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Mass Effect: The Helldiver Saga, The Last Cycle	By : Veyron722skyhook Category: +M through R > Mass Effect Views: 6104 -:- 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
- 19
- 20
- 21
Took a rather long time to finish this, but I still got it done in time.

Now we meet Skarlack's scary, carnivorousness and violent wife.

Enjoy! ;)

Chapter 20

Liara's bane

The mission to rescue Admiral Koris had been tense, but successful in the end.

After managing to disable the AA guns and a jamming tower, they'd managed to pick Koris up. He had at first refused to be saved, telling them to rescue his crew instead.

Austin however had found a better solution. His dropship had rescued the Admiral, while he got a separate team in another dropship to rescue his crew. Overall, pretty successful.

"Major, unrest has spread further than I thought. You were... right, that I return."

"Have you talked the civilian captains into staying?"

"Yes, they've regrouped into defensive positions around the fleet's core. If we hadn't stopped them from..." "Any aid I can offer is yours. After the Reapers enslaved the Geth against their will, and there's the possibility for peace if we free them, I'd give anything to stop the madness of this war."

"And that's why your people needed you back."

"Of course. It's time we turned our attentions to those we can still save. Farewell, Shepard. Fly safely."

Koris' hologram vanished and Austin walked back into the war room.

"Major, I have a matter that requires your attention." said Raan.

"Has the base been located?" Austin asked.

"Not yet. The Geth is still searching." said Raan, indicating to Legion. "If I recall, Tali once served with a Quarian soldier named Kal Reegar, yes?"

"Yes. I met him on Haestrom when I recruited Tali onto my team to help fight the Collectors. He then defended Tali at her trial." Austin replied.

"Then I assume he mentioned he might be posted to assignments concerning Dark Energy?" Raan asked.

"He mentioned it. But didn't say anything beyond that." said Tali, joining in the conversation.

"Recently, he reported that a Dark Energy trace had been spotted." Raan explained.

"Whereabouts? Is that something we should worry about?" Austin asked.

"We don't' know. But it's on the homeworld, and that's cause for concern." said a very familiar Quarian as he walked in. He was dressed in a mostly red suit and had a black visor. "Shepard, Tali Zorah, it's been too long."

"Reegar! Good to see you." said Tali happily.

"Same here, ma'am." Reegar nodded.

"Kal, how many times must I ask you to call me, Tali?" Tali sighed.

"Still working on it, ma'am." said Reegar.

"You look good, Reegar. How've you been?" Austin asked.

"As well as a soldier's life can be, I guess." Reegar replied.

"Anyway, you said this dark energy is on Rannoch?" Austin asked.

"From what the tech experts can tell me, yes." said Reegar. He activated the holo map and it projected Rannoch, pinpointing the location of the detected Dark Energy. Sill, Dell and Javik also came in at that moment. Most likely they'd heard about it and wanted to help if possible. All of them either techs or scientists, so they could be of some assistance.

"That doesn't make any sense though. Dark Energy isn't something that can be found on a planet." said Tali.

"Would it affect Rannoch in the same way it affected Haestrom's sun?" Austin asked with a hint of concern.

"I don't think so. Stars are different from planets. But that doesn't mean the home world is completely safe." said Tali.

"What else can you tell us about this, Reegar?" Austin asked.

"Nothing much. All they've been able to determine is that it's emanating forms from a mine deep underground." Reegar explained.

"That doesn't make sense though. You don't find energy underground." said Dell.

"Some forms of energy can be contained." said Javik.

"How though? You'd need advanced tech to do that. Even for the Geth, that would take a lot of resources."

"What about crystals though?" Sill asked.

For a moment, everyone was silent. The young Arkane had just made a very good point."

"Yes. And some crystals can be mined underground." said Javik.

"Legion, did the Geth or Nazara ever show any interest in Dark Energy?" Austin asked.

"Not that we know of." Legion replied. "But Nazara hid much from us. It may very well have been using dark energy in its experiments."

"That's worrying." said Tali. "Dark energy is very rare. So rare in fact that we barely know anything about it."

"And if Nazara's found a deposit of the stuff in a crystal form, that could even more trouble." said Sill.

"Then perhaps it should be investigated." said Raan.

"We'll head down there and assess the situation. We'll then call for backup if necessary." said Austin.

"You're bringing me too, Shepard. Don't think I'm gonna sit this one out." said Reegar.

"You're welcome to join us, Reegar." Austin nodded.

The mines were filled with the constant sound of drilling rock begin chipped away as Geth and Takaal soldiers worked on extracting the crystals. Stood on a higher level, a lone Takaal, different to the others observed the whole thing. This however was not Skarlack.

