Chapter 35: Arrival

Several days have passed since the assault on the Shadow Broker's base. The repairs on the ship's hull were nearing completion. Shepard was approaching his terminal when one of the crew members notified Shepard, "Incoming message from Admiral Steven Hackett, Alliance HQ."

"Commander Shepard," Hackett said. "I need to discuss a sensitive matter with you privately."

"I'll take this in my quarters," Shepard told Kelly.

Kelly nodded.

Shepard went up to his cabin. He approached his terminal and activated the cabin's communication screen. The video transmission of Hackett appeared before him.

"Commander, thank you for your time. I'll keep this brief. We have a deep-cover operative out in Batarian space. Name's Doctor Amanda Kenson. Dr. Kenson recently reported that she found evidence of an imminent Reaper invasion."

"So why call me?" Shepard asked.

"Just this morning I received word that the Batarians arrested her. They're holding her in a secret prison outpost on terrorism charges. I need you to infiltrate the prison and get her out of there. As a favour to me, I'm asking you to go in alone."

"I've heard of Kenson. I've read into her research of the Mass Relays. She's been causing a stir in the galactic community with her findings that the Relays are much older than 50000 years. Didn't know she was an Alliance operative."

"That is correct. While some in the Alliance don't want to believe that the Reapers are coming, there are still some who do. Kenson claims she found an artifact out in Batarian space. She believes it's a Reaper device, proof that the Reapers are indeed planning to invade. I've known her a long time. If she says she has proof, it's worth checking out. You already know of some of her work, so you know this is necessary to prove to the galaxy that the Reapers are real."

"I'll make this a priority."

"The prison is hidden underground at a Batarian outpost on Aratoht. I'll upload the coordinates now. Once she's secure, confirm her discovery. We'll brief you when you're back."

"Got it."

"Hackett out."

VVVVVV

Shepard had his squadmates gather in the comm room for a meeting. "I got a transmission from Admiral Hackett," he started. "For those who have not been keeping up with the recent news. Kenson has been researching the Mass Relays and has been submitting evidence that the Relays are older than originally thought, thereby refuting the claim that the Protheans created them. Kenson, as it turns out, is a deep-cover Alliance operative who is looking evidence that the Reapers exist. She was on a mission in Batarian space, but was capture by the Hegemony and is being held on Aratoht."

"Was there a specific reason Kenson was arrested?" Garrus asked.

"In the last transmission she sent off, she said that she found a Reaper artifact. And that artifact proves the impending Reaper invasion."

"Then it needs to be found," Miranda declared.

"Yes, Hackett asked me to break Kenson out of the prison."

"He wants you to break into a Batarian prison and out?" Garrus asked out loud. "That's insane. You should let some of us come with you."

"Hackett fears that if the Batarians sees a squad of soldier infiltrating the prison, the Batarians would execute Kenson and cause a political incident with the Batarians."

"That is logical," Legion stated.

"How is going alone into a Batarian prison to break someone out, logical?" Tali asked Legion. "This is a high risk mission even with a team."

"Shepard-Commander is correct in his reasoning. This mission requires stealth for highest chance of success."

"Then take me along," Kasumi suggested. "I can turn invisible."

"We calculate that one person entering and exiting the facility has the highest rate of success," Legion stated.

"Where do you think the technology for your invisibility came from Kasumi?" Shepard asked. "Before Aether left, he upgraded my armour. I should be able to get in and out before they even notice."

"This increases chances of success by 23.4 percent," Legion reevaluated.

"Even if I am going alone, I want everyone here on standby in case I am captured. Everyone clear on that?"

Everyone at the table nodded.

"Be safe, John," Tali said.

VVVVVV

It was pouring rain around the prison that housed the Alliance scientist. The shuttle flew in and landed next to an unguarded backdoor to the facility. The door opened and Shepard hopped out. The shuttle flew away. He approached the door and noticed it was locked. The right side of it was a cable that powered the door's security.

Shepard created a psionic blade of dark energy and cut the cable. The lock unleashed on the door allowing it to open. He entered inside. The tunnel was decrepit and there were leaks everywhere. Shepard moved forward until he reached a gap. He looked down below and saw a Varren sleeping. Shepard engaged his armour's invisibility.

'Varren,' he thought to himself. 'The Batarians must send their prisoners down here to die. I have to find Doctor Kenson now.'

Shepard surrounded his body in dark energy and hovered over the gap to the other side. He did this quiet as to not awaken the nearby Varren. Shepard moved forward up some stairs and saw a Varren run by. He went down the corridor and shut off a security panel. To his right he saw a Varren resting in the direction he needed to go. Shepard stealthily approached the Varren and punched it in the head. The creature was knocked out immediately.

As Shepard was walking by a laser field, he heard one of the Batarian guards. "Get the Human into questioning."

"Get your damn hands off of me!" a Human women demanded.

