Trouble of the Innocent or the Insidious Variety?

"Everybody good?" Jane asked, multitasking as she ran an automated examination of herself to guarantee that that feeling of internal damage was just a feeling.

Samara groaned as she rolled out her neck. "Your intuition is laudable, Jack."

"Hooray for me," Jack stripped off her helmet. She checked that the vertebrae in her own neck were still in place. "Two of us still sucking air back here, Shep'."

The commander looked to the woman beside her. "How about you, Ash?"

There was a pause as no response came from the lieutenant commander. Then, a noise escaped that crescendoed into a lengthy groan. "I honestly can't remember if it was any less terrible the last time we did this."

While she didn't say so, Jane felt inclined to agree. Plummeting in an infantry fighting vehicle to the surface of a planet with gravity comparable to Earth's would, understandably, be lethal. However, the Mako's landing routine and manipulation of mass effect fields reduced the experience to a feeling of surviving a head-on collision with a second tank. Testing of the Mako's orbital landing had ended with the final outcome deemed 'optimized' when subjects no longer resigned after the test.

"Joker, do you read?" Shepard spoke into the microphone and continued after an affirmative response. "We're four for four down here. We're proceeding to the distress signal."

"Roger that, Commander. We'll hold up here. Just give us a holler if you need anything. Oh, and if you see any skulls and crossbones, you have my permission to bail."

"Thank you for your blessing," Jane rolled her eyes.

EDI's voice came through in the place of Joker's. "Shepard, Legion and I have been analyzing atmospheric conditions in your region and we believe there is a risk of a storm occurring sometime in the next four hours."

Jane and Ashley looked to the displays on the dash that offered a view of the exterior. Metgos was by no means a planet that looked welcoming, but the weather looked as clear as one could hope for on such a desolate world. Even so, the two of them knew better than to dismiss either EDI or Legion, let alone both of them.

"Looks like we could reach the beacon in less than an hour," Ashley said, referencing the signal against the available geographic data.

"What does a storm mean for us, EDI?" Shepard asked.

"High winds can inhibit movement and raise debris. Airborne particles may cause problems for exposed air-cooled mechanisms, as well as erode objects lacking proper protection, and interfere with radio signals. Additionally, friction caused by these particles would build electric charges."

"That's a long list of hazards," Ashley said, pleading with her eyes for Shepard to get them out of there as soon as possible.

"Thanks for the heads up, EDI." Shepard placed her hands on the wheel and set the Mako headed toward the beacon. "We'll be quick."

They made good time on their way toward the source of the distress signal. Shepard was no stranger to the Mako, and knew how to make the least of the geographic hurdles Metgos put in her way. The downside was that her strategy for speed did not place much focus on smoothness. Samara and Jack spent much of the trip bracing themselves and waiting for the tank to roll over.

Wondering what the constant gasps and cries were about, Ashley turned around in her seat to gaze back at the other passengers. "What's the matter with you two? I thought you worked with Shepard when she was going after the Collectors."

"What does that have to do with nearly plummeting into every trench we pass?" Jack inquired, agitated.

"She never drove you in the Mako during that time?" Ashley clarified.

"There was no Mako," Samara explained, doing her best not to bite off her own tongue whenever the vehicle hit a dip or hill. "We made use of the Hammerhead; a hovercraft."

Realization dawned on the lieutenant commander. Their reaction made sense now, this was their first time in a true ground craft with Shepard driving. Sucks for them.

Skeleton-jarring aside, the trip was uneventful. Even though Jane kept the Mako upright, the biotics were so distracted by the bumpy ride that they did not notice the temperature creeping up. Eventually Ashley informed Shepard that they were coming up on the signal, and shortly after the commander spied it on the display.

Atop a hill ahead of the Mako was another vehicle; some kind of hauler by the look of it. It sat there, seemingly dormant, with its distress beacon still broadcasting. If it was meant to be the bait for a trap, then it was poorly placed. Sure, the vehicle was plenty conspicuous, but the setting was terrible for an ambush. The land all around the hill was relatively tame, offering no nooks nor crannies to lie in wait. Unless some pirates had gotten their hands on some long-range artillery pieces...

"Getting anything, Ash?"

The lieutenant commander examined the truck on the hill with multiple scanning filters. "Nothing outstanding. Thermals show the hull is close to the ambient temperature, and I'm not seeing any variance, so I guess it's been there a while. Integrity looks fine, no signs of damage. No secondary signals to indicate explosives." She faced the woman beside her. "From what I can tell, it looks like someone was driving out here and stopped to call for help."

