Act 4: The Morning
SSV Normandy
It's relayed after the mission that the reason the Normandy was afk was because geth frigates had accompanied the Collector Cruiser and attacked their position, even though the Normandy was running silent. The SR-2 was then forced to turn around and throw them off the ground team's tail, only to have their ship disabled. From the inside. The engineers, Gabby, Kenneth, Tony had all been knocked unconscious. Their drive core sabotaged. And as the Geth began to board, they were only saved because EDI directed Joker to release her shackles. The marines on the verge of being overwhelmed were saved by the AI releasing her own countermeasure, frying the platforms aboard it. Joker detached the ship from the geth and let them have it right after. However, they arrived back onto the scene too late. And the person the engineering team claimed responsible, and who Khali had suspected to be the mole, Daniel Fantom, was nowhere to be seen.
Regardless, TIM congratulates those who remain on their success in stopping the abduction. Though to Shield, the mission is a complete failure. He secludes himself in the garage, practically catatonic in the aftermath, with the only thing keeping him company being Urz. While Khali appoints herself as interim leader over the Cell, the crew begins to question if the mission is over, as they've defeated those responsible for the abductions. It appears to everyone that Project Lazarus' mission is over. Or so they thought!
Assignment: The Project
As the Normandy continues its state of mourning and prepares for drydock at Minuteman Station, TIM gives them one last urgent missive: to redirect their attention toward Sanctum. Khali questions what the mission specs are or why they're needed in particular, but TIM makes it clear it's not a request. Once on the planet, they learn the Shadow Broker is using his own personal hit squad to attack Cerberus' facility. Heading the assault is Captain Vamshi, and oh my god, the Broker's deadliest hitman, Tazzik. Due to the caliber of the assault team, Khali thinks they might have found TIM himself. Nearly the entire squad refuses to participate in the mission however, seeing no reason to without the Collectors as a threat or Jane's convincing. Half of them already plan to leave at the next dock. So Khali is forced to enter with just Ash, Zaeed, and Grunt. Most of the engagements are small skirmishes, as Tazzik and Vamshi's teamwork make it clear they are more than a match for the fractured Lazarus team alone. They keep them at bay, preventing them from stopping the rest of the Broker's squad rampaging through the base. The tide only turns when the Director of the Sanctum Project joins the fray with their Chief of Security and said project's focus, suddenly breaking through the Broker's lines. After a heated battle, Vamshi and Tazzik are forced to retreat, as the rest of their squad has been routed. With the danger gone, Sanctum's Cerberus team links up with Lazarus, and informs them that they are now in charge of their cell. Khali is indignant, and Ash asks Miranda what the hell were they doing here?
It's only then that the third member of Miranda and Jacob's squad is revealed:
Commander Shepard...the Second?!
The news quickly spreads throughout the ship, as Miranda explains Project Calypso's objective. Wilson being exposed as an agent of the Shadow Broker put the entirety of Project Lazarus in jeopardy. He knew the protocols, he knew their objective, he knew their budget, it was even possible he had learned where Lazarus Station was. So to throw the Broker off their trail just in case they were compromised, they created Project Calypso. Shepard's corpse was hidden in their secret facility on Sanctum, and another body was left behind on Lazarus Station as a decoy, one that belonged to the Shepard clone from ME3's Citadel DLC. An attack on Lazarus Station happened just as predicted, and because Shepard was not fully repaired on Sanctum yet, TIM opted to start Project Lazarus early, masquerading the clone as the real Commander Shepard. She allowed them to finish what Cerberus started before their time ran out, with the recent attack being attributed to Fantom. TIM claims the traitor had accessed Cerberus' network through Khali's computer. TIM also admits however that 'Jane' went much farther than he had ever anticipated, which he partially lent as credit to Shepard's genetics and Lazarus' support team.
Operative Khali, who's now revealed as Cerberus Operative Rasa, aka Hope Lilium, aka Captain Channing, aka Christiane Gellhorn (meeting Shield as that reporter on Garvug), aka Maya Brooks, is severely jilted at being tricked by TIM, and having the Cell swept up from under her. She was merely an unwitting pawn, once again playing second fiddle to Miranda. We'll just call Khali by Rasa from here on out. It seems to be the name she goes by most in her backstory comic ME: Foundations anyway. Since she was always a loner, and didn't exactly branch out or make any friends aboard the Normandy (except with Jane and Shield [give or take]), she doesn't have anyone to stick up for her when Miranda takes her job.
