Thanks for the reviews, follows and favourites since the last update. To be honest this story has become a bit of a beast now, it was only supposed to be a few chapters! There is a lot of action in the next few chapters, and I've skipped out on some story elements because right now, I don't know exactly how I'm going to finish the story and I don't want to limit my options. Honestly can't thank you all enough for the support.


Shepard spoke through clenched teeth "You're coming to me with this now?"

Tevos was dressed in a long and elegant traditional Asari robe that looked impractical enough to be genuinely expensive. She was willowy, but when she shrugged, it was an oddly graceful movement. The councillor reeked of good breeding and with her piercing green eyes and contrasting markings, she was the very image of conventional Asari perfection.

"Commander" She made an exasperated noise "Every species in the galaxy has secrets, this... " she paused "Only the highest members of society know about this artefact, I'm risking a great deal by even mentioning it to you"

"Really?" Shepard replied, mystified "I wouldn't be so concerned with your next stint in the council. If we don't solve this, we don't have a future"

"Precisely!" Tevos grimaced as though she'd just tasted something bitter "My people are growing desperate Commander, for the first time in our history we find ourselves at risk, our whole race is in great peril"

"Don't talk to me about great peril councillor" Shepard sneered.

"Commander, we are aware of your plight, but please you have to understand. The knowledge of this artefact in the wrong hands could upset the balance of galactic power"

"The Reapers are doing that now..."

"Yes, well" Tevos looked down at the data pad she was holding and extended it to Shepard "The artefact can be found inside a temple at these coordinates, I have arranged for a science team to meet you there"

Shepard took the data pad, scanning it briefly before looking up at the councillor. She wanted to snap, wanted to be angry, but the Asari looked so lost, so absolutely desperate "Thank you" Shepard said on a sigh "for the help"

"No, no Commander" Tevos frowned "It's you who will be helping us" she put her elegantly manicured hands up to her face and let her head drop forward, her voice almost broke "Thessia is vulnerable"

Shepard walked towards the balcony and leant on it, forearms braced on the railing as she toyed with the data pad between her fingers "Councillor, we are all vulnerable" she didn't look at the Asari as she spoke "They teach you about a lot of things in Alliance officer training, a big part of it is the 'rules of engagement'" Shepard smirked as she spoke the words "You sit through endless lessons about morality and correct action" she glanced across now, and met wide, bright green eyes "Don't lose your compassion, your humanity. Don't lose yourself, and don't allow your people to lose themselves. That what they teach you" she fell silent.

"These are important lessons are they not?" Tevos moved a fraction closer, intrigued by the commander's sudden openness.

"Not in this war. The Reapers may be machines but they pit flesh and blood against us, relentless soldiers with no weakness" Shepard looked out at the citadel skyline "They don't care if they get shot or injured, they don't care if their fellow soldiers are dead or injured, they just push on. You have to be totally ruthless in the fight " She sighed "For the first time in my life I want to kill without reason, just because I don't care, because the violence of them terrifies me, threatens me and my crew. But you know what the worst part of it all is councillor?"

"No commander, what is it?"

Shepard took a deep, measured breath "That it's hardening me" she said, her voice lowering to a whispered, husky tone "I know that there will come a time when the desire to kill them, will outweigh my desire to save others, and after that, I don't know what will be left of me" She straightened up "If the galaxy survives, how will it judge me?"

"Commander" Tevos reached out to lay a hand on Shepard's shoulder but paused "You are the last ray of hope in a dark place right now and the only person I know of who is capable of completing this mission. If the galaxy does survive, then people will know that every action you took was to fulfil that goal"

"And you don't think you're people will feel the same?" Shepard shrugged "People may see giving us this information as a betrayal now, but if it leads to the Asari having a hope of a future, they'll get over it"

This time when Tevos spoke, she did lay her hand on the commander's shoulder "Goddess be with you Shepard, you deserve more than the council has ever given you, and for that I can only apologise"

Shepard glanced at the slender hand on her shoulder then shook her head and said quietly, resignedly "Things could have been so different if only you'd listened"

"I know" Tevos sighed and looked away.


