Disclaimer: I don't own Mass Effect or Transformers
The long awaited update, and the resolution of a mission
Transform Effect 1: Rise a Prime
Chapter 25: The right of all
Shepard kept her rifle ready, moving with her squad and the Autobots through the lab. They found further evidence of ExoGeni research, on the Rachni, on pieces of metal. Ratchet confirmed they were Cybertonian, and Ironhide stated they didn't appear to be from anything military related. Only that they were old, very old, perhaps predating 'modern' Cybertron. The expert on history still hadn't contacted them yet.
"Is this all Prothean and Rachni related, is anything related to the Protheans or Reapers here?" she asked.
"Nothing Prothean, and I don't know enough about the Reapers to identify their tech," Liara said.
"We didn't find any Dragon's teeth, how else could the Geth have converted the scientists?" Ashley asked.
No one had an answer, or even a comment, but the chief's inquiry still made everyone uneasy. Even Wrex's fingers twitched against his shotgun. Advancing further in the cavern, they discovered tubes, massive in size. They were like separate corridors, that led outside of the facility. Or at least that was what they assumed. Following these new tunnels they came to what Shepard predicted the centre of the facility was. When Shepard opened the door, she had Wrex and Ashley go in first, both with their heavy weapons raised. They checked the sides, nodded and Shepard entered with the others.
Ratchet and Ironhide both took separate routes, looking for an entrance they could fit in. The others meanwhile looked at their new surroundings. It was a square shaped room, built around a massive, raised glass box. They stood on metallic walkways, leading to each corner of the room, where other doors had been positioned. The corridor in front of the group went upwards, then a split to the right, that lead to an observation room.
That room included a console, connected to the box. Inside that box was a sight that shocked them. For Wrex it was a flashback to his younger days of war. Liara felt as if she was looking at a history book come to life, and the others finally had their curiosity sated. What did a Rachni mother look like? The answer was right in front of them. It was bigger than any of the Rachni they had encountered before, and much louder, its pained screamed shook the box itself, large feelers on its body lashed at the glass.
But the glass did not shatter, it had held the Rachni Queen for many years. Shepard and the group suddenly turned their guns to the figure standing in front of the Queen.
"You do not know the privilege of being a mother, there is power in creation, to shape a life. Turn it towards happiness or despair," the Matriarch explained.
Benezia, their target, and Liara's mother. Her grip on her pistol loosened, seeing her mother's face. But briefly Benezia turned her head, and there was only ice on it, no warmth. Liara saw nothing on her mother's expression that she remembered.
"Her children were to be ours, raised to hunt and slay the Fallen's enemies," Benezia said, finally turning to face the group. "I won't be moved by sympathy, no matter who you bring into this confrontation."
"Liara's here because she wants to be, not because I asked her to," Shepard retorted, keeping her gun level.
"Indeed, what have you told her about me Liara?" she asked.
"What could I say mother? That you're insane? Evil? Should I explain how to kill you? What could I say?" there was so much emotion in Liara's voice, desperation that Shepard and the others sympathised with.
But the woman before them was their enemy. There was no hesitation, only indifference to Liara as she took a few steps off of the walkway. Her eyes lingered on the group like a predator.
"Have you ever faced an Asari commando unit before? Few humans have," she said, as the familiar blue glow of her biotics appeared around her.
She threw her arm forward without warning. Kaidan quickly raised his hand, deflecting Benezia's attempts to trap them. But the biotic attack was harsh, lighting up the room in a flash that brought Kaidan to his knees, the effort draining him. The doors in the three corners of the room opened, and Asari commandoes entered, their weapons aimed at Shepard's squad.
"Spread out, Kaidan, Garrus, damping tech at the ready," Shepard commanded.
Kaidan nodded his head weakly, whilst Garrus prepped his Omni-tool. A smirk spread across Benezia's face. Her hands slowly rose, and the commandoes stood at ease.
"We have all been gifted, with power, we have become visions of the future," Benezia whispered, just loud enough for her enemies to hear.
