IV: HOLOCAUST - CLONE CRISIS ARC
The following chapter outline details how the Citadel DLC would have been handled.
Chapter 77: That's Very Generous:
Section 1:
Chapter would have opened up from Shepard's POV. Upon returning to the Citadel, Shepard asks if Miranda can join his crew; Miranda agrees, saying that Oriana wants to help in the refugee camps, freeing up Miranda to join him. He nods but before he can say anything else, Hackett contacts him and informs him that the Normandy has been grounded. Outraged by the unexpected action (and understandably fearing a repeat of the Council's actions three years prior), Shepard is about to deman an explanation when Hackett states that he is putting every single member of the Normandy on shore leave, including Shepard. Despite his objections, Hackett is insistent, and tells Shepard that he has already booked Anderson's apartment for both Shepard and Tali. Shepard, remarking he has no choice, says goodbye to Miranda as he leaves to pick up Tali and check out the apartment.
Section 2:
Section opens from Tali's POV. Later, Shepard and Tali turn up at the apartment, with Tali marvelling at all the space. The two of them explore for a bit until Shepard gets a message. Looking at it, he sees it is from Joker, who has invited him to a sushi bar. Shepard says he is just going off to have lunch with Joker in the Silversun Strip, and he will return later; he kisses Tali on the hood as he leaves.
Section 3:
Section opens from Shepard's POV. Arriving at the sushi place, he arrives to find a queue, but the waiter waves him through and takes him to Joker's table. The two of them talk about their new shore leave, ending with Joker asking why Shepard invited him here. Shepard states he got an invitation from Joker, but the pilot retorts by saying he never sent any invitation. Someone named Brooks turns up, who begins to hurriedly warn them that someone wishes Shepard dead and is currently hacking his accounts and stealing personal information. Joker remarks that she'll have to be more specific as to "enemies wanting Shepard dead", but Brooks elaborates that isn't Cerberus or the Reapers. At that moment, a squad of mercenaries suddenly appear, holding the restuarant hostage. Shepard flips a table and orders Joker to leave and find help. Using him as bait, Shepard lures one of the mercenaries over and disarms him, taking his pistol and steadily taking out the mercenaries while following Brooks out of the restaurant. Just as they reach the entrance, another mercenary appears and shoots Brooks in the leg, before emptying more shots into the floor; which is a fish tank. The tank shatters, and Shepard enters freefall as he plummets into the Wards below.
Chapter 78: Threat Assessment:
Section 1:
Chapter opens from Shepard's POV. Shepard lands in the Wards below, and begins to traverse the area with Brooks' help. Coming across a locked down door, Shepard uses his spectre access to unlock it and continue. More mercenaries arrive in an attempt to kill Shepard, but he manages to kill them all. Eventually, Tali contacts him, telling him that Joker informed her of what was happening. Brooks tells her to be quiet, but Tali bites back, confused at who she was. She states she is coming to help, and Shepard gives her his coordinates. Garrus follows suit a moment later, and before they know it, the entire squad is on their way. Continuing to fight through the mercenaries, he reaches a car dealer shop, where Tali is finishing off a squad of the mercs. She asks if he is okay, beginning to fuss, before he finally gets her to back off. She tells him she didn't have enough time to grab his armor, but did grab his rifle, giving it to him. Moving into the car dealership, they find a volus cowering, not letting them outside by opening the doors. Shepard begins to threaten the volus, when Tali uses a more polite approach, which convinces the volus to open the doors. The volus quietly asks them to leave, and Tali smugly swaggers past Shepard and towards the door. The two of them arrive outside, where a shuttle with C-Sec colors arrive. They move to board it, when the hatch opens, and another squad of mercs are waiting, firing upon them. They duck into cover just as Wrex arrives, leaping from an above balcony onto the shuttle. His weight drags the shuttle into the ground, and he jumps off, and then charges into the shuttle, killing everyone inside. More mercenaries arrive and, together, the three of them fight them off until Joker arrives in another shuttle, and picks them up. Shepard orders the squad to redirect to his apartment.
Section 2:
Section opens from Shepard's POV. Arriving back at his apartment, Shepard, Tali and Wrex question Brooks on just who is trying to kill them. Brooks hurriedly explains that she's working with the SIA, and that she was put in charge of logistics and communications on the Citadel. She then goes on to state that she detected an intrusion in the system, and that someone had hurriedly copied Shepard's credentials and information. The intent was unknown, but Brooks had immediately gone to warn Shepard upon realizing that C-Sec had also been hacked, and that Shepard had been tracked the moment he landed on the Citadel. She explains that she does not know who is trying to kill him, as the person responsible covered their tracks well. As the rest of the squad arrives, with Moses comically struggling to get through the doorway, Shepard elects to contact Bailey. Brooks warns against doing that, as the person responsible has already hacked C-Sec and could likely track him. With no leads, Liara suggests with starting with the pistol Shepard ecovered from the mercenary; it is a military-grade weapon, but heavily modified. Next, Liara decides to track down the weapon's point of origin. Shepard hands her the weapon, and Liara takes EDI and Brooks with her to help with investigating their lead. Brooks is estactic to be working with a member of the Normandy crew, and excitedly runs to join them. Shepard spends time with Joker, Garrus, Kasumi, Tali and Wrex, the first four of which complain about Shepard destroying the sushi bar, while Wrex simply shrugs and thanks Shepard for interrupting an otherwise boring Council meeting. When asked, the krogan simply replies that he was meeting with the Council to discuss a krogan embassy when he heard the reports and rushed to help. The entire group is grateful for Wrex's return, and Garrus remarks, "For once, it really is like old times."
