IV: HOLOCAUST - LEVIATHAN ARC

The following chapter outline details how the Leviathan DLC would have been handled.

Chapter 63: The Darkness Cannot Be Breached:

Section 1:

Chapter would have opened with Shepard's POV. Upon arriving on the Citadel, Shepard and Tali are, just as they warned, ambushed by reporters. Cue a series of hilarious and somewhat intrusive questions about their relationship, including reporters Emily Wong and Khalisah Bint-Sinan Al-Jilani. A few racist comments from Terra Firma result in a passionate speech about unity from Shepard, who then chastizes Terra Firma for their narrow-minded racism towards a species that could soon be helping them retake Earth. By the end, Shepard preaches that unity and strength will be what makes them strong: the protheans once believed uniformity is what promised security and victory, and the Reapers picked them apart with ease. In the end, victory will be assured by different strategies, not one. The reporters respect this and break off. Shepard and Tali part, Shepard heading to Bryson's lab while Tali goes off to negotiate a deal with the Salarian Union for the deployment of geth ships to aid with Operation Iron Curtain on Jaeto and Aegohr (the salarian plan to protect their space from eventual Reaper invasion).

Section 2:

Section opens from Shepard's POV. Shepard arrives at Bryson's lab, having received Hackett's message about the Leviathan. He is greeted by Bryson, who shows him around the lab and tells him about the Leviathan of Dis. Shepard frowns, stating his belief that the Leviathan of Dis was captured by the batarians and taken to Khar'Shan. Bryson replies however that the true Leviathan is not the Reaper the batarians recovered, but the creature that killed it. The wreckage of the Leviathan of Dis did not show any actual battle damage, and that the Reaper's death was actually random; its internal servers simply stopped working. Shepard asks what kind of creature could kill a Reaper like that, and Bryson says, "The true Leviathan, captain. The true Leviathan I believe is still out there, and I believe it has been for hundreds of millions of years. The clues are there, you just have to look hard enough." Before Bryson can show his evidence though, his assistant, Derek Hadley, comes in with a pistol and shoots Bryson through the heart, killing him instantly. He aims at Shepard, but the gun jams, and the assistant panics. Marcus grabs the man's wrist and breaks it, causing him to drop the pistol. He then reaches up and slams the assistant's face against the wall, knocking him out. He reaches for his omni-tool, but Hadley's unconscious body begins to speak, its voice dark and deep, "The darkness cannot be breached!" Marcus calls for C-Sec, checking for a pulse on Bryson. To his regret, he finds none, and realizes the doctor is dead.

Section 3:

Section opens from Shepard's POV. Later, C-Sec arrives, securing the lab. EDI and Tali turn up, with the latter demanding to know if Shepard is alright; he says he's fine, but states that Bryson is dead. He moves to interrogate Hadley, who says he has no idea what happened, and begins to break down when he realizes Bryson is dead. Shepard tells him that he killed Bryson, to which Hadley screams and weeps that he doesn't remember doing such a thing. Shepard is inclined to believe him, but has C-Sec take him away anyway. Shepard reveals his belief that Hadley is exhibiting tell-tale signs of indoctrination, a theory that EDI agrees with.

Section 4:

One of the C-Sec officers taking Hadley away is revealed to be a Cerberus agent named Kyle Hark. Realizing the significance of his find, he reports the development to the Illusive Man once he is alone, knowing that Cerberus will be interested in this Leviathan development.

Chapter 64: What do you see, Mr. Holmes?:

Section 1:

Chapter opens from Shepard's POV. Shepard curses as he orders C-Sec to run a sweep of the lab, with Bryson's body having already been collected by forensics and taken to the morgue. Garrus arrives, followed by Kasumi, Shepard saying that he needs their help covering the lab to find any evidence of Bryson's ventures. When asked why, he states that Bryson was onto something, and that finding the Leviathan before the Reapers do must be a priority, as Bryson believed it was important to do so. Searching the lab, Garrus eventually turns up a datapad detailing the investigations of a man named Sullivan Garneau, one of Bryson's chief scientists on Task Force Aurora. They find out that he left for an asteroid called Mahavid in the Aysur System of the Caleston Rift. He explains that Bryson sent him there to follow a lead on the Leviathan, and that this could be their first lead. Marcus agrees and has James stay behind at the lab to keep it secure and make sure nobody messes with the equipment there. The rest enter the skycar and return to the Normandy.

