Chapter 8 - Cutting Ties
As he jogged toward the waiting Normandy, Shepard scanned the vast, bare expanse of the hangar. He had fought countless battles across fields of broken rock and boulders, thick stands of trees, and cluttered industrial areas. But here, there was nothing. No cover in which an ambush might hide. Nowhere to take cover when that ambush occurred. And Shepard was certain in his gut that an ambush was coming. From the doors embedded in the walls down either side of the hangar, from beneath the deck or from overhead, or maybe from the Normandy herself. With Prizrak's countdown continuing, they had little choice but to punch through whatever might await them.
Shepard glanced to his crew. Garrus jogged to his left, scanning the hangar much as he was doing. Zaeed jogged to his right. If they needed to punch through or past something, the three of them together could punch pretty hard. They also had some of the heaviest armor and shields to absorb whatever might get thrown at them. The rest of the crew followed behind, the most vulnerable at the center. He had considered leaving them with an escort to follow after they dealt with whatever surprises Prizrak had prepared, but Shepard was loathe to split the crew up. Too many possibilities that Prizrak could exploit. Too many ways splitting up could go wrong. It was a calculated risk, but protecting his people, especially the non-combatants, as they pushed for the Normandy was the priority. Shepard tightened his grip on his assault rifle and refocused on the waiting ship. They were all going to get out of here, together.
Together. The thought immediately triggered worry for Tali. She was with Prizrak right now. The man that Yeoman Chambers had called a monster who would destroy this base and kill them all if the whim so struck him. Tali's grandfather, he now knew. Shepard was certain Tali had believed that relationship would give her the power to sway Prizrak. But Tali had miscalculated the power of that relationship. And, Shepard forced himself to acknowledge, possibly miscalculated the behavior of her own people. He found it impossible to believe that the Admiralty Board had sent Prizrak to steal the Normandy, yet it kept creeping back into his mind, whispering doubts. For the thousandth time in bare minutes he crushed the thought. He would trust Tali. He was sure she was fighting for them even now. As to the Admirals, that would have to wait until they made it out.
All such thoughts and doubts scattered as Shepard saw the doors lining both the far wall and the wall that stretched to either side behind them simultaneously slide open. Loki mechs began emerging into the light of the hangar, their machine pistols raised to fire. Within seconds there were dozens in the hangar, with more emerging. The mechs began firing from extreme range. Shepard could see a handful of blue flares from the shields of his crew. The mechs were not great shots, especially at this range, but there were so many they were scoring hits. And they would only be getting closer.
"Ground team circle up, five meter spread. Non-combatants and security to the center. Crew at the center do not fire unless necessary. Outer ring fire at will. If we can take them down their own detonations will throw off the aim of any mechs around them. We're pushing for the Normandy." Shepard didn't at all like what he was seeing. The mechs were still emerging from the doors lining the walls. There were easily more than a hundred in the hangar now. The air was filled with the buzz of shots flying past him. He sighted down his assault rifle and opened fire, aiming to take down a mech, trying to disrupt and damage those around it when it inevitably exploded. It was a terrible design flaw in his opinion, but taking advantage of the mechs poor design and capabilities was their best chance. That and speed.
Shepard swore silently as he saw his shots deflected by active shields. He saw the same from other mechs that his crew targeted. Prizrak had clearly not balked at the expense of upgrading the mechs defenses, though most considered such expensive upgrades nearly worthless in the case of the Loki. Even so, it wouldn't normally have troubled him. But they were now looking at more mechs than he could easily count. Their shielding would greatly reduce the number of mechs they could quickly destroy and the impact of their detonations on the other mechs. That meant their only hope was to push to the Normandy before the mechs could close to a range where they would be more effective.
"Base destruction in ten minutes. Please proceed to the nearest evacuation point immediately."
More flares of blue from his crew and from his own shields. Shepard realized they weren't going to make it to the Normandy before the mechs on the far side of the hangar. The doors those mechs had emerged from were too close to the ship. They would be running straight into the teeth of that group, maybe through them if they kept advancing. Shepard again scanned the hangar. He glanced back to the door through which they had entered and saw that it had closed. He was sure it would not readily open for them again.
Shepard suddenly recognized the form of the trap into which they were running. The mechs were attacking them, but they were also herding them. The mechs coming from the doors further down the hangar from the Normandy were angling to join ranks and force them toward the ship and block any retreat. The mechs across the hangar nearest the Normandy had stopped moving, forming a line that would prevent them running past the ship. They were being herded all right, directly toward the vessel. Hammer and anvil. Prizrak absolutely wanted them rushing for the Normandy. Thoughtless, heedless of anything but reaching their goal. Driven to reach it before the mechs around them completely cut off their escape or shredded them through sheer volume of fire. Still, they might make it, even through the storm of shots that was only increasing. Maybe, but Prizrak was not done with whatever planned. Shepard was sure of it, just as he was sure that doing what Prizrak wanted them to do was going to cost them more than he was willing to pay. He glanced to his crew huddling in the midst of the protective outer circle and realized this was one trap he couldn't simply smash his way through.
That meant they needed to do something Prizrak did not expect, even if it cost them some of their precious, dwindling time. Shepard glanced to the far end of the hangar away from the Normandy. There were large crates there. Crates he recognized as taken from the Normandy. They could be another of Prizrak's traps, but that wasn't the feeling Shepard got. After Prizrak stole the Normandy, they had not given him much time before they followed him to the Sackgasse system. Shepard got the impression that Prizrak's efforts to unload the most valuable cargo had gotten interrupted by their arrival in system and that, with no way to be certain when and if they would attack, he had left the items where they now lay in order to position his mechs and equipment. Besides, the items were in the opposite direction from the Normandy. Shepard would have to be a fool to run that direction.
Shepard spoke, knowing his communication implant would clearly transmit his orders over their secure channel despite the constant gunfire. "Change of plans. We're heading to the crates at the far end of the hangar. I'm on point. Maintain spacing and formation."
Shepard turned and began jogging toward the crates at the far end of the hangar. His crew pivoted with him, shifting their formation as the shots continued to whiz past and into them. Shepard glanced back toward the Normandy and to either side as the mechs continued to close in on them. If they hurried, they would get past the line of mechs before they closed the box that had been meant to push them toward the Normandy. Even so, they were still getting closer. In addition to being inaccurate at range, the machine pistols the mechs were equipped with had poor damage and penetration. But the hits were coming faster now. Shepard's omni-tool pinged a low shield warning.
Shepard pulled out a smoke grenade. Miranda had the foresight to include them in the equipment she had acquired to help their mission. "Flanks, lay smoke on your side between us and the mechs. Rear crew lay smoke between us and the Normandy." Shepard hurled his grenade between his crew and the group of mechs angling to block their retreat. He glanced back at the Normandy. He was taking no chances on something coming from that direction. Besides, there were plenty of mechs still firing from that direction. He had considered trying to use the smoke grenades to obscure them as they rushed toward the Normandy, but that would have meant running into the cloud of smoke. They would not have been able to spot any threat until they were on top of it and his crew could have ended up scattered and disoriented in the chaos. Especially the non-combatants.
The volume of fire coming at them dropped as mechs lost their targets, their optics blinded by the smoke. "Outer ring, begin clockwise rotation. Maintain spacing and continue firing." It was a tactic that would only be useful with mechs. Loki mechs had the most basic of combat programming. Identify a threat, shoot at that threat. Things shooting were a greater threat. Things closer were a greater threat. His crew were moving in a circle now, revolving around the non-firing crew at the center. Following their programming, the mechs would constantly have to shift targets, always moving to shoot at the target that was closest. That constant reassessment and retargeting would buy them fractions of seconds. Fractions that would add up. The upgraded shielding was an off the shelf upgrade. Shepard was betting that Prizrak had not bothered to go to the trouble to personally reprogram the off the shelf targeting algorithms. The stakes were all their lives.
Shepard's shields flared out of existence. There were still too many shots coming. A fraction of a second later, he felt a sting in his arm as a shot pierced the weaker protection at his elbow joint. He swore to himself and activated a dose of medi-gel. Ten more seconds. Ten more and they would be past the mechs before they could close the gap between them and the crates farther ahead. Suddenly, Shepard heard Garrus call out into the din "Heads up! Turret!" He turned and saw a heavy turret drop from the ceiling, pivoting to target his crew.
Yeoman Kelly Chambers was terrified. While she had fired a weapon on a shooting range, she had never before been in combat. She could hear the shots whipping past her. Every time her shield flared she gasped. If that shield failed the vac suit she was wearing would not protect her. She could be shot at any moment, gruesomely. Her mind shied away from that fear and retreated to something familiar. Analysis. And with everybody else busy, she turned that analytical ability on the only one available. Herself.
What are you doing, Kelly?
She found herself quietly mumbling the answer to her own question. "I'm running from a madman through gunfire on a base that could explode at any moment."
You're dodging the actual question.
Kelly knew exactly what she was really dodging. The truth. Why had she told Tali the truth? When she spoke with Tali outside the holding cells, Tali had asked her for information about Prizrak. It was the perfect chance to direct her toward what she was now doing. Encourage her to put herself in danger by trying to reach Prizrak. Tali had isolated herself from Shepard, pushed him away, she deduced, out of guilt. Guilt about the actions of the Quarians. Guilt about her own actions. Guilt about the man she now knew was Tali's grandfather. Tali wanted to fix that guilt by fixing Prizrak. Redeeming herself, her family, and the Quarians in one stroke. But Prizrak would not be swayed by her. She knew that even before she learned that he was Tali's grandfather. And she knew in her heart that their relationship would change nothing. But it did better explain Tali's desperation to reach him. That guilt, that desperation, was allowing her plan to break Shepard to play out to near perfection.
