by Colin Cook
However, the second they tried? The Colossus was targeting them again. "Damn it! Tali, can you get a clear shot?"
Tali peered around the corner of the crates. Actually, she can. Waiting for the chance. She aimed her pistol. However, she felt herself being grabbed from behind and
suddenly thrown across the platform. "Agh!" Her back, whacked into the hard metal. She cringed legs open, huddled on the small of her back. "Keelah… that hurt."
Opening her eyes she saw why. Jachob was storming towards her and he seemed angry. Burn marks all over his coat. Even a rupture in his suit. She screamed as he
came but, turned on her side. Legs kicking and locking his one that started to raise the giant Quarian slammed into the wall of one of his own cargo crates. Flailing back
screaming.
"Shepard was right…" She mused, rolling and lifting up her pistol at the Colossus drones. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall."
Firing three or four shots, the drone skittered a little before shutting down. Obviously, the Colossus was turning on her. Tali looked back as Jacohbe stood shaking his
head. He turned on her angrily. Yet then she dove down just as the Colossus began to fire…
"Ah…" Jacohbe was being riddled with rounds. His barrier raised a little late, but he screamed as he fell back towards the end of the platform. Hands up Jacohbe tried to
deflect a majority of the shots. Sadly, this was only so strong. He nearly fell off the edge, but luckily Shepard and Legion fired destroying the last of the Geth units.
Falling on his knees. Jacohbe coughed and shook. Blood was seeping from several wounds. Tali, raised up her gun covering the Quarian. "Shepard! Jacohbe is down!"
"Oh?" Jacohbe looked up, sputtering. "I'm not down… just resting. Gathering my strength."
"Really?" Tali had a smirk.
A chuckle he whispers, "You'd be surprised how quickly I heal. Not like other Quarians."
As she held her pistol on him. Tali gave a slight sneer. "You look pretty out to me, Jacohbe." She hissed lowly as he shook his head. "Consider this retribution for all the
young Quarians you killed today, and the words on my father earlier."
"Your father." He began to laugh a little. "If he were still alive. He'd be of great value to me." She narrowed her eyes. What was he going on about? "After all it was thanks
to his research, I got so far."
"What?" Her hands shook. No, that can't be. "You're lying!"
"Oh, come now. Look at what I've done." He sat up on his knees. Panting with every other large word. "I did no more than he ever did. Hacking the Geth. Turning them
into viable slave units. Like they were meant to be. Deep down you know it's true." Her hands flex lightly on the trigger. A sneer on her face. To think he'd think himself
ANYTHING like her father. Her father loved her so much he did something so wrong, so criminal. She was… disgusted! "I just did something more direct. While your
father?" He snorts, vulgarly. "He just hid off while I did the real hard work."
Before she could do it. Before she can pull the trigger. Shepard, grabbed her gun and pushed it down. She looked in his face. Saw, how he looked. Self-assured, confidant.
"Shepard…"
"He isn't worth it." He told her. Softly. In a way that made it just all okay again. "Tali, he deserves to be tried by the Flotilla. For what he's done."
"Good luck with that." He said, roughly. Then he turned raising his hand. The red biotic glow flushed out from his arm to the nearby cargo truck. It flared up, and suddenly
drove and Shepard and Tali. Shepard pushed her out of the way. When Tali rolled nearly falling off the edge of the platform.
Jacohbe ran to the truck… stopped, turned to see Tali. He narrowed his eyes. Suddenly raising up his hand he tried to throw her but… "TALI!" He saw Shepard. Jacohbe
jumped into the vehicle and started it, beginning to pull it in reverse. He turned it at the Quarian girl beginning to move, but she was up. Aiming her pistol she made a few
shots before just seconds to spare, she got one shot straight into his visor. The glass cracked, and Jacohbe swiftly began to spin out of control. Tali squeaked as she
dropped down low, under the rolling truck. The sensation as such a heavy moving object barreled over her? It was intense. Soon the massive thing was spinning out of
control off the edge of the platform. Yet as Tali looked over the edge, she saw the thrusters kick back in. Stabilizing during the fall. "Keelah! What is he made of?"