Liara glanced out of the shuttles porthole just as a flare of red light streaked past. The ship banked and pitched violently and she grabbed the overhead straps to steady herself. Garrus and Vega were muttering to each other behind her, Shepard was stood just to her side, clutching at her rifle.

"You ready for this?" Shepard spoke but didn't look up "This is going to be one of the hardest things you'll ever have to witness"

"I'm ready" Liara nodded watching silently as Shepard went through the motions. She checked her rifle, her hard suit, her helmet and finally her comm. Each movement was slow and precise, actions borne of years of practice.

Shepard nodded and slammed down her faceplate "Fast and low Cortez, don't hang about"

"Aye aye ma'am"

With a grunt of effort Shepard ripped open the shuttle door and sighted the landing zone with her rifle scope.

Liara looked away as a tidal wave of grit washed up, sending dust pouring down the back of her exposed neck and into her eyes. They touched down in a cloud of dust and debris, bailing out onto the dirt and ruined landscape, hugging their weapons as the heated down draft from the shuttle buffeted them. Shepard communicated via hand signals against the roar of the engines and the sound of gun fire.

The shuttle turned, kicking up a wash of pebbles in a brown battering gale, then began to climb.

Liara looked around as the noise died down. Half deaf, sick to her stomach.

"Vega, Garrus get some fire down over that wall!" Shepard yelled, pointing towards a scattered collection of Asari commando's desperately trying to shore up crumbling perimeter defences.

Time seemed to warp as Liara took in the ruined landscape; battered walls crumbling into dark demolished alleyways seemed to surround them. There was none of the familiar elegance and beauty of her home world here, there was nothing but destruction. Shepard was shaking her, shouting her, but it paled in comparison to the noise of gun fire and screams, so many screams.

"Liara!" The tone was harsh, cutting through her horror. Liara looked at Shepard through tear swollen eyes "Get that breach sealed up now!" She pointed at a section of decimated wall that a weakened Asari was desperately trying to plug with fallen debris, but her biotics were weak, sparking and fizzing. On the other side, a brute was preparing a charge.

Liara nodded and threw her hands upwards, shouting her rage as she encased the massive slab of wall in a biotic bubble and flung it at the breach. Silence seemed to fall as all eyes turned to her.

"That'll do it" Garrus nodded, shouldering his rifle.

"Commander, we've been expecting you" A young looking Asari walked up to Shepard. Her attention was fixed firmly on her omni tool as she snapped orders to the troops around her "I'm lieutenant Kurin, we were told to hold this position and wait for you, but we can't, we've lost too many people" her face was moist with perspiration, eyes wild.

"You can and you will" Shepard replied.

"What?" she looked up "Look around Commander, I've got no one left and I'm not asking my squad to die for a patch of rubble" she didn't bother attempting to disguise the bitterness in her voice.

"What do you know about why I'm here Lieutenant?" Shepard asked, glancing back at the newly reinforced wall.

"Nothing" Kurin shrugged and coughed as a wave of dust rolled over them from a nearby explosion "We were told to hold the LZ until you arrived and keep the way clear to the temple. There was a science team deployed to that area but we lost contact with them" she shook her head "They didn't send us enough people to keep this area locked down!"

"Listen lieutenant, I understand how you feel but you have to respect the chain of command, we're here for a damned good reason" Shepard's voice was hollow.

"I don't even know if the chain of command even exists anymore"

"Yes you do, you're looking at it"

"But this is..." The Asari faltered as another explosion rocked the ground and raised voices cut through the air.

"Lieutenant" Liara moved between them, her gaze going from Shepard to the Asari "There is a Prothean artefact locked within that temple that may be the key to defeating the Reapers"

"What?" The Lieutenant was frowning "You're joking?" she glanced at Shepard, searching for the truth.

"No we're really not" Shepard said.

