching his shoulder and trying not to pass out from the pain, this incident
would stay with him for years and would shape the rest of his life.
Logan had made it back to the clubhouse.

"What happened?" Ramon asked as he saw Logan walk in

"Guy tried to run without paying" Logan told him "he didn't get far' he
finished

"Good" Ramon replied "let's get that looked get that looked at" he said leading
Logan to another member of the Reds "Doc, the little guy took a bullet" he said
to Doc who was a failed med student fired for stealing medical equipment and
drugs from the university
"Alright sit him down" Doc said walking over "hold him, this will hurt" he told
Ramon and went to work removing the bullet.

Logan tried not to scream and gritted his teeth he was focusing on it not
hurting so much, he didn't notice his body glowing blue with biotic energy
which got the attention of both Ramon and Doc "looks like we have a biotic in
our ranks" Doc said
Ramon just looked worried, Logan was confused "what's a biotic?" he asked to
which he was ignored

"No, of course not" Doc said to Ramon as they continued talking as if he wasn't
there "if anything he will be able to scare the shit out of our enemies"

Ramon didn't seem to believe that but simply nodded and walked away as Doc told
him what he knew about biotics and finished working on the wound, Logan stayed
silent all this talk of harnessing dark energy was a bit much to take in and
there was also how Ramon looked at him.

Over the years saw Logan become more and more respected in the Reds but since
finding out he was a biotic by the Reds they backed away, feared by the other
Reds so they left him alone and gave him a lot of space, still selling red sand
and doing other jobs for the Reds like intimation of rival gangs, he was also
starting to go his own way instead, learning martial arts was a passion of his
and he even went to school unlike a lot of other Reds, he enjoyed reading about
different alien races and would study their military history every chance he
got. Left on his own he would spend hours testing his biotics on small objects
like beer bottles, making them spin and even lifting them up he tried throwing
them at times but he could never throw the bottle hard enough to break it and
without a biotic amp and training he wouldn't be able to. However, Logan still
could not shake the feeling he should do more with his life, if he stayed in
the Reds he would either end up dead or in prison and neither option was
promising but he still refused to die for nothing however at this point in his
life he couldn't think of how to change things.
Few years later

Logan had been with the Reds for most of his life now, at sixteen he was mostly
selling red sand, shooting people and sometimes raids on other gangs. Aliens
were not uncommon on earth after the first contact war, although turians were
still very rare to see, it was mostly asari, salarians and of course volus all
of them either tourists or there on business.

The asari were known to be dancers and would get hired almost right away by
strip clubs so earth was seen as a place for asari to get rich quickly and
there were rumours of some of them dating humans but Logan never saw it, he did
see volus merchants selling almost anything, he even bought a turian combat
knife off one of them and even used it stabbing a Kings member to death with it
later that week, and the salarians had the best stock of tech gear around.
The other aliens that made their way to earth were mercenary groups the most
notable was the Eclipse, who started making an offer to the earth gangs which
was simple, join us or die and since they offered more money, better equipment
and even training many gangs openly joined the Eclipse even Reds members were
joining, which could only mean one thing. War.
Out of the gangs on earth The Kings were one of the first to join and to prove
that they should be allowed in, they wiped out the entire Brotherhood in one
night, the Aztecs were now almost completely off world now and the Reds were
busy killing traitors who had sold them out to Eclipse.

The preferred method of dealing with traitors in the Reds was rather simple and
was called 'angel wings' where the traitor would be held down, have their lungs
cut out of their body and pulled out of their back and left to hang there like
a pair of wings, it was the same reason why the Reds gang tattoo was of a
winged red skull with '10' on its forehead, every member knew what would happen
if they turned.
Logan had to help 'give people wings' more a few times but his main job was to
sell sand and deal with customers, due to this Logan was called to help set up
a peace deal with Eclipse and so Logan and two other Reds were to meet with an
Eclipse contact at a club, an asari exotic dancer.
Walking into the club was easy since the Eclipse was waiting for them. They
made their way over to a table and looked around.

"Lot of asari here" said Seth one of the Reds with Logan who was thinking the
same thing

"Well Eclipse is a asari group" Logan replied "makes sense that they would have
a few of their own working here" he said sitting down he kept having a feeling
that he was in danger "just be on guard, this could be a trap" he told them.

A dancer made her way over "You boys must be with the Reds" she said smiling
brightly and walking over slowly.

Logan had seen asari before but never spoke to one before but even so he was
wondering why she was acting the way she was, every step she took was
calculated, every sway of her hips
"So you're Logan?" she asked still smiling

Logan nodded and looked into her eyes "yeah that's me" he said watching as she
walked over, Logan had been with a few girls by that stage in his life but he
still felt uneasy around her, the whole sticking her tits in his face act was a
bit much but she was a dancer so maybe he was reading too much into it

"I've heard a lot about you" she said sitting on his lap

"Really?" he asked "what have you heard?" he asked looking up at her

"You're a biotic" she told him "a few of your friends came here often" she told
him after noticing him frowning "relax" she said to him moving closer and
placing a hand on his bare arm "asari are a race of biotics" she told him
proudly.

Logan nodded and looked around he saw the other two Reds talking to another two
asari who were doing the same thing as this one was, moving his hand to his
waist "sorry" he said as he readjusted himself

"Don't be sorry" she said smiling "I am still getting used to the fact that
humans get excited like that" she told him chuckling

Logan smiled "well only the males do" he laughed "I'm just glad you didn't
think it was a gun or something" he said chuckling keeping his hand near his
waist to which she just ignored.

"The Reds do not want you with them" she said looking over at Ramon who was
over at the bar and started walking over

"What can I say kid?" Ramon said "Reds are moving up in the world and the
Eclipse are going to help with that" he said "but we don't need or want any
biotics" he said "well human ones anyway" he added.
The asari dancer stopped her dancing now "so the Eclipse gets you and we get
access to their best stock and get a presence off world" Ramon told him while
looking very pleased with himself, the dancer smiled down at Logan as his mind
raced

"Wait, you're selling me?" Logan asked

"No, I never sold you" Ramon said "selling you would mean your worth something,
and you’re not" Ramon said laughing "I can't trust you kid" Ramon continued as
Logan now knew the reason the asari was all over him, to stop him from running
or shooting up the place "you're a biotic and that means you're a threat" Ramon
said before looking at the other two Reds "as for them?, they only came along
to sleep with asari" he said laughing "they are not here to help you" Ramon
smiled at that "see?, not one Red trusts you".

The dancer who was still sitting on Logan's lap and smiling down at Logan
"don't worry you will be well looked after" she said chuckling

"And if I don't want to be?" Logan asked to which she just laughed

"You don't have a choice" she said "you can't reach your weapon and you can't
run" she said glowing bright blue with biotic energy

"Is that right?" Logan said to the dancer who only smiled "well I suppose I
should let you in on a secret" Logan told her, smiling she leaned down and
she whispered into his ear.

"Oh and what's that human?" she asked

Logan smiled "that's not me your feeling" he told her, the asari's eyes widened
as she realized her mistake a second too late as Logan pulled the trigger on
his pistol which he had hidden in the front of his pants, at point blank range
she never stood a chance as bullets ripped through her groin and stomach, what
the asari had thought was him was in reality a gun barrel, a trick a human
woman would not of fallen for "I would tell you to learn the difference between
a gun barrel and a cock for next time" he said standing up "but next time is
something you just don't have".

Now standing with his pistol in his hand he pointed the gun towards the other
two Reds members and the dancers and opened fire, gunning the four of them
down, as chaos erupted inside the club, Logan used that as a chance to escape
shooting anyone who even looked like they would try and stop him.

Logan got five feet from the table that he was at before he was hit with a
biotic throw sending him flying through a window. Hitting the ground with a
thud, he didn't have time to stay down either as bullets hit the ground around
him quickly standing back up groaning in pain and running keeping his head down
as Eclipse gave chase but quickly lost sight of him. Logan made sure the coast
was clear before he climbed out of a dumpster and tried to get feeling in his
right hand again and thinking how the only family he ever had just betrayed
him.

Logan slowly made his way back to the Reds clubhouse, he was sore all over from
being thrown by biotics through a window, he had small cuts on his face and
hands but nothing major and his right hand had pins and needles but the feeling
was coming back at least.
Once he reached the clubhouse he could see nothing but flames he just stood
there in shock until his phone rang
"Iceman?" Finch asked using a nickname Logan had gotten some years before due
to his habit of not showing his emotions

"Yeah it's me" Logan said "Ramon set me up" he said "he sold out the Reds to
the Eclipse" he told Finch

"I know, they showed up about an hour after you left for that peace deal" Finch
explained "listen the Reds are not for sale no matter what Eclipse or Ramon
thinks, and I don't care that he started the group" Finch said "and I don't
care you're a biotic, but I need your help" Finch continued "we are going to
hit this fucker where it hurts, you in?" he asked

Logan thought about it for less than a second "hell yes" Logan told him

"Glad to hear it Iceman, I'll pick you up from your place in half an hour"
Finch told him before hanging up.

Logan walked in the front door of his place that he shared with Finch as well
as another Red, he didn't have long Finch would be here soon so he cleaned
himself up and grabbed his shotgun and turian combat knife, he was staring at
the knife when the T.V showed an Alliance ad, he didn't know why but he kept
watching the ad, almost transfixed by it
"Make a life for yourself, with a promising career in the Alliance military"
the ad continued while showing footage of soldiers training and smiling at the
camera "biotics are welcome, we offer a discrimination free workplace" the ad
continued while showing biotics in training throwing powerful biotics around
warps and singularity's "apply now" the ad finished just as Finch showed up,
walking out the door with his weapons he got into the car

"Iceman, good to see you" Finch said "now let's go"

Finch stopped the car just outside of a house "now this is where Ramon is now
staying" he told them before looking at Logan "there might be aliens in there"
he said "you're not going to let your love of all things alien stop you, will
you?" he asked

"I have already shot three asari tonight, let's just get it over with" Logan
told him as they got out of the car and quickly surrounded the place before
kicking in the doors.

Once the doors were open, Logan was inside and shot a salarian in the face as
soon as he saw him blowing his brains out and onto the wall behind him,
screaming, yelling, cursing and of course gunshots could be heard though the
house it didn't take long for them to find Ramon who Finch had shot in both
kneecaps and was being dragged into the living room.

"Iceman you can do this" he told him while Finch and the other Reds held him
down

Logan normally didn't like this part of his job it seemed excessive however he
wasn't in a charity, he was in a violent street gang and this was a way of life
but for Ramon he made an exception.
Taking out the combat knife he carried, it had a small handle but a curved
blade that was heavier towards the tip.

"Tonight you earn your wings Ramon" Finch said laughing at him as Logan stabbed
him in the shoulder hard enough to break bones and started to cut, Ramon
screamed loudly and began to thrash wildly however with Finch and the other Red
holding him down he couldn't do much.

"That's one wing" Logan said as he pulled out the lung before he stabbed him
again on the other side and started to cut as Finch laughed at Ramon

"Where are ya alien buddies now eh?" Finch said laughing as the second lung was
pulled out and they let him up Ramon was in no shape to escape and just kept
screaming in agony.

At that moment a child walked into the room "daddy?" he asked with fear in his
voice

Logan turned to see the child but before he could do anything Finch calmly took
out his pistol and shot the child as if he was nothing; Logan lost it and
punched Finch in the face breaking his nose

"What the fuck was that for?" Logan screamed "he was just a kid" Logan was
beyond angry but quickly stopped when Finch put the pistol to his head

"He was a kid that could identify us" Finch explained calmly while holding his
nose with his other hand "you got one hell of a punch on you" he said smiling
"I don't know if you know this or not Iceman" he said with sarcasm added to the
word iceman "but this is what we do" Finch added "so you either get used to it
or….." he looked down at Ramon who was dead, his eyes still open and in shock
"well you're a sports fan, you figure it out" Finch said "c'mon let's get out
of here" Finch said.

Logan nodded slowly and walked away, not getting back into the car, he didn't
want to be around them anymore, he was covered in blood and slowly made his way
back to his place while staring at his blood soaked hands, he always thought
there was a line that the Reds wouldn't cross, he was wrong, there was no line,
no code of conduct they simply did what they wanted and didn't care about
anything but money and red sand, Logan couldn't believe he was this stupid to
believe that they were different. Once home Logan had a shower and got changed,
he needed to leave so he packed a bag of clothes and walked out the door.

Logan walked the streets for over an hour, but with no car he was stuck inside
the city leaving his only option to was to steal a car, making his way over to
a parked car he quickly looked around saw no one and broke the window before
getting in and starting to hotwire the car, despite all the advances in
security and car alarms there was still ways to get around it as Logan was once
told 'a lock will only keep a honest person out', he almost had it done when he
heard a click beside his head

