Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my MechWarrior/BattleTech - Mass Effect crossover.

Thank you all for your wonderful support and feedback. I deeply appreciate it.

Some of you, I've noted, are worried that things might become 'too easy' for the Federated Commonwealth. Thanks to your feedback, I've taken notice of this, so I will be making adjustments as the story continues.

As always, leave a review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the MechWarrior/BattleTech or Mass Effect franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of BioWare, Electronic Arts, FASA Corporation, FASA Interactive, Catalyst Game Labs, Piranha Games Inc., etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.

Tuchanka

Approaching Bomb Site

September 16th, 2186

Getting a shuttle to their location in order to extract the wounded wasn't too difficult at all. Cortez had volunteered to bring the UT-47B over to their position now that the Harvesters had been dealt with. Loading up the wounded was a process that had to be done delicately, though the Turians achieved this with an unusual rapidity.

Once the wounded at their location had been extracted, Shepard contacted the Primarch, "Victus, we have a complication."

"Did you reach my son?" Victus asked.

"Affirmative."

"Then you likely know what our mission on the planet is."

"Correct, but we have a complication. Cerberus has access to the bomb; a mole onboard your son's ship disabled their communication encryption protocols. They were broadcasting in the open without knowing it. Your son only found out shortly before they crashed."

Victus didn't sound pleased, as Shepard heard a loud, "S'KAK!" over the channel. After a few seconds of silence, he came back over the comm. "Then it is even more imperative that we get this situation contained as soon as possible. How close are you to the site?"

This prompted Shepard to look at his Tactical Map, or TACMAP for short. Once Tarquin had informed them of the bomb site, the TACMAP had been updated accordingly. "We're not that far off," he reported. "Around 20 clicks away to be precise. We can get over there in rapid fashion and get the objective completed. With Cerberus in the area, however, things are going to become complicated very quickly."

"Agreed."

"Is Victor Steiner-Davion with you?"

"Yes," came Victor Steiner-Davion's voice. "I heard the whole thing. Wrex is currently outside, so we don't have to worry about him overreacting too much. Still, from what I can tell, this is a political bombshell waiting to go off."

"Our resident Elemental said much the same."

"Well, military minds tend to think alike at times," Victor admitted. "Still, we cannot allow Cerberus to detonate that bomb, if that is their goal to begin with anyways. If it goes off, we'll be looking at massive casualties, and any chance of peace with the Krogan will literally be torn to pieces. Do what you have to in order to win. I don't care if you have to use a BattleMech to blast the bomb into thousands of tiny little pieces; just make sure that Cerberus cannot detonate that bomb. Understood?"

"Understood," Shepard nodded. "Anything going on at your end?"

"We had a DropShip arrive while you were farting around down there. Given their equipment, we decided to send them to a location that Wrex mentioned to us: an anti-orbital weapon system on the planet. They'll handle that while you get the bomb disabled. Understood?"

"Copy that," Shepard replied. Closing the comm link, he turned to the others and said, "We have to get to the bomb site. Is Mason and his team on station?"

"Affirmative," Garrus confirmed. "Mason's informed me that he'll be coming along in a Shadow Hawk. Anything heavier is just going to be a waste of ammo and time. I'm not too worried; the Shadow Hawk is an excellent 'Mech. I should know; I've piloted one before."

"Still, this is going to be very risky," Vega added. "Once Cerberus learns of what we're doing, they'll definitely try to make sure that the bomb goes off, no matter what we do."

"Reminds one of that one mission back at Virmire, doesn't it?" Kaidan added.

Shepard frowned, the memory passing through his mind. I lost a good friend there that day, he thought. But I am glad that we managed to stop Saren with nuclear fire. Still, this mission has way too many parallels with that one now. We have to be careful, otherwise we'll get our asses kicked, and that bomb will blow up. "It does," he finally said at length. "Either way, we have to stop them, otherwise any chance of peace with the Krogan goes out the metaphorical window."

