"Alright," I mouthed to myself, just noticing that the stage had been set for my adventure's final confrontation. Brain finally realizing that this was the end. The journey here had been so long, the journey here had been so arduous, the journey here had been such bullshit...though I learned a lot...I think I was ready for its final act. And though it had been fun...can't say I was too sorry to see it come to an end. I decided to inhale deeply, calming my nerves, crack my knuckles, roll my neck...and then, I pivoted around the column, right around to the heated battle taking place inside the Council Tower's main chamber. Because with Chellick, Saddick, and everything else out of the way...it was Show Time.

With pistol already in hand, I dutifully took my first step toward the dueling duo in the middle of the Council's dwelling, both sides dealing dangerously destructive death blows in a deadly dance. Right before I took that next step however, joining their fray...I realized something was missing. As Saren and Nona clashed, both flashing bright blue, rapid amount of gunfire being exchanged between them...something didn't feel right. Like I was forgetting something. Like I was...

Haha, of course! Ahhh, that was it. I knew what I was forgetting now.

An appropriate Boss Theme to kick Saren's ass to. Obviously. And I think I knew just the one.

Alright omni-tool, let's do this. Play...I need a Hero.

(Continuing Playtrack 1...Music by Bonnie Tyler. Holding out for a Hero. (C) 1984 Columbia Records.)

Bonnie Tyler - Holding out for a Hero. [NNNGH DO IT]

"RAAAH!"

Saren let out a roar of frustration, unleashing another barrage of gunfire upon the Asari zipping around the battlefield. That quickly came to a stop when Nona suddenly hit the Turian with yet another biotic charge, colliding with him head-on once again, a loud sonic boom immediately accompanying the explosive impact. But one could see the shock on her face, fear visible in her eyes as Saren stood tall despite it. He had used his barrier to shrug off the attack in its entirety. And in the split second after, both had not hesitated to fire their guns.

But her shotgun had just found Saren's barrier, and worse yet...Saren's rifle had been longer than her own. The Geth gun actually went past the range of Nona's kinetic barrier. While his shields merely flared, her gut was instead filled full of plasma, blast knocking her clear off her feet.

"It's over-"

"YAH!"

With freakish reflexes, Saren shut up, immediately ducking under my swing, pivoting to face me, simultaneously shoving his gun into my stomach, pulling the trigger to finish the job. With the speed of a leopard, I immediately batted it away with my left, his gun instead firing directly below my armpit. I cocked my right back in unison, preparing to give Saren a mouthful of molten silicon, striking his face with my omniblade and the strength of a Krogan. And in that split second, Saren's robotic eyes flared brightly, clearly boiling with anger as he unleashed a biotic blast, flinging me far away.

But I rolled right back up to my feet after landing. Like a single throw would stop me-

"YOU!"

I immediately scrambled for a nearby boulder as a carnage blast was released in my direction.

"Oh? You remember me?" I shouted, pinning my back to the rock, eyeing the vaporized floor to my side.

"You're that Human from the trial. And from Virmire! I can see it was too optimistic to hope that you had died-"

I popped out of cover while he was in mid-dialogue, pulling the trigger of my Harpy as many times as it would allow. But like a dick, he merely held up his hand, biotic barrier stopping every bullet dead in their track.

"But I assume Shepard is close then. I was afraid she wouldn't make it in time-"

"Nope! Sorry to say, Shep's still on Ilos," I shouted, ducking back down, ejecting a thermal clip. "You'll just have to settle for me right now! Though I can take a message for you if you want-"

Saren's laughter cut me off.

"The noise leaving your lips is just as grating as it was on Virmire Human. But I suppose I should still thank you regardless. After those turn of events...I couldn't help but think back on all the words that had left your mouth. About Sovereign manipulating me. About...indoctrination. The truth is that those doubts began to eat away at me. Began to erode my determination. And Sovereign sensed my hesitation. He-"

"-he implanted you right?! You let Sovereign, the several eon-old, eldritch, abomination from space hell made from the remains of a dead race plant insidious machinery inside you? You dopey bastahd-"

"He implanted me to strengthen my resolve! To IMPROVE me! Now, my doubts are gone completely."

"Because he's brainwashed you, you retard!"