"Don't move your under arrest" said the police officer.
***** The Blitz *****
Chapter Summary
     Logan joins the Alliance and trains at the infamous N school
 Logan turned his head and looked right down the gun barrel of the police
officer before he was dragged from the car and slammed against the ground, he
didn't resist he knew he was caught however the police didn't take any chances
in this part of town, keeping a gun trained on him at all times they handcuffed
him as they continued to read him his rights and put him in a squad car. At the
station they took his fingerprints and did a background check, Logan wasn't
worried he knew they would never find anything he may of been a criminal but he
wasn't a suspect in any crimes and the one crime they caught him for was a
minor one so they put him in a cell with another non-violent offender, a drunk,
so there he sat thinking of his life and what to do now, he was curious if the
Alliance would take him even though he just got arrested for car theft.
As it turned out he didn't have to wait long, an Alliance soldier could be seen
talking to a police officer, Logan moved closer to the bars to try and make out
what they are saying
"...so the Alliance is willing to offer a scholarship to any biotic that
doesn't have a violent record" the soldier was heard to say The cop didn't like
hearing that "so just 'cos they are freaks, you want to give them a
scholarship?" the cop asked "that's bullshit"
The soldier just sighed "biotics are a part of every military in the galaxy" he
told the cop "and humans have a few in the service, now we know that there is a
lot of biotics out there who do not come forward mainly because of attitudes
like that" he said "now you will let me know won't you?" he asked.
 The cop just sighed and said "Fine".
Logan couldn't believe his ears, he always did seem to have good timing, well
except for being arrested "I'm a biotic" he called out loud enough for them
both to hear and to wake up the drunk
"Get me out of here; I don't want to share a cell with no freak" the drunk
slurred backing away from Logan who was grateful the drunk stunk like day old
vomit.
The soldier walked forward "Really? What's your name?" he asked
"Logan Shepard, Sir" he replied "Pleased to meet you Shepard, I'm Commander
David Anderson" he told him "now I'm afraid I can't just take your word on it
that you're a biotic" he said to which Logan just nodded
"I can show you if you would like?" Logan asked before making his arm glow
bright blue and using his biotics to flip the Commander's hat off The Commander
laughed as he picked up his hat "well I see" he said smiling "what are you in
here for?" he asked
Logan smiled "Being a naughty boy"
The police officer looked at Anderson "he was busted trying to steal a car" he
told him "he is sixteen and he also has some pretty gang ink on him" he said
Logan silently cursed the winged Red skull on the inside of his left arm "but
he doesn't have a record, so if you want him you can have him less paperwork
for me to do" the cop told Anderson
"So how 'bout it son" Anderson asked "you want to join the Alliance?" he asked
"of course you will have to be sent to school first but once you pass that, you
can join the Alliance once your 18" he said.
Logan replied "Yes sir, I do"
It took a few weeks for the paperwork to be processed but once it did he was
let out of confinement and set to a biotic training camp, the first order of
business was to get a biotic amp which as Logan found out meant they would be
cutting into the base of his skull and placing the amp there, to say that he
was nervous was a understatement but he went along with it and as it turned out
while the surgery is risky it went well. Logan woke up with his head in pain
and laying in the recovery ward, going to sit up he placed his hand on the
metal guard rails along the side of the bed and got a small shock of static
electricity, Logan swore and shook his hand
"Yeah you're going to have to be careful with that from now on" said a woman
standing at the edge of the bed, Logan didn't notice her at first "I'm Hannah
Stevens and I will be your instructor until you leave to join the Alliance, and
yes I am a part of the Alliance but this place is just for new biotic recruits
to get up to speed before joining, so don't worry you won't have me barking
orders at you" she told him laughing.
Logan looked at her she was young maybe mid-twenties with short black hair that
reached just past her ears and seemed very easy going "I check in on all new
biotics getting their first amp" she told him "you the first one to wake up so
far" she told him handing him a glass of water "here take this it will help
with the headache" she said "and you can have something to eat once the
aesthetic wears off" she told him Logan didn't say anything he found it was
easier to find out things if you let other people do the talking.
"So there are other biotics here?" Logan asked.
Hannah just nodded and smiled "Yeah you guys are lucky you all get the new L3
implants" she said "in case you're wondering I am a biotic, I have a L2
implant" she said smiling.
"So you're in the Alliance?" Logan asked
"Yes, though they cycle us though" she told him "if you end up in the Alliance
you might be doing this one day" she said before going to check on another
student.
Logan just sat there wishing his headache would go away and took a drink of
water. Logan was allowed out of bed the following day and was talking to some
of the other kids there the oldest one was 17 and would be joining the Alliance
as an Adept in a few months "I don't get it, what's an Adept?" Logan asked
Jamie, a tall girl with long red hair, perfect white skin and a full but
athletic figure,who smiled.
"An Adept is a biotic specialist" she said proudly "then you have a Vanguard
which those guys are combat trained as well but don't have the same biotic
training that an Adept has" she said explaining the options "then there is
Sentinel's which train with Engineer's and Infiltrator's as well as biotic
training, but those guys can't really do much biotic wise" she finished "so
what are you going in as?" she asked him.
Logan thought about it "maybe Vanguard" he said "I like shotgun's" he said with
a shrug to which Jamie just laughed "yeah I get that" she said "well I'll see
you around" she said walking off.
Logan watched her leave "damn" he said to himself after he was done admiring
her form. Biotic training was a lot harder than Logan thought it would be, it
was exhausting and Logan found that he was eating a lot more than he ever had
in fact he was always hungry but that was always taken care of, they made sure
the biotics were always well fed and on top of that it meant he had a lot of
time to talk to the others but he really liked spending time with Jamie and as
a result they always were hanging around each other and always sat next to each
other while eating.
"So Jamie I guess this is the last we will see of you?" Logan asked "you're
leaving soon yeah?"
Jamie chuckled "does that mean you will miss me Logan?" she asked.
In the short time Logan had been there, he and Jamie had hit it off, she was
always trying to get him to talk more and to be honest he was letting her for
the most part, of course it didn't hurt that she was gorgeous "I guess so"
Logan shrugged "I forgot what the peace and quiet was like" he joked.
Jamie just pushed him "You ass" she chuckled.
Logan laughed "c'mon you know you will miss me" he said.
She just blushed and looked down at her plate "Yeah" she said before taking
another bite.
"You want to get out of here?" he asked.
Jamie who looked up "But where and do what?" she asked Logan who only smiled
"Whatever we can think of" he said "just the two of us" Logan suggested to a
shocked Jamie
"Logan!" she exclaimed
"C'mon I know you have thought about it" Logan said "besides after you leave we
might not see each other again" he said smiling "you don't want a whole life
time to think about the Vanguard that got away do you?" he said chuckling.
Jamie smiled "you're not a Vanguard yet" she said "but I guess you right, I
have thought about it, c'mon" she said grabbing his hand and leading him away
to a quiet place where they could be alone. Logan was lead to a small room
garden tools "no one comes back here often" she told him before kissing him
"you done this before?" she asked.
"Of course, but not with a biotic" he told her
"Yeah same" she said smiling as she took off her panties while Logan fumbled
with his pants Both of them glowed with biotic energy which they soon worked
out could be used to their advantage, Jamie ran her hand along Logan bare white
skin and a slight tingling feeling would be felt by both of them, unable to
wait any more he lifted her up and pressed her back against a wall and gently
pushed himself into her, biotic energy surrounded them both and made the hair
on the back of their necks stand up as well as give each other goose bumps "Wow
this is different" Jamie said clearly enjoying it
"Yeah I know what you mean" Logan said massaging her breasts "You have goose
bumps" she laughed.
Logan just laughed "So do you" he pointed out as he pounded into her, she was
about to say something else but she moaned instead, their biotic energy was
causing garden tools to fall off the shelves and unknown to them could be seen
outside of the shed, but neither of them cared and it only seemed to encourage
them more, they were still going when lunch had finished "shit" Logan said as
he buried his face into Jamie's neck as he exploded into her.
Just as the shed door burst open and Hannah Stevens stood there "you two, clean
yourselves up and report to my office now!" she said as Logan pulled out and
quickly did up his pants and Jamie pulled her panties back on.
Logan waited until Hannah left "well I don't care that was worth it" he said
smiling.
Jamie just blushed "Yes getting busted by the teacher was a great touch" she
said.
"Hey" Logan said "nothing to be embarrassed about" he told her "look at how
many teenagers are here" he told her "I'm guessing this wasn't the first time
she caught someone doing this" he said.
"Yeah maybe" she said as they made their way to the office.
As it turned out they just got a warning and a lecture on safe sex, Logan hoped
he would be able to spend more time with Jamie but she left to join the
Alliance and he wouldn't see her again until much later. It took a few weeks
for Logan to get used to being a biotic, every time he touched something metal
he would get a small static shock but over time he found he just ignored the
shock he would get, he was also hungry almost all the time however since there
was always so much to eat it never become a problem, Logan also found that
since being caught in the garden shed with Jamie he became quite popular and
had a reputation for sleeping around and that would get him into trouble, he
made sure not to be caught out again but he still was caught out every once and
awhile.
In the six months Logan was at the school he was quickly becoming one of if not
the most powerful biotics there, mainly due to hard work and the fact he had no
family to distract him and living at the school which only a few of the other
students did, on average Logan spent more time training and studying than
anyone else. By the time he was seventeen he finished his martial arts training
and received his black belt in jiu-jitsu and was very well trained in knife
fighting. Biotic training consisted of focusing inwards towards your body
before expelling the energy outwards to lift, throw or whatever you needed it
to do, a lot of techniques were very difficult and often Logan would leave
after the class with splitting headaches, it also carried risks and some of the
other students even snapped their own limbs while trying to use their biotics
thankfully the instructors limited the amount of times this occurred however it
happened enough to remember to get it right.
Logan was on his way back from lunch when he was punched in the face, the guy
who had punched him was angry Logan had slept with his girlfriend, the fight
lasted all of a few seconds before Logan used his biotics to sending him flying
across the room, the man hit a wall hard but was ok however it was against the
rules to use your biotics on each other outside of classes in case of injuries,
needless to say Logan was in a lot trouble.
Logan was sitting in front of Hannah as she yelled at him "you do not use your
biotics outside of class" she told him "if anything like this happens again you
will be expelled, do I make myself clear?" she asked
Logan just answered "crystal" before she asked him what started the fight and
was not amused when Logan told her.
"Do you blame him?" she asked "No, but in my defense I didn't know she had a
boyfriend" his answer was, which Hannah did not find amusing.
He still spoke to Jamie though email but it was clear they were just friends,
not that either one of them wanted more than that however were still close
friends, she was going well as an Adept already serving in a squad, she even
got to see some action too, she was involved in a pirate raid and did rather
well and got made squad leader for it, Logan congratulated her and told her to
be careful. The school helped him get to his jiu-jitsu classes as long as it
didn't interfere with his studies which Logan thought was just a way to keep
him out of trouble, but he didn't mind. Logan was determined never to end up
back on the streets since this chance fell into his lap he ran with it, he
could still remember the kid that Finch so casually shot, he would never go
back now, for the first time he felt he had friends he could really rely on, he
did however keep his past to himself the only thing he told people was that he
was in the Reds and he got busted stealing a car but apart from that no one
knew anything more and that's the way Logan preferred it to be.
Once he was eighteen he signed on to the Alliance as a Vanguard his engineering
scores were far too low for him to be placed in Sentinel training and his
weapons training made him more suited to a Vanguard than an Adept and after he
completed basic training worked as part of a colony garrison for a few months,
it was only a small colony so there was always something to do however he was
only there until he signed up for special forces training so he would be sent
to what they called 'The Villa' the hardest training in the Alliance, he spoke
to Jamie telling her the news the night before he left, she wished him luck and
promised a night out once he was done.
'The Villa' or 'N – school' had seven ranks each marked with the letter N
followed by a number from one to seven each one tougher and harder than the
last, to get in candidates train for 20 hours a day, leading small combat teams
though hostile terrain with little food or sleep . Trainees that do well are
awarded with an internal designation of N-1 and are invited to return.
Subsequent courses N-2 to N-6 – are often held off-planet and include
instruction in zero-gravity combat, military free-fall (parachuting), jet-pack
flight, combat diving, combat instruction, linguistics, and front-line trauma
care for human and alien biology. There was no shame however if they failed in
any of the tasks given to them they were out of the program, as a result it
wasn't uncommon for soldiers to reach the rank of N-1 but no further. Only one
in every hundred make it past N-1 and even less make to N-7.
"This you maggots, is washout lane" the Gunnery Chief Emerson told them on
Logan's first day at the 'Villa' "anytime you have had enough, anytime you miss
your mummies, just walk down washout lane and ring the motherfucking bell" the
chief yelled "that is your only out now you pussies" he told them before
getting in the face of one of the recruits "you all belong to me now" he said
"I am in the business of making art out of shit" Gunnery Chief Emerson told
them "and from what I've seen I have never been given so much shit before so
that means business is good" he said chuckling "now you either make the cut or
you ring the fucking bell" he yelled "I will tell you right now only the best
of you will make the cut, the rest of you WILL ring that bell I promise you
that" Chief Emerson said "now boys and girls, we gonna have some fun"
Over the next month it seemed like Emerson was enjoying making life hell for
all of the new recruits. Gunnery Chief Emerson was very good at his job and
knew many tricks to get people to quit, one of his favorites was waking the
recruits up with a fire hose or flash-bangs. After training for twenty hours to
get woken up with flash-bangs was really not fun, however no matter what he
tried he couldn't get rid of Logan. It was clear that Logan was a natural while
the training was difficult but Logan thrived under the pressure and passed N-
1 with little trouble, unlike most soldiers Logan went right into N-school as
soon as he was able to and stayed at the 'Villa' until he passed each N rank
until he got to N-5, his rapid rise though the 'the Villa' was unheard of and
made him rather famous in the Alliance, even Jamie had heard and sent him a
email congratulating him and invited him out drinking the next time he had
shore leave to which Logan took her up on her offer, just like the last time
they were together it didn't take long before they were once again in a quiet
spot and having sex again, this time they were not interrupted.
Logan rose to the rank of Gunnery Chief when he had just passed N-5 training
and was going to be sent on his first N-6 missions.
Logan was in the mess hall eating when he saw other soldiers running past him
excited "What's going on?" Logan asked one of the soldiers running past him
"WE'RE GOING TO WAR!" the soldier yelled as he kept running to get ready and be
sorted into squads Logan stood up and headed towards the lockers.
"Chief Shepard" Logan heard a voice behind him and turned around.
"Commander Anderson" Logan smiled "good to see you again sir" he said offering
his hand after saluting to which Anderson saluted him back before shaking his
hand
"Your progress though the villa made quite a few waves" Anderson said almost
proudly "you will be joining me with the ground teams" he told Logan nodded
smiling at the compliment
"Thank you sir" he said "I won't let you down sir" he said as Anderson shook
his head
"I know that and stop with that 'sir' crap your making me feel old" he said
laughing.
"So where are we going?" Logan asked not bothering with saying sir.
"Elysium" Anderson told him "it's under attack"
After finding out Elysium was under attack, Logan was placed into a squad with
Commander Anderson and according to the files Logan had just read, the rest of
his squad was, an Engineer named Corporal Jamal Hopkins, a large tank of a man
who looked more like a soldier than an Engineer who was quiet and reserved
while checking his gear then there was a Soldier, Service Chief Wesley
Callaway, a clean cut pretty boy, who was telling anyone who would listen how
he was going to kill more pirates than anyone else, a Infiltrator by the name
of Lieutenant Melina Chavez, a short attractive woman who spoke softly but
carried a big gun and was checking the sights on her rifle but not saying much
then there was the Sentinel , Operations Chief Douglas McKay, who had the scars
of dozens of battles across his face like a jigsaw puzzle and who was trying to
get Callaway to shut up with little luck and last but not least an Adept,
Corporal Rachel Marden, a tall woman who wouldn't look out of place on a cat
walk and was telling jokes to Hopkins trying to get him to crack a smile but
Hopkins remained quiet.
Logan walked in and could hear "looks like our newest squad member is here"
Douglas said with a slight lisp which could only be from the deep scar running
across one side of his mouth.
"Good, another biotic" Rachel added with a smile and a nod.
"That's me" Logan said with a smile as he checked his shotgun.
 He introduced himself and walked over to Jamal who only nodded and gave a
smile and quiet hello and that was it.
"Don't mind him sir" said Rachel who smiled "he doesn't talk much" she told him
"but he is a good guy" she said smiling.
"I didn't know you cared Marden" Jamal said quietly.
"He speaks!" she said laughing.
Wesley's booming voice could be heard over everyone else's "man, another
biotic?" he asked "why do we need another biotic for? “ he asked Lieutenant
Chavez "we already have two" he added before he realized Logan outranked him
and was standing behind him, listening "sorry sir" he said saluting Logan just
shook his head and chuckled
"And two of those outrank you" Logan reminded him "besides." Logan added
"someone has to keep you jarheads from getting shot" he joked which also got a
laugh from Rachel and Douglas and Wesley went quiet and walked away.
"You got him to finally shut the hell up" Douglas said offering his hand "I
think I like you kid" he said with a slight chuckle Logan smiled nodding and
headed over to talk to the second in command Lieutenant Chavez.
"I'm not here to make friends" she told him before he could say anything "just
do your job and do it well" she told him while not looking at him "and you and
I will get along just fine" she said.
Logan just raised an eyebrow "fair enough"
"Ok listen up" Commander Anderson said as he looked around the room he hadn't
worked with any of them before but he had read their files "we are heading to
Elysium" Commander Anderson said "two days ago it came under attack" he said
pacing back and forth in front of them "early reports suggest we are dealing
with slavers and pirates" he told them.
"Sir are the batarians involved?" Melina asked.
"Unknown" the commander answered looking at Chavez, Anderson knew she had grown
up on Mindoir and after she had joined the Alliance. The colony had been
attacked and burnt to the ground only thirty five people made it off the planet
alive, some of which even joined the Alliance. But as a result, like many who
escaped the attack, the event left her burning for revenge "we do know that
there is a lot of batarians there but so far the Hegemony is denying the
attack" Commander Anderson told them.
"But these pirates have to be getting funded somehow" Douglas said Anderson
looked at the battle scarred man who was well known for two reasons, being
injured more than any other soldier but always surviving and he also had a
record of most times shot
"We don't know anything yet" he said.
"I only need to know one thing" Wesley said chuckling making a gun with his
hand "where they are" he said chuckling which he quickly shut up when he saw
Anderson staring at him
"You will get you chance, you will all get your chance" he told him, Anderson
didn't really know what to make of Callaway, while the young man was skilled,
he was also reckless and seemed to think he was invincible.
"Yes sir" Callaway said.
Anderson nodded and was about to continue when Logan spoke up and Anderson just
listened, he often let his crew debate and talk freely it helped him understand
them easier.
"makes sense" Logan said more to himself than anyone else and when he noticed
that everyone else was looking at him to say more he added "the batarians give
a heap of money to pirates then just sit back and watch the carnage" Logan
said. Anderson remembered when he first met Logan, the young biotic had come a
long way and was very determined at only twenty two Logan had moved fast
Anderson also knew he was a member of the Reds, even if Logan never mentioned
it much "let’s them deny everything, as well as making us look bad not being
able to defend our colonies" Logan finished.
Anderson nodded "Yes well, despite that we have a job to do" he continued
"Elysium is a tourist hot-spot" he told them "there will be non-humans there,
so watch what you shoot" Anderson told them.
"Wait, two days ago?" Logan asked "two days is a long time to be under attack"
he said "how is Elysium still standing?" he asked.
Anderson who was silent for a moment before answering "We have reports of a
soldier down there" he answered "whoever it is has been holding them off for
two days and seems to be the only reason the colony has lasted this long"
Anderson said before looking around "alright get ready to drop we arrive in ten
minutes".
Elysium's orbit was filled with ships, the pirate ships outnumbered the
Alliance by at least five to one, but the fight was hardly fair, while
outnumbered the Alliance was better trained and had better equipment making the
fight more like slaughter. Logan was sitting inside a shuttle as it made its
way down to the surface of Elysium.
"Two days is a long time to hold off pirate's" Lieutenant Chavez said
disturbing the quiet on the shuttle.
"Yeah, they have to be on their last legs now" Logan said as Commander Anderson
stood up.
"We will find out soon enough" he told them as the doors to the shuttle opened
and he stepped off and motioned for the rest of the squad to follow.
Logan stepped out and quickly got into cover before moving forward, it wasn't
long before they could hear the sounds of gunfire and as they rounded a corner
they saw a group of pirate's three batarians and two krogan with their backs
towards them, Anderson moved forward and opened fire dropping one krogan as the
rest of the squad moved on the rest, Logan had charged his biotics and pushed
his arm out in front of him and blue ball of energy fired from his fingertips
hitting a batarian in the chest and sending the pirate flying backwards at
least ten feet and with a loud sickening wet crunch the pirate hit a nearby
wall and slowly slid down leaving a thick brownish blood trail down the wall,
the rest of the squad made short work of the rest of the pirates as Op-Chief
McKay overloaded the other krogans shields before using his biotics to lift the
krogans massive frame off the ground and while the krogan was exposed shot him
several times, Service Chief Callaway simply charged in a shotgun in his hands
blew a large hole in the chest of another batarian almost cutting the alien in
half and the last pirate was killed quickly after being hit with a powerful
singularity field fired by Corporal Marden which was like being hit with a
miniature black-hole, once they were all down the squad moved forward.
"Good work" Anderson told them "we need to head to the centre of town" he told
them "that's where the resistance is the strongest" he explained.
As Logan moved though the colony the smell of death and burning flesh was
everywhere, dead civilians littered the streets some left where they fell,
others were dragged into large bonfires, as the squad rounded a corner the came
across an asari with her back to them, she was pumping on the chest of a human
man.
"Don't you die on me" she said with tears filling her eyes "Steven, please" she
begged she turned quickly when she heard them "please help him" she begged.
Logan looked at the man and knew he was too late "I'm sorry" he said "he is
dead" he told her helping her up to her feet as the rest of the squad checked
the perimeter "he wouldn't want you to die here" Logan told her "head east" he
told her "you will find Alliance there they will keep you safe" he said as she
nodded wiping the tears from her eyes and walked away.
Logan and the squad moved on, silent from what they had just seen "So she
seemed pretty upset" Wesley said breaking the silence "I mean for an alien
crying over a dead human" he added "never thought I'd see that" he said He was
about to say something else when Anderson spoke up.
"Non-humans care about humans they know" he told him "living here, she most
likely knew a lot of people here" Anderson said "besides I'm pretty sure he was
her bond mate" he said to Wesley "this was her home, remember that" he said
Wesley nodded "We will stop the bastard's" he said his face grim.
After leaving the asari the squad moved closer to the centre of town and came
across a platoon of pirate's, Anderson ordered them to spread out before giving
the order to open fire and shot one pirate though the face spraying the pirate
beside him in brains before he too suffered the same fate. Jamal overheated two
of the pirate's weapons as Rachel launched a warp field into the pirate's, the
warp field shredded the solid matter of anything it touched the pirate's armour
was no different and neither was his body as it was ripped apart at a molecular
level. Douglas overloaded the shields of a small group of pirate's that were
too close together as Melina hung back and covered them from a distance with
her rifle and vaporized the head of a pirate before moving onto the next one
while Logan and Wesley moved in closer as Logan lifted a group of five into the
air leaving them open to Callaway who blew them apart with his shotgun.
Anderson looked around as the rest of the squad finished off the rest, Logan
walked back over to Anderson and heard a pirate still alive as he walked past
without looking at him Logan calmly shot him two more times and kept walking
forward. Something that didn't slip Anderson's notice since this was Logan
first time in combat he didn't seem fazed like most soldiers did after their
first battle in fact he seemed to be more relaxed.
Closer to the centre Logan saw a group of humans holding assault rifles and
pointing them at a turian mother with her young daughter just feet from them
was a young human boy, he had been shot in the head his family also could be
seen nearby just as dead. "Guess you cuttlefish picked the wrong colony to
visit" one human said using a racial slur for turians
"You monster" the turian spat "you are traitor's to your own people" she said
as one human laughed and pointed a gun at her daughter's head.
"You should speak nicer to someone with a gun" he said laughing then suddenly
his head exploded before another pirate had his brains evicted.
Melina smirked and took aim again, as Logan moved his open hand out before
drawing his hand back towards himself pulling three pirate's towards him, Logan
slammed the barrel of his shotgun into the mouth of one pirate knocking teeth
out and leaving the barrel stuck inside the pirate's mouth well until Logan
pulled the trigger blowing the pirate off the end of his shotgun as Logan
turned to the right he shot the other pirate in the chest almost ripping him
two before he launched another biotic ball of energy at the last remaining one
sending him flying into a wall with a splat his remains stayed where they
impacted with the wall.
The young turian girl broke free of her mother's arms and ran over to the human
boy he looked no older than eight she had to be around the same age "Mother we
have to help him" she begged, the mother was staring at the Alliance soldiers
before she joined her daughter by the side of the dead boy.
"I am sorry young one" she told her "there is nothing we can do" she told her
as she closed the young boys eyes
"But mother he said he loved me" the young turian cried "he can't die" she
cried over the death of the first boy who kissed her, to her it didn't matter
the boy was a human
"Spirits guide this one" she prayed before standing up and looking at the
Alliance soldiers "are we free to go?" she asked looking nervous Anderson
walked over to her as the rest of squad checked the corpses.
"We are here to help" Anderson told her as she tried to comfort her daughter.
"She had become very close with this boy and his family" she told Anderson her
head hanging low "We all did" she explained Anderson nodded and told her where
to head for safety.
Logan was checking on of the corpses when he found a strange tattoo, a simple
pyramid with a fist holding a heart in front of it.
"What have you got?" Melina asked crouching down beside him.
"I know that tattoo" he told her.
"Who are they?" she asked.
"Aztec's" Logan answered "earth gang" he explained.
"What do you know about them?" Anderson asked after he had walked over.
"I spent my childhood avoiding them" Logan explained making sure to word it
right "slaver gang" Logan said "real cold blooded killers, they only care about
profit" Logan told them "and they look at being locked up as a badge of honour,
so they won't talk to save their own ass" Logan said taking out his energy
drink that all biotics were given to help recharge.
"Ok then" Anderson said before adding "I will talk to you about this later for
now let's get moving" he said.
As they made their way to the town centre they could hear single loud booming
shots.
"Sniper" Melina said as soon as she heard the sounds before adding "one of
ours" she added after hearing another shot.
Once they came to the town centre they could see a large clock tower in the
distance and on the street there was dead pirate's everywhere most of them had
been shot in the head or the chest "Impressive shooting" Melina said nodding as
she could see a lone pirate not even six feet away being shot in the head.
"FRIENDLIES!" they could hear being yelled from the clock tower.
 They could see the doors to the tower open and dozens of civilians walk out
followed by a very tired looking Alliance soldier holding a sniper rifle "Man
is it good to see you guys" he said smiling, bags under his eyes showed he
hadn't slept in days.
"What's your name soldier?" Anderson asked.
"William Hawke sir" he said saluting Anderson.
***** Meeting the Hero of Elysium *****
Chapter Summary
     Logan has begun his service by serving during the Blitz. If your
     wondering what my Shepard looks like here he is ID .LTF. .
     .16H.141.1G2.E36.6
On the shuttle leaving Elysium, Logan sat down near Hawke but didn't say
anything; he only listened as Hawke was telling everyone what happened in the
two days before reinforcements arrived.
"So it was chaos" he said "people running everywhere, being shot as they tried
to get away" Hawke told them "the garrison unit ended up all over the place, so
we had small pockets of resistance all over the city" Hawke said.
"I made it to the clock tower, a few civilian's followed me in" he said as he
took a drink of water "once inside I blocked the doors and made my way to the
top" Hawke told them.
His eyes were half closed, he would have taken stimulants to keep himself awake
and they were still in his system so sleep would not be a possibility for
awhile yet.
"I got myself a bird's nest" he said smiling "full view all around me, high
ground and no cover for them" he explained "it was like shooting fish in a
barrel" he told them "once I started shooting pirates, civilians headed towards
the tower luckily they bought food, water and weapons with them"
"So how many did you tag?" Lieutenant Chavez asked
"On the first day?" Hawke asked before thinking to himself
"Two hundred and fifty six" he answered "give or take" he told her "second day
I shot around three hundred and eighty nine" he casually explained "and the
third day when you guys showed up I had already shot…" Hawke said before
thinking "one hundred and twenty" he told them "but it was still early after
all" Hawke explained
"How the hell did you get so many?" Logan asked
Hawke looked at him "No cover" he started to explain "and there were a lot of
them, they filled the streets" he said taking another drink of water "it would
of been hard to miss"
"You did one hell of a job Gunnery Chief Hawke" Anderson said proudly.
"Shepard, I need to talk to you in private" Anderson told him after speaking to
Hawke and lead Logan to his office
"So how do you know these Aztec's?" he asked Logan once inside the office and
the door was closed
"As I said, I avoided them when I was a kid" Logan explained
"There is more to it than that" Anderson said "I don't care what you did before
you joined the Alliance" Anderson told him "I only want to know who they are"
Anderson added
Logan sighed before answering "slaver gang" he explained as he sat down "they
would roll though the streets at night grabbing anyone that they found" he said
"kids were worth more to them so they were always looking out for them" he said
"any guy they came across that they thought they wouldn't be able to sell as
slaves they would kidnap them and force them to work in mine's" he said calmly
"women that didn't measure up to be sold as slaves were gang raped and
discarded"
"Where were your parents?" Anderson asked
"Never knew them" Logan said looking down at his hands "I ran from the
orphanage when I was five, took my chances on the streets"
"So how did you end up in the Reds?" Anderson asked
"They offered" Logan explained "I did a few jobs for the Reds, some of those
jobs were against the Aztec's" Logan said
"What do you mean by jobs?" Anderson asked
Logan sighed before looking at Anderson deciding if he should lie or not, in
the end he decided to tell the truth well some of it anyway "I stole from them"
Logan said watching Anderson's reaction while running a hand though his brown
hair
Anderson looked at the young man closely before asking another question "What
else can you tell me about them?"
"I know the police could never get them to talk" he said "they find Alliance
prisons to be a joke" Logan said "besides based on what they do to people who
betray them, it's unlikely any of them will talk if captured"
Logan said while studying Anderson's face thinking that he was going to be
kicked out of the Alliance now "They only care about profit" Logan told him
"they kill for fun and torture for pleasure" Logan added "human garbage"
After a moment of silence before he looked up at Anderson and sighed "So am I
going to be kicked out now?" he asked
Anderson who studied Logan he knew Logan was not telling him the full truth,
since gangs did not normally let people steal from them but he decided that he
would let him keep his secrets "No, that was you then not now" he said "I won't
be telling anyone what you just told me"
Logan smiled "Thank you sir" he said "I won't let you down" he said.
Over the next few weeks William Hawke was seen everywhere, hailed as a hero on
all the news vids and had become rather famous Logan was sure he would be
driven insane if he was treated like that, while the attack on Elysium was also
spoken about at length and the Batarian Hegemony denied and condemned the
attack however this was seen as a lie but since the Alliance couldn't prove it
they were forced to only target pirate and slaver groups and not batarian
colonies.
Logan was still thinking about Anderson and why he wouldn't tell anyone about
Logan's past, but if Anderson was a man of his word then Logan would be allowed
to stay in the Alliance.
As it turned out the squad was given shore leave and went out to celebrate
Jamal and Rachel had a date planned so everyone left them alone, Wesley was
watching the game with a few other marines, Douglas had a poker tournament and
was doing surprisingly well and was on the final table which left Melina and
Logan at a bar by themselves which Melina spent the whole time drinking heavily
by herself until Logan joined her at the bar.
"You did well" Melina said.
"Thanks" Logan said proudly taking a shot of rum and shaking his head as it
burned on its way down.
"That wasn't the first time you have killed someone was it?" she asked.
"What makes you say that?" Logan asked while downing another shot.
Melina turned to look at him and lowered her voice "I have friends who live on
earth" she told him "they tell me the Reds are not to be fucked with and I know
you have that tattoo" she said lifting up his sleeve on his shirt "plus you
knew those guys" she told him.
Logan looked at her "I knew of them" he told her "so what difference does it
make?" he asked her while trying to be polite.
Melina nodded as she poured herself another drink "It doesn't" she told him "I
just want to know who I am fighting alongside" she said.
Logan studied her for a moment "Fair enough" he said "I have shot people before
but only in self defence" he lied truth was, not that he was proud of it but he
had quite a body count.
Melina smirked "If you say so" she said as she poured him a drink "cheers" she
said as he held his glass up and then finished his drink.
Logan was silent for a moment before speaking up "So was Mindoir as bad as
Elysium?" he finally asked.
Melina was quiet before she answered "Worse" she said simply.
Logan nodded "You ok? I imagine seeing another colony like that would of bought
up some bad memories" he stated.
Melina looked at him before answering "Let me tell you a story" she said "there
is a man walking though a warzone and he comes across a dead kid that was been
killed by a explosion, he cries and says "how could this happen" and "what a
shame" and stays there for a few hours even digging the kid a grave" she said
"after he is done he walks down the road and after a few miles comes across a
dead family and he looks down at them and says "what a shame" and keeps
walking" she told him as she finished her drink "after a few more miles he sees
a school bus and dozens of kids are dead and burning he doesn't even look at
them he just keeps walking he just doesn't care anymore" she finished.
Logan listened quietly before adding "That is a pretty fucked up way of looking
at things Ma'am" he said.
Melina only shrugged "It is sometimes the only way of seeing things" she told
him finishing her drink and standing up "Well I am going to see how Douglas is
doing" she said as she walked away.
Logan looked around at the dancers to see if there was one free, he could see
an asari waving him over "You after a dance honey?" she asked him with a big
smile on her face.
Sitting down Logan placed his bottle on the table and poured himself a drink
and leaned back with any luck this lap dance will turn out better than the
first lap dance he had gotten off an asari.
After a few minutes of silence just watching her dance, lost in his own
thoughts before he spoke up "So been working here long?" he asked her.
The dancer looked at him "For about a year now" she answered "your with the
Alliance?" she asked to which Logan only nodded and took another drink.
"I was going to join the military" she told him "well the asari military
anyway" she added in case there was any confusion.
"Why didn't you?" Logan asked pouring another glass and downing before pouring
another drink.
"Because I love this job" she said smiling as she rolled over onto her back and
spread her legs in time with the beat kicking them into the air "I get plenty
of money, all I can drink and humans talk while getting a lap dance" she
chuckled "you won't believe me but only humans talk during a lap dance" she
explained "turian's just stare" she told him "krogan just make grunting noises"
"Asari pretend they aren't looking when they are" she said "Creepy" she added
"but humans will almost always talk, I like that" she said smiling.
"I didn't think us humans would be that interesting to talk to" Logan said as
he watched her dance.
"Oh don't get me wrong" she explained "it's not all interesting, but at least
there is a chance for to talk" she said smiling.
Logan nodded as he thought about that "Hey so what about salarians?" he asked.
The dancer just stopped for a moment "They are the worst" she told him "they
act as if getting a lap dance is a scientific experiment" she said laughing.
Logan laughed and looked at the dancer as she slid down the pole "I was on
Elysium" he told her.
"I am sorry to hear that" she said.
Logan looked at her and decided she had meant what she said "there was an asari
there, she was trying to restart the heart of a human, her bond mate" he told
her "I didn't think I would see that" he said.
The dancer nodded and slowed her dancing down "We non-humans are not that
different from humans you know" she said "we care for those around us" she
explained.
Logan nodded "Yeah I'm learning that" he said.
Hours later Logan was staggering back to the ship he was serving on when he saw
Jamie "Hey!" he shouted out happily clearly drunk.
Jamie turned to look at her friend and saw him drunk "How much have you had?"
Logan thought for a moment before holding up two fingers "That many" he
slurred.
Jamie raised a eyebrow "I doubt you only had two bottles" she said.
Logan frowned "Two...*hic*...cases" he explained before chuckling to himself
"hey did you know you're not allowed to climb on stage to dance with the
strippers?" he asked her.
Jamie raised her eyes and shook her head "You didn't?" she asked.
Logan shook his head "no of course not" he said "krogan bouncer stopped me" he
slurred chuckling to himself "and made me put my clothes back on"
"You stripped?" Jamie asked.
Logan turned his head and winked at her "Well I thought it was only fair since
she was naked" he said as stumbled towards the ship he serving on, the SSV
Darwin
Jamie shook her head "here let me help you" she said as she helped him inside
the ship and towards his bunk 'you know alcohol is normally taken internally"
she said before asking "you ok?"
Logan looked at her for a moment before answering "yeah, I'm fine" he could
tell that she was worried about him and Logan just didn't understand why, her
worry for him just made him uncomfortable.
Jamie stayed silent before adding 'well it is going to get worse before it gets
better" she told him as she helped him into his bunk and started getting him
undressed "Well I don't know if you have heard but we are going to be working
together" she told him "Alliance is increasing raids on known pirate
strongholds, so they are swapping people around, your squad and mine will be
working together" she explained.
"What's your squad like?" he asked her.
"Great" she answered "they are good people, they have saved my ass more than
once" she told him.
"I look forward to meeting them" Logan said smiling.
Jamie smiled as she put him into his bunk "get some sleep we have a raid
tomorrow" she told him, she wasn't sure if he had heard her as he had passed
out by that stage.
The next morning Logan woke up with a massive hangover which didn't help
listening to the mission briefings, the Alliance was planning a number of
raids. First raid was going to be on a space station, the space station would
have intelligence on pirate and slaver activity in the area which the Alliance
needed to chase down those responsible for Elysium.
Logan was on a shuttle heading towards the space station with his squad while
Jamie's squad would be looking for Intel, Logan's squad would be taking care of
the pirates and planting charges around the station to destroy it. Once the
shuttle touched down they quickly moved off the shuttle and towards their first
targets, Logan made his way though the narrow hallways ignoring the alarms
blaring throughout the station, a group of pirates entered the room four
batarian's and a krogan.
Logan took aim but before he could fire he was thrown backwards by a blue ball
of energy and hit the wall with a thud he recovered quickly and took cover
"damn it" he said to himself "watch your selves they have biotics" he said over
the radio "copy that" he heard the response, Logan could see the rest of his
squad taking on the pirates.
Wesley was laying down covering fire while Melina took aim and killed one
pirate while Jamal was circling around to flank the pirates and once he was in
position he hit them with a sabotage overheating their weapons before Rachel
threw a warp at them killing one but the others dived out of the way.
More pirates were joining the fight bringing with them another four more
batarian's and another two krogan, one of the krogan launched a biotic throw
which hit Wesley in the chest sending him flying backwards while Rachel threw
her own biotic throw towards the krogan sending him into a wall where Melina
took aim and blew the top of the krogan's head clean off, Jamal overloaded one
batarian's shields while Douglas launched a warp field at the batarian the warp
field disintegrated his armour before doing the same to his stomach and killing
him while another krogan charged at Logan tackling him though a door and into
what looked like a small medical bay.
Logan saw a krogan fist heading towards his face and barely avoided it by
moving his head to one side at the last minute the krogan's fist slamming into
the wall leaving a dent where Logan's head would've been just moments before,
firing back Logan punched the krogan in the throat before reaching for his
knife, the krogan was too close for Logan to use his biotics effectively and if
he tried it would give the massive alien a chance to tear his head off. Logan
got his knife out and went on the attack stabbing the krogan once in the
stomach, a non-lethal wound which only seemed to piss the alien off, the krogan
head butted Logan breaking his nose before running him into a table his hand
around Logan's wrist making sure he could not use the knife again, Logan tried
to trip the krogan but the sheer weight and size of his opponent meant the both
of them ended up on the ground with the eight-hundred pound krogan on top of
him.
The wind driven from his lungs Logan could feel his hand holding the knife be
slowly moved towards him, Logan could see the krogan smiling as the tip of the
blade was only inches from his face "Good fight human" the krogan said smirking
as he pushed his weight down on the blade sending the knife closer and closer
towards Logan's face "not good enough" the krogan said as the blade drew even
closer.
***** Desperate not Crazy *****
Chapter Summary
     Logan's past comes back to bite him.
Logan could smell the krogan's breath as the krogan pushed the knife even
closer towards Logan's face, moving one hand up to the krogan's face before
driving a thumb all the way into the krogan's eye socket at the same time as
lifting his knee into the krogan's groin, the krogan reacted by screaming in
pain and pushing the knife all the way down quickly, Logan barely avoided the
blade by moving his head out of the way and turning to one side, groaning in
pain as he could feel the blade slicing though the right side of his mouth
cutting though his upper lip and lower lip before the blade finally stopped at
his chin and made purchase with the floor.
His thumb still in the krogan's eye Logan shifted to one side trying to get out
from underneath the krogan, still holding onto the knife he shifted until there
was space between him and the krogan, Logan could feel the krogan's grip on his
knife hand loosen and took the chance to slash the krogan across the face
forcing the alien to rear back in pain.
Now that Logan had some room he removed his thumb from the krogan's eye and
quickly charged up a biotic throw, he launched the krogan into the ceiling
however he couldn't generate enough force to really do any damage so the krogan
bounced off the ceiling and headed right back down, rolling out of the way the
krogan missed landing on him by inches, recovering the krogan went to stand
back up but got a kick to the face, while Logan was getting his pistol out and
fired at the krogan hitting in the chest but it didn't even slow the massive
alien down, screaming in a blind rage the krogan went to tackle him again but
was hit with a biotic throw again this time he went flying though a table and
into the wall behind it, as the krogan hit the wall Logan shot the krogan face
and spraying his brains against the wall.
"Try getting up from that fucker!" Logan said before feeling the pain in his
face.
Logan put on hand to his face and felt the corner of his mouth, noticing that
his lips on the right side of his face were hanging down, taking medi-gel out
and applying it to his face, he knew it would have to be treated later but for
now it will keep his face intact, he also noticed his nose was whistling every
time he breathed out though his nose but since he didn't know how bad it was
broken he left it alone. Once that was done Logan put his pistol away and took
out his shotgun and headed back out into the hallway, as the door opened a
surprised batarian stood there, as soon as they both saw each other they tried
to shoot, Logan fired first while the batarian was still raising his weapon,
behind him Logan could see the rest of his squad still alive and a small group
of pirates of five, Logan fired on one cutting him down before throwing a
grenade into the last remaining group.
"GRENADE!" one of the pirates yelled as the dived for cover but were too late,
the explosion sent fragments flying into the group who were confined in the
small enclosed space.
Wesley stood up and helped Douglas back to his feet before he saw Logan "holy
shit, your face" he said as he came over to have a closer look "it looks like
it tried to stop a truck" he joked
Logan chuckled "No, just a krogan" he told him "let's get moving before they
come back"
Melina who was in charge of this mission nodded "agreed" she said "move out"
she ordered "team two, how are you doing?"
"All good, we are almost at the control room now" the reply came over the
radio.
Making their way deeper into the station, the squad taking down any pirate they
came across and drawing attention away from the other team while planting
demolition charges along the way.
"Ok we got the data" the other team reported "heading to evac now"
"Copy that" Melina said before turning to the rest of the squad "we almost
done?" she asked.
"We are now"" Douglas told her Melina nodded "good work, now let's get moving"
Heading towards the evac the squad had to fight though more pirates and once
again there was biotics, however the squad had quickly become a successful
fighting unit, fighting as one instead of individuals like the pirates, Douglas
and Jamal overloaded the shields, Melina took aim and fired, one shot for every
kill, Wesley would draw their fire gunning any down that were stupid enough to
try and run while Rachel and Logan worked side by side throwing biotic throws
and warps making short work of whoever was left "Hostiles down" Melina said as
she started to move again "McKay?" she asked
Douglas shot a wounded pirate in the head as he answered "yes Ma'am?" he asked
"Start blowing this place" she told him "we are almost at the EVAC now and
maybe those explosions will keep them busy" she said putting her breathing mask
back on and ordering them to do the same, after they all had their masks on
Melina nodded to Douglas giving him the signal.
Douglas laughed "They will do more than that" he said as he pushed the button
to set off the first bomb they had planted.
BOOOOM! The explosion ripped three decks in half venting dozens of pirates into
space.
As they kept running fighting as they went, they came across a group of six
krogan and three asari who went to cover straight away and began by launching
biotic attacks at them while the krogan laid down cover fire and moved in
closer Logan used his biotic's to rip the assault rifle out of a krogan's hands
before Wesley fired his assault rifle ripping though the krogan's shields
before ripping though his armor and causing the krogan's stomach contents spill
onto the floor, Rachel launched a singularity lifting another three krogan
upwards and into the line of fire where they were gunned down by Jamal.
Douglas pushed the button again. BOOOOM!
The second explosion tore apart the life support systems, the space station was
now without air, any pirate unlucky enough to be on those decks without a
enviro-suit on would be dead. What was left of the pirate squad were rocked by
the explosion and began to suffocate; a few of them went to put breathing masks
on but were gunned down before they had a chance, Logan followed the rest of
them as they quickly headed for the evac shooting any pirates that got in their
way, making it to the shuttle, Logan's squad were the last ones to leave.
Logan could see a member of the other team being carried over the shoulders of
another soldier but couldn't make out who it was. The shuttles left the space
station and moved to get out of the blast radius Douglas pushed the button
again and after he waited a few moments pressed it again.
BOOOM! The third explosion ripped though power systems on the station and along
with it gravity, it also set off a chain reaction of smaller explosions around
the station.
BOOOM! The final bomb blast tore though vital supports causing the top half of
the station to collapse into the lower half before the whole station exploded
in a brilliant flash of light. Logan was taken straight to the med bay once
they returned, the doctor started to remove the medi-gel and Logan could feel
the right side of his mouth open up again and started bleeding again he gritted
his teeth in pain before the doctor stitched him up, taking her time, she
carefully made sure his lips were lined up right otherwise it would make eating
a problem or at least give him a lisp like the one Douglas had.
Once his face was stitched up she took a step back as if inspecting her work
before nodding as if happy with herself before she went to reset his nose.
"This will hurt" she warned him.
"Just get it over with" Logan told her.
"Oh, tough guy huh?" she asked as she straightened his nose with a very loud
crunch.
Logan gritted his teeth but didn't make a noise once she was finished, he
sniffed a few times before nodding "thanks doc, that whistling was getting
annoying" he said.
The doctor just smiled and shook her head "you're welcome" she said.
"Logan! Thank god you are all right" Jamie said running in and giving him a hug
"I have already lost one friend today, I didn't want to lose another. What
happened?" she asked.
Logan took a sip from his energy drink before answering "Had a knife fight with
a krogan" he answered.
Jamie raised her eyebrows "a knife fight with a krogan?" she asked "why would
you want to do that for? Are you trying to kill yourself?" she asked.
Logan sighed, all this worry for him was getting old "I didn't plan it" he told
her "he charged, got in close, tried to stab me with my own knife and I talked
him out of it" he explained.
Jamie looked at him "talked him out of it?"
Logan didn't answer instead just traced a finger along his throat to which
Jamie just nodded "fair enough" she said
"So you knew the guy who was shot?" Logan asked.
Jamie nodded sadly "yeah I did, she was a friend of mine, we were in basic
training together" she told him.
Logan nodded "You ok?, it's never easy seeing a friend killed"
Jamie smiled weakly and said "yeah, I will be fine"
Logan studied her for a moment longer before he said "Ok just making sure".
Over the next few months Logan was sent to six different raids and his squad
made it through with no casualties, although many other squads were not so
lucky, one in every ten marine's were killed in action and surprisingly the
pirates sometimes took captives although no marine caught were ever seen again.
Logan had also become good friends with Op-Chief Douglas McKay who had taught
him how to play poker and the two of them spent a lot of their spare time in
between missions playing poker and on shore leave would sometimes enter poker
tournaments however Logan could never beat the battle scarred Sentinel, Logan
spent most of his shore leave with a random women, a fact that seemed to annoy
Jamie which only confused Logan but he didn't let it bother him.
Intelligence gained from raiding the pirate space station had lead them to a
colony called Korlus, a starship graveyard for the most part and unbearably
hot, it was being used as a staging base for the Aztecs, unfortunately they
knew they were coming and were ready for them. Cannons shot down two shuttles
and damaged Logan's shuttle, the shuttle hit hard and slid to a stop, Logan and
the rest of them got out of the shuttle while the pilot worked to get it
repaired, once they had gotten out of the shuttle they spread out a few more
shuttles landed but where all over the place and unlikely to be much help.
Pirates were coming to check out the shuttle crash, moving though the rundown
buildings and across the broken walkways and once in position they opened fire,
over thirty Aztecs surrounded them from all sides.
"Take cover" Commander Anderson ordered who had just returned from completing a
series of black op missions not that he ever told anyone about it so Melina was
back to being second in command.
Logan threw one Aztec fifteen feet with biotic's before shooting another in the
chest, Anderson threw a grenade causing a blast that sent a group of them into
the air and causing the rest nearby to run for cover leaving them exposed to
weapons fire. The Aztec's had the numbers but did not work together making them
somewhat easy pickings for the squad however due to the sheer numbers didn't
seem to matter how many were killed, wave after wave kept coming. Logan saw one
Aztec with a rocket launcher and had just enough time to shout a warning out
before the rocket went flying past him and headed right towards the shuttle,
sending debris flying in all direction as the squad ran for cover and were
quickly separated and pinned down.
Logan had managed to get to safety well out of the way of the blast but was now
on his own, he threw a grenade but had no time to see how many it took out and
since they were quickly surrounding him he needed to move and since they had
blocked off where he had come from he headed away from the downed shuttle.
"Hey you guys still alive?" he asked into the radio shooting another Aztec,
catching him in the lower half of the body "anyone read do you copy?" he asked
again but got no answer "shit" Logan said to himself.
Throwing another grenade, realizing the Aztec's could have a jamming tower
which would be blocking any comm signals. As Logan moved forward avoiding enemy
fire he used his biotic's to pull a group of four down off a wall and sent them
falling to their death, narrowly missing another rocket. Logan went skidding
down a long slope before coming to a stop at the bottom, he needed to find the
jamming tower if he had any hope of getting in contact with the rest of his
squad, he could hear the fighting in the distance so he knew they were still
alive, he just needed to reach them.
Moving though the rundown buildings, Logan dropped two more as he moved towards
the jamming tower, Logan could see another pirate armed with a rocket launcher
take aim and fire, the rocket flew towards Logan who was already running away
from it and dived though a window as the rocket exploded against the wall where
Logan was moments before. The problem was that Logan was higher up than he
thought he was, as the ground rushed up towards him he tried to use his
biotic's to slow himself down, something he had never done before.
"C'mon slow down" Logan said to himself as the ground headed closer towards
him.
 He had managed to slow himself down enough that the fall wouldn't kill him but
that didn't mean he had a good landing. Logan's knee felt strange as he stood
back up, he looked around before he was thrown into a wall, looking up he could
see a asari charging up another attack and then everything went dark. Logan
woke up sometime later to a punch to the head, he was stripped to the waist and
both of his hands were in shackles and he was in a dark room with his back
against a wall.
"I wouldn't think about using those biotic's of yours" said the only other
person in the room with him and the same man who had punched him in the head
"see these shackles?" he asked "kinetic or biotic sensitive" he explained "try
and use them and BOOM" he said clapping his hands loudly "and those shackles
crush both your hands off" he said laughing before punching him again "now you
are going to tell us everything that the Alliance is doing and maybe we will
kill you quickly" he said chuckling.
Logan looked around the darkened room and saw there was a small man that he
hadn't seen before sitting at a computer and looked to be waiting for what
Logan could only guess, Logan could also see a large table with a large
selection of knives, a drill and even a blowtorch. Underneath Logan's feet was
a dark crimson stain on the floor from the blood of past victims, as he studied
the room he couldn't help but notice the smell of death that lingered in the
room as well as the smell of other bodily fluids, pressed against a wall Logan
knew he wasn't the first marine to be bought here and the first chance he got
he would escape, the question was how.
"We already know who you are" he said holding up his dog tags "we just need to
know where the Alliance ships are and what their next plans are" the man said
"tell me and I will kill you quickly" he said "mess me around and I will take
my time" he said grabbing Logan by the throat and moving his head close "so
what's it going to be?"
Logan remained silent and spat in his face
The man wiped the spit from his face "Hard way it is" he said before walking
over to the table "see this?" he said holding up the blowtorch "this can turn
metal into butter what do you think it will do to you?" he asked before moving
onto something else
Logan said nothing as the man continued to explain what he was going to do to
Logan and was going over each detail, the man even told him he was going to use
a power drill on his ankles and use a spoon to remove his eyes but "we will
save that one for last, I want you to see everything" he told Logan
"This is the way I got the last marine to talk" the man said "this is how we
knew you were coming" he said laughing as he picked up a small needle "see
this?" he asked "this is a fire needle" he explained "see they have a powder or
a chemical on them, I'm not really sure on how they work, I just know they burn
like the sun" he said before chuckling and walking closer, letting Logan see
the needle before he slowly pushed it into Logan's stomach.
Logan screamed in agony as the needle felt like the needle was burning him on
the inside before he could feel another being pushed into his skin. The man
took his time with that and had pushed five of those fire needles into his
stomach
The man pushed another needle into his bicep and was about to place one
underneath his finger nail when he saw the Red tattoo on the inside of his
forearm.
"Oh look what we have here" The man said smiling "and here I thought you were
just a soldier and here you are deserving the V.I.P treatment" he said laughing
as he put the needles away and held up a blowtorch in one hand and a blade in
the other "so we should get rid of that tattoo" he said chuckling "what do you
prefer?" he asked "cut it off or burn it off?" he asked smiling the whole time
"choose quickly or I will just try both"
Logan cursed silently before giving his answer "Burn it" he said as he prepared
for the pain
The man seemed happy with his choice "Good idea" he said laughing
Putting the knife down and turned on the blowtorch and adjusting the flame
until it was light yellow-blue in colour and slowly pressed against his tattoo,
the pain was instant Logan was screaming in agony right away as the flame burnt
his flesh and began to fill the room with smoke and the smell of burning meat,
that's when Logan passed out from the pain
"Hmm, you are starting to smell good" the man said laughing "might have to have
a barbeque" he said laughing at his own joke before he noticed Logan had passed
out "don't worry I'll wait to finish this".
Once Logan woke up he could see the man still in the room talking to the small
man at the computer "Once he starts talking I want you to check out everything
he says" the man told him
"And what if he doesn't know anything?" the small man asked "all this could be
a waste of time" he said sounding as if he didn't quite have the stomach for
witnessing torture.
The man looked at him "I get you in the Aztec's and now you want to bitch about
it?" he snarled before slapping the other man hard across the face "you're in
the Aztec's now and if you don't toughen up then you will be in there next" he
said.
The small man backed down right away "No, it's not that" he said quickly
holding up his hands "I just wanted to know what if he doesn't know anything?"
he asked
The man smiled "Then he bleeds slowly and dies" he said before he noticed Logan
was awake "Oh good, your awake" he said smiling "I know you think you won't
talk" the man said "but trust me everyone talks eventually" he told him as he
picked up the blowtorch again and walked closer to him "ready or not" the man
mocked before he pressed the flame to Logan's skin.
Logan screamed in pain for what seemed like hours before it was burnt off and
the man let Logan recover for a short time leaving the man at the computer in
the room with him.
"You're not like the others" Logan said to the small man "what's your name?"
Logan asked.
The small man seemed to jump at the sound of his voice "Sam" he answered "And
you don't know me" he said sounding defensive
Logan smirked to himself "I can guess" he said before looking at Sam "I'm
guessing you never had a family" he said studying Sam's reaction and when he
shifted uncomfortably Logan knew he had hit a raw nerve "No, you had family" he
corrected himself and noticed Sam tense up at his words "but they never did
like you did they?" Logan continued "so they would beat you every chance they
got" Logan said watching Sam's reaction which seemed to relax, which Logan knew
could only mean he was off track "no, not beatings" Logan said "they did other
things to you didn't they?" Logan asked
Sam stood up quickly and shouted at him "Shut up!" he yelled
Logan just nodded "Ok, we can talk later then Sam" he said as he tried to get
some feeling into his shoulders, he could feel the shackles digging into his
wrists and causing small bloody wounds to open up and trickle blood down his
arms
The man moved over and slowly removed the fire needles and then moved to the
table and grabbed a strange looking device before holding it up for Logan to
see, the device was connected to a cord and sparks shot out from the end of it.
"This is where I stop playing around" the man warned Logan as he threw freezing
cold water over him and pressed the device against his wet skin, shocking Logan
with electricity and causing Logan's body to spasm painfully.
The man kept this up for another ten minutes before he stopped and punched
Logan in the stomach a few times, Logan could feel a rib break as he gasped for
air.
"All this can end right now" the man said "what is the Alliance planning?" he
asked before punching him again this time in the face bloodying his mouth.
Lowering him to the ground the man had two others lift him up and place him on
a table so his head was lower than his legs and placed a towel over his face as
the other two men held Logan down, the man poured water onto the towel.
Logan instantly felt like he was under water and drowning, he struggled but the
two men holding him down didn't budge, with his lungs on fire Logan resisted as
best he could but it was a losing battle and after twenty seconds the water
stopped being poured onto his face.
"Feel like talking yet?" the man asked him as he took the towel off his face.
The truth was that Logan didn't know what the Alliance's plans were he was too
low on the pay grade to know that but the man didn't seem to care.
Logan gasped for air and once he had caught his breath he spat a glob of blood
at the man hitting him in the face who slowly wiped it off before punching
Logan again this time in the groin before placing the towel on his face again
and continued to pour water.
Choking and gasping for air, Logan resisted against his captors as much as he
could but passed out soon after.
"Shit we lost him!" the man said "get the paddles" as he went to revive Logan
and restart his heart, bringing him back from death.
Slowly Logan came back to his senses, he noticed he was back in the shackles
again against the wall, he took a deep breath and groaned at the pain his chest
felt like it was on fire, he could see a first aid kit nearby and it dawned on
him they had killed him by mistake and had to revive him. He could also see he
was alone in the room with the small man at the computer again.
"Hey Sam" he spoke his voice dry and raspy "What happened?" he asked even
though he could guess the answer.
"You died" he answered not looking at him.
Logan nodded and decided since he was alone with him he would start talking to
him again "So Sam, I'm guessing you ran from home and were found by the
Aztec's" he said watching for any sign from Sam that he was on the right track
when he got silence and a slight shuffle in response he knew he was "So you
join up, thinking no one will ever treat you like that again as long as you
have protection of the Aztec's" Logan said as he continued to analyse Sam.
Sam stood up and looked at him before hitting an intercom button "He is awake"
he said into the speaker.
The man walked back in moments later and looked very angry "Talk or I will cut
you into little fucking pieces" the man warned grabbing Logan by the throat and
when Logan thought he was going to pass out the man let go and walked away
The man seemed to be getting annoyed now and walked out of the room with a
snarl and walked back in moments later holding a power saw.
"Talk or lose your legs" he warned him as he started the saw as started to move
it towards his legs when an asari walked in.
The asari raised an eyebrow before she stopped the man "let me try" she said
placing a hand on the man's shoulder "and this way afterwards we can do what we
want to him without worrying if he will end up dead" she explained.
The man smiled "fair enough" he said before he kissed the asari "make him
scream" he told her.
The asari chuckled "don't I always?" she said before she walked towards Logan,
her hand running up his naked torso she grabbed his chin and looked into his
eyes "try to relax" she told him "it will hurt less" she warned as her eyes
went black.
Logan was prepared for almost anything however resisting a asari mind meld was
not covered in 'N-school' and it didn't take long before he felt a presence in
his mind and once he felt her in his mind he mentally pushed back using sheer
willpower to keep her out, straining against her and against a migraine he had
some luck resisting however he couldn't keep her out completely
"Ah, there you are" she said smiling at him her eyes still pitch black "your
mind is mine now" she told him "resist all you want but I will get to know
every embarrassing secret" she said chuckling as she walked away.
The asari turned back around holding a box "I want to show you my trophies" she
said as she opened the box and inside Logan could see what could only be body
parts, a human body part in particular "only the lucky guys end up in my box"
she told him before grabbing him by the balls "play your cards right and you
can too" she said running her hand along his chest "tell me are they gun
barrel's or cocks?" she asked mocking him she must of took the memory straight
from his mind "I know the difference human " she said smirking "I would have to
know, I collect them" she laughed before walking back towards him and grabbing
by sides of his face and looking into his eyes.
Logan again resisted her but it was pointless she invaded his mind with
somewhat ease but she could only get access to his time before the Alliance not
once he joined and that was mainly due to Logan resisting her so hard his nose
started to bleed.
"Did you ever stop to wonder why your mother threw you away?" she asked him
getting more memories from his mind "maybe it wasn't her" she said smiling
"maybe it was you, maybe she didn't want to have a biotic for a son or maybe
she took a look at you and thought she wouldn't get any money for you to score
her next hit so she dumped you" the asari said her eyes still black as she
continued to mock Logan.
The asari used the connection she had with his nervous system to cause pain to
flare up all over his body as she took even more memories from his mind and
used them to mock him "Ah, angel wings I have heard of that" she said "wouldn't
work on asari though, our lungs are in a different place" she explained smiling
"still after you have joined my trophy box, I think it's only fitting if you
earn your wings" she told him her face lighting up at the possibility.
Pain spread like wildfire though out Logan's body as the asari triggered pain
receptors in random places all over his body as Logan's screams echoed the
small room he couldn't help but notice the small man over by the computer
shifting uncomfortably
"Ah there's that lovely voice" she said as she triggered another massive shock
to his nervous system
As more and more images of Logan assisting with giving people wings and even
the killing of Ramon and his son "Oh you got all upset over one kid huh?" she
mocked "hundreds of them die worse than that every day" she explained "you're a
killer" she told him "just like us" she said smiling "a cold blooded psycho
killer" she mocked
The melding was taking its toll on both of them "Well don't go anywhere
sweetie" she said sweetly before she kissed him as Logan tried to pull away
after a minute she stopped and smiled before turning and left the room as she
massaged her temples.
Logan looked around and saw the small man at the computer looking for any
information they had on him "Hey Sam" Logan rasped.
"Shut up I am not talking to you" Sam said.
Logan thought his next words carefully "So Sam you must be proud" he said.
"What?" Sam asked.
Logan lifted his head towards him "Yeah, I mean here you are all grown up safe"
he said "your family can never touch you again" he continued "you won" Logan
said as he watched Sam seemed happy of that fact "so how does it feel knowing
your worse than your parents ever were?" Logan asked.
"What?" Sam asked he seemed stunned.
"Yeah, you're a real momma's boy huh?" Logan mocked
"You think I'm stupid?" Sam retorted "I am not listening to you"
Logan chuckled his voice raspy from screaming "Yeah I do" he answered "your no
better than your parents, getting your jollies from torturing people, from
other people's misery" he mocked "I bet it makes you feel like a big man" he
sneered.
Sam had heard enough and stood up "Shut up" he said walking closer to Logan.
"Oh good comeback" Logan mocked "tell me did you have such witty one-liners
your parents were using you? Or did that come later when you started torturing
people?" he asked.
Sam screamed "SHUT UP!" he said as he moved even closer still and picked up a
knife holding it like he was going to stab Logan.
He never got the chance as soon as he was close enough Logan lifted both legs
up and pushed outwards slamming both feet into Sam's face causing Sam to
stagger backwards and the knife to drop to the floor before Sam could recover
though Logan had both legs around his neck tight and twisted suddenly snapping
Sam's neck.
Logan had been thinking of ways to escape but none of his ideas looked
promising but he needed to get out of here now. Glancing up at his shackles, he
thought of how a fox would chew off its own paw to escape a hunters trap but
Logan was desperate not crazy he was however willing to try the next best
thing.
Straining against the shackles he twisted and pulled as he tried to get enough
leverage to snap his own wrist and in the right spot as well, if he broke his
wrist at the wrong spot it wouldn't do anything and he would hang there on a
broken limb and he only had one shot for this to work.
A loud snap could be heard in the small room and Logan screamed in pain trying
not to pass out and waited a moment to catch his breath before sliding his
broken wrist though the shackle and using the blood from where the shackles
were digging into his wrists as lubricant and he now had one arm free and after
a short while later of doing the same to his other wrist which seemed to be
easier to break, the pain was intense but he was at least free, he looked down
at Sam's body before stomping him in the back of the head to make sure he was
dead and prepared his next move.
The asari returned not to long after wards she was smiling when she entered the
smile quickly left her face when she saw her prisoner was no longer were she
had left him and Sam's lifeless body was on the floor where the prisoner should
have been, she turned her head immediately to scan the room and if she had
looked to her left instead of her right she would of seen the battered human
lying in wait.
Pouncing as soon as he saw the asari Logan drove one knee into her ribs before
slamming his head into the side of her face before lifting his head back up and
slamming the back of his head into her chin, her biotics useless this close and
under attack the impacts staggered her and knocked teeth out, Logan seeing his
opening kept on the attack kicking her in the kneecap snapping her leg at the
knee and sending a bone out the other side of her leg sending her to the ground
and once there Logan kicked her in the face smashing the back of her head into
the wall behind her, purple blood was flying everywhere as Logan stomped her
head into the floor.
Logan was breathing heavy and his shoulders were numb he painfully moved his
arms to in front of his body to protect them more if anything and quickly moved
to the door and had a quick look outside seeing no one he left quietly
***** Out of the pan and into the Fire *****
Chapter Summary
     Logan makes his escape.
Logan slowly made his way through the hallways, staying in the shadows and
avoiding Aztec's which was hard due to Logan's injuries. Logan's shoulders felt
numb and heavy and he was in pain all over and exhausted but since he was now
free he wouldn't waste this chance and first things first he needed either
medical attention or needed to find a comm channel so he could get some help.
Logan's injuries were bad but not life threatening, he had a broken rib and two
broken wrists but it was his knee that was really bothering him, he must of
landed on it wrong but since he could still move his knee it wasn't that bad.
In a room nearby three Aztec's were waterboarding a woman when they could hear
the a knocking or loud bashing on the metal door, stopped what they were doing
and one of the Aztec's went to the door to find out who was bashing on the door
as soon as the Aztec opened the door everything went black and he saw nothing
anymore.
Logan had come across another room based on the sounds he was hearing coming
from inside the room he could tell that someone else was being tortured inside
he kicked the door two times and backed up and waited for the door to open and
once it was open Logan ran and jumped using his biotic's to lower his own body
weight and propel himself forward with so much speed and sheer force the Aztec
was almost decapitated from the force of his attack, surprising the other two
Aztec's who let go of their captive to deal with the enraged and battered man,
once landing Logan booted one man in the groin before knee him hard in the face
with a loud crunch and knocking teeth out before Logan spun around with a
roundhouse kick causing Logan's leg to grip the man's neck tight before a
sudden twist with his legs caused the man's neck to snap. Standing back up
Logan looked over at the only remaining Aztec still alive who was trying to
hold his jaw in place and trying not lose more teeth and before he could
recover Logan head-butted him breaking his nose and smearing the man's nose
across his face and dropping him to the ground once there Logan stomped on the
man's neck crushing his windpipe.
Logan winced from the pain in his ribs it was hurting to breathe, he just
wanted to sleep.
"Can you walk?" Logan asked the woman as he stretched his bad knee and flexed
his leg once he was happy that he could continue he slowly stood up.
The woman had been stripped naked and was shaken up badly "I…I think so" she
said weakly.
"Look we need to get out of here" Logan said to her "If those men find us, what
we just went through will seem like a vacation" he told her "I can get us out
of here but you need to help me" he said "can you do that?" he asked.
The woman just nodded "Yeah" she said wiping her eyes "what do you need me to
do?"
Logan smiled pleased that she was going to help "For now I just need you to be
my arms" he said "what's your name?"
"Renee" the woman answered before she thought about what Logan needed her for
"your arms?" she said before she noticed Logan's arm's hanging down and the
tell-tale signs of his wrists been broken "holy shit, your arms!" she said.
Logan only nodded, he felt exhausted even more so now that he had used biotic's
"Yeah I'm fine" he told her "not much we can do about them now, resetting them
will take time and we don't have time for that" he told her "so let's move"
Renee looked worried but nodded "Ok I'm ready" she told him.
Logan smiled and moved towards the door "If you can find any weapons that would
be great at a time like now" he said turning around he could see Renee had put
on a pair of pants and was taking the jacket off one of the Aztec's he had
killed before she grabbed a pistol and nodded to Logan.
"You ever fired one of those before?" Logan asked her.
"I spent some time playing that game where you have to shoot the holograms with
lasers" she said before shrugging her shoulders "well it must sound pretty
stupid to you"
Logan looked at her "Time for the real thing Renee" he told her "you aim for
the head or the heart, anything else is your ass" he warned.
Renee nodded "I'm ready" she said
Once in the hallway, the two of them avoided a few Aztec's who moved past them
Renee had wanted to shoot them but Logan had told her not to and to only do
what he says.
"Listen we can't start a fight with every Aztec we see" he told her "we have to
be smart"
Renee looked angry "So we just let them live?" she asked annoyed "after
everything they had done?"
Logan shook his head "For now yes" he said "I am only one man" he told her "not
a fucking army" he said.
Renee frowned "But you're a biotic" she said "can't you just kill them with
that?" she asked.
Logan shook his head "Yes I am a biotic" he said "and I could normally" he said
"but with my arms like this I have no way of focusing and aiming my biotic's"
he explained.
"So what?" she said "I'll take cover and you do your thing"
Logan laughed out loud at that "Let me try and explain" he said as they
continued making the way though the base "at the moment, I'm like a flame in a
windstorm, no direction and everyone gets burned" he said.
Renee frowned again "But I saw you use biotic's to kill that guy" she said.
Logan nodded "Slight difference I was using biotic's on my body not trying to
hit anyone else with them" he said as he moved towards another door "ok this is
it, just follow my lead"
Renee nodded "Let's do this"
Once the door opened and inside the room they could see two Aztec's standing
near a control panel that turned as soon the door opened, Renee opened fire
hitting one in the chest twice while Logan ran towards the other one and jumped
towards him placing a kick to the chest and sending him backwards and into the
wall where Renee shot the Aztec in the face before shooting the other man in
the face.
"So what's this room?" Renee asked.
"Control room for the cells on this block" Logan answered her as he sat down to
rest.
"What do you mean this block?" She asked.
"This place is massive and would have at least five blocks" he said "with at
least a hundred to two hundred cells on each block" he told her.
"Good grief how many people would they have here?" Renee asked.
Logan blinked the pain in his arms was intense "Hard to say they could have one
in every cell or they might have more" he told her "come here" he said "now I
need you to open all the cells on this block"
Renee shook her head horrified "Bastards" she said before walking over to the
console "shouldn't we get more weapons first?" she asked.
Logan shook his head "No, the armoury would be heavily defended, we need
something to get their attention"
Renee stopped what she was doing "You mean we using them as bait?" she asked.
Logan shook his head "No, we are giving them a chance to escape" he told her
"something they didn't have before" he explained "besides I get the feeling
nobody leaves this place, like a death camp" he said before turning to her "we
will help them just not with them" he told her as alarms sounded throughout the
base "just do it already" he snarled half from pain half from frustration.
Renee did what she was told and opened the cells on this block "Now what?" she
asked, she didn't seem happy about opening the cells just yet and would of
preferred to be able to help them more directly.
Logan looked at the dead bodies "I need you to give me one of their headsets so
I can listen in" he said as Renee took one off the dead and put it on Logan's
head and hooking it into his ear "now let's move" he told her.
As they moved out of the room they could hear the sounds of chaos as colonists
and other people captured raced to their freedom most were cut down quickly
however they were causing a lot of trouble for the Aztec's , grabbing weapons
and starting fires and filling the hallways with smoke.
Over the headset Logan could hear that familiar voice of the man who tortured
him "Damn it what the fuck is going on down there?" he asked "Zorilla answer
me" he said "damn it why won't that damn asari answer her comm's?"
"Attention, Attention, Zorilla is dead, fuckhead" Logan said over the comm "and
Sam and those guys from next door are going to be running a little late"
"I am going to rip your fucking spine out" the man said to Logan.
Logan laughed "Now that is not a voice for radio" Logan mocked "So what's your
name anyway? Arsehole, Dickhead, Bitch-tits? " Logan said "I need to know so
they can I.D your corpse"
The man almost snarled over the comm "I am going to crave my name into your
forehead" he warned.
Logan chuckled "Well you need to know your name to do that" he mocked.
The man went quiet for a moment before "My name is Kurt Silva" he said "and I
will be the last person you ever see"
Logan smiled and chuckled over the comm "Then come and get me then" as he ended
the conversation.
Renee and Logan left the control room and made their way through the base,
avoiding Aztec's and killing the ones that they couldn't sneak past. The
colonists racing for the exits and causing chaos for the Aztec's made it easier
to move around and of course Logan and Renee setting off alarms, shutting down
defences and opening more cells and releasing even more colonists made things
even easier however the dead littered the hallways both from Aztec's and
colonists.
Making their way through the base shooting any Aztec's they saw and following
the path of least resistance they ended up in a large open area littered with
glass tanks, tables and a few cells as Logan moved closer he could see the
glass tanks were filled with human body parts there was a couple of other glass
tanks that had a small collection of other species organs but for every other
tank was filled with human organs on the wall was a large screen with a list of
names and dates and then a name of an organ beside that.
Logan could hear Renee throwing up behind him as he walked closer to the screen
and began studying the names on the screen "We need to download those names" he
said and when he got no answer he turned around and saw Renee wiping her mouth
"Renee?" he asked.
Renee was very pale but finally answered him "Y…yeah ok" she said.
Logan nodded before looking around at the room as Renee used a stolen Omni-tool
to download the names and anything else she found.
Renee started to download the data "what are they doing here anyway?'
Logan looked around before answering "Organ black market" he said "take the
organs here and sell them" he told her.
Renee looked very pale "So what with the torture then?" she asked.
Logan was silent for a moment "For business, to find out information they
normally wouldn't get" he said "apart from that, for fun" he explained.
Renee had just finished downloading the data "But I don't know anything, I was
studying for Alliance R&D but I don't know anything yet"
Logan nodded "They wouldn't know that" he said "besides they may have just
wanted to hurt you" he told her.
Renee turned to Logan "So all that was for nothing?" she asked.
Logan looked at her and tried to think of a way to tell her that the Aztec's
saw her as nothing but a slab of meat and would of thought nothing of putting
her in here with her friends and family well what was left of them "Not to them
it wasn't" he said.
Renee looked confused "Then why would they do that?" she asked.
Logan moved towards the door "Fun" he told her "let's move" he said before she
could think of anything more to ask.
Squads of Aztec's were now searching room by room for Logan and Renee and
shooting anyone that was not a member of the Aztec's however due to the number
of colonists running the hallways and running out of the base and into the
wastelands of Korlus it was taking far longer than what they expected.
Logan looked into the hallway and saw a Aztec with his back turned "Kill him"
he mouthed the words to Renee who took aim and fired hitting the Aztec in the
back dropping him.
"My legs!" the Aztec screamed "I can't feel my legs" he screamed from the
ground.
"Shoot him again" Logan told her.
Renee looked at Logan "Why?" she asked "he can't move"
Logan sighed before walking over calmly and stomping on the Aztec's neck
causing a loud snap to be heard "If I tell you to kill someone I mean kill
them, not fucking cripple them" he told her "the moment you show these fuckers
any mercy is the moment that you wind up in a box" he snarled.
Renee looked shaken up "those were my family and friends in that room back
there" she said and was about to say something else when Logan cut her off.
"And what do you think they will do if they catch us?" he asked "what you went
through before will seem like a vacation to what they will do now" he told her
before looking down at the dead Aztec "you have killed some of them, that makes
you a enemy of the Aztec's now" he told her "now move" he ordered her.
Renee followed Logan along slowly making their way to a shuttle bay, barrels of
element zero which is used a star ship fuel and is also highly flammable there
was also two large tanks filled with element zero as well as a weapons locker
and a control panel to release docking clamps and launch shuttles from the bay.
Logan moved to the control panel and had a quick look at it "Renee I need you
here" he told her and after she had walked over "I need you to grab all the
weapons you can carry and change the safety settings on that" he said.
"What for?" Renee asked as she ran over to the weapons locker and started
grabbing weapons.
Logan had moved towards the barrels and was now knocking them over spilling
element zero all over the floor "I need you to send that shuttle" he said
looking at one shuttle "into that wall" he told her.
"We aren't escaping?" Renee asked.
Logan shook his head "Not yet their AA guns would shoot us out of the sky"
Renee looked around and realized what Logan was up to "You're burning it down?"
she asked
Logan nodded "Yep" he answered "hopefully the Alliance will see a big ass smoke
cloud and come and check it out"
Renee was horrified "But the colonists will be burned alive!" she explained to
him
Logan sighed "I know" he said quietly.
Renee shook her head before walking over to Logan and punching him hard in the
face which Logan just took but had a dangerous look in his eyes.
"That one was free, the next one will cost you" he warned "listen, these guys
need to be taken care of, you have seen what they are capable of, and they
deserve punishment" he said "and the colonists won't all burn only the ones in
the deepest parts of the base" he told her "if you want to get out of here
alive, I still need your help"
Renee nodded "Fine but I want to help as many people as we can" and went back
to the control panel and after a few minutes of hacking she managed it "there"
she said as she pressed the button.
The shuttle launched and exploded into the wall sending fireballs in every
direction and soon the whole room was in flames.
"Let's get out of here before those tanks blow" Logan told her running out of
the room, his whole body felt on fire and if he stopped moving then he would
have trouble getting moving again but he kept moving and headed towards an
elevator "Renee get in" he told her.
Renee got into the elevator and looked at Logan and noticed he was very pale
and seemed to be on his last legs "C'mon I need you I can't do this without
you" she said to him "this is your plan remember" Renee laughed nervously.
Logan nodded and blinked a few times before nodding again "Alright I'm good" he
said "we can leave on foot now" he said "we head up to the upper levels find a
way out" he told her "and you hand out those weapons to anyone that we find" he
said.
Renee nodded "right" as she checked her shotgun.
2 miles south of Aztec base
"We have smoke sir" Melina Chavez told Commander Anderson, Lieutenant Chavez
was laying on her belly with her rifle and scope set up watching the distance,
if she hadn't spoken you would have been hard pressed to know she was even
there. In the distance a large black smoke cloud could be seen rising into the
sky.
"Good work" Commander Anderson said "I want to get a closer look" he said as
the moved.
It had been 2 days since they first arrived here and just over a day since the
squad got separated Anderson, Chavez and the quiet engineer Jamal Hopkins ended
up together and they had no idea what had happened to the others and had fallen
back to a safe distance before they would try and move in again quietly.
"Think it is one of ours boss?" Hopkins asked.
Anderson thought for a moment "I don't know it could be" he answered "I'm sure
she is fine" he told the young engineer.
Hopkins nodded "I hope so" he said softly.
Chavez came down from her vantage point "Corporal Marden is tough and a
powerful biotic" she said "she is fine we will see" she said.
Anderson nodded and looked at his small squad "Let's move" he said.
1 mile north of Aztec base
Op-chief Douglas McKay saw black smoke burst from the base "looks like someone
kicked a hornet's nest" he said, since being separated McKay had taken charge
of Corporal Rachel Marden and the reckless Service Chief Wesley Callaway and
due to the jamming towers had not heard a word from the others since.
"I can see people running out" Callaway said who just like Chavez was using a
rifle to watch the distance unlike Lieutenant Chavez, Callaway had a scope on a
high powered assault rifle "they don't look like Aztec's" he said
Corporal Rachel Marden smiled "Maybe it's Jamal?" she asked hopefully.
"Only one way to find out" McKay said "let's move"
Inside the Aztec base
Logan could hear people screaming as they were either burned alive or shot by
Aztec's, of course Logan had forgotten about one possibility and as soon as he
saw them roaming the halls he cursed to himself for forgetting the fact that
varren are very popular amongst pirates.
Varren's are kind of like an alien dog, looking a bit like a cross between a
dog and a real ugly fish, with bulging eyes and spines coming from their back
but what made varren truly dangerous was the three key traits one was their
sense of smell as once they got a scent they didn't stop until they found it
and the second trait was their powerful and oversized mouth that was filled
with teeth that reached a length of nine inches long and of course the third
trait that they ate their prey alive made them a bad sight to see if you were
injured like Logan was.
Logan and Renee walked past one dead body that looked as if it had been eaten
and before they could realize what that meant, two varren could be seen at the
end of the hallway blood dripping from their lips they snapped at each other
before they both started running towards them.
Renee fired and hit one but it wasn't a fatal wound so it kept coming she kept
firing while backing up and finally dropping one.
Logan was not so lucky, with no weapons he had no chance of fighting this thing
so he ran with the varren close behind him and went to get up high away from
the alien dog but varren can jump and jump very well too, grabbing Logan by his
leg and pulling him down and tearing his leg open and once Logan was on the
ground the varren tried for Logan's throat while it ignored Logan's kicks to
its face.
Just as the Varren was close enough to his face he could smell its breath, a
gun shot rang out and the varren's head was torn in half. Logan leaned his head
back and saw Callaway standing there with a proud look on his face.
Callaway smiled "Stay" he said simply.
"Hey" Logan called out weakly "give me a hand here" he asked
McKay was closely behind Callaway "Shepard my boy!" he said as he walked over
"Oh that doesn't look good" he said looking down at Logan shredded leg "just
stay still" he said as he applied medi-gel to the wound "rest of the Alliance
is coming in now" he told Logan "we have more shuttles landing now mopping up
what you started" he said before he stopped and put a finger to his ear "roger
that" he said "Commander Anderson is on his way in now and the jamming towers
have been taken down" he told Logan.
Logan nodded "yeah" he was still lying on his back while McKay worked on his
injuries.
Marden walked over with Renee "She told me what happened" she said "I can't
believe you broke your own arms" she said.
Logan smiled weakly he was exhausted and had nothing left "Yeah" he answered
simply as he slowly closed his eyes.
***** Battered but alive *****
Chapter Summary
     As Logan spends his time recovering from the torture at the hands of
     the Aztecs, news of his escape make the news. It seems as if he is
     infamous
Logan was still out cold and was taken for medical treatment, while being
carried past squads of marine's quiet chatter about Logan's escape spread very
quickly and as a result many were trying to get a look at the man who survived
by snapping his own arms. The doctors had surrounded Logan and were trying to
repair his shredded leg, however due to the extent of his injuries he was
transferred to an Alliance space station where he could receive more medical
attention as well as being able to recover in a military hospital without
taking up beds that might be needed for the more seriously injured marine's.
On his way to the space station, a doctor had come to greet them as soon as
Logan was on board.
"So what's his story?" the doctor asked.
A field medic who was assisting with transporting Logan answered "Dr Chakwas,
this is Gunnery Chief Logan Shepard" he told her "he was captured and tortured
for a day and a half, he broke his arms to escape" he said.
Dr Chakwas looked at Logan and shook her head "You poor boy" she said "what did
they do to you?" she asked as she looked over his wounds "third degree burns on
his left forearm" she said more to herself as Logan was wheeled into the med
bay "electric burns on torso as well as small marks from a type of needle on
his torso and bicep" she said thinking what could of caused them "do you know
what could of done this?" she asked the field medic who shook his head.
"Might be from fire needles" he said "small needles covered in a chemical that
burns on contact with flesh" he said "it's more like poison ivy than a real
burn but it hurts like all hell"
Dr Chakwas nodded while running a scan over his body "Broken rib and of course
two broken wrists" she said shaking her head, she had been in the Alliance all
of her adult life but this was the first time she had seen a marine go to such
lengths to survive "his leg is a broken shredded mess" she said "we need to
focus on that first" she said to her assistant before turning to the field
medic and dismissing him so he could return to his duties.
Logan woke up a few hours later he was very groggy but felt no pain and he also
felt a little giddy, it was then he noticed the IV in his arm that was hooked
up and must be feeding him painkillers, looking around he could see another
marine in the same room as him who was awake.
"And look at that, the dead wake" the marine said when he saw Logan stirring.
"How long was I out for?" Logan asked.
The other marine thought for a moment before he answered "Few hours, they just
bought you back from surgery" he said "how you feeling anyway?"
Logan groaned as he sat up "Sore" he said cracking his neck, he was silent for
a few moments as he remembered what had happened to him and for some reason
what the asari did to him seemed to bother him more, he didn't know why "so
what's your name?" he asked.
The marine smiled "Matthew Dinnie" he said "I'm an infiltrator" he said looking
down at his leg "my leg got broken, almost ripped off"
Logan nodded "How did you do that?" he asked.
"Well I didn't break my own leg if that's what you're asking" Matthew said
laughing "nah got launched by a biotic" he told Logan "I flew around twenty
feet before I landed" he said.
Logan nodded "That must of hurt" he replied before adding "news travels fast
around here, I wasn't expecting anyone to know just yet" he said simply.
Matthew nodded "yeah, you're kind of infamous now" he said chuckling "everyone
wanted to see you when you came in, nobody really believed that you broke your
arms so they wanted to see for themselves" he said.
Logan rolled his eyes "so when are you getting out?'
Matthew sighed "Few weeks" he said as he picked up a pistol that was heavily
modified and began to take it apart.
Logan sighed and cracked his neck "So where did that happen? I didn't see you
on Korlus" he asked
Matthew shook his head "Nah not on Korlus, I was a part of a raid on a
refuelling station"
At that point Dr Chakwas entered the room and took a look at Matthew taking
apart his pistol "I believe I have told you before not to do that in here"
Mathew smiled "C'mon doc it's boring in here" he said.
Dr Chakwas just rolled her eyes "Now how are you feeling?" she asked Logan as
she began giving him a medical scan and checking his bandages.
"Good" Logan said "All things considered" he told her "I'm not in pain though
if that's what you mean" he said.
Dr Chakwas nodded "Good then the pain killers are working then" she said "oh
and when you feel up to it Commander Anderson and the psychologist want to talk
to you"
Logan rolled his eyes "I'm fine, I don't need to talk to a shrink" he said
sounding annoyed.
Dr Chakwas just looked at him "Well then I will not clear you for active duty
until you do"
Logan sighed "Fine, I'll talk to them" he told her.
Dr Chakwas nodded "Good she will be here to see you in a few hours then, after
you have recovered a bit more" she said "and Commander Anderson will see
you….." she was saying as Commander Anderson walked into the room "oh Commander
you're here" she said
.
"How is our Operations Chief doing?" he asked
Dr Chakwas nodded "Remarkably well" she said "I would like to keep him for
observation" she told him who only nodded in response.
"Wait, did I just hear you refer to me as Op-chief sir?" Logan asked.
Commander Anderson smiled "You have been promoted effective immediately" he
told Logan "I will still have to know what happened down there" he said as he
sat down on the edge of the bed
Logan nodded and took a deep breath as he recounted what had happened, while he
told his story he noticed that Dr Chakwas was listening to him as was Matthew
Dinnie and he couldn't help but notice the shocked looks on their faces
"He was going to cut my legs off with a chainsaw when an asari stopped him"
Logan said "she said that she could get the info out of me without killing
me….again" he told Anderson "then her eyes went black and then she was in my
mind" he said.
Anderson just listened "Did she get anything?" he asked "I'm not judging you
son" he quickly explained.
Logan looked at Anderson and though gritted teeth he said simply "She didn't
get shit!" he said before continuing his story once he was done he looked at
Anderson who nodded and looked almost proud of him.
"Get some rest son" he said "You did good and thanks to the names you got we
now have a few leads on where to go next" he said before standing up "I'll let
the rest of your squad know you pulled though they are eager to see you"
Logan smiled "Send them in" he said his sprits lifting.
Anderson shook his head "Not yet, you need some rest first" he told him before
saluting him and talking to Dr Chakwas and left soon afterwards.
Dr Chakwas walked over to him and injected a needle into the I.V bag and almost
right away Logan started to fall asleep.
"What's that for?" Logan slurred.
Dr Chakwas finished doing her checks before answering him "It's just to put you
to sleep we need you to rest" she said as Logan's eyes closed before she
finished answering him.
When Logan woke up again it was hours later and was hungry looking around he
could see there was Dr Chakwas talking to a another doctor.
"Ah he is awake" the new doctor said "My name is Dr Miller" she said "I will be
talking to you about what happened to you"
Logan rolled his eyes "Look this is not needed, I am fine" he told her.
Dr Miller smiled "Well that's what I am here to find out" she said still with
that bubbly personality that made it really hard for Logan to stay pissed off
After a hour of talking in which Logan answered every question she had asked
but was pretty much telling her what she needed to hear
Dr Miller smiled at the end of the session "Well that was good, maybe next time
you can tell me the truth" she said as she wrote a few things down still
smiling "I can't help you if you don't talk to me" she explained "you went
through more than most it would be understandable if you were suffering from
post-traumatic stress" she said "but we can talk about that next time" Dr
Miller told him before telling him she would be back tomorrow.
After having something to eat Logan saw Melina come to visit him she was in a
somewhat happy mood which was rare for her.
"Hey" she said as she sat down his bed "how is the food?" she asked.
Logan chuckled "Tastes like shit" he told her "you're in a good mood" he said.
Melina smiled "Well we all thought you were dead" she told him "I should of
know it would of taken more than pirates to kill you" she joked before she went
quiet "hey listen I have been meaning to ask….are you and Jamie an item?" she
asked
Logan looked at her "No, we are just friends" he told her "why do ask?" he
wondered out loud
Melina smiled "When you get out of here, I'll shout you a drink" she said and
with a wink she stood up and went to leave.
Logan raised an eyebrow "Are you hitting on me Ma'am?" he asked.
Melina just smiled "Something to think about" was all she said before she left.
Over the next few days Logan's squad had come to visit him but due to the war
going on they couldn't always make it and as a result Logan spent most of his
time talking to Matthew who he had found out was an Operations chief as well.
Of course Dr Miller was still giving him a hard time wanting him to open up but
he didn't like doing that, growing up sharing personal weakness to anyone would
be a death sentence even though he knew in this case it wasn't it still took
some time, old habits die hard after all but over time Logan opened up.
"I never knew the Asari could do that" he said "invade people's minds like
that" he told Dr Miller.
"Well what Zorilla did to you is seen as a serious crime amongst the asari" she
told him "most asari are not like that at all and would look at Zorilla like
humans view a rapist" she explained to him.
Logan went silent and blinked "You're saying she raped me?" he asked.
Dr Miller bit her lip as she thought of way to tell him "as far as asari look
at it, yes she did" she told him.
Logan looked down at his hands "Too bad I couldn't kill her twice" he snarled
under his breath.
Dr Miller studied her patient reaction before adding "It was not your fault, no
one could have done more" she tried to reassure him.
Logan looked back up at her "I know that" he said not really sure what to think
before he asked "so how do you know all this about the asari anyway?"
Dr Miller smiled softly "My bond mate is an asari" she told him "and believe me
asari like Zorilla are few and far between and are no more common than human's
who do the same" she said.
Logan looked at her "Still happens a lot though yeah?" he asked.
"Yes but not in large numbers" Dr Miller said "some of the Terra Firma party
like to claim it's every one in four or that every asari will do it, not true"
she reassured him "the real numbers are closer to one in twenty or something
like that" she told him "so you see it does happen but nowhere near the amount
those bigots claim" she said before asking "how do you feel?"
Logan sighed and rubbed his eyes "Like I can't wait to catch up to her partner"
he told her.
Dr Miller smiled "I think you're going to be fine" she said.
Logan raised his eyebrows "Does that mean I'm clear for active duty?" he asked
hopefully.
Dr Miller shook her head "Not yet, I don't want to rush you back into the thick
of it just yet" she said "just take it easy you will be back in the fight soon
enough, you have my word" she told him before leaving.
Once Logan was by himself when he tried to for a walk, against doctor's orders,
a bad mistake, something Matthew was telling him not to do just yet, but Logan
was very stubborn and couldn't stand sitting in a comfy bed while his squad
were getting shot at.
As soon as Logan put weight onto his bad leg a sharp pain shot up his leg
before his leg buckled and he fell over in agony.
Dr Chakwas came running into check on him "Mr Shepard, I believe I told you not
to get out of bed" she said while helping him back up onto his bed "you have
reopened your leg" she told him as she began stitching him back up and gave him
some more painkillers "now when I tell you not to get out of bed, I mean it"
she told him in a motherly sort of way.
Logan sighed "I hate it here. I'm going stir crazy in this room" he said.
Dr Chakwas nodded "I know I don't like here much myself, I'd rather be on a
warship" she said "however I'll see about getting something to keep you busy"
she told him "but if you keep getting out of bed you will be here for longer
and I really don't want to have to tie you to the bed"
Logan chuckled at that "Kinky doctor, but I think we should keep it
professional" he joked.
Dr Chakwas laughed at that "One more comment like that and you can go without
painkillers for a little while" she joked
Logan eyes went wide "You wouldn't?" he asked.
"Oh wouldn't I?" she said with a chuckle as she left.
Logan shook his head "You're evil doctor" he joked.
Watching the news Logan heard his name mentioned so he turned up the volume
"…was captured by pirates and had escaped by breaking his arms before fighting
his way through the base" the reporter said "he has since been taken for
medical treatment and is now up for a promotion" the reporter said before
moving onto another story.
Matthew chuckled "Looks like your famous now"
Logan sighed "Yeah looks like" he said "I hope it doesn't make my job more
difficult now"
Matthew smiled "I'm sure it won't" he said "although you might be asked for
interviews now"
Logan rolled his eyes at that "Great"
Logan introduced Matthew to Douglas McKay and Wesley Callaway when they came to
visit him a few hours later and ended up playing poker with them, while playing
Logan thanked Wesley for saving his life.
"No problem sir" he said with a goofy looking smile on his face "I'm sure you
will repay the favour someday"
Logan chuckled "I'm sure I will" he said "and don't call me sir, I work for a
living" he joked "so where are you guys heading to next?" he asked
Wesley placed a card down before answering "Well I am heading to some trade
point between slavers and buyers" he said "we going in as possible buyers to
draw them out into the open" he said slamming his fist into his open hand
"What about you Douglas?" Logan asked
Douglas dealt a new hand of cards before he answered "Me, I'm retiring" he said
"I bought nice little bar on Elysium, they needed new businesses to open since
the raid so I happened to get it heaps cheaper than what it was selling for
before the raid" he said looking at his cards "just one last mission before I
can retire" he said
Logan nodded "Nice, do we get a discount or a bar tab?" he asked chuckling
Douglas smiled "Alliance half price drinks" he said "my way of giving something
back" he said laughing "gotcha" he said throwing his cards down "royal flush"
he said.
Matthew swore "God damn it, how do you keep doing that?" he asked.
Douglas chuckled "Well I could tell you how I keep beating you guys but then I
would have to kill you" he joked.
"So where is this last mission anyway?" Logan asked.
Douglas started to deal a new hand "One more hand" he told them "they have me
going to some backwater planet to do a simple sweep" he answered.
Logan shook his head "Man I wish I could join you, one last time before you
retire" he said.
Douglas smirked "Well you would have been if you didn't fuck up your injured
leg again" he told him.
Matthew picked up his cards "So what's the name of this planet anyway?" he
asked
"I don't know" Douglas answered while thinking "Akuze I think" he said "I'm
leaving tomorrow" he told them.
A few days later.
Logan sitting in bed after doing physio on his leg and was watching the news
when a report on Akuze come on the screen, so he turned it up and told Matthew
and the doctors to be quiet.
"We interrupt this program for breaking news forty nine marines have been
killed in action on the small planet Akuze," the reporter said. "The platoon
encountered an unknown alien animal now known as a Thresher maw, a massive apex
predator well known by council races," the reporter continued. "So far we are
still getting incoming reports however we are told that thresher maws are
spread all over the galaxy and often appear on uncharted worlds," the reporter
said. "The platoon was ambushed a by nest of these animals and a vicious fire
fight occurred in which forty nine brave marines died in the attack leaving
only one alive" the reporter had been reporting on the war but this was seen as
an incredible and avoidable loss of life
Logan knew in his heart Douglas McKay did not survive, his luck had finally ran
out and the reporter confirmed what he already knew.
"The sole survivor Gunnery Chief Nikita Taylor is being taken for medical
treatment we will update you as we learn more" the reporter finished.
Logan turned the screen off and laid back in his bed, thinking of his friend
and the brother he never had "one last mission" he said more to himself than
anyone.
Matthew was quiet for a moment "You ok?" he asked.
Logan nodded "It was meant to be a simple mission" he said, "I guess nothing is
ever simple" he sighed "I'll be fine," he said.
Over the next week Logan had two more sessions with Dr Miller where he talked
about his capture, the torture, the loss of Douglas McKay and of course the
Aztecs.
"You have had run in's with the Aztec's before haven't you?" she asked.
"Yeah I used to have to hide from them as a kid, wasn't that hard you could see
them rolling down the street in a van with the lights off" he told her.
"Were you afraid of them?" she asked.
Logan looked at her "As a kid I was, as I knew what would have happened if they
caught me" he told her. "But once I joined the Reds I didn't, they were not
stupid enough to go after a Red on their turf" he said "but even so I knew what
they were capable of and the fact they were not to be trusted or taken lightly"
Dr Miller nodded "So what would they of done if they did catch you as a child?"
she asked already knowing the answer.
Logan just looked at her "What do you think?" he asked, "they would of sold me
as a slave and I could be anywhere now," he said.
Dr Miller was quiet for a moment she had heard stories of what the slums of
earth were like but if what Logan was telling her was true then it was far
worse than what was reported "Do you ever think about it?" she asked.
"No" Logan said simply "am I cleared for duty yet?" he asked.
Dr Miller could not help but smile "Just one last question" she told him "Dr
Chakwas has noticed you sleep with your hands covering your face and ears, can
you tell me why?" she asked.
"When I lived on the streets if you didn't sleep like that rats would eat your
ears and face off" he told her "I saw at least two different people die like
that" he said before he added "either junkies or people who didn't know any
better" he said
Dr Miller nodded "Well I think you are fit for duty and I have to say you have
survived where others would either have died or be locked up in a mental
hospital by now" she said "I think you will be fine" she said "just take it
easy you don't want to damage your leg again" she told him.
Logan nodded "Thanks doc" he said as he watched her leave.
After another week in the med bay, Logan finally allowed to leave. Matthew
released two weeks ago and had already placed into Logan's squad and the rest
of his squad were waiting for him and were planning a night out to remember
Douglas McKay and to have one last night of fun before going back onto the
front lines.
Having shore leave on some small colony wasn't ideal as there was not much to
do, however the squad didn't really care and made their way to a local bar.
"I believe I owe you a drink," Melina said to him when she saw him.
"Yes ma'am, I believe you do" Logan said smiling as he followed her to the bar
and helped her carry the drinks back to the squad's table.
Sitting down with the drinks Logan raised his glass in honour of Douglas McKay,
the rest of the squad raised their glasses and offered a moments silence to the
former teammate before the downed their shots and slammed the glasses down.
After spending the next few hours drinking more than what recommended for human
consumption, Logan slammed his shot glass down as he watched Wesley struggle to
stand up take two steps before throwing up and falling over.
Matthew shook his head "Never get into a drinking contest with a biotic" he
said laughing while helping him up "c'mon lightweight, let's get you back
before you make more of a mess" he said placing an arm over his shoulder "see
you guys tomorrow" he said as he walked away with Wesley.
"I wanna rematsh" he slurred pointing at Logan.
Logan chuckled while he was drunk, he was fine and had always been a drinker
and ever since he got his biotic amp he could outdrink almost anyone, only
Douglas McKay was able to keep up with him "Some never learn their lesson" he
said with a shake of his head.
Melina looked at him she had a few drinks herself but spent most of the night
watching Wesley make an idiot of himself, so while she had a buzz she was by no
means drunk "You ok after all that?" She asked while biting her lower lip.
Logan nodded with a smile "yeah I'm fine" he said burping before he looked at
her "would you like to get out of here ma'am?" he asked raising his eyebrows.
Melina smiled "I thought you would never ask" she said as she took him by the
hand and lead him to a deserted park not far from the bar before she pounced
kissing him and tearing his shirt off while Logan worked on her top and removed
her bra.
Logan noticed she was very aggressive pushing him backwards and into a wall, he
let her take charge as a light bluish glow surrounded his body and since she
was touching him surrounded her as well sending goose bumps over her whole
body. She fumbled with his pants with a slight desperation to her movements
before reaching in and taking a handful of him as she lowered to her knees and
took him in her mouth.
Logan groaned and after a minutes of her attention he lifted her back up and
pulled her pants down and spun her around so her back was against his chest,
bending her over he entered her and gripped her hips.
Massaging her breasts with his hands while using his biotics to increase the
slight tingle over her body which based on the noises she was making she
enjoyed, the sounds of the bodies slapping together became more frantic before
Logan exploded inside her with a groan he pulled out.
"Holy shit" she panted "that was amazing" she told him "I didn't know you could
use your biotics like that," she said.
Logan chuckled "Yeah of course it's the first thing we can do" he answered
"even a biotic with no training can do that" he told her "of course training
helps" he said laughing and pulling his pants up.
Melina smiled, as she got dressed. "just so you know this was a one off and
does not change anything between us," she told him with a slight look of
concern on her face.
Logan smiled "Good" he said looking around to make sure they were not spotted
"we should get going though we do have a briefing in the morning" he said.
Melina nodded "I will see you then" she said as she walked away.
The next morning Logan was up before anyone else and due to his biotic nature
and his high tolerance for alcohol he had no hang over, Wesley was not so lucky
and reminded Logan of the walking dead "Up for that rematch?" he teased.
Wesley just looked at him "You're not human sir" he said with a slight chuckle
as they both walked into the briefing room and waited for the rest to show up
Melina walked in next and met Logan's eyes with a slight smile and a brief nod
before seeing Wesley and laughing, "If I remember correctly you were warned not
to try and out drink Shepard" she said to him.
Wesley nodded "Yeah well next time I'll listen" he said rubbing his temples
willing his headache to go away.
Logan chuckled at that "Ah first time for everything I guess" he said and was
about to say more when the rest of the squad came in followed by Commander
Anderson.
"Ok, I am assuming all of you are fit for duty?" he asked looked at Wesley.
Wesley nodded "Ready for duty sir" he said.
Anderson looked at him for a moment longer before looking around at the room he
could see Wesley was nursing a hangover but appeared fine. Logan Shepard was
once again back and his body language said that he was itching for a fight, His
second in command Lieutenant Melina Chavez seemed to be quiet and relaxed as
always, there was the two Corporal's Rachel Marden and Jamal Hopkins who were
sitting together as always and of course the new member of the squad Matthew
Dinnie who sat quietly resting his chin his hands his expression difficult to
read "I hope so" he finally answered.
"We will be hitting a meeting point between batarian slavers" Anderson
announced "this will be a surprise attack with luck they will not know we are
coming" he said "and for some of you this will your first of your N-6 missions"
he said with a slight smile. "Shepard, Dinnie, Callaway you will be evaluated
and assuming you pass you will earn your N-6 designation" he said "and for
Lieutenant Melina Chavez this will be your first N-7 mission" he told her which
Melina smiled and nodded "which means you will be charge of the overall
planning and execution of this mission" he said.
Melina nodded "Thank you sir" she saluted.
Anderson saluted "Well I have other business to attend to, good hunting" he
said before leaving.
Melina walked to the front of the room and studied the lay out of the slaver
base. "Ok, based on the information the slavers are having a party and are
going to be discussing what to do next" she said. "So we go in nice and quiet
and once we are in position we hit them hard no giving them a chance to
counterattack" she told them "so here is the plan," she said as she relayed her
plan.
A shuttle dropped them off a short distance away and keeping off their
headset's they made their way towards the base.
"I can see a few guards," Logan whispered to Melina "and a watchtower"
"You and Wesley take out that tower, we will give you a clear path," she said
as she attached a silencer and nodded towards Matthew who did the same.
At the same time they fired, shooting two guards who were out having a smoke
and talking to each other, the light coming from their smokes the only light
showing where they were clearly in the dark.
Logan chuckled quietly to himself "Those things will kill you" as he moved
forward.
The team took care of the guards on the outside of the base quietly and made
their way inside the base. Moving quietly, Logan and Wesley took out the two
guards in the watchtower protected from rifles by shatterproof glass. Since
they couldn't risk anyone seeing the blue flash from his biotics Logan moved in
armed with his knife came up behind one batarian and cut his throat from ear to
ear while Wesley stabbed the other batarian in the base of the skull before the
both looked around.
"We're in" Logan said into his headset.
Melina made the signal for the rest of the team to move in and got them into
position. Logan was placed into a small group with Rachel and Wesley were
waiting on a rooftop just below them was a large dinner table with batarian
slavers slowly walking into the room while Melina, Matthew and Jamal set
explosive devices on all the exits except one, the same one they would be
using.
Logan looked at the other two "ready in three, two, one" he said as the power
was shut off and sounds of gun shots ringing out taking out any pirate could be
heard as that was happening Logan and the other two crashed through the
skylight, using night vision goggles the batarian slavers were sitting ducks in
the dark.
Rachel launched a warp field that shredded the nearest two batarian's while she
used her spare hand to throw another three flying across the room and in an
impressive display of biotic power a singularity was fired from her fingertips
mere seconds later, once that was done she pulled her pistol out and began
shooting batarian's caught in the singularity.
Wesley had a much different approach, different but brutally effective. Using
his shotgun to devastating effect at that range anyone caught in front of him
was torn apart he focused on the slavers further away from the dinner table
while they tried in vain to reach their weapons, throwing two grenades out to
the far side of the room sending slavers and debris flying in every direction.
Logan used a combination of biotics and a very sharp knife. As soon as he
landed, he kicked a bottle of shard wine into the face of one slaver, before
slashing the batarian's throat while his other hand fired a biotic throw
towards two slavers, launching them into the path of the grenades Wesley just
used. Logan stabbed another slaver in the forehead before he pulled the knife
back out and switched to his shotgun.
At same time the three of them removed their goggles as the power came back on,
the whole exchange only took a matter of seconds however, the room littered
with the dead.
"Good work" Logan said "let's get going" he said the sounds of alarm's could be
heard along with sounds of a moving gun battle "we don't want them to have all
the fun" he said with a slight chuckle as he lead them out of the room and
began shooting any slaver stupid enough to show themselves.
Corporal Hopkins was now roaming the narrow hallways pulling the trigger on his
shotgun with Melina and Matthew backing him up after switching to pistols, the
slavers never stood a chance as the attack was sudden and overwhelming a few
tried to run and headed towards the other exit's.
BOOM! An explosion ripped apart one exit sending debris flying in every
direction followed by another explosion from another exit. Chaos and panic as
the pirates ran for cover but quickly found out the hard way there was no
escape. One pirate tried to run from Logan and caught a bullet in the back
sending him to the ground, Logan walked over to the pirate who was now begging
for his life.
"Please, I just work for them" he cried.
Logan pointed his pistol at the pirate "Not anymore" he said before firing two
shots into the pirate's skull silencing the pirate forever "let's move"" he
said.
BOOM! Another explosion rocked the base followed by a few more as the pirates
tried to run for safety.
The pirates were at first in shock over the attack and that made them easy
targets they quickly recovered and began fighting back however it was too
little, too late. As Logan and the others made their way room to room.
While there was more batarian's here the almost any base Logan had raided there
was still a very small handful of other races a few asari, two turians and to
Logan's surprise an elcor with dual Gatling gun's on its large back.
"You have got to be kidding me," he said as he shoved Rachel down and out of
the way. Wesley turned around to see what they were talking about just in time
to see the massive alien open fire. Due to the gun's inaccurate nature it was
mostly missing, however the rounds that found their mark tore through his legs
and lower abdomen leaving his legs nothing more than bloody stumps and opening
up his stomach.
Logan raised a biotic shield around him while Rachel dragged Wesley to safety
using her biotics as rounds continued to rain down upon their position making
short work of the room they had as cover glass and other debris fell all around
them.
Wesley was still alive however he was not in very good shape and losing the
colour of out of his face fast "Stay with me Wesley" Rachel said as she worked
to keep him alive pushing his intestines back into his body and applying medi-
gel although it helped slow the bleeding the damage was severe
Logan looked at Wesley and Rachel "Look after him, I'll take care of the big
guy," he said.
Rachel looked back at him "What are you going to do?" she asked.
"I'm going to give him something else to shoot at" he answered.
As the V.I program on the elcor started to reload, Logan used that moment to
run from cover, shooting a throw field at the elcor that bounced harmlessly off
its shield. The elcor slowly turned to track his movements, but Logan was
moving too quickly for the large alien to follow. Logan sent a desk using his
biotics flying at the elcor causing it to raise its large arms to protect its
self as its shield would not protect it from the desk, as it was moving too
slowly. In that moment, Logan ran forward and climbed up the elcor's back like
a monkey as the alien's weapons came back online causing Logan to drop his
pistol.
"Shit" he said as he tried to move the elcor away from his teammates by ripping
out the V.I program sending sparks into the air. The elcor began to swing
wildly in a circle trying to dislodge the human sending rounds in every
direction ripping the room apart as Logan hung on to its back and pulled his
knife out and stabbed it in the back over and over.
Pain and panic as an alien accustomed to neither was now experiencing both. One
who showed no restraint was now ruthlessly hammering an open wound. The howls
of pain exceeded the sound of the twin Gatling gun's fire as Logan stabbed the
alien repeatedly. Due to the size of the alien and the nature of its home
world, its thick hide was difficult to get through. After what seemed like
hours the alien slowed and allowed Logan a chance to climb up higher on its
back and stab it in the eye Logan twisted the blade causing the alien to
finally stop moving and it fell over.
Logan stepped off the alien and wiped the elcor's blood off his face as he made
his way back over to Rachel and Wesley "we need a EVAC" he said into his
headset "Wesley has been hit bad"
"Just mopping up now, on our way to you" was the reply over his headset.
"Hear that mate, we are getting out of here" Logan said to Wesley who was in a
lot of pain and quickly going into shock "bring more medi-gel" he said as he
tried to help Rachel stop the bleeding.
Melina and the other's finally reached their location and took one look at
Wesley barely hanging on to life as Rachel was even using her biotics to hold
his intestine's inside his body.
"Is he going to make it?" Jamal asked.
Rachel nodded "I think so, the rounds didn't go shred his intestine's, just
opened him up" she said "someone grab his legs," she said.
Jamal looked around before spotting them as well as the dead elcor "Found them"
he said rushing back over "what was an elcor doing here?" he asked.
Logan answered that "muscle I am thinking, bastard was tough" he answered "but
that's not important right now" he told him "we need to get him out of here".
Rachel lifted Wesley up with biotics while keeping his insides were they
belonged and made their way back to the EVAC point, after the assault on this
base no was no one left alive.
Logan got into contact with their ship "Away team heading back, have a medical
team ready we have a solider in critical condition" he told them as Wesley
started to wake up and screaming in pain.
Logan took one look at him "How is his head?" he asked Rachel.
"His head?" she asked, "fine, it's his stomach and legs that are the problem"
she answered "we can't give him anything to knock him though," she said.
Logan nodded before punching Wesley in the head as hard as he could him rending
him unconscious.
"Why did you do that for?" Rachel asked
Logan looked at her "He was in a lot of pain and as you said you couldn't give
him anything"
Dr Chakwas was waiting for them with a small team of medics once they were back
on board and quickly went to work and spent the next four hours stabilizing his
wounds but it become clear he would never be able to be solider again.
The team took the news hard however; the mission was successful, with Logan and
Matthew promoted up to N-6 with Melina promoted up to N-7. Over the next few
months, the squad preformed raids leading up to, just two more a space station
housing reinforcements for the main batarian base that was located on the small
moon of Torfan.
***** Meet the Butcher *****
Chapter Summary
     As the Blitz comes to a close, who will survive to see the end of it?
     As Logan and his squads have one mission before they hit Torfan
     itself. The song for anyone wanting to know is In Time by Mark
     Collie, anyway enjoy.
Logan sat down next to Wesley's bed, he was awake but upset, and the doctors
had cloned tissue and had started to regrow his legs. It took some time
however. He had suffered a lot of damage and it did not look likely he would
ever be on the front lines again.
"You must think I am pathetic," Wesley said "I got taken down by a fucking
elcor of all things."
Logan shook his head, "You are joking right? You got shot by not one but two
Gatling guns and damn near got torn in half" he said trying to make him feel
better, "and you are still alive, that's not pathetic that is badass."
Wesley offered a weak smile, and said softly "I'm glad you think so"
Logan smiled at him. "Damn right I do, and yeah it was an elcor, but have you
seen the size of those things? They are fucking massive, tough too" he told him
"and anyone who says otherwise does not know what they are talking about."
Wesley nodded "I want to thank you for knocking me out, I have never been in so
much pain before, I just don't know what I did wrong. I mean I was drinking the
night before but I was clear headed and by no means hung-over," he told Logan
"it shouldn't have affected me"
Logan nodded, "You don't have to thank me, I know, none of us would have let
you come along if we thought you were still hung-over" he said gently "and we
had that check-up before we left so you were cleared to go."
Wesley nodded and asked, "So what did I do wrong then?"
Logan sighed and said, "Nothing at all, sometimes it just goes down like that"
Wesley chuckled softly "So shit happens?"
Logan smiled a little at that "Yeah it does"
Wesley went quiet for a moment and said quietly "I don't know what to do with
myself now" he said sighing, "All I ever wanted to be was a soldier, but now I
can't, docs tell me I won't be able to go back to the front lines" he
explained. "The Alliance told me they could get me a desk job or something but
that's not for me" he said his voice slightly breaking "reading and filing
paperwork was never my strong suit"
Logan struggled to think of anything to say; he did not have to wait long as
Wesley started speaking again.
"I guess we are even now?" he asked Logan who shook his head
"No" was Logan's reply and got a dangerous look in his eyes "I promise you
every one of these bastards will pay for what they have done," he said coldly.
Wesley smiled weakly and chuckled softly, "That's what I always liked about you
Shepard, you always knew how to cheer me up," he said as he looked up and saw
Dr Chakwas walking in, "well I guess that means visiting hours are over"
Logan nodded and put a hand on his shoulder "Well I should go," he said.
"Give them hell for me," Wesley said with a grin.
Logan nodded as he left and headed towards the mess hall, it had been hours
since he had eaten last. Sitting down at the table he was surprised to see
Jamal Hopkins there without Rachel anywhere near by.
"Where is your shadow?" Logan asked smirking.
Jamal blushed slightly but had a slight smirk on his face "She is having a
shower," he told Logan who had a large plate of food in front of him "um
sir..."
Logan looked up at the large engineer "I told you not to call me sir, I work
for a living," Logan told him as he took a bite to eat "what is it Jamal?" he
asked using the Corporal's first name to make him feel more relaxed
Jamal sighed before reaching inside his pocket and pulling out a small ring
box, which Logan noticed right away and raised his eyebrows "You're not going
to ask me that are you?" Logan joked taking another bite.
Jamal was always a quiet one which of course made him somewhat of a sitting
duck, in fact the only person known to be able to get him to smile was Rachel
"What? No" he answered shaking his head "I wanted to asked Rachel to marry me,
but I wanted to get your thoughts on it," he said watching Logan who reached
over and grabbed the box.
"How much you pay for this?" he asked.
Jamal frowned "Not that it matters, but I paid two months wage on it" he
answered.
Logan held the ring up to the light "You paid too much, it's a good cut but not
worth that much" he said handing the ring back "still it looks good and it's
not fake which is the main thing" Logan went back to eating.
Jamal looked a little disappointed but before he could ask anything else Logan
looked at him, sighed and placed his knife and fork down.
"As for asking me if you should get married, I'm the wrong guy to ask," Logan
said taking a drink of soda "I can barely keep it in my pants, but if you want
to I say go for it" Logan said.
Jamal nodded and said "Thanks" before getting up to leave.
Many hours later, after a restless night's sleep, dreams of his life until this
point flashed though his head. From his time on earth doing jobs for the Reds
to his failures as a soldier, his time as a prisoner was the one that stood out
the most, Kurt Silva's face stood out taunting him and Logan knew he survived
the raid on Korlus since intelligence suggested he was on the space station
they were going to hit tomorrow. Logan had not hated many people in his life,
preferring to keep his enemies and his emotions separate as he found if you
hated your enemies, it would affect your judgment, and if he was completely
honest, he did not hate Kurt either however, he could think of nothing else.
Though Logan did not share, his thoughts the dark truth was he not only wanted
to but he needed to kill him before he could move on.
The other thought running though his head was Wesley's injuries and thinking if
he could have done anything about it. Sitting up and shaking his head he got
out of bed and started to look up anything he could find on Kurt Silva.
The first thing to show up on his search was Kurt's criminal record. It read
like a laundry list. Logan could hardly believe the crimes he had committed.
For lack of a better word, Kurt was a monster, he killed parents, kidnapped
their children, and sold them into slavery, and he had raped, tortured and
killed for the sheer fun of it. What was worse, Kurt was a suspected cannibal.
He had betrayed humans to a degree that Logan did not even think was possible,
selling information to batarian slavers who in turn had killed hundreds. Logan
would enjoy killing him, but he needed to know more than just his record.
Logan had managed to find security footage of a hi-jacking Kurt had taken part
in and the footage showed the fact that Kurt was a biotic. "That changes
things," he said to himself as he re-watched the footage looking for
weaknesses.
It was not until Logan walked into the briefing room to plan the attack that he
had stopped watching the footage. Logan and the rest of his squad had been
waiting for the Alliance ships to clear the way for the boarding parties and
now the real fight would began.
"Ok, boys and girls this is it" Anderson said as he looked around the room
"Commander Chavez you are now in charge of the squad, you should take a moment
to choose your second in command"
Melina wasted no time and said simply "Shepard"
Anderson studied her for a moment before nodding, "Ok" before turning to Logan.
"I guess that means you are promoted again this time to lieutenant" he cleared
his throat and addressed the rest, "Now this raid will be different to last
one. They will be waiting for us so expect heavy resistance," he told them as
he looked out at the squad's that were going in.
"Reports tell us that the station has a large armory and various pirate groups,
mostly batarian however, expect a large numbers of other groups. There are
reports the human gang the Aztec's are there," Anderson told them as he looked
at Logan, whose face was emotionless, but a dangerous look flickered behind his
eyes. "Teams are being sent in at different locations; now we need the station
intact as we can't just destroy it however your objectives are simple, take the
station and capture or kill anyone who tries to stop you" Anderson looked at
them all, many of them may not be coming back "good hunting".
Logan got onto the shuttle he was calm, something that could not be said about
some of the others some of which had never even seen combat yet. He knew he had
to try to calm them down and without putting too, much thought into it, he
started singing, a somewhat known song in the Alliance.
"I can hear what you're thinking, all your doubts and fears" he sung as he
looked around and noticed a few smiles break out and some even started to join
in, "and if you look in my eyes in time you'll find the reason I'm here. And in
time all things shall pass away, in time you may come back someday, to live
once more or die once more but in time you time will be no more" Now all the
marines were singing along loudly some even closing their eyes "You know your
days are numbered, count 'em one by one, like notches on the handle of an
outlaw's gun. You can outrun the devil if you try, but you'll never outrun the
hands of time, in time there'll surely come a day, in time all things shall
pass away, in time you may come back some say, but in time you time will be
over" The whole shuttle now was singing along now, every one of them understood
on what needs doing and would be willing to fight to the death to archive it.
The shuttle came under fire before it even got into the hanger; the shuttle
pilot tried to land the shuttle safely and looked like he would until a mounted
heavy turret that had been set up in the hanger, tore through the front of the
shuttle turning the pilot into paste, sending the shuttle rolling and flipping
into the hanger. Fires broke out on the inside; Logan could hardly see though
the smoke but soon found the door, realizing it was stuck he charged up his
biotics and hit the door, ripping it off its hinges and sending it flying,
looking back into the shuttle he saw that there were a couple of causalities
and more than a few injuries.
"Dinnie, help the rest, I'll keep them off you" he ordered.
Matthew climbed out before he nodded and started to help the rest of them out
"C'mon move it" he told them.
Logan could see the other shuttles took damage but most of them made it in
safely, he could see Melina holding a large group off with her sniper rifle and
with a snarl, he launched one group of pirates into the wall. Taking cover
again before the turret could turn his way but was keeping the turret focused
on him allowing the rest of the marines got outside of the downed shuttle; one
marine fired a rocket taking out the turret sending debris flying and pirates
running for cover.
Looking at the wounded he left the least wounded to look after the more
seriously wounded "Call for a pick-up, tell them we are continuing on with the
mission," he ordered. A few of the wounded did not like that, as they wanted to
continue but knew that they would be more of a hindrance than a help.
"On me" Logan called out and started moving forward, shooting two more pirates
who were trying to run, "Watch your six," he warned.
Matthew and Jamie joined him as well while Melina took another platoon another
direction "Stay in radio contact" she ordered.
"Copy that" Logan replied.
Matthew would drop their shields before firing his pistol, one shot for every
kill while Jamie was putting a clinic on how to use biotics launching pirates
in every direction and using her pistol sparingly. Logan led them and a platoon
into the heart of the station, the narrow hallways making the fighting intense
Logan lost three more in the hallways and another four going from room to room.
It was in one of these rooms that a pirate dropped his weapon and held his
hands above his head.
"I surrender," he told them "don't shoot"
Logan looked at the pirate before thinking of the mess behind them and the
fight ahead of them "Kick your weapon over" he ordered the pirate keeping his
weapon trained on him
The pirate did and Logan moved closer to him before kicking him in the back of
the knee dropping him to his knees, placed his pistol to the pirate's forehead
and before the pirate could say anything, Logan pulled the trigger
"We can't take prisoners, it would leave our flank exposed" Logan explained
calmly "no mercy and no prisoners understood?" he asked.
"Ooh-Rah" the platoon said at once.
Heading back into the hallway seeing more pirates of different races rushing to
great them "Snipers take them out" Logan ordered "biotics on me"
Matthew was one of the snipers, switched his pistol for his rifle, and took aim
and fired; the round tearing though the pirate's shields and vaporizing her
head before he took cover the other snipers followed his lead taking out a
pirate each with every shot.
"Push forward" Logan ordered as he used his biotics to force a cluster of
pirates back and firing his shotgun into the group before they landed and
throwing a grenade, due to the packed hallways the pirates could not get out of
its way before it detonated, tearing though body parts and sending chunks
flying.
Moving forward the marines shot any pirates they came across, until they
reached an open area with cages some of the cages had people inside them mostly
human but there were other races as well.
"Slaves" Logan said looking around for a release switch.
"Sir" said one of the slaves, a turian "the control panel is over there, and
the pirates headed in that direction"
Logan looked at the alien "You military?" he asked.
"Was, I did my service as a combat engineer but got out and become a merchant,
was selling power generators on human colony's that were just starting out" the
turian said staring Logan dead in the face and not blinking like all turians
seem to do.
Logan nodded and ordered another marine to open the cages, before picking up a
pirates rifle "I am giving you a job to do and I expect you to do it have a
problem with that?" he asked handing her the rifle.
The turian seemed to stand up straighter "No sir"
Logan nodded "Good, I want you to lead these people to safety, just head
towards the hanger if you don't know where that is just follow the dead," he
told him looking around at the others that were had been sold into slavery.
Including a large group of children who the oldest would have been no more than
seven years old all of which being comforted by an young woman, "ok kids, I
need you to do something for me," he said as he kneeled down to be at their eye
level. "I want you to hold hands and close your eyes you don't need to see
what's outside this room," he told them thinking of the dead and body parts
scattered, keeping his voice calm before he looked at the woman "you're getting
out of here" who smiled weakly in response.
"Wait your trusting this alien with our lives?" complained one of the human
captives.
Logan looked at the man "Do you have military training?" he asked coldly.
"Um…no" the man admitted.
"Then shut the fuck up, do as you are told and maybe you will live though this"
Logan snapped, bigots always annoyed him and now was not the best time for it.
The turian nodded, her face determined "I won't let you down sir and thank
you," she said as she turned and began leading the slaves of many races but
mostly human out.
Logan looked back at the platoon "Let's finish this" he told them before
contacting Melina "Commander Chavez, we just came across a large group of
slaves they are heading towards the hanger, we are now heading after the
remaining pirates" he told Melina.
"Roger that, we hit some resistance but we will meet up with you when we can"
she said the sound of gunfire in the background "god damn it keep your head
down, any causalities on your end?"
"Seven didn't make it" Logan told her "but we are fine we will see you soon"
"Roger that" came the reply.
After that, Logan led the platoon down the hallways going room-to-room leading
to another large open area with cages and a large pit almost like an arena.
These cages had varren in them though, Logan entered the room first, and before
he could do anything, a biotic field threw the marines directly behind him back
out into the hallway and the door closed behind him shutting him off from the
rest of the marines.
"Don't worry about them," a familiar voice said, "my team is looking after
them"
Logan turned to the sound of the voice and saw Kurt Silva standing there on a
walkway, still glowing slightly blue from his biotics "I believe we have a
score to settle?"
Logan narrowed his eyes "That's right you were going to hurt me for killing
that asari slut weren't you?" he teased, trying to rattle the slaver "would you
like to know how she died?" he asked coldly.
Kurt just smirked "I am going to hurt you now"
Logan rolled his eyes "How by talking me to death?"
Kurt laughed like a manic "No, like this" he screamed launching a biotic throw
at Logan.
Logan dived for cover as the warp field narrowly missed him, before he took a
grenade and threw it towards Kurt, whose biotic field knocked the grenade off
course severely damaging the walkway Kurt was on, with the walkway creaking and
groaning. Logan threw a biotic throw not aiming at Kurt but at the already
weakened walkway and with a loud crash, the whole thing came down.
"C'mon you're not getting tired are you?" Logan teased as he stood up to look
for him, shotgun still in his hands.
"You wish" Kurt snarled as he showed himself behind the walkway, which was now
a mess of twisted metal "try this on for size", he said as he launched a
singularity towards Logan.
Logan was barely able to avoid the powerful biotics, hanging on to a railing to
stop him from being pulled into the deadly centre of the singularity, which
easily picked up anything not bolted down and swirled it around and after a few
seconds, it shut off.
'You think you're a match for me?" Kurt screamed as he sent parts of the
walkway flying towards Logan "you were taught your biotics by failed soldiers,
I was taught by a race of biotics" Kurt said as he sent another large piece of
debris Logan's way.
"Lieutenant Shepard do you hear me?" Matthew Dinnie asked over the comms.
"Kind of busy right now" Logan said as another piece of metal narrowly missed
his head.
Logan rolled into cover again but kept moving as large chunks of metal impaled
the wall near him, taking aim Logan fired his shotgun twice, his shots bouncing
off Kurt's shield, so he kept moving slightly closer to Kurt and every now and
then he threw a piece of metal towards Kurt. The varren in the cages were now
snapping at the bars and trying to get out, Varren were drawn into conflict as
they knew that's where food would be, like how a shark is drawn to splashing in
the water.
Logan smiled as he realized due the noise and flying objects Kurt had lost
track of him but Logan had not lost track of him.
"Stop hiding and come out and fight" Kurt screamed in rage "you think your
little soldier buddies will ever except a killer like you?" he asked still
looking around for Logan and throwing objects around blindly. "You know Zorilla
told me what she found out about you, cutting the lungs out of traitors,
shooting people in the back while they tried to run away," Kurt yelled out
before stopping and snorting some red sand.
As Logan just sat and waited, he knew he would never win a straight up biotic
brawl with Kurt not while Kurt was off his head on sand, to a normal person red
sand would grant them very minor biotic abilities. To a biotic however, it
super charged them at the risk of burning them out quickly of course, with the
amount Kurt could have been taking in his life, Logan did not like his chances
of waiting for him to overdose, as Kurt's tolerance would be very high.
"We are the same you know?" Kurt yelled out taking yet another hit of sand.
Logan roared as he exploded from the shadows and opened fire with his shotgun
at point blank range; Kurt's shields absorbed most of the impacts but still
wavered under the assault. While Logan charged up a biotic pull and keep Kurt
within close range, but as Kurt got close he grabbed the shotgun, flinging it
down into the pit, and delivered a series of head-butts that broke Logan's
nose.
Kurt laughed, "Ah there you are, this is better isn't it, up close and
personal?" Kurt said as he went to use his assault rifle on Logan who recovered
quickly and grabbed the rifle as Kurt fired it sending rounds into the ceiling.
With both hands on the rifle now, it became a struggle over who would get
control of it and in the struggle both of them lost their footing and fell
backwards into the pit.
Landing with a thud that stunned both of them, the rifle landed not far away,
as they made their way to their feet and the fight continued and due to the
close proximity of the two, neither would give the other a chance for their
biotics to be effective. Kurt tackled Logan into the wall of the pit and landed
brutal uppercuts to his ribs, before Logan deflected a punch and countered with
punches of his own.
"You're wrong, we are nothing alike," Logan said as he landed another punch to
the jaw of Kurt "you should have heard your girlfriend squeal when I broke her
fucking neck!" Logan screamed as he kneed Kurt in the face repeatedly.
Kurt snarled as he blocked a knee and drove Logan to the ground, "Right, you
doing this for all the little boys and girls on earth right?" Kurt mocked as he
landed punch after punch and started trying to smash Logan's head into the
ground "you think you so fucking special don't you?" Kurt snarled, "You're not
so smart now are you?"
Logan's head bounced off the ground twice before he got his knife free and
stabbed Kurt in between his legs "Maybe not, but I'm smart enough to cover my
balls in a fight" Logan snarled as he got his legs up and kicked Kurt off him
and sent him back into a cage with a varren inside it.
The Varren reached though the bars just enough to grab Kurt and started trying
to pull him into the cage by his arm, but since Kurt would not fit, the varren
could not pull Kurt inside the cage. It did not stop it from trying however,
the sound of bones snapping and tearing were drowned out by Kurt screaming in
agony.
Standing up, Logan wiped his blade and looked over at Kurt who was still alive,
but looked for his shotgun instead; picking it up and making sure, it still
worked he began to walk away but was stopped by the sound of Kurt.
"Just shoot me," Kurt screamed.
Logan raised his gun towards Kurt before he thought better of it and lowered
it, instead he climbed out of the pit while Kurt screamed for a mercy killing,
once back out of the pit he contacted the rest of the marine's "You guys ok out
there?"
"Yeah we are fine" Dinnie replied, "Commander Chavez joined up with us, we
surrounded them and they gave up right away, we are getting the doors open now"
Logan stood there in silence and watched Kurt eaten alive, as he straightened
his nose, "Copy that"
Logan could hear the doors behind him open again "Lieutenant Shepard, good to
see your still alive" Melina said as she walked over to stand beside him "what
kept y….." she went ask but stopped when she saw Kurt being eaten alive by
varren "is he still alive?" she asked raising her pistol to deliver a mercy
killing.
"Yeah he is" Logan said as he put his hand on her gun and lowered the gun, "he
deserves worse" he said simply.
Melina just looked at Logan and asked, "Who is he?"
Logan hit the release controls to open the cage so the varren could finish him
off "We met on Korlus, he tortured me and I shattered his bond mate's skull,"
he said coldly as watched the varren tear into Kurt's stomach.
Melina nodded "And now you're feeding him alive to his varren"
Logan nodded and cracked his neck before taking out a small amount of medi-gel
and applying that to his broken nose, which thankfully was nowhere near as bad
as the last broken nose he got. "The punishment must fit the crime," Logan told
her as Kurt finally stopped struggling "these slaver's don't understand
anything other than violence and fear, when they hear about this they will be
scared and that fear will force them to panic and make mistakes"
Melina was silent for a moment "Did you order your men to kill any prisoners?"
Logan sighed; he knew this was coming "Only slavers and pirates that could
affect our mission by leaving our flank open"
Melina smiled slightly "I agree, I still have to report this though;" she said,
"c'mon we should finish up"
Making their way through the station freeing any slaves they found and getting
into a couple of gun battles with the pirates that were left but after a hour
or so the station was cleared and the marines headed back to their respective
ships.
Next mission would be Torfan and that would be by tomorrow night. In the
meantime, a new officer came on board to take control of the operations. A
Major Kyle who would be leading all ground forces on Torfan and Logan was
ordered to speak to not only Commander Anderson but Admiral Hackett and of
course Major Kyle. After he got patched up Logan went to see them.
"Ah Lieutenant Shepard, come in and have a seat" Major Kyle said once Logan had
reached his office, Logan took a seat and waited for Major Kyle to speak "I
understand you shot prisoners on that space station, can you tell me why?"
Logan frowned, he wasn't sure if he liked the major, Logan looked around at
Admiral Hackett and Commander Anderson before answering "leaving them alive
would of left our flank wide open, as well as sending a message to the
remaining slavers as well as making things easier moving forward"
Commander Anderson raised an eyebrow at that "What message?"
Logan looked at Commander Anderson and answered, his voice calm and calculating
"That humans are not to be taken lightly"
Admiral Hackett spoke up at that point "How do you figure it makes things
easier?"
Logan thought for a moment, then answered "I know how these types of criminal's
think, they need to believe that they are they the toughest and meanest people
in the galaxy, when it becomes clear they are not they will panic, when they
panic they will make mistakes"
Major Kyle spoke up again; he did not seem to be happy "Is that why you feed
one pirate alive to varren?" he asked with a slight snarl to his voice.
Logan ignored the Major Kyle's attitude, but answered it just the same "Yes
that and they looked hungry" Logan answered coldly.
"Don't be clever Lieutenant, You went too far" Major Kyle said as he looked
towards Admiral Hackett and Commander Anderson who said nothing, "I can't use
him on Torfan" the Major said before looking down at Logan "too bloodthirsty"
Commander Anderson went to say something but Admiral Hackett stopped him "You
need him down there, he has a lot of experience and is calm under fire"
Major Kyle did not like that and gave Logan a dirty look before leaving.
Admiral Hackett watched him leave "Go and get some rest, we attack Torfan is
tomorrow"
Logan nodded, saluted and walked out, he ran into Hopkins on his way to the
mess hall "Hey Hopkins so how did your question go?" he asked keeping his
question vague in case Rachel was nearby.
"Have not asked her yet, was going to wait until after Torfan," he said
quietly.
Logan nodded and asked "Any idea how you're going to do it?"
Jamal shook his head "Nah not yet, I just want it to be perfect"
Logan smiled and said, "No wonder you were always so quiet"
Jamal frowned "Oh?"
Logan chuckled "You were always wondering how to ask"
Jamal blushed and chuckled "Yeah guilty as charged" Jamal took drink before
asking Logan "how about you sir?"
Logan shook his head "Nah, Jamie I think wanted something more but ..." he said
as he took a bite from his plate, "I'm not ready to settle down yet"
Jamal nodded "Fair enough"
Logan finished his meal and went for a shower Torfan would be in morning, the
fighting would be intense by all accounts the bunker heavily fortified and the
slavers knew they were coming. The hot water ran over his head as Logan thought
about the possibility of dying or seeing friends die on Torfan, he was not
fooling himself on his chances, at least Kurt Silva was now dead and that made
him feel like he had some closure about that issue at least.
The next morning he woke up and headed to the briefing room, he saw Jamie walk
past him she did not seem pleased, with a shrug of his shoulders he headed into
the room and since as he was told that this mission was going to be his N-
7 mission he was a part of the planning. The idea was to cut the communications
before getting to the main doors of the bunker using the cover of orbital
bombardment and that was about as dangerous as it sounds, and then once the
doors were open, the brutal close range fighting would begin.
Logan looked around; this was the largest number of marines he had ever worked
with, he would be leading the teams involved in the first push into the bunker.
While Melina was, still his Commander she was going to be in charge of cutting
the communications while Major Kyle was going to be in charge overall.
"Don't move in until we give the word, that we have completed our objective"
Melina ordered as her teams took off towards the massive radio tower.
"Yes Ma'am" Logan replied before turning to his team "get ready boys and girls,
once the tower is down, we need to get to the doors so stay low and run. The
bombardment will start soon and will be aimed in front of us and at the bunker,
the guys up there, know what they are doing so relax and remember your
training"
"Tower is down" Melina said, "Let's get to those doors"
Logan waved his hand to his team "copy that" he said to Melina before starting
to run towards the doors while large explosions hit the bunker with enough
force that the impacts could be felt where Logan was and as they got closer the
shockwaves were strong enough to send a few of them stumbling.
Once they were closer, the bombardments stopped and a second later the bunkers
defences took aim, opening fire, luckily Logan and the most of the marines were
now close enough that they were able to avoid most of the defences. However,
some were not so lucky, the heavy mounted turrets tore them apart, and some had
stepped on land mines sending bits of blood and bone into the air.
"Dinnie, get these doors open" Logan ordered before looking at the rest of his
team "once the door is open, grenades and smoke bombs first, biotics open them
up and send them running"
The massive doors started to open and the team started filling the bunkers
hanger with grenades and smoke bombs then wave after wave of biotic fields
followed everything from singularities to lift and throw fields allowing them
to gain an early foothold in the hanger. Once inside the marines slowly began
pushing deeper into the base as Commander Chavez and Major Kyle joined them
spreading out and only take a few casualties.
Major Kyle did a quick scan of the hanger once it was clear of hostiles
"Someone work out if that elevator is the only way down"
Logan really did not want to go down to the next levels in an elevator "Sir we
can't go down in an elevator, we would be cut to pieces when the doors open"
Major Kyle glared at Logan before another marine came over and told the Major
about the stairwell leading down "I know that, that is why we are taking the
stairs as well" he answered smugly
Logan couldn't believe his ears "The stairwell is a death trap as well, limited
room, no cover" he explained "sir, why not place a demo charge in the floor and
we can drop in through the ceiling of the next floor?"
Major Kyle shook his head "No, we do it my way"
Logan gritted his teeth but said, "Yes sir" and made his way towards the stairs
"Shepard I want you in the elevator," Major Kyle ordered
Logan did as ordered; Jamie and Melina were also with him along a small group
most of whom Logan did not know, while Matthew, Jamal, Rachel and Major Kyle
took the stairs and once inside the elevator Logan hit the button to go down
one level. It felt as if they were signing their death warrant "Whatever
happens, it has been an honour" Logan said, the others agreed and a moment
later the doors opened.
Once the doors were open Logan and the others opened fire and poured out of the
elevator, one of the marines who Logan did not know, was thrown backwards into
the elevator by a biotic before being torn apart by automatic weapons fire.
Melina knew to target the biotic salvers first and as soon as one showed it was
a biotic, she would gun them down, this however made her a clear target and a
slaver took aim and shot her in the face spraying her brains across Logan's
face.
That slaver took a singularity from Jamie right in the chest, which picked up
five slavers as well, five shots by the other marine Logan did not know took
care of them. While Logan launched a throw, sending another four sliding across
the room at that moment he could also hear the sounds of the rest of the marine
attacking from the staircase, while the slavers had the numbers they did not
have the training or the skill to fight two groups of attacks from two sides.
Logan wiped Melina's brains off his face and shot one slaver in the chest with
his shotgun as he saw another marine cut in half as well as seeing another
marine picked up by a biotic and lifted right into the line of fire. After a
couple more minutes the fighting stopped and Logan made his way over to what
was left of Melina Chavez, kneeling down he took a deep breath before
collecting her dog tags. "I'll never forget you," he said closing her eyes; he
did not dare move her as the exit wound on the back of her head would be
horrific and he knew he could not handle that.
Major Kyle was clearly shaken "Status?" he asked as he tried and failed to
project the image of being calm and failed.
Logan looked up and fought back the urge to scream at him "Commander Chavez is
dead, Only Lieutenant Price and I are left" he said clearly having trouble
keeping his anger in check, "we were cut to pieces"
Major Kyle looked down "I know that, we lost most of our people down the
stairs, they set up mines on the stairs... I made a bad call" the Major was
shaking slightly and went silent as a tear rolled down his face.
Logan shook his head and gathered up his team "Now we need to get to the next
floor down, Matthew I want you and Jamal to check for security defences and see
if you can turn them against them." Turning to the rest of them "as for the
rest of you I want you to have a quick scout around on this floor and see what
we have to play with"
Major Kyle snapped out of his daze "I am still in charge Lieutenant and I want
you to supervise the security" he said clearly taking Logan's lead but still
wanting to be in charge.
Logan turned his head "Yes sir" he said with a slight snarl, "I guess you're
not going to want to take the stairs again?"
Major Kyle got angry and stepped up to Logan "I suggest you watch your tone
Lieutenant, I am still in charge of this operation"
Logan did not back down "Major Kyle sir, you have let your personal feelings
for me interfere with this mission, you made a terrible call which cost the
lives of multiple marines including Commander Chavez and it is clear that you
cannot focus on the mission at hand, I am relieving you of your command"
Major Kyle screamed in rage, "This is mutiny!"
Logan spun around and punched Major Kyle in the jaw breaking the Major's jaw
and sending him to the floor. "Anyone who wants to take orders from the Major
feel free to arrest me otherwise I want you to lead the Major to back upstairs
and outside"
"Found a terminal over here sir" Matthew said after Logan had finished talking,
"I'm following you"
Several other marines all agreed to follow Logan and none of them wanted to
follow Major Kyle and two of the marines picked Major Kyle up off the floor and
carried up him back upstairs.
Logan looked over at Matthew and nodded "See what you can do with it, I want
access to the loud speakers" he ordered. A moment later, Matthew gained access
to the loud speakers and handed Logan the receiver. "Attention Batarian
criminals, this is Lieutenant Logan Shepard of the alliance navy lay down your
weapons now and surrender peacefully, this will be your only chance to do so,
you have ten seconds to comply". After a ten-second wait and no sign of anyone
giving up, Logan turned to Matthew and nodded "do it"
Matthew smiled and worked on his omni-tool and turned some but not all of the
automated defences against the batarians, while their own defences turned on
them Logan ordered Jamal to drop a demolition charge down the elevator shaft.
The explosion shook the floor beneath Logan's feet and thick black smoke came
back up the shaft and slowly began filling the room. "Now Hopkins, blow a hole
in the floor and drop grenades and smoke bombs down then we follow" Logan said
as he put his mask on to allow him to see clearly and breathe easy "everyone
enviro helmets on, now we finish this"
***** Beneath the Sands of Torfan *****
Chapter Summary
     Torfan. Where Logan earns the nickname 'The Butcher of Torfan'
     Warning: The chapter contains graphic war scenes, you have been
     warned.
Alliance command ship in orbit above Torfan:
Admiral Hackett walked into the briefing room, closely followed by Commander
Anderson.
"Major Kyle was relieved of his command after the losses getting into the base
were higher than expected. The Major's inability to come to terms with the high
body count so early into the mission effected morale. Also reports tell us he
made a bad call that cost several soldiers including a commanding officer. His
jaw was broken in two places by the same man who relieved him of command.."
Commander Anderson paused when he saw Logan Shepard's name there "Lieutenant
Shepard, well that changes things" he said.
Admiral Hackett stopped and placed his hands on the desk as other officers
filled the room; Admiral Hackett then looked around the room before asking,
"This is his N-7 assignment wasn't it?"
Commander Anderson nodded "Yes, he is also very capable, this mission is not a
failure, this is the same soldier that broke his own arms to escape capture,
and I fought alongside him and I trust him to complete this mission"
Admiral Hackett held up his hand "I believe you, and based on from what I have
heard about Major Kyle, I agree Shepard is our best possible choice" Admiral
Hackett said.
Admiral Hackett looked at the incoming intelligence and helmet camera video
coming from beneath Torfan's surface on the screen, where the fighting was
brutal and intense.
Torfan/Slaver base/Three floors down/Approximately one mile below the surface:
Logan had blown a hole in the floor and then used that to enter the floor
below; dropping down and using the smoke bombs and grenades as cover he fired
his shotgun three times in one direction before another marine had landed
beside him and fired a burst of rounds in the opposite direction. While the
visibility was bad, the marines could just point and fire in any direction and
know that they would hit a slaver at least once. More marines were dropping in
and while there were a few losses coming in, however compared to the thirty
lost on the staircase alone and another twenty in the elevator, Logan thought
he was doing some good already since taking over command from Major Kyle.
Logan had ordered all marines into small groups with two Adept biotics
shielding the group with biotic barriers, an Engineer to keep the group shields
at maximum efficiency while an Infiltrator dropped enemy shields and aimed for
enemy biotics, while a combo of Sentinels, Vanguards and Soldiers would use
nothing but pure firepower to push through enemy lines. The tactic was brutally
effective and as the dead littered the halls, Vanguards and Sentinels had begun
to use their biotics to throw the dead enemies back into the sea of batarian
slavers who were pushing forward. The halls so overcrowded that their still
alive counterparts and the mass of bodies pushing them forward sometimes held
the dead upright.
As more bodies fell, more marines joined the dead, Logan took a round in the
arm while a marine standing beside him got torn in half by a biotic and at
least another five got caught in a blast by a grenade spraying body parts in
every direction. Logan the ground hard, wind escaping his lungs ears ringing
from the blast. He quickly made his way back up his feet and after an hour of
intense fighting the slavers pulled back and retreated to the lower levels.
Logan let them pull back, since he knew they could not escape and he needed to
clear this floor before following them.
"Shepard, Sir?" Hopkins called out; he had recently been promoted to Service
Chief however Jamal never thought he deserved it, thinking that he only got the
position because of Wesley Callaway being crippled, in truth he was promoted
due to excellent service something that is lost on Jamal somewhat.
"What is it?" Logan asked as he slapped medi-gel on his wounded arm before he
begun look over the dead for anything he could use, however he could not help
but notice how hot it was.
"We found a panic room, it appears to have a group in there," Jamal answered.
Logan thought it over for a few seconds "Anyway to get them out?"
"Not without maybe killing most of them," Jamal said looking over a layout of
the base "it looks as if most of the cameras in this base are linked to rooms
like that"
Logan thought about it for a moment "I want you to see what systems you can
access on that thing; I want any threats inside taken care of before we open
that room" Logan ordered "get them out, now do you have any ideas on how we can
do that?" he asked.
Jamal knew where this was going "Yeah, but it's not going to be pretty"
Logan raised an eyebrow "since when is death pretty?" he joked, "so what will
clear that room and not be pretty?"
Jamal nodded "True enough, well there are three options really" he said as he
looked at his omni-tool, "I could increase the temperature inside until they
either run out or boil alive"
Logan shook his head "You can do that, to a panic room?"
Jamal shrugged "Most engineers could do it" he answered.
Rachel shook her head "He is just being modest Sir, panic rooms have complex
security systems that are meant to prevent hacking, something that he is doing
anyway" she said almost proudly.
Jamal cleared his throat "Yes, well that option will take a few hours at least
and that door can't be opened quickly meaning that most if not all will cook to
death"
Logan took his helmet off since the smoke had cleared out, and the fire
downstairs from the demolition charge they dropped down to the very lower
levels had continued however despite showing signs that the level around the
blast happened were still on fire, no smoke had reached them as it did before
on the higher level. The blast which was only four levels below them meant
either most of the smoke and therefore the fire was contained in sealed
sections which was troubling if they were lucky they may of cleared out only a
small portion. The same applied to the automated turrets or the slavers had
reacted quickly and fought off the fires, which was unlikely.
After pouring water over his head, Logan sighed, "That will take too long,
anything quicker?"
Jamal hit a few buttons on his omni-tool and another plan appeared for him "Ok,
we can electrocute them by overcharging the power supply and redirecting it
across the whole grid once the safety features are taken care of and…"
Logan just shook his head "Got it, we can fry them and what's wrong with that?"
Jamal blushed when he had to be cut off because he was getting too into his
work but he quickly regained his composure "The amount of electricity needed,
would vaporize anyone in that room into piles of ash" he said looking over at
Rachel who seemed to be beaming at him.
"And the last option is, we cut off the air supply as I said before the door
can't be opened quickly and they will suffocate, but based on how large the
room is that could take a while as well."
Logan nodded "Fry them" he said.
Jamal nodded, pressing buttons on his omni-tool before he pressed enter and the
lights started to flicker on and off, and a loud buzzing noise followed by a
few small blasts from the explosive traps the slavers had set up in the room.
After a few minutes, Jamal turned off the power and killed all the power in the
panic room and with the computer terminals protected from power surges and
power spikes, Jamal knew he could still get info out of those terminals.
Walking to the door of the panic room, Jamal tested the metal door for
electricity using a tool that is standard for all engineers. As the door
opened, the smell of burnt flesh assaulted their senses and the sight of neat
piles of ash, most were nothing but ash, but some piles still had a shoe or a
omni-tool in amongst the ash but that was rare.
Jamal and the other engineers searched the panic room quickly but effectively,
none of them wanting to be around the piles of ash and the eerie silence of the
room, Jamal had linked his omni-tool to the terminals inside the panic room and
was now using that link to get a better layout of the base.
"Lieutenant Shepard…" Jamal ran up to him and saluted, which Logan stopped him
right away "Don't ever salute me on the field!" he ordered looking around
"snipers aim for the ones giving orders and from a distance the only thing they
can make out is salutes, besides they would shoot you right afterwards" Logan
said chuckling softly.
Jamal frowned "I didn't know that…"
Logan smiled slightly to himself "Commander Chavez taught me that"
Jamal nodded quietly to himself "Are you ok sir? I know you were close to her"
Logan nodded, brushed his hand though his hair before opening his water "I'm
fine, I need to focus right now… so ask me later" he said as he took a mouthful
of water before pouring some over his head "now, what have you got?"
Jamal nodded "Well, the floors below us have the heaviest security and with
defenses set up in every hallway and in almost every second room and on this
floor we still have a few large sections to clear out including the armory"
Logan rolled his eyes before gathering everyone around "We are going to clear
every room on every floor, do not move down a level until we have checked every
room" he told them as he looked into their faces "any questions?"
"Yes sir, what do we do if we find a slaver?" asked one marine who Logan did
not know the name of Logan thought for a moment before answering, "Kill them,
we have already given them a chance to surrender, they refused," he said coldly
and looking at the dead littering the floor before looked back at the marines.
"Treat them as an enemy soldier, not a criminal, this is now a 'seek and
destroy' mission, ladies and gentlemen," he told them.
Each of the marine nodded or looked surprised, the difference in treating the
slavers like soldiers instead of criminals would mean that instead of trying to
limit casualties and take survivors alive, treating them like enemy soldiers
meant using maximum force and shooting to kill, shoot first and not bother with
the questions later. What would follow would become known as the Massacre at
Torfan and word would spread not just in Alliance space, but also throughout
Citadel Space and the Terminus System which was filled with more slaver,
pirates and criminal groups than anywhere else, and got everyone talking about
humans and the brutal lengths they would go to defend themselves.
Citadel/Window Nebula/Council Chambers:
The three Council members had just received intelligence about the human raid
on the slaver base of Torfan, human soldiers just got into the base, which
thought to be an almost hopeless mission while the Council could not get
involved and would not unless it became evident that the Batarian Hegemony
funded the attacks on human colonies. They were however very interested in
learning how humans would fight pirates and slavers and so far the council was
impressed, humans had attacked the pirates supply lines first, something that
was not a common tactic; in fact, it seemed to be a unique human tactic.
Something that was not lost on the Turian Councilor, who had already, advised
the Turian Hierarchy to stay on friendly terms with the humans, not from fear
but from caution, nothing was really known about the humans except that it was
impossible to predict for humans. The reports from his most senior officers had
told him the same thing, officers who had fought on the ground at Shanxi, most
of whom had a high level of respect for humans, after fighting them on the
ground.
"Has the alliance taken any casualties?" the Turian Councilor asked.
"The alliance has taken some losses, however not enough for the mission to be
seen as a failure" the Salarian Councilor said looking to his left towards the
others.
The Salarian Union was very interested by the humans and their tactics. The
Union preforms studies on all new species, including a study on humans as a
whole. Everything from culture to military service and the study revealed that
humanity was in fact a sleeping giant, that only three per cent of their whole
population was in the Alliance, and if pushed humans could have an army four
times the size of the Salarian Union and the Asari Republics combined. It is
because of this and the trade agreements the Union had organized with the
Alliance that the salarian were keen to stay on good terms with the Alliance
even to the point of offering a colony for the alliance to use for shore leave
as well as medical equipment.
"Do we know how far the alliance is willing to go?" the Asari Councillor asked.
The Asari Republics is the one council race on the friendliest terms with the
alliance but even so were very concerned about a war between the Batarian
Hegemony and the Human Alliance that would end badly for one of the two. The
asari were the first allowed on Earth, Thessia, the asari home world was now a
human tourist and 'honeymoon' hotspot on top of that humans found asari very
attractive and open minded enough to be bond mates with them and the asari for
the most part felt the same. As the asari Councillor she had to deal with a
number of humans seeking her assistance who were the bond mates of asari or
even living on asari colonies and even her daughter's bond mate was a human man
and of course asari were also after reports on their human friends and bond-
mates involved in the Skyllian blitz.
"No, we don't, but we will be watching them closely" the Turian Councillor
answered.
Torfan/Slaver base/Three floors down/Approximately one mile below the surface:
Logan had just cleared another room, and ordered everyone to spread out into
groups and to check every room, using grenades and shotguns to clear rooms and
leaving no slaver alive. After they had taken care of the slavers on this
level, planning to take the next level could begin.
"Sir, we can't go to the next floor the same way we got to this floor, it's too
far down we have to take the stairs" Jamie told him.
Logan nodded "I know, scans tell us that they have defensive turrets set up
below as well as a large number of slavers waiting"
Jamie bit her lip for a moment "Maybe we can get them to scatter?"
Logan shook his head, "Unlikely, they know we are here and they know how many
of us there is," he told her before turning to an engineer "Find me anything we
can use, Jamie I want your help"
After a few more smaller scale conflicts from the slavers that were left
behind, it was here that Logan saw something he could use, a slaver was trying
to save the life of another who had a bubbling chest wound. The two of them did
not see Logan and the group Logan was with entered a bathroom. It became clear
the slavers did not expect anyone to check the bathrooms as a long thick
bloodstain marked the way they had fled.
"C'mon don't you die on me" the slaver said while trying to stop the blood loss
"I know you do not want your son to grow up without a father…."
The slaver got no more out of his friend as Logan surprised the slaver by
blowing the head off the wounded batarian before pointing the gun at the sole
slaver alive.
"Maybe his son is better off now," Logan said with a cold ruthlessness behind
his eyes "Who was he to you?"
"Go fuck yourself two eyes" the batarian cursed at him "that was my brother!"
Logan sighed, "I suggest you watch your mouth, I need to know a few things"
The slaver spat at Logan "I'm not telling you shit" Logan walked closer to the
slaver and booted the slaver in the groin "trust me; you do not want to test
me."
The slaver begun to curse at Logan but was quickly cut off with a punch to the
head. "I need to know everything. What's waiting for us on the lower levels,
access codes and how many are there here?" Logan warned him "there is no part
of this story that ends well for you".
The slaver spat in his face again and that was when Logan asked again only not
so polite.
Alliance command ship in orbit above Torfan:
Admiral Hackett watched the screen as Logan got the answers he was looking for;
only the method he used to get the information was in question. Logan took a
combat knife to all four eyes of the batarian, blinding the slaver before
rewarding the slaver by shooting him in the head. The other senior officers
were divided on the torture of the slaver. Some agreed with the need for the
info and had no sympathy for batarian slavers, on the other hand, the rest of
the officers were outraged and some even wanted to have Shepard court
marshalled and bought up on charges.
Commander Anderson could only watch as a more complete picture of Logan Shepard
came into focus, and Anderson could only wonder the amount of extreme violence
the man had seen before joining the Alliance. The ease he cut the eyes out
almost as if he was making his lunch was very unnerving to most people, but to
Anderson it looked more like second nature, like that in Logan's mind it was
just a part of his job like cleaning his gear. Anderson could only hope that
not only he would survive but be able to fight to keep his job.
Admiral Hackett on the other hand saw a soldier that would stop at nothing to
complete his mission and soldiers like that were very valuable in N-7 "Any word
on Major Kyle?" he asked
"Major Kyle is talking but he isn't making a lot of sense," one of the other
officers told him "Doctors think he is shell shocked and suffering from
P.T.S.D"
Admiral Hackett nodded with a sigh "We will leave Shepard in charge for now
then. How many losses?" he asked looking at Commander Anderson.
Commander Anderson looked at the reports he had in front of him and replied
"Over two hundred" Admiral Hackett looked back at the screen as Logan got
creative and did something no one expected.
Torfan/Slaver base/Three floors down/Approximately one mile below the surface:
Logan put his knife away, picked up the head of the slaver, and placed a large
demolition charge in the slaver's mouth. They had now cleared this floor,
moving into position at the top of the stairs with a slight nod to the marines,
telling them to be ready. Logan threw the severed head down the stairs, sending
it bouncing down the stairs. The sounds of angry batarians reacting to the
decapitated head of someone they knew bounced down the stairs. This swiftly
followed by a lot of cursing when they saw the demolition charge in its mouth.
A loud explosion shook the floor.
The marines rushed down the stairs and as they ran down the stairs, explosive
traps shredded dozens. As they reached the next floor down, they could see
hundreds of batarians dead and dying. However the blast did not kill all of
them and there was still a heavy turret active which came to life as soon as it
detected the marines and begun spewing death in their direction. A biotic throw
launched Logan backwards and with a thud and a slight pop, he could feel his
shoulder dislocate. With a groan, as he stood, he saw friends and the closest
he has ever had to a family turned to paste from the heavy turret. With no
cover, the only thing they could do is push forward. Once again, the halls
filled with the dead and Logan used biotics to grab a slaver and use him as a
shield, something the other marines copied.
"GRENADE!" someone yelled out and with a massive explosion, the turret fell
silent Logan had gotten some breathing room now and fired a biotic throw
towards three slavers sending them sliding across the floor.
It did not take long before they had cleared the bottom of the stairs there
would of course be more on this level, however Logan was going to use
psychological warfare on the remaining slavers.
"Hopkins, start the upload," Logan ordered.
Jamal nodded before punching a few buttons on his omni-tool, soon after music
started to play loudly only one song though, and due the fact of what was going
on Logan knew this song would affect anyone in a short space of time.
"Here's a little song I wrote, you might want to sing it note for note, don't
worry be happy" the music played and filled every room of the base.
Logan got everyone moving again and split his forces up so one group could
target the main terminal room while the rest would keep the slavers busy by
going from room to room. In one, group Jamal, Rachel and Matthew as second in
command, while Logan joined the room clearing team. As the marines searched the
rooms and came closer to the terminal room the fighting picked up again, two
more marines died instantly with another fifteen badly wounded. However, the
cost to the slavers was absolute; there were no wounded and no prisoners.
Slavers started throwing their weapons down hoping for mercy; however, the
marines showed no mercy. As slavers surrendered, the marines simply shot them
in the forehead and kept moving.
"In every life we have some trouble, when you worry you make it double" the
music continued.
"I am not going to lie to you; the main terminal room is the most defended part
of the base according to the batarian we 'spoke' to" Logan said as he thought
he was sending them to their deaths "But fight smart and use any and every
advantage you can, we need that terminal room no matter the cost, good hunting
and stay safe"
The large group of marines heading for the terminal room would have known most
of them, if not all of them, would be wiped out, but every one of them stood
ready to die if necessary "Sir, it's been an honor"
Logan nodded, "The honour was all mine," he said, as a bead of sweat rolled
down his neck. It was far too hot due to Torfan's close proximity to its star,
leaving the moon a barren wasteland.
As they went from room to room there was so much confusion during the running
gun battles that at one stage Logan had his shotgun knocked from his hands and
resorted back to his biotics. Throwing slavers into walls and crushing the
throats of any that were too close. Meanwhile the fighting to breach the
terminal room now reached a boiling point.
Terminal room/Torfan/Slaver base three floors down/Approximately one mile below
the surface:
Matthew ordered them to move forward as platoons of batarians had lined up and
waiting for them along with three mounted turrets. The turrets opened fire
before the batarians did cutting down five marines with each burst. One slaver
took a round though his arm as he was about to throw a grenade which dropped at
his feet and half a second later an explosion tore him apart.
"Move forward!" Matthew yelled as he shot the face off on slaver before turning
on another.
Jamal was a short distance away. Known as someone who always kept his anger in
check, this changed when he saw Rachel burned alive by a slaver armed with a
flamethrower.
As she screamed, he broke ranks, with a scream of anguish ran forward, and shot
the slaver in the face. In an uncontrollable rage, he blasted another two
slavers with his shotgun. Turning again Jamal overloaded the shields of four
slavers and since he was close enough he slapped a demolition charge onto the
face of one slaver, spun him around kicked him in the back to send him
stumbling back towards his friends. A second later, an explosion shredded a
large group of slavers.
Jamal took one round though his leg, it did not slow him down. Powered by grief
and blind rage, he kept moving, his shotgun over heating so quickly he swapped
weapons for whatever was nearby just so he could keep firing. In the thick of
the batarians, Jamal did not seem to care that he was alone; instead, Jamal
became a whirlwind of death and took another round in his stomach. Snarling,
Jamal kept going bleeding from multiple wounds and fighting like a wounded
animal as the engineer sent slavers running in fear from him. None got very
far. Jamal's wounds begun to slow him down, he was five feet from Rachel's
burnt body when he took another round in his chest. Falling to his knees, he
looked up at Rachel's lifeless body, and in a seemingly inhuman act, he stood
back up, where a slaver stabbed him twice in the stomach. Jamal snarled and
looked him in the eyes, grabbing the knife by the blade, which sliced through
his hand as he returned the knife into the slaver's throat.
He was crawling towards Rachel when another slaver shot him in the back of the
head. He was less than three feet away from her, the engagement ring still in
his pocket.
***** Aftermath *****
Chapter Summary
     Logan pays the cost of war. Who will live? Who will die?
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Alliance command ship in orbit above Torfan:
Admiral Hackett watched the screen that displayed brutal close-quarters hall-
to-hall fighting, under the sands of Torfan. The closest thing Admiral Hackett
had seen to hell.
"They're dropping like flies," said one of the many support workers that was
helping to coordinate with the command ship.
"Get them outta there!" Commander Anderson ordered as he watched the lights
that represented each marine go dark, every few seconds another two would go
dark.
"Negative if we leave now we will never get them outta there, push forward,"
Admiral Hackett ordered. "How many have we lost?"
Commander Anderson looked at the numbers. "Over half and climbing".
Admiral Hackett watched the screen knowing he just sentenced hundreds to their
deaths.
Torfan/Slaver base/Four floors down/Approximately two and half miles below the
surface:
Shepard had just reached the fourth floor when he saw something he wasn't
expecting, human slaves running towards them armed with nothing but work tools,
the look of nothing but fear and desperation in their eyes, the slaves were too
far gone, terrified of disappointing their Batarian masters more than the
marines. Logan tried to limit casualties however since the slavers were using
the slaves as cover, Logan saw no other choice and he opened fire gunning down
slavers and slaves alike.
Jamie used her biotics to lift the slaves out of the way of gunfire, however
this left her open to a slave swinging a mining tool, punching a hole into her
stomach, the look of surprise on her face. Fearing for her life, she lashed out
and shot the slave in the face however, she did not see the slave behind her
who hit her in the back with a wrench and another slave hit her again this time
in the head that staggered her, there was just too many of them.
Using her biotics to try to save her life, she tore into the slaves and slavers
alike, the loss of blood and fear for her life powering her biotics to a
superhuman degree, ripping one slave in half before throwing another four into
a wall so hard there was only a stain where their bodies slammed against the
wall. However, she could not keep this up for long, another mining tool hit her
in the side only this time her stomach opened up and spilled her intestines on
her feet.
Slaves swarmed Logan as well, however due to Logan's martial arts training he
did not have to rely on only biotics. A mob fights sloppy leaving them open to
someone with Logan's training who if he had a choice would rather fight a mob
than a really tough customer who knows what they are doing. Shotgun knocked
from his hands, Logan used anything at his disposal snapping one slave's neck,
spinning around, and punching another in the throat, crushing her windpipe
before he threw another group back using biotics before picking up his shotgun
when he saw Jamie go down.
Making his way over to her, Logan threw the slaves surrounding her away from
him and after a few more minutes the slaves were dead and the slavers were
retreating again.
"This is bad isn't it?" Jamie asked blood pouring from her mouth.
Logan looked down; her intestines were spilling onto the floor as well as a
pool of blood. Logan did not say a word and only nodded.
Jamie groaned in pain before looking up at him. "I have seen this movie before,
I'm fucked," she said while coughing up blood "I want you to do something for
me".
Logan nodded and took her hand "Name it".
Jamie swallowed and replied, "I know how you feel about me but I always loved
you" she raised her blooded hand to place a finger across his lips "it is ok, I
am fine with it I know you don't love me back not like that anyway" she coughed
yet again "so just this once….lie to me".
Logan took a deep breathe to hold back the tears "I love you," he said as he
kissed her mouth gently.
Jamie smiled up at him before groaning in pain again "Don't let me die…not like
this" she begged looking down at her stomach.
Logan sighed and slowly removed his pistol from his holster and held it up so
she could see it, when she did see the gun she nodded and said, "See you in
hell".
Logan shook his head "If I see you anywhere near hell, I'll kick your ass out
of there" he said as he closed her eyes and put the barrel to her chin and
pulled the trigger, ending her agony.
Logan fought back tears and thought to himself 'laugh now, cry later'. Standing
back up he checked on the terminal room team.
"We lost a lot sir" Matthew replied over the headset "Marden and Hopkins
included"
Logan sighed, "Shit, did you get in at least?"
"Just did, switching the rest of the defences on them now" Matthew said "and
look what I have found, turns out this base has escape tunnels sending you the
locations now"
"Good job, I want you to get a team together and head on ahead, we are going to
bury these fuckers," Logan ordered
Matthew smirked "I got an idea how to do that sir"
"Good, then why are you wasting time talking to me?" Logan asked, as he looked
at his omni-tool the locations for the escape tunnels and the armoury he headed
towards the armoury one floor down and the majority of slavers and pirates were
waiting there, getting them out would be difficult to say the least.
Torfan/Slaver base/Armory/Five floors down/Approximately three miles below the
surface:
Logan led a team down to the armoury, seeing two Krogans heading towards them,
but before he could give any orders, the Krogans opened fire, one with a
flamethrower while the other threw a biotic field launching a group of five
into the air. Logan swore to himself, he did not like Krogan not because of
anything negative as others did, no he did not like the Krogan as they were a
pain in the ass to kill and moved a lot quicker than say the elcor did and a
krogan biotic was infinitely more dangerous. As more slavers joined in the
fight, Logan focused on the Krogan biotic hurling a dead pirate in his
direction using biotics while firing his crusader shotgun into the chest of the
krogan taking down his shields. The Krogan recovered quickly and swatted the
dead pirate out of his way before throwing a warp towards Logan that missed by
mere inches. Logan grabbed a slaver and used the batarian as a shield while the
krogan unloaded with an assault rifle until it overheated. Logan discarded the
dead batarian and charged at the krogan before dropping down and baseball
sliding through the krogan's legs with one foot raised catching the Krogan in
the groin, on his back and looking up at the large and now enraged alien.
Logan rammed the crusader shotgun into the krogan mouth "Say AHH!" he mocked
before he pulled the trigger two times blowing the krogan's head completely
off.
Logan stood back up and saw the other krogan with the flamethrower was dead and
his weapon used against fellow slavers by another marine. The hallways choked
with smoke and the smell of burning flesh, the marines pushed forward and
encountered more slavers armed with heavy weapons, flamethrowers and grenade
launchers mostly and a small handful with heavy machine guns. The don't worry
be happy song still playing in the background, marine snipers targeted the
slavers armed with flamethrowers causing them to explode in a ball of fire,
before the snipers took aim at the slavers armed with grenade launchers using
the long hallways to pick them off, like fish in a barrel, no slavers even got
close.
Looking around, Logan could feel a small trickle of blood run down his forehead
and saw that others were just as worn down as he was but with the end so close,
they pushed forward. Rounding another corner they could see the door leading to
the armoury but outside was a group of Human teenagers, the oldest would have
had to of been fourteen with the youngest at eight. All armed with pistols the
oldest, a boy, raised the pistol towards Logan, the look of fear and blind
terror could be seen behind his eyes not for Logan or the marines but what
would happen if he failed his masters. That fear compelled him to point a gun
at the very people trying to help him but something else made him hesitate and
Logan had to try and get at least some of the slaves out of here.
Looking over the sights of his gun at the young teen and not looking away, "Do
you know who we are?" Logan asked as the other marines had the guns ready like
Logan though they did not wish to open fire on children however, the situation
could easily turn into a bloodbath.
The teen shook his head, gun still pointed at Logan, the look in the boys eyes
told Logan that the boy would shoot if pressed; the gun in his hands remained
steady
Logan pointed to the Alliance logo on his chest "We are on your side, we are
here to help"
The teen snarled slightly "There is no help, only service"
Logan shook his head "You're wrong, we are here to help, all you have to do is
put the gun down and you can walk out"
The teen shook his head "NO!" he screamed "YOU'RE WRONG!" the pistol shook
slightly "only fit to work and die, nothing else, seen what happens when you
try and run, hurt you, burn you, melt you" the teen said tears welling in his
eyes "old ones first then ones who run or don't do as told"
Logan blinked, sweat rolled into one eye burning it slightly "They are dead,
they can't hurt you anymore" he told the teen. "You can hang onto the gun, just
lower it ok?" he asked lowering his own pistol "like this" he said keeping an
eye on the teen "we can walk out of here, just let us past and we will make
sure the rest of them can't hurt anyone ever again"
The teen lowered his pistol slightly "No one will stop us if we leave?" the
teen asked "and I can keep the gun?"
Logan nodded "No one will stop you and as long as you don't point it at anyone
I don't think they will have a problem with that"
The teen sighed deeply before turning to the others "Let's go" he said as they
slowly walked past the marines almost as if they expected it to be some kind of
trap. After the children had left, Logan got the armoury door open and came
under fire almost right away, taking cover, Logan pulled off his grenade belt
armed one grenade and threw the whole belt in along with a demolition charge.
"Seal them in" he ordered, a few seconds later several explosions shook the
walls and the flames shot past the marines in cover.
Another marine worked on closing the door again, while the slavers on the
inside of the armoury who were not blown to pieces, tried to escape from the
room with only one entrance with a thick blast door, what they had thought was
a good defensive location was going to become their tomb. A few of the slavers
begged the marines to let them live even throwing down their weapons, but the
marines kept them in the room and shot any that tried to get past. Once the
doors closed again, Logan ordered the doors to be welded shut trapping the
remaining slavers inside the room, effectively burying them alive.
After a few hours Logan had reached the last of the escape tunnels, it also had
the most amounts of slavers in the tunnel itself, and waiting to get in, Logan
and the marines opened fire, gunning them down before using a flamethrower to
kill the rest in the tunnel. Looking around Logan saw a bloodied teddy bear
just lying there beside a pile of ash, reaching down Logan picked up the bear
and looked at the child's toy, it was missing an eye and had seen better days
but Logan could not bring himself to put it back down. Despite the carnage and
slaughter of this place, the toy told Logan there was innocent lives ruined
here, how many times did the child who owned this toy cry for help? Only to
never to get it, before he could think any more about it he was interrupted.
"Shepard sir, I have set it up I just need for you guys to get clear" Matthew
said cryptically
Logan frowned "What did you do?" he asked not sure if he would like the answer
"Demolition charges are set throughout the base and once we are clear I can
sink this place into the dirt" Matthew replied.
Logan nodded to himself "On our way now"
Citadel/Window Nebula/Council Chambers:
"The Alliance has taken heavy losses, based on the injured being bought back
out" the Salarian Councillor said to the other two council members.
The Turian Councillor looked at the reports and noticed something the Salarian
Councillor did not mention "There is no wounded batarians?" he asked
The Salarian shook his head "No batarian wounded, it appears as if the humans
executed them" he looked over at the Asari Councillor who had a look of shock
on her face. The Asari Councillor had hoped the young race would arrest the
criminals and bring them up charges of slavery, murder, terrorism and
kidnapping in a court of law, the fact they did not showed the Asari Councillor
that humans were far more dangerous than first given credit for.
The Turian Councillor looked at the Asari Councillor and said "They are showing
us what they are capable of" he explained "this was not just a message for the
batarians but for all of us, to remind us of what lengths they would go to
protect themselves."
The Asari snapped her head towards the Turian Councillor, Turians did not like
humans very much and sometimes that mistrust would affect his judgement however
the Turian Councillor often claimed that she did not want to see humans for
what they really are "Humans want peace with the council why would they wish to
send a message to us?"
The Salarian Councillor spoke up next and unlike the other two had no emotional
connection to the humans at all, so like most Salarians he looked only at the
facts and nothing else often missing the bigger picture. "We are not completely
trusted yet and many humans believe the Turians will attack again," he said
turning to stare at the Turian Councillor who only stared back not saying a
word.
Torfan/Slaver base/Entrance/Surface of Torfan:
Logan finally made it back outside and nodded to Matthew who pressed a button
causing a large explosion followed by the slaver base start to collapse and
sink into the ground, burying any slavers still in there alive.
"Mission complete" he said over the headset "need medical for various injuries"
he said before he had a look around at what was left of the marines who went
into hell and survived , the haunted look in their eyes could be easily seen,
some of them would never be the same again. After Logan checked on the marines
he made his way to a quiet spot for himself and sat down and a quick look
around to make sure he was alone. Once he was sure he was alone, the stress of
what he just experienced hit him suddenly, tears streamed down his face and his
hands were shaking uncontrollably, taking a deep breath and staring at his
hands while flexing them, he willed them to stop shaking and after a great
amount of effort his hands stopped shaking.
Within the hour, a transport landed on the surface of Torfan, the marines as
well as the slaves they had freed transported back to the command ship in orbit
above Torfan. Once on the transport, Logan noticed that the pilot was giving
him a dirty look as if he was a murderer, but Logan did not let it bother him
and ignored the pilot. However, the pilot was not the only one that had a
problem with what happened on Torfan and soon he would become the most talked
about and infamous marine in the Alliance.
Three months later/Alliance Military court/Earth:
Logan stepped out of military police escort, the two officers led Logan into
the courtroom, and once again, protesters threw rubbish at the man now known as
the 'Butcher of Torfan', calling him a monster and a killer, there were others
though who supported Logan's actions at Torfan, to them he was a hero who
avenged their loved ones. It was a long trial, the prosecutor had bought in
many witnesses, far more than Logan thought he would be able to find and Logan
even had to have a full psych evaluation to prove he was sound of mind. Every
day he arrived at the courtroom news crews followed his every move, trying to
get any comment they could from him but Logan never said a word instead he
would only stare into the cameras as he passed.
Logan could not believe the charges brought against him that were the murder of
three hundred and fifty human slaves, torture of enemy captives, the executing
of enemy prisoners. Since Logan was in charge, he was accountable for every
execution that occurred on Torfan, which was close to two thousand. It was
believed that there was over nine thousand and only two thousand tried to
surrender, and of course the assault of a commanding officer, Major Kyle.
What Logan and his legal team had to prove was that Logan acted with the
information he had at the time and that the actions that occurred on Torfan
were justified and that it was necessary to complete the mission. The
prosecutors tried to prove that Logan was a cold-blooded killer, whose actions
had nothing to do with the success of the mission and had more to do with
xenophobia and deep-seated mental issues.
"Please state your name for the courtroom," the prosecutor said
"Lieutenant Logan Shepard" Logan answered
"Can you tell me about the mission on Korlus?" the prosecutor asked
"Objection, relevance your honour" Logan's lawyer spoke up
The Judge looked at the prosecutor and said, "If you have a point I suggest you
make it"
The prosecutor nodded "Now Lieutenant on Korlus you were captured isn't that
correct?"
Logan didn't like where this was going "Yes I was" he answered looking at the
prosecutor
The prosecutor clicked a few things on his Omni-tool "You were tortured there
was well weren't you?"
Logan really did not like this prosecutor "Yes"
"An Asari tortured you and because of that you can't stand any alien can you?"
the prosecutor snapped suddenly the prosecutor was known to over only lost two
cases in his career and he now had the defendant on the stand and on the ropes
or so he thought. "So on Torfan you wanted to kill didn't you? Be honest if not
to this courtroom than be honest to yourself you wanted to kill them not
because they were slavers but because they were alien isn't that right?"
Logan wondered if the prosecutor would be this smug with his foot on the
lawyer's throat. "I was tortured by a human on Korlus" Logan said simply "the
asari came later and only did a forced mind meld"
That stopped the smug lawyer in his tracks and over the course of the trial the
prosecutor had mental health experts including the same doctor Logan had to
talk to after being tortured. Fortunately, for Logan his defence lawyer was
just as good and had been able show the jury small pieces of footage that
highlighted just what the slavers did exactly, and had bought in other soldiers
to speak on Logan's behalf and even bought in Matthew. The Prosecutor bought in
Major Kyle and it was unclear if the Major being on the stand helped or
hindered Logan's case since it was painfully clear that Major Kyle was now a
broken man.
The closing statements made by both sides were compelling the Prosecutor had
painted Logan as a mentally damaged killer who should be relived from active
duty and held accountable for his crimes.
Logan's defence was simple; his lawyer walked towards the jury and in his hands
was the teddy bear Logan had found on Torfan. "Lieutenant Shepard did what we
train men and women like him to do, to protect us" he said pacing back and
forth. "Now their job is difficult and they can't be everywhere at once so
sometimes their job is not just to protect us but to seek justice" he said as
he stared at the bear. "You have all seen the footage, you all have an idea of
what Torfan was like, and the brutal truth is we need people like Lieutenant
Shepard watching over us while we sleep"
The defence finished off by telling the jury the story of the bear "This bear
was found on Torfan," he said letting them hold it and look at it. "It was
found next to a pile of ash, whoever this bear belonged to can we say they
received justice now?" he asked "let my client continue to do what we need him
to do, protect our children from the monsters in the dark" he said before
turning back and sitting back down.
The whole trial lasted ten months, no time to mourn the losses of his friends
although he did appear at the funerals but stayed away from the families after
the Hopkins family had spat on him. Logan cleared of all charges and the ruling
was that Logan had acted according to the mission however; the ruling was not a
popular one. Walking out of the courtroom, the mob almost lynched Logan but the
military police escort rushed him away before the angry crowd did anything.
Two months later/Last Chance bar/Bekenstein/Window Nebula:
The turian bartender working at the Last Chance bar saw one of her newer
regulars walk into the bar, a human solider by the name of Logan Shepard and
the bartender could not work out if she had taken pity on a burnt out soldier
or she was starting to like her men to be of the soft-skinned variety. This
would be not that surprising, surrounded by humans and she did always have a
thing for aliens and humans were new to her, it was the main reason she bought
this bar she found humans fun to be around for the most part but whatever her
reasons it was clear he only came there to drink. Therefore, despite how drunk
he was, she let him stay, despite him being so drunk he had trouble-standing
upright.
Logan stood up and slowly made his way to the toilet, when a man holding a
drink bumped into him "Hey asshole" the man said grabbing Logan by the shoulder
"you're going to buy me a new drink"
Logan did not even look at him "You bumped into me" he slurred, "fuck off" he
said before nudging past him
The bartender had been around humans long enough to know when a fight was going
to happen "Here on the house" she offered trying to keep the peace
The man pointed at her "Shut up skull-face, this is between me and him"
Logan stopped walking and turned "So why should I buy you a drink again?" he
asked
The man walked closer to Logan, Logan could see the other guys with him all
watching, they think their numbers keep them safe "How drunk are you or are you
just fucking stupid?" he said pushing Logan on the chest.
Logan leaned in closer "Don't do that" he said quietly
The man did not take Logan's warning and punched Logan in the side of mouth,
Logan's mouth filled with blood right away and after spitting a large glob of
blood said "Try that again" he dared him leaning forward and pointing to his
temple
"Fuck him up Jake," said one of his buddies
Jake shook his head "You crazy fuck" he said that as he threw another punch at
Logan's head, this one never touched him. Logan blocked the punch before
smashing his glass over Jake's head before wrapping his arms around Jake's
right arm locking it up and bending it at the elbow the opposite way to its
intended direction, spinning into Jake, Logan then threw him by his broken arm
over up over the bar and into the bottles and beer taps.
Logan then turned to see his friends rushing towards him "What? He wanted a
drink I got him one" as a man armed with a pool cue swung for his head. Logan
stumbled towards the man so the pool cue went past him before kicking him in
the groin grabbing by the back of the head and running his face into the pool
table so hard it dislodged a tooth and left it imbedded into the pool table.
The last man pulled a knife and rushed Logan before he could distance himself
from the pool table, slashing at Logan and barely missing him. Logan grabbed
the man's wrist and twisted it violently to one side he bent the man at the
elbow standing behind him now and drove him face first into the bar, still
controlling the arm he took control of the knife and stabbed the man right
though the shoulder blade sticking the blade into the bar top.
"You shouldn't play with knives," he said simply as he staggered towards the
toilet as if nothing had happened, paid for his drinks and the damages and went
to leave.
A woman sitting in one corner of the bar had watched the whole thing, he was
the target that much was clear and she now knew why the price was so high,
Logan Shepard was not an easy target. She had done this for many years now and
most men never see her coming, based on his reputation, she knew he was a bit
of a womanizer to some degree, meaning he would not think anything of it if she
approached him, as long as she looked the part. Grabbing her bag, finishing her
drink, glancing over at the three men she had paid to fight Shepard, it was
worth every bit of the two thousand credits she had paid them. She made her way
towards Logan swaying her hips deliberately, she needed to get his attention
and keep it and once he is dead, she would have more money than she knew what
to do with, she smiled genuine smile as she walked closer to him
"Hi, I'm Crystal" she said smiling warmly
Logan looked at the woman "Hi".
Chapter End Notes
     I know it is taking awhile to get to the events of the first game but
     I promise all this stuff is relevant to the story
***** Running the Gauntlet *****
Chapter Summary
     Logan has to deal with his new found fame after Torfan.
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Last Chance bar, Bekenstein, Window Nebula
Logan got into a taxi, helped by the woman he had just met, a beautiful woman
with long black hair, dressed in expensive clothes and make up, the woman had
told him that she was going to help him home, since taxi's wouldn't stop for
him due to how drunk he was.
"So what's your name again?" Logan asked
The woman smiled "I told you my name before remember? I am Crystal" she told
him as she ran a hand up his leg.
Logan nodded and stumbled before dry heaving, "So why are you at a place like
that?" he asked motioning towards where the bar was, as he looked at her and
noticed her expensive looking clothes, strange, Logan thought
Crystal smiled "I don't like the large crowds at the bigger bars" she answered
sweetly as the taxi neared the hotel that Logan was staying at while on leave.
Logan thought about her answer for a moment, something about it seemed odd
"You're not worried about the type of people that go to bars like that?" he
asked still wondering why a woman wearing clothes like that would be at a dive
bar like Last Chance
Crystal smiled "What you mean people like you?" she asked as she rubbed his
chest.
Logan chuckled "Well what is it that you know about me?" he asked turning his
head towards her, his bloodshot eyes staring at hers "I mean I could be a
psycho killer for all you know"
Crystal looked at the window and noticed the taxi had stopped "I doubt that
Logan" she said
Logan was very drunk and if he wasn't he may of noticed that he never told her
his name, but he did however notice that something was wrong he just couldn't
think of it.
Crystal helped Logan from the taxi "C'mon I can't take advantage of you out
here" she said laughing
Logan frowned; his mind was almost screaming at him that something was very
wrong "You like your men to be drunk?" he asked as they walked towards his
room, one of his arms draped over her shoulder as she led the way and opened
the door for him.
"Go and have a shower and when you get back out, this will be waiting for you"
she said smiling seductively as she undid her top letting her breasts fall out
of her top, not answering the question but kissing him instead.
Logan raised his eyebrows at that and went into the shower "Don't start without
me" he joked and started the shower.
Once he was out of the room, Crystal did her top back up and took out a pair of
black gloves along with a small pistol, she could hear the shower going and she
walked in, pistol behind her back. "I got bored with waiting" she said
seductively but when she pulled back the shower curtain she saw it was empty
and right at the moment she felt a gun being pressed to the base of her skull.
"Now that's new," Logan said with sarcasm in his voice "I have done some kinky
shit, but I have never needed a gun and a pair of gloves to get down" he said
"who are you and do not lie to me" he warned.
Crystal sighed, "What gave me away?"
Logan chuckled more to himself than anything "Your clothes" he said, pushing
the gun against the base of her skull "no woman who can afford those sort of
clothes would go to bars like that" he told her "too risky and you let my name
slip, when I hadn't told you my name." He told her while looked her over; she
was in very good shape, like a pro athlete and based on her choice of pistol
"you're a pro aren't you?"
Crystal chuckled to herself "I'm not a prostitute" she joked, she stopped
laughing when Logan had lightly tapped the gun on the back of her head just
enough to hurt and remind her he was not playing games.
"Don't fuck with me bitch or I will give you a new hole to breathe out of"
Logan warned "who hired you?"
Crystal gritted her teeth in pain before answering, "Hired? No one hired me"
she said laughing at him "it's like it's open season on you soldier boy" she
laughed "I'm surprised that no one else has found you yet"
Logan did not like the sound of that "How much is the contract?"
Crystal laughed, "Enough to fund a private army" she laughed "guess you pissed
off some very rich people," she said laughing even louder
Logan sighed, "Well thanks for the info but I think we will have to call it a
night," he said mocking her
Crystal suddenly stopped laughing, "You can't shoot me," she said
Logan laughed at that "Oh? Why is that? You tried to kill me remember?"
Crystal seemed at lost for words "But I have surrendered, you aren't meant to
shoot me, you're an Alliance soldier and there are rules for soldiers"
Logan chuckled "Yeah, tell that's what Hackett keeps telling me"
Before he could pull the trigger Crystal spun and knocked the gun away from her
head and hit him three times in rapid secession once in the groin, one to the
nose and then clapped both her hands over his ears stunning him, in that moment
she took aim with her gun.
Logan was stunned but recovered quickly, slapping the gun from her hand, he
threw a punch at her but she avoided it and hit him another five times, Logan
quickly recognized the style in which she was using. Her fists were right in
front of her and her elbows were in front of her, allowing for rapid strikes
and quick counters.
Logan glowed blue with biotic energy but did not get a chance to use it as she
charged again, landing another punch to his face before she followed it up with
an elbow which was blocked by Logan who quickly grabbed her arm and spun her
into the wall smacking her face into the mirror.
Crystal recovered quickly and drove her head backwards slamming the back of her
head into Logan's face before she followed it up with another series of
strikes; hitting Logan in his alcohol-filled stomach was a bad idea on
Crystal's part and Logan's stomach contents exploded on Crystal, which gave him
an opening.
"Disgusting" she complained as she looked down at herself and the vomit on
chest before she recovered and threw another punch
Logan had underestimated her; he never liked fighting women but he knew that if
he did not treat her as a threat than he would be dead. Logan avoided another
punch, kneed her in the stomach before he grabbed her by the hair, and drove
the back of her head into the wall, she recovered with another series of
strikes, and blood filled Logan's mouth and dripped from his nose she then
kicked him in the groin again.
Logan staggered backwards holding his groin, it was nothing but business until
she did that, now he took it personally. Catching her leg as she threw another
kick at him, dragging her backwards and out of the confined bathroom before he
swung her by the leg and into the wall, before Logan went to snap her ankle but
her other foot swung around and collected him in the side of the mouth.
Crystal stood back up with a smile on her face "I expected more from you" she
mocked as she took out a knife and slashed at him.
Logan avoided the blade by millimetres and followed it up by grabbing her wrist
and using that to control her body while his spare hand landed uppercuts to her
chin, while Logan's head was an alcohol-fuelled mess, lucky for him, his body
still remembered what to do. After landing four solid punches to her chin, he
threw her across the room and charged up his biotics but before he could finish
her off, the front door blew off its hinges.
Standing in the doorway was seven feet of heavily armed Krogan who smirked and
said simply said "Pray" as he opened fire. Bullets ripped through the hotel
room sending sparks and debris flying, Logan and Crystal dived for cover, the
krogan kept firing before he stopped and threw a grenade towards where Logan
was hiding.
Logan was behind the kitchen counter when he saw a grenade land beside him "Oh
fuck" he said as he ran to new cover, the krogan followed Logan with his
machine gun and would of scored a hit if Crystal had not chosen that moment to
eliminate the competition.
Crystal opened fire on the Krogan from behind causing the krogan to turn and
focus on her "He was mine Frog-boy," she said
The krogan snarled and took aim at Crystal and opened fire, while the two
assassins fought over who was going to kill him, Logan took that chance to
escape and ran out into the hallway and headed for the garage where he jumped
into the first sky car he saw, purposely not taking his own car.
Crystal and the krogan made their way to the garage where they both tried to
follow after Logan, The krogan came prepared and got into his own car while
Crystal went to take Logan's rental sky car but when she started the engine the
whole car exploded in a massive ball of fire.
Logan saw his car explode, as he drove away "I am never getting my security
deposit back" he said to himself as the Krogan's car slammed into him, pushing
him into oncoming traffic. "Shit" Logan screamed as he avoided a truck that
blared its horns as it passed by.
The krogan kept coming not caring the damage he was causing, Logan was still on
the wrong side of the road and was doing all he could to avoid being hit by
oncoming traffic, after driving under another truck, The krogan fired a grenade
at a billboard sending it falling into traffic causing multiple cars to crash.
Logan could not avoid the exploding billboard and ended up forced off the road
and into a posh restaurant smashing though the windows. Logan kept his hand on
the horn "MOVE!" he yelled as people ran to get out of the way, as his sky car
exploded out of the other side of the restaurant and back into oncoming
traffic. His hand holding down the horn as traffic swerved to avoid him; the
krogan exploded out of the restaurant and narrowly avoided crashing into a
tanker truck that slammed on its brakes, spun out of control and ended up on
the wrong side of the road, causing multiple cars to crash into the tanker
truck.
Logan saw in the rear view the large pile up behind him but at that moment was
when the back window exploded inwards, his vision blurry from the three-day
bender he was enjoying now making his escape harder. The Krogan's car slammed
into the side of Logan's, the sound of crunching metal as the sky cars grinded
against each other. The oncoming traffic now had a harder time getting out of
the way, as the two cars took up two lines. The krogan took aim and fired his
shotgun, the buckshot shattered the side windows, hit the engine causing it to
spew black smoke and Logan also took a few fragments from the buckshot, causing
blood to drip down his arms and make the steering wheel slick.
The krogan was about to fire again when Logan sideswiped the Krogan, pushing
the krogan into the back of a car. The Krogan simply fired five shots into the
back of the car he ran into, killing the driver and causing the car to move out
of the way; as the krogan passed, he could see the driver slumped over the
wheel and began plummeting to the ground. The krogan caught back up to Logan
and continued to fire his shotgun, the buckshot tore into the sky car and the
cabin of the sky car was now filling with black smoke.
Logan turned his head and saw the krogan coming alongside him yet again and
taking aim, sideswiping the Krogan again before making a sudden turn into a
multiple story parking lot. The krogan regained control of his car and spun his
head around before he turned around and slowed down heading into the parking
lot, as the krogan entered he could see Logan's car parked with one door open
and a faint trail of blood leading away from the car.
"You should know human, I have your scent now, and I can follow you wherever
you try and hide" The krogan said getting out of his car and grabbing his
favourite shotgun, an assault rifle and a handful of grenades.
Logan had left his car and was leading the krogan to a spot where Logan could
ambush him, wiping his hand on yet another car leaving a blood stain behind
"come and get me, you son of a bitch" he whispered to himself.
The Krogan saw the blood trail and followed it however, it did occur to him
that he was being lead into a trap but with the amount of credits on offer, he
knew he had to chase the human anyway. Sniffing the air again, the Krogan could
smell human blood and the smell of leftover food from the nearby restaurants in
dumpsters, some of which was rotten. The krogan moved towards where the smell
of human blood was the strongest and opening one dumpster, he saw his mistake
when he could see Logan's bloodstained shirt but no sign of the body. It was at
that moment, Logan stood up and lifting the lid on the dumpster opposite to the
one the Krogan was looking in and quietly climbed out, charged a biotic throw
and pushed the whole dumpster towards the krogan, which slammed into the back
of the Krogan but did not kill him. So Logan used his biotics to pull the
dumpster back again before driving it forward again, the sound of the dumpster
grinding along the ground followed by the sound of metal slamming into flesh
and a cry of pain.
Logan could see the Krogan was still moving, not well but he was still alive,
so Logan kept using the dumpster as a weapon until the krogan went quiet.
Walking over to the krogan while glowing with biotic energy, he nudged the
alien with the toe of his boot when the krogan woke up enraged; Logan reacting
on instinct punched the krogan in the face, the biotics adding to the impact of
his punch driving the krogan's head back into the ground, cracking the
pavement. Adrenaline and rage fuelled Logan's punches as he kept raining blows
down upon the krogan's head, his biotics adding more force to each punch. Each
time Logan drove his fist down more cracks appeared in the pavement and by the
time Logan could not throw any more punches or even lift his arm the krogan's
head was no more and in its place was a small impact crater.
Logan climbed off the dead krogan, walked two steps before throwing up again
before standing back up, wiped his mouth and headed back to the krogan's car
while picking rotten and stale food off his body. Hearing sirens in the
distance, he knew he did not want to answer any questions. Besides, with the
bounty on his head, he cannot trust anyone. Jogging to the krogan's car and
taking a sawn off shotgun, it was the only that was small enough to be hidden
under his clothes he also took a few grenades, once that was taken care of he
began searching the krogan's personal computer to find any info he could.
The krogan's computer told Logan that the person, who had placed the bounty on
his head, was on Omega, a space station filled with criminals, pirates,
slavers, the rest of the scum of the galaxy, the whole station had no laws, the
most violent of crime bosses were the only ones that were in charge of the
station. Logan didn't care about that if that's where the contract had come
from that's where he would be going, the only problem would be the idea of
going to a lawless space station while a bounty on your head would be a death
sentence and just asking for trouble.
Logan headed out of the parking lot on foot, calmly walking into a bathroom as
the police drove past him. Once inside Logan saw the mess his face was in
bruised and battered and his nose broken again, washing his face clean of blood
before taking a deep breath and straightening his nose and take a few breaths
in though his nose, a slight twitch of his nose told Logan it was fine again.
Taking a drink of water, Logan then walked outside and started work on the next
part of his plan.
Arcturus Station/Arcturus system/Arcturus stream
Admiral Hackett had his head in his hands as he was hearing the news of
Bekenstein and the running gun battle involving Lieutenant Shepard and two
professional killers, both now dead, although one assassin was caught in a car
bomb meant for Logan.
"Who are the two hired guns?" Hackett asked
"The woman has no known aliases but is often referred to as the Black Widow due
to the way she kills her targets, mostly men and sometimes even women, she
lures them back to a quiet location before surprising them with a single
gunshot to the head" One of the support staff said before finding more
information "She often kills her targets while they are handcuffed to the bed
or while having a shower, she does not sleep with her targets before killing
them though despite her name"
"And a car bomb took her out?" Hackett asked "who set the bomb?"
One of the support staff clicked on her computer for a few moments "Not the
krogan, the krogan goes by the name of Weyrloc Garim, wanted for the murder of
over one hundred and fifty people, some of those were targets most were just
people who got in his way" the support staff replied "he kills his targets by
ambush and high-powered weaponry, he does not use bombs"
"And where was he found?" Hackett asked
"Car park roughly five blocks from Shepard's hotel room" the support staff told
him before clicking away on the keyboard "and he was found half crushed under a
dumpster and the head was gone"
"Gone?" Hackett asked
"Police think blunt force trauma is the reason for the body not having a head;
they did find skull fragments near the scene, all evidence points to Logan
surprising the krogan and half crushed the krogan with a dumpster before
somehow destroying Garim's head without using a weapon of any sort" the support
staff replied
Hackett thought for a moment "Biotics and his bare hands" Hackett said to
himself somewhat impressed "any idea of where Shepard is now?"
"Negative, no word yet" The support staff replied
"Makes sense that contract is worth five million credits, in his shoes I
wouldn't want to trust anyone either" Hackett said rubbing the bridge of his
nose "bring him in, who knows how many gun toting psychopaths will be hunting
him now"
One of the support staff stopped what she was doing and just stared at her
screen "Sir I am getting chatter from Blue Suns mercenaries, they are looking
for him and they are bring with them a small army"
Hackett swore, "Find him now and I want a team to take care of the Blue Suns
and anyone else who tries to cash in that bounty"
Bekenstein docks/ Bekenstein/Window Nebula
Shepard stole some dock workers work overalls and placed a work hat on and
disappeared amongst the crowd of dock workers, he still would need to lower his
head when he neared people but he could now move somewhat freely around the
docks. Logan headed towards where the ships were coming in and that was when he
saw them, Blue Suns, of course they would be here, watching the docks.
The Blue Suns were known for being well armed and were in force on Bekenstein,
with members ranging from human, batarian, asari, turian and a few krogan all
supplemented by armed mechs and security robots.
The Blue Suns were checking everyone it would be impossible to get past for
anyone other than Blue Sun members which meant Logan had to get one of them
alone and he had to make sure they were the same size as him, which would make
it difficult, so watching from a distance he noticed two Blue Suns walking by
themselves, one of them was wearing his size, moving closer and keeping his
head down, he got closer to them and when he was directly behind them he
punched what turned out to be a batarian in the face and when the batarian
turned he threw a punch back at Logan in a knee jerk reaction, but before the
punch could connect Logan used his asari friend as a shield who took a heavy
handed punch from her friend before Logan tore the windpipe out of the asari
and left her gurgling on her own purple blood, letting the asari fell to the
ground as he punched the batarian in the throat before grabbing the Batarian
and snapping his neck, killing him instantly.
Logan dragged the two bodies out of sight and once the bodies were well hidden,
Logan took the batarian's armour off and put on himself, the eye holes for the
helmet would not match up and if anyone got close enough they may notice but
apart from that Logan now looked like a batarian. Once the disguise was on
Logan he made his way towards a ship owned by the Blue Suns, walking past
another batarian who nodded at Logan but ignored him after that.
Logan was nearing the ship when the headset in his helmet started sounding an
alarm "Be aware Shepard maybe already here and wearing batarian Blue Sun
armour" someone had said over the headset, Logan knew they had found the bodies
so he quickened his pace "all batarian members please remove your helmets, any
batarian still wearing a helmet will be shot"
Logan swore to himself and looked right at a turian who was staring at him
"Remove your helmet" the turian ordered
"Sure, why not?" Logan said but instead of taking off the helmet he raised his
shotgun and fired blowing the turian's head off, the Blue Suns hearing the
gunshot and came running and began shooting at Logan as bullets whizzed past
Logan's head, he grabbed the grenade belt of the turian and armed one of the
grenades before throwing the whole belt towards a group of Blue Suns running
towards him. The grenade belt exploded sending a fireball into the air along
with any Blue Suns that were unlucky enough to caught in the blast, Logan now
threw the ill-fitting helmet off his head and ran towards the ship and used his
biotics to send another Blue Sun member off the landing platform causing him to
fall two miles to the ground below.
One block Away
One Batarian was heading towards the docks after hearing about the explosion on
the police scanner; he had lost the human when that idiot Krogan chased him
off, at least the bomb meant for Logan took out one of his rivals and now it
seemed as if the Blue Suns were on the verge of cashing in the bounty, not if
he could help it.
Bekenstein docks/Bekenstein/Window Nebula
Blue Suns were now swarming the docks, as if Logan had kicked a hornet's nest
and was now paying the price, lucky for Logan the docks were filled with plenty
of cover and places for him to play cat and mouse with the Blue Suns. Running
between cover Logan used his biotics to push Blue Suns off the docks, throwing
grenades towards crates would often have unexpected results from explosions to
chemical fires that would spread and setting traps using grenades , the Blue
Suns were now at war and tried to gain control of the situation and even called
in a gunship to stop him. Using whatever he could find to his advantage
including using barrels of the highly flammable element zero which he had
knocked over before lighting it and setting fire to over half of the docks and
burning over thirty Blue Suns alive.
Logan leaning against a crate while Blue Suns slowly moved towards him keeping
him pinned down for the most part, standing up every so often to use his
biotics or to shoot at them, it was not until the gunship showed up Logan was
forced to move to better cover, the gunship tracking him as he ran and fired a
rocket which was off target but still exploded close enough to Logan his ears
were ringing. Picking himself up off the ground and charging his biotics to
throw a barrel of element zero at the gunship, hitting the windshield and
smearing element zero all over the front of the gunship.
Logan shot another Blue Sun in the face and was aiming at another when a sky
car landed behind the Blue Suns and out stepped a single batarian holding a
rocket launcher and enough explosives to wipe out a small colony, the batarian
took aim and fired three times the first rocket hit a Blue Sun member and
exploded sending body parts and nearby Blue Suns flying, the next rocket
exploded on the gunship causing a massive fireball and sending it plummeting to
the ground and the last rocket headed towards Logan.
Bekenstein docks/Bekenstein/Window Nebula
Logan swore and only just managed to get his barriers up, however the force of
the explosion threw him backwards at least nine feet and destroyed the guns he
was carrying. As Logan tried to get back to his feet, he could see the batarian
switch to his secondary weapon, a grenade launcher dropping the rocket launcher
to the ground.
"I am going to enjoy this human," the Batarian said as he walked closer, "I had
brothers and sisters on Torfan and now it's payback time"
"You had sisters on Torfan?" Logan asked as he stood up "no wonder you
Batarians are so angry, your females are just as fucking ugly as you are" he
mocked, his head spinning and feeling weak from lack of food, sleep, blood loss
and the constant use of his biotics, as Logan moved to better cover.
"You…" the batarian snarled, his anger getting the best of him, keeping his
distance, the Batarian had superior fire power "COME OUT AND FIGHT!" the
Batarian screamed in rage as he fired another grenade towards Logan.
"Nice comeback" Logan said mocking him "and look you can shoot just as well" he
said, it was a well-known fact that batarians were short tempered even more so
than krogan were, batarians often let their tempers get the better of them and
with the superiority complex they all seemed to have combined with the hatred
they show towards humans, made angering him very easy for Logan.
Logan needed to get in close, easier said than done and to get in close Logan
had to make sure that grenade launcher was useless, and Logan knew the closer
you were to grenade launcher the less likely your opponent will fire otherwise
they too will get caught in the blast. Backing up and into a warehouse, still
feeling weak, despite the protesting his tired limbs did, Logan climbed upwards
using crates and pipes along the walls heading towards the ceiling before
waiting.
The Batarian snarled as he entered the warehouse and fired three shots blindly
"STOP HIDING" he screamed as he searched room to room "I will burn these docks
to ash if I have to" he said firing another grenade as it exploded he was
attacked from behind, a sharp stabbing pain in his side as he turned he saw
Logan armed with a blade which narrowly missed his face.
"Now this little baby brings back memories" Logan taunted as he kicked the
grenade launcher from the batarians hands "You never know, it might have put a
big smile on some of those brothers and sisters of yours" Logan mocked as he
pressed his attack.
The batarian was well trained in hand to hand combat and blocked the next four
knife attacks, taking out his own knife "I hope you have a plan B human" the
batarian said as he punched Logan in the stomach before throwing him against a
wall "plan A is not going to well" the assassin told Logan as he rushed at him
with a knife.
Logan was exhausted making his biotics useless, so Logan kicked outwards
landing a kick to the batarian's face before tackling him backwards and into
element zero barrels spilling the flammable liquid over the both of them, Logan
tried to stab the batarian but the blade was stopped by the batarian who began
to use his superior strength to push and twist the blade back towards Logan's
face, Logan responded by head butting the batarian before grabbing the back of
the assassin's head and driving it backwards into an element zero barrel trying
to crack the alien's skull.
The batarian managed to get one foot up to his chest and launched Logan off
him, who hit the ground with a thud; standing back up the batarian only had
enough time to move out of the way of another knife attack. Logan was
relentless, not giving the batarian a chance to catch his breath. The main
difference between a batarian and a human is simple; a Batarian has thicker
bone and skin density and roughly twice the upper body strength of an average
human, while a human has better endurance and can move a fraction faster, the
result is somewhat an even fight.
The batarian grabbed Logan by the throat and tried to stab him in the face;
Logan managed to grab the batarian's fingers and broke three fingers, causing
the batarian to release him at that moment, Logan reached forward and armed one
grenade on the batarian's grenade belt around his chest before kicking the
batarian in the chest knocking him backwards.
The batarian recovered quickly, simply took the grenade belt off, and tossed
towards Logan, who swore and dived out of the way but still not quite quick
enough. The blast threw him to the ground and knocked the wind out of his lungs
and he could not get back up to his feet.
The batarian slowly walked towards Logan "Looks like plan B was no good either"
he said laughing as he took off his grenade belt so Logan couldn't try that
same trick again "I can't really blame you for trying that trick, however you
of all people should know how much training we batarian's get with explosives,
you honestly thought I wouldn't of noticed a live grenade on me?" The batarian
said as he reached Logan and had to kick Logan's knife away before grabbing
Logan by the hair and lifting him up with his good hand and elbowed Logan a few
more times before he wrapped his powerful arms around Logan's waist and
squeezed.
Logan could feel the air being forced out from his lungs and felt a rib break
under the pressure, looking into the eyes of the batarian who was smiling like
it was the best day of his life.
"Any last words?" the batarian asked him smiling
"We never talked about plan C asshole" Logan replied weakly before he moved his
head forward, opened his mouth and bit down on the batarian's throat. His mouth
filling with foul tasting Batarian blood, as he hung on the Batarian reacted in
shock and let go but it was too late and Logan pulled his head back quickly
tearing the Batarian's throat out with his teeth.
The batarian staggered backwards holding the side of his throat as blood poured
from the wound, Logan now seeing the fight was at an end, roared in a rage and
tackled the batarian and wrapped his arms around the alien's neck and began to
choke him while trying to snap his neck, whichever came first. After what
seemed like hours but was in reality only a few minutes the batarian finally
stopped kicking, Logan held on for a bit longer before letting go and rolling
the now dead batarian off him.
Logan slowly stood back up and spat the brownish batarian blood out of his
mouth; his head was spinning and the fumes of element zero were giving him a
contact high and making him a little giddy, he began searching the dead
batarian for information and anything he could use. Finding water and a candy
bar and after he had a drink and poured water over his head washing off some
but not all of the element zero off, with the candy bar in his mouth he took
off the batarian's Omni-tool
"Don't move" a voice from behind him said
Logan swore to himself as he turned around "Ok, whose next?"
Logan could see a group of Alliance marines standing there all with guns
pointing at him; of course, he was wearing Blue Suns armour
"Shepard?" Anderson asked, moving closer gun still at the ready, before he
turned to the rest of the marines to stand down
Logan narrowed his eyes and gripped his knife as if ready to throw it "Whose
side are you on?" he asked, he had one lined up and could use them as a shield
if need be. While Logan was too weak to be able to fight them off if, they did
decide to cash in that bounty, he could take out a couple of them before they
stopped him.
Anderson looked at Logan and could see that he had been through hell but still
ready to fight, Anderson raised his hands "Yours, you don't trust us?"
Logan only laughed, "For the amount of credits I have on my head at the moment,
no" before turning to another marine "don't move"
Anderson nodded before looking at the others "lower your weapons" he told them
before turning back to Logan "That's fair enough, Hackett sent us" Anderson
explained as he moved a bit closer "we got bogged down a few blocks away,
dealing with the rest of the Blue Suns that were gunning for you"
Logan nodded as he stumbled backwards a little as he put his knife away "I need
a vacation" he said "got any food?" he asked
Matthew Dinnie stepped forward "Sure man" he said throwing him a ration, as he
did Matthew noticed the batarian blood coming from Logan's mouth "Didn't you
just eat" he joked.
Logan tore open the ration and finished it quickly "Needed pepper" Logan
replied
Matthew shook his head "Do what you gotta do I guess"
Commander Anderson watched, as a medic patched up Logan, who had many small
wounds, no life threatening wounds, mostly small cuts and burns. As the medic
finished up and Logan stood, back up Anderson asked him "Do we know where the
contract came from?"
Logan nodded "Omega" he answered "that's where I was heading, before the Suns
found me, this outfit did nothing then"
Commander Anderson raised his eyebrows "Omega? Shepard, the Alliance is not
allowed there," Anderson said "and to be honest you going there while the
bounty is on your head is suicide"
Logan nodded "Well it is unless you're already dead" he said with a smirk,
before he turned to Matthew "the contract did state anyone can cash it in as
long as they bring proof, I will be your proof" Logan said chuckling
Anderson rubbed his chin "The Alliance will never allow it"
Logan laughed out loud "Omega is a space station that is open to anyone, no
military has jurisdiction on Omega," Logan told him still smiling "of course
soldiers can travel there on their own time, but run the risk of being killed
by pirates or slavers, nothing wrong with a.." Logan held his hands up and made
finger quotes as he added "former soldier of the Alliance who has just killed
his commanding officer, the Alliance can deny the action if it goes south and
Matthew and I would be on our own"
Matthew raised an eyebrow "You want me to come with you?"
Logan nodded "Yeah, I mean I could do it on my own but it is more difficult and
it would be far easier with you, of course it is dangerous so if you don't want
to I understand"
Matthew shook his head "No I'll do it as long as the Alliance gives the ok"
Anderson sighed, "I get the feeling you're going to Omega regardless of what I
say"
Logan smiled "You are starting to understand me sir"
Omega Docks/Omega Space Station/Sahrabarik System
Matthew looked over at Logan "I can't believe the Alliance is allowing this"
Logan smiled "Well even Hackett saw the benefit of us doing this" he told
Matthew before lying down on the ground "now remember I'm dead" he said
clearing his throat "oh and don't kill the main guy, that asshole is mine the
rest are yours"
Matthew chuckled at that "yeah and if this goes wrong, so will I" he said as he
guided the small unmarked ship that was taken from the Batarian assassin into
port and waiting for the clamps to lock the ship down.
Matthew stood up once the ship stopped moving; the stretcher Logan was lying on
started to float after Matthew allowing Matthew to use his hands, once outside
the ship, there was a batarian waiting for them "Are you Matthew Dinnie?" the
batarian asked.
Matthew answered straightaway "Yes, now where is my money" he snapped
The batarian looked down at Logan "So that's him? Doesn't look so bad"
Matthew sighed "Yeah? Well what would you know? He killed three other assassins
and a platoon of Blue Suns before I took him down" he said as he looked around,
"he never saw me coming"
The Batarian nodded "Follow me" as he turned around and started walking "so why
turn on your friend?"
Matthew shook his head "He was no friend of mine, he got a lot of friends of
mine killed"
The Batarian nodded "Well that's one thing we have in common" he said smiling
slightly
Matthew rolled his eyes "We have nothing in common and never will I was a
soldier not a fucking pirate"
The Batarian frowned "I was never a pirate; I was a business man nothing more"
Matthew looked at the batarian "So a slaver then?" Matthew shook his head "and
you think that makes you better than a pirate? It does not, the truth is your
nothing more than a parasite and even being this close to you makes me sick, so
the less you could talk the better it will be for me, the mere fact I am
breathing the same air as you is offensive so shut your fucking mouth, I'm not
here for friends"
The batarian did not say another word instead lead Matthew and Logan's body to
a warehouse "there is Gorloch with your money, take your reward and leave" he
snapped slightly.
The batarian known as Gorloch walked closer to Logan to have a look at him "You
cannot believe how much money you have cost me" he said as nudged his foot
against Logan.
Matthew looked around and counted the slavers in the room and could see there
was element zero here as well as other crates and other chemicals "That is
close enough, now pay me" he said still looking around making sure this was not
a trap.
Gorloch smiled as he walked closer to Matthew "You were on Torfan weren't you?"
he asked taking a puff of his cigarette
Matthew nodded "Yeah I was, I lost a lot of close friends because of him" he
lied, Matthew noticed that the other slavers were moving closer to him
Gorloch nodded "Well be that as it may, I can't in good conscience pay you, you
understand" he said before he turned to the rest of the slavers "kill him"
At the point Logan sat up and shot one slaver though the face before charging
up his biotics and launching four other slavers into the air, Matthew pulled
out his pistol in the space of a heartbeat and before the next heartbeat he had
shot two others though the head, Moving forward Matthew fired three more times
and each time the shots found a skull to call home.
Logan was now standing up and threw Gorloch against a wall, as Gorloch hit the
wall, Logan shot another slaver who tried to help, the slavers were no match
after a few minutes the only one left alive was Gorloch who looked shocked that
Logan had set him up and was now begging for his life.
"Please don't shoot me" Gorloch begged "I'll give you the bounty and call the
hit off" he said as he tried to stand up "come on something for something"
Logan kicked him in the face "Stay down" he said before looking at Matthew
"I'll split it with you" he said as he looked down at the smiling Gorloch and
put his gun away.
Gorloch was started to beg for his life again when Logan poured element zero
over him, he only stopped begging when Logan set him on fire.
Matthew watched "Was that necessary?" he asked
Logan shrugged "I kept my word, I didn't shoot him" he said as he turned to
Matthew "got any marshmallows?" he joked
Matthew chuckled and shook his head "Harsh, but can't say he never deserved it"
Logan nodded "Besides this will be an important lesson for anyone else on this
hellhole not to put contracts on me or anyone else" he said still watching
Gorloch burn alive. "Let's get out of here," Logan said as he checked his
pistol "now comes the fun part, getting off the station" Logan told him "we
shoot anyone who tries to stop us" Logan said to a nodding Matthew as the
warehouse doors opened and standing there was there Batarian who led Matthew to
the warehouse.
"Hey wait a minute…your meant to be dead!" the batarian managed to say to
Logan.
"I got better," Logan said and calmly shot the batarian in the face, turning
his brains into a fine brownish mist "move it!" he ordered Matthew who was
right behind him.
Matthew and Logan moved quickly through the streets heading towards the docks
as pirates and slavers flooded the streets trying to stop the two Alliance
soldiers and avenge their leader who had only just stopped screaming.
Logan used his biotics to rip a shotgun from the hands of a pirate, who swore
and tried to dive for cover but was not fast enough as Logan used his own
weapon against him. Matthew on the hand was shooting the grenades attached to
the belts and even in the hands of the pirates themselves causing explosions
after every shot. Logan and Matthew had turned two blocks of Omega into a
warzone, using overwhelming force and speed the pirates could not respond fast
enough; the amount of damage they were coursing made many pirates reluctant to
join in.
Afterlife Nightclub, Omega Space Station, Sahrabarik System
Aria T'Loak sat in her booth as she was receiving reports on the two soldiers
fighting their way off the station; she knew why they had come here, the bounty
on the one known as Logan Shepard. Of course, she did not expect him to show up
himself and based on what she had discovered about the human, she knew he would
bring the whole station down around him if he could not escape; just two of
them had turned two blocks into a warzone, the fighting was not dying down in
fact it was intensifying.
"Let them go" she ordered one of her guards "and I want the idiot that placed a
contract in the first place taken care of," she said snarling in rage "they
bought this here"
One of her men steeped forward "Gorloch has been killed" he said keeping a
somewhat safe distance from the short tempered Asari "the ones fighting now are
his men, trying to avenge their loss I'm guessing"
Aria sighed and looked up at the batarian "You're not paid to fucking guess
Bray so tell them to stand down or they will answer to me, Gorloch bought this
mess here and now he has paid for it"
Bray nodded and left without another word.
Omega Docks/Omega Space Station/Sahrabarik System
Logan watched in surprise as the pirates and slavers retreated but based on the
look of the faces they did not want to be going anywhere, however Logan didn't
waste time and hurried to the ship "C'mon I think the head honcho wants us
gone" he said to Matthew.
Matthew frowned as he shot a wounded pirate on the ground "Why though?"
Logan shrugged his shoulders as he opened the ships doors "Who cares, let's
just go before they change their mind"
Logan got the ship started as Matthew watched the pirates just in case they did
change their minds. Once the ship was a safe distance from Omega Matthew said
"So two and a half million credits a lot of money" he said with a smile "do you
think the Alliance will want to take it off us?"
Logan nodded "Yep, that's why we never got the credits and since they are
untraceable and the only way they will know is if one of us tells them" Logan
told him smiling as he took a drink "invest it or put it someplace safe, think
of it as a retirement fund" he told him.
Once they got back to Alliance space they were debriefed and as Logan said the
Alliance never found out about the credits, Matthew promoted and reassigned to
another squad. As Logan also promoted and reassigned sent on other missions
were everything from transporting criminals to hunting down terrorists and even
training a new squad that earned the nickname the Wrecking Crew. As they
trained to get behind enemy lines before unleashing overwhelming biotic
attacks, breaking up enemy forces and causing chaos allowing for front line
soldiers to push forward, forcing the enemy to front on two fronts.
Logan also had one tour of duty on-board a turian ship as part of an exchange
program that had been interesting to say the least. However, Logan performed
very well and could have been the reason why Logan's next mission would be
being in charge of a ground team on a new type of frigate, some type of recon
ship that was co-developed by the Turian Hierarchy and the Human Systems
Alliance. They had named the ship after a well-known battle in human history,
The Normandy.
The first day Logan walked onto the ship, he felt at home right away, he could
see a number of marines as well as navigators and engineers getting around. He
had found out that Commander Anderson, now Captain Anderson had handpicked
everyone on the ship that made him feel proud that Captain Anderson handpicked
him to lead any ground teams for this ship.
"What now sir?" Logan asked Anderson when he caught up to him
Anderson smiled "let's see what's out there Commander".
Chapter End Notes
     Well guys I'd love to hear what you thought of Shepard's time before
     the events of the first game as the next chapter will start getting
     onto familiar ground. I will show most scenes from the game but not
     all conversations or missions will be covered but I will mention the
     missions but due to the size of the games I cannot cover every single
     mission or even remember every conversation that happens so it will
     help if you have played the game as I will assume all of you have
     played the games as much as I have but in any case I hope you enjoy
     it, as always feedback is welcome.
***** Nothing is ever simple *****
Chapter Summary
     Ok guys as promised here is the start of the first game. Eden Prime.
     Oh and feedback is welcome c'mon don't be shy what do you like about
     it and what do you hate about it?
Arcturus Station/ Arcturus System/Arcturus Stream.
"What about Commander William Hawke?" Ambassador Donnel Udina asked as he
continued to read.
Captain Anderson thought for a moment "Born on the Mindoir colony, outstanding
service record and the sole reason Elysium is still standing"
Admiral Hackett shook his head "He is also a racist with ties to Terra Firma
who makes no effort to hide his hatred of anything non-human"
Captain Anderson was also a part of the meeting via a vid screen, they had been
discussing possible names for a Spectre position and so far every name had
problems along with it.
"Commander Nikita Taylor? Military family, no history of bigotry, good service
record as well as outstanding scores in diplomacy" said Ambassador Donnel
Udina.
Admiral Hackett shook his head "She was on Akuze and witnessed her whole
platoon killed and to honest that's her claim to fame, not dying when everyone
else did"
Captain Anderson flicked over the file quickly "She is a survivor"
"She has more than her share of scars," Admiral Hackett said while looking over
the names.
Captain Anderson spoke up at that point "Name me one soldier who doesn't?" he
asked
Admiral Hackett looked at Anderson "Most soldiers don't wake up screaming from
nightmares and are still receiving counseling"
"Well what about, Commander Logan Shepard?" Ambassador Udina asked "Earthborn
but no record of his family..."
"Doesn't have one, he survived on the streets using his wits" Captain Anderson
replied.
"He got most of unit killed on Torfan" Admiral Hackett replied "he is also has
a drinking problem, although never on duty thankfully and he is known to use
extreme force in subduing enemies"
"He gets the job done no matter the cost" Captain Anderson replied.
Ambassador Udina thought for a moment "Is that the type of person we want
protecting the galaxy?"
Captain Anderson nodded "That's the only type of person who can protect the
galaxy"
Ambassador Udina nodded "I'll make the call".
Admiral Hackett turned to Captain Anderson and smirked "You knew we were going
to choose him didn't you?"
Captain Anderson shook his head "I have no idea what you are talking about sir"
he answered while smirking slightly, letting the Admiral know as far as the
Captain was concerned this meeting was a formality and nothing more.
Admiral Hackett rose an eyebrow "Right and already having the Commander on
board was just luck was it?"
Captain Anderson smirked and shrugged "Considering the other two, yeah I
thought he was the best choice and besides the other two don't have a Spectre
that put their name forward like Shepard does"
Admiral Hackett shook his head "Well I hope your trust in him is not misplaced"
Utopia, Exodus cluster, two days from Eden Prime
Logan had introduced himself to the crew and since this was his first time
being the X.O on a ship he made sure he knew everyone, some were tolerable more
so than others. Corporal Richard Jenkins while he was a nice enough guy, he did
tend to be a little overbearing but he was eager and more than willing to
follow Logan into hell if ordered to, of course Logan could not tell if it was
out of respect or fear. Jenkins did let slip the nickname Logan had earned on
Torfan 'The Butcher of Torfan' while he was talking to Logan's second in
command Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, unaware Logan could hear them, something
Kaidan quickly pulled him up on.
"Don't let the Commander hear you call him that" Kaidan warned the young
soldier "he lost a lot of people on Torfan, some of them friends" he told the
Corporal
"Of course sir" Jenkins said nodding clearly showing his age "I meant no
disrespect it's just that Commander Shepard is well famous for what he can do
in battle, I just want to show him what I can do"
Kaidan rubbed the bridge of his nose from another migraine before answering,
"He is more infamous than famous," he told him while he opened his footlocker.
Jenkins frowned as he searched his own footlocker "What do you mean sir?"
Kaidan sighed "The Commander has always done things his own way, and many of
those ways could be seen as….going too far and in a few cases he has paid for
it" Kaidan explained "for example he can no longer drink at every bar and sleep
with every random woman at every port he is at, as much as he once did at
least, an assassin used that information against him to get closer to him and
the Commander was almost killed because of it, another example is his actions
on Torfan have made him a target for protesters and even the occasional
homicide attempt, he gets his name dragged through the mud on news programs and
he is a popular debate topic for the diplomatic students" Kaidan finished and
stood up and looked at the young Corporal.
Jenkins turned to look at Kaidan and asked "You don't like him sir?"
Kaidan shook his head "No I do and I respect the hell out of him; however I am
under no illusions on who he is, and I do not let my respect for him to blind
me at the end of the day he is just a man doing a job. Nothing more"
Logan smiled; he now knew why Captain Anderson put Kaidan on his team, it was
clear Kaidan was placed on this team as Logan could almost imagine Anderson
thinking that Kaidan would maybe have a calming effect on him, Kaidan being the
Yin to Logan's Yang so to speak.
Kaidan looked at the Corporal "Just do your job as well as I know you can and
Commander Shepard will take notice" he told him before noticing Logan walking
into the room
"Well boys, I trust your done gossiping" he said with a slight smile letting
them know he had heard them "Captain Anderson tells me we are making a pick up
before we go for a shakedown run" he said before looking at Corporal Jenkins
"Our guest will be a turian Spectre so I expect both you to be professional"
Logan could not help but notice the reactions on the faces of the two of them,
A Spectre, well known as the Council enforcers and officially, they answered to
no one but the Council and could do whatever they wanted. To some people it
would be intimidating or even unnerving to be around a government agent who was
essentially above the law but to Logan he didn't care, he would treat a Spectre
the same as anyone else, and if this Spectre gave him a reason to kill him he
would and would worry about the outcome later.
"Before you ask, no I do not know why a Spectre is coming aboard, so don't
bother asking" Logan told them before assigning Jenkins to a job. "Jenkins I
want you to keep the Mako fully prepped and ready to go" Logan told him and
when Jenkins didn't move at first Logan raised an eyebrow "now Corporal"
"Alenko I trust you already have been given a task to do by the Captain?" Logan
asked while he checked his own footlocker
"Yes sir" Kaidan replied saluting
Logan smiled "Relax, I'm not that type of Commanding officer that I want you
salute me every time, just go get it done" he told him before leaving him for
his duties.
Three days later the Spectre was on board carrying enough weaponry to take on
an army, the turian introduced himself as Nihlus Kryik and even offered his
hand for the humans on board to shake, something not many turians thought of to
do, as shaking hands was a human custom. After a short talk with the Captain,
Nihlus walked around the ship inspecting it something some of the older members
of the crew did not like, leftover hatred from the First Contact War. Logan
knew the Spectre was watching him and always seemed to be around him, although
he did not know why, although he did notice Nihlus already in the mess hall
when Logan went for some food yet another thing Logan noticed, the turian only
seemed to eat when Logan was, almost as if he did not want to let Logan out of
his sight.
Putting it out of his mind, Logan told both Jenkins and Alenko to meet him in
the cargo bay for some hand to hand training. Since Torfan and seeing Jamie
getting hacked apart with mining tools showed Logan the importance of all
soldiers being capable of close quarters combat, Logan had spent even more time
training martial arts, not just focusing on Jiu-Jitsu but on martial arts that
focused on strikes, kicks even more so, the events on Korlus still fresh in his
mind.
"Ok, I want to see what you know if you have no weapons at all" he told them
judging their reactions "and I'll show you a few new tricks" he said looking at
Alenko "no biotics" Kaidan's face screwed up in confusion "biotics are limited
in they need to time before you can use another one, I cannot tell you how many
times knowing that has saved my life" he told him before looking back at
Jenkins "Ok Corporal let's see what you can do, attack me"
Jenkins eager to prove himself rushed Logan in a flurry of punches which Logan
ducked and tripped the Corporal up "Never rush in unless you have the advantage
first" he told him at the same time he noticed the Spectre watching them.
Jenkins got back up to his feet and this time took a more careful approach, he
threw a right cross which missed but to his credit followed it with a spinning
left elbow which Logan stepped up behind him before it could connect and shoved
him to in the back "Nice move, however do not turn your back on your opponent
unless you have them off balance first" he said looking over at the Spectre
before ignoring him "Alenko, your turn"
Kaidan stepped forward and fell into a stance that looked like a kickboxing
stance and kicked outwards with a right front kick and he followed it with a
left straight which Logan ducked and stepped into clinch range and gripped
Kaidan around the back of the neck and tripped him to the ground so he was
standing over the top of him "You have had training before haven't you?" he
asked as he helped him back up to his feet.
"Yes sir I have" Kaidan said as he dusted himself off "although I think I will
have to get more now" he said with a laugh "where did I go wrong though sir?"
he wanted to know
Logan smiled "Well I get you guys down here as often as I can" he said cracking
his neck "you were telegraphing your attacks, but you have good speed and you
plan your attacks which is good" he said before turning to Jenkins "as for you
Corporal slow down and think of your next move"
They both nodded and thanked him before he dismissed them he had noticed the
Spectre still standing there watching him "Enjoy the show?" he asked
Nihlus smiled that strange turian smile and nodded "I had not seen much of
Human martial arts and never from someone with as much training as you"
Logan thought about that for a moment "Maybe you will have to show me how
turians fight sometime"
Nihlus chuckled "Maybe" as he watched Logan leave
After a shower and a quick bite to eat, Logan headed towards the bridge where
Kaidan and the helmsman Jeff Moreau better known as 'Joker' were talking about
the Turian Spectre who had walked past Logan as Logan made his way onto the
bridge.
"You don't send a Spectre on a shakedown run" Logan had said to them before the
Captain called into the briefing room and after Joker had warned the Captain
Nihlus was heading towards him.
"He is already here Lieutenant" the Captain told him with a slight anger in his
voice.
"Great you piss the Captain off and I have to deal with him" Logan groaned.
"Don't blame me, the Captain is always in a bad mood" Joker replied.
"Only when talking to you Joker" Kaidan replied as Logan left the room and made
his way to the briefing room.
After a short talk with Navigator Pressly over why a Spectre would be on board
as well as a respected Officer like Captain Anderson on a 'do nothing mission'
and telling him he would find out about it and let him know, he kept walking
and saw a familiar face, Dr Chakwas who was talking to Corporal Jenkins about
what the Spectre was doing on board and of course the Corporal almost jumping
out of his skin over the chance of some 'action' as he put it, flashbacks of
another marine eager for action came flooding back to Logan and the results of
what happened to him when he got his wish.
"You need to calm down Corporal, only a fool goes looking for trouble" Logan
warned him.
"Easy for you to say Commander, you proved what you can do during the Blitz, I
just want to show the Captain what I can do" Jenkins explained before the
subject got changed back to Spectres and why there was not any human Spectres.
"Hey Commander, you would make a good Spectre, ruthless efficiency, getting the
job done not matter the cost like on Torfan" The Corporal said with Dr Chakwas
staring at the Corporal as if she could not believe he just said that.
"I didn't enjoy Torfan, I just did what I had to do" Logan reminded him with a
stern look.
"Of course Commander, I meant no disrespect" the Corporal explained before
looking down at his feet.
Logan shook his head slightly and passed Dr Chakwas a look, which could only be
described as kids huh? and made his way past them. Walking into the briefing
room he saw that Nihlus was already there, the Captain was nowhere to be seen.
"Ah Commander, I was hoping we would have a chance to talk before the Captain
got here" Nihlus explained.
Logan narrowed his eyes "About what?" thinking he was finally going to find out
why he was really here.
"Eden Prime is quite beautiful isn't it? Do you know much about it?" he asked.
"I'm a marine not some tourist on some vacation, the only thing I know is that
the Corporal is from there" Logan replied somewhat short, it seemed like the
Spectre was dancing around what he wanted to ask.
"But it is more than a tourist location isn't it, Eden Prime is a symbol
amongst your people, a sign that not only can Humanity maintain its colonies
but also keep them safe but how safe is it really?" Nihlus said somewhat
cryptically.
Logan had enough of this "Do you know something?' he asked and walked closer.
'The Universe is a dark and dangerous place, is Humanity really ready for it? "
he asked simply and before he could say much more Captain Anderson walked in.
"Good Commander you are here" he said nodding to Logan as Nihlus turned to
Logan.
"This is far more than shakedown run" Nihlus said simply and waiting for
Logan's reaction.
"I already worked that out" Logan said looking right at Captain Anderson.
"Nihlus is here to evaluate you" The Captain told him as he looked back at
Nihlus.
"That would explain why I saw him a kept running into him" Logan stated before
he had to know "Evaluate me for what?" Logan asked narrowing his eyes at
Nihlus.
"I read your reports from Torfan, a grim business but you got the job done, as
well as your escape from capture on Korlus breaking both your arms and of
course you killing three of most wanted assassin's in the galaxy in one night
as well as a platoon of Blue Suns. It is for those reasons I put your name
forward as Spectre candidate" Nihlus told him still studying him for a
reaction.
"Why would a turian want a human in the Spectres?" Logan asked.
"Not all turians despise Humanity, some of us see the potential of your species
and what you could offer not just to the galaxy but to the Spectres" Nihlus
explained
Logan nodded and took the news at signs of a promotion "Looks like you will be
showing me how turians fight sooner than I thought" Logan joked
That bought a slight chuckle from Nihlus "This will be the first of many
missions together" he said looking at Captain Anderson.
Captain Anderson cleared his throat "A prothean beacon has been found at Eden
Prime, the Alliance is working with the Council..."
Before being interrupted by Logan "I get it, we share the beacon and in return
we get a try out for the Spectres?"
Nihlus looked at the Captain, who smiled and shook his head "Not quite
Commander the Council has more experts in this field and we have been trying to
get on the Spectres for years now" the Captain answered and looked at Nihlus
"as I said he speaks his mind" he said quietly to Nihlus before he cleared his
throat and opened his mouth to say something more before being interrupted by
incoming reports from Eden Prime.
"Put it on screen" The Captain said.
Logan could see a lot of panic on the screen before a disturbing silence that
fell over the marines that were fighting on the ground, at that moment the
camera panned around and showed a very large ship not matching anything known
from any known species coming down to land, the reactions of both the Captain
and Nihlus said they didn't know what it was either.
"A small team can move quickly, it is our best chance to reach the beacon"
Nihlus said still staring at the screen.
Logan walked out of the room while a short time later his head swimming with
this information, he was being evaluated as a Spectre, the prothean  beacon
being found on Eden Prime, to say that a working beacon would be valuable is a
massive understatement but worth starting a war over? Maybe, Logan had to admit
he didn't know much about the protheans or their technology and he really was
not a tech it was one of the areas he struggled with hacking was a nightmare to
him one of the main reasons why he was a Vanguard and not a Sentinel, of course
Eden Prime now under attack, whoever was behind the attack is clearly heading
for the beacon.
A short time later Logan was standing in the Loading bay in his armour, a quick
rundown on his objectives and finding out the Nihlus was going to scout out
ahead. For some reason the Captain seemed to be nervous and repeated more than
once about working with Nihlus "We have his back Captain" Logan said looking to
started on this mission.
The ground crunched under Logan feet once they touched down on the surface
"Right Jenkins I want you switch to your assault rifle, and Alenko stick with
your pistol" Logan told them before remembering "now Jenkins I know this is
your home but I need you to focus"
Moving forward Logan could smell smoke and after Nihlus telling him that there
was a lot of bodies and no survivors, taking careful movements Shepard noticed
that Jenkins getting a little far ahead, as soon as Logan noticed it, it was
too late, a drone came around from behind a tree and opened fire, the first
couple of rounds missed however the Corporal inexperienced stayed where he was
in the open and fired back, the drone quickly adjusted its aim and it's next
rounds tore though Jenkins chest dropping him to the ground.
Kaidan to his credit kept his cool and dropped the drone's shields before he
moved onto a second drone that appeared with shots and quickly dropping it
while Logan's shotgun made short work of the first drone.
"Tore right though his shields, never stood a chance" Kaidan said after closing
Jenkins eye's
"We will make sure he gets a proper burial once the mission is complete, but we
still have a job to do" Logan told him.
Logan walked away from Jenkins body, yet another marine under his command that
is now dead; however Logan couldn't dwell on those thoughts for long, as he
could hear a gun fight just over the next hill. Kaidan reached the top of the
hill a moment after Logan and saw a single marine running from three hostile's
what looked like robots.
"Let's say hello" Logan told him as he ran down the hill throwing one of the
robots a good nine feet before pulling another in closer with his biotics and
dropping that one with a close range shotgun blast, While Kaidan and the
unknown marine finished off the remaining one.
"Are you the one in charge here sir?" The marine asked, it was that moment
Logan had noticed the marine was a woman, a rather attractive one too, dark
skin and dark eyes, quite a combination Logan thought as he answered.
"Yeah I am what's going on here Gunnery Chief...?" Logan asked.
The Gunnery Chief cleared her throat "William's sir, Ashley Williams"
Logan nodded and looked around "so where is the rest of your squad?"
Ashley started pacing "We were on patrol when the attack happened, we were
ambushed...I don't think they made it... I think I'm all that's left" she said
looking at him.
Logan nodded before he cracked his neck "you did all you could, and you stayed
alive until reinforcements arrived that counts for something"
Ashley smiled a little at that "Thank you sir"
Kaidan stepped forward "Any idea what they are?" he asked.
Ashley frowned before shrugging "I think they are geth"
Kaidan frowned "The geth haven't left the Veil in three hundred years"
Ashley nodded "I know but maybe the Prothean beacon drew them here?" she
suggested.
Logan nodded think that all this was pointless as they didn't know enough yet
"Do you know where the beacon is?"
Ashley nodded "Yes sir it should be right over that next ridge"
Logan nodded "Lead the way Williams we need to secure that beacon"
Ashley nodded "Time for some payback"
Logan glanced at Kaidan "Wonder where Nihlus is?"
Kaidan shrugged "Who knows? Why is he here for anyway?"
Logan glanced back "Oh I had forgotten to tell you, he is here to evaluate me
for the Spectres" he told them
Williams raised her eyebrows "That's a big deal sir"
Logan shrugged "Yeah I guess it is" he said
Logan moved forward and headed over the ridge keeping his squad in tight, as
they neared the top they could see two geth troopers holding a injured man over
a device, the man was still moving and aware of his surroundings when THWACK!A
large metal spike shot out of the device and though the man's mid-section and
suspended him a good fifteen feet in the air and kept him there, while other
spikes lowered bringing with them, what looked like human's but modified, you
could see the cybernetics sticking though the skin as well as their skeleton,
they also had glowing eyes and were now running towards the three of them.
"What did the geth do to them?" Ashley asked.
Logan moved forward and fired his shotgun tearing one of them in half before
launching another one with biotics while Ashley and Kaidan finished off the
remaining one.
"Techno zombies? Now I have seen everything" Logan said more to himself than
anyone before looking around "Check for survivors in that building there" he
said pointing as he checked the one next to it.
"Commander, door was locked from the inside, it's open now" Kaidan said as he
stepped back allowing Logan to have a look.
Inside there were two people a man and a woman, the woman was holding up her
hands while the man looked too out of it to know where he was.
"Don't shoot" the woman said "we ran in here to hide"
"There is no hiding from them; this is the end, the harbingers of our
extinction" the man said looking around nervously
Logan glanced at the man "Who are you?"
The woman pointed to her chest "I'm Dr Warren and this is my assistant Manuel"
she said pointing at the strange man
Logan nodded "You seen a turian around here?" he asked the woman while still
looking at the man
"No I didn't, too busy" she replied
"I saw him, the prophet of the end, the speaker for the old ones, the vanguards
of our destruction" the man said still looking around.
Logan looked at the man before asking something else "What can you tell me
about the attack?"
The woman shook her head "Not much I'm sorry, we did hear a loud noise though
so loud it sounded like it was coming from inside your head"
The man spoke up again "I heard it too, the siren of their arrival, the
beginning of the end, nothing can stop them, gods of our destruction"
Logan looked at the woman before nodding his head towards the man "What's his
problem?"
"Oh Manuel has always been...well unstable" the woman said.
Logan nodded "Time to go to sleep" Logan said as the man walked closer to him.
"You can't just silence the truth, the end is co..." he managed to say before
Logan's fist slammed into his jaw knocking him out.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR? You can't just go around hitting people" the woman
yelled at him.
"That might have been a little extreme Commander" Kaidan said raising a
eyebrow.
Logan held up his hand "Relax, it was only a matter of time before he did
something crazy or stupid to someone else or himself"
The woman rubbed her hand across her forehead "I suppose you're right, at least
now when he wakes up his medication might have kicked in by then"
Logan nodded before turning to Ashley and Kaidan "Let's go" he said.
Once outside Ashley pointed to her right and said "The beacon should be just be
just over that hill"
Logan nodded and readied his shotgun and began moving forward, more geth drones
appeared followed by a small squad of geth troopers. Ashley opened fire on the
troopers after dropping one of the drones; Kaidan backed her up by dropping the
shields of the troopers, while taking out the remaining drones, leaving the
troopers open for Logan's biotics and shotgun blasts.
Logan knocked a trooper to the ground with a biotic throw before he blew its
head off with his shotgun "Where is the beacon?" he asked looking at where it
was meant to be
Ashley frowned "It was here..., they must have moved it"
Kaidan looked at Ashley "Our side or theirs?"
Ashley just shrugged "Either way they would have moved it to the spaceport
whoever it was"
Logan sighed "So much for a nice easy mission" he said to himself "ok let's
move" he told the others and moved forward "Ashley, lead the way"
Ashley nodded and started to head up the nearby hill when Nihlus spoke again
"Change of plans Shepard, meet me at the Spaceport I'll wait for you there"
Nihlus said
Shepard neared the top of the hill and a short moment after he had replied
"Copy that" a single shot rang out. Logan did not know why but he had a bad
feeling and looked over at Ashley "Any good as a sniper Williams?" he asked
Ashley smiled "Top of my class Sir"
Logan nodded "Good, switch up and keep your eyes open" he told her as he
reached the top of the hill, once there he could see a large number of geth
troopers and more of those zombie like husk things running towards them but by
far the most disturbing thing was the massive ship that was taking off in the
distance, complete with a very loud buzzing type sound. "Williams stay up here
and target the troopers, Alenko keep on my six" he ordered and opened fire with
his shotgun ripping one of the Husks in half before he threw another two with
his biotics, Kaidan helped make short work of them, while Ashley sniped the
geth with an almost scary accuracy. Once all hostiles where taken care of,
Logan began to have a look around, starting with a building back near the top
of the hill.
"You can come out now" Logan called out to the people he knew where inside.
"Don't shoot we are unarmed" One man says.
"Is it safe?" a woman to the right of him asked.
Logan nodded "Safe for now yes" he answered "who are you?"
The man speaks up "The name is Cole, we are just farmers"
Logan looks at Cole "What can you tell me about the attack?"
Cole shook his head "Not much sorry, we were at work when the attack happened,
that's when we saw it, a massive ship, I didn't think ships that big could land
on a planet but it didn't seem to have any trouble and as it was coming in,
there was a loud buzzing sound almost as if it was coming from inside your
head"
Logan nodded "Yeah we just saw it, so how did you escape?"
Cole scratched the back of his neck before answering "Well we were nearby to
begin with and once we heard the attack I knew we would be safe here so we ran
here" he explained
Logan nodded before looking behind him "Well stay out of sight for the time
being, the geth shouldn't be back but don't take chances" he said and turned to
leave.
"Hey Cole maybe we should give them the stuff, they will need it more than we
will" the woman to Cole's right said out loud, loud enough for Logan to hear
it.
Cole snapped a look at her "Be quiet you…" he said before he saw Logan had
turned back around to stare at him "if there is something you're not telling
me" He warned.
"Ok look, a guy I know at the docks he gives me some of the Alliance goods
coming in and in return i store them here" Cole told him
Ashley glared at Cole "You son of a bitch, we are out here protecting you and
you're stealing from us?"
Cole looked at her "Sorry, but we never thought you would need it, I mean we
are farmers that's all"
Ashley rolled her eyes and just shook her head
Logan shook his head "You slimy fuck, you didn't run here to be safe, you ran
here to check on your stash" he said angrily
Cole shook his hands in front of him "No honest, we came here because we knew
there was some weapons here we could use"
Logan raised a eyebrow "Got anything for us?" he asked holding out a hand
Cole rubbed the back of his neck "Yeah, here" he said handing over a pistol
Logan took the pistol and checked its sights "Not bad" he said more to himself
Ashley stepped forward then and asked "Who is your contact in the spaceport?
Cole looked nervous and shuffled his feet a little "He's not a bad guy. I don't
want to get him in trouble. Besides, I'm not a snitch"
Logan sighed and pointed the same pistol Cole just gave him at the farmers head
"Would you rather be a snitch or a corpse?" Logan asked sounding almost bored
"Powell, his name is Powell" Cole said rather quickly holding his hands up.
"So much for honour amongst thieves" Ashley mocked while shaking her head.
Logan shook his head and turned away from Cole and the others, looking around
he could see the docks to the right and on the left he could see more of those
spikes "Do you think synthetics understand terror tactics?"
Ashley looked over at Logan with a puzzled look on her face "Do you think
that's why they do it sir?" she asked sounding if she didn't want to know the
answer.
Logan motioned for Kaidan to take point up the stairs before looking back at
Ashley "Maybe, I mean humans did things like this once upon a time, maybe they
learn from organics?" he answered as he looked upwards hoping that ship he saw
didn't come back.
Ashley walked up the steps behind the two men "I don't know if the Quarians
were the impaling type though" she said before shrugging her shoulders "but
then again I could be wrong"
Logan reached the top of the stairs "The geth would most likely study other
races too; I mean humans studied the other races after the turians made first
contact with us" he said as he could see a dead body lying there "shit, please
tell me that's not who I think it is?" Logan asked Kaidan who had a disgusted
look on his face as he rolled the dead alien over onto its back.
"Commander, it's Nihlus" Kaidan said looking down at the dead Spectre; he
sounded as if he was going to say something else when they heard a noise behind
the pallet of boxes and containers.
"Come on out, we know you are there" Commander Shepard said levelling his gun
towards the noise
"Don't shoot, I'm unarmed" a man said as he slowly stood up "I'm just a dock
worker, I managed to hide here, I guess the Geth didn't see me" he said looking
nervous
Logan lowered his gun before asking "What's your name?"
The man still looked nervous "Powell, my name is Powell"
Logan raised an eyebrow "Powell your Cole's contact here on the docks huh?"
Logan asked
Powell blinked a few times "No…I mean yeah, but what does that matter now?"
Logan smiled "anything good back there?" he asked
Powell looked relived a little "Um…yeah here" he said handing over a few
grenades
Logan looked at the grenades before glancing back up at Powell "Think very
carefully before you lie to me, is there anything else back there?" he asked
with a dangerous tone in his voice.
Powell rubbed the back of his neck nervously "Well yeah…I mean there is this?"
he said handing over some kind of prototype technology.
Logan smiled as he put the items away shooting a glance over at Williams to
keep her quiet, not that he blamed her for being upset but they needed to focus
on the mission.
"So what do you remember about the attack?" Kaidan asked.
"Not much, I was working here, when I heard that loud noise that…" Powell was
saying before Logan cut him off again.
"Sounded like it was coming from inside your head?" Logan asked
Powell blinked and nodded "yeah, I guess it was lucky they never spotted me, I
can't think of what would of happened"
Ashley frowned "wait a minute? If you were working at the time, how did you get
here in time? And how did you know the Geth wouldn't look there?" Ashley asked
glancing at Logan.
Powell rubbed the back of his neck again "well…um…that's the thing, I was
already here when the attack happened"
Logan frowned this time, something was not adding up "you were already here?
Why?" he asked thinking he already knew the answer.
Powell avoided making eye contact "Well I sometimes sneak back here to take a
nap during shifts"
Ashley shook her head "You're kidding me? You survived because you're lazy?"
she almost yelled at the dock worker.
Logan shook his head "Well if you hadn't gone for that nap, you might be up on
those spikes with everyone else" he said.
Powell looked down at his feet "Yeah…I'd rather not think about it"
Logan nodded "You're alive take comfort in that" he said before asking "Do you
know where they might of moved the beacon?"
Powell nodded "Yeah, the geth took it" he said scratching his chin as he tried
to remember "They were with someone, a turian" Powell said looking down at
Nihlus "your friend seemed to know him, called him….Saren, your friend dropped
his guard and that's when the other one shot him, right in the back" Powell
said finishing his story "After that they took the cargo train, you should be
able to catch them if you hurry"
Logan nodded "The Alliance will need to get your statement, stay here and out
of sight" he warned before he turned back to Ashley and Kaidan "we need to move
now" he ordered as he thought to himself Too bad, Nihlus I was starting to like
you. Shaking his head and clearing his thoughts, Logan directed the team onto
the cargo train.
Once on board, Logan got the train moving and turned to talk to Kaidan and
Ashley "Ok, here is the deal" he told them "This mission got a lot more
complicated, The geth are trying to steal the beacon, we have a dead Spectre
and another turian getting around, when this train stops they will throw
everything they have at us, we push forward no matter what" Logan told them who
only nodded in response.
The train came to a stop and even before it did they were under fire,
"William's snipe them, Kaidan keep them busy, I'll…" Logan was saying before he
saw something that made his blood run cold, a thermo nuclear weapon and it was
armed.
"Shit, I'll disarm, you two keep those metal bastards off me" Logan ordered as
a bullet zipped past his head and got to work, disarming bombs was never a
strong suit of Logan's like hacking, he would rather let Kaidan do it but Logan
didn't know how good Kaidan was at disarming nukes, bombs were one thing but
disarming a nuke tended to make people nervous and for good reason.
"Got it" Logan said as he disarmed it "they will have more, we need to find
them" he told them as he fired his pistol at one Geth, blowing its head off.
Ashley was not lying about her skill with a sniper rifle, one shot tore though
a Geth's neck leaving the head hanging on by only wires and as quickly as she
could move from one target to the next she dropped another four more.
Kaidan was up ahead and was dropping the Geth shields for Ashley to take them
out, as well as every now and then launching a geth off the side "Found another
one sir" Kaidan called out as he fired two more shots into a Geth's head.
As Logan was moving forward he ordered Ashley to switch back to her Assault
rifle, and once Logan and Ashley had caught up to Kaidan, Logan went to work on
disarming another nuke.
The Geth were getting more and more desperate and seemingly did not use tactics
anymore, instead they now just did suicidal runs towards them.
Kaidan got knocked to the ground and retaliated with a biotic throw, launching
the Geth over the side of the railing, Ashley stood beside him, covering him
while he stood back up.
Logan breathed out finally when the nuke was disarmed "Two down" he yelled out
just as bullet zipped past his head "push forward" he called out as the three
of them moved up the walkway, shooting anything that moved.
The final two nukes were at the far end of the walkway; Logan disarmed them
while Ashley and Kaidan kept the geth off him. The final nuke was hidden behind
a pillar and Logan almost missed it but once that was disarmed the only thing
left to do was to secure the beacon.
Logan began to head down a nearby ramp and almost right away bullets zipped
past him three of them hitting his shields "Stay on me" he told the others as
he blew one of those husk things away followed by a biotic throw that sent
three geth flying backwards where Ashley quickly finished them off.
Kaidan dropped another geth but missed the larger geth trooper running towards
Logan, who was knocked to the ground and from his back Logan aimed upwards with
his shotgun at the geth and opened fire at point blank range and the geth still
moved forward to point it's weapon down at Logan when Ashley unloaded half a
dozen rounds into its chest.
Logan looked up at the geth as it fell over backwards before he looked up at
Ashley "Thanks Chief" he said as he stood up and looked at the beacon which
looked like it was glowing or something "Normandy, we have the beacon, awaiting
pick up" he said into his radio turning his back on Ashley and Kaidan.
"Copy that, ETA five minutes" Joker replied.
Logan breathed out a sigh of relief before he turned around and saw Ashley with
a dazed look in her eyes walking closer to the beacon, without thinking Logan
rushed forward, grabbing Ashley around the waist and hurled her backwards only
now he was caught in the field and now was immobilized, no matter how hard he
tried he couldn't move and that's when he felt his feet lift up off the ground.
Suspended in mid-air, unable to move and then Logan saw it. The end. He saw
machines killing people in large scale numbers, he couldn't tell what the
machines were but he could tell they were killing people on many different
worlds. Logan could not make sense out of the vision but he did know one thing,
The end of everything was coming and soon.
***** Welcome to the Citadel *****
Chapter Summary
     Logan arrives at the Citadel for the first time.
Utopia/Exodus cluster/Eden Prime
Kaidan watched as Commander Shepard was lifted off the ground and less then two
minutes later dropped to the ground limp as the beacon exploded bright flash of
light, carefully approaching the Commander's body once he was sure it was safe
he quickly moved to check on Shepard. A quick check over told Kaidan that the
Commander was unconscious, what Kaidan found strange though was the fact the
Commander's eyes were closed but rapidly twitching "We need to get him out of
here" Kaidan said to Ashley who looked worried "I'll organize a pick up, but we
will have to carry him" he said.
Ashley nodded and put her gun away "I'll carry him, it's my fault he got hit
and not me" Ashley said as she bent down to pick up the Commander's body.
Kaidan shook his head "You had no way of knowing what security systems it had
in place and take it from me that was unexpected" he said looking at her as she
lifted the Commander's body up and over her shoulder, the advances in gene
therapy had made every soldier capable of lifting the dead weight of any other
soldier while Shepard was slightly larger then Kaidan, Ashley had no trouble
lifting the dead weight of the Commander and his equipment. "Normandy we need a
pick up, have a medical team standing by, the Commander was hit by some
security system on the beacon".
"Copy that" Joker replied
Ashley shook her head and answered Kaidan after he got off the radio "We are
trained to be expect the unexpected, I should have been more careful
Kaidan sighed as he started to walk towards the extraction point "We are
trained to expect it yes but not what do next, you did nothing wrong" he said
stopping to look at her.
Ashley sighed "Well I still feel like it's my fault so I will carry him, let me
do this sir" she asked
Kaidan paused for a moment; he could see it meant a lot to her to care for a
wounded marine, maybe something to do with watching the rest of her squad get
wiped out "Fine".
Normandy Medical Bay
Captain Anderson was waiting to meet them as they got back to the Normandy
"What happened?" he asked Kaidan
"The Commander got too close to the beacon and then he started to lift up off
the ground and was hovering there for two minutes before he fell to the ground
and has not moved since" Kaidan told the Captain as Chakwas walked over
Captain Anderson frowned "What about the beacon?" he asked before looking
around "Where is Jenkins?" he asked even though he suspected he knew the answer
"The beacon exploded after it did whatever it did to the Commander and Jenkins
is dead sir, geth drone" Kaidan answered looking down at his feet "he never saw
it coming"
Anderson frowned before asking "Geth? What the hell were they doing there?"
Kaidan sighed and ran his hand though his hair "They were after the beacon"
Doctor Chakwas focused on Logan and ignored the Marines talking near her,
continuing on her patient she opened his eyes to check for eye movement what
she saw was Logan's eyes twitching and darting back and forth but he was out
cold "Lieutenant is it possible it was not a security system?" she asked at
which point Kaidan frowned
"I guess, but what else could it be?" Kaidan said shrugging his shoulders
Chakwas continued her scan and nodded more to herself than anything "Well I am
not a technician or a marine but if it was a weapon or security system of some
sort why is he still alive?" she asked while looking at Kaidan who seemed to
realize what she was getting at
Kaidan frowned "maybe it was damaged and didn't have the power to finish him
off; I mean it did lift him off his feet" Kaidan said looking at Shepard "but
we just don't know what it was"
Captain Anderson nodded before looking at Ashley "What's your name soldier?" he
asked while glancing over at Logan and Chakwas
"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams sir" she answered saluting the Captain
Kaidan looked at Ashley before looking back at the Captain "Her squad was wiped
out, we would not have made it to the beacon with out her"
Captain Anderson studied Ashley for a moment before looking at Kaidan who
responded with "She is a good soldier and would be an asset to the crew"
Captain Anderson nodded before looking at Williams again "Welcome aboard Chief"
Ashley smiled "Thank you sir"
Anderson smiled back before he turned back to Kaidan "Now what about Nihlus?"
Kaidan looked down "He is dead sir, shot in the back of the head, execution
style, he never saw it coming" he replied "A dock worker saw the incident and
said that a second Turian called Saren had shot him"
Anderson felt the blood drain away from his face along with a cold chill up his
spine "Saren? Are you sure?" he asked
Kaidan nodded "yes why do you know the name sir?"
Anderson nodded "Saren Arterius, a turian Spectre" he answered
Ashley frowned and spoke up at that point "A Spectre? But would that make
this Saren a…"
Anderson looked at her and finished her sentence for her "A traitor to the
Council and to the Hierarchy"
Ashley looked at Commander Shepard "Is he going to be okay?"
Chakwas smiled "Yes of course, no major damage, his eyes are twitching like
that because he may be experiencing an intense dream".
Anderson looked at Ashley and Kaidan "Now I need to send a report to the
Council and the Alliance, so from the start, what happened?"
Citadel, Lower wards, C-Sec Academy
Garrus Vakarian was sitting his desk filing paper work when his office door
opened and Executor Pallin walked in.
"Agent Vakarian, The Human Systems Alliance is accusing Saren Arterius of
attacking a human colony and the Council wants C-Sec to investigate if the
claims are true" Pallin said sounding as if he didn't believe the charges and
without even saying a greeting to Garrus, which Garrus was used to
"You think the humans are lying?" Garrus asked
Pallin had a disgusted look on his face "I would not put it past them however a
charge of treason is serious and may spark a war if not handled properly"
Garrus nodded "I understand sir; I will get started on it right away having
said that, I will need clearance to investigate"
Pallin flicked his mandibles before answering "What for?" he asked as if it was
the strangest question he had been asked.
Garrus sighed, already knowing this case would be difficult to investigate but
he didn't expect it so soon "I need to look into Saren's files and Nihlus files
as well and everything we have on….Commander Logan Shepard" Garrus had to look
up that name as humans had such strange names and this one was no different
Pallin clicked his mandibles again "I'll see what I can do" he answered
Garrus sighed "Well I can't investigate a Spectre without excess to his files
and as you said sir treason is a serious offence and if there is any chance
that Saren is dirty then it will be hard to prove"
Pallin seemed to know that it would be almost impossible to investigate "You
have one week"
Garrus stood up suddenly "One week to investigate a Spectre? That is nowhere
near enough time, I need…"
Pallin cut him off "One week is all you get, the humans are on the way here
now"
Garrus waited until Pallin had left the room before swearing and throwing his
coffee cup against the wall.
Citadel/Lower wards/ Docks
Urdnot Wrex stepped off his ship and looked around, cracking his neck while
wondering how long it would take C-Sec to drag him in, he headed towards the
elevator and headed down. His Omni-tool glowed as he looked over the details of
his target; A human club owner by the name of Fist, guarded by krogan and
turian bodyguards and to make things even more difficult, any gun battles would
quickly have a large C-Sec response, meaning he will have to be quick.
Smiling to himself as he saw three C-Sec officers walking towards him "Let me
guess you're the welcoming committee?" he asked chuckling
One of the C-Sec officers spoke up at that point, a turian, "Urdnot Wrex, I
assume you're going to behave yourself while here?"
Urdnot Wrex laughed "Of course, I am just a tourist" he said readjusting his
weapons on his back.
The C-Sec officer shook his head "You really expect me to believe that?"
Wrex chuckled to himself "I don't really care what you believe, now get out of
my way, unless you're going to arrest me for…what exactly?" he asked, he knew
they wouldn't do anything to him unless he broke the law and he hasn't done
that yet.
The C-Sec officer flicked his mandibles in annoyance "We will be keeping an eye
on you"
Wrex shoved past them as he said "Good, you do that" not even turning around.
Normandy/Serpent Nebula/Widow
Logan still lying on his back with his eyes closed, unconscious but despite
that his mind was racing. He could make out some details of the dream he was
having, the main thing he kept noticing was death, so much of it, every image
came with the feeling of untold dead and a sense of urgency, the images also
were being replayed as if it was on a loop.
Groaning he sat up, his head was pounding, he could hear Ashley calling for the
doctor "He's awake" he could hear and he almost told her to keep her voice
down.
Logan opened his eyes and blinked against the light, turning his head he could
see Chakwas standing there.
"Commander, how are you feeling?" Chakwas asked
Logan rubbed his eyes "Like the morning after shore leave, what happened?" he
asked looking at the concern on the face of the two of them.
Chakwas looked at her notes "The beacon activated and did something to you, you
were bought back here"
Logan rubbed his nose "Thanks for that" he said looking at Ashley before asking
"So what happened with the beacon?"
Ashley stepped forward "It exploded after it did…whatever it did to you; I'm
sorry sir I should never have gotten that close, I…"
Logan held up a hand "You had no way of knowing what would happen" he said to
which Ashley smiled before he turned back to look at Dr Chakwas "Any damage?"
he asked
Chakwas shook her head "No, you did experience rabid eye movement, indicting
you were experiencing vivid dreams"
Logan rubbed his eyes "more like a nightmare"
Chakwas made another note "Hmm, well the Captain will want to…Oh Captain you're
here"
Captain Anderson nodded "How is our X.O doing Doctor?"
Chakwas looked at her notes and answered while Logan was only barely listening,
once they had finished talking about him as if he wasn't even there Dr Chakwas
left leaving him alone with Captain Anderson.
"What the hell happened down there Commander?" the Captain asked
Logan sighed and looked up "Intel dropped the ball sir, we had no idea what we
were walking into down there" he said angry about the loss of Jenkins.
Anderson paced back and forth "The geth haven't been outside of the veil in
three hundred years, We had no way of knowing they would be there, I'm sorry
about Jenkins Commander, he was a good soldier, but from the reports it could
not of been helped" Anderson said after stopping to look at Logan "the Turian
mentioned though is the real problem"
Logan frowned before asking "Saren? You know him?"
Anderson locked eyes with Logan "Personally" he said simply before pacing again
"Saren is a Council Spectre and he hates humans, a rogue Spectre is trouble, he
may have attacked Eden Prime to get to the beacon"
Logan swore and slammed his hand against the bed "Which is now destroyed"
Anderson nodded "What did you see?" he asked and when he noticed Logan's
confused look on his face he added "It may have been a message"
Logan sighed "Warning, not a message" he said and noticed Captain Anderson
frowning "I saw machines, geth maybe killing people, butchering people"
Anderson thought on that for a moment "We need to tell the Council, they may
know something"
Logan chuckled at that "The Council? Since when have they ever done anything to
help us? Besides tell them what? I had a bad dream?" he asked
Anderson looked at Logan "The beacon is destroyed and the Spectre that was to
evaluate you for a Spectre position is dead and on top of that we are accusing
one of top Spectre's in Council space of treason, they will want answers for
this and they may be looking to place the blame at your feet" he said now
looking Logan in the eyes as he stood up off the bed.
"The Council can kiss my ass, I never did anything wrong" Logan said raising
his voice
Anderson raised his hands "I know Commander, which is why we need to expose
Saren as a traitor, even the Council doesn't believe what you saw they will do
something about Saren"
Logan shook his head "No, we need to kill him" he said though gritted teeth
Anderson smiled slightly to himself; He knew Logan would hunt Saren down
regardless of what the Council decided to do "First things first, we expose him
then we kill him"
Logan smiled "I like the sound of that"
Citadel, Presidium
Tali'Zorah nar Rayya had left the Migrant Fleet just over two months ago, since
then she had been to a few different worlds including one in the Armstrong
Nebula where she had found a geth patrol unit, she had made short work of the
three of them and worked quickly to salvage the memory unit, she needed to know
why the geth where so far outside of their system and so close to human
systems.
Tali had just managed to get an audio recording from the geth's memory core,
Tali of course knew that, geth do not travel alone and if any geth were in the
area which is very likely, they would investigate, so Tali quickly made it back
to her ship.
That was over two weeks ago, since then she had strangers looking for her, it
didn't take a genius to work out they didn't want anyone to know what was on
that recording and after Tali had listened to it she knew why, she had to see
C-Sec.
Tali could not believe this, she had evidence that C-Sec needed to see and yet
no would even talk to her, let alone look at what she had she had been kept
waiting for over two hours before finally a C-Sec agent saw her and almost
right away yelled at her for wasting his time, called her a suit-rat and
ordered her out of his office or else, Tali didn't know what the else was but
didn't hang around to find out.
What Tali did not know was that an asari that was sitting in C-Sec offices was
an acolyte of Matriarch Benezia and had orders to silence anyone who may try
and warn the Council and once the asari Commando heard Tali try and get the C-
Sec officer attention, thankful that it was a quarian and not a turian or
salarian, otherwise the C-Sec officer might of believed her, she had to kill
her quietly before anyone noticed.
Walking around on the Presidium she felt a little safer, she doubted anyone
would try and kill her here but she also knew she couldn't stay here, what she
needed was protection and if C-Sec wouldn't help her she will find someone who
will.
A thought occurred to her that maybe the Shadow Broker, a very powerful
information dealer, no one knew who the Shadow Broker was but Tali knew they
could protect her and would be very interested in the information she has, she
just had to find out how to contact the broker, while she was thinking that
over she scratched her elbow not thinking about it and a second later her
suit's alarm's started flashing across the screen in her helmet 'SUIT RUPTURE'.
Tali panicked but before she could do anything another message flashed across
her screen 'RADITATION EXPOSURE'  Tali was now very scared and feeling sick,
she worked as fast as she could to repair the damage while she made her way to
the Medical Centre, just as she reached the doors she felt light headed and
passed out.
Normandy/Serpent Nebula/Widow
Logan had a shower and went to eat in the mess hall, when Ashley walked over;
looking nervous before she could say anything Logan pushed a chair opposite him
out so she could sit down "Thanks, Everyone has been so welcoming" she said
while gently tapping her fingers on the table "It means a lot when a team as
talented as this welcomes you like this"
Logan smiled and nodded "Well you're a good soldier, you deserve it" he told
while he put some more chicken on his fork
"I heard what happened with Jenkins, I'm sorry Commander" Ashley said suddenly
Logan swallowed the food he had and took a drink before answering "When your
number comes up that's it, his did" Logan said somewhat cold, the truth was he
found it easier to avoid getting close to people, easier to clean the blood off
your hands afterwards, he did care about keeping his people alive however he
came to terms with the fact that soldiers die and they die often.
"That's grim Commander, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised though" she said
with her arms crossed "I read the reports from Torfan, I can't imagine what it
was like, shooting slavers as they tried to surrender and burying them alive"
she said sounding slightly disturbed.
Logan looked up from his food and looked Ashley in the eyes, a cold chill went
up her spine when Logan answered with "Every time you kill it gets a little
easier" the cold detached look in his eyes told her he meant it, killing was
just another part of his job and nothing more.
"No offence sir, I'm glad you're on our side" she said shaking her head as
Logan stood up and took his plate to the sink "Well it was good to talk to you
sir, I better get back to my duties"
Logan watched her leave; he was not sure what to make of Ashley yet, but from
first impressions of her, told him that she was loyal, tough and eager to prove
herself and it also told Logan she had survivor's guilt from what happened on
Eden Prime with her unit. Logan sighed and finished his food and after a quick
toilet stop he made his way to the bridge.
"Ah Commander, just in time, I was approaching the Citadel see those tax
dollars at work" Joker said as he stepped onto the bridge.
Logan looked out the window at all the passing ships and spotted the Destiny
Ascension Dreadnaught, an asari ship of unmatched firepower and armor, Logan
ignored the chatter between Ashley and Joker and smiled; all those years on
Earth fighting for food and killing for scraps and finally he was here at the
Citadel, to say he was looking forward to it would be a understatement.
Citadel/Lower wards/ C-Sec Academy
Garrus was sorting though the details that he had gathered, he was still
missing details but so far he had worked out that Commander Logan Shepard was a
man from the slums of Earth, before joining the Alliance he was a member of a
street gang on Earth called the Tenth Street Reds. A group that has since been
spotted off Earth. Garrus also got footage of Torfan from Shepard's own helmet
cam; Garrus also watched security footage of Logan at the Last Chance Bar on
Bekenstein where Logan put three men in the trauma unit and later that night
fought off a bounty being on his head. Garrus was slightly impressed, the human
let nothing stand in his way and was seen as the one guy the Alliance would
send if they wanted a job done, no matter the cost. To say the Commander was
not to be taken lightly would be a understatement.
Garrus quickly knew what type of man the Commander was; a career soldier known
for hunting down the enemies of the Alliance and if he accused Saren of treason
then he would have good reason to think so, So Garrus had a closer look at
Saren's accounts, well the ones that were known anyway when Garrus noticed that
Saren had invested a large amount of money in a number of research companies on
Noveria.
What Garrus could not found out is what Saren had done with over a million in
credits, Saren had removed it from his account and placed it into a company
that turned out to be a fake and that's where the trail went cold, over one
million credits, gone without a trace and even though Saren is a Spectre that
sort of money would not of been easy to get, So the question was why would
someone like Saren clear out what looked like life savings into something that
could not be traced?
Standing up and pacing for a moment, he was still pacing when another turian
officer entered, one of the guys from patrol Garrus noticed "Agent Vakarian
sir?" he asked waiting at the door
Garrus barely looked up "What is it?" he asked still thinking about Saren
"I was told to tell you that a krogan bounty hunter by the name of Urdnot Wrex
has been seen on the Citadel, no word on who his target is yet" the younger
turian said
Garrus frowned before racing back to his computer "Thank you, keep an eye on
Wrex I want to know who he is targeting" Garrus said before dismissing him and
focusing on this krogan bounty hunter and found out Wrex was a Battlemaster,
that rare combination of a krogan with biotic ability and this one was old too,
which told Garrus this bounty hunter could be a problem, Garrus needed to hit
the streets see if any of his informants know anything before the humans get
here.
 
