SEE CHAPTER ONE FOR DISCLAIMERS
PLEASE READ & REVIEW, AND TEND TO THE TROPE PAGES
-CHAPTER START-
Realm ME-N7
Upon arriving in the war's main Realm, the alicorns who'd followed Shepard over put their dreadnoughts to good use, but mostly in evacuating and organizing survivors – Cadence and the Harmonia slipped through Reaper lines and evacuated a large number of Elcor from besieged Dekuuna; Emero (with the Unattainable Knowledge) and Fortis (the Unstoppable Force) helped the Turians in the battle for Palaven and also organized the evacuation of Turian colonies that were in the Reapers' sights; Mortis took the Thanatos and rescued & unified some Batarian survivors from ravaged Hegemony space; Currus (the Conquistador) joined up with the Sangheili in their operations, while Galaxia (the Resurrect) did the same with the TSAB; and Justitia (the Rule of Law) worked with Tevos and Aethyta to begin assisting or evacuating outlying Asari colonies while working on improving evac protocols for Thessia and its surrounding worlds.
But even with the Council races rallying, the DDF – including the shinobi and even Team Goku – mobilizing in force, the alicorns pitching in, and even Amon and Xehanort's factions getting involved, the Reapers were still on top in the big strategic picture. They may have been kicked out of the DDF Realms that they'd sent attacks against, but the numbers they committed to those attacks were paltry, drops in the bucket compared to the size and might of the entire Reaper 'fleet'. Even with the losses they took, they rolled on in an inexorable tide, thousands upon thousands of huge metal abominations and their billions of cyber-zombie ground troops. More than one DDF task-force, composed of bigger and technologically-superior ships, had been defeated and wiped out by the Reapers' sheer force of numbers, the titans swarming and ganging up on bigger, stronger ships and overwhelming them. The Reapers were taking losses in this cycle that were orders of magnitude higher than in any other cycle before, but they were still far more numerous than their enemy, and were slowly winning because of it.
The DDF and its allies still couldn't hope to match the Reapers in a straight-up bout. They needed the Crucible.
Aboard the Normandy II, Commander Jason Shepard was in the war room, going over reports and readouts on the current state of the war.
"Shepard? Do you have a moment?"
Shepard looked up as Liara entered the room. "What is it?" he asked.
"A contact within Asari High Command was insistent I pass on a distress signal to you."
"Something they can't handle?"
"From what I can tell, they sent several commando squads to investigate. None of them returned. They didn't ask me directly, but I think High Command is hoping you might help."
"What's your take on this?"
"They wouldn't ask for help if it wasn't important. The colony's coordinates are on the galaxy map. I'll try to figure out what's going on while we're on the way."
-SCENE BREAK-
Still-Unnamed Asari Colony World
Two Marauders stumbled as the ground beneath them abruptly lurched upward, throwing off their aim and allowing the young man they'd been trying to kill to counterattack with a barrage of lethal-set Crossfire Shot bolts, slaying the two Turian cyber-zombies. Tiida Uchiha-Lanstar breathed out as he looked around the room of the small courtyard he was in, the night's darkness pushed away by decorative lights here & there; numerous dead Husks, along with a few Cannibals and the two Marauders he'd just killed, littered the area. This was a small, out-of-the-way colony, barely a month old, but the Reapers had happened to notice it, and had sent a token ground force to clear it out. Most of the Asari had evacuated or gotten into safehouses, but he'd seen a few bodies of those who couldn't make it to safety in time.
As Tiida took a few steps, starting on his way to another part of the settlement, he suddenly heard a cacophony of noise break out – the snarls of a Brute, the firing of Marauders' assault rifles, and the sounds of electrical blasts and mana bolts being fired. It was coming from a larger under-construction building nearby. He hurried over to and inside the building, making his way up a set of stairs to a sort of second-floor atrium; on the far end, a large window was meant to give a fantastic view of the bordering fields for the first and second stories, with a 'gap' between the second floor's edge and the window, creating a 12-foot drop to the first floor below, with guardrails meant to go on the edge. However, because the building was still under construction, the railing had yet to be installed, as had the huge window, which was covered up by shutters, plunging the room into darkness broken only by a single currently-dim light hanging over the center of the room.
