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Mass Effect: The Helldiver Saga, The Collector War	By : Veyron722skyhook Category: +M through R > Mass Effect Views: 6229 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or it's characters. They belong to Bioware and EA. No money/profit is made by me from this.

Chapter List
- 17
- 18
- 19
I'm quite impressed that I managed to get this one done so quickly. It seems that new technique I've found is working well. I've found that just writing the dialogue first (which I have to do from the games or Youtube since I don't remember the dialogue word for word) and then filling in the descriptive bits is just somehow quicker.
Please enjoy. Next chapter as you know will be Kasumi's loyalty mission. I'm planning for that one to be a lot fun. And you'll hopefully see why at the end of this chapter.

Chapter 18
To Recruit a Quarian
It had been almost a week now since the incident on Krelldoor. Jacob's proposal had been that he and Miranda defected to Cerberus in exchange for what they knew. Miranda had completely resisted the idea at first, but Jacob had eventually convinced her that the Illusive Man had been keeping things from her since even she had not known about Experiment 13. Just after they had left, Austin had made sure that the base was destroyed.
Miranda and Jacob where currently in Helldiver custody where the Arkanes would interrogate them for all that they knew on Cerberus. After that, Austin had insisted that they be assigned to his command so that he could keep an eye on them both. Austin also had some doubts about leaving them on Arkadia ever since he had heard about the escape of the Batarian, Balak, about a year ago.
In the meantime though, the Major had plenty to keep him busy. He still had two more team members to recruit and there were also the two missions that Kasumi and Zaeed needed doing. At the moment, Austin planned to recruit Tali first, then get Kasumi's mission done, then recruit Thane Krios. That would hopefully allow them to make good progress while they waited for the ex-Cerberus agents to join them.
Sarah meanwhile had been given full permission from the Alliance to serve on the Normandy. Anderson himself had approved this and the Arkanes were also in full support of Austin's own sister joining the mission. Austin and Sarah's father, Matt, had also approved of this. In particular he was overjoyed to know that his son was alive. An earlier vidcom message with him had evens aid that he and his wife Hannah would look forward to seeing him in person again once Austin's mission was over.
While they were on their way to Haestrom, Austin decided to simply pass the time by once again chatting with his crew. He remembered that he hadn't yet chatted with Samara and that was something he'd been meaning to do.
Sure enough, he found her in the port observation deck where she'd been put. She was currently meditating as she looked out of the window and she was maintaining a biotic ball of energy as her eyes glowed. As the door closed behind him, Samara sensed Austin's presence.
"Shepard." She said.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you, Samara." Said Austin.
"Not at all. What do you wish of me?" the Justicar replied kindly.
One thing that Austin really liked about Samara was that she was always so polite. Mind you, Justicars usually where.
"I thought we could chat for a bit. How are you?" he asked.
"I've spent the much of the last 400 years on my own. It is nice to have a colleague to chat with." Samara replied. The Asari smiled as her biotics dispersed and her eyes returned to normal. Austin walked up to her and knelt down beside her. "I may be rusty at it, however. If you are patient, I would love to talk."
"You've settled in okay, I take it?" Austin asked.
"Quite well. Your ship is very comfortable and the view of space in this room is just what I needed." Samara replied. Her face then turned to curiosity. "I have something to ask you, Shepard." She said.
"Okay. Ask away." Austin replied, now curious as to what Samara would ask him.
"I have noticed that your Helldiver team does not seem very surprised by my presence. Most parties I have worked with have no experience with Justicars and have often been nervous around me. Your squad on the other hand is completely the opposite. I have to ask, have you worked with a Justicar before?" Samara asked.
"We have actually. It was around 5 years ago." Austin replied.
"Do tell. I am most curious." Said Samara.
Austin went on explaining about a mission he and Alpha Squad had undertaken around 5 years ago. They had recently been investigating the disappearance of a Helldiver team on Thessia. Eventually, they had uncovered a few leads as to who was behind the disappearances. When they had snuck into an Eclipse base, they had soon found that they weren't the only ones investigating. A Justicar was also there. This one had been rather different to Samara. She'd been slightly younger at the time and her outfit had been more armour like compared to the Justicar sitting in front of him now.
The Justicar eventually suggested that she and Alpha Squad team up to help find their target together. The Squad had accepted, but had been nervous at first. They'd all been taught about Justicars during their Helldiver training on Asari cultures, but they hadn't been told much. Very little was actually known about them to the public. To Alpha's delight though, the Justicar they had worked with had been extremely polite to them all. She had even struck up a good friendship with them during her time working with them. She also hadn't hesitated to provide more information on Justicars and their order. This new knowledge had not only proved most helpful for the Helldivers but it had also allowed them to improve teaching by giving this knowledge to the Arkanes.
Eventually, they'd both had to go their separate ways, but the Justicar had said that she'd never worked with finer worriers and had even learned a few new things herself. Now days, Alpha Squad practically owed it all to her for their enlightenment.
Samara was quite impressed once Austin finished telling the story.
