This logfile is imported from aitelogs2 and may contain errors or wrong timestamps.
#MSVJackOfDiamonds – December 28, 2017
The swarm that is spilling out into the corridor start to spread in every direction in search of victims, but the bulk heads towards the two visible targets - Nathan and Jattic - as well as those beyond them in the hangar. The buzzing is loud, and mixes with thunks as the creatures slam into the walls, struggling to navigate the tight spaces in such numbers. In the airlock meanwhile, Ilyna would find the swarm thinning, giving
way to a trio of gnarled, insect-like humanoids with brown exoskeletons and four pale yellow eyes. While their forms might once have been mystery, known only to long-time inhabitants of the Terminus, after Horizon they are easily recognized - Collectors. Two of them are wielding strange-looking, almost organic-seeming rifles, and the third, a heavier weapon, not unlike a hornet's nest in appearance. The one in the middle,
taller and with elongated growths on its head, gestures to the others, and they open fire against Ilyna's barrier, bursts of assault rifle fire pinging against the biotic bubble.
Li is crying loudly as the overwhelming sounds of buzzing wings and rifle fire fill the airlock, her grip on Ilyna only tightening.
Ilyna frowns. "Collectors," she shouts into comms, recongizing the figures almost immediately from the news footage. "Do something!" Her barrier is standing strong against the gunfire, but with the improperly tuned amp and her emotional state, there's no telling how long it's going to last.
Jason's eyes widen behind his visor as the swarm begins to beeline in their direction. Revenant in-hand, he lifts his weapon and begins squeezing off a few rounds from the rear of the group as he begins to backpedal, keeping his shots high to avoid any chance of friendly fire. "Well, shit! What a great plan! Why didn't I think of that?!" he shouts as he hears Ilyna's suggestion. "Just-... We're working on it!" Small, control
bursts of Revenant fire pepper the ceiling, his shots having trouble finding their mark on such small targets. There's no real method to it as targeting pretty much comes down to spray and pray.
Jattic falls in line with Jason, stomping backwards as his finger continues to keep the Firestorm primed. "We cannot fire in such close quarters without doing harm to our own! We must pull back!" he growls. In the meantime, he follows Jason's example, spitting forth flame upwards in order to avoid hitting his allies outside of the cargo hold while still putting a bit of damage down on the rapidly-approaching creatures.
Leah's eyes dart left and right as the creatures pour into the hallway in front of her. As Jason and Jattic's strategy becomes clear, she quickly adapts. As she falls back further into the hold, she jerks her left hand upward, using her biotics in an attempt to thrust as many of the approaching creatures up and into the path of Jattic's flamethrower as she can.
Jessica shoulders her shotgun, but seems at a loss as to what to do until the sound of Jason's Revenant begins to fill the hold. She gives a silent nod to herself, doing best to keep her rapidly-diminishing nerves in check as she racks her shotgun and fires a round into the cloud of insects that Leah has swept up towards the ceiling.
Nathan swears sharply, following the others back as he too turns his flamethrower toward the ceiling, firing upwards to form a wall of scorching flame to keep the swarm back. He sucks in his lower lip, barking over comms, "What the's plan? Short of blowing a hole in the ship to vent them, I'm coming up with nothing else." He quickly spares a glance over his shoulder, then asks, "Leah! How good is your manipulation?
Zaylus is quick to fall in line with Jason and the rear crowd, aiming up with the avenger and doing his best to actually target something other than just the entire swarm. He finds himself nodding with the words of the batarian, but can only vocalize a terse, "Spirits."
Elena seems rattled but she's quick to join the others, taking shots when she can at the swarm. Her training is all that keeps her from letting loose full auto against the overwhelming number of creatures. She starts backpedaling as the seekers start to flow into the cargo hold.
The assault rifle-fire continues to strike Ilyna's barrier with only brief pauses as the Collector drones allow their weapons to cool down. When it becomes apparent that Ilyna's biotics are more than a match for them the leader of the small troop hefts his weapon. A sustained, bright yellow beam strikes her barrier with great power. A particle beam. In the corridor many seekers fall to gunfire and the torrent of flame unleashed
by Jattic and Nathan, the charred bugs soon littering the floor, but some are slipping through low despite Leah's efforts to redirect them, and it's not long before Jattic feels a sudden sting at the back of his knee. More or less drowned out by the gunfire and flames is the echoing sounds of buzzing through the ship's air vents.