The commandoes suddenly lurched forward, their bodies suddenly beginning to change. Wires burst out of their suits, wrapping around their arms, which began to stretch. Their hands and fingers expanded into talons, and their head tentacles stretched, becoming more like horns. Then as they screamed, their faces changes, to the monstrous forms of the Banshees.
"Shit," Ashley muttered.
The Banshees 'blinked' out of existence, reappearing, getting closer and closer to the group.
"Keep close, Garrus, Kaidan by me, Wrex, Liara, with Ashley, hit them with damping and warp, then we'll spray them with Overkill," Shepard said.
Back to back the group went, Wrex already charged with biotic energy. Liara however hesitated, looking at the monsters, and her mother. An elbow nudged her side hard.
"Focus Liara," Ashley said.
Kaidan and Garrus extended their arms, their Omni-tools releasing their tech abilities. As the barriers of the Banshees flickered, Shepard fired her rifle at the full burst setting, overriding the overheat for a few precious seconds. Garrus followed and Kaidan hit a nearby power cell with an overload. The gunfire, and Ashley's yelling faded, Liara was overcome by it all. Her encounters with pirates, even the Geth, all paled in comparison to the monsters. The screams of the Banshees overpowered Ashley and even Shepard's yells.
"LIARA!" Shepard yelled.
Her eyes snapped open, and she rushed forward, biotic aura flaring around her. Liara tackled Shepard, moving them both out of the way of one of the Banshee's talons. The Banshee yelled in anger, before carnage missile hit it. Ashley fired her shotgun again and again, shredding the creature's barriers. She then stuck a grenade onto its face, blowing its brain matter and circuitry across the floor.
"I'm sorry Shepard," Liara said.
"Forget it, just focus on the enemies," Shepard said.
Liara nodded her head, raising a barrier around the team. The Banshees began to scream, releasing a wave that would have shattered a lesser barrier. But Liara remembered well her mother's lessons on biotics. She kept her arms straight, concentrated on the structure of the barrier. Then when the Banshees prepared to scream again, she released the barrier. At the same time though she released several miniwarps, hitting their barriers. Wrex fired his carnage missile, Kaidan and Garrus overloaded the gas pipes, and Shepard threw an incendiary. The explosion was enough for the group to rush past the Banshee.
"Spread out, keep to cover, move back down the corridor," Shepard commanded, checking the structure of the room again. "Those gas cylinders, Kaidan, switch to biotic support with Liara, Garrus, Ashley, be ready to shoot the cylinders when the Banshee get close to them," she explained, loading a phase mod to her pistol.
"What about me Shepard?" Wrex asked.
"Just get ready to hit one when its barrier goes," the Krogan grinned at Shepard's command, cocking his shotgun.
Kaidan and Liara threw warps at their approaching opponents. The Banshees shifted again, two getting close to a gas cylinder. Garrus fired his sniper rifle, hitting the cylinder and triggering an explosion. Flames covered the left Banshee and spread to the other one.
"The barrier needs just a little more damage," Shepard said, firing her pistol.
The blue rounds sparked on contact with the barrier. As the barrier fell, Wrex added armour piercing rounds to his stock. He approached the Banshee, firing slug after slug that ripped the Banshees armour. Suddenly, the Banshee swung its arm, cutting Wrex's cheek. He fired another shot, ripping apart the Banshee's guts. Two more Banshees surrounded Wrex from either side. With a yell he tackled the one in front of him. The second one however was met with a hail of gunfire.
"Focus fire with anti-barrier rounds, Liara, get as close as you can with a grenade," Shepard said.
"Yes commander," the Asari covered herself with a barrier as the others kept firing.
She biotically threw her grenade, hitting the Banshee and making it stumbled forward. Wrex smacked the Banshee with his shotgun, then fired two shots with his pistol, blowing apart the head of the Banshee he tackled.
"Explosive rounds, only get two shots though," Wrex said.
"But your armours been burnt, not the kind of weapon you want to use at close range," Shepard said.
"The benefits of a redundant nervous system."
"Humans don't have those!"
"They're surrounding us again," Ashley stated.
"More enemies incoming too," Garrus said, seeing another squad of Banshee coming into the room.
