Wing Commander: End of an Era

by Worth a Shot

A/U for both wing commander and mass effect: The timelines of Mass Effect and Wing Commander are changed forever when the Kilrathi make a startling discovery at the edge of their empire. This story will contain a number of well known characters from both games. Starts in the middle of ME2 and will continue on through ME3.

25. Chapter 25

Author's Note: ASAP = As Slow As Pudding.

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Wing Commander: End of an Era
Chapter 25

Galactic Core
Exact Coordinates Unknown

Collector Base

With the end of the shaft fast approaching, both Shepard's omni-tools came to life as she prepared for whatever may be waiting for her at the top. She hadn't encountered any drones in the ascent but that didn't mean that some might have simply been waiting for her to come to them.

Flying out of the shaft Shepard stopped her climb into the air about ten feet above the ground and quickly delivered an electrical overload charge from each of her tools into the two Collector drones standing guard nearby. Both drones convulsed from the high voltage coursing through their bodies, as Shepard then shut down her jet pack, dropped to the ground in a roll and came up directly in front of the drones, where she then slid her omni-blades directly into each Collectors throats and up into their skulls, killing them instantly and without a sound. As the drones' bodies fell to the ground, Shepard had already un-holstered both her Carnifex heavy pistol and laser pistol and scanned the area for any more hostiles. With the immediate area clear, Shepard dropped her arms and placed the laser pistol back into its holster strapped to her right thigh, but kept her grip on her Carnifex.

Raising her right arm, the omni-tool came to life once again and provided Shepard a small holographic layout of the station's floor she now occupied.

"You're allowing an infiltrator's specific weaknesses show through," Shepard grumbled out in a deep voice, her attempt to mimic Petrovsky, as she studied the map. "This is an invasion, sending ahead infiltrators will just slow us down. I'm in charge because I've got the biggest beard and belly. Grrrrr…" Her voice back to normal, "I bet he has a comb just for his beard too. A comb for his hair and a comb for his beard. His special little beard comb."

Looking up from her tool Shepard got her bearings and began to make her way slowly down the next tunnel with her pistol raised. For whatever reason this area of the station was only sparsely light, so she memorized what she could and then shut down her tool in order to not give herself away from its light.

"And clearly, General, you've forgotten that I'm not just an infiltrator," Shepard continued softly, but irritably, to herself as she carefully made her way through the dimly lit tunnel. "I've specialized as a commando thank you very much. Completed the training during the weeks I spent chasing down Saren. After all the time we've talked you'd think a General would remember the christening of an elite soldier into the ranks of the truly exceptional."

The tunnel's floor and walls were made of the same combination of that brown organic substance and metal, forcing Shepard to pick her steps carefully as she didn't want to risk stepping on the metal and having her footfalls alert any Collectors nearby. This wasn't easy in the dark but she managed. The only consequence was stepping in the organic matter caused tiny squishing noises like a wet sponge that constantly had Shepard spinning around, thinking that she had heard the quiet approach of a drone.

With a single bead of sweat trailing down the back of her neck, Shepard continued forward through the tunnel and after another minute finally saw a growing light ahead signaling the end.

"I mean seriously," she muttered under her breath, "flying in using a jetpack and stealthily taking down two drones without firing a shot? Thane isn't the only one with the awesome moves. No one but a commando could have pulled that off. Hell, a vanguard would have pounded his chest and then charged forward yelling bloody murder, biotics flying off in all directions the whole time. No subtlety or finesse, none at all. It's like they just don't get it…"

Coming out of the tunnel, Shepard stepped out into the light and entered another massive chamber. On her side of the room the ground was once again built around that annoying uneven hexagonal pattern but it stopped at roughly the center. Unfortunately this is where the floor didn't smooth out but instead dropped away completely into another deep chasm; the walls lined with numerous power conduits ranging in size and length as they hugged the pit's walls before disappearing back into deeper parts of the station.

Despite her feelings about the Collectors, Shepard couldn't help but stand for a minute and marvel at the sheer scale this space station had been built. Whether it had been constructed by the Protheans and then repurposed when they had been genetically modified by the Reapers, or just built by the Reapers themselves, for a station of this size to exist safely so close to a black hole's event horizon was a marvel of engineering. The sheer number of technological breakthroughs that could be made by studying this place was mind blowing.

Her gaze eventually reached the room's opposite side and there she spotted the door that supposedly would lead her to the Collector's bridge. At the same time, along the far wall of the chasm, a swarm of Collector drones flew out and spotted Shepard standing alone and out in the open. The drones chirped and shrilled aggressively and quickly flew towards her.

"Aw crap," her heavy pistol dropped slightly in realization as she saw the drones speed towards her. "I never told Petrovsky that I passed the commando training." She reached for her laser pistol and raised it up with her Carnifex, aiming both at the drones. "I can't believe I forgot… Oops…"

The drones and Shepard opened fire on one another simultaneously, but whereas two drones fell from the air, the Collectors failed to hit their target. In fact their target had disappeared entirely. In confusion the drones landed right where Shepard had been standing only moments before and then began to spread out trying to find her, their rifles shouldered and ready to fire at a moment's notice.

Shepard planned to never give them that moment.

All she had done was cloak herself and remain standing exactly where she was. The Collectors had ceased their sporadic fire from the air early enough that not a single round had hit her kinetic barrier. It seemed while they had the ability of flight, fighting from such a place was not one of their strengths. A weakness Shepard stored away in her memory for later, but for now she remained focused on the grounded, and dangerous, enemy surrounding her.

Thanks to her highly advanced omni-tools, Shepard carefully activated her omni-blades while she kept her grip on her pistols. The searing hot flash forged silicon-carbide blade extended out and passed by dangerously close to her knuckles, but still missed her hands by a fair amount. With the blades now active her cloak was literally on a timer so she didn't hesitate.

The two nearest drones to her died with omni-blades piercing the backs of their skulls. As the rest turned to watch the drones fall, the next Collector died with the two blades sliding into its back and then out across its chest. As this drone dropped to the ground the remainder seemed to have gathered what was occurring and opened fire directly above and around their fallen, attempting to hit the cloaked human in their midst.

The storm of gunfire continued for several seconds before the drones stopped to try and discern if they had hit their target. As they clicked nervously to one another none of them managed to realize that their target was now visible and standing behind them with blades gone and both her pistols raised. In a combined flurry of mass drivers and laser bolts, the remaining Collector drones all fell to the ground with holes in the back of their heads.

With a hiss of escaping heat the thermal clip to Shepard's heavy pistol popped out as she stood and admired her work. Counting the two she had shot out of the air, she had just taken out eleven Collectors in less than a minute, completely on her own. Quick enough that she gathered none had been able to raise an alarm that an intruder had made it this far into the station. Placing her laser pistol back onto her thigh Shepard reached for one of the fresh thermal clips stored in the cases on her belt.

While she would never admit it out loud in front of her crew, this type of solo work suited her far more than leading a large team deep into an enemy stronghold. It wasn't that she couldn't lead or didn't care having fellow soldiers backing her up in a fight, her N7 training had successfully drilled these lessons into her early on, but as an infiltrator her particular skills aligned toward a more solitary approach to combat. And it was difficult to put these talents to work when she was surrounded on all sides by friends and enemies that constantly traded fire with one another.

Missions where she was on her own were just so much simpler. And she didn't mean being entirely alone like she was now, her place wasn't breaching the pirate base with the marines, but on the nearby hill, alone, watching their backs with her sniper rifle.

Thinking about it now, with a fresh thermal clip loaded into her heavy pistol, Shepard could barely remember her last assignment as a marine sniper. She hadn't been on any Alliance missions since her command of the Normandy SR1, and her last actual solo mission was during that time period. Admiral Hackett had informed her that a Sirta Foundation research base had been taken over by human biotical fanatics and that they were using the Sirta staff as living shields. She had decided to go in alone and –

WHUMPF!

Shepard was violently tackled to the ground from a Collector drone that had flown into the chamber from the same tunnel she had earlier traveled.

Her heavy pistol flew from her grip as she was struck and she just barely managed to roll over in time to catch the arms of the drone as it tried to stab its own wickedly curved blade into her chest. She struggled to hold back the dagger as the drone continually screeched wildly at her. Shepard brought her knee up to kick the drone in the back several times. The drone just responded by releasing one of its claws from the blade and punched her in the side repeatedly.

But by releasing its grip on the blade the drone gave Shepard the chance she needed to push the blade to the side and then let go entirely, thereby having it sink harmlessly into the ground just inches from her body. She raised her right fist and punched the drone across its face, and while she had it distracted planned to activate her omni-blade in her left hand and then kill the drone.

Unwilling to cooperate, the second the drone's knife sank into the ground it screeched angrily and unfolded its wings from its back and incredibly managed to raise itself and Shepard off the ground by a few feet, where it then angled back down and flew Shepard into the ground hard.

Upon impact, the wind was knocked out of her and Shepard struggled to catch her breath. The drone began to flap again but this time Shepard reached up and grabbed the drone's right wing with her hand and pulled down with all her strength. With only one wing flapping the drone flew back into the ground but this time at an angle causing itself and Shepard to hit the floor on their sides and then both began to roll toward the chasm's edge.

Shepard continued to struggle against the drone as the two of them continued to roll toward the pit. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the ledge approach and timed a knee into the Collector's chest, pushing it off of her just as they both tumbled over the edge. With just the tips of her fingers she managed to grip the ledge and stop herself from plummeting down, but the drone wasn't as fortunate; her knee had pushed him just far enough away that it clicked furiously and grabbed at nothing but air as it fell.

"Ha, Ha! Take that you stupid bug!" Shepard shouted in triumph as she hung from the ledge. She had heard the drone's wing break when she grabbed onto it and knew the drone wouldn't be able to alter its fate. She rested her helmet on the wall in front of her and managed to take a single breath before she heard it.

"Direct Intervention Is Necessary."

