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ME: Dahlia Stark - Episode 10 - Trial Run

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    Being surrounded by so many people left Dahlia’s shoulders shivering beneath her jacket, but when she saw Ryxera wobble out to the atrium, assisted by Jin and Elsai, it became impossible to back out. Dahlia had not wanted such a large audience for her first flight test, but Dr. Solus and so many of the patients and staff wanted to see her work’s debut that she had no choice in the matter.

    Elsai was the only other witness to the arc reactor’s first, successful activation. However, after Hann was invited to watch the second activation, he could not help but gossip throughout the clinic. In the handful of weeks since then, Dahlia was bombarded with questions about when she would fly.

    The culmination of the mounting excitement was the crowd assembled in the atrium outside the clinic. The wide space was crowned by open, soaring heights like an ancient cathedral. Dahlia wore a modified incarnation of her survival suit. She added clasps to fully transform the upper half into a jacket, acting as a protective layer in case the test run went awry. The most significant modifications, though, were to her harness, gloves, and boots. The completed, active arc reactor was mounted on a chest piece that Dahlia incorporated into the harness networking her omni-tool with Pepper's hard drives and micro-servers. The reactor was connected to the repulsor emitters mounted on her gloves and boots.

    Over the weeks, Jin the volus helped Dahlia collect components to complete her project and upkeep the clinic’s mechs and equipment. He was co-owner of a salvage business operating in several districts across the station, so Jin had access to quite a few of the bits and pieces that Dahlia needed. Ryxera asked her mate to donate extra parts as a gift for Dahlia and the quarians, both as thanks for their support at the clinic and because Ryxera was sincerely intrigued by Dahlia’s work. The asari wanted to see the idea “take off” before she died.

    While the couples' aid allowed for the project to be finished quicker than Dahlia envisioned, it also placed more pressure on her. Not only was her nascent professional reputation at stake, Dahlia also silently wished that the flight test would succeed in order to fulfill the dying wish of a new friend. Given more time, she would have incorporated better, more responsive repulsor controls to her gloves. Owing to the somewhat rushed nature of the demonstration, however, she simply had to entrust Pepper to regulate the output of the emitters.

    “Pepper,” she whispered to the comm-link in her helmet, “What are the chances that I’m about to make a fool out of myself and disappoint a lot of people?”

    “No greater than usual,” the A.I. dryly joked. “We’ve followed your father’s schematics as closely as we could. The prime variable is the quality of the components used. Obviously, salvage and scrap are not ideal resources.”

    “Well, if the arc reactor burns a hole through my chest or I go careening down some bottomless shaft, follow standard post-mortem protocol.”

    “I will delete your extranet browsing history and bookmarks, affirmative.”

    “As long as we have that squared away, let’s get this show on the road...or off it. Let’s start off with the minimum amount of thrust needed to suspend my weight off the ground. Make sure to factor in the weight of the gear.”

    The crowd grew silent as the transfer of power from the glowing reactor into the repulsors filled the atrium with a hum that radiated off the walls and pipes, echoing into the red glow of lights above. Dahlia braced herself, but it was impossible to prepare for the lurch of her stomach rising into her throat as she rose into the air. For an instant, Dahlia feared she would rocket into a wall because the lift exceeded her expectations. Too late, Dahlia realized that she should have specified for Pepper to focus output to the boot repulsors and to only use the gloves for stability. Instead, the same amount of power was released from all four emitters.

    Dahlia only dared to open her eyes when the helmet’s speakers picked up the sound of clapping and awed gasps from the audience below. She hovered about three metres off the ground. As she clumsily drifted from side to side, Dahlia would adjust her open palms to steady her position in midair. Small plumes of white light surrounded her palms and soles.

    Looking below, she saw Elsai trying to calm an overexcited Hann. Dr. Solus held a hand to his chin and nodded in approval. Ryxera tightened her hold on Jin’s hand. Even through the oxygen mask she wore, the asari's smile was clear as she stared up at Dahlia with blue eyes wide with amazement and joy. Even if Dahlia wanted to end the trial now, the glow of Ryxera’s beaming face kept her aloft.