"Shit, Ratchet, Ironhide, ETA," Shepard raised her pistol and began firing again.
"Where in Prahmus are we?" Ironhide asked.
"I estimate, thirty centimetres, we might have to breach the wall," Ratchet said.
Ironhide smiled, removing a charge from his pack.
"Wait, we'll need to place it at a precise spot or we could risk bringing down this tunnel."
"Since when have you ever been an expert on explosives?"
"I'm more familiar with physics than you."
"A sparkling with even a basic training on explosives can know the precise spot to place an explosive in a tunnel without a total collapse, and I've had experience in it for a millenia," Ironhide explained.
"Gentlemen, I don't want to interrupt but, GET IN HERE!" Shepard yelled, as a Banshee wrapped its fingers around her.
Wrex and Ashley both fired carnage missiles, blowing off the Banshees arm. Garrus snapped the elongated fingers, freeing Shepard. They then fired their pistols together, pushing a Banshee back slightly. Kaidan and Liara both nodded to one another. She grabbed Garrus and Shepard, throwing them lightly across the room, behind the first group of Banshee. Kaidan threw Ashley across the room, then lifted Wrex and threw him to. He landed with an impact that would have killed any species besides a human. Both biotics then formed a barrier around themselves, then released an explosion that threw the piling Banshee back.
"High explosive grenades now!" Shepard commanded.
The four threw their grenades, blowing the Banshees and the platforms they were piled up on. Collectively, the team turned to the platform the Matriarch had stood on. But she wasn't there anymore. Liara turned to Shepard, just as particles of Biotic energy formed behind her. Suddenly, with a pop and a surge of electricity, Benezia was there. An Asari blade was in her hand, charged with biotic energy. Shepard quickly activated her Omni-blade, parrying the blow. She slammed her head into Benezia's, knocking her back.
"Where'd she go and what was that just now?" Ashley asked.
"I've heard of biotic techniques like a short range teleport, but the effect is a split second and never at that kind of distance," Kaidan explained.
Benezia reappeared where she started, throwing aside her blade and surrounding herself with a barrier. It illuminated her body, brighter than any barrier had before. Then she began to levitate.
"You have no idea, what his light has given me, what Sovereign, what the Fallen, what the one above them all has granted all their servants. I am filled with their light, I AM THEIR LIGHT!" she yelled, throwing the team against the wall.
With a bang, part of the wall was blown open, the debris striking the incredible barrier Benezia had formed. Both Ironhide and Ratchet stepped into the chamber, looking at Benezia as she turned towards them.
"Cybertronian enhancement of biotics, fascinating," the medic muttered.
"Doubt even her barriers could withstand our cannons...maybe we should both shoot just in case," Ironhide said.
Ratchet nodded his head, raising his blaster. They fired, and Benezia threw her hands forward, slowing their rounds. She screamed, the strain too much for her. Shifting to the opposite side of the room, she threw several warp fields at the Autobots. They rolled and jumped over the attacks, Ironhide forming a shield he used to protect the team members.
"The power of her attacks has significantly increased, but the stress on her brain has also increased," Ratchet stated.
"She also hasn't overcome the cool down time limit," Ashley said.
"Indeed Chief Williams, that may be our advantage," he crossed his arms together, protecting Ashley and Wrex from a flurry of biotic throws.
Benezia dodged the blasts fired by Ratchet and Ironhide. She glared at them, swinging in midair and forming two warp fields in her hands. As they reloaded, she threw them. Ratchet dived forward and Ironhide was thrown back, his shield falling to pieces. As powerful as she was though, the Autobots fired together, their rounds blowing up with contact with Benezia's barrier. She screamed, the mental stress too much for her. The force of her barrier breaking threw her against the wall, closest to where the platform for the controls to the Rachni cage were.
A single gunshot echoed through the room, and a look of shock crossed Benezia's face.
Liara lowered her pistol, looking at it in horror before she looked to her mother. Ratchet and Ironhide approached either side of Benezia, standing over Shepard and her team. She got off of the floor, clutching the bullet hole on her chest.
