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"This one finds you more and more to be a thorn in this galaxy," said Tulan. "Have you at any point lasted at least one week without being hunted down like a varren?" "Yanno I honestly could not tell you," said FG tiredly, "I don't even know why half this shit's happening to me. All I know is, we got a mission apparently so can anyone bring me up to speed?" "Certainly...let us reiterate our mission for the sake of our 'friend', who has finally decided to grace us with his presence." The sardonic reply from the hanar boss made him smirk slightly, but only by sneering as he sat back and waited with arms crossed, finding his armour to be uncomfortable even moreso. Leiah noticed this and sat up next to him, the crew all sitting in a semi-circle once again towards their main leader's face, or lack thereof on the viewer in the meeting area. "This one has investigated the anomaly reported by miss Dahlael, and has noted that there is indeed a mysterious disturbance originating from the Rosetta Nebula, of the Phi Clios System...as well as something unusual." "I knew it!" said Leiah. "What is it?!" "A planet." "...um...what?" "Scuse me um," asked Areh, "planets already exist in systems sir." "This planet is unusual. Because it does not exist officially." "Wait WHUT?!" cried out the krogan. "A planet known as Parnassus has been wiped from Council records, meaning that officially it does not exist. It contains several geothermal and solar power stations tapping the planet's energy, of which it has in great amounts. The fact that it is so near another planet which is logged and recorded, proves that for some reason, someone has deleted the planet from the Council database." "And how do you know its name?" asked Norem. "The scouts this one has sent confirmed this planet's name, owing to various other records of which this one has kept unoficially. You really should not ask such stupid questions Norem." "Right, of course. Sorry sir." "There are strange transmission signals emanating from a planet's facility, the one known as XR-1 noted in the northwest quadrant of Parnassus, presumably from a ship that crashed there. A volus ship, known as the Vaus that went missing six months ago on a delivery involving machine parts." "Huh? ...wait, you're telling me a volus ship crashed into a planet that officially does not exist, and for some reason someone told James, SPECIFICALLY James here, to go find out this planet and investigate what's going on?" "That appears to be it, yes." "...what IS your deal?" asked Lirem to FG. "I mean, ever since you got here the most bizarre shit's been happening to us." "Hey I don't know!" replied FG. "I'm just as confused as you are okay?! I'm having the weirdest time as it is, I got kidnapped for fuck's sake!" "Yeah you told us, seriously I don't get what's up with you. Facinus we went after on our own, fine, the black raptor that tried to kill you, that's your problem, but this is...this is...I don't even know what it is!" "Hold up," asked Areh. "Did you say six months ago sir?" "Yes," said the hanar. "...that's as long as James has been here. Hasn't it?" "...it would appear so yes."

They all slowly turned towards him with growing concern, the raptor looking quite nervous all of a sudden and most of all confused, panicking as he said: "Wh-wh-what do you want from me?!" "Answers." "I don't KNOW any answers I swear I don't know why this is happening!" "This one would like to know soon," replied Tulan, "so it would be wise of you to uncover the truth very soon. This one feels that perhaps this curious transmission might answer a lot of questions that are a long time coming to be answered...is that not correct, Areh?" "U-um...really?" asked Areh cautiously. "Yes. Many things concern our guest...which this one would like to uncover very soon or else this one shall treat you as if you were part of this all along." "STOP PICKING ON HIM!" cried out Leiah. "He's just been through hell, he got kidnapped, he hasn't had a lot of sleep, and he can't remember anything beyond that from two weeks ago!" "Do you know what he did upon arrival?" "Yes, I was there, I first met him in the first month he was here and you can check on the Citadel records that he never left the Citadel!" "True, but how long has he truly been here before that? The Citadel only records what it actually is aware of." "He is my FRIEND you stupid jellyfish!" roared Leiah standing up. "And I trust him with my life, so if you want to go accusing people you better have some evidence you BOSH'TET!" Her fury shook through her body as James smiled softly, appreciating her standing up for him despite the hanar glowering with cruel intent. The rest of the crew backed off slowly in their seats until the hanar spoke once more. "Very well. There is no evidence this one possesses that prove James is anything he says he is not. But at the same time you must agree that James is also an anomaly unto himself, his claims of being from another universe unfounded as far as we know." "He has never lied to me...have you James?" "No," said James without hesitation. "I've got nothing to lie to you about, I told you everything even if you didn't believe me, like I told you at the beginning." "There, see, there's my evidence. I know all this is really unusual, but we're not going to learn anything by just standing around arguing, are we?" "Agreed," said Tulan humbly, "this matter will resolve itself once we uncover the truth behind this mysterious transmission. Obviously you shall be going to the planet yourself Mr. Campbell, as for who this one shall explain." "Alright," said FG, "fair enough I'll do what you ask." "Good. Now, before we discuss things further, there is one other matter we must concern ourselves with. This one has also heard that we are to perform at the Horizon Charity Concert in five months. Norem has told me all the specific details." "Oh yeah," said Lirem, "well you know whose fault it is." "Indeed. Areh, this one is very disappointed in you for not consulting previously. You should know better than to call such wild claims without any planning whatsoever." "Yeah, DISAPPOINTED." " Quiet."

