#CollectorShip – January 20, 2018

Numairian gives the particle beam an irritated shake before tossing it aside without another thought. He crosses his hip to grab his Carnifex and begins firing with that instead, sidestepping as he shoots the stray husks as to avoid other lines of fire. He's moving steadily towards the exit with the others, not keen on being left behind.

Nathan and Oxaris quickly pull to a halt as Niklos is pounced by a husk. "Shit, I can't get a go-" Nathan's sentence is cut short as Oxaris slips from his arm and shoulders the Mattock, sighting at the husk. She fires twice, one aimed for the throat of the creature, the other aiming for its kneecap. Nathan shakes off the surprise and pulls up his pistol to unload a trio of shots into its form if Oxaris manages to

Leah can't really lend much help to the firing line given the plus-one she's supplying a biotic ride to. She continues to watch the advancing horde as she weaves across the battlefield, doing her best to remain behind Nathan and Oxaris and keep the woman left in her charge out of harm's way. She passes a glance back to keep track of those in her wake, making sure the others are still following at a steady pace.

Ehanis drops the weapon when she sees the husk slipping past and she barely dodges the swipe. She aims a quick throw at it to unbalance it, and if she's successful, she'll unholster her pistol and open fire on it and others closest to her.

Ilyna cannot do much either. Her biotics are spent, she's concussed and the weapon must have been lost in one of the explosions since she can't find it at her hip. She holds Li tight and tries to muster enough energy to push back the first husk that tried to get to them. She manages to keep up with Leah.

Oxaris stares forward, her heartbeat heavy in her ears. Why did he fall? There's a few husks in front of them, why did he fall when she aimed at the rearmost husk? The shadows cling around her and her eyelids feel heavy, her breath shallow. She sinks to one knee with an echoning thud and finds that the Mattock is too unbearably heavy to keep up. Darkness creeps in at the edge of her vision. She just needs to close her

Jessica tumbles to the ground, all interest in the charge completely lost as she feels the creature on her back. "Fuck!" she growls as she throws elbows and thrashes against her attacker as she tries to roll onto her back and get a hand up under the husk's throat, her panicked attempt at creating some space between herself and the cybernetic monstrosity. She's scrappy and has more than her fair share of scuffles in Adrasteia.

Jattic continues to thrash against the wave of husks funneling through the door. Loud, pained roars escaping with each swing of his enforcement gauntlets. He's well past spent, but it's do or die and he's not stopping until the life is snuffed from his body. "Keep moving!" he shouts over the symphony of gunfire and a horde of charging husks. He does his best to keep the creatures from surrounding Makk in hopes of buying the

Zaylus has grouped up close behind Mathan and Oxaris, but as he's focusing on his own targets it takes him a moment to realize the turian's mistake. His own head has cleared enough to focus again, but his arm still protests painfully and he has to stop firing for the moment to adress the fading Oxaris. "Up, Oxaris!" He snaps, snaking his good arm under hers as he hoists her back to her

Nathan looks at Oxaris in shock and steps away from her. "Christ! I- wh- fuck!" He holsters his pistol and draws out his knife, charging straight towards the husk. He aims to boot it as hard as he can to kick it off the man and his sister. Should that prove fruitful, he leaps at it to pin it down and jam his knife straight through the eye and into its... well, he assumes it still has a brain of some sort. Weird monster

Makk unclips a heavy wrench from his belt, swinging it wildly as he finds himself unable to recover the Graal. More than one husk skull is cracked as he starts moving south. They can't hold. He has to hope the injured are on the move as well, behind him.

Jessica's body stiffens as the second husk joins the fray. Her panic only worsens as her gauntleted hand is unable to find a solid grip on the creature atop her. Then her arm is wrenched back at an awkward angle, the plating across her forearm snapped right off as a sharp pain shoots through to her shoulder. She cries out in pain, but it only seems to cause her to get more desperate. Her attempt at gripping the creature by the

Jason sweeps his Revenant to the side, quickly sighting in on the husk targeting Niklos and his sister. But as Oxaris and Nathan turn their attention to it, he begins firing into the mass of bodies funneling off from Makk and Jattic as he repositions. They only need to hold the room long enough to move the wounded down the corridor, so the southern door is his priority. Jessica's pained scream pulls his attention to her and he

Oxaris is very heavy on Zaylus' arm. But she tries to stand, sinking heavily against him. "I... it's dark..."

Leah continues with the forward momentum, eyes drifting to those in need as she passes across the battlefield. Jessica is under attack. Ehanis is being swarmed. Niklos and his sister nearly succumb to the horde. Jattic and Makk are barely able to keep up with the wall of bodies pushing towards them. With Nathan dropping out of the lead to dispatch of the husk attacking the siblings, all she can do is keep moving. The people

Ehanis tries again to stagger the husk with a quick throw, and continues firing on the husks approaching. She's breathing heavily, and her movements and gunfire is starting to get more sluggish. "Come on," she mutters while watching the group crossing the battlefield.

Jattic continues his slow retreat, striking out at anything that comes within arms reach. They're losing space and it won't be long before the path opened up for the colonists to pass through the room is lost to the overwhelming force.

Nathan looks at Niklos' and makes a motion with his hands. "Give her to me. I'll carry her out. You cover that wound or you ain't getting far." He would try and scoop the sister up, knowing that he can move a little quicker than Niklos can in his state. "Come on!"

Zaylus hefts Oxaris as best he can, finding her in worse shape than he anticipated. The friendly fire probably should've been a bigger sign. He resigns himself to carrying her forward, speaking sharply to her through their private channel, his voice strained with exhausted fear. "Focus, soldier!" He snaps, trying to dredge the officer in her out of the pharmaceutical murk, though the

Oxaris doesn't respond to Zaylus, but there is a slight tightening of her hands around both him and her weapon. She tries to carry her feet, but is clearly relying on him.

