The Imperial Cadre stands as a distinct branch of the Terran Empire's military, answering not to the space navy or terrestrial army but directly to the sovereign. The personal oath of fealty to their sovereign places Cadre outside of the regular chain of command, though Cadre are expected to cooperate with the local command authority whenever doing so does not conflict with their missions or standing orders. The resulting friction between the Cadre and the regular military is perhaps inevitable, though there is considerable respect accorded to Cadre for their dedication, loyalty, and sheer competence. To even be considered for entry is regarded as a great honor. Those that survive the augmentation process to receive N7 qualification are regarded as some of the greatest warriors in the galaxy, easily on par with the Turian Blackwatch, Salarian Special Tasks Group, Asari Huntresses, Krogan Battlemasters, and the Council's own Spectres. One advantage that a Cadre would possess over that of their counterparts in other services would however have to be their AI partners.

-Ashes of Empire: The Reaper War

Chapter 3

Fui quod es, eris quod sum

"I make out twelve asari commandos," Shepard reported, "plus six geth units. Including Saren, that's about five to one odds. No sign of any of those, things, Sergeant Williams mentioned."

Ashley grimaced. That was good news, of sorts, but even without those blue monstrosities the opposition arrayed before them was formidable.

"If we can take them by surprise, that might be enough."

The major might have been overly optimistic in that assessment. Or she might have genuinely believed that each of them was a match for three asari commandos plus one or two geth troopers. Whether that belief constituted hubris would be determined by who walked away after the shooting ended.

"Shepard, wait."

The major glanced back at the turian. "Make this quick, Nihlus. We've still got hostiles that need putting down."

"I am well aware," Nihlus assured her. "But killing them is not going to get us the answers we need."

The glare that Shepard shot the turian was understandable even across species.

"Nihlus, this better not be some sort of stupid attempt to save your old friend's life."

"On the contrary, if Saren really has gone rogue, he's too dangerous to let live a second longer than need be," the turian responded grimly. "He's that good, Shepard. And ruthless. But if he's planning something involving the geth and that prothean beacon, it's going to be bigger than just what's happening here. I know Saren. Even if we kill him here, it won't stop whatever he's set in motion. We need more intel."

Shepard considered Nihlus argument. It did not take the major long to reach a conclusion.

"Alright, I'll bite. What do you propose?"

"A distraction and an ambush," Nihlus said. "You and the others position yourselves around the perimeter, while I confront Saren. Try to get him to talk. I'm assuming your suits have recording capabilities?"

"You better believe it," Shepard confirmed.

And also letting Nihlus know that their little confrontation was also on the record, for better or worse.

"Good. I'll try to get him to spill as much as I can. Actionable intel that we can take back to the Council, get them to send the rest of us to hunt down all of his associates. We can stop this from getting worse, Shepard."

The major again needed little time to consider Nihlus' proposal. The Spectre's points were sound, assuming his claims about Saren's reputation were true. Unfortunately Shepard could not crosscheck those claims, not with communications with Artemis Primary severed.

"If Saren really is as dangerous as you say he is, then he needs putting down regardless of whether we get enough intel out of him today," Shepard stated.

"I agree entirely major," Nihlus said, surprising the woman. "And that's why I want to try to pry some information out of him while we still can. Because if we do our jobs right, Saren won't be around long enough for a more thorough interrogation."

The turian was entirely serious, Shepard realized. Not just about how dangerous his friend was, but also in making sure that he was dead before day's end. It was not an easy decision, but from Nihlus' expression it was clear the turian thought it was the right one. And because it was the right one, the Spectre was determined to see it through. As the turian had said, sometimes the universe declined to accommodate one's perceptions of how things should be.

"Alright Nihlus," Shepard said. "We'll try it your way. It'll be your call when you try to get Saren's attention while we flank him. And we'll try to give you the time you need to get some answers out of him."

Nihlus nodded. "Understood major. And, thank you."

"Drinks are on you next time we're at the bar," Shepard said with a wry smile, then to Ashley and Kaidan. "Williams, get to the ledge on the west side, that'll give you clear line of sight. Hopefully the missile launcher still works. On my signal, hit the biggest cluster of enemies that you can."

Ashley nodded. "Roger that ma'am."

With Jenkins dead the sergeant was now the one responsible for their heavy weapons. It was a minor miracle the launcher had not been compromised when the corporal's body was shredded by the drones. Having it now might well decide the tide of the coming battle.

"Kaiden, stay by Nihlus. If the others start shooting, throw up a barrier to give him enough time to get back under cover."

"Understood ma'am."

