Gideon
This is it, the final story in the Interface arc after Countermeasures. Many thanks for reading all through the previous stories if you have. Now strap yourself in - the climactic battle with the Reapers is about to begin. If you think you know them, think again. Before it's all over, you will come to know true evil…
Cadrina Shepard triggers the prothean mind weapon, the Interface, drawing in the Reapers for the final confrontation. And will discover the battle to save Earth… is really the war to save all of creation...
Profile: Cadrina Ellen Shepard – Spacer, War Hero, Infiltrator, Paragon
"Would it have been worth while,
To have bitten off the matter with a smile,
To have squeezed the universe into a ball
To roll it toward some overwhelming question,
To say: 'I am Lazarus, come from the dead
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all,—"
- from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, T.S. Elliot
I
Once establishing a foothold on Earth, the Reapers deployed scouts and vanguards to other major systems across the galaxy in order to cut off the planet from supplies and reinforcements, from any chance or hope of rescue. Some of the converted populations were ferried to the Sol system's asteroid belt to begin construction of a new base, a cradle for a new human Reaper. Husks labored without rest under the scrutiny of their Reaper taskmasters as the new Herald slowly took shape, the sparse skeletal framework suspended within the hollowed out Ceres asteroid. On Earth, those humans who were not killed or converted were rounded up, placed in suspended animation and loaded into pods for transport to the base to be liquefied and fed to its sole occupant. The loss of their previous Heralds and the sealing off of the Citadel delayed but did not deter the ancient machines from carrying out their latest Harvest and laying the foundation for the next.
The skull of the new Herald suddenly shattered, cascading metal shards into the surrounding rock and drone ships as the rest of its form was cleaved in two and melted into a burst of plasma energy. It was a causality of the SSV Orizaba's main gun Sunday Punch, the first salvo launched in the Galactic Counteroffensive. The ragtag fleet, led by the Normandy 2, swarmed through the Charon Relay like the Reapers before them and headed towards Earth with all speed. Halfway there, it split into two groups. Normandy 2 led the main force on to the homeworld while the Orizaba lagged behind with its assigned vessels for a secondary assault on the Reaper base. Like hell spawned crustaceans, the Reapers floated through space exchanging fire with quarian, turian and geth capital ships while trying to salvage what was left of the base as their smaller drone vessels engaged frigates and fighters.
Spurred by the heat of battle, Commander Kendrick of the Orizaba displayed uncharacteristic initiative and soon noted a pattern in enemy movements: the remaining Reapers began to hang back, directing drones and Husks to distract ships and reduce their ability to fire their Thanix cannons. The Reapers could then fire on the ships with impunity. The Orizaba's gun was powerful enough to shred their armor but very slow to recharge. Kendrick contacted geth and quarian ships whose Thanix cannons were still functional and had them try to corral the Reapers, weakening their shields with repeated cannon bursts. He ignored Hannah Shepard's pleas about their mounting losses and commands to fire immediately once Sunday Punch was ready. Kendrick eyed the lidar display closely, advising his tactical officer to give him firing control. At one point a quarian vessel exploded after being hit by a beam from one of the Reapers. Hannah then lunged on her executive officer to stop him only to be shoved backwards. The lidar display showed that the allied ships had done their job; the remaining Reapers were now in a straight line with shields extremely low or depleted as the Orizaba moved into position. Before their shields could recharge Kendrick fired the dreadnought's main gun. The bright burst plunged through each Reaper in turn, piercing their cores. They all faded into plumes of fire and plasma as all hands on the Orizaba's bridge cheered. Kendrick readied himself for yet another harangue by his captain but Hannah surprised him, instead cupping his shoulder and smiling, admitting she misjudged him and congratulated him on his planning and marksmanship. Kendrick nodded and smiled in return, then ordered all surviving ships to clear out any stray drones and make ready to head to Earth with her approval.
The ploy to attack the asteroid belt succeeded in drawing away some Reapers from the human homeworld. The first few fell to Thanix crossfire as they ascended. The others grew wise and adapted, firing from behind cloud cover to open a corridor for reinforcements to enter orbit. The main fleet used a similar tactic to get troop ships into atmosphere and groundside to help retake the major cities. Much needed firepower and soldiers were allocated to struggling units and redeployed to push out the marauding armies.
The counteroffensive continued; one Reaper destroyed for every four or five allied vessels. Ground forces contended with seemingly endless hordes of Husks. But seeing the Normandy 2 in flight and knowing that Cadrina Ellen Shepard was aboard gave everyone the courage and drive to fight on. The commander had been discredited and condemned by the populace but she still believed in them and fought to save them from extinction. Orizaba's later arrival helped to limit losses even further. Chatter over com channels hinted that the Reapers no longer had the numbers to hold Earth.
The tide was beginning to turn.
"Holy shit, Commander!" exclaimed Joker over his comset to Cadrina "We're actually doin' it! We're winning! Looks like we won't need to use that Interface after all!"
The mood aboard the Normandy 2 became more hopeful. Previous generations had not been as informed and as unified against the Reapers as this one. Krogan fought alongside salarian now that a cure for the genophage was created. Turians and humans, on shaky ground since the First Contact War, became comrades in arms with the spirit of cooperation and valor in common between the two peoples. Quarians and the geth no longer saw each other as enemies, slaves rebelling against their masters and creators. They stood on the battlefield as equals, each committed to preserving the existence of all sentient life.