Ilyna aims a throw at the husk going for Ehanis, hoping to topple more than one in the process. It's not her strongest throw, but she had time to prepare so it should do a lot more than her sister's. She is still right behind Leah.

Nathan stops and looks at his HUD. One dose of medi-gel left. Fuck it. He stops and turns to Niklos, holding Nadia in one arm as he tries to apply the dose to the bleeding man. "You are not dying here! Not so close to home! Get up for your sister's sake, if not your own! You are not leaving her alone!" There is a hard edge to his voice as he make to heave the man up, then resume carrying Nadia. "Move, move, move!"

Jason's first instinct is to turn back and help Jessica finish off the remaining husk, but the noose is tightening around their neck and there's not much room for him to stop cutting down enemies. "Stop playing with him and kill him already!" he shouts to Jessica as he continues mowing down as many strays as he can, "Plant the fucking charge and get moving!"

Jessica manages to fight the bitey husk off for a few more moments with her frantic strikes, but it's clear that it's not giving up. So she goes for dog-strats. She stops her swinging with her left arm and presses her forearm into its face, attempting to both push it back and give it something to bite at that isn't her throat. She shifts her body slightly to the side in an effort to bring her right up so she doesn't have as far

Leah keeps up the pace when the way seems clear. "Moving through the corridor now!" she announces over comms, "Looks clear so far!" She navigates the windy path, doing her best to balance speed with caution as she attempts to keep the wounded merc as stable as she can manage with her biotics.

Ehanis aims a few careful shots at the husks Ilyna toppled, before Lucy catches her attention. "No time for a break yet," she shouts. "We're almost out, get moving!" She reloads and continues firing at the husks while she waits for the others to fall back so she can retreat.

Halisi freezes a husk that tries to jump her, lingering in the chamber as she calls out to Makk and Jattic. "Fall back! We have to go!"

Leah nearly skids to a stop as the Collectors come into view. "Shit! Contact! It looks like they're attacking the Jack!" she announces over comms as she halts her progress to keep from being discovered. She frantically looks about to the others, giving a deep sigh as her gaze settles on Ilyna. "We don't have any choice. We have to clear the way, okay?!" she calls out, both over comms and through her external speakers.

Nathan pulls to a stop behind Leah and he swears in a flurry of colourful words that the translators don't quite pick up. He sets Nadia down and reaches for his pistol, holding it as he stands protectively over the woman for a moment. "Alright! Let's do it." He reaches down to carry her his shoulder before flicking the pistol up. "I'll follow your lead."

Zaylus stops back from Leah as she calls the contact, hanging back as she formulates a plan to clear the way. He turns back in the meantime, still having Oxaris lean against him as he retracts his hand to draw his pistol and give them cover from the rear.

Ilyna nods and crouches down to Li. "I need you to hide while I help Leah," she whispers to her and points to Nadia's position. "If the monsters come, you can come back and hide behind me, okay?"

Oxaris leans further into Zaylus, her armour partially melted from the impact of the heavy weapon. She coughs violently, the inside of her helmet stained in blue by this point.

Li offers no response to Ilyna, staring at the floor and refusing to let go of her hand.

Jessica presses her head back against the floor in a knee-jerk reaction to pull as far away from the creature as she can. It's relentless grappling with her right arm makes it nearly impossible to get to her knife in her current position. Shooting. Shouting. It may as well be a million miles away while she looks up at the horrific creature through her visor as it begins tearing at her armor. Doing its best to keep her from leaving.

Ilyna sighs. "I need to help Leah," she whispers. "I'll make sure you can still see me, okay?" Ilyna loosens her grip on Li's hand.

Li 's grip on Ilyna's hand only tightens, the fear obvious in her eyes as she turns her gaze up, looking at her.

Halisi joins the others in the tunnel, lacking the weapons to help fight the horde in any meaningful way. She kneels down next to Li as she overhears Ilyna. "Hey. Hey, it's okay. I've got you, okay? Ilyna has to do her job." she says, shooting the asari a glance before returning her focus to the little girl, cupping her hands and offering a reassuring smile despite the chaotic situation.

Jattic continues his slow retreat. Leah's words, despite their implication, at least means they've progressed down the corridor which allows him to at least assume the non-combatants have made it out of the danger zone without having to look back. Another growl. A sweeping backhand with his left. A deep roar. A haymaker with his right. He halts his retreat suddenly, stepping into a headbutt as another creature moves on him. With

Ehanis keeps firing on husks that go for the doorway. She groans at the news about the Jack of Diamonds and casts a glance towards Jason andthe others. They were so close to being done in here, and then there's another hurdle.... She sighs and gets on comms to ask, "Do you need me in there?"

Ilyna frowns, and glances at Halisi. "Li...," she sighs. "I wish I didn't have to, but... Leah needs my help."

Li reluctantly lets go of Ilyna at Halisi's urging, focusing on the doctor. She gives a tiny nod in response to Ilyna's words as Halisi scoops her up.

Leah's shoulders rise and fall as she pulls in a few deep breaths. Her helmet hides the exhaustion on her face, but there's no time for her to catch her breath. They're not out of the woods yet. The dead Collectors are a good indication that they need only to cross this gap to be safe. They obviously have friendlies in the cargo hold. Most likely Senya. She passes a nod to Nathan as the glow around her brightens. "Let's make

Nathan exhales and moves a second or two after Leah, raising his pistol and firing at the Collectors as he uses his teammate to clear the way for them. If any fire is directed at them, he would turn and shield Nadia with his body, relying on his shields and armour to take the brunt of the fire. They need to keep moving. Can't stop. Don't stop for long. Keep going.

