Author's note. This is listed as humor, so I'll try to put more of that in. Anyway, Lillian Shepard, Miranda, and Jax are headed toward Freedom's Progress. By the way, the hardest part about writing these things is the dialogue where the player can do some investigating. If you write it down like it appears on-screen, it really looks ridiculous, you kind of have to weave each question in so it makes sense. You'll find out later. By the way, I do not own the rights Mass Effect 2, Mass Effect 2 Zaeed: The Price of Revenge, Mass Effect 2 Kasumi: Stolen Memories, Mass Effect 2 Arrival, Mass Effect 2 Project Firewalker, Mass Effect 2 Project Overlord, or Mass Effect 2 Normandy Crash Site. That everything? I have to mention the weapon and armor packs too? Screw that.
The first time it was reported that our friends were being butchered there was a cry of horror. Then a hundred were butchered. But when a thousand were butchered and there was no end to the butchery, a blanket of silence spread. When evil-doing comes like falling rain, nobody calls out "stop!" When crimes begin to pile up they become invisible. When sufferings become unendurable the cries are no longer heard. The cries, too, fall like rain in summer. – Bertolt Brecht
A few hours after her talk with the Illusive Man, Lillian, Miranda, and Jacob found themselves on a shuttle speeding to Freedom's Progress. In the small, cramped space, there was little to do besides converse and make speculations about the mission. The first two hours of the journey was filled by Jacob detailing her about various weapon and armor specs. Before they departed, he helped her choose the weapon set that would complement her skills most efficiently.
The first thing Shepard requisitioned was a sniper rifle. That was her bread and butter; without one on hand, she'd almost feel naked. She was given an M-92 Mantis, apparently renowned for its destructive power; it used an extremely high powered rail to propel a round to more than thirty times the speed of sound. The downside to its power was the enormous amount of heat it generated; one shot, and the heat sink would have to be ejected. Miranda added that it could sometimes bypass an opponent's kinetic barriers entirely if they were drained enough.
The next weapon in her arsenal was a submachine gun, recommended she use by Miranda. Before now, SMGs were rarely used due to lack of necessity. Now, as kinetic barriers were becoming more and more common, people needed a compact weapon that could take down an opponent's shields quickly. This Elkoss Combine innovation, the M-4 Shuriken Machine Pistol, fired in short, three round bursts, and is supposed to be unmatched in close quarters only by a shotgun.
Speaking of shotguns, Jacob showed Lillian his little beauty; a Lieberschaft 2180, more commonly known as the M-22 Eviscerator. In Jacob's own words, "It's banned in most market economies for being too badass." He explained that it fired serrated metal wedges in tight groups, allowing for more deadly shots than a traditional scattergun, even at longer ranges. "I don't see why it's illegal," Shepard commented. "A dead guy's not going to complain that he got killed by jagged bullets." Jacob thrust up his hand in approval.
All three of them packed an M-3 Predator heavy pistol, just because it's unwise to go without a sidearm. It was a pretty basic gun, but its shot capacity and minimal recoil made it a self-defense favorite.
As far as armor was concerned, Lillian had only one query. While Jacob was suited with his slightly bulky suit and Shepard in her tight fitting Phantom armor, Miranda didn't seem to be wearing any sort of protection. The operative was dressed only in her rather… prominent jumpsuit. Not only that, but she was wearing boots with heels. Heels! How can anyone fight dressed like that? When she asked, Miranda simply stated that the kinetic barrier emitters built into her suit provided the only defense she'd need. If they ever fell ("Which they won't," said Miranda), she could just use her biotics to supplement them until they recharged. She made no comment on her choice of footwear. It's probably a good thing John isn't here; he'd probably be too busy looking at Miranda's ass to do any investigating, let alone fight. Maybe that's the reason behind the look. Heh. Behind. Shepard cracked a smile; she could be so immature at times.
Miranda broke the silence that had been sustained for the past five minutes as she deactivated her omni-tool. "We should be there shortly, Shepard. The Illusive Man put us under your command. Do you have any orders?"
"Are you sure you'll be comfortable following my orders?" She couldn't have any dissenters in her unit.
