From Ashes
Chapter Fifteen: Ilos


Shepard had reluctantly headed back toward the dock where the Normandy was locked down; the whole time questions were working through her mind. What was she planning? How was the Normandy going to be released? What were the repercussions? Those were just the beginning. Reaching the dock however, Shepard found that there was another issue: C-Sec officers and Alliance personnel were on the dock and preventing her squad from boarding the ship. The turian officers were near the end of the dock where a keeper was working, and the two alliance officers stood at the end of the gangway that led to the Normandy's portside hatch. When approached, they clutched their guns nervously before the lieutenant, a woman in her mid-thirties spoke.

"I'm sorry Commander, but we've been ordered to bar access ffrom the ship to anyone."

"I've been asked to board my ship and see to it that our possessions are brought ashore." Shepard flat out lied. "That and a few of my staff and crewmen are still aboard."

"Let them aboard." One of the turians managed with a tired sigh. "Not like they can go anywhere anyway. The ship is locked down."

"We have our orders-"

"And I have mine." Shepard stated bluntly. "Step aside." Reluctantly, they did; she and her team were permitted to board the ship for the time being, but it was not to retrieve any personal items. When they got past the decontamination process, Shepard waved them all to the comm room. Ash, Garrus, Liara, Wrex, Tali, and even Pressly followed; Shepard had motioned for him to follow as well as summoning Dr. Chakwas, Joker, and Engineer Adams. Once they were all seated, save for Shepard, she turned her back to them and looked at the inactive FTL comm relay and viewscreen before addressing them. "As you are all aware, we have been grounded; The Normandy's systems were locked out and C-Sec is keeping an eye on the dock. I do not intend to remain on this station while Saren and Sovereign leave for Ilos; we have an opportunity to leave and do what the council asked of me in the beginning." Finally turning to face them, she looked each over before continuing. "I am going to ask something of you, and I fully understand if you wish to leave due to ethical reasons." She clasped her hands behind her back and stared straight ahead toward the exit ramp that led back out onto the aft end of the command deck. "You can choose to remain on this ship and follow my orders against Alliance regulations, or you can leave and remain aboard the station when the time comes."

"You think we'd turn our backs now, Commander?" It was Joker who spoke. "We were here when you were asked to stop Saren; I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm seeing this one through."

"I'll second that, Ma'am." Pressly said; Adams and Chakwas nodding.

"You're nuts if you think we'd jump ship after coming this far, Skipper." Ash watched for any sign of disagreement when she said this. None of the others objected. "We're in it to stop him. If you're going against regs, so are we."

"One thing." Garrus thought for a moment before finishing his question. "How are we getting out of here?"

"In not so many words, I was given the impression that the less I knew the better." Shepard admitted. "Still, I've got to speak to someone about that." She looked them over for a moment before finally nodding. "If you're up to it, check your gear. It won't be long."

When they were dismissed, the crew scattered to their corners of the ship, and Shepard headed to her cabin. Once there, she sat down at her terminal and contacted David Anderson.

"Shepard."

"Captain." Shepard began with the typical greeting. "About finding a way off of the station…"

"I'm still working on that." Anderson said promptly. "I've been looking for ways to release the Normandy-"

"Sir, I have a way."

"Do you?" The captain questioned, and he had to do it a bit loudly; judging by the background noise, he was in a club. "I was just about to have you meet me here to discuss that."

"I've got a way, but I'm not sure how they're going about it." Shepard admitted. "I was told to head back to the ship and wait; that the systems would be unlocked and online shortly."

"Shepard, there's only one way." Anderson hastened to explain his assumption. "Udina didn't issue the lockdown."

"What?"

"He had Citadel Security to do it." Anderson confirmed what Shepard's mind was already wrapping itself around. "That means-"

"The only way to release the ship is by overriding Citadel Control's lockdown manually." Shepard cut him off. "I'm sorry Sir, but I'll get back to you." She quickly ended the conversation and went about contacting the woman she had just left on the side balcony of the Embassy lounge. Fifteen minutes had passed since she left there and had gotten to where she was now. "Come on…" She muttered as she waited for the comm link to solidify. When it did, she got to the point. "The only way is through Citadel Control-"

"I know."

"You can't override that." Shepard said sternly. "There are armed guards out here. I saw them when I boarded the ship-"

"I will have to find a way around that."

"I won't let you do this-" Shepard was cut off by Tevos next words, but footsteps outside her cabin distracted her momentarily; it sounded like two people were on their way in.

"Need I remind you;" Shepard clenched her fist as the councilor's tone turned cold; the doors to her cabin opening silently behind her. "That you have no choice in the matter?"

"Damnit-"

"It's too late." These words were followed by the sound of a lift door opening. "There is no other way. Stand by."

