Prologue: He who laughs
The air was misty and inexplicably sick. She entered the place with her red shining Alliance armor and automatically caught unwanted attention.
'Homey place, Strong, huh?' Jane murmured to herself as she walked through the crowd in the heavy beating music. The lights danced all around the place.
'Give me a crown.' She said to the bartender, tilting her head down to resemble a wanderer who is just there for the leisure. Yet the armor was symbolic to a place like that.
She was vigilant, looking at every corner and waiting for the contact to show up.
Not a minute passed before sounds of shattering tables and glasses was heard from her left. She moved her head around to witness the fight of the krogan with some human thugs.
Crowd looked upon them and Jane's eyes were fixed on the fist fight.
'Nasty place for aliens.' A stranger uttered and took his place next to her. He was hooded and had a dark brown cape covering almost his entire body.
'What, the bar?' Jane asked in reply, paying attention to her surroundings again.
'No. The city.' The man replied, nodding his face. 'Nasty place, indeed… well, after the war of course!'
Jane smiled and drank up her glass. 'Where the hell are you?' She whispered again.
'Looking for someone?' The man said, 'Lieutenant Jane Adams?'
Her eyes widened and she looked straight at him. There was no need of additional words. That was the man. He turned her head for Jane to see his face.
'He did say you would lack a…an eye.' She said.
The man chuckled and drank up from his tankard which he had carried to their seats. 'Shall we dash, then?' Jane asked.
'What, going away with a guy like me? It would be an honor, my lady.' The man discretely said and stood up.
'What a beautiful lady such as yourself doing in a crypt like this?' another man approached and put his hand on Jane's armored shoulders.
'Back off.' She said, shrugging.
He didn't, instead moved his hands closer to her chest.
'Didn't you hear the lady? Back off, scum!' the one-eyed man said fiercely.
The man immediately held his hand back. 'You are looking for trouble, aren't you?' he said.
Jane stood up and squeezed her fists together.
'Oh, the lady's got some fight!' the man cried.
'Doesn't this read Alliance, asshole?' She said and punched the man so hard the sound echoed and disrupted the music of the place and the man was splashed all over the floor, but no one cared, nor moved. As if they were more than just accustomed to uproars like this. 'Let's get out of here.' Jane said with a thick voice and started walking towards the door and the man followed him. They walked in the alley in which the bar was located. 'So much for London!' Jane said with a disgusted face.
She turned back to face the man.
'You've got the files, then?' she asked. 'Yes.' He replied.
'Give them to me. We're running out of time.' Jane said hastily.
She received a disk from the caped man and they didn't say anything else to each other. 'Goodbye, Miss Adams.' The man said quietly and turned away to leave in the obscured shadows of the place.
Jane didn't reply. She nodded and turned back to look at the foul place they had been in one more time. Her gaze was interrupted when somebody called her on the radio.
'Jane, Scott is coming to get you. Get on an open street.' The man said.
'Roger that…' she replied and started walking out of the alley.
'You ok?' the man asked, noticing a glitch on her voice.
'Yes… Just want to get out of here quick. Tell him to come fast, Neil.' She replied.
Pouring rain had driven people out of the streets and into their homes. The city was alive by thousands of shining lights, yet not much sound was heard, as if a strong sickness rested on the hearts of the citizens.
Lieutenant Scott Jenkins came with a shuttle from their frigate. Jane popped on and they moved away and took altitude from the city as drops shattered into even more small pieces. And the shuttle made its way through the air.
'Quite a while since I've been to this city, or Earth!' Scott said from the small cockpit. And he was heard by Jane who laid wide on one of the seats.
'This is no longer a city.' Jane said, his eyes fixed on the top of the shuttle, 'It's just a place for people to live out the rest of their days.'
'What's wrong with that?'
Jane smiled, a smile Scott couldn't notice.
'How much has it been for you? How much since you were on Earth?' he asked.
'Long enough.' She sighed, 'Long enough to not miss it anymore.'
'But look…' Scott passionately said, 'Look at it from here… still beautiful.'
Jane turned her head around to see the screen. The shuttle was moving away from Earth and the blue planet shined with an even bluer atmosphere surrounding the edges that resembled the eye of the storm.
'Are they coming?' Jane asked, tilting back to her previous sight with a calm face.
