.

"What's the news, Joker?"

"Same story, different setting! We've got a gaggle of refugees hold out in the Argos Rho cluster."

"Let's see if we can beat the Reapers there this time."

"Sounds optimistic. I'll do my best!"

"By the way, what's this I hear about another wager among the crew?"

"Bunch of sore losers... I mean, no idea what you're talking about commander."

"I told you no more betting on the outcome of the sparing matches between Liara and I."

"And we didn't."

"Then what was the wager?"

"How much of the local area you would destroy. I bet high."

"No more wagers."

"You're just upset I was making money off you losing."

"What was that?"

"Nothing commander! Just talking to Edi."

"No he was not."

"Edi hush."

.

.

Liara's singularity lifted the un-shielded Cannibals into the air where Shepard's Mattok ripped through them like paper. Keying her Omni tool, Liara sent a burst of energy into the airborne Reaper fodder and their twisted flesh erupted into flame. The Asari called on her biotics again and sent the corpses flying towards the other Reaper forces in the area.

Overhead, another harvester lanced towards the embarking refugees, but Shepard's biotic charge intercepted it. The monstrosity's back erupted in gore as Shepard burst from it and the commander, having learned which part of a harvesters body to target to keep from blacking out - upper back where the wings connected with the body - willed himself to the ground and into the middle of a charging group of husks.

The pale-blue creatures began to ripple with energy, and at the apex of their power Shepard dropped a grenade in their midst before once again charging across the battlefield within his biotics. His maneuver brought him onto the back of a screaming Banshee and he could feel the telltale heat and ripple of Liara's warp tearing through the monstrositys barrier. The commander pulled his arm back before driving it into the creature's torso, unleashing a burst of biotic energy that ripped through its chest and sent gore flying through the air.

"Refugees are clear, ready for extraction."

As Shepard pulled his fist free of the dying banshee, Liara jogged up to him. The Asari tilted her armored head to the side and picked a piece of harvester - or banshee - from the commander's armor. Shepard shrugged, Liara shook her head, and Cortez's dropship roared down from the sky toward them. The Vanguard willed himself through the air onto the dropship, followed a moment later by Liara - the Asari stumbling as she emerged from her own biotic charge.

"Told you it wasn't easy."

"Yes, well we can't all just leap around the battlefield and punch things."

"True. How many of the Refugee ships made it Cortez?"

"So far all of them sir. Joker is escorting them to the relay as we speak and will be back to pick us up ASAP. I think we're getting better at this, sir!"

"Or just getting lucky. Keep us in the air until Joker gets back."

"Yes sir!"

.

.

"What's wrong?"

"It's... it's nothing."

"Shepard..."

"I'm just... why aren't we encountering more resistance from Reaper forces? Every engagement with them is uniform. We reach the survivors, fight off a Reaper attack, then a Reaper Destroyer chases us out of the system."

"It's quite possible that the forces we encounter are all the Reaper's feel necessary. They likely are focusing on the creation of additional flagships at this time. Once they complete that construction we will likely be hunted down, but until that point we are a minor objective."

"I... suppose. I just-"

"Shepard, I've just had something crazy come in through coms. You remember Eden Prime?"

"... Yes."

"I mean, of course, sorry, but one of the support groups for Andromeda was investigating the system and found an abandoned Cerberus base. They found some Prothean technology and think you and Liara should take a look."

"Could be another VI?"

"Or something new... Take us there, Joker."

"On it!"

.

.