Orders issued and roles assigned, the team dispersed to their respective positions. Shepard herself moved quietly and cautiously, keeping tabs on both the others and the enemy troops clustered by the beacon. Their attention was focused on the device itself, likely because Saren was doing, something with it. The turian suddenly floated inti midair, which under normal circumstances would have been the perfect opportunity to just snipe the bastard and be done with it. Shepard however resisted the temptation. She had agreed to Nihlus' plan and thus far nothing had changed such that tossing it out was warranted. Yet. Once in position however the major unfolded her sniper rifle. She did not take aim at Saren, exposing herself enough to do so might have alerted the others to her presence, but with Artemis' help she would be able to take a decently accurate shot even without prior sighting. Now she waited. Fortunately for her patience Nihlus did not keep her doing so for too long.

"SAREN!"

The turian dropped to the ground even as his escorts spun around, weapons leveled. Nihlus was not exactly standing out in the open, he was hardly that stupid, but enough of him was visible to make him readily identifiable. That of course meant the asari and geth soldiers could easily identify his location, and a burst of fire forced Nihlus to drop down behind the rapidly ablating rock.

"Hold fire."

The shooting died down. Shepard frowned. Not at hearing the command, if Saren really had been Nihlus' mentor there might be enough sentiment left in the former for him to be willing to talk to the latter. Rather it was in the strange, echoing shadow in Saren's voice. It was less gravely than that of other turnians whom Shepard had heard, but carried a deeper reverberation of each syllable. Odd, very odd. Shepard settled in, waiting to see how this would all pan out.

Once certain that he would not get shot outright, Nihlus peeked out again.

"I knew that it was you," the turian said. "What are you doing here, Saren? And in the company of geth?"

"I am here to do what needs to be done," Saren stated, his confidence and conviction firm in his tone. "The humans would squander the gift that the beacon represents. I will see to it that its full potential will be met."

Confident, and arrogant. Shepard would not regret shooting the bastard in the face.

"Full potential?" Nihlus responded incredulously. "You've committed an act of war against the Empire. An act of treason against the Council and the Hierarchy!"

"The Council are the true traitors," Saren declared. "They ignore the threat that humanity represents, instead trying to appease them in some vain hope that the Empire is a civilized society. Their failures will doom us all, Nihlus. And I will not let them."

"You're crazy," Nihlus said. "Once the Council and the Empire learn what you have done, they'll use every means they have to stop you. Even with your fleet of geth and that dreadnaught, you can't win against the combined might of both powers."

Saren chuckled. It was an unpleasant sound, and to Shepard's ear the turian did not sound as if he was all there either.

"Oh I know that," the Spectre said. "But there are other ways, Nihlus, and the beacon has shown me the way." He offered a hand. "Join me, and we can save the galaxy. From not just humanity, but from the cycle itself."

"Cycle?" At that not just Nihlus but Shepard herself were befuddled. "What cycle?"

Shepard's radio crackled. "Major, the Normandy has returned with Fifth Fleet. It is inbound to provide support. I have updated Captain Anderson on the developments groundside."

"Fire support around the beacon's position Artemis," Shepard said. "We cannot let any of them escape."

"Acknowledge. ETA five minutes."

A lot of things could happen in five minutes. Things like Saren and his compatriots being notified of the same development as Shepard. Those guns pointed at Nihlus looked just a bit twitchier now.

"I'm sorry old friend," Saren said. "But I will do what must be done."

"Now Williams."

The pop of missiles being tossed out of their launchers was distinctive enough that Saren and his cohorts reacted instantaneously. Some opened fire on Nihlus while another threw up a barrier in the direction of the approaching projectiles. Rolling out, Shepard immediately locked onto the rogue Spectre and opened fire. Her shot was true, slamming into and through the turian's kinetic barrier. Saren fell to his knees even as other commandos and geth closed around him, cutting off Shepard's line of sight. The major switched to her assault rifle. Time to get up close and personal.

Fire now rained down upon the group clustered by the beacon from three sides, with Ashley and Shepard on the flanks and Nihlus and Kaidan in the center. The asari commandos however were unperturbed, quickly splitting into groups to deal with each threat individually. Others were half dragging and half helping Saren away towards a waiting geth ship. To get to them, Shepard and the others would need to get through the asaris. Shepard was more than happy to accept the challenge.

