Chapter 34: Secrecy's Cost

"They did it, Shepard. We lost good people, but Omega is ours."

Shepard nodded in response, looking at Hackett's holographic image. The report of the mission showed it was a success, but it had come at a high cost. Omega's civilian population had suffered greatly. The strike teams had a casualty rate approaching thirty percent… and one of his own would never come home from Omega.

"The loss of Zaeed Massani is a tragedy. He was one hell of a soldier," Hackett continued, already following the same train of thought. "I knew him when he was still a young marine and I was a navy lieutenant… back then were both still young and stupid. All these years later we both turned out old and cynical."

He felt a sad smile tug at the corners of his mouth.

"I think Zaeed would have called it 'acutely aware of goddamn reality'."

The admiral chuckled at Shepard's rough imitation of the old mercenary's accent.

"A better man than he ever let on and one that died how he lived: defiantly. He'll be missed but his sacrifice probably saved dozens if not hundreds of lives. Based on the estimates nearly half the remaining Cerberus abominations were killed in the blast that he triggered."

One life for a hundred of the enemy. Mathematically it was the kind of casualty ratio that war analysts and generals would consider an unqualified success. But those numbers became meaningless when your enemy could call upon limitless reserves. The Reapers had no supply lines. No morale. No civilians. Their zombie-like creations didn't tire or have psychological breakdowns.

Omega was a victory. But for every victory it seemed had to be paid for in blood. Mordin had given his life to save Tuchanka and the krogan people. Cerberus' coup had been stopped but only by Thane's final sacrifice and Legion had willingly given up its very essence for the Geth to take the next step in their evolution. All victories, but even their victories in a war that was almost an endless string of defeats left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"Is Operation Bastion a go?" he asked, changing the subject.

"The Eighth is already in system. Techs are making modifications while First Recon is doing a full sweep of the station from top to bottom to ensure none of these 'adjutant' creatures are left alive," Hackett explained. "Miranda Lawson is coordinating with Admiral Shepard to integrate the Orizaba as the command vessel for the new defense fleet complete with quantum entanglement communications."

"We won't have long. The Reapers' lethargy is the only reason this is possible at all, but even they won't ignore that many of our forces congregating in one location," Shepard said grimly. "If they hit us before we establish our hold on the opposite side of the relay…"

Hackett shook his head.

"We haven't detected any major shifts of their capital-scale Reapers yet. They haven't attacked the Citadel either, so we can't assume they'll immediately strike out our forces at the Omega relay. Either way our people are working non-stop."

"What about the allied forces? Is everyone on board?"

"The Admiralty Board wasn't entirely thrilled with the idea but they acquiesced. The Rayya and the Shellen will be in system in less than twelve hours. A full complement of geth arrived within an hour of the station's fall, sixteen cruisers in all escorting one of their dreadnoughts. Your reports didn't do the class justice… truly a massive warship."

"And Omega itself?" he asked, continuing his questioning.

A smaller holo-image appeared on one of the displays, illustrating damaged areas and current data on the station's population.

"Civilians were hard hit. Between the resistance to Cerberus occupation and the adjutants… the death toll was devastating," the admiral replied, lines deepening on his face as he frowned. "I hope that most left to escape Cerberus but total population count is hovering just under four million. Estimates at the start of the war had put Omega's population at seven point eight."

"My god… how…" he blinked.

He knew there would be losses, but for the station's population to have be nearly cut in half in the months since Cerberus seized control? It boggled the mind. Everything that Miranda had told him would never have hinted that Petrovsky would have been involved in large scale extermination. Apparently seeing the confusion on Shepard's face, Hackett offered an explanation.

"We discovered that the 'adjutant problem' had been more severe that anyone realized. On reviewing seized records and from debriefing Petrovsky himself we learned that the initial influx of rogue adjutants ravaged the most isolated sections of the station. Entire wards were turned into those things. To contain the situation Petrovsky sealed large portions of the station and vented the atmosphere. It didn't kill the adjutants but it made them go dormant. Then it was just a matter of putting them down."

"And what about now?"

Hackett lifted a pad in one hand, appearing to briefly scan its contents.

"Eighty five percent of the station is officially secured, teams on the ground are rendering aid and any personnel that aren't involved with the Bastion modifications are assisting in any way they can," the older man said, his tone clinical. "On Miranda Lawson's recommendation a turian named Nyreen Kandros has take the position has temporary governor of Omega. She was apparently leading the resistance movement against Cerberus."

Shepard didn't need ask the follow up question. Aria T'loak would not have abdicated peacefully. It was a decision that he hadn't wanted to make, even less to have placed the burden on the shoulders of another. But Miranda Lawson was no innocent and she had accepted the necessity without question. Aria was a monster that had always worn the veneer of grace and civility like a fine cloak, but beneath was concerned only with her own personal survival.

The time for games was over. He had accepted a position that made him responsible for the lives not just of his friends or his crew, but of an entire galaxy. There was no room for hesitance. He had known that Aria would make demands, try to secure deals and profit from what was coming. In the end Aria T'loak was one more drop of blood in an overflowing cup, one of the few he could find little sympathy for.

"What about your hunt, Shepard?" Hackett asked, his tone that of a man that had just repeated himself. "I was informed that there was an… incident with Councilor Tevos."

He snapped his attention back onto the admiral and sighed, reaching up to rub his temples. Even now, hours removed from the aforementioned incident, he felt anger surge through him.

"The asari, or at least the highest levels of their government, have been hiding a prothean beacon for thousands of years. I found this out not because they came forward but because of the research of Doctor Bryson. I… lost my composure."

"An understatement from what I hear," the older man said thoughtfully, but a grim smile crossed his weathered features. "I do wish I'd been there to see it firsthand. Did we at least gain any leads?"

"I think so. Thessia is the key to this hunt."

"Then you'd best move quickly. Reports show Reaper forces advancing quickly through asari space."

"And the rest of the front?" he inquired.

The sigh that came in response was the sound of a man who carried a great weight, but knew he was far from rest. Hackett shook his head.

"The last of our colonies fell yesterday. As for zero three hundred hours galactic standard time we are a species without a world. Like the quarians for so many years our species exists only as a fleet and as members on scattered worlds and stations like the Citadel."

Shepard straightened his posture and gave the admiral a crisp salute.

"The quarians returned to their home, Admiral. We will as well. Now I've got a myth to track down."

Hackett returned the salute.

"Good hunting, Shepard."


Sixty kilos of excited varren skidded across the smooth deck plating and slammed into a stack of crates hard enough to make them sway worryingly. The large creature blinked both sets of eyelids, regained its foot, and took off like a shot again in the opposite direction after a much smaller orangish blur. Shepard couldn't help but smile at the varren's antics.

"It's become something of an evening ritual," Cortez said from his right.

He glanced over from his position sitting on the steps leading to the main floor of the cargo bay. Cortez was standing at his usual console, likely reviewing their supply listings in his function as the Normandy's unofficial quartermaster.

