Chapter 10- A Fragile Peace and a Stubborn Enemy
The elevator of the Normandy stopped at the crew deck, the door opening and showing the wall listing those who had served on the Normandy SR1 and SR2 who had been killed in action. It was the first thing that any individual saw when they first arrived to the deck. However, for Tali, the wall was a curious thing for her. She knew it was meant to honor those that had been lost, but she thought it odd that it was the first sight any crew member saw, and she wondered the reason for it, whether it was to remind them of those who had given their lives to the fight against the Reapers, or if it was for some other human-specific reason. She was still trying to understand how human cultures worked in honoring their deceased, since it still was perplexing to her at times, just as how she was sure that other races had trouble understanding quarian cultures.
Even so, Tali still couldn't help but, as macabre as it sounded, admire the memorial wall and the names on it. Some she still remembered from the mission chasing Saren almost three years ago, like Navigator Charles Pressley and Kaiden Alenko. They were the most recognizable from the first Normandy, though some of the other names were also familiar, like Silas Crosby, Abishek Pakti, and Talitha Draven, all of whom she got to know while helping Shepard fight Saren. Also, as she sadly noted as well, there were also the names of those who fought with Shepard against the Collectors who had recently perished; Mordin Solus, Thane Krios…Legion. She still remembered each of the three, and she couldn't help but feel a bit of guilt knowing she was still alive when they weren't. Each of them gallantly sacrificed themselves helping Shepard, and they were each, in their own way, wonderful companions to be with and fight alongside.
She sighed quietly as she couldn't help but think about the mission that was now coming. The feel of the attitude of the whole crew on board was one of almost dread. It wasn't just that there was the foreboding upcoming battle with the Reapers, but also the knowledge that this was it. This battle was going to decide whether or not the cycle was going to continue. She was there with Shepard when he "spoke" with Sovereign on Virmire and heard it talk about the continuing cycles of extinction that the Reapers did. It bothered her, like it did for everyone else; that the whole galaxy was on the verge of extinction, depending on how this final battle on Earth turned out, and she needed to talk to someone. There was someone that Tali wanted to talk to, and it wasn't Shepard. There was only one that was on her mind at that moment.
Tali slowly walked through the crew deck, down the long hallway that had the sleeper pods, walking to the main battery room at the end, facing the bow of the ship. She had noticed the other crew members walking around, and they all had the same look on their faces that she felt inside. Even though there was hope, with all the galaxy's fleets united together, there was still a sense of foreboding, a sense of pending doom. It made her more eager to talk to…She walked to the door leading to the room and pressed on the panel. After a long moment of processing, the door opened, and as she expected, she saw him. Garrus was hunched over the main console controlling the main gun, going through what was surely some last-minute touch-ups, or "calibrations", as he always called them; a term that made everyone that knew him shake their heads in exasperation at how many times he used that word.
Even the sound of the door opening didn't get his attention. She paused for a long minute, just watching him. Tali didn't understand why she was now feeling this way about him; how Garrus now meant to her. They had always been good friends ever since they had met. Sure, they had always teased and played around with one another, trading verbal jabs, but now…it was different for her. It was then that Vakarian realized that whoever had entered the room hadn't approached him at all. He then turned and gave what he could for a look of surprise, seeing the quarian standing there, just inside the door.
"Tali? What are you doing here?"
It was then that she walked into the room more, her arms wrapped slightly around her waist as she tried to casually observe the main battery room, having never really been inside it before. She looked around, seeing the few different consoles inside, as well as the giant Thanix cannon, fully retracted, set right in front of her and Garrus. She then looked at him and spoke, in a voice that hinted at worry, "Garrus…do you really think we can beat the Reapers?"
He looked back at her, crossing his own arms as he pondered her words briefly, then he nodded, "I know it seems like the odds are not in our favor, Tali, but…I just feel like…that we CAN do this. With the Crucible completed, on our way to the Catalyst…" His tone was optimistic as he nodded again, "And with Shepard leading the charge, I just know we will get this done, somehow."
"I'm glad you think so," Tali replied, then sighed, as she walked to him slowly, her head lowered some. "I don't know…I just feel like that…" She then looked at Garrus, "I see the whole galaxy united in fighting the Reapers, my own people included, and yet…if somehow this battle does not end the way we hope it will; my people…there are already so few quarians right now, and there are going to be even less after this, whether we beat the Reapers or not…" She sighed again lightly, looking away, one hand resting on the mask of her helmet, the words she had been trying to say now becoming jumbled in her mind. She had more of what she really wanted to say, but somehow, her nerve to say them was becoming lost.
Garrus walked to her, standing by her side, "Tali, it's okay. If there is something you need to say to me, just say it. I'm the only one here." He was not even sure why she was here talking to him about this anyways, in person as well. Almost all the conversations they've had since Tali returned to the Normandy were over consoles on the ship, with him in the main battery room, her in the engine room. He could understand if she wanted to speak to him in person one last time before the final big push against the Reapers, but what she wanted to talk about was unknown to him.
She then turned to him, looking up to him, "Garrus, I…I don't know why I feel like this, but…I feel so alone, even around my people, even here on the Normandy. I keep feeling lonely, especially when…when I'm not around, well…" She put her hand on his arm, even before she realized it. She balked, looking down at her hand, Garrus doing the same. Tali quickly pulled her hand away, and even though he couldn't see it, she blushed and found herself stuttering even more, "I-I'm sorry, that…that was…"
Garrus just looked at her, then looked back to his arm where her hand was. Even though his expression didn't show it, he felt something when she touched it, like something gave him, especially his heart, a sudden subtle jolt; something he had never felt before, and he wasn't sure of how to react to it because of that. He looked back at her, then put his hands on her forearms, which caused her to look back at him, her glowing eyes looking through her helmet to look at him as Garrus said what he now knew he needed to say, "Tali, I understand what you want to say, and…I don't know why, but, I've been thinking, about all the things we did together while helping Shepard." He paused again, thinking over what he was going to say. He took a long exhale, knowing that he had to say it, with the circumstances being as they are. "Every time Shepard brought you along on a mission, I wanted to come with you. When we were chasing Saren, it was because I was worried about you getting killed because you were so young, and you were on your…Pilgrimage. I was worried that you weren't ready for real combat, and I felt…obligated, on myself, to help you, to keep you safe."
