Disclaimer: Mass Effect and its characters are owned by Bioware. All I own is the OCs and changes to the plot.

POV Garvil

I took a deep breath before walking into the back of the Engineering Bay. I wanted to talk to Tali one last time before we went to Ilos. Shepard had already told the crew that Kaidan and I would be going along. She didn't notice me at first, since she was hard at work on the drive core as she usually was.

She finally turned around when I was a few steps away. "Marcus, what is it?"

I smiled. "I just had one last question to ask before leaving to Ilos. Tali, your hood looks different than the rest of your suit. I mean, it looks like it's too ornate."

She chuckled. "This was something my mother made for me. She was one of the few quarians that was skilled in decorating various cloths. It's not truly part of my suit, but I wear it because it's the last momento of my mother I own."

I nodded. "Your mother died?"

"Six years ago now," she responded, voice distant. "My father never got over it. It only made him work harder. I assume it kept his mind off of her." She shook her head and turned around. "Y-You should get ready for the mission. Good luck."

I stood there for a moment, then sighed silently and turned back to the rest of the Engineering Bay. Garrus walked up to me while I was putting on my armor.

He folded his arms. "So we're at the end."

I nodded. "Once we find Saren, this ends."

He stepped forward and leaned against the other lockers. "Marcus, this might be the last time we meet. If it's not, I just want you to know. It's been good knowing you." He put out his right hand in front of him. I smiled and slapped it with my own, clasping it.

"Garrus. I don't plan on letting Saren win. I don't want to think about what will happen when this is all over, either." I sat down and shook my head. "Quick question, Garrus. What are you going to do when we defeat Saren?"

He thought about it for a moment. "I might reapply for spectre status, maybe go back to C-Sec." He laughed. "All right, maybe not C-Sec. I think I'll stick around. I'm interested in what Shepard will do."

I laughed. "Not much of a goodbye if we both plan on being here afterwards, Garrus."

He put his hand on my shoulder as I pulled on my combat boots. "Good luck out there, Marcus. We're all rooting for you three."

"We'll see what happens once we're on Ilos." I finalized, putting my helmet on. Shepard and Kaidan had come into the room and were putting their own armor on. Grabbing my assault rifle, I continued, "We'll see."

I stood with Shepard and Kaidan in the cockpit, watching the planet of Ilos get closer and closer. Pressly was in the room as well, but he was looking more and more agitated as time went on.

Finally, he looked up. "Shepard, there's only one place within thirty klicks that can fit the Mako, but it's far too dangerous to land."

Joker laughed. "You're talking to the best helmsman in the fleet, Pressly. I know I can pull it off."

Pressly sighed and put a hand on his forehead. "Joker, you need at least 100 feet of flat land to safely put the Mako down on the planet. All I'm reading is 20."

"I can do it," Joker said again, this time more adamant.

Shepard shook his head. "If that's the only place we can drop that's near enough to get to the Conduit in time, we'll have to risk it. Joker's confident, and I'm sure he can pull it off."

Pressly sighed in exasperation, but didn't say anything more. He stormed out of the cockpit in annoyance.

Joker turned around. "We'll be ready to drop in five. Better get down to the Mako."

Shepard nodded, leading the way to the elevator. Kaidan and I were close behind. Wrex nodded to us as we passed him, giving me in particular an unreadable stare. We climbed into the Mako, Shepard driving and me gunning. Joker dropped us into the landing zone Pressly had found, a giant thud sounding out before we landed. As expected from a pilot of Joker's caliber, the landing was safe and sound. We stood before a giant door, which I believed had just closed based on the thud earlier.

Shepard sighed. "Saren's already here, I saw him before the door shut. We need to get this door open before he finds the Conduit. Out of the Mako, we have to find a security terminal on foot."

I exited first, bringing out my assault rifle. I passed through a small entryway in the vegetation, brushing the hanging vines out of the way. A geth trooper in the clearing beyond shot at me, bruising my outer barrier. I raised my assault rifle and blasted it until it fell. I let it cool as the other two came into the clearing. The remaining geth was destroyed quickly, with our combat skills and biotics from Kaidan and me. The next several corridors and clearings were similar, but we came across two geth colossus' in front of a large ancient prothean building.

We took cover and took potshots at them, keeping the shock troopers at bay. We focused on the right hand colossus, taking over two minutes to take out its shields between the various blasts and the onslaught of regular troopers. The explosion when it finally fell filled me with satisfaction, as the troopers felt endless.

