"You want to destroy us," stated the Catalyst AI. "You can wipe out all synthetic life out if you want, including the geth. Even you are partly synthetic."
"But the Reapers will be destroyed?" replied Shepard.
"Yes, but the peace won't last. Soon, your children will create synthetics, and the chaos will come back."
"Maybe."
"Or do you think you can control us?" A vision of what would happen if he took this choice seemed to appear to Shepard. There was no denying that it looked grim.
"So the Illusive Man was right after all."
"Yes, but could never have taken control. Because we already controlled him."
"But I can," said Shepard.
The Catalyst child seemed to consider this, before replying, "You will die. You will control us, but you will lose everything you have."
"But the Reapers will obey me?"
"Yes. There is another solution."
"Yeah?" Shepard asked.
"Synthesis," proclaimed the Catalyst AI.
"And that is?"
"Add your energy to the Crucibles. Everything you are will be absorbed and then sent out. The chain reaction will combine all synthetic and organic life into a framework. A new DNA."
Shepard thought about this, then, reluctantly, "I… don't know."
"Why not? Synthetics are already a part of you. Can you imagine your life without them?"
"There will be peace?"
"The cycle will end, synthesis is the final evolution of life but we need each other to make it happen," the Catalyst AI explained. "You have a difficult decision. Releasing the energy of the crucible will end the cycle, but it will also destroy the mass relays. The paths are open, but you have to choose."
Shepard stood there for what seemed like quite a long time. He looked up towards the stars, but the only thing he saw was pain and misery. The forces he had united to defeat this threat were, right now, fighting for their lives. But in the end, the entire war seemed to come down to his choice. He took a deep breath to steady himself but his body was racked with pain. Looking down at himself, Shepard saw that sleeves of his body armour has fused to his arms. For the first time during his career as a Spectre, Shepard was concerned that he was going to die. Not that that was his biggest concern at the time, though he felt sad in knowing he might not see Tali again. No, Shepard was alarmed because he might not get a chance to put an end to the Reaper threat. The fate of the entire galaxy was on his shoulders. It was time to put an end to it.
"What if I refuse?" Shepard asked.
"Then the Reapers will destroy the Crucible, destroy your planet and destroy every advanced civilization in the galaxy." The AI paused, then continued. "What I am giving you here is an opportunity. If you really believe that this cycle should continue, then you will choose." Shepard thought about the bodies of those who had inhabited the Citadel that lay where they died. He thought of the countless others who had been killed by the Reapers and their ground forces. Finally, he thought of Admiral Anderson, who now lay lifeless in the control room.
"Fine," Shepard said with such force that the Catalyst child appeared to take a step back. Though at this point, he admitted, the amount of blood he had lost was probably making him see things. Shepard started to hobble towards the beam of light that passed through the Citadel into the Crucible, planning to throw himself into the beam to save humanity. However, he paused and looked down towards Earth and thought about all the people he loved that were down there. Dropping his gun and turning towards the Catalyst, Shepard made his choice.
"You think that just because you can harvest us means that I'll let you. I reject your choices."
Shepard then, turning back towards the beam of light, stuck his hands out towards the structure that contained the beam, power conduit and control system, and began to tear it apart using his biotics.
"What are you doing?" asked the Catalyst, attempting to project a wave of confidence, but his voice betraying his trepidation. But, at that very moment, the device tore apart and three beams of green, red and blue light collided.
The SSV Orizaba, flagship of the Fifth Fleet and under Admiral Hackett's personal command, was engaged in a firefight involving one Reaper ship and ten allied forces' vessels. Things were looking grim as each craft was severely damaged by the Reaper's beam weapon. Things were no better in the Orizaba's command centre.
"Get a squad to engineering and get them to put those fires out," ordered Hackett. Shepard and Anderson had been in the Citadel for 30 minutes, yet the Reapers continued to fight. "I need a status report from Major Coats and damn it, why aren't Shepard and Anderson replying, this is turning into a slaughter." Suddenly, a wave of white light emanated from the Crucible and rocketed across space in every direction. "Brace for impact!" yelled Hackett as the wave passed through the Reaper ship and continued towards the Orizaba. However the white light passed through their ship harmlessly leaving the crew confused until they saw the lights along the Reaper ship flicker on and off as if its' systems were failing.
Seizing the initiative, Hackett leapt into action, "Now's our chance! All ships open fire on the Reaper!" Shells rained from the allied vessels, covering the Reaper in explosions until a slug pierced it's armour and connected with its' drive core, causing it to detonate violently. "All ships, fire at will upon the Reapers. Whatever Shepard's done has worked. Let's end this while we can."
Hackett then turned to his communications officer, "Lieutenant, get me the Normandy, someone's got to retrieve Shep…" Admiral Hackett stopped. For at that very moment the Citadel began to collapse before his very eyes. Turning back to his officer, he began to yell, "We have to get a shuttle over there, now!"