He saw her tilt her head, as if to contemplate his words. He could tell she was about to respond to what he had just said, to tell him that she was capable of defending herself; but he quickly spoke again, to make sure he got out everything he had to say to her right then. "And then, when we were fighting the Collectors, being there when you found your…your father...and since then…" His hands gently pulled on her forearms, bringing her closer as he looked to her eyes, "Tali, you matter to me. I don't know why I feel like this about you, but I know I do. You matter to me, and I can't have anything happen to you because of that. I care about you too much."
Tali felt her breath catch as she heard his words, and her heart started to beat faster as she realized how much Garrus felt about her. She felt tears start to build in her eyes and her voice nearly breaking as she was finally able to respond to him, spurred on by what he had just said to her, "Garrus, you've always been there for me. Though I didn't care much for you early on, you…you are someone very special to me now. I don't know how this will end, with the Reapers, but…if we both survive…I want to spend more time with you."
He smiled and put his arms around her, suddenly feeling his heart at ease as he embraced her, gently lowering his head so his forehead rested against her head. He felt himself ease even more as he felt Tali's arms rest on his torso, her hands on his shoulders, making the embrace that much closer, that more intimate. Tali felt the same way. Hearing his words and saying hers; she felt better for saying it, and she was glad to have. She now knew that there was something growing between her and Garrus; something more personal and romantic.
Suddenly, the door opened, and Tali's eyes widened as she saw Shepard walk in out of the corner of her eye. "Oh!" was all she could say as she felt Garrus' arms release her, her own following suit as they both quickly turned to Shepard, who just stood there with a slight grin on his face as Tali and Garrus tried to explain what he may have just seen…
Present
Tali couldn't help but smile and giggle lightly at the recall of that moment she and Garrus had in the Main Battery room that day. It was humorous to think about it now, but it also was something that Tali had been unable to rid herself of. She remembered when she embarrassingly tried to pass off what was happening between them, when she told him it was "just a fling," and how he gave her a look on that before saying, "you're so mean…", with a tone that told her that he was calling her a tease, which, she had to admit, made her blush in recollection.
"Something funny, Tali?" Garrus' voice broke her thoughts and she remembered where she was now, sitting at Apollo's Café in the Presidium Commons. Amazingly, it sustained little damage compared to the rest of the Citadel when the Crucible fired, and already a couple of the businesses there were up and running again, the café included, even though it's current menu was limited with food still being rationed, even more so with dextro-amino food for turians and quarians, and it was worse in the rest of the wards, with repairs still going on every day.
It seemed that every day, though, was now becoming an improvement as more and more refugee ships were returning to the Citadel, which also put Tali at ease, since many of them were quarian liveships, not really in need of use since the retaking of Rannoch, though many were still planned to be used as troop transports and more.
She then quickly rethought what Garrus asked her and nodded, "Yes, I was just thinking about our…our talk in the main battery room. You know, when Shepard walked in us…"
Garrus chuckled softly and nodded, resting his elbows on the table they were sitting at, his hands lifted and clasped in front of him as he nodded, "Yeah, that was…quite the embarrassment, wasn't it?" He glanced away then, his mandibles giving a twitch of thought before he slowly turned his head back to her, "Tali, I had been thinking about that talk as well, and also…about us."
This caused Tali's heart to unexpectedly skip a beat as she looked at him, her words barely able to come out, as she suddenly felt herself getting warm, yet her throat seemed to start to dry at the same time, wondering what he was going to say. While she was sure what he was going to say was something positive, she still had a knot in her stomach that said something different could happen. "Wh-what about us, Garrus?"
As for Garrus, as confident as he sounded, his own nerves were trying to slow him down as well. He already knew in his heart what he wanted to say, but he was hesitant to say it. He took a quiet deep breath as he tried to settle himself, then, throwing his doubts of how she would react aside, he looked to her eyes glowing through her helmet and then to her hands, reaching his hands down to take hers into his, "Tali, when we talked that day, just before our final battle with the Reapers. I…I was honest about everything I said that day, about you. You are the most important person in my life right now."
Tali's own heart started to race again and she felt her emotions start to overflow inside her as she looked at his hands holding hers and she looked back up to him, her own voice starting to crack some as she felt her heart take over her inner control as she replied to him, "Garrus, I was honest too, about you. I…I can't hide this anymore, how I feel about you. The times we've spent together, even just a while ago, when we shared that moment watching the sunrise, with the turian chocolate…" She lowered her head briefly, pausing as she briefly hesitated, wondering if she should say it… then shook her head and looked back up to him, "I can't hold my feelings about you in anymore, Garrus. I…I've fallen in love with you."
It all came out of her even before she was aware of it, but she was glad that she said it before she realized it. She had said what her heart wanted to say and that was good enough for her. She saw Garrus pause, his mandibles giving another twitch as he pondered her words, then held her hands a bit more strongly as he looked back to her, "I feel the same way, Tali." It was a simple sentence, but it made her almost melt as she looked into his eyes, and even though he couldn't see it, her smile felt to her like it could almost glow through her helmet as well.
A long pause passed between them before Tali finally broke the silence with a slightly teasing edge to her voice, "So, I'm guessing it's now official between us, then?"
He chuckled and nodded, "Yeah, I'm definitely sure of it," hearing her give a giggle of her own in reply. He was glad the initial tension and nervousness of opening their hearts to one another was now over with and they could now resume with being a couple, which was what both of them had personally hoped for. Now, he could enjoy spending time with her and enjoying everything together. "So, what should we talk about now?"
She smiled, seeing a waiter for the café approaching them, and feeling his hands let go of hers, to be polite, though she still leaned in to him slightly, "Well, I understand you were back on Palavan and you were able to see your family again. How are they?"
On Earth
Jack walked through the main refugee camp, looking around through the now almost stifling group of people that were now populating the outskirts of London. There continued to be a massive influx of refugees returning to Earth, and London was becoming a major entrance port for them, so much so, that it was now virtually impossible to maintain a camp there anymore. Fortunately, the Alliance was already having engineering teams working on building suitable infrastructures and buildings not only in London, but already in the other major cities where refugee camps were.
That was the last thing on Jack's mind, though, as she walked through the camp, which now had structures replacing tents, as she kept looking through the many faces walking and mingling in the camp, none of whom were familiar to her. It was unsettling for her, being among so many. For most of her life, Jack had never been around huge crowds. Sure, she had been in big groups, like the pirate ships and cults she had been a part of, the crew on the Normandy against the Collectors…She refused to, though, even think of Pragia. She was glad that there was nothing but a crater left of where her entire childhood was, just the way she had wanted it. It still scarred her, but she was thankful that those years were pretty much behind her, thanks to Shepard and the students at the Grissom Academy. She still had a long way to go from being the person she has been, always being an angry, "all-powerful bitch", to now being a dependable, responsible adult; it was still a process for Jack, but she, in her own blunt honestly, was improving. At least, better then she had been even a month prior. It was still a work in progress.