Shepard quickly turned and headed for the stairs that led up to the command deck; opening an internal comm channel as she did. "Joker, send a live feed of the dock to the comm room. Now." She rounded the corner from the stairs and entered the room she and her staff had just left; the sound of two people on her heels going in one ear and out the other.

"On it." Joker confirmed. The dock was empty save for the officers and C-Sec when Shepard looked up at the display. It didn't stay that way for long.

"Ma'am, this is a restricted area." It was coming through her comm and the Normandy's external cameras. A turian was holding his hand up as if to signal for someone to stop. Eventually, an asari in what looked to be a uniform entered the cameras' view. The turian spoke again. "Ma'am, you can't be up here!" She had dodged him and headed further up the dock toward the panel where the keeper had been working earlier. "Hey, I said STOP!" Another turian had seen the situation and was radioing for help when he joined his shouting comrade. The alliance officers had done the same; all moving closer to one another with weapons being drawn. They got within two meters of the asari before they were hit with a powerful stasis field that held them where they stood.

The asari reached the console and began working with its controls quickly; fingers flying over the holo keys with what looked like practiced ease.

"Freeze!" Another two C-Sec officers had approached from the lift and were running forward; careful to avoid the stasis field. "Step away from the console!" One had already drawn his service pistol and was gripping it tightly.

"NOW!" The other shouted in accordance with the previous' order. When the asari refused, a shot was fired, and it impacted her shoulder; causing a pause before the second shot was fired to the leg. That forced the asari down with only one arm on the panel. With one final tap, her hand slipped, and she caught the side of the console to use as a means to return to a standing position.

The whole time this had been going on, Shepard's entire body had been rigid. She had heard the shots hit their target and the minute groans of pain that had been expertly stifled so that the officers didn't hear. Heart hammering against her ribs, she almost missed Joker's words over the internal ship's comm.

"Commander, we're clear!" Glancing back to the display, Shepard saw the officers slowly approaching; their weapons still aimed at their target. The voice on the other end of the external comm drew her out of her thoughts.

"Go. Now." It was there for everyone to hear. Hindered by the pain from her injuries, the councilor's last words were nearly obscured by the orders of the approaching officers. "Good luck, Shepard; from all of us."

"Get us out of here, Joker; Now." Shepard managed before turning back to see the asari stand carefully; her words to them spoken in a clear and forced calm tone.

"Lower your weapons. I will comply with your request." She lowered the stasis field, and as Shepard was prepared to turn away, she saw Tevos discretely lower her barrier.

"You!" One of the C-Sec officers glared at her in recognition. "What the hell have you done?"

"What was necessary."

At that point, the Normandy's cameras cut off due to the ship's thrusters being engaged. The docking clamps had been released, and th ship was withdrawing from the cradle smoothly; leaving the councilor and the combined C-Sec and Alliance officers behind. The comm fizzled out due to lack of range, and Shepard slammed her fist against the console; swearing under her breath.

"Shepard." Liara had been one of the ones to follow. Somehow, Shepard already knew that, and she had a good idea of the other one as well.

"I shouldn't have let her do it." Shepard said flatly. "I should have gone out there and distracted them myself."

"That would have been counter-productive." Shepard was right about the other one as Ashley Williams spoke. "That and somehow I doubt she would have let you."

"She said if she had to, she would order me to leave the station." Shepard continued in that flat tone. "I finally agreed so that it wouldn't come to that." Letting out a frustrated sigh, Shepard went back to the comm. "Status, Joker?"

"We're clear of the Citadel, Commander." He said in a more serious tone. "Did I see what I just thought I saw?"

"Yes, you did." Shepard confirmed. "She betrayed the others."

"I think I just gained a little respect for one of the council members." Joker commented idly. "Course marked for Ilos. ETA until we hit the Widow relay: two minutes."

"She knew what she was doing." Liara said after a few minutes.

"I know," Shepard finally agreed. "And that's the worst part about it."

"Somehow, you don't seem too surprised, Liara." Ash commented while the three sat down in chairs they had occupied earlier on their way back from Feros. "Did you know?"

"That she would betray the other councilors and let us go?" Liara pondered it for a second. "Honestly, I expected David Anderson to have been involved. She would have been one of the last people to involve herself."

"I didn't know she would be this ivolved in it until the very end." Shepard elaborated on the whole situation. "Originally, I had consulted Anderson on it; he had spoken to me after I left the council chambers. Only through a chance meeting in the embassy lounge earlier did this come about."

"I noticed she wasn't very vocal or for one way or another in the meeting earlier." Liara remarked.

"I noticed that myself." Ash nodded. "All making sense now.

"How so?" Shepard used the conversation as a distraction for the moment.

"You two are together, aren't you?" Ash sat back in her chair and watched her CO's expression carefully. "How long have you known, Liara?"

"The day after it happened; before we left for Feros." Liara clarified.

