A Gift from the Ancestors: Book 2

by Gambit84

The effects of John and Tali's decisions are felt across the universe. As the next generation begins their adult lives, a new threat emerges from the depths of space and time. New friends will be found as old relationships are tested The galaxy once again will find itself on the edge of annihilation with a Shepard to lead them to salvation or destruction.

9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Diana Allers cursed as one of her camera drones went dark, another casualty in the war that had erupted around them. She had sent out several tiny drones both for documentation of the events unfolding on OniThar as well as guidance for her small infiltration team. She had adapted the cameras from military operations after her experience from the Reaper War showed her that the standard drone cameras that she had used were too big, bulky, and easily targeted. These smaller drones fit in her palm and she could pack dozens of them to send out singularly or in waves, documenting events from angles she would never have captured before, all the while staying safe. As she crouched behind burning buildings and piles of debris, she was appreciating the new drones more than ever.

From her omni tool, the group could see the city spread out before them. While peaceful would not be an appropriate description for a terror and fear filled place, dominated by an evil god and his severely strict and sadistic military generals, it had at least appeared calm and orderly. Now, it was a war torn, hellish landscape. Fighting occupied every street, buildings and vehicles burned, and confusion and chaos ruled the city. The various faction leaders tried to establish order but could only hold it within eyesight. Beyond that range, order quickly fell apart.

The city had been a tinderbox waiting for a spark. For thousands of years, Akzunatai had held it all in check through his influence of will. The various species living there, be it the native LiThar or the several alien races that Akzunatai had brought to OniThar, they were all slaves and they all hated each other as much as they did Akzunatai. While small fights had regularly broken out over the years, they had always been quickly snuffed out by Akzunatai and those generals loyal to him. Order had been maintained and the fires banked, but the coals never fully extinguished. That low burn had run consistently beneath the surface, fueled by many sources, waiting for the supply of fresh air that would set it blazing. Their arrival was that long waited for air and last night, they had ignited a waiting inferno.

As dusk fell across OniThar, the mountain shadows deepened, swallowing visibility across the overgrown clearing between the watch towers and jungle trees, the LiThar resistance made their move. Creeping in the shadows, using the brush that had grown wild across the fields as cover, they moved quickly into position. Using rocket launchers brought from the New Horizons, six well aimed missiles flew in a burst of flame to slam into the masonry walls of the towers flanking the river where it exited Akzunatai's empire. Stone exploded launching debris and dust into the air and collapsing both towers into piles of rubble, burying the soldiers who had stood sentry and opening the way into the valley beyond.

The LiThar had wasted no time, leaping from cover as the rockets fired and were racing across the field as the towers collapsed. As the dust was still settling, the teams made their way through the opening and into Akzunatai's city. The soldiers who had been in the barracks behind the towers were still rousing from sleep and staggering through the hazy air, disoriented, and confused as to what was happening when the LiThar pounced. Most armed with simple knives made short work of their opponents, catching them blind and slicing throats or stabbing vital organs with such determined ferocity that soon, the tower guard had been eliminated and the way through clear. The first battle had been won, and the fighters had cheered.

Their celebrations were short lived as other nearby sentries leapt to arms at the sounds of battle. To ensure that no one departed Akzunatai's city without clearance, multiple check points had been established along the roads from the towers. While lightly manned, they made excellent redundant backups for keeping the LiThar pinned inside. The six soldiers on duty at the closest to the attack had not been rattle by the explosion and as the towers collapsed. Instead, they had sounded the alarm and ran for the city proper for reinforcements. As the LiThar fighters finished their ambush on the towers and the last guards were dispatched, the full city guard was roused, alarms were ringing throughout, and Akzunatai's soldiers he had tasked with protecting his fortress suited up for battle.

The noise had not gone unnoticed by the other LiThar in the city either. Loyalties were mixed with some siding with Akzunatai, others with the resistance, but most were fearful for themselves and their families. Windows and doors were bolted closed and hidden weapons taken up in defense as the city began to prepare for war.

Diana had her drones filming the entire assault and once they were through, she had sent two of her cameras high over the city, above the dust and smoke clouds rapidly rising from thousands of feet and the hundreds of fires igniting around the area, to map the layout of the city and give them current information on their destinations. They were divided into a dozen assault teams each with members of the New Horizons and it was to these person's omni tools that the maps were relayed. Once received, the individual teams quickly broke away to begin their attacks. Diana herself was part of the main team headed towards Akzunatai's tower and they too were quickly moving, making their way towards the empty airfield to gain access through the same servant passages Fendala had used to escape.

Kept in the center of the group for protection as she was technically considered a non-combatant, she was under no illusions that she would be exempt from the fighting. Being a war reporter nearly her entire career, Diana was no stranger to battles, either on starships or on the ground and for a long time she had been able to perform her job without taking part in the fighting. The Reapers had changed that. After Shepard had allowed her onboard, they had negotiated how she would be allowed to cover the events taking place. John had made it clear that the Reapers would not distinguish between armed soldiers and unarmed reporters. This was not a territorial dispute or gang war, this was annihilation. He and his team needed to be focused on what was happening and not looking after a reporter, though he admitted, she was a valuable resource to the war effort and should be onsite documenting what was taking place so those outside of the immediate danger knew exactly what was happening. Therefore, she was to be armed and armored and given a crash course in weapons training.

It was not the Reapers though that caused her to take her first life in combat. It had been Cerberus. On a mission to Benning where reports had come in that Cerberus was abducting colonists, she had become caught while interviewing some of the civilians in what they had thought was a safe location. Some of Cerberus' forces had managed to flank them unaware and breaking down the door to the house where they had been sheltering, came face to face with a terrified, but armed reporter. Diana still did not know if it was a conscious decision or simply a terrified reaction, but she had pulled the trigger on the pistol she held, and the first soldier dropped. More squeezing of the trigger and wild, panicked screams and the other two soon followed. She had collapsed into the arms of the civilians behind her and a few moments later Shepard and his squad, following the sounds of gunfire, found her laying on the floor crying as the civilians tried to comfort her.

From that day on, she had taken her training far more seriously, often spending free time in the cargo bay with James Vega and Steve Cortez becoming familiar with the weapons and the techniques for both using them and staying safe while under fire. She would never be a soldier, nor even a good shooter, that was not her goal. She simply wanted to make sure she was comfortable and trained so she would not freeze or panic. She had survived her first direct assault mostly by luck, she did not want to have to rely on luck again. The Reaper war had caused her to use her pistol several more times before it was over, though she took no pleasure in it. As she watched the fighting around her, she felt some comfort at the feel of its weight on her hip. She planned on making it back to Liara and her children alive and would do whatever it took to make that happen.

They were running again. Crouched low and using both the heavy smoke and debris for cover, the fifteen members of the tower team crossed the final street intersection and entered yet another alley behind large warehouse buildings. They had been fortunate in not having to fight for every step. The distraction teams were doing their jobs well, if not as planned, and the chaos in the city took care of the rest. Still, they had fought two small scuffles, both with Akzunatai's troops and both ending quickly with no losses on their team.

The plan to have the other teams create distractions so that Fendala could lead Vala to Akzunatai's chambers had quickly fallen apart as the city erupted into chaos. The downfall was not in what they had done, it was in how those living within the city had responded. When the guard towers at the river exploded and the first alarms went up, the barely contained hatred that flowed through both the LiThar and Akzunatai's troops burst the dams and the city turned into a melee. The guards grabbed weapons and donned armor, formed up and marched on the LiThar, attacking to kill on sight. The resistance movement, not nearly as organized, but surprisingly well armed, rose from their hiding places in small clusters of hastily gathered members, brandishing weapons, and attacking the guards in furious rage. Others in the city had joined in the fighting as opportunity presented or situations forced them. Confusion spread like wildfire.

The distraction teams soon found themselves changing their priorities. It had not taken long before they encountered the first of the LiThar citizens fleeing for safety. Roles were reassigned and safety zones were established where the frightened citizens could be protected and then escorted out of the mountains. Others began venturing deeper into the city, locating those who wanted to escape and directing them to the safe zones. These actions soon led to the outside LiThar meeting the resistance groups from within the city. Discovering that this was not simply a "last stand" scenario but a true rebellion, the city resistance fighters became filled with renewed hope. They had allies and at long last, they had a real chance.

Diana watched as the city burned. The fighting was pulling steadily away from the airfield, encouraged by well-aimed rockets fired by the Lexandrius' soldiers and the collapsing of buildings making movement in that direction difficult. The details of the plan had changed, but the veteran leaders of the New Horizons had been chosen for this very reason; they could readily adapt. Their goal was to clear a way for Vala to reach the tower. While they had only planned to fight Akzunatai's guards in smaller skirmishes, not an entire city during a civil war, they changed their tactics and now instead of being small distracting raiders, they were quickly merging into a large, unified army. They had not come to fight a war but were more than capable of doing so. Word was spreading quickly among the LiThar that a real army was gathering, and Diana could see the results. Hundreds had already joined, and more were moving rapidly to do the same.

Across the city, Akzunatai's troops were adapting as well. They knew they were not fighting mere rebels or one of the small groups of LiThar that they had dealt with over the centuries. This was something new, something dangerous and there were newcomers. This last bit of information had taken them by surprise, and it was not until enough had seen the newcomers for themselves that they had believed it as fact and not shamed sergeants trying to cover their failures. Somehow, the LiThar slaves had found allies and massed an army that had managed to take the Southern end of the city. They did not know what numbers these newcomers had at their disposal, but it was obvious they were well armed and trained.

Watching the two armies form on opposing ends of the city, watching the city burn, the people within panicking, running, fighting, and dying, all in clear video and audio would sicken most people. Diana had seen it all before but even her battle-hardened stomach rolled with unease as the sights and worse, the smells assaulted her. Their latest dash to cover had them hiding behind the burning shop that had recently belonged to a tailor. A wooden sign, bearing the standard needle and spool of thread that had previously hung suspended above the front door, now lay on the ground covered in mud and soot, as had the former occupants. Three dead LiThar, one male and two females, one of which appeared to be a youth were in a heap in front of the shop doors. They were not the first casualties Diana and her team had seen. The deeper they progressed into the city, the more frequent these scenes became.

