For the next 5 hours, the remaining mercenaries were hunted down and slaughtered by the Honor Guards. But the arrival of more mercenary groups forced CDR Thom to return to the research base and continue defending it.
About an hour after the first battle had started, Axel was informed of this attack while he was visiting New Rannoch to see the Quarians who had managed to adapt to the ring world's environment and were able to live without their suits while they were on it.
However, once they leave, they must put their suit back on as their immune systems have always been relatively weak, as pathogenic microbes were comparatively rare in their homeworld's biosphere.
Furthermore, what few viruses and other microbes were native to their homeworld were often at least partly beneficial to them, giving them a symbiotic relationship with their environment. After living aboard the Migrant Fleet for generations, the quarians' immune systems have declined further due to years in the sterile environment of the Migrant Fleet. As such, quarians are given various vaccinations and immunizations to help ward off disease.
On New Rannoch however, there were no diseases, and they lived in a perfectly crafted artificial world that allowed them to live without their suits.
Axel was on New Rannoch to return the Quarians who had joined him on their pilgrimage. While they could have returned sooner, they were enjoying their time within the Ascendency and felt comfortable as they were treated relatively well despite how the other races in the galaxy treated them.
But now it was time for them to return to new Rannoch and start contributing to the population growth of their people. Axel didn't personally need to come to Rannoch, but he wanted to see how the Quarians looked without their suits.
When news of the mercenary attack reached him, his curiosity on the physical appearance of the Quarians momentarily went away as his mind focused on the attack.
He was standing amidst a crowd when Omni informed him about the attack. Already additional forces were being deployed to the planet so his presence wasn't required, and he knew that the Honor Guards would do their jobs no matter the circumstances.
Turning back to the crowd of Quarians, Omni continued to give him live updates as he continued talking to the crowd of Quarians. He was the first alien to see them without their suits, and the one to help them be able to live without their suits once again, so they had gathered to thank him in person.
The crowd was a sea of colors, their ranging from blue to purple, their eyes glowing like precious stones. They were humanoid yet possessed a few features that separated them from the other races. With their suits on, one wouldn't be able to tell how diverse the Quarians were, the sheer variety in their physiology and aesthetics were astounding.
Having been viewed as pariahs by other races, it was nice to see the Quarians enjoying their newfound freedom that he had offered them.
———
Meanwhile back on Tuchunka, the various mercenaries who had arrived found themselves to be on the losing end of the battle. More Ascendency forces arrived from orbit making it impossible for them to get close to the research base, forcing them to have to flee.
In orbit, Ascendency ships had performed a blockade of the planet to prevent any mercenary ships from fleeing the planet. However, this action had got the attention of the Council Demilitarization Enforcement Mission (CDEM) which was created in accordance with the armistice that ended the Krogan Rebellions.
Based at Pildea Station, CDEM's patrols oversee the entire Krogan Demilitarized Zone. CDEM logs all ships passing through the DMZ and has the right to board and search them at any time and for any reason. They were responsible for making sure the krogan did not obtain starship-mounted weapons.
They had been monitoring the incoming ships to Tuchunka and keeping logs on them. They had been monitoring the situation on Tuchunka while keeping the council informed. They were instructed to stay out of the battle but be ready to deploy in case of an emergency.
Once Ascendency military vessels were detected above Tuchunka, the CDEM had deployed a fleet to make the the Ascendency military vessels leave the Krogan DMZ. Under the treaty no military ships, installations, activities, or personnel were allowed within the DMZ, the CDEM ships were an exception as they were enforcing the Council laws and making sure the Krogan are kept in check.
The commander of the CDEM fleet, Captain Artetora an Asari, checked her terminal for updated instructions. She was a seasoned veteran, having spent years on patrol in nebulas and asteroid fields, guarding Council interests against pirates and rogue factions. But nothing had prepared her for the possibility of tackling a force as formidable as the Ascendency.
"The council wants us on high alert," her second-in-command Marrius Gralin, a Turian reported. "The Council is starting to suspect an invasion in response to the attack on their research base."
Artetora shook her head. "An invasion would be too obvious for the Ascendency. They wouldn't risk open war without provocation. An attack on a research base on another races world isn't provocation enough."
But even as she said it, she knew that the situation was precarious. Her eyes fell on Tuchunka's live feed which showed the Ascendency forces hunting down the mercenary forces preventing their escape. A few Krogan who were simply trying to defend their territory ended up caught in the crossfire and were defeated.
On the surface, CDR Thom had captured one of the mercenary leaders alive and had brought him back for an interrogation as suggested by Cortana.
CDR Thom brought the captured mercenary leader to a security chamber within the research base. The mercenary was a burly Krogan, battle-scarred and defiant even in his defeat. He was stripped of his weapons, his armor dented and dusty with the aftermath of their battle.
Inside the chamber, Cortana's avatar was present as she began to analyze the Krogan's behavior and vitals as the interrogation started.
"Name?" CDR Thom asked as he paced in front of the restrained Krogan, his hands clasped behind his back.
The Krogan scoffed, "Call me Grukk," he retorted defiantly, with a wild smile.
"Grukk," Cortana repeated, recording this data into her system. "Do you understand why you have been detained?"
The Krogan grunted before he spat out an unintelligible insult.
"Charming," Cortana commented. CDR Thom merely grunted in response before resuming his previous question.
"Why did your group attack this base?" Grukk's laughter echoed around the chamber as he found the situation more amusing than dire. "We were paid to. And Krogans are in the business of war."
Cortana analysed his vitals again, heart rate steady, blood pressure normal. He wasn't lying. But who would pay for such an attack?
"Who hired you?" Thom asked, his voice devoid of any emotion for the Krogan.
Grukk shrugged, ignoring the seriousness of their conversation. "We don't ask names. Business is business."
"Business that involves attacking our bases?" Thom countered.
Gruk's smirk lessened slightly but didn't disappear completely. "You should have chosen a less desirable location for your research base."
CDR Thom started to guess, "The Shadow Broker?" The room fell silent as Grukk's smirk suddenly vanished, replaced by a frown. He remained silent, his eyes narrowing at the mention of the name. After a moment, he finally spoke. "I said, we don't ask names."
Thom felt a surge of frustration but kept his composure. He turned to Cortana, who silently nodded at him, confirming his suspicion. The Shadow Broker was an elusive and dangerous figure in the galaxy, rumored to deal in information and secrets. If he truly was behind this attack, then things had just become slightly more complicated.
"That's enough commander, I have gathered the necessary data on this Krogan and found the person who hired him alongside a few other mercenaries." stated Cortana.
CDR Thom nodded as he headed for the exit of the room leaving the Krogan tied up. Once he left two more guards came in the room and had got rid of the Krogan as he was no longer useful.
By scanning and identifying the identities of the mercenaries, Cortana was able to gather a list of people who were involved in the attack in some way or another. Whether it by through lending money, or hiring the mercenaries through a third party she had managed to make the connections.
However she had feeling that the true mastermind was still out there and they would need to do gather more intelligence first before they had an answer. At the moment there was too many people who could possibly be the mastermind, she wanted to find the one responsible for organizing such an attack.