Chapter 21: Area 51

Shepard just finished two hours of meeting with the science team. It looks like the excavation was going very well and they should be done in the next twenty four hours. Then they can begin transferring and anchoring the relay. Now he was on his way to meet with the commanders of the other ships. In his current battle group, he has the dreadnought SSV Kilimanjaro commanded by himself, the cruiser SSV Jakarta commanded by Captain Claudia Hayes, the frigate SSV Hong Kong commanded by Commander Jamison, and then science vessel SSV Galileo commanded by Commander Brian Gordon. Shepard has already received reports that an Alliance engineering team has already prepped the Gagarin station for transfer. It will be towed to Jupiter and should arrive in three days. As Shepard walked down the long corridor, he was greeted by numerous salutes as he passed by personnel. Then he heard someone calling his name. "Admiral Shepard!"

Shepard turned, it was Jacob Taylor.

"Hi Jacob, it's great to see you," said Shepard as he shook Jacob's hand. "Did they finally let you leave the infirmary?"

"Yes. I had to beg them to let me leave. I was getting stir crazy," replied Taylor.

"Where are you headed?" asked Shepard.

"I was on my way to catch a shuttle to meet up with Brynn on the Galileo," replied Taylor.

"Hey Jacob, it was great seeing you. I'm sorry I have to get to another meeting. Let's meet up later for dinner with Brynn and Liara. We can all catch up."

"I look forward to it. I'll let the others know. See you later." Said Taylor as they parted ways.

Garrus, Tali, and Vega are already on the Kodiak. Ashley walked over to the weapons locker and picked up her rifle. Miranda also walked up behind her to pick up her weapon.

"You ready?" asked Ashley.

"Yes. But we'll have to be careful. It could be very well guarded" replied Miranda.

As they were talking, a shuttle landed in the docking bay. The door opened and Wrex stepped out. "Did you all miss me?" said Wrex in his usual low gravel voice.

"Wrex! You're just in time for the party" shouted Ashley across the shuttle bay. "We're about to go on a mission groundside. You want to come?"

"Of course. Wouldn't miss it. Let me get my weapons" said Wrex as he walked toward the weapon locker.

"Welcome back, Wrex" said Miranda. "grab your shotgun and let's go."

The shuttle ride was bumpy.

"Cortez, are the dampeners working?" asked Ashley.

"Sorry, Captain. They're on the maximum setting. But we should be out of the upper atmosphere soon" replied Cortez.

Wrex was laughing it up with Garrus, Vega and Tali up front. Ashley and Miranda sat in the back.

"Miranda, I think it would be best if we went in as two teams" said Ashley. "I'd like for you to take Wrex and Vega. I will take Garrus and Tali."

Ashley took a deep breath, "Okay. Let's take a look at the satellite images one more time." She punched up the image on her data pad.

"Miranda, the east side has the runways and is very flat and exposed. The southwest side seemed to have more cover with the mountain ranges. I think we should approach from that side. What do you think?"

"I agree. But I think we can do a high altitude scan first" replied Miranda.

"Agreed. Cortez, hold at fifteen thousand feet and do a scan of the base" ordered Ashley.

"Roger that, Captain."

The Kodiak descended to fifteen thousand feet and began to hover.

Tali turned on the scanners, "Ashley, there does not appear to be any life sign readings."

"Tali, please magnify the images" requested Ashley.

Images of the base appeared on the monitor. They can see the two parallel runways to the east. The base was to the west of the runways. There were also mountain ranges just to the southwest.

"Tali, maximum magnification please" said Ashley.

The images enlarged and they could see the buildings on the ground. They could see several rows of hangers on the west side of the base. The roofs on most of the hangers had collapsed. There were scorch marks everywhere. They saw many vehicles strewed about blackened and burned. Nothing was moving. There appeared to be only one road that traveled west to east and led up to the west entrance of the base.

"Cortez, land us about one thousand feet away from the west entrance of the base where that road ends" ordered Ashley.

"Aye-aye, Captain."

Shepard just finished briefing Hackett on the science team's progress when he saw Coats walking into the room. Coats handed a data pad to Hackett.