Surprisingly, it was Jacob who answered. "We didn't bring you back from the dead just to second-guess you, Commander. If the Illusive Man says you're in charge, you're in charge."
That was better than nothing, I suppose. It would've been nicer if he didn't say yes "because we have to." "What did you find at the other colonies?" Shepard inquired.
"Nothing," answered Jacob. "No signs of attack, no corpses. Not even a trace of unusual genetic material to give us a clue. They just… disappear. And we've got no target to go after."
"So what makes you think this investigation will turn up anything new?"
"At the other colonies, official investigators got there first. Sometimes looters and salvage teams as well. We're hoping to be the first ones there this time. Maybe find clues before somebody else disturbs the scene."
"We're here, Shepard," Miranda said as a light in the shuttle began to blink.
"All right, listen up," Shepard announced as her team stirred to get ready. "Our first priority is to look for survivors."
"It's unlikely we'll find any, Commander," Miranda declared as she retrieved her firearms from under her seat. "No one was left at the other colonies. They were completely deserted."
"Be nice to find somebody though," Jacob mumbled. "Anything's better than a ghost town."
Shepard heard the whine of the shuttle's engines turn off as its sliding door opened. A colony like the one she saw before her should be alive and boisterous even at this late hour, but here, not a voice could be heard and not a light could be seen. Thank God the moon was so big and bright. The three filed out of the shuttle and brought out their omni-tools, marking the LZ like they had countless times before.
Before them lay a vista of flat, one story buildings, so they must be in a residential area. The houses were arranged quite sporadically; each was at a different altitude than the one before it, joined via an intricate network of walkways and stairs. Almost each structure had a small pad for sky cars to land; they were on one now.
Directly in front of them was a rather large shanty, its holographic access panel green. Shepard opened the door, and automatic lights switched on, swathing the place with a bright, fluorescent glow. It looked like a mess hall; there were an abundance of tables and restrooms, but no living quarters. A radio, blaring an unknown station, could be heard from the next dining area. "Looks like everyone just got up and left right in the middle of dinner." Shepard silently agreed with Jacob's assessment, noting the half-eaten food and spilled drinks.
As they moved through the building, Shepard could make out the words on the radio. Lillian recognized the host, a batarian named Lush Rimbaugh, from her tour in the Skyllian Verge. He was unpopular among the batarians and vorcha who listened to his show, as he publicly condemned the various merc groups that hired them in high numbers, like the Blue Suns and the Blood Pack. He was under the Alliance's protection, and thus had a very positive attitude toward humans, an uncommon trait in batarians. Something he said grabbed Lillian's attention.
"It's time our favorite human made a comeback in the news. You haven't heard his name for some time now, my faithful listeners, but I doubt you have forgotten the hero of the Citadel, Alliance officer John H. Shepard."
What? Shepard stopped walking and held her hand out for her squadmates to wait.
"The reason you haven't heard about him for a while is because he was stationed on Earth for the past few months, acting as an instructor in the ICT Academy, where he had received his N7 designation only years before. In an interview with ANN, he expressed the reason for his doing so, saying he wanted 'to train the next generation of soldiers to fight the real threat'. But now, reports Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett, he has… disappeared. That's right, he's just up and gone. Now no one knows where he is. One salarian eyewitness reported seeing him on Noveria, boarding a vessel with strange markings. Coming up, an exclusive interview with that eyewitness, who has asked that his name and face be kept anonymous."
"Noveria? Isn't that in the Horsehead Nebula?" Shepard asked, directing the question to Miranda and Jacob. "That's in the Terminus Systems! What's John doing around here?" She stared at the two Cerberus operatives expectantly. Jacob just gave a shrug.
"He's still a Spectre. Maybe he's on Council business," Miranda speculated. "Cerberus is well informed, but even we don't have access to Spectre files."
"Could he be looking for me?" Shepard asked. "The Illusive Man said something about trying to recruit him without success."
"It's possible," answered Miranda, "though it's unlikely he'll find where we are. Lazarus Station's location was highly classified, as is the location of the station we just left."
"Hate to interrupt," Jacob interrupted, "but we still have a mission to do. I suggest we hold off our conjectures till we're done."
"Agreed," said the two women in unison.