'Yep. We'll rendezvous near Mars.' Scott replied, 'Hope it goes smooth this time. Remember the disaster with the quarians?'
'When it comes to Isaac Strong, it will never go smooth.' Jane said, grinning.
'And about this "caped man"?' Scott asked.
'What of him?'
'Who was he?'
'I don't know. Creepy as hell.' She flimsily replied, 'his voice was thick. His cape pallid, lacked one eye! And I don't really want to talk about that grey beard!'
Scott was more confused than amazed from the clumsy description of his commanding officer. And silence ruled until they were in the frigate to commence the mission.
"How can something of somewhat be found from the adrift of perpetuity
or perceived from the unremitting abyss and void of ever darkening sky, if one is not prepared to ascend martyrdom itself to the infinity of creation?" were the words of his disturbed mind.
'Over here, General!' shouted the armed man. 'Found anything, lieutenant?' The General replied. 'Think I did!' lieutenant cried in reply. Officers from all over the hall heard the voice and quickly started running towards the sound.
'Can we salvage it? It's one of those old incompatible systems. Precious, that one!' His commander replied as he came and witnessed the buried device. From the shout of Lieutenant Scott Jenkins, all five of them were gathered. 'There's nothing here, General! We're wasting our time.' Private Chris Hector firmly said.
'We're not going back now. Three hours it took to blow the way open to this very hall. Neil is moving the ship. Just keep searching. Salvage all we can.' General Isaac Strong replied.
So the soldiers kept searching the hall and its ruins in the hope of successfully accomplishing the mission. Desperate and afraid, Isaac Strong was their last place of refuge in the unjust world.
The crew could hardly move through the shrapnel of old. Searching the wreckage and ruins was their objective and vicinity of Earth their comfort. Private Hector was looking over the left column, with traces of red glow fuzzing about the place like electricity. Things could hardly be observed and the light of their torches could not overcome the darkness of once majestic place.
'I see something, sir.' He said as his gaze was distracted to the broken windows and steely walls.
'What do you see, Hector?' Scott Jenkins asked.
'Lights…' he hesitantly stated, 'I Think they are ships…'
'Possibly Earth scouts… keep looking' the lieutenant replied.
'Do they come in hundreds?!' Hector went on, squeezing his eyes to see more carefully. 'That shape…'
'Let me see.' Scott said before getting up and leaving the machine he was extracting. 'What the devil…' he murmured.
'Help me with this.' Lieutenant Commander Jane Adams said loudly from the other side of the hall to Private Harvey Jones. Isaac Strong looked at them, as they tried to move a scrap of metal.
'General. You've got to see this.' Scott shouted, staring at the space and confused.
Strong ran toward them. 'They are not Alliance…' Hector said confidently.
'And are coming to us fast!' Scott said.
'Turians!' General Strong exclaimed.
'Turians?!' Scott asked with a pale look on the face. Strong stood silent for a couple of seconds. 'That's it, then. That's how it goes,' he mumbled. 'We're not losing the Citadel… We're not losing the Citadel.' He continued murmuring, for himself.
'That's ten brigades.' Chris stated. 'Four brigades confirmed.' Scott iterated. 'Jane. Harvey. Get here.' Strong ordered, still looking at the coming starships.
They dreadfully stood watching as the brigades came closer. It was at this moment when hundred or so cruisers and fighters were perceived amongst the brigades by the crew on the old exterminated symbol of the galactic alliance. 'How did they get past the Charon Relay? The Sixth Fleet?' Jane asked, wondering and worried.
'Admiral Burton took out the fleet from the Charon Relay a couple of days ago. Sent the armada to Hades Gamma.' Strong stated.
'Why?!' Harvey asked, loudly.
'It doesn't matter. Contact the Seventh Fleet. They'll be here in a minute.' Isaac Strong calmly replied.
'On it.' Neil Stocker, SS-Stinger's pilot said on radio. Their commander had a comforting stance in front of them.
'We don't have "a minute"!' Jane stated as the ships accelerated to reach the Citadel faster.
'Why are they even here?' Scott asked.
'The Citadel. They want to destroy it.' Strong replied.
'Good-o!' Harvey said with a shaking face, 'What are we supposed to do?'
'Keep it together people. We go back to the ship. They won't hesitate. We have to get clear… until the Fleet arrives.' Isaac said, 'Get going!' he shouted.