Section 3:
Section opens from Shepard's POV. Liara, EDI and Brooks summon the group, informing them that they have a lead. Liara explains that she had what agents she had on the Citadel run a sweep on any information they could on the gun, which led them to a human casino owner named Elijah Khan; she clarifies that he's been a suspect of C-Sec for quite a few weapons for his illegal weapon smuggling, although C-Sec was never able to successfully bust him. She then goes onto show them a recording of a call her agents intercepted that happened immediately after the attempt on Shepard's life. It shows Elijah Khan declaring to a mysterious figure with a deep, electronic voice modifier that he will be ceasing all contact with the mysterious figure due to him being unaware of what he had planned to do. He then cuts off the mysterious figure, threatening to release his identity if he tries to kill him. Shepard suggests allying with Khan, but Liara suggests that Khan would panic the moment he saw him; she explains that his casino has a panic room. Garrus pipes up, saying that EDI could hack it. Shepard ventually comes to an agreement that to get to Khan, they have to play stealthy; no firefights. Kasumi, being an expert on such things, suggests blending in with the crowd; Miranda seconds this suggestion. Glyph speaks up, stating that the casino will be hosting a charity event to assist war refugees within a week. She orders Glyph to bring up a layout of the building. Liara suggests using the ventilation shaft to cross the casino and hack the panic room directly, and suggests EDI do it. EDI counters that she has unregistered hardware that would be easily detected by the alarms in the shaft, and that her existence as an AI mech would arouse suspicion. Tali concedes, saying that her suit would also have tech in her suit that would be picked up by the sensors in the shaft, and that quarians of all people would be the most likely to be "suspected." Brooks obliviously signs up for the task, and despite initial objections, eventually agrees to help. Shepard reassures her by saying that almost the entire squad will be present in the casino, blending in by one way or another. James complains about the lack of action, as to which both Wrex and Javik comply with agreement. Tali turns to Moses, telling the geth that he will have to stay behind; the geth acknowledges. Shepard declares that he wants Garrus and Wrex up in the bar on the top floor; Garrus is to blend in with the crowd and attempt to flirt just to keep up his role, while Wrex pretends to get "drunk" at the bar opposite him. James and Tali are to pretend to be a couple making bets at the varren races, as to which James grumbles. Shepard glares at Kasumi and insists she does not steal anything, and that she will run recon and warn them if any guards get suspicious. Liara will go around asking people to sign a petition, pretending to be a professor of archaelogy, which he remarks shouldn't be difficult for her. Cortez will be a "rookie" bartender. Samara, Javik and EDI will wait in a skycar outside, ready to move if things go wrong. As for Shepard and Miranda,they will host themselves as a rich married couple, looking to make a difference for the refugees. Tali is quick to object to this, but Shepard promises her that if any kissing is required, it will only be as a last resort. With this stated, Liara orders Glyph to order some tickets, while Tali drags Shepard away, reasoning that if she can't come with him to the casino, she can at least help him choose the clothing.
Chapter 79: Casino Royale:
Section 1:
Chapter opens from Garrus' POV. Garrus arrives at the casino, taking a seat at the bar as he awkwardly adjusts his suit. Getting into his role, he angrily glares as a krogan (Wrex) stomps in, angry and flustered, before landing at the bar. The krogan slams his fist on the table; the agreed signal to establish he was in position. Garrus acknowledged this, tapping his wrist to signify to Kasumi (who he knew was in cloak behind him) that he too was in position. With that, he quickly orders a drink.
Section 2:
Section is from James' POV. James awkwardly escorts Tali to the varren races, where the two of them exchange awkward, forced flirts to make themselves look like a couple; a few minutes later, and Tali has won most of the races, and James angrily defends her when one of the salarians accuse her of cheating. Tali quietly compliments him on a job well done, and he replies that he picked up a few things from Keeling, albeit remembering this sadly. He asks if Tali did legitimately cheat, and the quarian is silent for a few moments. They both laugh.
Section 3:
Section is from Shepard's POV. Shepard and Miranda arrive, arm in arm, with Miranda wearing a long, slender red dress. The two of them are engaging in conversation with a school teacher when Liara appears, already taking her role as a professor. After a lecture, she hands out datapads to the teacher and the couple, and then leaves without another word. Shepard and Miranda look at their datapad, and find that it has an essay on it regarding the Therum ruins: 'Therum' is Liara's code word to let them know everyone is in position. Placing their datapad on the counter, the two of them sit and wave over the bartender, Cortez. He orders a palvanese blood wine; his own signal to tell Cortez to tell Brooks that everyone is in position and ready, and that she can move in on the target. They then wait, Shepard and Miranda engaging in awkward, forced banter. Shepard tenses up when he sees a security guard practically dragging Tali over to a corner for a pat down search, only for James to step in, calming the situation.
Chapter 80: Just Attending A Party:
Section 1:
Chapter opens from Garrus' POV. Upstairs, Garrus takes another drink when he sees Brooks arrive at the top of the stairs. With a cough, he stands up and moves towards Brooks, immediately assuming the role of an abusive drunk. He pretends to harass Brooks sexually, while Brooks pretends to rebuke his fake advances. Eventually, she calls for the guard near the grate, who moves and deals with Garrus, allowing Brooks to sneak past, open the vent and sneak inside, closing it behind her. Seeing this, Garrus gives up and lets the guard escort him back to the bar, where he sits down again. Turning, he is startled to see Kasumi sitting beside him, sipping at a drink of her own; he is double surprised to see her wearing a dress instead of her usual attire, with no hood. She grins at him, and she asks him to flirt with her. He tells her that she's supposed to be performing recon, but she states she's got her cloak on her and she won't be long. She then proceeds to ask him to dance with her, to which he is reluctant, but eventually convinced. The two of them dance, where Garrus demonstrates surprisingly good dancing skills (basically think the FemShep/Garrus romance exclusive dance scene in the DLC, and replace FemShep with Kasumi). Afterwards, he briefly pecks her on the lips, to which she smiles; Wrex sarcastically claps from the opposite bar, before slamming his fist down once more, demanding more ryncol.
Section 2:
Section is from Shepard's POV. At the bar where Shepard and Miranda are, an asari tries to woo and flirt with him. To cement their role and truly make them look like a married couple, Miranda grabs Shepard and kisses him passionately; Shepard is more than a little ashamed to admit that he likes it, but isn't disappointed when she pulls away. This makes the asari leave, and Miranda apologizes to Shepard, stating there was no other way; Shepard commends her quick thinking, and Cortez informs them that Brooks has run into trouble; there is a guard below her, and any sudden movements will alert him. Coming up with an idea, Shepard tells Miranda to pass a message onto Tali and James.
Section 3:
Section is from James' POV. Cortez approaches James, telling him quietly to have Tali distract the guard directly ahead of them. James nods, and passes the message to the quarian, who nods. Immediately coming up with an idea, Tali says she's about to do something "incredibly ironic." She then proceeds to move up and blatantly steal one of the bettor's wallets, running off with it. The man notices and orders the guard to stop her, who Tali stealthily runs past. The guard immediately chases after her, calling for reinforcements. James grins, and moves over to the bar to inform Shepard.
