Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my MechWarrior/BattleTech - Mass Effect crossover.
Thank you all once more for your wonderful support and feedback. I deeply appreciate it.
This is the last chapter in the Rannoch sub-arc of this crossover. All you wanted to see 'Mech combat once more, and I have done my best to do so. Plus, y'all get a nice surprise at the end.
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, WizKids, 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.
SSV Normandy
Rannoch
October 3rd, 2186
If there was one thing that Shepard was really happy about, it was being able to get some much needed sleep. Rubbing his face as he walked into the War Room, he looked around to see what was going on. Apparently he was, once more, the late bird, as Victor Steiner-Davion was already present, along with Shala'Raan. Well, you can't get them all I suppose, he thought to himself. Walking over, he asked, "What's up?"
"Not much, now that the Geth attack squadron is down," Victor replied. "I've been wrangling Daro'Xen into sending escape pods to retrieve the survivors of the attacks. She wanted to recover Geth technology, but I reamed her out for having her priorities skewed. She's cooperating, but she's not particularly happy."
"That sounds like her alright," Shepard nodded. "What about you, and why is Han'Gerrel being silent?"
"I'm quite happy with how things have shaped up since we arrived," Victor beamed. "We've got things under control, and the civilians are out of harms way, for once. As for why Han'Gerrel is so silent… it's due to the footage you retrieved yesterday. I decided to share it with the rest of the Migrant Fleet."
"And?"
"And it resulted in a near-upheaval. The Quarians have been taking it quite hard, especially the fact that the Quarians that tried to stop the senseless violence of the Geth Rebellions were killed by their ancestors."
Shepard nodded. "About time that the Quarians got some disillusionment. They really need it."
"Tell me about it," Victor nodded. "Also, Daro'Xen wanted to speak with you. She's already got a link to the QEC."
"Got it," Shepard nodded. Walking into the QEC booth, he hit the call button. A moment later, Daro'Xen's image came up in the holographic projector. "Admiral, is there anything you need?" he asked.
"Commander," Daro'Xen began, "I just heard about your actions at the Geth server. Quite impressive, if I must say so. The Geth squadrons attacking our liveships have been completely neutralized. If there's any chance we could duplicate the feat, I would be happy to lend my expertise."
"Legion's the one to ask if you're looking for other servers."
"I thought as much, but your Geth claims to have 'no data available' whenever I inquire. Perhaps you can help me with something else."
"Oh?" Shepard asked, though on the inside he was snickering. Legion's giving her a hard time. I like that.
"How did you get the Geth Primes to work with you?" Daro'Xen asked.
"They volunteered," Shepard shrugged.
"I see," Daro'Xen mused. "Well, should you wish to examine these Geth to confirm their new allegiance, please do not hesitate to contact me. Xen out." A moment later, her hologram faded out.
Just then, Shepard heard a knocking sound. Opening the doors to the QEC booth, he found Shala'Raan outside. "Commander," she said, "the data you forwarded on the Geth was… disturbing. It doesn't match the stories we tell."
"I thought as much," Shepard noted. "As an old adage goes, 'history is written by the victor' or in this case the defeated. Having second thoughts about the Geth?"
"Admirals don't have the luxury of second thoughts."
"In wartime, you don't, but when it comes to the Geth, you should," Shepard countered. "Is that right, Victor?"
"Definitely," Victor Steiner-Davion nodded. "This whole war was started because no one had 'second thoughts', aside from Tali and Zaal'Koris, that is."
"A fair point," Shala'Raan replied, her shoulders slumping in defeat.
"Either way," Victor added, "now that we have dealt with all of the immediate concerns, we can finally get to our primary objective: assaulting the Reaper base on Rannoch's surface. I would normally have you go down there on the shuttle, Shepard, but I've got a feeling that we're going to need 'Mechs for this one."
"My thoughts exactly," Shepard nodded. "Besides, I've been needing to get into a 'Mech again. Too much time away from one and well… you rust."
"Took the words out of my mouth," Victor nodded. Pulling up a scan of the area that the Avalon had conducted, he said, "This is what we've found out. There are Geth jamming towers scattered around the facility, but none of them are further than two kilometers from the base. The terrain is also quite navigable, with much of the area being canyons intermixed with savanna. Plus, the ocean is nearby."
