CHAPTER 7-B (no Rachni support, little ME2 crew)
The hulking form of Harbinger towered over the battlescape. The behemoth of blasted metal raged, shrieking its anger in a loud cry that reverberated throughout the valley.
Liara looked up in dismay, as the alien noise grated against her mind, sending shivers up her spine.
"What the hell are we supposed to do against that?" demanded Javik.
Joker chimed in over the intercom, as the Normandy streaked through the air, "the disruption signal is still going out. Reaper mass effect fields are down!"
Vega shook his head, his eyes twitching in rage, his mouth drawing into a grimace, "hit it with everything we've got, I'm not laying down for that son of a bitch!"
Ashley put the call out over the radio, "Hammer tanks, Terminus flights, target Harbinger!"
Aria championed the call, "punch a hole through that bastard!"
Flame and fury blasted through the air, peppering Harbinger's hull, scoring it with molten scars, chiseling wrathful gouges along the titan's body.
Harbinger blared its defiance, spewing forth crimson fire, decimating Reaper and Alliance forces alike.
Firing from her cannon mount, Liara shook with fury. She wasn't going to be taken down, not like this…
But a cold, clinical voice in the back of her head knew they wouldn't get there in time…Hammer and Terminus squadrons were doomed.
"This is Normandy," came Joker's voice, "all Terminus flights punch a hole through the aerial defenses, I'm going to need some room…"
"What the hell are you doing Joker?" demanded Ashley.
"Saving your asses ma'am," said Joker, "I'm going to ram the Normandy down Harbinger's throat, and set off the Tantalus Drive core when I reach it…"
Liara shook her head, "Joker, you don't have to do this…"
"Yes we do Liara," came the voice of Engineer Adams, "we've got the only active ship core, nearby and capable of busting something that size…"
Vega pounded his fists against the bulk of the tank, "they're all damn fools!"
On the helm of Normandy, Joker was laughing. He was about to fly into the eye of the beast, and he was…calm. Although, for some reason he couldn't understand, his body was shaking uncontrollably…
A hand placed itself over his, and Joker looked down to see EDI, barely conscious, smile weakly up at him. He nodded, smiling back at her.
Joker turned on the ship's intercoms, "Traynor, Adams…it's been an honor…"
"The honor was mine, Jeff," said the Engineer calmly.
Adjusting the balancing of Normandy's guns, Traynor wiped a tear from her eye, "I can give you a continuous burst Joker, don't lay off the cannons until we've hit."
"Thanks Traynor…"
"Let's give 'em hell…"
In a giddy fit of madness, Joker decided to play a song from his collection, a rock-anthem remix of 'Flight of the Valkyries'…
In her seat, Liara shook her head at the unwavering resolve of her friend, a man who had always played the fool, but always been a constant. Despite herself, Liara couldn't help but laugh as she heard Joker's ridiculous music begin to play over her comm-channel.
The remaining fighters of the Terminus and Hammer fighter Squadrons tore a hole in the sky, bombarding the Reaper forces. The Normandy rocketed through the air, rushing through the gap as it fired a massive, unending beam into Harbinger. The Reaper screamed its defiance, as if knowing that there was nothing it could do.
The behemoth fired its laser fields at the small ship, unable to hit such a fast target. As Normandy began to buckle under the pressure, surging forward beyond all capacity, small explosions began to rock the ship.
Joker let out one final transmission, "to all forces, don't get caught in the damn blast! Normandy signing off, make us proud…"
As the ship neared Harbinger, a large shockwave issued from the back of the ship, plunging towards the hole torn open by its beam weapon. Normandy ignited its mass effect core, fully detonating after crashing several meters into the Reaper's hull.
Ashley opened her eyes, forcing back tears for so many lives lost, "all Squadrons, hit the Reaper with remaining salvos…"
In the center of Hell…
Shepard screamed his defiance against the Reaper husks, pulling the pin on his final grenade, lobbing it amidst a pair of Ravagers. The blast ruptured the gaskets of the foul corruptions, sending flame and shrapnel in every direction, devouring all the monstrosities around them. Shepard fired his assault rifle dry into the last Banshee's skull.
He had long since stopped paying attention to the battle going on outside.
"Shepard…are…there…we…."
He could barely hear Admiral Hackett's voice, "sir, they're still coming…"
"Hold on Commander," said the voice on the radio, "Hammer….almost…"
Shepard shielded his eyes as another explosion shook the Citadel. He glanced at a display monitor, in time to see Normandy crash into Harbinger. That, and the subsequent fire turned the Reaper into a furnace that wouldn't stop burning.
Shepard's shook his head, his mind balking at the emotions racing through it. He heard Harbinger screaming in futility as it died.
"Burn, you bastard…" he whispered.
He could scarcely feel anything anymore, but the buzzing in his head had finally stopped. Shepard slowly looked over the wall of bodies that lay before him, barely able to make out the remaining abominations out in the hallway.
"Your boss is dead," spat Shepard, "when will you…just…DIE!"
He continued to fire with numb hands, as the shrieking horde rushed forward…
BRANCH: so Shep's choices here mean 1) the Rachni are dead/not loyal, and 2) he didn't save enough of the ME2 suicide squad. Head to 8-B