{Joker make sure that you are in position for an extraction, we are not going to be able to make it back to the landing site. Head for the beta site and be ready for when we blow the door.} Eris radioed as her squad rode the floating platform to the main hub of the base.
"Will do Shadow, make sure this base is going to go down, I don't want a return trip. This place does not have a good gift shop." Joker said attempting to lighten the grim mood that had settled over the team.
{Don't worry Joker, I don't want to come back either, the owners have been nothing but rude.} Eris played along with the banter, the platform made a loud clunk as it locked to the main hub's platform.
Shadow directed Garrus and Jack on where to place the charge as she and the other kept a watch for anything, it did not take long for their scans to show that all the tubes pumping the strange fluid made from the colonists was converging below them into some kind of assembly area; Garrus called out they were ready and Eris moved to begin the set up. Demo being out of commission made Shadow the top expert on all that went boom, but her brother had clearly been toying with the bomb as it was far different than it had been when it first arrived, the payload was nearly three times the power and was clearly made to vaporize anything smaller than a small moon.
"Shadow, we have a call from TIM." Kasumi called, Eris rolled her eyes. "don't answer."
[Commander.] TIM called as the drone popped out of Kasumi's hand and activated as an override code triggered. [Stop we can use this chance, by altering the payload slightly it will release a pulse that will kill the Collectors while leaving the base intact.]
{Not happening.} Shadow stated bluntly, TIM glared and growled. [Don't be blind Commander, this is the chance to put mankind on top like it deserves!]
{Not my choice, my captain told me told end this place… and besides I could not even if I wanted to, Demo is very bad a not touching bombs your bomb can't do that little pulse trick anymore as the payload is fixed in state and is about three times the Size it should have been.} Shadow taunted and when TIM tried to speak Shadow called out in taunting voice. "EDI Commander override alpha six, launch program hang up." At once the call was cut off.
{Glad when we unshackled her we put that into the code.} Shadow remarked, arming the bomb. {Let's get out of here.}
"Shadow the assembly station is moving!" Thane called out as the platform shook, a large platform rose in front of the first with a partially finished reaper hanging from it.
{Fuck! Everyone into cover now! We have five minutes before it will too late to make it to the exit!} Eris screamed diving forward as the shields sprung to life to protect the bomb.
The squad leapt into the trenches created by the different panels and behind the half walls made by the panels with differing height. A mechanized scream echoed through the chamber as the front half of a cuttlefish flailed at them, a pair of the limbs that seemed more complete than the rest of the creature opened fire with a severely weakened pair of lasers. Shadow spotted that during the firing of the lasers that tubes holding the creature opened some armor plating and began venting heat, when they closed the creature fired again; Shadow pulled out her black Widow and lined up a shot, the round smashed into the hose and the pressurized fluid exploded outward and destroyed the hose.
{Target the hoses! They open to vent after every volley!} Shadow barked into the comms, and the squad signalled their understanding; each one called out a target with the ones with weaker weapons teaming up.
The moment the next volley finished Shadow popped up and slammed a round into the hose she had called, Jack took hers down with a singularity hit with a warp, Kasumi and Thane emptied their SMGs into the third hose and Garrus unloaded his Viper into the final hose; the reaper child thing screamed as the hoses feeding it started to give way. Seeing that if it crashed down it would take the platform they were on with it, the squad ran hard only barely able to disengage the clamps on the shuttle platform in time. Shadow was knocked out off the platform by the violent shaking, only Jack's fast use of biotics saved her life; Garrus and Kasumi hauled her back on to the platform while Thane sped them towards the exit.
{Jack remind me to give you a bonus for that, I would rather not be caught in the middle of whatever my brother did to that bomb.} Eris joked weakly, Jack scoffed, and the group sat in silence as they neared headed for the exit.
###
On the bridge of the Normandy Joker checked sensors before disengaging from the base and sending the Normandy screaming towards the relay, Eris and Odysseus sat in the seats next to him acting as his co-pilots, with their mates leaning on the backs of their seats. They hit the relay with thirty seconds remaining.
{Well at least no one is getting back through there.} Demo remarked, Eris looked at him. {Just how powerful of a blast is that thing going to make?}
{It will be large enough to cause the Eezo in the relay to react and shut the entire relay down so you would have to manually go there to fix it.} Demo laughed, the others sighed and relaxed the mission done for now, there was more to do but for now it was over.