A/N: Apologies for how long this took to get out. I've been a bit unwell (I'm better now) and so that resulted in this chapter taking longer than normal. On top of that, this proved a very difficult one to write, with lots of different elements that needed to be balanced.

I've had to go back and correct an issue with chapter 12. Basically, I failed to mention (entirely my fault) how Rassen, Shaela, and Kasumi got to the Bahak system, since the relay there was blown up in Arrival. I've sorted that so the relay was repaired by the batarians, much like how we see them being fixed in the Extended Cut as shown by choosing the destroy ending. Sorry for not making that clear earlier, but it's fixed now.

I've started the first of those one-shots I mentioned. I might actually turn it into a full story, but that will only be after Spectre has been completed. That won't be for a while, as it's currently almost as long as the first one, and I can say honestly it's probably going to be closer to 150,000 words than 100,000 like the original. All the same, I'll keep chugging along and get it finished.

Responses to reviews are as follows:

AnarionRising27: Nope, but then Shepard went through so much in the games and managed to overcome it. I'm glad you like the basic premise of these stories; I've received some criticism from people who were hoping for a more conventional crossover (the races of Mass Effect together against the Sith Empire). I tried to do something a bit different, so it's great to know people enjoy it.

I'm really sorry to hear about what happened at work. I hope you get well soon.

Chapter 17: Stand-Off

As his eyes moved between the dozens of Mandalorians, Rassen was suddenly aware there was silence behind him. He didn't have to turn to know Kasumi had been as caught by surprise as he had and had stopped moving Shepard as a result. The world around him seemed to slow to a halt for a moment, though he still moved normally. His breathing was at its usual speed, the slight shifts in his posture that came with standing while exhausted likewise unaffected by whatever spell had gripped the base around him.

Despite the complete normality of the speed at which his body moved, however, his mind raced as he desperately tried to work out what to do. There was no way he could help Kasumi get the commander up the ramp before they would be fired upon. Even though the Mandalorians all wielded blasters and not mass accelerator weapons, there was no chance he would be able to deflect the fire of so many of them, especially with two others to protect.

What was the alternative to attempting to flee, though? Fight? One Mandalorian was dangerous. Several could prove fatal to even a Force user, as he could attest from personal experience on Horizon. Shepard had very nearly killed him when they had first come face to face, but even if he had been in fighting condition, the three of them together would still die in seconds against so many.

Shaela.

She was currently still inside the ship and safe for the moment. If they put down their arms, the Mandalorians would no doubt search it and find her. For a split-second Rassen was tempted to contact her and tell her to take off. That would leave him to face the Mandalorians and whatever they had in mind for him, but she would escape. The hanger didn't look as though it had been sealed in any way as of yet.

Rassen let out a low snarl of frustration. Shepard and Kasumi would be left with him if he were somehow able to convince Shaela to leave, which he doubted he could have done even if it was to get help. That settled it, then. They couldn't fight. Surrendering would mean they would face imprisonment and possibly even torture, given Mandalorians were not above using it to his knowledge. That only left one option.

Stall until they could find some way to escape.

Feeling a small amount of comfort from the constant hum of his lightsaber as he did so, Rassen stepped off the bottom of the ramp, locking eyes with the Mandalorian who had spoken. Though she appeared no different from the others, he didn't have to do much thinking to work out she was the one the young Mandalorian from earlier had referred to as Mandalore. Seeing her tilt her head at his response to her words, he allowed himself to feel a small amount of relief at the fact she hadn't ordered her soldiers to fire.

"You must be the one claiming to be Mandalore," he said calmly, ensuring he made no sudden movements. "I will admit to being a little confused. I was under the impression the current holder of that title was male."

There was an almost imperceptible ripple through the ranks of men and women currently aiming their weapons in his direction. They gave no serious outwards reaction to his words, but Rassen sensed the spike of anger each of them felt as he spoke. Treading carefully but needing to know as much as he could about his enemy, he continued.

"You are a long way from home. Further than anyone back there could imagine. Why did you come all this way? What could possibly have drawn you here?"

The woman he was addressing took a step closer, mirroring his own movement. Only about fifteen metres or so separated the two of them, though those behind her were still much closer to their leader than he was. He noticed her head dip and then rise as she examined him from head to toe, sizing him up for… something.

"A challenge, Jedi," she replied after a few moments of uncomfortable silence. "So many new opponents for us to test our strength against live in this galaxy. When I learned about it, I gathered as many as I could who wanted the same thing; to battle new and worthy foes. Your being here is a happy piece of luck, though. It makes things more interesting."

