Chapter 14 - Chapter 14, The Calm before the Storm

Sorry this one took so long to make. Things have been unbelievably busy. To make matters worse, this chapter accidently got corrupted while it was still half done and I had to start again.

Anyway, it's here now and finally finished. Enjoy.

Chapter 14

The Calm before the Storm

Austin walked through the med bay and into Liara's quarters. She quickly took notice of him. She got up from her seat and kissed him.

"You said you had something you wanted to ask me?" he said.

"Yes. But I'm not sure how to ask it." Said Liara, nervously.

"Take your time, Liara. I'm a patient man and I always have time for you." Austin reassured her.

"Alright. You know back on that asteroid over Terra Nova, when you fought Balak with your sword?" Liara asked.

"Yes?" Austin replied.

"Well, I saw what you did and I suddenly wanted to learn more about sword fighting, or fencing as you call it. Having done some research, I…" Liara stuttered.

"Wait a minute. Are you saying you want to learn fencing?" Austin asked.

"More sort of try it. I was hoping you could show me the basics." Said Liara.

Austin was surprised by this. Had he heard right? Liara wanted him to teach her basic fencing.

"Liara, are you sure about that? I may be good at fencing but I don't know if I'm that good enough to teach you." Said Austin.

"It's only the basics. Besides, you're good enough for me in many ways." Liara said as she winked at him.

Austin chuckled slightly.

"Alright. I'll show you what it's like. If you think it's something you want to pursue then I can maybe make arrangements with Zartrack. He's the best fencing teacher." Said Austin.

At this sort of time on the Normandy, some of crew would set up a shooting range to practice the skills. They also arranged sparing matches if anyone was interested. In this case, Austin and Liara. Kaiden and Ashley where already practicing on the shooting range. They took notice of their commander and nodded to him, which Austin returned.

When Liara arrived she could see Austin holding a black rectangular box. He'd also detached his sword from his Helldiver armour and now had strapped to his belt. Austin opened the box to reveal another sword. He handed it to Liara.

"This was the same sword that I trained with. I want you to have it now." He said.

Liara drew the sword from its holster and looked at it.

"You're sure you want me to keep it?" she asked.

"I've not really been sure what to do with it anyway ever since Zartrack gave me this one." Said Austin as he drew his own sword.

It was from there that Liara could see the large difference to his and the one she had. His sword had a guard on it to protect the users hand and also a small strand hanging loose from the hilt. From the looks of it though it was supposed to have that. Attached to the end of the strand was what looked like an Arkane Symbol. The most noticeable feature though was the blade, which had a gold centre and there was writing on it.

"What does that say?" she indicated to the writing. It was in Arkane and that was a language she didn't read. Austin looked at the side she had indicated to. The blade glinted brightly from the lights in the cargo bay.

"That's the sword's name, Excalibur." Said Austin.

"Why is it called that?" Liara asked. She couldn't help but think that she'd heard that name before.

"Have you ever heard of the legend of King Arthur?" Austin asked.

"I've heard of it when studying some human cultures but I'm afraid I don't know the basics." Liara answered.

"Well in that legend, the hero, King Arthur wielded a sword that was said to possess magical powers. General Zartrack always had a bit of a fascination with the legend. So much so, that when he forged this sword for me, he named it after the same sword in the legend." Austin explained.

Liara then noticed the other side. There was Arkane writing on that side as well, but it was different to the side she was looking at.

"What about that side?" she asked.

Austin turned the blade over and looked at the side that she'd indicated.

"That, is my name in Arkadian." He answered. He then handed Excalibur to Liara, she took it into her hand and compared it to the training one she had in her hand. There was definitely a significant difference. Excalibur was so much lighter than the training sword, it was also slightly larger, clearly designed for more combat.

"It's so light. It has almost no weight." Said Liara as she handed Excalibur back its master.

"But it cuts like steal. Zartrack forged it from Kartalrium. It's a rare but completely indestructible metal. I've had Excalibur for nearly seven years. It's been submerged in cold water, endured extreme heat, fought in many battles and it hasn't even shown the slightest signs of damage or rust." He said.

"It must be quite an honor to wield such a weapon." Said Liara.

"It is. Apart from this shoulder armour that my father gave me, this sword is one of my most treasured possessions. And now it'll be the sword that teaches you." Austin smiled.

"So, shall we?" Liara asked.

For the next few hours Austin started by teaching Liara the proper fencing stances and helping her improve her footwork. Surprisingly, she was actually much better at this than he had thought she would be. Duelling wise, Liara once again surprised her boyfriend. Her wrist movements seemed to match his perfectly. To start off they took the moves slowly so that Liara knew how to react to attacks and parries. As the moves sped up, Liara didn't even seem to falter. Apart from himself, Austin had never seen anyone do so well so quickly.