Jane scrutinized the image of the hauler on the display. "It's unmarked, nothing to indicate affiliation." Punching some buttons on the Mako's dashboard, she opened a channel to hail the hauler. Several minutes passed with no answer.

She rotated to speak to everyone in the Mako. "Samara, you and I are going to investigate. Jack, get up here and take the wheel. Ash, you have the gun. Be ready to cover us if things go wrong. Stay on comms and keep us in the loop on anything the Mako detects."

Exiting through the airlock, the commander and the justicar advanced on the hauler. Prepared for danger, both of them carried rifles. Shepard glanced back at the Mako. She saw its turret rotate as Ashley scanned the horizon for threats.

Out here, the swelter was much more palpable. Both her armour and Samara's worked to keep them cool, but the heat could not be totally repelled. A low and consistent breeze laid the hum that was a backdrop to the commander's breaths within her helmet. The rocky surface of Metgos was jagged and unyielding under her boots.

Close to the hauler, Shepard instructed Samara to hang back and cover her. If this truck was indeed a bomb in disguise, it was best at least one of them maintain some distance. Jane circled the vehicle, looking for anything out of place. With everything looking fine, she moved to its airlock at the back. She rapped on the door with her knuckles and waited a minute for any form of response. None came, and she set to breaching the door's security with her omnitool.

As the hack program ran, she updated the duo in the Mako and instructed Samara to join her. Once she was through, she and Samara stepped into the truck and let the airlock cycle. They both noticed what little change in temperature there was as the chamber pressurized. As the interior door retracted, they kept their weapons raised and ready for any potential belligerents within.

Through the airlock, they had arrived in the truck's hold. A few odd containers sat around, but this section of the hauler was largely empty. They crossed and were met with a door between them and the final section; the cabin. Shepard simply tapped a button and the portal opened.

They were prepared for danger, but there was none to be found - not for them, anyway. Inside the cabin was a lone batarian. He sat slumped in the driver's seat, seemingly semi-cognizant. Apparently, he was alert enough to notice Shepard and Samara's arrival because he croaked out a word.

"Water..."

Shepard moved forward, stowing her gun and helping the man out of the chair. She removed her helmet and drew her canteen to trickle its contents into his raspy mouth. The other woman put away her weapon too and got on the radio.

"Samara to Mako team. We have someone here. A single batarian, he's not doing well."

"What's wrong with him?" Jack asked.

"Not certain yet, but it could be severe dehydration."

Shepard tended to the batarian until he seemed well enough to speak.

"Thank you," he said before coughing on his still-dry throat.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" Jane asked him.

"We need your help. The others they..." He took another drink and let his throat recover some before continuing. "I'm part of a mining team. Our operation isn't far from here. The facility had some problems and we couldn't fix them nor leave. I wanted to call for help, but they wouldn't let me, and I couldn't get to the communications center. So I stole this rig and drove out here to signal for help. I didn't plan far enough ahead though, and ran out of food and water fast."

"Why would they not let you call for help?" Shepard asked.

"We..." The batarian's visage turned guilty. "Technically, the mining operation isn't legal. No one knew we were out here, and they were all scared of the possibility of some authority finding us." He noted Jane and Samara's outfits. "And I guess that's what has happened, but I'll take a cell or a fine over an early grave! Those idiots would rather boil alive, but I'm not going to let them decide what is and isn't worth my life!" He coughed a few more times.

"What was the matter with your facility?" Samara asked. "Are your colleagues in imminent danger?"

"Sort of." The batarian made a cautious effort to stand up. "The insulation was breached and we've been pushing the climate control system to make up for it. We've already burned it out twice. We have people who know how to fix it, but I'm not going to wait for it to be pushed to its last breaking point. Mark my words: if something isn't done, that place will be a glorified oven before long."

Shepard concluded her examination of him. "Your vitals look fine, can you walk?" He nodded. "Shepard to Mako team, the civilian is stable, but should be treated for heat exhaustion."

"Does that mean we're done here?" Ashley responded.

"Not quite. He reports that there's others in distress. We're getting them out too." Shepard faced the batarian. "Where can we find your facility?"

"I can lead you there. Otherwise, the course should be in the rig's navigation history."

Jane nodded acknowledgment and opened the radio channel again. "Jack, follow the hauler. We're going to lead the way to the others." Jack gave words of understanding and the commander looked back to Samara and the batarian. "I'll drive."

"Actually, Shepard," Samara said hastily, "I'll drive. You drove here, so I'll take a turn at the wheel."

The commander's brows pinched a tad at the asari's eagerness, but she didn't see a reason to protest.

Samara breathed a sigh of relief when the commander wasn't looking.