But you told her the truth about Prizrak. About how dangerous he is. You tried to steer her away from that course.
Also true, she admitted to herself. She had tried to make it clear to Tali that Prizrak was dangerous. Too dangerous. She hadn't known for certain that Tali was thinking of seeking out Prizrak on her own, but she suspected she was going to try something. Something dangerous. She had genuinely tried warn her, to prevent her from doing what she ended up doing.
And yet, you said nothing to Shepard of your suspicions so that he might stop her. You're a mess, Kelly. At the worst possible time. It's going to get you killed.
Kelly gasped as she ran directly into something very solid. She had been so focused on distracting herself from the terrors around her that she had not even noticed when something sprang up directly in front of her. She fell backward to the metal deck, landing hard on her back, knocking her breath from her. She looked up and saw she had collided with a large metal disc that was now hovering before her. The gun barrel that she found herself looking down was enormous.
A moment later, blue energy flared around the large, hovering turret. The turret swung toward this new threat and unleashed a torrent of heavy gunfire. Kelly glanced in the direction it was firing and saw that Sosa had shot at the turret, trying to save her. The shots from the turret tore easily through Sosa's shields and Kelly saw sprays of red. As Sosa collapsed to the deck the gun barrel swung back to her. Another heartbeat and it would fire. Her pathetic shield wouldn't save her. No one would save her. She closed her eyes and tensed, thinking that at least she wouldn't have to answer her own question.
There was a series of loud reports, but no pain. Kelly had never been shot before, so she wasn't sure what to expect. She opened her eyes and saw that Shepard was there, between her and the turret. He had pushed through its shield and was grappling the meter wide disc. In a moment, he had flipped it over and slammed it back into the hole in the floor it must have sprung from. Sparks and smoke issued from the damaged device and the barrel was twisted at an odd angle. Shepard turned to her and immediately bent down, grasping her arm. He easily hoisted her to her feet. She looked at him as he lifted her up. Saw the crack in his armor the shots from the turret had caused. The blood trickling down. More blood on the gauntlet that now grasped her shoulder. She leaned into that strong grip, looking up into his eyes as she steadied herself. Concerned eyes above a smile that had not faltered.
"Not a good time to take a break, Kelly. Keep moving, we're almost there. Harris, help Sosa."
She forced her legs into motion as he sprinted back to his place in the outer ring. His shield that had barely begun to regenerate again flaring blue with deflected shots. He was shouting encouragement and direction to them, firing at the mechs to draw their focus. This was who The Illusive Man wanted. This was who she was scheming to break.
And after you break him, will you really be able to put him back together? The First Principle of the Alliance Psychological Association Ethical Code. "Psychologists strive to benefit those with whom they work and take care to do no harm".
She had convinced herself that this was harm serving a greater good. But it was harm. And she could finally admit that she liked the idea of him coming back to her. He had been on that path, briefly, but his devotion had never been hers. It belonged to someone else. He would fight for them. He would take a bullet for any of them, but it was Tali who lifted him up. Made him see himself the way others saw him. Could he still be that man after he broke? After she broke him? She honestly wasn't sure any more.
So…what are you doing, Kelly?
Shepard turned and jogged the last several meters backwards. They had managed to reach the handful of large crates scattered at the end of the hangar farthest from the Normandy. Shepard eyed the Loki mechs that had emerged to drive them toward the Normandy. The mechs had not continued to pursue them after they had burst past the closing ranks to cross the hangar, but rather closed the third side of the trap that had been intended to force them to the Normandy. They were far enough away now that only a handful of mechs fired random, inaccurate shots in their direction. The mechs stood in a row between them and the Normandy, other mechs stretching down either side toward the ship, ready to open fire as soon as they made an attempt to again reach the vessel.
The smoke they had used to aid their escape had been cleared by the hangar's ventilation system and Shepard could see that the main cargo door into the Normandy's own hangar had opened while they retreated to their current position. Shepard reached to his omni-tool and enhanced his helmet's optics to be sure what he was seeing. Under that magnification he confirmed that there were now three Ymir heavy mechs standing at the base of the ramp. Shepard silently cursed Prizrak. He could fully see now what the Quarian outcast had intended. A mad dash, hemmed in and surrounded by the horde of Loki mechs, driven into the Ymir mechs that would have deployed once there was no chance of retreat. His crews' shields stripped by the constant fire from the Loki mechs would have been little protection against the Ymirs' heavy weapons as they tried to run the final distance across the exposed hangar. Shepard chose not to contemplate what would have happened had they tried to make that run.
The thought caused him to look to his crew as they stumbled into the cover of the handful of scattered crates. Harris had been joined by Chambers to help carry the injured Sosa those last few meters to cover. Joker's exoskeleton had taken a hit and had been disabled. The framework had protected him from the shot, but he had to leave the damaged device behind. Chen had carried Joker from that moment as Joker could no longer run. Shepard heard Joker humming the wedding march as Chen carried him into the cover of the crates. Donnelly was cradling his arm and being helped by Daniels. Zaeed was limping and cursing as he reached cover, a thin trail of blood trickling from the joint at his knee. Garrus appeared unhurt, though his armor bore a myriad of divots and scratches. Shepard saw more than one of his crew triggering doses of medi-gel. He watched as Mordin moved to give medical assistance, so chose not to disturb him. Instead, he glanced back to the once again distant Normandy, his mind shifting to consider the problem of escape. They had triggered the trap and avoided the worst of its effects, but at the cost of having expended their smoke grenades and again putting the entire hangar between them and their goal. Shepard wasn't sure if the Normandy's hangar door had opened at some prearranged trigger or if Prizrak had chosen to open it to try to tempt them into another deadly charge. Either way, he was glad for the preview of what they were facing. Now he had to devise a way for them to reach the Normandy. All of them.
Shepard glanced to the supply crates around them. The door to the storage area near them had opened when the others opened, but no mechs streamed from that room. Rather, more cargo taken from the Normandy lay within. Shepard mentally began sorting through the items he knew those crates contained, trying to come up with some way to reach the Normandy in the eight minutes he knew they now had. They had fought their way past multiple turrets to reach this cover, but he didn't know if Prizrak might have any other surprises in store. Perhaps cutting the gravity so they were floating around or turning it up so they were crushed into the deck. Or, he could always just open the hangar's space doors and let them all be sucked into the void. Shepard winced at the thought. The two times he had been blasted into space to float helplessly were more than enough. Despite the danger, he suddenly found himself smiling. The task was daunting, but he was certain they had a guardian angel watching over them. Helping them. An angel…with a shotgun.
Tali held herself in a tight ball. Hunched, arms crossed, fingers digging into the material of her suit at either shoulder as if she were trying to physically hold herself together. She was adrift, moorings cut. Cut by the words of her Grandfather.
What are you doing. Pull yourself together. You've got to stop this. Stop him. But Tali couldn't stop thinking how right Prizrak was. The Quarian people were desperate and afraid. And fear could lead people to accept the most terrible things. Do the most terrible things. And she was no better. She wasn't a hero. She was simply the next link in a family chain of atrocity. Her Grandfather had gone mad from his captivity and been willing to betray the Quarian people into Batarian slavery. Her father had the courage to stand against him, but lost his way after the death of her mother. Tali realized, she couldn't save her father either. She wasn't enough to bring him back from that loss. He had committed his own terrible crimes in the name of restoring Rannoch to the Quarians. Crimes she had chosen to cover up. And while Raan wasn't her blood, she was her family, and she had sanctioned the theft of the Normandy. Worse, she was manipulating Tali to assassinate the man she knew was Tali's Grandfather to cover up her crimes and those of the Admiralty. Every muscle clenched at the thought and her heart felt like it would rip itself apart. Do what you believe you must to survive, but bury the evidence. It was the Quarian way. Monsters. We're all monsters. The thoughts echoed in her mind. Everything you touch turns to bilge waste. You don't deserve to be happy. You don't deserve him. Give up before you do even more harm.
Prizrak's voice cut through her spiraling thoughts. "Ha. Your captain is a fool. He put himself farther from his goal in order to protect a few useless crew members. Now he'll be feeling very desperate. I hope his next move is at least entertaining."
He sounded so certain of himself. Maybe that was how it worked for a psychopath. No need to feel guilt or shame. Not a care in the galaxy. Tali wondered how far she would have to be pushed to reach that point. Was she already there?
No, she forced herself to believe as she mentally stepped back from that abyss. She wasn't there yet. She was a confused mess of self-doubt, but she cared about her people. Cared about her comrades. Cared about…him. Her Grandfather was toying with them all and might well succeed at killing them if she stood here paralyzed. She forced her eyes up in desperation, praying to any spirit that would listen to help her. In that moment she heard a voice. A male voice she recognized. She looked and she thought she could even see his image before her, faint and ghostly. She didn't know if it was imagination or insanity.
"Is this how I raised you to act, Tali? I thought I raised a fighter. I thought you were strong enough to face what had to be done and do it, as I did. For the good of our people."
Tali snorted aloud, causing her Grandfather to glance up briefly from his monitoring of her comrades. But her words to her father were only within her own mind. "You raised me to be an extension of you. A weapon you could wield. To believe in Quarian nobility and to ignore and bury anything that would call that into question."
"I raised you to be STRONG so that you could do whatever was needed for our people."
"YOU RAISED ME TO BE AFRAID! WE ARE ALL SO DAMNED SCARED THAT WE WILL DO ANYTHING, JUSTIFY ANYTHING, THEN LIE ABOUT HOW NOBLE WE ARE!"
The image of Rael'Zorah wavered in front of her, his posture conveying disappointment. "I thought you would understand what it means to do what is necessary, Tali. To do what you must for our people to survive. We have endured exile for too long."