"When did it start?"

The pilot shrugged and walked over to lean against the support beam next to the stairs.

"Week ago? With so many of the ground team no longer on board Urz was starting to get a little bored I think. The only regular crew that will really play with him are me and Traynor, everyone else is too nervous."

After one more comically eager attempt at a chase Urz's clawed feet slipped out from under him and the strange lizard-dog tumbled to the deck plating. Once he recovered his footing the varren padded over to where Shepard sat and eased back on his haunches, head cocked and tongue lolling from the side of his mouth.

"Nervous? Urz is a big baby," Shepard replied, reaching out the scratch the base the varren's crest of spines. The varren gave a pleased, undulating warble.

"A big baby that weighs more than Kasumi and has fangs that are pushing ten centimeters," Cortez pointed out, but gave Urz a scratch as well. "Even when he's happy he looks like he's ready to eat someone."

"Point. I'd be worried that he'd hurt the workers but there doesn't seem to be much danger of him catching them."

Cortez leaned back up from the varren, crossing his arms with a low chuckle. For his part Urz had apparently decided that he had received the appropriate amount of attention and had simple flopped across Shepard's feet like a scaley rug.

"Not a chance in hell. At first I thought he really was hunting them but after watching them a few times it turned out the little critters were working together. Usually around sixteen hundred hours they'll start coming out… start taunting him. Then you're in for a good hour of varren pinball."

Even as the pilot explained, three of the small rachni workers emerged from various places around the cargo hold. Two emerged from the last stack of crates that Urz had plowed into while the last skittered down the support beam that Cortez was leaning against, causing the pilot to suppress a start. Urz's head rose at their approach but quickly dropped back to the deck plating. The three rachni workers congregated near his boot in a neat little line looking for all the world like tiny soldiers presenting themselves for inspection.

Shepard studied the workers for a moment, rubbing his chin.

"Have you three been entertaining my varren?"

Antennae wiggled vigorously and the workers rose up to wave their front claws as well. Unlike the brood warriors or Hope-Singer no words sang into his mind, but he did feel a faint sensation of warm and satisfaction, a splash of green across his mind's eye like a hot summer's day.

He laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Strangest thing I've ever seen," Cortez said. "They're everywhere now, though. Don't tell Tali or Gardener but I even caught one of the workers in the pantry organizing the supplies."

"That one I'll take to my grave. Tali is learning to get along with them I think, but near the food? Might be a bridge too far."

The pilot nodded, shaking his head.

"Agreed. Never thought I'd be serving on a ship with it's own complement of worker bugs and a live varren, fighting a war against sentient space ships. Sounds like the kind of scenario you come up with after a night of heavy drinking at the academy."

"Shepard, you have a priority alpha communication incoming on the QEC," EDI's voice interrupted. "It appears to be from Primarch Victus."

Ice poured through his veins. Priority alpha was reserved for members of the Alliance war council and only used in the event of major disasters. He immediately stood and headed for the elevator, apologizing over his shoulder as he moved.

"Sorry, Cortez."

"Not a problem, sir."

As always the elevator's slow crawl upwards increased his agitation by the second and by the time it opened he practically burst from its confines. Shepard moved past Traynor without a word and into the war room. Once within the communication's room he secured the door.

"EDI?"

"Linking in Primarch Victus now."

The blue hologram took the form of a male turian standing on the raised platform that he recognized as the communication center of the Kwunu. Victus looked… tired. Shepard suspected they all were beginning to look much the same. His posture had lost some of the usual turian rigidity and his plates were dull. When the image fully solidified the turian gave a sigh of relief.

"Shepard, thank the spirits."

"What's happened, Primarch?"

Victus' taloned hands gripped the edge of the railing around the platform.

"Over fifty percent of the Reaper's forces have withdrawn from Palaven. In the last two hours at least a dozen of the Sovereign-class ships and dozens of smaller vessels have left the surface and surrounding systems."

"I can't believe the Reapers would actually find the resistance on Palaven strong enough to force them off world, no matter how successful we've been," Shepard said skeptically, and then frowned. "If they're moving on Omega we have to accelerate the timetable."

"I assumed as much as began to move forces to assist... but we just received a communication from the Asari Republic. Their outer colonies were just completely overrun. Asari forces engaged their main fleet and they barely even slowed down. Every ship is on a direct course for their homeworld."

"But why now? The asari-"

Shepard stopped as his eyes widened in sudden realization.

"Son of a bitch. They know about Leviathan. They're hunting it too."

"And apparently this Leviathan is enough of a threat that they are not only ignoring our efforts to secure Omega but to temporarily lift the siege on our worlds. Some of their vessels remain but compared to the previous assault… it is a token force at best."

"EDI! Recall all crew back to the Normandy and set course for Thessia! We're out of this dock in fifteen minutes. Anyone not aboard is being left behind."

The hologram of Victus grimaced, nodding.

"The asari are throwing everything they have against the Reapers. In the last few months they've been successful in using hit and run tactics to keep them at bay, but now the Reapers appear willing to absorb extremely disproportionate losses," the Primarch explained. "It's forcing the asari ships into head to head engagements to force the bulk of the Reaper forces to slow them down at all."

"How long can they keep it up?" Shepard asked, already suspecting the answer.

"They can't keep it up at all. From the reports I'm receiving they've already lost fifteen percent of their remaining fleet in the last four hours."

The Spectre slammed a fist into the console.

"How long for us to make it to Thessia, EDI?"

"Eleven hours, sixteen minutes, Shepard. All crew have been recalled and refueling is completed. The Normandy will be ready to leave dock in seven minutes," the AI replied.

Eleven hours. Even assuming the asari could continue their current level of success in fighting the Reapers, it would mean that by the time they reached Thessia the Republic fleet would be a shadow of its former glory. He took a deep, steadying breath.

"Then all we can do is hope the asari can hold out."

"Our forces around Palaven and Omega will capitalize on this lapse in the Reaper's attention," Victus promised. "The price will be high but maybe it will give us the chance to complete Operation Bastion."

"A Leviathan and a Crucible… we're banking everything on two massive unknowns."

Victus gave a tired shrug, mandibles twitching into what he recognized as the turian version of a rueful smile.

"War is always an unknown, Shepard. The ability to take advantage of those unknowns is what separates the victorious from the vanquished. Spirits watch over you, Praetor."

"And you, Primarch."

Shepard closed the connection and stood silently as the glow of the hologram faded, the room dimming bit by bit until only the faint glimmer from the console remained.


Outside the Normandy a particular version of hell drifted in the void. The frigate moved gracefully, slipping past wreckage that rolled end over end through space. It once had been an asari cruiser. Now it was a tomb, a few fires still guttering throughout its ruined superstructure as the last of the oxygen vented into space or burned out.

