SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS

PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES

-CHAPTER START-

The Citadel

Office of Councilor Donnel Udina (deceased)

Commander Shepard entered the office to find C-Sec specialists combing over every inch of the place. Councilor Tevos was in the middle, issuing orders.

"I want all remaining files secured and marked for Tentron clearance only" she told them, before turning and seeing the Commander. "Command Shepard, thank you for coming."

"Did you find something?" he asked her.

"The Council has ordered a full review into Donnel Udina's activities. We're still piecing together his coup attempt. But that isn't why I've asked you here."

Tevos led Shepard outside onto the balcony, away from the C-Sec officers.

"The situation is growing urgent for my people" she whispered. "We're aware your Crucible is still missing a key component."

"The Catalyst" Shepard replied quietly. "Do you know something?"

"Not exactly. But there is an... artifact on our homeworld, Thessia, known only to highest levels of my government."

"What is it?"

"With any luck, it's a means to help you locate the Catalyst. The artifact is kept in a temple located at these coordinates" she sent him data via Omnitool. "I've ordered a scientific team to meet you there."

"If this artifact is so important, why keep it hidden?"

"Every species in the Citadel has its secrets, Commander. But this one, in the wrong hands, would upset the balance of galactic power."

"The Reapers are doing that right now."

"Which is why I'm bringing this to you."

"I appreciate the help."

"It's you who will be helping us. … The matriarchs are growing desperate. For the first time in our history, Thessia is vulnerable. For all our intellect, we're outmatched by Reaper firepower."

"I'll do what I can."

"Whether you know it or not, you've become the sole ray of hope in a very dark night. More lives depend on you than any soul should have to bear. You have my prayers."

-SCENE BREAK-

Athena Nebula sector, Parnitha system, approaching Thessia

"Commander," Joker said over the speaker near the CIC, "Thessia is under heavy Reaper attack! There's activity across most of the planet."

Shepard hurried for the cockpit, with Liara following.

"What about the temple?" he asked. "Can you raise the scientists?"

"Negative" Joker replied. "All channels are scrambled across the spectrum. The mission's looking really dicey."

"This is too important. It's now or never. Any DDF presence in-system?"

"Yeah, one of Celestia's sisters – Justitia. Her dreadnought Rule of Law is tanglin' with the Reapers in orbit, and she's got drone-flown evac ships extracting Asari civilians and wounded from all over the planet. Teana's down there, too; she's leading the defense of an evac-ship landing zone in the capital. The Reapers are trying to stop the evac; she won't let them."

"Shepard, that's my home down there!" Liara interrupted. "I have to go with you."

"Then get to the shuttle, and let's do this."

-SCENE BREAK-

CODEX: "The Asari homeworld, Thessia, is the core of the largest economy in the Milky Way. The planet's reserves of element zero are so vast that they affect its price galaxy-wide. Because life on Thessia evolved in an eezo-rich environment, the world is home to a wealth of both Biotically active and eezo-resistant species. Travel to the planet is strictly controlled, but smuggling remains an issue. Thessia is host to varying republics instead of a single government and, although each maintains a formidable military, it is notable for having long been free of internal or external wars. The Asari are renowned for their cultural and political dominance, and they excel in ambassadorial ventures. They have a strong presence in Citadel politics and galactic policy. However, it is the unfocused political structure of their homeworld that has left the Thessians unprepared for the current conflict."

SCAN: "The Asari homeworld has been called the "crown jewel of the galaxy", the "apex of democracy", and the "beating heart of galactic love". Its republics have a remarkably low incidence of war, disease, violent crime, or famine, riding a stable economy backed by wealthy colonies and Thessia's vast element zero reserves. Traces of eezo in the water and soil are so common that most life on Thessia has adapted to its presence.
Thessia's fortunes have been upended by the Reaper assault. The communications infrastructure that forms the backbone of the society's e-democracies has been eliminated. Millions are without power, water, or food, a move to coerce the Asari into widespread surrender. This is a necessary part of the Reaper strategy, since Husks alone have difficulty disarming or capturing a population full of Biotics."

Aboard the shuttle, as Shepard and Javik prepared themselves, Liara sat restlessly as she looked at the screen showing the Reapers' ravaging of her homeworld.

"Liara," Shepard interjected, "do you have anything more on this artifact?"

"These coordinates the Councilor gave you are for the Temple of Athame" Liara replied. "My mother took me there once. It's several thousand years old. And for some reason, it has classified government funding."

"Sounds like we're on the right trail."

"What if we're too late? My people are dying down there."

"Your empathy is a weakness" Javik said. "You must numb yourself to loss."

"Benezia took you to this temple?" Shepard asked.

"I was just a child" Liara replied. "I thought it was a history lesson, but now? Maybe there was more to it."

"What do you mean?"

Liara called up her Omnitool. "I went digging through her old files. She had heavily encrypted records on this place, some dating back centuries. I still can't crack most of them. Whatever's going on, it's well-hidden."