"Agreed," Calbot nodded. "We must not fail if we are to preserve the galaxy and defeat the Reapers. Once Cortez returns, we will travel over to the bomb site, and show those Cerberus traitors why they cannot stand against us."

. . .

It wasn't long before Cortez came back. The shuttle landed where Tarquin and his men had taken cover at, allowing the team to quickly load up and move out to the bomb site. While onboard, Shepard had the laborious task of refueling the Jump Jets that had allowed Calbot to not only move far ahead, but to also jump across gaps. While the Inner Sphere had created nuclear fusion reactors as a marvelous substitute for petroleum, they hadn't been able to make Fusion Engines small enough to fit on Battle Armor.

As such, this precluded the chance to use any form of plasma as a means of lifting Battle Armor over a small gap and to the other side. This meant that Battle Armor Jump Jets used a high efficiency fuel that was designed to give them four minutes of flight time. While certainly more forgiving than the original one minute of flight time, anyone using Mountain Lion Battle Armor had to be careful not to expend all of that fuel in one go.

Pulling a small, retractable tube out of a compartment in the UT-47B, also known as the Kodiak II, Shepard connected it to a small valve located on the back of the armor. Once he had turned and locked it in place, he activated a small pump inside of the compartment. Moments later, he heard a quiet woosh as fuel flowed from the reservoir on board and into the armor that Calbot was wearing. After thirty seconds, this came to a stop, with Shepard unlocking the tube, before he let go, allowing the tube to put itself away. "You good?" he asked Calbot.

"Aff," Calbot replied.

"So, what do you think of the armor?"

"It is a fine suit of Battle Armor," Calbot admitted. "I must admit, I had my doubts as to whether or not it was better than Elemental Battle Armor. Now that I have used it more extensively, I do believe that it is superior to what my fellow Clansmen developed. It is a little strange to me, though."

"I know what you mean. I've often been confused by new technologies, though it just means that I need more time to get used to them. So, what specifically is better about this armor?"

"It is far more responsive than my older suit of Battle Armor. A single thought and the component that I desire to move does so, and as far as I want it to. The interface on the visor provides the required information and nothing more, though it can change if I so desire it, much like my older armor. It also feels lighter, and I can run faster than I could in my old suit of Battle Armor, which brings me to a question. Who designed this suit of armor?"

"That would be the eggheads at TIWT."

"TIWT"

"Tharkad Institut und Wissenschaft und Technik. That's German for the Tharkad Institute of Science and Engineering. They're responsible for developing the Mountain Lion Battle Armor."

"Then I must say, it is a superior form of Battle Armor. I salute them and their ingenuity. If only our Scientist Caste had half of that wit and deviousness, then we might have been able to match you."

"Might have," Shepard admitted. Looking towards Garrus, he noticed that the middle-aged Turian had a worried expression on his face. Walking over, he asked, "You OK, Garrus?"

"What?"

"You OK?"

"I-I'm fine," Garrus replied. "Too much thinking."

"About what?"

"Nyreen and my kids," Garrus admitted, shoulders slumping somewhat. "I know that they were trained very well by myself, Ardan Sortek and the others, but I'm still worried about them. Part of me is dreading what might happen if I get wind of one of them dying in battle. I-I don't know what might happen then."

Seeing his friend's doubt, Shepard squeezed his shoulder comfortingly. "They'll be fine," he reassured Garrus. "To be honest, I'd be worried as well. Hell, I'm worried too; want to know what helps me get over that?"

"What?"

"The knowledge that I have friends and family ready to help me out when I need their help the most. You're not alone in this war, Garrus; you have a whole team that's ready to go through Hell and back to make sure you're OK. It's something my wife, and you yourself, have told me many times. Remember that, and things won't seem so difficult. OK?"

Garrus sighed, though it was clear that some of the worry and tension that was building up in his body had faded away. "Yeah," he decided. "Thanks, Shepard."

"Anytime, Garrus," Shepard beamed.

As he turned to walk away, Garrus asked, "How's your sleep been?"

