Battle of the Citadel:
Far from the situation on Ilos, for most people on the Citadel, it was a normal day. None of them knew of what was really going on. The Council had tried to keep the information about a rogue Spectre secret as it would make them look bad and so they blamed the situation on a power hungry warlord. The Citadel News did broadcast the recent Republic victories over the Geth in the Armstrong Nebula and the attack on Virmire but the public were not aware of the information discovered on Virmire about the organisation called the First Order. The Council did not want to cause a panic and so they kept that information secret. As far as the public believed, the situation was under control and the threat was gone.
But in the council chambers, the three councillors knew better. Saren was not yet defeated and they couldn't help but think about everything. This First Order sounded like they were a major threat. Sure the Galaxy was in a state of Cold War between the Citadel Council and the Republic but they mostly kept out of each other's affairs. It had been the actions of an aggressive group like the Batarians that nearly started a war between the two governments. Many Republic officials just wanted the Citadel to stay out of affairs that had nothing to do with them.
This First Order sounded like an organisation that was expansionist and militant. Councillor Valern had sent STG to get information on the First Order but they had no leads. They had no idea where the First Order was based. The Council would normally try avoiding provoking the Terminus warlords or other factions to avoid a long and costly war but it seemed that the First Order didn't care. They wanted to conquer the galaxy and the Council was unsure if they could actually combat the threat. They had no idea on the strength of the First Order or what type of weapons they use. The Turians had struggled in their war against the Republic since they had not been use to the types of weapons that the Republic used such as their Walkers or their carrier fighters.
Councillor Tevos sat with the other councillors to talk about the situation "So what do you think about this?"
"I will be honest, this is worrying." Sparatus stated "With no information on the First Order, we have no clue what we're up against."
"And with no leads, STG have nothing to investigate." Valern stated "All we have are the images taken from the Normandy."
"That massive Dreadnought is a major worry for me." Sparatus stated "Seven kilometres long and heavily armoured, the only ships that could match that are ships like the Destiny Ascension and we don't have many of them."
"Maybe that dreadnought is the flagship of the First Order and they only have one." Tevos stated
"Never assume anything." Valern stated
It was then that someone called over the terminal and Tevos activated it to show Matriarch Lidanya, captain of the Destiny Ascension. "Councillors!" she called "We're got trouble!"
...
Out in Citadel Space, the normal day had changed in the blink of an eye when a large dagger shaped ship suddenly jumped into the system using the Hyperspace travel that the Republic had used. The ship was massive at over 7 kilometres in length, bigger than the Destiny Ascension along with many other ships.
On board the massive ship, the man leading the attack smirked. He had short ginger hair and a broad build. He wore a Black Officer's uniform with the crest of the First Order stitched on the back. This was Captain Moden Canady, Captain of the attacking fleet.
"We caught them by surprise admiral." One of his men commented
"Well that was the point." Canady stated
"Admiral, the Citadel Flagship is sending us a demand to leave the system." A communications worked called
Canady shook his head "Ignore it. Do not reply. Do not waste time. All ships, attack!" the Dreadnought quickly opened fire with massive cannons underneath the hull. The blast was so powerful that it stuck a Citadel Cruiser and destroyed it in one blast.
On board the Destiny Ascension, Matriarch Lidanya was in shock. This fleet of unknowns had appeared out of nowhere and when they tried to establish communication with them, they just fired on them. Now they were in a panic, the Council had warned them that an attack could come but they had little time to prepare. They did not expect the attack to happen this fast. The Citadel fleet was disorganised but they quickly formed a defensive line near the edge of the Citadel. The Dreadnought's long range cannon could only fire every so often. "All ships form a defensive position, protect the Citadel!" she called
The Citadel Fleet formed a defensive line of ships outside the Citadel itself. The aim was to try and prevent the enemy ships from getting within the Citadel arms. That was the only strategy they could think of, it had been a long time since anyone had attacked the Citadel, in fact, the last time had been during the Krogan Wars but that attack had just been a raid than a true invasion of the Citadel. The Citadel fleet had several Turian Dreadnoughts as well as an Asari Dreadnought and the Destiny Ascension. These ships began firing at the incoming fleet and they did score some hits.
At the First Order Fleet, Captain Canady stood at the bridge. "Brave fighters." He said "We're thankful that they're technology is outdated. Let's see how they do against our fighters. Scramble our fighters, start raiding the Citadel. Let's see how they respond to this."
Soon, small First Order Fighters scrambled from the First Order ships. These were nothing like the Republic fighters, instead, these fighters consisted of a sphere centre for the pilot and massive square wings on the side. They were small but fast and cheap to produce and so hundreds were soon flying towards the Citadel.
