If It Meant Living: Tales

"Leviathan, Conclusion"


SSV Agincourt: Zelene System, Crescent Nebula

Kaidan relaxed a bit as the door to his small, temporary accommodations aboard the Agincourt closed behind him and he sat down at the tiny desk. Older and smaller than the Normandy, the Agincourt lacked much of its trappings.

Captain Gibralt had looked sharp today, displaying initiative and creativity as the simple infiltrate and grab op had inevitably gone south. It had felt good to be out in the field again after far too many weeks stuck in an office – however nice and well-appointed an office it was.

He thought about it a moment…then laughed ruefully to himself.

Intellectually, he knew that being Director of Spectre Operations made him one of the most powerful people in the Citadel apparatus – and thus in the galaxy. He didn't just "manage" the Spectres – he had veto power over their selection, effectively decided when and where they would and wouldn't intervene, and exercised control over most operational decisions.

Still, as he had tried to absorb the tremendous responsibility and duties of the job, it had felt like something of a prison sentence, a thankless yet weighty task – all the more so because he had finally received the Admiralty promotion, only to go on "inactive" status to focus on his new position. It was if he had retired, and before his fortieth birthday.

Only now did he realize that it didn't have to be like that at all; that he was in fact in charge, and could make the job his own.

He leaned back in the chair and pulled up his favorite picture of her. It was from three years earlier, when he had taken her to the mountains north of Vancouver and shared his last remaining secrets. Though there had been scarring from the Reaper occupation that would take decades for nature to repair, that far into the wilderness much of the natural beauty remained. It had been a good trip.

She was standing on a ledge with Whitecap Mountain in the distance and the world at her feet. Her hair was blowing freely in the wind as she looked over her shoulder, bright lavender eyes piercing the camera, and him. He smiled, wishing he could reach out and touch her through the picture.

He had never minded being second-fiddle to her. In fact, he was happy to stand in the background while she shone. But sitting behind that damnable desk while he stared at files and wondered whether he would be able to do the job or even wanted to do the job while she gallivanted around the galaxy…he had started to doubt himself, and by proxy, them.

His life had changed; hers hadn't. It had seemed like that should mean something for them. Even now, hints of the thought pattern tugged in his mind, trying to pull him back, whispering that it must be significant. But he had been and was wrong. Stupid and childish, even.

To be sure, she was a little too gung-ho about running off into danger – but that was one of the thousand things that made her the amazing, singular woman she was and he couldn't imagine her without it. He squeezed his eyes shut, glad to be working his way out of the funk but mostly feeling like a royal ass…

He was probably going to have to grovel the rest of the way out, of course. She was unlikely to accept a simple "I'm sorry" with a smile and a kiss. Nor should she. He had hurt her – had been hurting her for a little while now. He could only hope she would find her way through to forgiving him.

No time like the present to get started; most of all, he loved her and wanted nothing more right now than to hear her voice. He activated his Omni-tool to comm her – and only then noticed the blinking red indicator. He frowned, pulling up the military alert.

Systems Alliance alert: Contact has been lost with Watson, Arvuna, Asteria, Proteus, and Trident. The Asari have lost contact with Hyetiana and Nevos, along with their population on Asteria; the Turians have lost contact with the colony of Oma Ker. Alert status increased to Orange.

He sighed…she had also been right.

All the more reason to talk to her as soon as possible. He made the single touch to comm her…she didn't answer. That in and of itself wasn't overly unusual – she could be sleeping or showering or, more likely, getting shot at. He thought about it a moment then commed the Normandy.

"This is the Norman– oh, Alenko…hi. What do you need?"

"Shepard isn't answering her comm. I was just wondering what her status was?"

"Um, she's…groundside…right now."

"I figured as much. Any idea what her ETA is?"

"Uh…no, not really, it's, um – "

Kaidan frowned. "Joker, what's going on? She didn't tell you not to put me through, did she?"

