Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

A/N: Thanks to everyone following along and to my beta, drakontion, for her help. Pardon my cheesy attempts at humor. Have some action.

Chapter 36

The Kodiak shuttle touched down roughly and Shepard unbuckled her harness, slapping her breather on and adjusting the fit. She watched her team do likewise, studying their movements as she adjusted her environmental controls. They seemed eager to be off the Normandy, their feet on solid ground with an enemy they could face. Shepard couldn't help but to agree with that idea. She was uncomfortable any hostile engagements where she couldn't shoot the enemy herself.

The cabin's door opened, gears groaning softly, and Shepard hopped onto the rust-colored surface, sandy and scorching beneath her booted feet. The sky was darkened, stars obscured by the volatile vapors spewing forth from the bowels of the moon. An industrial structure sprawled before her, metallic pipes lining the entryway and discharging heated gases. The hum of power thrummed from deep within, causing her skin to itch beneath her armor. She checked her suit's gages, nerves tingling once more with adrenaline.

She motioned to her team, Kaidan already moving to the door and intent on hacking the control panel. Garrus and Miranda covered him while Grunt and Jacob monitored the perimeter. Mordin studied his omni-tool, yellow lights glowing brightly against his pale skin. Shepard took up position next to him, eyes scanning the horizon.

"Mordin?"

"Readings mixed. Appears base contains both geth and batarian forces." He met her eyes and blinked. "Suggest caution."

Shepard cocked a slender eyebrow. While it was good to know Mordin was still master of the obvious, she would have preferred more detailed information. Unfastening her cannon from her holster, the commander slammed in a thermal clip and proceeded forward, Mordin walking alongside her.

"Sensors suggest power generators recently brought online."

Shepard nodded. "That would explain why we only just detected the base. Any idea what it's for?"

Mordin shook his head in the human manner, eyes still glued to his omni-tool. "Large complex. Standard geth layout suggests power generators located in centralized location."

"Nothing we haven't handled before." The commander paused next to Miranda as she maintained her watchful vigil by the door. "Kaidan? How's that hack coming?"

"Almost there. Give me a minute."

Shepard pursed her lips in thought, running through a myriad of scenarios in her mind. "Mordin, can you detect where the main hubs are?"

"No." He punched in a series of commands with his usual vigor. "Readings inconclusive."

"What's your plan, Shepard?" Garrus shifted his stance, sighting down his sniper scope as he surveyed the blasted landscape.

"We go in, shoot anything that moves, and blow the place."

"Simple. Effective. I like it."

"We're in, Shepard." Kaidan flicked off his omni-tool as he stood, eyes hooded underneath his helmet.

The commander moved into position by the door and keyed her mic. "I want three fire teams. Jacob and Miranda, you'll take left flank. Kaidan and I will be on the right. Mordin, Grunt, and Garrus – you've got our rear. Move out."

Heavy metal doors slid open, grinding against the rocky granules collected over the passing of time. The commander slid in, moving swiftly alongside the wall. A red glow lit their path, the others following Shepard's lead. She paused as the doors closed, the reverberations echoing down the corridors.

"Everyone remember where we parked," Garrus quipped.

O o O o O o O

They filed down the corridor, pausing occasionally to take readings and mark their progress. Shepard had ordered all teams to be on the lookout for any sort of control panels in order to hack into the systems and get a complete layout of the complex. She disliked flying blind and with so many unknown variables on this mission, was more uncomfortable than usual.

Her skin itched underneath her armor, the cooling units of her suit doing little to assuage her discomfort. The commander crept along the walls, halting at intersections within the maze of corridors, each identically lit by the same eerie red glow. She glanced down at her omni-tool and noting the nearby power fluctuations, motioned her team to continue forward.

It didn't take as long as she had thought when they finally reached signs of life, or rather synthetic life. Shepard poked her head around the corner while Miranda and Jacob secured their left flank. Kaidan stilled beside her, pistol at the ready, while the others maintained watch on their six. The scene before her was strangely familiar, reminiscent of her mission with Legion on Heretic Station. There, in perfect firing range, were three mobile platforms synced up to a hub.

Shepard keyed her comm., speaking in low tones. "Everyone get into position and watch your footing. We don't want to alert them before we're ready. Take them out but leave the hub intact. We can make use of it."

She saw Miranda nod as she and Jacob moved forward; Mordin, Garrus and Grunt taking up position. Kaidan followed directly behind Shepard as she turned the corner and positioned herself behind a large console. Pulling out her widow, she checked the sights, aligning them carefully.

