1: Another Suicide Mission.
"I don't like the sound of this." Miranda voiced her opinion before anyone else.
Commander Shepard finished telling his crew of the situation from Anderson's message in the War Room. He made sure that the room was private to only him and those he trusted from the last suicide mission, no one else could eavesdrop on their meeting. He even went as far, as to show them the video transmission that was with the message. It was after the video when Miranda spoke.
Miranda Lawson was a Cerberus officer who worked for and trusted the Illusive Man. She was chosen to lead the Lazarus Project which brought Shepard back from the dead and was also handpicked to help him on his mission against the Collectors. They shared a few intimate moments and these feelings, along with his help with her sister, allowed her to trust Shepard completely and sever her ties with the Illusive Man and Cerberus.
"For once, I agree with the bitch." Jack said in a brusque manner. "Sounds like another god damn suicide mission."
Jack was an experimental Biotic, a powerful one at that. She was also a criminal but her past crimes and history was erased once she joined Shepard's crew. She had a moment of weakness when she found the lab she was raised in as a girl, but it quickly strengthened her once she blew up the lab. Despite her true feelings towards everyone in the room, she is very loyal to Shepard.
"I nearly lost my bloody eye in our last mission." Zaeed commented.
One of the best mercenaries in the galaxy, Zaeed joined with Shepard's crew. It was more like a favor for a favor, but he has stuck around with Shepard long after the Collectors were destroyed out of curiosity. He had a bit of a problem with following orders, but he has proven to be a valuable ally and a deadly enemy.
"I think I've personally had enough of suicide missions to last me a lifetime." Kasumi said not long after Zaeed's comment.
Kasumi Goto. Where Zaeed is the best Mercenary, she was the best Theif. Her skills in stealth and tech were greatly needed and were very useful. She didn't like the last suicide mission, and she liked the idea of this one even less.
Someone else was a bout to speak until Shepard cut them off. "Look, I understand that some of you may have a problem with this mission and may even want to leave by now. Let me remind you, that all of you are free to leave when you want. You have done your duty, and I will happily drop you off myself in the nearest space port. But let me make one thing perfectly clear: The Reapers are still out there. We have only dealt with one problem only to spring into another. We have no intel on this relay, and it very well may kill all of us should we attempt to examine it.
You have all stayed with me for a reason. I know this may seem like another suicide mission, but I would be lying if I said I would be able to do this without any of you."
The room was quiet. Shepard saw some jaws clenching tight, some looks of curiosity, and maybe even a small hint of fear in some. But he knew his crew, he knew which of them were and are capable of. He knew that if he ever needed them for anything, they would be by his side.
After a few seconds, Garrus looked towards the Commander. Garrus is an alien of the Turian race and a friend who was with him against Saren and the Collectors. Their bond can be easily compared to the likes of brothers. Garrus would follow Shepard through hell and back if asked to.
"Did you ever consider that maybe the Prothean's may know?" He asked the Commander.
The War Room opened almost immediately after his question and they all stopped and stared at the newcomer. Dr. Liara T'Soni, an Asari alien and Prothean expert who, like Garrus, was with Shepard against Saren. Their friendship was meant to become something more, but they both focused on what was more important than their feelings. Their bond remained close, however. Even long after Shepard helped her become the new Shadow Broker.
"Actually, the Commander did consider that." She spoke in her soft voice, answering Garrus's question. "And that is why I was called here."
She stopped and stared at the monitor in the middle of the table, which showed the paused transmission of the large relay. After the door closed behind her, she looked at Shepard from the opposite end of the room.
"My knowledge of the Prothean's is vast, considering, and still growing. But through all my research, teachings, and findings, this relay is not the work of Protheans." She said for all to hear.
There was a few sounds of groaning, and sighs. Any hope of knowing even a little of the relay, just died. The Prothean's were the oldest known form of an alien civilization from more than 50,000 years ago, who were wiped out by the Reapers.
"Is there any information on this relay at all?" Shepard asked her, in the only hopeful tone in the room.
"I could not find any information to this relay, at all. It is almost as if no one had built it, which is impossible. Someone had to have made it, but there is nothing about it across the galaxy." Liara replied.
"Then this is a big problem." Miranda jumped in, crossing her arms. "We can't just go in blind and hope for the best. At least with the Collectors, we had little knowledge about them; but it was enough to fight them. Now we don't even know who built this thing or even where it goes."
"We can't just leave it alone." Shepard told her. "There is still a possibility that it can be related to the Reapers."
"Then we should destroy it." Jacob finally said.
Jacob Taylor was an ex-alliance officer who willingly joined Cerberus. Even when Shepard was being questioned by Miranda after his "resurrection", Jacob had the utmost respect and trust for the Commander.
There were many nods in agreement to his suggestion, Shepard only shook his head.
"Destroying it is not an option. We don't even know if we can destroy it. We can't risk a backfire hitting us." He told everyone.
"Alright, Shepard, then what do you suggest?" Miranda asked.
"Exactly what you said . . . Go in blind and hope for the best."
"That is your plan? What if we run into a Reaper, or an army of them?" Kasumi asked.
"Then we turn around and escape the same way we came in."
"How do we know if we would even survive going through the Relay the first time? The relay destroyed the science vessel." Tali pointed out.
Tali nor'Rayya vas Normandy, a Quarian who was there, along with Liara and Garrus, against Saren, and even helped Shepard against the Collectors.
"With the upgrades we put into the Normandy before going through the Omega Relay, we should be able to survive it."
"You say, 'should,' and I don't like the sound of that." Jacob worried. "What are the odds of us surviving?"
"There aren't any, we don't know a thing about the relay." Miranda answered.
The War Room then erupted with sudden bursts of shouts and arguments. Suggestions, fear, anger, even threats were traded across the room. This was the first time Shepard ever saw his crew behaving like this. Only he and Liara were not apart of the shouts, Shepard was staring intently at the monitor, while Liara watched him. He closed his eyes, hoping for a moment to think, but with all the commotion, he could not think a simple thought.
Slamming his open palm on the table, he shouted, "Enough!"
The unexpected slam and shout surprised everyone in the room into silence. Shepard managed to stop the arguments before it got worse. After taking in a few deep breaths to calm himself down, he opened his eyes and looked out at everyone. His face calm, a voice controlled to nearly a whisper, he broke the silence.
"I know this mission is a big risk to each and every one of you. I would like to remind you all that you are allowed to leave the Normandy and continue living your lives. I am not forcing any of you to join me, like the Collector's mission, this is a volunteer mission. I am going through this relay one way . . . or another."
Shepard paused a moment to give anyone a chance of speaking. When it was clear that no one would speak, he nodded and said.
"You all have an hour to decide. After that, I am sending this ship and the rest of its crew through the relay. Dismissed."
Shepard was the last to leave the War Room, when everyone had left and gone to think about their decision, he made his way to the elevator. He headed up the his personal quarters when he planned on getting ready and enjoy his last hour of peace before anything could happen. For once in his life, he felt a small hint of fear. All his life he always had the intel, or means of getting them. This time, however, the idea of going blind scared the hell out of him. He did not know if he would escape another mission like this with his life. Part of him wished he agreed with Jacob in destroying the relay. But that wasn't the mission. Investigate and report, he reminded himself.
He only hoped he had his crew by his side . . .