After several hours of blade clashing, the two lovers decided that they'd had enough for today. It was then that they both noticed that they'd gained a bit of a crowd. Almost everyone in the cargo bay had stopped what they were doing and had been watching for a good half hour.

"Alright everyone. Show's over. Back to your duties." Austin ordered.

The rest of the crew obeyed and the crowd dispersed. Austin then turned back to Liara.

"Well, what do you think? This something you might want to continue?" he asked.

"Definitely. Almost as fun as using biotics." Liara replied. "Thank you for teaching me, Austin." She walked up to Austin gave him a long kiss.

"Commander, we're receiving an urgent message. I'm patching it through now." Came Joker's voice.

"Shepard, this is Admiral Kahoku. I found out who set that trap for my men. The ones killed by the Thresher Maw. Damn, I hope you get this message. It was Cerberus. I believe you and helldivers are familiar with the name." came Kahoku's voice.

Austin froze upon hearing the name Cerberus. Kahoku was right. It was name he was all too familiar with. Cerberus was some kind of human terrorist organisation. Cerberus' core belief was that humans deserved a greater role in the galactic community, and that the Systems Alliance was too hamstrung by law and public opinion to stand up effectively to the Citadel races. They also saw the Arkanes and Helldivers as selfish for not trusting other species with the secrets of their technology. The also seemed to think that any methods of advancing humanity's ascension was justified, including illegal or dangerous experimentation, terrorist activities, sabotage and assassination. Though Cerberus operatives accepted that these methods where brutal they seemed to think that history would vindicate them. As a result of this, the Systems Alliance, the Citadel Council and the Arkanes had declared Cerberus to be a terrorist organization and would gladly prosecute identified Cerberus agents accordingly. Cerberus had also constantly interfered with critical Helldiver operations. The Arkanes were also appalled at what Cerberus often did, and the fat that they were anti-alien. As a result, Cerberus was declared as the Helldiver's second arch enemy, next to the Batarians. For the past few years though, their operations had been very quiet. The fact that they'd made a comeback all of a sudden, worried Austin.

"They're conducting illegal genetic experiments. Trying to create some kind of super soldier. I don't have any proof but I found the coordinates for one of their research worlds. I'm uploading them with this message. They're completely out of control. Somebody needs to stop them. I've done my part, now it's up to you." Kahoku finished.

"Joker! Lock onto those coordinates A.S.A.P!" Austin ordered.

The coordinates led the Normandy to the planet Binthu in the Yangtze System of the voyager cluster. This time the wind wasn't bad at all, plus the coordinates showed them the exact location of the Cerberus base. So it was okay to take the drop ship for this mission. Austin hadn't taken Ashley and Kaiden out together for a while, so he selected them.

When they entered the base Austin could already tell that something wasn't right. It was too quiet. As they entered the next room they could see what looked like a protective barrier. Inside, was a very unwelcome sight, Thorian Creepers, and they were crowded around a body.

Austin walked up to the nearby control panel and deactivated the field. Almost immediately the Creepers took notice of the soldiers and charged at them. At the same time, several Cerberus troops came into the room and opened fire. Austin could swear he heard one of them shout Helldiver.

Ashley and Kaiden dealt with both the Cerberus troops. Ashley provided cover fire for Kaiden with her rifle while he moved in closer so that he could use his biotics on the troops. Austin meanwhile dealt with the Creepers. Despite his best efforts to shoot them all however, some of them lunged at him and started to crawl all over him. Their claws didn't do much damage to him but the stuff that they vomited out of their mouths was absolutely disgusting. To make matters worse, Austin could hear a slight hissing sound.

"Oh hell no! Not acid! I just fixed my armour from the last one!" he thought to himself.

Without hesitating, Austin grabbed the nearest Creeper and threw it to the ground using all the enhanced strength that his suit could give him. Before the creeper could pick itself back up again, Austin brought his booted foot right down the zombie's head. A combination of Thorian goo and human blood splattered all over his armour.

"Great! Covered in goo again! It's times like this that I'm glad I wear this armour." He once again.

Still annoyed at the Creepers for ruining his armour again, Austin pulled Excalibur out of its holster and began slashing at the creepers.

Ashley and Kaiden meanwhile finished the last of the Cerberus troops. They noticed Austin struggling with the creepers and ran over to help him. Ashley managed to shoot two of them off of Austin while Kaiden was able to throw another away with his biotics. Only one remained. This one however was dangerously close to the Helldiver's head and was trying to claw its way through his helmet. It was too risky for either of them to interfere. Fortunately, they didn't need to. A quick movement from Austin's sword arm brought Excalibur right into the Creepers head. The creature struggled for a moment and then went limp.

With the creepers all dead, Austin took a moment to get his breath back.

"Thanks guys." He said to his comrades, still a bit out of breath.

Austin walked up to the body that the Creepers had been swarming around. Upon close inspection he saw who it was.

"Oh no. It's Kahoku." He said.

