Mass Effect Andromeda Series II: Chapter 48
Liara stood up in the shuttle, and took a seat next to Garrus. She knew that Garrus seemed distant and quiet ever since they received that encryptic message from Kai Leng indicating that they have Andromeda. She could find very little history on the man. They all knew he was a top Cerberus agent, but other than that, he was a ghost. "Garrus, you alright?"
"I'm fine," He lied. "I just am trying to focus." He paused and casted his blue avian eyes up to where Shepard was talking to Cortez at the front of the shuttle. "Trying not to think the worse…it's hard to do with what's around us."
"I'm sorry…I know it's tough. I appreciate you still joining us. Now is not the best time…." Her eyes glanced up at the vid screen revealed live feed on Thessia below. Rage and hurt consumed her. "This is my home! I can't believe it. Shepard!"
Garrus looked up and saw multiple Reapers moving throughout the city as the structures burned. Dead bodies covered the landscape and husks filled the streets. The scene was too familiar to him. Palaven was like that merely months ago. Hard to tell what it looked like now? It was going to be rough fight on the ground, no doubt about it. Shepard didn't say a word as he moved towards the shuttle's door. The shuttle began it's descent to the landing zone. The door opened revealing the sunlight and the screams of hundreds along with deafening gunfire and explosions. The nearest Reaper's horn blared almost shaking the shuttle. John turned back to Liara and Garrus with a determined look on his face. "Let's get to that temple and find that artifact before there's nothing left."
"Harvester about to blow up!" Garrus screamed as the beast's circuitry ahead began to fry.
"Duck!" John grabbed Liara, jerking her down as the Harvester exploded releasing a blinding light and shockwave.
Once they were in the clear, T'Soni darted over to the temple's security control panel. A kinetic barrier was blocking their path. "It's military grade…but I can crack it," She scanned the device with her omni tool.
"Military grade? That doesn't make any sense," Vakarian looked on.
"Why would the military guard a religious temple?" Shepard added.
"I agree. Something is not right." Liara bit her lip as she worked. "A few follow the Athame's doctrine." Seconds later the barrier dropped, granting them access inside.
Inside of the temple seemed almost surreal. The explosions and screams were only faint and the temple welcomed them away from the violence and bloodshed. At the center ahead was a large statute of the goddess, Athame, herself. Several ancient relics were displayed throughout the path. "Take a look around. Maybe one of these artifacts is what we are looking for." John fanned them in different directions with his gun as he walked up the center aisle.
Going to the left, Garrus was looking at stone tablets with ancient writing. "Where are the scientists that were supposed to be here?" He asked out loud. He had no clue what he was looking at.
"I have no clue what we are looking for, Commander. I would need more time to study each of these." The Asari called over from the right. Her voice filled with frustration. Time was of the essence. It wouldn't be too long before the Reaper forces found them and the temple would be demolished. They couldn't carry all the relics out by hand; any transport would be a sitting duck for Harvesters.
Returning his focus to the task at hand, Garrus moved over to another relic and saw a bust of a face of some sort. It didn't appear to be Asari, which was odd. "Commander…" He motioned the others to him. "What is this?"
"That probably is not useful," T'Soni quickly explained. "That's Athame's guide, Janiri, who brought enlightenment to Thessia long ago."
Tilting his head, Garrus examined the bust closer. He seemed trouble by this. The more he looked at the facial curves, it seemed more and more like Javik and less like an Asari goddess. Even with evolution, He didn't believe the Asari looked like this. Shepard noticed his friend's perplexed appearance. "What's the matter, Garrus?"
"It looks more Prothean…" He answered honestly.
"Not necessarily," Liara cut him off. She seemed almost defensive about the allegation.
"Let's keep looking," John moved further down an aisle and paused at another bust. "Got another one."
"That's Lucen. He bestowed knowledge to the Asari." Dr. T'Soni moved over to analyze it.
Garrus followed her. "He looks like a Prothean, Liara."
This time, Liara hesitated. "I admit there are some resemblances."
"So tell me again, why is the government hiding a key that we need?" Garrus walked to a painting nearby. The painting revealed some farming life and another figure that appeared to be more Prothean. "Got another Prothean."
Dr. T'Soni's voice quivered, "I see what you mean. This is….troubling."
"I got bodies here!" Shepard called over to them.
Garrus ran over and knelt down to study the corpses. "Their throats have been cut…" He looked up at his team for any type of speculation.