Citadel/Lower wards/ Docks
Urdnot Wrex finished his meal and looked around, just as he had thought, C-Sec
had gotten bored with watching him do nothing, standing up and a few taps on
his Omni-tool and began to head towards his target a human by the name of Fist,
Wrex had a feeling things were going to get interesting, the thought was
confirmed when he had overheard that a human commander had arrived and was
going to see the Council accusing a Spectre of treason, something that did not
come up often and try as they might the Council could not keep the news totally
quiet. Smiling to himself Wrex wondered if this human commander was a friend or
a foe.
Citadel/C-Sec/Docking bay
Logan stepped off the Normandy and cracked his neck and took a deep breath in
"Now let's get this over with" he said more to himself than anyone
Once he reached the elevator, the doors opened and he stepped inside as he
looked around the elevator he sighed to himself "This day keeps getting worse
though doesn't it?" he asked as he looked around "The Spectre who was
evaluating me was killed, a human colony was almost blown up, a prothean beacon
was destroyed and now here I am on my way to see how the Council is going to
handle me telling them that their golden boy is a traitor and I'm stuck in a
elevator with two marine's on a high protein diet" he said chuckling to
himself, Kaidan and Ashley both laughed at that, the elevator stopped and the
doors opened and they made their way to Donnel Udina's office before they were
to meet the Council.
Citadel/Presidium/Council Chambers
Garrus had run out of time, but there was a very promising lead he had not been
able to investigate yet, he only needed just one maybe two hours more but it
looked as if Saren would get away with what he has done.
"I need more time, stall them" Garrus pleaded
Executor Pallin laughed out loud at that "Stall the Council?" he asked before
shaking his head "Your investigation is over Garrus"
Garrus sighed and turned around just in time to see three humans walking
closer, he knew the one the middle was Commander Shepard
"I'm sorry Commander, but whatever Saren is doing, I couldn't find anything"
Garrus explained after he introduced himself.
Logan nodded "So you failed?" he asked sounding a lot more pissed off than he
intended
Garrus shifted slightly "As a Spectre almost all of his actions are classified,
but I know he is dirty, as you humans say I can feel it in my gut" he explained
before nodding "good luck commander maybe they will listen to you"
Logan sighed and walked away towards the Council chambers, once at the top of
the stairs he saw Captain Anderson.
"Come on the council is waiting" he simply said and walked into the chambers.
Just as he thought the meeting was a waste of time, Saren easily deflected any
suggestion he had anything to do with it and with nothing to back it up, the
Council would never believe them. Logan however spent the whole time staring at
Saren and even threatened to kill him in front of the Council, they didn't like
that and the meeting quickly concluded.
"I knew bringing in there was a mistake Captain, you and Saren have a past and
they will use that against us" Udina said to all of them once they were back
outside "what we need to do is find something solid to back up our claims"
Captain Anderson nodded looking disappointed but understanding of what was
happening now "You're right, I will have to sit this one out"
Logan didn't like the sound of this, but kept his thoughts to himself "So
what's next?"
Udina rubbed his chin and thought about it for a moment "Well there is the
turian Investigator; he may have a lead we can use"
Logan raised his eyebrows "He is a turian, can we trust him?"
Udina nodded his head "Not all turians are like Saren, Commander"
Logan rolled his eyes "Not what I meant, they are not old army buddies or
something are they? I mean Saren does have a lot of friends on the Citadel
after all"
Captain Anderson smiled "No, not this one, I have heard about him but of course
to find him you would have to ask Harkin and he is a waste of time, The
information brokers might have something as well" he explained.
Logan took it all in as Udina and Captain continued to talk about Saren,
Captain Anderson seemed eager to stress about a monster Saren is, Logan knew
that he needed more information "Ill let you know what I can find"
Citadel/Lower wards/Chora's Den
Wrex walked into Chora's Den and smiled as he saw a young krogan walk towards
him, Wrex almost laughed, this whelp would be barely passed the Rite, but Wrex
said nothing as the young Krogan threatened and made sure Wrex knew he was not
getting in, but Wrex is a patient Krogan and knew that he could just stand here
until the young krogan did something foolish like try and fight him inside the
club. However the young krogan was smarter than given credit for and made a
point to say out loud that Fist will not see him, which was clearly a code
phase as Wrex noticed a human bartender reach for a weapon as well as two asari
dancers to the left of him glow a slight blue ready to attack. Wrex smiled of
course there was asari Commando's in here, humans always seemed to hire asari
and vice versa which Wrex knew that likely meant there was more then just those
two in here.
"Tell Fist he will have to face me sooner or later" Wrex warned before turning
around and ran into three human soldiers armed to the teeth, clearly here on
business which made the whole thing even more interesting, "Out of my way
humans, I have no quarrel with you" he said as he passed them.
"What was that about?" Ashley asked looking over her shoulder at the retreating
Krogan.
"Who cares, lets just find Harkin and get out of here" Logan said before
looking around and saw him in the corner "there" he said and walked over
towards him, standing in front of him Logan stared at the man as if he had just
stepped in something "I'm looking for a turian Investigator named Garrus
Vakarian, I was told you could help me find him"
Harkin wiped his mouth on his work shirt and sat up and answered after he
downed his drink "Oh really? Yeah I know where he is, still trying to prove
Saren is guilty, looks like Anderson finally got someone to help him" Harkin
laughed to himself before adding "not that it will help of course" Harkin
leaned out of his chair so he could stare at a dancers ass as she walked past
before turning back to Logan "Tell me did the captain tell you his little
secret?"
Logan sighed and sounding bored as he said "Just tell me what I want to know
and I won't kneecap you" as he stared into Harkin's eyes letting him know that
it was not a bluff
"Fine" Harkin said "He was going to see that med-clinic near the markets you
know the one? Or do I have to draw you a map?" he said before calling over a
dancer "Ask Anderson about why he wasn't made Spectre" he said raising his
eyebrows smugly.
Logan shook his head "C'mon lets go" he told the others and turned his back on
Harkin he walked out of Chora's Den he ignored Harkin once he had the
information he wanted.
"I never heard Anderson was to be a Spectre" Kaidan said once they were outside
"I never have either, wonder why he never mentioned it." Ashley asked out loud.
Logan shrugged "Maybe that's why the Council wouldn't listen to us" he
suggested "anyway lets go say hello to a turian" he chuckled to himself before
looking at the other two "maybe he can smell Saren's bullshit too" Logan said.
Kaidan chuckled "Maybe on both points"
"So that turian is still after Saren, good to know" Logan said once they were
sitting inside heading towards the med-clinic, having no idea what they would
walk into.
Citadel/Upper wards/Med-Clinic
Garrus had just managed to avoid being spotted by the armed thugs that were in
the process of making sure the doctor didn't tell him anything, well this is
the best lead he had to find out where that quarian he had heard had gotten to.
A handful of thugs were talking to the doctor Garrus was moving into position
when the door opened and in walked the human commander and in the next few
seconds, one of the thugs had hostage.
"Who are you?" the thug yelled out to the Commander before Garrus stood up from
his cover and fired one shot landing direct hit to the thug's eye.
Logan quickly his biotics to pull one of the thugs towards him before almost
cutting him in half with his shotgun, Ashley put six rounds into the chest of
another while Kaidan threw the remaining one.
Logan turned to Garrus "Nice shot"
Garrus nodded "Sometimes you get lucky" he said before he turned to see if the
doctor was ok.
Logan looked at the men they had just killed "whatever you know you should tell
us, they will kill you to keep you quiet" he warned
Dr Michel nodded "They wanted to me be quiet about a quarian who had been shot,
she said she had information for the Council but was being hunted and wanted to
trade the information for protection"
Garrus looked very happy at that news "She must have proof Saren is a traitor,
we have him now"
Logan corrected him "We don't have anything yet, anything else?" he asked
looking at Garrus
Garrus nodded "Well I know that Fist has a bounty on his head at the moment, he
was one of Saren's contacts on the citadel and Saren betrayed the Shadow
Broker, so now Shadow broker is cleaning house" Garrus told him while looking
at his Omni-tool "A Urdnot Wrex is hunting him"
Logan raised an eyebrow "A krogan?"
Garrus corrected him "A krogan battlemaster" he said
Logan nodded before turning to Dr Michel "Do you have somewhere safe to be?" he
asked
She nodded "Yes, thank you"
Garrus knew that now was the time to ask "I know this your investigation now
but I want to join you"
Logan looked at Garrus and thought this turian reminded him of one those short-
lived honest cops that were on earth, the idea that a traitor could get away
with whatever they were doing would drive someone like Garrus up the wall
"Saren is a turian, why would you want to bring down one of your own?" Logan
asked testing him.
Garrus had spent some time around humans, enough time that he knew the reason
why the Commander was asking him a question like that, Saren could set human-
turian relations back at least twenty years and the chance that humans would
not forgive the turians again. Garrus knew that humans needed to be shown that
Saren is a rogue element.
"Saren is a traitor and a disgrace to not only the Council but also to my
people" Garrus said surprised himself how angry he got he expected the
Commander to reject him but instead got a sly smile that told Garrus that he
just confirmed something to the human.
"Welcome aboard, Garrus" Logan said offering his hand
Garrus looked down at the Commander's hand, he had seen humans do this of
course, and shook his hand "Thank you, I won't let you down"
Logan nodded before turning to Ashley "Williams, return to the Normandy tell
them we have a turian guest coming on board" he told her before he added "Oh
and we may have a injured quarian as well" he said before turning away, not
noticing Williams frown seemingly not liking the fact of being sent back.
Logan looked at the other two "Maybe we should see Fist before this krogan
blows his head off" he told them as he raced out of the clinic with them behind
him, he needed to get to that club before the krogan did.
"Where is the krogan now do you know?" he asked Garrus who nodded.
"C-Sec, was bought in for questioning, but they won't be able to keep him there
for long" Garrus answered.
"Shit!" Logan swore as urged the car to go faster and once it stopped Logan got
out and walked towards the club.
"THERE HE IS, KILL HIM" A voice from the other side of the walkways.
"Saren's men, they must be here to stop you from talking to Fist" Garrus
explained as he took out his rifle and opened fire.
Kaidan just threw four men into the wall behind them, where a shotgun blast was
waiting for them from Logan
"Clubs all closed up, that means no civilians, cut loose" Logan ordered.
Kaidan shot another before answering "That means they are waiting for us"
Garrus moved forward, following the two humans into the club and as soon the
two was open, the club exploded with gunfire, the two humans launched biotics
in all directions; Garrus had not expected the other human to be a biotic as
well and while Garrus was not used to fighting alongside biotics, he was smart
enough to take advantage of the chaos the two humans left in their wake.
Logan had sent an asari flying off the bar, before shooting one in the face and
throwing a grenade behind her sending another four flying into the air, the
mercenaries inside the club were not prepared for a straight assault like this,
outgunned and overmatched, the people Fist had employed to protect him fell
within minutes.
Logan sighed and cracked his neck "Let's go say hello to Fist" he said as the
door opened and standing there were two terrified workers both holding a gun
Logan looked at the two men with raised eyebrows "I just killed fifty
bodyguards getting here, what you think I will do to you?"
The two men looked at Logan before looking back at each other "Fuck that, Fist
isn't paying us to take on commandos" they said before leaving
Garrus blinked, he didn't think something like that would work, Shepard said
the threat so casually it almost sounded like a joke, almost but not quite.
"I never would of thought of that" Garrus said honestly
"Shooting people isn't always the way" Kaidan said looking over at Garrus, a
strange look in his eyes
Logan watched the two workers leave "FIST!" he yelled out "Let's make this easy
shall we?" he asked, the sound of a shotgun being fired was his answer "no one
ever listens" he said before pulling out his shotgun again, made a hand signal
to Kaidan before he looked at Garrus and pointed at him before pointing at the
wall on the left hand side then in the same motion pointed at Kaidan and
pointed to the wall on the right side, Garrus nodded understanding, and rolled
out of cover and fired into the auto turret Fist had set up, while Kaidan did
the same to the turret on the other side.
Logan however went straight up the middle and used biotics to pull Fist towards
him before slamming his shotgun into Fist's stomach dropping him to the ground
"Now I need to know what happened to the quarian" Logan asked once the shooting
had stopped
"Go fuck yourself, he will kill me if I say anything" Fist said and looked like
he was going to say more but was interrupted by Logan's foot slamming into his
chin
"What makes you think I won't kill you now?" Logan asked when he got no answer
he turned to Garrus "shoot him in the kneecap, maybe that will jog his memory"
Garrus went to get his rifle when Fist started talking "There is an alley not
far from here, she is there but it's not the Shadow Broker she'll meet, they
are going to kill her and take the information off her" Fist said looking from
one to the other
Logan nodded "Thanks but I can't let you walk away" he said and before Fist
could protest shot him in the face and spraying his brains out. After quickly
searching the safe, Logan knew he had to get a move on "Let's go, see what this
quarian has"
Four blocks away
Tali was nervous standing there waiting, for Shadow Broker to show up when she
saw a group heading towards her, two turians and four salarians, Tali had a bad
feeling about this "Who are you where is the Shadow Broker?" she asked right
away
"Relax, he will be here" one turian said as he ran a claw alongside her helmet
"You got the data?" he asked
Tali slapped his hands away "That's it deals off" she said and went to walk
away, the turian reached for her shoulder, not noticing the shotgun had
disappeared off her back and was now in her hands, two squeezes of the trigger
and he was dead.
Tali looked up just in time to see a salarian slam into a wall from biotics,
turning she saw two humans and a turian, Tali couldn't help but be in awe of
the human leader, he made everything look easy and within seconds he had killed
them all, 'please let them be friendly''Tali thought as the human leader turned
to face her, with a strange look in his eyes, Tali knew that he wanted her for
something.
"Fist set me up, I am going to kill him" Tali said pacing back and forth.
The human leader stepped forward and looked her in the face "I am Commander
Logan Shepard and you have something I want and you're going to give it to me"
he said with no hint of a disagreement "Oh and Fist is dead, I killed him
before getting here"
Tali shook her head "What? Wait?" she suddenly knew what this Commander wanted
he had hunted her down, killed Fist and the assassin's sent after her now he
was here for her "Thanks for taking out Fist but I can't just give you the
information I have, it is the only insurance I have"
Logan smiled as if she had said a joke "I think your misunderstanding me, I
killed Fist and I am going to be killing Saren as well, however I need the
information you have" Logan said before walking closer "I am offering to be
your friend, you do not want to be my enemy" he said calmly, the threat hanging
in the air like a bad smell
Tali swallowed before what he said occurred to her, he wants Saren not her, but
he would kill her if he had to "You're after Saren? Then I can repay you" she
said before looking at her Omni-tool and pressing play "Listen to this" she
said
***** Spectre, Logan Shepard *****
Chapter Summary
     Logan has to find Dr T'soni before the geth do, but can he trust her?
Attican Beta/Theseus System/Feros
When Shiala, an asari commando stepped onto the brown dirt of the human colony
Feros, she scanned the horizon before following Saren and the geth, Shiala was
amazed the colonists all ignored them even though there was an army of geth
behind them, Shiala did not ask why they were here, she couldn't ask anyway,
she was lead under the colony where the smell of compost and plant matter
filled the narrow confines and that was when she saw it, a plant the likes of
which she had never seen.
Saren turned to her before continuing to talk to the Thorian "As we agreed, one
asari commando in exchange for information" he explained and even though it was
the first time Shiala had heard of this part of the plan she did not resist and
try to run, she was a slave and she knew it and to make matters worse, she was
a willing one, she screamed inside her own head as she felt a new presence in
her mind but she made no sound even when the giant plant absorbed her.
Artemis Tau/Knossos system /Therum
Doctor Liara T'Soni was so excited, her first field operation and on a real
prothean ruin. The humans on the colony were not used to seeing non-humans
here, but she ignored the strange looks and quickly got to work, studying
everything she could see and marking it down.
Not all humans were wary of her though, there was a young human male by the
name of Jake, who would watch her from a distance and every now and then would
stumble over his words if she tried to talk to him, she suspected that he was
interested in her but was too shy to do anything about it, young human males
always seemed to be interested in asari almost bordering on obsession, Liara
knew this human was harmless though and looked as if he was still very young,
so Liara ignored him unless he tried to talk to her which was rare.
That changed when the geth ships appeared in the skies above Therum and started
shooting humans and impaling them on giant spikes they bought with them, Liara
was inside one of the ruins at the time and could only look on in horror as
countless humans were slaughtered in front of her, that's when she saw a krogan
look towards her and point and at once a platoon of Geth all turned towards her
and started moving towards her.
Liara ran shooting any husks that got to close, the Geth were the bigger
problem though even if they were weak against biotics which was the only thing
that allowed Liara to go further into the ruin, Jake was there holding a
pistol, covered in bright red human blood.
"They…shot them" he said shaking he saw Liara and at that moment Liara realized
just how young he was fifteen or sixteen in human years "What…what do we do?"
he asked looking scared
Liara was in the process of answering him while putting a hand on his shoulder
"I think I know of one place where they can't reach us" she told him while
taking his hand when she did she heard a gunshot and felt Jake's hand go limp,
turning around Jake now had a hole in his forehead.
Liara screamed and let go of his hand just as a squad of geth come around the
corner with weapons raised, they did not shoot her though instead moved to try
and stop her from running, with a boiling rage that seemingly came from nowhere
she lashed out with biotics tearing the small squad of geth limb from limb, the
geth never stood a chance, such a needless waste of life and these machines
were gunning down innocent people and stepping over their corpses and all of it
to get to her. Liara made it to the prothean device and tried to get it to
work.
"Come on" she swore as she could hear more geth and those horrible creatures
they turned the humans into coming towards her when with a flash of blue light
she was lifted off her feet and was now unable to move, on the other side of
the energy field the geth and the corrupted humans slammed their hands against
the field unable to get in.
Citadel/Presidium/Council Chambers
Logan Shepard could not stop smiling, he knew the council would not be able to
ignore this; of course Udina quickly ruined his mood.
"How about you shut up for a minute and I will tell you what I have found"
Shepard said before looking over at Tali and giving her a nod to start the
recording and plans were quickly made to take the findings to the Council.
Tali was unsure of human interaction but was pleased to see that the human
commander was not a bad man but instead was focused on the interests of his
race, not that Tali could fault him for that, if the quarians had been attacked
like the humans had been, she did not know how they would respond. Tali offered
her help which was quickly accepted by the human commander who insisted on
being called Shepard or Logan, but she did not feel it was right calling a
leader of a ship by his first name, so Shepard or Commander.
Tali's surprise did not end there; the human commander sent the other human
back to the ship and told him to tell them there would be a quarian coming
aboard. Tali could not believe it her first time on the Citadel and she was
going into a Council meeting.
"The Council does not like me very much so this could be interesting" Logan
said looking at Garrus.
"Well they have to listen to this" Garrus said sounding not so sure about that.
"We will see either way" Logan said as he walked up the stairs towards the
council chambers.
The council believed the recording but were unsure of what to do next, Udina
suggested sending a fleet after one man and that was rejected quickly, the
asari councillor though casually suggested making Logan a Spectre, something
the turian councillor tried to reject straight away.
"No, it is too soon, they are not ready" the turian councillor snapped while
looking down at Logan as if was something he had stepped in.
"It was a turian that betrayed this council and it was a human who exposed him,
I earned this" Logan snapped back.
The turian councillor lowered his head before giving the nod, which the other
two councillors agreed, the asari councillor made some speech that Logan should
of listened to but instead was too busy hiding his smile, the traitor was his
to hunt and thanks to the Council, Logan now could track him anywhere and
would, he could not help but think that the Council did not know what lengths
he would go.
"I have been ready since Eden Prime" Logan said finally smiling.
After walking out, Logan and the other's headed for the Normandy, walking in
silence while Shepard was trying to make sense of the vision the beacon gave
him
Tali and Garrus relaxed until the both saw a large krogan standing next to the
lift to the space port "I don't like the look of this" Garrus said.
The krogan stood up straight when he saw Logan and walked towards him "You're
Commander Shepard, names Urdnot Wrex, I was paid to take down Fist but you got
him first" the krogan said standing very close to Logan's face.
"Not my fault if you're slow on the draw" Logan said chuckling and placed on
hand on his pistol, so casually that if you were not looking at his hand you
might of missed it.
"I don't like where this is going" Garrus said to Tali.
Wrex seemed to notice Logan's hand but didn't say anything about it, instead
"when I get paid to finish a job, I finish it but you finished it so the
credits are yours" he said taking a step back slightly "I want to join you, a
storm's coming, and you and Saren are right in the middle of it and I want to
be where the action is"" he said almost suddenly.
"Saren already has krogan's working for him, why would I want you on board"
Logan asked crossing his arms across his chest.
"Those aren't krogan's, they are puppets, licking the boots of Saren for
promises of power and glory" Wrex explained.
Tali spoke up at that point "How can you fight your own people?"
Wrex looks at Tali and half smiles "Anyone who fights us is either stupid or on
Saren's payroll. Killing the latter is business. Killing the former is a favor
to the universe"
Logan smiled "Welcome aboard then Wrex" he said offering his hand to Wrex who
shook it without hesitation.
Logan nodded "You guys go up and wait for us I don't think the lift will fit
all of us anyway" he told them and once they were out of earshot Logan turned
to Wrex "you better be straight up with me, if you cross me you will not live
long enough to regret it"
Wrex laughed at that "This will be fun, you can relax human and if I wanted you
dead you would know about it" Wrex was silent for a moment then turned to Logan
"You say the same thing to the others?" he asked.
Logan chuckled "The others are not bounty hunters and to be honest I had
thought if I did have a bounty on my head you wouldn't let a chance like this
slip by, confined in a lift with me, alone, good chance to cash it in" Logan
explained.
Wrex laughed "So you thought you could take me in here if need be?" he asked
while looking at Logan.
Logan smiled and moved a hand which was on the other side of him so Wrex could
now see it; it was holding a gun "well I did have a gun trained on you the
whole time"
Wrex laughed when he noticed "Sneaky human, you're good I'll give you that"
Logan smiled and stepped onto the lift and made his way up to the Normandy
"Well this is our ship" he said "you should have enough room in the cargo bay,
sorry but we are not really used to having krogan on board" as he saw Captain
Anderson and Udina waiting for them.
Wrex said it was fine and just listened to the humans talk amongst them and
worked out there was a change in leadership for the ship, something Shepard did
not seem to like before the discussed options, but quickly moved the talk onto
where to look for Saren next.
"We have lost contact with Feros and there are reports of geth activity on
Noveria, there is also the matriarch's daughter, last we heard she was
researching prothean ruins, which means she could be already working with her
mother but that is unlikely" Udina said.
Logan nodded "Then we look for her first, it would be nice to know what all of
this prothean beacon stuff means"
Udina cleared his throat and said "Just remember, we were a human before you
were a Spectre" sounding worried.
Logan just shook his head "I'll find Saren no matter what, It's your job to
deal with the political fallout" as he nodded to Anderson and started to walk
away.
"Not the answer I was hoping for Shepard" Udina said shaking his head.
Logan walked onto the ship with the three aliens closely following him, when
the ship decontamination process began he turned around to look at them "Now
some of the humans on this ship might be distrustful of you, but the best way
to get them to trust you is to do your job well and of course follow the rules,
which I will explain shortly" he said before adding "but if anyone does give
you a hard time tell me and I will sort it out"
The doors opened after the scan was complete "This is the CIC, only needed
personal should be here" he told them "but follow me and I'll show you were the
bunks are"
Garrus looked around before asking "Is there anything I can do on the ship
Commander? I would hate to just sit around doing nothing between missions"
Logan turned and looked at Garrus "Well there is one thing; it would be a bit
insulting for someone with your talents though" he explained "We need someone
to keep the Mako operational"
Garrus nodded "What's a Mako?" he asked
"Land vehicle" Logan answered "our last guy that did it...we lost him on Eden
Prime" he said quietly
Garrus was silent for a moment before nodding "I'll be happy to pick up the
slack"
Logan showed them the bunks, the Med-bay and his quarters before taking them
down to engineering, when the doors opened and they stepped out, Logan pointed
to a huge six wheeled tank "That is the Mako" he said sounding a little proud.
Wrex walked off by himself and found a comfortable spot for himself that was
out of the way.
Tali cleared her throat but before she could say anything Logan turned and
smiled "Don't worry, I didn't forget about you" he said as he walked down a
hallway away from the other's "you grew up on a ship and based on what you did
with the get I got the perfect job for you" he explained as the doors opened
and Tali saw a beautiful drive core, Tali thought it looked like a masterpiece.
"Adams?" Shepard called out and when a human man walked over Shepard introduced
them "Adams this is Tali Zorah, she has a bit of talent for tech, I am sure you
can make good use of her" Shepard said smiling at them both "any problems let
me know" he said and left.
Tali could not help grinning, she never thought she would be working on a ship
this high tech, but she was determined to prove herself, this would be a lot of
fun, she thought to herself.
Artemis Tau / Knossos system / In orbit around Therum
Tali had been on the ship for only a few weeks now, but already she had managed
to make a good impression on engineer Adams, Tali was surprised to see Shepard
coming to talk to her more than once and had talked to her about the geth, life
on the fleet and other topics the really surprising thing was he seemed very
interested in what she had to say, she thought that a few of the human crew
members didn't trust her but she remembered what Shepard had said and just
focused on doing her job.
Tali was heading towards the mess hall to get some dinner when she saw Shepard
near the Mako with his shirt off hanging upside down with those strange human
legs holding himself to the bar above him and pulling himself up, Tali stood
there transfixed not sure why she was staring at him but she was standing there
for a while before she noticed Ashley Williams also watching him, when the two
women noticed each other, Tali looked at her feet and quickly walked away.
"Commander, can I speak with you for a moment?" she asked.
Shepard sighed "Yeah sure, what's up Chief?" he said.
Ashley rubbed her forehead "Well two things really" she said before pausing as
if thinking about how to put it into words.
"Just speak your mind Williams" He told her crossing his arms.
"Ok, I am not sure we should allow the aliens full access to the ship,
communications, weapons and engines" she said "I mean just cos they are our
friends now doesn't mean they will stay that way" she told him while watching
Tali head back to the engine room.
"You have not worked with aliens before have you?" Logan asked.
Ashley shook her head "No sir" she told him as well as telling him that her
family has always served in the alliance and despite that her service record is
outstanding she has only ever had one rotation in space but never mentioned
why.
Logan knew they should be nearing Therum soon and needed to get ready "Look I
can see what you're saying but this is problem is bigger than just us, you have
to work with them, like it or not" he told her while wiping off sweat with a
towel.
'No problem Commander, you tell me to jump I say how high, you tell me to kiss
a turian I say which cheek" Ashley joked smirking slightly.
Shepard laughed "not sure I will need you to do that, but thanks anyway" he
laughed before having a drink "what is the other issue?"
Ashley sighed "It is about Feros, are we going to help them first?" Williams
asked.
Shepard looked at her and could see she was worried about them "No, we need to
find out what the geth are looking for, doesn't make much sense for Feros to be
under siege for this long unless they were after something, I don't want to go
in blind"
Ashley looked shocked "But what if they do what they tried with Eden Prime and
blow it up?"
Shepard sighed "this mission is bigger than one colony, we just have to hope
they can hold out until we get there" he said as he noticed Ashley didn't
really like that answer.
"And if they can't?" Ashley asked.
Shepard just looked at her and didn't answer "We will be looking for Dr Liara
T'soni and with any luck we will find her and maybe she can give us some
answers" he told her before walking away. Logan was still thinking about what
the beacon showed him, he was hoping this doctor would be able to fill in some
of the blanks, so he could at least make sense of it, he knew he didn't have
long to wait now.
Artemis Tau / Knossos system / on the surface of Therum
Liara feared she was starting to lose her mind, trapped behind an impenetrable
force field, with no way to move or even a way out she was forced to relieve
herself however she could making her feel disgusting, on top of that she also
had a itch on her nose for the last hour or so. The krogan battlemaster sat in
front of the field and talked to her endlessly, trying to get her to deactivate
the field, when that didn't work he tried shooting it but of course that didn't
work either, the krogan at one point had to rushed off checking his weapon as
he went, from what Liara could gather someone unexpected was here on Therum.
Four miles away
Logan Shepard had taken the Mako and alongside him were Kaidan and Wrex,
something that Williams was not happy with but Logan wanted to put the krogan
through his paces. By sheer luck Shepard had started the search in the Knossos
system and found Therum pretty quickly.
Logan was driving the Mako while Wrex worked the cannon and Kaidan navigated,
within a few minutes of driving on the hot surface of Therum geth dropped to
the ground from a dropship, including a new type Logan had never seen before,
an armature a giant four legged tank type.
"I got this one" Logan said as he ran one of the large geth over while Wrex
shot the other.
"Ha road kill" Wrex laughed.
Logan smiled and kept driving after dealing with a few more they reached a
gate, which Wrex recommended taking the side path.
One thing that Kaidan noticed was just how fast Logan drove the Mako with the
speed combined with the bumps on the surface and of course all the jumping
Shepard insisted on doing to avoid incoming rockets, Kaidan was starting to
feel a little sick and was happy to get out of the Mako even for a short while.
Logan lead the way of course once out of the Mako and after killing the
remaining geth inside the makeshift outpost quickly found the switch for the
gate "Ok, on we go" he told them.
"Yay" Kaidan said to himself under his breath.
They got back in and took off again shooting more armatures, bouncing around on
the rocky surface and jumping to avoid rocket fire, Kaidan was feeling sick
again, Shepard drove the Mako like a madman, at one point going into a tunnel
he had even managed to hit the ceiling of the tunnel on the way into it and
even jumping out of the tunnel to directly land on top of a geth trooper
wielding a rocket launcher. After short drive after the second tunnel they had
reached another spot where they had to leave the Mako and continue on foot. The
geth quickly swarmed them but Kaidan and Logan already knew a big weakness geth
all shared and after Wrex saw that biotics worked very well, he used his own
biotics leaving a shocked looking Logan staring at him.
"You didn't tell me you were a biotic" Logan said once the geth were dead.
"What does it matter?" Wrex asked.
Logan just shook his head "Just that I didn't know, I had thought krogan
biotics were rare and for geth are weak against biotics is all"
Wrex smiled "krogan battle masters use biotics, just happens I am one"
Logan nodded "good to know" he said and moved up the hill, that is when they
saw a new type of geth, one that was bouncing all over the place and climbing
along the walls, behind this new geth was another armature and of course a heap
of geth troopers "GET TO COVER!" Logan yelled.
Wrex and Kaidan quickly did so, soon followed by Logan "Kaidan, take out those
hopping bastards" he said while throwing one geth with biotics "Wrex, your with
me, leave the big one till last"
Hurling a grenade in the middle of the group killed two but the rest kept
coming, "Hoppers down" Kaidan yelled before he took aim at the troopers
Wrex took down another trooper with his rifle before ducking back behind cover
just as the armature fired a blast missing him barely "Close one"
Logan threw a another geth with biotics, leaving just the armature left "Focus
on the big guy now, cover me" he said running to new cover while Wrex and
Kaidan opened fire on the armature, allowing Shepard to dove behind cover on
the other side of them.
Once he was there he threw another grenade which the armature took as if it was
nothing, Logan ducked behind cover as a blast from its main gun kicked up dirt
near him while Wrex hit the armature twice with his shotgun before, the large
geth turned towards him once it did Kaidan lined up a sabotage attack on it
while Shepard threw yet another grenade finally blowing the armature to bits.
While they had been outnumbered lucky for them their team work and the use of
the cover that they had stopped any injuries from happening.
Logan cracked his neck and walked past all the dead geth, noticing for the
first time a few human remains just past them "Bastards killed everyone, just
to get to this one doctor" he told the others
Kaidan shook his head "Do you think she is on their side?"
Wrex came up beside them "Doubt it" he said in his raspy voice "the geth made a
mess here if she was on their side she could of just walked out and left" he
said looking down at the burnt body of a miner "this was a message for her,
'come with us and we won't do to you what we did to them'"
Logan had to admit that did make sense "So if they have her where is she now?"
he asked looking around "I'm guessing they didn't want us in here" he told them
pointing to a ramp that went into the mountain "let's go"
As Wrex worked up the ramp and into the tunnel leading down into the mountain,
he noticed just how hot it was, for a krogan the temperature was fine could
even stand for it being a bit hotter, but being a krogan and evolved from
lizards meant that he could handle the heat better "fifty more degrees and I
would start to feel comfortable, How are you mammals doing Shepard?" he asked
Logan was sweating inside his armour and at first though Wrex was mocking him
and Kaidan but then it occurred to him that Wrex might think that they were
going to pass out or something "Fine" Logan stopped for a moment "Water break"
he said taking out some water and after a mouthful tipped it over his head
after waiting for Kaidan to do the same they continued on.
Down the tunnel and out in the large cavern beneath, after coming across
another squad of geth and quickly dispatching them, they made their way to a
large energy field.
"Hello? I'm trapped, can anyone hear me out there?" a female voice calls out
As Logan dropped down a level he saw her a young asari that would have been
quite beautiful if she wasn't scared out of her mind and had stains on her
clothes that Logan could guess where from bodily fluids "Keep it down, there
are geth all over this place"
"For a moment there, you sounded real" she said
Logan shook his head "I am real, I'm a Spectre and I'm here to help" Logan told
her "You must be Dr Liara T'soni"
Liara blinked as if trying to make sure he was real "Nice try, but there are no
human Spectre's" she scoffs "but a Spectre is what I guess I would imagine
coming to rescue me, but yes I am Dr T'soni I'm an archaeologist, I was
exploring the prothean ruins when I was attacked by geth, can you imagine geth
outside of the veil, they killed all the miners, I ran in here for protection
and become trapped by this security device"
Logan shook his head "Must have been in there for a while" he says to the
others "I need to ask you questions"
Liara looks taken back "Odd I would imagine him asking something like that, I
suppose it won't hurt to humour a figment of my imagination"
Logan frowned "Matriarch Benezia has joined Saren, whose side are you on?" he
asked.
Liara started to sound upset "What? I am on nobody's side; I have not spoken to
her in years"
Logan looked at Wrex and Kaidan "Think she is telling the truth?"
Wrex nodded "I doubt she would lock herself in there just to shit all over
herself"
Kaidan took a look at her "I believe her"
Logan nodded "I going to get you out of there, don't go anywhere" he joked.
Liara laughed at that "Great, now I am being mocked by myself"
Logan walked away from Liara and headed down where they were attacked by more
geth, Wrex blew made short work of one, blowing it in half while Kaidan threw
the other across the room
"Look at this" Logan said looking at a mining laser and where it was pointed "I
wonder?" he said to himself and hacked the starting switch.
WHOOSH, the laser starting burning into the rock, revealing a lift underneath.
"Lucky guess" Logan said to himself as he headed towards the lift.
They went back up one floor and noticed they were behind the filed now and
close enough to shut off the field holding Liara in place.
"Oh thank the Goddess you are real, please help me" Liara said as soon as she
noticed that they were there "how did you get in here though?" she asked.
Logan smiled and simply said "superior firepower" he said before adding "We
found a mining laser and blasted our way in"
Liara nodded "yes of course that makes sense" that would explain the noise she
heard.
Logan walked over and pressed the button turning off the field "there now let's
get out of here" as Liara dropped to the ground.
Logan put an arm around her and helped her to her feet, ignoring the bad smell
coming from her, since she would have been stuck in there for days he cut her
some slack "just lean on me we are getting out of here" he said heading towards
the another elevator.
"I don't understand why the geth are after me?" Liara asked as she moved away
from Shepard and learned against the wall, she felt disgusting and didn't feel
like sharing that stench with anyone else at the moment.
"Maybe because Saren may have wanted you're a prothean expert, he may think you
know where there conduit is" Kaidan explained.
Liara only looked confused "Conduit? I have never even heard of it" she told
them before thinking something else just as troubling "do you think Benezia is
involved?" she asked hopeful that Logan and the others were wrong. Before they
could answer though tremors rocked the elevator from side to side.
Kaidan braced himself "The mining laser must of weakened the whole structure"
he said almost falling off his feet.
"Joker we need EVAC, double time it mister" Logan ordered over the comms.
"Copy that, ETA seven minutes" was the reply.
Liara didn't like the sound of that "Your pilot needs to move faster.
"If I die down here, I'll kill him" Wrex said dryly.
Once they made their way to the surface Liara could see that krogan battle
master again as well as a group of geth.
"Surrender or don't that will be more fun" the krogan warned.
Logan nudged Liara behind him "How stupid are you? This whole place is coming
down" Logan snarled.
The krogan chuckled "exhilarating isn't it?" before taking a step forward "hand
the doctor over, Saren want's her and Saren always gets what he wants"
Liara spoke up at that point "I am not going anywhere with you"
Logan smirked "Looks like she made her choice, you want her you have to go
through me"
The krogan seemed to like that and ordered the geth near him "Kill them spare
the asari if you can, if not doesn't matter"
Liara couldn't believe it this human was willing to fight a krogan battle
master for her, she wanted to help, to show that she wasn't weak and that she
could help but with no food, water, very little sleep and her legs feeling weak
from being unused for so long Liara could barely keep her head up and dropped
to the ground.
Logan headed straight towards the krogan while Wrex and Kaidan focused on the
geth, Logan threw a grenade at the krogan while Kaidan threw a geth off the
side and sent it falling hundreds of feet to the rocks below, Wrex blew one
geth apart before grabbing it and using it as a shield to gun the rest of them
down.
Logan took down the krogans shields, but before he could finish the job, a
shotgun round to the chest sent him backwards, if not for his shield he would
be dead right now, once he hit the ground though he fired his pistol at the
large legs of the krogan blowing the creatures knee caps out, dropping the
krogan to the ground where Logan fired three more shots this time into its head
"Remember Kaidan with krogan, three in the head then their dead" he told him
before he noticed Wrex looking at him "you bastards are too damn hard to kill"
he explained
Wrex chuckled at that "Sounds like a smart strategy"
Logan went over to Liara and helped her back up to her feet "We are leaving" he
said as another tremor shook, standing up all of them ran out of the prothean
ruin just in time to see the Normandy coming into focus, while explosions
hurled rock and lava in all directions, as they ran for their lives dodging
falling rocks they made it outside. Logan stopped to catch his breath and made
his way onto the ship.
"Everyone ok?" he asked after he got a nod from Wrex and Kaidan.
Liara breathed heavy and nodded "Yes thank you"
Logan nodded "Clean up guys and meet me in the war room in twenty minutes"
Liara was unsure what was going on now but before she could ask anything the
commander looked at her "Don't worry you're not a prisoner, have a shower and
get changed into a clean set of clothes. We have spares if you need them" Logan
told her
Logan watched as she left, unsure what to make of her. Logan made his way to
his cabin and had a quick shower and got dressed before making his way to the
war room. He told Liara about the attack on Eden Prime, Saren betraying the
council and the geth memory core Tali found.
Liara listened to it all but couldn't tell them what the Conduit was, she could
tell them that she had a theory about the Prothean's not being the first race
to disappear but she didn't know who came before them or even why the
prothean's disappeared.
Logan smiled despite himself watching Liara talk about the prothean's, she lit
up and was very excited and seemed like she could talk about them all day, much
the same way Tali could talk about ships
'I know why" Logan said and again watched her face light up, he told her about
the beacon on Eden Prime and the vision.
'Of course, the chance to stay a working beacon even a damaged one would be
worth any risk" She explained "I am surprised you were even able to make sense
of it, it was meant for prothean minds meaning it would be confused, distorted"
she said before thinking about it for a second "you must be incredibly strong
willed Commander" she said with a slight smile.
"None of this is helping us find the Conduit or Saren" Ashley interjected
"Of course I'm sorry" Liara said looking a little embarrassed "I do know that
you saved my life Commander not just from Therum but from the geth, that krogan
would of killed me or dragged me back to Saren"
Logan nodded "Well I think it would be better off if you stayed with us, your
prothean expertise might come in handy"
"Plus her biotics will come in handy in a fight" Wrex said.
Liara nodded "I could not think of a safer place Commander and it's possible
Saren might come after me again, thank you" she looked as if she was going to
say more until she swayed as if unsteady on her feet "ah"
"Maybe you should get Doctor Chakwas to have a look at you" Logan suggested.
"When was the last time you have eaten anything? Or slept?" Kaidan asked her.
Liara held her head for a moment "I think it is mental exhaustion, combined
with the shock of learning the prothean's true fate, but it would not hurt to
have a medical professional examine me"
Logan nodded "go get checked out and get something to eat" he told her before
dismissing all of them.
Joker's voice came over the comm systems "Report is away Commander, Council is
online as well"
"Put them through Joker" Logan said as the holograms of the council appeared on
screen.
"We just received your report Commander" the salarian councilor said "we
understand you have Doctor T'soni on board"
"We trust that you are taking the necessary security precautions with her?" the
turian councilor asked.
"Don't tell me how to do my job" Logan said coldly "the geth were trying to
kill her too"
The asari councilor always the voice of reason stepped in "We are only here to
advise you Commander" she said "there is no way Benezia would allow that"
The turian councilor shrugged "Maybe she doesn't know or maybe we don't know
her" he said rather dismissive "she is a traitor after all" he added before
asking "was the destruction of a major prothean ruin really necessary?"
Logan rolled his eyes "We were lucky to even get out of there, there were geth
all over the place"
"Of course Commander the mission always comes first" the salarian councilor
said.
In the medical bay Liara was getting dressed after Doctor Chakwas said all was
ok "Thank you Doctor Chakwas, I am surprised you are as knowledgeable on asari
biology" Liara said.
Chakwas smiled "You still need to eat something, doctors' orders"
Liara smiled and told her she will and had just finished getting dressed when
she heard Shepard talking to Chakwas in the next room, saw him enter the room a
moment later holding a plate of food.
Liara raised an eyebrow "Commander are you checking in on me?"
"You're looking much better, how are you feeling?" Logan asked as he handed her
the plate "here I know you haven't eaten yet" Logan said before adding "It's a
ham and cheese sandwich"
"Thank you for your concern Commander, but I assure you I am fine" Liara told
him, taking the plate of food off him anyway, she was hungry and she did not
want to offend him "What's ham and cheese?" she asked.
Logan smiled "human food, it's good, if you don't eat meat just take that off"
he told her "
Liara took a bite and had to admit it was good, "I want to thank you again for
rescuing me, I know you took a risk in bringing me on board I have seen the way
the crew looks at me, they do not trust me, but I want to tell you I am not
like Benezia"
"I know Liara" Logan said.
"Thank you Commander that means a lot to hear you say that" Liara said as she
took another bite.
The two of them spoke about her mother and what she was like and how this was
very out of character for her, before the subject moved onto the protheans.
"I am not used to spending time with your people Shepard" Liara admitted "I
spend most of my time alone studying" she told him watching as he leaned
against a table "I find I tend to make a fool of myself in some way"
"Sounds lonely though" Logan said "run into any trouble?"
"I enjoy the quiet" she told him "I have ran into pirate's and slaver's
sometimes but I have never come across anything that my biotics could not
handle, until the geth that is" Liara said taking another bite of her sandwich
"I can't believe you had contact with a working prothean beacon, you would make
an excellent in depth study"
Logan smirked "Sounds like you want to dissect me in lab somewhere" he joked.
Liara almost choked on her 'sandwich' "What? No I only meant you are a
fascinating specimen… no wait that it is even worse" her face was going bright
red in color which looked interesting to Shepard on her blue skin "I never
meant to offend you Shepard"
Logan smiled "Calm down Liara I was only joking"
"Joking? …Oh my goodness how could I be so dense, you must think I am a
complete fool" Liara remarked looking embarrassed "This is why I don't spend
much time around people, can we just forget this happened?"
Logan smiled "Of course" he said taking plate off her and told her to get some
sleep.
After he left Liara, Logan did the rounds and spoke to Kaidan about his
thoughts on the mission as well as getting to know him better, learned why
Garrus was unhappy at C-Sec and his hatred of red tape and had Tali confuse him
about the geth and how they think, Logan knew she was a smart girl, but her
problem seemed to be that she thought everyone understood what she was saying.
"Tali, I have to admit, I am not a tech, a lot of this stuff is beyond me so at
any point if you think I am not understanding you about tech, then you are most
likely right" Logan told her chuckling.
"Sorry Commander" Tali said "all you really need to know is that they get
smarter in larger numbers" she told him.
"It's ok Tali, I don't understand it but that's why I need you around" Logan
told her smiling.
Tali smiled and tried to remain calm "Thank you Commander" she said as she was
a little taken back by the remark Shepard had said, and after he had left she
couldn't stop thinking about it.
After talking to Tali, Logan offended Wrex when the subject came up about the
genophage, after apologizing and making small talk about the krogan, Joker's
voice came over the comms.
"Commander, we are picking up a distress signal from the planet's surface"
Joker said 'Alliance signal"
"Alenko get your gear" Logan called out knowing Joker would pass on the message
"Williams you too" Logan said getting his gear ready, after meeting them by the
Mako, Shepard filled them in on the mission "Distress signal from Alliance
marines, don't know what we will be walking into down there so just keep an eye
out" he said before turning to get in "Williams your on guns, Kaidan your
navigating again" he told them as they entered the Mako.
Watching the rear of the Normandy open up after everyone had gotten clear,
Kaidan could tell he was not going to like this, as the door was open far
enough Shepard floored the Mako sending flying out the back of the ship.
Wrex, Garrus and Tali were watching the Mako drive out into nothingness they
all could of sworn they heard Kaidan and Ashley yell "OH SHIT!"
***** Who is Commander Shepard? *****
Chapter Summary
     Liara tries to find out more about Logan.
Kaidan stepped out of the Mako and almost immediately threw up; Ashley also
came running out afterwards holding her hand across her mouth and looking very
pale that's when Logan stepped out looking confused
"Oh come on you babies it wasn't that bad" Logan told them
"Commander, you tried to back flip the Mako" Kaidan told him
"Off a hundred foot cliff" Ashley added "which failed"
Garrus walked over when he heard the noise and just stood there in shock as he
stared at the Mako, which had thick black smoke coming off it and seemed to of
been hit with…acid? "What did you do Commander?" he asked as he neared the Mako
"Don't touch it yet" Shepard warned "Thresher maw acid"
"You took on a Thresher Maw?" Garrus asked "damn I would of liked to of been
there"
Ashley shook her head "Trust me you wouldn't" she told him before walking away
Logan shook his head "babies" he mumbled "Garrus I'll need you to get this baby
up and running again" he told him "someone had placed an Alliance distress
beacon right on top of a Thresher nest"
Garrus shook his head "who would do such a thing?" he asked while carefully
looking at the Mako "and this might take some time Commander"
Logan run his hands though his hair "No idea and if you need a hand ask Tali to
help, she is good with machines" he told him
Garrus shook his head "I can manage" he said
One floor up
Liara was reading the medical report of Shepard after he came in contact with
the beacon; she also had to do some research on humans as she didn't really
understand what she was looking at, she didn't look at human nervous system but
would look at that later, as she didn't want to get distracted, asari were
unlike other races, instead of being attracted to looks, they were attracted to
how those races felt sensations and their psychology and mental strength
something that made humans very attractive to asari, of course the fact they
looked similar to each other did not hurt either.
What Liara did find was that humans were varied and that made it harder to work
out exactly what allowed Shepard to survive, she thought that maybe she should
search for information on human males not just a general search after all,
females of other species behaved differently to their male counterparts so she
could not see why humans would be any different but she concluded Shepard was
either very strong willed or very lucky and she was leaning towards the former.
Deciding to expand her research into his personal history she started with a
simple search and was shocked to discover page after page written on him some
of which was very negative, some pages she found on the extranet labelled him a
deranged killer others called him a hero, she needed to find out what made him
so strong willed so she felt to get a complete picture she should start from
the beginning, his childhood.
Logan had just finished writing his report on what was found on the planet, an
Alliance distress beacon placed right in the middle of a Thresher Maw nest, the
implications were disturbing, he needed some food after all that, so he made
his way to the mess hall. Logan saw that Wrex was also there eating a large
plate of food.
"Hey Shepard" Wrex said looking up "heard you had some fun without me on that
last run, Thresher Maws" he said chuckling.
Logan smiled and shook his head "Someone placed an Alliance distress beacon
right in the middle of a nest" he said shaking his head.
Wrex nodded as he took a bite of food "I heard, nasty trick" he said looking
more at his food than at Shepard.
"Say you wouldn't know of anyone with a grudge that could do that would you?"
Logan asked.
Wrex looked up at that point "Just what are you asking Shepard?" Wrex asked
clearly taking offence to his question.
"Relax" Logan told him "Just asking if you heard anything" Logan said taking a
mouthful of food "You know, maybe word got out someone had a score to settle,
might of tried to hire you or other merc's, could have been anything, but my
instincts tell me that if there was someone out there who wanted to hurt the
Alliance they may have been hiring at some point and if they weren't that tells
me they were military of some kind" Logan said taking a drink
Wrex relaxed "In that case, yeah there was a few but none with the access to an
Alliance beacon, which can only mean it was a …."
"Black-op" Logan finished for him "shit I was hoping you wouldn't say that"
Logan finished his meal and stood up "thanks anyway Wrex" Logan said walking
away
"Anytime Shepard" the Krogan said still sitting down
Logan had a shower and afterwards went to see how Tali was coping
"Hi Shepard do you need something?" she asked in her normal perky voice,
although Logan noticed that Tali sounded as if something was bothering her
"You ok Tali?" Logan asked
"I am not used to this ship, how do you sleep when it is so quiet?" she asked
looking into his face.
Logan chuckled at that "Wait the quiet is bad?"
Tali nodded "On the Migrant Fleet, quiet means something has broken down like
an air filter or an engine" she explained.
Logan smiled "You will get used to it" he said "anything else that's hard to
get used to?"
Tali seemed to perk up talking about her home always seemed to do that "The
Normandy feels empty" she said "it's like half the crew is missing." She said
before adding that she was impressed with the Normandy and how she suddenly
understood why humans had been so successful.
Logan looked up at the drive core and said "It is a prototype, first of its
kind" he told her proudly "no idea how she works but she is a beautiful ship"
Tali followed his gaze "Just a short time ago I was on board the Migrant Fleet
and now I am standing in one the most advanced ships in Citadel space" she
remarked before looking back at Logan "And if you want to know how it works I
could show you" she offered.
Logan smiled "maybe some other time but I will think about it" he told her "try
and get some sleep Tali" he told her before he left the engineering deck.
Logan yawned as he made his way over to Garrus "How is the Mako, coming
Garrus?" he asked.
Garrus was underneath the Mako at that point, all Logan could see was his feet
"Good Commander, it should be ready tomorrow morning" he said sliding out from
underneath.
Logan nodded "good, I want to take you on the next ground team, so make sure
you get plenty of rest" he told him.
Garrus seemed happy at that news before he realized that that meant he would
have to allow someone else work on the Mako, now Garrus had a problem, he
really wanted to go on the ground team but he disliked the idea of any one
replacing him working on the Mako.
Logan sensed his hesitation "Relax Garrus, I need you on the ground and we
don't know when that will be, besides you need sleep" he told him while turning
around and waving over an engineer.
"Sir?" the young engineer said saluting.
Logan looked at her before looking back at Garrus "Garrus here needs some shut
eye, so you are taking over on the Mako" he told her before he turned back to
Garrus.
"Catch her up on what needs to be done and get some rest" Logan told him before
adding "That is an order Garrus"
The engineer nodded before looking at Garrus and Logan left the two talking
over repairs. He yawned again making his way up to his cabin and got undressed,
he normally slept naked, made it easier to get ready in a hurry if he needed to
put his armour on, but just in case he had his clothes nearby on the back of a
chair.
Logan went fast to sleep, it was not long before the nightmares began, Torfan
still played on his mind, watching friends be torn apart with mining tools,
wiping Melina's brains off his face, the sight of Jamal dead just a few feet
from the love of his life that was burnt alive and of course Jamie dying in his
arms. The vision he got from the beacon was new though and as sickening as the
memories from Torfan were, the vision was much worse, images of people, which
he couldn't make out clear details of being slaughtered in the billions, the
details of the beings themselves may have been hazy but the sheer scale of
death was perfectly clear.
Logan sat up suddenly soaked in sweat and breathing heavy, with a sigh he got
up and looked at the time, three am, knowing he wouldn't get back to sleep now
he got up and put some shorts on, knowing that no one else would be around he
didn't feel like he needed to really get dressed, one good thing at being awake
at this hour was he could help himself to breakfast before anyone else was
awake.
After grabbing the paper work he needed to finish and taking that with him out
to the mess hall he sat down with a tall glass of juice and a bowl of cereal.
The only people who were still awake were the night crew, but they left him
alone.
Logan sat there eating his cereal staring off into space while reading the
report and taking a mouth of juice every now and then he was so out of it he
didn't even notice Williams sit down beside him.
"Rough night Commander?" she asked.
Logan just looked at her and nodded "Yeah" he said simply.
Ashley just nodded "want to talk about it?" she asked.
Logan looked at her, realizing she just wanted to help her CO, he bit back his
response to make a smartass comment and just said "what do you know of Torfan?"
he asked her simply.
Ashley was taken back, she never thought she would be having this talk with THE
Commander Logan Shepard "Just what they told us" she answered "I spoke with a
few guys that were there though, said that they were glad it was you leading
them and not Major Kyle" she said.
Major Kyle, there was a name Logan had not heard in a while, last he heard Kyle
was being carried out of Torfan with a broken jaw "I tried going to the funeral
of one my guys" Logan said not looking at her "His folks spat in my face, told
me that I had killed there son" he said before looking at her "being kicked out
of a funeral is not something I wish to repeat" his voice was almost monotone.
Ashley shook her head, she couldn't believe someone would do that, Shepard's
monotone voice somehow made it sink in just that little bit more, Ashley was at
a loss of what to say, she looked at Shepard's face and saw a slightly haunted
look behind his eyes "they couldn't of known what it was like down there" she
said finally "and the men and women I have spoken to have said that there would
have been a lot more dead, if you were not there" she said.
Logan nodded "I know" he said simply "you once said you couldn't imagine what
it was like" he said while looking at her "It isn't the memories of the slavers
I killed that bother me, it's the men and women that I couldn't save" he told
her before having another drink of juice "That is what I meant by every time
you kill it gets a little easier" he said looking down at his cereal.
Ashley nodded "Well I will make sure, my family knows that I wouldn't have
passed this up for the world" she told him "I just want to say thank you for
bringing me along" she said.
Logan nodded "Don't mention it" he said grabbing the paperwork and standing up
"Oh and Williams?" he added.
"Yeah" She replied.
"Thanks" he said and walked away, rubbing his eyes he made his way back to his
cabin and got dressed after he got dressed he splashed water on his face looked
in the mirror and put on his 'happy face' the face he made when he wanted to
pretend nothing was bothering him.
Logan then made his way to see Liara knocking on her door "Come in" he heard
the reply.
Logan walked into the room and saw Liara was doing some research, but couldn't
see what, not that he really cared, he thought she would tell him if she found
out anything
Liara quickly closed the window, she didn't want Logan to know that she was
digging into his childhood, not that she had found much just that he was an
orphan who never knew his parents and joined the Alliance under a biotic
scholarship and was caught stealing a car at the time of his arrest, Liara knew
there had to be more but couldn't find anything. That was when Shepard walked
in "Hello Commander" she said hoping she didn't have to explain what she was
looking at.
Lucky for her he didn't notice "You are looking much better, how you feeling?"
Liara smiled slightly "Thank you for asking Commander, you are kind to check up
on me but you needn't worry" she told him.
Logan nodded "Good to hear" he said somewhat leaning against her desk "How are
you fitting in? No body giving you a hard time?" he asked looking her in the
eyes.
Liara shook her head "No everyone has been nice if not distant" she answered,
wondering why he would stop in like this but she quickly dismissed it from what
she had been told it was just his way, he would often talk to the crew.
Logan smiled "good to hear" he said before cracking his neck "Do you know hand
to hand combat?" he asked suddenly.
Liara frowned "What? Umm no, I do not" Liara answered, wondering where this was
going.
Logan smiled "Would you like to learn some?" he asked "I learned during the
Blitz, that you can never rely on biotics alone" he told her "I like to run the
crew though some drills from time to time, keep those skills sharp" he said
before adding "And Kaidan and Ashley are complaining that I made them sick in
the Mako, Garrus and Tali would be busy on the fixing the Mako" he explained
"so that leaves just us"
Liara thought for a moment and then smiled "Sure sounds like fun" she answered,
this could be interesting "Wait what about Wrex?" she asked.
Logan chuckled "Wrex doesn't need my help but I will see if he is interested"
Logan said before looking Liara up and down "you might need to change your
clothes, you will get too hot in those" he told her and turned to walk away
"I'm going to go change, I will meet you down in the Cargo bay"
Liara took his advice and changed into a small top that humans called a
singlet; she kept her long pants on and made her way to the cargo bay.
Logan was already down there wearing long pants and a singlet, Wrex was also
there but standing back just watching.
"There you are, I was wondering if you were still coming down or not" Logan
told her.
Liara smiled "Of course I have never done this before" she said looking
nervous.
Logan smiled "Relax, I will start slow" he told her "now the martial art I am
showing you is called ju-jitsu, it has been around for hundreds of years, it
works by attacking your opponent's weakest points, their joints" he explained
"now lucky for us, most races have similar skeletons, the only races this won't
work on his elcor and the volus" he told her "they are just too thick and
strong, must be from all that gravity as for the Volus their suits are too
thick so don't even bother" he said smiling before he showed her some simple
wrist and elbow locks "now don't be a hero if it hurts tap my leg or the floor
like this" he said while tapping his leg three times with his hand "that will
stop bones from being broken"
Liara listened intently, she could tell this would come in handy and didn't
want to make a fool out of herself "Broken bones?" she asked.
Logan nodded "Yes" he said simply "if your enemy cannot use their hands they
cannot shoot you and take it from me using biotics with broken limbs is a lot
harder than you would think" he said before he realized she was an asari "well
for you maybe not, but still why risk it" he said.
Liara and Logan continued to train, Liara was a very quick study so it was not
long before he was able to really test what she had learnt, she was given the
challenge of getting him to 'tap out' as he called it with no biotics, easier
said than done. Liara found she was enjoying herself and also quickly realized
that the Commander was a lot faster than she gave him credit for, with very
little effort he ended up behind her and wrapped his powerful human arms around
her neck, it was then she remembered one of the tricks he had shown her and
quickly reversed it, using her asari flexibility in a way that would have been
next to impossible for a human to do let alone one as large as he was.
Liara ended up on his shoulders after she climbed up the side of him, still
with one of his arms under her control, well she thought it was, but Shepard
shifted, knocking her off his shoulders, so that she landed back on her feet
gracefully and before she could do anything else he gripped her shoulders and
tripped her over, she hit the ground with a thud and Logan quickly put her into
a hold he had shown her earlier called an 'arm bar' where she was forced to tap
out.
Logan let her go straight away and helped her up "Well done, I knew asari were
flexible but I didn't know you could do that!" he said smiling.
Liara panted but smiled all the same "Thank you Commander, I had an excellent
teacher" she said smiling before she realized that everyone had stopped to
watch the two spar, that was when Ashley spoke up.
"Can I try to do that Commander?" Ashley asked "I think I know where I can beat
you" she said confidently.
Logan looked at Liara and bowed slightly before he shook her hand "You did
really well" he told her before he walked over to Ashley and bowed to her
slightly
Liara blushed at his compliment but stayed to watch the two, she hoped Ashley
would not be able to beat him, since she felt that Ashley wanted to show off.
Liara noticed Tali standing near her watching the Commander as well "If you ask
him, he might teach you as well" she said smiling at the young quarian.
Tali looked up at her "you think so?" she asked "I know he is very busy"
Liara shook her head "I think he likes doing this" she said as she watched
Logan and Ashley spar together, they seemed equally matched, well as far as
Liara could tell.
Logan had gotten a hold of one of Ashley's arms and used that to control her
"become entangled with a stronger opponent and you will die Williams" he told
her as he got behind her and wrapped those arms around her neck, Liara realized
it was the same move he had tried with her except Ashley did not have asari
flexibility to help her and soon went bright red and was forced to tap out.
"Good job Williams but you seem distracted" Logan told Ashley as he helped her
up "Next time focus"
Ashley coughed "Won't happen again" she said.
Liara noticed Ashley was glaring at her and that was when Liara realized that
Ashley was trying to outdo her, which made Liara smile knowing that Ashley had
failed to get out of that choke hold. Liara then noticed Tali was walking up to
ask to for some pointers, Liara smiled thinking that it was nice of Shepard to
take the time with his crew like this and teach them the skills that he had.
"I will show you what I know Tali on one condition" Shepard said with a slight
smirk on his face.
Tali looked nervous at that "what is that?" she asked fiddling with her hands.
Shepard smiled "you have to show me some of that tech and hacking stuff" he
said with a grin on his face.
Tali seemed to cheer up at that point "Sure Commander" she said.
Logan started slow, just like he did with Liara however he had to modify leg
sweeps because of the way Tali's legs were bent. Tali seemed a lot more
talented than first given credit for; in fact she almost got Logan in a
chokehold of her own, before he reversed it.
"Now how good is that suit of yours?" he asked "I mean I'm not going to cause a
suit rupture if I throw you am I?" he asked.
Tali chuckled "it can withstand gun shots, it will be fine" she said.
Logan nodded with a slight smile and said "good to know" before he grabbed her
wrist and locked it behind her head and slowly and as gently as he could
lowered her to the ground where she was forced to tap "you were good Tali" he
told her "where did you learn that?" he asked.
Tali seemed proud of herself "On the Fleet, they teach us basic martial arts
before we leave"
Logan nodded "well whatever it was it was effective, just remember not to lock
your fingers together makes it easier to get out of"
Tali nodded "Thanks Shepard" she said and went over to stand near Garrus; Tali
looked at Garrus and asked 'Are you going to have a go?"
Garrus shook his head "Nah, not right now, gotta get this done and besides
Shepard has already fought three people"
That is when Wrex chuckled and cracked his neck and stepped forward "Wondering
Shepard if ya little tricks would work on someone like me" he said with a
smile.
Logan sighed and looked at Wrex "That depends; you're not going to go all
blood-rage on me are you?"
Wrex chuckled and removed his armour "Me? Nah of course not" he said "tap the
floor or your leg right?" he said as he stood there with a slight smirk on his
face.
Logan cracked his neck and got ready, when the two of them charged at each
other. The nearby crew had stopped what they were doing to stand and watch and
some even placed bets.
Wrex used his strength to his advantage and threw Shepard as soon as he took a
hold of him, Shepard quickly recovered and began to use his quickness and the
two went at it again.
Liara watched as the human commander used speed not strength like he did with
her, even so the two of them seemed evenly matched, Wrex for the most part
unable to catch the human and Shepard seemed to not have enough strength to be
truly effective and that is until Shepard grabbed his wrist and wrapped his
legs under the shoulder joint of Wrex bending the arm at a painful angle at the
elbow.
Wrex had to position himself so the pressure on his elbow was less but still
there and smiled when he saw Shepard on the ground underneath him, the arm
still locked up, so the human could still break it if he wanted to but now Wrex
simply put a heavy foot onto the human's chest.
"Maybe we should stop there" Logan said looking up at Wrex "I know you won't
tap, the only way I could beat you is to break your arm and I need you against
Saren" Logan said before adding "and you will break ribs before I tap, so
stalemate?" he asked Wrex who nodded and smirked and carefully let go at the
same time as Shepard.
Wrex took a drink of water himself "You're good Shepard, good thing that was
not a real fight" he said smirking.
Liara smiled and was pleased at the respect shown between two warriors with no
injury done.
Logan sat down and helped himself to some water before he walked over towards
Liara "Well Doctor did you learn anything?" he asked before having another
drink of water.
Liara smiled "Yes thank you, I would like to do this again" she asked unable to
stop herself from looking at his powerful arms.
Logan nodded "sure thing Doctor" he said with a smile on his face, he did not
notice Liara staring at his arms.
"Call me Liara, Commander" she told him.
Logan nodded before he stood up "Call me Logan then Liara" he told her before
he went for a shower.
Liara went back to her room and got back into her research,
she continued looking at what she had found about his childhood. She read that
he grew up on the streets after running away from an orphanage that was later
closed down due to horrific child abuse, before she couldn't find a thing
mentioned about him until he was arrested for stealing a car and he was now a
member of a street gang called the 'Tenth Street Reds' who were by all reports
she could find on them, vicious criminals.
Liara heard an alarm sound followed by Shepard's voice over the intercom
"Garrus suit up" he said what Shepard said next though really caught her
attention "Liara you are coming too" he said. Liara closed her extranet file
and made sure she could find it again and quickly got ready, unsure of why
Logan would want her, but she was determined to prove to him that she could be
trusted.
Once she was down in the cargo bay where Garrus was waiting, she looked at
Garrus who seemed eager to get going "Just glad I finished the repairs" he said
to her, at that moment Shepard could be seen walking towards them.
"Ok, guys we have a problem in orbit of a human colony, an asteroid that was
being towed closer to Terra Nova, when all communication went silent" he told
them "humans have done this many times before without a problem and now there
is one" Shepard said looking at them "we have to touch down on that rock and
shut down the torches, if we don't that asteroid will hit Terra Nova" he told
them before adding "there are millions of people down there, expect trouble"
Liara gasped "What do you think happened?" she asked.
Logan shook his head "Don't know, but I do know that there are safeguards in
play, the only way something like this can happen is if someone wants it too"
he said looking at Garrus "I bought you two along for two reasons, one when I
report this to the Council having two council race members to back up my claims
can't hurt"
Garrus nodded "And the other reason?"
Logan looked at them both but Liara felt this was aimed more at her "I want to
see what you can do" he told them "Let's move" he yelled jumping into the Mako.
Liara and Garrus quickly followed him in "We won't let you down Commander" they
both said at once.
***** Bring down the sky *****
Chapter Summary
     Logan heads to asteroid X-57 to stop it from slamming into Terra
     Nova.
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
Liara quickly realized that Kaidan and Ashley were not lying about Shepard's
driving skills, Liara was kind of worried as well as Kaidan had told her Logan
treated the Mako like an amusement park ride, but right now he was silent and
gritting his teeth the whole time.
The trip out of the cargo bay followed by a drop of several hundred feet before
the anti-grav boosters kicked in was terrifying, and Liara almost screamed but
was afraid that if she did she would lose control of her lunch, only thinking
of trying to impress him and what would happen to Terra Nova stopped her
vomiting inside her helmet.
Garrus on the other hand was fine for the trip out of the cargo bay; he knew
what was coming after all. He was just glad to be off the ship and doing
something that meant something.
"Whoever is receiving this message, you have to shut down the fusion torches"
the woman's voice says, she sounds like she is hiding "they attacked the
asteroid and put it on a collision course with Terra Nova, please shut off the
torches" she signs off.
Garrus focusing on what he just heard "Whoever has done this, this is
terrorism, dropping an asteroid on a garden world is seen as an act of war, the
Council cannot ignore this" he said
Liara closed her eyes and tried to focus on something other than the Mako
bouncing around and driving up almost vertical hills "We have to hurry, we only
have four hours" she said, Liara was in shock that someone would be willing to
kill millions; she knew that she had to help stop them.
Logan stopped the Mako near an engineer's shack where he quickly gets out and
investigates quickly finding some equipment and a dead engineer. Shepard was
still silent as he took the dog tags off and got back in the Mako before
heading off towards the first torch.
Once they got closer, they got another call from the woman "You're heading in
the right direction; I don't know who you are but I'm….damn it" she said and
the line went dead
"Whoever did this was listening in" Logan said glancing at Garrus "Hope they
didn't find her" he said more to himself
The two aliens stayed quiet, while the Commander wasn't driving like the Mako
was amusement park ride, he was pushing it to its limits, it made for a bumpy
ride.
As they approached the torch, six turrets emerged from the ground: one high on
the cliff to the right, four around the fusion torch, and one far to the left
of the fusion torch. Unlike turrets encountered in before on Therum, these only
emerged from the ground when they got close to one of them, making their
rockets much more difficult to dodge and largely eliminating the tactic of
sniping them from a distance.
Logan worked carefully and focused on one turret at a time, and fired on the
turrets out from a distance driving slowly backwards and forwards to avoid the
rockets and using the boosters when needed. It was slow going but thankfully
Garrus was just as good with the Mako's cannon as he said he was with a sniper
rifle.
There were a lot of turrets though, although Logan tried to keep the amount of
damage to a minimal, they still took a lot of fire.
"Come one baby hold together" Logan said almost willing the Mako, not to blow
up
Jumping over the rockets that made their way towards them, taking heavy fire
and the cabin of the Mako starting to fill with smoke but slowly but surely
took out one turret at a time
After they had taken down all the turrets, they stopped for a moment; the Mako
was spewing black smoke and had a few fires
"Garrus patch up the Mako for us" Logan ordered "Liara, help me put these fires
out"
Once the Mako was repaired they made their way inside where Logan looked around
and opened the door on the opposite end of the hallway.
As Logan rounded the corner he saw them "Batarians" he said with a snarl
Liara looked over to Shepard then and saw a different look on his face, one of
pure malice, but she didn't have time to think about that when she heard.
"Harak, Chekz!, Chekz!" The batarian called out and two varren came running
towards them
"Pull back" Shepard yelled as the varren closed in, taking aim with his shotgun
he fired twice into the chest and face of one.
Garrus had started backing up and unloaded a dozen rounds into the other varren
which kept coming.
Liara knew how tough varren were so she threw the both of them and with a splat
they hit the wall, while Garrus and Logan made sure they stayed down. Liara
went to move out into the next room before Logan moved next to Liara and gently
pushed her back against the wall before holding up a hand to her telling her to
wait.
"Release the varren!"
Logan peeked around the corner and fired a shot off at the end of the other
room which set off an explosion before looked at Liara and told her "Take care
of the varren, don't let them get close" he said.
"Garrus, switch to sniper rifle" he ordered "teach that sniper of theirs how it
is done" Logan said.
Garrus planted himself against the wall and switched from his assault rifle to
his sniper rifle "With pleasure" he replied "cover me" he said
Logan noticed one varren getting closer so he threw it backwards, while Liara
did the same to the other one. Once the varren hit the ground Liara fired off
dozens of shots into their prone bodies.
Logan then looked at Liara and said "You're with me, we go side by side" he
told her "we do everything together from now on" he said before moving ready to
go
Liara nodded "I'll follow you" she said as she killed one varren with a
singularity and took aim at the other as Logan began to move into the room,
where Logan fired a blast at the remaining varren killing it while it floated
helplessly in the air.
Logan and Liara moved out into the next room and just like Shepard told her to
do stayed close to Shepard's hip as she threw two pirates back, before aiming
her pistol at another, as she fired she noticed that the pirate was also hit
with a shotgun blast.
"Good job" he told her as he used his biotics to lift a pirate and shoot him
with his shotgun.
"Sniper down" Garrus called out.
Logan and Liara made short work of the remaining troopers and Logan called out
"All clear" as he used medi-gel to deal with a few shots that got though
"everyone ok?" he asked.
Liara and Garrus both answered that they were fine.
Once they had cleared all the batarians out, Logan and the two aliens moved
headed up stairs and though the door where he found find the controls to shut
down the fusion torch station. Once it shut down, they got another call over
the radio from that woman again.
"I'm reading that one of the torches is offline" The woman said "was that you?"
she asked.
Logan looked at Garrus and Liara to make sure they could hear it too "Yes that
was us, what's going on? Who are you?" he asked.
"My name is Kate Bowman, I'm an engineer, I was part of the team assigned to
bring the asteroid to Terra Nova" Kate said, Logan could hear the fear in her
voice "we were attacked yesterday by batarian extremists, I have been hiding
from them since they arrived" Kate told him, Logan while listening took out a
drink, Garrus and Liara took the opportunity to do the same "I think they know
the torch went out"
"Why are they doing this?" Logan asked putting his water back on his belt.
"I don't know. But if this asteroid isn't slowed millions of people on Terra
Nova will die" Kate said fearfully "If I find out anything I'll let you know,
I…I have to go, Good luck" she said and signed off.
"Well that answers a lot" Logan said looking at Garrus and Liara
Garrus spoke up at that point "I can't believe the Hegemony would do something
like this" he said "it has to be extremists not the government themselves"
Logan looked at him "Why not?" he asked "batarians hate humans and have been
looking for a reason for a long time now, maybe they got sick of playing around
with proxy wars" he said to the turian.
As they walked back down, Liara answered Logan's question "because if they did
the Council would see it as an act of war, something like this? Crashing an
asteroid into a garden world, would make every Council race sit up and take
notice" Liara said looking at Logan.
Garrus nodded "Turians might not get along with humans but something like this
would remind them of the krogan rebellions"
Logan cracked his neck as he walked past all the dead batarians and came close
to where they first entered when Logan saw a man standing there with a gun
looking around.
"Hey" Logan said to him.
The man snapped his head round and fired without looking; Logan's shields
flared up as a round bounced off, Logan had his gun out into his hands in
second
"Oh god, I didn't mean to..., Are you hurt?" the man asked
"What the hell are you thinking?" Logan snapped as he lowered the gun
"Sorry I thought you were one of them" the man answered "guess I'm not much of
a soldier"
Logan sighed "I'll give you a hint two eyes human, four eyes batarian" Logan
said angrily.
"I'll keep that in mind" The man replied.
"Well you might not be a soldier but I am" Logan said putting his pistol away
'I'm Commander Shepard, with the Alliance and for that matter the Council"
Logan said before adding "I'm a Spectre"
"Simon, Simon Arwell, I'm the Chief engineer on this rock" he said offering his
hand to Shepard who shook it "Listen...We don't have much time, the batarians
fired up the fusion torches you have got to shut them down before we hit Terra
Nova" Simon said as he looked at Garrus and Liara behind Shepard "There are
four million people down the Shepard, I..My family they live in Aronax, my kids
and grandkids. Nice community. Good schools"
"Well batarians everywhere and I need to shut down the torches. Anything else I
should know?" Logan asked.
"One of the torches is surrounded by live blasting caps, we were set up to
excavate when we arrived at Terra Nova. I rigged them with proximity detectors"
Simon explained "That tank of your will set them off for sure, so you will have
to go in on foot, even then you could still set them off if you get to close.
So just go slow and easy and you should be fine"
Logan sighed "Can I requisition a cow to walk in front of me?" Logan joked.
Simon laughed and shook his head "Sorry but I can't shut them off from here
either" Simon said before adding "There are manual controls by the entrance to
the torch facility, inside the blast zone. You can disable the caps there"
Simon explained and quickly held up a hand "One last thing I had a crew working
outside when the attack hit, I'm worried about them" Simon said looking as if
he was remembering something disturbing "These batarians are ruthless I saw
them smash the faceplates of guys working vacuum. And those varren, I don't
think they wait for a corpse before eating"
Logan nodded "At least one of them is dead, I'll keep a look out for the rest,
but the torches are my priority" Logan said handing over a dog tag "And Kate
Bowman has been talking to us over the comms"
Simon took the tag and slowly nodded "Yeah saving Terra Nova is more important
than saving my team and thank you" he said before adding "There was a group of
engineers over at the main facility, but they are probably all dead. That or
being held hostage by the batarians" Simon said before adding "I glad Kate is
ok, she's one of my best engineers; her and her brother Aaron signed up
together, I hope she won't do anything stupid"
"Time is running short, I should get going" Logan said.
Simon nodded "Yeah, I should make myself scarce in case any batarians come
back, good luck Shepard"
Logan walked away and headed back outside he waited for Liara and Garrus to get
into the Mako before heading off, Logan was silent the whole time, Liara could
tell he was in a foul mood, Garrus didn't seem to notice but seemed a little
more serious...if that was even possible. Liara and Garrus however both had the
same problem, Shepard's driving. While Liara was glad he wasn't driving like it
was amusement park ride instead he was driving the Mako as if it had wronged
him somehow, Liara looked over at Garrus and noticed that he was not enjoying
the ride either.
"Can you hear me?" Kate voice sounded though their comms "I'm getting all kinds
of interference" she said as feedback could clearly be heard "Damn this thing.
Sorry there is a lot of feedback"
Logan shook his head "Yeah no kidding" he said and quickly put a finger into
his ear and tried to clean his ear out.
"I'll try and fix it. In the meantime, just keep doing what you are doing" Kate
told them.
Logan looked at Garrus "Don't you just love it when people tell you something
you clearly already know?" he asked not really expecting an answer.
The sights of the torch station surrounded by those blasting caps quickly came
into view.
Garrus just chuckled and looked out the scope "We have turrets" he said and
took aim while the Normandy VI told them proceed on foot. The Mako jumped a
rocket and as it landed Garrus fired on the turret and quickly ripped through
its shields, destroying it. Logan then drove closer to another one and started
to fire the machine guns at it while Garrus worked the main cannon. After all
the turrets were down, Logan drove to where he could see where they could enter
the station and ordered them out of the tank and started walking slowly towards
it.
"Watch your step guys" Logan warned "Nice and easy"
As they got closer batarians came out to greet them and opened fire on them
"Garrus sniper rifle now" Logan called out "Liara open them up with biotics" he
ordered.
The whole time they were getting shot at the proximity sensor kept telling them
every time they got too close. A rocket flew past Logan "They have rockets" he
called out as they made their way across; Logan even managed to throw one
batarian into a blasting cap.
Garrus used his sniper rifle with deadly effect, while Liara threw biotics at
them seemingly every few seconds, before they were finally close enough to the
station they didn't have to worry about the blasting caps, the last remaining
batarian was shot in the back as he tried to run away, Logan calmly walked up
behind the batarian and removed his mask while Liara and Garrus to caught up
before he looked at them. Liara couldn't help herself she looked at the
batarian trying to breathe in the cold vacuum of space before she snapped out
of it and looked at Logan.
"Right same deal as before, Garrus if there is a sniper take him out first
otherwise you're with us" Logan ordered, Garrus only nodded before all three
made their way inside.
Inside was a similar layout to the previous torch station, except this time
there were rocket drones and a engineer. Logan stood beside the door and threw
a grenade in, once it exploded Logan moved in, using his biotics on the nearest
batarian. The three of them worked closely together while dodging rockets,
Garrus was focusing on the rocket drones but every time he destroyed one
another replaced it. One rocket landed near Liara the blast taking down her
shields, she could feel the heat on her skin but a moment later Logan had moved
her out of harm's way before next rocket landed right where she was just a
moment before.
"You ok?" he asked to which she nodded.
Liara came back around and hit three batarians with a singularity lifting them
up and shot them while they were suspended helplessly in the air, While Logan
finished off two batarians with a combination of biotics and close range
shotgun blasts. All three of them then focused on the remaining rocket drones,
which a few moments later were all dead.
Logan moved near Liara "Hold on" he said, as she waited she could feel a slight
cooling sensation on her back before she could ask what it was he told her
"Medi-gel" he said with a smile "Congrats Dr T'soni, you have your first war
wound" he said smiling slightly "You are a lot tougher than you look" She
looked at him and noticed he had a slight cut above his eye with that strange
bright red blood humans had.
"You're bleeding!" Liara exclaimed to which Logan just waved her off.
"I'm fine" he said "just a scratch" he told her as he walked over to Garrus
"Any wounds?" he asked looking Garrus over.
Garrus lifted his arm up to reveal a burn from a rocket on his ribs, or where
his ribs would have been if he weren't a turian "Just that" he said while
trying to place his own medi-gel on it.
Logan shook his head "Relax" he said and helped Garrus with the medi-gel since
Garrus couldn't reach it without being in pain "good job guys" he said once
finished "let's shut this torch off"
Logan looked at his squad and was pleased with the way they were handling
themselves, he never thought Liara would be so powerful with her biotics and as
for Garrus, Logan hadn't seen anyone shoot so well. He was still thinking about
this and their chances against the batarians in the main facility while
shutting down the torch and the blasting caps when Kate started talking again.
"Are you there? You have got to hurry, you have really pissed them off" she
said sounding slightly panicked "Their leader's setting charges everywhere. I
think he is going to blow up the whole facility"
Logan could hear another voice suddenly in the background "Get away from that
human" Logan took out his energy drink that the Alliance gave to all biotics so
they could keep their energy levels up before he offered one to Liara who only
frowned at it.
"It's for energy, biotics are given it" he told her handing it to her.
Kate could still be heard, she was now begging for the batarian not to shoot
her, when another voice could be heard.
'Who is shutting down the torches?" the batarian asked.
Logan looked at Garrus "Must be the leader" he said to which Garrus nodded
agreeing with him.
"I won't ask you again" the leader warned and a moment later Logan could hear a
gunshot followed by "Find the problem and deal with it"
Logan turned to look at the others "Ok we have incoming let's go introduce
ourselves" Logan said.
"Get her out of here" The leader could be heard over the comms.
"They must of shot someone else" Garrus said while following Logan and Liara.
Once back outside they headed back to the Mako, Logan was clearly angry but
didn't say a word as he drove towards the third torch station.
"I'm proud of you guys" he said suddenly "We just keep doing what we have been
doing and we will stop these assholes" he told them
Garrus nodded "Thank you sir"
Liara studied him for a moment before answering "Thank you Commander, but are
you alright?"
Logan chuckled a little at that "I'm fine Liara. Anytime you think I am being
too harsh to these batarians I want you imagine Terra Nova is an asari colony"
he told her
Liara realized he must of noticed her staring at that batarian that Shepard
removed the helmet off "I understand, Shepard. I don't have to like it but I
understand" she said quietly
Logan looked at her while the Mako went over another incline "Good" he said
before adding "If you did like it that would make you a psychopath" he said
smiling "I do this so no one else has too" he explained
Liara nodded and thought about what he said and realized he was right. Asari
would be just as vicious to any race that was doing something like this, but
she was glad to hear that he didn't enjoy doing it "If you don't mind me
asking, if you don't enjoy doing it then why do it?' she asked.
Logan chuckled as the Mako went over another hill "We humans have a saying 'an
eye for eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a life' do you understand Liara?"
Liara thought about it before nodding "You removed his helmet because batarians
had done that to the people working here" she said
Logan nodded "That's right, the punishment must fit the crime" he said looking
over at Garrus who was just listening.
They approached the third and final fusion torch station and were once again
under fire by turrets. Logan fired with the machine gun on one turret while
Garrus fired the cannon, as two rockets hit the Mako, Logan threw the Mako in
reverse and kept firing. Jumping two more rockets, did his best to avoid the
rocket fire, but there was too many rockets incoming so not all of them could
be avoided. Garrus made short work of one turret and lined up another. It
didn't take long before the Mako was filling with smoke again, Logan even drove
away a short distance and the three of them patched up the Mako as best as the
could before driving back in.
It was hard work but the turrets were finally taken care of . Logan jumped out
of the Mako and headed towards the door "expect heavy resistance" he warned
them as their made their way inside.
This station was different from the previous two, it seemed to be a U shape.
Logan slowly and carefully made his way through when he saw three troopers
standing there waiting for them and of course a varren. Once they opened fire
Logan could hear "Release the varren!" being called out and another varren
joined the fray. Garrus had overheated the weapon of one batarian, who was
quickly thrown backwards by biotics by either Logan or Liara he couldn't see
who didn't matter at this point, before he turned his attention towards another
batarian and overloaded his shields and once the batarian shields were down he
shot him in the face with his assault rifle quickly dropping him. Garrus then
focused back onto the first batarian that was thrown and made sure he stayed
down. Garrus knew that working with two biotics all he really had to do was
take care of the ones that were lifted into the air or thrown, one trooper was
lifted into the air at that point as if to prove what he was just thinking
about. Garrus almost felt guilty about having such an easy target as he shot
the trooper half a dozen times.
Liara helped Logan deal with the two varren by hitting them with a singularity.
Liara also killed another batarian with the help of Garrus. Liara hit another
with a warp field who was then taken care of by Garrus and Logan, before she
was hit with a biotic field herself and went flying backwards into Logan who
caught her knocking them both towards the ground, Liara opened her eyes and saw
Logan underneath her with a pained expression on his face.
Garrus overloaded the weapon of the batarian shock trooper before dropping his
shields. Garrus had shot the batarian with a dozen rounds but kept on coming.
The batarian was close now so Garrus used the butt of his rifle to smash the
batarians face in knocking him to the ground where he finished him off.
"As much as I like being this close to you" Logan said looking up at her, she
smiled thinking what he could be trying to tell her "You're crushing my balls"
he told her.
Liara quickly hopped off apologizing, hoping the human male wasn't hurt that
much. Liara had heard how much it hurts males of other species, something about
bundles of nerve endings that are very sensitive. She shook her head to get the
image of what they would feel like out of her head and asked "Are you ok
Commander, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to I.."
Logan slowly stood up hunched over "It's ok it happens" he told her while
holding his groin, Liara noticed this and vowed to look at human male anatomy
later. Logan stood up slowly and asked her if she had any new wounds she didn't
and thought to ask Garrus if he was injured who shook his head.
"Come on, let's get this torch turned off" he told them as he walked off his
pain. They headed upstairs and shut off the torch while they were heading back
though Shepard saw a group of batarians casually waiting for them downstairs,
almost as if they wanted to talk. Logan frowned before he turned to Garrus
"Stay here, get your sniper rifle out and wait for my signal" he said.
"What is your signal?" Garrus asked as Logan and Liara walked away.
"You will know it when you see it" Logan answered.
Garrus just sighed "I get the feeling I will know when I see it"
On their way down Logan quietly said to Liara "Let me do the talking and be
ready to make a move" he told her before walking out into the open where he
could see twelve batarians and six varren waiting for them "What do you want?"
Logan snapped "I assume you want to talk or you would have been shooting
already"
One batarian stepped forward "Relax human I just want to talk. See if we can
work out a peaceful solution" he said "I'm Charn and I know who you are,
Commander Shepard"
Logan relaxed and reached into his pockets, the batarians got nervous "Relax"
he said taking out a packet of cigarettes he shook a loose one out and placed
it in his mouth before offering the packet to the batarians were very slowly
moved forward and took the packet. Human cigarettes were preferred by batarians
over their own something Logan never knew why, they just were.
Logan watched as they took turns in lighting up while he listened to Charn
"This was just meant to be a simple slave grab but Balak is out of control. He
hates humans, all this was his idea" Charn told him as the lighter came back to
him "Balak is on a mission to destroy Terra Nova, and you're in the way
Commander" Charn told him while lighting his cigarette and offering Logan the
lighter.
Logan nodded and stepped closer, he was within arm's reach of Charn now, before
taking the lighter "And you don't want that?" Logan asked having a quick look
at the lighter
"Of course not, but Balak wants you dead" Charn told him "that's why he sent
us, I am sick of his little crusade" Charn said while blowing out smoke.
Logan nodded and put the lighter into his pocket and flicked the smoke away
without lighting it "Thanks for the info" he said and in one quick movement had
punched Charn in the throat before grabbing him by the shoulders and spinning
him around, using him as a shield. Logan threw a grenade into the middle of the
group of them dropping the shields of four of the batarians.
That was when Garrus had opened fire sniping two targets before they had begun
to move, while Garrus was shocked at the speed in which the attack took place,
he almost never saw it coming and he knew it was going to happen.
Garrus had to be impressed with the way the human Spectre had managed to get
them to lower their guards just before the attack and then used their numbers
to his advantage, holding Charn close he moved in closer before he threw Charn
into the group of them and using knife combat and powerful biotics Logan had
managed to kill four of them in seconds. The batarians shields could not defend
against a knife welding opponent and their armour couldn't protect their faces.
Logan's blade was then hurled with biotics into a varren which got too close,
slowing it down. Logan then used his biotics to throw back two shock troops and
finally pulled out his shotgun and opened fire, killing the varren with his
knife sticking out of it first then focused on the two shock troops.
Garrus focused on the sniper they had bought with them, overheating his weapon
and shooting him while he tried to get it working again. Garrus dropped the
shields of the two shock troopers Logan was taking on, before turning his
attention back to the sniper who Garrus had managed to keep pinned down.
Liara had already joined in at this stage, while she like Garrus was surprised
at the method the Spectre used she quickly caught on. Firing a singularity into
the group of varren once she saw Logan moving, she caught five of them in the
field. Liara then aimed at the engineer they had and lifted him up as well,
where she shot the varren and the engineer at her leisure, killing two varren.
Liara was forced to boost her shields again, after which she shot the engineer
four times while he was floating.
Logan was thrown backwards and as he slid across the floor he threw a grenade
at the two shock troops sending one of them right into Liara's singularity
field which soon shut off dropping all the three varren and the shock trooper
to the floor. Garrus finally caught the sniper with his shields down and blew
his head off, then turned his rifle scope onto the varren which were running
towards Liara at that point.
Liara threw one varren back, watched another's head disappear from rifle fire,
leaving one varren which tackled her to the ground and went to bite her face.
Liara tried pushing the varren away but it was to strong that was when she saw
a knife stab it in the back of the head and twist. Logan pushed the varren off
her and helped her up, the two of them opened fire on the remaining varren then
while Logan threw the engineer into the wall with biotics, where he didn't get
up.
After that it was short work finishing the rest of them off. Logan walked up to
Charn, who had choked to death. After searching them, Logan took back the
packet of cigarettes and placed them into his pocket, he noticed Liara was
staring at him "What? I don't smoke these" he told her with a smile.
Liara frowned for a moment, before she smiled "You mean you only carry them
around so you can get close to your enemies?" she asked before adding "Clever"
Garrus at that point had walked up alongside them "Everyone ok?" he said
looking over his teammates. Garrus helped patch them up, a gunshot on Shepard
and a few bruises as well a cut on his head that had opened up but he was fine.
Garrus then checked over Liara who was a little worse for wear but still in one
piece. Liara had a grazing gunshot as well as deep scratches from the varren on
her legs and chest and what looked like to be a broken rib.
"Need medi-gel over here" Garrus said as Logan walked over and sat down near
Liara.
"Just relax, Liara this won't take long to fix" Logan said before looking up at
Garrus "keep an eye out will you, make sure no one sneaks up on us"
Garrus nodded and moved closer to the door to the station. Logan had patched up
Liara's wounds on her legs and her a grazing gun shot and then squirted some
medi-gel onto her chest and took care of those wounds as well. Liara was
surprised at how gentle he was, considering what she just saw him do.
Logan stood up and helped Liara up "Those should hold until we get back, then
Dr Chakwas can look at them, I can't do much about the rib sorry" he told her.
Liara smiled softly "I can manage Commander" as they walked over to Garrus.
"Let's go say hi to Balak" Logan said with a slight chuckle.
Chapter End Notes
     Ok now this has been caught up to date with the same story over on
     FF, so updates will be a bit slower after this. But I do feel the
     story is better edited here so hope you enjoy.
***** When a Doctor meets a Butcher *****
Chapter Summary
     Liara realizes just who Logan Shepard is and how he earned the name
     The Butcher. Liara also does some research on human-asari sex.
As the three of them exited the building Logan decided that they would make a
quick search for the missing engineers, when Garrus asked why they were looking
for them instead of going after Balak, Logan grinned manically.
“Because Balak knows he can’t leave just yet, the Normandy would shoot him out
of the sky, and he knows that we are coming but not when. So I am going to let
him wait and sweat a bit, before I kill him” Logan told the turian “Besides, I
want to find out what happened to them”
Garrus seemed happy with that answer, but not with the driving. Logan had
insisted on driving up a near vertical incline, once at the top Logan had
insisted on jumping down the mountain claiming ‘it was quicker’. It reminded
Liara of when they came out of the Normandy, as the other side of the mountain
was a drop at least a hundred feet down. As they were free falling down the
mountain with the anti-grav boosters switching on and off at Shepard’s command,
Liara could feel a little sick, she looked over at Garrus and noticed he looked
like she felt.
“That shack I found before? Had an engineer named Mendel” Logan told them as
once again he was speeding across the asteroid, Liara was just happy they were
driving in a straight line and on a flat surface “He had surrendered, they shot
him anyway” he said looking at Garrus who shook his head
“This was never a slave grab” Garrus replied
Logan pointed to something and stopped the Mako “Look at that” as all three of
them got out. A large human vehicle could be seen, it was destroyed “M-29
Grizzly” Logan told them before he pointed to a dead body nearby “Poor bastard,
escaped the Grizzly only to be shot afterwards”
Liara was beginning to understand why Shepard or humans in general did not like
batarians; these humans were executed for no reason then hatred. Still Liara
was surprised that the same charming man she saw on the Normandy was this
sadistic to his enemies. Although he was cruel he seemed to follow a code of
sorts, this code of his would never be used by the Justicar Order, Liara knew
that but it was code none the less.
“Garrus have a look around see if you can find anything” Logan ordered
Garrus had found a tech kit and quickly made his way back to the Mako. Once
they had found the other engineers one of which tried to hide inside a shack
before the batarians planted a bomb to the door and she died in the blast,
another engineer had managed to arm combat drones to try and help before
running off. After Logan and the others took care of the drones the followed
the footprints and found him shot in the back by a sniper.
Garrus looked around at this point “Poor bastard had nowhere to hide either”
Logan ordered them back into the Mako and headed to confront Balak. Once they
neared the main facility, more turrets opened fire on them some of these were
on tracks. Logan decided to drive around at a moderate pace while he did that
he looked at Garrus
“Just timing Garrus, when we pass one fire” Logan ordered
Sure enough the tactic worked, none of the turrets could hit them and after
taking out the stationary turrets that then took out the ones on the tracks.
Logan got out of the Mako checked his shotgun “This will get bloody” he told
them “we stick together and work as a team”
Garrus and Liara both nodded and got their own weapons ready and once ready
they all headed inside. Logan looked around picking up more medi-gel and
grenades, before heading into the main room. Logan slowly made his way into the
building when his shields flared from a round hitting it, returning fire and
headed towards the second level Garrus and Liara following him while the
defense drones followed them. Liara threw a singularity at the batarians
keeping them back for a moment while Garrus dropped the shields of the drones.
“We need cover” Garrus called out as his shields deflected a number of rounds
Logan led them to the medical building which seemed to have good cover and a
low ceiling stopping the drones from flying in “Take cover” he ordered, firing
his shotgun at one drone.
Liara and Logan covered Garrus as he ran to cover, his shields were almost
gone. Once in cover he leaned out and hit the two drones with sabotage “I got
you covered” he told them as the first of the batarians made their way up the
stairs after them
Logan and Liara both ran to cover, their shields were taking a pounding, but
once they were in cover, they really let loose. “Liara, target those engineers”
Logan ordered as he fired his shot gun downing one drone “Garrus, hit those
shock troops with damping” he called out. Logan was glad they didn’t ask
questions, they did what he had asked.
While Logan focused on taking the last drone down he could see the batarians
trying to find cover with little luck. Logan threw two troopers back down the
stairs from where they came, while saw one shock trooper go down bleeding from
multiple wounds that was when he noticed Garrus thrown backwards by biotics by
the remaining shock trooper. He hit the wall hard.
“Garrus” Logan called out before turning to Liara “Singularity now” he told her
while he dragged Garrus back into cover “you ok?” he asked to which Garrus
nodded.
“Just a scratch” Garrus said, blue blood on his hands.
Logan applied Medi-gel directly into the suit of Garrus, before making his way
back over to Liara. A few seconds later Garrus rejoined them. The engineers had
hit Liara with a damping, effectively shutting down her biotics. Logan answers
this with biotics of his own throwing them backwards, while Garrus dropped the
shields of two of the troopers before Logan finished them off with well-placed
shotgun blasts.
Liara was firing her pistol at the last shook trooper before she felt power
come back into her biotic amp, she smiled and threw a warp at them, which
shredded the insides of the batarian.
“Garrus, sniper time” Logan told him and at once, noticed Garrus switch to his
sniper rifle. While Garrus was no slouch with his assault rifle, Logan knew the
turian was a master with a sniper rifle, even in small confined spaces such as
this. Logan then fired his shot gun dropped the shields of a batarian.
Garrus took aim and blew the head off a batarian that Logan had just dropped
the shields of. Taking aim yet again, this time he focused on an engineer,
first dropping the batarians shields with an overload then taking his head off.
Garrus noticed Liara being pinned down by two troopers so he overheated their
weapons leaving them open for Liara to throw them backwards, where they hit the
wall with a wet smack and stayed there.
Logan had moved to the other end of the medical building to try and stop them
from being flanked. He took a rifle round to the leg and went down but managed
to lift his shotgun up and blast one trooper in the head while he noticed the
other one ran to cover, quickly getting back behind cover he switched to his
pistol “need help over here” he told his squad, while trying to blind fire
around cover and place medi-gel on at the same time. Thankfully Liara was near
him by then and covered him while he applied medi-gel to his leg.
Garrus was on the other side of the building, he hit the two shock troops with
an Overload dropping their shields before using a Damping attack on them “Fuck
it” he said as he hit them again with a sabotage over heating their weapons,
after all that two quick headshots later and they were down.
Liara had managed to drop the shields of the last trooper when Logan got back
up again, and fired twice from that shotgun of his catching the trooper in the
hand where he dropped his rifle. Liara finished him off quickly. Looking around
she couldn’t see the engineer.
“I lost one” she called out
“He ran past me” Garrus called out “I know where he went though”
Logan made his way over to Garrus “Lead the way” he said
Garrus lead them to the far end of the area where they could see the engineer
trying to apply medi-gel to wounds on his stomach. One shotgun blast later and
he was dead. As the dead batarian slid down he nudged the button for the door
opening it revealing a seventh and final batarian trooper. He stammered out
"Die Shepard!" but was quickly gunned down by all three of them. Once Logan
checked around finding some items of value he went back out.
“You humans, you are almost more trouble than your worth” A batarian said, he
was on top of a set of stairs with at least one other batarian beside him and
of course a varren
Logan looked up at him, this must be Balak he thought to himself “Let the
hostages go and I will kill you quickly” he warned
The batarian scoffed “I don’t answer to you or the Council” he said while
pacing back and forth “I am leaving this asteroid. If you try and stop me, I
will detonate these charges and your little helper and all of her friends are
all going to die”
Logan shook his head “Can’t do that Balak” he said simply “Not after what
happened here”
Balak didn’t like the sound of that “This is nothing. You humans have done far
worse to the batarians” he yelled “We have been forced into exile. Forced to
survive on whatever we can scrounge up. It’s been like that for decades” Balak
ranted
Logan shook his head “It’s your own fault. The Council sided with us. Maybe if
you weren’t taking slaves and attacking them, maybe they would have backed you”
Logan snarled “But no you took slaves then expected the people you were taking
as slaves to back you up against us?” Logan mocked “You batarians were always
causing problems. The asari colony of Esan that the batarians annexed” Logan
said drawing surprised looks from both Garrus and Liara “Or how about the
salarian colony world that batarians bombed Mannovai? Then there was the
conflict on Enael” Logan recounted “So then you turned your back on the Council
when you couldn’t get your own way. What did you honestly think was going to
happen?”
Balak was clearly getting upset “We didn’t pull away. We were forced out and
don’t try and hide behind the Council” Balak all but screamed “And don’t you
think of giving me a history lesson” he snapped “It was you and your kind that
we’re in this position”
Logan rolled his eyes “So now you are trying to kill innocent people?”
Balak seemed to get even more upset “We had no other options. Sometimes you
need to get someone’s attention before they will listen” Balak said before
adding “How many innocent batarians did you murder?” He asked “You burned
batarians alive! Buried them under Torfan” Balak accused “That’s why I’m doing
this. You forced our hand”
“I gave them a chance to surrender. They refused” Logan snarled back “They were
slaver’s and scum that killed innocent people, so I did the only thing that
should be done against people like that, I killed them” Logan yelled, the
hatred in his voice could be heard clearly “You attacked us first, we
retaliated, so you went running to the Council for help, when you didn’t get
it, you hid. You bought this on yourselves. You will get no sympathy from me”
Balak finally snapped “Enough!” he said before pacing back and forth “You
couldn’t possibly understand…Actually you don’t want to understand. And I am
done wasting my breath” he said before taking a deep breath almost as if he was
trying to calm back down “If you want your friends to live. I suggest you step
aside” he threated
Liara and Garrus had watched the whole exchange, they were surprised that
Shepard knew history well enough from before humans were even a space fairing
species but all of that didn’t matter now. Garrus knew that Balak should not be
allowed to walk free but didn’t know how the human Spectre would handle this
situation.
“I can’t allow that Balak” Logan said shaking his head
“I hope it was worth it” Balak mocked as he detonated the bomb, killing the
hostages ‘I am going to enjoy gutting you”. His varren ran down the stairs and
towards them.
“Back up” Logan ordered as he blasted one varren with his shotgun and hit the
other with a biotic throw. Just as his shotgun was overheated “Shit” he swore
while switching to his pistol.
Garrus hit one of the defense drones with sabotage and the other with an
overload. Backing up made his way with Logan and Liara and down the stairs when
he saw one varren close to Logan while he was shooting it with a pistol,
thinking his shotgun must of overheated, Garrus shot the varren six times with
his assault rifle while Logan continued to shoot as well, finally it dropped to
the ground dead. The defense drones had managed to drop the shields of Garrus
and as one round slammed into Garrus dropping him to the ground with a wound to
his hip  
Liara had thrown a singularity towards Balak and his two bodyguards but Balak
had managed to get out of the way in time. Liara then noticed the defense
drones bearing down on Garrus, who was on the ground trying to apply medi-gel
to a wound on his hip; she opened fire on them, getting their attention away
from Garrus. Shooting at the defense drones had made her a target though and
she had to quickly get behind cover. That was when she noticed the two
bodyguards coming around trying to flank her. Running out into the open to get
to new cover she was shot at a few times by the drones, until one of them
dropped from the sky with a loud crash, she looked around and saw Garrus aiming
at the other drone and with a quick few shots he had downed that one as well.
Liara took that opportunity to lift the two bodyguards up with biotics so she
could shoot them with greater ease, when she felt the biotic field start to
wear off, Liara threw them both backwards. One of the bodyguards did not get
back up again.
Logan had managed to get his shotgun working again and just in time too as the
remaining varren was almost on top of him, two quick blasts from his shotgun
followed by a throw and the varren was dead. Logan didn’t have time to think as
he was shot at by Balak. The batarian leader was keeping his distance and used
a sniper rifle. Logan had to admit he was good, if Logan’s barriers didn’t hold
up under the first shot he would have been dead. Making his way slowly towards
Balak, Logan had to use more cover than he wanted to but boosted his shields
and kept moving closer.
Garrus had turned his attention towards Liara, once the defense drones were
taken care of and the two bodyguards which Liara quickly made sure become one.
The two of them opened fire on the remaining bodyguard and soon enough he was
dead too.
Logan had finally gotten close enough to Balak to use his biotics on him
lifting him up from cover the batarian was hiding behind and shot the batarian
leader twice before the field let him drop back to the floor. Balak was tougher
than most though as he scrambled back behind cover and fired again at Logan
this time the shot went through his shields and his left shoulder.
Garrus and Liara quickly flanked Balak and both of them working together,
ripped through his shields. Balak dropped his gun and lay there bleeding and
cursing them. Garrus kept his gun trained on him and kicked batarian’s rifle
away from him. At this point Logan made his way over to them. Holding his
shoulder the wound didn’t appear to be too bad, although all of them would need
to see Chakwas after this, but they were alive.
Logan looked down at Balak and booted him in the face “Some dumb fucker is
always trying to ice skate uphill” he mocked.
Balak grunted before looking up at Logan “You human’s think you’re so superior”
he said coughing up blood “But you’re not better than us. I gave you a chance
to save them and you threw it away” He said coughing again “Who is the real
terrorist here?”
Logan pulled out his pistol and fired it, the round hit the wall right beside
his head.
Balak only laughed “You will have to do better than that to stop us” he said
coughing again and looking at his hands that were covered in blood “One day
soon, the human race is going to pay for what it is done”
Logan looked at him before his body glowed blue with biotics and he lifted him
up. Using his other hand Logan made a twisting motion, when he did Balak’s
right knee bent sideways with a sickening snap.
Balak screamed in pain as he floated there helplessly “Damn it” he grunted “You
think killing me will make a difference” he said through gritted teeth “The
batarians have stayed hidden long enough. We won’t be ignored. Not anymore”
Balak ranted, since he was floating there though his wounds had opened and were
bleeding pretty bad “There are thousands more like me, waiting their turn. Each
one willing to die for our cause”
Logan made another twisting motion with his hand this time Balak’s left elbow
bent sideways. The crunch made Liara feel slightly queasy, she looked away and
noticed that Garrus didn’t seem fazed by the rough treatment.
Balak screamed in pain yet again “What? What do you want?” Balak screamed
before he started to cough up blood again “When the vids show images of your
colonies in flames, you’ll know the batarian rebellion has begun”
Logan raised his eyebrows at that “Really? Who is the leader behind this? Who
is orchestrating this?” he asked.
Balak coughed again “I’m done talking” he said coughing again blood was slowly
dripping to the floor from his mouth “Just kill me and get it over with”
Logan let him fall back to the ground hard, Balak screamed as he hit the
ground. The broken bones and internal injuries made the landing painful for the
batarian.
“You can die” Logan said looking at him with no hint of mercy in his eyes
“slowly” Logan added as he turned and walked away
“This isn’t over” Balak screamed out after him before breaking into a coughing
fit “This is just the beginning of the batarian nation.
Logan walked towards the exit and saw Simon standing there
“Is it safe?” Simon asked.
“As safe as it gets” Logan said sighing “There were bombs and there may be
more. I’ll need a sweeper team to clear the area”
Simon nodded “Right I’ll be careful then” before he too breathed a sigh of
relief “You did it. Another hour and our course would have been irreversible”
Simon said looking at the three of them “I ran the number X-57 would have
struck near the capital city. The most densely populated region” Simon told
them before adding “Not that will happen now thanks to you. Now did you find
Kate and her team?” he asked
Logan shook his head “I’m sorry but they are dead, Balak took Kate and some of
the others hostage. There was a bomb in their cell and..”
Simon looked down at his feet “You’re…you’re not kidding are you? Oh god” he
said upset “What happened I thought…I thought you were going to help them”
Simon said, his anger and pain could be heard in his voice
Logan looked up at him “Look in case you haven’t noticed yet but there is a big
bad galaxy out there, and a lot of aliens don’t like us very much. Some aliens
will kill humans whenever they get a chance too Balak was one of them. You’re
lucky I was passing a comm buoy at the time and picked up the signal, otherwise
no one would have made here in time” Logan told him slightly calming down “They
came here to wipe out Terra Nova. They failed. Sadly this is real life, not the
vids sometimes not everyone makes it out alive. But Terra Nova is safe and I
couldn’t of done it without Kate’s help” Logan told him “She died a hero”
Simon sighed, clearly trying to hold back tears “You’re right” he said before
he added “this son of bitch Balak, he is dead?”
Logan nodded “He is in the main room, slowly bleeding to death”
Simon frowned “He is alive?”
“Not for long now. Bastard didn’t deserve a quick death” Logan answered
Simon nodded “Good”
Logan reached into his pockets and pulled out the dog tags from the engineers
he had found “I also found your team too. They fought hard but I’m sorry they
are dead”
Simon reached for the dog tags and took them off Logan “Thank you for looking
for them. They deserve a burial” he said placing the tags into his pocket after
looking at them for a few moments “Before you go. I want to thank you for what
you did here; As lead engineer I get access to some quality items. Take your
pick, you earned it”
Logan had a quick look “You have quarian armor?” he asked
Simon nodded “Yeah, we sometimes get quarians on their helping out here, they
leave their fleets and look for stuff to take back and sometimes they leave
stuff here”
Logan nodded and took the quarian armor and after shaking Simon’s hand, he
turned around and headed back out.
“Commander, I have to say I was impressed with your knowledge of history”
Garrus said as they walked back outside for the Normandy to pick them up “those
events you mentioned happened a long time before humans were even a space
fairing species”
“Yeah, during the Blitz the Alliance did some research on the batarians to find
out what the Council’s reaction would be if full scale war were to break out”
Logan told him calmly “It was decided that while the Council would not approve
of war between humans and batarians they would not get involved, given their
own history” he told them “plus alien history is a hobby of mine”
Liara overheard all this but was not really paying attention. She saw a side of
the Commander she did not think possible, not including what she heard Balak
accuse him of, which he did not deny. She knew she was going to look into his
history once she got back. Well after she had her wounds looked at by Doctor
Chakwas.
Once they were back on the Normandy and after they had taken their armor off,
they all sat in the med bay while Chakwas patched them back up. Starting with
Liara first, as her wounds were more serious, drawing the curtain closed so
Liara could have some privacy. Since her wounds where on her chest, Liara had
to remove her top. Chakwas stitched her up before taking a step back to look at
her handiwork, once healed there wouldn’t even be a scar.
“You are lucky, I don’t think that one will scar” Chakwas said smiling.
“Thank you doctor” Liara said smiling as she put her top back on.
Chakwas then moved onto Shepard then Garrus she didn’t bother closing the
curtain this time.
Logan looked over at Garrus, he had never seen a turian without a shirt on
before, before he shook his head in disbelief he didn’t understand why human
women were so crazy about turians, maybe it had something to do with their
voices, then again he did have a female turian interested in him at one point,
a bartender, of course he never did anything about it. Truth be told he never
realized she had liked him until he served on that turian ship and he was saw
how turians showed interest in each other, by then it was too late for him.
Garrus watched as the human doctor patched him up, he had not spent much time
around human doctors, but she seemed to know what she was doing.
“Oh Doc, I will need everything you have on turian physiology” Logan said
suddenly.
“Of course anything in particular you are looking for?” Chakwas asked.
“Well we are hunting a turian right now” Logan answered “While they cover a lot
in N school, I just want to make sure all my bases are covered, you know
refresh my memory”
Chakwas nodded “Of course” she said as finished with Garrus before she made her
way over to him “You know, I don’t what I would have that you could use though”
she said while focusing on his shoulder.
“Oh Doc you’re looking at it wrong” Logan told her “anything that you would
never do for whatever reasons to a turian I need to know”
Chakwas thought for a moment “You do realize there is a turian sitting right
here yes?” she asked and when Garrus had told her he didn’t mind she continued
“Well there is some food that wouldn’t be pleasant for them” she told Logan.
Garrus nodded at that one “Yeah, you would not believe how many times on C-sec
we would have to help a turian who would eat human food by mistake or even a
human that had turian food by mistake”
Logan nodded as he took the files Chakwas gave him “Thanks”
“Right, I won’t you to all take it easy for the next forty eight hours,
otherwise the wounds will not heal properly” Chakwas said.
“Sure thing Doc, I’ll just tell Saren to hold off on finding the Conduit,
because I am not medically cleared” Shepard said sarcastically
Garrus chuckled “Yeah I’m sure that will go over well”
Chakwas just looked at the two of them “Very funny, of course I feel I should
say this all of you did a great thing today” she told them with a smile.
Logan stood up slowly “Pressley, you are in charge for the time being, I have
to take it easy and let these wounds heal” Logan said into the comms knowing he
would hear him “Set a course for Feros”
“Aye, aye Commander” came the reply.
Logan looked at the two of them “Come with me” he said walking out of the med-
bay.
Once they were out of the med-bay and in the mess hall, Logan told them to sit
down and went to his cabin. After a moment he returned holding three glasses
and two bottles. Placing them on the table, he slid one bottle closer to Garrus
“That’s dextro-rum, picked it up on the Citadel” he said before he poured a
drink a slid that across to Liara.
“I have never really been a drinker Commander” Liara responded.
“Humor me” Logan said pouring himself a drink “human custom” he told them “we
drink to remember those that died and to still being alive” he said before he
looked at Liara “It is coincided rude to refuse”
Garrus didn’t know that, so not wanting to offend he poured himself a drink and
took a small sip “I am surprised that you would have this Commander” he told
him.
Logan smiled “I got Ash to pick it up when we were at the Citadel, once I knew
we were going to have a turian and a quarian on board” he said as he looked
over at Liara who took a mouthful of the human bourbon, laughing as she coughed
and shook her head “Slowly Liara, strong stuff” Logan took a small mouthful of
his drink before he looked up at them “I am proud of the two of you, risking
your lives like that for a human colony” he said holding his drink up and
clinked his glass against their glasses.
“Commander I would like to ask you about Balak” Liara started after she took a
sip “was he was telling the truth?”
Logan looked up “You mean about the colonies burning rhetoric? Nah” Logan told
her finishing off his drink and pouring another “he was just another batarian
terrorist who needed to die, if it wasn’t humans he would of found some other
race to hate and would of tried the same thing on them”
“Do you hate batarians?” Liara asked innocently.
Logan looked at her “No I can’t say that I do” he said while taking a small
mouthful “the problem is that a large majority of batarians you see outside of
their system are not exactly nice people. The nice batarians aren’t allowed to
leave their colonies really, so you might see a few sneak out but they are few
and far between” he told her as he poured her another drink “Look at humans for
example, if you only ran into terrorists and xenophobic humans you might think
we are all like that but that doesn’t mean we are”
Liara took another sip “What about what Balak said about you?” she asked.
Logan looked at his drink at that “You mean the burning batarians alive?
Burying them alive?” he asked. Liara just nodded “yeah, that was true” Logan
told her finishing his drink.
Liara knew she wanted to find out more but didn’t know how to ask without
making a fool of herself “So you are interested in history?” she asked changing
the subject
Logan nodded and smiled slightly thankful for a change in topic “Yeah, I mean
not prothean history not that I am not interested in them though, more modern
than that but yeah” he told her “I just started reading about the Unification
War”
Garrus was surprised by that but before he could say anything Liara spoke again
“If you would like to visit me in my cabin, I could show you a few things”
Liara said before she realized how that sounded ‘I mean about the protheans”
she said blushing someone kill me now she thought to herself.
Logan chuckled softly to himself “Thanks I will keep that in mind” he said.
Liara stood up “I should have a shower and get some sleep” she told him “thank
you for the drink Commander”
Logan nodded “You are welcome Liara” he said as he watched her go she does have
a nice ass he thought to himself before he turned back to Garrus “So you see
much action Garrus?”
Garrus chuckled to himself over the young asari falling over herself while in
front of the Commander “Well not as much as you but I have seen a bit yeah”
Logan smiled “Anything that stand out?”
Garrus nodded and started to tell him about Doctor Saleon and the organ
harvesting, the doctor was involved in Maybe Shepard can help me find him
Garrus thought hopefully.
 
