Shepard had almost reached the top of the hill. She heard a gun shot in the direction of the space port. Geth were everywhere. The large intimidating ship from the vid was only a few miles off, looming over them like doom incarnate. Williams and Alenko said something about it, but Shepard didn't hear them. Shepard didn't care right now.
She scanned the area for the turian Spectre. Nothing. A few more shots and she ducked back into cover. Williams was a few feet over. She shot a Geth with her sniper rifle. She was a good shot. Alenko was alight with biotics. He was good for taking down shields. Shepard left cover and fired several rounds into a husk. It fell and skidded to a halt at her feet. Williams and Alenko took out two more of the Geth. Shepard started to run, shooting the head of a Geth near the stairs up to the space port and ending it. She'd heard a woman in there scream when a Geth exploded near the unit.
"Get those people out of there!" She shouted to her team pointing at a pre-fab shed.
As she neared the space port she saw something near a pile of toppled crates on the ground. It was long and lean with a bulk about one end... it was turian armor.
"No..." she huffed as she ran up the stairs.
"Kryik!" She called to him. "Nihlus!"
Shepard was out of breath when she knelt by the Spectre. She saw the blood seeping through his fingers. His eyes were closed, but he was breathing.
"Nihlus?" Shepard knelt beside the turian and put her hand over his to help put pressure on the wound. His eyes blinked a few times then he looked at her.
"Shepard..." He breathed her name, then winced from the pain in his gut. "Saren... shot me." He grunted. "He headed for the transports... ah." He winced in pain again.
Shepard removed his hand briefly to examine the wound. An armor piercing round had penetrated his shielding, and his medi-gel injectors were damaged.
"Don't worry about me. You must stop him! Go!" He growled at her, grabbing her armor by the lip of the chest piece. His green eyes burned into her deep brown ones, bringing her face so close to his he could feel her breath on him before he pushed her off him with a growl.
Shepard took a medi-gel pack from a compartment in her suit. "Here," She said softly as she handed him the pack. "Don't die."
Tthe turian took the pack from her roughly with his free hand, avoiding her gaze, then she heard foot steps on the dirt path moments before her team ran up to them. She looked up to see Alenko and Williams armored feet click across the tiled surface.
"Commander, it's Nihlus!" Alenko said.
"There's no time for obvious statements, Alenko," She said more sharply than she'd intended. "Williams, you're taking me to the loading bay and that beacon. Now."
"Someone's behind those crates, Commander." Williams warned as she drew her gun.
Shepard stood and grabbed her sidearm and aimed it at the crates behind Nihlus. Alenko stepped up behind her, pistol in hand.
"Come out now and I won't have to kill you." Shepard shouted.
"All right! All right!" a dock worker appeared from behind the cargo, hands raised in surrender. "Don't shoot me! I can tell you what happened to the turian." He offered.
"We already know that, I don't have time for this crap." Shepard's words were like the growl of an angry tiger. "There are other survivors. Go join them before you join the dead!"
"I'm going. I'm going!" the dock worker ran off.
Alenko opened his mouth to say something about the Commander's treatment of the survivors. She shot him a look that might have killed if looks could. He decided not make his comment.
Shepard knelt beside Kryik, "I'm going after Saren. Stay here. I'll radio for help."
"I don't think I'm going anywhere," Nihlus scoffed. "Go."
Shepard nodded and took off down the platform.
The next hour was a blur. Shepard's body functioned on training and adrenaline. The Commander gave orders while ducking between shots. She disarmed bombs and shot down Geth and husks, taking cover when her shields were low. When all the enemy was destroyed the team walked down the stairs leading to the loading area. The sun blazed red as it sank below the horizon before them. The destruction by the Geth and the strange monolithic ship left a massive ring of fire and char where it landed. It was difficult to tell where the fires stopped and the sun began.
Near the edge of the loading dock the beacon stood as a tall, slender monument. It pulsed with a green glow. Shepard put a hand to her com and contacted the Normandy.
"Beacon is secured. Requesting immediate evac. I have one wounded... and one dead." Her free hand tightened into a fist as she flexed her fingers.
Behind the Commander Alenko and Williams slowly approached the beacon. Ashley narrowed her eyes at the slender artifact.
"This is amazing! Actual working Prothean technology. Unbelievable!" Alenko was in awe as he spoke to Williams.
"It wasn't doing anything like that when they dug it up." She replied, then walked over to the Commander.
