Liara.
I sat at the terminals, looking at the ravaged planet. It looked as if it had been struck by a massive relief hammer with a spiral seal. This strange spiral was imprinted in the middle of the crater on both the moon and the planet itself. The lava rivers and cracks reminded me of Therum. The very planet where my story began, leading to this point.
A Prothean world that, over millennia of seismic activity, had turned from a metropolis into a world of death where only the simplest organisms remained. The Alliance mined metals there for its industry. And archaeologists dug. Until the Geth came, and then Shepard and the team. And now Erinle would become the same kind of world.
Would life remain on the planet? Hard to say. Right now there was a sea of fire, partially created by the Covenant, partially by firestorms. If life on the surface survived, it was only in the southern hemisphere, which was further from the point of impact. Monstrous.
The atmosphere had become much thinner than it was. Likely, the explosion had partially destroyed the atmosphere, in addition to the damage inflicted. The colossal crater resembled the impact of a massive asteroid capable of ending all life on the planet. And this was a man-made event. I asked—
power:
"What were you able to find out? What kind of weapon was it?"
The Asari scout shrugged.
"We don't know, Commander. But most of the Covenant fleet has been destroyed. Those who survived have left the system. And I don't think anything could give us a clue, given the power of the explosion and the amount of debris. It's a graveyard; only wreckage and corpses remain. And at the epicenter, there isn't even that."
I sighed. It made sense. There has been plenty of information about the consequences of such explosions since the time of the Krogan Rebellions. The Council Races used weapons of mass destruction, and the Krogan bombed with asteroids. Archaeologists had equipment for the careful extraction of material. And there was simply a lot of practice, which served as the basis for many textbooks.
And THAT is what's frightening. The fact that Humans so easily use weapons that destroy worlds. If you think about it, a whole line of those who have suffered from their actions has formed behind the Humans. Quarians, Batarians, and now the Salarians. Perhaps even The Covenant. No, I understand—religious fanatics. But who started this war?
Could it be that it was the Humans themselves, with their animalistic cruelty worthy of the Krogan and Batarians, and their destructive intelligence operations, who provoked The Covenant into a religious crusade? Of course, it's possible.
Given my acquaintance with Human intelligence, their AI, and their cynical cruelty, Humans are no less a threat to the galaxy than the Krogan. Especially since they have Krogan too. And it is unknown whether the Humans were able to provide The Genophage Cure. The galaxy doesn't want to notice it, but in the Orion Arm, as the Humans call it, there are pockets of monstrous instability and xenophobia. The Illusive Man would be delighted. Yes, they aren't using their superweapon against the Citadel. Not yet. But how long will that last? How soon will Humans start glassing worlds simply because they can?
This planet is a reminder to us all. If the Reapers do not come, we will soon remember the Rachni Wars and the Krogan Rebellions. In the meantime, we must prepare. I nodded to the scout:
"Leave. I expect Citadel forces will arrive soon to investigate. There's no need to expose yourselves. Let them draw their own conclusions."
"Understood."
I leaned back in my chair and exhaled. Nothing. No, I have a suspicion, a firm conviction, that this is another Human toy. After all, they have already demonstrated one superweapon. And the Geth used it in this battle as well. So why shouldn't there be a second? But without proof, alas. It's only a theory, albeit a good one.
We need proof of what Human intelligence is doing. No, knowing what to look for, one can find their tracks. After all, Humans are not known for their modesty—just look at the chaos they caused in the Batarian Hegemony. But that's all circumstantial; the Salarian STG is no less famous in this regard, and Humans are still more regional players. But what they do in their region...
If I was initially determined to achieve peace against the Reaper threat, I'm not so sure now. I'm not sure it's possible. And I'm not sure that such a peace wouldn't be worse for everyone. What if the Humans, in response to a slight, pull out a new superweapon and start making threats, or an analog of the Genophage, but for the Council Races? The intelligence of these Humans is at a level of ruthlessness on par with the most cold-blooded agents of the Illusive Man. And that's only based on indirect data. Kidnappings—they even managed to bust an underground lab where captives were being studied. And then there's Tela Vasir... Perhaps a fate worse than death awaits her. Not that I pity Tela herself, but the fact that she disappeared while collaborating specifically with Humans makes one think. And grow wary, yet again. Perhaps we will all still regret venturing into this sector of the galaxy. That we gave the Humans a credit of trust. In a sense, the crew of the SSV Normandy meant well. But this is how it turned out. We need to watch the Humans to prevent them from doing the irreparable if possible, or at least to warn the Matriarchs.