"My lady, the drones are becoming extremely weak from the constant exposure. Our progress is slowing." said a Takaal soldier.

Mirage turned to face the soldier.

"Have them rest for a while. Get the Geth to cover for them." she said.

"By your command." the soldier bowed.

Mirage stood out from the other Takaal because of her appearance, even compared to Skarlack. Though she wore the same type of Takaal armour as her husband, it was differently parts were shaped in such a way that they looked like bones, which gave the appearance that Mirage was in fact wearing bone armour. It was still the same metallic armour colour though, so that prevented it from looking completely like bone.

There were some real bones on the armour though. Most of them were skulls that Mirage wore as ornaments or trophies. In particular she wore the skull of a very large life form on her upper arm over her armour. Various over small skulls of smaller animals were worn as a tribal ornament across her chest. Something slightly scary was that she had one or two shrunken heads on her belt. In addition to this, the skull of a dinosaur was attached to her upper chest, partly serving as a breast cover.

Both her shoulders also had a guard over each one. Both of them had spikes on the outside, the right one of which had a human skull impaled on it.

The skull of a ram also adorned few face. Because of the shape of her face, the skull was split in half, so there was a gap in-between the two. It did however allow the horns to correctly cover her crests and the eye sockets to be correctly placed so she could see out of them. Metal plating of course was worn underneath as the real mask, and as protection in case the skull got shatter or fell off. The skull had been modified ever so slightly to have its teeth replaced with long fangs, giving Mirage a slightly scarier appearance.

Being a female Takaal, she also had several dreadlocks growing from behind her head. The tip of each had a bone claw on it.

Every single skull Mirage had had been taken from a life form that she'd killed and then eaten. Due to her carnivorous condition, she gladly enjoyed eating any species. Her own kind was an exception though. If she'd been cannibalistic, she probably would've been killed long ago. Even so, her condition hadn't been ignored when she'd been growing up.

Takaal who had Menseneter were often feared or shunned upon as it was known to make them more violent and aggressive than normal Takaal, especially towards other species.

Mirage's comm then beeped. She took a small device from her belt and activated it. The holo of her husband projected out of it.

"I trust good progress has been made?"

"Indeed, General. More Dark energy crystals have been mined and are ready for collection." Mirage replied.

"Good. We will be along shortly to collect It." said Skarlack.

"The dark energy though is starting to affect our troops more frequently though. Their strength becomes drained more quickly. At the moment, the Geth are having to do all the work." said Mirage.

"No matter. Nazara will be pleased of the large amounts that have been excavated regardless." said Skarlack. "Continue as normal. Inform me of any... setbacks."

"As you wish, husband." said Mirage, bowing her head as the hologram vanished.

The dropship gently touched down outside the cave entrance and everyone stepped out. Austin had chosen to bring along Liara, Tali and Griffin for this. Reegar of course had come along too.

According to the readings, the dark energy signal was inside a mountain, which did admittedly look a bit like a volcano. Tali and Leena had assured Austin that this mountain wasn't a volcano though, so that did put his fears to rest.

"Stay alert, everyone. We're gonna have very little light down there and the Normandy may lose our signal." said Austin.

"Ready when you are, Shepard." said Reegar.

The group proceeded into the tunnels, keeping a constant eye out for any Geth or Takaal troopers that could risk sounding the alarm. 5 minutes or so later, they finally found another source of light. Several crystals aligned the walls, black and very dark red.

"This is worrying." Said Reegar. "None of this looks like it was done recently."

"Indeed, and judging by the scale of this mine, the Geth have been at this for quite some time." Austin agreed.

"Strange though. The Geth aren't known to use mining equipment." Said Reegar.

At that moment however, they suddenly heard the noise of a drill. Austin quickly motioned for the others to get down.

"Keep it slow. We don't how many there down here." He said.

The team took cover behind some nearby rocks and gently leaned out to get a glance.

Both Geth and Takaal soldier were gathering up the crystals and loading them in cargo crates.

All the Geth here were apparently modified specifically for mining. They'd had key areas reinforced with armour and their right arms were replaced with drills. A few Geth Primes though were assisting with the heavy lifting of larger crystals and the crates.

The Takaal meanwhile were mostly using mobile drilling machines with tank treads. A few others were supervising the operation.

"I feared as much." Austin whispered.

"So these are the Takaal?" Reegar asked, also keeping his voice down.

"Yeah. Don't underestimate them because they're insects. Their tough to take down and they fight relentlessly." Said Griffin.

"Regardless, they're in our way." Said Austin.