It was one among hundreds. The space around Thessia was a freshly ravaged battlefield. Defense satellites, warships, and fighters floated lifelessly around the planet. Unlike their own careful approach, the Reapers responsible for the slaughter simply smashed through the wreckage as the burned toward the planet's surface.

"We're too late…" Joker whispered.

It was a scene they had both seen before, only in reverse, as they had fled Earth. It had repeated itself again on Palaven. Now a third world was enduring the same brutal assault. He felt his jaw tighten in anger. How many worlds were going to burn before they finished this?

"We always were," Shepard replied sadly. "Get us down there, Joker. We don't have long."

He left the cockpit and took the elevator to the cargo bay. The doors opened to reveal the rest of his team in the final stages of preparation. Tali and Garrus were in their full combat armor, the quarian locking protective combat visor into place as he walked in. Kasumi was frowning as Samara assisted her with the latches on her armor.

"This isn't very… stealthy," the thief complained.

"In this situation stealth is secondary to survival. The goddess protects, but she does not save the foolish from themselves," Samara explained patiently, locking the last arm plate into place.

While she had managed to keep her trademark hood, somehow, Kasumi's armor had undergone a significant upgrade. After hearing about just how close the thief had come to a mortal injury during the Battle of the Citadel from Garrus and the incident on the mining station he had ordered upgraded gear from the Spectre armory. Their stockpiles weren't extensive but in this case he had felt little guilt in abusing his authority.

"There had better be a helmet under that hood, Kasumi," he said firmly.

The responding sigh was filled with exasperation but she raised up a close-faced, featureless helm in her other hand.

"I'll put it on in a minute, Shep. I feel so… bulky in this."

Shepard gave a small smile.

"It's all Spectre issued gear. Your stealth web will interact with the armor and the plating will offer you significantly more protection than just ballistic cloth and kinetic barriers. Secondary barrier layer generators, additional space for thermal clips and gear."

A taloned hand came to rest on her shoulder and squeezed.

"It's the armor of a soldier," Garrus said.

Kasumi tensed for a moment and then relaxed into the turian's grip, turning her head upwards slightly. He saw their eyes meet and Kasumi nodded once, a smile forming at the corners of her mouth that looked both sad and somehow grateful. There was more meaning there than the words implied from the way they acted but he wouldn't ask unless one of them offered.

When Tali moved to his side and lightly touched his elbow it only served the confirm those thoughts. He looked over at her, all black armor and stylized raven across her chest with only thin slits of her purple visor showing through the metal protecting her face.

"Geared up?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Shotgun, pistol, back-up pistol. Two additional ammo packs," Tali said, patting the compartments on her thighs. "We're ready. I'm glad we requisitioned these supplies as soon as the Normandy docked or we might not have had everything before leaving the Citadel."

"Sometimes things work out. What about your gear, Samara? Find everything you need?"

"Of course, Shepard," the justicar replied. "I brought my own weapons, but the armor was easily fitted after some slight adjustments. I will have to compliment Ms. T'Soni on her choice of equipment."

"She has good taste," Shepard agreed.

The Spectre moved to his own locker and pulled out his gear. All old standbys: reliable and familiar in his hands. His pistol went into the holster at his hip, while the Vindicator and sniper rifle snapped into place onto the magnetic grips on his back. When he snapped the helmet seals closed the armor's HUD sprang to life, status indicators all burning bright green.

"Everyone geared?"

A chorus of agreement came in response, followed by the mental song of Sings-Twilight. Half a dozen worker drones skittered off the rachni's bulky form as he moved into the center of the cargo hold. The brood warrior looked oddly bulky.

"Did you… grow?" Tali asked.

The workers sang armoring-songs across our carapace during the journey. Temporary layers will chip away when damaged.

"Rachni ablative armor," Garrus mused. "They never mention that in the history vids."

"It'll probably be needed," Shepard said grimly. "Load up!"

Six people against a planet overrun with Reapers. It wasn't as if they hadn't done similarly insane things and come out on top. He ground his teeth, watching Tali strap in across from him in the shuttle, and wondered how long they could keep coming out on top. As soon as the thought rose in his mind, Shepard shoved it back down again. He knew where those doubts lead and it was nowhere he meant to go again.

With so many Reapers hovering above Thessia and already on the surface Shepard could feel a constant throb of pressure at the back of his mind like the hum of a high voltage power line. If he let himself focus on the sound it became clearer, though no more intelligible. Just as on Rannoch it was a battle of a million voices speaking a million languages. Unlike Rannoch, though, he was prepared this time and forced the thrum of power out of his thoughts.

He turned his attention to the justicar next to him.

"Are you going to be okay? This is your homeworld… it's not an easy thing to see."

Samara's expression behind the clear visor of her helm was one of grim determination.

"I have seen atrocities across the galaxy for centuries, Shepard, and I have the devastation the Reapers have wrought first hand. I will not falter."

"Good enough for me," he agreed, not pressing the issue.

Shepard extended his arm and opened his omni-tool, projecting a small hologram of Thessia.

"Listen up, people. Joker is taking us in low and fast. Cortez is going to drop us out of the Normandy while she's moving full speed so it's going to be a rough ride. Once we're clear, Joker is going to burn the Normandy back out of atmosphere while Cortez sets down and kills the power to stay hidden."

The hologram zoomed in, showing one of the many spire-like buildings within Thessia's capital.

"We're proceeding on foot to here: the temple of Athame. Based on Dr. Bryson's research the temple houses a Prothean beacon. Unlike the one on Eden Prime this one seems to be intact and might be our best chance at locating Leviathan. From what I can tell it sounds like we weren't the first to go hunting for this thing."

"How are we planning to get the beacon out? Based on your description of the one on Eden Prime it has to be a few hundred kilograms," Garrus asked.

He shook his head.

"The beacon won't be getting out… the protheans designed these things to provide information and the last one nearly killed me trying to hand that out. I wish Javik was here to make it easier, but at this point we have to just assume that the device will be usable. Any data we can retrieve will be directly uploaded to the Normandy."

The shuttle gave a sudden, violent jerk. Even after years of low gravity drops, fast extractions, and various other stomach turning acts of flying Shepard felt uneasy. From the cockpit Cortez's voice yelled out

"We're clear! Moving to LZ!"

"Twilight, Samara… you're with me. Garrus, you've got Kasumi and Tali with you," Shepard ordered. "We're taking point and moving fast. You'll be right behind providing overwatch. If we spring a trap, your team breaks it. Once we reach the temple Twilight and Tali will switch. Secure the perimeter while Tali and I access the beacon. Clear?"

"Always," Garrus agreed.

Seconds later the shuttle doors opened and they fanned out, weapons held ready. Even through the helmet filters Shepard was hit by the scent of acrid smoke. He blinked once and looked out to see asari spires ablaze, the massive form of Reapers moving against the skyline in the distance. Even as they watched one of the massive warships physically smashed through one of the towering spires, shattering it like it was made of glass.

