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[Bluenose]

Part 37

Virmire ? this isn't good

After talking Wrex out of what would undoubtedly have turned into suicide, I return to Captain Kirrahe. He and his team have come up with a plan to destroy Saren?s base, which involves turning the drive core of their vessel into an improvised nuclear weapon. That would seem like a good idea, but unfortunately it will need to be emplaced rather than dropped. That means penetrating the base, destroying or disabling the air defence systems, and then flying the bomb in with the Normandy. The Salarians will split into three teams and launch an attack on the base as a diversion, while I and my team will sneak in through another route.

To me this sounds suicidal, and I say so. Kirrahe admits he doesn?t expect many of his troops to survive. Then, admitting that it makes what he wants even harder to ask for, he requests that I assign either Williams or Alenko to command one of his diversionary teams. Alenko promptly volunteers. Williams immediately suggests he?s needed to arm the bomb, and she should do it. The lieutenant doesn?t agree, ?With all due respect, Chief, it?s not your call.? I?m amused by the chief?s response, ?Why is it that whenever anyone says ?with all due respect? they mean ?kiss my ass??? Kirrahe has no preference, and in the end I select Ashley for the task; Salarian Task Groups include biotics, and certainly have plenty of technical know-how, but lack the heavy armour and weapons of human soldiers.

Afterwards, Kirrahe calls his troops together to give them a talk as motivation. I?m impressed.
?You all know the mission, and what is at stake.
I have come to trust each of you with my life -- but I have also heard murmurs of discontent. I share your concerns. We are trained for espionage; we would be legends, but the records are sealed. Glory in battle is not our way.
Think of our heroes; the Silent Step, who defeated a nation with a single shot. Or the Ever Alert, who kept armies at bay with hidden facts. These giants do not seem to give us solace here, but they are not all that we are.
Before the network, there was the fleet. Before diplomacy, there were soldiers!
Our influence stopped the rachni, but before that we held the line! Our influence stopped the krogan, but before that, we held the line!
Our influence will stop Saren; in the battle today, we will hold the line!?

My own talk to my crew is simpler. ?If it?s hostile, shoot it and keep shooting it. Don?t get reckless, but when we?re done I want Saren to be short one base of operations. Now let?s go kill some Geth.?



With Liara and Tali, I head off towards the base by the route the Salarians scouted for us. It?s through a low lying area among the forest, and a lot of the route involves paddling. We meet some resistance, Geth units and Krogan mercenaries, but less than I expected. The communications chatter from Kirrahe?s teams suggests there situation is worse. We?re able to help somewhat. One position we overrun contains a satellite uplink station; destroying that should remove their satellite reconnaissance and leave them with reduced communications. Another position is some sort of Geth transmitter, which appears to co-ordinate their units; we destroy that, too. From here, there are walkways and platforms all the way into Saren?s base. One of those platforms is being used as a refuelling station for the Geth flyers that are harassing Kirrahe. I notice that they?ve congregated around a fuel tank, so I pop explosive ammunition into my sniper rifle and blow them up. From I position overlooking Saren?s base, I use the same weapon to snipe the guards, until the attempt to rush us. Narrow walkways and biotic powers make that a bad idea.

The base is made up of several buildings, linked by a mix of wooden and concrete walkways. It appears to be only partly complete. As we enter, Tali disables the alarms rather than use them to shift the defenders towards Kirrahe?s people. We come in through a sewer entrance, and are immediately attacked by some Salarians. They aren?t very good fighters, but it?s still odd that they?re here. Another room has a group of Salarians in cells, only one of whom is even vaguely lucid. Even he isn?t exactly sane, mentioning the experiments and the voices that are in his head. It occurs to me that there has probably been an attempt to indoctrinate them. This is confirmed on a lower level, where I release a Salarian Lieutenant of Kirrahe?s who is able to explain how he?s the last survivor of one group of prisoners. Apparently Saren was trying to alter their allegiance, and while some did turn most became irrational or even virtually comatose under the strain.

Up an elevator, we find a medical lab. It is here that we discover that Saren doesn?t actually have a cure for the Genophage at all. Instead, he?s got a Krogan Doctor working in a cloning facility. That?s not the same as a cure, and is far too expensive for Krogan numbers to increase significantly as a result. We kill the Doctor, who?s a formidable fighter, and some husks that also seem to be the subject of experiments.

Pushing on towards the first air defence tower, we move along a walkway outside the lab building. A few Geth try to oppose us, but don?t last long. However, the walkway has a bridge here, and it?s currently up. We head through the door into a tower, hoping to find a way to lower it. The room is a smart looking office, and the table in the corner promptly asks me not to shoot it.

Tables don?t normally talk, so I order whoever is under it to come out. A nervous blue face appears, and then the rest of the Asari it?s attached to. Doctor Rana Thanoptis is a gold mine of information. Apparently she was recruited by Saren to investigate indoctrination. I?m already aware that Saren?s ship Sovereign is the source of it, though she confirms that again. What?s more interesting is that Saren wants to investigate it himself. She claims that the effect is gradual, but leads to reduced mental capability. As people become more controllable they also become less intelligent. Her assessment is that Saren isn?t certain the same thing isn?t happening to him. She also unlocks his personal lab at the back of the office. Once she?s given me all this information, she rather nervously asks if she can go. I tell her she?ll need to hurry, as I?m going to nuke the base. As she panics and runs off, Tali observes wryly that I enjoyed saying that to her.

We head through the door she unlocked, and up an elevator to the top floor. There, we come across another Prothean beacon. The vision this time seems to have more details, but it still flashes through too quickly for me to make immediate sense of the impressions. Disappointed, I start towards the elevator, when a projector comes to life. A hologram image starts to appear, of a spaceship that I recognise as Saren?s flagship. An artificial voice remarks, ?You are not Saren.?

Tali is watching it carefully and ponders aloud, ?What is that? Some sort of VI interface??

?Rudimentary creatures of flesh and blood, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding.?

Liara sounds wary. ?I do not believe this is a VI.?

?There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own that you cannot even imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension. I am Sovereign!?

Suddenly it occurs to me. ?Sovereign isn?t some Reaper ship Saren found. It?s an actual Reaper!?

?Reaper?? If artificial voices can show contempt, this one does. ?A label created by the Protheans to give voice to their destruction. In the end, what they chose to call us is irrelevant. We simply are.?

Liara doesn?t want to believe it. ?The Protheans vanished over 50,000 years ago. You couldn?t have been there, it?s impossible.?

?Organic life is nothing but a genetic mutation, an accident. Your lives are measured in years and decades. You wither and die. [b]We[/b[ are eternal, the pinnacle of evolution and existence. Before us, you are nothing. Your extinction is inevitable. We are the end of everything.?

?Whatever your plan is, it?s going to fail. I?ll make sure of that.? Though at the moment, how is hard to explain.

?Confidence born of ignorance. The cycle cannot be broken.?

?Cycle? What Cycle?? Liara has suggested a cycle of growth and extinction is repeated, and the archaeologist in her sounds interested.

?The pattern has repeated itself more times than you can fathom. Organic civilisations rise, evolve, advance, and at the apex of their glory they are extinguished. The Protheans were not the first. They did not create the Citadel. They did not forge the mass relays. They mere found them - the legacy of my kind.?

?Why would you construct the mass relays and leave them for someone else to use?? Talkative robor. I most as well as a few questions while it?s answering.

?Your civilization is based on the technology of the mass relays. Our technology. By using it, your civilization develops along the paths we desire. We impose order on the chaos of organic life. You exist because we allow it, and you will end because we demand it.?

?They?re harvesting us!? Liara sounds as appalled as I feel. ?Letting us advance to the level they need, then wiping us out!?

?What do you want from us? Slaves, resources.?

?My kind transcends your very understanding. We are each a nation - independent, free of all weakness. You cannot grasp the nature of our existence.?

?Where did you come from? Who built you??

?We have no beginning. We have no end. We are infinite. Millions of years after your civilization has been eradicated and forgotten, we will endure.?

?Where are the rest of the Reapers. Are you the last of your kind??

?We are legion. The time of our return is coming. Our numbers will darken the sky of every world. You cannot escape your doom.?

?You?re not even alive. Not really. You?re a machine. And machines can be broken!?

?Your words are as empty as your future. I am the Vanguard of your destruction. This exchange is over.?

As Sovereign speaks the last words, the speakers emit a high?pitched whine and all the windows shatter. Just afterwards, Joker hails us. ?Commander, I don?t know what you did, but that ship of Saren?s just pulled a turn that would sheer any of our vessels in half. It?s heading back here at full power. You need to get things wrapped up.?

[Bluenose]

Part 38

Virmire - My choices, Saren?s choices

I think it might be a good idea to get away from here. We hit the elevator and head off, leaving a variety of Krogan and Geth dead as we go. The air defence tower we?re making for is visible, though there are some Geth flyers defending it. As we?re moving in, Kirrahe?s chatter over the comms suggests the Geth and Krogan have realised they are a diversion and we?re the main problem. He?s calling for his teams to move forward and close in on their air defence tower.

I refuse to be outpaced by a Salarian STG. It?s reckless, but I move in faster on the flyers, taking some near misses and one hit from their rockets, simply because I don?t want our tower to be active when the Salarians have got theirs. We just manage to disable it in time, destroying the power supply comprehensively. While there are Geth in the turret, who are descending in an elevator to deal with us, we have beaten the Salarians and Ashley. I know what she?d say if we hadn?t. So it?s in a cheerful mood that I take the same elevator the Geth were using down a level, and head to the Normandy?s landing zone. We?re just in time for Joker to bring her in.

Kaiden and some of the crew start to unload the improvised nuke as I watch on. I?m talking to Kirrahe and his team over the comms, arranging their pickup points in combination with Pressley and Joker, when a problem rears it?s head. Ashley calls in, advising that her group won?t be able to make their rendezvous. A Geth counter-attack has them pinned down at the air defence tower they?re holding.

The obvious thing to do is head out and rescue them. Alenko will need a few minutes to finish setting up the bomb, the Normandy can pick up Kirrahe?s survivors, and then come back for the rest of us later. So I take Liara and Tali and head off. We run into a scratch group of Krogan and Geth heading for the bomb site which delays us a little, but we?re soon on the rooftop heading towards the air defence tower. Which means we have a great view as a Geth dropship flies in to the bomb site.

That?s trouble. Which is confirmed by the immediate call Alenko puts in to me. Geth are pouring out of the dropship, and on his own he won?t be able to hold the site. Williams promptly tells me to go back for him, and leave her and her team behind. Alenko disagrees, and activates the bomb. When I scream at him, he insists that he has to make sure it goes off. And I?m left to make a choice, because I?m damn certain I can?t save both of them.

In the end, there?s only one choice I think makes sense. ?Williams. Hold your position. We?re coming up behind the Geth.?

?Commander, I? Aye, aye, Commander.?

?It?s the right choice, Ash. You know that.? If Kaiden was slightly less noble about it, this would be easier. I have to apologise to him.

?I?m sorry, Kaiden. If we lose the? No. No excuses. I?m sorry. Make the bastards pay for it.?

?You?ve got it, Commander. I don?t regret a thing.?

In the mood I?m in after this, the Geth don?t stand a chance. We storm into them with surprise, and less than thirty seconds later the whole group are destroyed. Ashley and a single Salarian are the only survivors of her team of ten. I?m moving towards them when a whine fills the air. When I look around to see what?s approaching I see him in the flesh for the first time. Saren is here.

And he?s on a skateboard. A flying skateboard. Where did he get a flying skateboard, and why haven?t I got one? What do you mean he?s throwing grenades and I need to take cover? Oh, right. Cover.

As we duck behind cover, Saren lands and dismounts. I give him a couple of shots from my pistol, which splash off his shields. He stalks across the roof, though not getting too close. ?Well done, Shepard.? He actually sounds as if he means it. ?This has been an impressive diversion. My Geth were utterly convinced the Salarians were the real threat. Of course, it was all for nothing. I can?t let you disrupt what I have accomplished here. You can?t possibly understand what?s really at stake.?