One of the accompanying LiThar tapped her arm bringing Diana's attention to Mavish. He was signaling them to move forward. The noise of the gun fire, explosions and alarms sounding throughout the city drowned out most communications even if they had not agreed upon silent signals to help hide their presence. Diana, along with the others indicated they understood the plan. Closing her omni tool, she shifted her weight and prepared to run. This was their last push to reach the airfield. From there, Fendala knew of passages that the staff used to gain access into the tower.

One final drone check to ensure the street was clear and they were off. Diana sprinted through the debris strewn street, hurdling the larger pieces she could not dodge around and eating up the distance in long strides. Rumor had told them that the airfield had become a deserted no-man's land after Akzunatai departed and her drone surveillance had confirmed the rumors.

Stretching for miles to the East of the fortress, the airfield had been where Akzunatai's ships were built and launched as well as home to smaller scouting squadrons and the testing division where Mavish had worked prior to escaping. Covered with docking bays, landing pads, hangars, factories and warehouses, the facilities had been massive, a sprawling complex that provided the bulk of Akzunatai's Navy. Not all his ships had been built there, many came from the planets of other enslaved species, but the most advanced and powerful came from those structures. It was there that new technology and ship design originated, was tested and perfected. Once ready, it would be delivered to the appropriate location for mass production and integration to the fleet. The knowledge contained on those grounds was key to Akzunatai's abilities to invade a place and hold control over it. This was not something he would risk leaving vulnerable.

Knowing he would be away for years, and being paranoid, as all dictators were forced to become, he gave the orders to destroy the facility upon departure. The workers onsite that day had watched the ships depart with little attention given until the final three stopped to hover overhead. With confusion and worry on their faces, LiThar mechanics, scientists, and their guards, stood silently until the end. The commanders abord the ships received the word from Akzunatai, and they opened fire. Targeting the fuel pods and reactors, the first shots launched fire balls hundreds of feet into the air and sent shockwaves rippling across the site to slam both living and material objects aside as though they were paper in a windstorm. Factories were next, the heavy structures collapsing under the rain of missiles to bury all those within and many caught outside as well. Warehouses, and hangars followed along with the docks and landing pads. Between priority targets, anyone caught moving was targeted and gunned down. The gunners cared not for who was killed. Their orders had been to destroy anyone, and everything associated with the site. The heat from the fires melted steel at napalm like temperatures. Organic flesh ignited and sloughed away instantly. In minutes, over two-thousand living beings had been killed. More would die of other injuries in the coming days and weeks. After the ships had finished their unrestrained destruction, those outside the airfield worked quickly to protect the rest of the city. The entire block of buildings that bordered the airfield were knocked down to create a fire break and watches were posted along the perimeter to monitor and give alarm if the fires tried to escape. No searches were conducted into the burning ruins, and help was only provided if someone managed to crawl from the inferno. From that day, no one ventured into the former airfield. The guards had received one final order from Akzunatai to enforce that rule, though the LiThar did not need much motivation to stay away. To them, it had become a graveyard. Hallowed ground in which their murdered kin could hopefully find peace.

Diana turned the final corner, and the wall of rubble came into view. Large chunks of concrete, bent steel beams, broken masonry and rotting wood piled high in front of them as they came to a halt. The mound was higher than their heads, and while normally guards would patrol the top, with the city in war, they had abandoned their posts to join their comrades. The team quickly scrambled their way to the top where the ruined airfield spread out before them. Blackened piles of debris that had once been structures dotted the barren landscape and smaller mounds, humanoid in shape with white edges of exposed bone indicated where the living had fallen. Diana let her vision blur, focusing not on the details but on their target in the distance, in a desperate attempt to not heave up her morning meal.

Without speaking the team descended the debris wall to stand within the dead zone. Mavish took the lead. While the area decidedly looked different than it had on the day he departed, he still knew the layout best. Using a combination of barely recognizable debris piles and drone footage, he plotted a route, and they were off. The going was slow as they were forced to detour often as they found the path blocked by obstacles to large or dangerous to attempt moving or going over. The carnage of dead bodies soon overwhelmed even the most battle hardened among them and stops were taken often to allow for the vacating of stomachs till everyone in the party was dry heaving with nothing left to throw up. The smells were horrendous, the sights were those of nightmares. If there had been any lingering doubts as to needing to end Akzunatai's reign, they were long gone by the time the group reached the former command center.

Fendala broke out in tears as they investigated the central command station and saw the bones of the dead there. LiThar bones lay scattered among the remnants of uniforms and it was one of those that had caused Fendala's loss of control. Seeing the same as she, Mavish wrapped the distraught woman in a tight embrace, letting her tears fall onto his dirty fur. Captain Branil, their friend who made the Verna-Litha's escape possible was one of the dead. They both recognized his necklace. Made from the juvenile claws of his children, shed much like juvenile teeth in humans, he had always worn it under his uniform tunic as a reminder of his family. The command center had been spared the worst of the inferno that had consumed the rest of the port. Probably a precaution on Akzunatai's to not damage his fortress which abutted the center. Instead, holes from large caliber rounds riddled the walls and had destroyed the glass windows. The officers stationed in this room on that fateful day had the fortune of meeting a faster death by gunfire than those who burned outside.

Fendala pulled herself together while the others gave her and Mavish some space. She wiped the last of the tears from her eyes with her dirt covered sleeves, smearing more soot and grease across her fur than anything else. Mavish chuckled at the sight and Fendala soon followed suit. Spirits recovered, the LiThar woman took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. There would be plenty of time for mourning if they won, and if not, well, she would see her friends in the afterlife. Turning her back on the dead, she moved to the door leading into Akzunatai's fortress. It was time.

Taking a set of lockpicking tools from a pouch at her waist, she deftly began to insert the instruments into the locking mechanism while explaining. "Akzunatai refused to allow electricity into his fortress. Nothing modern was ever installed. This includes the locks. The only exception to this that I am aware of is the door to his private rooms. Only he has ever gone in there and no one has so much as seen him even open the door. After learning what I now know about the power he wields, my guess is he uses the power to secure that door. Vala, that will be up to you to figure out." Vala nodded in understanding as Fendala continued. "This also means no lights. Torches and candles are all that are allowed. I know we have flashlights and other forms of illumination, but I recommend us not using them. Artificial light will be a dead giveaway that we are there. Use your natural eyes sight if you can or night vision otherwise. The route I plan on taking should be empty of Akzunatai's men and the servants as it is a direct route to his chambers at the top and little else. Still, there may be surprises and if we are detected in his chambers, it will not take long for the guards to arrive by the main corridors." Fendala fell silent and the others indicated their understanding. With a few more subtle twists of fingers and wrists, the lock clicked, and the door swung open.

Opening before them, the dark corridor stretched away into the mountain. The air that wafted out to meet their senses was cold and stale, carrying the odors of mildew and dust. Everyone performed a quick weapons and armor check, ensuring gear was secure and full thermo clips were inserted. Diana retracted all her drones to their harness on her back save a couple she was leaving above the city to document the fight from the sky and the one that hovered above her left shoulder. Once all were ready, Fendala took the lead with Mavish and Nelis on her heels and led them into the dark.

Miranda cursed as she watched an explosion rip through a platoon of soldiers leaving a gaping hole in the front lines of Rannoch's defenses. She was tired. They all were. Nearly a month of fighting, bloody, unrelenting fighting had them running on fumes. Both Akzunatai's forces and their own defenders had taken great losses and the carnage of the dead sprawled across Rannoch's desert highlands confirmed this unpleasant truth. Not even the Val'Shan Valley had been spared. Akzunatai's forces had reached it in earnest the day previous. Reports from James Vega at the Academy said they were holding but under intense pressure. So far, the city had been spared but he was not certain for how much longer. She had called for help. She had been doing so daily since the start, but Akzunatai was no amateur invader. Upon entering the Milky Way and gaining access to the relay network he had sent attack squadrons to every system to harass those who otherwise could have come to help the besieged defenders. All the council races now faced battled at their home worlds. Granted, they were much smaller than what was happening on Rannoch, they were distractions after all, yet they still posed significant danger if left unchecked. Even the Citadel had come under attack forcing C-Sec to once more assume the role of an army to defend the heart of galactic civilization. No additional aid would come to Rannoch. They would have to hold with what they had.

The allied forces on Rannoch were not insignificant. While the war had largely become a ground battle, Turian and Geth forces still fought a battle in space and in the skies overhead. Small, attack craft strafed allied and enemy forces with gunfire while the anti-aircraft guns thundered in response dropping the ships to fiery explosions. Under domes of biotic shielding, ranks of Quarian, Krogan and Human soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder sending countless rounds into enemy ranks. Bursts of biotic energy rippled outward in shockwaves, knocking enemies from their feet and singularities caused disruptions in formation as individuals were hoisted from their feet to become easy targets for snipers before being tossed into their comrades. Had it not been for the enemy being competent in their own way, it would have been an easy fight.

Easily outnumbering the Rannoch defenders, Akzunatai could afford the losses. While his weapons and shielding were not up to the same level as the allied forces, his shields still protected, and his rounds still killed. Finding weaknesses and gaps in allied shields, his own snipers found their marks, dropping key personnel before firing high explosives into the breach. While he did not have the A.A. guns Rannoch possessed, shoulder fired rockets could take out small craft just as effectively and the remains of Turian, Geth and Quarian single man fighters were piled next to their enemy counterparts.

Miranda gave orders to close the gap and watched her troops rush to fill in the hole, new barriers sprang up and the injured were hauled off to the overworked medics in the tents behind her position in command. She waited till the movement was complete before turning to her relief and handing command to him. She needed the rest and the others had insisted. She was tough and could push herself far beyond what a normal human could endure due to her enhanced genetics, but she did have limits, and she had passed them. Stepping out of the command tent, she walked back towards the caves in which the medical stations had been set up as well as quarters for those on rest. As she entered the cool and dark of the cave's entrance, her head suddenly spun and Miranda found herself on the ground, vision blurred and disoriented. The last she heard was a somewhat familiar female voice saying, "Fuck, Miranda. Get back to work, I got her."

