Spectre Evaluation - Zepheras Agorix, [Closed: Yarik]

[Schmidt]

Zepheras had the right thought. Well, in Alexander's view anyway. Intent on searching for any further rachni but in the safest possible manner he had opted to check through the camera recordings for any sign of rachni, present or current, and of course to check the escape pod systems to see if they had been launched. The Vigilance hadn't been searching for such a thing because, at the time, they hadn't assumed the crew had been given the chance to escape. A simple boarding action, it had almost seemed like.

But now it looked like something far more sinister was afoot. Toth didn't respond to Zepheras' instructions verbally, instead opting to merely get on with the task he had been given. Since joining the ranks of the spectres he had become used to being the one issuing orders; spectres were, after all, above and beyond everyone except the Citadel Council. Even the inquisitor was only a liason, albeit a respected one at that. To be receiving orders was something unique, right now.

Activating the omni-tool on his right arm, Alexander took several moments to find and open the transferred ship manifestos. They were encryped, which was unusual in and of itself because manifestos were usually rather plain and didn't contain anything worth encrypting, but Alexander merely filed this as a mental note before using his authorization codes to bypass the security on the manifesto. It took a second for the code to register as authentic before the file was unlocked.

What he found within it puzzled him. The human took a several minutes - at least five, by his mental count - to digest what he was reading before he turned to the turian. "According to this," Alexander explained. "This frigate has picked up one piece of cargo in the last three months. It was located and brought on board one month three days ago, and returned to the admiral's estate on Palaven. There's no other mention of it until four days ago, when it was brought on board and the ship left Palaven." He paused.

"Strange," Alexander mused. "Why would the admiral take a piece of cargo to his estate instead of handing it over to the authorities?" He shook his head before continuing. "Weight given as one hundred and ninety three pounds. Height of five foot two. Racial origin unknown. Effects unknown." Another pause. This was sounding more and more mysterious. Was it possible the device that had been brought on board by the admiral's crew had done something to alter him, or alert the rachni to their presence? Both, maybe?

"Is there anything on the cameras about such a device? Or anything of note?"

[Yarik Streydus]

As Alexander analyzed the data on his omni-tool, Zepheras kept looking through the cameras, scanning for any crates with air-holes to explain how a rachni might've gotten on board. He didn't spot any like that, of courses -too easy- but did see one that didn't quite fit in before Toth spoke, grabbing the turian's attention.

"According to this, this frigate has picked up one piece of cargo in the last three months. It was located and brought on board one month three days ago, and returned to the admiral's estate on Palaven. There's no other mention of it until four days ago, when it was brought on board and the ship left Palaven," he said, his big white and brown eyes glowing orange from the bright omni-tool lighting them up like a grill.

His ornery stomach rumbling with hunger, Zeph kept his own eyes on the security camera screen and thought out loud, "Maybe he fancied himself a zookeeper or somethin' silly like that, and the rachni was a fluke. 'Course, then we're near back where we started as far as figurin' this out; bunch of rachni don't seem like the types to hide from the camera, though, and one little bug couldn't have... dealt with, the entire crew." Spirits, he hoped they were okay, even as a feeling of dread welled up in his gut, which he dismissed as 'extra-hunger'.

"Strange," continued the human, "Why would the admiral take a piece of cargo to his estate instead of handing it over to the authorities? Weight given as one hundred and ninety three pounds. Height of five foot two. Racial origin unknown. Effects unknown."

Zeph put a talon up to his chin in thought and turned to look at the dead rachni behind him. He'd never had a head for numbers, but those stats sounded a bit off if they were about the creature he'd just sent up to the spirits. "193 pounds?" he asked -more to hear the repetition than in hopes that the Spectre might confirm the number- while he quickly paced over to the corpse, dug his claws beneath the plates of its carapace for grip, and lifted the thing up beneath him like a barbell.

He hefted it up and lowered it a few times, his eyes rolling back in his head as he judged its weight. It wasn't 193 lbs by any stretch of the imagination; it felt more along the lines of 150, maybe 155. Maybe that was just a clerical error, but the rachni also wasn't nearly 5 feet tall either. If he was a gambling man, the turian would've bet that the manifest hadn't been talking about the rachni. "Damn it," he spat as he dropped the its body.

"Is there anything on the cameras about such a device? Or anything of note?"

