Interloper Rewrite: Chapter 12

On Feros: Part III


"You coming, Liddle?" Shepard's question cut through my thoughts and brought me snapping back to the present. The rest of the team was already readying to ascend into the tower.

"Oh, yeah." I hurried to catch up. The broken staircase swayed slightly under foot in a way that made me slightly seasick. The buckled metal and loosely fixed bolts rattled with every footfall, echoing up the ascending shaft. Our advance was slow, with many pauses to let the shaking subside. Shepard held up a hand during one such pause, the signal to listen. There was a new sound in the stairwell, this one floating down from up above.

It was a voice, one gruff and deep. The words were indistinct, but the tone was clearly one of aggravation.

"Sounds krogan," Wrex rumbled.

A battlemaster, looks like we're going to have our work cut out for us.

As we drew closer, the voice grew more distinct. It was arguing angrily with an electronic voice. An Exo-Geni VI. Shepard held up a fist, signaling to stop and drop. t. It angrily conversed with an Exo-Geni VI. Shepard held up a fist, signaling us to stop and drop. We crept forward. The Krogan must have heard us, because he whirled and drew his shotgun.

"You." He smiled cruelly. "I know you, Urdnot Wrex. I will be honored on Tuchanka when I bring back your head."

"Hah, you think that scares me? I've faced Salarians more intimidating. Go on without me, Shepard, looks like I have to teach this whelp what makes a real krogan battlemaster." Wrex drew his own shotgun and fired. Both Krogan flared brightly with biotics and charged at each other. The clash filled the corridor with the ringing of metal on metal as the two titans wrestled. Wrex seemed to have the upper hand, driving the other Krogan back. The two crashed into the terminal, shattering the metal. The holographic avatar fizzled and died. "What are you still doing here," Wrex roared as the enemy battlemaster reversed the charge with an underhand blow. The two aliens whirled, their biotics flaring in a warped gravity hurricane. "Leave me to this contest!"

"That's a negative, Wrex," Shepard responded. She ducked under an airborne section of concrete torn from the wall by an errant warp. "I'm not leaving a man behind."

"But what good can we do?" Garrus asked. The battle had become a brawl, traded blows sounding like hammers in the confined space. The two massive combatants struck again and again, the melee twisting and turning. The turian had a point, lining up a shot that wouldn't hit both of the fighters was nigh impossible. The weight of muscle involved made wading in to try and assist to close quarters was even more hazardous. The fight continued swirling, the combatants briefly breaking apart as Wrex unleashed a vicious headbutt that forced his opponent backwards. He unloaded a pair of ripping shotgun blasts into the other Krogan's chest, cracking the breastplate. Before the rest of us could open up on the temporally stunned battlemaster, Wrex charged again. The two of them locked together and Wrex's legs pistoned against the increasingly ragged floor, driving his opponent back. He gained momentum, his shoulder down. The two of them impacted with the wall, and kept going. The wall gave way, the two Krogan disappearing into a dusty void. There was a distant crash. The chamber was dark, and deep, and most distressingly, lacked a staircase down into the pit.

"Damn it, Wrex," Shepard hissed. "Come on, we need to find a new terminal. And a way down." She pushed us onwards, leaving the broken gap in the wall behind us. Ahead, the passage was blocked by another pod of buzzing Geth. They went down under a torrent of superheated tungsten; our sweep would not be halted. Ahead, a metal door slid open. The Geth that popped out caught a spray from Tali's shotgun and slumped against the doorframe. The slight Quarian moved up to the fallen platform and peeked inside the door it had popped out of.

"Commander, in here," She called, and ducked into the side room ahead of us.

"Garrus, Liddle, hold this passage," Shepard called over her shoulder. She rushed in after Tali. Garrus and I took up positions on either side of the door.

"More action than you saw at C-Sec, eh Garrus?" I called over as I hosed down another Geth. The platform collapsed into itself and sputtered out one last electronic cry.

"Yeah, and you? Bet you didn't see this much action in the militia." He shot through a Geth's head, which burst in an incandescent explosion. "They don't give up, do they? Any organic army would have stopped advancing into such an obvious kill box. Well, maybe not if they were Krogan." Behind us, Shepard was interrogating the Exo-Geni VI. She didn't sound happy about whatever information she received.

"We must be near something important," I suggested. My rifle hissed under heat loading, smoke wafting from the barrel. Likewise, Garrus' weapon was going through its venting cycle, the load whoosh drowning out any incoming geth warbling. The weapon clicked shut with a snap, leaving only silence behind. The tower was quiet except for the far-off sound on metal under stress, the quiet creak of ancient concrete. No more Geth tried to ascend the stairs up to our position. Commander Shepard stepped out into the corridor behind us, her brow carried a storm cloud.

