Allers: So you made it one piece then?
Ashley: We did.
Allers: From your report it says that you entered the conduit and found yourselves on the citadel by the Presidium tower. Also that the Normandy gathered the fleet and travelled to the citadel.
Ashley: That's what happened.
Allers: How did the Normandy know where you had been sent?
Ashley: I can't answer that question.
Allers: I know, but the other Mrs Lawson can.
It had only taken several seconds for the feeling of mistrust to seep in. The Normandy crew didn't trust me, regardless of the fact that Ash had vouched for me. I was a newcomer, one who had seemingly just attached herself to the Gunnery Chief and tagged along. To them my skills were untested and I definitely wasn't military. Regardless of the fact that they had aliens on board that weren't military either. I was an unknown quantity, the others had been battle tested. I had no friends on board not even the Quarian who had seemingly accepted me earlier had stayed behind. I was left on the bridge with no security pass to get through to the lower levels and nothing to do, the only real option that lay before me was to head back to our ship and keep myself busy.
Once aboard I did the only thing that I could think of, I tuned into the radio transmissions of the ground team and listened into the mission. All appeared to be going well and after an hour into the mission they seemed to be making progress having just opened the door that was blocking the Mako's way. It had taken a while but they eventually made it back to the Mako and set off into the tunnel. The further in they went the weaker the signal became up until it went completely. Bringing up my omni-tool I contacted Tali.
"Tali, it's Sarah. Do you know anything about communication relays?"
"Of course, why do you ask?"
"I'm trying to listen into the ground team, and the signal has just been cut off. Is there any way you can boost the signal?"
"I just need the frequency that you're using and from there all I need to do is to overpower the output emitter which should then send out a burst of power which will enable you to reach the ground team."
"Thanks Tali."
It only took a few seconds for Tali's work to be noticed. The radio started to crackle instantly until it was clear enough to make out what was going on planet side. As usual they were under attack by the Geth. The further they want down the tunnel the more resistance they met. It was then that the comm chatter got interesting.
"Commander is that the conduit?"
"It looks like a mass relay Shepard."
"Whatever it is, it's heavily guarded. I count eight armatures."
"Just drive straight towards the conduit Shepard, we won't last long against that many armatures."
From the sounds coming over the comm they were attacked straight away, which only left me with a couple of seconds to activate the tracker in Ash's suit. Just as it was brought online the Mako had entered the mass relay. Within a few seconds I had activated the locater on the display which showed where the mako had landed. The Citadel. As soon as I was sure that the information was correct I hurried through to XO Pressley to pass the information on. As soon as he was convinced he sent the orders out and the Normandy was heading towards Arcturus Station and reinforcements. And I was left onboard my own ship heading straight towards the Citadel.
The relay jump was quick and the Citadel came into view a lot sooner than expected. As soon as it came into view you could tell that the citadel was under attack from the Geth. Their ships were bombarding the Asari and Turian ships that were protecting the galactic capital. Any shot that missed went straight to the citadel, by the time the fight would be over, thousands would have perished on the Citadel alone. A quick flick of a switch turned the stealth systems on and we managed to creep through the war zone. The tracker in Ash's suit was still functioning and was pointing towards the Presidium. The beauty of a ship like this was the auto pilot function, a few quick commands and it was programmed to fly to the location and then find somewhere to land once I had departed.
The drop point was the Presidium landing pad only a few minutes away from the council chambers. As soon as I hit the ground I started running towards their last known location. The journey took longer than it really should have done, the place was swarming with Geth. Biotics came into play straight away ripping the Geth apart and detonating biotic singularities behind enemy encampments. Every Geth that I destroyed meant one less for Ash and her team giving them the backup that they weren't expecting. I made my way into the council chambers and met more Geth resistance. They were protecting their master and I was just a bug in the ointment to them. The whole weight of the Geth force came down upon me and all I could manage was a biotic shield. The tracker beeped to signal that it was in close proximity. Then all of a sudden there was an extra line of gunfire coming from behind the Geth. As the last Geth fell my biotic shield wavered and died.
"Come out where I can see you."
"Don't worry Commander I'm not here to hurt you."
"Mi...Sarah!"
There she was the whole reason why I'd left the safety of the Normandy and come gallivanting across a war torn citadel. The woman that I love.
"How did you know where we are?"
"Tracking locator embedded in your suit. Don't worry Commander the Normandy is on route via Arcturus Station they're bringing the fifth fleet."
"Best news I've heard all day."
At the Commanders say we moved on and headed up into the council chambers, where Saren was waiting for us. With the council safely aboard the Destiny Ascension, Saren was left to meddle with most powerful consoles on the entire citadel.
"Ah, Shepard. Nice of you to join us."
"Saren, you don't have to do this. Think about it, think about what you're doing. Millions of lives will be lost across the Galaxy, do you really want that resting on your shoulders."
"You have no idea Shepard. The power they have given me in return for my co-operation. Can you not feel it Shepard? Change is coming."
"This change is courtesy of genocide. Why would you want this? You were a Spectre you followed the law of the galaxy and protected the innocent, this goes everything we stand for."
"Of course you're right but the power Shepard. You have never felt anything like this before, the Reapers are coming and there's nothing we can do. We can either join them and live or resist them and die. The choice is yours Shepard."
"And what kind of life would it be. We wouldn't be free, it would be a life of indentured servitude. We've both seen the message the Protheons left, the warning of the Reapers. We can't just lie down and take it, our very survival as a species is on the line. You know I'm right Saren. Help me and we'll fight the Reapers Stop this and together we can prepare for the upcoming fight."
"I can't Shepard. They have me, to resist would be futile. They own me. But there is something I can do."
"Do whatever you have to to stop this from happening."
"So long Shepard."
The Turians body fell from the pedestal that he was on, through the glass floor and into a garden area below the council chambers. His lifeless body hitting the floor with a metallic thud. It was over.
"Shepard, please tell me you're out there."
"Joker."
"The one and only. Can you open the Citadel arms Commander, the fifth fleet is here."
"Done, come on through J..."
"This is the Destiny Ascension hailing the human fleet. We have the council onboard and are under heavy attack. Can you offer assistance?"
"Joker, protect the Destiny Ascension and then open fire on Sovereign."
"Commander we'll lose time not to mention ships if we help them."
"Just do it Joker. The council are just as important."
"Roger that Commander."
Once the arms were open the fleet moved in and saved the Destiny Ascension. We still had the problem of Saren. His body had gone. There was no sign of anything been moved or destroyed, it was more like his body had just disappeared into thin air. The scans from my omni-tool came up with nothing, it was peculiar. But ultimately we had won. A loud explosion signalled the demise of Sovereign and the end of the fight.
A/N Its not the end of the story. Not yet. It's been a while since my last update, but thats because I've been working on my Dragon Age story. Hopefully I'll be quicker now that I've technically finished the storyline of ME1.