"What are you talking about?" Rassen frowned. "There are countless conflicts occurring back where we came from as we speak. The Republic and Sith Empire are fighting across the stars right now. You could fight almost any kind of enemy imaginable back home. There must be more to it than that."

There was once again silence from the woman opposite him. No, the Jedi realised suddenly, there was silence from every single one of the Mandalorians in the hanger. None of them so much as shifted as they waited for what their leader would say next. She spoke only after a few seconds of seemingly debating whether or not to tell him, an undercurrent of anger that was not directed at him in her words as she did so.

"I am tired, Jedi. So are all those who follow me. We are a proud people and should make our own way, not be led around like boot-lickers by the Sith."

"Rassen, what is she talking about?"

He turned at the sound of Kasumi's voice, his gaze meeting the thief's as she continued to hold the man next to her upright, who for his part appeared to be unconscious. Rassen's hand twitched for a moment as he considered using the Force to throw the two of them up the ramp and into the ship. With luck he could do it quickly enough to yell for Shaela to take off… but she wouldn't do it. He knew her well enough to know she wouldn't leave him behind, even if it doomed all four of them. All he could do was keep talking.

"The Mandalorians," he began, "were once a power to be reckoned with in the galaxy I come from. Three-hundred years ago they went to war with the Republic and very nearly defeated it, but they were ultimately unsuccessful. They have never truly recovered from that defeat and many have become little more than bounty hunters or assassins. Some tried to stick together after they were defeated, and they currently have a presence on the Sith capital world of Dromund Kaas."

He turned back to face the Mandalorian who stood in front of her fellows. "News of it would have reached the Republic if you had decided to try and break with the Sith," he said. "That means your people are still allied with them, and you," his eyes moved over the ranks of armoured men and women still aiming their weapons at him, "are a splinter group." Rassen's gaze then returned to the woman before him.

"That is why you call yourself 'Mandalore,' I take it? You have all stopped following the current Mandalore and you," he pointed at the woman in question, "are the leader and so have taken the title for yourself."

"Very good, Jedi." The new Mandalore seemed impressed with his guesswork. "I'm glad you can think as well as just swing a lightsaber around. This will be even more fun than I expected."

Rassen frowned. "What are you talking about?" he asked, not liking the implications of her words.

Mandalore laughed and while the people behind her did not, Rassen could still sense their amusement… and anticipation. "It will make you more satisfying to hunt," she said, voice dropping so low he could barely hear her. "I thought we would have to make do with just the commander, but a Jedi and their companions is an unexpected bonus."

"That's why you had Shepard?" Kasumi's voice still carried the same strain from before, the weight of the man in question still clearly proving difficult for her to support. "You brought him here from the Citadel months ago just to use him for… target practise?"

Rassen noticed how Mandalore sized up the petite woman the same way she had him just a few moments ago before she replied, voice dripping with distaste. "That wasn't me. That was my… associate."

The sound of voices suddenly reached him from behind the ranks of Mandalorians, the cause of the disturbance revealing itself as batarians began pushing past the armoured warriors, hundreds of them compared with the comparatively small number of their better protected allies. Rassen could have sworn Mandalore muttered a curse as one of the batarians broke away from the group of newcomers to stand next to her, his eyes filled with hatred as he stared at a point just past the Jedi.

The batarian's four eyes narrowed as he then turned his gaze to the woman next to him. "Why was I not informed they were here?" he spat, body trembling with rage. "You dare to think you have the right to deny the Hegemony its justice? To deny me justice?"

"I dare." If Mandalore was in any way caught off guard by the batarian's fury, she hid it well. "You forget our agreement, Balak. I promised to have Shepard healed for you on the condition my warriors could test themselves against the greatest your galaxy has to offer. I have fulfilled my end of the bargin; now I will see just how formidable he truly is."

"No!" Balak exploded, Rassen tensing as he noticed how the other man's hand twitched towards the pistol at his hip as he screamed at the woman he was addressing. "It was also promised that he would suffer first. I said you could have what was left when I was finished!"

There was a moment of silence before the Mandalorian replied, voice calm but bristling with a deep fury. "Circumstances have changed, Balak," she said slowly, as though she were speaking to a child. "You claimed no one would so much as guess where he was. You were wrong. You'll still be getting your revenge, even if there's no torture. He'll still be dead."

