Feros

The only planet Shepard hated worse than Feros was Noveria. From the acid-spitting zombies to the colonists, he despised it. He even hated the names. Each cycle, he forgot his distaste of Feros until he was met with it. As he no longer needed the Cypher because he had attained it in previous cycles, it was purely a pointless mission. Even Noveria gave him an alliance with the Rachni for when the Reapers arrived.

Feros was the epitome of pointless.

And yet, each cycle he had to go.

This is what bothered Shepard as they exited the Normandy. 'They' were him, Wrex, Nihlus, and Kaiden. He selected the two because of their strong Biotics which would be incredibly useful. Nihlus, on the other hand, was there for Council reporting and his Spectre status. After all, Nihlus was still evaluating him for the Spectres and Shepard felt that his 'interest' in forgoing it had died out quickly. It was now a rather tedious affair not having it.

But alas, he didn't really have the option to become one again quite yet.

"Damn… this place stinks." Nihlus commented, voice warbling through his helmet

"You're telling me?" Kaiden said, without the same comforting air filters that a helmet provided

"Then you should've grabbed a helmet."

"Have you seen the helmets the Alliance gives biotics? It's like looking through a straw!"

Nihlus just gave a low chuckle.

"It works for Krogan." Wrex grunted out

"That's right… Krogan tend to have the same visor design as the human biotics…" Nihlus mused, "I wonder why?"

"Let's just get a move on. I'm not a big fan of this place either." Shepard muttered looking over to the end of the bay area

There was usually a guy named David over there. He wasn't there. Shepard blinked for a moment. He'd never done the mission without the guy getting blown up to start. It was kind of unsettling now that he thought about it.

"It's quiet."

Kaiden was right. Usually, there was a hoard of Geth between them and the colony walls. It felt strange not to see them. Maybe Saren planned an ambush? Shepard gave a long sigh, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, this is odd. I'd expect a hoard of Geth when confronted with a colony being besieged by them." Shepard vocally agreed, making his suspicion obvious

They entered the small stairwell that led down to the colony. There were piles of dust and debris and due to the moisture in the air, they had a mushy texture when Shepard stepped in them. He let out a sigh as he hit the final step of the staircase. It bothered him. There were supposed to be hoppers.

Shepard's eyes narrowed as he entered the empty colony.

Unlike what he was used to, there was no Zhu's Hope. All that remained were the pre-fab buildings that littered the open area. There were scorch marks and pools stale acid marking the structures, but nothing else to break the dreary tone set by the revelation.

"Wasn't ExoGeni supposed to be sponsoring this colony? So where're the defenses?" Nihlus spoke up

"Yeah… I don't see any blast marks that aren't this brown stuff or Pulse Rifle scorch marks…"

Kaiden confirmed

"It's likely they weren't providing protection. They're notoriously stingy when it comes to protection forces."

Shepard halted their conversation with a closed fist that opened in a forward motion. The group moved slowly, opening a nearby pre-fab unit. It stunk as the heat wafted towards them. A hole had been worn through the side, brown, stale liquid lined the hole.

"I guess the brown puddles were acid… but from where?" Nihlus' Spectre training kicked in, causing his investigative skills to go into overdrive

"It's organic." Shepard answered Nihlus' burning question

"What? How so?"

"Look at the decay readings on your Omnitool. Those readings resemble amino-acids. Specifically Adenine, Guanine, Thymine, and Cytosine with a few unknown acids. That Acid is made with human DNA." Shepard frowned out

"When'd you become the local biologist?" Kaiden seemed confused

"I had a lot of free time as a kid." Sheard wrote off

"It still doesn't explain how it was made and what made it. My bet's on ExoGeni. This reeks of 'Lab-Experiment-Gone-Wrong'." Wrex finally spoke up

"They are a bio-engineering company." Nihlus agreed, "Mad science gone wrong is definitely in the runnings for their profession."

"Come out now or I'm just going to start shooting randomly!" Shepard shouted loudly

There was nothing but a gust of wind to respond.