"Something must have activated it..." Kaiden said to Ashley. He hadn't noticed she'd left him standing there alone. He took a few steps closer toward the beacon, drawn to it like a moth to the flame.
"Roger, Normandy. Standing by." Shepard ended the communication.
"Commander," Williams approached her. "I was wondering, with the colony destroyed, do you think they will rebuild? I mean, if it's okay with your Captain... and you, I'd like to transfer to the Norman.."
Something behind the woman caught Shepard's attention. Alenko was floating in mid air in front of the beacon! Shepard reacted without thinking, tackling Alenko and throwing him toward Williams. She tried to move, but something was wrong. Whatever force field or power had held Alenko now held her. She couldn't move. Energy coursed through her body in a slow steady heat. Her nerves were on fire with searing pain. The muscles in her face were pulled taunt, her eyes were forced open. Images ran though her mind, nightmarish, random. She could hear screams and shouts of panic. A horrible low rumbling sound pushed a spike through her mind. She saw the death of thousands, burning buildings and crashing ships. She could smell the smoke and the stench of death. Then it everything stopped, like hitting a brick wall full force.
Shepard woke in the infirmary on the Normandy. She felt worse than she had after a three day weekend in Miami, and she hadn't even tired to sit up yet. She groaned and attempted to right herself.
"Doctor, Doctor Chakwas! I think she's waking up!" A male voice called.
"Kaiden..." she grumbled. "Is that you...?"
She put her head in her hands. Her body ached. Her head was reeling, pounding. The tiled floor was blurry and spinning. She was pretty sure she was going to loose control of her stomach.
"Am I dead?" she groaned.
Slowly her vision cleared and she steadied. She managed to turn her head enough to see who was in the room. It was Kaiden. If she was dead, then he'd died too and she was in purgatory.
"You had us worried there, Shepard. How are you feeling?" The doctors smooth, kind voice was like nails on steel in her ears.
"Like the morning after shore-leave." She groaned, squeezing her eyes shut. It was worse than that. Way worse.
"Shepard, are you with us?" The doctor's words cuts through her misery.
"How long was I out? What's the damage?" Shepard asked.
"About fifteen hours. Physically you're fine..."
The doctor went on to tell her something about brain waves. Shepard had a hard time concentrating on anything but the pressure in her head.
"Something happened down there with the beacon, I think." The Doctor finished.
"It's my fault." Kaiden spoke up. He was scared to death that Shepard would jump though him as soon as she was able, but he wasn't going to hide. "I must have triggered some kind of security field when I approached it. You had to push me out of the way."
"You had no way to know what would happen." Shepard told him, glancing back at him from the med-bed.
Kaiden grinned. The Commander was usually nice to him. He was pretty sure she was at least attracted to him. He'd seen her eyeing him in the mess a few times. He didn't mind admiring her curves when she wasn't looking either.
"Actually we don't even know if that's what set it off," said Chakwas. "Unfortunately, we'll never get a chance to find out."
"The beacon exploded," explained Alenko.
Great, thought Shepard ruefully. There goes my shot at Spectre status... the information in the beacon...everything. Gone. The deaths of the colonists, Jenkins... the Spectre... Then her thoughts trailed off to something she was less able to put into words, even in her own head.
"...stem overload maybe." Alenko was still talking. "The blast knocked you cold. Williams and I had to carry you back here to the ship."
"I appreciate it..." she offered a weak smile. "How are you?"
"My migraines were a real nightmare for the first six hours, but I'm okay now." Kaiden grinned back.
Shepard nodded then turned her attention to the doctor. "How's Kryik doing?"
"He's fine. The injury would have been handled by the medi-gel in his suit, but the shot damaged the injectors. If you hadn't giving him the emergency pack, I'm not sure he would have survived when he couldn't stop the bleeding. I've removed the pieces of projectile and sewed him back up as well as I can. Turian skin is as tough as it looks." Chakwas paused and smiled at the Commander. "He's been in to check on you twice since I released him. Kaiden hasn't left your side."
"Thanks, Alen... Kaiden."
Kaiden just smiled and nodded back at her. He was a romantic at heart, after all. No poetry or chocolates, but was the kind of guy that would bring his girl flowers when it rained.
Captain Anderson entered the med-bay. He inquired about her condition then sent everyone out of the room. He informed her that Williams had been added to her team on the Normandy, and complained about everything that had gone wrong.
"Jenkins is dead...Nihlus was injured by a rouge Spectre, the Beacon was destroyed," he kept listing things. "... the Geth are invading. The Council's going to want answers."
