Bab 20: Surgery
Commander Jane Shepard emerged from her video meeting with the Illusive Man as pissed off as she entered it. The man had sent them into a death trap based on his confidence that the team could turn it around. His gamble would have failed without the actions of one krogan, something that she hoped stuck in the craw of the xenophobic bastard.
The lab grown krogan brought the firepower of an entire fresh platoon of Alliance marines, but also caused her just as much headache as those young men would. Grunt operated with a level of bravado, lunacy, and lethal talent that made him so much larger than life and bestowed an aura of invincibility that shattered in the bowels of the collector cruiser.
There are only a few moments in a person's life where they can show that they are a hero, and even with all the galaxy had thrown at them, Jane hadn't imagined that Grunt would ever have any. He'd even fooled her with that aura of invincibility, like he was the protagonist of a story, and a person can't be a hero unless they consciously accept the sacrifice of the self to protect others. It's not courage if there is no fear, and it is not generosity if it was no problem.
Now the only reason Grunt still lived was the young krogan's own lack of faith in his invincibility. He'd been storing blood regularly with Dr Chakwas, the Normandy's medical officer. Just another bit of preparation Grunt did silently.
Broken sobs came through the opening elevator door as the Commander stepped onto the crew deck and found the ground teams surrounding the windows into the medical bay. While most stood grim faced as they watched Dr. Chakwas and Dr. Solus operated on the comatose krogan, Jack was on her knees openly weeping.
The heartbreaking noise was unexpected, making it so much worse. The anger that the violent woman used to deal with pretty much the entire galaxy fully ceded to grief. In their dealings Jack spoke with derision about subjects like love and loyalty, calling a past lover a fool for dying for her. None of that disdain came up for Grunt after he chose to die for the team.
The surgery took hours, and the pair of doctors had pulled out enough slugs to make a macob rain stick, and used enough grafts and stitching to make a new Frankenstein monster. After disposing of her soiled operating scrubs and washing up Dr Chakwas exited the med bay and had everyone's immediate attention.
"Grunt will make a full recovery." She announced. "With his healing factor he should be up and about by the time we reach Omega."
Zaeed's enthusiastic cheers made for another out of place sound. The man was so hardboiled and gritty he had hardly cracked a smile in her presence, but perhaps his whoops of joy weren't so surprising. He'd once described his relationship with Grunt as, 'like having a son I can actually be proud of.'
Garrus locked eyes with her after the excitement quieted down and asked, "How'd the meeting go?"
Shepard shook her head in disgust, "He confirmed it."
"Why would he do something like this? Risk the team?" Miranda sounded shocked despite EDI's evidence of the Illusive Man's duplicity in the collector ambush.
"He had cold logic and a desperate need driving him." Shepard explained, "But he made the wrong call. If Grunt hadn't stepped up when he did, we would all be dead."
"He's going to fucking get his when this is done." Zaeed growled.
"Damn straight." Agreed the seated Jack.
The Commander nodded her agreement. A woman can only be called Space Momma so many times before actually starting to feel maternal, even for a giant lizard man. The how of giving the Illusive Man his just due would be incredibly difficult, the man kept himself hidden from nearly the entire galaxy, but he had pissed off the most badass woman to ever fly across the stars. His days were numbered.
Jack suddenly running into the medical bay alerted the teams to the stirring krogan. Shepard took off after her and saw the psychotic biotic completely at a loss of what to do. She couldn't exactly throw herself on the mass of recovering wounds that is Grunt's body, and what do you say in a moment like this. Fortunately, Grunt knew just what to say.
"On a scale of one to Garrus, how fucked up is my face?"
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
JManM
JManM Very short chapter and one that was hard to write. I didn't foreshadow Grunt storing blood with Chakwas for those wondering. It is something that she would do if she was a competent medical profession aboard a military vessel. Having blood available for transfusions for combat forces is pretty basic, and it's not like Chakwas ever showed signs of incompetency. Up next we have a return to Omega and the Hunt for Morinth. Should have that out in the next few days.
Bab 21: Omega Return Pt 1
I really had to thank Mordin again for the fact that I could see the nightclub owned by Aria T'Loak with both eyes. He'd done a fine job digging the praetorian shrapnel out of my eye and his retrovirus upgrade pushed me up to a low powered regenerative healing factor. More Wolverine from the start of Logan than his younger clone X-24, but a few days and a good doctor and my mangled eyeball was now up to about eighty percent and still improving.
Aria's batarian goon, Anto, tried holding us up, but the woman in charge called down for us to come join her on her elevated lounge. Mildly surprising considering we'd never met, but the powerful asari knew who we ran with. Jack and Samara followed me to the wrap around couch that the Queen of Omega treated like a socially progressive throne.
The lack of groaning when I sat spoke to the quality of the seating. I was just over 290 kilos these days and built a fair bit different than most krogan. My shiny graphite plates showed no sign of fusing, allowing me far more flexibility than others of my species, and my exercises had broadened my shoulders and pulled them back and my head up a bit. I'd never be as upright as most other species, but I lacked the common krogan hunch. My posture exposed more of my more vulnerable front to the dangers of the galaxy, but I was dangerous enough to not need to curl up and let my armored back protect me.
From Aria's stare I had to wonder if she enjoyed my aesthetic herself.
"Chief Gatatog Grunt." the asari said my name in a way that sent good vibes up my spine and sack, "It's good that you came to me. It would have been so pedestrian to have sent for you."
