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

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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, WizKids, 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.

SSV Normandy

Pelion System

October 9th, 2186

The War Room was silent as Shepard shared what he and the others had encountered at Lesuss, especially when it came to the Banshees. Nearby, Victor Steiner-Davion was silent as he listened to Shepard's account of what had happened at the planet. When Shepard finished, Victor said, "Damn… and I thought I'd seen the deepest parts of the Reaper's depravity. Now I realized that we've barely even scratched the surface. You said that when Garrus used his TK70B, it didn't cause severe damage to the creature?"

"It did," Shepard explained, "but only to it's armor. The Reapers are attempting to adapt their armor to block laser based weaponry. A second shot would've punched through the armor and killed the thing, but we had it under control by that point. Still, the fact that it's armor withstood what should've been a killing shot is worrying."

"That it is," Victor agreed. "We've been getting reports of the Reapers attempting to use mass effect fields to create a refraction barrier, as well as toughened armor plating for their ground troops. Fortunately, our direct line back to NAIS and TIWT means that our engineers are getting to work coming up with solutions to this problem. Either way, Shepard, you've done an invaluable service for the war effort."

"Thank you."

"No, thank you, Shepard. You stopped a threat before it could become worse than it already was." Hearing a pinging sound, he said, "Sounds like a call on the QEC. You did mention that Tevos would call, so I guess this is your call to take."

"That it is," Shepard replied, walking towards the QEC booth. Once he had engaged the security measures, he activated the call icon, with Tevos appearing a moment later. "Councilor," he greeted.

"Commander," Tevos replied. "Thank you for sending your report yesterday. We had no idea the situation had deteriorated so easily."

"That's why I set off the bomb," Shepard replied. "There are no Ardat-Yakshi left."

"May the Ardat-Yakshi find peace," Tevos sighed, though there was genuine sorrow in that sigh. "What the Reapers did to them was monstrous. I had another team of Asari Commandos headed to the monastery that I can now formally transfer to Admiral Hackett's command. They'll serve you loyally, Commander. In addition, I have managed to obtain clearance for you to travel to Thessia, Commander. Fare well."

"Roger that," Shepard replied as the hologram faded out. Walking out of the booth, he turned to Victor and said, "Good news. We've got clearance to get to Thessia."

"And about time too," Victor frowned. "Stealth ships that headed to Thessia have reported that the Reapers are assaulting the planet en masse. Thessia is suffering the heaviest assault out of all the planets in the Asari Republics, though that's not surprising given their entire species capacity for biotics."

"Any word on FedCom support?"

"There will be, but it'll take time. In addition, a number of WarShips had to return to the other side of the wormhole for repairs. The Reapers are attempting to close distance with our WarShips to use their main weapons. We're adapting to that as well, but like I said, we took some damage to our WarShips, and we lost a couple of the smaller ones."

Shepard frowned, though he understood what Victor was saying. We all knew the Reapers would adapt to our new tactics in the end, though they're doing so more slowly than I thought they would. "How are our long range nuclear missiles doing against them?"

"Very well," Victor replied. "That's our current tactic for defeating the Reapers: use long range Capital Missiles armed with 500kt Casaba-Howitzers to blast them at range, then move in with the energy weapons and other Capital Weapons. So far, it's proving effective, but like I said, the Reapers will eventually adapt to that."

"True," Shepard nodded. "Either way, I intend to get to Thessia and find out if this Prothean artifact can give us a clue as to what the Catalyst is."

"Same here, which is why it's a good thing that we've got the Fury II for orbital fire support. ASF Wing Delta has been handed over to your command as well. Who you taking with you?"

"Liara and Javik, along with Edward."

"Smart choices. Take Hastings along with you. You remember him from when we were on the hunt for Leviathan?"

"Yes. He did quite well."

"That he did. I'll be sending him with you. Good luck, Shepard. You're gonna need it."

. . .

The shuttle trip to Thessia's surface was quiet and somber, with everyone inside not saying a word for quite some time. On a video monitor, Shepard could see Reapers landing on the surface of Thessia. A smaller group was heading away, as Captain Carmichael had volunteered to draw off some of the Reapers, giving the team a window to move through. Refocusing his attention on the mission, he asked Liara, "Do you have any more information on this artifact?"

