Shepard walked a few paces into her cabin and stopped, looking around. The room was dark, so it was obvious Liara had not chosen to join her...at least not yet, Shepard thought hopefully. The commander walked the rest of the way into the room and sat down at her desk. Flipping on the terminal, she started to compose a message to her mother, Captain Hanna Shepard, XO, SSV Kilimanjaro. Shepard wondered how in the world you explain to a career officer what would drive you to steal the Alliance's top frigate and go on the run for a mission that most people either don't know about or don't believe in. She decided it was impossible in the limited space of a short note, and settled for asking her mother to trust her honor, her devotion to duty, and her instincts; that should they be successful, the result would be self explanatory. If they did not succeed, Shepard would most likely be dead and not be the one to suffer the consequences, so she apologized for any discredit the powers-that-be may heap upon the Shepard name and any impact it may have on her mother's career. The most important thing Shepard regretted not being able to do in person was to let her mom know that she had found a semblance of peace. She had found someone to love, who loved her in return, who shared her burdens, and they had somehow found a bit of happiness even amidst the chaos.
Should the next mission go well, Shepard planned on taking leave and finding the Kilimanjaro. It had been too long since she had visited her mother, and she wanted to introduce her to Liara in the flesh, to give her mom the opportunity to meet the person who had come to mean so much to the young renegade Commander of the Normandy. She finished up with the standard love and miss you words, and finally closed out the note with her trademark 'Keeping the Faith' notation and hit the send key. She watched the system process it, and received a confirmation warning notice. No communications buoy currently in range. Message is queued and will be transmitted at earliest availability. Shepard sat back, staring at the warning on the screen, and wondered if they would survive long enough for the message to ever be sent. She reached up, turned the terminal off, and moved to lie on her bed. She stretched out on her back, fingers interlaced behind her head, and closed her eyes. Though there was no one to hear her, she spoke aloud anyway, "Well, shit. Wouldn't that just be the final kick in the pants."
Shepard was sleeping lightly when she awakened to the sound of her door opening. She glanced at her chrono and calculated they were still at least three hours out from the Mu Relay. She brought the room lights up on low, just enough to distinguish the shadowy figure framed against the lights in the hall. In a voice husky with sleep, she welcomed her visitor. "Blue. Come 'ere." Eyes adjusting to the low light, Liara sought out the source of the voice and found the commander, still in uniform and lying on top of her bed, and walked over. Though they had shopped on the Citadel and gotten her some new clothes, Liara was dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants borrowed from Samantha. As the Asari stretched out next to her, Sam turned the lights back out, smiled and kissed Liara gently before asking, "Have you slept at all?" With Liara's negative reply, Sam invited her to snuggle into her arms and get some shut eye. "You're on the ground with me when we get there...I need you rested." Liara took a deep breath and released it slowly before speaking, "Shepard, whatever happens on Ilos, I just wanted to say thank you. For everything." Shepard's eyes were already closing again as she replied groggily, "ahhh, my good Doctor. The pleasure has been all mine. Thank you for being my anchor and my compass though all this. Now, get some sleep so we can kick Saren's ass tomorrow." Samantha felt a gentle kiss on her cheek as she drifted back to sleep, content with the press of her incredible Blue against her side and an arm draped possessively across her abdomen.
The Bridge was full; every ground team member wanted to be present for the relay jump and to see what awaited them on the other side. For all its import, the Mu Relay looked like all the others in the galaxy, and as the Normandy approached the relay, the blue energy reached out and encompassed the ship, accelerated it along the path of the arms and launched the Normandy across space. While the relay's appearance may have been typical, what awaited them on the distant end was anything but routine. As they emerged, Joker voiced what everyone else saw, "ah, Commander? We've got company." The view showed multiple Geth warships orbiting the planet, seemingly in an attempt to create a blockade. Liara chimed in, her voice pitched with concern, "Have their sensors picked us up yet?"