"What? No, why would she do that? She's just…uh…unavailable right now…"

He sat up straighter at the desk. "Joker. What. Is. Going. On? That is a direct request from your superior officer, so you damn well better answer."

"Well technically you're inactive, so I'm not sure – "

"JOKER!"

"Right. See, we've kind of lost contact with the shuttle…and the team. There's some sort of interference blocking all communications with the planet's surface, and I think that's probably why all those ships crashed down there, but anyway. Legion says it can read their vitals and they're alive, so that's good, right?" He sighed through the comm. "I don't know what to do, Kaidan. I mean I'd contact Alliance Command, but they'll take four days and form a committee to analyze the proper strategy…"

"Where are you?"

"Sigurd's Cradle, this planet called Despoina."

"Why?"

"Cause…that's where this 'Leviathan' thing is…"

"I'm on the way."

He stood up and hurried out of his quarters for the cockpit. He was relieved to find Gibralt there talking with the pilot – one less stop to make. "I'm sorry, Captain, but I'm commandeering this vessel for an emergency operation. Council Spectre Authorization Charlie-Four-Six-Delta-Two."

The pilot entered the code, then looked up and shrugged. "Okay, sir, the ship's yours. Where are we going?"

... ... ...

2181 Despoina: Psi Tophet System, Sigurd's Cradle

She fell.

Only it was more of a floating really. A soft, leisurely floating…headlong toward the dark depths of the ocean floor.

As the ocean surrounded the bubble of her mech and the meager light grew dimmer, she briefly wondered how she always managed to get herself into these situations. She could have been a middling officer in the Alliance Navy, served with moderate distinction, managed to survive the Reaper War on a no-name starship – putting aside for the moment the fact that the Reaper War would have been lost had she been a middling officer on a no-name starship – and mustered out to an early retirement.

But noooo. She had to open her mouth, make the shot, save the day – enough times that someone noticed, then another someone, then another. She had to intercept the Beacon, accept the Spectres, chase Saren, kill Sovereign. She had to be singular enough to get resurrected, destroy the Collectors, lead the galaxy to the defeat of the Reapers.

She had to be the one to fall into the dark, icy depths of an ocean on some remote, desolate planet in order to try to talk sense into an ancient being that could control entire populations with a thought.

Well, she mused wryly, at least it hadn't been boring…

She laughed at herself in the suffocating silence…irreverent to the last, was she? The memory of a night, one of countless such nights but singular in meaning and worth, rose in her mind…

She closed her eyes, willing the tears away. This was not a sad moment; this was a celebration of beautiful, wondrous life. "I need you to know that being with you, loving you and having you is the single most important thing I've ever done."

Even now, it was. Kaidan, I –

The ocean floor suddenly rushed up beneath her. She frantically tried to slow her descent, then crashed to the floor with a solid thud. After checking to make sure that critical systems were still functional, she made an effort to shake off the lingering fog of introspection as she hit her comm. "I'm, um, groundside, so to speak. The probe is about sixty meters to my northeast."

There was no response. Further interference as she got closer to their foe, no doubt.

She ignored the dark, oppressive atmosphere surrounding her and trudged forward toward her target. Once she took a moment to look around, it really was beautiful – in a depressing, Edvard Munch kind of way. A few sea creatures flitted across her path, creating bright bubbles that popped and vanished as they floated upward. Plants swayed peacefully in the current, doing what plants did. They didn't care for the machinations of the organics and synthetics around them, she thought; they simply ate, and grew, and swayed.

It was a bit of a surprise when the probe began beeping brightly on both her HUD and in her actual vision. She put aside her communion with all things plant and refocused on the task at hand. Again. The probe was here, but there was nothing else. She moved forward out onto a ledge of sorts, smiling at the brief moment of déja vu to a moment on Rannoch.

Then there was a disturbance in the water. Bubbles. Ripples. She halted the mech and waited.

Before her rose a Reaper. And yet…not. It bore the basic shape of the Sovereign-class Reapers, but it was distinctly organic. It breathed and moved as an organic would. It was not synthetic in any noticeable way. It was –

You are the Anomaly. The Nexus around which events and civilizations revolve.

