Mass Effect 3 Brothers and Sisters

Mass effect 3: Brothers in Arms
Chapter 2
Mass effect © Bioware
By Danny Buell





Kojak entered the JSF command room where his squad was gathered with Alliance general La Pointe. La Pointe was of French decent and served by Hackett's side. He wore a blue Navy dress uniform with medals and ribbons covering it. He had a scar tracing down his right cheek. His face was hardened and his hair was grey. He was a respectable general, now he is leading this unofficial team of heroes.

In the center on the display table was a hologram of the planet Ontarom, a desert planet controlled by the Alliance.

La Pointe pointed, " Ontarom, a Alliance satellite array base. This is station two of four. Cerberus has been attacking these bases for weeks. It is about time we did something about it. Your objective: A downed ship containing classified information crashed nearby. The base is now under lockdown because Cerberus took over, you are to download and erase the intel before it gets off world when Cerberus unlocks the lockdown. Understood?"

The squad nodded.  Kojak stepped forward. "Pick your gear wisely. We move in five." He held his fingers up. The squad saluted, then ushered themselves into the armory.

La Pointe gave a concern look to Kojak. "Do you think they'll work together?"

Kojak's eyes were fixed on the group moving down the hall. He shook his head. "They better or else this will be for nothing."



Kepler Verge, Newton, Ontarom
2186: 0900 (Zulu Time)


The Kodiak shuttle rocked as it entered orbit towards the base. The inside was made of steel while the holographic panels on the doors provided a blue pigment to the hull. Kojak was hovering over the pilot's shoulder in the cockpit, looking out the window at the desert planet. Inside the hull was his team. Joram, the Turian specialist, was preparing his visor with the new Cross-com. Shila preferred to use her biotic instincts rather than Alliance technology. Ish wore his Salarian STG helmet.

Cradled in Kojak's arm was his N7 helmet.

" We'll be touching down in a few minutes." Announced the pilot. Kojak clapped his hand on the pilot's shoulder, slowly walking back into the hull.

" Okay, here's the plan: get in, get out. We don't need to waste our time here, if there are any survivors, we'll get them but we our main objective is the intel, not kills" His eyes looked at Joram, "Or each other."

He donned his helmet, activating the Cross-com.  The stock for his assault rifle raised, reaching over his shoulder, he pulled the assault rifle over, letting it unfold in his hands. The others drew out their weapons as the Kodiak started to decrease speed.

" We're approaching the docking port now!" Hollered the pilot.

The squad faced the doors of the Kodiak. "Stick close, let's move fast." Said Kojak.

" Effective plan." The Salarian said in the staccato manner of his kind. "Though, also be effective if Shila takes the lead. Powerful biotic. Useful for when clearing enemies in a charge."

" Agreed." Kojak replied. " Joram and I will cover you and Shila and pick off any stragglers."

The shuttle started to shake violently as it started to land towards the docking bay. The doors separated into two parts, sliding away and revealing the scenery of the planet. It was all desert with cannons and towers of red rocks. The base was surrounded by groups of satellite dishes with the Alliance blue painted on them. The base was built around a smaller dish but was in a defendable position.

The main bunker and power control room was elevated and raced across the center of the base. The docking bay provided cover for their advance while ramps looped around the base and all fed into some entry point into the main bunker. There was something wrong with the base: where was all the Cerberus soldiers?

The shuttle touched down on the landing pad, hovering so it could dust off as quickly as it came. The squad jumped out, weapons raised. When they were all off, the shuttle took off and flew into the clouds.

Kojak motioned his fingers, ordering Shila to take point. Joram took out his sniper rifle and climbed up onto one of the loading trucks for a better view of the base. Ish followed right behind Kojak as they moved onto the loading ramp. The Cross-com was scanning but there was nothing there.

In a heartbeat, bullets went flying. From the main command center, three Cerberus assault troopers appeared in the catwalk, aiming their guns for the squad. Their guns crackled and popped as bullets ricocheted off of the cargo crates.

