Chapter 11: Storm the Castle

We landed at the tower's lower helipad. And a squad of mechs came our way. I look at Jack, "Well? So what you got." Her helmet came down and she pulled her blade off her back. With a flash she did multiple blink jumps and sliced through the Mechs.

We rushed after her, taking care of those she missed. Surprisingly we haven't run into any Eclipse mercs. Just a huge number of mechs and the one Salarian. "Please help me. I-I can't feel my legs." I gave him a dose of medi-gel

"Thank you, who are you?" I helped him up, "That doesn't matter right now. Are there others?" He nodded, "Yes we tried to leave as fast as possible till Dantius sent the Mercs. They just started shooting everyone."

I pat him on the back, "It's safe the way we came. Head to the nearest elevator and we'll take care of her." He nods weakly and heads off. I pulled off my Mattock, "Okay Jack I need you to stay here with the squad."

I can hear her glee, Fuck yeah, you like that! I charged forwards, popping foreheads and dispensing my own form of biotic justice. Samara threw shockwave after shockwave. While Miranda threw Warps into a crowd of mechs.

Jack still showed off her blade work, using her biotics to speed her body up to cut through them like a hot knife to butter. Soon we came up to an elevator and took it up to the next level. More mechs came at us.

We take them out pretty easily, Miranda and Samara creating a singularity fusion combo. Jack at that moment launches her own warp. The whole thing created an explosion similar to my own biotic/pcionic combos.

When we had a moment of reprieve, Jack opened her helmet, she was panting. "Fuck yeah this is fucking awesome!" She looked at me with a flushed face. "I haven't had a work out like that in.. Ever!"

I chuckled at her enthusiasm, I pulled a ration out of my pocket. She takes it and tears into it, Miranda looks a bit flustered as well. She was eating her own Food Bar. Samara looks amused at them. I did a small patrol where I found the salarians.

"Please we'll go just don't hurt us." One tilts his head, "Hey you're not an eclipse. What are you doing here?" I shrugged, "Checking out the area for spare credits and ammo." I look at the dead merc on the ground.

"You didn't kill him, did you?" They shook their heads, "No, he came in and started shouting for us to move, then his head exploded." I nodded, "There is an elevator back the way we came. It should be safe."

They nodded and ran the way we came. I went back to the rest of the squad, I looked at the Elevator. "How much do you girls want to bet that they'll be loaded with mechs?" Jack snorts, "Suckers bet." The doors open and you fire on the Eclipse Mechs and the Krogan Bounty Hunter.

We took up the elevator after we carried the bodies out. Luckily biotics made that easier. Of course the Eclipse Merc was there. He was carrying a SMG and a Shield. Cerberus ME3 style. "Yeah don't worry, no one is getting up here. The bounty hunter just went down."

We looked at each other, and quietly walked up behind him. "Yeah everything is fine now." He ended the call and turned around to see us just behind him. "Uh…" I put a gun to his head, "If I don't get the answers I like, I'll send you down the expressway." He looked back at the window.

"I don't know what you want?" I pull the gun back, "I'm looking for Thane Krios." He shrugged his shoulders, "I don't know who that is. I just know that the Boss wants to find everyone and get rid of them." I grimaced.

"Okay you can leave." He goes to leave till I kick him through the Window behind him. "Scumbag." On the way out of the room I picked up the Gene-library and saw the next battle ground.

Me and Jack began popping in to kill the guards and mechs. When we were done we opened up the Salarians only to get shot. Luckily my Shields, Barriers, fortifications and Psionic barriers stop the shot clean.

The scared Salarian looked at me in horror before passing out. Another Salarian ran up, "Please don't hurt him, he didn't mean it." I gave him a medi-gel pulse to wake him back up. "Did we die?" I kneel down to get close to his face.

"Don't do that again." I got up and helped him up again. "Now get the hell out of here!" They ran for the hills or stairs. "Let's go find our wayward assassin." I cracked my knuckles and then called the Normandy.

"EDI Send in the Mech troopers and the C7s to collect everything we passed on the way up." "Of course John, I would also like to add that the Gunships are ready for deployment." I grinned viciously.

"Let's party then, Send them in." We waited for a few minutes till two gunships that were painted all black, with the N7 stripe on the sides. They opened fire the moment they were in range. We came from the back while they were occupied.

It was chaos, plain and simple. No one could stop the assault. One guy got blown off the bridge and then was blown to pieces by a stray rocket. Eventually the Survivors(3) put their hands up and kick over their weapons.

Jack sounded disappointed, "I was hoping that they would fight till the end." They were all Asari, I reached into their minds and repeated my message to them. Join the New Sisterhood "I think you girls should get the hell out while you still can."

They nodded, bolted for the other side of the bridge. I walk in the doors, Nassana turns around in horror. "Shepard? But you're dead!" I shrugged and pulled up a chair. "I got better, Lets talk for a bit."

"Who put out the hit? Whoever it was I'll triple it for the name and again for you to do the same to them." I smirked, "SB needs you out of the way." She looks even more horrified now, "Fuck what did I do to deserve this?"

