HOLOCAUST

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

THE NAME OF A HERO PART THREE

June 21, 2186

1624 hours.

Ancient Temple, The Shroud, Que'k Wastelands, Tuchanka.

The Reaper War, Krogan DMZ Campaign: The Tuchankan Raids.

Captain Marcus Lee Shepard, Lord Companier Urdnot Grunt, Military Advisor Garrus Vakarian, EDI.

Had Marcus not rolled to the left at the last second, he probably would have been buried under a pile of rubble, or rather, crushed, the stone slamming into the ground with such force it shattered and scarred the floor beneath it, clouds of dust exploding inwards like a tornado. But it was the red, superheated residue left over from the blast that had worried him, the floor behind them now missing and hissing, a testament to the firepower that had annihilated the wall.

As if to signal its frustration at being unable to kill them, a Reaper airhorn resounded throughout the complex, angry and vehement. They felt the ground shake as it moved one of its legs, trying to get closer for a better shot.

Even as Marcus pushed his back against a stone pillar, out of Vanguard's line of sight, Garrus, EDI and Grunt quickly following up behind him, he knew the Reaper's eyes were on them. It just wanted to look them in the eye when it killed them. They had made it half way through the temple, but Vanguard's assault had been relentless; and more than once they had almost died or been vaporized.

But he could see them now. The hammers, he meant. Standing tall and proud, rusting, but still in their prime and ready to summon the greatest force of nature the entire galaxy had ever seen. Even a yahg would not be able to match the sheer power of Kalros; and soon, if they could reach those damn hammers, which just happened to be directly under Vanguard's body, they could bring that power to bear on the Reaper that had plagued them for so long. End its reign, once and for all.

He looked to the left to see the rest of the squad following their example, waiting for his go.

He steeled another breath, and then nodded, charging.

It was a few seconds before Vanguard charged up another shot, this one deliberating missing and blasting the top off of a pillar above them, causing the ceiling it supported, and the pillar itself, to come cascading down infront of them.

This halted their momentum none. They didn't wait for the dust to settle, or the tremor of their impact upon the ground to stop, before they leapt ontop of the debris, moving with such speed and vigor that they might have been lightning. But if they stopped for even one moment, it was over.

Despite Vanguard's words, it seemed like the Reaper was deliberating missing with every shot. It only ever tried to kill his squad, but when it came to him, it seemed to be trying to injure him...not kill him...

Harbinger must want me alive; ordered Vanguard to injure me enough for...smart fuck. But that won't happen. I'll show you just what happens when you underestimate me and my squad.

Vanguard fired again, this shot blowing apart the path directly infront of James. Had the shot lasted any longer, the marine would no longer be among the living. Instead, the marine stumbled from the shock of how close it is and the sheer heat of being so close to it and faceplanted into the ground, instinct sending him into a roll.

"Don't stop! I'll catch up!" he ordered over the comm, not that it was necessary. Marcus just kept sprinting, ignoring the marine's predicament.

"Keep moving! Keep to cover! Don't let it a bead on you!" he barked, and he could feel himself getting closer. They were almost directly under the Reaper, its massive body looming over them like the galaxy's tallest skyscraper. He could practically see the insides of it; the moving gears, glowing red equipment, and what looked to be an access junction. All of it glowed a persistent red, all of it a testament to its double nature as both warship and living being. He remembered Saren's words from years ago, during that final battle on the Citadel.

"...a union of flesh and steel..."

No, all he saw was steel. Red, bloodied steel.

A statue exploded infront of him, and he cringed from the closeness of it. He felt his hairs stand on end from the heat that had almost touched him, the searing blast of a sun having almost reduced him to ashes. But Vanguard wanted him alive, he told himself. He wouldn't try to kill him.

"Shit!" a voice broke his thoughts, "I'm stuck!"

He didn't stop, he just kept running, listening to the voices over the comm, "Shepard! Garrus is stuck! A piece of stone fell on his ankle and he's pinned! Shepard! Stop, damn it! SHEPARD!"

"NO STOPPING!" he roared back, "We stop the genophage today! Keep going! KEEP GOING!"

He moved down the steps, now fully under Vanguard's carapace and out of range of its thanix cannon. He turned to see that none of his squad had followed him and merely shrugged, drawing his mattock. So be it, then. I'll fight them myself.

He was now dead center on the intersection. On his left and right were the hammers, so big that they reached the top of Vanguard's torso section. But even as he advanced towards the left, he saw that the Reaper was making no efforts to move or fly away. It simply stood there, waiting. He frowned, not liking this one bit. It knows something...

Suddenly, the intersection lit up and when he looked up, he saw its body flashing bright red, as if preparing to-

Six bursts of orange light exploded from under it and a moment later, slammed into the ground, hard. He was knocked back onto his back by the force of the impacts, which caused the ground to shudder. He grunted, shaking his head as he looked up, eyes widening in their sockets as he fumbled for his grenade belt, and his mattock.

Six blasts, six brutes.

And all their attention focused on him, six tiny heads growling as they glared at him, twisting their muscular forms to face him.

He had torn off a grenade just as the first two brutes were upon him, and he managed to prime it and roll it just as the first one brought up its fist to crush him, instead completely missing him and smashing into stone as he rolled off to the side.

The second was upon him immediately, and he felt himself swiped to the side like an insect, back ramming into a wall and sending him falling back to the ground in a heap, crying out as he pain lanced up his side like fire, the injury he got from Leng flaring up like a beacon as he felt the strain against it; the wound desperately trying to open.

He twisted his head to see them coming again, all six of them. He couldn't hope to win a battle against any of them, really. He was hopelessly outnumbered, and now his mattock was on the steps, faraway from him and no help. Even as he heard his grenade detonate, kicking up dust and debris and shredding the leg of one brute, he knew hope of victory was lost.

But I have to reach that hammer. I won't die like this.