The three of them descended down some stairs to find themselves in a wide, open area. All of the connecting buildings' access panels were red, marking them as inaccessible.
"Strange," said Miranda. "No bodies, no structural damage, no signs of battle."
Directly across from them was a set of huge double doors. The squad moved to them and initiated the opening process. Slowly, mechanisms within the doors pulled them to the side, revealing a grand seascape of new buildings. They found themselves on a walkway that winded in between buildings, like an elevated street. About forty feet below them was what looked like a loading dock, evidenced by the mounds of crates in front of its wide entrance.
Lillian's analysis of her surroundings was interrupted by Jacob. "You hear that?" Shepard trained her ears, and could indeed hear something. It was similar to the mechanical pitter-patter of a mech's feet, only it seemed to be coming closer a lot faster than it should. "Sounds like FENRIS mechs," he said as he detached the shotgun from the small of his back.
No sooner did Miranda and Shepard ready their weapons than four dog-like machines came sprinting at them from behind a building. But before Shepard could even take a shot, she was drawn into cover from hostile fire coming from across the way. Her shields took a couple of hits, but that's what it was there for. Shepard could hear the report of Jacob's gun as he dealt with the dogs. The Commander engaged her suit's tactical cloak, and instantly vanished from sight with a shimmer. The most one could see of her would be a slight distortion in the air where the light refracted around her body. Unfortunately, the cloak dissipated a second after she started firing at the mechs across from them. That's bullshit; the effect goes away when I fire? Why? Where's the logical explanation for that? At least this SMG is performing up to par. It's true; Shepard managed to fell three hostiles with an equal amount of bursts from her gun, rating its efficiency an A plus. It didn't take long for the rest of the robotic menaces to fall as the team's combined biotic and tech skills were more than adequate to rip through their numbers; Jacob would toss them around a bit while Shepard and Miranda would overload their systems via a few taps on their omni-tools.
"That's strange, security systems were disabled at the other colonies," Miranda stated.
"Those mechs shouldn't have been hostile." Jacob's voice was laced with concern. "They should have recognized us as human."
"Someone reprogrammed them to attack on sight," she ascertained. "We're not alone here."
As the three humans made their way through the ghost town, going through buildings, down stairs, and around corners, they began to notice signs of tampering; closets were searched, their contents drawn out onto floor, strange orange dots marked several doorways along the path they followed, and some computers revealed that someone recently accessed them. Could John have found his way here? Maybe he's also investigating these disappearances. That question was answered in the negative when the trio entered a house to find eight quarians huddled around a table.
Tali'Zorah nar Rayya, now Tali'Zorah vas Neema, was welcomed back into the quarian flotilla as a hero, not only due to fact that she helped save the galaxy, but because of the data on the geth she brought back from her pilgrimage. Admiral Han'Garrel himself oversaw her transfer from the Rayya when she officially joined the crew of the Neema, completing her rite of passage and becoming an adult quarian. She owed all she was, all she will ever be to John and Lily Shepard. She still remembered the day the Normandy was attacked, the day she escaped from the jaws of hell and her Commander didn't. Tali wept for Lily for weeks on end, a problem for someone who has to wear a helmet to survive. But the quarians have always been a people for whom loss tends to find, and life must go on.
Tali, as a veritable expert on the geth, was sent on an important research mission for the Admiralty Board. But right now, another task was taking precedence. That is why she, along with seven others, was on this deserted human colony. When they landed, they didn't expect any automated resistance, so the drones and security mechs came as an unpleasant surprise. It's a miracle no one has gotten hurt yet. Only she and Prazza had any sort of kinetic barriers. Quarians, due to their compromised immune systems, risk death from so much as a suit puncture, let alone a gunshot wound. She sincerely hoped that they could just grab who they were here for and get back to their original mission. However, once they found out they weren't alone on this colony, the group holed up inside a building to formulate a plan.
Several minutes ago, the octuplet of quarians heard gunshots in the distance. When they relayed this to their ship, the stand-in captain reported that they had spotted an unidentified vessel land near their location. "And you didn't think it would be a good idea to tell me about it?" Tali demanded, nearly screaming into her suit's mic. Her voice would sound distorted and electronic due to her suit's sound filtration system.