The crew started moving to the gate from which they entered the vast tower. 'I'm on Deck-6, below the C-Sec station.' Neil said.
'Got it.' one of them replied.
With its malevolent-like edgy shape, SSV Stinger's silver color shined between the ruined and wrecked structures of Citadel bays.
'Get this door open.' Isaac asked Harvey when they reached a gateway to the Presidium.
'Contact Alpha. Get me Admiral Salazar.' Strong ordered again, this time to Jane Adams. 'Roger.' She replied.
Seconds passed until the screen of his omni-tool turned on to show the face of Superior Admiral, Quinton Salazar who commanded the Alpha station, the station that took the place of Arcturus in Terra Nova as the headquarters of the Earth Systems Alliance.
'General Strong. The Seventh Fleet is not coming to your aid.' He firmly said with a thick voice.
'What do you mean?' Strong asked.
'Commander Jefferson is bringing the Third Fleet to your position. Looks like they have brought one hell of a portion of their fleets here. So, we are bringing the Goliath to end the bastards.' The Admiral stated, 'Salazar out.' He continued and immediately faded.
'Jefferson…' Strong said, frowning. 'That's us.' Neil said on radio.
'You would think!' Isaac Strong replied.
'Why do you say that?' Jane asked with no hesitation.
'I'm not sure if I am any longer in command of the Third Fleet. They are bringing in the Goliath and they'll use it to destroy both turians and the Citadel. If we can't have it, they can't have it.' Strong explained.
Turian cruisers and frigates came closer and when in range, started firing at the Citadel, tearing the already ruined place to bits.
The crew trembled where they stood.
'What the devil!' shouted Chris, trying to stand still from the tremor.
'Where the hell are they?' cried General Strong in agony and anger as he perceived another charge of attacks on the Citadel; the previous being Cerberus' assault on the council. The crew started to fear that anger they believed had come from his obsession.
There was silence and the only resonance belonged to the sound of missiles finding their way in the heart of the old structure.
'The Council won't be happy with this.' Harvey stated, staring at the sight.
'Right!' Scott laughed nervously, almost sweating.
Even though the massive station was a rubble, its structure was resilient and robust. Minutes passed but there was no evidence of destruction from the attack of turians more than there already was.
'General. Coming through the network. It's the Third Fleet!' Chris Hector stated as they waited behind the gate for Harvey to get the door open. And he twiddled with it as he knew what he was doing.
'Get it.' his General replied with ever increasing anger.
A beam of light glowed about his screen again and Commander Donald Jefferson showed his face. With the usual cap of Alliance uniform on his head and the overbearing attributed look he is known by.
'Rear Admiral Strong.' He firmly called, 'Retreat and head back to Alpha. We'll take it from here.'
'We're trying to get clear. Donald, you are commandeering my fleet. I'll be more than happy to take back my seat and continue this operation thoroughly.' Strong replied with a definite and scowled face.
'That is not your decision to make. Admiral Salazar himself ordered me to conclude the mission.'
'And how is that?!' asked Strong with a more intense look, 'That is I guess, by the blood of turians. How are you even going to use the Eater here?'
'That's the new objective and it is none of your concern.' Jefferson replied, 'Let it go. Get clear fast… or you'll be shot in the crossfire.'
'Now, now…' Strong started, frowning, 'Careful how you talk to me, Commander. I'm still your chief officer.'
'General Strong. As I said, you have no authority on this particular plain. The Third Fleet can't possibly fight this armada and all other fleets are currently engaged or far from here. Using the Eater is our only chance. And if it wasn't, we would still use it. When it comes to the lives of Alliance soldiers, there is no mercy for the enemy. There is no humanity and honor in fight.' Jefferson said with a thick voice, shrugging. 'Get back to the station, General. It's over.'
'What's the Eater?!' Hector asked, murmuring and turning back to look at the crew.
'What made you a barking dog, I wonder!' Strong said, giving a smirk, 'It is not over, Commander. This is merely… the beginning. This is Chapter One.'
And Jefferson was gone with his last angry impression on the face, though he would appear on his ships in a couple of minutes.
'Jesus!' Scott said out loud.
'What was that last bit?' Jane asked, confused.
Isaac gasped, with a deep and thorough look to the cavernous and unfathomable space they could see from the wrecked walls and structures.
The Turians were firing constantly on the Citadel. In their heart, the team knew the mission had already failed.
