Chapter 21
John took a three man team with him to board the reaper. He, Samara, and Thane slowly investigated the ship to find out what happened to the missing scientists. Upon further research they concluded that the scientist were indoctrinated by the ship. As they fought their way through husks and scions the ship suddenly powered up. Working their way to the ships core they encountered a talking geth who saved Shepard's life. They finally made it to the core destroying it, grabbing the downed geth and high tailing it back to the Normandy.
EDI had begun running tests on the reaper iff they retrieved from the ship. John went down to the AI core and activated the geth, he asked if he could join the fight against the reapers. John agreed and they decided to call the geth unit Legion.
"John is crazy Miranda, relax the thing doesn't seem like it means us any harm" Joe said to the pacing Miranda. She was clearly upset that John activated the geth instead of sending it to Cerberus.
"Joseph what if it gets hacked by the reapers and turns on us, I don't like it here" she said clearly fuming.
"Daddy, what's wrong with Miranda" Jessica whispered to her father.
"She's mad at uncle Johnny for turning on the robot he found when he went down to the scary ship" Joe explained.
"Oh, ok Miranda do you want a hug, hugs make me feel better when I'm upset" she said looking at Miranda.
"Sure sweety, come here" Miranda said leaning down to hug Jessica.
"See, now don't you feel better, and can stop being upset" Jessica said turning Miranda into a cream puff.
"Yes, I feel better now" Miranda said smiling at Jessica giving her another hug.
"Can I have a hug" Joe said from the sofa.
"No" they replied in unison.
"Alright all aboard let's knock this out so we can take it to the collector's" John said as the entire team shuffled into the shuttle before pulling out to help Legion shut down the heretics.
"EDI I'm telling you your readings are off there's nothing wrong " Joker said.
"Mr. Moreau the Normandy is transmitting our coordinates" EDI said.
"What. To who" he asked as a collector ship appeared.
"Oh shit" Joker said.
"Jeff we can save the Normandy but you must help me. Give me the ship" EDI said.
"Oh no, you start singing Daisy Bell I'm done" he replied.
"We do not have much time the collector's have boarded, give me the ship" she asked again.
Joker got up and limped his way to the lab crawling through the maintenance shaft dodging collector's all the way through to the AI core releasing EDI's shackles. Then he crawled down to engineering uploading her as she sealed the engine room informing him that the collector's took everyone. She then vented the ship of all remaining collector forces before sending a message to Shepard's shuttle informing them of what happened.
"Everyone, you lost everyone" Miranda said in pure disgust for Joker's incompetence.
"What did you expect me to do break my arm at em, EDI cleared the ship she's alright" he replied head down.
"Don't even get me started on unshackling the damned AI" she threw in.
"Enough " John said getting tired of the arguing " you ok I heard it was a rough ride" he asked Joker.
"I'm fine, the iff's all set we can go through the Omega 4 relay whenever your ready" Joker informed.
"EDI get everybody up here so we can decide the next course of action" John said to the AI.
"Shepard-Commander we must destroy the heretics" Legion said.
"Is this fucking thing serious, John we have to save the crew, for Christ sakes they have my daughter John" Joseph said trying to contain his anger.
"I agree Legion's request can wait until later" Miranda added.
"That wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that your screwing the man who opposed his request would it Miranda" Jacob said.
"Who the fuck do you think you are bringing something like that into this situation" Joseph said getting in Jacob's face "those are our friends and family out there, what's the matter, upset Johnny didn't take you to see daddy" Joe threw at him.
Jacob took a swing at Joe landing him straight in a neck lock, life hanging completely in Joseph Shepard's hands who was completely unaffected by the body shots Jacob was giving him.
"Joey let him go" John said to his brother in a soothing voice.
"Joseph, calm down and let him go, please" Miranda added.
Joe threw Jacob to the floor walking out of the room followed by Miranda.
"You know you kinda deserved that" Kasumi said to Jacob helping him up.
"Let's go get our crew, Legion we'll take care of the heretics upon our return" John said exiting the room to find his brother.
He stepped into Miranda's room to find her consoling his clearly emotional brother.
"We're gonna save her Joey I promise" John said walking over taking a seat next to his brother.
"I just got her John, I can't lose her now" Joe said crying.
"I know we're gonna get her right now and we're gonna bring her back safe, then we're all going on a much needed vacation" John said patting his brother on the back.
"I'm with you Johnny, til the end" Joe said looking his brother in the eye's.
"I know you are, always have been, come with me for a second let's talk" John said as he and his brother got up walking out of the room.
Once they left Miranda got a vid call from the Illusive Man.
"Yes sir" she said to her boss.
"Miranda when you get to that base, I want you tracking Shepard's movements all the way through" he told her between drags of his cigarette.
"Is there a reason why sir" Miranda asked.
