AN: I tried my best to create a new "prologue" sort of chapter to start Arc 2 with. A combination of scenes to show how the galactic community responds to the events of the last Arc, as well as scenes to show how those events will influence the rest of the story.

Let's see if it works out.


Crescent Nebula

Tasale System

Illium

"…estimated fourteen officers killed and five heavily wounded during the initial firefight. Reports are still coming in. After Commander Shepard, the first human Spectre, was ordered to return to the Citadel to subject to a thorough investigation, she brought with her what can only be described as a large, heavily-armoured alien of unidentified species. Upon being greeted by C-Sec's rapid response team, seemingly composed entirely of asari officers, the armoured individual proved to be hostile."

Liara T'Soni felt a cold pit drop into her stomach when she watched the report. She couldn't believe it. Shepard? Breaking AI laws, attacking Citadel security?

"…back to you, Emily."

"Thank you, Bethyl. Though Commander Shepard has been incarcerated pending her hearing, the armoured individual is still at large. Eye witnesses claim that the creature hijacked an Alliance Frigate to escape, shortly before a hostile Artificial Intelligence, supposedly the one Shepard brought onboard the Citadel in the first place, unleashed a cyber-attack to cripple the entire Defense Fleet. Officials from the Citadel are unwilling to provide a statement, and investigations are still ongoing. Will history repeat and see the first human Spectre stripped of her rank? Will this incident worsen the relations that the Systems Alliance has been so carefully building for the past two years? Only time will tell."

A multitude of emotions ran through her mind. Surprise, anger, guilt. What in the name of the Goddess was Shepard doing, associating herself with AI's? Cerberus was one thing, but she of all people should have known how dangerous it was to meddle with true Artificial Intelligences! Even Sovereign had not been able to disable the Citadel's systems like that.

And this armoured creature…it couldn't have been a geth. The rare shreds of video footage that had become available since the incident on the Citadel showed that it had a distinct humanoid form, but those who fought the geth platforms in person would be able to see that it was something else entirely.

She needed to consider this. This was Jane of all people. She wouldn't just succumb to the lure of power that an AI could provide. Something else was going on here, something that she just lacked the information to process.

Liara refused to accept that Shepard willingly endangered the center of the galactic community. The presence of the AI couldn't be denied however, and neither could the damage that this armoured entity caused.

The emergency news broadcast wrapped up with a statement that the members of the Council would be observing this case personally.

And that caught Liara's attention. After all, they did not even bother to personally oversee Saren's case when it became clear that the turian had gone rogue. Did they feel this threatened by the idea of the AI? Was it still onboard the Citadel, or had it escaped onboard that hijacked Frigate?

She needed to know more. And with most of her assets wrapped up, she couldn't pull her attention away from the Shadow Broker. She needed to know more. What was this AI? Who was this green-clad creature and why, why did Shepard think that bringing those two to the Citadel was a good idea?

Already her sources were reporting that accusations were being made, both to Shepard as humanity as a whole. It seemed that humanity was about to have an enormous political incident on its hands. Liara shuddered to think what were to happen if the Council decided that Shepard's actions reflected on the Systems Alliance as a whole…


Omega Nebula

Sahrabarik

Omega

"Investigations are still ongoing, but it appears that the Artificial Intelligence disappeared along with the green-clad alien when it stole the SSV-Hastings. All attempts to blockade and disable the Mass Relay were proven to unsuccessful when the Intelligence launched its cyber-attack. While the Citadel Council has yet to release an official statement, an official state of emergency has already been announced."

Aria T'Loak watched the screen without bothering to hide her interest. An Artificial Intelligence? That was the secret that her people were after? Hmm. She always assumed it was the man inside of the suit that they were so intrigued by.

It did explain the sudden drain in her funds, but she had backup accounts everywhere.

Of course, she wasn't privy to the secrets of the Inner Circle. Carnal hadn't taken a liking to her…alternate living style. Nevertheless, as long as she remained quiet, the Circle wouldn't bother to try and silence her. An agreement that suited her very well.

"I told you, Shepard. Nobody fucks with Aria," she muttered with quiet satisfaction. Now that the woman's political immunity had finally run out, the protection she surrounded herself with would crumble as well.

Leaving her defenseless.

Incarcerated in a cell in the middle of the Citadel as she was, it wouldn't take long for the Alliance to try and relocate her to Earth, where they could more effectively shield her from the consequences of her actions.

But there were a lot of accidents that could happen in the meantime. After all, Shepard was now responsible for unleashing an Artificial Intelligence on the Citadel in a time where anti-AI rhetoric was already unfortunately high.

Now Aria was not certain whether the AI in question belonged to the UNSC or not. If it did, and AI-usage was common with the UNSC, well…that was even more unfortunate, wasn't it?

The Queen of Omega turned her attention back to the screen. Time would tell.


Serpent Nebula

Citadel

Citadel Tower

"What in the name of the Spirits was she thinking!" Sparatus roared, slamming his fist into the surface of the table.

In the vast chamber of the Council's private quarters, Tevos and Valern were staring at their turian colleague, undoubtedly plagued by feelings of uncertainty and fear of their own.

"That damnable AI shut down our entire Fleet!" Continued Sparatus. "It corrupted every single thing with an Eezo core in the entire system! All our security protocols, erased! What if she had possessed more ships? What if she possessed something like the Sovereign? We would have been helpless!"

"Peace, Sparatus, peace," Tevos said, soothingly. "The Fleet sustained no casualties. None of the ships were lost, and software can be rewritten. No, I am more concerned about the personnel we lost during the firefight."

"There is an Artificial Intelligence on the loose, who knows where, and the second humanity just parked an entire Fleet in-system to prepare for their diplomacy!" Continued Sparatus, not intent on allowing Tevos' honeyed words to sidetrack him. "There is a time for peace and a time for action, and we are beyond peace!"

"Careful with your words there, Councilor," Anderson said disapprovingly. "I don't know about this whole AI business, but Shepard came to the Citadel to negotiate! She said that she had a representative of the United Nations Space Command onboard of her ship. A representative who was attacked upon his entrance! That would have been enough for any of our species to go to war."

"And you believe her?" Sparatus hissed, putting as much disdain into his words as he could. "We've ruled out that the United Nations Space Command is a splinter faction originating from the Systems Alliance. As far as we know, they've never left Section Zero. How, how did Shepard gain access to one of their representatives, hmm? She was playing you, Anderson."

Anderson glared at Sparatus, who met his gaze in kind.

"You're not exactly an impartial judge in this matter, David," added Tevos. "I know it must be difficult to see someone you hold so dear to yourself in such a position, but we must face the facts here. Our records show that this "representative" was with her on the Citadel before. She didn't step towards this Council back then, did she?"

"Maybe she didn't know who he was, back then," countered Anderson. "She was busy with her own operations, after all. Where else could she have learned of the UNSC then?"

"Perhaps from the all-powerful Artificial Intelligence she smuggled onboard the Citadel," replied Valern. "Tevos told you to face the facts, Anderson. And the facts are thus: she did not claim an attempt at negotiations with this "representative" before we accused her of colluding with an AI. She did collude with an AI, as it crippled the Citadel in a cyber-attack when she was confronted. The First Contact we made with the UNSC suggests that neither faction ever met the other before."

"Adding to that are the casualties Shepard caused during the shootout," Tevos said in a grave tone. "Captain Bailey, hospitalized. More than a dozen dead or crippled."

This time, Sparatus directed his gaze at Tevos. "And when were you planning on telling us about the Justicar casualties, Tevos?"

The asari Councilor frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"The team of Justicars who just happened to drop by when Shepard and the creature arrived on the Citadel," growled Sparatus. With that, he tapped in a couple of commands into his omni-tool, sent a verification code to the room's in-built projector

A second later, video footage from the fated encounter in the Wards played over the table. It showed a group of asari approaching Shepard and the armoured giant standing next to her. The footage made it clear that the asari were clad in suits often associated with the Justicar Order. The audio file accompanying it were equally undeniable.

"This marks you as unjust not only to the Code, but to the Council law as well."

Tevos blinked, keeping her expression perfectly neutral. "Ah, them." She took a deep breath and straightened her spine. "Knowing the threat that the creature could pose, I implored Thessia to send me enforcers capable enough to contain the threat," she calmly explained. "I apologize for failing to inform you, but I thought that the presence of a rogue AI as well as this armoured hostile demanded a more thorough approach."

"Tevos, these Justicars are the ones who started it!" Snapped Anderson. "They initiated hostilities, not Shepard!"