Waking, Miranda's eyes took in the rough, low ceiling of the cave. She let out a groan and slowly sat up on the cot she had been placed on. As the room came into focus, she found herself looking at the concerned face of Kris Thibodaux who handed her a bottle of water before crouching before Miranda to peer into her eyes, checking for obvious signs of injury.

"Thank you, Kris." Miranda spoke after taking a couple long sips of the water. "How long was I out?"

"Not long, only a couple of hours, and your welcome, Miranda." Kris responded and Miranda could hear the worry and relief in the other's voice. "Both Doctor Chakwas and Tali say that you are pushing too hard and need to rest. They ordered me to babysit you cheerleader." Miranda looked up at the use of Kris' old insult and saw the woman smiling at her. Miranda returned the smile. A wave of guilt suddenly washed through her though and her smile faded. There was something she had been hiding from Kris for a while now. Something that she needed to tell her but had been unsure how. Kris refilled her water bottle and offered a plate of food. Miranda accepted them and felt her body regain its strength as she ate. Her father had been a monster, abusing her and others like her in unimaginable experiments to create a perfect human in his image. Even now, years after she had killed the man while saving her sister Oriana, she still felt a barely controlled rage when she thought of the man. Her wife, Felicia, had counseled her to learn more about him. Try to understand the man and his reasons for what he did. Maybe in understanding him better, she would find some comfort and be able to put him finally, truly behind her. On that advice, Miranda had opened a personal investigation a few years earlier into Henry Lawson. She had learned much about the man who was her father, far more than she already knew and more still than she thought there was to learn, though only one thing had surprised her. That surprise had become her secret that she needed to tell Kris. She had wanted to, but then the troubles with Akzunatai had begun and it had been shelved as more pressing issues took precedence in her life. Miranda had started to send a message through the net, but Felicia suggested, and Miranda agreed, that this was something best said in person and so she kept it to herself.

"Kris," Miranda began soft and slow. "I need to tell you something. Something about your past that I learned." Miranda watched Kris' face lose expression and turn to stone. Her eyes betrayed her hidden emotions though. Fear and rage battled curiosity and the trust she and Miranda had built over the years. Kris lowered herself to the floor and settled in to listen.

"This all goes back to my father and his desire to ensure his genetic superiority and continuity. He worked his entire life to create perfection. Me, my sister Oriana, and you Kris. I only learned about your connection recently. It was shortly before he created Oriana. He was experimenting with the poor as hosts. He learned of your parents being unable to conceive and approached them about a new artificial insemination that he was developing. It was designed to utilize the Eezo exposure that often-caused sterility and reverse it, making the host mother fertile with eezo exposed eggs. This revolutionary procedure was a blessing for to your parents and they had agreed. What he did not tell them was that the DNA used to create you would be mixed and configured with his own to distil the traits he wished and eliminate the ones he did not. He would also increase the eezo exposure of the fetus with weekly injections, disguised to boost health, but mainly increasing eezo absorption. While the procedure, pregnancy and birth went as expected, the gang violence, death of your parents and your subsequent capture by Cerberus for experimentation was not. He wrote you off as a loss and created Oriana."

Kris had leapt to her feet and was pacing back and forth in the small alcove that Miranda had been laid in. Her anger threatened to burst forth. Her actual father was Henry Lawson, Miranda's twisted father. A man responsible for uncaring experiments on children, and later upon other innocents to understand indoctrination for the Illusive Man. Kris had thought she had made peace with her past, but this… it was nearly too much. Fuck, I need Sam! The plea screamed in her head. It was almost too much to bear. Reaching the wall of rock that formed one side of the alcove, she turned and found herself wrapped in Miranda's arms. Panicking, her biotic power filled her body and threatened to burst forth. The older woman held her tight, desperately tight with her own biotics surging to match Kris, trying to comfort her, calm her. Miranda whispered over and over in her ear, "it's okay, it's okay" and Kris felt the tension in her muscles crushed out of her along with her breath. Her body began to shake within Miranda's biotically enhanced embrace as the tears began to fall. Slowly Kris felt Miranda lowering them both to sit on the cot till Kris realized that they were now side by side, Miranda's arms still around her and her head resting on Miranda's shoulder. Tears fell from Kris' eyes to form small damp spots on Miranda's uniform.

"Damnit, Lawson." Kris began as she recovered her breath and the sobs resided. "I was supposed to be helping you, not you helping me. Low blow binging my childhood into this to get your superiority back." Kris chuckled softly at her own words and heard Miranda do the same. "I assume you have proof, or you would not have told me." Miranda whispered that she did. "You will show me? Not now, we have a fucking war to win, but after we finish killing these assholes, then you will show me?" Again, Miranda softly answered yes, and silence filled the space as both women let the conversation settle in their minds. A moment passed, then another. With her head still resting on Miranda's shoulder, Kris spoke. "So, we really are sisters. Fuck. We hated each other Miranda. We fought, hell we tried to kill each other a couple of times and I wanted to kill you many times more… yet I respected you. Fuck, if I'm honest about it, I looked up to you, admired you too, especially what you did for Oriana. I've never had real family Miranda. I mean, John and Tali, and the rest of us are family of course, but not the same thing. John and Tali are more like adopted parents, and the others, cousins, I guess. Now I have a sister. A real, blood related, fucked up father related sister… I do not know what to do with that Miranda, but I want to learn."

Miranda rubbed her hands up and down Kris' back in a comforting motion to both women. Similar thoughts had been racing through Miranda's mind in the months since learning this information. "I want to learn what that means as well Kris. I have been so nervous about telling you this, I knew it would hurt, but I want to be there for you, to help you work through it. I want to be the big sister I should be. Be the family you deserve."

"You deserve the same Miranda. Your life has been no less fucked up than mine. What your father did, and the Illusive Man afterwards was wrong. Evil. Different than what I endured, but no less wrong. If you are going to be the big sister I deserve, then I will be the younger one you need. Oriana may have her hands full with two crazy bitches in her family tree though. I hope the girl can take it."

"Of course, she can. She is one of us, just less crazy." Miranda replied.

"So, Miranda, sis," Kris began. "Are you feeling well enough to go back out there and unleash some of these feelings upon invading assholes, or do you need to reapply your make-up first cheerleader?"

Miranda playfully pushed the taunting woman off her shoulder and rose to her feet. Her head still spun slightly, and she was still exhausted, but she would be okay. She had to be. Laughing she pulled Kris to her feet and gave her a quick hug. "You're not going to let that go, are you?" Kris laughed and shook her head no. "Fine, but know that you can call me Miri too, sis." Miranda turned and walked into the main room to check out with the medical staff. Kris stood and watched her big sister with wide eyes. Sam was going to freak out when she learned about this.

"Shepard, you need to end this war now. We will lose the Academy and Val'Shan soon if you do not." Garrus' voice cut through the sounds of battle to reach John's ear. He and Tali were using their powers to manipulate the very ground of Rannoch itself to protect the troops from attacks from below. Akzunatai had discovered that the biotic shielding did not extend below the ground and had sent mining teams to create tunnels under the defenders. He also began to order the heavier missiles to be fired at the ground along the edge of the biotic shields causing the ground to explode up and out along with any troops in that area. When they had recognized what Akzunatai was doing, John and Tali began to use their powers to explore through the very bedrock of the planet, locating and eliminating the mining teams and hardening the rock in front of the troops while softening the soils in at the impact sites to absorb some of the explosion. It was strenuous and exhausting work, changing the very makeup of a planet, even with Rannoch lending more of his strength to them for support.

"John, we cannot afford any more delays. I do not think we will survive many more waves. Vega had to take a company into the city to protect the civilians, Kasumi and the sharpshooters are spread thin along the perimeter and Ash and I are running low on uninjured cadets to man the walls. If you do not push now, there may be nothing left to defend."

John traded looks with Tali. They were on the same comm channel and she had heard the same words. Where was Miranda? John looked around the command center where generals issued orders to the captain and lieutenants carrying them out in the field. The structure shook with the vibrations of more bombs going off, the lights flickered, and a computer overloaded showering the officer at his station with sparks. Across the room the doors slid open and Miranda entered, Kris on her heels. Both women were smiling. John blinked, shaking his head, and looked again. He had not been seeing things. Miranda and Kris, two of the sternest, least prone to smiling people he had ever known were not only smiling now, but at each other. He looked at Tali who had the same confused expression he was certain was on his own face. What was going on with those two?

"We heard Garrus." Miranda began and turned to face Wrex. "Ready to try your plan?" Wrex grunted and nodded his head. "Good. John, Tali, can you end this? Do you know if Vala has succeeded?"

"She is close Miranda." The question snapped his stunned mind back into the present. "I do not think she has succeeded entirely yet, but I can feel her struggle, and Rannoch says something is happening on his plane. Something is happening with the energy itself. He knows she is involved but cannot tell the details. If he knows, so too does Akzunatai. I do not know if we can stop him, but we have to try, and now is the time."

"Then we go now. Wrex, pass the word to the other commanders. Form up and be ready in one hour. We end this fight today."

"About time. I was getting bored playing games with these pyjacks. We will be ready." Wrex departed leaving John and Tali with Miranda and Kris. The four stood staring at each other John and Tali clearly wanting to ask questions and Miranda and Kris looking slightly uncomfortable yet still smiling strangely.

John broke the faceoff. "What happened? You two do not smile at each other. What is going on?"

"Something wonderful John." Kris replied. "Can we talk later, it's a lot to go over."

"Oh, yes. We will talk about this later, girls." John replied. "You better believe we will. If our house is still standing when Tali and I finish killing this monster, the both of you will be there and will tell all. We will feed you too. You both look like you have missed a few meals." John's parental voice was in full effect as he stared down the two women in front of him. Miranda looked to Tali and was met by a stern face, arms folded beneath her breast and right foot tapping impatiently on the ground. Miranda swallowed and had to agree with Kris, John and Tali were the parents in this odd family dynamic. She felt Kris grab her arm and they departed the command center to prepare.

As the door slid close behind them John turned to Tali and they burst out laughing. Even during war, some things never changed. "Do you have any idea what that was all about?" Tali asked.

"No clue." John replied. "Something is going on between them. It reminds me of our girls."