How do you wanna handle this, Shepard? Guns blazing, or explosives?" Griffin asked.

"Guns blazing. We're not to use explosives unless necessary. Last thing we want is a cave in." said Austin.

"Does bring back a few memories though doesn't it?" Liara asked telepathically.

"I know what you mean." Austin agreed.

Not bothering with a surprise attack, everyone simply walked out of cover. A Takaal soldier spotted them instantly.

"Intruders!" it yelled.

All the Geth and Takaal ceased their operations and immediately opened fire on the team. Some of the drilling machines even charged them.

Griffin however was quick to smash them out of the way with his gauntlet. He was Alpha's second strongest member after all (Kraan being the first) and the machines weren't that big anyway.

Both Austin and Liara charged the opposition. Liara even managed to take down both a Geth and Takaal by jumping on one and then jumping again and twisting the others head off with her feet.

Reegar meanwhile fought smart and jumped out from behind a nearby rock in front of a Geth soldier, emptying his rifle into it.

"Eat this, you synthetic son of a bitch!" he said.

Another driller charged at them, but Austin was able to easily pick up the machine as it charged. As he hauled it up onto its back end, he fired at its underside, causing it to smash into the floor hard.

Another Geth tried to charge him, but a quick plasma shot took care of it. Griffin also tripped up another Takaal soldier and brought his gauntlet right down so hard that he literally squished it like a bug.

Pretty soon, the team reached the central chamber.

Some sort of large tube was positioned in the centre. As Austin looked up, he noticed the massive Takaal ship that was attached to the tube and hovering over them.

"Looks like they're loading up more dark energy." Said Reegar.

"Quite an operation they've got going on here."

The Takaal and Geth instantly opened fire again.

"Liara and I will try stop them loading the dark energy. Keep us covered." Austin ordered.

"Got it." Said Griffin.

Both Austin and Liara leapt over the boxes they'd taken cover behind and ran at the large tube connected to the Devastator. They were just too later though to stop the platform of dark energy is rose up towards to the ship.

"Damn it." Austin cursed.

At that moment, Mirage suddenly made herself visible on the high level.

"I was wondering when you would show up. I've been hoping to engage you myself." she said.

"And who might you be?" Liara asked, readying her gun.

"I am Mirage. Second in command of the Takaal army, and wife to Skarlack." said Mirage.

The Takaal then suddenly teleported right beside Liara and punched her hard, knocking the Asari down. Before Austin could react, Mirage teleported in front of him. He was just able to counter her punch as it knocked his revenant out of his hands. But it still knocked him back a bit.

The female Takaal glared at him through the holes in her skull mask.

"You are weak, Helldiver." she said tauntingly.

Austin attempted several fast punches at Mirage, but she countered every one of them, the final punch smashing him into the far wall.

"The fact that you organics possess a sense of morality and we do not, gives us an evolutionary advantage."

The female Takaal then suddenly hauled him up by the neck before then throwing him down onto the floor, hard.

"And if history has proven anything..."

She then grabbed him again and threw him much further this time. So much so that when he hit the wall, several rocks fell on him, one of which pinned his leg down.

"… It is that evolution always wins."

Mirage gently drew one of her two weapons from her belt. She appeared to have two tonfa like weapons, one of which she spun with fierce speed.

"Wonder if you Helldivers taste different to normal humans. Let's find out." she said, raising the ready weapon and aiming it Austin.

Just before the female Takaal could thrust however, something hard hit her and the force sent her flying. Austin looked up to see that Liara had managed to tackle Mirage.

The two rolled about for a moment before Liara managed to kick Mirage off. The two slowly got back up as they glared at one another. For a moment, Mirage gave an almost concentrated look and Liara for a moment felt as though a foreign presence was touching her.

"Asari, and quite a young one at that." said Mirage admirably. "They sent a child to do an adults job? Ha! They must be running out of good soldiers."

"I am not a child." said Liara.

"We'll see."

Austin meanwhile had finally managed to pull himself free. Just as he scooped Excalibur up however, there was a green flash and Skarlack teleported right in front of him.

"I hoped we'd meet again, Shepard. We have unfinished business to attend to." he smiled eagerly. "How's the chest?"

"Don't think you'll find me easy again, Skarlack. This time, I'm prepared for you. I disarmed you once, and I can do it again." said Austin, raising his blade.

"Don't be so certain." said Skarlack.

The Takaal General drew his staff and twirled it several times. He didn't use the omni blades or his second set of arms though. That was a small bit of good news.

Mirage swiped consistently at Liara with the sharp bone claws on her fingers. Liara didn't want to take any risks in case these claws were actually able to tear through her armour. Being attached to a Takaal, they probably were.