A blue pulse flew towards the major but Shepard rolled, narrowing evading it. The pull of a mass effect field tried to take hold of her even so. Grunting, Shepard tore herself free of the field even as she opened fire on the commandos. One suddenly disappeared, only to reappear right in Shepard's face. The motion would have been too quick for any normal soldier to see and the subsequent shotgun blast the commando intended would have ended the fight. With Shepard's implants running in high gear and the booster pumping through her bloodstream, the charge simply served to see the asari impale herself upon major's omni-blade.

It was the commando that instead stared blankly at Shepard, eyes wide open, but for only a brief moment. The major fired a quick burst, perforating the asari's upper body and sending it tumbling back. Shepard's attention had already moved on when the body hit the ground. The other commandos were taking much greater care in approaching her own. In fact they seemed determined to put Shepard down at range. The two surviving commando maneuvered to flank her, but Shepard simply charged forth to close in on one while mostly ignoring the other.

The major's kinetic barrier was straining under the barrage, but Shepard timed her motions well, ducking in and out of cover to close the distance before diving into cover to give it time to recharge. Rolling out again, Shepard braced herself as another mass effect field tried to drag her forward. A singularity this time. The commando that activated it was good, she had timed it just right to pin Shepard with the rock to her back and the singularity in front. That should have kept the major immobilized and an easy target for the other commando. Shepard however had switched weapons again and aimed her sniper at said commando. The shot smashed through her target's barrier, though enough velocity had been bled off that the asari was only knocked back from the hit. She spent enough time recovering however for the singularity to start weakening.

The major pushed off, using the pull to speed her along the way even as the strength decreased exponentially until winking out entirely. With pistol in hand, she managed three clean hits on the asari in front of her as the commando tried to recover from the strain of her biotics. Each hit made sure the asari did not get that time and when Shepard was finally upon her all she could manage was a weak shockwave. The wave swept through Shepard with the major barely registering any force. It certainly did not cause her aim to veer as she pumped the last of her pistol's rounds into the now defenseless commando.

Again the body had yet to hit the ground before Shepard moved onto her next target. Holstering the cooling pistol, Shepard drew her rifle again and assessed the situation. One more commando remained facing her, but the same could not necessarily be said of the others. Nihlus and Kaidan were holding their own, the Spectre's lethal prowess being well complemented by the marine's biotic abilities. While Kaidan might not have millennia of finetuned doctrine and practice behind him, he did possess the wild abandon of humanity throwing caution to the wind to catch up.

Ashley's situation was far more precarious however. The sergeant's missile had been deflected harmlessly by one of the commandos, but having revealed her possession of heavy weapons the marine was now the target of not only the asari but a few of the geth troopers too. The distance between them and her nominal higher ground helped balance that a little bit, but Ashley was still going to be dead unless something drastically changed.

"Artemis, any EW options you can deploy against the geth, do it now," Shepard ordered.

"Deploying."

Back in contact with her main body, the Artemis extension that rode along with Shepard had far more processing power at her disposal. And with the major physically on the ground acting as a relay via her implants, that power could be put to very creative uses. From her tactical overlay Shepard could see the geth units, not exactly becoming disorganized, but they were definitely reacting more slowly. That would have to do until the others could get to her and lend some more direct assistance. Shepard arced around and traded fire with her last opponent. Or the enemy deemed her or Kaidan and Nihlus a greater threat and diverted accordingly.

The third commando had obviously taken the loss of her comrades to heart, she was being much more careful engaging the major. Shepard's efforts to close the distance were met by artfully executed tactical withdrawals even as both sides took potshots at the other. The asari was obviously hoping to draw this out, and with her greater awareness Shepard could see another commando breaking off from the skirmish with Ashley and trying to get behind the major. That would not do. As the command in front of her fell back again, Shepard tossed a trio of grenades over her to cut her off. A barrier absorbed the concussive force that would have otherwise battered the commando's kinetic shield, but the time it took to raise one finally gave Shepard the opportunity to close in. Rolling aside, Shepard hosed her target with a full burst of her rifle. The asari did likewise and the two completely burned through their heatsinks. The only difference was Shepard's kinetic barrier remained online, albeit in a dangerously depleted state. That difference was enough however as the major leapt forward, another omni-blade unfurrowing on her arm.

Sparks flashed as the blade clashed with metal. This time it was Shepard that was taken aback as the commando deflected the slash with a sword. This close Shepard could not get her rifle up for a clear shot, and then it became moot as the commando's blade sliced cleanly through the weapon. It was still coming apart when Shepard let it go, arcing back and barely dodging another swing that would have otherwise bisected her. Another slash was met by Shepard's omni-blade, but the strain quickly sapped the charge that held the silicon-carbide blade together. Shepard quickly pushed the asari's sword again, spinning about and drawing her pistol with her free hand.