"Hanna and Vala did behave similarly when they had something to tell us that they were not sure if they wanted to say. Usually, it was because they were in trouble… wait! They are acting exactly like the girls. Like all three of the kids really, when they were hiding a secret between them. Oh, yes, they will be telling us exactly what is going on. Damn this war. Come on, then. Let us go end it so we can learn what would cause those two actually look happy to be together."

The Shepards made their way to the forward lines. The troops were in high activity as word spread that this was to be the final assault. Reloads were sent forward while the injured were sent to rear for patch up and return to duty if able. A breeze swept across the desert plain, clearing the haze of dust and smoke that lingered over the battle. For a few minutes, John could see the entire battlefield. Blue domes of biotic energy flashed and sparked as they absorbed impacts. Along the front lines, row after row of entrenched soldiers, Quarian, Human, Krogan, Turian, Salarian and Asari fought with unrelenting determination, sending thousands of rounds of ammunition across the desert and into the enemy while hoping to avoid being hit themselves. Those hopes were constantly dashed, as John watched bodies fall back from their positions as rounds caught armor with high velocity impacts. Fortunately, the armor held in most cases, leaving the soldier within bruised, or with possible broken bones, but often able to return to fight with a quick visit to medical. Still, despite the shields and armor plating, rounds still found fatal marks and the death toll had continuously risen daily. John's own armor bore signs of recent combat with new dings, scratches, and scuffs along with coatings of dirt and blood. There was no such thing as a "safe zone" in a war like this, and no one was a non-combatant.

As they passed, soldiers let up cheers and stood at attention. John hated the celebrity, but if his mere presence boosted morale, he would walk through these lines and endure the attention and praise every day for these men and women. Most days, he did just that. The soldiers did not give him recognition based solely on his presence, however. John's weapons were just as well used as their own. Rank does not remove a good leader from the front lines. Admiral Anderson had once told him that and John had seen the Admiral live up to those words during the Reaper War. His own experience taught him that inspiration went further when those who fought for you, saw you fighting with them. It was the main reason he had welcomed Diana onboard the Normandy after years of fighting with the press. Her coverage of their actions showed those trying to survive across the galaxy that their leaders were fighting the same fight in the same ways. They all knelt in the same mud, fought the same enemies, and bled equally. He had never stopped living up to his mentor's words.

Reaching the front where Urdnot Wrex waited, John was met with the hulking form of the largest Elcor he had ever seen. The massive body, supported by legs the size of tree trunks, dwarfed the massive Krogan, making Wrex seem normal size by comparison. The giant rail gun mounted on the Elcor's armor plated back only enhanced the effect. Blunt, facial features gave away no hint of expression, as was standard for their race, yet John could sense anxiety and excitement radiating off the massive form.

"Ah, Shepard, you are here at last. I was starting to wonder if you had taken Tali away for a last-minute quickie before the fight." The Krogan chuckled at his own joke while John and Tali both glared in response. "What? No shame in it. If Bakara were here, you can bet I would have. Probably several times. If she would let me…"

"Keelah Wrex," Tali's voice was exasperated but good natured. "You're the dirty old uncle I never wanted. We can't take you anywhere without you embarrassing us."

"Heh, love you too my favorite niece." Wrex responded before hugging Tali. "Now, may I introduce you to General Nalmyn of Dekuuna." Wrex indicated the Elcor beside him. John and Tali exchanged greetings with the Elcor General. The Elcor had arrived in force to aid the Quarians in defense of Rannoch. Aside from the loyalty they felt to John Shepard, as well as many of the others for rescuing many Elcor during the Reaper War, they had found a partnership with the Krogan for trade and military strength that had created a ground force unlike any seen in the galaxy previously.

The Krogan preferred to fight on foot or in ground assault vehicles. Even before the galaxy had placed restrictions on their race against building a navy, they had primarily relied on ground tactics in war and the bigger the gun, the better. The Elcor, due to their massive size, also preferred ground combat and much to the Krogan's approval, they could carry exceptionally large guns. To show that the Krogan were going to be different, Wrex had reached out through diplomatic means to form an alliance with the Elcor. Sending work emissaries to Dekuuna, the Krogan provided much needed physical labor in rebuilding the Elcor home world in exchange for help on their own. Both species, heavily muscled and massive in weight, required many of the same building practices to accommodate their species' physical size. The Elcor being a quadrupedal species, lacked the dexterity of being able to easily use their hands. The Krogan, though immensely strong compared to other bipedal species, did not match the Elcor in brutal strength. The two races made a perfect match and restoration had gone quickly. During that time, they also began to see the military advantages of working together. The Elcor could support and operate the heavy caliber field artillery with ease, making movement across a field of battle smoother, while the Krogan's easier maneuverability provided more combat options and greater all-around protections than shields alone.

The war on Rannoch added another improvement to their systems. Quarian engineers rode alongside the artillery mounted on the Elcor backs, maintaining the weapon, and shielding protecting both the massive Elcor and the Krogan platoon surrounding them. These squads were setting a new precedent for ground warfare in the galaxy as well as cooperative unity among the races. John could hardly believe his eyes when he had first seen them in action. He had spent years fighting desperately, arguing, bargaining, and compromising just to get many of these people to even talk to each other, let alone share military tactics and blend. It was these very developments he had fought and died for. Even while his world was exploding around him and chaos threatened to tear it all down in fire and ruin, he was proud of his choices. Seeing the results gave him hope that they would win again. "General Nalmyn, it is an honor to meet you. Thank you, for coming to our aid, it has been invaluable."

"Proudly: The honor is all mine Admiral Shepard. It is the least my people can do to repay our debt." Nalmyn replied in the typical Elcor fashion of stating his emotion prior to his words. The Elcor people had an extensive range of emotion and expression, however they were so slight that most non-Elcor thought they were an emotion and expressionless, monotone species. This was far from the truth and races such as the Hanar had little trouble understanding them. Even the Quarians and Volos could understand some of the Elcor range. Living most of their lives in environmental suits with faces masked and voices altered by sound filters had forced their species to read more body language, posturing, tension and other subtleties than on what was easily seen and heard. "Anxious: Urdnot Wrex tells me it is time for the final push. Each battle team has added a biotic and sniper to our compliment. Both will ride upon the weapon mount with the engineer."

"That is a lot of extra weight, General. This will be an aggressive and fast push. Will it hinder your troops?"

"Confidently: No, Admiral. Our role is to fight from the rear, firing over the heads of the forward troops to clear the way forward. The others will outpace us to the enemy, but they will not exceed our range of cover fire. Our own forward motion will ensure that we can maintain heavy fire where it is needed. Boastful: We can easily carry double our own weight. The small Quarian and Asari bodies will barely be noticed. Joking: If we had to carry three of these fat Krogan, we might be slowed."

Wrex let out a low rumbling noise, mixture of laugh and growl, but John and Tali burst into laughter at the Elcor General's words. For Elcor and Krogan to share in jokes… John never thought he would see that. "Very good General. I will let you prepare your teams." John spoke as the laughter subsided. General Nalmyn gave a slight nod to his head and turned to the waiting troops behind him. "Wrex, are we ready?"

"Yeah, we are good to go Shepard. Miranda and Kris are in position as are the others." Wrex paused for a moment looking back towards the distant city of Val'Shan. "Can Garrus hold a while longer or do I need to send a rescue team?"

John followed his gaze. Val'Shan was hidden in the valley beyond the edge of their vision. Within that valley though, John could see the fight in his mind. He and Tali had used the power to "feel" their way through the rock of the valley and new what their friends were facing. Garrus had not been exaggerating in his statement. They had to end this now or they would lose. The Academy would fall and then Val'Shan would be next. Garrus, Ashley, James, and Kasumi along with hundreds of cadets and thousands of civilians were depending upon their next actions. John wanted to tell Wrex yes, send relief squads, but he needed those soldiers here. They needed all their available strength marshalled into this strike. They had to hit hard. They had to stop Akzunatai or they would lose the city and their friends anyway. "No, Wrex. Ready the attack. We go on my signal."

Wrex nodded and the three moved to their positions, joining Miranda and Kris at the head of the army. Neither Kris nor Miranda smiled now. Both wore their armor, hair pinned back, ready for their helmets. Both had heavy pistols in leg holsters and shotguns strapped to their backs, leaving hands free for biotic work. Spread out to either side stretched the allied army. The Quarians had called and the galactic community had responded. Hundreds of thousands, Turian, Asari, Quarian, Human, Elcor, Drell, Salarian and Krogan stood ready. There were even a few pockets of Volus, Hanar and Batarians who had answered the call. All knew the gravity of the situation they faced. They had lagged once before, and it had nearly brought them to ruin. Even if governments balked at help, as in the Batarian case, there were individuals who had chosen to come anyway.

This was John Shepard's legacy. The realization dawned on him in that moment of surveying the assembled army. Unification, allies, and a true galactic community, brought together not with threats or bribes, but as friends. This scene could have happened on any one of these race's planets, home world or colony, and the call would have been answered. He looked down at Tali. His wife. The mother of his children. She smiled at him, love reflecting in her eyes. "Still totally worth it." Speaking the words, not in a question, he knew the answer. He spoke them as one of them had at every major moment in their lives. It was their reaffirmation that they were at peace with their lives, with the choices they had made, and were ready for whatever was to come next.

"Keelah se'lai, my love. Let us end this and go home." Tali responded before stretching upward on her powerful toes to meet his lips with hers in a passionate kiss. Miranda, Kris and Wrex averted their eyes in respect, Kris' thoughts with Sam, Miranda's with Felicia and Wrex's on Bacara. Tali reluctantly released the kiss and dropped to her normal height before slipping her own helmet into place and turning to the fight. John pulled his helmet over his head and activated the heads up display in the visor.

The battlefield came alive in orange lights showing positions of his own forces, enemy positions, and terrain. He cleared the screen to just the basics he wanted, freeing his vision to see in real time. Nodding to Miranda to begin, he watched as she opened the comm link and began to give orders. No heroic speeches were going to be spoken, no further motivation or uplifting jargon was needed. They themselves were the rallying cry. The motivation was life itself. Miranda's voice spoke with clear and concise words. Direct and to the point and with the final, "go, now" the mass of troops lurched forward.

