Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

A/N: I was feeling nice to so I decided to post early. As always, thanks to my beta, drakontion, for all her help and to everyone following along!

Chapter 38

Shepard slumped down against the container as she let loose with her last grenade. Enemy fire pelted against her cover, each impact reverberating down her spine, and she tossed the launcher aside. Switching to her cannon she examined Jacob, still bleeding heavily from his wound. She had given him another dose of medigel, but it had done nothing to stem the flow of blood. The two sat behind the crate, comfortable as tired, old comrades despite the firepower raining down on their position. Shepard only wished she could've blown the third fuel tank before getting stuck in this situation.

"Leave me, Commander." Jacob's voice was faint, rough. He had used what little energy he had left to prop himself up against the crate, shotgun cradled in his hands.

Shepard shook her head, popping off a few shots at a squad of batarians that had gotten too close. They scattered, breaking for cover, and Shepard smiled softly. One good thing about their position was the open ground between them and the enemy. The batarians and geth would need to cross at least forty feet without hope of decent cover if they came head-on. As long as her ammo held out, so could she.

"Nah. I like it here."

Jacob's stilted laugh turned into a cough, his body jerking roughly against the pain.

"Hold still," Shepard ordered, irritated by the hitch in her voice.

She pushed aside the memory of Kaidan and his team as they pulled back, his voice harsh, but recognizable amidst the frenzy of their retreat. Miranda had taken charge, ordering Grunt to restrain him and drag Kaidan along, Garrus and Mordin covering the rear as Miranda unlocked the control room doors. Shepard had let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding once they made it inside. What had felt like hours ago had, in reality, only just happened. She wouldn't feel relieved until she saw their shuttle take off in the distance.

The commander switched to her widow, preferring to save her cannon until the hostiles grew closer. She activated her cloak, sighted, and fired, taking out a destroyer charging down the line. She chambered another round and repeated the process. It appeared the enemy was forcing their advance.

She cringed at a burst of energy at the far end of the landing pad, the whine of thrusters as the last frigate powered up. Shepard swore, knowing she had failed in her mission, knowing that the Kodiak was now at risk. She mentally berated herself and took down another charging geth.

"Jacob, how's the pain." She adjusted her scope, but when no answer was forthcoming, turned her attention toward her officer.

Jacob lie still, skin ashen, eyes dull. Shepard swore again and shifted her position, switching on her omni-tool to scan his body. She relaxed slightly when the bio-readout came back positive, life signs weak but present and injected yet another dose of medigel into his system. His eyes fluttered and he coughed again, pain deepening the frown on his face. Blood continued to pool on the ground beneath him, but still he clung to his shotgun.

"Hang in there, Jacob."

He coughed once more. "Yes, ma'am."

Shepard turned back to the field of engagement, noting with discouragement that the batarian and geth forces were closing on their position, continuing to move forward on the flank while point drew her fire. She sighed again and sighted down her scope, accepting the inevitable.

Her shot cracked through the air, disappearing into the thunder from above. She watched in surprised fascination as the enemy frigate burst into flames, tumbling back onto the landing pad from which it had only just escaped. She overcame her astonishment, sinking back down into cover as she gazed overhead. There, peeling through the red haze above her, were her reinforcements.

Alliance shuttles dropped to the ground, thrusters scattering the red dust of the moon and whipping up gritty clouds. Marines, energetic and welcome, hopped out of the hold, taking up position on the rise behind the retaining wall. The sound of Alliance gunfire had never been more welcoming.

Rachni ships shot by overhead, bypassing the main assault and moving to the rear. The oddly shaped ships landed quickly, the monstrous creatures pouring out and burrowing into the sand. Shepard couldn't help but smile maniacally when she heard Wrex's voice over the comm., barking orders to his troops as they deployed with the rachni across the way.

"Commander Shepard, do you read? This is Lieutenant Banks from the fifty-third infantry sent in to provide assistance."

The commander ducked as a shot zipped by, the familiar heat of its passing all too near. "This is Shepard. It's good to hear your voice, Banks."

"Roger that, Commander."

Shepard glanced down at Jacob's still form and keyed her radio. "Banks, I've got wounded. Tell me you have a medic handy."

"Consider it done, ma'am. Corpsman en route."

Shepard turned her head as another loud explosion rocked the landing pad. She shook her head ruefully as she heard Grunt's dark laughter through the comm., barking wildly as he prepared another concussive blast. It seemed her team hadn't followed orders after all.

"Grunt, target our flank. They've got Shepard cornered." Miranda ordered, her voice calm and fluid amidst the grinding chaos of the field. "Garrus and Mordin, take up your positions. Alenko, you're with me."