    Angling her feet and raising her arms slightly, she quickly strafed to the far side of the atrium. The eyes below traced her movements as she coasted along the curve of the walls, dodging bulky exposed pipes and hanging electric signs. Still unused to maneuvering, Dahlia worried that she looked very awkward to her audience. She imagined that it looked like her limbs were wobbling drunkenly, struggling to maintain stability. Nevertheless, although the stress left Dahlia chewing her lower lip, she also felt a supernova erupting in her chest - and thankfully it wasn’t a hole burnt by an overloading arc reactor.

    The weightlessness was both alien and exhilarating. Throughout her life, Dahlia had flown in aircars and starships, but was always tethered by artificial gravity and inertial dampeners. Twice, she’d spacewalked on the hull of the Helash to help with external repairs; however, in those cases she had magnetic locks in her boots to anchor her. Now, Dahlia found herself truly untethered.

    “Before you try anything too fancy, ma’am,” Pepper chimed in through the helmet’s speaker, “I would remind you that our surroundings are very narrow and may be difficult to navigate without more practice.”

    “Yeah, I wouldn’t want to crash with so many people watching,” Dahlia answered, thinking about Ryxera and Dr. Solus in particular. She did not want to disappoint the asari patient or embarrass herself in front of the salarian doctor. “Still, we gotta give the crowd a show. Let’s increase the power output before we bring things down.”

    She rocketed upwards, almost out of sight of the audience below, and passed several pedways and overlooks. Dahlia caught snippets of gasps, shouts, and curses by the Omega citizens taken by surprise by the unidentified flying object zooming by. She had Pepper cut power to the repulsors. For just a moment, she hung completely weightless in the air, basking in the red, orange, and pink glow of bright electric signs. Like a thrill ride, Dahlia allowed herself to fall for a second or two before begging Pepper to reactivate the repulsors for a slow, controlled descent. Dahlia landed safely in the atrium outside the clinic’s entrance and, buffeted by the roaring cheers of the crowd, suddenly found herself transformed into some sort of hero.



    The test flight's success reunited Dahlia with a happiness that had been stripped from her since the moment she was called before the Admiralty Board to face punishment for creating Pepper. However, this happiness also distracted her from one of the harsh truths about Omega: no matter what her accomplishments, no matter whether she adhered to virtue or indulged in vice, and no matter whether she was respected or feared, there would always be someone willing to betray her.

    Dahlia had no way to know who from among the clinic audience sold her out, even if she had a reason to suspect that someone would. Although she might never learn the informant’s identity, it ultimately would not change the outcome. The end result was all that mattered, and two days after the demonstration Dahlia found her tech put through an emergency field trial.

    What passed for night on Omega had fallen. The clinic’s patient load was lighter, so Dahlia used the opportunity to recalibrate a medical scan imager that had been malfunctioning. Elsai was visiting with Ryxera, and Hann was assisting Dr. Abrams with the evening rounds. The sound of mechs on the move in the hallway was the first clue that something was amiss. With the hairs on her neck prickling up beneath the collar of her jacket, Dahlia abandoned her work on the imager and clasped on her repulsor gloves. Her boots were already on - she rarely removed them - but she reached over to a nearby wire rack to retrieve her helmet.

    Hann shuffled furtively into the room. He glanced over his shoulder the whole time, causing him to bang his shin against a crate of batarian-formula medi-gel in his path.

    “I think we’re in trouble, Dahlia,” he whispered, kneeling down to massage the pain from his leg. His words made Dahlia’s muscles tense beneath her protective layer.

    “What’s going on?” she asked, slipping on her helmet as her breath grew quick and ragged.

    “Some armed thugs showed up outside the clinic. Dr. Solus put the mechs on high alert, or something, and he went out to deal with the thugs. We’re supposed to secure the clinic and protect the patients.”

    “Who are they? What did they look like?”

    “I don’t know,” Hann said, shivering slightly as Dahlia grasped him by the shoulders. “I didn’t see them.”

    “Ma’am,” Pepper chimed in within the helmet speaker, “I’ve tapped into a camera outside the clinic. There are approximately six individuals in armor bearing insignia consistent with the Eclipse mercenary company.”