Liara managed to duck under one particular strike and delivered a swift back hand strike, knocking the female Takaal back temporarily.

Mirage though was quick to attack again, her swipes now even faster and with more aggression.

After dodging several of them, Liara managed to block one with her left arm. Mirage however suddenly grabbed onto it and used her other hand to grab Liara's leg and pulled it up hard, causing the Asari to fall.

Mirage seized the opportunity and brought her fist down hard. Liara only just managed to roll out of the way in time before the female Takaal's fist smashed into the ground.

Liara managed to counter several more swipes, but Mirage managed to thrust through her defence and grabbed her around the neck. She then threw the Asari again. This time though, Liara skidded as she rolled back onto her feet just in time to counter Mirage's lunge attack.

The Asari threw the female Takaal off of her and she landed on her four legs. She then jumped again onto a higher platform.

Using her biotics, Liara followed. When she landed however, she saw no sign of Mirage. She remained on her guard though in case the female Takaal tried to jump her from behind.

Sure enough, unknown to her, Mirage was crawling on a nearby beam, her clawed feet digging into the metal hard. The Takaal pounced on Liara, delivering a swift kick, sending her back against a wall aligned with cables.

Mirage charged and swung her arm at Liara. The Asari narrowly moved out of the way just as Mirage's claws slashed through some of the cables.

Liara reacted quickly to this and she enveloped Mirage in her biotics. Seizing the chance, Liara pulled the female Takaal towards her right into a waiting punch and then a swinging kick, sending Mirage crashing into a weapons rack.

That didn't stop the female Takaal however and she slowly got back up, her synthetic green eyes starting glow even brighter, and her hands becoming in dark green biotics.

Liara knew biotics when she saw them and she couldn't help but step back a tiny bit. Mirage could sense Liara's caution in her body language. Her fanged mouth curled into an evil grin.

"You're not the only one with biotics, you know." She said.

Before Liara could respond at all, Mirage threw a concentrated biotic beam which the Asari just managed to block in time with her own biotic shield. Mirage didn't relent though and continued concentrating the attack on Liara.

Liara did the best she could, but she could only hold this for so long. She could feel a tiny bit of sweat forming on her forehead.

Mirage's grin widened as she could sense the Asari weakening.

Liara then did something rather unexpected. Using her free hand, she threw a small biotic pulse at Mirage. This temporarily knocked her back and caused her to lose her concentration.

Normal biotics weren't able to do this move easily because of how concentrated they often had to be on maintaining a biotic shield, let alone just one biotic attack.

Only very strong or experienced biotics could pull off a move like that, and Liara was both. She was very experienced in using her biotics as a result of her developing her abilities from a young age and her Helldiver training, and she was also very strong. Being a natural biotic as well as having a bond with Austin gave her plenty of strength to go for long periods using her biotics.

Mirage only had a few seconds to recover from her blow before Liara attacked again. Two swift punches knocked the female Takaal even further back before one final one smashed her right into the wall, the blow causing her to black out.

Liara gently panted as her adversary fell to the floor, unconscious.

Her attention was drawn to Austin and Skarlack, who were still fighting.

"Your plan to stop this operation of ours has come to rumination, Shepard." the General snarled.

"I hear a lot of talk, General. But in the final accounting, what does all that talk get you? A futile quest for power, a mutilated body, your place as the Reaper's errand body." said Austin, parrying each strike Skarlack attempted.

"I'm no errand boy!" Skarlack retorted. " And I'm not on this for politics. I am the leader of an army so powerful it consumes all in their path!"

Austin managed to get an opening and he kicked Skarlack back.

"Yet you use that power to serve a race with no loyalty, no spirit, just programming." said Austin. "What have you to show for all that power? What have you to gain?"

"The future. A future where there are no Helldivers!"

Skarlack lunged again, this time unrelenting in his trikes, refusing to give Austin an opening.

Liara was about to assist when she suddenly felt something land on her. Mirage had recovered practically in no time and she leapt onto the Asari's back.

Liara then suddenly felt a huge amount of pain in her left shoulder as Mirage sank her teeth in, which were sharp and strong enough to get through her armour. The Asari managed to fight through the pain though and she delivered a sharp punch to Mirage face, knocking the Takaal off of her.

Liara quickly applied media gel to the bite wound as Mirage licked her lips. Rather disgustingly, she seemed to enjoy it, she even gave a moan of aroused pleasure as her snake like tongue licked at the Asari blood on her fangs and swallowed it.