If you want to put it that way… "I am Systems Alliance Admiral and Citadel Council Spectre Graceyn Shepard, and I am here to tell you that we need not be enemies."

Two more creatures rose up to either side of it.

You are the one that killed our Creation, and its tools.

Well wasn't that interesting…explained why Reapers looked the way they did. "Yes. I killed the Catalyst and destroyed the Reapers. I don't want to have to kill you. This cycle is not a threat to you; we welcome all species, organic and synthetic – "

Your kind will make a most useful subjugated species. Skilled; intelligent; resourceful.

She frowned behind the heavy glass. "I'm sorry…a subjugated species? You'll find that we don't really take too kindly to attempts to subjugate us."

All species submit; all species serve. We were the Apex species of our time; our Creation betrayed us, forced us to retreat – but you have removed that threat and brought an end to The Harvest.

That she had. "That was four years ago – why wait until now to make yourselves known?"

Time moves for us as it does for the galaxy – your 'years' are to us a blink, a thought. We watched, waiting to see the form civilization would take after our Creation had fallen. We see it is much as it was, and know we can now reassume our proper place in the galaxy.

"Huh. And that 'proper place' would be…?"

As rulers, guiders…we have known untold cycles, untold ages; our wisdom was supreme at the beginning, so shall it be for eternity.

She frowned deeply, raising an eyebrow in challenge though she knew they likely could neither see it nor recognize it for what it was. "You do realize that I defeated the thing that defeated you, right? How exactly does that make you superior to me?"

You are the Anomaly, the Nexus. You are unique, and not representative of your species or any other. The appearance of one such as yourself at some point in the eons of time was not unexpected – but you are irrelevant to the larger reality. You will merely make an especially useful servant as we reassert our rightful dominance over the galaxy.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. It really shouldn't have said that. No one would ever own her. "A useful servant…is that so? I thought you weren't 'ready' for me."

Our return is only at a beginning; it is true we intended to gain greater influence before drawing you to us. But it is no matter. You are here, and you are ours.

Her head suddenly slammed back as the Leviathan invaded her mind. Pushing, probing, whispering, encouraging. Serve us. Follow us. Submit to us. It's easy. Comforting. Life will go on as it did before. You will be allowed to live, produce, thrive. All you have to do is submit to those wiser and stronger than yourself.

Do not struggle against the inevitable. If you fight, neither you nor the other lesser beings on the surface will ever leave this place. We do not need you – but we will have you.

But she had been mind-probed more than once before. She concentrated on putting up a wall in her mind and keeping the insistent voice on the other side of it.

She couldn't open her eyes from the sheer force of the mental invasion, but she had been studying the creatures the entire "conversation." They were definitely organic – while their exterior was surely tough and hardy, it was not Reaper skin; it was not synthetic or made of advanced materials. It could be penetrated.

Joker.

In the cockpit of the Normandy, Joker jerked in his chair, looking around in surprise. What the…oh, yeah. That tele-comm device thing EDI had insisted he get implanted while he was on the operating table getting bone weaves that he still couldn't use.

"Wha– Shepard?" He belatedly wondered if he was supposed to think it or speak it…but speaking it seemed to work.

Yes. I need you to get my –

"Is everyone okay? I haven't been able to reach anyone!"

Everyone's fine. They're crashed, but alive and in one piece. Now I'm going to hard-ping this little implant, and I need you to get my location off it.

"Can it do that?"

According to the manufacturer it can. Hell, I'm not even sure how it's getting around the energy canopy, unless its bio-synthetic signals aren't registering somehow – but I'll take it. You ready?

"Yeah. Sure."

She concentrated, sending a…thought, for lack of a better term.

Suddenly her coordinates 'appeared' in his brain; he simply knew them. "Uh…got it…that's just weird as f– you're a kilometer underwater?"