'You done?' Isaac asked firmly, looking at Harvey.
'It won't let go.' Harvey Jones replied.
'So what's the Eater… anyone?' Hector asked again.
'You don't know the Eater, private?' Scott Jenkins said with an undermining tone, 'Of course, you wouldn't know. I'm surprised that WE know!'
'Not many are supposed to know of its existence.' Jane asserted.
'The Eater is, practically…' Scott started, - 'The ultimate weapon of the Earth Systems Alliance. The greatest mass murdering tool the humans have ever been able to create. Most of them humans, at least.' Isaac Strong interrupted and derided. 'The destroyer. The annihilator… Goliath!' he continued, 'Call it whatever you please, many encouraging titles.'
'And it's coming here to… do what?!' Lieutenant Commander Jane Adams asked.
'To destroy the Turians.' Strong stated, 'Citadel will be collateral damage.'
'And us!' Neil said on radio, wondering with gloomy eyes, 'General. They are maneuvering the place… can't stay hidden for long now! Be quick.'
'The Turians have gone over their heads this time.' Scott said instantly.
'What does it actually do? Why didn't we know?' Hector asked another question.
Harvey Jones and Chris Hector were the newly transferred soldiers from the Sixth Fleet. They served under General Strong's command for months to prove their worthy enough valor and aptitude, taking their place beside Jane, Scott and Neil who had already accompanied Strong for more than a year on his missions.
'Not the right questions.' Jane replied. 'No, seriously…' Chris muttered again. Strong finally turned his back from the stance he held for more than ten minutes. His gaze was fixed upon the crew.
'What are we supposed to do?' Chris asked again which was beginning to sound iterating to Lieutenant Commander Adams.
'It's open.' Harvey said and stood up for the gate to open.
'Let's go.' Strong said and led his crew towards the room.
'Close it.' He then ordered Harvey.
The gate shut itself. They were in one of the old control rooms. The air soon depressurized and lights were turned on automatically.
'These systems still work!' Scott uttered with the surprise of the crew.
They took their helmets off.
Moments passed before they could see bright rays of mass effect energy. The Third Fleet was there. Tens of frigates jumped from the Charon Relay behind the turians, aligning and making a hole in the center. Two dreadnoughts then entered with cruisers guarding it.
'You seeing this?' Neil said mildly on radio.
'Yes.' Chris replied to him.
The Eater had come. With a dark hole at its center and fang-shaped metallic claws surrounding it. Two black massive wings held the structure and it resembled the look of ancient and legendary Collector capital ships, only with sharp edges. The station was massive and as it moved through space, the last bit of courage was drained from both sides. They had twitched the shape of the Crucible to create this weapon.
'That's the…' Neil said, pausing and looking at it with fear and wonder. 'The Eater.' Jane completed his sentence.
'Someone call David, please.' Scott stated, while he himself couldn't take its colossal size in.
A minute or two passed before they retrieved their ability to talk from the nerve factors of their brains.
'I've been looking to the turian fleet. That's hundreds of frigates and cruisers.' Neil started, 'The Third Fleet… less than eighty fighters.'
'We've got two dreadnoughts!' Chris replied fast. 'And they have got five!' Neil returned with a loud and confused voice.
'We need to get out of here fast. Helmets on.' Isaac ordered.
Heavy threading was heard from the kennel and pipes. 'What's that?' Scott murmured.
The crew then witnessed the Alliance fighters merge through the ranks of innumerable turians cruisers and frigates in a bloody space fight. And every second a great light of explosion shone to show the culmination of one's life. The Citadel was taking less damage now as the turians' focus was concentrated to Alliance hostiles.
The sounds were heard again. 'Turians?' Harvey asked, looking at his teammates.
'We're not alone here.' Isaac replied, 'Open the hatch. We make for the dockings.'
'Let me.' Jane said and moved her hands about the panels, opening the hatch.
Harvey stood in front of it, with his Avenger pointing to the door. The moment it opened a Keeper crawled his many legs in, smashing Harvey back.
Jane immediately closed the hatch and the creature got caught in middle of it. Yet his legs crept to attack the crew in the room.
'Shit!' Scott shouted.
'What IS THAT THING?' Chris asked loudly.
'What? What's happening?' Neil asked from the cockpit of Stinger on radio.