"Saren and the Fallen one are unstoppable, my mind is filled with their light, everything is clear," she said, voice wavering for just a moment.
"The Rachni didn't cooperate with you, why should I?" Shepard asked.
"I will not betray them, you will, you will..." she gripped her head, shaking it as if in pain.
"You must listen," he voice grew more desperate, her eyes clearer.
That sincerity made Shepard, against her better judgement, lower her gun.
"The Fallen one still whispers in my mind, I can fight his compulsions briefly, but the indoctrination is strong," Benezia said.
"Why is she able to break his control now?" Ashley asked.
"I sealed a part of myself away from the indoctrination, saving it for a time when I could destroy him, it will not last long."
"The stress of the fighting probably weakened the indoctrination, combined with the enhancement of her biotic mods," Ratchet suggested.
"She could still turn on us again," Wrex said.
"He is right, but it would not be my will," Benezia said. "People are not themselves when around the Fallen, they come to worship him, idolise him, they would do anything for him. The key is Sovereign."
"We already know that Sovereign is a Reaper, the ships themselves must hold the power of indoctrination," Ratchet said.
"The more you stay onboard, the more the Fallen's words seem right, you smile as they pour into you, it is subtle at first, I thought I was strong enough to resist, instead I became a willing tool, eager to serve. He sent me here to find the location of the Mu relay, its position was lost thousands of years ago," the Matriarch explained.
"How does something that big go missing?" Shepard asked.
"Four thousand years ago the star went super nova, the shockwave must have propelled the relay out of its system, the precise vector and speed would have been impossible to determine for milky way galaxy technology," Ratchet explained.
"And as millennia passed, the nebula created by the nova enveloped the relay, it is difficult to find any cold object in interstellar space, particularly some swathed in hot dust and radiation," Benezia added.
"So someone on Noveria found it...oh," Ironhide looked up at the Rachni.
"Two thousand years ago the Rachni lived in that region and discovered the relay. They can share memories across generations, queens inherit the knowledge of their mothers. I took the location from the queen's mind...I was not gentle," Benezia lowered her head as she spoke.
"You can still make it right, give me the information," Shepard said.
"I was not myself, but I should have been stronger," the Matriarch activated her Omni-tool, and with a few taps, Shepard received a new file.
She checked over the new info, navigational coordinates.
"Knowing where the relay is, isn't enough, do you know where Saren and the Fallen planned to go from there?" Liara asked.
"They would not tell me, but you must hurry, I transmitted the coordinates before you arrived...you have to stop me, I can't..." Benezia screamed in pain as she gripped her head. "Teeth at my ear, fingers on my spine, you should...you should," she convulsed, her eyes letting out a brief glow.
"Mother, don't leave, fight him," Liara said.
"You've always made me proud Liara, good night little wing," she grit her teeth together as Shepard raised her pistol.
"For what it's worth I'm sorry," she said, before pulling the trigger.
Liara turned away from the body, trying to keep herself from crying.
"It's done, all right team, let's find Optimus and go home," Shepard said.
"What about the Rachni queen?" Ashley asked.
"There are acid tanks rigged to that cage, thousands of my people died to end the Rachni, finish the job and kill it," Wrex explained.
"Commander, genocide is out of our mandate, and there are grudges in the galaxy humanity should stay out of," Kaidan said.
"The mandate is 'whatever it takes', if you can't handle that quit," the Krogan retorted.
"If she really is the last of their kind, then this is something we should report to the council and let them decide," Garrus said.
Ratchet huffed and shook his head.
"Tell the council about this and they'll want to repeat what was done here, they'll try to control her," he said.
"Actually it is difficult to say what the council will do, kill her and they'll demonise you for committing genocide, let her go and they might just criticise you for it. I say do what Garrus suggested and leave the consequences on them for once," Ironhide explained.
"Leave it in another's hands?" Ratchet asked.
"I thought you'd approve."
The two Autobots glared at one another. Suddenly the wall behind them was blown open. Shepard and her team raised their guns, aiming at the figure who stepped through. When they saw it was Optimus, they slowly lowered their weapons. He looked up at the Rachni, for a moment looking at Benezia. His eyes narrowed in sympathy as he looked at Liara.