The turian shrunk back in his seat at hearing the voice turn grim. "This one however is even more disappointed in you Lirem, for your blatant act of avoiding the issue, as well as the intent of breaking a contract that is now signed the moment it was posted out onto the forum. Our fans are most dutiful to us, and they are the only ones who care truly enough to want to keep giving us our due in exchange for our music, just as they did five months ago at...THAT concert." James looked away with shame as did Leiah, knowing precisely what he meant. "Areh will be punished dutifully, but you also share some of it for your own behaviour. Resolve this swiftly, or else shall have something truly to whine about. Is that clear?" "B-but boss, you don't understand, I-" "Is. That. CLEAR?" "............yes sir." "Good. Areh, this mission will require your technical skill so please accompany James down onto the planet." "Yes sir," said Areh dutifully. "Whut about me?!" piped up Jax. "You will stay here," replied Arutulelan, "this sort of delicate mission does not require krogan strength." "B-but I don't go anywhere without Areh! Whut if he gets hurt?!" "Then you can blame Mr. Campbell for whatever happens to him, and so long as he is competent enough from all the times he has NOT had himself killed in the six months he so claims to have been in this galaxy, then nothing shall come to harm our dear Areh'Narohl nar Qwib-Qwib...or else." "BUT BOSS, I can keep him safe! I always protect him, he's my little buddy, I-" "Don't. If I have to raise my voice a third time then I will find you all suffering a most uncomfortable position within the far rim of the galaxy. Have you ever tried to survive on a planet of biting winds, screaming with howls as hot as the sun's breath? Have you ever wanted to experience death fifteen times a day at the claws and teeth of the children of Thresher Maws?" "N-n-no." "...or do you wish instead that I send you to where the songs of the Rachni still sing...howling into the abyss for your flesh-" "NO! NO PLEASE, I'LL BE GOOD, I'LL BE GOOD J-JUST DON'T, PLEASE!" "Good." The hanar moved back slightly as if relaxing into a chair, one they could not see as a smug glow of radiant ochre came throbbing from its bulbous body as Jax whimpered before cowering back into his seat. "Then you will let Mr. Campbell and Areh'Narohl descend to the planet." "I'm going too," said Leiah. "You'll need my expertise as well just in case, that and I wanna know what's up with all this." "Agreed, this one suggests also to take miss Dahlael with you for her expertise." "Really?" asked FG. "Well, alright then if that's what you want." "And should anything happen to Mr. Narohl," warned Arutulelan, "then you shall find yourself paying for his injuries with every single credit in your account. And if there is not enough...well...this one can gladly find some part of your body that you will not be missing in the near future, for a small price on the organ donor market." "You...are you fucking serious-" "Don't please," murmured Jax fearfully. "A-alright alright I...Jax I promise I'll keep Areh safe don't worry." "HEY what about me?!" demanded Leiah. "You are not of the band," said Tulan bluntly, "your expertise is welcome but your only purpose to this one is that, unless you can play a synthesiser." "Um...no?" "Then you are not of the band and of no use to this one personally, whatever may concern you and your travels does not concern this one in the least. You have your mission. Report back once you have returned."

The facility interior was far more expansive and maze-like than they could ever imagine. All throughout the place, rising volleys of steam from the planet's core sent colours rippling across the steel machines. Yellow and blue decorated the entire inside of XR-1, the shadows playing upon the walls with every puff of white smoke that came up from the machines down below. James felt like he had found the gateway to hell, the heat certainly not helping as his imagination ran wild with the idea, the far corners of the expansive halls forever trapped in darkness. The machines were largely bulbous, like metallic radishes pumping out steam eternally, almost as if they were much older machines than the rest of the galaxy's sleek and pure space technology. If anything it felt like he was in an old factory, like something from a much older movie about an even more ancient past. The raptor soon saw that ladders were the only way around the facility, a multitude of them descending and reascending from the pits beneath their very soles. The quarians felt just as nervous, but Areh was more concerned on other matters to let this place bother him, asking: "Let's get this done quick, I really wanna check on my mako when we get back." "Why?" asked FG. "I just do, I got some new parts back on the Citadel and I wanna make sure that they fit." "Oooh what new parts?" asked Leiah. "Ohhh just some alignment specs, tread acclimatiser, mako cannon coolant...uuuuuhhhh GPS update, mine is kinda fucked and I needed to reset it, then there was the axle fortifier, all those things." "You sure love that mako dontcha?" "Course I do, it's my baby, good ol' Varan the Unbelieveable. There's no greater mako out there in the whole galaxy and I defy anyone to tell me different." "Humans sure make good tanks I gotta say." "Sure do, I mean the mako was such an awesome gift and I can't THINK of getting anywhere without my mako-" "ALRIGHT ALREADY!" cried FG. "Just-let's get going and get this out of the way, the sooner we're done the sooner you get back to your tank...thing." "Mako." "I KNOW GOD!" "The hell's your problem?!" "S-sorry just I'm getting a headache fast and this is not helping I just...ugh." "Headache?" asked Leiah as she touched his shoulder. "You alright?" "Yeah it'll pass, listen um let's get to our places and we head on in further alright? I'm sorry." "It's fine," said Areh, "I understand, you've been through a lot lately. Okay, so we need to find out the source of the unknown transmission, it probably comes from a survivor of the ship that crashed here, the Vaus I think. We just have to find him or her, investigate what's been going on, and get the hell out of here." "Alright let's do this, which way do we go?" "Leiah and me will head on through the maintenance passage which requires both of us to operate, a safety measure of the plant they installed. You'll have to head through the underpassage and basically wait for us to access our way through in order to open the gates, since we'll be able to access them. You should be able to get through long as we work together." "Why can't I just go with you guys through the maintenance tunnels?" "Um, because you have a weird-ass suit that makes you very awkward and clunky in tight small spaces?" "Oh...fuck, right, okay then I'll go down the normal way and wait for you." "Alrighty, let's do this, keep in contact if you need anything. Let's go."

