Mass Effect 3: Electronic Data Interchange
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Mass Effect or its intellectual properties.
This is my version of how Mass Effect 3 should have ended. What if the Protheans mistook the Catalyst for being just the Citadel? What if that itself was just another fabrication of hope?
Takes place after leaving the Forward Operating Base. This Shepard is a male Infiltrator who romanced Liara. Three chapter series.
Knocking on Heaven's Door
A young Alliance marine removed his hand from his temples. His hand was shaking violently. He flex it several times before returning it to the fore grip of his gun. It seemed his whole body was shaking now. Insides churning, he wanted to puke all over the floor of the transport. He looked up to see a turian give him a squeeze on his shoulder. The first contact war seemed like a life time ago, in fact all the petty conflicts and wars were now just footnotes in the history books of the galaxy.
The doors of the transport opened up to fields of chaos. Flashes of blue biotics and orange tech abilities flew through the night sky. A precision shot of a geth sniper crumpled a Ravager before it could line up its sights on a group of Alliance marines taking cover behind a wall. A krogan battle master charged through Husk ranks, throwing his weight around, sending their human like bodies through the air. Alliance marines pepper a Banshee with gunfire, giving it pause for turian snipers to line up their shots. A group of salarian STGs dove out of the way of a charging Brute. It pounded its chest tauntingly, not noticing the set of explosives at its feet.
Commander Shepard could feel the shockwave from the explosion reverberate through the hull of the transport. He looked over his squad, all of them focused. The time for checking equipment has long since passed, by now you were either ready or you weren't. The resonating drone of a Reaper's beam told them they were getting close.
"We're getting out here," yelled Shepard to the driver.
He obeyed, opened the doors swung open. Shepard was the first to clear out of the transport and take up cover behind a shattered wall. He peeked over it to find a street disturbingly empty. Straight ahead was the Reaper focusing its attention on the main squad of Hammer forces. Shepard quickly and silently moved from cover to cover, occasionally scouting the buildings with scope of his rifle. After running out of cover they could use on the street, he motioned a group to move forward into an abandoned building. James lead the charge forward followed closely by EDI. Once they were inside Shepard poked his head out and scanned the area again. There was still no movement.
"We're clear Loco," James radioed in.
Shepard motioned for the second group to continue. Ashley sprinted towards the same building followed by Tali who had her omni-tool open, scanning for enemies. Garrus had his gun out quickly scoping out the top floors of an adjacent building as he continued along.
"We're in Commander," said Ashley over the comm.
"Continue ahead and keep in radio contact," said Shepard. "We are going to push ahead on ground level."
"Stay sharp out there Shepard," said Garrus who looked at the Commander briefly before following the rest of the squad into the building.
"We'll use the walls as cover," said Shepard to the remaining members. "Keep both eyes open for any movement."
"I'll keep four eyes open," retorted Javik.
Shepard was the first to break cover and slowly move his way forward, exposed on the street. At first he thought it was the echoes of the distant fighting, but he was sure of it now. The scream of a Banshee echoed down the street.
"We've got Banshees!" yelled James over the com followed by an eruption of gunfire.
"What's your location," asked Shepard back up against the building wall. "We'll come to you."
"We've got the situation under control," barked Garrus.
"Shepard," said EDI. "There are Reaper forces headed your way."
"Commander," yelled Javik shooting at a group of Cannibals coming up from the sewers.
He could hear another Banshee yell, this time much closer. He took aim with his rifle at the tall slender form of a Banshee slowly hovering down from a building roof top. Before he could take the shot, the building behind him erupted in an explosion of concrete, sending him flying to the street. The Brute hefted itself back up to its legs and pounded its chest triumphantly. Shepard barely had time to breath. But he quickly took aim at the Brute shooting off the armored plate revealing a ball of intestines. Enraged the Brute swung its massive claw nearly decapitating him in the process. Shepard charged up an incendiary blast with his omni-tool and stuck his arm in the staggering Brute. Shepard unleashed its full blast, causing the Brute become engulfed in flames. It staggered backwards trying to stamp out the flames with its arms before letting out a dying groan. Shepard picked himself up and searched the street seeing an incoming of Reaper forces. The Banshee had finally landed upon the street and turned its attention to Shepard. Liara threw out a biotic blast which the Banshee had knocked aside with a swing of its arm sending the bolt into a horde of its own troops. Javik poked his large head up from the pile of rubble before receiving a barrage of fire from a group of Marauders that had now entered the fray. Shepard backed away shooting at the Banshee as he did. He barely had enough time to roll out of the way of biotic blast, Shepard quickly activated his cloaking ability and took aim at the Banshee's head as it pondered the sudden disappearance of her target. Javik fired off the last rounds of his clip dissipating the protective barrier surrounding it. Shepard's shot hit the Banshee right between the eyes flicking its head back. It let out a final scream before crumpling to the ground.
