Chapter 26
The Final
Aaron Shepard coughed. Hearing the voice of Anderson repeating his name over and over. Aaron struggled to move. The scent was awful, the scent of death
roamed the room. Aaron stood up slowly. His body ached in pain. His N7 armor was torn and cracked, it was literally falling apart. Its color was worn out. His
face was bruised and dirty. Blood dripped from his forehead, left cheek. His ribs ached and hurt each time he breathed up with his eyes closed he smelled the
horrible stench. Anderson continued asking for him. Sounds of moving continued around him.
"W-W-where are we?" asked Aaron
"I'm not sure, I've never been to this place in the citadel" said Anderson
Aaron slowly walked forward passed the keepers that didn't seem to mind all the human dead bodies scattered upon. Aaron looked at them strangely noticing
them mangled and lifeless yet piled upon each other. Aaron walked on out of the room noticing a gleaming light brightly shining through an opening. Aaron held
his pistol still in one hand while the other held his ribs. Aaron walked across a pathway. Listening to Anderson speaking of what he was going through. Aaron
walked noticing the ramp. He walked up and pointed his weapon forward noticing the illusive man.
The Illusive man looked at him his eyes blue and scared. His body unharmed. Aaron gritted feeling incredible amounts of pain within his head.
"Shepard, how unfortunate you still don't understand what we must do" said The Illusive man
"They-their- controlling you…"
"No, they have given me power, power over weakness, they have granted me control I can end this war"sai Illusive man
"No!they are controlling you and are-are winning they still kill many of us-"
"My will shall be known to all, I will bring humanity to a new hight,a new REBIRTH" he said
Anderson fired randomly his pistol and dropped to his knees. Illusive man was lucky to have not walked into the path of the thermal bullet.
"Pathetic Anderson you of all, even so Aaron I had thought you'd understand why we should take control even after all you have been through and still you
refuse to listen to truth" said illusive man
"They are controlling your thoughts and feelings! Just like they did to Saren"said Anderson
"No, they wouldn't they-they" Illusive man struggled to speak his mind ached nearly falling to his knees himself.
"Saren worked for them, yet he was only a puppet to them and so are you, stop this now please I'm- I'm tired of fighting you over this dilemma, I want peace
to be restored, to be seen ,felt through all of us" said Aaron
"Peace?! There's no such thing allowing others like your precious aliens to exist, allowing they're predictability to continue, to allow death for us, this-this is our only shot at gaining what we want "said Illusive man
"No, I-I I won't let them die!, They can change! They all have changed! There nothing like before!You're wrong!1I have seen this uprising change within them!They deserve to exist!"yelled Aaron
Illusive man lifted his hand forward and closed his eyes making Aaron lift up his pistol aiming it to himself.
"Shepard you live in a fantasy ideal that'll never be, even so another will threaten you-"
A gunshot after another continued as Illusive man dropped. Anderson dropped too Aaron wobbled over feeling release. Aaron walked over to the console
opening the Citadel. Aaron helped up Anderson both calmly breathing near death as they felt closed his eyes and slowly opened them seeing the reapers and
earth. His mind set continued to move back and forward thinking of what's next. Looking back see could see the floor pad lifting quickly grabbing ahold of
Anderson he grunted and both headed up.
"Commander the crucible isn't firing what's going on?!"asked Admiral Hackett
"I'm heading up, Hackett I'll see what's wrong now" said Aaron
The lifting pad ended Aaron looked around seeing the entire galaxy surrounding him. Earth was high above he could see the millions of stars and galaxies at
the far distance. Looking around Anderson had fallen unconscious. Suddenly behind him he could see a massive device of electrical energy surging through.
Then a small blue child walking towards him. His eyes were shocked seeing this child again and again. Noticing him dying on earth before.
