Author notes: First off, I want to thank everyone for the response to my recent poll about whether I should rewrite the story or not. Overall, the general sentiment is a pretty definite… maybe.

:S

I'm not quite sure how to respond to that. Therefore, until the response changes, I'm sticking with what I know, and what I know is writing. If the story needs to be redone later, is can be redone later. For now, I'm keeping things as they are, and I'll finish up the story soon (as in, next chapter). When I get a ways into the ME2 storyline (or maybe when I finish it), I'll put up a similar poll to see if things have changed.

For the record, the final tally of votes is (as of the poll closing on 5/6/2013):

12 Maybe/Meh

6 Yes

5 No

P.S.: Sorry, I just couldn't resist tapping on the fourth wall. You'll know it when you see it.

Chapter 24: Trench Run

After Pluribus had made his way to the cargo hold for repairs with Tali in tow, Shepard decided to check in on Liara. As he was entering the Medbay, he almost ran into Joker, who was just exiting after having his cast removed. He let the pilot pass, and as he entered, Shepard found Chakwas standing over Liara, scanning her with her omnitool. To Shepard's unspeakable relief, Liara was awake, and turned to face him as he entered.

"Liara…"

"Shepard. It's good to see you." she greeted with a smile. When she saw the look of shame and guilt on his face, her smile faded. "What's wrong, Commander?"

"Liara, I… I did this to you." he confessed, slumping into the bed next to her, unable to meet her eyes.

"What?" she asked with a confused tone in her voice. "What're you talking about? I just overexerted myself, that's all."

"No. I… my mental defenses have two parts." he explained. "If you compare my mind to a computer, one part is like a firewall. That's the part that stopped the meld the first two times, and it's the part I took down. The other… it's like an antivirus program."

"I… don't understand."

"I… argh… I forgot to take the second part down. You didn't overexert yourself, I… I did this to you." he finished weakly.

"You… forgot? How?" Shepard looked up, but couldn't read her expression. She could've been enraged, or simply curious.

"I… I just forgot. Damnit! I nearly killed you because I'm an idiot!"

"But…" she hesitated. "It was an accident, right?"

"Yes, but-"

She interrupted him by speaking to Chakwas. "Doctor, is there any permanent damage to my mind?"

"Not that I can tell." she replied neutrally. "However, I'm hardly an expert on this sort of thing. The only one who can answer that for certain is Commander Shepard."

"Well, I feel fine." she said after a moment. "A bit tired, perhaps, but nothing a good night's sleep won't fix."

"But I-"

She cut him off. "Shepard… Johnathan. You didn't mean to do it. Do you feel guilty about it?"

"Yes!" he replied instantly. "I just-"

She cut him off again, and he suppressed a twinge of annoyance. "And are you sorry about it?"

"Of course! How could I not be?"

"Then what're you worried about?" she asked with a small smirk.

"I almost killed you!"

"But you didn't."

"No, but-"

Shepard's temper flared as she interrupted him once again. "Then why are you shouting?"

"What do you mean, why am I shouting?! I'm shouting because I-"

"Would you shut up already?" she ordered with a grin. Shepard felt his frustration almost boil over, and for a moment, he saw red. When he finally brought his temper under control, Liara was giggling wildly."

"Liara, what-"

"I thought I told you to shut up?!" she blurted. When she saw Shepard go red in the face, her giggles devolved into outright laughter, and Chakwas joined her. "Commander, you should… hehe… you should see your face. Hehe… It's the same color as Asari wine."

"What's gotten into you two?" he demanded, just loud enough for it to not be a shout.

Liara's laughter slowed, but it didn't stop. "Well, when I woke up, Joker was having his cast removed, and I asked him about what had happened. He told me about the… well, incident, I suppose you could call it. He said you might be feeling guilty about what you did, and that you could probably use some cheering up."

Shepard gaped for a second, unable to process what she said. "I needed cheering up? What does that have to do with-"

"Are you deaf or something?!" She devolved into a second fit of laughter when Shepard let out an angry growl. After a few seconds, she regained her breath. "He was… hehehe… he was right. Hehe… this is funny. He told me a Human joke. He called it… hehe… a knock-knock joke. Would you like to hear it?" she asked. Without waiting for an answer, she continued. "Knock-knock."

Shepard sighed, but decided to play along. "Who's there?"

"Interrupting cow."

Shepard quirked an eyebrow in puzzlement. "Interrupting cow-"

"MOOOOO!" she yelled, drowning him out. He let out a string of curses, which only caused her to devolve into hysterics again. After nearly half a minute, she finally calmed down. "Oh Goddess. Hehehe… I haven't laughed that hard in… ever, I think. He… To finally answer your questions, I don't blame you for what happened, and neither should you. You made an honest mistake, and beating yourself up over it won't help. Consider being the… what's the Human expression… penis? Consider being the penis of that little joke your penance for what happened."