"Keelah…" Tali breathed.

Gunfire immediately ended their shock, the sound of screams intermingling with the crack of short, controlled bursts. Without another words they broke into a run. The streets were already littered with debris. Shepard vaulted over a fallen pillar, skidding to a stop when he reached the edge of a shatter pathway that dropped thirty feet to another roadway. They'd found the source of the commotion.

A few dozen asari were huddled in the center of an intersection, clearly civilians. Around the civilians in a thinly stretched ring were less than ten asari commandos. Each commando was circling slow, firing those same controlled bursts in steady rhythm. That disciplined defense was the only thing keeping the husks at bay but the circle was tightening bit by bit. The creatures crouched atop skycars and clambered over decorative railings. A few hundred meters away Shepard could see more husks approaching mixed with the more deadly cannibals.

Thessia was a doomed world. Just like Earth and Palaven before it, it would burn under the Reaper's assault. He should leave the commandos to do their best, even knowing that once the cannibals guns came to bear there would be little they could do because their mission was what was really important. Not just delaying the inevitable.

But he wouldn't just leave people to die. Not when they could be saved, even if it was just for an hour or for a day. That was what made them different from the Reapers. They weren't driven by logic and calculations. His lips curled into a snarl.

"Take them down!" Shepard barked. "Samara, Twilight on me!"

The Spectre took a few steps back to get a running start and then hurled himself off the ledge and down towards the street below. A few feet from the ground he summoned up a surge of biotic energy, using a slight push of power to direct his fall directly onto the back of one of the circling husks. He slammed into the creature with bone shattering force and at the same moment released the power, sending out a shockwave to sent the husks around him flying through the air.

Twilight landed at his side with an equally devastating impact, razor sharp claws lashing out within heartbeats of hitting the ground. A second later Samara landed with more grace but no less lethality, the pistol in his hand claiming three husks with precise headshots before her feet even touched the pavement. The Spectre drew his pistol and called on another surge of power, the crackling azure blade springing from his left arm as he gestured towards the approaching cannibals to their left.

"Engage the cannibals, Garrus, clear the right!"

Shots rang out over their heads, the loud boom of the turian's sniper rifle a basso counterpoint to the chattering of submachine gun fire from Tali and Kasumi. The three of them charged straight past the stunned asari commandos, slamming into the husks' line like tidal wave.

Twin cascades of power from the biotics at his flank tore into the creatures, ripping limbs from their sockets and crushing bones in alternating pulses that danced across the ground. Shepard caught the first cannibal with a biotically enhanced shoulder check that sent it flying, turning his pistol on the next and pumping two rounds into it's screaming mouth. A third swung a malformed, clawed arm at him. He spun on his heel, letting the claws skip off his armor and lashed out with his other arm, removing the thing's arm at the elbow. Another quick jab drove the biotic blade into the husk's skull.

Samara ducked under another cannibal's claws, throwing it backwards with a push of biotic power. In one smooth motion she holstered her pistol and drew forth a compact shotgun of asari make, unleashing half a dozen blasts in quick succession that each left fist sized holes a different husk.

Songless abominations! We will destroy all creations of the dark-song destroyers!

The rachni's mental battle cry flooded his mind with a sea of red and orange, like the heart of a bonfire. Somewhere in the few seconds that they'd taken to tear into the Reaper forces the asari commandos had recovered were adding their own firepower to the engagement. Twilight knocked a cannibal aside and Shepard caught it in mid-flight, driving his blade through its chest before dropping it to the ground. He turned and fired a shot into another's kneecap, sending it sprawling into the ground next to Samara. The justicar didn't even bother with her weapon, shattering its skull with a biotic kick.

What felt like an hour took less than five minutes according to his HUD's chronometer. Husk corpses were scattered at their feet and dark ichor was splattered across Shepard's armor. He put a round into the head of one of the husks that still twitched, just to be sure, and turned back to the others.

"Everyone clear?" he asked.

"We're good up here," Tali replied.

"Not seeing any other husks. Smoke and fire cutting down on visual range, though," Garrus agreed. "We're coming down."

"Goddess… you're Shepard!" one of the commandos said. "The Alliance is here to help?"

He grimaced behind the helm, turning to face the woman. She was still a maiden it looked like, wearing dark green armored and holding a curved shotgun that was a twin to the one Samara wielded. The expression on her face was one of surprise and hope. It was painful to watch it fade as he spoke.

"We're on a mission to extract vital information from the temple of Athame," he explained simply.

"What about your fleets?" one of civilians said, beginning to crowd behind the line of commandos.

To his relief Garrus took the unpleasant task of crushing their hopes.

"There are no fleets. This is a covert mission. We can't face the Reaper fleet in open combat… your own fleets have been decimated trying to do the same."

"What are we supposed to do?" the same commando asked. "We can't stop them…"

"I wish I could tell you an easy solution, but I can't," Shepard replied tiredly. "Get yourself and the civilians out of the major population centers. Take whatever supplies you can carry and keep moving. We have forces still on Earth that have been resisting for months."

"But-"

"We do what the man says," a second commando interrupted, quickly beginning to issue orders. "Ulia, organize the civilians. The strongest will carry supplies as we can find them, everyone else needs to stay together. We don't have much time, move."

"Of course, Huntress Vyssa."

The first commando nodded and moved back among the civilians. Others spread out and formed a rough perimeter. Vyssa turned back to Shepard and inclined her head briefly. She was older than her counterpart, possibly a matron by the look of her skin tone and build.

"Thank you for your assistance, Commander Shepard. We would have been overwhelmed otherwise. We'll try to get these people out of the city," she said, glancing over her shoulder. "Not all of them will make it. But maybe some will make it and see the end of this war."

It was both a statement and a question. The huntress knew that no amount of guerilla resistance would drive the Reapers from Thessia. Their war would be the same one Anderson was fighting back on Earth: to survive. Until the they won the war. Until he led to them to victory.

"Never stop fighting. This war isn't over yet, but it will be soon," he promised and ignored how bitter the words tasted.

"I hope so. Good luck, Commander, and may the goddess watch over you."

Samara stopped to speak with the commandos briefly while they regrouped. Within a few minutes they were moving again, giving a final salute as the group of asari headed in the opposite direction. All he could do was wish them luck, knowing that most would likely not see the next dawn.

They made their way through the devastated streets. In the hours since the assault had begun the city had become mostly deserted as survivors congregated in groups for safety. The gleaming glass and beautifully maintained guards contrasted starkly with still smoldering craters and a sky that darkened with ash by the minute. By the time they reached the final causeway leading to the temple of Athame a setting sun was struggling to pierce the haze, casting everything in dull red light.

Fortunately the temple had been left mostly undisturbed through the centuries as Thessia's capital had grown around it. The small spire was only a few stories tall and they were able to quickly ascend the winding ramp that encircled the building. When they reached the summit he paused, scanning the area.