"That is most impressive, Shepard. Your squad certainly do live up to their legendary reputation." She said.
"Glad you think so. I'm honoured to be in command of such fine soldiers." Austin smiled.
"As am I. Your Asari second in command, Alaara came to talk with me a few days back as well. It was certainly interesting to hear her story. Especially when she mentioned that she was once an Eclipse merc." Said Samara.
For a moment, Austin's face turned to concern.
"That's not going to cause problems with you, is it? I don't want any trouble between you two." He asked.
"You need not worry, Shepard. Although my code compels me to kill those who do wrong, the code does permit forgiveness and redemption. Alaara told me of how much she regrets joining the Eclipse and how she always strives to redeem herself by serving as a Helldiver. Even after my oath to you ends, I will not attempt to kill her. The same applies to your other team mates as well, such as the ex-Blue Suns and ex-Blood Pack. Each one of them seeks to absolve themselves of their sins and wrong doings. That is a trait I find most admirable. It also helps me see other Helldivers in a new light." Samara replied gently.
"I'm glad to hear that." Said Austin. H then decided to ask Samara some questions. He did after all have a few things he wished to talk about with her. "So, how much do you know about our mission?" he asked.
"I know that I've sworn an oath to follow you, and that you seek to destroy the Collectors. That is enough for me." Samara replied.
"You don't want to know why the Collectors need to be fought?" Austin asked, surprised.
"When you live by a code that compels you to harsh action, you learn the dangers of curiosity. If I must kill a man because he has done wrong, do I really wish to know that he is a devoted father?" Samara replied.
Austin took a moment to consider this. He had to admit, Samara did have a point. How many times had he probably killed some wrong doers who had family? It was beginning to occur to him how the Justicar code and Helldiver code shared many similarities.
"I'd like to hear more about the criminal you were chasing on Nos Astra." He said.
Samara seemed to hesitate for a while. There was uncomfortable look on her face before she finally spoke again.
"I hope you will understand if I wish to avoid the topic. It is a deeply tied to my code and beliefs. You might say it is personal." She said.
"I understand, Samara. So, what do you think of the Helldivers?" Austin asked as he changed the subject.
"I have heard many impressive stories, and many other rumours. But I learned long ago to form my own impressions. There is too much room for interpretation in the opinions of others." Said Samara.
"Then why were you willing to work for the Helldivers when you didn't have first-hand knowledge?" Austin asked.
"I work for you, Shepard. Our methods may be different, but our goals are not." Samara smiled.
Austin smiled back. He eventually decided that he and Samara had talked long enough and that he should let her return to her meditations. There were a few of the other crew members he wanted to talk to and check up on anyway.
"Thank you for the talk, Samara. I should get back to work." He said as he stood up.
"It has been my pleasure, Major." Said Samara as her biotics resumed once again.
Before he headed down to chat with Grunt, Austin headed into the med bay. He hadn't chatted Dr. Chakwas since he'd had that drink with her that had eventually given him that sexual dream with Kelly.
"Major, I really enjoyed sharing that ice brandy with you, but I hope I wasn't too unprofessional. Brandy goes straight to my head." She said.
"It's nice to see you let your hair down, Karin." Austin smiled.
"Guess, I hadn't realized how much those feelings needed airing. But, I didn't give you much of a chance to vent. So tell me now – what do you think?" Chakwas asked.
"Everyone is depending on us. We won't let them down. Not many people get a second chance like I did. I intend to make the most of it." Said Austin.
"They just don't make them like you anymore in the Alliance, Shepard. Well, promise me we'll share a bottle every year. The next one's on me." Said Chakwas. As she finished talking, her chair swivelled back around and she went back to her work.

"Shepard." Said Grunt as he acknowledged Austin's presence.
"Just checking in, making sure you're acclimatizing." Said Austin.
"Heh… I was just… heh… just sitting here thinking. The picture, I'm finally starting to get it. There's a tank imprint - the battle at Canrum. A dead Turian. Stripped! You don't see them out of their armour much. A Krogan boot on his head. And a claw hammer. It's under the brow plate, pulling it back, right? Eyes have gone black, and you see tension in the muscle. You can feel it ready to snap. I get it." Said Grunt.
"Hmmm, Canrum isn't ringing a bell…" said Austin.
"Death of Shiagur, female warlord. Turians killed her, so they were hunted down and made examples. Even if they won the war. It was the last push before the rebellions ended." Grunt explained.
"Maybe I had to be there, but I don't get the joke." Said Austin as he crossed his arms.
"There's no joke – it's just great. It's a Turian and he's being torn apart for what they did. I felt nothing before, but now I get it – it was a good fight. The enemy was destroyed to punish them all and send a message. I get it. I hate Turian. I thought you'd be glad." Said Grunt, excitedly.
"Don't start anything with Garrus or Ventra! I won't have trouble among this team!" said Austin forcefully.
"I don't hate Garrus or Ventra. I hate the Turians. Garrus and Ventra re just two Turians, and they're your clan. No point in ripping off their faces off unless they turn on me. It's hate, it's mine. Okeer was blind, and he tried to make me the same. But I'm starting to feel what they did. To see why I should care. Anyway, I'm still figuring where I fit, but it made me laugh. Nothing else really on my mind, Shepard." Said Grunt.