"I've studied your mission reports" Javik said. "Your mother was indoctrinated."

"Yes. We had to kill her."

"Yet it did not stop you from fighting. As I said, steel yourself. Many more lives will be lost."

"We can't ignore that people are dying" Shepard replied. "The Reapers may have no compassion, but we do."

"It is their indifference that gives them power."

"Then let's show them there's another way."

As the shuttle slowed down and flew low, the hatch opened, revealing a smoke-choked sunset sky, piles of smoldering rubble, and a large bridge; at the end of the bridge, near where the shuttle was coming in, a force of Asari Commandos was holding steady against Reaper forces advancing across the bridge. The trio were dropped off atop a rubble pile, and hurried down to where the Commandos' commander was waiting.

"You must be Commander Shepard" she said. "We heard-"

Suddenly, a concussive missile slammed into the combination metal/Biotic barrier blocking the end of the bridge; the Asari manning the mounted turret was struck down by shrapnel. Shepard immediately hurried up to the gun, opening fire on a Brute that was charging down the bridge; the rapid-fire heavy-caliber shots tore through the super-Husk, bringing it down in less than two full seconds. Husks crawled up onto the bridge over the edges, and the turret mulched them before they could reach the barrier. Over the next minute or so, Shepard used the mounted turret to mow down four more Brutes and more Husks than he cared to count. Finally, the flow of hostiles abated, and he dismounted from the turret and headed for the Commando leader.

"I want that gunship prepped and in the air!" she was ordering. "Plug that hole!"

A few of the Asari Biotically lifted a large hunk of thick metal and deposited it where a hole had been blown in the barrier, letting the Commando who'd been casting her own Barrier to fill the gap finally rest.

"And someone get me a location on our snipers!" She turned to Shepard. "Commander, I'm Lieutenant Kurin. We've been told to expect you. My orders are to hold this grid at all costs. But our perimeter's collapsing. I'm getting my people out of here."

"This is important" Shepard replied. "We need your help."

"Well, unless you can give me a good reason to stay, we're not dying for a field of rubble."

"What exactly were you told about me?"

"Nothing but your name. Mission details were classified, which just means we'll die without knowing why."

"I know what that's like, but you have to trust the chain of command."

"We're not even sure the chain still exists. So what are we doing here?"

"We're after a relic inside the temple. It's important."

"That's what this is all about? One of our outposts has been trying to reach the scientists over there, but we lost contact." She turned to the side. "Get that gunship moving, now!"

As the nearby VTOL took off, she turned to Shepard. "I'm sorry, Commander. If your relic has lasted this long, it can wait a little longer. I've lost enough people today. I'm pulling the rest of them out."

"No" Javik interrupted.

He walked up and grabbed Kurin by the upper arms, and she could feel him 'reading' her, his life-force scanning her physiology and nervous system.

"…I sense you have the lineage of a leader," he said, "a warrior's skill and cunning – they are strong in your genes. But you've grown tired of war, you're exhausted by defeat, and now you don't have the courage left to go on."

He stepped back.

"By the Goddess…" she whispered. "Are you…?"

"Find your resolve" he told her. "This war can end if you do."

"We're building a Prothean superweapon" Shepard explained. "It can win this war."

"…I believe it…" Kurin said, still in shock. She activated her comm. "This is Lieutenant Kurin! Hold your positions! I want a path carved to the temple! Outpost Tykis, we've got people coming your way! Let's make sure the galaxy knows the war was won on Thessia!"

She led the trio over to the barricade, having the Asari manning it let them through. "Make it count" she told them as the barricade was closed off behind them.

"I was here years ago" Liara said. "To see the city burning like this…"

"It can be rebuilt" Shepard replied. "Just worry about the next 20 meters."

"Draw strength from your anger" Javik added. "It will keep you alive."

As they started down the bridge, Harvesters flew by up ahead. One of them noticed them and turned to approach and attack, but was blindsided by an Asari gunship's missile strike. Up ahead at the other end of the bridge, a trio of Marauders opened fire. Shepard pulled off a Biotic Charge, zipping in amongst the Turian Husks, and then slammed his fist down onto the ground to release a shockwave of power that knocked them back and de-shielded them. While they were stunned, he used his SMG to gun two down, while Javik blasted the third.

They passed through a rubble-filled passageway, and on the other side they saw a building up ahead with a few Asari soldiers atop it, opening fire on Reaper forces below. Suddenly, a Harvester flew in and bombarded the commandos with cannon fire, ripping them apart. The trio leapt down as the Harvester flew away, taking cover as Cannibals and Marauders opened fire. Shepard sniped the two nearby Marauders, while Liara 'grabbed' four Cannibals with a Singularity for Javik to detonate.