The temple's entrance was an enormous archway that overlooked the now burning city below. He saw no movement within, but erred on the side of caution and motioned for Garrus and his team to take up position on the opposite side of the entrance. After another moment's pause they moved inside, weapons raised. No husks attacked. The temple was deserted.

"Tali, you're with me. Samara, we might need you to translate. The writings from the temple were all in a dialect that's not in our omni-tools," Shepard said. "Garrus, set up a perimeter. I don't know how long this will take and I don't want to be surprised by husks."

"On it," the turian replied.

"Where's the beacon?" Tali asked.

"Center of the room… apparently they covered it up with the statue of Athame. It's literally been hidden in plain sight for over a thousand years."

The temple was more accurately described as a museum. Artifacts were stored under glass cases, small informative plaques mounted beneath them with holographic emitters offering more information about their history. Ancient pottery, pitted weapons, and various scrolls all led to a large statue of the asari goddess at the center of the room.

"Lucen… one of Athame's guides that taught the asari of the stars and how to navigate by them," Samara said as they moved past one of the cases, then gestured to another. "Athame's shield, said to have protected the asari people when the sky itself turned against us and rained fire."

"So much history," Tali said quietly.

Samara shook her head sadly.

"History used to conceal the true nature of this place. My government educated our people about history, but concealed the most important knowledge from all in a quest for power and influence."

The statue at the temple's center was huge, stretching upwards to nearly the top of the vaulted ceiling. It looked like nothing more than smooth, sculpted stone. No one could have guessed that it concealed something so important. Shepard frowned, staring at it.

"If the beacon is in the statute… how do we get to it?" Tali asked.

"I wondered the same," Samara said. "Did Councilor Tevos' data not provide a method of revealing the device, Shepard?"

Shepard stepped forward. A low buzz, barely audible, made the hair of his arm stand on end. Without conscious effort he moved closer to the statue. The buzz became a hum. Every step grew in intensity until the sound made it feel as if his bones were vibrating. He only realized that he was grinding his teeth when Tali's voice broke through the sound.

"John!"

He shook his head and blinked, looking back to see both Samara and Tali with weapons in hand. Tali had taken a step towards him, reaching out tentatively.

"It's okay," he said slowly, mouth dry. "I think… I feel it."

The Spectre easily vaulted the low railing that surrounding the statue before either of the pair could object. Forcing his way through the wave of energy he reached the base of the sculpture and placed a hand on the image of Athame's leg. A sound like the crack of whip split the air and the buzzing abruptly ceased. He pulled his hand back and took a step away.

From the points where his fingertips had touched stone, cracks shot outwards in haphazard patterns that branched over and over again. The flaws pulsed with faint golden light as they raced up the statue's form until the entire body was like a pane of cracked glass. A moment later the statue began to crumble. Chunks of stone tumbled away and dissolved into dust before striking the ground, the processing speeding up with each piece that fell.

"All these centuries… goddess forgive us," Samara said as the form of a prothean beacon was revealed.

Unlike the beacon on Eden Prime this device was not sparking and crackling with bursts of uncontrolled energy. Instead it glowed with a steady hum of power. Pristine and undamaged. Another burst of anger shot through Shepard at the sight, knowing that it had been sitting here all this time.

A holographic form materialized in front of the beacon. Its features were indistinct, but its shape was unmistakably that of a prothean. The hologram turned its attention in Shepard's direction.

"Detecting prothean psycho-imprint. Analyzing current data. Reaper presence detected. Conclusion, current cycle has already reached point of termination. Entering dormancy mode to avoid detection."

"Wait!" Shepard snapped.

To his surprise the digital image paused and turned to face him.

"This cycle isn't over yet!" he continued immediately. "We've come farther than anyone before us. We have the plans for the Crucible that your people designed, even now we're close to locating the Leviathan."

"Why have you not utilized the Crucible?" the image asked.

He shook his head.

"We secured a location to build it in safety only recently and we still don't know its exact function. Now I'm hoping that you can tell us."

"I cannot."

"Why not? We deserve the right to fight for our future!" Tali snapped. "This isn't your war, we stopped the Reapers from destroying the relays. Haven't we earned the right to try?"

"You misunderstand. We cannot explain the Crucible's function as we do not know its function. I am known as Vendetta. My personality matrix was based upon to lead scientist in charge of the Crucible project. We attempted to construct the device but were betrayed by a faction within our ranks that believed that they could control the Reapers."

"Your people did not know the device's function?" Samara asked.

"Correct. The Crucible is not a product of prothean design. It was discovered in data left behind by the previous cycle. Records indicate it has been passed down for thousands of years. No record of its successful deployment was noted."

Shepard felt his jaw tighten. He had hoped that finally they had received a break, one piece of good fortune that could help them swing the war in their favor. One of the keys to that would be the knowledge of how to properly utilize their 'super weapon'. Now it turned out that the protheans had no more idea than they did about the nature of the device.

"Our scientists calculated that it was capable of enormous energy output but were unable to determine what the effect of its use would be. Due to the nature of the war it was deemed an acceptable risk to deploy the weapon," Vendetta continued. "Construction was never completed. Our engineers were unable to finish the device before the rival faction sabotaged development. Within seventeen solar cycles of its destruction the Reapers had completed their destruction of the prothean race."

"Keelah," Tali whispered, armored visor turning in his direction.

He could read the disappointment in her features as the quarian's body shifted, hand dropping to her side when she processed the information. Nothing would come easy it seemed. With an effort he pushed his own dark thoughts aside and looked to the AI's shimmering form.

"What about the Leviathan?" he asked instead.

"Searching. Leviathan: based upon historical records and translation you are referring to the legend of an entity or force capable of destroying Reaper warships. Collected data suggests the myth of the 'Leviathan' has been a part of multiple cycles."

Tali's hands balled into fists when she spoke.

"But do you know where it is?"

"The entity known as Leviathan was never located. Reaper presence on this planet indicates that your own species will soon repeat the same cycle based on current estimations of your species technological advancement and possible military power."

It actually startled him with Tali slammed a fist into the educational display next to one of the artifacts. The slim screen shattered easily under the armor of her glove. The outburst caused the digital image of the prothean to pause once more and look at the quarian.

"Then what good are you? Your people seeded the galaxy with your beacons, you even put your warriors like Javik in stasis! Why?" she demanded, voice barely under a yell. "What was the point? Just to mock the 'primitives' as we all die?"

His helmet clicked and Garrus' voice broke in over the comm.

"Everything okay in there, Boss?"

"Copy that, keep it locked down out there. We've made contact with a prothean VI like the one on Ilos," he responded quickly.

It seemed that Tali wasn't quite finished, stalking up to the glowing hologram and jabbing a finger at it as she spat out her words.