I heard bullets immediately pelt the rock I was hiding behind.

"NO! I believe in Sovereign completely, because I understand that the Reapers need organics. I understand what we'll need to do to survive. And I understand that you are too pesky to leave alive-"

"I was just about to say the same thing!" I yelled back from behind my boulder, about 78% done with Saren's shit. "You know, just awhile ago, I was thinking about actually helping you reach an honorable end Saren! Allow you one last act of redemption. One last way for you to gain back your honor! But then it suddenly hit me...you never had any! You're just a fucking asshole Saren! You kill without remorse! You murdered your protégé Nihlus without a second thought! You killed hundreds in a factory just because you're a dickish asshole! To pettily ruin Anderson's chances of becoming a Spectre! For god's sake, you even killed your own brother-"

My boulder violently shuddered as a carnage blast assaulted it.

"Don't you DARE speak of him! Don't you PRESUME to judge MY actions! You know NOTHING of Desolas, of the Reapers, of what I'VE had to SACRIFICE-"

"Oh, yes I do motherfocka!" I shouted right back at him. "Temple Palaven, the Valluvian Priests, the Monoliths- I know ALL about that shit Saren! Dude, you killed your own brother for doing exactly what you're doing right now-"

"NO I DIDN'T!"

"Oh yes you did!"

"NO!"

"OH YEAH!? Then tell me how he bit it?! Because from what I've heard, he was indoctrinated by the Monolith, and was acting as a forward agent of the Reapers. Just like you are now! And ironically, you buried him alive for that exact reason!"

"That's. Not. TRUE!"

"It is! And THEN, like the childish asshole you are, blamed your own actions on someone else! On Humanity! And that lie you told yourself every time you went to bed spurred you on to this genocidal rampage currently occurring now. Face it Saren! You're just a pathetic, grudgeful, brainwashed, hypocrite-"

"SILENCE!"

"-and I'm not tolerating your bullshit anymore! THIS ENDS NOW!"

And in dramatic fashion, I rose with the end of my sentence, now standing tall above the room, far above the safety of cover, committing to my action, leveling my Harpy's muzzle with his grotesque, metal, alien visage. And then, I shot that metallic flunky of Sovereign's right in the head, ending the whole thing right then, right there.

"RAGH!"

Or I would have had my body not suddenly become weightless, quickly drifting upward, shots going way off mark, arms scrambling for the rock below just a little too late, mass effect field having already carried out its purpose. And I recalled now just how OP biotics were. Probably what would have happened on Noveria had Sterling had her way. Had Shepard not bailed me out then. Probably should have waited for her. Or gone with Chellick. Or done anything else for that matter. Dammit.

Solo Saren? Haha...yeah right.

"...no...yes...of course. You are right." The Turian slowly swiveled his head back to me, taking a break from his insane muttering. "Yes, Sovereign is right. It has reassured me that you are wrong. That you know nothing of what you speak. And of what I must do...so die Human. Die knowing that our races will only live on due to the sacrifices I alone-"

But it wasn't ending like this. Because of course it wasn't.

No, I decided to keep on keeping on by renegade interrupting that bitch. I fired my Harpy in his direction with glee, pulling the trigger as many times as I could, interrupting his monologue. Only upside down. And at first, he did do that semi-smirk Garrus often did when he was oh so pleased with his own performance, bullets bouncing off his barrier harmlessly. But Saren quickly dropped said smirk when my gunfire actually penetrated the thing not a moment later, shots continuing to bust through his shields, sending several rounds ripping right through his cybernetic graft. That unexpected action then caused him to panic, snarl as his rifle was flung from his grasp, and to biotically fling me into a nearby tree with his other unhindered appendage.

You can bet your sweet ass I wasted no time in popping right back up, right in time to see his glowing gun snap back to his hand, already aimed in my direction.

Adrenaline Rush!