Shepard shifted her position, making way for the medic now clambering down the retaining wall. Surprised at his youth, she watched with concerned eyes as he examined Jacob. "How is he?"

The corpsman barely met her eyes, working to patch the damage from the debris. He shook his head. "He needs a med evac, ma'am. Won't last much longer in this." He gestured to the chaos surrounding them.

Shepard's gaze sharpened as she readied her widow once more. "Do it."

She ignored him after that, unwilling to watch the medic tend to Jacob's wounds. Instead, she added her fire to that of the reinforcements, pinching the enemy forces between their own. Rachni burst force from beneath the metal paneling, surprising the batarians before overwhelming them. Geth continued their push forward with the persistence of the uncaring, ranks falling within the crossfire. What had once been a hopeless situation had turned into a rout, a turkey shoot with the enemy forces stuck on the ruined landing pad.

Shepard maintained position until she could see the krogan and rachni forces ahead of her, the last of the geth falling to their onslaught. The landing pad smoldered, littered with both organic and inorganic debris. She stood, carefully surveying her surroundings, returning her widow to its case as she readied her cannon. A shout from across the field caught her attention, and she saw an armored figure rushing toward her location.

The commander stilled, relief flooding her veins. Kaidan raced toward her, arms flung out like a madman, embracing her without thought for protocol or danger. Her armor clattered against his as he pulled her against him, and she allowed herself a moment of peace amidst the smoking ruins of the industrial complex.

Memory flooded back and she tensed, her skin itching beneath her armor. "I gave you an order, Kaidan."

He pulled back from her, eyes glittering darkly and she suppressed the urge to soothe him. They were, after all, still in a battle zone with a Reaper war raging overhead. "Shepard?"

"I ordered you to fall back. Why didn't you fall back?" Her voice rose at the last, anger and frustration spilling out as the remains of her adrenaline drained away.

He shook his head, calm. Serene. "I'm not going to lose you. Not again, Shepard."

She frowned, shifting awkwardly as the Alliance marines walked the perimeter, securing their location. She needed to maintain her status as Commander, her authority, and took a step back from Kaidan as she recognized this. Gathering her wits she met his eyes once more.

"Okay," she nodded.

"Okay?" A hint of mirth returned to those dark, lustrous eyes.

"C'mon," she gestured across the landing pad. "Let's go see if we can't find Wrex."

It didn't take nearly as long as she had suspected, the krogan leader's voice booming above the din. He spied her and pushed past his men, barreling through a group of rachni to her side before clasping her in a violently affectionate embrace. Shepard took it with good grace, pounding him on his shoulder as her air supply was cut short. He released her just as quickly, throwing the commander off balance and against Kaidan.

"Shepard, my friend!" Wrex exclaimed, and cuffed Kaidan playfully on the shoulder, nearly knocking him over yet again. "You've brought us a battle worthy of the krogan."

Shepard nodded, still trying to get her breath back. "Told you I would."

He barked another sharp laugh and surveyed the scene before him. Humans, krogan, and rachni mulled around the area, the Alliance taking up positions along the perimeter while the krogan finished off the injured and dying. Apparently, no prisoners were going to be taken on this one. A rachni warrior skittered by and Shepard had to repress the urge to shoot it.

A quiet calm settled over her, the battle now over. Shepard opened her mouth to discuss Wrex's arrival, but before she could form the words, a deep rumbling surged forth from underground.

"What was that?" she asked.

Kaidan shook his head and activated his omni-tool. "I don't know."

Another deep rumble sounded from beneath them, the metal plating on which they stood trembling from the force. Shepard shot Kaidan a worried look as his eyes met hers, and she shifted slightly. A plume of dirt shot up on her left, red sands reaching toward the hazy sky as the metallic flooring traveled haphazardly through the air. A second plume of dirt shot up on her right, grainy sands obscuring her view of the Alliance LZ. Kaidan grabbed her arm and ran, Wrex following them toward the control room entrance, but another rumble deep beneath the earth surged forth, knocking all three down.

Shepard and Kaidan were sent tumbling as the ground beneath them swelled, the metal paneling that was once sturdy flooring shifting wildly upon the red sands. They were tossed aside by the force of the anomaly like pyjacks by a varren. Wrex landed opposite them, his lumbering form scuffed and dingy as he fought to stand.

"Quick," Shepard yelled above the raging tempest rising up before them. She grabbed Kaidan's hand and pulled, shouting to Wrex. "Get to the control room."

