Rylee POV
SSV Normandy SR-3, the Great Sand Sea, Egypt 9th January 2190
The New Year was greeted with surprising adulation from the crew of the Normandy. I thought people would be all gloomy and sad like we had been for the past 5-6 months but that wasn't the case at all. Even Nate was in a good mood and partying like we used to on Omega. It was amazing, we had all gotten fairly drunk and did stupid things that we'll be embarrassed about in the future.
But the joy had passed just as quickly as it came. A week ago today I was approached by Admiral Hackett and Aleena and told my mission would begin today. For the past 5 months I was being trained by the Alliance as a grafter of sorts. I wasn't the only one to receive training, Samantha, Kasumi and Rikki also received the same training. Apparently we had all been chosen because we were the only women of recruiting age that the admiral trusted. This meant that we wouldn't be tested as rigorously to prove our identities checked out. That and women tend to be more trusted than men. We were each given unique combat training and we worked tirelessly on improving our ship maintenance and acting since we would be infiltrating Cerberus. I was going to be a combatant along with Rikki.
The Alliance was sending us onto Cronos Station, one of Cerberus' main bases of operations and we were to surreptitiously gather information without anyone realising what we were doing. We were to send reports of anything, weapon schematics, conversation, colony locations, shell companies, politicians, movements etc. anything that could tell the Alliance what the Illusive Man was planning. That was the only reason why Sam was coming with us, her ability to create and decipher code, as well as encryption would mean she was the best suited to get a message out without arousing suspicion.
We were only given 5 months to do this since we were pressed for time and we were the only unit in the entire Alliance that the Admiral was certain had no Cerberus influence whatsoever, so we were selected. There was one thing which the Admiral told us we could not do.
We were not allowed to tell anyone about what we were doing. It was pretty obvious why they couldn't tell anyone. They were sending a group of teenage girls to infiltrate one of the most impenetrable fortresses in the galaxy, we would almost certainly die on the ship but we were desperate to help.
This made being around Thane and Nate incredibly difficult for me, I wanted so desperately to tell them but I knew I couldn't. They had both picked up on it but they didn't suspect the real reason, I don't think anyone in the galaxy could figure it out. For some reason the Nate was acting really secretive, he was sneaking around the ship with Javik and they were always touching each other. They went to speak to Joker sometimes as well but most of the time they left disappointed.
"Hello… Rylee are you even listening to me?" Liara groaned
"Sorry Liara I was just lost in my thoughts for a bit"
"What's wrong? You, Sam and Kasumi have been acting strangely for a while now"
"It's nothing, we're going away on a mission with some soldiers and we'll be gone for a while" I explained
"Wow, why weren't any of us told?"
"It's meant to be a secret, but there's no real point in keeping it that way if I'm leaving in 20 minutes"
"What's the mission about?"
"Sorry Liara but you know I can't tell you. I haven't even told Thane or Nate"
"I know they'll understand. You're merely following your orders"
"Thanks Liara. I'll miss you" I hugged her as tightly as I could. This is probably the last time I'll get to see her. She helped me through Nate's recovery and I helped her through Benezia's fate, we developed an almost symbiotic relationship and that had brought us closer together than ever.
"Goddess be with you Rylee" she whispered. She let go of me and walked out of the crewman's quarters. We all had our jobs to do if we were going to retake the Citadel. I sure as hell am going to do mine.
"Yo princess have you seen your brother" Rikki broke my train of thought
"No actually I haven't seen him in two days" I confessed
"Really… so you're going to leave without saying goodbye to him"
"It's easier this way; if I see him now there's no way that I won't tell him where I'm going. Nate always knows when I'm keeping something from him"
"So that makes it okay to avoid him before a high risk mission. Just don't tell him what you're doing, say you're going away for a while"
"Why do you care? It's not like my relationship with my brother has any effect on you"
"Because you will regret it if you don't. There's a good chance that we'll die on this mission, you really don't want to let things go unsaid"
She makes a really good point. There are some things that we need to talk about before we leave. But telling Nate will almost certainly make him distressed. On the other hand he'll hate me if I leave without saying a word. However, telling him will only make him resent the alliance. AAAARRRRHHHH. Why is this so hard?