The command saw the motion and tried to stay close enough to block the pistol's rise. Halfway in her turn however Shepard's leg shot up, nailing the asari in the side. The armor buckled and enough force was transmitted through to momentarily stun the asari. That was all the time Shepard needed. Completing her motion, Shepard put a quick pair of rounds into the asari's center of mass. The last turned the command's head into a bloody pulp.

"Major, Nihlus is going after Saren," Kaidan's voice sounded over the radio. "The sergeant needs help, I'm going to cover her."

"Understood," Shepard responded even as she noted the Spectre cutting down the commando that would otherwise have tried flanking the major herself. "I'll join Nihlus."

Bodies littered Nihlus' wake as the turian blew through the geth units standing between him and his mark. More fell as Shepard mowed down those that tried to get behind the Spectre to take advantage of his single-minded advance. Few of the commandos remained, though those that did put up a ferocious fight even as Kaidan maneuvered to flank those advancing upon Ashley. Shepard spared a single shot from her sniper rifle to help buy her subordinates a bit of breathing room, but her mind was otherwise as focused as Nihlus. Saren could not be allowed to escape.

More geth were piling into the area now, and Shepard could feel her implants strain from trying to interfere with their communications. It was a race, they needed to get to Saren before they were overrun or the traitor was able to escape. And it looked like Nihlus might well win. The turian forced his way past the last line of defenders, his shields shattering from the final push. He had Saren in his sights. He had the shot lined up. And then a boom sounded.

Shepard inhaled sharply. She watched Nihlus tumble back, the air about him seeming to ionize and cooking into plasma. A cry of pain tore through the valley as Nihlus' armor cracked under the intense heat, heat that was then transferred into his body. There, in front of the broken turian, Saren stood with a large bulbous weapon in hand.

The rogue Spectre said something, something that Shepard could not make out from this distance. After finishing Saren stepped into the waiting ship and the doors closed. A second too late a sniper round smashed into the hull. Cursing, Shepard broke her stride just long enough to switch back to her pistol. It was too late however. The ship was already gaining altitude and quickly at that.

"Nihlus!" Shepard called out even as she raced to the fallen turian's side.

By the time she reached him she already knew it was too late. The superheated plasma had melted right through part of his armor, cooking his body in the process. Nihlus was dead before he even hit the ground. And if the Normandy did not get here quickly, all of them would be joining the Spectre.

"Multiple hostile formations inbound," Artemis reported. "Withdrawal is recommended, major."

"Negative, we still need to secure the beacon," Shepard said. "Normandy, we need fire support on my location now."

"ETA one minute major," Anderson's voice responded.

"We might not have a minute," Shepard growled. "Artemis, Saren was doing something to the beacon. Can you tell what?"

"Processing. Scans indicate the beacon is now fully active."

"Great, can we pull a copy of its data?"

"I am attempting to do so now, major, but the system is refusing to accept any connections with me. Response patterns indicate that it requires a biological intelligence to interface with it."

"Then let's give it one."

Breaking from cover, Shepard made for the beacon. The last geth trooper fell under the onslaught of her rifle but more would be here soon.

"Alenko, Williams, get Nihlus' body," Shepard ordered. "If this goes south on me, we're going to need his mission recorder for evidence."

"What about you ma'am?"

"Just get under cover until the Normandy gets here!"

That was all the time Shepard had for orders as she reached the beacon.

"Alright Artemis, what do I-whoa!"

Something grabbed hold of the major and she was lifted into the air much as she had seen happen to Saren.

"The beacon is activating," Artemis reported.

"Record all telemetry," Shepard ordered, "bypass privacy filters, get everything."

"Further authorization-"

"Shepard, Evangeline, authentication 1237-Zulu-Foxtrot-Bravo, granting authorization to bypass privacy filters. Do it, now!"

"Authorization acknowledged. Beginning recording."

Shepard braced herself, not just for the feeling of Artemis reaching deeper into her mind than she was normally used to, but also for whatever the beacon was about to do to her. It was not nearly enough. She might have screamed. The major did not remember. One moment she was staring at a bright light, the next darkness took her.


The steady beep of instrumentation was the first thing Shepard became aware of. The next were the aches. The two combined made it pretty clear she was not dead. The headache pounding her skull made her wish otherwise. As Shepard slowly opened her eyes, she was greeted with the all too familiar sight of the ceiling of a ship infirmary. A big one at that.

"Ah, welcome back to the land of the living major."

Shepard started turning her head about, and immediately regretted making the effort. Once the searing pain faded away and she could focus again, the major found herself gazing at Karin Chakwas.

