Chapter XIII: Into the Eye of the Maelstrom

The grand sea… vast and magnificent. The wind caressed Shepard's face as he stared off into the horizon, atop a cliff. With fresh air coursing through his lungs, the Commander took a deep breath as the sun set far beyond. He smiled as he sighed with relief, eyeing the form wrapped under his arm and pressed against him. Just like the scenery, Tali was vibrantly beautiful.

Instead of her environmental suit, Tali was dressed like a devoted priestess, with light-blue tunic hugging her voluptuous frame. Her silky black hair draped her back as she rested her face on his chest, eyes closed. A smile decorated her face, blissful thoughts swirling in her mind.

Shepard was rather pleased with his own looks too. His skin was untouched, and he was free, no longer needing to be sealed in a suit. The touch of the elements on his body was amazing, as well as being able to wear a loose set of pants and shirt.

Everything was perfect… until it all changed. Suddenly, the sky turned red as a massive roar shook the world. The Commander gasp, wide-eyed, in shock as he looked up, to the bleeding heavens. Tali, terrified, embraced her lover in pursuit of safety. The ground and air stopped quivering… just as the sky slowly started to turn black. Crashing down from the clouds, like unimaginable nightmares, Reapers descended onto the world.

The Commander turned to Tali, to urge her to run to safety, only to realize she was gone. He looked around, glancing back at the massive dreadnaughts that blocked the sky. Fear settled in his heart as he looked around the cliff. Where was Tali? Where had she gone?

"Tali!" He called, horrified.

A deafening roar from above forced Shepard to close his eyes shut and press his hand against his ears. He looked up as the shadow of a massive Reaper fell over him.

"Shepard!"

The Commander snapped his head at the source, only to see Tali, in her environmental suit, calling for him far away. He didn't need to be told twice. He started running ahead, just as a humongous Reaper foot crashed the cliff. Tali waited for him, weakly smiling as he evaded certain death. Her face fell, however, only to be replaced with horror.

Shepard frowned, confused, only to look down onto his body. His skin was no longer smooth and untouched, but rather covered in nasty scars. Thick synthetic veins bulged across scorned flesh as they snaked in and out. Glowing blue, he shook his head as the implants twitched and moved, as if they were extensions of a parasite.

"Shepard!" Tali called again, running to him.

He stepped forward, only to freeze, unable to control his movements. The quarian didn't seem to care as she rushed to him.

"Come on!" She said as she reached his unmoving lover. "We have to leave before - URGH"

Shepard felt his heart drumming against his chest as his hand shot off towards Tali's neck, clasping onto it and lifting the poor woman into the air. As she choked under the tight grasp of the man, Shepard was unable to look away from her terrified glowing eyes, burning with horror and sadness. He screamed inside, fighting with all his might against an unresponsive body. He tried to say something, but like the rest of his muscles, they moved on their own.

"Terminating threat" a synthetic voice said, coming off from Shepard's lip.

Tali's eyes widened, her gaze begging Shepard to stop… but he couldn't. His hand, without permission, abruptly closed with a sudden burst of strength.

CRACK.

"Argh!" Shepard gasped as he shot off his bed, covered in sweat. He looked down at his shaking hands as they glowered red. His heart furiously pumped blood on his chest as it promised to jump off his chest at any moment with the rate it beat.

Gradually, the panting Commander managed to calm down, realizing it had all been a nightmare. He blinked a couple of times as he regained his breath. His cybernetics blurred as they returned to their original white. Surprised by the change, the man stared at the implants only to close his eyes. He took a deep soothing breath, before sighing despondently.

Shepard's attention was drawn by the form lying next to him. Deeply asleep, Tali peacefully mumbled something, ignorant of the state of her lover. He stared at her, amazed that she hadn't awoken. However, he was unable to look at her for long, as memories of her nightmare returned, unbidden. Tali's face…

The Commander left the bed, unable to cope with the haunting image, stuck in his head. He hurried over to the bathroom, where he proceeded to splash his head with cold water. He needed the chilling touch of the water to disperse his thoughts. Unfortunately, as he looked up at his reflection, thoughts were the only thing that coursed through his being.

Shepard stared at his reflection, from the white shinning eyes, to the many implants coursing through his skin. To think they had once been hidden… one entire Suicide Mission later and they had remained underneath the surface, bidding for their time. A hand absentmindedly trailed a particularly nasty-looking cybernetic. When had he become like this? How much of him was still a man?

He sighed, with tired defeat, before he splashed his face with more water. Unfortunately, as much as Shepard tried to calm down, he couldn't. It wasn't surprising. He had been restless since he had returned to the Normandy, unable to relax or calm himself. He might have offered a stoic or composed demeanour to his crew, but deep down he was afraid… and distraught.

"…your friend, Liara, is Indoctrinated"

Those words echoed in his mind, taunting him, urging him to fall deep into the dark realm of ruminations. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he lazily went over to the toilet. He needed to sit down…

He had been right: the Truth crashed his entire world. He had such a hard time believing such a preposterous statement… he remembered protesting, trying to argument that that was impossible, but Thane and Kasumi hadn't backed down.

