A/N: Long wait I know, had to fit everything together just right.

Having moved the two colonists in O'Brien and Cortez's armor away from the garage door Sork stood next to the controls for the door. Lamenting Light has also moved for the time being to allow the others to operate without worrying about it causing any trouble. Shepard signaled Sork to activate the door. As the door rose the entire garage floor was littered with several more pods. Once in view, the colonists immediately opened fire on the Mako. Sork attempted to use his stealth tech to plant the gas grenade near the colonists but the pods opened as he passed them, causing the colonists to wildly fire in his direction. Six grabbed another gas grenade from the Commander and rushed into the garage.

A few of the colonists started firing on Six, but her energy shield easily took the shots. With a clear line of sight, Six tossed the grenade, bouncing it to the group's feet. Six ran down the incline, signaling Shepard to detonate the grenades now. Sork released his hold of the explosive device before he jumped over the creatures as they attempted to grab him. The grenades detonated and knocked out the colonists. What wasn't expected was the effect the gas would have against the creatures. All of the creatures that came in contact with the gas lost their structural integrity before become a pool of green goo. Sork easily dealt with the last two with swift slices of his energy sword.

"Is this enough material for you to work with, Oracle?"

Lamenting Light started scanning the goo and what remained of the fleshy membrane. "I believe so. Oh, Commander. If I could trouble you, I would like to also examine the neural agent. It seems very efficient at disassembling these infected creatures. I only need a small sample, not an entire grenade even." Shepard pulled out a grenade to which Light quickly grabbed it and syphoned a small amount of the gas before handed the grenade back. "Thank you."

Six returned from outside dragging the two colonists who were in the ODST armor. She wasn't planning on leaving the armors and weapons behind, nor was she willing to accept the possibility that the two of them were dead, not unless she saw their bodies herself. With everyone set, Tali activated the elevator as it rose back up.

The door to the room opened as one of the colonists came to give them food. Cortez ignored her as she left the room. Cortez quietly moved to the door and used the food tray to keep the door slightly ajar. After confirming the door to the exterior closed, Cortez forced his door open. The colonists left him his undersuit but he had created a makeshift pick from the few pieces of wire he could find.

Cortez was trying to pick Ashley and O'Brien's door quietly as he continued to look for any of the colonists who might be checking in on them. About a minute of carefully prying open the wall panel and rewiring a few of the circuits before the door unlocked. "Alright you two, ready for some action?"

"You bet."

"Just tell us when we get some payback."

Cortez stopped O'Brien and Williams from charging though, "Hold on you two. Can't you hear the gunshots?" They silenced themselves as they listened to find at least two weapons were firing at something. The shots were echoed a bit so they had to be some distance away from the colony. "We just have to wait for the right time now."

O'Brien walked over to the exit, "And when will that be?"

"I think when all of the gunshots start around the ship. Come on, I want that door unlocked beforehand."

Sork knocked the final Thorian creature to the ground before stomping down on its head. Six was now next to the hall just before the stairs to the colony and two of the colonists entrenched behind the cinder block. The two colonists were firing down the hall with a frenzy of bullets. Judging by the spread of the shots and rate of fire, Six determined that they were using pistols. With a gas grenade in hand, Six used her hardened uplink/remote sensor camera attached to her helmet to survey the area without exposing herself to the colonists. Ready, she tossed the grenade down, bouncing it against the floor and deflecting it off rail guard. Two seconds after seeing the grenade bounced a second time she detonated it.

Shepard and Sork moved up as more pods opened and more of those creatures started to rush toward them. The two retreated back to the top of the stairs as the creatures blindly rushed toward them into the barrel of Shepard's shotgun and Sork's energy sword.

The two easily dispatched with the group clearing the way for Six and another grenade. Arcelia and three other colonists were defending the entrance behind a barrier and another block of cement. Six switched the grenade's settings so the wings would activate and fly straight out. She tossed the grenade out as all four colonists were firing at the doorway. As the grenade flew toward them Six leaned out of cover to watch and time the detonation. Six detonated the gas grenade when all four colonists were peeking out of cover and within the gas' blast radius.