"Liara had it pegged when I got back to the ship that morning." Shepard admitted. "We happened to meet in the lounge after that meeting earlier today." Shepard thought about the circumstances. "Should have been there, Ash. Your friend from the Terra Firma party, Charles Seracino was there flapping his jaws again."

"Idiot." Ash scowled. "Sometimes I wonder why I don't have excessive force complaints in my file with all the nuts like him I come across."

"You weren't the only one who wanted to deck him." Shepard let a little amusement slip into her voice. "He was talking to the bartender, Gene, about bending over for the "aliens". I thought the guy could have gotten away with crowning him with a bottle."

"Would have served him right."

"Didn't help that he started insulting the council when she walked in." Shepard went on. "Brought my meeting with the council up and everything. When I couldn't tune his people out, I left and subtly encouraged her to follow." When she received a sideways look for that last, Shepard explained. "No sense in both of us listening to them go on about things they didn't have a clue about."

"So how did this happen?" Liara asked. "I heard she was a woman of highly held opinion, but I did not expect that."

"We got to talking about a few things." Shepard didn't go into detail all that much. "One thing led to another, and the conduit and Ilos came up; said she needed to be sure that she wasn't making a mistake by doing nothing."

"She saw it then." Liara guessed.

"She saw everything." Shepard confirmed. "Not my intention, but she saw everything."

"She decided she couldn't just sit down and do nothing, then." Ash nodded in approval. "Remind me not to call all politicians senseless thick skulls."

"Hitting the relay, Commander." Joker announced. "Should clear the Mu relay shortly."

"Copy that, Joker." Shepard stood slowly. "Check weapons and report to the bridge." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Ash, let the others know as well. Just like Feros; we're all going down there."

"You got it, Skipper." Ash headed out and down the stairs with Liara and Shepard following. Both of them stayed on the crew deck while Ash headed on down to the engineering deck. A short time later, they all came back up and were standing around the helm when the Normandy emerged through the Mu relay into the Refuge system of the Pangaea Expanse. After they had begun their approach to Ilos, the second planet in the system, Pressly joined the others.

"Uh Commander, we've got company." Joker announced as they approached the planet that looked a rusty brown from where the sun was hitting it. They could see geth ships on long range sensors, and there was something else; the large and foreboding flagship, Sovereign.

"Have their sensors picked us up yet?" Liara questioned as she looked over Normandy's long range data feed.

"IES stealth systems are engaged." Joker replied. "Unless we get into actual visual range, no one will know we're here."

"We don't know what kind of technology Sovereign has." Garrus pointed out. "It could have known we were here the second we entered the system."

"Pocking up some strange activity on the planet's surface." Pressly announced as they came closer to Ilos. "Signature is geth, but something's off."

"Take us down, Joker."

"Negative on that, Commander." Pressly cautioned Shepard and pointed something out. "Nearest landing zone is two klicks away."

"We could try dropping in the Mako." Garrus suggested.

"Negative on that." Pressly shook his head again. "You need at least a hundred meters to pull off a drop like that; the most I can find near Saren and the geth is twenty."

"Find a better drop zone that's close." Ash said.

"There is no other." Wrex was looking over the terrain that Pressly was poing out.

"Twenty meters?" Ash thougth for a moment. "We'll never get close enough for a successful drop."

"If it is the best we have, we'll have to try." Liara countered.

"The descent angle is too steep." Tali was looking over the terrain, but she was focusing on Normandy's possible path down. "It wouldn't be possible."

"It would be a suicide run if we tried that." Ash agreed with Tali. "The Normandy would have a broken nose and more if we went down that way."

"I can do it."

"Joker?" Shepard turned to her pilot and waited for him to keep talking.

"I can do it." He repeated. "I can make that drop, Commander."

"You heard him." Shepard addressed the others. "Gear up and get down to the Mako." When the others nodded and left, she turned back to Joker. "If you're sure."

"I know I can do it."

"Good." Shepard prepared to suit up herself. "Then drop us right on top of that bastard."

"Aye aye, Ma'am."

Pulling on her armor, Shepard headed down in the lift with Liara in a few short minutes, and the two joined the others in the tank. They could feel the pressure rise as they entered the atmosphere and neared the planet's surface. When the cargo bay door opened, Shepard turned to Wrex. "Engage thrusters on my mark." They could see the dust rising from the surface as the ship streaked across the sky. When they saw the clearing that Pressly had forwarded to the navigation panel, Shepard motioned for the krogan to engage engines. "Move out." The tank began to roll, and finally, when it left the ship's drop ramp, she nodded. "Engage thrusters." The tank landed with a hard thud on the ground, and for a split second, they all saw Saren and several geth entering a bunker directly ahead before its door was slammed in their faces and sealed. With the Normandy going back up into the air, they waited until the Mako had stopped moving before leaving it to analyze their situation.

"We need to get inside that bunker before Saren reaches the conduit." Liara began. "Unfortunately, there is no way we will get past it by brute force alone."