Section 4:
Section is from Tali's POV. Tali, hiding, asks for Kasumi to meet her at the stairs with her cloak. Three more guards appear, notice Tali, and the chase continues. Kasumi meets her at the top, and hands the quarian her cloak, telling her to look after it before giving her a peck on the hood. Tali compliments Kasumi on the dress, before activating the cloak and disappearing. The guards arrive, asking Kasumi where Tali is, to which the thief simply replies that she has no idea what they're talking about. After the guards run back down the stairs, Kasumi turns to Garrus to see a turian female trying to flirt with him. Rolling her eyes, she returns to the turian.
Chapter 81: Twists and Turns:
Section 1:
Chapter opens from Samara's POV. Samara, EDI and Javik wait in the skycar. Javik eventually gets into an argument with EDI over the trustworthiness of machine life. Javik tells her to shut up, calling her nothing but an emotionless machine. The two of them enter an argument that Samara abruptly ends, telling them to keep silent and watching out for hostiles. Javik capitulates to EDI's point, but makes a comment about the smell. Samara wrinkles her nose, saying she can't smell anything. Javik sniffs for a moment more, before saying 'aaaahh' and chuckling, stating he can smell the asari's perfume. Samara asks why that is important, and Javik quite casually reveals that protheans liked it for the extra tangy aroma it gave to cooked asari meat. Samara, unperturbed but slightly disgusted, simply returns to her meditations.
Section 2:
Section opens from James' POV. Brooks announces to Cortez through a comm piece that she is in position and hacking the door, but that a few guards are heading in her direction. James offers to handle it, and leaves. James waves the guards over, pretending to be drunk. He starts a punch out with the guards, with seven more guards arriving and eventually taking James down. He looks up, smiling as he watches Brooks enter the room, having successfully hacked the interface while he is arrested.
Section 3:
Section is from Shepard's POV. Cortez is contacted by Brooks, who tells Shepard they have a problem. Shepard, watching as James is escorted out of the building by security, takes Miranda with him and pretends to head for the toilet. Once out of sight, they immediately head for Khan's panic room. Inside, they find out that Elijah Khan was killed before Brooks could get inside, and that she would guess that he's been dead only a few minutes, meaning someone beat them to it; there is a bullet hole through his head. Brooks finds a deletion order on the terminal, but before she can mentally beat herself up Shepard finds a slip up; a ghost trace on the comm link to the mysterious figure was left behind, allowing Shepard to call the mysterious figure. The figure does not reveal their identity, but promises to kill Shepard, no matter what it takes, before cutting the connection. Shepard orders them to remove the drives, as well as contact the rest of the squad and tell them to return to his apartment, while he ponders who the mysterious figure could be, convinced it can't be the Illusive Man.
Chapter 82: You Got Me There:
Section 1:
Chapter opens from Shepard's POV. Back at the apartment, Liara, EDI and Brooks once again begin to analyze the data drives while the rest of the squad lingers around the apartment. At that moment, a knock is heard on the door, and the squad draws their weapons. They lower them however when they look through the surveillance camera to see Grunt, Jack and Zaeed waiting outside, asking to come in. Shepard asks what they are doing here, when Grunt, Jack and Zaeed tell him that Hackett asked them to be here due to their original affiliation with the Normandy crew, saying they too were given shore leave. They ask what is going on, and after being given the rundown, agree to help. Accepting this, the crew talk when Liara summons them, saying they found something in the drives. Here, Brooks reveals that they cracked a series of files on the drives that listed a series of weapons and armor purchases; she also states that one mech was purchased, the data stamp of which corresponds with the date one of the left over Cerberus Atlas mechs from the Citadel Siege disappeared from the C-Sec inventory, suggesting that these mercs operate more like ex-military than they do actual mercenaries. Liara reveals that the mercenaries call themselves the CAT6, which is a PMC (private military corporation). She reveals that they call themselves CAT6 because all its members are Alliance Category 6; marines and soldiers who were dishonorably discharged for a number of reasons, ranging from misconduct, insubordination, drug abuse, alcoholism, etc; this explains their almost military prowess. Glyph interrupts, stating that Shepard's Spectre access was just used at the Citadel Archives. Just as Shepard orders everyone to grab their gear (including Grunt, Jack and Zaeed), he turns to see a volus pizzaman arrive. James reveals that he was hungry, and ordered some pizza to eat while they waited; double pepperoni. Shepard just glares at James, before agreeing to pay for it, taking a slice for himself before leaving.
Section 2:
Section is from Shepard's POV. A flight of skycars fly toward the Archives. Inside, the human squad members eat the pizza James bought, with Shepard praising the marine's choice. Tali comments that the pizza doesn't look particularly appetizing, and Javik concurs that "the quarian and I can finally agree on something." They reach for seconds, but find that the entire box is gone. Looking up, they watch as Grunt goes through the final stages of munching on the box, before swallowing, commenting that it tastes like varren ass. Cortez jokingly comments that it had something to do with eating the box, to which Grunt shrugs. The skycars arrive at the Archives, and the squad deploys, with Shepard splitting them into three teams; Team Mako, Team Hammerhead and Team Scorpion: Team Scorpion is Shepard, Tali, Zaeed and Grunt. Team Mako is Wrex, James, Garrus, Jack and Moses. Team Hammerhead is EDI, Kasumi, Samara, Miranda, Liara, Brooks and Javik. Once split into these teams, Kasumi asks how they plan to get inside the Archives. James proposes using a bomb, and blows open a rear access hatch. Wrex charges in first, followed by everyone else. Entering a room, Team Scorpion engages the CAT6 on the ground floor, while Team Hammerhead attacks from the left balcony and Team Mako from the right. All of them banter as they tear the CAT6 mercs apart. Eventually, Brooks is captured in the commotion, and held at gunpoint by the mysterious figure (wearing a full-body helmet) wearing heavy body armor and a pistol that he holds to the side of Brooks' face; he orders them to drop their weapons just as CAT6 mercs swarm from all around them. Not wanting Brooks to be hurt, Shepard orders everyone to drop their weapons on the ground, and hold their hands up; everyone complies. Seeing this, the mysterious figure tosses Brooks aside and leaps from the balcony onto the ground, before moving towards Shepard and stopping infront of him. Shepard snarkily demands he reveal his face and stop hiding; the figure chuckles, removing his helmet and pinning it under one arm as he says, "I'm Captain Shepard, I never hide." The whole squad looks on in shock as they find that the mysterious figure is a perfect replica of their captain. The figure reveals that he was one of five other clones that were part of a secret project called Project Masked Shadow: a companion project to Lazarus. He tells them that it was a project the Illusive Man ordered done without Miranda's awareness; the five clones were to be used to produce replacement organs if any of the ones used for Shepard's resurrection failed to work and needed substitutes; all the clones were used for was this purpose. However, only two of these clones were fully alive and healthy humans like Shepard, with the same memories and everything, but lacked skin and were held in incubator tanks just like the one they found Grunt in, while the other three clones were bodies used for the sole purpose of growing organs: a lesson Cerberus had learned from the experiments of the late Dr. Saleon. Eventually, when Shepard was successfully brought back to life thanks to the Lazarus Project, the Illusive Man ordered the clones terminated. All of the clones but four were terminated, with one of the Cerberus agents, one of the Illusive Man's best, taking pity on the clone and stealing him away. They took him to the Citadel where she gave him a fake name and had skin grafts made for him, allowing him to look exactly like Shepard; after that, he resolved to take revenge against his successful counterpart, believing he is the real Shepard. The real Shepard asks why the clone would choose to fight for Cerberus, but the clone simply laughs, saying he doesn't; he wants Shepard dead so that he can take up his legacy in his place; that's why he wanted to kill him and was stealing all his information and records. The squad insult the clone, but he does not care, going to each of them and insulting them, one by one. He lands on Tali, but finds himself unable to insult her, despite his best attempts. He reaches up to stroke her cheek, but she flinches away, and he looks momentarily hurt. Shaking this away, he tells them that he now has access to the Normandy's comm link, and has already ordered Samantha to prepare the ship for departure. He also reveals that he faked the message Hackett sent to Grunt, Jack and Zaeed, saying he intentionally wanted the entire Normandy squad to be present so he could deal with them all at once. Shepard asks why he wants to destroy his own squad, to which the clone replies, "The Cult of Shepard ends today. I'm going to kill all of you, and end you all in one fell swoop." Leaving, he orders his men to kill the squad.
