SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS
PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE & CHARACTER PAGES
-CHAPTER START-
Normandy-2 Meeting Room, Secure Link to Chronos Station
The central table lowered, and Shepard stepped into the circle, activating the quantum entanglement communicator. Within seconds, his surroundings were apparently replaced by The Illusive Man's office, walled ceiling & floor with a large window view of a red supergiant star. The Illusive Man, with his impeccably-pressed suit, carefully-tamed hair, and glowing-blue synthetic eyes, looked up at him.
"Shepard," he said, "I think we have them. Horizon, one of our colonies in the Terminus Systems, just went silent. If it isn't under attack yet, it soon will be. Has Dr. Solus delivered the countermeasure for the seeker swarms?"
"Not yet" Shepard replied.
"Let's hope he works well under pressure. …There's something else you should know. One of your former crew, Ashley Williams, is stationed on Horizon."
"Last I knew, Ash was Alliance. Why is she out in the Terminus Systems?"
"Officially, it's an outreach program to improve Alliance relations with the colonies. But they're up to something. And if they sent Chief Williams, it must be big. Perhaps you should take it up with her."
"The Collectors just happened to pick a colony with one of my former crew? I don't buy it."
"It shouldn't be a surprise the Collectors are interested in you, especially if they're working for the Reapers. They might be going after her to get to you."
"Send the coordinates. We'll head straight there."
"This is the most warning we've ever had, Shepard. Good luck."
-SCENE BREAK-
Shadow Sea sector, Iera System, Horizon
CODEX: "A typical Terminus colony possessing minimal tourist value, Horizon promises substantial economic opportunity especially in providing new products for humans and supplying the Turian Hierarchy. Surveyed 18 years ago, Horizon received pilot habitation four years later; the colony proper is now eight years old. Blessed with verdant forests and abundant fresh water, Horizon maintains a colonial culture that thrives as a refuge from the increasing restrictions of Citadel-governed society. Horizon has attracted numerous dissidents, marginal people, and fringe-dwellers from across Alliance space."
The UT-47 Kodiak shuttle flew in, setting down on a grassy hill. The sky was clouded and infested with Seekers, and the Collectors' ship stood like a skyscraper on the far side of the colony. The doors opened, and five people piled out: Shepard, Garrus, Grunt, Mai from Gamma Team, and Cole from Delta Squad. They started moving up the path.
"We're groundside" Shepard radioed. "Mordin, are you sure these armor upgrades will protect us from the Seeker swarms?"
"Certainty impossible" Mordin replied. "But in limited numbers, should confuse detection, make us invisible to swarms. In theory."
"In theory?" Garrus said, his tone brimming with sarcasm. "That sounds promising."
"Experimental technology. Only test is contact with Seeker swarms. Look forward to seeing if you survive!"
"Buggers, comin' in!" Cole shouted.
Everyone took cover as several Collectors flew in, led by a Barrier-protected one. Shepard hit it with a Warp, taking out its barrier and weakening it such that a pistol round did it in. The others used their assault rifles – Grunt & Garrus' Avengers, Cole's Lancer, and Mai's MA5D – to cut down several more, while Shepard used Incinerate attacks and headshots with his Predator pistol to kill the rest.
"Hey, these things aren't so tough" Grunt said. "So much for a scary reputation."
"If they're anything like other insectoid races in the multiverse," Mai replied, "they probably rely on raw numbers and the occasional big power-unit to defeat their foes. We'll probably run into a lot more of these guys while we're here."
They moved on, up another hill. Joker attempted to contact them, but the signal was heavily broken and cluttered with static.
"The Collectors are disrupting communications" Garrus said.
"We're on our own now" Shepard replied.