"If we don't get to that temple, then this is the last we'll ever see of Thessia" Liara shook her head "You're witnessing the extinction of our entire race"

Kurin turned away, her suddenly solemn gaze raking across the skyline "You think this..." she paused " artefact you're looking for, can stop all this?" she took in the destruction with a sweep of her arm.

"I'll be honest with you Lieutenant" Shepard flipped her face plate up and looked at the Asari "This is the only chance we have"

"You know what you're asking me don't you?" The Asari swallowed, her voice thick.

"Yes" Shepard nodded.

The Lieutenant took a deep, shuddering breath "This is Lieutenant Kurin" she put her fingers to her comm. as she spoke "Hold this position, we're going to carve a path to the temple. Outpost Tykis, prepare for incoming friendly squad" she moved to indicate the wall in front of them "We'll do what we can Commander, good luck" she held her hand out to Shepard who took it, shaking it once, firmly.

"You're not dead yet Lieutenant, we'll be as fast as we can" Green eyes, firm in resolution seemed to stare through the Lieutenant, and she was suddenly acutely away of just who she was talking to.

"Alright" the Lieutenant smiled oddly, a hint of a frown on her upper face "Let them through!" she shouted at one of the Asari who was stood on a gun turret. With a nod, the commando peeled away a small section of the wall and indicated for them to pass through.

"Thank you" Liara said walked past. Someone shouted out good luck as the barrier was put back in place behind them. She looked at Garrus , then Vega and finally Shepard. Then she glanced at the wave of horror that lay ahead of them. Something screamed.


"What the fuck was that?" Vega yelled as he threw himself behind cover. They had barely travelled 1000 meters and they were already loosing the weight of fire.

Shepard was pinned against a wall just ahead of the others as she took the brunt of the incoming fire. The scream had made her wince and she peered around the shredded wall to see where it had come from.

Shepard's jaw fell as her eyes landed on the woman-thing that had made the ear piercing sound. She wasn't human, never had been, there was no question about that "My god, what is that?" the words slipped from Shepard's lips as she took a halting step backwards. The scream rang out again, the sound reverberating hollowly inside her helmet.

"Shepard report" Garrus sounded in her ear "What do you see?"

Shepard opened her mouth but suddenly the creature grazed into being in front of her like a ghostly, quivering, not quite real shadow. Asari Shepard swallowed and tried to back up, her neck craning to take in the enormous height of the creature. She was less than an Asari now, but seemed more than mortal; a travesty of an Asari, a mad nightmare vision. Like some demon sprung forth from ancient stories, it paused with long legs apart, naked, arms outstretched towards her. Those arms and legs were exaggeratedly long and deadly, and huge dark eyes were set back in the things skull, black and cruel.

"Asari" Shepard muttered.

The creature was close now, close enough to touch. Its mouth was a wide, gaping orifice with a row of blackened teeth in the upper and lower jaws. Then the creature spoke to Shepard. It was not mental. It actually sounded; but not from the body in front of her. Shepard knew it was the creature but the sound didn't seem to come from her at all, and its fearful mouth remained almost shut, propped slightly open on the sharp ridges of uneven teeth.

The voice issued from the walls around her, from the tips of the buildings, from the high arching crests of the distant mountains. The voice spoke in thunder, yet softly, and was oddly familiar. Shepard stared for a moment then looked about wildly; trying to find the real source of the voice "Liara?" she shouted in direction of her squad but couldn't make anything out, the world around her seemed dark and hazy.

The creature suddenly began to shimmer. She became indistinct and there were many shadow forms of her, surrounding her body like halos, then she disappeared.

"Liara?" Shepard was so glad to see the Asari, so glad that everything was finally quiet. She let her rifle fall from her finger tips as she stepped into the circle of the Asari's arms. Liara smiled at her, her eyes bottomless obsidian wells as she reached up and ran her hand down the front of Shepard's helmet. Shepard sighed and felt her whole body relax, she felt lighter than she had in years.


"Shepard!" Garrus raced up to where Liara was crouched behind cover "What's going on? Where is Shepard I can't raise her on the comm."