"We need to get out of here, now," she said darkly, "There's an alien under the colony. A big one. Exo-Geni has known about it essentially the entire time, they kept it secret so they could experiment on the colonists. It may have some degree of ability to control them."

"Shouldn't we warn the marines?" I asked. A firefight with the controlled colonists would end in a bloodbath.

"We can't, not with the shield up. We need to take that ship down. Any ideas?"

"We could board it?" Garrus suggested, "The Geth are getting into the tower somehow, that means we can get in. Lay down some charges. Hit something vital and it wouldn't take too much explosives."

"Tali?" Shepard looked to our resident Geth expert. "You think you can find somewhere to stick the knife in?"

Tali squirmed uncomfortably under the eyes of the team. "Maybe," she started hesitantly, "No one has ever been inside one of these things. It's possible they're still using hardware similar to what the Quarian fleet used to use, but our archives from that time are spotty at best. We also don't know exactly how many geth platforms are still hiding in there."

"What if we target the legs?" I suggested, trying to take the heat off of Tali. "Let gravity do our work for us. We wouldn't have to board. If we can just dislodge enough of them, they're bound to fall, right?" Shepard nodded along.

"Good thinking. Tali, pull up your map of the tower and plot a route that skirts the perimeter as closely as possible. Then find a way down. I swear, if we need to go down there and haul Wrex out of here..." She trailed off. "Nevermind, everyone, move out." She motioned sharply, sending us forward once again. The corridors ahead were empty, no Geth moved to resist our march towards the outside layer of the tower. The sound of more heavy impacts floated on the air throughout the tower, though the maze-like construction of the prothean ruin disguised the direction. I clutched my rifle to my chest as we passed blocked side passages and buckled doorways. Every now and again my heart would race as a door puttered open, the possibility of ambush filled my body with waves of adrenaline. But door after door revealed offices, neatly stacked filing cabinets and clean desks untouched by the Geth invasion.

"Liddle, check your breathing," came the soft voice of Shepard in my helmet. "It sounds like you're about to pass out." The words were kind, but the revelation that I'd been drowning the team feed with my heavy breathing reddened my cheeks. I nodded and focused on calming my nerves. We continued our sweep. A turn later and we ran into the first of the geth ship's massive legs. The burnished purple metal of the limb punched through the ceiling and embedded itself deeply into the floor.

"We're not getting that one out," Garrus commented. We continued past it, pressing up a further set of stairs. Up ahead stood an open doorway into an open space.

"Hold up here," Shepard ordered in hushed tones. She crept ahead alone, keeping low over her sniper rifle. Her head disappeared though the doorway. The rest of us held back with watchful eyes. My ears buzzed in the silence.

"Any Geth?" Garrus asked.

"A handful, huddled up in the middle of the room. I'm sending you a feed now." Shepard responded. Our Omni-tools pinged quietly with the alert for the incoming video. Shepard's helmet cam footage played across the screen, showing the Geth prostrating themselves in front of a softly glowing blue orb. "Almost looks like they're praying." Shepard inched further into the room, displaying more of the space. The four Geth remained the only enemies visible. The exterior walls here had been destroyed; two more pinching claws firmly rooted in the concrete of the floor. "Whatever they're doing, they're distracted. Move forward, careful now. We'll unload everything we have on them, wipe them out before they can react."

We crept forward to join her, shifting into position on the raised platform that led down towards the praying Geth below. Within eyeline of the orb, the buzzing in my helmet grew louder, drowning out even the words of my teammates. The gentle glowing orb drew the eye, like a window into deep water. The surface rippled like the flat surface of a pool, like an oil slick in slow motion. The buzzing deepened, the sound matching the rippling of the orb. I blinked in disbelief, the orb was growing closer, reaching out towards me. There was an image suspended in the orb, small at first but slowly growing in size.

The roaring of weapons fire broke the spell. Around me, rifles opened up, filling the air with strobing light and a rippling snarl. Sparks sprung up from the prone Geth as rounds lanced through unshielded plate. I pulled my own trigger almost by instinct.

"Cease fire, cease fire!" Shepard called. Our assault petered off, leaving the room echoing. All four of the Geth were dead where they lay. They had been given no time to react. "Sweep the room. Garrus, with me." We rose, carefully picked our way down the ramp into the room, our rifles up and ready. Two rounds had punctured the orb in the middle of the room, leaving it dark and glassy.