"Shepard, Major Coats just informed me that Captain William and her team is approaching Area 51. We hope this is the break we're looking for against Cerberus."

"I hope so, as well" replied Shepard. "Please send updates of their mission to me as well."

"It will be done. Now, if there's nothing else, please report back to me same time tomorrow," said Hackett.

"Admiral, there was one other thing of a personal nature" replied Shepard.

"Go on" said Hackett.

"Ashley and I wanted to get married in a special place" said Shepard. "We understand your concern for security and we will take the necessary precaution."

"Do you have an alternate location in mind?" asked Hackett.

"Yes, I do," replied Shepard. "I'm sending you a picture and a schematic of the location now."

An image appeared on Hackett's holographic display. He looked at it for a moment and said, "This does beat the Everest in terms of romance and grandeur. But I'm still concerned about security."

Shepard was prepared for Hackett's response, "Sir. This location is enclosed. The surrounding is mostly open space and there are several high vantage points for us to observe the entire area."

"Sir. If you and Admiral Shepard would agree to it, I would like the honor of providing security detail for the wedding," said Coats.

Hackett turned to look at Coats, and then he looked at Shepard, "I would feel more comfortable if Coats led the security force. What do you say, Shepard?"

Shepard smiled, "I gladly welcome it. Thank you, Major."

The Kodiak landed and the team filed out. There was a strong gust blowing. The temperature read about one hundred and two degrees Fahrenheit.

"Welcome to the Nevada desert" said Vega as he shouldered his rifle.

"Listen up, Wrex and Vega you go with Miranda. Tali and Garrus, you're coming with me. Miranda will take the North side of the base. My team will take the South side. We will meet back here in one hour. Keep your eyes open" ordered Ashley.

Miranda and her team headed northeast. They approached a twelve feet tall chain link fence. A large section of the fence had collapsed. As they walked in, they saw on the side of the fence was a sign: "Cord-Hislop Aerospace. Private property. All trespassers will be detained."

"This feels weird" said Vega. "There's no one around."

"Yeah, too quiet," added Wrex.

"There was a battle here," said Miranda.

"Reapers?" asked Vega.

"Perhaps," replied Miranda. "Take your safeties off. Be ready for anything."

They walked past a burnt out guard house and past several blackened vehicles. Then they saw the first hangar. "Let's take a look inside" said Miranda.

They entered the warehouse from a side door. They can see it had sustained heavy damage. Parts of the ceiling had collapsed. Fallen beams and wires littered the ground. Towards the back of the warehouse, there appeared to be some sort of plane, shuttle, or vehicle under a mountain of debris. They can see a part of a wing jutting out from underneath.

"Hope nobody was in there," commented Vega as they walked on past.

They left the hangar and immediately saw another hangar in front of them. As they entered, they heard a loud boom.

"That sounded like an explosion!" exclaimed Miranda. "This way!"

Miranda started to run toward where she thought the explosion came from. Just then, her intercom came to life. "Miranda, we are pinned down in one of the hangars on the south side. There's heavy enemy presence here…" The transmission crackled with static.

"Ash! I can't hear you. You're breaking up!" yelled Miranda. She was in full sprint with Vega and Wrex in tow.

"…Geth…husks…" was all she can make out.

"Ash, hold on. We're coming!" yelled Miranda. Even as she said this, she can hear small arms fire. "We're close. Get ready" she said to Vega and Wrex.

They ran up to one warehouse and Miranda motioned for Vega and Wrex to stop. She came up to the corner of the warehouse and peeked around the corner toward the southwest direction. There, she saw another hanger. The front hangar door was facing east and was half opened. There was rifle fire coming from the inside. On the outside, there were Geth droids and husks approaching from south side. They were beginning to form a semicircular perimeter outside the hangar entrance.

"Ash, we're here. We're on the northeast side. What's your situation?" asked Miranda.

"We're okay for now. We're pinned inside the hangar. The back exit is blocked by debris. The front of the hangar is the only way to get out" replied Ashley.

"Understood. Ash, we're going to try to get them in a cross fire. Give us a couple of minutes to get in position."

"Be careful, Miranda" replied Ash.

"You know me, I will" replied Miranda.