At that point, I got an idea. Using my biotics in a way I hadn't done so before, I created a bubble in the middle of all the troopers. They all immediately stopped.

"Focus the Colossus," I told them. "I'll maintain the stasis field. Hurry, I can't safely do this for long."

Shepard nodded and brought out his sniper rifle, modded to deal extra damage to shields. He couldn't do this before since the troopers would overwhelm us otherwise, but now it only took the other two several seconds to completely deplete the shields. I slightly increased the radius, noticing the troopers learning that they shouldn't enter the field. I heard a large explosion and reduced the size, only letting a few ground troops through. When my nerves started flaring, I dropped it completely.

Shepard gave me a thumbs up when the troopers stopped coming. "Good thinking, Marcus. Let's see what's inside this buildling."

I nodded and fell in line after him, my face twitching occasionally from the throbbing pain throughout my body.

There were more geth inside the main section of the building, but only the prime gave us problems. The geth's tactics were to keep their enemies behind cover while the more sturdy enemies flanked them and made them leave their protection zone. With this in mind, I focused on the destroyers rushing into our position. The prime was easy enough afterwards, even if it took out my barriers in one burst.

We entered the security room of the building, activating the only terminal that appeared to be still functioning. Immediately, what looked like a damaged hologram appeared behind it. It spoke in a garbled language that made me scratch my head. I turned to Kaidan, but he only shrugged. Only Shepard was paying any sort of attention to him. After a few moments, Shepard paused it.

I shook my head. "It's probably speaking in Prothean. I can't understand a word of it."

Shepard turned his head to look at me strangely. "It's a warning, but it's broken up. I only caught some of the words."

I raised an eyebrow. "You can understand it? It must be the Cipher you got on Feros. You must have learned their language."

He nodded, then had the hologram play again.

"What's it saying, Commander?" Kaidan asked in curiousity. "Whatever it's saying could be useful."

He shook his head. "Just gibberish, mostly. All I can get from it is that it's a warning against the reaper invasion. We're not getting anything more out of this. Let's just get that door open and get out of here."

Kaidan and I looked at each other again while Shepard activated a few commands on the terminal.

"All right, let's head back. Saren has a head start on us, so we have to reach the Conduit fast to catch up with him." Shepard immediately turned and brought his assault rifle out, leading the way back to the Mako. I shrugged at Kaidan and followed.

There was minimal geth resistance on the way back to the doors, only a few regular troopers in total. We climbed into the Mako quickly, entering the now open door.

I looked around nervously through the gun's sights. "Keep an eye out, Shepard. There could be a security system still active."

"I gotcha," Shepard responded, moving quickly through the long tunnel. We found a geth outpost at the top of a ramp, but they were no match for my aim. There was an ambush at the bottom of the ramp, but we sped through and kept going across the tunnel. Eventually we came across a large shield, which replicated behind us when we approached.

Kaidan scoffed. "Saren set a trap for us. We should've seen this coming."

I shook my head and put my hand up. "I doubt Saren's behind this, Kaidan. There's an elevator here, and I don't remember seeing one before this. Saren wouldn't give us an escape route."

He shrugged as the three of us entered the elevator. It brought us to a single path with a terminal at the very end. We slowly approached, wary of an ambush, but nothing happened. The terminal turned itself on when we got close.

"You are not Prothean. You are not Machine. This eventuality was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent our warning through the beacons." The robotic voice carried little emotion, but didn't carry malice either,

I scratched my head. "It sounds like another prothean hologram, but I can understand this one."

"I have been listening ever since you have arrived here. I have modified my output in a way you can understand. I do not sense indoctrination in any of you, unlike the other that passed recently. Perhaps there is still hope. My name is Vigil, and you are safe here for the moment. However, that is likely to change soon, and nowhere will be safe."

Shepard crossed his arms. "Saren's going to reach the Conduit while we're here."

"You seek to end the cycle that has been perpetuated for millions of years. To stop it, you must first understand it, so you don't make the same mistakes we did. The Citadel is the heart of your civilization, your head of government, as it was with ours and every civilization that came before us. But it is a trap. The station is actually an enormous mass relay, one that links to dark space, the empty void beyond the galaxy."

All three of us looked at each other in shock. The Citadel is our demise? I thought in fear. The numbness in my fingers spread across my hands momentarily in shock. After a moment, Vigil continued.

