A/N: I have been working on this chapter for quite a while. At first, I thought that it wasn't going to be long enough, but the more I worked on it, the longer it got. Eventually I made the decision to cut it into two pieces and post the chapters consecutively. As with the previous chapters, I have altered some of the events to better suit my plotline. There are a few things hidden in here that will play into the story later. Hang in there. ~J


"There you are!" Joker said as Shepard entered the cockpit with Garrus close behind her. The tone of his voice was fraught with anxiety. He had a good reason to be stressed though. No ship had ever returned from the Omega 4 relay.

Glowing a sinister red it loomed before them ominously, twice as large as any of the other relays they travelled through consistently. Shepard knew there was a chance that they wouldn't come back. She had helped every member of her crew settle their differences and make peace with things before they obtained the IFF. She took a deep breath. She was glad that she finally gathered enough nerve to tell Garrus how she felt.

She looked back at him and he smiled.

"Okay Joker, take us through," she instructed.

He nodded and continued toward the relay. As they drew closer the Normandy was captured in its massive energy field.

"The IFF has been detected," EDI said, "and our signal has been accepted."

In the blink of an eye the energy field blasted them countless light years away. But when the Normandy reappeared at the new destination, it was immediately besieged with debris from hundreds of other ships that had tried to enter the Omega 4 relay and failed. Joker, muttering a string of curses, nimbly avoided the jagged pieces that would have torn the hull apart. The rapid deceleration knocked Shepard and Garrus off their feet.

"Look at that," Joker whispered.

The cockpit grew quiet as they looked out the window at the scattered remnants of the ships. Trapped in zero gravity, the shards floated, suspended forever in a red-hued graveyard. They didn't have time to ponder the implications though, because EDI soon informed them that there was a breach in the engineering deck.

"Good job Joker," Shepard said, patting him lightly on the shoulder. Then she motioned to Garrus and together they went to investigate.

As it turned out, there were a handful of menacing orbs that had detected the Normandy and as it flew through the debris field, for whatever reason, despite the IFF, had identified it as an intruder. Joker did his best, weaving around the wreckage in evasive maneuvers, but by the time Shepard and Garrus, along with Grunt arrived on the engineering deck, one of them had already broken through the hull. And just as they destroyed the first one, a second orb found its way in.

"You'd better get back up here Commander," Joker radioed as the second orb exploded and crashed to the metal floor of the cargo hold. "We're almost through the debris field."

Shepard raced back to the cockpit while Garrus and Grunt returned to their posts. She was joined by Miranda, who was leaning against the door frame with her arms folded across her chest when she walked in.

"It appears that we've found the collector base," she told her, pushing off the wall and stepping up beside Shepard.

"Joker, see if you can get us any closer without drawing attention."

No sooner had the words come out of her mouth then a massive ship broke away from the collector base, a ship that she had seen several times before and would recognize almost anywhere.

Joker shared her thoughts and voiced his concern. "Shit, looks like we've got an old friend and it intends to pay us a visit."

Shepard stared at the collector ship that was responsible for destroying the old Normandy, the very same ship which had abducted the colonists on Horizon and had attacked and taken her crew while she was away, and her eyes narrowed with hatred.

"Not if I can help it," she vowed. "Joker, give 'em everything we've got."

"Aye, aye Commander," Joker said, eager to give the collectors a taste of their own medicine.

He rushed toward the ship, barely avoiding the beam that had torn apart the other Normandy, and fired the main gun. It sliced through the collector ship's defenses for a direct hit.

"How about that?" Joker screamed at it. "This ought to teach you!"

He fired the gun again and once more the attack hit its mark. The ship ignited with small explosions leading to bigger ones. Joker pulled away, but wasn't fast enough to escape the blast radius. The shock wave rocked the Normandy, throwing the mass effect field generators offline.

"EDI!"

"The generators are unresponsive Jeff. Brace for impact."

"Shit!"

The Normandy pivoted and shifted, colliding with the debris. The hull and port side sustained extensive damage before it came to rest roughly on the collector base. The metal groaned around it as it settled. Inside the cockpit, several of the electrical components were damaged, showering them with sparks.

Shepard pushed herself off the floor and limped over to Joker. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he winced, grabbing his ribs.

"We all knew this could be a one way trip," Miranda sighed pessimistically.

"EDI, give me a status report!" Shepard ordered, ignoring Miranda for the moment.

"There were several core systems that were damaged in the attack. It will take me time to fix them."

"How long until the collector's find us?"

"I do not detect an internal security system. Perhaps the collectors never counted on anyone reaching the base. We should be safe here."

Shepard turned back to Miranda, who had continued to pace around the cockpit. "I don't intend to throw my life away here on some collector base and neither is my crew! Assemble the squad and we'll work out a plan to infiltrate while Joker and EDI work on getting the Normandy back to operating condition."