"Mmmmm! Delicious. Asari taste better than I ever dreamed they would." she smiled evilly, baring her still stained teeth.

"You're disgusting!" Liara groaned as the media gel finished its work on her shoulder.

"We all have our little problems, youngling." said Mirage.

She reached again for her belt and unsheathed both her tonfas. Liara could see where this was going, and drew her sword.

Mirage simply smiled and the two readied for a fight.

"A good meal such as you, is worth fighting for." she said.

All the while, Reegar, Tali and Griffin were still fighting what was left of the Geth and Takaal forces.

So far, they were holding well. Griffin in particular was creating a whole body pile as enemy after enemy fell to his minigun.

"Where were you when we were on Haestrom?" said Reegar impressively.

"Doubt I would've made that much of a difference." said Griffin.

So far, neither fight was showing a winning opponent. Skarlack was just as difficult as ever as he duelled Austin, and Liara was finding mirage just as tricky.

The female Takaal moved and fought with a huge amount of ferocity, almost as if she was letting her hunger and desire to eat fuel her attacks. She must be very hungry.

At the same time, both Takaal got an opening on their opponents and kicked them both back. Both Austin and liar banged into each other, but quickly recovered and stood back to back.

"You okay?" Austin asked telepathically.

"Minor bite, and I'm not reading any poison. I'll be fine." Liara replied.

"We can take 'em both if we focus." Said Austin.

"At least this time I won't be forced to watch." Said Liara.

The two Helldivers twirled their swords and went into their traditional battle stances that they always did when they were about to fight a tricky opponent using their union bond.

"Ready?"

"Like you even had to ask."

"Surrender, Helldivers. We are two, and you are no match for us both!" Skarlack snarled.

"You are mistaken." Said Liara.

Both Takaal attacked at the same time, their blades blocked by their opponents.

The whole battle became a blur of silver and black blades as the two Takaal tried to overpower their foes. Their strategy of attack though was proving to be their disadvantage. By taking the outside and forcing Shepard and Liara together, they only made it harder for themselves. The two bond mates always fought at their absolute best whenever they stood side by side. Plus, the union was a lot more handy at defence since the two shared their reflexes and could sense incoming attack the other might not notice easily.

Time and time the again, the two Helldivers would either attack with move that weaved around the other, giving the element of surprise, or they would often switch opponents. The sheer amount of times they changed positions was hard to count.

Just when it was going so well however, Skarlack and Mirage changed their tactics.

Both Takaal launched a spinning attack at the same time. As both Austin and Liara blocked the attacks however, they suddenly wove around their opponents, coming in-between them and forcing them to split part by a small distance.

"Impressive. Unfortunately for you though, we have better researched the unions of Asari." Said Skarlack.

Austin couldn't help but curse in his head. So it seemed that Skarlack now knew about the true extent of his union with Liara, even if he still couldn't detect it.

This time, the four separated into two. Mirage fighting Austin, and Liara fighting Skarlack.

The Asari managed to land a kick on the Takaal General, causing him to stumble backwards against some crates. She attempted to bring her sword down, but Skarlack spun around her and gave her a violent push on the back, causing her to smack into the crates and lose hold of her sword. Before Liara had a moment to try and pick it back up again, Skarlack grabbed her by the leg and threw her. Liara was able to regain balance while in mid-air and she disappeared swiftly behind some more crates.

Skarlack's pupiless green eyes scanned the area, remaining constantly vigilant for any sign of a Helldiver armour.

Liara then suddenly pooped up behind two crates and used her biotics to throw them at him. This did little though since he simply smashed them aside with arms.

Liara didn't give him the chance for an opening though. She quickly leapt onto the General's shoulders and punched his face several times. Didn't have much affect due to his helmet, but it was better than nothing. Still, the Asari only managed to land two strikes on the Takaal general before he grabbed her leg and threw her onto the floor.

Liara only just managed to roll backwards in time just as Skarlack's staff came down on where she'd been. She quickly delivered several more swift punches to the General's body before he swung to the side. She ducked under the attack and punched again before Skarlack punched her hard in the stomach sending her back into the crates again.

"Why do you persist, Asari? You know that Mirage and I are stronger. You're only delaying the inevitable." He snarled.

"You may have more power than we could ever dream of having…" said Liara, jumping back slightly to avoid another slash. "But the flame that burns brightest, burns out the quickest."

"Wise words, youngling. But still only words!"

Austin counterattacked a strike from Mirage and managed to kick her back. He then spotted Liara's sword on the floor. Rolling under another swipe from Mirage he scooped the sword up in his free hand.

"Liara, catch!"