"Dr. Chakwas," Shepard managed, though the dryness of her throat added a certain husky touch to her tone. "Where am I?"

"You're aboard the Einstein, in its main medical bay," Chakwas responded. "You've been out for almost ninety-six hours. We treated you initially aboard the Normandy, but when the rest of the fleet arrived you were transferred over so we could take advantage of the carrier's more complete facilities."

The Einstein. Her mother's flagship. Which meant she would find out soon that Shepard was awake. And would likely use that as an excuse to come down and visit. Joy of joys. Shepard pushed those thoughts aside. This was not the time. With some effort she managed to rise.

"Easy there," Chakwas cautioned, though the doctor did not attempt to stop the major. "Your implants were badly desynced when we found you. They've been reset, but it'll take a few days for you to be back at peak."

"A few days is a few days," Shepard said. "What's our status?"

"Third Fleet has re-concentrated," Chakwas answered, humoring the major even as she presented a cup of water, "the other two divisions are both in Utopia now. Fifth Fleet is also here in strength, though word is they'll start pulling back to Arcturus within the next week or so if we see no further indication of geth or that mysterious dreadnaught."

After taking a long drink Shepard continued with her questions. "Any further developments on figuring out what the hell actually happened?"

"Some, but the brass is keeping a tight lid on details. They do want to debrief you once you woke."

"Well, I'm awake," Shepard said. "Might as well get it over with."

"Not until you've had a hot meal, a shower, and probably a change of clothes," Chakwas said. "Doctor's orders."

Shepard looked down at her medical gown.

"That's probably a good idea," the major conceded.

An hour later after a nice hot meal of actual real food, a mercifully brief comm from her mother to make sure she was alright, a much longer hot shower, and of course the requisite change of clothes into service dress, Shepard found herself standing before some very heavy brass. As her immediate superior, Captain Anderson was actually the most junior officer present besides Shepard herself. Fleet Admirals Steven Hackett and Nitesh Singh were just a few steps above the good captain. And just one or two steps down from God himself as far as any navy servicewoman might be concerned. As such Shepard remained silently attentive, waiting for her superiors to direct the debriefing.

"A rather remarkable situation you found yourself in major," Singh began. "You acted with daring and initiative on the ground. Unfortunate that the perpetrator of this act of war escaped, along with whatever information was in the prothean beacon."

Shepard cocked her head aside. "Was, sir?"

"The beacon was destroyed shortly after you accessed it," Anderson took that one. "According to Lieutenant Alenko and Sergeant Williams, after they were able to pull you away it simply exploded, whether from some sort of self-destruct or sabotage by the hostiles is presently unknown."

"That's, unfortunate, sirs," Shepard said rather plaintively.

"We have forensic technicians scouring the site now," Hackett said. "If there's anything further to find, they'll find it. In the meantime, what you were able to access while connected is all we have to work with at the moment. And despite you authorizing Artemis direct access, what she was able to pull out has been scant."

That elicited another quizzical look from Shepard. "Was I not able to actually interface with the beacon, sir?"

"You were," Anderson again answered, "and according to Artemis a great deal of data was extracted. Except for whatever reason, she could not access it. Every time she tried the transfer was disrupted. Still can't for that matter. Whatever's in your head is, to be frank, stuck in there."

That, was not a terribly comforting thought. On many levels.

"Dr. Chakwas has run what tests she can, and according to her there's nothing apparently wrong with you," Anderson continued. "She's cleared you to return to regular duty while they keep working on this."

"That's good to hear sir," Shepard said.

"In the meantime, there are other ramifications the attack on Eden Prime has produced," Hackett took over. "Not least the death of a Council Spectre at the hands of another Spectre."

At that Shepard grimaced. "Saren, that's the name Nihlus used. He had some weapon I've never seen before. I suspect it's geth in origin."

"The analysts concur," Hackett said, "and based on the telemetry from your teams' recorders they also concluded that there was nothing you could have done to save Nihlus. Still, the Council is not happy and is demanding an explanation for what happened. They're also demanding to interview you and the rest of your team."

Shepard's expression darkened. "My team, sir?"

"If Nihlus was correct that another Council Spectre has gone rogue, we're talking about a major diplomatic and political incident, major," Hackett said. "There is a lot of evidence supporting our claim that this Saren really was on Eden Prime in the company of geth. From the recorder data to the bodies of the asari commandos, we have quite a few leads to follow. The question is just how extensive Saren's support within Citadel space might be, and just how rogue his actions were."