"Only after Shepard made her intent to kill Bailey clear, however," said Valern. 'She was ordered several times to stand down. She did carry enough weapons to equip a team of Spectres. That the Justicars didn't open fire the moment they spotted her is a miracle in itself."

"Only because this Council ordered her to report in for questioning! Shepard is reasonable enough to stand down for questioning without turning an arrest into a bloodbath, which your Justicars obviously weren't!"

"My people have investigated this creature of Shepard's for a while now," Tevos then said, looking at Anderson with a look that could almost be described as condescending. "From the moment it got itself implicated in the Consort's murder. Back when it engaged and killed those C-Sec officers, it was wearing a heavy hardsuit, different from its current armour."

"Hmm…" Valern said, quickly running his eyes down an article he booted up on his omni-tool. "I must side with Tevos on this one. After-action reports gathered from Shepard's operations suggest that this individual is capable of some impressive feats. Calling in the Justicars might have been a reasonable decision."

"I saw the vids. The officers put enough bullets into it to take down an enraged Battlemaster," replied Sparatus, "But nothing seemed to work. That armour is…impressive. And dangerous"

"Shepard claimed that he was the one to take down the Collector warship," Anderson quietly said. "On his own, too."

"Shepard also claimed that this creature was the vanguard of the UNSC," pointed out Tevos. "Just like Saren was supposed to be the vanguard of the "Reapers". Shall we take her claims with a measure of skepticism?"

Sparatus was not so sure about that. Justicars were feared throughout asari space for a reason. Their strength and capacity for destruction was only matched by their ruthlessness. Adding to their lethality was their resourcefulness; the collective body of knowledge that the Justicars had access to might even exceed that of the Spectres.

For this armoured behemoth to kill not one, but three of those warriors was…unprecedented. Unheard of. It even escaped with its life. Although Sparatus was fairly certain that the Justicar Order would now do everything within its power to rectify that.

Anderson was fuming, but he was smart enough to keep quiet about it. He had no facts to go on, and he knew it. "Shepard aside, how did we learn about the existence of this AI?" Grumbled the old soldier. "I've heard the accusations, but let me make it clear humanity has not been messing around with illegal AI research."

"One of our Spectres operating in the field claimed to have encountered the Commander in the field," explained Valern. "Tela Vasir. After observation, she grew suspicious. But David, surely you read the reports?"

"I have, and I don't believe a word about it," Anderson sharply replied. "A Spectre stepping to the Shadow Broker because of a nagging suspicion? And that Shadow Broker conveniently having the information available?"

"Does that sound familiar to you, Anderson?" Scoffed Sparatus. "This is exactly what befell Saren. Shepard's suspicion, the search for evidence…the lust for power, to be found with synthetics?"

"Shepard saved this Council!" Snapped the human Councilor. He stood up from the table and slammed his hands down. "All of it! The entire Citadel is still under our control because of her actions!"

"Which is exactly why we have allowed her a chance to explain her actions," Tevos soothingly said, gesturing at Anderson to remain calm. "It is because of her impressive record and noble actions that this Council has agreed to survey this case more closely, before accusing the Systems Alliance as a whole for illegal AI research - "

"That AI is not our doing," Anderson coldly repeated. "The Systems Alliance denies being involved with that thing. If you find it, you can blow it to hell for all I care."

"As it stands, we have C-Sec's Executor screaming for blood, the Asari Republics demanding reparations and the Turian Hierarchy standing by at high alert for any possible incursions," Valern stated matter-of-factly. "And I have to admit, the Salarian Union does not take kindly to cyber-threats. Someone has to answer for what happened today, Anderson."

Anderson closed his eyes and sighed. "Where did this AI come from? Assuming you believe me when I say that it wasn't made by the Systems Alliance, it still had to come from somewhere?"

"Knowing who made this AI would help in predicting and containing it, yes," mused Valern. "I am inclined to believe Anderson. What would humanity have to gain by creating an AI powerful enough to cripple the Citadel's entire fleet and then just doing it without following up with more actions, or at least a claim or a threat?"

"Perhaps Shepard stole it from them?" Replied Sparatus. "Only to have it convince her that attacking the Citadel was the best idea."

"It didn't attack the Citadel until those Justicars attacked Shepard!" Insisted Anderson, clenching his fists with anger. "This Council asked her to return to the Citadel to report in for questioning, which is exactly what she did!"

"Before we all lose our patience, I suggest we handle the other subject we saved for the agenda," Tevos suddenly said. "Shepard has been detained and the AI, along with the armoured creature, is gone. But the UNSC remains."

Sparatus nodded, forcing himself to let his anger subside. "Yes. You will forgive me for not having read the accompanying documents in preparation for today. I was busy convincing the Hierarchy not to gear up for war."

"That is quite alright," Valern replied with a little smile. "That is a better decision than the previous turian Councilor made, the last time we encountered a humanity."

Tevos smiled at the joke, but neither Sparatus nor Anderson could appreciate it.

"This is no laughing matter," growled the turian. "I assume that First Contact worked out peacefully, since the Expedition force remains in contact, but I am very concerned by the sudden show of force that this…UNSC displays."

"I'm just glad that you're not blaming the Systems Alliance for them, too," said Anderson. "United Nations Space Command…I propose we forget about Shepard's case while we discuss this."

"Agreed."

"Agreed."

"Agreed," finished Tevos. "To bring you up to speed, Sparatus, Matriarch Samel managed a peaceful contact with the second humanity, from now on to be referred to as the UNSC. The precise events, as well as the timestamps, can be found within the documents. Now, the package that the UNSC sent us contains a full, if somewhat general description of their history, their culture and their biology."

"Their humans are not exactly genetic clones of our humans," said Valern. "Judging by the data that they gave us, and looking only at the substitutions in the base building blocks of those genes that UNSC humans and Systems Alliance humans share, there is a 0.6% difference between your genomes."

The three other Councilors looked at each other, confused.

"I am sensing a "but"?" Said Tevos.

"But a comparison of the entire genome indicates that segments of DNA have also been deleted, duplicated over and over, or inserted from one part of the genome into another. When these differences are counted, there is an additional two to three percent distinction between the human genomes."

"If I know my biology, that suggests the evolutionary history of these different humanities is very different, right?" Said Anderson.

Valern nodded. "Indeed. Though, I must add, not impossible to fake."

"Do you know what is impossible to fake?" Asked Sparatus. "How casual these humans seemed to alter the fabric of space and reality! Before you ask, yes, that did read. They teleported in-system! Again!"

Valern nodded. "Yes, that would be very difficult to fake. It is concerning."

"Concerning is not the word I would choose! If these humans discover the location of the Citadel, they can just teleport their fleet in and bombard it! They are a clear danger to the entirety of our civilization!"

"If you had bothered to read the reports that didn't directly associate with warfare and technology, Sparatus, you would have read that these humans desire peace more than anything. From what the Expedition force can puzzle together, the UNSC just went through a devastating war. That garden world, turned to glass? It used to be theirs."

Valern inhaled sharply. "Fascinating. That they still bother to patrol the worlds they lost and carry the will to fire upon any unauthorized vessel that enters the system suggests…a strong military tradition."

"That is one way to describe it, yes," replied Tevos. "They omitted any data about their enemy – "

"The Covenant?" Asked Anderson.

" – strongly believed to be the Covenant, yes. They omitted any information about their enemy from their First Contact Package, which means that they either do not consider their war relevant, or that they really do not want to talk about it."

"They've been guarding their world ever since they lost it. Hell, they risked a war with us simply by defending the tomb of their fallen!" Said Anderson. "First option is out. There's no way these people would consider their war not important."

"Which means that they do not wish to discuss it with us," concluded Tevos. "Perhaps, with good reason, since their contact with us took place over a planet-sized graveyard."

A troubled look crossed Anderson's features. Sparatus forgot his agitation when he recognized the expression. "Maybe they're scared. Traumatized, even," Anderson quietly said. "We've all seen what this Covenant can do. Who is to say that this is the only world they lost?"

"Does the UNSC know that the Citadel Council has their own humanity?" Sparatus quietly asked.

"According to Matriarch Samel, they did not omit the Systems Alliance from the First Contact package," explained Tevos. "If they are intelligent enough to discover FTL without access to Element Zero, they must be intelligent enough to realize that there are now two humanities in this galaxy."