Chapter 83: Clone Crisis:
Section 1:
Chapter opens from Shepard's POV. Jack and Shepard combine their biotic powers to stun the mercs around them, allowing his squad to rearm themselves and fight back. After killing the mercs, they proceed as normal, and pursue Shepard's clone, making jokes along the way as they kill the mercs, Brooks saying she's fine and helping in the chase. Tali is separated from the group at some point, but says she's okay and will catch up. Closing in on the clone, Shepard loses contact with Team Mako, followed shortly by Team Hammerhead. He contacts Tali, but has lost contact with her too. Eventually, his own team is trapped in an Archive pod, and the clone confronts him. It is here that Brooks reveals she's been working with the clone all along, and that Maya Brooks isn't even her real name; she reintroduces herself by her favourite alias, Rasa. She reaches up and kisses the clone, revealing she is his lover, although he doesn't look very comfortable about it. While the clone lectures Shepard about his failure, Tali appears, revealing she cut contact deliberately to better sneak up on the clone. Just as she is about to kill the clone however, he spins around, wrenching the shotgun from her hands. Tali reaches for her boot knife and charges him, but Rasa raises her pistol, ordering her to drop it. Tali kicks Rasa, but before she can defeat her, the clone raises his pistol at her, telling her to drop the knife. Tali hesitates, but finally drops the knife. Rasa asks if she should kill Tali, but the clone hesitates, frowning. Suddenly, he orders Rasa to take Tali alive, turning to Shepard and saying, "Your wife is coming with me. I quite like her; besides, maybe I could be the husband she's always wanted, right? She is technically my wife too, after all." With that, he has Rasa lock their tube away, and takes Tali away. Shepard orders Glyph to get them out, and the drone works with Moses and EDI to unlock the tube, growling that "nobody takes my ship or my wife away from me - not even me. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't wait to kill myself."
Section 2:
Section is from Shepard's POV. Later, Joker and Cortez arrive in a skycar, with Joker panicking as he realizes that Shepard's POV clone is about to hijack the Normandy. Shepard tells him that he has Tali, and they need to hurry. Joker asks why he simply can't ask Hackett to blockade the port, when Garrus points out that the clone is literally Shepard; he could very easily contact Hackett and tell him to break off. With this in mind, Shepard and the entire squad board their skycars and race for the Normandy.
Chapter 84: I'm Everything He Is:
Section 1:
Chapter opens from Tali's POV. Back on the Normandy, the clone tells Samantha she's being dishonorably discharged, who (still believing he is the real Shepard) storms out of the ship in anger. Rasa appears, still holding Tali in omni-cuffs as she asks what to do with her. The clone orders her taken to his quarters, and tells his pilot, Crooks, to begin take-off procedures: he does so happily, revealing himself to be the pilot originally slated to fly the SR-1, but who was replaced by Joker after the latter's hijacking incident. He then heads to his cabin to strip his armor. Inside the cabin, Rasa places Tali on the bed and leaves, although confused why. The clone tries to banter with Tali, complimenting that Shepard has taste; Tali does not answer. He asks her multiple questions as he strips his armor, but she still doesn't answer. The clone crouches before her, asking why she is being silent when she finally answers, telling him that Shepard will come for her, and that he will pay, and that's if she doesn't escape first. The clone tells her that he is just as good as the other Shepard, as he is quite literally the same; same memories, same body. He tries to talk with her, but she refuses him, hurting him more and more. He expresses his confusion at her inability to understand, but finally gives up. In a final biting remark as the clone goes to take a shower, Tali tells him he's a mere copy of the real thing. Hurt, he enters the shower, leaving Tali alone to plan her escape.
Section 2:
Section is from the clone's POV. As he showers, he ponders Tali's words, and whether she is right. After a long mental argument, he concurs that Tali is deluded, and that the 'real' Shepard must be destroyed so he can assume his rightful place. He tries to shake his feelings for Tali, but can't, concluding it must be a remnant of his feelings and memories from prior to the SR-1's destruction influencing him. He hears the door open and is about to chastize Rasa for violating his privacy when he is suddenly attacked by Tali, who has escaped her cuffs and is trying to kill him. Shocked by her brazen behaviour, he tries to reason with her, only for her to break his nose. After a long struggle, he finally overpowers her with his cybernetics, and announces he is sick of her attitude, and that if she won't join him, then she'll be his prisoner. He puts her omni-cuffs back on, and orders Rasa to come up to his cabin to take Tali to the brig until she has, quote on quote, 'wisened up.'