The quarians headed off towards the left as James made his way down forwards, scaling down a ladder into the pits of the first level where bright yellow lights slanted across his face through iron slats. Steam rose off all around him as he walked through, not affected by the hot temperatures due to both the thermal regulation of his suit and also his reptilian background, somewhat. His headache was most certainly not helping, the kind of headache he only received when a certain keyphrase came fluttering from beyond, the word screaming to itself inside his head. "Mako mako mako GOD what the fuck's up with that word, it keeps hurting inside my head! Ugh...next time I'll just plug my ears next time he talks, I wish I knew what it was...keep feeling like I wanna go somewhere else but I can't, not now. Got to find what the hell this place has to do with me. Hey uh Areh?" "Yeah?" asked the quarian over comms. "What kind of place is this?!" "It's a geothermal reactor plant, it pumps energy up from the planet's core and converts it into useable energy for someone to take away." "Huh, okay...who takes it?" "Probably the Council, shady bastards the lot of them probably hoarding it all for themselves." "Hey that's not nice," replied Leiah. "Oh sure, like you would trust a politician? Not even our admirals are safe from bullshit." "Please don't remind me...but alright, whoever uses this plant is not here so who cares." "Right...okay we're coming up to the first checkpoint, James you there?" He walked up towards the first walkway area, passing through a large bulbous steel shape like a gourd hollowed out with various rooms and valves underneath, seemingly spiralling upwards. The walkways showed a much longer way down, a pulsating mass underneath that felt like looking into the sun itself, yellow bleeding across the walls and his face as he reached the first door. A gate of some sort, huge and metallic and only accessible from far away due to the fact there was no lock on it, not even a keypad for access. "I see a large door, kinda thick and metal like a max security prison. Got no lock on it either." "Alright, look for a number on top of the gate." "Uhhhhh...three-seven-one." "Gotcha...okay I think I got it, it should open now." "Just did, thanks." The gate swung open softly with the sound of hydraulics echoing throughout the hall, allowing James to pass through as the further reaches of the walkway now turned blue with some other source of energy, pulsating from beyond his reach. All throughout he could hear the sound of humming, throbbing with eminence that went burning through his ears, making him become dizzy as he walked steadily along the hallway.

Various steel structures both wide and narrow passed by him, trapped eternally within their station like guardians of the gate, a gateway to hell perhaps. It certainly felt like one from the way he was sweating, wiping his brow as he walked on, the walkways narrow and teetering above the infinite mass of energy below as James kept his eyes focused on going forwards. He barely understood what a geothermal plant was, but the idea of it absorbing the life heat of the very planet itself, became both intriguing and also slightly upsetting for him to imagine. Traversing deeper inside the depths of the plant, the pipes bent and slithered into fixed positions like the blood vessels of some grand Gigeresque monster, metallic yet pumping with the very life force of the planet itself. He contemplated this as he went down, having never been inside of a geothermal plant before and becoming quite fascinated by the machinery itself. The idea of XR-1 as a generator of power was both terrifying and amazing to him, asking on the comms: "So this place is basically sucking the life force out of this planet right?" "Partly yes and partly no," said Areh, "the heat comes from the original formation of the planet when radioactive minerals began to decay, because of volcanic activity and stuff, also solar energy absorbed at the planet's surface. It's more like we're absorbing the heat of the planet itself." "But it's gonna run out one day right? I mean this can't be infinite." "No, you have to basically suck it dry and then let it regenerate by...ugh, a long-ass time, I think maybe a hundred years?" "Where'd you learn that?" asked Leiah. "Oh I read up on planetary studies as a kid, I read a lot of things." "You got a good memory." "Naaah I mean I still forget stuff...that's all I know really about geothermal power, it's not infinite for sure." "So what happens if this planet...dies out?" asked FG. "I mean...won't the plant here be kinda worthless after that just sitting here like a parasite all bloated up?" "I didn't realise you were an ecologist." "I'm not, just...curious, I mean nothing lives here anymore right?" "Yeah nothing lives on this planet so no genocides will be happening thankfully. You at the next gate yet?" "I see it up ahead...four-four-nine." "Aaaaand...aw shit Leiah help me out here, I think somebody sabotaged this." The sounds of scuffling and sparked wires from the other end of the comm channel made him worry, waiting for a few minutes until Areh called back as he stood waiting at the gate, the door slowly opening outwards as its hydraulics creaked. "Okay it's open?" asked Areh. "Yeah thanks, did you say it was sabotaged?" "Yeah it's weird, somebody just tried to destroy the circuit board here but they didn't account for the pins underneath. I managed to mess with them an-AARGH DAMMIT-" "KEELAH LOOK OU-" "...guys?! GUYS!? LEIAH?! ANSWER ME! FUCK, AREH!"