?I know enough. I know you?re working with the Reapers. And I know they want to destroy all life in the galaxy. What I don?t know is why you?d ally yourself with them? I?d die first.?

?Now you see why I didn?t bring any of this to the Council. We organics are too emotional. we?d fight, even though there is no chance of victory, and we?d all be wiped out. Once I understood this, I joined Sovereign, though I was aware of the? dangers. I had hopes this facility would protect me.?

?You?re afraid Sovereign is influencing you, controlling you thoughts.?

?I?ve studied the effects of indoctrination. the more control Sovereign exerts, the less capable the subject becomes. That is my saving grace. Sovereign needs me to find the Conduit. My mind is still my own? for now. But the transformation from ally to servant can be subtle. I will not let it happen to me.?

?What is the Conduit? Why does Sovereign need it??

?The Conduit is the key to your destruction and my salvation. Sovereign needs my help to find it. That is the only reason I have not been indoctrinated.?

?You coward! You took an oath to protect the galaxy, and you?re only interested in saving your own skin.?

?I?m not doing this for myself. Don?t you see? Sovereign will succeed. It is inevitable. My way is the only way any of us will survive! I?m forging an alliance between us and the Reapers. Between organics and machines. And in doing so I will save more lives than have ever existed!?

?So we can all be slaves to the Reapers? Sovereign?s already got you to make you think they?d have a need for us. Fight it.?

?I.. perhaps. No, no, we must go on with my plan. And that means you have to die.? Saren remounts his flying skateboard, and gets airborne. He immediately swoops over our heads, throwing grenades and firing on us from the air.

It?s a really tough fight. Saren?s grenades knock you over if you aren?t in cover, and with his mobility he can move to get an angle where that cover is useless. His own shields and armour are extremely powerful, and he?s highly resistant to most biotic and tech abilities. We move and fire, gradually whittling away at his shields, while he does the same to us. Eventually though his shields drop, and it looks like we have him.

Though he then throws all his grenades in one bundle. The explosion is shattering, and I find myself flying through the air. A few moments later, I blink. What?s going on? Right, we?re fighting Saren. I look around. I?m on the ground, Liara?s on the ground, I can?t see the others, and someone?s coming towards me. It?s Saren.

I reach for my gun, any gun, as he looms over me. They?re out of reach, and he grabs me by the front of my armour. He half carries, half drags me across the roof, and I realise he?s going to throw me off. I can?t find anything to brace against as my feet scramble for purchase and it looks like he?s going to finish me, until a hefty explosion distracts him. He turns to look away for a moment, and as he turns back my fist takes him squarely across the mandibles. He releases me and staggers backwards, and I teeter on the edge of the roof just long enough for him to recover. Instead of coming after me, he stalks over to his flying skateboard. Lifting off, he stares at me as he heads away from the complex, with a strange mixture of annoyance and admiration.

It might have been seeing the Normandy coming in that led to Saren leaving, as it does a few moments later. Even while I?m dashing for the landing ramp, I try to order Joker to head for Alenko?s position. He won?t, claiming perhaps correctly that there isn?t enough time, and takes the Normandy towards space under full power.

*********************

And on the ground, Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko shoots one more Geth where he leans back against the bomb, and watches the Normandy lift off with a smile on his face.

*********************

The explosion rattles the Normandy. Even when we reach space, the effect is visible. But the Normandy escaped. In the cockpit watching, I see Joker turn towards me. ?Damn, Commander, that was a tough choice down there. Making the call between Alenko and Williams. I don?t know if I could have made it.?

?That?s why they pay me more than they pay you, Joker.? I manage a slight grin. ?One hundred and forty credit?s a week apparently should motivate people to make that sort of decision. There is no right choice.?

?I think I?ll stay a Lieutenant. I don?t know if I could handle it.? He sounds really subdued, not living up to his nickname.

?Be glad it?s not you.?


The debriefing is subdued. Everyone misses Alenko, and is worried about the Reapers. Ashley is particularly upset. ?I can?t believe Kaiden didn?t make it. How could we just leave him down there??

?We had to leave him behind. Saren has to be stopped. At any cost.?

?But couldn?t we have saved him too??

?It wasn?t your call, Williams. I had to choose. I chose you.?

?I? I?m sorry, Commander. You saved my life. I?m grateful for that. But it should have been me. Alenko was a superior officer. I would have gladly stayed behind.?

?Ash, how far are you going to drive yourself? Are you trying to be a martyr? To redeem your grandfather?s honour??

?That?s not fair, Commander.?

?The hell it isn?t. I don?t want a marine with a death wish covering my ass. It was my decision, and I?d make the same choice again. Get over it!?

?Yes, ma?am.? If she wasn?t sat down, I think Williams might have saluted.

?Commander.? Liara sounds hesitant. ?Excuse me for interrupting. But I have an idea. I think the Beacon you found in Saren?s base was similar to the one you found on Eden Prime. If I was to join with you again, it might have filled in some of the gaps.?

?Do it.? I wait, as she stands up and moves next to me.

?Relax, Commander. Embrace Eternity!? As seems normal, her eyes are a solid black. Again, I experience the rush of the beacon. As the images fade, Liara staggers slightly. ?Amazing. It?s just so incredible. I never imagined anything like this.?

?Did you see anything?? Garrus remains his practical self.

?It?s a distress call, a message sent across the Prothean E,pire. A warning about the Reapers, but it came too late. There are images, places I?ve read about in my research? Ilos! The Conduit is on Ilos. That must be why Saren wanted the location of the Mu Relay. Ilos is only accessible through it.?

?Forget it.? Tali sounds unusually dour. ?The Mu Relay is in the Terminus systems. Alliance ships are not welcome there. Neither are Spectres.?

?The Conduit?s on Ilos. That?s where Saren is heading. And I?ll be going after him.?

?Saren will have his entire fleet orbiting Ilos.? Liara sounds worried. ?You will never make it down to the surface without reinforcements. We must alert the Council. We need a fleet to---ohhh--. I am sorry. The joining is tiring. I need to rest.?

?We?re done here.? I finish the meeting. Then Joker calls me over the intercom. ?Commander, there?s a comm buoy nearby. I can link us in if you want to report back to the Council. You know, warn them about Sovereign.?

?Without the ?evidence? we have. They?d laugh in my face.?

?Aye, aye, Commander. Sovereign will be sitting on the Citadel?s roof before those bastards take our word on trust.?

?Take us to the Citadel, Joker. I need to see what they will do.?


Later, I?m sitting in the canteen picking at some food and looking at the spot Alenko normally stands. Liara comes up without me even noticing and sits next to me. ?Commander, are you feeling all right??

?I suppose. Just? I don?t like losing people under my command.?

?I think I understand. Myself, I have been thinking about Saren. I feel a little sorry for him.?

I?m surprised. ?Really. Why??

?He is trapped in his own mind. Part of him senses his identity slowly being swallowed up by Saren, but he is powerless to prevent it. I wonder how he first fell into Sovereign?s trap. Did he think he could somehow stop the Reaper?s from returning? or was he simply driven by a lust for power and glory??

?I don?t imagine we?ll ever know. And I don?t suppose it matters now. He has to be stopped.?

?Yes, I suppose you are right. He may be Sovereign?s victim, but he is also a threat to all life as we now it.?


I find some time to talk to the others on the ship. Captain Kirrahe is pleased, because his mission was a success. He also says Alenko?s sacrifice will win a great deal of respect for humanity. I can?t say that this really impresses my right now, but I manage not to say things I?ll regret.

Wrex seems reasonably happy about what happened on Virmire. ?You did what you had to do, and I respect that. I still want Saren dead.?
I make a promise. ?No matter what happens, I?m gong to hunt him down and kill him.?

?I like that idea.? Wrex sound satisfied.

And Ashley is still convinced it?s her fault Alenko is dead. I?d like her to blame Saren, or the Geth, but if nothing else will do the trick I?ll have her blaming me. I?m in command, I made the call. He?s dead because of me. She admits that while she doesn?t fear death herself, she doesn?t like the idea of someone dying for her. And then she asks me a question I?ve heard before. ?Ma?am, if you don?t mind me asking, how did you deal with the casualties on Torfan.?

I avoid looking into her eyes. ?It was my job to get everyone out safe. I failed. I vowed not to let it happen again. Same here. I?ll remember him, and I?ll do better for him.?

?Can?t say I like being on the survivor end of survivors guilt, but this time it really hit home. And maybe it?s worse because we know about the Reapers. What are we going to do, ma?am??

?We?re going to stop them. I?m not rolling over without a fight.?

?Understood, ma?am. It?s just, I?m infantry. In this sort of fight I might as well be shooting paintballs. I just don?t want to feel so useless.?

?We wouldn?t have got this far without you, Williams. Remember that.?

Yes, ma?am.?

[Bluenose]

Part 39

The Citadel - Stupid people making stupid choices

As soon as we arrive at the Citadel, Ambassador Udina rushes us straight off to a meeting with the Council. On the way he seems thoroughly satisfied, saying that after my report from Virmire the Council has started to mass a joint-species fleet to deal with Saren and his Geth. Took them long enough.

Once we get there, they confirm it. I?m satisfied to hear that they?ve started to mass a fleet at the Citadel. I?m rather less pleased with the Turian Councillors comment, ?We have ships watching all the relays into Citadel space. If Saren tries to move against us we?ll catch him in our blockade.?

?You think a blockade?s going to stop him? He?s on Ilos now looking for the Conduit. When are we going to do something about that??

?Ilos is only accessible through the Mu Relay, deep inside the Terminus Systems, Commander.? The Salarian tells me this as if I hadn?t given them the information. Though I suppose that was background to his main point. ?If we send a fleet in there, the only possible outcome is full-scale war.?

Udina half whispers to me. ?Now is the time for discretion, Commander. Saren?s greatest weapon was secrecy. Exposed, he is no longer a threat. This is over.?

?Saren is working to a plan to bring back the Reapers. We have to do something to stop him.?

?We do not believe this. Saren still has intelligence sources on the Citadel.? In my experience it?s unusual for the Salarian Councillor to talk so much. ?No doubt he has found out about your belief in the Reapers, and is attempting to use it to sow confusion.?

?I?m with the Council on this.? Udina sounds firm. ?I think the Reapers are a convenient fiction for Saren to use to hide his real intentions."

I try again to get some action from them. ?One ship going into the Terminus systems won?t start a war. I can be discreet.?

?You detonated a nuclear device on Virmire.? The Turian sounds derisive. ?I wouldn?t call that discreet!?

?Your style serves you well in the Traverse, Commander.? As always, the Asari tries to act as peacemaker. ?We recognise that. But Ilos requires a deft touch. We have the situation under control.?

I stare at them, trying to come up with a response. The Turian smirks at me. ?Ambassador Udina, I get the sense Commander Shepard isn?t willing to let this go.?

?There are serious political implications here, Shepard. Humanity?s made great gains thanks to you. But now you?re becoming more trouble than you?re worth.?

?You bastard.? I?d almost forgotten Ashley was here. ?You?re selling us out.?

?It?s just politics, Commander. You?ve done your job, now let me do mine. We?ve locked out all the Normandy?s primary systems. Until further notice, you?re grounded.?

?Nobody stabs me in the back, Udina.? My voice drops low. ?Nobody.?

?I think it?s time for you and your team to leave, Commander. This no longer concerns you. The Council can handle this. With my help, of course.?

***********************

I don?t know how I got back to the Normandy. But less than an hour after I was standing there wondering how to kill Udina and possibly the Turian, and knowing just how stupid it would be to try it, I?m back on the Normandy. I?m sat on the floor by my storage locker in the canteen, and everyone else is keeping out of my way. I suspect that watching their CO cry for the first time in years embarrasses the crew. So it?s a surprise when a shadow falls over me.

?Commander? Shepard?? I suppose I shouldn?t be surprised it?s Liara who came to speak to me. ?I cannot believe they did this to you. I am so sorry.?

?It?s not your fault.? I?m too ashamed to look at her.