A crackle of energy followed by a furious buzzing from behind her helped confirm what she had just heard. Turning her head, Shepard saw the Collector drone hovering above and behind her, but it was no longer the simple drone she had just fought. The cybernetics within the Collector's body glowed brightly under the cracked and burned hide of the drone as black bolts of energy periodically sparked out and around the body.

The re-born drone hovered in the air for a moment, simply to regard Shepard as she clung to the wall's edge.

"You Are Arrogant, Shepard, You Will Learn," the enhanced Collector calling itself Harbinger decreed in a deep, unflinching tone of superiority.

"That may be true," Shepard shot back as she continued to hang from the ledge, "but you're the one with the inflated ego."

Harbinger pulled his dark energy enveloped arm back before thrusting it toward Shepard. The black sphere of power headed right at her so she did the only thing she could.

She let go of the ledge.

As Shepard fell, Harbinger's attack detonated harmlessly against the wall. She looked up to see Harbinger angle down and fly at her, giving chase. Raising both her arms, Shepard launched an incinerate blast from each of her omni-tools. The fiery unstable suicide drones tracked up toward Harbinger but the Collector easily rolled and dodged both tech attacks. Keeping her arms raised, she fired two more, but both of these missed as well.

"Your Attacks Are Primitive."

Shepard smiled as she then finally activated her jet pack, abruptly halting her descent, and pulled her laser pistol from its holster. Hovering in the air she aimed at Harbinger's approaching form and opened fire with deadly accuracy. Each bolt struck Harbinger but the Collector's own biotic barrier absorbed the shots. With Harbinger rapidly diving toward her, she fired off as many rounds as she could before re-holstering the weapon at the last second and then spinning around to face the wall's edge and bracing both her legs against it. Pushing off hard from the edge, Shepard flew to the side just as Harbinger passed by close enough for his outstretched claws to scratch lightly across her armor. Diving so quickly made it difficult for the Collector to stop himself, so when he did, Harbinger was now several dozen feet below Shepard's position.

For her part, Shepard didn't wait for him to recover and instead pushed her jet pack to full power and rapidly rose back into the air. On her way up she passed by the four incinerate shots she had fired off earlier as they had now completed their wide arcs downward and finally zeroed in on their stationary target.

The first two blasts struck Harbinger's already weakened barrier allowing the second pair to impact and detonate directly on the Collector's body. As she flew up and carefully landed back onto the floor above, Shepard could hear the Collector's panicked shriek from being burned alive, below her.

Taking a quick look around, she spotted where her heavy pistol had fallen to the ground when the Collector had jumped her earlier. "That will be the last time anyone calls my equipment primitive," Shepard smirked confidently as she walked over to retrieve her firearm. The incinerate power had always been one of her favorites and it hadn't taken Lorik Qui'in and his team much effort to upgrade the combustible drone's targeting software. Firing off an attack still wouldn't guarantee a hit, but every little advantage helped.

As she bent down to pick up her pistol, the heavily charred form of the Collector flew up from the chasm behind her with an angry screech and then quickly dived down toward her position. Shepard heard Harbinger's approach and grabbed for her heavy pistol as she combat rolled forward and spun around up onto a knee with both her weapons already trained on the drone. The first shot from her Carnifex struck the Collector's left shoulder, pitching him forward enough for her second shot from her laser pistol to sear through the right wing joint on his back, causing Harbinger to fall from the sky and crash into the ground. As the Collector tried to stand, Shepard was already on her feet and approaching him. Her third shot came from her Carnifex and hit the Collector's right shoulder. The following shot from her laser pistol burned through the leg Harbinger had been trying to stand on. The last round Shepard fired came from her heavy pistol and the mass driver struck dead center of the Collector's chest, the impact throwing him onto his back.

Slowly, but without hesitation, Shepard walked forward to stand over the wounded Collector. Its cybernetics had lost much of their glow and what had remained of the drone's skin was now completely burnt from her incinerate attack. She kept her pistols trained on it as the drone turned its head to look at her.

"This Body's Pain Is Irrelevant."

Harbinger tried to raise one of his arms but Shepard stopped him by putting a slug and laser bolt through each arm at the elbows. "Sovereign probably thought the same thing when he poured himself into Saren," she commented mildly. "It's clear that whatever you did to the Protheans to allow yourself control over their bodies, it isn't as powerful as what Sovereign did to Saren, but I'm willing to bet you still feel something through this act of control." She pointed her Carnifex at the Collector's one good leg, "To be able to do what you're doing tells me that Harbinger is actually another Reaper. So I want you to tell me why the cycle exists."

"We Are Your Genetic Destiny."

"Wrong answer." Shepard fired twice into the drone's knee, but this time instead of crying out in pain, the drone remained silent and continued to stare up at Shepard.

"You Only Damage The Vessel, You Cannot Hurt Me."

Shepard fired again at the Collector's already damaged knee joint and this time the slug blew the limb off entirely, leaving the drone with a bleeding stump for a leg. "Why do you invade the galaxy every 50,000 years?" she asked.

"Destroying This Body Gains You Nothing. Releasing Contr –"

Shepard didn't wait for him to finish and simply shot Harbinger in the head with her laser pistol. Shortly after, the drone's body blackened as it began to disintegrate away and turn to ash. She watched the process and didn't move until the drone's body was gone in its entirety. When it was, she re-holstered both her pistols and began to walk confidently to the door leading to the space station's bridge, taking particular care to grind the heel of her boot into the drone's ashes.

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Attican Traverse

Pangaea Expanse
Refuge System
Ilos

Kahaln Graldak nar Sutaghi stood in the bridge of the light carrier he had ordered to investigate the planet Ilos. The carrier's escort consisted of two Fralthi II heavy cruisers and four Ralaxath heavy destroyers. A small force that never the less consisted of some of the Kilrathi's more powerful warships, Graldak had decided to leave the rest of his fleet at Omega. Too many ships had been damaged after the fighting to eliminate the nar Kiranka and with the Turian's controlling the adjacent mass relays he had to ensure Omega would not become a target of opportunity. His foothold into this region of space could not be lost to the enemy. It didn't matter if he was a favored warrior of his clan leader, such a failure would not be tolerated.

Graldak ground his teeth together in frustration. He knew that he was running out of time. The Kilrathi Empire was powerful but the Citadel races had discovered weaknesses that they were quick to exploit. His painstaking plan to crush Terran resistance above and on the planet Illium was executed perfectly, but the fleet the Turians had arrived in had swept his forces aside so quickly he knew the only option was retreat or face oblivion. All he could hope for now was that the Kilrathi commander on the planet's surface was able to hold out until the revolution back home was achieved, and the new Emperor provided the reinforcements he would need to fully crush any further resistance by the Citadel species.

Shintahr Vorgath nar Caxki, the equivalent to Lieutenant Colonel and second in command to Graldak of all Kilrathi space forces assaulting Citadel territory, walked up to stand behind his commander. Vorgath and Graldak both shared the same full golden fur normally denoting a Kilrathi as nobility, but where Graldak's remained a solid shade of gold and brown, Vorgath's gold fur was easily recognizable by the stripes of black that extended out along his mane and down his body. A genetic trait that has become somewhat of a superstition among members within and without the Caxki clan. All Kilrathi who have been born with the stripes had proven to be masters of battle, while at the same time possessing a nearly uncontrollable bloodlust. Fate calls to these Kilrathi, but whether their deeds mark them as champions or villains of the Empire, remains in their paws.

Graldak turned to face his subordinate, as Vorgath gave a slight bow. He, like all the others, knew of these superstitions but paid them no mind. All he cared about was Vorgath's ability to fight and obey; skills that Vorgath had yet to disappoint in. And thanks to the nar Kiranka killing his clan mate and original second in command, Graldak gave the position to a Kilrathi he knew would get the job done. After all, at their most basic, battle was something a Caxki understood very well.

Vorgath straightened from his bow, his battle scarred suit of dulled silver armor a pale comparison to Graldak's own freshly shined plates. "We have reached the orbit of the planet in question," he reported swiftly to Graldak. "There are no ships in the vicinity and Ilos has only the faintest of energy readings." He then growled softly, "Whatever we were meant to find here will not be easily acquired. If there is anything at all…"

Graldak allowed himself the faintest of smiles. Vorgath's tone was not lost on him. He turned back to the viewports and gazed at the world below. "The Shadow Broker is a being of considerable power and influence in this region of space," Graldak explained even as the questions and doubts surfaced in his own mind. "We would not be asked to come here if there wasn't something worth finding. Perhaps we should begin sending down patrols –"

It was at that moment one of the bridge officers called out, "My lord! A single ship has just exited FTL directly above the planet's northern pole. Silhouette marks it as a Systems Alliance vessel, cruiser class. They are attempting to hail us."

Graldak frowned, "The ape cousins? Why are they here?" He then ordered, "Fleet, all stop. Deploy eight Strakhas from Gleaming Talon squadron and have them remain cloaked as they exit the hanger. Defensive formation around the fleet only, I don't want to attack until we learn the nature of this meeting." At the officer's confirmation, Graldak and Vorgath both walked over to stand before the bridge's forward view screen. "Accept the cruiser's transmission."

There were few times in Graldak's life that he was ever truly surprised by his foes, but when the view screen activated and an Asari was the first face he saw instead of a humans, this event could now be considered as unexpected.

::Greetings, Kahaln Graldak nar Sutaghi, my name is Doctor Liara T'Soni,:: the Asari began in a light, sophisticated tone that nearly managed to cover up the sharp intelligence behind the words, ::and I am an agent of the Shadow Broker. Thank you for accepting our invitation to the last refuge of the Prothean Empire.::

Graldak smiled internally, amused at the Asari on the screen. He wasn't fooled by her beauty or soft words. This Asari was far younger than the ambassador he had met back on Heshtok, but their eyes held the same dangerous gleam of someone who was dangerous if provoked. But the fact that this Asari was so much younger begged the question, how did she become so important within the Shadow Broker's network?