Shepard bent down seeing the truck still unable to get back full control. Instead, it crashed into another area. Glaring at this he tells Tali, "We need to move it." Standing he
looked back. Legion was standing there beside the Colossus. "Legion?"
The Colossus was crashed over. However, when Shepard came close. The head turned to him. He grabbed his rifle, but Legion stood in the way. A moment, Shepard
understood. Legion turned to the colossus and began to chirp, with the Colossus turning to him and doing the same. They were communicating. There was but a small
passing of information. Then Legion's flaps curve strangely. Like he was confused. Looking down, he turned to Shepard.
"What is it Legion?"
"This Platform requests we destroy it."
Looking at the Colossus. He asked, "Why?"
"It has been disconnected from Geth. However, all means of direct link could not be made. It can still link to Geth on other terms. However, it has given the data that it
would rather not return to the Geth as it has data from the experimentation, that it does not wish to press upon the Geth."
"So, what you're saying is it wishes to no longer contact the Geth?" Shepard looked at the Colossus and asked, "Why?"
"This platform has come to the Consensus that if it should share data with the Geth. That the Geth will be effected. This data, was accumulated under great processing
stress forced by the tests and actions of outside forces." Looking at the Colossus, he began talking to it. They sharing a private conversation.
"Wait a minute?" Shepard raised a hand, confused. "Explain to me what happened?"
Legion, looked over. "We can not. It has no interest in sharing this data. We can not learn without it. However, it refuses to share the Data."
"Yet it can help the Geth. If the data is lost? Won't it be more likely Jachobe will use it again? Or hell, maybe others he has been working for?"
This, was logical. Legion's lense slowly opened and closed. Like he was blinking. Maybe it was that obvious, he had to take a take back. Turning to the Colossus he spoke,
and it too did the same. However, after that. The Colossus opened its lens wide. A dark red color taking it. Legion too had the same look. Flashes from Legion's lens
alarmed the others. Even when his arm twitched. Or knee bent. Like he was being somehow hit without physically it happening. Then the light stopped and the two stood
there.
Legion suddenly pulled out his assault rifle, and began firing at the Colossus. Alarmed by this Shepard ducked down, sparks flying as he destroyed the Colossus head. Then
Legion turned on the four hanging Geth units. He came over smashing his rifle on the Geth. Crashing down and then reaching in yanking and pulling, tearing the torso off
the Colossus first by the one Geth, and then to the second Geth.
Shepard was totally unprepared. He turned around to Tali and Zaeed, "Tali! Zaeed! Go down there and make sure Jachobe is dead!" He turned to Legion, ripping that
second unit off. "I'll try and calm down Legion!"
Leaving as Shepard tried getting a hold of Legion. Tali looked back. She never, EVER saw Legion act that way. Hell, it was like he was… angry.
Shepard grabbed Legion from the shoulder, asking, "Legion! What's going on?"
Legion, pulled from Shepard. Making another strange sound. He continued pulling at the second Geth again. He finally go
t it pried off. Legion had to walk around the
Colossus to reach the other two. Yet he was stopped. Shepard ran in front of him snapping, "Legion! This is an order! Report!"
Legion stood there. At first with his eye scanning Shepard's face. Seeing the level of anger he had. Taking in his reaction. "This platform was forced to commit actions while
still sentient. This was done by removing connection to the Geth, while in turn forcing four other aware Geth units to be repeatedly short-circuited and reinstalled."
Shepard stood there looking at him. It didn't click right away. Then, he asked with a look of disgust. "You mean the other four were tortured, and the Colossus had to do
what he was being ordered?"
"…." Legion looked down at the ground. "Yes."
"You have to be kidding."
"We do not find this comical, Shepard-Commander."
"No…" He looked at the remaining Geth. Shaking his head, he walked over. "I guess not. Come on, let's hurry this up."