Digging my feet in, I then rocketed off the ground, beginning to sprint faster than I ever had in my entire life, surely faster than I had back on Therum, in an attempt to try and tackle him before my shields petered out, activate my omniblade, get in and-

And then Saren was suddenly blindsided by Nona. This time, her biotic charge had hit dead-on, Turian smacking the ground littered with debris hard, his Geth rifle clattering far, far away upon impact. Though he flipped right back up, the action was performed just in time for him to see Nona now flying toward him with her arm already cocked, Asari glowing bright blue. Unfortunately, Saren wasn't going down that easy. The biotic punch was immediately swatted away by Arterius' cybernetic prosthesis, clearly less hindered by my gunfire than I thought, and rounded right back on the Asari's face in the form of his own fist. And it seemed to hit her with the force of a freight truck, sending her body spinning away from him.

But he didn't have time to finish the job, as Saren was instead forced to immediately leap backwards, just barely avoiding the omniblade heading for his neck. I didn't let that setback stop me however as I continued to slash at him wildly, intending to end this all up close and personal. Cuz I was about to Wolverine it up in this bitch. That is until Saren seemed to channel the deceased spirit of Muhammed Ali, easily dodging every single swipe that came his way before suddenly spinning backwards, launching a sharp kick out at my midriff.

I immediately hunched over with the blow, wind knocked out of me, body sliding several inches backwards from its power alone. And as I was hunched over, gasping, I heard a shrill, metallic note come from his person as the Turian withdrew another weapon from its sheath. Gritting my teeth, I prepared to blindly swing my omniblade upward again, countering him, before I heard Nona suddenly collide with the Turian. Raising my head, I found to my amazement that she was already going toe to toe with the bastard again, doing some fancy moves with her shotgun, slinging it all over the place, blocking almost every single jab of the long dagger now out in Saren's hand. Every now and then, a shot would even go off, just barely missing the Turian's head.

Adrenaline Rush.

And upon seeing my opening, I rejoined the fray.

I got in one slash with my omni-blade before the ability and my speed petered out. I found my head suddenly hitting the ground, only able to watch in horror as Nona's following buttstroke missed, Saren swinging around her, and the Asari suddenly pulled backwards by a mass effect field, Spectre gasping as a weapon sunk into the back of her head. And it was at that very moment I realized I had been cocky. A real big, fucking, asshole. Doing the exact same shit I had told myself to stop doing just a couple days ago. Old habits die hard I suppose but...this wasn't the time.

I think I realized a little too late that I wasn't fighting an unshielded Geth platform, or a random undisciplined merc, or an ugly ass batarian slaver, aided the entire time by the Eclectic Eight. No, I had been fighting a fucking Spectre. The best of the best in Council Space. The most decorated Turian among them in fact. One who had just killed an Asari that could accomplish feats a Jedi would be envious of. It was a wonder I had already lasted longer than that Keeper in the cut scene before this-

What did you think you could even do?

"I don't have time for this," the Silver Turian snarled, violently removing his blade, dropping Nona to the floor in complete disrespect.

What I promised. That's what.

"Make time," I grimaced, already popping back up, ready to-

Then something shiny glinted in my peripheral, and with my remaining strength, I swung my omniblade outward to block Saren's knife. My orange weapon shattered upon impact, and Saren took a step back, shielding his face, fully expecting it to combust or something. Then when that didn't happen, his following movements were too fast for me to see, only realizing his Geth arm had struck the side of my head when I collided with the ground.

And I might have hit the ground a bit dazed, mouth bloody, eyes crossed...but certainly not out. No, I was still in it to win it. So I immediately covered my neck with my arms to prevent the same fate that had just befallen his most recent victim, and then began to rise, already in the process of forging my omniblade once again, ready once again to continue the brawl. Or thought I had been anyway. My 'tool apparently had other ideas, as it subsequently stated so.

(Verteran Prong Protocol – Failed to Execute. Cause: Omnigel Reserve - Zero. Bluewire Suite ABV Fabricator Failure. Core Overheated. Protocol Abandoned. Action Reset. Suite Reset. Model-)

...and you know...it makes sense that the blade would run on that. Omni-gel that is. Because now that I think about it...it'd actually be pretty weird if I could just use it without constraint. Have it appear whenever convenient. What was the blade even made of otherwise? I'm pretty sure I actually read about that gel thing in the omni-tool manual now that I recall. Section A3-H, wasn't it? Ah...dookie. Probably should have refilled it while I was at C-Sec-

Wait. Where did Saren just go?

