Book 3, Chapter 14 – Sacrifice

*****

“Sure you don’t want to come, Grunt?”

“I’m sure, Shepard. I’ll leave Cerberus for your team. Give me a call if the Reapers make an appearance.”

“Fair enough. Once we sort this issue out, depending on the progress of the cure, we might make a detour to the Citadel to restock. We’ll probably have to considering what you’re all eating.”

Grunt snorted. “What can I say? Aralakh Company has healthy appetites.”

“I’d call you all gluttons, but then again, you’re krogan, so it’s different.”

The rest of my team was waiting for me in the shuttle bay. As at all times, I was taking my entire team. EDI might prove of great advantage as she would surely be able to hack into any Cerberus networks. The rest of us would be happy to kill anyone wearing that symbol, particularly Miranda. I was left thinking she now hated them more than me.

During our approach, we linked up with Victus and his shuttles. They were taking heavy fire, so needed to set down a methods back from the bomb site. So did we in the end, but before we touched down, we learned the whole truth about the bomb and why Victus had been so determined to recapture it from Cerberus.

It had been planted by the turian centuries before, just after the Krogan Rebellions. In the event of another outbreak of violence, the turians intended to detonate the bomb and likely wipe out millions of krogan warriors. The power of the bomb wasn’t quite an extinction level event on a global scale, but it would have neutered krogan strength to the point where they would likely have been even weaker than they were with the genophage.

We also knew what detonation meant. Any kind of alliance, between the krogan and turians, between the turians and humans, even between the krogan and humans, would end. In fact, the krogan would lose any inhibitions in attacking both of us. They’d discover a way to wage war against us.

Just before setting down, we cut the link to Victus as Garrus stood next to me by the door. “Think Wrex knows about this?”

“Definitely.”

“How will he react?”

“I’ll calm him down. He’ll try and give me some bullshit, I’ll tell him he’s telling me bullshit, he’ll glare, I’ll glare, then we’ll laugh. He won’t trust Victus, but as long as your people can work together, that’s all that matters.”

“Hmmm. Don’t think that’s ever happened. Bitterness and hatred runs deep on both sides. Still think they hate salarians more though.”

Victus and his troops would be flanking Cerberus, as their objective was the bomb itself. Our job was the draw Cerberus forces away from the bomb, hopefully make their life easier. As the shuttle started to descend, the two shuttle doors were opened, Vega and I taking position at fixed machine guns. “Okay, Cortez. Loop the fucking loop!”

Though we tore Cerberus troops to shreds, more than one missile came far too close for comfort. We circled a couple of times before I ordered Cortez to set us down and we’d take the rest out on foot. While not exactly surrounded by Cerberus as we landed, there was no waiting around for them to begin focusing their fire on the shuttle. First off as at all times, I ordered everyone to move into cover, before telling Cortez to get away and wait for further orders.

“Those buildings,” I pointed, “We’ll have to make our way through them. We’ll split up for once, see if we can split their forces further.” I paused and assessed further. “Fuck that, no. We’ll stay together. If one of our teams gets trapped, we’re fucked. So usual rules of engagement.”

“Prisoners?” Miranda asked.

“Not today.”

“Good. Didn’t feel like talking to anyone in that symbol anyway.”

The path towards the bomb wasn’t straightforward. When is it ever? And Cerberus had been there long enough that they were dug in, and had defences set up the entire way that meant we had to battle for every inch we took. Victus kept in touch, letting us know their progress. There were grumbles that they were making better gains than our own, but as long as they got to the bomb and defused it, that was the only thing that mattered to me.

Whether Cerberus figured out what we were doing, I don’t know. But we killed them by the number. It was one of the few times I could remember that I relied solely on my assault rifle, working in tandem with Vega and Javik. Miranda and Liara mixed up their biotics, EDI was the master of tech attacks as at all times.

Weaving our way through collapsed buildings, it was obvious Cerberus was trying to lure us into more than one trap. EDI was able to give us warning most of the time, but my keen eye picked out more than one, while Javik had enough experience that he simply knew we were being led down a false path more than once. Cerberus tried flanking, pincer movements, and simply blowing us up. None of it worked. Delayed us, sure, but while shields failed and armour was scuffed, they didn’t injure any of us. Remarkable, if I was being completely honest.

“Victus, report?”