"Miranda and Jacob – take the one on the left. Garrus – you've got the right. We'll take down the one in the middle." She nestled the butt of her rifle against her shoulder and sighted. "On my mark."

In normal circumstances she would have considered the geth too close for the widow, but considering the synthetic was unaware at present, Shepard decided to take the opportunity to utilize maximum firepower with the least collateral damage. She had plans for the hub, and would hate to see it wasted.

"Mark."

A thundering shot rang out in the nearly empty room, resounding over the metal paneling as pain exploded in her shoulder. The middle synthetic stumbled forward with the impact, turning to face its attackers as it disengaged from the hub. The hunter let loose with a rifle blast before activating its cloak.

The din of gunfire echoed through the small space, biotic fireworks turning the red glow briefly to purple and then back again. Kaidan shifted beside her, letting loose with a warp field as she switched to her cannon. Popping up again she dumped a clip in the approaching synthetic, its cloaked form barely visible amidst the chaos. It stumbled again and Kaidan finished it off with an overload.

The other two geth were also on the floor, one still chirruping oddly before Shepard put another round in its central processor. She stood, surveying the scene and smiling as the hub remained untouched.

She gestured with her head, jerking it to the side. "Kaidan, tell me you can hack that thing."

The yellow glow of his omni-tool colored his helmet and she could see him frown beneath his visor. "I'll see what I can do, Shepard, but no promises."

Motioning to the others to take up positions once more, the commander crossed the room and stood watch by his side as Kaidan accessed the hub. Smatterings of lights were sprinkled across the massive console, flickering occasionally as he synced up his omni-tool. He frowned again, studying the readouts streaming into the 'tool's system.

"No firewalls. No security measures. It's like they didn't expect anyone to violate their systems." He shot Shepard a look of surprise. "I have full access."

"Get me a schematic of the complex and the location of the power generators."

"Yes, Commander." He tensed, resuming his duties and focusing his attention on the connection.

Shepard surveyed the empty room, devoid of any recognizable feature. The only thing that seemed to differentiate this room from any other they had passed were the gutted synthetics scattered over the floor. While she was sure the interior decorators back home wouldn't approve, it was a design element that she could respect. Although, she never did get that geth's head desk lamp she'd wanted.

"Got it, Shepard." Kaidan disconnected his omni-tool and punched in a series of commands. A large schematic winked into existence, rotating slowly as Shepard studied the layout.

"Looks like this is the central chamber - where the generators are being held." She tilted her head, frowning, and pointed to what appeared to be an anomaly in the floor plan. "What's this?"

"According to the readings, it's the primary landing pad, complete with refueling station and hanger."

The commander bit her lip in thought, formulating a plan. "It's open ground?"

Kaidan nodded.

"We'll need to disable it." She turned to Miranda; the slender woman crouched almost casually behind another console. "Any word from our backup?"

"None, Commander." Her XO checked the gage on her pistol and slammed in another clip. "We may be getting some interference from the structure."

Shepard resisted the urge to sigh, instead readying her cannon. "We're on our own, then. Move out."

They proceeded apace, making their way through the geth hubs and further down the maze of corridors, red lighting throwing eerie shadows across industrial piping. They destroyed six more hubs before the architecture began to change. The metal piping no longer spat out gouts of steam, and the garish red lighting dissolved beneath the glow of soft white. Shepard's nerves tingled with caution. She was not comfortable with the change, most likely the work of new construction. The commander turned to Miranda who continued to cover her left flank.

"I think we've made it into batarian country."

"My thoughts exactly, Commander."

Kaidan flicked on his omni-tool again. "Readings indicate that they added this section within the past two years."

"Makes sense," Shepard grumbled. "Geth have no need for environmental controls or aesthetic appeal."

He magnified a section of the floor plan, focusing on their current location. "We'll need to head down this corridor – at least one hundred feet – and then hang a left. Another hundred feet and we hit the control room. The primary generators should be located within."

"What's the catch?"

Kaidan shot her a crooked smile. "We have to bypass the barracks."

"You're just full of good news, aren't you Kaidan."

"All in a day's work, ma'am."

She bit her tongue on a retort, choosing instead to turn her attention back to the mission at hand. "Do your sensors detect any life signs in the barracks?"

Kaidan shook his head. "There's too much interference between here and there. We'll need to get closer."

"Right outside the door, huh?"

"That would do it."