They entered a housing area, a few dwellings and a picnic table making up the area. As they moved in, however, another pack of Collectors appeared, two of them with barriers. Shepard hit one with a Warp followed by an Incinerate, killing it, while Grunt fired a Carnage shot that de-shielded and heavily wounded the other, which was then downed by a pistol shot from Garrus. Cole moved up to another piece of cover, firing his Lancer and gunning down three base-form Collectors. A trio of Husks came charging out, but Mai and Grunt switched to their shotguns – an M90A and an M23 Katana – and blasted them. Two more Collectors fell to Shepard's Tempest SMG.
"Those are like the Husks from Eden Prime" Garrus said. "I thought the Geth got that technology from Sovereign."
"Then The Illusive Man was right" Mai said. "The Collectors are agents of the Reapers."
The team moved forward, passing the dead Collectors and rounding a corner. There, they found a dead Husk.
"These things used to be human" Garrus said. "Is this what's left of the colonists?"
"Probably not" Cole replied. "From what I remember, they need to stick people's bodies on big, nasty-lookin' spikes to turn 'em into Husks. And we ain't seen any of those here."
"The Collectors must've brought them here from somewhere else" Grunt said. "They want the colonists alive for some other purpose."
"The Collectors must be experimenting on the colonists" Shepard said. "What could they be up to?"
"Maybe it's better not to know" Garrus replied.
"The only way to find out is to stop them" Mai said.
"These aren't the same Husks I fought on Eden Prime" Shepard said. "They look more advanced – evolved."
"They still die if you shoot them" Garrus replied.
"The Collectors aren't getting away with any more victims. Let's move out."
They kept moving, coming out onto another residential 'street' Pod-like objects were scattered here & there, and there was not a soul to be seen.
"All the empty buildings…" Garrus muttered. "It's unsettling."
"Just like Freedom's Progress" Mai said. "The entire colony… gone."
Another pack of Collectors emerged, including two barrier-wielding ones. Shepard hit the group with a Singularity, picking up one shielded and three basic Collectors; a Carnage blast from Grunt and a Concussive Shot from Garrus killed them. Cole charged a Collector, letting his shields take the shots fired at him, and shoulder-checked the bug into a wall. He then fired a point-blank Lancer shot to the head, killing the stunned Collector. Shepard fired an Incinerate that killed a farther-away Collector, while Mai killed the last two with her assault rifle.
Team Shepard moved forward, past an area of explosive crates, and found a pair of colonists, one trying to help the other to her feet, frozen in position like time had stopped flowing for them; a dark-red miasma clung to them.
"It's some sort of stasis field" Garrus said. "Keeps the victims alive, maybe conscious, but totally paralyzed and helpless."
A little farther along, Shepard found a Collector Particle Beam Rifle leaning against a pod, and claimed it for himself, handing Garrus the Arc Projector to make room. As they entered the next open area, several more Collectors flew in. However, one of them began to twitch, golden light pouring out from new cracks in its exoskeleton, as it floated into the air. A deep voice from nowhere rang out:
"I AM ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL."
A burst of light signaled the transformation's completion, and the Collector now had golden light shining out from within it, its four eyes like floodlights, extra armor materialized over it and a Biotic Barrier formed as well. It signaled, and the other Collectors opened fire, forcing Team Shepard into cover.
"Hey, Shepard!" Garrus shouted. "Doesn't that look familiar?"
"Yeah, it's almost exactly like what happened to Saren's corpse" Shepard replied. "There's no doubt about it: a Reaper is possessing and controlling that Collector!"
"YOU WILL FALL, SHEPARD."
Shepard hit the Possessed Collector with a Warp that took down its barrier, and then an Incinerate to damage its armor. It fired what could best be called a Dark Warp that forced Shepard to duck for cover. However, a headshot from Garrus' Mantis killed it; upon death, the body rapidly disintegrated into ashes.
"YOU ONLY DAMAGE AN AVATAR. YOU CANNOT HURT ME."
Seconds later, another Collector was possessed. Cole, Mai, and Grunt focused on the remaining base-form Collectors, while Shepard and Garrus attacked the Possessed one.
