Chapter6
Reprisal
The Normandy was falling towards the Gei Hinnom and all of her systems were failing. The crew had quickly grabbed oxygen masks and were making their way to the escape pods. Miranda made her way to the cockpit where Joker was desperately trying to save the Normandy. Unfortunately, with ship wide power loss, there was nothing that he could do.
"Come on, Joker!" Miranda was insistent and did her best to hurry him along. She smiled in spite of herself as she noted the irony; she was in almost identical circumstances as Shepard had been in aboard the Normandy SR-1. He was nearly lost to us forever trying to save Joker, she thought. Fortunately, Joker was much more cooperative this time. They got to their escape pod and blasted away. She hoped that the Normandy would remain in orbit long enough to be rescued. The ship was beautiful and deserved a grander fate than this. Joker simply went wordlessly. At least Edi wasn't on board; she'd have been fried along with the rest of the ship's systems.
"Are you okay Joker?" She worried that he may have injured himself in the rapid escape, but he shook his head. As the escape pod rocketed towards the planet, the light hit his face. He was crying. The Normandy was like his child. And she was stricken, likely to be destroyed. She reached over and touched his shoulder to comfort him. That's when the pod was rocked by an explosion. They looked out the window and realized that it wasn't their pod, but another pod that had exploded. Another pod was struck by laser fire and exploded.
"They're shooting down the pods!" Joker was ashen as he watched.
"My crew!" Miranda's heart sank as they were methodically killed one pod at a time. And she couldn't save them. But she could save Joker. Miranda concentrated harder than she'd ever concentrated, putting up the most powerful biotic field she'd ever managed. She felt the impact of the laser. She held as long as she could, then screamed as the intense pain engulfed her. Then she blacked out.
Miranda awoke, her head on fire. She opened her eyes tentatively. She heard voices, but they were muted and unintelligible, and what sounded like crying. She spied the pod partially buried in the hillside. As her vision cleared, she saw more pods.
"My crew . . ." She could barely vocalize the words. The voices then became clearer, and she realized that she was hearing them from inside of an environmental suit. She remembered that the atmosphere was not breathable.
"She's awake!" The first voice was Joker's.
"Bout damn time." Grunt's.
"Easy, Commander. Don't strain yourself." Engineer Adams helped her to sit up.
"My . . . crew," Miranda moaned, straining to sit up. "How many made it?" Someone was crying and clearly in intense pain.
"We've got six aside from yourself," replied Adams bleakly. "You and Jeff in one, myself, Donnelly, Daniels and Dr. Chakwas in another, Traynor, Vega, Cortez, in a third, Grunt in a fourth, and six more of the bridge crew in two more. Traynor is badly injured. When we lost gravity, a locker struck her leg, pinning her to the wall briefly. She wasn't stuck, as you can see, but her leg was broken very badly." It was Traynor who was crying and Dr. Chakwas was working to help her.
"This is terrible," Miranda observed as she stood. She had to shake this off. The remainder of her crew were depending on her. Everyone looked relatively unscathed except for Lt. Traynor. Miranda went to her side. Dr. Chakwas had no medicine that would dull her pain and the injury was beyond what medi-gel could fix anyway. Miranda looked and could see the bone protruding through her skin. The break wasn't clean either. The bone was shattered from the impact and it looked like arteries were cut. Traynor was losing blood fast. Cortez was holding Traynor's hand as Grunt, Vega and the others set up a perimeter.
"How are you holding up, Samantha?" Miranda took her other hand and held it firmly. She gripped Miranda's hand tightly, spasming with the pain, her face contorting in agony.
"Not good," she managed. Miranda shook her head. Traynor wouldn't last without proper medical help.
"There," said Dr. Chakwas. She secured the leg in a splint and applied medi-gel to keep her from bleeding out. She bandaged up the strike com officer and stood to face Miranda.
"Commander, Traynor won't be walking again until we get her to a proper hospital," stated the doctor. "Also, we have little in the way of provisions and limited oxygen in our tanks. We need extraction and we need it fast."
"Commander!" Grunt was pointing to the western horizon. "Over there!"
Miranda looked and saw the laser blasting away at something in the sky. A large explosion soon followed. The Normandy was lost. She cried at the thought of that beautiful ship being torn asunder. She shook it off and allowed her rage to seep in a little.
"Alright," she said through the tears, "now we know where the bastards are."
"Commander, you're not seriously considering attacking," protested the doctor. "Samantha is in a horrible way and we don't have any supplies or backup."
"You said it yourself," Miranda retorted, "we don't have oxygen and we don't have rations. We need to get to where they are because we need what they have. We won't last long, not out here. And they shot us down. They'll come looking for us, and I don't want to be here when they get here." She turned to Vega and Grunt.
"Time for some payback." She packed a clip into her pistol to punctuate the comment. Grunt punched his left palm and grinned, shouting, "Yeah!" and James shouted, "Oorah!"
Joker, Dr. Chakwas, the engineers, and the remaining bridge crew looked at her like she was crazy, but the alternative was equally unpleasant.
Dr. Liara T'Soni normally waited for people to come to her. But when Shepard called and told her what was going on, she packed her bags and was waiting at the dock. The opportunity to study more ancient artifacts and to learn more about Leviathan was not something she wanted to pass up. And with the Reapers gone, she didn't feel pressured to pass up such finds or to skim through them too quickly. More important than that, though were the friends aboard the Normandy who were in trouble. Friends for whom she would drop anything to aid. And when Shepard called, Liara had literally dropped everything to get ready. She stood waiting as the SSV Yorktown SR-3 pulled into port. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw it pull in. It was a beautiful ship. Long and sleek like the Normandy, but more elegant and more purposeful. As an Asari, she had grown accustomed to Asari ship design, which tended to produce broader, shorter vessels with broad wings, tall tail-sections, and deep keels. Like all things Asari, Asari ships were artfully designed and delicately made. But the humans and Turians who had designed the Normandy had outdone the Asari, and with the Yorktown, they'd outdone themselves.
She waited patiently as the Yorktown docked. When the process was finished the doors opened and Shepard, Ashley, and their daughter, Jan were standing there to greet her. She hadn't seen Ashley in a very long time. She was shocked at how unfit for military duty the former Spectre had become and was very surprised to see her on the mission. Ashley was still beautiful, but she was now pleasantly plump. Her lean, toned physique had given way to a more matronly figure. But the biggest change was in her eyes. Ashley's edge was gone, replaced by the light that only motherhood could bring. But motherhood was no defense against the horrors that they would face, based on Shepard's appraisal of the situation. And Liara was doubly shocked that they'd brought Jan. There must be a reason, she thought. On the other hand, Shepard looked like he'd kept in shape. His broad shoulders and muscular torso were plainly visible through his uniform, and one look in his eyes told her that the alpha wolf was as deadly as ever. Liara strode up the gangplank and warmly embraced them.
