Chapter 6: Freedom's Progress

March 11, 2185 CE

Serpent Nebula / Widow System / Citadel Station

Joker wasn't sure what to make of Commander Shepard's appearance on the Normandy the next morning after she'd slept on Counselor Anderson's couch for the night. Man, how many people in the galaxy think to themselves, "Hey, I want to go crash at a friend's place, why don't I try the Councilor and see if he's got an open couch?" He brushed away the thought and focused again on Shepard's face. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, like she'd been crying (is that even possible?) but she seemed more relaxed, more . . . calm, than before.

"Alright Joker, let's get out of here before some dock worker thinks to check what those gigantic Cerberus logos plastered all over the side of my ship mean and get us all arrested."

"Aye aye, ma'am. Running for the hills. I think the Illusive Man wanted to speak with you."

She raised an eyebrow at him but let it slide before turning to walk back through the CIC. What was she thinking now? Another mystery. He busied himself pulling out of the private dock and got an immediate clearance for departure. Not for the first time he wondered how much money the Illusive Man had spread around to make sure nobody seized the ship or set C-Sec on them. It wasn't like they'd been hiding on the Citadel or anything.

"Mr. Moreau, Commander Shepard did not specify a course."

"Nope, but she didn't have to. We're clearing out of Council space for a while, so that means back to the Terminus Systems. Shepard will let us know where once we get closer."

But don't take too long, Shepard. I hope whatever you did on the Citadel helped because we need some guidance here.

…

"Shepard, we've got a hit." The Illusive Man tapped out his cigarette for the occasion and leaned forward conspiratorially.

Shepard, for her part, stood with arms crossed in the QEC on the Normandy, pointedly wearing her non-Cerberus clothes. "What kind of hit?" she asked cautiously.

"Freedom's Progress. The colony just went dark, just like the others the collectors have hit. It's unlikely you can make it back before they leave, but you should arrive before anyone else in the Alliance and recover the additional evidence we need."

"So, your 'suspicion' turned out accurate this time… or you got lucky. What made you think the collectors would hit Freedom's Progress?"

"Not yet, Shepard. I need more data to confirm my theory. Once you have that, I'll explain what we've learned and we move to the next stage of our operations. Assuming, of course, that you will be joining us. Tell me, how did your conversation with the Council go?"

Shepard kept her face blank. "They agreed to reinstate me as a Spectre, as I'm sure you're already aware. They promised to… look the other way while I work with you to hunt down this possible Reaper connection."

"I guess we're not the boogeyman you thought we were after all, then. Welcome to Cerberus, Shepard. Now go get that data and we can take the fight to the Reapers."

…

For all the Illusive Man's fire, and the Normandy's incredible speed, it was still a long journey to make it to the other side of the galaxy. Freshly loaded with food, water, and antiproton high-performance fuel, all somehow arranged for by Miranda, the Normandy slid out of her dock and took her position in the massive, organized chaos that was the Citadel's space lanes. Citadel Control guided them along their invisible corridor and Shepard watched the ships go by in an amazing variety. Asari luxury passenger liners, with their species' trademark aesthetic beauty, were all smooth lines and sculpted curves. Volus bulk cargo cruisers hummed along with their famous cutthroat efficiency and enthusiasm other races reserved for their warships. They were all here, and a seemingly infinite number more – swarms of independent freighters of a thousand-and-one designs, research ships, deep-exploration ships returning from their voyages into unknown systems off the beaten path even right here in the Serpent Nebula, industrial ships, scout ships, and on it went, all under the watchful eyes of the Citadel Defense Force cruisers, battlecruisers, carriers, and dreadnaughts. There had to be hundreds of thousands of souls within a day's flight of the Citadel just in space alone. It was an overwhelming display of the vibrancy and determination of the galaxy, all these species from every corner of known space, every one of which had fought their way here to be part of this.

And she was leaving it behind. Dozens of ships were lined up to travel to the innumerable locations accessible within a single jump from the Citadel, from the Athena Nebula and the birthplace of the asari to the Apien Crest, home of the turians, to the Silean Nebula and its resident elcor, to the Annos Basin, home of the salarians, and so many more.

The line to jump to the Eagle Nebula was far shorter.

"Automated Warning: You are approaching a Mass Relay configured to jump to the Eagle Nebula in the Attican Traverse. Warning: The Attican Traverse is the border of Citadel Space and is less well patrolled than other areas. Proceed at your own risk." A lone battlecruiser hummed along a hundred-thousand klicks from the mass relay, keeping a watchful eye.

