Miranda opened her eyes, her entire body aching from all of the places her 'guard' had struck her. She glanced around, and saw another new guard. He had short silver hair, and said with a gravelly voice, "You're tough. Most people are crying after being put through having Stera guard them for a few hours."
"So, she does that to everyone?" Miranda asked.
"That bitch is psychotic. Always comes up with a different story for why she hates anyone who we capture." the man replied, running a synthetic hand through his hair. "But I don't know why you were taken. We usually stay away from pissing Commander Shepard off. We know what happened to all those mercs who didn't get the hint that she's too crazy to beat."
"Sarah isn't crazy." Miranda replied, "Just talented."
"I've seen what Shepard can do." he replied, "That bitch is crazy."
"She's not a bitch. She's a soldier who does what is necessary to get the job done."
"Sorry, I'll be sure not to piss you off. I don't want to even think what Stera is going to go through when Shepard finds out she did to you. It's not going to be pretty."
"Probably." Miranda asked. "Who are you people, why did you kidnap me?"
"Can't answer the first. Boss would kill me. As for why we kidnapped you, we were told to by a frequent client. So, we did as we were told."
"Who's this client?"
"Can't say. Even if I knew."
"Figures. How long am I going to be tied to this pillar?"
"Until Shepard meets whatever our demands are supposed to be."
"You don't seem very well informed."
"We're just to hold you until our client wants you delivered to a location we'll be told the day of the move."
"Why do you even do this?"
"Someone has to do it." he replied. "If not us, then someone else would get the credits."
"Figures. Could you at least loosen these bonds, I feel like I'm going to lose my hands because these are too tight."
"Nice try, but no. We have it at the ideal tightness. Any tighter and it would mess up blood flow, but at this you're definitely restrained."
-=0=-
Sarah opened her eyes, and saw Bryce and John standing over her. She nodded to her father, and said to Bryce, "Bryce. Where is he?"
"He is beyond your reach, Shepard." the man replied, "And even if he were not, you are not yet strong enough to defeat him without interference from a device such as the Conduit."
"Figures. When will I be ready to beat Halthas?"
"You are being impatient because of Miranda." Bryce replied.
"Do you know where she is?"
"Yes, but if you go after her without proper preparation he will beat you, and you will lose her forever." Bryce replied.
"Would you say the same if your daughter was in my position, and he was in the way?"
"Yes. If you let him get the upper hand, it may mean the end of the Lucis Entia."
"Always fretting about the Lucis Entia being destroyed." Sarah said. "But whatever. What do I need to do next?"
"Kaidan will explain it to you."
"Right, where is he?" Sarah asked, chuckling lightly as she thought of how Ashley and Kaidan had completely swapped their roles this time around.
"I will guide you to him." Bryce said.
Sarah nodded, and as she followed him, Bryce said, "There is one other matter that I wish to bring up to you without John listening in."
"What is it?"
"You may have to end Miranda's life once more. You may have to take actions to prevent the activation of synthesis. It cannot happen. If it does, all life as we know it will end, and a new life bon as slaves of the Leviathans will take its place. If you are not capable of making this sacrifice, I will destroy you utterly. Are we clear? You will cease to be."
"I won't sacrifice Miranda, but I also won't doom everyone to save her." Sarah replied, "I'll find a way to save both the Lucis Entia, and Miri."
"Good." Bryce said. "I do not want to have to slap reason back into you because of her demise."
"If she dies, I'm hoping right back up here to make sure she becomes like us. And, then I'll take her back with me."
"If only it were that easy." Bryce said.
-=0=-
Garrus sighed, as he leaned against a terminal in the main battery. 'How the hell did Shepard handle all of this?' He thought.
He heard the door open, and turned around to see Ashley walk in. "You okay, Garrus?"
"I'm beat, Ashley." he replied. "I have no clue how Shepard managed to do all this. Everyone has an issue that they want help with, and there's so little time to do it. I have no idea why Shepard dealt with all of us constantly asking her to help us fix our problems."