"About time you got here, were you lost?" Wrex asked.
"The facility is that big enough, it wouldn't be surprising," Garrus commented.
Optimus suddenly walked forward, narrowly avoiding crushing his smaller team mates.
"Optimus what are you doing?" Shepard asked.
He put his finger to the console, plates on the appendage slid aside and wires began to stretch out of the ports, connecting to the console. The platform the Rachni was on began to rise, it screeched, looking at Optimus as a tunnel opened in front of it. Optimus wordlessly turned away as the Rachni began to crawl to its escape.
"Optimus, that was my choice to make," Shepard said.
"I made the choice," Optimus retorted.
"Then you can explain why when we get back to the council," a small smirk crossed Shepard's face as they walked through the caverns.
"I'm not going to explain myself to them," Optimus huffed.
The team followed Optimus, making their way deeper into the caverns that Exo-Geni had dug. They kept walking until they reached a chamber. There, all but Optimus were amazed by what they saw. It was a ship, some sections of it covered in ice, not as big as the G1, but just as spectacular.
"A Cybertronian ship," Liara gasped.
"A shuttle, inoperable now, with nothing worth taking from it, except for this," Optimus opened his chest plate, removing a circular device from it.
Gears on it rotated and the lights across the equator blinked. It was big enough to fit into Optimus's hand.
"What is that?" Garrus asked.
"A combination Matrix," there was wonder in Ironhide's voice, he was almost gushing, bringing his optics closer to the device.
"What does it do?" Shepard asked.
"It can be split into two, sometimes even three pieces, each Autobot who integrates a piece into their systems, can transform in a way that allows them to link with another. Traditionally one of the combination party will become the dominant personality and the others go into stasis," Optimus explained.
"Whilst sometimes, a completely new bot is created, there are a lot of combiners in the Decepticons," Ironhide added.
"Which is why we'll need to add it to our systems," Optimus said.
He opened his chest panel, the object glowing in his hand until it split into two.
"I didn't know you had a combination matrix," Ironhide pointed at the similar shaped device in Optimus's body.
"Neither did I," Optimus muttered.
He gave the two matrixes to Ironhide and Ratchet, the two of them opening their chest panels. Wires streamed out of their bodies, connecting to the matrixes and pulling them into their chests. Both Autobot's eyes flickered for a moment before restoring to their natural blue glow.
"That seemed a bit anticlimactic," Wrex said.
"What were you expecting, a flashy sequence?" Ratchet asked.
"Combiners are powerful, but vulnerable when they begin the link sequence, the more bots linking together, the more complicated the sequence," Optimus explained.
"A high risk, high reward tactic," Liara said.
"Well we've got the location, and the facility is finally secure, let's go home," Shepard suggested.
The drive back to the Normandy had not been as perilous as it had before. But there was a bitter air hanging over the team. Shepard herself acknowledged herself as being one of those bitter people. She didn't mind Optimus making the choice he did, it was his responsibility now and not hers. She also didn't believe in discussing every choice, in having to justify it again and again, the mission was too important to waste that kind of time. But with the completion of every mission, came the debriefing, and the inevitable confrontation with the council.
"What's our next move commander? Head for the Mu relay?" Ashley asked, the group all taking their seats.
"The Mu relay could link to dozens of systems, unless we know exactly where Saren is going, we'd just be wasting our time," Shepard said.
"The commander is right, we cannot rush off blind, we still need to learn more about Saren," Liara said.
"Who put you in charge? Did the commander resign when I wasn't looking?"
"We're all on the same team here Williams, she's just trying to help," Shepard kept her voice calm and level.
"Until we have more information, there's really nothing we can do, I'll look over the data from the Prothean Beacon again, see if we can't find anything," the Autobot's hologram looked at the ground before he spoke up again, "In the meantime, there are very real issues we need to go over, that we need to confront and settle as soon as possible!"
"Hold on Optimus, this has been a hard mission, I don't know about you three, but the rest of us need to rest," Shepard explained. "Crew dismissed!"