"That can't be Reapers…they would have destroyed this area without a second thought. Assassination?" Liara offered.
"Inside traitor?" Garrus stood back up and looked at his commander for any insight.
But instead John's attention was focused on the statute in front of him. He seemed almost transfixed by it. Liara continued her own thought about their findings so far. "If the Protheans did aspire our very own religion, it could rewrite history and numerous texts. Everything we thought…it was all a lie…"
"There's a Prothean beacon here!" John cut her off as he turned back to them.
"What?" Liara's eyes went wide. "Are you sure?"
"After all my interactions with them during our hunt for Saren…it's nothing you really forget."
"But why hide it? It can't be." Liara shook her head. "My people wouldn't keep something like this a secret.
"It could explain why the Asari are so advanced," Garrus countered as he listened in on the two. Everything was making sense even though Liara was denying it up and down.
"The Asari should have shared this knowledge earlier on. It could have saved thousands of lives!" Shepard was becoming angry.
"You don't know that!" Liara shot back. "We don't know what's going on here." She moved past him and scanned the beacon with her tool. "We can try to activate it." After a few place connections from the artifacts, the statute exterior shell crumbled and revealed a familiar sight….a Prothean beacon! Just like the one on Eden Prime, Virmire, and Mars. "By the goddess…." Liara shook as she stepped back. "Our whole civilization…nothing like I thought. I'm sorry to doubt you, guys. I just can't process this right now."
Moments later, a Prothean VI came out. Garrus stepped towards the entrance of the temple to watch their backs while Liara and Shepard interfaced with the VI. He had to make sure they were not going to get boxed in here. So far so good. No Reaper forces heading their way yet. Though it didn't make any sense. They fought numerous troops on their way here. Why not another wave? Not like he was asking for it though. Walking back over, John was wrapping up his conversation with the VI. "We'll find the crucible. I'm not going to give up now."
The VI turned in the same direction that Vakarian came from. "Indoctrinated presence detected. Activating security protocol." The VI shut down.
"What? I was just there and I didn't see anyone-"Garrus looked at his friends, then he heard the sound of a gunship approaching. The gunship's light blocked their view at first and then they saw a humanoid figure slowly walking towards them. As he got closer, it was someone they instantly recognized. It was Kai Leng. Clenching his mandible, Garrus quickly went to his sidearm and raised it to fire, but Liara grabbed his arm to stop him. Not until Shepard gave the order. Garrus fumed at the man's sight. He was the one who sent that message. He had Andromeda. He knew where she was.
Kai Leng stopped as Shepard aimed his own weapon. "That's no way to welcome me, Commander."
"I would have already shot you." Garrus spat angrily at him.
Leng turned his head and looked at him as if he was beneath him. "I doubt you would have hit me. I'm glad to see you got my message."
John jumped in. "You were the one who killed the scientists," He pointed to the man's sword. "What do you want?"
"Your attention." The assassin opened up a portable holo vid and activated it. "Someone would like to talk to you."
The Illusive Man's holo form appeared seconds later. "Glad to see you are doing well, Shepard."
"How did you find this place?" Liara hissed through her teeth.
"The archives or did your Shadowbroker miss that one?"
"Show your face. I promise I won't miss."
"Keep to your talents, Dr. T'Soni. You uncovered the key to subjugate the Reapers." The Illusive Man marveled at the beacon behind them.
"Or to destroy them," John interjected.
"Damnit, Shepard." The man turned back around to face him. "Destroying them gains us nothing."
"So you would rather have millions die while you try to find a way to control them?" Garrus angrily shot.
"I think you have gotten too close to the enemy," John shook his head gravely.
Garrus agreed with this statement. The Illusive Man suddenly seemed just as rash as Kenson, woman John encountered as a favor for Hackett. A poor indoctrinated soul who thought their own reasoning made perfect sense, but in fact, they were being controlled by the Reapers. Even the Prothean VI made a comment that an indoctrinated agent was getting closer. His eyes fell over to Leng who stood there almost brooding about their conversation while he waited for his next order. Like a dutiful pet. Was Kai Leng also indoctrinated?
"If the Reapers wanted to wipe us out, they would have done so already," The Illusive Man argued. "I'm saying they got it right. Why kill when you can control?"
"Are you insane? Are you listening to yourself?" Liara threw up her hands in disbelief. "They are dragging you over to their side. Their way of thinking."