Up in the cockpit, Joker smoothly maneuvered them into position, and they were on their way.

March 12, 2185 CE

Eagle Nebula / Imir System / Mass Relay

The Normandy popped out into real space after nearly thirty hours. The Mass Relays moved ships with otherwise impossible speeds, but it was easy to forget just how stupendously big space was. Shepard stood overlooking the galaxy map which displayed a diagram of the system and trying to ignore the overly helpful Yeoman Chambers at her side.

She started to pull up the system information, then paused. She had an AI – she might as well start getting used to it. Or at least learn how much she could and couldn't depend on it before her life was on the line. "Edi, right? Give me a rundown on the system."

The AI responded instantly. "This is the Imir System, the gateway system of the Eagle Nebula within the Attican Traverse, which is the border region between Council Space and the Terminus Systems. We are currently located approximately 1,742 kilometers from the Serpent-Eagle Relay and are cruising at sublight speed across the system towards the Eagle-Omega Relay. Imir is a G-class star orbited by four significant bodies with a single asteroid belt. From the primary outwards, Osalri is a dwarf planet too hot for significant exploitation. Korlus is the most significant body in the system, serving as a ship-stripping and recycling center for much of this region of space. On the outside range of habitability, the recycling industry has polluted much of the planet's atmosphere, and there is an Alliance travel advisory warning that Korlus ranks first in murders per capita in the Attican Traverse. Beyond the asteroid belt is Quodis, a hydrogen-helium gas giant commonly used to discharge drive cores and for commercial vessels to restock helium-3. There are numerous reports of piracy at these refueling stations, and Korlus authorities recommend using Korlus Security Fleet escorts. The last significant body is Gregas, a cold and distant planet of rock and frozen methane."

"What a dump. Do we need to discharge our drive?"

"No, Commander. The Normandy SR2 can operate its drive core for FTL travel for approximately 52.3 hours before discharge in a planetary atmosphere is required. Travel in Mass Relay corridors does not require use of the drive core."

Shepard leaned against the railing overlooking the galaxy map. "Okay. I've been out for most of the last thirty hours, but I guess you knew that already. Any news on the extranet?"

"With the restoration of your Spectre privileges, we have received highest priority on the comm buoy system while in Citadel Space. Searching… There are several news items you may be interested in. R&B Singer Lady Sweat died at age—"

"Next."

"Updating your preferences. The Citadel Committee on Disease Prevention announced that vaccine supplies for the Simian Bacterial Fever, which has had outbreaks across many planets, are in short supply. Only 70 billion of the estimated 95 billion doses were produced last month due to logistical difficulties. A controversial book titled 'Criminal Negligence: The Citadel Council and the True Story of the Geth Threat' went on sale. Authored by a C-Sec officer in Councilor Tevos' security team, it alleges that the Council knew of geth traveling outside the Perseus Veil long before their attack on Eden Prime in 2183. The—"

"Wait, before the attack on Eden Prime? Is that what you said?"

"That is what the book alleges. I do not have access to sufficient data to confirm whether the claims are true."

"Huh. What else?"

"The manal, a biotically active bipedal native to Thessia, has been removed from the critically endangered species list. Further details from the MSV Sevrum, a commercial cruiser that crashed into Taetrus last month, reveals that the flight attendants were taken hostage, and the ship crashed when the pilots did not turn the ship as directed. The flight became erratic during a struggle in the cockpit. Fortunately, the pilots had disabled the ship's FTL drive, which would have caused a megaton-scale impact. Over the past two days, expert witnesses testified in the Ford v. Huerta case, determining whether President Huerta's transference of cognitive function from a brain-dead state into a computer VI system resulted in his death, and automatic transference of the office of president, or a temporary incapacitation, and the restoration of his office upon his recovery."

Shepard shuddered. That one hit far too close to home. "That's enough for now, Edi. I'll, uh, go tour the ship again."

March 14, 2185 CE

Sigurd's Cradle / Jamea System / Allure, Freedom's Progress Colony

The Normandy hung in orbit over Allure while Shepard, Miranda, and Jacob sat in the shuttle as it burned down through the atmosphere towards the colony. There was no air traffic, no guidance from ground control, just… silence.