Miranda smiled, a little of her anxiety eased.

The whole crew was waiting for her when she got to the debriefing room. Some were readying weapons while some were huddled small groups talking. Garrus held her gaze as she walked in. Just looking into his deep blue eyes gave her the strength to say what she did next.

"I know this mission hasn't started out like we planned, but we can't be distracted by worrying if the Normandy will be able to get us out of here. Regardless of the way we ended up here, our mission is to stop the collectors and we need to come up with a plan to attack their base."

EDI pulled up a schematic of the collector base and pinpointed where the station's weak spot was. She was also able to locate the central chamber in which the Normandy crew and the colonists were being held.

"We can send a team in through here," Shepard said, holding her finger up to the holographic image. "We'll need to send someone with tech experience in to unlock the doors. Legion, this is where you come in." She dropped her hand and turned around to face the crew. "It would be a good idea for the rest of us to split up into two separate teams. This way we'll provide a distraction for the collectors and have a better chance of getting to the crew and the colonists. Garrus," she said with some difficulty, "I need you to lead the second team. You're expertise in tactics and proficiency with heavy weapons and sniper rifles makes you the perfect choice. Everyone else, split up and move out!"

She watched as the crew separated into the two teams and readied their weapons. As they filed out she noticed that Garrus had hung back. She had seen the look on his face when she asked him to lead the second team and knew that what was coming next wasn't going to be easy. In many ways she was glad that she told him how she felt before everything went to hell in a hand basket, but now she was afraid that worrying about each other might interfere with them doing their jobs and could possibly get them both killed.

But instead of grilling her over the decision she made, he simply took her in his arms and held her. "Please be careful," he whispered in her ear.

"I will." She wanted that statement to sound stronger than it did, but she couldn't help thinking that it might be the last time she would feel his arms around her. The thought made her sick inside and she quickly pulled away before she could change her mind. The mission must succeed, above all else.

The two teams left the Normandy; Thane, Jacob, Jack, Kasumi and Samara went with Garrus while Tali, Grunt, Miranda, Zaeed, and Mordin went with Shepard. Once inside the base it didn't take long for the collectors to become aware of their presence. Both teams were immediately besieged with obstacles and heavy fire. On top of all that, Legion reported back to Shepard saying that the tunnels in which he was crawling through to open the doors were sweltering with hot, dense air that, if not promptly ventilated would force his systems to shut down. In order to keep him "alive" she needed to locate pressure valves that would release the air and allow him to continue on.

The collectors were relentless in their attacks. At times Shepard just barely made it to the next valve in time, but finally Legion was able to unlock all the doors that would grant her access to the central chamber. Garrus and his team were right behind them, barely managing to squeeze through as they collectors send a torrent of gunfire their way.

"Shepard quickly, you've got to see this."

Shepard broke into a run and jogged down the walkway to see what had Miranda in a twist. She stopped short when she saw the young woman contained in the pod immediately in front of them. She looked oddly familiar and it took a minute for her to realize that she had seen her before on Horizon.

"It's the colonists…"

She stepped closer to examine the container. As she did so the pretty brunette's eyes opened.

"They're still alive."

"The crew from the Normandy is here too!" Jacob called to her.

Shepard sighed with relief. She'd found them. The thought scarcely had time to form in her mind before the tank in front of her made a strange gurgling sound. The look on the woman's face turned to one of panic and she began to pound on the glass. Shepard and the rest of the team watched in horror as the air was sucked from the tank, disintegrating the poor girl in the process, until all that was left was the blood stained glass.

Suddenly, similar sounds could be heard as the other tanks were purged of air.

"Get them out!"

Frantically the squad beat on the glass with their hands and the butts of their rifles, smashing at the electronic control panels, trying anything that would open the pods and release those being kept prisoner inside. One by one the tanks opened. Dr. Chakwas was the last to be freed. She fell limply into Shepard's arms. She carefully sank to the floor and waited while Dr. Chakwas regained her senses.

"Thank god you made it in time," Dr. Chakwas said, slowly standing. "I don't want to think about what would have happened if you hadn't come when you did."

Shepard looked around at the crew, grateful that it hadn't taken them any longer to get there. They looked tired and disoriented, but the happiness of still being alive shone clearly on their faces. Everyone from the Normandy was accounted for, although she couldn't say the same for the colonists of Horizon and she felt guilty that she hadn't been able to save them all.

"What was that? What happened to her?" Miranda voiced the question that was on everyone's mind.

Dr. Chakwas shook her head sadly. "The colonists were puréed and sucked through those tubes." All eyes went to the ceiling where hundreds of tubes protruded from the broken tanks, strung along by hooks until they disappeared through holes in the walls to an unknown location. "I watched it all happen."

"If we follow those tubes, maybe we can find out what they go to and what they're using us for," Shepard said.