"Hey!" I suddenly shouted, realizing the Turian was already walking away, heading straight for the stairs to master control. Because...what the hell?! Did he...did he think he had just downed me with a single punch?!

THE ARROGANCE.

"We're not done here Saren!"

The Turian froze where he was, not even attempting to mask his annoyance at having to turn back around. "...you're still standing."

"Yeah. And I'm disappointed. Is that really the best you can do?!"

"Do you truly wish for death so greatly?" he replied, now turning to face me entirely.

"No," I said with a grimace, pulling my own serrated blade from its sheath instead of pistol. For I was too close to break his shields with it. He would be on me in an instant with the speed he displayed previously. And I was no expert in gun-fu like Nona had been. So, an old-fashioned knife-fight would be how we'd settle this shebang. "I just wish that this fight had been fair. But unfortunately for you...I've decided to stop messing around. So...come down here and face me like a man! An alien man! If you even know what that means! To be a man that is!"

It was sometime during that rambling that I noticed Saren's eyes drifting down towards my blade, and how his 'brow' plates immediately furrowed with the action, the alien apparently becoming quite incensed upon seeing it. And I realized I would probably regret this decision like all the rest.

"Who did you sTEAL THAT FROM?!"

I realized it too late. If my pistol would be too slow to kill him...why would a knife be any different? That was another key bumble right there. Definitely something to add to the list of things to learn from going forward into the future. Not that I had one.

The Turian closed the distance between us faster than I would have thought alienly possible, wiping the feigned smirk on my face clean off, his own dagger already back out, murderous intent quite clear as he headed straight for my jugular. I assume. Maybe. Look, I'm no medical practitioner, but if something sharp's going for your neck, you assume they're going for the jugular. It's the classic way to kill a man. And I may not actually know where exactly that shit is on the neck...but when everything around you is happening in less than a split second, I mean we're talking picoseconds here, you don't have time to take a step back and analyze the situation like John fucking Madden. You can't exactly freeze frame that shit and say, "Oh, it appears he's lunging straight for my jugular vein, right at the junction above my clavicle, intending to sever the connection it has to my body's superior vena cava, resulting in the entire collapse of the anterior right superior mediastinum's thoracic plain. I should stop this action." Because those aren't even real words. I just made that all up. Cut me a break. I mean I'm about to die here. I can't delve into overwhelming detail and accurately portray every single action that goes on around me man. Jeez. You people and your standards. Anyways, like I was originally saying before you so rudely interrupted me-

"Shit!" I could only yelp, barely batting the knife away with my own.

Terror gripped me as I found my suit suddenly accosted with dozens of cuts, scrapes, and scuffs, all performed in what couldn't have been more than a couple of seconds, armor completely sheared in some places, with the only slashes not making contact with my body being the ones aimed expressly for my throat and face. And a single thought passed through my mind as Saren continued to completely own me. One that stated that knife fighting in hand to hand combat with anyone was extremely retarded.

And then another thought passed by as I realized that I was still alive, one in particular that surmised the Turian might just be toying with me. Especially as his knife cut into my cheek, only slashing deep enough to draw copious amounts of blood, his face rife with cruelty as his feints juked me out once again. And actually, let me backtrack. I mean it was painfully clear Saren was playing with me before the end. Like a cat does with a mouse. He was still going to kill me. But just make it much longer than needed. Which I guess is what I- Oh. Or maybe he was just trying to make me suffer. Which I think is kind of uncharacteristic of him, as I didn't really picture him as one to waste time like that. Pictured him more as the type of guy to finish something soon as he had the opportunity but then again...maybe that's just how badly I had pissed him off.

Ah, it didn't really matter either way. I had accomplished my goal from the outset.

Done what I had promised to myself. What I had sworn to Shepard and every other one of those bastards.

Stop Saren.

And I had. I had bought them time. Given them a chance to make it. Hopefully. Stalled the Turian just long enough for them to ride in on that white steed called the Mako. Delayed him from reaching the Master Control Console. Maybe even long enough for them to skip that entire EVA part of the final mission. The fact of the matter is that I no longer needed to hold out for that hero larger than life. That hero named Shepard. Because for me...this was as far I'd go. I was exhausted just doing enough to prevent myself from being horribly maimed. I wasn't long for this world.