After everything begins to settle, Shepard herself is caught up to speed on everything. Dying, the Lazarus Project, Cerberus, the Normandy SR-2, the Virmire Survivor, her crew defecting from the Alliance, the Collectors, the Broker, her new team, the mission so far, the Clone, etc etc. And while it takes her a little while to absorb all the information (as she literally woke up for the first time in the Sanctum attack), she quickly resumes from where she last left off. Fighting the Reapers. And it becomes clear to everyone the divide between Jane and Shepard. The Lazarus Cell quickly surrenders itself to her command, and they set off for their next mission when they get a request for help from Garrus. After-all, TIM still reminds them the Collector Homeworld is still out there past the Omega-4 Relay, and he won't rest until the threat is put down for good. They'll need all the help they can get.
Loyalty: Survivor's Guilt
Ever since the first hit, the Shadow Broker hadn't given up on taking out Omega's Angels. And since the mercenary coalition failed, the Broker has just decided to get at them in a more indirect manner. Offering credits to those who'd betray their teammates, interrogating retired members, feeding them false leads, the angles he took have been relentless. Archangel's team still stands despite it all, and their efforts have mostly gone from combating crime to fighting the Broker's influence. Though there have been a lot of close calls, Garrus' readiness and paranoia has saved all their behinds (along with some tips from Cerberus).
In a recent attempt to strike back, Omega's Angels went after the Broker's top information broker on Omega, Hobar the Beggar King (don't even get me started). After taking out the volus' operation, the Broker deemed that was the last straw, and has now amped up his efforts against Archangel ten-fold. He has personally gone after Garrus' own family. Garrus' sick mother had recently 'won' a lottery transferring her to a remote medical facility, where a new experimental treatment for Corpalis Syndrome was currently being developed. Her husband and daughter accompanied her on the journey to put her at ease, and in doing so, put themselves all right into the hands of the Broker.
Garrus realizes that this is the fate of every member on his team, and so, disbands the group before the rest of them are also faced with an impossible choice. He then heads where he's ordered to, in exchange for the safety of his family. Not before requesting Shepard to help rescue them of course. He doesn't trust the Broker to keep his word. The Shadow Broker striking at loved ones is actually something TIM has been working overtime in preventing, protecting the lives of every single person related to members of Lazarus. If it wasn't for his efforts, half the members of the team would be blackmailed into doing his bidding or having their families assassinated.
Lazarus heads to where Garrus' family is being kept, and quickly boards the station. EDI detects the remote detonators around the station's life support and blocks their signal, allowing Shepard and team to go in and deactivate them. Broker agents on the station try to stop Lazarus, reactivating the bombs manually. They get defeated, the station is saved, and the Vakarians are told they'll be transferred to a safe house. Though they're suspicious of Cerberus, Garrus has talked a lot about Commander Shepard, and they trust her in the end due to a renegade interrupt. On Omega, it turns out Garrus' team didn't want to break up just yet, having followed him to the rendez-vous, and they save his hide, with even the retirees convinced to join in (Sidonis' appearance bringing a tear to Garrus' eye). They end up in a desperate firefight, barely outfoxing the salarian hitman Tazzik and his hit-squad who are there to put Garrus down. The giant salarian finally pulls back once it's relayed the other agents had lost their objective.
Thanking his team for saving his life, Garrus tells them it's been a good run. Despite their protests, if any of them wanted to live, Garrus knew the Broker has to be taken down personally. So once Shepard calls in to say his family is safe, Garrus expresses his desire to join the team. The Shadow Broker has got to go. With the Seeker Swarm problem solved, Mordin currently has a lot of free time, and volunteers to devote some time looking into Corpalis Syndrome himself, with Garrus extremely grateful. The turian is quickly caught up to speed and expresses sorrow about Jane, as she seemed like a good person.