And in the center of this area, a black-cloaked figure about an inch shorter than Tiida was dual-wielding two Keyblades that glowed faintly with Lightning magic, fighting a Brute; two Marauders lay motionless on the floor around the two. It didn't take long at all for Tiida to recognize the figure. Ruin rolled under a swing of the Brute's massive claw, and she channeled and focused power into one of her Keyblades as she counterattacked, severing the bulky limb. The hybrid Husk roared and tried to shoulder-tackle her, but she dodged and blasted it in the face with a Fire spell, wounding and stunning it. Then, with a mighty magic-fueled swing, she brought one of her blades down, vertically bisecting the Brute's head. The dead beast toppled over, and Ruin let her hood fall back as she straightened up, her long slightly-messy black hair falling free.
"Impressive as usual, Ruin."
The girl turned around, startled by the sudden voice, and saw as Tiida calmly walked out of the shadows and into the main central part of the floor, stepping over a dead Marauder, and what Ruin saw as a little smirk on his face. Her expression changed into an angry, teeth-bared frown, her gold irises slightly glowing.
"You…" she snarled, gripping her Keyblades and taking a few steps back.
"Hi!" he said cheerfully.
"You've got some nerve coming up to me all smiles after what you did… What are you even doing here?"
"Clearing out Reaper forces to protect the colonists – same as you, I wager."
"Huh? What gave you that idea? I'm just here to kill Husks! I don't care about the people they're after!"
Unnoticed by either person, as Ruin stood near the edge of the second floor closest to the window, her back to the gap, a grayish, clawed hand reached up from beneath, silently grabbing hold of the edge from below…
"Really?" Tiida replied. "I'd heard something that sounded like you have a soft spot – something about your interactions with Eve T'Lesh…"
At this, Ruin actually blushed, looking a bit flustered. "W-Why bring her up all the sudden?-!"
"Well, from what I've heard, I think it sounds pretty cute – spending time with her, complimenting her, even pretty much cuddling her at one point…"
Ruin's face went even redder, and she then launched into an angry, somewhat vulgar tirade directed at Tiida, who just smiled and closed his eyes, only half-listening to her as her ranting about him accusing her of being 'soft' and of how he had no business talking about what she and Eve did when hanging out together became intertwined with childish insults. After several seconds, she was still going, and he cracked his eyes open to look at her… and his eyes went wide, the smile dropping off his face, as he saw a tall and spindly shadowy figure silently standing/floating directly behind her, the glowing cybernetics of Husk-parts being the only illumination as it hid in the dark, a shadowy arm tipped with long claws being raised to strike.
"-isn't your concern! Are you even listening to a word I'm sa-"
"Behind you!-!" he shouted.
Ruin, startled into silence by his sudden warning, heard a soft hiss directly behind her, and immediately threw herself forward, barely dodging the stabbing claws that had been aimed at where her neck had just been. As she rolled to her feet and jumped back to beside Tiida, her Keyblades and his pistol & kunai drawn, the attacker stepped out into the light. It was very tall, thin almost to the point of emaciation except for a bloated stomach. Its flesh was the familiar grey of a Husk, but with a bluish tint. Disturbingly normal-looking legs held it up, and its hands were tipped by very long, thin blade-like claws. Its head had a crown of backward-sweeping spikes, and a small blue object was set into the middle of its forehead. The new Husk opened its mouth full of sharp teeth unnaturally wide, and let out a loud, high, echoing, piercing scream/shriek as its body flared with Biotic power.
"What the hell is that?-!" Ruin exclaimed.
Looking at the monster's coloration and the sharpened crests on its head, Tiida paled a little. "I think it used to be an Asari" he replied.