"Shepards," she said with a smile. "It's good to see you."
Ashley held her longer and tighter than Shepard did. "Thank you," was all Ashley said. It was funny. Liara recalled how mistrustful Ashley had been of her when they'd first met on Therum. That all changed after they had worked together with Shepard to defeat Saren, the Geth, and the Reapers. Ashley was like the sister that Liara had never had. She wondered what her childhood would have been like with the spirited Ashley around as a playmate.
"Thanks for joining us on such short notice," Shepard said. "Sorry to drag you back into harm's way."
"Without your efforts, Shepard, Thessia would be rubble, the Asari enslaved or eradicated, and I would either be dead or living out the remainder of my days in misery. If you need me, I will always come." She then smiled. "And it's nice to get out from the world of secrets and spies once in a while." But she shifted her focus. "Shepard, Ashley, what possessed you to bring your daughter on this mission?"
"We didn't," said Ashley. "We were getting a tour of the ship prior to take off when alarms started blaring and Hackett ordered us to take off immediately."
"Oh my." Liara shook her head. This is not good, she thought. She turned her attention to Jan.
"Well, you must be Jan Shepard," she said with a smile. "Your father has bragged about you so much that I'd recognize you on sight. And by the Goddess, you have your mother's beauty!"
"Pleased to meet you, Dr. T'soni," Jan said politely. "You're really pretty!"
The little girl had never met Liara, though in correspondence, Shepard had talked at length about his daughter.
The three of them laughed as they boarded the Yorktown for immediate departure. They would stay only long enough to refuel the ship, and then they would be off.
Liara was surprised at the redesign, but she had to say that she preferred it. The bridge made a lot more sense this way and it kept the captain in closer contact with the helm and more involved with the bridge officers. She never liked the way that the Turian's had set up the original Normandy's bridge. A commander should be part of the crew, not aloof from it.
Edi at the helm was a nice surprise. She was glad that Edi finally had legal standing and Alliance rank. She'd earned it. Edi stood up from her post and greeted Liara with a hug.
"It is good to have you with us on this mission." Though nothing could disguise Edi's synthesized voice, her vocal inflections were much more natural and her body language more relaxed, less mechanical. Where her embraces had once been mimicked behavior to try to return pleasantries given to her by other crew members, they were now heartfelt and warm.
"Thank you Edi," said Liara. "I see the Yorktown is in very good hands"
"Thanks to my time working with Jeff on the Normandy, I am as good as he is." Edi was very proud of this. Her reflexes and speed of thought were unequaled by any human, but what made Jeff such a great helmsman was his feel and his intuition. If Edi had that in addition to her already formidable skills with the ship, then she had every right to be proud. And she was probably better than Joker at the helm.
"Yes," said Liara. "Shepard is truly blessed to have had the Alliance' best helmsmen on all of his ships."
"And with Liara back, it seems the gang is back together." Garrus voice caught Liara's attention and she turned to see her old friend looking almost exactly as he had ten years ago.
"Yes, and now we're going up against the beings that created the Reapers," Liara said grimly. "Are we really prepared for this?"
"As prepared as possible." Shepard said it confidently enough that for some reason, it took the uncertainty out of it. Even though Liara knew exactly what he meant; not enough preparation had been made in the decade since the war with the Reapers and now the calamity was upon them and they had to meet it, ready or no. But Shepard had made a career out of overcoming unbeatable odds with little to no support from the Alliance or the council. We will prevail, she thought. That gave her comfort and made her smile in spite of herself. Garrus looked at her with a 'what do you know that I don't know?' look, but Liara kept her thoughts to herself. There was a part of Shepard that she, and perhaps Ashley were privy to that nobody else was. Liara had melded with him on several occasions and Ashley undoubtedly knew him on the deepest level. That was very apparent in her eyes. This mission will have a happy ending.
The SSV Yorktown sped stealthily towards her destination, the impending conflict between Leviathan and Commander Shepard drawing nearer and nearer.
Jan Shepard sat in the mess area of the ship having lunch. It was colder on a starship than she was used to, but she dared not say anything. She did not want to let her dad down. The crew practically treated her as one of them, speaking to her as though she had gone through some rite of passage that she did not know about. Garrus had even shown her her father's locker, which was for whatever reason located right by the med bay. She picked up his assault rifle. It was heavy, unwieldy, and made for hands much larger than her own. It looked different from the rifles she saw in pictures of Alliance soldiers or stored in the armory. It was rather beat up and looked somehow obsolete. She tried to hold it and stand like she had seen soldiers stand in pictures, but she lacked the confidence to make the pose work. Her father's pistol was also likewise old, balky, and obsolete looking by comparison to the newer side arms carried by the crew. This one said 'Carnifex' on it.
"That's just the spare," came her mom's voice. "He carries a Paladin, which looks a lot like the Carnifex, but is more powerful. Picked it up during the Reaper war. He carried the Carnifex when he stopped the Collectors." Ashley wrapped a blanket around Jan as she spoke. Jan pulled it tight, happy to have it.
"Mom, do you carry guns?"
"Not in a long time, honey." Her mom smiled. "I haven't needed to, and being a wife and a mom has been far more rewarding than soldiering ever was."
"Mommy," she said, "how come Daddy doesn't have medals and awards like you?"
"He does," she replied. "He just keeps them stowed away. If you melted down all the medals your father has earned, you could make a life sized statue of him."
"Is that why he practices at the arena?" she asked. "I thought it was so that he could tough like you, but I guess he already was."
"Like me? He's tougher than anyone alive and a soldier to the core. He hates politics." "But he's a politician," protested Jan. Ashley laughed.
"I know it's hard for you to fully grasp, but your father is a soldier. He only became a politician because he was asked. Drafted more like. Honestly, I was surprised that your dad ever was willing to settle down and start a family. Jacob Taylor once said that the Normandy was Shepard's only true love. But I knew a few things Jacob didn't. But your dad sure was attached to his command."
"Do you think he misses it?"
"I think he missed being 'not a politician' more," Ashley said with a laugh. "But he made it very clear that his life with us meant far more to him than his command. He said that the life we have is everything he'd ever fought for."