Liara had made it back to her room and cursed her stupidity, she decided that
she was going to do research on Shepard and on human males in general before
she made a bigger idiot out of herself. Liara sat down and began reading about
Logan’s childhood, when that became a dead-end she turned her search to his
service history. Liara had found footage of Logan being taken to court after
Torfan and had watched in horror as the images of what he did beneath the
surface of Torfan were shown in court. Armed with more information she found
out he was captured on Korlus and tortured by a human man called Kurt Silva and
even found out that Kurt’s bond mate was an asari who had violated Logan’s
mind. All of that before Logan broke his own arms to escape, Liara could not
picture what would of forced someone to do that.
Liara sat there was the information sank in, she could understand everything
that he did but could not understand how he was able continue on, she realized
that Logan must be more strong willed than she could possibly know, and if she
was being completely honest with herself that attracted her to him even more.
Once she was able to process everything she had just found out she decided she
was going to research human males. After a quick search Liara found what she
was looking for and clicked on the link. On screen was a young asari talking to
the camera behind her was a man.
“Hello today we will be talking about asari and human sexual relations” the
asari on screen said smiling “humans first appeared after many of us had
completed our sexual education, so I am going to explain what you may of missed
out on” she said pointing to the man behind her “Kane here will be helping me”
the asari said as Kane waved at the camera “now if you are interested in a
human female please click on part two of this series”
Liara watched as the asari on screen as she stripped her human counterpart but
leaving his pants on for now “Now human males are very visual beings, if you
have gained their interest, you may of noticed they will often look at your
breasts, butt or even legs” the asari said, Liara wondered at that point if
Logan had been looking at her that way.
The asari on screen stripped and Liara could see she had begun the meld with
the human “Males, like most other species will want to penetrate you and if you
have melded with them, you may find you will want them too” Liara had expected
this but once the asari had taken down the humans pants Liara saw her first
human penis “unlike other species, human males have their genitals on the
outside of their body”
Liara looked closer, the male seemed to be enjoying what the asari was doing to
him as his penis quickly grew hard as the asari explained where the nerves in
the penis and testicles were “Now go slow at first otherwise they will get too
excited and if you have melded with them like I am now, it can be hard to
control” Liara watched as the asari on screen seemed to control the human with
a slight strain “like most species the more control you exert over their
nervous system, the less enjoyable it is for them” the asari explained as her
eyes were still black, the meld still in effect “however you may find humans
are a lot more comfortable with ‘losing control’ as they call it. For your own
enjoyment I suggest you have a look at just some of the things humans enjoy as
there is far too many to name here”
Liara continued to watch as the asari and the human continued to explore each
other’s bodies, Liara listened as the asari on screen explained that humans
often use their mouths on each other and even said that they will expect to do
the same to asari. Liara’s eyes widened as she watched the asari take the man’s
penis in her mouth, his hands gripping the back of her scalp in a way that
looked very enjoyable to Liara, then Liara saw the roles reversed and this time
the man was between the asari’s legs kissing and sucking on her azure.
“Remember to focus on your own nervous system so you can enjoy what your human
lover is doing” the asari said though moans, her hands gripping the man’s hair
with both hands. Liara had thought that would have been painful but instead it
seemed to not bother the man. Once he was done Liara watched as he pushed
himself inside the asari, Liara couldn’t help but wonder about Logan doing
those things to her, while watching them.
    