"I won't be sure until we get some scans of the base, but if I'm right it can be salvaged, I want that base at any cost. Eliminate Shepard if necessary...both of them." He said looking her dead in the eye.
"Yes sir" she replied genuinely disturbed by the request.
"Oh and one more thing, get rid of that thing in your body, we don't need any set backs Miranda. You can have children later, maybe even keep the Shepard you like as a pet" he said cooly before terminating the call.
"Bastard" she said fuming at his statements. Deep down she knew he was right, a baby would be a set back, as much as it would hurt Joseph she couldn't have the child she always wanted. She decided she would have it removed their next trip to Illium if they survived this mission.
John stood behind Joker holding onto the back of the pilots chair as Joker proceeded through the relay just barely avoiding debris. As they flew through to the base they couldn't help but notice all the destroyed ships scattered around. As they got closer they noticed a few oculus machines, chasing them firing on the ship, one made it into the cargo bay.
"John we'll take care of this" Joe radioed as he, Jack, and Grunt began fighting the oculus.
"Be careful Joseph" Miranda said.
"I will Miri" Joe replied firing at the oculus.
After several devastating biotic attacks from Joe and Jack and a few concussive shots from Grunt they chased the oculus off the ship.
"I've gotta try and lose em in the debris field" Joker said cutting through the debris field, luckily the Normandy recieved several upgrades and they passed through with minimal damage as the oculus returned.
It was this time destroyed by Joe, Jack , and Grunt.
"Ahhhh, fuuuccckkk" Joe screamed holding his head in excruciating pain.
"Shepard what's wrong" Jack said genuinely concerned, falling into Joseph as the Normandy crash landed.
"Nothing, I'm fine" he said untangling himself from Jack. "This stays between us got it" he said looking at Jack and Grunt.
"I won't say anything, but you have to lay off your biotics until you get checked out, ok dickhead" Jack said walking away.
"Got it" he replied as they left to the briefing room to regroup with the team.
"Alright people, this isn't what we wanted but this is where we are" John said.
They then began devising a plan to get to the central chamber. They noticed a ventilation shaft and decided to send somebody through.
"Sounds like a suicide mission, I volunteer" Jacob said.
"We appreciate that Jacob, but you wouldn't be able to get the door open in time, what about you Joseph" Miranda said as the team looked at her crazily.
"Joseph has a doctorate in electrical engineering and computer science" John said looking at his brother
"Ahhh, didn't know, will now refer to you as Doctor Shepard, many questions to ask you about thoughts on technological advances" Mordin said genuinely shocked and intrigued at the revelation.
"Joey" John said looking at his brother.
"This may require more practiced hands I haven't hacked in a while, maybe Tali would be better for this one" Joe said.
"Agreed, Tali your up" John said.
"I won't let you down" she said holding her head high.
"We need two team's to clear this area, Shepard I'll lead the second fire team" Miranda said.
"Not so fast cheerleader, nobody wants to take orders from you" Jack chimed in.
"Shepard you need someone who can command loyalty through experience" Miranda told John as he looked around the room.
"Garrus or Joseph? He asked the rest of the squad.
"Joseph" the entire squad said in unison.
"Thanks a lot guys" Garrus said.
"Alright you all know what we have to do, the collector's took our people It's time to get em back, they wanna know what we're made of I say we show em, move out" John said commanding his squad
John took a three man team of him, Garrus, and Samara as Joseph took the others, while Tali headed for the vents.
"Be careful Joe" John said shaking his brothers hand looking in his eye's.
"See you on the other side kiddo" Joe said turning back to his team moving out.
"Remember what I said in the hold Shepard" Jack said to Joe discreetly as he nodded his understanding. Miranda caught the exchange as her mind began to wonder what Jack was talking about.
The two teams advanced mowing through the collector forces as John was opening the vents for Tali to pass through. When he got the last vent open for Tali she met up with Joe's team as John arrived to the second door. Joe ordered Tali to get the door open as the rest of the team provided cover fire for John and his team. As they made it though the door a bullet whizzed through hitting Joseph in the stomach as he looked down feeling for a hole as John and Miranda ran over. John checked him making sure he was ok before moving on.
"Shepard you must see this" Thane said calling him over to the pods full of people.
"It's one of the colonist" Miranda said as the woman began to stir.
"Oh my God she's still alive" she said as a liquid began dripping down onto the colonist disintegrating her as she screamed in agony.
"Get them out of there now" John yelled as the team began tearing the pods apart pulling the crew out of them.
Joseph grabbed his daughter holding her tight as she locked herself onto him.
"Daddy I'm scared" she said crying as Miranda came over to her smoothing her hair.
"I know baby your safe now ok, daddy's here" Joe said carrying her to the rest of the team.