Jan smiled, comforted by her mom's words. She pretty much had her mom figured out. Mom was a mom. A retired soldier, but still mom. She looked like a mom and spoke like a mom, and did mom things. Dad did dad things, but he was also a career politician and the Human Councilor. Until a few days ago, she thought she had him figured out too. Not now. Mom was still mom, but dad had transformed. It was as though the man he suddenly had become was the man he had always been and the man she had grown up knowing was really a disguise. There was something a bit frightening about it. At the same time, it was really cool.
"Maybe I can be like you and dad!" She stood up proudly, trying to look like a soldier.
"You just be like you," came her father's voice. "Because you're the only one who can do it perfectly." He scooped her up and hugged her without warning. He had always been loving and never missed an opportunity to express his love for either herself or her mom. But for the first time, she noticed how effortlessly he picked her up, while her mom was visibly taxed by comparison. He put her down gently and then kissed her mom.
"So how're you two settling in?"
"So far so good," her mom answered for them both. "The crew is really nice to us, John. I only hope we can live up to their expectations."
"Don't worry," he said confidently. "Just be you. You were there by my side against the Reapers. There with Garrus, Liara, Tali, James, Joker, Edi, Cortez, Wrex, and the rest of the crew, both SR-1 and SR-2. There are only a handful of people who've done what you've done. You've nothing to prove to anyone."
"But John," she protested, "what if I'm called upon to fight? What if I need to protect Jan?" Jan had never seen her mom worried like this and was a bit surprised that she was showing this in front of her.
"John, I haven't held a gun in almost a decade. You train regularly. Hell, the marines you train with once a year go home in traction after a week of trying to keep up with you. But I'm not that girl anymore."
"Don't worry, Ash," her dad said, pulling her close and kissing her. "We'll beat this thing just like we did in the old days. Together. As a family." He reached over and pulled Jan close to him. In that moment, she knew that everything would be just fine.
The Yorktown came through the entered the Sheol system and soon was in orbit around Gei Hinnom. John had ordered the stealth systems engaged as soon as they came through the Hekate relay. Ash approved; they had gone over the data from the Normandy just prior to her going black with Garrus and Edi. Her stealth systems were off; there was no reason for them to have been on at the time. It didn't take long for them to learn the fate of the Normandy. She had a massive hole blasted through her. The bridge crew looked ashen as they took in the sight.
"What the hell?" Ashley couldn't believe it. James, Miranda, Grunt . . . did they survive?
Garrus shook his head as if in answer to her unvoiced question.
"No," gasped Liara, "not the Normandy!"
"Still in one piece, though," remarked John. "The SR-1 had four or five holes blasted through her and then she was sheered in two. We can probably salvage her and get her up and running again." Ashley remembered that all too well. Watching her husband get spaced from an escape pod was something she never wanted to relive. The thought sent shudders through her.
"Sir, the escape pods!" Kelly's shock at the realization that some of the debris was the remains of destroyed pods was mirrored in the rest of the bridge crew. All except John.
"They shot them down," he said flatly. "This was an ambush." He then turned to Kelly.
"Sweep for Miranda's signal," he ordered. "It will be on this frequency."
He sent Kelly the frequency. Ashley knew that it was a Spectre channel. Miranda would have a beacon she'd have activated that only a Spectre's equipment would be tuned to receive.
"Commander . . ." Kelly shook her head, "I mean, Commodore! Sorry."
"It's alright, Kelly," John reassured her. "Just tell me what you've got."
"I've got a signal," she said with surprise.
"It's from the planet surface."
"Good." He looked at Garrus, Liara, and Jacob, his eyes narrowing, their intensity sharp enough to cut through steel. "Alright, people. We've got our destination. Let's suit up and go get our people. Nobody messes with my crew. Nobody."
That last 'nobody' sent another shudder through Ashley. She hadn't heard John talk that way in years. And she knew exactly what he meant. The Yorktown crew was right, she thought; somebody is going to pay.
Miranda led her squad to the mining facility, carefully moving in so as to avoid detection. But when they finally arrived, it was deserted. The Guardian laser that had been used on their escape pods and on the Normandy was there, but it was unmanned. They readied their weapons and moved in to investigate. The front door to the facility was open. Miranda signaled Grunt to one side and Vega to the other, taking point herself. Vega opened the door, but no hostiles were waiting for them on the other side. She signaled to the others to move up. The door led into an air lock. Dr. Chakwas and the other followed them in, the outer door closing and the room pressurizing. Once everyone was in, they were able to remove their breathing masks and environmental suits. Miranda, Grunt and Vega repeated the process with the inner door, only to find that again, there were no hostiles. The moved down the hallway and into a lobby where they found the mining staff. They were going about their business as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened. A large piece of what looked like office art, a sphere on a pedestal, occupied the center of the lobby. The door closed behind them, leaving the others in the hallway. One of the staff members looked up, finally acknowledging their presence.
"We've been expecting you," she said in a monotone voice. Then the sphere pulsed and Miranda was engulfed in icy blackness.
Shepard made his way to the shuttle bay with Garrus, Liara, Jacob, Urdnot Dagg, Prangly, Rodriguez, and a squad of biotic N7 Vanguards. As they came down the stairs, he saw Ashley and Jan waiting.
"You know this is a trap, John, don't you?" said Ashley, knowing the answer.
"Yeah," he said. "I know. But they're counting on us not knowing. They're counting on us coming in a ship they can detect. Yeah, it's a trap. But what they don't know is that the trap is us, and it's coming to them."
"Dammit John," she cried, wrapping her arms around him. "Just make sure you come back soldier, do you hear?"
Shepard held her close and kissed her.
"Don't worry Ash," he said confidently, "I'll be back. I promise."
Jan ran up and threw her arms around her father's waist. Shepard simply scooped her up and hugged her. Kissing her cheek, he then put her down.
"Jan, you take care of your mom while I'm away," he said. "She worries too much."
Shepard winked at Jan, then at Ash. "I love you both. Ash, you just do that praying thing you do. It's always nice to have someone looking out for me."
"I will John," she said. "I will. Now go get the Normandy crew."
"Copy that, Commodore," he said with a smile. He embraced Ashley one last time, and then embraced Jan before going to his locker to get ready.
Jan watched as her politician dad donned battle armor and took up his arms. His armor, like his lancer rifle, looked battle worn and less sleek than Jacob's and the rest of the squad's. Garrus' armor was similar; battle worn and purpose built. Even Liara donned body armor. It was the same style that her mom had worn in the old pictures. White plates over pink padded armor. And like her father's and Garrus' armor, it looked like it had seen some use. She suspected that Liara had not worn it since the Reaper war. Once her father's armor was on and he looked in her direction, she felt a little fearful. For the first time in her life, she saw him the way the rest of the galaxy saw him. This was a man who was feared by his enemies. The kind of man you never wanted to cross.