The comm signal went dead, fizzing out as the last sound he heard was some sort of static scream, bursting across the walkway as an echo before he hurried onwards. Running through the beating heart of the facility, humming eternally to itself, the raptor brought out his gun and waited for any signs of trouble. Occasionally there came corner for him to duck behind, taking cover before swinging out with handgun pointing down the hall. Nothing seemed to come for him, and he heard nothing else but the machinery. His head kept throbbing with a strange headache more and more, trying to maintain focus but at the same time finding it was turning lost in the haze of noise. The soft trembling hum in the background slowly started to intensify the further he walked, heading deep within the facility as he reached a red area of the place. Red throbbing light and steam everywhere he went, his face glowing with crimson upon his skin. "Leiaaah?! Areeeh? You guys okay?! ...shit, another door." The next steel door before him blocked access to what appeared to be the last area of the plant, this time with the numbers 654 as he tried to call on his omni-tool, scanning for signals. "Leiah? Areh, I need you, this door won't open! Can you hear me?! ...I can't hear you guys, gimme a signal! Huh?!" As if waiting for him to answer, the door creaked open before him, slowly revealing the very depths of the red bright interior of XR-1. His head throbbed even more now, the sound and colour resonating within the place making his head struggle to not lose his focus, stumbling through as the vibrations started to come. A deep mechanical sound, one just below his hearing, started to tremble within his head, shuddering tremors that made him fall and collapse in front of a red walkway. Then he heard his omni-tool spark up with life, a voice twisting through the signal whilst interrupted by static. "The- - - -Mako- - - - -stream- - - -lifeblood of this planet." His eyes began to close against his own will, the red of the facility blinking out as a thin red line. Soon he heard a voice call out, a faint voice far away from memory. One he felt that he had never known, and never will even. "Papa...p-papa no..." When he looked up once more, he saw that it was a strange rusted grey and brown, the machinery much more different than usual. Chains and gears all around him turning and writhing to their own clockwork ambitions, an aching blue force from deep underneath the walkway. Just before him, he saw the shadow of a woman, lithe and young but his vision started blurring too much for him to make out with a red doorway beyond her. Another person laid dead at her feet, the woman kneeling in shock and grief. When she spoke, it sounded as if it were from far away, a cry of memory echoing from an unknown place.

She weeped over the other body, the shadow still upon them as he struggled to make out who they were. Beside the woman was something long and silver, almost like it was a sword. Her voice started to turn staticky like the signal before. "Se- - - -roth...- - -iroth did this to y- - - -idn't he?!" "Wh-who......Leiah?" "Se- - -iro- - -oldier- - -Mako reac- - - -inra, everything! I HATE THEM ALL!" The woman in her grief suddenly threw her arms outwards and grabbed the weapon beside her, clutching the handle with a tightened black fist as the shadows slowly melted from their bodies. A black and cyan-coloured outfit, skin-tight as she dragged the long blade behind her, walking through the red doorway. James slowly got up, finding himself now able to as if allowed the use of his body. The other one he recognised, brown and green fabric with a gaping wound right through his abdomen. A cleaving blow that only a sword would have made. "H-holy...A-areh...hoh fuck no..." He tried to check for a pulse, but found not a single breath came from him, his eyes the same as glass like the mask itself that he wore, unmoving yet warm. His fear overshadowed the odd scene he had just saw, not registering what she had said being so very out of place as he began to refocus towards the other who had just went through, calling: "LEIAH! LEIAH NO!" James ran through the doorway as he found a more disturbing sight. A large wall of three slanted rows, each one containing at least eight or ten pods shaped like bulbous pears. Each one had a small round window where some sickening visage grew, smiling eternally, transfixed like the dead who had gone long without rest. A stairway was in the centre of the pods, a larger shadow standing at the top, his arms spread wide open. "Mother...I am he- - - -see you. Please, op- - - -this door." "HOW COUL- - -DO THA- - -TO PAPA- - - THE- - -TOWN- - -PEOPLE!?" Leiah stood at the bottom of the stairs, the sword in her hand being far too long for one to normally wield yet thin like a samurai blade. The scene felt unreal, like something he had never witnessed asking: "Wha-townspeople, you live on a ship! What the...what the hell's going on?!" "Memories," said the voice from his omni-tool. "Huh?!" "Memories of a story you will never see...do you hear the mako crying?" "What memories, who are you!?" "The planet is crying for you...crying for me...look...look what will happen if you keep walking forwards." "WHAT'S HAPPENING?! I...I don't understa-LEIAH DON'T!" Her fear and anger was evident, fists shaking as she ran straight towards the shadow at the top, swinging the sword with uncontrollable rage. But she was far too unskilled, the shadow grappling the blade handle before tearing it from her hands, shoving her down on one knee. The blade swung up high. James could not even act from the speed it cleaved right through her.