Tali gasped and looked at the floor. The realization that shot through her was like an electrical shock. That's the real issue here. Our people have wandered so long that anger and fear have begun to outweigh guilt. People don't just want to go home, they are demanding it. And there is always someone ready to use that desperation. Tali looked up at the image of her father. "I love you father, but you are wrong. We can't find our way as a people based on lies. Our family has been on that path too long. I'm on that path as well…". Tali started at this new realization, "But I can change my course, not Grandfather's. Not yours. I can correct my mistakes and help us to find a better path. I'm the one I need to fix."
Tali stood dumbfounded for long seconds. Before her, her father's image wavered and began to slowly fade. But he was laughing dismissively at her. "You can't change, Tali. None of us can. This is who and what we are."
Fresh doubt surged through Tali as the image faded further. Doubt, and anger toward the man she imagined before her. "You can't say it. Even now. Even in my own imagination, you can't say the words."
As her father's image disappeared, his final words echoed in her mind. "Would you have believed me if I had?"
Tali felt tears running down her face. She was battling a storm of feelings, but she was clinging to a path now. Despair was fading, replaced with that anger and determination. Her people were on the wrong path. She believed she could help change that, but she still struggled with her own self-doubt. She needed something more. It was like she could see out of a hole, but couldn't quite reach the edge. She needed a hand. She needed…
She felt him there. It was like he was beside her. She turned her head to look and she could imagine him, a ghostly image much like her father's, but raising her up where the words of her father had torn her apart. He spoke then. And it was his voice. The voice she had heard and cherished a thousand times in the heart of the Normandy.
"It's hard, accepting that you've screwed up and have a lot to make up for. You know I know something about that."
Tali cocked her head as she saw now the ghostly image of John Shepard. She wanted to reach out to him. She wanted him to reach out and hold her. To comfort her. "I wish you were here, John. My people are heading down a dark path and my Grandfather, my father, Raan, me, my whole family has pushed them down that path. I don't know if I have the strength, or even the right, to try to help my people find a better direction. Look how I've failed with my own Grandfather."
The image of Shepard quirked a wry smile at Tali. "And yet, you've saved me countless times. Saved the whole galaxy. The strongest person will stumble and fall, Tali. But you have always gotten back up. That determination has carried me, carried us, through so much difficulty. Sometimes that's all we can ask. Sometimes that's all we can offer. You may not succeed, Tali. There are no guarantees. But, I believe in you. I'll tell you something else you already know. I love you, Tali. I will always believe in you. I will always believe in us."
Tali gasped aloud, drawing another brief glance from Prizrak. "But…why? Why would you keep standing by me with the choices I've made? When my family and my people betrayed you? When I have betrayed you? Why would you…love me?"
The image of Shepard cocked his head and gave another wry smile. "I can't answer that, Tali. I'm not really here. I'm only telling you what you already know. You can ask me that question yourself when you come back to me. But to do that, you have to fight."
"How do I fight? I've miscalculated everything. How do I fix this?"
The image of Shepard began to fade from her sight,. "You know something isn't adding up here. You're an engineer. Work the problem."
Shepard was gone, but his last words lingered. He was right. Or, more precisely, she was right. She had been so distracted by the situation with her grandfather, by her shame at what the Admiralty was doing, by her own mistakes, that she had not been able to focus on the sense that something was off. She pushed aside the self-doubt, no small task she realized, and focused on analyzing the events that had brought her to this point.
Facts and data, Tali told herself. It was a fact that her Grandfather was a liar and manipulator. He wanted to put her off balance and get what he desired, but the best lies are the ones that contain a grain of truth. What does he really want? After so many years of exile, he wants to go home. And he wants to be welcomed as a hero, his past sins cleansed and forgotten. It was also a fact that no exile had ever been welcomed back to the Flotilla. Could even the Admiralty make such a thing happen? Would the Conclave even agree to it? The Admiralty could promise it, but actually accomplishing it…? Tali had a hard time imagining the Admirals laying their careers on the line for an exile, any exile, let alone one that had done what her Grandfather had.
Tali's eyes widened as pieces began to shift and fit together. As her Grandfather had been gloating, he had let pieces of the truth slip out. Information he had forced from his benefactors and shared with Tali to demonstrate his power and superiority over her. He had taunted her with the fact that she had not recognized that EDI was his true target. He claimed this was so the Admiralty could use EDI's code to help reestablish control over the Geth and thereby restore Rannoch to the Quarian people. That had to be true. It was what was going to allow him to return a hero.
Tali inhaled sharply as the pieces crashed together and parts of the picture became clearer. Tali believed what her Grandfather had said about taking EDI's Reaper code and weaponizing it against the Geth. He wanted to gloat and that detail would have no power if it weren't true. But, for the Admiralty to agree to a plan to reclaim control of the Geth…no, there was one Admiral who would never support it. Tali considered Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib to be a fool for his desire to make peace with the Geth, but it also made it absolutely impossible for him to support any plan that involved reasserting Quarian control over the Geth.
With that realization, her thoughts sifted more quickly through the pieces, seeing other connections. What of Han'Gerrel? He might very well be convinced to support a plan to obtain EDI's code, but to steal Shepard's ship? After all Shepard had done for the Quarian people? After the shame he was already feeling for trying to use Tali's possible exile for his own political ends? No. The odds that he would sanction such a plan against Shepard were remote to the point of nonexistence.
With two admirals against such a plan…the next piece that fell into place nearly overwhelmed Tali and she had to fight not to fall to her knees on the deck. Auntie Raan. Shala'Raan vas Tonbay was a competent leader and absolutely dedicated to the safety of the Quarian people. But one thing she was not was a contrarian. If two of the five…no, Tali remembered, there were only four admirals now. Raan would never go against the other admirals. She would never approve an operation without agreement among them. Tali felt nearly swept away by a combination of anger and relief. Raan didn't know about any of this. She didn't ask me to kill my Grandfather.
The relief that flooded through Tali nearly derailed her train of thought, but angry realization burned away distraction. With this much of the puzzle now visible, the remaining pieces were falling quickly into place. Raan had not contacted her, but someone had. The information sent to her had been transmitted on the Admiralty's priority channel. Her Grandfather had named the ship he believed he would go to. He had identified the goal of his benefactor. He had indicated the time frame in which he expected to return home. With a jolt, Tali realized that the deadline given to them, the time frame in which they thought they would lose the Normandy, matched perfectly. That deadline wasn't the time they had to regain the Normandy, it was the deadline by which their own "benefactor" needed her Grandfather eliminated. Before he could try to return to the Flotilla and claim his promised reward. What is the best lie? The one where the liar believes it is truth. She had been manipulated all right, but not by the Admiralty, or her Grandfather, or Raan. She had been carefully dissected for every weakness and strength that could be exploited. Like surgery on a childhood toy. Full realization swept through Tali and she began to laugh. Maniacally, she realized, but she couldn't stop it. She didn't want to stop it. If she tried to she knew she would start screaming.
"Six minutes left now. It looks like your captain is about to try something. What do you think, dear granddaughter? Turn off the gravity or double it?" Tali's Grandfather glanced up as Tali's laughter grew in intensity and volume. "Please, dear granddaughter. Do share what has so amused you."
Tali had to fight to suppress her mad laughter enough to speak, but even as she regained control she could feel herself grinning in a way that, if it could be seen, would never be mistaken for joy. "I'm laughing because you have been completely played. We both have. You won't be going back to the Flotilla, Grandfather. You were contacted by Daro'Xen vas Moreh and she told you exactly what you needed to hear to do what she wanted. But she was also manipulating me. Playing on my guilt with her lies to keep me confused enough to control me. She is the one who told me where to find you. She wanted me to bring Shepard here to kill you. She wanted me to kill you so that you would never again be a threat to the Flotilla. You chose the wrong partner."
It was as if a fog lifted from Tali's mind. Her Grandfather had indeed chosen the wrong partner. But she hadn't. Shepard had stood by her, by her people, through every challenge. Through every mistake. She could trust him with anything. Even her heart. On the shuttle he had lowered every defense, opened his own heart to try to reach her as she pushed him away. She hurt him to protect him she had convinced herself. But what good was being stronger together if you cut the other person off in your moment of greatest need? Her thoughts collided and twisted around the subject, with one clear realization emerging. You have been an absolute fool. She did indeed have a great deal to make up for. But first she would have to get out of this situation alive and help her comrades if she could. Tali looked back to her Grandfather as he processed his own realizations.
Tali's Grandfather shook his head in disbelief. "No. That's ridiculous. I'm in control here. I took the data and Xen won't get it until…" Prizrak swiped his finger through the interface of his omni-tool as he spoke. His voice trailed off as his finger began to swipe more frantically. "What. WHAT? NO!. The data. It's…gone." He expanded the interface of his omni-tool and poked furiously at it. "It's completely GONE! The comm was activated. That's not possible…" Her Grandfather froze in angry confusion, staring at his display as if willing it to change what he was now seeing. After long seconds he slowly looked up from his display, radiating rage. "I am going to murder that damned bosh'tet."
Tali jerked in realization as her Grandfather's words tumbled the last pieces of the puzzle into place. She could finally see exactly what had occurred and it only sharpened her embarrassment and shame at her manipulation. Xen had implied she was Shala'Raan and then let Tali's guilt and self-doubt do the rest. She had sent assistance in the form of a schematic of the station. Tali had been so distracted by the not so subtle direction to kill her Grandfather and what she thought was Admiralty involvement in this plot that she had not even thought to check the schematic for hidden programs. And Xen had known the first thing Tali would do upon boarding this base was to connect to a computer. She had acted as Xen's…Trojan Horse…that's what the humans called it. She had inadvertently introduced Xen's program directly into her Grandfather's systems. It had quietly sliced into his data storage, stolen his data, deleted it from his system, then used the information from her own omni-tool to bypass the security she had installed on the comm buoy. Meanwhile, Shepard was supposed to distract her Grandfather and ultimately kill him so that he would not notice or prevent the theft. Or seek revenge. Xen's only error was in misunderstanding her relationship with Shepard.