Section 2:

This section is from Harbinger's POV. On Earth in London, Harbinger recovers information from the Illusive Man's mind that reveals that Shepard is onto the Leviathan. Wanting to find and destroy the last of the Leviathans, he sends Foehammer, a Scarab-class swiper, to track Shepard's movements.

Section 3:

This section is from the Illusive Man's POV. The Illusive Man learns of Shepard's intentions, and contacts Banes to order him to send Randall with a squad of phantoms and dragoons to Mahavid, where he hopes to capture Sullivan Garneau, before Shepard gets there. The hope is that Cerberus can get to the Leviathan first, the Illusive Man hoping to get back at Shepard for the interference on the Citadel and Omega.

Chapter 65: Where are Thou, Garneau?:

Section 1:

Chapter opens from Shepard's POV. The Normandy arrives over Mahavid, unknowingly with Foehammer in tow, who hides in the asteroid belt. Shepard, along with Tali and Keeling, deploy on the shuttle onto Mahavid, only for Foehammer to begin deploying forces all over the asteroid in an attempt to find Garneau before he does. The squad manages to break through the Reaper forces congregating at the entrance, and seal the door behind them. Once inside, they begin to investigate the T-GES Mineral Works facility after receiving a cold, monotone reception from the receptionists. They ask where Garneau is, but noone seems to possess the necessary information, as they repeatedly claim they do not know who Garneau is. Fed up with a lack of answers, Marcus has Tali hack one of the mainframe terminals in the manager's office to find a passenger manifest. They uncover deleted video footage of Garneau's freighter arriving, accompanied by an incident report stating that Garneau was wounded in the mines and taken to the facility's medbay. With that in mind, Marcus, Tali and Keeling head for the medbay.

Section 2:

Section opens from Randall's POV. Randall's shuttle arrives in system to find Foehammer besieging Mahavid, but are oblivious to the Normandy's presence. With this in mind, they descend upon Mahavid, unaware that Foehammer has intentionally let them through as it recognizes them as indoctrinated agents. Randall orders his men to avoid a confrontation with Shepard if possible, as their mission is a quick snatch-and-grab, and fighting Shepard's squad when they appear would only delay them. Randall mentally expresses elation that Leng is not present for the operation.

Chapter 66: Race for Three:

Chapter opens from Shepard's POV. The squad manage to sneak their way into the medbay, where they eventually find Garneau's room. Unable to access the room directly, they approach it from the glass observation window, with Shepard knocking on the window. Garneau immediately wakes up, turning towards them with confusion. Shepard states that he is there to help him get out, and Garneau thanks him, albeit something is off about the man; he seems just as monotone as the other miners. Tali then appears with a datapad, saying that there is an unsent message from Garneau that reveals that he is worried for his life. Garneau demands to know where she found it, and begins to get violent. Finally, he lunges at the window, banging his fists angrily on it. Marcus asks him to calm down, but suddenly Garneau's voice changes, sounding like the dark and deep tone that Derek had, stating that "The darkness cannot breached!" once more. He then grabs the bed, suddenly possessing superhuman strength as he picks it up and tosses it through the window, shattering the glass. Shepard and Tali immediately drop to the ground, but the bed clips Keeling, sending her flying into the window opposite them, cracking the glass. The bed falls onto the ground, with Keeling landing in a heap, groaning. Garneau leaps through the window, running off down the corridor. Shepard yells at him to stop, but he does not listen and he runs outside, towards the exit. Shepard and Tali immediately stand, with Keeling also standing, albeit slightly bruised. They pursue Garneau outside and continue to chase him towards the elevator leading into the mines when Foehammer deploys more Reaper troops, led by a Banshee. Despite initially struggling, Shepard, Tali and Keeling kill the Reaper forces, and continue their pursuit of Garneau.