That went well beyond just a diplomatic incident, Shepard did not say aloud. It went straight into act of war territory.

"Has the Council been provided the evidence yet, sir?" she asked instead.

"They have, and as I said previously, they are not happy," Hackett answered. "His majesty is himself however equally displeased with these developments. We suffered over three thousand fatalities as a result of this attack, and nearly double that in other casualties. At the same time, there are practical consequences stemming from the loss of two dreadnaughts, and war is the last thing the Empire wants. If this Saren really was acting against the Council's wishes, and if the Council is prepared to acknowledge that he has gone rogue and commit resources to bringing him to heel, his majesty is prepared to accept that the Council itself was not complicit in this attack."

A reasonable position to take, even if it would not bring back the men and women whom had died that day. The question was whether the Council would be equally reasonable.

"That being the case," Anderson spoke up, "his majesty has determined that we will for the time being cooperate with the Council's own inquiry into the matter, including making you and your squad available for interview."

"Understood sir," Shepard said.

She might not have particularly liked that order, but her dislike did not factor into whether it was or was not the right order, or the necessity of it.

"The Normandy will be ferrying you and your squad to the Citadel for the interview," Anderson said. "We'll also be transporting Nihlus' body."

At that Shepard's expression tightened again, for a different reason.

"He was a good soldier," she said a few moments later. "Someone whom fought by our side, and did the right thing when the chips fell. It's only right that we see him home one last time."

The other officers nodded in acknowledgment of Shepard's assessment. If nothing else Nihlus' death was a reminder that even if one turian had caused the death of thousands of their fellow servicemen and women, another had laid down his life alongside those very same people.

"In the meantime," Hackett said, ending the silence, "there are still a few details that we want to discuss regarding the groundside mission. And have a seat already, major, you just got out of the infirmary."

Shepard did so. This was a debriefing after all. There was no way she was going to get off this lightly with two fleet admirals on the other side of the table. Though it had taken them long enough to invite her to sit that she had wondered if this would be a short session after all. Apparently not. Two hours later after she was finally released, Shepard went hunting for another hot meal. Who knew being out for four days could give you the munchies like this.


A frigate the size of the Normandy did not exactly have much space for quiet contemplation. Fortunately that was not what Shepard was after as she examined the projections in the armory section. Said examination was not without interruption however.

"Ma'am."

Looking over, Shepard nodded. "Williams. Glad to see you made it through alright."

"Thank you ma'am. And it's good to see you up and about as well. I was afraid we had lost you down there."

Shepard chuckled. "I'm a bit sturdier than I look. Even without the implants." She looked back down at the projection of the Eden Prime dig site. "Though I will admit that was one of my closer calls."

"If you say so ma'am." Ashley followed the major's gaze. "Still, I'm a bit amazed we got out of there alive."

"Not all of us did," Shepard said softly.

At that Ashley looked over at the major again. The rumors had all pegged this Shepard as a hard-bitten warrior, someone whom would see the mission through no matter the cost. Like at Torfan. Ashley could not help but wonder if those deaths still weighed upon the major.

The projection changed, this time to that of a geth soldier. Ashley could not help but shudder a bit.

"Those things still give me the creeps."

"Eden Prime was only the start," Shepard stated frankly. "We'll be running into more of these, and if we don't want to get flatfooted we need to learn everything we can about them."

"There were plenty of destroyed geth down on the surface," Ashley said. "I assume the admiralty is already studying them?"

Shepard nodded. "These are scans taken of what appears to be their baseline infantry units. Very mobile, possessed of decent shielding, but once that's down they have pretty crap armor. The trick is actually hitting them."

The projection shifted again. It was still a geth, albeit a slightly bulkier variation. Additional plates of armor were mounted about its body along with longer rods on its back.

"Close combat variant," Shepard noted. "One tried to shotgun me in the face."

"I saw a few of those equipped with flamethrowers as well," Ashley put in.

"Lovely," Shepard said dryly. "And speaking of weapons."

Now there was a bulbous shaped rifle.

"All of the ones left behind were fused, inoperable," Shepard said. "Some sort of self-destruct mechanism to prevent enemies from using or examining them. Methodical bastards all around. What we've been able to tell from battle telemetry is that they fire phasic slugs, extremely effective against shields, less so against armor."

"That's how they chewed through our kinetic barriers so easily," Ashley said with a slight growl of frustration.

"Not just that." The projection rotated, exposing the bottom to the two marines. "See this? It's a slot for a detachable heatsink. When the rifle generates enough heat that the heatsink can't take anymore, they just pop it out and put a new one in, kind of like the magazines of old gunpowder firearms."