He threw the sword to her and she caught it just as Skarlack brought his staff down. Black blade clashed with silver.

"Up till now, we have but toyed with you." The General growled.

Skarlack then kicked Liara hard just as Mirage did the same to Austin. Although this forced the two back to back again, the two Takaal didn't give them the chance to use their union. They both thrust their hands forward, lifting their facing opponent into the air and throwing them against the wall.

The two Helldiver just managed to recover in time as Skarlack and Mirage brought their blades down.

Desperate for something to end this fight, and slightly overwhelmed by the fighting force of both Takaal, Austin desperately studied Mirage for any kind of exploitable weakness. Then he noticed one. Her front left leg was facing outward more than the others, close enough him to maybe cripple it if he performed the right move. Sensing his thought, Liara caught on and transmitted a thought of him of a move she could then do once he had performed his.

Quickly agreeing, Austin seized his chance.

His left hand let go of Excalibur's handle and swept downwards, hitting Mirage's leg in the process.

Although Mirage had the synthetic weave that all Takaal had, she had normal legs, whereas her husband had mechanical legs.

The force of Austin's fist was strong that it twisted her knee join at such an angle that a loud crack was heard.

Mirage screamed in pain as she lost her balance. Liara acted quickly and spun just as Austin ducked for her, allowing her sword to slice through Mirage's left arm just above the elbow, severing it completely.

Mirage's cries of pain only intensified and she fell to the floor clutching what was left of her arm.

"Mirage!"

Skarlack's eyes glowed brighter than before, and a dark green like angry mist started to emanate from them.

The General roared in anger and he nit both Helldivers with a telekinesis push so hard it sent both of flying into another cave entrance, which collapsed around them. It even caused a long Geth soldier to join them.

Both Austin and Liara hit the wall hard and everything went black for a moment.

Skarlack gave a very angry growl as he watched the cave entrance collapse, cutting the Helldiver off from them.

His eyes then returned to normal and he immediately turned his attention to his wife. He knelt down and picked up her severed arm.

"Hold still, love. This may hurt a bit." He said.

He put the severed arm against the join on Mirage's arm and put his other hands over the wound. A faint glow surrounded both his hand and the arm.

Mirage groaned through gritted teeth for a moment before the pain subsided and Skarlack let go. He then placed both hands on Mirage's broken leg and did the same, healing it with in seconds.

"Thank you, husband." Said Mirage as Skarlack helped her up.

Unlike the scars Austin had given Skarlack on Cronos station, Mirage didn't have any on her arm since Liara's sword was not made of Kartalrium. The healed wound was perfect and seamless.

"I will not have us face them alone again." Said Skarlack. He walked up to a nearby console and activated it. A hologram of the Terror Geth appeared out of it. "Lord Nazara, the mines have been compromised."

"Shepard?"

"Indeed."

"More time is required for me to study the dark energy. Ready the ship for departure." The Terror Geth ordered.

"But we cannot leave the dark energy like this. The Helldivers will seize it." Skarlack objected.

"Then destroy the mines!"

Austin felt the vision return to his eyes and he groaned das he picked himself up.

"Bloody hell, that hurt." He said.

He then noticed Liara had also recovered and had managed to get up onto her knees.

"You alright?" she asked.

"I'm okay." Austin replied as he stood up.

They looked around for a moment and noticed the dead Geth that had been pushed in with him. It was dead and impaled on a dark energy crystal.

"We'd better get out of here." Said Liara.

Before she could do anything however, there was a sudden humming sound.

Both Helldivers whirled around to the find the dead Geth had somehow reactivated itself, its eye now glowing a very dark red, and some kind of red and black liquid leaking from the hole in its chest as it pulled itself off the crystal.

Before Liara could react in time, the Geth jumped on her and trailed to claw at her helmet. It was barely a few seconds though before Austin performed several fast swipes that cut the machine in several tiny pieces.

"Well that takes care of that." Austin panted.

Without her husband even having to say anything, Liara activated her biotics and forced all of the debris blocking their path away.

Both Mirage and Skarlack were stood on highest level of the mine shaft. Mirage had a large device in her hand.

"We'd love to stick around, Shepard. But I'm squeamish." She smiled evilly.

She tossed the device down to the ground and both she and Skarlack teleported.

As the device hit the floor, it started beeping.

"Bomb!" said Griffin with alarm.

"Run! Get clear!"

The whole mine detonated and the entire structure of the caves seemed to crumble and cave in. The explosion itself sent everyone flying. Eventually, it subsided.

The whole main operation was now cut off due to the many rocks that had caved in.

"Everyone alright?" Austin asked.

"No bones broken, I think." Said Reegar.

