End of an Era
Once the campaign against the Geth in the Armstrong Nebula was deemed completed, with the Geth suffering terrible casualties, we were then secretly sent back into the Terminus Systems to investigate a huge number of Human ships that were disappearing without a trace. Mostly trading vessels and civilian transports. However, there had even been a couple of pirate vessels reported missing. There was no connection between the departure points, destinations or even purpose of any of the ships. The only recurring theme was that the compliments of the ships were almost entirely Human.
Even as I sat at my computer and re-read my mission report on Virmire again I suddenly felt the Normandy pull a violent turn and Joker's urgent voice called over the intercom,
"Taking evasive manoeuvres. Under attack from an unidentified cruiser-class vessel."
As I rushed to leave my room the whole ship rocked and Joker could be heard once again,
"Multiple hull breaches, repeat, multiple hull breaches."
I saw with my own eyes an incredibly powerful laser cut right through the mess hall and tear open the side of the ship. Barrier defences plugged the hole and maintained the atmosphere inside the ship, but I hit the alarm button for all crew to suit up in case of complete loss of atmosphere. I hoped that Joker could get the Normandy out of here and escape our attackers, but I knew that my ship was being laid to waste all around me. When I emerged in my armour, I was met by Liara who was in her pressurised combat suit,
"What do we do?" she sounded terrified.
"Liara, I need you to get the crew to the escape pods."
"Joker is refusing to leave… And I'm not leaving you either."
"Don't argue Liara. I need you to get as many of our people off the Normandy as possible. I'll handle Joker."
"Aye aye," Liara said sadly. She reluctantly ran off and started gathering the crew from the lower decks to her and led them up to the escape pods on the port side of the CIC. I hit the evacuation alarm and the fire fighting and damage control systems came online. I liked to think that they could buy us a few minutes. Through the fire and smoke that was rapidly spreading through my ship I made it to the bridge where Joker still sat, furiously trying to manoeuvre the crippled Normandy away from the mysterious ship that had nearly destroyed us. Tali was by his side, trying to convince him that there was nothing he could do,
"Joker you'll die here," she yelled to him.
"I'm not losing the Normandy, I can still save her," he resisted.
"The Normandy's already gone Joker," I told him, "going down with her won't change that!"
A single tear rolled down his cheek before he wiped it away and nodded miserably,
"Fine. Help me up."
Just as life pods began to launch there came another tremendous shock as our attackers came in for a second attack run. The hull was completely torn open and all atmosphere and gravity was lost. The energy beams cut one of the Normandy's wings clean off as Tali and I struggled with Joker to the last remaining escape pod. With his brittle bones Joker was extremely susceptible to physical harm, but even he did not seem to care as he dragged himself through the hatch into the pod. In the zero-gravity atmosphere I pushed Tali into the pod and reached to pull myself in next. The next thing I knew I was rapidly blown away by an explosion and barely managed to get a hold of a bulkhead before I could be sucked into space.
"Commander!" Joker shouted.
"Scott, I can get you," Tali yelled with a frightened voice. Her hand reached out and I stretched for all I was worth to try and grab hold, but again the Normandy was hit and Tali was blown back into the pod. On the wall in front of me was the manual launch button for Tali and Joker's pod, and I was rapidly losing my grip on the wall.
"Scott!" Tali cried out to me. My fingers were slipping fast. I looked back at her wide, terrified eyes. One of my hands came loose. Looking at my Quarian girlfriend, the woman who allowed me to hope for a future of love and peace, only one thing could be said,
"I love…."
My other hand slipped and I quickly pressed the launch button, sending the pod with Joker and Tali inside firing into space and away from the wreck that my ship was fast becoming. I floated around upside down and every which way until our enemy closed in and fired its final salvo of energy weapons. The explosion sent me flying away from my ship out of the huge breach in the bulkhead. Spinning wildly as I was helplessly cast adrift, I looked on in horror as I saw my beloved Normandy evaporate in a disturbingly impressive ball of flame.
Seeing the attacking ship for the first time I could not figure out what it was. Its appearance did not match any design of ship I had ever seen or heard of. Most strange of all was that its hull seemed to me largely made out of stone and rock rather than metal. A central belt was almost the only part that seemed to be made out of recognisable ship-making materials along with a few minor super-structures. The rest of the ship made it look like an asteroid, misshapen and uneven from bow to stern. Even as I watched, the ship turned away from where the Normandy used to be and jumped to FTL travel, vanishing in the blink of an eye and leaving me alone in the cold, endless void.
I drifted for God only knows how long, but I noticed that I was drawing nearer the icy planet of Alchera on which we had been scanning for Geth. Slowly but surely, I was approaching the atmosphere of the planet. Once I hit it and began plummeting to the surface it all happened too fast for me to follow. One moment I had been in the cold, empty darkness of space and the next I instinctively threw my arms up over my face to shield me from the impact. The ground raced up, closer and closer. I closed my eyes and fought to turn my thoughts away from my imminent death. As I sensed the unforgiving land of Alchera hit me my last thought was of Tali's bright, violet eyes and her beautiful smile. I could hear her kind heart beating and the music of her voice in my ear. I could feel the light and warmth that she brought to my life. In the next instant; I felt nothing. Everything was gone.
-To Be Continued-