The group enters the Prothean ruins ahead of them. Despite the earlier fighting, the place now feels eerily silent.
"It's too damn quiet…" Alex mutters.
"Shepard… your Lieutenant is right," Garrus adds, his tone cautious.
As they make their way through the hushed ruins, they step into a small room with a large, strange metallic lump in the center.
"Not good!" Alex warns.
"Is this what I think it is?!" Shepard asks, her eyes narrowing.
"Geth Armature!!" Tali shouts, just as the lump begins transforming into the full mechanical beast.
Shepard, however, is faster—she hurls two grenades, which stick to the Armature's body before it fully animates.
Alex reacts quickly, casting Thundara, using his sword as a conduit.
You have dealt 108 x 2 = 216 damage to Geth Armature
"Shield's nearly down, Commander!" Alex yells as he sprints for cover.
"Duck, everyone!!" Shepard commands.
The squad dives for the ground as a massive explosion rocks the room. When the dust settles, the Armature is still barely operational.
Alex leaps into the air, activating Thunder Sword, and drives the [Enchanted Runeblade] directly into its head.
You have dealt 51 + 88 = 139 damage to Geth Armature
You have destroyed Geth Armature
Alex quickly descends before the Armature explodes, a few pieces of Debris hitting his shield.
You have received 7 damage (blocked by shields)
"Looks like Saren left us a few presents," Shepard mutters. "Let's avoid getting caught up in more surprises. Move out!"
They continue sweeping through the ExoGeni HQ but soon find a large energy wall blocking access to part of the ruins.
"Reminds me of Therum," Tali jokes, casting a glance at Liara.
"This isn't funny, Tali!" Liara snaps, her face visibly darkening.
Liara's attitude is slowly changing, no longer so innocent, after all. These two are constantly bickering with each other.
"Enough joking," Shepard cuts in. "We need to find a way around. Spread out and look for a path."
Roughly a minute later, Ashley calls out, "Commander! Over here. There's a path going down. The ground's open, but once we jump down, there's no going back. The stairs are gone! Probably collapsed."
"This is the only way forward. No time for hesitation. Everyone, get ready," Shepard orders.
Alex nods at Wrex, who steps forward and grins. "I get it, human. Let's do this!"
As they jump into the lower level, Alex immediately feels the atmosphere shift. The air grows heavier.
They come across a dead Varren sprawled across the floor, prompting Wrex to jog over with clear excitement.
Alex examines the Varren—it's some kind of mutated hybrid between a dog and a hyena. The corpse is already rotten, swarming with insects, and clearly decomposing.
Disgusting…
"I can't believe it! A Varren! This is just like my beloved Tuchanka! Do we have a fire ready? I'm getting hungry, seeing this delicacy right before my eyes," Wrex says, beaming in nostalgia.
"Disgusting! It's fucking rotten Wrex!" Alex says, joining him, only for his shield to suddenly react.
You have received 28 damage (blocked by shields)
"DAMN IT! I'm so sorry!" a woman's voice cries out.
Well, I expected this to happen… Why the hell did she aim at me and not Wrex? He looks way more like a Varren than I do!
"Drop your weapon, or I'll break your neck," Alex shouts loudly, locking towards the woman, his [Brawler-Pistol] raised, aiming at her.
"Spare me! I'm human!" the woman shrieks, obviously scared.
"Everything alright, Kerber? That shot didn't even scratch your shield," Shepard says calmly. "Let's be a little nicer to the lady. I'm Commander Shepard, Alliance, and more importantly, a Spectre. ExoGeni sent us. Identify yourself."
"Again, I'm so sorry! I thought you were Geth—or one of those Varren!"
"Do I look like a fucking Geth to you?" Alex grumbles.
"Speak!" Shepard orders, her tone commanding. She stares at her, making her appear paralyzed in fear.
Shepard can be scary… so forceful.
"Sorry! I'm Lizbeth Baynham… It's my own fault I'm stuck here! Everyone else ran when the Geth attacked, but I stayed to back up the data. Next thing I knew, the Geth ship latched onto the building, the power went out, and I was trapped. I tried to escape, but the route was blocked."
"Well, lucky for you, we found you. When you say 'blocked,' I assume you mean the energy field? We'll take care of it. In the meantime, I need you to prepare that data to take back to ExoGeni. At least that much is done," Shepard says.
"It's still in the main servers… I don't have it! They are exactly where the dropship landed during the attack," She explains.
"What were the Geth doing here in the first place?" Tali asks.
"I'm guessing they were after the Thorian," Lizbeth responds.
"…Why? And if they got what they needed, why are the Geth still here?" Alex asks, frowning.
"You know about the Thorian?" Lizbeth looks shocked.
"Yes. In any case, we need to keep moving. Your mother's been looking for you. Lay low for now," Shepard instructs her.
"Wait! Commander, take my ID. You'll need it to access the restricted area where the company did their research, you'll find the Data there! Be careful," Lizbeth warns the group, handing over her ID card.
The group moves on, eventually reaching a muddy, algae-covered puddle in the ruins.
"Dirtiest water I've ever seen… I don't even want to imagine what happens if you try to drink that," Kaidan mutters.
"You are soft, human. This delicious-looking water would be a luxury on Tuchanka. You're spoiled rotten," Wrex scoffs.
