A/N: With confirmation that the DLC starts after the Cerberus coup, I don't have to slow down as I expected.

Finishing the last Cerberus soldier in the area, Shepard moved over to Mordin, "Shepard, you must authorize release. Pod then transfers to loading area." Shepard did as the female's container was raised and mechanical arms moved to transfer the pod.

"Shepard, heads up! You've got incoming!" Wrex quickly shouted. Suddenly something landed onto the landing pad, it was a Cerberus combat mech with a pilot at its controls. Everyone was in awe for a moment while the mech's weapon arm loaded to attack, forcing the team to cover. "Shepard! I can't land until you deal with that thing! It's too dangerous!"

The Cerberus soldier moved the mech to a better firing angle on the containment pod, "Krogan has been acquired."

Mordin tried to exit kicking the door in his attempt to assist, "Door is damaged! Can't get out!"

Shepard moved to a better position as the mech continued to move, "Stay clear! We've got this!"

Mordin took cover as best as he could, "Protect the krogan, Shepard! She's vulnerable!"

Garrus readied his sniper rifle, "That's some serious firepower. Maybe we can crack it open."

"Maybe we should do it quick!"

"Shit…last one…" Mandalore threw his hand to his pack as a grenade rolled out from the slot at the bottom. "Droid popper!"

The grenade landed beneath the mech and as James was about to rush to attack it, Garrus stopped him. "What the hell? Why are we waiting?"

After a few moments the grenade released an EMP that disabled the mech and its shield. Garrus raised his sniper rifle and fired on the canopy, "That's why. Time to crack the nut!"

Unable to defend itself, Shepard and the squad relentlessly attacked it until there was a system overload. The canopy was jammed as explosions started to spread until it finally detonated. "Shepard, I think you did it. Looks clear from here. I'm coming in now." Mandalore used his vibroblade to force the door open for Mordin as he moved over to the containment pod. Mordin gently offered his hand to assist the female down from her restrains until Wrex pushed him aside to offer his hand instead. "Let's get you out of there."

The female was covered head to toe in a lavish blue garb as she walked herself out without Wrex's aid. With everyone else preoccupied by her, the female noticed the Cerberus troops that managed to get behind them. She quickly pulled the shotgun out of Wrex's hand and fired on the closest one. Before she could reload and fire a second time, Mandalore's hologram dissipated next to Shepard as he reappeared behind the Cerberus solider and jammed his vibroblade into his back. The female pushed the shotgun back to Wrex, "I can handle myself, Wrex."

Wrex turned back to Shepard as he nonchalantly shrugged, "Women."

As Wrex and the female entered the shuttle, Mandalore didn't need the soldier alive as the blade's ultrasonic vibrations were starting to have an effect on his vital organs. Before he could utter a word, his blood filled mouth gurgled before he fell lifeless. Mandalore pulled his helmet off trying to find something either in the helmet on the man's head. Finding nothing in the helmet, he rammed his fist into the back of his skull, rummaging through before ripping out what he wanted, an implant data chip. "Once Bev gets his hands on this, we'll get our answers."

Back on the Normandy Wrex wasn't content with just having the female, he wanted the cure for the genophage given to all of his people before krogan forces stepped foot on turian soil to give relief. As Shepard spoke with Wrex and Victus about their other concerns, Mandalore was mentally speaking with Pyth, So the weapon wasn't built by the Protheans?

From my understanding, no. The design has the psychological profiles of several different species, including but not excluding, reptilian, aviary, aquatic and mammalian. The Protheans were just the latest in a long line of species to have found the plans. Who the original designers were, well it's hard to speculate at this point.

You made the right call about not informing the galaxy. Let's just hope this Catalyst thing is really all that has been missing from the previous attempts. If not we can always go out in a blaze of glory taking as many of them with us.

Yes, well excuse me, but I wish to speak with my favorite scientist salarian.

Shepard walked into the Normandy's medbay to find Pyth, Mordin and Eve, the krogan female as dubbed by Mordin. "Aware krogan females find scares attractive. Garrus loyal, reasonably intelligent. Bit aggressive. Almost like krogan."

"For the third time, Doctor. I'm not interested."