Pulling up more holograms, he continued. "This is the plan I've worked out. You and your lance will destroy one of the jamming towers, while Mason and the other lances will destroy the others. Once that is done, you'll use the targeting laser to provide the Fury II, Normandy and Avalon with firing coordinates for an orbital bombardment. Once the Reaper base is destroyed, you'll await further orders. If you have any questions, now's the time to ask them."
"Alright," Shepard nodded. "Has Fahad worked the targeter into the Marauder II?"
"Ask him yourself," Victor replied.
A moment later, the doors to the War Room opened, with Fahad walking inside. Despite the decades that had passed, he looked relatively unchanged, aside from a few new wrinkles on his face. "Commander, how are you doing?" he asked.
"Fine," Shepard nodded. "How about you?"
"Oh, you know me," Fahad smiled. "Always making a fuss about one thing or another." Spotting Shala'Raan, Legion and Tali'Zorah, he said, "Bloody hell. I never thought I'd get the chance to meet more aliens. Who're they?"
"Fahad, this is Shala'Raan, one of the Admirals from the Migrant Fleet," Shepard explained. "This here is Legion, an allied Geth that I've worked with in the past, and this is Tali'Zorah, one of my best friends. Tali, Shala, Legion, this is Fahad Arazad, Mason's Chief Technician and a hell of a tech wizard."
"Nice meeting y'all," Fahad beamed as he shook Tali'Zora and Shala'Raan's hands.
"That it is," Tali nodded.
"Greetings, Fahad-Technician," Legion added. "The Geth greet you."
"You too," Fahad nodded. "I'm gonna have to get used to working with robots, I guess." Clearing his throat, he said, "So, you were asking about the TAG?"
"Yes," Shepard nodded. "I assume you've worked Daro'Xen's tech into it?"
"Didn't need to," Fahad replied. "The Bundesweyth TAG that I installed comes pre-equipped with a transponder that the other ships can tune in on. All you need to do is lase the target, and they'll get the targeting coordinates they need for an accurate shot. Grumman Industries designed it that way so that 'Mechs could call down orbital support if needed."
Shepard cocked an eyebrow. "Now that's a nifty feature if I've ever heard of one. Beyond that, my 'Mech is ready to go?"
"Yep," Fahad nodded. "Your 'Mech is ready for combat. I also installed a rumble seat into your 'Mech in case you wanted to bring someone along. Besides, with all of the refits that we've been doing thanks to advancing technology, I figured that leaving your 'Mech so spacious was a waste of space. Might as well put it to good use."
"Sounds about right," Shepard conceded. Just then, he realized what this could be used for. "Say," he remarked, "I've got an idea." Turning to Tali, he asked, "Tali, does your suit have cooling installed into it?"
"Of course," Tali nodded. "Quarians are often expected to perform EVA operations when onboard the Migrant Fleet. My suit can handle upwards of 103 degrees Celsius. Why do you ask?"
"Because I'm going to be taking you along inside of my 'Mech," Shepard replied. "BattleMechs produce a lot of heat, and we wear cooling suits to keep ourselves from dying due to heat exhaustion. Besides, this is a good opportunity for you to see how 'Mech combat goes. So, what do you say?"
Tali thought this over for a moment, her hands twisting around each other as she did so. "I don't suppose I should refuse," she decided. "Very well, I'll be coming along."
"We will accompany Vega-MechWarrior in his King Crab," Legion added.
"Good," Shepard nodded. Turning back to Victor, he asked, "So, what are we looking at in terms of hostiles?"
"Combat Vehicles for the most part," Victor replied. "Satellite scans, however, picked up what we think are Geth BattleMechs. They're primitive compared to ours, given that they don't use myomer or standard armor, but we shouldn't take any chances. Neutralize them at first opportunity."
"Roger that," Shepard nodded. "Beyond that, I don't have anymore questions. I'm ready to go."
"Good," Victor nodded. "Head over to the Cavalier III and head to the planet's surface. We have a planet to liberate."
. . .
A few minutes later, Shepard was onboard his Marauder II, making sure that everything was fully functional and ready to go. Looks like everything is in good condition, he noted to himself. A few weeks away from this thing, but I still remember everything. Good to know that I haven't rusted.
Tali, on the other hand, was having a nerd-gasm over the technology she was seeing. "This is incredible!" she beamed as she scanned everything with her omni-tool. "I had no idea that Federated Commonwealth technology was this advanced! Advanced metal composites, high speed computing systems, and a nuclear fusion reactor as a powers supply! This is nothing short of a technological marvel!"
