The Last Music

Shepard fell to the ground. He felt like a thousand swords were piercing his flesh. These Rachni, their damned voices, coming at him from every direction, tearing at his forces.

The work of his transformation began to recede, only ever so slightly. A moment of clarity came to him. Tali…

Tali was her name. He saw her, memories flashing into existence once again. The touch of her skin, her smell, the sound of her voice, they way she swayed like smitten school girl when she was around him…

"TALI!" Shepard cried. He was frantic now. What had he done? He thought of what he could now do to reverse the destruction he had caused. He felt around his body. The pistol...

He remembered Saren, and what had happened to Sovereign after his death. Now every Reaper ship was tied into his being…

He gripped the gun in his hand, aimed it at his head without hesitation. He didn't have time to consider his actions. Finger around the trigger, he closed his eyes and prepared for the Void…

Then a sharp pain and a hand pulling the gun away from his head. A husk, emerging from the shadows grabbed at him. The pistol flew and was lost, falling down into the bottom of the great room he was in. More husks emerged coming towards him. He felt Harbringer's presence again…

"Fool! So close and you spit into our faces? You will be our living general or your corpse a trophy of our victory!"

The husks charged him, holding him down. He fought, pushing them aside, many falling over the edge of the platform he was on to their deaths, but more emerging. His pistol gone, he sought another way…then he felt it…

A knife, small and almost useless in modern combat. It had been Tali's, a memento of the great crafts her people had once practiced on their home world. She had given to him as a gift, a sign of her trust and loyalty. He gripped its handle, knowing what he had to do.

He raised it and drove it into his body. He felt the pain radiating out, touching every ship and troop the Reapers had. It was not yet enough, and worse the wound had already begun to repair itself, the Reaper's transformation at work.

Again and again he raised it, blood covering his hands and his body. He cried out in agony, tears of pain pouring from his eyes.

"TALI!"

It was the only thought he could muster…

One final time he raised the blade, driving it directly into his stomach and twisting it…he fell to the floor…

He felt the pain, the agony, and knew it was being transmitted to every ship. Yes, feel this! Using all of his power he sought to maintain this new music, the music of pain and suffering, and force the Reapers to hear it. Already he could feel the horde beginning to focus on him, attempting to counteract his powers. As indoctrination poured out of his being, many other voices were being raised against him. He could not keep this up for long…

"Kill me," he thought…

"Please, kill me…"

Garrus was losing hope. His lines had buckled into a circle at the old city's center. It was too late to retreat across the Strait. Wrex had fallen, Grunt and his Krogan were falling back, a rare sight to see his people do so. Legions voice sounded pained, as pained as a synthetic could be, as so many of his people had fallen that it was causing a great trauma to their collective. Liara and her commandos were weakening, their Biotics failing them. Jacob, Zaeed and Mordin aboard the Hammerhead were maneuvering frantically, avoiding the heavy footsteps of the behemoths and attempting to bring them down at the same time.

Suddenly, the Matriarch beside him screamed. Her neck exploded in blood and she gargled her last breaths as a husk ripped her throat out. Garrus turned and fired, killing the beast. Even his own command HQ was being overrun. The Rachni were picking at the Reapers, but the enemy would not stop. Whatever brief surge of hope they had when the insect-like aliens arrived was now crashing down.

A great avian beast appeared before him, an alien long ago who had given up its independence to the Reapers. A long beak and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth were revealed, ready to feast upon the Turian. Garrus' weapon was overheating, he attempted to use it as a bludgeon against the monster. The beast used its wings to push him to the ground. It seemed as if Garrus' luck had finally run its course, his army collapsing on all fronts and an enemy about to enjoy a meal stood above him…

Then, they stopped. The enemy advance stopped. The beast before him paused, and for a brief moment a look of clarity, of understanding came into its eyes. It looked around, realizing for the briefest moment freedom. Yet, the yoke of its masters could not be undone…

A great cry came up from the enemy ranks. Some crumbled to the ground, dead. Others collapsed as if suffering from an unseen wound. The massive behemoth beasts stopped, then a flicker of red light appeared around them, then faded.

Their shields had fallen.

The same sight came to Andersons eyes and the few hundred ships that remained at his command. "Councilor! The enemy shields are falling. A great signal came out of Harbringer…it seems to have stalled their advance and is weakening them…but the signal is become unfocused..it will not last long!"

With renewed determination Anderson roared back to life.

"This is our only chance. All forces, choose your targets and engage. Destroy the Reapers while they are stunned. Use any and every weapon you have!"

Tali looked out at the battle playing out before her. She had been adept at managing the situation of her forces, trying to bottle up inside her the emotions that threatened to break her at any moment. When the Reaper's shields went down, she rejoiced. Shepard had done it, he had infiltrated them!