"Who are you?" Shepard shouted at the thing. "One of Sovereign's type?"
"SOVEREIGN WAS MY SUBORDINATE" the voice replied. "I AM HARBINGER. YOU HAVE DRAWN THE ATTENTION OF ONE WHO IS INFINITELY YOUR GREATER, HUMAN. I AM NOT MERELY A MEMBER OF THOSE THE PROTHEANS DUBBED 'REAPERS'. I LEAD THEM. I AM THE FIRST, THE OLDEST, THE MIGHTIEST. AND MY BRETHREN AND I ARE THE GALAXY'S SALVATION THROUGH DESTRUCTION."
"The head Reaper…" Shepard murmured. "Great; I've pissed off their boss."
A Concussive Shot from Garrus and an Incinerate finished the Possessed Collector; thanks to the other three, there were no more Collectors in the immediate area for Harbinger to possess. The team moved through the empty area up to a large door, which Shepard hacked to gain access. It opened to reveal a dark garage; the quintet filed in cautiously, guns pointed in every direction, as the door closed behind them. After a few seconds, Shepard turned toward a crate against the far wall, pointing his pistol.
"Get out here" he said. "Now!"
In response, a man came out from behind the crate, looking surprised; Shepard lowered his gun.
"You're…" the man murmured. "You're human! What are you doing out here? You'll lead them right here!"
"You had to her them trying to get in" Shepard replied. "Seems like it's hard to hide from the Collectors."
"Those things are Collectors? Y'mean… the Collectors are real? I thought they were just made up – y'know, propaganda, to keep us in Alliance space."
"They're real, all right" Garrus replied. "And Horizon isn't the first human colony they've hit. They've kidnapped the entire populations of at least six others before now; tens of thousands of people."
"They got Lilith… I saw her go down. Sten, too. They got damn near everybody!"
"I need to know what we're up against" Shepard said. "Tell me everything you remember."
"We lost our comm. signals a few hours ago. I came down to check on the main grid; I'm the town mechanic. Then, I heard screaming. I looked outside and there were… swarms of bugs. Everyone they touched just froze. I sealed the doors. Damn it, it's the Alliance's fault! They stationed that Chief Williams here and built those defense towers. It made us a target!"
"Why do you think this is the Alliance's fault?"
"We're just a small colony. Nobody bothered us before we started building those damn defense towers and drew attention to ourselves. I left Council Space to get away from the Alliance. Nothing good ever comes from getting mixed up with them."
"The Collectors have been targeting remote colonies. The Alliance was trying to help."
"We don't need their help. Too many strings attached. That rep said she was just here to get the towers online, but mark my words: there's more to it."
"Tell me more about this Alliance rep."
"Chief Williams? I heard she was some kinda hero or something. Didn't mean nothin' to me, though. Would've rather she just stayed back in Council Space."
"Any idea what she was doing on Horizon?"
"Supposed to be helping us get the defense towers up and running. I got the feeling she was here for something else; spying on us, maybe.
"Tell me about the colony defense towers."
"They're a 'gift' from the Alliance – high-powered GARDIAN lasers and mass accelerators. They're supposed to keep hostile ships from landing near the colony. We had to build a massive underground generator just to give 'em enough juice. Only we couldn't get the targeting systems online. So the Alliance gave us giant guns that can't shoot straight. Stupid sons of bitches."
"If you have anti-ship defenses, we can use them against the Collector ship."
"You'd need to calibrate the targeting systems first; they've never worked right."
"We can do that" Garrus replied. "We have training in that sort of thing. Where is it?"
"Head for the main transmitter on the other side of the colony; it's pretty hard to miss. The targeting controls are at the base."
"Thanks. It's probably better if you stay here and out of the way."
"No argument here. I'll let you out, but I'm lockin' the door behind you. I'm not taking any chances. Good luck; I think you're gonna need it."