"I am sorry, Captain Zorah, but it was only a shuttle. We thought it was Alliance or something."
Bosh'tet, Tali thought. It was an ancient quarian insult that didn't really translate into galactic. "I'll let it slide this once, Ran. Don't let it happen again."
"Understood, Captain. Ran'Toler out."
"What are we going to do, Captain Zorah?" asked Prazza, her chief Lieutenant.
"I'll handle it, Prazza. Don't worry."
Just as soon as he nodded in acknowledgement, the door to their hideout opened and in came three humans, decked out in Cerberus colors, guns out. "Stop right there!" Prazza yelled, leveling his rifle toward their leader. The rest of the unit followed suit.
"Prazza, you said you'd let me handle this!"
"Tali?" the center figure asked at hearing the sound of her voice. The human's helmet folded away, revealing a face she instantly recognized. No, it can't be…
"Shepard?" Tali yelped in incredulity.
"I'm not taking any chances with Cerberus Operatives!" Prazza yelled, the voice modulator on his helmet blinking brighter as his voice got louder.
"Put those weapons down!" She ordered, waving her hand at them. All but Prazza complied. Turning back to her old friend, "Shepard, is that… you're alive?"
"Remember that geth data I gave you, Tali?" Shepard asked. When the Commander spoke, the two to her sides lowered their weapons. "Did it help you complete your Pilgrimage?"
"Yes, it did," Tali replied, almost in a whisper. "Prazza, weapons down! This is definitely Commander Shepard."
"Why is your old Commander working for Cerberus?" he asked, finally holstering his gun.
"I don't know. Maybe we should ask." Tali turned toward Shepard promptly.
"I nearly died, Tali. Cerberus spent two years rebuilding me. They want me to investigate attacks on human colonies."
"A likely story," Prazza rebutted. "No organization would commit so many resources to bring back one soldier."
"You haven't seen her in action Prazza," said Tali, the awe in her voice evident. "Trust me, it was money well spent. Perhaps we can work together, Lily. We're here looking for a young quarian named Veetor. He was here on Pilgrimage."
"Isn't that a little strange?" asked Shepard with a raise of her brow. Tali remembered that gesture indicated curiosity. "A quarian visiting a remote human colony?"
"Quarians can choose where they go on Pilgrimage," she clarified. "Veetor liked the idea of helping a small settlement. He was always… nervous in crowds."
Prazza gave a humph at that statement. "She means he was unstable. Combine that with damage to his suit's CO2 scrubbers and an infection from an open air exposure, and he's likely delirious."
Tali glared at Prazza for a moment before turning back to Lily. "When he saw us landing, he hid in a warehouse on the far side of town. We suspect he also programmed the mechs to attack anything that moved."
"Veetor's the only one who can tell us what happened here. We should work together to find him."
"Good idea, Shepard," Tali agreed. "You'll need two teams to get past the drones anyway."
Prazza was fuming inside his helmet. "Now we're working for Cerberus?" he demanded.
"No Prazza, you're working for me. If you can't follow orders, go wait on the ship."
Prazza crossed his arms in dissent, put stayed where he was. She decided to take it as reluctant acceptance.
"Your people really don't like Cerberus," the Commander observed. "What did I miss?"
Prazza responded. "They killed our people, infiltrated our flotilla, and tried to blow up one of our ships."
Now the raven haired woman on Shepard's right started to speak. "That's not how I'd have explained it, exactly. It was nothing personal."
"We can argue over who killed who later," said the darker skinned man. "Right now, we've got a job to do."
"Agreed," said Tali. "We work together to get to Veetor."
"Make sure to keep in radio contact," ordered Shepard.
"Will do. Good luck, Shepard. Whatever happens… it's good to have you back."
That was the hardest fight Lillian had been in for a long time. Over two years, in fact. Getting to the warehouse was simple enough; only a few squadrons of drones and mechs hindered their progress. During those few firefights, she got to test out all of her weapons, including the nanosword, as it was called. It cut through mechs like butter. But things got complicated once she reached the door of the warehouse; apparently, Prazza tried to whisk Veetor away before they got there, and his whole team ended up getting eviscerated by an YMIR heavy mech, one of those big SOBs she saw back on Lazarus Station. It took a lot of effort (and gunfire), but they finally brought the damn thing down. As a parting gift, it exploded, leaving poor Jacob a little worse for wear. It's always the black guy. But when Jacob saw the two injured quarians, he quit his complaining real quickly.