This was the end for me.

...and I was okay with that.

"Hah...I'm not...afraid...anymore...Saren," I grunted, steeling my resolve, parrying the next couple of slices with the Turian, barely fending off his next flurry of swings, just nearly avoiding the next fatal blow as he violently lunged for my throat again. Because yeah, I wasn't scared of my life ending. I'd just wake up in my bed, back at home, back in reality. I had done everything I had originally set out to do once I had come to terms with my scenario. And so...I was okay with this being the end-

Oh wait.

No I wasn't.

Because you know what?

...I wasn't done yet.

He wasn't taking this seriously.

I know I wouldn't have a chance of surviving this otherwise...

...so YEAH! I'll make this bastard pay for it! Fuck Saren!

I'm gonna fuck this bitch up!

Because who the hell was I again?!

"Marauder!"

"RAGH!"

The soulless, husk-like, little slits filled with malice that he called eyes, empty of emotion, stared deep into my own as it ended.

"Shie-"

Blood was drawn.

"-gck."

And I was able to blink once in response before it all did. I felt my legs lose strength, body buckle as the serrated edge swept past my neck, Saren's maw opened far wide in anticipation, snarling as he finished with lightning movement. And before I could even drop to my knees, the Turian flared his biotics, performing the final insult, tossing me away from him like a broken toy.

I felt my body bounce twice before sliding to a stop. And then I lay where I landed still, frozen in shock. Another growl left Saren's mouth as he once again dismissed me, already returning his attention back to his ultimate objective. And after an eternity of inaction, my hand, of its own volition, slowly began to creep up to my neck. It gingerly touched the wound, tentatively massaged the depression, registered the damage Saren's blade had done. How badly had Sovereign wanted him to seal the Citadel? How quickly had he dismissed me after putting me down? How careless had the Turian been.

The knife had only cut deep enough to penetrate my armor's collar. Through a small layer of fabric and insulation. My skin had been nicked...but just barely. I wasn't going to bleed out anytime soon. Not from this. And so, I began to get back up. Push myself off the ground yet again. Grit my teeth. Ignore my pounding head. My aching body. Continue to stall him. For Shepard. And the Normandy. And all those other people-

And I grunted when I realized said task would be harder than I thought.

Can't say my body took too kindly to what I still asked of it, even after everything it had already endured. Shooting pain went up my back from where my armor had caught several bullets. My entire figure crying all over, bruised and aching from Saren tossing me about like a ragdoll. And what parts of my body weren't doing that were burning from all the cuts and lacerations the Turian's recent hacking and slashing had done.

Oh my god. I think I'm just struggling to stay conscious. My vision's actually really hazy. Oh shit. Adrenaline really is one hell of a drug. I'm beginning to wonder how far I even would have gotten without those 'kinetic buffers' Anderson gave me. Should have brought a helmet. A HUD would have told me how much I used. What condition I was even in. If I was even dying right now. Damn.

I sluggardly raised my head, eyeing the burning landscape around me, at least demanding that of my body. To at least do something. And then once again, my body grew still as I saw it. Heart fluttering, breath silently leaving my lips, eyes seeing something that I should have kept from the very beginning. An answer to my prayers. The true ending to this saga. One hand at a time, I immediately began crawling toward the person long dead, dragging my body along the ground, pride be damned, brushing aside what rubble and Geth platforms lay in my way. Because I could actually end this myself. Would end this myself for the matter. Me alone. Me, myself, and I. I would actually get to leave my mark on this godforsaken place before I left. This would be the crux of my story.

With a final heave, I reached it, forced myself atop it, and then eventually, up to my feet, intent on letting everyone else in this room know that I was different from them. That unlike them...I was going to kill Saren. And in fact...leave this place alive. I was going to see the Normandy again. Spill some drinks at Flux with the crew. Protect the Citadel. Protect everyone from the Geth. Saren. Those goddamn Reapers.

Before I returned home anyway.

BECAUSE WHO THE HELL WAS I AGAIN?!

"Shield," I quietly whispered to myself, heaving the weapon atop my shoulder, action nearly causing me topple over pathetically. "Marauder Shield." I staggered forward with a grunt, keeping the thing perched still as well as I could. Though god damn, it was heavy.