Chakwas blushed at Liara's faux pas, and she just barely managed to choke out a correction. "Butt, Liara. The butt of the joke."

"Oh." She paused for a moment. "Then what's a penis?" she asked innocently.

Chakwas' blush increased to a fiery hue, and Shepard joined her. Neither answered, and she glanced rapidly between the two with bewilderment painted on her face. Just then, Joker's bellowing laughter came in over the intercom system.

"Don't bother asking them, Liara. Neither of them has one."

"JOKER!" roared Shepard.

"What's the matter, Commander?" he asked with a demented chuckle. "Can't stand to be the penis of a friendly little joke?"

"I thought you said it was butt?" questioned Liara in a puzzled tone.

"It is." snapped Shepard with a look of embarrassment.

"Then why did he say penis?"

"Because he is one!"

She blinked once, and her confusion only deepened. "But how would you know that if you don't have one?" Joker's laughter returned with a vengeance over the com system, and even Chakwas covered her mouth in an attempt to suppress a mortified giggle.

"BECAUSE I'M ABOUT TO BREAK HIS OFF!" bellowed Shepard, storming to the door.

"Commander, sit down before I call Pluribus and have him put you down." chided Chakwas with a massive grin. "You wouldn't want that, now would you?"

That brought him up short, and he let out a loud growl. "You would, wouldn't you? Damn harpy." he muttered, sitting down on one of the beds.

"Oh really, Commander." she huffed with mock offense. "And I thought you liked spending time with me."

Shepard took several deep, calming breaths. "Right. Sorry about that Karin. I let my anger get the better of me."

"At least you aren't feeling guilty anymore." offered Liara with a smile. "Now, what's a pe-"

"SHUT UP!" yelled Shepard. Then he let out a laugh. "See? That's how it feels. And I'm not answering that question. Karin's the medical professional, ask her." he said with a wave.

"Perhaps later." said Liara with a small, annoyed frown. "For now, we have bigger problems. Before I passed out, I was able to determine something from the missing portion of the vision you received on Virmire. The Conduit is on Ilos, through the Mu Relay. I asked Joker to set a course, and we should be there within a day."

"Good." said Shepard with a small smile. "At least you didn't go through all that for nothing. Hopefully when we get there, we aren't too late to stop Saren from getting his hands on the Conduit, whatever it is." Shepard was assaulted by a renewed wave of guilt. "We'd be there sooner if I hadn't-"

"MOOOOO!"

One hour, and a very strongly worded talk with Joker, later, Shepard had his team convene in the briefing room, where the chairs had been rearranged to face the monitor on the far wall. In addition to his ground crew, Joker and Chakwas were also present, ensuring that none of the chairs were empty. When everyone else had taken a seat, he began.

"Alright. I'm sure you're wondering what's going on here. Just before we went on the mission to Therum to rescue Liara, I promised some of you that we'd watch an old vid from Earth's past. Seeing as how Kaidan had a thing for old sci-fi vids…" Shepard trailed off for a moment before regaining his composure. "I thought we should give him a bit of an informal send-off by watching a few."

"Star Wars?" asked Garrus.

"Yep. There were nine movies made in the main series, and quite a few other spin-offs, but we'll only be watching the original trilogy. It'll take about eight hours, but I think it's worth it."

"Eight hours?" asked Wrex with a grunt. "I don't know if I have the patience for that, Shepard."

"I'm not forcing anyone to stay. You wanna leave, that's up to you. Still, at least give it a chance, would ya?"

"Bah. Fine."

No one else had anything to add, so Shepard started the vid, before taking a seat between Tali and Chakwas. He'd even managed to whip up a batch of popcorn, and even though she wouldn't be able to share it, Tali gave him a small grin.

The movie played for the crew, and for the most part, they seemed to enjoy it. Joker and Pluribus got a fairly large kick out of the banter between C-3PO and R2-D2, and the synthetic even went so far as to laugh at a few points, which surprised the heck out of the rest of the crew. Wrex and Garrus were bored initially, but were particularly fond of the light saber duels and the final battle between the Rebels an Empire at Yavin, with Wrex going so far as to congratulate Luke when he destroyed the Death Star.

Liara and Chakwas seemed more interested in the relationship between Luke and Leia than anything else ('Just wait 'till they find out they're siblings.' mused Shepard with a smirk), and even Yuri seemed disturbed by the casual destruction of Alderaan, though in hindsight, it could've been annoyance at the waste of resources. Ashley seemed particularly interested in the Rebellion itself, and the idea that such a small group of people could stand up to the Empire.