Returning to the captain's console again, and the cargo bay camera feed, Zepheras answered, "There's a crate about fits your description down in the hold. Doesn't have any dings or scratches on it either, so I'm guessin' that's our admiral's... thing."

Clutching Nimtai's handle tightly in his talon, Zeph shut off the display in front of him and turned back towards the main access corridor. It'd be nice to get some answers. "That crate's the only lead we've got. Let's go poke it and see if it growls."

After shooting Toth a quick glance to ensure he was following, the turian set off down the hallway again, still wary of attackers but more quickly than before now that the lights were on. Unless anything else decided to crawl out of the metalwork to try and murder them, it wouldn't take long to get to the cargo hold.

[Schmidt]

Alexander smirked when his turian colleague spoke. Slowly Zepheras was growing on Alexander, and that was something that rarely happened. With Alexander first impressions were usually the only ones that mattered. But this turian ... he was different. He had a different style of investigation, a different modus operandi, to Alexander. Whereas the human preferred the straightforward, formal and practical approach, this turian was more laid back and willing to go with the flow. It was definitely interesting.

At first he'd put it down to the turian being a 'joker' of sorts. But he seemed to be taking the situation very seriously now whilst still maintaining his humorous attitude. His quip about the turian admiral fancying himself as a zoo-keeper would have brought a laugh from the dark-skinned human were it not for the fact that he had to remain respectful; that turian admiral was important to many people and there was a chance he was dead.

"Very well," was Alexander's only reply when Zepheras suggested they search the container in the cargo bay. Making sure his pistol was ready for immediate use - no further enemies would catch him off-guard, no sir - he followed behind the turian, noting how Zepheras' frame almost entirely blocked his view. He'd never realised the size of turians compared to humans before. Well, he'd noticed it but he'd never really paid much attention to it. But now, with Zepheras so close in front, it was clearly evident.

They were about half way to the cargo bay when the screeching sound could be heard again. Immediate Alexander paused, grabbing Zepheras' arm and indicating for him to do so as well. No sooner had they stopped than, in the distance, a rachni crossed their path. It paid them no heed, heading from one side of the t-junction to the next. Alexander was thankful; instead of carrying on down the corridor at the end of this one it could have turned onto their corridor, causing no end of difficulties.

"We need to be careful," Alexander whispered. "It looks like there are more rachni than just our friend on the bridge." He checked his omni-tool briefly, having downloaded the ship's schematics on the bridge. "We're only one corridor from the cargo bay. Best we get to it as quickly and quietly as possible." Releasing Zepheras' arm - a very muscled arm, in truth - he pushed on ahead, trying to keep his footsteps as muffled as possible.

[Yarik Streydus]

"Very well," said Alexander, aquisceiscating to Zepheras' command. Was always nicer giving orders than taking them, specially for someone as used to always having his way as a Spectre. The turian thought it awfully respectful of him to step back and let the ex-Spectre take the reins on a mission as important as this one without any protests. Alexander might not've been the most outgoing sort of fella, but he was a damn sight better than alright far as Zeph was concerned.

As the pair of investigators made their way down the way to the cargo bay, that strange noise from earlier started sounding off again. Zeph'd retroeactivatedly assumed that it'd been coming from the rachni, but he didn't see any-

A light sort of tug came at his right arm, stopping him just in time for another giant bug, like the one who's brains he'd bashed in before, to skitter across the way in front of Zepheras and Alexander. "Spirits!" the turian yelped beneath his breath, his claw nearly pulling all the way back on the trigger. Long as they weren't spitting up acid, it was best to let any rachni they came across to be on their way. "Thanks, partner."

"We need to be careful," Alexander whispered. "It looks like there are more rachni than just our friend on the bridge." The orange glow of his omni-tool turned his face all orange for a second before he shut it off, looking intent on continuing. "We're only one corridor from the cargo bay. Best we get to it as quickly and quietly as possible."

"Good thinkin'," Zepheras answered, his eyes scanning the walls as he poked around the dusty parts of his memory in search of the layout of this type of ship. It'd been awhile... "Should be a maintenance access to the cargo bay not too far from here we can use instead of makin' a racket opening the main airlock. C'mere."

