Chapter 110 - Open Season: Cerberus
Despite Liara's urging, Shepard's first stop back on the Normandy is not the medbay. Her injuries are not too serious, especially considering what they have learned and what is at stake, so Morgan winces a little at the discomfort of pain as she sits down at the desk in her quarters, starting to compile her report to Hackett. She makes sure to include as many details as she can recall about the travesties committed at Sanctuary, adding all the audio and video logs they have salvaged.
And finally, she adds the tastiest bait yet, the location of the Illusive Man's base, the data confirmed to be accurate by cross-referencing it with Liara's intel about the destination of the indoctrinated shock troops sent to Tim. Even if Hackett doesn't think that the Catalyst is still worth pursuing, he can't refuse the chance to take Cerberus out of this war, he won't. He will give me the fleets, I'm sure of it!
Once the report has been sent through the high priority channel, Shepard finally proceeds to the medbay. It is quite crowded, Garrus standing next to Tali's bed, the quarian looking fairly chipper and waving to Shepard as she enters. Liara seems to have had her scratches and bruises taken care of, as she now chats with Chloe Michel, the doctor finishing her work bandaging James' torso.
"Ah, Commander... good of you to grace us with your presence," Michel addresses Morgan, a hint of sarcasm in her words. "I have been waiting for an opportunity to get my hands on you, Shepard."
As Morgan blinks in surprise, Garrus lets out a hearty chuckle. "The good doctor has a very strange and scary sense of humor, Shepard," he offers as an explanation.
"Tell me about it," Morgan nods, sitting on one of the empty beds and starting to unbutton her shirt. "Karin used to complain every time one of us got a scratch. Chloe just can't wait for us to get seriously wounded, it seems... so weird."
"Liara has been telling us about Sanctuary," Tali speaks up. "Keelah... it seems horrible! I want to help, Shepard, but... I have to say, I'm happy I didn't get to see that!"
"Yeah, I don't blame you," Morgan replies as Dr. Michel leaves James to rest under light sedation and moves closer to look over her injuries, scowling when she discovers that at best Morgan only has a few deep scratches to disinfect and treat with medi-gel, Shepard's implants already having taken care of the rest. "How are the legs feeling, Tali?"
"I managed to walk for a bit just now. Garrus helped," she adds a little shyly. "Dr. Michel says I'll be good to go in two to three days, Shepard. I couldn't stand to miss any more crucial missions, Commander, please, promise you won't leave me behind!"
"Well, it does look like you'll have to miss out on the attack on Tim's little house of horrors, Tali, but there will be more battles to come. The Reapers are still out there," Shepard smiles grimly. "Just relax and recover, don't try to rush anything." The quarian nods, looking relieved, as Morgan turns her gaze at James. "How's the big lug, doctor?"
"Nothing serious, just very battered, Commander," Michel replies. "He'll be as good as new when he wakes up in twenty four hours." She lets out a deep sigh, before looking accusingly at Shepard. "You may put your shirt back on, Commander. This was highly disappointing."
"Riiiiight, I'll try to get shot more severely on the next mission, just to please you, doctor," Shepard rolls her eyes.
"No, you won't," Liara shakes her head sternly. "Did you send the report to Hackett?" Shepard nods mutely.
"Yes, Liara already mentioned that we're going to nuke the Illusive Man's private space station," Garrus remarks, looking a little conflicted. "Damn, I'd like to be there when that bastard dies, but..."
"It's alright, Garrus, you don't have to keep me company here all the time, even if it is appreciated," Tali says, patting the turian on the hand. "Shepard, if you want to bring Garrus with you, do not hesitate on anyone's behalf, certainly not on mine."
"Well, I haven't thought that far yet, to be honest," Shepard shrugs. "Pointless to think about it before I hear back from Hackett and get a green light for this mission. Even so, it will take nearly entire standard day to get there, and rendezvous with the fleets... let's just say that we have plenty of time on our hands."
"When do you expect to hear back from Hackett?" Liara asks, the asari still looking very tense.
"I did send him a lot of data to go through," Shepard says, deep in thought. "But he's a speed reader and it has been some twenty minutes since we sent the report, so... any moment now?"