"Very well commander," Optimus nodded to Ratchet and Ironhide, the two of them cutting their feed.
The crew in the briefing room stood up, slowly making their way to the door, Shepard herself standing to look at the communication screen.
"Noveria report is away commander, you want me to patch you through to the council?" Joker asked over the intercom.
"Shepard, what happened on Noveria was my decision, I'll speak to the council about it," Optimus said.
"I thought you said you didn't need to explain it to them," she said.
"At the time I admit I was in distress, I'll take responsibility."
Shepard nodded her head as Joker set up the link. The three holograms appearing in front of Shepard, and Optimus's own hologram.
"Is this report accurate commander? You found Rachni on Noveria?" Tevos asked.
"And then released the queen, do you have any idea what you've done? How many generations until they overrun the galaxy?" Sparatus demanded.
"This queen is different, she understands why her kind had to be wiped out last time around," Shepard said.
"The decision was mine anyway councillors," Optimus said, his voice sounding calm at first.
Shepard however noticed a very organic tone of venom when he said 'councillors'. If they noticed it, they didn't show any sign of being bothered, or surprised by it.
"And on what authority did you make this decision?" Sparatus asked.
"Mine!"
Shepard froze, shocked as much as the council was. There was such anger in Optimus's voice. Gone was his usually calm and reasonable tone. He spoke more like a military commander now, not the great 'man' that Shepard had seen win the respect of his men.
"You can criticise our decisions and disagree with them, you have that right. But try to remember, we're here, you're not!"
"Captain you are out of..."
"We appear to be having some difficulties councillors," Shepard said, hoping Joker would get the signal.
"Communications cut commander," the pilot said.
"Optimus what was that just now?" Shepard asked, looking at the Cybertronian hologram.
"Commander, I fully believe that the council only wants what is best for the people, but they are biased. They were against the idea of a human spectre, whether you had spared the Rachni or not, they still would have had a reason to complain, politicians," Optimus fumed, his optic visibly shaking in something Shepard assumed was anger.
"All right, next time we go out Optimus, you're staying behind," she said.
"If you believe that is best commander," Optimus said dismissively, before his hologram faded.
Shepard shook her head, partly in frustration, another part in concern. She knew Optimus to be one of the most reasonable people there were, but also quick to question and quick to rise to an argument. He took the moral high ground at all times, yet there was anger in him. There had been anger on Noveria, ever since he was separated from the group. It had all started when Ratchet spoke to him. More and more she considered what Optimus had said, about confronting issues. As she made her way to the crew deck, she remembered all the tension. Ashley had misgivings about aliens, Liara had just lost her mother, Ratchet and Ironhide were at one another's throats and there was something wrong with Optimus.
"Commander," her musings drew her to Kaidan.
"Lieutenant," she nodded her head.
"Do you have some time to talk now commander?" he asked.
"Let's hear it lieutenant, I'm always open to my officers," she said.
"We've played it pretty close to the book so far. But we're a long way from backup, we've got some tough calls to make. I'm just saying, try to leave yourself a way out, I've seen what cutting corners can do to someone. And I'd hate to see that happen to you commander," Kaidan explained.
"Do you mean about Nihlus's investigations, or how we're interacting with the Autobots?" Shepard asked.
"I'm not questioning any of the decisions you've made Shepard, let me be clear on that," Kaidan said.
"Unfortunately a few people are making their own decisions," Shepard said and Kaidan nodded.
"Ratchet and Ironhide, I know how high tempers can get when people can't agree on something, especially in a small group. In my experience, when someone lets something slide, it tends to pick up speed. Do you get my meaning?" he asked.
"Talk to me Kaidan, you've got a little black rain cloud sitting over your head," Shepard said.
"I'll try to keep the deck dry," he smiled pleasantly. "You know the records about the biotic training on jump zero? They're all classified, because the alliance made mistakes. They needed experts to teach us," he explained. "Everything with Optimus's condition and Ratchet and Ironhide clashing, just reminds me of the mistakes that were made there. My point is commander, when you cut corners it isn't always obvious who pays the price."
"So why are you telling me this, is there something I can do to help you get over it?"