"Normandy, do you copy?" said Griffin into his comm, only with now answer. "Normandy! Damn it, no answer."

From the bridge of the Devastator, Skarlack observed the clearing smoke cloud from the mountain.

"General, scans are showing they're still alive. Shall I send down a squad to eliminate them?" Mirage asked.

"No. I'd rather not waste more of our people. Besides, I have a better idea. Send down my pet." Said Skarlack.

Knowing full well what her husband was referring to, Mirage smiled and gave a small bow.

"With pleasure, sir."

The whole place started shake, almost as though an earthquake has started.

"Now what?" Austin sighed.

"I didn't touch anything." Said Griffin defensively.

The rumbling suddenly stopped and was replacing instead by thuds every second or so. Almost sounded like… footsteps.

"Something's coming our way. Whatever it is, it's big and it's coming fast." Said Reegar, readying his rocket launcher.

The huge familiar black and husk like form of a dragon quickly came into view and charged at them.

"The Draco." Said Austin. "Run!"

No one hesitated an quickly broke into a run.

"What is that thing?!" said Tali.

"Long story. For now just run." Said Austin.

"Is it after us?!" Reegar asked.

"I'm not looking!" Griffin replied.

Since it was underground, the Draco obviously couldn't fly and was forced walk, using its wings as arm supports. As a result, it was slower than usual, but it was still able to keep up with the team at running speed.

A shot a fireball which they narrowly managed to duck down to avoid. The Draco snapped at them several times, its Dragon's Teeth narrowly missing.

Eventually, the team made it too much smaller cave entrance that led out into a much larger cave. They fit through easily, but the Draco was much too big. That didn't stop the Dragon from trying though. It became wedged in the entrance, constantly thrashing in an attempt to break through. With each thrust, more and more of its hulking mass broke through the rock. It breathed another concentrated blast of fire. Once again, it just narrowly missed.

Finally clear, everyone took a moment to catch their breath. Only now did they suddenly realize the Draco had chased them into a dead end. The only exit was the way they'd come in.

"That rock won't hold it forever." Said Austin.

"Then we're gonna have to make our stand here, Shepard." Said Griffin.

"No arguments there." Said Austin.

The thrashing grew more and more intense and the sound of falling rocks could be heard. The Draco was almost free.

"Not sure I like the sound of that." said Reegar.

"Get ready everyone." Said Austin.

The Draco gave one more thrust and the rocks gave way, finally freeing it at last.

The Dragon slowly proceeded into the open area. Austin was waiting for it, his sword drawn.

"Come get some." He said challengingly.

The Draco roared and charged at him.

With a simply dodge, and quick movement of his arms, Austin avoided the Draco snout and put a massive tear in the side of the dragon's mouth with Excalibur, causing the Draco to back away slightly in preparation for another strike.

"OPEN FIRE!" Austin yelled.

Tali and Reegar popped out from behind a rock and opened fire on the Draco, their shots impacting on its tough exterior, but doing very little damage. The Draco's attention shifted to them and it growled.

At the same time though, Griffin and Liara suddenly appeared on the other side of the cave and opened fire as well.

The Draco's attention now shifted to them and it swung its tail at them. Griffin just managed to push Liara down at duck at the same time as tail swept over them, its spike just managing to scrape across Griffin's back.

The Draco then once again turned to Tali and Reegar, spitting a massive fireball right out them. The two Quarians narrowly managed to avoid it.

Austin then came up from behind, firing at the Draco's neck. The Dragon was quick though to fire another flame burst. His armour though kept him safe. It was good thing the Draco still hadn't learned yet that its fire couldn't hurt Helldivers.

Reegar meanwhile snuck up as well while the Draco's head was turned. Sliding under the Draco's flame, he fired his rocket launcher at point blank range.

The force of the rocket sent the Draco flying until it smashed against the wall. It emitted and angry roar and once again swung its tail.

"No you don't!" said Austin as he grabbed onto the tail and stopped it from hitting Reegar.

However, the tactic hadn't really been thought through thoroughly, as the Draco was able to haul him up easily and then gave its tail a flick, sending the Helldiver crashing into Reegar.

Before the Draco could finish them off though, several more shots hit it from behind and it turned to the source. Griffin was stood on higher ground.

"Hey, hothead!"

He fired several more shots to get the Dragon to come up close to him. Once it was within range, he took a grenade from his belt and threw it at the Draco's open mouth.

Just when it looked as though the grenade would go in however, the Draco's tail suddenly knocked it away. It bounced off several sides of the cave before it finally settled and the countdown ended.

"Oh crap."