?It?s not right. You did everything they asked and more. Nobody else could have done what you did! The Council owes you everything. Everything! Instead of helping, they strip you of your command and ground the Normandy.?

?I should?ve known better than to come back here. I should have just gone straight after Saren. Udina, the Council - they?re all the same. Petty, blind and stupid!?

?Could we not appeal their decision??

?I pushed them as hard as I could. They wouldn?t budge.?

?So you?re just going to walk away?? It?s like a slap in the face hearing Liara?s? contempt? ?You will just give up and doom the whole galaxy to extinction??

?No!? If she wanted anger to burn away my despair, she?s got it. I can?t help grinning like a loon. ?Hell, no. We have to find a way to do this.?

?I believe in you, Shepard.? Liara reaches down to me and grabs my arm. ?I am with you every step of the way.?

I let her pull me to my feet. Then we?re standing, close together. She must be holding my arm to steady me so I won?t fall. I wonder whether that?s perfume or a soap she uses, because standing this close she smells gorgeous. I wonder what her lips taste like. If she doesn?t move away I?ll give it a try?.

?Sorry to interrupt, Commander. Got a message from Captain Anderson.? The intercom is a shock, and we spring apart.

My first reaction is anger. ?Damn it, Joker. Are you spying on us??

?No ma?am. Just knew you were on the ship and figured I?d pass the message on . The Captain said to meet him at Flux. That club down in the wards.?

?All right.? I have to be back in business mode, and Liara draws away as she realises it. ?Let him know I?m on my way.?

***********************

As we?re heading through the Wards, I notice a group of humans. From the placards and chanting, I assume they?re protesting. And as we get closer, I can see some of the placards and recognise some of the chants. Earth first! Aliens off Earth! I bleed red! Remember Shanxi! And all the other slogans from the various idiot groups that want to blame every problem Earth has on aliens. Unfortunately, the demonstration is very close to the entrance to Flux, and I?m going to have to pass by to get there.

As I do, someone recognises me. ?Commander Shepard. Commander Shepard. Can you spare a moment?? While I?d very much like to ignore him, if only because of the way he might react to Liara and Tali, doing so might give him a reason to use my reaction as publicity. The first human Spectre, snubbing a human. So I walk over to the man.

?Commander Shepard. It?s an honour to meet you.?

?Can your honour.? I wave vaguely at his crowd. ?Who are you, and what?s this about.?

?I?m Charles Saracino of the Terra Firma Party.? I should have guessed they were involved. ?With Armistice Day coming soon, we?re making our voices heard by the alien-appeasers on the Presidium.?

?You?re marking the end of the First Contact War with a protest??

?As we have every year for the last twenty-six years. The war taught humanity a lesson that some would forget. If we don?t stand up for ourselves, nobody else will.?

?Every day I stand up for humanity. Often in the face of bullets. What have you done lately? You really think speeches help??

?We all serve in our own way, Commander. I?m not a soldier, but I can tell the public why they should support your efforts.?

?Next you?re going to ask for a picture together with Shepard.? Tali is an admiral?s daughter, and knows something of politics. ?So you can show people how close you are to the military.?

?I.. I assure you I?m only interested in the betterment of humanity. The same as you, Commander.? It seems Tali has him on the defensive.

?So, what do you stand for, Mister Saracino??

?Our core value is that Earth must stand firm against alien influence, Politically, culturally, and in the worst case militarily.?

?That is not unreasonable.? I think Liara might be trying to calm things down for a moment. ?But some of the things these people are saying sound a bit bigoted.?

?Excuse me. I don?t think human politics are any of your business.? Saracino is more aggressive with Liara, perhaps because he?s familiar with the reputation of Asari.

?What the Alliance does affects everyone around it.? Now Liara sounds a little hurt.

?We live in this galaxy, Mister Saracino. We can?t pretend that what we do affects no-one else.? I notice there are cameras present, and try to push the point.

?No, of course not. My apologies. I only meant to point out that other species have no right to interfere in Alliance politics. What I?d like, Commander, would be your endorsement. I?m standing for one of the spacer seats in the Alliance parliament, and the support of the first human Spectre would mean a lot. You spend a lot of time in space, don?t you.?

?I do. Unfortunately, Mister Saracino, I?m also a serving officer in the Systems Alliance. Endorsing a political party would violate my requirement to remain neutral in politics.?

?Of course, of course. But at least you wouldn?t be against me.?

?That would also violate regulations.?

?Thank you for your time, Commander. Remember, you may not remember Terra Firma, but Terra Firma remembers you!?

It?s a bad time to catch me as I leave, since I?m fairly sure he?ll edit some of that to suggest I support his candidacy. So it?s unfortunate for an Alliance diplomat who sees me as I?m entering Flux. Particularly when he suggests he?s fighting for humanity just like I am. I didn?t see him hip deep in Geth on Eden Prime. He?s another person with a problem that only I can solve. Although in this case the problem is that he?s a drug addict trying to get another fix. Apparently he?s involved in some fairly detailed negotiations, and has been using a particular mental stimulant to ?stay on top of his game?. Only now, he?s reached his monthly limit and the negotiations aren?t finished. He also can?t hand them over to his assistant, who?s an obvious alien sympathiser who thinks humans should bend over backwards for the Citadel races. He needs me to get him a few more.

I point out his problem. ?You?re an addict.?

?No. No, I?m not. I just need them to give me the edge humanity needs in these negotiations, that?s all. Just enough to get me through the last session.?

?How will it help humanity if you collapse of a drug overdose in the middle of the session. Get help now!?

?You don?t understand. It?s just one more dose. I need it. Humanity needs it.? His pleading hardly advances his case that he?s not addicted.

?Listen to yourself.? The number of people I saw like this as I was growing up, certain they just needed one more dose of their drug of choice and everything would be fine. ?You don?t need one more dose, you need treatment. Get it.? Invading his personal space, I must be intimidating in battle armour. Suddenly he sags.

?All right. Maybe I am pushing it a little hard.? He?s almost in tears, though I think it?s relief. ?I?ll go and see a Doctor. Thank you, soldier.?

I?d give about even odds that he?s leaving to find someone who will supply his fix, but I?ve bigger fish to fry.

[Bluenose]

Part 40

The Citadel and the Normandy - Commander Shepard, mutineer

Anderson is sat at a table in a quiet corner of the bar. I sit down next to him, and he looks at me sympathetically. ?I?m glad you came, Commander. I heard what happened.?

?They pulled me off the mission. Just like when they forced you to give up the Normandy.?

?I know. I?m sorry. I wanted to warn you, but there was no way to get a message to you before you docked. I know you?re pissed off right now, but you can?t give up. They all think this is over, but we both know it?s not. You have to go to Ilos. You have to stop Saren from using the Conduit!?

?I?m not risking my crew. There?s only one ship that can get me into the Terminus systems undetected. And she?s locked down by Udina?s orders.? Screaming and kicking things would be childish, and right now that would make me feel better.

?Citadel control?s locked out all the Normandy?s systems. But if we override the ambassador?s orders we can get them to release the Normandy again. You can be in the Terminus systems before anyone notices you?ve gone.?

?If we steal the Normandy, you?re left holding the bag.?

?And if Saren finds the Conduit, life as we know it is over. The Reapers will destroy us. Whether we?re human, asari, or whatever. You?re the only one who can stop him, Shepard. So I?ll do whatever it takes to get you on the Normandy and off this station.?

?Stealing the Normandy is mutiny. What if the crew won?t help me.?

?The Normandy is yours, Shepard.? Tali has been paying attention to us as well as the other people in the bar. ?The crew will follow you to the end of the galaxy.?

?So what?s the plan??

?Simple enough. I get into Citadel control and override the lockdown on Normandy?s systems.?

?That is a restricted area patrolled by armed guards.? Liara sounds dubious. ?How are you going to get in??

?Leave that to me. Just make sure you?re back on the Normandy when the systems come online.?

?It?s too risky.? At this point I?m not thinking about the risk to Captain Anderson, although it?s there. He?s right about the necessity. I?m just worried this might fail. ?There has to be another way. Perhaps the Embassy??

?Ambassador Udina issued the lockdown order.? Anderson sounds slightly doubtful. ?If I can hack the computer in his office, maybe I can override it.?

?Tali?? I?m about to suggest something, but she interrupts me.

?I am coming with you, Shepard. No matter what.?

?What will you do if the ambassador is in his office?? Liara again sounds worried,

?I?ll just have to think of something.? I grin a little. The ambassador isn?t a particularly big man, and a little overweight, while Anderson is physically in great shape. I suspect I know what that something might be.

So does Liara. ?The ambassador will not forgive this, Captain. You will be charged with treason, a capital offence.?

?We don?t have a lot of options. Either I break into the ambassador?s office, or I take my chances with the C-Sec patrols. Which is it to be, Commander??

?You?ll have a better chance if you go after the ambassador?s console.? And next time I see Udina, he?ll have a black eye.

?I was hoping you?d say that.? Although the way Anderson sounds, possibly two black eyes. ?The ambassador has made it personal.? And a broken nose. ?I?ll take care of the lockdown. You get back to the Normandy and have Joker stand by.?

?All right.? I check the time. ?Shift change is in fifty-seven minutes. People will be moving around, talking to their reliefs, or bitching about others not being there yet. They won?t be paying as much attention. That?s the time to try it.?

Elevator news stories:
Treaty negotiations between the Alliance and the Salarian Republic have finally concluded. Salarinas praised the openness and flexibility of Alliance negotiators in pursuing a deal that benefited both sides. The deal was brokered by new Alliance negotiator Thomas Kent after his mentor Elias Keeler withdrew, citing health reasons.

*********************

Fifty-six minutes later I?m on the bridge of the Normandy, leaning over Joker?s shoulder. I?ve told the crew what?s happening, and said that anyone who wants to can leave before we undock. Despite what Tali said, I?m still shocked. The airlock has been closed since we came back on board. The clock ticks to fifty-seven, and the red lock-out light still burns on Joker?s board. He looks at me, and I shrug slightly.

Down in the embassy, Udina is working at his desk when the door opens. He looks up, slightly annoyed. ?Anderson, what are you doing here? I didn?t send for you.? As the Captain storms across the room and round the desk, Udina puts a hand up to defend himself. Anderson promptly knocks him unconscious. He leans over Udina?s console, and starts typing furiously.

On the Normandy, the light turns green. I slap the shoulder of Joker?s chair. ?Get the Normandy out of here, Joker.?

?Aye, aye, ma?am.? As drives come back online, he pulls the Normandy out of it?s docking cradle and swings away from the Citadel under full power. It isn?t until we hit the Mass Relay that I start to relax, and lean back in the co-pilot?s chair I?ve been monitoring sensors from. Joker actually seems a little disappointed. ?Aw, damn it. No sign of pursuit? I was hoping the Council would send some ships after us. I was looking forward to putting the Normandy through its paces. Figured I?d get a chance to show what this ship can really do.?

As I get up to go, I decide to give him something to think about. ?Don?t worry Joker. With any luck you?ll soon have a chance to play hide and seek with Sovereign.?

?Well, when you put it like that it doesn?t sound so much like fun.?

********************

Feeling among the crew is mostly triumphant, though there are some interesting reactions. Pressley, who always seemed a bit by-the-book, admits to me that he knows we?ll be court-martialled, yet he still loves it. Doctor Chakwas is thinking of other people, and reminds me how much the Normandy crew has sacrificed for me and warns me not to let them down. Chief Engineer Adams is confident. ?Don?t worry, ma?am. The Normandy?s a hell of a ship. She?ll get us through this.?

Wrex meanwhile will tell anyone who asks that I?m crazy, which he regards as a good thing in this particular situation. And he still wants Saren?s head as a souvenir. Garrus is rather more worried, though he does seem to understand why we have to do this. He?s just worried what will happen if we run into a patrol vessel with orders to stop us. Tali seems to find the whole experience thrilling. Though she also confides to me that ship jacking is a capital offence in Quarian society, and her father is likely to be furious. Apparently he?ll probably want to execute us himself.