Six returned to the upper level just for the two colonists wearing the ODST armor. She threw one over her shoulder while dragging the other by his arm down the stairs.

While Six was bringing the two unconscious bodies down, Shepard pushed forward. The doors to the merchant ship Borealis had been locked down. Sork jumped onto the small walkway and stomped one of the pods before it could bloom.

He quickly moved behind one of the pillars in the area as the salarian Ledra and another colonist started firing on him. Shepard grabbed her last grenade and lobbed it at them as it rolled to a stop just past the second pillar. The gas quickly released, knocking the two out. Tali found a small crate with five more grenades that Shepard quickly added the gas into the new grenades. Six rejoined Shepard as she used her M392 to scout the area next to the crashed freighter.

"Ten pods, five colonists in crossfire positions."

Shepard remembered walking through the colony, the area was open with several positions the colonists could use to flank them. "Six, I want you to cause the pods to open up. After a few of them start opening, fall back to this walkway and out of view of the colonists. That's when we use the grenades to knock the remaining colonists out."

"Yes ma'am." Six waited for Shepard and the others to get into position. Once ready, Six swapped her M392 for her M6G magnum pistol. Six quickly ran into the middle of the pods, staying long enough for the pods to start opening. The colonists came out of cover and started firing on Six. Her energy shield was able to take the shots from the pistols but she fired off a few warning rounds hitting the crates and various other objects they were using for cover.

Six knocked one of the Thorian's mutated humans back with a blow from her left elbow before she retreated as planned. Six jumped over Shepard, who was crouching with her shotgun aiming down the narrow walkway with Tali on her left and Sork with a plasma rifle to Shepard's right. Six had time to turn around and take aim down the path though she didn't have long to wait as the first of them arrived. In stride, the four of them fired on the creatures. Six and Shepard would fall the first as Sork and Tali coordinated and killed the next. Back and forth between them it continued until there were no more.

Sork holstered his weapon. "Give me the grenades. I will plant them near the humans."

Shepard grabbed three and placed them into Sork's hand, "Just try not doing anything heroic."

"Heroism is not what compels me," his body disappeared and he was off. Silent, the Elite quickly found where the humans were hiding. He activated a grenade and rolled it toward a female behind a small crate next to the ship. The second one was placed between the larger crate and cover beside the console Hana Murakami was working on earlier. Sork fell back now, returning the last grenade back to Shepard. "They should all be within the blast radii."

The two grenades detonated and was able to knock out the remaining colonists. Now that the area was safe, they gathered to the console as Tali got to work raising the mid-section of the ship. Sork looked down the flight of stairs as Tali was locking the console so they weren't trapped down there. Shepard heard a faint trail of foot steps behind her, drawing her pistol, she finds Six with her DMR already targeting something. It was Fai Dan, he was staggering toward them. "I tried to fight it, but it gets in your head. You can't imagine the pain. I was supposed to be a leader. These people trusted me." Fai Dan's arm grabbed the pistol he had as he forced his arm up to aim at them. "It wants me to stop you…but I…"

Six lowered her rifle as she spotted a familiar face walk up behind Fai Dan, "I think it's time you said good night." O'Brien grabbed Fai Dan's right arm, pointing the pistol to the ground before Ashley used a metal pipe to knock him unconscious.

Ashley, Cortez and O'Brien were stripped down to their undersuits. "So, did you miss us?"

"Cortez. O'Brien. I brought your armor back." Six pointed beyond the ship.

Ashley walked past Sork, who remained near the stairway. "Commander. I'm sorry we were capture."

"You couldn't have known about it Chief. Light did say warning you guys might have endangered your lives and the colonists. I'm actually glad we took its advice."

"Yes ma'am. So what the plan now?"

Shepard watched O'Brien and Cortez walk around the pathway to where Six left the two colonists, "You and Tali are heading back to the Normandy. Six and I will deal with the Thorian."