"So that's how they were able to get off so many more shots," Ashley said. "Though the logistics of providing enough disposable heatsinks can't be trivial."

"Probably not, but considering the advantage it gave their troops, it was definitely worth it. And it's not the only surprises these bastards had in store."

The projection was now of a humanoid form, human even at first glance. Except for the distinctly inhuman skin coloration and banding. Ashley grimaced.

"Do we, do we know what those are, ma'am?"

"What they are? No. What they used to be?" Shepard let out a slight hiss with the next word she uttered. "Yes."

"Damn," Ashley said, taking a deep breath. "When I saw those things, I thought, I hoped."

"They've bagged and tagged several hundred of these, husk things," Shepard said. "DNA comparisons will take some time, whatever the geth did to them to make them thus way seems to have rewritten these people at a genetic level. Frankly, that's technology that was previously unheard of." The major pursed her lips. "And a bit surprising for the geth to possess."

"What do you mean ma'am?"

"The geth are a synthetic race, one that has no need for biological systems," Shepard stated. "This technology incorporates biological entities even as it injects a technology component to create a sort of, synthesis. Why would the geth have ever had reason to develop it?"

"To screw with us maybe? I mean, I can't claim to know what goes on in a geth's head, but this seems like some sort of terror tactic, ma'am."

"Maybe, but if the disposable heat sinks represent a net gain even with the logistical costs, these things seem like anything but," Shepard said. "To create them the geth would need to take prisoners. Or at minimum gather the bodies of the deceased. That implies a mindset at odds with what is generally known about the geth."

"Respectfully ma'am, but can anyone claim to know much about the geth?" Ashley asked. "I mean, did anyone think they would launch an attack like this?"

"A point," Shepard agreed, increasing Ashley's good opinion of the major even if the former was not aware of it. "If we're going to run into more of these things, it might do to try and find an expert."

Shepard shut down the projection.

"Anyway, what brings you aboard the Normandy, Williams?"

"Oh umm, sorry ma'am," Ashley said, snapping a crisp salute. "Sergeant Ashley Williams, reporting for duty ma'am. For the duration of our trip to the Citadel and back, I've been temporarily assigned to your command."

"Glad to have you with us Williams," Shepard said, returning the courtesy. "Anyone with your skills, I want on my team."

"Thank you ma'am," Ashley said, her voice noticeably relaxing.

"Don't thank me just yet," Shepard said with a wry smile. "I do have a reputation."

"Maybe so ma'am," Ashley said. "But from what I've seen, you wouldn't ask us to do anything you wouldn't do yourself."

That caused something to flicker across Shepard's eyes. What though Ashley could not quite tell.

"Your gear already transferred?"

"Yes ma'am," Ashley responded without missing a beat. "And Lieutenant Alenko has already run me through ship procedures."

Shepard nodded. "Good man. Well, if there is nothing else sergeant, welcome aboard."

Ashley clicked her heels together. "Thank you, ma'am."

And turned about to take her leave. Just outside the door though she glanced back to see the major back at work. The woman was focused, that much was clear. And something weighed upon her, Ashley was certain of it. What that something was though the sergeant was not quite certain. Was it the loss of those under her command? Or regrets over past deeds? Whatever it was the major did not seem to let it stop her however. And for now, that would be good enough.


Being a senior officer came with a wide range of duties to go with the fancy rank and privileges. One of those duties was to write the letters that would eventually be delivered to the bereaved family of the men and women whom fell under one's command. Shepard had had a lot of practice with that particular duty, more than she cared for. But it was not a duty that she would shirk from, even knowing that those same families might resent or blame her for the loss of their loved ones. That was also another duty that came with the rank.

Writing the letter to Richard Jenkins' family was, if not easy, at least familiar enough that Shepard knew the words to use. It was important not to make it sound rote, that would have been disrespectful to both Jenkins, his memory, and his family. But the words still came naturally, and easily, enough that Shepard had gotten it drafted and sent within a reasonable period of time.

It was the other letter that had the major stumped. Not just uncertain about what to write, but whether she should write it at all. She had tried looking up precedent, of which there were unsurprisingly none, at least for her specific situation. Intelligence briefings were a bit more productive, while extranet searches were such a crapshoot that Shepard had actually needed Artemis to distill the results to find anything useful. Bottom line, the turians also had a tradition of families receiving a few words from the commanding officers that their loved ones died under. Except, outside of the mercenary bands, no turian had ever died while under the command of a human. And that was even assuming Nihlus could even be counted as under Shepard's command in the first place. Shepard took a deep breath. This, was not going to get any easier. She either needed to do it, or not. After a few moments she reached out to the console.