How hadn't Shepard seen it? Had he been blind? Had he missed something? He wasn't sure. Perhaps he had ignored it. It must have been naïveté which led him to be unwilling to consider any of his close friends as Indoctrinated. Regardless, the truth was that Liara had been Indoctrinated some time now.

When? How? It hadn't taken long for Shepard to connect the dots himself with a little push from Kasumi and Thane. After all, Shepard already knew that the Hanar had, in their midst, a series of Reaper artefacts, some of which were thought to be like the ones found on Gellix. Moreover, he already knew that there were Indoctrinated Hanar on Kahje, given how he had actually stopped an Indoctrinated ambassador before that with Kasumi and Zaeed. When Liara had told Shepard that the Hanar had allowed her to study new Prothean Artefacts on Kahje after Cerberus attacked her at the Shadow Broker's hidden location, he should have worried about the faint possibility of Indoctrination.

Shepard had already been rather suspicious of the Crucible, but he had been unable to put much thought into it. As a matter of fact, he had occasionally forgotten that it was still under construction. He had been rather surprised by the timing of its discovery. Hadn't it been such an extraordinary coincide? The Reapers arrive just in time for this massive weapon to be discovered in the same archives humanity has been studying for decades… and, hey, this weapon works against the Reapers even though the Archives had NO MENTION of the Reapers. How had Liara known its purpose? Hell, how had she found it to begin with? Something that had allegedly been so well hidden through decades… found in a span of months?

Shepard should have realized how odd it was for Wrex not to want to let anything slip to Liara, how hostile Kasumi was to the asari or the fact three snipers tried to blow Liara's head on Gellix rather than anyone else… the reluctance of everyone involved with Cerberus to say anything now made a lot of sense. Liara wasn't just anyone: she was also the Shadow Broker, with ears and eyes everyone. Cerberus couldn't risk the Reapers discovering, through Liara, that Cerberus was aware of the Crucible's true nature.

No, Shepard had been well aware that the Reapers purposely left caches of technology for other species to find, catalysing their technological progress in the path they desired. So, with that in mind… why in the world would they leave behind the means to their own destruction hidden in the Archives? What, the Reapers forgot to remove it? It was preposterous to believe that nation-worth of intelligence and technological advancement could have make such humongous oversight. Moreover, wasn't it suspicious that the Crucible had not only been hidden in the Human Prothean Archives but also the ones of the Hanar? What a coincidence!

After the report on Gellix, why hadn't Shepard wondered if the Reapers weren't already using artefacts like the one used to Indoctrinate unsuspecting scientists right from the beacons' discoveries? The answer would have been obvious: because the Reapers had already been using them. Moreover, the fact they could activate and deactivate suggested that the Reapers might have remotely control them, somehow, to time the Indoctrination.

It was through Indoctrination that anyone would have found the Crucible, hidden in the Archives. Else there was the risk that the Crucible would have been built too early, or not at all. Through Indoctrination, the Reapers made sure scientists and archaeologists, unknowingly studying active Reaper artefacts that could hide amongst Prothean tech and lay dormant until the right time, could deliver the Crucible to the governments.

Shepard sighed, shaking his head. Was it any surprise Cerberus sent Eva Core, an android that couldn't get Indoctrinated, to Mars rather than a human spy? Or why they were hell-bent on wiping out entire research teams and personnel both on Mars and Eden Prime? Why they were more invested on killing people rather than actually taking valuable artefacts?

Cerberus, months before the Arrival, had discovered that, somehow, scientists were getting Indoctrinated even when no Reaper Artefacts were being studied. This is what happened with Doctor Brynn and her colleagues. It was thus not surprising Cerberus was able to understand the hidden threat amongst Prothean ruins and artefacts… including the caches left by the Reapers.

The Commander could finally say he understood Cerberus' motivations, or at least most of them. The attack on the Citadel was a rather bold and foolish move from his perspective, but according to Thane, it had its purposes. The Illusive Man had intended for the Alliance to take the hit for the attack and for humanity to fall from grace with the Council, both with the treachery of Udina and the inability of the Alliance to stop a so-called terrorist organization from becoming such massive entity. The Council, as always, had a bad habit of alienating those they perceived as having erred them and such alienation would have obviously played to Cerberus' favour.

There was also the fact Cerberus popularity fed on them being a rallying force for all factions that opposed the Council. The attack in of itself had a symbolic meaning to: it established Cerberus as a credible threat and it shattered the false sense of security at the Citadel.

More importantly, Thane and Kasumi didn't exactly sweeten the Illusive Man's ambitions or try to excuse other less altruistic motives. The Illusive Man might have had the best interests for humanity, but he also wanted for the Council to fall and for Cerberus to grow more powerful, even at the expense of innocent lives. In his eyes, the Council was too incompetent to be allowed to survive the Reaper invasion. The Illusive Man was, after all, ruthless, rather detach of the horrors he inflicted in the name of progress, regardless how justified. To think otherwise would only be stupid, or naive. It wasn't like he had a change of heart… as if that would ever happen.