"Pardon?"

"Your sleep. Liara told me that you often had nightmares ever since the Reapers invaded Earth."

Shepard pursed his lips before replying. "They don't bother me anymore. Ever since I had that one dream, where Grunt told me he was OK and that he and the child I couldn't save didn't want me to be sad anymore, the nightmares haven't returned."

Garrus smiled. "That's good to hear. I was worried for you there."

"You had good reason to be. It's only because of Grunt letting me know that he and that child are in a better place, that I'm not having nightmares anymore. Still, I appreciate your concern." With that, they fell silent, though it was clear that the talk they had helped soothe their frayed nerves.

The only thing that broke the silence five minutes later was a chiming sound coming from a nearby holographic projector. "Commander, you've got a call coming in from Lieutenant Victus," Cortez informed him.

"Patch it through," Shepard ordered.

A moment later, Tarquin Victus appeared as a 3D hologram inside of the room. From the way his body was contorted, he was likely inside of his own shuttle, talking to him using a similar system. "Normandy Shuttle," he began, "This is Lieutenant Victus with the Ninth Platoon. Do you read me, over?"

"We hear you, Ninth Platoon," Shepard replied.

"We're approaching the bomb site, Commander." A moment later, Victus shifted around, almost as though something was exploding hear his shuttle. "Getting bounced around pretty bad!"

Looking at a map that was projected next to Victus' hologram, Shepard examined it, frowned a moment later. "This is as close as we can get, Lieutenant," he replied. "Look for somewhere to set your platoon down."

"Copy that."

"Talk to me about this Cerberus bomb."

At that, Tarquin's face darkened with a frown. "It's not Cerberus, Commander. It's… it's Turian."

That confused Shepard greatly. "What do you mean 'it's Turian?' I need an explanation, Lieutenant."

Such an explanation came almost immediately. "It was planted centuries ago after the Krogan Rebellions. The bomb was another safeguard against a galactic war."

Garrus, who was nearby, threw in his own comment. "Brutal, but it makes a certain kind of sense. Put the Krogan down hard if they tried anything."

"Reminds me of the Trial of Absorption and the Trial of Annihilation," Calbot noted. "Both are forms of preventing a rebellion by either absorbing the rowdy elements, or annihilating them entirely. Still, in this case, a Trial of Absorption would have been better."

Shepard frowned. While he could understand a safeguard against another war, he didn't like how it had been done. "You don't earn trust with tactics like that," he chided Tarquin, "but right now, we have to focus on disarming that bomb."

"Yes, but Cerberus found it," Tarquin frowned. "Detonation means all out war between my people and the Krogan."

"Right. Where is it exactly? You only gave me a general location."

A moment later, a video feed from Tarquin's shuttle came in. Looking at it, Shepard noted a few buildings that weren't far off from where was at. "Those buildings up ahead," Tarquin added. "Cerberus brought in equipment to dig it up. The Ninth Platoon will cover your flank, Commander."

There was something else that also worried Shepard. "With all this activity, the Krogan will know that something's up," he informed Tarquin.

"Then we can't fail, Commander."

"Copy that, Lieutenant." A few seconds later, Shepard watched as the hologram dissipated. Immediately after that, he made sure the weapon he chose now was working properly. While the Pulse Laser Rifle was effective, Shepard knew that using a single weapon for too long often gave the enemy ideas on how to counter it. As such, he often mixed his loadout up, which allowed him to keep an enemy on their toes.

It was why he chose the M42C for this particular operation. While kinetic barriers would stop the projectiles, the projectiles had enough velocity and mass that the energy involved would drain them quickly. In addition, rapid fire would also wear down the barriers, and the M42C was well known for it's rapid rate of fire. It's also an accurate weapon, he noted as he primed the rifle, a satisfying click echoing in the Kodiak II's interior. "You guys ready?" he asked as he made sure he had enough ammo for the mission.

"Affirmative," Garrus nodded. Looking at Shepard's rifle, he said, "I'll carry some ammo for you, Shepard."