Section 2:

This section opens with Randall's POV. Randall and his squad arrive inside the base, where the miners openly order them to leave, stating that the darkness cannot be breached: as part of their warning, they make a passing mention of "previous visitors seeking Garneau", and Randall realizes Shepard has somehow gotten to Mahavid before they did. Eventually, the miners charge the squad all at once, and Randall has them all gunned down before rushing towards the medbay. Cursing his luck, he orders his men to spread out, hoping to cover all possible exits while he heads for the med bay alone.

Section 3:

Section opens from Shepard's POV. Shepard decides to take the stairs down to the mines, as he wants to catch up with Garneau as soon as possible. In his rush, he leaves Keeling and Tali behind, but blasts through the husks regardless. Finally, he reaches the bottom of the mines, where he finds Garneau next to a glowing white orb. Husks surround him and begin to converge on all sides. Garneau notices him, once again chanting that the darkness cannot be breached before detonating a grenade he had been holding, the blast consuming Garneau, the orb and the husks around him. Dazed by the explosion, Marcus gets up just as Tali and Keeling arrive. He tells them that Garneau is dead, and was exhibiting tendencies much like those of indoctrinated agents. More miners emerge, but this time appear confused. When Marcus mentions the Reapers, they ask what Reapers are, and when asked what the year is, they say it is 2176; ten years ago. This proves to Marcus that the miners have been indoctrinated for ten years. Marcus contacts Cortez for a pickup, telling the squad that he plans on telling Hackett about the state of Mahavid.

Section 4:

This section opens from Randall's POV. Randall and his squad, after fruitlessly searching the mining facility, watch as Foehammer's troops begin to pull out, realizing they are too late. Cursing, Randall orders the shuttle to be brought around for extraction, only to receive an update on Ann Bryson: Dr. Bryson's daughter. She is on Namakli, and he is ordered to get to the planet before Shepard does. The Illusive Man sends him a squad of Shadow Force troopers, knowing the importance of getting to Leviathan before Shepard. Randall, knowing he must be well and truly ahead of Shepard this time, leaps on the opportunity to strike first, and leaves on the shuttle with the rest of his team.

Chapter 67: Back to Square One:

Section 1:

Chapter opens from Shepard's POV. Arriving back at Bryson's lab several days later, Shepard, EDI, Tali and Garrus walk in, rousing a tired James from his sleep, who has set up his bed in the middle of the lab. They inform James that Garneau is dead, and that they once again have no leads. James curses their luck, which Shepard concedes. While aimlessly looking around, Shepard notices an orb on top of a stand that looks exactly like the one on Mahavid. Feeling an ache in his head that he recognizes, he orders Tali to raise the containment shield around that orb. The quarian does so, and once the field is up, the ache in his head lifts. Shepard explains that he believes the orb acts a signal booster for the indoctrination, which was how the miners were able to break free when the orb was destroyed. Garrus begins to truly wonder if they really want to find Leviathan, as it seems more and more that the creature might be a Reaper itself. While looking around, Kasumi appears out of cloak, holding a picture frame in her hand. The picture is of a young woman, and the thief explains that it is signed as Ann Bryson, Garret Bryson's daughter. Shepard frowns at this, wondering whether or not Ann could give them any leads. EDI runs a scan on Bryson's computer, and finds information pertaining to a Project Basilisk; Garneau's operation on Mahavid. However, she also found information on Project: Beowulf, although any information on it was wiped from the server by Derek Hadley before he murdered Bryson. Shepard wonders where she could have gone, when EDI stumbles across information on a ship called the Icarus, a Athabasca-class freighter. Garrus also finds that the equipment locker has been emptied, and that it usually consists of EVA equipment. With this information, and given the amount of fuel the Icarus was filled with, EDI manages to narrow her location down to Namakli in the Zaherin System, Pylos Nebula. With this information, Shepard has James stay back again, despite the marine's grumbling. He jokes that he'll at least have Kasumi for company, as the thief will be staying behind as well. Everyone else leaves with Shepard.

Section 2:

Section opens from the Illusive Man's POV. The Illusive Man learns of Shepard's new lead, and relays this information to Randall and his team, who is one day out from Namakli, giving them fair warning. This unknowingly also allows Foehammer to once again preemptively launch an assault on Namakli, with Foehammer tracking the Deliverance.