A test was in order. He ensured his features and tone displayed a thinning impatience. "One of the blue females is commanding a Systems Alliance warship? And you are responsible for calling me away from the war effort to this decaying world of a species who failed to secure their place in the galaxy?" He allowed the smallest hint of his fangs to show, "Explain yourself before I simply destroy your vessel and return back to Omega."

The Asari's face showed surprise and a hint of fear before the emotions were pushed away. ::If you have any doubts about my status as an agent of the Shadow Broker, then I will allow you to scan my ship fully,:: Liara replied back carefully. ::You will find this is no ordinary Alliance cruiser. It has been heavily modified and you would find it more than a challenge if you decide that this meeting should come to blows.::

Liara gave the tiniest of smiles, but one that displayed an overwhelming confidence. ::However, I'm sure that the scan will be entirely unnecessary when I inform you that the Shadow Broker's network of agents and informants is far more vast and influential than many realize. For instance, the human Spectre, Jane Shepard, is one of the Brokers most trustworthy and talented assets.::

Not only had the Turian's managed to outmaneuver him above Illium and send his forces scurrying back for safety, but now this Asari had just explained that she was aware of all his conversations with the female human he had allied himself with against the Reapers and beyond. This was at the same time greatly troubling and absolutely stimulating. No one back in the Empire had ever provided to be a challenge. For him to find so worthy an opponent, so far from the homeworld; and for that opponent to be an alien…? Sivar was not a subtle god but even this 'chance' meeting was blatantly obvious for Graldak to see now.

Graldak smirked as he studied the Asari on the screen. "By my understanding Asari can live very long lives. How old are you Doctor Liara T'Soni?"

Liara's brow furrowed at the question but she replied, ::I am only 108 years old.::

"Only 108 years old," Graldak repeated in amusement. "Tell me Asari, why are we here above Ilos."

Her features eased slightly as she assumed that he was now willing to help her. ::Two years ago Shepard and her crew encountered a Prothean AI calling itself 'Vigil'. This AI was basically running the planet's systems for several centuries as the Protheans themselves entered stasis and attempted to remove themselves from the galaxy at large while the Reapers annihilated their race. Vigil was the one that provided Shepard the means to stop the Reaper Sovereign from unleashing the rest of its race waiting to invade from dark space. Since that time, Vigil has gone silent and remains impossible to reactivate.

::What we've learned about your species and the Terran Confederation, is that your ships are far more advanced than our own,:: she continued to explain, and with far more vigor. ::In point of fact, a Terran heavy cruiser was able to detect the Normandy SR2 as it entered the Tasale system with its stealth systems fully activated. Something no Citadel vessel is capable of accomplishing. It's slim but there is a hope that by having your warships conduct a detailed scan of this planet's surface, we can discover where Vigil's main power unit is located and then reactivate him. With Vigil back online, the Citadel Council, the Terran Confederation, the Kilrathi Empire, the whole galaxy will no longer be able to refute the existence of the Reapers and the threat they pose to all of us.::

Graldak could see the excitement plainly sketched across the Asari's features. It seemed she truly believed this could help the galaxy, and if he was being completely honest, now that he acknowledged the Reapers existence thanks to Jane Shepard and Miranda Lawson, a chance such as this would not be wise to discard. But the Asari was forgetting the most crucial detail of all. He was Graldak nar Sutaghi, a Kahaln of the Imperial fleet, and a sworn servant to his clan and people. And his people were currently waging a war against much of the galaxy.

Graldak now found himself at a cross roads of sorts. An unpleasant place to be, but he could not deny the situation he was in. Duty to the Kilrathi came first, always, but there were ways to bend the rules. His fate, and Liara's, was now tied to her answer to his final question.

"This planet is the last resting place of the Protheans," Graldak began slowly. "A species that my research has revealed to be even more powerful than the Kilrathi Empire, thanks to a number of very intriguing technological advancements. You call me here and inform me that this planet contains their final works before they died off entirely, leaving behind one of the best chances the galaxy has of uniting against the Reaper invasion. But now I must ask you this Asari… what now stays my paw from destroying your warship and claiming all of this for the benefit of the Kilrathi Empire, and the Kilrathi Empire alone?"

Liara's mask of professionalism fell away entirely. The agent of the Shadow Broker had vanished and only a dumbstruck Asari stood in its place, with the growing realization that she may have lost the greatest gamble of her life, and now that loss would mean doom upon countless millions; either from the Reapers, or a resurgent and unstoppable Kilrathi Empire. To see such a strong figure reduced to this stirred no emotions of victory in his heart. Duty defined a Kilrathi's life, and duty now moved him to sever his ties with the allies he had formed in this region of space. The path was set, Graldak's future clear to him.

But then on some days, days that come to pass only once in countless generations, Sivar looks down at his warriors and reminds them they are not in control of their own destiny.

In the open space between the Kilrathi fleet and the Alliance cruiser a second warship exited FTL. A two-kilometer long, 500 meter wide, dreadnought that dwarfed all ships currently in the Refuge system. Before Graldak could sound the call to arms, the vessel broadcasted a communication on an open channel.

::You want to know what's stopping you from killing my friend and claiming the spoils of the Protheans? How about the threat of annihilation from several hundred-thousand tons of the most dangerous dreadnought ever designed in Citadel space.::

Graldak recovered from his initial surprise and let loose a low growl for allowing himself to become caught off guard. "Identify yourself, immediately. Or face the military might of the Kilrathi Empire," he threatened dangerously.

The screen next to the one connecting him to Liara T'Soni activated and Graldak recognized the heavily scared reptilian face being shown instantly. It was a face he had come to know over the course of his investigation into better understanding Jane Shepard.

The Krogan on the screen smiled, and despite himself Graldak couldn't suppress the chill than ran down his back and caused the hair's on his mane to bristle. "I am Urdnot Wrex, Chieftain of Tuchanka, and I stand before you on board the sole surviving dreadnought of the Krogan race.:: His smile vanished as Wrex narrowed his eyes, ::Your move Kilrathi.::

---

Galactic Core
Exact Coordinates Unknown

Collector Base

The actual bridge of the Collector space station was an open hexagonal shaped room that had various green and orange holographic control panels lining the walls. Located in the center of the bridge was a six-sided holographic station that was connected to the ceiling by six thin pillars. Only one Collector was inside the bridge and diligently working all the consoles, but this was no ordinary drone. This, Collector General, may have been an average drone at one point but now it was twice the size of its original copies and possessed a keen intellect. While still retaining its bug like appearance, the Collector General resembled a Praetorian far more than any drone under its command and it scuttled around the central pillar using its numerous arms to work on more than one console simultaneously.

There was only one way in or out of the bridge, the main room separated from the security door granting entrance by a long narrow corridor. So when the door opened and the Collector General spun around to face the intruder, it had expected to have ample time in coming up with some sort of defense. Possessing biotic powers on its own without outside interference, the Collector General raised its barrier and waited for its opponent to arrive. Instead all it saw was an empty hallway.

Granted a higher intelligence than others of its kind the Collector General knew immediately that the female human had cloaked herself, an annoying technique she apparently favored heavily in her engagements with the Collectors. But with the human stuck walking down the narrow corridor, the Collector General focused his power and sent a sizable warp down the hallway. The condensed ball of dark energy flew down the corridor and about halfway encountered and illuminated a cloaked figure holding a purple omni-shield defensively in front of its self.

Hearing a grunt of exertion from being hit by the warp, the Collector General clicked rapidly to itself and swiftly fired another warp at its opponent. The female human stumbled to her knees from the strike but kept her omni-shield up as the Collector General powered up its third and most powerful biotic attack yet. Just before being ready to fire the deadly mass of dark energy, a metallic sounding clang pulled the Collector General's attention down to its six feet. What it saw gently rolling under its bulky frame were two silver disks that had a flashing red light circling around their circumference. This was the last sight the Collector General saw before the disks exploded.

-()()()()()()-

Shepard got up from her knees and deactivated her purple omni-shield. Pulling out her laser pistol she held it up in both hands as she quickly made her way up to the smoldering corpse that was all that remained of the oversized drone she had been attacked by. Satisfied the Collector was dead; Shepard re-holstered her pistol and steeped around the smoking body.

"Thank you, Zaeed…" Shepard said quietly to herself as she walked up to stand in front of the central control console. Before disembarking from the SR2, Shepard had asked Zaeed if she could borrow a pair of his homemade inferno grenades. She had seen the small disks in action when Zaeed had decided to use them in combat and was impressed by the amount of incendiary chemicals he had managed to blend together into such a small device. The grizzled mercenary was happy to oblige her request… at the charge of seventy credits per grenade.

She glanced over her shoulder at the still smoking remains of the large Collector. One-hundred and forty credits well spent she decided as she turned back to face the holographic console. Raising her left arm, she activated her omni-tool.

"EDI, I've reached the station's bridge. You should have a connection with the computer now. Please shut down the distress signal being broadcast from this location."

The console flickered slightly as EDI gained full access. Her blue orb materialized on the bridge a second later. "Connection with the Collector mainframe confirmed. I have deactivated this half of the distress signal being broadcast back through the Omega-4 relay. All that remains is for the rest of the squad, or General Petrovsky's force, to shut down their half of the broadcast at the main control console."

Shepard smiled with a smug look on her face, "Awesome work EDI. Now I want you to take every last bit of data the Collectors are keeping secured away inside this base. Bleed them completely dry. As the new Shadow Broker I absolutely abhor the idea that these bugs have been able to keep their goals hidden from the galaxy at large for so long."

"Very well Shepard," EDI replied with light humor in her voice.

After a few seconds of silence, she added, "And while you're at it see if you can discover any significant weaknesses this space station may have. Gravity generators, kinetic barriers, whatever the hell is keeping this thing from slipping into the black hole outside. If it's vital to this space stations construction, I want to know where it is and how we can break it. From there we… can… then…"

Shepard trailed off as a new orange light illuminated in the center of the six thin pillars that rose above the central consoles and began to form a more recognizable shape as it descended slowly to a point just above her head.