He knelt down in front of the Admiral's body. Upon closer inspection it didn't look as though the Admiral's death had been by the hands of the creepers. The needle marks on his arm indicated another means of death.

"I'm so sorry." He said as he closed Kahoku's eyes.

"Cerberus had Thorian Creepers? How is that even possible?"

Upon returning to the Normandy, Austin had made sure that he informed the Arkane council about this latest development with Cerberus.

"It could be possible that they knew about the Thorian on Feros as well." Austin suggested.

"We appreciate you informing us of this, Commander. We will have to be more vigilante with Cerberus from now on if they've been able to pull off things like this right under our noses." Said one of the Arkanes.

"Just doing my job." Said Austin.

Austin had decided to take a small walk through the Presidium before heading back to the Normandy. He'd told the rest of the crew they could spend an hour or two on break if they wanted. Noveria was where they were heading next. For now though, everyone had time to enjoy the calm before the storm came back. He was very certain that Noveria wouldn't be a dead lead. They were bound to find something that would give them another piece of the puzzle. Something that would once again bring them closer to Saren.

As Austin descended the stairs from the elevator he could see an elderly man looking at him.

"Excuse me, Commander Shepard!" he said as he waved to the Helldiver.

Austin walked up to the man.

"Commander Shepard. My name is Samesh Bhatia. Forgive the intrusion, but I have nowhere else to turn." he said.

"What do you need?" Austin asked.

"My wife was a marine like you. She was in the 212 on Eden Prime." Samesh replied.

To Austin's utter surprise another voice sounded behind him. It was Ashley.

"Wait. The 212? Your wife was Serviceman Nirali Bhatia. I'm Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. I served in her unit." She said.

Austin was surprised to see Ash, but it was a welcome surprise. The two friends merely nodded to one another as Ashley walked up and stood next to him.

"Chief Williams? It is a pleasure. Nirali spoke of you with great respect." Said Samesh.

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Me Bhatia. Nirali was a good woman. What can we do for you?" Ashley asked.

"I've requested that my wife's body be returned to me for cremation. But the military has refused my request." Samesh replied.

"Why'd they refuse? There must be some reason." Austin asked.

"I don't know. All I know is that they have declared it impossible for my wife to be returned to me." Said Samesh.

"Ash and I will look into this. Any idea who can talk to about this?" Austin inquired.

"The man in charge of my case is Mr Bosker. When I last saw him he was in the expensive bar over there." Said Samesh. He indicated to the bar where Austin had met Nassana Dantius a few days earlier. "Thank you for your time. I just want to give my wife a proper funeral and the respect she deserves."

The walk back to the bar was a quick one. Austin managed to spot Clerk Bosker immediately.

"My goodness, you're Commander Shepard." He said as he took notice of the Helldiver. "You're activities made for quite a briefing in the Diplomatic Corps! Is there something I can do to assist you?"

"Yes. A man named Samesh Bhatia is having trouble claiming his wife's body. He asked me to persuade you to give it back to him." Said Austin sternly.

"Commander, nothing would make me happier. I'm afraid, though, that it's not quite that simple. Serviceman Nirali Bhatia died on Eden Prime, as Mr Bhatia no doubt told you. Her wounds are inconsistent with any type of weapon damage we've seen before. That is why her body is being held." Said Bosker.

Austin however still didn't understand.

"It doesn't matter what the Geth did to her! It's Samesh's full right to claim his wife's body!" he said angrily.

"We are not holding Nirali Bhatia's body out of discretion. We are, frankly, holding the body for research. The test we are conducting may lead to better defences against Geth attacks. Respectfully, Serviceman Bhatia may save more lives in death than she did in life." Said Bosker.

Austin then lost it at that. He pinned Bosker hardly against the wall.

"You know who I am! If I want Nirali Bhatia, I'll get her!" he said.

"Commander, there's no need for threats. Even if the body was here on the Citadel, would you really risk going in, shooting, to get it?" Bosker objected.

"I've broken in many places that are heavily fortified and I'm still alive. The occupants of those bases where dead within minutes. You think you're people have better chances?!"

"Alright, Commander. You win. It was hard enough refusing Mr Bhatia. I'm not gonna risk and incident by refusing you. Tell Samesh that the body is being shipped back to Earth. I'll go now to see to it myself."

"Hello again, Commander. Has there been any word?" he asked.

"I reminded Mr Bosker what we're fighting for. Your wife's coming home. I'll also see to it personally that her name is one of the first to be added to the memorial that's being built on Eden Prime." Said Austin.

"Thank you. I will return home and begin my preparations. It does not bring me happiness, but it may bring me peace. Goodbye, Commander." Said Samesh as he walked.



There we go. Hope that was okay.

Next chapter will indeed be Noveria. However it won't be for some time. Rest assured though I'm not going stop.

Hope you didn't mind me naming Shepard's sword Excalibur. It's just that I couldn't think of a better name for the sword.

See you soon. Tell me what you think in reviews.