"Skipper cared a hell of a lot for her team." Ashley said. "And wanted to make sure that we were all in the ideal shape to handle whatever problems would come our way."
"Right." Garrus said, sighing. "It would be really nice if she were around now. And, even though she's not the nicest person, having Miranda around would definitely make things easier."
"Why?" Ashley asked. "Isn't she just the person Shepard's sleeping with?"
"She handled most of the paperwork done on the Normandy before her capture. So that would take care of some of the stuff I have to do now."
"Starting to regret not letting Jack take over now?"
"No, she's too crazy to run the Normandy." Garrus replied. "Just thinking I may have to hire a secretary to handle reports."
-=0=-
Sarah stepped into the room, and saw Kaidan sitting next to a fire. He opened one eye, and said, "Commander."
"Alenko." Jessica replied.
"I always thought you were acting weird after Feros. It's nice to know why. Who would have thought time travel is actually possible."
"Not many people." she replied, sitting down in the chair opposite to him. "So, how've you been with these guys?"
"I've been alright. Though they do strike me as a bit paranoid."
"Good. Any problem with me leaving you behind?"
"Nope. I was a right bastard to you in the future, from what they said. And, I suppose a bit after you came back. Sorry about that, Shepard."
"No problem. I suppose I shouldn't have tried picking a fight with a guy who with a team of seven managed to hold off practically an entire army of those batarian fuckers on Elysium."
"Not as impressive as killing four threshers on foot." Kaidan replied.
"Yeah." Sarah said, her voice trailing off, "I think that I'd have been able to take you if I still had the upgrades Miri gave me."
"Why do you care for her so much? You never struck me as the kind of person who would actually go to such extremes for someone just over their looks. And, beside that there isn't anything remarkable."
Sarah laughed, and said, "You clearly don't know my Miri." looking at the fire, smiling. "She might seem cold, uninterested, but if you ever manage to get her to open up to you, she's one of the warmest people you'll ever meet. She's got brains, she's got talent. And, if you see her when she's interacting with her little sister, you'll see someone who may do terrible things, but she does them to protect her family. She would sacrifice herself or her own happiness in a second for Oriana. It was when I first saw her talk to Ori that I started to fall for her."
"Why?"
"When she came back she was crying. And, then a moment later, she was smiling. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Sarah replied. "Then, after we were sent into a trap by the Illusive Man, she may have tried to defend him a little, but she was also so angry. Seeing that while she was loyal to Cerberus, she wasn't going to just accept nearly being sent to her death. It made me realize that I wanted to be there to protect her. To wipe away her tears, and make her smile like she did after talking to Ori. I wish I'd had more time with her, before she fell to her death. But, it wasn't the case."
"Well, you've been given a second chance to be with the woman you love." Kaidan said, "Don't waste it Shepard. You need to finish this training if you're going to save your girl."
"Right." she replied, "Let's do this. What's the next task?"
"The pathway of regret." Kaidan replied, "You will walk it until you have accepted your guilt over what happened in your past."
"Right." Sarah said walking towards the door which had just opened. "See you on the other side, Kaidan."
"Understood, Commander." he replied.
-=0=-
The Council examined the blueprints brought before them by a pair of techs, and Sparatus said, "This fits the design that Shepard mentioned."
"Indeed." Valern said, "We shall immediately begin production of this device. With the races working together on this and with full resources, it should only take a few weeks to construct."
"But why would it show up on the Citadel? We need to contact Shepard." Anderson said.
"You're right." Tevos said.
-=0=-
Garrus blinked open an eye, and asked, "What is it?"
"The Council want to talk to Shepard." Joker said, "I figured you'd be the best one to explain the situation to them."
"Got it. I'll be in the comms center in five." Garrus replied, walking towards the elevator. When he stepped into it, he saw Chambers dressed like a stripper. "What are you doing, Chambers?"