Sork turned around, "If you are hunting the enemy of the Forerunners, I shall also accompany you. A means to help atone for sins past, both personal and for my species."

"Whoa there," O'Brien rushed over half-finished putting his armor back on, "you're not actually thinking of going down there with him are you? Close quarters, nowhere to really go."

"That's why I'm going too." Cortez walked past O'Brien, fully outfitted in his armor again. "No offense O'Brien, but your better with range."

"Uh no offense Cortez, but what about weapons? You don't have any!"

Cortez walked over to the large crate near them, unlatching the hooks and throwing the lid off. "I spotted them place our weapons in here while they were putting our armor on." Cortez grabbed his weapons, tossing an MA37 assault rifle to Six.

Six walked over to the crate now, sifting through the weapons, "Williams, I'm barrowing your shotgun. Is that alright?"

"I guess, if I'm still not going."

Shepard looked to the crate, "How fast do you think you can gear up?"

Williams quickly went over to the crate, "Give me five and I'll be set."

"You have three. This thing knows we're coming so now I'm thinking it's going to be desperate."

With Tali gone, Sork had no real reason to save or help any of the humans as they plunged deeper into the Thorian's nest. O'Brien had also left, leaving Six, Cortez, Ashley and Shepard to finish this. "Following these roots should lead us straight to…to…" Everyone was speechless as they gazed upon the mass of tendrils and form that was the Thorian. The tendrils all amassed from a single bulbous point as more tentacle-like appendages covered its 'belly' and various parts of its pulsated. There was something of a face near the ledge they were at. A thicker, darker group of tendrils were coming out of a section that had spines, almost like a mouth really.

"What the hell?"

"We're gonna need bigger guns."

As Shepard moved closer to examine the Thorian, the Thorian started drooling. The body started convulse, to which Six and Sork reacted by turning their weapon on it. The tentacles around the 'face' opened to reveal a true mouth before closing around it again. Within a moment a body dropped down, fully clothed in combat armor. The figure quickly stood up and was revealed to be a green-skinned asari with dark facial markings around her eyes. "Invaders! Your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you as meat, good only to dig or decompose. I speak for the Old Growth, as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands that you be in awe!"

Sork and Six now turned their aim to the green asari as Shepard spoke to her, "You gave something to Saren. Something we need."

"Saren sought knowledge of those who are gone. The Old Growth listened to flesh for the first time in the Long Cycle. Trades were made. Then cold ones began killing the flesh that would tend the next cycle. Flesh fairly given! The Old Growth sees the air you push as lies! It will listen no more!"

Shepard wasn't really in a negotiating mood with the Thorian, "I won't let you keep your thralls. Release them. Now!"

"No more will the Thorian listen to those that scurry. Your lives are short, but have gone on too long. Your blood will feed the ground and the new growth!" displaying her biotics as she pushed back Shepard, Sork and Six. Williams quickly pull out her shotgun and blasted the asari off the ledge.

Two pods nearby opened up as the mutated humans stood up. Cortez started firing an MA37 assault rifle at the closet one until it popped. Six recovered from the hit and started to unleash with her MA37 too. The two UNSC members quickly reloaded as a door opened with more pods starting to open as well. Recovered as well, Sork drew out his energy sword and plasma rifle, activating the sword as he let out a roar of anger. He started firing on the new group of the Thorian's creatures while closing the gap. In a fit of rage, Sork bashed one of their heads against the wall with the overheated plasma rifle before he started cutting down the others around him in an elegant display of swordsmanship.

In the flurry of slices, the energy sword cut into the tendril's neural nod attached to the wall of the room. The Thorian let out a roar of pain as the pod burst open. "It weakness has been revealed. Now it shall die!"

"Sork, wait!" Unfortunately the Light of Sanghelios had no intention of slowing down as he ran up the stairway on his own. The others were now just trying to catch up with the warrior as he rampaged through the Thorian's guardians.