"These coordinates the Councilor gave you are for the Temple of Athame," Liara explained. "My mother took me there once. It's several thousand years old and, for some odd reason, it has classified government funding."

"I smell something fishy," Edward frowned.

"Me too," Hastings added.

"Sounds like we're on the right trail," Shepard remarked.

"What if we're too late?" Liara asked, worry painting her voice. "My people are dying down there!"

"Your empathy is weakness," Javik said to her. "You must numb yourself to loss."

"Hey!" Edward snapped. "Show her some respect, Javik!"

"Settle down," Shepard ordered, though he glowered at Javik for a moment. Turning to Liara, he asked, "Benezia took you there?"

"I was just a child. I thought it was just a history lesson, but now? Maybe there's more to it."

"What do you mean?"

"I went through her files. She had heavily encrypted records on this place, some dating back centuries. I still can't crack most of them. Whatever's going on, it's well hidden."

"I've studied your mother's reports," Javik added. "Your mother was indoctrinated."

"Yes," Liara nodded. "We had to kill her."

"Yet it did not stop you from fighting," Javik observed. "As I said, steel yourself. Many more lives will be lost."

"We can't ignore the fact that people are dying," Shepard frowned. "The Reapers may not have mercy, but we do."

"It is their indifference that gives them power."

"Then let's show them there's another way," Shepard decided. A moment later, he felt the shuttle shift as it turned and began to descend. When the doors opened up, Shepard found himself looking at what appeared to be a bridge between two buildings. Like much of Asari architecture, the buildings and bridge were sculpted into organic, flowing shapes, though damage to the structures marred their beauty. The sky was starting to turn a dull red as Thessia's sun descended.

The bridge was currently being held by a number of Asari that were focusing on keeping their side of the bridge from falling. A makeshift barricade had been formed, while a pair of Asari generated a mass effect bubble that blocked off the middle portion. A pair of machineguns were firing at Reaper troops, though said hostiles were steadily getting closer.

"This can't be happening!" Liara gasped. "My home!"

"There's no time to mourn!" Javik interrupted. "We're too exposed!"

"Let's go!" Shepard ordered. With that, everyone jumped out. "Cortez, I need firing support on the bridge!"

"On it, Shepard," Cortez replied as he wheeled the shuttle around. As they descended, Shepard could see that things were not looking good on their end of the bridge. Mounds of debris were present, and injured and dead Asari were everywhere.

One of them, spotting Shepard, called out and said, "You must be Commander Shepard! I'm Lieutenant Kurin!"

"SitRep, Lieutenant?" Shepard asked.

"Commander, we heard…" Kurin was promptly interrupted when something exploded against the barricade. Four Asari were sent hurtling backwards, screaming as shrapnel tore through their barriers and armor. "The barrier's been breached!" she shouted.

"Cortez?" Shepard asked.

"On it, Shepard," Cortez repeated. A moment later, the shuttle flew into view, before it began firing it's ER Medium Pulse Lasers and Machine Guns. Large caliber shells tore into the Husks, Cannibals and Marauders on the bridge, splattering the ground with gore and limbs. A Brute attempted to move towards the barricade, only for a pulsing emerald beam to cut the creature in half. Within just a few seconds, all of the Reaper forces on the bridge were dead.

"Someone plug up that hole!" Kurin shouted. "Someone get me a location on our snipers!" Walking to Shepard, she wiped sweat off her forehead and said, "We were told to expect you. My orders are to hold this grid at all costs, but our perimeter's collapsing and I'm getting my people out of here."

"This is important," Shepard countered. "We need your help."

"Well, unless you're giving me a good reason to stay, we're not dying in a field of rubble."

"What exactly were you told about this?"

"Nothing but your name. Mission details were classified, which just means we'll all die without knowing why."

"I know what that's like, but you have to trust the chain of command."

"We're not even sure the chain exists," Kurin countered. "So what are we doing here?"

"We're after a relic inside the temple," Shepard explained. "It's important."

"That's what this is all about?!" Kurin exclaimed, anger in her voice. "One of our outposts has been trying to reach the scientists over there, but we lost contact." Spotting a gunship on standby, she shouted, "Get that gunship moving now!" Once said gunship left, she turned to Shepard and said, "I'm sorry, Commander. If your relic has lasted this long, it can wait a little longer. I've lost enough people today. I'm pulling them out."