Kojak was hit in the shoulder, his kinetic shielding deflecting the first two bullets, buying him enough time to duck for cover. Ish and Shila dove for cover against the side of a loading truck. Joram raised his the scope of his sniper rifle to his eye, squinting the other. With two lethal shots, the two troopers slumped to the ground, the third ducked under cover. Shila lifted her body from cover, casting her hand out with a ball of blue energy around her fist. The ball of blue energy was shot towards the railing where the trooper took cover, forming a white hue of energy over him. His body lifted, biotic energy reducing the gravity around him. Joram's sniper rifle thundered, another well placed shot to the heart.

" Alright, everyone move!" Shouted Kojak.

Ish and Shila both ran around the power generator that separated the docking bay from the storage platform that led directly in the backdoor of the bunker.  Joram collapsed the sniper rifle and slid it back into the designated slot on his armor. Kojak lifted himself from cover, sprinting down the exposed courtyard around the generator and to the loading platform. More Cerberus troops showed up, spilling out of the entrances and taking cover in the windows. Kojak and Joram dodged the bullets by luck, making it to safety by a group of stacked cargo crates. Ish came around the corner of a crate, launching a high-powered plasma round from his Omni-tool at a Cerberus trooper coming down the ramp. The plasma round exploded on contact, sparking flames all over the soldier. Ish aimed his deadly Predator pistol, firing a single shot to the head.

Kojak rounded the corner, joining Ish. His assault rifled crackled, firing a wave of bullets up the ramp at the approaching two soldiers, killing them. The other hid behind cover. Shila went up the ramp, charging with her Justicar shotgun. Her body started to glow blue, energy pulsing around her. A wave of biotic energy thundered out of her, blasting the soldier off the platform and onto the desert sand. She waved the squad to follow her. Joram stayed back, killing the troopers trying to sneak up behind them.

Ish followed Shila into the bunker, shooting anything that moved.

The central command room was rectangular and had terminals fixed against the edges, in the center of the room was a cylinder that supported the satellite dish.

A Cerberus soldier came skidding around the cylinder with his submachine gun in his hand, raised, bearing down on Shila. She waved her hand as he took aim, the physical action triggered a synapses in her brain to unleash a shockwave of dark energy. The soldier was lifted off his feet and thrown out the window head first. Another came around the cylinder. She leveled her pistol, firing the first shot square in the chest. He staggered back, his shields taking the hit. She fired three more rapid shots, on above the chest, shoulder, then head.

The soldier fell back, coughing on his own blood.

Ish held out his arm to one of the Cerberus soldiers who came rushing down from the other side of the Cylinder, his Omni-tool activating. A mass of super-cooled subatomic particles  came flying out of his Omni-tool, slamming into the Cerberus trooper. At first, the trooper kept charging but after a few seconds, his body started to freeze, his body covered in ice. Inside the Salarian's black helmet, he smirked. He raised his submachine gun, firing a short burst, cracking the soldier into different frozen parts.

" Cover me, I'll upload the data." The Salarian said, rushing to the command terminal. Shila pressed herself against the frame of the door that led to the catwalk which was filled with Cerberus troopers. She came around the corner, cocking her arm back, then forward, releasing a destructive cascade of dark energy. Each biotic explosion from the shockwave resulted in a super loud thunderclap that pushed troopers into the walls or off the railings.

" Data almost uploaded."

Outside, Kojak winced under gunfire. He and Joram were still in cover in the loading platform, holding off a squad of Cerberus assault troopers.

Joram held out his arm, activating an orange holographic armor that covered his body from his Omni-tool. He popped out of cover, casting his arm out, releasing a wave of blue energy. It flew towards his desired target, exploding around him. The mass effect field he generated started to shred the Cerberus soldier's armor slowly but effectively. Kojak raised himself from cover, firing a salvo of bullets at the warped trooper, the bullets cutting cleanly through his body. Kojak fired his incineration round at another Cerberus trooper, igniting him in flames. Joram might not have been the nicest Turian, but he sure as hell knew how to work well on the battlefield.

" Upload completed." Ish said over the radio.

From Kojak's Cross-com he could see the blue figures of Shila and Ish in the command bunker through the base's walls. He placed his finger on his radio, slouching against the cargo crates. "Shuttle, we need Evac on the landing platform!"

