YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

I've got it! Mass Effect Andromeda is finally in the house!

O-kay, I've gotten off my lazy ass and finally decided to update this fic. Just a few more chapters and I'm done.

Again, thank you all for your continued support! Please enjoy :)

}!{

The sound of two year old Sam barking was the special kind of greeting I wanted. In response, I gave the dog a warm hug and let his tiny pink tongue lap at my cheek.

Given with how tense things have become since we hooked up the Normandy to the IFF, a change in the tone with that cute little ball of fur running around was always welcome.

Well, not everyone. It seems like the only one left uptight was the XO. "That close, Commander! That close to losing the crew along with the Normandy!"

"Calm down, Ms. Lawson." Caliban said, "There is no need for further cause for alarm. The invaders were repelled and neutralized. I've assisted in purging the virus from the ship and succeeded. We are safe. You may ask EDI for confirmation."

"Uh-huh, yeah. About EDI…" I noticed Miranda crossing her arms. Clearly, she didn't favor the thought of Cerberus' pet AI running loose. I detest the thought of EDI remaining within the parameters of the VI restraining protocol, no matter how much she annoyed me in the past.

That may be something I'll have to mention to the Illusive Man once we have one of those little talks of ours.

Shepard nodded, "There were plenty of opportunities for her to kill us, and she took none of them. I trust her."

Miranda sighed, "If you say so, Commander."

I pursed my lips, "O-kay then. So that just leaves the matter about going through the Omega Relay."

"We've handled every loose end, upgraded everything." Jacob agreed, "Just say the word, Commander, and we'll go through with it."

"I want the crew at their best when this goes down." Shepard replied, "Have Chakwas check everyone one last time. Give them the night off to rest, we'll go in the morning. That'll be all, you're dismissed."

We all went our separate ways after the briefing. I knew what Shepard meant with that night off she was talking about. Miranda's not going to get much sleep, especially since she'll be signing off on reports for her boss. Jacob's going to be up checking on inventory.

And me? I'll be recalibrating the response matrixes so that my drones will be operating at maximum efficiency.

The Normandy's the only ship the Omega Relay recognizes due to the IFF installed in its systems. That means I have to leave the Malevolence behind. But at least I can bring the drones with me in the cargo hold.

So that's what I'll be doing all night. Working on the drones.

"Interesting." Caliban comments as he observes from his corner, "You leave as one, and come back with an army."

"Jealous, brother?" I teased.

"If I were anyone else, yes I would be." Caliban answered, drawing close and running his metallic fingers across the face of the drone. "Tell me about this Nexus, how exactly does it work?"

I shrug, "Basically it amplifies my influence and distributes them to every active drone within the Conduits' reach. On their own, the drones are useless."

"You did not think to give them a consciousness of their own?"

I tilt my head to the side and stare at my brother curiously, "Creating artificial intelligence is a lot more complicated than it sounds, even with all the knowledge we have on hand."

"Well…it got you this far."

"Not far enough."I say with a shake of the head,"We can push the boundaries every now and then without fear of the reprisal, but not all the time."

"That is a human fear, sister. We are beyond such tethers."

What the hell's up with him this time? "I don't understand your meaning, brother."

"Oh don't mind me, I'm just saying." Caliban shrugs then walks off.

"You're a very complicated individual, brother." I shake my head and resume my work.

"I've learned so much of that from you."

"And I hope they're all good things." Shepard interjected.

"Oh Commander! Didn't hear that elevator door open. I swear, you're getting good at sneaking up on me every day. Something the matter?"

"Nothing, just wanted to check up on you." She stopped, "Okay, I gotta ask, what's with the voice?"

"Oh this?" My hand goes up to my throat, "It's part of the Ascension Rite transition. My consciousness is currently being broadcasted over twelve systems as of today."

"Really? Wow, I guess that explains the lightshow up there." Shepard referred to my eyes.

"Why? Don't you like them?" I batted my lashes dramatically.

"I'm kinda worried it'll keep me from sleeping at night."

"Oh?" I said as I sauntered towards her, pushing her against the Jaeger."I can think of a few things that'll really keep you up at night. We'll take it upstairs, yeah?"

"Ka-ra." Shepard puts a finger on my lips, "I was just here to check up on you, nothing more."

"Aww, come on." I pouted, "Not even a quickie?"

"Not even a quickie." Her eyes flick to the side, then back to me. She seemed pretty unsure of her initial decision. "Okay, you win. My room in five minutes, don't be late."

Nothing was going to go wrong today. Sharing the same bed, doing the deed together, it was all an early celebration for our impending victory. That was how far my confidence went.