Across the galaxy, a beam of pure white light seemed to travel between the mass relays. In each system, the beam caused more pulses that deactivated the Reapers, as if they had lost control of their functions. Fleets across the galaxy assembled; in Trebia, the turians massed, both the quarians and the geth gathered the full might of their fleets in the Tikkun system and in the Pranas system, the salarians collected their full might. Then, as if Hackett had ordered them from across the galaxy, they purged the Reapers from their systems.
Aboard the Citadel, Shepard collapsed. He had spent his last amount of energy saving the galaxy and the Citadel was now tearing itself apart. Shepard was resigned to the fact that he was now going to die. There was nothing that he could do, as he had lost his helmet on Earth and his Omni-tool appeared to be broken. But deep down, he hoped that someone would find him, so he could see his beloved again. Explosions rocked the platform he was on, but Shepard now accepted that he was going to die. After all, one can only cheat death for so long before he comes to collect you. So Shepard looked up at the stars, for once not caring that each one could pose a danger to the galaxy, but just enjoying their beauty. Now he could see death searching for him with a beam of light. Shepard knew that if he could just find his pistol, he could hold him off until help arrived, but he now found himself unable to move. Suddenly, the beam of light locked upon him and he was finished. But since when did the grim reaper collect the dead in a Kodiak shuttle. Help was finally here! Shepard attempted to yell to the shuttle but all that came out was a slight groan. It appeared that his injuries were worse then he thought they were. Unable to rise, yet unwilling to die, Shepard managed to raise his arm. The beam of light left his body and the Kodiak descended towards the platform. Shepard knew that dying now would be a failure, but he could feel the darkness creeping up on him. The last thing he heard before descending into unconsciousness was the medic's gasp at the extent of his injuries.
Joker looked around the sparse, grey briefing room of the SSV Orizaba. Sitting around the table with him were Shepard's squad. However Shepard was absent, a fact that had not gone unnoticed by the attendees of this meeting. When the Reaper had cut Shepard off from Garrus and Kaidan, they had provided him with covering fire as he stumbled into the beam of light. But that was three days ago. From then onwards no one had heard any information about him, triggering fear among the group that perhaps Shepard hadn't made it. Joker glanced across the table at Tali. He didn't know if she would be able to take that news very well and obviously the squad knew too. Garrus and Liara sat on either side of her ready to support her if need be. Joker then turned to EDI and gave her a questioning look. She had said earlier that she was unable to breach Alliance firewalls and was thus unable to provide them information about the situation. She gave a shake of her head, indicating that she still knew nothing about this meeting. At that point, the door slid open and Admiral Hackett walked in with a blank expression on his face. He immediately launched into his debriefing.
"At 0330 hours yesterday morning, both Admiral Anderson and Commander Shepard boarded the Citadel from London to activate the Citadel's opening mechanism. The events that took place inside the Citadel control centre are unknown but we do know that Admiral Anderson was killed in action after a firefight presumably took place with the Illusive Man, who was also killed in action, by a point blank shot to his temple. At this time, we are assuming that Shepard was transported to a platform on top of the Citadel and somehow activated the Crucible. A shuttle from the SSV Orizaba then collected Shepard at which point he was rushed to the med bay on the Orizaba in a critical condition." At this point Hackett looked around the room to ensure everyone had heard the news.
"How critical is his condition sir?" asked Garrus, who worried that perhaps the commander was only a breath away from death.
"So far, we've treated Shepard's entire body for second and third degree burns sustained from a Reaper beam. He has major soft tissue damage and a few broken bones but apart from that, with frequent medi-gel treatments, he is expected to recover." A sigh of relief went around the room and the atmosphere of the room became perceptively less grim.
"How soon until we can see him?" asked Tali, whose was quivering in her emotional state.
"I've asked the doctors when he will be fit to receive a medal of valour and they said put it off for another month or two. However, before arriving at this meeting, I was informed that he had regained consciousness. You are all ordered to go to him. Dismissed," said Admiral Hackett as he walked out of the room.
In what seemed like no time at all, Shepard's squad plus Joker were outside the door to his wardroom. The excitement in the air was palpable and as soon the nurse told them they could enter, they rushed to his bedside. To Tali, the first thing she noticed about Shepard was that his face was a mess. Bruises highlighted his eyes and jaw and his forehead and cheeks were all cut up. Both his arms and legs were a mass of bandages and his hospital gown wasn't thick enough to avoid showing the bulges where more bandages were.
"How are you feeling Shepard?" said Garrus, straight to the point, as always.
"Like hell, but I'll live," replied Shepard his voice full of pain.
"I guess we'll have to settle for a human bar then."
The questions about the mission followed soon after but while answering, Shepard had eyes only for Tali. After a while, the squad saw that the two of them needed some time alone and began to say their farewells.
"I'd make sure the bed is reinforced if I were you commander, they might need it afterwards," said Joker, staying true to his namesake.
"I can report you for insubordination Flight Lieutenant," replied Shepard.
"I'd like to see you try," answered Joker as he hobbled out of the room.
Shepard then turned to Tali; his eyes alight with happiness. His left hand, one of the few parts of his body that was undamaged, slid across the sheets and grasped hers tightly.
"I love you Tali'Zorah vas Normandy," stated Shepard
"Keelah se'lai," replied Tali.