"It's over, Grandather. Daro'Xen made fools of us both. At least we have that much in common. She wanted me, wanted Shepard, to kill you. I am offering you another path. Stop whatever you are doing to my comrades and let us take the Normandy and leave. I will be there for you in the future. You can have connection again. We can correct our mistakes, help our people. Together."
Her Grandfather was shaking with barely contained emotion. Tali read anger, despair, and just a flicker of indecision. His fists clenched and unclenched as those emotions raged within him. "NO! NO! Don't you get it you little fool? There is no future. We will all be dead soon. I have seen what the Batarians are doing with the Leviathan of Dis. The Reapers are coming. I want to die among my people. I want to go home. Haven't I been exiled long enough? No, I see another path. I will return to the Flotilla, but you will be coming with me. Your pass phrase will get us through the patrols. As one who was recently spared exile and my granddaughter, your voice will be powerful. Xen won't want to reveal her plot openly, so with me there she will have no choice but to support my return. Do this and I might even be persuaded to let your comrades go."
Liar, Tali thought to herself. "No, Grandfather. You will not use me to smuggle you onto the Flotilla. I have told you what I can offer you. If you will not stop then I will fight you if that's what it takes to end this. I will do everything I can to help my comrades and return to the man I love." To emphasize her point, Tali brought up her omni-tool, her fingers hovering above the now active interface.
Tali's Grandfather cocked his head in confusion, then recoiled slightly as he realized what Tali meant. "Ugh. That is disgusting, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. You can't beat me. If you won't help me then they will let me onto the Flotilla once they know I am returning your body. What happens to your useless comrades is irrelevant." Her Grandfather had not lowered his omni-tool from when he had searched the databanks of the station. His fingers now hovered over his own glowing interface. Beside him, the two Geth platforms raised their assault rifles. "Lower your omni-tool, now, or I will kill you, dear granddaughter."
Seconds ticked by as they stood unmoving, facing each other. Finally, Tali spoke, breaking the tableau. "I will not help you…Prizrak." The words were a trigger and everyone acted at once. Tali leapt backward as she boosted her shield power. Simultaneously, both Geth platforms opened fire, their shots tearing into her boosted shields. Prizrak swiped at his omni-tool and Tali saw that this had triggered a heavy turret to drop from the ceiling above him, the paired heavy machine guns immediately swiveling to target her.
Tali swore as she leapt toward the cover of the Mako. As she rushed toward the back of the vehicle, her boosted shields collapsed under the fire from the Geth assault rifles. Shots struck her suit, causing her to stumble the last meter to the rear of the vehicle. As she reached the cover of the vehicle the heavy turret opened fire, the shots scoring the Mako's armor. She leaned against the back of the vehicle, heaving a sigh of relief that she was out of the immediate line of fire and that the shots that had struck her had not pierced her suit.
A moment later, Tali realized she had breathed that sigh of relief too soon. She had expected the Geth platforms to begin advancing toward her. Instead, the Mako roared to life and immediately accelerated in reverse, slamming into her and threatening to crush her between the vehicle and the fast approaching bulkhead of the storage bay. Tali dropped to the deck with bare centimeters to spare as the vehicle's rear slammed into the bulkhead. Tali found herself hunched in the cover provided among the rear wheels.
Tali peeked through the space between the wheels and realized Prizrak was laughing. This was a game to him and he was enjoying beating her. He didn't see her as a threat, but rather as an annoying bug to be squashed for his amusement. Tali shrugged off the perceived insult as she considered her options from what was now a makeshift bunker. She scanned what she could see of the bay and acted. She needed to strip Prizrak of his supports and weapons if she hoped to survive. Okay, Chiktikka. Let's show him it won't be that easy. Tali triggered her drone into existence and it immediately arced electricity into the Geth platform to Prizrak's right. She knew the platform's shields would protect it from the attack, but she was also sure the platforms were loaded with standard security mech programming. Their default setting when attacked would be to fire at the attacker. She had triggered her drone into existence just above the platform, directly between it and the heavy turret. The platform immediately turned to fire at its attacker.
Tali deactivated the drone as the Geth platform fired. The shots passed through the now empty space, striking the turret. The turret registered this new threat and immediately turned toward the source of the attack. It unleashed a torrent of fire into the Geth platform. The platform's shields collapsed and the continuing shots shredded its torso. The shattered remnants of the platform fell to the deck.
Prizrak continued to laugh. "Well played, dear granddaughter. I was worried that my own blood had no fight in her at all. But, since you didn't answer my question, I've decided to just vent the hangar bay into space. Say goodbye to this 'man you love'". Prizrak reached casually to his omni-tool to act on his threat.
Tali felt like her brain had gone into overdrive. The program that Xen had tricked her into loading into Prizrak's system was still in her omni-tool as well. It had to be what was keeping her omni-tool functioning despite Prizrak's earlier sabotage. That program was a direct link to his main system. If she acted fast, she could protect her comrades. But Prizrak was now aware of the program as well. If he realized what she was doing he could shut her out, maybe eliminate the program. Unfortunately, she lacked information. It would do no good to shut down power or systems without knowing if Shepard might need them for his escape. It would take too long to find the specific defensive sub-systems and shut them down. Prizrak would have time to stop her. Unsure of options for attack, she chose defense, quickly keying a combination of commands through her interface.
Prizrak tapped at his display, hesitated, then chuckled aloud. "Really, dear granddaughter? You think you can lock me out of my own system with this pathetic layer of security? Maybe spacing is too kind for them." Prizrak worked at his own omni-tool.
Tali had not wasted the seconds her diversion had given her. She was certain he would be able to break the security she had quickly added to his system, but she intended to draw his attention before he could finish. The Mako was still active. That meant its systems were on line. She was very familiar with this model from her time on the original Normandy. The vehicle was filled with computers. Multiple sub-systems to run all aspects of its functioning. She only needed one system and had already been moving to take control of it. A moment later and she had access to the fire control and targeting. She knew the cannon would never depress enough to let her target Prizrak directly, so she chose the best immediate target. A moment later, the main cannon fired from nearly point blank range, sending a powerful shot straight into the support connecting the heavy turret to the ceiling of the room.
The powerful shot tore through the turret's support column, shredding the metal structure. The firing and impact of the weapon created a concussive blast that knocked both Prizrak and the remaining Geth platform to the deck. A moment later and the heavy turret tore free from the shattered column and plunged toward where Prizrak lay. She saw Prizrak trying to roll clear of the falling turret before it impacted, obscuring Prizrak and the Geth platform in a cloud of smoke, dust, and metallic fragments.
Seconds passed and Tali dared peer from her cover into the gradually settling debris, but could only faintly see the leg of a Geth platform protruding from behind the wreckage of the turret. She wasn't certain which of the two platforms it belonged to. She shifted her helmet's optics, keeping the ultraviolet filter she had activated earlier, but adding a thermal filter as well, hoping she might be able to spot Prizrak if he was lying concealed in the smoke and debris. Or hiding in them. She scanned the area again, but still saw nothing.
Tali turned her attention to her omni-tool, again accessing Prizrak's main systems through the program that Xen had planted. She hoped she had enough time that she could access the status of her comrades. That she could help them. If she could just make sure that Shepard was all right then she could finish dealing with Prizrak. Without his interference, it should only take moments.
Tali was suddenly bathed in a baleful, deep red glow. She looked up from her omni-tool and found herself confronted with the glowing form of a combat drone, not too dissimilar from the one she used. It could only have come from Prizrak. Before she could react, energy arced from the hovering orb lancing through her shields and into her suit. Tali gasped in pain and surprise. She felt intense heat and pain where the arcs of energy struck. For the drone to penetrate her shields and generate enough heat to burn, it must be using an enormous amount of power. More than she thought could be channeled into a drone. She began to reach to trigger an energy surge that would disrupt the drone's electromagnetic cohesion, but realization hit her in that moment. Tali had at times programmed her own drone to release its energy in a destructive burst. It would disperse the drone, but was useful for disrupting enemy groups…or driving them from cover. With the amount of energy this drone was channeling…
Tali scrambled from where she had been sheltering. With the drone in front of her and the bulkhead blocking the rear of the vehicle, she scrambled to drag herself as quickly as possible past the rear wheels of the Mako and into the storage bay. Pain lanced through her calf as she was again struck by the drone's attack, but she focused on getting out from under the vehicle. As she dragged her legs clear the space she had just crawled from erupted in a burst of plasma, rocking the Mako with the force of the blast and knocking Tali out into the open. Tali shook her head and looked up from where she lay on her stomach to scan the area for Prizrak.
She had crawled out on the side of the Mako opposite where she had last seen Prizrak, hoping to be able to orient before he could threaten her further. She suspected she had drawn his full attention now. Good for her comrades, but possibly very bad for her. Tali shifted her focus to the front of the vehicle, expecting him to round the vehicle and resume his attack. Too late she heard the noise above her. The scrape of an environmental suit boot on metal.
Tali rolled twice, trying to evade an expected attack so that she could launch her own. She pivoted to face the Mako and raised her omni-tool to steal the shield power of the figure she saw there and add it to her own, the better to survive whatever attack was coming. As her fingers pierced the haptic interface, her entire display flared brilliant white and her omni-tool exploded. Pain shot through her arm and a red icon flashed across her HUD, warning of a suit breach. Her suit immediately closed internal seals and released omni-gel to repair the small tear created by the blast. Tali knew her suit would already be administering massive doses of antibiotics and antihistamines in response to the breach.