    “Who’re they working for? Who sent them?” Dahlia feverishly asked the A.I. She didn’t wait for a response before activating the arc reactor on her chest harness and powering on the repulsors.

    “Without a connection to their communications or electronics, I have no way to know, ma'am.”

    Hann watched Dahlia dart for a corner of the storeroom, flattening herself against the wall and keeping a repulsor-armed palm towards the door.

    “Come on, Dahlia. The mechs are on patrol. Let’s guard the patient rooms.”

    “No, no. I need...I need to guard my equipment.”

    Hann tilted his helmeted head curiously, but rather than second guess his ally he simply ran into the hall to check on Elsai and help the staff secure the clinic.

    A haze wreathed Dahlia’s mind. Pepper’s voice buzzed in her ear but sounded a kilometre away. Her arms trembled. Her legs quaked like jelly. As her chest and throat seized into hyperventilation, Dahlia could hear memories of Imani’Barael’s voice - reminding her of calming techniques to stave off her fear.

    As a condition of allowing her to live on the fleet, the Admiralty Board and Captain Brill of the Helash had insisted that Dahlia remain within her sealed survival suit to avoid spreading contamination. Dahlia was perfectly fine with that stipulation. The rare moments when she did remove the suit - bathing or medical exams - left her intensely uncomfortable. When unknown vessels approached the fleet, Dahlia would develop hives.

    “Dahlia!” Pepper blared to rattle her out of the fugue. “Mercenaries have used an access tunnel to infiltrate the clinic from below. They have already disabled two of the clinic’s LOKI mechs.”

    “Contact Mordin and warn him.”

    “Dr. Solus is engaging hostiles outside and is not able to respond. The intruders in the clinic have disabled another mech.”

    “You called them ‘Eclipse.’ What are they known for?”

    “According to records from the Migrant Fleet, their company is known for using biotics and very high end weaponry and equipment.”

    “So they’re probably not bumbling amateurs?” Dahlia asked with empty optimism.

    “Negative. Another mech has gone offline. Course of action, ma’am?”



    “Are there any other weapons in the clinic?” Elsai asked.

    “Dr. Solus and the mechs carry the only weapons,” Dr. Abrams answered as they tried to barricade the patient wing.

    “Even if we had weapons, I don’t think it would help,” Hann said, struggling to move a heavy metal storage unit. “We had a pistol back at Orsk’s, and that only made things worse.”

    Elsai cringed at the memory. She wasn’t sure which was more dangerous, a human in armor or a krogan in a suit, but she was positive that both were beyond her abilities to fend off. She could hear snaps, pops, and dull blasts from the intruders clashing with the mechs. The machines were losing, for the sounds of battle grew closer.

    The battle erupted all too closely, in fact, as their slapdash barricade practically exploded in their faces. The remnants of the biotic blast arced in tiny purple flares along the concrete and pipes, damaging the hallway’s lights. Elsai caught herself, but banged her helmet against the wall. Immediately her suit's software ran a diagnostic, registering no punctures and no concussions. Dr. Abrams fell onto his side, and Hann landed on his butt and felt his wrist twist painfully against the floor.

    The wan orange glow of her holographic armor revealed the sickly pale blue of the approaching asari mercenary’s face. Thin purple lines in sharp “v” shapes highlighted her forehead, reinforcing her hawkish, predatory sneer. Her yellow armor was emblazoned at the chest, shoulders, and hips with a black emblem of a burning sun: the Eclipse logo. A sharply-polished, silver shotgun dangled from the tight grip of her right hand’s knuckles. Her left fist was extended forward, still bathed in the purple aurora of her biotic force.

    Dr. Abrams lay frozen with fear on the ground. Elsai shifted slowly backward, propping herself against the wall. Hann tried to scramble to his feet but was hampered by the pain shooting through his arm, sending stars through his vision. Before he could get very far, the asari flared her fingers and snatched up the fleeing quarian, suspending him in the air in a swirling field of purple telekinetic energy. With a wrist flick, she tossed Hann against Elsai, sending the pair crumpling to the ground like ragdolls.

    “We’re here for the human woman’s flight tech,” the asari said, raising her shotgun with both hands and leveling it at the quarians. “Hand it over and no one dies.”