"No," Javik butted in. Before Kurin could reply, Javik took her by the shoulders, his sensory ability quickly going to work. "I sense the lineage of a leader. A warrior's skill and cunning – they are strong in your genes. But you've grown tired of war, you've been exhausted by defeat, and now you worry that you don't have the courage to go on."

Kurin, shocked, pushed him back. "By the Goddess," she gasped. "Are you…?"

"Find your resolve," Javik implored her. "This war can end if you do."

"We're building a Prothean superweapon," Shepard explained. "It will win this war."

Kurin was silent as she took a few deep breaths, then she whispered, "I believe it." Keying her earpiece, she said, "This is Lieutenant Kurin! Hold your positions! I want a path carved to the temple! Outpost Tykis, we've got people coming your way! Let's make sure the galaxy knows the war was won on Thessia!" Turning to Shepard, she said, "Make it count!"

"I intend to," Shepard agreed. "Also, we've got air support if you need it."

"That's excellent news. I'll inform Outpost Tykis of this development. Goddess guide you, Shepard.

"I was here years ago," Liara frowned as they moved past the barricade. "To see it like this…"

"It can be rebuilt," Shepard reassured her. "Just worry about the next thirty meters."

"This has to end!"

"Remember your anger," Javik said to her. "Draw strength from it! It will keep you alive!"

"INCOMING!" Edward roared as a Marauder and some Cannibals came out of a structure ahead of them. Spotting the hostiles, Shepard fired his M61B, cutting apart a Cannibal at the neck, while severing the arm of the Marauder. A loud howl of agony erupted from the Marauder's mouth, with the Reaper monstrosity clutching at the severed limb before stumbling into cover.

Hastings put an end to that, with the loud report of a Minolta 9000 echoing in the area, while the Marauder's head was blasted apart like a melon. Javik, clambering onto some debris, fired off his Man-Pack Particle Rifle, with one Cannibal being obliterated by the particle beam, while the EMP field shocked the others, allowing Liara to gun them down with her MP-11. Two more Marauders came into the open, only for a grenade to blast them apart.

With the hostiles down, the team began to advance over the bridge and to the other side. Moving along a concourse, Shepard watched as a Harvester began firing on some Asari, only for a flight of missiles to streak out of nowhere and blast it apart. "Shepard," a voice said over the comm. "This is AeroSpace Wing Delta. We'll provide you with CAS. Just paint a target and we'll charlie foxtrot it."

"Roger that," Shepard replied.

"Charlie Foxtrot?" Javik asked.

"Clusterfuck," Edward explained. "Basically, they'll fuck up any big enemies we encounter."

"Most fortunate."

"Yep. Keep moving."

Moving along, the team clambered over columns of debris, while firing on any Reaper troops nearby. Spotting a Marauder, Edward riddled the alien full of bullet holes, while Shepard targeted a Marauder, blasting it's chest wide open with a precision shot. Hastings was holding his own, as every so often, a Cannibal or a Marauder would lose it's head or have it's chest blasted open.

Liara, however, was incredibly angry, though like Javik had suggested, she was using it to focus. A biotic singularity appeared in the center of some Cannibals, flinging them into the air and allowing her to gun them down. A Marauder appeared, only for her to cause a biotic flare to erupt at the Marauder's position, stripping it's barriers and giving Javik an opportunity to vaporize the thing.

Before long, all hostile contacts had been neutralized. "We're clear," Edward called out.

With that, they continued to move up. Spotting a door, the team was about to move up, when they heard an all-too familiar screech. "Not this shit again!" Edward groaned. "BANSHEE!"

"Another mutated Asari!" Javik called out as said Banshee came into view.

"Take it out!" Shepard shouted. The team concentrated fire on the Banshee, working to whittle down it's barriers. A moment later, it teleported, with the creature shooting straight at Edward. Unable to dodge, Edward braced himself, just as the Banshee swiped at him with it's claws.