Well isn't that something.
"Sounds like the start of something great." I chuckled while thinking about Garrick Olivander telling Harry that great can be good or terrible.
"People still talk about how you made one of my bartenders drink his own poison," she grinned while thinking of me killing one of her employees, "and that is the least interesting thing you've done this year. Seeing you now confirms that Okeer wasn't completely crazy."
"You knew what Okeer was up to?" I asked in only a bit of surprise.
"He came to me hoping to fund his project." she answered, "Looks like I missed out on a hunk of fine real estate."
Some people decry being objectified. I am not one of them. More please.
"I want something from you, Grunt." stated the woman who always gets what she wants, "You're going to father several children with me, and withhold breeding with other asari."
Finally, the universe has revealed my grand destiny, to be put out to stud for the hyper elite and ultra wealthy.
"What the hell?" Jack barked from my side, obviously angry and a bit confused.
Don't ruin this for me, babe.
Samara came to rescue, "The Chief is made of all the best traits of all the best krogan Okeer could get his hands on. Any asari daughters he fathers will have a high likelihood of being the physical elite of our people. Programs that try to produce people like Grunt so rarely succeed, making him both intrinsically valuable and very scarce. Aria seeks to keep this for her own dynasty."
Technically Miranda would be of similar value, but I am not going to bring competition to my stud bull status.
"I'd be amenable to it, so long as I have access to the girls." I told her, "Exclusivity as long as the benefits are worth it."
"You came on your own." She told me, "Looks like you're in need of some benefits right now."
"You're just going to agree to breed with her just like that?" Jack heatedly questioned me.
"She could get pregnant with a hand shake." I answered Jack, "Letting me know about it in advance is pretty courteous."
"It'll be one intense hand shake," Aria grinned, "so don't worry yourself, Cueball. You're not going to lose your man to my skills in the bedroom."
"Now that that is ironed out, lets move on to what brought us here." I pushed the conversation, "We should start with the sunshine and rainbows business before we get to the darker nasty stuff."
"As long as you don't waste my time." Aria agreed.
"I recently was subjected to several intense biotic explosions, a regular explosion, and was shot to shit." I started on the sunshine and rainbow business, "A lot of my gear is scrap and I've got to replace it quick. Upgrade if possible. Here's my wish list and suitable replacements."
Aria looked at the data pad I handed her and chuckled, "Someone wants to be shiny."
"I want to sparkle like a wealthy woman's neck." I grinned.
"You're lucky." Aria nodded, "A group of pirates insulted me recently and I relieved them of their ship and its cargo hold full of the stuff. I have more than I know what to do with. Won't be cheap even with the friends and family discount, but I can get you everything on your wish list within 48 hours."
The final price we agreed to was high, but Miranda had emptied several Cerberus accounts that she knew off with the help of Kasumi as a bit of vengeance against the Illusive Man for nearly killing us all. Credits were hardly an issue any more after she loaded our accounts up with our wergild.
"And the darker nasty business?" Aria asked after we made our final arrangements on making my Lord Death of Murder Mountain 2.0.
"Hunting down an Ardat-Yakshi that came to Omega."
"I knew it." The woman growled, "Nothing leaves a body so… empty… as an Ardat-Yakshi does."
"You haven't taken steps to kill her?" question Samara.
"Why would I?" Aria countered, "She hasn't tried to seduce me. Her last victim was a young woman. Pretty thing. Lived in the tenements near here. That's where I'd start looking."
"Thanks Aria." I told her as I stood to leave, "Is the quarian scrapper still down the way?"
"He moved to a bigger space after one of my dancers settled down with him, one of my men can give you directions."
She stood up as well.
"Good for him. Send my shipments to his place. He's my guy." Still don't know his name, though. (It's Ken)
"Now onto the fun part." She stated as she grabbed my hand and her eyes turned entirely black.
Despite the lack of physical sexual activity, melding with Aria felt incredible and deeply intimate. I didn't know how long we'd been standing there when it ended, but she sat down with a faint grin before I finished stabilizing my weakened knees. I hoped to God I didn't need new underpants.
Samara left to go investigate while Jack and I tracked down my best friend, the quarian scrapper. We arrived at a small warehouse with an office space and an upstairs apartment. My pal was sitting in a primo office chair but stood right up when he saw me.
"My brother from a quarian mother!" I greeted the man, "Moving up in the world."
"This is nothing." the scraper denied, "My wife on the other hand is quite the sight."
"Sorry I missed the wedding." I told him with a grin, "I was probably knee deep in the blood and guts of my enemies."
"I figured you would be after the art we created together." the scrapper nodded his head.
"I have grave news, my friend." I announced in a somber tone, "What was made has been broken."
The horrified gasp of the scrapper revealed that he too felt the deep pain of the loss of my armor.
"The galaxy is a darker place for what has passed." He signed.
I passed the data pad with my wish list to him.
"But from the ashes, we will forge a new light… brighter than ever before." I told him as he read the pad and shook with excitement.
"You two are so gay." Jack snorted in disgust at us.
What would she know about a man's romance with his armor?
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA
JManM
JManM
Fun chapter to write. Checked the app before I went to post and saw my story on the weekly feature section. I have now been validated by an algorithm or some kind of administator and feel incredible. Victory for JManM.
Next chapter should be up this weekend. On a roll.
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