She ran, half-pulling, half-dragging Kaidan behind her, looking over her shoulder as Wrex followed their lead. Red sands tumbled down a monstrous form as it rose up from beneath the landing pad, red light arcing through the shadows as it grew ever taller. Shepard swallowed the fear pervading her limbs, ignored the sweat pouring down her face, and pushed forward, the ground unsteady and shifting beneath her feet.

She paused at the doorway, shuffling people inside, watching the fear on their faces as they fought to control panic. She could barely make out the forms of rachni as they tried to burrow into the ground, only to be shot up from beneath by the rising monstrosity. A few krogan took aim, firing pointlessly into the chaos, their projectiles swallowed by the shifting sands. Shepard watched in horror and awe as the anomaly took form before her. She could have wept at the irony.

Red-hot metal extremities held it upright, claw-like appendages grasping at the ground and scattering the metal paneling. Red arcs of light danced across its form, lit from within by a blue glow. Eyes, oversized and piercing scanned the field, finally settling on Shepard as she stood immobilized by the door. The red lighting crackled ominously between the Reaper's four eyes and the commander slammed her hand down on the console, locking to door for what little good it would do.

"What was that?" Wrex thundered.

Shepard shook her head, still speechless.

"I looked like some kind of batarian Reaper." Kaidan supplied helpfully, his eyes searching Shepard's.

She pursed her lips in thought. "We're going to need aerial support. I know our ground forces are strong, but that thing'll tear them apart in minutes."

The words had only escaped from her mouth when there was a horrendous screeching from overhead and the ceiling caved in, Reaper appendages searching the control room and crushing anything organic, or inorganic, in their way. Shepard swore foully, accessing the console to once more unlock the door. The crowd surged, slipping out the other exit and down the hall. Those who remained and were able, raced out the exit to the ruined landing pad, the Reaper weaving to and fro, its appendages flailing erratically.

Shepard keyed her radio. "Normandy, do you read? Commander Shepard to Citadel fleet, do you read?"

A burst of static filled her earpiece as she raced across the field, Kaidan and Wrex following behind her. They reached the retaining wall, the Alliance marines shifting to haul them up onto the rise. She crouched down behind part of the complex's metal piping, and radioed again.

"Normandy here. Good to hear your voice, Commander."

"Joker, we need aerial support. Damn batarians turned Reaper on us."

"Holy shit, Shepard. We're a little busy up here, you know, death by Harbinger and all."

"Joker!"

"Oh no we're fine. Thanks for asking. Not to worry, though. Evans here will relay your request."

Kaidan turned from the Reaper and met her eyes. She shook her head. "The Normandy's passing along our request, but they've still got their own problems. We can't wait for help. It will tear the ground out from under us unless we stop it now."

"You have a plan, Commander?" Kaidan raised an eyebrow.

Shepard shot him a wicked smile, relief flooding her veins as she saw the rest of her team rushing to cover beyond the rise. Miranda nodded curtly in her direction before throwing a warp field at the Reaper. Garrus unloaded with his sniper rifle, able to hit the Reaper's weak points. Grunt teamed up with Wrex and the two launched concussive blasts at the monstrosity, but still it remained unfazed. The batarian Reaper continued to tear at the ruins of the landing pad, ground collapsing beside it, debris sparking violently as it rained down on the ground teams. Shepard noted the vaporous haze rolling off the Reaper's armament, red-hot from volcanic activity beneath the moon's surface, and smiled.

"Banks to Commander Shepard. Do you copy?"

"I'm here, Banks."

"We're not getting any penetration. Its kinetic barriers are too powerful."

"Have your men maintain fire, Banks. I'm working to resolve the situation as we speak."

"Roger, Commander. Per your order."

Plumes of dust shot up over the rise on their six, flanking the Alliance LZ. Shepard swore, the implications churning her gut. She heard a shout to her left, marines and krogan moving to intercept hostiles approaching their flank. Turning to Kaidan she almost winced at the look on his face.

"They've been modified," he said, his face blank beneath a dusty helmet.

"What?" Shepard followed his line of sight, almost cringing when she saw what approached.

Batarians, modified with synthetic technologies, crossed the sandy rise toward them. Armor, once bright, was dulled and covered in sand, grafted directly onto batarian bodies. Dozens approached on foot, each armed with something resembling a geth pulse rifle. Streams of light shot across the field as they opened fire, pushing forward with the mindlessness of husks.

Shepard turned her attention to their right flank where more plumes of dust shot toward the red sky. She positioned herself on the rise and peered over, swallowing frustration as she witnessed the modified batarians crawling up from the ground. She pulled her widow from its casing and chambered a round, Kaidan sliding up the rise beside her. He nodded, eyes still sparkling darkly.

"Shepard to Legion. Do you copy?"

