Same time as the assault on the batarian systems.
Shiala watched as her congregation payed to the Thorian. Their weapons in front of them, they prepared to fight against the Warlords. Soon they would disrupt the worlds of the heretics and show them how weak their empires really are. Preparing themselves for deliverance was the best way to prepare them for the fight ahead. Shiala didn't partake, she wasn't supposed to. She also wasn't expected to fight in the war to come. Instead she would fuse with the Thorian and command her forces from Zhu's Hope.
To her this wasn't a war, this was a purge and ascendancy for her and everyone who worshiped the Thorian. Soon the galaxy would be cleansed of the unbelievers and only the children of the Thorian would remain, for they will inherit the galaxy from the Reapers. In turn for their survival, the cult would remain as custodians of the galaxy and guide them to ascend when the Reapers arrive. This was their duty and destiny, no one would stop them.
Once the prayers finished Shiala stood and spread her arms out. "Why children, today to approach the…" she tired to finish off but multiple explosions against the arcology made her lost track and fall.
As she got up another impact send her sprawling to the floor. "What's going on?" someone asked.
A soldier then came running into the temple. "It's the Warlords!" he yelled. "They are deploying troops onto the arcologys!" he yelled.
Shiala's eyes widened. This was too soon; they weren't ready for an attack.
"Why didn't we know about this?" she asked but no one gave her one. "Fine, to the battlements, protect the ships and temple. Stop them at all costs,"
Her warriors then grabbed what weapons they could get a hold of and moved towards the doors to battle. This left Shiala alone who looked up at the statue of the Thorian.
"We're out of time," she muttered before bring her omni-tool up. "Bring the sacrifices, it's time,"
OOOOO
Jack landed with a thud onto the main landing platform. "Move in!" she ordered. "Create a beach head and do not compromise suit integrity!"
"Yes sir!" the soldiers said as they advanced.
More dropships flew in and deployed their compliments of troops onto the platform. All of them had atmospheric suits on to prevent the Thorian spores from infecting them. As they landed Jack grabbed her staff and began to walk towards the battle. In front of her, the trained soldiers of the Empire proved their worth against the militia forces of the Thorian cult. The cult did have a few military experts, but they put poorly trained civilians against highly trained marines.
It didn't help the cult that Jack's biotics where there as well defending the regular troops. They managed to push the cult militia back from the platform and the docking area allowing the force to set up shop. The command teams had already begun to set up radio and radar equipment as Jack moved up to them.
"What's the situation?" she asked.
"The militia are pulling back to a more defaceable position and deploying husks," one of the commanders said. "Civilians are either being armed or being sent to the ships for evac,"
"Order all ships to destroy any fleeing vessel that isn't one of ours," Jack ordered making eyes look to her. "They are going to contain Thorian spores," she defended. "We cannot let one out otherwise it's going to infect other worlds with the spores, if that happens it's going to be like a virus and spread,"
The commander simply nodded. "I know it's just," he looked down. "Hard to do,"
"I know," Jack said with sympathy. "But this is what we have to deal with as soldiers. I have my own mission, just make sure no one gets out,"
The commander nodded and relayed the orders with the reasoning. Not telling people would just cause more problems than it's worth. With that he began to issue more ordered to secure the area and the other docking areas. No one would be allowed to leave regardless of the reason. Jack then looked towards two fireteams and walked up to them.
"Teams Red and Black follow me," she said with the team nodded and followed her as they left the docking area.
OOOOO
Capitan Vilassa gritted her teeth as she got the order to shoot any craft that tried to escape without their colours. Normally, even among the Warlords, killing civilians wasn't accepted but she knew the reasons why. Virus' and bacteria that could spread so fast and infect others couldn't be allowed to leave regardless of what people tried to say or do. Her attention was taken out of her thoughts and onto one of the docks as a ship began to depart.
"Open comm channel," she ordered which the comms operator did quickly.
"Alph disable your engines and land immediately. Failure to comply and you will be fired upon," she said in her best tone of authority.
But either the ship didn't hear her or they didn't care as they continued upwards. Gritting her teeth Vilassa gave the order to fire. The thanix cannon fired cutting though the ship as if it was butter before the two sections exploded. It showered down into the abyss causing the captains of the other ships to think twice. Vilassa let a tear fall from her eye but focused on her mission. No one was going to leave.
OOOOO
Four pregnant women, two asari and two humans were forced into the thorian temple. They were gagged to prevent them from crying out in terror. The guards bringing them in then forced them onto one of four altars before locking them down. Once the women were locked in, they backed off and Shiala walked up removing her outfit. As she walked past the altars a trapdoor opened up. Tentacles rose up from the ground and the thorian arose from its hole. It wasn't like the plant like creature it was before, now it stood almost the hight of a building with tentacles protruding from the sides.
