Finding a way inside the ship turned out to be not so simple; we were only saved by the biotic shield Lissi covered us with, under which we hid from the lightning. But eventually, a passage was discovered.
And the best part was that while we were running across the outer hull of the ship, no one attacked us. Going outside was like a death sentence. However, as soon as the airlock began to open, they opened fire on us with everything they had, including several rocket launchers, so Missi had to put up a barrier as well. Though she didn't create it as a hemisphere this time, but only in front of us. Liara also created a barrier, and even the heavy fire couldn't break through this obstacle immediately.
We had already thrown several electro-grenades, which struck those who didn't react quickly enough to the throw and jump away from the epicenter with discharges. But even as they jumped away, they continued to fire at us. However, they weren't using heavy weapons anymore, which meant the load on the barriers dropped, and then one Warp and that was it. No more fighters attacking us.
"Tch... it's always you..."
Jane shook her head.
"Are you unhappy about something?"
Bewilderment could be heard in Lissi's voice.
"No, it's just a bit unsettling when all your training is based on the idea that biotics are support and you shouldn't rely on them. And then a team appears with several strong biotics and..."
Jane sighed.
"...how have you Asari not conquered the galaxy yet?"
"And why would we want to?"
Missi looked at Jane, who was just passing her to enter the ship.
"Can you imagine how much of a headache it is to maintain order in a conquered galaxy? No, some of the youngest dream of power, but as you should understand, no one would actually let them do anything like that. And... we have about as many truly strong biotics as there are biotics among humans."
"And you think that's a small amount?"
Mockery could be heard in Jane's voice.
"No, it's just that as a rule, the strongest among us are the ones who understand it's better not to get bogged down in ruling and everything else. So they just live and enjoy life."
The airlock closed behind our backs.
"Alright, enough chatter, we still have a ship to capture."
I interrupted the girls, who could have talked for a very long time, and we moved through the internal sections of the ship. However, it was narrow here, and there were an extremely large number of enemies. For the most part, they were robots—specifically, LOKI Mechs. They are clumsy things, of course, but in large numbers, even they can cause some inconvenience.
Not to our group, though, as four strong biotics, a soldier, and a technician who was hacking some of the ship's systems as we went made for a very convenient team. It would only have been more convenient if we had brought Chifuyu and Rebecca with us, but they had truly important training sessions they couldn't interrupt. So we had to move in this company.
"Damn, how can anyone live here?"
Missi shook her head upon seeing another small cubbyhole intended for mercenaries.
"Oh, come on, a private room is actually very good..."
Tali responded to her friend's indignation with some disapproval.
"...at least you can do what you want and not think about the fact that there are several acquaintances nearby, and any of your actions could become public knowledge. For example, on the Fleet, only married Quarians who are also important members of society have private rooms. Those who turn sixteen are moved to dormitories, and ordinary married couples are lucky if they have ten square meters for two, or for more if they have small children."
"Horrible..."
Lissi and Missi shuddered.
"Well, everything is relative."
Tali shrugged.
"Now Quarians live better, and it's all thanks to John."
I only gave a faint smile at Tali's words. Did I help the Quarians? Definitely yes, although of course, that help was a drop compared to the mountain of problems they had. But I helped, and the shelters being built are designed for them too. So when the war begins, I will help them again. But I won't be left without profit myself.
A short, sharp gesture from Jane and we all stopped, preparing for battle.
"Tali..."
The girl understood what Jane was asking of her and, approaching the door, began hacking it.
"...too quiet."
"Quiet?"
Liara looked at her with slight bewilderment.
"Jane is right... The Broker should have assessed our strength by now, and he's still sending his lackeys at us in numbers insufficient to stop us. That can only mean he's up to something."
"A trap?"
"The most obvious option."
Lissi nodded, confirming Liara's assumption.
"The only question is exactly what the trap is."
Missi was thoughtfully glancing at our rear, where there were no enemies yet.
"Well, it's definitely not poisonous substances, as the enemy must know we're in suits. That would be pointless and very stupid. And someone who holds such resources and manages them can't be that stupid."
"Well, why can't he be?"
Jane tried to argue with Tali.
"He can be, if he has a smart enough VI and is reasonable enough not to touch a working system that was set up before him."
"Then it's more likely an AI..."
Tali shuddered at such prospects. She occasionally spoke with EDI now, who had already been integrated into the new SSV Normandy, though the ship wasn't ready at all... but in this situation, that was more of a plus than a minus. She was already helping a lot with improving the ship, making it better than it could have been. Besides, they were already building a portable platform for her. Naturally, I wanted to see her in the body familiar from the game, but I also understood it was quite limited. So that was provided to EDI only as a temporary measure, while the permanent one was being developed and made by the best scientists I could hire. Although they believe they are not making a body for an AI, but a high-tech prosthesis for paralyzed people. Supposedly, they put a clip on their temple, after which they can control another body that can feel, breathe, eat...
Of course, it's nonsense, but it's nonsense everyone easily believed precisely because no one would think to invent such nonsense.
