24 Hours After Shepard's Assassination Attempt
Sara Anderson, also known as Sara Hackett to her close friends, was on her way to confront her oldest and closest friend. She had learned some troubling information from Shepard's new lover, and she just wanted to know why. Why would her friend start a war like this? Why would she watch the galaxy burn just to see the Alliance fall and have those she claims to care about fight each other?
Karen, the current CO of the Enterprise, was sitting across from Sara, reading a padd with updates on current operations, which included the Enterprise crew. As the CO, she needed to be in the know-how. When their shuttle entered the Phoenix warship where Shepard was located, Sara knew that she was about to face the hardest conversation of her life.
As the shuttle landed and the door opened, Sara made her way to the med bay where Shepard was healing. Sara entered the elevator wearing a mask, and the Phoenix crew looked at her suspiciously as she walked towards the med bay. When the doors opened, she saw Shepard sitting up on a medical bed with a bandage wrapped around the upper part of her chest. Sara approached her and asked, "How are you doing, Shepard?"
Shepard looked at her and said, "I've been better. You only call me Shepard when you're mad at me. What's wrong?" She could tell that something was bothering Sara.w
Sara turned to the doctor and asked her to clear the med bay so they could talk privately. The doctor grabbed a few padds and left the room, and then Sara pulled out a small jamming device. Shepard's heart sank as she realized what was happening.
"I'm going to ask you some questions, and you're going to answer me," Sara declared. "You know I can tell when you're lying to me, so just tell me the truth."
Shepard nodded in agreement, knowing that there was no way to avoid the conversation that was about to happen.
Sara asked Shepard if it was Phoenix who shot her, already knowing the answer. She needed to establish a baseline and see if her friend would be honest with her. Shepard hesitated for a moment, but then admitted, "Yes, it was Phoenix who shot me. I agreed to it because I hoped it would change the dynamics of the war. Everyone knows the Alliance has a kill order on me. Even if they don't authorize anyone to carry it out, who's going to believe them?"
Sara then asked about the orbital platform and if Phoenix was involved in that as well.
"Well, I didn't know about it until after we took it. Phoenix used old intercepted communications with Alliance agents to convince you they were genuine. The plan was to get the Quarian and Geth involved, but it wasn't meant to fall. The Quarians needed a push to join, and just helping them with their immune system wasn't enough for military involvement," Shepard explained to her old friend.
Sara looked at Shepard in shock. She knew about the compromised videos but had chosen to keep quiet at the time. This revelation of the vids prompted her to start investigating Phoenix and those associated with them. "Did you really think I wouldn't find out, Shepard?" she asked, still in disbelief.
Shepard's expression spoke volumes. She didn't care about the consequences of her actions and was willing to see the whole galaxy burn if it meant the fall of the Alliance. She was fully committed to her cause, no matter the cost.
"I always knew you would, Sara. I just hoped you would find out a little later," Shepard replied coldly, maintaining an icy stare with her old friend. Sara was taken aback by Shepard's demeanor and asked, "Who are you?" She couldn't believe that the woman in front of her was her old friend, Jane Shepard.
"I am Commander Jane Shepard, Sara Hackett," Shepard replied, using Sara's old last name. She hoped it would remind Sara of their past friendship and convince her that it was really her.
But Sara wasn't convinced. "No, you are not. My friend Jane Shepard would never start a war like this. False flag attacks! Turning friends against each other! Seeing the galaxy burn, and for what? Just to see the Alliance fall!" she exclaimed, her voice rising with anger. Shepard's expression remained blank and cold, but it soon hardened.
"Yes!" Shepard screamed at Sara. "I will see the Alliance burn, even if I must watch the galaxy burn with it! The Shepard you knew died when the Alliance killed her after the war!"
Sara was stunned by Shepard's outburst. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "So, if a few Krogan and Quarians must die, so be it. As long as the Alliance pays for what it has done to me, I really don't care. Let the galaxy burn with the Alliance. When they betrayed me, all they did was fucking watch! So did you, Sara. Don't stand there and be so self-righteous, not with me!" Shepard's voice was filled with venom and anger.
"I have always protected you, Jane! After Elysium, where we fought side by side, you let me go. After Akuze, where I was pinned down by the N7s and Blackwatch, you got me out. After that, I knew I had to return the favor. It was me who recommended you to be the first human Spectre, not Anderson or my dad. They thought even then that you were too dangerous. It was me who kept the Alliance off your back when you were with Cerberus! Me who kept the wolves away when you were locked up! Me who kept you alive when the Alliance wanted you dead rather than exiled! Me! Not Anderson, my father, or anyone else! Me! So don't sit there and tell me I sat around and watched. Your reputation, your life! Is because of me!" Sara screamed at Shepard, feeling deeply insulted by her so-called friend. She wasn't done yet.