"...and I'm..."

I closed my eyes, stilling myself, mustering the last of my strength, taking a deep breath as I reopened them, raising the weapon on high.

"...and I'm going to keep everyone from experiencing that shitty ending."

With a guttural cry, I called out the name of my opponent one last time, to let him know after all that had happened, all he had accomplished, all he had gone through...who exactly it was that had beat him in the very end. Who exactly it was that stopped the Reapers in 2183 CE.

"SAREN!"

And as the Turian turned to glance over his shoulder, I clicked the ML-77's deceptively simple trigger, launcher ejecting its last missile with a high-pitched scream.

"Ready for this story's explosive climax?!" I yelled along with it, explosive zooming straight for the Turian standing atop the Petitioner's Stage, its intended target scared completely stiff.

The missile then curved upward in a blue haze, object brightly shimmering, before eventually looping around entirely, rounding right back on its originator. The subsequent explosion rattled the entire room, sending flames everywhere, Saren only muttering in annoyance before returning to his task of conquering the Citadel, closing the station's arms, and allowing Sovereign to begin this Cycle's End.

Cue Mass Effect Soundtrack - Saren's Theme. [Obviously]

Codex Entry:

The Turian 'Mexta'

The mexta is a ceremonial weapon of the Turian people, with origins dating back to as early as 568 BCE. The dagger (referred to as a sword in some cultures), traditionally ranges from 15 to 30 centimeters long with a serrated edge, point and style otherwise varying wildly, dependent on the colony it was manufactured by. Though once common issue for every Turian soldier, their use in the field has long since past. The item has now grown to have great cultural significance in Turian society, possession of one likened to possessing colonial insignia. It is unheard of for a Turian to sell one or sport a fake, as such an act would be as unthinkable as changing one's own facial markings.

Production of the mexta ended sometime after the End of the Unification Wars, in an attempt to disavow colonial pride and independence. Many of the weapons were confiscated and melted down in the following decades of the war, though the mandate ultimately met as much resistance as the Hierarchy's attempt to forbid unique colonial insignia. To this day, some colonial militia in the Turian Hierarchy include their colony's unique mexta along with their regiment's insignia. There comes a great amount of respect to a family that still holds one in their position as well. It is common superstition that the hereditary line of a family possessing one has great potential for loyalty and devotion to others, as the blade's spirit has kept careful watch over that family in particular, never straying far from the original wielder's blood kin. Once the service of the blade's current owner comes to an end, they generally grant the weapon to their highest ranking offspring, in spirit of continuing the tradition.

Due to its background, this rare item fetches a high price on the black market, and is sought after by thousands of experts wishing to add such an important cultural artifact of the Turian Hierarchy to their collection. To be caught stealing one's mexta is a grave offense, though it was once considered perfectly acceptable to claim one's own mexta from a fallen enemy. A long string of 'incidents' in the field however has resulted in Turian Command outlawing the practice. Other species found in possession of the item have likely obtained it through extralegal means.

Excerpt from 'Observing the Hierarchy', Chapter 181 - Historical Artifacts, 11th passage. Think this is what Gellix was raving about.

Author's Notes:

So for those of you a little lost on what Shield and Saren was referencing, Bioware released a comic called Mass Effect: Evolution detailing the First Contact War and how Saren's brother died in it. It gives crucial backstory to two very important characters, and has more plot holes and retcons than ME3's extended ending. Still not as bad as ME Deception thankfully...but it comes close. Anyway, ((SPOILERS)) for those of you too lazy to look it up, Desolas Arterius finds an ancient artifact, and learns it makes turians into robots. He thinks this is good and brings it back to Palaven. Turns out this is actually bad, as the robo-turians uncover an identical artifact in the temple he's using as a base, turning people into robots w/o permission. Saren sees this is bad and tells Desolas. But Desolas is indoctrinated because the artifact is basically Object Rho and says naw brah, it's all good in the hood. Then Saren and Desolas basically expy what Shepard and the VI survivor do with the Prothean Beacon. Saren wakes up from the incident first, decides his brother is too far gone, and kills him and all the robots via orbital strike from the outside. The End. ((SPOILERS END)).