Section 3:
Section opens from Tali's POV. Later, Rasa appears, telling Tali that the clone has ordered her to be taken to the ship's brig (a room located in the shuttle bay). Rasa tries to comfort the dressed clone, but he tells her to stop pestering him, making his feelings clear. Tali silently allows herself to be taken to Deck 4, but on the elevator down, smugly mocks and taunts Rasa with her observations that the clone loves a quarian he's technically never met more than the woman who saved his life. Rasa tells her to be quiet, but after Tali hits a nerve, stops the elevator on Deck 4 and takes her out, hoping to kill her. She slams Tali against the observation windows, hand wrapped around her throat. Tali then surprises her with a headbutt, cracking her mask but dazing Rasa enough for Tali to wiggle free, and subsequently, escape her omni-cuffs a second time. The two of them engage in a hand-to-hand battle which results in Tali kicking her through a window onto Deck 5, with Tali leaping down after her.
Chapter 85: The Great Chase:
Section 1:
Chapter opens from Shepard's POV. Shepard and the squad's skycars arrive at the Normandy shortly before Tali's fight with Brooks. They manage to run for the ship, although Shepard, Jack, Wrex and Garrus are the only ones to reach the ship before it begins to take off. On the way there, they notice EDI's body fall to the ground, taken offline; Moses explains over the comm that the clone must have taken EDI offline. Samantha is waiting, and is surprised to see Shepard. He explains that his clone has assumed control of the ship, and needs way inside that won't alert him. They try to access the ventilation shaft from the ship's airlock, but need to trigger it with mass effect fields; Samantha brings forth her toothbrush. Using it to open the hatch, the squad crawls inside as the Normandy takes off, leaving the others behind as the ship leaves the Citadel.
Section 2:
Joker and Cortez turn up in a skycar, using it to fly infront of the Normandy, and therefore prevent the ship from entering FTL. The two argue back and forth over who should pilot, with Joker sullenly giving in and allowing Cortez to fly, although giving him some advice on how to limit the Normandy's departure vector.
Section 3:
Section is from Shepard's POV. Shepard and his squad pounce on CAT6 soldiers patrolling the CIC, killing them all. The crew express confusion towards Shepard, who tells them to stay put: learning of his clone, they tell him to kick his ass, calling him "a total asshole". Moving towards the cockpit by himself, he orders Crooks to turn the ship around; Crooks refuses, telling Shepard that if he shoots the pilot, the Normandy will spiral out of control and crash into the Citadel, destroying the ship and killing hundreds of innocent people. Gritting his teeth, he tells the pilot he'll be back and turns around to head for the CIC. He arrives just in time for a squad of CAT6 mercs to appear in the elevator, and his squad gun them down as they are in the elevator. They enter the elevator and immediately descend to the Shuttle Bay, where the clone presumably has moved to. They arrive in the shuttle bay, stepping out as they gun down two of the mercs, who have their backs turned. Turning to see what the fuss was about, Shepard is surprised and glad to see Tali fighting Rasa, the two of them fighting in hand-to-hand combat. Shepard, just as his squad is about to intervene and help Tali, stops as he watches his clone appear from behind a crate, wearing a pair of Defender armor he had worn last time, with a large grin on his face. With a growl, he tells his squad to head back to the elevator and to clear the ship of the mercs; the clone was his to fight alone. He then moves forward and engages the clone in combat. Tali and Shepard, Rasa and the clone take turns in fighting each other, until eventually the battle brings them to the edge of the shuttle bay. The clone angrily orders Crooks to enter FTL, but the pilot explains that he can't as there is a skycar in the way. The clone orders the shuttle deployed to deal with it, and Shepard only manages to duck in time as the CAT6 troops deploy the shuttle to deal with the skycar. The opening of the shuttle bay door causes Shepard and the clone to slide down the ramp, both hanging on for dear life. Tali notices this, and decides to end her fight with Rasa. After a few more moments, she activates an omni-blade and rams it into Rasa's sternum before kicking her away. Rasa, too injured to chase her, is unable to stop Tali as the quarian slides down the ramp to help Shepard up. The clone looks on in sadness, with Tali hesitating at the clone. The clone asks why Shepard and not him, to which she says, "You can't copy everything." The clone pleads to Rasa to help him, but she simply turns and tries to escape. She runs into Wrex, who holds her down despite her resistance. Shepard offers to let the clone join his squad, but the clone simply says, "What's the point?" before letting go of the ramp, plummeting to his death. Afterwards, Wrex holds down Rasa as Shepard decides what to do with her. Rasa says that he'll miss her, before zapping Wrex. The force is enough to make him let go, and she runs for the elevator only to be shot through the head, killing her instantly. Shepard then chuckles, shaking his head, "No, I won't."
Chapter 86: So Much For Shore Leave:
Section 1:
Chapter opens from Shepard's POV. The Normandy returns to dock, with Joker explaining that he brought in Moses to bring EDI back online using the skycar. Moses then returned to the cockpit and grabbed Crooks, opened the airlock and threw him out while the ship was still in flight, EDI seizing control afterwards. The Citadel Defense Fleet then captured the stolen shuttle, and will return it to the Normandy soon and the remaining CAT6 personnel arrested. Once in dock and with Alliance marines entering the ship, Shepard requested that someone remove Rasa's body before it began to stink. His squad then sighs collectively, with Tali remarking at how "even a shore leave can lead to violence and really crazy things. Can we ever just...rest?" And with that, Liara pipes up, proposing they have a party at Shepard's apartment. Shepard is a bit cautious at first, but decides the squad could use the celebratory madness of a party; Liara and Miranda decide to handle the party organization, while everybody else heads off to actually enjoy their shore leave: Shepard and Tali head back to their apartment.
Section 2:
Section opens from Shepard's POV. Back at their apartment, Tali and Shepard settle down and watch Fleet and Flotilla on their big screen. Tali then explains that this is the sing-along edition, and begins to sing to him. He tries not to laugh, and when Tali asks, he thinks her singing is beautiful, if only a bit cute. He then removes her mask and they kiss, which leads to them having sex.
Section 3:
Section opens from Tali's POV. The next morning, the two of them are eating breakfast when they hear a knock on the door. Shepard answers it, with James and Cortez walking in immediately and holding a few beers and a pizza. Shepard asks what this is all about, when James and Cortez inform him that the grand finale of the 2186 Biotiball game is on. Tali asks what that is, making James and Cortez realize that Tali is still there. Tali says that is okay, and they explain that Biotiball is basically football, but using biotics, and that it was a big hit among the asari. James personally supports the Usaru Maestros, an asari biotiball team, while Cortez adamantly defends his stance on supporting the Seattle Sorcerers, a human biotiball team. They ask who Shepard supports, who says he doesn't really watch sport that much. Surprised, they ask Tali if she watches sport, and she shakes her head. With a sigh, James and Cortez force Shepard and Tali to watch the biotiball game. Shepard and Tali give each other glances as they watch James and Cortez really get into the game. A few hours later, and James complains as the Maestros are defeated, with the Sorcerers winning. Afterwards, the two of them leave, leaving Tali and Shepard alone once more.