****************

Nobody has ever been to Ilos. Liara knows plenty of references to it at other Prothean sites, but it?s otherwise list, as Troy was on Earth. And it?s almost as famous. Several universities have proposed travelling there through normal space, but without the location of the Mu Relay that would mean travelling through the hostile Terminus systems and into virtually uncharted territory. Without any information, I?m going with a plan that would see me busted to Private if I proposed it to Special Forces Command: we?re going to land and see what happens. Eight hours out from the Relay I?m in my cabin, moping around and wondering how to spend the last few hours before the operation.

Then the door opens. A pretty blue face peers at me, as Doctor T?soni comes in uninvited, looking quite smug. ?Zoe. Might I have a moment??

?Funny, I was thinking about you a few minutes ago.?

?I have been thinking about you too. And what we are about to face. I do not know what will happen in Ilos. I hope we will stop Saren, of course, but part of me fears we are already too late. There is something I must tell you, in case we fail.?

?We?re not going to fail. I won?t let it happen.?

?Please. I am not looking for comfort. Saren might already have the Conduit. It is time to be completely honest with each other. These could be our last moments together. Our last chance to show each other how we feel. I want this to be special.?

For a moment I?m puzzled. Then I realise what she?s talking about, and I?m unexpectedly nervous about it. ?We don?t have to do this. Not unless you?re sure/?

?I have never been more certain of anything in my life. Will you join with me, Zoe? Let our bodies and minds unite.?

?Just tell me what to do.? Liara shuts me up with a kiss. And then her arms are around me, and she?s pulling me toward my bed.

I?m a Special Forces officer, so I know how to keep secrets. What happened next is one of those. But in the morning, I?ve got a big grin on my face. I watch Liara as she wakes, rolling over and then smiling at me. Though before we can do anything, Joker?s voice comes over the intercom. ?Fifteen minutes ETA to the Mu Relay.?

Liara smiles at me. ?I had better go. Duty calls. It would not do to keep Joker waiting. Zoe? Whatever happens on Ilos, I just want to say? thank you. For everything.?

[Bluenose]

Part 41

Ilos ? Can't we just land on Saren?s head?

I?d like to say that the relay jump to Ilos was somehow special, simply because it?s the most important one any human or any other sentient has ever made. It isn?t. It?s just a normal mass relay, even if it does happen to be inside a nebula. If Joker is more nervous than usual, with his Captain leaning over his chair, Pressley on the scanners, Tali at engineering, and with other members of my team in the door, he doesn?t show any sign of it. Normandy makes the jump as normal, and coasts in-system with all the stealth systems engaged until we?re into sensor range of Ilos.

Joker reports, nervously, what is obvious from the displays. ?Captain, we?ve got company.? He?s quite right. At least half a dozen Geth dropships are in defensive positions around Ilos. Possibly more that aren?t visible from this side of the planet.

Rather nervously, Liara asks, ?Have they detected us?? I smile across the bridge at her, and then remember I?ve got my game face on.

?They shouldn?t have.? Joker shrugs. ?We?ve got our stealth systems engaged. Unless they can get close enough for a visual we should go undetected.?

?Captain, I?ve got anomalies on the planetary surface.? Pressley?s report is crisp, and he brings up a planetary map indicating a position in the middle of a group of ruins. It?s got to be Saren!

?Joker, drop us right on top of the readings.? I prepare to get my team together.

?Sorry, Captain.? Pressley has the bad news. ?There?s no landing zone. The nearest I can find is two kilometres away.?

?That?s too far.? Ashley recognises the problem before I do. ?We?d never get there on foot in time. Find another site.?

?There is no other site! I?ve looked.?

Liara might be less calm than she appears. ?We cannot have come all this way for nothing.?

?Could you drop us in the Mako?? I listen as Tali joins the brainstorming.

?You need at least a hundred meters of open terrain to pull off a drop like that. The most I cn find near Saren is twenty.? Pressley sounds frustrated.

?We have to try.? So does Liara.

?The descent angle is too steep.? Tali is running numbers on her omnitool.

?It?s not an option.? Ashley knows the normal operating standards. ?It?s a suicide run. We don?t??

?I can do it.? Joker sounds calm about it.

?Joker?? If he?s sure?

?I can do it.?

I pause for a second, but he?s never let me down before. And this is the best ship in the Alliance fleet. ?Tali, Liara, gear up and head down to the Make. Joker, drop us right on top of that bastard!?

********************

On Ilos, Saren is walking into a tunnel with a large group of Geth, including at least two colossi, when something makes him look up. His mandibles flare wide as he sees the Normandy diving at him, and he orders the Geth to hurry up. As he enters the tunnel, the Normandy?s loading hatch opens and Joker pulls her out of the dive. The Mako descends, thrusters flaring, even as the Normandy?s engines scream as Joker manages to pull her nose up and away. As the massive doors to the tunnel close, the Mako bounces to the ground in the space outside, with Saren watching all the time.

**************

I kick the door in frustration. So damn close. ?We?ll have to find a way to get it open.?

?Our weapons will certainly not do enough damage to break through it.? Liara has been scanning the doors with her omnitool.

?Saren got it open.? Tali, as always practical, points out the obvious. ?There must be a control panel somewhere in the complex.?

I nod. ?Let?s move out.?

We don?t go ten paces before some Geth troopers engage us. We duck behind one of the ruined walls, and are soon exchanging fire with a large group. While Tali and Liara keep the Geths? heads down, I dash to a fallen block of masonry where I?ve a better angle to engage them from. That doesn?t work as well as I?d hoped, as they deploy their shields and several start to shoot at the block. Yet the distraction lets Liara move to another block, and she promptly tosses a singularity into the middle of the Geth. As they spin helplessly in the air, we take careful aim and shoot them down one at a time.

Further on, we round a corner in the ruin and hastily step back. Two Colossi are in an open area, and hopefully we haven?t attracted their attention. Unfortunately we need to go north, and there doesn?t seem any way to do so that doesn?t involve passing them. Still, I check our hastily-scanned map and find that there?s some sort of passage going down, back the way we came, and it seems to come up behind the Colossi.

We turn east, and then south, down a slope next to what may once have been an underground garage. Some Geth crawlers of various types attempt to ambush us, without success but still causing some annoyance. I hate shooting them, because you can?t pause to aim and I?m a fanatic for careful targeting. Rather nastier is a subsequent encounter with two Geth shock troopers, but those also fall after Tali turns one against the other, and we pick off the survivor. They seem to have been guarding a computer console, a new one of Geth manufacture. I get Tali to investigate it, and it turns out to control the target acquisition modules on the Colossi. If I could see through her mask I imagine she?d be grinning, but she taps away at the console for a few seconds before stepping back. To the north I hear a burst of heavy weapons fire, followed by more, and then there?s a loud explosion and rain of debris.

We head back north through the ruins. There?s actually a lot of cover, in the form of ruined walls, fallen blocks of masonry, and some rather large trees. It does mean that we have to pay more attention for Geth if we don?t want to walk right into them. /Which while this doesn?t go badly when I do it with an ordinary trooper, which discovers quickly that it?s not a good idea to fight me at close quarters, would be a lot more awkward if we did it with some of the heavy units.

As it happens, one of the Colossi survived their shoot-out. It?s not in very good condition though, even if its shields have regenerated. Tali uses an overload to disable the shields and a few shots finishes it off. We move on, although Liara is looking around like a tourist. She confides in us that she never expected to get to Ilos, and she?d really like to have more time to study the ruins. Tali surprises me when she says the Quarian Flotilla once considered settling Ilos, after they were driven from their home world, though she seems pleased enough they didn?t follow through with the idea. I?ll admit I get a bit of a creepy feeling. The place seems so old. Then there?s a lot of statues of seated, well I assume they?re Protheans, who look almost like a human at first. Then you notice the tentacles under their chins, and the long fingers on their hands, and that the proportions of their bodies are just wrong. It?s somehow more disturbing than if they were more alien.

Eventually we reach a courtyard at the North end of the ruins. There are more Geth here, quickly dispatched. In this case they seem to have been guarding an open door in one of the more intact buildings. Inside, we find a panel on the wall and after some pushing of buttons the room starts to descend ? like a lift, except it descends diagonally. Tali sounds pleased, ?This room still has power. It is probably the control centre for the whole complex. Saren must have been through here.?

?That means he has probably left some of his Geth behind to guard it.? Liara sounds unusually pessimistic, although I?m not sure why.

?We can deal with them.?! By contrast, Tali sounds confident.

Both of them turn out to be correct. There is a group of Geth guards, but we deal with them quite handily. It helps that near the entrance there?s a slope up to a raised platform, from which we can observe and shoot the Geth on the ground level. Otherwise, it might have been difficult considering the group includes a Geth prime leader, several rocket troopers, and some of the assault units.

Searching around the room, and avoiding the tree branches that have penetrated the ceiling, we eventually find another computer console. This one is obviously old, dating back to the Prothean era. However, some of the controls have been labeled in Turian script, which our omnitools let us translate. They contain instructions for opening the huge door into the underground bunker, and I carefully follow them.

We?re about to leave to see whether it worked, when the console comes to life. A pattern of lights appear around it from a hologrammatic projection, and it starts to speak. Unfortunately it?s too damaged for me to make out more than a few words. ?Warning? fleet of dreadnoughts? attacked? unable to??

Tali seems surprised. ?A VI interface. Badly damaged. A shame we can?t understand it.?

?No doubt it is speaking in Prothean. It seems to be very old.? I?m still bemused, when Liara speaks up.

?You can?t? I can understand a few of its words, though the message is broken up.?

?Of course.? Liara sounds excited, and for a moment looks at me almost as if I?m a specimen she wants to examine. ?Your interaction with the Beacons, and then the Cipher. You must have been taught the Prothean language from them.?

?What is it saying?? Tali sounds curious, though a little impatient.

I listen carefully. The message is broken up very badly, but there are references to the Citadel, to Mass Relays, to the Beacon network. And then another voice comes on, and speaks of a last chance, and a final message. I pass it on, but it doesn?t relay say much we couldn?t guess for ourselves. Rather than stay, we head on to an elevator at the south end of the building.

This too goes up diagonally, depositing us in the courtyard where the Colossi were destroyed. From there it?s a quick jog south to where we left the Mako, and where the door to the bunker is now open. Liara looks down the tunnel, which is easily large enough for the Mako to manoeuvre even where tree roots penetrate the rook or walls. ?Who is in favour of taking the large armoured vehicle into the scary underground tunnel??

?No doubt having a main gun that can blow through walls will be very useful in the ancient underground space beneath tons of masonry.? If Liara is going to joke, Tali appears to intend topping it. With two unemployed comedians on board, I take the Mako into the tunnel.

We drive along for several minutes, gradually descending, until the tunnel comes out into an area with a much higher roof. There are a large number of silvery pods set into the walls. When Tali asks what they might be, Liara suggests they?re stasis pods which the Protheans might have retreated to when they came under attack. She sounds upset that they?re now unpowered, and also disappointed that we don?t have time to stop and study things.

A few Geth attempt to ambush us, but on foot they aren?t really a problem. I don?t even slow down, and we run them over in the Mako without any fuss. But we are stopped, by an energy curtain that descend from the ceiling as we approach it. For a moment we?re worried that it?s an ambush, but no Geth appear. Then we notice that a similar curtain has appeared behind us, and a section of wall has opened to our right. Leaving the Mako, we head into the room and activate the controls, which turn out to be another elevator.

[Bluenose]

Part 42

Ilos - The genocide of the Protheans

Liara comments as we descend, ?I have studied the Protheans for decades, but I have never felt this sense of foreboding. What will we find down here??

?Whatever we find, be cautious.? Tali sounds wary, which agrees with my mood. ?If this were simply an automated trap, Saren would have triggered it as well.?

What we find at the bottom seems like just another corridor, with a few of the stasis pods in the wall. At the end of a walkway is a computer console. As we head towards it, another hologram display, almost as broken up as the one above, starts to flash. The image firms up a little, almost but not quite resolving into something recognisable, and then starts to speak. ?You are not Prothean. But you are not machine, either. This eventuality is one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent our warning through the beacons. I do not sense the taint of indoctrination upon any of you. Unlike the other that passed recently. Perhaps there is still hope.?