"When the Citadel is activated, the reapers will pour through, and all you know will be destroyed."

Shepard grabbed onto the railing preventing us from going into the abyss to stay upright. "In one single moment, the reapers can take out the council and the entire citadel fleet."

"That was our fate. Our leaders were dead before we even realized what had happened. The reapers controlled the citadel, and through it, the mass relays. Communication and transportation throughout our entire empire was crippled. Each star system was cut off from the others, easy prey for the reaper fleets. Over the next several decades, the reapers systematically obliterated our people; world by world, system by system. They methodically wiped us out."

I shook my head. "You didn't surrender? Some of you might have lived."

"No offer of surrender was ever given. The reapers have one goal: The extinction of all advanced organic life. Through the citadel, the reapers had access to all our maps, sensor data, and hidden colonies. Information is power, and the reapers knew everything about us. Their fleets travelled across every region of the galaxy. Some worlds were utterly destroyed. Others were conquered, their citizens enslaved. These indoctrinated servents operated under reaper control, taken in as refugees in other planets and obliterated with the rest by the machines. Within a few centuries, the reapers had captured or enslaved every prothean in the galaxy. They were ruthless and absolutely thorough."

Shepard tightened his grip. "You brought me here for a reason. What do I need to do?"

"The Conduit is the key. Before the reapers attacked, we protheans learned some of the secrets behind the mass relay technology. Ilos was a top secret facility. Here, we constructed a small mass relay, one that links directly to the Citadel, the heart of the relay network. We severed all communication with the outside and our facility went dark. The personnel retreated underground into the archives. To conserve resources, everyone went into cryogenic stasis. I was programmed to monitor the facility, and wake the staff when the danger was over. But the genocide of a large, widespread species is a slow process. Years passed, decades, centuries. The reapers were persisting, and the energy reserves were dwindling. We were a few hundred left of the entire prothean empire. Our only hope was to remain undetected. I began to disable the life support of non-essential personnel. First, support staff. Then, security. One by one, the pods were shut down to preserve energy. Eventually, only the stasis pods of the top researchers remained active. Even these were in danger of failing when the reapers finally retreated back into darkspace."

I shook my head in disbelief. "You just killed them."

Shepard sighed. "It was necessary. As much as I don't like it, it had to be done." His voice carried sadness, even as we knew it was true.

"My actions were a result of my programming. I saved key personnel. When the reapers left, the top researchers were still alive. My actions are the only reason any hope remains. When they awoke, they realized the prothean species was doomed. There were only a dozen left, far too few to sustain a stable population, yet they vowed to find some way to prevent the return of the reapers. A way to stop the cycle forever. And they knew the keepers were the key?"

Kaidan leaned backwards against the railing next to Shepard. The latter scratched his chin. "Aren't they under the influence of the reapers?" He asked the hologram, confused.

"The Keepers are controlled by the Citadel. Before each invasion, the keepers are sent a signal to activate the Citadel Relay. After decades of feverish study, the scientists found a way to alter this signal. Using the Conduit, they gained access to the Citadel and made the modifications. This time, when Sovereign sent the signal to the keepers, they ignored it. The reapers are trapped in darkspace."

Shepard's eyes went wide as the blood drained out of his face. "Saren can use the Conduit to bypass the Citadel's defense and give Sovereign access to the keepers!"

"Correct. Sovereign can bypass the altered signal and open the Citadel Relay manually, and the cycle of extinction will begin again."

I put my hand on Shepard's shoulder in reassurance. "Saren won't succeed. We have to use the Conduit, Commander."

He nodded as Vigil continued.

"There's a data file in my console. Take a copy when you go. When you reach the Citadel's master control unit, upload it to the station. It will override the Citadel's security protocols, temporarily giving you control of the station. It might give you a chance against Sovereign."

Kaidan shook his head. "Wait, Commander. Where's the Citadel's master control unit?"

Vigil had the answer, grim as it was. "When you pass through the Conduit, follow Saren. He will lead you to it. Although he has not reached the Conduit yet, he will soon."

Shepard nodded, then turned to me. "Get the data file and back to the Mako. Saren has enough of a head start, so let's not stick around." He turned on his transmitter on his omni-tool. "Joker, get the Normandy off to the Alliance and prepare them to go to the Citadel. Tell Admiral Hackett that Commander Shepard says it's vitally important they mobilize as soon as possible, and that it's related to my mission against Saren. If we fail here, that might be the best chance we get at stopping the reapers."