“Light opposition, Shepard. We’re trying to get to the bomb as silently as possible.”

“Works for me. Heavy opposition and more seem to be heading our way. We’ll keep it loud, keep them off your backs. Report in when you make it to the bomb.”

“ETA to the bomb; ten minutes.”

“Copy that. Shepard out.”

We were now pushing Cerberus back towards the bomb. Rather than die needlessly, many were choosing to retreat, firing and moving as they did. Engineers were covering them, putting down various turrets than EDI could hack but they’d been learning, and many seemed to be booby-trapped. As soon as she hacked, the turret blew up.

Shuttles appeared from above. So many shuttles, it suggested a Cerberus fleet must have been in orbit around Tuchanka, and is suggested one hell of a force must have been present on the planet. But why would they be bugging out already? Surely they could have taken on our two forces.

“Shepard, if they’re leaving…” Miranda started to say.

“Then they must be confident the bomb is ready to blow,” Garrus finished for her.

“Double time, people. Move it! Move it!”

Self-preservation and moving carefully went out the window. Now we mowed them down and let our shields and armour deal with whatever damage was sent out way. Liara, Miranda and Javik all went down, the former with simply depleted shields, Miranda and Javik both taking minor wounds, nothing a dose of medi-gel couldn’t fix.

EDI reported in we were approaching the crater where the bomb was located. As we reached the edge, we noticed shuttles descended to evacuate remaining Cerberus forces. We opened fire immediately, delighted that more than one shuttle was blown out of the sky with nothing more than rifle fire and the occasional biotic bust. I figured Liara would have been strong enough to practically hurl a shuttle into a nearby building, but our focus was the bomb. We’d killed plenty of Cerberus soldiers already.

Linking with Victus again, we descended into the crater towards a centre of operations once operated by Cerberus but now under our control. Victus explained what needed to be done as EDI gave us bad news.

“We’ve got incoming, Shepard. I don’t think Cerberus has given up just yet.”

“Victus, your team concentrates on defusing the bomb. We’ll watch your back.” As he disappeared with his men, I look upon my team. “Cerberus do not gain a foothold and do not gain a single metre. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” my team replied in unison.

“Take defensive positions. No-one wearing that symbol will remain on this planet alive come the end of this.”

Liara and Miranda stayed back. They would provide shields if necessary and pretty much bomb them with biotics. Vega, Javik and I were at the front, assault rifles at distance, shotguns at close range. Garrus found elevation and would do his usual thing. EDI was busy as at all times, attacking, defending, hacking, reporting progress.

Cerberus threw everything at us, including the proverbial kitchen sink. At first, the shuttles were unloading their troops close to our positions. Barely any of their soldiers hit the ground, at least not on their feet, as we shot them as they descended. Most of them hit the ground already dead.

After half a dozen shuttles, they seemed to realise we’d dug in so set down further away, some soldiers still descending by tethers, others stepping out of shuttles that landed. They tried flanking, spread out wide, but there wasn’t enough room for that tactic to be effective. And they simply didn’t have the numbers for it to work to their benefit.

“EDI?” I asked.

“He’s still working, Shepard. It’s not easy. Cerberus has messed with it, as expected.” She paused and gestured up. “We have incoming, Shepard.”

A fucking Atlas. I was tired of them already, though part of the reason was I didn’t have one of my own to use. But we’d figured out how to deal with them, so while they could be deadly if they gained a foothold, once EDI had the shields down, we just focused fire on the canopy. We had to duck down more than once, as machine gun fire raked our positions, almost wanting to kiss the concrete barrier in thanks. Garrus eventually got the killing shot, the bullet going straight through the forehead of the Atlas pilot.

“Shepard!” Garrus called. I turned towards the turian where he pointed to the bomb. High above us, we could see Victus doing… something. I couldn’t be sure, but EDI confirmed it was the only way to defuse the bomb due to Cerberus tampering and interference.

“Can he get away?” I asked. She shook her head and I wasn’t the only one to visibly deflate. “Damn it.”

Two words I’ll use to describe Lieutenant Tarquin Victus. Fucking hero. Three more words. Big brass balls. He had climbed knowing he was gonna his death. He hadn’t hesitated for a second. And when the krogan found out about the bomb, I knew they were gonna freak. Wrex would not doubt make threats. I’d make sure he knew the sacrifices made by the turians to make it right.