To the family of Nihlus Kryik,

I do not know if any of you would even want to read these words. Any resentment that you might feel, I would not begrudge you. Our two races have not had the most peaceable of relations after all, and the simple truth is that one of your family fell in a line of duty that saw him serve with me, a human. But I count Nihlus as someone I respect, someone whom I could place the utmost trust in. Someone whose sense of duty, loyalty, and dedication as something I would gladly use to measure my own against. And because of that, it is only right that I honor his memory by making sure his family knows he upheld that trust until the very end.

Nihlus found himself forced to make a decision that day. It was not an easy decision for him, and it would have been one that would have given me equal if not greater pause. He said to me once that the universe does not always consent to meet our expectations of it. On that day that was never truer. But Nihlus held true to his own beliefs, to his own convictions. Doing so was what cost him his life, but I believe Nihlus not once doubted that he was doing the right thing. Just as I do not doubt the same of him.

I hope this messages offers at least some closure, so that you may know your son never once foreswore the honor of his name, of his people. I do not know if that is at all a comfort to any of you, but I say this with the utmost sincerity. As the first turian I have ever served with, I consider it my great honor that it was Nihlus that stood at my side.

Respectfully,

Major Evangeline Shepard, Imperial Cadre

End of Chapter 3

With the Eden Prime arc complete, I expect my attention will be diverted back to A Cold Calculus for a bit. I need to finish that story before too many ideas for this one start making my head crowded.

Further details on just what sort of augmentations an N7 receives in my universe will be revealed as the story goes on. Suffice it to say, it's extensive, as Shepard has already demonstrated multiple times over the course of the Eden Prime mission. Like punching through a geth. My Shepard is also righthanded. Despite the augmentations, she's not ambidextrous like the Ryders.

The whole thermal clips thing was justified retroactively, and the rationale was sound, but since it was a gameplay decision that came about after the first game, the necessary foreshadowing was not present to make it more convincing. The nice thing about writing a story after the games are released, I can build in the foreshadowing. And in frankness the moment Alliance or I guess in my case imperial analysts got their hands on geth weapons, they would have figured out pretty quickly what was happening.

Note that Shepard and co did not directly encounter any husks themselves. This was not entirely intentional on my part, it was just that my writing advanced quickly enough that Shepard and co got past the points where I could have sequenced an encounter convincingly. Other units did encounter husks, hence why they were part of Shepard's review of the tactical data. The major wants to know exactly what she'll be fighting in the future.

Also, I'm not going to cover all of the various side quests that Shepard can get up to. There's little point of that, though you are free to assume that Shepard is doing lots of things in the background. The side quests that I will be showing in the story I do so to demonstrate some part of Shepard's personality that I want the viewer to be aware of, much as the letter at the end here did.

Some of you will likely wonder why the size of the Empire's navy did not increase even further considering the degree of development the Terran Empire has versus the Systems Alliance. The answer to that is pretty straightforward. The Empire did indeed increase the tempo of its ship building program after contact with the Citadel races, but not for the purpose of expanding the total size of the navy. Instead the Empire elected to build new designs that incorporated the better technology they were able to buy, steal, etc from the other races to replace the older generation of ships so that they would be a better match qualitatively. It was only after the upgrade program that got First through Seventh Fleet completely refitted that they began building ships specifically for Eighth Fleet. By the time the reapers appear, the Empire will have actually started work on a Ninth Fleet.

A couple of typos slipped past me in the last chapter, a lot of places where I wrote Eighth Fleet I actually meant Fifth Fleet. Too many details that I'm trying to keep track of. A corrected version has been uploaded.

I'm not even going to pretend that there's any doubt about the outcome of the Reaper War. That's really not the point of my story. The galactic races of this cycle will emerge victorious. It's how they achieve victory that will be what's actually interesting. Because my version of the Reapers sure as hell are not rampant AI that were the product of an idiotic attempt to end the conflict between organic and synthetic intelligence. They're something else, and their motivation for the harvests is also different, which means how to defeat them is also different. For one thing, the Crucible (assuming I even have a Crucible-analog in my story) is certainly not going to be the 3-color MacGuffin that ends the conflict. My goal is to try to restore a bit of the morbid wonder we all felt about the Reapers in the first and even second game. We'll see if I can pull it off.

My only comment regarding Cerberus is, don't expect them to be the good guys. The rest will unfold as the story progresses. The Empire might be more militaristic than the Systems Alliance, but it's not fascist or racist.