Yes. Listen to me. I need you to bomb the hell out of the location fifty meters to my northwest with the Thanix Cannons and the Javelin torpedoes.

"Oka– wait, no. Shepard, fifty meters isn't exactly a safe distance. You'll be crushed by the shockwave."

She exhaled heavily. Probably. But these arrogant little fuckhead sea monsters had taken out eight colonies in a week and showed no inclination to stop until they subjugated the entire galaxy. So she would do what she always did. Save the day.

I'll be fine. I have emergency thrusters, I'll use them as soon as you fire. I'll get clear of the blast.

She could feel them pushing, probing, whispering, and knew she wouldn't be able to keep them out for much longer.

"But…no…you'll…Shepard, I won't kill you again, dammit!"

She smiled to herself. It was never your fault, Jeff. And you won't kill me this time. I'll get clear, I promise. Now I need you to do this. These creatures are a threat to the galaxy, but we can take them out here and now.

He sagged down in his beloved chair. If only EDI were here, she would tell him the right thing to do… "Are you sure?"

She closed her eyes and sent a silent thought across the galaxy to Kaidan, wherever he was, though she knew there was no way he could get it.

Know that I love you, always.

She willfully forced her eyes open and stared defiantly at the beings before her. Yes. It's the only way. Fire the weapons, Joker. Now.

He sighed heavily, then straightened up in the chair. "Okay. Locked just northwest of your position and…firing. Get out of there, Shepard!"

She hit the emergency thrusters, smiling a bit at the water bubbling furiously as it rushed past her. Then there was a deep boom that penetrated her bones, a heavy push against the mech – and everything went black.

... ... ...

SSV Agincourt: Sigurd's Cradle

Kaidan jolted awake. He'd been having the strangest dream…it had felt as though he were drowning, then Graceyn…he hit his comm. "What's our status?"

"We're about forty minutes out from the Psi Tophet system, sir."

"Thank you. I'll be up in a few." He hadn't even meant to fall asleep. He pushed off the meager covers and headed for the shower, unable and unwilling to shake off the incredible feeling of warmth and love that had followed him from his dream.

Twenty minutes later he commed the Normandy as he headed up to the cockpit. "Joker, it's Kaidan. We're half an hour out from Despoina. What's it look like? Any word from Shepard or the team?"

There was a long pause. When it came over the comm, Joker's voice was shaky and uneven. "Kaidan…I don't…she made me do it…"

The warmth there had been before was shoved aside in favor of a creeping chill. He froze in his tracks halfway up the CIC. "Made you do what?"

"She…she said they were a threat, ordered me to fire…she said she'd get clear! She promised! I don't…I think I killed her…again…"

His vision darkened, narrowing in to the meter in front of him. "What happened?"

There was a moment of silence, then a deep breath. "There was comm interference, like I said – but then she hit me through this tele-comm implant. She was underwater, in a mech, and she said the creatures were a threat to the galaxy, and that I had to bomb them. She said she'd get clear. So I did."

A gulp of air. "And it worked – the comms cleared up, and I reached the rest of the team. But Shepard…she…her locator is still reading, but she's almost 200 meters down and…it's been four hours, Kaidan, and the mech only had air for three."

Kaidan's jaw clenched so tightly it would surely shatter, and he wanted more than anything to smash through the starship's viewports and…and…he tried to focus. "What about the Kodiak? It's rated for underwater – "

"The Kodiak's busted, man. I mean, they got it airborne, it's on the Normandy now, but its frame's busted, it can't dive. I called for an emergency rescue team, but they're still three hours out…"

His vision suddenly cleared as the world snapped into hyper-sharp focus, all hard edges and bright reflections. "I've got a shuttle, but not a shuttle pilot. Is Cortez aboard?"

"Yeah, he's – "

"Can the Kodiak fly at all?"

"Um…" there was muffled chatter "…in-atmosphere, yeah; it can't take the space vacuum though. Kaidan, she – "

"I'll be there in twenty minutes. Send Cortez over in the shuttle. Who else is on board?"