Shepard and Tali… well, they didn't say much throughout the movie, but they eventually found their hands locked together in a warm embrace, and near the end, Shepard had his arm wrapped around Tali's shoulder like a high-school student on his first date. When he noticed, he tried to pull away, but she stopped him resolutely.

The team's reaction to the second movie was much more subdued than to the first. There were still laughs and cheers, but they were muted compared to how they'd been before. The only exception came during the scene where Darth Vader revealed that he was Luke's father. When that happened, Shepard felt his muscles involuntarily tense, though only Tali could feel it. Most of the crew was stunned and dumbfounded by the revelation, but she simply glanced at him with a look of understanding in her eyes.

'Like him.' she thought. 'That's why… that's why he was so scared when he found out about his powers.'

Shepard hadn't meant to pry on her thoughts, but it'd happened so easily that he felt himself recoil in shock. He tried to pull away from her, but her grip on his leg tightened reflexively.

"Bosh'tet." she murmured, too softly for anyone else to hear through the din they were making over the scene. "If I didn't want you in there, you wouldn't have been."

"But-"

"Shut up and come back." she ordered firmly. "It's… nice."

He said nothing, but did as he was told. As the third movie played in the background, Shepard felt his thoughts and hers become closer and closer, almost to the exclusion of everything else. They began to interweave and intermingle, blending together into a single, glorious whole. Slowly, everything else in existence faded, and the only thing that was left were the two of them, alone in a universe of ideas, emotions, and consciousness. Their connection seemed to last for an eternity, and they were only brought from their reverie when Wrex jostled them after bounding from his chair when the Ewoks fought to defeat the Empire on Endor.

"Devious little pyjaks." he rumbled with a grin. "They may not look like much, but they got quad."

Flushing slightly in embarrassment, Tali and Shepard watched until the end of the movie with small smiles, and joined the rest of the team in applauding when the final credits rolled.

"You were right, Shepard." said Garrus with a pat on his shoulder. "That was worth the time. And you said there are nine of these things?"

Shepard laughed lightly. "There's a lot more than nine, Garrus. Between the movies, television shows, video-games, comics, and books, there's an entire universe out there, all Star Wars. If you're interested, one of my favorite installments is a video game made by a company called BioWare, called Knights of the Old Republic…

Shepard found himself staring at the ceiling of his room aboard the Normandy. He'd been there for nearly an hour, trying and failing to get some sleep before the ship arrived at Ilos in half a day. His mind kept replaying the events of the past few weeks, searching for answers to questions he didn't even realize were there. He continually mulled over what he could've done differently, what he could've done that would change the present. Eventually, his brooding was interrupted by a knock at his door.

"Come in."

When the door opened, it revealed Tali standing beyond it, for once wearing something that wasn't her environment suit. She'd donned casual clothing: a slimming, cream colored silk dress that fell almost to her knees, contrasting perfectly with her raven black hair that fell just past her shoulders. It accentuated her body's natural curves, and Shepard was immediately distracted by it, so much so that he didn't even notice her knowing grin.

"You like it?" she asked with a small giggle.

"Yeah. It's… pretty."

"Just pretty?" she huffed. "Well, in that case, maybe I should change back into my suit."

"Wait!" he blurted as she turned to leave. "I meant beautiful. Really, I did." he babbled. "I didn't mean to say pretty, I meant lovely, it's-"

She cut him off with a laugh. "Stop babbling, John. I was kidding."

"Oh. Well, it is."

"I'm glad you think so. I didn't bring too many things to wear besides the suit, and this was the best I had."

"It's perfect."

She blushed slightly, but said nothing as she sat on the bed beside him. "John… I've been thinking. About the mission, the future… and what we're going to face on Ilos. After seeing Kaidan…" she trailed off, and started again after a few seconds. "It made me realize how fragile everything is. When you survived attacking that Doom Fortress on Virmire, I thought you were indestructible. Then, Saren ripped all that away in a single instant. Now, we're going to face him, once and for all, and I…" A single tear ran down her cheek. "I worry I might lose you."

Shepard reached out a hand and gripped one of hers. She squeezed his strongly in return. "Tali, I'm too stubborn to die, remember? I survived Geist and N7 training, I survived Akuze, I survived Rachni and Geth and psychic plants and bombs and bullets and Yuri." He let out a small laugh. "Hell, I even managed to survive you. Saren won't even be able to lay a finger on me. Or a claw, or a talon, or whatever."

She tapped him lightly on the back of the head. "Bosh'tet." she murmured. "John… I don't want to go into the fight against Saren with any regrets. I don't want you to go into the fight with any regrets. We can't afford them."