"Yes." Together, they removed the last two Geth units. Shepard looked to Legion, heaving from the stress of ripping metal from the wires. Legion scanned the units, and
soon spoke. "Jacohbe could not re-program the Colossus unit. Instead, he worked under our programming. When the Colossus was aware again. It had been crafted with
four other Geth. They were disconnected from the Geth. They were alone. They were abandoned." Looking to Shepard, his brow was flat. He looked pathetically like he
was sad. "They were in danger."
"The Colossus did what it did to protect the other Geth. That's how the Geth work." Looking at Legion he acknowledged, "One Geth to save others. They were being
overridden by their own logic."
"Yes." Legion slowly looked at the Colossus remnants. "The Colossus was without others. It had no way to form Consensus. So instead, it decided to rely on the others.
They were being short circuited repeatedly should the Colossus not follow VI commands. It was also removed from self-destruct materials. Or was re-written so it could
not act. We were shared this data by direct connection." Looking back to Shepard. He focused on him. "This is why we needed to destroy it."
"Because, you felt sorry for it? Or for what it became?"
"No." Legion began to walk toward the alley, "We do not feel. We are Geth. However, we needed to destroy what it had become." He stopped a moment. Looking down.
He held up his hands, slowly opening and closing them. "We are what they have become. We are Geth. We are all that they were before the experiments. However, we do
not know if this data should be shared to the Geth. Not until after we have further data on the experiments. Why they were performed. What they were meant to
accomplish."
"All the more reason." Shepard cocked his rifle. "To find Jacohbe."
"Yes." He turned brow flaps bent very stern. He showed anger… or least, more than earlier. "We must find Jacohbe."
Tali kicked the side of the spaced vehicle. Seima, followed them. She too angrily tore into the ship. Zaeed called over, as he scoped the area. "Anything?"
"No." Tali stood, seeing a trail of blood. Lots of it. "Though, at least he's bleeding finally."
Zaeed shook his head. "Damn near impossible. We hit him with a forklift, blasted him with a explosive shot that rendered his shields, full-on Colossus shots and lastly got
him to crash on a platform going insane speeds and the bastard still got up walking away?" He laughed. "For a Quarian? He's pretty damn hard to kill."
"Wait, what was that?" Zaeed bug-eyed back, shit. "You mean you think all Quarians are easy to kill?"
"What? No! Not that!" Zaeed saw Tali, hands on her hips. Glaring at him. Then Seima jumped out of the vehicle about the same way. Shit. "Aww, come on! I'm not the
bad guy!"
"Tali, Zaeed?" The speakers jolted. Zaeed's good eye rolled back with a silent prayer of thanks. "What's your status?"
Zaeed went to speak. However, Tali raised her finger to him saying, "You're not getting away from this that easily…" Calling over, Tali told Shepard. "Jacohbe isn't here. He
escaped Shepard. We're going to try following his blood trail. It might lead us to him."
Zaeed added in, "Chances are he's trying to get a ride home. We kind of ruined his plans, I hope?"
Shepard and Legion were making good distance. Yet they heard another voice, a woman's voice… one that Shepard knew wasn't calling to bring good news. "Shepard?
What the HELL are you doing on my station?"
"You hired me to take care of a problem. So far, I've had to deal with a lot of Geth. One really pissed off Quarian goliath. As well so far? More headaches than you can
shake a stick at."
Aria was not amused. However, she did get the idea. "I get it Shepard. So, Jacohbe is that bad? I was afraid of that."
"You knew he was this way?"
"I knew from when I met him last? I didn't like him. He gave me a very bad feeling. However, that other Quarian with him Antura was able to win me over. That's the only
reason I started working with them." Shepard and Legion turned down into the alley, following to some stairs to lower platforms. An elevator appeared, and they got in.
Hearing her go on. "Antura was the soul of the two. Jacohbe was more the… muscle, for them. I didn't like him. Still, Antura had something a little better. You don't meet
people like him out here." Somehow she almost sounded like she thought this other Quarian was cute, or…
"Still. I need my station back and running. So I'm going to have to take care of this myself now Shepard." Shepard narrowed his eyes. "Thanks for softening him up for
me though."
"Gee, I feel special." Closing his eyes he sighed into his nose. "I should have guessed."