She turned back to face Rassen, only to pause with her gaze resting on something behind him, something beyond Shepard and Kasumi. Frowning at whatever had given the armoured woman pause, Rassen cautiously looked over his shoulder, only to feel a spike of fear at the sight of Shaela making her way down the ramp to stand next to him, pistol levelled directly at the centre of the Mandalorian leader's visor. While most of the Mandalorians and batarians kept their weapons pointed at him and the other two humans, several shifted to focus on the new target, though they still did not fire.

"Shaela," he whispered, causing her to react barely imperceptibly, pistol never wavering. "What are you doing? Get back on the ship."

The quarian didn't turn her gaze away from the woman across from them, who seemed to be analysing her the same way she had both him and Kasumi. "I'm not hiding on the ship anymore, Rassen. If we're going to have to fight, I'm going to be right next to you."

"There will be no fighting for the moment, I'm afraid." Mandalore didn't seem intimidated by the fact a weapon was being aimed directly at one of the most vulnerable parts of her armour as she spoke. "There would be little challenge in simply gunning the four of you down where you stand."

"Isn't that what you did on Horizon?"

Hundreds of pairs of eyes, including Rassen's own, turned to look at Kasumi as she continued to struggle to hold up the man next to her. "I saw what you did to the colony. You killed all of those innocent people. Why do we get a pass?"

"Because they would have been no challenge to battle and the four of you are."

Rassen felt the flare of anger from the armoured woman at the mention of the colony, but it was nothing compared with the fury he felt at the ending of the lives of so many innocents being dismissed so casually. He tried to reign in his anger but still felt the ground begin to tremble beneath his feet. The vibrations were weak at first, but they quickly grew stronger until a small hand gently rested itself on his shoulder. Instantly, the movement of the ground stopped, the only ones who had noticed being himself and the quarian who now gazed up at him in concern, silver eyes wide behind the light blue faceplate that covered them.

Nodding slightly so she could tell he was okay, he asked a question that had burned in his mind almost since the moment he had made it back. "Why?" he managed.

"Why what?" Mandalore tilted her head in confusion, causing his rage to grow even as he struggled to keep it in check.

"Why…" Each word was more difficult than the last. "Why do it? Why did you kill all of the people on Horizon?"

The response was accompanied by a shrug. "It was necessary. A statement had to be made."

Rassen's world had turned red now. Even Shaela's hand tightening its grip on his shoulder was barely enough to help him control the fury that seemed to suffuse every fibre of his being. "Why?" he asked again, voice nearly failing him.

Mandalore seemed to debate whether to tell him or not before apparently deciding she had revealed so much already she might as well continue. "I've been here for a few weeks already, Jedi, though the last of my people only arrived a few days ago, as you know. It was obvious right away that to test ourselves we needed more than just a single war hero, though he will make a good start. The major powers of this galaxy are exhausted and war-weary after their conflict with the Reapers. No one would send a task force if we simply raided a few vessels to make ourselves known."

"So you decided to wipe out an entire colony just to… to goad the races of this galaxy into fighting you?" Rassen couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You're insane!" Shaela spat, the quarian's gun arm trembling as she continued to aim her weapon. "All of those people died for nothing. There's no way you can beat even one of the races here, let alone all of them!"

Mandalore laughed coldly. "We will see," she declared. "A small fleet will probably come and investigate, and we will be ready for it."

Understanding now dawned. "That is why you have formed a partnership with the batarians," Rassen said. "You were unable to bring any ships with you because of the device we both used to get here, but with their vessels—"

"Exactly, Jedi. Once we have crushed whatever force is sent to investigate the loss of Horizon, word of it will be spread to every Mandalorian that can be found by my agents back home. Our time as a dominant power in our galaxy may be over, but we will re-establish ourselves as one to be feared in this one."

"You won't win." Kasumi's voice was faint now and her knees trembled so badly it looked as though she would collapse at any moment. "You underestimate everyone in the Milky Way. We beat the Reapers. We can beat you."

"We'll see." Mandalore turned to her soldiers before looking back at each of them in turn, eyes resting on Rassen last of all. "Before all that, though, is the matter of you four. Consider yourselves a warmup. You have one hour to get a head start. You can try to call for help, but I'm afraid you will find communications have been rather lacklustre recently, which you may have noticed already."

She paused for a moment before continuing. "You can try to run to the other side of the galaxy, but you'll find we've locked down this system's relay, so you can only go back the way you came, and we control that system's one as well. Hide on Horizon in the ruins of the colony, or on any of the planets near it for all I care. Once an hour has elapsed, though, the hunt begins."