The Commander stood up, shaking his head bitterly as he left the bathroom. Calmer than before, he stretched a bit as he looked at the resting form of Tali. While he endured the torturous haunting memory of his nightmare, the Quarian peacefully carried on in the realm of dreams. Shepard grimaced, once again reminded of his vivid, terrifying nightmare. Truth to be told, he didn't exactly feel like going to sleep any time soon.

The man pinched the bridge of his nose as he stood there, in the middle of his cabin, unsure what to do. He could always write down reports for Hackett, read the most recent updates or try to manage some of the ship's finances, which EDI thankfully had kept going without his careful eye. Groaning with exasperation, Shepard realized he needed to find a hobby. What could he do?

The answer came to him as he glanced at his hands. His glowing white eyes immediately jumped onto the cybernetic implants, recalling the events that transpired at the Citadel Archives. The whole Matrix-like experience had been disorienting. At the same time, Shepard couldn't stop being amazed by such ability. He had found and accessed one of the best kept secrets thanks to the Geth upgrades. How else could he use the upgrades? Could he interact with other pieces of technology? Could he even interact with EDI?

Intrigued by the idea, Shepard hummed. He glanced at Tali and then at the door. She would probably understand… probably. With a smile, Shepard went over by the entrance and suited up. Before he left, though, he studied Tali's sleeping form, as if afraid something would happen if he didn't look at her frequently enough. Then, hesitantly, he left the cabin.

The trip to the AI Room was quick. The Mess Hall had a couple of crewmates who seemed untroubled by the presence of their commander while the Med Bay was empty. Dr Chakwas and Dr Michele were nowhere to be seen, probably at the Citadel for shore leave or asleep in one of the beds at the crew quarters. The AI Core Room, though, wasn't empty.

"Greeting, Shepard" EDI impassively greeted the Commander as he walked in.

EDI was just… standing there, hands behind her, as if she had been caught thinking privately. The Commander frowned at the android, curious to know what she had been up to. Clad in an ironed and neatly cleaned uniform, with her ever-present side cap, she was unchanged.

"EDI… what are you up to?" He asked, intrigued.

"Scanning my programming for glitches" She replied. She tilted her head, curious "what do you require, Shepard?"

"I am rather restless at the moment, so I thought I could try something out – but I can always return later" Shepard answered.

"There is no need" EDI hummed, turning to the man and smiling.

The Commander, for the umpteenth time, was impressed by how close she was able to mimic humans. However, this time, he actually bothered to question the android. How was she able to do so? Programs? That was likely. EDI had known how to act like a living organic since she acquired the body…

All of a sudden, Shepard remembered Eva Core. As an android, she had been repurposed to serve as a spy for Cerberus that couldn't get Indocrinated. However, if Cerberus had justification for their actions, couldn't Eva Core have tried to share the information she had with EDI? Shepard blinked at the waiting form of the android.

Wait a minute… what if EDI knew that Liara was Indoctrinated all along? Shepard mused. Suddenly, EDI's attempts to keep Liara apart from Shepard made a lot of more sense than before and answered many questions that had been left unanswered.

Shepard blinked, dumbfounded, at the android. Was EDI the Cerberus spy? It could be. Rather than being hacked or manipulated, EDI could very well be voluntarily assisting Cerberus. He suddenly frowned.

No, it can't be just EDI… he thought. There are bound to be other spies… but who? He eyed the android, who stared at him, patient. Maybe I could use these upgrades to find out…

"EDI, I might need your help for something" Shepard told the AI.

"Of course, Shepard" she eagerly replied, moving to stand right in front of the Commander. "What do you require?" She inquired with earnest.

The Commander hummed as he opened and closed his hands, studying them. He smirked before looking up at EDI's body.

"Please, stay still" he said.

The android tilted her head, showing her confusion. By then, Shepard had closed his eyes and concentrated. How had he activated his upgrades the first time? It had been Kasumi's doing… but how? How had she done? Had she interfaced with his cybernetics? Was that even possible for an omni-tool? Instead of more thinking, though, Shepard decided to try to draw in the sensation, the memory of how it felt.

All of a sudden, he felt it. His body shook uncomfortably, as if electrocuted, and he opened his eyes. As before, he was staring into an entirely new world. His now shinning green eyes locked impassively at EDI, who kept staring at Shepard. Without a word spoken, the Commander raised a hand to touch EDI's forehead. EDI, with her eyes following the movement of her hand, stepped forward, the open palm landing on her cheek and cupping her face.

Shepard's eyes widened as new information poured into him…

"Are you sure they are going to be here?" Jacob asked for the umpteenth time. With his arms folded and a scowl on his face, he seemed anxiously impatient next to Miranda.

While Jacob wore an Alliance crew jumpsuit, Miranda opted for her white skin-tight suit reminiscent of her time on Cerberus. She was, thus, an odd sight as they stood outside Bay D24 security checkpoint. The dark-skinned man did so by leisurely leaning against a wall while Miranda patiently waited, arms behind her, like a boot camp sergeant about to address the poor recruits under her.

"They will" Miranda replied, stoic. Her ice blue eyes turned to Jacob. "Do you doubt my abilities?" She smirked coldly at the man.

