Chapter one – Lost
Shepard stared at the blue hologram that claimed to control the Reapers and had somehow taken the image of the little boy she had been having nightmares about.
"So my options are to kill the Reapers along with EDI and the Geth, voluntarily become a disembodied conciseness and take over your job, or turn every life-form in the galaxy into cyborgs?"
The Catalyst frowned. "Ideally, my solution would continue unimpeded, but it seems that that is no longer viable."
Shepard looked away from the eons-old AI, towards the giant machine than was supposedly capable of these admittedly impressive but still unwanted feats.
She coughed, blood splattering on the ancient floor.
"This machine… it's what you're using to control the Crucible?" She probed.
"I have run all the scenarios. Any option other than these three will result in the destruction of all organic life."
Sheppard didn't reply immediately, instead moving closer to the massive beam of energy running though the machine.
"Funny thing… I'm pretty sure that the people building this thing built it to kill Reapers, and nothing else. So anything else it can do is a result of you interfering with it."
The pseudo-child's face grew stern. "Destroying the Reapers without destroying the other synthetics will result only in the destruction of organic life."
Shepard leaned over the edge of the platform. Down below she could see a massive cable that followed the path of the energy beam. "I have two counter-arguments to that. Their names are EDI and Legion."
"You do not possess the means to sever the connection even if using the Catalyst's original function was a viable course of action." The hologram admonished.
Shepard turned her head to look the glowing blue avatar straight in the eyes. "You really believe that, don't you? You believe that you are helping us."
"I am a synthetic." The Catalyst replied flatly. "I am incapable of belief."
"I am going to stop the Reapers." Shepard grinned, as she gathered Dark Energy in the hand she wasn't clutching to her wounded side, preparing a Biotic Warp. "Believe it."
"NO!" The Catalyst yelled, as the streak of blue light curved around the energy beam and curved a wide hole though the cables, cutting the sentient computers control over the superweapon.
Viewed from the Normandy, the activation of the Crucible was nothing short of amazing. Bolts of lightning, like those jumping from a Mass Relay to a ship streaked out to hit, not the Reapers, but the various elements of the Victory Fleet. Flashes of blue-shifted light were emitted as the ships were moved out of the way faster than the speed of light. The Normandy's view was obscured for a moment as it too was relocated.
In the space of moments, the only ships still in proximity to Earth were Reapers. Almost all of the Reaper fleet was present, having elected to meet the combined fleet of the Council races head-on. Then the entire Citadel began to glow the dark blue that characterises Dark Energy.
A dark point formed in the middle of the Reaper forces, who had had almost no time to react to the rapidly changing situation. In moments, the Reapers closest to the point began to be torn apart as massive gravitational forces attempted to drag the closer parts of the ancient death machines faster the parts further away.
Additional points formed in other clusters of Reapers, which began to destroy all nearby. Watching from the Normandy's cockpit, Joker felt his entire body go slack. He was watching the elimination of the biggest hypocrites the galaxy had ever seen.
Good riddance.
Next to him, his girlfriend – who also happened to be the computer that ran the ship – spoke in a hushed voice. "The Crucible is creating artificial singularities similar to those in the Reaper Blackstar. If the device had not moved us out of range, we would have been torn apart as well."
Joker's body suddenly straightened up as a thought occurred to him. "What about the Citadel? What about Shepard?"
EDI examined the screens in front of her. "The Citadel is in the epicentre of the gravity waves. In moments, it will be torn apart as well."
"NO! SHEPARD!" Cried Joker.
As the last of the Reapers fragmented, the ancient space station shuddered, then the wards twisted and were torn off the presidium. The artificial black holes disappeared as the device powering them was disintegrated by the conflicting gravitational pulls.
In the Catalyst's chamber, the hologram of the boy disappeared as valuable pieces of the supercomputer were destroyed. Several powerful shudders sent Shepard flying, worsening her injuries. In a flash of inspiration, the Sentinel used a Barrier to insulate herself against the worst of the debris. However, the blue shield of energy around herself failed after a large chunk of metal slammed into her back.
Now I wish I had spent less time mucking around with my Omni-tool, and more time practising my Biotics. She though as her tired and injured body struggled to project the protective shield. Then a loud crack, followed by a whooshing sound, told her that the chamber had been opened to space. Not again! Once was bad enough!
Shepard could do little to prevent herself being sucked out the hull breach along with the air…
A massive jolt suddenly dragged the Normandy forwards almost a kilometre as the gravity waves washed over them.
"Barriers holding." EDI reported. "Our reinforced amour was sufficient to protect us at this distance."
"And Shepard?" Joker demanded.
"The conflicting nature of the gravity waves mitigated the damage. However it appears that the presidium has lost structural integrity – "
"Is it safe to approach?" He interrupted
The humanoid peripheral device that EDI used to interact with the crew blinked. "Theoretically, yes. The singularities have ceased to be."
Joker didn't reply, being too busy trying to navigate the Normandy towards what once was the centre of galactic civilisation.
When Shepard awoke, she was shocked to see the Normandy's medical bay rather than heaven. Dr Chakwas quickly noticed her opening her eyes and rushed over.
"Wha….?" The Spectre managed to croak.
"I'm personally inclined to call it an act of God, but more practically it's the fact that most of the pieces of you that would have needed replacing have already been replaced, they just needed some repairing. Some skin grafts and you'll be good as new."
"So –" Shepard coughed suddenly, and the doctor quickly gave her a glass of water. "So, we won? The crucible worked?"
"Exactly as advertised. What few Reapers weren't in orbit of Earth were turned into space junk by the Victory fleet soon afterwards." The doctor paused. "We lost Anderson."
"I know. I was there when he died." Shepard's voice went even quieter as she remembered.
"We picked up the Major though. He was hurt, but not nearly as badly as you. He and Joker are waiting outside as we speak."
Shepard smiled, a weight lifting from her shoulders as she learned that her boyfriend was alright.
A frown of concern crossed her face as a thought occurred. "Where are we?"
"At the moment, not far from where the Crucible fired. The Alliance is moving people off Earth for now, moving them to less devastated planets. We're headed to Eden Prime; the new Alliance parliament is going to be based there for the foreseeable future." She leaned back, a sad smile on her face as it began to sink in that the cradle of humanity might never be habitable again. "Shall I let the boys in?"
"Yes please, doctor." Shepard whispered.
One of the most bizarre things about gravity is that it bends space. Singularities mess with time. Sufficient gravity can even distort the fabric of reality.
Most scientists who thought themselves experts on the subject believed that space was fluidic, and that once the bending element was removed space would snap back to normal, like elastic. The truth was somewhat more complicated, especially when large amounts of exotic particles or energies, like Dark Energy, are involved.
The FTL drives of the Citadel races worked by using Dark Energy to 'switch off' the laws of relativity, allowing a ship to accelerate beyond the universal speed limit. They also react in strange ways to other gravity-based phenomenon.
The upshot of these two facts is that when the Normandy engaged its Mass Effect drive to head for the Charon Relay, it passed though one of the patches of 'bent' space, and out of the universe as they knew it.
Next time: A very long way from home.