Unfortunately, I wasn't given a chance to rest.
"Mass Relay activation in the system," Joker reported.
We are hiding quite deep and far away, but the fact itself... There shouldn't be any major bases here. Who arrived in the system and why?
"Can you see who it is?" I clarified immediately.
There are retreat options. We could head into deep space away from the system, and the Shadow Throne would be unreachable. Or break through to the Mass Relay. In any case, it's better not to be detected at all. But first—reconnaissance. Joker replied:
"Hold on, let them come out and we'll see what the probe says. Aha! A Salarian cruiser. A second one. And three more corvettes, escort. They definitely want something here."
A problem. The Shadow Throne, if they are here for us, is not the most combat-capable machine. No, we might be able to fight off Strike Craft, but not all the ships at once. It's better not to engage. Besides, if the STG sees the ship, the conspiracy will end; they won't let go. And as if that wasn't enough...
"Commander, look."
I turned to the monitor, examining the image from the scout ship. Four ships flew out of the Mass Relay in the Erinle system. At first, it might have seemed that one of them was a Geth dreadnought, but then the ship undocked from said dreadnought. These were two targets: the already familiar Human ship with the massive gun and the Geth dreadnought itself.
Two more ships were the already familiar Human frigates-cruisers. But the last one was something new. Resembling a sea creature with a rectangular but rounded body and huge wing-fins. The only difference from an animal was that such creatures usually have a long, flexible tail-rudder. But not here; there was no tail. Instead, the engines were located in the wings. This ship was small, about a fifth the size of the Human dreadnought, slightly larger than the SSV Normandy, but about half as long as the Throne. Now this was valuable material.
"Hide, move further away. Film the ship, but don't expose yourself. They're blocking the Mass Relay anyway."
"Copy that, Commander," the Asari reported and disconnected, leaving only the feed from the external cameras.
The group of Human ships and the dreadnought headed on a direct course toward the planet. But those weren't all our problems.
"Joker, what about the Salarians? What are they doing?"
"They destroyed two probes," the pilot replied grumpily, "only the last one is left. They're looking for something here. Possibly us."
Could we have been tracked? In theory—yes. Check which Mass Relay the ship came from, search the nearest systems. If done quickly, there's a chance to catch the opponent. Or not.
Still, no one had abolished FTL; as a rule, there are no suicidal pilots. A ship could simply go further, drift, then return. And breaking through to a Mass Relay isn't that big of a problem, actually. You can only tell what kind of ship is moving at FTL indirectly, by the response to the anomaly. From its size, you can calculate the dimensions of the ship's Mass Effect Core and the approximate dimensions of the ship. But fully identifying a ship is only possible before the Mass Relay, when the ship is preparing to jump. A perfect example is the SSV Normandy, which had a much larger and more powerful core and engines than required for ships of its size and class. The Throne is also by no means a standard ship, so deceiving the sensors wouldn't be difficult. But that's a last resort; it's better not to get caught.
On the other hand, we could lie low and wait. It's far from certain they'll find us at all. The Shadow Throne is well hidden; the ship has a low signature. All transmissions are strictly through Quantum Beacons. And space is a big, empty place; a search even by a couple of dozen ships could drag on. So there's no need to rush anywhere.
"Joker, we sit here and wait until they leave. Then we send a scout, destroy the probes, and leave. We shouldn't reveal the Throne to the STG. You know what to do."
The pilot nodded.
"Got it, understood. Good plan. I'll keep an eye out so we aren't spotted, okay?"
Yes, thank you. We'll get further away; they might continue searching for us in the neighboring systems. And what about the Humans?
The Human ships hovered at the edge of the vast void left after the use of the weapon and dispersed. What they were doing was unclear. One could only assume they were studying it. From somewhere on the planet's surface, several Geth transport ships of various sizes rose and joined the Human formation.
"But what are you doing? What are you looking for and what have you found?"
It was unclear. The ships spent more than another day there, after which they left the system in a single formation. All this time, Geth ships taking off and landing on the planet joined the Humans, eventually numbering over a hundred of all classes. But for the most part, they were small combat craft or transports. Naturally, the scout remained in the system; the Mass Relay was clearly being controlled anyway.