"Do you think we can take out these legs, Commander?" Garrus asked, craning his neck to get a better view. The two legs looked incredibly solid.

"These look solid, we're not dislodging these without some dedicated det-packs. Mark it as a maybe, with enough grenades we might be able to crack the floor. But for now, we keep moving." Shepard led the way forward, bringing us through further twisting corridors. We followed Tali's map through the maze until we came upon another large room. The room was long and once again built to a split level. Multiple legs of the Geth frigate intruded in through open steel doors in the side of the tower, cables drawn though portholes in the exposed belly of the craft to power some kind of charging cradle, judging by the Geth trooper platforms plugged into the things. Other Geth worked over them with brightly lit holographic tools. The entire room was watched over by another of the giant destroyer platforms. Beyond it, the brightly lit portal of the entrance shield fizzed and sputtered. We had doubled back on ourselves.

"Looks like some kind of repair bay. A Geth field hospital," Garrus mused. "Well guarded, though. Open, not a lot of cover and it looks like those Geth in the back have rockets." He scoped out the room with his sniper rifle. "Yes, definitely rockets. What's our next move, Commander?"

Shepard surveyed the room critically. "Here's how we do this," she began, "Garrus, you and Tali are going to sneak in, take a flanking position up on that ledge. You'll provide support as Liddle and I hit them from down here. Now, we're not just going to storm into the room, we'll draw then back through this door and use it as a bottleneck while drawing them into defilade."

"Okay, but what's to stop us from being surrounded?" Garrus asked

"Kill them fast, and that won't be a problem, we do this fast and get back to the Normandy. Now get up there, we'll cover you." Garrus and Tali moved swiftly up to their positions. The Turian signaled that the two were in position.

"You ready, Liddle?" Shepard asked quietly.

I nodded, swallowing the urge to vomit again. My heart had not stopped racing and fatigue was starting to set into my bones. Driving the Mako and heading into a short firefight had not prepared me for almost two hours under fire, in a day spent entirely on a hostile planet. And now just me and Shepard stood alone against a room full of angry AI, at least until the flanking team opened up. My rifle barrel wavered in my hands. I tightened my grip and sighted in on the nearest Geth. It seemed entirely unaware, preoccupied with removing the chestplate from its suspended counterpart. Shepard gave her signal to fire and I pulled the trigger. The Geth went down and I selected another. I laid down a blast, this time the shots were caught on an active kinetic barrier. Shepard tapped me on the shoulder and suddenly we were backpedaling. A rocket lanced out of the back of the room and exploded overhead. Shrapnel struck me in the back and right shoulder, pinging off my own barriers. The hot burst of the high explosives drove me to one knee. The Geth were advancing, giving chase. I scuttled backwards again, firing behind me. Time seemed sped up, my own motions slow. I ducked behind the scant cover of the doorway as rounds whickered overhead. The Geth were right at our heels, right where the flankers wanted them.

Garrus and Tali revealed themselves with a flourish, sending handfuls of grenades down amongst the mechs. The red-violet explosions of the incendiary grenades showed the Geth with burning gel that hissed white hot as it bored into their chassis. The troopers went down before they could react, but the rocket troops behind switched targets without waiting a second. Two more rockets augured in on the flankers' position. Bright flashes lit Garrus in silhouette before he was flung backwards and disappeared from view. Tali was nowhere to be seen. Shepard returned fire, slicing one rocket trooper down while I zeroed in on the other one. I wouldn't get the chance to take it down. The grey-clad Geth destroyer charged with an electronic howl. Shepard laid on a burst before giving way. The Geth whirled on me and caught me with a spray of hypersonic pellets, driving my breath from my lungs and bowling me over. I lay on the ground, stunned. My vision blurred as I fought to steal another breath. I was going to die here.

Shepard was kneeling before me, reaching for something high on my shoulder. She thumped me, releasing a little gasp of air into my lungs and a hiss of something on the back of my armor. There was a sharp pinprick and suddenly I was jolted upright as something was injected into me. The pain fell away to a dull ache, unimportant.

Right, medigel. I brushed gauntleted fingers over the scarred ceramics of my armor plate. They came away clean. The shot hadn't gone through. Shepard was stooped over me, saying something I couldn't quite make out. Behind her, a fuzzy grey shape loomed. The destroyer had reached us. I cried out in alarm and thrust my arm out, Omni-tool blazing. I selected an incendiary attack. My Omni-tool bleated a depleted resources alarm as it let loose the hologram wrapped micro-grenade. It burst on the Geth, catching it below the armpit. The armor burned, but did not halt the attack. The Geth leveled its cannon at my head; this shot would not be deflected by my armor.