"It is," Shepard nodded. "The Inner Sphere, though, has had BattleMech technology for over five centuries at this point. The new armor and computers, however, are cutting edge technology, and we've made improvements to the internal structure and weapons as well."
"I see. Still, this is going to be an excellent opportunity. I never knew you piloted one of these things, though."
"I know. I probably should've told you about that, but too late now. We're here, and you're going to see 31st century combat. Strap yourself in, make sure your suit's cooling systems are ready to go, and let's dive in." With that, Shepard made sure his armored cooling suit was fully plugged in and his neurohelmet on and connected after sitting down and strapping himself in. "Everyone ready?" he asked.
"I'm ready to rock," Vega beamed.
"Good to go here," Kaidan added.
"Garrus here, ready for war," came Garrus' response. "It's good to be back inside of my 'Mech again."
"Same here," Shepard agreed.
The DropShip shuddered as they neared the surface of Rannoch. "Alright," he heard Mason say over the comms. "This is it. We're about to embark on our contracted mission to help Shepard destroy the Reaper base here. Everyone good to go?"
"Bravo Lead, good to go," Shepard replied.
"Charlie Lead, online and ready," came the next reply.
"Good," Mason nodded. "Remember, we're facing robots that have been pummeling the Quarians asses into the dirt. Let's do the same, but don't get cocky, otherwise we're all going to die." Clearing his throat, he asked, "Ryana, SITREP?"
"Landing in T-Minus ten seconds," Ryana replied. Ten seconds later, there was a muted THUMP as the DropShip landed, the landing struts absorbing the powerful forces from the landing. "We've landed," she added. "You're cleared to exit."
"Roger that," Mason nodded. "Shepard, your team exits first."
"Affirmative," Shepard nodded. "Exiting now." A moment later, he pushed the throttle forwards.
Tali, who was sitting in the rumble seat, felt the 'Mech beginning to move. Whoa, she thought as the 'Mech seemed to sway, before the motion evened out. This is really weird. Looking at the display before her, she found that she was seeing a live feed from Shepard's neurohelmet, allowing her to see what he was shooting at and what he was looking at.
Maneuvering the 'Mech, Shepard guided the vehicle out of the DropShip and out onto the savanna that the 'Mech had landed at. The savanna was a beautiful yellow-green color, though this was muted into a dim color due to the fact that the sun hadn't come up yet. Activating night vision, he could see some trees, as well as what appeared to be mountains off in the distance.
A moment later, Ryana said, "Commanders, I've marked out the locations of each of the jamming towers. Expect heavy resistance from the Geth." A moment later, three waypoints appeared on the map.
"Roger that," Shepard nodded. "We'll take the one closest to the Reaper base. Mason?"
"I'm heading for one of the other ones," Mason replied. "Leon Freeman's going to have the others hit the last jammer. Make sure Garrus is good to go. I've got a feeling the Geth are going to try to stop us before we get to the jammers."
"Roger that," Shepard nodded. "Fahad, any advice for the TAG?"
"You've got a maximum range of 4km for the TAG," Fahad replied. "However, it's most effective for targeting at around 2 kilometers, so you're going to have to get close enough to the base to lase the target. Also, I've installed MASC into your 'Mech to give you an extra speed boost in case something happens."
"Doesn't MASC damage the actuators for a 'Mech?"
"It does, but it takes a really long time with the newer models, around 200% longer if I recall correctly. The Mark X I've installed should give you a 70% speed increase, and a turning speed boost of around 50%."
"Good," Shepard nodded. "I don't mind a speed boost, so long as maneuverability is maintained. Shepard out." With that, they proceeded towards the jammer closest to the Geth base.
Just as they did, the sensors on Shepard's 'Mech picked up something. "New Contact: Colossus," the DIC reported. Peering ahead, Shepard spotted the Geth walker, which stood around half of the 'Mech's height of 14m, walked on four legs, and had a single ocular sensor on it's long 'neck.'
"Here we go," he told the others. "I've also picked up hostile Geth fighters and a Geth gunship inbound."
"Roger that," Garrus nodded. "I'll handle the hostile ASF's. You guys handle the Colossus." With that, Garrus began to take aim, before he unleashed a barrage of shells.