Team Shepard left through the other door, which sealed shut behind them. In the next area, another pack of Collectors flew in to attack, Harbinger possessing one of them. In addition, a bizarre new type of Husk joined the fray: a large, bloated, hunchbacked monstrosity with a large bio-tech cannon for a right arm. Shepard started firing Incinerate blasts at the monster as quickly as the module could recharge, taking the recharge time to help the others gun down Collectors. Finally, a Carnage shot from Grunt and a Warp from Shepard finished off the Scion, while two headshots from Garrus' Mantis took out the Possessed Collector.
"What the hell was that thing, man?-!" Cole shouted.
"The Reapers are getting creative with their minions, it seems" Garrus replied.
The team moved on, scanning a dead Collector and reaching another large door.
"It's odd we haven't run into any more frozen colonists" Garrus said.
"They've all been loaded onto the Collector ship already" Mai replied. "We're running short on time."
The door was bypassed, revealing an open courtyard full of machinery and crates, with the transmitter tower in the center. Two Scions were there to greet them, firing their Acid Shockwave arm cannons to force Team Shepard into cover. A pack of Husks emerged as well, rushing at the pinned team. Grunt, Mai, and Cole focused their assault rifles on the Husks, while Shepard and Garrus each picked a Scion, firing their sniper rifles while intermittently hitting them with Incinerate and Concussive Shot, respectively. Shepard pulled out his new Collector Particle Beam and focused on his Scion's head, bringing it down after a few seconds of continuous fire. He then hit Garrus' Scion with a Warp, and a headshot from the Turian marksman finished it off. The other three, meanwhile, had finished off the Husks.
With the way clear, Shepard ran up to the transmitter console and hacked in.
"Normandy? Do you copy?" he radioed.
"Joker here. Signal's weak, Commander, but we got you."
"EDI, can you get the colony's defense towers online?"
"Errors in the calibration software are easily rectified," the AI replied, "but it will take time to bring the towers to full power. I recommend a defensive posture. I will not be able to mask the increased generator output."
"And once they notice," Garrus said, "the Collectors will come running and try to stop us."
"Got any other helpful tips?" Shepard snarked.
"Just one: enemy reinforcements are closing in and will be upon you within the minute. I suggest you ready your weapons."
Sure enough, it was only 20 seconds later that a pack of Collectors flew in from the northeast, led by one Possessed by Harbinger. A few Husks joined the party as well. Shepard hit Harbinger's Avatar with a Warp, taking down its barriers and weakening its armor, while Grunt charged the Husks, using his shotgun and his raw strength to slay them easily. Garrus picked off Collector Field-Leaders, the ones with particle beams and Biotic barriers, with his Mantis, while Cole and Mai focused on the base-form Collectors. An Incinerate from Shepard destroyed the Possessed Collector, and he then used his Tempest to kill two of the last three Collectors while Garrus sniped the third, before Harbinger could claim another one.
"Bypassing failsafes and attempting emergency power-up" EDI reported. "Please hold the defense tower."
"Get ready" Garrus said. "There'll be more soon."
"Bring 'em on" Grunt replied. "I could use some more target practice."
"Sequential power-up initiated. Anti-ship batteries at 40 percent."
Another squad of Collectors flew in at the southwest corner of the courtyard, again led by Harbinger. At the same time, Husks came pouring in from the west. Shepard and Garrus started sniping Collectors, while Cole charged five Husks; the Gear revved his Lancer's chainsaw bayonet and impaled the first Husk, tossing it over his shoulder without stopping his charge, shoulder-checked a second one hard enough to break its neck, fired several shots into the third, and then stuck a bolo grenade to the fourth that blew it and the fifth up.
"Bitches got run over by da Cole Train!" he cheered.
Grunt grinned. "I like this guy" he said.
Grunt and Mai were using precise pulse-fired assault rifle shots to pick off Collectors, while Shepard and Garrus' focused sniper fire soon brought down the Possessed Collector.
