Joker feels oddly numb during the two hour drift to the relay. The empty co-pilot's seat hovers in his peripheral vision, reminding him of Shepard's absence. The jump is successful and almost instantaneous to the Andura Sector. Hackett's fleet is stationed near the relay. Joker immediately picks up their comm channel and informs Hackett of the Normandy's arrival. Per Hackett's request, the Normandy falls in line with their current ship formation. Together, the fleet approaches the relay, listening to Hackett's count down.
"Hitting the relay in 3… 2… 1…"
The ships glide past the glowing core and… Nothing. The Normandy's sensors and a simple visual from the cockpit windows reveal nothing. The Normandy continues past the mass relay at FTL speeds, the scene unchanged. Joker is disoriented for a moment. He slides his fingers across a glowing orange screen, then presses a few holo buttons to confirm that, indeed, no ship achieved a successful jump. The radio channels fill up with confused chatter.
"What the hell just happened?" Joker demands out loud.
Pressly nears one of the cockpit windows. "How are we still in Andura?"
Hackett updates the fleet. "It appears the relay is non-functional. All ships stand by. I repeat, the relay is non-functional."
"What the fuck…?" Joker mumbles under his breath. The unexpected twists and turns of this mission are wearing on him and he hates acknowledging it. His fingers itch for something to do. He cannot just "stand by" anymore. The communications channel to Widow appears to be closed as well, but he decides to attempt to contact the Citadel directly anyway.
"Normandy to Citadel. Normandy to Citadel. Does anyone copy?"
Silence. Shit.
"Citadel control, this is the SSV Normandy of the Alliance. Do you copy?"
Still silence. Double shit.
Joker pulls his cap off almost violently and pulls at his hair. He groans audibly. Think. Think. Think. There's gotta be something I can do…
The console screen monitoring communications with the Citadel suddenly goes green. Communication has been established. Joker's heart stops and he rubs his fingers together nervously before hitting the holo button to send another audio signal.
"Normandy to Citadel. Normandy to Citadel. Anyone there? Do you copy?"
"Joker?" A voice says on the other end. Her voice.
"Commander? Commander Shepard, is that you?"
"I'm here, Joker. Good to hear your voice."
"Oh, thank God!" He breathes out with immense relief.
"I'm here in the Citadel Tower with Wrex and Garrus. We have defeated Saren, but Sovereign still poses a threat. I read your transmission point is not in Widow."
"I'm sitting in the Andura sector with the entire Arcturus fleet. Hackett's orders. We tried to jump, but our relay isn't functioning."
"Saren had closed all of the relays around the Citadel, but I've gained control of the Citadel. I can unlock the relays, but... That could open the link to Reaper space."
Joker hears Wrex's voice. "Sovereign will definitely open the link to Reaper space if he regains control of the Citadel. We don't have enough firepower right now to defeat him. We need the reinforcements."
Garrus' voice joins the discussion. "It's an unnecessary risk. There's got to be a way to stop it from within the Citadel's main control system. We have access to every…"
A distress call interrupts Garrus' suggestion. "This is the Destiny Ascension. Main drives offline. Kinetic barriers down forty percent. The Council is on board! I repeat. The Council is on board!"
"Shit," Shepard curses on the other side. "Outside the closed arms of the Citadel, Sovereign's reinforcements are wreaking havoc. Inside it's protected while it tries to regain control. We don't have a choice. We need to open the arms and utilize reinforcements. I'm opening the relays. Joker, the Normandy's main priority should be to save the Ascension."
"Aye, Aye, Commander."
"Relays back online." She declares after a moment. "Go kick ass, Joker."
They jump into Widow and approach the Citadel to find the arms opening and a battle ensuing. Entire starships float in pieces, sections burning. Explosions. Debris. The scene is utter chaos.
"Destiny Ascension. This is the SSV Normandy of the Alliance. We're here to answer your distress call."
"Thank the goddess!" Joker hears an asari cry over the radio link. "We're saved!"
The Normandy and Arcturus ships make quick work of the smaller Reaper reinforcements firing at the Destiny Ascenion. Hackett tells every Alliance ship to now focus on Sovereign, as the arms are sufficiently open, leaving the massive Reaper vulnerable from attack on all sides. The Normandy speeds into the battle, heavy weapons firing.
Radio chatter among the Alliance ships focuses on Sovereign's immense size and formidable shields.
"Sovereign is too strong. We need to pull back!" Joker hears a male pilot declare.
"Negative." Hackett replies in a calm, but determined voice. "This is our only chance. Hit it with everything you have."
Ships circle around the Reaper which deflects the heavy fire with its glowing, blue shields. Sovereign holds on the Citadel Tower, where Joker knows Shepard to be. He banks a hard right to pull the Normandy back around for another rain of destruction when he catches a visual of the sentient Reaper ship. The blue tendrils of light fade in and out until they cease all together. The death grip loosens and the ship's legs fall back one by one.
"Its shields are down!" Joker declares to the Alliance fleet. "Now's our chance!"
The ships unleash a tirade of fire power against Sovereign, who remains defenseless. Dots of light cover its hull, which begins to break apart. Each successive wave breaks the Reaper apart further until finally the hull is breached in several areas. A large explosion sends the pieces flying in all directions. Joker maneuvers the Normandy quickly to avoid being hit. His sensors detect no further threat. Joker hears cheering from behind him.
"Hell, yeah!" Joker shouts. "Normandy to Citadel. Normandy to Citadel. Target eliminated! I repeat, Sovereign has been eliminated!"
The Citadel communication link remains silent.
"Commander." Joker tries again. "Shepard?"
He pulls the Normandy around to regain a visual of the scene through the cockpit window.
"Look!" Liara cries, pointing out the window. "The Tower!"
Joker looks up in time to see a large piece of debris approach the Citadel Tower.
"Shepard!" Joker shouts. "Shepard, get out of there!"
The debris hits, causing further explosions. The Citadel Tower appears to remain intact, but tongues of fire visibly reach out from the puncture wound. All eyes in the cockpit of the Normandy watch the scene in horror.
"Shepard?" Joker whispers. "Shepard!"