None of us looked away as the bomb was defused and the young Victus dropped to his death.

“Cortez, we need a pick up. The bomb has been defused,” I said.

The remaining troops of the Ninth Platoon returned, aware their commander had sacrificed his life. There were handshakes before their shuttle arrived first. They would return to their fleet for R&R. And they assured the losses sustained, including that of their commander, would be honoured for the rest of time.

In the shuttle on our return to the Normandy, the mood was sombre, most of us sitting with our thoughts in silence. The mission had been a success. Another bloody nose given to Cerberus. Still no idea as to the true intention, but in the end, it didn’t really matter. The bomb was no longer a issue, the krogan would be safe, and turian prestige had increased.

Victus was waiting for us in the shuttle bay when we arrived back on the ship. He took one look at my face and nodded. “He died bravely?” he asked.

“He died like a turian, sir,” I replied, “Honour restored.”

“Seen few show such courage, sir,” Garrus added.

“I knew the cost would be high,” Victus said, “Thank you again, Shepard. My son restored pride and honour in our name and in himself. The Ninth Platoon will honour his name and memory forever more.”

“We can speak further after I make my report to Admiral Hackett, sir. He’ll need to know about this matter regarding the bomb.”

“Of course, Shepard. We can discuss what is required next in the war room.”

He walked back to the elevator as I headed to the lockers, getting out of my armour, storing my weapon for Vega and Cortez to take aside and clean later. Back in uniform, the team headed to different areas of the ship, Garrus joining me as far as the war room. He talked with Victus as I walked into the comm room.

The conversation with Hackett was brief. He knew we were investigating Cerberus in addition to everything else, but he added that he’d devote some of his resources to his own investigations, but admitted his main priority was the Crucible in addition to relief efforts, trying to create ships where feasible, and simply trying to keep as many people alive. That was certainly understandable. He then gave me another code, suggesting I should make another call.

That’s when I was greeted by Anderson. I was surprised to see him at all. He was pleased to see me, and I’ll admit it was nice to see him too. He was being kept up to date with my progress, though communication links with Earth were spotty at best. He then surprised me with something.

“Next time you’re on the Citadel, head to the Silversun Strip. I have an apartment there. Bought it on a whim a few years ago. Honestly, rarely been there. Given that I assume you’ll be coming and going quite often, I want you to have it.”

“What? Forever?”

“Sure. Being back here on Earth, seeing what we’re fighting for, not sure I’ll want to leave once all this is over. We’ll have a lot of building work. You though, Shepard. I think your life will continue to be one that takes you across the galaxy. And you’re going to need somewhere to rest your head, restore your batteries.”

“Thank you, sir. I’m not sure what else to say.”

“I’ll send you a message with the keycode to get in. You’ll find it fully furnished. Kept nothing else there otherwise.”

“How’s the situation on Earth?”

“We’re fighting, Shepard. It’s day to day, not knowing what the next will bring. But anyone capable of carrying a weapon is fighting back. What the Reapers are doing is… indescribable, being honest. But I’ve got an enormous force at my disposal. We’re hitting them where we can, then retreating with minimal losses, more often than not. Guess we’re considered nothing more than a nuisance while they focus on what they want to do.”

“Stay alive, sir. It’s going to take time, but I’ll be back and I intend on having one hell of a force at my back.”

“That’s the one thing that keeps us going, Shepard. Hope. You keep fighting out there, we’ll keep hitting the bastards down there.”

“See you soon, sir.”

“I hope so, Shepard. Anderson out.”

I walked of the comm room into an argument. I knew Wrex had figured out what all the hullabaloo was about, and he was giving it to Victus both barrels. Felt a little sorry for Victus as it certainly wasn’t his fault. He’d been left with the issue had was the one who had to deal with it. Garrus was doing his best to explain the situation. When I walked in, Wrex decided to turn his anger towards me.

Bad idea.

“When did you find out about this?”

“I had it figured out when the Primarch sent me to rescue his son. It had to have been something big. His son spilled the beans as we were on our way today.”

“Doesn’t exactly promote trust now, does it?”

“Previously, I would agree. But the Primarch has ensured the bomb was made safe so it didn’t explode. He’s doing all he can to ensure this alliance works. He could have just left the bomb there. Hell, he could have stood by and let Cerberus detonate it. Of course, that would have turned your ire on humans, and then we’d be arguing or fighting now.”