"Anti-ship batteries at 60%. Syncing targeting protocols to Normandy-2's weapons. Continue to protect the tower."
More Collectors flew in from the south. Shepard threw out a Singularity that grabbed four of them, and a Carnage shot from Grunt killed three of them; a pistol round from Shepard got the last one. Shepard then sent out a Combat Drone to distract and weaken the bugs, allowing Mai to gun several down with her MA5D while Garrus killed more with his Avenger.
Suddenly, a new threat flew in from the north. It was huge, with four thick legs with sharp chitinous armor, and an insectoid body with four blue-glowing eyes. It opened its mouth to screech at them, revealing several live Husk heads. It hovered a few meters in the air, its body shrouded in a durable Biotic barrier, and began firing its twin heavy particle beams at the group, forcing them into cover.
"Now that is a big bug" Cole said.
"EDI, we need that system online!" Shepard said.
"Anti-ship batteries at 100 percent. I have control."
The GARDIAN lasers and railguns began firing at the parked Collector ship. Meanwhile, the massive Praetorian shrugged off Team Shepard's fire, its powerful barriers and heavy armor protecting it. What's more, when Shepard managed to take down its barriers and start damaging its armor, it slammed down onto the ground, loosing a disorienting shockwave and somehow recharging its barriers at the same time.
"Commander!" Mai shouted. "Permission to use chakra-based techniques against this thing!"
"Go right ahead!" Shepard replied. "I know your CO likes to hold her power back for a bigger challenge, but right now really isn't the time for that! Cut loose and kill that thing, Kitagawa!"
"Yes, sir!"
Mai slung her assault rifle over her back and ran out of cover, chakra flowing through her body to boost her strength and speed to superhuman levels. She formed a series of hand-seals and fired off a pair of Lightning Hounds, which attacked the Praetorian, taking out its barriers and shocking it before it then slammed down to dispel them. Not wanting to mess around anymore, Mai erupted in a pale-red aura as she called on her power as a Type-2 Jinchūriki, the 8-Tails' power flowing through her. She leapt high, landing atop the Praetorian, and charged chakra into her fist. She brought it down hard, heavily fracturing the beast's topside armor; it began hovering unsteadily, wounded and stunned. She landed another blow, and this one was enough to kill the Praetorian; she leapt off as it rapidly dissolved into blue particles. Mai let out a breath as she dispelled her Tailed-Beast power.
Seconds later, there was a huge pillar of flame from the Collector ship's bottom, as the 900-meter vessel began liftoff. The ground shook as the alien ship soared upward into the sky, being pounded by Horizon's AA defenses all the while until it was out of their range. It soon vanished, through the clouds and into space.
"We were too late to save around two-thirds of Horizon's people" Garrus said solemnly. "The Collectors got what they came for."
The mechanic from earlier came running out. "No! Don't let them get away!"
"There's nothing we can do" Shepard said. "They're gone."
"Half the colony's in there! They got Egan and Sam and… and Lilith! Do something!"
"I didn't want it to end this way. I did what I could."
"More than most, Shepard" Garrus assured.
"Shepard?" the mechanic turned to face them. "Wait, I know that name. Yeah, I remember you. You're some type of big Alliance hero."
"Commander Shepard" a woman in red-and-white armor said. "Captain of the Normandy. The first human Spectre. Savior of the Citadel. You're in the presence of a god, Delan – back from the dead."
"Williams…" Delan scowled. "All the good people we lost, and you get left behind. Figures. Fuck this. I'm done with you Alliance types."
As he walked away, Ashley came closer to Shepard, shaking his hand.
"I thought you were dead, Commander. We all did."
"It's been too long, Ash. How've you been?"
"…That's it? You show up after two years and act like nothing's happened? I would've followed you anywhere, Commander. I thought you were gone… You were more than our Commander. Why didn't you try to contact me? Why didn't you let me know you were alive?"