I heard Joker's voice faintly. "Aye aye Commander, leaving the system."

I nodded and grabbed the data disc the terminal popped out. I started running back to the elevator, but turned back. "Vigil, thank you. You've given us a fighting chance."

I didn't even wait for a response before rushing to join Shepard and Kaidan on the elevator. We sprinted back to the Mako and took our usual spots, barely settling in before Shepard kicked it into high gear. We bounced through the rest of the tunnels, ignoring the geth as we entered what looked like an underground river. There were various geth rocket troopers and armatures, but we blazed through them as I blew them to hell. We turned several times, coming across more and more geth, but suddenly it ended in a slowly slanting downward ramp.

In front of us, was what looked like a Mass Relay.

"Shepard," I screamed to him. "The Conduit! Saren's already made it through!"

"Don't remind me," Shepard replied in an annoyed voice before flooring the Mako. I noticed various geth troopers shooting rockets at the Conduit, attempting to destroy it before we reached it. I began to sweat in fear as we floored our way through a maze of geth Armatures. As we approached the Conduit, the geth rocket troopers in charge of destroying the Conduit could only watch. The last thing I felt was relief.

"Marcus!"

I groaned, grabbing my head.

"Marcus!"

I blinking, attempting to clear my vision. All I saw was blackness.

"Marcus, wake up!"

I blinked again. I was being dragged out of the Mako. Kaidan stood over the geth trooper he had just slain while Shepard dragged me out of the Mako. I stood up, barely keeping my balance. My head was killing me, but the throbbing was dissipating by the second. I motioned for them to go on and slumped against the wall for a moment, catching my breath.

"Cr-Cr-Cr-Critic-cal-al-l err-error." I heard the Avina console nearby stutter through some warning gibberish as I waited. I stood there slumped against the wall for several moments before I felt I could walk. Alarms are going off everywhere, I thought to myself, suddenly realizing it was true. I took a deep breath and pushed myself away from the wall, bringing out my assault rifle. The Citadel looked like hell merged with Earth.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and limped quickly to the only unlocked door behind me.

I have to get to the Council Chamber. It has to be where Saren's going. My thoughts came slowly, but I was moving well enough to catch up to Shepard. He was standing in front of an elevator, geth troops littering the floor. Nodding to me, we entered the elevator.

As we rose towards the Presidium, I noticed the Citadel's arms closing. Shortly after the arms sealed themselves, the elevator began to slow.

I scratched my head. "Er, that's not a good sign."

Shepard grabbed his helmet. "Get these helmets on, it looks like we'll have to go on foot." I nodded to him and put mine on, feeling the seal go into place. The elevator stopped shortly after, causing Shepard to break the glass with the butt of his rifle. Turning to glance at us for a moment, he jumped deliberately off the elevator and activated his mag-boots, causing him to slide the few inches needed to plant his feet on the side of the elevator. The two of us followed safe and sound.

"Keep the mag-boots on when going up slopes," Shepard explained. "Turn them off when on flat ground, but the last thing you want to do is fly off into the middle of dead air."

We travelled through the side of the Citadel, methodically clearing out the geth while we trekked. I used my biotics whenever I felt I could get away with it, knowing that my pain was meaningless compared to what would happen if we didn't travel through this area quickly. The tone changed when we reached a dropship blocking off our progress.

I looked around, noticing the turrets nearby. "Kaidan," I began. "Get those turrets online, they can help take down the dropship."

He nodded to me and sprinted to the nearest one while Shepard and I covered him. Using a small biotic barrier, I kept Kaidan from getting shot while he worked. Kaidan raised his arm only to bring it down in victory when he finished, the turret beginning the attack on the dropship. The second turret was more defendible, and the barrier wasn't necessary. My nerves were beginning to throb, although the pain was ignorable for the time being.

The third turret caused the dropship to explode in a grand display of fireworks, allowing us to proceed. the next hallway was filled with krogans and geth destroyers. I laughed and used my biotics to lift them in kind as they charged, causing them to flail wildly as they sped above us into the vast dead air of the Citadel. Shepard laughed alongside me as we ran, making sure to keep an eye out for ambushes.