"I'm thirty-two Shepard, you don't serve as long as I have without coming to terms with yourself. You also learn that if someone is special to you, you help them, try to keep them from making mistakes," Kaidan explained.
"Special huh?" Shepard couldn't help the smirk on her face.
"If I'm out of line, just say the word," Kaidan said.
"Now isn't the ideal time, but I want to talk about this, Kaidan," she said.
"I get you Shepard, I don't make a habit of complicating the chain of command, even though it is already," he explained.
"Optimus!"
"Ratchet I could see following your orders if you sidelined Optimus, but Ironhide is fiercely loyal to him. I think until we settle whatever issue there is here, we should slow down. With Saren and the Fallen's, what was Benezia? A lieutenant? Advisor? Anyway, with her dead it should set them back a bit. I'm sure Doctor T'Soni's hurting though, poor kid, having to kill her own mother," Kaidan explained.
"What do you think of Optimus's decision regarding the Rachni?" Shepard asked.
"Off the record?" she nodded, "If we'd had the option, I'd as soon have left it to the council. Neither humanity nor the Autobots were out here during the Rachni war, I'm not sure we have any business getting involved."
Shepard nodded in agreement of Kaidan. She respected how open he'd been with her, professionally and personally. But he was also able to remain objective, with the Rachni and the Cybertronians.
"Be ready to meet us in the briefing room, you're right, we need to settle things," she said, before turning away.
She walked to Doctor T'Soni's office, where the Asari was sat, Optimus's hologram in front of her. He appeared to have put on a new set of armoured plating, judging from the shading of the hologram, it was a pure silver instead of the usual red and blue.
"The best of your mother lives on in you Liara, her determination, her intelligence, her strength," he said, his calm and compassionate voice was back.
"Thank you Optimus," Liara said.
"I won't keep you anymore Liara, Shepard wishes to speak with you," the Autobot leader said, before cutting his communication.
"Is everything all right commander?" Liara asked.
"I came to check on you, and also to say that I wanted to speak with the crew in the briefing room, sorry to cut the break short," Shepard said.
"That's all right Shepard, I am fine, Benezia made her choice as I have made mine. I am with you until the end!"
"With me, or Optimus?" Shepard asked.
"What do you mean commander?"
Liara looked at her confused, even conflicted, a part of her perhaps knowing what Shepard was thinking.
"We'll discuss it in the briefing," Shepard said, turning to the comm. station. "Wrex, Garrus, Ashley, come up to the briefing room!"
Within minutes the organic crew members were sitting in the briefing room. Liara looked uncomfortable, even Ashley, Wrex and Garrus seemed awkward. They all knew what the meeting would be about.
"Optimus," she said one word and they unanimously agreed, that there was a real problem with the Autobot leader.
"He let the Rachni live, didn't wait for the opinion of someone whose clan fought in the Rachni wars," Wrex huffed.
"I'm less worried about that, and more worried about Optimus himself, he fought through all those Rachni and Vehicons like some..."
"Berserker," Wrex finished for Ashley.
"Ratchet said something to Optimus before cutting communications," Liara said.
"Ratchet was the last to speak to Optimus, we don't know what he said, or whether Optimus's change had anything to do with Ratchet at all," Kaidan explained.
"Commander, whether Ratchet was involved or not, he's definitely hiding something. I've seen the guilt, the fear, and just something, different about the eyes of someone with a secret and someone who hasn't. It has been the same whatever species I've had in the interrogation room," Garrus explained.
"What can you see from Ratchet?" Shepard asked.
"You don't need to be a detective to tell he's guilty about something," Wrex said.
Shepard nodded her head in agreement. But she was also slightly frustrated, she didn't want the meeting to turn into a debate. Ratchet was hiding something, but the heart of the issue was Optimus. She considered letting the Autobot medic had a say, but she didn't know whether Optimus or Ironhide could overhear what he was communicating.
"Shepard," Joker's voice suddenly came over the Intercom.
"What is it Joker?" Shepard asked.
"Communication from the council," there was no humour in the pilot's tone. "You'd better hear it!"