Austin simply nodded and decided to leave the tank bred Krogan be. The Helldiver walked out of the room and headed down to Jack's pit. To his surprise, Jack had changed her attire. Instead of just her combat trousers and the straps over her chest, she had now added a small black vest with a biker like jacket over it. In addition to this, she'd also added a few black covers over her left arm and she also had a visor over her eyes. Her trousers were also now replaced by low-slung jeans, and steel-toe boots.
Austin was grateful at least that she'd covered up now. A lot of the crew had been distracted by the fact she'd been almost completely topless.
"Hey, Shepard. Was beginning to wonder when you'd come down again." Said the convict as she noticed Austin.
"Hmmm, is there something different about you?" Austin asked in a joking manner.
"Decided to get some new attire. I know that the rest of the crew keeping staring at my tits, and I've had enough. Felt it best to cover up a bit more. You okay with that?" Jack replied.
"Yeah. You look very badass in that, I think. People are still gonna take you seriously I think." Austin approved.
"Good. Anyone who fucks with me is still gonna end up dead." Jack smiled smugly.
"So, what are you up to?" Austin asked.
"Still checking out your ship. Wouldn't mind putting her through her paces when you're not around." Jack replied as she got up from her makeshift bed.
"I doubt Joker or Alaara would appreciate that." Said Austin sternly. "At least not while we're working."
"Relax. Joy riding doesn't have the thrill it used to. Besides, if I wanted it, I'd take it." Said Jack.
"That so?" Austin replied.
"I've been around. Ran with gangs, wiped out some gangs, joined cult. Kept the haircut. I learned how to survive and not be a victim." Said Jack.
"It's hard to imagine you in a cult. That usually involves a lot of rules." Said Austin.
"I was looking for answers. Drugs and sex and going to a better place. A better place, right." Jack tutted. "It was all about money. They wanted to take a colony, shake the suckers down to the fund their spread, and guess who was their ace in the hole? They were just like the rest. Didn't give one shit about me!"
"What did you do when you found out?" Austin asked.
"What do you think?" Jack replied.
Austin immediately understood and didn't press the issue further.
"You must've met some good people too." He said.
"Everybody wants something. And because of that, everything is fair game. Murder, assault, kidnapping, drugs, dealing, arson, done 'em all. And that's just the boring shit. Piracy as you know, theft of military craft, destruction of a space station, and vandalism. That was a good one." Said Jack.
"You ever wonder if you could've done things differently?" Austin asked.
"No."
"Shouldn't you?"
"There's no reason I should be alive, but I am. You know why? Instinct. It's worked for em so far and I'm not gonna change." Said Jack.
Jack then stood back up from leaning against the pillar.
"Hey, Shepard. No one's asked me about this shit. It's strange to talk about. So don't make it a habit. Save that crap for Chambers." She said.
"You've been talking with Kelly?" Austin asked.
"We've had a few chats. She's trying to get to know me better." Said Jack.

As the Hellhound dropship prepared for dropping Austin and the ground team on Haestrom, the Major began thinking who he was going to take with him. His first choice was Leena obviously. He would need Leena's Quarian and tech expertise since they would most likely be dealing with the Geth. Next he eventually decided on Grunt, due to the Krogan's toughness and firepower, and finally he felt it best to top it off with Samara. Now he had a squad capable of handling any situation.
With that now sorted out, the door's sealed themselves, the dropship dislodged from the ceiling of the cargo hold and slowly flew out of the Normandy and down into the atmosphere of Haestrom.
As the neared landing, EDI's avatar appeared in the centre of the crew area. Grunt, Leena and Samara where all seated, but Austin always preferred to stand when he could and held onto one the ceiling rails.
"Shepard, our data indicates that Tali is somewhere in those ruins. There is considerable Geth activity, and an environmental hazard. Solar output has overwhelmed Haestrom's protective magnetosphere. Exposure to direct sunlight will damage your shields." She said.
"Sounds like we'll have to stick to the shade then." Said Leena.
"But no hiding. That's a coward's tactic." Said Grunt.
The dropship doors opened and Austin hopped out first followed by Leena before the Hellhound touched down and Samara and Grunt then followed.
Sure enough, the sunlight was an absolute nightmare. The slightest second it touched them and their shields would overload. Even Leena's shields where suffering, despite the fact that she'd tinkered around with hers. Only Grunt wasn't having this issue since he didn't have shields and only relied on his armour.
Once they'd managed to get across an exposed bridge very quickly, they came across a locked door. The controls however seemed to be in a small room next to it. As the door to the room opened though, they found themselves in room with both Quarian and Geth bodies. There was a voice recording log playing in the background.
"Emergency log entry: The Geth are here. I've stayed to buy the others time. Anyone who gets this, find Tali Zorah! She and that date are all that matters. Keehlah Se'lai."It said.