We stopped in shock for a moment when we stormed into the next room. Geth of various types were entrenched in any sort of cover they could find, while two turrets shot high energy rounds more powerful than an armature's into our path. We stepped into a trench and began shooting down the geth approaching our position.

"What do we do now, Commander?" Kaidan asked as a turret shot narrowly missed his head.

Shepard looked around, getting a twinkle in his eye as he saw the downward ramp to our side. Pointing to it, he said, "There. We can use the side path down there to bypass this entire room."

I nodded. "I'll go to the other side of this indent and get the turrets to fire at me. Both of you run when they fire. I'll join you afterwards."

Shepard opened his mouth as if to protest, but shortly after closed it again and nodded. I moved to the other side, lifting a geth to the dead air while I did so. I saw Shepard and Kaidan sprint to the side path as the turrets fired upon my position. Rolling to avoid the fallout, I crouched and ran across the trench, blasting every geth in my way. Creating a barrier, I sprinted after them, jumping to cover as a turret shot missed my leg by only inches.

I took a deep breath and stood up, sprinting after Shepard. The hallway we had gone into was much of the same as the rest, filled with various Krogan. We cleared them out the same way as before, me lifting them up while Shepard and Kaidan blasted the rest. The krogans eventually stopped coming, which allowed us to sprint to the end of the hallway.

Shepard gasped when we reached it. Crouching down to grab a handle on the floor, he exclaimed, "I remember, this leads to the Citadel Council Chambers. Hurry, we have no time to lose!"

We entered through and took off our helmets. The Council Chamber still had breathable air. We sprinted around the fountain in the entrance, still working perfectly despite the carnage done to the Presidium. I looked at the largest tree, right in the middle of the large circular platform leading to where the Council held its meetings. While the rest of the trees were still intact and alive, this one only had a stump with several dead branches attached. That tree made me smile every time I walked up here, I thought with remorse. A damn shame.

We circled around the dead tree and took cover against the few troopers remaining as Saren's personal guard. They were taken down with ease as we sprinted up the stairs to where Saren stood, typing away at the terminal in the back of the room. He turned around at our approach, pulling out his pistol and shooting at us. A platform rose and picked him up, placing him well above us. He kept shooting, forcing us all to dive to cover.

The turian ex-spectre laughed maliciously. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it in time, Shepard."

Shepard gritted his teeth as Saren spoke. "What are you talking about, in time?"

Saren laughed again, somehow even more maliciously than the last. Chills ran down my spine, cutting out the low throb of my nerves against the biotics. "The final confrontation. Don't you see, Shepard? You've lost. In a few minutes, Sovereign will have full control of the Citadel. The relay will open, letting all the reapers through."

Shepard shook his head. "I'm not out of this yet, Saren. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve."

Saren crossed his arms. "You survived our encounter on Virmire, but I'm different now, Shepard. Sovereign... upgraded me."

Shepard's mouth opened wide. "Are you insane? You let Sovereign implant you?"

He shook his head, although I doubted he was answering no to Shepard's question. "I suppose I should thank you. After Virmire, I couldn't stop thinking about what you said to me. Sovereign manipulating me. About indoctrination. The doubts ate at me. Sovereign sensed my hesitation. I was implanted to strengthen my resolve. Those doubts vanished, Shepard. I now believe completely in Sovereign. They told me that the reapers need organics. Join us, Shepard. They'll find a place for you too."

Shepard gritted his teeth in response. His frustration was obvious. "Don't you see? Sovereign's controlling you through your implants!"

The turian laughed, this time in amusement. "The relationship is symbiotic. Organics and Synthetics combined, a union of flesh and steel. The strengths of both, the weaknesses of neither." He raised his fist in front of his face. "I am a vision of the future. The evolution of all organics! This is our destiny. Join Sovereign and experience a true rebirth!"

Shepard stood up, bringing himself into sight of Saren. The latter immediately prepared his gun, but Shepard didn't even flinch. "Sovereign hasn't won yet. I can stop it from taking control of the station. Step aside, and the invasion will never happen!"

Saren lowered his gun, bringing his other clawed hand to his face. "We can't stop it, Shepard. Not forever! You saw the visions, what the reapers did to the protheans. They're too powerful!"

Shepard took a step forward, not lowering the pressure. "Some part of you must still realize this is wrong, Saren. Fight this!"