?This is incredible.? Liara breathes it out, her eyes staring in awe. ?An actual Prothean VI, and I can understand it!?

?I have been monitoring your communications since you arrived at this facility. I have translated my output into a form you will all comprehend. My name is Vigil. You are safe here, for the moment. But that is likely to change. Soon, nowhere will be safe.?

?So, what are you? Some sort of AI program?? Tali sounds a little nervous.

?I am an advanced non-organic analysis system with personality imprints from Ksad Ishan, chief overseer of the Ilos research facility.?

?Why did you bring us here?? As we?re speaking Saren is getting further ahead, so I haven?t a huge amount of patience.

?I have a reason. You seek to break a cycle that has continued for millions of years. To stop it, you must first understand it or you will make the mistakes we did. The Citadel is the heart of your civilisation. As it was with us, and as it has been with every civilisation that came before us. But the Citadel is a trap. The station is actually an enormous Mass Relay, one that links to dark space. The empty void beyond the galaxy?s horizon. When the Citadel relay is activated, the Reapers will pour through. And all you know will be destroyed.?

?Wait. If the Reapers are beyond the galaxy, how do they survive?? Tali seems to be thinking aloud.

?We have no data. The primary hypothesis is that they enter a state similar to hibernation, allowing them to survive long periods of inactivity. In that state they are presumed vulnerable, and could be destroyed. By retreating beyond the galaxy, they ensure no one will accidentally discover them, They keep their existence hidden until the Citadel relay is activated.?

?How is it that no one has ever noticed that the Citadel is a mass relay?? Liara seems to be getting over her awe.

?The Reapers are careful to keep the greatest secrets of the Citadel hidden. That is why they created a species of seemingly benign organic caretakers.? I know what Vigil is talking about immediately, and his next words confirm it. ?The keepers maintain the station?s most basic functions. They enable any species that discovers the Citadel to use it without fully understanding the technology. Reliance on the keepers ensures no other species will ever discover the Citadel?s true nature. Not until the relay is activated and the Reapers pour through.?

?The Reapers can wipe out the Council and the whole Citadel fleet in one surprise attack.? Really, it?s a brilliant trap.

?So it was for us. Our leaders were dead before we even realised we were under attack. The Reapers seized control of the Citadel and through it, the Mass Relays. Communication and transportation across our empire were crippled. Each star system was isolated, cut off from the others. Easy prey for the Reaper fleets. Over the next decades, the Reapers systematically obliterated our people. World by world, system by system, they methodically wiped us out. Through the Citadel, the Reapers had access to all of our records, maps, census data. Information is power, and they knew everything about us. Their fleets advanced across every settled region of the galaxy. Some worlds were utterly destroyed. Others were conquered, their populations enslaved. These indoctrinated servants became sleeper agents under Reaper control. Taken in as refugees by other Protheans, they betrayed them to the machines. Within a few centuries the Reapers had killed or enslaved every Prothean in the galaxy. They were relentless, brutal, and absolutely thorough. Our worlds were stripped bare, harvested by the indoctrinated slaves. Everything of value - all resources, all technology - was taken. Certain that all advanced organic life had been extinguished, the Reapers retreated back through the Citadel relay into dark space, sealing it behind them. All evidence of the reaper invasion had been wiped away. Only their indoctrinated slaces were left behind. Mindless husks no longer capable of independent thought, the indoctrinated soon starved or died of exposure. The genocide of the Protheans was complete.?

?Why?? Liara sounds as if she wants to be sick, and I reach out and squeeze her shoulder for a moment. ?What do they gain from doing this.?

?The Reapers are alien, unknowable. Perhaps they seek slaves, resources. More likely, they are driven and goals organic beings cannot hope to comprehend. In the end, what does it matter? Your survival depends on stopping them, not in understanding them.?

?So, what?s different this time?? I can?t think why this isn?t already happening again.

?The Conduit is the key. When the Reapers arrived, we Protheans were on the verge of unlocking the mysteries behind mass relay technology. Ilos was a top secret research facility. Here, researchers worked to create a small-scale version of a mass relay. One that linked directly to the Citadel, the hub of the mass relay network.?

?That is why Saren is searching for the Conduit. It is not a weapon! It is a back door into the Citadel!? I?m pretty sure Liara has the solution.

?That is correct.? Vigil confirms it. ?Once news of the attack arrived, we severed all communications with the outside and our facility went dark. The personnel retreated underground into these archives. To conserve resources, everyone was put into cryogenic stasis. I was programmed to monitor the facility and wake the staff when the danger had passed. But the genocide of an entire species is a long, slow process. Years passed, then decades. The Reapers remained active, and my energy reserves were dwindling. I began to disable the life support of non-essential personnel. First support staff, then security. One by one, their pods were shut down to conserve energy. Eventually, only the stasis pods of the top scientists remained active. Even these were in danger of failing when the Reapers finally retreated through the Citadel relay.?

?There were hundreds of stasis pods out there!? Liara sounds astonished. ?You just shut them down? You killed them??

?This outcome was not completely unforeseen. My actions were a result of contingency programming entered on my creation.?

?I bet they didn?t tell the ?non-essential? staff about this contingency.? Tali mutters what I?m thinking.

?I saved key personnel.? For a reputed VI, Vigil seems determined to clear itself of wrongdoing. ?When the Reapers retreated, the top researchers were still alive. My actions are the only reason any hope remains.?

?So, what did you do??

?When the researchers awoke, the realised the Prothean species was doomed. There were only a dozen individuals left, far too few to sustain a viable population. Yet they vowed to find some way to stop the Reapers from returning. A way to break the cycle forever. And they knew the keepers were the key.?

?Why the keepers?? Tali asks, slightly doubtfully.

?The keepers are controlled by the Citadel. Before each invasion, a signal is sent through the station compelling the keepers to activate the Citadel relay. After decades of study, the scientists discovered a way to alter this signal. Using the Conduit, they gained access to the Citadel and made the modifications. This time, when Sovereign sent the signal the keepers ignored it. The Reapers are trapped in dark space.?

?That?s why Saren is going there.?

?The one you call Saren will use the Conduit to bypass the Citadel?s defences. Once inside, he will transfer control of the station to Sovereign. Sovereign will override the Citadel?s systems and manually open the relay. And the cycle of extinction will begin anew.?

?Not if I can help it.? Of course, I?m not sure how yet.

?There is a data file in my console. Take a copy when you leave. When you reach the Citadel?s master control unit, upload it to the station. It will corrupt the station?s security protocols and give you temporary control over the station. It might give you a chance against Sovereign.?

?Wait!? Tali?s voice is urgent. ?Where?s the master control unit? I?ve never heard of anything like that.?

?It has to be in the council tower on the Presidium ring. That is where keepers are seen most frequently.? Liara sounds confident, and I agree with here. Then another thought strikes me.

?The relay monument. That thing everyone thinks is a Prothean piece of art. That has to be the other end of the Conduit.?

?If your description is accurate then you are both correct. The control unit can be found on the top floor of the tower.? Vigil actually sounds pleased. ?You must leave. Follow Saren. He will lead you to your destination.?

?Right, let?s move.? I load the data file onto my omnitool, and Talie does the same. But as I usher Liara forward to do the same, she asks almost plaintively, ?Can we not take a little more time? There are so many questions I want to ask about the Protheans.?

?The one you call Saren has not yet activated the Conduit, although he approaches it. I am programmed to answer questions concerning the Conduit and defence against the Reapers.?

I look at Liara, standing there forlorn, and decide we can spare a few minutes. ?Go ahead, ask what interests you.?

For the next few minutes, Liara is almost frantic, asking questions about every aspect of Prothean life she can think of. We also pick up a little more information that might be useful. Sovereign, while larger and more advanced than any ship in the galaxy, can be defeated. Which is a relief to me. Vigil believes the keepers to be an organic race, perhaps one of the first to be destroyed by the Reapers, who adapted well to indoctrination and so were selected for their current purpose. It surmises that following their alteration, the Reapers will in future likely adapt the Geth for the same purpose. Which I suspect is not something the Geth have been informed of. Speculating, Vigil suggests that it is likely a Reaper ship remains behind in the galaxy when the others leave to observe the situation and determine an appropriate time to begin another ?cull?. In this case, Sovereign was forced to it?s current activities due to the actions of the Prothean survivors. While Saren is it?s latest and most successful agent, it is likely there were others earlier. It would seem like a good idea to track these down when we?re done here, if that?s possible.

It isn?t very long though before Vigil alerts us. ?Saren is approaching the Conduit. Haste is now necessary.?

?Let?s go.? With one last look, Tali and I head back towards the elevator. Liara lingers for a moment, but then hurries after us. It isn?t until we?re in the elevator that she speaks again. ?All their culture, all their learning, and the Protheans were taken in by the Reapers just as we were.?

?At least they gave us a chance. That?s more than they got.? I think Tali might be trying to make Liara feel better. She seems to be a little disappointed that the Protheans were fallible after all. It does seem to make her happier.

?That is true. It is up to us to make the most of it.?

Once we?re back in the Mako, I open the engine up. Both of Vigil?s force fields are gone, and we head down the tunnel after Saren. A few Geth engage us, but I?m not in the mood to slow down. Not even when we turn left and drop into a water filled trench, perhaps part of an ancient Prothean aqueduct system. Here, there are more Geth units. Fortunately they?re spaced widely apart, and while each group may be able to batter down the Mako?s shields and even cause some damage, once they?re destroyed the distance to the next group allows the shields to regenerate and emergency field repairs to be carried out.

It?s just after we?ve destroyed one of these groups and are about to take a left turn that Tali, who?s on the sensors, announces in horror, ?Something has just activated ahead of us. It?s got an energy signature like a Mass Relay.?

We have to hurry, and I make the turn. Ahead there?s a short run to a crest, and beyond that there?s a blue glow in the air.

*****************

Elsewhere:
?Fan out.? Saren orders the Geth around as if they?re entirely his. ?Ensure there is no resistance.? As Geth fan out across the Council Chambers, shooting and explosions can be heard in the distance. Saren ignores everything, as he moves purposefully towards the area where people addressing the Council usually stand. He reaches the computer console, and starts to work on it.

*************

I power the Mako towards the crest and over it. Ahead, the waterway descends a slope. Near the bottom, where it divides into two channels, is an island. And on the island is a duplicate of the Mass Relay statue from the Citadel, which we now know is part of the Conduit. It glows blue, as an active Mass Relay would. Yet even as I start down the slope towards it, there are two problems. The field is shutting down, as they do when not maintained; and six Geth Colossi are standing in our way.

If we stop to shoot at them, the Conduit will close. Which means everyone gets to die, eventually, as I don?t have any idea how to open it. So while we shoot, I concentrate on driving the Mako We swerve some rockets, I activate the jets as others are fired so we jump over them, and some simply can?t be dodged. The shields start to fail as we reach the bottom of the slope. I drive quite deliberately through one Colossus to take it out of the action, and to give us cover from the others. The first impact rocks the Mako. I hit the jump jets as we approach a second Colossus, and hit it head high. Another hit, then a third leave a hole in the side of the Mako. I swerve at the last moment as a Colossus looms before us. A fourth hit impacts the engine compartment, and alarms scream on the control panel. As the light around the Conduit fades to almost nothing the Mako hits its field; and is shot away at a velocity only physicists pretend to understand.

***************

On the Citadel, Geth troopers guard the area round the base of the Council Tower. Smoke and wreckage fills the Presidium, and one of the Avina guides flickers weekly amongst a group of Dragon?s Teeth. The Geth react as the relay statue starts to glow blue, moving towards it along one of the bridges over the lake. This doesn?t work out well for them, as a battered M35 Mako comes flying out of the base of the statue, crashing over them on its roof and coming to rest at the base of the spire.