With as much power as possible, he lifted himself, ignoring the otherwise crippling pain in his back and limping forward at a rapid face, attempting to jog as best as possible. He limped past his discarded rifle, hearing the growls of his pursuers.

But he kept his eyes on the prize, moving up the steps and towards the control panel for the hammer, lying in wait and ready.

With whatever energy he could muster, he launched himself forward and hit the button, watching it light up a dim green, power still routed to it.

He looked up as he saw a thin thread slide up a metal pole to the top, and he knew that as soon as it got there, the hammer would fall; literally.

And that the hammer would slam straight into him.

He heard a growl right behind him and he rolled backwards, missing the swipe of a charging brute as it occupied the space he was in before. He entered a fighting stance as it pivoted to face him, beady little eyes promising death and-

Marcus was practically thrown back by the force of the hammer landing, the brute disappearing under 67 tonnes of heavy, reinforced titanium, black blood spewing from under it. He hit the ground about five meters away, biting back a scream as more pain was added ontop of what he already had. But he had done it: the first hammer had been hit. Now for hammer two, and Kalros would come. They hoped.

He could still hear the remnants of the hammer's boom echoing throughout the desert and the roar that answered it, or perhaps that was the intense ringing in his eardrums, repeating the same sound, over and over, like a constant beat. His head pounded, and he could feel the blood behind his eyes. And then a shadow fell over him, and he gulped.

One, single brute loomed, ready to bring its fist down, to cast the final blow to his life.

"Do it," he found himself whispering, "End it."

Before the brute could do as he asked, a flash of light erupted on its back, and its ribcage exploded out and onto him, bits of stringy flesh and cybernetic bone hitting and sliding off his armor. The brute grunted for a second before collapsing forward, Marcus weakly rolling himself to the side as he slammed into the ground, its life (for lack of a better term) leaving its eyes.

In moments, Grunt appeared, moving over to him and helping him up, grenade launcher in one hand and laughing. He could barely hear Vanguard's anger-filled roar (or maybe that was his gloating self conjuring up thoughts of the Reaper in despair) or the sight of muzzle flashes as he was moved down the steps, his squad pushing the brutes back, having killed four already, lying dead in numerous pieces and places.

"Second hammer," he managed to get out, pointing to the monolith, "We need...to hit...the second hammer!"

Grunt saw where he pointed, and nodded, immediately increasing the speed he was moving at. Marcus felt and heard the report of his grenade launcher firing twice, both hitting dead center on a brute; once blowing off its waist, the second reducing its head to a pulp. Grunt just laughed the entire time at the insanity of it, or what the krogan perceived as 'fun.'

Keeling moved past, giving Grunt the thumbs up as she readied what looked to be a makeshift grenade launcher on the bottom of her rifle, taking aim and firing at another charging brute, the much weaker grenade only causing it to stumble. Keeling ducked under a swing, and then fired again, but Marcus had no time to see what damage it did, for Grunt was moving again.

Finally, sound returned to his ears, and the sound of a firefight met his ears, coupled with the growls and roars of the brute squad beyond them, and his team shouting orders at each other. Vanguard's airhorn intermixed with it all, causing a noisy cacophony that the whole Que'k Wasteland could have heard.

Including Kalros.

The second hammer was in sight, Grunt holding him under one arm and advancing up the steps.

Out of nowhere, Grunt ducked low to the ground, crying out as he did. The spectre frowned, not understanding why he had done it. But then he saw it...felt it swing directly above them.

Vanguard's left front leg came to stand at the base of the Shroud, slamming down hard and kicking up a plume of sand, and the sound of shattered stone could clearly be heard as well as an entire building caved in on itself from the impact. Point being, that leg could have shorn both him and Grunt in two and left nothing left of them but a blood pool; but Grunt's quick thinking saved them.

Before he could thank the krogan, they were up and moving again. And in a matter of seconds, they had reached the second hammer, green button glowing more brightly than the first, as if beckoking him to finish the job the first had started. He felt the krogan supersoldier holster his shotgun, and reach out a hand to touch it, ready to finish what-

Marcus placed a hand on his arm, and the krogan turned to face him, seeing the captain shake his head.

Then he nodded, "I'll do it." My nightmares.

The krogan, after a moment, nodded and pulled away, moving slightly closer so Marcus could reach it. He practically limped over, but when he finally reached it, he just felt like doing it as dramatically as possible. He practically slammed his closed fist onto the button.

"Move! Its going to come down hard!" Marcus barked, and Grunt quickly helped him back down the steps, distancing themselves from the hammer as much as possible.

They reached the steps just as the hammer came down, the shudder causing not only them to fall flat on their face, but for every single brute in the arena to fall to the ground, and his team to almost totally lose their balance, Kasumi losing her footing and falling down entirely. And this time, Marcus knew for certain that he could hear the boom of it resounding throughout the desert.

It was like silence had creeped up on them. He felt feel the tension in the air, and as he looked up, he noticed that Vanguard had ceased all movement; no reinforcements came from it, it didn't shift its feet, it didn't even take flight. It simply stood there, its belly right above them.

The silence was almost terrifying. But what followed was much worse...and much better.

A familiar, titantic roar shook the desert plains.

Followed by a much larger screech, and it was much closer.

Suddenly, Mordin's voice filled his comms, cutting through the tension like a knife to butter, "Shepard, have reached Shroud. Synthesizing final cure now. Shouldn't take long; only a couple of minutes. Simple. Heard hammers. Then Kalros. Summoned?"

"Mordin, let's just say we're about to be caught in the middle of a shitstorm," Marcus stated, and as if hearing these words, Vanguard began to move forward, shifting its forward legs and moving further into the ruins, its airhorn blaring loudly...twice. It entered a battle stance, readying itself. Vanguard knew what was coming, and was prepared for it. Or was it?

Could he successfully claim that he had Vanguard frightened?