Ilyna grits her teeth and continues to pour energy into keeping that barrier up, as she almost loses it. "Need help now!" she shouts through grit teeth. The barrier's blue shimmer is faint behind her, while the point where the beam meets it is nearly incandescent. They can't have Li, not while Ilyna is still breathing, and she needs the barrier since the young girl is obstructing her vest in the direction that
Leah continues her slow retreat with the others, maintaining her composure even as the insects begin to encroach on their position. "You put it in the air and I'll take it from there, Nate!" she calls out confidently, continuing her attempt at sweeping the creatures towards the ceiling.
Jattic's finger remains on the trigger as he pulls ever deeper into the hold and creates some distance between himself and Nathan to make a larger killzone. "They're beginning to g-..." he starts and then.... nothing. As every muscle in his body locks up, he becomes little more than a four-eyed fire-spewing statue. Panic sets in as he wills himself to move- to continue the fight- with no success.
Jessica fires another shot into the swarm before a resounding CLICK sounds out from her shotgun. Her gaze shooting up towards the vents as the buzzing grows louder and she frantically- and sloppily- hurries to replace her thermal clip.
Jason sucks in a deep breath, Ilyna's increasing panic only furthering his own worry. And then Jattic falls silent. The sound in the vents means it's only a matter of time before this whole room is filled with these creatures. "Not an option, Ten! Not so long as the Jack is still docked! Last thing we need is to destroy our ride home!" he shouts over the sound of his gun. But Nathan wasn't wrong. They need to do something.
Backing up into a dead end as these things flood the ship is a death sentence. As Leah swipes upwards next, he charges forward, hoping to slip beneath the tide of insects. Getting a foothold on the airlock before these creatures can reduce their numbers too much is their only chance.
Nathan glances to Jattic and swears sharply, moving closer to Leah in hopes that maybe her biotics will work more wonders at keeping the swarm back as he paints the area with flame above, keeping an area open for Jason. "Ah, shit... we got no choice then. Leah, keep them high, I'll burn them low. That's all I really got right now since Jase is charging ahead!" He keeps an eye on the ammo-counter for the
flamethrower, painfully watching it tick away. Soon, he'll be down to just trying to swat the things out of the air.
Zaylus hisses softly at the sight of Jattic, sidestepping as he backpedals to try and get some cover from his lasting fire. Charging the next thermal clip, he watches Jason break off and resumes pecking at the bugs that creep closest to those left standing.
In the airlock, the sustained fire against Ilyna's barrier continues, although the troop leader is forced to take a longer break to allow the cooling down of his particle beam. More alarmingly however, another trio of Collectors join those already in the airlock, starting to navigate past Ilyna as the first group continues to whittle away at her barrier. Jason's plan, while probably their best chance for survival, still leaves
him with several seekers crawling across his armor, looking for weak spots. The unexpected presence of cybernetic arms slow their process a little as some of the obvious weakspots are found ineffective, and he manages to make it to the airlock, albeit crawling with bugs that will no doubt sting the right spot at any moment, and the second squad of Collectors immediately train their weapons on him, albeit not opening fire
immediately. In the cargo hold, the vents at the opposite end of the hangar suddenly open as seeker swarm out, quickly enveloping and stinging both Jessica and Elena as they start to attack the group from behind. The numbers in the front have thinned substantially, but they're far from gone, as those that sought out the other rooms in search of people have now returned and flown through the corridor to join their kin in the
Elena 's cool fails and a panicked scream escapes as the swarm of alien bugs surrounds her, letting loose a burst of full auto fire up at the ceiling just ahead of her face plate as she frantically tries to clear her vision. She ends up doing little but coating her faceplate in synthetic insectoid viscera moments before being stung, frozen in place.
Ilyna persists, but the bubble is starting to weaken. The only reason it's still standing is that the beam is no longer running. "Help," she whimpers into comms.
Jessica's attention flips towards the opposite end of the cargo hold as the sound of the vent being forced out of place sounds out. Her thermal clip falls to the floor and her Katana soon follows as she lifts her arm and swipes through the omni-tool interface that wraps around it. Her good eye shooting between the fresh swarm approaching and the glow of her omni-tool, she rushes to set off the charge at the end of the hallway.