"I've learned not to a long time ago" the man grunted. He shook his head nonetheless as he rolled his eyes, amused by the familiar exchange.

Miranda, smug, turned to look at the elevator. Her haughty smile only grew as the doors to the lift slid open. She glanced at Jacob who huffed, indignant. Stomping out of the elevator, came a familiar Krogan.

Clad in grey heavy plated armour and with pearl blue eyes, Urdnot Grunt was, even amongst Krogan, fearsome, both in the mere girth of his arms as the bulk of his frame. There was also an intimidating predatory smile on his face that did little to ease Jacob's worries. He was also younger than any Krogan both humans remembered ever seeing, with his plates over his head still forming and his hump shorter and far less pronounced than his older counterparts. All in all, it was the same Grunt that they both remember.

"Urdnot Grunt" Miranda haughtily called with a curt nod. "Good" she added "you are on time".

"Only the weak are late" Grunt sadistically chuckled as he towered over Miranda. He looked around before he sniffed the air. "Shepard isn't here" he noted, inquisitively turning to the woman.

"He is preparing for the debriefing" Jacob told the powerful Krogan. With a sheepish smile, he added "it's good to see you".

"Of course it's good to see me" Grunt huffed, grinning sardonically. "If Shepard calls, then you are going to need of my strength". As if to make a point, he flexed his muscles. "I'm glad to serve, Second Commander" he creepily smile at Miranda, who smirked back with shared sadism.

"You certainly haven't changed much" muttered the dark-skinned man.

"Don't mind Jacob" Miranda, without a hint of an emotion, told the Krogan. "You are being expected at the Normandy. Before you go there, what did you bring with you?" She queried, rising an eyebrow.

"My shotgun, my loyalty, my courage and my power" Grunt harshly declared, smirking as he drew his massive Krogan Shotgun. "More than enough" he chuckled with a psychotic glint on his eyes.

"Noted" Miranda coldly remarked. She casually pointed behind her with a thumb and with delicate and deceptive femininity. "Report to EDI".

Grunt flexed his arms again before he stomped across a pair of startled (and terrified) C-Sec officers. Jacob followed him with his eyes before glaring at Miranda.

"Is it really a good idea to have a crazy-ass psychopath of a Krogan on board?" He hissed at the woman.

"Don't worry, it's only until we can throw him into battle" Miranda smirked sadistically as she faced the elevator door. She glanced at Jacob with a taunting smile "You shouldn't worry, Jacob. He is fervently loyal to Shepard".

Jacob didn't respond, only shaking his head and muttering something about Normandy's crazy lot. It was at that moment that the elevator door opened once again. This time, five tall Asari marched out. Jacob had to make a double take before he could believe his eyes. Headed towards them, and leading four other Justicars, was Samara. However, differently from last time, she was clad in golden armour.

With bright gold shoulder-pads over a tight set of armour, Samara was almost unrecognizable with so much skin covered under plates of golden metal. She also had a helmet made of the same material that stretched out over her head tentacles and wrapped around her head, leaving her eyes and mouth exposed. She seemed ready for a fight as did her fellow Justicars, although they might have been more fitting for a Greek myth than modern warfare. With water-blue eyes, Samara stared into Miranda's, something unspoken exchanged with a mere glance, something chilling no doubt.

The five newcomers walked straight towards Miranda, only to stop a pair of feet away. They stayed there, acting almost like machines and mirroring the former female Cerberus operative.

"Samara" Miranda greeted with a curt nod.

"Agent Lawson" Samara replied in a dull monotone with a stiff nod of her own.

"Anything you wish to bring to the ship?" Miranda queried, noticing none of the Justicars brought anything other than handguns and SMGs.

"We only require sustenance and a place of meditation. Anything else is unnecessary" Samara informed the woman.

"You are free to occupy Starboard Observation" Miranda hummed.

Samara nodded once again before marching past Miranda, followed closely by her robot-like companions. They didn't even spare a glance of interest at Miranda or Jacob, focused on the path ahead. Jacob stared at the backs of the departing Justicars as they went past shocked and baffled C-Sec Officers (by this point they had to be wondering what was going on at the Normandy).

Jacob whistled, amused, as he shook his head. He chuckled. "They really are your kind of people" he commented.

"They are exactly what we need" Miranda huffed, smirking at Jacob. "We must return to the ship" she declared. "Our business out here is complete".

"You sure there aren't any other crazies you want to bring in?" Jacob scoffed.

"Oh, I have a complete list" Miranda stated. "But we don't have the time to gather them all".

Jacob paused, blinking at the woman, who stared back at him with a sincere, impassive face. He frowned at her. "You are kidding, aren't you?" He wondered.

Miranda raised an eyebrow at him before turning around and marching after the Justicars and Grunt. Jacob stared at the elevator, paling. She wasn't kidding.

"Lieutenant Commander Williams"

The woman in question grumbled as she heard EDI's voice echoing across the Port Observation. Muttering, she struggled to sit up straight. A groan escaped her lips as she felt her sore body protest, almost screaming her to stop moving. Why was her head spinning? She looked around, fighting a wave of dizziness.

