Tela Vasir, Oma Ker.
The communicator came to life, outputting:
"Three hours until the timer ends."
Goddess, almost half the time had passed, and she hadn't even made it out of the city yet. She had to walk on the surface to avoid questions. Any soldier among the defenders, seeing an Asari in full armor and with a weapon, would draw conclusions, and she wouldn't be able to just leave. Questions would arise.
So, carefully, across the surface, bypassing patrols and strike groups, both defenders and enemy. But it's also incredibly difficult. Almost any movement is noticeable on the surface, simply because almost no one is walking. And a lone running and jumping target is bait for snipers or some other nastiness.
She had to bolt from the huge hairy bastards, firing back. Then there were the Banshees that tried to get her from the air. The sniper rifle helped here; after all, the armor on those machines is a bit weak. And a couple of times she ran into an ambush, barely managing to get away with the help of the jetpack and Biotics.
The jetpack's energy will last for a few more launches, but if not for it, even getting this far would have been impossible. After all, the city hasn't rebuilt itself in these few hours. It's still ruins, and multi-meter debris piles cross the streets. Closer to the outskirts, the destruction is no less than it was in the center. Yes, the buildings here are lower, but they are still destroyed by shelling. But at least there's more cover.
"When I get out, I'm going to need a vacation. On Thessia. A long vacation. That's what I'll do. I'll sit in a bar, drink, and do nothing. No missions, no Broker. What a Krogan's ass this all is."
A forced march over very rugged terrain where the enemy must not notice you. Well, at least from time to time they shouldn't. It was like this during training; the mentors drove her through the obstacle course, prodding her in the back with area-of-effect Biotic volleys. There are no Biotics here besides her, but there are Banshees, lizard-snipers, and other filth. And then there's the fatigue from having to climb in heavy armor. She's not much of a rock climber.
But there's no time; all that's left is to run, hoping for the shields, the jetpack, and that the enemies will be too busy to pursue. And perhaps they are. If the Broker didn't lie. In the end, Tela Vasir herself, while a useful agent, is only an agent. She could very well be discarded if there's a sufficiently compelling reason. Which means she has to move. And survive, and if necessary, take revenge.
Jumping into another building, Tela came face to face with a lizard-sniper who was looking out that window. He let out:
"Waraaaava!"
And flew into the wall from a "Throw," after which he slid down it, hitting his back. He's not moving, but she needs to do a double-tap. Just in case.
But Tela herself had lost her stride; fatigue was taking its toll. When she raised the pistol for the finishing shot at the stunned enemy, it was clear her hand was shaking slightly. Too frequent use of Biotics for breakthroughs, several fights minutes apart. And once she had to scatter enemies using only Biotics so that the freak in golden armor wouldn't cut her in half with a glowing blade.
That parody of a Turian with the strange jaw and small eyes, even while flying under anti-gravity, tried to reach her with the blade. He hacked up the furniture, damaged the walls, growling viciously.
And the pistol never did pierce that golden bastard's shield; she had to bolt. The enemy growled at her out the window as long as Tela could hear him.
And now, having finally put a bullet in the lizard's skull, the fatigue began to be felt. She needs less Biotics and some rest, yes. A few minutes, she needs to rest. The Asari slowly slid down the wall, still holding the pistol in her hand. Never mind the nasty scraping sound; rest was essential.
For normal recovery, a Biotic needs a special diet, or at least army bars. Those bars taste like cardboard, but they were created specifically for Biotics in this kind of situation. Pop one in your mouth and do what needs to be done, quickly and nutritiously. But it turned out she didn't have enough in reserve.
When the colony lost its supply lines, problems began not only with regular food but with those as well. An Asari can attack with Biotics for a long time, for hours. But you also need to constantly nourish yourself if you can't take breaks for at least half an hour.
And here, there's neither nourishment nor rest. It's no wonder that Tela Vasir, after a couple of hours of active Biotic use, already has tremors and general exhaustion. At least the picture isn't blurring before her eyes yet, so that's good. And there's still a long way to go to safety.
This race against time, while it's unclear how to reach the required point. And that's another fifty kilometers along the road outside the city. Far and long. And under aerial fire, it's also impossible; she needs transport.
The monorail would have been faster, but the monorails were burned three weeks ago, and there's likely no power on the monorails anyway. The only real chance to leave is to find a car not blown up by the enemy. With a Spectre code, starting it won't be difficult. The problem is actually finding a car. Not the most likely event, but on the western outskirts of the city, there was less fighting, and the chances of finding an untouched car are higher. And it will be easier to hide. But... what's that sound?