The Asari-Husk formed two balls of surging, unstable Biotic energy in its hands and launched/threw them at Tiida and Ruin. Tiida cast a fairly powerful Shield spell, and was surprised as the Biotic blast came halfway to breaking through it before dissipating, while Ruin cleaved through the one coming at her with her Dark Keyblades. They returned fire, dark-electric and Crossfire-Shot bolts being conjured and fired, but the Asari-Husk turned out to have robust Biotic barriers protecting it, the shimmering fields deflecting the attacks. The monster began very slowly walking toward them… and then it flashed blue as it performed a short-range Biotic Charge that brought it to right in front of Ruin. The young woman cursed as she let herself fall backward, barely avoiding a stab aimed at her face.
A concentrated barrage of extra-strength Crossfire Shot bolts struck the Asari-Husk before it could make another move against Ruin, stunning it and taking down its barrier. The creature shrieked and then Biotic-Charged at Tiida, knocking him staggering back. It quickly lashed out, grabbing him with one hand and lifting him close, hissing as it pulled its other claws back, wreathing them in Biotic energy as its eyes glowed. Then, however, Tiida's eyes became red with a black octagon surrounding three concentric rings. The Asari-Husk screeched as a small burst of jet-black flames erupted on its face and neck, reflexively letting him go and staggering backward. There was a 'flash' of dark light, as Ruin slashed her Keyblade, charged with Darkness power, across and through the monster's back. The beast fell to the ground, its body shuddering as its own energies consumed it, even as the Amaterasu flames did as well, and soon there was nothing left. Tiida disengaged his Eternal Mangekyō as his unlikely ally stood beside him.
"What the hell was all that about?" Ruin breathed out.
The two were startled as they heard the familiar shriek again, faint and from somewhere outside. More followed, and it sounded like there were three separate individual Asari-Husks out there. They looked at each other, she readying her Keyblades while he activated his Sharingan. For the time being, old grudges would be set aside for the purpose of getting out alive and intact. Bracing themselves, they got moving.
-SCENE BREAK-
Nimbus Cluster, Mesana System, Lesuss
"Lesuss is an unpopular garden world, with characteristics just outside of the comfort zone of its Asari population. Its gravity is a little too high, its diseases a little too virulent, and the soil inhospitable for growing food. Further information is difficult to come by - the Asari government is uncharacteristically silent about Lesuss. Normally, a garden world settled so long ago would be highly populated, but little light pollution can be seen on Lesuss' night side."
The UT-47A Kodiak descended, carrying the team of Shepard, Liara, Javik, Kaidan, and Shion/Gamma-2.
"Did you dig up any information on the mission, Liara?" Shepard asked.
"I did," the 'young' Asari replied, "and I now understand why High Command wanted to hide it. We're headed to an Ardat-Yakshi monastery."
"Ardat-Yakshi? Like Morinth?"
"Morinth chose to become a killer. These Ardat-Yakshi isolated themselves to avoid that. But that doesn't mean they're harmless; their urge to 'feed' can be powerful. That's why High Command sent in commandos to investigate the monastery's distress signal."
"So the Asari throw us at the problem now?" Shion asked. "What's our plan?"
"If there was a chance the Ardat-Yakshi could break loose, the commandos were to purge the monastery."
"By 'purge', you mean destroy, I'm assuming" Shepard said.
"They would've brought heavy explosives with them, yes."
"Morinth was dangerous, but are the Ardat-Yakshi as a whole this big of a threat?"
"Morinth was just hitting her stride. Ardat-Yakshi who become killers leave behind astronomical body counts. It's why they can never be free, and why they're such a great source of shame to the Asari. That's why High Command won't rest until this place is destroyed. They'd never risk a single Ardat-Yakshi getting loose."
"Don't assume anything. Maybe the Ardat-Yakshi were the ones who sent the distress call. If the Asari want us to destroy this place, I need to know what happened."