She noticed a figure standing in the communications building, and she quickly turned to the individual, walking through the crowd to enter the building, and then stopped next to the person that caught her eye, who was watching a small video screen that was playing what Jack saw was a news broadcast. As she stopped next to the person watching, she heard the broadcast.
"…While the reason for the quick change of heart for the Council was not detailed, it has been confirmed that the krogan and quarian races have received approval for reinstated embassies on the Citadel. The Council plans to make it official by the end of the week with a public ceremony. And now, for the latest coming from the Sol System, here's Alliance News Network correspondent, Diana Allers."
Jack saw the image shift from the male reporter to the woman that Jack had recognized as having broadcasted from the Normandy during the war. She crossed her arms as she continued to watch, hearing Allers' report.
"This is Diana Allers, reporting from the Alliance Naval Medical Center on Mars in the Sol System. The Alliance has officially closed its investigation into the deaths of Alliance Admiral David Anderson and the mysterious leader of the pro-human organization Cerberus, known only as the Illusive Man. The official report states that Anderson, already mortally wounded, faced down the Illusive Man on the Citadel in a stand-off that resulted in Anderson shooting the Illusive Man dead. It's believed that Admiral Anderson faced off against the Ceberus leader to provide a distraction for Commander Shepard to activate a top-secret weapon on the Citadel that Admiral Steven Hackett only described as being called Project Crucible, a super-weapon that was designed specifically to defeat the Reapers.
As for Commander Shepard himself, the Alliance refused to go into details of his whereabouts, only that the human Spectre who is now considered by many the 'savior of the galaxy' is alive and well. Said Admiral Hackett, 'Shepard is alive. That news, by itself, should be all the galaxy needs to know.'
As for Admiral Anderson, the Alliance is releasing his body to his next of kin for burial by the end of the week…"
The person standing next to Jack gave a quiet sigh, which caused her to turn her head, seeing the woman standing there, in full Alliance dress uniform, and while her face was stoic, her eyes showed hurt and loss. Jack lowered her eyes briefly, then looked back to the woman before speaking, "You okay?"
Kaylee Sanders, her arms wrapped around herself with her hands resting at her elbows, bit her lip briefly and blinked a couple times before turning to Jack with a light smile, "As much as I can be, Jack. I'm fine." Jack gave light scoff, giving a slight smirk.
"That's bullshit, Kaylee." She turned serious then, looking hard at the woman she considered her boss, "I read people well enough, and I can tell that Admiral Anderson's death's bugging you. What's up?"
Sanders frowned, her eyes lowering as she raised her left hand to rub lightly against her brow, "Well, Anderson…we…we were…close…very close. We were going to live together, in our own little house somewhere, here on Earth, once this war was over."
"Damn…that's rough." The words came out of Jack before she realized it and she found herself wincing inwardly once she realized what she had said, "Uh, sorry, Kay…I-I meant that…"
To her relief, Kaylee just nodded with a sad smile, "It's okay, Jack. I know what you meant to say." She looked over at the younger woman, keeping her smile as much as she could, even though she felt her heart hurting about Anderson, "It's still hard. I feel like I shouldn't hurt this much about it, since I always knew it was likely he wasn't going to survive it all, but…"
Jack nodded with a light sigh, "Yeah, it still hurts, I bet." Sanders could only nod, lowering her eyes again as she bit her lip lightly. Jack's look on her face softened lightly, seeing how the other woman was still hurting. She pondered for a moment, raising her right arm briefly, then starting to lower, then gave an irritated sigh before finally steeling her nerve and putting her arm around Kaylee's shoulders, though still awkwardly since she was never used to being like this. Kaylee looked in curiosity at the arm, then back to the young biotic before smiling again.
"Well thanks, Jack. Never expected that from you."
A smirk was returned by Jack as she narrowed her eyes slightly, though it was meant to be playful, "Just don't expect it coming from me all the time. Can't be too much of a softy, you know."
"I think being soft would do you good." Kaylee kept the smile, glad to have the company at the moment. She took a deep breath then spoke in a more professional tone, "But I'm guessing you weren't here to lend a reluctant arm on my shoulder, Jack. What did you want?"
Jack took her arm around Sanders' shoulder, almost too quickly, as showing affection was still something she wasn't used to. She started to open her mouth to respond, then…
BOOM!
A loud blast came from behind the two of them, rattling the makeshift com building they were in and causing the women to duck instinctively. They both turned fast enough to see the fireball rise up from the now panicking crowd at a distance of just under a quarter mile, then turn into smoke as the cloud continued to rise. The blast caused their ears to ring for a long moment before slowly clearing, now mixed with the sounds of screams and shouts.
Both Jack and Sanders ran outside, just in time to suddenly see a shuttle buzz above them, barely fifty feet above. Jack narrowed her eyes at the shuttle as it suddenly flew up into the clouds above London, almost too fast for normal. "Oh, that better not be…" She quickly turned back to the spot of the explosion and ran for it, shoving people aside and shouting for them to get out of the way as she ran closer to where one of the main landing pads of the refugee camp was, Sanders trying to keep up.
The closer they got, the more both women could see that the pad was indeed the site of the explosion. There was debris scattered about in varying sizes, as well as, much to the semi-disgust of the two, parts of what were arms and legs of other people. There were dozens of wounded around the smoldering and burning landing pad, with Alliance and also civilian medical personnel already tending to them, along with others staggering around, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
Jack noticed one of them, recognizing him as a part of the landing pad crew that she had talked to just a couple hours before, and ran to him, grabbing him by his uniform. The man was still in a daze as he muttered, "It…how did that happen? What…what the hell did-?" Jack, in a profound contrast to her caring actions with Kaylee just before, gave the man two firm slaps on the cheek, trying to get him back into focus.
"Hey, get a grip on yourself! What the hell happened?"
The Alliance guard shook his head and blinked several times, seeming to notice Jack only right then, shook his head one more time to clear the cobwebs in his head and was able to reply, "I…The shuttle, it was…it took off…we…we tried to tell the pilot he didn't have clearance…then…just…just a large fireball and an explosion…"
Jack balked, her eyes widening as she grabbed the guard more firmly by his uniform, trying to keep his focus up, "Did that shuttle have the biotic students on there?" She had been told, apparently by Alliance brass, to take them to one of the cruisers orbiting Earth, to arrange for them to be placed somewhere where they could wait for word on their families. Jack had been wary about the order, since it was unconventional and didn't make sense in her mind. She told her students to wait by the shuttle and not do anything else until she went to Kaylee and asked for her opinion on it.