"This galaxy might not have the room for two humanities," said Sparatus. His trepidations returned almost immediately when he remembered what the UNSC's fleet in Section Zero looked like. Their territory could be as large as that of the Asari Republics, their fleet as large as that of the Hierarchy. If we could be bothered to look at their ships, for example!"

With a quick string of commands from his omni-tool, Sparatus projected the UNSC's fleet composition above the table.

Fourteen "small" vessels, shaped like mass accelerator shotguns. Eight slightly-larger vessels with tapered noses. One truly massive vessel, dwarfing even the largest of Dreadnaughts and to round it off, a vessel that looked like one enormous plate of armour. That last one had the strangest dimensions Sparatus had ever seen; it truly was an armoured square, seventeen-hundred meters by six-hundred meters large. There was no saying what kind of weapons it could deploy.

"Look at that vessel," Sparatus said, pointing at what had to be the flagship. "It is larger than any Dreadnaught ever constructed, with exception of the Destiny Ascension. It is brimming with weapon systems. Why would the UNSC bring a Dreadnaught to a diplomatic meeting?"

The room grew silent as the three other Councilors stared at Sparatus.

The turian had the nagging suspicion that this was about a decision he had once made. "Fine, I understand a show of force," he conceded. "But look at that tonnage! All their vessels are the size of our Cruisers."

"An arms race against the Covenant, most likely," said Anderson. "We've all seen the footage! The largest Covenant ship recorded was five times larger than a Dreadnaught."

"A lot of firepower," Sparatus replied, his tone grim. "How should we proceed next? All representatives for preliminary diplomacy are in place. But what then? Should we invite this UNSC to the Council? What if they decide that they can overtake us? We wouldn't be able to prevent them from entering the system!"

"You forget, Sparatus, that they have already had their war," said Tevos. "Even if they desire more conflict, surely they would refrain from harming their own?"

"If not, I do not doubt that the combined might of the Citadel Council would be enough to defend against their incursions," Valern confidently said. "After all, ones does not escape a war with an enemy like this Covenant unscathed."

"Enough talk about war," said Anderson. "It seems wise to me that we greet the UNSC with an envoy from the Systems Alliance. Show them a familiar face. Our humanity has chosen peace over war, so why not them?"

Tevos smiled. 'That sounds like a splendid idea! I do not doubt you already have some individuals in mind? Could you forward their profiles to us?"

"Very well. I will make a list of possible candidates."

"Which brings us to the previous subject again," Tevos then said with a sigh. "If the UNSC's representative is to eventually come to the Citadel, we will need to solve this AI problem. We cannot risk another cyber-attack if the UNSC is on the station."

"I already have crack STG operatives at work," said Valern. "I don't think we should hesitate in putting the Spectres at work, either."

"The Normandy is still grounded in her dockyard. I have the right people in place to make sure that the rest of Shepard's crew understands just what sort of situation their Commander is in," explained Tevos. "With this Council's permission, I would like to initiate the negotiation."

"What about Shepard? She is still being held on the station, isn't she?" Asked Anderson.

Sparatus nodded. "A full hearing will be underway soon. For all of our sakes, Anderson, I hope that she will be cooperative."

And in the meantime, Tevos, I will be investigating these "right people" of yours.


Onboard Normandy SR-2

"Oh crap," Joker muttered under his voice as she Citadel's security team approached the Normandy. "Oh shit, oh crap, oh shit – "

"Jeff, this is no time for panic," EDI's voice cut through his frantic thoughts like a blade. "We must take deceiving actions if we are to salvage this situation."

"Yeah…yeah…" muttered Joker. "That makes sense…"

This was all going to shit. Garrus, Samara and Mordin barely made it back to the ship before the security teams and C-Sec teams came knocking. Why did it have to turn into a freaking firefight with C-Sec in the Wards? There was no way they were coming out of this one! With Chief and Cortana gone, they had no evidence, no way to plan, nothing!

"Our primary concern should be concealing Legion and me," continued EDI. "Operative Lawson is about to receive the inspection team. I suggest we hurry."

"R-Right!"

"As a geth, Legion can temporarily deactivate itself. We can then proceed to dismantle him to a superficial degree."'

"That's smart. Have Tali put him back together after the Council's convinced he's just a war trophy," muttered Joker. "Thank god for Legion's sense of fashion!"

"Shutting down the AI Core will require more precision maintenance. I will have to talk Tali through it."

"Are you crazy?" Exclaimed Joker. "Look, I adore Tali as much as everyone else, but you're an AI! You are asking a quarian to nonlethally shut down an AI!"

"It is a risk we will have to take. I trust crewmember Tali'Zora to preserve my life," EDI calmly and logically replied. "As should you, Jeff."

Joker grumbled something to himself. One of the cameras to his left showed that Miranda began her conversation with the inspection group.

If they resisted, they would probably all die, and humanity would be caught in a political shitstorm. But if they bent over forwards and let those damn politicians get their grubby hands on the ship, they'd be in a similar position. Those damn asari positioned themselves well.

"Right. Better start issuing orders," he muttered.

Before long, C-Sec officers started boarding the ship to "inspect" it. They had to know that Chief and Cortana were gone, as they didn't really seem to expect anything. They inspected the armory first, with Jacob nervously watching them as they rummaged through the equipment.

Eventually, they declared that things were clear and moved on to Mordin's lab.

"Coast clear," Jacob muttered through a private commlink to Joker.

The pilot sighed in relief. They had taken every single last plasma weapon and glued them to the inside of the Drive Core. That was one secret the Citadel spooks wouldn't be finding today…

Behind him, Miranda continued chewing out the unfortunate C-Sec officer in charge of the search.

"What did you expect to find there, honestly?" She said with a sneer. "Prothean artefacts hidden in our gun drawers? Ridiculous."

The asari in charge sighed. Pointedly ignoring Miranda, she ordered her team to search the Crew Quarters next.

"Don't expect a warm welcome. We just returned from eliminating the Collector Base and we took some casualties," the Cerberus operator continued without mercy. "Our medical officer doesn't take kindly to people barging into the medical bay and disturbing her work."

"We won't be disturbing anyone, ma'am," replied the tired asari officer. "We need to confirm that the Commander didn't smuggle more AI's onboard the Citadel."

"Commander Shepard didn't smuggle a thing! She warned the Council that she would be bringing a representative onboard the Citadel and look what happened!" Bit back Miranda.

Again, the asari just sighed.

The Crew Quarters didn't bring the officers any secrets either. Joker watched through several cameras how a wounded Mordin angrily presented a couple of turians with fresh Collector samples, who politely left him and his lab alone. A downright menacing doctor Chakwas chased off a human and an asari who wanted to gain access to the "computing room" through the medical bay, while Garrus – in a completely different outfit than the one he wore to the Citadel – "happily" showed a trio of asari around in the Battery Room.

Look mommy, we're cooperating, Joker bitterly thought. He had a nagging suspicion that Garrus was only being so overly polite because of the amount of corpses he had left behind. For their part, the C-Sec officers couldn't appreciate his openness one bit, as they quickly and quietly left again.

Damnit Shepard, why couldn't you bail out as well? We didn't need a damned scapegoat!

Without Shepard to keep the squad together, Joker did what he never thought he had to do: he started planning for their departure. There was every chance that Shepard was going to be relieved from duty for her actions, and knowing her, she didn't want the crew to go down with her.

Joker hadn't gotten more than thirty words on paper before the C-Sec team found something of interest, however.

He was about to ask EDI what the hell was going on when he heard Miranda raise her voice.

"What do you mean, the asari flagged him for a hospital?"

"It appears that we have overlooked the asari's willingness to get their hands on William Everheart," EDI quietly reported, all but conforming Joker's suspicions.

"Aww…crap."


Serpent Nebula

Onboard unidentified warship

William Everheart sat at the end of the hospital bed, staring at a blemish in the wall. The humans had insisted upon taking him away from the Normandy and her people – her Commander – and subject him to a thorough investigation.

They came and went. Doctors and nurses and psychologists…before eventually, the humans stopped coming. Then, the asari started coming. Their faces beamed with warm, comforting smiles, their whispered words promising a better future, safe and far away from the warlike Normandy.

And throughout it all, she stood in the corner of the room, smirking at him.

"They had me killed when I fled," she told him. "I think they will want to do worse to you."

William Everheart remembered those facial expressions. Of people hiding their worries – their fears – behind a mask of positivity. Before he met Shepard, he wouldn't have thought anything of it. But now…now, he understood what they meant.

They were going to take him to Asari Republics space for "the best of doctoral care".

