Rainbow Dash [Vanguard] 57%
“I’ve got your back, Commander,” Rainbow immediately said as well after Tali stepped forward, Shepard nodded and turned off the hologram. The commander sighed and lened on the table with his fists.
“I’m not going to lie to you, this isn’t going to be easy. Once we’re in they’re going to throw everything they’ve got at us. Do not slow down. Do not hesitate. Give them no mercy for they will give you none either.” Shepard moved back a bit, grunts of approval coming from everyone in the room.
“We don’t know how many the collectors took… it doesn’t matter, only one thing does. Not. One. More. That is what we can do. They want to know what we’re made of? I say let’s show them… on our terms. Now let’s go get our people back.”
With their spirits up, everyone grouped up with their assigned team. Fluttershy briefly walking over to Rainbow.
“Good luck and stay safe out there, Dash,” she smiled as she nudged her old friend with a wing.
Rainbow snorted and smirked confidently. “Remember who you’re talking to, I’ll be fine Flutters.”
“Don’t get too high on your own farts there, Rainbow ‘danger’ Dash,” Fluttershy shot back at her, making Dash blush. “Stay sharp and make sure your aim is true and we’ll see each other at the central chamber.”
“Yeah, see you there,” Rainbow smiled as Fluttershy went back to Miranda’s group, the human in question immediately flagged her over.
“Fluttershy, you’re on sniper support with Thane, pick the hard targets at range. Samara and Jack will handle biotic support, you’re their backup in case they can’t hold their part,” Miranda told her.
“Understood ma’am,” Fluttershy replied as she followed the rest out of the room and towards the opened airlock. They jumped out onto the outer hull of the collector base, the materials looked nigh indistinguishable to the collector ship’s which they’d investigated a while back, only everything was larger by several factors. Shepard’s group split off from the main body to perform their part of the plan, mainly opening the door for Miranda’s group leading into the main chamber.
Fluttershy stuck to the back of the group with Thane, half her eye was focussed on Garrus who walked somewhat ahead, his sniper rifle on his back and carrying his assault rifle instead.
Can’t have too many snipers I guess, need to have some automatic firepower to pin down the collectors too.
The first stretch of the journey they managed to walk almost completely unopposed, the collectors had yet to find them but that would change some point soon as they undoubtedly were showing up on the internal security in some form.
“You made a dangerous enemy in Aria T’loak,” Thane said as he and Fluttershy sat back on an elevated position to cover the advance of the others in case they’d make contact.
“None I couldn’t handle, not that I plan going back regardless,” Fluttershy answered as she looked out in the distance, noticing movement. “Two o’clock, at the edge there behind the pillar on the right.”
“I see it.”
A loud rapport came from Shy’s sniper, the head of the collector that had peaked over its cover exploded from the force of the anti-materiel rifle. “There are bound to be more...”
“Status?” Miranda asked immediately.
“Fluttershy took out a collector at the edge of the chamber. Expect more soon,” Thane replied, moving up to a new position further up along with Fluttershy. The faint buzzing of wings echoed through the large chambers they were moving through, the occasional group of collectors running into the group and getting cut down.
“This is way too easy...” Fluttershy muttered, a very deep pit in her gut as a nasty buzz stung in the back of her mind.
Give up.
Fluttershy’s legs wobbled as the words echoed through her mind, a sting following the two words feeling as if an ice-pick was being lodged directly into her brain. She cried out, dropping to the ground as simultaneously the collectors sent a wave of drones towards the group.
Things shall be as they have always been, your kind will be destroyed completely and the cycle will continue.
N-No!
Darkness shrouded Fluttershy as images of pony civilization of old flashed through her mind, pitch black corrupted unicorn husks charging lines en-masse and impaling the defenders on their jagged horns while insect winged abominations flew overhead to engage pegasi.
Sovereign tried to... do this too… and he failed!
Fluttershy opened her eyes again and looked out over the mayhem the others were engaged in, collectors streaming in from every direction as they’d lain in wait for an ambush but what Fluttershy focussed on was the larger glowing collector at the back that was looking straight at her and hit it with her stare.
Get...
Out...
Of my...
HEAD!