"Killing your sister was probably a good indicator that you're not a good person." She sat down and pulled out a bottle of blue liquid. "Who is in this damned galaxy?" She poured two glasses and drank one.

She coughs a bit, "I can hear you thinking of a way for me to get out alive." With a bit of my psionic power I made her more susceptible to my suggestions. "I manage to convince the Broker that if I can get ahold of your towers and put them in my name, he'll call off the kill."

She poured another glass and drank it down. "It's been nothing but a money drain. I had to go cheap on both security and work force. What will you do with it?" I shrugged, "Shepard Industries needs a plot of land here on Illium."

She drinks from the bottle again and then pulls up her company holdings and signs them off to me. I look at my email to see it come in. I smirked, nodded to her. "We'll he call it off?" I nod, "I'll make sure of it." She sighs and then passes out face first.

I scanned the glass of my drink and found it was poisoned. Thane uncloaks from the corner praying. He then looks at me, "How did you know It was poisoned?" I shrugged, "I figured either you did it or she did to get me to drink it with her having the antidote."

He looks at her then back to me, "Do you really work for the Broker?" I shake my head, "No, I'm gathering the best of the best to take down the Collectors." He turns to look at the rising sun, "Taking on the Collectors requires crossing the Omega 4 Relay. No one has ever returned."

I crossed my arms, "They also said that I couldn't go find the Conduit on Ilos." He breathes deeply, "You do make a habit of doing the impossible. This was supposed to be my final mission."

I walked up beside him, "I'm dying. Keplar Syndrome." I nodded, "How long?" He smiles and turns to me, "give or take a year or two. With healthy eating and exercise." He raised his hand and I accepted it. "Glad to have you on board."

Several days later I was standing in front of three holograms in my new tower. They all looked like EDI only they were wearing different outfits. I turned to the actual EDI. "You're doing I presume?"

She nodded, "Yes though they are only V.I.s they've been upgraded by me to help with the workload." I looked at their outfits, they were all wearing short skirts and white button up shirts with ties. The difference was the colors of said outfits.

I turned back to EDI, please give them professional dresses. She nodded and the holograms shimmered before looking like they are wearing the regular dresses you see in the game. "Okay what do we have for the company?"

"Thanks to the acquisition of Dantius's holdings, We had to cut out the decay that she had in her Company. Not only that she was in the red for a better part of 2 years, just barely holding on. So now with the added bonus of your holdings we are now buying actual reliable workers."

A bunch of holograms popped up, showing the steady rise and fall of our credit income. "The investors are now helping us build our new Forges to increase product avenues. And thanks to Miss T'soni we are hiring a better security force. The New Sisterhood of Shepard is one of them."

A new image pops up, with a group of Asari wearing black armor and N7 stripe down their arms and faces. "Along with the Reformed Blue Suns, and the army of Mechs that both are bringing to the table. The New Forges are also supplying much of the needed materials to build any and all who join on permanently."

I put a hand up to make her pause for a minute, "I want to be able to hire any quarian that I can if not outright buy their contracts." She nodded before her eyes began to light up and I saw the steady rise of income take a dip before returning back to normal.

She showed a number of files that were gathered, "There are 37 quarians on the planet that are currently contracted by other companies. We have now just bought their contracts." I nodded, "Why so few? I would've expected those to be in the hundreds if not in the hundred range."

She nods in turn, "Yes it would've been 2 years ago, but since they became a client of the System Alliance, they have called for legal help. To get most of them off-world, the ones here are the ones that were just hired."

I got up from my desk and walked over to the Elevator and headed down to the newly installed Docking station. As I was heading down I got a call from Miranda. "Captain I got the call, We need to meet up at the spaceports bar."

I nodded and headed to the Armory to suit up, only to find that my regular Souped Up Defender Armor was gone. Replace with the Cerberus Assault armor. I did a quick scan of it and found something glorious.

A message popped up..

From Ken/Gab

Your Favorite Engineers!

We manage to make an armor with the Silaris Heavy armor, hoverpack and with enough tech and biotic boosters to take down anyone that comes your way. We know that you loved your Defender so we are working on that next in between shifts.

Sincerely Ken and Gab

P.S. From Gabberilla

Can't wait to see you in action. ;)

"EDI? Give them a raise if you can." "Of course John." I suited up and after syncing up, changing its colors and giving it my best looking decals. I went to the shuttle and flew back to the port. The decals were the fusion of paragon and renegade signs. With the N7 stripe down the arm.

My weapons were different too, My Mattock now had three modes, single shot, semi-shot and full auto. My sniper was the newly designed M-90 Indra. SMG was the fully optimized Locust with the Heavy Pistol M-77 Paladin. As for my shotgun, another optimized Claymore.

When I walked out of the shuttle my whole squad was there waiting. They all looked at the New King of the Galaxy. Or at the least, the beginning of one. I told everyone to get the shuttle while me and Miranda head to the meeting point.