[Bluenose]

Part 43

The Citadel, inside and outside ? No parking tickets, I?m a Spectre

An upside down Mako with damage to the hull and at least one broken wheel axle lies smoking against the base of the Presidium tower. For a moment, nothing happens. Then a hatch in the belly moves, and my head pops out.
?Warning!? Avina?s voice sounds erratic as we clamber out of the Mako. ?Critical failure is detected across all monitored systems. Please begin emergency evacuation immediately.?

That?s advice that the husks that are on a scattering of Dragon?s Teeth would have been well advised to follow, if they had enough intelligence. To them, we?re an environmental hazard. And one that?s deadly very quickly.

After they die, I approach the VI. Which stops repeating its message. ?Warning! The Presidium is experiencing severe system malfunctions across the entire level. All non-emergency personnel must evacuate immediately.?

?Spectre Zoe Shepard. Identify the damage.?

?We have lost all non-emergency power to the level. Environmental controls are not responding. Class Three fires are burning in Sectors 2, 3, 6 and 7. Civilian casualties are high. I am also detecting numerous non-authorised synthetic across the station. They are believed to be hostile. Please approach with caution.?

?What happened to the Council??

?In accordance with standard emergency procedures, the Council has been evacuated to the Destiny Ascension.?

?And Captain Anderson? Ambassador Udina??

?I have no information on the status of specific individuals. Once the current crisis has been resolved, a complete accounting of casualties and survivors will begin.?

?Where?s Saren??

?Former Spectre agent Saren Arterius is in the vicinity of the Council Chambers. A warrant for his arrest has been issued, though Citadel Security is unable to respond at this time.?

?Good luck with that.? I turn to Liara and Tali. ?Come on. We need to get to Saren before it?s too late.

?Good luck with that.? I turn to Liara and Tali. ?Come on! We need to get to Saren before it?s too late.? As we move towards the elevator, Avina reminds us, ?Please begin emergency evacuation procedures. This is not a drill.? No kidding. I call an elevator, and we begin the journey to the top.

**************

In the Serpent Nebula outside the Citadel, a Geth dropship comes out of FTL flight. And then another, and another, and then there?s a fleet, forming around a larger, black ship. Sovereign has arrived to claim his prize.

Their sensors detect the Citadel fleet immediately, and their initial mass driver strike goes out immediately. The effect is deadly against a fleet with its shields down. Several Turian cruisers are destroyed before anyone can start to react.

On the Destiny Ascension, her commander starts to react. ?Activate the defences.? She leans over her communications officer. ?Seal the station.?

?The arms aren?t moving. Systems not responding.?

The ship rocks to another hit. The commander sits back into her chair. ?Abandon the station. Evacuate the Council. Citadel Control! Citadel Control! Do you copy??

In Citadel Control, Geth units stand over the bodies of the crew, not reacting to the message.

*****************

The elevator crashes to a halt half way up the tower. Tali groans. ?The Geth must have taken control of the systems. They?ve locked the elevator.?

I look around. No emergency hatches. But people want to see the view over the Presidium, and the elevators in the tower have glass walls. And if I remember correctly, away from the elevator tracks the walls of the tower have artificial gravity to make maintenance easier. I look at Liara. ?Seal your suit. We?re going outside.? I seal mine, check that Tali and Liara are ready, and shoot out the glass.

***************

Outside the station, the Citadel fleet is finally beginning to pull itself together. The Destiny Ascension, still under fire, pulls away from its normal position inside the station?s arms. Turian cruiser starts to regroup near the far end of the station. Executor Palin, on one of the Turian cruisers, gives a report. ?The arms are closing. They?re sealing the station.?

Sovereign doesn?t slow down. It moves towards the Citadel, straight at the massed Turian ships guarding the entrance. Palin gives an order. ?Don?t let the enemy ships inside the arms. As the Turians ignore the Geth to concentrate on Sovereign, it keeps coming. At the last moment, the cruisers realise Sovereign won?t stop. As they try to move, it rams through, destroying two cruisers in a massive impact and continuing as if nothing has happened. Some Geth dropships slip in with Sovereign, and as the arms close they?re alone inside the station without any defending vessels to interfere.

**************

I clamber across a beam along the edge of the elevator tracks, and twist myself round so I stand upright on the surface of the Citadel tower. Tali and Liara follow me out, till we?re standing looking up towards the tip of the tower. We?re just in time to see Sovereign arrive. It cruises the length of the Citadel, and as it approaches the tower the arms spread wide. It slows and then stops, hovering above the top of the tower, and then its arms clamp down on the tower. Energy flickers around the Reaper as it hangs there like a parasite.

We have to start moving towards the top of the tower. I have to hope we can find some way inside, perhaps a maintenance hatch, when we get there. At this stage, we?re committed with no turning back. As debris floats by slowly falling towards the ring almost a kilometre below, I realise that anything more than five metres above the surface we?re standing on will fall away from us. Probably fatally, but certainly taking them away from the fight.

Onward and upwards we go, along a surface that?s a mix of open bare metal and erratic protrusions connecting bits of machinery. Almost immediately, another elevator pulls past us as we move through a roofed section. Geth launch themselves out of it onto the tower surface, and we exchange fire with them. With rockets flying in one direction and bullets in another, Tali hacks a couple of shock troopers in quick succession, allowing us to move forward and engage the other Geth at close range while they?re engaging each other.

We carry on up the tower. More Geth units appear, with a high concentration of the large Destroyers among them. They have a habit of rushing into close combat relying on their shields and armour to survive our fire, which turns out to be a bad idea against a party with powerful biotic abilities. As I thought anything thrown more than a few metres above the surface is far enough away for the artificial gravity not to have a significant effect, and will drift away from the tower and cease to be a factor in the fight. I hope they don?t land on anyone in the Wards or at the base of the tower, but that?s hardly my problem.

Further up, we find what I suspect is the source of most of the Geth we?ve fought. One of their dropships is holding onto part of the tower, and Geth troops are disembarking from it. One thing we?ve come across as we move up the tower is an occasional defensive weapons turret, and now we make use of them. Tali moves to the first, activating it under local computer control and designating the Geth ship as its target. Liara and I hold the position as the Geth try to counter attack across the roof, and discover just how unpleasant it is to fly off it. While we?re doing this, Tali activates a second turret. Geth continue to come out of the ship, but there?s a third turret at the far end of the section and I direct Tali towards it. To give her a distraction, I rush across the open ground and give the Geth something to distract them. Rather to my surprise, one blow knocks a Geth across the corner of the building, and I discover it?s not just biotics that can put things into orbit here. Which should probably amuse me less than it does.

With all three turrets in action, the Geth dropship retreats rather than being destroyed. While it may cause problems elsewhere, I suspect most of its troops have already deployed. I also hope the threat of the turrets will dissuade any of the other dropships visible elsewhere inside the arms from heading this way. I might be disappointed, as in the next walkway we?re attacked by the largest mobile force yet, a mix of krogan troopers, Geth destroyers, and even a juggernaught. It?s not even as if there?s a great deal of cover, though with the destroyers that?s actually an advantage to us as they rush towards us in the open. When we have to work forwards, I end up having to use the structural braces in the ?wall? for Tali and Liara to shelter behind, while I move along the middle of the passage with my hardened shields taking a ferocious battering. Once we?re close enough, the krogan get to enjoy weightlessness after some of Liara?s biotics connect, and after the juggernaught lets me have one more rocket Tali and blast it apart with close range shotgun fire.

And then we hit one more problem. The walkway we?re moving along turns left, and we?re in a relatively open area with one of Sovereign?s legs looming over the end of it and three Geth heavy rocket turrets emplaced on the surface. There are also several geth troopers moving around purposefully. In this environment, there really isn?t much good cover. Even when we do manage to duck for a time behind some of the machinery, Geth attempt to outflank us as soon as we do while it also means the turrets will be able to focus their fire as soon as we try to move. Instead we have to move, and keep moving, engaging targets as they present themselves. Gradually the Geth troopers start to fall and a run across a section of wall enables me to pump enough rounds into one of the turrets for it to blow apart. I dash towards another section of cover, and let my shields recuperate for a moment, then head towards the corner of the building to give me a shot at a second turret. Two rockets blast in at the same time, trashing my shields, and then a Geth I hadn?t noticed pops up in front of me. If that?s whit it wants to do, I?m heading for the corner and now it can be too, until I beat it one last time with my rifle butt and send it spinning away into space. It also means that the turrets weren?t firing on me, which has let my shields regenerate slightly. I move forward, noticing as I do that Tali and Liara are concentrating on the third and last turret. Mine appears not to enjoy the pair of grenades I toss at it, and a long burst of assault rifle fire as I move erratically in its firing arc finishes it off, just after Tali and Liara finish the other.

And I?m pretty annoyed when we head down a slope and find that if I?d looked for it there was a passage that we could have used, that started near the start of the area the turrets overlooked and which bypassed the whole area. So destroying the three turrets simply wasn?t necessary. Although since it was guarded by a group of krogan, we would have faced some fighting. We have to fight them now, of course, since they notice us enter the passage. Yet there?s one saving grace after we defeat them, as we?re as high as we can get along the outside of the tower. Against the floor is a maintenance hatch with a warning concerning a gravity shift inside it. This has to be our access to the Council Chambers.

[Bluenose]

Part 44
The Citadel – An interesting job offer

When the Asari first came to the Citadel, thousands of years ago, one thing they thought was that it needed more beautification. So they shipped in soil and plants from their home world and created some rather nice gardens. Other races did the same thing, so parts of the Citadel are full of decorative flora from every race in Citadel space. Including, according to one guide book, some species that no longer grow on their home planet.

Humans did the same thing. For the last decade, anyone entering the Council Chambers at the top of the Citadel Tower did so between two rows of cherry trees, which made for an interesting experience when they were in blossom. They’re on fire. Not, as far as I can see, because there was heavy fighting in the area. There are no casualties around, no weapon scoring on the floors. Just because they could. And that makes me sadder than I'd have expected six months age.

One thing I’m reminded of as we fight our way towards the ‘business end’ of the Council Chamber, is Williams’ comment when we first came here. While Alenko noticed the aesthetics (and I pretended not to), Ashley noted that the series of staircases and the general layout made it a good defensive position. Certainly the Geth try to take advantage of this. While some are covering the stairs, in other places they’ve set up crossfire positions covering the top of the staircase. They’ve also positioned barricades to cover certain parts of the area.

It doesn’t delay us much. The Geth troopers that are almost all we face are outclassed both in terms of equipment and in terms of skill. And in one case, when Liara throws a singularity at a group behind a barricade and they float away barricade and all, they’re outclassed by simple awesomeness.

We are of course too late to stop Saren entirely. When we rush up the last few steps, he’s working at a console at the end of what I thought of as the supplicants plank where people talk to the Council. He notices us arriving, taps in one more command, and steps off the end. We halt, guns drawn, wondering what’s going on here. Since there’s no crash as he falls through the glass floor in the open section of floor, I assume there’s something stopping his fall. So it’s not a total surprise when he rises back up on his flying skateboard.

It’s even less of one when he throws a grenade at us. I push Tali and Liara one way and duck to the other side myself. Rather surprisingly, he doesn’t follow up with his gun. Instead he talks to me.

“Shepard. I thought you weren’t going to get here in time.”

Sarcastic bastard. “Sorry I’m late. Had to return the hospitality a few hundred of you Geth and Krogan showed me. It seemed rude to disappoint them.”

“You’ve lost. You know that, don’t you? In a few minutes Sovereign will soon have full control over all the Citadel’s systems. The relay will open. The Reapers will return.”

“I’m going to that master control console. You aren’t going to stop me.”

“You survived out encounter on Virmire. But I’ve changed since then. Improved. I suppose I should thank you. After Virmire I couldn’t stop thinking about what you said. About Sovereign manipulating me. About indoctrination.. Sovereign sensed my conviction beginning to falter. It implanted me to make me stronger. My resolve is unshakeable. I believe in Sovereign completely. I understand now that the Reapers need organics.”

“You let the genocidal god-machine ‘upgrade’ you?” I can’t keep the disgust out of my voice, and don’t really want to. “The machine that you’re worried could indoctrinate you to control your thoughts has now been putting implants into your body. You actually think that isn’t a way to control you.”