" Copy that."

" We're working our way back to you, Commander." Radioed Shila.

" Alright, shuttle is on the way." Kojak rose out of cover again, firing off a few salvos down range at the suppressed Cerberus troopers.  

Shila and Ish came sprinting down the exit ramp and onto the loading platform with Joram and Kojak. The Cerberus soldiers were closing in on them.

" Did you get the data?" Asked Kojak.

" Yes." The Salarian snapped. " I erased local copy and blocked Cerberus communications along with sending fake reports saying the situation is fine."

Kojak smiled. "Good."

Shila turned around, firing off a singularity power towards a squad of approaching Cerberus troops. The dark matter energy ball opened up, distorting gravity in the radius, lifting the Cerberus troopers. With a few lethal slugs from her Shotgun, she dispatched the Cerberus troopers. She felt a shotgun was better than the pistol she had equipped a few minutes earlier.

Bullets continued to ricocheted off the cargo crates and containers. The shuttle swooped down towards the group.

" Get in!" Radioed the pilot.

" Something isn't right." Said Ish as the Cerberus troops started to retreat.

" No, this is good." Joram raced towards the shuttle. Kojak turned around, ordering Ish and Shila to cover them. Joram held out his Omni-tool to turn off his Holographic armor when the door to the shuttle opened. A bullet struck him in his chest, his armor exploding, knocking the shooter and him back.

" Joram!" Kojak shouted, raising his assault rifle.

Out from the shuttle came a slender and tall women with a katana in her right hand. Her legs were metallic and cybernetic with hard armor with the white and armor Cerberus paint. She had short, but flowing black hair with a cybernetic visor that covered her eyes. She was one of Cerberus' most feared Phantom-classed units. She was unharmed by Joram's kinetic blast.

Kojak fired his assault rifle at her. Quickly, she raised her hand, forming a biotic shield in front of her. Shila helped Joram up and away from the shuttle as Kojak's assault rifle overheated. It was the assassin's time to strike. She leaped out of the shuttle with a flip, her katana switched to her left hand. She came charging at him like a ninja. She swung her katana horizontally across his chest but he skipped backwards, dodging her attack. He swung his rifle but she ducked, lifting her leg and foot up, striking him in the face so he fell backwards onto the ground. She jumped up, her sword raised and ready to strike him. He prepared to die, meeting his fate.

In a second, she was blasted out of the air and sent flying towards the shipping containers. Shila came rushing over to Kojak.

" Are you okay?" She asked clapping his shoulder.

" I'm good, I'm good." He clambered onto her hand, using her strength as support to help him onto his feet. Ish kept shooting towards the containers.

" Come on human, do you really need to die now?" Joram joked… or at least Kojak thought so. They ran back to the shuttle, Ish slowly following behind.

Out from the containers came the phantom again. Kojak noticed a explosive fuel tank next to her, seizing the idea. He opened his Omni-tool, sending out the plasma ball of fire towards the container. The phantom noticed at the last second. The containers thundered and boomed, engulfing the other end of the platform in smoke and fire. That should have done it.

Ish sprinted into the Kodiak shuttle, knowing the pilot was dead and someone needed to fly it. Joram helped Kojak and Shila onto the shuttle as it lifted off the ground.

" Well… that was unexpected." Shila gasped, tired from her biotic usage.

" Surprising, indeed." Joram scratched his mandibles. Kojak looked back at the wreckage from the explosive fuel tank. Some pieces of mangled metal and steel flew out of the fire and smoke and onto the platform. A figure came walking out, covered in smoke and burned armor. It was the phantom. She looked up at the slowly rising shuttle, watching Kojak, studying him. She didn't dare to do anything. She admitted defeat.

Something about her troubled Kojak. He closed the shuttle doors, telling Ish to hurry up back to the Alliance frigate in orbit.

The assassin raised her fingers to her ear piece. "Sir, it is done."

" The tracker is in place?" The illusive man answered.

" Yes, sir."

" Good, Mei. Someday, you two will meet again, I assure you. This was a efficient practice run. Report back to me when the shuttle arrives."

" Yes, sir."