The creature stretched his legs closer to the crew, intending to attack them with fury and rage.
Scott shot the hatch to scare the Keeper. The creature didn't move and continued coming forward in. Strong took out his Katana and pointed it at the Keeper's body. He then pulled the trigger and shot the creature dead. The Keeper fell down quietly and Harvey pushed him. The hatch closed itself completely.
'Keepers!' Isaac said, putting his shotgun back.
'The Keepers?!' Jane asked.
'Apparently.' Scott replied.
They looked at the windows again and saw the fight in the space.
'Look!' Chris uttered and pointed to the area beneath the control room.
More than thirty Keepers were moving fast towards the room. 'Open the hatch. Run!' Isaac shouted.
Jane opened the hatch again and they moved out of the room and into the next hall quickly. The Keepers broke than the door they entered from and chased them. The hatch was closed before they reached them.
'What are you waiting for? Move your asses!' Isaac ordered again and they started running to the end of the hallway that was completely dark.
The Keepers swarmed out of the place and chased them, coming in from every corner and hole of the place. 'Open fire!' Isaac issued.
The crew ran and started firing at the creatures, taking some of the approaching ones down. The ground beneath their legs started to tremble and cracked open.
'What the-' Chris yelled but kept firing at the incoming hostiles.
Isaac, Harvey and Chris reached the door but it was sealed and the creatures kept coming toward them.
Jane and Scott had yet to catch up. 'Covering fire!' Harvey shouted and the three fired to give Scott and Jane a corridor.
The ground soon split and Jane fell down, grabbing the edge of the steely block by her hands, her Avenger falling down to the lower levels.
'Go get her.' Harvey yelled again and ran towards Scott with Strong.
From beneath the fractured ground soon emerged a massive Keeper, with legs that covered the entire hallway to her control, ten times the size of a normal Keeper.
'Grenade!' Strong shouted and threw the explosive in front of the queen and her incoming Keepers. It exploded and blocked their way for a couple of seconds, enough for Scott to grab Jane's hand and pull her up.
They ran toward the gate and the keepers followed. Jane couldn't walk right and Scott helped her out. They fell behind again as the rest of them entered the bridge.
'Come on!' shouted Chris who guarded the door to the outside bridge. Into the door was two other open gates and a bridge to outer docking areas. Beneath the bridge were engine rooms and its height gave them a tinsy dread to add to the Keepers'.
Scott moved swiftly, but one of the queen's legs swinged and threw them in, smashing Jane's body to the right corridor's walls. 'General!' she shouted.
The Keepers swamed in quickly. They were almost in middle of the bridge and the way behind was circled by the Keepers.
Scott stood up quickly and a keeper fell on him swiftly, tearing his armor plates with his legs. Scott used his omni-blade to slice the keeper in half. He then jumped to the left corridor before more of them could reach him. Jane speedily closed the gate, separating herself from the rest of the crew. So did Scott, but he was in the left corridor.
'We gotta get back!' Harvey shouted as he shot down the many keepers that were passing the bridge to them.
'We can't!' yelled Chris and pushed him back. Isaac blew up the gate behind them and they entered it quickly.
There was another corridor and they ran towards it so hastily their shadows fell behind them. Keepers followed them.
After passing the gate to the next room, they gasped and took a breath.
'Close that fucking gate!' Isaac shouted. Harvey immediately closed it, reaching his hands to the controls fast.
'Holy shit!' Chris said and immediately fell down and leaned on the wall behind him.
Harvey was still panting. Strong folded his hands down on his legs and bowed to take a breath.
'We need to get back!' he said loudly, gasping.
A fang then banged the metallic gate and it took the shape, almost breaking.
'You see that?' Isaac tilted his head up and looked at Harvey, 'We can't go back! We'll rendezvous with them on lower levels.'
He then loooked at Chris, 'Come on! Get up!'
'Set charges. We'll blow them and block the way for them. Come on now!' he continued.
Jane wobbled but didn't stop moving. She continued, limping slowly and passing the rooms to the docking area. Her omni-tool was broken and she only carried a Judgement Pistol that had three thermal clips.
Scott also ran through rooms and control stations to reach Jane.
'Charges set.' Said Chris.
'Let's go then.' Isaac replied before the queen hit the door again.
The three moved to the other room. The gate broke down and Keepers started running to them. 'Blow it!' Harvey said and Chris detonated them. The place collapsed and blocked the way.