Whatever the matter, the brutes were quickly standing up, and he knew they had to move. He immediately twisted on the spot, "Everyone, get to the Shroud, now! We need to get well clear of this!"

The brutes spun on them, but there was only four left anyway. One moved to growl, but out of nowhere, Wrex appeared, omni-blade slicing through its head and sending it rolling across the ground, its hulking form collapsing to the ground. He whorled on them, his red armor no longer recognizable under the dried blackness that coated him, "Go, Shepard! I'll hold them off!"

"No Wrex!" Marcus barked, "Kalros is coming! You'll be caught in the middle!"

"She will not claim me today!" the krogan roared, turning back to the brutes as he charged, "NOT TODAY! MY PLANET! NOT TODAY! NOT TODAY!" And with that Wrex, slammed into the nearest brute driving it back, and engaged in battle with the three, fearsome abominations which were, and had been, effectively, his own people at one stage.

He nodded, turning to look up at Vanguard...

...only to look into its red eye as it glowed brighter and brighter with every charge.

His team had already scattered, so it was pretty much up to him to get out of there before Vanguard fired. But before he could turn to run, the loudest roar he had ever heard in his entire life rattled the foundations of the temple, sending some bits tumbling to the ground, they shook that violently.

He twisted to the left to see a massive plume of sand, as if stretching into the heavens, rising from the ground, and in the midst of it and stretching rapidly, was Kalros, her body springing forward like a viper, maw wide open and claws at the ready, about equal size as Vanguard.

Its beam charged, the destroyer pivoting on the spot, turning to evaluate the new threat presented to it.

But it was not nearly fast enough.

Kalros descended with furious speed, her wide maw slamming and grappling onto its right armoured eye protector, its thanix cannon firing in a wide arc as the Reaper fired instinctively. Vanguard boomed loudly, and it violenty jerked off to the right, slamming Kalros into the ground, forcing the thresher to let go of it. But the maw was immensely strong, and Marcus watched with some shock as it tore off the piece of armor it had been latched onto, spitting it out as it fell onto the ground, leaving Vanguard looking pretty awkward without it.

The destroyer backed up, charging up another shot. However, just as it was ready, Kalros slithered back, and Vanguard fired just as it disappeared under the shifting sands again, its shot incinerating the sand on the ground, but leaving Kalros unharmed.

"Is anyone recording this!?" James cheered over the comm, whooing, "Kalros is kicking ass!"

Marcus didn't have time to reply as Kalros attacked again, this time erupting up from behind Vanguard, out of its line sight.

But this time, the Reaper was ready. It initiated temporary flight to the right, sending it crashing through a large stone tower, causing it to crumble around it. Kalros meanwhile shot past Vanguard and slammed into the ground.

The destroyer quickly brought its leg down ontop of the monstrous worm, pinning it to the ground while prepping its thanix, ready to gut Kalros. Marcus could only watch in horror, knowing the creature had failed.

But just before moved to run for the Shroud, Kalros twisted to face Vanguard, its mouth wide open...

...only for a great big glob, probably the size of six makos, of acid to erupt from said mouth and impact its eye, causing the Reaper to jerk away, airhorn blaring multiple times consistently in what had to be a form of Reaper fury.

And while this happened, Kalros slithered back into the ground, and the fight continued.

Marcus could only grin inwardly as he saw Vanguard's thanix cannon hiss, steam erupting from where the acid had hit, blackening the Reaper's armor and optic. But despite the assault, it did not cripple the main weapon, meaning the Reaper was still in the fight and utilizing its final advantage, brought its leg up and unto itself in a fetal position, and took flight.

Up and up it went, ascending 40 meters...

...sand exploded just below it, and Kalros reached up into the heavens, claws stretching out and grabbing ahold of Vanguard, stopping its ascendance in its tracks.

Vanguard attempted to continue its flight, but Kalros' mass proved too much, weighing it down like an anchor. Even as it jerked, Kalros just held on, screeching angrily as it was tugged at, refusing to let go of its planet's invader.

Vanguard must have realized the futility of its plight and finally descended, at high speed. It stretched out its legs and rammed into the ground, the impact sending him onto his knees and shaking the foundations of the structure he was on. It was then that he was realized that Kalros and Vanguard were literally 20 meters infront of him.

He turned to the Shroud, to see that it was only a short run away. And with that in mind, he began to run towards it, as fast as he could, trying to escape the battle between the two titans.

He watched a blaze of crimson invade his peripherals, followed by that damn horn, the lance of death arcing through the sand as Vanguard stumbled infront of the Shroud, adamant in its defense as it likely sensed Marcus' intention, despite its struggle with the monolithic creature before it. It almost lost balance, stumbling on one leg, and recovered in time to knock Kalros aside, Marcus watching in terror as the thresher fell to the side, and its body collided with the Shroud's base.

Anyone in the Que'k would have heard the rattle of the structure, how it moaned in protest, how one of its support cables snapped and whipped through the air, pinging harmlessly off Vanguard's armoured form and flinging in the harsh breeze of Tuchanka. But to his surprise, the Shroud continued to stand, and showed no signs of collapsing. The salarians really did build things to last. And with this realization, he continued forward, increasing his speed.

"Shepard!" Keeling shouted over the comms, "We can't reach the Shroud; its just too hectic! We can't get too close! We should pull back!"

"Fall back to the tomkahs!" Marcus ordered, "I'll continue to the Shroud!"

To say Keeling wasn't happy with that idea would have been understatement of the century, "Negative, sir! Its too-"

"Just do as I say, Keeling!" he snapped, "Fall back, now!" And without listening to her response, he cut the comm and ran faster than he had all his life.

He watched as Vanguard stepped to the right, clearly dazed and saw that one of its legs moved more lethargically than the rest. He caught a smile at that. Kalros wounded it. Now she's moving in for the kill.