The nasty sting was immediately driven out of Fluttershy’s head as she raised her fallen rifle and fired at the collector that was being controlled by Harbinger. Fluttershy huffed, replacing the thermal clip.
“Nice try.”
The collectors immediately became more disorganized, Miranda ordering a push forward out of the chamber into the next. Thane and Shy quickly caught up with the group and quickly closed the rear as they made their way up to the door leading into the main chamber, finding it still sealed shut.
“Take defensive positions, those collectors will regroup here soon!” Miranda ordered. Garrus slid into cover next to Fluttershy for a moment. The pegasus felt a metallic tinged liquid flow into her mouth.
“You okay, little angel? I heard you… You’re bleeding.”
A red line ending in a blood droplet came from the corner of Shy’s eye, the liquid also coming from her nose and ears as she spit out the blood in her mouth. “I’m good, let’s focus on holding this place.” Garrus grimaced but nodded, moving up a bit in an advanced position as Fluttershy set up her rifle to form a killzone facing the hallway that provided access to the door.
“Here they come! Hold!”
Collectors poured through the gap firing wildly as the first wave quickly got cut down, the next wave already charging down the hall over the dissolving bodies of their fallen comrades. A thick wall of fire soon was exchanged between the two factions, putting strain on the defending group as they couldn’t just throw themselves back at the collectors who were suffering catastrophic casualties.
“Damnit! Shepard we could really use your help here!” Miranda called out as she had to duck into cover due to her shield failing.
“Almost there! Rainbow had a brief episode of… something. All good now!” The commander replied, “Legion is working on the doors now!”
“Make it quick!” Miranda called back. Fluttershy meanwhile was rapidly cycling her sniper’s shots, every single round piercing half a dozen collectors in a single shot. The doors screeched but then slowly slid open, a space just large enough for one person to pass through. Miranda immediately barked orders for everyone to pass through one by one, the squad filing through as smoothly as possible under fire.
“Close it legion!” Garrus called out as the last person through the breach, the geth immediately shutting doors behind the turian.
“Everyone okay?” Shepard asked, getting an affirmation from everyone there. Fluttershy looked over to Rainbow who had an ugly, bleeding, cut on her forehead but the smile on her face made it clear she was fine.
“Hey Commander?” Garrus called out as he looked deeper into the chamber, the walls lined with the pods the collectors used in their attacks to abduct human colonists. A quick inspection of the people in there immediately got everyone on edge.
“It’s the crew! Get them out!” Shepard immediately ordered, beating the butt of his rifle against the transparent panel in front of the pod to break it open. Within a minute every pod in sight had been cracked open and the crew within were now on the ground, gasping for air.
“Commander, y-you came for us!” Doctor Chakwas stuttered as she caught her breath.
“Of course, no-one gets left behind,” Shepard smiled.
“Thank god you got here, if you’d been only a few seconds later…” Chakwas shivered. “The colonists were... processed, into grey goo and pumped through these tubes.” she pointed at the tubes running deeper into the base.
“Well, that’s where we were heading then. Joker, do you have a fix on our position?” Shepard asked.
“Roger that, Commander. All those tubes lead into the main chamber above you. The route is blocked by a security door but there’s a room running parallel to that one that can get you up there.” Joker replied, only for EDI to interrupt.
“Shepard, I would not recommend that path. Scans indicate seeker swarms too dense for Mordin’s countermeasures in that area.”
“There has to be a way… Samara, can you create a shield that can keep the seekers away?” Shepard asked of the asari justicar.
“It should be possible, yes,” she replied.
“Technically all biotics could do it,” Miranda pointed out. Shepard thought for a moment before pointing at the asari again.
“You’re up, Samara.”
“Shepard, the crew and me are in no shape to fight. We’d never make it back alone,” Chakwas said as the crewmembers were barely able to stand with each other’s help.
“I’ll have you escorted...”
Fluttershy wanted to step forward to volunteer but then remembered the initial scan. If I escort the crew then no-one is going to check out that offshoot chamber I noticed and head straight for the main chamber… but they might need all the help to fight whatever they find in the main chamber too...
1. Volunteer to escort the crew.
2. Ask Permission to investigate the offshoot.
3. Stay with the main squad.