"So are you gonna help me find him or not princess?"
"Just ask EDI. She'll tell you exactly where he is. Why even bother coming to me in the first place"
"Because there's something I want to say to him and I don't think I can go alone" she mumbled
"Rylee we both know you're gonna talk to him so we might as well talk to him now" Rikki snapped
"Fine let's go" I relented. I really hope this goes well.
We found Nate in the bowels of the engineering deck in a dark corner with Javik. Both of them were really angry about something, but that anger quickly faded when Nate spotted me.
"Hey Ry what's up" he greeted
He looks so happy to see me… God this is going to suck "Nate we need to talk"
"Why do you sound so ominous?" he chuckled nervously
"You're really not going to like this but… I'm going away for a while"
"How long is a while?"
"Months… maybe forever"
"Forever? Wait a minute… are you going on a suicide mission?" it wasn't a question; it was more like a demand.
"It's potentially a suicide mission." I tried to calm him but I really doubt that worked
"Potentially!" he shouted but tried to regain his composure "Where are you going?"
"A Cerberus space station. It's said to be the Illusive Man's main base of operations. It's called Cronos Station"
"Alright… I know that this is all to take the Citadel back and I'm proud that you're helping… when are you leaving?"
"In 20 minutes" I replied, this time I couldn't make eye contact with him.
"How long did you know?"
I had to force my eyes shut to keep the tears from falling "5 months"
"5 FUCKING MONTHS AND I'M ONLY HEARING THIS NOW!" he roared
"Hey ease up on her, Hackett and Aleena told us that no one else should find out until we were gone" Rikki came to my defence.
"Hackett knew… I see how it is now. I'm the emotional freak who could die from a bad hair day so now I'm out of the loop… I'm not mad at you Rylee I'm mad at Hackett"
"I'm sorry for not telling you earlier"
"It's alright, you were given a direct order and you followed it. I can't really fault you for that" Nate said, he was still angry about the deception but he didn't want to show it. Too bad he was doing such a shitty job at it.
"I'm guessing this is the last time we'll see each other until we have a plan to take the Citadel" he stated
"I guess it is" I breathed, I could barely restrain my emotions any longer so I pulled him in for a big hug. Eventually he returned it and kissed me on top of my head as my tears began to fall.
That was when it truly dawned on me that this could very well be the last time I see my brother. All those times when we were arguing as kids and we wished that one of us would just disappear and never come back. Now there's a strong possibility that could happen. My brother is a lot like my father although he hates to admit it, he's strong willed, driven, charismatic and he makes me feel safe. He's always taken hits for me and has always put my safety over his own. I will always love him for that. But now it's my turn to protect him, I will reclaim the Citadel and he will see Jennifer again. I swear on my father's grave he will be with Jennifer again even if I have to die to make it happen.
"I'm so sorry Nate" I sobbed "You deserve so much better than what life has dealt you!"
"Shh… It's alright Rylee. No more pitying me please" he whispered
"I love you" I whispered
"I love you too"
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Nate POV
Hackett you stupid bastard just what the fuck are you thinking. Is this honestly your brightest idea! Yes let's send a group of teenage girls to infiltrate Cerberus' most secure base and let's see what happens. I know exactly what Cronos Station is. Rylee Leigh's memories were enough to tell me that it was probably the most secure place in the galaxy. Any security risks were dealt with immediately without hesitation.
I had to make some calls to all of my human friends aboard the ship and I realised that it was only Sam and Kasumi going with Rylee.
And he thought it was a great fucking idea to send my sister and her friends in. I get that I Kaidan and I were too high profile because of Virmire and there was no way that Cerberus would let an alien join their ranks. But come on there have to be others that can do this task.
Fuck and it's too late to do anything about it now. I couldn't force it because there were armed guards all over the ship, Sam and Kasumi are the best hackers I know and they're apart of the mission. Add that to the fact that Hackett isn't on board and I have no means of reaching him, which means this mission is going to go ahead whether or not I like it.