"Saren found a way to get through." Wrex said immediately. "That means there has to be a way to override the security somewhere in this complex."

"We'll have to find it soon." Ash added. "He's got a head start."

"Hang on." Shepard took a moment to really take in the area. There was no way to get the Mako out and into the open from where it had been dropped. It would have to stay here for the moment while they went away from the bunker to find a means to override security. "Liara, Wrex, Ash; stay here and defend this position. Garrus, Tali, and I will get the power back on and hopefully be able to override security."

"Got it, Shepard." Wrex took up post near the narrow alleyway that Shepard and the others would have to get through to get to the farther side of the complex. From there, he took shots at a few shock troopers and a rocket trooper that had noticed their not-so-subtle landing.

"Time to dismantle some geth." Ash pulled her rifle out and focused the scope before taking several precise shots toward a distant juggernaut-class geth that was making its way toward them as well. "Move, Skipper. We've got your back."

Shepard, Garrus, and Tali used the distraction as a means to get past the few troops that hwere blocking their way. When they reached the clearing ahead however, they were met with more geth troopers, a prime, and two colossus units. Tali deployed a drone to deal with the smaller troopers and used AI hacking to sabotage the prime's systems. Instead of coming at them, it began walking between them and the two colossus; taking damage when they would fire. This left Garrus the opportunity to find a good sniping perch and for Shepard and Tali to find better cover to take their aim as well.

Equipping highly explosive ammunition, Shepard used her shotgun mostly; using the option to send a massive cluster of bullets in the colossus' direction for massive carnage. Tali continually deployed drones to keep the machines distracted while she also managed to cause their weapons systems to backfire. Garrus kept aiming for their heads with shredder rounds in an attempt to pierce through their armor and kinetic barriers that were constantly in a state of regeneration. When one would attempt to advance, Shepard would send it staggering back with a shockwave so that neither could get too close and cause serious damage. Still, some of their particle weapons would easily floor her and Tali if they didn't move quickly enough.

"Would be useful to have the mako's cannon right about now." Garrus muttered over the comm while reloading.

"If we did, we might bring down this complex." Tali commented. "Some of these buildings don't look like Prothean architecture."

"Think they were here before?" Shepard wondered while firing another shot toward the final colossus; Garrus having finally takenthe first down.

"Possible." Garrus responded after another shot. "I mean we saw Feros. Doesn't look like that, does it?"

With several more shots, dodges, and a few deployments of medi gel later, the last colossus was brought down and the way ahead was clear. Moving to the far left of the open field, Shepard saw what looked like anarrow pathway under a lift that was deactivated. Crossing through it, she, Garrus, and Tali rounded the left corner and saw a path cut into the right wall about midway along. Getting to it, they found more geth; this time crawlers, troopers, and rocket troopers. They were taking cover behind remains of small statues made of stone; these statues were covered in the indigenous vine-like flora that was growing up the walls of the complex. Moving around, Shepard used a singularity to draw them out, and Garrus took the lot of them out with rapid shots from his assault rifle.

Exploring the area, Shepard saw a lift off to the left that went up to where a cluster of geth were hiding. Some were making repairs, and others were using portable consoles to generate a localized barrier ahead. Nodding toward the lift, the three stayed out of sight and made it onto the platform; rising to the balcony where the geth were centered, and took them out. Tali overloaded the geth console and shut down the kinetic barrier that blocked their way forward. When they got back down to the ground, they found another cluster of crawlers waiting. Two were on the columns in an attempt to dodge shots, while the third was on the ground. Shepard and the others switched to snowblind rounds in an attempt to slow their movement by stalling their systems, and it seemed to work. The one on the ground was destroyed by a few shotgun blasts, while the other two were a bit harder to handle. Tali's drones followed them around and emitted electrical pulses that stalled them momentarily. That left them open to a bullet or two. Only when both had been frozen and shattered did the three approach the lift that went down underground.

"This part of the facility still has power." Garrus commented as they waited for the lift to slow and finally stop. "Maybe we don't need to restore it; just need to override security."

"Let's hope so." Shepard muttered as she activated her comm. "Still clear up there?"

"So far." Ash's voice broke up slightly as they went further underground, but it stabilized soon after. "Find anything?"

"We're underground now, and by the looks of all the cables down here, the geth had to restore power to the facility; at least this one." Tali said as she scanned the cables. "They're carrying a charge, so it is ssafe to say they had to power this to get the bunker open in the first place."

"We'll keep you posted." Shepard exited the lift and turned down the pathway that was littered with leaves from the trees above. The narrow strip led to a more open room ahead. Getting to it, they found a geth prime, two rocket troopers, and four shock troopers waiting for them. "Take them out."