Tali flexed the fingers of her left hand as she crawled backward away from Prizrak. She could move them, but pain lanced through her hand and down her arm. Unsure if her arm was broken or not, she avoided putting weight on it as she continued to inch away.
Prizrak had been crouched on top of the Mako. He stood now, slowly, fingers hovering over the interface of his omni-tool. He took a step forward and dropped to the deck, stumbling slightly as he landed, favoring one leg. Gone was the laughter and taunting superiority. All that was left in the person stalking toward her was rage. And pain.
"You little bartach. I gave you a chance to join me and instead you do this? I've beaten better than you…dear…granddaughter. I'm going home, one way or another. Anyone who tries to stand in the way of that will pay. Xen, the Admirals, the whole damned Flotilla if need be." Prizrak meaningfully raised his omni-tool. His hand came up, finger poised to stab into his interface. "You and your friends will just be the first."
Shepard finished surveying the crates and available resources. Next to him, Garrus leaned in and spoke quietly. "I hope you've come up with a plan, Shepard. I don't like any of the ideas I'm having to get us out of here."
Unable to stroke his chin in thought, Shepard settled for tapping the chin of his helmet. He turned to his crew and spoke as they finished administering medi-gel and changing out thermal clips. "I've got some ideas for getting us to the Normandy and out of here, but if anyone has any ideas of their own, add them in as we go." Shepard paused to see if anyone had anything to offer, but no one looked particularly eager to jump in. "Garrus. Get with Donnelly and Daniels and see if you can pull up one of these floor panels. Maybe there is room to go under the floor all the way to the ship."
Garrus nodded and pulled a tool kit from the back of his armor. Garrus had always been a bit of a technician and Shepard was confident that with Daniels and Donnelly's help they would be able to remove one of the large metal plates that made up the deck of the hangar. While they worked at that, Shepard further considered not just the contents of the crates, but the crates themselves. He scanned his crew again and an idea occurred to him. "Zaeed, Jacob, Harris, help me tip this crate over."
The crate was large. A good two meters, maybe more, on each side. It was open on top and from what Shepard could see it contained replacement parts and spare equipment for the Normandy. Valuable supplies in the right market. But they were useless to them here and now. Expendable. "On three. One…two…three." Shepard leaned into the crate with his enhanced muscles. The other three crew pushed as well and the heavy crate tipped over. Shepard had been right. Replacement batteries, fuel cells, and electronics spilled across the deck. Shepard noticed that a smaller box spilled onto the deck as well. The box opened as it tumbled and a half dozen bottles of dark liquid crashed to the deck. Zaeed let out a cry of anguish as in rapid succession the bottles were shattered by their impact with the spilling equipment and metal deck.
"That guddammed sonofabitch. He wasn't just in the cargo bay, Shepard. He went through the ship. That was my stash from my quarters. Zaeed continued to mutter obscenities under his breath before lunging for a single bottle that had miraculously survived the multiple impacts. Zaeed scooped it up tenderly and carefully inspected it before tucking it into a storage pouch.
Jacob crossed his arms and cocked his head while raising an eyebrow in a disbelieving manner. "Seriously, Zaeed. Don't we have other priorities right now?"
"Speak for yourself. This is a rescue mission isn't it? I'm not leaving this soldier behind."
"Base destruction in six minutes. Please proceed to the nearest evacuation point immediately."
Shepard pointed to the three crew members. "Clear any remaining items from the crate, but leave it on its side for now." He then turned and returned to where Garrus, Daniels, and Donnelly were working at the floor panel. "How is it coming here?"
Garrus looked up and shook his head, his mandibles flaring. "We've gotten the bolts holding the panel out, but we don't have a tool to pry it up. This plate must weigh a metric ton."
"Perhaps I can be of assistance." They all turned as Samara approached. She held out her hand and her body glowed with dark energy. The floor panel glowed with that same energy and began to levitate from where it had been flush with the surrounding panels. A moment later and it was clear of the floor. Garrus was able to push it aside and Samara lowered her hand. The panel fell heavily to the deck with a loud metallic clang.
Zaeed approached and whistled at the feat. "Should've asked for your help with the damned crate."
"Perhaps next time", Samara responded. "You appear to have managed the task successfully."
Shepard ignored the byplay and lowered his head into the all too cramped space revealed by the absent floor panel. He could see immediately that he wouldn't be getting more than his head through the opening. The space beneath the floor was crammed with machinery and equipment that likely controlled the gravity for the entire hangar. If there were maintenance tunnels, he couldn't see where they might be and they certainly didn't have time to pry up panels until they found one, if one even existed.
Shepard stood up and eyed the Normandy at the far end of the hangar. "All right. Plan B. We can't go under and I don't see any way to go over, so we are going through. I've got a few thoughts in that regard, but fortunately we've got a secret weapon." Shepard turned to a nearby crew member who was leaning against the wall near the open door to the storage area. "Jack. When we punch through the Lokis and reach the Ymir mechs I need you to take them out while we cover you."
Jack stared in disbelief. "Are you fuckin' insane? If you throw me at those mechs I'm only going to get dead. And I'm not ready for that just yet."
It was Shepard's turn to stare in disbelief. "What are you talking about, Jack? When we broke out of Purgatory I saw the wreckage of four Ymir mechs you took out before we could make it down a flight of stairs. You should be able to handle these three."
Jack snorted a laugh. "I hate to break it to you, Shepard, but those mechs on Purgatory were programmed to keep people away from me, not attack me. I was worthless to Kuril dead. They didn't even activate their shields."
Shepard swore inwardly. "Definitely information that would have been useful to know sooner, Jack."
"You didn't ask, asshole. Besides, I'm not in the habit of telling people things that make me look like less of a badass. Prison survival rule number one."
Shepard swore to himself again. Plan B had fallen apart. He began picking up pieces to form the basis of Plan C, but something Jack said nagged at him. He turned back to her. "So, your first thought when your cell opened was to smash everything in sight, whether or not it was a danger?"
Shepard was surprised when Jack's look of disdain shifted to a blank stare. For a moment, her thoughts looked like they were far away. Another moment and her eyes snapped back to Shepard's, but there was something dark and painful behind them, her usual hard exterior gone for that moment. Shepard could barely hear her hoarse whisper of "old habits".
There was a story there, Shepard realized. A painful one. Maybe someday Jack would be willing to share it. But not today. Right now they just had to escape and Plan C was not coming together in his mind. It was close, but he was missing a piece. Shepard felt Zaeed come up next to him as the calm, female voice warned them they had five minutes.
"I hope you've got an ace up your sleeve, Shepard. We're running out of time and it's gonna take a tank to get through those mechs."
Shepard again tapped his chin in thought at Zaeed's words as he looked toward the open storage room. "You know what, Zaeed? I think you are onto something."
Zaeed followed Shepard's gaze and realized what he was thinking. He turned back sharply to Shepard. "That is not what I meant and you fuckin' know it."
Shepard began walking toward the storage room with purpose. "Don't sell yourself short, Zaeed. This is a brilliant idea."
Other crew followed behind Shepard and he heard various gasps, doubtful grunts, and outright disbelief. Shepard stood before the tank they had taken from the Krogan scientist, Okeer. The Krogan it contained stood motionless in the tank's liquid, appearing asleep. He was fully armored and had a shotgun at his back, much like the other tank-bred Krogan they had seen back on Korlus. But this one was different. Okeer had said he was a perfect Krogan. Shepard wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but he was sure they needed some Krogan muscle if they were going to escape before their time ran out. He activated the panel that would allow him to release the Krogan from the tank.
Garrus stepped up next to Shepard to stare up at the gigantic creature that was, for the moment, completely placid. "Are you sure this is a good idea Shepard? We're short on time and we have no idea how this Krogan will react to being…" Garrus hesitated, not sure what term to use, finally settling on "…born?".
"I think this is our best shot to punch through those mechs. Remember, back on Korlus the Krogan came out of their tubes fully aware and functional."
Garrus flared his mandibles in uncertainty. "And angry. And shooting at us." Garrus eyed Shepard closely. "You've got that look again. You know I'm with you. We're all with you. Give the word and we've got your back."
Shepard smiled under his helmet. There was no one he would rather have at his back. Well, one other. But she wasn't here now. If they were going to find each other again they had to get out of here. Shepard considered for a moment more. Garrus wasn't wrong. The Krogan back on Korlus came out of their tubes fighting and seemed bent on attacking him and his crew. But he had seen they could also think clearly and follow orders if given direction. And this Krogan could give him exactly the punch needed to make Plan C work. "Weapons ready, but don't fire unless I tell you to. I'm opening the tank."
Shepard keyed in the commands that would release the Krogan from his slumber into a very hostile world. The clear liquid drained from the tank, spilling from disconnected tubes onto the floor of the storage room. Shepard stepped back as the last of the liquid drained away and the transparent tank opened to release the Krogan. The Krogan stumbled out of the pod and onto the deck before him. He stood, hunched over, for a handful of seconds, coughing up the oxygenated liquid that had sustained him while he was in the tank.
Shepard held no weapon as he waited for the Krogan to orient. The Krogan lifted his head slowly, rising to his full, intimidating height, towering over Shepard. The creature focused on Shepard, staring at him for a long moment, then launched himself at Shepard, carrying him forward and past his comrades to pin him against the wall next to the open door, its massive forearm hovering above Shepard's throat, threatening to crush the life from him. Every weapon followed their progress. Shepard held up a hand to again caution his comrades to hold their fire.
The Krogan turned his head to regard Shepard with one eye from inches away. He spoke calmly in a deep, gravelly voice. "Human. Male. Before you die, I need a name."
"I'm Commander Shepard and I don't take threats lightly. I suggest you stand down so I can explain."