"I was comatose for most of it; I only woke up a week or two ago. Cerberus found me on the brink of death, and spent two years and God-knows-how-many credits putting me back together."
"…You're with Cerberus now? The reports were true? …Intel said Cerberus could be behind our missing colonists. We got a tip that this one could be the next to get hit. I went to Anderson, but he wouldn't talk. But there were rumors that you weren't dead, and worse, that you were working for the enemy."
"Our colonies are disappearing. The Alliance and the Council turned their backs on them. Cerberus is the only group willing to do something about it."
"Bullshit. I know what Cerberus is like. They talk about 'putting humans first', but at what cost? I wanted to believe that you were alive. …I just never expected anything like this."
"Let me be clear, Ashley: I don't trust Cerberus any more than you do. I fully expect them to turn on me eventually. I'm not working for them; just with them, temporarily. But the Collectors have been kidnapping tens of thousands of colonies, and they're working for the Reapers! The Council is unsympathetic, and even the Alliance has all but abandoned them. Cerberus is the only group willing and able to help me take the Collectors down. And once that's done, I plan to cut all ties with the organization, and devote myself wholly to the dimensional coalition. And maybe, if they get their act together, I might even come back to the Alliance."
"But what if Cerberus is really behind this? What if they're the ones working with the Collectors?"
"Ash, c'mon" Cole said as he stepped up. "That ain't right. Remember that freaky shit Sovereign pulled with Saren's corpse two-and-a-half years ago – reanimating it and siccing it on us? Well today, we saw the same thing get done to the Collectors. I even got footage of it."
He pulled up his Omnitool, showing a recording of a Collector undergoing Harbinger's transformation/possession. It even included audio of Harbinger's unmistakably Reaper-esque voice, proclaiming its kind 'the galaxy's salvation through destruction'.
"You see, Ash?" Shepard said. "This is the Reapers' handiwork. Harbinger is their leader, the Head Reaper, and he's the one controlling the Collectors."
"I… I can't believe it… All this time, we were all so sure it was Cerberus' doing. But… the Reapers are back…"
"The Dimensional Defense Force is helping us, collaborating with Cerberus to take the Collectors down. …Make no mistake, I do not agree with Cerberus' worldview, and I fully intend to drop them like a hot rock when all this is through. Take this vid-file and data on the Collectors; spread the word among the Alliance higher-ups and the Spectres about the Collectors' involvement in all this. We could use their help… though I doubt we'll be getting it."
"Why are you so hostile to the Alliance all of a sudden?"
"Because they abandoned these people to their fates" Grunt said. "If they get off their hides and help us, they might redeem themselves for that, but until then…"
"I'll, uh… pass this along to Hackett and Anderson, and to Jondam Bau; he's the Spectres' semi-official representative. According to him, a lot of the Spectres – himself included – believe us about the Reapers, unlike the Council. …Good luck, Shepard."
"You too, Ash. Stay alive."
She smirked. "I'll try my best."
-SCENE BREAK-
Normandy-2 Briefing Room, Secure Connection to Chronos Station
"Shepard," The Illusive Man said, "good work on Horizon. Hopefully, the Collectors will think twice before attacking another colony."
"It's not a victory" Shepard replied. "We interrupted the Collectors, but they still abducted half the colony."
"That's better than an entire colony, and more than we've accomplished since the abductions began. The Collectors will be more careful now, but I think we can find another way to lure them in."
"Ash said the Alliance got a tip about me and Cerberus. Was that you?"
"I may have let it slip that you were alive… and with Cerberus."
"…You risked the lives of my friend, my crew, and the entire colony? Just to lure the Collectors there?"
"It was a calculated risk. I suspected the Collectors were looking for you or people connected to you. Now I know for certain. I told you I wouldn't sit and wait while the Reapers and Collectors gather strength. Besides, they would've hit another colony eventually. And without a way to predict which one, they would've abducted everyone."
