It's Been a Long Journey
To: Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay
From: Tali'Zorah vas Normandy
I hope this message finds you well, Shala'Raan.
I'm here on the Normandy, and I wanted to let you know that we are near the end of our mission. We've just plotted a course for the Omega-4 Relay, and we will be passing through it in about two hours. There is no guarantee that we'll make it back. No ship has ever done so. I know this may worry you, and it isn't my intention to cause you grief, but there's something important I need to tell you, in case I don't make it back.
I know that the other admirals have been in discussion on whether our people should attempt to retake the homeworld, or focus on colonizing a new world. Han'Gerrel wants the homeworld, but he believes war is the only way to get it back. Zaal'Koris wants peace with the geth, but he believes that can only be achieved by abandoning our world. And Daro'Xen… I don't know what she wants.
None of these views are correct. We don't have to choose between the homeworld and peace. We can have both. I know this, because I have communicated with a geth. It currently resides within the same ship I call home.
While speaking to it, I've learned a great deal about them. I learned that they don't hate organics, or even hold a grudge against us. The geth that attacked the Citadel were of a different faction that had broken off from the geth behind the Veil, where our world is.
I've also learned that they do not inhabit our world, or even use it for resources. They only act as its caretakers. I intended to communicate with the rest of its kind after this mission, and learn how we could be allowed back to our homeworld. But like I said, it's possible I may not make it back. That is why I'm telling you all this. This information is too important to be lost with me. The Admiralty and the Conclave need to know this before they make any decisions.
I suspect that the other admirals will dismiss this message and ignore me. I understand how absurd my words must seem. However, I couldn't go into this mission without sharing what I learned. This mission has been referred to as a suicide mission by much of the crew, and it probably will be. It's likely we won't survive.
I hope it doesn't come to that. I hope we return, victorious and safe. I hope that I get to see you again, one day. And I hope most of all, that our people can return to our homeworld, Rannoch, without war.
It feels like there's more I should say, but I don't know what else I can say, and I want to make the most of the time I have left. These two hours may be my final, and I wish to spend them with Shepard vas Normandy—my captain, my love.
Keelah'selai.
. . .
"We'll be there in about thirty minutes," Shepard said, after glancing at the holographic clock next to the bed. "I suppose we should start getting ready."
Tali sighed quietly from Shepard's words. She had been anticipating them—dreading them—for some time now. She didn't want to be reminded that this moment was fleeting. She wished it could go on forever. She was afraid for it to end.
The two of them were in their quarters, lying together in bed, tightly embraced in one another's arms. Neither felt anything against their skin except the sheets of the bed, and the warm skin of the other. They had recently made love together. Potentially, for the last time. And they both knew it.
A full minute passed before Tali responded to Shepard's words.
"I'm afraid of the mission," she said, quietly and with some hesitation. She sounded distant and pensive. Shepard turned his head to look at her directly, and anticipated for her to elaborate. She added, "This is the first time that I've ever been afraid to die."
She quickly licked her dry lips, and thought momentarily on how to continue explaining what she now felt. "I've never been afraid to die before. I know people often like to say things like that, however… do you remember on Freedom's Progress, when you saved me from that heavy mech?"
"Of course," Shepard answered, attentively looking at her.
"At the time, I believed—I knew—it was going to kill me… there was no way I was going to survive. But as I looked on at it, knowing that was my final moment of life, I realized I wasn't afraid. I didn't care."
She paused briefly, and continued, "I had no reason to care. I knew that you would always be gone, my people would never have a home, and the Reapers would one day return and kill me, anyway, along with everybody else. Ever since my pilgrimage ended, that is how I had felt every day. I had no reason to live… I had nothing to live for."
She nestled in closer against Shepard, wanting to feel as much his body's warmth as possible. Shepard instinctively tightened his arms around her, holding her firmly. She continued, "But it's not like that at all now. I have so much to live for… so much I want to live to see. So much…
"I want to see the Reapers defeated. I want to see us continue to share our lives together. I want to see my people return home. I want…," she paused, her voice now very poignant, "I want us to live on that house by the ocean, where we can listen to that beautiful noise it makes, as we fall asleep in each other's arms, every night."
Shepard's heart ached as he listened to her. He wanted so much to comfort her, and alleviate her concern, but he didn't even know how. Hearing her, he realized that he felt the same way she did. He wanted everything she wanted, and was also concerned about the low survival odds of the upcoming mission.