Joker replied with his best sarcastic tone, "Stealth systems ARE engaged...unless we get close enough for a visual, they won't have any idea we're here." XO Pressley announced strange readings from the planet surface, and Shepard told Joker to take the Normandy down to the source of the signal. XO Pressley spoke again, "Negative on that, Commander. The nearest landing zone's two klicks away." Lieutenant Ashley Williams was standing in the back of the Bridge, arms crossed, staring at the planet. "We'll never make it on time on foot, give us something closer!" Pressley was adamant that there was no alternative landing zone, so Shepard directed the ground team to drop in the Mako, much to Pressley's dismay. He countered the Mako needed at least 100 meters of open terrain to pull off a drop, and the most available in the vicinity of the coordinates was only twenty meters. The argument between the team members continued, gradually getting so loud that no one other than Shepard initially heard Joker when he stated, "I can do it." The commander looked at him and loudly called his name in query, stopping all other conversation, "Joker?" Joker repeated himself, confident. Shepard paused only briefly before telling the ground team to gear up and head for the Mako, before instructing the pilot, "Joker! Drop us right on top of that bastard!"
True to his word, Joker delivered a precision drop with a perfectly timed stall to minimize all forward motion. The Mako dropped off the Normandy loading ramp and skidded to a halt at the opening to the underground facility, just as Saren slammed a huge stone entry door in their face. A quick check made it obvious they had to find a new way in, or at least find some way to power the door. Time was of the essence...they had to get in and catch up to Saren before he found the Conduit. Tali spoke up, "Saren found a way to open it. There must be some kind of security override somewhere in this complex." With no other option, the team turned and started working their way across the compound. With the door behind them, their twenty meter landing strip turned into a killing field, with Geth converging on their drop zone. Tali launched her attack drone and between Wrex and the commander leading the charge, the team quickly worked its way out into the main courtyard. Once there, however, things turned a bit more difficult when they discovered two Geth Armatures waiting for them. Fortunately, they had faced them before at Therum and Noveria, so they knew how to defeat them; they proved a time consuming obstacle, but not deadly. The courtyard was full of debris, making line-of-sight navigation difficult, so Shepard had to refer to an aerial map Pressley had provided them. After a quick peek, they were off again, headed toward their new objective.
Shepard commented that the Geth were not massing their defensive forces, instead allowing the team to make slow but steady progress. Wrex rumbled in response, "Of course, Shepard. They just need to slow us down to give Saren time. They don't need to stop us." As the commander realized the complete truth in Wrex's assessment, the team picked up the pace, literally running and gunning through the maze of pathways, moving as fast as they possibly could. After the two Armatures in the courtyard, most of the platforms were regular Geth troopers and assault drones, making their elimination relatively easy, especially with three strong biotics on the team. They moved through a second courtyard and were confronted by a Geth Destroyer and several troopers. The Destroyer proved to be no challenge, with Liara catching it in a singularity, which Shepard was more than happy to detonate with a warp, taking out a few of the troopers along with it. After passing through the courtyard, they discovered an operational elevator and climbed aboard. As they reached the elevator's destination, their scanners were jammed, so they knew the competition had just stepped up it a notch, with at a minimum of Geth hopper things, if not a Prime. It turned out to just be hoppers, easily cleared utilizing the team's biotics. After working their way through the Geth, they arrived at yet another elevator taking them even deeper into the complex. This time, when the doors opened, they found themselves at the entry to the main command center.
Garrus, Ashley and Pressley stood in the Command Information Center aboard the Normandy, anxiously monitoring the team's vitals when they suddenly winked out. Ashley immediately shouted, "What the hell? What happened? Pressley, get 'em back!" Pressley admitted he had no idea; perhaps they had just gone out of range, or the Geth had gotten a jammer in place, but there was nothing he could do. Ashley was livid, but could do nothing to change the fact that the ground team had just literally vanished off the scope. Garrus looked somber and spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, "You know what Shepard told us to do if this happened." He glanced around and saw nothing but indignant, angry faces, but none of them disagreed. Garrus shook his head. "Damn. Joker, get us to the Citadel, fast as this bird will fly! As soon as we clear the relay, get a message off to Admiral Hackett, and tell him what's happening."