It was only when he heard her scream that he suddenly realised, paralysed with horror as she stumbled backwards flying out into the air briefly before she fell onto the stairs. Blood rippled red from her wounded abdomen, her suit torn wide open to reveal the bloodied alien flesh underneath. Her cries echoed throughout the room as her body hit hard against the stair, her spine falling badly against the cold uneven surface. James looked up at the shadow now above with sword in hand. The swords had now become scissors and there he stood, eyes black as night, the shadow of himself with claws the length of vicious daggers with fangs like pale death. Shock had set his body back in motion, running forwards finally. "LEIAH! NOOOOOOOOO!" He ran forwards as she fell further down the stairs, her body tumbling further, ever broken like a child's toy discarded as the other James smiled, stepping into the open doorway at the top of the stairs. His eyes glimmered before he faded away as James knelt beside Leiah's body. She looked up to him, coughing blood from the inside of her mask with a thick crimson smear, eyes desperate to keep wide awake. His hands were underneath her, trying to support her broken body as she struggled to speak. "You promised...you...p-promised that you'd come...when I was in trouble...a-aaaah..." "N-no...n-n-no no...I didn't, I didn't promise, I didn't say anything, I-" "You...promised...why can't you save anyone?" "I-i dunno what's happening! Leiah, please no! Leiah! LEIAH NO! DON'T DO THIS TO ME, LEIAH! LEIAH NOOO!" But it was too late. Her head slipped back as her eyes finally closed. Tears began running down his cheeks as the most unearthly noise came crawling up through him. The sound of static he had heard once before as his memory was assaulted once again. Screaming howls from the planet below, shuddering through the very pipes of the facility, screeching and tearing at the very insides of his own mind like it was nothing but paper. He rolled on the floor, dropping Leiah's body as the agony turned too great, shrieking for it to stop. "STOP IT! STOP IIIIIIIIIT! I DON'T KNOW WHO YOU ARE, JUST STOP IT! I DON'T WANNA BE HERE, I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M HERE!" "Memories." "WHAT!?" "Memories of a story you will never see...do you hear the mako crying?" "STOP TELLING ME I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!" "The planet is crying for you...crying for me...look...look what will happen if you keep walking forwards." Images flooded to his mind's eye, fires burning a town to destruction, huge reactors pumping vile effluent plumes of green light into a dying atmosphere, all to the sound of a constant screaming unlike anything he had ever heard before. Black shadows began swarming him, as one specific phrase kept repeating in his head over and over, his mind wracked with intense agony that transfixed his very limbs with rigor mortis. He could feel his own flesh being torn apart, invisible hands tearing at his body as he struggled to fight back on the floor. "NO! NOOOO! LET ME GO! LET ME GO-AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! STOP IT, STOP IT I DON'T WANT THIS, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT! I DON'T WANT YOUR REUNION, I'M NOT A PART OF THIS! REUNION! REUNIOOOOOOOOOOOOON! _" "JAMES!" "_REUNION! REUNIOOOON!" "JAMES WAKE UP! PLEEEEASE!"