Leah folds in closer to Nathan, her deepening breathing the only sign of the panic that's beginning to set in. Without the ability to aim his Firestorm, Jattic is little more than a stationary turret. The blue glow around her deepens as she focuses on forcing large swathes of the insects into Jattic's stream, leaving Nathan to focus fire on any others that slip by. "We're running out of options here!" she calls out, "If
Jason comes around the corner only to be greeted by a firing squad of Collectors, causing him to skid to a stop. The sudden shock of seeing the boogymen of the Terminus Systems face to face is quickly washed away, however, by the sight of Ilyna and Li, their safety only guaranteed by the mental fortitude put forth by the asari in holding her barrier. 'Brilliant plans'. Welp, every army has a general, right? And one of these
ugly motherfuckers is not like the others. Let's hit him. Hard. Specifically in the head. Brilliant! Taking in a deep breath, Jason gives a tilt of his head to crack his neck and silently hopes his shields will hold out before charging full bore at the taller Collector, making to push through the first line by brute force if need be. As insects probe at his arms and begin to work higher he cocks his left hand way back as
his Revenant hangs loosely in his right. Should he make it to his target uninterrupted, he throws his full weight into the punch in an attempt at both putting the assumed leader out of commission, and drawing attention from the others to free up Ilyna to make a move.
Nathan uses his Firestorm in short bursts, aiming at anything that slips through Leah's defences. He looks to the swarm that chitters around Jessica and Elena and he swears, loudly. "Follow Jason! Go, now!" The grenades on his hip prime up at the command of his HUD, the flashbangs around his belt ready to detonate. "And don't look my way. Dampen the receivers in your helmet. These things probably still need to hear
and see, so I'm going to flashbang our way to Jason. Just keep focused ahead! Same goes to you, Zaylus!" He rips free a grenade and throws it towards the swarm at the rear, amongst the thickest cluster. He would turn his visor away from the detonation, silently apologising to his frozen companions for subjecting them to the effects of a flashbang.
Zaylus , ignoring the futility of the situation, has continued tacking bugs and moving from foot to foot. Nathan's instructions finally get his attention, however, and he quickly complies at the threat of being flashbanged. Gripping his rifle tight, he marks his path across the hold and focuses on just getting there once the party starts.
Leah gives a few, unfocused nods in response to Nathan's directions. Her eyes dart around the HUD on her visor and, soon enough, the visor dims and the sounds of the world around her becomes distant, as if she's stuck her head in a fish bowl. Another flash of blue sparks up around her as her Mattock folds up and she holsters it in place. Slapping her palms together in front of her, she quickly pulls them away from one
another, dispelling her built up biotic energy in an attempt at parting the sea of creatures in front of them like Moses and the Red Sea. With a shout of "Move!" she surges forward through the gap in a sprint without looking back. Not willing to let Jason have all the action, she leaps towards the first Collector in her sight, attempting to drive a flying knee right into that traffic light it calls a face.
Jason's charge causes several of the Collector drones to open fire at him, shots striking his shields and tearing apart some of the seekers swarming him. Through some miracle he manages to weave through to strike the troop leader, but just as the punch is about to land, the remaining seekers find a soft spot and sting. With the new threat incapacitated the leader steps around the frozen man and once again aims its particle
beam at Ilyna's barrier, opening fire. The angle of the shot is such that it would most likely not strike the asari if the barrier dropped, oddly enough. In the cargo hold, seekers are coming at the remaining Redrock personnel from multiple directions now, the swarm impossible to contain as it moves in to sting the few that remain. Nathan's quick thinking puts a temporary stop to their efforts however- as the flashbang
detonates it sends the bulk of the swarm at the rear tumbling around blindly, while those nearest scatter across the deck, dead or incapacitated. The seekers in the corridor are suddenly yanked aside with biotic energy, clearing the path for the team's escape. Nathan, however, having lagged behind, is quickly attacked and stung by the seekers that remain active in the hold. One of the three Collectors near the airlock door
takes a biotically propelled knee to the face, slamming against the doorframe, seemingly knocked out for the moment. The other two waste no time however, the nearest immediately grasping Leah's helmet and attempting to slam her against the wall, while the other raises its SMG, just as organic as the assault rifles carried by the others, firing a burst at Zaylus before deploying a barrier of yellow hexagons in the corridor,
Ilyna cries out in pain as the barrier around her start to crack, and she pushes the energy outward. Due to the density gradient of her barrier, the brunt of that is headed for the troop at the door. It's not a strong wave, however, and may do little more than throw their aim off. She turns on her heel, and runs towards the hallway. Jason's order was get to the medbay, and now was her only chance to get there. The
asari has been locked in one direction throughout the confrontation, and has next to no awareness of the situation.