There was a loud screeching sound as the claws raked over the Advanced Lamellor armor, gouging strips into the hardened outer layer while causing him to stagger back. Recovering from the blow, Edward batted aside the other claws, before delivering a solid haymaker into the Banshee's face. There was a loud CRACK as the blow connected, shattering part of the Banshee's face, while causing cracks to run down it's armor. Said Banshee retaliated with a powerful biotic throw, though Edward's armor gave him just enough weight to withstand the blow, though he winced upon seeing some armor being torn off.

Just as the Banshee was about to hurl another throw at him, Edward leaped forward, shoulder tackling the Banshee before rolling forwards and getting up. Before the Banshee could get back onto it's feet, he jumped up with his jump jets and came down on the thing's head. There was a loud CRUNCH-SPLAT as the Banshee's head was crushed like an eggshell. "FUCK YOU!" Edward roared as he changed targets, blasting apart a Marauder with his rifle.

"Alright," Shepard decided as he blasted apart the last Marauder. "Let's get moving before the Reapers come back!" With that, they moved through the door, with the door leading to part of a building that had collapsed.

Moving along, they avoided broken power lines that still sparked, as well as pieces of the floor that looked like they were ready to cave in. "I still can't face those things," Liara moaned. "My people…"

"When we fought the Reapers, they turned their own children against us," Javik explained to her.

"Damn," Edward frowned. "I couldn't bring myself to hurt a child."

"I can't imagine that," Liara gasped.

"They assumed we would hesitate to kill them."

"Did you?" Shepard asked.

"What answer would you prefer?"

"None," Liara frowned. "Let's just stop talking about this."

"Good idea," Hastings agreed as they exited the structure.

For much of their journey, the team had to move past more shattered and broken buildings, while dealing with scattered bands of Reaper troops. While they came across the occasional Brute, much of the area was littered with Cannibals and a few Marauders. Moving through a shattered plaza, the team found that the only way forward was over some garden plots that had been built into the structure.

"Don't look down," Hastings mumbled to himself as he jumped to another garden plot. "Don't look down. It's only paranoia… it's only paranoia!"

"Relax," Edward reassured him. "As long as I'm here, no one's taking a fall down there."

Eventually, they scaled a few garden plots and found themselves approaching a smaller outpost. An explosion rang out, with an Asari being hurled headfirst over a barricade. Fortunately, she was unharmed, as she quickly got up and grabbed her weapon, firing it at more Reaper troops while Shepard and the others quickly got into cover near her. "Watch it!" she shouted as an explosion rang out.

Shielding himself from debris, Shepard said, "We're trying to reach Outpost Tykis!"

"You're looking at it," the Asari replied.

"What about the rest of your squad?"

"They're all dead! We tried punching through to get to the scientists, but… I'm all that's left."

"What about reinforcements?"

"We had gunships flying support, but things got too hot with that Reaper. They can't chance it! I'm not sure even your ASF's could handle it!

"They can!" Shepard reassured her. Keying his comm while using his omni-tool to highlight the area ahead, he said, "ASF Wing Delta, we've got heavy Reaper trouble up ahead. Requesting CAS!"

"Roger that," came the reply. "Delta Wing is en route. Fox-Three!" A moment later, the loud scream of fusion ramjets could be heard, with a pair of Morgenstern ASF's flying into view, before they fired their weapons. Explosions rang out as HEAP shells blasted apart the Reaper troops up ahead, followed by a loud BBBRRRTTTTZZZZZ as the sound of the RAC/2's reached the team. "Splash. Target area suppressed," came the report. "Entering standby orbit."

"Copy. Thanks for the assist." Moving out of Cover, Shepard and the others quickly scaled the wall.

"Damn," Hastings remarked as he the splattered gore and shredded bodies that were once Marauders, Cannibals, Ravagers and even a Banshee. "Those ASF pilots really get the cool toys. Remind me to call in a few favors from them at some point."

"No kidding," Shepard remarked as they moved along. Looking to his right, he spotted some ASF's that were busy engaging Harvesters. While the Harvesters were throwing themselves into evasive maneuvers, many of them were going down as RAC/2 shells and laser beams tore into them. Turning back towards the front, he continued onward.