"I know." he replied somberly. "If I didn't already know it was hopeless, I'd tell you to stay on the ship when we reach Ilos. I worry about you too, Tali. I'd rather die a thousand deaths than see you hurt."

"So would I." Then, she wrapped her arms around him in a light hug. "Just… promise me it'll be OK. Promise me we'll make it through this."

"I promise." He paused for what felt like the longest moment of his life. "Tali… I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, no matter how long that is."

"I love you too, John. I have for a long time. You were just too stubborn to notice." After a few moments, she nodded against his chest. "Good." She followed up the declaration by shoving him roughly back onto the bed. "Now, it's time for the next step." she said in a low, raspy voice.

"What?"

"Don't play coy with me, you big bosh'tet." she ordered, sliding up on top of him. Shepard's heart started racing, and he felt his body heat up. "Last time I was drunk, and I fell asleep before I could be… satisfied." she cooed seductively. "This time, you aren't getting away that easily."

"Tali, I-"

He cut off as she kissed him. It wasn't a powerful kiss, nor was it light. It was… passionate. She pulled back after a moment, and he couldn't seem to catch his breath. "What's the matter?" she teased. "Varren got your tongue?"

"Cat." he corrected weakly. "Cat got your tongue."

"I've seen Human domesticated cats." she replied with a derisive sniff. She began running her hands across his body, and Shepard felt like he was on fire. "They're too flighty. Varren are much better; much more loyal. Do you think of me as a cat, or a varren?"

"What?" he squeaked. He was close to losing his mind, and his heart felt like it was going to come roaring out of his chest.

"You heard me."

"I guess…" He swallowed a lump in his throat. "I guess you'd be a lioness."

She giggled slightly. "Good answer." She kissed him once more, and rational thought fled.

Two hours out from Ilos, Shepard and Tali reluctantly exited his personal quarters and made their way to the cargo hold. Along the way, they received several knowing grins and smirks from the crew and ground team, but no one said anything, and for once, the couple didn't mind in the slightest that everyone knew what had happened. They also got ambushed by Chakwas, who told them in no uncertain terms to report to her if they experienced any allergic reactions.

When they disembarked from the elevator, the pair made their way to the showers. Halfway across the room, Shepard saw Garrus and Ashley exit the unisex facility with equally glowing looks on their faces and he couldn't help but chuckle. Garrus returned the laugh, but followed it up with a low, predatory growl.

"Guess there's not a whole lot to say, is there Skipper?" asked Ashley with a small smile.

"Nope. I'd ride your ass for breaking anti-frat regs, but Garrus isn't Alliance, it'd make me look like a hypocrite, and I don't really care." He donned a mischievous smirk. "Plus, I think Garrus would rip me in half if I tried to ride you like that."

Shepard staggered forward a step from Tali's slap to the back of his head. "Bosh'tet. It's not him you'd have to be worried about."

The other couple chuckled as Shepard massaged the lump his Quarian girlfriend had just given him. "I've finished the calibrations on the MIAFV." said Garrus. "It's a hell of a beast, compared to Turian tanks, but it's in tip-top shape."

"And our weapons and armor are ready to go." supplied Ashley, gesturing to the bench she performed her maintenance duties. "Just one thing: who's coming with when we hit the ground? Fitting eight people in that thing's pushing it."

"You could always sit on Garrus' lap." suggested Tali with a grin. "I doubt he'd mind."

Shepard laughed but shook his head. "As much as I'd like to bring everyone, I can't. Besides Tali and I, Liara needs to come, considering we'll be dealing with Prothean stuff down there. And I wouldn't trust anyone else but you with driving that damn thing, Ash. You really know how to, eh… work the stick."

Everyone else let out a low groan at his bad pun, but Garrus fired the mandatory return salvo. "She can work a lot more than a stick, let me tell you." He instinctively ducked as Ashley made to slap the back of his head, but he was too tall to avoid the blow entirely, and it still clipped his fringe.

"Gonna have to work on that, Garrus." said Shepard with a grin. "Or… I suppose you could just accept it and move on. Regardless, Ash coming means you are too. I'd bring you anyways, but this cements the deal. That leaves one open spot."

"Wrex, right?" guessed Ashley. "We could really use the firepower."

"Plus, Pluribus will need to guard Yuri while we're away." said Tali.

Shepard got a pensive look on his face. "Actually, I'm sorely tempted to bring Yuri. I know telekinesis isn't his forte, but when we finally do catch up to Saren, it might be prudent to have him there."

"Skipper, we don't need his sorry ass. You're ten times stronger than him anyways."

"And until we do reach Saren, he'll be worse than useless on the battlefield." said Garrus. "You don't want him watching your back, unless you also have someone else to watch for the knife he's sure to put there, given half a chance."