Zaylus eats the burst into his shields and returns a few shots of his own as the barrier goes up. He snarls in protest, firing a few more shots to test the integrity of the blockage, the entire scene still dim and muted by his alterations. Turning helplessly, he goes back to taking potshots at nearing insects as he backs up, muttering tightly under his breath.
Nathan turns to run, elation at his plan sending a surge of confidence through him. It is quickly dashed, however, as he feels the familiar sting on his body. "Run!" He locks into place, eyes wide in fright as he watches Zaylus and Leah tear hell down the corridor, before Leah is picked up and slammed toward the wall. His heart drops, anger at being helpless to assist, fear at being captured by the Collectors...
and dread that he won't be going home to his little sister. He tries and tries and tries to force his body to move, internally screaming at his limbs to work, to pull up his arms and release hellfire with the last of his Firestorms fuel. But he can't move.
Leah is quick to bring a gauntlet up to her helmet, grasping the Collector's hand and locking it in place so he can't use it as she plants her boot back against the wall to lessen the impact as she's forced up against it. She plants her other boot against the inside of the Collector's leg to keep some distance between them. Another burst of blue envelopes her as she kicks off the wall, aiming to topple her attacker backwards
The Collectors cease fire when Ilyna's barrier drops, and as she turns to run she finds herself facing the Collector that just shut Zaylus out with a barrier field. The Collector raises its SMG at her, unconcerned by the turian's bullets hitting its barrier, but it does not fire, as the seekers quickly catch up to Ilyna, stinging both her and Li with ease thanks to their lack of proper armor. Zaylus finds himself trapped
between the barrier and a stream of all the remaining seekers in the cargo hold, and while his burst takes out some, there are too many to handle with a few bullets. Sting. The Collector fighting Leah staggers back, falling to the floor hard, momentarily pinned by the small woman, but as her attention is diverted, a lone seeker slips by, landing on her neck and... sting.
Jason swerves through the defensive line in a manner that would've made Mendez proud. A loud grunt fills the airlock as his heavy footfalls propell him towards his target, cybernetic hand reached way back. The sudden loss of motor control causes a pang of panic to surge through him. Is it happening again? Is it his cybernetics? No! His eyes shoot to the side, desperately searching for Ilyna and Li, but he's unable to find them
given his positioning. But nothing follows. His arms don't fight him. They just don't... move. Nothing moves. And, strangely enough, that provides a small sense of relief. Relief that his own body won't be turned on his team once again.
Ilyna feels the sting, and her last action before the paralysis sets in is to get on the ground, doing her utmost to cover Li with her body. Nothing else matters more right now than Li's safety. That her cover is both ineffective and too late doesn't even cross her mind.
Leah channels biotic energy into an immediate follow-up punch as she pins the Collector to the ground, causing a bright flash of blue to fill the hallway. But as the insect finds its mark, it's as if a light is slowly dimmed until the glow disappears entirely.
Zaylus turns completely from the barrier to face the incoming swarm, his avenger rises up for another burst... but he doesn't fire. Only his quiet mumbling continues until ultimately interrupted by the sharp sting, his body quickly overcome by stillness.
Ehanis would warp that collector pointing the gun at Ilyna. She doesn't see what happens to her sister in the end, for she leaves her field of vision before being stung.
Jessica strains against the paralysis, willing her finger downward but, alas, she's unable to summon the booms.
Oxaris remains in place, her warrior persona still holding strong despite her predicament. She's still alive for a reason. This will wear off in time. And when it does, she'll find a way. She always does. She's an Ortoratus. She just has to wait...
Jattic's flamethrower finally begins to sputter, the stream of fire narrowing and slowly easing back until nothing is left. Teeth bared, he remains still, poised to attack the moment the toxin releases its hold on him.
The seekers linger for a while, but soon the swarm has withdrawn. Collector drones sweep through the ship. A sudden ripple of energy surrounds the troop leader in the airlock, its body yanked violently into the air and its carapace cracking with an intense orange glow as the biotechnology inside it surges with energy. "ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL." Although the coloration and voice is different, the end result seems not entirely
unlike Mingxia. The same sense of power, the same strange quality to the voice. Something ancient. Alien. It moves among the frozen mercenaries, inspecting each with glowing insectoid eyes. Jason. "Human. Augmentations show promise." Ilyna. "Asari. Genetic aberration will be studied." Li. "Human. Preparation eases conversion." Ehanis. "Asari. Deficient species." Leah. "Human. Impressive biotic potential." Zaylus. "Turian.