Finally, the Human and Geth task force began to turn and move toward the Mass Relay. Then, the sea-animal ship, the size of a light cruiser, flew forward. This ship left the formation and then disappeared. A cloaking system? It seems this is their analog of the SSV Normandy—how interesting. The commando reported:
"Blips on the radar. They're... they're ships. Moving toward the planet. Two of them."
And then the sensors went blind as two cones of blindingly bright light surged toward the ground. The Human superweapon. And this... a carrier ship? A smile and awe filled my mind of their own accord. We just learned quite a lot. And the fact that the Human ships calmly flew away afterward was no longer as important. Yes, as a single fleet, together with the Geth. Just like the fact that two circular holes hundreds of kilometers in diameter, filling with magma, remained on the planet. Apparently, the planetary crust had been punched straight through. And all of this was successfully recorded. After this, the planet looked even more like Therum, with massive craters, cracks, magma fields, rivers, and seas. Exactly what was needed.
Evidence! We obtained evidence of the Humans' malicious intent, showing exactly how Humans use a superweapon on a defenseless planet. Covering their tracks, finishing off survivors, whatever they were doing there. Now we can say for sure—the Humans are guilty! They couldn't care less about those around them and will burn both Thessia and Palaven if necessary. It's almost strange that Khar'Shan is still standing.
Of course, there's no need to rush with selling such data, but it completely covers the risk. The stealth ship that the scout never found. And the fact that the Shadow Throne is being hunted. The long, several-day ambush had its effect! And the cameras based on a quantum pair—wildly expensive equipment whose signal cannot be tracked—completely paid for themselves. As did the complex sensor suite needed for scanning everything possible.
"Commander, I've been spotted!" the Asari exclaimed grumpily. "Evasive maneuvers!"
Liara flinched, watching as two dots moved from the void toward the scout. As they approached, the dots took the form of missiles. The image went dark.
It seems the Humans decided to track and clear out the scouts, to get rid of extra eyes. Likely, Human stealth ships would have been waiting for them at the Mass Relay. This means this new ship is also quite good at detecting the enemy. And could it have been more than one? Perhaps while they were bombing the planet, other such scouts were destroying all extra eyes and ears. How interesting. Even the loss of the scouts isn't that upsetting. Risk is part of their job.
But most importantly, we are one step closer to uncovering the essence of Humanity. Perhaps in the future, we will have to subdue another race. And I will make sure the galaxy is ready for it.
Joker was able to lead the Shadow Throne out another two days later, when the Salarians had found nothing and left the system. We had to wait for a scout to check the Mass Relay for undeclared probes, destroy a couple, and only then did the Shadow Broker's ship head further away. The data needs to be processed. Business doesn't wait.
***
Galactic Core. Collector Base.
Since the start of the attack on Omega Station, quite a lot has changed. Partial control has been established over Omega. And no, there is no talk of capturing the entire station and destroying all enemies. At all.
But the outer perimeter, the orbital defense systems—they have been captured. And through them, it will be possible to partially control the station's systems and access to resources. This means that sooner or later, those entrenched in the depths can be starved out, or their atmosphere can be shut off sector by sector. They will either come to surrender or suffocate.
The station wasn't in the best condition before, and now it's quite heavily damaged. Restoring Omega will take a lot of time and effort. Will it happen, given the station's status? More likely yes than no. The capital of mercenaries, slave and drug traffickers, underground production, and cheap labor is a socially useful place. There's a reason Omega hasn't been destroyed until now.
In the case of the Collector Base, things are no worse. But no better either. Ships are constantly on duty at the Mass Relay, shelling debris and using mass fields to pull away more intact, large, and useful specimens of shipbuilding from different eras and races. Patrols clear the area of incoming Oculus interceptors. And they ensure a safe route between the Mass Relay and the station.
The station itself is not entirely intact after the nuclear charges. The lower part, hidden by the asteroid, looks completely whole. But the upper part—that's where things are more complicated. Out of a dozen rings, two-thirds are stationary; a jagged two-kilometer hole from the explosion is visible in the side of the station. Patrols also stand guard near the station itself, with transports docking and departing. And inside, continuous battles are raging.
Yes, the detonation destroyed a certain number of enemies, but how close the charge was to the edge of the station ensured the survival of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of creatures. The Council Races were able to carry out an initial landing, clearing about twenty percent of the station before the enemy regrouped and counterattacked.
In the counterattack, before the Citadel forces could fully entrench themselves, six percent of the station was retaken. After that, the fighting returned to a positional phase. The Citadel brought up heavy weapons, and the creatures apparently dragged away the corpses. They will make new soldiers for themselves from the slain.