Jessica falls back onto her boots as the creature ceases its movement. In her seated position above it, she merely stares at the mess of gore before her. She finds herself considering that this used to be a person at some point. Not that she feels guilty... Just a sudden pang of fear over the infectious nature of.... of whatever it is that caused this. A look of pity shifts right back to anger, however, and she spits at the

Jason continues to fight back the wave as best as he can to keep the southern path clear. As his gun runs hot, he begins to pull back slightly, quickly swapping out thermal clips with a practiced hand. "About time!" he calls back to Jessica as the clip snaps into place and he continues right where he left off without missing a beat. Leah's intel causes him to pull in a deep breath. "Negative, Ehanis!" he says between bursts of

Ilyna gives her a smile as she hides her relief. "I'll stay close," she whispers a promise before standing up and running after Leah who's had a few seconds' head start on her. She readies her biotics and tries to lift one of the closest collectors off the ground in hopes of making him take some of their fire before Leah can get in closer. The painkillers is not able to keep her neck pains at bay while running,

Nathan reaches down and turns her body so that it is completely covered by him. He twists his body and returns fire, shields dropping to just over sixty percent. He slams the bottom of the gun against himself to eject the clip and reload, then returns fire, before leaning over Nadia to shield her again.

Zaylus thinks better of confronting the collectors with the others while Oxaris leans heavily against him. Instead he hangs back near the civilians, at the firing line, putting carefully places shots on husk nogs.

Oxaris leans a little to bump her head on Zaylus, opening their private channel. "G-go... get them out of here. You... you need to help... not worry about me." The act of talking seems to be a strain on the turian, the darkness closing in.

Leah takes advantage of the makeshift shield that Ilyna has provided her to focus on one of the Collectors targeting Nathan. Her right hand moves to the Carnifex at her side as her left lifts towards the targeted Collector. She tightly closes her fist in a flash of blue and jerks it to the side, aiming to toss the Collector out into the void of space.

Jattic falls in line with Makk, following the path cleaved through the horde by the krogan. His gun is beginning to run hot, causing him to pick and choose his targets, only occasionally opening up on husks taking a direct interest in him.

Ilyna focues on keeping the shield up at first, but she can't just take the hits with the vest's shields unless someone keeps the fire off of her. So she moves the 'shield' between her and the collector shooting at her, and follows up with a throw field to hopefully send them both flying off into space.

Zaylus loses his focus on firing for just a moment, huffing as he resumes picking targets. "I'm not going to let you martyr yourself this close to the door." He growls, his chest seized by a flash of boiled insides. He glances back at those wrestling the collectors, "Just a little longer..." He mumbles.

Oxaris grips tightly on Zaylus' armour, shaking her head. "N-no... I'm... I can't...". She slumps against him, closing her eyes for a moment before forcing them open.

Niklos rushes up beside Nathan, opening up at the Collector still firing on him with his SMG. It goes down to his automatic fire.

Ehanis reloads and continues firing into the horde, but the only reason she's hitting anything in her state is the great number of targets. "Got it," she replies to Jason over comms.

Nathan keeps Nadia covered, stowing his pistol away as he reaches down to cover her wound with his hands, putting pressure on them. "Come on! You are not dying on me! Stay with me!" He looks down at her through his bloodied visor and he feels bile rising in his throat. He's surrounded by rubble, bullets flying by as he presses his hands against the flowing blue blood of his squad leader, the sound of a child crying

Jessica drops her helmet to the ground to free both hands so she can prime the charge. She plants a boot against the helmet to keep it from rolling too far and bites down on the tip of her tongue as she begins poking at the holographic display of her omni-tool once again. "Just about done!" she calls out, no longer on comms with her helmet off.

Jason continues his slow plod towards the southern door. Rattattattat. He has all but abandoned using his HUD for targeting purposes. It's just a sea of bodies spilling forth. "Come on! Get through the door!" he calls out to the two further into the room, doing his best to keep the path to the door clear. At this point, he's pretty much right beside the door.

Makk lets out a cry of effort and simply storms right through the last few husks in his path. One is clinging to his back, clawing into his neck and starting to dig its fingers underneath his headplate. He tears it over his head as soon as he's past the firing line, slamming it into the floor and stomping on it. He's bleeding badly, and is obviously exhausted. In fact he's leaning against the wall as soon as he's past the

Zaylus moves with the firing line while accounting for Oxaris, which sometimes means sacrificing covering fire. "Yes you can." He assures her tensely, trying to keep the turian present while focusing on their retreat.

Halisi looks to Zaylus and calls out: "Get moving! Get her out of her! Now!". She's holding Li in her arms, lingering in the corridor, but after those words she starts moving further south.

Jattic continues through the path cut out by Makk. As the husks get ahold of him, he spins back and unloads what's left of his Vindicator into the wall of cybernetic bodies from the hip. The moment it overheats he merely releases his grip on it, allowing it to be pulled into the mass of creatures. With a loud growl, he lashes out with his left hand, slamming his enforcement gauntlet into the head of a husk that's gotten ahold of

Jessica gives a few final pokes at her omni-tool before allowing the interface of her omni-tool to dissipate. "Is done!" she announces in a shout and scoops up her helmet. She pulls the gold plated pistol from her thigh and fires a set of shots into the approaching crowd as she steps through the door behind Jattic.

Jason stands his ground, continuing to put a flurry of metal shards downrange. As his teammates begin to funnel through the door behind him, he backs up a couple more steps. "Let's go!" he shouts, turning his focus to those closest to Ehanis as he waits for her to clear the door before pulling back through it himself.