"Yo… Lamebrain are you gonna snap out of it or do I have to slap you" Rikki threatened
"Listen Rikki I am really not in the mood for your crap right now" I growled
"I wouldn't give you crap if you'd just listen to what I'm trying to say" she countered
"Alright so what were you going to say?"
"Um….shit… ok I just want to say that…. Aaargh this went so much better when I practiced it in the mirror this morning" she stumbled over her words and her hand smacked her lips when she realised what she just said.
"You practiced this in the mirror. What, did you rehearse my lines too" I teased
"Just shut up and listen to me alright we don't have much time left" she urged whilst fighting the blush.
"I'm sorry about what I said about Anderson on the last day of school… remember… when I said why don't you just die…"
"You forgot the last part when you said 'he should get shot'" yes I remember that very clearly. Her last words to Anderson ended up being more ominous than she realised. I've never really blamed her for anything that happened, I knew that she didn't really mean it and that none of what had happened was her fault.
"So you do remember…. I just want to say that I'm really sorry for what I said. After seeing you react the way you did after he died, I realised just how shitty what it was. And I was wrong about him. He was a great marine."
"Why tell me this now though? You've had months to apologise"
"Because I'm a part of that mission Rylee is on with Sam and Kasumi… and I don't want to have any regrets in case I die. That's why I told Jason I love him, in spite of what people think he's a good kid. And I didn't want to die with this burden on my chest"
"Rikki, what happened to Anderson was not your fault. I know exactly who's to blame and I know who's getting a bullet to the head"
"Just don't do anything stupid that's going to get you killed. Your family doesn't need that now"
"After Rylee leaves I won't have any family left. Cerberus has cut all communications out of the Citadel. I can't talk to my mum."
"This is gonna sound really cheesy but… we're all your family. Every one of your friends wants you to be a part of this fight. They all care about you and they'd die for you in a heartbeat."
"Thanks Rikki"
"By the way there's one more thing." She said. She closed the distance between us and planted a kiss on my lips. When she broke off, the blush on her cheeks was apparent.
"I've wanted to do that ever since I'd met you." She confessed
"Rikki… I can't"
"I know… You're in love with Jack and I have to deal with that. Can't blame a girl for trying." She smiled sheepishly; she couldn't look me in the eye before walking up the stairs
"I'll miss you Rikki"
It's crazy thinking that only a year ago I didn't know many of these people and now they're as close as family. Even Rikki's gotten close to me ever since I woke up. That just adds another person I have to fight for.
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Rylee POV
Before I leave there is one more person that I absolutely have to talk to. Thane's usually in the life support area of the crew deck. So that's going to be my first objective. I honestly have no clue as to what to say to him.
Thankfully he was in Life support meditating. "Thane? Can we talk?"
"Of course Siha… why do you look distressed?"
I began playing with my fingers, I really don't want to tell him this. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you, but I haven't had the courage to say to you."
The assassin's demeanour suddenly became far more serious, even for him. "I'm going away for a while"
"How long is a while?"
"I don't actually know, but the chances that I'll die are pretty high"
"What is it that you are doing?"
I took a deep breath and explained the mission brief. I told him about the training, about Cerberus and I made sure to communicate just how important it was for me to do this. We need to take the Citadel back, Cerberus has been in control for 5 months too long.
As I explained the situation I could see Thane's expression changing. Even though to most people, Thane was a stoic man, I could read him better than anyone. And I can tell that he wasn't happy at the arrangement.
"It's okay Siha. I understand why you have to go. You want to help in any way that you can and I support that" he said.
The entire time that I was dreading this talk, I always thought that he'd show some emotion about my leaving. I mean come on. I just told you I am going on a suicide mission and you just brush it off. I didn't want him to stress or get depressed, but I was at least expecting some passion from him. And that lack of passion is what hurt me.