Logan had listened to Garrus and had gotten the details off him for Doctor
Saleon I will find him Logan thought to himself as he slowly made his way down
to see Ashley. When he walked up to her, Logan noticed she was talking on vid-
chat with a younger woman.
“I hear you’re working with Commander Shepard now? He’s cute, later sis” The
younger woman had said as Ashley turned around slowly.
“Tell me you didn’t hear that?” Ashley asked.
Logan smiled “Afraid so” he answered.
Ashley closed her eyes for a moment before shaking her head “Shoot me now. That
was Sarah my youngest sister” she told him.
Logan leaned against the wall as he listened to Ashley talk about her family
and her sisters before the subject changed to why she joined the military and
of course her grandfather. Ashley seemed surprised when Logan didn’t know, she
had told him her grandfather was THE General Williams the man responsible for
the defence of Shanxi, the man who surrendered, the mistrust of aliens now made
perfect sense. The subject even went to religion, something Logan had never
followed, he had read books about different faiths though and so far he
couldn’t find any that rang true with him. Of course, Logan told her he didn’t
care what she believed in but he could tell she was kind of hoping that he
believed in god too. Logan didn’t realize how long they had been talking, it
had been hours and they had covered almost every subject there was, they had
joked about basic training and Gunnery Chief Emerson who they were both trained
by, laughed at Ashley threatening to ask Liara about her sex life and spoke
about her mistrust in aliens.
“All I am saying Ashley is that bigotry can swing both ways” Logan told her “I
mean look at Kaidan and I? both biotics, can you say that we wouldn’t get
treated like shit in some places just because some humans think biotics are an
alien agenda”
Ashley had to concede her point she knew, a lot of humans that would hate any
biotics, simply over fear, truth be told she had some of those same thoughts
herself until she came on board. Until Logan and Kaidan had forced her to
change her prospective.
Logan had yawned not long after that and made his way to bed, where once again
he was plagued by nightmares. The memories of Torfan were drowned out by images
he received from the beacon, if only he could make more sense of it. As he knew
it was a warning not just a nightmare, the images he saw would happen again.
***** What nightmares may come *****
Chapter Summary
     As Logan, Garrus and Liara recover from the wounds the received on
     asteroid X-57, Liara comes to realize the toll it takes on Shepard's
     mind.
Logan slowly walked around the ship and spent most of his time talking to
Garrus about C-Sec and his family. Garrus had needed help fixing the Mako due
to his injuries, so Tali had joined them, while they talked shop and whatever
else came up, mainly about different assault rifles though.
“I didn’t know you used an assault rifle Commander” Garrus said, his feet
sticking out from underneath the Mako.
Logan chuckled “I like shotguns, suits my style more, you know up close and
personal, but sometimes I need to hit things at a distance” he said as the
sounds of the repairs on the Mako were getting loud. Logan was not even sure
how they dealt with all that noise with making themselves deaf, Logan’s ears
were ringing just standing here.
Tali looked up at that point and asked him to hold a wire for her, while she
half climbed into the Mako her legs sticking out of the top, Logan noticed her
very round butt sticking out of the top of the hatch. Logan had caught himself
looking at her before he stopped himself geez man not cool, she’s a teenager
and on top of that you could kill her. Logan thought to himself, while Logan
liked Tali he wasn’t sure if he liked her like that, of course being cooped up
on a ship, with few women around, him being in a dry spell. That is just a nice
way of saying you can’t get laid at the momenthe thought to himself you have
just been stuck on this ship for too long that your starting to look at an
alien your friends with and could kill with your dick, you can have female
friends without trying to fuck them you know.Logan berated himself. After Feros
we will go to the Citadel, for shore leave and I can take care of that problem.
Logan never had trouble with attracting women, it was the getting rid of them
afterwards that was the problem, every one of them seemed to ignore his
warnings of only wanting a good time which he was always brutally honest about,
they never listened and almost always wanted a relationship with him
afterwards, maybe he would find a girl someday that he would want to spend more
time with but for now he didn’t want the drama.
“I prefer shotguns too” Tali said climbing back out after a short moment and
telling Logan he could let go of the wire he was holding “Just point and shoot”
Garrus chuckled at that “That just seems lazy to me”
Tali shrugged her shoulders “Well to be fair I am generally focusing on a lot
more than just dropping shields in combat, I hack targets as well, so can’t
spend too long lining up targets” Tali said sounding a little defensive “I have
been meaning to ask you Commander” she started fidgeting with her fingers, a
trait Logan had come to notice when she was nervous about something “I wanted
to join you on the next ground crew, I can do more to help than just work on
the engines and help fix the Mako when Garrus is injured” she told him sounding
a little more pissed off then she intended “I mean I appreciate what you have
done for me but I just feel I can do more to help and I….”
Logan held up a hand, he thought he would stop her from rambling too much
“Relax Tali you are coming with me on Feros” he said as he watched her slightly
bounce on her feet happily “We all are going but you will be with me”
Tali nodded “Thank you Commander, you won’t regret this” she said clearly
excited.
Logan chuckled at watching her “We still need this Mako up and running before
then” he told her.
Tali nodded “Of course” she said before getting back to work.
“I should go” Logan told them.
Logan had spoken to Wrex before he left the cargo bay and found out Saren was
hire mercs acting strange for years. Wrex was hired to take out a trading
vessel, but there was nothing really on it and Saren just seemed to be watching
them. What made Logan take notice though is when a krogan batlemaster who is as
old as Wrex is, says they had a bad feeling and left before even getting paid,
krogan are not known for being cowards.
Logan thought about for a moment before changing the subject “You got any
family Wrex?”
“You trying to make me cry Shepard?” Wrex asked.
Logan knew there was a story there and managed to get Wrex to talk about it,
turns out Wrex was at one point trying to unify the krogan, at least get them
to stop fighting and focus on breeding, made sense to Logan, if humans were hit
with a virus like the krogan were, he could imagine that both men and women
would be doing everything they could to solve it or at least get their numbers
back up. But krogan being krogan wanted to keep fighting so they organized a
meeting between the two sides, a Crush they called it.
Logan listened and had flashes of his time in the Reds and that ill-fated peace
deal with the Eclipse “You had to know it was a trap right?”
Wrex nodded “Yeah but when you father invites you to a Crush, you go”
Logan did a double take “Your father?”
Wrex nodded and said that he had ended up stabbing his father in the chest and
barely made it out alive “That is way I can never go back” he said and
mentioned he was looking for his family’s armor that was taken by the turians
after the krogan rebellions and now a profiteer named Tonn Actus has it.
“Send the details up to Joker and I’ll see what I can do” Logan said.
After speaking to Wrex Logan made his way up to see Joker, he hadn’t really
spent much time near the helmsmen and wanted to get to know him better, where
they were all going they might not come back after all after talking with Joker
about his disease which Logan never knew about and telling Joker that if he was
awarded a medal for pulling them off Therum then he would be bored to tears,
which Joker just commented about how he wouldn’t be willing to shave off his
beard to receive an award. Logan shook his head and made his way down to see
Kaidan, he knew he was an L2 biotic but didn’t know where he had trained. Logan
smiled to himself when he realized the two of them despite being biotics could
not be any more different, Kaidan was a hopeless romantic while Logan on the
other hand was somewhat of a… well, a slut.
“What do you think of our newest crewmember?” Logan had asked him.
“Dr T’soni? I like her, easy on the eyes” Kaidan replied.
Logan smiled and felt a slight pang of jealousness “Just remember, LT I saw her
first” Logan joked.
“Only by a few seconds sir” was Kaidan’s response.
Logan laughed at that and got Kaidan to give him a run down on where the crew
was at. Kaidan told him that it seemed the Council didn’t want to hear anything
that Logan was warning them about.
“Wanting to believe everything will be ok? Sounds like human nature to me”
Logan replied before he thought of something “What does the crew think about
what I saw with the beacon?” he asked realizing he never knew what the crew had
thought about his warnings of Reapers.
“Yeah I guess things carry across the species well enough, and the crew
believes you Commander. They know you served in the Blitz and they have also
noticed how stressed you have been since Eden Prime, if you say they are coming
we believe you” Kaidan assured him.
 