'Hooo!' Chris gasped.
'Move.' Isaac ordered and they kept going.
They reached a gate to Presidium Commons.
'Get your helmets on. We need to reach the C-Sec offices quickly.' Isaac Strong said.
'Wait… what the hell is happening here?' Harvey stood and asked unpleasantly.
'We don't have time for this. When we get there, we'll have some answers.' His General replied firmly.
He opened the door and they continued.
Jane moved in a bright passageway, and she could hear the keepers getting closer and closer every moment. She closed another gate behind her and went down a corridor.
There was an intercutting sector, a way in front and another one to her west. 'Footsteps!' she murmured to herself and sat to hide behind the crates.
A hatch opened on top of her and a keeper landed on her. She panted and moved her hands about as fast as possible. The keeper halted both her hands with his many legs and pushed his sharp claws in her armor. After seconds, Jane let go and her armor was finally penetrated. The keeper stretched his eyes and Jane saw the anger in his face as he pushed his claw more and more into her body.
Jane was almost unconscious and blood started pouring down her pale red armor. As the keeper saw her stop resisting, he let her hands go. Jane took the chance and swiftly drew her pistol. She blew a shot in the keeper's head, instantly killing him. His claw was drawn out and the creature fell dead on the cold ground.
Jane pushed her hands hard on her abdomen to stop the blood flow. Her omni-tool was broken and she could hardly move. At these lost moments she heard footsteps again.
Jane pulled her pistol up with her last strength. She shuddered. It was Scott. He quickly put his Avenger down and sat beside her.
'Scott…' Jane said and lowered her pistol.
'I'm here. Hold on.' Scott said, before using his medi-gel on her. Jane took a deep breath. Her blood loss was stopped. 'We don't have much time. Let's get out of here. Come on.' Scott implied and took her hands to place on his shoulders.
Scott carried Jane to enter the docking bays. Their ship was landed there. They had finally arrived.
'Close it.' Isaac ordered Chris as they entered the C-Sec offices. The gate was closed and they were in the safest possible place on the Citadel.
All of them sat on the ground and leaned on something to take a rest. 'General Strong… Come in, General Strong!' Isaac heard on radio.
'What is it, Neil?' he replied.
'Where are you?' Neil Stocker asked.
'The Keepers attacked. We've been running away from them. I'm not sure how we can reach the docking area in time.' Isaac replied, taking yet another deep breath.
'Jeez…' Neil uttered, 'They are still alive?'
'It seems. They must have gone to some… hibernation in these two years. Perhaps we woke them up!'
'They've never been hostile.'
'They were under control of the Reapers. Now they are free… and probably frightened and alarmed. It doesn't matter. We need to get out of here fast.'
'Yeah!' Chris finally broke his silence, 'Before they overwhelm and eat us!'
'I'm not talking about them…' Strong said quietly, 'How long until the Eater is ready to fire?'
'They wouldn't shoot now! Not while we are still here!' Harvey implied.
Strong held his silence. 'Less than twenty minutes I guess…' Neil replied eventually, 'The Third Fleet is taking heavy losses. You don't have much time.'
'No, we don't.' Isaac replied calmly.
'I'm not in the docking areas anymore. Had to evade the turian fighters. Have lost contact with Jane and Scott! Where are they?'
'We were… separated.' Chris replied.
'How can we get them now?!' Harvey sighed, 'You know Citadel better than anyone.'
'I don't know. We can't get back. We could use the Purgatory but it's a long passage.' Strong replied.
'We don't have to.' Neil replied, looking at the glowing lights on the panel.
'General… what's going on?' Harvey asked as he laid down on the wall and rested his shoulders.
'As you can see, turians came and attacked. The Alliance intercepted and are hitting them back and we are under attack from keepers.' Isaac replied.
'And this Eater?' Chris sighed, 'We weren't supposed to know about it!
Isaac shrugged and prepared to shed some light on the matter. 'When the Reapers were defeated and all races started rebuilding their worlds, The Alliance and the Coalition of Earth's United Nations sought ways to ensure the lasting dominion of humans on our world and systems… putting it literally. The most reliable option was the idea provided from the scientists who worked on the Crucible under the supervision of Admiral Hackett. So they started working on another project.'