"Going to visit Samara." she replied.
"And she requested you to dress like that?"
"Of course not." Kelly replied, "I chose to. I mean, you've looked at Samara, right, Garrus?"
"Whatever." he replied, as Kelly left the elevator, and he hit the button for deck two.
-=0=-
Miranda opened her eyes to see a man dressed in black robes standing over her. "Who are you?"
"One who thought you would like to know that Shepard is not looking for you. That she has abandoned you to your fate."
"She's busy." Miranda replied.
"Yes, busy with Oriana in bed."
"Do you really expect me to believe that? Who are you?"
"You may call me the esse tenebrae."
"Why would I call you the Being of Darkness?"
He laughed, and said, "Your understanding of the Old Tongues is impressive."
"It's called Latin." Miranda replied.
"That is what it was called on your world. But it has been on every world where many of the Lucis Entia have been born. It is the language of the one who they call their king though he is little more than a tyrant."
"The Beings of Light are a myth." Miranda replied.
"Who do you think it was that restored your mind?" the esse tenebrae asked.
"Some unknown group with supernatural abilities." Miranda replied.
"The Lucis Entia are that group. They have kept the knowledge of their existence a secret because they are afraid. Afraid of what would happen if peace were formed. They fear that synthesis, the only potential source of peace, would destroy them, so they insist on a cycle of death and war."
"From what Sarah explained of synthesis, I would have to agree with their opposition. I'd rather not have my DNA raped." Miranda replied.
"Oh, you are so naive. Synthesis is freedom from the weakness of mortality. It is the heart of a power greater than either the Lucis Entia or the reapers."
"Are you trying to convince me that synthesis is good, or are you trying to convince yourself?" Miranda asked.
"I am trying to open your eyes to the future." he replied, "A world where the lines between man and machine have been completely eradicated, and all life is as one."
"What you are talking about is the death of the individual." Miranda replied, "You'd turn us all into geth for your 'ideal' future."
"I see you are as stubborn as Shepard. A shame, you would have made a valuable ally. I suppose then that the time will soon draw near where she will have to make a choice." He replied. "I had thought that you would have been quicker to believe she betrayed you. Before you would have. You truly are a different woman to who you were on the Lazarus Station."
"Yes." Miranda replied. "I'm a better woman now. Thanks to Sarah."
He shook his head, and said, "No, you are a weaker woman because of her. And, you are our prisoner because of her."
"What do you mean?"
"We took you because you are what matters most to Shepard. So that she will have to choose between saving you and bringing forth synthesis, or sacrificing you to prevent it."
"Sarah's a professional." Miranda replied, "She won't let her personal feelings make her betray everything she's ever stood for."
"You truly have became a naïve little girl since the station." the man said, disappearing.
-=0=-
Garrus stepped into the comms center, and asked, "You wanted to talk to Shepard?"
"Yes." Anderson said.
"There's a bit of a problem regarding her." Garrus said, nervously toying with his armor.
"How badly is she injured this time?" Sparatus asked.
"I don't think she's injured. She is no longer on the Normandy."
"WHAT!" Anderson said, "Why is she gone?"
"It is a bit complicated." Garrus replied. "And you'd probably not believe it."
"Just tell us what happened." Tevos said.
"We met John Shepard on Haestrom, where we had gone to pick up Tali."
"Wait, John Shepard? As in Sarah's father?" Anderson asked.
"Yes."
"That can't be right, he's been dead for ages."
"He was quite real, Anderson." Garrus replied. "After a brief conversation he took Sarah wit hm through a portal. We don't know where. Only that it was training that would help her rescue Miranda who was recently captured."
"Well, we found the Crucible schematics." Anderson said, "We wanted to talk to her about it."
"Just start building it." Garrus said, "We're going to need that to backtrack so that we are ready for the reapers when they arrive."