Shepard pursed her lips, readying her weapon once more. She started forward again, moving swiftly through the corridors lest their presence be discovered. The halls were surprisingly empty, leaving Shepard with a similar feeling in her gut. She had expected sentries stationed at key points along their route, but their absence was vexing. Surely security wasn't that lax?

Shepard rounded another corner, Kaidan right behind her, when she suddenly halted. "Miranda and Jacob hold positions. Garrus, keep an eye on our six. Barracks are at the end of the hall. Hold tight."

The commander gestured to Kaidan and they slid along the walls, scouting out the area with weapons at the ready. Shepard paused again when she reached the doorway. Deep, gravelly voices sounded faintly from within, their garbled speech an incomprehensible drone at this distance. She checked the readings of her omni-tool, shifting her body to hide its feeble yellow glow, noting the presence of only a handful of batarians within. Worry lined her brow. She wasn't sure if she should be thankful or concerned that they had engaged such a small number of enemies so far.

She reached up to key her comm. again, speaking in low tones. "Miranda. Jacob. I want you two on point at the other end of the hall as soon as we open fire. I have no intention of leaving our asses hanging out in the breeze if this gets too hairy."

The former Cerberus operatives moved stealthily up the hall to Shepard's position. "Roger that, Commander."

Jacob's body glowed faintly as he activated his barrier. "We'll keep you covered."

Shepard checked the ammo count on her cannon before switching to her widow. She chambered a round and activated her cloak, sighting down the scope as she zeroed in on her target. A single batarian guard stood near the other entrance, a control panel next to his position. He looked to be chatting with another guard not more than ten feet away and only partially dressed. Two more armed guards stood on either side of the room. Shepard ignored the mix of curiosity and disgust creeping through her system, aligning the crosshairs of her scope. She pushed aside the mental image of the half-naked alien and fired, relishing the familiar pain blossoming in her shoulder.

Chaos erupted as Kaidan overloaded their weapons' systems and opened fire. Miranda and Jacob rushed past them, securing their positions on point. Shepard chambered another round and sighted again, targeting the half-naked guard as he raced for his sidearm. He crumpled beneath her fire, chest bursting open with the force of the impact.

Two more guards went down under Kaidan's assault, a fifth huddling behind a metal bunk. Shepard motioned to Kaidan before activating her cloak, targeting the hostile as he took aim at the other commander. Kaidan's shields flared briefly as the batarian's shot grazed him, dropping to cover as Shepard opened fire. The last guard fell to the ground with a dull thud, his rifle clattering loudly across the metal flooring.

"Barracks clear." Shepard reported. "Status?"

"Rear guard is clear, Shepard."

"No sign of enemy reinforcements on this end, Commander."

Shepard nodded, maintaining an open comm. channel. "Hold positions. While I didn't see any of the guards call for reinforcements, that doesn't mean they didn't hear the gunfire."

"Roger that, Commander. Grunt and Mordin like to wait patiently."

She heard Jacob snicker through a slight burst of static and Shepard shot Kaidan a crooked smile while he accessed his omni-tool. "According to the schematic, the barracks has a second entrance on the north side. We can use this room as our fallback position if need be."

Shepard nodded in agreement. "Given that we've only seen small groups so far, I suspect the bulk of their forces are somewhere else."

"The landing platforms, maybe?" Jacob suggested over the comm. "With everything that's going on overhead, I bet they're prepping ships for reinforcement."

"A sound theory." Miranda stated.

Kaidan and Shepard exchanged glances. "If your readouts are correct, the power generators are located just off the landing platforms. We can kill two birds with one stone."

"Suggest caution, Shepard." Mordin's voice interrupted her train of thought. "Once power is cut, presence will undoubtedly be noticed."

The commander frowned. "Kaidan, were you able to download information on the crew compliment, number of hubs – anything that'll tell us how many enemies are going to come at us once we cut the power?"

Kaidan studied the data scrolling down his omni-tool's feed, his brow creasing with frustration. "I've got nothing on batarian forces, but I have some data on geth hubs. There are two server rooms in the complex. To get to the nearest one, server room A, we'll have to backtrack and go away from the control room."

"And the other?"

Kaidan's frown deepened. "Server room B is on the other side of the complex."

"No way we can get there undetected." Jacob interjected over the comm.

"He's right." Miranda agreed. "Our best bet is to disable the nearest server room, and hope it's the larger of the two."

"According to the records, it is, although server room B has close to five hundred mobile platforms in storage."