Should I try and tell her that? Should I tell her I feel the same way she does, and let her know she's not alone?
But Shepard also knew the importance of keeping morale up. It was critical for a commanding officer to inspire confidence in everyone under his command. Showing any fear could so easily shatter morale. Telling her he shared her concern could potentially make things worse.
Should I tell her that we will be triumphant? Tell her that we'll all be alright, and give her hope? False hope is better than no hope at all. But she's smart—would she even believe me?
Ultimately, Shepard decided to just open his mouth, and speak, with no plan for his words. He didn't know what he would say, but he hoped the right words would simply flow out of him, as they had done so many times before.
"I understand how you feel, Tali," he said. "I know what it's like to not fear death, because you feel you have nothing to live for. That's how I spent most of my life.
"I had been in the Alliance for eleven years before I met you, and during that time, I fought in many battles and been close to death more times than I want to remember. And in all that time, I was always fighting for somebody else—I fought because I was told to do so. If I survived, my reward would be a pat on the head and the promise of another battle at some future time.
"All those years… I had never truly lived. I merely survived. That was my entire existence. I thought it was fine; that it was as good as life could be. But it all changed when I found you, and I learned how beautiful life can truly be.
"The most important part of our work to stop the Reapers will always be to ensure life throughout the galaxy, and we can't ever forget what's at stake. But ultimately, what makes this fight personal for me—what always reminds me that I can't give up—is knowing that it's the only way I'll earn the right to continue living with you, and sharing my life with you."
He hesitated briefly. "I'm afraid, too, Tali," he finally admitted. "Just like you, I have so much I want to live for, now. But when we're battling the Collectors, I intend to harness these same feelings that give me fear. I won't fight the Collectors, fearing death. I will fight them, wanting life."
Shepard looked right into Tali's deep, gazing eyes. His own eyes were gentle, yet as sincere as she had ever seen. He smiled warmly at her, and said, "We're going to win, Tali. We're going in with the most advanced ship in the galaxy; with the best team that could possibly be assembled."
Tali placed her hand on Shepard's cheek, and whispered, "And we have the best leader we could ever ask for..." She leaned in, and pressed her lips with his.
. . .
With a loud, explosive thud, Shepard's Widow anti-material rifle shot at the Harbinger-controlled Collector, who stood mere feet in front of Shepard's cover. Between its biotic barrier and armor, the shot proved to be non-lethal, and Harbinger still stood, though momentarily stunned.
Shepard leaped over his cover, holding the 86lbs weapon high over his right shoulder, and with a loud grunt he swung it fiercely against the side of the possessed Collector's head. The mighty impact dropped it to the ground, and before it could even attempt to stand, Shepard stood before it. He bashed down upon its head with the butt of his weapon; once, twice, three times. The chitin of the its head crunched and snapped from the fierce blows, utterly concaving from the third and final attack. It lay motionless on the floor, and the bright, yellow light emanating from the fissures throughout its body faded.
"Assume control of that, you piece of shit," Shepard said in a low growl.
Shepard yanked the weapon out of the Collector's head, and secured it to his back. Shepard had a small, satisfied smirk as he wiped off the droplets of pale-green blood that had sprinkled onto his face.
"Looks like that's all of them," Shepard said as he turned to the rest of his team, noticing that no more hovering platforms were en route to their location. The others approached him, as they also secured their weapons.
"As long as the others can keep the bastards of our backs," Zaeed commented.
"We'll be fine," Shepard said. "The team can hold that position all day if they have to."
"As confident as I am in their ability," Tali said, "I'd rather not put them to the test for too long. We should keep moving and see where those tubes lead."
"Agreed. Let's keep pushing," Shepard said, and the three walked to the final hover-platform, at the end of the cluster of platforms.
They were in a large area, deep within the massive Collector Base. All throughout the cavern around them were numerous tubes of varying sizes, all leading through an opening into an even larger chamber. Off to their left was another opening, a type of window, that allowed for a view of the space beyond. In the distance beyond it could be seen the intensely bright, pale yellow accretion disc of a great black hole; an infinitely black marble, surrounded by the brightly glowing gas and dust that spiraled it.