Without the support of flamethrowers, Biotics, and heavy weapons, moving forward is impossible. The enemy comes in waves of crawling and often quite tough flesh, fond of flanking through narrow technical tunnels. Moreover, some of the tunnels among the organically overgrown passages are almost impossible to notice. So the Citadel forces advance literally meter by meter, inspecting every corner and mechanism. Otherwise, they will be flanked, swarmed, and even have their rear breached. And it will be painful.
A squad of Turians with flamethrowers and heavy weapons, having occupied a balcony in one of the large halls, poured fire and tungsten into the crawling Collector squads. The hall, over a kilometer long and hundreds of meters high, could have been a hangar for a dreadnought, but now it was a hive. Honeycombs on the walls, organic partitions, and bridges hundreds of meters long; here and there the movement of insects, some of which continued to work, ignoring the gunfire. And among all this, enemies crawled on the walls, flew on platforms, and simply used Biotics and wings. In all this organic chaos that hid the metal beneath it, finding the enemy was very difficult.
Therefore, having emerged onto the balconies in the walls of this "hangar," the squads entrenched themselves with heavy weapons while one of the groups moved forward. This way, they could provide cover and quickly suppress the bugs, which could ferry very large forces onto the balconies by air. Unfortunately, they found this out through experience and at the cost of losing all forward squads in these corridors.
The door had to be welded shut to survive a close encounter with the army of creatures. Especially with the Brutes and Praetorians. The black metal bulged inward noticeably, but the creatures never broke through their own pressure door, jamming it tight. And now the squad could focus on picking off the enemy, who were unable to flank them but were flying in through the wall missing on the side of the hall.
To the sergeant's left, the shots of snipers thundered. The bugs prefer to move through such vast spaces on open hexagonal platforms or fly on wings—perfect for a good sniper. If they couldn't shoot down the platform, they could certainly thin out the landing party, especially with the help of cannons.
Surveying the hall, the sergeant grimaced. This room... It was unknown what its previous purpose was, but now it was a massive hive filled with honeycombs. Literally, all the walls were covered with hundreds of thousands of cells, passages, and bridges made of some pale yellow organic matter. The bridges closest to the entrenched squads were brought down with rockets so that the Husks couldn't approach along them. Very convenient, as the range of Biotics is not that great, and the enemy is forced to trade fire with conventional weapons and has no opportunity to attack in close combat.
"Enemy! They're crawling up the walls from below."
Well, almost no opportunity.
From the abyss, having climbed the wall using the cells, Husks began to emerge from below. Nothing difficult; even the agile modified Salarians in such a situation, when they have to climb a wall in the open, are simply targets for his soldiers. There's nowhere to dodge, and snipers from the opposite wall of this "hangar" are helping. A squad entrenched in another similar niche.
"Fire, work with single shots or short bursts."
Now a head appears from the abyss, formerly belonging to a fellow Turian in the remains of armor. Now it's a shriveled thing covered in implants, with a mangled skull and blue eyes. The head creaks, looking at the soldiers with blue pupils, and climbs further, rolling over the edge. Several single cracks follow immediately, causing the target's head to simply explode; the body topples back and falls into the abyss. Back to where more and more enemies are crawling from.
"Nothing difficult."
"Don't come back, brother."
And an excited:
"Platforms at two o'clock!"
The sergeant immediately looked in the indicated direction and grimaced. About twenty bugs are flying toward the squad, and on the platforms, which knock down organic bridges with running Husks in flight, stand massive forms. Several monstrosities with huge pincer-blades, protruding ribs, and a Turian head on a cable. Shooters with spikes charged with Biotics. Modified Asari and a Praetorian.
"Turret, fire on the platforms. Snipers—support. Riflemen—control the platform."
"Yes, sir."
Unpleasant, but not critical. The twin autocannon thundered with short bursts, opening fire on the platforms. Judging by the thunder from another point—the second post (and there are four in the hall, including the one through which the assault deep into the base is going) also spotted the enemy and is supporting with fire. And the third also started shooting. The very reason these posts are needed—crossfire from different directions; the insects are doomed.
The autocannon is powerful enough to tear the attacking creatures to pieces.
The swarms of small fry will be suppressed by Biotics and flamethrowers. The forces of the Cabal, the Turian Biotic corps, are in action.