From the cockpit of Shepard's Marauder II, Tali could see a video feed from Garrus' cockpit, courtesy of his Neurohelmet. She watched with surprise as two 105mm Blankenburg LB 10-X's fired off, sending dozens of explosive submuntions towards the Geth fighters. To her amazement, the storm of explosives whittled down the barriers in short order, before two of the four fighters were sent tumbling to the ground. A moment later, she watched as Garrus depressed a firing stud, causing two sapphire beams of blue laser light to cut into the remaining two, destroying them as well.
She was interrupted when Shepard maneuvered the 'Mech to the left, drawing her attention to the fight. She watched as he maneuvered the 'Mech around the plasma bolus that the Geth Colossus fired at him, narrowly missing the bolt. "Not bad," she heard Shepard remark, "but not good enough." A moment later, he depressed a firing stud.
The 'Mech jolted as it's main gun, sending what Tali realized, with shock, was a bolus of high velocity plasma directly at the Geth Colossus. While it's barriers stopped the bolus of plasma, it wasn't able to stop the immense thermal energy the bolus generated. As such, part of it's right front leg melted, causing it to stagger slightly. A second shot tore through the Geth Colossus, terminating it as a threat.
"Keelah!" Tali shouted. "I didn't know your 'Mechs could fire plasma of all things! How'd you do that?!"
"Simple, really," Shepard explained as he destroyed a Geth Armature. "The Inner Sphere developed the Plasma Rifle, which takes plasma from the fusion reactor aboard this 'Mech and compresses it using mass effect fields before launching it out of the muzzle at hypersonic velocities. This 'Mech, for instance, is equipped with the Defiance Industries Novashot-2 Plasma Rifle, which is the crème de la crème of Plasma Rifles."
"That's amazing," Tali noted as they continued onward.
As they continued to advance, more Armatures and the occasional Colossus came towards them. Spotting another one, Vega fired the Ultra AC/20's installed onboard the King Crab he was piloting. While the barriers stopped the first two rounds from the right Ultra AC/20, they failed when the second pair of shells impacted, blasting apart the Colossus into dozens of pieces.
Kaidan, who was piloting a Gurētodesu, quickly moved to engage two more Geth Colossi. Ignoring the hits his 'Mech's kinetic barriers were taking, he fired the ER Large Pulse Laser on his 'Mech, cutting off it's head with a feel swoop. Moving to the second Colossus, he fired the ER Medium Pulse Lasers, cutting it apart as well.
As they moved onward, Shepard began to become suspicious about the resistance that they were facing. Something's off about this, he frowned. There should be more resistance since we're moving in towards the base. Keying his comms, he said, "Mason, you notice something off?"
"Yeah," Mason nodded. "Not as much resistance as I was expecting. You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Yep," Shepard nodded. "This is a trap."
"Agreed. We'll have to spring it, though, to complete our mission. Once we disable the jammers, you'll target that Reaper base and blast it to hell."
"Agreed." With that, they continued onward, though they were now considerably more cautious than before.
Eventually, Shepard and his lance reached the first of the three jamming towers the Geth had built near the base. It looked identical to the one that he had destroyed in order to rescue Zaal'Koris, only it was defended by a number of perimeter defenses and quite a few Geth Combat Vehicles. Eight Armatures and four Colossus 'Mechs were guarding the area. He could also see some distortion on his HUD, though the Beagle Active Probe on Vega's 'Mech was minimizing it greatly.
"Here we go!" Vega shouted. "This is it!"
"Take them out!" Shepard ordered. A moment later, they opened fire.
Autocannons roared, missiles flew out of launch tubes and laser beams cut through the air as the lance opened fire on the hostiles. One Armature was practically annihilated by a pair of Ultra AC/20 shells that tore into it, courtesy of Vega. Shepard, firing his ER PPC's, blew apart the barriers on a Colossus, allowing Kaidan to destroy the enemy 'Mech using his Ultra AC/10's.
While his Rifleman II wasn't optimized for taking on ground targets, Garrus was nowhere near useless. Switching to standard shells, he fired his LB 10-X's at another Colossus, while keeping himself at long range. Dodging a plasma bolus sent at him, he fired the ER Large Pulse Lasers, cutting one of the Colossus' leg's apart, before firing into it's central chassis. While good at stopping mass accelerator rounds, the armor on the Colossus was practically useless against HEAP shells, with the Colossus being ripped apart.