"Agreed. Once we give a report to High Command, they'll stop wasting lives here."
The Kodiak set down on a small platform outside one of the monastery's entrances, and the five got out. The door was open, revealing an elevator shaft with some catwalks and ladders leading down.
"Elevator disabled" Liara observed. "To prevent entry or escape, I wonder?"
As the team slid down the ladders for a few floors, turning on their flashlights as they plunged into the darkness, there was a faint, echoing screech from deeper in the facility.
"I don't think Asari can make that noise…" Kaidan remarked.
The team hopped a gap, entering a lobby of sorts. It was pitch-dark, the only illumination coming from the team's flashlights. Moving slowly and carefully, they jumped at a sudden noise.
"Apologies" Javik said, sounding a bit embarrassed. "I… tripped on debris."
Moving right, toward an open door, they found a few dead Cannibals, along with a dead Asari commando. Kaidan picked up a datapad from near the corpse, while Liara checked the body.
"This was the commandos' captain" Liara said. "It seems they gave their lives fighting the Reapers."
"This monastery's pretty out-of-the-way" Shepard remarked. "What do the Reapers want with Ardat-Yakshi?"
"Got a map, Commander" Kaidan said. "It shows the NavPoint location for a bomb – some room called the Great Hall.
"So the commandos started the purge after all…" Liara murmured.
"Ardat-Yakshi or not," Shepard said, "evacuating this place would've saved a lot of lives. If there are no survivors, let's get to the Great Hall and set off that bomb."
Moving on, they passed through a door leading into a hallway bordered on one side by a huge window overlooking a courtyard down below outside. They headed right, Shepard bypassing the door and allowing the team to slowly and cautiously advance into the next room – the second floor of another hallway, a guardrail separating them from a drop down to the lower floor. Suddenly, down below there was the sound of a Biotic discharge, as a Cannibal fell dead from a Warp.
"Very good" a tranquil female voice said. "I almost didn't hear you."
Down on the first floor, a graceful Asari in a tight red outfit emerged from the shadows, holstering her pistol as she looked up at her old friend.
"Samara…" Shepard said.
"It has been some time, Shepard" the Justicar greeted. "You are a most welcome sight. The corruption here runs deep."
"I assume you're here on your own, Justicar" Liara remarked. "Perhaps for something special?"
"You are correct. Two of my daughters live here, and I have come to aid them. Unfortunately, the Reapers had already infested this place by the time I arrived."
"You met me while hunting down your other Ardat-Yakshi daughter" Shepard said. "Are these two just as dangerous?"
"Falere and Rila have followed the monastery's rules ever since they arrived. They've shown no inclination toward violence."
"And you're here to save them…"
"…They are my responsibility, and it's one that cannot be abandoned even as our galaxy crumbles."
"Let's go together. Maybe your daughters can tell us why the Reapers hit this place."
"I suspect they will have much to tell us. It has been centuries since I last saw them."
Suddenly, the same screech from earlier was heard; this time, it sounded closer.
"We're out of time" Samara said, her body being enveloped in a glowing blue aura as she walked off toward a door directly below Team Shepard's position. "We will meet again. I will draw these creatures off."
As she vanished, Team Shepard moved left, picking up a dead commando's last wishes recorded on her datapad as they went. Moving through the door, they found themselves in an upper level of the large courtyard.
"I'm not so sure about doing the Asari's dirty work" Shion remarked as the group made their way down a ramp into the courtyard proper.
"We need them on our side" Shepard replied.
"Well, they owe us for this."
"This place is enormous" Kaidan said. "It must've been home to hundreds, maybe over 1,000 people."
"They must have thought their isolation protected them from the war" Javik remarked. "They learned that was a false hope the hard way."