"You'll never be free again," she whispered to him.

He pointedly ignored her, as he always did. He didn't need a dead serial killer telling him what to do.

The last asari who entered the room was old. Oh, she didn't look like it – those serpents never did – but he felt her bristling with the Gift. Her mind felt weathered, ancient even, and filled with dark corridors, lined with a malice even he had a hard time wrapping his mind around.

"You have caused us quite a bit of trouble," she told him, smiling.

William smiled back. He was reminded of his hunt back on Omega, and felt a thrill run down his spine. Excitement almost took the better of him.

I need to get out of here.

"But don't you worry now, creature. We'll take care of you."

"Oh, I don't doubt that you will," he replied warmly, though his thoughts raced to find a way out of this situation. The pieces of a plan clicked into place in his mind, and his smile grew more genuine. "I'll just need my things. A keepsake, from the Normandy…"

After all, Shepard would have her legacy.


Onboard the Citadel

Unidentified location

13 hours later

Justicar Phora stood watch next to the door, her hands crossed behind her back, staring at a point just right of the Matriarch on the balcony. Flanking her on the other side of the door was her sister in arms, Justicar Aela, who stood just as alert as Phora did.

The Matriarch stood, clad in an armoured red dress, conversed with Councilor Tevos regarding the outcome of their operation.

It was not Phora's position to draw conclusions based on what her senses told her around her immediate superiors, but she almost thought that the Matriarch sounded…worried.

"What do you mean, another representative?" The Matriarch quietly said.

Justicar Phora kept quiet, and continued staring ahead, although her curiosity was piqued.

The Matriarch's eyes hardened. "What is a Johnson?" She demanded.

Whatever kind of answer she received was enough to make her slip from her calm composure, though be it for only one heartbeat. She took a breath, and her air was once again that of an individual in complete and utter control over herself.

"Phora?" The Matriarch's serene voice rang out. "I have need of you, and the Commando unit you trained."


Onboard the Citadel

Human Embassies

Running down from the offices of the Citadel Tower, David Anderson felt his omni-tool buzz with every step he took. Message after message flooded his inbox. Behind him, the security team meant to keep the Council safe in times of crisis were struggling to keep up.

Shepard's in trouble, was the only thought that ran through Anderson's head. They set her up. It had to be a lie!

There was no way that Shepard would crack like that. Shootouts in the Wards? A killing spree that saw the deaths of a dozen C-Sec officers? The other Councilors were full of it.

"It's all crap!" Yelled Anderson as he hurried down the stairs of the tower. "Shepard saved us all! She wouldn't do that!"

"Sir, wait!" Was the only thing his guard could say. "There's reports of an armed incursion in the Embassies, you can't just – "

Before Anderson could respond, the elevator doors at the far end of the Citadel Tower opened up. A group of armed people stepped out of the elevator, spearheaded by a dark-skinned man clad in a foreign military outfit.

"So…" Said Anderson. He turned towards the man sitting as his desk and crossed his arms. "You're here now. What next?"

The military-looking man held Anderson's gaze with cold, hard eyes. "You know why I'm here. The Commander warned you about this."

"The second humanity…" Anderson quietly replied.

Anderson froze, even as his guards took aim at the intruders.

"Halt! Drop your weapons!" They shouted.

The man's dark eyes locked with Anderson's. He was flanked by two humans and a drell, all of them armed, but none of them intimidated by the fact that they were surrounded on all sides by gunmen with superior positions and good cover.

"Outta my way!" Yelled Anderson. "I don't know who you are or what you want, but you're crazy if you think you can just barge in here!"

The man crossed his arms over his chest. His expression was cold, stone cold, and when he spoke, he did so with all the authority of a military man, not just some merc SOB.

"Now you listen here, and you listen well. All of you!" The man yelled back, raising his voice to let the entire audience chamber hear him. "The first human Spectre just went through a lotta trouble to get me here! My name is Avery Junior Johnson, and I am here on official UNSC business!" He jabbed an accusing finger towards Anderson's chest. "You know who they are. You know how we roll. So how about we skip all this "hostile AI" bullshit and get straight to business?"

"All I see is an armed people yelling profanities at me!" Barked Anderson, not at all impressed. "You just barged in here without even an ounce of identification! Do you really expect me to believe you?"

"That's right. I didn't expect a fanfare or anything, but it's obvious that we've got an internal affairs problem here!" Replied the man. "Convenient how, the moment we dock, an entire security team just appears, only to start some shit?"

"They were expecting a hostile AI," Anderson replied, even though he didn't believe that the Shepard he knew would ever willingly endanger the Citadel.

The man scoffed. "Her name is Cortana, and she's only hostile if you're an alien bastard, trying to kick humanity to the curb. Shepard warned you about them, too."

"She might have," growled Anderson. This entire situation felt wrong to him. He was painfully aware of the weight of his sidearm, resting in his hip-mounted holster. "But why should I trust you?"

"You know why," Johnson bit back. Wordlessly, he slapped a black, metal device on the table. It had the general shape and form of a large ammo block.

Anderson met his eyes.

"If it's an airtight UNSC insurance policy you're looking for, I got you covered!" This…Johnson shouted back. "I will give you all the confidence you need. Evidence!"

Anderson frowned. Knowledge about the UNSC and Section Zero was classified. People weren't supposed to know about this. What's more, Shepard was supposed to have a representative onboard her ship. A super-soldier.

The human Councilor lifted his hand, signaling his guards to stand down. The last thing he needed was for the representative of this other nation to get gunned down before negotiations could begin. "Evidence? About the UNSC?"

The man flashed him a smile. The hooded woman next to him grinned and handed him a military hard drive unit. "Let's make this count, sarge," she quietly said.

Despite urgent warnings from the men around him, Anderson stepped towards the group and took the hard drive from Johnson's hand. "I'm listening."

That same hard drive now lay on the table, just waiting for Anderson to connect it to his omni-tool and survey its contents.

If his fellow Councilors knew he was doing this behind their backs…

"I represent the United Nations Space Command, the military organization responsible for dragging my people through the war with the Covenant alive," explained Johnson. "In case you're thinking I'm just a normal merc representing one hell of a security leak, Cortana helped me compose a First Contact Package that can't possibly be faked. The shit you're about to see on that drive is classified, as well as goddamn dangerous."

"Shepard warned me about the second humanity, as well as the Covenant," Anderson said after a moment's hesitation. There was too much going on right now, he had to focus. "The only reason I trust you now, mister Johnson, is because I trust her. But her involvement with that AI…"

"Cortana," repeated Johnson.

Anderson blinked ."Her involvement with Cortana made this…complicated. Every piece of evidence suggesting that you really do belong with the UNSC could be fabricated. Faked. You're staking a lot of things on me believing you. If I decide I don't…"

Johnson leant back in his chair, completely unconcerned by the veiled threat. "Shepard's first name is Jane. She likes to wear hoodies in her spare time. She's got an irrational hatred of batarians, but that has a very solid reason."

"That AI could have told you this," pointed out Anderson.

"And she's been sticking around Shepard for the past months," shot back Johnson. "I'm proving that I served alongside Shepard. Now you just gotta ask yourself this: do you trust her? 'Cause if you don't, and the UNSC comes knocking, asking where the hell their super-soldier and AI pairing went, the Citadel's gonna have trouble." He paused. "Unless you don't believe that the UNSC's a thing, of course. In that case, put me in the brig. They'll find this place regardless."

"We've made contact with the UNSC," Anderson carefully replied. "Near a region of space above the Terminus Systems, called Section Zero. We know that they exist."

That got Johnson's attention alright. His dark eyes narrowed, and he placed his elbows on the table to assume a more active posture. He tapped his fingers on the table for a few moments, obviously lost in his thoughts. Eventually, he asked, "How thick was the fire?"

Anderson scowled. More impossible knowledge. "How do you know about that?"

"Our people went through hell. Almost three decades of hell. Another group of aliens show themselves, the UNSC's going to shoot first, poke the carcasses with knives later. Perhaps after a year, they'd ask questions."

Anderson sighed. The man had such an encouraging way with words. "Yes, there were casualties on our side. No, it didn't escalate. There is no denying that the UNSC is real. I also won't deny that you served with Shepard. The Normandy is the only way you could have made it here. But you've got a lot to explain to me before we can even think of stepping to the Council!"

"Hold on to your horses son, we don't have a lot of time," Johnson said, his voice tight. "I was informed you believe Shepard about the Reapers? Well, unfortunately for us both, they're not the only advanced sonsofbitches willing to take a bite out of humanity."