As they closed in Miranda cut through the surreal aura. "We're two minutes out, Commander. The Illusive Man put us under your command. Do you have any orders?"

Shepard answered without taking her eyes of the sensor readings. "Our first priority is searching for survivors."

"No offense, Commander," Miranda returned in as offensive a tone as she could manage, "but I find that unlikely."

Shepard rolled her eyes. "I got that. But a survivor would be able to give us a full description of what happened down there, and would be a source the Alliance couldn't dismiss for coming from Cerberus."

Jacob chimed in, trying to keep the peace. "Understood, Commander."

Silence fell again as the shuttle made the final descent to the colony itself. It set down, thrusters flaring, and the gull wing shuttle doors flipped opened on cold evening air. They stepped out, weapons at the ready, though they weren't surprised to see nothing moving. No one had been left behind before.

They stood there on the same spaceport tarmac as weeks before... only this time there was no hormone-driven teenager, no foot traffic, no hum of vehicles or business. It was the same view, the same stunning mountain ranges, the same vistas, but the eerie silence twisted the idyllic view into something sinister. They waited for the shuttle to lift off again before moving out. Its flood lights illuminated everything nearby, but also made the more distant shadows a lot deeper, and she wanted a clear view before moving ahead. It was approaching night now, and with most of the building lights off, it was darker than she remembered.

Nothing else popped up. "Alright, let's move." Shepard took point, her Predator leading the way, while Jacob took center with his Katana shotgun and Miranda covered the rear with her own pistol. They cleared the empty spaceport and hit the streets, keeping their eyes and ears open. After a few blocks, it was clear there wasn't anyone hiding in the wings waiting to jump out. Shepard grimaced and pointed to one of the prefab homes at random and nodded to Jacob and his shotgun to take point.

Automatic sensors activated as they approached, sliding the thin door aside and activating the lights with a faint pop that felt louder than it should have in the silence. No danger. They poked around, though Shepard didn't have high hopes. Jacob looked through stacks of paper on the round dinner table while Miranda stepped outside to look over the exterior. Shepard looked out through the window over the grounds for incoming threats.

Jacob tossed the papers down. Nothing. "Looks like they just got up and left in the middle of dinner," he muttered, gesturing to the plates of re-hydrated vegetables spread across the table. About as nondescript as it got. The rest of the room proved just as useless. Beds made and chairs pushed in. They moved back outside.

Miranda grimaced at the scene. "Strange. No bodies, no structural damage. No signs of battle."

Shepard shrugged, and they pressed onward. The next few houses proved just as empty of both people and clues. It was as if they simply walked away from whatever they were doing.

"Alright, that's enough. Let's head for the city center and your cameras." The prefab structures were built in a ring around the main walled compound of the heart of the colony. Theoretically the walls were to keep out wild animals, but they saw far more frequent use out here keeping out the sentient animals looking for slaves. The scum of the lawless Terminus Systems, out here beyond Council Space, were far more dangerous than any animals she'd ever run across.

With no traffic the trip was quick. Like everything else, the Cerberus base was silent and empty, no hidden clues, no secret messages. Miranda led the way inside and began ripping off a wall covering, while Jacob pulled off a chair leg. From each they pulled out a tiny camera, each completely passive – no extranet connection, no wireless transmissions, not even an external power source. Just a tiny, battery-powered, self-contained system that had to be physically plugged into something to pull the footage.

Once they'd finished with the Cerberus base they went back into the street and pulled another few from traffic lights. In short order Miranda had pulled the footage and started collating it into her omnitool. Once she confirmed she had what she wanted, she keyed her com to the Normandy. "Normandy, this is ground team, copy?"

Joker's voice answered immediately. "Ground team, Normandy, we hear you."

"We've cleared the area – same as the others. We're ready for pickup. Have the… ahem, if the Commander approves, send the science team down for measurements. I doubt they'll pick up anything we haven't seen elsewhere, but we might as well be thorough."

Miranda glanced at Shepard, who nodded. It couldn't hurt.

"Will do, ground team."

…

By the time they made it back to the Normandy's conference room, and with a little assistance from Edi, Miranda had a full-on presentation prepared. She tapped her omnitool into the display controls and a passable three-dimensional mockup of the heart of the colony appeared on the screen. For a few moments everything seemed normal, people walking and talking in the streets, Cerberus officers looking suspiciously at each other while typing reports. Then everything changed. Someone pointed up, shading their eyes, then more followed. Screaming started, people began to run.