Shepard assumed she was likely Kenson. He needed to hurry. Shepard came to a deactivated door, but saw a damaged pipe just above it. He fired one round into the pipe. It exploded which opened to way forward. The Batarians would likely believe that the explosion was just due to the poor condition of the place. Shepard turned the gas direction to remove the flames that blocked his path.

Eventually Shepard found the exit of the run-down tunnels. It opened to a lounge quarters for the guards, which luckily was unoccupied. Shepard could hear two of the guards speaking.

"They want to slam an asteroid into the mass relay."

"Can they even do that?"

"What difference does it make? We caught them."

'Slam an asteroid into a relay?' Shepard thought. 'Why would anyone want to do that?'

Shepard left the building and went outside into the rain. He would have to be extra careful out in the rain. While the invisibility perfectly bent light around his body, the rain water would go over his body which would create a distorting effect. Basically making him look like a water man.

Shepard moved quickly through the area. He went through a building and up the stairs into the main building of the prison facility. In there, Shepard heard more guards talking.

"No way it would have worked. Relays can't be damaged, much less destroyed."

"Those Humans will do anything to destroy us, I swear."

"We have to make this one an example to others. We can't respond kindly to terrorists."

The water left Shepard's body, allowing his armour to display its invisibility properly. As he round the room, one of the guards made an announcement. "There's a shuttle incoming. Clear the hangar bay."

'Looks like I have my escape plan.'

Shepard entered the storage room. More murmuring from the Batarians was heard in the locked room.

"I heard an artifact was found in that asteroid belt. Think the Humans got it?"

The only way down was through the platform that the truck rested on. He jumped over the railing and landed on the ground. Shepard activated the control on the truck platform. The platform lowered to the floor below. Once there was room, Shepard went down and continued in his search for Kenson.

After deactivating the laser field, Shepard found the interrogation room. Two Batarians were waiting for the interrogation to begin.

"This one is the mastermind."

"If she doesn't talk, kill her."

Shepard approached the two Batarians from behind. The glass was likely one-sided. He went in behind the two. Dark energy formed around his hands to form a psionic blade on each hand. He stabbed the two Batarians in the back on the neck, preventing them from raising alarm or even sound. Shepard used his biotics to quietly lower them to the ground.

Shepard shut off the video feed from the interrogation room and moved around to the room's entrance. He entered inside and saw the Batarian was preparing to start the torture.

"Pst!" Shepard hissed at him.

The Batarian looked only to be stabbed in the face with a psionic blade. He fell to the ground limp.

"Who are you?" Kenson asked weakly. "What are you doing?"

"Doctor Kenson? I'm Commander Shepard. I'm here to get you out." He worked on releasing the restraints that held Kenson in place.

"Commander Shepard? I heard you were alive. Hackett must have received my message."

"We're not safe here. Can you walk?"

The restraints released and Kenson sluggishly got to her feet. "I'm fine. Just give me a moment."

"We have to go. Now!"

"If we can find a console, I can hack security... make us an escape path."

Just then the alarm went off.

"I already have an escape plan in place. I have a program which will hack a security console immediately. But we need to go now."

Kenson picked up the pistol from the Batarian's body. "Ready."

Shepard took the Batarian guard by surprise and decapitated him with Asha. Shepard and Kenson went down the stairs.

"This is a cell block," she said. "There should be a security console here somewhere."

They went through some doors and ran into several Batarians. Kenson fired off an incineration blast to burn one of them to death. Shepard used pull to fling the other two off into the elevator shaft. Shepard dashed forward over some barriers and cut two Batarian soldiers in half, eliminating the last of the resistance. In the corner of his eye he saw a console.

"Found the security console," Shepard announced to Kenson.

Shepard activated his omni-tool. Green electricity parked from his omni-tool to the console.

"What was that?" Kenson asked.

"A special program."

"Shutting down alarms," Xiltro said in Shepard's private channel. "Orbital tracking network is down. The Hegemony have crap security. Opening hangar bay. Doors locking down to preventing anyone from attacking. And... Bringing down the elevator so we can get to the Hangar."

"Is it working?" Kenson asked.

"Yes, I'm tracking the progress. Everything is good and the elevator is coming down," Shepard answered.

"Security footage and audio has been deleted, so evidence your presence here has been erased," Xiltro said. "But it won't stop the Batarians from deciding that the Alliance is behind this infiltration."

"Good job, Xiltro," Shepard said in private.

Green electricity jumped from the console back to Shepard's omni-tool. "We're good," Shepard said to Kenson.

The main elevator came down and connected to their level. Shepard and Kenson got onto the elevator. The Batarians on the level below couldn't do anything beyond shooting at them wildly.

"Get to the Hangar bay!" one of the guards announced on the speaker. "Don't let them escape!"

"Oh, one last thing," Kenson mentioned. "The Hangar doors are hard-locked. We'll have to get those open the old-fashioned way."

"Leave that to me," Shepard said.

Once they got into the Hangar, Shepard spotted one of the pressured tanks that keeps the doors locked. He fired a pistol round at it blowing it up.