The guard blinked again and thought for a moment, then his eyes widened, "I…I think I saw someone tell them to board the shuttle…"
This caused Jack to let out a shout of anger, somewhat rudely shoving the guard away as she turned back to the direction of where the shuttle she saw fly away just minutes before, seething with broiling anger as she clenched her fists, exhaling hard through her clenched teeth as she narrowed her eyes. Kaylee could see the fury building in Jack, even worse than she had ever seen it coming from the younger woman. She slowly stepped next to Jack, her face now showing the concern.
"Jack? Are…are you…?"
Jack continued to breathe heavily in smoldering rage, her eyes showing equal fire of anger as she continued to glare at where the shuttle had flown off. She stayed that way for a long minute before finally speaking, in a dark tone that she had not spoken in since…since she had confronted Miranda Lawson in her cabin on the Normandy after the mission on Pragia. "Kaylee…There's nobody else that would want my kids. I know it…"
30 minutes later
Ashley Williams hurried as quickly as she could to the comm room of the Normandy, having just gotten notice from Specialist Traynor that Admiral Hackett needed to speak to her, a very urgent message. She had practically ran from where she had been on the Citadel, in the secondary landing docks where the refugee camps had been during the war, waiting for word from her family, when she got the notice. She had contacted the rest of the crew, telling them to stand by for possible deployment as she went to the vid-com, answering the pending call, "Admiral?"
Hackett's image appeared as he answered, "Williams. I'm glad I was able to reach you. We got a growing problem, and it had just gotten much worse half an hour ago."
Ashley's look darkened as she looked back at the admiral, "What is it, sir?"
"The main refugee camp in London just got bombed at one of the landing pads. We don't know the extent of the damage, but the bombing is menial compared to what also happened at the same moment." Hackett paused, seeing Ashley's face tilt some in confusion, clearing wondering what could be more important than a bombing of a refugee camp, "A shuttle took off without clearance just as the bomb went off. We know now that the shuttle had the biotic students evacuated from the Grissom Academy. We have reason to believe the bombing was a lethal distraction for the shuttle to take off and kidnap the students."
The news caused Ashley to give a look of shock as she took in what she had been told. It bothered her that the camp that she had overseen just days before had been attacked. She felt it hit her personally, since she had worked so hard on making that camp thrive, and to hear it had been it. She still felt some responsibility, even though she had been relieved of duty there. She had to quickly brush it aside mentally, since the news of the students being kidnapped took precedent. "But who would kidnap those students, Admiral? And how the hell could they have been able to get through security to flying an Alliance shuttle off Earth?"
"How, I don't know, Lt. Commander. But, we're pretty sure we know who did it." Admiral Hackett paused, then spoke in a darker tone of his own, "We think that it was Cerberus who was responsible."
Ashley froze at that, her eyes widening, not expecting to hear that name ever mentioned again, "Cerberus?! But…Admiral, you had me help one of your Special Ops team clear out their last stronghold!" She cringed again at the thought, remembering meeting and having a frank discussion with Miranda afterwards. She still felt the bitterness of that, and she was still finding herself trying to deal with it, much to her own frustration. She willed herself to quickly put that aside as well as Hackett replied to her.
"You did, Lt. Commander, but we had been getting reports the last couple days of more and more Cerberus resistance. They're still in the ballgame, Williams, though we don't know how they're doing it, not yet anyways. But this is starting to get serious now. This attack was an intentional double-edged sword; to attack us where it would really hurt, plus take some of the best of humanity's future hostage."
A loud, annoyed sigh was all that Ashley could give at the moment as she put her hand up to her brow, her forefinger and thumb rubbing firmly from the bridge of her nose to her eyelids, trying to calm herself down as much as she can. It wasn't that she was mad that her "shore leave" was going to be shortened as it was because Cerberus was the one responsible. Ever since she first heard about them during the hunt for Saren, seeing what they did with Thorian creepers and rachni, as well as Admiral Kohoku, she had a personal hatred towards them, only second to the Reapers.
There was always something about them that made her feel a deep anger for them. She wasn't sure why, but every time she encountered either them or something that involved them, Cerberus always got her more and more irate about them. And now, this seemed to be the tipping point to her.
She took a deep breath, her inner anger still smoldering hard and exhaled loudly, her arms becoming tightly crossed as she had her head still lowered, her eyes looking up to Hackett through some of her hair that had partially fallen over her face, "Admiral…do you know where that shuttle went?" Her tone was now one that was dark, almost cold, since she now knew that Hackett wanted her to find those kidnapped students.
Hackett looked back at Ashley, his own eyes narrowing briefly, "Williams, is there something about you and Cerberus that we should talk about?"
In truth, Ashley did want to talk to someone, anyone, about all that was tearing her apart inside. Cerberus, her family's whereabouts, the slow recovery, Earth's status…Shepard and Miranda; it was all straining her inner resolve to the point where she could feel herself starting to break down, to let out an emotional outburst. But, she had to put that on the backburner for now as she raised her head back to Hackett, "Maybe another time, Admiral, but what about that shuttle?"
After a pause, almost in skepticism, Hackett raised his left arm, activating his omni-tool, "We have a track on it, though it's weak. All Alliance shuttles carry a secondary transponder, one that allows us to track it down even if it loses power. However, the signal, while present, is still weak."
"That should be no problem, Admiral. We'll track down that shuttle, and we'll get those students back." While she was talking, Ashley was already typing on her omni-tool, sending a message for the entire crew to report right away back to the Normandy. Hackett nodded back to her.
"I know you will, Lt. Commander. I have faith in you. Also, just so you know, since the Council has been bothered by our presence in the Terminus System when we were trying to eliminate Cerberus, they're asking the Alliance to back off. However, you should be able to go in there…"
She immediately understood what he was implying and nodded, "I got it, Admiral. Spectre authority." It still was hard for her to take it all in; that she was a Council Spectre, which meant she would be able to go places and do things that most others couldn't, having to answer only to the Council. It wasn't something she could easily get used to, since she was always true towards the Alliance and her family morals, which clashed somewhat with what Spectres were able to do. It made Ashley wonder just how far she would go to accomplish a mission, if she was willing to push boundaries to their limits and even more…
2 hours later
Ashley Williams had her arms crossed as she stood in the war room, the 3-dimensional model of the Cerberus facility in front of her. It was the same facility that the Normandy was now slowly orbiting, just outside of their visual range, and with stealth systems engaged, the facility's sensors had no track of them. Admiral Hackett had been able to give them the ID number of the shuttle with the kidnapped biotic students, and with Traynor able to get a solid lock, the Normandy was able to easily shadow it to the facility.