They made their way through the courtyard, gunning down Ravagers and Marauders in their way, but as they neared their next exit point a Banshee emerged. Liara and Javik triggered a Biotic detonation that stripped away the Asari Husk's barrier and forced it to stop floating and walk, and Shepard unloaded his SMG at it until the monster shrieked and threw an unstable Biotic blast at him that forced him into cover. Javik's particle rifle burned away at the Banshee's armored hide, and a Warp from Liara weakened it further. The Banshee opened its mouth to scream again, but a round from Shepard's sniper rifle passed up through the roof of its mouth and out the upper back of its head. The monster toppled over, its own unstable Biotic energies beginning to disintegrate it.

"Alright," Shepard said, "let's get moving before more of them show up."

"I still can't face those things…" Liara admitted as they entered the ruined building and started making their way through the rubble. "My own people…"

"When we fought the Reapers," Javik replied, "they turned our own children against us. They assumed we would hesitate to kill them."

"Did you?" Shepard asked.

"What answer would you prefer?"

"None" Liara replied. "Let's stop talking about this."

At the end of the rubble, Shepard bypassed a still-intact door, leading the group back outside. Reaching a spot overlooking another courtyard area, they looked up and ahead as a Reaper Dreadnought strode by, the titanic being dwarfing a nearby skyscraper, 'steps' shaking the earth as it marched onward to the right.

"I remember seeing one for the first time" Javik mused. "My people had stopped believing in devils. They changed their minds when the Reapers arrived."

Down below in the courtyard, there were three Cannibals crouched and dormant. Shepard sniped the farthest one, while Liara threw two Warps at the 'middle' one and Javik used a Biotic Slam to deal with the closest one. Ahead, they could see two Asari commando snipers on the second-floor balcony of a damaged building, firing at targets off to the right. As the team approached, an explosive shell from the distance slammed into the balcony, killing one of the commandos. The trio hurried up a 'slope' of rubble, joining the remaining sniper.

"How long can you hold out?" Shepard asked her.

"Now that you're here?" she replied. "As long as it takes! Can we really win this war?"

"We get to that temple, and the Reapers are history!"

"Then let's do some damage!"

Shepard withdrew his N7 Valiant, and he & the commando sniper started picking off targets below, focusing on the Marauders. Javik and Liara pitched in, handling Cannibals that were within range. One Cannibal fired a grenade up at them, but Shepard shot it out of the air, the concussive blast and high-velocity fragments taking out two other Cannibals. Soon the courtyard was clear, and the team dropped down a nearby ladder.

"Toward the Reaper!" Liara said. "It's a way out of here!"

"You have an interesting concept of 'escape'!" Javik replied.

They moved across the area into a section of overlapping semi-circular garden areas, now reduced to dead, dry dirt. As they began moving left along the sections, on the right they could see two Reaper Dreadnoughts carving through the heart of the city in the distance.

"This nightmare never ends…" Liara remarked.

"The hell it won't" Shepard replied. "We get to this artifact, and we can all wake up."

"After 50,000 years…" Javik added.

Soon, they reached a collection of barricades, ammo boxes, and a wrecked turret. A lone Asari commando came running from the opposite direction, shots from Husk forces' weapons nipping at her heels. A shockwave sent her tumbling, and after a few seconds she grabbed her shotgun and rolled behind nearby cover. Team Shepard joined her, giving a bit of covering fire.

"We're trying to reach Outpost Tykis!" Shepard told her.

"You're lookin' at it!" the commando replied.

"What about the rest of your squad?"

"They're all dead. We tried punching through to the scientists, but… I'm all that's left…"

"What about reinforcements?"

"We had gunships flying support, but things got too hot with that Reaper nearby. They can't chance it."

"I know it's rough, but I don't see another way in without their help."

"Have I told you how much I hate this war?" She keyed her comm. "Talon Swarm, this is Outpost Tykis! Is anybody left on this frequency? We are in need of immediate air support! Commander Shepard is here!"

"Copy, this is Talon One. I'm on the way."

"Talon Five inbound."

As a pack of Marauders and Ravagers led by a Banshee started down the large slope of rubble leading down toward the 'outpost', the two gunships arrived and opened fire. Anti-personnel miniguns and a few rockets streamed out from their wingtips and 'chins', shredding the various Husks and clearing a path.

"This is Talon Five! Whatever you're gonna do, you'd better do it now!"

"Next time we go to war," Liara remarked as the trio got moving, "maybe the Alliance can spring for air support."

They reached the top of the slope and headed right, making their way toward the temple. The two gunships provided fire support, their guns cut through the Husks in Team Shepard's path, the ground-bound trio taking out the stragglers. Then, however, two Harvesters joined the fray, their head-mounted cannons opening fire. Talon-One took a hit to its stabilizers, dropping out of the sky; its ensuing landing didn't look very fatal for the pilot, but the gunship would certainly never get off the ground again. Talon-Five swayed through the air as the pilot returned fire while trying to dodge shots from two Harvesters at once.