"Commander?" Specialist Traynor's voice comes on the commlink. "Admiral Hackett wishes to speak with you in the comm room."
"Bingo!" Shepard grins broadly, jumping down from the medbay bed and running for the doors. "I'm on my way, Sam!"
As Morgan switches the QEC on to establish a connection, Admiral Hackett can be seen nervously pacing back and forth the comm station on his dreadnaught. He turns sharply back towards the screen when noticing that Morgan has answered the call. "Shepard," he says, refusing to address her as Spectre. "I just finished digging through the report you sent. I have to confess, it left me... disturbed."
"And you didn't even see all that with your own eyes," Shepard adds.
"Yes, it must have been a nightmarish experience. But... your defiance has led to us obtaining this crucial intel," the admiral eventually confesses. "I suppose I owe you an apology, Shepard."
"This isn't about who was right and who was wrong, Admiral, this is about the fate of the galaxy," Morgan simply shrugs in reply. "You told me to go out and do what's necessary for us to win this war, and that's what I've been doing. Somewhere along the way I ended up losing your support, so I have to ask now... are you still on board, Admiral Hackett?"
"I am," Hackett nods. "Listen, Shepard, I take no issue with admitting that I was in the wrong. You've given us the chance to take Cerberus out of this war, and we have to make the best of this opportunity. Now, I do not see anything in your report that would substantiate your claim that the Catalyst intel is on this Cronos Station, but... I will give you the benefit of the doubt. We will send in several squads to sweep the station before blasting it to pieces."
"I will lead a squad of my own, Admiral," Shepard insists adamantly. "After what the Illusive Man and his lackey have done, my people deserve their chance to get even with those bastards."
"I can understand that," Hackett nods after a small pause. "Very well, Shepard. I will start readying the fleets for the journey to the Horsehead Nebula."
"Who are you bringing, Admiral?" Shepard asks.
"I will be leading the Fifth Fleet, of course," Hackett replies. "And I'm also bringing the Sixth, they have been sitting in reserve for too long. The Turian Seventh will remain in charge of protecting and escorting the Crucible."
"Two Alliance fleets... I don't think Cerberus stands a chance," Morgan rubs her hands, grinning, before catching on to Hackett's last words. "Wait... escorting the Crucible?"
"That's correct, Shepard," now it is the admiral's turn to sport a satisfied smile. "While I would have preferred to wait out and see the results from the task force searching for the Leviathan, I am afraid that this intel has tipped our hand."
"Have they found anything yet?" Morgan asks, unable to hide her curiosity, even despite her deep dislike for the entire Leviathan venture.
"They are still scouring the Traverse, and it could take several weeks until Riley's team digs something up," Hackett explains.
"Riley? You sent Riley? Damn it... if anything happens to her..." Maybe that was his intention all along, playing on me being personally invested? But I can't... we need to focus on Cerberus now... she would understand it, I'm sure she would... damn you, Hackett. I won't stand for these games of manipulation, she thinks angrily, then taking a deep breath, trying to calm down, knowing that she needs to focus on their objective of destroying Cerberus. "Well, it was your call, and she's a competent and experienced N7," she eventually forces herself to say with an indifferent shrug. "What about Ann Bryson, is she alright?"
Hackett's face darkens immediately, seemingly having obtained several new creases. "I... I'm sorry, Shepard. I take full responsibility for what happened with Ann."
"What did happen with Ann?" Morgan asks, unable to keep the volume of her voice down. "She... she didn't survive the procedure, did she?"
Hackett nods grimly to that. "The Leviathan took control of her and she succeeded in overpowering and disarming one of the marines. Dr. Bryson then managed to fatally injure two other soldiers, forcing Captain Riley to respond with deadly fire."
"This is a fucking mess, Admiral! I warned you not to do-" Shepard begins to rant angrily, then stopping herself with sheer force of will. Shit, he should answer for this idiocy, but... damn it, I've made a lot of stupid calls that have killed innocent people, too. Besides... this is not the time for division... must stay calm... must remain focused on Cerberus... they're the enemy here...