Shepard picked up his helmet and walked over to Jan and Ashley.
"We'll make this quick," he said. "Then we'll be headed back to the Citadel. See you soon!"
And with that, he turned to his squad.
"Alright people," he barked, "let's move!"
Dr. Chakwas shook her head as she examined Samantha. She was not doing well. She needed medical attention badly, but Miranda, James, and Grunt had disappeared. Initially, they were waiting for an all clear, but nothing happened. No communication, no sounds of violence from the other side of the door, nothing. Steve Cortez finally convinced the others that they should radio Miranda and the others after an hour of waiting. He cued up his communicator just as the door opened, Miranda stepping through.
"You had us worried," the doctor said, relieved to see Miranda. "Where are Grunt and James?" Miranda silently walked up to them and then pulled out her pistol and shot Dr. Chakwas in the legs, three shots in each.
Steve, Adams, and Donnelly rushed her, but a biotic display threw them back. She then shot them in the knees. Steve drew his pistol, but Miranda shot him in the wrist, nearly severing his hand. Gabriella Daniels ran to Donnelly, only to be shot in the lower back, collapsing before the three stricken men.
"What the hell are you doing?" Joker was frantic, but Karin Chakwas could only watch helplessly as Miranda blew his knees apart with her pistol. She then turned her attention to Samantha who was by now screaming in terror and shot her already wounded leg several times. Traynor screamed, but Miranda silenced her with a bullet to the chest.
"Miranda, why?" Karin was crying, her legs in agony. "Why?" But Miranda didn't answer. She just walked back through the doorway, closing it behind her.
Karin crawled to Samantha's side and found that she was still alive. The bullet had pierced her right lung. She's not going to make it, thought Karin as she used medi-gel to keep Samantha's wound from being immediately fatal. She applied it to her own legs to stop the bleeding. Thankfully, none of the bullets had struck bone. She then made her way to Gabriella Daniels. The engineer lay there, a pool of blood widening underneath her. Ken Donnelly stroked her hair crying.
"Stay with me Gabby," he cried as she lay there. Karin checked her, and found she was still alive. The bullet had shattered her spine above her hips and had exited through her abdomen. It was unlikely she'd survive, let alone walk again. Then the airlock opened.
"Shepard!" Karin couldn't believe it.
"Dr. Chakwas! Joker!" Shepard didn't continue. Garrus, Jacob, Liara, a large Krogan, and a squad of Alliance soldiers all came in with him.
"Miranda shot us," Cortez groaned. "Then walked away."
"You're bait," Shepard said grimly. "Everyone, the shields are tuned to keep us safe from the artifact." He looked to the soldiers. "Prangly, Rodriguez, you and the rest of your squad get them back to the Yorktown. Now!" Shepard unslung his Lancer rifle. "Jacob, Liara, Dagg, you're on."
Miranda came through the door at the other end of the hall with Vega and Grunt, charging and guns blazing. Garrus helped to evacuate the Normandy crew as Shepard and his three biotic squad mates dealt with Miranda, Grunt, and Vega. Vega was immobilized almost immediately. Miranda and Grunt both had fortified themselves with their own biotics and were still coming.
"Dagg, Jacob, take Miranda," shouted Shepard. "Liara, see to the others. I'll deal with Grunt."
Liara's eyes widened, but she acquiesced. Karin watched as Urdnot Dagg and Jacob fought to restrain Miranda, who was more than a match for the two of them. Miranda lifted her hands abruptly and Jacob and Dagg found their heads being smashed against the ceiling as Miranda lifted them off the ground. She lowered her hands abruptly, slamming them both into the floor. Liara took the opportunity to dive in, tackling Miranda and taking her down as Jacob and Dagg lay on the floor dazed.
Liara delivered several punishing blows to Miranda's head, but Miranda fended them off and wrapped a powerful leg around Liara's neck. Arching her back, she flung Liara to the floor. The back of Liara's head hit the floor and she lay dazed as Miranda pinned her and prepared to deliver a biotically charged blow to Liara's head. A still woozy Jacob lifted Miranda up off of Liara with his own biotics and Dagg sent her flying against the far door. Still, she got back up. Karin could see why Miranda was a Spectre. Liara got back up, but not quickly as the others did. Grunt's loud roar distracted her.
Grunt was like a force of nature, engaging Shepard in melee when guns were not working to take the councilor down. Shepard was no pushover, though, and Karin was amazed to see him pummel Grunt into submission, finally dazing him with the butt of his rifle. Miranda unleashed a powerful biotic shockwave at Dagg, Jacob, Liara and Shepard. Dagg, Jacob and Liara were flung against the walls, but Shepard deftly slid on his back, firing his rifle at Miranda. His shots were meant to distract her and drain her shields, not to kill her. She charged Shepard, but he sprang to his feet. As she brought her pistol up to shoot him, he rushed inside of her guard, deflecting her weapon arm with his left hand at the moment she discharged it and grabbing her wrist simultaneously, then striking her with an upper cut to in her left flank. Karin heard a sickening snap as Shepard collapsed the left side of Miranda's ribcage. Before she could let out a cry, he head butted her, then brought his left knee up, cracking more ribs on her right side, and then dislocated her weapon arm still trapped in his grip. He swept her feet out from under her, his blow so forceful Karin thought he might have broken both of her legs, as her knees bent backward momentarily. Miranda went down for good. Shepard turned to Liara. No words were exchanged, but she nodded, indicating that she was uninjured. Shepard nodded back, then returned his attention to Grunt.
As Liara, Jacob, and Dag set to restrain Miranda and take her aboard the shuttle, Vega broke free of the stasis, but Garrus engaged him quickly. Vega was no match for Garrus, who viciously tore him to pieces. Vega attempted to use his rifle, but Garrus closed and disarmed him. Every blow Vega tried to land simply found air, and for each attempt, Garrus returned several powerful and unanswered blows. Vega tried kicking, but Garrus caught his leg and levered against the knee, turning it inward and snapping the knee, bringing Vega to the ground face down and flat with Garrus on top of him. Vega produced a knife, but Garrus simply dislocated his elbow and sank the knife into Vega's back, Vega's hand still grasping the weapon. Garrus then grabbed a hold of Vega's head and slammed his face into the floor repeatedly until Vega was motionless and blood was pooling on the floor under his head. Karin winced. Patching up soldiers was fine with her. She didn't need to see how they ended up in her med bay.
Grunt, being Krogan, didn't stay down long, though Karin thought he probably wished he had.