Austin put his hand on Leena's shoulder as she bowed her head in honor of her fallen people. Samara activated the holographic interface for the large door and it opened.
Just as the group stepped through however, they heard a faint humming in the distance.
"Geth dropship! Incoming!" Leena yelled.
Everyone immediately unholstered their preferred weapons and ran for cover. The Geth dropship deposited several Geth troopers which unfolded from the crouched positions as they landed. The whole place immediately became ablaze with thermal clips, laser fire and biotics. Samara stuck mostly to throwing the Geth soldiers around with her biotics enabling Leena the opportunity to shoot EMP grenades onto them with her shoulder cannon while they were down.
Austin and Grunt meanwhile stuck to cover and used their guns. Grunt in particular was putting his new Claymore shotgun to very good use. Austin simply fired using his Revenant and fired a few plasma shots as well while he was in cover from enemy fire.
The fight was fierce, but the Geth where ultimately no match for the group's combined strength and abilities.

Much later, the group found themselves stepping through a narrow corridor. The dead bodies of both Geth and Quarians littered the floor. Next to one of them was what looked like a radio. A voice could be hard speaking through it.
"Break-break-break, OP-1, this is Squad Leader Kal Reegar, do you copy? The Geth sent a dropship towards OP-2, Tali Zorah's secure, but we need backup. We're bunkered up here. Can you send support?"it said.
Austin walked up to the radio and knelt down to pick it up.
"OP-1, this is Squad Leader Kal Reegar, come in, over!"the radio said again.
"This is Major Shepard of the Helldivers. Can we provide assistance?" said Austin as he picked the radio up.
"Patch your radio into Channel617 Theta." Kal Reegar replied.
Austin did so and set everyone's communication signal to the correct channel. Everyone nodded to acknowledge that they were connected.
"We were on a stealth mission. High risk. We found what we were after, but the Geth found us. They've got us pinned down. Can't get to our ship, can't transmit data through the solar radiation."Reegar continued.
How are you holding up? We can be there in a few minutes." Austin asked.
"Take it slow and careful. Direct sunlight fries your shields all to hell. We're bunkered down at base camp across the valley. I left Tali Zorah at a secure shelter, then doubted back to hold the chokepoint. Getting Tali out safely is our top priority. If you can extract her, we'll keep them off you."said Reegar.
"You've got confirmation that the Geth haven't reached Tali yet?" Leena asked.
"Affirmative. Left my best men with her. When you get here, you can talk to her on the comm. Every marine on this rock is sworn to protect Tali Zorah. Long as one of us is still drawing air, she'll be safe."Reegar replied.
"Hold position. We'll hit their back ranks." said Austin.
"Wait! Watch your ass! We've got a dropship coming in!"Said Reegar urgently.
Sure enough, another dropship flew into view. The base camp was being guarded by several more Quarian soldiers. As the drop ship came in, it fired a massive shot at them. The explosion obliterated the Quarians and a massive stone slab fell onto their bodies and in front of the door, blocking the path.
"Crap! Doorway's blocked! Use some demolition charges to clear a path!"said Reegar.
"I wish now that I'd brought Griffin. This is his specialty." said Austin.
Austin took a few small detonators from his belt and placed them on the slab.
"Stand clear, everyone!" he said as the all retreated to a safe distance. The Major pressed the detonator button. The ground shook for a moment and there was a massive explosion behind them. When they looked round, the doorway was clear now.
As like last time, the base camp was littered with Quarian and Geth bodies. Leena was finding it hard to keep her composure now in the face of so much death.
"Quarian architecture. There's something I haven't heard since I was a little girl." she said as she examined some of the research material.
"Why would the Quarians risk death by coming here?" Samara asked rhetorically.
Austin walked up to a nearby log. It appeared to be Tali's journal.
"Our ancestors walked these halls with uncovered heads. The sun must have been normal back then. So much space. Walls of stone… It's amazing. I wish my friends could see it. I wish Austin were here."it said in Tali's voice.
"She still thinks about you. Unexpected." said Leena.
At that moment, another console lit up and a holographic projection of Tali appeared over it.
"Tali Zorah to base camp. Come in base camp!" she said.
Austin immediately walked up to it and accessed the controls.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" Tali repeated.
"Tali, its Austin." said the Helldiver.
"Austin?! I'm not complaining, but you show up at the strangest times. What are you doing here in the middle of Geth space?"Tali asked, very surprised to be talking to her old friend again.
"We were in the neighbourhood. We thought you might need a hand." said Leena as she stood next to Austin so Tali could see her.
"Thanks for coming, Austin. It means a lot to hear your voice. Kal Reegar and what's left of the marines got em into the observatory. From where you are, it's through the door across the field. I got the data I needed and I'm safe for now, but I've got a lot of Geth outside."said Tali.
"What is this research you're after?" Austin asked.
"It's about this world's sun. It's aging faster than it should. I can tell you more about it once we've got fewer Geth shooting at us." Tali replied.
"It looks like somebody sealed the door against the Geth, and the console is damaged. Can you get it open on your end?" Austin asked as Leena tried in vain to get the door open. There was little she could do with the interface damaged.