As they moved up, the Thorian itself conceived another green-skinned asari out to stop them. Sork was undeterred by the number of pods in the next area as they started open up around him. Sork did not heed them, or he would crush them under foot before it could open. He had his target and nothing was going to stop him. At the next tentacle, the horde was already awake and ready to defend it with their lives.

Six started firing on the group while Sork rushed in. The Elite knocked a few down to reach the tentacle and slice open the node. Once he did though the creatures around him expired. "Commander, the creatures around the pod are sensitive to the destruction of the nodes."

"Just wait up for the rest of us now!"

"No time, he's moving up again."

The green asari was waiting for them however, firing another biotic attack through the door. Sork barely dodged the attack before he moved on her. The green asari grabbed a shotgun and attacked the Elite. His energy shield withstood the blast, though barely. He grabbed the unusual asari by her throat before he threw her at the Thorian itself while Six dealt with the three mutated creatures on her own.

Just as Sork destroyed another neural node a rather familiar voice started to echo out. "At last, the Gravemind is found."

Cortez looked up above the Thorian and spotted Lamenting Light as it hovered closer to it. "Light! Destroy it!"

"Gladly Reclaimer." Lamenting Light then floated over to the arms attached to the Thorian as it started to use its laser to sever the tendrils at the source. A number of tendrils shot out from the walls around the monitor in an attempt to stop it. Shepard and the others were able to keep the tentacles at bay while Lamenting Light finished cutting through the other tendrils.

With another tendril cut, the Thorian could no longer support its massive girth. The creature let out a fearful scream before it fell to its own demise. Cortez turned back as the monitor was now floating nearby, "Light? What are you doing here?"

"After my excruciating study of the samples, I come to the unfortunate truth that there is no cure. Once infection has taken root there is little beyond Nano surgery that can remove the spores. I'm afraid that also mean there is no means of curing the Flood. I may be able to compose a type of repellent that should disinterest the Flood, for a time. It seems the Precursors never wanted anyone to ever create a means of curing the Flood, not even themselves."

Sork and Six returned to the others and as they were getting ready to return to Zhu's Hope, one of the larger pods on the wall started to show signs of movement. Six, Cortez and Sork were ready for whatever was to emerge. Finally revealed it was an asari, a regular blue-skinned asari who had the same facial markings and armor as the one the Thorian created. The asari was disoriented for a moment but she soon recovered, "I'm free! I—I suppose I should thank you for releasing me." The asari, unfazed by the three weapons aimed at her, recognized one of them, "You…you are the Sangheili the Covenant wants dead. The Light of Sanghelios?"

Sork had no intension of lowering his weapon, "And you are one of the disciples to Saren's mistress."

Shepard was hesitant to trust the asari, especially when Sork seems to recognize her. Shepard ensuring Six and Cortez still had her in their sights, "How did you end up inside that…thing?"

"My name is Shiala. I serve," she paused to correct herself, "I served Matriarch Benezia. When she allied herself with Saren so did I. Benezia foresaw the influence Saren would have. She joined him to guide him down a gentler path. But Saren is compelling. Benezia lost her way."

"Are you saying Saren can control minds?"

Shiala looked out to the pit that once held the Thorian, "Benezia underestimated Saren. As I did. We came to believe in his cause and his goals. The strength of his influence is troubling."

Williams wasn't impressed, "She tried to manipulate Saren. But in the end, her plan backfired."

Shepard also expressed her skepticism, "Asari Matriarchs are among the most intelligent and powerful beings in the galaxy. How could one fall under Saren's control?"

Shiala clarified, "Saren has a vessel. An enormous warship unlike anything I've ever seen. He calls it Sovereign. It can dominate the minds of his followers. They become indoctrinated to Saren's will. The process is subtle. It can take days, weeks. But in the end, it is absolute. I was a willing slave when Saren brought me to this world. He needed my biotic abilities to communicate with the Thorian, to learn its secrets. Saren offered me in trade. I was sacrificed to secure an alliance between Saren and the Thorian."

Shepard scoffed, "Saren's pretty quick to betray his own people."