Grunt's dark laughter filtered through the radio. "I like a challenge, Battlemaster."

Shepard cocked an eyebrow. "While I don't share his enthusiasm, I have to admit it's the best course of action. Garrus, do we have enough ordnance for the server room and landing pads?"

"Roger that, Commander. Mr. Taylor and I loaded up on far too many explosives before heading out."

"Right." Shepard stated, her mind working furiously. "Miranda? You and Jacob take Grunt and head for server room A. Don't blow it until I give the order."

"Acknowledged, Shepard."

"Garrus? Mordin? You're with us. We'll rendezvous at the control room in twenty."

"Yes, ma'am." Shepard could almost hear the salute in Miranda's voice. "See you on the other side."

Pounding footsteps reverberated across the metal flooring as Grunt bolted excitedly down the hall to join up with Miranda and Jacob. Mordin and Garrus followed, splitting off from his trail as they filed into the barracks. Shepard met them at the entrance, prying open the access panel as the door slid shut. She cut the hoses and made short work of the control panel, effectively sealing the door. Shepard looked up as she finished her work to find Kaidan studying her curiously.

"If this is our fallback position, I don't want them hitting us on two fronts."

Kaidan held up his hands, placating. "Oh it's not that, Shepard. It's just nice to see you tackle tech every once and a while."

Shepard pulled out her cannon and slammed in another clip, sharpening her gaze as she met Kaidan's eyes. "Commander Alenko? Do try to keep your mind on our mission. We'll have time for personal debriefings later."

O o O o O o O

Shepard and Garrus took up positions on either side of the control room doors, Mordin and Kaidan in supporting positions, covering their six. Omni-tool sensors indicated the presence of another small grouping of life signs totaling four. Shepard believed that her team would be able to take them out before they activated the alarm. In theory.

She nodded to Garrus and activated her cloak, taking aim at the batarian sitting at the main control unit. Her shot cracked through the silence, seeming to stun the batarians momentarily as their comrade dropped to the ground. They quickly snapped out of their surprise, however, throwing unintelligible shouts across the room, interrupted by Garrus as he opened fire.

Shepard switched to her cannon, unleashing a round into the nearest guard. He went down, stumbling as the shot impacted his leg. He reached up onto the console and Shepard shot him again, putting him down for good.

She ducked back into cover as her shields flared bright blue, a near miss as another guard opened fire. The commander took a moment to reload while Garrus unleashed a hail of bullets on the enemy position, the sharp sounds of a ricochet echoing off the walls. Checking her cloak she noticed it was only half charged, and acting on the adrenaline pumping through her veins, she popped out of cover and opened fire again.

The confrontation was over quickly, and Shepard struggled to suppress the energy surging through her body. She studied the large room, dominated by the twin energy generators pulsating with orange light. Garrus followed her inside, securing the perimeter and checking the dead. He signaled the all-clear and Shepard keyed her mic.

"Area secured. Mordin, take up position inside the doors and guard our flank. Kaidan, I'll need you at the master control unit."

"Roger that, Commander. Moving to position."

Shepard ejected the half-empty clip and loaded another one as she studied the main control unit. It was massive, an enormous lighted display with multiple keys flashing in a maelstrom of color. Garrus had already wound his way past it and around the generators, locking the door on the north end. The commander nodded to him in thanks, moving back to take up position next to Mordin.

Kaidan followed him in, briefly meeting Shepard's gaze as he took a seat before the massive unit. His helmet glowed bright orange from the combined lights of the display and generators, pulsating with reflected radiance. The commander watched him work with purpose, fingers moving swiftly over the controls as he hacked the system. As much as she regretted it, Shepard turned her attention away from him and focused her eyes down the hallway. If reinforcements had been alerted, they would be on their way.

Time ticked by, moments seeming to pass with the swiftness of hours. Shepard checked her omni-tool repeatedly, each time dismayed by the lack of progress and futilely wishing time would move faster. Normally, waiting was not an issue, but with the Reaper confrontation up above and a mixed batarian-geth army out the door, her impatience was starting to chafe.

Mordin seemed to notice her restlessness and blinked. "Behavior suggests irritability. Perhaps an itch cream?"

Shepard quirked an eyebrow, swallowing the dent to her pride. Surely the doctor was not serious, but she was never quite sure with him.

"I'm good, Mordin." She checked her omni-tool again. "Garrus, time to rendezvous?"

"Seven minutes."