"Wow, EDI, tone it down…" she wheezed with a hoarse voice.

Where was she? Ah, right, Port Observation… then why was she so… ah… her eyes wandered off to the mini-bar, glaring at the blasted thing. She groaned, falling back onto the couch indignantly. She couldn't believe she had actually gone overboard with her drinking!

"Urgh…" a muffled voice grumbled nearly.

Ashley frowned, surprised, and leaned over the back of the couch only to find the sprawled form of Kal'Reegar, snoring, on the floor. It was such a strange sight that the woman couldn't help but stare at the vulnerable Quarian.

"Lieutenant Commander Williams, the debriefing will begin in half an hour" EDI informed the woman.

"Half an hour?" Ashley's eyes widened. She groaned yet again, this time with embarrassment. How had she forgotten about the blasted debriefing? "What did I miss?" She slurred, only to blush. This was ridiculous.

"We have rendezvoused with the Quarians and the Admirals are preparing to board" the AI replied. "I suggest you take a bath, Lieutenant Commander, as well as assist Kal'Reegar".

"Thanks… I guess" Ashley sighed despondently. With a grimace, she spotted a large bottle of whiskey lying by the floor. She had really done it this time… "I think I might need something for my headache".

"Should I inform Dr Chakwas?" EDI wondered.

"No, no, it's fine" Ashley hurried to say before she groaned, in pain, due to a particularly strong migraine. "Unless they have some miracle pill or something to remove this headache" she bitterly added.

"Lieutenant Vega has taken the last medication against hangovers" EDI reported with a saddened tone.

Guess I'm not the only one who needed a drink, Ashley mentally scoffed. Guiltily, she looked at Kal'Reegar one more time. She quickly turned her gaze towards the darkness outside the open window, grimacing with shame. Frustrated, she sighed.

"I guess we are running out of time…" Ashley muttered.

She got to her feet and went over to Kal'Reegar. The woman knelt by his side and, carefully, shook the drunk quarian. Unmoving, the only sign of life coming from the alien marine were a series of grunts and groans that appeared to be of protest… although Ashley wasn't sure. He might have been mumbling something. It was only then that she realized that she didn't have her helmet on.

"Where's the Geth at…?" Slurred the quarian as he looked at Ashley. The two locked gazes, after which he narrowed his eyes at her, baffled. "Ash?" He stupidly asked, as if he had forgotten all about her.

"Yes, Kal" Ashley huffed, irritated. "Come on, big guy, we've got a debriefing in less than half an hour".

Kal'Reegar's response was to groan as he banged his head against the floor. Ashley smiled at the quarian, amused by his reaction.

"Remind me never to 'casually drink' with you…" he muttered.

"Don't be such a wuss" she chuckled. "Come on, soldier, up your feet".

"Aye, aye, ma'am" Kal'Reegar grunted as he tried to stand up. Ashley, taking pity for the clearly dishevelled marine, helped him up. Sadly, he wasn't exactly sober and wobbled as he moved. "Keelah!" He swore as Ashley kept him standing.

It was a sickly looking Kal'Reegar and pained Ashley who reached the War Room twenty minutes later. They appeared somewhat presentable, having managed to clean themselves up a bit. Admittedly, a good shower could be rejuvenating. It also helped that Kal was a good actor too, by the looks of it.

The War Room was, surprisingly, full of people by the time they arrived. Never before had they seen the allegedly wasteful room with such number of individuals, nor with such strange variety. The Quarian Admirals were already bickering with each other about this or that while, behind them, a small contingent of Quarian marines wearily looked at Legion at the opposite side of the room. Surrounding the Geth were Liara T'Soni, a very reluctant Javik, James Vega (who had bags under his eyes) and Jacob. Nyreen wasn't far from them, pacing anxiously. At the female turian's side, leaning against the railing bordering around the projector, was a demure Garrus Vakarian, recently returned from Palaven. The gathered Justicars and the Krogan present weren't just visible but also extremely hard to miss. Miranda Lawson and Tali were discussing something in an undertone near the Communication Room. It must have been important if the way they waved their hands was anything to go by.

"Garrus… when did you return?" Ashley awkwardly asked the turian as she went to stand next to him.

The turian, his face hidden under his helmet, turned to the female marine before his attention was drawn back to the projector. "About ten hours ago…" he replied. With an amused tone, he added "I've heard someone was out of the count by then".

Ashley blinked at Garrus. Had she already blackened out by then? Damned… she really had to be more careful about her drinking.

"It sounded like you needed to drown your woes" Garrus offered with something akin to understanding. His tone was bitter, yet also reluctant, as if unwilling to show too much about his own worries yet trying to be supportive.

"Yeah…" Ashley sheepishly mumbled as she scratched the nape of her neck.

From the corner of her eyes she noticed Kal'Reegar moving to stand next to his fellow quarian marines. Their eyes met briefly, only for both of them to avert their gazes abruptly.

"You sound like you could do with a drink or two" Ashley remarked with forced levity. She didn't feel amused enough to be sincere.