A steady hum echoed, and about ten Needlers appeared in the air. The flying assault gravity cycles of the Turian Hierarchy were carried into this hall through the tunnels by hand; they are compact enough for that. And in general, the station's passages are wide enough for the most modest examples of equipment (for example, a mobile robot platform carrying an autocannon) to move freely through them.
The Collector fauna on the platforms began to run out quickly. The creatures are literally dying in droves. The modified Asari tried to cover themselves with shields, but it didn't help them much against three autocannons and snipers. The flyers are currently being shelled by about a dozen snipers and the Needlers, so they are also running out very quickly...
"Sniper!"
With a crack, the soldier standing next to the sergeant fell, losing his head. The squad ducked but immediately looked out again, as the attack continued and Husks were crawling up the walls.
"Find him!"
"On the other side of the hall, third row, seventh passage from the right, between the honeycombs."
The autocannon immediately turned in that direction and gave a burst, followed by the snipers firing.
"Destroyed?"
"Unknown, Commander."
"Watch the area," the sergeant ordered and did exactly that.
Yes, the creatures are quite straightforward, but they shouldn't be underestimated. They can drive a swarm of Seekers, Husks, or bugs along the walls; they've done it before. Only Biotics and flamethrowers saved the situation. They have snipers too, as well as their own quite strong Biotics...
"Praetorian!" a footman shouted before dying, being smeared against the wall by a Biotic wave.
A huge multi-legged bug, the size of two hugging Krogan, fell from somewhere above, braked with a Biotic wave that scattered three privates, and then launched itself into the rank of soldiers.
"Scatter!"
The turret managed to get off a couple of shots before the creature, accelerating itself, took out both the turret and the gunner. The front mechanical scythe-legs pierced the turret's blast shield and the warrior of the Hierarchy, and the two purple beams fired from its eyes immediately turned the gun into sparking scrap metal. And the fact that the squad immediately shifted fire to the new target didn't particularly stop the creature.
"Assuming direct control!" a voice rang out in an unknown language, and the sergeant really wanted to swear. Five bugs had managed to climb down the wall from above, and one of them changed its eye color to glowing yellow.
"Possessed!" one of the soldiers managed to shout, turning to the new target, before catching a yellow sphere of Biotics and being crumpled by Warp along with his armor.
A wretched death. The snipers attacked the glowing one synchronously, so the Possessed lived for a total of three seconds. Но he had enough time to launch two more spheres. The victim of one is currently receiving first aid; the second hid behind cover, shooting at the Praetorian. The cover was warped, and the soldier fell out from behind it but hid again.
The Praetorian had just sliced a sniper in half with purple beams from its eyes, turning to a new target. One of the soldiers jumped onto the monster's back and was thrown off the cliff by a Biotic strike, but before that, he shoved a grenade under the creature's armor. The explosion didn't kill the Praetorian, but it seriously disoriented it; three of its four eyes went dark, and one leg was completely disabled. The bastard lost all its mobility but is in no hurry to die.
"Assuming direct control!"
The sergeant only watched as another glowing insectoid, receiving a focused volley, incidentally flew into the abyss. The Praetorian also finally found peace. It staggered, fell, and its eyes went dark. One of the soldiers immediately ran up, repeating the experiment with the grenade just to be sure. He shoved it under the armor and ran back. These creatures, hm. Who knows what they're capable of. The important thing is that the situation is stabilized.
"Losses?" command inquired after hearing the report.
"Six dead, eight wounded. Breach suppressed."
Well, that's good. Not great—after all, a sudden Praetorian is a huge problem. A truly large and strong creature. But they are alive; the enemies are not. And deep within the station, meter by meter, the Citadel forces are storming the base. Through the tunnels, advancing and entrenching. If they don't do this, sudden attacks by Collector forces from the air or through passages that cannot be reached by land (for example, through tunnels located perpendicularly, where Collectors fly) will simply lead to the collapse of the offensive. Or through previously overgrown vents that are completely invisible until cleared. They have to investigate every corner, every bulge or dried growth.
And yet the squads are advancing. Turians, Salarians, Asari. If the Hierarchy forces break through in large squads of soldiers, the Asari take advantage of the fact that they are all trained Biotics.
And certain individuals from among the Republic forces are recording video, for example, for the Shadow Broker. After all, corporate mercenaries can be bought if the price is right.
A squad of five Asari and three Salarians stopped at a blast door.
"Open it up."