Quiet footsteps rang out, the scrape of metal on concrete. It seems the lizard on the floor wasn't alone. Great. A quiet clink, followed by another.
He's moving carefully. Doesn't he know where she is? These bastards have good hearing, and every step on the debris can be heard. She needs to stand up quietly, unnoticed; physical strength isn't these guys' forte. If she can get into close combat, she can win even without Biotics. Well, in the worst case, she can use a Biotic strike; she'll just have to rest longer. Better not to let it come to that.
Crumbs crunched underfoot, and on the other side, they froze, as did Tela herself. It wouldn't be hard to jump out, hit the enemy with Biotics, and gun him down. But she had already done that too often; she'd have to go hand-to-hand. Especially since the Omni-tool blade could solve the issue. An Asari commando sword would be useful here, but who knew it would be needed? Well, no matter; the Omni-tool blade is worse, but it'll do.
Again, a couple of steps, a crunch, freeze. And so, by turns, she and the enemy move through the destroyed office, between thin walls and office desks. Whoever spots the enemy first wins.
Tela made it first, hearing a crunch and emptying the pistol through the door at the sound. A white flash evaporated a piece of the door in response, but only opened up the chance to aim. Take that, kinetic weapons can be cool, you damn lizard!
"Your pea-shooter is useless."
Loud, bright, but she's alive. The lizard, meanwhile, got a bunch of new holes in his organism. Now, shut up and listen for more enemies. Minutes of silence later, she exhaled. No one. How cool and how quiet. Just her and no one else. Tela sat down right on the lizard's corpse.
"Clear. Okay, Tela, ten minutes and then move out. My reward for the victory,"—and she poked her finger into the enemy's face—"and you lie here. You'll be my pillow. Agreed? Good boy."
She had earned a bit of rest.
Outside, there is movement from the Covenant side. A column of Scarabs passed to the south; less than an hour ago, a swarm of Banshees flew off to the southwest like a pack of angry insects. It seems the Shadow Broker's information is being confirmed, and the attackers are quickly fleeing the city. Should she inform the besieged? Nope. They have a much better chance of surviving the explosion underground. And the Asari herself has absolutely no need for extra questions. For example, how she found all this out.
"And I could have stayed in the tunnels too. Tela, you're an idiot. Or not."
Or she couldn't. Who knows if it's possible to survive the explosion in the tunnels. And whether they'll be buried.
This way, there will be an evacuation if she can reach the spot. On one hand, it's easier; she won't have to fear an aerial strike. On the other, the enemy might notice the evacuation ship. Or her herself during the escape, and those civilian cars flare up perfectly from plasma, it's been proven. And being inside at that moment is something she has absolutely no desire for. But it's better to fly poorly than to walk well... probably. It's all complicated.
"Alright, break's over. Time to move."
She had to get up and head toward the suburbs. And everything was bad there too.
"I hoped in vain. And how, I ask, among this wreckage, am I supposed to find something that flies? Eh? Everything's burned out here," the Asari exhaled into the air.
This area is much less destroyed than the city center. That's true. However, the first line of defense seems to have been right here, and the artillery hammered these places with full enthusiasm. There's plenty of burned-out vehicles and corpses on both sides, but none are intact. Sucks.
In another situation, this would be cool; you could gather trophies, since there are plenty of corpses and forgotten weapons from both sides. But she needs a vehicle for evacuation. And here? There are patrols, traces of battle, and ruins. No intact vehicles, only burned, blown up, crushed, melted ones. Likely, the ones that survived were used by the defenders when they retreated; they took everything that still flew. And that's a problem. Because she's been dragging herself around here looking for transport for over an hour, and there is no transport. Time is running out.
Walk? Not funny; across open terrain, that's several dozen kilometers. If Tela Vasir were fresh, it might still be okay, but after three hours over rugged terrain, and with the use of Biotics, several fights in a row... she needs rest, not another couple of hours of a forced march along the highway. Likely with new fights and no cover from aerial strikes. Thank you very much; that's a great way to die prematurely.
And there's less than two hours left; something has to be decided. It's good that the enemy is leaving anyway; they don't want to sacrifice soldiers in the explosion. Otherwise, it would be even worse.
Another ten or twenty minutes later, she did run into a patrol. A squad of six infantrymen on hammer-like single-seat transports arrived, dismounted, and were looking around, talking in their language. Had they found her?