"I've got plenty," Shepard countered.

"Yeah, but better safe than sorry. Besides, I've always got a little room for that sort of thing." Walking over to the nearby locker, he loaded a few M42C magazines into his armored 'pack. "That way, if we encounter any complications, we'll be fine." Shepard merely shrugged in agreement.

Just as he did, the doors to the interior began to open up. Looking outside, Shepard could see a series of concrete pillars that had fallen down from the nuclear war that had been waged thousands of years ago. To the left and right was the wreckage of various buildings that had also suffered the same fate. Up ahead, he could see what looked like a building, and a path to the next area.

Unfortunately, Cerberus had used the time they had to fortify their position. Specially designed kinetic barriers were present up ahead, and he could see a number of Cerberus Assault Troopers and a few Centurions. In addition, explosions were going off, with a few erupting in front of them. They've presighted the area for mortar fire, he realized. "Let's move people!" he shouted.

"Get behind something!" Garrus shouted as they all rushed out of the Kodiak II and behind cover. Spotting a Centurion, he leaned out with the Minolta and, taking aim, fired a single HE round. The first round downed the kinetic barriers protecting the Centurion, while the second round, an AP shot, blasted through the armor, splattering the Cenurion's brains all over the ground.

Shepard, who was also taking cover, fired his M42C at a few Assault Troopers. API rounds tore into each one, with a few screaming as the thermite tip of the rounds burned through their armor and into their flesh, while the hardened tungsten carbide penetrator tore through their bodies. The rifle roared, almost as though it was eager to send the Cerberus troopers to an early grave.

Calbot, who had gotten out, said, "I will neutralize the mortars, Shepard!"

"Go!" Shepard shouted. With that, Calbot activated the jump jets, but angled his body in a manner that would allow him to fly more horizontally than vertically. As such, he flew over the area, landing and crushing a Centurion while he was at it. A moment later, he jumped upwards, disappearing out of sight. "If there's any ATLAS mechs ahead, neutralize them too," Shepard added.

"Copy that," Calbot replied.

As the team began to move up, Shepard switched comm frequencies. "Commander Mason, this is Commander Shepard. Do you read me?"

"I copy," Mason replied. "What's the SITREP?"

"We're moving towards the bomb," Shepard replied. "I need you to keep any Cerberus reinforcements from arriving in the area. Can you do that?"

"Roger that," Mason agreed. "I've got an LB 5-X Autocannon on my 'Mech. Any Cerberus personnel come around, I'll provide fire support. I'll leave any smaller vehicles to you. Mason out."

"Copy that. Shepard out." With that, the team began fighting their way through the debris choked area, avoiding mortar shells and gunfire all the while.

Firing his rifle, Shepard watched as a group of Assault Troopers suffered his rifle's wrath, their bodies jerking as their armor, despite being thick, failed to protect them from rounds designed for penetrating body armor. Checking his mag's current capacity, he continued to fire in short, controlled bursts. Once his targets were neutralized, he quickly began to move up, while the others provided fire support.

It wasn't long before they managed to get to the other side of the area. Firing his Pulse Laser Pistol, Garrus killed a Centurion that was sneaking up on him, while Kaidan smashed an Assault Trooper into a nearby wall with a biotic throw. "Finally, we're out of the killbox," Garrus sighed. "I was worried I'd take a mortar shell to the face."

"Like what happened at Omega?" Shepard asked.

"Yeah. Not funny, Shepard."

"I know."

As they moved forwards, Victus came in over the comm again. "Once we reach the bomb, I'll need to reprogram the trigger mechanism!" he informed them.

"Copy that. No trigger, no explosion." As they continued forwards, they moved through a large hole in a building's wall and into the building itself. Looking up ahead, Shepard spotted more Cerberus personnel.

The way they spoke told him that they knew what was happening. "Shepard has breached the perimeter!" one reported.

"Take him out!" another shouted.