Suddenly, a quartet of drone flyers deployed from the Rule of Law flew in, launching AAMs that blew the two Harvesters out of the sky. They then circled around the area, they and Talon-Five keeping an eye out for further trouble and finishing off a few remaining Husks. Shepard, Javik, and Liara moved on to the Temple of Athame, finding a shimmering blue field blocking access. Liara came up to a terminal connected to it, tapping in.

"It's military-grade encryption" she said. "I think I can override it."

"Do religion and military usually mix among Asari?" Javik asked.

"No. This is unusual. Especially since few still follow the Athame doctrine."

As Liara worked, Shepard looked back at the city. A few Reapers were visible stomping around, and in one 'corner' of the city he could see as two very large transport craft lifted off while two more landed, escorted by drone fighters; that had to be the evacuation of civilians and wounded that Justitia was organizing and Teana was defending. Soon, Liara had the barrier down, and the trio entered the temple. Various artifacts were on display, and at the far center of the room was a massive stone statue overlooking the displays and pews.

"Hello?" Liara called out. "Is anyone here?"

There was silence.

"Something is wrong" Javik said, readying his rifle. "Your scientists should be here."

"Take a look around" Shepard said. "Maybe one of the artifacts here is what we're looking for."

Shepard made his way to a large hunk of old stone with primitive-looking painting on it to the right of the central statue. On it, Asari were seen standing before a tall, robed figure with an oddly shaped head pointing its hand outward.

"What are we looking at here?" he asked.

"A primitive rendition of the goddess Athame" Liara replied. "She's speaking to her ancient Asari followers. I don't think this is our objective."

"Do you not notice how Athame looks… familiar?" Javik asked, running a hand along the contours of his own head.

"…What are you implying?"

"You know what I am implying, Asari. The Forerunners and Xel'Naga were not the only ancient civilizations who 'meddled' in the early development of more primitive species."

"Let's… keep looking around" Shepard tried to defuse things. "How about this manuscript?"

"A page from one of our earliest religious texts," Liara said, "the Athame Codex. It describes Lucen, Athame's guide, who taught our ancestors about the stars."

"Your species was deemed to have potential" Javik said. "A pity you did not live up to it…"

"How about this statue?" Shepard asked.

"I don't think so. That's a sculpture of Lucen, one of Athame's assistants who walked amongst my ancestors, bestowing knowledge."

"And you don't see the resemblance?" Javik interjected. "He was no servant of an imaginary goddess. He was Prothean."

"What's this?" Shepard pointed to an ancient metal shield.

"The goddess Athame's shield" Liara replied. "Legends say she used it to protect Thessia when the heavens grew angry. Our ancestors were probably misinterpreting a meteor shower."

"It was an asteroid" Javik replied. "We deflected it."

"And this?"

"Another page from the Codex. It talks about Athame granting us the gift of Biotics as a reward for worshipping her."

"That 'gift' involved years of genetic research."

"Could this be the artifact over here?"

"I don't think so. It's the goddess Athame's sword. Myths say she wielded it against the jealous gods who threatened our ancestors."

"They were a race called the Oravores. Thessia had vast resources they wished to plunder. We protected you from them."

"How 'bout this?"

"It's more from the Codex. It describes how Athame taught our ancestors mathematics."

"Before that, you could only count as high as your toes. We took pity."

"And this part of the Codex?"

"It describes how Janiri gave our people seeds, and taught them the seasons so they could grow crops."

"We didn't want you to starve."

"The things you're implying…"

"We were here in the beginning, watching you grow. Athame… was us."

Finally, the trio made their way to the base of the statue. On the floor, lying in a pool of bluish-purple blood, were the Asari scientists. Javik knelt down to examine the bodies.

"Their throats have been slit" he observed.

"The Reapers didn't do this…" Liara murmured. "We're going to have to figure this out on our own."

"And who's this supposed to be?" Shepard asked, looking up at the statue.

"The goddess Athame herself. Her image became more like ours over time."

"You mean your ancestors tried to hide the truth" Javik said.

"I'm still not willing to believe any of that's real."

"Then why does 'Athame' speak Prothean? There is something here… I can sense it."

"In this temple? I admit, it is strange this place has been so well-preserved." Liara kept talking, as Shepard stood before the statue, looking up at it. "Though, Athame does have great historical significance. We once believed our gods were separate from the world, looking down on us. But now, Asari see everything as a cosmic whole. There is a universal energy from which all living things are formed."

"There's a Prothean Beacon here!" Shepard announced, catching Liara off-guard.

"What? You're sure?"

"I can feel it. It's not something you forget."

"But why hide it?"

"The answer is obvious:" Javik replied, "power and influence. Your people are hoarding the knowledge of my race for their own gain."

"That… That can't be. I can't believe my people would keep this a secret."

"A beacon like this could help explain why Asari are so advanced" Shepard said.

"This temple is thousands of years old" Javik said. "That is time enough to make serious progress."