Chapter 87: Hanging Out Part 1:
Section 1:
Chapter opens from Shepard's POV. Shepard tells Tali he'll be back, as Grunt has apparently run into trouble in the Silversun Strip. Getting there, he finds out the havoc Grunt has wrought trouble across the Citadel, and proceeds to apologize to the C-Sec officer, offering to pay the fines. Grunt thanks him, but Shepard tells him to stay out of any further trouble, and then leaves.
Section 2:
Section is from Tali's POV. Back at the apartment, Jack turns up with a varren named Eezo; a varren she bought from an asari that was exposed to element zero and actually developed biotic powers. Tali asks how a varren with biotic powers would work, to which Jack says "don't ask." She says varren exposed to eezo have a short temper, but thanks to Jack, he has become a "big old softy", to the point where Eezo even plays catch with Tali. Jack asks Tali if she has ever gotten a tattoo, to which Tali says she has not; Jack insists she get one, but Tali persists that she does not want one, and Jack drops the subject.
Section 3:
Section is from Kasumi's POV. Elsewhere, Kasumi corners Miranda in the casino, asking what the woman is trying to do; Miranda explains she is trying to be normal for a change, to which Kasumi tells her she's "doing it wrong." One man tries to flirt with Miranda but both Kasumi and Miranda, simultaneously, telling him to piss off, and he leaves, disgruntled. They two share a laugh.
Section 4:
This section is from Garrus' POV. Garrus and Zaeed fight in the Armax Arsenal Arena simulation against Cerberus, and the two of them compare kills. Garrus jokes that Zaeed is getting too old, and the two of them go at it again.
Chapter 87: Hanging Out Part 2:
Section 1:
Chapter opens from Samantha's POV. Samantha, who is a professional player of Kepesh-Yakshi (Blade of the Night Winds), an asari naval strategy game. She manages to defeat three other players before confronting an asari player named Polgara T'Suzsa, who reveals herself to be another professional player of the game who has defeated Samantha in the past. Polgara constantly taunts Samantha, but is eventually defeated when Samantha seizes her homeworld, winning the game and taking the prize.
Section 2:
Section is from Shepard's POV. Shepard arrives back at his apartment to see Jack and Tali sitting at a bench, watching the news while Eezo kneels beside them. Kelly and Samantha are also present, cooking dinner. Samantha notices Shepard, and welcomes him, saying she's cooking up a traditional "British brunch," before pointing at the trophy she won at the Kepesh-Yakshi tournament. Shepard sarcastically taunts the comms specialist, who simply grins and continues cooking. A shout is heard, and Shepard looks down the hall to see James using his punching bag. Rolling his eyes, he enters the kitchen again, mumbling, "Didn't realize I had invited everyone." Taking a beer from the fridge, he sits back down next to Tali when Eezo begins to growl. Jack tells Eezo to calm down, and explains that Eezo has taken a liking to Tali and is protective of her. Shepard just grins back down at the varren, who glares back at him. Kelly begins to talk animatedly to Shepard and Tali about their relationship, saying that she has met a turian and wants to know how their relationship works first. Jack just bluntly tells Kelly to "seduce and fuck him," when Kelly states she's in a relationship with Samantha, not the turian: she was asking on behalf of the turian, who was interested in a quarian friend of his. Jack shrugs, saying "then...well...tell him that then, but in reverse." Kelly sighs, turning back to Samantha, who simply gives a shrug at a wink, causing Kelly to giggle.
Section 3:
Section is from Samara's POV. Liara plays the piano in the apartment, while Samara silently listens, complimenting Liara's piano skills. Liara says she learned them from Nishara, an asari bodyguard who accompanied her on Therum before the geth turned up and killed her. Samara admits she used to have an interest in becoming a musician, but the mercenary life captured her instead. Liara asks about her past, and Samara begins to explain.
Chapter 87: Hanging Out Part 3:
Section 1:
Chapter opens from Shepard's POV. Shepard is called by Javik and told to meet down in the Bronzedust Studios in the Silversun Strip. Moving down there, Shepard finds Javik present on the set of the next Blasto movie: Blasto 7: Blasto Goes to War. Here, the salarian director of the film, Keks Vard, is shocked to have the real Marcus Shepard in his studio, and asks him to play the role of Shepard in the film; when Shepard reluctantly agrees, the salarian dismisses the original actor, who glares at Shepard. Javik joins the film as a "wise prothean elder," and filming begins. The film depicts the Galactic Council as being made up of a vorcha, volus and salarian councilors. The volus asks what Javik suggest they do, and Javik replies that he can tell them how to best serve salarian kidneys. At the mention of prothean, Blasto appears, but insists he will not share "top billing" with Shepard or Javik; the director urges him to "think of the children", and convinces Blasto to help. Sovereign's half-brother Sluggard then attacks, seeking revenge for his brother's death; Shepard begins to wonder at how ridiculous the concept is. Blasto then states that he will stop Sluggard, with the Council thanking Blasto for informing them about the Reaper threat. Shepard, fed up, finally intervenes, saying that it wasn't Blasto, but him. Blasto and Shepard begin to argue and bicker over who's better, when the vorcha councilor reveals he is indoctrinated (in the film, not reality). Javik, fed up with the whole scenario, says he wishes he was "still locked in a refridgerator" and uses his biotics to knock out the vorcha. He asks Shepard if they can leave, he obliges, the both of them walking away as the director continues filming.
Section 2:
Section is from Tali's POV. Back at the apartment, Tali and Jack compliments Samantha on her cooking, with Jack admitting that she actually fed hers to Eezo as she didn't like it at all; Samantha sarcastically remarks at how her will to live has been destroyed, which Kelly dramatically reassures her. Kelly giggles when a knock is heard on the door; Tali answers it, and finds Kolyat and Lia has come to visit them, bringing Shepard and Tali a late wedding gift. Tali, opening it, finds a steel picture frame inside, with Lia stating they could use it for an important photo. Tali thanks her, and invites both of them into the apartment.
Section 3:
Section is from Shepard's POV. Shepard later arrives, rolling his eyes when he sees James still punching the bag. He is greeted by Kolyat and Lia, who he greets warmly, and Tali shows him the picture frame. He thanks them, and they all sit down as they begin to chat.