There were around eight Batarians in the Hangar. Shepard saw three of them grouped closely together. He used Reave on them which stunned the three while Shepard drained their life force. Kenson used her pistol to finish them off. Shepard followed up his attack with a singularity which pulled in the remaining Batarians into a ball. Kenson grinned as she fired an incineration blast to kill the remaining five Batarians.

Shepard destroyed the last pressure tank which opened the Hangar doors. Kenson and Shepard entered the shuttle. Kenson took pilot of the vehicle. Several Batarians ran into the Hangar and fired at the shuttle. The craft turned and let off a burst to fly off. The flames from the thrusters set the flammable fluids on the ground on fire which engulfed the three guards.

VVVVVV

"Engaging auto-pilot," Kenson said as she released the ship's controls. "We should be well out of range before they get their security measures unscrambled."

"Do you think they'll come after you?" Shepard asked.

"I'm not taking any chances. Batarians don't take kindly to Humans who plan to destroy their mass relays."

"So the charges against you are true."

"Well. To be fair, that's about half the story. My people and I were here investigating rumours of Reaper technology out in the fringes of this system."

"I guess you found something."

"We found proof that the Reapers will be arriving in this system. When they get here, they'll use its mass relay to travel throughout the galaxy. We call it the 'Alpha Relay.' From here, the Reapers can invade anywhere in the galaxy." Kenson pointed to the relay outside the viewport.

"So you decided to destroy it."

"Exactly. Doing that would stop the Reapers' invasion. Even at FTL speeds, it'd be months or years before they got to the next relay. We came up with what we just called 'the Project': a plan to launch a nearby asteroid into the relay and destroy it before the Reapers could arrive. Of course, the resulting explosion would probably wipe out the system."

"I still don't see how you learned about this supposed invasion."

Shepard and Kenson sat down across from each other.

"The evidence came from what we call Object Rho, a Reaper artifact we discovered among the asteroids near the relay itself. When we get back to Arcturus Station, I'll explain everything and provide copies of all our notes on the artifact."

"What's a Reaper artifact doing on an asteroid?"

"We don't know, or even what its purpose is. Some things are just too old or large to comprehend. Even a Reaper thousands of years dead contains power. Their artifact are worthy of study, regardless of their purpose."

"How exactly does a Reaper artifact give you proof of an impending invasion?"

"It should me visions of the Reaper's arrival... much like your Prothean beacon, I imagine. The Reapers are coming, Commander. That much I know for certain."

"Call it instinct, Commander, but I sense something really wrong about what she is saying," Xiltro said over the comm. "How is it she hasn't been indoctrinated?"

"If you're working near a Reaper artifact, how have you avoided indoctrination?"

"We've been very careful. We know what we're dealing with. You're not speaking to a child, Shepard. I saw what Sovereign did at the Citadel. Trust me... I know what's at stake."

"The stakes are too high. If you were willing to destroy a whole system over this, I want to see your proof."

"I guess I can't argue with that. Give me a moment." Kenson got to her feet and looked out the viewport, she activated her radio. "Kenson to Project Base."

"Good to hear your voice, Doctor," the voice on the other end said. "You coming home?"

"Affirmative. And I've got Commander Shepard with me."

"Shepard? Really?"

"Tidy up the lab. The Commander needs to confirm the artifact."

"Right. I'll get everything set up for your arrival. Project Base out."

Kenson sat back down. "All set. Just sit back and relax. We'll be there in no time."

VVVVVV

The shuttle made its approach to one of the asteroids. It flew over the Project Base and lowered down into the Hangar Bay. As soon as it touched down, Shepard and Kenson hopped out.

"Here we are," Kenson said. "Welcome to Project Base."

Shepard noticed a countdown timer. "What's this?"

"That's our countdown to Arrival. When that gets to zero... the Reapers will have come. Just over two days and counting. Puts things in perspective, doesn't it?"

"How do you know that's an accurate countdown?"

"It is. The artifact has been giving off pulse intervals since we found it. The intervals have been decreasing at a steady rate. The artifact is reacting to the Reaper's proximity. In just over forty-eight hours, the pulses will become constant, and the Reapers will be here."

"It sounds like the artifact is a beacon to lead the Reaper to this system."

"That is a good theory."

"If the Reapers will be here in two days, we need to hurry."

"Then let's show you that proof."

"That door exits the Hangar. The artifact in our central lab area."

Shepard followed Kenson towards the lab area. On the way they talked. There were many guards and scientists they passed on the way.

"So, what would it take to get the Project back up and running?" Shepard asked.

"Everything was in place when we were arrested," Kenson answered. "It wasn't a question of 'could we,' but 'should we.'"

"What alternative do we have?"

"The Reapers will reach this system, regardless. But the Alpha Relay is their shortcut to the rest of the galaxy. If you want to keep the Reapers at bay, this relay must be destroyed."