And then a massive swarm of what Shepard could only describe as bugs flew in, jabbing stingers into people with enough force to penetrate hardsuits. And whoever they touched ground to a halt, frozen, falling over. They lay perfectly still for seconds, then minutes, until more bugs arrived.

And they were bugs. Full sized, taller than Shepard, bipedal bugs, complete with chitinous exoskeleton, two anterior pairs of vestigial limbs, four glowing yellow eyes, a big tapered head, and fully developed wings. Shepard stared at the image in consternation. Bugs?

Miranda watched with her patent scientific detachment. "Well, its definitely the collectors. But those swarms…"

Lost in her musings, Shepard turned to Jacob and asked quietly "The Illusive Man mentioned the collectors. What do we know about them?"

He grimaced with distaste as he, too, watched the feed.

"They're a species from somewhere beyond the Omega Four relay. Only a few people have ever seen one in person. They usually work through intermediaries like slavers or mercenaries. I've never heard of anything like those seek-and-destroy swarms though – there has to be some serious tech to get a stinger through hardsuits. Reaper technology could probably do it.

The tape came to an end, and Miranda nodded. "That's all from the visual feed, but Edi passed on additional sensor readings to the Illusive Man for analysis."

Edi's voice chimed in. "Commander, the Illusive Man would like to speak with you about your findings."

Miranda motioned her head and walked out with Jacob, leaving Shepard in the conference room as the QEC hummed to life, and once more she found herself facing the Illusive Man, who jumped in without preamble.

"Shepard. Good work on Freedom's Progress. The scans are consistent with other colonies."

He was all business; no talk about how she felt, or anything but facts. He was trying to get her into the groove, into the mission. "As for the collectors, I'm afraid there's not much to say, for now at least. They periodically travel to the Terminus Systems, looking to gather seemingly unimportant items or specimens, usually in exchange for their technology. When their transactions are complete, they disappear, usually as quickly as they arrived, back beyond the unmapped Omega Four relay."

Shepard crossed her arms. "So it was the collectors. You know it. The Alliance knows it. The most important thing is to know where they're going to strike next, so we can ambush and destroy them. How did you know the collectors would hit Freedom's Progress? And if you knew, why not set up an ambush?"

The Illusive Man sighed. "So unimaginative. You need to take the long view, Shepard. If the Reapers can be beaten by normal means, it's up to the Alliance and the other Council races. Cerberus, alone, wouldn't make a difference. So I'm operating on the assumption that they can't be beaten conventionally. The objective isn't to save these colonies today, only to lose them all when the Reapers arrive. The objective is to gain access to Reaper technology, their means and methods, even their objective would be more than we had before. Yes, if we committed enough resources, we might be able to ambush and destroy the cruiser, but they would likely shut down the Omega Four relay, and we would lose our best, possibly our only chance, at accessing whatever base they have beyond it."

"The idea of Cerberus running around with Reaper technology doesn't fill me with excitement," she replied drily. "And you didn't explain how you knew it would be Freedom's Progress. Hell, you haven't even explained why you spent all that money bringing me back in the first place!"

"I had a theory, Shepard," he replied calmly. "And as I promised, with your findings here I'm now prepare to share it. When the Reapers started using the collectors to abduct human colonies, it was the first time they've changed their pattern. Until now, they've acted without interest to species or peoples – they were out to get us all in the end, what did it matter where they started? But this, targeting humans…" He took a long drag on his ever-present cigarette. "This was a change. And if we can influence their behavior, we can predict it, counter-act it. So the question - what was it that turned their eye on us? Obviously, humans had a great part in Sovereign's destruction. That might have been enough to draw their attention. There's another reason, though."

Shepard was filled with a sudden feeling of foreboding.

"I don't know if the Reapers feel fear, but you killed one of them. It seemed outlandish, them targeting a single human? I dismissed the thought, but that was a mistake. Their first blow in the next stage of their plans was to lure you and the Normandy out of Council space and take you down, there in the skies over Alchera. But that was their mistake – they showed their weakness. They were interested in, maybe even afraid of, you, one Commander Shepard. You could be the lever we needed to pull at the Reapers, make them switch targets, move sooner than they're ready, manipulate their response just enough to counteract it… but you were dead. So I brought you back."