Chapter 88: In The Moment Part 1:
Section 1:
Chapter opens from Shepard's POV. A few hours later at night, Shepard takes Tali upstairs and says they should try the hot tub; she is hesitant, but eventually gives in, and the both of them lie in the hot tub with one another. The moment eventually escalates until eventually they end up having sex in the hot tub. - A few days later, the entire Normandy crew (including Gabby, Kenneth, Adams, Chakwas, Michel, Gardner, Kolyat, Lia and Joker) turn up at the apartment, with Grunt repeatedly hitting the doorbell. Shepard answers the door, telling Grunt to calm down. Everybody moves inside, with Liara, Kasumi and Tali already there as they had been setting up the party. When asked what they can do, Shepard simply retorts, "Go crazy! Party!", but warns Grunt not to break anything. And so the mayhem begins.
Section 2:
Section is from Garrus' POV. Garrus and Zaeed examine a glass panel next to the doorway, a few beers in hand as they wonder what tactical use it could have. Zaeed suggests micro-explosives, and Garrus agrees. The two of them debate back and forth over what to do, but eventually agree on micro-explosives.
Section 3:
Section is from James' POV. On the balcony of the apartment, James, Liara, Shepard and Samara are present, with James stupidly insinuating that biotics are for the weak. Obviously, Liara, Shepard and Samara have issues with this, and James demonstrates this by having a push-up competition. Shepard takes his challenge, and begins to do push-ups alongside the marine. Kasumi appears out of cloak and sits on James' back with her arms crossed, grinning. James says this is cheating, so Liara sits on Shepard's back, evening the odds. Eventually, James gives out, but notices that Shepard has only just started to sweat. Shepard grins, and helps the marine up.
Chapter 88: In The Moment Part 2:
Section 1:
Chapter opens from Tali's POV. Samantha, Gabby, Tali, Kelly and Lia are downstairs in the kitchen, talking about old times on the Normandy. Tali remarks that she used to picture Shepard in the shower before they first did the deed, to which Samantha jokingly adds that now she pictures herself with Kelly in the shower, causing the yeoman to blush. Tali skulks another drink, and Gabby asks how many the quarian has already had; Tali states that she hasn't had nearly enough yet.
Section 2:
This section is from Cortez's POV. Javik, Cortez, Joker, Kenneth and Kolyat are at the bar, with Javik slowly getting drunk. Cortez pours the prothean his seventh drink, remarking that Javik is far more friendly when he is drunk. The prothean then begins to list old prothean delicacies, and jokes detonating antimatter bombs on Reaper occupied worlds was the prothean equivalent of movies. Joker jokes about how morbid that is, with Kenneth deciding that whatever the prothean is drinking is something he doesn't want, and sticks to his scotch. Kolyat decides to give the drink a try, but spits it out, saying it tastes of copper.
Section 3:
This section is from Miranda's POV. At the bar at the back of the apartment, Miranda and Jack talk. Kenneth, on the way back, remarks about how the two should just kiss already, when both of them threaten to kill Kenneth if he goes spreading rumors; Eezo growls. Kenneth keeps a wide berth, and Jack and Miranda share a laugh, with Jack admitting that Miranda "wasn't such a bitch after all," but later says, "But you're still a cheerleader."
Chapter 88: In The Moment Part 3:
Section 1:
Chapter opens from Wrex's POV. Wrex and Grunt have a competition over who is better than who, and headbutt each other repeatedly. Shepard shouts down that the two of them better not break anything, to which Wrex and Grunt concede that, "Shepard is just one guy we can't beat," but remark that one is still better than the other.
Section 2:
This section is from James' POV. Back on the balcony, James refuses to back down on his challenge. Deciding to get funny, Liara levitates the marine above the ground with her biotics, saying she'll release him if he takes back what he said. James eventually gives in, and the asari lets him go, all of the other biotics laughing.
Section 3:
This section is from Shepard's POV. Cortez walks out into the apartment, shouting to the entire apartment, "Everybody, we need to party! How about some dancing!?" Almost everyone takes to the kitchen area to dance, with Tali, Garrus, Jack, Kasumi, Gabby, Kelly, Miranda, Lia and Liara dancing. Shepard decides only to watch, and EDI attempts to coax Joker into joining in. Joker eventually gives into EDI's pleading, and Shepard laughs as the pilot tries to dance without breaking anything. While dancing, Tali, Garrus, Liara, Samantha and Jack exchange elements of the periodic table, and Tali drunkenly coaxes Shepard into dancing. Shepard joins in, and the group collectively laughs at Shepard.
Section 4:
This section is from Jack's POV. Afterwards, Tali, heavily drunk, stumbles into the bathroom, where Jack is getting a glass of water. Here, Tali drunkenly follows up on Jack's offer of a tattoo, suggesting they do it in the bedroom. Jack grins, and runs to grab her equipment. She asks what Tali wants, and the quarian simply slurs, "Make me badass."
Chapter 88: In The Moment Part 4:
Section 1:
Chapter opens from Shepard's POV. Kolyat, Lia, Joker and EDI discuss their relationships, figuring out which one is the weirdest; in the end, they all conclude that Joker and EDI are probably the oddest couple. Javik, Zaeed, Wrex, Grunt and James discuss war tactics, even going to the extent of using the apartment as a "defensive position." Shepard once again reiterates not to wreck anything, and Wrex begrudgingly agrees. Sometime along the way, Zaeed makes a pass at Samara, who rejects him, to the mercenary's disappointment.
Section 2:
Section is from Kelly's POV. Kelly and Samantha spare a moment together, only to be interrupted by Kasumi, who urges Samantha to "sink her claws in" winking at Kelly, cloaking and leaving. Kelly frowns at her, and Samantha blushes.
Section 3:
Section is from Samantha's POV. Cortez and Samantha, with Liara, Samara, Kelly, Gabby and Ken as witnesses, discuss homosexual relationships, and how far tolerance towards them has progressed. Samantha states that the way asari are biologically, their entire race are essentially lesbians. Kelly admits she is bi-sexual, while Kenneth grins, admitting that he wishes Samantha and EDI would "get it on". Gabby slaps him on the head, flustered at his rudeness. Shepard appears and both Cortez and Samantha ask his opinion on the topic, to which he says "you know what I'm going to say, right?" before the two back off. He then continues, smiling, "But you also know I don't have an issue with it." They grin.