But feeling desperation in her touch, her kisses, I knew Shepard didn't share the sentiment. It was like she was trying to get the best out of it, as if she's got a premonition that something's going to go wrong and didn't want to waste a single fleeting moment.

I'm an android, and as far as premonitions go…well, I hardly give a damn. "Hey. What's the matter?"

Shepard doesn't answer immediately, pausing to play with my golden locks as I laid my head on her well toned belly. "I still can't shake off the anxiety. After all, in a few short hours we'd be kicking this war up a notch and put the whole galaxy on the line."

"I'm pretty sure 50,000 years ago, a Prothean commander just like you said the same thing."

"That's not helping, Kara."

"I know, I know." I backed up, "I'm just saying what you should be feeling right now is pride. Everyone's counting on you, and now you've got the tools to see this through. There's no need to fear, you got this."

"Thanks." Shepard sighs, scooting over so we could lie down together in a more comfortable position. "I'm so glad you've got my back."

"Just returning the favor, commander."


Today's the day.

Shepard preferred to suit herself up without any assistance, which was fine by me, so I tended to my own.

I was heading over to the briefing room to have one final word with the Illusive Man when I felt the Normandy make a steady headway for the Omega Relay. Everybody was ready, and the Commander didn't want to waste time I guess.

I changed my mind about the meeting and headed for my station down in the hold. Never know what lies beyond that gate, and what other unseen horrors the Reapers have cooked up.

The trip would be short, and without a doubt a little rocky, so I braced myself for any tremors caused by the Normandy hitting something unexpected or the other way around.

"All hands brace yourselves, this one's going to be one rough ride!" Joker announced over the intercom excitedly.

More tremors, and I could here the sound of weapons discharge from outside. Our arrival would've come as a surprise, but the Collectors prepared for everything.

"How's the new plating holding up there, EDI?"

EDI didn't have time to respond to my inquiry, for we were rudely interrupted by an unwelcome guest in the cargo hold. A spherical construct, clearly Reaper in design, sprung through a gaping hole in the Normandy's hull and glared at Caliban and I with its red single eye.

Chaos broke out through the room as my drones sprang to action, intent on driving the intruder away and defending me from its powerful particle cannon.

"Kara, we've got a situation in the Engineering Deck! We're on our way!"

"Situation's under control, more or less!" I replied, ducking as a red stream of light lanced through the air and cut a swath across the deck. Caliban managed to flank the Oculus and jump onto its back, causing it to spin around wildly in an attempt to throw off its unwanted rider.

The Omni-Blades come out of my brother's gauntlets and he digs them deep into the machine's thick metallic hide. The Oculus screams as if in pain and makes one desperate spin before its red light flickered away. Caliban hoisted the machine onto his strong shoulders and tossed it out of the hole from which it came.

Shepard burst through the elevator doors with Zaeed and Legion, the geth marksman we encountered on the derelict Reaper, with their weapons drawn.

"Bloody hell." The old merc breathed.

I look at the damage that single Reaper did to the hold and shook my head in disappointment, "There goes our backup." Only six out of twenty remained of the drones from the Malevolence, erroding our chances of success in the Omega Relay Mission.

From the hole in the Normandy's hull, I could see that Joker's manuevering his way into the debris field to lose our pursuers. I couldn't help but wince whenever we scraped the surface across free floating derelicts that were four times the size of our little frigate.

"Commander, you better get up here. We're about to clear the debris field."

Shepard gives Caliban a nod of approval and motions for me to come with, "On my way."

The Collector base was in sight, right next to a swirling ball of blackness that was a dead star."Hard to believe this was the center of the galaxy". Like the Collector ship design, it was crafted similarly to an oversized hornet's nest with some Prothean tech sticking out like impaling spires.

Joker flexes his fingers until the joints popped, "Heads up, looks like they're sending an old friend to greet us."

One of the Collector ships deployed, slowly withdrawing from the base's hangar and primed up its main gun once it got a clear shot. Joker dodged the particle beam superbly, manuevering around the stream but staying on course for the base.

"Time to show them our new teeth." Shepard ordered, "Fire the main gun!"

Joker grins maliciously and obeys, sending out two thin streams of blue from the newly acquired Thanix cannons and dealing a critical blow to the Collector ship! "How'd you like that, you sons of bitches?!"

"Close in and finish them off!" Shepard pushed.

The tables had turned in this dogfight, and the Collectors aboard that ship soon learned it hurt more to be on the receiving end. Joker makes a dangerous swoop as he fires again, getting us a little too close for comfort as the Collector ship implodes, lashing out a shockwave that threw off primary systems and sent the Normandy on a nosedive for the Collector base below.

Alarm klaxons blared all over the bridge, and Joker recovered from reeling from the blast quickly, frantically tapping at the unresponsive controls. "Mass-effect field generators are offline! EDI, give me something!"