"We aren't just going to give up because some… some qua'neddas fecsas told us we were too weak! We killed the first Reaper we ever encountered! We stopped their trap, we have fleets, we have him!" she said, gesturing back at Shepard. "All your technology and we've still made it farther than the protheans ever did!"

Shepard didn't think that VI's were capable of being taken aback, but the holographic image clasped its hands before it in what appeared to be a conciliatory gesture.

"As a synthetic intelligence it would be logical to assume I am without a soul, quarian," Vendetta agreed. "But my designer did not create me to mock those that came in the next cycle. I was designed to provide knowledge. Knowledge of our people, our empire, our way of life. And knowledge of those that destroyed us."

All at once each of their omni-tools activated and a flurry of information appeared on their screens. Data sped past their eyes at a rate that only another AI like EDI could have comprehended.

"You have stated that one of our species has survived. It is within the limits of my programming to allow access to the data stored within the beacon based upon this assumption. I have prioritized the research of our scientists on the entity known to you as Leviathan. The lead researcher on the project believed that the being or species responsible for the myths could have survived previous cycles by unknown methods. It is possible that the Leviathan is a form of life that has lived through repeated cycles. If this theory is correct then such a being would be extremely advanced."

It was Tali's turn to be stunned as she stared down at her omni-tool.

"There's… so much. How… but my omni-tool only has a few thousand petabytes of space…"

"I have accessed your internal armor systems. Upon detecting a quantum network I reconfigured your communications devices to send the data on a repeated loop, this will allow unlimited data space until such a time that you can properly store that information," the VI explained.

"You have our thanks," Samara said solemnly.

"Your gratitude is unnecessary. I operate within the boundaries created for me by my creators."

"Your creators allow you to release data based upon the assumption that a prothean is alive fifty thousand years later because some alien said so?"

There was a pause. Holographic prothean eyes fixed upon him.

"The boundaries of my creators are… open to interpretation."

Tali's head shot up from her omni-tool.

"You're not a VI! You didn't operate on a set programing path, you made a decision! You're a true AI!"

"I am a… memory," Vendetta replied noncommittally. "The methods used by my designer to copy memory and personality data was illegal in the Prothean Empire. With the arrival of the Reapers the scientists decided that such restrictions were an unaffordable luxury."

A prothean AI, this one with the memories and knowledge of one of their scientists? Javik was an excellent warrior and a source of extensive knowledge about the war with the Reapers. But an AI with access to that knowledge could be a game changer. Maybe their mission wouldn't be a complete loss after all.

"Vendetta, can you-"

Shepard's comm erupted in a burst of sudden static and he raised his arm to check when Garrus' yell cut through the interference.

"Incoming!"

He had just long enough to turn on his heel and watch as an A-61 Mantis gunship drop into view of the massive archway that lead to the temple, highlighted by the red glow of Thessia's setting sun behind it. A volley of missiles streaked through the air and into the temple itself.

Adrenaline surged through his body and instinct told him to run, but there was no time. The Spectre unleashed a massive surge of biotic energy just as the missiles hit. He had never learned to hold a biotic barrier like Samara or Miranda even, the concentration wasn't there. But he might be able to keep one very strong one up for a few seconds.

And then the world was engulfed in thunder and light.


When Shepard shook himself back into consciousness everything was blurry and he immediately began to cough. Fine dust filled the air. His vision began to clear. He'd lost his helmet in the blast was his best guess, but he was still alive, and tried to examine his surroundings.

Two images stood in front of him, coalescing into the armored form of Cerberus soldiers. Standard issue white and black, helmets, equally standard issue assault rifles. Basic troopers. One's faceless visor turned in his direction at the sound of his cough.

"Sir-"

Shepard ignored the screaming pain in his head and lashed out with both legs, catching the trooper in the ankles, sending him toppling forward. The second soldier raised his rifle and fired, but Shepard rolled to the side, braced his back against the ground and threw himself to his feet. More pain, this time in his shoulder, send warning signals bouncing around his brain. There was no time to pay attention to them.

Two steps brought him inside the soldier's reach. The Spectre feinted an overhand blow, causing the other man to raise his rifle in protection only to lash out with a vicious kick directly at the trooper's knee. It bent inward with a sickening crack, the man falling to the floor with a howl of pain while Shepard ripped the rifle out of his hands. The first soldier that had fallen was scrambling for his weapon, only to cease abruptly with Shepard snapped off two quick rounds into his faceplate before delivering another double tap to the trooper with the shatter knee.

"Impressive."

Shepard snapped the rifle up and settled it over the man standing in front of the prothean beacon. He felt his mouth curl into a reflexive snarl. Kai Leng. His omni-tool glowed brightly in the fine particles that still drifted through the air. Massive chunks of the temple had be destroyed and cracks shot through the stone in every direction. He let his glance flick from side to side.

Dust covered purple caught his attention immediately. Tali lay against one of the pillars, clutching her arm with two soldiers standing over her, rifles raised. Samara was sprawled next to her, still unconscious, but alive from the way the dust moved with her shallow breaths. Their weapons were all stacked a good five meters away, too far to make a run for.

"Don't worry... your little xeno bitch is still alive, Shepard," Kai Leng said, words dripping with false pleasantry as a cruel smile crossed his features. "I was waiting for this little program to do its work and thinking how best to end this."

The Spectre sucked in dusty breaths and tried to assess his situation. Three more soldiers flanked Kai Leng and from the sound of armor scraping on stone there were at least a few more behind him. He couldn't see Garrus' team anywhere. Kai Leng's omni-tool disappeared and the man turned to face him directly.

"I decided I want to pop that little mask of hers off and see what would make a man betray his entire species to lay with some creature. But I wanted you to wake up first… so you can watch her choke on this unclean air."

His snarl became audible and his finger tightened on the trigger.

"Over my dead body, Leng. Your little brainwashed soldiers might drop me, but I can definitely put a burst through your skull with this rifle first."

Leng shook his head.

"No, you won't. After our last… encounter I agreed to the Illusive Man's upgrades," the Cerberus operative said, and nodded once. "I was a fool to hesitate before. So much power… some with only a thought."

The gun in his hands gave a dwindling whistle and he watched the ammo indicator blink out, the trigger under his finger froze hard in place. Locked out. In disgust he threw the rifle to the ground.

"So now what? You came all the way to Thessia because I beat you in a fight?" Shepard challenged. "There's a war going on outside and that's all you care about?"

"I had a mission. One that is now complete. But your death… that is what really matters."

Leng took a few steps closer, a sneer on his lips as he continued to speak.

"He idolizes you, do you know that? For years I listened to the Illusive Man talk about how 'Shepard has the strength to lead humanity into a new era'. Like some force of nature or messiah. But do you know what I think?"

He shifted one foot backwards and tensed his muscles as the assassin approached. More pain shot through him and he spared a glance downwards, grimacing. The dust on his left arm was dark and caked to his armor like mud. A piece of shrapnel must have punched through his armor and into his shoulder. It would explain the steadily growing pain. Shepard gritted his teeth and forced it aside.