They reached the door to the lab. Shepard fiddled with the door panel to open it. "We have to get the Project running again. It's probably the only chance we have."

"One sec," Kenson said while using her omni-tool. "Let me get the door."

The door opened. The artifact was enormous. It looked similar to a blooming flower. The device glowed. Kenson and Shepard approached the artifact. Shepard felt sick to his stomach.

"Commander Shepard, I give you Object Rho."

"You have the Reaper artifact just sitting here... out in the open."

"When we found it, it showed me a vision of the Reaper's arrival."

"Kenson, this is not good."

"Give it a moment, Shepard. It'll give you the proof you need."

Barely five seconds passed before the artifact gave off a burst of energy. A brief, but intense, image flashed through Shepard's mind. It showed the Reaper fleet approaching the Alpha Relay. Once the vision ended, Shepard fell to his knees. He looked up to see Kenson pointing a gun at his head.

"I can't let you start the Project, Shepard," she said. "I can't let you stop the arrival."

Kenson looked to the soldiers who entered the room. As soon as she did, Shepard attacked her, disarming her. Shepard took cover from the AR fire from one of the soldiers.

"Take her down!" Kenson ordered before leaving the room.

Shepard threw two warps to kill the soldiers that were firing at him. He ran to the back of the room to get better cover from the reinforcements that were entering the room. Shepard fought with everything he had against the waves of soldiers. All the while, Kenson and Harbinger, communicating through Object Rho, taunted him and demanded that he surrender.

"How're you holding up, Commander?" Xiltro asked.

"I'll be honest, not too well."

"Keep trying to hold out. I'm trying to communicate with the Normandy, but they've jammed the transmitter on this base."

The sound of a YMIR mech came into the room.

"Looks like I can finally help," Xiltro said.

Green electricity jumped from Shepard's omni-tool and went right into the YMIR mech. The mech turned and opened fire on the soldiers.

"The mech has turned on us!" one of the soldiers yelled.

"Shepard is a master hacker," Kenson said. "He's likely the one controlling it. Just hold on, it won't be much longer."

"Till what?" Xiltro asked out loud over the private comm.

"YOU SHALL BE THE FIRST TO WITNESS OUR ARRIVAL."

Energy burst from the artifact. The energy wave hit Shepard with an even more intense vision than before. Shepard was knocked out.

"Shepard?" Xiltro called out over the comm. "Shepard!"

Xiltro saw several soldiers enter the room. He shut the mech down to avoid detection. He saw the soldiers walk by along with Kenson towards Shepard's body. Xiltro watched to see what they were going to do.

Shepard was briefly conscious to see Kenson bending over him. Her eyes glowed yellow just like the Harbinger possessed Collectors.

"Take him to the med bay and patch him up," she ordered her troops. "We want Shepard alive."

Shepard faded back into unconsciousness.

Xiltro watched as the soldiers picked up Shepard's body and carried him out of the room. He had to find a way to help Shepard escape. As soon as the soldiers left the room, Xiltro reactivated the mech and moved towards a console. He couldn't risk going after the soldiers as the mech. They could kill Shepard.

Xiltro hopped from the mech into the console and the base's systems. Only thought in his head, 'Okay, now we have some security.'

VVVVVV

Tali walked towards the cockpit where Miranda and Joker were. "Have you found anything yet?"

"Nothing yet," Miranda answered. "There are a lot of asteroids."

"Isn't there anything we can do to speed this up?"

"There's nothing more we can do Tali," Joker said. "We know that Shepard left Arathot. And disappeared around here."

"Its been two days. He would have contacted us by now."

"It's possible that due to security reasons they are unable to contact us at the moment," Miranda suggested. "After the jailbreak, the Batarians are on high alert. Shepard could be reviewing the Reaper evidence before trying to contact us."

"I hope so. I really do."

"That doesn't mean we won't stop searching," Joker added. "We'll find him. We won't leave this system until we do."

Tali sighed. "I'll head back to engineering. Let me know as soon as you find anything."

VVVVVV

Consciousness started returning to Shepard. He heard a scientist making notes. She was pacing back and forth while making notes.

"...like Shepard was waking up a moment ago. But it could be a glitch in the system."

Shepard sat up and groaned after feeling how stiff his body was.

'How long was I out?' he thought.

Shepard glared at the scientist. The scientist made a run for it.

"No glitch!" she said. "The sedatives aren't working! Security!"

The scientist ran passed the two guards keeping watch. Shepard hopped to the ground which got the guards' attention. They raised their weapons, but Shepard used a biotic blast to knock them into the wall. Once they fell, a force field appeared in the doorway. Shepard looked to his left and saw the scientist. She crossed her arms and smiled smugly.

"I'll wipe that look off of your face," Xiltro chimed in over the speaker.

"Who's there?" she demanded.

"Your worse nightmare."