Saren groaned. "May... Maybe you're right... I still... have a chance to... Agh!" He twitched his body forward, clearly fighting with his own body. He breathed heavily for a moment before standing straight. His eyes carried regret.

"It's too late for me. The implants, Sovereign... they're too strong. I'm sorry."

Shepard continued walking. "It's not over yet. Fight, Saren! You can still redeem yourself!"

Saren stood perfectly still for a moment, but his eyes carried great pain within his own mind. In a calm voice, his last words were, "Goodbye, Shepard. Thank you." He slowly raised the gun to his own head. The time appeared to move in slow motion as the bullet entered his brain, causing his entire body to spasm before crashing through the glass below.

I stood up and watched as Shepard jogged up the rest of the stairs, deciding to follow. The three of us stood in front of the console while Shepard took out the data disc from Vigil's console. He slipped it in, causing the terminal to beep several times.

He turned to us, smiling. "Vigil's data worked. I've got full control of the Citadel's systems.

I immediately stepped forward. "Open the Citadel doors. Sovereign's attached to the Citadel. The only way to stop him is to destroy him."

Kaidan stepped up next to me. "Open a communications channel as well. We have to tell the fleets that Sovereign's the ship they have to destroy."

He nodded and opened up the communications. Immediately, a channel opened.

"This is Commander Antea... Destiny Ascension... Drive core offline... Council on board... Repeat... Council is on board..."

The transmission cut off, being replaced by another.

"Normandy to Citadel. Normandy to Citadel, please tell me that's you, Commander."

Shepard leaned forward. "It's me, Joker."

I heard a sigh of relief from the other end. "I'm sitting here in the Andura sector with the entire Alliance fleet as you asked, Commander. We can save the Council! Just unlock the relays and we'll send the cavalry in."

Shepard nodded to us and began typing on the console. I smiled. Maybe we have a chance after all

"Stop right there, Commander."

The three of us turned around. Jentha stood there with her pistol aimed right at Shepard's head. "You're thinking of saving those useless assholes?"

Shepard gritted his teeth and brought his fist forward. "The Council will be critical to keeping the peace as we rebuild. If we lose them, we might never be able to stop the reapers when they come again."

She laughed hysterically. "You actually believe that horsecrap? I don't know about you, but I believe in facts. Saren was the one who masterminded the whole thing. This entire story about 'reapers' is just a figment of your imagination."

Shepard's face grew red with rage as she continued. "The Council is just three people, and you're willing to sacrifice what could be the entire human fleet to save them." She chuckled, as if she had just told a good joke. "I'm sorry, Commander. I'm going to have to stop you."

She raised her gun directly at Shepard, who raised his own. Before either could shoot, I punched Jentha in the arm. The pistol flew out of her hand, landing in the pit beneath where Saren's lifeless body lay. Kaidan used his limited biotic power to hold her hands behind her back, although his face crunched together with the struggle.

Shepard turned and entered the commands to open the arms and the relays while I stared into Jentha's eyes. It was as chilling as Saren's.

"You're insane. You ask to join us on our quest to stop Saren. You manage to piss everyone on the ship off, while only getting by on your combat skills. You openly show aggression against your commanding officer, and now you're trying to doom the most influential people in the galaxy." I punched her in the face, causing a tooth to fall out. She didn't make a sound.

"You're pathetic."

I took over Kaidan's immobilization job until I could bind her hands behind her back normally. I placed her off to the side of one of the stairways, leaving her to screech profanities at us while I returned to Shepard's side. He turned to Kaidan and me, ignoring Jentha's screams.

"The Alliance fleets are taking out the geth ships. The arms are opened, and now everyone knows to target Sovereign. If we're lucky enough, it will be destroyed before it can access the Citadel."

Shepard looked over to Saren's body suspiciously. Without any delay, the tower began to surge with red electricity.

Kaidan spoke first. "Um, that can't be good."

That was an incredible understatement, as the electricity merged within Saren's dead body. The platform we were on fell, causing us to fall into the garen below. I looked up to see a giant metallic skeleton with a red fire inside its chest. We brought out our weapons again, barraging it with bullets. The shields were immense, taking well over three minutes to completely wipe out. Biotics didn't help in the slightest.

The skeleton hovered into a small ball when we dealt damage to it, so I used the time to look up towards the battle above. Although most of what I could see was the underside of the Reaper, I saw Alliance ships and debris dotting the sky around it. I looked back down to see that the skeleton had regained its shields, making me groan. We methodically wore them down, keeping the pressure on.