"Don't we all?" Garrus retorted.

The two fell into an awkward silence, without an organic topic to develop. Rather, they studied the strange mass of people across the War Room. You could only find such odd mixture at the Normandy, from Quarian high officials to a massive dangerous Krogan… and let's not forget the Prothean and unshackled AI. To think they were close to the great battle for Rannoch. Soon, they would liberate the planet from the Reapers…

The door to the War Room swished open and everyone quieted down. Heads snapped at the threshold, quiet, as heavy footsteps echoed across chamber. Commander Shepard looked as dangerous and intimidating as always, clad in his pitch-black armour. With glowing white eyes cutting through his shaded visor, he stared dead ahead as he walked around the projector and right to Tali's side, followed by none other than EDI. There, he took a moment to glance at the gathered audience who in turn stared at the man, expectant.

Shepard leaned back, his arms moving behind him as he proudly and stoutly stood before his comrades and allies.

"The time has come" he boldly declared. "We are going to liberate Rannoch".

Ashley was not the only one who felt the tension rise in the room. Garrus looked sideways, uncomfortable, as did James. The quarians, though, appeared more anxious and determined than ever while the Justicars remained impassive. The female marine had to admit that there was something intimidating from those asari, something she hadn't seen in others of their kind – maybe it was the badass armour or the coldness they oozed. Grunt… Grunt looked like he excitedly wanted the battle to begin.

The projector came to life and a massive image materialized on top, shining with blue translucence. Tall structures rose around what looked like a circular blast door as the terrain formed in one single wave of holographic light. It was Diniel's hiding place.

"As we already know, as long as Diniel remains functional the Geth will be under the complete control of the Reapers. If Diniel is destroyed, it is likely the Geth will regain their freedom" Shepard started explaining, his tone professional and serious. "However…" he looked at Legion "we must prepared in the case they are not". After a weary sigh, he carried on. "They've been under the control of the Reapers for a long time now, and they could have rewritten the Geth entirely, changing them in order to serve their interests".

"Our investigations on the Shannae server suggests otherwise, Shepard-Commander" Legion interrupted. "The Old Machines haven't altered our core programming".

"It's been some time since then, Legion" Shepard replied, sympathetic to the artificial lifeform. "In any case…" he turned to address everyone "our top priority has always been to destroy Diniel. Problem is, he is currently hiding". On the hologram, the large blast doors started glowing in a yellow light.

"Wise" Grunt scoffed sardonically.

"Orbital bombardment could do the job… but that would require ships to take positions in orbit… positions currently held by a Geth Armada of a size we have never seen before" Shepard continued, ignoring his Krogan friend. "The Quarians could fight their way there" he nodded at the eager Quarians "but it would be a slaughter as the Geth outnumber the Quarian Heavy Fleet six to one and there is no telling what upgrades the Geth have received from the Reapers. More importantly, for all we know, there are more Geth ships elsewhere that could jump in when needed. Thus, we require of a small infiltration force to do the trick".

"Wow, Loco, me estás jodiendo? How is a small infiltration force supposed to destroy a big ass Reaper?" Inquired a mystified James. "It's nuts!"

"The Infiltration team will not destroy Diniel, Lieutenant" Shepard coldly hissed the man, squinting angrily at James. The bulky marine, in turn, shrunk back at the admonishment. "The purpose of the Infiltration team will be to draw Diniel into the open for the Normandy to finish him off".

"How do you intend to draw Diniel out, Commander?" Liara asked.

"Through my upgrades" Shepard stated. One of the massive structures on the hologram started glowing while the blast door returned to its original dead blue. "In that structure we should find a console that will expose Diniel to us, or at least to the Normandy. We move in, I open the blast doors and the Normandy does the rest".

"Sounds a bit… too easy, Commander" Jacob grimaced.

"Indeed" Shepard dryly chuckled. "There are entire armies of Geth all around Diniel. Thus, we will require of a distraction to clear the way to the console". The hologram's image shrunk, exposing a large of arid land annexed to the sea where one could spot Diniel's hiding spot at the very centre.

"Operation Odin will consist on five teams luring the Geth away from the main stronghold. They'll serve as a distraction". Five blood red orbs popped into existence at five equidistant spots from the blast doors. They were scattered away from the Geth structures, perhaps a mile or so.

"Wouldn't the distractions get blown apart from orbit?" Nyreen wondered, afraid of such suicidal prospects. "The Geth could easily spot us from above and destroy us without risking ground forces".

"Yes, and as a matter of fact the Geth could easily coordinate their defences from afar and spot all teams if they wanted" Shepard nodded. "However, we will be visiting Rannoch under very special circumstances". The hologram changed into a representation of Rannoch just as Shepard walked closer to the projector. "See this?" He pointed at what looked like a humongous cloud "this is a large storm gathering… and it's moving right towards Diniel's hiding place".

"We are going to assault Diniel in the middle of a storm?!" Ashley gasped.

She had never heard about a more dangerous and foolish thing to do. While ideal for infiltrations, in theory, storms always played against you, reducing visibility, messing up with your ability to move or detect enemies and so forth. Moreover, there was a lot of room for things to go wrong under a storm, from accidents to mishaps.