These fleshy, bald, humanoid reptiles with a lower jaw split in half and taller than an Asari often play the role of commanders in squads of other species.
The blue rapid-fire gun they use is more powerful than the green one, and they also sometimes have swords or a Needler. And grenades too. It was fun to launch one such swordsman out a window with anti-gravity so he'd fall ten stories onto the rocks. Too bad it didn't work with the second one; the bastard...
refused to fly out the window.
Unfortunately, these ones aren't planning on falling from a height (since they are standing on the surface) and are clearly looking for something. Or someone. And while they are there, it's not advisable to go far; they'll notice. Such complications. And most importantly, the longer she sits here, the less time remains! Maybe it's better to return to the tunnels before it's too late? Wait it out, and let happen what may? Probably...
— Wuaaaaaarrrrrrrrr...
Someone is in pain. Judging by the howl, one of the patrolmen. The others immediately turned toward the scream, scattering into cover and opening fire. Shooting broke out instantly, though it wasn't clear at whom. But this was a chance! So Tela raised her Sniper Rifle and took aim.
At that moment, another patrolman died. A shield flared, then shots punched through it, and the lizard collapsed to the ground, drenching the debris beneath him in purple blood.
Their leader (in red armor, while the others were in blue) growled something, and suddenly a blue, blindingly bright orb stuck to him. The red one howled, waving his arms, while the others scattered. Wait, not scattered—they ran toward the transport!
Tela adjusted her grip on the Sniper Rifle; the invisible shooters also realized what was about to happen. Bursts of fire struck the retreating backs.
"Seems it's time to intervene."
A series of flashes rang out, grenades detonated, killing the red one. Three left. Two—another collapsed under the Asari's sniper strikes. He lost his shield, and after that, it was a matter of technique; a bullet to the head doesn't make anyone healthier.
However, the last two successfully reached their transport and jumped onto the vehicles. With a hum, the anti-gravity single-seat bikes took flight and unleashed a volley of blue plasma flashes from twin cannons.
Tela finally saw the attackers who had ambushed the patrol.
Blue Team.
Giants, as tall as a Krogan, or even taller. Humanoids, their body shapes resembling Asari. But Asari aren't that massive. This didn't look like a piloted robot, but rather ordinary, possibly heavy armor. Which meant if their proportions were like Asari, these soldiers must be simply enormous. And who were they? Where from?
The weapons were interesting too. Three of them—two were armed with the invaders' weapons, rapid-fire guns spitting blue plasma, while the third had an unusual assault rifle firing short bursts. Black-colored weapon; flashes were visible from the barrel when firing, which weapons using the Mass Effect don't have. And the smoke wasn't characteristic of Citadel weapons either, except perhaps during overheating. But even then, it's smoke or steam from the radiator, not the barrel. A cylindrical scope sat above the rifle's frame. Judging by the shots, it fires three bullets at a time. But that wasn't all their gear; there was something on their backs.
Now the third one took a device off his back, consisting of two tubes connected by a container in the middle and handles held by the giant. He placed the mechanism on his shoulder, causing the barrels to rotate with a click. With a hiss, a projectile flew out of the tube, tearing the hammer-like machine to pieces. So, a M41 Rocket Launcher. Note that down, take it, and sell it.
The vehicle, having taken the projectile, collapsed onto the stone with a strained hum, its hull mangled. The pilot tried to climb out, but the machine seemed to go wild, spinning frantically and howling before exploding in blue flames, and the pilot's burning body hit the rocks, motionless.
The last patrolman decided to flee. Nooooo, buddy, not so fast, especially since he hadn't seen Tela yet. And she was right on the flank, the cockpit was open, and the enemy was in her sights. Can't have you bringing reinforcements. Die.
A couple of shots and the driver, stripped of his shield, simply fell out, and the vehicle, losing its momentum, settled gently onto the road. Excellent shot, Tela Vasir. If you don't praise yourself, no one will.
"Who are you? Come out and identify yourself."
Of course, the big guys realized she was there. And they took cover too, keeping her hiding spot in their sights. On the other hand, maybe these... These are Humans, right? They fit the dimensions, though these ones are somehow bigger. But maybe a deal can be struck; she has a little over an hour to reach the location.
So, peek out and shout:
"Do you know how to pilot these things?"
"Why do you need to know," they replied, "I don't recall us being allies. Come out and talk."
No thanks. I'm fine in cover.