Moving into a hallway that had a large atrium to one side, Shepard spotted a number of Cerberus troops, as well as what looked like a pylon near the kinetic barrier generators. Shield pylons, he snarled internally. Stand near them and you get kinetic barriers for a time. Effective and annoying. "Vega," he asked.

"On it," Vega replied. "Kinetic barriers can't stop laser weapons." Moving forwards, he took cover, before firing the M61B in his hands. The pulsing blue-white beam of laser light tore through a pair of Assault Troopers, neutralizing them quickly.

"SHIT!" one Cerberus trooper shouted. "They've got laser weapons!"

"That's not possible!" a Centurion shouted. "How did they -" he was promptly cut off when a pulse laser cut his right arm off. A loud scream of pain came from the man, just before a grenade exploded at his feet, ending his misery.

A large firefight ensued, with Shepard and the others quickly moving up as they gunned down the Cerberus troopers inside. Soon, only a handful were left. As they fought, Shepard thought he heard a rhythmic thumping sound, like some giant was moving towards them. He smiled, knowing what it mean.

"What was that?" a Cerberus trooper asked.

"Hell if I know," another frowned. That was when the source of the sound came into view.

Shepard smiled as the Shadow Hawk that Mason was piloting came into view, the 'Mech being just tall enough for the Autocannon to clear the ruined roof of the building they were in. "I'll tell you what that sound is," he said over a loudspeaker. "Your death!" At the same moment, he fired the LB 5-X on his 'Mech.

None of the surviving Cerberus troops had any time to react before the explosive submunitions the weapon fired blasted them to pieces. Dust filled the air, though Shepard watched as pieces of armor, limbs and gore were scattered everywhere. "You doin' alright, Shepard?" Mason asked.

"Yeah," Shepard replied. "Thanks for the support."

"My pleasure, Shepard. I'll head over to the Turians and provide fire support." With that, the 'Mech quickly left the area, vanishing out of sight in a few seconds.

"Well, that was fun," Vega beamed. "Did you see the looks on the Cerberus personnel's faces?"

"I did," Shepard nodded. Spotting another hallway on the left side of the area ahead of them, he guided them through the hallway.

"We defeat the Krogan and plant a bomb on their planet," Garrus prefaced. "Pretty extreme, but those were desperate times."

"After all of that fighting, to lose everything in a flash of nuclear fire," Vega frowned. "Nothing excuses that kind of behavior. They should have looked for another way."

"I know," Garrus agreed, a frown on his face. "Like you said, they could've done negotiations. Then again, however, the cooler heads weren't in charge of the situation." With that, they continued to advance forwards. They had to be careful, as while the buildings had withstood a nuclear war, the thousands of years since had left them in a poor state of repair. More than once, each member of the team nearly fell victim to a collapsing floor or a wall that fell inwards.

As they advanced, Victus came in over the comm. "Shepard, Cerberus is putting up a fight, but the Ninth Platoon is advancing. Also, we've got some kind of machine providing us covering fire. That yours?"

"That's Commander Mason," Shepard explained. "He's piloting a Shadow Hawk BattleMech to give you fire support."

"I know," Victus replied. "Cerberus comm chatter is going crazy over the BattleMech, as you call it. I'll take that kind of fire support any day of the week."

"Same here."

As they moved up, Shepard heard some Cerberus personnel talking up ahead. "I don't know what Shepard and his team brought," one was saying, "but it's killing us rapidly! If we don't act soon, we'll all be killed!"

"Tell me about it," another grunted. "We've also got reports that it has multiple laser-based weapon systems installed onto it."

"How are we supposed to defeat that?"

"Hell if I know."

Spotting the Cerberus troopers past some fallen columns inside of a building, Shepard smiled. "I'll give you a hint," he said before firing. "You're not!"

The surprise attack from his team caught the Cerberus troopers off guard. Ducking into cover, Shepard heard his barriers break, with bullets hitting his armor. Instead of penetrating, the sand-grain sized projectiles ricocheted off of the hardened titanium alloy armor plating he was wearing. Thank goodness for high quality armor plating, he thought as he waited for his barriers to recharge.