As they moved down into the courtyard, starting down the elaborately decorated path to the big double-doors at the far end, the screech sounded out again, now closer than ever. This time, the sound's owner finally revealed itself, the tall and gangly abomination Biotic-Charging into the courtyard, its claws crackling with energy as a Biotic barrier surrounded it and actually allowed it to float a few inches off the ground. It let out a loud, soul-rending shriek as it eyed its prey.
"Oh, Goddess!" Liara said with horror. "That used to be a person – an Asari! What have the Reapers done?-!"
The monster began to slowly advance, its durable barrier being chipped away at by Javik's particle rifle and Kaidan & Liara's SMG fire. It Charged to the side, getting itself out of their line of fire for a moment, but then a Warp from Shepard took its barrier down the rest of the way. It hissed and threw an unstable Warp-blast at the Commander, forcing him into cover. Before it could flash away again, it was trapped by Shion's Void Prison attack, letting Kaidan and Javik use Reave and Dark Channel to tear away at it from inside and out. As the Void Prison wore off, the monster tried to form another energy blast, but a Warp from Liara knocked it back, stunning it. Finally, a sniper shot from Shepard tore through the Asari-Husk's skull, leaving it to topple over. Crackling blue energy spread out from within the monster's body, consuming and dissolving it.
"Codex entry," Kaidan called out, "hot off the presses, courtesy of the DDF this time! Sounds like a few of their people have had run-ins with these new Husks already."
CODEX – BANSHEE: "Banshees are the corrupted Asari often found leading a Reaper strike force. The Reapers create them specifically from Asari with active or latent predispositions to becoming Ardat-Yakshi, a rare neurological condition that enhances the Asari's Biotic power while causing the immediate death of anyone she mates with. Lumbering as though in constant pain, the emaciated Banshees are surprisingly durable opponents. They are devastating Biotics able to hurl lethal balls of energy and create shockwaves as they regenerate. If they get in close, their claws can penetrate some forms of modern armor, and it is hinted that the Reapers have amplified and weaponized the Ardat-Yakshi 'neural burnout' ability, enabling Banshees to kill targets by that method if they can forcibly initiate a 'melding', gaining a temporary slight power increase from doing so. What is found most disturbing are the Banshee's ability to spawn her own warp field and seemingly teleport during combat, and the still-unconfirmed rumors that Banshees can directly convert other Asari – even ones with no latent Ardat-Yakshi characteristics – into more of their kind. Although their wails have no apparent physiological effect, the psychological impact is undeniable. When Banshees die, their Ardat-Yakshi genetics twist against them, causing a Biotic implosion to ensure they evade capture."
"Footnote says Teana's big bro was the very first to have a run-in with these things, less than a day ago" Kaidan continued. "Or maybe just the first to survive an encounter with them and report back about them."
"Great" Shion sighed. "Another new super-Husk type."
'YEAH,' Khan said within her, 'BUT THESE THINGS MIGHT BE THE MOST DANGEROUS OF ALL – EVEN SOMEONE OF OUR LEVEL WILL NEED TO BE CAREFUL WITH THESE 'BANSHEES'. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF SOMEONE'S STRONG ENOUGH TO SHATTER A DAMN PLANET; IF A BANSHEE CAN GRAB THEM AND DECIDES & MANAGES TO INITIATE A 'MELD', IT'S ALL OVER.'
A few Cannibals came out of hiding further ahead, close to the doors. Shepard and Javik picked them off from a distance, clearing the way, and the team hurried to the locked doors, Shepard quickly bypassing them. Once inside, they saw as an Asari in a white dress ran by, being chased by a Cannibal. As she ran, she hit it with a Biotic Throw, but the attack was so weak that the Batarian Husk barely slowed down. The woman was soon cornered, but before Team Shepard could do anything Samara dropped in between the Cannibal and the new Asari, blasting the former with a Biotic Throw so strong the concussive force killed it near-instantly, sending it flying a good few meters.
"Mother?" the Asari said in surprise. "You came!"
"As soon as I was able" Samara replied. "Shepard, this is Falere, my youngest. She and her sister Rila are Ardat-Yakshi, but they both rejected the dark path that their sister chose to walk. They-"
"Mother, they have Rila!"