Eventually, they came to a large, elaborate structure that had a kinetic barrier field blocking the entrance. Water flowed out from various areas and down the lip of an artificial waterfall, while small raised metal sections allowed one to step over the water. Spotting a control panel, Hastings moved towards it, but Liara managed to get there first. "I've got it," she replied, before overriding the panel. A moment later, the barrier faded, allowing the team to get inside.

"Odd," Javik remarked. "Do the Asari mix religion with the military?"

"No," Liara frowned. "This is highly unusual, especially since few follow the doctrine of Athame anymore."

Looking around, Shepard had to admit, the interior of the temple was quite beautiful. Arranged in an oval were a number of sculptures that curved upwards, while the statue of an Asari in the back was present. The statue had a serene expression on it's face, while a single light gave the statue a heavenly aura.

Shaking off the aura for a moment, Shepard proceeded inside, while Liara called out, "Hello? Is anyone in here? Hello?!"

"Something is wrong," Javik frowned. "Your scientists should be here."

"I've got the same feeling myself," Hastings agreed. "Edward, place a few mines at the entrance. I don't want to be caught off guard by something." Edward nodded, before moving to carry out the order.

"Let's look around," Shepard suggested. "Maybe one of these artifacts is what we're looking for."

As they looked around, the team found a number of relics that the Asari associated with their goddess Athame. As they did so, Hastings was performing a scan with his omni-tool, but was noticing something odd. For some strange reason, something was causing interference with the scan.

While he was working out the source of the interference, Shepard approached the statue. Javik, spotting two dead Asari, knelt down and touched the corpses. "Shepard, their throats…" he observed.

"What happened to them?" Shepard asked as Hastings came over.

"They've been slit," Liara noted. "The Reapers didn't do this."

As soon as she said this, Shepard knew what had happened. "Fuck," he snarled. "Cerberus!"

"It would seem so," Javik noted.

"That doesn't make sense," Liara frowned. "Why would Cerberus be interested in the Temple of Athame? There's nothing of value here."

"Or we're missing something here," Shepard mused. With that, he proceeded to walk closer to the statue, while Liara and Javik talked about Athame and the Asari religion. Just as he reached the temple and looked at it, he felt an odd sensation in his skull, along with strange sounds. That was when it hit him as to what had happened. "There's a Prothean Beacon here!" he exclaimed suddenly. "That's why Cerberus killed the scientists: they're after the beacon here!"

"What?!" Liara asked, startled and surprised. "Are you sure?"

"It's not something you forget," Shepard nodded.

"That would explain why I've got interference on my omni-tool," Hastings remarked as Edward came back over to them. "The Prothean Beacon must be attempting to interface with my omni-tool, but there's enough FedCom tech in there to prevent a full connection."

"But why hide it?" Liara asked.

"The answer is obvious," Javik remarked. "Power and influence. Your people are hoarding the knowledge of my race for their own gain."

Liara was shocked. "That… that can't be! I can't believe my people would…" She stopped there, then she frowned. "Just like ComStar."

"Yep," Shepard replied. "ComStar hoarded technology and knowledge to allow itself to reign supreme over the Inner Sphere. I guess the Asari took a page out of their playbook. Had they shared this knowledge, we might not be in the mess that we are now."

"I… agree," Liara nodded. It was clear that she was taking this discovery quite hard. "We don't have much time though. The few records I can access talk about tapping Prothean data streams, reconstructing matrices… none of which I see here."

"I do," Javik interrupted. Walking over to one of the artifacts, a part of the Athame Codex, Javik interacted with it. A beam of green-white energy reached out and touched the statue. Cracks began to form in the stone covering the Beacon. "The activation process has begun."

"By the Goddess!" Liara gasped. "Literally!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Hastings asked. "Let's find more of those things and turn 'em on!"

"I couldn't agree more," Shepard nodded. With that, the team quickly began checking each of the artifacts in the room to see if they interacted with the structure. For every artifact they found that could, they found more that didn't.

Just as Shepard activated the last one, the sculpted stone layer over the outside of the beacon shattered, before crumbling away to reveal the angular, but oddly beautiful gray and green Prothean beacon. "The activation's complete!" Javik noted. "We can access the beacon now!"

"Here goes," Shepard remarked as he walked up to the Prothean beacon. The moment he did, a glowing green orb of energy appeared before them, while a white core existed at it's center. "Looks like a Prothean drone," he noted.