"Me either" Liara shrugged as she popped a heat sink out of her pistol and reloaded " I lost sight of her just ahead and she's not answering"

"Crap" Garrus turned around and waved at Vega "Cover us"

"Will do"

Garrus nodded and indicated for Liara to go ahead of him. He walked slowly, his rifle scanning the shattered pathway "Liara?" Garrus barked as he crashed into the back of the Asari. She seemed rooted to the spot.

"Goddess..." her voice died.

"What's the matter, I nearly..." He swallowed as he manoeuvred around her and caught sight of the hideous visage. They both stared in horror as the huge woman like creature dripped ichor onto Shepard's limp form.

"What is that?" Garrus mumbled, afraid to move. The huge woman thing held Shepard aloft in one hand; the other stroked the limp Commanders head in a strangely disturbing, loving motion. Garrus wasn't sure if Shepard was dead or alive, but the abandoned rifle lying on the floor by her feet, was not a good sign. He was about to speak when a strange tingling feeling started to envelop him. He looked at Liara and took a step back.

Her entire body was rippling with a purple biotic glow and her eyes were black pools of despair. She launched a biotic blast at the creature that was powerful enough to send it staggering back, dropping the Commander in the process.

The thing screamed and turned to advance on them. Garrus opened fire, not surprised to see Vega appear next to them and join in. Liara let another blast of biotic power free and the creature screamed again as its barriers fell. It paused in its advance, swung its clicking ghastly head about as though confused, and altered its direction. Away from Garrus and Liara, it descended on Vega, vanishing in a whoosh of biotic power and appearing next to him almost instantaneously.

"Fuck!" Vega yelled, back peddling and tripping over, but managing to get a burst of rapid fire onto the creature's leg in the process. It screamed again but continued to advance, the soft mush of its ragged leg leaving dampness as it slid forward. Vega let another burst loose and watched in horror as it sank to what was left of its knees, moaning and clawing at the floor. He popped his empty heat sink and reloaded. With a grunt he raised the rifle, about to let another round free when a blast of biotic power rocked him backwards and the creatures head exploded in a wash of black ichor and dark, torn flesh.

"You ok Vega?" Garrus shouted over to him.

"Yeah" he waved his hand in the air and collapsed backwards, lying down on the ground as he caught his breath.

"What an abomination" Liara muttered as her biotics rippled one last time, and black faded into familiar blue as she blinked. She spun around at the sound of metal sliding along metal and jogged over to where Shepard was stood, desperately trying to unclip her helmet "Easy Shepard" Liara undid the rear clasps and stepped back as Shepard ripped the helmet free and shoved past her.

The Commander sagged forward, resting her hands on her knees as she vomited onto the rubble. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she sucked in a deep breath as tears came unbidden to her eyes. It felt as though her head was being crushed in a vice. She groaned and wobbled upright, her hair flapping wetly against her face.

"It was in my head" Shepard looked down at the floor as the pain ebbed "It was in my damn head"

"It's dead now" Liara said, giving Shepard the room she needed to compose herself.

"It's really, really dead" Garrus added "you all right? Because you don't look so good"

Shepard looked up now, her breath quick and shallow. She had to blink a few times to see them properly. She couldn't talk so she nodded instead and moved to pick up her rifle and helmet.

"Are you sure?" Garrus asked.

"Yeah" Shepard nodded, swallowing then coughing "That was a little close though" she looked at Liara, saw her own horror echoed in her blue eyes.

"What the hell was that thing?" Vega asked as he approached "You ok boss?"

"Fine, fine" Shepard waved a hand at him dismissively and put her helmet back on.

"Damn thing was screaming like a banshee" he shuddered.

"What's a banshee?" Garrus asked, narrowing his eyes as he watched Shepard, looking for any lingering signs of trauma.

"It's an old earth legend, I'll tell you about it one day" Shepard spoke as she checked her rifle over "Seems appropriate" she added "Come on, the outpost can't be far"