Story Notes: This is the third part of the series that started with Non-Elective Surgery and continued with Outpatient Care. Reading those stories will make it easier to understand what's going on in this one. We pick up the tale of our heroines towards the tail end of the Reaper War, in the middle of Priority: Thessia. By and large, you can assume that aside from what was seen in Outpatient Care, everything after Priority: Mars has played out more or less in accordance with ME3 canon with the following differences:
1) The Leviathan and Citadel DLCs do not exist
2) Kai Leng was killed by the good guys during the Citadel coup attempt because
a. Ashley wasn't interfering, since she was never injured on Mars. (See Outpatient Care for that story)
b. Kai Leng is an over-rated punk anyway.
Plus, c. reasons that will become apparent later on, as will those for the exclusion of the DLCs. Any other relevant differences will be noted in the story. I definitely did not originally intend for this to be a trilogy or to develop such a complex plot but here we are. Expect the story to diverge further from canon as it goes along; I've tried to imbed some subtle clues as to what's different in the earlier chapters. Plus, of course, there'll be plenty of the romance and smut you'd expect from this series. (Including futa!Shepard, for reasons that are explained in Non-Elective Surgery) Hope you enjoy it.
Shepard stared at the glowing form of Vendetta, the green figure of the Prothean VI standing out clearly in the dim light of the Temple of Athame. It had been almost three years since she spoke to its counterpart on Ilos, and all that she had learned about the Protheans and Reapers during that time had only left her with more questions.
"What happened to the Crucible in your time?," she asked the program. "Why didn't the Protheans deploy it?
"We were sabotaged from within," the VI replied. "A splinter group argued we should dominate the Reapers rather than destroy them. It fractured our order of battle. Later, we discovered the separatists were indoctrinated."
Ashley nodded "That sounds familiar." Everything they had learned about Cerberus' plans suggested the Illusive Man had similar goals.
"Analysis of past ages led us to believe that time is cyclical," the VI concurred. "Many patterns repeat."
Without thinking, Shepard said the obvious. "Like the Reaper attacks."
"And beyond," Vendetta continued. "The same peaks of evolution. The same valleys of dissolution. The same conflicts are expressed in every cycle, but in a different manner. The repetition is too prevalent to be merely chance."
Liara's eyes lit up at the discussion of past cycles. She had devoted her life to studying those patterns of extinction and now, unprecedented information about them was within her reach. "We assumed the Reapers were responsible for the pattern."
"Perhaps. The only certainty is the outcome of the pattern: galactic annihilation. You now stand at its precipice."
Damned if Shepard didn't know that. The fall of Earth, the burning of much of Palaven, the destruction of the Geth, and now the attack on Thessia all confirmed that their time was fast running out. "There's still hope for this cycle," the Spectre insisted in spite of her fears. "We need to know what the Catalyst is. Trillions of lives are at risk."
The VI seemed unconcerned by this in the way that only a computer program could. "Trillions of lives are always at risk. But if the Reapers have arrived in your cycle, this discussion is too late."
"We can break the cycle." As dark as things had become recently, she simply had to believe that was true. What other choice did she have? "We found your plans for the Crucible. We're building it now."
She had not expected the VI's next words. "The Crucible is not of Prothean design," Vendetta corrected her. "It is the work of countless galactic cycles stretching back millions of years. Each cycle adds to it. Each improves upon it. Thus far, none have successfully defeated the Reapers with it."
All those failures. All that death. No more, she swore to herself. Not in this cycle. "Then we'll be the first. Tell us what the Catalyst is."
"If you wish to continue fighting, I will not hinder you, though I deem your odds of success remote."
She laughed bitterly at what passed for a generous gesture to this program. "We'll take our chances."
"Very well," it agreed. "If you have followed the plans for the Crucible, I will interface with your systems and assist with the Catalyst too…" Suddenly, it stopped speaking, its simulated eyes looking away at something Shepard couldn't see. "Indoctrinated presence detected," it informed them. "Activating security protocols."
The VI dissolved into a ball of light, reintegrating into the terminal it had emerged from, but Shepard was already turning in the other direction, her attention drawn by the sound of engines coming from beyond the entrance to the temple.
Hovering just outside was a Cerberus gunship and beneath it, a small group of enemy soldiers were entering the ancient structure. A half dozen troopers marched behind a pair of Phantoms, but what drew the commander's attention was the woman standing at their center. She was tall, wearing heavy armor and carrying a Harrier assault rifle, but beyond that there was something in her confidant bearing that seemed deeply familiar to the Spectre.
Shepard gestured in the direction of the bodies of the dead asari on the floor of the temple. "You," she growled at the Cerberus team. "You killed the scientists."
"They couldn't give me what I needed." The woman's voice was distorted by a device in her helmet, making it into a harsh, electronic rasp. "So I waited. You've been more helpful."
"We'll see about that," the commander snarled back.
Whipping out her Hurricane, Shepard rolled to her right while tossing a fragmentation grenade across her body. The nearest Phantom danced nimbly out of the way of the explosion, but two of the assault troopers weren't nearly as quick and they were blown to pieces by the blast, chunks of blood and metal streaking across the stone floor.
The other Phantom bore down on Liara but before she could reach the asari, the Shadow Broker raised her hand, trapping the Cerberus assassin in a stasis field. She'd been frustrated by the resistance of many of the larger Reaper units to her biotics, but in dealing with these accursed ninjas, as her bondmate sometimes called them, she excelled.