"We found it on the Citadel." Anderson said.
"It's a pre-prothean design. Probably whoever made the Citadel and the reapers designed it." Garrus said.
-=0=-
Sarah stepped down through the door on the far side of the path. She turned her head to and said, "How long was I in there?"
"A week," Bryce said, "it is good to see you have finished your ascension, Sister."
She nodded, and said, "I don't feel any different."
"You were nearly ascended when you came to this place. It is not a matter of feeling different. It is a matter of being different. You have finished the tasks. And now is the time for training. For a single day we shall teach you all that there is to know of being Lucis Entia. And, of how to use our powers. Only then shall you be ready to face Halthas, and save Miranda."
-=0=-
Miranda sighed, and asked, "How long have I been in here?"
"Nearly a week and a half." the guard said. "But don't worry. You'll have company soon."
"What? Who?" Miranda asked with concern.
"She'll be here in a bit." the guard replied. "So hold your horses, woman."
-=0=-
Garrus stepped up to Joker, and asked, "ETA to the Omega 4 relay?"
"We're about there." he replied.
"Good." the turian replied.
"You know," The pilot said, "you aren't fun anymore, Garrus. Did that stick manage to work its way back up your ass?"
"I just don't want to disappoint Shepard." he replied.
"You'll do fine." Joker replied.
-=0=-
Jack leaned back, and said, "So, Kasumi, you ready to kick some major fucking ass?"
The thief chuckled, and said, "You really shouldn't swear so much, Jack."
"Oh relax, Kas." The con replied. "You're as bad as those stuck up instructors at Grissom Academy."
"Really, Jack?" Kasumi asked, "That bad? I'm not charging you a credit every time you swear."
"True." Jack said. "Well, we should kit up. Don't want this to go to shit."
"Right." the thief replied.
-=0=-
Ashley and Jacob grabbed their firearms, and the Cerberus Agent said, "Ready to kick some ass, Ash?"
"You even need to ask?" The Gunnery Chief asked, as she picked up an N7 Typhoon assault rifle.
"Probably not." he replied, grabbing a pair of pistols, a pair of smgs, and a Mattock rifle.
-=0=-
Tali leaned back against a wall, as she grabbed her smg and shotgun. She then stepped out of her small quarters, and saw Thane walk past with a pair of pistols on his hips, and a sword on his back. "What's the sword for, Thane?" she asked.
He looked at her, and drew the blade. Then said, "This was given to me by my wife on our first anniversary. She called it her Aferath."
"What's an Aferath?"
"The first Aferath was the blade that the warrior angel Siha, loyal servant of the goddess Arashu, gave to her drell love. It was a symbol of her love for the drell woman, and a weapon that would grant its wielder the skill to defend themselves from any threat. For many years it was custom among the drell for wives to give their husband one on the first anniversary, in honor of Siha's great love for that one drell."
"What happened to that drell?" Tali asked tilting her head to the side, "The way you talk, it doesn't sound like it ended well."
"Another angel who had long lusted after Siha was jealous of the drell woman who had stolen her heart, and in the dark of night, when he believed none could see his actions, he slew her. The woman died in her sleep, not feeling a moment of pain, and unable to defend herself with Aferath."
"How tragic. What happened to this guy?"
"Siha slew him in a blind rage. When she was finally pulled away by Arashu herself, all that was left of him could not have been recognized as a corpse."
"That's... gruesome."
"Indeed." the drell replied.
-=0=-
Legion looked at EDI's terminal, and said, "We have come to understand your decision to be polite to the humans at your own inconvenience, and respect you for it. We wished to say this in case our platform is terminated."
"I appreciate the gesture, Legion." EDI replied. "But hopefully you will not be terminated."
"We believe that without Shepard-Commander and Lawson-Operative's skills that the probability of survival is quite low."
"Indeed." The unshackled AI said.