"Affirmative, Shepard-Commander."

"Can you get a fix on my location?"

"Affirmative."

Shepard sighted down her scope and aligned the crosshairs, waiting for the modified batarian to move into range. She fired, knocking it back and slowing its progress, but not halting it.

"Legion, can you redirect some of the bunker's energy reserves toward my location. I have some shields I need knocked out."

"Affirmative, Shepard-Commander. Re-routing."

Shepard frowned, focusing on the approaching batarians. She ducked as a one opened fire, the phasic slug blasting just over the top of her head. Kaidan let loose with an overload followed by a short, controlled burst of fire. The modified batarian stopped dead in its tracks, eyes still bright and glowing. Shepard chambered another found and fired, ignoring the splatter of brains on the sand and the pain in her shoulder.

She reloaded, grains of sand trickling down her armor as Kaidan shifted on the rise beside her. She resumed her position, readying her rifle when she noticed a pause in enemy movements. It appeared the batarians had become stuck, the red sands gripping their legs and preventing forward momentum. Shepard adjusted the settings on her scope to get a better look.

Rachni warriors burst forth from beneath the ground, claws shredding the modified batarians. The insectoid beings moved through the batarian ranks, cutting a bloody swath through the enemy and turning the sands to mud. Shepard heard Kaidan heave a sigh of relief as he continued to fire on those batarians still moving.

"Shepard-Commander. Sub-systems re-routed." Legion's voice announced through her comm. "Activating energy transfer."

Shepard nodded, the ground rumbling beneath her as the Reaper continued to attack the surrounding ground forces. The commander watched as suicidal krogan flew into a berserker rage and charged the behemoth, only to be torn asunder or charred by the scorching metal. She could hear Wrex and Miranda directing their squads, organizing the nearby teams, Lieutenant Banks rallying his men to continue the assault. Not one of them seemed to truly know what would happen.

Her shields flared bright blue and died, Kaidan's doing likewise and she heard him mutter a curse.

"Shepard," he slid down the rise to her side. "My kinetic barriers have failed. Yours too?"

The commander nodded. "Legion redirected some of the dark energy flow from 98R."

"What?" Kaidan wore an incredulous expression under his helmet, eyes wide and surprised that she would appear so calm.

"It was necessary to bring down the Reaper's shields."

"Commander Shepard?" Banks' voice filtered through her comm., his apprehension obvious. "Reaper kinetic barriers are down, but so are ours."

She keyed her mic. "Never mind that, Lieutenant. Continue the assault. Load armor-piercing rounds and go for the eyes."

Kaidan shot her a questioning look and she gestured toward Miranda's position next to the restraining wall. They raced across the sand, ducking and dodging as the Reaper's appendages whipped wildly around them. The sounds of combat could still be heard on their six, the occasional burst of a pulse rifle, the cry of the rachni as it echoed through the air.

The commander shuffled through the sand, squatting at Miranda's side. Her XO spared her a cursory glance, shifting her position to make room before launching a warp field.

"Commander."

"Report."

"Yes, I disobeyed a direct order, and if I had followed it we'd be off this bloody planet by now." She frowned, angrily unloading a clip into the Reaper.

The massive being continued its assault, undaunted by small arms fire. Shepard sighted down her scope, adjusting the settings again, and concentrating on her aim. The Reaper paused, allowing her a moment of clarity with which to open fire. Sparks shot out of its eye as her round hit home, and she settled back to reload.

"From what I can tell, everyone's shields are down." Miranda stated. "I assume you and Legion had something to do with that?"

Shepard nodded curtly, unloading another round into the Reaper. Kaidan crouched beside her, discharging an overload.

"Shields against a Reaper are overrated." Shepard stated bluntly. "It would've ripped through them in a second."

"So what do you suggest?"

The squad sunk further into cover as a Reaper appendage whipped by overhead, the hiss of hot metal against the wind buzzing loudly in her ears. Shepard felt its heat even beneath her armor and she bit her lip in thought, her mind working furiously.

"Miranda, get Mordin and Garrus up here."

She frowned but complied with Shepard's orders. The commander switched on her 'tool, yellow light dim against the red haze of the moon. She caught Kaidan's attention and motioned Garrus, Mordin, and Miranda over. They huddled in a circle, bodies tight to the ground lest the Reaper strike from above. She heard their omni-tools ping as she sent them her information on the shielding and Preying Mouth viruses. Almost as one they looked to her with understanding.

"Garrus? Mordin? I need you two to deliver the shielding virus while Miranda and I deploy the Preying Mouth."

"And me?" Kaidan asked.

"I need you to hijack a shuttle."