"What?"
"I saw some of those creatures take her into the Great Hall. I've been trying to get there."
"What are the Reapers doing here?" Shepard asked.
"Harvesting us – turning us into those… abominations… Please… you can't let that happen to Rila."
"Asari High Command thought the Ardat-Yakshi were to blame for the facility going silent."
"This is our home! Most of us are grateful to be here. The monastery is a place where we can achieve peace."
"Falere speaks truthfully, Shepard" Samara interjected. "I vouch for her words, with pride."
"Then we have to find Rila fast" Shepard replied. "The Great Hall has a bomb in it."
"…A bomb?" Falere asked, stunned. "Didn't you come to rescue people?"
"We did, but the commandos didn't; they left the bomb there. And now… This entire monastery is crawling with Reaper forces, Falere, including who-knows-how-many of those 'Banshees'. We can't leave this place standing."
"You're starting to sound like the commandos," Falere said in an accusatory tone, "and they didn't stop to help anyone."
"Falere…" Samara warned.
"…I'm sorry for this."
Falere then turned and leapt over the nearby guardrail, using her Biotics to slow her descent to the floor below.
"She's heading for the Great Hall to look for Rila" Samara said as she followed down.
"We'll meet you there" Shepard said.
"Please be swift."
They headed to the right, through a door into the second floor of a two-level indoor courtyard of sorts. Ahead, a squad of five Cannibals led by a Marauder had not yet seen Team Shepard's entrance, but a Reaper Biotic-barrier projector was nearby, ready to activate the moment trouble was detected. Shepard sniped the barrier projector, destroying it, and Kaidan immediately blasted the Marauder with an Overload, stripping its shields. Then, Shion Void-Jumped in amongst the surprised Husks, her shields up and her green energy blade out. She lunged forward, ramming her Void Blade through the Marauder's chest, and then spun it around and used it as a shield to stop two Cannibals' shots. Liara and Shepard used a Singularity-Warp combo to lift and destroy three of the Batarian Husks, while Shion dashed in and cut the other two down quickly.
The team made their way to the far end of the room and down the stairs there. As they reached the first floor, the scream of a Banshee rang out, and in a flash of blue the monster Biotic-Charged down from the second level. What's more, a squad of Cannibals emerged as well, forcing Team Shepard to divide their attention, the Cannibals' gunfire keeping their heads down as the Banshee slowly advanced. The Banshee threw a Biotic blast that forced Shepard into cover, keeping him from making a shot that would've killed two Cannibals. While Liara and Javik picked off a few Cannibals, Kaidan hit the Banshee with a Reave that weakened its barrier some, and two projectiles from Shion's arm-mounted weapon's 'plasma launcher' firing mode brought them down the rest of the way.
Shepard hit the now-unshielded Banshee with an Incinerate blast, but after a few seconds of its armor being burned away it let out a shriek and a pulse of energy that knocked the flames out. It ignored the gunfire hitting it and tossed another Biotic blast at Shepard, forcing him back into cover and allowing a Cannibal to flank him. Javik quickly shot the Batarian Husk down and hit the Banshee with a Dark Channel attack, weakening it further. Kaidan and Liara hit the Banshee with a Warp/Reave combo, the ensuing detonation actually tearing the monster's right arm off. It tried to charge up another attack, but then Shion Void-Jumped in right beside it and thrusted her blade into its upper torso just below where its arm had been. As she pulled it out, the Banshee fell, its body already being disintegrated by its own volatile energies. With the Banshee gone, the remaining Cannibals were quickly disposed of.
With the way clear, they hurried across to the next door, bypassing it and entering a rec room. Bloodstains and bullet holes marred the floor and walls, and an Asari commando's body was slumped against a crate.
"Another dead commando…" Javik remarked.
"It doesn't feel right seeing dead soldiers in a monastery…" Kaidan mused.