Working their way across the chamber, Shepard, Garrus, and Tali used the geths' kinetic barriers that they generated against them. They offered just enough shelter when trying to line up a shot. Once it was done, they would fall back to the large stone blocks or debris that had fallen from the eiling and crumbling pillars that the geth had reinforced. The shock troopers didn't take long to eliminate, and the rocket troopers were easy targetd while keeping a distance and firing with a rifle. The prime was the last to go down, and when it finally folded, Garrus motioned for the others to look up.

"There! Looks like the geth are powering something up there."

"That must be it. Why else would they defend it?" Tali guessed; Shepard had to agree. With that, they headed to the far end of the chamber and went up via the side ramps. Stepping out onto the balcony, Shepard went to the only active console and activated it.

"Let's go." Garrus said quickly. "Saren's already got a good head start. We need to reach the conduit before he does."

"Unless he has already found it and this is a trap, and we are falling into it." Tali offered; slight doubt in her tone. "What if the geth were here as a distraction and Saren is already sealing the bunker from the other side?

"That's a chance we'll have to take." Garrus waved it off. "We've come this far."

"Wait." Shepard raised a hand to silence them both. A very weak projection was coming from the console, but it had no shape. The words she heard came in short bursts of clarity.

"Too late…" The words that came after were a misture of garbled communications and desperation. "Unable to st- -Invading fleets…" Shepard watched the projection carefully; looking for anything else… No escape-"

"Sounds like some sort of message, but I don't recognize the language."

"It could be in prothean…" Garrus guessed carefully. "This must be at least fifty thousand years old." Watching the projection and Shepard's expression carefully, the turian continued. "It's no wonder we can't understand it."

"It's badly garbled," Shepard started. "But I recognize some of it. It's a warning about the reapers. They couldn't stop them."

"You can understand that?" Garrus asked; dark eyes widening.

"It makes sense." Liara's voice broke through the comm. "Through the beacons and the cipher, Shepard has gained an understanding of the language." It was only then that Shepardrealized she had left her comm open.

"Must wait… Seek refuge- -Archives!" The message was still going on. "Stop reapers… The Citadel…Only hope…"

"What's it saying?" Garrus asked almost frantically. "Anything useful?"

It almost sounded like the whine of a ship passing over was in this recording, and Shepard had to raise her head to listen carefully to make sure it wasn't outside this building before she focused on the rest of the recording.

"…act of desperation…" It began, but a new voice spoke. "The conduit-" Shepard's slightly raised brow got the others' attention. "-All is lost… Cannot be stopped… CANNOT BE STOPPED!"

"It said something about the conduit, but the rest doesn't make sense." Shepard said quietly. "We need to go now."

"Did that override security?" Garrus asked, and he got his answer from Wrex.

"Door's opening."

"Double time, people." Shepard motioned toward the ramp again, and they took it down to the ground. Tali pointed something out when they were prepared to move back across the room.

"There, another lift!"

"Good eye!" Shepard turned and headed for it with the others just a step or two ahead. "Be ready with the Mako!"

"We're on it!" Wrex confirmed.

The lift on the opposite side from which they came led to th first open courtyard they had encountered after arriving. Some of the kinetic barriers from the geth were still standing, but the colossus that had been killed had both stopped sparking. Charging back through the open space, they reached the mako quickly enough and boarded it; Wrex taking it down into the bunker. As they advanced further in, they noted that it was a singular path through; trees growing up through it and water standing in the slight depression in the middle.

"Goddess…" Liara looked out at the vast bunker. "Studying the protheans, I never thought I would find something like this." She looked around te walls. "This bunker could have been the last refuge of a dying species. Imagine what might be here; what it might bring to light."

"Hopefully it will lead to the conduit, whatever that is." Ash commented. "Can't help but wonder though… I expected this place to be more infested with geth."

"Maybe we just haven't run into them yet." Wrex corrected.

"What are those thngs on the wall there?" Tali questioned as they cleared an underpass.

"They are stasis pods." Liara pointed a few out through the mako's external cameras. "The protheans likely tried to live out the extinction process by means of cryogenic suspension. Something must have gone wrong, however; the pods are as dead as their contents. This bunker became their tomb."

"All of them?" Garrus looked around. "Spirits, that's…"

"Too many." Shepard finished.

"There!" Ash indicated something further down the way. "Rocket troopers!"

"Not a problem." Garrus engaged the mako's turret and took aim with the long range scope. Firing, he mowed through them easily, and the mako was on its way. They cleared another underpass, and the path ahead seemed clear. Trees on their left and right were still a welcome distraction for the walls lined with stasis pods; caskets for protheans long dead. There was something strange toard the end of the path however, and Shepard pointed it out.

"That looks like a kinetic barrier up there."

"A large one." Liara confirmed. "I wonder if it is a defense for the bunker or if Saren and the geth generated it."

"Either way, it needs to come down." Wrex said as he drove up to it. Unfortunately, another came up behind them. "Hey, what the hell is going on?"