"EDI, log off from the computer," Shepard urged the AI in a quiet voice.

EDI on the other hand, busy infiltrating the Collector files, was confused, "Shepard, I thought you wanted me to –"

"Log off," Shepard ordered in a calm but hurried manner that brokered no argument, while never taking her eyes off the dread inducing shape now hovering in the center of the bridge, "and conduct a detailed scan of the surrounding space."

Apparently EDI had now realized what was happening as she hastily replied, "Conducting scan." Her orb vanished from the bridge leaving Shepard alone with the new arrival.

Shepard unconsciously palmed her laser pistol as she looked up at the holographic Reaper before her. "I take it that you're Harbinger then?" she forced herself to ask steadily; trying to remind herself that this was just a hologram, much like Sovereign back on Virmire, and it couldn't physically hurt her.

Except that it wasn't just like it was back then. Now the Reapers knew who she was and that she was actively fighting to thwart them, and in her small successes the Reapers had entrusted their thralls to hunt her down and kill her. Which they did.

Harbinger's glowing form pulsed gently but his voice remained deep and menacing. "Shepard, You Have Become An Annoyance. You Have Earned The Attention Of Those Infinitely Your Greater."

Despite her unease, she managed a smirk, "Just one of my many skills I guess."

"You Fight Against Inevitability, Dust Struggling Against Cosmic Wind. That Which You Know as Reaper Is Your Salvation Through Destruction."

"How?" Shepard asked trying to understand. "Why do the Reapers maintain the cycle of extinction? How is our society being wiped out manage to be our salvation at the same time?"

"Rudimentary Creatures Of Blood And Flesh, You Stumble Upon The Borders Of A Realm Of Existence So Far Beyond Your Own You Are Incapable Of Truly Understanding.

"Your Time Will Come, Your Species Will Fall. The Cycle Cannot Be Broken, For Your Extinction Is Inevitable."

Even as a cold dread began to form in the pit of her stomach, Shepard wasn't going to let herself be bullied by what was essentially just a machine. "Inevitable? I don't think so," she replied with grim determination. "I don't care how many races you may have destroyed, I promise that when you arrive, this time the galaxy will be prepared and ready to fight. I beat Sovereign… I can beat you."

"Organic Civilizations Rise, Evolve, Advance. And At The Apex Of Their Glory They Are Extinguished. This Cycle Has Repeated More Times Then You Can Fathom. And It Cannot Be Broken.

"You Exist Because They Allow It, And You Will End Because We Demand It."

"No… no, no, wait, that wasn't what Sovereign said!" Shepard nearly shouted in frustration. She frowned and racked her brain trying to remember as she paced slightly before the terminal. "Sovereign said you allow us to exist, that you will end us. I'm sick and tired of your meaningless ramblings. I killed Saren! I killed Sovereign! I killed the Shadow Broker and I'm about to destroy your Collectors' base of operations! I have earned the right to know why you and your kind want us dead! For once just answer the damn question and tell me why you wage a new war on the galaxy every fifty-thousand years and begin a campaign of genocide?!" she yelled out pointing aggressively up at Harbinger's glowing form.

"There Is Only One War And It Has No Beginning, It Has No End."

Shepard blinked, completely taken aback, "What…? Wait, no that… I don't understand?!"

"Prepare Yourselves For Its Arrival."

With an angry glare, Shepard pulled out her laser pistol. "I think we're done here" and she punctuated her statement by putting two bolts of energy into the console before her. Harbinger's image flickered and then disappeared as the central terminal lost all power.

"Stupid conversation anyways," she mumbled re-holstering the pistol. Shepard walked across the bridge to stand in front of the next active console as the omni-tool on her right arm activated this time. "So did you get all of that?" she asked over the comm.

::Affirmative, Lady Shepard,:: Hannibal reported back. ::Your conversation with Harbinger was successfully recorded and downloaded back to the Normandy SR2.::

"That's not good enough," she responded flatly, while working on the holographic console.

::A copy has also been stored within my own memory databanks.:: Hannibal added.

"Good." A few seconds of silence passed as Shepard continued to look through the Collector computer. Finding what she had been searching for, she placed her right arm on the holographic display and waited until the console changed from the original green color to purple. "There. You've got direct access to the station now." Lowering her arm, the terminal stayed purple for just a moment before resuming its green color. "I've got EDI busy keeping an eye on the surrounding space and downloading the entire Collector database so she shouldn't notice you. But just to be safe, don't go drawing attention to yourself. Just find what I need and report back when you're ready."

::Yes, my lady,:: Hannibal replied back.

Satisfied with her work, Shepard turned and began to leave the bridge. As she stepped over the body of the dead Collector General and began to make her way down the narrow corridor, her comm came to life once more.

::Shepard? It's Miranda. Can you hear me?::

"Loud and clear Miranda. The distress signal coming from the bridge has been disabled," she informed the Operative promptly. "How goes your end of the job?"

Miranda voice sounded tense as she answered, ::Petrovsky's squad and I have reached the central control room and shut down the transmission, but now we've run into another, far more pressing, dilemma. You need to get down here right away.::

Shepard walked through the security door and was now back in the large chamber where she had previously fought Harbinger. Taking the time to pull up a schematic of the station's layout on her omni-tool and find the fastest way to reach Miranda's position, she sighed at the turn of events.

"What's gone wrong now?" she asked with a groan.

::So far nothing and I'm praying that doesn't change, because suspended from the ceiling of the central control room, directly in front of me, is a partially constructed Reaper.::

-()()()()()()-

Shortly after Miranda had contacted her, the rest of Shepard's team being led by Garrus had arrived at the central control room, by blasting their way through the last sealed security door in their path. Two of Shepard's KNIGHTs led the way as the team entered the absolutely massive central chamber of the space station. The squad was wary of seeing her, Petrovsky, and his Geth waiting patiently before them, but soon everyone had their attention drawn to the far side of the chamber where the half-kilometer long body, of what was most definitely a Reaper in various stages of construction, hung from the ceiling by hundreds of pipes stretched along its entire length. Miranda walked up to Garrus and informed him that they were waiting for Shepard's arrival, which the Spectre had promised would only take a few minutes.

As they settled in to wait, Miranda couldn't help but begin to feel anxious from the very obvious lack of Collectors or husks attacking their combined forces. General Petrovsky along with his Cerberus and Geth forces stood together on one side of the room, while Shepard's own team consisting of her various recruits of multiple species, and her new KNIGHTs stood together opposite the Cerberus force. Between the two groups stood Miranda and Garrus, and now that she actually was looking, discovered Galahad still dutifully standing at her side; the VI making no move to re-join its original teammates.

She was about to actually inquire as to why Galahad still remained with her when her comm, as well as everyone else's, activated with a very excited Shepard yelling into her ear.

::I'm just about at your position, but I'm coming in hot!:: Shepard yelled in a strained voice, as if she were dividing her attention across multiple tasks. ::Out of the ceiling, left side! Be ready! In 3, 2, 1, now!::

Before anyone in their group could react, behind her Galahad, and Shepard's other five KNIGHTs, all shouldered their large machine guns and aimed up at the ceiling… but instead faced the right side, as Miranda witnessed a figure fall out of the ceiling directly in front of the half constructed Reaper. She had obviously deduced that the figure was indeed Shepard, but what confused her greatly was how Shepard had seemingly found a way to defy gravity and change the direction of her fall. Shepard was now coming right at them very quickly, but Miranda's confusion rapidly changed to shock as dozens of Collector drones all flew out of the ceiling behind Shepard; each of them with their rifles out, firing wildly, as they attempted to down the flight capable female human.

The six KNIGHTs opened fire, their aim perfect as drones began to fall out of the sky dead. General Petrovsky then gave the order for all of his own forces to attack; Shepard's team quickly joining in as well.

The few drones still alive quickly broke off their pursuit in the face of such overwhelming odds and flew back up into the ceiling. Shepard's high velocity allowed her to rapidly close the distance between herself and small army of friendlies, and Miranda watched with wide eyes as Shepard flew directly toward her and Garrus. As solid ground finally appeared beneath her, Miranda witnessed Shepard just stop flying and fall to the ground; her substantial forward inertia caused her to roll several meters forward in a tangled mass of limbs, before coming out of the final roll with a jump that landed her perfectly on her feet, only inches in front of an entirely stunned Miranda and Garrus.

-()()()()()()-

"And she sticks the landing," Shepard stated proudly as she walked up to Miranda and Garrus.

Miranda's eyebrow rose, "Uhhh, Shepard you –"

"And - she sticks - the landing," Shepard repeated firmly sending a glare in the Cerberus operatives direction.

Garrus sighed heavily gaining Shepard's attention. He shook his head, "Not to ruin your moment but you fell out of the ceiling on the right side Shepard."

"No I didn't," she quickly argued without facing Garrus.

Garrus sighed again and brought a hand up to his helmet. "Honestly, how can you be so bad with directions?"

Shepard still refused to face him. "I have no idea what you're talking about." She looked past Miranda to Galahad who was still standing at his place behind her. "Galahad, what side did you see me arrive from?"

"The left side, Lady Shepard," the VI answered stoically.

Now Shepard looked at Garrus. "The highly advanced VI says left," she said with a smile. "You aren't going to doubt the words of a computer are you?"

As she turned away from the both of them, Shepard heard Garrus mutter something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like he was going to tell Liara to add this mistake to the list. Filing away the information that her friends had a list of her mistakes, and said list would need to be found and destroyed at some point, Shepard made her way over to General Petrovsky and his troops; her own team falling into step behind her.

As she reached the General's position, the man had already removed his helmet and placed it under his left arm. "You managed to build yourself a working jetpack," he commented dryly. "Why exactly did you do this?"