"Shepard, there is nothing you can accuse me of that I have not accused myself of already," Hackett says, looking deeply regretful, helping some of Morgan's anger fade. "But the sad truth is that we can't dwell on it, we must move on. I will not allow myself to forget this incident, but first we must make sure that there actually is time to deal with it later." He pauses for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Now, back to the task at hand... like I said, committing to such a large scale action against Cerberus will undoubtedly attract Reaper attention. Which means that the Crucible won't remain safe for long."
"So we're really going to move it," Shepard speaks, her heart starting to immediately twitch faster, skipping a few beats. "Is it... is it fully completed, then?"
"Our scientists believe that for all intents and purposes, the Crucible is ready to perform its designed goal. The only thing that is missing is the Catalyst."
"So... it better be on that Cronos Station, hmm?" Morgan gulps, suddenly realizing the implication. If I'm wrong and it's not there, or Tim has already destroyed all traces of the intel, then we're completely and utterly screwed... damnation!
"Quite so," Hackett nods. "But you reminded me that I should stick with the trust that I placed in you. The entire war effort is now depending on the recovery of the Catalyst. The scientists will be standing by to incorporate the Catalyst within Crucible's systems on the fly, as we move the unified galactic force to Sol System."
"...this is it then, isn't it?" Shepard only manages a rasping breath and it is a small wonder that Hackett can even make out her words.
"The fate of the galaxy will be decided in the next few days, yes," Hackett nods grimly. "I trust that you and your crew are ready and committed to do all that it takes."
"We will be ready, have no doubt about that..." Shepard blurts out quickly, trying to get her brain back into a rationally thinking shape. "Admiral Hackett, sir... about the Crucible... have you learned anything new since the quarians and the geth joined to work on it?"
"Quite a good deal, Shepard," Hackett nods, before starting to explain. "Work on the Crucible is still ongoing every day, but now it is merely... polishing up with small improvements, such as optimizing various systems and ensuring safe operation of this... as you used to call it, doomsday device."
"Uh... yeah, anything new in that regard?" Shepard asks. "Last we spoke, you mentioned that it would probably vaporize the one activating it as well as everything in the radius of several miles..."
"There have been some considerable improvements as far as safety concerns go, yes. Now, the scientists still cannot guarantee that it will be completely safe to accumulate and discharge such massive amounts of dark energy, but... we have integrated several new systems to help with that." Hackett then chuckles briefly, something that Morgan finds exceptionally unbecoming given the occasion, but the admiral quickly moves to explain. "Shepard, you might find this somewhat amusing, but the most important safety mechanism was actually delivered to us by Dr. T'Soni."
"Liara? But... she didn't tell me anything... I mean, how..."
"I suspect that she did not even know that it could be integrated into the Crucible's systems so efficiently," Hackett smiles. "Our engineers managed to find use of the technical drawings from a certain ship that apparently once belonged to the Shadow Broker, applying its interlocking system of kinetic barriers, grounding rods and capacitors to sections of the Crucible, and they believe this should enable safe discharge of tremendous amounts of energy."
Liara, love, you always come through for me... "That almost sounds encouraging," Morgan allows herself to be slightly reassured by these news. "What about the different ways to configure the Crucible? Anything new there?"
"Nothing new save for wild speculation," Hackett shakes his head. "The quarians and the salarians had some heated debates about some specific configuration that they believe would somehow... completely rewrite our genetic code, fusing synthetic life with organic, changing both us and the Reapers into something else, something new... it would be like meeting the synthetics in the middle, we would become one and the same and there would be no need to fight. Frankly, Shepard... the whole deal smacks of dubious science fiction to me, so I told them to forget about it."
"I agree, sir. Dead Reapers is how we win this, not by becoming part machines ourselves."
"Exactly my thoughts. Salarians raised a storm, wanted to still push forward with it, but we clamped down on it," Hackett sighs. "You know how those people are. The crazier the idea, the more excited they become."
"Well, that's salarians in a nutshell," Morgan smiles, thinking back to Mordin with pride and fondness, but also with a pang of bittersweet hurt. "I've been worrying a bit about Cerberus plans since Horizon, though," she says then, Hackett facing her with keen stare. "You heard what Tim wants, control over the Reapers. The Crucible would potentially allow him to do that. He knows about the capabilities of the Crucible, since Dr. Core managed to send him the data from Mars archives. And unlike us, he already knows what the Catalyst actually is."