Sara continues to confront Shepard, her tone laced with anger and disappointment. "Whoever you are, you're a disgrace to the name Jane Shepard! A pale imitation of my friend! My friend would never seek revenge at the cost of the galaxy burning!" she exclaims, finishing her rant before turning her back on Shepard as she prepares to leave. However, she turns back to Shepard one last time and asks, "I'm going to have to fight my way out, aren't I?" Shepard nods in confirmation.
"Goodbye, Edwards," Sara says before adding, "One last thing. I warned your lover not to hurt you, or I'd hurt her back. But after this, I don't really care anymore. I won't expose your actions to the galaxy; they'll find out soon enough," she declares as she pulls out a knife. Her cybernetic eyes pick up on a few Phoenix troopers waiting for her, two of whom are positioned right beside the door leading out of the med bay.
Sara swiftly makes her way over to the doctor's desk and presses a few buttons, causing the window to the med bay to darken. She then turns off the lights and heads towards the door and hides next to it. As the two troopers move in as the door opens and two of the five move in. Sara uses her knife to stab the second trooper in the neck. The first trooper turns around, but before he can react, Sara delivers a powerful punch to his neck.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Sara grabs the Phoenix trooper's pistol and starts firing back at the three troopers out the med bay, the other operators aiming and firing hoping to avoid hitting Shepard. She then heads towards the AI storage and opens it, pausing briefly at the crawl space before making her way towards the hangar.
"Karen, you there?" Sara asks, hoping for a response.
"Yeah, what the hell is going on? The ship is on lockdown," Karen replies as Sara brings up her Omi-tool.
"Send this file to Admiral Zorah. You can watch it too but send it to her. I'm making my way down. Trust no one," Sara orders Karen through her Omi-tool. As she descends two decks, she hears Phoenix operators conversing amongst themselves. Coming up to a vent, she listens in before scanning the door and finding no one on the other side.
"Karen, are you there?" she asks, waiting for a moment before Karen responds. "Yeah, the Admiral is furious, to say the least. I can't believe it. The vid you recorded... If Enterprise isn't willing to come with us, we'll have sanctuary with the flotilla," Karen states as Sara opens the crawl space exit and kneels beside some crates. From her vantage point, she can see her shuttle guarded by three Phoenix operators, with at least five others patrolling the hangar.
Sara quickly assesses her surroundings and spots a way up to the second deck of the hanger. She waits patiently for the Phoenix operators to turn away before using the ladder to make her way up. Once she reaches the top, she spots a beam with a crane and slowly makes her way across it, positioning herself directly above the shuttle.
With a thin but sturdy cord and hook in hand, Sara wraps the cord around the beam and waits for the five-man group to move out of sight before making her way down the cord. She lands softly on the hull of the shuttle and detaches herself from the cord.
As she approaches the shuttle's closed door, three Phoenix operators guard both sides of it. Sara moves to the side with two operators and takes out her combat blade, ready to strike. She jumps over the edge and lodges the blade into the back of one of the operators' necks, killing him instantly. The second operator collapses to the ground, screaming in pain as Sara punches him in the knee.
As the third operator turns the corner, he is met with Sara's combat blade to the face, killing him instantly. Karen quickly opens the door and retrieves Sara's blade, but the other operators open fire at them. Sara and Karen manage to evade their attacks and make their way to the cockpit, determined to escape.
As the shuttle takes off, the hanger door begins to close, leaving them with little time to make their escape. The shuttle barely makes it out before the bay door closes shut, and Sara sets her course for the Enterprise while trying to contact Hudson.
"Answer, damn it!" Sara pleads as she waits for a response.
Katherine responded, "This is Enterprise. What's happening? Command wants us to arrest you."
Sara explained, "I spoke with your lover, and it didn't end well. Phoenix is behind everything, including the war and the orbital station. Shepard knows everything and even supports it," but she received no response.
Katherine couldn't believe it. "You're wrong. Shepard would never... She told me she..." She struggled to hold back her emotions. "I knew she wanted to take down the Alliance, but not the rest of the galaxy."
"I'm heading to the flotilla and sending you a copy of the video I took. Zorah is aware of it. It's not safe for me or the captain to return. We'll keep in touch. Katherine, I'm so sorry about this," Sara said before turning to the Quarian flotilla. Shepard's conversation played over the open comms; Sara could hear Katherine crying.