Vega, working with Kaidan, really began to bring down the hammer onto the Cerberus personnel. Once Kaidan had hurled a biotic throw at the Cerberus troops, Vega fired his M61B, cutting down Cerberus personnel with the pulse laser rifle. "SHIT!" he shouted when a turret fired up, forcing him to take cover. "Someone kill that turret!"

"I'm on it!" Garrus shouted. Taking aim with his rifle, he fired a single HEAP round that he loaded by hand into the chamber. The turret exploded, causing the Cerberus Engineer controlling it to stagger back, giving Vega the perfect kill shot.

"Target down," he reported as he blasted the Cerberus Engineer's head clean off.

As they moved forwards, though, Shepard noticed something odd. Keying his comm as a shuttle flew overhead, he said, "Mason, do you copy? Cerberus is evacuating the area."

"That's not normal," Mason frowned. "Permission to terminate?"

"Granted."

"Copy that. They won't get far."

As Mason fired on the fleeing transports, Shepard and the others reached the area where the bomb was at. Looking around, Shepard could see three large pylon that held a large, circular object with geometrically shaped sections around the upper portion of the pylon. That must be where the bomb is at, Shepard noted.

Looking further ahead, he could see Victus working at a control panel, likely how the bomb was to be triggered. "I'm at the control panel, Commander," Victus informed him. "Cerberus put up a firewall around the trigger mechanism's software to slow us down. I need to create a bypass. That'll take time. But like you said: no trigger, no explosion."

As he ran over to where Victus and the other Turians were at, Shepard asked, "Are you sure you can disarm the trigger?"

"Yes. It's old tech. I know what to do. Buy me a few minutes, Commander."

"We'll make sure you have the time you need, Lieutenant," Shepard nodded.

"Understood," Tarquin nodded. "Starting bypass. And Commander, thank you for making sure I get this chance."

"Don't thank me. Thank Calbot."

"That I will."

As they were working, Shepard nearly jumped when Garrus fired off his Minolta, the Turian rapidly working the bolt before firing another shot. "Contacts behind us!" he shouted.

"Understood!" Shepard shouted. "Keep them off of Victus! Otherwise this mission is done!" With that, everyone scrambled into cover, before firing at the Cerberus troops down below. Looking up, Shepard watched as Mason fired the LB 5-X, as well as the ER Medium Pulse Lasers and A-LRM-5's built into his 'Mech. A shuttle exploded in flames as he blasted one apart.

As the Cerberus hostiles poured in, Shepard and the others continued to fire, while shifting position in order to achieve maximum coverage. Looking ahead, he frowned when he spotted a familiar profile. "Fuck! ATLAS!" he shouted as the mech in question came into view.

Fortunately, Calbot came to the rescue. There was a loud FWHOOSH as he landed, scattering a few Cerberus personnel as he landed. "TIME TO DIE!" he roared at the ATLAS, which turned it's main gun to engage him. It fired, sending a shell directly at Calbot.

The mass accelerated round hit the Elemental square in the chest. The kinetic barriers installed into Calbot's armor flared, slapping the round away, while Calbot charged forwards. Leaping upwards, he planted his armored feet and the Battle Claw onto the front of the machine, knocking it onto it's back. The pilot inside screamed as Calbot smashed through the cockpit glass with his Battle Claw, tearing the screaming person out, before slamming him back into the cockpit. Moments later, the man's screams fell silent as Calbot stomped onto his chest, killing the Cerberus Engineer immediately.

"FUCK!" a Cerberus Assault Trooper shouted. "They've got their own mech, and it's killed ours!"

"FOCUS FIRE!" another screamed. "FOCUS FI-AAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHH!"

"SILENCE, STRAVAG!" Calbot roared as the pulse laser mounted on the AP mount of his armor fired. "TODAY, YOU WILL KNOW THE WRATH OF A TRUE WARRIOR!" Using his jump jets, he jumped towards the clump of troopers.