"My sensors aren't detecting them. Are yours?"

"Nothing yet, Shepard," Garrus adjusted his stance, shifting his rifle. "But I'm getting some interesting readings outside the room."

"Such as?"

"Not quite sure, yet. There's a lot of interference from the generators, but according to the schematic, the entrance to the landing pad's at the end of this hall. My money's on ships – bolstering their numbers since Archibald's forces are in orbit near this position."

"No word from our reinforcements?"

"None yet, Commander." Garrus switched off his 'tool. "Try contacting them again once we cut the power – should minimize interference."

Shepard nodded in thought, turning her attention once more to the hallway as the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the halls. She cocked the hammer on her cannon, taking aim at the unknowns encroaching on their position.

"Shepard, it's Miranda. Hold your fire. We're coming from the southern corridor, approaching your location."

The commander held her weapon firmly trained down the hall, eyes scanning as blood pounded in her ears. The noise of their approach grew louder and Shepard felt a small wave of relief wash over her as Miranda's team appeared in her vision. The trio poured into the control room, Miranda motioning to the others to take up positions by the doors.

Shepard stepped away as Grunt took up her guard and followed Miranda to the control unit as the other woman studied the enormous display. "Report."

Her eyes flicked from the console and back to Shepard. "We planted the explosives at key points in server room A. They're armed and ready for your order, Commander."

"Any trouble?"

"We ran into a few hubs along the way, though nothing we couldn't handle. Platforms were inactive in the server room, although Jacob did find a storage area and cut the main link to be safe."

"Good." Shepard turned her attention back to the master control unit. "How's it coming, Kaidan?"

"I'm accessing the main files now, Shepard. There's a lot of data to sift through."

"We can't stay here all day, Kaidan. Have you found anything interesting?"

He nodded slowly, his attention focused on his task. "I've downloaded a few files that looked interesting, and – wait a second."

Shepard shifted her weight, leaning over the console to better view the data scrolling down the display. "What?"

His fingers danced over the controls as he enlarged part of the information feed. "Here – this mentions the Leviathan of Dis."

"Impossible," Miranda blurted as she mirrored Shepard's pose.

"According to this, it's entirely possible." Kaidan punched in another series of commands, an image of the batarian's pet project wavering slightly on the display. "It seems the batarian government has been funneling money to this base – supplying tech and personnel as well."

Shepard pursed her lips, loathing deepening the frown creasing her brow. "Look at the shape, the form of the Leviathan." She traced the blurred patterns of the image, distorting it further with an accidental touch. "It's not identical to what we've seen, but it's close enough."

"Impossible," Miranda sputtered.

"The batarians got themselves a Reaper."

Silence reigned in that appalling moment, as the sick reality of their situation set in. The commander breathed deeply and gathered her wits, checking her timer again before glancing back up at Kaidan. "We need to blow the servers now. Download what you can to an OSD and find me a way to disable these generators."

Kaidan nodded, skimming through the reams of data scrolling down the screen. He punched in a sequence of commands, his frustration growing, evident by the force of his actions. Shepard watched as another data stream popped up onscreen, yellow lettering flicking across his helm.

"Here," he pointed emphatically to a segment of information. "I'll need to re-route the secondary protocols and lock out the network to prevent the emergency systems from activating. Then we cut the hard line."

"Where's the hard line?"

"I'm sitting on it."

Kaidan stood, moving the chair out of the way and giving Shepard access to the utility panel on the floor. She pried it open savagely, tossing the panel aside, clattering loudly as it skittered across the floor. She glanced up at him, waiting for his word to proceed.

He punched in an abrupt series of commands, working quickly as his fingers flew over the console. The data stream halted, then winked out of existence as the display flickered and died. Kaidan met Shepard's gaze and nodded.

She looked to Miranda. "Blow the servers when I cut the power. Ready?"

"Ready, Commander."

Shepard wrenched the tubing from its snug holdings, the screech of metal grating together causing her to wince slightly. Irritation fueled her reserves and she pulled harder, falling back ungracefully as the hard line gave way. The controller in Miranda's hand beeped softly as she activated it, the telltale clamor of an explosion following shortly.

The commander felt the reverberations of the blast as the floor vibrated beneath her. Kaidan reached out his hand and she took it, standing with his assistance. He squeezed her hand gently as she locked her eyes on his. A knowing look passed between them and Shepard readied her weapon.

"Miranda, see if you can contact our reinforcements. I'd say it's a good bet the enemy knows we're here."