Instead of going to the big bulkheads down the corridor in front of him, Zepheras turned left, down the same kind of hallway, stopping at a hatch in the wall only a few feet from the intersection. Reaching in and around the backside of the rim, he dug his talons around looking for the latch. A little to the left.... oh- no, no... there it is! Triumphatically, the red-plated turian pushed the hatch inwards, letting some light into the cramped but very clean maintenance corridor.

"These things are always a bit cramped for me, so you oughta' go in first." In order to assuage any fears the human might have about climbing in, Zepheras offered him a friendly smile and gestured toward the hole in the wall and said, "Well, go on!"

[Schmidt]

Following Zepheras over to the hatch, Alexander observed as the former - well, technically current - spectre pulled the hatch and made an opening. So, they were to travel through the maintenance hatch to the cargo bay were they? It made sense; Alexander wanted to avoid the rachni, and he doubted they'd find one of the large orange-shelled insects scuttling around inside the shafts. Just the thought of those legs scurrying about gave him a shiver down his spine. They reminded him of spiders, in a way, and he'd always hated spiders.

The turian commented that the hatches were always a bit small for him, making it cramped, causing Alexander to raise an eyebrow. How often did Zepheras find himself crawling through maintenance hatches? He imagined that, if they weren't in such a precarious situation, the idea of the large turian crawling through maintance hatches would be quite comical. But since this strategy was probably going to save them from getting acid spit at them by an inordinately large creature, he supposed it wasn't as funny.

Pulling himself up and into the hatch, Alexander grunted. Didn't smell especially pleasant in here, which was odd given that these shafts went from one location to another; anyone passing would smell this, so it made more sense for the shafts to be kept clean. He pushed on ahead regardless, breathing through his mouth instead of his nose. But as they progressed the small got exceptionally worse, to the point where Alexander was actually moving along using one hand for guidance and another to cover his nose.

"This isn't right," he coughed, hopefully loud enough for Zepheras to hear him behind his arm, covering his mouth and nose. "This shaft should be clean. Where the hell is that smell coming from?"

No sooner had Alexander asked the question than he got his answer. Finally reaching the end of the shaft, he peered through the grate to see the cargo bay itself. There was the container; it looked almost like it was still sealed were it not for the broken magnetic locks on the floor surrounding it. Someone had opened it, that was for sure. At least the lid, anyway. But he could see no one inside the bay itself. Slowing pushing the hatch, Alexander dropped down into the cargo bay and made his way behind the nearest cargo container.

Better to be safe than sorry.

Or at least, that was his thought until a dozen or so husks sounded their appearance, swarming over the cargo bay from behind containers and boxes and anything else they could find.

[Yarik Streydus]

With a surprising degree of readiness, Toth pushed open the hatch and hauled hisself into the maintenance corridor. Zeph hadn't pegged him as one of those high-society types who didn't get their talons dirty, and damn, he was happy to be right; as far as either the current and former Spectres knew, the crew of the ship and the admiral himself were still in danger, so there wasn't time for them to go and get squeamish.

That didn't mean they had to enjoy it, though. Zepheras didn't find it too unsettling after he squeezed in behind the human, having to turn himself sideways so he could fit, but up ahead he could hear Alexander not having a good time of it himself.

"This isn't right," he said with his mouth covered up under his forearm and coughing up a fit, "This shaft should be clean. Where the hell is that smell coming from?"

The turian hadn't noticed it before, but now that Toth'd mentioned it, he could smell something too. It wasn't all that bad, the way Zeph saw it, but then a sensitive nose was liable to get a man killed if he brought it anywhere near a kitchen on Invictus. Spirits, the things they did to a dead louza before they cooked it could've made a less carnivoracious fella' swear off meat forever.

Before Zepheras could say anything to him, the Spectre had pushed open the cargo bay hatch and slipped out, leaving the turian alone in the dark, scraping his back along the wall every few feet as he shimmied after Alexander.

The hatch opened again with a lurch, and the turian squeezed his broad shoulders out into the cargo area. Just as he turned his head around to look at what was going on, some kind of loud, eerie howl echoed through the chamber. Ghostly lights glowed from the darkness, growing closer and closer until their grey, dead bodies shambled into the dim light on their way towards Alexander.

He couldn't know for certain, but Zepheras doubted they were looking to give him a foot massage, and so picked up his pace, toppling out of the maintenance shaft and onto his back just behind Alexander. As he pulled himself onto his feet, he drew Nimtai from her makeshift holster again and leveled her at the nearest husk. Even his own optimism couldn't quite convince him that the monster running towards him hadn't been a part of this ship's crew, but there was nothing to be done for it now.