Zaylus breaks off from the firing line at Halisi's words, with some reluctance returning to only hefting the weakened Oxaris after the doctor.

Oxaris is more dragged along, her feet barely lifting off the ground. The Mattock hangs limply in her hand, threatening to fall from her grip.

Ilyna runs forward while the shots ping off her vest's shield, and just as they fizzle out she lets go of a throw to slam it into the underside of the Jack of Diamonds.

Ehanis fires off a few more shots until her clip runs out, and she runs into the tunnel to meet up with Halisi and the others.

Jattic nearly collapses against the wall beside Makk, chest heaving as he takes deep breaths. He looks up at the krogan with a grunt. "I-... I told you to stay out of our way, krogan." he warns. "So I suggest you pick yourself up and get moving. Because if I am forced to carry you, I am not going to be happy..." he continues, making it clear that despite their earlier dispute, he's not leaving Makk behind. Suppose surviving a

Leah caught between a firing line and a... firing line. Chooses the weaker of the two sides. Breaking into another sprint, she leaps out into space after the Guardian she threw while her shields spark up as rounds ping off. The blue glow once again brightens in a flash as she bends her legs at the knees and pulls them in tight, aiming to deliver a biotically enhanced knee strike right into the Guardian and send him careening

Nathan turns just in time to see the blast and he is thrown clear, rolling over and over before skidding to a stop. Anger flashes through his system and he is again surrounded by rubble, glaring up at the figure approaching him. "You fucker!" He's on his feet, the now back as he rips out his pistol and knife and charges the Possessed Collector, emptying the clip at him as he runs to try and tackle him, reversing the

Ilyna is easily pushed away by the blast, and she skids to a stop in the middle of the hallway. She groans in pain at the strain that puts on her already hurt neck, but she still gets back to her feet. "You...," she mutters and musters up her biotics, but with Nathan so close to him there's little she could do without the risk of hitting him.

Leah continues on her trajectory into the hold. Despite the turret having taken care of the Guardian, she's not taking any chances. She uses her biotics to direct her momentum, slamming full force into the downed Collector, coming to a stop by driving her armored knees into it. She doesn't waste any time, however, quickly hopping back to her feet and gripping her Carnifex in both hands. As she catches sight of Senya, she

Ilyna sighs as she sees another Collector like that, and she steps back. She's worn out and injured. By the time she's gathered enough energy for another biotic attack, Nathan has already passed her and she can't really do anything without the risk of friendly fire.

Senya has no time to respond before Leah is out again. Oh well. She pushes off against the wall, taking a moment to Collect her strength before stepping through the barrier and looking through the scope of her rifle as she stands on the cargo ramp.

Jason pats Ehanis on the shoulder as she passes him by. Now the only one left in the chamber with an army barreling down on him, it's pretty clear that he's overstayed his welcome. Nevermind the battle taking place among the rest of his teammates. He plants a heavy boot against the first husk to reach him, kicking him back into the crowd to open up some room to make his escape. Revenant shouldered, he backs up through the door

Jessica very quickly abandons her plan for more covering fire as the hand cannon jerks wildly in her hand. It doesn't matter much, though, as soon enough she finds herself toppling over as the shockwave tears down the hallway, sending her helmet rolling away. Back on her knees, she scrambles towards her helmet but gives up as it disappears back into the chamber.

Nathan is lifted and tumbles out into the void, head over heels. And with no way to stabilise himself, he just keeps on spinning, panic setting in as he didn't anticipate this. At all. "Shit!"

Zaylus hurries along with the Krogan and the girl, unable to do much more than try to keep himself and Oxaris upright and moving.

Ilyna lets out a biotic throw, but it flies wide as the biotic blast hit her before she can properly aim it. She is sent flying back into the tunnel and she skids to a stop against the outgrowth just before the corner. She sits up, groaning in pain as her hand instinctively move up to her neck; no longer able to ignore the pain.

Leah sights right in on the returning menace as she crosses through the barrier's threshold. But as her finger hovers over the trigger of her Carnifex, Nathan goes careening off into space, instantly changing her priorities. "Nate!" she gasps, her attention divided between him and Ilyna as the asari faces down a powerful threat. She bites down hard, silently hoping Ilyna can gain control of the situation. Her Carnifex clicks

Nathan scrambles madly, his breathing rapidly as he sees the stars spin around him. He sees the Collector Ship from the outside and the sheer awe washes over him for a moment before he sets back into panicking. "I wish I could! That would be really great right now!"

Senya takes aim, and several shots strike the possessed Collector's barrier before the last one rips into its head, tearing a chunk of chitin free.

Jattic manages to avoid the Scion's blast by remaining in step with Makk, but the sound of the blast and the clattering of teammates being bowled over pulls his attention back towards the door. Frustration and anger washes over him once again as they seem unable to catch a break. "Get up!" he growls, quickly moving to try and help Elena and Xiu to their feet.

Ehanis stumbles forward a bit at the shockwave hits her, but she had managed to put enough distance between her and the doorway by hen. She stops when she meets up with the civilians in the middle of it, panting heavily as she tries to catch her breath.

Oxaris drops the Mattock, going still and silent. She starts to slip from Zaylus' grip.

Halisi fights the urge to run in and assist Ilyna. She has to keep Li safe.

Halisi 's attention is diverted as she notices Oxaris slipping, quickly moving to assist in bringing the turian to the floor gently. There's no helping it now, carrying will have to be the way regardless. She syncs up to her armor to get an overview of her vitals while digging around in her satchel.