"I understand what you are thinking, Shepard," Hackett says, his lips knit tightly. "Well, rest assured he will not be allowed to approach anywhere near the Crucible to tinker with it. Now go and gather strength, Shepard. The fleets will be making the relay jump to Horsehead Nebula in approximately sixteen hours. I expect to reunite with the Normandy then."
"We'll be there, sir," she replies, their conversation coming to an end.
And after that, we will need around eight more hours to reach Anadius, Shepard thinks, as Hackett's image slowly fades from the screens. In twenty four hours, it will all begin. The final battle for Earth. No, not really... this isn't about Earth, this is for the galaxy. No pressure, Shepard. No pressure at all...
Having finished her chat with Admiral Hackett, Morgan Shepard does not leave the comm room. Instead, she places another call on the QEC and waits patiently for someone to respond to the connected console on the other side, the Council chambers of the Citadel.
As she has hoped, it is Councilor Tevos who eventually responds to her call. "Commander Shepard," she looks pleasantly surprised and hopeful. "I am glad to hear from you! I trust your mission against Cerberus was successful?"
"Not completely, but it will do for now," Morgan replies, a little brusque, willing to get to the point instead of indulging Tevos' curiosity. "By the way, you should get Sanctuary advertisements removed from the Citadel. It was a front for a Cerberus processing plant that killed thousands and thousands of refugees." Tevos staggers from the news, her beautiful face twisted by the sheer horror in her eyes.
"We put a stop to that, so no need to worry about it anymore," Shepard explains quickly, realizing that she probably shouldn't shock Tevos so badly if she wants the councilor to retain her ability to reason logically. "We are about to proceed with the next step to eliminate the Cerberus threat once and for all. To this end, I was wondering if you could somehow get me in touch with Aria."
Tevos blanches a little at that, at first looking about to protest but then just sighing in resignation. "Will you be bringing up the knowledge of our involvement in every conversation with me, Shepard?" she mutters, suddenly looking very tired. "I suppose I deserve some payback for all those years of dismissing your warnings, but..."
"I'm sorry, Councilor, it was not my intention to cause you discomfort, but I truly must speak with Aria, it is important and I have no other way of reaching her quickly," Shepard smiles. Okay, maybe I wanted to torment her just a tiny bit, but it'll do her good, I'm sure! "I have news for her that she will find extremely interesting."
Tevos is silent, her head turned to the side, making Shepard wonder if there is someone else in the room. Moments later, the truth is revealed as Aria steps closer to stand next to Tevos, glaring a little at Morgan. "What is it, Shepard? I'm incredibly busy, I've got my hands f-"
"Yes, I know you've got your hands down in the Councilor's panties, but this is serious Aria," Shepard chuckles at the outraged expressions on the faces of both embarrassed matrons, but she does not let that deter her. "I'm offering you the chance to join me as we take out the Illusive Man's base. Based on our intel, both Timmy and Clown Leng have hidden away there."
Aria's anger at Shepard is immediately replaced by a toothy, murderous grin that would send most people facing it covering in fear. "Shepard, you... you would do this?" she sounds pleasantly surprised. "You will give me my revenge? I... I do not know what to say." It is strange to see Aria overwhelmed and momentarily uncertain, before she continues in a confident voice. "It will be a pleasure to join you on your hunt... my friend. And know that any debts that you may have owed me are now cancelled by this offer."
Shepard grins like a fool, feeling her heart swelling a little from hearing Aria call her a friend, similar to the sensation when Wrex had hugged her and called her a sister. "We will pick you up from the Citadel in a few hours, Aria," she says. Tevos looks a little worried about Aria's decision, but does not dare to voice her concerns, only wringing her hands a little nervously. "I hope that you can leave Rila and Falere alone for a few days," Shepard adds. "I realize that I haven't really asked about how they are doing lately, but things have been a little crazy."