Despite being much smaller, the explosion as visible from orbit. Skarlack smiled as he witnessed it from the zoomed view of the Devastator's bridge.

"Ooooh. That'll do some damage." He smiled evilly.

The rocks stirred as the Draco broke free, spreading its wings and roaring in the process. As far as it could see, there was no sign of the team. The husk scanned the area with its eyes thoroughly.

After some time, it finally accepted that they were dead. Flapping several times, it lifted into the air and took off through the large opening in ceiling that had been created by the grenade.

A few seconds later, more rocks shifted as everyone pulled themselves out of the debris. Griffin even smashed several of them apart with his gantlet.

"Well, that didn't' go exactly as planned." He said.

"That's because any soldier knows better than to detonate a grenade in a confined space!" said Reegar crossly.

"Even if I intended the "confined space" to the belly of the beast?" Griffin argued.

"You nearly got us killed!" said Reegar.

"Reegar, it could've been worse. Let's just be thankful we're all right. You can play the blame game once we're back on the Normandy." Said Austin.

Back on board the Normandy, Raan was at least pleased to hear that the reaming Dark Energy had been destroyed. Though she was concerned about how much the Geth had managed to gather.

Currently, Liara was in the medbay having Mirage's bit looked at, just to be absolutely certain that it didn't' carry any bacteria, poison, infection, or anything harmful.

"Deep scans identify nothing. You were right, nothing harmful." Said Dr Michel.

"Thank you for checking just to be sure though." Said Austin gratefully.

"It was no trouble at all, Shepard." Michel smiled.

"Thank you, doctor." Said Liara.

The Asari got up from the bed and stepped back inside her unlocked armour. Right as it finished sealing though, she suddenly lost her balance and slumped onto the bed. She groaned weakly.

"What's wrong?!" Austin asked worriedly.

"I don't' know. I suddenly feel… weak." Liara panted.

Dell, who had been present in the medbay also quickly activated his omni tool and ran a full scan of Liara with her armour on. It flashed red at her hand. It was only now that he noticed a black and red stain of some kind on her left hand.

"What is this?" he asked.

"I don't know. That Geth was covered in it. Leaking it, almost like… blood." Said Liara weakly.

Doctor Chakwas handed Dell a scalpel and too a scraping of the substance from Liara's hand.

"Put your armour in the airlock for decontamination and go take a thorough shower, now." He said.

Austin helped Liara up and led her out of the medbay.

"Don't' worry, love. I'd be more than happy to help you with the shower part." he winked at her.

"I thought you might." Liara smiled.

"I don't think you'd need worry about further Helldiver interference, my lord. Not with Shepard gone." Said Mirage.

Skarlack and Mirage stood before the Terror Geth. Behind the Geth/Reaper was a massive collection of dark energy crystals. All that been excavated from the mines before its destruction.

"What evidence do you possess of this fact, Mirage?" Nazara asked, the doubt obvious in its question.

"I destroyed the mines, as you instructed, and then the Draco hunted them down." Said Mirage.

"Shepard is not so easily destroyed. He came back from the dead just as I did, and we have many battles behind us to prove it." Said the Terror Geth.

Mirage couldn't help but give a low angry growl at this. Skarlack though put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a look to stand down.

Unlike her husband, Mirage didn't have the same respect for Nazara. She did not believe it was a true Reaper since it didn't' have a Reaper body.

She dared not show this disrespect though. Even she knew better than to disobey a mutated Geth Prime with the mind of a Reaper.

The Terror Geth went back to examining the Dark Energy. Skarlack couldn't' help but show a bit of concern at this. It had affected his people rather rapidly. It would not be good if it did the same to one of their leaders.

"With respect, my lord, maybe you should take a break. I worry that too much… contact with the dark energy may allow its properties to adversely affect you." He said.

"False. I have not permitted myself contact enough."

The Terror Geth suddenly grabbed a large shard of the dark energy and pulled it apart from the rest.

"Wait! Lord Nazara, no! Not your core chamber! You do not know what it will do!" Skarlack shouted.

But the Terror Geth did not listen, and thrust the shard into its chest.

Its body started to spasm violently and its optics glowed a very bright but dark red as the Dark Energy started to spread all over the Terror Geth's body…

To be continued...

Well, how about that? ;)

Also, I've done a design of Mirage which is now visible on my Deviantart page. Please do check it out. Fair warning though, it may be scary.

Half term is next week, so... just a bit of warning that next weeks chapter may risk being rushed. During half term, I get distracted a lot. I'll do my best to stay on target though.

See you next time.
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Mass Effect: The Helldiver Saga, The Last Cycle