"The Asari should have rid themselves of the Ardat-Yakshi" the Prothean continued. "My people would never let such monsters walk among them."
"They didn't care for the competition?" Liara replied acidly.
Javik growled, but said nothing as the team moved on. Shepard sighed softly; the more she'd gotten to know Javik and learned about his people, the more Liara's former idealization of the Protheans was gradually inverted. Nowadays, whenever she mentioned the Protheans, it was either with cold detachment or even a hint of disgust, and her demeanor when around Javik had slowly but steadily worsened. Shepard was worried; if this got too much worse…
Moving on, they boarded the next elevator. Soon, it deposited them in a huge, open chamber with various decorative architecture, as well as a path leading down the middle of the room to a huge, decorated window – the Great Hall. At the base of the window was a device around six feet wide and three tall, and slumped against it was a wounded Asari. Falere knelt at her side, while Samara stood nearby.
"Rila?" Falere asked, desperate. "Rila, can you hear me?"
Slowly, Rila stirred, looking up at Falere with slightly unfocused eyes. After Falere helped her to her feet, she winced and held her head between her hands. When she looked up again, her eyes had turned completely black, and she lunged forward, her hands going around Falere's throat. After a few seconds of struggling, Falere managed to break free and shove Rila to the ground, where she lay still again.
"W-Why did she do that?" Falere whimpered.
"The Reapers' conversion of her has already begun" Samara replied sadly.
"I'm sorry…" Shepard said to them, before turning to Kaidan nearby. "Can we set off that bomb?"
"If we had the detonator, yeah…" Kaidan replied.
"The Commandos would've had one. We've got to find it."
Suddenly, there was a now-familiar shriek. The team turned to see two Banshees approaching from the other end of the Great Hall, accompanied by a pack of Husks. As Javik and Kaidan started shooting Husks, Shepard, Liara, and Samara hit one of the Banshees with a triple Warp, tearing away its barrier. Meanwhile, as the second Banshee 'Charged' forward, Shion carved her way through a few Husks with her Psi-Blade as she moved to meet it. She threw a plasma grenade that stuck to Banshee 2's midsection, the blast proving enough to completely drain the monster's barrier but do little else due to how strong the barrier had been. Shion leapt in, slashing with her energy blade, but the Banshee managed to project barriers from its hands that lessened the damage. Leaping back, Shion gathered her ki and weaved a quick hand-seal sequence, focusing air and chakra in her lungs.
"Katon: Gōkakyū!"
The fireball raced out and slammed into Banshee 2, engulfing it. After several seconds, the monster staggered out, burnt and wounded. It let out a weak screech as it tried to charge another energy blast, but Shion flash-stepped in and decapitated it with a swing of her Void Blade. Meanwhile, Kaidan hit Banshee 1 with a Reave, weakening it further, and Shepard then Biotic-Charged into it, knocking it back a step, and plunged his Omniblade into its bloated-looking stomach. The monster shrieked as he cut a hole, and then shoved a live grenade inside. Samara used a Biotic Pull to yank Shepard to safety just as the explosion ripped the Banshee's torso open. It toppled forward, its body disintegrating. Back on the 'stage', Liara put down the last two Husks.
Rila stirred again, getting to her feet. When she opened her eyes this time, they were normal, but wide with fear and desperation as she looked at her sister.
"Falere, go!" she said. "Take the elevator and get out of here!"
"Rila, w-what are you doing?"
Rila took Falere's hands. "It's too late for me" she said. "There are nearly a hundred of those things coming. Just go!" She pulled something out of her back pocket: the detonator. "I'll make sure they don't escape…"
She looked to Samara, who gave a nod after a few seconds. Soon, the wails of approaching Banshees could be heard. Falere tried to run for Rila, but Shepard caught her and began dragging her away, back toward the elevator.
"Rila! No!"