EDI's voice came over the comm. "The tubes lead into the central control center Shepard. The door to the corridor is locked, but there is a path that runs parallel. However, I wouldn't strongly advise against it. My scans indicate that there is an abundance of seeker swarms, far more than the effectiveness of Mordin's counter measure could handle."

"We're in no condition to fight Commander," Kelly said quietly.

Joker quickly cut in, "Commander, we have managed to get some of the Normandy's systems operational. We can't go in with guns blazing, but we could pick up the crew if we landed far enough back."

"We don't have time to go back! Not now!" Miranda protested.

"You won't make it if you go alone," Shepard said grimly. "Mordin, you will accompany the crew back to the Normandy. It will be helpful to have two doctors there to evaluate everybody."

Mordin straightened. "Will do Shepard." He immediately radioed Joker to get the location of the pickup.

"How do you propose we get through the seeker swarms?" Garrus asked quietly.

Shepard suddenly remembered certain times during the missions when Liara would create a barrier using her biotics to keep them from harm, and wondered out loud if it might be possible to do the same thing with this situation.

"My biotics were engineered to be the best. I'll do it," Miranda hastily volunteered.

"Slow down cheerleader," Jack countered. "Any biotic can do that. It's easy. And I've seen your biotics. They're seriously lacking."

Weeks of contention between the two of them exploded and quickly turned into a colorful yelling match. Shepard had to wedge herself between the two of them before one of them took a swing at the other. Jack lashed out, slinging taunts that she could take Miranda down on any day of the week.

"That's enough!" Shepard reprimanded. "Save it for the collectors! We can't expect to beat them if we don't work as a team."

Jack backed down, but continued to glare hatefully in Miranda's direction.

"Samara, can you create a biotic field large enough to get us through?" Shepard asked.

"Not one big enough for the entire crew, but I could shield a small party," she replied in her soft elegant voice.

"Shepard, if you take a small team through the pathway, the rest of us can hunker down here and create a diversion until you can open the main door," Miranda said in a take charge tone. Shepard chose to ignore the fact that once again, Miranda was trying to control the situation. "Who do you want to stay here and who do you want to lead the diversion team?

"Garrus," she replied without hesitation. Then she looked at him directly. "We'll radio when we're on the other side of the door."

He nodded and reloaded his sniper rifle.

Knowing that it was probably wise to keep Jack and Miranda apart for the moment, she asked Jack to accompany her, Samara, and Grunt through the tunnels.

Not only did the team have to contend with the collectors, but this time they were joined by husks and abominations as well. They had no problem penetrating the biotic field designed to prevent the seeker swarms from getting to them, and it was difficult to keep Samara protected while trying to keep everything else at bay.

Soon Shepard had exhausted her supply of thermal clips and had to scavenge around the edge of the barrier for any that the collectors might have dropped. Samara was growing weaker with every step and she worried that she might not be able to sustain the field for much longer. Shepard could see the door in the distance and yelled back to her in encouragement.

"We're almost there!"

Not a moment too soon either, she thought as she raced to the door. She looked back in time to see Samara gather the last of her strength. The barrier doubled in size and then dissipated in a giant shock wave that heaved the remaining collectors and husks across the room.

She walked in to the next chamber calmly and touched a finger to her ear. "Garrus, what's your twenty?"

The air between them pulsed with static. Finally he answered, "We're at the door. They've got us pinned down."

"Hurry," she said, pointing at the door on the opposite side of the chamber.

"We're taking heavy fire! We're going to need assistance soon Shepard!"

"Go, go, go! We have to move now!"

Jack and Grunt rushed to the other door along with Shepard while Samara headed for the panel that would allow her to override the controls. They could hear the muffled shouts and rapid gunfire behind the massive steel door.

Slowly the heavy doors parted, allowing Shepard to see that the band had been pushed up against it and the collectors were swiftly closing in. As soon as it was open far enough she waved them through while she and Grunt laid down suppressive fire.

"Samara, get this door closed!" she yelled as she cut through a collector. It was a small victory though, as the rest of the collectors edged closer with each passing second.

Grunt ceased firing, pointing his muzzle in the air as he stepped aside to make room for Shepard to move out of the way. She continued to send a barrage of bullets in the collector's direction until there was only a crack left between the doors. Judging that it was safe to stop, she stood up and turned her attention back to the crew.

She seen it out of the corner of her eye and knew, even before she had time to react, what was coming. Just as the doors shut, two bullets zigzagged through the opening. The pain was immediate, scorching hot and needle-like in intensity. The force from the blows sliced through her shields and spun her around, blurring her vision. Before she could even take a breath, she hit the ground.

"Shepard!"

She heard voices around her, the voices of her crew raised in alarm and concern, but one among them stood out. He called her name again and then she sensed him at her side. Her face felt like it was on fire and pain exploded just below her right shoulder when he rolled her over onto her back. She winced and sucked in a ragged breath. Garrus's sigh of relief was palpable. But the look on his face offered little comfort.