He watched Kalros' form slither back into the ground, a thanix shot slamming into the spot where it had retreated, Vanguard pulling back when it saw she was already gone. Now it waited, pivoting on the spot to see whether or not she-

Marcus almost covered his ears from the screech, Kalros reappearing right behind Vanguard and slamming into its back, Vanguard shouting its defiance to the entire planet.

Now she had it; it couldn't utilize its thanix cannon, and it knew it couldn't take flight. It had no melee weapons, rendering Vanguard, for all its offensive capabilities, defenseless. A Reaper, the most powerful being in the galaxy, had been rendered defenseless by an overgrown worm.

When he put it that way, it was pretty laughable.

But there it was, Marcus watching as Kalros let go and reattached itself around its back leg, and began slithering around its body, around and around in a clockwise direction, never stopping, until it was wound around the Reaper Destroyer like a snake choking its prey. And with its form wrapped around Vanguard, unable to escape, it began to tighten the noose, converging ontop of the Reaper.

Marcus watched as it tried to charge its thanix, only for the red light to switch off and on, dim, and then the optics cracked. After that, the red eye finally exploded from the pressure, light dying instantly. It flared its airhorn, but now the sound was much weaker; less terrifying, more desperate; sounding like it was losing its voice.

He heard metal protest and groan from the compaction, and watched its armor begin to dent and bend and warp, its injured leg coming off entirely and falling uselessly to the ground.

After a minute of running, finding himself directly infront of the Shroud, Marcus stood there and shook his head, and let out a single chuckle, followed by a snort.

At this point, Vanguard's body had shrunk in size, its eye buried under pressurized metal, and remaining legs mangled and having fallen off, only one remaining and now coated in green, bubbling acid. And slowly, Kalros began to shrink into the ground, taking Vanguard with her.

The Reaper weakly defended itself, but all the fight had left it. The mighty machine of which had terrifed and exterminated entire cycles of civilization was now crushed and beaten, and was now being carried away by the victor to its doom. And Marcus could only watch on in glee as Kalros disappeared underground, followed shortly by Vanguard, its crimson armor vanishing behind the ocean of sand.

Silence filled the void; peaceful silence. No airhorn, no screeches or roars, no pounding hammers. Just quiet. Kalros had retreated, Vanguard was destroyed, and a thousand year old virus still needed curing.

Curing! No, it must be sabotaged!

Suddenly, Marcus present dilemma came back, and he gulped, eying the Shroud with continued discontent. This is it. I have to make my decision now; the course of the war gets decided here, at this very place.

And Mordin will know. What will happen? Will he fight me?

The cure must be sabotaged to win salarian allegiance! Linron promised her support! Fresh salarian troops, brand new ships, all their engineers for the Crucible!

Cure the genophage and you will get the support of the krogan, turians and volus! Three over one! An entire people will be in your debt! You'll be a hero!

I am not a hero.

Victory at any cost.

He sighed, and with some sluggishness, began to move towards the Shroud's entrance, dreading what came next.

When he entered, he found himself at the top of a flight of stairs, overlooking the atrium of the tower. Below was the atrium itself, with numerous consoles and terminals lining the walls, and two data terminals lined vertically across the room. At the back was a glass elevator that ran the spine of the tower, all the way to the tip, and the lack of ceiling allowed Marcus to see right up to the top, along with the entire glass elevator shaft.

Marcus heard metal groan, and realized the Shroud had taken more of a beating than he intially realized. He heard a snap, followed by a loud roar, like that of metal straining. This place is going to fall apart. We better make this quick.

As if registering his thoughts, from the door on the right, Mordin rushed into the atrium, omni-tool active as he ran over to the nearest terminal, a vial in his hand. He slotted it in a pocket on his labcoat, beginning to rapidly type at said console, entirely focused on the task ahead.

He's going to find out! Stop him! Despite his mind's protests, he ignored them and rushed down the steps, rushing over to where his salarian friend stood typing.

"Mordin! Is the cure ready?" Marcus demanded, coming to stand next to the professor, removing his helmet and firmly placing it down on the console infront of him.

Mordin nodded, not turning to face him as he continued, "Cure loaded and ready for dispersal in two minutes. Managed to procure needed DNA from Eve; healthy and okay, will survive, have already sent her back to the tomkahs. Will meet her back there. Maelon's research invaluable."

He nodded, "Its good she survived."

Mordin seemed to smile at that, "Her survival fortunate. Will help stabilize new government incase any revolutionaries try to bring war. Good match for Urdnot Wrex. Produce many children. Promising future for krogan," he stopped himself as they heard another support cable snap in the distance, followed by more metallic moans, "Not so promising for Shroud, however."

The dry humor was lost on Marcus, "Come on Mordin, we need to get out of here now!" Draw your pistol, stop him. Do not let the cure disperse.

What!? I will not draw my weapon on a friend!

If you don't, you won't get the support Linron promised! He's going to cure it!

Damn her! I wouldn't have to be thinking about this if it wasn't for her!

"Negative," Mordin replied, oblivious to his thoughts, "Need to take elevator to top of Shroud."

He widened his eyes, looking up, "Are you serious!? This whole place is coming apart, and you want to go up there?"

He simply nodded, as blunt as always, "Yes, need to counteract STG sabotage," he turned up at that, having finished and came to stand almost stoically, and for a moment he thought the salarian looked at him accusingly. It must have been his paranoia however, as the salarian simply continued, "Located inconsistencies in programming. Was able to identify sabotage. Must take elevator up to repair damage and disperse cure safely."

"Mordin...there has to be another way!" Yes, try and lure him away.

The professor shook his head and began to move towards the elevator, "No other way. Already thought of all variables. This is the only option."

In a flash, Marcus felt his hand subconsciously move to his SMG and draw it from his holster, the sound easily reaching Mordin's ears as he watched the salarian draw to a halt, spinning to face him...

...just in time to see Marcus' SMG levelled at his head, hand steady and looking at him blankly, "I can't let you do that, Mordin." Congratulations, you just drew on a friend. Fan-fucking-tastic.