Joining her was James and Traynor as Ashley stared at the model, examining the outline of it before finally speaking, "So, what do we know about this facility, Traynor?"
Samantha was almost feverishly working the console, uploading the rest of the facility's schematics so an accurate model was presented. She paused before finishing her work, then speaking, "From what intel we have, this facility is a former Cerberus rest depot. Designed to house, refuel, and provision small Cerberus vessels, like shuttles and fighters, and their crews." She typed on the console some more, causing the model to get larger, zooming in to the facility and then highlighting two rectangular shapes, one on each side of the facility, one slightly bigger than the other. "There are two separate shuttle bays, one main, the other is secondary. Based on the transponder signal, the shuttle we were tracking went into the main shuttle bay."
James had his own arms crossed as he shook his head slightly, "So, what's the purpose of going to this facility, anyway? Why are the students being taken here?"
Ashley pondered this herself, putting her right hand, which was in a fist, against her chin as she briefly thought it over, then looked back up, her eyes widening some, "They're transferring them. Put them on a Cerberus shuttle, so the Alliance can't track them."
Vega nodded, "So, it's a race to the main shuttle bay, then. When did they land there?"
"About 5 minutes ago. They may still be in the main bay, but not for long. We need to secure both shuttle bays and secure the students."
James gave another nod, then gave a grim smirk, "But I'm guessing Cerberus won't be letting us barge into the front door, huh?"
A sigh and shake of her head was Ashley's reply and she turned back to Traynor, "Alternatives?"
Having heard the conversation and was already trying to find a secondary option, the specialist quickly brought up a different part of the facility, "This is a maintenance shaft, you can be able to access the facility through there. It leads to a hallway between both shuttle bays." She then shifted the model to where the entrance was, then brought up several objects around the station, which almost looked like cones stuck in the facility, "These are the viewing ranges of the windows on the facility. The Normandy's shuttle's just big enough to get you both to the opening of the shaft without being spotted."
Williams nodded, "Then let's get going. We don't have any more time to plan this. Let's get those students back."
5 minutes later
A loud metallic bang echoed through the hallway, followed soon by another one as the grate fell to the floor. Silence came for a long moment before Ashley cautiously stuck her head out, looking around to make sure that there was no alarm of their arrival. Her head went back inside the maintenance shaft, before she slid out, her body just briefly arching as she landed on the floor, crouching as she pulled out her assault rifle, scanning the hallway then stepping forward enough for Vega to follow suit. It took him more effort to get out, since his bulkier physique, plus armor, made it much harder for him to maneuver through the shaft. He gave a grunt of his own as he got out of the shaft himself, then groaning lightly as he pulled out his Matlock.
"They could've made those maintenance shafts a little bigger, you know." His voice was barely a whisper as he scanned the other direction. Ashley gave a grim smirk as she stood up, her rifle still poised.
"So much for having those big, bulky muscles, eh, Vega?"
James gave a sly grin as he glanced back at Ashley, "They seemed to work for you back at that party on the Citadel."
Williams immediately shot a look at him, "Did you just say what I think you said, Lieutenant?" She remembered that night…or at least some of it. She remembered flirting with James that night, and, she wasn't completely certain, as she had a lot to drink, kissing him, and then he kept saying something to her in Spanish, something she didn't know, but she liked the way he said it. She now felt embarrassed about it. She remembered all the times she cited to Shepard about how fraternization between soldiers was taboo, and she knew James felt the same way.
The grin that was on his face faded to one that was a bit more sheepish, "Uh…that was out loud wasn't it? Ugh, mierda." He grumbled, then looked back to her, "Sorry, LC. I didn't mean to say that."
For some reason, Ashley felt herself give a light chuckle at seeing him vulnerable and shook her head, "I'll let it pass, Vega. Though you do have to tell me what you said to me that night."
He glanced back at her, "You mean, 'tu con tantas curvas, y yo sin frenos'?" The words seemed to pierce right through Ashley's heart and not in a bad way either. It caused her to suddenly grow flush again, causing her heart to beat faster and she bit her lip apprehensively. Before she could respond, though, Traynor's voice came through their radios, which, in Williams' case, was a good distraction from the somewhat awkward conversation with her and Vega.
"Lt. Commander, I just picked up a transmission signal. I'm certain it's coming from the main control room. Updating it to your NavPoint."
Ashley activated her omni-tool, seeing the placement on the map of the facility, "Looks like it's just above the main shuttle bay." She frowned gently, realizing it meant going to the main shuttle bay to get there. She turned back to James, "Okay, just like we planned. I'll go to the main control room and close the bay doors, keeping them locked in. You try to beat the guards herding the students to the secondary shuttle bay, try to keep them from reaching the Cerberus shuttles."
Vega nodded, "Got it." He was going to say more regarding their previous conversation, but he had to refocus himself. Time was running against them and they had to get to the biotic students. He activated his omni-tool map, mentally remembering each turn he would have to make to get to the secondary shuttle bay, and hurried down the other side of the hallway, his rifle raised and ready for potential battle.
She watched him leave, then went the other direction, where the main shuttle bay was just around the corner. She pressed her back against the wall, then spoke into her radio, "Cortez, are you in position?"
"Yes, ma'am. I got the secondary shuttle bay covered. Anyone tries to get out, I got them on target."
A nod was her response, "Good. Make sure they don't take off. We have to keep those Cerberus shuttles grounded in the bay. Stand fast." She turned her head back around the corner, looking to the main shuttle bay. Sure enough, there was the stolen Alliance shuttle, as well as a small squad of four Cerberus troopers. She then saw the stairs that led to where the main control room was, on the far right, disappearing into the wall, with the large viewing window above. Of course, she thought to herself, seeing that the troopers were, more or less, conveniently placed in the way, with only a small line of supply crates as possible cover.