"I agree with them John." said Tali diplomatically. "His utility has its' merits, I'll admit, but we won't be able to keep an eye on him the whole time we're down there. It's too risky."

Shepard sighed, but nodded. "Alright, you've convinced me. I'll take Liara on my team. Garrus, I want you to take Wrex and lead the second team once we get boots on the ground."

"Can do, Shepard." he replied.

"Now, if you'll excuse us, Tali and I need to get cleaned up. We'll arrive in about two hours, so be ready."

The other couple nodded as the two Geists slipped past them, but just before they entered the shower, Ashley called to them. "Just be sure you don't leave dirtier than when you entered, Skipper."

When the Normandy dropped out of FTL over Ilos, the view of space that greeted the four people in the cockpit was eerily empty. There was no visual sign of the flotilla they'd been expecting, and except for the sensors telling them they were only a few hours behind what remained of the heretic Geth fleet, they could've been the first living things to see the planet in fifty thousand years.

"The lights are on, but no one's home." commented Joker, checking the ship's sensor readings. After a moment, he leaned forward and his eyes narrowed. "I'm getting something on the psy-radar, Commander. One organic and a bunch of synthetics, all clustered together in some kind of underground bunker."

"That's Saren alright." replied Shepard. "Can you get us inside that bunker?"

"Just a sec. It looks like Saren's pet Geth have set up defensive positions outside the entrance to the structure. Bad news is, there are even more of them inside."

"Why hasn't Saren found the Conduit yet?" asked Tali.

"He'd have to search an entire planet." answered Liara. "He's likely been here for days, scouring the ruins below looking for it."

"Well, if he's that interested in the bunker he's in, that's probably where it is." reasoned Shepard. "Too bad for him he hasn't learned to think with portals. Joker, once we load up, chrono the MIAFV directly into that bunker."

"Aye, Commander. Good luck down there."

When the vehicle and its' six occupants had arrived, they quickly found out that the "bunker" was more like a long, linear tunnel than anything else. Ashley started the MIAFV down the oversized corridor cautiously, and the team took in the sights.

"I've spent half my life studying the Protheans." commented Liara from the middle turret. "But I never dreamed I would discover something like this."

"Is it just me, or does this tunnel remind anyone of the trench on the Death Star?" asked Garrus warily. "I get this nagging feeling a TIE fighter's gonna pop up behind us any second now."

Shepard reached down from his position in the tank's rear turret to slap the Turian sniper upside the head. "Didn't you learn your goddamn lesson about tempting fate on Noveria?"

"Hey, watch it Skipper." warned Ashley from her spot at the controls, casting a quick glance over her shoulder. "The only one allowed to get rough with Vakarian is me."

"And Nihlus." quipped Wrex from his spot in the front turret.

"WE WERE DRUNK!" they yelled in unison, causing the rest of the party to snigger and chuckle.

"Fucking tequila." grumbled Ashley. "I still can't walk straight 'cause a you two."

"You'll get used to it." jibed Tali. "After all, they say practice makes perfect. And I imagine you two will want to practice quite a bit when this is over."

"At least Quarians and Humans… fit together properly." said Garrus, waving his hands vaguely. "For Humans and Turians, it's like trying to fit a round peg in a square hole."

"As small as your peg is, it'd fit in any hole." joked Shepard, almost quietly enough not to be heard. Garrus heard anyway, and responded by lunging for him, but was stopped by a strong kick to the shins from Tali.

"Watch it, Vakarian. You have Ashley's ass to beat on. This one's mine." She punctuated the word with a firm slap to Shepard's, which caused him to jump in his seat, and elicited a second round of chuckles.

"To be fair, I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this too." said Ashley after a minute, looking over her shoulder. "I thought Saren would've set up some kind of ambush for us, but there's nothing down here."

"Not yet, anyways." rumbled Wrex, scanning the foreground. A moment later, a ceiling high golden barrier appeared directly in front of the tank, and Ashley let out a yelp as she slammed on the brakes. The stopped just centimeters from the field, and the entire team went on alert.

"IT'S A TRAP!" yelled Garrus as Wrex sent a PRISM blast into the field, unfortunately to no effect.

Scanning the immediate area, Shepard saw nothing but a second field, just like the first, that had appeared behind them. "Calm down, Ackbar. I don't think Saren's behind this. There's a door that wasn't there before."

"Think we should check it out?" asked Tali warily.

"May as well." replied Shepard, exiting his turret and moving to the rear hatch. "Whatever this field is, we can't get through it by force. Liara, Tali, with me. Everyone else, stay here and keep your eyes and ears open."