"A trap!" Garrus prepared to engage the tank's cannon. "Saren must have triggered it-"

"I don't think Saren is responsible." Liara exited the tank and looked to its right. "Shepard, there's a lift here. It wasn't active when we first stopped."

"Let's go." Shepard exited as well, and she motioned for the others to follow suit. They all crossed the flooded path and approached the lift that was now open to them. When everyone was on the platform, Garrus activated it and sent the lift down deeper underground.

"Even with everything we have learned, I have never felt such a sense of foreboding." Liara commented. "I am almost afraid to wonder what we will find down here."

"Don't get your hopes up." Wrex grunted. "It seems that the only thing we can really depend on is ourselves at this point."

"Whatever it is, I wonder if Saren found it first." Shepard mused as the door opened again, and they were met with a dead-ended pathway.

"Wait…" Ash looked ahead and back at the others. "There's nothing here…"

"Maybe there is." Shepard stepped forward and began walking down the pathway. "Could be something down there that we can't see from here."

"Look, there's a console down there." Tali pointed it out. It seemed inactive, but as the group approached, it activated. The display was an eerie green, but that didn't matter. A weak projection was cast ahead of it; its voice stopping them all in their tracks.

"You are not prothean, but you are not machine either." It did not take much of a shape; more or less a pale green mess of flashing light. "This eventuality was one of many that we had anticipated; this Is why we sent our warning through the beacons."

"Looks like a sort of VI, but it's badly damaged." Ash supplied.

"I do not detect the taint of indoctrination upon any of you; unlike the one who passed through here before." The Vi continued. "Perhaps there is still hope."

"Incredible…" Liara examined the console and VI as she spoke. "An actual working prothean VI, and we can understand it…"

"I have been monitoring your communications since your arrival to this facility." The VI continued. "I have analyzed it; translating my output into a format that you can comprehend. My name is Vigil. You are safe here for the moment, but that is likely to change; soon nowhere will be safe."

"Are you a sort of artificial intelligence?" Shepard asked. "Are you self aware?"

"I am a non-organic analysis system with personality imprints from Kaesad Ishad, chief researcher of the Ilos facility."

"Why have you brought us here?"

"You must stop a cycle that has occurred over thousands of years. To do so, you must understand, or you will make the same mistakes we did." Vigil explained. "The Citadel is the heart of civilization and seat of your government in this cycle; as it was for us and for every civilization that came before us. It is a trap. The citadel is actually an enormous inactive mass relay that links to dark space; the empty void beyond the galaxy's horizon. When the Citadel relay is activated, the reapers will pour through, and all you know will be obliterated."

"How is it that no one noticed that the Citadel is an inactive relay?" Garrus questioned suddenly.

"The reapers are careful to keep the most crucial functions and secrets of the station hidden." Vigil responded. "That is why they have created a race of seemingly harmless benign caretakers. The "Keepers" enable anyone who discovers the Citadel to use it without fully understanding its technology, and they maintain it to keep races of each cycle from doing so."

"The keepers…" Garrus scratched his head. "They seem so harmless."

"Reliance on the keepers ensures that no one accidentally discovers the Citadel's true nature; not until the relay is active and the reapers invade." Vigil finished its explanation.

"How is it that the reapers survive in dark space?" Liara asked next. "Surely, they would burn through energy unless they went into a tate of hibernation."

"That is the theory that our researchers here acted upon." Vigil confirmed. "By retreating into dark space, they ensure that no species will accidentally discover them. They wait in a state of inactivity while organic civilization takes time to rebuild."

"Then they could simply come through and wipe out the council and the Citadel fleets in one go." Shepard frowned deeply as she said it quietly.

"That was our fate." Vigil confirmed. "Our leaders were dead long before we knew we were under attack. The reapers took control of the Citadel, and through it, the mass relays. Communication and transportation across our empire were crippled; star systems were isolated. The reapers invaded every world; planet by planet, system by system, we were obliterated."

"They had won." Tali said gravely. "Perhaps if you had surrendered, you could have survived."

"No offer of surrender was ever given. They had one goal: the destruction of all advanced organic life." Vigil countered gently. "Through the Citadel, the reapers had access to all of our records, maps, and census data. They invaded every known region of the galaxy. Some worlds were utterly destroyed; others were ravaged, their populations captured, and enslaved. These indoctrinated agents acted as refugees; when taken in by other protheans, they betrayed our people to the machines. The reapers were thorough, relentless, and brutal."

"You're saying that the reapers went back to dark space after the invasion…" Ash was wrapping her head around what Vigil said somewhat quickly.

"Yes. Our worlds were stripped bare; harvested by the indoctrinated slaves. The reapers retreated through the Citadel relay; sealing it behind them and leaving no evidence that they had been here." Vigil moved on to an unasked question that was on Shepard's mind. "The indoctrinated agents were left behind; mindless husks that were incapable of independent thought. They were abandoned and left to starve or die to exposure. The genocide of the Prothean empire was complete."