"Let me see. Yes. I can do it. Here. Should be unlocked now. Be careful, Shepard. And please, do what you can to keep Reegar alive."said Tali.
Sure enough, the door was now unlocked and the group proceeded further through the ruins. There were more Geth in the tunnels, but it was nothing that they couldn't handle. Only the invisible drones proved to be a real nuisance. Like the Helldivers, they too had cloaking devices and where able to hide from site. Worse still, the area they had to go through was exposed to a lot of sunlight, so the group had to fight smart and be sure that they stuck to cover. Despite this though, the group finally managed to make it to the last bit. They found themselves in a room with a single door and some shutters. As Leena activated the controls for the door, the shutters opened with it. When they did however, Austin was starting to wish she hadn't done that.
Across the courtyard was a small army of Geth. They were gathered outside a massive bunker where they guessed Tali was. To be honest though, that wasn't the worst part. Accompanying the Geth was something that Austin hadn't seen since the battle on Virmire. A Geth Colossus! The massive four legged juggernaut turned around and spotted the group.
"HOLY HELL! GET DOWN!" Austin yelled as the Colossus charged up its main weapon and fired a massive beam from its eye.
The shot impacted on the control panel, barely missing the group. The rest of the Geth meanwhile where immediately alerted to this and some of them dispatched from the ones that were attempting to hack the door.
"This is why I follow you, Shepard. Big things." said Grunt as everyone quickly got back up and unholstered their weapons again. This would be a really tough fight.
"Definitely like old times." Leena muttered.
As the group quickly headed out of the area, they saw a lone Quarian soldier behind cover. His environmental suit was completely red and he had a rocket launcher in his hands.
"Over here! Get to cover!" he yelled to them.
The group didn't need to be told twice and the quickly took cover next to him.
"Squad leader Kal Reegar, Migrant Fleet Marines. We talked on the radio before the dropship arrived. Still got no idea why you're here, but this ain't the time to get picky. Tali's inside over there. The Geth killed the rest of my squad, and they're trying to get to her. Best I've been able to do is draw their attention." he said.
"Are you sure she's still alive?" Austin asked over all the noise of gunfire.
"The observatory is reinforced. Even the Geth will need time to get through it. And it's had to hack a door when someone's firing rockets at you." Reegar laughed slightly. "The Geth are near platoon strength, but the Colossus is the worst part. It's got a repair protocol. Huddles up and fixes itself. I can't get a clear shot while it's down like that. I tried to move in closer, but one of the bastards punched a shot clean through my suit."
"How bad is your suit damage?" Leena asked.
"Combat seals clamped down to isolate contamination, and I'm swimming in anti biotics. The Geth might get me, but I'm not gonna die from an infection in the middle of a battle. That's just insulting!" Reegar replied.
"We need to get to Tali. Got any ideas?!" Austin asked.
"Just one. I'm not moving so well, but I can still pull a trigger, and I've got a rocket launcher that the sun hasn't fried yet. You move in close. I'll keep the Colossus busy; maybe even drop its shields. With luck, you'll be able to finish it off." Reegar replied.
"You've done enough, Reegar. You don't need to throw your life away." said Austin persuasively.
"Wasn't asking your permission, even if you're a Major. My job is to keep Tali safe. This is our best shot." Reegar grunted as he went to pop out of cover to fire a rocket. Leena however quickly flung him out of the line of fire.
"We don't have enough people on our side for you to take one for the team! Stand down!" she ordered.
"I'm not gonna just stand there while you run into enemy fire! They killed my whole squad!" Reegar objected.
"And if you want to honor your squad, watch my back! I need you here in case they bring reinforcements!" said Austin.
"All right, Shepard. We'll do it your way. Hit 'em hard for me. Keelah Se'lai!" Reegar agreed reluctantly.
Dodging the Colossus' attacks was definitely not easy. With this, it was matter of sticking to cover and keeping your head down or you'd lose it. Luckily, the Geth weren't great shots from a far distance, so a lot of the laser fire missed its target. Other Geth troopers resorted to breaking formation and tried to move in closer to the group for a better shot. Though this made them easier to fire on, they too stuck to cover. Worse still, the Geth where starting to bring out the heavy artillery. Rocket troopers, Pyros, and even a few Geth primes had now joined the fray.
Overall, this was not going well. To make it even trickier, the Colossus now had the group pinned down and they couldn't advance any further.
"Fall back! There's no way we can get through that!" Austin ordered.
Grunt provided cover fire for the others while Samara threw up a small barrier to cover the group's retreat. They took cover once again next to Reegar.
"How's it going out there? You wanna try it my way?" he offered.
"On second thought, yes. If you're up for it, we could use some help." Austin replied, ducking his head down to avoid a near miss.
"Keelah Se'lai. Say hi to Tali for me!" said Reegar as he popped out of cover and fired a rocket at the Colossus. Though Austin knew this would now make things easier by keeping the Colossus distracted, he still didn't want Reegar left here without some help.