While Liara pulled out her pistol to finish off the trapped assassin, Shepard sprayed down a couple more of the troopers with submachine gun fire, leaving the leader for Ashley. Her Javelin was well-suited to dealing with tougher targets and her positioning in the back of the temple should have given her the space she needed to make the shot.
What Shepard hadn't expected was the woman's speed. As Ashley raised her rifle the Cerberus leader became a blur of motion. Shepard had always been the quickest soldier on the battlefield, but this woman could give her a run for her money. Weaving to the right, she easily evaded Ashley's shot, the sniper rifle round instead shattering one of the ancient statues that filled the temple. Before the marine could reload, the woman was on her, a burst of Harrier fire knocking down Ashley's shields before a powerful swing of the weapon sent the Javelin flying out of her hands.
"Liara!", Shepard barked as she ducked and weaved through the statues amid a hail of fire from the two remaining troopers and the Phantom. "On your seven." The asari had already executed the frozen Phantom, and she whirled at Shepard's words, tossing a bolt of biotic energy at the Cerberus leader. It caught her in the side and though her shields held, the blow bought enough time for Ashley to whip out her own assault rifle and slam it into her attacker's helmet, nearly knocking the piece of armor clean off. The woman staggered backwards, but even as Liara was raising her pistol to press the attack, her enemy fired a burst from her assault rifle, cracking the asari's barriers and sending her leaping behind a bench for cover.
Shepard couldn't worry about that just yet though, because the rest of the Cerberus forces were closing in on her from both sides, trying to flank the Spectre. Firing a concussive shot, she knocked the two remaining troopers off of their feet before swinging back around to face the springing Cerberus ninja. A slice of her sword penetrated Shepard's shields, and the blade dug into her armored gauntlet. Twisting her wrist, she wrenched the sword loose from the Phantom's grasp and she followed up with a swift burst from her submachine gun. The ninja danced backwards, her barrier pierced by a couple of the shots, and Shepard retreated as well, buying time for her own shields to regenerate even while she rolled a grenade at the stunned troopers pulling themselves to their feet.
Ashley leapt on the Cerberus leader, trying to grab her from behind, but the woman rolled with the impact before spinning around to come face to face with the Spectre. Ashley raised her assault rifle but as she locked eyes with her target, she hesitated. Shepard had never seen her do that before, but for just a moment, she froze, and her enemy took full advantage of whatever had distracted her. An omni-blade of brilliant orange appeared on her fist, and with a cry of anger, she plunged it deep into Ashley's chest.
"Ash!" As the second human Spectre crumpled to the ground with a massive hole in her armor, Shepard immediately forgot about her own attacker, hurling herself out of cover as she rushed towards her fallen comrade. The Cerberus leader was already moving away from Ashley, but Shepard's eyes were focused on the fountain of blood spurting from her friend's chest.
"You are not going to die on me, Ash," she growled, trying to reassure herself as much as give an order to her fallen friend. Dropping to one knee, she activated the medi-gel dispenser on her own armor and began applying the healing compound to the wound even as the armored woman was dashing towards the beacon.
The enemy's omni-tool interfaced with the temple computer and Liara leapt out of cover. So many asari had already died today to allow them to reach the temple, and if this woman succeeded in stealing the Prothean VI, their sacrifices would all have been in vain. The Shadow Broker hurled a powerful warp blast, trying to distract the Cerberus leader from her task, but her shields and armor absorbed the hit and she kept up what she was doing.
The asari raised her pistol to follow up while her biotics recharged. She had to take care not to damage the ancient machinery however and she narrowed her eyes, trying to get an unobstructed view of her enemy, when her back exploded into a sea of stabbing pains. Her barriers disintegrated under this new attack and instinctively, she threw herself to the ground as behind her, the gunship continued to fire its mini-gun, the flechettes making a mess of much of what remained of the once-beautiful temple.
Springing back to her feet, Shepard ran to cut off the escaping woman before she could make it to the gunship. Grenades were out of the question though; the risk of damaging the Prothean VI was too great. Raising her Hurricane, she leveled the gun, trying to get a clean head shot.
Only just in time did she see the heat shimmer of the Phantom as the ninja de-cloaked, having recovered her sword. Diving to the right, Shepard swung her submachine gun around and emptied the entire clip into the Cerberus assassin. The Phantom tried its usual dance, but this time Shepard was able to keep a clear target, and the rounds shredded not only the ninja's shields but also her lithe body.
Unfortunately, the attack had bought the Cerberus leader the time she needed. She was almost to the gunship now, and as it's mini-gun swiveled around towards her, Shepard was unable to do anything but dive for cover in the face of a hail of gunfire. The ship turned, allowing the woman to board, but before she could, Liara hurled a singularity in a final, desperate attempt to stop her retreat.
The woman was too strong. With a powerful effort, she wrenched free of the gravitational field and leapt on board her ship. Her helmet didn't make the trip though, the already-loose armor crashing to the bloody floor of the temple.
"So long, commander," the woman laughed, turning around to give the Spectre a final, mocking salute as her ship disappeared into the setting sun. Shepard, though, could find no words to reply because the only thought in her head was that the mocking face looking back at her was her own.