The trio made their way into the small room beyond the door, only to realize it was an elevator. It descended at a refreshingly rapid pace, and a little more than a minute later, it opened to reveal a large, expansive chamber with a narrow walkway extending into the center of it. At the end was a red and gold glowing holographic display, which flickered and morphed as they watched. When they drew close, it began to speak. It was a language their translators couldn't make out.

"Does anyone recognize the language?" asked Shepard when it finished speaking.

"You didn't understand what it said?" asked Liara confusedly.

"Considering these are Prothean ruins, it's likely the language is a Prothean dialect." answered Tali. "We can't understand it."

"Then why… of course!" trilled Liara excitedly. "The Cypher and the visions must've given me an understanding of the Prothean language. I can speak Prothean!"

After a moment, Liara's omnitool flashed, and the hologram spoke again. "You are not Prothean. But you are not machine, either. This eventuality was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent our warnings through the beacons."

"It's a Prothean VI." said Tali in an awed voice. "It's damaged though."

"I do not sense the taint of indoctrination upon any of you, though I find myself unable to read one of your number. This eventuality was not anticipated. Can you explain?" it asked neutrally.

"That'd be me." said Shepard, taking a half step forward. "My mind has psychic barriers to prevent intrusion, though I didn't realize they could stop electronic influences as well as biological. Guess it makes sense. Regardless, my species has a physiology such that we develop certain psychic powers when exposed to Prothean beacons, and I've refined these powers into a weapon."

"You are Human, then." it stated. "We observed your species in its' primitive form during the height of our Empire, as we did with many species. Yours had the greatest ability to adapt to our technology, hence our curiosity. If your powers are capable of resisting my sensors, then you cannot be indoctrinated, unlike the other that passed through here recently. Perhaps there is still hope. I have taken the liberty of downloading your translation protocols and adapting them to the Prothean language. My name is Vigil. You are safe here, for the moment, but that is likely to change. Soon, nowhere will be safe."

"In that case, maybe you should get to the point." said Shepard. "We've got an indoctrinated terrorist with an army of Geth to catch, and every moment we stand here is one he has to get away."

"You must break a cycle that has continued for millions of years. You already know of the Reapers, but you do not know of the true extent of their duplicity. You must understand, lest you make the same mistakes we did. The Citadel is the heart of your civilization, and the seat of your government, as it was with ours, and every civilization that came before us. But the Citadel is a trap. The station is actually an enormous Mass Relay, one that links to dark space: the empty voice beyond the galaxy's horizon. When the Citadel Relay is activated, the Reapers will pour through, and all you know will be destroyed."

"Then why haven't they come through yet? And how could no one notice that the Citadel is an enormous Mass Relay?" asked Liara fearfully.

"The Keepers." breathed Shepard. "The Reapers created them to manage the Citadel, so we'd be able to use it without fully understanding it."

"That is correct." said Vigil. "We believe that the Reapers retreat to dark space to avoid detection between cycles, and power themselves down to conserve energy. When their forerunner, the one you call Sovereign, determines it is time for the next cycle to begin, they awaken and activate the Citadel Relay to begin the invasion. That was our fate. Our leaders were dead, and the Citadel lost, before we realized we were under attack. The Reapers seized control of the Citadel, and through it, the entire Mass Relay network. Communication and transportation across our Empire were crippled, and each system was isolated and vulnerable, easy prey for the Reapers. Over the following decades and centuries, the Reapers systematically obliterated our people. World by world, system by system, they methodically wiped us out. Through the Citadel, the Reapers had access to all our records, maps, census data, and technology. Information is power, and they knew everything about us."

Shepard cracked a smile. "They're in for a hell of a surprise when they get to Alliance territory, then."

"One species cannot hope to stand alone against them." said Vigil neutrally. "They advanced across every settled region of the galaxy. Some worlds were destroyed in their entirety. Others were cleansed of all life. Some were conquered completely, and their populations were enslaved. These indoctrinated servants became sleeper agents under Reaper control. Taken as refugees by other Protheans, they betrayed them to the machines."

"Can synthetic beings be indoctrinated?" asked Shepard.

"That is unknown." replied Vigil. "The peaceful coexistence of synthetic and organic beings was not an eventuality I was programed to anticipate. It is an unknown variable, one which may serve to help or hinder you in your fight against the Reapers."

"And then?" asked Liara after a moment, fearing she knew the answer.

"The Reaper's indoctrinated slaves began stripping our worlds of everything they held. All technology, all resources, everything of value was taken. Nearly every trace of our existence was systematically erased. Certain that all advanced organic life had been extinguished, the Reapers retreated back through the Citadel Relay, sealing it behind them. All evidence of the Reaper invasion had be wiped away, save for their indoctrinated slaves, which were left behind, abandoned. Mindless husks, no longer capable of independent thought, they soon died of starvation and exposure to the elements. The genocide of the Protheans was complete."