"Samara, stay here. Use a barrier to block the Geth's fire. Keep Reegar safe!" he ordered.
"I'll do my best." the Justicar nodded.
Now with a bit more of a plan, Austin, Leena and Grunt tired another push. Thanks to Reegar keeping the Colossus occupied they were able to get much closer now. To make things even easier, the Geth where now coming at them. Though this had them under heavy fire, it would at least mean there'd be less to deal with once they got close enough. It would also make talking down the Colossus much easier.
"How's Reegar doing, Samara?" Austin asked into his comm as he managed to land a head shot on a Geth prime which went straight through its head and even managed to punch a hole in a pyro's gas tank.
"Barriers are holding, Shepard. But we won't last much longer!" he heard Samara reply back as the pyro's tank ignited, taking a large bunch of Geth soldiers with it as it exploded.
"Feel the blood rage!" Grunt yelled as he practically went mad and practically gunned down anything in sight.
This was a tremendous help as it allowed them to now progress close enough to get a clear shot of the Colossus. The massive Geth however quickly noticed them and it abandoned its fire on Reegar.
The Colossus shot another beam, but Austin was quick to returned fire with a charged plasma shot. It didn't destroy the Geth, but it did at least manage to weaken it.
"Eat this!" the Helldiver yelled as fired another shot.
Despite this though, the Colossus still stood.
"Leena, if you've got anything up your sleeves, now's the time!" Austin yelled as he ducked back behind cover.
"I might have something, but I haven't tested it yet." Said the Quarian as she took a modified M-920 Cain from her back. Austin knew immediately that that was a nuke launcher.
"Well, now's as good a time as any!" said Austin as the Geth laid down suppressing fire on them.
"Your call, Major!" said Leena as she tossed the Cain to Austin.
The Helldiver charged it up and popped out of cover. Only too late did the Geth notice the nuke fully charged.
"Hasta La Vista, Baby!"
Austin pulled the trigger and the nuke sped right at the Colossus. Everyone's vision was blinded as the whole of the Geth army was engulfed in a massive explosion. Leena even was flung right off her feet by the blasts force. When the brightness died down, all that was left was last bit of mushroom cloud and a few small pieces of Geth.
Austin was left speechless as he looked at the M-920 Cain.
"Bloody hell!" he panted in surprise.
"Ha! Where can I get one of those?!" Grunt laughed as Samara quickly re-joined the group and helped Leena back up.
"That was… a pretty successful test." Leena panted and laughed at the same time.
"You, Leena, are genius. Not even Dells mad enough to make something like this." Austin laughed as he handed the Cain back to Leena. He made sure to be gentle with it this time having seen how destructive it was. He then turned to Samara.
"Reegar?" he asked.
"He is fine. He'll just be a minute." Samara replied.
"Good. Now, let's get what we came for." Said Austin.
"Just a second. I locked the door to keep more Geth from getting inside." Came Tali's voice. There was a brief pause before the door that the Geth had been attempting to hack unlocked. "There, that should do it."
The group proceeded through and saw Tali typing at a nearby console.
"Just let me finish this download…" she said. Once she'd finished, she turned to face her old friend. "Thank you, Austin. If not for you, I would never have made it out of this room. This whole mission has been a disaster. I wish I'd joined you back on Freedom's Progress, but I couldn't let anyone take my place on something this risky."
"A lot of our people lost their lives here, Tali. Was it worth it?" Leena asked.
"I don't know, Leena. It wasn't my call. The Admiralty Board believed the information here was worth sacrificing all our lives for. I have to believe that they know what's best." Tali replied.
"I didn't ask what some Admiral thought. I asked what you thought." Said Leena.
"A lot of people died here. Some of them were my friends. All of them were good at their jobs. That damn data better be worth it. The price was too high." Said Tali.
"Whatever the reason, I'm glad I could help. Once you deliver that data, I could use you on the Normandy." Said Austin.
"I promised to see this mission through, I did. I can leave with you and send the data to the fleet. And if the Admirals have a problem with it, they can go to hell! I just watched my whole team." Said Tali.
"Maybe not the whole rest of your team, ma'am." Said Reegar as he limped into the room.
"Reegar! You made it!" said Tali happily.
"Helldivers are as good as you said. Damn Colossus never stood a chance." Reegar smiled under his helmet.
"If need be, the Normandy can get you out of here, Reegar." Austin offered.
"The Geth didn't damage our ship. Long as we get out of here before reinforcements show up, we'll be fine." Said Reegar.
"Actually, I won't be going with you. I'm joining Captain Shepard." Tali quickly added.
"It's Major now." Austin correct.
"You're kidding! Keelah, are you going to keep getting promoted every time I see you?" Tali asked. But she sounded happy that Austin had been promoted again.
"Should've been calling him sir. Anyway, I'll pass the data to the Admiralty board and let them know what happened." Reegar said to Tali. He then turned to Austin. "She's all yours now, Shepard. Keep her safe."
Austin nodded in acknowledgement. Keeping Tali safe was something he could definitely do.