The LOKI mechs nearby activated and moved towards her location. She tried fighting back, but several LOKIs at a time was too much for her to handle. One of the mechs moved towards the force field. The other mech waved at Shepard. The first mech fired at the power supply for the door, blowing it up. The force field went down.

"I'm glad to hear from you," Shepard said as he approached where his armour and weapons was held. He slid his arms into their perspective holes to activate the armour.

"Yeah we'll sorry about not waking you up sooner, but this base has some top notch security. I had to be careful not to be detected while trying to wake you up. I shut off their sedatives while falsifying records you were getting them. Still we don't have much time."

"How long was I out?"

"You were out for two days."

"What?" Shepard yelled.

"We have two hours before arrival."

"Then we need to hurry. Get back into the omni-tool."

"Yes, Commander."

Shepard started running. He killed any soldier that got in his way with Asha. The death was quick and painless. Shepard went through the corridor, then through the living quarters, leaving bodies in his wake. He wasn't going to waste any more time. Along the way he was able to listen to a few reports from Kenson and other Project scientists which made evident of their slow indoctrination process.

Eventually, he made it to Project Control. The soldiers attacked more aggressively in the room, but posed no more of a threat than what Shepard has faced throughout the base. Once the soldiers were dispatched, Shepard approached the main console.

"Welcome to Project Control," the VI greeted.

"I want to activate the Project," Shepard ordered.

A number appeared on the screen. 304942. "Warning. Activating the Project will result in an estimate three hundred and five thousand casualties. Do you wish to continue?"

Pain gripped Shepard's heart.

"Déjà vu?" Xiltro said.

"Déjà vu..." Shepard sighed sadly.

"It's not fair that you have to make a choice like this, again, but at present time, we have no other reasonable option. Doing this will not make you a bad person. You're the good guy."

"The good guy who's about to murder several hundred thousand."

"These people are already dead. All because of the Reapers, not you. Your soul is pure."

"Still doesn't make this any easier." Shepard pressed the button, activating the Project.

The thrusters in the distance activated and roared to life. The entire facility shook violently from the acceleration.

"Project activation in progress," the VI announced. "Warning: Collision with mass relay is imminent. Begin evacuation procedures."

Shepard noticed that the comm just opened up. He still has a chance to warn the Batarians save some of them.

"Alert: All colonists living in the Bahak system. This is-"

The comm cut off and Kenson's image appeared on the screen before him. She was angry. "Shepard! No! Do you have any idea what you've done? You leave me no choice. If we can't stop this asteroid, it must be destroyed!" The video link cut out and the comm remained closed.

"Tell me where to find Doctor Amanda Kenson," Shepard ordered the VI. "Doctor Kenson is traveling to the reactor core module."

Kenson came back on. "An eezo core meltdown should do it. Because of you, everyone on this rock will be obliterated!"

"Not if I get to you first," Shepard quipped.

The doors next to him opened and two soldiers came out. Shepard used a throw field to launch the soldier away. He entered in through the corridor and made his way towards the eezo core. Shepard entered the room and saw Kenson on the other side of the glass wall.

"Don't try to stop me, Shepard," Kenson warned. "I have to do this."

"I've already activated the Project. We can still escape this rock!"

Kenson turned and leaned against a railing. "There is no escape. There's no redemption for what you've done. I will die never having seen the Reapers' blessings." She turned back briefly to glare. "And you will just die." Kenson ran off to start the meltdown.

"Damn it, Kenson!"

Two soldiers entered the room. Shepard spotted the power node for the door next to them. He fired a round from his pistol blowing it up and killing the two guards. Shepard used the panel that was exposed after the power node blew. The door opened for him to go through and reach the elevator to the floor above.

"Safety protocols disengaged," the VI notified. "Core temperature rising."

Shepard entered the first cooling room and fired two rounds from his pistol to kill two of the guards and threw a warp to finish the third. He approached the console.

"How do I stabilize the reactor core?" he asked the VI.

"All automatic safety protocols have been overridden," it answered. "To stabilize the reactor core: Manually insert Cooling Rod A from this control station. Manually insert Cooling Rod B from Control Station B."

Shepard grabbed the cooling rod and pushed it back into its slot.

"Doing so will stabilize the reactor core." The rod went back into its slot. "Cooling Rod A reinserted. Reactor cooling process has begun."

"I need more time," Kenson said over the speaker. "Get in there!"

Several guards appeared in the hall Shepard was moving down. Shepard tore through them with Asha and went into the elevator to the lower level. The door across from the elevator on the lower level was locked due to the plasma venting in progress. Shepard went into the room next to it and shut down the plasma venting. The door unlocked allowing Shepard to go through the venting room to the other side.

Shepard went into the maintenance room where a group of soldiers greeted him. He used lift to fling the soldiers in front of him into the group of soldiers to his left. Shepard then created a singularity to pull them all in together. He finished the group off with a warp that exploded the singularity.

The door at the end of the room was lucked but there was a small passage to the right. The passage went towards a security station with one guard.

"This is Williams. I've got Shepard locked in the maintenance area. Requesting backup."