"We need to hurry, though," Liara frowned. "This place won't last long! Hurry!"

Just as she said this, the drone said, "Obtaining chronological marker. Hold… Timescale established. Post-Prothean cycle confirmed."

"One of our computers," Javik noted.

A moment later, the orb of energy zipped upwards, apparently to see what was going on. "Reaper presence detected. This cycle has already reached it's extinction terminus. Systems shutting down."

"Stop!" Shepard shouted. "We need answers!"

In response, the orb shrank and flew up in Shepard's face. "To what question?" it asked.

"The Catalyst. We need to know what it is to finish the Crucible." Just as he said this, Shepard watched as the orb reshaped itself into the holographic silhouette of a Prothean.

"A memory…," Javik noted, "of one of my people."

"I am called Vendetta," the Prothean VI explained, "an advanced virtual construct of Pashek Vran, overseer of the project you refer to as 'Crucible.' He died fighting the Reapers at the battle of Tranbir Nine. You remaining time is also at an end."

"Are all Protheans so grim?" Liara asked.

Ignoring Liara's question, Shepard asked, "What happened to the Crucible in your time? Why didn't the Protheans deploy it?"

"We were sabotaged from within," the VI explained. "A splinter group argued we should dominate the Reapers rather than destroy them. It fractured our order of battle. Later, we discovered the separatists were indoctrinated."

"I always suspected as much," Javik grimly noted.

"Just like Cerberus," Shepard snarled.

"Our past studies of ages led us to believe that time is cyclical. Many patterns repeat."

"Like the Reaper attacks," Shepard noted.

"And beyond. The same peaks of evolution, the same valleys of dissolution… The same conflicts are expressed in every cycle, but in a different manner. The repetition is too prevalent to be merely chance."

"We assumed the Reapers were responsible for the pattern," Liara recalled.

"Perhaps," the VI concurred. "Though I believe the Reapers are only servants of the pattern. They are not it's masters."

"So, who is the master?" Shepard asked.

"Unknown. It's presence is inferred rather than observed. The only certainty is it's intention… Galactic annihilation. You now stand at the same precipice."

"There's still hope for this cycle," Shepard said to the VI. "We still need to know what the Catalyst is. Trillions of lives are at stake, and not just those of this galaxy."

"Trillions of lives are always at risk," the VI noted. "But if the Reapers have arrived to end your cycle, this discussion is too late.

"We can break the cycle! We found plans for your Crucible – we're building it right now!"

"And don't forget us," Edward added. "We're from another universe entirely. The Reapers can't have anticipated that."

"The Crucible is not a Prothean design," the VI explained. "It is the work of countless galactic cycles stretching back millions of years. Each cycle adds to it. Each cycle improves upon it. Thus far, none have succeeded in defeating the Reapers with it.

"However, I have noted the other individuals within this group. They have technology that does not originate from the rest of this galaxy. The information on your omni-tools indicates they are of another universe where this cycle does not exist. This greatly improves your chances of success."

"Then we'll be the first to succeed," Shepard decided. "Tell us what the Catalyst is."

"Listen to the human," Javik told the AI. "He can be trusted."

"I detect you are one of us," the VI noted. "You are Prothean."

"Yes, and I am not the last," Javik agreed. "Enough of our species survives to repopulate it. We are the last hope to avenge our people."

"Your mission was known to me. Do you believe this cycle can deliver retribution?"

"They have earned the right to try, yes."

"Very well," the VI decided. "If you have followed the plans for the Crucible, I will with your systems and assist with the Catalyst to -" Suddenly, it stopped, just as a series of explosions rang out.

"COMPANY!" Edward shouted as he fired his M42C towards an unknown hostile. "It's that bastard again!"

"Kai Leng," Shepard snarled, remembering a briefing that Anderson had given him on the assassin they'd encountered at the Citadel. "Good thing we knew Cerberus was already here. VI, shut down to prevent divulging information on the Catalyst. We've got an indoctrinated agent here."

"Understood," the VI replied. "Activating security protocol."

"Good," Shepard nodded as the VI changed into an orb that floated over to the statue's base. "Come on out, Kai Leng," Shepard growled as he raised his rifle. "I know who you are, and I knew you were here the moment we found those dead Asari. You can't hide from me."