Tali was full of joy to back on the Normandy. In fact as soon as she stepped into the comm room, she practically hugged Austin tightly.
"Welcome back, Tali. It's so good to have you back." Alaara smiled.
"Good to see you too, Alaara. It's been a long time." Tali smiled. Her tone then suddenly went serious. "I refuse to believe that it's true, but I have to know. Austin, I've been hearing troubling rumours that you were working with Cerberus. Personally I wouldn't believe that even for a minute. And even if they were true, I would simply assume you were undercover. Maybe even planning to blow Cerberus up."
"I promise you, Tali. I'm not working for Cerberus. I wouldn't even be with my old team if I was. And if I was undercover, I definitely would've told you. I would rather die again than work for those terrorists."
"I knew that would probably be the case anyway. Still, I had to know. I will fight beside you whatever the cost. And if we do run into Cerberus, I'll lone you a grenade." Said Tali.
"Glad to hear that. Anyway, if it helps, check out the Normandy while you're here. We've gotten a few upgrades." Said Austin.
"I'll see to it that Tali is given security clearance to have full access to our systems. It's not like we have to worry about her trying to sabotage us." Said Alaara.
"Good. I can't be a true part of this team if I don't know how the ship works. If you need me, Austin, I'll be down in engineering." Said Tali as she went to leave the comm room.
"Don't forget to introduce yourself to EDI, the ship's new artificial intelligence." Said Austin.
Just as she was in the doorway, Tali stopped and looked at Austin. She didn't say anything for a minute before she finally waked off.
Alaara simply saluted and left as well afterwards.

As Austin entered the CIC, he noticed that Kelly seemed to be very happy.
"What's made you so happy, Kelly?" Austin asked kindly.
"I had a wonderful chat with your friend, Tali. She's not what I expected from her psych report, I like her." Kelly replied as she turned to face Austin.
The Helldiver was still coming to terms with the fact that'd he'd had a very sexual dream about her. In fact, he doubted he'd ever be able to look at her the same way. But that didn't mean the two still couldn't be friends.
"I do too. Tali's a good friend. We've been through a lot together." Austin smiled.
"Quarians are so fascinating to me, but they also make me a little sad." Said Kelly, her smiled dropping.
"Why do they make you sad?" Austin asked.
"Their environment suits are so beautiful, but with their immune systems, they're trapped inside. I wonder what they look like under those helmets, or what their skin feels like under those suits." Said Kelly.
"Hmm, I sometimes wonder the same thing. Anyway, is there anything I should know?" Austin asked.
"Yes, Kasumi recently told me to tell you that the she's recently received word of an important event coming up that'll be the perfect opportunity for that heist of hers. Apart from that, that's it I think." Kelly replied.
"Thanks for letting me know about that. I'd better go." Said Austin, quickly remembering that he'd promised Kasumi that they'd do her heist after Haestrom.
"It's always nice chatting with you." Kelly smiled as she went back to her work.

Just before he and Kasumi headed out, Austin decided to just quickly have a little chat with Tali and make sure she'd settled in alright. As he entered engineering, he overheard Gabby and Ken's conversation.
"So Gabby, what do you think of our new Quarian boss?" Ken asked.
"Hush. She's right over there." Gabby hissed as she indicated to Tali, who was working on a separate control panel to them.
"Ah, she can't hear us with her head in that bucket. Don't get me wrong: it's a beautiful bucket. The whole suit is lovely. Quite snug, in all the right places." Said Ken.
"You know I can hear you." Tali interrupted.
Ken fell silent with embarrassment while Gabby simply laughed. Even Austin couldn't help but chuckle a bit at this.
"Austin, what can I do for you?" Tali asked as she turned to face him.
"Have you got time to talk?" Austin asked.
Tali looked at Gabby and Ken and indicated for Austin to follow her. They headed into the massive drive core area to have a bit more privacy.
"We didn't really have time to chat whilst taking out Geth on Haestrom, did we? I can't believe so many people died. Thank you again for getting Reegar out alive. All for data about stars blowing up, I hope the admiralty board gets some use out of it." She said.
"Have you heard any word about Reegar? Did he survive his injuries?" Austin asked.
"He sent me a message. It looks like he'll make a full recovery. Any time you get a suit puncture it's a matter of luck. Reegar got out with a relatively minor infection." Tali replied with relief.
"Having any trouble settling back in on the Normandy?" Austin asked.
"I like the quiet. I miss the old faces though. Pressly, Engineer Adams, many of them. Still, his new Helldiver crew just as interesting. And it's nice to be working with most of the old team, especially Liara and Garrus. Speaking of which, I'm very happy that you two are still together. Your death tore her apart two years ago when then Normandy was destroyed." Tali smiled under her helmet.
"Yeah. Things where tense for a while before we finally had some time to chat. After that, well… let's just say the past is the past." Austin smiled.
"Let me know if there's ever going to be a wedding. I want a chance to get a nice dress for my suit." Tali joked. "Anyway, I should get back to work. Thanks for coming by."
Tali went back to her work and Austin decided now was the time to tell Kasumi he was ready. Just as he was leaving though, Ken and Gabby called him.