"The shields are down," Shepard stated between shotgun shots. "Take it down before it can regain them again!"

We fired everything we had at the Saren doppelganger, pumping every bullet and power we had into the metallic body that had once been Saren. Finally, it collapsed to the ground. After only a second of delay, the fire inside its chest spread, consuming the entire skeleton and leaving behind only scorch marks where it had lain only moments before.

Looking up, I saw in slow motion as the reaper slowly removed itself from the antenna it was attached to. The Alliance fleet seized its chance and pummeled it even harder than before, missiles ripping through the armor and causing various sections to fly off into the rest of the Citadel. I stood transfixed, grin glued to my face, as the reaper split apart with a giant explosion, causing dozens of small pieces to fall in every direction.

My grin vanished when I noticed the section flying directly to where we stood.

Shepard turned to us, fear on his face. "Go!" he screamed at us, only one short second before the clear glass exploded around us. I started running, but I was thrown forwards at the impact of the reaper. I didn't even remember hitting the wall.

"...survivor..."

...

"Wake up..."

...

"Mr. Garvil, wake up."

I blinked and looked around. I was staring into an Alliance marine's face. I shook my head to wake myself up and grabbed the soldier's hand, allowing her to help me to my feet. I looked around and saw Anderson run up to me, Kaidan by his side. He smiled broadly and grabbed me by both shoulders.

"You did it, Lieutenant, you're safe now. It's all over." He looked at me strangely. "Where's the Commander?"

I shrugged and grabbed my head. I noticed that I had a headache similar to the one I had when we went through the Conduit. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw an Alliance Marine escorting Jentha outside of the tower. When my vision focused, I noticed she was dazed. I broke my concentration on her and looked at the people around me.

As one, we all turned towards the largest piece of the reaper that had struck the tower. I took a step forward, but froze. Only a second passed before I started laughing and hugging Kaidan.

Commander Shepard climbed over the top of the reaper arm, grinning at us in return. I looked at him and saluted. Grinning, he saluted back before jumping off towards our side of the rubble. As he limped, his grin only grew stronger.

He laughed when he reached us. "It's over, Anderson. We did it."

The captain only grabbed his hand and shook it. I brought Shepard into a hug and he returned it.

"You did good, Commander. No one else could have done it."

He moved away from it and put his hand on my shoulder.

"You're the one who made it possible," he replied. "Your words was what caused this to happen."

I shook his hand, my heart swelling with pride. My dream for years has been to meet John Shepard, I thought to myself. Now I'm here, helping the same man save the galaxy.

I laughed to myself, grabbing my head and shaking it again. I still couldn't believe it.

I sat down on one of the pieces of Sovereign and watched as the Council and Udina approached. The Alliance marines bowed respectfully and moved away, searching through the rest of the wreckage. Kaidan sat next to me as we watched the Council.

The Asari Councilor spoke first, her voice filled with pride. "Ambassador, Captain, Commander Shepard. We have gathered here to recognize the enormous contributions in the war against Sovereign and the Geth."

The Salarian nodded and continued where she left off. "Many humans lost their lives in the battle to save the Citadel, brave and courageous soldiers who willingly gave their lives so that we, the Council, might live."

The Turian picked up right where he left off, his voice betraying his surprise and sincerity. "There is no greater sacrifice, and we share your grief over the tragic loss of so many noble men and women."

The Asari Councilor stepped forward. "The Council also owes you a great debt, Commander. One that we can never repay. By defeating Sovereign, you have saved billions of lives. You have the courage of your convictions, and the ruthless determination to succeed. Through your actions, you have become a symbol for everything humanity represents."

The Turian Councilor stepped forward alongside her. "Your species has an indomitable will, a fierce savage spirit that will not bend or yield. We used to believe that this made humans stubborn, even dangerous."

The Salarian stepped forward, now bringing the entire Council back in the same line. "But now we know that this is what makes you strong. There are dark times ahead. The Council needs humanity and its strength."

Udina bowed, a smile on his face. "As humanity's ambassador, I accept your offer. Humanity will join its strength to yours. We will take our seat on the council."

The Salarian Councilor nodded approvingly, then turned back to Shepard. "We will need a list of potential candidates. Given all that has happened, I'm sure your recommendation will carry a great deal of weight, Commander. Do you support any particular candidate?"