Oxaris 's vitals are weak, intense blood loss from a few gunshot wounds where there wasn't enough medi-gel to cover. Her more prominent wound was stabilised, but without proper medical treatment soon, she won't make it.

Zaylus curses as Oxaris fades, along with the doctor helping to set her down easy. He trusts Halisi knows just what to do, and for the moment snaps up the Mattock and turns to cover them as she works.

Jason still on his ass, scampers backwards, away from the door. Thanks to his cybernetic arms, he's able to steady the massive weapon with one arm, bracing the stock against his shoulder as he cracks off shots through the doorway to keep them from being overran. He uses his other hand to assist in scooting backwards and reaches for the wall to try and brace himself and climb back to his feet. The Scion preparing for a follow-up

Jessica having given up on her escaping helmet, climbs back to her feet and begins to pull back. Upon hearing Jason, she nods to herself a number of times. The interface on her omni-tool flares to life, casting an orange reflection in the confined space as she continues to back up to a safe distance and waits for the others to follow suit.

Jattic plants a gauntlet on Elena's shoulder, giving her a nudge to punctuate Jason's orders as he, too, begins to pull back.

Elena gets moving as Jason calls out, falling back and lowering her SMG once out of view of the husks. She joins the rest of the escapees in the tunnel.

Leah points herself towards Nathan, her biotics allowing her to pick up the speed needed to overtake him without too much effort. "Not the time for jokes!" she snaps back. She does her best to slow her momentum as she closes in on her teammate, but there's not a whole lot of time for it if she wants to avoid him getting out of reach. Their armor clangs together as she tightly wraps her arms around his midsection, but they're

Nathan feels Leah slam into him and he wraps his arms around her tightly, in sheer panic at the thought of falling into the gas giant itself. "Fair enough!" He grunts in pain as they hit the invisible wall and he clutches to her, shaking his head. "Christ, please... please get me back on solid ground."

Jessica furrows her brow as her finger hovers above her omni-tool's interface. "Come onnnn!" she mutters to the others as they back away from the door, "They are coming!" As husks begin to pour in and fill the empty space of the hallway, her finger comes down, sending the signal for the charge just outside of the hallway door to detonate.

Ilyna is easily lifted off the ground, still groaning from pain. "I'm not going to relinquish anything to you," she says and a biotic field surrounds her. She can't really do much against her foe, but at least she can try to free herself and keep him occupied until help arrives. She lets out a biotic throw aimed at him.

Ilyna sighs and starts to panic as her distraction failed in freeing her, and she has more or less resigned herself to fate; and the hope that one of the others would do anything about it. Were they really going to leave her to fight it alone in her state? When the darkness abruptly fades, she falls to the ground with a grunt and only looks up to see what happened. Seeing the collector dead gave her no reason to

Halisi produces a sedative and a stabilizer from her satchel, injecting Oxaris even as Li still clings to her. "She won't last much longer. We have to get her to the ship!"

Leah's breath runs ragged as she holds both herself and Nathan in place for a moment, studying him through her visor. She gives a few shallow nods. "That's the plan." she responds, none too happy about hanging out over the edge of a gas giant's megastorm herself. She does her best to calm her mind and fight through the fatigue. 'No giving up now, Leah' she silently reminds herself as the glow begins to deepen once more. She

Oxaris has more time brought for her, but it is rapidly fleeting.

Senya lets go of her rifle with her right hand as she spots Leah and Nathan, focusing and channeling her biotics to reel them in.

Nathan breathes heavily, but manages to force out a chuckle as he rests his forehead against hers for a moment. "No time for jokes, remember?" He quips back, but he finds himself slowly calming, hands tightening around her as he feels themselves drift. He looks down to the planet and, in that moment... all the fear is washed away, replaced by an overwhelming sense of scale and awe. He breathes out a laugh, shaking his

Zaylus turns back to the doctor, setting the Mattock along his lower back. "Then let's go." He growls wearily, using his good arm to lift Oxaris by her waist. Even with both arms the task wouldn't be easy, but he seems intent on navigating some way to carry her back to the ship.

Ehanis hurries over to her sister's side, and crouches down beside her to check on her. "The rest of the way out looks clear," she says over comms. "How's it looking aboard the Jack of Diamonds?" She looks back down at her sister, offering her a hand but she does not seem in any hurry to take it.

Senya activates her omni-tool, and soon a reply of "Clear." sounds in response to Ehanis.

Leah scoffs as Nathan uses her own words against her as they set down on the ramp with Senya's assistance. For a moment, it seems like she's going storm right back into action, but the sight of the dead Collector calms her. "For you!" she complains. "No time for jokes for you! While you're-... you're sailing away into who-knows-what! I can fly! I get to make jokes!" she argues, taking in breath after breath as she finally

Oxaris is out cold.

Nathan lands with Leah and shakes his head, about to retort before he looks down at her in worry. He crouches in front of her and puts his hands on her shoulders, trying to peer through her visor. "Hey, you okay?" He winces at the explosion and turns his head towards it... but he knows who it is. And he can't help but be appreciative of her destructive skills.

Jason covers his head as he's shaken into the wall while chunks of ceiling crumble down. Once the rumble passes, he snaps his Revenant back up at the door in case any targets managed to survive.

Jessica is shaken, but managed to get a good distance away before detonating, so a hand against the wall is all it takes to keep her upright. She waits for the dust to clear, hand moving to hover over the hand cannon on her thigh.

Jattic goes down alongside Elena. He's slow to get up, struggling against the floor as if doing a strenuous push-up as his ears ring.