"No, why don't you tell me?" he asked. "I'm always so concerned what a washed up soldier with an inferiority complex thinks of me."

"Inferior? You think I'm inferior?" Kai Leng yelled, his calm facade slipping away. "I think you sold your soul! At every opportunity you gave away your humanity, wasted human lives and resources, for whatever alien whore would open her legs for you or alien government that would give you a taste of power!"

"I fought to save an entire galaxy, not just the lives of a few pathetic bigots," Shepard snapped back. "People like you can never seen beyond their own ignorance. There's no reason to talk to someone that can't even think for themselves."

Without waiting for Leng to respond, Shepard turned his back on the man. He heard a sound of anger behind him but focused on his surroundings. The scene wasn't promising. Garrus was on his knees with two soldiers behind him with rifles raised while Twilight's hulking form shifted uncomfortably. A ring of half a dozen Cerberus troops surrounded the rachni all armed with shotguns. Then a faint smile crossed his features.

"Don't turn your back on me, traitor," Leng growled.

Wiping the expression from his face the Spectre turned back to Leng.

"So you ambushed my team, Leng. Now what?"

"Now you die, of course. The Illusive Man should have had you all killed the minute you betrayed the interests of our species. At least this way I get to see your face as they bleed out."

Around him the soldiers raised their rifles and Leng began to turn away. They needed more time.

"All those cybernetic enhancements that you got, the strength, the speed… and I'd guess cerebral upgrades as well if you have your entire team's guns networked together," Shepard mused, putting as much disdain into his voice as he could. "I thought you'd want an actual fight."

The assassin's head snapped back in his direction and a cruel smile crossed his features.

"That is your… play, Shepard? You want to challenge me? For what? Their freedom? Mercy?" Leng sneered. "I know you're not that stupid. Even if by some incalculable chance you were able to best me, my men would gun down your precious little squad. You're pathetic."

"I'm not the pathetic one, Leng," Shepard disagreed. "I think I've figured you out."

"Figured me out?"

He nodded, giving a disdainful snort.

"You had some little alien girl as kid, didn't you? An asari, I'd bet, that you liked. But daddy was a drunk and a bigot too. I bet when he found you hanging out with a filthy asari he beat you. And he kept beating you until you became a good little monster. But it's still there, isn't it? You hate me because I'm what you want to be!"

"You know nothing-"

"But it doesn't matter, you never will be. You're right, I can't make a deal with you. You'll just kill my team either way. Maybe I just want to show you what a real man is before I die then."

Silence stretched out for long moments as the pair locked gazes. Even with all the cybernetics robbing the man's face of much of his humanity Kai Leng couldn't keep the growing contempt from twisting his features. Finally the assassin turned to face him fully, drawing forth a single edged sword as he spoke.

"Execute them if they attempt escape. If Shepard attempts to use his biotics, execute them. Otherwise do not interfere, understood?"

"Yes, sir," the troopers stated in unison.

Leng held his blade in a low guard position, then reached behind him with his free hand and produced a knife. He recognized it instantly as the blade mission from the sheath at his back. To his surprise Leng tossed it on the ground at his feet.

"Show me what a 'man' is, Shepard. If you remember how to be one."

He crouched down and grabbed the knife, turning it in his hand until he grasped it tightly in a reverse grip. The pair approached each other slowly, both moving in a slow circle, knees bent. It seemed Leng's arrogance wasn't so much that he would do something as stupid as leave himself open.

The sword gave his opponent superior reach, but if Shepard was able to close it would give him the advantage as it longer blade would be a liability in extremely close quarters. He made a quick feint to his left, ducking under a swing from the blade as Leng reacted and then surged forward, only to twist at the last moment when the assassin sneered once more.

"Pathetic."

Leng reacted faster than he had any right to, flipping the sword in his hand and sweeping it back in the opposite direction. He got his left arm up and inside the other man's swing, checking the blow with his forearm against Leng's. The impact sent a shock of pain running down his arm and he took an involuntary step backward, shaking his arm slightly to fight of the growing numbness.

"Are you used to having aliens do your fighting for you, Shepard? Forgotten how to kill a man with a knife and your own hands?" Leng taunted.

This time it was the Cerberus operative that attacked, darting to one side and swinging the sword in an upward blow. He spun on his heel and brought his knife down, steel striking steel with a harsh scraping sound as blade was turned aside. Using the momentum Shepard continued his spin, stepping past Leng and driving his left elbow backwards into the man's skull with a crack.

His momentum carried him forward another two steps and he turned to see Leng doing the same, shaking his head from the blow and wavering slightly before straightening. Mentally Shepard cursed, that blow would have disabled a normal man… but it seemed Leng hadn't been exaggerating about his upgrades. Considering the pain he was in just from delivering the blow Shepard wouldn't get many more before his left arm became useless.

Leng immediately charged. He was inhumanly fast and Shepard was forced to try something more desperate. When Leng had covered half the distance the Spectre threw himself forward, hurling the knife in his grip directly at the assassin's head.

Just as he suspected it was easily deflected. The sword came up and knocked the knife aside, but it gave him the opening he needed. Shepard dropped his shoulder low into the other man's charge and caught him full in the stomach, gritting his teeth through the pain of the impact and bodily lifting Leng from the ground, flipping him over his shoulder and slamming the assassin into the stone floor.

The impact was jarring, but he couldn't take time to gather himself. He rolled to the side, raising his fist and driving it downwards into the joint of Leng's right arm. Briefly Shepard worried that the man had been so augmented that he wouldn't even have a pain reflex but it seemed some parts of Cerberus lackey were still organic. The arm holding the sword spasmed and lost its grip.

Unfortunately the same could be said for his own body. The assassin's armored knee drove viciously into his side and Shepard felt himself jerk sideways, raising an arm to block a blow to the head but still being knocked onto his back. Leng didn't waste the opportunity and attacked from above, driving his fist down in a blow that connected just above his eye and made Shepard's vision go white for a brief second.

A low, primal snarl ripped out of Shepard's throat and he knocked the assassin's fists to the side, throwing himself upwards to catch the man's face in a brutal headbutt. The force made Leng's weight shift back, letting Shepard push himself away. He lashed out with a kick that only managed to clip Leng's thigh but it forced the man further off balance buying him a few seconds to get his feet under him.

Warm blood oozed from his forehead where the punch had connected and Shepard blinked rapidly to clear his vision. Leng wiped blood from beneath his nose and looked down at the sword laying between them. His hands were back up in a defensive posture but the Spectre could feel his muscles trembling at the strain, more warm blood trickling down the joints of his armor from the wound in his shoulder.

"You're too slow, Shepard," Leng hissed, and dove for the sword.

