Enjoy everyone, sorry for the gramma mistakes, I was in a rush with this one.

'It was wrong to be smirking' that was all he could think to himself as he sat on the command chair on the bridge, looking out the front window and towards the ocean of blue colours that the wormhole gave him 'I shouldn't be smirking' he added. He was about to start a battle, he was about to ambush humanity's would-be attackers. He should not be as happy about it as he was.

But he just couldn't help it, this was a test as much as it was a fight. He was going to see if Genesis had what it took to stand up against the unexpected. There could be an entire Reaper fleet on the other side of this wormhole, they could have anything. The only thing he was sure of was that there were going to be more Collector ships on the other side.

Don't get him wrong, he was confident that they would come out on top. But he couldn't help but feel slightly nervous. It was like carrying a briefcase full of cash through a city, you might get robbed or you might get it to the bank and cash it in. Genesis was the briefcase in this situation, it was his most prized possession, but it was also built to be his most powerful weapon. He was nervous about it, but he was also looking forward to seeing it in action.

"Five seconds until wormhole exit" The sound of Kelex's came from beside him and he turned his head to see his robotic body hovering calmly in the air next to him.

"Let's begin" he said calmly as he took one final deep breath before the wormhole opened and he got his first look at the Collector base.

For him and Kelex, it happened in slow motion. The first thing he saw was the bright red hue of light coming from somewhere that he had yet to see. It was hard to not see the rubble that seemed to be scattered around the entire area, for a moment he thought that they entered an asteroid belt but when he looked closer, he could see the much more morbid picture. They were not asteroids, they were pieces of debris.

As the wormhole opened wider and more of Genesis came through, their view got larger and larger. This place was a mass grave 'These must be all the ships that tried to get through the Omega Four Relay' he thought to himself.

'Indeed' Kelex's voice came into his head 'From first glance, I can count thousands of different pieces from many different designs of ships' It said to him. It was something he expected, after all the neural network on his head connected him with the ship and also connected him with Kelex as well, allowing them to share thoughts. Since his mind was so powerful, he was able to keep up with the A.I, if only barely.

When the halfway point of Genesis left the wormhole, the first pieces of the debris started to hit them, not that it mattered. They simply bounced off the shields, their view of the system increased as more of the wormhole opened around them and he could see all that he needed to. The source of red light seemed to be coming from a black hole that was in the process of devouring a sun.

On the far side of the debris field, it was large, far larger than anything that he could see in the area. A space station, that made it easier at the very least. It would have taken ages to scope out a whole world for a base. This is much better for them.

"Energy signatures detected" Kelex's voice sounded allowed as within Kal's own mind, a 3D map appeared in front of him and he could see a large map of the system that was being made with Genesis's sensors. He could see the thousands of miles full of wreckage from dead ships, he could see the large station on the other side of it. All among the debris field, he could see hundreds of different signatures light up, his eyes twitched slightly and an image of a type of ocular drone came into view. Based on the analysis he was given; they were a type of early scout and attack drone.

The wormhole closed behind them and now the entire ship was free and in the system. The span of the wormhole opening, them coming out and closing was only a couple of seconds "We have been spotted" Kelex added and Clark watched in fascination as all the drones immediately started to make their way towards Genesis.

"Firing solution" he ordered as all around his ship, he could feel every single weapon and turret come online, except for the primary cannon of course but that would be overkill.

"Ready" Kelex said to him, with his own slightly cheery voice.

He waited for just one more moment, he could see them now through all the external cameras on the ships hull, the drones were swarming them and firing a red beam of molten metal at the ship, not that they made it past the shields of course, it would seem that their weapons are just a toned-down version of the Reapers weapons. But now was not the time to be fascinated by the enemy "fire"

He wasn't expecting the ship to start rocking due to the recoil of the weapons, after all, the larger ones remained silent for now. It was only the smallest of anti-fighter batteries that fired, and they did so with great efficiency. One by one the enemy drones started to lose their numbers.

"It seems the enemy is gathering reinforcements" Kelex commented.

Something Clark could agree with, as he looked to the station and could see the many more drones were gathering there but there was something else as well. For a moment he was confused as it seemed the station itself was transforming but it was made clear a moment later. At three points of the station, three large structures broke free from it and started to turn. That was when he realized that the station was acting as a dock for the collector ships.

"Run a scan on those ships, find out if any of them match the EM profile that EDI got from the data of the Normandy wreckage" he ordered quickly as he twitched his pinkie finger. The more heavy-duty Anti-ship cannons warmed up and locked onto the targets.

"Processing" Kelex said to him and after a moment one of the three ships was highlighted red "This ship's profile is a match" it told him.