"Excuse me, Major. Do you have a quick minute? There's something we want to ask you." Said Gabby.
"Sure. What's the problem?" Austin asked.
"We can't complain. I just wish it didn't take so long to calibrate the FBA arrays…" said Ken, but before he could continue, Gabby interrupted him.
"Kenneth! You're complaining!" she said.
"Just tell me what the problem is? This could be very important." Said Austin.
"Don't get me wrong, the Arkanes did a brilliant job designing and building the Normandy. It incorporates their best technology." Said Ken. "However, they did get a bit sloppy with some minor bits. The FBA couplings in particular aren't top of the lien anymore. I won't bore you with the details, but there's an array of attenuators in the primary power transfer systems that channels the feed blee…"
"Kenneth! You're boring the Major with tech." Gabby interrupted again. She then turned to Austin. "In short, if we had T-6 FBA couplings installed, it'd save us a lot maintenance time each day."
"I see. If that's the case though, why haven't you placed a requisition order for them?" Austin asked.
"Nothing really would be able to done about it. The T-6 model is difficult to find. Nation Stellar Dynamics discontinued them." Ken explained.
"We could probably find used ones in the Omega markets, but we have no time for shore leave." Said Gabby.
"Even so, thank you for letting em know about this. Next time we're on Omega I'll keep an eye out for some." Said Austin.
"Really? You'd do that? Surely you've got more important things to do, sir." Said Gabby, surprised.
"The team and mission are important, yes. But to me, the welfare of the crew is just as important. We'll need everyone at their best, and I mean everyone." Said Austin.
"Well... thanks, Shepard. Thanks a lot." Said Ken gratefully.
"Carry on." Austin smiled.

"Kasumi, if you're ready, we can get this heist of yours done now." Said Austin as he entered the starboard observation room where Kasumi had set up her quarters. The thief herself was sat on the couches. She smiled under her hood as she saw Austin enter.
"Good. I've made all the necessary arrangements. Here's your formal wear." She said as she held up a neatly folded suit.
"Why is there a dress as well? Is that for you?" Austin asked as he noticed that Kasumi was holding a dress as well.
"No. This is for your sister." Kasumi replied.
"Sarah? When did this happen?" Austin asked in surprise as he took the suit from Kasumi.
"Trust me, Shepard. If we bring her, this will be way easier. I promise you now that she won't be in any danger. If this all goes to plan, we'll be able to pull this heist off without firing a single shot." Kasumi explained.
At that moment, the door opened and Sarah walked in. She was currently wearing her Alliance uniform and was also wearing an N7 hoodie over the top portion.
"Brother." She said as she nodded to her brother. She then noticed the dress in Kasumi's hands "Ah, good. That one's mine I take it?"
Kasumi nodded and handed the dress to Sarah who examined it for a bit.
Deciding that he shouldn't argue with Kasumi and his sister, Austin simply shrugged.
"Okay. Joker, plot a course for Bekenstein." He said to Joker.
"You two better get dressed. I'll get all the last minute preparations sorted. Said Kasumi as the two siblings walked out of the room and made for the restrooms in order to get changed.

About a minute or so later, Austin came back in. Kasumi smiled as she saw him dressed in the suit. It seemed to fit him just fine and he looked really smart in it.
"How's it fit?" she asked.
"Feels alright. Seems a bit tight around the neck, but other than that, fits fine. How'd you know my size?" Austin asked.
"I sized you up when we met." Kasumi winked at him.
"So where's your formal wear?" Austin asked.
"Oh, I won't be wearing any. My current attire will do fine." Kasumi replied.
At that moment, the door opened again and Sarah stepped in. She did not look happy. It was only now that Austin saw how short the dress was. While Sarah looked very pretty in it, it exposed a lot of her legs and only just stopped at her knees.
"Kasumi, is this a joke?! Have you seen how bloody short this thing is?! I know I have nice legs, but this is ridiculous!" the N7 marine complained.
The dress also hugged her body rather tightly. Austin was particularly embarrassed to see his sister cleavage on display.
Oh bloody hell." He groaned in his head. Even he had to admit that this dress was not the most appropriate. Especially for his own sister.
"We need you to get the admiring looks. Hock needs to take you just as seriously as your brother." said Kasumi, trying her best not to laugh.
"Fine. But if I catch one person staring at my legs and my tits, or trying to look up my dress, I'll kill them!" Sarah groaned.

Sorry that some of the fight scenes where either too short, not descriptive enough or cut out all together, but it just feels a bit unnecessary for fight scenes like this. Boss fights, like the one with Shadow and Experiment 13 though make an exception since I do those ones very well.
Anyway, I hope to the next one done soon. Hopefully, it'll be bit more interesting and fun with Sarah coming along for the ride. I'm even going to make a little joke about a certain camera angle in Kasumi's mission. Some people might know what I mean. Those who don't... well i'm sure it'll make sense to you once you read this and play the DLC as FemShep.
Until next time!
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Mass Effect: The Helldiver Saga, The Collector War