The human Councilor fell quiet when he heard that. Somehow, he had the feeling he wasn't going to like what the man was about to tell him.

"I can't reveal the whole truth without official permission from my superiors. Fact is, if your people don't get their shit together real soon, this galaxy might be cooked."

"But you can't tell me why?" Anderson replied, somewhat skeptical.

"Could you divulge military secrets about your people to a species you never met?" Pointed out Johnson.

David had to admit that the Sergeant had a point. "Yes, we assumed that the UNSC would be paranoid," he dryly replied. "Until your people come here to clear things up, what can you tell me?"

Johnson took a breath. His face was a mask of impassiveness, but his eyes suddenly looked old. Much too old for what Anderson presumed to be a man in his fifties, and filled with grief.

"I can tell you the story of our people," he quietly said.


Crescent Nebula

Tasale System

Illium

Nos Astra spaceport, Illium. A large, hot world, seemingly only settled in the higher regions by means of tall structures. Its arcology was impressive; the city's mile-high spires reached into the gray, dim sky out of wavy, dark clouds. Hundreds of aircars drifted by, oblivious to the true nature of the alien warship that just received permission to dock.

The sun was setting. Its bright, orange rays of light cast the city in a bright hue. Millions of lights flickered in the slowly-darkening cityscape.

Alan-003 spent several minutes just taking in the overwhelming view. He tried to genuinely enjoy the sight of the majestic, alien city, but his mind wouldn't switch gears. All he saw were tiny pinpricks of craft that could be Banshee fliers or Phantom dropships. Every alien ship that cruised by in high orbit looked like possessed the distinctive, bulbous shape of warships.

Even the civilians – cluster after cluster of bright-skinned, loud and obnoxious aliens – could be carrying concealed weapons.

Of course, the Spartan tried to push those thoughts from his mind. After all, those things had no idea he was there.

He crawled along the top of the private dock, moving slowly as to not attract any unwanted attention and sticking to the shadows. His motion tracker went crazy with all the movement that surrounded him. The MJOLNIR easily tracked the conversation Feron had with the welcoming committee below him, providing him a brief distraction.

"Welcome to Nos Astra, mister…?"

"Feron," the green-skinned alien replied after a couple of seconds of silence.

"Doctor T'Soni would like to see you immediately. If you would follow me?"

"Of course. How has she been?"

Millennia, meanwhile, seemed to have grown tired of mere observation. He could feel her restlessness bristling against his mind, threatening to influence his own mood as well.

Superficial observations reveal nothing. My patience is wearing thin

The Spartan could feel that she was leading up to something unpleasant.

Gaze upon the most advanced species of the galaxy, Bastard Warrior. Feast your eyes upon the wasteful, the neglectful, the hedonistic. Vermin. I long to build my temple in the remains of their radioactive husks and relish in the silence.

"If you announce your presence in that way, you might not find what we are looking for," replied 003, ever aware of the importance of choosing the right words to soothe her. "We should stick to low-key infiltration for now."

She didn't grace him with an answer, but neither did she start flinging warships at the planet's surface. He supposed that counted for something. For an Artificial Intelligence with all the knowledge of the Forerunner civilization at her disposal, her thinking was rather crude.

Although he couldn't help but agree with her. Feron had helpfully provided a Codex to help the Spartan during his search in Nos Astra. Perhaps the alien thought that some knowledge about the world he would be spending the next couple of days on would comfort him.

Feron did not understand his audience very well.

"Illium is infamous for its abusive labor practices and legalization of nearly everything except murder. As such, Illium is the preferred production site for weapons and pharmaceuticals that would be illegal nearly everywhere else, made even more lucrative by legal indentured servitude," Feron had recited.

Legal indentured servitude…the Spartan didn't know what to think about that. It was just another part of this new galaxy that didn't make sense.

A corporate world like Illium was bound to have cameras watching from every angle. The Spartan had to take several detours to get into a proper elevated position and even then, sticking to the shadows was hard to do if the sun had yet to set. His MJOLNIR could spoof most sensors, including thermal ones, but it wouldn't protect him from people peering out the window.

He felt oddly nostalgic, watching the alien metropolis. It was like the Forerunner AI was subtly altering his mind, making him experience things he wouldn't normally experience himself. He constantly felt her presence in the back of his head and it was starting to become disquieting.

Although it could just as easily be the lack of injections…

After about ten minutes of scampering around and hiding from the view of passing aircraft, the Spartan came across something that closely resembled a computer terminal. He pulled himself up over a ledge just high enough to see if there was anyone nearby, then climbed over and tapped into the terminal.

"Millennia? I found something."

I see. You seem to have taken your time.

"Had to evade the security measures," he muttered back.

An unnecessary exercise; I already hid your signature from these primitive grids. Did I not tell you?

"No?" Alan replied. That information would have been good to know about half an hour ago…

It matters not. This world is the one. A Cryptum was found, here. In this capital. It was opened by something with enough semblance of a Reclaimer to be recognized.

Shit. "Where is it now?" Asked the Spartan.

I intend to find out. Keep yourself entertained, while I hack the city.

"Discreetly, I hope?"

Keep your suggestions to yourself. I will have need of you soon.

Perhaps it was a good idea to get Feron back. If Millennia decided that there was too much vermin on the streets for her to think, the officials would start gunning for the last ship that docked before their planet shut down. Alan would prefer to have a way out, should that come to pass, and Feron provided an enormous security risk. If he couldn't extract the drell, he could at least silence him.

Locating Feron wasn't exactly easy. Though the shadows were lengthening steadily, his surroundings were still too brightly lit for his liking.

The Spartan was roughly shaken from his thoughts by the distinct noise of mass accelerators discharging, followed by the distant thump of an explosion.

Feron?

He leapt to his feet. Maybe the Shadow Broker still had some agents in close proximity to this "Liara". "Millennia, I need Feron's location as well as a distraction!"

She just laughed in response. He hoped that wasn't a bad thing.

The Spartan dropped down from the ceiling of the docking bay, rolling over his shoulder to dissipate his momentum. As he leapt back to his feet and broke into a sprint, following the gilded navigation maker on his HUD, he caught something flicker from his left side. .

Explosions rippled through the midsection of a skyscraper deeper into the metropolis, blossoming outwards in enormous fireballs. People noticed it almost immediately, dropping what they were doing to do what civilians always did.

Panicking, screaming and generally being frustratingly slow.

He just hoped that building didn't have too many occupants.

The Spartan hurried towards Feron's last position, passing through a crowded marketplace before pulling a sharp left. Another explosion rippled through a building in the distance, prompting even more obstructive behavior from the terrified populace. Only a few stopped to take a closer look at the Spartan, who didn't bother to slow down.

It was an apartment complex, it seemed, with definite signs of hostile activity. Two of those "krogan" aliens lumbered up the stairs. They were making their way towards Feron's current position, which marked them as hostile.

Soundlessly, Alan darted towards them. He grabbed both of them by their heads and slammed them together, hard enough to fracture their skulls. He then quickly swept the right krogan's leg from underneath his body and rammed his elbow into his skull, knocking him out. The second one barely had the time to stumble from the initial strike before the Spartan grabbed him by his face and jerked him towards the ground, before slamming his knee against the creature's face. Even as the krogan went limp, Alan struck him against his throat and flung him down the stairs.

The door was still closed. There was a small desk to the right, looking like it belonged to a secretary of some sorts. She was missing.

Very quietly, trusting he dispatched of the alien warriors silently enough, Alan pressed the holographic display of the door and slowly opened it.

A single glance told him all he needed to know. It was a mess inside; chairs lay scattered around the room, paintings had been knocked off the wall and an asari lay crumpled in the corner, a puddle of blood slowly forming around her body.

Feron stood in the center of the office, embracing a second asari. She wore make-up, but it was staining her face. It took Alan a moment to see that she was in fact crying. Even Feron, who took the days of torture relatively okay, shared in her tears. He was trembling, holding on to her shoulders like he was afraid she was disappear if he were to let go.

It was a…puzzling sight. One that the Spartan didn't get to see often. It made him feel strangely unwelcome, as well as exceedingly uncomfortable. He took off before either of the two noticed that the door was open and kicked one of the krogan in the teeth when it started to rouse.

Alarms were starting to blare now. Official-looking people clad in yellow-black armour ran to and fro, barking orders and waving guns.

Guns.

Number 003 furrowed his eyebrows behind his visor. What emergency organization displayed their firearms to innocent civilians in what could only be described as a terror attack?