Liara shouted out, "Krogan charging!"
Grunt charged firing a concussive shot at Shepard. Shepard rolled backwards, coming up on his feet, firing back with a concussive shot of his own, catching Grunt in the face. Shepard rolled out of Grunt's way, coming up behind him and striking him with a flurry of powerful blows in the lower back. When Grunt spun around to face Shepard, Shepard's right elbow slammed into the left side of his face as Shepard fired a concussive shot at point blank range, sending him flying through the air. He struck the wall and went down, this time for good. Shepard walked over and brought his heel down hard on Grunt's left temple. If there were any fight left in him, Shepard had stamped it out. Watching Shepard fight sent shudders through her. She'd never actually seen him in action. She had known him as tough, as warm and caring, and as determined, but in a fight, he was a cold, calculating, and brutal. Miranda and Grunt had both been active in the field for years and Shepard took them apart with hardly any effort.
"Councilor Shepard," she said, "Remind me to never get on your bad side."
Shepard carefully picked up Traynor as Liara and Jacob moved Gabby. Garrus and Dagg secured Grunt, Miranda, and Vega.
"Alright people," shouted Shepard. "Let's move!"
And with that command, everyone was fitted with a breathing mask and evacuated to whatever ship Shepard had come in. Karin had looked forward to seeing Shepard again, but not like this. Not with the Normandy gone and her crew killed. In all the days of the war with the Reapers, Karin had never felt despair so completely. Shepard got them into the shuttle and Karin settled back into trying to help the wounded. Which was pretty much everyone.
Kelly Chambers waited with Jan for the squad to return. She was a bit concerned when she received word that the shuttle was inbound so soon. As the shuttle pulled into the bay, she felt the knots in her stomach tighten. But nothing could have prepared her for what she saw. The door opened and the Alliance soldiers came rushing out with Samantha on a stretcher, a breathing mask over her nose and mouth and Dr. Chakwas limping along with them. Samantha's right leg was covered in blood and she had a gunshot wound to the chest. The normally dark Samantha was as pale as Kelly.
"No!" She ran to Samantha's side and went along with them as they carried her to the med bay. She took hold of Samantha's hand to comfort her as they went. The hand was cold, but she could feel a weak pulse.
Ashley and Jan watched with worry as Kelly exited the shuttle bay with Dr. Chakwas and Samantha Traynor. Now she was really worried. Another stretcher came out, this time with Miranda Lawson. Then more stretchers came out with Normandy crew members being carried. Then Garrus, Urdnot Dagg, Jacob Taylor, and Dr. Tsoni emerged, and finally, Shepard. She and Ashley ran to him, Jan being scooped up her father and both she and Ashley caught up in a group hug. Shepard kissed Ashley then turned to Jan.
"Jan, I've got to see to a few things," he said. "As you can see, the Normandy crew, what's left of it, is in a very bad way." He kissed her, then kissed Ashley again and headed off in the direction of the med bay.
When Shepard arrived in the med bay, he immediately went to Traynor. She looked awful, but Karin was tending to her and trying to stabilize her.
"How is she, Doc?"
"Thankfully, I think she can make it," replied Karin. "But what I've done is only stop gap. She needs to get to a hospital. We are not equipped for the kind of long term care she needs, Councilor. She needs to get to a hospital soon."
Karin paused and turned to Shepard.
"You know, this is the second time you've come for me," she said. "I am eternally grateful to have friends like you, Garrus and Ashley." She quickly embraced her former commander and then set to work on Samantha.
"No problem, Karin," Shepard said. "Though I'm not councilor any longer. I've been reactivated with my last active duty rank, commodore."
"If they've brought you back into service . . ." She didn't finish her sentence. To pull Humanity's councilor from diplomatic service and back into military service meant that something very bad was happening.
He then moved to Steve's bedside. Steve's was being tended by the Yorktown's doctor, Cameron O'Neill.
"Commodore Shepard," he said in greeting. "Checking in on the Normandy crew?"
"Yeah," said Shepard, inspecting his former shuttle pilot. "How's he doing?"
"If we get him to a real hospital, they should be able to reattach the hand, and he should have full use of it. Given that his wrist was damaged, he may need implants. But he won't bleed out."
"Well that's good news at least," Shepard said approvingly. He then turned to Joker. Joker was out, his knees wrapped up. "What about Joker?"
"He's another matter." The doctor shook his head. "Vrolik syndrome makes his knee injuries more problematic. He won't be walking for a while, regardless. Like Cortez, he needs to get to a hospital. A ship's med bay isn't equipped for this type of injury, even with someone as talented as Dr. Chakwas." O'Neill's face darkened as he looked to Gabby's bed. "I'm not even sure she'll make it if she gets to a hospital. And if she does, she'll likely be a paraplegic."
"Then we've got our work cut out for us," said Shepard.
The doctor turned to the beds with Miranda and Vega.
"Regarding these two, what in God's name happened to them? The two of them look like they've been dragged behind a skycar and bounced off the rooftops, and he's got internal injuries that medi-gel can't fully fix. And his arm is like a noodle. He's lost a lot of blood. We could lose him. "
"Miranda decided to take on Commander Taylor and Urdnot Dagg," began Shepard, but the doctor prematurely answered.
"Ah, that explains it."
"No," said Shepard, "it doesn't. She really took it to them while I was fighting Grunt. Liara had to help, but Miranda took her down as well. I took Grunt out of the fight briefly and put Miranda down. Then I finished off Grunt."
The doctor looked at Shepard disapprovingly. "You . . . did . . . this . . . to a woman?"
"Yeah, a biotic Spectre armed with a heavy pistol and a submachine gun," replied Shepard sharply, "who had just put down a marine, an Asari operative and a Krogan battlemaster." He paused for a moment and then continued. "You know, it's a lot harder to subdue a foe than it is to just kill them. If we didn't care about them, we'd have simply shot them and brought their headless corpses back. Look, if it makes you feel any better, Doc, if she'd been a guy, I'd have dislocated her jaw and collapsed her trachea too."
"Don't you dare second guess him, Dr. O'Neill," Karin shouted. "She's the cause of the injuries here excepting her own and Vega's. Given that she attacked Liara, I was amazed that Shepard let her live."
Before Dr. O'Neill could respond, Shepard intervened.
"Calm down. Both of you." Both doctors went silent. Shepard's word was final.
"It's not her fault," he said. "She, Vega, and Grunt were being controlled by Leviathan through the artifact. This isn't an isolated incident. Unfortunately, Miranda didn't know about the others prior to investigating this mining facility. You all walked into an ambush." As he said this, he gently caressed Miranda's cheek. "She's a good friend. She's a good lady. Please forgive her."
