Chapter Text
"Here's where we part ways, Captain," shuttle pilot Steve Cortez said. The Kodiak landed carefully in a small clearing at the edge of a thick scarlet mangrove forest. The subtropical coastline was shallow, tide low, with countless shells, shed skins, and cracked exoskeletons littered throughout the sandy soil. The scent of salt and decay was strong enough to penetrate any and all air filters.
Captain Shepard nodded. Behind her, Advisor Garrus Vakarian and Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy were tying down the supplies for their mission on an industrial hover-platform. Tali's small, spherical drone Chatika moved swiftly as it inventoried the goods.
"I was hoping for a more resort-style beach when I suggested a tropical vacation, Shepard," Garrus teased. "Can't exactly sunbathe on Dekuuna."
"Nevermind we're at the tail end of the rainy season," Tali added. Chatika pinged pleasantly as the drone finished its work, quickly collapsing into itself and retiring to its economic charge port on Tali's envirosuit.
"Maybe we can revisit shore leave plans after the mission," Shepard said. Steve, Shepard, and Garrus all sported heavy armor running internal mass effect fields to combat the planet's gravity. Tali's envirosuit appeared slightly larger as it ran a new program that offered a similar mass effect field to ease the 4Gs the quarian's body experienced on Dekuuna.
"I'll hold you to that," Garrus said. His helmet obscured his expression, but Shepard easily imagined the smirking twitch of his mandibles matching the playful flanging of his voice. After being together for over four years--albeit one year lost to a coma on Shepard's part--she knew every part of her turian boyfriend's face. Studying their girlfriend Tali's face was more fraught with her quarian envirosuit...but each time Garrus and Shepard got to peel Tali out of her suit, they savored those moments to the fullest.
"According to EDI, you should reach the target in a little over three days on foot," Steve said. He brought up a map of the area on his omni-tool--though the projection noticeably warbled with interference. "The red mangroves can be navigated by boat," the pilot nodded to the modest modded lifeboat he had anchored at the mouth of the nearby brackish outlet, "until you reach the black mangrove and peat bogs. You should be able to make camp there before hiking deeper into the forest. Once the incline starts, white mangroves will thin out. The client AI and--...his?...partner?...--are about a day out from there in the megagrove's eezo caves."
"And EDI thinks we can disable the disruptor field once inside?" Tali asked.
"That's her best guess," Steve clarified. "Otherwise, I won't be able to fly in to pick everyone up. You'll need to treat the elcor on site before making a return trip back here."
"Let's hope we can bring down that field, then," Shepard said flatly. "Plan to meet us here in six days if you don't hear from us, Cortez."
Steve saluted his captain, "Yes, ma'am!" Before getting back into the shuttle, however, he paused and took Shepard's hand in his for a warm handshake. "And be careful, Shepard."
The captain smiled and returned the gesture. "Always am, Steve. Hope you and Kaidan enjoy some down time these next couple days." The red-head winked. Her friend heard, rather than saw, the suggestiveness she performed.
He laughed congenially. "I promise I don't need you to order me to have fun anymore," Steve said.
"Good to hear," Shepard replied. Once he took off with the Kodiak, the captain looked to her companions.
"Everything is hooked up and ready to go, Captain," Tali said.
Shepard laughed. "I still say it's weird to hear you two call me that now."
The three climbed into the lifeboat. The industrial hover-platform was knotted to the back of the vehicle, barely humming with its steady mass effect field.
"Weird? Or sexy?" Garrus asked. Tali and Shepard laughed. The turian took the helm and started up the boat, picking a slow and steady pace forward. The engine was quiet. Soon, the sight of the beach disappeared behind them as they entered the winding labyrinth of crimson mangroves; countless fish and crustaceans flittered along the detritus at the bottom of the swamp.
"You're the one who finds it sexy, Garrus," Shepard said.
"I might, also, find it a little sexy," Tali admitted.
The captain shook her head and sighed pleasantly. "I hope everyone can keep it in their suits long enough to do our first Synth Rescue proud."
The first few hours traveling upstream through the murky inlet waters were pleasantly uneventful. Shepard marveled at the indigenous creatures of Dekuuna. Due to the mysterious disruptor field, she couldn't access the extranet to identify the animals she was encountering. Without an ecological datapad at hand, Shepard created a game of naming the creatures herself.
It wasn't long before Tali joined in.