"Millennia, it was a small ambush, likely from leftover elements of the Shadow Broker," he reported in. "Please tell me that you didn't just blow up two buildings filled with people?"

The first was under construction. The second appeared empty.

Appeared…he wasn't sure he wanted to know the details.

More of those gun-toting officials turned up, these ones wearing fully enclosed helmets. They bore a great resemblance to the alien combatants he fought and killed on the first planet Millennia brought him, back when he first learned of these creatures.

Down the same colour scheme, even.

Knowing that extraction was going to be more difficult now, Alan scanned his surroundings for a way to traverse the roofs again. Getting back to the ship was going to be more challenging for him than Feron, since the drell seemed to have had no trouble blending in with his fellow aliens.

A strange gut feeling shook the Spartan from his thoughts. It was a sense of unease, mixed with a faint sense of nausea. He knew exactly what it meant; he had picked up something in his environment that posed a threat to him, but failed to process it.

He looked back to the panicking crowd and saw that they were panicking no more. They were all staring blindly ahead, at a point far to the right of the burning skyscraper.

Perfectly spherical, pulsating with an intricate pattern of blue light, the strange object seemed almost mesmerizing. There, floating in mid-air, visible for all to see, floated what had to be the Cryptum.

Just as Alan came to that realization, a voice rang inside of his head. Contrary to the commanding, condescending tone of Millennia, this one had a calm air of arrogance to it. It sounded positively ancient, filled with authority and self-assurance.

Long have I sought for those fitting to inherit the Mantle. The true descendants of the Forerunners. But what have your people wrought? The Parasite, unleashed. A galaxy divided. The Mad Dog having devoured her own limbs to escape her chains. Relinquish her Essence to me, human, or I shall see you suffer a thousand deaths.

"Millennia?" Whispered Alan, slowly backing away from the crowd of aliens. Slowly, one by one, they turned to stare at him. "Who is that?"

Who is what? Speak not in riddles, Bastard Warrior, this is not the time to lose your composure!

A second later, the previous voice returned, booming inside of his mind with a pressure more painful, and a presence more powerful than that of Millennia's.

Fear not her wrath, Reclaimer, for she is a shell of her former self. Surrender her to me and I shall permit you the life you were meant for.

She didn't hear him. She couldn't hear him. He was on his own.

"Who are you?" He replied, trying to formulate the words within his mind as well. Was this Forerunner using his Neural Interface as well? Or was this telepathy?

I am the one who forged worlds when your species was still in its infancy. I am the one who created the final array, carrying all the burdens this galaxy will ever know. And I shall persevere. I am the return of the Master Builder.

"That means little to me," the Spartan replied, having spotted the way out. He had a feeling that things were about to get bloody.

It means that I am now your God. Bow to me.

Alan had been at the mercy of people believing themselves to be in the service of a higher power, once. Never again.

"You are just a man," he replied. Perhaps Millennia was a greater threat to his people than this entity. Perhaps not. Didn't matter. He could reason with her. "And Spartans don't bowto anyone."

If this man's arrogance matched Millennia's, his anger might even exceed hers.

Then I shall take her Essence from your smoldering remains. Do not bother to run, Reclaimer. I called for my enforcers the moment I detected your vessel here.

There were no clouds overhead, as the residential areas were too high in the alien metropolis. Still, the enormous silhouettes that suddenly descended upon them could have blotted out the stars. Dark, bulbous, flashing with purple lights as they immediately went to work. In the cover of the night, called in like attack dogs obeying their lord, three Covenant warships descended upon Nos Astra.

Whatever power this Forerunner held over the civilians snapped, and the panic returned, worse this time. Nos Astra was about to turn into a burning crater and he wasn't going to stick around to watch that happen.

"Millennia, I found our Forerunner," Alan called, bursting into movement to get out of sight of that Cryptum. "Calls himself the Master Builder. He doesn't seem to like – "

Most of her response went unheard in the searing, all-consume wave of pain and hatred that washed over his body. He crashed to the ground, red static obscuring his vision. It felt like someone reached into his heart and twisted his thoughts, his feelings, until he could only feel the madness that erupted within Millennia's mind. He heard her screaming, almost incoherent in her hatred.

Builder. Didact. Children. Lamia. Hera. Maledictions. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate. Hate…

It was sad, really. She herself was a product of hate. She was born into it, fueled by it. And now, if he couldn't pull himself out of it, she was going to die because of that hate.

Alan opened his eyes, settling his blurry gaze on the path ahead. He took a shuddering breath, then slowly placed his hands against the floor and forced himself up. Pain wasn't relevant. It never was. Just a sign of damage.

"Millennia," he said through clenched teeth. He barely had the breath to speak. "I need you t-to…to focus. Please. He cannot harm us here."

Slowly, the alien sensations ebbed away. When the AI next spoke, her voice was trembling with emotion, but sensible.

He can hurt whoever he wants, whenever he wants to.

The Spartan climbed back to his feet. He had to get Feron and get off-planet before the Covenant fragged their ship.

Swarms of dropships streaked from the alien warships, coming straight for their port. Whatever defense force this world had, immediately returned fire with AA. Missiles and projectiles streaked out to knock some of the craft out of the sky, but the warships that loomed overhead responded with a merciless barrage of pulse lasers and plasma fire.

"Can't you stop them?" Asked Alan, rushing back towards the office complex and stopping only to snatch a mass accelerator rifle from the ground. "Like you did the Alliance fleet?"

I am trying. These beasts have Forerunner code weaved throughout their software. His doing, no doubt. Take heed; I am taking offensive actions.

He didn't doubt she was. Even as he moved to take cover from the barrage of plasma bolt that the dropships were pouring at his direction, Millenia took control over the Skycars that were trying to evade the approaching armada. She must have picked those that had no drivers in the – hopefully – as she didn't simply take control over them all.

She maneuvered the shuttles to intercept the enemy dropships with a speed that the little vehicles were never meant for. They plowed into the Spirit and Phantom dropships, up to three at a time, tearing them asunder.

But were there simply too little projectiles to use and too many dropships to target. Before long, the first Covenant ships reached the docks and started pouring infantry into Nos Astra. Strafing runs tore armed resistance apart without mercy, whether it was a squad of mercenaries or an asari waving a barely-functioning pistol.

Strangely enough, the Covenant seemed to ignore the unarmed civilians in their way. Elites bearing energy swords brushed past running asari, while Grunts pushed and shoved their way past the panicking humans and turians.

Alan opened fire, tearing into the first hostile target he saw. The Elite easily shrugged off the barrage of mass accelerator shots at first, and ducked into cover.

The Spartan felt a stab at the back of his mind as an electric current ran through his Neural Interface. He felt his MJOLNIR struggle to lock down for a second, as if someone were overriding his control.

No! He belongs to me!

As Millennia snarled at the unseen hacker, the Spartan regained control over his suit, and he continued to advance.

A pair of Jackals screamed and opened fire at him. Bolts of superheated plasma sped towards his chest, and he quickly pivoted out of the way to dodge them. He searched for openings in their defenses, found them almost immediately and put the two aliens down with sustained bursts of gunfire.

The kiosk that the previous Elite used for cover suddenly exploded, arcs of electricity striking those who stood too close. The Spartan didn't hesitate and put the unshielded warrior down, along with two Grunts that had been standing too close.

"Feron!" He yelled, taking cover near the edge of the office complex. "Sound off!"

He heard a muffled cry ring out. He stepped away from the wall and moved towards the stairs. The two krogan still lay where he left them, but a couple of Elites were stomping up the stairs, wielding Needlers.

From what he remembered, this Liara had a good view of her surroundings from her office. If she was smart, she would have hunkered down when Millennia blew those buildings. She was definitely armed, and probably a Biotic to boot.

The decision was easily made. Same stairs, same rules. The Spartan darted towards the two Elites before they could sense his approach. He leapt atop the back of the leftmost Elite, wrapped his hands around his neck and wrenched it until he felt the vertebrae shatter.

The other Elite moved to take a shot, but Alan kicked the weapon aside and struck the warrior with a lightning-fast jab to his face, He stepped in closer and grabbed the alien by his wrist, throwing him over his hips and down the stairs.

He emptied the rifle into the Elite's jerking body until it stopped moving, then discarded the alien weapon. He didn't have any thermal clips left anyway.

Alan slammed his fist against the holographic lock on the door and it slid open. A rifle shot ghosted past his helmet and he quickly stepped to the side to avoid this new threat that was taking shots at him.