Loyalty: Tactical Oversight
Miranda's turn comes next. And Miranda's loyalty mission goes pretty much exactly the same as in-game. Only difference is that the Shadow Broker tipped her father off about Oriana this time around, in hopes of turning one of Cerberus' assets against it. Niket's role in the betrayal also shakes her, and Shepard shows she's not entirely heartless, empathizing with Miranda that it's not easy being betrayed by those close to you. Shepard convinces Miranda to speak with Oriana before they depart.
Loyalty: Forgetful Adept
Jack's turn comes next. Jack's loyalty mission goes pretty much exactly the same as in-game too. Go to the Teltin Facility and blow it up. However, the Broker has anticipated this side journey. This mission had been in the log for awhile now, and was one of the last ones Fantom had transmitted to the Broker before disappearing. Bombs were already planted throughout the facility weeks ago, and were tripped once Jack and Shepard were at the center of the place. Their combined biotics were the only reason they survived. While the rest of the Lazarus digs them out of the rubble, Vamshi and his Alliance Squad attack, on the premise that they are fighting Cerberus. Which they are. Though Vamshi is the only one loyal to the Broker. The difference between the biotic abilities of Jane and Shepard become apparent, as Shepard can actually go toe to toe with the biotic leading them. Jack joining in demolishes any chance of victory, as she wins her own rematch against Vamshi, and causes Captain Alliance to retreat. He leaves behind all his squad members who are still alive. Lazarus spares them, choosing to leave them behind for another Alliance team to pick up, confusing the marines.
Loyalty: Veteran's Affairs
Jacob's turn comes next. While I type this a lot, Jacob's loyalty mission goes pretty much exactly the same as in-game. Not a single change here. This is an event that Shield would have totally fixed sooner had he could, however, he did not even remotely remember the name of the planet the mission takes place on. Shepard passes the sentence and kills Jacob's father herself for his crimes. A majority of the loyalty missions aren't really mentioned for Mass Effective World-Building, but simply framing what each companion thinks of Shepard at the end of the mission summary. Telling Kelly their opinions, points of view, and how different she is then Jane, etc etc. Though it's tempting to add new things to every single mission, my main interest was really just adding content that I thought would give ME2 a more cohesive story-line within the overall narrative, you know, actually build off the whole 'the Reapers are coming' thing than just being a cool edgy side story. And of course, to tie in all the semi-canon spin-off stories into the main series too. One thing I regret about this. All the juicy character interactions. I mean, we're at 16 squad-mates now. Not counting all the other crew members. Think of the endless possibilities, in fact, I'm starting to just now realize giving all those characters any screen time at all with one another might not actually even be possible.
SSV Normandy
While still searching for a source of the IFF, TIM gives the Normandy another update in the mean-time. An old friend of theirs, Liara T'Soni, had just made a major breakthrough with the uncovered Beacon on Thessia. She has deciphered a prothean protocol for identifying those who've been indoctrinated. As a new employee of the Reapers, the Shadow Broker has sent out a kill order on the scientist and the disappearance of her discovery. Due to the enormous benefit of this tool, TIM's deemed it must be protected at all costs. The Normandy should depart immediately to ensure it's safety.
The now 16 man team takes two (unmarked) shuttles from the ship to Thessia, as the Normandy SR-2 has been flagged as a target of interest to Council fleets. Though Delta Squad and the marines from Pragia have put in a good word with Alliance command that Cerberus is NOT actually behind the abductions (and casting suspicion on Vamshi's supposed report and loyalty), they are still not welcome in Council Space as they are a terrorist organization responsible for the murder of hundreds, if not thousands. Seriously, how the hell does the Normandy park at the Citadel without issue? Bruh. Saren was hunted down like an animal when he was shown to be working with the geth and went rogue. The Council should have assigned Shepard her own Shepard when she was discovered to have gone rogue with Cerberus as well.
