Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis

Mass Effect: The Requiem Saga: Genesis.

Volume 1.

Chapter 9.

Let’s just get down to business.

I ran forward, past barricades and waist-high cover and toward the incoming pirate force.

Why am I doing this? I don’t… I don’t know. But I’m not dead yet. So I guess it could work.

Galen: Shepard? What are you doing?

I didn’t respond, all I did was level my assault rifle as I felt the swirling wind of high velocity rounds flying past my head. I shot my rifle, taking out two men immediately with short sprays. I shot again, another two men.

“AAGHH!”

I wasn’t being shot. Holy shit, I haven’t been shot yet.

And then, with a flick of a switch, I shot a concussive shot from the rifle. It almost blew back into my head, but just missed. One of them flew back into the group.

“Fire! Don’t stop firing!”

Nearly everyone in the colony was dishing out suppressing fire so that the Batarians were being pushed back. I kept advancing slowly, shooting. My shields took a hit, but I kept moving.

I’m not sure if my shields were broken that I would stop. This was just… a time where failure was not an option.

Galen: Shepard, move!

“What?”

Galen: Move!

Galen had already reared up behind me and grabbed my shoulder, pulling me back. I followed him quickly, getting at a safe distance and before I knew it, a grenade had been thrown to the door, where a mass of Batarians was located.

BOOMFHH!

Everyone near the explosion, including one colonist who stood up out of cover, had died from the shrapnel or the impact.

Batarian: Fall back to base! Fall back!

The Batarians fled back out of the docking bay, taking pot shots at the opening to the hangar, but I ran forward.

Anderson: Lieutenant? What are you doing?

“We need to get after them, hold the docking bay and the opening. We can’t let them come at us again with the upper hand. We need to fight. We need to win!”

I didn’t even really know what was happening at this point, but I realized colonists were coming after to follow me. Galen was included in the group.

They were looking to me now. They needed me… I needed to lead them. I thought about it for a split second and then pointed through the opening.

“Right… Galen, take them to the door. Keep the pressure on. Secure them tactical positions, if possible get the fastest to take some tables or something to make for some other waist high cover.”

Wow. This was… actually pretty natural. Leading people in a situation like this.

Galen: Roger. Let’s go, men!

I looked at the wall opposite from the opening to see an area where several of the colonists had taken the wounded and the children. We need to defend this position. We had plenty of people to go around. Hopefully it’ll stay that way.

“Leave two here.”

The colonists began to file out, except for the two I ordered to stay. I looked at Anderson, who had turned and was limping away to the injured.

“Aren’t you coming with?”

Anderson turned to me.

Anderson: I can’t fight, Lieutenant. I’m injured.

I thought about it for a moment. He can’t stay here with these injured people and the armed colonists. While I bet they could hold out against a few Batarians, I don’t think they could do much else against a larger force.

“Then I need you to help these two guards to get all the injured out of here. The fight might spread here and if it does, we can’t have you or any of these people get caught in the crossfire.”

Anderson nodded.

Anderson: All right, I can do that much.

“Good. Did you hear that, you two?”

The two armed colonists nodded.

“Good.”

I turned to the opening and took a deep breath, but it was cut off.

Anderson: Lieutenant?

My gaze landed on Anderson yet again.

Anderson: Good luck.

I nodded and ran out into the fray, seeing the colonists having taken cover near the docking port gaping hole in the door/wall, using tables and other things as makeshift cover. A few men hung back and took slow and aimed shots, guided by Galen who was with them. I ran forward to meet with the men in the front line.

“Keep firing, men! Hold your position no matter what happens!”

I leveled the rifle and shot a Batarian. He fell behind cover and I moved to another one.

Civilian: Agh!

A civilian taking cover on one side of the hole is hit with a concussive shot, being thrown back into the wall and falls onto the floor.

“Shit!”

My eyes darted from the battlefield and to the unconscious man, finally running over as I slid on my knees over to him, grabbing his shirt.

“Cover me!”

I dragged the unconscious civilian over the floor as the colonists try to take the heat off of him and me. I looked at Galen and yelled over to him.

“Where did Anderson and the wounded go!?”

Galen: Anderson? He was helping the two colonists take the wounded and the supplies over to the storage room near the hangar!

When I was far enough away, I put away my assault rifle, grabbed the civilian, and hoisted him onto my shoulder, running forward as fast as possible without tripping over myself or falling over.

“Rgh…”

I ran past the hangar and saw everyone in the storage room, the two-armed colonists attending to the wounded as best they could.

“Where’s Anderson?”

One of the colonists looked up at me.

Colonist: Anderson? I think he’s still in the hangar grabbing some things.

“All right.”

I laid down the unconscious civilian and turned to find Anderson, but saw that my team of colonists had been pushed back slightly, the fighting mainly taking place in the docking port now. With a grunt, I made my way quickly over to the hangar, through the opening, and into the room.

“Anderson?”

Anderson was attending to some files that he was copying to his omni-tool. He turned to me.

Anderson: Lieutenant? What’s going on?

“We need to get you to the storage room and lock it down quickly, we’re being pushed ba-“

Anderson: Shepard! Look out!

I barely had time to react, only bending over slightly, until something hard hit me in the crook of my back and neck, pushing me forward and onto the floor.

“Agh…”

????: Rrgh… I remember you. You were the one who came around in the military base. Made a fool out of me and my men.

I turned onto my back, holding myself up with my elbows as I saw a familiar Batarian face and armor. I was looking at Bartok the Warlord, who had his pistol trained on me.

Bartok: Die, human scum.

To Be Continued…