"We don't have much time, you know? You're Humans, right? I was told a ship is going to blow in the capital soon. And considering how the attackers are fleeing, it will be very soon indeed. It would be better for us not to shoot each other and leave here urgently. As far as possible."
Whether they were conferring or not, it couldn't be heard through the armor. Likely deciding something.
"And why do we need you?" one of the soldiers clarified. Due to the voice modulation, it was hard to tell which one. And while their armor was different, it was in similar camouflage.
And she didn't want to peek out; what if they shot her? Or figured out exactly where she was sitting among the building ruins.
"It's a long way to run. But if you know how to pilot these things..." the Asari said meaningfully.
But the Humans were not impressed.
"Then you have nothing to pay us with."
And that was a problem. Other than the Shadow Broker's name, she had nothing to offer right now. Nothing at all. And she had to get out of here, urgently; the evacuation ship was supposed to be there in just an hour. But if these were Humans, they surely needed information. Everyone needs it. Perhaps a deal could be made, and the Shadow Broker wouldn't kill her. The main thing now was to get out in time.
"I could help you with information," she said, and immediately flinched when a massive figure suddenly appeared right next to her, aiming a Pistol of an obscenely large caliber at her.
"Get up. Come out slowly."
Tela obeyed. Of course, Biotics were still with her, but there were three of them here. Risk, risk, and she still had to get away somehow.
She had to raise her hands and step out from behind cover. Maybe she could talk them into it? You're big guys, not stupid, right? A sabotage squad operating behind enemy lines. Such people might kill just so there are no witnesses. Which meant she had to be useful; you live longer that way.
"I know an information broker. The Shadow Broker, maybe you've heard. You need intelligence, don't you? I could help you get his contacts. The prices are high, but there's information for every taste."
Unexpectedly, the giants exchanged glances. Truly giants; the by no means short Tela was half a head shorter.
"Tela Vasir?"
This question made the Asari almost panic. She certainly hadn't introduced herself to them. Then how did they know? Had they seen the Spectre dossiers? On the other hand, it was worth a try. But who knows what their mission was?
And when your weapon is knocked away and you're aimed at point-blank, with your hands blocked to prevent you from firing Biotics, and pinned painfully... then there is only politeness and caution.
"Possibly," the hands squeezed harder, almost twisting, making the Asari hiss in pain, "why do you need her?"
Of course, no one answered, only twisting her limbs further, making the armor creak. Seriously? You'd have to be a Krogan to twist metal out of its grooves and block. Goddess, why? Whatever!
"Yes. I am Tela Vasir. Are you happy? Well, I'm not; this actually hurts!"
While one grabbed her, the second controlled the area, and the third carried a large backpack. Loading onto the vehicle, presumably.
"Take off the helmet," well, at least they let go of her hands, but they still kept her at gunpoint. The armor on the gauntlets was dented. Just how strong are you brutes, huh? On the other hand, they didn't kill her immediately. Maybe they need her?
So, carefully, slowly, she removed the helmet. A face with purple stripes inherited from her father. Quite distinctive, but better than being "pure." Everyone remembers the Ardat-Yakshi. And fears them. Since the "demons of the night" only appear among purebloods, being pure among Asari means enduring sidelong glances. So the Humans, seeing her face, relaxed slightly and stopped aiming, leaving only one shooter nearby. He pointed at the Ghosts.
"You're coming with us. The Shadow Broker paid for your evacuation."
Um, what? Seriously?
"Am I going to fly on your ship?"
"Didn't you know?" one of the giants asked seriously, returning her weapon.
Tela only shook her head.
"I only knew the coordinates of the evacuation site. No one told me it would be you guys. Getting out of the city without transport is quite difficult."
And Tela guessed perfectly well why she hadn't known anything. Humans, seriously? No, seriously? They have entire fleets disappearing, no one knows what's happening in their worlds. And the Shadow Broker suggests going with them! No, it's clear that if she's freed, there will be a tasty bonus for information. But that's the point—if she's freed. If she had known...
But now she had to decide; Humans wouldn't let a witness go so easily. And these were clearly not ordinary Humans. Moving fast, very fast. Exactly. Not ordinary soldiers at all. And how they managed to move stealthily through the city, being so huge and noticeable... But here they were, and Tela Vasir was here, and something had to be decided.
"You're coming with us. Your evacuation is part of the objective. Anyway, look. No time for flight school. Do you know how to drive a vehicle?" the Asari nodded, "same principle here."