Pyth was the first to turn to him, "Commander Shepard, we were just," before she could say Wrex and Mandalore joined them.

Wrex quickly moved to Eve's side, "Are you okay?"

Eve calmly turned to Wrex, "I'm fine, Wrex. You can relax."

Wrex slowly turned to Mordin, "You can't be too careful…or put any faith in salarian doctors."

"This one is different."

"Is he?" Wrex was skeptical of Eve trust in him, as he noticed Mordin drawing blood from Eve, "What's that?"

"Simple blood test."

"What kind?"

"Kind that ends the genophage." Mordin walked back to a station, "Shepard, please. Distractions counterproductive. Also affecting comfort of patient."

"He was your inside source, Wrex. He's taken a lot of risks just to do that." Even though Mandalore hadn't work with Mordin for long, he was willing to put faith with a former member of Shepard's crew.

Wrex had one too many confrontations to believe that, "Salarians have minds like a maze. You never know when they're leading you into a trap."

"It is true," Pyth nodded as she looked to Mordin, "Sometimes it's like a college dorm in there, unless you know where to look it nothing but a mess."

"Fascinating, will inquiry later." Mordin then turned back to Wrex, insulted by prior remarks, "Trap? Eve's release my doing. Would never have known about her if not for me."

"That was then, but she's out now. And if she gets hurt, I'll feel it."

"Understand. But my patient. My responsibility. Her welfare a priority. Will not allow her to be compromised by anyone."

Wrex was silent for a moment before he let out a small laugh, "You've got a quad, Doctor. Keep her safe. Our females have endured enough."

As Wrex was leaving, Mordin called back to him, "Don't forget. Still need your tissue sample."

Wrex stopped, nearly shuttering at the thought, "I'll be back."

With Wrex gone Mordin quickly muttered, "Common phobia, fear of needles."

Shepard couldn't help but feel it was something else, "Or salarian doctors."

"Now have work to do. Prefer females of the species."

With Wrex temporarily appeased, Shepard had the Normandy return to the Citadel just so he and Mandalore could check on Ashley's status. She was fairing rather well, though the news of the death of her youngest sister's husband slightly soured the visit.

After completing their business on the Citadel Shepard pursued the anomalous turian signal detected by Specialist Samantha Traynor about the Jon Grissom Academy evacuation. As the Normandy entered the system they found out why, "And there's the folks who answered the distress call. Cerberus cruiser. At least a dozen fighters on blockade duty. Too many for us in a straight up fight. They must want this place bad."

Mandalore started cracking his knuckles, "Those bloody fierfeks are dead!" rushing off to the hangar.

"Receiving incoming transmission."

"Let's hear it."

EDI patched it into the cockpit's speakers, "SSV Normandy, this is Kahlee Sanders, director of Grissom Academy. We need immediate assistance. Cerberus is attack the facility. They're after my students."

"This is Commander Shepard. We're blocked on a direct approach."

"I know. They've taken control of our docking bays."

"Any alternatives?"

"There's an auxiliary cargo port I could probably open."

"All right. We'll come in by shuttle and get your students out of there." Shepard turned to their pilot, "Joker, can you give me a diversion?"

"Oh boy, can I!"

With that Javik, Mandalore and EDI were with Shepard in the shuttle as the Normandy drew Cerberus' attention away from the station. As they entered the station Kahlee called out to them, "Commander, I'm locked in a server room around the corner. Cerberus troops are trying to get in."

The squad got to cover as Mandalore opened the door. They found four Cerberus soldiers attempting to open a door, "Get ready! I've almost got the door." As it opened the two were killed by a shotgun and Mandalore killed one with his sniper rifle. He was forced to cover as Javik used his biotics to slam him around the confined space.

Shepard moved closer to the door, keeping away from the opening, "Sanders, we're clear. It's me."

Opening the door, Shepard walking in as Kahlee kept her shotgun at the ready, just as a precaution. Once confirmed she lowered her weapon, "Commander, thank you. Admiral Anderson always said you were the best. And with Cerberus coming for my students, I need the best."

"How many of you are there?"