Shepard scoffed at the question, and pointed a thumb over her shoulder, "Did you see me just now? I dare you to tell me that what I just did wasn't completely awesome." The General just stared back at her flatly, too which she just coughed, "Jealous."

Petrovsky just rolled his eyes as he turned back to face his Geth and motioned to one of his Primes. The machine activated its omni-tool and a second later a console measuring eight feet wide rose out of the ground directly in front of both groups.

"This is the terminal that appears to control the primary functions for which this station was built," he explained as he stepped forward and placed a hand on its surface. The console activated and glowed green as various amounts of data were displayed. "I ordered several Geth programs to infiltrate these systems and they have in turn told us what we can now see with our own eyes. The Collectors have been abducting humans and using our genetic material to construct a new Reaper." Petrovsky pointed to the ceiling above the half-built Reaper, "Those pipes feed the remains of the colonists into the ships super-structure. From there the material is somehow transformed into the ship we see before us. How this is done is beyond even the Geth's ability to understand in such limited programs. We will have to conduct our own analysis later if we want to understand more about our enemies."

"So this space station is basically the Reaper's fallback plan in case the one ship they left behind to open the Citadel relay leading back to dark space was ever destroyed," Shepard reasoned out as she looked over the massive length of the Reaper ship. She then frowned, and looked to Petrovsky, "But that doesn't make sense. The Protheans lived during the cycle directly before ours fifty-thousand years ago. So after all the thousands of times the Reapers have invaded the galaxy, just this one time they finally decide to leave the enslaved inhabitants behind to wait in case of such an event?"

General Petrovsky nodded in agreement, "Their actions in this instance are perplexing. My only theory as of right now is perhaps the Protheans put up more of a fight then the Reapers first thought possible. Perhaps more of their ships were destroyed during the attack then the Reapers were used to, and so they devised this contingency in case stiffer resistance was encountered again."

"If that's the case," Miranda countered, "why didn't the Reapers just leave two of their kind behind this time instead of just Sovereign? Having a second ship hibernate until the next cycle would have been far more efficient then expending so many resources to build this base and provide the Collectors advanced technology to watch over the next cycle."

A loud groan from Shepard's side of the group pulled everyone's attention to Grunt. "Why are we talking about this?" the Krogan asked annoyed at the inaction and science talk. "There's a Reaper right over there. Let's just kill it and then blow this base to pieces. It won't matter then why the Reapers built this place."

General Petrovsky actually chuckled. "While I applaud your instincts and confidence the problem remains that if we don't learn more about our enemy, we won't have any hope of beating them when they finally invade." He pressed a button on the holographic interface causing a two-foot wide section of floor to rise up directly behind him, forcing Miranda and Shepard both to take a step back; as they had both been standing on it.

With a smirk from the look Shepard sent his way, Petrovsky then explained, "This terminal that controls the construction of the Reaper is protected by an incredibly advanced firewall my Geth have identified as direct Reaper technology. They can't halt the Reaper's construction or the process of human liquidation. What they can access, however, turns out to be far more valuable and a gross oversight by our foes." He gestured to the raised section of floor, "The power conduits leading directly to the station's primary power core."

Smiling proudly at his discovery of the Collector station's one true weakness, Petrovsky nearly missed Shepard's subtle look back to her black colored mech. His instincts warned him that something was amiss, but before he could question her, one of his soldiers grabbed his attention.

"General Petrovsky, we have a report from the teams that landed on the opposite side of the base," the soldier stated quickly as he held a hand to his helmet. "They are being pushed back by a significant Collector counter attack. Squad leaders report they will not be able to hold their positions and they are attempting to fall back to their cruisers."

Petrovsky frowned at the news, "Very well. Get me a line open back to the Illusive Man."

Shepard's head snapped back to Petrovsky. "You have a line of communication through the Omega-4 relay?"

"No," Petrovsky replied as another one of the Cerberus soldiers pulled a silver sphere out of his suit's pockets and held his hand out, allowing the ball to float away from his hand and hover in the middle of their group. "My cruiser is equipped with a quantum entanglement communicator just like the Normandy's. When fighting on the front lines, one must always have a clear line of dialogue back to headquarters."

The sphere activated its hologram emitters and soon the Illusive Man himself was standing in the middle of their group; cigarette in hand and smug smile across his face.

"Excellent work General Petrovsky," the Illusive Man said proudly. "The Geth have been keeping me up to date with your progress. This is quite the day for humanity. You've done the impossible."

"Yes sir," the General replied steadily, even as he could practically feel Shepard's gaze on him.

"My people have gone over the data you've sent back," the Illusive Man began to inform them. "They've decided that a timed radiation pulse triggered from the core will kill all remaining Collectors, but leave the station's machinery and technology intact. This is our chance General; the Collectors are building a Reaper. That knowledge, that framework, could save us."

Even before the Illusive Man had finished, Petrovsky mentally braced himself for the inevitable.

"Are you completely mental?!" Shepard interrupted loudly in disbelief. Petrovsky and Jack Harper both turned to look at her. Shepard hoped she knew what Petrovsky would do so she focused on Mr. Harper. "You can't possibly think you can somehow hope to understand the most advanced Artificial Intelligence this galaxy has ever seen. It's impossible; their motives are entirely alien to us. Not to mention the fact that all of this technology is based off of Reaper tech. For all we know this entire station could be broadcasting the indoctrination signal into our brains right now."

In a move surprising even General Petrovsky, the Illusive Man didn't lose his composure in the slightest. Instead he came at Shepard with something far more dangerous than anger.

"Don't be short-sighted, Shepard," Mr. Harper replied, trying to persuade her with logic rather than hostility. "Our best chance against the Reapers is to turn their own technology against them. It's the same way you now use the resources of the Shadow Broker to further your own goals. Before you were just a woman with a single ship under your command; now you wield the most powerful clandestine group the galaxy has ever seen."

Garrus stepped forward, alongside Shepard, "The Collectors liquefied people, turned them into something horrible. We have to destroy this base."

Mr. Harper nodded solemnly, "I know. And their sacrifice will not be forgotten." He focused back on Shepard, "The Collectors were working directly with the Reapers. Who knows what information is buried here? General Petrovsky has the Geth downloading all they can salvage and I'm sure you gave EDI the same orders, but I don't believe you're naïve enough to truly think they can secure every vital bit of data in time. This base is a gift, we can't just destroy it."

Miranda spoke up next. She looked uneasy, saying, "I'm not so sure, sir. Seeing all of this first hand… right now using anything from this base feels like a betrayal to all those who have died."

"If we ignore this opportunity, that would be the betrayal," Mr. Harper countered.

Shepard folded her arms across her chest and leveled a hard stare at the Illusive Man. "As you said Mr. Harper, I control the Shadow Broker network, and I've read all the files obtained on Cerberus since the Broker started gathering intell on your group. You're completely ruthless, committing acts of murder and experimentation that rivals the brutality of the Batarians. This base was designed to build Reapers and for all I know that's exactly what you'll try to do once you get control of this station."

Despite the direct attacks on him and his organization, the Illusive Man remained calm and collected. "My goal, my only goal, is to protect humanity whatever the cost. I've never hidden that from you, and deep down you understand this better than most. Our species has always been vulnerable since we took our first steps into the galaxy and now with the Reapers knocking at our door, we hover on the brink of extinction.

"Imagine the technological advancements humanity will be gifted when the secrets of the Reapers become ours. Imagine how many lives could be saved if we keep this base for ourselves, and use its knowledge to thwart the Reapers. The Collectors attacked our colonies in the Terminus systems because they were weak and defenseless… as weak and defenseless as Mindoir before the Batarian slaver raid. The Citadel Council, the Alliance, they aren't doing anything to protect the lives of those living under their care. But Cerberus is doing something. Our tactics can be harsh, but our results have saved lives, yours included. If it wasn't for Cerberus intervention, everyone on Mindoir would be a slave of the Batarians right now. You lost everything when your world was burned down around you. How many more colonies will suffer Mindoir's fate if you decide to waste this opportunity?"

General Petrovsky inwardly sighed upon hearing the Illusive Man's words. It was sometimes easy to forget that the man who ran Cerberus wasn't just some egomaniacal fool looking for any opportunity to gain himself more power. The Illusive Man was a compelling individual whose resolve and determination could move mountains if it became necessary.

He watched Shepard closely after the Illusive Man had finished and took note of her crumbling defenses. Despite her intentions, Mr. Harper's words had reached her, and his mentioning of Mindoir was a blow powerful enough to crack her resolve.

Shepard's stance remained firm but Petrovsky could see her eyes through the visor of her helmet. She was wavering. It was then that she looked over to him and Petrovsky could practically hear her plea through her gaze. She was an Alliance Marine, the first human Spectre, but at this moment she was neither. Right now she was the young girl he rescued back on Mindoir, and she desperately needed his help to defy the wishes of the Illusive Man. Shepard was one of the strongest individuals Petrovsky had ever met, but he had seen her at her worst. Shepard was still human and the weight of responsibility was becoming too much to bear.

However, just when he was about to speak up, a miracle occurred.

"No fucking way!"

The shout of anger pulled everyone's attention, and they all turned to see a furious Jack already glowing with biotic power.

Jack was absolutely livid. "You fucking bitch!" she shouted again. "There is no way I'm letting you keep this base for yourself!" Everyone immediately assumed she was speaking to the Illusive Man, but it rapidly became apparent the biotic was instead speaking to Shepard.

They all figured it out when Jack held up her shotgun and pointed it directly at Shepard's chest. Nobody on either side reacted from the aggressive move, even Shepard's KNIGHTs stood silent and unmoving, all of them too stunned by the turn of events.

"You and I watched a man being dissolved alive into slush," Jack cried out angrily. "Right before our eyes! One second he's alive, the next, slush! And he wasn't the only one. We didn't save everyone in that chamber. All of them died screaming! They died because we weren't fast enough and now you want to hand that asshole this base on a silver platter because he thinks there might be something here? I know what's on this station - death! That's all! This place is just as bad as the Teltin facility and you still want to side with Cerberus?! I knew you were on their side all along!"