Captain Lidanya watched in horror as the small fighters quickly made their way through the defensive line of ships. The Citadel fleet was designed to stop large warships, not deal with the huge waves attacking. True the ships did have guns for targeting fighters and so some were shot down but they could not stop the huge number that was approaching. Some did stay to attack the Citadel fleet but they did not have bombs or torpedoes to do huge damage. The worst they could do was damage the guns of the ships or the communication's array.
But most of the fighters ignored the Citadel ships and flew towards the Citadel. Lidanya quickly got on the commutations "Citadel control, be warned, you have multiply enemy fighters heading towards you."
...
On the Citadel itself, the fighters started firing at the Citadel. They weren't targeting anything specifically; they were just firing to cause damage. As most of the areas they were attacking were civilian zones, there wasn't much that the Citadel could do. The Citadel did have a few gunships but they couldn't hold off the large number of fighters. Most of the transport on the Citadel were small taxis which had no weapons.
In the Council tower, Councillor Sparatus was trying to get contact with Palavan to call for the Turian fleets but he was unable to get through. Valern soon realised why "They're jamming our long range communications." He stated "We can't get in contact with anyone outside the Citadel."
"So we're trapped here then." Tevos stated "If we can't get a distress call out that we're in danger then no one will come until it is too late."
"We're done for then." Sparatus stated
"Not yet we're not." Called a voice. The three councillors turned to see Ambassador Udina along with Colonel Yularen. The Council had called them to ask for suggestions. The voice belonged to Yularen "As head if RSB, I have access to special backchannels that pass through jamming. I can send the old style Morse code message to Arcturus and the Republic can send the aid."
"How long will it take?" Valern asked
"I can't be sure but I don't see any other choice." Yularen stated
Sparatus wasn't sure. He didn't like the Republic as they weren't under Citadel control and could be a risk but right now, he didn't see any other choice. They couldn't get aid from Palavan and so it seemed this was the only choice. "Do it." He stated
Then they got another call, this time from Executor Palin "Councillors, we've got enemy soldiers on the Presidium!"
"Are they landing troops now?" Tevos asked
"No, they just appeared in armoured vehicles." Palin called back "The Relay monument on the Presidium just activated like a Mass Relay and suddenly, armoured vehicles came out and soldiers began shooting."
Valern then gasped "Of course!" he realised "The Conduit, it must have been a back door to the Citadel. Saren has his fleet engage ours and then he comes through a back door."
"We have to leave here now." Tevos stated "Saren's not far from us."
"But what about the Citadel?" Sparatus stated "We can't abandon the centre of our government!"
"I don't see much choice." Valern stated "We have to get out of here and just hope that the Republic can get here in time. I fear we may not last much longer."
Yularen nodded and quickly went to his office to send the message to Arcturus also requesting troops as they may be needed to help fight.
...
Meanwhile, back on Ilos, Shepard and her team had returned to the Mako and Pekue was driving through the tunnels again. They fought more Geth as they went through and soon, they came out of the tunnels and it seemed they were driving through a dried up canal on Ilos. It seemed to be the old water ways of an old Prothean city, Liara was fascinated but knew they didn't have the time to admire the architecture. They had to get to the Conduit as fast as they could and so they drove on.
...
Saren smirked as he walked although the Presidium up to the Council chambers. Now that he was here, it was time for Sovereign to arrive. The Reaper had jumped into the system and quickly sped towards the Citadel. One Saren undid what the Protheans had done and reactivated the Citadel Relay and the Reapers returned, Saren would use Sovereign's connection to take control of the entire Reaper fleet then they would be unleashed on the galaxy. He quickly learned that the Councillors were evacuating, 'Cowards!" he thought 'I guess it only shows how weak we are.' He quickly made his way up the Citadel tower towards the chambers and soon he would gain access to the system. He smirked as he watched Sovereign get closer from the window. He also saw the Citadel Flagship the Destiny Ascension had entered the Citadel to pick up the councillors, well that wouldn't do them any good.
...
Meanwhile, back on Arcturus Station, Chancellor Mon Mothma was meeting with her top supporters. Senator Bail Organa of the planet Alderaan and Senator Padme Amidalla of Naboo. The three of them were top supporters in peace and cooperation with the Citadel but they knew that they faced severe criticism from other Senators and many Republic military members as they claimed she was putting the security of the Republic at risk by working too closely with the Citadel.
"I think we can all agree that war is inevitable now." Mothma stated "I never wanted it to come to this but this First Order is dangerous."
"I guess we should be glad that our limitation suggestion got rejected." Bail stated "We may have lost our ability to fight."
"I hate the fact that we may have to go to war." Padme stated "I lost my husband in the last war."
