<span style="color: blue">Slavers. Just slavers. Not space monsters or special agents.</span>Cantenelli said, almost to himself with a nod.<span style="color: blue">Slavers we can handle. Objections?</span>He looked around. There were none.<br/><br/><span style="color: blue">Good. Mickey, set course. Everyone, I want you to get rested, get that shit in our hold sorted out... and forget that we were ever on that forsaken rock. We're done with SPECTRES and Cerberus and whatever the hell those things were. They're not our problem anymore. Dismissed.</span><br/><br/><br/>***<br/><br/><br/>Raeneck ducked under a crushed support and stepped over what remained of the cleared debris. The detonation point wasn't hard to determine. Someone had blown the airlock on their way out. And they'd taken half the site with it. He started down the ramp, side stepping the warped and destroyed segments. Most of the husk's remains had been cleared or were so badly incinerated that they didn't need to be. He motioned to the troops behind him.<span style="color: red">Move out and assist. Devon, I want you on security system salvage.</span>The squad leaders sounded a confirmation and moved on. Raeneck spotted one of the troopers that had arrived earlier.<span style="color: red">Trooper! Where is she?</span><br/><br/><span style="color: darkorange">Sector 5 sir, with the Indoctrination Array.</span><br/><br/>Raeneck started into the site. He shut off his comms and angrily muttered,<span style="color: red"><i>Bitch</i>.</span><br/><br/>The sound of rapid gunfire  echoed through what remained of the site in short occasional bursts, generally following the electronic screech of a husk. Raeneck hated the damn husks, hated everything about them. The way they looked and moved, the way the took a human being and turned them into just some disposable piece of electrically propelled meat. He turned a corner, stepping around a protruding piece of ruined ancient architecture. Strangely enough, the ruins that had been uncovered now looked in better shape than the partitions and equipment that had been so recently erected around it.<br/><br/>A ping appeared on the Raeneck's HUD, moving straight for him, fast. The HUD sounded an alert as it sent out several rapid IFF transmissions then immediately turned red as the target failed to respond. Raeneck looked in the direction of the incoming contact and saw a husk come scrambling over a blasted wall. His visor brought a red targeting triangle over the Husk which blinked and sounded the alert of imminent contact. The husk leaped at him, mouth wide open, arms outstretched with its claw like fingers ready. Almost Casually Raeneck reached out his arm and caught the husk mid flight. The assist servos in his power armor squeezed down on the husk in his hand, which flailed and pulled and smashed against his heavy armor pointlessly. Raeneck watched the husk, then pulled it close so that he could look it in the face. There was nothing left. No sign of humanity in its electrode eyes. Nothing but machine and hate. He wondered at who this husk had been before it was ripped from its soul. But it didn't matter now, he knew as he threw it on the ground then lifted his foot and dropped it down, feeling the powered joints accelerating his movements. The husk's head smashed beneath his boot with a sickening cracking screech. The body flailed and twitched.<br/><br/><span style="color: red">Fucking Reaper dog.</span>He muttered again and continued on into the dig site.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>Elise stood with her hands resting on a slightly cocked hip. Her blue eyes reflected the hovering orb before her. The techs were busy milling around the chamber, plugging in equipment and examining the location.<br/><br/><span style="color: red">What the hell are you doing?</span>She heard over the comm in her ear. Her eye twinged as the sound of Raeneck's voice and his approaching footsteps.<br/><br/><span style="color: blue">My job.</span>She didn't look away from the Indoctrination Array.<br/><br/><span style="color: red">Right... your job... your job is to <i>investigate</i>. Your job is to run the technical side of this cell. Your job is not to commandeer two squadrons of troopers and come down here alone when we have no idea what may be waiting for us!</span><br/><br/><span style="color: blue">The fights over. The husks are almost completely eradicated.</span><br/><br/><span style="color: red">By some stroke of fucking blind luck. What was your plan, exactly if the site was still hot?</span><br/><br/><span style="color: blue">Husks aren't a concern, Raeneck.</span><br/><br/><span style="color: red">No... no they're not. Its what <i>else</i> might have been down here that should have been more prominent in your mind.</span><br/><br/><span style="color: blue">Afraid of ghosts?</span><br/><br/><span style="color: red">Don't be juvenile.</span>She heard him behind her, coming within just a few paces.<span style="color: red">The Cerberus fleet is mine. Cerberus combat ops are mine. If you attempt to circumvent my command of my troops again -</span><br/><br/><span style="color: blue">You'll what?</span>Elise turned around and looked up at the hulk of combat armor before her. She was small compared to him, in just her uniform with a breathing mask and Biotic field to sustain atmosphere pressure. But only a fool would have thought her at a disadvantage.<span style="color: blue">I'm here at The Illusive Man's order because my operation can no longer proceed without the Fleet. <i>Our job</i> is the find the Nemesis, which is what I'm doing, <i>Raeneck</i>. And if you're unwilling to expedite our actions to facilitate the completion of that job sooner, then I will do it myself.</span><br/><br/><span style="color: red">Do you know why I'm in command of the Fleet?</span>He looked down at her, reserving his annoyance.<span style="color: red">I'm in command because I've seen more combat than you, little girl. The Fleet's job is to accomplish combat ops. My job is to make sure that people aren't needlessly killed doing it. You can go and chase your alien technology. You point that finger of yours and we off we go to take a look at whatever the hell you want. But the moment we get there, I'm in command. The Illusive Man merged you with fleet, but he did not give you command of Fleet. Instead of spouting off a bunch of bullshit to me, you should maybe think about <i>why</i> he didn't give you command of fleet.</span><br/><br/>Elise glowered at Raeneck's visor.<span style="color: red">Now... madam... I'm going to be retaking command of my men and securing the site properly for you and your team to complete your analysis safely.</span><br/><br/>He turned and headed back down the corridor.<br/><br/><span style="color: DarkOrange">Commander.</span>Raeneck paused.<br/><br/><span style="color: red">What?</span><br/><br/><span style="color: darkorange">Sir, we've salvage some of the security systems recordings. We know who got here first.</span><br/><br/><span style="color: red">Patch it through.</span>He looked up to the new window on his HUD. The footage was broken, fragmented. But as it played, bouncing between indecipherable and reasonably clear he spotted the team that must have been responsible for blowing the site up. A Turian, Quarian, Human man, and three women. One of them removed her helmet.<span style="color: red">Well I'll be damned...</span>He said as he recognized the Asari from Bekenstein. The feed paused and zoomed on Ashana.<span style="color: red">Hello again beautiful.</span><div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>