There was a moment of silence, then another voice said, "Well played, Shepard." A moment later, Kai Leng walked into view, with some dust on his uniform indicating that he'd nearly gotten caught by the trip mines. "I must admit, the trip mines were an interesting challenge. I must applaud your explosives expert."

"Why are you here?" Shepard growled, keeping his rifle firmly leveled at Leng.

"Because someone wishes to talk to you," Leng explained. He held out an orb which floated into the air, before a holographic image was displayed. The hologram showed a middle aged man with brown hair and blue eyes, with the man dressed in a suit that had the collar slightly open. Blue glowing rings were present in the man's eyes.

Shepard, seeing the man, immediately recognized him. "You," he snarled.

"Shepard," the Illusive Man replied.

"Who's this old asshole?" Edward asked.

"The Illusive Man," Liara explained. "Shepard was forced to work with him to defeat the Collectors. We broke ties with them once the Collectors were destroyed."

"I wanna kill him already," Hastings growled. "Reminds me too much of Primus Myndo Waterly."

"How'd you find this place?" Shepard asked the Illusive Man, finger on the trigger.

"The Archives," the Illusive Man replied. "Or did your Shadow Broker miss that one?"

"It's an FTL communication," Liara frowned. "He's not really here, Shepard."

"I noticed," Shepard frowned.

"Stick to your talents, Dr. T'Soni," the Illusive Man chided her, sounding almost like a grandfather of sorts. "You've helped uncover the key to subjugating the Reapers."

"Or destroying them."

"Damnit, Shepard. Destroying the Reapers gains us nothing."

"What about peace?"

"They're just trying to control us. Think about it: if they wanted all organic life destroyed, they could do it. There would be nothing left."

"The hell are you talking about?" Shepard growled.

"I know them, Shepard," the Illusive Man remarked. "I know how they think."

"I think you've gotten a little too close to the enemy."

"No… I'm saying they've got it right. Why kill when you can control?"

Shepard, seeing a chance, said, "You've been spending too much time with the enemy! They're dragging you over to their side – their way of thinking!"

"No," the Illusive Man replied, though there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice. "I just… see things differently."

"If you truly care about Humanity, you'll stop fighting me. You'll join me."

"Don't ever question my intentions," the Illusive Man chided Shepard. "I've sacrificed more for Humanity than you will ever know. And don't assume you know me. My methods for dealing with the Reapers are simply more refined than yours."

"Really?" Hastings butted in, walking up to the Illusive Man's hologram, "because what you're suggesting sounds an awful lot like appeasement. That never works, something you'd know if you really studied your history. You've lost touch with reality and have forgotten everything you once stood for. Cerberus was meant to be a sword for Humanity, not a dagger in it's back!"

The Illusive Man looked at Hastings for a moment, then he said, "Poetic, but much like Shepard, you miss the point. The world is more gray than you care to admit."

"Says the man that's sided with the Reapers," Hastings bit back. "I've done more gray shit than you ever will, Illusive Man. Besides, if you're not with Shepard, then you're against him. There's nothing more gray than that!"

"No, I don't suppose there is," the Illusive Man remarked. As the hologram projector floated back towards Leng, he said, "Leng, the Commander has something that I need. Please relieve him of it, and then bring the data to me."

"Understood," Leng replied as he shifted into a battle stance once he retrieved the drone. He was about to strike when there was a loud bang, followed by a piece of armor plating being sheared off. Looking in that direction, Leng found Hastings holding a Hawk Eagle in his hand.

"Over my dead corpse," Hastings snarled. "You're no soldier, Leng. You're a traitor that works for an Illusive Man, or should I say, Jack Harper?"

That got Leng incredibly angry, resulting in him moving with shocking speed towards Hastings, whereupon he swung his sword. Before it could connect, though, another blade stopped it dead. Looking at the wielder, Leng found Shepard holding what appeared to be a wakizashi. "You'll have to get through me to get at him," he snarled.

Instead of frowning, Leng smiled. "Now it's a challenge," he beamed, before disengaging to engage Shepard.