"The Geth would have wiped out the whole colony if I hadn't stopped them," she protested.
"I'll stand behind you and your report Shepard. This isn't about that."
Anderson continued to say that even though Saren shot Nihlus and was probably working with the Geth, the Council was going to want proof. They talked about the beacon and her 'bad dream'. Anderson eventually quit talking and she excused herself to her quarters. She had heard about half of what he said through the low rumbling in her head.
On her way to the elevator she ran into Kaiden. He reached out and touched her wrist to get her attention.
"Hey, thanks again for pulling me away from that thing," he said.
"Yeah, you're welcome, I guess. I'm not real happy about these headaches though. Were the migraines this bad?" she teased.
Kaiden's brow furrowed.
"It's okay. I'm just... " she smiled. "I should go lie down." She started to walk away.
"I know some techniques that might help your headaches..." he started after her. "If you're interested."
"Thanks, Kaiden. I think I'll just eat something in my room and get some rest before we get to the Citadel." She offered a weak smile and continued to the elevator.
Kaiden looked after her, a little disappointed, but he understood. Whatever had happened on the surface with the beacon, he'd only gotten the start of it. She got the whole enchilada. He didn't envy the pain she must have felt.
A few short hours later there was a beep at her door. Groaning, Shepard climbed out of her bunk, still in her uniform, and answered the door. She was surprised to see the turian Spectre making the wake-up call.
"We've reached the Citadel. We'll be docking shortly," he informed her. "How are you feeling?" he asked with genuine concern.
The deep, rumbling tones in his voice vibrated in her skull and aggravated the headaches.
"I'm getting better. Thanks. I'll be ready when we reach port." She nodded and started to close the door. Nihlus stopped the door with a taloned hand. Shepard looked up at him warily.
"I need to debrief you before we dock," he stated.
"I thought Captain Anderson already did that," she complained.
"I read his report. It's vague on several points," he explained.
"Fine. I'll meet you in the com room in ten." She hit the button to close the door again.
Nihlus removed his talons allowing the door to shut and headed for the com room. His side still hurt where Saren shot him. It was a constant nag at his anger with Saren for betraying him, for trying to murder him. He tried to not let it get to him, to interfere with his duty, but it obviously was. No one would blame him, at least none of the humans would. On a turian ship things would be different. It irritated him that the Council still wanted proof. He'd been shot, and by another Spectre! Why was his word as a Spectre himself never good enough. It's not something he would lie about. He had no motivation to lie. Sometimes he wondered if the Council had a whole functioning brain between them. He huffed to himself as the doors slid open and he went inside to wait.
Nihlus leaned on the railing by the console in the debriefing room staring at his claws. His thoughts were preoccupied with this anger at Saren when Shepard entered the room in her dress blues for her meeting with the Council.
"Spectre?"
Her soft voice filtered into his thoughts. He turned to her, leaning his back to the rail and crossing his arms.
"What happened with the beacon? Why was it destroyed?" He glared at her.
Shepard clasped her hands behind her back, trying to hide her nervousness.
"It was active when we arrived. Alenko was being pulled toward it by some kind of force field or tractor beam. When I threw him free of the beam I was pulled into it myself. I was unable to move. Then I blacked out. Alenko and Williams' reports should show that the beacon exploded the same time I blacked out. We believe the explosion caused the black out... sir." She explained.
"Why didn't your team stand clear of the object?" He growled.
"We had no way of knowing..."
"Exactly!" Kryik interrupted her. "You had no way of knowing what would happen if someone approached the beacon. You should have ordered your team to stand clear!"
He left the railing to point a sharp talon in her face. He was seething, and he was wrong. He should not have been reprimanding her. He should have been praising her for her exemplary performance, but she had lost the beacon, and one of her team. Mostly he was taking his feelings of abandonment from Saren's treachery out on her. An abnormal loss of control on his part.
"Yes, sir. I apologize, sir." Shepard responded promptly.
Nihlus took a deep breath and relaxed his threatening posture. He closed his eyes for a second to compose himself. "You also eliminated the Geth threat and whatever those husks were. You rescued the survivors, gleaned important information and probably saved his life. You did well, Commander," He nodded.
"Thank you sir." Shepared half-bowed her head.
Nihlus considered her a moment then took a step toward the door. "We should get to the air locks. The Council will be expecting us."
He brushed passed her without further comment. Shepard was thoroughly confused, and more than a little pissed off, but she held her tongue.
"Saren claims you attacked him on Eden Prime, Nihlus. That is a heavy accusation. What do you have to say for your actions?" The Turian Councillor asked.