Chapter 68: Asset, Lost and Found:

Section 1:

Chapter opens from Ann Bryson's POV. While working with her cohorts in their prefab buildings on Namakli, Ann and her team are ambushed by Randall and his Shadow Force unit, and their hired ExoGeni security team is immediately overrun and killed, forcing Ann and her colleagues to surrender. Randall begins interrogating her, demanding to know where the Leviathan is, despite her inability to tell her. He kills one of her colleagues, insisting that she cannot continue to play dumb. She refuses in spite of this, refusing to compromise the war effort. Just when Randall is about to execute another of her colleagues, they are interrupted when Foehammer arrives and begins besieging the area. Forced to move, Randall orders his Shadow Force unit to grab Ann and the scientists and head for the extraction point.

Section 2:

This section opens from Shepard's POV. The Normandy arrives over Namakli, and Shepard, with Javik, Garrus and Moses, deploy onto the ground to save Ann, oblivious to Randall's presence until coming across their shuttle. They dash across the collapsing structures as harvesters continue to bombard the area, desperate to reach Ann first. They battle husks, harvesters and the odd Cerberus soldier as they make their way across the deteriorating landscape.

Section 3:

Section opens from Randall's POV. Randall and his team are escorting Ann back to their shuttle, his men dying as the structures fall apart around them and harvesters continue to bombard them. He eventually reaches the kodiak, only to watch as Cortez arrives, his kodiak destroying Randall's. Shepard suddenly appears, killing one of the Shadow Force soldiers from behind before grabbing Ann and pulling her to safety, using suppression fire to keep Randall and the rest of his squad pinned. Randall and his men, completely surrounded, move to retreat. He engages Shepard in a brief hand-to-hand, until the both of them are seperated by a descending Harvester. They temporarily join forces to bring it down, before Marcus turns and catches Randall offguard with a pistol whip. When his squad is finished slaughtering the remaining Cerberus, they reach a shuttle extraction point. Randall appears and opens fire on the shuttle, but they manage to escape regardless, and in a bout of quick thinking, the Cerberus soldier tosses a tracker onto the retreating shuttle. He watches calmly as the shuttle extracts into the atmosphere. Realizing he is the only survivor of his team, he calls the Deliverance for extraction, his shuttle destroyed by the attacking Reaper forces.

Chapter 69: The Darkness Crawls:

Section 1:

Chapter opens from Shepard's POV. Arriving back at Bryson's lab on the Citadel, Ann is still reeling from learning about her father's death. Despite this, she manages to overcome her grief to offer Shepard an idea; if he drops the containment shield around the orb, she can allow the Leviathan to seize control of her, and thus allow EDI to triangulate the signal and trace it to its source. Shepard asks if that'll work, to which EDI states it will, as the orb is simply used as a transmitter to project the indoctrination; a transmission that leaves behind a signal and, therefore, a trace. James is reluctant to allow this, but Ann overrules him, begging Shepard to let her do so. He agrees, but has James hold her down so she does not get too violent. Sitting her down, they drop the field, and the Leviathan seizes control of Ann, taunting Shepard. EDI manages to successfully triangulate the position, and the field is put back in place. EDI informs Shepard that the Leviathan is located on 2181 Despoina in the Psi Tophet System of the Sigurd's Cradle Cluster. Kasumi then appears, revealing that she found a Cerberus spy eavesdropping on them, and that she has dealt with him, confirming to Shepard how Foehammer and Cerberus was able to predict their moves. Shepard finally orders James to accompany them as they return to the Normandy to finally solve the mystery, with James giving a 'whoop' of excitement as he finally gets to take part in the operation.