"I love you, little sister…"
As the team hurried, Banshees began showing up in droves, slowly walking through the Great Hall, toward Rila and the bomb. Two of them got in the group's way, but Shion's body flared with green chakra, and two huge claws of it slammed them aside, clearing the path. As the Banshees approached their main prey, their screeches made Rila fall to her knees, one hand clutching her head, as her eyes flickered between normal and black. She threw a Biotic pulse at one, but the monster swatted it aside. As three of them closed in, Rila looked at the elevator, seeing Falere's face one last time before the doors closed.
One of the Banshees reached out, impaling its claws through Rila's body and lifting her up to face it. Gasping for breath, she looked it right in its pure-black eyes – looking 'through' them, at the monsters' vile masters themselves – as she held up the detonator.
"We… are not your slaves…" she whispered, and pressed the button.
In the elevator racing down, there was a thunderous bang as the whole building shook for a few seconds. Falere pounded her fist against the closed doors and slumped to the floor.
Eventually, the elevator reached the bottom, letting everyone out to safety. Behind and above them, the monastery was in tatters, gutted by the bomb blast, partially collapsed in on itself. Falere walked slowly forward, looking out over the balcony.
"Rila…" she lamented. "There wasn't even time to say goodbye…"
"Few can break the Reapers' hold" Samara said as she walked up. "Rila's willpower was extraordinary… as was her love for you."
"We left her to die!"
Samara's expression saddened, as she dwelled on everything that had happened and came to a decision.
"Rila made her choice," she said as she stood face-to-face with her youngest daughter, "and it has reminded me of what is truly important – why I swore I'd lay down my life."
"What would that be?"
"Falere… the Code demands an Ardat-Yakshi cannot live outside a monastery that no longer exists."
"What are you doing?" Shepard interjected, having spotted Samara's hand resting on her holstered pistol.
"I am sorry, Shepard. By the Justicar's code…" she drew the pistol… "there is only one way to save Falere." …and put it to her own head.
"Mother, no!"
"My daughters… You were all so much stronger than I'd believed… I-"
Suddenly Shepard rushed in, grabbing Samara's arms and restraining them behind her back.
"Let. Go." She said in a low, dangerous tone.
"What the hell are you doing?-!" he shouted.
"Fulfilling the Code."
"By throwing your life away?"
"I won't kill my last daughter!"
"You won't have to" Falere interrupted, continuing as her mother relaxed and stopped struggling, and Shepard let go. "I'll stay here… home… no matter what's become of it."
"Without a proper monastery…"
"I could have left anytime. I don't need a building to honor my own code. And if the Reapers return, they won't take me alive. I promise."
"…Then… the Code permits you to stay, as you are."
Falere stepped forward and hugged Samara, who after a few seconds returned it.
"Once this war is over," Samara said, "and if I am able, I will visit, as a Justicar – and a mother – should."
"I'd understand if you wanted to help Falere rebuild a home here" Shepard said.
"It must wait, now that I can help oppose the Reapers. I'll speak with Falere, and then join your forces. If you'll have me, of course."
"I'd be honored."
"The honor is mine, my friend."
Shepard nodded, then keyed his comm. "Everything's taken care of down here. Bring in the shuttle."
"Right, Commander" Cortez replied. "I'll just follow the smoke."
-SCENE BREAK-
Normandy II, Deck 2, QEC Room
"I read your report, Commander" Councilor Tevos said. "We had no idea the situation had deteriorated so quickly."
"That's why I set off the bomb" Shepard replied. "There are no Ardat-Yakshi left."
"May they find rest… What the Reapers did to them was monstrous. I had another team of commandos headed to the monastery that I can now formally transfer to Admiral Hackett's command. They'll serve you loyally, Commander. Farewell."
"Commander?" Traynor's voice came over the speaker as Tevos' connection was terminated. "I've got something interesting I've found, if you've got a minute…"
-CHAPTER END-
Next Time: Rescuing ex-Cerberus defectors from the Illusive Man's reprisal