Shepard snuck in behind him and stabbed him through the back with a psionic blade. He then deactivated the door lock at the terminal.

"Security lock overridden," the VI announced.

Shepard went back and through the door. Two guards came down through the elevator. Shepard fired a pistol round through the gas tank of the pyro soldier. The explosion killed the two instantly. He took the elevator up to the next floor. The next floor was just a small room that was connected to another elevator. Shepard went over to it and rode the elevator to the top. The room he entered in led into a storage room with half a dozen soldiers.

Shepard charged forth and launched off several shockwaves to knock any soldier in his way out of his path. He made it to the back and went through the door into the second control station. Shepard went to the cooling rod and pushed it into its slot.

"Cooling Rod B reinserted," the VI announced. "Reactor meltdown averted. Core temperature dropping."

"You've done nothing, Shepard!" Kenson yelled over the speakers. "I can still override power to the engines!"

Shepard went into the elevator to go down a floor.

"Try to stop me!"

Shepard entered the reactor core room and aimed his pistol at Kenson. "Step away from the reactor," Shepard ordered.

"You've ruined everything!" she screamed. "I can't hear the whispers anymore."

"Turn around. Now!"

"You've taken them away from me. I will never see the Reapers' arrival." Kenson turned around and pulled out a detonator. "All you had to do was stay asleep-"

Shepard fired a round in her head, putting her down. He thought he stopped her from using the detonator... He was wrong. Kenson's thumb landed on the button as she fell to the ground.

"Shit," Shepard cursed.

The detonator went off and the explosion launched Shepard into the wall knocking him out.

VVVVVV

"Warning: Collision imminent," a voice warned.

Shepard's vision began to return.

"Wake up, Shepard!" Xiltro yelled. "God damnit, wake up!"

"Wh-What?" Shepard mumbled.

"Thank god. You need to hurry. Get to your feet."

"How long...?"

"You were out for over an hour."

Adrenaline surged through Shepard at that point. Shepard rushed to the terminal and tried opening a comm.

"Joker, this is Shepard," he said. "I need a pick up. Now!"

"Communications system damaged," the VI said.

"Damnit!"

"Evacuation protocols in effect. All personal to escape shuttles."

"Where can I find an escape shuttle?"

"Take the lift from this room to the external access. From there, proceed to the communications tower. The remaining escape shuttles will be located on the tower's landing pad."

"We have to get to that comm tower and take a shuttle. It's my only chance."

"If there are no more shuttles, we can use the comm tower to contact the Normandy," Xiltro suggested. "But we need to hurry. We have less than half an hour. Even less, considering that the countdown is for the Reaper's arrival and not the asteroid."

Shepard ran through the base's corridors with all the energy he could muster. The way was clear all the way through. Each time he looked through the windows on the base, he could see the relay. Each time he looked, it was getting closer. Soon Shepard made it to the exit. The airlock ran its cycle before opening the door to the comm tower area. Sound was muffled after he entered the vacuum. Several soldiers and an YMIR mech charged towards Shepard to impede his progress.

"I'll take care of this," Xiltro said. He hopped from Shepard's omni-tool to the mech.

Xiltro mowed down the resistance in the area and then shut the mech down before returning to Shepard's omni-tool.

"I never get tired of that."

The last shuttle took off during that fire fight.

"Looks like we use the comm tower," Xiltro said.

Shepard approached the comm tower and activated it.

"Comm channel open," the VI said.

"Shepard to Normandy. Joker, do you read me?"

Shepard saw something in the corner of his eye. He looked and saw an enormous hologram of Harbinger appear over the landing pad. Shepard walked towards the Reaper.

"SHEPARD. YOU HAVE BECOME AN ANNOYANCE. YOU FIGHT AGAINST INEVITABILITY. DUST STRUGGLING AGAINST COSMIC WINDS. THIS SEEMS A VICTORY TO YOU. A STAR SYSTEM SACRIFICED. BUT EVEN NOW, YOUR GREATEST CIVILIZATIONS ARE DOOMED TO FALL. YOUR LEADERS WILL BEG TO SERVE US."

"My people fought against your kind fifty thousand years ago and won. We have grown stronger by gathering allies. This galaxy isn't alone in their fight against you. The Galactic Order will join with the Council races and fight against you and your blight. We will fight, we will sacrifice, and we will be victorious. Because that's what we do."

"KNOW THIS AS YOU DIE IN VAIN: YOUR TIME WILL COME. YOUR SPECIES WILL FALL. PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR THE ARRIVAL." Harbinger's hologram faded away.

A voice called in over the comm as the Normandy flew in. "Commander Shepard, the Normandy inbound for pick up."

"Roger that," he replied.

Shepard ran over to the Normandy and jumped inside. The ship flew towards the relay with the asteroid close behind. Shepard ran to the cockpit. Joker was focused on flying the ship.

"Get us out of here, Joker!"

"Right."