Once on the platform, Shepard stood before its control panel and entered the commands for it to take them to the awaiting chamber, where all the pipes lead; the same pipes that transported the liquefied organic material of the Horizon colonists, and countless others before them. Fortunately, at least, the captured crew of the Normandy had been spared of that fate, when they were rescued some time ago.
Shepard and his team had arrived at the Collector Base only a couple hours ago. From the moment they passed through the Omega-4 Relay, they nearly faced destruction. They narrowly avoided catastrophic impacts from Tartarus Debris Field, which contained wreckage of the countless ships that had come before them. They managed to evade and destroy the fast, precise Oculus drones that had stood guard for millennia. And finally, they had battled the Collector Ship itself; the same one that had wreaked so much havoc upon them in the past. With its destruction, the Normandy had vindicated its predecessor.
The aftermath of the battle with the Collector Ship left them crash-landed upon the exterior of the massive Collector Base. After discussing their plan of attack within the damaged confines of their ship, specialists were assigned and the group broke off into two separate teams.
The moment that it was decided that they would need to form two teams, Shepard instantly knew who he wanted to lead the other: Garrus. His long time turian friend and companion, Shepard had long respected both Garrus' combat skill and ability to lead. Silently, Shepard had had always thought to himself that if anything ever happened to him, he'd want Garrus to be the one to continue leading the team in their fight against the Reapers.
Shepard's confidence in Garrus' ability was not misplaced. During their entire fight progressing through the base, Garrus was repeatedly able to keep everyone under his command alive and well. And only moments ago, when Shepard needed to decide who to take with him deeper into the base, and by extension who to leave behind to defend their rear, Shepard knew that as much as he would have liked Garrus at his side for whatever waited ahead, his ability and skill would be put to better use leading the defending team.
For his own team, Shepard once again chose Tali to come along with him. Logically, he told himself a tech expert could prove invaluable within the heart of the Collector Base. There could be locked doors beyond, or maybe machinery that needed to be disabled. But deep down, Shepard knew that the real reason he chose her was out of concern for her safety. He felt that if she were nearby, where he had control of the situation, he could keep her safe.
He had also chosen to bring Zaeed. Throughout their mission, he had noticed that Zaeed had perhaps the highest morale of all. Shepard didn't know if it was because his decades of violent battles had left him desensitized to the point where the near palpable evil present within the station barely made him flinch, or if it was the simple fact that he was once again battling with his beloved Jessie. Or maybe, he was just a man with no fear of dying; no attachments or loved ones for him to worry about losing. Shepard didn't know the exact reason for Zaeed's particularly stellar performance on this mission, maybe it was a culmination of everything, but it ultimately didn't matter.
The hover-platform shook lightly as it initiated, and with a familiar high-pitched, winding sound, it ascended from the cluster of platforms and flew forward, toward the opening that lead to the awaiting chamber, where all the pipes went.
They passed the threshold, and into view came something unlike anything and of them had ever seen before; their eyes fixed on it, as they stared with shock, horror, and even awe. Suspended in the air by a network of tubes and wires, was a monstrosity; a human Reaper, in the process of being created. Far from completion, it resembled the skeleton of a human that had been severed below the waist. It was made from a dark grey, yet highly lustrous, metallic appearing material.
The platform slowed and connected to a structure of other platforms, right before the enormous abomination. Although it was lifeless and unmoving, the three of them shared the eerie sensation that it was staring at them, with its bright orange eyes, as if aware of their presence.
Shepard proceeded to speak with EDI, and she provided analysis and some hypotheses about the creature. Even while listening to EDI, Shepard couldn't stop staring at it.
"I knew it was a good idea to bring a nuke," Shepard commented as he thought about how they could destroy it, referring to the M-920 Cain strapped to his back. Although not technically a nuclear weapon, the immense explosion it was capable of generating was enough to justify the nickname.
"Use of the M-920 Cain is not necessary, Shepard," EDI said. "The large tubes injecting the fluid are a weak structure link. Destroying them should cause the supports to collapse, and the Reaper to fall."
Just then, they heard the familiar, pulsating winding sound that hover-platforms generated. Collectors were on their way.
"Incoming!" Shepard said loudly, "Get ready!" They jumped behind cover, and in mere seconds the area was filled with the roaring of gunfire and zipping of bullets.