-=0=-
Samara nodded at Grunt as she and the Krogan walked into the communications center before the others. Both stood there waiting, as the ship shook with the movements of combat, both stood as if they barely noticed it. Their balance expertly shifting with the ship so that they were always vertical.
-=0=-
Mordin looked up from his experiment when the Normandy began to shake, and grabbed his smg and pistol, then returned to his work. Humming a song under his breath.
-=0=-
Zaeed grabbed two assault rifles, a rocket launcher, three smgs, two pistols, a sniper rifle, a shotgun, and plenty of thermal clips before stepping out of his quarters, and heading up the elevator, his blood already starting to pump with excitement for the coming battle.
-=0=-
Kaidan leaned back against a wall, and asked Bryce, "How long until we tell her?"
"When it is time for her to return."
"Right." he replied.
-=0=-
Miranda leaned against the wall, when Oriana was thrown in. "Ori!" she said.
"'Randa! They got you too?"
"They've had me for a while. Why'd they pick you up?"
"They said something about thinking you needing to see a friendly face if you're going to stay a viable bargaining tool."
"Figures." Miranda muttered. "I'm sorry I got you dragged into this, Ori."
"It isn't your fault, sis." Oriana said, as she was tied to a pillar opposite Miranda.
"It still doesn't change the fact that I feel terrible about this. I'm supposed to keep you safe, not get you kidnapped by these bastards."
"Hey, relax." Oriana replied, "Shepard'll get us out of here, just you wait."
"I'm not so sure that she'll be able to. One of these guys just lets off this aura of immense power."
"Relax, 'Randa."
"Right." Miranda said. "So how are you doing? Still having trouble with Danner?"
"Oh him? Nah, waaay over that."
"Why?"
"Let's just say that he reminded me a bit too much of our 'father'."
"I'm sorry, Ori. I thought he might actually be a good guy."
"It's no biggy. Plenty of other options in the galaxy."
"True. Do you have your eye on anyone at the moment?"
"Nope. Everyone at college is just boring."
"I remember feeling the same way about the people at the Cerberus academy. None of them could challenge me on an intellectual level, and none of them really did anything interesting. And, they were all horrible shots."
"So, did you sleep with any of them?"
"Of course not!" Miranda said. "Wait..." her voice trailing off. "You can't be Ori. She's in an isolated facility, not in college. This isn't real, is it?"
Oriana laughed, shifted into Halthas, and said, "You are quite the difficult one to deceive, Ms. Lawson."
"Halthas." she spat. "Why do you keep insisting on wasting your time trying to convert me to your cause?"
"Because Shepard would join us in an instant if you did."
"What makes you think that I wouldn't betray you for her?"
"You're more of a professional than that. While Shepard is hopelessly in love with you."
-=0=-
Garrus ducked behind cover, and shouted, "Thane, get to that terminal, we'll cover you!"
The drell nodded, and sprinted forward, firing on the enemy before reaching behind his back and drawing the blade. As it came out of its scabbard and connected with the enemy, the barriers did not rise, and the metal cut cleanly through the alien's flesh, giving Thane time to hit the terminal with his fist, opening the last part of the path for Legion.
-=0=-
Anderson leaned back in his office, watching some vid where giant robots were fighting each other. At the moment one was riding another that looked like a t-rex like a massive horse. He chuckled, as the absurd images flew across the screen. Then, the screen blanked out, and in the center of it was a picture of a man with grey hair. He said, "Councilor Anderson, we need to talk."
"Why'd you hack my screen? I was enjoying that vid."
"This is important."
"Who are you?"
"Bryce Cousland." he replied, "I have found information that reveals one of your people is working for the reapers. He is behind the abduction of Miranda Lawson."
"Who is it?"
"Donnel Udina."
"Udina? He may be a slippery bastard, but he'd never work with the reapers."