"Despite what we all wish, the galaxy is a dangerous place." Mothma agreed "I doubt I will be re-elected in the upcoming election. We'll just have to hope that my successor does not become a puppet. I fear this First Order has agents amongst us." She looked at the two of them "I want you two to promise that you will continue to fight for this democracy. Fight to preserve the Republic and don't let us fall into tyranny."
"I will always fight for our cause." Padme stated "Even if we're losing."
"Chancellor!" a voice called "Chancellor Mothma!"
A young man in a RSB uniform was running towards them and was briefly stopped by Captain Raymus Antilles, Bail Organa guard captain. Mothma quickly ordered him to be released and let him speak. "Chancellor, transmission from Colonel Yularen. The Citadel is under attack. The First order has attacked the station and have managed to get troops. Long range communications have been jammed. The Citadel are needing aid."
Mothma looked at Bail and Padme "We have to help them." Padme stated
Mothma was silent and then nodded "Get word to Admiral Raddus." She ordered "Send him and Hackett to the Citadel with their fleets. We're taking no chances."
"Understood." The man said.
Soon, the majority of the Third and Fifth fleets that were stationed at Arcturus Station were making their way towards the Citadel although parts of the fleets remained behind to guard the station.
...
Back on Ilos, Shepard and her team in the Mako soon arrived at what they assumed to be the Conduit. It was a massive Mass Relay although smaller than the ones found in space. It was activated and sending out a beam of light into the air. "That's it. That must be the Conduit." Liara stated
"We don't have time to admire the view." Bau stated
"Bau's right." Tali added as she noticed something "It seems they're trying to shut the portal."
"Get us to the Conduit Pekue!" Shepard ordered "Don't stop for anything! Everyone else, get strapped in."
"Alright Commander." Pekue replied "Hang on tight everyone, this might be a rough ride."
The crew quickly strapped themselves into their seats in tightly as Pekue quickly pushed down on the accelerator and the Mako sped towards the Conduit at full speed. Pekue had to zigzag in order to avoid fire from a few First Order Tanks that had been stationed. Everyone braced themselves as the Mako drove into the turning circle of the Mass Relay Conduit and within the blink of an eye, the Mako was sent zooming into space.
...
At the Citadel, the space battle at the Citadel wasn't going well for the Citadel. The First Order fleet was gaining an advantage and destroying the Citadel fleet. The massive dreadnought was destroying the Citadel ships in one shot and while the Citadel fleet fought back taking out a few First Order Cruisers and Frigates. They couldn't do anything against the Dreadnought. They needed reinforcements if they had a chance of surviving this fight and thankfully, they were now arriving.
Within the blink of an eye, many ships suddenly jumped from Hyperspace which included several large Star Destroyers and Mon Calamari ships. The Republic had arrived. On board the leading ship, a MC75 Star Cruiser called the Profunity, the flagship of the Third Fleet, the crew were ready. This was a Mon Calamari ship made from the spires of abandoned buildings in the oceans of Mon Cala. The bridge crew were made up of Mon Calamari led by a grey skinned Admiral Raddus, a veteran of the Republic. "This is Admiral Raddus of the Republic Fleet. Squadron leaders, report in."
"Admiral this is Blue Leader, standing by." Called Motoc Merrick, commander of Blue Squadron which was a fighter squadron with mostly X-Wings and Y wings along with a few U-Wings.
"This is Grey Squadron, standing by." Called Horton Salm, commander of Grey Squadron which was a large bombing squadron.
They were joined by Admiral Hackett and the Fifth Fleet who was in command of the Resurgence class Star Destroyer Everest. "This is the Fifth fleet." Is everyone ready?"
"Admiral, our forces are prepared." Called in Rear Admiral Mikhailovich, commander of the 63rd Scout Flotilla.
"And Green Squadron is ready." Arvel Crynyd, commander of Green Squadron called
On the Destiny Ascension, Matriarch Lidanya looked on. "Captain, we're picking up reinforcements."
"It's the Republic, thank the Goddess." Lidanya gasped in relief
...
In the Council Chambers, Saren looked out of the window and saw Sovereign approach. He then saw the Republic fleet arriving. He narrowed is eyes and then activated some controls on a terminal in front of him.
...
Lidanya's relief was short lived when she heard a noise. She soon saw the Citadel arms were closing in and she realised what was going on.
"Captain, the arms are closing!" one of her crew called out.
Lidanya realised that there wasn't enough time for the Destiny Ascension to get out of the station. They were now trapped with the massive ship and a whole load of enemy fighters within the station.
...
Admiral Raddus also saw what was going on and knew he had to take action. "Green and Grey Squadrons, attack formations!" he ordered "Defend the fleet while we engage the First Order. Blue Squadron, get with the Citadel arms before the close the arms. Take the U-Wings to provide support."