The group's Engineer, a Salarian, approached the console, stepping on the organic matter and actively looking under his feet. After all, unlike hard black metal plates, this organic matter gives slightly underfoot. Because of this, one could trip at the wrong time in battle. Or fall through a thin layer of material, which is also no good. The Salarian studied the console and reported:
"Cooling system—blocked. The room's temperature regime is compromised."
The squad leader, an Asari, approached, peering at the graphs, which were in the yellow zone.
"What's behind the door?"
The Salarian peered at the readings. One could assume he didn't know the language. Or the console simply didn't display the necessary information.
"High-temperature production. Likely foundries."
"Well, it makes sense," one of the Asari exclaimed, "there's just a river of scrap metal all around; take it, melt it down, use it however you like."
The commander nodded.
"True. And it also means if we take this place out, we can deprive them of supplies, right?" at the nods, she smirked, "Open it."
The Salarian sighed.
"Stabilizing temperature. Sensors in the green zone. Door opening in five..."
As soon as the door opened, a creature literally jumped out of it, trying to grab the Asari with its hydraulic pincers. Ready for such a turn of events (these creatures love to burst in like that), the Asari responded with volleys of Biotics and Warps. The monster was dangerously crumpled by such treatment, metal tearing flesh, and only a mangled carcass reached the position. Several bursts finished off the creature, which refused to die.
"Husks!"
Yes, it wasn't alone here. Entire squads of modified ones, insectoids on the walls. A Salarian sniper with a well-aimed shot knocked down an enemy sniper sitting on the wall, and he plummeted into the liquid metal. The metal surged, but that was it; Collectors are not fireproof—he was fried.
"Mmmmmm, smells like..." another Asari said dreamily, scattering Salarian Husks with a Shotgun, "Brute!"
A massive carcass, the size of two Krogan, rushed at them from behind a vat. It tried to take out the Asari, but they threw three anti-gravity fields at once, and the monster, maintaining its momentum, flew over the Asari who had fallen on her back, grabbing her with its paw and impaling her on its claws. With a howl, the creature snapped the warrior's neck right through the armor and threw the corpse at the squad, ignoring the bullets. An explosion rang out—the Salarian had fired a grenade launcher just as the Brute almost reached the wall. The Husk, formerly belonging to the Covenant, slid down it like a bag of flesh and implants.
The Salarians, mostly with light sniper weapons, continued to suppress the insectoids while the Asari used Assault Rifles, Shotguns, and Biotics.
"Group thirty-eight, report."
The commander smirked, continuing to fire.
"Team thirty-eight has lost three. Reached the foundry, conducting clearing. A couple of minutes and we're clear."
"Copy that, thirty-eight. When you're finished, move to the coordinates sent to you. There's something important there. A control center, or something similar. And it's protected by yellow-glowing Praetorians. Lost three squads to a sudden strike; need to regroup. Be careful there."
"Understood," and turning to the squad, the Asari commanded: "We have ten minutes, then we move out. I want this place to stop when we leave, until I give the word to proceed."
The Salarian Engineer suggested:
"If we turn off the furnaces, the metal will solidify. Production will stop until they are cleaned."
Sounds like a plan. A good plan. They need to move forward. After all, this base is huge.
***
Two days later, the squads stopped, looking at the dead insectoids and fallen colleagues. At a creature that didn't look like a Praetorian, larger and with thin front legs, which had been in the hall with a mass of consoles; it wheezed, splattering yellow-orange blood. Looking at the soldiers, it said:
"None of this matters. Resistance... Laughable. Pointless. The battle was lost before it even began."
"We beat you," an Asari countered to approving chuckles.
The creature jerked, fixing its gaze on the speaker.
"Victory? Not victory. You do not understand, as always. You do not understand the nature of your power and the danger you create. This place," the creature's gaze faded, "control is lost. You destroyed it. This thanks you, and wants..."
The creature relaxed and slumped to the floor. A Turian among the soldiers grimaced.
"Well, there it goes, and it was just getting started on the villainous monologue, wanted to tell its plans, and we killed it. Who tells their plans after the battle instead of before?"
Laughter rang out.
"There's a report from other levels. There is progress; we need to hold this place until the others arrive."
The Asari nodded.
"Understood. Let's see what we've captured and if we can help our people."
In any case, the hall turned out to be a control center. And no, the insectoids didn't just drop dead; clearing will take days. But still, it's a victory. This Collector Base has changed owners. The raid on Omega is avenged.
***
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