Chapter 10: From Ashes pt3

The battle continued, as the battle became longer Cerberus became much more aggressive. From the side Guardians dropped in and went in to the building, while the Centurions threw out smoke grenades to block their vision. Liara lifted them up with a singularity field and Shepherd blasted them back with his Venom shotgun, the rounds hit the wall and split into mini cluster bombs turning them into bloody puddles. Another shuttle roared over them and dropped three troopers in. "Kaiden, freeze them!" Shepherd said. Kaiden used his cryo blast to freeze the approaching troopers in their tracks. Shepherd then used his incinerate to shatter the iced soldiers. After a while, the troopers stopped coming allowing the team to catch their breaths.

"How are we on ammo?" Liara asked.

"Almost out…" Kaiden said.

"Yeah, I've only down to two missiles, we're in a bad spot" Shepherd said. "May need to call the Normandy for support" The team went to check on the pod.

"Half way through, it will open soon" Liara said. The comm opened.

"Commander, whatever you're doing, you need to do it quick Cerberus shuttles are inbound, along with something big" Cortez said.

"So much for catching our breath…" Shepherd said. "Get to your positions" Kaiden and Liara nodded.

"Here they come!" Kaiden said. The troopers flooded the field and they fired on the team. Liara trapped the soldiers in her singularity field, while Shepherd threw a warp field causing an explosion. Kaiden threw more lift grenades, and shot the troopers in midair. Cerberus was for the most part dropping like flies, until the centurions started to throw smoke grenades at the team and stopped attacking.

Liara frowned. "What are they up to?"

"Don't know, keep your eyes peeled" Shepherd said. They then felt a huge rumbling, and it was approaching fast. Out of the smoke came a huge grey heavy mech with a large gun and missile launcher. "Now we know why…" The mech came towards them slowly.

"Light it up!" The team used their biotic powers on the mech, but it had no effect. They tried bullets, but it bounced off the mech. Shepherd and Kaiden used their overload to drain its shields it was much more effective, but the mech's shields were strong. The mech fired a missile at them, caused the team to scatter to cover. When the smoke cleared, there was a crater from where they were.

"Holy…if we didn't move…that would have been us…." Kaiden said.

"We need a new plan Shepherd" Liara said. Shepherd scanned for the mech's weakness, and noticed the mech's tinted screen; inside he saw a person shaped silhouette…the mech was being piloted.

"Okay, new plan, aim for the cockpit, if we kill the pilot then the mech is useless" Kaiden and Liara nodded. Liara equipped her warp ammo to her pistol and took shots at the mech's cockpit. While Shepherd and Kaiden lowered its shields, when the shields went down, they joined Liara in taking down the cockpit. However the mech kept coming, blasting the team with its gun and missiles respectively, even with their more heavy weapons the machine was sturdy. When the mech got too close for comfort, they would go into building where it couldn't get them, the mech continued to fire on them while in they were in the building hoping to put pressure on them. Colony houses weren't the prettiest things out there but they could take hits as close as tank fire. Still they couldn't let this continue, the team continued their onslaught of bullets and weapons to keep the heavy mech off-balance. After a while their constant stream of attacks finally took their toll on the cockpit and the pilot was exposed.

"Game over" Shepherd said as he his bullet tore through the pilot's skull. Shepherd's com opened.

"Commander, more Cerberus troops incoming, hurry!" Cortez said.

"This is bad we're almost out of ammo, that mech took almost everything we had." Kaiden said. He then saw Shepherd running towards the mech. "Wayne, what are you…?"

"Go to the pod and protect it, I'll deal with the troops, go!" Shepherd ordered. Cerberus troops came in by shuttle as Shepherd climbed onboard. He piloted the mech and took aim at the shuttles, one after another were falling as Kaiden and Liara took care of the stragglers on the ground. After a while, the shuttle and the soldiers stopped coming.

"Cortez?"

"Cerberus is being pushed back by the colonists, they're stretched too thin, and it won't be long until they're pushed off the planet"

"Good, tell them of the weapons cache we found in our area, I'm sure they want to arm themselves"

"Aye, Commander" Shepherd went to join Kaiden and Liara at the pod.

"Well?"

"It's done…" The pod started to open to reveal a prothean, Shepherd recognized the prothean it was the leader he saw in his vision. "Goddess…a real prothean in the flesh…this is amazing…"

"So how is he? Any permanent damage?" Kaiden said.