The central body of the thorian was little more than a blob with a 'face' on the front which had mouth filled with tentacles. As Shiala approached the thorian opened its 'mouth' and she walked in willingly with its mouth closing. The sacrificed screamed on their altars as a transparent section formed above its head. Shiala soon emerged but only as little more than a head and torso. Tentacles then moved up and covered the woman on the altars.
"Ahhh," Shiala moaned as she devoured them. "Perfect,"
As this finished Jack and what was left of the two squads, she brought with her emerged into the temple only for them to set their eyes on the thorian.
"What the fuck?" one of the soldiers asked as they looked at the best.
Shiala looked towards them as the thorian fully emerged. "I am the throian!" she declared "We have become one,"
As she said this the thorian's mouth opened up and several humanoids walked out. They weren't human, asari, turian or salarian but a combination of the four. There wasn't much consistency between them. One had a turian head with an asari body and the limbs of a salarian. But all had a dull flesh tone to them, making them look like undead creatures unlike the husks. 10 humanoids emerged from the mouth with varying appendages that ranged from blades to whips.
The mouth then closed and the thorian began to glow and rise from the ground. Jack's eyes widen as she looked up at the eldredge horror.
"I have consumed countless biotics," Shiala declared. "Asari, human, turian… I have tasted all and become a god,"
"A god?" Jack scoffed as a smile emerged. "Your no god! Your just an asari drunk on power!"
"Your words have no effect on me worm," the thorian countered. "It's time to die,"
As she said that the humanoids charged into a wall of fire. But the bullets bounced off their thick hides. One of the soldiers threw a grenade which took a few limbs off, but the thralls just kept coming. But a few of them were just crawling.
"Fall back," Jack ordered as she readied a smoke grenade.
The soldiers nodded as they backed up slightly. Pulling the pin, she threw the grenade and fled. Shiala just laughed in amusement, this was just pathetic.
"Time to die," she declared and began to move.
Jack and the team ran towards the docking cursing under their breath. 'What did that asari bimbo do?' Jack thought before mentally kicking herself for the bimbo part.
"Let go of my hate," she muttered under her breath, "Let go of my anger and fell the universe around me. Let it show me the way forward,"
They soon came to a stop at a tram station and looked around. The area was clear for now. Deciding to take a breather, the soldiers looked around for any useful equipment while Jack sat cross legged on the floor and closed her eyes.
"Calm, be at peace," she began. "See the universe how it is, now how it wants you to see," as she talked the soldiers looked to her surprised as Jack began to speak in an ancient asari dialect.
No one understood what she was talking about as a group of husks flooded in. Both squads took up positions and covered the entrance to the station they where in. With the area's covered, they managed to hold the husks off for a short time. Until they ran out of ammo.
"I'm dry," one of the soldiers said as he drew his knife along with the others.
One of the husks then jumped at him and tore into his throat making him scream. The husk didn't last long as the soldier blew it and himself up. Two more fell to jumping husks until Jack came to help. She ran up and threw a large biotic blast at the entrance sending a few of them back before she slammed her staff into the ground setting up a barrier. She then turned to the soldiers.
"We need to set up a bomb," she said.
OOOOO
With her thralls surrounding her Shiala could cover herself as she slowly moved across the arcology. Despite being able to float with her bitotics, she couldn't hold it for too long and being slow didn't help. But given that the Allied Warlords were staying at certain sections of the arcology, that would make it easy for her to target them. it took her a good half hour until she reached a tram stop with Jack waiting for her on the other side of the rails.
"Do you really think I'm that stupid?" she asked as she turned to face her.
Jack smiled. "No," she said as she pressed a remote and the ceiling above Shiala dropped down on her.
She screamed as the rubble fell on her making Jack smile. But she wasn't completely berried just trapped. But not for long as the tentacles moved the rubble out of the way. As she emerged her eyes locked on Jack who just stood there.
"I'm gonna kill you!" she roared but again Jack smiled.
"Maybe not today," she said as a ship fired it's thanix cannon behind her.
The beam hit the thoria and pushed her off the arcology and into the abyss below.
"See ya," she said and was about to walk away as the radio chatter suddenly went silent. "This is Jack, what's going on?"
The sound that she heard was unmistakeable, she turned to see a Reaper emerge from the abyss below and walk up the side of the arcology.
"Oh shit," she muttered.
OOOOO Around the same time as the landing.
"Are you sure about this?" Ash as she readied her assault rifle.
"Yes, if anything is left it's going to be on the on the database," Miranda said as she slid her helmet on.
Outside the Normandy approached what was left of the Cerberus HQ.