As Tali and Zaeed focused on the Collectors, Shepard pulled out his anti-material rifle so as to destroy the feeding tubes. He aimed, fired, and in an instant an entire tube shattered into a falling hodgepodge of shattered glass, metal, and organic fluid. He ejected his thermal clip, and repeated the attack on another one.
One by one, the four tubes exploded and shattered to pieces. By the time the final Collector died, only one tube remained. It too was destroyed, and just as EDI predicted, the remaining supports were too weak to keep the Reaper's massive body suspended. To the sound of twisting and buckling metal, the entire thing collapsed, falling into the vast pit below them.
When the chaos of the Reaper's collapse ended, Shepard said into his communicator, "Shepard to ground team, status report!"
He received a response that they were well and holding, although the Collectors were unrelenting in their assault. Shepard instructed them, "Head to the Normandy," and then said to Joker, "Joker, prep the engines. I'm about to overload this place and blow it sky high."
"Roger that, Commander," Joker responded.
Shepard then kneeled in front of the nearby reactor control panel, and was preparing to sabotage it, when a call came in from Joker. "Commander, I've got an incoming signal from the Illusive Man. EDI's patching it through."
Tali typed into her omni-tool, and a live holographic transmission of the Illusive Man projected from it.
"Shepard, you've done the impossible," the Illusive Man said.
"I didn't do it alone," Shepard replied, making no effort to hide that he wasn't interested in speaking with Cerberus' leader. "I'm part of a team, and none of this would have been possible without them."
"I'm looking at the schematics EDI uploaded," the Illusive Man sad, unusually eager to get to the point, "A timed radiation pulse would kill the remaining Collectors, but leave the machinery and technology intact. This is our chance, Shepard. They were building a Reaper—that knowledge, that framework, can save us."
"Forget it," Shepard immediately responded, as he stood up from the reactor's access panel and faced the Illusive Man's projection. "This base is an abomination. It liquefied people while they were still alive. It turned them into something horrible. We need to destroy it."
"Don't be shortsighted. Our best chance against the Reapers is to turn their own resources against them. That base is a gift, we can't destroy it," the Illusive Man urged, showing a rare glimpse of emotion in his words.
"Yeah, it's a gift," Shepard said sarcastically. "So was the wooden horse the Trojans decided to keep. This base is too dangerous, who knows what might be unleashed from it. What's to stop you from trying to build your own Reaper? How many millions would you sacrifice for that? What if you can't control the technology here? Forget it—I'm destroying it. We'll fight and win without it."
"Shepard, think about what's at stake!" the Illusive Man exclaimed, now making no attempt at hiding his frustration and desperation, "Think about everything Cerberus has done for you. You—"
Shepard did a dismissing motion with his hand as he turned back toward the reactor control panel, and Tali shut off the transmission. She took great pleasure in cutting off Cerberus' leader; this was actually the first time she had seen him.
"I think you did the right thing, Shepard," Tali said. "It wouldn't feel right using this place after everything we've gone through."
Shepard tampered with the control panel shortly, then turned to look at Tali, and said, "Remember when you offered to loan me a grenade, to blow up Cerberus? How about one to blow up the Collectors, instead?"
Tali laughed, and reached into one of her pockets, pulling out a disc-shaped grenade. She handed it to him, and he dropped it into the control rod of the reactor. After typing some commands, he stood up and said, "Let's move. We have ten minutes before the reactor overloads and—"
At that moment, the platform they stood on began to shake violently, nearly causing them to lose their balance. A loud, mechanical shriek filled the air, and before them emerged a massive, robotic arm that extended high into the air, before slamming down onto the cluster of platforms where they stood. And then, like a great demon ascending straight from Hell, appeared the head of the human Reaper they thought destroyed. It stared at them with its intense, piercing orange eyes. Its other arm also reached high above, and came down before them.
"Uh… orders, Captain?" Tali muttered, keeping her eyes fixed upon the monstrosity.
"I say we get the hell out of here…" Zaeed said, also staring at the awoken monster in awe, instinctively backing away slightly.
Just then, the Reaper opened its mouth and a type of orange energy started to gather within it. It was preparing an attack.
"Take cover!" Shepard yelled, and as they dropped behind some nearby cover, a large barrage of energy bombarded the area before them. Shepard reached behind his back, and grabbed hold of his M-920 Cain. Lugging the heavy piece of equipment for the entire mission was finally going to pay off.