Too... primitive." Jattic. "Batarian. Feeble-minded species." Nathan. "Human. Aggression factor useful if controlled." Oxaris. "Turian. Irrelevant species." Elena. "Human. Abberant form will be studied." Jessica. "Human. Viable possibility once emotional drives are subjugated." With that, the possessed Collector departs. Minutes, maybe hours pass. Its hard to tell in their frozen state. Drones bring aboard strange-looking pods
from the Jack. Floating via mass effect fields and somewhere halfway between a stasis pod and a cocoon in appearance, each of the humans, as well as Ilyna, are stripped of weapons and placed in one of the coffins, their perceptions faded as the now-sealed pods fill up with a yellow gel. The weapons too, of both humans and aliens, are carried off of the Good Things Come. The aliens themselves, however, are gathered in the cargo
hold, where two Collector drones remain to watch over them for reasons unknown. They are still unable to move.
Jason fights back against his own unresponsive muscles as his eyes lock onto the creature. If it wasn't obvious by Mingxia's transformation, it's crystal clear by now. This 'Revelator' they fought... It wasn't the asari. It just took her form. Just as it did with Mingxia. A Collector general? High ranking officer? As it assesses him, he follows it with his eyes. 'Augmentations show promise.' It sends a chill down his spine.
Every bone in his body wants to lash out. But nothing comes. He has no choice other than to silently allow himself to be handled like a piece of cargo.
Jattic bides his time, all four eyes locking on to anything that comes near him as he awaits an opportunity to show these creatures just how 'feeble-minded' he is.
Zaylus feels the urge to bite growing at the insult. Big talk coming from something that looks like a picked scab came to life.
Leah takes in whatever breath she can manage, falling back into a calm state and doing her best not to let her emotions get the best of her. Push it all down and keep moving forward. They can't keep her like this forever. And when she gets out. They'll be sorry.
Jessica spends the next few hours before she's stuffed into a coffin desperately trying to get a "Suck my dick" out. Unfortunately, it never comes. It does, however, keep her occupied as time passes.
Nathan seethes internally at the creature before him. Fear is replaced by pure, burning hatred. Hatred for this thing for harming his friends, hatred for stealing a little girl, hatred for stopping him from going home to his family. Hatred. Hatred. Hatred. "Du Son einer räudigen Hure," is what he manages to mumble through at this General. Even if the insult is lost in translation, even through his mumbles, it just
releases some of the pent up rage he feels. Fuck being calm. He made a promise to his sister, to his friends. He's finding a way home and with as many of Redrock as possible.
Oxaris merely waits, even as she is stripped of her weapons and helmet. She still has her jump-jets. And that's an advantage she has for later.
Ehanis tries to will herself to glare at the collector, as biotics would be too much of an ask it seemed; so was that. 'I'll show you deficient species' her inner voice says more than once as she's dragged off to the hold. She'll follow through with it too once the effects wear off. That and the blink her drying eyes desperately need.
Ilyna is frantically scanning her fixed field of vision for any sign of Li. Her attempts to shout her name are nothing but faint moans in her exhales. She has lost her twice in such a short time, and she was going to do everything to find her, but all she could right now is pay attention to her. And of course they're denying her that, too. They've always come out on top, but this time all hope was drained from
her. She failed Li, she failed Halisi, and she failed her sister by not chasing her off Lucy's ship back in Freedom Falls. This wasn't the way she imagined it would end. She had hoped to meet her end in service of those she loves, not lose it along with them.