The Normandy approached the relay and launched off to another galaxy. The asteroid closed in on the relay. Electricity sparked from the relay to the asteroid. The asteroid collided with the relay, shattering it to pieces. The dark energy of the relay exploded and a shockwave spread from the impact point.

In the Normandy, Shepard watched the galaxy map record the explosion take place. The wave spread through the system. The wave reached the size of two solar systems before it dissipated. Everything was gone. The star system... and the lives of over three hundred thousand Batarians.

VVVVVV

Shepard sat on the med-bay bed and saw Chakwas briefly chatting with Admiral Hackett. Hackett approached Shepard.

"Hm. Looks like you've recovered," he said.

"Admiral Hackett," Shepard said.

"Sounds like you went through hell down there. How are you feeling?"

"Fine," he answered, not really sure if that was truthful. "No more visions, if that's what you mean. I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"You went out there as a favour to me. I decided to debrief you in person." His stance became rigid. "That was before the mass relay exploded and destroyed an entire Batarian system. What the hell happened out there, Commander?"

"Have you received any Intel about what happened?"

"All I know is that I sent you out there to break Amanda Kenson out of prison, and now an entire system is destroyed. I hope you could fill in the leap of logic between those two events."

Shepard hopped from the bed and got to his feet. He handed Hackett the report on the mission. "I confirmed Doctor Kenson's proof. The Reapers were coming, and destroying that relay was the only way to stop them. At least temporarily. Kenson was indoctrinated by the Reaper device she had in her possession and sedated me for nearly two days. I started the engines with little more than an hour left before the Reapers arrived in the system. I tried to warn the Batarian colony, but... time ran out."

"The Batarians report no survivors from Arathot. At least you tried." Hackett turned and took a few steps away. "And you believe the Reapers invasion really was a threat?"

"No doubt about it. We literally had minutes to spare."

Hackett turned around.

"I'm sure all the details are in your report. I won't lie to you Shepard. The Batarians will want blood, and there's just enough evidence for a witch hunt. And we don't want war with the Batarians. Not with the Reaper's at the galaxy's edge."

Shepard slowly fell against the desk behind him. "What are you saying?"

"You did what you did for the best of reasons, but... There were more than three hundred thousand Batarians in that system. All dead."

"They died to save trillions of lives. If I could have saved them, you bet your ass I would have."

"You're preaching to the choir, Commander. If it were up to me, I'd give you a damn medal. Unfortunately, not everyone will see it that way."

Shepard stood up. "So what do you suggest?"

"Evidence against you is shoddy at best. But at some point, you'll have to go to Earth and face the music. I can't stop it, but I can and will make them fight for it."

"Is the Alliance prepared for a Reaper invasion?"

"That's hard to say. It took multiple fleets, and the Destiny Ascension, to bring Sovereign down. And that was just one Reaper. If the Reapers come in force, we're just not ready."

"I didn't expect to see you aboard a 'Cerberus' vessel, as the Alliance would call this ship."

"I don't like Cerberus or the way they do things. But they brought you back to life, and they're actually doing something about the state of the galaxy. Besides, I'm not so sure this is a Cerberus ship anymore. Right?"

"Right, sir. Between giving the Alliance Intel on Cerberus, disobeying Cerberus orders, and soon getting this ship a new paint job, I'd say I'm a terrible Cerberus agent."

Hackett laughed at the comment. "I know you were never in line with their ideas. I know the truth about your situation with working with Cerberus. Not sure how they brought you back to life, but that doesn't matter if you are still the same you."

"I'll gladly stand trial once this mission is done. I still need to contact some people to help out against the Reapers and get this ship a new paint job. I don't want to go to Earth with Cerberus insignias all over this ship."

"Glad to see working with Cerberus hasn't stripped away your sense of honor." Hackett started walking towards the med-bay door. "Do whatever you have to do out here. But when Earth calls, you make sure you're there with your dress blues on, ready to take the hit." Hackett turned once more to Shepard. "In the meantime... you keep this. I don't need to see your report to know you did the right thing." Hackett handed Shepard the OSD of his mission report.

"Yes, sir."

"You've done a hell of a thing, Commander."

VVVVVV

Tali approached the elevator. She only had time to briefly talk to Shepard before he was rushed to the med-bay to be checked. She asked him how he was. He lied, of course, saying he was fine. Tali knew John long enough to know when he was in pain, and this mission is killing him. His debrief with Hackett was over and Shepard went straight up to their cabin.

Tali went up the elevator and entered the cabin where she saw Shepard on the couch. He had his hands cupped around his face, and was breathing heavily. Shepard was mourning the lives that were lost in the system. Tali removed her mask and placed it on his desk.

"John..." she called to him.

Shepard looked up. His eyes and face were beat red. He wiped his eyes. "Tali... Hey. Something wrong?"

"I'm here to talk about what happened," she said. Tali sat down next to him. "About you. Please don't lie to me. I know you are in pain from what happened."