"Shoot the eyes," Shepard ordered the others, "keep it distracted, while I charge the nuke!"
The others pulled out their weapons and began to shoot at the Reaper from behind their cover. Its eyes were a noticeably weak point, and bright fluid splash and poured out of them as they were damaged.
Shepard aimed the nuke launcher, and squeezed its trigger. With a gradually increasing winding noise, the nuke began to vibrate, and flashes of light began to emerge from the end of its barrel as it prepared to launch its devastating payload.
Orange energy once again started to gather at the Reaper's mouth, indicating it too was preparing its primary weapon. "It's going to fire again!" Tali yelled as she got back down behind her cover, "Shepard, get down!"
Shepard ignored her, and kept powering the Cain.
The Reaper was on the brink of unleashing another barrage, when the Cain finally launched its projectile. In an instant, it impacted the great machine; right in the opening of its mouth, where it had been preparing its own attack. An immense explosion erupted within the Reaper's head. Shepard instinctively looked away, and held his breath to avoid burning his lungs with superheated air. The lower half of the Reaper's head burst and shattered to thousands of metal fragments that came pouring down. The sound of metal bending, grinding, and crashing followed the loud explosion, as the Reaper's head collapsed.
The others got up from their cover and looked at the carnage of the dying Reaper. Just then, it slammed down on the platform in its death throes. The entire platform bent and tilted at a steep angle. Both Shepard and Zaeed managed to get some sure footing on one of the unaffected, connecting platforms, but Tali was not so lucky. She lost her balance and fell, and went sliding down, in the direction of the falling Reaper.
Since they had arrived on the Collector Base, Shepard had seen many horrific things. Countless waves of Collectors and husks, humans liquidized alive by nanomachines, torrents of seeker swarms, an embryonic Reaper… but none of it brought him as much terror as watching the purple-draped quarian he loved, sliding away to her death. It was the most frightening sight he had ever seen.
In the immeasurably small split second it took him to react, his mind flashed backed to Tali's words from just a few hours ago, recalling her entire phrase in an instant moment of time.
"I have so much to live for… so much I want to live to see. So much..."
"NO!" Shepard yelled as he dived forward, in pursuit of her. He noticed a fixture at the end of the platform he could grab to keep from falling off himself, but his eyes immediately locked on Tali. He watched in terror as he saw her sliding away, kicking down with her feet while her arms flailed, desperately trying to grab onto something—anything—in a futile attempt to preserve her life. Her body language was of a panicked person, which heart-wrenchingly communicated to Shepard how much she wanted to live.
"I want to see the Reapers defeated. I want to see us continue to share our lives together. I want to see my people return home."
As she looked up, and saw Shepard sliding toward her, Tali extended one arm while her other three limbs kept threshing about, trying to clutch at anything that could prevent her fall. Had Shepard's mind not already been overwhelmed, he would have found the gesture particularly heartbreaking; he would have noticed the symbolic significance of her reaching out for him, putting her faith in him. If she perished, the image of her outstretched arm would be burned into his mind, and haunt him for the rest of his life.
She was on the brink of falling off the edge, and just then, Shepard's mind realized with absolute certainty what he most dreaded: he wasn't going to reach her in time. She was going to slide off the edge, and be lost forever. The seconds that remained before she plummeted were the longest of Shepard's life. He kept swinging for her hand, but the mere inches that separated them may as well have been light-years.
She slid off the edge, and all but her extended, sinking hand disappeared from view. Resisting the temptation of the most cowardly act of his life—to close his eyes—with one last act of defiance and desperation, Shepard threw forth his arm with all his might.
"I want us to live on that house by the ocean, where we can listen to that beautiful noise it makes, as we fall asleep in each other's arms, every night."
He felt his hand impact something, and in possibly the fastest reaction of his life, he gripped as tightly as he could. What followed was the greatest sensation of relief he had ever felt: there was a sudden jolt of weight. He had grabbed her. The thin, soft object he gripped in his hand was her wrist. She lived.
With his other hand tightly grabbing onto the nearby fixture, and his own body nearly over the edge, he held Tali's dangling body from the falling to the great abyss below them, where the mangled, flaming corpse of the Reaper awaited.