"Uh, EDI, Liara, Palamin, Vega, Keenon– "

"Send Vega, too. Make sure they have her coordinates. I'll take it from there."

"Alright…Kaidan, I'm…I'm sorry. She promised."

"I know, Jeff."

... ... ...

SSV Agincourt: 2181 Despoina

Kaidan exited the elevator as the Normandy's Kodiak settled into the Agincourt's cramped shuttle bay, wind and rain whipping around through the open bay door.

James and Steve stepped out of the shuttle, devastated expressions weighing down their faces; Steve's eyes were laced with streaks of red.

Kaidan glanced over at them as he approached the Agincourt's Kodiak. "Don't look at me like that. Do you have her coordinates?"

Steve nodded tightly. "Sir, the Kodiaks are rated for deep sea dives, but – we can't open the hatch underwater. I don't understand how we're going to – "

Kaidan looked at the young man standing at attention by the shuttle. "Is everything I asked for aboard?"

"Yes, sir. Thermal wraps, oxygen masks, and a full medical kit."

"Thank you, Yeoman. Dismissed."

He hurried over to the equipment locker and grabbed a harness, pulling it around his back and fastening the latches over his chest. "That's why you're going to drag me down there."

He finished securing the harness and dug around in the locker for the small air backpack and mask all ships carried and almost never used. "I get her out of the mech and you tow us both back to the surface. She's been in the pressurized mech, so the Bends shouldn't be a problem."

"Not for her, but what about you?"

"Get me there and back fast enough, and I'll be fine." He tested out the mask then draped it around his neck, securing the pack to his back and the supplemental emergency mask to his hip.

James sighed heavily, looking around the shuttle bay, his voice heavy and defeated. "What's my job here?"

Kaidan's eyes met James' as he strode quickly past…James had never seen anything like them before. Flashing, tiny pupils were surrounded entirely by bright, hard, glowing blue. There was no swirling, no hint of brown within; it was as if the biotic energy had taken up permanent residence in his irises. Yet the man was not otherwise flaring, had no hint of biotics around him. The otherworldly sight chilled James to the bone.

"You're going to pull us back into the shuttle once we're on the surface." Kaidan climbed onto the back of the shuttle and hooked a line to the wench and the other end to his harness. He pulled the mask up over his mouth and grabbed ahold of the shuttle frame.

"Let's go. Now."

They nodded and hurried into the shuttle cockpit.

Kaidan gasped as the shuttle hit the water and dove. Jesus, it was cold. He reminded himself to breathe, slow and even.

There were strange clumps of…flesh, bone and a hard chitinous material…floating in the water, some as large as several meters in diameter; the water had a rust hue to it. She had indeed blown something to hell and back, that much was clear. God, if she was gone, if she hadn't known – Stop. Don't think. Just save her.

The shuttle was fast, and he quickly caught sight of the large brown mech smashed against a rocky outcropping. Coral and fronds swayed around it peacefully; a greenish-yellow plant flitted across the glass hatch.

He let go of the shuttle frame as it slowed and dove toward her, suddenly incredibly thankful for having grown up in Vancouver, if only because it meant he had learned to swim at a young age. He propelled himself down, cursing the heavy boots that slowed him. Then he was at the mech, pushing away the plants covering the glass and peering inside.

There must be a tiny crack in the frame; water had filled three-quarters of the mech and was lapping at her chin. Another few minutes and she would drown. Her eyes were closed, chin dropped against her chest. Blood trickled down her left temple and cheek from her hairline; a thin line of blood had crusted beneath her nostrils.

He briefly froze in panic at the sight. Was she breathing? Was she – the water at her chin rippled just slightly away from her, opposite the flow. She had exhaled. He could only figure that, being unconscious, her breathing had been shallow enough to extend the air supply – but it didn't matter how. She had exhaled.