A voice he knew came shattering through his madness, his eyes now fully awake as if he dreamt a second dream. The sensation of falling left him, jolted into becoming awake as he saw the face of Leiah, her mask glinting half-red against her cyan suit. James' eyes briefly flickered and tried to blink, tears running down as he breathed harshly before holding her arms towards him. Areh was behind her, looking curiously over her shoulder. He was back in the middle of four columns within a red-lighted area of the facility, a long dark hallway now before them. "...you...you're alright," he murmured. "Huh?" asked Leiah. "You were...huh? Wh-where am I?" "Um, you're still in the facility James, what happened to you?! I heard you screaming about a reunion or something like some crazy person!" "But you were...this place looked different, it was...I heard...I heard Areh cry out before the signal cut off, then you." "Ohhh...I had to turn the comms off because Areh singed his fingers on the circuit wiring, it just suddenly sparked on his hands." "...you...you weren't in any danger?" "No...Keelah what happened to you?" "N-nothing...just...I'm so glad you're okay." "...you don't sound okay." "I...just...there were pods and...s-something happened, Areh was...you...you had this sword and...you tried to kill someone but...b-but he...I promised I'd protect you." "James, stop it." "He tried to kill you, I'm sorry there was so much blood I couldn't do anything Leiah I just-I couldn't-the lifestream and the mako, the mako wouldn't shut up, it just wouldn't SHUT UP!" "STOP IT!" She grabbed him by both shoulders and forced him to look at her, his eyes watering with tears looking bloodshot from panic. "You're not making sense, your nose is bleeding and your eyes look shot up, you need to go sleep, or maybe a hospital!" "Bleeding?" He softly tapped his snout to find there was indeed blood running from his nostril, the quarian asking: "I don't think you should have come here, you're clearly not in the right mind to go out on these missions." "I-i, it was just, I'm not-" "No! Areh, can you call the ship back, I wanna take James home." "Sure," said Areh as he brought his comms up. "Lirem? Guys uh, can we regroup, James here had some...problems and he's not looking too good, maybe we-...guys? Guys?! ...UGH, fucking-AUGH!" "What?!" "The transmission signal must be jamming it, I can't get anything from them!" "Are you serious?! What the fuck, James here is clearly traumatised from something and we cannot just drag him deeper when he is suffering like this! I should have known he wasn't okay after what he's been through." "Are you like a nurse or something, what's with you?" "OH, I'm sorry, is it unusual for me to care about my closest friend when he's been freaking out like this and hallucinating about swords and lifestreams or something!" "No just, we can calm down and just take him back ourselves, I think-" "Wh-what?!" cried out FG. "H-hold on, Leiah look, I had something happen to me but that was NOT because of what I'd been through!" "How do YOU know that?!" asked Leiah. "You got kidnapped not too long ago, who knows what they did to you?!" "But this-just-I don't think it's that! I think it's something different, I think it's coming from down that way!" "Huh?!" "When I...when I heard this...this-alright lemme just focus." "Okay." "Hokay...alright."

He took a few deep breaths as he tried to refocus, trying to shove away the hallucinations from his mind and whatever memories they pretended to be. He knew in his deepest of instincts that it was all a lie, that it was all just one fabrication that someone had placed on him. And he knew where the source had been coming from in which direction. "When I passed out...the noise came from over there, down that way. I'm sure of it." "You...you wanna go down there?" "Yes. I want to, we need to finish our mission and get back." "But we can just go now, we don't have to do thi-" "No. I have to. I can't let myself get scared, whatever happens I...I need to do this. I need to know, especially after what I've just seen how...how this place is connected to me. I need your help for this." The raptor looked sternly upon both quarians, the two of them sharing a look before nodding in realisation upon the severity of the situation. Areh spoke first replying: "We need to fix this problem anyway, and now that we're down here it'd be a waste not to go all the way through." "We're here for you James," said Leiah softly, "but...please, don't push yourself." "I won't, I promise." "Do you?" She stared at him accusingly, throwing him off as he slowly walked away towards the dark hallway that went underneath a sector of the plant. An underpassage of sorts with a roving cluster of pipes all above their heads that shot steam from beneath the earth, pumping through occasionally to outlet the odd pressure. The feeling was intense, the heat burning through their skin as both Areh and Leiah turned incredibly uncomfortable, the raptor just barely starting to feel the prickling of heat upon his scales. The more they walked, the longer the end seemed to be from them, darkness stretching out before them as the light of red started to fade away from behind them. Soon they found themselves within a deep near-blackout of vague silhouettes from the machinery around them. Finally, they found a bluish-purple light reaching out ahead of them, a brighter source than they would imagine at such depths. At the end of the tunnel, there was a large rectangular room with six strong pipes funnelling from a power generator underneath. With the constant hum throbbing insanely strong inside the closed room it felt more unsettling than anywhere else for the three of them, the walkways circling around the corners of the room giving the pipes a wide berth. On the other side however, they saw a small shape moving as it turned towards them. A volus in a chalk white suit, gasping heavily as its eyes shone towards them, gazing from between the pipes.