"And we're supposed to believe you?" Kasumi demanded incredulously. "What's to stop you shooting us down the second we're outside the hanger?"

Mandalore regarded her coldly. "If I wanted to simply kill you, I'd have done so already. What reason do I have to lie?" She was silent for a moment before speaking again. "Fifty-nine minutes. I've already started counting."

Out of the corner of his eye, Rassen noticed Shaela move over to the thief, slinging the still unconscious Shepard's free arm over her shoulders, the two of them slowly ascending the ramp with the commander. He knew he shouldn't waste any time. Every second of their head start might prove vital to their survival in a way he currently didn't realise. There was one last thing he had to understand, though. One last piece of the puzzle he was missing.

"The device we used to get here," he began, drawing the armoured woman's attention back to him. "Where did you find it? More to the point, how did you find it?"

"You're almost down to fifty-eight minutes, Jedi. Are you sure you want to waste more time talking with me?"

"Yes."

"Rassen!"

He turned to see Shaela and Kasumi had almost managed to get Shepard into the safety of the ship, the quarian staring at him worriedly. "We have to go!" she begged, stumbling slightly as Shepard rocked in place.

"I know." He looked back at Mandalore as he began backing away, keeping his lightsaber at the ready just in case. He was about to ask again, only for his eyes to widen as the man next to her snarled in rage, looking between his unlikely ally and the Jedi before staring hatefully at the three people beyond Rassen.

"No! I will not stand for this!" Balak suddenly drew the pistol at his side, pointing it directly at Shepard, causing Rassen to shift to the side in order to keep himself between the batarian and the commander. "The other three mean nothing to me, Mandalore, but Shepard stays here. If not, they die now!"

Rassen felt a wave of fury roll through the gathered batarians as the Mandalorian leader casually grabbed Balak's wrist and twisted, relieving him of his weapon with laughable ease. "I have made my decision, Balak," she sneered. "Know your place."

Balak stared back at her for a moment before whipping round to face the huge number of his kin awaiting his command. "Kill all of them except Shepard!" he screamed. "Only wound him!"

"Enough!" Mandalore roared. "Mandalorians!"

Dozens of armoured warriors turned their blasters away from the small group, aiming them at the much more numerous but less well protected batarians. Staring in shock at just how easily the two factions had turned on one another, Rassen at first didn't notice the appearance of a second humming noise, much louder than that of his lightsaber. It was only when there was a flare of red light behind him, accompanied by Shaela gasping, that he turned, eyes widening at the sight before him.

Shepard was awake, and in his hands sat the immense weapon Rassen had noticed Kasumi had acquired at some point during their time in the base but not remarked on. Its yellow and steel-coloured body glinted as a result of the blood coloured glow being generated from its muzzle, highlighting the symbol on its side of a yellow circle containing three black wedges around a central dot. The humming grew to an unbearable pitch, causing the Jedi to turn back in the direction of the Mandalorians and batarians, who had abandoned their stand-off to stare back in the direction of the ship at the sheer noise of the weapon.

"Rassen."

He looked back at Shepard. The man was barely standing, eyes almost shut as he pointed the huge weapon directly in front of him. Despite his condition, Shepard's jaw was set, the gun not wavering in the slightest. For a moment Rassen could see just what made him special, just what had enabled him to be the spear point of the effort to protect all intelligent life in this galaxy against machines that made the most dangerous droids of Rassen's own look laughable at best.

"Get out of the way."

Rassen moved to the side and then the world seemed to explode. Throwing an arm up in front of his closed eyes and looking away, the Jedi could still see the unbelievable brightness of the explosion that occurred after the commander fired, the projectile that was responsible sailing past him and then Mandalore and Balak.

Right into the cluster of Mandalorians and batarians beyond.

His ears rang despite the helmet he wore. Even after the explosion had vanished he still couldn't see properly at first. It was only when the all-consuming brightness that filled his vision had finally abated that he lowered his arm and turned his gaze back in the direction of the Mandalorians and batarians.

Or rather what was left of them.

Those at the centre of the blast were… gone. Obliterated in an instant. Moving outwards from the explosion there were body parts; an arm here, a leg there. Right at the edge of the detonation were more intact bodies, though they were unmoving. Rassen stared in awe at the sheer destruction the weapon had wrought. How many had been killed? Hundreds at least.

As he watched, some of the figures at the edge of the blast began to move, slowly and painfully climbing to their feet. The assorted Mandalorians and batarians began to blindly search for their weapons, hands scraping over the dented and pitted surface of the hanger floor as they hunched over. Rassen flinched as a hand suddenly appeared on his shoulder, whipping round to find himself staring into Shaela's faceplate, the quarian's silver eyes wide with horror but still somehow filled with determination.