"John I'll take the crew back to the ship"Joe said not wanting to let his daughter go.
"No Joe, I need you, Mordin can you escort the crew back to the ship, keep them safe" John said
"Joker, send coordinates" Mordin said.
Joe gave Jessica to Doctor Chakwas reluctantly as he stepped back into the huddle the team was having.
"Joseph, you think you can hold a biotic field up to get a three man team through here" John asked his brother.
"I'll do it", Jack said before he could even think about it as she and Joe made eye contact.
"Ok Jack your on" John said as Miranda began to glare at Joseph and Jack wondering what the hell was going on. "Joey your in charge again, get your ass to those doors" John said seriously.
"Didn't know you cared so much" Joe said laughing.
The two teams advanced with John's team moving a little slower being that Jack had to control the field. As they got closer to the door Jack began to grow tired from the field. When the team finally made it in Jack turned the barrier into a powerful warp field clearing the area of all hostiles.
The team's regrouped coming up on a lift to move them further into the base. They agreed that somebody had to hold the door, John took Joseph and Miranda up with him and left Garrus in charge to hold the door.
As the lift got closer they realized the collector's were building a human reaper. As EDI gave them instructions on how to destroy it collector forces showed up to defend the reaper. They finally got the reaper to fall in between taking down collector's, John began setting up the bomb as the Illusive Man called. Miranda connected "Shepard" TIM said.
"Good job"
"Thanks I had a good team" John said still working.
"I was just going over the schematics EDI sent over, a timed radiation pulse will clear collector forces from the ship but leave the technology in tact" TIM said.
"Let me guess you wanna keep the base" John said not surprised.
"I don't know using anything from this base just seems wrong" Miranda said surprisingly.
"I hate to say this John but he has a point, like you said about that genophage data, better to have it and not need it right" Joe said.
John stood in deep thought for a second, "ok I won't destroy it, but any information you find is shared with the Alliance and the council understood" John said firmly.
"And Miranda comes no where near this ship again, I heard what happened to that team on board the dead reaper, I will not see her indoctrinated got it" Joe said giving TIM the evil eye.
"Agreed, god speed Shepard" TIM said as the call disconnected.
The bomb was placed as the reaper returned for one last attack Miranda and John fought him off while Joe readied the Cain. Once it was up Miranda and John had weakened the reaper enough so that Joe could finish it off with the Cain. As the reaper fell he came down on the platform causing it to tilt sending Miranda sliding toward the abyss as Joe slid towards her. Just barely grabbing Miranda's hand before she fell, that was the first time Joe saw real fear in her eyes and she in his. Pulling her up as they slid the other way, the platform crashed down on the entrance. They passed out temporarily as John was up first checking Miranda helping her up. Then over to Joe lifting the piece of platform off of him getting him up as they sprinted for the exit firing at collector's along the way. Joe and Miranda jumped on board the ship as the walkway began to collapse, making John's jump farther. He took a leap of faith, realizing he wasn't going to make it, Joe flared his biotics reaching out grabbing John's hand catching him and pulling him into the ship. Screaming in pain from the use of his biotics when they were in the ship he rushed away from the others quickly finding a corner and holding his head discreetly hoping no one would see him.
Joker flew them to safety back through the Omega 4. John called a meeting.
"Any ideas for vacation after we get the ship fixed" John asked.
"I would like to see your earth" Samara said.
"I'm not allowed back on Earth, all police and military officials have a shoot to kill order on me" Joe said from the back of the room.
"Ok, Earths out, what about Thessia" John asked.
"Thessia seems nice, we could have fun there, hot asari"they all began agreeing.
"Thessia it is, after we stop on Illium for our repairs, I don't know about you guys but after that I wanna get as far away from Omega as possible.
The team agreed and went their separate ways, back to their quarter's.
"Doc, there's something wrong with my biotics" Joe said walking into the med lab.
"Have a seat Dr. Shepard" she said sarcastically "Mordin informed me of his discovery, tell me what's wrong" Chakwas said pulling out her scanner.
"Every time I flare up, I get excruciating pain in my head, it's really bad, I almost passed out after pulling Johnny on the ship" Joe said.
"Well I don't see anything wrong with your amp, maybe you should ask Mira-" she was cut off.
"No, I don't want her to worry not while she's pregnant at least, no doctor this stays between you and I...and Jen" he said.
"Who?" Chakwas said staring at him strangely
"Jack, sorry" he said looking down
"Very well but I recommend not using your biotics until we can get you an appointment with an asari doctor on Thessia" she informed him.
"Whatever you say doc" Joe said getting up.
"Come see me everyday so I can keep running scans, if I find anything dangerous before Thessia, i'll have to tell the commander, you know that right" she said as he stopped at the door.
"Yes" he said walking out into the crew deck being tackled by his daughter.