"What did they get out of all of this?" Wrex wondered. "Repeating this same pattern of mass genocide over and over…"

"The reapers are alien; unknowable." Vigil spoke with what sounded like half interest. "Perhaps they need resources or slaves. More likely, they are driven by motives that organics are incapable of understanding. In the end," it sounded more dismissive now. "What does it matter? Your survival depends on your stopping them; not in understanding them."

"You say there may still be hope." Shepard used Vigil's words from earlier as a reminder. "What can we do to stop Saren and Sovereign?"

"The conduit is the key." The VI elaborated. "Before the reaper invasion, we protheans were on the cusp of unlocking the secrets behind mass relay technology. We were developing a small-scale version of a relay; one that would lead directly to the Citadel."

"The conduit is not a weapon at all…" Liara looked at Shepard carefully. "It is a backdoor onto the Citadel!"

"Funny how you were right about that one, Skipper." Ash added. "The comment you made in the council chambers…"

"I just said that to get their attention…" Shepard admitted. "I didn't know that's what…" It was all suddenly clear. "Wait… That's what I saw on the presidium that night."

"The relay monument." Liara headed her off.

"That's part of it." Shepard nodded.

"Ilos was a top secret research base." Vigil spoke as if the conversation hadn't happened. "All records of this facility were destroyed in the initial attack on the Citadel. While the reapers obliterated the rest of the empire, Ilos was spared."

"How did that happen?" Garrus questioned.

"During the invasion, we severed all communication with the outside, and our facility went dark. Everyone retreated underground; into these archives. To conserve energy, the personnel were put to sleep in cryogenic stasis, and I was tasked to monitor the situation; ordered to wake the staff when the danger had passed."

"Something went wrong." Liara prompted.

"The genocide of an entire empire took longer than anticipated. Years, decades, centuries passed, but the reapers persisted. My energy reserves were dwindling and the facility was in danger of losing all power."

"What did you do?" Shepard questioned; knowing full well what had to happen.

"This situation was not unforeseen." Vigil admitted. "In my programming, I was ordered to shut down life pods of those non-essential personnel as a contingency. One by one, their pods were brought offline, then it was security. Only the top researchers remained, and even their life pods were in danger of failing when the reapers finally retreated back through the relay."

"You were programmed to protect them." Tali said darkly. "Not kill them."

"This was a contingency written within my programming upon my creation." Vigil explained. "When the reapers retreated, the top researchers were still alive. It is due to my actions that any hope remains." Shepard and the others had to admit that was probably true. When push came to shove, those researchers would have been deemed the most valuable. Vigil spoke again, and its tone was more neutral again. "When the researchers woke, they realized that the prothean empire was doomed. With litele more than about a dozen or so alive; there were far too few to maintain a viable population. Still, they vowed to find a way to stop the reapers; to stop the cycle forever. They knew the keepers were the key."

"Was Saren looking for the conduit?" Wrex voiced a question that had been on his mind.

"The one you call Saren seeks the conduit to gain access to the Citadel and the keepers." Vigil answered in the affirmative. "The keepers are controlled by the reapers. Before each invasion, they receive a signal from the reapers to activate the Citadel relay. After decades of feverish study, the researchers here found a way to corrupt that signal. Using the conduit, they used the conduit to gain access to the Citadel and made the necessary modifications. This time, when the one Saren calls Sovereign sent the signal, the keepers ignored it; the reapers are trapped in dark space."

"Saren must have a plan to undo the modification." Garrus muttered.

"He will use the conduit to gain access to the Citadel. Once he does, he will transfer control of the station to Sovereign; it will override the Citadel's security protocols and manually open the relay, and the cycle of extinction will begin again."

"Is there any way to stop him?" Shepard finally asked after a moment of consideration.

"There is a file in my console; take a copy of it when you go." Vigil started off. "You must go through the conduit and gain access to the Citadel's master control unit. Upload the file and it will corrupt the Citadel's security protocols. You will have temporary access to all of the station's systems. It may give you a chance at defeating Sovereign.

"I've never seen a master control unit on the Citadel." Garrus commentd. "I've worked there for over thirty years. Where is it?"

"Through the conduit." Vigil urged. "Follow Saren. He will guide you to your destination."

"Saren has enough of a head start." Shepard finally said. When she prepared to take a copy of the data file from the console, Liara spoke.

"Shepard, perhaps we should get as much information from Vigil as possible. Its projection is weak now. Who knows how long it will be here."

"Got a point there, Skipper." Ash agreed.

"You're right." Shepard nodded slowly. "Wouldn't hurt to learn as much as possible."

"I will provide whatever information I can," Vigil assured. "But my databanks are limited to information on stopping the reapers."

"What happened to the researchers that boarded the Citadel to corrupt the keepers' signal?" Liara began.