Halisi suddenly appears in the corridor doorway, pressed against the wall as she assesses the situation inside. The non-human Redrock members have been lined up in the cargo hold. The two Collector guards exchanging insectoid chirps and clicks, and a nod follows as one marches up to the first person in line. Ehanis. It raises the muzzle of its strange-looking rifle toward the back of her head. Halisi takes a deep, quiet
breath, starting to slowly, silently, creep towards the would-be executioner as soon as the other drone averts its gaze from the corridor. She uses her thumb to push out the scalpel hidden in her closed fist, the small but keen blade sticking out as she approaches. Carefully. Almost there. She jumps the disfigured alien creature from behind, wrapping both legs around its midsection and an arm around its neck as she
jabs the scalpel into one of its eyes, yellow liquid squirting as the insectoid eyeball is ruptured. She stabs again and and again, holding on for dear life, until the Collector topples forward right next to Ehanis, unmoving. The other drone has raised its rifle at her by now, but in a panicked frenzy she raises her omni-tool and sets of a cryo blast, freezing it in place just before it guns her down. She pants
heavily, face partly hidden beneath strands of long black hair and her right hand covered in Collector blood, the left still extended with omni-tool active towards the frozen drone. It takes her a moment before she climbs off the dead Collector, starting to fumble with her medical satchel, her breathing still labored and uneven. "H-... hold on... just hold on." she says to her immobile co-workers. Soon enough she
produces a small hypospray injector. Her hands stop trembling as she focuses, fine tuning the dosage and moving over to Ehanis. She presses the injector against the asari's neck and activates it. "This will... quicken the release of the paralysis. I-... I think." She moves through each person in turn, and over the next couple of minutes their bodies starting to loosen, control being regained. Weakness of muscle and
general sluggishness is very much to be expected. As the small group starts to come out of their frozen state the doctor anxiously watches the corridor, clutching the unusual, biotechnical rifle carried by one of the Collectors as she listens for any sounds.
Oxaris eventually collapses onto her hands and knees, blinking rapidly as she begins to gasp for air. She lays there, slowly regaining her strength as she wobbles to her feet, holding whatever is close to her for stability. "T-thank you," she splutters. "T-the others? Where are the others?"
Jattic gasps for breath as his body once again obeys him, only able to suck in the bare minimum up until this point. Despite the fatigue set in by hours of tensed muscles, he remains upright. A deep, guttural, rage-filled growl sounds out as he stomps forward, slamming a meaty, balled, gauntleted fist into the side of the frozen Collector with intent to shatter him like a glass window. Shoulders rising and falling in uneven
breaths, his gaze scans around violently and he manages a few steps towards his shattered foe before dropping to one knee.
Zaylus tests every joint and muscle as control is slowly returned to him, flexing his arms and fingers rythmically as he comes out of the paralysis. He coughs deeply as he teeters in place, his expression one of lingering helpless frustration. The sight of Jattic's unrelenting anger is an inspiration for his own, however, and he grunts in appreciation and takes on more rigorous
Ehanis can only assume that it's end of the line for her, as the sound and the vibrations from the floor below all points to that. She can feel the gun raised to her head, and she tries as hard as she can to reverse headbutt him. That worked once before, and was how she eventually won her first fight on Omega over thirty years ago. But her head wasn't following, and all she could do was wait for whatever comes
next. But then, nothing, and she sees the collector slump beside her. 'The fuck? Eventually, her body starts listening, and her first sign of movement is stumbling backwards. "I'll show you deficient...," she mumbles. For now, she just lies there, blinking over and over to help her dry eyes; her joints are still sluggish.
Halisi jumps slightly at the sound of Jattic's gauntleted fist shattering the midsection of the frozen Collector, spilling yellow guts over the deck and sending frozen shards of carapace flying. After glancing back to see what it was she returns her attention to the corridor, gripping the unpleasant weapon tightly and shaking her head. "They... they took them. It's just us and-..." she's interrupted by the sound of footsteps
in the airlock, and raises the rifle. Her firing stance is questionable at best, but she finds herself not needing to shoot. With a relieved sigh she lowers her rifle as Senya and a large old krogan in an oil-stained jumpsuit emerges from the doorway into the corridor. The krogan is wielding a battered old Graal Spike Thrower, and over his jumpsuit he wears an antique battle harness. The asari doctor is unarmed, but
wearing her armor vest under her coat. "Oh, thank goodness it worked." Halisi calls out breathlessly. "I-... it's just us." she repeats, to Senya and Makk now. "Are they-...?"
Ehanis stands up looking around the room at the footsteps. Seeing the asari doctor and the krogan makes her sigh relieved. "Fuck," she says. "What do we do now?" Since there is no immediate danger, she tries to do some stretches to deal with her aching muscles that must have been tense for hours.
Oxaris grunts and shakes her head. As she slowly regains focus, she flexes her hands and looks to either arm. With a flash of light and the buzz of the omni-tools, her blades extend skywards. She inhales sharply, her HUD (since helmets were kept apparently for the Aliens), running diagnostics. Bar the sting, she the readout is green. Jets: Check. Tactical Cloak: Check. Shields: Check. She allows the blades to
dissipate and she looks to the others. "Then this is our rendezvous point. We have squad-mates held hostage by the enemy. We're getting them back."