"So...hhhhhh...you've come." "Wha-who are you?!" asked James. "I...am the last survivor. Or what once they would have called me. The Vaus had been trapped within a space warp, a refugee of the Arkanoid-" "That's not right," murmured Areh, "there's no such thing as space warps." "Bereft of all help, massacred in an attack by unknown assailants...hhhhhhh...a metaphysical prison trapped within a quantum singularity. Only one name was known within this hell outside of the boundaries of space-time. Doh. That is all I was known as once. Once when I was Doh Calun...now...I have now Face me, mortal." "The fuck's up with this guy?!" asked FG. "There's only enough room here for one crazy pal, and I already took it." "You DARE mock me?! You do so at your peril, or else suffer the power of my biotic wind that shall scar your very SOUL!" "Are you the one that's causing this transmission?!" The volus simply looked behind him towards a console, softly beeping to itself that appeared to be out of place, not like the rest of the architecture of machinery around them. It was more sleek, more bulbous in its design like a dark red field console. They could barely get a look at it but Doh simply tapped at his omni-tool, making Areh worry slightly. "...yes...so has been ordained, the great number of one-hundred-and-thirty-seven coordinates that shall come down upon you...now witness...your greatest test before they shall come...and I...shall finally...be free." The volus slowly began to hover with a biotic aura, breathing hotly with a force unknown as he tore a piece of the wall from his left, scraping, tearing like a limb as the block-sized shape came hurtling towards them. "WATCH OUT!" The three of them ducked as the block slammed brutally into the hallway behind them, crashing through the wall halfway to be buried into it, the volus unerring in his destruction as he tore another piece of wall. This time it was a pipe from the side, steam rising off from the broken rift as he readied for another shot. He hurled it like a javelin, psychically slamming it into the floor beside them as Areh dodged for cover, nearly feeling it drive into his foot had he not avoided it swiftly. James tried to take a shot, pulling out his handgun and firing right at the volus' suit. "NO DON'T!"

Areh's warning was in vain, the shot pinging off the blue psychic shield before it had the chance to pierce the depressurised suit. To make matters worse the volus brought out one hand with his omni-tool glowing, rippling with a spinning circle before suddenly sparking through James' gun, sending a hot burning shock through his hands as he shrieked and dropped his gun. "AGH FUCKING DAMMIT!" "JAMES!" "SH-SHIT HE BURNT MY HAND, FUCK IT HURTS!" "He knows how to sabotage?!" cried Leiah. "Of course he does!" said Areh. "I tried to warn you James, I recognise that omni-tool type he had, it can sabotage our weapons if we try to fight him!" The volus now used both hands and teared two pieces of wall from both sides of him, screeching metal and machinery that soon shot out towards them, clashing off of the wall and rebounding off towards them like a tennis ball. James dodged one and almost collided with Leiah dodging the other, the two grabbing each other before rolling out of the way as another attack soon came. "Wh-what do we do?!" cried out Leiah. "Can we break through his shield?!" "We can't!" said Areh. "Something's not right, his shield is too powerful for our guns!" "Even if we ALL shoot him?!" asked FG. "Yes! We need something bigger, something that can collide against-KEELAH LOOK OUT!" They dodged all at once when a tremendously large pipe came slamming towards them, embedding itself viciously inside the wall behind them as they looked feverishly around for some means of defence. The raptor grabbed at a piece of steel pipe and ran around the walkway towards Doh Calun, roaring as he swung up high. The volus simply gave a blank stare, and brought another pipe rent off from the wall to counter him. James came crashing down, but the biotic force he wielded countered against his strength, the volus pushing back with an absurdly strong force. He tried to push down harder but it only pushed back further, forcing James to stomp his feet and stay his ground. He feinted by striking his pipe off from the volus' weapon, swinging back towards him with a lower horizontal strike but he simply countered without effort, smacking down hard and fast like a viper's strike. The raptor was surprised enough to almost drop his pipe before he almost got cracked in the head, bringing up his pipe fast as a vertical guard that soon knocked it out of his hand before Calun slammed him back with a biotic punch.

The volus roared with surprising strength, shoving James back against the wall as he hit hard upon his back, groaning before the walkway underneath him was soon twisting and creaking. He saw the biotic energy start resonating from around him, scraping steel upon steel as it slowly began to crush, popping into twisting bents like a snapped limb before he stumbled back towards the quarians. The walkway suddenly cracked tight upon itself, snapping like a bear trap with a mighty shriek and crunch of metal. The other walkway soon met the same fate with an equally horrifying screech. "Now what?!" squawked Areh. "I almost had him," said James, "if he wasn't fast enough or I was able to distract him maybe...SHIT LOOK OUT!" The walkways' broken parts were soon ripping from their foundation, twisting up like a ball of steel wool before it readily hurled itself straight towards FG. His sudden reflexes made him decide not to dodge, but to instead shield his friends with an almost instantaneous shield. In that moment he had been trying to figure out whether one of his nano-abilities was able to pierce through Calun's shield. But instead, he found something else more interesting. His tetra-shield, multiplying with several tiny holes amongst impenetrable blocks, repelled the biotically-charged ball of steel. The chunk of metal rebounded off the wall to the side, striking large enough to hit the volus hard against his shield and forcing him to adjust his levitation, crying out hard with surprise. James was in shock, before a look of intrigue came across his face. An idea formed immediately, with Leiah looking stunned by what just happened. "What the-" "Get behind me!" "Huh?!" "Just do it, I'll keep my shield up don't worry, when I need you to distract him I'll tell you!" "O-okay, I know how we can do it!" "Good!" "ENOUGH OF THIS!" roared Doh Calun. "YOU CANNOT STAND AGAINST ME FOREVER!" "I DON'T PLAN TO!" cried out FG. "I'M GONNA BREAK YOU LIKE AN EGG YOU DUMB SHIT, COME ON! TRY ME, HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT!" "RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" A powerful roar echoed throughout the facility, the volus shuddering with unearthly forces deep inside him as he started glowing purple, transcending colour as he sent another chunk of metal back towards FG. The raptor slammed his shield against it, pinging it back towards him by bouncing off the wall to the side at an angle as its biotically-charged force kept it moving high-velocity. The volus cried out as he was hit once more, not expecting it to happen again as he brought up another orb of scrap metal. Slamming it back towards James, he soon found himself in a bizarre battle of momentum going back and forth, this time using his own biotic force to shove the ball back towards FG. In turn the raptor shoved back against, his shield of tetra-blocks thick and impossible to break by normal means. Long as no one could shoot through the small holes within the shield, it was perfectly unstoppable. Except if someone blew a rocket up in his face, that might not save him from the blast damage perhaps.