"Copy that Admiral." Merrick replied "Blue Squadron on me."
"Copy Blue Leader." Other members of Blue Squadron called and they followed Merrick towards the Citadel.
It was getting close for some fighters as they narrowing avoiding crashing into the Citadel arms and soon enough they closed completely.
"Pull up!" Barrion Raner (Blue Four) called when the arms closed and the rest of Blue Squadron pulled out of their dive but two X-Wings were already too close to the arms and both crashed into the Citadel. About 12 X-Wings and 5 U-Wings made it into the Citadel. The rest of Blue Squadron would have to help aid Green and Grey squadron.
…
Saren smirked now that the Citadel arms were closed. The Council were sitting ducks in the Destiny ascension. He quickly ordered the First Order fighters to attack the Citadel flagship while he concentrated on removing the Prothean block over the Citadel Relay.
…
On the Destiny Ascension, Captain Lidanya was trying to use the ship to hold of the swarms of enemy fighters. The biggest advantage the Destiny Ascension had was it's sheer size so the blasts from the fighters did little damage by themselves but the sheer amount was troubling. "If we sit here, we're going to be blown apart by these fighters!" one crew member called
"We can't do much while we're trapped here." Lidanya yelled
"These fighters will tear us apart!" another crewman yelled
"We're got a swarm incoming!" someone yelled
"Fire the guns!" Lidanya ordered
The guns fired at the fighters but they were too small and too fast for the guns to get a good shot. Then gunfire came from elsewhere and got destroyed the swarm.
Everyone on the Destiny Ascension was quiet until someone pointed out "Look!"
They all saw a force of Republic fighters flying by them destroying the fighters.
"This is Blue Leader." A voice came over the radio "Don't worry, we've got your back."
"Blue Leader." Lidanya replied "We're trapped here; we can't get out of here while the arms are closed."
"Is there a way to reopen the arms?" Blue Leader asked
"The controls for the Citadel arms are up in the Council Chambers." Lidanya replied "But it's been overrun and our ground forces aren't trained to fight this type of war."
"Luckily we have." Blue Leader stated "U-Wings, drop your troops as close as you can to the Council tower."
"Copy that Blue Leader." One U-Wing pilot replied and the 5 U-Wings made their way closer to the ground escorted by a few X-Wings. One U-Wing was destroyed by the fighters but the other four managed to get their soldiers on the ground giving the Citadel forces nearly 50 skilled fighters who were able to start fighting against the First Order troops guarding the door to the Council tower.
…
In another building on the Presidium, a few scientists have taken cover in a laboratory with a few C-Sec guards. These were fighting against a First Order squadron who were trying to enter the lab. The scientists had an idea on why they were trying to enter. This lab was where the Prothean pod from Eden Prime was being studied. In the weeks since its arrival, they had begun to translate the language on the Pod with the help of a Prothean expert but unlocking the pod was difficult as they had to do it carefully otherwise they could cause the life support to fail and kill the Prothean inside and none of them wanted to do that. The scientists believed that the First Order either wanted to destroy the Pod or capture it for the First Order to study. As they were fighting, none of them realised the controls of the pod started activated and the Pod slowly began to open by itself.
One scientist was shot dead by the First Order and the doors were opened again. The people inside were scare that this was the end but then the First Order troops were thrown backwards and the astro-droids quickly closed the doors. The people in the room quickly turned around to see an armoured figure standing in the room who looked at them with blank eyes. The figure then looked out of the window and narrowed its eyes.
…
Shepard and the team had strapped themselves in tightly in the Mako as the Conduit Relay sent then blast through space faster than the speed of light. The lights were dizzying and they had no idea how long this trip would take. Soon enough, the transportation through the relay ended and they ended up on the Citadel. But the landing was not gentle, the Mako was shot out of the end of the Mass Relay monument on the Citadel Presidium so fast that Pekue tried to put the brakes on which caused the Mako to flip over and crash into a wall.
Luckily, no one was hurt since they had all been strapped in although they did have a few bruises but they had no time to think about what just happened. They were on the Citadel and now they had to stop Saren.
Shepard managed to undo her straps and fell to the ceiling since the Mako was upside down. She then helped everyone else out of their seats. Pekue tried to open the hatch to let them all out but the Mako had been damaged and the controls were busted. Thankfully, Wrex's strength still had its uses and he was able to bash the door open. They all then got off the Mako and what they saw was chaos. The Presidium was dark since the arms were closed and fires were burning all over the place, buildings were damaged and they could hear gunfire between the First Order troops and C-sec.