"That doesn't make it true" Liara replied.

"Even a small amount of data would give your species an edge. …Or are you insulted that your government didn't involve you?"

"The Mars ruins are where humanity got mass-effect technology" Shepard said.

"And we learned it from the ruins of the Inusannon, the race that came before us. It was our secret for centuries."

"Well, if it is true, the Asari should have shared this knowledge. We might not be in this mess if they had."

"You don't know that, Shepard" Liara said. "We don't know what's going on here."

"I know we don't have much time to find out."

Liara walked up to the base of the statue podium, activating her Omnitool. "The few records I can access talk about tapping into Prothean data streams, reconstructing matrices… none of which I see here."

"I do" Javik replied, walking over to the painted stone to the right of the statue's base. He placed his hand on it, and a second later a pale-green tendril of energy extended from the stone up into the statue of Athame. Cracks formed on the statue, a faint green light shining from within.

"By the goddess… literally…"

"Look around" Shepard said. "There must be more of these connections."

They moved around the room, checking each & every artifact. With Shepard bearing the Prothean Cipher inside his head, the activators would respond to his presence… just as the Athame Codex fragment describing the 'gift' of Biotics did, projecting another tendril-like beam of light that further fractured the Athame statue. A bust of 'Janiri' was third, and finally the Shield of Athame did the trick. The massive stone statue of Athame crumbled away, revealing an intact and active Prothean beacon inside, this one much larger than the ones found on Eden Prime and Virmire.

"We need to hurry" Liara said as Shepard moved up to the console at the beacon's base. "This place isn't going to-"

Suddenly, a sphere of bright green light emerged from the beacon, floating down amongst the trio. It was around three feet across, and some of the swirling lights that made it up were revealed on closer inspection to be lines of code.

"…last very long."

"Obtaining chronological marker" the Virtual Intelligence announced. "Hold… Timescale established. Post-Prothean cycle confirmed."

"One of our computers" Javik stated.

"Reaper presence detected. This galactic cycle has already reached its extinction terminus. Preparing for system shutdown."

"Hold on!" Liara called to it.

"We need answers" Shepard told it.

"To what questions?" the VI asked.

"The Catalyst. We need to know what it is to finish the Crucible."

The spherical VI floated in place, before then assuming the shape of a Prothean.

"A memory…" Javik said with a small smile, "of one of my people."

"I am called Vendetta, an advanced virtual construct of Pashek Vran, overseer of the project you refer to as 'Crucible'. He died fighting the Reapers in the Battle of Tranbir Nine. Your remaining time is also at an end."

"Were all Protheans so grim?" Liara murmured.

"What happened to the Crucible in your time?" Shepard asked Vendetta. "Why didn't the Protheans deploy it?"

"We were sabotaged from within" Vendetta replied. "A splinter group argued we should dominate the Reapers rather than destroy them. It fractured our order of battle. Later, we discovered the separatists were indoctrinated."

"I always suspected as much…" Javik remarked.

"And now we're facing the same problem" Shepard added.

"Our studies of past ages led us to believe that time is cyclical" Vendetta stated. "Many patterns repeat."

"Like the Reaper attacks."

"And beyond. The same peaks of evolution, the same valleys of dissolution… The same conflicts are expressed in every cycle, but in a different matter. The repetition is too prevalent to be merely chance."

"We assumed the Reapers were responsible for the pattern" Liara said.

"Perhaps. Though I believe the Reapers are only servants of the pattern; they are not its master."

"So who is the master?" Shepard asked.

"Unknown. Its presence is inferred, rather than observed. The only certainty is its intention: galactic annihilation. You now stand at that precipice."

"There's still hope for this cycle. We need to know what the Catalyst is. Trillions of lives are at risk."

"Trillions of lives are always at risk. But if the Reapers have arrived to end your cycle, this discussion is too late."

"We can break the cycle! We found your plans for the Crucible; we've almost finished constructing it!"

"The Crucible is not of Prothean design. It is the work of countless galactic cycles stretching back millions of years. Each cycle adds to it. Each improves upon it. Thus far, none have successfully defeated the Reapers with it."

"Then we'll be the first. Tell us what the Catalyst is."

"Listen to the human" Javik said. "He can be trusted."

"I detect you are one of us" Vendetta stated. "You are Prothean."

"The last. I am the final hope to avenge our people."

"Your mission was known to me. Do you believe this present cycle can deliver retribution?"

Javik smiled. "They have earned the right to try."

"Tell us what we need to know" Shepard said.

"Very well. If you have followed the plans for the Crucible, I will interface with your systems and assist with the Catalyst to-" Vendetta suddenly paused, looking behind him. "Indoctrinated presence detected" the VI said as it returned to spherical form and flew over to the console, holding there. "Activating security protocol."

The trio turned, and had to shield their eyes as a gunship flew up into sight, shining its headlights into the temple at them. A lone figure was casually walking down the temple's central path; after his eyes adjusted, Shepard recognized the black armor, domino mask, and topknot.