The salarian frowned, "Drawing on me? Shows desperation. Desperation for what? Looked nervous at mention of sabotage, shows prior knowledge. How could you have-" suddenly, the salarian reached an epiphany, "Dalatrass Linron. Makes sense now. However, always argued for cure. Strong supporter. Potential for having convinced me. Why change? No, hasn't changed. Same ideals. Likely a bribe. But for-" he took a deep breath, and nodded, opening his eyes as he glared at Marcus, the salarian's hand absent-mindedly tapping his own weapon, also at his hip, "Ah, promised you salarian support. Interesting dilemma."

He stumbled, biting his lips as he took a shuddering breath, feeling his hand hand shake with hesitation. I can't do this. I can't.

Pull the damn trigger.

I can't!

Do it! Stop him or you lose the salarians!

Don't and you'll be a hero!

I'm not a hero!

Not to you! TO THEM!

His hand did not lower low, but he did speak, "I'm sorry, but I can't let you cure this. I need Linron's ships. I need engineers. She's promised it all." And I can't lose another friend. Not after Jacob.

Mordin nodded, "Linron known for lies. Bribing you to get what she wants. Not likely to be trusted. Salarians known for this. Yet you took it. Why?"

He shrugged, "Call it desperation. I need those troops, Mordin. I need her ships, her engineers."

"Would rather have friendly ally than an ally bought," Mordin sniffed, "Same principle as mercenaries. Someone who owes you, a friend, more loyal and likely to fight. To win. To triumph. To gain you victory. Mercenaries untrustworthy. Can be bought for right price. You offer high price, enemy offers higher, and allegiances shift. Her loyalty bought. At what cost?"

He has a point. Linron can't be trusted...and I know Wrex. I trust him with my life. Same with Grunt. And Mordin. And I trust Victus, somewhat. Linron is a slimy piece of shit. I can't trust her.

He felt his gun arm weaken.

Then stiffen again.

He's lying! He'll say anything to cure this! He's got blood on his hands, he's looking for redemption! You can't talk him out of it! Kill him! Stop him now!

I won't murder him!

Stop the damn genophage.

"Shepard," Mordin began, "Cannot let you stop me. Linron cannot be trusted. Untrustworthy. Trust me, yes?"

He nodded, "Yes, I do. With my life."

"Will let me cure genophage," Mordin stated, smiling, "Know it to be right thing."

It is.

You fool! Don't let him-

Silence.

Shoot him!

I WILL NOT MURDER HIM!

You are weak!

No, I'M JUST NOT A MONSTER!

And with that, his violently shaking hand unclasped, his SMG clattering to the floor as his hand dropped to his side, and he nodded, "Cure it, Mordin. Save the krogan, and to hell with Linron."

Mordin's smile could not have been wider, "Made right choice. Did right thing, Shepard."

He nodded, but when he noticed Mordin begin moving back towards the elevator, he suddenly remembered what he was doing, and felt himself looking up. He's going up. To the top. While this tower is falling back.

His eyes went back to Mordin. And he's not likely to come back. There's no time!

It hit him all at once. Mordin knew this...knew he wouldn't be returning!

Suddenly, he was living Jacob's death all over again. No! Not another friend! Please, God no!

He quickly jogged over, choking out the salarian's name, "Mordin, wait! You can't go up there! You won't survive!"

"Know this," the professor vaguely replied, coming to stand in the elevator and face him, the door still wide open. When he saw Marcus' pleading face, he elaborated, "Have lived long life. Am 39 years of age. Will reach terminal salarian age limit next year. 99 years of age by human standard. Have lived full life. Done many things. Death inevitable. Would like to spend it doing something worthy," he smiled sadly at Marcus, "Apologize for not joining Normandy like promised. Change of plans. Couldn't be someone else. Would have gotten it wrong."

He choked back whatever was building in his throat...he dreaded to think it was a sob, "Mordin...please. I can't lose another friend. Not after Jacob...come with us, we can fix this! Find another way! Maybe deploy this orbitally! Or maybe-"

The salarian held up a hand, silencing him instantly, "Shepard, you misunderstand. Not losing me; that implies I died before intended climax. Not losing me, Shepard," with that, Mordin gave a mirthless grin, "Simply letting history borrow me."

He opened his mouth to say something else, and he frowned, looking at the ground weakly, inwardly screaming at the unfairness of it all. But in the end, he remembered one single thing: Jacob had died without knowing it. Mordin was sacrificing himself to save a people...and that was a truly worthy death.

He sighed, annoyed at his lack of ability to find proper words. He couldn't bring himself to say goodbye, he hated those, and he didn't have the energy for a speech. In the end, he settled for nothing but what his mind could conjure, "I'm sorry."

The salarian laughed, "I'm not. Had to be me," the salarian slammed a button on the interface, and waved at Marcus one final time, the door closing around him, "Someone else might have gotten it wrong."

Marcus could only watch in pain as the elevator ascended, taking Mordin with it, to the salarian's final destination...and to his ultimately worthy fate. He managed to bring himself to salute the man, honouring him in that final moment.

In the end, Marcus realized it was over; he would never see Mordin again. But this time, he had gotten time to say goodbye, as half-assed as it was.

More metal groaned, and he was brought back to the present, turning to leave when he heard his omni-tool beep. He grabbed his helmet and threw it back on, running up the steps as he stopped, reading the contents of the message.

To: Shepard, Marcus, Captain.

From: Professor Solus.

Subject: (No Entry)

Would have liked to run tests on the seashells.

Addendum: Ask Mrs. Shepard about serum. Hope it worked and gave you future. Would like to know that my projects made difference.

He laughed at that, and he looked up, nodding, as he whispered, "Goodbye, Mordin." He turned and left, never looking back.

You wonderful, magnificient, brilliant piece of work.

{Loading...}

June 21, 2186

1646 hours.