"The clouds will cover the distraction teams' location while the rain will impair the Geth defences. If timed correctly, we would have more than enough time for the teams to set up the distractions" Shepard continued as the hologram changed form once again. This time, Rannoch shifted into what looked like a massive nuclear bomb… a familiar sight for Ashley.

"Are those… nuclear bombs?" Jacob wondered, blinking dumbfounded at the projection.

"EMPs, actually" Admiral Daro'Xen haughtily offered. "Modified and ready for delivery. Once they explode, they will ionize the storm and disrupt the Geth's entire communication network. It would literally shield the Reaper from the Geth in orbit".

"I've never heard of such bombs before" hummed a sceptical Miranda, as she raised a frosty eyebrow at Daro'Xen. "Are you certain they are going to work? There won't be room for error".

Ashley too was a bit perplexed by those EMP bombs or how they worked. She had never seen or heard about them, like Miranda. As a matter of fact, the stance of the Alliance on EMPs basically came down to: sounds good but it's stupid. EMPs, after all, were more prone to hurt your own forces than enemies, not to mention how limited they were for battle… then again, there had been many technological leaps in the last months driven by retro-engineering of Reaper and Collector technology.

"We've already run the necessary tests" Shala'Raan interceded with a tone imbued with wisdom. "They shall not fail".

"Going back to the plan" Shepard stepped in. The hologram changed back into the large open field with the Geth stronghold at the centre. "With five EMPs around Diniel's position we'll create an iron curtain of sorts, shutting Diniel off the Geth".

"We can block Reaper tech like that?" Ashley cautiously whispered to Garrus.

"We shouldn't be able to…" the turian grimly replied.

Ashley frowned. Shepard was bound to know that… but why was he so certain that the plan would succeed regardless? She eyed the Quarians, who didn't seem the least distressed… or questioning. It was almost as if they knew something that everyone else was ignorant about. Her eyes unwillingly went to Kal'Reegar, who proudly stood next to his brethren. Ashley bit her lower lip, looking back at the Commander. Why were the quarians just going along with such strange plan?

"This will allow my team to infiltrate the main structure of the Geth and reach the access consoles to Diniel" Shepard told them.

"How do you know about the existence of this console?" Tali wondered, confused.

"Legion claims that he found information on that on the Shannae server room" Shepard nodded at the Geth before looking at the rest. "Once Diniel has been revealed, the Normandy will start its assault and bomb the Reaper. Everyone will have to make a hasty retreat".

"How will the Normandy be able to pinpoint its target if we are to disrupt all communications through an ionized storm?" Miranda asked.

"I'll personally provide the targeting solution" Shepard replied.

"You are going to stay down there near a Reaper?!" Tali queried, disbelieving.

"Better question: how will you manage to load the targeting solution to the Normandy?" Ashley, having experience calibrating ground cannons, wondered.

"Shepard will be employing this device" EDI chimed in, gesturing to the projector. The hologram changed into a strange weapon of sort. It looked like a heavy weapon, yet at the same time everyone could see that it served other purposes. "It's a modified targeting weapon that should be able to cut through Reaper jamming technology".

"How did you develop such a thing?" Pondered Garrus, intrigued.

"Communication Specialist Samantha Traynor offered valuable insights in the means of overcoming Reaper jamming" EDI explained with a strange smile on her face. "With the added assistance of the best Quarian engineers, we were able to create this".

"I don't know, Shepard" Liara sighed, morose. "It sounds like a very dangerous plan… almost like our infiltration on the Krogan base of Tarug".

"A lot could go wrong" Nyreen added with a grim nod.

"Unfortunately, we are running out of time and we won't be able to do anything else, not unless the Turians and Alliance decide to assist us" Shepard replied. "Since that's not going to happen any time soon… we'll do with what he have and pray to whatever deities rule this land that it works".

"If we fail, it will be a glorious death" Grunt said as he puffed up his chest with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"No need to fatalistic just yet" Shepard told the Krogan. "We've pulled through the impossible before. I'm hopeful will do so again".

"I don't know, Shepard" Garrus hummed, weary. "There's a lot of this plan that I don't quite agree on, the EMP bombs being just one of them".

"Trust me, Garrus, this will work" Shepard reassuringly said, nodding firmly at the turian.

Garrus wasn't convinced though. The room was filled with questions as the people gathered exchanged nervous looks.

"The storm will hit our target in approximately thirteen hours" Shepard told them. "I expect you to fully rest and prepare for this mission. Now, this will be how we'll organize the teams…" And with that, the debriefing was in full swing.

"Are you alright, Ma'am – I mean, Ash?" Kal'Reegar asked a thoughtful Ashley.

The woman in question was back at Port Observation, staring off into the mesmerizing purples and blues outside the large open windows. Her arms were wrapped around her body, as if cold – or afraid. The quarian studied her for a moment, taking in the admittedly alluring form of the female human, before he tentatively approached her to stand next to Ashley.