"Why?" asked Liara desperately. "What do the Reapers gain from perpetuating this pattern of genocide over and over?"

"Who cares?" said Shepard firmly. "It doesn't matter what their motivations are. They've slaughtered countless trillions during the past god-knows how many cycles. Maybe they have a screw loose or a few crossed wires. Maybe the ones who built them were genocidal themselves, or just careless and allowed their creations to annihilate them. Regardless, it's reasonable to assume that whatever their purpose, they can't be reasoned with. They don't feel remorse or pity or mercy. The only way to deal with them is to destroy them. It's a total war, to the bitter end, and that's something I can understand."

"Then how do we stop them?" asked Tali. "They could come through the Citadel at any moment."

Vigil answered. "That is no longer possible. The Conduit is the key to defeating the Reapers. Before they attacked, we were on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries behind Mass Relay technology. Ilos was a top-secret research facility, known to a bare handful of our highest ranking leaders. The scientists here were able to construct a small-scale version of a Mass Relay that linked directly to the Citadel: the hub of the Relay network."

"The Conduit isn't a weapon!" gasped Liara. "It's a back door onto the Citadel itself! With it, Saren can bypass the Citadel Defense Fleet!"

"Things just got a lot more difficult." said Shepard grimly. "Continue."

"All records of this facility were destroyed in the initial assault on the Citadel. While the Prothean Empire came crashing down around us, Ilos was spared. We severed all communications with the outside world and went dark. The scientists and soldiers station here were place in cryogenic stasis, and we attempted to wait out the Reapers. I was programed to monitor the facility and awaken the others when the danger had passed. But the genocide of an entire species is long, slow process, and my energy reserves were dwindling. Years passed, then decades, then centuries, and still the Reapers persisted. Eventually, I was forced to cut power to non-essential personnel to save others. Soon, only a handful of top scientist remained, and even those were in danger of being lost when the Reapers finally retreated."

"There were thousands of stasis pods out there." objected Liara. "You just killed them?"

"Vigil did what he had to." said Shepard firmly. "Better to lose some than all." He faced the hologram. "What next?"

"When the Reapers retreated, top research personnel remained, and it is because of them that any hope remains. Knowing they were too few in number to sustain a viable population, the researchers accepted that the Prothean species was doomed, and they sought to prevent the same fate from befalling the species of the next cycle. They knew the Keepers were the key. Unlike the Reaper's indoctrinated slaves, the Keepers are controlled by the Citadel itself. Before each invasion, a signal is sent through the station, compelling the Keepers to activate the Citadel Relay. After decades of feverish study, the researchers discovered a way to alter this signal. They used the Conduit to gain access to the Citadel and made the modifications. This time, when Sovereign sent the signal, the Keepers ignored it. The Reapers are trapped in dark space."

Tali's eyes went wide with shock. "That's where Sovereign and the Geth are! They're going to assault the Citadel and open the Relay!"

Shepard gaped for a moment, but recovered quickly. "If the Geth and Sovereign hit the Citadel now, the CDF won't stand a chance." He activated his omnitool, and opened a QEC channel to Admiral Hackett. After a moment, it came to life.

"Hackett here." he said with a yawn. He sounded like he'd just woken up. "Tell me who the hell this is so I can court-marshal your ass in the morning."

"Admiral, this is Commander Shepard, ASV Normandy." he replied hurriedly, trying to maintain his calm. "Sir, I've just gotten intel that Sovereign and what remains of the heretic Geth fleet are about to launch and assault on the Citadel itself. The CDF doesn't stand a chance in hell of stopping them, and if they break through, the whole damn galaxy goes up in flames. You need to get as many ships as you can to the Citadel ASAP, or we're all dead!"

"Is this a joke, Shepard?" growled the Admiral with a bit of anger in his voice. "Because if it is, it isn't funny."

"Damnit, Admiral! If I'm wrong about this, I'll help you choose the firing squad! You need to get going, now!"

"God almighty." he wheezed. "You're serious, aren't you? How long do I have?"

"An hour, maybe less, and every moment we spend talking is one less you've got to get there."

With a muffled curse, Hackett cut the line. Shepard took a few shaky breaths to steady himself before returning his gaze to the holographic Vigil.

"I assume Saren has a way to undo everything you did?"

"The one you call Saren will use the Conduit to bypass the Citadel's defenses. Once inside, he will transfer control of the station to Sovereign, who will override the Citadel's systems and manually open the Relay. If that happens, the cycle of extinction will begin anew. If you wish to stop him, you must make haste. There's a data file in my console. Take a copy and upload it to the Citadel's master control unit. It will override Sovereign's control of the Citadel and give you access to all its' systems."