"They are fine," Aria replies simply. Then her face softens a little again. "I... introduced them to Tevos. After she was done feeling shocked and outraged about having kept company to two Ardat-Yakshi for a few hours, she has come to care about them greatly."
Tevos blushes, lowering her head. "The fear and hatred towards their kind is deeply ingrained in our society, and I could not help my initial reaction. But I had already come to like them from the short time we spent together, and these feelings proved stronger than my fears and prejudices. These young maidens are precious, gentle, innocent and unspoiled," she says quietly. "They remind me of what is worth preserving of this galaxy. I am grateful that you saved them from the monastery, Shepard. I will stay with them while Aria is away."
"That's so cute," Shepard cannot help but to keep smiling like an idiot. "You know what, you and Aria should exchange those bondmate rings or bracelets or whatever works for asari, and then adopt those two girls. You'd have a family of an asari councilor, criminal warlord and two Ardat-Yakshi daughters. I couldn't imagine anything more scandalous if I tried!"
Tevos puts a palm to her brow and gently rubs it, looking as she is suffering from horrible headache, while Aria simply begins to laugh like mad. "Shepard, I like the way you think!" she exclaims, grinning broadly. "That would be worth it just to shock all those stuck up elders on Thessia. But enough about that now, I'll be awaiting the arrival of your ship. And then I'm going to settle my debts with Cerberus..."
At Shepard's request, all of the crew gather at the CIC after they have made the relay jump to Serpent Nebula, the only one missing is James Vega back in the medbay. Tali has come up from the medical center, able to walk with only a slight hobble, Garrus still watching over her protectively just in case. EDI's platform is also attending, even if it is merely a gesture of camaraderie on the AI's behalf. The others are all present as the Normandy drifts towards the Citadel and Shepard prepares to address her crew.
"How long has it been since we were forced to leave our sisters and brothers on Earth and escape to seek aid from our friends and allies? Two months? Three? More than that? I can no longer remember. I know only one thing. It has been too long!" she speaks, elated with passion. "Our people back on Earth have been left to fend for themselves too long. This will change very soon."
"As we speak, Admiral Hackett is putting together fleets to strike at one of our enemies, the last base of Cerberus, the Illusive Man's secret hideout. The Normandy will spearhead this assault!" the CIC erupts in loud cheers, all as one hoping to see the Illusive Man's head mounted on a wall, possibly gracing the Normandy's mess hall. "Humanity spawned this abomination that with their actions have put the fate of the entire galaxy at risk. It is up to humanity to dispose of this threat, which is why Admiral Hackett himself will lead the Fifth and the Sixth fleets in this attack. Once we are done with Cerberus, there will be not a trace left of these despicable terrorists, not even a memory of them."
The crew is still cheering at her as Shepard continues. "During our strike against Cerberus, the rest of the galactic fleets will slowly begin a coordinated approach towards the Sol System. Almost sixteen thousand ships stand ready to battle the Reaper forces laying siege to Earth. The Crucible is completed and ready to be used to rid the galaxy of our hated foes," she stops to quickly draw breath, sensing the hall slowly becoming quiet, as the implications of her words slowly sink in. "We will see Earth in a few days, people! The only obstacle still standing between us and our homeworld is Cerberus... may the gods take pity on them, because we surely won't!"
"There is not much time left before we will be thrust into action. Use this time to ready yourself for what is to come, if there is something you have delayed to do... get to it. You may not have another chance. The battle ahead of us will be nothing like the galaxy has ever seen. Our losses will be great, but we must be prepared to sacrifice everything, our lives included... because no sacrifice is too great to make sure that the future generations, our children, can live in a galaxy free of fear from these monsters!"
As Shepard moves away from the command post to a choruses of cheers, she is struggling to keep the emotions swirling within her from escaping, realizing that the culmination of her struggles over the past three and a half years are to be realized in the next few days. Everything we have done up until now has led us to this point. All those victories we have scored over the years... Saren and Sovereign, the Collectors, curing the genophage, ending the geth wars... all these successes will count for nothing, unless we can finish this thing, once and for all.
These cycles cannot repeat indefinitely... sooner or later there must come an end to all things. And hopefully, this cycle of galactic extinction will end with us...