Section 2:

This section opens from Shepard's POV. The Normandy arrives over Despoina, and the shuttle is deployed to the surface with the full squad. On the way there, Garrus once again asks if Leviathan is an ally worth having, to which Shepard says that "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," ending the conversation. Cortez informs them that Leviathan's signature is coming from several miles under the ocean, and begins to descend into the water. The shuttle is hit by a massive EMP pulse, which causes the shuttle to crash on the hull of a wrecked starship, and look out across the stormy ocean as they observe the hundreds of wrecked ships; Garrus remarks that its like the Collector Base all over again. Written along the ship's side is the name 'MSV Monarch' which Shepard states makes the ship well over thirty years old, as the Monarch was a B7-class exploration craft deployed by the Alliance just before the Relay 314 Incident. Cortez informs them that the shuttle cannot take off anymore, and that if he tries to take off again, there's a chance of the same EMP pulse taking them down again. Shepard acknowledges this just as Foehammer arrives over Despoina, dropping Reaper forces all over the ship. Marcus and his squad battle the Reaper forces while trying to find a way to reach Leviathan; meanwhile, Cortez goes about restoring power to the shuttle. Finally, they manage to find several, still functional Triton mechs; Marcus boards one, surprised that it still has power, but realizes that the mech is rated for deep-sea exploration. He orders his squad to hold the fort while he dives down to confront the Leviathan. Keeling is skeptical as to how he will get back, but Marcus rationalizes that they can worry about that later. After reassuring Tali that he will be alright, he takes the dive.

Section 3:

This section is from Randall's POV. As the Deliverance enters the system and enters orbit over Despoina, the shuttle is deployed and rushes towards the location of Shepard's shuttle. Upon arriving however, their shuttle is taken out by the same EMP that crippled Shepard's shuttle, and they soon crash land opposite Shepard's squad's position. Advancing forward, they quickly engage each other, Randall eying off a nearby Triton mech. Seeing as Shepard is not present, and it looks like one of the Triton mechs is missing, Randall makes the reasonable guess that Shepard has taken one of the mechs to the ocean floor to find the Leviathans. With a mission to complete, Randall activates one of the mechs, pilots it and then dives into the water, pursuing Shepard.

Section 4:

From Tali's POV. Fighting off both Cerberus and Reaper forces (who are also fighting each other), Tali watches Randall emerge and head for one of the Triton mechs. She fires at him, but is unable to stop him as he gets into the mech and quickly heads for the edge of the ship. With no alternative, Tali improvizes and quickly hacks the mech, uploading one of her virus programs just as Randall dives into the water, disappearing. Tali tries to warn Shepard through the comms, but is unable to reach him, as he is too far below.

Chapter 70: The Darkness Has Been Breached:

Section 1:

This section is from Shepard's POV. Shepard descends into Despoina's ocean slowly and gradually, eventually losing contact with his squad on the surface altogether. Reaching the bottom, he traverses the sea floor until he finds a cavern under the ground, where he finally confronts the Leviathan. It seizes control of his mind, speaking to him through Jacob, Mordin, Thane and Legion. It reveals its name as Bellerophon, and that it is not a Reaper, but rather one of the last members of the species that birthed the Reapers. Its race, known as the Leviathans, ruled the galaxy billions of years ago, keeping other, "lower" races in check. It explains that those times were full of chaos, as the other races were free to evolve and develop technology. During those times, races were able to develop weapons of mass destruction capable of wiping out solar systems, creating armies of nanonmachines, or terraforming planets. The Leviathans, viewing themselves as the "Apex Race" also tried to spread into another galaxy called Andromeda, but were driven out after five bloody conflicts with the technologically equal Jardaan. By the end, the Leviathans were finally forced to create the Great Intelligence at an artificial planet called Infinity in dark space in order to find a solution to stopping the organics from destroying each other. In that moment, the Great Intelligence betrayed them, creating an army of hyper-advanced machines called the Nazara, known then as the Proto-Reapers, at Infinity. It reasoned that it was not organics that needed saving, but the galaxy from the organics. As a solution to both problems, it decided that all organic races needed to be destroyed periodically to ensure that a level of technology such as the one possessed can never be reached, and therefore preserving the galaxy. As a result, all races were harvested, with the Leviathans being first; the Leviathans, now harvested, became the first Reaper: Harbinger. The Great Intelligence then transported Infinity into the Widow system, where the Citadel was built around it; the artificial planet was broken down, with only its core being kept for the Citadel. As the cycles perputuated, more and more Reapers were created, therefore replacing more of the Proto-Reapers. Fifteen cycles later, the Proto-Reapers were made obsolete and entirely replaced by the "perfected" Reapers. Bellerophon explains that only seven Leviathans are left, and they live on Despoina, which used to be called Gregana Prima; their homeworld. Marcus, after a long argument with Bellerophon, eventually convinces the Leviathans to rise up and fight with the UGC to destroy the Reapers. Bellerophon agrees, but says it is "doing it because the Reapers are traitors, and that we are the true apex race." With that, they free Shepard's mind, allowing him to return to the surface. Before he can however, the Leviathans warn him of a new presence, and Shepard turns the mech around just in time to watch as Randall arrives in his own mech. Shepard tries to convince Randall to stand down, but he refuses. The two of them fight in hand-to-hand in the mechs, but just as Randall seems to gain the upperhand, his mech begins to malfunction as a result of Tali's program, which quickly causes his mech to seize up. Moments later, the pressurization of the mech destabilizes, and the canopy opens. Randall screams as water pours into his mech and, as a combination of the intense water pressure, he is liquified and crushed in an instant. The Leviathans declare their amusement at the gesture, and Shepard makes his way back towards the surface.