Leah swallows, blinking back at the painful headache settling in. She gives a few hollow nods. Against the inside of her visor Nathan would be able to see a few droplets of blood as well as streaks running from each nostril. "Just-... Just pushed myself a little too hard." she mutters. But she doesn't seem to have any intention of staying put. Soon enough her gaze moves past Nathan and to the platform across the gap. "I have to

Nathan grips her shoulders tightly, trying to get her to look at him. "Hey. Get the rest on the ship. I'll get the crazy woman and carry her aboard." He doesn't leave room for her to argue, suppressing the urge to just focus on her and her state, as he turns and starts to jog to where the Eclipse merc was put. He would scoop her up carefully, sucking in a deep breath as he looks to Niklos on the way.

Halisi sways slightly as the explosion sounds, pulling Li in close. "Get her to the ship!" she repeats to Zaylus before moving over to the Eclipse biotic, making a quick check before heading to Ilyna and Ehanis, carrying Li.

Nathan grips her shoulders tightly, trying to get her to look at him. "I'll help you. Because that-" he says, tapping her visor and looking at the blood running down from her nostrils, "-is not a good sign. I'm still in one piece." His tone of voice implies that there is little room to argue... even if he doesn't want to go back on that cursed vessel.

Senya looks over at the pair on the edge of the ramp. "We don't have time for this." she says sharply. "Unless you have a jetpack in that armor of yours, just get ready to receive the injured." she nods towards several stretches that she has placed along the wall of the cargo hold, ready for use.

Zaylus nods with a grunt, hefting Oxaris onto his shoulders with great effort. Exhausted, injured, and frustrated as hell, the only ray of hope is the waiting Jack of Diamonds and the promise of husk-free living. So he plods forward diligently, using his good arm to keep his turian cargo as steady as possible while promising himself more regular trips to the gym.

Jason sweeps his Revenant across the hallway as the dust settles, the sea of targets completely removed from his HUD. A lopsided smirk crosses his lips as he studies the destruction. He sucks in a few deep breaths, nodding to himself as he glances back to Jessica. "Good job!"

Jessica's good eye snaps to Jason as he speaks to her, a high-pitched ringing mostly drowning out what he's saying "Huh?!"

Jason's smirk slips away and he leans a little closer to the woman. "Good fucking job!" he calls out.

Jessica furrows her brow, a look of frustration crossing her face. "No, fuck you!" she calls back.

Jason rolls his eyes in frustration. "No, I said-..." he begins, but the sounds from the other side of the rubble are more than enough to inform him that they don't have time for this right now. "Get to the ship!" he decides on. The blank look he gets in return causes him to use a hand, waving past Jessica as he glances down the corridor.

Jessica nods a number of times. "I will go to the ship!" she decides, leaving Jason to rally the others as she turns on her heels and sets off at a jog down the remainder of the hallway.

Ilyna gets to her feet with Ehanis' help by the time Halisi reaches them. "Do... do you understand why I-....," she sighs, now is not the time. "You fought well." She turns around to face Halisi and Li, forcing a small smile as she tries to ignore the pain she's in. "Let's go home."

Oxaris is hoisted.

Halisi flashes a brief smile, nodding with an exhausted chuckle. "Let's." she agrees, but Niklos and Nadia catches her gaze out of the corner of her eyes. She drops Li off by Ilyna and hurries over, kneeling down next to them.

Jason mutters under his breath as Jessica takes off, but hurries to Elena's side soon enough and takes a knee. "Sorry. Naptime is gonna have to wait." he says, extending a gauntlet towards her. "Up you go."

Leah shakes her head, but as she attempts to step past Nathan, another jolt of pain shoots through her head, causing her to wince and stop in place. Doubling over again, she gives a couple short nods. "...Okay." she relents. "I can-..." she straightens up, gesturing towards the Collector ship with a nod of her head, "...I can get you across the gap." She takes a few heavy steps towards the edge of the ramp and a dull blue glow

Nathan is about to take her up on that offer, but the doctor's order causes him to stall. He looks at Leah for a moment before he shakes his head and makes to grasp her wrist and push her arm down. "No. She's right. Don't push yourself too much. The others across the way will get her over. We'll be here to help." He nods firmly at her and he looks to the others, motioning towards them. "Come on! We're getting out of

Jattic climbs to his feet with a grunt and plants a gauntlet on Jason's shoulder to steady himself. He passes a glance back towards the destroyed door as he tries to clear his head. "...They are still coming." he mutters as the sound of the husks shuffling around grows more apparent now that things have quieted down a bit. "We must keep moving." He releases his grip on Jason and moves beside him, offering a second hand to help

Elena groans as she's pulled to her feet with Jason and Jattic's help. Her face contorts in pain as weight is once again put on her leg. She nods a few times even though she couldn't hear what Jason said, and goes to slip an arm around Jattic for support, but the blade armor quickly makes her reconsider, opting for Jason instead.

Ehanis looks frustrated as it seems Ilyna is about to have that kind of talk again, but she's relieved when her sister stops herself. "Thanks," she says half-heartedly before walking off to the platform outside, looking across the gap.

Jason wraps an arm around Elena's waist to help keep the weight off of her leg. With one last glance back at the collapsed door and the sounds beyond it, he makes his way down the hallway.

Jattic remains behind the pair, his gait taking on a sluggish limp as he finally acknowledges the fatigue settling in and the pain throughout his body.

Leah looks to Senya, glaring at the asari from behind her visor. But as Nathan's words set in, her features soften and she gives another nod. "Yeah-... Okay..." she decides, the exhaustion apparent in her voice. She remains in place, however, preparing to assist with whoever needs help crossing the gap.

Nathan reaches over for Nadia to help her over, but his breath hitches as he looks at her neck. He shakes his head and hovers his hand over her body for a moment before he sinks back onto the back of his legs, clenching his hand into a fist. He waits a few moments before standing and he quietly motions for the others to come across.