One of them had a hole in her gut that was gushing red blood. Tali, who was physically fine, was desperately trying to seal it using medi-gel with limited success. The other quarian lost one of his three-fingered hands, and was gripping the stump with the other. Shepard had never seen a male quarian before today, and was surprised to see that they had only two toes to each foot as opposed to the three females had. Aside from the odd number of phalanges and their extremely bowed legs, quarian physiques largely resembled those of humans. Shepard also heard tell that, under their suits, their faces and "parts" even looked human. If only their helmets weren't so opaque.
"Shepard," Tali advised, "this is your chance to go find Veetor while I tend to the wounded. He's probably somewhere in the back of the loading bay."
Lillian was soon standing in front of a small security station. This is the only building in this place; Veetor must be here. She opened the door and found herself in a dark room, the only light coming from several orange security consoles in the back. In front of them sat a male quarian, but he seemed to be suffering from a mild case of insanity.
"Monsters coming back," he muttered to himself, seemingly oblivious to the three humans who walked up behind him. "Mechs will protect. Safe from swarms. Have to hide. No monsters. No swarms. No-no-no-no-no."
"Veetor?" asked Shepard.
"No Veetor. Not here. Swarms can't find. Monsters coming. Have to hide."
Does this guy even know we're here? "Hey!" Shepard yelled. "I'm talking to you!"
Miranda sighed out of frustration. "Great. We come all this way, and our only witness is a babbling idiot."
Veetor continued with his ramblings. "Swarms coming. Storm coming. Storm of swarms. Mechs will protect. Have to hide. Have to hide."
I know how to get his attention. Shepard yanked her pistol from her side and fired a round that landed next to Veetor, causing him to jump to his feet. This came at the sacrifice of one of the security monitors.
Veetor seemed confused as he looked over Shepard's squad. "You're… not one of them. You're human. They… they didn't find you?"
"Who didn't find us?" Miranda asked.
"The… the monsters!" he said it as if incredulous they didn't know what he was talking about. "The swarms! They took everyone!"
"We're not survivors Veetor," Lillian tried to convey. "We just got here."
"You don't know," he said. "You didn't see. But I see everything." With that, he turned to the monitors and began playing security videos. The multiple screens appeared to formulate a single image, only the gaps between the monitors broke up the homogeneity.
"Security footage," Miranda observed. "He must've pieced it together manually."
The video they saw wasn't of the highest quality, but they could still see several bipedal creatures moving amid swarms of bugs. They seemed to be pushing some sort of pods around. "What the hell is that?" Jacob exclaimed, pointing to one of the creatures.
"My God…" said Miranda, her eyes wide. "I think that's a Collector!" The screen froze.
The name sounds familiar… "Is that some kind of alien?"
Jacob moved in to explain. "They're a species from somewhere beyond the Omega 4 relay. Only a few people have ever seen one in person."
Miranda continued. "They usually work through intermediaries, like slavers or hired mercenaries. If they're involved with the Reapers somehow, it could explain what happened to the colonies."
Jacob further elaborated. "The Collectors have advanced technology. They could have a weapon that disables an entire settlement at once."
Veetor spoke up, addressing the weapon issue. "The seeker swarms. No one can hide. The seekers find you. Freeze you. Then the monsters take you away."
"Then why didn't the Collectors take you?" Shepard demanded.
"Swarms didn't find me. Monsters didn't know I was here."
"The Collectors aren't known for being careless," Jacob declared. "Maybe his enviro-suit kept him from showing up on their sensors."
"Or they were using technology specifically designed to detect humans," suggested Miranda. "Only human colonies have been hit."
Lillian turned to the two operatives. "I want to know more about the Collectors. Get an idea what the hell they are."
"Nobody knows much." Jacob shrugged his shoulders. "They're so rare a lot of people don't even believe they exist."
They made the same mistake with the Reapers.
"More importantly, why are they abducting human colonists?" Miranda queried, not really expecting a reply. "What are they after?"