"Fewer than twenty." Kahlee walked over to the nearby terminal, "Most were sent home when word of the Reaper invasion spread." EDI and Javik went back out into the hall to secure it as Mandalore walked in, "But a few volunteered to stay. Some are prototyping tech for the Alliance. Others are biotics. They've been training for military operations, working together as biotic artillery."

"And Bev?"

Kahlee turned, "I'm sorry Mandalore, but since the Cerberus attack we've been unable to communicate with anyone. I'm not sure if he's alive or not."

Even as the Normandy continued to evade the Cerberus fighters, Mordin started to sing a song requested by Eve as they awaited one of the blood cultures to react, "Oh, better to die to a thresher maw, with shotgun-blasting-roaring-raw, than to play ambassadorial games, with the blood of Shiagur in her veins…"

Pyth joined in after studying the song for a bit, "Off to fight, since turians can't, with diplomats instead of a krantt. But she'll be true to Tuchanka's dream, and live and die a krogan queen!"

Now the two were singing together, "For…she is the krogan queen! Hurrah, hurrah for the krogan queen! And it is, it is a glorious thing to be the kroooogan queeeeeen!"

Eve was smiling thanks to the duet as Mordin turned back to the culture sample and Pyth looked around the lab, "Do you think we could sing one of the pitter-patter songs later, professor?"

Mordin took the sample to the next test, "Yes, would be a nice change of pace. Any disagreements?" turning back to Eve.

"Not at all. As long as you two promise to sing that song again."

Mordin nodded, "Once test complete."

After saving two kids and disabling Cerberus' control over the PA system, Shepard and Mandalore managed to make their way to Orion Hall as Cerberus was moving in on student before someone shouted, "Students, tech attack number seven!"

A Cryo Blast was sent from the upper level, snap freezing one of the troopers before a Concussive Shot was fired and created a cryo explosion that snap froze the others. From behind the pillar Bev rushed out with his force pike fully extended as he smashed two frozen soldiers where they stood, finishing the third with his vibroblade to shatter the statuette. "Bev!"

"Sir?" Before they could reunite they heard one of the Cerberus mechs as it tried to squeeze its way into the hall.

A woman in a black leather jacket and pony tail rushed over and created a biotic bubble to take the mech's cannon fire to protect one of the students. "Jack?"

She couldn't offer Shepard a proper greet as she stood with Bev at her flank ready to attack, though the metal fatigue was starting to accumulate on her as the mech now properly standing prepared to attack again. Before it could an explosion knocked its arm off aim, Mandalore used the anti-armor round to draw his attention away from them so Jack and Bev could get the kids to the upper level. "Everyone, get down! This thing's outta your league! Shepard, keep it off us!"

The mech was completely focused on Mandalore now as Shepard and EDI moved around it. Javik's particle rifle made quick work of the shield, giving Mandalore another shot at using the anti-armor round to do some damage. From behind Shepard tossed a grenade into the mech's exhaust port. The grenade went into the exhaust managing to slide its way inside to maximize the carnage. When it detonated within the mech it started a chain reaction that vaporized the pilot and left the controls charred before the explosion reached the power cells which caused the mecha suit to explode rather violently.

The students had created a biotic field around the room and Bev locked the doors in an attempt to keep Cerberus out. "Get ready! More on the way!" The door to their left opened as Cerberus soldier rushed out attempting to knock down their barrier. Javik grabbed one of the soldiers with his biotics before slamming him down the stairs. EDI used tech attacks as Shepard and Mandalore finished them off as they were in a fiery panic.

With the area clear, the barrier dropped as Jack started to laugh, "Kahlee said she was putting out an SOS. I had no idea the King of the Boy Scouts would show up." Jack quickly turned back to some of the students, quickly changing her happier tone to something more authoritative, "All right, amp check! Prangley, those fields were weak. Cerberus isn't gonna lie down out of pity like that girl you took to prom." Prangley seemed bitter about the comment as a girl behind him pushed him playfully. "Grab juice and an energy bar. We move in five." Bev on the other hand was gentler with the others, tending to a few injuries before departing to speak with Mandalore. Jack took the more direct route, jumping down and using her biotics to soften her landing. She quickly marched over to Shepard, socking his jaw, "That was for leaving, dumbass." She quickly grabbed him as the two started to kiss, and some of the students started hoot and cheer.