    Her threat was interrupted by a rising electrical whine. The asari merc did not have time enough to turn around before she was sent flying down the hallway. Neither the shielding of her tech armor nor the protection of her biotic barrier could stop the overwhelming impact from both of Dahlia’s palm repulsors. She’d released a single synchronized pulse of energy from each emitter, although at far greater output than what she used during the flight trial.

    Pepper had reminded Dahlia of the discussion with the quarians in Orsk’s bunkhouse, seemingly so long ago, when they suggested using the repulsors as a defensive weapon. She’d managed to ambush the other infiltrating mercenaries while they were distracted by firefights with the remaining mechs. Dahlia either incapacitated them by blasting them into walls or by simply knocking them into vulnerable positions so the mechs could counterattack. She had also given Pepper access to the mechs’ networking to override their V.I. controls, essentially improving their tactical approach.

    With the mechs and Dr. Solus occupied with skirmishes elsewhere in and around the clinic, however, this biotic mercenary was Dahla’s sole responsibility. Unfortunately, a single shot did not put the asari out of the fight. She regained her footing, but had dropped her shotgun, which a crawling Hann hurried to seize. Recognizing her assigned target, the asari focused her power into both raised hands and hurled a large violet bolt of crackling biotic energy at Dahlia. Not eager to be biotically warped, Dahlia activated a pair of repulsor boosts in quick succession to leap backward to the end of the hall and then swerve around the corner to evade the attack.

    Dahlia took shelter against the wall, not lowering her guard for a moment. She thought to let the mercenary pursue her, leading her into an ambush. This asari was more strategically adept, and more ruthless, than that. From around the corner, she heard Hann grunt in pain and fear.

    “Seriously?” Dahlia heard an unfamiliar voice, presumably the asari, call out laughing. “You weren’t even strong enough to pull the trigger? I guess just picking up my Scimitar took everything you had, right? Hey, human! I’m thinking about using my biotics to tear this quarian’s head off! I don’t mind having to wash some blood off my armor again, but perhaps you’d prefer that he stayed in one piece?”

    When Dahlia jumped to save Elsai from Orsk’s ganger thugs, she didn’t have time to think things through. Unfortunately for Hann, having time to think about the situation left Dahlia trembling. The scant courage she’d built up minutes ago had been expended. A trained killer waited just around the corner and, even to save Hann, Dahlia doubted that she could face her. The seconds passed interminably with each deafening pulse running through the veins at Dahlia’s temples. The throbbing sounds echoed painfully inside her helmet while her heart threatened to burst from her chest and smash through her reactor harness. Although she sincerely feared that Hann would die, Dahlia painfully resigned herself to that outcome.

    Like an angry insect, an automatic weapon chattered sharply in the hallway. The asari cursed bitterly, and the quarians yelped. Dahlia was still too shaken to peer around the corner, but she heard the quick, fevered sounds of a split-second battle. Voices raised in anger, fear, and pain, before everything fell away into silence.

    “Daniel, are you okay?” Dr. Solus’ quick voice called from the far end of the hallway.

    Dr. Abrams responded, followed closely by Elsai...and then Hann. The sound of his voice, still taut with fright but otherwise alive, finally coaxed Dahlia from her hiding spot. She found Elsai and Dr. Abrams helping Hann to his feet. The salarian doctor walked over to the asari, lying on the ground. Her tech armor was gone, and only faint wisps of biotic energy rose from her extremities. There were signs of flash scorching across her torso and face. Dr. Solus drew a pistol and finished the mercenary with a single shot, eliciting a crescendo of terrified squeals from Dr. Abrams and the quarians. Even Dahlia choked back a lump in her throat when she watched the execution.

    She no longer felt like much of a hero.

In this episode, Dahlia demonstrates her completed flight tech for her friends and the curious audience at the Omega Clinic.
When her work attracts the wrong kind of attention, however, Dahlia will need to find the courage to protect others and not just herself.


Thank you kindly for reading.


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Mass Effect elements are (C) BioWare and EA.
Iron Man elements are (C) Marvel.
Dahlia Stark and other original characters belong to me.
© 2014 - 2024 Vayelan
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SpiderTrekfan616's avatar
Impressive thus far.:D