The ground team wasted no time clearing the hallway, and quickly entered the main facility. Immediately, they were besieged by multiple Geth, including standard Troopers, Shock Troopers, a couple of Destroyers, and at least one Prime. Shepard caught sight of an Armature control panel, and quickly co-opted an Armature to assist in their fight. The battle was fast and furious, Shepard calling frequently on her biotic charge to move quickly from target to target, and bounced her way through the standard and Shock Troopers, maximizing damage while not providing the Prime an opportunity to target her. With the help of the Armature, Wrex quickly took the Prime out of the picture, while Tali and Liara first focused on the Destroyers and then teamed to help Shepard with the multiple troopers. The pace of the battle was brisk, the entire team working together like a well-oiled machine; the combined experiences of all their previous firefights coming to the fore. In less than a minute, the entire room was clear and Shepard had access to the control panel. Compliments of the Prothean cipher, working the controls was relatively easy. After activating the panel, a recording played, mentioning the Citadel and the Conduit, but it was much too degraded to make any sense of it. However, the main objective had been fulfilled...the massive stone doorway was now open, so the team returned to the Mako and got back on Saren's trail.
The doorway opened to a huge interior hallway that plunged deep into the facility. The walls were largely intact, but the floor was very broken, with large roots pushing up the flooring in multiple locations, making driving difficult. Fortunately the Geth presence was minimal, so focusing purely on driving was not difficult. The walls were filled with containers, which Tali identified as stasis pods. Had the circumstances been different, Liara would have been in heaven. She was in awe, the enthused scholar surfacing in the midst of chaos, "I have spent my life studying the Protheans, but I never dreamed I would discover anything like this! This bunker might have been the last refuge of their entire species. Just imagine what mysteries it might hold. Imagine what secrets it might reveal!" Tali immediately brought her back to reality with a reminder of the mission; Saren, the Conduit, the fate of the entire galaxy resting in their hands. Liara apologized, and expressed a hope that after the war she may be able to return and study the ruins.
Their progress suddenly screeched to a halt when they discovered a barrier across the passage. The guns of the Mako were completely useless against it, so they team dismounted and had to go on foot. There was an elevator to the right, and the team climbed in, descending even farther down into the facility. It opened onto a short narrow pathway, ending at a console with a holo projection above it. As Shepard approached, it started speaking. It was a virtual intelligence that identified itself as Vigil. It spoke of hope once it realized the organics before it were not indoctrinated; at the same time confirming that Saren had fallen sway to the Reapers. Just like Benezia. Vigil told them that the Citadel, as the heart of civilization and the seat of government, was the key to success or failure. The Citadel was so much more than a space station; it was also an enormous mass relay that linked to dark space and a future gateway for the Reapers if they did not stop Saren. The strategic importance of the information was clear. If the Reapers entered the galaxy directly via the Citadel, they would immediately wipe out the galactic government, the Citadel fleet, and have control of the Mass Relay system, all with a single surprise attack. Their need to catch and stop Saren from getting to the Conduit instantaneously became much more dire.
Shepard queried Vigil if he knew of any way to stop the invasion. Vigil replied, "The Conduit is the key. Before the Reapers attacked, we Protheans were on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries behind mass relay technology. On Ilos, researchers created a small-scale version of a mass relay one that linked directly to the Citadel; the hub of the relay network." Liara immediately realized its importance; the Conduit was a back door onto the Citadel. The Citadel fleet was blockading the mass relay system, not realizing Saren didn't need to use it...if he got to the Conduit, he had his own private entrance. Vigil confirmed this fear. Once inside, Saren would transfer control of the Citadel to Sovereign, and Sovereign would then open the relay to dark space, allowing the Reapers to return. Again, Vigil reminded them of hope; he had a data file in his console. He told Shepard that she must take a copy and upload it to the master control unit on the Citadel, before Sovereign was able to open the relay. It would corrupt the Citadel security protocols and give them a chance against Sovereign. Tali quickly downloaded the data file and passed copies to all the team members. Vigil's parting words sent the team on their way. "Follow Saren through the Conduit. He will lead you to your destination."