Jattic is quick to his feet as the footsteps sound out despite the overwhelming fatigue. He's not going let a chance to fight back pass him by. He stomps towards Halisi, eager to get his hands dirty after their previous encounter. He balls his fists once more, the deep red of his holographic display wrapping tightly around them. Even as he spots the unfamiliar krogan, he seems more than ready to throw some fists and it takes
a moment, and the addition of Senya, before he realizes this might not be a 'throw some fists' moment and he relents, falling in line behind Halisi. "We find them." he says plainly in response to Ehanis' question, the anger clear in his voice. "Perhaps I am just too 'feeble minded' to know when I am beaten." he nearly spits, the Collector's words obviously hitting a sore spot, "...But I do not plan on letting them
Halisi bites down on her lips, nodding a few times. "We-... we have to get them back." she says. She's familiar with the dangers of fieldwork after previous excursions with Redrock, but their current situation - and the absence of Ilyna and Li - has obviously shaken the otherwise calm-under-fire doctor. "Where's-...?" she starts to ask Senya before being interrupted.
Senya answers Halisi before she can finish the question. "He's on the bridge, getting a read on our situation."
Zaylus shakes out the weariness in his legs, bounching slightly on the balls of his feet as he reorients. He is unable to express the same strong sentiments as Jattic and Oxaris but nods firmly response to their conviction.
Oxaris turns and staggers to the other rifle. She picks up the unfamiliar weapon in her hands and takes a few moments to get used to the strange design. "I agree, Jattic. but we must be careful. They may have more of those insects and we will be helpless if they get to us again." She tries to see if she can fold the weapon onto her back, or at the very least, magnetise it to her armour, then walks to the others. "As
much as I want to rend these things piece by piece, I believe stealth will be our best option. At least until we can confirm we shan't be swarmed."
The strange rifle seems almost alive, pulsating in Oxaris' hands. The barrel is the only obviously technological component. Everything else seems primarily organic.
Jattic glances amongst the others, snarl still etched into his features as his gauntlets slip away. Oxaris' words seem to do little to soothe his rage. "We are wasting time." he mutters, stomping past Senya, Makk and Halisi, fighting the exhaustion that has settled into his muscles. Time. The thought causes him to pause a few steps past them. "How long have we been here?" he asks, casting a glance over his shoulder, the
Makk grumbles in agreement with Jattic. "We need to move." he says, hints of urgency in his tone. His voice is deep and gravelly, even for a krogan. He turns as the batarian pushes past, his movements sluggish from age, but it is clear from both his body and his scars that he's seen his share of combat, albeit not recently.
Ehanis forms a biotic shimmer around her at the batarian's answer, satisfied as she feels the still-present amp do its work. "I'm with you," she says with a sharp nod. The turian's interjection shatters those plans, and she lets out a frustrated sigh. Ehanis wanted to mince every last one of these Collectors' ugly heads, but the she was right.
Oxaris steps forward. "Two hours. Now, think. They have advanced tech, the ability to possess and alter their troops at will and insects capable of incapacitating a soldier within four seconds. We charge in there, we are dead," she states firmly. "I want to kill these abductors as much as the rest of you, but if we go do this guns-blazing, we doom everyone. Everyone." She keeps walking until she is right up to
Jattic takes a deep breath as he turns to meet the turian's gaze through his visor. He studies her in silence for a number of moments as cooler heads prevail. She's not wrong. This isn't about revenge, it's about bringing the others home. After a silent glance about at the remainder of the team, he rests his attention back on Oxaris. "Cautiously." he agrees, nearly a sigh coming out along with it as his anger begins to
subside. "Still, I suggest we get moving.... cautiously... before that two hour head start stretches into a three hour head start."
Ehanis looks around the hold. "What about this ship?" she asks. "One of these bugs stung Ten on Rakhana after he moved a corpse it was stuck under, and it was acting alone. We should finish what Jason started, and blow it up."
Oxaris nods at Jattic, stepping back to look at Ehanis. "And we will. But after. When we have our demolitionists back, who know how to handle and operate the charges and once we have cleared the ship. I'm not dying here because one of us fucked with a bomb." She looks to everyone. "We're up against foes we barely know. We do not understand them, nor have we ever fought them before. But we have people in that ship,
people who are relying on us to get them back home. So we do this right. We do this cautiously." She then turns and looks at Jattic. "And if we can't get them back... then we make damn sure we avenge them by tearing apart every bug we come across." She then looks to the crew of the Jack and Halisi. "You all stay here. Stay hidden. Stay quiet."