Ashley leaned back against the wall, taking deep breaths and long exhales to ready herself as she briefly closed her eyes, visualizing how she was going to go through the bay. She spoke to herself quietly, "Okay, Ashley. You got this…" She took one last inhale, glanced around the corner, seeing all the Cerberus troops had their backs to her and quickly hurried into the shuttle bay, making a beeline for the crates. She ran as fast as she could while partially crouched down, keeping her eyes locked on her intended target spot. As soon as she got close enough, she went into a feet-first slide, quickly hiding herself behind the crates, and not a moment too soon, as one of the enemy troops had backed up to the crate, resting slightly against it, right above her. Ashley tried her hardest to not breathe so loudly as she pressed her own back to the other side of the crate, which was barely 4 feet tall. James' voice then softly came through her radio on her ear.
"I'm near the last hallway, LC. No sign of the students or their guards yet."
She couldn't give a reply of her own, with a Cerberus trooper practically hovering over her. She could hear them having a conversation as she tried to see where she was in relation to the stairs leading to the main control room.
"So, how long are we staying here?"
"Until the students are on the shuttle and have safely departed. We need to make sure no Alliance soldiers come to get them."
"How can they find us here?"
"Their shuttles carry transponders, so the Alliance always knows where they are. They can't be disabled, so unless we swap shuttles, they can follow us anywhere. This way, we'll be able to send them off, with no problems of the Alliance following."
The conversation seemed to be at a distance, which told Ashley that it was the other three that were talking. The one soldier almost next to her was leaning against the crate, fidgeting with his pistol. There was no way for her to move again without him almost certainly seeing her do it; she had no option. She very slowly, gingerly, put her Avenger on the floor, making sure not a single sound was made. She quietly inhaled through her nose, readied herself, then reached up and grabbed the Cerberus trooper by his collar. He let out a quick shout of surprise as he was pulled onto the floor on the other side, onto his back. Instantly, Ashley raised her left fist, activating her omni-blade, and brought it down on the enemy trooper, piercing his neck, practically decapitating him. She had tried to be subtle, without giving herself away, but…
"What the-?" The voice of one of the other troopers caused Ashley to pause. She then realized that she had raised herself to one knee to take out the soldier, and in the process, her head was exposed, made evident by the next shout, "INTRUDER!"
Even worse for Ashley, she had brought the one trooper down to her so that his legs were covering her assault rifle on the floor, making her unable to use it right away. "Damn it!" Ashley cursed as she quickly ducked herself down, just before a bunch of assault rifle and pistol shots rang out, pinging loudly against the metal crate that was her cover. She drew her Carnifex pistol, reaching it above the top of the crate and firing as much as she could to buy herself some time, causing the other Cerberus troopers to take cover as well.
Ashley then pulled out a grenade, pressing the detonator and promptly tossing it in the enemy's direction. She then kicked at the dead soldier's legs, pushing his dead body off her assault rifle as she "holstered" her pistol against the clamp on her hip. She grabbed the assault rifle just as the grenade detonated and used the distraction to get up in a combat crouch and she quickly ran to the next small row of crates that was between her and the stairs to the control room. She heard more shouts as she ran, then dove to cover, just as another burst of fire came at her.
This time, she was just too late as one round hit her upper bicep, right where her armor separated, for mobility, and it went through her secondary covering and into her flesh. She shouted in pain as she landed, letting out another curse as she backed against the crate again, her left arm now felt numb and somewhat cold. She felt her anger grow at being delayed and now being wounded as well. She cocked her Avenger and went into a shooting position on one knee, just high enough for her to fire back, with only her rifle and part of her head sticking out above the crate. She fired in quick bursts, her adrenaline fueling her as she fired with dead-eye focus, each four to five round burst going right into each of the remaining Cerberus troopers with little effort, taking them out. She stood up, her rifle still trained on the fallen soldiers, making sure they were all dead. She then felt the numbing pain shooting down her left arm, compounded by her using it to hold her assault rifle steady. She groaned loudly and put the rifle down, holding it with her right hand as she looked at the bullet wound. She saw the hole and quickly saw that it was a through-and-through in her bicep, hitting nothing but muscle, though blood was now starting to dribble out. She shook her head in distain, when a sudden noticeable 'thud' caught her attention, able to tell it came from the hallways of the station. She painfully raised her left hand to her radio, wincing as she spoke, "Vega, what the hell was that?"
A light cough came in as an initial reply before James spoke, "Ugh, a bit of a setback, LC. Found the students and their guards, but they're putting up a heck of a fight. Used a grenade to slow me down." He had a bit of effort in his voice, like he had been trying to run and take cover, as well as recover from the concussive blast of the mentioned grenade.
Ashley grimaced some more, from both the report from Lt. Vega, as well as the pain in her arm, "Well, I'm heading to the control room right now. Try to delay them long enough for me to shut the bay doors."
"Will do. Alright, come on, you Cerberus bastardo!" James shouted through the radio as Ashley heard him fire more as the transmission ended. She took a big inhale as she used her left arm again to help hold her rifle, wincing again in pain as she ran to and up the stairs, the new burst of adrenaline able to lessen the pain as she ran up the flight and a half of stairs. She raised her rifle and scanned the room, seeing that there was, to her surprise, nobody there. It would've normally made her cautious, but her focus was right now on shutting the doors to both shuttle bays. She shouldered her rifle, letting it clamp to her back as she quickly walked to the main console. She started to work the console, bringing up the door controls, when something caught her eye on the other side of the large viewing window in front of her. She looked up as she saw a ship fly in, one that she had never seen before, nor recognized. She narrowed her eyes in confusion, seeing the small, one person ship land in the main shuttle bay. The door on the side of it opened and a figure started to walk out…
A sudden movement came from Ashley's right and she started to turn her head, when a sudden dark, blunt object caught the side of her head, right next to her temple. Everything went blurry for Ashley as she felt herself fall and land on her back, letting out a shout and groan as she reached for her head, her right hand reaching to favor the blow she had just received, when something hard pressed at her throat, instantly starting to choke her. Her left hand reached for what was pressing at her throat, and as she grabbed it, Ashley felt it was a Vindicator assault rifle, the end of the barrel, abound quarter size in diameter, pressing hard on her throat, limiting the air she could take in. Her vision started to focus again as she saw her assaulter. A Cerberus officer, probably the one overseeing the facility, smugly grinned as he looked down at her, keeping the rifle pressed on her throat as his left foot rested on her stomach, keeping her pinned to the floor.