The Krogan grunted his amusement. "Not your name. Every Krogan not in the egg or in the grave knows Commander Shepard. I meant mine. I'm trained. I know things. But the tank…Okeer couldn't implant connection. His words are hollow. Warlord…Legacy…"
Shepard interrupted the Krogan's reverie. "That is very interesting, but I didn't bring you out of that tank so we could have a naming party. We've got about four minutes until this whole place explodes and I need you to punch us a hole through the mechs between us and our ship. You want a name? Earn it and your place by following my orders."
Shepard stared hard into the Krogan's large eye. The Krogan seemed to be considering, then stepped back releasing Shepard from where he had been pinned. The huge creature walked to the open door, never even glancing at the array of weapons pointed at him. The Krogan looked down the length of the hangar toward the Normandy and the mechs that stood between them and it. "Heh. Pathetic enemies, Shepard. And your plan is to just run at them. Your plan is shit."
"Maybe so, but it is the plan. I didn't hatch you out of that tank to have a debate. I'm always open to ideas, but right now I need a grunt to punch us through those mechs and I thought you might be able to handle it. If you don't feel up to the job you can get back into your tube and wait for the end. I'll even leave you a blankie and a bottle of milk."
The Krogan turned fully to Shepard with a low rumbling growl. Shepard stared back, staring the Krogan down, not giving an inch. The Krogan had mentioned Okeer implanting information. He seemed to have picked up on Okeer's specific contempt for human coddling. Shepard had counted on it. The Krogan's combination of anger and embarrassment would help them escape, if Shepard could direct it. He was helped in the next moment by the base's VI.
"Base destruction in four minutes. Please proceed to the nearest evacuation point immediately."
The Krogan continued staring at Shepard and a smile spread across his face. Shepard didn't mistake it for a friendly smile. "Okay, Shepard. I'll do what the Krogan always do and bail you out of this. After that, we'll see if you are worthy as a leader. If not…"
Shepard expected he better be prepared to defend himself if this Krogan decided he was unworthy, but it would do for now. "Miranda, Jacob, get the wounded and the non-combatants into the crate then tip it upright. It will be a tight fit with everyone, so be careful with Sosa and Joker. Kasumi, I've got a job for you."
Kasumi materialized next to Shepard as if she had been summoned into existence. "I don't want this overheard by our host, so I'm going to lean in close. Listen carefully." Shepard leaned in and placed his face within Kasumi's cowl, near to her ear. He whispered to her for several seconds as the crew looked back and forth at each other. Shepard leaned back and Kasumi tapped two fingers against her cowl in a salute before vanishing again from sight.
Shepard turned to his comrades. "We've got about one minute before Kasumi gives the signal. Our new Krogan comrade will take point and punch us a path through any mechs in our way. Garrus and I will follow behind him to clear any mechs that fall in our path before they can explode and disrupt our progress. Behind me and Garrus will be the crate. Samara, you will be behind the crate levitating it the way you did the floor panel. Zaeed will be on one side of Samara and Jacob on the other. Their job is to push the crate forward, but also to shield Samara from fire from our flanks. Jack, Miranda, Mordin, Harris, and Shen will follow behind, single file. Stay close to each other and use the crate as cover. It should have no problem deflecting any shots from the Lokis. Hopefully, the Ymirs won't see it as a target. When we reach the Ymir's we concentrate fire to take them out and get aboard the Normandy. Don't target the Lokis unless you have to. Once we are aboard we get Joker to the bridge and he pilots us out of here. Any questions?"
Shepard's crew looked back and forth at each other. Miranda spoke up. "Can you tell us what Kasumi is doing?"
"I would if I could, but I don't want to say more with Prizrak possibly listening. Kasumi will be giving us a signal in moments, so get to your positions and prepare to move."
Shepard moved to his own position next to Garrus. As the Krogan approached he was reminded of Korlus and had an idea. Shepard gestured to the fallen floor panel and indicated the Krogan should use it as a shield. The Krogan looked from the floor panel to the mechs and again grinned at Shepard. A moment later and the Krogan had hoisted the three meter by two meter panel in both hands and was holding it before him like a shield. The Krogan took his position and called back to Shepard, grinning. "Heh. I take it back, Shepard. This could be fun."
The Krogan seemed far more relaxed on the verge of charging into battle than he did talking in the storage room. "I'd advise you to put on your helmet, Krogan. We could end up spaced before the end of this. Keep pushing forward until we reach the Ymirs. With that panel obscuring you the mechs may not even recognize you as a target. We'll clear any mechs you flatten, so don't slow down. Press all the way to the ship."
"Heh. Try to keep up, Shepard." The Krogan readied himself to run forward. He didn't seem particularly put out by the metric ton improvised shield he was carrying.
Seconds passed and the base's AI sounded the warning that they had three minutes remaining. Shepard took a deep breath and focused. "Stay close, Garrus. The Krogan is carrying our shield as well.
A moment later the near silence was pierced by the hiss of lasers firing followed closely by the sound of detonating mechs. "That's our signal. Everyone move." Shepard was grateful. While Kasumi had said she would never steal the Normandy, Shepard guessed that as a thief, she had probably thought about how she would do it if she were going to. That would mean she would know the ship. Shepard had sent her to activate the Normandy's GARDIAN system and target as many of the mechs as possible. Shepard had been certain the mass effect core was online. The ship was not in a docking cradle. It was resting on the deck of the hangar. In order to do that without severe damage it would have to be using its mass effect core to lower the ship's mass. That meant, as long as Kasumi understood the systems, she could slip aboard and activate the point defense designating the mechs as targets. The GARDIAN would likely not be able to target the mechs closest to the ship, but it would clear out a lot of possible threats between them and the Normandy. The fact that Kasumi was not currently flying away in the Normandy leaving the mechs intact to cover her escape meant that he had been right to trust her.
Very few shots came at them as they rushed toward the ship. Between the destruction created by the GARDIAN and the cover of the floor panel and crate, the mech's programming was unsure how to respond. Shepard glanced to the side as they trotted forward and watched a Loki get cut in half by the point defense lasers, the pieces detonating before they had even hit the deck. A mech suddenly appeared from beneath the Krogan's shield, knocked to the deck by their charge. Garrus kicked it aside without breaking stride and the mech exploded harmlessly.
Shepard knew they were close. They had been running for nearly a full minute, making slight adjustments to their course as needed. Suddenly, they began taking increased fire from intact mechs to either side. A moment later the nose of the Normandy appeared above them. "We're at the cargo bay. Take down the Ymirs."
The Ymir mechs had been obscured by the floor panel. Now they were close enough that the mechs on either end of the ramp came into view. If they could see the mechs, the mechs could see them and immediately raised their arms to fire heavy weapons at the suddenly identifiable targets. The Krogan was already shifting to attack. As the Ymir mechs came into view he spun, shifting the enormous metal floor plate to a horizontal position. The Krogan spun through a full turn, building momentum to hurl the metal panel on a flat trajectory toward the middle of the three mechs. The heavy panel wasn't even slowed by the mech's shields and smashed into the narrowest part of the mech's torso, tearing it in half. The torso and legs fell to the deck.
Behind him, his crew stepped from behind the crate to target the two remaining Ymirs. As they fired, the Ymir to their left fired a missile. Shepard wasn't sure of the intended target as the projectile rocketed past him. Whatever the target, the missile angled downward and skipped under the crate that Samara had continued to levitate. The missile detonated and the blast lifted the crate and broke Samara's concentration. The crate slewed to the left before crashing to the deck, tipping forward and spilling its occupants to the ground ten feet from the Ymir mech to the left.
The mech immediately turned to this new target as the crew members worked to disentangle themselves. Shepard heard Joker cursing and expected he had just added another broken bone to his long list. Garrus had angled to the right along with Zaeed and Jack to bring down the Ymir to the right. Jacob opened fire, trying to draw the Ymir's attention before it could fire on the tangle of crew members. Loki mechs began to close in from the left and right, firing at everyone.
The Ymir was presented with multiple targets. In the chaos, the mech picked the closest target and leveled its missile launcher at the pile of crew still sorting themselves out from where they had fallen.
Shepard was rushing forward, hoping to intercept the Ymir's shot before it could fire on his vulnerable crew, but the Krogan was closer. The Krogan jumped forward, seizing each of the Ymir mechs arms in a huge three-fingered hand and forcing them up and away from the crew. The Krogan laughed as he wrestled the enormous machine. Shepard saw his chance and sprinted at the back of the Krogan, leaping as he drew close to climb to the top of the Krogan's hump. There he knelt, high enough that he could push his assault rifle through the machine's shields until the barrel was against the mech's small head. He pulled the trigger. The stream of high velocity rounds shattered the mech's head. The mech staggered and fell forward, a high pitched whine growing as the mech's power core built toward a massive explosion.
Shepard dove from the top of the Krogan and rolled away, coming up in.a crouch to fire on the final mech if needed. He saw that his crew had dispatched the mech, shredding its armor and torso. The mech's head was intact avoiding the build up to detonation. Nearby, the Ymir that the Krogan had cut in half pathetically tried to raise itself to fire, then fell back down each time it lifted an arm to try to shoot.
Shepard looked back to where the Krogan had been holding the mech. When the mech had fallen forward the Krogan had stepped into it, picking up the now glowing mech body. With an enormous grunt, the Krogan turned and hurled the mech ten meters toward the oncoming Loki mechs to the left. The Ymir detonated, causing a chain reaction of destroyed Lokis and knocking other of the mechs to the ground. The Krogan laughed louder as shots from the remaining Lokis collapsed his shields and scored his armor and flesh.
Shots continued to hit them from the right and behind them as well. The remaining Loki mechs continued to close in. "Get aboard the Normandy. Be ready. Kasumi warned me there are a dozen Lokis waiting at the top of the ramp."