Shepard turned to the projectors as the three councillors appeared, along with something she wasn't expecting.
Optimus flexed his arms, as the Minicons fused the last piece of armour onto him. He tilted his head as two of them spray painted the Autobot symbols onto his shoulders. A blue plate slid over his chin and mouth as he stood, testing the connection of the armour with a few punches and kicks. They were fixed on tight, and would offer reasonable protection. At least until he had access to better armour and equipment again. Ironhide had done an inventory recently, they were low on explosives, and on rounds. Until they were able to rearm, they would have to rely on energy and melee weaponry. Williams had offered some help with the explosives, alongside, unexpectedly Wheelie.
"Retrofitting homemade rounds with grenades, you're pretty good with improvising," she told the Cybertronian child.
"Thanks chief, what's that?" Wheelie asked, looking at the data pad Ashley held.
"Family mail, just finishing listening to it," Ashley pushed one of the buttons.
"Oh before I go. We saw Kaidan in a news vid about the Normandy, he's cute," a young girl said.
Ashley lowered her head in embarrassment as Wheelie laughed.
"A few of the kids on the neighbourhood have been playing games too, guess whose their new hero? When I told them my sister works with Optimus Prime they gushed, later sis!"
Again Ashley looked embarrassed, as her eyes came up to Optimus.
"Shoot me now," she said.
"Why would I shoot you?" Optimus asked.
"No, it's a saying, to stop the embarrassment," Ashley said.
"Exaggeration yes?"
"Yeah!"
"That was Sarah yes?"
"She's the youngest," Ashley nodded.
"I'm glad she is enjoying peace, are any of your other siblings in the military?" Optimus asked.
"No, just me, we'd like to kill each other at times, but we've always been close. I'm glad you talked to Liara, it can't be easy for her," Ashley said.
"It wasn't, but she is coping better than most would. What are your thoughts on the last mission?"
"You're asking me?" she asked.
"Yes Williams, I would appreciate your opinion," Optimus said.
"I think letting them go was a mistake, they're dangerous, they proved that two thousand years ago," Ashley said.
"From a certain perspective, the same thing can be said of humans, Turians, Krogans, etc, every species has proven itself dangerous, even Cybertronians. Perhaps it was a mistake, perhaps it was wrong to give them the chance to make the decision for themselves. My choices had consequences, but so do theirs," he explained.
"So the fate of the galaxy is dependent on a Rachni queen deciding if she wants to repeat history or not? You never had any guarantee whether she would decide to continue the war or not, and you've bet lives on that," Ashley explained.
"It isn't simple, but it is a right that all sentient species have," he said.
"What is that right?" she asked.
"Freedom!"
Optimus raised his head, feeling the subtle shift in the ship.
"We've gone through a mass relay," he said.
"Shepard must have got Intel on a new mission," Wheelie said.
Optimus looked from Wrex, to Garrus and Ashley. The gunnery chief was close to a rack of weapons, Wrex had a grenade launcher close by, and Garrus was watching him closely. Activating his comm. Optimus contacted the bridge.
"Joker is the commander with you?" he asked, noticing the nervous shift in the pilot's hologram.
"We've returned to the Citadel Optimus," Shepard said, her own hologram appearing before Optimus.
"Good, it would give us time to resupply and your alliance crew members to rest."
"That isn't why we're here," Shepard lowered her head slightly.
She adjusted the camera on her Omni-tool, showing Optimus what was orbiting the Citadel. It was a Cybertronian ship. Shepard cut communications with Optimus, and another hologram appeared in front of her. It was Autobot commander, Ultra Magnus.
"Well done Shepard, I admit I did not expect you to follow your council's orders," he said.
"I want the citadel species to have a good relationship with the Cybertronians," Shepard said.
"As do I, now, have your pilot dock at the specified location, citadel security and the elite guard will be waiting, to take Optimus into custody!"
Next Chapter 26: The greatest threat in the galaxy
I told you guys the return to the Citadel would be big, next time a threat bigger than Saren and the Fallen is revealed, and the lives of Shepard and her crew, and Optimus's team will never be the same.