The volley of war continued, the volus now focusing purely on his own weapon being bounced back against him, sometimes rebounding too far back only to hit the pipes in front of him. But they served only to turn against him, what he thought would be a shield from larger forces now became the very thing he had to watch out for if the ball went hitting the back of the room and bouncing off in front of him. His eyes struggled to keep up as the ball sped up, faster and faster, left or right, smacking against the walls with a horrid clang as both raptor and volus stuck to their grounds. "GUYS, DISTRACT HIM NOW!" Both quarians quickly made their plan, with Areh sending out a sabotaging spark straight towards Calun's omni-tool. While it wasn't enough to distract the volus, the arc grenades that Leiah always carried helped immensely for the vital distraction. It was a tricky shot, but she had thrown many in her time enough to throw it straight through the pipes and temporarily disable some of the volus' barrier. While the biotic shield was strong enough to withstand most of the EMP from the grenade, it served to weaken it just enough for the hurtling ball of charged mass to come straight for Doh Calun. The volus never stood a chance, the shield breaking as the metal came slamming through and knocking him across the room, crying out as he rolled and tumbled like a ball himself. James hopped over the walkway by rebounding off the wall, quickly running over to the volus and making sure he was out cold. A soft groan came from him, but he was clearly concussed well enough to not be getting up anytime soon. James looked over towards the strange console. "Is he dead?!" asked Areh. "No! But he's out alright!" "Okay good! Um...I can't jump across but you see that console?" "Yeah! Wait, hold on..that's not part of this facility is it? I mean it doesn't fit here, it looks all different. Like...like some weird red thing." "...no...no it's not, it looks...looks like some kind of portable console, that got brought here for some reason." "Maybe the volus brought it?" added Leiah. "That makes sense." "Is there an off button on this thing?" "I think so, bring up your omni-tool and point at it, take a picture and show it over to us." "Uhhh alright, if you really can't jump that far." "Not all of us can wallkick like you do." He took a picture of the console layout as Areh and Leiah looked over it on their omni-tools, the quarian male understanding the design quicker before adding: "Okay um, the top left green button, turn that on." "Okay." "Now the lower left has these three grey buttons, turn the left and the middle off." "Got it." "Now...hmmm...if we wanna turn it OFF we gotta work backwards...uhhhhh...mmmmnnnuuuuuh...OH, got it, push the right two orange ones and then that red button on the top." "Aaaand done. ...wait is that done?" "Yep, the thing's off now." "...wow." "What?" "I feel...I feel my headache's gone now. Finally, god that was pissing me off so much, ever since I got down here it just got worse and worse." "Well glad to hear that at least," replied Leiah, "SO! Um, what do we do with this volus?" "We should probably contact the ship, maybe have Jax come down and help." "I don't think he can fit down here," added Areh, "let me just call up the ship then we can-GAAAH!" "AREH-AAGH!" "LEIAH!" Suddenly both quarians were knocked down by white sinuous creatures, hurtling from the ceiling before leaping back up into darkness like ghosts that never were. The raptor pointed up firing at both directions, trying to hit one of them. He didn't get a good look, but he heard a strange mechanical clicking from nearby. He thought he heard the sound before, quickly trying to look in every corner scanning for any signs of movement before jumping over back to where the quarians now laid. Panic rose in his heart but he found them unconscious, not dead thankfully. "WHO'S THERE!? COME OUT DAMMIT, THE FUCK'S WRONG WITH YOU!? WHAT DO YOU WANT?! ARE YOU WITH THAT VOLUS GUY, I-GUUH!" From behind there came a powerful thud, slamming into his head and knocking him out cold as the volus he had just beat. His eye blinked open only a few times enough to glare up towards his enemy. A white synthetic muscular creature of such slender proportions, its head resembling a large single glowing blue light. Even he knew what it was upon hearing the sound of machines whirring, an odd speech mimicry coming forth from its unit. "James Robert Campbell has been found, affirmative. Volus and creators must be transported, require additional units for support. Will serve useful for cooperation if necessary. Transmission has now ceased, subject Campbell has disabled it without further injury. Returning to the ship now."