"No, not what we can see anyway…though it may take some time for him to awaken" They then heard sounds; to their surprise the prothean was awake. He looked around and breathed heavily, he glowed green and pushed the team back with a biotic blast. While the team was dazed the prothean got out of the pod, only to drop to his knees. Shepherd was the first one to get to his feet, the prothean glared back and got up to attack, his target: Shepherd, he threw a green biotic field at the spectre Shepherd raised his barrier and almost staggered backward. Shepherd hadn't felt such a strong biotic attack since Liara's mother, Shepherd re-directed to the sky. The prothean attacked again, this time the force of his biotic blast almost made his legs give out.

"Be careful, he's confused" Liara said.

"Tell him that!" Shepherd said struggling. Shepherd re-directed the biotic blast to his side, where it caused a dent in the wall of house beside him. He then glowed blue and pushed him back with a biotic throw. The prothean staggered back and glowed green preparing for another attack again. "Why don't you chill out before you get hurt?"

The prothean looked at him with wide eyes, Shepherd looked surprised also, he didn't expect to be able to speak prothean. It seems the Cypher gave him more than just the visions and the ability to understand the language. The prothean spoke up. "You speak our language? A primitive?"

"It seems so…And it Commander to you" Shepherd said.

The prothean looked back as Kaiden, and Liara went to join Shepherd."Species#457 Human, of planet Earth and Species#550 Asari of planet Thessia, I'm surrounded by primitives…" The Prothean scoffed.

Shepherd frowned, he didn't expect protheans to be so abrasive nor that did he like his attitude. "Pretty arrogant for the last prothean in existence"

The prothean looked at him and lowered his head. "I see, so my cycle ended" Shepherd now felt bad about what he said, while his people just lost Earth at least his people still existed. This soldier was fish out of water, his race and his home no longer existed, he was in a world full of strangers.

"I saw the last moments of your people…I'm sorry…"

The prothen closed his eyes and gave a deep breath. "So we have failed…"

Shepherd shook his head. "No, your people did everything they could" he said. "And never gave up…I could use that dedication, if you can curb the attitude" The shuttle landed near them, the prothean looked back at him, Shepherd recognized those eyes those were the eyes of resolve. He may have lost his people, but maybe with these strangers he could avenge his people.

"You fight the reapers?"

"Yes" Shepherd said.

"Very well, I will join you prim…Commander" The prothean said walking away. Shepherd looked back at Kaiden and Liara who was staring at him at him with wide eyes. He sighed, he knew was coming….

"Look I know this may be a shock…"

"A shock? Wayne, I thought my translator was on the fritz…" Kaiden said. "What the hell was that?

The spectre rubbed his head. "I can speak the Prothean language fluently" Shepherd said.

Kaiden blinked. "But, how?"

Before Shepherd could explain, Liara spoke up, her eyes lighting up…she was very reminiscent of that asari he met three years ago. With living a prothean coming back with them and hear the prothean language the spectre surprised Liara didn't have a heart attack right now. "It must be the Prothean Cypher, this is amazing, to see a conversation in a dead language, fascinating…." Liara said in awe.

Shepherd shook his head; he was too tired for this shit. He raised his hand and Liara stopped. "Nerd out after we find out who he is" The team followed the prothean into the shuttle.

The Normandy

Back on the Normandy, the prothean was told to go down to Grunt's old room, until he could do something with him. The prothean frown at the human, Shepherd guessed he wasn't used to another person giving him orders, but he closed his eyes and took a deep breath and ultimately did what he said. As the prothean went to the elevator, the crew looked at him wearily especially the former Cerberus crew, not surprising since their run in with the Collector a year ago. Liara went with him to possibly bug him with questions; she wouldn't let a little thing like a language barrier stop her from quenching her thirst for knowledge.

Meanwhile Shepherd went into the war room to give his report to Admiral Hackett, to say he was surprised was an understatement. "A living Prothean?" Hackett asked.

"Yep, not at all what I expected…"

"Commander, our scientists barely understand what they need to do with this device" he said. "If the prothean can help us with the device, we need his cooperation"

"I know, except there's one problem…he can't speak our language and I'm the only one who can speak and understand his language"

Hackett frowned. "Wait how?"