"Commander, I don't think there's an-" Kaiden tried before a shotgun blast rung out by a selection of crates

"Commander!" Nihlus began, but he declined to continue as a figure came out from behind them

"Okay! Okay! Just… don't shoot!" It was an Asari, her lab outfit was standard and unremarkable aside from the ExoGeni logo that was plastered across the front

It might as well have been rags with how torn the article was. Cuts and bruises lined her body, each marking a mistake in her survival. Her posture showed her fear. Her hands were raised, her eyes wide and her cheeks flushed with exaustion.

Shepard kept his shotgun raised with one hand, relaxing his posture slightly.

"Who are you?" He asked sternly

The young Asari seemed to be surprised by the question.

"You aren't controlled…" She spoke with realization before relief flooded her voice, "You can't imagine how happy I am to see someone not under the influence of the Thorian."

"Thorian? I assume that explains the acid?" Nihlus cut in

"Yeah. We, ExoGeni I mean, were studying it." Her hands wrung, "It has fascinating regenerative properties, allowing tissue cloning on a scale, speed and with an accuracy that we've never seen before. If we could extract that, there could be a development beyond even MediGel."

She paused for a moment.

"At least that's what the higher-ups thought."

"And you disagreed?" Kaiden said sympathetically

"It's a sentient being capable of overpowering the minds of most races with its fungal-esque spores. We would have to strip it of its will to obtain those properties." She gave a bitter look towards the center of the complex, "I signed up with ExoGeni to help make medicines that would save the lives of others… not end them. Shows what I get for being naive."

"Well, that's where your job ends and ours begins." Shepard spoke up, internally grinning with delight

This was just the kind of change he was looking for to spice things up. He definitely would enjoy this mission if things continued as they did. This was the most entertaining thing he'd done in over 300 cycles…

"So, what's the plan, Commander?" Nihlus turned to the hidden immortal

Shepard thought for a moment on what would make the most sense while still maintaining the interest he desired.

"Kaiden, take the lovely Asari to The Normandy. Try to grab some spare Mako fuel canisters. I think I have an easy way to beat this Thorian. While you do that, Wrex Nihlus and I are going to head in and search for the Geth. We saw a few dropships along the way down so we should be able to bring 'em some pain."

Kaiden kindly guided the bound to be former ExoGeni Employee to The Normandy's docking bay. As they left around the corner, Wrex looked to Shepard with a malicious grin.

"We aren't going to do that at all are we?"

"Nope. We're going to find out what the hell exactly ExoGeni was doing. She gave us the positive version of what they were doing, but that's rarely where the story ends. I've got a gut feeling that that's why we haven't seen a colonist. I also doubt that we won't run into whatever remains of the thing that was slinging acid around. Everybody got their Toxic Seals?"

"I wouldn't be a Spectre if I couldn't even manage that…" Nihlus mumbled

"I can handle a little acid." Wrex said gruffly

"Great! Then, let's get a move on."

Kaiden glanced to the left at the Asari as he escorted her. Her weary posture and slight limp told him that it might be a good idea to stop. While he was more than fine to continue, it was obvious she was reaching her limit.

"We can stop here." Kaiden gestured to an enclosed area to the side

"Why there?" She huffed out tiredly

"It's easier for me to defend if we get attacked. I don't think you'd be able to help with your biotics either…" He gave her an awkward once-over, trying to ignore her state of attire

"Yes. I'm quite aware of that." She deadpanned at him

"So… pardon me asking, but what else were you doing here. I mean… Exogeni rarely, if ever, provides aid to a fringe colony like this. I get the fact that the Thorian was a big thing for you guys but why involve the colony?"

"Honestly? I… have no clue." Her sigh came heavy, "I just studied its ability to control the mind of people with its spores. It could detect and alter its method of possession based on the biology of the victim. If we could add that into something like Medigel, we could treat more illnesses with it and avoid potential Dextro-Levo reactions."

"Maybe that's why you had the colonists?"

"..." She frowned at his idea, "Do you really think so low of Exogeni?"

"I'm a bit cautious. It wouldn't be the first time Exogeni as hurt people in the pursuit of progress."