“The relationship is symbiotic.” Saren sounds almost as if he wants to persuade himself. “I am a vision of the future, a combination of the best parts of organic and synthetic. I have the strengths of both, the weaknesses of neither. This is the ultimate evolution of all organic life. This is our destiny. Join Sovereign and experience a true rebirth!”

“Your fancy new hardware won’t help you.” I get ready to move out and hit Saren with everything I have.

“Join us.” A simple phrase, but from Saren it halts me.

“What?”

“Sovereign can find a place for you too. Our victory is inevitable. You have delayed it, but nothing more. Yet Sovereigns is impressed with your ability. It wants you to join us. Is submission not preferable to extinction? Join our cause. ”

“As a slave? I’d sooner die.”

“Then you will die. And your companions. Everyone you know and love. Everyone you’ve ever met. Don’t you understand? You will all die. The Reapers can’t be stopped. Not by the Protheans, Not by you. The cycle always continues.”

“The Reapers don’t use organics. They want to exterminate us. Sovereign doesn’t think you’re the way of the future!” My voice is raised, in contrast to Saren’s calm tones. I try to make myself sound calmer and more rational. “You’re a tool. And when he’s done with you, Sovereign will discard you like any other tool.”

“I had no choice! You saw the visions. You saw what happened to the Prothean. Surrender or death… there are no other options.”

“You could have resisted. You could have fought! Instead, you surrendered. You quit.”

Saren stays silent for a moment. “Perhaps you are right.” For the first since I met him, Saren sounds less sure of himself. “Maybe there is still a chance. We could…. Arrgh.” Energy flares around Saren’s body, and he spasms in pain. I don’t think Sovereign likes what he’s hearing.

After a few seconds, Saren straightens up a little, his face still contorted. “The implants. Sovereign is too strong.” He sounds in pain as he talks. “I’m sorry. It is too late for me.”

I roll out of the cover and stare Saren right in the eyes. “There’s still one way to stop this.” My voice sounds weary. “If you’re willing to take that option.”

“Goodbye, Shepard.” Saren raises a pistol till it’s under his chin. “Thank you.”

The shot enters under his chin and penetrates diagonally upwards, exiting through the side of his skull just above the mandibles. Saren falls backwards off his board, crashing through the glass floor into the arboretum below. I look down, and see his body impaled on a shard of glass.

After a few moments hesitation, I dash for the console, with Liar and Tali following me. I start uploading Vigil’s data file.

“I am surprised with how you dealt with Saren, Zoe.” While it uploads, Liara addresses me. “I expected it to end in violence.”

“That was as much down to him, as me.”

“He seemed sorry, at the finish.” Tali sounds mildly curious about it. “Do you think he regretted everything?”

“He was an enemy. An hour ago I’d have been delighted he was dead. But at the end, he dies like a man. I have to respect that.”

Before I can say any more, the console beeps. The file has uploaded. I look at the console. “Vigil’s data file worked. I’ve got control of all systems.”

“Quick. Open the station arms. Maybe the fleet can take Sovereign down before he regains control of the station.” Tali is studying a display showing the situation outside.

“Try and open a communication channel.” If Liara is giving me orders, something must be going on. I do as she asked, and immediately we get an emergency hail.

“This is the Destiny Ascension. Main drives are offline. Kinetic barriers are at forty percent. We are under attack by Geth units. The Council is on board. I repeat the Council is on board.”

“Normandy to the Citadel.” Joker’s voice is welcome. “Normandy to the Citadel. Please tell me that’s you, Commander.”

“Were you expecting someone else?”

“Funny, Commander.” Although he doesn’t laugh, which it’s always polite to do when your CO is cracking jokes. “We caught that distress call. I’m sitting here in the Andura Sector with the entire Arcturus fleer. We can save the Ascension. Just unlock the relays around the Citadel and we’ll send the cavalry in.”

“Are you sure about this, Shepard? Human casualties will be very high if you send your fleet in now.” Tali sounds dubious about the benefits of attacking now..

“This is bigger than humanity.” Unsurprisingly Liara is in favour of helping the Council. The Asari are at the top of the food chain as a species in Citadel space, partly because they are founder members of the Council. “Sovereign is a threat to every organic species in the galaxy.”

“True.” To Tali, the Council are the group that threw the Quarians off the Citadel. “That’s why you can’t waste reinforcements trying to save the Council. You must hold them back until the Citadel arms open up and the human fleet can go after Sovereign.”

“What’s the order, Commander? Come in now to save the Ascension or hold back?” Joker sounds as if he's getting pressure from above to get an answer. I look at the battle situation as our sensors show it. The Turian forces are retreating in disarray, and I suspect their command structure has been broken by casualties. Much of the Geth force is dispersed pursuing them. Neither force is going to be a significant factor for a while, even if someone was able to take the pressure of the Turians. The Destiny Ascension is under attack by the largest remaining group of Geth, not too far from the Citadel, and doesn't look as if it can survive long. And then there's Sovereign, looming like a giant parasite over the Citadel tower. Does Hackett even have the firepower to destroy that monster?

We've come to far to give up, so I raise my communicator to give Joker my decision.

Edited by Bluenose, 15 May 2010 - 08:51 AM.

[Bluenose]

Part 45
The Citadel - It?s the end of the world as we know it

?Bring the fleet in now, Joker. Take out the Geth attacking the Ascension before moving into the Citadel.?

?Will do, Commander. Coming in now.? Joker closes the channel.

?I hope you know what you?re doing, Shepard.? Tali sounds distinctly dubious about my decision.

?So do I.? I might as well be honest, in the situation. ?If it works, it?ll be a great decision, and if it doesn?t no one will ever know.?

?Surely saving the Council was the only proper course of action.? Liara seems astonished that I was considering the alternative. ?Is that not your job as a Spectre??

?Technically, I don?t think so. I?m supposed to defend the people of Citadel space as my first priority. It?s quite certain that Tali is right about the casualties the Alliance will take if they come in now and engage the Geth. And I certainly wouldn?t miss the Turian councillor, and if I was certain sacrificing the Ascension increased our chance of success I?d do it.?

?But you didn?t.? Now Tali sounds interested. ?Why not??

?If Hackett brings Fifth Fleet inside the Citadel to fight Sovereign, and the Geth units attacking the Ascension finish her off, he?s likely to have to fight them anyway. It?s better to deal with them while they?re distracted rather than fight them and Sovereign together.? I look at Liara and Tali. ?At least, that?s the purely practical reason I?d give if asked about it publicly.?

?So what?s the real reason??

?Maybe it?s that I?m a true Spectre and utterly loyal to the Council.? A snort from behind Tali?s mask and a smirk from Liara show what they think of that idea. ?Maybe I?m thinking that there are thousands of asari in the crew, and they?re going to want to find a way to show their gratitude.? I waggle my eyebrows suggestively at a momentarily shocked Liara. The effect is spoilt when Tali giggles and I let out a snort of laughter.

?Zoe Shepard.? Liara tries to sound stern. ?Just you wait until I get you alone.? For a moment we?re all sniggering. Then I turn away as my mood gets more serious. I continue much more quietly.

?Maybe I can?t justify sacrificing other peoples lives for what might be anymore. Perhaps that?s the character growth people talk about, or a sign that I shouldn?t be doing this job any more. But I wasn?t going to let ten thousand people die simply because I was worried about what might happen.? My eye is caught by Saren?s body, and suddenly I start to wonder about those ?implants? of his. I glance at the suddenly sober Tali and Liara and gesture towards him. ?Make sure he?s dead.?

*********************

Outside the Citadel, a force of human warships drops out of FTL flight. Two dreadnoughts take the centre of the formation, surrounded by cruisers. The Normandy leads a group of frigates in the forward screen, with more on the flanks. Admiral Hackett gives the order, ?All units, engage the Geth forces attacking the Destiny Ascension. Manoeuvre on my mark.?

On the Ascension, the tactical officer stares at her sensors. ?Captain, we?re picking up reinforcements.? After a moment, she turns to her commander happily. ?It?s the Alliance.?

The Commander?s face shows her relief from the strain of her losing battle. ?Thank the Goddess.? For a moment she shuts her eyes. Then she?s back to businesslike. ?Alliance units, this is the Destiny Ascension. We have the Council on board. Our main drives are offline, Gardian lasers are inactive, shields are failing. We need assistance.?

The Geth are taken totally by surprise. While it?s not as devastating as their opening strike on the Citadel fleet which didn?t even have it?s shield up, the Geth ships are facing away from the threat and in many cases have already sustained some damage. Fresh, heavy units appearing behind them wasn?t something they planned for. The first salvo destroys several of their ships. As they turn, it?s apparent that Fifth Fleet has taken the pressure off the Ascension already.

Fifth Fleet pays a price. A frigate near the Normandy shatters as the Geth start to return fire, and then another. A third spins out of formation, shedding life pods as it goes. One of the cruisers explodes as fire penetrates it?s reactor core. Yet Geth losses are higher. Hackett?s flagship shatters Geth ships with a single salvo from it?s main guns. Suddenly the last few Geth are in retreat, pursued by part of the screen. Hackett informs the asari, ?Destiny Ascension, you are secure to withdraw.? Then he orders the rest of the fleet. ?Move into the Citadel as soon as the arms are open wide enough.?

Joker appears unwilling to wait. He takes the Normandy straight at the space, turning her on her side so the wings won?t be ripped off. Then we see Sovereign, grasping the top of the Citadel tower like a giant parasite. As other units follow Normandy in and start firing, it?s apparent the Reaper is a lot tougher than a Geth unit.

*******************

Tali and Liara clamber down into the arboretum where Saren?s body lies. Tali stalks angrily over towards him. A second gunshot to the head seems to settle the matter. Liara looks up at me. ?He is dead.? That seems to be it.

Then the vibrations start. The building begins to shake, and some of the energy that surrounds Sovereign courses through the chamber. Saren?s body shakes, then there?s an explosion as his flesh is burnt away. The ledge I?m standing on shakes, then cracks, and I fall down to join Tali and Liara on the ground. Saren is radiating energy, then standing up, talons extended into claws and a red light behind his eyes. With his flesh burnt away there?s nothing left but a metallic skeleton, a parody of a Turian, controlled by Sovereign?s will. No longer Saren, but Sovereign?s avatar.

The fight is exceptionally hard. The avatar is fast and agile, moving around the room and clinging to the walls easily. It shoots at us with some form of particle weapon, blasting our shields down quickly, and with a concussive blast that knocks us down. My shields go down again and again, as I attempt to keep attention focused on me. Again and again I have to boost them back to full strength or duck into cover to let them recharge. As for the avatar, it?s shields are immensely strong, and recharge far quicker than anything I?ve ever seen.

We persevere. While the avatar is quick, I manage to catch it with a biotic throw. As it lands, Liara drops a singularity right on top of it?s position. Tali uses her Omni-tool to weaken it?s shields, and I overheat my assault rifle with a sustained burst of fire. Yet when the singularity drops, the shield still isn?t down. The avatar leaps over my and Tali?s heads, landing near Liara and blasting her with it?s concussive blast.

I rush the avatar, shotgun in hand, and hit it physically. Perhaps the only thing it wasn?t protected against. It goes flying, and two shotguns blast it as one as Tali and I move to flank it. And then it flies back against the wall of the arboretum as Liara?s biotics flare behind us.

Part of the avatar comes off.

**********************

Outside, Alliance warships blast Sovereign at a suicidal short range. At last, it reacts. One arm releases it?s grasp on the Citadel tower. It points towards an Alliance cruiser, and a massive mass accelerator round blasts through the shields and shatters the hull. Then two more arms release, and two more cruisers are destroyed. Over the communications net, a panicked voice joins in. ?That monsters too strong. We have to fall back.?

Hackett?s voice is iron. ?Negative. This is our only chance. Keep firing.?