He pushed himself down the body of the mech to the release latch, unfastened the emergency mask from his hip, and moved to the side. Then in one fluid motion he flipped the latch, lifted the frame up as water flooded in, and swung around, shoving the mask onto her face.

Still, it wasn't quite fast enough; water had filled the mech completely, and she breathed in a little. Frantically he pumped the water behind the mask out then turned on the air flow. He could see water dribble out from her lips; her body jerked in the mech's harness as air fought with water in her lungs. He quickly unfastened the harness and grabbed ahold of her as she fell lifelessly into his arms.

Choking back a cry, he circled his arms around her waist then quickly signaled on his Omni-tool.

GO

The line went taut and they were pulled upward and back. He held her tight against him as they were dragged up through the dark, silent, icy water, his tears disappearing into the sea as they fell.

Then suddenly the line slackened as the shuttle breached the surface. He let go with his left arm, squeezing her tighter against him with his right as he propelled them up. The oppressive silence of the ocean vanished, replaced by howling wind and biting rain as they were thrashed about in the waves. He rolled onto his back and stroked backward toward the shuttle as its hatch opened.

James was lying on his stomach, muscled arms reaching out. He worked to keep her head above the choppy waters and slipped her air mask off, then lifted her up. James grasped her shoulders then slid his hands under her arms; Kaidan let her go. A moment later James' arm was again extended; he took it, grabbing the floor of the shuttle with the other and hauling himself up.

He was crouched beside her before the hatch had closed, reaching out with one hand to take the thermal wrap from James. God, she was freezing… Her skin was ghost-white and clammy, her lips blue, her hair tangled and plastered to her face.

He shifted her onto her side to spread the wrap underneath her then draped it over her chest and legs. He checked to make sure she was still breathing – if only just barely – then secured the medical mask over her mouth and turned on the oxygen flow. Only then did he pull off his own mask, tossing it haphazardly over his back.

He carefully pulled her up by the shoulders into his arms, making sure the thermal wrap stayed securely around her. He cradled her gently, rocking her slowly against his chest. The driven, single-minded force that had propelled him forward for the last hour collapsed now that he had done all he could to save her – and what remained behind was blind desperation.

"Come on, baby…come back to me…"

Steve glanced over his shoulder at them; James' gaze met his, his head shaking slowly. Steve swallowed hard. "We'll be on the Normandy in two minutes, sir. A medical team is standing by."

He didn't respond, everything he was focused on the woman lying limply in his arms. He reached up and gently brushed away the wet strands of hair clinging to her forehead even as water dripped from his soaked hair and fell to her cheek.

"Please…"

Her eyelids fluttered.

He sucked in a breath as she blinked, then blinked again. Slowly her eyes opened, blurry and unfocused. After a moment they rose to meet his, and immediately widened. He smiled tenderly, tears brimming in eyes that were once again golden-brown as soft swirls of blue faded away.

"Hey, baby."

In a surge of movement, her arms rose and encircled his neck as she leaned up and pulled him against her. Her voice was muffled through the mask, teeth chattering uncontrollably. "Y-y-ou c-came for-r m-me…"

He squeezed his eyes shut as relief flooded his veins, coursing through him like heroin. "I'll always come for you."

She drew back slightly as she fumbled with the mask; he tried to stop her. "No, you should – " She pushed it over her head and let it drop it to the floor as she fell shivering against him, burying her face in his neck; his arms tightened around her.

"I'm-m s-s-sor-ry…"

He huffed a breath against her hair, at once desperate and joyous. "You don't have anything to be sorry for – you were right about everything."

"N-not-t wor– " A fit of wet, gurgled coughing overtook her, her body wracking against his chest.

"It's okay, don't try to talk – " He grabbed the mask off the floor and tried to place it back against her mouth, but she pushed it away, sucking in deep breaths until the coughs subsided. Then she was back in his arms, her cold, wet forehead pressed against his.

"N-not wor-rth it if I l-lose y-you…"

He kissed her forehead softly then pulled her closer, suddenly realizing he was shivering, too. His voice was a ragged whisper against her cheek. "You haven't lost me. You haven't lost me."