"Well, well. Guess it was just that easy to draw you in here. Like a moth to a flame, right?" The man's voice was darkly cocky and sleazy, and Ashley glared back at him, but unable to get any words out as the end of the rifle barrel continued to press at her windpipe, causing her to only give out some light choking sounds. The Cerberus officer chuckled in reply, "Lt. Commander Ashley Williams, right? Guess I shouldn't be too surprised that the Alliance sent the only active human Spectre to save their precious biotic students, hmm?" He shook his head, giving another chuckle, the sound sickening to Ashley as he sneered.
"I'm glad they sent you, though, Ms. Williams. After all, this is going to be the failure of all failures for you, right?" Ashley's eyes widened as his words came out; stunned by what he said to her, "I read your dossier; such a pity that the Alliance rewards failure with silly promotions. Lose the 212 on Eden Prime and they turn you into Operations Chief. Fail to save the colony on Horizon, they make you Lt. Commander. Nearly get killed by a silly synthetic on Mars and they make you a Spectre."
Ashley glared back as hard as she could, her hands on the Vindicator half-choking her, trying to lessen the pushing of it on her throat, trying to get even a bit more air in, but it was becoming harder, and she knew she wasn't too far from passing out. That was the least of her problems, though, as she could see the officer's finger in the trigger hole, ready to fire at any moment.
"Well, who knows? Maybe they'll promote you to Admiral after this. Though posthumously, I'm afraid. And it's sad, that it was only you they sent and not the great Commander Shepard to stop us, though with you dead, I'm sure your ex-boyfriend will be happy to try to avenge you, right?" The man's monologue, while horribly cliché, was still riling up Ashley even more and she tried harder to push the officer off of her, but he had the heavier weight and leverage, that it was completely futile, as capable of a fighter she was. "Well, his time will come soon enough, and then, with him and then Admiral Hackett dead, the time will finally come where humanity will turn to Cerberus to lead them to the new star-brightened future. A future you will not see. Farewell, Ms. Williams."
His finger started to pull on the trigger, and Ashley's eyes widened, and as she had heard of many times, her life started to flash by; her childhood, living from colony to colony, reading poetry with her dad, watching him leave on cruises, her time with her sisters, her mother, her training with the Alliance, Eden Prime, her time with Shepard when chasing Saren to Ilos…Damn it, Shepard, where are you?! She shouted mentally as time seemed to slow to a crawl, with the officer's finger just starting to depress the trigger. This is where he would show up to save her, she thought. He had to show up! But, he wasn't there. She could picture it now, the message sent to her mother. The Alliance regrets to inform you of the passing of your daughter…She could see their grieving faces. Mom, Abby, Lynn, Sarah…Not like this, she pleaded, tears starting to gather in her eyes as she stared desperately at the officer, who gave a cocky grin of anticipation. Please, God, not like this…
A flash of blue suddenly seemed to surround her and the Cerberus officer, and Ashley wondered if this was it. A blast filled her ears, but it didn't sound like a gunshot, not one she was familiar with, at least. The pressure of the rifle on her throat seemed to lessen almost instantly, and she wondered if he had fired, shooting out her throat, causing her to choke to death on her own blood. No, she didn't want that kind of death, not like that.
But then, a couple seconds passed, and Ashley could see that the rifle that was pressed against her throat was now on the floor. A crack was heard as the officer was thrown against the viewing window, a spiderweb of cracks coming from where he had been thrown. She could see his face now one of shock as he tried to reach for his sidearm, but another burst of blue caught him, suspending him, then throwing him against the window again, causing it to shatter, and the officer to be thrown out to the main shuttle bay floor. Ashley could hear him scream, then groan as he landed with a loud thud.
Ashley took a deep breath as she gasped for air, unable to do more than roll to her stomach, gasping and heaving, trying to get air back into her lungs. As she did, she saw a pair of boots, feminine, in an almost burgundy color, walk by; almost casually, but with purpose, to the opening where the viewing window once was. She saw the figure leap outwards, through the shattered window, then emanate a blue glow, her arms extended in what could compare best to a "standing mountain pose" in yoga as she floated down to the floor of the shuttle bay.
The Cerberus officer groaned, trying to make sense of what happened as he lay on the floor. He raised his head fast enough to see the person who attacked him land in a semi-crouch right before him, then stand tall, walking to him. He tried to back away, but the person was too quick as a hand reached down, silently grabbing him by the throat, and then pinning him against a tall stack of crates. He put a hand on the person's wrist, his feet kicking, trying to gain purchase of the floor, but he was too high up. He looked at his assailant, his voice choked now, "Who the hell are you?"
Samara stared back at the man, her blue face showing no emotion, as always as she kept the officer pinned to the crates. "You have kidnapped human biotic students. Where are you taking them?"
He looked back at the asari with a confused glare, his voice hoarse from the pressure on his throat as he sneered, "What does it matter to you, asari bitch?"
"The location of the students. Your life hangs on your answer." Samara gave no notice to his insult as she put slightly more pressure on his throat.
"And what makes you think I'm going to tell you?"
Even though they really didn't, it almost seemed to the man that her eyes narrowed, almost seeming to burrow into his mind and soul as she spoke again, more firmly this time, "This is your last chance. Give me the location."
The officer gave a cocky grin, then suddenly hocked and spit on Samara, the big glob of saliva hitting both above and below her left eye. The justicar only blinked as she raised her left hand, dabbing at the spit now on her face, looking at a string of the thick liquid pulled from her cheek, then back at him. She firmly pushed and situated her right hand under the man's jawbones tilting his head up, causing him to choke some more as she spoke again, once again with no emotion. "I know you humans don't believe in such things…but find peace in the embrace of the Goddess."
With that, she promptly twisted her wrist, the grim cracking of the man's neck accompanying it. She let go, the now dead officer's body falling to the floor. Ashley stumbled down the stairs, her right hand on her neck, feeling the bruising that she knew was going to come soon. She stared in surprise, her heart still pounding over what had just transpired. She looked at the body of the officer, then at Samara, who casually wiped the rest of the spit off her face as she turned and nodded at Ashley.
"Lt. Commander Williams. Good to see you again."
Ashley nodded, her voice choked slightly as she walked to the asari, "You…you're that justicar…Sam…Sim…"
"Samara." She gave a nod to the Spectre, noticing that her right hand was still favoring her throat. "I'm glad I showed up when I did."
"Yeah, me too." Ashley gave a cough, clearing her throat, able to stand straighter as well as speak more clearly, "And what are you doing here? I would've thought you would be on Thessia, helping your people clean up there."