Shepard grunted, and curled his arm upwards, lifting her up sufficiently so she could grab the edge and pull herself up. Just as they were climbing back onto the platform, the Reaper's corpse below finally exploded, and the shockwave violently shook the platform, tilting it in the other direction. Shepard and Tali went tumbling down, eventually landing on one of the stationary platforms, where Zaeed awaited. And then, after a sudden collision by a rampant hovering platform, everything went black.
. . .
"Shepard! Shepard, wake up!"
Shepard awoke to Tali's voice, and the feel of her hand rapidly tapping his face. His vision was a blurry mess, but Tali's purple faceplate quickly came into focus above him.
"Oh good... quarians and humans go to the same heaven," Shepard mumbled with a groan and slowly got up, still dazed from the crash. He noticed they were on solid ground.
"Zaeed's hurt!" Tali quickly informed.
"Zaeed's here?" Shepard said as he quickly shook his head from side to side, ending his lightheaded and dazed state. "Damn—we were sent to Hell."
"Quit joking around, and get this goddamn thing off my leg!" Zaeed yelled from where he lay nearby, groaning in pain.
Shepard approached and saw the grotesque sight of Zaeed's lower leg bent at an angle it should have been incapable of being in. The bone had been utterly snapped. A large metal beam rested on top of him, at the point of the break.
Shepard immediately gripped the beam with both arms, lifted it, and tossed it aside. He then gave Zaeed an application of medi-gel. The miracle compound was incapable healing his shattered bones, but its anesthetic properties could at least relieve the pain. He then helped Zaeed up, and put his arm round his back so that Zaeed could lean against him with his arm around Shepard's shoulders, as he stood on his one good foot.
"Tali, call the Normandy. Get a status report," Shepard said.
"Normandy, this is Tali'Zorah," she said, speaking into her communicator. "What's your status? Shepard and I are fine, but Zaeed's injured."
"There you are! Everyone is aboard, we're just waiting on you guys," Joker responded.
"Alright, let's get out of h—" Shepard began to say, when he noticed Collectors some distance away, approaching their position. "Shit. We gotta go, now!"
As Shepard moved in a semi-run, still helping Zaeed, who was hopping along on one foot and using Shepard as a support, Tali summoned her combat drone, Chiktikka, and ordered it to approach the Collectors. They were still a distance away, but hopefully it could slow them down even more so. She then went running as well, quickly catching up to slow-moving duo.
"Tali, go on ahead! We're right behind you," Shepard instructed.
"No, I'm not leaving you guys behind! Those Collectors will catch up soon!"
"There's no time to argue," Shepard responded, "Go on ahead. Make sure the path is clear." He suspected there was nothing ahead, but he knew that giving her a specific reason to go on ahead would be the best way to get her to agree.
After a hesitation, Tali said, "Alright, but I'm not going to go too far. You better call me if those Collectors get within shooting range."
"Alright. Go!" Shepard ordered, and Tali started running at a faster pace, quickly making distance between herself, and Shepard and Zaeed. She soon turned a corner, and was out of sight.
The two men continued in their awkward, slowed pace for a while longer, when Zaeed suddenly let go of Shepard and dropped himself to the ground. With his one good leg, he scooted himself behind some cover.
"Zaeed, what are you doing?" Shepard immediately asked, turning to him.
"Those Collectors will reach us any moment. We'll never make it. You go on ahead." Zaeed said as he grabbed Jessie from his back.
"I'm not leaving you behind! Come on, I'll carry you." Shepard said, approaching Zaeed so as to help him up.
Zaeed immediately pointed Jessie at Shepard and shouted, "Don't you goddamn touch me. I'm not going to let you get yourself killed, carrying my crippled ass. You damn well know you'll never make it. Go. Get out of here. Go take care of your woman. This is what I want—to die a big, goddamn hero, with Jessie."
Shepard hesitated for a moment, and Zaeed once again yelled, "Get the hell out of here before I shoot you myself!" He again pointed Jessie at Shepard, although it was clear it was an empty threat.
After one last hesitation, Shepard gave him a smile, and said, "Thank you, Zaeed. I won't forget this. Good luck, you crazy son of a bitch."
"Go! They're almost here!" Zaeed yelled one last time, and positioned himself over his cover to attack the approaching Collectors.