Tomkah Krogan Armoured Personnel Carrier, Moving Along Hagalok City Ruins Western Highway, Que'k Wastelands, Tuchanka.

The Reaper War, Krogan DMZ Campaign.

Captain Marcus Lee Shepard, Chieftain Urdnot Wrex, Lord Companier Urdnot Grunt, Eve, Second Lieutenant James Vega, Second Lieutenant Imogen Keeling, Military Advisor Garrus Vakarian, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, EDI, Soldier Javik, Shadow Broker Liara T'Soni.

Marcus only watched as, in the distance, the Shroud teetered to the left, then a bit further and then finally snapped from its base, slamming into the ground with what he imagined would have been tremendous force, exploding upon impact. The once sleek salarian spire was now nothing but rubble, destroyed by the might of a thresher maw, but its final task completed.

Tuchanka's sky was alight with vibrant color, the genophage cure dispersed throughout the atmosphere and making it look like the sky was sparkling. And after a few moments, it began to rain. After they had stepped out of the Shroud, that is. Wrex, Grunt and Eve had been drenched, as well as every other krogan in their company, but this wasn't ordinary rain.

This rain was filled with cure. And upon contact with the skin, it worked wonders.

There had been cheer. Wrex had eagerly hugged Eve, Grunt had roared, and the krogan had shouted their glee to the wastelands, likely thousands more, millions, shouting back agreement and taking up the call. And Kalros, somewhere, likely answering it as she ground the rest of Vanguard into a pulp.

Marcus just felt empty. All he could think of was that Mordin was gone, and when the rest of the squad saw the salarian was not with him, they immediately knew why.

So the mood in the tomkah as it drove back to the Hollows was a dual-sided one. On one hand, everyone was happy to see the krogan cured and able to share a bright future again, but for those who knew Mordin, they also mourned over the loss of their friend.

No, history's merely borrowing him. Yes, the history books would definitely remember Mordin Solus. Marcus knew he'd have to contend with Dalatrass Linron later, but for now, he didn't care. He would put on his best smile and celebrate with the rest of the krogan, secure their allegiance to the UGC, and then say goodbye to Wrex, Eve and likely Grunt, before returning to the Normandy...

...where he would then place Mordin's nameplate on the memorial wall, just as he did Jacob's, and retire to the lounge, where he would proceed to get drunk...very drunk. Drunk enough to forget. Two close friends...gone, in the space of two days. Why do I feel like this week isn't going to be a week of happy triumphs?

Losing Jacob had been painful, but losing Mordin? That had been a different kind of loss. That was a worser kind. It hit far closer to home than he thought it would.

It gripped his chest in a vice, and it felt almost agonizing to breathe when he thought of the dead professor.

So the tomkah ride was silent, and everyone mourned and celebrated, in quiet tandem.

Forty minutes later, and they all stood in the Hollows, everyone surrounding a casket of crackling flames and churning ash.

Eve had suggested it, and Wrex had welcomed it. Mordin, for all intents and purposes, saved the entire krogan species from extinction and gave them hope for a new future; he deserved a proper funeral. Krogan-fashion. And so the salarian, even without a body, would be buried in the Hollows, among the other krogan heroes and ancestors.

Marcus watched with stoic clarity, Garrus by his side, and Kasumi and Liara, who now had a bandage around her arm until Chakwas could look at it.

Standing behind them were members of the Normandy crew; Cortez stood watching and respectful, Samantha next to him and Kelly next to her, who sniffled, having survived a crying fit. Adams was situated with Gabby and Ken, the latter of which soothed Gabby as she wept. Adams didn't know Mordin, but he at least kept it respectful.

Chakwas and Michel stood next to Grunt, the latter of which, for once, actually looked silent and respectful; not a single grin on his face, only a rough, grim line. Gardner stood with Keeling, arms at his side as he looked blankly at the flames.

And right on Marcus' left, was Joker, who had left the Normandy with EDI, bringing it into low orbit. The man didn't have a single sarcastic remark to make, not even a single joke to lighten the mood; he was just sober, as Marcus was.

Marcus toned out Eve's words, still thinking over the events that lead to his friend's death, and this time, he could find no fault; short of shooting him, there was no way he could have saved Mordin. The salarian had made his choice; to sacrifice his life for millions of others. It was a worthy sacrifice that completed Mordin Solus in that moment.

And he was one year from death anyway. Why die of old age when he can die correcting a thousand year old wound?

"In life, this salarian, Mordin Solus, faced our greatest enemy with rare valor, and destroyed it," Eve recited, "In death, he has proven to be a savior of our people. We owe him our lives, our dignity, our future. Without him, we would not have any of it. Liek Chek Forak Dek Wesh Ta Bek."

The krogan replied in tandem, all solemn, "Liek Chek Forak Dek Wesh Ta Bek."

What, is that a krogan 'keelah se'lai,' or something? My translator didn't pick up a word of that.

Before he could ask, the ceremony ended, and everyone backed away, moving off to their own seperate things.

And a mere few minutes later, the celebration began.

Ryncol was passed around, but none of his crew, including himself, accepted any, considering they couldn't even drink it. But Wrex and Grunt practically swigged the stuff, and before he knew it, they were roaring and cheering, exchanging insults and headbutting each other until one of them couldn't take it anymore.

He saw Chakwas with Liara, cleaning up her arm wound, applying medi-gel and properly stitching it up. As for Michel, she was with Garrus, helping the turian mend his sprained ankle.

Adams was off talking engineer talk with Gabby and Ken, and Eve was wearily following Wrex and Grunt around, making sure they didn't start any fights, something Marcus found slightly amusing, even in his current state.

The lack of Wreav in the celebrations reminded him that they'd lost someone else this day, devoured by the very creature that had saved them. But Wrex didn't seem hurt by it, and Marcus couldn't bring himself to give a damn; Wreav hadn't been loved very much by anyone, and his passing didn't leave a gaping hole in his mind like Mordin's did.