"I was. But, Thessia has calmed down, and with other justicars there to help, I felt I could lend my services elsewhere. I had planned to go to Earth to help, then I heard of your biotic students being kidnapped. So, I came here to bring assistance." She had turned back to the body at her feet as she said the last sentence. Ashley had walked next to her at this point, staring at the body of the man that, just minutes before, had nearly killed her.
"Did…did he tell you anything?"
The justicar shook her head, "He was not going to tell me anything. I could see it in him. He had intended himself to be a distraction, a diversion…"
"Ah, dammit!" Ashley's realization caused her to instantly go to her radio, "Vega, status!"
A brief pause came before his reply, "Ugh, they're gone, LC. The shuttle took off just as I got to the secondary bay."
William's eyes widened in shock, "What?! Cortez, answer me!" Her anger was now near broiling, not just at the officer delaying her at worst. Cortez's reply was also full of regret.
"There…there were GARDIAN lasers situated on either side of the shuttle bay entrance, Lt. Commander. They were covering fire; I couldn't stay there without getting shot to pieces…I'm sorry."
Ashley's face twisted into pure rage. She muted the transmission of her radio and let out a loud scream of anger and promptly turned to the dead Cerberus officer, pulling out her pistol with her right hand and promptly firing round after round into it, "YOU CERBERUS SON-OF-A-BITCH!" She then slammed the pistol into the floor, hearing it bounce and clatter as she put her good hand up to her face, then to the top of her head, her face against her bicep as groaned loudly, letting out another shout of fury before finally exhaling, breathing hard and heavy as she felt herself shake from the heavy spike of adrenaline and the aftermath.
Samara just stood nearby, not even moving, not sure how she should respond to Willaims' actions, having, in all her years, never seen a human react with such fury, at least, not since Jack when fighting the Collectors. Slowly, Ashley's breathing settled as Vega's voice came through the radio again, "Uh, LC, are you okay?"
Now breathing hard through her nose, Ashley paused for a long minute, trying to contain herself and calm down enough to reply. Finally she raised her right hand to her ear, "Vega, get back to the main shuttle bay. Cortez, pick us up. I've had enough of this place." Her words were hard and short, clearly not in the mood to say any more then what was necessary. She ended the transmission, her right hand going to her hip, her wounded left arm just hanging, with blood still dripping out the fresh wound, and she wasn't bothering to put medi-gel on it either.
At this point, Samara walked to her, her voice showing her concern, rather than her face, "This is not your fault, Lt. Commander-"
"I don't need this, not now." Ashley's voice started to raise again as she looked at the main shuttle bay, where the empty Alliance shuttle was, where the bodies of the Cerberus troopers were, and the empty void of space beyond the barrier of the shuttle bay entrance, where Cerberus was taking the biotic students, to someplace they might never be found. "It was my responsibility to get those students. It's my fault I failed."
Her eyes were narrow, remembering what the officer had taunted to her just before. She now felt that he was right, that it seemed that she always got her promotions whenever she messed up, whenever she failed. 'Screw up, move up', she remembered some of her squadmates joking about that was how their officers got promotions, and now she could see it happening to her. No wonder her father never got a promotion he should've deserved. He did everything right in the Alliance, and it got him nowhere.
Samara's voice broke her thoughts, "Your responsibility, yes. Your fault, no. You could not have predicted this setback, Lt. Commander. No one could."
"No, I should've known. It was too obvious that it was a set-up. They knew James and I would separate to cover more of the base." She sighed, "I should've just gone with him. We would've stopped them, would've saved those students."
"It is easy to see that, now. We always think we can reverse our mistakes after they have passed."
The justicar's words caused Ashley to give a light nod, her voice now choked with emotion as she was now near tears, "Yeah, hindsight is 20-20." She took a deep breath and sighed again, "Doesn't matter. Those students are gone, now. For good."
"Perhaps and perhaps not. I was drawn to here by a Cerberus transmission, from this facility, to another."
Ashley promptly turned back to Samara, her eyes widening, "Where to?"
"I don't know, but I went to where the signal was coming from, which was this place. I do still have the location of where they were transmitting, if it may help."
A loud exhale and finally a slight smile of relief came from Williams, feeling herself ease, "Hell, yeah, it will." She then glanced back at the ship that Samara had used to arrive at the facility, then turned back to the justicar, "Look…I…I may actually want to talk to someone, someone who can just listen. If…if you want to…"
Samara nodded, "I made a promise to myself that I would see that those students would be returned safely to the Alliance. I will keep that promise, and I will join you on the Normandy, if you wish."
Ashley smiled, walking to Samara and giving her a pat on the arm, hearing the Normandy shuttle approaching the shuttle bay, as well as Vega arriving. She could now see why Shepard trusted her, even though she was a deadly asari. She was pure of heart and loyal to her allies. That was good enough for Ashley as well, "Thanks, Samara. I need all the help I can get right now."
Hey, I'm still here! Took me a damn month to do this, but life kept interfering. Glad to know people still are enjoying this story, and I think I got myself a bit more on track with this chapter.
Quite a lot too, right? Tali and Garrus becoming a couple (Was listening to I Was Lost Without You from the ME3 soundtrack while writing it, of course ), Cerberus playing some harsh hardball, and Samara now on the scene...Totally worth the wait, in my opinion.
I am thinking of having something, however brief or long it may be, between Ashley and James. It's not going to be permanent, but with Ashley going through a lot, she needs a stabilizer, and James just may supply that for her for the time being. They're alike and they're different, which I think can be a fun dynamic to play with for a while.
Also, I don't know why, and it's nothing against Ash, I hold no grudge against her, but she's kind of becoming fun to get beat up and pushed to her mental and emotional limits. I almost feel cruel for doing it, and I may push away some Ashley fans, but don't worry. She needs to have these problems to better her future, as harsh as that may sound.
Anyway, the next chapter will have Shepard and Miranda joining the fight, as our heroes, and heroines, get on the offensive against Cerberus. The next chapter, or the following one, will have the rescue of the students, then the next one will have Shepard and Miranda confronting whoever it is that is bringing Cerberus back in the game.
Then, the peace and fun will begin! After all, as Miranda said, "No point in saving the galaxy if we can't enjoy it once in a while."
Lastly, I am also starting on my Miranda story, Follow the Lies, which chronicles Miranda's plight from the end of ME2 through ME3, with flashbacks from her beginnings with Cerberus, leading up to the reawakening of Shepard in ME2. Probably won't get really deep into it until this one is done.
Well, I got to turn in. So, enjoy, and Keep Readin' and Writin'! (And Reviewin'!)