"Good" he smirked before he sent the command and Genesis thrusters burned as the large ship moved forward towards the station.

Joker was a lot more nervous than he thought he would be, he sat stoically behind the pilots' controls, and his hands were set and ready for whatever he had to face. After all, he made a promise to himself a while ago that he wouldn't lose another Normandy. Besides, now he had an ass-kicking co-pilot that should give him a hand. He shook his head and cast that thought from his mind, he didn't need that distraction, every time he thought about EDI, he got some very confusing's and distracting thoughts.

"Targets have been highlighted" EDI commented from beside, all the while Miranda was standing behind him with her arms crossed. The window in front of them was full of different pieces of information that would be needed to complete the mission, though the only view they had was a narrow point out the hanger. They knew that they were in a debris field of some kind, the only light came from a star that was being eaten by a black hole and the Collector stronghold was a station on the other side of the field.

"What does it look like?" Miranda asked from behind him, he just waited until they got the go-ahead.

"Multiple enemy drones detected, Kelex believes them to be Reaper in design due to the similar weapons they make use of" the A.I told her "Standby," she said suddenly "Three Collector ships have been confirmed and are making their way towards us"

Three of the ships that were on Horizon? Not the fleet he thought it would be. Not that he was complaining, of course, this might just be doable, especially with Genesis with them "Normandy, be advised. Point of landing has been highlighted, you are clear for launch" Kelex's voice came through the com.

Joker was about the launch them then and there but stopped himself, turning his head he looked to the one in charge. Miranda pursed her lips slightly before frowning and looking down at Joker, giving him a single nod.

He nodded back and cracked his fingers typing away on the controls in front of him "Roger that Kelex, Normandy is away" he said into the com before the new and improved Normandy launched from the hanger of Genesis and into the debris field.

As soon as the ship cleared the hanger, it turned to face the same direction as Genesis, and that was when he got his first look at the target. The station was still a long way away from them but he could still see it. He had to squint to see it past all the debris of the ship graveyard. It also didn't help that the bulk of Genesis was blocking out the light from the half-eaten star. The radar system on the leftmost screen lit up and he frowned as he saw that a handful of drones were making their way towards them "I think it would be best to stay next to Genesis until we are closer to the station" EDI said to him, something he agreed with. They were still a long way away from the target and while they could fire the boosters and get there sooner, they would also leave the protection that Genesis offered.

"Targets incoming" Joker said as he typed away, faster than before "EDI, get me a firing solution" he ordered as he could see the attackers getting closer to them "Taking evasive manoeuvres" he said aloud as the Normandy started to take rapid turns and twists around the debris to avoid the attackers. While the Normandy had some newer armour and shields, that didn't mean he didn't want to test that out.

"Target solution found" EDI commented as she typed away at her controls.

"Fire at will" Miranda said from behind him.

"Firing" EDI said back. The ground and walls rumbled as what he could assume were the side cannons fired at the targets. The new Thanix cannon would have to wait until a larger target came into view, it would have been wasted on the smaller drones.

"We've passed the halfway point of the debris field" EDI commented so all could hear her "Standby, three Collector ships have been targeted and making their way towards us" she informed them.

"We'll hang back for a little while longer" Miranda said with her arms crossed "Clark will handle them and from there we make for a landing on the station" he raised her hand and opened her Omni-Tool "This is executive Lawson, the ground team move to the cargo hold and prepare for landing, be advised this will be a hot one" she said to the rest of the team.

"Hold on" EDI said suddenly as Joker brought the Normandy back next to Genesis and held a close formation to the larger ship "I'm getting a data package from Kelex" As she spoke the screen in front of them lit up. Two of the three Collector ships were highlighted red while one was green "Be advised, the ship highlighted green's EM profile is a match for the ship that the original Normandy encountered" she told them.

Joker's eyes narrowed as he heard that and without him even meaning to, he increased the speed of the ship's engines and they moved forward, not long until they passed Genesis, and the Normandy was bathed in a red light "Joker, what are you doing?" Miranda asked him, though thankfully she didn't stop him either. He was grateful for the show of trust.

"What I failed to do last time" was what he said as without him even meaning to, he activated the new Thanix cannon. Though the enemy ship wasn't in range just yet "Genesis, this is Normandy requesting fire support. Be advice this will be danger close" he said into the radio.

"Copy that Normandy danger close, good look" Kelex said back to him. The target that Joker was going for was the furthest away from them so he would need to go through the others in order to reach it. The problem with that being the Thanix cannon's rate of fire is not the best and if he used it here, then Genesis would take it out for them. That was something he couldn't let happen, he needed to do this.