Bau looked up and saw that the Destiny Ascension was trapped within the Citadel and Republic fighters were trying to hold off the incoming swarms of First Order Fighters. Also, they could see the Reaper Sovereign had attached itself to the Council tower. "We have to get up there!" he stated "Saren must be up there and we have to open up the arms."
"Well what are we waiting for?" Liara stated
"Everyone, let's go." Shepard ordered "Pekue, find somewhere safe, the Mako is of no use for us now."
"Alright Commander." Pekue stated and picked up a pistol "It's a good thing I can still fight."
The team quickly made their way towards the Citadel tower and they knew that they were in for a tough fight.
…
Out of the Citadel, Admiral Raddus looked down at the Citadel "What's going on down there?" he demanded
"We can't get any communications with the Citadel." One of his men stated "There's nothing we can do down there."
"Then I guess our fight is up here." Raddus stated and then he got on the radio "Hackett, exchange fire with those enemy ships. We can at least take them down as much as we can."
"Understood Raddus." Hackett replied "All ships, fire forward cannons."
The large ships of the Third and Fifth fleet then began firing their guns at the First Order ships.
On board the First Order Dreadnought, Captain Canady watched as his own fleet came under fire "So you've brought in reinforcements." He stated
"Captain, what do we do?" one of his men questioned
"We fight that's what." Canady stated "They wish to engage us ship to ship, well then, let's give them what they want."
Soon enough, the Republic and First Order fleets were engaging in heavy ship to ship combat, something that would be devastating for both sides.
…
Back on the Citadel, Shepard and her team soon made it to a group of C-Sec soldiers that were pinned down by First Order. "Get down, this fight is intense." The leader called
Garrus quickly saw who it was "Detective Chellick?" he questioned
"Aye." Chellick replied "I was never trained for this but I guess we have no choice?"
"What's the situation?" Shepard questioned
"Not good." Chellick replied "The attack came out of nowhere and they came through the Relay Monument. I had no idea that monument was a real Relay. The fighting is mostly contained to the Presidium; I've heard from other groups that the Wards are free from the chaos. Whatever it is these people want, it's here on the Presidium. Executor Palin ordered most of the C-Sec members to the Presidium but I have no idea where he is now."
A sniper shot hit close to them forcing them to take cover "We need to get to the top of the Council Tower." Shepard stated "It's the only way to reopen the relay and stop Saren."
"It's no good." Chellick replied "That massive ship has shut down the elevators, they're not operating."
"Any other ways to get to the tower?" Liara asked
"You could try walking along the tower." Chellick suggested "The tower above the Citadel has a walk-able platform. You'll need some magno boots to walk along it."
"We've have those on our suits for situations like this." Shepard stated
""That's good." Chellick stated "There's a special elevator at the back of the tower used by maintenance to fix any damages along the tower. You will need space suits as there's no oxygen at that section. The main elevator is out but if we can activate the emergency power at the Security room, we can activate the emergency power. It's used in case the main elevator gets stuck. Unfortunately, these troops have already taken it over."
"I know where it is Commander." Garrus stated
"We should split up, no point is us all going at the same place, we'll just waste time." Liara stated
"Agreed." Bau stated "I'll stay with the main team; I need to be there for Saren."
"Alright." Shepard stated "Garrus will lead the team to the security room. Tali will go with him, her skills may be necessary to hotwire the controls. Wrex and Liara will go as well to provide support."
"Alright Commander." Wrex stated "Don't get killed Shepard."
"Good luck." Kaidan called as he watched Garrus' group leave to go do their mission.
…
Back above the Citadel, the rest of Blue Squadron as well as Green and Grey Squadron began engaging the First Order ships while trying to avoid the fire from First Order fighters. One A-Wing from Green squadron was chased by two First Order Fighters and was destroyed before the two fighters themselves were destroyed by a Y-Wing from Grey Squadron. Green Leader began chasing a few First Order fighters than began attacking the Republic Frigate Redemption. The smaller ships of the First Order had charged ahead and began a ship to ship fight against the Frigates and Corvettes of the Republic. But Hackett realised that the major ships including the 7km long Dreadnought were remaining further back away from the fight and wondered why.
He would soon found out why. Captain Canady looked at one of his men while he was talking "Captain, our guns are primed again."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" he questioned "Target one of the Republic Dreadnoughts."
The Dreadnought fired some massive shots from it's cannons that went straight to the Republic fleet. They struck the massive Mon Calamari Dreadnought Liberty. Despite begin a Dreadnought, not even this ship could take on the fight against such a large amount of firepower at a single point. The Liberty soon began to crumble began to fall apart. The Captain gave the order to abandon ship and the Liberty was destroyed.
On board the Everest, Admiral Hackett watched in shock "My god!" he gasped "That Dreadnought can destroy one of ours just like that." He then got on the comms "Raddus this is Hackett, did you see that."