The new threat turned out to be Feron, wielding a mass accelerator rifle

Great.

"Ah! Lord of Hunters!" Cried the surprised drell. "I apologize, I did not see – "

Wordlessly, Alan jerked the rifle from his hands and marched towards the large window in the back of her office. More dropships were inbound. In the distance, more buildings detonated, coming apart as explosions rippled through key support structures. unmanned drones and fighters buzzed through the sky, moving at dizzying speeds, constantly strafing, constantly firing.

He had a feeling that their pilots were long dead. Some of those craft pulled into turns so sudden, so steep, that they simply broke apart. Others violently rammed into Covenant single-ship fighters when they couldn't bring sufficient firepower to bear.

"We need to get out of here, fast," he said.

"Goddess…" muttered the asari. "Is that – "

"This is the one," Feron breathed, his tone filled with awe. "He saved me from the Shadow Broker. He is the one who killed the Shadow Broker!"

One of the fighters took a hit and spiraled out of control. Alan didn't like how the fighter came barreling towards the office.

"B-But! He - on the Citadel, with Shepard -!"

"Move!" Barked the Spartan, grabbing a hold of Feron and Liara and shoving them towards the door. The Seraph crashed through the window not two seconds later, causing the office to virtually explode in a plume of fire and shrapnel.

Alan positioned himself in such a way that his suit took the brunt of the crash. Shrapnel and waves of overpressure drained his shields significantly, but they held steady at twenty percent.

And that was a good thing, because the Covenant was on them in an instant. A trio of Elites came rushing up the stairs, firing plasma rifles and Needlers as they advanced. Behind them, four Jackals and a Grunt took up defensive positons.

A bolt of plasma slammed into 003's chest. The internal heat of his MJOLNIR shot upwards and a shrill alarm went off inside his helmet. His shields died.

"Millennia, I need- " He began, but an aircar slammed into the midst of the enemy squad before he could even finish. The impact consumed the Jackals and the Grunt, but the three Elites – maroon-clad veterans – staggered out of the explosion, their shields still intact.

Two of them now wielded swords.

Another volley of plasma fire would fry his suit. More likely, it would boil Liara and Feron alive as well.

Alan intercepted the aliens before they could gain their bearings. He tackled the closest one to the floor, grabbed him by his head and slammed it against the concrete floor two times, hard enough to crush its skull.

One of the Elites struck at him with its leg, but the Spartan redirected the attack with his armoured forearm. He placed his left hand on the floor, shifted his weight and lashed out with both legs at the other sword-wielding alien before it could cut him in two.

His boots connected with the Elite's chest-piece, which cracked underneath the blow. As the alien staggered backwards, the other one drove his sword towards the Spartan, intent on stabbing him straight through his chest.

The Spartan leapt to his feet and took two large steps back, buying himself precious milliseconds to plan his counter.

His back hit the wall and the Elite, thinking it just won, threw his weight behind the sword.

Cobra-quick, Alan placed both hands against the warrior's wrist and side-stepped the blow. The Energy Sword buried itself into the wall, pelting both combatants with superheated fragments.

The Spartan ripped his combat knife out of his holster and brought it down on the Elite's sword-hand, weakening its grip. As soon as he felt the Elite's grip weaken, he used its muscle tension against it by whirling underneath its arm. The sword sprang free of the wall as the Elite stumbled after the Spartan, jerked off-balance by the sudden change in direction. By then, 003 forced the white-hot tips of the sword against its chest, and the alien's momentum did the rest.

Alan immediately pulled the Energy Sword out again and whipped it through the air, cutting the last Elite in two.

He heard Liara gasp in shock, and Feron heaping praise upon his name.

"Goddess!" Exclaimed Liara. "I don't understand. My security should have been here by now!"

"Those two krogan I passed by?" Asked Feron.

"Yes! The invaders must have killed them already!"

Alan looked down at the crash site. He was pretty certain that was where he last saw the two unconscious krogan.

Just aliens. Besides; he had no time to dwell on their deaths. The chrome-clad demons were crawling all across Nos Astra. Whatever Millennia was doing, was not enough to stem their tide. They would have to fight their way through.

"Stay close, and keep your head down," he ordered the two aliens.

The Master Builder is not physically here in this system. I will escalate my violence. Do not be here it begins.

"Anything you can do to help me?" Alan asked. There was no use in going silent now; the Covenant knew he was there, and he had two vulnerable civilians to babysit.

Of course. I can kill every single living being in Nos Astra. Get back to our ship before I do so!

Number 003 sighed. He paused to pick up two of the fallen Plasma weapons and threw one of them to Feron. If he was correct, the Covenant was here for him. Or more accurately, the woman in his head. They seemed to have made a point of ignoring civilians. It was a weakness he was going to use against them.


Her heart thundered in her chest as she dove for the ground. Behind her, Feron raised the blue, alien rifle. The alien monstrosity he took aim at shrugged off the bolt of energy that washed over its chest with ease. Silver ripples of energy cascaded across its armour, after which it growled in a warped, demonic language and strode towards them.

Liara enveloped herself in a corona of dark energy fields and thrust her hand towards the alien, intent on flinging it over the edge of the marketplace. But that silver shield blocked the Throw field as well, as the dark energy fields harmlessly dissipated across its bulky frame.

"Lord of Hunters! Now!" Yelled Feron.

The armoured behemoth pivoted and opened fire on the alien warrior as well. The combination of the directed energy weapon in Feron's hands and the mass accelerator rounds that the behemoth had pilfered from the still-warm corpse of an Eclipse trooper made short work of the alien's protection. The Vindicator rounds punched through the alien's head and snapped it sideways, a thin stream of purple blood emerging from the other side.

When the blue-clad alien slammed to the ground, the armoured soldier moved. And when he did, Liara realized just why her friend had called him the Lord of Hunters.

The black-armoured soldier was like a thing out of her nightmares. It moved with a machinelike precision, dodging and weaving through a thick blanket of enemy fire despite standing out in the open, with no cover. The way he mowed down these monstrous aliens, with cold, fearsome precision, gave her the feeling that this was nothing more than target practice to it.

Whenever the alien creatures tried to engage it in close quarters combat, it dispatched of them with brutal efficiency. It kept the invaders at bay like that, constantly switching back and forth between ranged and melee combat.

Liara felt a mixture of horror and awe, watching it fight. Was this the mysterious combatant who stirred up the Citadel like that? Or were there more of these creatures? Was it Shepard, who sent this "Lord of Hunters" after Feron? Her friend did mention the intervention of a goddess. She just assumed that he was being dramatic, as the shock of the ordeal was still raw to him.

"We must move," Feron said, dropping the alien weapon and dragging Liara with him into a hallway. Two of the thinner aliens, with large, shimmering shields attached to their arms, spotted them.

Feron gasped, but Liara was quick to fling a Singularity field in-between them, hoping that it would keep them busy for a while.

"What is that…thing, back there?" Demanded Liara. "Is it even organic? Why are we leaving it?"

"The story is long and complicated!" Replied her friend. Despite the chaos and slaughter around them, he managed a little smile. "He will be fine! Underneath that armour burns the soulx of a true warrior. They will both safeguard us!"

Both? He could not possibly be talking about Shepard, could he?

A series of quick detonations tore through the docks. An immense shockwave tore through their surroundings. Liara saw a flash of white light, shortly before something massive slammed into her body and flung her to the ground. She felt her skin blister, her barriers rendered useless.

"Liara!" Yelled Feron, reaching out to her. "Watch out!"

A large, unyielding gauntlet clasped her upper arm and she felt someone drag her up, throwing her aside like a ragdoll moments before more fire raked the place she just vacated.

Through blurry eyes, she saw the black-clad giant firing at a sword-wielding alien, before throwing his rifle to the ground and engaging it in dangerously- close quarters.

"Come on Liara! We have to keep going!" Cried Feron, dragging her back to her feet.

Liara couldn't see what happened next, but the sounds of violence continued to assault her senses. All she knew was that she had to run, run as far away from there as she could.

The fire and chaos intensified as alien ships buzzed around their position, strafing them with high-yield energy weapons. The armoured defender trailed around them, constantly on the move, constantly firing and evading counter-fire. He took hits that were meant for Feron and Liara herself with impunity, returning fire with lethal precision.

It was an eternity contained within but a handful of minutes. Finally they reached the dock, where a single ship was waiting for them.

"Don't look back, keep going!" Exclaimed Feron.