The team returned to the Mako, and Shepard turned it into a bullet. Not caring about any of the Geth that were in their path, Shepard drove like a mad woman. Not wasting time trying to destroy the attackers, she drove the Mako as fast as possible, bobbing and weaving, merely to minimize any damage the Geth tried to inflict. Speed became her top priority. Wrex still manned the main gun and Tali was on the machine gun, taking any opportunity they could to return fire and prevent the Geth from getting off any decent shots. The strategy worked, and before they knew it they were sitting at the top of a long downward slope, and the Conduit stood before them. Pedal to the floor, the Mako lurched down the hill. As they approached the conduit, they suddenly felt the Mako leave the ground as the mass relay grabbed the vehicle up. Their world exploded in a rainbow of colors and then went black, as the Mako was suddenly hurled through space to the Citadel plaza.
The Citadel fleet was supposedly ready, but the strength of the Geth fleet when it rolled through the relay was initially overwhelming as the Geth came out of the relay firing. Even though they had seen video of Sovereign over Eden Prime, no one was prepared when it appeared in space before them. As soon as the large vessel was detected coming through the relay, Citadel Station attempted to activate their defensive systems, only to realize the station was not responding. No one knew Saren had already used the Conduit and was in control of the station's systems, killing any who got in his way. The Citadel itself was a marvel of engineering, with a central core and five individual wards that protruded like arms, making the structure look like a star when it was open. Part of the Citadel defenses consisted of the ability to close those arms and change the shape of the Citadel from a star to an elongated tear drop, the five arms closing to a point. Once closed, nothing could go in or out until the arms were opened again. When it was discovered they could not close the arms, the Council was immediately evacuated to the flagship of the fleet, the Destiny Ascension, as the Citadel fleet provided cover and moved to intercept the invaders.
After arrival via the Conduit, Saren advanced quickly to the control center, holding the defenses in stasis just long enough for Sovereign to enter the station and dock on the Citadel. Once Sovereign was inside, Saren allowed the station to close, effectively shielding the dreadnought from the Citadel fleet and giving Sovereign time to integrate into the Citadel systems.
The Mako's landing wasn't pretty, but they all survived and managed to crawl out of the wreckage of the vehicle once it came to a stop outside the Citadel tower. Somehow, Tali had managed to maintain her sense of humor, "Hey, at least we don't have to worry about Shepard driving that thing anymore!" The team could see the silhouette of Sovereign approaching and instantly knew where they had to be. They started toward the tower access elevator, immediately running into a small group of husks, easily dispatched. The elevator had climbed most of the way up the tower before Saren locked it out; the team was forced to exit and work the rest of the way up to the Council chambers on foot, hoping they could get there before Sovereign fully integrated and took control of the relays. Time was of the essence!
The team moved as fast as they could, covering ground quickly. Shepard and Wrex set the pace, moving as fast as their biotics and shotguns allowed. Tali's attack drone, which she had started calling Chatika, provided a great distraction, drawing early fire and giving Shepard and Wrex a multitude of attack openings. Lifts and throws were the biotics of choice, as they incapacitated the Geth and allowed the team to run right by them as they fired the killing volleys. Sovereign was not the only vessel to penetrate the Citadel's defenses, so as they passed turrets, Shepard and Tali worked to get them back online to take down the Geth dropships. Eventually those actions paid off, as the number of Geth they faced continued to decrease.
With the intense pace they were setting, fatigue started to become a factor and Shepard noticed Liara starting to fall behind. She slowed the pace and pulled up. "Liara, you ok?" The Asari was breathing heavily and Sam noticed some blood splatter. "Li! What the hell, you've been shot! Why didn't you call out?" Gasping for air, Liara answered, "No...time...need to get ...to Saren!" The commander grabbed her shoulders and twisted the Asari to the ground, using her own med kit to treat Liara's wounds. "You don't do us any good if you bleed to death. We need your biotics." Sam stopped and looked Liara in the face before she finished quietly, "And I need you, Blue. Goddess, don't get yourself killed out here. I couldn't live with myself!" Liara blinked slowly and swallowed hard before responding, realization setting in. "I'm sorry, love. I didn't think. I'll be more attentive, I promise." Shepard broke an energy bar in half and gave part to Liara, while eating the other half herself. She saw Wrex chow down a tube of nutrient paste, and Tali sucked in an energy drink. Shepard did a last check with the team, "Anyone else hiding injuries?" Wrex rumbled in return, "Times a wasting, Shepard. Let's move!" Shepard made a fist and pounded Liara lightly on her shoulder before giving her a hand up. "Head in the game, everybody! Let's rock!"
