Chapter 5

He scanned with his omni-tool, finding tiny traces of Chakar's path. He passed a bay filled with escape pods and hesitated, had Chakar gone in there? The entire scene was chaos. All of the cronies were fighting over the ships. A turian had almost made it into one but was pulled out of the cockpit by a krogan and thrown over the edge of the platform. A batarian and human unloaded their weapons into the krogan's back as he tried to get into the ship before turning it onto each other.

Jaer scanned the area and saw that Chakar had not gone through the room so he turned to sprint again. He made his way through the long hallway passing a few cronies who were more concerned with finding a ship than stopping him. There was a turn to the right then a left up ahead. Too busy following his omni, Jaer made the left turn but stumbled into a dead end, moving too fast to completely stop. He looked at the wall then back to his omni. Scanning the area again, he saw that there was no mistake; this was the way Chakar had gone. Checking his timer, he took a deep breath as he began to run out of time.

He studied the wall, stepping closer to run his hand over the wall to look for some kind of input panel. There was nothing on the possible door so he moved to the adjacent wall. Keelah! Nothing in the corners, nothing on the seams… Where is it? Suddenly it hit him. Of course Chakar would have a device on him so only he could pass. Jaer wouldn't be able to follow the same way.

Backtracking to another section, he saw a vent above him. He shot the edges open and jumped up barely reaching but managed to get a firm grip to hoist himself up. Crawling through the vent, he made the turns that would lead him past the barrier. He passed a series of slits that overlooked where he had been blocked, letting him know that he was on the right track. He continued, hoping to find another section where he could check on his progress.

After making a right turn, he saw light filtering through along with the sound of a grunting krogan. Jaer slowed his movements so he made less noise as he crept closer. Coming up on the vent opening, he looked through, seeing Chakar hunched over his injured arm. Carefully removing the cover, he pulled himself to the edge, readying himself to drop down on Chakar. Pushing himself out, he flipped down, triggering the blade on his wrist to stab it into the krogan's back.

The roar echoed off the walls as the krogan fought back, struggling against his attacker. With his rage building he reached over his shoulder, grabbing Jaer's body suit by the shoulder and threw him into the wall. As the quarian struggled to get up from the floor, clearly dazed, Chakar opened the door to his secondary escape ship.

Jaer struggled to see through the stars in his vision and saw the warlord gaining distance towards a ship, with a door closing between them. He struggled to get on his feet and staggered to the door, rolling under it as he blinked back the final blur. Wishing he had more grenades, he used his last one hoping to knock the krogan off the platform. He crouched just as the explosion hit, throwing Chakar off his feet towards the edge but he didn't fall. The quarian sprinted, trying to get to the ship before the krogan. He could see another set of platforms beneath them, potentially the ones he originally arrived at but it was filled with smoke and fire from the detonations he had caused. The ship before him could very well be the last one he could reach. His hands touched the ladder but were ripped away as a krogan hand grabbed his leg.

He slammed face first into the ground and rolled out of the way as a krogan foot slammed down. Taking a knife from the sheath attached to his leg, he threw his weight behind the blade and stabbed it into the krogan. Another roar bellowed but he continued to climb into the ship. The engines came to life just as Jaer got to his feet and jumped into the co-pilot position in the back. Pulling out a thin cable, he looped it over the krogan's neck just as they took off.

Chakar tried to fly the ship but he could feel the metal cutting through him, despite the thickness of his hide. He managed to fly out of the transport ship relatively easily, valuing his immediate flight path to the slow loss of air supply to his body, hoping he could take care of the nuisance in the vastness of space.

Jaer planted his knee against the chair, holding on to the wire with all his might, knowing he would be in for the long haul with trying to strangle a krogan. Their physiology was built for survival in most conditions. The only thing he hadn't seen a krogan do well was swim because of their density but even then their lung capacity could sustain them long enough to let them walk out on their own. He glanced out the window while holding tension on the line in time to see a chain reaction of explosions on the ship, taking several of the fighters with it. Chakar's hand swung wildly struggling to land on the quarian or cable but his flexibility hindered him.