"Admiral Tali, this the SSV Shasta. Harbringer's signal is being counteracted. On the fringes of the Reaper fleet some ships are regaining limited movement. Do you have a clear shot at Harbringer? You must bring that ship down!"

Suddenly a dreadful realization hit Tali. Shepard's life was bound into the fate of the Reaper fleet. If he lost his will, the enemy could regain their powers. The decision before her was too much. She was without words; she could not make the order that was required of her.

"ADMIRAL TALI, this is the SSV Shasta, I repeat do you have a clear shot? You are the closest heavy ship!"

Kal'Reeger had chosen to stay close to Tali rather than fight on the planet's surface. He had served as an advisor for her so far. Now, he saw a friend in a dire situation. Tali's body language betrayed her feelings. He took the communications button and spoke…

"Negative Shasta. Our weapons calibrations have been damaged…we cannot make the shot you are asking…can any other ship assist?!"

"Affirmative. This is the Destiny Ascension. Our shields are nearly gone, but we believe our main gun can hone in on Harbringer."

It was Anderson speaking. A subtle tone of understanding, even pity, could be heard in his voice by those sensitive to it. Tali saw the first blow hit Harbringer, and she recoiled as if she herself had been punched by a great force. Then more hits, cruisers, other dreadnoughts and every ship close firing at the lone Reaper. The ship seemed to writhe in pain, its tentacles moving in every direction, its armor seeming to become warped and twisted.

Shepard felt the blows reigning down on him. Harbringer's voice still rang in his ears, his mind, as it was cursing at him with the vilest words it could find. The Husks were desperately pulling at the connection that had formed in his back. He was so weak, so tired. He felt like just falling asleep. His blood loss and wounds were too many. Then, he felt a sharp pain in his back, as if something had pierced him. Then darkness swallowed him whole.

Tali had maintained her composure so far. When Harbringer exploded though, she could not contain herself any longer. Her legs failed her, she fell to the ground. She cried out, the same cry that she had when she came upon the body of her slain father. All her emotions broke free. Tears poured out of her eyes, her visor became clouded and she could no longer see. She sobbed and then began to remove her helmet.

"Ma'am…Admiral..no!" Kal'Reeger rushed to her side attempting to prevent her from revealing her face.

She pushed him aside and tore her helmet off, throwing it. She needed to be free, her tears needed a place to go. She wept so loudly and with such agony that the rest of the crew could not help but be moved. Her Captain had been slain, her loyalty to him caused her such sorrow. Yet, those who truly knew Tali heard something else in her cries. This weeping was not the sound of sadness for a passing commander, but for a mate who had been torn out of her life. She felt so empty…so broken. Kal'Reeger and a few others rushed to her, comforting her as best they could. She could not be consoled…

"Drive them back! Bring them down, Bring them down, Bring them down!" Garrus cried out. The fortunes of his army had turned so quickly that he had not even time to realize victory was upon them. The enemy was crumbling, those who were not dead already were being trampled beneath his forces last, desperate charge. The giant behemoths were falling to the Earth, their crowns shriveling up and being blown away into the wind.

As all others had their spirits renewed in victory, Garrus knew better. He had heard of Harbringer's fall. Shepard had died. He was gone. He could not rejoice. His closest friend, his brother, was dead. He had given of himself this last time. "Shepard, you beautiful bastard. I owe you more than can ever be repayed…", he said under his breath.

All of the Shepard's old crew and friends could not truly take part in the euphoria of the moment.

Grunt, as he pulled the trigger of his shotgun, dedicated his remaining strength and every kill to Shepard. The human had died well, with honor, greater than any Krogan. Wrex would have been proud.

Miranda, commanding the Normandy noticed the darkening of spirits aboard her ship. Everyone seemed to be on auto-pilot, fulfilling their tasks, but as if they were floating, detached, torn inside. She whispered Shepard's name under breath. A blinking light indicated an incoming communication…more news of their victory. As she answered it, she could not pretend to be delighted to hear whatever word would now come.

Liara had a great pain. It must have been Shepard's passing. Though she was no longer his lover, her connection to him was unbreakable. Samara looked at her with the wisdom and understanding of a mother. As the battle raged on around them, Liara buried her head in Samara's embrace, tears beginning to fall down her soft, young face. "Go well into the light, Shepard", she said, "Go into the rest you deserve, you have earned…"

All of Shepard's allies and loved ones could sense a great loss. Whether it was Zaeed's scarred and worn face looking down in mourning or Legion, touching the piece of N7 armor on his body, not realizing he was experiencing true sadness for the first time. All felt something, all had been touched by Shepard, and all now realized the task ahead of living in a Galaxy without him…