It ended up a well-timed break, because the next corner they rolled around had a long expanse, with multiple rocket turrets in place. Shepard traded the shotgun for her sniper and took the turrets out from a distance, while Chatikaand Wrex moved around taking out the miscellaneous Geth troops supposedly defending them. Shepard kept Liara close, under the pretense that she was to watch the commander's back while she sniped. Once they got the last turret down, the way to the Council chambers was open. Entering the chambers was surreal; after the frantic pace and gunfights to get there, the chambers seemed eerily quiet. As they approached the upper level, however, the quiet was shattered by Geth troopers providing the last line of defense before reaching Saren. Shepard could see the ex-Spectre at a control panel, busy typing away, so the commander knew where they needed to be to drop that data file in to stop Sovereign. They just had to get through the last few Geth and Saren to do it.
Suddenly, Saren finished up whatever he was doing and, glancing over his shoulder, walked over to the edge of the platform and dropped out of sight. The team ran forward, with the intent of accessing the panel when Saren and his hovercraft rose into view, spitting out grenades as it climbed into the air. The team scattered, diving for cover. Saren started speaking, "I was afraid you wouldn't make it in time, Shepard. We both knew it was going to end like this. You, against me. Sovereign will have full control in a few minutes and the relay will open."
Shepard wasn't giving up so easily, "I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve...Spectre. And some part of you must still realize this is wrong, you can still fight Sovereign!"
Shepard's words struck a chord in Saren, reminding him of the Spectre he once was. "Sovereign is strong! There is no hope... He wants us to believe the only path to survival is to submit!"
Shepard sensed the crack in Saren's resolve and pressed the point. "There is always hope! Do you honestly think a lifetime of slavery is better than an honorable death? You're a Turian; death before dishonor, duty first! You're choosing slavery for the entire galaxy because you're afraid to risk death on a chance to actually win?"
The team watched Saren's internal battle as different emotions ran across his face. Shepard knew this tore Liara up, to see such a struggle a second time; it had to remind her of Benezia. Shepard had to make one last effort. "The only slaves the Reapers kept were a few hundred Protheans turned Collectors... Think, Saren! Do you really consider that survival?"
It finally ended, with Saren pulling his pistol and placing it under his own chin. "Thank you, Shepard! You have helped me find myself. Now, do what must be done!" Saren then pulled the trigger without hesitation and fell from the hovercraft to the courtyard below. Shepard ran to the control panel and started downloading the data file; she looked to the rest of her team and told them to make sure Saren was dead. While Wrex and Tali worked their way to the lower courtyard, Liara encouraged the commander to release the security hold to give the fleet access to Sovereign, and the arms started to open on the Citadel. Sam then opened the communications channels, and immediately heard a distress call from the Destiny Ascension. The ship was in dire straits and the council was on board. With the remaining Geth fleet that was still active, they wouldn't last long.
On the SSV Kilimanjaro, XO Shepard was monitoring comms when a flash message came across, putting the entire Alliance fleet on mobilization alert due to a Geth attack on the Citadel. Her years of military training kicked in and she instantly issued the readiness alert status warnings across the ship and started perusing the messages running across her terminal. Years of practice allowed her to process them quickly, easily eliminating the clutter and getting the queue down to a manageable size. As the initial surprise of the alert wore off, the pace of incoming notifications slowed considerably. Unknown to Hanna, the Normandy had reached Citadel space and transmitted all its queued messages. When she saw a message from her daughter flagged 'private,' she paused to read it. At first shocked, it slowly dawned on her that the Geth attack should have been anticipated; they should have been in readiness status hours ago. After all Samantha had accomplished, how dare they question her daughter's integrity or professionalism! The Captain turned the information over in her mind, and suddenly her biggest fear came from the realization that the attack had actually happened. Did that mean her only daughter had been unsuccessful in her mission, and was already dead in some far corner of the galaxy? Only her strict military discipline kept the older Shepard from falling to her knees. She gripped the console tightly and closed her eyes, praying she was wrong and desperately trying to keep the faith.