Presidium, The Citadel: Widow System, Serpent Nebula

The Situation Room was full, bordering on crowded. Admirals Johnson and Zhou from the Systems Alliance Admiralty Board; Matriarchs Lidanya, Neliptis and Calon from Asari High Command; and Generals Corinthus and Mehrkuri from the Turian Hierarchy all stood near the front of the room, terminals within easy reach if needed.

The Council members stood along the right wall, holo-screens hovering unattached in the air at their fingertips. Numerous aides flitted about the room. Liara leaned casually against the wall, chatting quietly with the Asari Councilor.

A wall of displays dominated the front wall. They showed images of thirteen planets, varied in color, terrain and size. They shared only the prevalence of oceans in their topography – and the presence of the remaining Leviathan creatures, as tracked by EDI from Despoina a mere four days earlier.

Faced with more colonies dropping off the map with each passing day, the militaries of the affected species had moved with shocking speed – planning, organizing and mobilizing a multi-lateral force and coordinated strike plan in record time.

Shepard stood next to Anderson. She peeked over at the rapidly-updating information on his holo-screen. "When can I get one of those?" she asked enviously, gesturing at the dynamic free-floating display.

"Tomorrow, I imagine, if you want one." He chuckled lightly as he glanced over at her.

She wore a form-fitting black nanofiber fleece pullover, the sleeves stretched low over her wrists, the neck tapering off just below her earlobes. A tiny "N7" emblem adorned the neckline. Matching black pants hugged her legs, complimenting her curves though that wasn't their primary purpose.

She was still cold nearly all the time, even in the warmest of rooms; it was as if the icy, dark waters had seeped into her bones. But not quite so cold, she thought, a smile pulling at her lips, as Kaidan's hand grasped hers and his warmth slowly spread to her.

He stood just behind and to the side of her, his right shoulder lightly touching her left. He wore only dark blue BDUs, though they were crisp enough to pass for a dress uniform.

She looked over her shoulder, sharing her smile with him. He leaned in and was about to whisper something in her ear when Admiral Zhou stepped forward, clearing his throat.

"The remaining Cruisers have reported in; they are in position. If everyone is ready…" A series of nods rippled across the room. He hit his comm. "Operation Exorcism is a go. I repeat, Operation Exorcism is a go. All ships, open fire."

The display wall lit up in light and motion. Missiles and lasers shot across the screens and into the watery depths of more than a dozen planets.

In some cases, plumes of water shot back up into the sky from the resulting explosions; in other cases the targets were so deep as for the recoil to remain hidden beneath the seas. Chatter from comms filled the room as action reports were relayed in real-time.

"Confirmed hits on Arvuna…Nevos…Trident…miss on Proteus, recalibrating…hits on Altakiril, Oma Ker…retaliatory missiles launched from Watson and Hyetiana – successfully evaded…miss on Asteria, recalibrating…hits on Watson, Lesuss, Trategos, Bekenstein…hit on Hyetiana, hit on Proteus…hits on Cyone and Asteria."

The Council comm officer listened for another moment then looked up from his terminal. "Reporting one hundred percent confirmed kills. That's all of them, sirs."

A chorus of applause and cheers erupted, along with smiles, handshakes, and a few high-fives. Anderson patted Shepard on the back. "Thank you, Shepard. We're all in your debt." Then he stepped forward into the crowd to shake Admirals Johnson's and Zhou's hands. "Nice work, all of you."

Kaidan's arms circled around her waist; he pulled her back close against him, not giving a damn who saw them. "You did it again, Graceyn," he whispered in her ear before kissing it tenderly.

She glanced at the wall displays a last time, then turned around to face him, a soft smile on her face as her fingers threaded through his.

"Let's go home."


Author's Note: I'm not going to mark "Tales" as complete, because there are more tales to be told...but I will now be concentrating most of my attention on "Beyond": (fanfiction dot net)/s/8750955/1/