Shepard pointed to a meter-long, slug-like creature that was digesting a low-hanging palm fruit. "That must be the elusive thickslick-gookin. Very rare. And covered in citric acid," the captain improvised.
"I see," Tali said. Leaning casually over the side of the boat, she pointed to a school of hand-length fish with silver scales covered in a moss-like symbiote. "With the gookin nearby, there was bound to be these, ah, stonefruit-gilled-nibblers." Shepard and Tali laughed. Garrus didn't participate in the silly exercise--but he quite enjoyed listening to his girlfriends' laughter.
Though the coast was far behind, the salinated water kept the smell of salt and decay strong in the air. The sky had already been overcast; the thickened canopy meant little sunlight filtered down to the squad now. The forest was a soundscape of insectoid chirps, avian gutter-calls, and aquatic splashes.
The encrypted distress signal EDI had decoded warned the Normandy crew of the numerous megafauna in the area. Of particular concern was a territorial Black-Agrat: a giant native Chiroptera with deadly claws and powerful wings. It nested in the mountains that housed the Element Zero caves where the AI and their elcor partner lived in secret. The AI--who did not name themself--shared that the pair had been living in isolation since the end of the Reaper War. The synthetic program had been the elcor's VI combat assistant. Sometime during the war, between modifications, machine learning, and inexplicable bonding with an organic, the VI gained sentience. The Courts of Dekuuna only activated the combat VIs during war; it was centuries-long policy to immediately deactivate all such synthetic programs once peacetime returned. Thus, the two chose instead to embrace the anonymity that post-war confusion offered.
The problem that necessitated the AI reach out wasn't just the aggressive Black-Agrat--their elcor partner, referred to in the message as "S", came down with an infection at the start of the rainy season. Despite using their stocked medi-gel reserves and antibiotics, S didn't get better. When he subsequently contracted a virus, the AI knew they had to seek help--or watch their bondmate die.
As Garrus piloted the boat, he was careful to keep the towed goods clear of various mangrove roots and troublesome vines. Besides the survival gear the Normandy squad needed for themselves, they had several vials of antibiotics, viral treatments, elcor-optimized medi-gel, and an assortment of other medical supplies Doctor Chakwas had gathered for the mission.
Another hour, and the red mangrove trees had withered, replaced by the thick, gnarled trunks of its black-barked cousins that were better suited to the peat bogs stretching from the mouth of the inlet towards the base of the looming mountains.
The sounds of the forest were different now--quieter, though with a sinister rather than peaceful air. Garrus brought the boat up to bank between large, twisting roots of a dead black mangrove tree.
"Another couple hours on foot, and we should be able to make camp," Shepard said. The three began working together to unload and transfer their goods. The rhythm Shepard, Tali, and Garrus had was one of absolute synchronicity--the kind only forged by surviving together with the mutual goal of thriving together.
"Too bad we couldn't just keep going on the Vakarian cruise," Tali teased.
"I'm surprised the ex-marine didn't jump at the chance to actually skipper a boat," Garrus said. He anchored the boat and activated its locator-signal, hoping that once the disruptor field was down, the Kodiak would be able to ping and retrieve the vehicle.
"'Navy' and 'Marine' don't exactly mean what they used to," Shepard said. The conversation was light-hearted...so why did Shepard's heart clutch, cold and hard, at her boyfriend's joke? She had made the decision to leave the Alliance with full conviction. She would not let the Systems Alliance kill EDI. Beyond that, there had always been cracks between herself and the Navy...so why should she feel any regret? She was Captain Jane Shepard, first human Spectre and Savior of the Galaxy. She knew what she was doing was right; her work helping the synthetics of the Milky Way would make a difference that was sorely needed. So...why did she hurt?
Tali noticed the distress Shepard felt--the captain wondered if all quarians were innately better at picking up suited body language--and slipped her three-fingered hand in Shepard's five-fingered grasp. "You okay, Shepard?"
"Yeah," she answered, squeezing Tali's hand once, "thanks."
A blood-curdling screech startled the squad. Immediately, Tali removed her hand and grabbed her shotgun.
"We got incoming, ten o'clock!" Garrus cried. Already, his modded Mantis was out and he kept his eyes on the scope. Shepard raised her biotics, roiling with dark energy, and unholstered her Geth pulse rifle. Chatika activated, detached itself from Tali's charging port, and floated off to gather intel.