 
Tali couldn’t believe her luck she was going groundside for a mission, she
needed to go over her gear and maybe add some mods to her pistol and shotgun so
she made her way to her locker. She opened the locker and found a new suit of
armor just sitting in there. Quickly looking at it she noticed it was a rare
Explorer set, Shepard must have picked it up somewhere and placed it in her
locker. Tali was overcome with gratitude and knew she would be wearing this for
her ground mission.
“I hear you’re going to be joining the Commander on the ground soon” Tali heard
Ashley say from behind her.
“Yes I am” Tali replied watching the marine, nervous about where this is going.
Ashley stepped closer “I realize you and I have never really spoken before, I
hope to change that” she said looking at the quarian.
Tali nodded “Sure I would like that” Tali said still trying to work out what
Ashley really wanted.
“So engineer huh?” Ashley asked “so you see much combat before?”
Tali suddenly realized what Ashley was getting at “No, but I received training
for it ” she lied, truth was she spent most of her time in engine rooms not
running around with marines, while she knew how to hack and fire a shotgun
those things did not make her a combat engineer “all got to start somewhere
huh?” .
Ashley chuckled “That we do. So you’re a trained combat engineer then? Trained
in demolition, cyber warfare, mortal combat?” she asked.
Tali nodded “Well trained” she lied.
Ashley just stared at her for a few seconds longer “Ok” she said suddenly “hey
I know you will need a clean room to put that on right?” Ashley said and before
waiting for an answer from Tali answered her own question “Only clean room on
the ship would be the med bay”
Tali nodded “Thank you” she told the human marine.
Ashley smiled “Don’t mention it. Go put that new armor on, see how it fits”
 
Liara had done quite a bit of research on humans and even found some very
strange ideas some humans seemed to have about asari. Some humans seemed to
think that asari once had male asari and that they simply evolved past the need
for them, that idea was so stupid Liara didn’t know where to begin, the truth
was that life on Thessia all evolved in much the same way. Asari didn’t even
realize there could be species with two genders until they met the salarians
and after they came in contact with other races the asari realized that they
were unique being mono-gendered, in fact they only started to refer to
themselves as ‘she’ and ‘her’ after the salarians assumed that because they
gave birth and have eggs, they must be female. Salarians always insisted on an
answer for everything.
The idea that really bothered Liara though was the idea some human women seemed
to have that the asari preferred human females and found males to be
disgusting, Liara didn’t know where that idea came from as the asari could and
have become bond mates with every single race there is, of course some
preferred certain races or even certain genders but for the asari as a whole
they were very open to the idea having a relationship with any race or gender.
Liara just hoped that Logan didn’t think that she would not be interested in
him because of the fact he was a male, it was bad enough to overcome the fact
that he had a asari invade his mind the way that she did but now Liara had to
overcome stupid beliefs as well and not including the rivalry from Ashley
Williams and to a lesser extent Tali’Zorah who was now showing interest in the
human.
Thankfully Liara thought that Tali was far too shy to even approach the
Commander, something that was slightly amusing, now that she thought about it,
Liara was shy when it came to the Commander but at least she wasn’t that shy.
After spending hours sitting front of her screen, Liara noticed it was late and
she still had not had dinner.
Making her way to the mess hall, she saw Logan slumped over the table asleep, a
data pad under his face with one arm covering his ears and face strange I
wonder why he sleeps like that; it can’t be comfortable she thought to herself.
Liara walked up slowly not wanting to wake him, and noticed he looked like he
was having a nightmare, based on his movements and sweat pouring off him, Liara
knew that humans unlike asari, sweat and they sweat the most when either hot or
frightened and since the mess hall was not warm even for a human she knew it
had to be fear. Reaching out to touch his shoulder to try and wake him,
sleeping in the mess hall with a data pad stuck to his face could not be good
for him.
Her hand gently touched his shoulder. The response was instant and explosive,
in the space of a heartbeat; Logan had stood up and had grabbed her by the
throat and had a knife in his other hand, before blinking and realizing who it
was and where he was.
Logan had stopped himself in time, his eyes going wide “I…I’m so sorry Liara”
he said while he dropped his knife to the floor and took a step back “I didn’t
mean to I…did I hurt you?” he asked concern on his face.
Liara massaged her throat, she didn’t blame him for his actions, he must have
been having quite the nightmare “You didn’t hurt me Commander, I did not mean
to startle you Shepard” she said softly “you had fallen asleep in the mess
hall, I was trying to wake you” she explained.
Logan nodded and leaned against the table his hands covered his eyes as he
tried to control his breathing.
“Shepard may I ask what you were dreaming about?” Liara asked moving next to
him.
Logan realized she was sitting next to him but he couldn’t look at her, not
after what he had just done. He could have killed her, damn it why couldn’t she
be angry at me he thought “the beacon” he answered.
Liara nodded it takes a toll on him, I wonder if he relives it every night? She
thought to herself “How often do you have these dreams?” she asked.
Logan doesn’t look at her but his hands are no longer on over his eyes “All the
time, awake or asleep it doesn’t seem to matter” he told her looking down at
his feet “I get flashes when I am awake, like I am always thinking about it”
Liara couldn’t believe itall the time, even while awake? She thought before
turning to him “look at me Commander” she told him and once he did she locked
eyes with him “I do not blame you for what just happened, do not blame
yourself, I did startle you while you were having a nightmare after all” she
told him.
“Yeah, ok” Logan said quietly as he slowly bent over to pick up the knife he
dropped to the floor.
Liara sighed I can help him but I would have to meld with him and he might not
want that, not that I can blame him for being apprehensive about asari melding
but I have to tryLiara thought “I can help you Commander but I would need to
meld with you”Liara told him still looking him in the eyes.
Logan had a brief flashback of Zorilla and shook his head “No, that won’t be
necessary” he told her and pulled away from her.
Liara nodded, she knew why he refused her offer but she wanted to help him “The
offer will always be there Commander” she said as she watched him slowly walk
off to bed.
Logan nodded to her “Thanks Liara” he said and disappeared into his cabin.
Liara couldn’t help but feel sorry for the human, something she guessed would
annoy him, after having some food she made her way to bed.
 