We passed an Asari complaining about a guy in the Bar. I went in and straight to Conrad. "I know there is Red Sand here. I got a tip about it." The Matriarch that's totally not Liara's dad was getting fed up. "You don't know what I can do, I stood up against Commander Shepard!"

I tapped his shoulder, He turns and shouts, a bit high pitched too. "Commander! You're alive!?" I arch and eyebrow. "Yes Conrad, I am alive. Please stop harassing this woman." He starts to stutter, "I don't care Conrad, It's legal here if you have a permit. Why aren't you home with your wife?"

He rubs the back of his head. "I wanted to make a difference like you did. But I couldn't do the training and get into the Spectres. But I could act like you. You wouldn't believe how many people need help out here. And I help as best I can."

I looked at the armor he was wearing. He looks at it too, "Oh Darlean help with it. She's pretty good with tools, that's my wife. Though I had to pay for the shielding." I looked at him for a moment. "Have you been shot at?"

He nods sadly, "Yeah a bunch of times. I don't know what I did wrong that time." I shake my head, "Conrad, you can't act like someone else. You are you for a reason. What do you do for a living when not doing this?"

Oh looks a bit surprised at the question. "Oh I do research on Dark Matter and Relay technologies. Though I got fired recently, because they don't want someone who wants to travel a lot."

I smiled, "Well you're in luck Conrad I recently managed to create a new company on the planet. I need someone for the Research Department." He looked at me like I just made his day. "Really? You want me to join your new Company?"

I nodded, "Yeah and to be honest I wasn't going to but since you do that I'll need someone to help out with that." He smiles widely, "When do I start?" I sent him the coordinates to the new Towers. I stopped him before he ran off, "Call your wife first? I'm sure she'll be overjoyed that you get to work for your hero."

He nods and hurries off to the cabs. "Did you really give that idiot a job?" I turned back to the Matriarch. "Yeah, he was a fan back when I started out as a Spectre. He's harmless, don't worry about him." She shrugged.

I went back to Miranda who is just finishing up with her meeting. "Shepard, my friend Niket is in danger. He's helping Oriana and her family move. But there were some complications with the eclipse mercs."

I pull up coms, "Squad up everyone eclipses on the horizon." We made it back to the shuttle and flew off. A few minutes later we're at the location to find Niket and Orianas family. The Merc leader was walking up to do the 'Get the out of here or I'll kill you' thing.

I, on the other hand, pull my Pal out and start shooting. My whole squad mowed down any and all Eclipse that got in our way. Within a few minutes we were on the elevator up to the main Arena. Unfortunately the elevator is small so I can only bring a few people with me.

Jack and Samara got the draw, so they came up with us. When the doors opened up I immediately put a round in the Eclipse Asari. Miranda put a gun to Nikets head. "I trusted you, why would you betray me?"

"You kidnapped a baby girl from a life of luxury so you could get back at your father." She shakes her head, "I didn't kidnap her, I saved her! She would've been used just like I was." I pulled her pistol down. "Shepard?"

I looked at Niket, "It's a bit late to send her back to her Biological Father when she's been with this family her whole life." He nods, "Mr. Lawson would have given them a place to live while he would get to know her."

I shake my head, "From what I've heard he'd kill them in the backroom while lying about it. If he knows where she is he'll probably have them killed" He sighs, "He doesn't know that she's here. I didn't tell him where she was."

I turned to Mirianda, "We just need to transfer them to a new place." She nods and points her gun at Niket, "You're the only loose in Niket, I wished that I didn't have to do this." I stopped her again. "For fucks sake Shepard! Let me finish this."

I shake my head, "No you'll regret it for the rest of your life." I turn back to Niket, "Get out of here, and never return." He nods and leaves. Miranda walked to the elevator and I picked up the locket on the way out.

She watches Oriana talk to her family. "She's safe, we can leave now." I shrugged, "You should go talk to her." She shakes her head, "I don't want to complicate her life anymore then it already is." I put a hand on her shoulder and turned her towards her sister.

"It won't complicate things if she knows that she has a sister that is looking out for her." With a slight push she starts walking off to her. A few hours later we are on the Normandy and we are heading towards Tali for the sweet engineer bonus.

Surprisingly we aren't heading to Haestrom, but to New Rannoch. Jacob is worried why they haven't responded to our calls. I went to talk to Miranda but when I entered I saw both Miranda and Jack sitting together on the couch.

Their arms are locked around each other's waist while they watch videos on the net. They looked up at me. Jack smirks, "Hey boy scout. We were just watching our favorite videos on Extra-Tube." He turned on isn't he. That sounded like Miranda

Miranda takes a sip of the wine she was drinking. "Jack has great taste in music, Shepard. You should hear this one." A song started playing, "You can fight like a Krogan, run like a leopard But you'll never be better than Commander Shepard!"

I started laughing out loud, "They have a song about me?! That's awesome!" They then looked at each other then scooted aside with Miranda patting the seat between them. I took the invite and we watched funny videos for the rest of the ride to the Colony. Their arms wrap around my waist.