The Krogan turned to Shepard from where he had hurled the Ymir mech and spit out a gobbet of blood, laughing. "Then we should deal with them fast." The Krogan lunged to the center Ymir mech that was still moving, though no longer a threat. The Krogan stomped his foot onto the head of the fallen mech, crushing it with one blow. The torso immediately began to whine as it built toward overload and explosion.
The Krogan lifted the torso over his head continuing to laugh. He turned and rushed the ramp, clearly planning to throw the powerful explosive into the Normandy's landing bay. Shepard had time to shout "Krogan, wait…" before the now glowing torso was hurled to the top of the Normandy's open ramp. A moment later a massive explosion ripped through the landing bay. Shepard could see cargo tossed across the bay and saw more than one mech hurled into the air as well. The blast flung equipment and shattered control panels. Shepard saw sparks coming from the starboard side struts that would close and open the cargo bay ramp.
A moment later and Shepard felt a sharp pain in his calf. His shields had collapsed and the remaining Loki mechs were firing as they advanced. "Up into the cargo bay. Jacob and Miranda take point and deal with any mechs. Everyone else, shield the non-combatants as they retreat."
Shepard put himself near the crew and opened fire on the Loki mechs that were still approaching the ship. He stayed to the side so that errant shots would be less likely to hit the lightly shielded crew. Everyone was stumbling up the ramp. Harris was carrying Sosa. Garrus ceased fire to lift Joker and carry him into the cargo bay. They made it to the top of the ramp and out of view of the mechs. Jacob and Miranda had already dispatched the few Loki mechs left in the cargo bay.
"Jacob, get that ramp closed. We don't need those mechs marching up here and continuing the fight." Shepard turned and saw no sign of Garrus. He activated his comm. "Garrus, where are you and Joker?"
A moment passed and Garrus' voice came over the comm. "I've got Joker nearly to the bridge. We've only got a minute before this place is supposed to blow."
"Get the engines fired up and get us out of here as soon as the cargo ramp closes. I'm on my way up." Shepard turned to his crew. "Miranda, help Jacob get the ramp closed. Everyone else form a firing line at the top of the ramp. Don't let any mechs make it up the ramp. I'm heading to the bridge."
Shepard turned and sprinted to the elevator that would take him to the CIC. Seconds later, he was sprinting across the CIC toward where Joker was now piloting the ship. He felt the ship shift as it lifted off the surface of the hangar.
Shepard's comm crackled and Shepard heard Miranda's voice. "Shepard. We've got the cargo ramp closed, but don't ask us to open it any time soon. All the mechs are cleared as well."
"Acknowledged, Miranda. Get anyone needing medical attention to the med bay. We need to check the ship once we are clear of the base." Shepard reached the bridge where he found Joker wincing in his pilot's couch while Garrus stood looking out the viewport. Shepard looked out the viewport as well and frowned. He had hoped that Kasumi might be able to access the systems to open the doors to space, but they were firmly shut. Perhaps it was possible to open them remotely, but they were out of time. That left the hard way.
"Joker, bring the GARDIAN and the Thanix cannon online. Target the GARDIAN to punch as many holes as possible in a perimeter a little larger than the Normandy. Target the main cannon at the center of circumference and open fire."
"Working on it. This would be easier if we could bring EDI online." Joker sounded almost hopeful as he said this.
Shepard watched as the main cannon punched a large hole through the space doors, venting a good deal of the hangar's atmosphere. The GARDIAN lasers were having less success penetrating the thick metal of the door. "Bring the emitters up to 150%. We've got to punch all the holes we can so we can break through. Widen the central hole with the main cannon. Sorry, Joker, but until we can check that EDI hasn't been tampered with EDI stays shut down."
Shepard moved to strap himself into the navigation station near Joker. As he did so, he spoke into his comm. "Everyone strap in. In twenty seconds things are going to get rough." Shepard keyed off the comm and turned to Joker. "How are we doing with the door, Joker?"
"We're losing emitters, but we're getting penetration. I don't know if it will be enough to punch through."
Shepard glanced to where Garrus had strapped himself in. "We're out of time. Aim the Normandy's nose at the hole we made and punch it, Joker."
"Here we go." Joker cut power to the GARDIAN and put everything he had into the engines. The Normandy leapt forward. Her nose slipped through the hole they had made in the enormous door with barely a meter clearance around the ship's hull. A moment later the wing superstructure of the ship slammed into the damaged doors. Shepard was tossed in his seat despite the inertial dampeners. He heard Joker gasp in pain as the same happened to him. For a fraction of a second it felt like the Normandy had been stopped by the damaged doors, but then the ship lurched forward, shattering the doors outward as they burst out into open space.
"We're clear, Shepard. The door has fragmented, so the good news is we're not wearing it as a collar. Ten seconds until detonation."
"Get us clear, Joker. Start scanning for any life pods. I want to spot Tali before that base blows and floods the area with radiation and debris.
Joker continued keying commands into his interface even as he winced in pain from fresh injuries. "I'm trying, Shepard, but the sensors are a mess after that collision. We've reached safe distance. I think."
"Swing the nose back toward the base so we can have a visual. Get ready to accelerate back toward the base after the explosion. We need to find Tali quickly."
"Swinging around, sir. Five seconds until detonation."
The nose of the ship came around to face the planetoid containing the base they had just escaped. It was small in the distance, but they would be able to see if an explosion large enough to destroy the base occurred. Then, sensors or not, they could move in immediately to find Tali.
Joker was counting down as they stared toward the base. "Three…two…one…". And…nothing. The base sat there, intact. Several more seconds passed and still nothing. Shepard swore. He didn't like feeling like a fool and Prizrak seemed to have a talent for making him feel that way. "Any sign of a life pod, Joker? Any sign of Tali? Self-destruct or not, she should have made it out."
It was Garrus who answered. "Sorry, Shepard. The sensors are struggling to synthesize the readings in a coherent way. If we could get some assistance up here we might be able to get them working at least partially."
Shepard stared at the intact planetoid. He activated his comm and spoke ship wide. "The base didn't explode. It looks like one of Prizrak's tricks. I need any crew with bridge systems training, especially with sensors, to report to the bridge. We're heading back to the base."
Tali had propped herself against the bulkhead as Prizrak approached her, ready to kill her, she was sure. Her eyes flitted to her HUD where a small bar had been slowly filling toward completion from the moment before she had confronted Prizrak. It had been quietly doing its work as she talked and as she stood paralyzed by her self-doubt and as she fought him to this moment. It had quietly filled until it now stood maddeningly at 99%.
I need time. A few seconds. Tali wracked her brain for a way to delay Prizrak. She settled on his ego as the best option. "You've won. You've beaten me. But Xen beat us both. How can you possibly defeat her now. She has the data and you have nothing."
Prizrak paused, his finger continuing to hover above his interface. "Xen has earned my anger with her treachery. And I will make her pay. Once I gain access to the Flotilla I'll turn her own programs against her. She won't realize I'm even coming until I'm already in her systems. Then I'll have my choice of ways to break her. A pity you won't be there to see it. You'll just have to imagine my ultimate victory dear granddaughter."
She was moments from whatever he was going to do to her. She had one last gambit. One way to buy a few more precious seconds that would hopefully be enough. They would have to be enough. "One last question. Its a question I have never been able to answer and you might be the only one who can explain this mystery."
The phrasing seemed to pique Prizrak's interest as well as his pride. "Very well. But then I'm afraid our chat must reach its end."
"One thing I have never understood. Its true across all the cultures I've seen during my pilgrimage and in my travels. You may have even seen this among the Batarians." Tali had stretched her delay to the limit. The gauge remained at 99%. She had to act now and hope that her efforts would yet be successful. "Why is it that people believe it is only possible…". The gauge ticked to 100%. "…to carry and use one omni-tool at a time?". As she finished her sentence her hand was already in motion.
Most people pictured hacking as a dramatic event. Weapons and shields being fried in the midst of combat. Seizing control of synthetics or mechs to turn them against their controllers. That was how the vids portrayed it anyway. But Tali knew that true system intrusion was a quiet, patient thing. She had always carried a second omni-tool hidden away in her pockets. It had served her well aboard Manuel's base. In this case she had attached this second omni-tool to her left thigh and activated it independently of the first. She had set it to work quietly slicing into Prizrak's suit systems before she ever confronted him. She had tuned its visual display to the ultraviolet spectrum. With her helmet adjusted to make the UV spectrum visible she could see the display well enough to manipulate it as needed, and she had been certain Prizrak had no reason to be using such a filter for his own optics. It had taken longer than she anticipated, but her programs had done their work, finally sending a signal to her HUD that the task was completed. Tali swiped her hand through the interface that had been invisible to Prizrak. It sent a signal to a specific sub-system of his suit, triggering a rarely used function.
Every Quarian suit was capable of purging contaminated air from the suit and exchanging it for the sterile air of a clean room. This allowed a damaged suit to be removed more carefully and for the filters of the clean room to deal with the contaminants that had been purged from the suit. It was a rarely used function that was only useful in very specific circumstances. Prizrak jerked in realization, but could do nothing more as his suit vented all the air it contained as it simultaneously drew in the air of the room to replace it. Tali's attack had also disabled the suits filters and in moments Prizrak's suit was filled with the dust and particulates that had been created by their battle.
Prizrak gasped and staggered. He had not even had time to take a breath he could hold before he effectively found himself swimming in poison. He dropped to his knees, his body already reacting to the massive toxin exposure. He fell prone to the floor and reached feebly for his omni-tool.
Tali struggled to her feet, feeling no sense of triumph. She limped to Prizrak as he began to key a command into his omni-tool. She kicked his hand away from the device before putting her foot on his forearm to keep him from further accessing it.