"Yes" Ashley mumbled, glancing at the quarian next to her. Her eyes quickly returned to the sight beyond the glass.

"You've been acting rather… off as of late" Kal'Reegar remarked with a suspicious hum. "Something IS troubling you".

Ashley sighed as her shoulders slumped. At the moment, she didn't look like a fierce warrior who had fought against many horrors. Instead, she appeared so… vulnerable. There was conflict in her stance, as if she was struggling with something from within.

"You could say that…" Ashley admitted with bite in her voice. "I'm – I'm kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place".

"That sounds as an uncomfortable position" jokingly commented the quarian.

"You could say that again" Ashley scoffed, amused. Her bout of mirth was short-lived, though, as her stance faltered under the burdening internal struggle. "There's something different about Shepard…" she offhandedly said.

"Yes, I've noticed" Kal'Reegar nodded, only to add "However, it could be a front. He IS about to lead us all into yet another suicide mission. He must be under extensive pressure".

"Yeah…" Ashley slowly replied, before looking at Kal'Reegar. It was no glance, yet it was not a stare. The conflict burned in her eyes. "So, how are you going to spend our last hours alive?"

"I'm not sure. I was planning on either praying or reading, but since the Starboard Observation room is filled with Asari warriors, I rather avoid that place" Kal'Reegar hummed as he thought about it. "What about you?" He turned towards the woman, immensely curious.

"I- I don't know…" Ashley spluttered, looking away. "This isn't my first suicide mission… but I just…"

"Something different about this one mission?" Kal'Reegar wondered, tilting his head.

Ashley bit her lower lip as she looked at Kal'Reegar, straight to his eyes like a hawk. "Yes" she confessed resolutely, only to look away.

Kal'Reegar blinked a couple of times, perplexed, before he hesitantly turned to look at the spectacle of lights outside.

"Is this… thing… the source of your troubles?" Kal'Reegar queried, troubled.

"In a way…" Ashley murmured in response, saddened. She closed her eyes, shaking her head as she sighed with exasperation. "Look, Kal, this isn't your fault. Things are just too damned complicated and – and…" she said only to groan, frustrated, turning to face Kal'Reegar. "So much has changed and so much is happening it's just – it's just…" she trailed off, unable to finish her line of thought.

Kal'Reegar nodded in an understanding. He then proceeded to morosely sigh while Ashley awkwardly looked away.

"Are you… eh… up for a drink?" Ashley softly inquired, uncertain.

Kal'Reegar turned towards her with a cautious glint in his eyes. "I hope you don't suggest anything like last time" he grumbled.

"Of course not" she chuckled sheepishly. "It's just to… well… pass the time…" she added weakly.

The quarian glanced at the window, only to nod. "Might as well" he shrugged.

The normal crewmates of the Normandy had all gotten used to the ship's oddities. Above all, they had learned to keep most – if not all – of it secret. Not that anyone would believe them anyway. There was a live Prothean who walked across the ship, scowling at everything and everyone. There was an actual android, full with an AI and everything, that commanded them. Then there were the other aliens, which most of the crew were just having hard time getting used to. Between Turians and quarians, many just didn't know what to make out of everything. Imagine how it was with the added Krogan and Justicars...

Now Legion, on the other hand, was something of a mystery to most. Many people treated him with suspicion, or even derisively. How could they not? Hadn't the Geth been the first to align with the Reapers only to backtrack on their decision (as far as they know)? Weren't they the first to attack Eden Prime and ravage its people? No, many were awfully sceptical about the synthetic being. Thus, it was no surprise that as he walked out of the elevator, Legion was greeted with squints and cautious glares.

Legion, being Legion, ignored it all and merely marched onwards right towards Liara's room. He didn't even have to wait outside, with the door swishing open as he approached. As expected, the asari was busy behind a computer, her face cold and calculative.

"Is everything ready?" She asked Legion, turning towards him.

"Yes, we have prepared the upgrades for the Geth. They should be ready for transmission and installation" Legion reported back. "We have a problem" he added.

"What problem?" Liara frowned at the synthetic, tilting her head.

"The Enhanced Defence Intelligence" Legion declared. "We must be cautious in regards to her connection with Shepard-Commander. His recent meeting with her are worthy of note".

"EDI doesn't know anything, Legion. There is nothing she could say to convince Shepard" Liara pointed out. "And even if Shepard does get suspicious of our intentions, I doubt he can stop us".

"It would require only to render this body inactive to stop upload of upgrades" Legion replied.

"Don't worry" Liara smirked at the Geth. "We won't be alone on this" she added with a knowing look. "We have some allies that will help us".

Legion didn't comment. He stared at Liara, before looking at the computers. The future of his people resided on his omni-tool now and he would do everything in his power to stop the Creators from eradicating them. However, he was rather curious about these… allies. Who would actually be bold enough to assist them oppose Shepard-Commander?

Author Note: another chapter in and we are reaching the end of the second act of this story... one which extended further than planned.

Even though I know very few actually bother, please, review! Your opinion is always appreciated and I really want to know how you think the story has progressed (because, darn, it really has been a long road, hasn't it?)

Next: the Battle for Rannoch.