"You're an L2?"

"Yeah, though I'm one of the lucky ones. I only get debilitating headaches every few days."

She looked down at her feet. The torn-up shoes that she wore were barely holding up after the stress she had put them through. Kaiden ran a hand through his hair. It was well kept despite his profession. His armor was kept to the same standard. The only thought that could rise to the occasion was that he seemed lonely. It was an odd thought so she chose to ignore it in favor of standing up, willing herself to move. She audibly winced, not long after feeling the Sentinel's eyes pierce her soul. His eyes strained as he seemed to look through her before a sigh snuck past his lips.

"Stay there for a second. I'll piggyback you to the ship."

She blinked a few times in succession before she was hauled up with a yelp and held up by the soldier. The solid plates that covered his frame gave her a semblance of comfort. At least she'd be less exposed.

She still had no idea what this had to do with pigs though…

After wandering and cutting down a few geth that lingered throughout the destroyed colony, they entered a set of tunnels. The temperature dropped a few degrees and the stench within the colony faded in favor of the musky, stale scent of limestone. Shepard, still wielding his shotgun, switched to his sniper rifle. He immediately took a shot at the geth around the corner, killing it instantly. He opened the chamber to his rifle to let it cool and pulled out his pistol as Wrex launched a warp at the second one, collapsing its shield and exposing its spinal wiring. Nihlus fired a burst from his rifle, ending the second geth.

The third attempted to drop a cover shield as it wasn't in cover, but surprisingly it seemed to explode in the machine's face. The other two, quickly realizing that Shepard had destroyed the emitter before it hit the ground, causing the battery inside to explode.

"That's some quick reflexes, Shepard. You're quite the combat genius." Nihlus said uneasily, shifting on his feet as Shepard activated the water pumps for some reason

"Why's the place need water? I can tell you from personal experience the dead don't get thirsty."

Shepard looked back to the Krogan, eyes flickering for a moment in realization before hardening.

"People might move in again one day. Why not get this place running? We've got to clear out the Geth anyway."

Both seemed to frown at the weak excuse but let it slide, Wrex grunting with disinterest and Nihlus looking away briefly.

They finally hit a dead end, coming across another corpse. It was of a man who appeared to be roughly in his thirties, acid, and blood leaking through his clothing. There seemed to be no sign of attack from the Geth.

"Pretty bad way to go. The Exogeni employee mentioned that the spores can control minds… did the Thorian make him do that?" Nihlus commented, Wrex providing his own input

"I'm not so sure. Why'd the Thorian make him kill himself? Usually, you want to keep underlings…"

"It was Suicide." Shepard stated before heading back to the colony

"You know Kaiden, If I had known you'd be bringing hot chicks every mission, I might have become a Marine instead of a pilot…" Joker said casually as Kaiden entered the Normandy after an agonizingly long decontamination cycle

"Not the time. She needs medical attention. She's likely been up for days, and on the run from the Geth."

Joker's eyes widened as he pressed a few keys on the holographic display.

"Gotcha. Chakwas knows. Feel free to take her there yourself."

"Thanks."

Kaiden looked back to the Exogeni Employee, her eyes were drooped and her head swayed with each labored step Kaiden took. Her flushed skin was slowly returning to it's soft blue tones, filling Kaiden with relief. He made it down the stairs, not without gaining a few stray looks from the male members of the crew… a few women too. The Med Bay opened up to the two, it's blinding white lights illuminating the doctor with an open bed. Kaiden felt a strange sense of exhaustion, his mind pausing for a moment.

Chakwas guided the two to separate beds, pulling up a scan on the woman. From what Kaiden could see, her vitals were average with the exception of the bundle of nerves at the base of her neck that were responsible for biotic control. Kaiden quickly noticed the abnormal growth due to the medical training that all sentinels received. He watched as it seemed to pulse under the scan.

"That's concerning to say the least…" Chakwas said, reaching for the emergency lockdown button

Her hand shakily, but gently pressed the button, all doors immediately slamming shut and each of the vents gained a blue sheen.