'Another weapon…' he corrected, 'The Project was codenamed "The Goliath" and the development started six months after the victory.'
'Steven Hackett?' Chris asked chaotically, 'The Steven Hackett?!'
'I don't know.' Isaac replied, 'He had nearly nothing to do with the project as he was with the Fifth Fleet in the Outer Council Space.'
'How does it operate?' Harvey asked.
'When fully charged and ready to fire, it unleashes an exterminating laser beam that unravels and destabilizes matter on a molecular level. It… literally destroys everything within the target range when hit. The other function is the one you are most certainly familiar with; Eater can release a wave of energy, doing the same thing the Crucible did in the final day, only this time on the material the operators choose.' He explained.
'And this weapon is allowed to exist?' Chris grunted, 'Then again… it's mankind we're talking about!'
'He's right! The Galactic Council has nothing to say about this weapon?' Harvey asked.
'What Galactic Council?' Isaac asked in reply, 'The current one at Thessia? Their authorities are extinct protocols. Conventionalism requires their presence, that doesn't mean they have power.'
They didn't speak anymore and a strange silence climbed and stretched to the entire place.
'We're almost there.' Said Scott, trying to keep Jane alert.
They finally entered the massive docking areas of the Citadel, from where they had arrived. But Stinger wasn't there.
'SSV Stinger… This is Lieutenant Scott Jenkins… SSV Stinger…' he asked loud on his radio, 'We've lost him.'
'Damn…' Jane sighed as she sat on the ground, sleazily.
Scott tried over and over again but Stinger didn't receive their call.
On the Eater's primary bridge, officers were preparing the weapon for launch. Commander Jefferson stood firmly and looked across the continuous battle in space.
'We'll be ready to fire in ten minutes.' One of the lieutenants said, 'They are still on the Citadel, Commander. We are not going to fire, are we?'
'I gave him enough time. If they burn, it is their own fault.' Donald Jefferson grunted with anger.
'Commander. Admiral Salazar wants to have a word in comm platform.' Another officer said to him.
Donald went to the room and Admiral Salazar's hologram appeared for a debriefing.
'Commander Jefferson. Are we on schedule?' he asked with his thick voice.
'Yes. I'm waiting for Strong to get clear.' He replied.
'Fire when you are ready. Blow those bastards up. Don't wait for Strong.' Admiral Salazar replied, smirking. 'One less traitor to worry about, right?'
'Indeed.'
'Good luck, Commander. I'm counting on you. Salazar out.' He then faded.
Donald returned to the bridge.
'We are ready, sir.' Lieutenant Gambles said steadily, 'Yet they are still on the Citadel.'
'Order the fighters to disengage and get back to the dreadnoughts. Hit them… and hit them hard.' Jefferson replied.
'But sir, we have to make sure they are out of the range.' Gambles replied.
'Are you questioning my order, lieutenant?' Jefferson furiously asked.
Silence held dominion for a couple of seconds as all the officers looked at one another in the abysmal situation of the bridge.
'Fire now.' Donald iterated.
Gambles moved his hand close to the launch button, but hesitated.
'Lieutenant Gambles… now!' Jefferson said again, lividly and looking at the officers with a drowning frown.
'I…' Gambles mumbled.
He swiftly stood up and drew his pistol out, pointing it at Donald Jefferson's head. Many of the present officers followed him, and many stood up beside Jefferson. The guns of the fifty officers were pointed in all directions. Surprisingly, there were many loyal to Jefferson, since the Fleet had served under General Strong for a year and a half.
'We are not firing the Eater.' Gambles said, with his voice shaking and his hands marked with a bit of an unnoticeable tremble.
'Look at you… idiots!' Jefferson sneered, 'Stand down and you will not be executed for "mutiny"! Resist, and there will be no mercy.'
Rays of energy glowed beneath the bridge, where the sphere from which the weapon transmits its fire was located.
Jefferson paused for a moment, hoping the exalted officers will stand down. He then started running toward Gambles, punching him and pushing him aside. A bullet-less fight took place on the bridge. Soon after, some armored soldiers entered the deck and joined Gambles' side. It was as if they were prepared. Scuffle raged on from the bridge to other sides of the station and it didn't take long before it was completely in turmoil and uproar. In one side, officers fought loyally for Commander Jefferson and on the other, they tried to stop them from firing the Eater.