"Maybe the Illusive Man can figure it all out," Jacob guessed.
Shepard addressed Veetor next. "Tell me more about these swarms."
"It's how they find you. Seeker clouds. Machines like tiny insects. They go everywhere. They find you. Then they sting you. Freeze you."
"Sounds like miniature probes, maybe," conjectured Miranda. "Find victims, then immobilize them with a stasis field or nerve toxin."
Goddamn. How do you defend against that? "What happened next, Veetor?"
"The monsters took the people onto the ship, and then they left. The ship flew away. But they'll be back for me! No one escapes!"
Jacob chimed in. "I think that's all we're getting out of him, Commander."
Shepard pinched the bridge of her nose with frustration. "We finally find a witness, and he's so off his nut he can't even tell us what we saw."
"I studied them. The monsters. The swarms," Veetor said, as if trying to defend himself. "I recorded them with my omni-tool." Veetor brought up his omni-tool's holographic display. "Lots of readings. Electromagnetic. Dark energy."
"We need to get this data to the Illusive Man," Miranda stipulated. "Grab the quarian and call the shuttle to come pick us up."
"What?" screamed Tali, whom none heard enter. "Veetor is injured! He needs treatment, not an interrogation!"
"We won't hurt him," assured Jacob. "We just need to see if he knows anything else. He'll be returned unharmed."
"Your people tried to betray us once already," Miranda sneered. "If we give him to you, we'll never get the intel we need."
"Prazza was an idiot, and he and his men paid for it. You're welcome to take Veetor's omni-tool data, put please, just let me take him."
"You don't have to take Veetor and go, Tali," Shepard offered. "We could work together. Just like old times."
"I want to, but I can't. I've got a mission of my own. It's too important for me to abandon, even for you. When it's over, and I'm still alive, we'll see what happens." Tali shifted her foot as she finished, like she was nervous.
"That sounds dangerous. What are you doing?"
"I don't think Cerberus needs to hear about it," she replied, indicating the two operatives behind Shepard. "But it's in geth space. That should tell you how important it is."
Shepard still needed to make a choice; take Veetor and jeopardize her friendship with Tali, or take his omni-tool data and keep her friendship intact. Oh, the decisions. Even Shepard's thoughts were cynical. Something she and her brother had in common. "Veetor's traumatized, and he needs medical care," she said, more to Ms. Lawson than anyone else. "Tali will give us the omni-tool data and take him to the flotilla. It's probably better than a testimony anyway."
She could tell Miranda disagreed by the way her brows tightened around her eyes, but she complied regardless. "Understood, Commander."
"Thank you, Shepard. I'm glad you're still the one giving the orders." Tali moved closer to Lillian and pulled her into a quick embrace. "Good luck out there. If I find anything that can help you, I'll let you know."
After a curt goodbye, Shepard turned her head toward Jacob and gave him a slight nod. "We're ready for pickup," he relayed.
Miranda and Jacob filed out, but Shepard stayed for a few moments longer. Something on the top right monitor caught her attention; one of the Collectors looked different than the rest. While most were a unanimous drab, sort of brownish color, this one was streaked with glowing red and orange lines, like it was on fire. Conjectures on why that might be reeled through Lillian's mind as she headed to the evac point.
"Why am I here?"
The Illusive Man sighed, the smoke stocked in his lungs creating a shroud that covered his face momentarily before dissipating. "Because your friend insisted I try to convince you to join us."
"My previous rejection didn't hit close enough to home?" the armored holographic figure in front of him asked.
The Illusive Man, slightly baring his teeth, replied, "I'm willing to look past that."
"You're awful forgiving," he said in a mocking tone.
"Don't mistake my forgiveness for frailty," the Illusive Man warned. "But I won't refuse help from someone who can give me such a large advantage."
"Give me one reason I shouldn't just walk out of this room," the figure challenged.
"Besides the fact that working with Cerberus would ensure the survival not just of humanity, but all sapient life in the galaxy?" The Illusive Man smiled at the irony that this man needed further reason. He tapped a few buttons, and live security footage from one of the station's cameras appeared on a holographic panel in front of him. He saw the man's eyes widen as he identified one of the people on the vid.
"If this is some kind of trick…"
"It isn't. Will you reconsider?"