Shepard didn't let that happen. She leapt up, pushing the cannon aside at the moment it fired. The shots went wide, drilling into the ground by my head. Shepard continued spinning, her pistol in the hand not latched to the Geth's arm. She drilled a trio of shots in quick succession into the patch of armor already weakened by my incinerate attack. The armor there cracked, cherry hot slag falling away to expose interior circuitry. Shepard fired again, unloading her pistol until it screamed with overheating. The Geth froze, as if stunned. Shepard gave it a hard shove, sending it collapsing to the ground. She stood there, breathing heavily.

"You alright?" Shepard asked.

I nodded. I struggled to catch my own breath as Shepard hauled me to my feet. The waves of fatigue were getting worse and my stomach turned. It did a flop as I heard the rattle of the final geth rocket trooper. There was a mighty THOOM, and the Geth exploded. Both Shepard and I traced the line of the shot back to its source. Garrus leaned over his cover, giving us a weary thumbs up. The blast that had thrown him from his position had blistered the paint on his armor and helmet. Tali was beside him, propping him up and tutting as she applied some medigel of her own.

"Nice shot," Shepard offered, wearily.

"Likewise," Garrus replied. "Next time we set up an ambush like that, let's take down the angry robots with the rocket launchers first. I'm just lucky I was wearing my helmet. That hit could have scarred this beautiful face."

I couldn't help but let out a rough bleat of laughter. Garrus took it in stride and hobbled down from his sniper's perch with Tali in tow. Shepard gathered us together. We made a ragged looking unit. "Clear the room, I want terminals checked for intel and any useful munitions salvaged for use." Shepard ordered. We split up to search the room. In the corner of the room I found a stack of crates stenciled with Exo-Geni security. The crate was locked, but some time with one of the bypass tools I'd added to my Omni tool made short work of that. I could feel my eyes light up as I levered the crate open. I reached in and pulled out a folded shotgun, still in its factory packaging. It had a glossy red finish and the word "Savage" stenciled down the side. I ripped off the packaging and stowed it at the small of my back.

"You know, in civilized star systems, they call that looting," Garrus said. I near jumped out of my skin and whirled on him defensively. He had his own arm reached halfway into a box stacked against one of the consoles. He drew a handful of grenades out and turned them over in his hands before slipping them into the dispenser on his belt. "Luckily, we're out here on the frontier. And besides, we work for a Spectre now, so we get to call it civil forfeiture."

That thought didn't sit right with me. I was about to reach for the stolen gun when behind us, an almighty crunch signaled the destruction of the ship's leg. Tali was standing in front of the control panel, apparently quite shocked. Behind the now closed shuttlebay doors, the squealing of the falling ship could be heard fading into the distance. The barriers on the doors fizzled out of existence.

"Good work, Tali, let's get out of here." Shepard said as she shut down her Omni-tool.

"Um, Commander, aren't we forgetting something." I asked. At that moment, a bloodied Wrex and a terrified looking Lisbeth walked through the door.

"Sorry it took so long, Commander, I nearly had to drag this one through the wreckage." The woman just stood and stared wide eyed, too shocked for words.

"Just get her to the Grizzly." Shepard responded. The Grizzly was parked right where we left it. I stowed my rifle and the new shotgun overhead as I clambered into the driver's seat. There was a knock on the bulkhead to signify everyone was loaded and we were off. The skyway was clear of Geth as we rolled along it, something that relieved me to no end. Now out of the adrenaline soaked combat zone of the tower, I felt like a balloon with the air slowly draining out. Only the thought of the spore controlled colonists kept me alert. As we neared the waystation Exo-Geni had barricaded themselves inside of, the radio began to crackle. Kaidan's voice drifted through the noise.

"…colonists, looks like they've gone mad. We've fallen back to the Normandy." Shepards voice replied, also grainy.

"Any casualties? Is Doctor T'Soni with you?"

"Negative, Commander. All the men made the evac, but Dr. T'Soni is still trapped inside the colony. We made sure not to injure any of the colonists."

"Shit. Stay put, we'll drop of our passenger with the rest of the company and head straight to the colony."

"Okay, Shepard, Commander." Kaidan cut his communication.

"You get all that, Liddle?" I certainly did, looks like someone has a crush

"Uh, yeah, Commander, loud and well, loud anyway."