She turned to Vega, "Lieutenant I want you to get to the north wall of that hangar. Don't fire until you are in position and I give the word."

"Understood, Commander" said Vega as he gave Miranda a quick salute and was off.

"Wrex, I want you to take up position on the north wall of this hangar directly south of us."

"Consider it done" said Wrex.

Wrex ran toward the north wall of the hangar Miranda was pointing towards. This hangar is directly east of Ashley. The long alley between the two hangars created a kill zone. From this vantage point, he was able to look in southwest direction. He can see Vega on the other side. Miranda followed Wrex to the north wall.

Miranda opened a channel to the entire team, "Captain, we are in position. We will be firing from north of you. I will start with a biotic slam. That will be the signal for everyone to fire."

"Okay Miranda. Awaiting your signal," replied Ashley.

Miranda stepped out from the corner and sent a biotic slam toward the hangar door. Three husks and a geth immediately was lifted up and then slammed back to the ground with simultaneous thuds. At that signal, Wrex and Vega opened up. This completely surprised the geths and they started to fire towards them. The husks also began to charge toward Vega and Wrex. At that point, Ashley, Garrus and Tali also began to fire. One by one the geths and husks began to fall. Miranda sent another slam toward the charging husks sending them hurling into the hangar wall. After several more minutes, the fight was over.

Miranda, Wrex and Vega walked toward the hangar door. Ashley, Tali, and Garrus emerged.

"That was fun. It's good to be back" said Wrex.

"Thanks for bailing us out, Miranda" said Ashley.

"Don't mention it," replied Miranda. "But I guess we know now we're not alone here."

"Geths, husks…what's going on here" said Tali out loud.

"I suspect Cerberus has something to do with this" said Miranda. "Did you have a chance to search the hangar?"

"Not yet. We just got here when they attacked us. Let's do a search now. Wrex and Vega, please guard the entrance. Rest of the team, let's go" ordered Ashley.

This hangar was not damaged like the others. There were four large shipping containers in the middle of the hangar. The team walked over to the containers. The doors to the containers all had electronic locks with encryption.

"Tali, please see if you can get these doors opened" said Ashley.

"Right away" replied Tali.

As Tali was working on the locks, Miranda noticed a staircase that led to a loft in the back of the hangar.

"Captain, did you see what's up there?" asked Miranda.

"No. But let's go have a look" said Ashley as she and Miranda began to walk up the stairs. They got to the top and saw several tables and chairs. There was a single computer terminal. Miranda walked over and turned on the terminal.

"It appears to be working. Let's see what we can find." She typed away at the terminal.

"Ashley, you'll want to see this" yelled Garrus from downstairs by the containers.

Ashley ran down to the containers. Tali had unlocked the containers. Ashley looked inside. In three of the containers, there were Geth units. These look newly constructed without any battle damage or markings on them. The fourth container was empty.

"Great work Tali. Please make sure these units are offline." Ashley then walked back up to Miranda.

"Ash, I got in," reported Miranda. "I found the manifest for the shipping containers. Three of them contained robotic units. The fourth one… this can't be!"

"What's wrong?" asked Ashley.

"It says the fourth one contained a warhead… a nuclear warhead" replied Miranda. They both stood up and looked down on the empty container.

"We have to report this to Hackett," said Ashley.

Ashley called Admiral Hackett and updated him on the mission findings.

"Great work, Captain," said Hackett. "But this is also very disturbing. Now we have a nuclear warhead on the loose. When we took out Cerberus on Cronos station and then on the moon, I thought that was the end of them. But this shows they are still very much active and remain a significant threat. I am sending a battalion to secure the base and a science team to finish sorting through the computer data. Once the battalion gets there, your team may be relieved. You have earned some R&R."

Shepard was waiting for his friends in the officers' dining room. He was sitting at a corner table facing the door. Behind him was a wall of glass that allowed a view of the Starboard side of the Kilimanjaro. From here, one can see Thebe; and behind that, Jupiter.

Shepard took a sip of his wine and allowed his thoughts to wonder for a moment. He thought about Ashley. He thought about when he first saw her on Eden Prime, in her pink Phoenix Armor. And soon, they will be getting married. He wondered how she'll look in a white wedding gown.