"You…" he growled. "You murdered the scientists. What do you want?"

"Your attention" Kai Leng replied. "Someone would like to talk with you."

He withdrew a QEC drone, letting the little sphere fly forward. It activated, and the form of a familiar well-dressed man with glowing blue synthetic eyes appeared.

"Shepard…"

"Illusive Man… How did you find this place?"

"The Archives. Or did your 'Shadow Broker' miss that one?"

"Show yourself" Liara said, readying her SMG. "I promise I won't miss you."

"Stick to your talents, Dr. T'Soni. You've helped uncover the key to subjugating the Reapers." He walked up to the dormant Prothean VI.

"Or destroying them" Shepard replied.

"Damn it, Shepard. Destroying the Reapers gains us nothing."

"How about peace?"

"They're just trying to control us. Think about it: If they wanted all organic life destroyed, they could do it. There would be nothing left."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I know them, Shepard. I know how they think."

"I think you've gotten a little too close to the enemy."

"No… I'm saying they've got it right. Why destroy when you can control?"

"You've been spending too much time with the enemy. They're dragging you over to their side – their way of thinking."

"No, I just… see things differently."

"If you truly care about humanity, you'll stop fighting me and join me."

"Don't ever question my intentions. I've sacrificed more for humanity than you'll ever know. And don't assume you know me. My methods for dealing with the Reapers are simply more refined than yours."

"You've forgotten everything you stood for! Cerberus was supposed to be humanity's sword, not a dagger in our back!"

"Poetic, but as usual, you miss the point. The universe is more gray than you care to admit."

"With the Prothean data in this beacon, I can end this conflict, once and for all. You're either with me or against me. There's nothing gray about that.

"…No. I suppose there isn't. Leng, the Commander has something I need. Please relieve him of it. And then bring me the data."

"Understood" Kai Leng replied as he caught the deactivating QEC ball. He held a hand up to his ear, contacting the gunship: "Target the supports."

Before Team Shepard could react, the Cerberus VTOL gunship opened fire. Missiles began streaking in, slamming into the various support columns of the temple, the shockwaves sending Team Shepard flying. The temple began to collapse, and as Shepard dove to avoid a falling column the floor beneath him began to give way. He ran for the edge, leaping and barely managing to grab on as his legs dangled above a new pit. Meanwhile, Kai Leng casually strolled by, up to the podium, and forcibly downloaded Vendetta into his Omnitool.

"Cerberus thanks you for all your hard work…" he said to Shepard as the Commander desperately tried to climb his way out.

By the time Shepard finally reached the edge of the pit, climbing up a precariously hanging slab of floor, Leng had got what he came for, and was on his way out to the waiting gunship. The piece of stone floor Shepard had a hold on gave way, but a blue-toned hand caught his.

"Shepard, hang on!" Liara said, as Javik helped her pull the Commander up.

Shepard immediately took off running for the retreating Cerberus gunship, firing his pistol and SMG at it, but to no avail; Leng had gotten away.

-Break-

At the evac center, hundreds of Asari hurried to board the last two available transports, along with their bondmates and children. Scores of Reaper troops had tried to attack the fleeing people over the past while, and standing in their way was a lone red-haired girl. Teana stood slightly hunched over, panting lightly for breath in the center of her Form-2 Susanō. The corpses of hundreds of Husks of all types littered the area thanks to her. But she was starting to run low on chakra and mana, and there were still people trying to get aboard these last two ships.

Suddenly, there was a deep, grinding bass horn-blast as a Reaper Destroyer stomped onto the scene, having finally taken notice of what was going on. As she watched it draw closer, Teana knew she didn't have enough mana left to pull off a Starlight Breaker big enough to kill this thing, and the only chakra-based technique she had that could do the job – the Big Bang Attack – would take too long to charge and the civilians would be caught in the blast. She had nothing. As she fell to one knee, she could hear the frightened cries of dozens of Asari children behind her, knowing their doom was drawing near. Teana looked back at their dirty, scratched, terrified faces as well as those of their parents, and then back at the Reaper Destroyer as its forward plates slid open, its primary weapon glowing red as it charged…

'These children…' she thought, 'are going to die… because I'm not strong enough… because I… No…This… This can't happen… No… This won't happen! NO!-!'

It was if something broke free, like a dam bursting. Just as the Reaper Destroyer was about to fire, a humongous red-orange aura sprang upward in its path, forming the vague shape of a gigantic figure with a fluid, fiery aura and 'cape', with glowing red eyes peeking out from beneath a 'hood' of liquid fire. Even from their position at the Temple of Athame, Team Shepard could see the enormous entity staring down a Reaper. In the center of the titanic construct's semi-transparent head, Teana floated, her Mangekyō eyes glowing brightly.