The squad stood at a clearing, sticking to the edges of the black mangrove trees. A dank mire of moss and bog pools stretched before them; more trees, tall and imposing, populated the opposing perimeter. A discordant cry echoed again--and with a violent crack of trunks and savage roar, a massive quadrupedal amphibian burst through the tree-line. It was as big as the Kodiak, scales the color of dirt and rust--but its blood was green and poured out of devastating gashes along its ribs.
"Don't shoot," Shepard commanded. The wild creature was injured and confused. The captain and her squad maintained calm composure. Tali tapped her omni-tool to pause Chatika's movements.
The sap-like globules of verdant blood splashed into the bog pools as the massive amphibian awkwardly skittered across moss and peat. Its large, black eyes darted every which way. The sharp teeth in its jaw seemed to imply it was a predator of some sort--but its current behavior clearly telegraphed prey.
And prey it was: with a piercing, cacophonous shriek, a dark, winged beast suddenly tore through the canopy. Its massive talons ripped into the amphibian once more--and with a powerful thrust of its wings alongside a relentless grip, it violently wrenched the creature's head from its slender neck. The beast shuddered and rose its long neck, bellowing a victory song that haunted the humid air like a dirge. When the beast's eyes locked onto Shepard, ice shot through her veins--its eyes and face were a horrific splice of Harvester and Black-Agrat.
"I assume we can shoot that?!" Garrus said.
"Open fire!" Shepard cried.
The three unloaded ammo at the abomination--but it took little heed of the attack, save for being annoyed. It shrieked, flapped its massive wings, and lunged forward with terrifying speed. Tali was directly in its line of sight.
"Tali!" Shepard cried. She summoned her biotics and threw a powerful pulse at the creature. Though the pulses appeared to connect, they suddenly careened away ineffectually. It was closing on the quarian.
Garrus quickly loaded armor-piercing rounds and aimed for the monstrous chiroptera's eyes. Careful to aim and steady his hand, he pulled the trigger; the shot connected to its left eye. The Reaper-chimaera screamed and altered course. In a rage, it flailed wildly. Tali retreated quickly--but Shepard found herself knocked prone to the ground with a whip of the beast's tail.
Tali unloaded her shotgun. Chatika whirred and cast a defense matrix to cover Shepard. The captain groaned, catching her breath. Garrus's cover far helped push the Black-Agrat into retreat as it wailed over its now-blinded eye.
"Shepard, are you alright?!" Tali cried. She tried to help Shepard to her feet. Dekunna's oppressive gravity made the task nigh-impossible. The squad's suits helped them remain autonomous on the surface of the high-G planet--but it couldn't help offset the weight of objects as large as an adult human.
"Just catching my breath," Shepard finally managed. She scrambled to her feet and resummoned her biotic barrier. The Black-Agrat was running at high speeds around the perimeter of the bog. Despite its size, it was impressively agile. Few of Garrus's expert shots hit cleanly; what ammo did connect seemed to do little damage, even with the armor-piercing mods.
"We can't let this thing destroy the meds," Shepard said. "If it won't go down, we need to get away. Options?"
"Chatika, look for cover we can use," Tali ordered. The drone chirped and zoomed off.
Garrus continued laying suppression fire. He popped a heat sink quickly and resumed his task. "What I wouldn't give for an M-920 Cain right now," he mused aloud.
Chatika transmitted a route for the squad to use: a zigzag through the bog and into the thick of trees northward. Either side was a no go for escape; they were either boxed in by other murky rivers or untrekkable swamp.
"I'll draw that thing toward the tributary," Shepard pointed to the northeast bend of the inlet, "while you two secure the goods. Once you're clear, let that big bat have it and I'll rejoin you. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am!" Tali and Garrus replied in unison.
Shepard began shooting arcs of plasma at the Black-Agrat as Tali and Garrus focused on guiding the hover platform with the goods to the other side of the bog. Chatika floated over to support Shepard, deploying a diminutive combat drone to further get the creature's attention.
"Hey, over here!" Shepard cried. Another biotic pulse launched, seemingly connected, and then ricocheted away. The chiroptera hissed and gave a curdling, dissonant scream. It folded its wings back as it solidly took to the ground with four legs. Its one remaining eye glowed yellow with the sinister visage of a Harvester.
The plan was a success.
Its sole focus was on Shepard.