He turned from me to Victus. “Forgetting about a bomb? How the hell do you forget about something like that?”

“It’s been a long time since the Krogan Rebellions, Wrex. A lot of things have happened since then. And considering the genophage, well, the bomb wasn’t really needed in the end.”

“Wrex, got sit in the lounge, grab a drink. Then you can yell at me in private if you want,” I suggested.

He looked between Victus, Garrus and myself. Finally, and rather surprisingly, he sighed. “You’ve got a funny way of trying to earn our trust, turian.” He paused for a few second. Then he nodded. “Fair enough. You sorted the issue out. Don’t like the idea of a giant bomb being left on my homeworld. But you made sure Cerberus didn’t detonate the thing. That goes for both of you.”

“You’re welcome, Wrex,” Victus said.

Wrex glared at the turian before he rumbled with laughter. “You’re okay, for a turian.”

“I’ll take the compliment, Wrex.”

Wrex wandered out, seemingly happy to at least yelled at someone about what happened. Garrus followed him out, and I heard him suggest they get a drink and reminisce about old times. That left me with Victus. Now that we were alone, he sagged against the central console. “That could have gone wrong in so many ways,” he admitted.

“Anyone else but Wrex, I think firearms would have been involved.”

“He’s a good leader. And at least he’s level-headed. Understand the anger, but I’m embarrassed. How we forgot something like that, I’ll never understand. That bomb would have killed millions.”

“At least it’s sorted now and you can actually forget about it.”

“Situation regarding the cure?”

“I was going to speak with Mordin. But what we need is a detour to the Citadel for a resupply. Stocks are running lower. Food. Water. Ammo. And we’ve been on the go for a while now. Crew need a little R&R. As soon as Mordin says the cure is ready, we head to Tuchanka and get this matter resolved. You have your alliance, I get the help we need, and we can both focus on other matters.”

Victus nodded before he met my eyes. “Serious question, Shepard. You seem confident about all this. What are our chances?”

“Before Aratoht, they’d have wiped the floor with us. We were not prepared. Those extra six months bought us time. Those of us who truly believed got building, started preparing. And because of the very fact we forced them to take a route different to normal, they’ve had to adapt to that. We’re still on the back foot, we’re still taking heavy losses, but those minor victories mean everything. The more we have, the better.”

“Will we win?”

“Yes. It’s going to be hard. A lot of people are going to die. Worlds will burn. Fleets will be destroyed. But, in the end, the galaxy will come together and will send the Reapers back to hell.”

“Hopefully the likes of the asari will see sense.”

“They will once the Reapers come knocking.”

He nodded, certainly understanding that point. “Hubris. An ugly trait.”

“They’re not the only species to mix arrogance with pride, but I’ll admit, this is the wrong time for it. Give them time, they’ll come around. In the end, they won’t have a choice.”

“The salarians?”

“Wait and see approach. Depends on what the Reapers do with them.”

Checking on Wrex, he was in the lounge drinking with Grunt, Garrus and Vega, so at least I could stop worrying about the big krogan destroying half my ship in a rage. Riding up to the CIC level, I took Kelly by the hand and led her upstairs, both of us undressing before walking into the bathroom. We spent most of the time simply cuddling under the hot water, mixing getting clean in between the kissing.

To her surprise, we didn’t have sex afterwards. We cuddled on the bed, wrapped up in the blankets, Kelly spooned back against me. I was rock hard, of course. The day I didn’t get hard with a naked Kelly Chambers pressed against me would be the day I was dead. But I just wanted her soft skin in my arms, the feeling of her presence next to me.

She turned around and cuddled into me, wrapping her in my arms. “Haven’t had much time lately, just the two of us,” I whispered, “Just wanted to lie here like this for a while.”

“No complaints from me,” she whispered back.

Must have been comfortable as I ended up falling asleep. Only for an hour or two, but when I woke up, Kelly was still awake. In fact, it looked like she’d been crying. When I asked what upset her, she smiled, giggled and got a little choked up all at once. “Haven’t seen you look that peaceful in a long time,” she admitted, “Probably since our time together back on Earth.”

“Think the exhaustion just hit.” I pulled her closed. “No dreams at all. Just a deep sleep.”

“Feel better?”