Leah briefly closes her eyes, her shoulders slumping slightly at the sight of Nadia. It's unclear whether she's alive, but even if she does survive, there's no doubt serious damage. Regardless, there's still others who can be helped. She lifts her hands, assisting Lucy back onboard with her biotics and doing her best to fight back the dull pain in her head.

Jessica passes by Halisi, her gaze drawn to the woman on the ground. "She is alive...?" she asks.

Halisi nods. "Yes, for now. She needs immediate medical attention. We have to get her to the ship." she replies without looking up from the biotic.

Ilyna crouches down and reaches out a hand to Li. "I'm sorry I... had to leave your side to fight," she says. "We just need to cross the gap, and we're safe."

Li wraps her arms around Ilyna as the asari crouches down, showing no sign of letting go as she buries her face against her.

Elena moves down towards the chamber with Jason's help, panting and wincing as she goes. Her energy reserves are consumed, and the pause in fighting has allowed her exhaustion and pain to make itself fully known.

Senya turns her attention to the mother and the child. She starts building up biotic energy, concentration etched into her face as she envelops both of them in a biotic field, starting to pull them gently across the gap. She sets them down within reach of Nathan.

Nathan reaches over to help guide them both down, ushering them into the ship. "Go, go, go. Quickly, it's safe inside."

ColonistMother nods, a quiet thanks following as she hurries inside with her son.

Ehanis uses her own biotics to jump across the gap, and without the rush she seems to manage to stay on course this time. She is moving through the air a bit too fast for a comfortable landing, however.

Ilyna wraps her arms around her in turn and stands up with an exhausted groan. She takes a few slow steps outward until she's no longer under the alien ship's gravitational influence, and they start hovering across the gap slowly but surely. She doesn't say a word, only holding Li tight so that she doesn't think to look down.

Jason continues down the hall, passing only a brief glance towards the downed biotic. "...Jattic." he says with a glance back to the batarian as his own hands are full with Elena. He doesn't stop until they reach the edge of the Collector ship's platform. "You first." he says with a glance to Elena.

Jattic nods a couple of times, not needing to be told twice to help save a life. He takes a knee beside Halisi, looking to her for guidance as he tentatively begins to slide an arm beneath her legs and another behind her neck. "...Is she okay to move?" he asks before going any further.

Jessica remains silent as she watches Halisi work. When Jattic kneels down to assist, she lingers for only a moment longer before taking a couple steps back and turning to join Jason and the others.

Halisi sighs. "No, but we don't have much choice. Be care-..." Her eyes widen as she spots a Collector Captain coming into view in the corner of her eye, surrounded by a cluster of husks. "Go! Go now!" she calls out urgently, readying her omni-tool as she takes cover next to the doorway.

Jattic's gaze snaps in the direction that seems to have pulled Halisi's attention away. "Jason! They're coming!" he announces over comms and, with a grunt, hoists the mercenary up. He passes one more glance down the tunnel before taking off, eager to unload the woman and assist if need be.

Oxaris is unconscious.

Zaylus plods steadily toward the edge where his teammates are being gracefully plucked from this hellscape. He can't really react to the new threat, as he's already giving all his remaining energy to returning Oxaris to the Jack.

Leah's biotics flare up a bit as she hears Jattic over comms, to hell with the headache. "Come on!" she shouts as she eases Zaylus' burden a bit and Oxaris is enveloped in a blue glow, prepping to take his unconscious cargo off his hands.

Jason glances back over his shoulder, muttering a not-so-subtle: "Fuck!" in response to the new intel. He shoots another look to Elena, urging her to get moving as he grips his Revenant tightly in his other hand.

Makk shoots a glance at the new arrivals and hastens his efforts, helping Xiu across next.

Nathan 's eyes widen as the woman falls. "No! Enough you fucking insects, enough!" He cries out in anger. He wants to rip off his Argus and fire at the creatures, but they have more to rescue, more to get aboard. He settles for gritting his teeth and readying for the next passenger, holding his hands out ot them.

Elena isn't really in any state to jump the gap on her own, but she leaps regardless, unwilling to occupy the others. Luckily, Senya manages to reel her in with some biotic assistance.

Xiu grasps Nathan, grunting slightly as he stops her traversal. She is quick to get inside.

Zaylus sighs quietly beneath his helmet as the weight on his shoulders lessens just a bit. Being this close imbues him with just a little burst, and he closes the gap to the end of the platform, turning as if to offer up Oxaris as sacrifice for some kind of biotic lord.

Jason assists Elena with a little forward momentum, care of: cybernetic arms. As soon as she's out of hands, he immediately spins back and snaps up his Revenant. "Come on, people! No stopping! Everyone across!" he orders as the air is once again pierced by fully automatic Revenant fire. He falls back- or in this instance I suppose forward- towards the door in seek of whatever cover he can manages as he provides suppressive fire to

Oxaris drifts across, arms and legs limp across the gap.

Ehanis goes through the biotic barrier quickly and lands on all fours with a grunt, looking briefly pained as that put pressure on her shoulder. She's quick to get to her feet and jog back to the barrier in case they need her help.

Ilyna raises her brows upon seeing the familiar yellow beam, and she stops on the ramp. Despite still holding onto Li, she reaches out and a biotic field sorrounds Oxaris as she starts pulling her across.

Halisi takes the cue, spraying the nearest husk with a freezing mixture as she runs past, making for the platform.

Jattic flinches instinctively as the particle beam cuts just past him and he's quick to round the doorframe to remain out of view of the Collector. But he's not stopping. He continues to storm forward towards the edge in hope that someone is ready to haul the mercenary across when he arrives.