A long time passed, bringing the krogan to the point of losing his vision. He hit the controls in front of him, veering them towards the planet. He might very well die, and if that is to be the case, he might as well take this quarian and some turians with him.

Jaer felt the shift in force as pushed into the gravity of the planet. He had to change their trajectory if he was going to survive but that would mean letting up on the cable. It was likely that he could still kill his target if he let go now, but it would be quite a risk… and one he would have to take to make it out alive. Giving one more jerk with as much strength he could muster, he looped one end through the other so he could hold it with one hand and use the other to try and steer the ship.

He typed on the controls, trying to override the commands from the pilot's seat. He heard a gargle from the krogan meaning that he must have cut through enough to make him seriously bleed. It gave him enough time to steady out the ship, flying high through the atmosphere. As he tried to take the ship down further to land, he was pulled forward smacking into the seat as Chakar tried to get the wire off his neck. The krogan went back to the controls sending them closer to the ground, the turian colony coming into view.

Jaer pulled out a knife from a pocket near his chest and threw it into the krogan's hand. It wasn't incapacitating but it gave him enough time to pull up enough to only buzz over the tree tops next to the colony. Chakar fought through the pain, gripping the controls to fight the quarian in the back. Jaer knew it wasn't going to be anything close to a real landing; he just had to survive whatever was coming for them. As they fought each other for control, the ship broke through the trees damaging the ship and engines. One thruster blew, sending them out of control and finally losing their altitude completely. The ship slammed into the ground, sending parts of itself flying and rocking the passengers without mercy. Jaer had given up on restraining the krogan and switched to trying to keep himself safe.

As the ship finally slowed to a halt, an eerie moment settled around them. Jaer felt his body begin to ache but he pushed through the pain, forcing himself to remain vigilant in case his enemy was still alive. He unbuckled himself so he could hoist himself over the edge, collapsing into the dirt with a heavy thud. Another surge of energy went through him, helping bring him upright. He now saw the aftermath of crash on the ship and the wake of damage it had caused. His attention was quickly back on the krogan who was wheezing his last breaths.

Jaer shuffled forward, pulling a knife from the holster on his back and pulled himself up to the edge of the ship. He held the knife at Chakar's throat. "It's over, Chakar," he huffed, putting effort into the strength of his voice.

The krogan's breath wheezed and growled out of him, each one becoming shorter and more difficult for him to make. "How… … not… dead…?" He voice had lost the normal intimidating krogan growl but he wanted to know. There was no reason this quarian should be standing victorious over him.

"Quarians are rising again. We will become overcome our suits. I am one of the few that is already there."

"One… day… the geth… will kill… your kind…" he said with his last breath, blood still flowing from his wounds.

Jaer watched the light go out of the krogan's eyes and waited several moments before collapsing against the ship with a heavy sigh. He rested there, taking deep breaths, waiting for his energy to come back but exhaustion had taken a strong hold on him; it had been a long night.

His eyes closed for a moment against the bright sun coming over the horizon. One day he hoped he could see his home planet's sun with the rest of his kind; all without their masks. Just as his body was beginning to relax, he heard engines approaching. He gripped his knives and jumped to his feet, his training taking over his exhaustion. Two vehicles stopped a short distance from the crash site and a turian stepped out from the first; it was Quintus. Jaer relaxed and sheathed his weapons.

"Spirits… I… I didn't think you could actually do it," the turian said, studying the sight before him. "Is that really Chakar?"

"Not anymore," he had glanced back for a moment and now saw the young turian's attention was back on him. "What is it?"

"Do you need medical attention? Is there anything we can do for you or is it too late?"

Jaer looked at him a little confused before realizing the turian was referencing his broken faceplate. "I have a functioning immune system. I'll be fine." He took a deep breath, "However, I am exhausted," the corner of his mouth twitched, "I would appreciate it if you took me back to my ship so I could head out."

"Already? You don't want to stay, wait for the Citadel?"

"Not exactly. Too many questions."

Quintus nodded, "My crew has been working on your ship through the night so it shouldn't be too much longer if you would like to wait."

"I appreciate the help but wherever they're at is fine. Just a recharge on my shields and a refueling and I'll be on my way."

"Very well," Quintus nodded, "I guess we should get you on your way then."