"Time to leave!" exclaimed Shepard. "Tali, grab the file and let's go!"

"Shepard, wait!" said Liara. "Vigil is the only link we have to the Protheans, but even now its' signal is fading. Who knows how much we can learn from it?"

"Are you nuts?!" yelled Shepard. "The entire galaxy's riding on this! Now move!"

"The one called Saren has not yet activated the Conduit." called Vigil as they left. "There is still hope if you hurry."

As the trio rode the elevator back to their waiting vehicle, their nerves began to show.

"John, there are millions of people on the Citadel." said Tali. "What about them?"

"We can't worry about them right now." he replied with a shake of his head. "If Sovereign gets through, they're dead anyways, and there isn't time for an evacuation. Even if we warn them, all it'll do is cause a panic."

"Then we should at least warn the Council." said Liara. "They can close the station's arms, possibly even evacuate."

Shepard let out a low growl. "As tempted as I am to let those idiots burn, you're right. Besides, I can't leave Shala there with the rest of them." His face fell, and he let out a low sigh. "I just hope mom already made it off OK."

Shepard pulled up his omnitool and attempted to put a call through to the Quarian Councilor. After several agonizingly long seconds, she answered.

"Johnathan? What's this about? You know you shouldn't be talking to me." she scolded.

"Councilor Raan, there's no time to explain. Sovereign and the heretic Geth are about to launch an assault on the Citadel. I've already contacted Admiral Hackett, and he's scrambling an Alliance fleet as we speak, but he won't get there in time. You need to close the station's arms and evacuate."

"Are you mad?" she asked incredulously. "Do you have any proof of these claims?"

"Auntie Raan!" interjected Tali. "Please, Auntie, listen to him. Saren's found a way to bypass the Citadel's defenses, and he's about to attack the station with an army of Geth. You need to get out of there!" she pleaded.

"Tali? Where are you? Are you sure about all this? How can you be certain?"

"Shala, I'm going to try to stop Saren, but I can't promise I'll succeed." said Shepard rapidly. "Failing that, I'll be half a step behind him in coming to the station myself." The door to the elevator opened, and the three hurried to the MIAFV. "When this is over, I'll answer all your questions. For now, just trust me on this. There's no time!"

The com link cut off just as the tank's rear hatch closed, and Shepard clambered into his seat in the rear turret. Even as he did, the force-field in front of the vehicle vanished.

"Ash, step on it, and don't slow down for anything!" ordered Shepard. "We need to haul ass! Liara, keep the barriers up, no matter what!"

Hearing the seriousness in his voice, both women complied wordlessly. The tank lurched forward and accelerated to an almost breakneck pace. Less than a hundred meters ahead, the path dipped sharply and began to wind and twist. Whereas there'd been no Geth to stop them before, there was an almost continuous stream of them in the way now. Ashley navigated the sharp bends in the road with expert skill, and began ramming her way through barricades and over rubble as they progressed. Shepard and Wrex sent out an almost continuous stream of fire from their respective turrets, obliterating platforms and walkers alike. Even so, dozens of rounds began to pepper the speeding tank, and Liara struggled to maintain the barrier around it. After nearly fifteen harrowing minutes of rolling firefight, the tank topped one final rise, and a harsh blue light appeared ahead.

"There!" said Liara, trying to catch her breath. "That must be the Conduit! Saren must've used it already!"

"It's still open! We can still catch him!" yelled Shepard, picking off yet another Geth platform.

Ashley plowed ahead, ramming through two different barriers and Geth blockades. The volume of fire from the synthetics eventually overwhelmed Liara's barrier, and she began panting heavily as rounds and rockets slammed into the MIAFV's shields. Dozens of Geth surrounded the miniature Mass Relay, and it began to flicker fitfully as the tank drew near. A few seconds away from it, Ashley let out an excited final hoot just before they entered the Conduit.

"Put your head between your legs and kiss your ass GOODBYE!"

Author notes: I've got the next (and last) chapter ready and waiting to go. I'll try to upload it as close to noon EST tomorrow as I can, so be sure to tune in.

I also wanted to say that I'm thrilled the story has raced past one hundred reviews. I was going to post an edit about it, but considering it happened while the most recent "chapter" was my Author Alert, it didn't seem right. In light of that, here's the announcement. I just want to say thank you to everyone who reads.

P.S.: If you'd like to review, but FanFics system won't let you (b/c you already reviewed the Author Alert), I'm not sure there's a way around that. The best I can suggest is that you review a different chapter, and annotate it for this one.