"Where else are you hurt?" he asked urgently.

In her dazed state his words sounded muddled, distant. She clamped her eyes shut and opened them in an effort to stop the ringing in her ears and clear her head. As her vision returned to normal she saw Kasumi hovering behind him holding medi-gel, a worried frown on her tattooed lips.

"Where are you hurt?" Garrus repeated.

She slowly raised her left hand but he grabbed her wrist before she could place it on her cheek.

"The bullet grazed the side of your face. It's deep, but it's just a flesh wound."

She nodded in understanding and gestured to the other place that was screaming with pain. "My shoulder," she wheezed.

He leaned forward, sliding his hands underneath her and gently pulled her closer to him into a sitting position. He insisted on removing her chest plate, ignoring her protests that they didn't have time to waste, so that he could examine the wound and administer some medi-gel. Underneath, her white and gray Cerberus uniform was steadily soaking up the blood.

"I swear," she muttered, staring at the stain that was growing larger on her chest. "I can never keep this damn thing clean."

"This isn't funny Shepard," he said, his eyes full of reproach.

He probed the wound with his fingers, quickly locating the bullet. With Mordin and Dr. Chakwas gone, she had no choice but to allow him to dig it out with his talons. It hurt like hell, quickly chasing the newfound air from her lungs once again. She gasped and seized his arms, squeezing the cold armor in an attempt to channel the throbbing.

"I'm fine," she assured him when he froze.

He slathered the medi-gel over the wound. Almost at once she felt the sharp sting start to subside. She readjusted her uniform and got to her feet. Garrus, who had kept a hand on her elbow to keep her steady, handed her the chest plate with a frown.

"It's not like I haven't been through worse," she said with a wry smile, trying to ease the tension.

The rest of the crew had started to disperse and most had turned their attention to look over the large chamber. Shepard moved to join them but Garrus stopped her.

"I'm not leaving your side again," he said, his voice low and threatening. "So don't ask me to."

His dark blue eyes were riveted on her, his expression somber. But beneath the tough façade she could see just how worried he'd been in those moments. How could she tell him that laughing it off and making jokes was her way of not letting the crew know just how truly scared she was? The collectors had proved stronger than she had anticipated and she had not counted on the Normandy taking a hit and crashing or having to split up her team. It wasn't easy to remain strong and level-headed with so many lives contingent upon her success. But she couldn't lose it now, not when they were so close.

"Okay," she whispered, squeezing his hand lightly before joining the rest of the squad. "EDI, where do we go from here?"

The AI patiently explained that they could get to the control console by navigating a series of platforms, where they could overload the system, thereby destroying the base. Afterward, she mentioned that Mordin and the rest of the Normandy crew had made it abroad with no casualties.

The sounds of agitation grew louder from behind the sealed door and Shepard knew it wouldn't take long before the collector's were able to hack the panel and gain access to them. She climbed onto one of the higher platforms and made a decision.

"If we leave a small team behind, they could hold this position and keep the collector's from rushing us as we try to overload the base." She nodded and Garrus and Miranda both joined her on the raised dais.

"Very well Shepard," Thane said. "We'll hunker down here until you give the order."

With everyone clear on what they needed to do, Shepard, Miranda, and Garrus made their way to the platforms that would take them to the heart of the base. As with everything else, their movement was quickly detected and it wasn't long before they were swarmed with collectors. Just as they finished off a batch on one platform, another floated into place next to it, each with filled with fresh resistance. Garrus and Miranda brought up the rear while Shepard crouched near the front of the platform and delivered fire in a 'spray and pray' pattern.

Harbinger was relentless, possessing a new body each time they managed to take it down. At one point Shepard found herself completely surrounded. She whirled around and jumped over the raised platform that they'd been using for cover, ejecting the heat sink from her Mattock heavy assault rifle while reaching for another thermal clip. But she was dismayed to find that the constant onslaught had depleted her supply. She was in the process of switching to her pistol when Garrus's concussive shot rang out and the collector in front of her staggered backwards, tripping off the edge of the platform. She touched two fingers to her brow in a salute and he grinned, tossing her a thermal clip.

Finally they finished off the last collector. The platforms around them were eerily quiet. Shepard holstered her weapon and inspected the console that stood at the very front of the far most platform. The structure groaned and shook, immediately disengaging from the rest of the platforms. It coast through the air, weaving through the tunnel on its way to some unknown destination.

"EDI, can you tell where we're headed?"

"The platform seems to be following the tubes. According to my readings, they are feeding into some sort of a structure."

Off in the distance, a massive figure appeared out of the shadows. Shepard squinted to see it clearly just as EDI uttered a passage that made the blood freeze in her veins.

"Shepard…it's a reaper!"