"I saw it" Raddus replied "This fight is going to be tougher than we first realised. Our Dreadnoughts can't repel firepower of that magnitude."
"Then I guess our number one target is that Dreadnought." Hackett stated "Grey Squadron, target that Dreadnought, you have to at least take out that cannon."
"Aye Admiral." Grey Leader spoke up and his squadron of Y-Wings made their way towards the Dreadnought.
…
Back on the Citadel Presidium, Garrus and his group began fighting the First Order in an attempt to regain control of the security room to try and get the power to the emergency elevator restored. The fight was intense but soon, they managed to get into Citadel Security headquarters. Garrus knew the room and so he was able to point Tali to the terminal that had the controls for the Council tower. "That's the one." He said pointing to a set of controls "Those are the controls for the Tower."
"Give me some cover." Tali stated "It will take some time to regain control."
"You better hurry." Wrex stated as he fired a blast from his shotgun "We've got another wave of enemies incoming."
Garrus and Liara ran over to the door to help Wrex as Tali used her skills in technology to disconnect certain wires in the terminal and reconnect them as a way to hotwire the terminal and soon, the terminal came to life. Tali was then able to get the terminal to redirect power to the emergency elevator. "I did it." Tali yelled "The power's back up."
"Good job." Garrus stated and got back on the radio "Commander, the power's back up. You should be able to get up the tower."
"Good job." Shepard called. Her team with help from Chellick and a group of Republic soldiers had managed to regain the perimeter surrounding the elevator. She turned to her team "Let's go, now it's time to confront Saren and out an end to him once and for all. He escaped us on Feros, Mustafar, Pandora and Virmire but he's not getting away this time."
"We have him trapped this time." Bau stated "Chellick, keep hold over this area, make sure Saren doesn't find a way to escape."
"Understood." Chellick replied and soon Shepard and her team got into the elevator and made their way up the Citadel tower.
…
The Space battle wasn't going well for the Republic. Grey Squadron had tried to make a bombing run against the Dreadnought but the first group of six bombers had been torn to shreds by snit-starfighter guns along the Dreadnought resulting in all six being destroyed. Grey Leader was forced to cancel the next run to avoid losing even more fighters. What was worse was that the Dreadnought fired it's cannons again and destroyed the Republic Dreadnought Nautilian.
Hackett knew there was only one option left "All ships, get in as close as you can and engage that fleet at point blank range." He ordered
Raddus was concerned "Hackett at that close range, we won't last too long against all of those ships."
"Well we'll last longer than we will against the Dreadnought!" Hackett called back "That Dreadnought can't hit us if we're closer. At least our ships will protect us better."
Soon, the Republic ships moved in closer to the First Order fleet and began engaging the fleet ship to ship.
The remains of Blue Squadron joined Grey Squadron in an attack on one of the First Order's large cruisers. Blue four fired missiles at the bridge which knocked out the bridge and then Grey Squadron lead a bombing run which caused the Cruiser to start falling and crash into another Cruiser destroying it as well.
The pilots of the squadrons were all willing to fight even when they were facing difficult odds, several First Order fighters chanced after Grey Three after he made a bombing run on a cruiser and dove underneath to try and get away but was soon struck by blaster fire. Grey Three managed to cause his Y-Wing to crash into the bridge of another Cruiser which badly damaged that Cruiser as well.
…
The air battle within the Citadel was also becoming worse for the Republic. The swarms of fighters were becoming almost too much for Blue Squadron and one by one, the fighters were being shot down. One of the U-Wings which was providing cover for the soldiers fighting got shot down and crashed close to the Security room where Tali, Garrus, Liara and Wrex were fighting.
Blue Leader was also being chased by a group of fighters and the other members of blue squadron were unable to help before Blue Leader's engine was hit and the X-Wing began to spiral as two of the wings were shot off causing Blue Leader to crash into the Citadel.
Garrus looked at the battle above them as he helped battle the First Order. He was assisting C-Sec helping civilians escape from the battle. He was getting worried "Shepard, you have to hurry!" he called on the comm "The Republic fighters are getting torn to pieces here. I'm not sure how much longer we can last. You have to get the Citadel arms opened soon otherwise we'll lose this battle. The Destiny Ascension won't last much longer."
"We're going as fast as we can." Shepard called "We're climbing up the tower but Saren's reprogrammed the Defence turrets to attack us."
"Tali." Garrus called "Can you shut off those turrets?"
"I could but doing so would shut all of them down." Tali stated
"Better no system than one that's tearing us apart." Garrus stated "Do it!"