"He was quick to betray the Thorian, too," Shiala added, "After he had what he wanted, he ordered the geth to destroy all evidence of its existence. Saren knows you are searching for the Conduit. He knows you are following his steps. He attacked the Thorian so you could not gain the Cipher."

Cortez quickly jumped into the conversation, "What's the Cipher? And why did Saren need it?"

"The beacon on Eden Prime game the Commander visions. But the visions are unclear, confusing. They were meant for a Prothean mind. To truly comprehend them, you must think like a Prothean. You must understand their culture, their history, their very existence. The Thorian was here long before the Protheans built this city. It watched and studied them. When they died, it consumed them. They became a part of it."

Cortez was rather skeptical about the idea, "So the Thorian taught Saren to think like a Prothean? How?"

"The Cipher is the very essence of being a Prothean. It cannot be described or explained. It would be like describing color to a creature without eyes. To understand, Shepard must have access to endemic ancestral memory. A viewpoint spanning thousands of Prothean generations. I sensed this ancestral memory—the Cipher—when I melded with the Thorian. Our identities merged, our minds intertwined. Such knowledge cannot be taught; it simply exists."

"We need that knowledge to stop Saren!"

"There is a way. I can transfer the knowledge from my mind to yours, as I did with Saren. Try to relax, Commander." Six stepped forward between Shepard and Shiala. "I'm sorry, all I'm trying to do is give the Commander the Cipher."

"Right initiative. Wrong person. I'm the one with the visions."

"You? But Saren thought it was Shepard who interacted with the beacon."

"Saren's been misinformed than. Continue the process."

Shiala nodded, "Right…" She moved closer to Six now, "Calm your mind. Slow, deep breaths. Let go of your physical shell. Reach out to grasp the threads that bind us, one to another. Every action sends ripples across the galaxy. Every idea must touch another mind to live. Each emotion must mark another's spirit. We are all connected. Every living being united in a single, glorious existence. Embrace eternity!" Shiala's eyes turned black as the visions from the beacon started to replay in Six's mind. The images and sounds were clearer than when it first hit her. She watched as humanoids were being decimated by orbital bombardment, flesh and metal fused as one. What felt like minutes was actually a few seconds as Six recovered from the ordeal. Shiala stepped back, "I have given you the Cipher, just as it was given to Saren. The ancestral memories of the Protheans are a part of you now."

"Six, are you alright?"

Six stepped back to lean against a nearby wall, "I'll be fine, Cortez. I…I just need time to recover."

Shiala agreed with her assessment, "You have been given a great gift; the experience of an entire people. It will take time for your mind to process this information."

Ash could still see Six was a bit unstable, "You look a little queasy. We should get you back to the ship."

Shiala bowed to Six, "I am sorry if you have suffered, but there was no other way. You needed the Cipher. In time, it will help you understand the vision from the beacon."

Sork pushed his way forward, putting the plasma rifle to Shiala's chest, "Now that you have given us what we need, tell me more about the Sovereign. And this claim that it controls minds."

"I understand your concern, Light of Sanghelios. Many of your leaders have entered Sovereign at least once. Tours in an attempt to gain their trust. It is through these tours and their time onboard that Saren hopes to eventually dominate them, indoctrinate them. However, I have heard Saren say that your people are more disciplined than he had originally anticipated. But if Saren could persuade them to spend enough time within Sovereign, even they may not be able to resist it."

Sork seemed ready to end Shiala's life at the moment, "Then I must hurry and find something to prove my innocence." Sork holstered the weapon onto his thigh, walking though the group, "This one is now your problem, humans."

"We can't spend any more time here. Not while Saren's still out looking for the Conduit."

Shiala stopped Shepard from leaving too quickly, "Then I wish good fortune upon you. Saren must be stopped before he finds the Conduit. As for me, I will stay here with the colonists. I feel great shame for my part in their suffering. As long as any of the colonists remain on this world, I will do whatever I can to aid and protect them."

A/N: A bit longer than my average(word count wise), but I couldn't just stop in the middle of killing the Thorian now could I. Next, I'm thinking about hitting BDtS.