Never one to pass up an opportunity at shock and awe, Kris ordered the forward shields dropped. In moments, the leading edges of the army would pass them, and they would be useless anyway. Under her command, the shields instantly withdrew into themselves, compressing into dense balls of glowing biotic light which nearly simultaneously shot forward into the enemy lines. Those balls erupted with the force of massive bombs, creating craters in the desert surface, and launching enemy fighters high into the air to rain down on their comrades. The allies gave Akzunatai no time to recover as Wrex's own orders had been like Kris'. The massive guns mounted on the backs of the Elcor troops roared as the shields collapsed and before the bodies had finished falling from the biotic attack, their own rounds slammed into the now exposed troops in the ranks behind.

They pressed forward, gaining speed as they crossed the near mile of "no man's land" that separated the opposing forces, the desert floor trembled under their feet and clouds of dust rose into the air marking their advancement. Over the heads of the thousands of foot soldiers running into battle streaked the continuing fire of Elcor cannon and biotic bombs. Ahead, they watched as more explosions ripped into their enemies, all the while chased by the small arms fire of the leading ranks of the allied forces. Wrex had argued for this plan of attack since the early days. He wanted to close ranks, fight up close, hand to hand, taking away the advantages of mass destruction weapons and relying on sheer strength. They could do nothing about the numbers themselves. They were out manned, but without resorting to nuclear war and wiping them out in a blaze of destructive glory, also destroying Rannoch in the process, they were not likely to win conventionally. This kind of fighting was what the Krogan were born to do Wrex had argued. Guns, bombs, they were tools that could be used to win, but all great Krogan victories had been one with their hands. Turians had agreed. They too knew the advantages of one-on-one fighting. Martial arts, hand-to-hand combat was drilled into their troops as much as weapons practice. More so actually, as the discipline to become a skilled fighter took far longer than learning how to point and shoot a rifle. The biotic platoons also spoke of the advantages. Precision strikes could be used instead of mass bombings. This would conserve energy expenditure and allow for longer use of any one biotic soldier. Small arms would become more useful which would be an added advantage as they had plenty of extra reloads for those and were running dangerously low on rifle rounds.

Still, the numbers did not play in their favor. Once engaged, they would be unable to retreat or pause for regroup. The attack would be non-stop until the war was over. Did they have the endurance for such a feat, could they even reasonably attempt it? John had learned many years ago not to underestimate his team, a lesson Miranda too had learned well. Wrex may not always seem the most intelligent, but that was done by choice to give himself an advantage among those who constantly looked for ways to tear you down. The Krogan leader had proved time and again that his intelligence was far above average, and not just among his species. That day when he had stood and announced he had a plan; they had all listened. The Elcor were his solution. They were mobile fighting platforms that could be used to continuously rain heavy fire upon the enemy lines further back. This would create pockets of relief in the enemy onslaught, giving the defenders the precious time, they needed to recover before the fighting resumed. While powerful in their own way, he had explained how the Elcor fought for the benefit of those there unfamiliar with it, he proposed that by creating support and defense teams built around a single Elcor, they could be nearly unstoppable. Add an engineer, one familiar with both VI and mechanical processes to keep the weapons and shielding working. A sniper to protect the engineer, a biotic for both combat and redundant shielding in emergencies and a squad of soldiers to protect the whole. Spread them out behind the lines. They are slower, yes, but they will be firing overhead and into the middle, and rear of the enemy, they do not need to be front line for that.

It was a bold plan, a good plan. The downside was that it was a final solution. An endgame strategy that until Vala and her team succeeded in cutting Akzunatai off from his power, would only end in their death. They had to wait to the opportune time to strike or until they were out of options. Weeks had passed, the fighting had raged across the planet. Day after day, relentless waves of weapons fire, ambushes, flanking strikes, dead and injured piling up on both sides and no end in sight. Every day, sometimes hourly, Miranda asked if he knew Vala's status. Had they completed their mission? Would he and Tali even know if she had? John had told her each time that he would know, but after the first month of fighting, he had begun to doubt his own resolve. Then he felt it. Rannoch had sensed the change first, nothing concrete, more of a sensation that something was happening, a change in the energy flows was happening. A heightened state of perception. He could sense the others of his kind, something that he had not been able to do since their creation. John and Tali noticed it not long after. They knew Akzunatai would have felt the same shifting of the power. They knew he would act to protect himself quickly, that meant ending this war. The signal they had been waiting for was given.

John's helmet comm chirped. "Command, this is sentinel twenty-two." Came an excited voice to the core group of commanding officers as they sprinted across the battlefield. Ringing the alliance army was a net of sentinels tasked with keeping watch for enemy movements, flanking attempts, and subterfuge. Sentinel twenty-two was stationed to the North where a forested valley rose in a gentle slope to meet the desert highlands where they fought. It was a natural barrier on their right side if, it was kept free of the enemy. The valley itself was largely unexplored. No maps existed of it, beyond basic imaging that flyovers had shown. For some odd reason, it had been marked as a restricted zone on ancient charts and as the resettled Quarians did not need the land for their own use, none had challenged it. Miranda acknowledged his signal and the sentinel reported. "Command, we have a large force of unknowns moving up the valley at a high rate of speed. They do not appear to be of any known species that Akzunatai has shown thus far. Our scanners do not recognize the signature, but we do detect a Quarian hybrid among them."

Miranda slid to a halt, John, Tali stopping alongside her with Wrex and Kris ordering the soldiers in their company to form a defensive ring. Eyes wide, the three faced each other in silence for a moment. There were only three Quarian hybrids known to the universe at this time. Vala, who happened to be light years away and her siblings, Hanna and Krios. Tali pressed her comm and brought up Krios' signal, confirming he was in the shelter beneath Val'Shan with the other civilians. She switched to Hanna's signal and found it racing up the valley to the North.

"Oh, shit…" Miranda's words spoke for them all. What had that girl done?

Hanna had been acting strange for months. Secretive and aloof. Ron, her husband, had talked to John and Tali about it. He had become concerned with Hanna frequently disappearing, sometimes for days at a time, short with her answers as to where she went or what she was doing. He knew she was okay, not in danger, nor having an affair. His trust in her gave him confidence in the latter and the bond between them assured him the former. He was also aware that the military had her on special assignments with scouting parties around Rannoch. Her knowledge of the planet, especially the remote areas of unsettled land from years of cross-country running, made her invaluable to mapping and tracking enemy movements. Still, he worried and had gone to Hanna's parents for advice. John nor Tali could give much beyond mutual comfort and understanding. Like Ron, they too had been shut out. This was not new behavior though for their daughter, and they told Ron to be patient. Two weeks ago, Ron was killed when his ship was shot down defending the relay. That was the last day John and Tali had seen Hanna. They were in a war, Hanna could not be given a reprieve to mourn, so she had taken assignment to scout to the North. Alone. She had volunteered for it, anxious for it in fact, and her commanding officer had let her go. Her reasons for doing so were about to become clear, and John feared that revelation more than meeting Akzunatai himself.

"Who do we have on the ground in that area?" John asked the group in general. Wrex answered near instantly.

"Aralakh Company. Grunt." They are leading the charge to the North to flank the enemy and divert their attention from us. You want him to divert?" Wrex asked and John nodded his head, but never gave the Krogan a chance to issue the order as he was on the comm to Grunt himself.

"Grunt, Shepard. I need a favor." John's tone left no doubt in Grunt's mind that this was no time for jokes. His simple response of "name it" carried more weight than any other words could have. "My daughter, Hanna, she is racing toward you from the valley to the North. She is surrounded by a host of creatures. I do not think they are hostile to us anyway, but we cannot identify them. I do not know what she has done nor what she has planned, but I want her alive so her mother and I can yell at her later. I need you to protect her Grunt. Keep my little girl safe."

"My life for hers Shepard. It will be done." Grunt broke off the line and Miranda's omni map that she had activated when they had stopped to check the incoming signal, showed half of Aralakh company break from the main body, angling to the valley mouth and accelerate. John's eyes met Talis' full of worry and desperate concern. Never taking his eyes from his wife, John's voice was hard, full of anger and frustration barely contained.

"Kris, clear the road."

The super-biotic raised an eyebrow in questioning disbelief. They were more than one hundred yards away from their target. She could do it, easily, but that would mean cutting lose, something she did not take lightly, nor did John. John and Tali broke their gaze from each other and focused it on her. Fiercely glowing eyes, bright blue, intense, faces stone hard, but she could see the worry in the corners, the tightened lines, faintly twitching muscles, death walked behind those faces. For the first time in her adult life, she felt small, weak, and scared. She also felt fury rising inside her body. She was tired of seeing her friends and family suffer. Tired of having to fight for every ounce of happiness. When would it be enough? She nodded her head and turned to face the enemy once more. Blue light flared in her palms as her biotics coursed through her body. Without another word being spoken, the five friends moved forward.

Kris took point and as they sprinted forward, Miranda and Wrex barking orders to clear a path. Allied soldiers leapt aside as the five hurtled through their ranks not wanting to be the one who hindered the charge. As the last of their soldiers parted, the enemy appeared. Rank upon rank of soldiers charging in response. Bodies running, leaping, writhing in a mass of limbs and weapons, burst of light indicating gun fire and the noise of battle cries, indistinguishable and sounding like wild animals. Kris flung her hands forward, palms outward and screamed. Biotic energy poured from her in a wedge moving fast, a thunderous clap announcing the breaking of the sound barrier, bodies flew aside, tumbling through the air if they were on the edges, exploding in a shower of blood and guts for those caught in the middle. Rock and dirt, grasses, and shrubs, all ripped from Rannoch and hurled as missiles through the air by the force of the biotic field, clearing a narrow corridor in which the five sprinted to their destination.

The last of Akzunatai's troops were tossed aside, the way cleared, and John saw Akzunatai. Kris' biotic blast shattered against the might of Akzunatai's power, fracturing into hundreds of points of energy and flying off, some to dissipate in the air, others slammed into the backs of Akzunatai's own forces. With a casual flick of his hand, Akzunatai's power caught Kris in the stomach, her forward momentum doubling her over, before tossing her aside. John saw her body sail to the side, limbs flailing limp, a marionette cut free of its strings, before slamming into the ground where she lay motionless. "Go to her!" He remembered screaming at Miranda and Wrex and the two veered off to help their friend as Tali and John surged forward, closing the gap, and skidding to a halt before their enemy. Time froze, Akzunatai smiled and red fire leapt from his hands to slam into the Shepards.