"Doctor? What's going on?" Kaiden asked nervously, his fatigue causing him to be calmer than he otherwise would

"The Asari you brought has a growth that has attached itself to her Cerebellum and Biotic nodules."

"A parasite?"

"No. This thing appears to be completely sentient. I'm detecting Beta waves, which means it's awake."

"At least she seems to be out like a light…"

"Yes. It would appear that it doesn't have enough control to do anything yet. It just seems to be focused on growing."

"Is there anything you can do?"

"Without killing her? I doubt it." Her aged face wrinkled at the thought

"Then what? Are we just going to wait?"

"I'm afraid so. I'd rather not risk this thing getting out. I haven't seen anything like it, so I'd rather not stumble across another Rachni."

Kaiden gulped at the thought. The Krogan could barely hold off the Rachni. If this turned out to be another case like those? It's likely the Council would lift the ban on Orbital Bombardment for Feros. He shuddered at the thought of what a mass bombardment would do to the planet. The people that would die.

"Chakwas?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm feeling a bit more tired than I should. I think my amp might be on the fritz again…"

Sometimes, his biotic amp would become incredibly sensitive to thought pattern and subtly activate his biotics. It was a decent part why he was such a powerful biotic for a human. He had dealt with the issue for a few years before any doctor actually found out why. Since it was in the onset of the first L2 side effects, his parents had feared he caught some rare disease.

Thankfully not, but it was still a pain to get it calibrated every once in a while. At least he had yet to develop any mental issues. That was a blessing in disguise.

Chakwas let out a heavy sigh.

"It would appear that she isn't the only one infected." She gestured to the scan of him, though significantly smaller, the same foreign matter seemed to be present around the casing of his biotic amp

"It seems to like ezzo." He commented dryly

"And why aren't we taking the Mako?" Nihlus asked

Shepard looked back for a moment as they crossed the incredibly long, windy bridge. His lips pursed for a moment, his mind finding the right way to word his thoughts.

"Apparently the Doctor noticed a parasite attached to the doctor. And it's gotten on Kaiden as well…"

"Does that mean we're infected?" Nihlus' voice seemed to waver with aggravation

"Probably. That's why we're heading to the Exogeni base though." Wrex commented

"I'm surprised you considered that."

"Well, not all of my race are idiots. Just enough to pull us to extinction."

"True… that seems to be a running trend with Krogan history though…" Shepard finally spoke up

"How so?" Wrex seemed to grind out

"I mean, you guys put yourself in nuclear winter. Which means you at least got to making a few Atomic Bombs. Basically, you didn't just launch it immediately. You waited just long enough to shoot yourselves in the foot with a few thousand of them.."

Wrex seemed to grimace at Shepard for a moment. He wanted to find something wrong with that, but he just couldn't bring himself to argue. Shepard was right.

"All you need is someone to keep you from tipping over the edge and you guys could prosper."

"You're giving suggestions on how to help the Krogan more stable…" Nihlus looked at Shepard skeptically

"Why wouldn't I?" Shepard looked back at the Spectre

"Stability doesn't exactly work all that well on them."

Wrex gave a growl.

"Well, it's all a matter of perspective. Our definition of stable obviously doesn't work of them. Why not let them create their own definition?" Shepard looked to Wrex

"You're looking to me?" Wrex scoffed

"Well, of anyone, you'd have the authority. You're of clan Urdnot, well known for your battle prowess, and once we take down Saren you'll be one of the only Krogan to face Geth AND a Spectre and come out on top. You should be able to throw your weight pretty easily."

Be it their arrival at Exogeni, or something else… Wrex didn't respond.

A/N

Welp... Sorry for not keeping up to date on stuff like this. I've been rather busy, from working 12-hour shifts left and right in high school, to moving, to managing the fact that my apartment nearly went up in flames from a single shorted light socket.

I was talking with a fellow author and he seemed to like this, so I figured I'd start updating this in my spare time. I don't have much of it anymore as I recently got hired to do IT for a Medical Distribution Company, so I can't guarantee any update times, but I definitely don't plan on dropping this.

Welp,

See Ya