The Angel of Elysium's efforts were responsible for this unprecedented unity.
Cadrina herself was not encouraged by the news and continued to brood, leaning over the map projection of the campaign. Throughout the battle there were great losses on both sides, but only a few hundred Reapers were accounted for. What she sensed previously within the Interface had numbered in the thousands.
This isn't all of them, she reasoned to herself. They haven't fully committed their forces yet. They've been doing this for forever – they're just going to hold out and get us tired. They're machines and they know organic flesh can only last for so long.
Never again…
Cadrina tapped on her comset "Joker, open communications. Set to broadcast across all channels."
"Alright! Rallying the troops for one last push?"
Cadrina's eyes dimmed to a sly squint "… you could say that…"
Joker input the necessary commands, aware that this broadcast would also be heard by the Reapers. As far as the Normandy 2's pilot was concerned, they had lost and Cadrina was going to drive that point home.
Joker tapped the last key "Okay, you are… going out on all feeds. Preach the good word!"
Within her mind Cadrina could feel the Interface's power sealed up in its well and prepared to bring it to bear. She took in a breath and stood tall.
"I am Commander Shepard and I speak for every species in this war. Harbinger – I know you're out there… listening… watching… You tried to divide us but you only made us come together under a single banner. Every race from every corner of the galaxy is here now, united against you. We fight and we will continue to fight until we win or we die, but we will NEVER yield!"
Liara T'Soni looked upon her lover proudly as did a few other assorted crew and team members who paused to listen to Cadrina's speech.
"Every cycle before, you've been opposed. The beings you slaughtered and harvested each got one step closer to defeating you. Everything has a weakness… and I know yours. I know the one thing you machines do fear! You've done your worst to me, but I'm still here and I've destroyed six of your kind so far. Frankly, I've yet to be impressed!"
Cadrina became increasingly sarcastic and confrontational. She was spitting in the face of gods. She wondered how much more she could provoke them before they reacted. Her group of admirers grew understandably concerned and could not figure out what she was planning.
"Come on…! Show me 'true power!' Show me the force that's bent all life to its will from time immemorial! I don't even think that you can now. You're too used to getting your way, too used to being the dominant life forms. You've grown complacent… feeble…"
Cadrina steadied herself on the railing over the holomap and summoned up her harshest insult.
"Harbinger… I'm laughing… at those infinitely my greater!"
All of a sudden a deafening groan came over the ship's intercoms, a mixture of straining, screeching metal and resounding horns. Several people covered their ears, squirming in pain. Joker was unable to screen out the noise.
It was the blood chilling cry of the Reapers.
The sound ceased and Joker's console began to light up with new data. The Reapers themselves had stopped attacking and held position while their minions continued to shield them against allied ships. They hung in space, waiting.
"What's happening, Joker?" asked Cadrina.
Joker went over the sensor readings. "Commander… I think… you pissed…it off…!"
The ship's AI EDI added "Shepard, reports are coming in of multiple mass relay activations."
Cadrina's visage was of steel determination. Her taunts brought about exactly what she wanted. "How many, EDI?"
The AI answered as Joker frantically worked his console to steer his ship and confirm its observations. "I am having difficulties establishing a definite count. More reports are coming in every second."
"Well, take a guess!" suggested the pilot.
"My best guess?"
"…yeah!"
EDI analyzed the growing number of sensor readings and worried communications and proffered her best estimate.
"…all of them."
The Charon relay flared to life, bringing in several more Reapers to the Sol system. Each additional flare brought in more with tentacles undulating and swiping, moving in to join the battle over Earth. The same scene played out with relays throughout Council space and the Terminus Systems. The holomap in front of Cadrina updated to reflect their growing numbers. Her suspicion following the destruction of the Alpha Relay was confirmed: any relay at any time could be reconfigured by the Reapers for direct entry into the galaxy. Denying them the Citadel main gateway merely deprived them of enemy intelligence and a central base of operations, but their sheer numbers could still inflict irreparable damage.
Liara remembered something the commander had said: If even one Reaper survives and escapes, it'll just start all over again!
"She's drawn them out!" she told the frightened crew around her. She smiled and looked to Cadrina, sensing her intent.
"Every Reaper is emerging from dark space!"
The Reapers out in front of the Normandy 2 parted as they moved forward, shoving past any friend or foe in their path. Another rose up into their midst, its configuration different from the others but recognizable to Cadrina.
Harbinger.
It pitched about and energized its cannon, preparing to fire on the Normandy 2 as its voice boomed over the speakers.
(That boast… shall be your epitaph!)
The ship was moments from obliteration. The Reapers were now out in force across the galaxy, set to destroy all.
It was time to spring the trap.
Cadrina lowered her head and sealed her eyes, reaching deep within. "Wrong!" she responded aloud "It's yours!"
She removed the lid from the well.
My turn…!
White light.
It spilled out with unstoppable fury, spreading throughout every inch of her mind. She felt it seep into and past every cell, every atom of her being. The light burst outwards still through every pore into space, engulfing, absorbing. In less time than a human blink, the wave enveloped the Sol system, the Serpent Nebula, the Terminus Systems, the totality of the Milky Way…
The full power of the Interface was unleashed.
THE END… IS HERE
Author's Notes and Thoughts:
- Couldn't resist using the same line (more or less) that Captain Kirk used in Wrath of Khan. What better way to bring all the Reapers out into the open?
Coming soon, Part II: Consciousness of the Kings