"They used the conduit to gain access to the Citadel, but it is only a prototype; it only links in one direction, so they were trapped. It is highly unlikely that they found any food or water on the station." Vigil admitted. "I am afraid that they suffered a grim and cruel fate. However," Its tone turned more uplifting. "I know that they succeeded in sealing the relay. It is because of their actions that you are here. It proves that their deaths were not in vain."

"The beacons on Eden Prime and Virmire," Shepard thought for a moment on the devices she had encountered. "They were a means of communication, weren't they?"

"Yes." Vigil explained. "At our apex, the beacons spanned the length of our empire. They were a means of transferring data and communications from world to world. During the invasion, it was assumed that all of the beacons were destroyed, but the researchers here deemed I necessary to try and send out a message after the reapers retreated. We did not expect anyone to receive it, but if there were survivors, they wanted them to know about Ilos; wanted to give them hope."

"You could have exposed yourselves to the reapers or indoctrinated agents." Tali said honestly.

"In truth, we did not expect any of them to be functioning, but we had to try." Vigil admitted. "If there were survivors, we had to reach them. The message was meant for our own people; coded so that only organics could understand it. We did not fully understand the power of reaper indoctrination. We did not realize it could lead an agent of the machines, like Saren, to this world, but it has also led you here." The VI relented. "So perhaps we did not fail after all."

"What I don't get is why Sovereign is here when the others returned to dark space." Garrus mused.

"It is logical to believe that the reapers would leave one of their own behind; a sentinel to pave the way for their inevitable return." Vigil explained. "That was our theory. It is likely that Sovereign, like the others in dark space, spent most of the last millennia in a state of hibernation; waking periodically to assess the situation. Remaining hidden, it would monitor the progress of galactic civilization, and when the time was right, it would send a signal to the Citadel for the keepers to usher in the next reaper invasion."

"This time, it didn't work." Ash guessed. "When the signal failed and the keepers didn't respond, it looked for what had gone wrong…" At Vigil's lack of disagreement, she went on with her thought. "The reapers were trapped, and it had to find out why."

"Precisely." The VI confirmed.

"But Sovereign is more powerful than any ship we have." Wrex muttered. "Why not just attack the Citadel and achieve what it wanted that way?"

"Sovereign is merely one ship." Vigil explained. "If it had revealed its intentions, that would have united every organic species in the galaxy against it. Even a reaper could not survive such odds."

"Sovereign couldn't have simply put the pieces together this quickly or on its own." Liara thought aloud. It hadto be working with others like Saren before."

"Saren is the most visible pawn of the machines, but it is very likely he was not the first." Vigil agreed. "Over time, it has grown bold; from confidence or desperation, I cannot ascertain. It is determined to open the relay to dark space for this cycle's extinction to begin."

"One more thing." Shepard couldn't really think of anything else that might be necessary to know at the moment. "The keepers; were they engineered? Bred to be obedient, or were they a harvested species left behind as slaves?"

"Both are possible." Vigil said evenly. "Perhaps they responded well to indoctrination. Regardless, they evolved to only respond to the signals emitted from the station."

"So when the protheans boarded the station and altered the signals, the keepers weren't under reaper control anymore." Wrex finished Vigil's thought. "They just operate the station and are harmless."

"Sovereign must have figured out that the organic races were more difficult to control." Tali added. "That may be why they moved on to the geth; less resistance."

"Very likely." Vigil agreed.

"Tali," Shepard had an idea. "Were there still any OSDs in the mako's storage?"

"Yes. We had them there since we left the Citadel for Noveria." Tali confirmed.

"Grab the one with the largest capacity and see if there's a way to make a complete backup of this console. I don't like the thought that Vigil won't be here much longer."

"On it." Tali headed back out and up to the tank and retrieved the necessary materials. When she returned, Shepard had already retrieved a copy of the data file that Vigil had mentioned earlier. "Liara, I am not familiar with prothean technology, so I would be greatful for assistance."

"Of course." Liara and Tali moved forward in an attempt to preserve as much of Vigil's programming as possible as well as anything else; vigil addressed Shepard again while this happened.

"The one you call Saren has not reached the conduit. Not yet; there is still a chance for success if you hurry."

"There." Liara indicated the directory that held everything they needed to create a full backup. "I am not sure if it will restore Vigil's programming to its fullest, but it should at least preserve it as it is now; if not in better condition."

"Performing the backup now." Tali worked with the console and managed the task within a few minutes. "Data transfer wasn't the quickest, but it was efficient enough."

"Your people didn't die in vain." Shepard addressed the VI again although she knew it had no attachment to its creators. "I just hope we can make their deaths mean something."

"The barriers are lifted and your path is mostly clear." Vigil urged them on. "Find the conduit and leave this place. The Citadel will not ramin safe for long."


A/N: Well, I'm slowing down a bit now that I've not got the house to myself anymore *sigh* Ah well... I'm starting work on chapter 16: Race Against Time. Enjoy, all :)

Cheers!