As soon as it came in range, he squeezed down on the trigger, killing the creature and sending it a foot backwards to the floor. "Let's check out that crate," Zepheras said, pumping his shotgun's action and readying another round for firing as he closed the distance to the objective in question. "See if you can't figure out what the hell's in there. I'll do my best to cover you, but you oughta' keep watchin' your back too."

[Schmidt]

Alexander pulled on the trigger of his heavy pistol, the shot snapping back the head of the nearest husk and knocking it onto its back, where it writhed for a brief moment before stilling. Another husk met a similar fate before the eerie sound these particular creatures gave of made him turn on his heel. Swinging his heavy pistol round the human found himself staring into the dead eyes of another husk, and as suddenly as that husk appeared it was gone. The loud bark of a shotgun rang in Alexander's ears, and the husk was gone.

Zepheras was, it seemed, a skilled shot with that weapon. He wondered very briefly if it was his preferred weapon, then discounted that theory. Turians were keen militarists, so surely this particular turian would see the illogicality of having a shotgun as a primary weapon. It wouldn't help him in long range firefights and even against certain enemies the power of a shotgun wouldn't be enough. But he supposed Zepheras knew where his talents lay better than Alexander did.

The turian suggested then that Alexander check out the crate whilst he dealt with the remaining husks. Simply nodding his agreement the dark-skinned human began moving, his steps cautious and well-placed as he scanned the room. Most of the husks appeared to be going for Zepheras, perhaps infuriated by the death of their 'colleagues' or simply because he was the largest and most obvious target. Alexander pulled off another shot, destroying another husk and bringing him one step closer to the crate.

So, this was what had happened to the crew? Somehow - he could see none of the well-known devices nicknamed "dragon's teeth" by Alliance marines - the crew seemed to have been converted into husks. What a monstrous and undeserved fate. This was not something he would wish on even his worst enemies, and for it to have happened to a presumably honourable crew of officers was beyond comprehension. It was disgusting. Whoever was responsible for this, Alexander intended to make sure they paid for their crimes.

Throwing open the lid of the crate, the item inside was a complete mystery to him. It was the same measurements as described in the ship's roster, and it was of the oddest design. A verticle rectangle of smooth material - it looked like marble - there were etchings on it also unknown to him. It was extremely odd, and yet it seemed to trigger something in his mind. A memory, perhaps of an image he'd seen before, but he couldn't pinpoint it or where he'd seen it. "I have the artefact!" Alexander shouted.

The roar of the shotgun was almost deafening, but he still made himself heard over it and during the brief intervals. "Let's finish the rest of these husks and secure it!" Pulling up the communication device and keying it correctly, the next time he shouted he did so to the crew of his ship. "Toth to Vigilance! We've secured what appears to be a unique artefact in the cargo bay of the admiral's ship. Crew appears to have been transformed into husks. Need immediate support to secure the relic for transport back to the Citadel!"

[Yarik Streydus]

Reanimated turian soldiers, their bodies emaciated and glowing with a ghostly light surrounded Zepheras and Alexander as they moved into the exposed center of the cargo bay. Their skin sloughed off from beneath their carapaces as they shambled towards the two living beings in the cargo bay, exposing the blue veins and cording beneath the outer layer of dead flesh.

Zeph couldn't think of anyone who deserved to go and get turned into that; even if they were dead inside, there was something awful wicked about using what was left of them against their wills. Putting them down seemed like a service to them, but it didn't make doing the thing any easier.

Three of the husks went at Zepheras in a tight group, but were broken up by a wave of biotic energy bowling over them. A shriek from behind caught his attention, and Zeph turned just as another pair of husks stumbled rapidly at him. The turian fired Nimtai in their direction, knocking one to the floor and taking any life it might've had left in it. The other ignored the red-hot pellets shredding its skin and swatted at Zeph with its claws.

He blocked the attack with his shotgun, but the husk managed to take hold of it and pull it from his grasp, and Nimtai clattered to the ground. Before it could go for another attack, Zepheras slammed his shoulder into its chest, sending it to the ground in front of him. It stared back up at him through two mechanical-looking eyes as he pulled Butea from his side and put a hole in its head.