Danger Close didn't work the same way in space that it did on the ground. Though it was similar. It mostly referred to the exec's shrapnel that would come from destroyed targets. On the ground you would also need to worry about being caught in the blast as well but with such a large distance between targets in space, that was hardly needed. But unlike on the ground, in space the shrapnel could be blown away from targets at thousands of miles an hour, because they are in space, they would never slow down. Hence the danger.

They flew the ship, the Normandy turned and did flips, and spins to both avoid the debris and also the enemy drones that chased them "EDI, make sure we're clear from the back" he ordered without a second thought, his instincts taking over.

"I'm on it" the A.I said as she worked both back cannons at the same time, her powerful mind allowing her to make the exact calculations needed to operate them. He could hear them working in the back of his mind and feel them through the slight rumblings under his chair.

"Joker, are you sure about this?" Miranda asked him as he pulled some extra speedy manoeuvres to get out of the way of the larger pieces of ship debris. She stumbled slightly, being forced to step forward and grip his chair to prevent her from falling over.

Upon hearing the question, his gaze hardened even more than it did before "I'm sure" the ship steadied out as he spoke, looking out the window he could see that most of the debris has passed them now, all that was left was the three Collector ships and the station itself.

Now that he no longer needed to do such manoeuvres, he could see the view more clearly. For a moment he took peace in the sight of the stars and the red glow coming from the black hole. It didn't last long, the first thing he noticed was the flashes of light coming from the top of the view screen. It took him a second to realize that the blasts must have been coming from behind them. When he saw the multicoloured rounds fly over them and towards the Collector ships, he realized that Genesis must have opened fire with its more powerful weapons.

The first thing he saw was a whiteness, for a moment it he thought it was a type of comet or meteor, though that thought only lasted a moment before he remembered where he was, and then he assumed it was a type of mass effect round but that wouldn't work either. It wasn't until it made contact with the target that he realized that it must have come from a type of railgun. As was expected, when the attack landed. Whatever type of armour or shielding was in place on those ships didn't last against that one attack.

A huge explosion rattled the Collector ship as it looked like the round when halfway into the ship before it stopped moving, if it was him, he would have considered the target down but he guessed that Kelex or Clark knew better because it wasn't long after that another light came into his field of view. Unlike before however, this one was purple. It also moved slower than the first giving him a reason to think that it wasn't the same type of weapon. He didn't know what it was. Even as it made contact with the ship and seemed to melt whatever was left of it, going through the ship even further than the last one did. It only seemed to dissipate when it went through what was left of the ship, ripping it in half.

He thought that was going to be all he saw when it came to Genesis's weapons, but he was wrong, he turned his attention to the second Collector ship. He assumed that the same would happen to it but he was wrong, unlike before a bright green colour started to form around the front window. Then the rest came, this one was the most different by far.

While the others looked like they were rounded from cannons, this was a solid beam of green electricity. It wasn't solid like one was expecting, it seemed to crackle and splinter. It flew through the void between the ships much faster than the other attacks did. When it struck the ship, the effect wasn't what he expected. The beam didn't stop when it reached the ship, the beam kept going. Whatever shields the ship seemed to have didn't do anything. The green beam struck the ship and right before his eyes, the ship seemed to disintegrate and turn into nothingness. It didn't happen all at once of course. It was like watching a sandcastle fall apart from a solid form into nothing but a pile of ash.

The difference was that the ash just floated in space with only a couple of large clumps of ship that were still intact but now with so little left, they just separated from each other and hung there in the void. It was so quiet after all was said and done that he almost forgot what he was planning on doing, at least until he saw the last ship. The only one that was left between them and the station.

He didn't even look as he moved his left hand and pressed open the radio link "Genesis, stand down. This last one's mine" he said and the tone of his voice brokered no argument. He used the controls in front of him and the Normandy's engines burned brighter than before as it rushed towards the ship that was highlighted green.

"Normandy, are you certain?" a voice called to him through the other side of the com and he didn't need to think to tell that it was Kelex.

He didn't answer, he just flicked the switch and turned off the radio. His eyes burned as he looked at the ship getting closer to them "EDI, get me a firing solution on the target" he ordered without turning his head.

"The Thanix cannon's charging. Ten seconds" the A.I told him as Miranda pursed her lips, looking at the back of his head, wondering if she should stop him or not. Of course, she knew why he was doing this, it was hard not to. Clark didn't seem to be stopping him so that was enough for her not to get involved in this "Jeff, they're locking weapons onto us" she added as many of the screens showed red warning lights.