Also, desperately wish I could listen to the Shrek 2 Soundtrack every moment of my life. I just rewatched it with my sister, and I could honestly listen to Jennifer Saunder's cover for Jennie Tyler all day. That's the tru tru. I guess that's all for now. Besides the giant dead elephant in the room. Time for-

Reviews (of Reviews!):

Mazda - I thought he was just going to die tbh. And apparently did. It's like I actually know what's going to happen next in this story or something.

Wind da Man 199- And yes, yes he was. But if it wasn't for Adrenaline Rush, he would have died day one son. Can't blame him for abusing it like Mike Vick did his pitbulls.

Perennial White Stock - Not gonna lie, just watched TTGL for the first time this February. And shit was crunk. Will probably affect the final scenes I write subconsciously. Though probably not. I mean, who the hell do you think Shield is?! You think he's cool enough to pull that kind of shit off!? Naw. I don't think so. Especially since he ded

Revved...Perm...Brake? (I got nothing dude) - While I'm impressed by your pop culture knowledge dawg, and will give you a Gold Star in martial arts movie trivia, I was actually thinking of that scene with Mushu from Mulan. I do recommend everyone reading this to watch that Jackie Chan movie however. I still remember scenes from that masterpiece. It is most definitely worth an hour and fifty eight minutes of your time. Definitely one of Jackie's better works. dEFinitEly.

Guest - ...and dem's fighting words boi. How dare you. You wanna go son? I'll rek you m8. I'll teach you the real meaning of pain. I'll school you harder than ScHoolBoyQ, kid. 'Good story?' No, this is a GREAT story. Get it right before I right you myself buddy. Thought I was gonna be mad about that facial hair remark though didn't you? Well I'm too smart for that bait pal. Nice try troll!

Sonicboom Burst - In defense of Shepard, Shield does have a pretty good poker face despite his poor lying (note her observations during his interrogation and that one poker match he won). Shield has surprised her before too, surpassing her expectations on several occasions. Is he really bad at lying, or just trying to SEEM like he's really bad at lying?! I mean its pretty obvious but one can never be too sure. And as for Shield stopping Saren...confirmed? Kind of? I'll say it was a team effort.

ElvisFonz23 - Tensions will be worked out, oh yes. Worked right out of their bodies. Their bodies will be so stress-free when this all ends that they'll never have tensions in them again.

Rains For E - I will confirm your post-chapter analysis. Shield is definitely more confident with simply being a confidante, content with helping others than leading them. And I figured Nona was necessary due to my preconceptions of biotics aforementioned in the last AN, and due to the fact that I have a hard time believing not ONE spectre is present on the Presidium for the big finale. Also due to Shield being incompetent in every facet of combat too. As seen above. But despite his IQ and apparent bravado, delaying Saren was his goal from the outset. He was aware that he wouldn't hold a candle to him if went up against him alone, which is the reason for all the goading after Nona passed. Though his actions this chapter might seem to depict the exact opposite, hope his inner monologue conveyed otherwise...

Toothless is Best - Oh u mad huh?

Neverending Story - ...and dude, seriously, stop spoiling the story :[

Dekuton - Shield is a tool, I thought we've already been over this. But he's OUR tool guy. We'll endure every god-awful line that crosses his mind because we know he's at least trying. But I'll give you that. If I had a penny for every time Shield failed...I'd have zero pennies. YEAH YOU READ THAT RIGHT. Shield hasn't failed once, fight me.

Zhilo's Axe - ...I could have charged money for this? What?! Why didn't anyone tell me?! To think you fools could have been paying me the entire time for this drivel! Oh crumpets! Ignorance is bliss I suppose. And in that case, I suppose you should all thank me like Z did for my awesome altruism and cultural contribution to society.

Ansem - And I think I'm beginning to realize that a site for people who enjoy reading about their favorite fandoms explains why people enjoy reading a story about said fandom so much. Makes sense. Also, Blasto is one of the most central characters to ME canon, so of course he'll get screen time. Sometime. Right between now and never.

In the next chapter: Did Shield...really just go out with a...bang!?

Tune in next time on Mass Effective: A Hero Made!