Oxaris nods at Jattic, stepping back to look at Ehanis. "And we will. But after. When we have our demolitionists back, who know how to handle and operate the charges and once we have cleared the ship. I'm not dying here because one of us fucked with a bomb." She looks to everyone. "We're up against foes we barely know. We do not understand them, nor have we ever fought them before. But we have people in that ship,
people who are relying on us to get them back home. So we do this right. We do this cautiously." She then turns and looks at Jattic. "And if we can't get them back... then we make damn sure we avenge them by tearing apart every bug we come across." She then looks to the crew of the Jack. "You get on the Jack. You stay hidden. Stay quiet. We need the ship ready to leave and to do that, it needs its crew.
Halisi... I'll leave the decision to you whether to come or not, since the others might need medical attention on site, but if you come with us, you need to be prepared to use that gun with a level head. We don't need you panicking and hitting us with a bullet or one of your cryos." Practicality is setting in, the pros and cons of bringing Halisi along for the rescue. "Do you understand?"
Makk turns around, staring down Oxaris. "Don't think you can order me around, turian. In case you haven't noticed... you only have four of your own left. And they took ours too. I'm fighting." His tone is calmer than his words would imply, or perhaps its just an effect of the slow and deliberate way he speaks.
Senya nods in agreement with the krogan. "We both are." she says, a look of determination on her face.
Halisi glances down at the weapon in her hands. "I... believe it would be better if someone else took this. I might not be the best shot, but I can keep everyone on their feet." she says with a nod to Oxaris.
Jattic glances Ehanis' way. When her words register, he glances back towards the general direction of the second hold, recalling that Jessica had planted a charge in the hallway beyond it. He nods as Oxaris speaks, though chimes in once Makk speaks up. "Come. Don't come. It makes no difference to me. Just stay out of our way. One of your own has already caused enough problems." he says, referencing Lucy's stupidity regarding
James. With a snarl and a roll of his shoulders, he addresses Oxaris' comments without giving the crew of the Jack a second thought. "I am not opposed to the idea of cracking this ship in two. But unless one of you know how to remotely detonate that charge..." he says, leaving the implication of an unintentional- as Jessica would call it- 'boom' unspoken as he looks among the others for someone to speak up, his gaze
resting on Ehanis who first brought it up. "Whatever may be on this ship could be dangerous to whoever passes through the system in the future. So if one of you has the knowledge to do so, then get it done. If not. We are wasting time. We can return to tear this hunk of metal apart once we have gotten Nathan and that irritating mouth back."
Ehanis sighs and shakes her head. "Just... never mind," she says. "Let's go get our people back." She heads for the hallway. She shakes her head at Halisi's offer. "I've still got my biotics, and I can't use those guns."
Makk plants a heavy hand on the unspiked portion of Jattic's shoulder, staring down at the batarian. "Watch your mouth, mercenary." he growls, leaning in slightly. "Those things have our people too."
Oxaris steps to move between the Krogan and Batarian. "Enough. Krogan, the larger the group, the easier we are to detect. And once we are detected, you'll be damn sure they'll make sure they secure the Jack, looking for other survivors and bring them aboard their ship. A ship needs its crew, as does your captain. I swear to you two, i will do everything within my power to bring everyone back," she says to the asari
and krogan. "But it'll be a moot point if there is nothing or no one to come back to. Protect your ship. Ready the med-bay. We may be five, but you're looking at some of the best."
Jattic reaches up, tapping the side of his helmet to increase the transparency in his visor so he can establish eye contact with the krogan. All four eyes locking on. As Oxaris moves between them, his gaze shifts to the hand on his shoulder. "Remove your hand from me, or I'll remove it from you." he says calmly- coldly- before looking back to Makk, Oxaris' words seemingly falling on deaf ears. As much as he's trying to bite
back on that anger, his composure is slipping. And the heavy mitt on his pauldron isn't helping. The shame of being at the mercy of those creatures has lit a fire under him. The loss of his team has only stoked the fire. "Now."
Makk removes his hand after a moment of silence, letting out a grunt. "I have no interest in fighting you, mercenary. Last I checked we want the same thing." he says, more or less ignoring Oxaris' interjection.
Senya looks over at Oxaris, and after a moment's consideration she takes the second rifle from Halisi. "I can remain. Guard the ship." she agrees with a nod. It seems clear she does not speak for Makk.