Jade was nursing a mild hangover when the announcement came over the shipboard comm for all of the ground team to assemble immediately in the briefing room.
I think I should thank Cerberus for the upgrades. She sipped her coffee to wash down the aspirin she'd begged from Chakwas. I don't think I should even be mobile this morning, let alone coherent and functioning. They must have done one hell of a job on my liver if all I'm sporting is a slight headache.
She wove her way around the crowded table, handling her coffee cup like a Navy Chief. Traynor was fiddling with the holographic display, swearing under her breath before she finally broke down and asked for EDI's help. In a matter of moments a hologram of the Citadel sprang into view over the table and Shepard stepped forward.
"Okay people, I know you were all looking forward to a little shore leave when we docked, but, as of twenty minutes ago, that's cancelled." A murmur ran through the room. "When we exited the Widow relay we lost all contact with Citadel Traffic Control."
EDI's mobile platform piped up, "It is a combination of active scrambling and simply nothing being broadcast over either open or official channels."
"Right," Shepard said. "About ten minutes ago, we picked up a looped message from Commander Bailey, C-Sec Chief for those of you out of the loop. Cerberus is on the Citadel. They've overrun C-Sec and, presumably, the rest of the station as well."
Her words hung in the air like thick, greasy smoke choking out whatever conversation still lingered in the corners of the mess.
"Shit." Vega's succinct expletive articulated the unspoken feeling of the entire team. Garrus was nodding his head grimly as Shepard continued.
"We're going in to back them up and we're going in hot." Three paths lit up in the hologram. "I need everyone on deck for this. Once we secure the docking area we're going to split into three teams and sweep our way to the embassies."
Shepard's voice grew hard. "The galactic government must be preserved at all cost. They're a pain in my ass most days, but I didn't sacrifice a goddamn third of the human fleet three years ago just to watch them fall under Cerberus influence now. The salarian councilor claims he's got some damning information on Udina and I've been waiting a long time to nail that greasy bastard to the wall."
"James, you and EDI will go through here." Shepard traced a finger down one glowing path. "This will take you through the docks and warehouse districts. Cerberus is in complete control of the docks, so expect heavy resistance. It's also the site for most refugee operations so make sure you check your targets. Do what you can for any civilians you come across, but your focus is to get to the embassies."
James folded his arms and nodded, his usual jovial demeanor set aside as soon as the seriousness of the situation was revealed.
Lot of leadership potential in that one, Jade thought. He may look like a refrigerator on legs, but he's got a good head on those massive shoulders. Her attention snapped back to the briefing when Shepard called her name.
"Jade, Javik, you'll go through the wards." A second path glowed brighter on the display. "Shortly after we picked up the message from Bailey, I got a call from a second contact on the Citadel, a drell, name of Krios." Here Shepard's voice hitched oddly and she seemed to have to force her way through the next bit of the briefing. Garrus, too, had gone unusually still at this statement.
"He was in a Presidium storefront when we made contact, pinned down but on his way to C-Sec headquarters." A blue dot sprang to life along the second team's route. "If you can make contact with him, do so. I gave him our comm freaks and transponder codes, but you may not see him at all so don't stress it. Just make it to the embassies and be prepped to escort the councilors back to the Normandy if necessary."
Javik snorted derisively and opened his mouth to say something, but Jade elbowed him sharply in the side and Shepard continued the briefing, either ignorant of the near interruption, or ignoring it. He shot Jade an evil glare and rubbed his side. Their weeks of sparring had given her an unparalleled knowledge of the weaknesses in his armor. Jade simply shook her head once and focused on what Shepard was saying.
"Liara and Garrus will be with me," Shepard said as the third path on the holo brightened. "We'll take the most direct route to the embassy, through C-Sec. It's also through what EDI assures me is the heaviest concentration of Cerberus troops."
A vicious grin spread across her face. "They're going to be very surprised when we come knocking on their back door. Once we secure the council on the Normandy, we'll be going back in to support C-Sec and help them mop up whatever Cerberus forces are left."
She met each team member's eyes in turn and, to a man, they all nodded in acknowledgement of the plan.
"Alright, we'll be performing a combat drop on the C-Sec dock in fifteen minutes. You all have seven to get locked and loaded and in the shuttle bay. So move your asses."
At that, the order of the briefing broke into the controlled chaos of pre-battle preparation. Westmoreland and Campbell had received special orders to suspend their security sweep for the special circumstances so the ground teams streamed through and made their way to follow Shepard's orders.
Twelve minutes later, Jade had performed a final systems check on her weapons and was giving Javik's armor a once over when Joker's voice cut over the intercom.
"Sixty seconds to drop point. I sure hope you know what you're doing." His voice was tight. "None of the Cerberus ships have noticed us yet, but we won't be hard docking this time, so mind the gap and good luck."
The bay doors rumbled open as they piled into the shuttle and Cortez completed his preflight checklist. Jade's breathing unconsciously slowed as her prebattle jitters transformed into that diamond focus Joe had so admired about her. She was truly in her element when the time came to put bullets down range.
The Normandy's engines screamed as it entered the station's artificial atmosphere and the shuttle surged out of the bay and into the bowels of the Citadel. They passed a number of small battles, microcosms of the Citadel at large. They raced through the Citadel, the team hung on like grim death as Cortez navigated tunnels and corners most never knew existed in the massive space station. As they drew near C-Sec headquarters Cortez opened the shuttle's door. She could see the flashes of weapons fire on the ground below.
"Looks like a party down there," Vega's rough accent cut through the cabin. "I say we let 'em know the guests of honor have arrived."
Shepard nodded and waved the team on as Cortez brought the shuttle to a standstill. They surged forward, a tide of lead and death, picking off what enemies they could while they still had superior positioning and the element of surprise on their side. The battle was as fierce as it was short. It might have been harder with a smaller team but against all seven of them Cerberus didn't stand a chance. It was over in a matter of minutes and Shepard was bending over a fallen C-Sec officer.
"Bailey, you going to make it?" She asked helping him to his feet.
"Yeah," the older man grunted, leaning heavily on Shepard's armored shoulder. "I've taken worse hits. Let's get inside; we're too exposed out here."
Inwardly, Jade concurred, there were too many entrances to the bay and there was no telling when another wave of Cerberus goons was going to come sailing in after them. She shook her head to clear the buzz of battle from her ears and followed Shepard and Bailey into C-Sec headquarters proper. She listened with hsalf an ear to Bailey as he hooked into the network. In a matter o f moments they were connected and their omni-tools updated with their routes and C-Sec comm frequencies.
"All right people," Shepard said. "You all know the mission, you have your routes and objectives. Use comm channel 7.246 zeta and stay in contact. We're not trying to be sneaky here. I'll see you at the rendezvous point. Keep us updated on your progress. Good hunting."
Shepard led her team through the far doors as the others headed to their own paths. Jade slammed a fresh clip into her Mattock and tossed a second to Javik. He nodded at her, snatching the clip out of the air, and they moved through the door. Resistance wasn't immediate. They ran into their first group of Cerberus operatives shortly after leaving C-Sec headquarters and after that first group, opposition was near constant.