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a commotion coming from the front desk. "Sir, this dining room is for officers only" said the dining room host. Shepard saw Jacob, Brynn and Liara at the door. Shepard quickly got up and walked to the front.

"It's okay, they're with me" said Shepard.

"I'm sorry admiral, I did not realize they were with you," said the host apologetically.

Shepard walked his friends back to his table.

"Wow. This is what happens when you save the galaxy and get a promotion?" teased Taylor.

"They should give me something just for saving you all the time," joked Shepard.

"Ouch…that's okay, my sensitive feelings can take it," replied Taylor.

"It is great seeing all of you," said Shepard changing to a more serious tone.

"Likewise, Shepard" replied Taylor.

"I mean it. I was just thinking about this war and how many friends we've lost. I am appreciating these types of moments more," said Shepard.

"John, I feel the same way" replied Liara. "Thank you for inviting us tonight."

"Don't mention it, Liara" replied Shepard. "By the way, I want to congratulate you and Brynn on the great work on finding this relay." Shepard looked out the window toward Thebe. They can see the glistening reflection from the relay.

"Thank you, John" replied Cole. "We've had a lot of help along the way."

"When do you think the excavation will be completed?" asked Shepard.

"If all goes right, this should be completed by tomorrow morning" replied Cole.

"Then it'll a day to anchor it" added Liara.

"So you can potentially activate it in two days?" asked Shepard.

"It's going to be more like three days. The Quarian science flotilla has reached Arcturus six hours ago," said Cole. They've found the dormant relay there and are excavating as we speak. They will need an extra day to complete the excavation. Then we will be activating our gates around the same time," said Cole.

"That is incredible!" said Shepard.

The friends continued talking over dinner. Their conversation shifted from Mass Relay to Shepard's wedding plans.

"So I heard Hackett wanted you to have the wedding on the Everest," said Liara. "How did Ashley take that?"

"Not very well," replied Shepard.

"I didn't think she would," said Liara. "She may be a marine, but from what I recall of her she loved poetry and had a bit of romantic side to her."

"You're right about that, Liara," replied Shepard.

"I guess the Everest is not the most romantic setting?" said Taylor jokingly.

"Well, let's just say Ashley asked me to work something out with Hackett," replied Shepard. "I may have found a compromise but need to see if she'll like it."

"By the way, have you set a date for your wedding?" asked Taylor.

"You would not believe the political discussions that's been had around the date," replied Shepard.

"Of course. I think that would be expected given your status," said Liara in a matter of fact tone.

Shepard went on, "In the beginning, we were going to have it just before the Exodus Event. By the way, that's the informal name we're using for galactic fleets leaving our system. Anyhow, many leaders have raised up the issue that the fleets are eager to go back home and we shouldn't hold up their departure. So now, we are planning to have the wedding three days after Exodus. Each race will leave behind a representative to attend the wedding. Hackett is pushing for us to allow Diana Allers and ANN to broadcast the wedding."

"Really?" asked Cole. "You sound like you don't want ANN to do the broadcast."

"Ashley and I wanted this to be a private moment for us and our friends. But Hackett reminds me constantly that our lives are no longer private, whether we like it or not. I think Ashley is a having a harder time than me."

"I don't blame her," replied Liara. "But on the other hand, this is a big day because of who you are."

Liara took a sip of her wine, and then put the glass down. She sat back in her chair a bit, and began to speak again, "When I was putting together the time capsule, I found it difficult to narrow your description into a short narrative. But at the end, I chose to describe you as a fierce soldier, a great tactician, a courageous leader, and a hero to us all. You bridged together cultures and races that had been at war for generations. You forged an alliance that was impossible by all standards. You moved and inspired people like no other in our galactic history. You beat the Reapers and cheated death twice. And now, you're going to marry your first love. It doesn't get any bigger than that."

"Thank you, Liara," said Shepard. He can feel himself blushing a little, "I am a lucky man to have had the fortune of meeting such wonderful and faithful friends. We could not have done all that we've done without each other."

He raised his wine glass, "I'd like to make a toast to our friendships."

The four friends raised their glasses and drank to the toast.