While Shepard couldn't see much of the fight, due to some debris, he could clearly hear it. Screams of terror and agony ripped through the air as Calbot tore into the Cerberus troops with unbridled fury. When it fell silent, he stepped out, his armor covered with blood and gore, causing Shepard to gag slightly. "Remind me not to get on your bad side," he told the Elemental.

"Noted," was the reply.

A moment later, Victus called out, "Commander! Firewall's down! I'm in!" Just then, he saw an alert flash onto the console he was using. "SPIRITS!" he roared, hammering a fist into the console. "Cerberus hacked the trigger mechanism! It's set to detonate!"

"Disarm it!" Shepard shouted as he broke the neck of an Assault Trooper.

"No time!" Victus shouted. "I have to separate the trigger from the bomb now! Cover me!" With that, he raced towards the bomb, using a ladder on one of the pylons to quickly scale the structure. As Shepard and the others fired, Victus quickly scrambled towards the center of the bomb, using a console on the top.

A cylindrical object extruded out of the top, with the Lieutenant scrambling over to the device. Bending down, he twisted it a few times, before pulling it straight up. As soon as he did, the four locking mechanisms on the bomb's trigger began to move, with three moving up and away, unlocking most of the trigger mechanism. Then, a loud metallic groaning pop echoed in the air, with Victus snarling as one of the locking devices failed to do the same. "COME ON!" he snarled.

Then he remembered: each of the locking mechanisms had a failsafe built-in in the event they failed to work properly. Underneath a panel on each one were two locking pins, each one the size of his two clenched talons put together. If he pulled those out, the malfunctioning locking mechanism would fall away, separating the trigger from the payload inside. There was only one problem: he would have to be dangling over the chasm that the bomb was over.

For a few seconds, he hesitated as he weighted the outcome of the mission against something he also found valuable: his life. Then, with a determined frown, he reached his decision. Scrambling over to the malfunctioning locking mechanism, he held onto handbars located on the outer side of the panel, with only the chasm down below him. Pulling the panel off, he pulled away one of the pins. The entire mechanism shuddered as the pin pulled free, nearly dislodging him.

Hearing the sound up above, Shepard looked up and, much to his horror, saw Victus dangling over the edge. "LIEUTENANT!" he shouted.

"Victory… at any cost," Victus said grimly, before pulling out the last one.

"TARQUIN!" Garrus shouted as the last pin fell free. The malfunctioning component tore free from the bomb, with the trigger falling down with it. Tarquin gave one last roar of triumph as he too fell with the bomb, disappearing out of sight moments later. After a few seconds of silence, there was a tremendous explosion, though it wasn't nearly powerful enough to reach the payload, a white glowing sphere inside the bomb that hung like a raindrop about to drip from a leaky eave.

Walking towards the edge of the chasm, Shepard bent to a knee and bowed his head, holding his rifle muzzle up with the stock on the ground. For a few seconds, he silently prayed for Victus' soul, then he stood up and said, "He's gone. There's nothing we can do."

"I know," Garrus frowned, "and that's what makes me sad."

Calbot, walking over to them, was subdued in his tone of voice as well. "He corrected his error, and won glory for the Turian Hierarchy today. His deeds will be remembered by his people."

"Agreed," Shepard nodded. What he knew he would have to do, was ensure that the peace was being kept. That is not going to be a pleasant task, he knew, even as he walked towards the area where the Kodiak II was flying to.

(Author's Q&A)

SpaceCommander-09: Sorry about that. I kinda had a brain fart there.

Just a Crazy-Man: Thank you.

Chronus1326: Alright. Thank you for the feedback. I appreciate it.

RandomReader: Good ideas. I'll definitely consider them. Thank you.

SulliMike23: I agree. Cerberus doesn't know when to fold 'em. They'll find out soon, though, that they should have folded their hand of cards when they had the chance.

edboy4926: Thank you.

MarauderPrime12: Possibly. Thanks for the feedback.