**************

The avatar leaps the length of the room. If it?s allowed to recuperate, I don?t know if we can win this fight. Tali hits it again with a shield overload, while Liara takes cover behind a rock with ivy on it. I rush across firing my shotgun, and more bits fly off the avatar. It leaps away from me, hanging off the wall, and Tali?s shotgun roars at point blank range. It?s staggered by the impact, and then Liara?s biotic field takes hold and it?s left spinning helplessly in the air. Tali fires again and again, till her shotgun overheats. Liara adds pistol shots form across the room. I rush over, just as the field dissipates. As the avatar drops to the floor, it?s legs tense as if to leap away. At point blank range, I put a shotgun round into the head, then a second, and a third. As the light starts to die in it?s eyes, Tali draws her pistol and adds a few more shots. With my shotgun burnt out, I step in and bring it smashing down in an arc against the already damage head.

The explosion throws me and Tali away from the wreckage. As I try to struggle upright, the broken avatar starts to glow, and then slowly disintegrates until nothing but dust remains.

**************

Outside, Sovereign releases the tower entirely. For a moment, it?s just hanging there in space doing nothing. Over the command net, an astonished voice gives a report, ?It?s shields are down.?

Hackett remains calm. ?This is our chance. Hit it with everything we?ve got.?

The Alliance ships redouble their firing rate. Not just mass driver fire, but torpedoes and fighter rockets slam into Sovereign. Still it resists. Then Joker pulls the Normandy out of the battle. ?Form on the Normandy.? A few fighters attempt to comply as he moves the Normandy to the far end of the station. Then he spins the Normandy on her axis, and accelerates directly towards Sovereign. At the bottom of the dive, the Normandy?s cannons fire an Joker starts to pull the nose round.

And the shots penetrate. A full, devastating burn through with debris splintering the armour on the opposite side. For a moment it seems Sovereign will survive even that. Then energy reserves, depleted by the fight with the Citadel fleet, by the attempt to override Citadel systems, by the attack of Fifth Fleet, and by the need to maintain the Saren-avatar, run out. Damaged control runs force a stressed reactor to exceed it?s capacity, and instead it overloads. And in a cascade of explosions, Sovereign comes apart in a shower of debris.

**************

The flash as Sovereign disintegrates draws my attention to the window. I gape for a moment at what I see. Then I shout to Tali and Liara, ?Run, Run!? When they aren?t reacting quickly enough, I drag a last bit of energy up and throw them biotically towards the far end of the room.

**************

The human ships can only evade as fragments of Sovereign fly in every direction, hitting the arms among the Wards, crashing into the Presidium ring, and with one large chunk smashing through the kinetic shields and atmospheric barrier around the top level of the Council tower.

****************

C-Sec officers work their way through the wreckage of the Council Chambers. Fires still burn, and fragments of Sovereign litter the building. In places sections of wall and floor have collapsed. One officer, near the end of the chamber, pulls away a collapsed section of rubble. As he shines a torch into the space, relief fills his face. ?Captain Anderson! I?ve found them. They?re in here.?

He slips into the space he?s made, where Tali tries to sit up, obviously favouring her ribs. Captain Anderson squeezes in behind him. He reaches for Liara. ?Take it easy. It?s over.. You?re safe now.? Liara looks at him sadly, without speaking. He tries to get more reaction. ?Where?s Shepard??

Together, Tali and Liara look towards the end of the chamber, where a large piece of black debris from Sovereign lies. Anderson?s eyes go wide. For a moment he doesn?t seem to know how to react. Then he starts to lift Liara to her feet. ?Come on. We need to get you out of here.?

They start to move painfully towards the gap in the debris, when Anderson stops and looks around. For a moment nothing seems to be moving, then a shadow moves past a gap in the debris. Hope flares for Tali and Liara, and then a female human steps over a section of rubble. Commander Shepard, left arm held painfully against her side, walks towards them. And a grin spreads across her face.

****************

A few hours later, the Councillors meet with a group of humans. Somewhere where there aren?t lumps of Sovereign lying around.

?Ambassador. Captain. Commander Shepard. We are gathered here to recognize the importance of the Alliance in the war against Sovereign and the Geth.? As usual, the asari is the first to speak.

?Many humans lost their lives in the battle to sve the Citadel. Brave and courageous soldiers who willingly gave their lives so that we, the Council, might live.? It suddenly occurs to me that they speak in order of their species joining the Council. And that the Salarian councilor probably doesn?t understand what soldiers fight for.

Which means the Turian comes last. ?There is no greater sacrifice, and we share your grief over the tragic loss of so many noble men and women.? He seems actually to mean what he?s saying, which given Turian military culture is not really surprising.

?The Council owes you a great personal debt, Commandeer. One we can never repay. You saved not just our lives but the lives of billions from Sovereign and the Reapers.?

?Commander Shepard, your heroic and selfless actions stand as a symbol of everything humanity and the Alliance stand for.?

?And though we cannot bring back those valiant soldiers who gave their lives to sve ours, we can honour their memories through our actions.?

?Humanity has shown it is ready to stand as a defender and protector of the galaxy. You have proved you are worthy to join our ranks and serve beside us on the Citadel Council.?

As the asari is speaking, I can practically hear Udina?s head swelling. ?Councillor, on behalf of humanity and the Alliance we thank you for this prestigious honour and humbly accept.?

?We will need a list of potential candidates to fill humanity?s seat on the Council.? So Salarian intelligences can start compiling a dossier on them, is the unspoken subtext.

?Given all that has happened, I am sure your recommendation will carry a great deal of weight, Commander.? You?ve got to love asari ability to put people on the spot. ?Do you support any particular candidate??

?We need someone with the courage to stand up for what he believes in.? Take that, Udina. ?Someone like Captain Anderson.?

?You trying to make me blush, Shepard?? I?m not sure the Captain really likes the idea.

?Are you sure, Commander?? I?m absolutely certain Udina doesn?t. ?The captain is a soldier, not a politician.?

?We?ve already got too many politicians on the Citadel. The Captain would be perfect for the job.?

?I think it?s an inspired choice. The Council would welcome him with open arms, should he accept.? Hey, if there?s hugs being handed out I want one.

?I?m honoured, Councillor. As humanity?s representative, I?ll do everything in my power to help the Council rebuild.? Poor Anderson. From captain in the fleet to junior politician. What a way to go.

?Sovereign?s defeat marks the beginning of a new era for both humanity and the Council.? Here we go with the speeches. I interrupt before our Turian friend can continue.

?Screw the new era. We beat Sovereign, but the Reapers are still out there. They?re still coming for us. And I?m going to find a way to stop them.? I don?t imagine many people turn their backs and walk out on the Council this way, but I really don?t care what they think of me.

Behind, Anderson is quickest to react. ?Shepard?s right. Humanity is ready to do its part. United with the rest of the Council we have the strength to overcome any challenge. When the Reapers come we must stand against them side by side. We must stand against them as one. And together we will drive them back into dark space!?

[Bluenose]

Epilogue

Time: A month after the Battle of the Citadel
Location: A system in the Omega Nebula, on the fringes of Citadel space.

On the fringe of the system, the Normandy leaves FTL flight. Joker rather casually runs down the checklist, ending with, ?Stealth systems engaged. Board is green.?

?I don?t know why we?re bothering with this system.? Pressley sounds tired and a little frustrated. ?We?ve spent the last week cruising up and down this sector and there?s been no sign of Geth here.?

?Something happened to three merchant ships in the last month around here.? Joker sounds more as if he?s arguing for the sake of arguing than that he disagrees. ?And it?s not as if we aren?t under orders to investigate any sign of Geth holdouts.?

?My money?s on slavers. The Terminus systems are lousy with them.? Pressley seems about to add more, when he?s interrupted.

?Picking up something on the long range scanners. Unidentified vessel. Looks like a cruiser.? One of the ensigns in the CiC interrupts. She taps at a few commands into her console.

?Doesn?t match any known signatures.? Joker is checking his own displays.

?Cruiser is changing course. Now on intercept trajectory.? The last is said in a tone that makes it seem the ensing doesn?t believe what she?s seeing.

?It can?t be. Stealth systems are engaged. There?s no way a Geth ship could...? Pressley moves to look over her shoulder.

?It?s not Geth.? Joker interrupts Pressley. ?Brace for evasive manoeuvres!?

At this point it?s already too late. The unknown vessel, a cylinder of rock and metal, is already firing. A stream of molten metal marks out a cone across the flight path of the Normandy, and all Jokers? manoeuvring can?t prevent multiple hits. An explosion tears through the bridge corridor, and Pressley screams as it engulfs him. The ensign he was leaning over gets up and leans over him. A secondary explosion tears through her body and she collapses over Pressley.

In the cockpit, Joker is announcing the situation over the intercom. ?Kinetic barriers down. Multiple hull breaches. Weapons offline.? He turns round in his chair. ?Somebody get that fire out.?

On the lower decks, there?s there are casualties, smoke and fire as people rush to their stations. Liara runs through the crowd, searching. Finally she finds the person she?s looking for. ?Shepard.?

I finish tapping in instructions on a console, and turn to her. ?Distress Beacon is ready for launch.?

?Do you think the Alliance will get here in time??

I hit a control, and an alarm rings through the Normandy. ?I?m not doing this just so the Alliance can find out burnt corpses.? As a fire breaks out in the passage, I grab an extinguisher and start to put it out. It starts to die down, and I wave an arm at Liara. ?Get everyone on to the escape pods.?

?Joker is still in the cockpit. He won?t abandon the Normandy.? Liara sounds as if she?s frustrated with him. ?I?m staying too.?

?I need you to get my crew evacuated. I?ll take care of Joker.?

?I...? She looks at me as I head up the corridor. ?Take care.?

?When have I ever not?? I grin at her, ?Liara, go!? I start back towards the cockpit.

Liara sets off in the opposite direction, ushering crewmembers before her. She waves them at the escape pod hatches. ?Everybody in. Go, go, go.? As a pod fills up, and then another, more secondary explosions add to the smoke, confusion and casualties. Liara takes one more look around. No more crewmen are immediately visible. She takes the last seat in the escape pod, and activates the eject mechanism.

On the internal comms, I can hear Joker calling for assistance. ?Mayday, mayday, mayday. This is SSV Normandy. We?ve suffered heavy damage from an unknown enemy.? Under his breath he adds, ?Come on, baby, hold together.?

I seal my suit and step out into the CiC. Half the roof is missing, and I can see the planet above getting closer. A few chairs float around where artificial gravity has failed, and the main display flickers in and out of life. I make my way down the corridor to the bridge, past the casualties. A force field stops the air on the bridge escaping, and Joker is still in his chair. ?Come on, Joker. We have to leave.?

?No! I won?t abandon the Normandy. I can still save her.?

?The ship?s dead, Joker. If we don?t get to the escape pods, we?ll join it.?

Joker looks defeated. ?Yeah, okay. Help me up.? Suddenly he seems to shrink into his chair. ?They?re coming around for another attack.?

More fire from the unknown vessel smashes into the Normandy. I watch as even more damage is done to the bridge corridor. Then I turn to Joker and grab him.

?Oww! Watch the arm.? For a moment I forgot he has brittle bones. I tuck his arm over my shoulder, and help him to his feet. We make our way through the Normandy to the escape pods. Carefully I lower him into the seat of the last one. I take a step back, and make one last check for more crew.

Before I can enter the pod, another mass driver strike hits the Normandy. Suddenly an explosion hits this corridor, and as the artificial gravity fails I find myself floating in the vacuum, holding onto the release console with one hand. And with more fire coming through the ceiling.

?Commander!? Joker sounds frantic. ?Shepard!?

There?s really only one choice. I can?t pull myself into the pod before the slugs hit, and staying where I am will mean I?m cut in half. I slap the release and push myself off. As the escape pod ejects, an explosion smashes me against the shattered door of an airlock, and without gravity or a force field to stop it I float out into space. As I watch, more fire from the unknown vessel smashes into the Normandy, and the hull splits apart. And then I realise the ringing in my ears is a suit alarm. I?ve got a leak.

Commander Zoe Shepard, the first human Spectre, the saviour of the Citadel, floats helplessly through space amid the wreckage of her ship as they begin the slow fall into the atmosphere of the planet beneath them.

Commander Zoe Shepard
First human Spectre
2154-2183