"I turned myself in to the Alliance, Jack."

"Yeah, and how'd that work out for you? Did they listen?" She waited for a moment to see Shepard lower his head, "Didn't think so. You could've stayed. Instead you decided to go play solider."

Mandalore walked over, "Looks like you're playing the same game."

At first she scoffed at him, though she slowly looked up to the students, "Yeah, I guess so."

Shepard however approved, "I can't think of anybody who could care about them more."

"Well, I had some free time while you were off being playing hero. Alliance brass knew I helped you. They offered me this," leaning back as she shouted, "and apparently the students responded well to my teaching style."

Prangley was the first to shout back, "The psychotic biotic!"

"I will destroy you!" a girl quoting Jack as she gripped her fist.

"Drink your juice, Rodriguez. You couldn't destroy wet tissue paper."

"Cortez to extraction team. The Cerberus cruiser is coming back."

Shepard took a few steps back, trying to keep this from the kids, "How long have we got?"

"Two minutes tops, Commander. After that, there's no way we'll get past them."

Shepard looked back, seeing the students were still recovering from the last assault. "Get out of here and back to the Normandy. We'll find another way off the station."

"Roger that. Good luck, sir."

Mandalore took Bev over for a moment to talk privately. "Status."

"A mess, sir. Cerberus took us completely by surprise. The cruiser sent in laamyc iviin jare beskar'ade to disable our long range sensors and comms. Then they destroyed all outer defenses before deploying troops to override the systems. Jack and I gathered what students we could and were looking for a way off."

Mandalore looked up, "Kahlee mentioned you had less than twenty people onboard. What's your headcount here?"

"Including Jack and myself, we have eleven. We're still missing a few heads; Octavia, Isaac, David, Honaker, and the Bellarmine siblings."

Mandalore looked back, "We saved two Bellarmine, don't know if you knew more. Honaker, I'm sorry we couldn't save her. And I don't know who this is."

Mandalore forwarded Bev the vid he captured from his helmet of someone being dragged away by Cerberus soldiers. "That was Froeberg. He locked one of the doors trying to buy us some extra time. But as you could see…"

"Yeah, I warned the Alliance to allow you to work on the station's systems to prevent this kind of shit from happening, but they didn't want you to mess with anything." Mandalore looked over to Shepard having given Kahlee camera access and speaking with Jack. Mandalore tapped Bev's shoulder, "Get ready, looks like we're about to move out."

Shepard forced the door opened, "Everyone be ready. We'll go in first and draw their fire."

As the students gathered Jack shouted, "We'll shadow you from the second floor and hit those fu… those guys from above."

Bev readied his weapon, "And I'll provide covering fire for everyone."

Shepard noticed her unusual behavior though it wasn't something he wanted to point you just yet. EDI look back, analyzing the station's schematic, "A good strategy that protects the students from direct fire."

"Just time your shots and stay safe."

Jack took Shepard's advice even further, "All right, I didn't bust my ass training you so you could die now. Keep low, pick your targets."

"Students of Grissom Academy, the station is sealed." The student's omni-tools were receiving the Cerberus message, "The Alliance cannot save you. All they can do is get you killed. Surrender peacefully, and you won't be harmed."

Jack blew it off, "Asshole."

"Damn it. They're messaging everyone." Kahlee quickly got to them, "Students, switch your omni-tools to privacy mode so they can't track you."

The students did, though doubt was starting to befall the group as one of them vocalized it, "What if…what if they're not lying?"

Shepard looked back to the students, "You've already held your own against Cerberus. You've been trained for this by one of the best."

Jack followed his example, "Come on, Rodriguez. They're only asking nicely 'cause you scared 'em in that last fight. So take your balls outta your purse and kick some ass."

"Yes, ma'am."

Mandalore readied up, "Good, let's show them why they're gonna regret attacking this station."

A/N: Well I got one of the two new tanks I wanted in ME3's multiplayer, now just to get lucky and get the geth prime. The student count always seemed off to me, so I threw in a few extra heads with Jack and Bev.

Mandalorian Translation:

laamyc iviin jare beskar'ade(LAH-meesh ee-VEEN JAH-ray BES-kar-AHD-ay)- high speed kamikaze droids