Attican Beta / Theseus System / Feros
The next day they arrived at Feros. It had already been three days since the
incident at the asteroid above Terra Nova and since Chakwas had cleared them
all for duty they were free to go. Logan had made his way to the cargo bay to
see the crew who were getting ready, he noticed that Tali standing near Garrus,
Wrex and Liara and the quarian seemed nervous.
“Ready to get outside Tali?” he asked.
Tali seemed to almost jump at his voice “Y…yes of course Commander” she
stammered.
Logan smiled and put a hand on her shoulder “Relax you will be fine”
Tali nodded “Thank you Shepard. Any advice?” she asked.
Logan looked at her nervousness and nodded “Yeah relax. I could tell you what
some human marines do before their first mission to relax”
Tali nodded that might help she thought “What do they do?”
Logan chuckled “They find a quiet spot and relieve some tension if you know
what I mean”
Tali nodded before frowning he can’t possibly mean…”What do you mean by that?”
Logan chuckled “Engineer love thy self” he told her.
Tali was shocked and even Liara who could overhear them was, Ashley just
chuckled to herself, while Wrex paid no attention not caring what they were
saying and Garrus and Kaidan pretended not to listen, not wanting to have the
female crew think of them doing that before a mission.
“You mean….” Tali said before dropping into a whisper “masturbate?”
 Logan nodded chuckling “Yeah, well with humans it lowers our heart rate, gets
rid of excess tension, releases endorphins and clears the mind”
Liara couldn’t help herself, her curiosity getting the better of her “Is that
what you do Commander?” she asked before she could stop herself what is wrong
with you? Asking him that, it’s one thing to think about him doing it, it is
another to ask him about in front of the whole crewshe berated herself.
Logan shook his head “Nah, I have done so many of these now, the nerves don’t
bother me anymore” he answered without shame. Logan then looked around “we will
be landing soon so all of you get ready”
Unlike other missions, Feros was going to involve everyone.
Everyone was going on this mission, since Logan thought they were going to be
walking into a warzone. While waiting for scans to be complete and before the
doors opened, Tali was nervous fidgeting with her hands and hopping from foot
to foot, she was wearing her new armor but that didn’t help her nerves.
Tali tried to distract herself with talking to Ashley who was standing right
next to her “Know anything about this colony?” she asked.
Ashley shook her head “No, I know one thing though” she said casually chewing
on gum.
Tali looked at her “What’s that?” Tali asked.
Ashley leaned closer to her and looked her at her eyes though her mask “You
were never a combat engineer. Just make sure you don’t get yourself fucking
killed”
Tali turned back around, now she was even more nervous turning her head she saw
Wrex looking at her.
Wrex smiled this quarian is in over her head, has to learn sometime he thought
“Relax” he told her before reaching over to her shotgun “Yank back on this,
when it starts to overheat” he told her “It will vent some of the heat”
Tali nodded and thanked him as the doors opened.
***** Welcome to the Strange *****
Chapter Summary
     The Normandy team arrive at Feros and soon learn the geth are the
     least of their problems
Chapter 28: Welcome to the Strange.
Tali stepped out of the Normandy once the doors, the smell of blood, death and
fear was so think in the air you could almost choke on it. Tali could see burn
marks and bullets holes in the walls and on the ground. While Shepard spoke
with a colonist, the others kept watch, but geth were masters at stealth and
one of them had sneaked up behind the colonist and before Shepard or any of the
others could do anything, a rocket was fired hitting the colonist exploding on
impact leaving nothing left.
Tali quickly hacked the geth making it turn on the geth beside it before firing
her shotgun at the remaining geth and with the rest of them working with her
they made quick work of the geth.
"Tali stick with me and keep that shotgun handy" Logan ordered before he
switched to his assault rifle as the made their way into the stairways leading
to the colony.
The Normandy crew made their way towards Zhu's Hope they faced off against more
geth however due to the overwhelming firepower they made short work of them.
Tali sometimes couldn't even get her shotgun up to bear before the geth she was
aiming at was taken down by gunfire and biotics, but when she did she had to
admit it felt good to kill geth.
Once they reached the entrance of Zhu's Hope and saw the colony more or less
still standing. The colonists looked tired and dirty, there was a few children
but they were not playing like children normally would instead they were
helping with whatever they could.
"This colony might not be much but this is their home, they will fight to death
to defend it" Tali said more to herself than anyone but noticed Wrex look over
at her.
"Colony's tougher than it looks" Wrex replied.
Logan had started to speak with a few of the colonists and had quickly noticed
something strange "Something is wrong" he told them and when they looked at him
to explain what he meant he looked around "no one here has an opinion of their
own they all say the same thing. Speak to Fai Dan"
Garrus looked around and tried to see if he could notice anything, his days in
C-Sec taught him that humans always had opinions no matter how unpopular those
opinions were and they only time they wouldn't freely give them was if they
were scared into not telling you. Garrus followed the others and while Logan
spoke to Fai Dan, Garrus kept watch, not really listening, seeing movement he
got his assault rifle ready "Incoming" he yelled out.
Garrus could make out rocket troopers as well as snipers and even geth shock
troopers, after he sabotaged the rocket troopers weapons he opened fire on the
geth troopers and noticed one of them turn towards the other geth and starting
shooting! He turned towards Tali and noticed she was responsible, as her Omni-
tool glowed from use. Smiling, Garrus quickly dropped the shields of one and
before he could fire noticed the geth was sent flying back by biotics, the
whole squad had made very short work of the geth and Logan had seemed
impressed, one of his eyebrows raised.
"Good work. Now we have to get to the ExoGeni headquarters but I want the rest
of you to clear the tower and the tunnels beneath Zhu's Hope there should be a
geth transmitter down there somewhere. Also see if you can do anything to help
with power, food and water, once you're done head back to the ship I don't
trust this place" Logan said before pointing at Tali "I will take our little
geth expert and Wrex"
Tali and Wrex stepped forward before the whole squad followed Logan into the
tower. As they made their way inside they saw a few more colonists fighting
geth. Liara threw a singularity into the middle of the group lifting them up
and out of cover while Garrus, Wrex and Ashley shot them with assault rifles.
They made their way deeper into the tower and could see a geth dropship
dropping geth down. Tali hit the closest one with an overload and noticed that
it was quickly taken down by the others. It was then she saw a large red geth
running towards her, firing her shotgun while backing up and it still wasn't
going down, it was almost on top of her when Tali heard a primal roar and a
eight hundred pound enraged krogan slammed into the side of it.
Wrex had heard humans refer to these giant geth as Destroyer's, known for
charging to get in close and slamming into front lines. Wrex was curious if
they earned their namesake so when its attention was distracted with the
quarian, Wrex slammed into the side of it knocking it off balance and once it
was on the ground Wrex jumped up and stomped down with both feet onto its
chest, crushing its insides, grabbing the arms of the geth, Wrex lifted the top
half of the machine up, while keeping one foot on its chest, he stomped
downwards on its head four times while pulling on its arms, the result was the
arms were dislocated and the head was pulverized. Stepping off the geth he
turned to see Tali give him a nod in thanks.
Wrex smirked "Your welcome" he said before shooting another geth.
After a short firefight and after watching the dropship fly off, Logan and the
others made their way towards the elevator.
Logan hit the button and stepped into the elevator with Tali and Wrex "Good
hunting" he told them as the two groups went separate ways.
Zhu's Hope Team
Kaidan led the squad down the stairs between the four of them they could do a
lot of damage, something the first few geth they came across found out the hard
way. The stairway had a number of troopers and geth hoppers in it, Kaidan
ordered Liara to focus on the troopers since her aim wasn't as good as the
others but her biotics were very impressive, while ordering Ashley to use a
shotgun since they had Garrus using an assault rifle. The geth never stood a
chance the combination of Liara's biotics, Kaidan's biotics and tech along with
Garrus tech and shooting and Ashley's straight firepower, they had killed them
all in a matter of seconds.
After they had made it to the bottom of the stairs they crossed a bridge and
moved into a side passageway when his barrier flared from rounds hitting it.
"Take cover!" Kaidan yelled as he dropped the shields of one geth trooper and
noticed the geth putting up barriers "Ashley take down those barriers, Liara
hit them with a singularity" he ordered.
Garrus sabotaged one trooper's weapon before he overloaded the shields of
another, he noticed Ashley taking down the barriers with her shotgun giving the
rest of them an easier time shooting them and Liara using her biotics was
making the rest of the troopers in the passageway float up out of cover to be
shot. After the last one fell, Garrus noticed a water pipe nearby frowning he
moved to have a look at it.
"What have you found Garrus?" Kaidan asked walking up behind him "that's the
controls the water for the colony, there should be more around here"
Garrus had bent down to get a closer look "It's an easy fix, it will just take
a moment" he told Kaidan has he waved his Omni-tool at it and begun rewiring
the system "looks like the geth were trying to cut off water and power, have to
give them credit, it's a smart strategy" he said.
Ashley frowned and looked over at him "You agree with them?" she said with an
angry tone.
Garrus shook his head "No of course not it's how do you humans say it 'give the
devil his due'? It is a smart strategy is all"
Ashley huffed "Yeah well, smart or not people are dying of thirst up there"
Garrus had finished fixing the valve sending water flowing to that point "Which
is why I just fixed it" Garrus said shooting Ashley a look "it's not running
right yet there must be other valves that have been broken"
Kaidan looked at Ashley "Relax chief" he said to her before looking at Garrus
"Good job Garrus, don't mind the Chief she doesn't like seeing a colony like
this that's all"
Garrus looked at Ashley before nodding "It's fine, I would be upset seeing a
turian colony like this. Understand Williams I just want to help"
Ashley caught herself about to say something before she stopped "Sorry Garrus,
you didn't deserve that"
Garrus was taken back but recovered quickly and nodded "Don't worry about it"
Kaidan then ordered them to get moving again. Once out of the passageway they
moved across another bridge and when the doors opened they could see two geth
snipers along with an assault drone.
"Garrus target those snipers" Kaidan called out while dropping the shields of
the assault drone.
Kaidan threw a sabotage at the two snipers shutting down there guns as the
snipers stopped firing the he hit them with another overload Ashley opened fire
with her shotgun on the drone while Liara took aim at the snipers Garrus was
shooting at and after a few moments the drone and the two snipers were down.
Before they could breathe a sigh of relief though three krogan came around the
corner and started shooting at them.
Ashley was firing her shotgun at the closest krogan but it wasn't going down,
in fact it was getting closer. When the krogan was closer it charged bowling
over the human but before the massive alien could kill her, Ashley noticed
rounds hitting it from its flank, from her back she aimed upwards and fired
twice before it fell.
Standing back up she noticed it was Garrus who had just saved her life. She
looked over at the turian "Thanks" she said before aiming at one of the
remaining two krogan who had been thrown backwards by biotics.
After Kaidan and the other killed the remaining krogan they moved forward and
into the room where they had come from and there in one corner was a
transmitter locking on this location allowing the geth to send enforcements as
they needed them. Kaidan ordered them to open fire on it and soon it exploded.
"Geth transmitter is done Commander. Power, water and food to take care of"
Kaidan relayed into his comms.
ExoGeni Team
Logan and his team had just cleared part of the skyway of geth and where almost
at the headquarters and had spoken to some survivors and was just leaving when
Kaidan made a report over the comms.
"Good work, keep me updated" Logan answered.
"Aye, aye" Kaidan said.
After speaking with the survivors at the weigh station, Logan knew ExoGeni was
hiding something. Jeong the ExoGeni rep was clearly worried about Logan being
there and had even told him not to poke around ExoGeni; despite the fact the
geth had attacked Feros. Juliana one of the other survivors didn't even know
Zhu's Hope was still standing because Jeong had told her 'it was probably
destroyed' and even told the woman that looking for her daughter in ExoGeni was
a waste of time but Logan had told her he would try and find her. On his way
out he had spoken to another survivor about getting some data since he was
heading there anyway he agreed.
"Ever get the feeling that they didn't tell us anything?" Logan asked as they
got back into the Mako.
Tali nodded "They did not seem eager to see us. Well that one human didn't"
As the drove up the ramp and towards the ExoGeni headquarters they came across
even more geth. They were taking cover behind some barricades and they had a
armature with them. One blast from the main gun and a two geth exploded in a
ball of fire before Logan drove forwards and rammed the armature off the
skyway.
"Crazy human" Wrex chuckled as he took aim at the remaining geth.
"Long way down" Logan commented.
Radio chatter came in from an unknown source "You owe us for this. The skyway
is crawling with geth"
"Package is secure, we're leaving now" the radio said.
"Who was that?" Logan asked.
"Sounds like someone is already at the facility" Wrex said.
Once the geth were dead, Logan and the others got out and cleared a nearby
passageway of geth as well and had managed to pick some gear before they all
got back into the Mako and drove off towards the base.
"Wait we have incoming geth. Shut down the comm! We have incoming geth! Shut
down the comm" the voice over the radio said.
"Whoever they were they just got found" Logan said shaking his head.
As they drove along the skyway they faced more geth. After a while they had
cleared the skyway including another passageway that was crawling with geth.
"Commander, we just got the food and power sorted out and we found someone in
the tunnels. He was either insane or something very wrong is going on here"
Kaidan said over the comms.
"How do you mean Lt?" Logan asked as he ran over another geth.
"Well he kept trying to tell us something but every time he tried he would stop
in pain. He also said we aren't the only ones looking to get rid of the geth
but he couldn't say who" Kaidan said.
Logan frowned "Hold on" he said as he dodged a plasma bolt from an armature "We
ran into an ExoGeni rep who didn't seem happy we are here, maybe related?"
"Maybe Commander, just be careful" Kaidan said.
"Well get that water running again. Then report back to the ship until we
return. Something is defiantly wrong here" Logan said.
"Aye, aye" Kaidan said before going quiet.
Once the skyway was clear they finally made it to the ExoGeni base and sure
enough it was crawling with the machines.
"There is no point to this unless they are looking for something" Wrex said.
"I agree" Logan said lining up the cannon so that they could kill some geth
before they got out of the Mako.
Logan led the team inside and using his assault rifle took aim at the geth
hoppers while Wrex took him at the geth on the walkway to their left hand side,
Tali was hitting the closest geth with a combination of shotgun blasts and tech
attacks. The three of them working so close together quickly cleared the
ExoGeni hanger. Unknown to Logan and his team, Kaidan and the Zhu's Hope team
were trying to reach them on the comms and but their signal was being blocked.
Logan looked around and saw a blue energy field blocking the doorways he opened
fire on the field and noticed it did nothing.
'Our weapons won't get though that. We'll need another way in" Wrex said.
He turned back around and saw a passageway leading into the base and looked
down.
"One way down Commander" Tali said.
Logan nodded and jumped down and headed into the large hallway. On the floor
was a dead animal and as Tali and Wrex came up behind him Logan was shot at,
whoever shot at him was a terrible shot.
But Logan and the others took their guns out anyway just keeping them trained
on the woman.
"Damn it" a woman cursed as she walked closer "I'm sorry. I thought you were
one of those geth or one of those varren" she said as she lowered the gun.
"Who are you and what are you doing in here?" Logan asked turning his head
slightly to notice that Wrex and Tali had lowered their weapons as well.
"I'm Lizbeth Baynham" She said before sighing and wiping her hands on her suit
"It's my own fault. Everyone else was running and I stayed behind to back up
data" She said wiping her hand across her forehead "Next thing I knew, the geth
ship latched on and the power went out. I was trapped, I tried to get out but
the way was blocked"
"I'll fight though the geth soon enough" Logan said.
"It's not the geth; it's that energy field they put up" Lizbeth told them as
Logan offered her some water which she took "They don't want anyone else
getting access to the..." she said stopping herself from saying more.
Logan looked at her "Come on spit it out, I'm here for the geth so if you know
something tell me"
Lizbeth sighed before answering "Well i don't know for certain, but I'm
guessing they're here for the Thorian"
"Thorian never heard of that before" Wrex said looking at Logan.
"It's a indigenous life-form. ExoGeni was studying it" Lizbeth answered.
"Why would the geth be after this Thorian?" Logan told her, his voice changing
slightly, more aggressive.
Lizbeth held up her hands "I might be able to get some information but not with
these geth crawling around" she said looking around "Look, we need to get out
of here, past that field"
Logan looked at her like she was an idiot "Any suggestions?"
"No, not exactly. But i think the geth ship is powering it. I have noticed the
geth laying power cables everywhere, you could follow them but there are geth
all over the place" Lizbeth said.
Logan nodded "All right stay put until the field is down"
Lizbeth nodded and handed him an I.D card telling him it should get him past
any locked doors.
"Alright let's move" Logan told the others.
As they walked away from Lizbeth a large pack of varren ran towards them. Logan
already had his shotgun out and opened fire while the others did the same.
Logan had two varren almost on top of him when he saw Wrex boot one in the ribs
and blast the other with his assault rifle, Logan then turned on the varren
Wrex had booted which was getting back up now and fired blowing its head off.
Tali still firing her shotgun while backing up, she dropped one but another was
still running towards her.
Logan had to throw on varren back that got too close to Tali but once the pack
was dead they moved deeper into the base. Though the door on the other side of
the room they could hear a krogan voice.
"Stupid machine! Access encrypted files" the krogan said.
Logan turned to Tali and Wrex and place one finger across his lips, Tali's
translator program told her it meant he wanted them to be quiet; humans had
such strange hand signals.
"No i don't want to review protocol" the krogan said again.
Logan seemed to be silently laughing at the krogan and when they reached the
top they could see the back of the krogan and a V.I standing there telling the
krogan that it was unable to comply and to contact his supervisor.
"Damn it. Tell me what i want or i will blow your virtual ass into actual dust"
the krogan snarled.
"Please contact your supervisor for a level four security exemption or make an
appointment with…" the V.I said.
"Stupid machine!" the krogan roared.
"If there is nothing else please step aside there is a queue forming behind you
for use of this console" the V.I told him.
Logan laughed at that and launched a biotic throw at the krogan sending him
back before getting his shotgun free and shooting the alien twice
Logan shot the krogan again along with Wrex and Tali the krogan was quickly
dead. As Logan approached the console again the V.I snapped to life and warned
them the firing weapons was against company policy before welcoming Logan as
Lizbeth Baynham.
Logan showed the other's the I.D card he was given "What information was the
last user trying to access?"
"The previous user was attempting to access details on the study of Subject
Species 37, the Thorian" the V.I answered.
"What did you tell him?" Logan asked.
"I was unable to provide the previous user with any relevant data. Aside from
lacking proper access there is no new data regarding Species 37. All sensors
that have been monitoring the observation post at Zhu's Hope have been inactive
for several cycles" the V.I said.
"What does Zhu's Hope have to do with the Thorian?" Logan asked frowning;
something told him he was not going to like the answer.
"Species 37 is located within the substructure of the Zhu's Hope out post" the
V.I answered.
Logan swore "Tell me everything you know about the Thorian"
"The Thorian is a simple plant life-form that exhibits sentient behaviour
uncommon with other flora. Though dispersion and eventual inhalation of spores,
it can infect and control other organisms, including humans" the V.I answered.
"Shit" Logan said.
"The Zhu's Hope control group has yielded interesting results. Before sensors
went offline, almost 85% of all test subjects was infected" the V.I said.
Logan shook his head "That's why ExoGeni didn't want us here. They knew along
what would happen to those people"
"It was deemed necessary to access the true potential of Species 37" the V.I
told him.
Wrex looked at Logan "That's why they were acting strange"
"Your pilot should be warned" Tali said.
Logan nodded "Joker. Come in, Joker. Damn it that field is blocking us"
Wrex grunted "We find a way around the field and get back to Zhu's Hope"
Logan nodded and asked the V.I about the field, who told them that the geth
have blocked all sensors within the facility and that there is unusual power
fluctuations but couldn't pinpoint the source. Logan also asked for a rundown
on the Thorian and how it smart it is, sentient was the only real answer and
how big it was, tendrils kilometres in length told him it was big. Logan also
asked about Lizbeth Baynham and it turned out she was in charge of the Zhu's
Hope control group making her a liar.
"Let's shut down that ship come on" Logan told the others.
They moved down the hallway and found two geth shock troopers on their knees at
some strange claw like object. Logan pointed to Tali and then her Omni-tool and
then pointed to one of the geth, Tali knew what he wanted her to do, once she
hacked one of the geth and it opened fire on its partner, Logan and Wrex
quickly gunned down the other one before they turned their guns on the hacked
geth that was still under Tali's control. Logan looked up at the giant claws
that were latched onto the ExoGeni building.
"The geth use these claws to anchor their ships to the sides of buildings" Tali
explained.
"Not pretty, but it does the job. How do we cut the power if it is coming from
the ship?" Wrex asked.
"It will be difficult. We can check the other claws for weakness, but the geth
are very thorough" Tali answered.
Dropping down Logan walked closer to the strange claw like object.
"What is this?" he asked Tali.
"Looks like a shrine" Wrex said.
"The geth blur the line between organic and synthetic life. It's natural to
assume that they would seek understanding from a higher power" Tali told them.
Logan and the others made their way deeper into ExoGeni looking for a way to
shut off the fields
Zhu's Hope Team
Kaidan had tried to get in contact with Commander Shepard but his signal was
being blocked, he asked Joker to try and to keep trying and let him know when
he got an answer. The team had fixed another water supply tap and was just
clearing a tunnel of geth where the last valve now; they had encountered some
resistance but nothing they couldn't handle. Garrus knelt down after the last
geth was dropped and repaired the damage to the valve. After a few minutes he
was done.
"Ok good work, now we tell the colonists the good news and head back to the
ship" Kaidan said.
ExoGeni Team
Logan had just damaged the geth ship causing it to fall off the side of the
building like a stone; it fell hundreds of feet to the ground below before
exploding once it hit the bottom.
"This was my kind of mission, lots of things to shoot and finish it off with
huge crash" Wrex said chuckling.
"I hope that ship was full of those geth bastards" Tali replied somewhat
aggressively.
Meanwhile: Zhu's Hope Team
After walking back up the stairs and back into the colony, the team made their
way around to the colonists that were in charge of food, water and power. They
had received payments for their efforts which the Commander made sure they all
knew that since Spectre's have to fund their own missions so every little bit
helps. When they reached the front of the colony and while Kaidan and Ashley
were talking to colonists about the return of the power and water, Garrus was
doing a quick shop at a salarian merchant and Liara was looking at some small
human children seemingly staring at the young asari.
The children were filthy, but that was to be expected but what wasn't expected
was the strange look they were giving her. Liara had not seen many human
children before, but she tried to reassure them that she was friendly so she
gave them a smile and a small wave, which was not returned, instead they
continued to stare, it was then Liara noticed that they were not blinking, just
staring at her with a blank look in their eyes.
Garrus had just bought some mods for his sniper rifle when unknown to him
Commander Shepard just destroyed a geth ship, and once that ship was destroyed,
the colonists no longer welcomed the team and they attacked. Garrus had heard
Liara yell something out and before he could see what her problem was he was
attacked by the salarian who tried to choke him. The timing of it was the thing
that stood out the most to Garrus; even military units would have had trouble
attacking all at the same time like that. Garrus slammed his fist into the
stomach of the salarian and turned to run that was when he saw all of the
colonists running towards them, picking up rifles and whatever weapons they
could, Garrus sabotaged their weapons and kept pulling back. Kaidan had ordered
the team not to open fire on the colonists and instead to pull back to the
ship.
Liara was still being stared at by the children when they attacked all at once,
the children picked up rocks and sticks, whatever they could find begun to
throw them at the asari, yelling out in surprise, Liara had noticed the whole
colony rising up to attack them. Thankfully most of their weapons had already
been overheated by Garrus and Kaidan; Ashley threw a strange grenade down,
which Liara had never seen before and it exploded in a bright flash of light
and deafening sound.
By sheer luck Liara was not looking at the grenade Ashley later called a
'flash-bang', instead she was raising a biotic field to protect all of them as
they made their way back to the ship. Garrus and Kaidan kept the colonists
weapons over heated while Liara held up her biotic field to keep out any stray
rounds or rocks from hitting the team, on the other side of the field she
watched as young human children beat their hands bloody against the biotic
field, the blank look in their eyes would haunt Liara for a long time. As the
Normandy's doors opened the team quickly got inside, the sounds outside the
doors could be heard.
ExoGeni Team
"We are in lockdown here, Commander. Something happened to the colonists.
They're banging on the hull, trying to claw their way into the ship. They're
freaking out" Joker told the ExoGeni team.
"The Zhu's Hope team make it back?" Logan asked.
"Yeah, they made it back, few scrapes and cuts but they are fine" Joker
answered.
Logan nodded "Pull up into orbit; we are on our way back now. Tell the Zhu's
Hope team to stay ready; I'll contact you again once I am closer" Logan
ordered.
"Copy that. Good hunting" Joker replied.
"We're leaving, but let's rid this place of those damn synthetics before we go"
Logan told Wrex and Tali.
The three of them made their way through the base and past the areas were those
energy fields were in place at the end of one hallway they could see Lizbeth
standing there waiting for them.
"There you are" she said sounding happy to see them, which would change soon
"We should get out of here. I don't think this place is safe" Lizbeth said.
"You said you didn't know about the Thorian. I don't like being lied to" Logan
said with a slight snarl in his voice.
"I...I was afraid. I wanted to stop the tests, but they threatened me, told me
I'd be next. When the geth attacked i stayed behind to get a massage to
Colonial Affairs. I tried to tell them where to find the Thorian but the power
cut out before I could send the message. I..I never meant for this to happen"
Lizbeth explained.
"Just tell me where it is. No more lies" Logan said.
"It is underneath Zhu's Hope, but the entrance is blocked. The colonists
covered it with the freighter just before the geth attacked" Lizbeth said.
Logan rubbed his eyes "I had a team back there would they be infected? And why
would the geth be after the Thorian anyway?" Logan asked.
Lizbeth shrugged "Well it does have unique mind-control capabilities. That's
what ExoGeni was interested in"
"Normandy to shore party, come in" Joker called out over the radio.
"What is it Joker?" Logan asked.
"We are getting a lot of geth comm chatter, looks like they are headed your
way" Joker warned.
"You heard the man, let's move out" Logan ordered.
Lizbeth stepped closer "I'm coming with you. I might be able to help. Undo the
mess I helped create"
The four of them made their way to the Mako and got inside and prepared for the
dangerous drive back to Zhu's Hope.
***** Gardening on Feros *****
Chapter Summary
     The Normandy squad came face to face with the Thorian.
Logan and the rest of the ExoGeni team drove back to Zhu's hope with Lizbeth
riding along. When one set of doors opened they could see three geth
juggernauts and two armatures, Wrex opened fire with the cannon at one
juggernaut sending skyward in a blaze of fire before focusing on the other
right beside it. The machine gun cut though the geth's barriers in seconds and
a blast from the cannon finished it off. The Mako was taking hits but not
enough to do damage, with the machine gun firing on one armature and two blasts
from the cannon and it was dead, the remaining juggernaut and armature were
taken care of just as quickly.
After driving along the skyway they could pick up more chatter.
"...Is anyone picking this up?" one voice said as the Mako headed down the
ramp.
"Get away from that radio" Jeong could be heard saying.
"What was that about?" Lizbeth asked.
Logan rolled his eyes "Jeong trying to control the situation I am guessing"
Radio chatter "...this is Juliana Baynham of the Feros colony. Please help
us..."
"That's my mom. Stop. Stop the rover" Lizbeth called out as they neared the
spot where they had seen Jeong and the others.
As the Mako stopped Lizbeth jumped out and ran inside.
Logan sighed, and got out of the Mako "Sure let's just run in without knowing
what is going on" he said to himself.
As they followed her in being careful to stay hidden, they could see a
agreement taking place between Juliana and Jeong.
"You can't do this Jeong" Juliana said.
"Everyone shut up! Let me think!" Jeong yelled.
Lizbeth looked over at Logan and the others and asked "What's going on?"
Logan shrugged and kept watching.
"You won't get away with this Jeong" Juliana said and went to walk closer to
him when another man grabbed her from behind.
"Get her out of here!" Jeong ordered.
Lizbeth had seen enough at that point and stood up "Get away from her you son
of a bitch!"
"Lizbeth" Juliana called out.
Jeong looked up and saw Lizbeth and guessed that there were others near-by as
well "Damn it! Come out where i can see you! All of you!"
Logan stood up and motioned for Tali and Wrex to do the same and walked down
the ramp and into the open.
"Hah. Shepard. Damn it! I should have known it was too much to hope the geth
would kill you" Jeong said looking back at his guards making sure they were
keeping close "I found out some interesting facts about you in the ExoGeni data
base. I know what you did on Torfan. There's no reason for this to get bloody"
Logan looked at him with a dangerous look in his eyes "Not this time, Jeong.
You need to back down and let them go"
Jeong shook his head "You don't understand. It's not that easy. Communications
are back up. ExoGeni wants this place purged"
Lizbeth shook her head "This is a human colony, Jeong. You can't just re-
purpose us"
Jeong scoffed at that "It's not just you. There is something here more valuable
than a few colonists"
Logan cleared his throat "Are you going to tell them about the Thorian? Or
should I?"
"The what?" Juliana asked
"It's a telepathic life-form living under Zhu's Hope. It's taken control of the
colonists there. ExoGeni knew all along" Lizbeth explained.
"You won't get away with this, Jeong" Juliana warned.
"So you keep saying. But nobody is going to miss a few colonists" Jeong said
smugly.
"They won't miss you either. This ends now!" Logan said pulling his pistol out.
"If that's the way it has to be, then come on!" Jeong said taking a step
forward.
He only took one step before Logan had shot him in the face. The near-by guards
looked like they wanted to get involved but Wrex and Tali pointing their
weapons at them made them change their minds.
"As if we don't have enough problems. Now we're shooting each other in the
back" Juliana said shaking her head.
"That was in the face, not the back" Logan calmly explained.
Juliana shook her head but before she could say anything more Lizbeth
interrupted her "It's my fault. I knew what was going on and I didn't do
anything"
"Don't you start. You do good work and you know it" Juliana told her daughter
before turning back to Logan "So what now Commander?"
"I do my job" Logan said simply before adding "I need to find out why the geth
are after the Thorian"
"The colonists won't let you near the Thorian. They'd die first. They're under
its control" Juliana said with discomfort in her voice.
"Can't be helped" Logan said simply.
"There has got to be another way" Lizbeth said hopefully.
Juliana thought for a moment "I think there is. You could safely use a nerve
agent to neutralize the colonists"
Lizbeth clicked her fingers "Like a gas grenade"
Logan thought for a moment "I am not going to stop and ask them to breathe
deeply"
Juliana pleaded with him "How can it hurt to try? Please these people are
friends"
Logan looked at the two of them "Fine, give me the agent"
Logan took the nerve agent and made his way back out, after handing in the data
to Gavin Hossle, the man who had asked him to collect the data from ExoGeni and
after getting paid for it the team made their way to the Mako.
Logan started to drive back towards Zhu's Hope and told Tali to get a hold of
Joker for him.
"Joker, we have a plan to take down the colonists without loss of life. Tell
the team to suit up with flash bangs and get ready; I want you to bring the
Normandy in once we have the colonist's attention. I want them to use non-
lethal force, the colonists are not responsible for what they are doing" Logan
said.
"You got it Commander" Joker replied.
The Mako rumbled along the broken skyway and after a few fights with geth
juggernauts and armatures they had reached the doors leading into the colony
where they could see a strange humanoid being standing there, getting out,
having a closer look, the creeper for lack of a better word ran at them and was
quickly put down and even exploded when it died.
"That doesn't look human" Wrex said simply looking down at it.
"What is going on here?" Tali asked.
Logan looked at the creeper "Thorian must have its own bodyguards as well as
the colonists" Logan said looking at his grenades and equipping the nerve agent
to it before handing a couple to Tali and Wrex "No hitting the colonists,
that's what the gas grenades are for"
Wrex looked at Logan "You sure? They are going to put up one hell of a fight"
Logan chuckled "What? Is the big bad krogan battlemaster worried about a few
colonists? They aren't commando's Wrex, they would have poor shields and armour
and they haven't had food and water for who knows how long" Logan said looking
at the krogan "besides I don't want you to kill them, but if you need to, you
can wound them" he explained.
Wrex nodded at that point "Then let's get going then"
Once they opened the doors they could see a large number of creepers seemingly
waiting for them "These you can kill" Logan told them "Moving into the colony
now" Logan told Joker.
"Copy that" Joker replied.
As they made their way into Zhu's Hope that had to fight their way through
creepers before they came upon the first colonists, one grenade later and three
of them were down before they took the elevator back up to Zhu's Hope.
Once the doors opened more creepers ran at them, the creepers had no self-
preservation instinct and just ran into weapons fire, the creepers near the
elevator were dead very quickly because of this.
Walking into the stairwell the saw more colonists, this time to save grenades,
Logan used biotics to pull the weapons away from them, before he slammed his
shotgun into the jaw of one of them and grabbed the back of the head of the
other and ran it into the wall knocking them out.
Down the stairway, more creepers ran towards them, dozens of them, blocking the
stairway. Wrex used biotics to push them back, some of them splatted against
the wall. Logan threw three of the creepers of the side of the stair well and
more just kept coming.
Wrex tore one creeper in half with his bare hands while Logan and Tali finished
the rest of them off. Looking into the colony now they could see more colonists
shooting at them as well as more creepers running towards them.
"Tali sabotage their weapons" Logan ordered while throwing one creeper
backwards with biotics.
The colonist's guns stopped firing but the creepers kept coming, Logan and Wrex
tore the creepers apart using biotics and muscle. Once the creepers were down
the colonists were put to sleep with a gas grenade.
"They are protecting the Thorian, we need to move the cargo blocks" Wrex said.
A sound like children screaming could be heard, not screaming in fear though
and a large group of human children could be seen carrying sharp sticks and
throwing rocks as they ran towards them.
"This is horrible" Tali said in horror as she threw a grenade at the children
knocking them out.
Logan broke the skull of a creeper with a stomp before agreeing "Good thing
about those gas grenades"
Wrex nodded "I am just glad they worked" he said looking down at the small
human children "I may work for monsters once and a while but I am not one"
Logan agreed and kept moving deeper into the colony, using gas grenades to
limit the causalities and gunning down creepers.
"Commander, we are back on Zhu's Hope, where are you?" Kaidan asked.
"Centre of the colony, use flash bangs and non-lethal force if you come across
any colonists, we have gas grenades that can put them to sleep" Logan answered
as he broke both the arms of one colonist that got too close and left him
screaming on the ground.
"Copy that" Kaidan answered.
"There is strange humanoid creatures too, those you can kill" Logan told him.
"Aye, aye" Kaidan said.
As Logan and the others made their way deeper into the colony, Kaidan and the
rest of the crew attacked from behind forcing the colonists to defend on two
fronts, they were no match for the combined assault from both sides.
As Logan met with Kaidan and the others in the middle of the colony after they
had killed the large number of creepers and knocked out the colonists or
immobilized them so they were no longer a threat, they could see the controls
for the crane and once they activated it they could hear Fai Dan speaking
behind them.
Turning around they saw Fai Dan walking towards them with a gun "I tried to
fight it, but it gets in your head. You can't imagine the pain. I was supposed
to be a leader. These people trusted me. It wants me to stop you...but I won't.
I WON'T!" Fai Dan screamed as he put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger
before anything could be done.
Logan looked down at Fai Dan before turning back to the others "Let's go see
what this Thorian is exactly"
Garrus looked at Logan "Thorian? I have never heard of that"
Wrex chuckled "It is a plant apparently, a smart one"
Liara frowned at that "So first contact?"
Logan shook his head "For us, not for it. It already knows about us, it's the
reason the colonists were trying to stop us"
Ashley shook her head "Ever get the feeling aliens don't like us much?"
Logan shook his head at that but said nothing, as they made their way down the
stairs the smell of compost and dirt was almost overpowering. Once they reached
the bottom they could see a large open area.
"All right, we just need to find this creature and determine what it…what it…"
Tali said before she saw a giant plant "Keelah, what is that?"
"This wasn't covered in my training manuals." Garrus said dryly.
"And they call me ugly..." Wrex chuckles to himself.
Logan looks up at the giant plant "Nothing is ever simple is it?" he deadpans.
As they step forward the Thorian begins to move and spits out a green skinned
asari.
"Invaders! Your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you
as meat, good to only dig or decompose. I speak for the Old Growth, as I did
for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands you be in awe!"
The green asari said.
Logan stepped forward "You enslaved the colonists! You destroyed their minds! I
don't know what Saren wanted with you, but I just want you dead!"
The green asari looked at him with her eyes narrowed "The Thorian is a piece of
this world, extending across the land and back through the ages. You can no
more kill it then cut the sky" she said as she got a weapon ready "Your blood
will feed the ground and the new growth"
Logan had got his shotgun free and opened fire as the others followed his lead.
The asari threw Liara, Garrus and Ashley back with one biotic throw before she
ran to cover behind Logan and the others. More creepers appeared at that point
and the asari took cover behind them as she used her assault rifle firing at
Wrex. Logan had just been attacked by a creeper and as soon as he threw it
backwards, he too was thrown by biotics.
Sliding across the floor Logan could feel his shoulder dislocate "Tali over
here, rest of you keep them off us" Logan ordered.
Tali ran to Shepard's side, as dozens of creepers surrounded the rest of the
team 'What do you need me to do?" Tali asked.
Logan groaned in pain before he looked at Tali "My right shoulder is
dislocated"
Tali put her hands up in nervousness "I don't know anything about human
anatomy"
Logan chuckled "Then you are about to get a crash course" he said as he took
one of her hands and placed it underneath his arm "push there while pulling on
my wrist, you need to keep my arm straight, a small jolt should do it"
Tali breathed inwards and did as she was told and she heard a slight crunch
followed by Logan swearing in pain "I'm sorry I…"
Logan held up a hand to stop her "No that did it, it was meant to hurt" he told
her.
Tali nodded and helped him back up to his feet. The green asari had just been
shot in the head and the last of the creepers were being dealt with. Logan
moved closer to where the creepers were coming from and saw a strange tendril
with a large bulb near it and as soon as he shot at it more creepers tried
swarming them.
Logan threw a grenade and after fighting off the creepers he ordered them all
to target the bulb, once it was blown off the wall with a sickening stench
coming from it. A loud screech could be hear coming from the Thorian. The
fighting got more intense as dozens of creepers rushed out to greet them and
the green asari was back, the team fought though them taking hits from the
creepers, but the real danger was from the green asari. The team had destroyed
two of those bulbs by now and still fighting though the muck.
Wrex was knocked down to his knees by the creepers and the asari and he had
thought he was going to die, until he felt a human foot on his back and he
turned his head just enough to see Logan using Wrex as a springboard, diving on
the asari, Logan snapped one of her arms before he picked her up over his head
and bought her back down snapping her back over one knee.
While Logan helped keep the creepers off Wrex, Tali gave Wrex some medi-gel to
get him back on his feet. After taking all of them taking a beating they
destroyed another tendril bulb.
"Should be nearly dead now" Wrex said as he looked at the rest of them, all
covered in a mixture of blood, dirt and Thorian…slime.
"Hope so" Logan said.
The last bulb was the hardest, as creepers filled the hallways and that asari
was back again, Tali took a bad hit to her mask and had to preform emergency
repairs, Garrus was thrown against a wall with biotics, Wrex was covered in
creepers as he tried to throw them off him, Ashley had a bad cut over one eye
and Kaidan was walking with a limp while Liara was nursing her left arm while
shooting with her right.
After minutes of intense fighting the last creeper was down and the asari had
been torn apart by biotics from Liara and Wrex. The bulb was destroyed and with
it sent the Thorian falling hundreds of feet to the bottom of the pit
underneath Zhu's Hope.
An asari with the same markings as the green asari could be seen emerging from
a part of the dead plant, only this asari was purple not green.
"I'm free. I'm free" the asari said still unsteady on her feet "I...I suppose I
should thank you for releasing me"
Logan looked at her "How do I know this isn't a trick? I had killed you more
than once today"
'It is no trick. The Thorian is dead and I am myself again" The asari explained
"my name is Shiala. I serve…I served Matriarch Benezia. When she sided with
Saren, so did I. Benezia foresaw the influence Saren would have. She joined him
to guide him down a gentler path. But Saren is compelling. Benezia lost her
way" Shiala explained.
Logan raised an eyebrow "He tricked her? How exactly did he manage that?"
"Benezia underestimated Saren. As did I. We came to believe in his cause and
goals. The strength of his influence is troubling" Shiala told him.
"Benezia hoped to turn the river but instead was swept away" Liara explained
sounding slightly happier about the fact her mother did not join Saren for the
wrong reasons.
Wrex shook his head and scoffed "About time asari meddling bit them in the ass"
"Asari Matriarchs are among the most intelligent and powerful beings in the
galaxy. How could one fall under Saren's control?" Logan asked not quite
convinced.
"Saren has a vessel. An enormous warship unlike anything I have ever seen. He
calls it Sovereign. It can dominate the minds of his followers. They become
indoctrinated to Saren's will. The process is subtle. It can take days, weeks.
But in the end, it is absolute" Shiala explained as she paced back and forth
before stopping to look at Logan and the others "I was a willing slave when
Saren bought me to this world. He needed my biotics to communicate with the
Thorian, to learn its secrets" Shiala said looking almost ashamed "Saren
offered me in trade. I was sacrificed to secure an alliance between Saren and
the Thorian"
Logan didn't seem to care much "That's what you get for trusting Saren"
Shiala looked down at her feet "Saren is quick to betray his followers and his
allies. Once he had what he needed, he ordered the geth to destroy the Thorian.
Saren knows you are searching for the Conduit. He knows you are following his
steps. He attacked the Thorian so you could not get the Cipher"
Logan took a glance at Liara who merely shook her head telling him she didn't
know what it was either "What is the Cipher. And why does Saren need it?"
Shiala sighed but answered "The beacon on Eden Prime gave you visions. But the
visions are unclear, confusing. They were meant for a Prothean mind. To truly
comprehend them, you must think like a Prothean. You must understand their
history, their culture, their very existence" Shiala explained taking her time
to study the rest of them "The Thorian was here long before the Protheans built
this city. It watched and studied them. When they died, it consumed them. They
became a part of it"
Logan looked like he was getting annoyed "Enough mystic shit. Where is the
Cipher?"
Shiala kept her composure but only because she had been a commando for hundreds
of years by this point "The Cipher is the very existence of being a Prothean.
It cannot be described or explained. It would be like explaining colour to a
creature without eyes" Shiala calmly explained "To understand, you must have
access to endemic ancestral memory. A viewpoint spanning thousands of Prothean
generations. I sensed this ancestral memory - the Cipher - when I melded with
the Thorian. Our identities merged, our minds intertwined. Such knowledge
cannot be taught; it simply exists"
Logan stepped forward "You taught Saren. You can teach me" he said ignoring his
own memory of the last time an asari was in his mind.
Shiala could almost sense his uneasiness with what he just suggested to make
sure she explained in clear details what it would take "There is a way. I can
transfer the knowledge from my mind into yours, as I did with Saren"
Logan nodded "Do it" he said simply.
Liara had wanted to meld with Logan and it upset her slightly, it would not be
her in his mind but Shiala. She ignored the feeling though as she knew they had
to have this Cipher. She just hoped it wouldn't make him relive painful
memories.
Shiala nodded and walked closer, she could almost feel the tension coming off
him "Try to relax Commander. Slow, deep breathes. Let go of your physical
shell. Reach out to grasp the threads that bind us, one to another" Shiala said
walking closer to him, she could tell her words were calmed him "Every action
sends ripples across the galaxy. Every idea must touch another's mind to live.
Each emotion must mark another's spirit" Shiala said as she was now close to
the human "We are all connected. Every living being united in a single,
glorious existence. Open yourself to the universe, Commander"
Shiala said as she was now close enough to hear his heartbeat "Embrace
eternity!"
Once inside his mind she saw a brief flash of another asari causing him pain as
she violated his mind. Shiala understood why he was so nervous but used her
connection with him to calm him down, as she saw the vision from Eden Prime and
she gave him the Cipher, she understood that Saren had to be stopped, not
matter the cost and she also realized that she had helped him, despite what she
had done to this colony, her greatest crime was helping Saren. Shiala could
feel Logan's mind opening up to her just enough for her to implant the Cipher,
he couldn't keep his whole mind from her though and as a result she could see
parts of his life and the slight massage she got from his mind, it was not
unpleasant, she could tell he had never spent any time in allowing another into
his mind but he was only focused on the Cipher, to Shiala's slight
disappointment.
The vision from Eden Prime played in both of their minds; well in Logan's mind
but Shiala saw it as well. The vision was clearer now, but that didn't make it
any more pleasant to see. Images of Protheans being torn apart by synthetics,
the feeling of pain and loss was sickening, in fact if the two commandos' had
not seen so much death and combat, their minds would not have been able to take
it. At the end of the vision, a new image, one of a… bug or synthetic creature
before they saw nothing.
Once it was over Shiala stepped back her mind still processing what she had
seen. Logan opened his eyes as well, the two of them shared a look that they
knew what was coming.
"I have given you the Cipher, just as it was given to Saren. The ancestral
memories of the Protheans are a part of you now" Shiala explained.
Liara looked at Logan "Are you ok Commander you look….pale"
Logan nodded "I saw…I'm not sure what I saw, it didn't make a lot of sense"
Shiala nodded "You have been given a great gift: the experience of an entire
people. It will take time for your mind to process the information"
Garrus looked at the Commander; he didn't look that good "We should get Chakwas
to have a look at you"
Shiala didn't know what would happen to her at this point but she would face
whatever punishment was coming, she did not wish however to hurt the human "I
am sorry if you have suffered, but there was no other way. You needed the
Cipher. In time, it will help you understand the vision from the beacon"
"What should I do with you?" Logan asked removing his pistol.
Shiala took a deep breath "If you would allow it I wish to stay here, these
colonists have suffered greatly, and I played a hand in their suffering. I wish
to make a amends"
Logan looked at her "You sided with Saren, as far as I know you still are. It
would be a huge risk for me to just leave you here"
Shiala understood what he was saying but if he expected her to beg for her life
or for forgiveness, he wouldn't get it. Instead she would face her punishment
whether that would be quick and end with a bullet to her head or her helping
Zhu's Hope in every way she could it didn't matter "Your suspicions are
understandable. But you freed me from the Thorian, and from Saren. I am on your
side now"
Logan studied her for a moment before turning to walk away "You can stay; I
will expect you to keep your word. If I have to come back here because of you,
I will scalp you" he warned.
Both asari took notice of his warning, to an asari there would be no worse way
to die then being scalped, but while Liara shuddered from the idea of it Shiala
simply bowed her head. After melding with him, she knew he would do exactly
that and it was not an empty threat but Shiala did not make an empty promise.
"Thank you, I will not break my word" Shiala said.
As Logan and the others made their way out of the Thorian pit, Logan was
drinking his water while the others stayed silent, unsure of what to say. Once
back in Zhu's Hope, they could see the colonists walking around; some of them
were being treated to. As they were leaving a kid walked up to Tali, the young
boy was holding a toy ship.
"Excuse me" he called out and when Tali looked down at him he handed her the
ship "thank you for helping us, I wanted to give you this, mummy says that
quarians like ships"
Tali was confused and shook her head "That's all right you keep it"
The boy shook his head and looked upset "No. I want you to have it" he said
placing it into her hand and running off before she could say anything else.
Logan smiled "Looks like you just got your pilgrimage gift" he joked.
Tali looked at the ship and placed it into her pocket "Well the fleet always
did want new ships. But in all seriousness, it will be a good memento of what
we did here"
Logan nodded "You did good work, all of you did"
Normandy briefing room
Logan had yet to see Dr Chakwas, he just needed to discuss what they had
encountered at Zhu's Hope. After talking about the mission in general and the
new fact of how Benezia joined Saren, the subject then turned towards the
Cipher and if Logan could make any sense out of it and when he couldn't Liara
offered to meld with him to help try and make sense of it.
"Do it, we don't have much time" Logan told her.
Liara stood up and walked closer to him "Embrace eternity" her eyes went black.
Liara like Shiala before her saw images of the asari who tortured him, but
unlike Shiala, Logan never really closed his mind off almost as if he trusted
Liara. She could also feel Logan getting excited at her touching his mind. She
also saw why Logan had trouble sleeping; the images were intense and very
graphic. Liara thought she was going to be sick.
Logan had thought he would know what to expect after Shiala had shown him that
an asari mind meld did not have to be painful and even felt Shiala calm him
down, he was not prepared for the meld with Liara to feel so….good, he even
started to get hard from her touch. After a few moments Liara stepped back and
looked sick.
After saying that the images were intense and sounding a little impressed with
him, but sadly nothing new yet. After dismissing everyone, Logan called the
Council.
"Commander. ExoGeni should have told us about the Thorian. It would have saved
you a lot of trouble, shame you had to kill it though, it would have been
interesting to study" Councillor Valern said. Logan had recently made sure to
remember their names.
"The only reason to study something like that is to work out the best way of
killing it" Logan said simply.
'Yes. Kill it. That's what humans do to things that don't understand isn't it?"
Sparatus interjected.
Logan looked up at the turian councillor "Are for forgetting how your people
met mine? Seems to me you have selective memory" Logan replied back. He really
didn't like him "besides the Thorian wasn't complex, it enslaved the colonists
and forced them to fight and even send their own children into combat. It would
have done the same to any species that came in contact with it"
Valern nodded 'Well, perhaps it was for the best then. At least you saved the
colony…"
Sparatus scoffed at that point "Of course he did. Shepard would do anything to
save a human colony"
Logan shook his head "So you would of rather I gunned down civilians when I had
a way around it? They had no training, no hard suits and were no match for a N7
or anyone for that matter with combat experience, they were barely holding
against the geth. But point taken councillor if I ever have to go to a turian
colony, I will keep that in mind. I can't believe this shit; I saved a colony
AND completed my mission and you're bitching about it? Wake up and smell what
you are shovelling. Joker end transmission"
Joker chuckled "Looks like we had a bad connection"
***** Gardening on Feros *****
Chapter Summary
     Logan and the team come face to face with the Thorian.
Chapter Notes
     I am going to reveal next chapter who Logan's love interest is. As
     always feedback is always welcome
Logan and the rest of the ExoGeni team drove back to Zhu's hope with Lizbeth
riding along. When one set of doors opened they could see three geth
juggernauts and two armatures, Wrex opened fire with the cannon at one
juggernaut sending skyward in a blaze of fire before focusing on the other
right beside it. The machine gun cut though the geth's barriers in seconds and
a blast from the cannon finished it off. The Mako was taking hits but not
enough to do damage, with the machine gun firing on one armature and two blasts
from the cannon and it was dead, the remaining juggernaut and armature were
taken care of just as quickly.
After driving along the skyway they could pick up more chatter.
"...Is anyone picking this up?" one voice said as the Mako headed down the
ramp.
"Get away from that radio" Jeong could be heard saying.
"What was that about?" Lizbeth asked.
Logan rolled his eyes "Jeong trying to control the situation I am guessing"
Radio chatter "...this is Juliana Baynham of the Feros colony. Please help
us..."
"That's my mom. Stop. Stop the rover" Lizbeth called out as they neared the
spot where they had seen Jeong and the others.
As the Mako stopped Lizbeth jumped out and ran inside.
Logan sighed, and got out of the Mako "Sure let's just run in without knowing
what is going on" he said to himself.
As they followed her in being careful to stay hidden, they could see a
agreement taking place between Juliana and Jeong.
"You can't do this Jeong" Juliana said.
"Everyone shut up! Let me think!" Jeong yelled.
Lizbeth looked over at Logan and the others and asked "What's going on?"
Logan shrugged and kept watching.
"You won't get away with this Jeong" Juliana said and went to walk closer to
him when another man grabbed her from behind.
"Get her out of here!" Jeong ordered.
Lizbeth had seen enough at that point and stood up "Get away from her you son
of a bitch!"
"Lizbeth" Juliana called out.
Jeong looked up and saw Lizbeth and guessed that there were others near-by as
well "Damn it! Come out where i can see you! All of you!"
Logan stood up and motioned for Tali and Wrex to do the same and walked down
the ramp and into the open.
"Hah. Shepard. Damn it! I should have known it was too much to hope the geth
would kill you" Jeong said looking back at his guards making sure they were
keeping close "I found out some interesting facts about you in the ExoGeni data
base. I know what you did on Torfan. There's no reason for this to get bloody"
Logan looked at him with a dangerous look in his eyes "Not this time, Jeong.
You need to back down and let them go"
Jeong shook his head "You don't understand. It's not that easy. Communications
are back up. ExoGeni wants this place purged"
Lizbeth shook her head "This is a human colony, Jeong. You can't just re-
purpose us"
Jeong scoffed at that "It's not just you. There is something here more valuable
than a few colonists"
Logan cleared his throat "Are you going to tell them about the Thorian? Or
should I?"
"The what?" Juliana asked
"It's a telepathic life-form living under Zhu's Hope. It's taken control of the
colonists there. ExoGeni knew all along" Lizbeth explained.
"You won't get away with this, Jeong" Juliana warned.
"So you keep saying. But nobody is going to miss a few colonists" Jeong said
smugly.
"They won't miss you either. This ends now!" Logan said pulling his pistol out.
"If that's the way it has to be, then come on!" Jeong said taking a step
forward.
He only took one step before Logan had shot him in the face. The near-by guards
looked like they wanted to get involved but Wrex and Tali pointing their
weapons at them made them change their minds.
"As if we don't have enough problems. Now we're shooting each other in the
back" Juliana said shaking her head.
"That was in the face, not the back" Logan calmly explained.
Juliana shook her head but before she could say anything more Lizbeth
interrupted her "It's my fault. I knew what was going on and I didn't do
anything"
"Don't you start. You do good work and you know it" Juliana told her daughter
before turning back to Logan "So what now Commander?"
"I do my job" Logan said simply before adding "I need to find out why the geth
are after the Thorian"
"The colonists won't let you near the Thorian. They'd die first. They're under
its control" Juliana said with discomfort in her voice.
"Can't be helped" Logan said simply.
"There has got to be another way" Lizbeth said hopefully.
Juliana thought for a moment "I think there is. You could safely use a nerve
agent to neutralize the colonists"
Lizbeth clicked her fingers "Like a gas grenade"
Logan thought for a moment "I am not going to stop and ask them to breathe
deeply"
Juliana pleaded with him "How can it hurt to try? Please these people are
friends"
Logan looked at the two of them "Fine, give me the agent"
Logan took the nerve agent and made his way back out, after handing in the data
to Gavin Hossle, the man who had asked him to collect the data from ExoGeni and
after getting paid for it the team made their way to the Mako.
Logan started to drive back towards Zhu's Hope and told Tali to get a hold of
Joker for him.
"Joker, we have a plan to take down the colonists without loss of life. Tell
the team to suit up with flash bangs and get ready; I want you to bring the
Normandy in once we have the colonist's attention. I want them to use non-
lethal force, the colonists are not responsible for what they are doing" Logan
said.
"You got it Commander" Joker replied.
The Mako rumbled along the broken skyway and after a few fights with geth
juggernauts and armatures they had reached the doors leading into the colony
where they could see a strange humanoid being standing there, getting out,
having a closer look, the creeper for lack of a better word ran at them and was
quickly put down and even exploded when it died.
"That doesn't look human" Wrex said simply looking down at it.
"What is going on here?" Tali asked.
Logan looked at the creeper "Thorian must have its own bodyguards as well as
the colonists" Logan said looking at his grenades and equipping the nerve agent
to it before handing a couple to Tali and Wrex "No hitting the colonists,
that's what the gas grenades are for"
Wrex looked at Logan "You sure? They are going to put up one hell of a fight"
Logan chuckled "What? Is the big bad krogan battlemaster worried about a few
colonists? They aren't commando's Wrex, they would have poor shields and armour
and they haven't had food and water for who knows how long" Logan said looking
at the krogan "besides I don't want you to kill them, but if you need to, you
can wound them" he explained.
Wrex nodded at that point "Then let's get going then"
Once they opened the doors they could see a large number of creepers seemingly
waiting for them "These you can kill" Logan told them "Moving into the colony
now" Logan told Joker.
"Copy that" Joker replied.
As they made their way into Zhu's Hope that had to fight their way through
creepers before they came upon the first colonists, one grenade later and three
of them were down before they took the elevator back up to Zhu's Hope.
Once the doors opened more creepers ran at them, the creepers had no self-
preservation instinct and just ran into weapons fire, the creepers near the
elevator were dead very quickly because of this.
Walking into the stairwell the saw more colonists, this time to save grenades,
Logan used biotics to pull the weapons away from them, before he slammed his
shotgun into the jaw of one of them and grabbed the back of the head of the
other and ran it into the wall knocking them out.
Down the stairway, more creepers ran towards them, dozens of them, blocking the
stairway. Wrex used biotics to push them back, some of them splatted against
the wall. Logan threw three of the creepers of the side of the stair well and
more just kept coming.
Wrex tore one creeper in half with his bare hands while Logan and Tali finished
the rest of them off. Looking into the colony now they could see more colonists
shooting at them as well as more creepers running towards them.
"Tali sabotage their weapons" Logan ordered while throwing one creeper
backwards with biotics.
The colonist's guns stopped firing but the creepers kept coming, Logan and Wrex
tore the creepers apart using biotics and muscle. Once the creepers were down
the colonists were put to sleep with a gas grenade.
"They are protecting the Thorian, we need to move the cargo blocks" Wrex said.
A sound like children screaming could be heard, not screaming in fear though
and a large group of human children could be seen carrying sharp sticks and
throwing rocks as they ran towards them.
"This is horrible" Tali said in horror as she threw a grenade at the children
knocking them out.
Logan broke the skull of a creeper with a stomp before agreeing "Good thing
about those gas grenades"
Wrex nodded "I am just glad they worked" he said looking down at the small
human children "I may work for monsters once and a while but I am not one"
Logan agreed and kept moving deeper into the colony, using gas grenades to
limit the causalities and gunning down creepers.
"Commander, we are back on Zhu's Hope, where are you?" Kaidan asked.
"Centre of the colony, use flash bangs and non-lethal force if you come across
any colonists, we have gas grenades that can put them to sleep" Logan answered
as he broke both the arms of one colonist that got too close and left him
screaming on the ground.
"Copy that" Kaidan answered.
"There is strange humanoid creatures too, those you can kill" Logan told him.
"Aye, aye" Kaidan said.
As Logan and the others made their way deeper into the colony, Kaidan and the
rest of the crew attacked from behind forcing the colonists to defend on two
fronts, they were no match for the combined assault from both sides.
As Logan met with Kaidan and the others in the middle of the colony after they
had killed the large number of creepers and knocked out the colonists or
immobilized them so they were no longer a threat, they could see the controls
for the crane and once they activated it they could hear Fai Dan speaking
behind them.
Turning around they saw Fai Dan walking towards them with a gun "I tried to
fight it, but it gets in your head. You can't imagine the pain. I was supposed
to be a leader. These people trusted me. It wants me to stop you...but I won't.
I WON'T!" Fai Dan screamed as he put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger
before anything could be done.
Logan looked down at Fai Dan before turning back to the others "Let's go see
what this Thorian is exactly"
Garrus looked at Logan "Thorian? I have never heard of that"
Wrex chuckled "It is a plant apparently, a smart one"
Liara frowned at that "So first contact?"
Logan shook his head "For us, not for it. It already knows about us, it's the
reason the colonists were trying to stop us"
Ashley shook her head "Ever get the feeling aliens don't like us much?"
Logan shook his head at that but said nothing, as they made their way down the
stairs the smell of compost and dirt was almost overpowering. Once they reached
the bottom they could see a large open area.
"All right, we just need to find this creature and determine what it…what it…"
Tali said before she saw a giant plant "Keelah, what is that?"
"This wasn't covered in my training manuals." Garrus said dryly.
"And they call me ugly..." Wrex chuckles to himself.
Logan looks up at the giant plant "Nothing is ever simple is it?" he deadpans.
As they step forward the Thorian begins to move and spits out a green skinned
asari.
"Invaders! Your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you
as meat, good to only dig or decompose. I speak for the Old Growth, as I did
for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands you be in awe!"
The green asari said.
Logan stepped forward "You enslaved the colonists! You destroyed their minds! I
don't know what Saren wanted with you, but I just want you dead!"
The green asari looked at him with her eyes narrowed "The Thorian is a piece of
this world, extending across the land and back through the ages. You can no
more kill it then cut the sky" she said as she got a weapon ready "Your blood
will feed the ground and the new growth"
Logan had got his shotgun free and opened fire as the others followed his lead.
The asari threw Liara, Garrus and Ashley back with one biotic throw before she
ran to cover behind Logan and the others. More creepers appeared at that point
and the asari took cover behind them as she used her assault rifle firing at
Wrex. Logan had just been attacked by a creeper and as soon as he threw it
backwards, he too was thrown by biotics.
Sliding across the floor Logan could feel his shoulder dislocate "Tali over
here, rest of you keep them off us" Logan ordered.
Tali ran to Shepard's side, as dozens of creepers surrounded the rest of the
team 'What do you need me to do?" Tali asked.
Logan groaned in pain before he looked at Tali "My right shoulder is
dislocated"
Tali put her hands up in nervousness "I don't know anything about human
anatomy"
Logan chuckled "Then you are about to get a crash course" he said as he took
one of her hands and placed it underneath his arm "push there while pulling on
my wrist, you need to keep my arm straight, a small jolt should do it"
Tali breathed inwards and did as she was told and she heard a slight crunch
followed by Logan swearing in pain "I'm sorry I…"
Logan held up a hand to stop her "No that did it, it was meant to hurt" he told
her.
Tali nodded and helped him back up to his feet. The green asari had just been
shot in the head and the last of the creepers were being dealt with. Logan
moved closer to where the creepers were coming from and saw a strange tendril
with a large bulb near it and as soon as he shot at it more creepers tried
swarming them.
Logan threw a grenade and after fighting off the creepers he ordered them all
to target the bulb, once it was blown off the wall with a sickening stench
coming from it. A loud screech could be hear coming from the Thorian. The
fighting got more intense as dozens of creepers rushed out to greet them and
the green asari was back, the team fought though them taking hits from the
creepers, but the real danger was from the green asari. The team had destroyed
two of those bulbs by now and still fighting though the muck.
Wrex was knocked down to his knees by the creepers and the asari and he had
thought he was going to die, until he felt a human foot on his back and he
turned his head just enough to see Logan using Wrex as a springboard, diving on
the asari, Logan snapped one of her arms before he picked her up over his head
and bought her back down snapping her back over one knee.
While Logan helped keep the creepers off Wrex, Tali gave Wrex some medi-gel to
get him back on his feet. After taking all of them taking a beating they
destroyed another tendril bulb.
"Should be nearly dead now" Wrex said as he looked at the rest of them, all
covered in a mixture of blood, dirt and Thorian…slime.
"Hope so" Logan said.
The last bulb was the hardest, as creepers filled the hallways and that asari
was back again, Tali took a bad hit to her mask and had to preform emergency
repairs, Garrus was thrown against a wall with biotics, Wrex was covered in
creepers as he tried to throw them off him, Ashley had a bad cut over one eye
and Kaidan was walking with a limp while Liara was nursing her left arm while
shooting with her right.
After minutes of intense fighting the last creeper was down and the asari had
been torn apart by biotics from Liara and Wrex. The bulb was destroyed and with
it sent the Thorian falling hundreds of feet to the bottom of the pit
underneath Zhu's Hope.
An asari with the same markings as the green asari could be seen emerging from
a part of the dead plant, only this asari was purple not green.
"I'm free. I'm free" the asari said still unsteady on her feet "I...I suppose I
should thank you for releasing me"
Logan looked at her "How do I know this isn't a trick? I had killed you more
than once today"
'It is no trick. The Thorian is dead and I am myself again" The asari explained
"my name is Shiala. I serve…I served Matriarch Benezia. When she sided with
Saren, so did I. Benezia foresaw the influence Saren would have. She joined him
to guide him down a gentler path. But Saren is compelling. Benezia lost her
way" Shiala explained.
Logan raised an eyebrow "He tricked her? How exactly did he manage that?"
"Benezia underestimated Saren. As did I. We came to believe in his cause and
goals. The strength of his influence is troubling" Shiala told him.
"Benezia hoped to turn the river but instead was swept away" Liara explained
sounding slightly happier about the fact her mother did not join Saren for the
wrong reasons.
Wrex shook his head and scoffed "About time asari meddling bit them in the ass"
"Asari Matriarchs are among the most intelligent and powerful beings in the
galaxy. How could one fall under Saren's control?" Logan asked not quite
convinced.
"Saren has a vessel. An enormous warship unlike anything I have ever seen. He
calls it Sovereign. It can dominate the minds of his followers. They become
indoctrinated to Saren's will. The process is subtle. It can take days, weeks.
But in the end, it is absolute" Shiala explained as she paced back and forth
before stopping to look at Logan and the others "I was a willing slave when
Saren bought me to this world. He needed my biotics to communicate with the
Thorian, to learn its secrets" Shiala said looking almost ashamed "Saren
offered me in trade. I was sacrificed to secure an alliance between Saren and
the Thorian"
Logan didn't seem to care much "That's what you get for trusting Saren"
Shiala looked down at her feet "Saren is quick to betray his followers and his
allies. Once he had what he needed, he ordered the geth to destroy the Thorian.
Saren knows you are searching for the Conduit. He knows you are following his
steps. He attacked the Thorian so you could not get the Cipher"
Logan took a glance at Liara who merely shook her head telling him she didn't
know what it was either "What is the Cipher. And why does Saren need it?"
Shiala sighed but answered "The beacon on Eden Prime gave you visions. But the
visions are unclear, confusing. They were meant for a Prothean mind. To truly
comprehend them, you must think like a Prothean. You must understand their
history, their culture, their very existence" Shiala explained taking her time
to study the rest of them "The Thorian was here long before the Protheans built
this city. It watched and studied them. When they died, it consumed them. They
became a part of it"
Logan looked like he was getting annoyed "Enough mystic shit. Where is the
Cipher?"
Shiala kept her composure but only because she had been a commando for hundreds
of years by this point "The Cipher is the very existence of being a Prothean.
It cannot be described or explained. It would be like explaining colour to a
creature without eyes" Shiala calmly explained "To understand, you must have
access to endemic ancestral memory. A viewpoint spanning thousands of Prothean
generations. I sensed this ancestral memory - the Cipher - when I melded with
the Thorian. Our identities merged, our minds intertwined. Such knowledge
cannot be taught; it simply exists"
Logan stepped forward "You taught Saren. You can teach me" he said ignoring his
own memory of the last time an asari was in his mind.
Shiala could almost sense his uneasiness with what he just suggested to make
sure she explained in clear details what it would take "There is a way. I can
transfer the knowledge from my mind into yours, as I did with Saren"
Logan nodded "Do it" he said simply.
Liara had wanted to meld with Logan and it upset her slightly, it would not be
her in his mind but Shiala. She ignored the feeling though as she knew they had
to have this Cipher. She just hoped it wouldn't make him relive painful
memories.
Shiala nodded and walked closer, she could almost feel the tension coming off
him "Try to relax Commander. Slow, deep breathes. Let go of your physical
shell. Reach out to grasp the threads that bind us, one to another" Shiala said
walking closer to him, she could tell her words were calmed him "Every action
sends ripples across the galaxy. Every idea must touch another's mind to live.
Each emotion must mark another's spirit" Shiala said as she was now close to
the human "We are all connected. Every living being united in a single,
glorious existence. Open yourself to the universe, Commander"
Shiala said as she was now close enough to hear his heartbeat "Embrace
eternity!"
Once inside his mind she saw a brief flash of another asari causing him pain as
she violated his mind. Shiala understood why he was so nervous but used her
connection with him to calm him down, as she saw the vision from Eden Prime and
she gave him the Cipher, she understood that Saren had to be stopped, not
matter the cost and she also realized that she had helped him, despite what she
had done to this colony, her greatest crime was helping Saren. Shiala could
feel Logan's mind opening up to her just enough for her to implant the Cipher,
he couldn't keep his whole mind from her though and as a result she could see
parts of his life and the slight massage she got from his mind, it was not
unpleasant, she could tell he had never spent any time in allowing another into
his mind but he was only focused on the Cipher, to Shiala's slight
disappointment.
The vision from Eden Prime played in both of their minds; well in Logan's mind
but Shiala saw it as well. The vision was clearer now, but that didn't make it
any more pleasant to see. Images of Protheans being torn apart by synthetics,
the feeling of pain and loss was sickening, in fact if the two commandos' had
not seen so much death and combat, their minds would not have been able to take
it. At the end of the vision, a new image, one of a… bug or synthetic creature
before they saw nothing.
Once it was over Shiala stepped back her mind still processing what she had
seen. Logan opened his eyes as well, the two of them shared a look that they
knew what was coming.
"I have given you the Cipher, just as it was given to Saren. The ancestral
memories of the Protheans are a part of you now" Shiala explained.
Liara looked at Logan "Are you ok Commander you look….pale"
Logan nodded "I saw…I'm not sure what I saw, it didn't make a lot of sense"
Shiala nodded "You have been given a great gift: the experience of an entire
people. It will take time for your mind to process the information"
Garrus looked at the Commander; he didn't look that good "We should get Chakwas
to have a look at you"
Shiala didn't know what would happen to her at this point but she would face
whatever punishment was coming, she did not wish however to hurt the human "I
am sorry if you have suffered, but there was no other way. You needed the
Cipher. In time, it will help you understand the vision from the beacon"
"What should I do with you?" Logan asked removing his pistol.
Shiala took a deep breath "If you would allow it I wish to stay here, these
colonists have suffered greatly, and I played a hand in their suffering. I wish
to make a amends"
Logan looked at her "You sided with Saren, as far as I know you still are. It
would be a huge risk for me to just leave you here"
Shiala understood what he was saying but if he expected her to beg for her life
or for forgiveness, he wouldn't get it. Instead she would face her punishment
whether that would be quick and end with a bullet to her head or her helping
Zhu's Hope in every way she could it didn't matter "Your suspicions are
understandable. But you freed me from the Thorian, and from Saren. I am on your
side now"
Logan studied her for a moment before turning to walk away "You can stay; I
will expect you to keep your word. If I have to come back here because of you,
I will scalp you" he warned.
Both asari took notice of his warning, to an asari there would be no worse way
to die then being scalped, but while Liara shuddered from the idea of it Shiala
simply bowed her head. After melding with him, she knew he would do exactly
that and it was not an empty threat but Shiala did not make an empty promise.
"Thank you, I will not break my word" Shiala said.
As Logan and the others made their way out of the Thorian pit, Logan was
drinking his water while the others stayed silent, unsure of what to say. Once
back in Zhu's Hope, they could see the colonists walking around; some of them
were being treated to. As they were leaving a kid walked up to Tali, the young
boy was holding a toy ship.
"Excuse me" he called out and when Tali looked down at him he handed her the
ship "thank you for helping us, I wanted to give you this, mummy says that
quarians like ships"
Tali was confused and shook her head "That's all right you keep it"
The boy shook his head and looked upset "No. I want you to have it" he said
placing it into her hand and running off before she could say anything else.
Logan smiled "Looks like you just got your pilgrimage gift" he joked.
Tali looked at the ship and placed it into her pocket "Well the fleet always
did want new ships. But in all seriousness, it will be a good memento of what
we did here"
Logan nodded "You did good work, all of you did"
Normandy briefing room
Logan had yet to see Dr Chakwas, he just needed to discuss what they had
encountered at Zhu's Hope. After talking about the mission in general and the
new fact of how Benezia joined Saren, the subject then turned towards the
Cipher and if Logan could make any sense out of it and when he couldn't Liara
offered to meld with him to help try and make sense of it.
"Do it, we don't have much time" Logan told her.
Liara stood up and walked closer to him "Embrace eternity" her eyes went black.
Liara like Shiala before her saw images of the asari who tortured him, but
unlike Shiala, Logan never really closed his mind off almost as if he trusted
Liara. She could also feel Logan getting excited at her touching his mind. She
also saw why Logan had trouble sleeping; the images were intense and very
graphic. Liara thought she was going to be sick.
Logan had thought he would know what to expect after Shiala had shown him that
an asari mind meld did not have to be painful and even felt Shiala calm him
down, he was not prepared for the meld with Liara to feel so….good, he even
started to get hard from her touch. After a few moments Liara stepped back and
looked sick.
After saying that the images were intense and sounding a little impressed with
him, but sadly nothing new yet. After dismissing everyone, Logan called the
Council.
"Commander. ExoGeni should have told us about the Thorian. It would have saved
you a lot of trouble, shame you had to kill it though, it would have been
interesting to study" Councillor Valern said. Logan had recently made sure to
remember their names.
"The only reason to study something like that is to work out the best way of
killing it" Logan said simply.
'Yes. Kill it. That's what humans do to things that don't understand isn't it?"
Sparatus interjected.
Logan looked up at the turian councillor "Are for forgetting how your people
met mine? Seems to me you have selective memory" Logan replied back. He really
didn't like him "besides the Thorian wasn't complex, it enslaved the colonists
and forced them to fight and even send their own children into combat. It would
have done the same to any species that came in contact with it"
Valern nodded 'Well, perhaps it was for the best then. At least you saved the
colony…"
Sparatus scoffed at that point "Of course he did. Shepard would do anything to
save a human colony"
Logan shook his head "So you would of rather I gunned down civilians when I had
a way around it? They had no training, no hard suits and were no match for a N7
or anyone for that matter with combat experience, they were barely holding
against the geth. But point taken councillor if I ever have to go to a turian
colony, I will keep that in mind. I can't believe this shit; I saved a colony
AND completed my mission and you're bitching about it? Wake up and smell what
you are shovelling. Joker end transmission"
Joker chuckled "Looks like we had a bad connection"
***** Chapter 20: With friends like these *****
Chapter Summary
     Logan deals with the aftermath of Feros and while on shore leave
     meets up with some old friends and someone he wished had stayed in
     the past.
Chapter Notes
     Sorry for the long wait, busy studying. If you want to know what
     Logan is talking about listen to this song ONLY when you see this (*)
     Enjoy
After hanging up on the Council Logan had gone to the med-bay and got his
wounds looked at, he was sitting there in silence, just thinking about Feros
and those colonists. Still pissed off about the Council he sat there while the
others talked among themselves, he could feel that Liara was looking at him,
most likely to say something to him, probably about the meld. Truth was Logan
was over it, while he didn't hate it and knew that Liara and Shiala for that
matter had been gentle with him, he had finally gotten over what Zorilla did to
him thanks in part to Liara and Shiala to a lesser degree but the visions were
worse now in the fact they were getting clearer which made them harder to deal
with.
"Thanks doc" Logan told Chakwas as he stood up "we are heading to the Citadel
for a resupply and shore leave. Make sure you get out and get some leave too
doc"
"You're welcome and I will" Chakwas said studying her patient "are you ok
Commander?"
"Yeah just that vision is getting clearer now, it's not...pleasant, I will be
fine though" Logan answered. As he left the med-bay and the others who were
still talking, he grabbed a banana to eat as he made his way to the cockpit
saying hi to a few crew members as he passed.
"Pressley set a course for the Citadel we need to restock and some shore leave
wouldn't hurt the crew either"
"Aye, aye Commander" came the response from the navigator.
Logan nodded and went to see Joker.
"Hey Commander, next time we land on a colony, try not to take us to a colony
full of mutant zombies, just for future reference" Joker joked.
Logan laughed "Oh yeah I'll just get out a my crystal ball before we land
anywhere from now on"
Joker laughed "So we are getting so shore leave huh? About time, the Normandy
needs some work down to her, nothing major just some minor details"
Logan nodded "Well she will get them soon enough"
After he finished talking with Joker, Logan went to speak with Kaidan and the
two of them ended up playing poker into the late hours of the night.
Tali had gotten her suit patched up and went back to work in the engine room.
She had told Adams she was ready to get back to work and he let her seeing how
the Citadel was their next stop. She had no idea a ground fight could get so
nasty, she found she had a new apperception for the Marines on the fleet. Tali
had managed to half crawl into a vent when Ashley came in to see her.
"Hey Tali" Ashley said.
Tali slid back out from the vent and stood up wiping her hands "Hello, did you
need something?"
Ashley shook her head "I just wanted to let you know that you did well down
there, that Thorian put up one hell of a fight"
Tali looked at the human woman and studied her for a moment "Thank you. Are all
ground fights that bad?"
Ashley shook her head "No that was tough, but you did well and even saved my
life a couple of times"
Tali smiled, not that Ashley would of seen it "Thanks but you did the same for
me so we are even"
Ashley smiled "I was surprised at how well you handled yourself, it being your
first time in a hot zone and all. Just so you know you won't have any problems
from me if we go groundside together, I'll have your back"
Tali nodded "And I'll have yours"
Ashley nodded before she turned to leave "Now I got to go thank Garrus, I gave
him a bit of a hard time and well I was a bitch to him and he too saved my
life"
Tali chuckled "Well I remember you got those creepers off him so don't feel too
bad"
Ashley smiled "Yeah I did but I still was a jerk to him"
Tali watched her go before she went back to her work.
Over the next few days as they were heading back to the Citadel, Logan spent
his time in his cabin writing reports and just focusing on his duties. Not
spending much if any time around the crew unless needed, thinking there would
be time for that once they reached the Citadel and finally got off this ship,
as everyone was starting to get stir crazy. He did however still have talks
with the crew all except Liara; he didn't really know what to say to her. He
knew she would have seen something when she did the mind meld but he didn't
know what and since she didn't really leave her room, he had thought he had
scared her off.
Truth was Liara was not scared off. In fact just the opposite and couldn't help
but feel as if he was more interested in Ashley Williams who he had spent some
time around since Feros. She was about to go and find him and force him to talk
to her but Joker announced that they had reached the Citadel.
As Liara and the others made their way to get off the ship they found Logan
waiting for them. He gave them a time to back on the ship or it would leave
without them before he invited the ground team to Chora's Den for drinks.
As they all made their way off the ship they saw an Alliance Admiral waiting
for them. As soon as Kaidan and Ashley saw him they saluted.
"Attention hut" Kaidan said snapping to a crisp salute.
"At ease" He said as he saluted back and stepped forward "Rear Admiral
Mikhailovich Fifth Fleet"
Shepard looked at him and saluted nowhere near with the same level of
enthusiasm that Kaidan or Ashley had though "Commander Shepard, SSV Normandy"
The Admiral raised an eyebrow "You have no idea who I am do you Commander? I
command the 63rd Scout Flotilla. You and the Normandy were slated for my unit
after shakedown, until the Council got their paws, claws, tentacles whatever,
they got them on our ship, and you"
"I go where I am told Admiral. They tell me they want me as a Spectre then
that's what I do" Logan said cracking his neck "besides I can now bring
Alliance issues to the Council if needed"
Rear Admiral Mikhailovich smirked "You still remember what colour your blood is
Shepard? I don't begrudge the politics decision to throw you to the Council,
its opportunity. I do begrudge this overdesigned piece of tin though"
Logan stood up right then "The Normandy is a fine ship sir. She has served us
well so far"
Rear Admiral Mikhailovich shook his head "It is a gimmick Commander, useless in
a stand up fight. This experiment diverted billions, for the same price we
could have had a heavy Cruiser, but no we had to play nice with the turians and
throw money at a co-developed boondoggle. I am here to make an inspection, the
Normandy is an Alliance warship and I intend to see she is up to snuff"
Logan sighed he knew this would be coming sooner or later "Please do, I would
be happy to show it to you" he stepped out of the way to allow him to pass.
'I just bet" The Admiral said before walking past Logan and the others "wait
here"
Logan looked at his crew "Don't worry I am in charge of this ship and I say who
is allowed on board" he told the alien crew once he noticed they looked
nervous, well except for Wrex.
After twenty minutes of waiting the Admiral returned "Commander I am not happy"
"I just bet" Logan said mirroring what the Admiral had said to him "I get the
feeling that happens a lot?"
Mikhailovich frowned at Logan "I suggest you secure that mouth Commander, it
will get you into trouble. Who designed that CIC? Putting the Commander Aft
behind everyone else is inefficient. What if you need to discuss something with
the officers towards the bow?"
"Turian design. They prefer their officers being able to overlook their
subordinates, the Alliance was interested to see if it would offer any
improvements" Logan answered.
"Hmm, yes I can see how that might help, but they really need to of studied
that in a lab not on a front line warship" Mikhailovich answered before looking
at his data pad for the next issue he had found "I had to shake my head at that
oversized drive core. 120 billion credits of element zero just to make this
thing not give itself away? Do you realise we could have had made drive cores
for twelve thousand fights for that much? What good is it to hide for a few
hours anyway?"
Logan tried hard not to give a smart ass remark and almost succeeded "Men of
limited vision once said the same thing about the early stealth planes, boats
and tanks"
Mikhailovich raised his eyebrows at that "There are two ways I can take that
Commander but I suppose you are right. The early U-boats weren't much better"
Mikhailovich said before he took a look at the crew standing beside him "And we
need to talk about your crew Commander, krogan? Quarian? Asari? Turians? What
were you thinking Commander? You can allow alien nationals free access to
Alliance equipment"
Logan looked at the alien crew mates he had gathered "The quarian is a talented
engineer and has more experience with the geth than any Alliance engineer and
has huge help to the engineering team. Her name is Tali Zorah" Logan said
pointing to her, which Tali just nodded. Logan wanted to let the Admiral know
that the aliens in question were standing right there.
"As for the asari her name is Liara T'soni and is a powerful biotic not bad of
a shot with a pistol and has had over fifty years' experience in studying the
Protheans, I was not aware of anyone in the Alliance that could cover those
three bases" Logan said interacting to Liara.
Mikhailovich frowned "Fifty years? No I don't imagine we do have anyone with
that amount of experience"
"The turian name is Garrus Vakarian is respected in C-Sec, an excellent sniper
and as long as he is on board, stops the other turians thinking this is a witch
hunt on top of that the turians would already know everything about this ship,
I mean they helped build it after all" Logan said looking at Garrus and gave
him a nod.
"And what about the krogan?" Mikhailovich asked.
Logan looked at Wrex and smirked slightly "Saren has quite a few krogan with
him; Urdnot Wrex is a battlemaster and knows krogan tactics. I have to ask
Admiral have you ever fought a krogan on the ground?" Logan asked before
answering his own question "very tough, hard to kill and because of that they
use different tactics to what any other races uses and if I am stepping up to
fight an army it doesn't hurt to have a walking tank on your side"
Admiral Mikhailovich seemed to study each of them "Hmm very well anything else
you would like to add Commander?"
Logan looked at his crew before turning back to the Admiral "The Normandy is a
fine ship, the stealth systems have already proven extremely useful and can
only be improved from here. The crew is the best of the best and every one of
them deserve to be here"
Admiral Mikhailovich nodded "Very well, while I am not convinced this ship is
not a waste of taxpayers' money I do know that you think otherwise and will use
it to the best of its ability. I will submit my report, it will not be as
negative as I was expecting. Good day Commander make us proud" Admiral
Mikhailovich said as he saluted and walked away.
Logan shook his head before he hit the button for the elevator "Ass" he said to
himself.
"Did you mean what you said Commander?" Tali had asked.
"Every word" Logan answered as the doors opened.
As they got on the elevator Liara looked at Ashley "Gunnery Chief Williams I
have noticed that humans have both male and female soldiers is this common
amongst humans?"
Ashley smirked "Wasn't always took us awhile to prove that we could do it
though"
Logan nodded "Even longer for the tech to catch up too. Good thing too
otherwise only the giants of the human race would be serving"
Ashley laughed "Yeah the big seven foot guys"
Liara seemed surprised that humans could get that big but before she could say
anything Wrex cut her off.
"Never fought beside a female before, krogan women stay home and focus of
reproduction" Wrex said.
Ashley's smile disappeared from her face "Well sorry to disappoint you Wrex but
I am not one to stay at home" she said as the elevator slowed as it neared the
bottom.
"Not disappointed, I could get used to it. Killing alongside a female gives the
battles a new flavour" Wrex chuckled to himself.
Logan shook his head as the doors opened "Only a krogan would think battles
have a flavour"
Wrex smirked and looked at Logan "Only a human would think they don't" he said
laughing.
Logan laughed but stopped when he saw Khalisah al-Jilani a reporter well known
in the Alliance and almost always has an agenda.
"Commander Shepard? Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund news. Would you
answer a few questions for our viewers?" She asked.
Logan sighed "As long as you know, some answers maybe be classified and I won't
be able to give them" he said.
"I'm sure our viewers would understand that" Khalisah said as she turned on her
camera.
Once the light came on Logan stood up straight and looked straight ahead, he
didn't like reporters and this one had a habit of pissing people off. She had
been even punched on her own show before by the person she was interviewing.
"Humans have been trying to the respect of the galactic community for twenty
six years. With that in mind what are your feelings on being named the first
human Spectre?" Khalisah asked.
Logan thought about his answer for a moment before responding "The Spectre's
represent the best the galaxy has to offer. It's an honour"
Khalisah tried to blind side him with the next question "Some of said it is the
Citadel 'throwing humans a bone" Have you ever been in a situation where the
Citadel's needs before the needs of Earth?"
Logan sighed, he was getting sick of this line of thinking humans seemed to
have "The Council is concerned with the needs of the whole galactic community;
we are a part of that now. Our needs are a part of that but they are one of
many. Not many realize this but Spectre's would have likely been protecting
Earth ever since we came to the Citadel, we just have one of our own in their
ranks now"
"You really believe that don't you? Have you heard of any examples that
Spectres have done to protect Earth?" Khalisah asked acting as if she had
caught him out on something.
Logan shook his head "I said likely, what they have or haven't done I couldn't
tell you, or what past missions they have completed if any at all. We don't
have meetings with one another after all"
Khalisah seemed disappointed with that "You have been given command of an
advance human warship. Is there anything you would like to say about it?"
Logan nodded "The Normandy is a fine ship, but I cannot tell you anything about
it I'm afraid. I sure you could ask the Alliance for details on it and they
would likely say the same thing as I just did"
Khalisah frowned and tried a different tactic "Do you think it was appropriate
to hand over the most advanced warship over to the Citadel?" Khalisah asked
still trying to trip him up.
Logan chuckled at that making it clear he thought very little of her "I was not
aware that it was 'handed over' to anyone. I am in command and I am human"
Khalisah was fighting hard to hide her contempt for the Commander from showing
"Human yes, but you work for the Citadel now" Khalisah then quickly changed
subjects before he could say anything about that last remark "one last question
Commander. Rumours back home say that you are tracking a Rogue Spectre named
Saren. Any comment on that?"
Logan shook his head "I can't tell you about my ship but you think I can tell
you what I am doing? I cannot comment on what my current assignment may or may
not be. I would have thought you knew how this sort of thing works Khalisah?"
Logan said as the lights on the camera went off.
"Don't worry we will find out. Earth is watching you Commander. Don't let us
down" Khalisah said before she walked away.
Logan watched as she walked away "She is going to be a problem, I can just
tell"
Garrus smirked "You do seem to have a way with reporters Commander"
Logan chuckled at that as they made their way towards a rapid transit "Yeah
well after Torfan, I haven't been the most popular Commander around"
"What happened on Torfan?" Tali asked as they waited.
"Commander Shepard kicked ass that's what" said a male voice from behind the
group.
As Logan turned around he could see Wesley Callaway walking towards him with a
slight limp, he was wearing a C-Sec uniform.
"Wesley? What are you doing here?" Logan asked as he shook the man's hand.
"I got a job here after I was injured Anderson helped set it up. Now I just
watch the Council through a high powered scope. I saw you become a Spectre
though my scope too, congrats" Wesley explained.
"Thanks" Logan said.
"You're a C-Sec Council sniper guard?" Garrus asked sounding impressed.
Wesley looked at Garrus, if he showed any surprise at Logan working with a
turian he didn't show it "Yeah, I can't run that well anymore but I still can
shot a rifle well enough and it beats sitting behind a desk or collecting a
pension"
Wrex looked the human up and down "How did you get hurt?" he asked.
Logan looked at Wrex "Elcor heavy, shot him to bits during the Blitz. He is
lucky to be alive"
Wesley shook his head "Wrong. Luck had nothing to do with it; I would have been
dead if the Commander didn't take that elcor out with a knife of all things"
"So this is the famous Commander Shepard?" a female voice asked.
A female turian walked over to them and put her arm around Wesley "It is an
honour to meet you Commander. I am Dexiia Barrian, Wesley's wife" she said
introducing herself.
Logan raised an eyebrow but shook her hand anyway "You seem surprised
Commander?" Wesley asked.
Logan chuckled "Yeah I just remember you, not trusting no-humans that much" he
said trying to not to sound like Wesley was a xenophobe, which at the time he
was.
"I was a xenophobe, I know that now" He said with a slight shame in his voice
"But after I came here and I met Dex here it was hard to stay that way you
know? Besides I am one of the few humans in C-Sec being like that would not
make me very well liked" he said chuckling.
"I had to keep a few other turians from shutting that mouth of his a few times"
Dex said wrapping her arm around him "I knew he was injured in the Blitz so I
cut him some slack. Besides it was more ignorance than hatred"
Wesley smiled "Yeah it wasn't until she saw me freeze up when a elcor diplomat
walked past she knew what had happened" he said kissing her cheek "of course
now I am hated by other turians because I am dating one" he said laughing "They
really don't like that"
Dex flicked her mandibles "Well my parents like you anyway"
Logan smiled "I am happy for you, we will have to catch up some time" he told
them and explained that they were on shore leave right now and needed to unwind
but Logan told them he would make sure to visit afterwards and the crew was
even invited for dinner.
After they had left them behind and made their way to Chora's Den. As they got
out of the transit Logan saw a man he had not seen in over ten years. Finch,
the Tenth Street Red, one of the most ruthless gangsters Logan has ever met.
Logan looked at the rest of his crew "Let me do the talking and don't say
anything" Logan warned as he turned and walked closer to Finch.
"Iceman? Long-time no see" Finch called out and shook his head "They told me it
was you. Shepard grew up and turned into a soldier"
Logan knew Finch had to of been here for a reason but he needed to know why.
For that reason he acted like he was seeing an old friend, when in fact Logan
felt his skin crawl just being this close to him.
"Finch? Long time" Logan asked shaking his hand.
Finch smirked "I am surprised you recognised me. None of the vids mention your
time in the Red's"
Logan looked at Finch "The vids don't show everything, besides real men don't
talk"
Finch smiled "Fair enough. Word is that you are in good with the aliens now. We
wanted you to do a little favour for us, for old time's sake"
Logan knew Finch was threatening him but what he really wanted to know was why.
What Finch said next confirmed it "One of the Red's, Curt Weisman got picked by
turians. We'd like you to talk to the turian in there and get Curt out"
Logan frowned "How did that happen?"
Finch smirked slightly "Well he may have been carrying a little red sand at the
time. You know how turians are?"
Logan scratched his nose "Want were the reds doing in turian space? Turians
don't use red sand"
Finch smiled "Oh we have expended since your days and turians don't but volus
love to buy it, then they sell it themselves"
Logan nodded "I'll go see him now" Logan said before turning and walking away.
The others stayed quiet but Logan could feel that they wanted to ask him
questions, but he wanted to get to the bottom of this first "Finch is a hard
core gang member if he is here than the rest of the Reds would be as well.
Better to find out now than later what he is up to" Logan explained.
Garrus nodded "Volus would buy red sand but he wouldn't need to go through
turian space to sell it to them. He is lying Commander"
Logan nodded "Find out soon enough" Logan said as they entered the club and
made their way over to the guard.
"Spectre Logan Shepard, I understand you have a human prisoner in custody, a
Curt Weisman. I want to know why he was arrested for" Logan said.
The turian didn't seem to like the introduction very much "The xenophobe? The
human acknowledged his affiliations with several anti-alien organisations"
Logan looked at the guard "Speak plainly. What was he arrested for?"
The turian now understood that Logan was asking for a reason "His crime
specifically targeted turians as a species. It was a hate crime and will
treated as such at his sentencing"
Logan nodded "What crime did he commit?"
The guard relaxed and answered without looking at his Omni-tool which told
Logan it was worse than he had first thought "he attempted to poison medical
cargo being sent to a turian colony to treat an outbreak of a dangerous
disease. If he had succeeded millions would have died. This human is a
dangerous xenophobe"
Logan was shocked, that was a lot worse than he thought. When he was a part of
the Reds, they were criminal's sure, brutal gangsters but terrorists? "What
sentence is Weisman likely to receive?"
The guard studied Logan's reaction at first before answering "Considering that
he attempted to commit a xenophobic hate crime. I would expect him to receive a
lifetime sentence"
Logan nodded "Thanks for the information. One of Weisman's friends was less
than honest with me"
The turian nodded "I understand. Weisman was too well supplied to be acting
alone. Thank you for the information. We will increase the guard detail on his
cell"
"I knew you would rat us out Shepard! Now it's payback time" Finch yelled from
behind "When we're through telling our story, the aliens will all know what the
first human Spectre really is"
Logan pulled his gun out and looked at it "Finch you never were that smart. I
can legally execute every person in this bar, you really think they will care
that I ran with gangs?"
Finch took a step back "You wouldn't, this is your career"
The turian guard spoke up at that point "The turians won't. The Commander left
a troubled childhood to lead a promising military career, I doubt you can say
that same. And I highly doubt the asari or the salarians will believe your
story either"
Finch shook his head and went to walk away "Fine, we will just see then won't
we" he took two steps before Logan shot him in the back of the leg.
Logan walked over and stood over him while Finch held his knee "Andrew Finch,
by the order of the Council I am sentencing you for crimes against the Council
races including: blackmail of a Spectre, selling of a prohibited substance in
Council space, masterminding a terrorist action on an Alliance ally, treason of
both the Alliance and the Council and the murder of a child" Logan all but
snarled "any last words?"
Finch had stopped screaming in pain and looked up at Logan "You think that
killing me will stop it? How many did you murder? How much red sand did you
sell huh? Do you think these aliens know about the people you robbed? Or how
you were able to afford to go to school? Truth is Ramon paid for it, a gang
member paid for it. The only father you ever had and how did you repay him? You
gave him wings!" Finch screamed, by now everyone in the bar was listening "Tell
your asari slut how many of her kind you gunned down in a bar just like this
one" Finch looked around at the aliens now watching him "that's right asari
don't give him a lap dance the last one that did, Shepard here, shot her half a
dozen times through the legs, before he then shot into a crowded club. I didn't
call you Iceman because you're a nice guy you know, you stabbed people, shot
them, robbed alien tourists at gun point. Hell I remember that kid you stabbed
to death with that knife that you still carry, the same knife you used to kill
Ramon" Finch snarled.
Logan's face was unreadable; calmly he lifted the gun and shot Finch again this
time in the face. Logan then looked at the turian guard "Contact the Alliance.
The people you are looking for are a human gang by the name of the Reds. They
are on Earth and this won't stop them"
The turian guard nodded and walked away.
Putting his gun away Logan sighed and looked around at the staring faces and
after a second everyone went back to what they were doing.
Logan sat down at a table his head in his hands, his past had caught up with
him "Ashley get some drinks I want everyone to listen to this" he told her.
Once a few bottles were bought back to the table Logan looked up at his crew "I
think it's time you all know the truth"
The rest of them were quiet and then Logan begun his story "I was found not
long after birth, in a dumpster, my mother had placed me there not long after
birth and left me to die" Logan said his voice remaining calm and steady giving
no hint of his emotions. "If I was krogan I guess I would be called clan less"
Wrex spoke up at that point "Any female doing that to a child would be
punished"
Logan nodded "Same with humans but she never stuck around to get any
punishment. I was found by a trash collector by the name of John Logan Shepard"
Logan said pouring himself a drink "He had left his name when he had dropped me
off to the police, who I got my name from. The people running the orphanage
though didn't like the name John so they made it my middle name instead"
Logan told them of Earth, and the high crime rates (*). He explained that the
orphanage was abusive and that he ran as soon as he could. Surviving by
stealing, picking food out of bins until he joined the Reds.
"I killed my first person at eight years old. I don't know what that means to
aliens but to a human it is very young" Logan told them taking a drink
"I had thought you were a look out or something?" Garrus had asked.
Logan shook his head "Nah, the kids do that. Only the full members are looked
after. To join I had to stand in the middle of a group of thirty kids all
around the same age and stay standing for ten minutes while they beat the shit
out of me"
"Keelah" Tali had remarked.
Logan looked down at his hands as if they were covered in blood "By the time I
was sixteen I had killed sixty four people. Mostly gang members. I was the type
of criminal that you would have loved to put a bullet in Garrus"
Garrus just listened, he had no idea "You were a professional criminal? I have
trouble believing that"
Logan looked at Garrus with a snarl "And what do you know of survival huh? Have
you ever struggled to eat? Picked food out of bins? Where if you couldn't steal
something you would stave? What do you know about poverty? Ever lived on the
streets? I had to eat and avoid being sold off as a slave, gang life protected
me from that. When this is over you will go back to your family. The Alliance
is my family now" Logan said before he calmed down again with a sigh.
Logan never left anything out explaining that the Reds didn't trust him due to
him being a biotic. Telling them every crime he was involved in from robbing
tourists at gun point, selling red sand and murdering rivals.
"Truth is if I met any of you back then, I would have tried to rob you" Logan
said still avoiding looking any of them in the eyes.
Logan then told them of Ramon "He tried to give me to the Eclipse. Asari were
interested in human biotics, I didn't find out what they would have done with
me, didn't care either. The asari was a pretty one, a dancer and she knew how
to use what she had" Logan said taking another drink "she hadn't been around
humans for long and since she was sitting on my lap she thought I was getting
excited" Logan then pulled out his pistol "it was this. When I knew why I was
there I opened fire, must of shot her half dozen times at point blank range"
Logan knew that people were listening but he also knew that the Reds would bury
his career now and it wouldn't be long before the Council had heard everything.
So Logan was past the point of caring and told them everything.
"What did Finch mean by you gave Ramon 'wings'?" Liara asked, like the others
she was shocked but a complete picture was coming into focus on what sort of
man Logan was.
Logan sighed "When I got back after shooting up that Eclipse club, I found the
Reds clubhouse on fire. Eclipse hit it hard, Ramon had sold out the Reds and me
to the Eclipse. So we headed to his house and did what we did to all traitors"
Logan looked up then and turned to Ashley "turn around Ashley" when she did
Logan poked her shoulder blade with a finger "we stab you there hard enough to
break bones, then we reach in and pull you lungs out to leave them hang there
like a pair of wings"
The others looked like they were going to be sick, except Wrex who just nodded.
Ashley felt a chill run up her spine when he did that "Bit excessive isn't it?"
Logan nodded "Yeah well it's a gang not a charity" he said calmly before
continuing his story "afterwards while Ramon was still screaming on the ground
a young kid, I don't know how young but young, came out and asked for his dad,
Ramon" Logan said not meeting their eyes again "Finch shot him like it was
nothing. After that I couldn't be in the Reds any more, I left, went home had a
shower and tried to get out of the city, just my luck though a cop had arrested
me just as I was stealing a car"
Logan just sat in silence as they all just soaked in what he had said "You
aren't that person anymore" Liara said and the others agreed.
Logan sighed and looked up at them "You sure about that? I do the same thing
now when you think about it. I am just as sadistic to the enemies of the
Alliance as I was to any gang members" Logan was about to say something else
when his Omni-tool beeped; it was from the Council "well that was quick. I will
catch up with you guys later I have to see the Council" Logan stood up and
picked up his bottle "don't get up" he told them before he walked away and went
to see the Council leaving his crew in the bar thinking one what he just told
them.
***** Chapter 22: Leopards and their spots *****
Chapter Summary
     Logan finds out just how much the Council knows about him.
Chapter 31: Leopards and their spots
 
Logan walked into the Council chamber and sighed while waiting for the
holograms of the Council to come to life. He was still drinking, he knew that
that he would be arrested soon enough; after all you can’t just admit to
killing sixty four people and get away with it.
Captain Anderson was there waiting for him, as well as Wesley Callaway and Matt
Dinnie. Frowning Logan looked over his shoulder and saw his crew running up to
him.
“What is going on?” Logan asked looking confused.
Anderson smiled “I heard what happened and I don’t care about who you were. I
got together as many character witnesses as I could to speak on your behalf”
Logan looked at Wesley and Matt and nodding his head. Logan looked back at his
crew, who held their heads up high as the Council’s holograms turned on.
Wrex chuckled and gently shoved Logan’s arm “You’re not facing this by
yourself”
Garrus nodded “I have seen many criminals during C-Sec and you’re not one of
them”
Liara smiled at Logan “I just hope we can help”
Logan just stared blankly at them; he didn’t know what to say. The Council
seemed surprised to see that many people waiting along with him.
“Very well we can discuss this first” Tevos said, it was always hard to get a
read on her but not impossible “we have heard troubling accounts of what
occurred at Chora’s Den…”
Anderson held up his hand to speak “The Alliance did not know of Commander
Shepard’s criminal past having said that we believe that Commander Shepard has
paid for his crimes in full. He served during the Blitz, he fought on Torfan
and he shared all information with the turians once it became clear what his
past ties were doing in turian space. I have the information here and am
offering the full support of the Alliance to hunt these criminals”
Sparatas looked confused “You would help us with this? They are humans hiding
on your home world”
Anderson nodded “Udina is the Ambassador; he however has no say in military
matters. Criminals like this cannot be allowed to roam free and they are now
terrorists” Anderson said before looking at Logan “Commander Shepard didn’t
know the Reds were involved and…”
Sparatas held up a hand “Do you think we never did our own research on the
Commander?” he said leaning forward before looking over at Tevos who nodded.
Valern pointed behind Logan who turned and saw an asari walking towards them
wearing combat armour with markings on her face.
“This is Tela Vasir, She was on Earth roughly fifteen years ago tracking weapon
shipments. An Eclipse club by the name of Siren’s Call, I believe you know of
the club” Tevos said with a slight smirk.
Logan frowned and looked at Tela Vasir “That was the club I shot my way out of”
Tela Vasir turned her head and looked Logan in the face with a slight smirk on
her face
“I was caught in a restricted area when you started shooting” Tela said with a
chuckle “I remember using the distraction of the gunshots to kill the merc who
had spotted me. After running out into the bar area I saw you” Tela said still
smirking “You had shot that one asari before you opened fire on the others and
started running, I repaid the favour by throwing you out the window”
Logan blinked shocked “That was you?”
Tela laughed out loud “You think anyone else would have been that gentle? They
would have thrown you so hard it would of shattered bones”
Logan shrugged “I never thought about it to be honest”
Tevos tilted her head up “She made a report and I told her to watch you”
Logan thought back and nodded, trying to think of how long they would have been
following him “Why though?”
Tela looked at Logan “Not many people can shoot their way out an Eclipse
stronghold even if it is on their home world. Didn’t Nihlus ever tell you?
Spectre’s are not trained they are born. I believe Captain Anderson even told
you that we would have been watching you for years”
Logan frowned “So every Spectre has been studied like this?”
Tela shook her head “No of course not, only the ones that impress us”
Logan looked back up at the Council “So what does this have to do with my
history with the Reds?”
Sparatas nodded “We knew about your criminal history, I understand that humans
often during times of war allow criminals to serve?”
Anderson nodded “Yes but we didn’t know about the Blitz at the time” while
wondering not for the first time just how much research the Council had done on
humans.
Sparatas nodded “If humans didn’t have the Blitz, you would be up on charges
right now” Sparatas said glaring at Logan “But your kind did go through the
Blitz, and you have served with loyalty and saved the lives of not only your
own people but others as well”
Valern nodded “Although we did not know that your former gang was now a
terrorist group”
Garrus stepped forward “I am former C-Sec investigator; I have met many
terrorists, gangsters and other criminals. I can say for sure that the
Commander is not any of those things anymore”
Sparatas nodded “Anyone else got anything to add?”
Wesley stepped forward “I am a part of your sniper guard, I have watched all of
you make difficult choices but keeping the Commander as a Spectre is not one of
them. I know the Commander perhaps better than anyone here, he saved my life.
He has a focus that you need in that line of work, I know that he will never
stop until his mission is complete no matter the cost. Yes he can be brutal and
very sadistic to his enemies but your enemies are his enemies now. This is a
man that you can trust to get a job done if failure is not an option”
Matthew Dinnie stepped forward “The Commander has had plenty of chances to
betray the Alliance and he never has. I first meet him in a medical unit after
he was tortured and snapped his own wrists to avoid talking, I ask you to think
of that for a moment. He could have talked, in fact if he did he wouldn’t have
been tortured for as long he was. I was there when they wheeled him in, those
slavers did a number on him and he gave them nothing” Matt said looking over at
Logan “I was with him when he tracked the man down who placed a bounty on his
head. Since he set fire to the slaver who did it I have not heard of a single
bounty being placed on any Alliance soldier since”
Logan smiled to himself and looked at the Council who asked if he had anything
to add.
“There was a reason you made me a Spectre, don’t forget that it was a turian
Spectre who put my name forward. As for the Reds now being a terrorist group,
it was ten years ago when I was a member. Once I am done hunting Saren I will
head to Earth and burn this whole group to nothing” Logan said looking up at
Sparatas “but first I need to finish cleaning your house before I go clean
mine” he said.
Sparatas glared back at Logan but before he could say anything Valern nodded
and spoke while shooting Sparatas a look “Very good. Now if you can ask your
friends to leave we have other matters to discuss with you”
Tela Vasir winked and turned and walked away as did the others after telling
Logan they would catch up with him later.
Anderson nodded and left as well. Logan watched them leave before he turned
back to the Council “So what’s so important you needed to talk to me about?” he
asked.
Tevos nodded “We asked you here to speak with us without the risk of you
hanging up on us, this is far too important” she said sounding more than a
little annoyed.
Logan raised his eyebrow “Oh and what would that be?”
Valern looked down, clearly reading a report “We have received an urgent
message from one of our infiltration units in the Traverse”
Logan chuckled before shaking his head “You mean spies”
Valern looked over at Tevos who seemed to sigh “Spectres tend to attract
attention Commander. They are only one arm of the Council. Special task groups
are often a better option for monitoring developing situations”
Logan held up his hand “I know that, I was clarifying besides you salarians
really need to just call things what they are” he said chuckling to himself, he
was a little tipsy but sober enough to pay attention and listen but not sober
enough not to give them a hard time.
Valern nodded “We currently have several infiltration units scatted throughout
the border regions of Citadel space” he said completely ignoring what Logan
just said about calling them spies.
Might be a salarian thing, call something an infiltration unit and it sounds
less threatening then a spy team, also gives them a way out Logan thought.
“This particular unit was gathering Intel on Saren” Valern said.
Logan sobered up almost right away at that news “What did they find?”
“Unfortunately the message we received was little more than static. The
Infiltration team must be in a situation where they can’t set up proper
interstellar communications. But the message was sent on a channel reserved for
mission critical communications” Valern answered before looking back up at
Logan “whatever they were trying to tell us we know it was important.
Considering your interest in Saren, we thought you might want to investigate
this, find out what happened to our team. The signal originated from the planet
Virmire”
Logan nodded “I’ll look into it”
“The Council prefers not to become involved in the specifics of Spectre
activities. We only want you to be aware of all your options including Virmire.
Good luck Commander Shepard we will keep you advised if you learn of anything
else” Tevos said once again trying to get some distance from the fallout of
Shepard’s actions.
“Oh one more thing” Logan said before they went “the batarians that may have
been funded by the Hegemony, made an attack on a human colony”
Sparatas flicked his mandibles “And you have evidence of this? We can’t just
act on your word”
Logan shook his head “No and I don’t expect you too, however I suggest the
Council uses one of those infiltration units to investigate, either they were
funded by the Hegemony and it was an act of war or they weren’t and it was an
act of terrorism” he said but when Sparatas looked like he was going to say
something Logan cut him off with “they tried to drop a asteroid on the colony
and made threats against humans and the Council races who they think turned
their backs on them”
Tevos looked shocked and glanced at Sparatas and then Valern “That is a war
crime...I cannot imagine they would go to such lengths”
Logan nodded “Well they did, it was a human colony today it might be one of
yours next time” he said looking at them “they hate humans but they look at
your races as traitors” he said and left the warning in the air. It wasn’t long
before Sparatas spoke.
“We will increase patrols and look into this” Sparatas said looking at Valern.
Logan nodded “Good. I’ll let you know what I find on Virmire” he said and went
to walk away.
“I hope you realize that we have given you a second chance. Not everyone gets a
second chance” Sparatas said out to him as if he wanted to put Logan in his
place.
The other two Councillors looked at Sparatas silently wondering why he would
have said that and what exactly his problem with the Commander was.
Logan turned back around and keeping his voice calm “I realize that I am far
more useful to the Council on your side then hunting Saren on my own. I realize
that I am hunting a turian who has never hid his hatred of humans and not once
was investigated because he was a Spectre and was getting the job done. I
realize that he has now betrayed the Council, something if you were doing your
job you would have seen coming and now is starting his own personal war with
humans. I realize that while I may think of you are an asshole and while Saren
is a mass murdering psychopath, I know for a fact that not all turians are like
those two examples you have been kind enough to show me” Logan said emotionless
as he stared at Sparatas “I know what I am, maybe it is time for you to accept
it. I am a human who has few skills, I am not the smartest guy in the universe
but what I do better than almost anyone is hunt, hurt and kill people who
decide that they don’t have to play by the rules. If you need someone bought in
alive or unharmed, I am not the guy for the job but if you need someone dead no
matter the cost” Logan turned and started to walk away with his back to the
Council he said “give me a call”
Logan walked out of the Council Chambers and saw Tela Vasir waiting for him
“Don’t think I have heard anyone say that to the Council before” she said.
Logan looked at her “Look thanks for your help but if Saren is a friend of
yours you’re not going to like me very much”
Tela smirked and shook her head “What? No fuck him” she said noticing Shepard’s
crew close by “I was friends with Nihlus though and I am just glad that Saren
will get what’s coming to him”
Logan smirked softly “Count on it” he saw his crew walking closer to him “Well
it was good to meet another Spectre that isn’t trying to kill me” Logan shook
her hand and watched her walk away, while thinking back to that night on Earth
and he knew she saved his life.
Logan walked closer to his crew while he could see Anderson getting yelled at
by Udina. Anderson glanced over at Logan and waved him over. Logan shook the
hands of Matthew Dinnie and Wesley Callaway thanking them for their help before
speaking with his crew.
“Thanks guys I mean it” Logan said smiling slightly “It’s kind of weird now
that you know what happened before I joined the Alliance”
Liara smiled “It never bothered me” she said holding eye contact with him,
which Logan kept eye contact with her for a few moments before he turned away.
“Well there are a few things I need to do. All of you enjoy your shore leave”
Logan said looking at all of them.
Logan walked to Anderson and waited quietly while Udina finished yelling at
Anderson “I am the Ambassador Captain not you I should of been notified of this
meeting”
Anderson nodded “This meeting had more to do with Commander Shepard and
Alliance not you. I will keep that in mind next time”
Udina shook his head “Everything has to do with me Captain it is time you learn
that”
Logan cleared his throat “Do you mind Udina? I have business to talk about”
Udina looked at Logan with an angry glare “I am the ambassador I must be
involved” he said crossing his arms.
Logan looked at Udina “Ok fair enough. ExoGeni broke the law and preformed
experiments on humans and when they were caught they tried to ‘purge’ the
colony. I want to know what you are intending to do about it?” Logan asked.
Udina cleared his throat “Do you have evidence?”
Logan looked at him “Yeah. I am a Spectre and I am telling you it happened. You
want me to do my job, well I am doing it, you either do something about them or
I will” Logan left the threat hang in the air.
Udina frowned “You can’t just….”
Anderson smirked “Yes he can. He is Spectre remember? If any other Spectre saw
what he did it could go very badly for us”
Logan looked over at Anderson “So you can either punish them or I will”
Udina looked at the both of them and swore before walking off.
Anderson watched as Udina walked away “He will be a problem” Anderson said
before turning to Logan “Listen we need to talk. This is a bad hit to your name
and the Alliance; we need some clean wins to give to the media”
Logan frowned “What do you mean?”
Anderson sighed “I believe you but many others won’t. Over the next few weeks
your name will be dragged through the mud, your actions on Torfan and now the
full story of your past coming to light, we will need some public wins to show
to the Alliance brass and the media that you are not the same person”
Logan frowned “What about Eden Prime, Terra Nova and Feros?”
Anderson sighed “We can’t tell the media about those. Eden Prime, the public
knows the geth and that you were there but not about the nukes. We are keeping
Feros under wraps so only top brass will know about that one and same for Terra
Nova”
Logan sighed “Fine, any ideas?”
Anderson nodded “I’ll let Hackett know to send you some details” Anderson said
before shaking his hand.
He walked away and made sure he spoke with Admiral Kahoku about the marines he
found on near the thresher maw nest with a beacon placed near it. Logan always
liked Kahoku so Logan told him to keep him updated. Logan also spoke to a
salarian about scanning the keepers for him, sounded easy enough and to be
honest Logan wanted to know as well.
Afterwards Logan stopped by C-Sec Spectre requisitions and placed a large order
and asked for a list of items that got him a dirty look from the turian behind
the counter.
“I guess you could say I am baking for a friend” Logan explained with a slight
smirk.
The turian nodded and looked at the list “That is some friend you have” the
turian’s mandibles clicked together before he started making some notes on the
computer “Well there is easier ways you know?”
Logan shook his head “And this friend may be prepared, so no I have to make it”
The officer took a look at the list again “Well the alcohol is easy enough you
can buy that yourself, bread and jelly are the same. These human drugs, though
you might have to ask a doctor for them and even then they may not have them,
then the Kahje shellfish I can get for you, however it is a controlled
substance so only you could buy it. It’s the this last item on the list that is
a problem, being a prohibited substance makes it hard to get on the Citadel;
you know how deadly they are to turians I take it?”
Logan gave him a look “Of course”
The officer nodded “Well I can point you to C-Sec but I am not touching it”
Logan frowned “It would be in a bag”
The officer shrugged his shoulders “Sorry Commander but that stuff gives me
nightmares and any turian who knows what they do will tell you the same thing”
Logan shook his head “Fine” he said paying for the rest of the items and
walking out and headed to Chora’s Den to get the alcohol that he needed. He
also ended up speaking to the Consort and after speaking to an elcor diplomat
on her behalf; Logan had forgotten how big they are. But he did find the elcor
pleasant enough to talk to even more so after the last one he was this close to
they were trying to kill one another he even ran into Liara and Tali on his way
back to the Consort. Once back at the Consort he got his reward of a shiny
trinket and ‘a gift of words’
“I see your skin, tough as the scales on any turian. Unyielding. A wall between
you and everyone else. But you never hide your strength either, it serves you
well. Terrifies your foes, few will stand against you. This may be who you are
but it is not who you will become. It only forms the basis for your future
greatness. Remember these words when doubt descends” The Consort Sha’ira said
looking into Logan’s eyes, seemingly not noticing Liara and Tali staring holes
in her from behind his back.
Logan nodded before having a look at the trinket she gave him “Thank you,
you’re good” He said before turning to walk away.
Sha’ira watched as Tali followed after him and she watched as Liara started to
turn to walk away “If you want him as your bond mate, you must be bold. He is
attracted to strength and intelligence; I sense you have a rival for his
attention and if you don’t tell him your rival will” she said without turning
around.
Liara blinked unsure of what to say “If that is true then I am not what he
is looking for”
Sha’ira turned her head and smirked “Are you sure about that?”
Liara frowned and thanked her and walked out.
Later that night, Logan and the crew had dinner with Wesley and his wife; a
chance for a home cooked meal was not something any of them passed up. They
seemed to get along well and made sure that the next time they were at the
Citadel to stop in. His interview with Khalisah Al-Jilani also aired, it was
made clear she was trying to smear the Commander’s name and sure enough she had
found out what happened at Chora’s Den and ended the report with the question
“Can humanity trust a career criminal like Shepard?”
Logan shook his head “I really don’t like that woman. I should of just punched
her out”
Hackett later told him that the interview was good and that he was impressed
with the level of restraint Logan had showed.
Argos Rho / Phoenix System / Tuntau
Two days later.
The Normandy had headed for the Argos Rho system since they were going past
there, it was a short stop and since Wrex had wanted to go there to pick up his
family’s armour and to be honest so did Logan wanted to visit the system after
finding out he was invited to Pinnacle station to train. Remembering what
Anderson told him patrolled the system and while they were over the planet
Tuntau, Joker picked up signals indicting a pirate base.
Logan smiled and told Wrex and Ashley to get ready, once they landed in the
Mako and had a quick scout around and even did a quick mining survey, which
Logan thought should make the Alliance happy and picked up some asari writings
that maybe Liara could make some use out of. Ashley could feel her lunch rising
while Wrex seemed like he couldn’t wait to get out the Mako.
Logan looked at Ashley “I might have to see if the engineers can do anything so
we can fit the whole ground team in here”
Ashley almost bit her tongue as the Mako went over a cliff “Fitting seven
people in here might be tight fit Commander” she said as she closed her eyes
trying to stop herself from throwing up as the Mako dropped over two hundred
feet off a cliff and even spun in the air.
Logan nodded and looked as if he didn’t notice just how bad his driving really
was “Would come in handy for when we catch up with Saren”
The Pirate base when they reached it was no match for two Alliance marines and
a very pissed off krogan who tore into them like they were nothing. Logan had
managed to corner a turian while the others dealt with rest of pirates, Logan
didn’t kill the pirate though he wanted make sure it was Tonn Arctus and there
was no point in killing him until they knew where the armour was.
“Yeah that’s him” Wrex said booting the turian in the face.
Logan looked at Ashley and shook his head, telling her not to get involved.
“Where is my armour?” Wrex asked aiming his shotgun at the pirate’s head.
“If I’ll tell you, you have to let me go” Tonn said looking from Wrex to Logan.
“If you don’t tell us, we will hurt you until you do” Logan said calmly.
Tonn looked back at Wrex and seemed to make his mind up quickly “Upstairs in a
safe”
Wrex smiled “Thank you” and pulled the trigger tearing the turian’s head off.
Logan shook his head and looked down at the turian “You know we should have
seen if he was telling the truth first”
Wrex smirked as he walked upstairs “He was; only professionals and psychopaths
can lie well enough for me not to tell. Our sense of smell and hearing is too
good, so I could pick up things you humans just can’t, plus I have been doing
this for longer than you have been alive”
Logan nodded “That should come in handy”
Wrex smirked when he saw the safe and got to work getting it open. Inside was
an old krogan hard-suit that was battered but the look on Wrex’s face as he
stared at the armour said it was what they were looking for.
“I can’t believe my ancestors used to wear this crap, but better in my hands
then a turian’s” Wrex said with a strange look on his face.
Logan always found krogan hard to read “Glad we could get it back, now let’s
move out”
Wrex nodded “Careful Shepard, I might just start to like you”
Logan smirked “Oh no we can’t have that, should I insult you now? You know to
stop that from happening?” he joked.
Wrex chuckled “Humans” he said with a shake of his head and follow Ashley and
Logan back out.
***** Chapter 23: Best of the Best *****
Chapter Summary
     Logan arrives at Pinnacle Station and finds he out how Liara feels
     about him. But will he survive long enough to act on it
 
Logan had ordered the Normandy to head towards Pinnacle Station, before
gathering up the ground team so they knew why they were here.
 