Section 4:
Section is from Shepard's POV. A couple of hours later, Tali limps into the secondary bar, with Jack looking decidedly pleased with herself. Miranda asks what she did, to which she said "ask Shepard tomorrow." Tali, still drunk, proceeds into the room, where Garrus, Liara, Kelly, Shepard, Samantha, Cortez and Wrex currently are, where she proceeds to "imitate" the sounds the Normandy makes, making comparisons between the SR-1 and SR-2. Liara and Garrus proceed to argue that while the SR-2 is great, nothing can beat the SR-1. Shepard disagrees, saying the SR-2 is superior in every way, and the SR-1 can only be associated with bad memories now. The argument eventually leads them to asking Joker, who reluctantly agrees with Shepard; the SR-2 is superior. Although he admits EDI might be a part of swaying his opinion: the SR-1 didn't have her, after all.
Chapter 88: In The Moment Part 5:
Section 1:
Chapter opens from Kenneth's POV. Gabby scolds Ken for his comments, taking him to a back room to tell him off. One thing leads to another, and Kenneth eventually ends up kissing Gabby. Gabby, surprised by this, is initially shocked and initially shoves him off. Kenneth asks her where they stand, and Gabby's response is to passionately kiss him back. Eventually, they back up onto the bed, and proceed to have sex, Gabby kicking the door shut to ensure noone heard them, but complaining that while Ken is such an annoying jackass, he's a loveable one.
Section 2:
Section is from Shepard's POV. Gardner cooks up more food using the apartment's kitchen, some of the food being eggs, to James' joy. The marine almost snatches the plate, but Gardner fights him off, telling him to wait. He asks where Gabby and Ken are, but Kelly remarks that they seem to have disappeared. Tali drunkenly walks in and says they are "getting it on" before beginning to compliment James' body, mistaking him for Shepard. Shepard comes to the rescue, shaking Tali out of it and managing to get her away before anything happened. James jokes that Tali doesn't take well to alcohol, and Gardner grudgingly agrees. Shepard, remembering the steel frame Lia and Kolyat gave himself and Tali, asks everyone to summon in the lounge and arrange the room facing the fireplace. Once in place, he orders everyone to pose for a photo, which Wrex and Grunt groan at, but agree to. Everyone assembles on the couch, with Shepard inviting Lia and Kolyat to join the photo. He asks where Gabby and Ken are, but Chakwas says she couldn't find them; the duo in question rush into the room, their hair dishevelled and buttoning up their shirts, apologizing for being late. The whole group laughs, and Gabby blushes. Afterwards, they pose, with Tali landing her head on Shepard's arm and promptly falling asleep as they take a photo. After that, Shepard orders the party to continue, laying Tali down on the couch.
Chapter 89: The Morning After Part 1:
Section 1:
Chapter opens from Shepard's POV. The next morning, Shepard wakes up in bed, naked, with an equally naked Tali under the covers beside him. He can't remember ever making love to her, but shakes his head regardless. Tali stirs, complaining that her head felt like she'd been bashed in the head repeatedly; it is then that Shepard notices the tattoo Jack put on her back; the tattoo is of a thresher maw spitting out flame, with Tali riding on top of it in battle armor, a spear and shield in her hands. Shepard tells her about the tattoo, and Tali groans, saying she'll get rid of it when she can; Shepard asks if she can keep it, saying he likes it; Tali, surprised, agrees.
Section 2:
Section is from Kelly's POV. Kelly stumbles in on Gabby and Ken having sex again, gasping as she walks out, slamming the door shut. Then, noticing that everyone seems to be "getting together," she shrugs and heads towards Samantha's room.
Section 3:
Section is from Joker's POV. Joker wakes up on a couch, with EDI standing beside him, head hung low. He groans, and kicks at Cortez, who is sleeping beside him, to get up. The pilot complains, but stands up. The two of them go on a 'quest' to get sober. It doesn't end well. Joker complains, much to EDI's lack of sympathy.
Chapter 89: The Morning After Part 2:
Section 1:
Chapter opens from Garrus' POV. Garrus and Kasumi wake up beside each other in the poker room, looking across to see Jack sleeping ontop of the poker table, while Miranda is sitting in a chair at the bar, arms crossed and asleep. Getting up, he pokes at Miranda to wake up, who complains that she'll "never fall asleep in a chair again." He then pokes Lia and Kolyat, who are lying beside each other, resting against a wall, who wake up, although reluctantly.
Section 2:
Section is from Shepard's POV. Later, after everyone has woken up properly, everyone meets in the kitchen area. Kelly and Samantha turn up looking decidedly pleased with themselves, while Gabby and Ken have not turned up. Before Shepard can ask, Javik storms up, and twin screams are heard. Javik stumbles back down the stairs, with Gabby shouting out "you creep!" The prothean grumbles, rubbing his head, "I awoke the engineers for battle, captain. They used inefficient fluffy projectiles in retaliation. The female does not appear to appreciate the call for assembly." Gabby and Ken then turn up, Gabby glaring intensely at Javik while Ken looks abashed, asking "did you...uh...hear that?" Everybody nods, and Ken curses under his breath. After a laugh, Shepard tells them that their last day of shore leave has been used up, and to report back to the Normandy. Everybody agrees.
Section 3:
Section is from Shepard's POV. Back at the dock, Shepard and Tali both say goodbye to Kolyat and Lia, telling them they will take the photo they made at the party and put it in the frame; the frame will be placed in their room, for them to look at and always remember the good times. Jack, Zaeed, Grunt and Wrex say their goodbyes, before then proceeding to leave. Moses turns up, informing Shepard that the Normandy is prepped for departure, and that they've already received a request by UGC forces for assistance with dealing with Reaper forces in the Armstrong Cluster. The squad laments on the times they've had, before entering the ship, leaving Tali and Shepard alone. Tali whispers, "Its been one hell of a ride, hasn't it?" before departing and entering the ship. Shepard nods sadly, whispering to himself, "The best", looking out at the stars in lamentation.
A/N:
And yes, that's probably the longest out of Holocaust's many arcs. This would have later played into events in Ultimatum later on, hence why I implemented it into the story. It also gives the character a much needed breather...and considering what happens in the next outline, the audience needs it as much as they do. You'll see what I mean next week.
Next week is the Cerberus arc outline, which will detail the events leading up to and concluding with Priority: Cerberus Headquarters. Basically, its the beginning of the end. For reasons you will note when its released, you'll both love me and hate me for it. Rick O'Shay, you should pay special attention to this one. You'll be in the 'love/hate' camp, I'm sure of it.
Until next time, Keelah Re'lai, troopers!