While everyone including the Illusive Man all watched the scene unfold before them in silence, Shepard instead turned to fully face Jack, and after she had finished yelling, looked back up to the half-constructed Reaper that still hung from the ceiling of the chamber.

Jack's biotics flared and she pumped her shotgun, loading a fresh thermal clip into the chamber. "All this talk about us working together and watching each other's backs, when you didn't care in the slightest if one of us died fighting your war!" she continued to shout. "We're all just weapons to you! Just tools to get you what you want! You're just another fucking Cerberus bitch! Power and control is all that matters to you. I should have killed you the moment we found out you knew the General. But I won't let you hand this hell hole over to the worst scum this galaxy has ever seen!"

Shepard's gaze dropped from the Reaper and she stared at the ground for a second before reaching up and unlocking her helmet. Pulling the head gear off, she tossed it over to Hannibal before she then walked right through her squad and stood directly before the furious woman.

Shepard held up both her hands in a placating manner. "I'm sorry, Jack. I know you probably don't believe me right now but it's the truth," she said, letting the entire day's work and exhaustion be heard. She dropped her hands and shook her head, staring at the ground, "It's just everything, you know? I don't even have a better way of saying it… It's literally everything…"

With a deep breath, Shepard looked back up to Jack and met the young woman's hate filled gaze with her own steady one. "I'm not a very good leader to let things get this far away from me, am I? But right now I can't just put the galaxy on pause and explain everything to you so we need to solve this later when we are back on the Normandy. Just put the gun down and –"

"No fucking way!" Jack shouted again and pushed the shotgun right into Shepard's chest. "Now you want to pretend to play nice after everything that's happened? No fucking way! I'm not letting you hand this base over to Cerberus!"

"Then I'm not going to," Shepard stated firmly, eliciting another round of stunned looks from both groups. The statement was enough to reach Jack and it was the bluntness and conviction with which Shepard had said it that allowed the Spectre to reach up and place a hand on the younger woman's shoulder.

Shepard's other hand came up and lightly pushed the shotgun down from her chest, while she gently squeezed Jack's shoulder. "Over the course of your life you've known nothing but pain and loss, and with no one to be there for you you've had to build yourself up into the strong woman you are now. Without a shadow of a doubt I can tell you Jack that it's not enough. No one can live like that forever. So just this once I am asking you to trust someone else completely and place your faith in me. I promise you that if you do, I will never hurt you and never betray you. We are so close to ending this mission, just please stay by my side a little longer. This isn't me giving you an order, you're in control, and you get to make the decision. All I ask is that you trust me a little longer."

Jack was obviously still very angry and suspicious, an entire lifetime of conditioning wasn't going to go away because Shepard asked nicely, but she did power down her biotics and give Shepard a stiff nod.

"Fine," she replied quietly, while keeping her eyes locked on Shepard's, "…but I swear, you make one wrong move…"

Shepard gave a light smile in return, recognizing Jack's last words as more of a prayer than threat. The biotic was placing a lot of faith in her and Shepard wasn't going to take that fact lightly.

Feeling like she had just defused a nuclear warhead without having the benefit of knowing how much time was on the clock until it blew, Shepard turned away from Jack and walked back up to stand before the Illusive Man.

"We're blowing up this station," she informed Mr. Harper and General Petrovsky. "There are too many variables to consider. The safest option is to destroy it."

Mr. Harper frowned. "Don't be so quick to discard this base. The potential gains outweigh any risk involved. You should reconsider your decision."

"Not happening, Mr. Harper," Shepard replied.

The Illusive Man's calm demeanor slipped away entirely, and for the first time Shepard actually got to see him angry. "Then I'm afraid we're done here," he began in a crisp, sharp tone. "Luckily for humanity, you aren't all alone to dictate how our species should progress forward." He looked over his shoulder to Petrovsky. "General… execute Shepard."

Faster than an eye can blink, everyone had a weapon in their hands and pointed at their targets. Cerberus soldiers and Geth in a standoff with the multiple races and KNIGHTs of Shepard's squad. Hannibal, Thane and Jack all glowed with growing biotic power as Geth Armatures and Primes could be heard charging their pulse rifles. The only one who hadn't made a move for a weapon was General Petrovsky. He stood unflinching next to the control terminal with his helmet still under his arm.

Shepard had acted as everyone else, her laser pistol was pointed directly at Petrovsky's head, but her heavy pistol was pointing at a Cerberus trooper and not at the next obvious target. Maybe it was a weakness, a foolish gamble on her part, but Shepard had begun to hold out some hope that just because the woman had started out as a dedicated Cerberus operative didn't mean she would stay that way forever.

Almost afraid to witness the results of her choice, Shepard looked to her left. In doing so, she was surprised to see Miranda looking back at her; the operatives back facing Shepard's squad, and her submachine gun was aimed at General Petrovsky's chest. Without a word an understanding passed between the two women and they shared a smirk as they both looked back to the Illusive Man.

Thank you… Shepard silently thought as she let go of the breath she had been holding over Miranda's decision. Odd seeing as how she had earlier threatened to kill the Cerberus operative without hesitation if the situation called for it, but with the more time they had spent together Shepard found herself more and more reluctant to carry out the act itself.

Obviously the Illusive Man was far less happy about the situation than Shepard. He glared at Miranda. "What the hell do you think you're doing Lawson?" He raised a hand and pointed back at Shepard, "I'm giving you a direct order; kill Shepard. Now!"

"And I'm disobeying that order," Miranda replied steadily. "I'm with Shepard; this station is an abomination and has to be destroyed. So you can consider this my resignation from Cerberus…" she smiled lightly, "…Mr. Harper."

The Illusive Man spun around and faced General Petrovsky, "What are you waiting for? Kill them both! That's an order General! Do not allow Shepard to leave that station alive."

Petrovsky however didn't even acknowledge the man right away. Instead he seemed to be in the process of deeply analyzing the two sides of the immediate conflict. "I'm afraid, sir, that I must ask you to cut your transmission at this time," the General stated calmly to the confusion of the Illusive Man. Petrovsky glanced back to the Cerberus trooper who had first pulled out the small communication sphere and gestured for him to cut the transmission. A second later the image of the Illusive Man faded away and the hovering sphere floated back into the outstretched hand of the trooper.

Shepard kept her laser pistol pointed at Petrovsky's head even after the Illusive Man had vanished. Petrovsky in turn brought a hand up to rub his forehead as he let out a long sigh.

Letting the hand run down his face he finally met her gaze. "So what's your plan to get out of this?" he asked her evenly. "I saw you share a look with your mech earlier; you did something that you think stacks the odds in your favor. What did you do?"

"Hannibal," Shepard called over her shoulder without looking back.

The bioticly gifted mech was covered by a dense purple field of dark energy as it aimed its machine gun at the foremost Geth Armature. Without moving a single joint, Hannibal began to explain, "My efforts to sabotage this station from the bridge computers yielded few results, and none on the scale required for a declaration of victory over the Collectors. This changed when you revealed the power conduits under our feet leading back to the station's mass effect core. Following the Lady Shepard's directive, I have remotely accessed these conduits and triggered a core collapse. The only hope this station now has for survival is the complete ejection of all element zero from the primary drive cores; an act that will take time and guarantee this station's destruction when the drive cores deactivate causing this base to slip inside the gravitational field of the black hole outside."

Shepard smiled, "Sum it up nicely, Hannibal."

Again, Hannibal didn't move his aim from the Armature but this time his face swiveled to look back at Petrovsky, "In twenty-nine minutes the station's core will overload and result in this base's destruction. This is inevitable."

"How long would it take to dump the core?" Petrovsky asked.

"At maximum output, the act of ejecting the core will require thirty-two minutes," Hannibal replied stoically.

While Petrovsky frowned at the news, Garrus coughed lightly.

"Uh, Shepard? I hate to bring this up but it took us longer than twenty-nine minutes to reach the center of this station," he informed her uncomfortably.

Shepard smiled as she glanced back at him, "I know. Should make the fight out of here all the more exhilarating, don't you think?"

Grunt laughed out loudly. "This is why you are my Battlemaster!" he finished with a wide grin.

Shepard focused back on Petrovsky, "I'm not an idiot. This space station has multiple chambers large enough for the Normandy and even your Geth cruiser to enter. If we leave right now, both our teams can reach our respective ships in only fifteen minutes. But we have to leave right now."

"Very well," Petrovsky replied as he turned to face his forces. "Stand down. We don't have the time for a firefight. Contact our cruiser and inform it we need a pick up as close to our position as possible. Send the retreat order to our other teams and begin a full withdrawal from this system. We're done here."

As the Cerberus and Geth troopers lowered their weapons and carried out the General's orders, Shepard turned to face her own squad and ordered them to stand down as well. Looking to Garrus, she said, "Tell Joker to get in the air and come pick us up. Did Zaeed and Kasumi make it back alright?"

Garrus nodded, "We got the call they arrived safely at the Normandy with all the colonists just before we reached this chamber. It's going to be a little cramped in the cargo hold but EDI assures us the ship can handle the trip back to Omega."

"Alright then. Let's get moving," Shepard replied. "Hannibal and the KNIGHTs will take point, everybody else fall in behind them." Turing around and facing Miranda and Galahad, she continued, "Galahad, you're back with us. Take your position with the other mechs."

"Yes, Lady Shepard," Galahad stated as he made his toward the front of the squad.

As both groups began exit the central control room in opposite directions, this left Shepard, Miranda and General Petrovsky standing together with a quick moment alone before they would need to re-join their respective teams.

Shepard brought a hand up to her forehead and wiped away the sweat that had gathered there. With a wary look to the General, she commented, "I didn't think you'd give up as easily as you did. You know you could have ordered the Geth to try and override Hannibal's actions."