Assignment: The Game-Changer
I digress. So for the first time since Fehl Prime, Shield is convinced to come out of his hidey-hole, as he realizes Liara's life is in danger, and announces he's not losing another team-mate. Nah, just kidding, it's only because the extra-large Prothean Beacon and Vendetta are there. The Crucible can finally get kick-started due to Shepard being alive. They might even finish it before the Reapers come around. The only objective that matters anymore. The purpose gives him single-minded focus, and he is unresponsive to everything else around him, right up to the point that the Temple of Athame is once again, bombed to oblivion. The 2180's are a rough time for the asari. And I guess, for Shield. This is the first mission he's been on since Jane's death. The Lazarus team quickly cuts through the back-ways leading up to the Temple, and become some of the first responders on the scene. They comb through the ruins for survivors and evidence while Shepard herself finds the remnants of Liara's office. Their activity of course leads the asari authorities just getting there to peg them all as the party responsible. Unfortunately for them, Cerberus was only responsible for the FIRST bombing back in 2183.
In any case, Shepard is begrudgingly forced to fight off the asari officers attempting to apprehend them. And who's efforts are suddenly commandeered by, you might have guessed it, a Spectre sent to hunt down Shepard and Cerberus. An asari Spectre specifically named Tela Vasir. You knew she was coming eventually. Due to the nature of the enemy, they're forced to backpedal as they can't just slaughter perfectly good, competent, morally-upright officers of the law. Something that has to be told to Grunt, Jack, Legion, Zaeed, Miranda, and Rasa repeatedly. Before they're forced to split up to avoid the authorities and skycars now swarming the scene, Shepard grabs the hidden message Liara had left for her in the rubble of her office. Liara had noticed someone was up to no good before the bombing, and had escaped with her research accordingly. As Miranda decides to lead her group back to the shuttles, and Shepard leading her team to Liara's meeting place, Shield ends up with the third team that have gotten themselves completely lost as comms were cut by interference. Zaeed, Grunt, Jack, and Rasa decide to follow Shield as he recognizes the streets of Serrice around him, as they're right near Liara's apartment. Upon getting there, they're greeted by Vamshi and a CAT6 hit squad, who had been lying in wait for Liara herself.
Frustration at its boiling point, Rasa asks him why he continues to get in their way, asking if he wants the Reapers to kill them all, citing their connection to the Collectors and the Broker. Vamshi says openly that what he's doing will actually let humanity survive them. It finally becomes clear that unlike Tazzik or Vasir, he's not working for the Broker out of personal gain or a debt, and that he even believes in the Reaper threat. Zaeed says the crazy sonuvabitch needs to die and opens fire right after, with the rest of the blood thirsty members following suit. While they're all distracted, destroying the neighborhood around them, Shield gets into Liara's ransacked apartment. Going through each ruined room, Shield realizes that he never saw her own in 2183, and he wanders in, finding fallen picture frames of Prothean ruins, the Normandy, Shepard, and surprisingly, of that one time Liara and Shield went on their day trip to Armali. What simpler times. The moment is interrupted when the fight is brought inside. Vamshi has upped his game, now using superior tactics along with the endless array of replenishing barriers, shields, tech-plating, armor, and omni-shields to stagger off his attackers. He'd have like, 5 bars of health if he was in the game, with all skills recovering them constantly cycling on cooldown. It'd be stupid. With his commands, Vamshi's mercenary back-up is now quickly dividing the Lazarus members as they lash out aimlessly, finding themselves on the back-foot now that they're on their own.
Miranda has led her team successfully back to their shuttles just recently destroyed. Gasp. And the one responsible, Tazzik, immediately pounds their entrance point with heavy grenades. Double gasp. The wet team with him quickly moves in to complete the ambush. With Miranda nearly offed, Ash takes over, barking orders while Jacob scrambles to get Miranda back to safety. On the other side of the city, Shepard's team reaches the meeting point, Benezia's memorial, taking a guess as to why Liara left her a picture of Noveria. Upon seeing Shepard, Liara finally comes out of hiding relieved. But they soon realized they were followed, as Liara's almost sniped, saved by her reserved barrier. Garrus and Legion immediately return fire through their scopes on the one responsible: Vasir. They're forced to flee the scene as her and some asari commandos soon assault their position. Serrice is in chaos as reports show multiple firefights spouting up throughout the city district. The Shadow War between the Broker and TIM has now become a literal one. Triple gasp.