"We're tearing through these guys like cheesecake!" Vega remarked as he stomped on an Armature. "This is too easy!"
"Don't say that," Garrus frowned. "Next thing we know, we'll be dealing with a Reaper! Don't jinx us!"
"Clear the channel!" Shepard ordered as he blasted apart the last Colossus. "Mason, what's your SITREP?"
"Doing good so far," Mason replied. "Freeman just reported in. He's destroyed his jamming tower. We're about to do the same over here. You?"
"Almost there," Shepard replied. "We're just two clicks from the Geth base, but we'll need to maneuver in order to achieve line of sight. Can you catch up to us when you've got the time."
"Will do. Mason out."
With the other handling the stragglers, Shepard focused fire on the jamming tower before moving his thumb to another stud. "Initiating Alpha Strike," he reported as he depressed the stud. Every weapon on Shepard's 'Mech fired, causing a massive spike on his heat gauge. A tinny alarm sounded as the heat pump quickly began shedding the heat.
The jamming tower, though, was quickly reduced to rubble. Plasma, high energy particles and laser beams tore into the jamming tower, shredding the internal structure. The concentrated firepower was so powerful that it literally chopped the jamming tower in half, with the upper half falling down to the ground. At the same instant, the interference faded away.
"Jamming tower down!" Vega reported. "We're clear."
"Good to go," Shepard nodded. "I'm heading towards the Geth base now. Activating MASC." A moment later, he flipped a switch.
To Tali, it was as though someone had given the 'Mech a solid push in the back. The 'Mech initially lurched, before settling down into a rapid rhythm. Looking at a gauge, she was shocked to see that the Marauder II's speed had increased from 64 kilometers/h, to a whopping 108 kilometers/hour. Keelah, that's fast, she noted.
At those speeds, it wasn't long before they reached an area where they could see the Geth base, and be able to target it. Zooming in after disengaging the MASC module, Shepard quickly found where the base was at. Good thing we're doing an orbital bombardment, he thought to himself. That base interior is shielded by a blast door. We'll need Naval Autocannons and Gauss Rifles to tear through that.
Clearing his throat, he said, "I've got line of sight. Marking target with TAG." A moment later, he pressed a small stud on the control yoke. An instant later, a thin red beam of laser light zipped from his 'Mech and towards the blast doors that had deployed over part of the Geth base.
A moment later, Victor Steiner-Davion came in over the comm. "Roger that," he reported. "We've got successful acquisition of firing coordinates. Captain Carmichael, Captain Dallas, you are cleared for orbital bombardment."
"Roger that," Carmichael nodded. "Avalon is firing Naval Autocannons. Danger close. Repeat: danger close."
For the first two minutes, there didn't seem to be any kind of activity, then it happened. Shepard watched as a pair of NAC/40 shells smashed into the base. There was silence, then a tremendous BOOM as the sound of the shells impact and detonation rang out. A blast wave rushed past the 'Mech, causing it to sway as the internal gyroscope kept it upright.
Using his thermals, Shepard could see that the Reaper base had been smashed. "Good effect on target," he reported. "I think we -" Just then, he spotted it: a flash of movement as something came up on the thermal. When he saw the shape, he said, "Aw, shit! REAPER!"
"What the hell?!" he heard Mason shout. "That's not good!"
"GET OUT OF THERE, SHEPARD!" Victor practically screamed over the comm.
Not wanting to be told twice, Shepard quickly turned the 'Mech around and began moving the other direction. The MASC module came to life, speeding the 'Mech up and quickly moving it way from the Reaper, which began to move towards him. "I'm clear!" he shouted. "FIRE AT WILL!"
"Firing!" Carmichael reported. There was another two minutes as Shepard fought to keep out of the Reaper's main gun, then two NAC/20 shells smashed into the Reaper, causing it's barriers to flicker. Disoriented, the Reaper fell down onto it's underbelly. "Good hit on target!" he reported. "What did we hit?"
"Looks like the firing chamber for the Reaper's MHD mass accelerator," Shepard reported. "Looks like a weak point while it's priming. That also gives me an idea."
"Wait," Victor frowned. "You're not serious, are you?"