By the chittering of its fangs and bloodied growl, it wanted her dead.
Shepard dodged its first lunge expertly. The shots from her Geth Pulse Rifle sizzled against its thick fur-coated underbelly. The air smelled of singed hair and muck. When its tail came round again, the captain anticipated it and slammed the tail back with a fierce nova.
"We're clear, Shepard. C'mon!" Garrus called over comms. He set himself up atop the crates of medical supplies. His shots seemed to bury ineffectually into the thick hide of the chimeric beast. It was uninterested in anything except Shepard.
Shepard leapt over its second lunge with a biotic pulse launched at the ground. Dark energy rippled along her heavy armor like lightning. Just as she landed with only a quarter of the length of the mire left before reaching the safety of the forest, the Black-Agrat launched itself into the air and spat acid at the ex-marine. It shattered her biotic barrier. The inertia of the hit shoved Shepard down into the shallow pool beside the large amphibian's headless carcass; the dead creature's green blood stained her armor. Noxious fumes hovered in the air.
"SHEPARD!" Tali screamed. Garrus leapt out of cover, switching his rifle for a pistol to take hip shots at the winged beast as he ran.
Before Shepard blacked out, she felt the Black-Agrat sunder the back plate of her armor.
Shepard came-to in the middle of the night. She was drenched in sweat despite feeling exceptionally cold. There was, oddly enough, a roof over her head. When she tried to move, however, she felt as though an elcor itself were sitting on her torso.
"Spirits, you're finally awake," Garrus sighed. His subvocals rumbled with relief. "Don't try to move. That thing ruptured your armor. Tali can't repair the suit's mass effect field with what we have on hand."
"Where are we?" Shepard asked.
The flickering of firelight illuminated enough of her surroundings to suggest she was in some sort of abandoned yurt. Turning her still-helmeted head, she saw Garrus sitting beside her on some faded cushion. His Mantis rifle sat against the building's entrance.
"Not sure. It seems to be an abandoned elcor encampment. We're about where we wanted to make camp--even if it took us several more hours to get here than expected." Garrus paused before adding, "I never did like camping."
"Ha-ha," Shepard panned. Even so, a smirk curled on her lips. She wished she could see the twitch of her boyfriend's mandibles when his eyes lit up with a quip or joke. The dark visor of his helm made such impossible for now. "And Tali?" She asked.
Garrus leaned back, revealing the quarian laid out on one of the sleeping bags they had packed. She seemed deep in sleep; little snores escaped from her helmet's audio compressor every so often. "She wanted to stay awake until you came to, but I managed to get her to lay down while I took first watch. Out like a light the minute her head hit the sack."
"Neither of you are hurt?"
Garrus chuckled and laid his hand on Shepard's pauldron lovingly. "Only ones hurt here are your armor and my sniper's pride."
"It's not your fault--that creature shrugged off almost everything we threw at it."
"Doesn't make seeing you go down hurt less," Garrus admitted quietly.
Shepard automatically tried to reach for his hand--but the effort to move was inordinately exhausting. Her bondmate recognized what she'd been trying to do and quickly laced his gloved fingers in hers.
"Shepard, how are we going to finish the mission if you can't move?"
"I'm working on it."
"Should we call Cortez?"
"We can't call anyone, remember? Disruptor field is still active."
"Damn it," Garrus hissed.
Shepard squeezed his hand reassuringly. "Hey, No Shepard without Vakarian right?"
Garrus gave a breathy laugh and returned the hand-squeeze. Before he could reply, Tali muttered incoherently as she dreamed. She sighed gently and snuggled deeper into her sleeping bag. Garrus and Shepard watched their quarian girlfriend with hidden smiles. Finally, Garrus said, "And no us without vas Normandy ."
"We'll figure this out. We always do," Shepard said.
Outside, the nocturnal soundscape of the forest roiled with lively moonlit insects and the shifting of brush as predators slunk through the land in search of a meal. A few other abandoned yurts peppered the forest clearing; piled stones demarcated old campfires. Weeds had reclaimed most of the land, obscuring the desire paths of the site's long-gone elcor.
The noises abruptly stopped, however, when the beating of the Black-Agrat's wings could be heard overhead. Garrus quickly grabbed his rifle and stood guard at the doorway. He watched as the chimaera screeched--the large amphibian's corpse clutched in its talons--and disappeared into the growing cloud cover of the mountains.