"I see it" he said as the view outside the window changed from one of a calming, clear view to one that was full of twists and turns, along with flashes of lights. It took Miranda a moment to realize that they must have come from the Collector ship as it tried to kill them.

"Five seconds" EDI added as they neared the target. Miranda was once again forced to hold onto the back of Joker's chair to not let vertigo affect her as she saw them change in so many different directions, even with all her training, vertigo was a bitch like that.

"Come on, Come on" Joker added as he made a motion with his hands Miranda looked out the front window to see that they now looked at the Collector ship, but unlike before they weren't facing the nose of the ship but instead went at it from an angle.

"Ready" he was told by the ship's A.I.

Without waiting a second, Joker slammed his fist into a large holographic button and all present watched a bright and no doubt powerful white beams emerged from the front of their ship, coming from the underbelly of the Normandy's nose. There was no denying the sense of brutal satisfaction that seemed to be radiating from the pilot as the weapon landed on its target and the Collector ship stood no chance against it. The front half of the larger ship exploded in an awesome display of destruction "HOW DO YOU LIKE THAT YOU SONS OF BITCHES!" he shouted as the Normandy passed by the half-dead ship though instead of going towards the station, he did a large loop away from the ship and turned to face it. This time completely facing the side of the ship, allowing no chance for them to be fired at "This is for John Shepard assholes" he snarled that last part as he fired the weapon again.

This time nothing was left as when the cannon landed against the target. What was left of the ship exploded, and the result created a shockwave that shook their ship. There was a moment of silence between those in the cockpit before Miranda let go of the chair and straightened her back "Are you good?" she asked him.

The answer didn't even take a moment to reach her "I'm great" he smiled at her, looking over his shoulder to give her a small smile.

"I believe the act of avenging the original Normandy and the late commander Shepard has lifted a metaphorical weight from his shoulders" EDI said calmly from her seat next to them, all the while continuing to work on her consoles.

"Yes EDI, I got that" the XO said with an eye roll before she turned around and headed out "Just get us in position" she ordered.

"Yes ma'am" Joker said as he moved the ship past the destroyed ship and closer towards the station.

That was when he received a signal from Genesis "Normandy, pull back to a safe distance. The enemy station has numerus anti-ship defences in place and they are about to lock onto you"

"Copy that Genesis. Pulling back now" he said back calmly as he took the controls and turned the Normandy around. He had to admit, he still felt chills up his spine as the view from the front window changed from the station to the massive form of Genesis "Sorry for cutting you off like that before" he added.

"I get it" This time it was Clark who spoke through the "hang back for a moment while we soften the station up and provide the landing point"

"Copy that Genesis, standing by" he replied as the ship was once again hidden in the shadow of the colossal dreadnought.

Clark's face was natural as Genesis started to pull up beside the large Collector station. The other ships were forgotten about for now as he started to lock onto the points of interest of the station, namely the weapon bays and hangers. Expect one that they'll use to enter it. Not the most original plan but it would do. Keeping the Normandy in between them and the station. Genesis took the brunt of the attack, the anti-ship cannons fired large salvos at them but it didn't matter.

The ship's shields didn't even lower by a single percent from the continued attack "Weapons are locked onto points of interest" Kelex said from inside his mind. He could see a holographic image of the station and the different points that the portside weapons are locking onto.

"Teleporter bays are ready for mass transport" Clark said back as his eyes found the cameras of the ship's corridors and he could see many of them were full of lines upon lines of Marauders, all with their weapons ready. A green glow came from the de-atomizer weapons they carried.

That was when he felt the tug at his senses, an alert, something that should be there. Turning his head to the side, he could look through the ship's scanners and radar systems. That was when he saw them with his own eyes for the first time, it seemed to Collectors were more protected than he thought they would be.

There, on the far edge of the system, fifteen new contacts made themselves known. Zooming in on them so he could see the real enemy.

With a small twitch of his Pinky finger, Genesis opened his weapons and fired at the station. It may have had shields but that didn't do much to protect it from his weapons "All Marauders, move in" He ordered as a highlighted point was made for the Normandy to head to "Normandy be advised, fifteen Sovereign class Reaper ships just entered the system with a type of support force and are making their way here" he said into the radio, hoping that EDI and Joker would understand what Sovereign class meant "wait sixty seconds before commencing a landing at the highlighted point. Let Miranda know that she's to take half the team and fight their way to the station's core. Let know Garrus know that he's going to take the rest and head towards the command centre. Kasumi will have the schematics to get through the station and towards the believed data centre. Let her know to take Legion with her. EDI, go with them" he ordered into the radio and readied his ship for its first real fight.