"I have the artefact!" Alexander shouted. "Let's finish the rest of these husks and secure it!"

The three from earlier were getting back onto their feet, and one was already charging at the turian again. He put two bullets in its chest, and by the time it reached him it was so weak that it simply fell against him then slid to the ground. He aimed Butea just as the other two began their own reckless charges, and put one down immediately with his heavy pistol's last shot before she overheated.

Just one was left now, and though zeph was technically out of guns, he was by no means defenseless. The biotic amplifier stuck to his skull switched in agitation as he channeled the element zero through his veins, concentrating it in his legs, then striking towards the husk with explosive force. His head reared back from the momentum, until, when he was within punching distance of the mechanical abominabolation, he swung his head down against the creature's flat nose. A crunchy noise sounded out as Zeph stumbled back, cringing; the husk seemed to get the worse deal, however, as it fell back against the metal floor, the lights in its eyes flickering.

"Heheh," Zepheras chuckled, until an almighty sore grabbed at his forehead again. Headbutting the monster had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now he wasn't sure why he hadn't used his elbow, or shoulder, or any other limb available at the time. "Ow."

They didn't have any time to dilly-dally, however, so Zepheras turned to Alexander and the pile of husks the human'd put down himself. Spirits, it was a good thing they hadn't sent just one of them on this mission. "Nice shootin', friend." With a shake of his head, to knock out the last of the wooziness he was feeling, he continued, "I'm thinkin' we creep on back to the shuttle with that, uh... thing, and get it back to the Citadel."

As he passed Toth on the way back to the maintenance shaft, he gave the human a heavy pat on the back as thanks for a job well done. It was always nice to know the guy covering your back was more than capable of doing just that when times got rough.

When he got to the hatch, the turian easily pulled himself up, slid back into the corridor, then turned around and offered his talon to Alexander. They'd need to stick close; Zeph was busy mapping out the quickest, quietest route back to the hangar in his head, and the last thing they needed now was to get separated and taken apart by husks.

[Schmidt]

Alexander brought his weapon to bear on another husk, a myriad of rounds penetrating the shoulders, hips and skull of the creature. By the time the last shot went into the head the creature was already too weak to move, and offered very little resistance as it was blasted onto its back. He looked around, expecting that another husk would be about to assail him, but found only silence. Zepheras had, it seemed, taken out the rest of their opponents. He was a talented individual, that much was for sure.

He seemed to be nursing a headache. Maybe he'd had the unfortunate idea to headbutt a husk. Alexander had done that once, back when he'd been serving in the Alliance navy. Worst idea of his life; the migraine he'd been left with had lasted three days even with prescription medicine. He chalked the pain down to experience afterwards and often cautioned marines going into the field - or he had often cautioned them - about what not to do if one met a husk.

Nodding to Zepheras' instructions, Alexander then paused. How would they get that artefact through the maintenance shaft and to the shuttle? They couldn't well leave it here ... but then again, he'd been counting when fighting the husks. Frigates rarely had a large crew quantity and if he'd counted right the two spectres had just destroyed the entire crew. So, so unfortunate. If he hadn't long ago learnt to put aside his emotions he'd probably be distraught by the loss of such fine individuals ... turian or not.

So he followed Zepheras, taking his extended talon and pulling himself into the maintenance shaft. He was careful when taking that talon; turians were known for being able to nick people with but the slightest touch. Shuffling through the haft, it was not long this time until the two came to their previous destination. This time Alexander chose to lead the way, receiving constant updates on the status of the Vigilance as he did so. By the time the duo reached the hangar bay it was filled with not one shuttle, but four. Marines, all of them chosen by the Council to serve aboard spectre vessels, of various races were piling out.

Alexander issued their instructions; secure the device, get it back aboard the Vigilance, and get back to the ship themselves. As they moved about their business he turned to the turian. "You did well Zepheras" he said, cracking a rare smile. "I can see you haven't lost your touch. An unnecessary but required evaluation, in my opinion. It's a shame about the crew ... and that device is so odd and unique, it'll warrant further attention. But that's for the Council to investigate." Patting the larger man on the shoulder, Alexander made for his shuttle.

"When we get back on the Vigilance, get some rest. I'll be filing my report as soon as we hit Council space."

[Evaluation Complete]