Senya has just about managed to recieve Elena when she spots Jattic and the Eclipse merc. With a deep breath she starts to gather her energy again, but it's clear that she can't keep this up much longer. With great effort she envelops the unconcious mercenary in a biotic field and starts to bring her across.

Jessica spins around as the beam reduces her shields to nearly nothing. "Fuck! How?!" she grumbles. Unwilling to wait for assistance, she moves a few paces from the edge to get a running start and simply jumps in an attempt at crossing the gap.

Leah assists Ilyna with Oxaris for the moment. But as she spots Jessica trying to cross on her own, she's quick to redirect her efforts and assist the woman the rest of the way across. She's tired, however, and in little position to waste time. So the moment Jessica is over the cargo ramp, she simply releases her.

Jessica looks momentarily caught off guard as control is taken from her. Her gaze drops down and she feels her stomach drop out as the emptiness between the two ships fills her vision. Thankfully it doesn't last long. "Gah!" she growls as Leah drops her unceremoniously onto the ramp. "Fucking bitch!" she mutters as she scurries up the ramp on all fours, eager to distance herself from the edge.

Jason swings back into cover as the loud beeping of his shields dying fills his helmet. "Cutting it close, people! Move it!" he announces. Trying to buy himself those precious few seconds for his shield to recharge, he begins to blindfire with his Revenant.

Nathan reaches to grab Jessica and shove her further up the ramp when she lands, ignoring her barb at Leah too. "Come on! Let's go!" He calls across to the others.

Ehanis takes over Oxaris once Ilyna has reeled her in, and carries her over to a stretcher with as much biotic energy she can gather to lower her mass.

Makk looks around, and seeing no one else that cannot move on their own, he locks eyes with Senya, confirming her assistance just in case after the biotic mercenary has been brought aboard. He rushes forward, jumping with as much vigor as he can muster. Biotically assisted, he makes it across, staggering inside and collapsing against a crate. Wrench is at his side almost immediately.

Zaylus watches Oxaris' float briefly once she is lifted off his shoulders, which he gives a quick roll, to the protest of his wounded arm. Then, taking a couple steps back he gets a running start and leaps into the gap, urged on by Jason's commands and hopeful that somebody will be prepared for his jump.

Halisi runs right for the ledge now that the two most injured are across, managing the jump on her own, albeit barely. She lands on all four, scrambling inside and catching her breath as she gest her bearings.

Jattic is quick to give up his hold on the mercenary once Senya has control of her. Unfortunately, having lost his Vindicator he's little help to those at the hall. He watches the hallway for a moment, unable to help. As Halisi zips by, he nods to himself. The sooner he gets across, the sooner Jason can pull back and they can get the hell out of here. "You better be right behind me, Wolfe!" he growls as he takes a similar

Jessica uses Nathan's assistance to climb to her feet and get into the cargo hold. From there, all she can do is watch from behind the barrier as enemies continue down the tunnel towards Jason.

Ilyna is barely able to stay upright, but she keeps at it. She is not able to fully pull someone though, so she uses weak, short-lived fields to correct Jattic and Zaylus' course if necessary and slow them down just before they're about to come within this ship's gravitational influence.

Jason turns his head away and pulls his weapon back as the lance of biotic energy tears through the doorframe, causing chunks of debris to plink off of his armor. "I don't think he's happy!" he calls out as he grips the Revenant in both hands and takes a deep breath. "Lot of open distance to cover..." he mutters as he looks to the Jack. Ten feet may as well be ten miles with this asshole ready to open up on him. He pulls back from

Nathan pulls out his Argus and checks he ammo count. He sucks in a deep breath and takes a few steps back, pressing the rifle into his shoulder. "I'm not leaving Jase...".

Jattic hits the ramp with a grunt thanks to Ilyna's assistance, passing an appreciative nod up at her. Pressing his gauntleted palms against the ramp, he pushes himself back to his feet and stomps into the cargo hold. "What are you doing?!" he growls at Jessica. "Don't just stand there!"

Jessica's gaze snaps to the batarian as he comes at her, momentarily looking as though she's rearing to argue until she realizes-.... He's right! With a single nod, she pulls the Falcon from her back and begins stomping towards the edge of the ramp. Without her helmet, her lack of depth perception is a real problem. She makes sure to steer clear from aiming even remotely close to Jason as the Falcon begins its beautiful music.

Nathan snaps up his fun and adds his own barrage of death. Just not as cool as the Falcon.

Zaylus lands shortly after Jattic, stumbling a little but there thanks to the biotic assistance. He quickly moves out of the way as heavy weapons find their place. Having none of his own he just moves out of the way to catch his breath.

Ehanis joins the others at the ramp once everyone but Jason is through, opening fire on the husks below with her pistol.

Jessica momentarily releases her grip on her Falcon with one hand, raising a middle finger as the Captain goes down. No longer on comms due to the loss of her helmet, she gives a loud shout in batarian. Something to the effect of 'Eat the excrement of a lazy varren on a hot summer day'. For a moment, she almost seems to forget there are other targets, far too caught up in her warcry, but the continued gunfire pulls her right back.

Leah of course, draws her Carnifex and joins in on the firing squad action, sighting in on the mass of husks pouring from the door.

Jason continues hammering on the trigger as the creatures flood into the chamber, sidestepping ever closer to the Jack all the while. RattattttatttattttatttaClick As soon as his Revenant runs hot, he grips the large weapon in both hands and makes a sprint towards the edge of the platform. Hoping that the rest of his team has the firepower to keep them at bay, he pushes full-bore. Should he make it, he'll push off the edge,