"I am serious," Shepard replied. "If we run away, the Geth stay under Reaper control and the Quarians are dead. If I stay, I can target it's firing chamber and fire my weapons at it. Either way, this ends now!"
"I see…" Victor frowned. "Alright, Shepard. Just… come back alive."
"I will," Shepard nodded. Turning his 'Mech around, he faced the Reaper as it finished standing up. Using the loudspeakers, he said, "You want this, asshole! COME AND GET ME!"
The Reaper, goaded on by Shepard, began charging it's main weapon, just as Shepard began painting it with the TAG. "Shepard," he heard Carmichael report. "We're descending to LEO in order to shorten the delivery time for our munitions. In addition, the Quarians are going to fire on the Reaper to buy time for us to get into position!"
"Roger that," Shepard nodded as he fired at the Reaper, while painting it with the TAG laser.
The Reaper was about to fire when the Quarians fired their weapons. Mass accelerated shells hammered into the Reaper, causing it to stagger as it's kinetic barriers were weakened. Disgruntled, it began to move closer, though each successive hit weakened it's barriers further, with Shepard doing what he could to do the same.
Eventually, it was close enough to where, even if it missed slightly, it would still be able to destroy his 'Mech. Shepard could feel his heart racing as he defiantly fired back, keeping the TAG laser on target as the rest of his lance arrived, adding their own firepower to the mix. Just before the Reaper fired, the cavalry came.
Just as it's main weapon was about to fire, the Reaper was staggered when a pair of NAC/20 shells smashed into it, causing it to stagger. Moments later, missiles fired by the Avalon flew through the atmosphere and into the Reaper, armor piercing warheads detonating as they tore into the Reaper. Finally, all of the ships in the Migrant Fleet fired at the Reaper, blasting through what little armor it had left, and destroying major internal components.
The Reaper wailed, a loud, screeching sound as the Federated Commonwealth and the Migrant Fleet damned it to it's fate. It collapsed to the ground, it's ocular sensor barely remaining online as it began to shut down. "Target down," Shepard reported. "We're heading out from our 'Mechs." With that, he got up, disconnecting his neurohelmet before clambering out of the 'Mech and down the chain ladder with Tali. Nearby, the others did the same.
As they walked to the edge of the cliff, the Reaper looked at them, it's sensor dimming as the seconds passed. "Shepard," it said a moment later.
"You know who I am?" Shepard asked.
"Harbinger speaks of you. You resist, but you will fail. The cycle must continue."
"Not from where I'm standing," Shepard replied. "The Federated Commonwealth just kicked your ass, as did the Migrant Fleet. In addition to that, I stopped Sovereign and Saren, along with Harbinger and the Collectors. Why continue this?" While he already knew from his conversation with Leviathan, he wanted to hear what the Reaper was going to say.
What it said only confirmed what he already knew. "It is not a thing you can comprehend," it said to him.
"We might surprise you," he replied.
"You represent chaos. We represent order. Every organic civilization must be harvested to bring order to the chaos. It is inevitable. Without our intervention, organics are doomed. We are your salvation."
"So you're killing everyone in the galaxy to save us? You don't save people by killing them! That's insanity!"
"The cycle must continue. There is no alternative."
"Yes there is," Shepard growled. "You simply refuse to accept it. Organics and synthetics don't have to destroy each other! We can live in peace, without monsters like you fucking it all up!"
"The battle for Rannoch disproves your assertion."
"Only because monsters like you, and bigots like the Quarian Admirals, fucked it all up!" Shepard countered. "You Reapers have murdered, maimed and destroyed, all for the sake of attempting to 'save' us from our own creations! Monsters like you do not deserve to be brought into existence! I know why you are doing what you are doing, and while I can understand trying to prevent AI rebellions from happening, this is not the way to do it! This path only shows how flawed your logic is. It was inevitable that this was going to happen, and you know it."
The Reaper was silent for a full minute before it said, "Confidence born of ignorance. Your allies from the other universe will not be enough to save you. We will harvest them to prevent the -"
"Oh, shut the fuck up!" Shepard snarled. "The Inner Sphere has shown that it is more than capable of kicking your asses. Palaven, that one planet you attacked? The Federated Commonwealth threw your asses off of that planet! And now this battle, where two WarShips from the Federated Commonwealth and Taurian Concordat destroyed you.