The man was deep in thought, his blue eyes glazed over. "I'll let you know. After I speak with her."
The Illusive Man nodded, and terminated the connection.
Lillian got an odd feeling the second time she boarded the Minuteman Station. She couldn't really tell what it was. It's probably just jitters. After all, I'm about to tell the creepiest guy in the galaxy that Collectors are responsible for the attacks on humanity. But this didn't feel like butterflies in her stomach, she'd experienced that enough times in her middle school plays. This feeling wasn't foreboding, nor was it particularly pleasant. It's almost… she racked her brain to find the word, familiar.
She was now in the comm room where she first spoke with the ever illusive Illusive Man. As the scanner did its job, she wondered if he'd be angry, relieved, or remain unsettlingly indifferent at the news. The screen in front of her activated, and Shepard could see the Illusive Man's glowing eyes fixed on her unrelentingly.
"Shepard," he began, "Good work on Freedom's Progress. The quarians forwarded their findings from Veetor's debriefing. No new data, but it's a surprising olive branch, given our history."
I'd still like to know what that "history" is. Shepard decided to hold off on that question for a more appropriate time. Maybe I'll ask Miranda, though I think her story will be very one-sided.
The Illusive Man continued. "You and I have different methods, but I can't argue with your results."
"You ever think about playing nice once in a while?"
"Diplomacy is great when it works, but difficult when everyone already perceives you as a threat. But more importantly, you confirmed the Collectors are behind the abductions."
Lillian crossed her arms and gave him what she hoped was a mistrustful look. "Why do I get the feeling you knew about them already?"
"I had my suspicions," he admitted, "but I needed proof. The Collectors are enigmatic at best. They periodically travel to the Terminus Systems, looking to gather seemingly unimportant items or specimens, usually in exchange for their technology. When their transactions are complete, they disappear as quickly as they arrived; back beyond the unmapped Omega 4 relay. Until now, we've had no evidence of direct aggression by the Collectors."
"What are the Collectors getting from these deals?"
"The Collectors aren't very forthcoming about their motives. Generally, they seek out species with rare genetic mutations or abnormalities. They pay slavers and merc groups exorbitant sums to obtain these specimens."
"Any ideas why they've shifted their focus to humans?" Shepard asked with a hand gesture.
"If they're agents for the Reapers, it could be any number of reasons. Obviously, humanity played a huge role in Sovereign's destruction. That might've been enough to draw their attention." The Illusive Man knitted his brows, distressed. "What really concerns me is why they bother abducting the colonists. Once the humans are paralyzed, why not just kill them?"
"Why is the Omega 4 relay unmapped? What do we know about it?"
"Only that no ship passing through it has ever returned. Our best guess is that the relay reacts differently to Collector vessels, allowing them safe passage. If they can manipulate relays, that's just further evidence of the connection with the Reapers."
Shepard's hands fell to her sides. "You're holding something back," she accused. "How do you know the Reapers are involved?"
"The patterns are there, buried in the data. The Council and the Alliance want to believe the Reaper threat died with Sovereign. You and I know better. I won't wait until the Reapers are on the march. We need to take the fight to them."
This guy's either serious, or a really convincing demagogue. "If this is a war, I'll need an army. Or a really good team."
"I've already compiled a list of soldiers, scientists, and mercenaries. You'll get dossiers on the best of them. Finding them and convincing them to work with you could be challenging, but you're a natural leader. I'll continue to track the Collectors. When they make their next appearance, I'll notify you and your team. Be ready."
Shepard scowled. "Keep your list." She dismissed it with a wave. "I want people I trust – the ones who helped me stop Saren and the geth."
"That was two years ago Commander. Most of them have moved on… or their allegiances have changed."
"What about Tali? She already helped us on Freedom's Progress."
"That was… unexpected," came the Illusive Man's response. "I need more intel before I'll commit to that."
Well, she also said she was on an important mission, so she's out. "Where's Garrus Vakarian?"
"The turian disappeared a few months after you were declared dead. Even we haven't been able to locate him."
Strange, where would he have gone? I remember him saying something about Spectre training, but that would mean he's on the Citadel. "How about Liara T'Soni?"