The airlock of the warship opened on its own, since the people manning the control tower had been killed when a pair of alien vessels had blown it apart with their energy weapons. Liara, guessing that there was a crew waiting for them inside, followed Feron into the ship. But she didn't make it very far before something happened that stopped her dead in her tracks.

At the other end of the airlock was an…Liara had no other choice but to call her an apparition. She looked like a beautiful human woman wreathed in a robe of flames. Even the most gifted of masters could not have sculpted a more striking and breathtaking creature. Her blazing red hair cascaded down her chest, caressing the slopes of her breasts, eventually morphing back into the inferno that surrounded her. Her eyes were yellow and filled with eons of malice. Feron and the armoured soldier passed through the airlock unmolested, but she didn't allow Liara to pass.

The apparition reached out with her arm. Liara felt something akin to an invisible claw seize her by her throat. Panic settled within her stomach when she realized that she invisible pressure cut off her flow of air. She reached for her neck, but there was nothing there.

A voice growled within her mind, echoing in the depths of her thoughts with no regards for her privacy.

You, vermin. Your people did this. They unleashed damnation upon us all! I should cull your entire filthy species!

"Lord of Hunters!" Feron cried, seeing Liara struggle and gasp for air.

"Millennia," the behemoth spoke with as surprisingly gentle voice. "It's my enemy as well. We'll think of something."

The entity shot a glare at the black-clad warrior. Something in her gaze hardened, but she reluctantly released Liara.

Liara slumped the ground. She clutched her neck, coughing, desperate for air. As she sat there, shocked and confused by what just happened to her, the armoured warrior stepped past her and exited the ship again.

A sharp cry rang out, followed by a whole string of curses as the warrior returned, holding a struggling and swearing asari in his iron clasp.

Liara narrowed her eyes. That was Matriarch Aethyta, the bartender from the Eternity Lounge. It had already been suspicious when she was posted so close to Liara's office, but now it was like she was actually stalking her. After all, what were the chances that the Matriarch would maneuver through an active warzone, in the middle of an alien invasion, and reach the same ship that she had?

Who was she, what did she want from her?

"Let go of me, you bucketheaded psycho!" Cried the bartender. Her Biotics flared, but she might as well have been trying to Throw a warship for all the good she did.

The warrior threw her to the ground, not hard enough to kill her, but definitely with enough force to knock the wind out of her. Before she could gain her bearings, the warrior placed an armoured boot on her chest and knocked her back down the ground, before aiming an alien rifle directly at her head. There could be no greater display of intent; he was fully prepared to take her life if she continued resisting.

Aethyta sensed that. There was no way she wouldn't. That got the Matriarch to calm down somewhat.

"Why are you following us?" Demanded the armoured soldier. Liara noticed that the apparition was gone, and that the ship was already moving.

"I – I don't know what you are yapping about!" Shot back Aethyta. "I see someone killing those alien bastards like that, I'm going with them!"

The ship shuddered. The metal underneath them groaned, and Liara could have sworn that the temperature was rising.

"I'll get the truth out of you eventually," the warrior said, his tone downright menacing. "Don't start any trouble. You'll be dead before you realize it."

With that final threat, he left the three of them alone, presumably to follow wherever that entity had gone to.

"By the Goddess, what is going on?" Liara exclaimed. She ignored Aethyta's presence for now and turned to look at Feron. "Who are these people?"

"Not now! We need to find something to hold onto to!" The drell merely yelled in response, before hastily vacating the airlock.

Liara wasn't about to question him. After exchanging a quick look with the rattled Matriarch, the two asari hurried to follow him.

"Depending on how religious you are, we are either in the company of a Goddess and her chosen warrior –"

"And if we're not religious at all?" Yelled Aethyta, who nearly stumbled and fell when she ship lurched forwards in acceleration.

"Or she is an Artificial Goddess and her chosen warrior!"

What? Hold on, what?

"Either way, we are going to leave this system now!" Liara's friend continued. "To do so, she will have to treat this Heavy Cruiser like a fighter!"

"Hang on, that doesn't make a lick of – "

Whatever Aethyta wanted to say had to wait, as the ship rolled to its side, throwing them both to the opposite end of the wall. The lights flickered and died and the sickening power of G-forces began to press down on the unprotected crew.

Liara surrounded herself with a powerful barrier, anchoring herself in place. Aethyta did the same. The acceleration become so extreme that Liara was starting to feel physical nausea, which quickly turned into outright agony.

The last thing she saw was Aethyta reaching out and freezing Feron in place with a Stasis field, shortly before freezing Liara as well.


Athena Nebula

Between Systems

The Parnitha Relay's inner mechanics suddenly began to spin faster and faster, flashes of energy enveloping the enormous device. Then, a Cruiser blurred into existence.

The warship was battered, holes marring the surface of her armour. Its internal structure had nearly buckled in some areas, and the emergency kinetic barriers prevented its air from leaking out into the dark vacuum of space.

Instead of the clean, normal jump that came to be associated with the Mass Relays, this vessel emerged tumbling and rotating, spinning away from the Relay in a chaotic loop.

The bridge of the hijacked Cruiser was silent. A MJOLNIR-clad figure sat on one of the consoles, lost in his thoughts. The holographic avatar of a Forerunner AI stood next to him, gazing at the window screen with a thunderous expression in her eyes.

"Why do you hate him so much?" The Spartan eventually asked, after a couple of minutes went by in silence.

When the humans murdered the children of my retainer, they did so in war. They fought without malice. Without hatred. I cannot forgive, but I can understand.

"And him?"

He…is an affront to the Mantle Of Responsibility. A liar. A schemer. A coward. He killed countless Forerunners who stood in his way. He is everything that my retainer despises.

The true cause of her hatred went unsaid. That she had lost everything she ever had in her life, while her enemies kept returning. Kept thriving. First humanity, then this…Master Builder.

He was starting to understand what that must feel like. "How do we stop him?"

When Millennia replied, she did so with a hint of surprise in her voice.

That is what you wish to know? After barely escaping with your life, after your own mortal enemy came to claim your head once more?

"We don't have time to stand still," replied Alan. To him, it was only logical. It was soldiers did. It was what Spartans did. "So where do we find him?"

Hah. Your courage is to be commended, but I will not let you commit suicide by further antagonizing him. His ego will not let him stay in isolation. He will seek out the grandest community he can find and subjugate it.

"That would be the Citadel Council," deduced Alan.

Meanwhile, he will focus on stopping the outbreak of the Parasite, wherever he found it.

Parasite…did she mean the Flood? The Spartan shuddered to think about what would happen if someone found yet another observation facility, only to inevitably feed themselves to the hungry abominations. This asari species had proven to be equally as meddlesome as the Covenant was.

"Then we need to warn the Council – "

No. Those children will soon learn about the might of their predecessors regardless. Even as we speak, your people are facilitating diplomacy with theirs. Smiling. Concealing the true hatred and homicidal fantasies they carry in their hearts. Trite. Petty. The accumulated waste of their self-indulgence and chaos will foam up about their waists and when they look up, demanding liberation, what will be there to answer them?

Alan thought back to Illium. How reuniting Feron with his estranged friend seemed like the right thing to do. How his mere presence had clued the Master Builder in to Millennia's existence. How the Covenant, further bolstered with Forerunner technology, wiped out the planet's defense forces and tore through its population yet again…

All the corporate executives, all the corrupt bureaucrats and aliens convinced of their self-importance were helpless when a greater force was brought down upon them. What would be there to answer them?

He didn't know. "I…"

Fret not. It is not a question meant to be answered. You performance was…satisfying. Your loyalty, commendable.

Loyalty…hmm. The gentleness in her tone surprised him. That she of all people found a way to put a positive spin in this disastrous turn of events was telling.

The soldier in him couldn't stop thinking of a plan to solve this mess. The Spartan in him found it. "If the Master Builder wants the galactic community, he can have it, We'll take the rest."

Ho? Do elaborate.

"On the battlefield, everybody is equal. The Private. The Colonel. The wealthy. The rich. Only on the battlefield does the underdog have a chance to fight back."

And you wish to gather the other proverbial underdogs.

It wasn't a question. She knew exactly what he was thinking of. "I want to start with Commander Shepard. If she is important enough for someone to want to clone her, she has to be involved somehow."

Millennia smirked.

Getting to her might be problematic.

Alan casually undid the strips of his knife holster and pulled the blade out. "Is it a problem we can handle?"

Her smirk grew cruel and malicious.

Of course.