“We are here because of happened at Feros” He told them calmly “If we face off
against Saren and his Geth the same way, we will die” he looked at all of them
before walking past all of them looking at each one “we need to fight as one,
not as if we are by ourselves” Logan made sure they were all listening to him
before continuing “this is Pinnacle Station, where the best of the best train.
I want to know if we can match them or are we just playing?”
 
All of the crew said no at the same time and looked excited to be there and has
they walked out onto Pinnacle Station. Logan could see two turian guards on
either side of the walkway talking to each other.
 
“Isn’t that Commander Shepard? The human Spectre?” One turian whispered.
 
“Whatever. Spectre or no, it’s always fun to see humans get pummelled in the
simulator” said the other one, who based on his uniform was a guard captain.
 
Logan overhead them but ignored them he made sure Ashley and Kaidan didn’t say
anything either, after all a lot of humans had not been invited here yet so it
is likely that the ones that have been here did get pummelled. Once they walked
through the doors, Logan made his way over to the human standing overlooking
the room.
 
“Ah, Commander Shepard. Welcome to Pinnacle Station. I’m Admiral Tadius Ahern”
The Admiral said.
 
Logan smiled and nodded “Glad I got the invite. Where do we begin?”
 
While the Admiral explained how it worked, the others had a look around and all
of them came to the same conclusion, humans were in very low numbers here.
After Logan had finished talking to the Admiral he made his way down the stairs
and towards the training simulator. While Logan was speaking to the tech-
officer, Wrex made his way over to the krogan leaning against the wall.
 
Logan frowned as he was talking to the tech officer who introduced himself as
Ochren “What’s with the attitude?”
 
Ochren sighed “I am a technical genius on a station full of soldiers who only
respect battlefield prowess. It is more than a little frustrating”
 
Logan nodded “You help keep these soldiers at their best. That’s extremely
valuable”
 
Ochren sighed again “I suppose so. It would be nice to get credit once and
awhile though”
 
Logan nodded and asked about how to get started, and after choosing a course
and a warning about not using real grenades or Ochren would turn off every
safety setting they had, he was ready to start.
 
“Ok, guys this will be a simple capture simulation” Logan explained to all of
them “First off Liara and Tali, you are with me for this one”
 
Tali nodded and stepped forward checking her gear “Right, behind you Commander”
Tali said. She was excited to be here, she wondered exactly the hologram
projectors worked and if the Fleet could use anything like it.
 
Liara on the other hand, was slightly upset she hadn’t had much of a chance to
speak to Logan yet, while he wasn't avoiding her anymore, he was very busy and
it looked like now would be no different “Ready” she said. Truth was she could
use the training, she knew Saren was going to be surrounded by geth and maybe
even asari commandos, or worse her own mother and she needed to be ready.
 
After they were done, Logan checked the scores and gave a few pointers to Tali
and Liara before he took Wrex and Kaidan though another simulator while Liara
and Tali caught their breath.
 
“What was it like in there?” asked Ashley.
 
Tali looked at Ashley and after she swallowed a mouthful of water answered
“Commander Shepard was really pushing us hard. I think he is worried about our
chances against Saren”
 
Ashley nodded before she relayed the same message to Garrus and since they knew
that they would be next they talked tactics with each other.
 
Sure enough once they came back out; Logan checked the scores and talked with
Wrex and Kaidan before he pointed to Garrus and Ashley “Your turn now” before
he looked at others “Don’t just sit there, go choose a simulation, the whole
point of this to get our team work down, so work in pairs” he explained before
walking back into the simulator.
 
Liara looked over at Kaidan and asked if he wanted to go through a simulator,
while Wrex did the same with Tali while they managed to work well together, it
was when Logan took them though that was the hardest. It wasn’t until Kaidan
explained to all of them that Logan was giving them the same training that he
gave to his old squad that was called the Wrecking Crew, which was more
specialised than N-7 training, focusing on small unit tactics and close
quarters fighting.
 
After hours Logan had stopped them for the night “That’s it for now, get some
rest and we will do some more tomorrow” Logan watched as they all headed back
to the Normandy, as they walked away he called out to Liara.
 
“Yes Commander?” Liara asked.
 
Logan sighed “Look, I should explain, I was avoiding you and you didn’t deserve
that. I just wanted to say sorry” he said looking into her eyes.
 
Liara frowned “Why were you avoiding me?”
 
Logan took a deep breath and looked down at the floor “I was worried that you
saw things from my past, I didn’t think you could of accepted me if you knew”
 
Liara shook her head “Well, if we are being honest with each other, I looked
into your history, I read what you did on Torfan and the Blitz, I can’t imagine
what that was like but you did what needed to be done”
 
Logan looked up then “You looked that up? I would have told you anything you
wanted to know”
 
Liara looked down and away from his intense gaze “I’m sorry but after our last
conversations I was afraid of making a fool of myself and say something stupid
again” she said before she looked back into his eyes “I wanted to know more
about you, to understand what made you into the man you are. There is something
compelling about you Commander” she said her voice changing slightly.
Is she hitting on me?Logan thought before he asked “Are you sure you are
interested in me? Or is it just my visions of the protheans?” Logan couldn’t
help but feel a little turned on with the change in her voice, so he was hoping
it was him and not the visions.
 
Liara nodded “I will admit, the visions had something to do with my initial
interest but it has grown beyond that. You intrigue me Shepard but I was not
sure if it was appropriate to act on my feelings. I thought there might already
be a relationship between you and Chief Williams”
 
Logan blinked before he shook his head “How can we have a relationship? We
aren’t even the same species?” he asked, as shallow as it made him sound, he
liked having sex in the human sense and he didn’t think mind melding would be
able to match it.
 
“Asari and humans are physiologically compatible in most ways Commander. Of
course a relationship must involve more than just physical contact; there must
also be an emotional and spiritual connection between us. Our species maybe
different but there are many things we could share but none of this matter if
there is already a relationship between you and Chief Williams” Liara said,
seemingly more confident than she had even been before.
 
“I agree a relationship must be more than just physical but just so you are
aware, Liara sex for humans means I would put my penis inside your….birth
canal” Logan said frowning when he didn’t know what the exact term was “And in
answer to your question, no Ashley and I are just friends” Logan said as he
watched Liara blush but she still didn’t look away.
 
“Oh, I must have misread the situation then. And yes I am aware of how humans
have sex and I have no problem with it, many males of different species do the
same…so I am told” she said blushing slightly before looking back into his eyes
“But was I wrong about us? I felt there was an attraction between us” Liara
said while trying to hide her nervousness; goddess my heart is beating so
loudshe thought.
 
Logan nodded ‘Yeah your right, I was just unsure if it was just me. I am only
used to the signals human women give out” he said chuckling slightly.
 
Liara smiled and practically jumped for joy “I knew it and I knew you felt it
too but does this not seem strange? Why do I feel so close to you? We have only
known each other a short time. We are from two different species; we have
almost nothing in common”
 
Logan smirked “Saren wants us both dead, that’s something” he said chuckling.
 
Liara smirked at that too “You make it sound so chaotic; so dangerous”
 
Logan smiled “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you”
 
Liara frowned slightly “I am not looking for a protector Shepard”
 
Logan nodded and shrugged his shoulders “With us human guys it’s a apart of the
deal, we protect the ones we lo…..care for, well the ones worth a damn do” he
said catching himself from saying to much.
 
Liara nodded as if she understood “This is all a bit overwhelming, I am not
used to…this…you. I need some time to think”
 
Logan smiled “Take all the time you need Liara, I’ll be here”
 
Liara nodded and thanked him before she changed the subject, to how she did in
the simulations. Logan gave her a few pointers before he told her to get some
sleep. Logan spent the next few hours watching the footage from the
simulations, focusing on the others; he took down notes of strengths and
weaknesses of each crew member. Once he was done he headed towards the bathroom
on Pinnacle Station, since it was closer than walking back to the Normandy.
Inside he noticed, it was a unisex bathroom as an asari walk past him on his
way in.
 
Making his way to the sink he splashed some water on his face as another asari
entered, she seemed to glance over at him quickly before she started to put on
some scalp wax, if Logan hadn’t spent years on the streets of Earth it wouldn’t
of noticed it, shrugging he made his way into a stall not bothering to lock the
door and only pushing it shut thinking it was just the fact he was the only
human Spectre so maybe that is why she looked his way like that.
 
Logan sighed as he relived himself but noticed on the metallic surface on the
toilet in front of him the door was opening up behind him in the next half a
second he noticed movement as if the person who opened the door was raising
their arm, throwing himself to one side quickly and turned around spraying the
wall and his would be assassin with piss at the same time she had pulled the
trigger. The bullets tore through the rear wall, missing Logan by milometers
but hitting the water pipe flooding the floor with recycled water, giving him a
chance to grab her arm and draw her closer and into a head butt with a crunch.
 
It was the asari from before and she didn’t even seem to notice or care being
covered in piss or being head butted for that matter. The look on her face was
one of total focus; as she glowed blue with biotic energy preparing for an
attack; Logan took the chance to punch her in the face, still trying to get the
gun off her. That was when the asari stomped on his foot hard before elbowing
him in the face. In the small confines of the stall, Logan tried to use his
size and strength to his advantage as he needed to get that gun off her.
 
The two of them were forced to fight one handed as she still was not letting go
of the gun, every so often the gun would come close enough to him that she
pulled the trigger again, the gun was silenced which meant no one would hear
the shots and come to help him. The asari was more than capable of fighting
while still holding on to her gun and even reversing or blocking any attempts
Logan made at snapping her arm or disarming her. Logan was getting beaten to a
pulp, her smaller size allowed her to move far quicker and she fought like she
was double jointed.
 
Logan might as well been moving in slow motion to her, as every strike he
landed on her she would land four back on him, both of the biotics unable to
charge up an attack while they were dodging attacks from each other, that
changed though when Logan finally managed to get the gun off her by smacking
her hand against the wall, instead of trying keep up with her Logan used his
strength and powered her into a wall, he took four elbows to the face to do it
but he managed it.
 
Of course that left him open to be thrown out of the stall and across the
bathroom with biotics, thankfully the biotic throw was not too powerful due to
the close nature of the fight but was aimed at giving her some distance and
once there was distance between the two, biotics came into play. Logan slid
across the floor and charged up his biotics and threw her gun away from her,
putting it deep into the wall, before they stood up and looked at one enough
from across the bathroom while the water from busted water pipes showered them
both.
 
The asari had a bloody nose and a few bruises but she looked like she could
still go, her eyes still had that same look of cold focus, Logan was bleeding
from the mouth and nose, spitting a glob of blood out Logan glared at her and
glanced down as he tucked himself back into his pants “Got a name?”
 
The asari smirked “Matriarch Benezia sends her regards” she said as she
shattered the nearby mirror and sent shards of broken glass flying his way.
 
Logan snarled as he managed to get his barriers up just in time, but he could
not keep this going, while she was a handful close range he knew she would kill
him if this turned into a straight biotic slugfest. Pulling out his knife he
made his way closer towards her, using his biotics to grab a hand dryer off the
wall and threw that at her which she deflected with a wave of her hand as if it
was nothing, before she charged up another attack this time she aimed for the
stalls and ripped apart the walls, tiles, sinks and toilets and sent them
flying at Logan.
 
Logan started running towards her, using his biotics to deflect objects from
doing any real damage he jumped and used his biotics to lower his weight and
increase his speed and add more power into the kick he aimed for her head; he
had taken a person’s head off with this very attack in the past. She side
stepped him as his foot slammed into the wall leaving a small crater where her
was a moment ago and slammed her fist into the side of his head as he past her.
Using the momentum from her strike he spun with it and pushed off the wall with
his feet and tried to stab her with his knife. She caught his wrist before
bringing her foot straight up between them slamming into his chin; she then
stepped into him with her back into him and drove her elbow into his face.
 
Logan felt his mouth fill with blood, but he now had her where he could do some
damage. Wrapping his arm around her arm but keeping her back to him he stomped
on the back of her leg trying to drive her to the ground. The sounds of alarms
on the station now blaring loudly as Logan leaned forward as he put all his
weight on her back forcing her to the ground, she still thrashed around and
even reached back and gripped his balls in her hand and squeezed hard.
 
Logan screamed in pain and wrapped his other arm around her neck, she squeezed
harder, it felt as if she was trying to tear them off. Logan could hear the
door to the bathroom open, as guards ran into the room and stopped in their
tracks unable to do anything as they knew Logan was a Spectre but he was also
fighting what looked like a high ranking asari commando. As Logan was now flat
on his back, while the asari with her back to his chest was kicking him in the
face by picking her leg up and slamming her foot into his face while crushing
his groin with her spare hand.
 
Liara and the rest of Normandy crew ran into the bathroom after hearing the
calls from the guards saying that Commander Shepard was in trouble, they ran as
fast as they could but only got there just in time to see what Logan did next.
 
Logan roared in pain and rage as he reached for her hand and broke her thumb
and before snapping her wrist, using the opening Logan pinned her to the floor
as he gripped her head fringe and lifted her head off the ground before driving
it back into the tiled floor, the sound her head made echoed though out the
room and if Logan had noticed he would of seen the sound made the guards wince,
but Logan didn’t pay any attention to them as he lifted her head off the ground
again before driving it back into the ground this time a slight splattering
sound could be heard as her face gave way to the impact of his blows.
 
Logan repeated the action five more times each time the sounds got worse, Logan
only stopped once he started getting sprayed with her purple blood, looking
down at the asari commandos body before he lifted her head and twisted,
snapping her neck making sure she was dead. That was when he looked up at the
guards and spat a glob of blood out, his vison blurry and his breathing was
heaving and sounding more like an animal than a man.
 
“Thanks for the help” Logan said sarcastically before he fell over.
 
The Normandy crew glared at the guards who just stood by and watched, even
though Garrus knew that the standard rules for C-sec and anyone else was to
stay out of a Spectres way unless ordered to interfere, though Garrus had to
admit, if Logan was a turian the guards most likely would have gotten involved.
 
Liara looked at the bathroom and saw the damage the two Commando’s did in their
effort to kill one another, what really sent shivers down her spine though was
the way Logan killed the asari, gripping her head fringe like that, to say that
it was gruesome was an understatement.
 
Ashley rushed over to Logan’s side and looked down at him “Are you ok
Commander?”
 
Logan blinked and nodded “Yeah, help me up would you? That bitch grabbed my
balls”
 
Ashley nodded and helped lift her Commander back up to his feet “Played dirty
huh?” Ashley said before looking down at the asari “looks like you did a number
on her though”
 
Logan chuckled before he spat another glob of blood, his legs felt so weak “She
made it personal when she did that” Logan said before he remembered that the
asari had said “she had said Benezia sent her”
 
Ashley smirked “Remind me not to hit you there then” she said chuckling before
looking at Logan “Benezia? Why would she send someone after you?”
 
Logan just laughed “Ow, oh don’t make me laugh” he said before he took a deep
breathe in and winced and pain and managed to stand up on his own although his
was still hunched over “I think I have pissed off her and Saren”
 
Garrus nodded “Makes sense, send an assassin to take you out before you cause
more damage to their plans. Of course it means that they might try again, in
which case in recommend you have someone with you at all times”
 
Logan nodded “Agreed same goes for all of you, from now on we stick together at
least in pairs at the very least”
 
Liara looked down feeling even more confused over her mother and just a little
guilty, she moved closer. Unsure just how hurt Logan really was, it was only
when he looked at her and nodded to let her know he was fine.
 
Logan sighed and looked one last time at the bathroom with the dead asari in it
“And that is why we are here, that was only one asari Commando just imagine
what a fully armed squad could do?”
 
After Logan got fixed up, he made sure the security detail on the station knew
that he now had a target on his back and that he was going to stay on the
station for another day or so. Logan pushed the crew harder than he ever did
before, at one point Ashley threw up, Tali passed out after one session, Liara
was exhausted and couldn’t get enough water into her system and Kaidan could
barely move in the end Logan used Wrex and Garrus to break the final record. As
they walked out Logan told them to get some rest, he spoke to Admiral Ahern
about his performance when Ahern offered him one extra challenge based on his
own experience and for extra difficulty all the safeties would be turned off.
 
Logan thought about it if he did it he would get a nice quiet retirement home
that very few people knew about, if he didn’t then he would be dead. Despite
what some people might think live fire exercises are used in N-school but never
to this degree. Logan asked him to wait while he spoke to Garrus and Wrex, the
home on the line could be a nice little safe house for the whole crew and he
was worried what would happen when they came face to face with squads of asari
commandos, hence the reason he was pushing them so hard.
 
“Guys I have something to tell you, now if you don’t feel up for it I’ll go in
myself and work something out” Logan said as he walked up to them and after he
explained what the bet was and what he was planning on doing with it and the
fact that the safeties would be turned off.
 
Wrex smiled “Let’s do it” he said slamming his hands together.
 
Logan looked at Garrus “Just so you know, the sim is set on during first
contact, we will be getting shot at by turians”
 
Garrus nodded before he smirked “Live fire training?” he said before he unslung
his rifle “at least I know what to expect”
 
Logan laughed “Yeah outnumbered and cornered, hope turians can fight with their
back against the wall” Logan said smiling before adding ”I will make a human
out of you yet”
***** Chapter 24: Crimes and Punishments *****
Chapter Summary
     Logan bakes a cake the only way he knows how and does some pest
     control in Hades Gamma.
Chapter 24: Crimes and Punishments
 
Logan, Wrex and Garrus walked out of the sim, while they had quite a few marks
but no worse than what they would normally get from a tough mission. After
Ahern handed over the keys to the house, Logan made sure Ahern never told
anyone about the bet.
Admiral Ahern only smirked and said he understood, so only the Admiral and the
Normandy crew knew about the house. Garrus also had won two bets and went to
collect; a smart mouthed turian who refused to believe that anyone could break
his scores and a human could never led a team to break one score let alone all
of them. Garrus was already eying off the turians sniper rifle and shotgun.
Garrus loved nothing more than shutting the mouths of bigots. Garrus had always
thought his species tends to make more enemies than allies, and a good reason
for that was the fact that turians tended to look down on other races. So any
chance Garrus had to shut the mouth of a bigot he took.
“Pay up” Garrus told the turian.
“He cheated!” The turian complained.
Garrus frowned at the turian “Really? You lost fairly and now you’re
complaining it didn’t happen? Show some honour, you call yourself a turian?”
The turian glared at Garrus “Fine, he won fairly”
Garrus chuckled “Good, I’ll take your shotgun and sniper rifle”
The turian tried to worm his way out of it but Garrus wouldn’t let him and soon
afterwards had two new weapons, the shotgun was for Shepard but the sniper
rifle was for him and made his way back to the Normandy.
Logan had made his way back onto the ship and after he turned off the locator
that tracks all of the Normandy’s movements so the Alliance could look at look
at patrol patterns once it was in for service. Turning it off was not meant to
be done, but Logan being a Spectre could do whatever he wanted.
Logan explained to everyone on the ship what was going on and after they made a
quick stop at the house on Intai’sei and placed a few orders for weapons and
had a look around the house.
“All of you are welcome here anytime you need it, just remember I am paying for
the weapons so if you take any from here leave something here” Logan explained
before noticing only one fridge “I’ll get a dexo fridge too, so Garrus and Tali
can eat while here”
Tali shook her head “Commander you don’t have to go to all this trouble”
Logan frowned and shook his head “I’m not, not much of a safe house if you
would stave staying here”
Once they left the house. The Normandy did a quick patrol of the system and got
ambushed on Metgos in the Hydra system for their trouble. From there Logan then
sent them to patrol another system, the plan was to patrol systems on the way
to Virmire, since it wouldn’t add that much extra time plus there was a lot of
reports coming in of strange things occurring everything from pirates to
missing survey teams.
While patrolling Hades Gamma, Logan and Tali and Garrus ended up on Trebin with
him. They soon found a log explaining that they had found alien tech and just
like Logan had feared, the survey team, all of them were now husks. The three
of them managed to clear the husks out and had a quick look around.
Logan sighed, it was clear what happened here, they found some tech they didn’t
understand and it corrupted them until there was nothing left, the infected
would have dragged the uninfected to the spikes and this whole colony would
have been lost within a few hours.
“Come on let’s get out of here” Logan said and headed back to the Normandy.
Once back on board Logan, had a shower and went back to the list of items he
got on the Citadel. Logan poured some Earth Vodka and mixed it with the bread
and poured the jelly crystals into the bowl while he was mixing them Tali and
Garrus walked in.
“Commander Tali and I have some ideas about the Mako and….what is this
Commander?” Garrus asked once he saw what Logan was doing.
Logan looked up and moved a few things away from the two aliens “Making
something special for Saren” he said.
Tali didn’t know Logan knew chemistry “You know how to do that?” She asked as
she picked up a small opened bag that had a strange blue berries in it.
Logan’s eyes went wide and he stood up quickly and snatched the bag off Tali
and he placed them beside him before he quickly looked at the palms of Tali’s
hands “Sorry Tali, but those are human blue berries”
Garrus took a step back “Earth Blue berries? You got blue berries? You do know
how dangerous they are to turians?”
Logan nodded “Of course, that is why I am using it” Logan said before he looked
back at Tali “and of course I can. Most drug dealers and runners have an
understanding of chemistry….of course I paid more attention than most. Besides
this is less of a poison, more of substance that should give him extreme
allergic reaction”
Tali looked at the two of them “Umm what are earth blue berries? And you have
made poison before?”
Logan smirked “Never for a turian”
Garrus looked at the bag as he answered “After the relay 314 incident...”
Garrus started to say before he looked at Logan “Or as the humans call it the
first contact war...”
Tali nodded “Yes, I read about that but what do these berries have to do with
anything?”
Garrus looked at Tali “Well after the fighting stopped, humans were invited to
the Citadel to meet with the rest of the Council races. Humans accepted and as
per their custom bought food with them, the problem was that these blue berries
were a part of the food that was bought from earth”
Tali looked confused “But why would a turian eat them?”
Garrus shook his head ‘Because these berries you don’t have to eat, they have a
substance on them that stains the skin and that’s what does the damage, would
not like to see what they do if they entered the bloodstream”
Tali thought about what was said ‘So what happened next?”
Logan spoke up at that point “The turian councillor tried to have a closer look
and picked one of them up. Well that was a bad move on his part”
Garrus nodded “Yeah, it took only a minute before he complained about his
plates burning some even started to peel off him, then he started foaming at
the mouth and then had convulsions at the same time as projectile vomiting, to
this day he still has nerve damage, doctors cannot repair it”
Tali’s eyes went wide “He survived?”
Logan nodded “Yeah but barely, the turians thought we did it on purpose and
wanted to restart from where we left off”
Garrus nodded as he rubbed his fringe “It wasn’t until, the asari councillor in
an attempt to avoid interstellar war, quickly put one in her mouth”
Logan chuckled “Yeah, she liked them before telling the turians that holding a
levo-based food without knowing anything about it was an incredibly dangerous
thing to do”
Tali sighed before she looked back up at the two of them “So what happened to
the Councillor?”
Garrus looked back at the blue berries “They had to clear his system and it was
touch and go for a while there. Since then Earth blue berries, are seen as a
chemical weapon outlawed by the Council using it is seen as a war crime under
cruelty”
Tali frowned “If it is outlawed then…”
Logan smirked “Being a Spectre has its advantages…although having said that,
the turian who I ordered it off didn’t like the idea very much”
Garrus looked at Logan “You willing to go to that level to stop him Commander?
You know if you use this you will have committed a war crime. Not that they
could do anything to you” Garrus leaned against the wall “Not judging, but
others will Commander”
Logan stood up at that point and wiped his hands “Why do you think I was made a
Spectre? You think it had anything to do with me being a nice guy?”
Garrus shook his head “I have read your files Commander, I know why they made
you a Spectre but I also know you have been fighting a PR nightmare for some
time”
Logan laughed out loud at that “I don’t care if people like me or not, in fact
it makes my job easier if they are afraid of me”
Tali just looked at the substance the Commander was making and noticed the blue
berries were not the only thing that was placed into the mixture and there was
two more items that had not been placed into the mix yet.
“Commander what are you putting into this anyway?” Tali asked interrupting the
two men.
Logan looked back over at Tali “Well these are bread crumbs, they cause bad
stomach cramps as well as…..other side effects”
Tali frowned not that anyone could see it and looked over at Garrus who
explained “He means they empty your bowels”
Tali screwed up her face in disgust “Disgusting”
Logan smirked “Yeah this will make things messy” he said before he lifted up
the leftover jelly crystals “These cause minor paralysis of small sections of
the body, like the arms, legs or face”
Garrus just shook his head “Remind you never to get on your bad side Commander”
he said as he pointed to the Kahje shellfish “that is a Kahje shellfish it
causes hallucinations which are dependent on what mood you are in when they
take effect which considering Saren will have a pissed off human trying to cut
his head off, let’s just say the visions will not be pleasant”
Tali nodded “And those?” pointing to the other bag sitting near the shellfish,
one had tablets in them.
Logan smiled “Well the tablets are human sleeping tablets” he explained as he
placed the mixture on top of a hot plate and begun to boil the mixture, once it
was hot enough he threw the whole shellfish in.
Tali was silent for a moment “But why human sleeping pills?”
Logan just rubbed his neck “Well nothing special about them really they are
just toxic to turians but not lethally so”
Garrus looked at the two of them as he worked what the Commanders plan was “So
the idea is that you poison Saren with this and he dies from all of these side
effects”
Logan nodded “Or gives me the chance to plug him” he answered making his
fingers into a gun. Logan then sighed and washed his hands “Now tell me about
these ideas you have for the Mako?”
Tali so excited she was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet,
something that made Logan smile just slightly she clearly loves her workLogan
thought to himself. Tali then typed a few things into her Omni-tool and
explained how they could fit the whole ground crew into the Mako.
 
Liara was sitting in her room to ashamed to show herself. She had a hard time
accepting the fact her own mother had sent an assassin after someone she had
only just stated their feelings towards and to make things even better he felt
the same way. The memory of Logan grabbing the back of that Commando’s head
fringe and slamming her face into the floor that many times, was not an easy
image to forget either, not that she judged Shepard for killing her or even how
he did it but seeing it happen less a few feet away was a different story.
This human had two sides the side his crew saw and the one his enemies saw,
Liara could only wonder if her mother had two sides as well? Was she always
like this? Was the loving and caring woman she knew a lie? Or did Saren corrupt
her so totally she is now lost forever? Liara sighed and started to watch old
family videos that she had on her Omni-tool and cried softly to herself.
Logan had just been told that Admiral Hackett had a mission for him, when the
Admiral told him what he wanted Logan to do, Logan was unsure to say the least.
“So you have a medical facility being held hostage by biotics, who have drugged
civilians and are using them as human shields?” Logan repeated what Hackett had
just told him “You sure I am the right guy for the job? I mean I’m not known
for keeping people alive. Might be easier to just bomb them from orbit” He
joked.
Admiral Hackett sighed “Yes I am well aware of your record and truth be told we
wanted to send Commander Nikita Taylor but she is on the other side of galaxy
and you’re the closest we have. But I understand if you don’t want…”
“No, I’ll do it” Logan said before saluting and signing off.
Logan stood there for a moment, thinking about who he should take with him
“Liara and Ashley suit up and meet me in the cargo hold” he said over the
radio.
He wanted the two of them due to the fact that Ashley was a trained sniper and
Liara was a biotic, truth be told he never even thought for one second why it
might not be a good idea to bring the two women along with him.
Logan only realized his mistake when he saw them standing beside each other
making small talk, the tension between them was thick enough to taste. Logan
looked at the two of them before he explained the mission to them “You two be
able to work together on this?”
Ashley nodded before looking at Liara “Of course Commander”
Liara nodded as well but didn’t say anything.
Once they were down on Chohe they headed towards the facility, on the inside of
the building they got their weapons ready.
Ashley had her sniper rifle in hand and was covering the rear, while Liara and
Logan would be in front of her with pistols. They arrived a minute later in a
large room that was filled with containers making visibility difficult.
“Watch your targets” Logan warned as he saw a civilian stagger into the line of
sight.
A spilt second later one of the biotics came around the corner and opened fire,
Ashley quickly blew his head off.
Logan looked around before he moved the civilian closer to him using biotics
and slammed his head into the wall “There now he won’t get in the way, I know
I’d rather wake up with a headache then not wake up at all”
As soon as he did though two of the biotics came around a corner, Liara lifted
one upwards for Ashley to shoot while Liara helped Logan take care of the other
one. At that point three civilians walked around the corner, while there was
another two biotics crouching down to try and hide behind the civilians while
firing around them.
Logan charged up his biotics and lifted the civilians upwards into the air
leaving the two biotics wide open for the two women to take them down. At the
point an insane voice could be heard, talking about how he is the future of
humans and with that announcement he threw Ashley across the room and fired a
dozen rounds at Logan took a round to his thigh and went down it was then that
another four biotics came into the room along with two more civilians once,
this time the civilians were staring up at the ceiling not realising the
bullets barely missing them.
Logan was on his side while trying to crawl back to cover while he was firing
back, he had just dropped the shields of one terrorist, he was about to call
for help when he heard Liara.
“Shepard!” Liara yelled out and started glowing bright blue and like a force of
nature, she put the two civilians in stasis and with a primal scream that
seemed strange coming from the shy and quiet doctor, as the two human teammates
witnessed the sheer biotic power an asari could generate, even one as young as
Liara. The human biotics never knew what hit them, one terrorist was thrown
into a wall he was turned to paste, another two were crushed in a singularity
and the last one, the leader, got the worst and was hit with a warp which
removed his lower body from the waist down. When the fighting had died down and
the only sounds were the screams of the half a terrorist now looking down at
his missing lower body with the look of shock and disbelief on his face.
Logan tried to stand up but he couldn’t put any weight on his leg and the
screams were giving him a headache. Looking around he could see Ashley walking
towards him, while Liara just stood in shock looking at the carnage she just
committed. While the shy doctor had killed before, she had never used her
biotics to such a level.
Logan was helped up by Ashley who said “Remind me not to piss her off”
Logan chuckled “Yeah ditto” he said before looking over at Liara who still
hadn’t moved “hey do me a favour, can you go put that guy out of his misery”
Ashley looked over at the asari who still hadn’t moved and nodded, leaning
Logan against a wall she walked over and shot the man in the head, silencing
him. The sound of the gunshot and the silence that followed snapped Liara out
of her trance.
“Hey you did well, you saved our asses” Ashley told the doctor before looking
her in the eyes “You ok?”
Liara looked up and nodded after a second “Yes...I...I have never used my
biotics like that before”
Ashley looked around at the bloodbath the young doctor had left behind “Can I
ask why? I guess I am having a hard time understanding that is all”
Liara turned her head and smiled softly “That is because you are a soldier, I
am a doctor and I was taught to only use my biotics like that as a last resort”
Ashley nodded slowly as she looked back at Liara “Well if it makes you feel any
better Doc, it was a last resort, I was down and Commander is injured, you were
on your own and you did very well”
Liara quickly turned her head “Is he...?”
Ashley smiled “He is fine. Come on; let’s get the Commander out of here”
Liara looked over at Shepard, who was leaning against a container keeping his
weight off his bad leg “Are you okay Commander?”
Logan nodded “Yeah I am fine Liara, just took a round in the thigh” he told her
as Ashley put his arm around her shoulder while Liara looked on.
“Good job Chief” Logan said holding out his fist.
Liara frowned as she saw Ashley return the gesture and the two touched knuckles
together, a human hand gesture she hadn’t seen before, it seemed to mean a
celebration or good job.
Feeling left out Liara held out her hand in the same way and asked the two
humans to ‘fist her’
Logan almost choked on the mouthful of water he was drinking at the time, with
tears coming out of his eyes from the water going down the wrong way while
Ashley just laughed.
Liara frowned “What did I say?””
Logan looked at Ashley “Care to take this one?”
Ashley just smirked and shook her head “You’re on your own with this one
Commander”
Logan smirked “You know I could order you to answer”
Ashley nodded “Yeah you could, you could also walk back to the ship”
Logan chuckled “I’ll get you for this Chief” he said before looking at Liara
“Um it’s a called a fist bump” he said bumping her fist “you just asked for
something very different”
Liara frowned while blushing not sure what exactly she said “What did I ask
for?”
Logan put on hand on his head “Please take this one Chief” he asked chuckling
blushing slightly himself.
Ashley shook her head “Not a chance, I will gladly scrub the decks to hear
this”
Logan chuckled “You’re a bitch you know that right?”
Ashley only smirked wider “Oh yeah, I know”
Logan turned back to Liara and was silent for a moment “Um….you just asked us
to….put our hands inside you”
Liara frowned “That makes no sense”
Logan sighed this was getting harder to explain nicely “Um… ok bluntly it is”
he said to himself “You just asked us to put our fist inside your birth carnal”
Now it was Ashley’s turn to burst out laughing “Geez Commander, I would hate to
see how you talk to kids about the birds and bees” she mocked.
Liara looked horrified “Oh goddess I....never meant that....I don’t know what
to say....humans would do that?”
Logan breathed out slowly it just goes from bad to worse, who would of thought
this would be more painful than being shot? He thought to himself “Not all of
us” he said hoping this talk would end there.
“Do you?” Liara asked the next question that Logan was hoping she wouldn’t ask.
Date an alien it will be fine they said, It will be fine.Logan thought before
noticing Ashley was almost in tears from trying not to laugh, it was a long
trip back to the ship.
“No” He answered simply while thinking of how he will get Ashley back for this
one.
Once back on the ship Logan, was helped to see Dr Chakwas for the round in his
leg, Ashley also had to be looked at as well, she had hit her head pretty hard
when she was thrown. Ashley had a concussion while Logan was given crutches and
told that he would not be cleared for a few days, something that he was not
happy about.
Logan also realised the most fearless person on the ship was Dr Chakwas, she
was the one who told him that she would not clear him for any missions and that
she didn’t care that he was a Spectre.
“You can listen to me and get back into the field faster or you can risk it and
end up getting yourself or someone else killed, is that what you want?” Dr
Chakwas said.
Logan gave her a death stare, the same look he would give to slavers and
pirates, but to her credit she never backed down and Logan swore when he
realised she was right.
“You act like you’re my mother” Logan grunted under his breath.
Dr Chakwas only smirked “Someone has to stop you from killing yourself and if I
was your mother, I would wash your mouth out with soap for that outburst”
Logan raised an eyebrow “I wouldn’t recommend it” he said dryly with a slight
smirk.
So once leaving the med bay Logan went to see Kaidan to say that until he was
cleared for duty again that Kaidan would be leading all the ground teams.
Kaidan nodded “I won’t let you down Commander”
Logan nodded “I know”
Kaidan had a pirate base that Helena Blake told Logan about to take down and he
took Wrex and Ashley with him. Logan did not like being left on the ship and
could not wait until he was back in action again. Just three days, he can wait
that long.
***** Chapter 25: When evil knows your name *****
Chapter Summary
     Wrex and Logan have a heated exchange on Virmire.
Chapter 34: When evil knows your name
 
Farinata System/ Hades Gamma/ MSV Ontario
 
After three days of healing up and training to regain full use of his leg
again. It wasn’t as bad as he first thought, after all Logan had spent time
training with Ashley to help his leg, got Tali to give him a few engineer
pointers and got a chance to practice biotics with Liara but once Logan had
finally healed up and was given the medical clearance to go back into combat
duties again, he jumped at it. Kaidan had cleared two pirate bases while Logan
was healing and now was with him and Wrex taking care of human biotics that had
taken a hostage, the chairman of the Parliament Subcommittee on Transhuman
Studies and are holed up in a derelict freighter in the Farinata System.
 
After fighting their way through the biotics trying to stop them, the three of
them entered a room and saw an older man kneeling on the ground with a group
behind him including one man holding a gun that would be the leader, the
leaders always hold the hostage, not thinking even once that it makes them a
target, that when bullets start flying they would be the first to die…well
second anywayLogan thought to himself.
 
“You see how it is? You write letters and everyone ignores you. Force is the
only thing people appreciate. So how bout I kill Chairman Burns and finish this
charade?” The leader said sounding very confident and not scared of dying great
I hate the ones that have a cause worth dying for Logan thought well looking at
Chairman Burns who didn’t look injured.
 
“Please I was trying to help you people” Chairman Burns begged.
 
Logan looked at the leader “Let’s not do anything we’re all going to regret”
Logan said noticing that none of his squad had a good line of sight on the
leader, so ambushing the biotic wouldn’t work.
 
“Why not? What do we have to lose?” The leader asked before looking down at the
chairman with disgust “since the chairman here decided that we don’t get
reparations, we’ve got nothing to live for!” the leader explained.
 
“But I have changed my mind. Seeing you all its c-clear you all d-deserve…”
Burns begged.
 
The leader again looked down at Burns and said “You had your chance! Some L2’s
are nearly crippled by side effects from the implants, but you voted against
reparations!”
 
“If you die fighting you will get a lot of biotics killed as well” Logan said
sounding annoyed.
 
The leader frowned clearly he had not thought of this “What do you mean?”
 
Logan shook his head “You just made all L2 biotics look like terrorists” Logan
explained “Think of what will happen to them”
 
“But people need to hear what the Government has done and what it has failed to
do” The leader said.
 
Kaidan stepped forward “I’m a L2 as well, listen this is the best deal you can
get. People have heard, you don’t have to die for it”
 
Logan glanced back at Kaidan before turning back “You will face trial and
everything will be mentioned under oath and the Transhuman studies will be
forced to do something. Truth is if you want anything to get done you will have
to go to jail. Once in jail, you will be a constant reminder to them and the
longer they don’t do anything the worse their public image will be” Logan
looked down at Chairman Burns “as for you, understand this will not stop, today
it was him, do nothing and it will be someone else next time and there will be
a next time”
 
Chairman Burns nodded “Y...yes of c-course, I will get started right away”
 
“Your right, I don’t want to die. Maybe something will happen this time. We
surrender” the leader said after a moments silence.
 
Chairman Burns was allowed to stand back up “Thank you Commander. I thought I
was dead when they took me. I will see that the reparations discussion is
reopened. I didn’t know they were so desperate”
 
Logan just shook his head “Then you weren’t doing your job, an Alliance fifth
fleet cruiser will pick the prisoners up” he said as he turned and walked away.
 
Logan and the other two walked back past all the biotics who were giving the
three of them death stares, Logan told them to ignore it.
 
Kaidan looked at the other biotics before turning to Logan “Well they don’t
know what you just did for L2’s and thanks commander”
 
Logan looked at Kaidan “I just stopped them from blowing holes in a guy’s head”
he said clearly not giving a shit, missions like this always annoyed Logan as
once they either saw Logan or he had spoken the smart ones surrendered, so
because of some dumbass was not doing his job some other dumbass took him
hostage. The whole thing just seemed like a waste of time.
 
Kaidan just smirked he knew why Logan was annoyed but he didn’t take offence,
being a biotic himself Logan did care about human biotics but hated people
wasting his time “You did more than that Commander”
 
Logan shrugged and smirked a little “And here I thought I was just stopping
them from shooting a hostage”
 
Once back on the ship Logan spoke to Hackett who thanked him for it “Just no
more hostage mission’s sir, tell everyone to stop getting kidnapped” Logan
joked.
 
Hackett chuckled “I will pass the word along, Hackett out”
 
Logan made his way down to see Ashley for another training session, Logan and
Ashley had spent a lot of time training and even more since Logan had gotten
injured, in fact his rapid healing could have something to do with the amount
of sparring and training Logan and Ashley had done. Of course Logan was
oblivious to how Ashley felt about him even after Liara misunderstood what was
going on between them, so Logan continued spending time around Ashley without
even thinking about it.
 
After he had finished training he thought to the fight he had with the asari
commando on Pinnacle station and had a look for asari commando files, but even
with Spectre clearance he could not find much information so he sent a message
to Councillor Tevos requesting files on asari commando training, Logan smiled
when he thought how Councillor Tevos would react to a ‘savage primitive’ asking
for that sort of information. While waiting for a reply, he looked up human/
asari relations hoping to find some ideas for when he takes Liara out for a
date or something. That was the idea and was going well until he found an
article in an asari magazine called Awska, a popular extranet magazine, written
by Doctor Emenne Merens an asari on Thessia who was one of the leading experts
on interspecies relations and was one of the first asari to study both female
and male humans.
 
Logan read the article and looked at the pictures, some of which he already
knew, due to his N-school training but that training was all on how to kill
them not how to give them an orgasm. Logan felt like a worried virgin again, he
knew that Liara had never done it before but that did nothing to calm Logan
down and on top of that all this thinking and reading about sex had made him
feeling rather excited, so closing that window Logan opened a new window and
made the mistake of turning off the filter and after a simple search found what
he was looking for asari – human porn.
 
Logan had a quick look though the video’s and found one he liked; he never
really bothered to look up asari porn, or any porn for that matter, after he
clicked on a link, his computer was flooded with mountains of porn, in fact due
to Logan clicking on an infected link; it seemed as if he had just given his
personal computer a virus with millions of terabytes of hard-core interspecies
porn. Logan however was totally unaware and used his computer as he normally
would, unaware until he went to close the window and found that there were so
many other windows open and more porn coming in every second.
 
Logan swore and had his hands up near his temples as he tried to think of a way
to fix this, he was not an engineer and clearing a virus like that from his
computer would not be easy and the Alliance was already not happy with him and
they really do not like clearing personal computers of porn, meaning he had to
ask someone on the ship. Kaidan? No, he is a gossip and would never shut his
trap about this, Tali? No way in hell am I asking her to get rid of porn for me
and I wouldn’t be able to look her in the eyes asking her to save my computer,
which leaves only Garrus…I’ll ask himLogan thought and stood up to find Garrus
and see if the turian could keep a secret.
 
Liara headed to Logan’s cabin to go over another biotic lesson with him, while
he was a very capable biotic she was teaching him more refined and more focused
techniques which in turn was allowing him to get more power of his biotics.
Liara knocked on the door and got no answer, she knocked again and when she got
no answer she opened the door and noticed Logan was not here. Frowning Liara
turned around to leave, thinking Logan must have forgotten about the training
session, when she noticed his personal computer was left on. Liara remembered
Logan telling her that she was welcome to stop by anytime and that if she was
looking for him his room is a good place to start as he is always coming and
going.
 
“Maybe he will be back soon?” she said out loud and went to sit down at his
desk. That was when she nudged the mouse for Logan’s laptop and the screen came
back on.
 
Liara raised an eyebrow as the screen showed an asari and a human man having
sex, as well as what looked like a virus uploading more porn every second.
Liara smiled slightly while blushing, asari are a lot more open minded and
watching porn or being interested in sex to an asari was just par for the
course. While this surprised Liara it was not because of the images on the
screen but instead for what it meant, the alien she was interested in melding
with her wanted to do it as well. While she was clearing the computer she saw
what Logan was looking up and her smile grew bigger, he wasn’t just looking at
porn he was looking up advice and that was when Liara realised that despite his
confidence, Logan was nervous about melding with her, more so than what she was
with him but she could tell by the search results that he was not getting cold
feet.
 
Liara felt happy with herself and where Logan and she were heading, if only she
could work out what the deal was with Ashley. Logan spends a lot of time around
the human solider, even though Logan said they were just friends does not mean
Ashley felt the same way and being asari Liara was told in school that some
races and or cultures have more than one bond-mate and while Liara didn’t have
a problem with that, what she did have a problem with was nothing was set in
stone and she didn’t know where she or Ashley stood for that matter.
 
Twenty minutes later
 
Logan raised his eyebrows at Garrus “Shut up, will you help me or not?”
 
Garrus smiled, which Logan was still getting used to seeing so often “Fine, I
will help you but I can’t help but think of what the good doctor will think of
this?”
 
Logan glared at him “I will just flush you out the airlock if you do” he said
jokingly.
 
Garrus by this stage had come to realise that Logan didn’t mean his threats
based on the smile on his face and that humans often joked around like this to
help relieve tension, it took some time to get used to but once he did Garrus
found he was joining in on the jokes too “Ah true Commander however who would
you get to clear your computer of porn? Maybe you could ask Tali?”
 
Logan laughed “How about no”
 
Once back in Logan’s cabin Garrus had a look at the computer and looked at
Logan “Maybe I don’t get human humour as well as I thought I did”
Logan frowned “What are you talking about?” then noticed there was no sign of
the virus “That makes no sense”
 
Garrus smirked “Maybe it was one of those tiny spirts you humans talk about?”
 
Logan shook his head “You mean a fairy? Yeah I am sure that’s what happened.
The porn fairy got rid of a virus” he said rolling his eyes.
 
After Logan got rid of Garrus and listened to quite a number of jokes Garrus
had to say before he tried to put the strange disappearance of an aggressive
virus out of his mind. He spoke to Ashley and for once was not about work, then
he got a few hacking pointers from Tali, while N-school taught everyone how to
hack but Tali was in a league all on her own. Logan ended up talking to Liara
and playing poker with her until early hours of the morning.
 
Milky Way / Sentry Omega / Hoc System
 
When Logan woke up he made the choice to head towards Virmire, since his
injuries were fully healed now. As the Normandy neared the planet, radio
chatter could be heard.
 
Logan listening to Tali as she explained the new upgrades to the Mako “We can
now all fit but we won’t be able to fit anyone or anything else”
 
Logan nodded “Good work, everyone suit up”
 
The ride down to the surface was interesting as the Mako was now packed and
slightly cramped but since it meant that ground teams would have more back up
no one complained. The drive to the camp included ongoing firefights but
nothing major, the main problem was Logan dodging missiles with the Mako full
of people.
 
The gatehouses were no real match for the squad, almost as if the geth were not
expecting a fight from that side of the gatehouse, being geth they recovered
quickly. After the AA guns were shut down, they headed to the salarian camp.
 
Once out of the cramped Mako, Logan and the others headed over to the salarian
who looked like they were in charge.
 
“I’m Captain Kirrahe. Third Infiltration unit STG” salarian said.
 
Logan introduced themselves and listened as the captain explained how every AA
gun has been alerted to their presence. The captain seemed in a good mood until
he was informed that Logan and his squad were the reinforcements he was waiting
for.
 
“What? You’re all they sent? I told the Council to send a fleet” Kirrahe said
before pacing back and forth.
 
Logan shrugged “I was beginning to think they just don’t listen to me. They
couldn’t understand you they sent me to investigate”
 
Kirrahe smirked slightly before getting serious again “That is a repetition of
our task. I lost half my men investigating this place”
 
Logan nodded “So what have you found?”
 
Kirrahe stopped pacing “Saren’s base of operations. He’s set up a research
facility here, but its crawling with geth and heavily fortified”
 
Logan raised an eyebrow at that “Is he here? Have you seen him?”
 
“No, but his geth are everywhere, and we have intercepted comms referring to
Saren” Kirrahe said before adding “This is his facility don’t worry about that”
 
Logan sighed “What is he researching?”
 
Kirrahe then looked at Wrex briefly before answering “He is using the facility
to breed an army of krogan”
 
Wrex walked closer then “How is that possible?” Logan could hear the slight
sound of hope in the old krogans voice.
 
“Apparently Saren has discovered a cure for the Genophage” Kirrahe said looking
at the krogan with a worried expression on his face.
 
“The geth are bad enough. But a krogan army he would be unstoppable” Logan said
just hoping that Wrex would not be a problem…he really didn’t want to have to
shoot him.
 
Kirrahe nodded “Exactly my thoughts. We must ensure this facility and its
secrets are destroyed”
 
“Destroyed? I don’t think so. Our people are dying this cure could save them”
Wrex said the sound of anger rising in his voice.
 
Kirrahe looked at Wrex before turning back to Logan and talking to him instead
as if Wrex was not even there “If that cure leaves this planet, the krogan will
become unstoppable. We cannot make that same mistake again”
 
Wrex stepped forward “We are not a mistake!” he said before storming off.
 
“Is he going to be a problem? We already have enough angry krogan to worry
about” Kirrahe asked while watching Wrex.
 
“I’ll handle it” Logan said as he tried to think of a way to get Wrex on his
side again.
 
Kirrahe told them all the details of the cure that was known and that they are
still planning the attack but Wrex needed to be dealt with first…one way or the
other.
 
Ashley and Kaidan both seemed worried about Wrex too and Ashley said she was
going to keep an eye on him anyway.
 
Logan sighed and walked over to where Wrex was firing a shotgun into the water.
 
Wrex started talking right away “This isn’t right Shepard. If there is a cure
for the Genophage then we can’t destroy it”
 
“Calm down Wrex. I am not the enemy here; Saren is the one you should be mad
at” Logan said moving a knife he had hidden in his sleeve closer to his palm so
he could use it if needed.
 
“Really? Saren created a cure for my people. You want to destroy it” Wrex said
walking closer, if he knew about the knife he either didn’t care or didn’t show
it “Help me out here, Shepard. The lines between friend and foe are getting a
little blurry from where I stand”
 
Logan stepped forward getting in the old krogan’s face and also blocking any
shot Ashley might have had “It’s not a cure it’s a weapon. And if Saren is
allowed to use it you want reap the benefits. None of us will”
 
Wrex voice got even louder as he stepped closer, the two of them almost nose to
nose now “That is a chance we should willing to take. This is the fate of my
entire people we are talking about” Wrex lowered his voice but it lost none of
its intensity “If you can’t give me a better reason then this to destroy the
hopes of my entire people I am done with you” he said as he took a slight step
back just enough to out of range of any knife attacks but still close enough
that his shotgun would kill him at this range.
 
Logan took his pistol out and while he was looking down the barrel of a very
powerful shotgun told Wrex in no uncertain terms could he allow Wrex to
jeopardise the mission, while pleading with himself Wrex I don’t want to do
this.
 
“So that’s it? All this time and that’s all I get from you? How can you not see
what this means for the krogan?” Wrex said, Wrex noticed the sound of Logan’s
heartbeat picked up, not from fear…no Wrex knew this was the human getting
ready to fight if need be “This base cannot be destroyed. I will not allow it”
 
Logan frowned and shook his head before he did something unexpected he lowered
his gun down before he answered “Are you fucking stupid?” he asked before
pointing at the facility “They are not krogan, they are puppets, slaves. Clones
that were bred in a fucking tank! Taught everything they know by a turian
traitor that has betrayed everyone who has ever worked with him. If these
krogan” Logan used air quotes when he said krogan “are allowed off this planet,
do you really think it would be a good thing for your people? They would wipe
out any real krogan and your entire race becomes a turian’s bitch. In case you
can’t understand what I am saying here Wrex, the krogan would be a slave race
and that is only if Saren does not just kill them all after they stop being
useful” Logan said now looking Wrex in the eyes “Is that what you want for you
people?”
 
Wrex was silent for a moment before he answered “No. We were tools for the
council once. To thank us for wiping out the rachni they neutered us all. I
doubt Saren will be as generous” Wrex stood back up again “All right Shepard
you have made your point. I don’t like this, but I trust you enough to follow
your lead” Wrex explained before adding “Just one more thing. When we find
Saren I want his head”
 
Logan nodded “The line for that starts behind me” he said with a slight smirk.
 
Logan walked back to Kirrahe and the others. Kirrahe thanked him for talking to
Wrex and mentioned an assault on the base. The plan was simple but very
dangerous; nuke the base using a converted ships drive core. The facility is
too well-fortified to nuke from orbit so it will have to placed in a precise
location on the far side of the facility, The Normandy will drop it off after
the site is secure of hostiles of course.
 
Logan thought about the plan which meant they would be going on foot, while the
salarians will distract the ground forces from three different teams Logan and
the others would be Shadow team and they would sneak in unnoticed. As Logan had
thought, the plan was simple but dangerous. Kirrahe had also asked for one of
Logan’s crew and it had to be Ashley or Kaidan as they were the only ones that
knew Alliance communication protocols.
 
Logan sighed and looked at the two of them who were arguing over who should go
“Enough! Ashley you’re with Kirrahe keep it simple got it?”
 
Ashley nodded while Kaidan looked disappointed until Logan explained that he
would be needed for the nuke. After they said their goodbyes and Kaidan seemed
nervous.
 
“Just remember your training and fight like hell and we will see you on the
other side” Logan told him.
 
Kaidan nodded with a slight smile “You bet Commander”
 
The Normandy crew just stayed back and listened to the impressive speech
Captain Kirrahe said to his men, Logan thought he laid it on a bit thick with
the whole ‘hold the line’ bit but the salarians bought it which was the only
thing that mattered.
 
Once the speech was over Logan and the crew all bar Kaidan made their way into
the facility. The fighting was intense but with Wrex as angry as he was, Logan
and the rest just had to cover him as the old krogan battle-master roared with
rage and ran right over the top of any geth stupid enough to get his way. The
fighting was intense but easy enough, mainly as they had the element of
surprise. The only real resistance was around the AA guns, the refuelling
station and of course the communications array, of course the walkways were
maze like which slowed down their progress.
 
Logan had a look at his crew, aside from a few scapes and cuts they were doing
fine, he was getting updates from both Kirrahe and Kaidan when he made it to
the back of the facility and made the choice to deal with the inside guards
themselves instead of leaving them for the salarians. Once inside however the
fighting was a lot worse, geth destroyers came running towards them.
 
“Drop their shields Tali, Garrus cover Wrex, Liara and Kaidan with me” Logan
ordered.
 
The open area looked like a storage room, which meant there was enough cover.
Once the room was cleared Logan ordered them into the next room, which had a
series of cells, one of which had a salarian in it.
 
“Well you’re not a geth. And you’re not wearing a lab coat. I guess I am glad
to see you” The salarian commando said.
 
After the Commando introduced himself he told Logan about indoctrination “I
watched good people turned into mindless husks. There wasn’t anything left.
Others died during the experiments. I envy them” the commando told him.
 
Logan asked about what they were studying and the answer scared Logan. The
salarian said that Saren was studying indoctrination, which to Logan meant he
was not in control of it, meaning someone else was pulling the strings.
 
“I am opening your cell but then you’re on your own” Logan explained.
 
“Don’t look back and hope to outrun the blast hmm? A better chance than I had
before you showed up. Thanks” The Commando said before running out of the cell.
 
Back out the way they came and back upstairs. Logan found more cells and
another salarian locked up. This one however was quite insane.
 
After babbling and pleading to be let out, Logan made the choice not to let the
salarian out, at which point the Commando went nuts and slammed his face
against the energy field blocking his escape. The salarian ran that hard into
the field, he broke his face open and knocked himself out cold.
 
Logan looked at the alien before telling the team to move on. After searching
the facility room by room, they ended up in a room where experiments were being
performed as they walked in. Logan shot one scientist in the face before the
one right beside her could raise the alarm, a spilt second after the alarm was
raised that scientist was killed too.
 
Logan noticed there was a krogan scientist whom Wrex seemed to take great
pleasure in killing, mumbling traitor under his breath as he took the life of
the krogan…and his head.
 
Once cleared, Logan moved his team outside and took out a few geth, but it
seemed as if the facility’s forces were stretched too thin so Logan and his
crew had very little trouble. Shadow team also had the advantage of working
together so closely so each covered the other; Tali dropped shields and
overheated weapons while Liara tore into geth forces with biotic power, Ashley
moved forward with her assault rifle putting rounds though the geth’s centre
mass before she moved onto her next target. Garrus backed Tali up with tech
attacks and sniping, his large rifle booming with every kill. It was Wrex that
was a sight to see, eight hundred pounds of fury armed with brute force and a
shotgun. A few times Logan and the rest of them had to run to keep up.
 
Once the room was cleared they walked through a door on the far end and moved
along a narrow walkway only a few hostiles to worry about before another door
lead them to an office where there was an asari hiding.
 
“Don’t shoot! Please, I just want to get out of here before it is too late” She
said as she stood up.
 
“Step out slowly, keep your hands where I can see them” Logan ordered still
holding his shotgun pointed towards her “who are you?”
 
“Rana Thanoptis, neurospecialist. But this job is not worth dying over. Or
worse” she said as she stood and looked at the squad before she continued “you
think indoctrination only affects prisoners? Sooner or later Saren will want to
dissect my brain too!”
 
Logan walked forward while the rest of them kept the guns trained on her. Logan
looked at the desk and couldn’t see anything of interest but his silence was
scaring Rana. Logan looked at the doctor, he knew the type; self-serving
cowards, even now she is more worried about herself.
 
“What are you talking about? This is a breeding facility isn’t it?” Logan asked
as he walked around and looked at her computer before looking up at Tali and
giving her a nod and walking away from the computer.
 
Rana watched nervously as Tali went to her computer and begin searching “Not
this level. We’re studying Sovereign’s effect on organic minds. At least that’s
what I assumed. Saren kept us in the dark as much as possible”
 
Logan glanced over at Tali who looked up at shook her head, telling him that’s
not true, Rana did not notice this, but Liara did “You helped him and you don’t
even know why?”
 
Rana glared at Liara “I didn’t have the option of negotiating. The position is
a little more…. permanent than I expected” Rana said quickly before turning
back to Logan but I can help you. This elevator behind me goes to Saren’s
private lab. I get you in”
 
Tali looked up at that point and gestured to herself meaning she could open the
elevator as well. Meaning Rana had nothing to bargain with but didn’t know it.
 
“See? Full access. All of Saren’s private files, are we good? Can I go?” Rana
almost begged.
 
Logan wanted to hear what Rana was studying. Rana started to talk about Saren’s
ship; Sovereign. The ship gives out a signal Rana told him, a signal that Saren
uses to influence his followers and control them. Logan knew that Saren was not
the mastermind behind this now. Logan listened as Rana explained how
indoctrination works and even admitted she knew what she was doing by
mentioning the prisoners.
 
“Where did the prisoners come from?” Logan asked already knowing the answer, he
wanted to see if she knew.
 
“S.T.G” Rana said without any hesitation before she explained that S.T.G had
been trying to get in for a while and she mentioned that she thought Shepard
was working with them.
 
Logan not answering her question about working with S.T.G and instead asked how
long she had been working there.
 
“A month” she said without realizing that also made her a traitor to the
council, since Saren had been labelled as a traitor two months ago. Liara
almost felt sorry for the asari, she had no idea she just admitted to a crime
that there was only one punishment Logan would give her.
 
Logan sighed and took out his pistol and looked up at Rana “I can’t let you go”
he said simply.
 
Rana’s eyes went wide “What? NO! I had no choice! I am sorry but they would
have killed me if I refused or worse ended up with the prisoners”
 
Logan did not seemed moved “Sorry does not help your victims” he said as he
raised his gun.
 
Rana started to cry and beg and plead with anyone who would listen, her cries
were cut short when a round hit her in the throat, spraying blood onto her lab
coat.
 
Logan looked at the others “Let’s move” he said as he coldly stepped over Rana
who was laying on the ground gaggling on her own blood. Tali was still getting
used to the level of violence Logan would show to his enemies and couldn’t stop
staring at Rana as she died choking on her blood, she was expecting it to be
quick not watching Rana slowly choke to death. While Garrus was just happy
another traitor was taken care of but he did notice that Logan’s aim was not as
good as his, as he would have been able to make a headshot at that range unless
of course Logan aimed for her throat, something that made Garrus remind himself
not to get on Logan’s bad side.
 
After searching the room the squad made their way down another elevator and
after a short walk ended up in another room, this one containing a beacon, and
a working one just like the one on Eden Prime, something Tali noticed as well,
meaning she had done her homework on the mission reports Logan had done before
she joined.
 
As Logan took a closer look at the beacon, something he shouldn’t know how to
do but he did, he hit a few buttons and the beacon hit him with the stasis
field again and started to lift him off the floor.
 
“Shepard!” The rest yelled out but Logan couldn’t hear them, as he was shown
another vision, this one clearer than the last.
 
Towards the end of the vision which Logan noticed it was trying to show him a
planet but didn’t know which one and the usual images of death were also there
and a lot easier to make sense of.
 
As Logan dropped back to the ground and with a slight sway he stood up again,
this beacon not affecting him as bad as the first beacon.
 
The rest of the squad made sure Logan was ok, and after Logan assured them he
was they moved up the ramp way and could see a red hologram at the end of it,
like a custom V.I.
 
“I got a bad feeling about this” Ashley said, the others agreed with her.
 
“You are not Saren” The V.I spoke in a deep inhuman voice.
 
Tali took a step closer “What is that? Some kind of V.I interface?”
 
“Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh. You touch my mind, fumbling in
ignorance, incapable of understanding” The V.I answered in a non V.I way.
 
“This is no V.I” Garrus said as he moved closer.
 
“There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own you cannot even image it.
I am beyond your comprehension. I am Sovereign” It said.
 
Logan looked at the others “Saren’s ship is not some Reaper ship Saren found,
it’s a actual Reaper!”
 
“Reaper? A label created by the Protheans to give voice to their destruction.
In the end, what the choose to call us is irrelevant. We simply are” Sovereign
said.
 
“The Protheans disappeared fifty thousand years ago, you could not have been
there. It’s impossible” Liara said.
 
“Organic life is nothing but a mutation, an accident; your lives are measured
in years and decades. You wither and die” Sovereign explained “We are eternal.
The pinnacle of evolution and existence. Before us, you are nothing. Your
extinction is inevitable. We are the end of everything”
 
Logan looked up at the Reaper and knew that this was what the visions were
warning him of “There is an entire galaxy of races united and ready to face
you”
 
“Confidence born of ignorance. The cycle cannot be broken” Sovereign explained.
 
“What cycle?” Wrex asked.
 
“The pattern has repeated itself more times than you can fathom. Organic
civilizations rise, evolve, advance. And at the apex of their glory they are
extinguished” Sovereign answered coldly “The Protheans were not teh first, they
did not create the Citadel, they did not forge the mass relays. They merely
found them, the legacy of my kind”
 
Logan shook his head “Why make the mass relays just for someone else to find?”
 
“Your civilization is based on the technology of the mass relays, our
technology. By using it, your society develops along the paths we desire”
Sovereign explained “We impose order on the chaos of organic evolution. You
exist because we allow it. And you will end because we demand it”
 
“They are harvesting us! Letting us advance to the level they need then wiping
us out!” Liara said shocked as she looked at the others.
 
Logan looked at Liara and could tell she was scared before he looked back at
Sovereign and asked “What exactly do you want?”
 
“My kind transcends your very understanding. We are each a nation. Independent,
free of all weakness. You cannot even grasp the nature of our existence”
Sovereign said sounding almost proud
 
Can a machine feel proud?Logan thought to himself “Who built you?”
 
“We have no beginning. We have no end. We are infinite. Millions of years after
your civilization has been eradicated and forgotten, we will endure” Sovereign
said and once again sounding very proud of itself.
 
“Where are the rest of the Reapers? Are you the last of your kind?” Logan asked
 
“We are Legion. The time of our return is coming. Our numbers will darken the
sky of every world. You cannot escape your doom” Sovereign answered.
 
“You’re not even alive. Not really. You’re just a machine. And machines can be
broken” Logan said with no hint of doubt in his voice.
 
“Your words are as empty as your future. I am the vanguard of your destruction.
This exchange is over…Shepard” Sovereign said, saying his name like that was
meant to scare him, but so far all Logan saw
 
Saying his name like that was meant to scare him, but so far all Logan saw was
an A.I hooked up to a hologram, what did bother him though was the small
explosion that followed by the news that followed.
 
“Commander, we got trouble” Joker said over the comms.
 
“Great, I love bad news” Logan said sarcastically.
 
“That ship, Sovereign? Its moving. I don’t know what you did down there, but
that thing just pulled a turn that would shear any of our ships in half. It’s
coming your way, and it’s coming hard! You need to wrap things up down
there…fast” Joker said sounding impressed with what he just saw.
 
Kaidan walked back over from the console “Console is fried, orders Commander?”
 
Logan looked around before looking back at Kaidan “We nuke this place, let’s
go”
 
 
AN: Sorry for the long update but hope it was worth the wait. So don’t be shy
let me know what you think and I’ll reply in the next chapter.
Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed
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