Vala's calves were on fire. Stairs. She was certain that what would kill her was not Akzunatai, nor the power, but stairs. She had lost count after the first thousand stairs they had climbed, those flights broken only periodically by small landings with openings to various parts of the fortress. How the LiThar servants navigated these cursed things daily without having their legs fall off was a mystery. Even now, Fendala and Mavish, along with the other LiThar who were with them showed few signs of fatigue, where the non-LiThar, herself included, vigorously rubbed aching legs, and wiped sweat from their faces. The LiThar just rose several more notches on Vala's respect meter. She looked at Angela and saw the same pain reflected in her girlfriend's eyes that she knew was in her own.

They had been climbing for hours and now stood at the uppermost floor. Akzunatai's chambers were on the other side of the heavy looking door across the landing from where they all stood stretching and recovering from that last push. Their assent had been free of other servants and guards, much to Fendala's surprise. She had anticipated opposition at every level until they passed, but the war in the city was performing its primary duty, distracting the guards.

They did not spend long recovering. As much as she wanted to throw herself to the ground and rest, Vala had a sense she needed to hurry. A feeling had been growing within her since the assault began that they were running out of time. As they had climbed, so too had the feeling. It may be simple anxiety of nearing the end and fear over whether she could wrestle Akzunatai's power from him, but she believed it was something deeper. She nodded to Fendala to open the door.

With a soft click, the locks released to the LiThar's hands and the door swung outward to meet them and revealed a large, open room. They entered; no torches were needed in here. While the rooms own torches, candles and fireplace were long extinguished and cold, light from the burning city below glowed brightly through the windows providing more than enough light for the team to navigate. While much the same as the day Fendala had departed OniThar, there were differences. The large table usually covered in maps and reports was devoid of its usual detritus. Not even the paperweights rested on it smooth and polished surface. The drapes at the windows and the bed coverings were all absent, likely sent to be washed and stowed, ready to be retrieved and reinstalled at a moment notice. The windows rattled in their casements and the balcony doors shook with the force of the winds outside. At this high elevation, the winds always blew, but she had never noticed it before. Likely, the constant fear of death had kept her attention focused on the immediate, not the normal background. The room had never been richly furnished nor crowded with excess, but right now, it felt far emptier than it should. Akzunatai's presence alone had filled that space in a way no physical object could. With him gone, the bare stones were just that.

Fendala led them direct to the door on the wall that led to Akzunatai's private retreat in the mountain. As she approached, Vala could feel the power emanating from it; malicious and dangerous, a coiled viper ready to strike. Yet, to her dismay, it felt familiar. A part of her own power lay there calling to her, comforting her. It made sense she realized, after all, the power originated from the same source. It was only logical that it would have similar characteristics. She quickly understood how little separated herself or beings like Rannoch, and even her parents, beings that strove to be decent, to do good with the power and help others, that they were only a few choices away from becoming another Akzunatai. Angela wrapped her arms around Vala's shoulders from behind, hugging her tightly. She had sense Vala's turmoil and leaned in to reassure and comfort her. Through their bond, Angela's love flooded through Vala, as did a myriad of happy images from her life, calming and reassuring her worries.

Vala studied the sealed opening, probing it lightly with her power, feeling the intricate construction of the wards Akzunatai had placed. They were powerful, designed to ensure that anyone foolish enough to try opening this door would not survive the attempt. The resulting explosion would clear the entire chamber. It was likely the reason why it was so sparsely furnished; no place to hide from the blast. Vala smiled though despite the danger. The solution was not to go through the door, but to remove the door. Akzunatai's ego did not allow for him to conceive that anyone with matching power to his own would attempt what they were now doing. She could do this. It would be loud, and still dangerous to them all. Certainly, it would attract the attention of the guards despite the civil war raging in the city below, yet it would work. Vala took Angela's hand in her own, clasping firmly and feeling Angela's firm grip in response. She explained what she was about to do and ordered them all back into the servant passageway for safety. Once the room was clear, she and Angela faced the door and raised their hands, arms extended in front of their bodies and opened themselves to the power.

Purple light glowed softly at first in a halo around them, then grew deeper and stronger quickly. Bands of sparkling energy raced in spirals around their limbs and arced from their extended fingers, slamming into the stones around the door till the doorway and a few feet of masonry in all directions around the door until it was encircled in light. Locking the energy in place, the girls braced themselves against the stone tile floor, Vala's clawed toes digging deep and Angela's boots shooting dozens of spikes from their soles to embed in the stone. Designed for rock climbing, they would provide her with extra traction against the forces of the wall in front of them. As one, they pulled. The wall held. Muscles tightened, veins popped from beneath skin and sweat broke out on their faces with the exertion, and the wall shuddered. Cracks rippled, radiating outward, chips flew from the expertly laid stone, and with a loud rumble, pops and a shower of dust and debris, a hole twice the size of the door opening and containing the enchanted door, frame, and masonry Akzunatai had tied his power to ripped free of the surrounding wall. Using the momentum generated by their pull, the girls twisted and flung the door through the windows on the far side of the chamber. Glass shattered and the frames blew outward as the door and masonry was launched from the top of the tower and into the air above the city. Once it had cleared the balcony, the girls released their hold on the power. The purple light faded, and the girls raced to stand on the balcony, watching as the door fell to the fortress courtyard below where dozens of Akzunatai's guards stood dumbfounded and watching as the door fell. Hitting the ground shattered the masonry framing and the enchantments triggered. A burst of red light exploded from the door, disintegrating those immediately next to it and throwing everyone within a twenty-yard radius back from the impact site to slam into the perimeter walls of the courtyard.

Breathing heavily from the power expenditure, Vala and Angela called to their team that the room was clear. A dusty haze greeted their friends as they entered, and rocks crunched under their feet. The tidy room was no longer that, and on the far wall, a gaping hole loomed from the haze where the door had been previously. Knowing that the guards would be on their way to investigate, Nelis and the security team raced to take up positions at both the main door and the servant passage. Fendala and Mavish joined Vala and Angela, and the four people entered the tunnel.

Carved from the very mountain itself, the floor had been worn smooth over the centuries, except for the jagged gap from where the door had been ripped from its housing. The walls and ceiling were rough, often with the marks from the tools used to form it still readily visible in the synthetic lights of their armor and weapons. The torches had been discarded. Secrecy was no longer needed as the entire compound was aware of their presence. Vala suspected that Akzunatai also knew they were there, or at least he knew someone was there. Leading the way, the Quarian hybrid moved quickly, feeling the pull of Akzunatai's power calling to her, a beacon in the dark and unfamiliar space. They had only gone a round one hundred paces when the rock opened to a large, domed room, empty except for the circular stone wall in the center marking the edge of a deep well. Upon its edge the four people stopped and leaned over, carefully, to pear into the endless depths.

Grunt raced across the battlefield, leading his squad away from the main battle to reach Hanna Shepard. Shepard asking him for a favor rankled his mind. Shepard was his battle master. That had not ended with the Reaper defeat. One was a battle master to another until death or dishonor, which usually led to death. No matter how many times it was explained to him, Shepard refused to put himself over Grunt. Instead, he insisted they were friends, equals. Wrex may let John Shepard get away with that crap, but Grunt refused. In his mind he had not earned equality to Shepard. It was why he still used his last name, why he called him Admiral or Battle master. Shepard was worth more than friendship to Grunt. More than simple admiration or military loyalty. The human had given Grunt his freedom, gave him guidance, purpose and allowed him to choose his own ways, his own motivations, loyalties, and reasons. His life may not have been created by Shepard, but Shepard had given him the chance to live it as Grunt saw fit. Not a tool, but a free Krogan. Grunt owed Shepard more favors than he could ever repay. Protecting his daughter was not something that would ever have to be asked of him. It was a duty he would perform with honor.

The squad reached the mouth of the valley. The slope was gentle, but the sides rose rapidly as the rocks formed a low mountain ridge that climbed above the high desert plain. Within the sheltered protection of those rocky arms, the desert scrub and bush quickly grew tall and dense, becoming random copes of trees till they merged less than a quarter mile into the valley becoming a dense forest. The Krogan squad from Aralakh Company stood in the mouth, watching the jungle for signs of the rapidly approaching creatures. Faint at first, then gathering in intensity, the ground began to vibrate under the impacts of hundreds of racing feet. The jungle trees began to shake, and birds erupted from the canopy to flee down the valley. Grunt and his team watched the tree line intently, weapons at the ready and legs poised to move in any direction.

From the deep shadows the first of the approaching creatures emerged. Large feline bodies, long and muscular, leapt from the jungle, landing in the scrub brush to arrest their momentum before coming to a halt, mere paces from the waiting Krogans, mouths emanating low growls as they squared off. Their bodies were muscular, not in the pure physical strength size like the Krogan watching, more athletic, adapted for fast movement, sprinting, jumping, and swimming. Crouched low, their four legs flexing, coils of power loaded and ready to spring, covered in dark fur, though faint patterns could be seen of shades of browns, grays and blacks tracing the lengths of their bodies. Blunt muzzles were parted slightly to show the sharp teeth within and the longer fangs reaching from both the lower jaw and upper mouth, teeth meant to rip apart any prey and powered by a square jawline covered in powerful muscle. Nose slits at the edge of their muzzle were flared wide, taking in the Krogan's scent along with the odors of the war in the distance. Beneath pointed ears currently aimed directly at the Krogan were eyes ranging in glowing colors of white, purple, and yellow all narrowed and focused on either the Krogan or the areas around them, watchful, intelligent, and intense. They would quickly make a weak-willed person turn away, and even the fabled Krogan stubborn determination was being pushed to its limit to maintain eye contact as the two species strove silently for bestial dominance.

The standoff would have easily gone till the war was over had Hanna not arrived. Riding upon the back of one of the larger creatures, they leapt over the backs of those staring down the Krogan to land in between the two groups, the creature letting out a low growl towards its species while Hanna yelled at Grunt to stand down. "They are friends, Grunt." She spoke once she had the Krogan's attention. "This is Ka'Tul. He is the Chief of the Nthula-Dom. What are you doing here? Did my father send you?"