Back to Liara's apartment, Shield begrudgingly takes the reins, directing Rasa to grab Zaeed's attention as he goes for the cornered Jack. Reluctantly working with him, they break out of the enclosed area together, and with teamwork lead Grunt away from the death trap he was just walking into. The three regroup with Rasa and Zaeed outside. With a coordinated effort, they break the enemy lines and flee the crime scene. Rasa is forced to admit that Shield's camaraderie with the team and outgoing nature (from before Fell Prime) actually allowed them to live. Something she had always criticized him and Jane for (as she had begun mimicking his behavior too). Down the line, Jacob and Ash's baton passing, shouting orders between themselves, covering each others blindspots, allow the ambushed team to survive their attack, and backtrack their way to safety despite being the least combat able squad (Miranda, Jacob, Ash, Kasumi, Mordin and Okeer). Shepard's team eventually decides to engage their foes head-on. Shepard goes to toe to toe with Vasir in an epic biotic vanguard battle, while the rest of the OG Normandy team (+Legion and Samara) stave off the authorities.
Shield and his squad join them, having followed the noise. After forcing Vasir to angrily retreat while she vows to bring Shepard down, Ash/Jacob's team come through themselves, picking them up with some 'loaned' sky cars found in a nearby lot. They escape the area, shaking their pursuers in the air, and regain comm channels outside Serrice, calling in the Normandy for immediate evac. With its Tantalus Drive Core, Joker brings her stealthily in for a hasty retreat. Despite a small asari blockade, Lazarus escapes intact with Liara and her research to boot. TIM considers this an absolute win despite the collateral damage and Cerberus essentially leading an attack on the asari homeworld.
Author's Notes:
Though basically a joke character and probably someone you already forgot by the time you read this, Hobar the Beggar King was first mentioned in AHL Ch 5 You Only Live Once, and was introduced in the official ME novel: Deception. The novel itself is the third of a trilogy surrounding Anderson, Kahlee Sanders, and Cerberus (with the first two published being Ascension and Retribution). The only problem with this novel is that it was so bad, so riddled with errors, grammatically, continuity-wise, and in common sense that Bioware issued a public apology and announced that another edited version would be released to fix it. That was eight years ago at the height of ME3 though so I don't think that fix is coming out anytime soon. There was a rage comic adaptation that really highlighted some of the ridiculous shit the book spit out, and is honestly one of the most hilarious things in the ME fandom I've seen. Put a link to it in my profile if you want to see for yourself. But the Kai Leng Cereal meme, the time-travelling biotic, and the Killer Toothbrush all came from this book. Disregarding it entirely is tempting, but on the other hand, TIM's assistant Jana who's introduced in the book also canonically appears in ME3 so...whatever.
For the main focus of the chapter: I thought the Shepard Clone twist was something I thought really cool when I first came around to it. Everybody saying how much they hated Renegade Shepard was kind of funny, and made me ask myself how the story would have gone had she been nice from the start. Which led to 'Jane' taking her place for awhile. The reversal of roles, Shield being the ruthless renegade while Jane being the moral paragon, was a dichotomy I thought was really interesting to do, and kind of show how both positions came about due to an abundance and lack of experience respectively. Shield being broken down by the horrors of war and being forced to constantly confront his past beliefs seemed a real interesting route to take the character in too, and parallel to how Shepard had first become a renegade herself. Jane is supposed to show how Shepard could have possibly been, had Mindoir never occurred and scarred her for life. With Shepard's return, Shield is left with the empty feeling that all his hard work and criticisms of Jane had just been cruel. That he had basically tried to make someone something they weren't for no reason. In addition to the guilt of basically killing Shepard twice now.
Also: Garrus, Tali, Ash, Shield, Miranda, Jacob, Rasa, Mordin, Okeer, Grunt, Kasumi, Zaeed, Jack, Thane, Samara, and Legion. 16 squad-mates. Oh vey. Plus Liara makes 17. Poor Emerson and Hendricks are relegated to guard duty this time around due to the caliber of talent around them. They understand two random alliance marines don't compare to the elite fighting force Shepard currently commands. And speaking of which, it would have been made clear in the writing that Jane would have had a very elementary style of command compared to the real deal. Shepard's orders in this chapter would really shine through, being much more technical in scope and preventative in measure (compared to Jane's reactionary approach).