The hurt caused tears to formulate, but I had to fight them. "Oh… is that all"
"Were you expecting something more Rylee? Did you want to see me break down in tears? Did you want me to beg you to stay with me? Were you expecting me to lock you in this room and never let you leave?" he interrogated.
"YES!" I responded. "I know it's selfish but I did. This is possibly the last time we'll ever see each other and you're so calm about it."
"I'm not" he whispered. "I'm angry"
The only times I've ever seen Thane angry was when he saw the batarians in the combat sim and when Saren tried to attack me. Both those times ended in blood being shed.
"I'm angry because you only inform me of this minutes before you have to leave. I understand that you were under orders from the alliance, but you still could've told me"
I winced at the tone of his voice. "I'm devastated that I may never see you again and our last moments together are marred by my anger"
I approached him for a hug with tears rolling down my face. During our embrace I noticed that Kolyat was now awake on Thanes bed. He had learned how to walk and he was trying to roll out of his bed so he could get on his feet.
I broke away from Thane and picked Kolyat up. He smiled and wrapped his arms around my neck, which made me cry even more. "Rylee" he whispered.
I pulled him away and kissed him on the forehead. "I love you, Kolyat"
"I love you, Kolyat" he repeated rather innocently
Thane was smiling at the scene before him. "I love the both of you," he admitted.
"I love you too Thane" I choked.
After I said that Lieutenant Coats walked into the room. "We're leaving now Shepard"
I put Kolyat down and kissed Thane. "I won't die, I won't leave you and Kolyat. Now I want you to make me the same promise."
"I will never leave Siha" he promised. I stole one more kiss before being taken away by Lt. Coats.
Cerberus will die for what they've done to me.
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Nate POV
1 Month Later
Dammit I need to work quickly, the longer I take to find this damn memory about Ilos, the quicker Rylee can get away from Cerberus. The better I'll feel. But the thing is we've searched every inch of this ship. It's been over a month since we found that memory about Ilos preparation.
Every memory I've encountered has been about speculation about Ilos, but nothing confirmed. I even asked Joker and he doesn't know. I thought he was lying so I explained everything I'd found out but he gave the same response.
I went to Samara, Zaeed, Aleena and Dr Chakwas, but none of them knew either. They said they went on a mission there and it went south quickly and they had to escape. They also said any info that they had learned from there was useless and irrelevant now.
They were surprised with how much I knew and they all deduced that it was Javiks doing. I even asked EDI about Ilos and she said she had user restrictions, the only people capable of accessing them were my mum, dad, Kaidan's dad and Rylee Leigh. That means they are the only people who know exactly what happened. 2 of them were dead and the other 2 weren't reachable.
That's when the idea came to my head. "EDI, did Eric Shepard, Kieran Alenko, Rylee Leigh and Hannah Sanders enter the captains quarters immediately after Ilos?"
"No" was her response.
"Did Eric Shepard and Hannah Sanders enter the captain's quarters immediately after returning from Ilos?"
"Yes"
Come to think of it I've never seen the Captain's quarters icon ever appear on the elevator. Maybe that was so that only my father could get in. But then again, I've always let someone else use it. Maybe it's locked on to DNA.
I got Javik and we approached the elevator and looked at the screen. "EDI, I want to go to the Captains quarters."
She didn't respond, instead I was instructed to put my hand on the controls. It then verified that I was Nathan Shepard and presented me with a question "What year was I born? Dad"
That's easy. 2141.
Wrong!
What the hell? That's when he was born. It says so on his tombstone. Unless he was lying abou… no way. He couldn't possibly remember.
1997.
That caused the elevator to move up. I remember back when I was a kid, I used to tell anyone who'd listen how old I was and also how old my parents were. My mum hated it and so did my dad. They knew I wasn't going to stop, so they told me that they were born almost 200 years ago to mess with me. I honestly didn't think he'd remember.
When I reached his quarters I was immediately enamoured at how big it was. This room was almost as big as the mess and it was all for him. I didn't think the Alliance would splurge on something like this.
Anyway back to the matter at hand. I had better find these memories quickly otherwise, Rylee's in trouble.