Grunt stared at the young Quarian for a moment before returning his gaze to the Nthula-Dom she rode. Grunt was large, even for a Krogan, and this Ka'Tul looked down on him, if only by a little. Had the creature's head not been lowered to peer at the Krogan warrior, Grunt estimated he would be looking at the top of its chest, placing his own height at about the creature's withers. An impressive creature. A worthy foe. Grunt bowed his head, if only slightly, in respect and let out an approving grunt towards the Nthula-Dom who returned the gesture in kind before returning his attention to Hanna who waited, impatiently tapping her foot against the creature's side. At that moment she looked remarkably like her mother. "Hanna, been awhile." Grunt began talking. "I see you have some new friends. Good. I hope they can fight. Yes, Shepard sent me. He is furious with you and wants me to keep you safe." Grunt paused and looked around to emphasize his next words. "It looks like you have that covered."

A loud clap of sound and blue biotic light ripped through Akzunatai's forces. Kris had just unleashed her power on the enemy to create a corridor to Akzunatai's position. The charge was underway. Grunt, Hanna, and the others standing in the valley's mouth spun instantly to face the sound. They could not see much from their position, but flickers of blue biotics rose above the sea of soldiers and the bodies tossed high into the air marked the biotic progress.

"What was that?" Came the clearly worried words from Hanna's mouth. Her eyes were taking in the battlefield and instinctively she knew that power displayed just then had to have related to her parents. Before Grunt could respond, another loud clap ripped through the air as a burst of red light flew forward to where the blue had suddenly vanished.

"That would be Shepard." Grunt answered. "They are assaulting Akzunatai himself. I believe they have just now met." Grunt grabbed Hanna by the shoulder and turned her away from the field to face him. "Can they fight?" He asked the question with a jerk of his head towards the Nthula-Dom. Hanna responded they could. "Can they speak? Can they understand me?"

"I can speak your language Krogan." Came a guttural voice, deep and full, from the mouth of Ka'Tul. "Not all my kind can speak your language, but they can understand some and they know what needs to be done. For details, I and my seconds can instruct."

Grunt nodded again. "Good. That will make this easier. Shepard told me to keep Hanna safe, and I will do just that. He did not say the way I was to do it. I trust Shepard, and his children. Because of that, I will extend that trust to you Ka'Tul, so long as you do not give me reason to stop. Then things become…messy…" Ka'Tul bared his teeth in grin or display of power was debatable, but he also nodded in agreement. "Good. That is settled." Grunt turned to face the battlefield once more and pointed to the writhing mass of fighting soldiers. "The rest of Aralakh company is in there. Shepard is in there also. We rejoin with Aralakh and then push to Shepard. If that red light is what I think it is, they have engaged with Akzunatai. We must hurry."

"If I may offer a suggestion?" Ka'Tul interrupted and all eyes swiveled to the Nthula-Dom. "I believe we can get us there much faster if you ride upon our backs. Our combined might will be even more formidable than separately." Grunt smiled.

"Heh, heh, heh…"

Hanna and Grunt sent out a warning to the allied soldiers that they were coming from the North and not to mistake them for the enemy. That warning was likely all that kept friendly fire from ripping into them as they raced across the desert. As the ground shook and the dust clouds raised skyward under the charge of the Nthula-Dom, those soldiers in the rear who watched for flanking attacks were stunned in disbelief, and many would admit, fear. Starting as an indistinguishable dark blob, the charging creatures quickly came into focus. Large feline shapes, bodies stretching and compacting over and over as their legs propelled them in long lunges across the desert, devouring the distance rapidly with increasing speed. They barely had time to register that the unfamiliar sight approaching them was what the warning had been about before the creatures were upon them.

Mere feet in front of the waiting defenders, the Nthula-Dom gathered themselves and launched upward on their powerful hind legs, easily soaring over the heads of the rear guards to land in the middle of the melee. Lashing out with clawed paws on both front and hind legs, Akzunatai's troops fell with fatal gashes pouring blood and internal organs. Others snapped at limbs and heads of the enemy, flinging them aside and often severing the appendage held tightly in their sharp teeth. Upon the backs of seven of the largest Nthula-Dom rode the six Aralakh soldiers and one Quarian, shotguns and pistols blasting rounds and dropping more enemies with precision while shouting war cries that terrified the enemy and filled the defenders with renewed hope.

In minutes, the tide of battle had turned. Akzunatai's troops were being steadily forced back, the allied troops were rallying to Hanna and Grunt's side, reforming collapsed lines, and allowing the medics to reach the injured. Relentlessly, they pushed forward till they managed to rejoin the main army. Questioning eyes stared wide and shocked at the site of the Nthula-Dom, especially those with Krogan riding upon their backs, but as they were obviously an ally, and the fighting was still in full force, questions could wait. More rallying cries went up and the army surged forward with renewed energy towards the red lights flashing in the distance.

Vala and Angela stood at the rim of the well, opening themselves to the flows of power, both their own and Akzunatai's emanating from the depths of the well. Vala was not sure what to expect when she touched Akzunatai's power. Her own flows were familiar, comfortable. Warm and soothing, yet violent and terrifying at once. Like the wrath of a planets weather. Beautiful to watch, even when it was destroying a city. Those powerful flows of energy, capable of destroying planets, or creating the very cells of life. She was a healer, and a fighter. She could repair a person's body, heal wounds, sooth nerves and revitalize energy, yet she could rip them apart just as easily. Beautiful and ugly. Good and evil. She had always known the power was a two-sided coin. Much of life was. Yet, there was always balance. With Akzunatai, he did not create. He did not heal. He took what others had made, corrupted it, destroyed it. He was evil, revolting. As such, would he not have corrupted the power in the same way? She expected to find something ugly, something disgusting, yet all she found was the same as that which was in herself.

Shock at the revelation flooded her mind, followed by resignation. She was hoping that the energy would be different. Hoping that there would be something that told her that evil came from an outside source, not from within one's own person. She knew better of course. She knew that good & evil were created by one's actions and choices. Her parents had taught her as much; had lived as much. Knowing did nothing to alleviate her fears. She feared her ability to make the right choices. She feared her control, her resolve. She feared losing control, abandoning reason, becoming power hungry or vengeful. She had dreamed about it often enough, especially during times of depression and loneliness. She knew the thoughts and feelings that could set her on the wrong path resided within her mind. She had taken joy in those thoughts and dreams from time to time. Relished in the idea of being free to unleash her power, stop hiding and being fearful of those who would hold her back. She had dreamed about what it would feel like to be on top for once.

What kept her from taking those steps was her own will. That was not who she was. She remembered being sick, physically ill, when she slipped into a revenge fantasy. She hated it. Hated the feelings it stirred within her, the images those thoughts created. She was a healer. She cared about others, people, animals, life. She wanted to help people, not lead them. Support them on their journey, not tell them where to go and how to get there. The galaxy was flawed, no argument from her on that statement, but she could help those who lived in it. She could help make it better. Not by ruling it, but by being a part of it. Helping in the day to day. Being there when those rough times were at their strongest to provide a haven and set them back on solid ground. These were her own morals. They were the code she lived her life by. When she became a doctor, the Hippocratic oath was the easiest set of words she had ever spoken. They were not a foreign thing. They were already a part of her. Engrained deep within her very soul.

The power: she had wanted it to be a cause, an excuse for the evil Akzunatai had done. She had wanted there to be a justifiable reason behind the atrocities he committed, something she could point to and say, he was manipulated, tricked, controlled to do what he had. Finding the power untainted was a blow to that fantasy. The power, like any tool or weapon, was neither good nor bad, it was the person who wielded it that made that determination. He had done what he had under his own volition, for his own reasons. His decisions had led him to this moment. His death was of his own making.

Vala looked at Angela at her side. Angela, the love of her life. Her constant companion, her own calm in the storm. She stared into her eyes, the primary source of light in the dark cavern, and saw the love Angela had for her reflected back in them. No words were spoken. None were needed. Gunfire barked from the adjacent room. Mavish's comm squawked with Nelis' voice saying they were under attack and to hurry. Vala took Angela's hands in both of hers as the two women faced each other. Unseen by the two LiThar, they reached as one deeper into Akzunatai's power.

Red and purple light flared around the clearing between the two attacking armies as Akzunatai and the Shepards fought against each other. Miranda had thought that first blast of light that slammed into her friends was the end. A devastating end that ensured the destruction of all. When the initial dust had cleared, hope flooded her soul. Beneath the inferno of red energy, was a small purple dome of sparkling energy, rapidly expanding to push the red away. Beneath it stood the two familiar forms of John and Tali Shepard. A fierce grin had spread on Miranda's face and when Wrex bellowed out a defiant roar, she found herself screaming alongside the Krogan Chief.

The minutes following were nothing short of terrifyingly spectacular. She had watched the red get thrown back by the purple. A pause had happened as Akzunatai stood shocked that he had been repelled. His head cocked slightly to one side, eyes narrowed, and his body dropped from its relaxed posture into that of a seasoned warrior ready to battle. The Shepards did likewise. Another pause and hell broke loose. A light show unlike any Miranda could recall lit up the clearing with combinations of balls and bolts of energy, streaking, exploding, and showering the area in cast off energy. Shields formed in a variety of sizes and shapes, some designed to absorb, others deflect, springing to life and then collapsing in near instantaneous reactions to their opponent's offense. As the battled gained in intensity, the area around them cleared, faster and faster as both allied and enemy soldiers attempted to flee the immediate area around the fight. This was a battle they were not equipped to partake in, and all knew it. Miranda and Wrex soon found themselves on the edge of a ring of spectators watching a title card fight between three titans.

Miranda had turned her attention to her crumpled sister. Kris was alive, if barely. Miranda continuously radioed for help but the energy going off behind her was cutting off her signal. She thought she had heard a reply once, but it was too garbled to know for certain. She did what she could for Kris which was little. Scans showed multiple broken bones, arms, ribs, and her back. The woman was bloody and bruised, though it looked as though her helmet had protected her head and none of her vital organs were ruptured. The spinal injury was the biggest concern and with it, Miranda refused to move Kris without guidance, or life-threatening cause. As the battling armies continued to fight, she and Wrex took up positions on either side of Kris' body and began to fire.