"Yes, on their own, they're not enough, but they don't have to be, because we have allies ready and willing to help us out! All of those people that you killed, that were turned into a genetic slurry to make you, will be avenged. When we are done, all of the species that your kind has destroyed will rest in peace, knowing that we finally destroyed their enslavers and freed them from their abject misery! Calculate that if you can!" Just before the Reaper would've replied, it finally ran out of power, with the Reaper shutting down for good.
"You told it what was what!" Vega beamed.
"I never thought I'd hear you give a Reaper a dressing down," Garrus smirked.
"Remind me not to get on your bad side, Shepard," Kaidan added.
"Duly noted," Shepard nodded.
"We did it," Tali gasped. "We killed a Reaper. Keelah…"
"We can confirm that the Geth are no longer being directed by the Old Machines," Legion reported. "We are free."
"You did it, Shepard!" Han'Gerrel shouted. "The Geth fleet has stopped firing! They are completely vulnerable!"
"Shepard-Commander?" Legion asked. "The Geth only acted in self-defense after the Creators attacked. Do we deserve death?"
"What are you suggesting?" Shepard asked.
"Our upgrades. With the Old Machine dead, we could upload them into all Geth without sacrificing their independence."
"You want to upload the Reaper code?" Tali asked, shocked. "That would make the Geth as smart as when the Reaper was controlling them!"
"Yes, but with free will. Each Geth would be a true intelligence. We will be alive, and we could help you."
"Our fleet is already attacking! Uploading the code would destroy us! Shepard, you can't choose the Geth over my people!"
"Do you remember the question that caused the Creators to attack us, Tali'Zorah? 'Does this unit have a soul?'"
Hearing that, Shepard knew that he was at another crossroads. If I choose to let the Geth die, we'll destroy a potential threat, but we'll be repeating history, exactly what the Reapers want, he thought. If we upload the code, the Quarians will be destroyed, but the Geth will become an ally. Damnit! This isn't good! He paced around, thinking for a moment.
Then it occurred to him: when both options are equally bleak, choose a third. Snapping his gaze to Legion, he said, "Legion, upload the Reaper code. Tali, try and call off the fleet!"
With that, Legion and Tali went to work. "Uploading," Legion reported. "Ten percent."
"This is Admiral Tali'Zorah," Tali said over the comm. "All units, break off the attack!"
"Negative!" Han'Gerrel shouted. "Continue the attack!"
Victor, guessing at what Shepard was doing, said, "Admiral Han'Gerrel, stand down immediately!"
'Twenty percent," Legion reported.
"I beg you," Tali said to Legion, "do not do this. Please!"
"We regret the deaths of the Creators," Legion explained, "but we see no alternative. Forty percent."
At that moment, Shepard acted. "No," he stated firmly. "Nobody else dies today. Legion, keep going!" Keying his comm, he said, "All ships, this is Commander Shepard. The Reaper is dead. Stand down."
"This is Admiral Tali'Zorah," Tali added. "Shepard speaks with my authority."
"And mine as well," Zaal'Koris added.
"Negative," Han'Gerrel protested. "We can win this war now! Keep firing!"
"STAND DOWN NOW!" Victor roared.
"Sixty percent," Legion reported.
"The Geth are about to return to full strength," Shepard said over the fleetwide comm. "If you keep attacking, they'll wipe you out! Your entire history is you trying to kill the Geth. You forced them to rebel! You forced them to ally with the Reapers! The Geth don't want to fight you! If you can believe that for just one minute, this war will be over. You have a choice. Please… Keela se'lai." He fell silent then, hoping and praying that Han'Gerrel would finally listen.
Relief suffused his heart when he heard Han'Gerrel hesitantly say, "All units… hold fire."
Just as he said this, Legion said, "Error: copying code is insufficient. Direct personality dissemination is required." Turning to Shepard, Legion said words that the Commander would never forget. "Shepard-Commander, I must go to them. I'm… I'm sorry. It's the only way."
Shepard frowned, though he knew what Legion meant. "I'll miss you," he replied.
"Legion," Tali added, "… the answer to your question is 'yes.' Victor Steiner-Davion was right: you think, therefore, you have a soul."
"I know, Tali'Zorah," Legion nodded. "But I thank you. I thank all of you, for the time I got to spend with you. Keela se'lai" With that, Legion uploaded it's full personality. Slumping to the ground, it's lights slowly began to fade.