Petrovsky raised an eyebrow at her statement, "Order the Geth to try and override the programming of one of your Hannibal VI's? How far do you think they would have gotten before you then countered and told EDI and the rest of your VIs to intervene?"

"Point," Shepard conceded with a small smile.

"Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't ask EDI to hack into the Collector's systems," Miranda questioned Shepard. "Wouldn't she be the better option from the start? After all, EDI is a full AI."

"That's exactly why I told Hannibal to do it instead," Shepard answered seriously, her earlier smile vanishing. "EDI is an AI, and is growing accustomed to everything that comes with being declared as such. In this specific case, feelings of affection for the rest of the Normandy crew. If worst came to worst, I can't trust EDI to kill everyone on this station. Hannibal on the other hand, is still a completely subservient VI that will obey my every command without hesitation. If I told him to kill everybody on my ship, he would do it, without a second thought."

As Miranda just stared at her, Petrovsky actually smirked at Shepard's statement. "And on that note, I say farewell to you Operative Lawson," he said gaining Miranda's attention. With his left arm still holding his helmet, Petrovsky held out his right hand, "I wish we could have worked together more often, but now that you've resigned from Cerberus I think it would be best if you caught a ride off this station from Shepard. Good luck to you Miss Lawson."

Miranda returned the handshake, and you could see it on her face as the full implications of her actions finally caught up to her. She had just left Cerberus at the very moment the Illusive Man and Shepard were about to go to war against one another, putting her squarely on Shepard's side. Suddenly Miranda found herself replaying the General's final sentence over in her head. It didn't seem to have the same meaning as when Petrovsky had first said it.

"General," Miranda replied simply with a slight nod.

She looked over at Shepard but the other woman just jerked her head back to her squad. "Give me a second."

Miranda nodded and left Petrovsky and Shepard alone as she went to join up with Shepard's squad, who were now waiting for Shepard at the same security door they had earlier blasted away. The same could be said of Petrovsky's men, his soldiers and Geth were now forced to wait on the opposite side of the chamber for their commanding officer.

Petrovsky and Shepard stood in silence for a few seconds before the General finally spoke up.

"'I am the vanguard of your salvation'?" he repeated Galahad's earlier remark with a puzzled look.

Shepard just smiled and said with a small laugh, "Oh no, he said it!? I wish I could have been there to see your faces." Petrovsky attempted to give her a stern look which just made Shepard smile more. "Come on, how could I not put that into his programming? After that statement from Sovereign it just seemed to perfect. 'I am the vanguard of your salvation.' Doesn't it just sound awesome?"

Petrovsky finally returned her smile with his own. "At least it seems some of what I taught you has sunk into that thick head of yours." His smile then faded away slowly as he regarded her. After a time, he said, "I could convince the Illusive Man to abandon this war against you and the Brokers network, if you agree to do the same."

Shepard sighed, "We talked about this before. I'm going to kill him. End of story. Even if the Reapers arrive tomorrow I'd find a way to beat them and still take out Cerberus. Nothing you say is going to change that."

"Very well," Petrovsky nodded, apparently knowing Shepard's answer but still compelled to ask anyway. "I very much enjoyed being out in the field again. Perhaps in the future we will find ourselves on the same side once again. I will look forward to that day." He finished holding out his hand for her to take.

Shepard returned the handshake, surprised by the General's tighter than normal grip. When they both released, Petrovsky gave her a smile and then turned away and began to walk back to his soldiers.

Shepard watched him walk toward his squad. Before he got too far away, she quickly called out, "By the way, just so there isn't anymore confusion, I completed the commando specialization during the hunt for Saren over two years ago!"

Pausing to turn back, Petrovsky replied smiling, "I know you did, Jane. I saw the insignia on your uniform the day the Council recognized your actions in saving the Citadel."

Shepard could only stare at him as Petrovsky chuckled. He then gave her a mock salute and then turned to join up with his troops.

With a smile on her face form this revelation, Shepard finally turned to face her own team and jogged up to join them. Upon her arrival the KNIGHTs raised their weapons and began to lead the team out of the Collector station and back toward the waiting Normandy.

The suicide mission to destroy the Collector homeworld was finally over; the base had only minutes left until the mass effect core overloaded and destroyed the entire station. It was a victory Shepard was proud of, she hadn't lost a single teammate and managed to rescue a few of the kidnapped colonists, and it appeared she had gotten her conformation that General Petrovsky was indeed on her side after all.

-()()()()()()-

Minutes later…

Terminus Systems

Omega Nebula
Sahrabarik System
Cerberus controlled Geth fleet

General Petrovsky stood on the bridge of the Geth cruiser and watched his screen as the Normandy SR2 waved its wings at his ships before angling away and flying back toward Omega Station.

It was done. The Collector station had exploded in quite a spectacular fashion but luckily everyone had enough time to board their respective ships and reach the Omega-4 relay before the blast wave could damage their vessels.

Petrovsky had called for a head count immediately after his ships had exited the relay. What he got back was troubling. Aside from losing an entire cruiser at the beginning of the mission, the two cruisers and the troops they carried he had used as a diversionary force to assault the space station had each suffered heavy casualties. Not just his Geth forces but the human soldiers as well. Both cruisers were very nearly operating now with skeleton crews. An unacceptable outcome, especially since Cerberus would be expected to hold the line against the Reapers themselves once the machines arrived in the galaxy. If Cerberus wanted to be a formidable opponent, they would need to do something to radically increase their fighting strength.

But that was an issue for later. Right now, something far more pressing weighed on Petrovsky.

Wasting as little time as possible, Petrovsky even avoided changing out of his armor, as he made his way to the communication room built into the Geth cruiser before their departure. Entering the blank, featureless room, Petrovsky walked forward to stand in the center of the dark room. After a moment, holographic emitters, the same installed in the SR2, rose up around his body and soon Petrovsky found himself in the Illusive Man's presence back at Cerberus HQ.

The Illusive Man had been seated in his chair but upon hearing Petrovsky's arrival he quickly stood and walked up to stand before the General.

"General," The Illusive Man began in a heated tone, "you'd better have a good reason for blatantly ignoring my orders."

Petrovsky straightened his back and stood at attention. This wasn't because he was intimidated by his superior's attitude but rather a show of respect for the man who ran Cerberus.

Meeting the Illusive Man's gaze he responded calmly, "Your orders were made in the heat of the moment. You let your emotions get the better of you and attempted to have me eliminate a rival in a fight that would have seen all of us die and the Collectors still in control of their station. It was only through my actions that you lost a single, and valuable, operative instead of our entire force."

The Illusive Man scowled, "Operative Lawson's betrayal was unexpected. Miranda knows better than most what we must do in order to further strengthen humanity. And instead of eliminating her, you've allowed her to join forces with Shepard! A woman who has on multiple occasions threatened not only me but Cerberus itself."

Now it was Petrovsky's expression that turned sour as he frowned. "You had two years to study that woman and in all that time you've still learned nothing," he stated irritably. "I've known Shepard for over fifteen years, ever since I rescued her from Mindoir. And over that entire period I've tried on multiple occasions to recruit her to our side; and she has turned down every one of my offers. Her hatred for Cerberus aside, the reason she never joined up is because of Lieutenant Simmons and before that her own family. If you can't seem to understand that even now then you truly are blind to the world and those who inhabit it."

"Don't try and change the subject General," the Illusive Man replied threateningly. "The Collector station was the key. The technology in that base could have secured human dominance in the galaxy, against the Reapers and beyond. All the time and money we put into Shepard and her mission and in a blink of the eye it's gone."

"Maybe," Petrovsky replied slowly, "but there is a chance something can be salvaged. That space station was designed by the Reapers and built using their own and Prothean technology. I doubt even a core overload was enough to destroy absolutely everything. If we're quick and quiet about, we should be able to send more ships through the Omega-4 relay and salvage what's left before the remains are swallowed up by the black hole."

For a second the Illusive Man observed Petrovsky with a careful and puzzled expression. "Can I assume by that statement that you are still firmly aligned with Cerberus and our goals?"

"Of course, sir. As I said before, all of my actions were simply done to ensure the best possible outcome for the mission," Petrovsky said evenly. "If you recall, that's the reason you gave me the position as General within Cerberus. In the field I am allowed the freedom and flexibility to make decisions as I see fit to ensure an operations success."

The Illusive Man still studied Petrovsky carefully. "And as General of Cerberus, what do you recommend we do about Shepard? I will still admit that she is a capable soldier and commander, and she will prove herself a dangerous enemy for Cerberus going forward. How do you suggest we kill her?"

Petrovsky's gaze was unwavering as he replied, "One does not simply kill Jane Shepard. She is a talented individual who commands respect from nearly every species in the galaxy. But as I've said to her before, Shepard is also her own worst enemy. From what I've seen, we may not need to take any direct action at all. She has already planted the seeds of her own destruction."

-()()()()()()-

One hour later…

Sahrabarik System
Omega

Shepard stood in the Normandy's airlock as the decontamination process ran its course and allowed her back onto the frigate.

She had just returned from the club Afterlife and informed Aria T'Loak of her successful mission. Shepard had then asked for Aria's assistance in the transportation of thirty-four civilians back to the Citadel and into Alliance care, as well as the resources to repair the gaping hole located in her ship's cargo bay. Both requests were granted quickly by Aria, surprising Shepard a little, but the pirate queen jokingly explained that since Shepard had just killed off another race in the galaxy it would be best not to offend the 'great and powerful' human Spectre.

With an uncomfortable and over the top laugh, Shepard was then forced to explain that not all the Collectors had died in the attack, there were at least four of their cruisers still floating around in the galaxy. With an indifferent shrug, Aria still replied that what Shepard had accomplished was better than nothing and still agreed to help her.