He walked over to Vega and slapped his right bicep. "And this guy, he's a good soldier. It's not their fault. Do what you can for them. We'll get to the Citadel as soon as possible." And with that, he left the med bay.
With everything secure in the med bay, Shepard immediately went to Edi, who was stuck at the helm and unable to look in on her husband.
"Edi," he said. "How are you holding up?"
"I am anxious about Jeff." She looked calm compared to a human, but Shepard could see the subtle indicators in her body language. Edi was genuinely worried.
"We're going to the Citadel, Edi," he said reassuringly. "He'll make it." He put his hands on her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. Edi turned around in her chair to face him. Her facial expression was pained, sad, and somewhat bewildered.
"How is it, if I may ask, that you and Jeff seem to be the only people who acknowledge that I have emotions?" It was a fair question.
"I don't know Edi," replied Shepard. "But anyone who takes the time to get to know you should know that you have them. And that they're as real as any organic's emotions."
"Thank you, Shepard." Edi got up and embraced him tightly. "I feel very alone without Jeff. I am very glad to have you back."
Shepard returned her hug.
"And you'll have Jeff back. Soon!"
He heard a faint sobbing as Kelly Chambers resumed her post. Shepard pulled up the galaxy map and set course for the Citadel.
"Edi, let's get the Normandy crew fixed up!"
"Yes sir," she said enthusiastically.
Shepard turned to Kelly.
"Samantha is going to make it," he said resolutely. "I promise." He gave her a tight hug without letting her respond. Kelly hugged him tightly in return. "Now, have Jacob, Garrus, Ashley, Dr. T'soni, Dr. Bryson, and Dagg meet me in the conference room in twenty."
Kelly nodded and sent out the notifications.
Shepard went up to his cabin to shower and to change. Ashley was waiting for him when he got there.
"I'm sorry, John," Ashley cried. He pulled her close and held her, but she continued. "I should have gone. I should have been out there with you. I . . . I feel like I let you down."
"No, you have more important work now," countered Shepard. "You and Jan are everything that I've fought for. You've got happiness and a joy that is greater than I've ever seen in you when you were younger. You're what we fight to protect. You're what I live to come home to. You're not a soldier anymore. You're something more."
"But John, you haven't been in the field in a decade and you took out Miranda and Grunt!"
"And Jacob and Dagg have been in the field every day for a decade and they got their asses handed to them by Miranda, and would be dead if Liara hadn't saved their bacon."
He extended his arms, holding her far enough away to take all of her in.
"Ash, you have earned the life you have. You fought for it, tooth and nail. You carried the weight of your family honor and redeemed it fighting in the most dangerous war in galactic history. You've never let me down. And besides, our daughter needs at least one parent who's not off killing giant monsters."
He pulled her in close and held her tightly, kissing her gently. They showered and changed quickly. There was a lot to discuss with the crew.
Shepard and Ashley went to the conference room, where they were soon joined by Jacob, Dagg, Liara, Garrus, and Dr. Anne Bryson. Shepard wasted no time in getting to business.
"We're all assembled and Edi is joining us via intercom, so let's get down to business. First of all, we're going to the Citadel," he said. "Vega, Traynor and Daniels probably won't make it if we don't, and I'm not losing them." He paused to let it sink in for a moment.
"They brought me back to active service because the enemy we face is a more insidious and possibly more terrifying threat to the galaxy than the Reapers." Shepard brought up an image of the sphere's he had encountered with Ann's father, Dr. Garret Bryson and Edi during the Reaper War. "They're called Leviathan. They use these spheres to control their thralls. We have no way of knowing how many such spheres exist. They are dormant and have no energy readings unless they're active. They can also be used to focus a pulse powerful enough to take down a Reaper. Or a starship."
Dagg, Dr. Bryson, Jacob and Liara exchanged worried glances.
"Relax," Shepard reassured. "The Yorktown is shielded. We used data from Taskforce Aurora and from your own research, Ann, as well as data compiled by Edi. She had significant input on this ship's design."
"And we'll need that edge as we go up against Leviathan," Jacob observed.
"Our armor is also shielded in the same way," Shepard continued. "So do not, under any circumstances, remove your helmets on any of these missions. You get possessed, you attack any of your allies or try to impede this effort in any way, and I will kill you. Let me make that perfectly clear."
"I can vouch for the danger of these things," Dr. Bryson confirmed. "Leviathan uses a quasi QEC link that it establishes through the spheres. It then takes control of the person or persons if it sees fit to do so."
"Shepard, you almost died confronting Leviathan directly," Liara warned. "It is unlikely that it would have let you go if the Reapers had not been a threat. Without the Reapers to counterbalance Leviathan, they have no reason to let you go now."
"Doesn't matter," Shepard said. "I deal with this now and I deal with this permanently. My daughter will not, not grow up under this kind of threat." He pounded the table with his fist for emphasis.
"We go back to the Citadel. We drop off those who need hospitalization, and we get our asses back here to seek out and destroy any and all of these artifacts. Then we deal with the one Captain Riley found. And then we go Despoina."
"Why go there?" Jacob voiced what others were thinking, but Shepard had a ready answer.
"Because I know that's where they live."
Shepard looked at each of them individually, holding their gaze and then moving to the next.
"We end this. We get to the bottom of this and we end it. Once and for all. Dismissed."
With the meeting wrapped up, Shepard was preparing to look in on Grunt and Ashley was preparing to go back to Shepard's cabin to spend some time with Jan when Kelly paged Shepard.
"Sir, Admiral Hackett is available on the vid com."
"Thanks, Kelly," replied Shepard. He and Ashley made their way through the Yorktown's war room and back to the vid com to talk to Admiral Hackett.
"Shepard," said the Admiral in his usual gruff voice. "What is the status of the Normandy and her crew?"
"Not good, sir," replied Shepard. "The Normandy is crippled, but she looks salvageable. However, most of her crew was killed. They shot down the escape pods."
"All those men and women," lamented the admiral. "And on a routine mission no less."
"Yeah," said Shepard with a hollow laugh. "Routine, like the shakedown run to Eden Prime?"
"Let's hope this doesn't lead into anything that big. How are our Spectre and Spectre candidate doing?"
"Grunt is just out. Miranda is not conscious and needs medical care," explained Shepard. "I think that they encountered one of those artifacts. Whatever they did, Miranda, James, and Grunt were possessed and turned on their team and then on us. I had to put them down hard."
"Sorry to hear that, Shepard," replied the Admiral.