The only thing rotten is your Krogan logic, Wrex!
Anyway, I am pretty sure there were more Varren around here. I feel uneasy. It's best I use En.
With a quick use of En, Alex detects several Varren hiding just beyond a mountain of rubble.
"Careful! I noticed movement behind those rubble piles over there!" Alex shouts.
"What do you mea—" Garrus begins, but is immediately cut off as multiple Varren leap out from behind the rocks, one slamming directly into him and knocking him to the ground.
"Garrus!" Alex yells, charging forward and switching to his [Executioner's Blade R2].
They're weak against Frost!
Alex activates Blizzara Sword, executing a precise horizontal slash aimed at the Varren while carefully avoiding Garrus.
You have dealt 131 + 167 = 298 damage against Varren
You have killed Varren
As the Warren gets sliced into two flat parts, blood splattering anywhere, Alex quickly grabs Garrus's hand and drags him to safety as the rest of the team opens suppressive fire.
The remaining Varren don't last long, shredded by the crew's combined firepower.
"You okay?" Alex asks.
"I owe you one—thanks," Garrus says, giving him a nod of gratitude.
"You go ahead, Shepard. I need a minute," Alex says, feigning a minor injury by limping slightly.
"Kerber, pull yourself together," Shepard replies, concern flashing across her face.
"Go on. I'll catch up in a few minutes. Move!" Alex urges them.
"Alex…" Liara says quietly, while Tali gives him a worried look.
"If you don't catch up in a few minutes, we're coming back for you!" Shepard warns as the group moves on.
As soon as the crew disappears from sight, Alex grins in anticipation. He casually picks up the dead Varren, collecting exactly 8 [Varren Corpse]. They're just small enough to drop directly into his inventory without having to butcher them with his [Butchering Knife].
To his delight, the system confirms them as Green-Quality corpses. Alex remembers that Varren meat is considered a delicacy—even on rich Asari planets like Illium.
Menchi will be happy! If even Asari's eat them, they must be more delicious than they look… and smell. Time to catch up with the others!
Alex dashes after the team. They've just used Lizbeth's ID to open a locked door and are making their way up a flight of stairs further into the ruins.
"Back already, Kerber? Careful—there are enemies just ahead," Shepard warns the group, whispering towards Alex.
"Let me go first," Alex offers, slipping into stealth with Zetsu.
A loud voice echoes from up ahead. "STUPID MACHINE!"
A robotic voice calmly responds, "I am unable to comply. Please contact your supervisor."
Alex creeps forward and sees a Krogan arguing with a stationary terminal—clearly a VI displayed in the air.
"Damn it! Tell me what I want or I'll blast your virtual ass into actual dust!" the Krogan snarls.
"Please contact your supervisor for a Level 4 security exemption or make an appointment with—"
"STUPID MACHINE!!"
"If there is nothing else, please step aside. There is a queue forming behind you for the use of this console," the VI replies, completely unfazed.
Knowing the Krogan is about to turn around, Alex activates Thunder Sword and strikes without hesitation.
You have dealt 98 + 61 = 159 damage to Krogan Commander
You have stunned Krogan Commander
YES! One more!
Alex casts Blizzard at close range, freezing the stunned Krogan.
You have dealt 39 damage to Krogan Commander
You have slowed Krogan Commander
You have frozen Krogan Commander
He follows up with a solid kick to the Krogan's chest, slamming him onto the floor.
"I got him, Commander!" Alex calls as the squad arrives.
"Good job!" Shepard says, clearly impressed.
"Why keep this scumbag alive?" Ashley grumbles.
"Foolish! He might know something useful," Tali retorts.
"Brother, if you value your life—you talk," Wrex growls at him.
"FILTHY BETRAYER! YOU SHOULD ALL DIE!" the Krogan screams.
Shepard smiles, draws her pistol, and calmly shoots him in the arm.
Boom!
"AAARGH!" the Krogan roars in pain.
"Willing to answer just a couple of questions now?" Shepard asks with a dangerous grin.
"DIE!" the Krogan screams again, thrashing violently.
Shepard fires a round into his head, followed by two more shots. The Krogan dies almost instantly.
"Worth a try, Kerber, but it didn't seem to work," she shrugs.
"Welcome back, Research Assistant Elizabeth Baynham. What can I do for you?" the VI suddenly chimes in.
"Elizabeth?" Shepard asks, puzzled.
"It's the ID, Commander," Tali explains.
"This makes sense. This VI isn't capable of much beyond basic interaction," Liara adds.
"What kind of data was the previous user trying to access?" Shepard asks.
The VI responds instantly, "Fetching data… The previous user was attempting to access details on the study of Subject Species 37, the Thorian."
"Damn… Well, that's what we expected," Shepard mutters. "Nothing new from this damn VI."
"One more thing!" Liara says. "Ask about the energy field blocking our access."
"You heard her," Shepard says.
"This VI is not aware of any energy fields."
"Probably powered by the Geth. The Dropship must be nearby. This looks like their main base! Like Lizbeth said, the Dropship was anchored directly to their HQ," Tali concludes.
"Alright then, let's hunt some Geth!" Shepard orders, heading out.
"That's more like it!" Wrex cheers, following with a grin.
Time for the finale!
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