"Tali, I'm fine, really-"

"Don't!" Her voice and tone was assertive. Tali's tone went back to quiet and sympathetic when he stopped talking. "Please don't do this. You don't have to keep your emotions to yourself. You're mortal like everyone else. Please... stop trying to pretend that none of this gets to you. Let me in."

Shepard stared at her for a moment before collapsing on the floor. He burst into tears. Tali went to the ground and held him as he cried over the deaths.

"God! Why didn't they listen to me?" he screamed. "Why didn't the Council or the Alliance listen to my warnings? Those Batarians could have been saved if they had just listened to me!"

Tali rubbed his back while he let everything out. "It's not your fault, John. You did everything to prove the Reapers existed. These deaths are on their hands, not yours."

"But I was the one who pushed the button."

"Because you had no other choice. I read your report. The colony was already dead. You are not responsible."

Tali helped Shepard back to his feet and onto the couch. "You are a good man, John. And there's nothing anyone can say that will ever change that."

"I thought I would never have to make this decision, again."

"Again? What do you mean?"

Shepard sighed sadly. "Tali, do you know why the people of my galaxy are so loyal to me?"

"Because you led them during the apocalypse that Cerberus inflicted upon your galaxy."

Shepard took a breath in. "That is part of it, but not the true reason. The reason why the entire galaxy follows me stems from a decision I made at the end of the war."

VVVVVV

22 years ago...

Shepard, Aether and Xiltro ran down the hall of the medical nanobot facility. They were getting close to the main control room.

"We're almost there," Aether said.

"Once we get there, we send the virus through the system and kill these zombies," Shepard reminded.

"There!" Xiltro pointed.

The three entered the room and found the terminal. Aether approached it. "Thank the spirits!" He tapped in a few commands. "What?"

"What's wrong?" Shepard asked.

"This facility is losing power. In ten minutes this place will shut down and everything will be wiped. If it does then we lose our chance to eliminate this blight."

"There has to be a way to get it some power," Xiltro said. "Like one of our battery cores! I can hope to one of your Personal Computing Units and you can use my core."

"Your core has no where near the amount of energy needed to keep this place running long enough to distribute the virus."

"There has to be some way," Shepard said. "Keep looking!"

"I am, I am!" A screen popped up. It made Aether silent. "No..."

"What?" Shepard inquired.

"I-I found a possible power source, but..."

"But what?"

"I can redirect power to this location, but it would divert power from another location."

"Where?"

Aether couldn't bring himself to say it.

"Where?" Shepard demanded in a loud tone.

"Ce'anis," he answered.

Shepard fell against the wall, cursing repeatedly. Ce'anis was a nearby Artician city. This city was surrounded by a force field that protected it from the millions of undead monsters that surrounded its perimeter. Inside the city was the last of the Artician population, roughly one million. They were unable to fight, mostly due to injuries or were not old enough, and were placed in the city to protect them until the war was over.

"You can't be serious!" Xiltro roared. "There has to be another option. Another power grid!"

"You think I didn't look?" Aether said in anger. "It's the only thing I could find."

"Commander, we can't do this," Xiltro argued.

"No, you can't," Shepard said. He pushed himself off of the wall and approached the two.

"Commander, this is our only chance to end the war and save bill-" Aether tried to argued, but Shepard put his hand up.

"I said you can't. I'll do this." Shepard approached the terminal. "This is my duty. Tiven'Vians are meant to protect life. And there is no other option."

"Commander, the virus will take several hours to upload," Xiltro said. "With the power diverted, the force field will be offline and the last of the Artician will be-"

"He knows, Xiltro."

Tears came from Shepard's eyes as he punched in the commands. "S-Spirits forgive me." He felt his heart tear apart.

"Power redirected," the terminal announced. "Facility fully operational."

"Upload the virus, kill the plague," Shepard ordered coldly.

"Shepard..." Aether said. "Are- Are you going to be okay?"

"I don't know," he said as he left the room.

Despite their distance away from Ce'anis, they could hear the city screaming.

VVVVVV

"Keelah..." Tali gasped.

"I-I sacrificed the last of my kind in order to save my galaxy. That is why my galaxy is loyal to me. That's why I push myself so hard to be a better leader. But no matter how good I get, it's never good enough. I'm my people's Tiven'Vian and I couldn't even save my own race."

Tali placed a hand on his face to turn his head to face her. "You are more than good enough. Do you remember what you told that C-Sec officer back when you helped that Mindoir survivor calm down? You told him that bad things do happen to good people and it's the job of people like you to try and stop that. You're not a god, John. You have limits to how much you can do. You have not failed anyone. Even your own race. After everything I've learned about your race, I know that they would be so proud of you. You are a hero and personify all the good in the galaxies. Remember that. And remember that you are not alone in this. You have friends and allies. And you have me."

A smile finally came to Shepard's face. "Thank you. Just... Thank you."

Her words helped ease his guilt. The two embraced.