This statement seem to almost hit a mark against the man. He stuttered for a moment for some witty reply, but the words failed him. "No…I just…see things differently." He seemed like a lost soul, breaking from whatever connection he had to Harbinger.
"I'm fighting for humanity. We need to work together," John pushed further. "Cerberus stands for humanity. Do the right thing."
The Illusive Man must have regained his composure as he stood straighter. "The world is gray, Shepard."
Kai Leng was becoming impatient in the foreground. He began pacing back and forth with his sword drawn. His eyes drawn on Garrus like a predator stalking its prey. Garrus kept his pistol poised, his mind focused. His finger itched on the trigger. How badly he wanted to squeeze it. He wanted to put this man out of his misery. But if he did, how was he going to find Andromeda? It was sheer luck that the last outpost was ambushed by the Turian military. The same luck wouldn't come twice. Even his interrogation skills with C-Sec wouldn't get him any closer than he was just now standing off with the enemy. He noticed Liara casting him a worrisome look.
"This device could help me end the fight right now. You are either with me or against me. There's nothing gray about that." Shepard drew the line in the sand. He was done with this talk that seemed to go nowhere just like the one on Mars.
"No, I suppose not." The Illusive Man's eyes gazed up at the monumental beacon before him. "Leng, the Commander has something that I need. Please relieve him of it and then bring me the data." The holo closed leaving them alone with the Cerberus agent.
"Understood," That's just what the dark haired man before them wanted to hear. He clenched his sword and leaped up, striking down hard at Shepard first. Releasing his Omni blade, John used it as a mock shield to block the attack. Kai did a sweeping kick, catching his foe off guard and bringing him hard to the ground.
"Shepard!" Liara released a singularity attack, but almost like if he anticipated it, Leng brought up a biotic barrier to block it.
Hoping he would time it right, Garrus waited a few seconds to let Leng drop his shields to rejoin the melee and opened fire with disruptor ammo. As anticipated, the man was not expecting a simultaneously attack and it hit his shields, Liara did the same and caused further damage.
Aggravated, Leng jumped back and called back to the gunship that was still hovering at the platform. "Open fire and kill them all!"
"Dive!" Shepard jumped behind one of the relic counters and prayed that it would protect him from the onslaught. The temple was fairly open.
"No!" Liara screamed, realizing what was going to come next. She moved to the direction the gunship was aiming in some feign attempt to protect whatever relic was in its path. Seeing her, Garrus grabbed her wrist tightly and pulled her back. He grabbed so hard that it caused a contusion around her wrist.
"Don't, Liara!" He held her down firmly as she struggled to protest. The gunship's turret came online and everything in its path was disintegrated. Pieces of the artifacts were flying everywhere.
"I have to save what I can!" Liara angrily yelled at Garrus as her blue eyes filled up with tears, witnessing the destruction.
"It's over!" Garrus raised his voice over the noise. "You will be killed out there!"
Seeing that the gunship's pilot was focusing mostly on Garrus and Liara, Shepard used his chance and found Leng standing nearby, grinning. As if he had a personal vendetta against Vakarian, his eyes was on the pinned Turian. Using that to his advantage, Shepard snapped in a fresh clip and added the incideniary ammo. He unleashed a barrage of rounds that pummeled Kai's shields, knocking them completely down and hitting his armor.
Growling out in rage, realizing that he had a hit, Kai rushed at John just as the gunship stopped. "Your friend, Thane, died like a coward. You will be joining him soon."
"You bastard…." Liara growled as she opened fire once again with her pistol.
Kai snarled as she managed to catch him off guard and fired, hitting her shields pretty hard. He laughed, "Is that the best you got?"
Seeing Liara applying medigel to her wounds, Garrus switched to his Incisor and snipered a few rounds at their foe. "Try this for size."
Leng narrowed his eyes at them and stabbed the floor with his sword. "There's only one way this ends…" He rushed unexpectedly at Liara, throwing her hard into Garrus. She cried out as the impact exacerbated her wound. Garrus felt pain as her body careened into his, making him lose his footing. His other side slamming into the hard temple floor. Even with his armor, he felt his body aching all over. He was going to definitely feel this in the morning. He heard Liara mutter an apology for him using him as a pillow and then the relief of her weight moving off of him. Just as he got up from the ground, he heard Kai Leng radio back to the gunship, "Target the supports."