"The door will open in..."
"Everyone to the side."
Having said that, I set an example and created a barrier that was so dense you couldn't see that there was no one behind it right now.
"Can I start?"
"Yes."
"Three, two, one, opening."
Tali gave the command to open the door, and almost immediately after it opened, my barrier took a lot of hits—and they were literally dissolving the barrier! Each shot was gradually destroying it.
"What the?"
Everyone looked at this in slight shock.
"Ha-ha-ha! The Shadow Broker gave us weapons specifically designed against biotics! You're all going to die here!"
"And why do I get the feeling Salarian ears are sticking out of these weapons?"
I asked this question addressing the ceiling; however, we didn't sit in cover for long. And if we had only used grenades at the very beginning of the path, and when there were too many LOKI Mechs in our way, now we just pelted the room with grenades. Fortunately, I had pumped enough energy into the barrier for it to hold out under the concentrated fire of such weapons for about thirty seconds. And we didn't need more than that.
"This needs to be reported to the Council of Matriarchs."
Lissi said this in an extremely grim voice.
"Agreed. If someone was developing weapons against biotics, then most likely, these weapons were purposefully developed against Asari. Such a thing cannot be left unanswered. I'll have to tell mother... or Aria; she'll also find a way to use this information for our benefit."
"How calculating of you..."
Jane seemed to be trying to act like she didn't approve, but her voice completely gave her away.
"It's not me, it's the world."
Liara said this, shaking her head theatrically.
Jane leaped out from behind the wall and made several aimed shots mid-air, after which the enemies went completely silent.
"Well, let's see what this anti-biotic weapon of yours is like."
With those words, we entered a fairly spacious room and found several seemingly standard pistols there. However, these standard pistols had non-standard magazines, so it became clear that the secret was likely in them. We found other weapons too, but most of them turned out to be quite badly damaged. But we didn't care about that.
"Moving on."
Another order and we move through the ship's corridors; now our movement is no longer as free as before, we have to use shields only to change cover, as standing freely behind them has become quite dangerous to our lives.
"And yet..."
Having moved behind another piece of cover—a niche in the wall where a LOKI Mech had previously stood—Jane decided to continue the conversation.
"...it's interesting. Who exactly came up with these weapons or ammunition? Was it really the Salarians, or did the Collectors decide to make the Asari less protected in the coming war? And if it's the Collectors, how did these weapons end up with the Broker's mercenaries?"
"Give me a couple of days after we capture this barge..."
Liara spoke quite dismissively of the ship.
"...and I'll tell you everything you want to know."
"Ha, don't exaggerate. You won't be able to tell me everything."
"Me? Possessing all the Broker's capabilities?"
Liara seemed indignant that Jane didn't believe in her strength and sent a Warp at an enemy, along with a series of shots. The latter were more to force some of the enemies to stay in their cover while we dealt with the LOKI Mechs in this wave.
"Well, yeah... I'll be more concerned with the question of how to make John pay more attention to me than to you or Tali."
"Hey, don't drag me into your confrontation! I'll just stand off to the side somewhere... and while you're fighting for his attention, I'll get it for my exclusive use."
Lissi and Missi were chuckling at what they heard, but they didn't forget to shoot at the enemies. And soon, in this wave, just like in all the previous ones, no enemies remained.
"Status?"
"A couple of scratches."
Jane was the first to answer my request, and she even stuck her tongue out at Liara, which was clear from the sound she made with the action.
"They didn't hit me at all."
Liara tried to put a bit of superiority in her voice, but at the same time, I could practically hear in her voice: "And what am I even doing?!"
"We're fine. The barriers might hold these shots poorly, but they hold. So don't worry."
The twins answered synchronously.
"Fine. I spent most of the fight sitting in cover anyway, hacking their LOKI Mechs so they'd start fighting on our side."
I gave a satisfied chuckle.
"Excellent, since everything is in order, let's continue. I hope the enemies run out soon and we have a boss fight."
"I hope so too..."
Everyone supported me, though not everyone said it in those exact words. But the essence was the same. Everyone wanted to deal with the Broker as soon as possible, as it was too inconvenient to fight here. In fact, it was only more inconvenient in the Presidium elevator, but there were no weapons there as effective against biotics, and there were more of us. Even if only by a little, that also played a big role.
"Oh, you've almost reached me..."
A deep voice reached us from the speakers, with mockery audible in it.
"But is it worth going further? You are tired; you have already fought my pawns more than once or twice and will fight them again before you meet me. Why not just surrender? Just get on your knees, throw your guns aside, and put your hands behind your heads."
The Shadow Broker's voice held a request not to drag the situation out any further and just do as he said.
"Don't worry, you will remain alive. I will hand two of you over to my allies whose plans you disrupted, and the rest... well, I need toys, so you will live for my amusement."
"And who would agree to that?"
Liara muttered this loudly enough for the microphones here to catch her voice.
"Especially when there's a chance to kill you and take your empire?"
"Ha... many have tried... however, you will yet realize you made a mistake coming here, but it will be too late."
***
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