"Look out!" Wrex shouted
Garrus looked to see a group of First Order troops approaching them but suddenly, they were thrown aside. The troops quickly got up and saw a hooded figure approaching them. They fired their blasters but the figure activated a lightsaber that was similar to the one that Shepard had only had a green blade instead of purple. The fighter fought the First like an expert and when the fight was over. The figure looked at Garrus' group before lowering the hood.
When Liara saw what was under the hood, she was shocked at what she saw.
...
At the top of the Citadel tower, Shepard and her group arrived at the Council chambers and saw Saren messing with a control panel. He had quickly replaced the mechanical arm that Shepard had destroyed on Virmire. Saren could sense them and turned around and threw a grenade at Shepard who dodged it.
"I was afraid that you wouldn't make it in time Shepard." Saren sneered
"It took some time to get to Ilos." Shepard hissed "Council was concerned that the mission would be a waste since they knew you were coming."
"Like I said before, the Council were fools." Saren sneered "Anyway, you're too late Shepard, you've lost. Once I finishing undoing the hacks that the Protheans did to the Citadel Relay, the Reapers will return and via Sovereign, I will take control of them and the First Order shall use them to conquer the galaxy. My Master was disappointed but also impressed of how well you fought on Virmire. The First Order has need of men and women of action. Join us Shepard and together we will usher in a new age for the galaxy. It won't matter anyway. You won't fall here, my Master wants you alive."
"Why is that?" Shepard demanded "What is it with your master, why does he want me alive?"
Saren laughed "You'll find out when I bring you to him. I won't kill you Shepard, but I can't say the same about you're friends. This time, I won't leave any loose ends." He activated his lightsaber.
Shepard and Kaidan activated their own lightsabers "I can say the same thing for you Saren. There's nowhere to run this time."
Saren laughed "Anger is not the Jedi way."
Shepard narrowed her eyes "I'm no Jedi." She then charged at Saren and swung her lightsaber at Saren who blocked it with his. Kaidan then joined in. The two of them engaged Saren in a fierce fight while Bau and the others stood back knowing that there was nothing they could do.
Saren was going all out in this fight and he began using the rubble in the room as missiles as he used the force to fling them at Kaidan and Shepard. He also sent bolts of lightning at the two which they blocked. Slowly, Saren was being pushed back towards the edge of the balcony that overlooked the console. Shepard charged and Saren barley blocked her blow. Shepard started pushing forward and Saren was starting to struggle. Then Shepard gave a sharp twist to force Saren's lightsaber to the side and before he could recover, Shepard plunged her lightsaber into Saren's chest.
Saren gasped as the blade pierced through his body and out of his back. Saren looked at Shepard who glared at him "Looks like I win this time." She hissed and she pulled the lightsaber out. Saren stumbled backwards holding his wound and then he tripped over the side of the balcony and fell over the side. Saren crashed through the glass roof and his body was impaled on a piece of rubble. Saren groaned and then he fell silent.
With Saren dead, Shepard quickly ran over to the console and brought out the data file that Vigil had given her and she inserted it as the others approached her "Vigil's data file worked, I have control over all of the Citadel's systems."
"Quick, open up the Citadel arms" Bau stated "Maybe the fleet can take down Sovereign before he regains control of the systems."
"See if you can open up a communications channel." Kaidan added
Shepard was able to open the communications and could hear a distress call coming from the Destiny Ascension "... shields are down to 40%... sustaining heavy damage... the Council is on board I repeat the Council is on board."
Shepard tried to send her own signal out to call someone and thankfully, it went through "Normandy to Citadel control." Doka Phasa called "Please tell me that's you Commander."
"I'm here Joker." Shepard replied "I have control of the Citadel, the Third and Fifth fleets are engaging the First Order but the Destiny Ascension is trapped within the Citadel. We can't fight both the First Order and Sovereign at once."
"Well I have a solution for that." Doka replied "The Normandy is just a jump away with the entire Seventh Fleet. We encountered Thrawn while leaving Ilos and informed him. Give us the order and we'll jump to the Citadel. The Seventh Fleet will concentrate on Sovereign and get the Ascension out."
"Do it Shepard." Bau called
"Alright Phasa." Shepard replied "Opening the Citadel arms now."
...
Outside, the battle between the Republic and First Order was getting intense. Republic and First Order ships were shooting at each other at point blank range and on both sides, ships were getting destroyed.
"Admiral, our shields are down to 50%, we're sustaining heavy damage." One of Raddus' men called to him.
"There's no turning back now, we have to press the attack." Raddus stated
"Admiral." Another man called "We're getting Hyperspace readings. Ships coming from out of hyperspace."
Raddus looked to see a large force of Republic ships just arriving from Hyperspace. "Raddus, this is Admiral Thrawn." A voice came over the radio "We picked up the distress call, we're here to help."