With the decontamination cycle complete, the airlock doors opened and Shepard made her way into her ship. Turing to her left she called to her pilot, "Joker inform Donnelly and Daniels that the materials they need to repair our ship will begin to arrive in two hours, and then tell Garrus he can have some of the KNIGHTs help escort the civilians to the ships Aria has waiting to take them all back to the Citadel."

Joker waved from his chair, "Aye, aye Shepard."

EDI then spoke up, "Shepard, I have composed a briefing for the Citadel Councilors on our mission, including your conversation with Harbinger, and it is now ready for your final approval before we send the report. Shall I transfer a copy to your cabin terminal for review?"

Shepard just smiled, "No need EDI. I trust you did a good job and if I proof read it for you we'd just end up sending back a massive report filled with vulgar words and thinly veiled threats directed at the Councilors. Better if I have as little impact as possible. If you think it's good to go, send it out."

"Transmission sent," EDI informed her.

"Thank you EDI." Shepard turned away from the bridge and began to make her way to the CIC but before she could take two steps, Miranda was already marching up to meet her halfway.

"Shepard, I need to leave, now," Miranda began urgently as she and Shepard walked together toward the CIC. "Now that I just betrayed the Illusive Man my sister is in jeopardy. Cerberus has always been helping me keep Oriana's location a secret from my father but now they'll use her as leverage against me. I have to get to her first and get her and her family to safety!"

Reaching the CIC, Shepard stopped in front of the galaxy map and held up her hands, "Slow down Miranda. You don't have to worry, everything will be alright. Oriana and her family have already been moved and are safely relocated away from Cerberus and your father's prying eyes. She's on Terra Nova."

Miranda's eyes widened at the news. "What? Oriana is on Terra Nova?! Shepard, what the hell is she doing there? Terra Nova is a heavily populated Alliance colony; there is no way my father won't find her there!" She then stopped as her brain finally slowed down and really heard what Shepard had said and put the pieces together. Miranda narrowed her eyes, and with an unnerving calm, asked, "What did you do?"

Shepard smiled uncomfortably and brought a hand up to rub the back of her neck. "Okay, now just don't get mad, but Liara had Oriana and her family moved before we went through the Omega-4 relay. She and I used the Shadow Broker network to get them out of Asari space and back safely behind Alliance lines. And she will be safe on Terra Nova. Liara's friend Feron and your own Asari contact Lanteia were the ones in charge of the move. Liara informs me it was all handled very well; no one but us knows where she is."

Miranda relaxed considerably at the news but she still remained wary, asking, "But why did you move my sister in the first place?"

Shepard winced, "Miranda, I hate to be the one to tell you this but your father, Henry Lawson, is a major contributor to Cerberus and has talked with the Illusive Man himself on several occasions. Cerberus wasn't keeping Oriana safe; if anything she was just leverage to keep you under the Illusive Man's thumb." She looked into Miranda's eyes with concern, "Liara and I decided that the only way we were ever going to gain your trust and get you to switch sides and join us is if we removed the psychological pressure the Illusive Man held over you. Obviously now, with you deciding to leave Cerberus all on your own, our actions just ensured your sister would be safe in any event."

Miranda still looked uneasy about the whole situation so Shepard added, "Tell you what, go up to my cabin and access my terminal. EDI can give you Oriana's new address and the two of you can chat away for a while, and this way you can ensure she is safe and sound."

"I – thank you," Miranda replied in surprise as she and Shepard walked up to the elevator. "I would very much appreciate the opportunity to check up with my sister."

The doors to the elevator opened and Shepard entered first, holding up a hand to keep Miranda from entering.

"Just let me get down to engineering first," Shepard explained. Miranda was still anxious about talking to her sister so she just crossed her arms and looked at Shepard slightly annoyed.

With an apologetic smile, Shepard selected her floor and then faced Miranda. "Oh! Before I forget," she quickly added. "If by some chance your sister mentions something about you buying her a new omni-tool and said omni-tool happened to be very advanced and helpful thanks to the newly installed Hannibal-VI it contains, be sure to smile and reply it was no trouble and you were happy to get it for her."

Miranda's jaw dropped, "You sent my sister a bugged omni-tool! Shepard -"

Before Miranda could finish her sentence, or jump into the elevator and throttle her, Shepard hit the button that closed the elevators doors and began her decent to engineering. Well Liara you were right, Miranda was not happy… still totally worth it though… she chuckled to herself, lightly shaking her head.

Arriving in engineering, Shepard exited the elevator and made her way to the ship's core. But instead of entering engineering proper, she detoured and made her way down the stairs that would lead her to the subfloor beneath the core; straight to where Jack had bunked aboard the ship.

Reaching the lower level, Shepard found Jack where she normally would. The most powerful human biotic in the galaxy was just sitting on her cot, datapads scattered around the floor at her feet, and was just staring at the wall. Jack had previously stated that this portion of the SR2 felt safest to her. It was dark and near the bottom, something that spelled shelter against anything or anyone that wanted to cause her harm. After Shepard's multiple visits down to chat with the younger woman, she could say that with the mass effect core running directly above them, the gentle and ever present hum it gave off was actually relaxing. The one time she had shared this fact with Jack had merely earned her a roll of the eyes from the biotic.

Jack was silent and didn't even look at her when she walked up to the desk across from the cot and jumped up to sit on the edge. Her feet dangling above the ground, Shepard swung her legs back and forth lightly as she waited Jack out. It was something she had learned over her talks with Jack. She may not be the most eloquent speaker, but when Jack did have something to say she would say it. The biotic's gaze met Shepard's for a moment but then she looked away without a word.

And when it became clear Jack wasn't really in the mood to talk, Shepard decided to start things off. "I believe I owe you something," she stated to Jack cheerfully.

Jack looked up. "What?"

"The mission is over," Shepard said, still swinging her legs, "and technically that's all anyone on this ship signed on for. So now that we're done, you're no longer under my command and free to do whatever you want and go wherever you want.

"This wasn't part of the original deal but since I'm now incredibly rich thanks to being the new Shadow Broker I'm paying everyone two million credits. Zaeed and Kasumi hardly need the money, but they earned it; and even Thane is getting paid but he's told me he plans to donate most of it," she added somewhat miffed. "I know it's a great idea but still. I mean when I was chasing down Saren, two million was a big deal. Most of the Spectre gear I needed cost several hundred thousand credits per piece. My sniper rifle alone set me back over a million – do you know how many bodies you have to loot to reach two million?"

Seeing Jack's bored look, Shepard coughed, embarrassed, "Anyways… You will be getting two million credits as well but that wasn't what I was talking about owing you." Reaching the heart of the matter, she became more serious, "You stopped me from handing the Collector base over to Cerberus, and while I still don't know if it was the smart thing to do, it was the right thing to do. That Reaper they were constructing was built using human genetic material, a lot of material… and I don't presume to know such things, but I do know Ashley would say that the souls of those colonists can now rest peacefully knowing that the Reaper they were forced to build will never live or take another human life."

Before Jack could say anything, Shepard hopped off the desk and sat down on the cot next to her. Reaching down, she picked up one of the discarded datapads. "You need this one?" she asked, holding up the datapad.

Jack shook her head with an angry huff, "All it contains is the information I needed to find the Teltin facility. I was planning on smashing it later on now."

Shepard smiled and activated the omni-tool on her left wrist while holding the datapad in her right hand. "Well then this is perfect. This datapad allowed you to clear up your past and now I'm going to fill it with the information you need to decide your future." She wirelessly connected the two devices and began the transfer of data from her tool to the pad.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked, puzzled.

"Since Liara and I killed the original Broker and took over his organization, we've been using his network to do all sorts of things. Some of them good, some of them bad, and some containing a bit of both," Shepard explained as her purple omni-tool shut down, signaling the transfer of data was complete. She held the datapad out to Jack, who hesitantly took it. "This definitely qualifies as something good."

Shepard stood up from the cot and stretched a little before looking back down at Jack. With a smile that spelled nothing but trouble for Jack, Shepard said, "Miranda is no longer a member of Cerberus and I'm going to recommend that she travels to Terra Nova tomorrow and spend all the time she can with her sister before the shit with Cerberus really hits the fan. And I know you don't like her very much but I strongly suggest you go with her."

Jack frowned, entirely unamused at Shepard's attitude. "Why the hell would I want to go anywhere with that cheerleader?"

"Because of the intell I just handed you," Shepard replied, gesturing at the datapad. "We haven't been on the best of terms over the course of our mission against the Collectors but I truly want you to know I'm glad you were here fighting with us, and this is my way of thanking you.

"That datapad contains your life… before Cerberus." Jack's eyes went wide at the revelation. Smiling, Shepard continued, "You were born in 2161 on Eden Prime and your real first name is Jennifer. When your parents thought they lost you they moved to Terra Nova to try and start their lives over." Shepard turned away from Jack and made her way back out of engineering. "I'll let you learn the rest on your own, but make sure you're packed and ready to go tomorrow when Miranda heads out."

Once again in the Normandy's elevator, Shepard paused before choosing her destination and just allowed the warm fuzzy feeling of helping out Jack fill her up. It wasn't often she got to do something like that and based on what the future held for her, she wasn't certain when something like this would happen again. Between Cerberus and the Reapers, she was going to have her hands full. But hopefully after the Citadel Council got her report on the operation against the Collectors, especially her talk with Harbinger, they would finally be willing to open their minds and accept the Reapers as fact.

And with that in her mind, the warm fuzzy feeling quickly receded.

What did Harbinger say again… she thought, her brow furrowing. You exist because they allow it, and you will end because we demand it… Bringing a hand up, she rubbed her forehead. Despite the very real danger the Reapers posed, Shepard now had one thought dominate her mind...

Who the hell is 'they'?

---

Author's Note: Had to cut this chapter in half as well. And just so all of you get an idea of where we are at in the various timetables of this story... This chapter now concludes the events of Mass Effect 2, and the next part will focus on the conclusion of Wing Commander 3. Then, it will be building up on what occurs between now and Mass Effect 3 and the ground work for the events of Wing Commander 4.