"The asari's on Illium. My sources say that she's working for the Shadow Broker. If so, she can't be trusted."
Liara would never work for the Shadow Broker. Either he's lying or his intel is way off. "What about Kaidan Alenko?" Her heart skipped a beat when she spoke the name.
"He's still with the Alliance. Promoted, I believe. His file is surprisingly well classified."
He's still Alliance, that's good. A lump formed in her throat as she asked the next question. "John Shepard?"
"I told you; we tried going down that road once. I'll let you be the judge of how that turned out."
Lillian didn't really want to know what happened between them. Oh crap, I almost forgot. "Where's Urdnot Wrex?"
"He returned to Tuchanka and hasn't gone off-world in over a year. He's trying to unite the krogan clans."
Shepard distastefully remembered the story Wrex told her about years long ago when he tried to do the same. His father Jarrod, Warlord in clan Urdnot, was angry that he'd rather focus on breeding then exacting revenge on the turians and salarians. He invited Wrex to a Crush, a meeting on neutral territory, in a sacred burial ground. Once there, Jarrod staged an ambush, and Wrex won the ensuing fight when he plunged his dagger into his father's chest.
"Okay, I get it. They're not available. But I'm still a Spectre. Maybe I can get the Council to help us out." Oh please, take your fucking time! Smoke your cigarette!
The Illusive Man exhaled, spewing smoke. Shepard could almost smell it. "If you think you can convince them, by all means. Just remember – you've been gone a long time. Things have changed."
"Alright. You worry about the Collectors, I'll make sure my team's ready."
"Good. Two things before you go. First, head to Omega and find Mordin Solus. He's a brilliant salarian scientist. Our intelligence suggests he may know how to counteract the Collectors' paralyzing seeker swarms."
"Sounds good," agreed Shepard. "And what else?"
"I've found a pilot you might like. I hear he's one of the best. Someone you can trust." The Illusive man ended the connection.
Shepard turned to see the silhouette of a man limping towards her. He wore a cap with SR2 printed on the front. "Hey, Commander. Just like old times, huh?"
"I can't believe it's you, Joker," Shepard expressed as her old pilot led her down hallway after hallway.
"Look who's talking," he said. "I saw you get spaced."
"I got lucky," Shepard responded, smiling, "with a lot of strings attached. How'd you get here?"
"It all fell apart without you and your brother, Commander. Everything you guys stirred up, the Council just wanted it gone. Team was broken up, records sealed, and I was grounded." He looked a little angry now. "The Alliance took away the only thing that mattered to me. Hell yeah I joined Cerberus."
"You really trust the Illusive Man?" asked Shepard, surprised he hadn't made any snarky comments yet.
"Well, I don't trust anyone who makes more than I do." There it is. "But they aren't all bad. Saved your life, let me fly – and there's this."
He was looking out of a window into a large hangar. In the dim light, Lillian could barely make out the outline of a ship's hull. Then, lights turned on, and slowly revealed the ship in all its splendor. Someone's got a flair for the dramatic. However, her stomach did somersaults when she realized… It's the Normandy! Indeed, it looked exactly like her old ship, except that it was nearly twice the length and flew Cerberus colors. The letters SR2 were painted on one of the wings in big print. "It's good to be home, huh, Commander?"
"I guess we'll have to give her a name," Lillian commented when seeing one had not yet been given.
"How about The Shepherd's Ghost?"
Lillian, utterly surprised, turned around to see a hulking figure donning black N7 armor standing behind her. His blue eyes twinkled, tears streaming all the way down to his big, buffoonish grin. "John?" she yelled.
Gotta love cliffhangers. Yes, I did say Lush Rimbaugh, and yes, Jacob is black. It's just an observation! Plus, I refuse to believe Mass Effect racism revolves solely around species. I bet there are still places (Alabama) that discriminate based on skin color. Besides, blue asari don't like purple asari. It's just a fact. But I'm not racist. Or asari. Or female. I could go on and on.
Here, I'll just get it out in the open, I'm half Georgian (that's basically Russian), quarter Spaniard, and quarter Egyptian. My parents are Jews, therefore I am a Jew. Yes, I have a big nose curly hair, and a beard. And yes, I'm short. Laugh it up.