He nodded, then used his head to motion to Anderson. "We need someone with the courage to stand up for what he believes in. Someone like Captain Anderson."

I laughed silently at Udina's bewildered and shocked expession, but thankfully the ambassador did not speak.

The Asari nodded her approval towards Anderson, then returned her gaze to Shepard, frowning. "The shadow of war darkens our future. Selecting someone with military experience is a wise choice."

Anderson stood up straight and nodded curtly to her. "I'm honored, Councilor. As humanity's representitive, I will do everything in my power to help the council rebuild."

The Turian shook his head, clearly annoyed with what has happened. "Sovereign destroyed our illusion of peace and security. Now the galaxy will look to us, the Council, to defend them."

Shepard took a step forward with conviction. "Do what you must. Note this: The reapers will return. I'm going to go find a way to stop them once they do."

He turned and began walking towards the entrance of the tower. After a few steps, he stopped and turned.

"Councilors, you asked me a question when I became a spectre. The answer to that question, is yes." He glanced at me, then turned back around and continued his walk outside of the tower.

Kaidan stood up, with me following. Confused, I watched as the Council turned towards where I stood.

The Asari spoke. "Lieutenant Marcus Garvil."

I raised an eyebrow for a moment, then responded, "Yes, Councilor?"

The three Councilors stood for a moment, but then she spoke again.

"Marcus Garvil, we hereby offer the title of Spectre to you, if you wish to accept it."

I reeled backwards, shocked by her words. Kaidan looked at me with surprise, then grinned and slapped me on the back. I froze, not sure what to say. After a few deep breaths, I looked down.

I shook my head as I brought my head up to face them. Stepping forward, I responded in a whisper, "Was Shepard asked to evaluate me for spectrehood?"

She nodded, which alone caused me to have to sit down again. I shook my head, not wanting to answer the question.

I took another deep breath before responding. "I need to think about it, Councilors. First, I need to speak to the Commander."

The three councilors nodded and moved out of the way as I stood, walking after him. My mind was numb.

Why me?

I caught up with Shepard outside the tower as he walked to where the Normandy lay docked. He smiled at my shocked look and sat down on a nearby crate.

"Marcus, you are one of the best possible candidates I can think of to become a spectre." He shook his head. "Initially, I was dismayed at what you did on Therum. You fell apart, and I didn't believe that anyone who would lose control like that could handle the responsibility. I gave you another chance, because no one is considered to become a spectre if they aren't good at their job. I was watching you the entire time."

He stood up again, putting his hand on my shoulder. "You lost your parents and had to choose between the lives of two people. You grieved, but you worked past your grief to get the job done. Not only that, but you have inspired me to do what needed to be done to stop Saren."

He looked into my face with no hint of sarcasm or jokes. "With the entire galactic government in disarray, the Council will need someone to keep order. You're someone I trust with this."

He turned towards his ship again, where the crew was walking towards us. I turned and saw Kaidan as well.

Shepard sat down again, this time with a stressed groan. "It was an honor working with you, Marcus," he told me, moments before the rest of the squad came into view.

Tali walked up first, hugging Shepard. "Thank you for letting me on your ship, Commander. I'll miss you." She hugged me as well, which I returned wholeheartedly. My heart skipped a beat, and it began to ache when she let go. I remembered her words on the ship, saying she was going back to the Migrant Fleet once the mission was over. I had known at the time it would come, but I still felt sad that it actually happened.

Kaidan was next. He shook Shepard's hand. "I wish I could go with you, Commander. I'm being recalled by Alliance Command." He shook his head in annoyance. "I don't think I can transfer out of it. Good luck, Commander."

Shepard grinned and dragged Kaidan into a hug. "It was good working with you, Kaidan. We'll meet again someday."

Wrex walked up next. "I'm going to Tuchanka, Shepard. I remember telling you that I've given up on my people, that they're damn commited to going extinct." He stepped back and chuckled. Even after hearing it so many times, it still sent chills down my spine. "I'm going to change that. It was fun, Shepard."

Shepard patted the krogan on the shoulder a few times with a grin, then turned to Liara and Garrus. They both nodded to him.

I stepped forward and shook Shepard's hand again, this time with finality.

"Good luck, Shepard. If you need another Spectre, you know where to look."

A/N: Mass Effect 1 is officially complete. Up next is Marcus Garvil's adventures as a spectre over the next two years.