"Garrus, Vega." James' voice called through Garrus' earpiece just barely audible over the bombardment the Academy was under. "General, there is no way I can get back to you. We are pinned at the shelter. If I attempt, we likely lose my men and guarantee we lose the civilians. I am staying here. I cannot reach Kasumi. Comm traffic is crap. If you see her, tell her I love her and will see her for dinner. Vega out." James cut off the comm and Garrus swore.

Three days earlier James and Kasumi had taken a platoon of soldiers from the academy to rescue civilians that Akzunatai's forces had besieged. They had successfully destroyed the attackers, rescued the civilians, and got them to the main shelter. Then the trap had closed. The enemy had used the rescue to discover where the rest of the civilians had been hiding. The shelter was a highly secured bunker under the City Hall complex at the center of Val'Shan. Built deep beneath the central sphere with access only by the island bridges, nearly the entire civilian population of Val'Shan had been sent there for protection. No sooner had Vega's troops secured the new arrivals then the enemy attacked.

Garrus had to admire the tactic. It had been smart and had divided his forces even further. Kasumi and her sniper teams luckily had not been on the island when the attack came as they had already departed to secure a return path. Most had made it back to the academy, but there were still six unaccounted for, including Kasumi. What they could hope to do against the odds before them, Garrus had no idea. With communications failing, he was struggling enough with coordination of academy defense and had no time for search and rescue. Akzunatai's forces had given up on air raids after finding virtually no success in getting past the AA guns lining the walls and towers, but shoulder fired missiles quickly replaced ship weapons. The walls of the academy were holding, if barely. The buildings inside however were not so fortunate. Windows had proven to be fatal weaknesses as rockets found their way inside and started fires. At first the automatic systems kept the fires under control, but as power needs were redirected, many systems were abandoned for more immediate needs. As such, many of the classrooms and two barracks were smoldering ruins. The parade grounds were pockmarked with craters and if the main gate survived the day, Garrus would be impressed.

Ashley burst through the door at the top of the main tower where Garrus had taken up position. From here, he was able to survey all the grounds and better direct the fighting. Ash was filthy and her armor heavily dented, he was no better. Panting, she dropped into a crouch across from him, pulling off her helmet and taking a swig of water from the canteen he offered. Her long, dark brown hair that Garrus loved was mostly pinned up in a bun to fit beneath her helmet more easily, but it was far from tidy. Loose strands stuck out at all angles and a few fell across her eyes. She swept them aside with her hand, but they stubbornly fell back over her face. Sighing, she returned the canteen before pulling her hair free and regathering it to tie into a new, hastily fashioned bun.

"Was that James on the comm?" She asked while her hands deftly worked her hair.

"Yes. They are trapped on the island. They won't be returning."

"Shit. We need them."

"I know."

"What about Kasumi?"

"Nothing. I'm worried."

"She is smart Garrus. She is used to not being found if she does not want to be."

"That was years ago Ash. And hiding from police and merc bosses is not the same as hiding in a warzone. There is no escaping this." Garrus gestured around them vaguely with his hand.

"I still wouldn't count her out too soon. James either. Those civies could not ask for a better soldier at the door than he. Except you and I of course. Shame we are busy." She smiled at the Turian and Garrus found himself smiling back. "What about the real fight? John? Miranda?"

"Nothing since they began the final push. I have caught snippets of comm chatter, but nothing concrete. It sounds like they made it to Akzunatai and are in battle. Also, something about the Krogan riding giant cats. I think I may have found the head injury tent at medical for that report." Garrus was suddenly silenced by a series of rounds slamming into the tower walls and shattering one of the last remaining windows. "I think that means break time is over."

"I am going to have serious talk with command about our break periods. Barely enough time for a girl to fix her make-up." Ashley quickly crossed the space and kissed Garrus. "We are getting drunk when this is over and having that talk about children again." Garrus looked at Ashley and smiled.

John switched between heavy pistol fire and flinging bolts of power at Akzunatai, keeping the man moving and guessing as to what he was defending against. Several paces to his right, Tali was doing the same. Together they had managed to hold him off and rock him back several times, but no opening had yet appeared for a final strike. His power still held, strong, powerful and eons of experience to use against them. John moved through the fight like he had in his prime, lunging, sidestepping, and twisting to avoid being hit, while lashing out with his own strikes. Between the engineering built into his armor to help with his mobility, especially in his injured leg, and the physical enhancements the power gave him, he could easily be mistaken for a young adult and not middle-aged. Granted, aging was not really an issue he had to worry about as Rannoch's guardian, but just because he no longer aged, did not mean he could not get injured or die. Death was death, and while it seemed as though he had defied even that in his miraculous life, he could die. So too could Tali.

Light, bright, and hot exploded as he caught the next volley of strikes with his shield. Thunderous crashes deafened him with every impact. If not for the sensory deprivation his helmet provided, he would have long ago been rendered deaf and blind. The muzzle of his gun hopped three times as he fired off a response. Akzunatai shielded to deflect and Tali moved in with her own volley energy missiles. Fighting like a wolf pack, or perhaps a Nthula-Dom? The question flashed in his thoughts before he was again moving to set up the next strike. He had lost track of how long they had been fighting this way, lost time happened a lot in war. A minute could stretch out to a day and weeks could go by in blink of an eye. Adrenaline and exhaustion could do some strange things to a person's mind and when added to the confusion of battle, and one's own proclivities to accept or deny the strange, nearly anything was possible. Even he was not immune from this phenomenon as one of the snippets of comm chatter he had caught almost sounded like the Krogan were on massive cats. Last time John looked, there was no way an Elcor could be mistaken as a cat. He had no idea what was going on outside his fight with Akzunatai and quickly dismissed it as a misunderstanding due to bad communications signals.

This time Tali made the feint and John launched a salvo of baseball sized bombs in a spreading formation into Akzunatai's defenses. The resulting explosion rocked the overlord back several steps but did nothing to break the man's concentration. The ground in front of John exploded upwards tossing him from his feet. Landing on his back and using the momentum to recover, John rolled feet over head to come back to his feet, shields holding and unleashed several more rounds from his pistol before ejecting spent thermo clip and slamming a fresh one into the guns grip.

He felt again for a sign from Vala or Rannoch that it was time and found nothing new. He did not know what he was searching for, and Rannoch had basically conveyed that he would know it when it happened. Tali dove into a forward roll narrowly escaping a blast and John slammed Akzunatai with a boulder sized ball of energy giving Tali time to regain her feet. "Please Vala, hurry!"

Around the clearing the war had never stopped. After a brief slowing to clear the area in which Akzunatai now battle the Shepard's, the battle reached a new ferocity. Akzunatai's fighter pilots began making suicide runs on the Elcor battle stations, killing themselves and destroying their ships, but taking down the heavy weapons that were wreaking havoc deep in their lines. The initial charge of the Nthula-Dom had been shocking, fierce, and largely successful, but the element of surprise was long gone, and their forward motion had been halted. Though they were tough, hides thick and capable of shrugging of small weapons fire and most blades, once the enemy recovered their wits, heavier caliber rounds were employed, and Nthula-Dom began to fall. Miranda and Wrex were no longer on the edge of battle but suddenly found themselves ringed in. Erecting a shield around them to help cover exposed flanks, the two fought back-to-back, protecting each other and their fallen friend while hell engulfed them.

Vala was scared. Akzunatai's power ripped at her very being, tearing at her soul, whether it was doing so to protect itself or if that were simply its nature, she could not say, only that it scared her. Angela grasped Vala's hands tightly as the power tore at her in similar ways. They could sense Akzunatai clearly now that they were tapped into his power. They knew he was fully aware of them as well. They could sense other beings of the energy as well. They were faint, hard to distinguish, but there. All seemed to be waiting, holding their collective breath to see what would happen next.

Vala had no clue what to do. She knew they had to cut off the flow and claim the power, but Rannoch had neglected to give them an instruction manual on how to do that. They had tried pulling, pushing, standing in it, hugging it, and even simply asking it to join them and leave Akzunatai. No, they had not actually thought that would work, but they were desperate. Distantly they could hear the fighting in the main chamber and Fendala and Mavish pleading with them to hurry. They struggled, trying new angles, new timings, nothing made a difference.

Then the words came to her. Flittering, as though trying to remember a dream, then solidifying and understanding dawned. Akzunatai had tried for ages uncounted to take more power. Rannoch in his guise as her grandfather Rael had told her as much. He had also said that the power is not something that can be taken, nor can a full vessel hold any more. It was why the bond was so important he had said. It allowed for two vessels, twice the space and united as though they were one being. It was also why the way their species reproduced was done the way it was, through vulnerability and surrogates. The power could not be taken, only offered, and accepted by the willing host.

Vala had accepted the power for herself, she was full. Angela doubled that capacity through their bond, but she had to accept the power. They could never "take" it from Akzunatai, they could only give it a new vessel to fill. The thoughts, while Vala's were shared between them, their minds opened in their joining, and their eyes met. Tears fell from both sets of glowing eyes as the realization of what they had to do hit them. Vala began to speak. Angela's mouth closed on hers before the words could escape. Their lips met, and Vala felt Angela's arms wrap around her body, one hand resting on her lower back and the other behind her head, holding her fiercely tight. The kiss was fiery passion, the two girls pouring all their love into that simple gesture.

Fendala and Mavish stood watching the women. Neither had made a sound nor spoken a word, but the two LiThar knew communication was taking place. Muscle twitches in their body indicated stress and strain, and then they watched as the two came together in a kiss. Feeling like an intruder in a moment of intimacy, Mavish turned away but Fendala grabbed his arm halting him in place. Something was about to happen. This was not intimacy they were watching. Not in the sexual sense at least. This was intimacy as love. Unconditional, unrestrained love. Something so pure, Fendala instinctively knew she would never see again. One clawed hand tightened in Mavish's furry arm, the other rested lightly over her stomach where her child lay. She was pregnant with Mavish's child. She had only just found out herself and had not spoken about it yet. What was happening was their future, her child's future. Nothing else mattered at that moment.

The girls never stopped their embrace as they took a synchronous step sideways and fell into the well, vanishing from sight. Fendala gasped in shock then dropped to her knees and screamed.