As internal fight lustered in the Third Fleet, the Stinger's crew desperately struggled to get out of the exterminated symbol of the galactic alliance.
'SSV Stinger… Neil, Come in!' Scott said with a loud voice.
'We don't have to.' Neil replied Strong, looking at the glowing lights on the panel, 'This is Neil. Where are you Scott?'
Jane smiled deeply and Scott's look turned. 'In docking bays! Where are YOU?' He replied.
'Had to get out. Stay put. I'm coming to get you.' Neil stated.
'Hurry. Jane is wounded.'
'On my way.'
Neil moved the Stinger in the space to go back to the docking bays. He moved his head back to Strong's line. 'Isaac. I'm going to get Scott and Jane. Where are you?'
'Presidium Commons.' Isaac replied.
'Presidiu… Jesus! Where exactly?' Neil fretted.
'C-Sec office.'
'Ok. We don't have much time. I will be there fast. Run for the west platforms. I'm coming.' Neil said.
'Get up then.' Isaac ordered and they started running out of the office and to the west platforms where many different shops resided.
Scott picked up Jane and Stinger arrived in a blink of an eye. Neil brought the ship lower for his comrades to get on board. He then hurriedly went for the Presidium Commons.
Isaac, Harvey and Chris ran and the keepers were on them again. Their queen suddenly emerged from the walls and her behemoth body moved on the shaking grounds of Presidium. For a moment, the team wondered where the queen inhabited, perhaps one of the other secret halls of the Citadel.
They ran fast and Stinger appeared.
'Holy-' Neil shouted when he saw the queen. She moved one of her legs to hit the Stinger but Neil evaded her.
'Faster!' he yelled again at the three who were coming fast amongst the swarm of other keepers.
'Neil…' Strong started, panting as he ran. 'Blast that son of a bitch!'
'With pleasure.' Said Neil firmly and moved up the Stinger to face the queen, 'Thanix Cannons charged!'
The keeper queen screamed and glasses shattered throughout the plains of Presidium. 'Here we go!' shouted Neil one last time. A full set of missiles were continuously fired, blowing through the skin and flesh of the queen and setting her ablaze. She took one last hit in middle of her bulk. She screeched in pain for other keepers to start running.
The queen fell on the ground, destroying some of the buildings with her. Neil then brought the ship closer to the ground and in an instant moment, they jumped on board.
'Go!' Strong shouted on radio.
Neil turned the thrusters and subsidiary engines on for maximum speed. The Stinger flew away from the wreckage of the old Citadel in a moment, only for them to realize the turians are retreating.
The crew quickly ran to the cockpit. They entered the small place and Chris immediately took his place next to Neil.
'Good to see you all in one piece.' Neil said.
'You too, Neil.' Scott replied.
'You ok, Jane?' Neil asked.
'I'll live!' Jane gasped, trying to stand firmly on the ground.
'Shuttles!' Scott stated, looking at the Eater.
'They are abandoning it.' Neil murmured.
The Eater's cannons picked the shuttles as targets and started firing at them.
'What the fuck?!' Chris couldn't help but shout on sight.
'What the hell is going on?' Neil asked, confused. 'They didn't fire. Not at the turians, not at the Citadel.'
'Yes… they didn't.' Strong confirmed quietly.
'Neil. You got incoming.' Jane faintly said, looking to their west.
The crew could not count the inbound fighters, but they certainly blocked their sight of the fleet. Stocker flew the Stinger so fast and so neat that the crew lost their dread. The fighters chased them to the relay and circled them two times, but with the elegance and skill of General's pilot, they were evaded. Speeding in same pathways over and over, their ever accelerating velocity made a rapid lightning line of figure from afar.
'I've got this… I've got this…' gasped Stocker.
'Get us out of here Neil!' Scott Jenkins cried. The fighters started firing at the Stinger as it made its way to the relay.
'We've certainly made THEM angry.' Chris Hector implied.
'To Omega, then?' Neil Stocker asked, taking a deep breath after a hellish space chase, then moving his arm to the panel one last time to hit the relay.
As the fighters chased them to it, one of their shots hit the target, by luck or on artful aiming, and damaged the left wing's structure right to the interior engine rooms.
In a humbly finite moment, Stinger disappeared, leaving a trace of Mass Relay energy and thus putting their chasers remorseful, deep in the never-ending space.
Written by: Erfan Ostadi