Chapter 2 : Getaway
Airlock: 21:20 hours Tali broke eye contact first as she felt the ship shudder. "Shepard" she exclaims "the ship, somethings wrong!". She was leery of the ships AI but needed answers now so she asked "EDI, core status report". Everyone moved quickly into the airlock, all sensing the concern in Tali's voice. As EDI started her response, the outer airlock door sealed and the decontamination sequence began.
"Drive core at 41 percent peak efficiency, thruster output at 35 perc..." EDI was interrupted by Tali saying "Shepard, I need to get to engineering!" The force of Tali's statement hit Shepard like a brick. He reacted out of instinct, like a raw recruit to his Drill Instructor. He did what he was told.
Shepard called out "EDI, bypass decon protocols. Open this hatch now." The hatch was open before he even finished the sentence. He stood, a hand on the bulkhead to steady himself as he watched Tali run aft towards the elevator. The sounds that had been damped by the thick airlock doors now hit at full volume. A sickening thrum filled the ship, the Normandy was struggling to build speed but she couldn't do it.
Garrus just chuckled, saying "I believe Wrex would have said Good Boy." He stepped aside so Joker could get back to the helm knowing full well that no matter what comes next his job was done, he was at peace with that. He was no mechanic or pilot. He could help Tali but with his broken arm he was almost useless so he stayed with Shepard. At least here he could help keep the Commander standing.
Bridge: 21:22 hours
Around the corner they could hear Joker "Aw, come on! We can do this. I know we can!" Shepard and Garrus stepped around the corner to watch Joker as his hands moved across the controls. "EDI, reroute controls through..a..junction 97 and then we can..." EDI cut him off.
"No Jeff, we cannot." EDI's reply almost sounded sad to Shepard. "Jeff, we have only secondary and tertiary control left. I have no access to the cores control at present time. We are accelerating as fast as we can but we will not clear the blast area. I am sorry, I was really getting to like you." Jokers "Screw that" comment only brought a smile to Shepard's face.
Shepard knew they had succeeded and was almost at peace. Humanity was safe, the galaxy was safe, what was the cost of a single ship against all that? He noted that the ships thrumming was getting louder and more ragged but his mind drifted to the lone person he truly felt he had failed. She deserved to live, she deserved the chance to see everything he had wanted to show her. Such a kind and caring soul, and he had failed her.
EDI noted that the Drive Core Compartment was reading as sealed though she had not ordered it. "Commander Shepard, 1 second from base core detonation..Mark" stated EDI.
The Normandy moved away from the doomed Collectors base at less than a third of her true speed. At 200 kilometers astern, the base shuddered as its primary core controls overloaded in a blinding flash.
Engineering: 21:22 hours
Two decks below, that kind and caring soul was currently using words not in the translators to describe the mess she found. After the elevator had finally reached deck 4 she rushed out to the right only to find the doorway nonfunctional. Running back around to the port doorway she found Ken and Gabby frantically trying to control and manage the chaos.
"It's about bloody time lass!" Ken yelled as he tried to balance the energy flows that kept changing on him. To his right, Gabby was doing the same with propulsion. "Ken can you boost power to the starboard fuel regulators?" Gabby asked. Tali was halfway to her control station when it erupted in a shower of sparks and smoldering components. The ships thrumming became ragged and louder.
Swerving to her right, she entered the core compartment and quickly brought the controls online. Scanning the readouts and damages she almost lost hope but that was not in her. Core breach was eminent so she slapped the control to seal the room, the room she now stood in. Her fingers flew across the controls, balancing inputs and loads even as they shifted again.
A massive spike in the readouts must mean the Collectors base had exploded, only seconds were left and she continued to fight the very systems she was trying to save. Tali would not give up, she had given all her life. Now was the time to be selfish, to want something for herself. To want someone for herself. She keyed the final entry and pressed execute.
Normandy: 21:23 hours
Less than 100 kilometers behind the fleeing Normandy, the hell that was the exploding base was overtaking them. Devouring anything and everything that was engulfed in the maelstrom. The power that had held back black hole's was reaching out.
On the bridge EDI noted the increase in power and control immediately. Engaging ships drive at full power the Normandy lept away from the artificial sun.
In the core room Tali smiled and unsealed the door. Looking over her shoulder at the drive core as she left both Ken and Gabby heard her say "Take that bosh'tet."