"Your-"
"I have seen your life grow Aaron Shepard, your Legacy will be remembered from this day"it said
"What are you" he asked
"I'm another creation made by those long ago before your time" it continued
"You have surpassed what many wouldn't have been able to do in the first place"it said
"Why me?"asked Aaron
"You're the Destined child of long past generations, each civilization has had an image that represents them, either good or bad" it said
"You, Shepard have been something to the organic race as a Legend way before at birth, known only in stories told before" it said
"Your life had been foreseen by us long ago, we never would have suspected you being born within this generation" it continued
"That's why you gave Saren ,Sovereign and came after the citadel "said Aaron
"Yes first we tried to enter again to eliminate you and everything, you were ignored and blind at that time giving us a higher advantage" it said
"Then the collectors"
"Yes we tried that next and succeeded in ending an old legend, to ensure our success yet then it all failed again as you survived and were brought back" it continued
"We underestimated what humans are capable of a second time, yet now your near death and being crushed by them" it said
"How can I stop the reapers?" he asked
"3 Choices I give you Aaron , beyond me they're something linked to your genetic code only to be used by you" it said
Aaron looked beyond him seeing 3 paths.
"The first is to die yet you control the reapers, with your legacy preserved within their minds" it said
"But each choice that I give you has a consequence each one very different" it said
"The first consequence is your mind and soul bounded for life into Harbinger's mind, to exist as a reaper and to live among us, they will obey, yet you will never leave" it said
"Meaning I would return with all of you into dark space?" he asked
"Yes and only return every 50,000 years" it said
"what's the next choice" he asked
"The 2nd choice is to destroy the reapers stopping the cycle of rebirth, stopping us from ever again recreating destruction, saving the millions of lives within this cycle and the next" it said
"Peace would be brought to all" it said
"Yet the consequence of this would be great" it continued
"What would be the consequence?" he asked
"The consequence will only affect you Aaron, it will cause you great pain, great peril, great loss even more than what you have lost in this war" it said
"Only me…."he said
"Yes you'll be greatly affected by this" it answered
"I can live with that" he said
"What about your friends? What about Tali? They wouldn't stand for it" it asked
"…I know they wouldn't they would help even in my worst of times, yet that is why they would lend me the strength to face this threat even on my own" he said
"They're what will drive me to defeat this menace, and I will face it through" he answered
"Tali...she'd tag along…she wouldn't let me fail….she's what gives me hope…"he said
Star child looked curiously at Aaron. Even given something that is unknown able to both. He still believes in peace, faith and hope. Star child noticed this as he began to understand why, why this single being was foretold as something more than a Legend. Something more than just a tale.
"Why would you allow yourself to be hurt greatly?" it asked
"Allowing them to gain life instead of losing it, they gain the faith within each other" he said
Star child couldn't believe what this single being would do for many that he doesn't fully know. He stared at Aaron's worn out body, yet even though wounded and near death. He still puts people and his friends before him.
"Your words….are truthful" it said
"Your last choice, is synthesis" it said
"If you choose this, all within this cycle will become machine and organic" it continued
"All will understand each other, all will be helpful, non-violent, and controlled" it said
"The consequence for this choice is as synthesis you'll have to harvest energies through planets or organics in order to maintain an existing" it said
"All the choices have one last consequence, you'll lose all the Mass relay's scattered across the galaxy" said Star child
"All reapers will die along with the Citadel being destroyed, yet all synthetics will survive" said star child
"I choose the 2nd option, for them, for her "he said
Star child looked at him.
"Alright then, there's the cables to destroy the reapers" said star child as Aaron walked passed him
Star child looked at his back noticing the massive scars and cracked armor. His reaction wasn't surprised
"As of today…you have chosen your path….Aaron" said Star child
Aaron fired away bullet after bullet
Memories went through his mind, Garrus then Ashley and then lastly through his mind he saw Tali, his love.
"I do this for you" he said as he fired the last bullet
The citadel activated its large sparks of red energy, the Mass relays bursted with massive amounts of energy. Bursting throughout the entire galaxy they
affected warships weren't affected. Organics were non effected by the electrical surges as they passed through space and dropped reapers .Reapers across
the galaxy died, one by one they fell. Kyra and her team stared at the miracle as they noticed reapers falling around them at a distance. Dominic looked at the
sight.
Large amounts of wreckage cell from the sky burning and being torn apart piece by piece they fell into London. The Normandy had flown across the sky
avoiding the incoming wreckage as reapers dropped like flies all around London and across the galaxy. Tali continued to call out to Aaron but received nothing
in return as the Normandy shook rapidly. Throughout the disaster upon the galaxy the news spread and hope was born through the lasting chaos that finally
ended.