They approached the hammer-like machine. A pair of cannons in front, an elongated rounded purple hull, and there a seat with pedals and handles, as well as a dashboard with a screen. When the machine is facing you or away from you, the pilot is extremely hard to target or even see; they are shielded by the hull. From the side, it's a different story.
"So, how do you pilot this?"
They had tried to take trophies during the siege of the city, of course. But the dashboard was completely incomprehensible. Some rectangles, diagrams, panels, all holographic. What is this, where to press? Unclear.
"It's quite simple," one of the soldiers explained, while the others loaded their supplies onto the vehicle hulls, clearly wanting to take as much as possible, "the engines are located in the wings. Left pedal is gas, right is acceleration straight ahead. Handles are for turning the hull, each responsible for its own engine. Better to fix one and turn only the second so you don't spin in place. Buttons on top of the handles are for firing. Accuracy drops when they heat up, better to fire in short bursts. That's it, move out, soldier."
Tela snorted.
"Fast, though."
One of the giants remarked:
"You'd make an excellent sergeant, Kelly."
Kelly? Was that a male or female name? Hard to tell from the voice; the helmet distorted the sound. The armor of all three was individual, by the way. There was a general construction, a skeleton. But the plating scheme, the visor type, the shape of the elements were different. Kelly, if these were Humans and they were similar in structure to Asari, must still be a woman.
"We're ready. Tela, you're second."
"Understood."
So that, if anything, she could be killed quickly. First time piloting such a machine and if something goes wrong, she won't be able to fight back. While they were getting ready, she tried to pilot it. She hit every wall with the nose; the piloting method was quite unusual, turning with the whole hull and engines in front. And no, jet bikes with engines were familiar to her, but usually the engine is located in the back and can't burn the pilot's legs with a jet stream. Moving in a straight line wasn't hard, but maneuvering felt very unfamiliar. Good thing the hull was sturdy and didn't crumple from the bumps.
"Moving in column. Maintain formation!"
Driving on the road was easier. Or rather, levitating over the track to a steady hum. You could turn in advance, bypassing destroyed equipment and convoys on a shallow trajectory. And assess the level of destruction. No, without transport, she wouldn't have gotten far.
A monorail ran alongside the road, and on it, a burnt and abandoned train could be seen. Judging by how the train lying next to the tracks was mangled, there had been an explosion, likely even plasma. There was other equipment too; trucks lay along the road, cars shot down from the sky. All of them were burnt and had impact marks showing exactly how they were downed. Likely, the enemy hunted them from the air until everyone was killed. The bodies, by the way, had been removed. Otherwise, there was nothing to say.
So we drive in column, of interest to no one. It would be funny if the Turians attacked us. But better not; time is ticking.
The companions connected via comms but remained silent. Or they were talking, but on their own channel; she couldn't hear them.
In general, it was interesting what Humans looked like without a helmet. No, she had seen photos. But it's one thing to see shots or recordings, another in person. And anyway, this silence was depressing. Occasionally, invader ships flew overhead, but they didn't seem to look closely at who was down there on anti-gravs. Their own, and that's that. Try to talk?
"So you're Humans, right?"
"Yes."
Talkative, damn. But there was nothing else to do anyway.
"And have you been here long? On Oma Ker?"
"Classified information."
Okaaaaay. The road was empty anyway; everyone was retreating urgently. And our column still didn't attract attention. Even when overtaking other vehicles. It seemed they had somehow made it so the invaders wouldn't doubt they were their own.
"And how are we even going to take off? There are tons of enemies here. Well, at least I have the right to know that?"
After about ten seconds, they replied:
"We'll be boarding on the move. The ship's anti-aircraft system will take down nearby targets. We act fast—we break through. Just don't fall asleep."
"Thanks for at least that."
Over time, she managed to get more or less used to the machine. Driving straight ahead on it wasn't hard at all. Tela still wouldn't risk maneuvering in place, but keeping it steady in a straight line, maintaining formation and occasionally carefully turning with one handle, was well within her capabilities. Anyway, the task was to move exactly like that.
We are a column of angry invaders, getting away from the explosion, don't touch us. We're your own, got it? Well, great, let's fly on.
Glancing at the map, Tela realized something. That they had already driven past the point indicated by the Broker. Is that normal?
"Um, didn't we pass the evacuation point? My data says we passed it three minutes ago."
The one who answered her seemed to be a woman, Kelly. Hard to tell through the armor; the voice was distorted.