There it was, and it all clicked into place. Shepard swore under her breath. "I was the reason you thought they would hit Freedom's Progress. You sent me out there to see if I would lure them in! If you're right, you sentenced every human being on that colony to death!"

"Yes, I did." For once the wry sophistication was gone as the Illusive Man stared straight into Shepard's eyes, the iron in him showing though without disguise. "Cerberus fights for humanity, Shepard. I know it's hard to hear that when I test my theory by directing the Reapers to abduct an entire colony, when it was my hand on the trigger, my finger on the button. I accept that responsibility. Because the truth is, if we do not gain leverage over the Reapers, no matter how dearly that leverage costs us, we are lost, Shepard. Think about it. The little we know about the protheans is that they had stronger ships, better weapons, and a unified empire all fully committed to stopping the Reapers, and they failed. Totally, and utterly, failed. I'm not so proud or vain to think that I can do better than they did, Shepard. We need an angle, and I am prepared to spend every resource at my disposal, sacrifice every colony I have to, to get that angle. I won't disguise what I'm doing or why, not this time. I know it. The Alliance knows it. And now, you know it, too. The only question is, are you willing to do what has to be done to give the galaxy a chance?"

Shepard shuddered at the cold, fanatical determination in those eyes. This was a man who absolutely believed in his cause, who would go to any lengths. She hated men like that… but if his target was the Reapers, then that might just be exactly what she needed. And if that wasn't what he was, then she needed to find that out for sure and stop him. The Council, for all their problems, was counting on her to do that much.

"I'll work you with you, for now. I want to confirm the Reapers are behind this, and I want to put a stop to these abductions. So I guess I'm in, so long as you stay on task. Now, what's the plan?"

The Illusive Man nodded and took a sip from his drink as he closed the velvet curtains over the zealotry at his heart. "The plan is simple, but extremely difficult. The collectors, in their hubris, have not hidden where they come from. Their home, whatever it is, is beyond the unmapped Omega Four relay."

"Why is it unmapped? If the collectors wander through it, someone else has to have gone through."

"Many have tried over the years. We only know that no ship other than the collectors themselves passing through it has ever returned. Our best guess is that the relay reacts differently to Collector vessels, allowing them safe passage. If they can manipulate relays, that's just further evidence of the connection with the Reapers."

Shepard covered her eyes with a hand. Despite what she'd said to the Council, despite the promises Anderson had made, she felt trapped. Stuck leading people on an insane mission, and probably everyone would die. She would lead them to their deaths, get them killed. Again. If she was unreasonably lucky, they would beat the Reapers. Or at least delay them again. And if she was extremely lucky, she'd die again in the process and never have to do anything like this again. Maybe she'd even stay dead this time.

She dropped her hand and gave the Illusive Man a hard stare. "Alright. So what's the plan? If everyone else has died going through the relay, how are we going to make it work?"

The Illusive Man managed not to gloat, at least. "We have two objectives, Shepard. First, prepare the Normandy to survive the jump through the relay and return. And second, gather a team to infiltrate whatever defenses, locate and secure the surviving colonists, and extract any technology we can find."

He doesn't think small, does he?

"We'll need to move quickly, which is why I've already compiled a list of soldiers, scientists, and mercenaries which also have ties to technology we could integrate into the Normandy. You'll get dossiers on the best of them. Finding them and convincing them to work with you and give you access to the technology will be challenging, but you're a natural leader. I'll continue to track the collectors. When they make their next appearance, I'll notify you and your team. Be ready."

He could have had the decency to pretend he hadn't worked out how this would go down all in advance. "You just worry about the collectors. I'll make sure the team is ready."

"Good. One thing before you go..."

And to rub some salt in the wound...

"I recommend your first step be to head to Omega and find Mordin Solus. He's a brilliant salarian scientist. Our intelligence suggests he may know how to counter the collector's paralyzing seeker swarms."

She bristled. "I'm not even started and you're already telling me what to do?" If only the suggestion wasn't so good.

The corner of his twitched, threatening to break into a smile. "I'm giving you direction. What you do with it is up to you. I'm sure you'll make the right decision."

And, because it made sense, she'd do it. Which would get her, if not used to it, at least a bit in the habit of doing what he said, following orders like a good little Cerberus agent. Could he form a sentence that didn't end up manipulating somebody?

She sighed. "Alright. Edi, set course for Omega. Tell Miranda to get a profile ready for this Mordin Solus, and we'll go from there."