"We'll be at the Citadel soon," explained Shepard. "We'll get our wounded taken care of. Sir, what happened at Arcturus?"
"One of our researchers brought back one of those spheres. It got to her and several others who were hell bent on stopping you from taking off."
"What happened to them?"
"Cut down in a hail of bullets and the sphere destroyed," replied the Admiral. "Possessed or no, we don't fool around with that sort of thing on a military installation that also serves as the seat of our government."
The two were silent for a few moments.
"I'll get this done, sir." Shepard finally broke the silence.
"See that you do, Shepard. Hackett out."
Ashley looked concerned, so Shepard pulled her close.
"Don't worry, Ash," he said. "I'll stop this thing. Then I'll come back. And then I'm retiring. Military, politics, everything."
"John," Ashley protested, "what if this thing gets to the Citadel? Nowhere is really safe. I can't bear the thought of Jan being affected by all this." She shook her head. "Saren, the Geth, the Reapers, now this? Does it ever end?"
"Yeah," said Shepard. "It does if I have anything to say about it."
Ashley just hugged him. He hugged her tightly.
"Now to go check on our wayward Spectre and Spectre candidate."
"Be careful, John!"
"Relax," Shepard smiled. "It'll be fine."
As Shepard made his way down to the med bay, Dr. Bryson joined him.
"Commodore," she said shakily. "What do you plan on doing with James after he wakes up?"
"Ask him for his version of what happened," he replied. "And if he says what I think he'll say, recommend that he be cleared for duty as soon as his wounds are taken care of. Why?"
"James was there for me during the Leviathan mission," Anne said. "I was just some civilian researcher. You both could have kept me under that thing's control in order to get a more precise location and left me a vegetable. Instead, you both sacrificed intel to protect me. Now James needs help and I plan to be there for him."
"Noted." Shepard knew that James and Ann had some kind of relationship, though he didn't know how serious it was. "I'll do everything I can for him. I promise."
Grunt was the first to wake up. He realized that he was without body armor and without weapons, and was both restrained and locked up behind a stasis field. He felt like a thresher maw had just chewed him and spat him out. He shook his head to clear away the fog. His entire body hurt, particularly his left temple. As his vision cleared, he saw the human councilor, Admiral Shepard, standing on the other side of the field. There was a dark haired woman standing with him who he didn't recognize.
"Ugh . . ." Grunt groaned. "Councilor Shepard. Where am I?"
"The SSV Yorktown SR-3. And it's commodore now," Shepard replied. "I'm not the councilor anymore. I've been reactivated."
"Good," growled Grunt. "Let's go knock some heads." Grunt sounded excited at the thought.
"We already did," replied Shepard. "Yours."
"Mine?"
"Yeah, yours. Miranda's and Vega's too."
Must've fought Shepard, thought Grunt. That explains why everything hurts. But why was I fighting him in the first place? And why don't I remember fighting against the most feared opponent in the galaxy? A fight between the ultimate Krogan and the toughest Human Spectre should be remembered and savored.
"Mind telling me what happened?" Shepard's question interrupted Grunt's inner monologue.
"Wish I knew," replied Grunt. "Fighting Shepard. That's the kind of fight that battle songs and epic sagas are made from. You'd think I'd remember, but I don't. All I remember is going into the lobby and all these civilians walking around like zombies. That, and somebody left a big ball on a pedestal. We had wounded that were slowing us down."
"Yeah, well they're even slower since Miranda shot them." Shepard didn't look to be amused or joking.
"Shot them? Why would she do that? She practically fell into tears about the escape pods being shot down and about Traynor's leg being all tore up."
"Grunt, I need you to focus." Shepard was insistent. "What do you remember?"
"Just . . . darkness. Darkness and cold." He thought for a few moments more. "It was like a burial at sea. Cold, wet, and dark. Then I felt sharp pain and woke up." His head still throbbed. "You?"
"Yeah." Shepard looked concerned. Looked like he was thinking things through. Grunt had always like that about him. Shepard didn't sit around waiting for answers to come. He worked through things quickly and then got down to the task at hand.
"Grunt, you were possessed by Leviathan," Shepard explained. "They used the sphere to control both the facility's staff and the three of you. Then the three of you attacked us. Vega and Miranda aren't conscious, so I'm talking to you."
"What happened to them?"
"Garrus happened to Vega, I happened to Miranda."
"Are they dead?" Grunt realized that he may have sounded more enthusiastic than he intended to, but Shepard didn't say anything about it.
"No," he explained. "Though they are in bad shape. I wanted them alive, so we weren't fighting to kill. But I don't fight to lose either." Shepard paused for a moment. "We're well out of range of the artifact and the ship is shielded against it. This is Dr. Ann Bryson. She'll determine if you're good to be let out. I've got to go check on the others."
"Shepard!" Grunt had to know one thing. "Was it a good fight?"
"The best." Shepard smiled as he walked away. Grunt was satisfied. Maybe now he and Shepard could start knocking heads together again.
Miranda thought she was restrained at first, but she realized that she was in some kind of body cast. Every inch of her hurt, and she could tell that this was in spite of pain killers. She breathed in, only to be engulfed in intense pain.
"My first thought was to overdose you on those pain meds." It was Dr. Chakwas' voice. "But according to Shepard, this isn't your fault, so you live for now."
Miranda turned her head slowly. More pain. She saw Dr. Chakwas seated some distance from her. Another doctor whom she didn't recognize was tending to another patient. The med bay also looked different. I'm not aboard the Normandy, she thought. Then the memories of the Normandy's destruction came back to her.
"Shepard says 'what' isn't my fault? What did I do?" Miranda was frantic. She started to sit up instinctively, but waves of pain washed over her again, forcing her to lie back down. And Dr. Chakwas pointed a pistol at her.
"I don't normally carry a weapon, Miranda," she said threateningly, "but I'm making an exception in your case. And even in your condition, I'm not taking chances."
The other doctor turned and looked alarmed.
"Dr. Chakwas," he shouted, "what do you think you're doing?"
"I'm surprised that Shepard concurred with Dr. O'Neill here regarding not tying you down, but they both felt that your injuries rendered you a non-threat. So do yourself a favor and prove them right by not moving." Dr. Chakwas ignored her colleague.
Dr. O'Neil ran from the room, leaving Miranda alone with Dr. Chakwas.
"Just tell me what happened!" Miranda's pleading was emphatic, but Dr. Chakwas responded by preparing a sedative. As she approached with the syringe, Miranda could only say, "No, no," as moving was out of the question. Thankfully, O'Neil had returned with Shepard before Dr. Chakwas could inject it.