"Rassen, we have to go."

He nodded once, sparing one last glance behind him before marching over to Kasumi and helping her with Shepard, who looked like he was about to pass out again, Shaela bringing up the rear as the ramp closed behind them. As soon as it had, he and Kasumi began to carry the commander to one of the ship's beds as Shaela headed directly for the cockpit, and in moments the ship was rising from the floor of the hanger, exiting it soon after, bound directly for the system's mass relay.

Shaela flew the ship as fast as she could, attention focused entirely on the object that slowly grew larger as the vessel raced towards it. The churning core of the relay, coloured an electric blue, seemed to beckon to her, promising that if she could just reach it they would be safe. Well, safer than they would be otherwise. A black dot suddenly appeared as she watched, blocking a tiny part of the light being projected by the immense construct behind it. While it was too far away for her to make out any distinguishing features, she knew it was a ship.

The quarian jumped as the door behind her slid open, heart leaping into her throat before she realised the armoured figure was Rassen and not a Mandalorian that had stowed away. Nodding shakily at him, she turned her gaze back to their destination, feeling a small amount of relief that the black dot didn't seem to be moving towards them.

"Is that a ship?"

She nodded quickly. "Yes, but it doesn't look like it's on an intercept course. If we can hit the relay quickly enough then maybe whoever's on board won't know about what just happened. If they think the hunt is still on then maybe we can get out of this system."

"Unless there are no Mandalorians on board. If that is the case then I doubt the batarian crew will allow us to go regardless of what Mandalore said."

"I know." She turned to face him as he stood behind her and looked out of the cockpit at the relay. Biting her lip for a moment, she asked a question she knew she wouldn't like the answer to.

"Rassen, what do we do?"

The Jedi turned to face her. "I honestly have no idea how to proceed," he admitted. "Once we hit the relay, we can only go back the way we came. We cannot contact anyone for help. We also cannot fight since there are probably still dozens of Mandalorians and batarians around, perhaps hundreds. Our only option, it seems, is to hide. Which—"

"Is exactly what Mandalore wanted," Shaela finished, trying hard not to panic. Giving into fear wouldn't help them right now. Despite how it was exactly what she didn't want to do, Rassen was right. Their only chance was to go back to the system they had just been in and hide.

"If we can avoid them for long enough," she muttered, "then a Systems Alliance fleet should arrive to investigate what happened to Horizon. I don't know if it will be a match for them, though, not after the Reapers."

Rassen was silent for a moment. "We do not know how many ships the batarians have," he muttered finally. "All we know for sure is that Shepard just killed hundreds of them along with plenty of Mandalorians. We have to hope that will be enough to make a difference for when help turns up."

The relay was close now. Close enough that Shaela could make out some of the details of the ship that sat in front of it at they drew closer. It was an exact mirror image of their own craft, the black and grey of its hull only being visible as a result of how close it was to their way out of the system. Tensing as she prepared to bank the ship to the side at the slightest indication they would be fired upon, the quarian took a deep breath to try and calm herself as a hand rested on her shoulder, steadying her.

It was only when they passed the other ship, which made no attempt to stop them, that Shaela returned her attention to the mass relay, which now filled the entirety of the viewport in front of her. Lining their vessel up with the immense structure, the quarian felt a surge of relief. They were still in unbelievable danger, but once they were back in the same system as Horizon, they would at least have several planets to hide on. They would at least have a chance now, even if it was only slight.

"I should check on Shepard and Kasumi," Rassen muttered, gently squeezing her shoulder before releasing it. He looked reluctant to leave, which caused her to smile up at him despite their situation. "Pick a planet or moon for us to land on and once we are hidden we can talk."

He had already turned to leave when she spoke, but he still pivoted to face her as she did so. "Rassen," she began, "I want to know, but there are more important things to worry about. If you want to wait, I understand."

The human didn't answer her for a moment, causing her to frown before he raised both hands to the helmet he still wore, removing it and smiling gently at her. "I know," he said simply. "But I still want to tell you. Besides there was something you wanted to tell me as well, was there not?"

"I, um, yes," she stammered. "You better, um, see if Kasumi needs help with Shepard."

"I will." Rassen clearly picked up on her reaction, but he seemingly decided not to comment on it for the moment. Smiling at her again, the Jedi left the cockpit, door sliding shut behind him, leaving her alone with her thoughts.