Despite his being older, Shepard had greater experience fighting against sword-wielding opponents, courtesy of his time as a mercenary in the Inner Sphere. Good thing I was taught sword-fighting, Shepard remarked as he blocked a blow from Leng's own blade. I remember that one time I had to face off against a Combine Samurai without help from my friends. If it wasn't for that training, I'd be dead.

As such, the two men fought with each other to gain supremacy over each other. Leng had more speed and the vigor of youth on his side, though Shepard had countered that through his experience. The two swiped at each other with their blades, before Shepard pulled off a particularly tricky move. Leng managed to avoid the blow to his legs when he spotted Shepard's feint towards his neck. When he got up, he felt a stab of pain. Looking down, he found blood trickling down his leg.

"Not so fast, are you now?" Shepard remarked. "First blood's mine!"

"Really?" Leng asked as gunfire erupted between the two. Looking towards the entrance, Shepard watched as a gunship came into view, firing it's weapons. "I don't play fair."

"Neither do I," Shepard replied as a brace of missiles blew the gunship out of the sky. Leng snarled, before the two quickly engaged in their sword play, while the others fended off Cerberus troops that were pouring into the place.

The sword fight, though, was pushing Shepard towards the Prothean statue more and more. Looking behind, Shepard noted that Hastings was busy doing something at the base of the statute. What is he doing, he wondered. This, however, was enough to distract him long enough for Leng to break the sword lock they were in. Spotting what Hastings was doing, Leng surged forwards while Hastings, hearing someone coming, turned with his weapon raised. Then it happened.

In slow motion, Shepard watched with horror as the blade punched through Hasting's chest armor, the blade exploiting a manufacturing defect in the armor. Hasting howled in agony as the blade punched through his back armor as well. He coughed up blood from his lungs while Leng attempted to wrestle something out of his hands. Hastings didn't lose his wits for a second, however, as he stubbornly held on to the object with all his might. Wrestling the item away, he pulled out a knife and slashed at Leng's face, causing the Cerberus agent to shout while holding a good portion of his face.

"HASTINGS!" Shepard shouted. Before he could fully get up, the floor was struck by missiles, causing it to collapse and nearly take Shepard with it. Barely hanging on, he watched as Leng hurled Hastings towards him. Reaching out with a hand, Shepard caught Hastings as the man fell over the edge, with blood dripping from the wound in his chest. He could barely hear Leng say something before, after a few seconds, he walked away, before getting onto another shuttle.

Just as Leng's shuttle disappeared, Liara and Javik came over and pulled him and Hastings up. "Shepard!" she shouted. "He's got the VI!"

"FUCK!" Shepard roared as he was back on solid ground. Roaring loudly, he moaned, "We failed!"

"N-not q-quite," Hastings gasped, blood coming from his mouth. Before Shepard could ask, he watched as Hastings handed him what he realized was a data core. "I-I managed t-to save the V-VI from L-Leng's clutches. It – It's the l-least that I-I can d-do." He coughed loudly, splattering Shepard's chest plate with blood.

"No!" Shepard shouted. "No, no, no! We can still save you!"

"We can't," Javik frowned. "His heart was cut in half by the blade. It was strong enough to punch through his armor. We can't save him."

"He's r-right," Hastings coughed. "I-I was a d-dead man a-already." Looking at Shepard, he said,. Shepard, b-before I g-go, I-I've got one thing to a-ask of you."

"And that would be?" Shepard asked.

"K-Kill Leng," Hastings coughed out. "After that, g-go… and l-live… f-for m-me. It's b-been an h-honor, S-Shepard." A moment later, Hastings body became limp, while a heavy sigh came from his lips. A second later, the spark of life in his eyes died out forever.

Shepard squeezed his eyes shut upon seeing this, while tears began to stream down his face. Holding in the grief, he closed Hastings eyes and said, "I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Hastings. I didn't get to know you for long, but I do know you were a good man. I'll find Leng, and I'll make sure he is punished for his evil. I promise you that."

Standing up, he said, "We have to go now. We're done here." Even as he and the others left, the comms that he heard as they left told him what he already knew: Thessia had fallen.

(Author's Q&A)

SulliMike23: That they are.

Violet Toyger: Thank you. Plus, the Inner Sphere has always adapted fast to new military developments. Just look at when the BattleMech was invented for instance.

edboy4926: True, and it's gotten sadder with this one.