"That's enough, Karin." Shepard's word spared her the sedative, but she still didn't know why Dr. Chakwas was so antagonistic to her.
"Councilor," she said weakly. "Whatever you did for my crew, thank you."
"Your crew?" Dr. Chakwas was shouting now. "We ceased to be your crew when you tried to kill us!"
"Karin, that's enough!" Shepard was emphatic. He was not yelling, but his tone cut off any continuance on Dr. Chakwas part.
"I'm sorry," she said softly, her body going from tensed and rigid to limp and dejected. "I'd better go while you're interrogating her."
Shepard reached over and touched Dr. Chakwas shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. A smile passed between them, then the doctor left. Shepard pulled up a chair and sat down next to Miranda.
"Councilor, thank God you're here." Miranda was practically crying at this point. "Where am I?"
"We're on the SSV Yorktown SR-3. And as I explained to Grunt already, I've been reactivated, so it's Commodore Shepard."
Reactivated? Something big must have happened for the Alliance to pull Shepard from the Citadel and put him back into the field after a decade of inactivity!
"Miranda, what do you remember?" Shepard's voice interrupted her speculation.
She tried hard to clear her head and to resist asking him what had happened to her crew. Normally, she would be inclined to press him for information, but something told her that she should answer his questions first.
"My crew . . . most of them died. We were hit by a pulse weapon that took the Normandy out. When we evacuated in the pods and began descending to the surface, someone began shooting the pods out of the sky. Only a handful of us survived, and Traynor had a very bad injury."
Shepard nodded and she continued.
"We saw them fire a laser at the Normandy and saw the explosion in the sky. We decided to head for the source of the weapons fire, as it meant a breathable atmosphere, food and water, and the chance to steal a shuttle and get back to Alliance territory."
"That's what I gathered from Grunt," replied Shepard. That meant that Grunt was alive and conscious.
"Right," she continued. "We went in, but there was no resistance, no guards. I had them wait in the entryway while James, Grunt, and I went in further. I remember seeing the miners standing around like zombies and a large sphere on a pedestal." Miranda rubbed her head. "They must have taken us from behind, because I blacked out at that point and didn't wake up until a short while ago."
Shepard was quiet for a few moments, his brow furrowed. He brought his right hand up as if to rub his forehead, but she knew that was just a habit he had when he was working out a way to say something that was going to be difficult, sensitive, or that had to be just right or it result in negative consequences. The hand partially hid his expression. In this case, she knew instinctively that his words would be difficult. Finally he looked up, his expression softening somewhat, and spoke.
"Miranda," he said softly, "you went back to your crew and shot them."
"NO! That can't be!" Horror gripped her at the thought. It would certainly explain Dr. Chakwas' antagonism, but it could not be true. It just could not!
"There's more," Shepard continued. "We arrived in time to evacuate everyone and to stabilize them. You had shot them as a lure for us. You, James, and Grunt came out again, guns blazing."
"Shepard, that can't be! I wouldn't do that! I just wouldn't!"
But he continued.
"Miranda, Jacob and Urdnot Dagg tried to subdue you, but you were too much for them. Liara tackled you to save them, but you almost killed her. I had just taken down Grunt, so I had to subdue you. I'm sorry, Miranda, but your injuries are all from your fight with me. Garrus took down James, then Grunt got back up and I put him down again."
A fight with Shepard. No wonder she hurt so badly. She was lucky to be alive. To date, Shepard's opponents were all dead.
"The aftermath of it all is that James, Gabby, and Traynor are barely hanging on. Gabby probably won't make it. We're heading to the Citadel to get them proper medical attention, but Dr. Chakwas and Dr. O'Neil are not very hopeful, particularly about Gabby and Traynor. Cortez is alive, but he'll need his hand reattached. And Joker will probably be wheelchair bound after being shot in the legs."
Miranda was numb. She could not believe this. And she knew Shepard wasn't lying to her.
"That's the bad news," Shepard said. "Now here's the good news. That sphere you mentioned? It's the reason that this happened. I told Dr. Chakwas that this isn't your fault, and I meant it. Leviathan uses those spheres to control people. I saw it ten years ago during the war. Miranda, it or they took control of the three of you. You are not responsible for what happened."
"Cold comfort, with nearly all of my crew dead and the remaining ones nearly killed under my leadership."
"Miranda, you walked into that blind. You had no way of knowing." Shepard reached forward and touched her cheek softly. "Your leadership probably saved them from dying of exposure, for what it's worth. Incidentally, the Normandy isn't a total loss. Her port outboard engine and much of the wing are gone, but the hull is intact. We'll get her back."
"Now that is good news," Miranda said weakly. "But Shepard, how did you get involved in this? You were the human councilor. The best human councilor we've had."
"Riley was investigating a weapons smuggling operation that led her to a mining facility similar to the one you investigated. They managed to get away without activating the sphere. There were other reports of people losing control as well. Your own disappearance is what they pulled me in to deal with this. Edi had the Yorktown speced to be immune to their pulse weapon and our armor speced to shield us from the artifact. We know what we're up against and we're going to end it. Once and for all."
Miranda liked the sound of that. As they were talking, Ashley and Jacob came in.
"Hey Spectre," Ashley said cheerfully.
"Miranda," Jacob said.
"Ashley, Jacob," Miranda spoke, fighting back sobs. "I am so sorry. So sorry."
"It's not your fault," Jacob said. "Those damn spheres are to blame."
"But I've gotta say," said Ashley with a smile, "Shepard tells me you're still a tough opponent. And a good Spectre."
"You're all far too forgiving," Miranda said, shaking her head. "I should have been able to resist it. Shepard did when he encountered Leviathan. How come I couldn't?"
"Because he's Shepard," Jacob said.
"Miranda, I dislocated your arm and broke a lot of ribs, but you should be back in action fairly soon." Shepard stood as he spoke. "Ashley and Jan are going home and Vega is going to the hospital. I plan to rendezvous with Riley. I want you and Grunt on my team. We've got Jacob and Garrus, as well as Urdnot Dagg." He reached down and squeezed her hand. "We can win this thing."
"After what I've done, you still want me on your team?"
"Yeah," he said. "You helped me take down the Collectors. I know your skills. I need the best on this, and that's you."
"Damn straight, Miranda," said Jacob. "And if Ashley were along, we'd have all four human Spectres on one mission. Now that would be one for the history books!"
Miranda could tell looking at Ashley that that wasn't likely. Ashley wasn't a soldier anymore. But Miranda had to admit that Jacob was right. It would be one for the history books."