"No!" Liara cried out as missiles launched, striking the temple right where the glorified statute of Athame stood. Even if their whole history was false, she had so much emotion attached still. The temple's floor shook and cracks began to form as it separated. Seeing John losing his footing and falling down, Garrus raced over to grab John's hand. Liara fell to the ground beside him to grab the other. "Shepard, I have you!"
"Cerberus thanks you for all your hard work," Kai sneered as he walked over to extract the data from the VI. His walk was casual in a taunting manner as if he felt the ones next to him were no longer a threat. Garrus kept his glare hard as he fought back the strong urge to lurch at the man. He couldn't let John fall to his doom and Liara didn't have a good grip on him. Walking past them to the gunship, Kai almost let himself stop to address Garrus. "I'll be sure to tell Andromeda that you said hello."
Although Turians never experienced pure blood rage like the Krogan, Garrus felt the blood boil in his veins. That was the last insult. It was the same feeling inside as he felt on Omega when he found all his men slaughtered. Once again, people who counted on him for safety, were fallen and it was all because of him. Seeing that John now had a firm grip on his own, Garrus stood back up and withdrew his M-6. Liara instantly took notice, "Garrus…."
Running towards the gunship as it took off with Kai Leng inside, Garrus aimed at the gunship and fired. His ammo bounced off the aircraft's shields. Even targeting delicate areas such as the fuselage and stabilizers, his weapon was no match. He needed something stronger….how he wished for a Reaper to be nearby right about now. John ran up beside him in a feign effort to take down the gunship, but still had the same result. Within seconds, the gunship was out of sight and all around them they saw the endless destruction of Thessia as the Reapers marched on.
"Is anyone on this channel? We need help!" An Asari's voice pleaded through the comms.
"This is Shepard," John replied as he looked out at the battle. "Give us your location and we'll be on our way for the assist."
"Thank the goddess. We are-we have a Reaper coming down! Get back…Oh no…no!" The Asari's voice screamed rang through the ears until there was nothing left but static.
Liara watched in horror and fell to her knees. Tears were streaming down her face. "I can't….I can't-"She looked from one Reaper to the next.
"Fuck!" John yelled loudly as he heatedly turned to radio in Joker for an evac. As if the sudden radio communication was another blow. Losing the data for the crucible was bad enough. They had to put more salt on the wound.
Garrus stood there as he was torn between his two friends. Both feeling different emotions. He could understand the deep sadness that filled T'Soni. He witnessed it for several months on Palaven and Menae. Liara was lucky that she only had to endure this for one day. The shock would never wear off. Cerberus was another problem. With them having the catalyst, it blocked all attempts to finish the Crucible. The one weapon that could destroy the Reapers and end this nightmarish cycle. Also, they had recaptured Andromeda and there was no telling where they were keeping her. "Let's go. We have seen enough," Garrus gently coaxed Liara.
She shook her head and hot tears still filled her eyes. "I can't…I can't leave them."
"There's nothing we can do here. We need to keep working on the Crucible…Shepard is going to need all the encouragement he can get after this one…" He casted his eyes over to John. "We can't abandon him now."
A few hours after arriving back on the Normandy, Garrus decided to stop by to see how Liara was faring. He knew that he had to give her some time to cope and accept what was happening to her home world. Not only dealing with that, but the fact that the Protheans were the "gods and goddesses" that her people believed in. Now it seemed like her entire religion and culture almost mirrored the Hanar. He overheard chatter on the Normandy that apparently following the mission, Liara and Javik had a verbal altercation which led to John's intervention. He wished he could get the feeds from that one from EDI.
"Dr. T'Soni wishes not to be disturbed at this time. Please come back at another time," Glyph greeted him at the door. Garrus looked past the VI to see Liara staring at datapads on her bed.
Her blue eyes softly looked at him and she gave a short smile. "Glyph, it's okay."
"You know to be all studying the Protheans, to try to kill the last living one?" Garrus joked as he entered. "That's…uh unusual."
"You heard about that…" Liara sat up straighter and organized the tablets.
"I think everyone in the Milky Way heard it," He cracked a faint smile at her.
"I just am having trouble digesting it. I shouldn't have said what I did. I should have waited until I took time to mourn and then ask questions about those artifacts in the temple. He had every right to defend himself." She rose up from her bed and walked over to her terminals. "I did some digging and found more information about Sanctuary. It's in the same flight path that Andromeda could have went to if they were forced to change course after leaving Eden Prime. That place recently went dark."
"Tell me more."