Then another one of Raddus' men called out "Admiral, the Citadel arms are opening."
Thrawn called back over the radio "We'll take care of Sovereign. You concentrate on dealing with the First Order. Black and Gold Squadrons, give assistance to them. Red Squadron, head on down and assist with escorting the Destiny Ascension to safety."
...
On the Destiny Ascension, the crew gasped in relief when the Citadel Arms opened and more Republic ships arrived. "Alright crew, get us out of here." Lidanya ordered.
The Destiny Ascension quickly made a break to get away from the battle escorted by Red Squadron and the remains of Blue Squadron and with the fighting contained, the Destiny Ascension was away and the Council was safe. The two squadrons quickly went back to helping fight Sovereign alongside the Seventh Fleet. The fight was still not over yet but now the Republic had gained the Upper hand.
...
Inside the Citadel tower, Shepard watched as the Seventh Fleet entered the Citadel to engage Sovereign. She had watched the Destiny Ascension leave and now the Republic were battling Sovereign. The Reaper had wrapped around the Citadel tower but now the legs were unwrapping to unleashed it's own powerful weapon. There was not much Shepard and her team could do.
"Check on Saren." She stated "Make sure he's dead."
Bau and Kaidan jumped down and walked over to Saren's body. Bau carefully pulled out a pistol in case Saren was faking his death. He felt for a pulse but felt nothing "He's dead." He stated
But as the two of them began to walk away, the room started shaking. Shepard looked up to see red lightning shooting throughout the room. Saren's body was struck and began shaking. They all watched in horror as Saren began to wake up, his body moving around but glowing red. Then his eyes seemed to explode and were replaced with glowing red orbs. It was like something out of a dark fantasy story. A shockwave exploded from Saren's body which blew Kaidan and Bau backwards and caused the balcony that Shepard was standing on to collapse. Shepard was thrown to the floor but quickly stood up. Saren's body stood up and looked like something was emerging from his body. It was like a demon had possessed Saren and was trying to come out of his body. Saren's skin began to burn away and all that was left was a walking glowing skeleton who looked at them and then jumped onto the roof of the nearby balcony.
"I am Sovereign!" the thing growled "This Station is Mine!"
"Shoot him!" Bau shouted and soon, Shepard, Kaidan and Bay pulled their guns put and began firing. The lightsabers were useless now. Saren wasn't even fighting like a person now, he was moving around on all fours and jumping around. A few times he would slash at them with his claws but he was not much of a threat. The only problem they had was how fast he was so they would start shooting but Saren would move before he was even hit.
Eventually, they would find their target and soon, Saren was shot many times over and over and soon, it became too much. Saren quickly fell to the ground as the glow faded. Then Saren's body began to crumbled and disintegrate, eventually, all that was left was a pile of ash on the floor.
...
Outside, Saren's death seemed to have an effect on Sovereign. The Reaper had possessed Saren's body and now that Saren was destroyed, it weakened Sovereign. The remaining legs that had been wrapped around the tower lost their grip and the Reaper began to fall.
"It's shields are down!" Joker yelled
Thrawn saw it to "All ships, open fire." All of the ships of the Seventh fleet began opening fire on the Reaper which now began to take serious damage and made no attempt to fight back. Joker and Luke piloted the Normandy like it was a fighting and made a dive on the Reaper.
"Give it everything we have!" Zitt growled and the Normandy fired missile after missile and each one struck the Reaper and soon, Sovereign was blown apart and the Reaper was destroyed, scattering parts over the Citadel.
Outside the Citadel, the fight against the First Order fleet was going well for the Republic now. Black Squadron had managed to take out the Dreadnought's AA guns and Gold Squadron made a massive bombing run against the dreadnought. The Dreadnought began to explode and on the bridge, Captain Canady showed no emotion. He knew it was over so he simple closed his eyes and accepted his fate as his ship exploded around him.
With the dreadnought and Sovereign destroyed, the rest of the First Order knew they had failed and started to retreat from the Citadel. The Republic cheered, they had won.
...
In the Citadel tower, Shepard and Bau sighed in relief as they watched Sovereign explode. But then their smiles faded when they saw one of the Sovereign's legs gliding towards them.
"Move!" Shepard shouted and she and the others got out of the way as the leg collided with the tower. Shepard and the others were thrown around and their world went black.
Chapter End:
Notes: Well, this is it, the final battle of Mass Effect. I had intended on splitting this chapter into two but in the end, I decided to just do it in one. I extended the battle to include more fighting but like I said before, writing these space battles is not easy. There is just one chapter left in this story, I doubt I'll get it finished before the end of July but I will try, if not, it will defiantly be finished in the early part of August.