Shepard took off, running in the direction Tali had gone. After a few seconds, he could hear the sounds of shots being exchanged behind him, echoing within the tunnel he ran in. But even among the roaring gunfire, he could hear Zaeed's taunts and shouts of obscenities at the Collector forces he was engaging. At one point, before all the sound Shepard could hear faded, he even heard an echoing cackle of laughter.
After a distance, Shepard turned another corner, and saw Tali approaching his direction; obviously, she had grown worried and decided to turn back. Shepard waved his arm forward a few times, gesturing her to keep moving ahead. She turned and kept running. With her much lighter frame, lesser amount of equipment, and proportionally more powerful legs, she achieved a greater speed and once again, this time unknowingly, put significant distance between herself and Shepard.
Off in the distance, beyond the cliff they were approaching, appeared a majestic sight: The white and black hull of the Normandy. It ascended seemingly out of nowhere, and hovered near a hover-platform at the edge of the cliff. The airlock opened, and Joker appeared, holding an assault rifle in his hands.
Tali reached the hover-platform, and effortlessly jumped into the airlock. She turned around and just then noticed how far Shepard was. She hadn't realized how much faster she had been running than him. As she looked on at Shepard approaching, she wondered what had happened to Zaeed. It was obvious he hadn't made it—she concluded he likely died along the way. She would have taken a moment to mourn him, if still not so concerned over Shepard.
Suddenly, a massive metal beam fell from above, startling both her and Joker as it smashed onto and knocked away the hovering platform that allowed the easy leap into the airlock. She grew terrified as she looked at the great distance that now existed between the airlock door and the cliff. It seemed too far for Shepard to jump.
Shit. Shit! Shepard thought to himself as he saw the platform knocked away. I'll never make it! I'm too fucking heavy! Unless…
With that thought, and while rapidly approaching the edge of the cliff, Shepard intensified his breathing and reached behind his back; he unattached his very heavy Widow rifle. It dropped with a noticeable thud behind him. Then his assault rifle. Then his shotgun. And finally, even his pistol. The Cain had been lost earlier during the chaos of the Reaper's death.
Just as the final weapon dropped to the ground, and he was the lightest he could possibly be, he had reached the edge. With the mightiest push he could summon from his leg, he leaped forward, flying over the chasm, arms swaying in the air to keep his balance.
His arms slammed against the floor of the airlock at the same time as his chest impacted the edge. Even with his body armor, the impact of the blow against his chest knocked the air out of his lungs. He dangled from the side of the Normandy, but the hard, ablative material of his armor around his arms provided virtually no traction against the smooth metal of the airlock floor. He began to slide away, under the weight of his body.
Desperately, he began threshing his arms forward, attempting to clutch at anything available to prevent his fall. It was futile; he kept sliding away.
"I got you, Shepard!" Tali yelled, just as she grabbed one of his arms. With her left foot pressed firmly against the wall to the side of the airlock door, she pushed with her leg, using all her strength to help lift Shepard's weight.
Finally, lifted enough by Tali to get some proper leverage, Shepard helped pull himself up. From the momentum of their struggling, they both fell forward onto the floor. They breathed heavily together, and the door closed behind them.
"Keelah, you're heavy," Tali said between her breaths. "What happened to Zaeed?"
"Detonation in ten… nine… eight… " EDI announced overhead.
"I'll tell you when we're safe," Shepard answered as the two got up on their feet.
Joker limped to the Normandy's bridge and retook control of the ship, proceeding to maneuver it out of the doomed Collector Base. Shepard and Tali ran up behind him, and watched his display screen as the rock and metal of the base all around them disappeared, and into view came the open space of the galactic core.
The Normandy flew at high speed away from the crumbling superstation, and in seconds, the base vanished into an immense explosion. So great was the blast, that for a short period of time, it completely overshadowed even the massive accretion disc of the black hole in the background.
And now, having outran the explosion of the destroyed Collector Base, the entire team was finally able to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Their mission to stop the Collectors had been a success, and the Reapers were dealt another major blow. The joy of the victory was great, and the whole team had earned the right to both celebrate and rest.
But out in dark space, far beyond the edge of the galaxy, countless Reapers were still waiting; still threatening all life in the galaxy. The fight to stop them was far from over.
One chapter may have ended, but another one now awaited Shepard, Tali, and the entire crew of the Normandy.