After a few seconds, the humongous entity's form began to rapidly shift and stabilize. Soon, it reached its stable, 'perfect' form: a humongous orangish-red humanoid figure, clad in what looked like samurai-esque armor, with two enormous scaled 'wings' that ended in hands grasping two massive sheathed blades, in addition to its normal arms, and at the top was a helmet/mask-like face bearing slight resemblance to a tengu's; in the center of a gem set into the forehead, Teana stood/floated.

"I won't let you…" she spoke calmly and quietly.

The Reaper Destroyer fired its beam, but the gigantic humanoid being held its left hand out, and the beam was harmlessly deflected, to the Reaper's great shock. The entity's left wing/hand held out its sheathed blade, and the main right hand reached out to grab the hilt. The humanoid specter took a stance, readying to draw its sword.

"You will not harm… these people… these children… I won't LET YOU!-!-!"

And, with a roar, Teana's Form-4 'Perfect' Susanō drew and swung its blade with great speed in a horizontal arc, releasing a devastatingly powerful slicing wave of wind and energy. The Reaper Destroyer was sliced in half, explosions tearing through it as it fell to the ground with earth-shaking thuds. The slicing wave kept going, and cut right through an abandoned skyscraper about two-thirds of the way up, leaving a glowing-hot cut as the top portion began to fall to the ground far below.

After several seconds, the Form-4 Susanō began to collapse and dissolve. Soon, Teana fell to the ground, gasping for breath, exhausted. Behind her, the people finished loading onto the transports, which began to take off. Then, as Teana tried to stand and began to fall, an alicorn teleported in and caught her. She couldn't get a good look at her rescuer, but she could feel Justitia's energy signature as the sibling of Celestia teleported herself and the girl back to her ship, while the transports lifted off.

-Break-

Outside the temple, having watched the incredible spectacle, Team Shepard suddenly heard a communication.

"Is anyone on this frequency? This is Lieutenant Kurin. My squad is trapped!"

"This is Shepard! Give us your location!"

"I repeat: is anyone on this frequency?"

"We read you! Give us your-"

"The Lieutenant's down!" a different commando's voice was heard."Our whole zone is collapsing!"

"What happened to Shepard? Did they make it to the temple?"

"I saw them- Wait… I've got a Reaper inbound!"

There were screams, as two Reaper Dreadnoughts landed further back in the city, one right on top of the bridge.

"Commander!" Javik said. "We have to leave!"

"This can't be happening!" Liara shouted, distraught. "We can't have come this far for… Justitia!" She said into her comm. "Please! You're one of the most powerful beings we have! You must have something – anything – you can do!"

"I'm sorry, Dr. T'Soni" the alicorn replied somberly from the bridge of her flagship as it prepared to retreat.

"But… This is… my home…"

"The Normandy is inbound to extract you three. …There's nothing I can do, Liara. I'm so sorry. Thessia… is lost…"

-SCENE BREAK-

Normandy II, Deck Two, QEC Room

Shepard leaned against the wall, watching as the button at the Quantum Entanglement Communicator's console flashed and beeped, calling for his attention. With a saddened, exhausted look, he slowly walked over and hit the button.

"Commander Shepard, is that you?" Tevos' hologram appeared. "Commander?"

"Councilor… The mission-"

"We've lost all contact with Thessia; the planet has gone dark. How soon will the Crucible be ready to deploy?"

Shepard closed his eyes and hung his head. "Councilor… I wish the news was better. We didn't get the information."

"…What happened?"

"Cerberus was there, waiting for us. Kai Leng attacked with a gunship when we were at the temple. We were… We were defeated. The gunship blew us out of the way and blasted the temple's support columns, and while we were 'occupied' by the floor collapsing from under us, Leng waltzed in and stole the data. We don't know how to finish the Crucible."

"I… I don't know what to say… What was the situation on Thessia?"

"Apocalyptic, and deteriorating quickly. The Reapers are there in force, just like they were at Earth."

"…Then you'll excuse me… There are… preparations to make… continuity of civilization to consider… I never thought this day would come."

"None of us did. I'm-" The communication was cut. "…sorry…"

After a moment to gather himself, Shepard exited the QEC, entering the War Room to find pretty much the whole team there.

"Asari forces are in full retreat" EDI reported. "It is no longer safe for us to remain in this system."

"Get us out of here" he ordered, before then walking over to Liara; the young woman was leaning against the holo-table, her head low.

"Shepard…" she murmured. "I… Nobody could've predicted Cerberus would reach Thessia before us."

"It's my job to be prepared," he replied, "no matter what. And now Thessia's lost… as is the data on the Catalyst. …I'm sick of Cerberus beating us to the punch!"

"Let's kick them in the balls first for a change!" James suggested.

"I'm with James" the Commander replied. "Anyone have any ideas where they're hiding? …Anyone?"

"…Um…" Specialist Traynor finally spoke up. "There is something…"

"Let's hear it, Traynor."