"From the Cypher I got on Feros, it seem it was more than just information on the Mu relay"

"I see, but get it done, we're losing colonies faster than we can evacuate them, and we've never seen a force like the reapers" he said.

"He has, Admiral and I attend to find out if he can help us"

Hackett nodded. "Good, Cerberus slipped up and gave us a new weapon, don't let it go to waste, Hackett out" Shepherd's com opened.

"Shepherd, I need you down in engineering, it's our new guest" Liara said.

Shepherd sighed. "On it…" He went down in engineering; the prothean was surrounded by his armed crewmembers. The prothean just sat on his knees calmly and just glared at Shepherd. "What's the problem?"

"I tried to make the room accommodating, but they won't let me near him"

"Sorry Doc, but contact protocol with a new species: "Assume hostility" We had to dust off the regulation."

"But he's not new, not really anyway, I spent my life studying protheans" Liara said.

"Everyone at ease, I don't think out friend will be a problem" Shepherd said. He then looked at the prothean. "Will he?"

"That depends on you" He then grabbed Shepherd and the crew lifted their weapons. "I can sense fear in you. Anxiety and distress. The reapers are winning" He let go of Shepherd.

"What do you mean 'you sense'?" Shepherd asked. "And how can you speak our language?"

The prothean went to the tub of water. "All life provides clues to those who can read them. It is in your cells, your DNA. Experience is a biological marker as is language"

"Then what did I experience back on Eden Prime? That was a hell of a flashback"

"The battle left its own mark on me, I communicated it to you. It can work both ways"

"Like your beacons?"

"Yes, which…" The prothean touched him again. The visions of the prothean extinction came back to Shepherd, only this time, the prothean could see now. "You found…one…our…warnings, our destruction…" He said. He then got angry. "Why weren't they heeded? Why didn't you prepare for their arrival, human?!"

"It's Commander, and nobody could understand your warnings, the beacon almost put me in a coma"

The prothean scoffed and walked back to the tub of water. "Then communication is still primitive in this cycle…" Shepherd crossed his arms, he was starting to wonder if all protheans were huge pricks or it was just him, either way he was getting sick of his better than thou attitude. The spectre kept calm, if he was going to be working with him he will have to get used to him.

"We piece together what we could and stopped a reaper invasion three years ago…" Shepherd said.

The prothean looked at him. "It was delayed?"

"Yes, we now have the plans for the device your people was working on, we're building it right now" Liara said.

"Device?"

Liara opened her omni-tool and a holographic image of the device appeared. "The weapon your people were working on, I'd hope you could tell us how to finish it…"

The prothean looked at the plans and sighed. "We never finished it, we were too late"

"I'm guessing you don't know about the Catalyst either?" Shepherd asked.

"No, I was a soldier, not a scientist skilled in one thing: killing"

"Back to square one…" Shepherd said.

"But you fight the reapers; therefore, I will fight for you, commander"

The spectre nodded. "So, what should I call?"

"I have no name, but you may call me Javik "

"Javik? I recognize that name, isn't it the name of a deity in Prothean folklore?" Liara asked.

Javik nodded. "He was the god of vengeance, fitting for the last prothean, wouldn't you agree?" he asked coldly. His words gave the spectre a cold chill down his spine; he had a feeling that if push came to shove he would sacrifice him and his crew to kill the reapers. He went to the screen with the reapers with it. "When the last reaper falls, my purpose will be fulfilled, until then I have no other purpose"

He looked back. "Those who share my purpose are allies, those who not are casualties"

Shepherd frowned, he hate it when his gut was right… "Nothing in our fight has been that cut and dry"

Javik turned and narrowed his eyes. "Because you still have hope that this war will end with your honor intact?"

"I do"

"Stupid and naïve fool, can you stand in the ashes of a trillion dead and ask them if honor still matters?" Shepherd didn't answer. Javik scoffed. "I thought so…" The com came up.

"Uh Commander?"

"What is it, Joker?" Shepherd asked never taking his eye off Javik.

"A Dalatrass Linron, want to speak to you, she has agreed to meet with you, so did Wrex"

"Got it" Shepherd said walking away. "Javik, you said once that holding on to your honor was foolish, that may be so, but I will fight to keep it intact"

"What would be the point?"

"That's easy, because I'm not them; my honor is the one thing that keeps me from being like them"

Javik glared at him. "Are you comparing me to the reapers?"

"I don't know, only time will tell…"