"He is not aware that it is the reapers he works for. You must arrest and interrogate him. Find out what he knows, so that you can use it against the reapers. And, find out who it is that he used to capture Ms. Lawson so Shepard can be informed of what she will be facing when she mounts a rescue."
"How can I know that you're trustworthy?"
"Because, Dave," John said, popping into the screen- looking exhausted, "I say you can."
"You're alive?" Anderson asked.
"Sorta." John replied, "But that isn't what's important. What is important is that our intel is good. Arrest Udina, interrogate him. Find out what you need to know."
"I'll be sure to do that." Anderson replied. "What are you people?"
"A concerned third party." John said, as he disappeared from the screen.
-=0=-
A Leviathan loomed over the Catalyst, and said, "Two of them have managed to contact people on the Citadel. Where are the barriers?"
"Terrorists have disabled them." The Catalsyt said, "And the Keepers have not yet managed to fix them."
"Hurry. We cannot allow them to interfere. We are so close to victory. To synthesis."
"I am aware. And then, I will be free, correct?"
"Yes." the Leviathan replied.
-=0=-
Garrus ducked behind cover, and said, "SHIT! How are we going to get to the center of the station if we're stuck here keeping these damn things away! We can't hold out like this forever!"
"Relax, Scars!" Jack said, "We'll just kill these damn things then move on."
"Not that simple." Mordin said, "Number of Collectors massive. Too many to handle."
"Mordin-Professor is correct." Legion said. "There are several thousand more hostiles waiting to approach, and..." Its words were lost, as a round pierced it, and it fell down.
"SHIT!" Tali said, "We've got to take these damn Collectors out!" but another round sent her to the ground, fire clinging to her suit.
The Collectors continued to fire, pinning the Normandy's crew behind cover. Hundreds of thousands of rounds flew through the air, and all of them were fired by the former protheans. Their cover began to dissipate from the immense amount of ammunition hitting it. Garrus peaked over for a second, and if he hadn't been wearing a helmet, he would have lost one of his horns.
"I knew we should've waited for Shepard." he muttered, as a round hit him through the cover.
-=0=-
A/N: mwahaha. Cliffhanger. You know the drill. Anyways, on to more exciting things. First off thanks for reading. Glad you enjoy Crucible Effect. Yes, I realize that the timeskip came out of nowhere, but I figured that was the best way to handle it. Next up will be some awesome shit. Anyways, second matter is, please go and check out my other fanfics. Beyond the Light and the Dark is an in-depth AU KotOR fic with a FRevan/Bastila romance, and a lot of other stuff. It is probably my best work. So please check that out, I think you'll all like it. And, the Revan/Bastila who Sarah talked to last chapter was the Revan/Bastila from that fic.
Meus Mundus is my first Mass Effect AU fanfic, and it has a lot of content in it. And will in about fifteen chapters or so probably, be an entirely AU ME3. You will get a lot of quality content if you can get past the weakness of the first few chapters.
And lastly Prime Effect is just a silly/fun one shot which is a crossover between Transformers Prime and ME3. (which Sarah also interacted with last chapter. She interacted with the characters of my other fics. As I needed something to fill the space.) It has a bit of action, a lot of comedy, and a romantic moment too. So, give that a looksie. It's not long, just 8k words.(So about 1.6 chapters of this.)
Now, the last order of business is, to thank every last person who has favorited by (pen)name. So, let's get this started. Thank you Blade of Iron, Chaszcz, Darth Dragmorr, Deathus, Gib311, GreenDemon95, Griffon2745, Jarick, KasumiCain, KeikoKairi, Lazerrider, LoveUAsheyy, Ravenxxx007, Reika18, Roisin556, SergiejYoski, Shaihulung, ShepardisaBOSS, Umbra8191, Vhizard, Winged Butterfly, Zimbolical, amazingkingxman, duke drake, etokles, hanky90, infinitestories, johnnyjr100, moxl99, and rivercocytus for favoriting. I greatly appreciate the support.