Back on the Citadel, Shepard heard Joker piping in, "Normandy to the Citadel. Please tell me that's you, Commander." Shepard confirmed that the team had made it. Joker continued, "We caught that distress call, Commander. I'm sitting here with the entire Arcturus fleet. We can save the Council if you unlock the relays around the Citadel." When Shepard paused for a length of time Liara felt was too long, she reached up and laid a hand on the commander's arm. "Shepard, it's more than just the Council. The Destiny Ascension is huge... there are ten thousand souls on that ship." The commander gave Liara a thankful glance and gave her answer. "Opening the relays now. Save the Ascension and get busy on Sovereign!"
As the first shots started to impact on Sovereign, the inside of the Council chambers started to shake like an earthquake. Shepard looked around quickly trying to figure out what was happening. Red bolts of lightning started traveling around the interior of the chambers, with the energy focusing on Saren's corpse. The platform that held the control panel collapsed and Shepard and Liara were thrown to the lower courtyard with Wrex and Tali. The team watched in horror as Saren's corpse was reanimated... and morphed into a creature none of them had ever seen before. It looked like a demon of old Earth lore, but had the capability to jump and stick to the walls, like the Geth hoppers. It spoke, "I am Sovereign! And this station is Mine!" The team bolted into action, Shepard throwing a lift, Liara a warp and Wrex blasting away with his shotgun and throwing warps at every opportunity. Tali launched Chatika, and joined in with Wrex on the shotgun action. Shepard and Liara took turns lifting and throwing the monster, keeping it completely off balance and unable to fight. It was not long before the creature was dead.
Outside, the war was not going well. The fleets were taking a beating, and requested to withdraw, but Admiral Hackett didn't allow it, saying they had to take Sovereign down, no matter the cost. When the ground team killed the creature in the chambers, Sovereign's ship lost its shields and it became vulnerable. At that point, the combined power of the remaining fleet was sufficient to destroy the immense dreadnought, and the ship finally exploded, throwing huge pieces of its superstructure to all parts of the Citadel.
Inside, the team caught their breath and stared in amazement as the creature that used to be Saren burst into red fire and literally turned into a pile of indistinguishable ash before their eyes. Shepard snapped her head up when she heard the massive explosion, and saw a huge chunk of the ship headed their way. She yelled urgently at her team to run, knowing there was no way they were going to make it. Sam threw up a barrier at the last minute as the chambers imploded into wanton destruction around them. Barrier or not, she felt as if something struck her helm, and then something powerfully slammed her to the side, casting her roughly against a stairwell towards the back of the chambers. As she fell, she hoped those in front of her had made it clear of the raining debris. It slowly dawned on her that she was actually alive, and wheezing behind what she was sure was a broken rib or two, she started to laugh, then put her mind to figuring a way out of her temporary prison, all the while selfishly praying that at least Liara was safe.
When the dust settled, the Council chambers were a disaster. Huge scrap pieces of Sovereign lay everywhere, numerous fires burned, glass and pieces of collapsed walls lay scattered across the floor. Wrex was the first up, shoving away a piece of concrete and freeing himself as the first rescuers entered the room. He assisted their efforts, and soon they found Tali and Liara, safely sheltered next to a large chunk of debris leaning against a wall. One of the searchers calling out, "Captain Anderson! We've found them! They're in here." Anderson hustled over and recognized the three crew members, then inquired as to the whereabouts of the commander. Liara had tears running down her face as she just shook her head, and looked toward a particularly large piece of Sovereign crushed into the floor. Her voice shook when she finally managed words. "She was right behind me... and then...that...hit. Goddess, how could anyone survive that?" She looked to the Captain, hoping for a miracle.
Captain Anderson looked directly at the Asari and answered the only way he could. "Shepard's done the impossible so many times, I'm not giving up on her until I find a body. Come on; let's get you out of here." Some of the rescue crew moved in and started helping navigate the rubble, headed toward the exit. Out of the blue, the whole group heard Wrex's deep laughter. "Shepard! I knew no hunk of metal was going to keep you down!"