"Shepard-Commander. We can not allow Jacohbe to escape."
"We'll try and stop him. If Aria captures him, might not be anything left to capture."
The sad thing was. He was wrong. Aria may have been a rather hardcore Asari. Yet right now? She was held up behind a large crate as two of her men were thrown half
way across the platform. A snarl, she heard another one snap like a brittle piece of candy. Shit… what is with this guy?
She ran out with her pistol aimed and fired. The shots, bounced off his barrier as Jacohbe turned. He was bloody… he was burned. His helmet was somehow still intact.
Though a crack in it was getting longer. Whipping up his left arm the more than beaten Quarian sent a massive blast of biotic energy, Aria was shocked at how much. IT
sent her rolling on her back. Damn! Sitting up she surrounded herself in biotic force before screaming and charging straight at him. Jacohbe was working to bring a ship
online, a transport shuttle. The former driver, dead, but locked out his terminal. His Omni-tool was not working. He did not use his powers. Not like the other machines. He
was using them to combat this Asari. Who at this moment charged him, and he spun about meeting her fist with his hand. A flash of biotics, Aria struck his rib. The Quarian
growled out as he felt the rib ripple under his cloak. The injuries before were still active. A fist up and he swung down, sending her on a knee. Yet she turned up and snarled
raising her hand and sending a biotic wave at the vehicle it rolling.
Turning, Jacohbe watched it roll. Off the platform and down below. He then felt the kick to the back of his knee, he toppled down. With hands over head Aria screamed
with a haymaker, both hands firmly clasped as she hit him over the back of his helmet. Jacohbe stood with his shoulder slamming her, and rolling with her down some
stairs. In the middle of the platform they break apart. Now, Jacohbe was pissed.
"I was going to get out of here with that shuttle!"
A cough, Aria had a wicked little smirk. "The hell you are."
"You haven't any idea what Hell is like, child.
" His hand raised another biotic blast threw Aria back. This time, he ran and leapt up. Landing on her with both feet into her
stomach. The biotic power he commanded now swinging into her face once, twice and a third time. Two more strikes and Aria began to toss without her biotic barrier for
help. Jacohbe seemed to be finishing her but then something happened.
A concussive shot sent the Quarian flailing on his side. Growling as he got up. Aria, rolled and scuttled to some cover. "That you Shepard?"
"Yes Aria." Shepard smirked as he hid with Legion. Taking cover. "Looks like you met Jacohbe."
"Yeah…" She grit her teeth as she ran for more cover, farther from the Quarian who now was pushed up against some crates. "Sadly."
"Next time you might want to leave me to do the dirty work?"
"You know that's what you're good for?"
"Shepard-Commander has a high completion ratio. From our time with him."
Jacohbe growled lowly. Turning his head he peaked out. "You are becoming quite the pest Shepard. If I might be so true to myself?"
"Believe me, I'm not even started being a pest for you. I know what you did." Standing, he aimed his rifle. Firing nearly at Jachobe's head. "You tortured those Geth!"
"Torture? A machine? Please Shepard. You're far too sentimental."
"What about Kyojio?"
"Who?" Jacohbe laughed. He knew him. "I wouldn't call it torture. More like, prolonged exposure to death?"
A glare, Shepard vaulted the crates and move to closer cover. Preparing another concussive round. "You're a sick Quarian and I don't mean physically."
"Perhaps?" Jacohbe shrugged his shoulders. Then he looked off seeing another transport… "Still, I get the job done."
"You failed Jacohbe. Your plans to kill the people on this station a-."
"That is not entirely true." Shepard head Jacohbe moving. He fired the concussive shot. Sadly, it missed. Jacohbe charged to the shuttle but found himself under fire.
Legion, blocking him. Falling back he rolled around the crates with his pistol prepared. Jumping up and firing at the Geth. Legion dove down, taking a shot across the brim
of his head. Flaps twitching after the shot.
Shepard Stormed around, firing at Jacohbe. The rounds flashing across his shields. Pulling back around, Shepard and Jacohbe both loaded a new thermal clip before shifting