"Wait, you can't." That was Lizbeth's voice.

"Excuse me," Shepard retorted bluntly.

"The colonists, they're being controlled. We have a modification for your grenade launchers, one that will release a non-lethal gas. Please don't shoot them, they're not to blame."

"I never intended to shoot anyone. Do you have the mods here?"

"Yes, but I only have enough for three."

"Okay, Wrex and I will take one, Garrus, how are you with a grenade?"

"Best arm in my C-Sec class."

"You take one too then. Liddle, Tali, you hang back for this one okay?" She shifted channels. "Dr. T'Soni, this is Commander Shepard, are you okay." The other end of the line was crackly and distorted. The sound of the possessed colonists yelling in the background formed an eerie choir.

"Yes, I am here! The colonists, goddess, they've gone mad." Liara sounded panicky and breathless.

"Slow down Liara, we're coming to get you. Can you tell us where you are?"

"I am in a part of the ship. I have but up biotic barriers on the entrance, but I'm not sure how long I can hold it. And Shepard, there is a malevolent presence here."

"We know, there's an alien lifeform called a Thorian. That's what's controlling the colonists. Just hold on." I stepped on the gas. We stopped briefly to let out the distressed scientist out, and then continued on. In front of the garage doorway, the corrupted forms of Thorian creepers turned to face us.

"Commander?"

"Too far gone." Was the short reply. The creepers became a greasy stain on the road. We exited quickly. With a few hand signals, half of which I understood, the Commander ordered us forward. The gates ground open, exposing us to two of the colonist's fire. Tali and I dodged ahead while Garrus placed a careful throw. The cloud of green gas knocked the colonists off their feet. More creepers poured from the colony. Tali and I returned fire with shotguns, shredding the plantlike beings. The Savage had more of a kick than I anticipated, banging into the old bruises in my shoulder. I tucked it in tighter as I fired. Now in the colony proper, more of the controlled humans began shooting at us. We ducked and weaved through cover. The occasional shot would peg us, but the cover offered a chance to recharge before moving on. Shepard and Wrex both threw more grenades, knocking out another cluster of colonists. I made for the ship and blasted another creeper. The door to the Borealis was open. I ran through and face planted on a biotic barrier.

"I'm sorry." Liara dropped the barrier and ran over to help pick me up off the floor.

"Not a problem," I pulled the abused helmet from my head and dabbed at the blood that had started to drip from my nose, "Teaches me to run blindly through doors." Outside the ship the sounds of battle quieted. Now only two voices yelled back and forth. We ran to take a look just in time to see Fai Dan blow his brains out.

"Keelah."

"He fought its control, even to the end," Shepard said solemnly.

"Did he mention where the Thorian was hiding out," I asked cautiously. Shepard nodded and moved over to the crane.

"They hid it under the ship." She pressed a few buttons, lifting a section of the Borealis and exposing a dank tunnel. "Let's take this thing down." The dark edge was back in her voice.

The tunnel got steadily more unpleasant the further in we went. The smell of rotting vegetation and stale air grew worse with every step.

"Interesting, the walls appear to be formed from some synthesis of high tensile concrete and an aluminum alloy." Tali scanned the walls as we walked.

"What does that mean to us?" Shepard asked.

"It means we'll be out of communication for a while."

"Quiet." Shepard peered down the passage. "Looks like we're here." The passage widened to a round pit. Ahead of us the distended face of the Thorian hung from its many vines."

"Hey Shepard, this thing looks uglier than you," Wrex chuckled. The Thorian began to convulse.

"Looks like you pissed it off," Garrus said. From the tendrils at the front of the Thorian burst the green skinned asari commando.

"Invaders! Your every step is a transgression. One thousand feelers appraise you as meat, good only to dig, or decompose."

"Certainly got a flair for the dramatic," Garrus commented.

"I speak for the Old Growth as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands you to be in awe."

"You gave something to Saren, something I need," Shepard said

"Saren sought knowledge of those who are gone. He offered a trade, but the cold ones began killing the flesh. The Old Growth sees the air you push as lies!"

"You will release the colonists now," Shepard spoke calmly yet sternly, "and give us the information you gave Saren."

"No, the Old Growth will listen to flesh no longer. Die and feed the Thorian!" the asari threw up her hands and the shimmer of biotics arced through the space between us. The team dodged to both sides. My skin prickled and I felt lighter on my feet.