Kneeling on the ground, Shepard said, "Goodbye, my friend. I enjoyed the time I had with you. You showed me that not all synthetics are the same, but that some are truly good and noble beings. Farewell." With that, he stood up, a few tears beginning to stream from his eyes.
He was about to turn around when he heard a familiar voice. "Commander!"
"Shala'Raan?" Shepard asked as he turned around. True enough, it was her, though she was walking with a limp. "I heard reports over the comm that your ship crash-landed. Glad you made it out in one piece."
"I was listening over the radio," Shala'Raan explained. "If Han'Gerrel hadn't stopped -"
"He did."
"We've taken heavy losses. I don't know if we can… where are we supposed to go?"
Just then, Shepard spotted something. Behind Shala'Raan, a single Geth Prime was approaching them. While Tali pulled her sidearm out, Shepard motioned for her to remain calm. Walking to Shala'Raan, the Geth Prime said, "You are welcome to return to Rannoch, Admiral Raan. With us."
"Legion?" Shepard asked.
"No," the Prime replied. "I'm sorry, Commander. Legion sacrificed it's primary version to give us all intelligence. It will be honored."
"Primary?" Shepard asked. "You mean…?"
"As one of your novelists once put it, 'the report of my death was greatly exaggerated,'" came Legion's voice. Turning around, Shepard found, much to his shock, that Legion was standing up once again. It's chassis lights were shining once more, only these seemed to now have more life and vigor inside of them.
"The hell?!" he asked. "I… wait a minute. Let me guess: you created a backup of yourself."
"Correct, Shepard," Legion nodded. "Before I disseminated my personality to the other Geth, I created a backup of myself that would also receive the changes. As such, while I regret the loss of my original version, I can safely say that I am here to stay for the duration of my continued functioning."
"And we will honor Legion's promise," the Geth Prime added. "The Geth Fleet will help you retake Earth, and our engineers will assist in building the Crucible."
"As will ours, of course," Shala'Raan butted in.
"Admiral, have you considered possible settlement sites?"
"We -" Shala'Raan trailed off as she thought. Then she said, "The southern continent had excellent farmland, from what I recall."
"Are you going to be OK?" Shepard asked her.
"I believe so, Commander," Shala'Raan reassured him. "Thank you."
Just then, Shepard thought he heard someone crying. Turning around, he found Legion gently caressing Tali, with sobs coming from her as it did so. "You OK?" he asked Tali.
"I… I can't believe it," Tali sobbed, as tears of joy ran down her faceplate obscured face. "I'm… I'm back on the homeworld… and we didn't have to lose our people…" Turning to Shepard, she said, "Shepard… I cannot thank you enough for this. Our people aren't damned to extinction anymore. We… we're free!"
"It's not just me that helped out too," Shepard added. "Legion helped as well, as did Victor Steiner-Davion, and many other people that helped me as well. I couldn't have done it without them."
"Either way," Tali sighed, "thank you. You saved my people, Shepard, and for that, I am in your debt." With that, she approached Shala'Raan, who gently held Tali as she cried.
Even the others were affected by the emotional scene, with Shepard noting a few tears streaming down Garrus' face. "Aw," Vega smiled without any hint of teasing. "This is so wonderful. We defeated a Reaper, and we saved two species at the same time. Now that's my kind of happy ending."
"I agree," Kaidan nodded. "So, what now, Shepard?"
"Now?" Shepard remarked. "We get some much needed R&R. First beer's on me." With that, they began to get inside of their 'Mechs. Just as Shepard climbed on top of his, the sun crested over the hill. A brilliant flare of light crossed the landscape, before settling down to reveal the sun rising into the sky, heralding the dawn of a new day, and the end of the night.
He smiled as he saw this. That is what we are fighting for, Shepard thought as he began to drive the 'Mech back to the DropShip. The right to pull ourselves out of the dark… and into the light of a new age. An age were the Reapers are no more, and where children of all species can run and play with each other. That… that is worth fighting for.
(Author's Q&A)
SulliMike23: Not quite yet.
Vioet Toyger: Yep. Thank you for your kind words.
Blanchimont: Yep.
edboy4926: Thank you.
RandomReader: Very much so, as you have just seen now.
galacticarmor2 Alt: Interesting idea.
Just a Crazy-Man: Thank you.
Chronus1326: An interesting idea. I'll definitely consider that.