"I was able to track Kai Leng's shuttle through the relay and extrapolate his destination. But… the signal disappeared in the Iera System, in the Shadow Sea cluster."

"Horizon…" Shepard remembered.

"It's not just gone, though. The signal is being actively blocked."

"How?"

"I'm not sure, but something is interfering with all signal activity in that region of space."

"Which means somebody's probably hiding something," Eve chimed in, "and it's something big."

"Commander," EDI said, "the Iera system is home to Sanctuary and little else. Sanctuary is a supposed safe haven for war refugees."

Shepard was silent for several seconds, before turning back to his comm. specialist. "You think it's worth checking out, Traynor?"

"Yes, sir. I do."

"If Specialist Traynor hadn't examined the data so astutely, the interference would've been undetectable."

"Nice work, Traynor. You've given us a shot. Now let's make sure we don't waste it."

"I was stationed on Horizon" Ashley said. "You were the only Cerberus presence while I was there."

"It's a slim lead" Liara said. "Let's hope it's the right one."

"I don't care how slim the leads are at this point" Shepard replied. "We've come too far to let Cerberus stop us. I want that Prothean data. I want the Catalyst. No excuses. Dismissed."

[AN: Can't find post-Thessia Anderson conversation; have to wait until my next ME3 playthrough months from now. Sorry…]

-Break-

Deck Four

"Those were all lies back there!"

"They were not."

"My people weren't animals for your kind to experiment on!"

"You wanted to know more about your history, Asari. Now you do."

"I have a name!" Her Biotics flared. "I am Liara T'Soni, daughter of Benezia and Aethyta, two of the most powerful Matriarchs in Asari history! And I am going to make damned sure it's the last thing you ever remember!-!"

Javik's four eyes widened as Liara, emotionally broken and pushed too far by his attitude, Biotically lifted and shattered a metal table from the side, and launched the sharp shards at him with lethal velocity. He quickly cast a Barrier to block the barrage, but the second it was over she lunged with a Biotic Punch that slammed him so hard into the back wall it left a dent. Growling and glowing green with his own Biotic energy, he struck with a Biotic Kick that sent her tumbling. She came out of the roll on her feet, and the two charged at each other, meeting in the middle with continuous waves of Biotic energy, blue and green swirling together and pushing against each other. Objects in the room came loose and orbited around the duo, their eyes glowing with their respective energies. The center of their clashing energies darkened, soon looking blacker and blacker as they threatened to inadvertently forge a black hole in the middle of the ship just from how hard they were trying to kill each other…

"Enough!-!"

Liara and Javik suddenly found themselves bound by a very powerful Biotic Stasis attack along with multiple crimson Bind-spell rings. Another reddish field of energy enveloped their mixing Biotic energies a split-second before they detonated with enough force that, were it not for the containing field, everything in the room would have been obliterated. Standing in the doorway were Eve T'Lesh – her staff out and her mana extended – and Commander Shepard, his eyes glowing blue with his own Biotic energy.

"My homeworld was just burnt to ashes," Liara snarled, "my people doomed to go extinct, and all this monster can do is gloat!"

"There are still more than enough Asari left to repopulate the species," Javik replied, "homeworld or no."

"Javik," Shepard said, "maybe your people never discovered it, but in this cycle there's something called 'tact'."

"Don't bother, Shepard" Liara growled. "I was a naïve fool before this all began, thinking that our predecessors were benevolent, that they helped people out of the simple generous desire to share knowledge and prosperity… The Protheans were monsters! Imperialistic, xenophobic tyrants who made the galaxy quake in terror! Using the lesser races as playthings and test subjects! If this were 50,000 years ago, I would be helping the Reapers exterminate them!-!"

"Liara!" Shepard snapped in a warning tone.

"You were supposed to have all the answers!" She shouted at Javik. "You were supposed to stop this!"

"…We believed you would" Javik replied calmly. "We saw the great potential slumbering within the Asari. The wisdom, the patience, the power… We knew you would be the most likely to surpass us, to take the Protheans' place as overseers of the galaxy. And when the Reapers arrived, we saw you as the best hope for the next cycle. So you were… guided, where necessary, to prepare you for those roles."

"It didn't work…"

"You're still alive, aren't you? Your homeworld may have fallen, but as long as the Asari people remain standing, the fight isn't over. Despair is the enemy's greatest weapon. Do not let them wield it against you, T'Soni."

The Biotic Stasis and binds were lifted, and after a few seconds Liara turned and walked out.

"That was… unexpected" Shepard said to Javik.

"We still need her talents" the Prothean replied. "If grief overcomes her, she will be lost to us."

"So were you actually telling the truth?"

"I have done many things that others would find reprehensible, Commander, but I am not one to lie. The Protheans knew that the Asari were destined for greatness."

Shepard nodded. "Carry on, then."

-CHAPTER END-

Next Time: Sanctuary

Followed By: Leviathan

And Then: Cerberus HQ