"Generators are unresponsive. All hands brace for impact."

The Normandy lurches sideways as the starboard wing hooks onto one of the base's towering arches, throwing both me and Shepard against the ceiling and then back down painfully onto the floor! Joker had his seatbelt on, which probably saved his life- albeit broke a few bones in the process. He did what he could to save his beloved Normandy from further abuse, putting a stop to our descent and grounding us to a halt after a series of bumps and crashes.

"EDI, status report." I inquired.

"Multiple core systems overloaded during the crash. Restoring operation will take time."

After making sure Shepard was all good, I answered. "I can help cut the time it costs in half." I turn to the Commander, "You should get everyone in the briefing room now, the Normandy's not going anywhere."

Shepard nodded, "EDI, how long until the Collectors find this landing zone?"

"I do not detect an internal security network." EDI answered, "It's possible that the Collectors did not expect anyone to reach the base."

"If we're lucky, their external sensors were hit like we were. They probably don't even know we're alive." Joker suggests.

The whole crew gathered into the Briefing Room as ordered, waiting for the Commander to draw up the plan. All conflicts have been resolved, all loose ends tied, and there was nothing to impede their ability to work together as a team.

Well…there's Jack and Miranda, but that can be overlooked.

"EDI, bring up your scans."

A holographic projection of the Collector base's interior comes up as requested, "You should be able to overload their critical systems if you get to the main control center here." EDI sent an indicator icon pinpointing the location she referred to.

"That means going through the heart of the station." Jacob continues, "Right past this massive energy signature."

"That's the central chamber. If any of the abducted colonists are still alive, that's where they'll be." I pointed out, "And it looks like there are two main routes. Might be a good idea to split up, keep the Collectors off balance. Then, regroup at the central chamber."

"No good. Both routes are blocked." Miranda says with a shake of her head, "See those doors? The only way past is to get someone to open them from the other side."

"It's not a fortress, there's gotta be something." Shepard thought for a minute, "Here, maybe we can send someone through this ventilation shaft."

"Practically a suicide mission, I volunteer." Jacob says with a smile, crossing his arms.

"I appreciate the thought, Jacob." Miranda refused, "But you can't shut down the security systems in time. We need to send in a tech expert."

"Commander, your call." I said, "Who will it be?"

Shepard scans the room until her gaze falls on Tali, "Miss Zorah, you're up."

Our quarian friend nodded, "I won't let you down."

"Good, the rest of us will break into two teams and fight down each passage. That should draw the Collectors' attention away from what you're doing."

"I'll lead the second fire team, Shepard." Miranda volunteered, "We'll meet up with you on the other side of those doors."

As expected, Jack contested the XO. "Not so fast, cheerleader! Nobody wants to take orders from you."

"This isn't a popularity contest! Lives are at stake!" Miranda bristled, "Shepard, you need someone who can command loyalty through experience."

"Again, Shepard's choice." I step in before Jack could turn the argument into a brawl.

Shepard doesn't even hesitate, "Miranda's right, she'll be in charge of the fire team."

"Pfft! Fine." Jack pouted.

This mission lacked the motivation for speeches, so Shepard kept it simple to keep everyone on track. "I won't lie to you, we don't know what we'll find in there. But whatever we face, it all ends here. You've got your orders, group up and move out."

Shepard takes me aside as the others gathered to the airlock, "Kara, I need you and your drones on my team to cover for-

"My drones and Caliban can be there for you, Commander. I'm staying here to provide aid to get the Normandy back up and running."

The Commander takes pause, "You sure?"

I knew she was just offering the option so she'd feel more comfortable on the battlefield with me there personally. But for practicality's sake, comfort's a luxury we cannot afford. Half the Cerberus crewmembers were still recovering in the med bay, and being short on hands would take hours to repair the damage dealt to the Normandy.

"I'll be with you every step of the way- in a manner of speaking." I replied, "Go and give 'em hell, darling."

Shepard kisses me full on the lips and dons her helmet before stepping off after Garrus and Grunt.

Heavy footsteps alerted me to Caliban's presence. He had installed the full measure of combat upgrades we've come up with together and now towered two heads above my own, sporting a heavy exoskeleton-like armor that looked a little too alien in its proportions.

"Good luck out there, brother."

He remains silent, giving me a mere nod before following the second fire team onto the second passage entrance, leaving me to assist in quickly repairing the Normandy for preparation of our departure.

Everyone calls this a suicide mission, but I've gone through the relay with the full intent of bringing everyone back alive. And I can start by getting the flimsy generators back online.

}!{

Sorry folks for the long update, I hope you've enjoyed this one, cuz I'm driving myself hard to finally finishing this fic. Hope I don't lose it ;)