"You know, I'm going to miss Mordin," came Kasumi's voice, interrupting his thoughts. He turned to the thief, who stood behind him, her hands clasped behind her back in a very un-Kasumi like gesture, "Sure, he talked alot, and sure, he likes to blurt out whatever he's thinking, but he was a nice guy. Did alot of crazy things. I didn't like that he poked me with a needle though."

He looked at her, bewildered, "He did what?"

"The day before we got here," Kasumi shrugged, "Jabbed me in the arm with a needle while I wasn't looking. Said it was for 'tests.' Wanted to know if I had turian DNA on me, and I told him to go away. He was a bit too pokey. I was going to tell ya Shep, but I thought it best not to."

"Why not?"

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Because it was none of your business."

He nodded, "Fair enough."

"He did the same to me, you know," came Joker's voice, and they all turned to the pilot, both curious.

"Oh yeah?" Marcus asked, crossing his arms. Despite his sour mood, he was getting some amusement from this. Maybe that was the intent. Either way, he didn't care.

The pilot nodded, then shook his head, chuckling, "It was back when we were still chasing the Collectors around, just before we recruited Jack," he scoffed, "Bastard poked me with a needle while I was sleeping. When I woke up and he asked the next day, he said it was just a blood test. But I'm convinced he injected me with something, because after that, I got bruising on my arm...where he stabbed me."

He chuckled lightly and smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, "Did you confront him about it?"

"I did," Joker replied, holding his hand up in air quotes, "And he quote on quote said 'blood test failed.'"

Kasumi giggled, and Marcus felt himself let out a loud chuckle at that, but it sounded really phoned in; extremely forced. Luckily, the two of them were too amused by the memory that they didn't seem to notice.

"Mordin helped me in many ways," Marcus added, crossing his arms, "He...well he...after the Collectors and the Shadow Broker's ambush, Mordin confronted me in the med bay. He said...he said he could offer me and Tali something we couldn't have naturally. A way to make it happen."

Joker and Kasumi were very focused now, leaning in, "What was it?" Marcus could tell Joker was genuinely curious, but he had a feeling Kasumi had already figured it out, due to the glint in her eyes.

He sighed heavily, "He offered us a chance to have children. Of our own blood."

Kasumi squealed like a girl, and Joker laughed, "Gee, Mordin sure knows how to give it to people. A serum for you guys to have kids? Did he actually finish it?"

"He...he did. Gave it to Tali and me, and we consumed it like a couple of high-school kids on alcohol," he laughed at the memory of how whoozy Tali had felt after drinking it. Then he sobered, "But I don't actually know if it worked. If I managed to get Tali pregnant. Or if I want her to be."

Joker frowned, "What? Why wouldn't you?"

He glared at the pilot, lips set in a firm line, "Why? Why the hell would I want to bring up a kid in the middle of a war? Correction, How can I? I have an entire war to plan and lead and fight, and to bring up a kid in that? No, children don't deserve to be born only to find their world to be burning and blinking out."

"And what if it did work?" Kasumi asked, causing him to turn to her, "What if Tali did get pregnant?"

He gulped, shrugging, "I...I don't know."

"To Mordin," Garrus offered, all three turning to see that he had been standing behind them, listening, the entire time, "And all the magnificient things he's done. May the spirits watch over him."

Kasumi and Joker nodded, holding up their non-existent drinks, "To Mordin."

Marcus nodded, "To Mordin."

And the silence returned to the conversation; the only sound being the celebration around them.

"Captain."

He turned at the sound of the voice, finding Eve standing at the other side of the Hollows, with Wrex at her side, finally detached from Grunt who, he noticed, was now getting drunk with one of his commandos, both of them chanting krogan battle songs his translator, once again, couldn't pick up.

He nodded, saying goodbye to the others as he began to move over to where the two krogan stood. Eve he noticed was standing slightly closer to Wrex than usual, a fact the battlemaster seemed to be okay with. He smiled, this one actually reaching his eyes and filling him with warmth. I can definitely trust these two to begin a better tomorrow for Tuchanka and the krogan people.

He quickly reached them, finding himself standing before them with a polite nod, "Wrex, Eve."

There was silence for a moment, and Wrex finally broke it with a large exhale of breath, "I still can't believe it. This is it; this is really it. The end of the genophage."

"We shouldn't think of the end," Eve corrected, "We should think of the beginning."

Wrex nodded, turning back to Marcus, "Remember the story about my father? Urdnot Jarrod?"

Marcus nodded, "Vaguely. It was a long time ago."

The krogan sighed, turning to the central platform that stood above them, "Right there...that's where I rammed my knife through his heart. He lured me here as a trap, offering peace in one hand, death in another. I refused to help him spread his crap, so he and his men leapt from the graves of our ancestors, killed my men, and would have killed me," he laughed, turning back to him with a bitter smile, "So I killed him, in this very spot. That's what the genophage reduced us to. Kinslayers. I killed my own father."

"But now the genophage is over, and a new beginning for us begins, all thanks to you, Captain," Eve thanked.

He shook his head, "No, no thanks to me. Don't even dare try to thank me. This was Mordin; all of it. I gave him the nudge, he took the plunge. He developed the cure, he chose to care, and he chose to cure your people. The thanks lies with him."

Eve merely smiled at him, "And my people shall forever remember his sacrifice and what he did for us. He will be noted in the books of krogan history, how he allowed us to turn from animal, back to glory. But you helped. Had you not given that nudge...I doubt we would be standing here today. I doubt I would be standing here today; I would still be locked up in that STG facility, still under the scrutiny of salarian scientists. My people will remember the man who saved us, and the man who convinced him to do so. As Wrex said, you're name will forever mean 'hero' in our language."

"It was the heat of the moment," Wrex nervously replied, rubbing the back of his neck in a gesture he had never seen the krogan do before, "I never actually meant it. That would be ridiculous."