"Oh crap." I was knocked off my feet and against the far wall. I saw stars as my head impacted on the rock face. Blinking through the dancing lights, I saw a group of creepers descend from a ramp. Around me the team fired at the asari, not seeing the new threat. I slapped around my armor trying to find the anti-personnel ammo block. In my haste to slap it into my lancer, the top half of the gun slid off the firing block. A creeper landed on top of me and attempted to claw at me. I managed to grab the thing by its rubbery arms and get a hand around its neck. The creeper spat at me, the viscous goo spitting and burning at my suit. Holding it back with one hand, I drew my pistol and fired into its gut. The creeper screamed and wriggled away. I put another round through its head and it lay still.

"We need to take that thing down, Liddle, move up that ramp and take out the tendrils!" Commander Shepard fired at a new asari clone. "Get up that ramp, we'll hold them here." I nodded blearily and raced up the ramp. The first tendril came into view. I pulled a trio of grenades from my launcher and whipped them at the tendril. The grenades tore into the thick root and exploded, tearing it to shreds. The Thorian let out a deep roar. More creepers began to pop out of the viney walls. I fired blindly and ran past. I slapped a fabbed trip mine on the entrance to the next ramp as I passed. The explosion came scant second after I had climbed the ramp. I was starting to panic. I only had a few more grenades and the sounds of fighting downstairs weren't getting any quieter. I blew two more tendrils with the last of my explosives. Each time elicited a more desperate howl.

More of the vine wrapped creepers slipped from pods on the walls. They turned their rubbery, distorted faces towards me and I suddenly realized how alone I was. I pulled my newly acquired shotgun from behind my back and gripped it tight to my shoulder. It was heavier than my rifle, and likely had a heavier kick to match. The trigger was tight, but fear gave me the strength to jerk it back. The Savage had a kick that went along with its name, the damage it did to the creeper was nothing short of astounding. The shotgun roared and belched out a bright spray of pellets in a diamond pattern. The thorian creeper was shredded, hollowed out. It's friends jumped to the attack. I managed another shot before they reached me, shearing off half of its face. The last one made a grab for me with outstretched claws. I brought the butt of the shotgun up in an attempt to knock the attacker back, but the creeper was too fast. It sprung at me with unnatural movements, its claws latching onto my weapon. We struggled, the creeper forcing me back. I hazarded a look behind. The edge of the cistern platform was close. If I continued falling back, I'd be run off and down I didn't know how far. Then again…

The creeper hauled on my gun, trying to pry it from my hands. I followed its motion and shoved the gun sideways into its torso. The creeper twisted to avoid the blow, just enough to lose its balance. I swung my body to the side with all my might, turning as though the spore monster and I were dancing. The creeper tripped over its feet, I shoved, hard. I tore the shotgun from its grip and we separated. The creeper slipped over the edge of the platform and disappeared. I let it fall and tottered up the next ramp.

I now stood eye to eye with the last tendril. I extended my arm to launch a fabbed explosive at it, but all I received was an 'out of materials' warning. I hurriedly scrolled the menu I'd set up for quick access on my Omni-tool, but all of the useful programs needed the pack of ceramics, metals, and composites that every soldier carried in reserve. Metals… I scooped up a chunk of debris from the floor and hoped. The Omni-tool's mass effect fields bussed to life and began breaking down the rock. After a brief fabber cycle, I extended it once more and launched a small thermite bomb at the last root. It flashed bright white and burned. The Thorian gave a last gurgling wail and tore loose from the wall, crashing to the distant floor. I sank to my knees in relief.

"You, you have released me," said a woman's voice. The cloned asari. "Please, I…"

"Look, I've just been through a lot, you've got the Prothean Cipher, right?" I asked, a little more harshly than I intended. I was already having second thoughts on the whole plan

The asari looked taken aback. "How did you know?"

"That's not important right now, what is important is that we are here to fight Saren, your old boss. So download this Cipher thing into my head and have done with it." I rose wearily to my feet. The day had been long and I wasn't looking forward to the inside of the medbay.

"Very well, I do not understand how you know of this, but if there is any way to redeem the things that I have done under the dominion of Saren, I will do it. Prepare yourself." The asari's eyes grew wide and black. "Embrace Eternity!" I felt the sudden presence on my mind, and then the visions returned. It was strange, the visions were exactly the same, only this time I felt that they all made sense, as if they had always made sense. As the visions faded away, a sudden weakness overtook me. Behind us, the tromping of boots on stone signaled the arrival of Commander Shepard. I tottered as I tried to face them.

"I… I did it again, Comm…" I managed to murmur before completely passing out.