Now exposed and uncloaked in the middle of the street, Shepard was receiving a barrage of gunfire from the Marauders and Cannibals. Quickly running out of options Javik hurled a grenade at the Commander's feet. The bioticly enhanced grenade detonated sending him flying back farther than he should have. He hit the wall of the building hard, if it weren't already loosened by the Brute, he would surely have died.
"What the hell did you do?" asked Liara angrily at the Prothean teammate.
"I just saved your Commander's life," said Javik reloading another thermal clip into his rifle. He raised his gun over the cover and fired it blindly at the Reaper forces. Many of the Marauders quickly dove out of the way, seeking cover while the Cannibals received the full brunt of the attack. Liara opened a biotic rift near the remaining forces, giving them an opening to get to Shepard.
"Are you hurt?" asked Liara checking on the Commander, giving him a quick scan of her omnitool.
"Nothing serious," said Shepard getting to his feet with some help.
"By the goddess," said Liara letting out a sigh of relief. But she turned her aggression towards Javik who was continuing to cover the entry. "What were you thinking? You could have killed him."
"But I didn't," said Javik over his shoulder. "I have seen the Commander in combat. Any lesser primitive would have died. If he did, it would have been an act of mercy."
Liara's body began to glow blue from charging up her biotics.
"That's enough," said Shepard stepping in. "Save it for the Reapers."
"Holy hell, Loco" said James running towards them from the street. "When that blast went off, we all thought you were dead."
"We have to keep pushing forward to clear a path for the tanks," said Shepard. "Where's everyone else?"
"Right here Shepard," said Tali and the other joining them. "We were just mopping up the last of them."
"Shepard come in," said Anderson over the comm. "What's your status."
"We just finished clearing a path for the tanks to move forward," said the Commander.
"Good," said Anderson. "We are getting flanked by Reaper forces."
"What's your location? We'll come to you," said Shepard.
"Its nothing that we can't handle. I need you to protect those tanks."
"Yessir."
They continued to walk down the street following the slow march of the tanks as they drove down the battered streets of London. The diversion seemed to be working as most of the Reaper forces seemed to be focusing on battalions of allied forces pushing towards the Reaper. Shepard motioned for the tanks to halt their progress near the edge of the crater.
"Shepard," said Garrus. "We need to get that Reaper's eye exposed long enough for the missiles or all we're going to do is scratch its paint job."
"EDI is this laser still hooked up to the Normandy's weapon system?" asked Shepard removing it from his back.
"They are, however, in our current location we do not have a direct line of sight," replied EDI.
"You're not seriously thinking about doing what you did on Ranoch again," objected Tali. "Its a miracle you came out of that alive."
"I agree its suicide Commander," said Ashley.
"Let me do this," said Garrus stepping forward. "You know I have the better shot."
"I should do it," said Javik bumping past Garrus. "I have earned the right. And I have the best shot out of the both of you."
"If you are insistent upon getting yourself blown up," said James. "We're coming with you, Loco."
"No," said Shepard silencing all of the bickering. "I need you all here to protect those tanks until they can fire their payload."
"Shepard, I am coming with you," said EDI stepping forward.
"I need you to stay back and help defend the tanks," he said. "This isn't up for discussion."
"I was not making a request," said EDI firmly. "I can use the body's optics to further refine and make any alterations to the missile's flight pattern depending on the situation."
Shepard opened his mouth as if to object, but saw how firmly she wanted to do this. "Alright," he said walking past his team. "Everyone else stay with those tanks until I get back."
"Shepard," said Garrus grabbing his arm. "You don't have to do this."
"Let's see if all of those calibrations pay off," said Shepard.
"Give them hell, Loco," said James giving him a salute.
"Pay them back for what they did to Earth," said Ashley
"It should be me doing this," said Javik. "But… This is not my cycle. It is yours."
"Keelah se'lai," said Tali. "We'll be waiting for you to get back."
"Shepard…" said Liara tears barely kept in check. "I-."
"I know," said Shepard. His hand gently caressing her face.
"I'll be waiting for you right here," said Liara as he brushed a tear from her eye. His fingertips ran down her cheek until his fingertips gently brushed off her chin. She reached out with her hand as if trying to grab hold of his hand one last time, but missed. She could only look on as the two figures made their lonely trek down the side of the crater towards the beam with the Reaper looming over it.