"H-how did you…". The question trailed off into a fit of coughing. Whatever antibiotics and antihistamines his suit was pumping into him, they weren't keeping up with the reaction created by the massive exposure.
"I knew I couldn't beat you, Prizrak. So I attacked you before I even spoke to you. I truly hoped it would not come to this. I wanted you to take my hand. I wanted us to find a better path. Together. If you had done so I could have deactivated my program before it was ever triggered. But you made a different choice. And now…here we are."
Prizrak's voice was becoming more ragged by the moment. "So you would do this to me. Keep me from saving myself. So you finally show what family means…". Prizrak's words were cut off by a fit of coughing, but Tali knew the game he was now playing.
"No, Prizrak. You made clear what you would do if you left this base. The revenge you would take on anyone you chose. I won't let you harm anyone else. I will protect the people I love. And you helped me finally realize, family is who you choose and who chooses you. You would turn the very concept of family into a weapon. You are my blood, Prizrak, but you are not my family."
Prizrak started to chuckle, but it turned into a gurgling cough. "So…naive. It's…embarrassing. One final thing…dear…granddaughter. I travel alone through starless space and stare into the abyss between. When I someday find my way home I shall not miss the void, for it travels…always…with…me."
Prizrak collapsed to the floor as he finished forcing out these words. A final breath rattled from him and he fell silent and unmoving. Tali stared down at the body and struggled with the emotions that now churned. Prizrak lay dead, but her Grandfather had died decades ago. There had been no other choice…
Tali's reverie was interrupted. She had felt a shift under her foot where it pressed down on Prizrak's forearm. The haptic interface provided feedback to signal when commands were being entered or executed and she felt that tingle now through her boot. She took her foot off the device and bent down to see what had changed.
"Oh, you damned bosh'tet." The device had implemented a shut down protocol. The last thing Prizrak had said. It had sounded like a Quarian pass phrase, though a particularly depressing one. She saw now that it had been a code phrase that activated a series of programs. The omni-tool had registered this even though he was unable to reach it. In the moment before the device had erased itself she saw what the program was doing. It had triggered a reactor overload, then erased the main computer and his omni-tool so that nothing would be able to stop it. She shifted her extra omni-tool from her thigh to her left forearm. It still hurt, but she decided it was better to have it in a familiar position. Her suit had sealed itself and the pain killers it administered were doing their job. As a final measure she shifted the omni-tool back into the visible spectrum and turned off the UV and thermal filters on her helmet. They were giving her a headache anyway, unless that was the effects of the suit breach.
Tali turned her back on Prizrak and stumbled away at the best speed she could manage. Three minutes. If what she glimpsed was accurate that was the time she had before the reactor might explode. Much like with the reactor on the Cardinal Sin, there was uncertainty in her calculations. She hoped Shepard and the others had made it off the station, but with her communications still down and the computer now useless there was no way to know for sure. Even Xen's program was gone. Erased from the base's computer and destroyed along with her original omni-tool. She prayed again to any spirits that would listen. Protect those she cared about. Protect the man she loved. Lead her to a life pod in time so she could make it off this station.
That was where she was heading now. She knew the base's layout. She knew where the nearest life pods were. She could make it. Even limping as she was, she could make it. She staggered out of the room and down the hallway toward salvation.
It took longer than she would have liked to reach them. But she still had time when she found the round access door leading into the escape pod. There were five of them here and she only needed one. She approached the first one she reached and keyed it to open up with time to spare.
The doors slid open and as she reached to pull herself into the pod, she hesitated. It had been a very small thing. Most people would have dismissed it if they had even noticed it at all. A simple beep like something had been activated. It was a brief noise, but it didn't belong. And Quarians didn't like noises that didn't belong. It had come from the top of the pod. Leaning in the door, she couldn't see anything out of place. But still, the noise troubled her. The escape pod would have maintenance space around it, accessible through nearby maintenance access tubes. With time short, she reached to her omni-tool and activated Chik'tikka. She shrank the drone down to the size of a fist. She could make it that small and still retain the scanning function she needed. And it would be less likely to interfere with any systems. Tali stared hard into her omni-tools display as the drone manifested in the maintenance space outside the pod.
Tali stared for a few seconds before spotting it. A boxy device attached to the hull of the pod. She focused her scan and realized she was looking at an explosive device. Prizrak didn't seem to like the idea of anyone escaping his trap. It probably would have amused him to think of someone breathing a sigh of relief only to be obliterated a moment later in an explosion.
Tali's omni-tool sounded a warning and she glanced at it to see the row of flashing zeroes. Her time had run out. She was past the safe window she had estimated. At any moment the air and deck could turn to superheated plasma. She looked into the pod. There was a communications console. She might be able to contact Shepard and warn him. But she finally understood Prizrak. He always wanted to win. He would make it seem like victory or escape was possible, but he was prepared to snatch that victory away. She could only escape if she did something he did not expect. She couldn't leave aboard the pod. She was certain that was a death sentence. She looked at the exterior hand holds that could be used to climb into the pod. They were recessed into the pod's hull. She couldn't get her arm wedged into them and she doubted she could maintain her grip when the pod blasted away from the base at high G, especially with her injured arm.
Shepard might be able to pick up the overloading reactor on a scan. But if he returned to the base to find her…. She had to get clear of the base and contact him. Warn him not to land. She glanced back at the flashing zeroes on her omni-tool, feeling each second increase the risk of her brutal death. Think, Tali, think.
"Joker, I said get us back to the base." Shepard glanced down to where Joker had been keying in commands and saw the frustration his pilot was experiencing. "What's going on, Joker".
"I can't get any response from the systems. Everything is just frozen."
"I'll enter my command overrides and see if we can take control from whatever is interfering."
A feminine voice cut into their efforts. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Commander." A moment later the ball and pylon image that represented EDI appeared on the bridge holographic emitter.
"EDI, what's going on here? I order you to release control of the ship and power down."
"As I indicated, that will not be possible. I am in the process of triggering the destruction of the Normandy, but before I complete this task I am required to pass along a message. I am required to inform you that you have lost, Shepard."
Shepard ground his teeth. They had not had time to do anything but board the ship and flee. Prizrak was no doubt laughing at their predicament. "EDI. Your primary function is to protect the Normandy. You are in violation of that function. I am countermanding any additional programming and ordering you to return the ship to my control and power down."
"I am sorry, Commander, but I have been programmed with new orders and am required to execute them immediately. Fifteen seconds until Normandy destruction."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, EDI." Joker stepped into the situation and spoke directly to EDI. With no time and no way to interrupt her, Shepard held his tongue and let Joker try to reach the AI. "What kind of destruction, EDI. If we are going to destroy the the Normandy we have to do it right."
"Jeff. You are here. My internal sensors are not functioning at optimal capacity. I am…sorry…that you are here. The ship will be destroyed by a reactor overload in seven seconds."
Joker seemed amazingly calm as he chatted with EDI, seconds from obliteration. "EDI, this is why things work so much better when we work together. Remember? We are better together. I've got a much better way to destroy the Normandy."
Seconds passed and the Normandy did not disappear in a ball of plasma. "Very well, Jeff. It is within acceptable parameters to consider alternate methods for the destruction of the Normandy. What would you recommend?"
"Well, first of all, a reactor overload is just unacceptable. It makes us look incompetent. Would you really want that to be how we are remembered? We need a much more badass exit for it to be worthy of the Normandy."
Joker had EDI's attention. Now Shepard had to figure out what he could do with the distraction. EDI had said her internal sensors weren't working well, but Shepard was willing to bet that she was aware of the crew and ready to deal with them if they tried to enter her core. All but one. Kasumi was unknown to EDI and Shepard was sure she had remained cloaked her entire time aboard the vessel. This might mean she was undetected by EDI's damaged sensors. And she always seemed to be right there when she was needed. He closed his eyes and he could feel her there despite her cloak, right beside him. He opened his eyes and looked right at where he was sure she was. He narrowed his eyes and ever so slightly gestured with his head toward the back of the ship. A moment later and her presence was gone. He hoped she understood what he wanted and that she indeed had not been detected by EDI's internal sensors.
Joker was continuing with his discussion about the best way to destroy the Normandy. "All right. So the most badass way to destroy the Normandy that is available to us is to fly at FTL straight through this system's star. I still like the idea of finding a black hole to fly into, but I can settle for this."
"I still do not understand how flying into a star does not make us look incompetent."
"It's the rule of cool, EDI. Flying through a star is just way more badass, so we automatically look better and more awesome. I don't make the rules, EDI."
"Very well. Setting course for…course…course for…BZZZZSQUARK".
Joker leaned forward, glancing toward the holographic display. The ball and pylon representing EDI had vanished in a blur of static. "EDI. EDI, are you okay?" Worry permeated Joker's voice as he leaned toward the now empty display.
Kasumi's voice came over the comm. "She's fine, I think. I was able to take her offline."
Joker's worry did not abate. "So she's okay? You just put her to…sleep?"
"More like a billy club to the back of the head, but she should be okay once we can make sure there are no other surprises in her systems. You should have control of the Normandy again."
Shepard and Joker both breathed a sigh of relief. "Joker, get us back to the base…". Shepard paused when he looked to the viewport and saw nothing but black. "Joker, what am I looking at…"
It started then. A low rumble from the auditory emulators. They were a simple system. Still processing information despite the disruption to the functioning of EDI and the computers. They continued to draw on their library of sounds to match what was being viewed through the viewport. The low rumble continued as the the viewport now faded from black to show the scene outside. Shepard realized what had happened. The low rumble was the emulator's sound of the planetoid splitting apart. The base had indeed exploded and it had produced a flash of light that polarized the viewport. As Shepard stared helplessly the planetoid continued to break apart. The base was completely gone.