"Would it?" Eve replied, looking at Marcus with a musing gaze. When she was done, she shook her head, "No, the name of a hero deserves to be remembered. No, Shepard will be the name of a hero, and Mordin the name of our firstborn."

Wrex frowned, "You want to name our first child 'Mordin?'"

"Yes. It will show the galaxy that we respect those who respect us and make efforts to help us. And show the respect we have for him," Eve elaborated, patting Wrex on his back, "Don't worry, you get to choose the name of our second."

"Already have," he grinned, turning to Marcus, "Shepard."

He looked at Wrex for a moment, analyzing if he was serious or not. Seeing that he was, he shook his head, "No, Wrex. No. No no no no-"

"Isn't your choice. Its mine. My child-"

"Our child."

"Our child to name," Wrex corrected, rolling his eyes, "But if it makes you feel better, I was hoping to name one of our girls; if we do have one, Tali."

He raised an eyebrow, "Got a thing for your niece, Wrex?"

"I like the quarian you keep around," Wrex grinned.

His grin lessened, "I'll be sure to...find her, so you can say hello."

Wrex nodded, understanding his solemn tone, "You'll find her, I'm sure of it. Wars happen to bring people together, heh?"

He chuckled, "They certainly do."

"And now, we offer our thanks. And our utter devotion," Eve hinted and Wrex, getting the point, nodded, turning and holding out a hand to Marcus.

"I made a promise on behalf of the krogan, and I intend to keep it," Marcus nodded, taking Wrex's hand and shaking it in a steel grip, "Tell the Primarch that I'll have krogan troops shipped to Palaven as fast as I can send them. I'll also redeploy Aralakh Company and a large amount of our finest armoured divisions to the Citadel and hand them over to Hackett's command. And consider this, as leader of the United Krogan Clans, my official declaration of allegiance to the United Galactic Confederacy. May we show the Reapers no mercy."

"Thank you Wrex. I will pass it on to Hackett so the Council doesn't panic and think they're being invaded," this got a chuckle out of Wrex, and he laughed too, this one more genuine, "And I'll inform Victus. This is going to be a huge game changer Wrex, just you wait and see."

"I can see it perfectly well. We already killed Vanguard; showed the galaxy that Reapers can die," and with that, Wrex's sadisitic smirk returned, "And with any luck, the fury of Tuchanka will be returning. She has a temper, and Kalros is it."

"If only we could clone more Kalros'. We'd win this war in no time," he jested, sighing as he looked to Eve, "I've enjoyed the festivities, but me and my crew must be gone soon. There's still much to be done and many more to recruit; I'm sorry to say, but curing the genophage and gaining your support was only the tip of the iceberg." We fight or we die.

Wrex quickly nodded, bringing Marcus in for another brotherly hug, "I shall pass your goodbye onto Grunt; he'll be staying here, he's told me. Says he wants to continue leading Aralakh. But with them heading to the Citadel, I'm sure you two will be seeing each other sometime soon. Can't say the same for me. I'll be staying here, playing politician," he pulled back, slapping Marcus on the back. He turned Eve at that, a cheeky grin on his crocidilian face, "And I do believe its breeding season."

"Behave yourself, Wrex," Eve warned, moving in to give Marcus a much gentler hug, one that wasn't quite as back breaking, "I enjoyed meeting you Marcus Shepard, and I am glad to find you to be an honorable man. I do hope you find your mate, and may she give you strength in the trials ahead. You have many."

He nodded, thanking her with a meek smile, "Thank you, Eve."

She stopped at that, and she looked to be analyzing him for a moment. Then, like a moment shattered, she spoke, hesitant, "Captain, remember how I told you that, as a Shaman, I had to give up my old name and become anonymous?"

He nodded slowly, wondering where she was going with this, "Yes, you did. You also said you'd tell me someday." Was today that day?

Apparently he was right, "Then know this, Marcus Shepard. Know that Urdnot Bakara calls you a friend, and will answer your call whenever you need help."

He smiled, giving her a slighter nod, finding himself a bit repeititive in these motions, having a lack of anything to say, "Thank you, Bakara. I will remember that."

"Goodbye Shepard," Wrex salutated, "And may you win many battles."

Marcus merely nodded, turning away as he headed for the rest of the group, to get them ready to go.

They had many battles ahead indeed.

"And the worst times lay directly ahead. Curing the genophage really was just the tip of the iceberg."

- Marcus Shepard.

"You changed history majorly when you did that, Shepard. The Krogan Military Confederacy prospers well under the Dominion thanks to you."

- Reia'Inas pav Earth.

"Wrex still in charge?"

- Marcus Shepard.

"And Bakara, yes. We still stay in touch, too."

- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.

"That's good. That's...very good...what about Grunt?"

"A Battlelord now. Commands the formidable Solus Mobilized Infantry Division."

- Tali'Shepard pav Rannoch.

"We can catch up on recent history later. After leaving Tuchanka, what did you do?"

- Reia'Inas pav Earth.

"We headed back to the Citadel as per usual. Little did we know we'd arrive to break a siege."

- Marcus Shepard.

A/N:

You thought I'd kill Mordin that way, didn't you? I am a horrible person, but nearly that despicable. Whoever made that renegade option is going to the deepest pits of hell...

And you know what's up next: Priority: The Citadel II. But before that, two interim chapters, first of which will feature Tali once more, but in a far more...riveting setting. Interpret that as you will. Heh. heh. heh.

And I haven't forgotten about the nightmare sequences. Shepard will have them, but I've going to take my own edge with them. Again, interpret at will.

Might not be for a while, though. School work is quickly piling up, and I do have a life to lead!

Note: Also, I had been about to publish this as a whole (as part two and three were originally one part), but saw the word count was 20,000 and said to myself 'not going down that road again!' So I decided to split it. So I apologize if two parts are uploaded simultaneously.

Keelah Se'lai, troopers!