"It's fine, we adjusted the route according to the situation. The ship will be here in three minutes and you'll see everything."
"Weeeell, okay."
"Just don't crash into anything when the ship appears."
Tela snorted.
"I'm not that bad."
She saw it. One moment we're driving along the road, and the next, scarlet flashes are already burning over the column, mowing down Banshees and other equipment one after another, making them fall all around, filling the fields along the road with flashes of explosions and pillars of blue and yellow flame. And then a huge and very long black cruiser swept over the road. A colossal, angular shadow, for a second blotting out the sky. Usually, such things don't land on a road, but the Humans seemed to have forgotten to be told that.
"It's coming in low," the Asari exclaimed in shock.
"Covering us," the soldier replied, "get ready for boarding."
The ship roared over the column and flew further, descending and covering the area with scarlet flashes. A silver umbrella was visible above it. Is that its shield? It would be good to know more about that. Finally, after flying another couple of kilometers, the giant hovered over the road, taking shots from somewhere above onto the silver "umbrella." Some of them hit around the ship, so hot that wrecks, grass, and trees flared up from the heat.
And then...
"Is this some kind of joke?"
"No. Turn on IFF tags. Get ready for boarding, Blue Team. Tela, just follow us."
"Yeah. What the hell is this ship of yours? Seriously???"
The ship extended its supports and the belly began to lower. Completely! Not a hatch, but the entire belly was lowering. Okay, ignore the fact that a ship the size of a cruiser can calmly land on a planet. And ignore the silver umbrella above it too. Let's assume. But just a SHIP'S BELLY lowering on hydraulic pistons. How is that even possible???
The fact that tanks and machine guns were standing in the lowered belly, shelling the enemy, was a minor detail. What are you and why do you work?
The ship continued to fire lasers around itself, lowering the platform right onto the road. I don't really want to approach for landing from the engine side; they are absolutely huge and burning with blue flame. Citadel ship engines are much more compact than these. But who cares about your opinion, right? And we drove right under them.
Next to the tank on the platform was infantry as well. These already looked more familiar. Proportions like Asari, and while the armor was in an unusual style, it wasn't as huge as that of the three companions. Ordinary soldiers in full armor, albeit with unfamiliar weapons. Judging by the flashes, there was some other method of firing. A chemical reaction? And yes, how to turn off the machine. Maybe a soldier can help?
"Um, how do I turn it off?"
One of the soldiers approached and with a couple of presses shut down the anti-grav of her transport. The machine settled gently onto the deck and went silent, just like the others.
Once it was confirmed we were on board, the hatch began to rise back up. It was getting quite hot around; a couple more blue flashes flew from somewhere above, hitting near the ship.
"Everyone hold on! We're launching!"
The ship shuddered, then again. Over the PA system, an announcement was made, thankfully the translator was working:
"Breach in Section B. Breach in MAC control compartment. Engineering teams, standby for atmospheric exit."
The ship shuddered once more. The hatch closed in the meantime, revealing a quite familiar hangar in gray colors. Standard even—containers, equipment. Tools against the walls. Even the owners were quite familiar in their proportions. Another marine approached the Asari, without a helmet. Interesting. Brown skin, black hair on his head. He really did look like an Asari externally.
"Tela Vasir, right?"
"Yes, I am Tela Vasir."
Looking around, she realized the Humans were dispersing. Including her companions. The man continued:
"Surrender your weapons and please follow me. Don't do anything stupid and we'll get along."
Well, who would have doubted it. At least she got off the planet.
The explosion occurred a few hours later. A flash, then a blue torch reaching the upper layers of the atmosphere. A blazing wave with a roar and an earthquake felt by everyone around (especially those in the collapsing underground tunnels and building ruins) wiped out the capital, the entire surrounding area, and raced on as a wall of fire. The flame passed through the nearest cities, destroying and scattering what the bombardments and Scarabs hadn't already broken. Taking shelter on the surface was impossible; the radiation flash incinerated aircraft and all nearby structures. Weapons of both the Citadel and the Covenant failed.
A crater remained where the capital had been, nearby cities were destroyed, tunnels largely buried. The strike group the Asari had been part of was declared missing in action. All the colony's vital infrastructure, concentrated in one region, was effectively destroyed by the explosion.
And the Covenant landed its new forces, and their weapons were already working perfectly. The defense of Oma Ker's most important regions was under threat of breakthrough, and without communication to call for help. The planet was doomed.
***
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