He wasn't wrong. Two pained strides had taken him close to where the blade lay, but by then it was already in the assassin's hands. Like a predatory cat Leng came out of the dive and sprung forward, sword out. Shepard twisted in mid-step but the blade still bit home in his right side and opened up a wide slash across his ribs even through the armor.

The flash of pain dropped him to a knee and let out a gasp, fighting to keep his instincts in check. All it would take is a well timed surge of biotic power, one good punch with everything he had left, and he could bury his fist up to the wrist in the smug jackal's chest. But the moment that biotic glow flashed he might as well have pulled the trigger himself.

He looked up and found Tali watching him soundlessly, reflective white eyes widen but the hands to gripped her veil were steady. Every muscle was tensed. The Spectre forced a smile, knowing it couldn't have looked very reassuring through the blood and dust. With an effort of will he staggered to his feet, right hand pressed against the wound in his side and the blood dripped between his fingers.

"I'm not dead yet," he managed, turning to face the operative.

Leng twitched his wrist, slinging droplets of blood from the blade and laughed darkly.

"You were dead before this fight began. You'll die knowing that you failed," the assassin told him, stalking closer, voicing growing more vicious with every step. "But at least you won't have to watch what I do to your little alien pet!"

The blow came fast and without grace, a simple overhead stab with the downturned blade. Both of his hands shot upward, grabbing the blade at the small hilt and stopping it inches from driving deep into his shoulder. Every nerve in his body screamed at once as he fought back against the raw force of Leng driving the sword down. He dropped back to one knee, lips curled in an open snarl when the assassin began to press down.

"Not… yet…" he hissed.

"Why not?" Leng asked, expression transforming into a leer. "It's time for you to die, Shepard!"

"Because... " Shepard panted, and saw a faint glimmer out of the corner of his eye, then looked back up at Leng as his own face transformed into something vicious. "I haven't snapped your neck with my bare hands yet. Kasumi, now!"

Cries of surprise and pain suddenly echoed around the room as weapons erupted in showers of sparks, arcing electricity stabbing into unsuspecting hands. Rifles dropped to the stone floor with metallic clatter. All at once Shepard summoned upon what little energy he had left and channeled it directly forward. Azure energy streaked up his arms and slammed into Leng in a wave, throwing him ten meters backwards towards the entrance of the temple.

Weapons disabled, the half dozen troopers surrounding Twilight barely had a chance to scream as razor sharp claws tore into their armor and biotic energy shredded whatever was left. Garrus' pair fared little better. The first had one of his knee shattered and talons driving into his throat before he even realized what was happening, the second at least got a punch in but a split second later the turian had him on the ground and ended the man's struggles with sickening crack. Through watery eyes he turned and saw Tali standing with that little boot knife in hand, slick with blood while Samara rose like a phoenix, tearing into the remaining soldiers.

"Bring it all down!" Kai Leng screamed, scrambling to his feet.

The gunship reappeared heartbeats later, the assassin making a long jump to grab its landing struts and pull himself inside. Its heavy mass accelerator spun up and began to fill the temple with a hail of metal.

"Shep, we have to go now!" Kasumi yelled.

Her stealth net dropped as she fired a burst from her submachine gun into one of the remaining troopers. Then the slim thief ducked under his arm, laboriously dragging him to his feet as she continued to speak.

"I put up a wide spectrum jamming frequency so their missiles won't fire but it's not going to take them long to override that!"

"This way!" Samara barked, gesturing for them to follow.

They'd made it halfway across the ruined temple floor before the first explosion sent more stone and dust flying through the temple. The missile had streaked straight from the gunship into a far wall… it seemed they'd managed to override Kasumi's little present, but the weapons were restricted to dumb fire.

"Cortez, we need extraction now!" Garrus said next to him.

Shepard wasn't entirely sure when the turian had appeared under his other arm. It was hard to focus, but he could still make out the voices of his team, weapons fire, and an odd song in the back of his mind. It took a moment to realize it was Twilight, or at least it felt like Twilight. It wasn't singing in the way that the rachni spoke… more like a low, basso melody that pulsed with a steady rhythm.

"Team…" he slurred.

Garrus' blue paint became an indistinct blur.

"Everyone's alive, Shepard. We're getting out of here."

For the second time in so many minutes, he slipped into unconsciousness again.


Shepard awoke to find himself on the Normandy. More specifically in the infirmary with a very stern looking Dr. Chakwas staring at him. He looked to his right and found Tali asleep on the other infirmary bed.

"Welcome back to consciousness, Commander," the doctor said dryly.

"What happened?"

"You lost consciousness, obviously," Garrus interjected.

The turian was standing by the door with his arms crossed, looking tired but otherwise healthy.

"Helpful," he said. "What's our status?"

Garrus' mandibles went flat against his face and he sighed.

"We're in transit to the relay. Thessia is… lost. We made it out of the temple within barely twenty seconds to spare before Leng and his damn gunship brought the place down. It's nothing but rubble now."

"And you, again, pushed yourself too far," Chakwas added. "You lost a great deal of blood. Using your biotics in the state you did and expending that much energy after significant blood loss… your heart was in danger of stopping."

He blinked in surprise, hazy recollections of their escape coming back.

"That was the song... " he muttered. "Sings-Twilight was literally keeping my heart beating."

"I'm going to assume that's what he meant by 'singing the rhythm of pulsing life-songs'," Chakwas agreed. "You've been out for about seven hours. I removed the shrapnel from your shoulder and closed the wound in your side. The fluid and nutrients seem to have given your enhancements what they needed to restore your systems."

Shepard glanced over at the other bed.

"What about Tali?"

"Fine," Chakwas said with a smile. "She merely wanted to stay until you woke. I convinced her to turn off her helmet audio receptors and relax… and of course she fell fast asleep."

Shepard closed his eyes briefly, laying back against the bed.

"We lost," he said bitterly. "Whatever Cerberus wanted Kai Leng got… and he destroyed the beacon in the process. Our leads, all that knowledge. Gone."

"Not quite," Garrus replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Tali told me about that AI uploading data into our comm network. I saw it come up on my omni-tool right when Leng and his gunships ambushed us. Had Kasumi check as soon as we got back aboard, apparently it's still running the same loop. Whatever it sent is still there."

He sat up, immediately waving Chakwas away.

"What did we get?"

Garrus shrugged.

"No idea. EDI said it was difficult to calculate but it appeared that the amount of data was massive, too massive for the Normandy databanks. If she tried she was afraid that we'd hit capacity and whatever else would be lost. We need somewhere with a lot of space. I figured the Citadel was our best bet."

Shepard swung his legs over the side of the bed and nodded.

"I've got a better idea."

"Well, let's hear it," Garrus said with a smirk.

"EDI?"

"Yes, Commander?"

"Set course for Omega."


Long time coming, but here at least. Please excuse any errors as I didn't have time to get this over to the betas in an effort to get this out for Xmas!

Good holidays to everyone and here's to 2015, the year Razor's Edge will finally draw to a close!