Section 2:

This section is from Garrus' POV. On the surface, his squad are still fighting Reaper forces (with Randall's squad wiped out) when Shepard returns to the surface, leaving the Triton only to collapse to the ground, exhausted. Tali rescues him just before a Brute can crush him. As they run away, the Brute behind them suddenly stops moving, as do the rest of the Reaper forces. Looking on in confusion, the Reaper forces turn around and walk away slowly, and Marcus explains that Leviathan has used the orbs to seize control of them. With this in mind, they board the shuttle and ascend into the atmosphere. Foehammer descends in an attempt to kill them, but the Leviathans take control of Foehammer as well, dragging the Reaper under the water. Shepard tells the squad that Randall Ezno is dead, and the Leviathans have joined the war.

Chapter 71: Lamentations:

Section 1:

This chapter opens from Shepard's POV. Back on the Normandy, Shepard explains to Hackett who the Leviathans are, and that they will join the UGC against the Reapers. Hackett states he will dispatch troops to recover the orbs and distribute them across the galaxy, explaining that such power on their side will really turn the tide of the war. Shepard agrees and cuts the connection. Afterwards, Shepard confides with his crew in a meeting, explaining that while he believes the Leviathans are going to be difficult to trust, they are an undeniable asset that the UGC cannot afford to turn down. The crew agrees. Moment between Shepard and Tali.

Section 2:

This section opens from Corinthus' POV. A week later, leading an attack on Menae, his krogan, turian and batarian troops watch in astonishment as a Reaper Destroyer turns on another destroyer, firing at it and slicing the Reaper in half, before proceeding to bombard its own huskified forces. The husks also turn on each other, tearing each other to pieces, and forcing the Reapers to fall back until the indoctrinated Destroyer is eliminated. After all is done, Commander Osei Rentola of the STG appears to speak with Corinthus, explaining that an old species has an old score to settle with the Reapers. The turian general begins to wonder what other surprises Shepard has in store for them: first an alliance with the krogan, now the Reaper's own creators. Corinthus can't help but laugh.

Section 3:

This section is from Anderson's POV. Anderson and his chapter of the resistance arrive in London, as do the majority of the resistance forces from across the world. He meets with Coats, who further explains the situation. He heads to the top of a building to observe the Beam that Coats is talking about, and marvels at the size of Harbinger, who is standing guard at the Beam itself. Anderson realizes that without UGC assistance soon, attacking that Beam will be suicide. He heads back inside their new HQ, beginning to plan with Coats for the resistance's increased operations in London.

A/N:

And that's the Leviathan arc. I felt Cerberus wouldn't be able to resist getting involved in the hunt for an asset like the Leviathan, so having them involved seemed appropriate. It also gave me a chance to give Randall more of the spotlight, as Leng seems to get more of it whenever the two are present. And considering Randall dies in this arc, giving him the spotlight and making him the villain of this arc was even more necessary. I also feel that ME3 didn't take into account just how much of a game changer the Leviathans are for the war effort, and that would've been heavily emphasized in the final battle.

Next outline post will be the Thessia-Horizon plot.