Book 1, Chapter 15 -- Sacrifice and Grief
*****
"The target planet is Virmire. You may have heard of it, though perhaps not. The Alliance was, at one time, seriously considering this as a planet worthy of colonisation, equivalent to an Eden Prime or an Elysium. Unfortunately, it is located in just the wrong position, as it would take an incredible defensive network to be set up to ensure its safety, and it's just something the Alliance are currently not willing to invest in. The Alliance has even approached the Council, willing to lead efforts, but instability along the frontier, quite frankly, scares them off.
Now to why we are actually here. There is a Salarian Task Group (STG) on the planet. They had been tracking anything to do with Saren and his ship and eventually located him on the planet. They have since started their investigation and confirm Saren has a base of operations on the planet and his ship has also been sighted. At the moment, we only have a vague location of where the STG team is, though it is understood they are still alive, or were when the transmission was made.
There are two objectives to this mission. The first is to link up with the STG and learn what they have discovered. The second, and arguably more important, is to find Saren and finally end whatever it is he has planned in that head of his. We will drop in by Mako as always. Anticipate serious resistance from the geth. If this is Saren's central base, there will be fortifications and..."
"
Commander, we've got a problem."
"What is it, Joker?"
"Saren's base, Commander. It is surrounded by enormous defensive cannons. There is no way I could drop you anywhere close to the base or where the STG team could be dug in. I'm going to have to drop you some distance and you'll have to make your way forward by Mako or on foot."
"How close can you get us?"
"Without drawing the attention of their cannon? You're looking at a few clicks, Commander."
"Get us close as you can, Joker. We'll do the rest."
"Aye, Commander. I'll have you on the ground in five minutes."
Shepard turned to his team. "You heard the man. Suit up, pack your shit, and get on board."
Wrex didn't really need to suit up nor pack his shit. He was already wearing armour and never walked anywhere without at least one weapon, even when on the
Normandy
. He watched as others put armour on, checked weapons, or filled small packs with supplies in the event they were planet-side longer than expected. He could also see the relationships formed. Ashley and Tali were obvious in their affection. Liara and Shiala had found a common bond. Benezia, though not invited to join them on the ground, hovered close by. Others cut solitary figures. Shepard, as Commander, still kept his distance, though would lead from the front once on the ground. Garrus was a born soldier but awkward as fuck around anyone else. Alenko seemed rather lonely, and even Wrex would admit he missed some of the comradery the pair had shared when they'd fucked. He didn't regret the decision to stop their physical relationship, knowing the price would be any friendship they had built beforehand. It always does once you involve sex.
Loading himself last into the back of the Mako as normal, he heard Shepard start the engine, rolling it to the edge, hearing Joker call over the radio the marks to get ready for descent. He was as used to these air drops as everyone else, but considering his size and breadth, he still hadn't figured out how to position his body to stop his head smacking into the roof.
It happened again when they landed on Virmire. Before Shepard even started, he called out, "Who wants out?"
Everyone piled out except Tali and Ashley, no surprise the latter remained, taking over the gun from Garrus, who didn't mind getting out into the fresh air for once. Alenko took control on the ground as always, though he generally let everyone do what they do best. Liara and Shiala biotics, Garrus was just like Ashley, deadly with assault or sniper rifle, Alenko would mix up his technical and biotic abilities, while Wrex would just run rampage through enemy lines. He'd be left bleeding and sore at the end of the day, but krogan could sustain much more damage than anyone else.
Shepard kept the Mako at a constant speed that only required them to lightly jog. Given they only carried weapons and wore armour, it wasn't as gruelling as it could have been. The weather was mild, little humidity, even a light breeze at times. Even Wrex thought it was rather idyllic, at least until they ran into geth drones, that rained rockets down on them. Ashley had the Mako's machine gun singing quickly enough. Those on the ground found cover where they could and did their best to assist.
The intelligence had been right about one thing. The geth were there in force. In fact, there were probably more geth just on Virmire than on all the planets they'd fought geth out in the Armstrong Nebula. If that didn't prove this was Saren's most important base, he wasn't sure what else the turian had up his sleeve.
He quickly lost count of how many geth he put on the ground. He had an assault rifle for distance, shotgun for when they were up close, and his fists if they were within striking range. He could even use his biotics if tempted, but he left most of that stuff to the two asari and Alenko. The trio could mix up their attacks, causing at least some confusion in geth lines, leaving them as easy pickings for the rest of them.
The geth had set up what appeared to be a serious of gatehouses. Wrex had no idea why they'd do it, but that is where the geth well and truly dug in. The big krogan took it upon himself to clear the first one, charging up the ramp, using his shotgun to blast away anything that came within range. One or two geth found themselves hurled over the barricade to the ground below. Once it was all clear, he found the lever to open the gate, strolling back, grumbling about the sheer stupidity of it all.
With each metre they covered, the geth threw more in their faces. Rocket troopers were now a major part of their defences, and it was only quick thinking that kept them all in one piece. The machine gun of the Mako was incessant, Ashley only backing off when it was clearly overheating. Shepard was trying to do about three things at once. Beat the geth. Protect those outside the Mako. And ensure the vehicle wasn't blown up at the same time. Hard work, and he imagined Shepard inside, covered in sweat, muscles all tense as he tried to make the lumbering machine do what he wanted.
So that's what he told Alenko, wondering what sort of reaction it would get. Alenko just looked at him and grinned after he'd biotically thrown a geth a few metres. "Don't tease, Wrex. It's not funny."
"Just wondering if you've ever looked at him in a certain way."
"Of course I have; I won't deny that. But Shepard certainly isn't interested in men. That is plain and clear."
"Not sure he's interested in women on the Normandy though," Liara muttered.
"Hey, he's gone rather cold on me, Liara," Shiala added.
"Least you got your chance with him. He likes chatting to me, there's flirting, and I think I'm rather blunt at times about what I like and want, but he doesn't seem to react in the way I'd really like him to."
"It's because you're under his command," Alenko said, as the group moved out of cover, following the Mako, "He gave into temptation with you, Shiala, because I believe he didn't think you'd still be with us. As for anyone else, he's the commander and I guess believes he needs to keep his distance from his subordinates, whether they are part of the Alliance or not."
Wrex noticed Liara lean into Shiala. "Guess I'll just have to keep using sex todays then," she said with a giggle.
"Oh, do tell, Liara." She met his eyes and immediately blushed. "Come on, you're over one hundred years old and, if not sexually active with others, you'll certainly know what to do by yourself. Okay, how about this. Ever had someone else use a sex toy, something like a dildo, on you?"
Liara tried desperately not to glance at Shiala, but the latter gave it away with the shy grin that appeared on her face. "Damn it, Wrex, I didn't want anyone to know."
"Embarrassed?"
"No, it's just private. Shiala and I are... We've done a lot of talking, much of it about Benezia obviously, but as we've talked, we grew closer. Now there are reasons why I won't be particularly intimate with one of my own kind, but... well... we experimented a little bit..."