"What's our next step?"
"We have to keep pressure on the Collectors. They'll be more cautious with their ground operations, so we need another opening. I'm devoting all resources to finding a way through the Omega-4 Relay. We have to hit them where they live. Your team will need to be strong, as will their resolve. There's no looking back. The same goes for you. Once we find a way through the Omega-4 Relay to the Collector homeworld… there's no guarantee you'll return. To have any hope of surviving, you and your entire team must be fully committed to this."
"Let me worry about them. You just find us a way to the Collectors' homeworld."
"I just want to be up-front about your odds. You'll need everyone at their best. I've forwarded three more dossiers. Keep building your team while I find a way through the Relay. And be careful, Shepard. The Collectors will be watching you."
The Illusive Man cut the communication, returning Shepard to the meeting room. He turned to the door, to find Jacob waiting.
"I guess we're really gonna do it" he said. "Hit the Omega-4 Relay, take the fight to the Collectors in person. I'm lookin' forward to the action. After seeing what those bastards did on Horizon, though… makes you think."
"They're powerful," Shepard replied, "but we've got a few tricks for them. If anyone can stop them, we can."
"No argument there, Commander. Horizon just made it hit home – what we're doing, what we're up against. I'm gonna go take care of a little unfinished business. I imagine everyone else is, too – getting' some… closure, you know?"
He nodded, and then left. However, as he headed for the galaxy map, Joker radioed.
"Hey Commander, good news! Ashley came through; the Spectres aren't just gonna help, they're sending one of their own to join the team! They didn't say who it was, though; he or she apparently asked to keep it a surprise. We're supposed to swing by the Citadel to pick our new teammate up."
"Set course, Joker. Let's go grab ourselves a Spectre."
-SCENE BREAK-
Normandy II
Citadel Docking Bay D-24
Shepard leaned against a wall inside the N2's airlock, drumming his fingers on his arm. The Spectre was due any minute now. His mind raced as he wondered who it would be: would it be a good-hearted negotiator who got things done, like Bau or himself? A consummate professional like Nihlus? Or would it be a ruthless renegade who did things no matter the cost, like pre-Reaper Saren?
"Commander," EDI said, "the Spectre has arrived. He is waiting for entrance."
"Let him in" Shepard replied.
The doors cycled open, and a human male walked in, wearing dark-blue Alliance armor with the Citadel Special Tactics & Recon symbol. Shepard smiled, pleasantly surprised to see the face of an old friend he hadn't seen in two years.
"Hey, Commander" Kaidan said. "Permission to come aboard?"
"Kaidan!" Shepard said happily, reaching out to shake his hand. "Good to see you! You're the Spectre joining my team?"
"Uh-huh. Bau and Anderson filled me in about the Collectors. They and Hackett figured that, given our past history, we'd work better together than some random Spectre you didn't know."
"Glad to have you back, Alenko. I can hardly believe they made you a Spectre!"
"Believe me, sometimes I can't either. It's been less than a year, and I'm still not 100% used to it. The perks are nice… though sometimes I wish were a little better funded."
"Yeah, I have an ex-STG Salarian on my team. He told me about how his group didn't have to buy their own weapons. C'mon in and meet the crew; we've already got Joker, Dr. Chakwas, and Garrus."
Shepard led Kaidan into the Normandy II, showing him around. After the tour was done, Kaidan took the opportunity to watch the archived DDF footage, and was amazed by all that he saw and learned.
"You have a habit of getting mixed up in things that turn out bigger than you anticipated" he said.
"Story of my life, old friend."
"Commander, we just got word that Tali's in trouble" Joker radioed. "She's in the Dholen System in the Far Rim sector."
"Get us there, Joker, as quick as you can."
"Aye-aye, Shepard."
-CHAPTER END-
Next Time: Tali, and a few sidequests.