"Councillor, I would be dead by Saren's hand if I had not reacted as quickly as I did. I defended myself. Saren betrayed the role of the Spectre, as he will betray this Council and the galaxy! We found Geth on Eden Prime, and Saren is working with them!" Nihlus nearly shouted at the Councillor.
"It is rare to have Spectres accusing the other of attempted murder. Clearly, one of you was more successful in your attempt, given Saren's injuries," the asari Councillor pointed out. "What were you doing on Eden Prime, Saren?"
"I was following a suspicious ship to investigate it's intentions. It lead me to Eden Prime." Saren stated.
"You told me the Council sent you. If you were following a ship, then what did you find out about it? Stop your deceitful lies and tell the truth, Saren," Nihlus growled.
"Why are you doing this, Nihlus?" Saren asked. His voice could have belonged to a snake. "We were friends, I mentored you. and now you're turning on me. Why are you trying to divert the Council's attention away from the destruction of the Prothean Beacon?"
"That was you!" Shepard shouted. She had tolerated about as much of this as she was going to take.
"The beacon wasn't even active when they dug it up. You did something to it and you tried to murder Nihlus Kryik!" She turned her attention to the Council. "I have an eye witness. One of the colonist saw what happened."
"I'm not sure if we can accept the accounts of one traumatized human eye witness as proof, especially when a member of the team was being evaluated for the Spectres." The turian Councillor stated. "The witness could be collaborating your story for your favor or simply misremembering the events."
Shepard narrowed her eyes at him. He always seemed to find a reason not to believe them.
"There were others," Williams added, stepping forward. "Four other survivors hiding in a shed by the space port. They watched through the cracks. They saw Saren fire his gun at the back of Nihlus' head, but he dodged it. It was a miracle."
"Yes, I read the reports and I still don't..." the turian Councillor started.
"We cannot discount five eye witnesses," the asari cut him off.
"Agreed. The accounts were from two perspectives, one at close range. All five provide coinciding descriptions of the events," the Salarian Councillor spoke up. "And it is not likely that all five would be willing to risk dishonesty to this Council."
"You are not seriously considering the lies of humans, Councillors?" Saren chuckled.
"Given the evidence against you, we have no choice but to find you guilty of the un-provoked attempted murder of Spectre Agent Nihlus Kryik. This puts high suspicion on Spectre Kryik's claim that you are working with the Geth and behind the attack on Eden Prime to be true."
The asari paused to concur with the salarian and the turian. They each nodded to her. The turian did so reluctantly.
"Saren Arterius, we, the Council, declare you unfit for the title of Spectre to the Council of the Citadel and are revoked your status. You are to report to Citadel Security for your immediate arrested to be charged with attempted murder. There will be an investigation into your actions involving the Geth. If significant evidence is found, you will be charged with treason," the asari stated and closed communications.
The holo of Saren faded. The last image was of him staring down at the small band that had undone him with open malice.
"Spectre Kryik, as it is unlikely that Saren will return to the Citadel for his arrest, you are charged with hunting down Saren and returning him here. You will also investigate his involvement with the Geth. You are to continue the evaluation of Commander Shepard, and mentor her. We look forward to your results," the asrari Councillor continued. "As for the Protean Beacon, we will salvage what we can. It was a great loss, but not one that could have been forseen. We hope your future missions go more smoothly." The asari dismissed them and the Council left the podium.
Nihlus turned on his heels and left the esplanade without a word. Udina followed, clearly annoyed that his job had been done for him. Anderson turned to his crew.
"Williams, next time let Udina or myself provide the additional information."
"Yes, sir. But I.."
Anderson looked at the Chief sternly.
"Sorry sir. Won't happen again, sir."
"What happens now, sir?" asked Alenko.
Anderson turned to Shepard, his features no less stern. She had a big job ahead of her, and with Saren involved, is wasn't going to go anymore 'smoothly' than Eden Prime.
"Shepard, we've got our work cut out for us. You and Kryik will be taking the Normandy. I'm stepping down... for a while. Take care of her."
"Sir, the Normandy's..." Shepard began.
Anderson cut her off with a raised hand. "You're going to need a team for the job you've got ahead of you, and you may want to catch up to Kryik," He pointed with his chin after the direction Nihlus had gone. "You'd better hurry. Turians have long strides."
"Yes, Captain. Thank you." Shepard said, then saluted her Captain before briskly following after Kryik with Alenko and Williams in tow.