"Thank you, I appreciate it, Quintus."

Jaer groaned as he stood from his seat. Quintus was overseeing the last of the ship repairs so in the meantime Jaer tended to his equipment. When they first arrived he had snagged an extra faceplate from his ship before too many had seen him without an intact suit. He cleaned and sharpened his weapons and finished his equipment check with replacing his faceplate, wanting to keep his mask of as long as he could. Once everything was finished, he took a deep breath and put on his mask, hearing the click and the respirator begin to stir, he stood and headed outside.

Groups of the colony's defense teams milled about, still on duty but with an obvious relaxation about them. Even with the stress of their impending doom suddenly gone, it took a toll on all of them. Jaer arrived at his ship to see Quintus walking around it, inspecting his crews work himself. "I appreciate your thoroughness."

Quintus looked up, "You're welcome but I still feel like I should be doing more for you."

Jaer waved his hand dismissively, "Trust me, it has been taken care of by other parties. You don't need to concern yourself."

The turian studied the quarian but decided it was a question not worth asking because he wouldn't get a straight answer anyway. "Well, thank you, again. You saved the colony. I don't know how you did it but I will thank the Spirits for your arrival."

Jaer saluted the turian, "You're welcome, and good luck with running this colony. I don't envy you on that front."

Quintus returned the salute before letting his face fall, "I'll probably be replaced. It isn't like I did much of anything," he hung his head.

"I wouldn't say that. You have a bright future ahead of you."

"I appreciate your optimism."

Quintus smiled behind his mask for a moment before becoming stern. "Now, you may have figured this out but there can't be any record of me here. When you are questioned by the Citadel troops and your superiors, say that I had Citadel credentials and was just in the area and able to reach you."

"I suppose I won't get a reason for any of this?"

"No."

Quintus smirked, shaking his head, "You can trust me."

Jaer fiddled with a data chip, debating what to do, "Tell you what… I'm going to trust you with this," he held out the chip. "I need you to put this into your computers. It won't damage, copy, or trace any of your colony's info but it will wipe out any recording or typed up record of me. Normally, I plant this myself but… I think I can trust you with that task."

"You want me to sabotage my own equipment?" Quintus asked, eyeing the small piece of technology.

"Does it have to be the colony's main console?"

"No, but the closer the better." He kept his hand extended, watching the turian stare at the small device. Slowly, Quintus reached for it, closing his gloved hand around it, holding it tightly. "Good luck with your life, Quintus. Maybe we'll see each other again."

"Hopefully not under the same circumstances. Thank you for all of your help."

Jaer nodded once before turning to his ship. He climbed in and prepped the engines. He saw Quintus standing nearby, watching the take off. Jaer saluted the turian before accelerating into the atmosphere. He flew his ship out of the gravity of the planet and towards the closest mass relay. As he got closer to the relay he attempted to make contact with his bond-mate.

Quintus stared at the small device, debating what he should do with it. Would he be more loyal to his station and training or to the quarian that saved his and thousands of other lives? He looked over at the command center then the console for the landing decks; those two were fairly close to each other and the flight deck was relatively easy access once you were there. He walked around the area, inspecting the ships they still had. As he approached the area of the console, he looked around for any who could be witnesses; seeing that it was clear, he adjusted the device in his hand and slipped it into the console as he walked.

There were no explosions, no wires firing. It was almost as if he hadn't done anything. Maybe it was just a test, Quintus thought to himself. He returned to his oversight of the facility, deciding to wait for the Citadel's crew to arrive and interrogate him.

"Link established. Initializing twenty-hour data search and termination," the computer on Jaer's ship said.

"Good turian, that Quintus," Jaer said.

"Did you seriously leave it up to the leader to clear data of you?" Lana snapped at him. "That was a big risk."

"A calculated risk, but I had a backup, too. And now he has proven that he could become a good asset."

"I still don't like it."

Jaer smirked, "I know, sorry, dear."

Lana tilted her head, "You sound tired, you should get some rest."

"I will. Once I get through the relay, I'll set the autopilot and sleep."

"Good, I need you well-rested when you get home," she said with a smile in her voice.

"Hmm, I like the sound of that."