Sara Anderson stood in the observation deck of a Quarian flotilla cruiser, gazing out at the Krogan home world. Just 48 hours prior, Phoenix had made a public announcement to the entire galaxy about an assassination attempt on Commander Shepard by an Alliance agent and former Director of Alliance Intelligence - Sara Anderson. Sara had anticipated this move. Admiral Tali Zorah had brought forth evidence of a false flag attack on their orbital station, and much more to the rest of the Admiralty Board. Despite the evidence, the Admiralty was unable to take action due to their involvement in intense fighting against Axis forces. However, they become extremely wary of Phoenix and Commander Shepard. Tali had even sought out Urdnot Wrex, who was known for his silence, but the expression he gave was pure anger. To him, Shepard had brought an unwanted war to his planet. Meanwhile, the Turian Republic or Turian Rebels, as dubbed by the Higharchy, appeared to feign ignorance but it was clear they knew something.
Despite Phoenix's denial of any wrongdoing, including Shepard's alleged confession on the vid, Shepard confessed to speaking with Sara and falsely claimed that it was Sara who had attempted to kill her twice now. Phoenix had managed to stop Sara from completing the job the second time around. However, many Quarians who were present at the Coalition Forward Operating Base found part of the claim to be questionable at best, as Sara had been seen at the FOB overseeing Intelligence when Shepard was first shot.
This development has caused a rift within the Coalition, with some members feeling conflicted. Nevertheless, the Coalition leaders ultimately decided to press on with the war until more concrete evidence is presented.
Sara had found refuge on Tali's flagship, while Karen was on board the Enterprise. Sara gazed out through the transparent metal, which served as a window, as the Alliance quickly denied any involvement in the assassination attempt, labeling it as yet another false flag attack. Despite the kill order on Commander Shepard, no one in the Alliance, Higharchy, or CDF forces were authorized to carry out the order. However, as expected, many people were skeptical of their claims.
24 hours ago, the UN Secretary General had called for a special session of the UN General Assembly to vote on whether the Sol Systems Alliance should continue to represent Earth and its inhabitants. The resolution to remove the Alliance as the face of Earth narrowly failed, but many nations, including China, Russia, Canada, France, Germany, the United North American States, and especially the United Kingdom, passed their own resolutions to force the Alliance withdraw from their soil.
After the UN's failed attempt to resolve the conflict, the Alliance Parliament called for an emergency session. During the session, a vote of no confidence was proposed against the current Prime Minister of the Alliance, but it was not successful, just like the UN vote. The Alliance faced similar challenges to those on Earth, with many planetary systems refusing to allow them in their space. This led to a declining support base for the Alliance, which was worsening with every passing hour. Despite all efforts to end the war, it continued to rage on.
The Alliance was suffering significant losses, but they were still holding on. Sara was interrupted by someone approaching her and turned to see Admiral Zorah walking towards her.
"Phoenix is demanding that we turn you over, or they will stop all aid to us," Tali said, looking towards the Krogan home world. "We will give you two hours to prepare to leave. And then we ask that you do. I am sorry," she added, knowing that this was a difficult situation for Sara.
"We know it was not you. Wrex agrees with the Admiralty and you, but we simply can't lose Phoenix support. Not when we are neck-deep in fighting," Tali continued. Sara was already planning to leave and didn't need to hear the explanation. She had her own war to fight, to clear her friend's name and stop the woman who was tarnishing it. She knew she couldn't do it from the Quarian cruiser.
"I understand, Admiral. What will you say when I leave?" Sara asked.
Tali chuckled, though it was not a happy one. "Oh, we'll say that you fought your way out and hurt a few of our marines," she replied to Sara's question about what she would say when she left.
"Don't worry about me, Admiral. I can take care of myself," Sara reassured Tali as she picked up her backpack from the floor. "I will leave now. And Admiral, thank you," Sara added as she prepared to leave. Tali asked her what she was planning to do.
"Simple, kill the monster I created," Sara replied as she walked towards the hanger door.
--
Shepard had just been released from the med bay on the Phoenix flagship and was replaying the events of a few days ago with her oldest friend. She couldn't believe she had accused her of being an imposter, and the revelation that her friend had secretly watched over her over the years had been unexpected. But Shepard knew that she had just made an enemy far more dangerous than the Alliance. She walked out of the med bay and headed to the hangar, on her way to a Krogan orbital platform.
The lie that Sara had talked about not informing the rest of the Coalition had almost destroyed everything Shepard had been working towards. Shepard could tell Sara was lying about it and now Wrex and Tali were wary of her. While Shepard was in the med bay, she received a disappointing message from Liara, who had found out about Shepard's lies moments before Sara did. Now Shepard is once again alone and alienated from her old friends and crew.
Although Shepard felt isolated from her old friends and crew, she found comfort in the company of new allies and someone who was close to her. However, the urgency of the situation meant that she couldn't rest until the Alliance burned. The weight of her responsibilities was heavy, but Shepard was determined to push through and do what was necessary to destroy the Alliance.
The Alliance had taken too much from Shepard, including her closest and oldest friend, who was now out to end her. As Shepard entered the Krogan Orbital platform, she could feel the weight of the Krogan's watchful eyes upon her. Phoenix was being monitored very closely, and Shepard, in particular, was under scrutiny. She made her way down a corridor towards the main command center to meet with Wrex and the rest of the Coalition Leadership.
As Shepard walked, she saw a female Phoenix Operator pass her by. The operator's helmet showed only dark blue eyes, which Shepard recognized. She turned to look back at the operator, but the woman had vanished. The two Phoenix operators who were with Shepard also turned to look in the same direction and asked what was going on.
"I don't know. Keep your eyes peeled for anything," Shepard ordered, feeling a sense of unease.
As the door opened, she saw the Phoenix Director and the other Coalition Leaders waiting inside.
They spent the next three hours discussing the current situation. The Alliance and the Higharchy were withdrawing and leaving a few loyal systems vulnerable in the process. Without the support of Earth's most powerful nations and key territories, the Alliance couldn't sustain the fight so far from their remaining loyal systems. Most of the Coalition leaders, including Director Harper, were pleased with the progress made.
The decision on the table was to either invade the remaining loyal Alliance systems or to dig in and defend their own territory. They looked to Commander Shepard for guidance since this was her war they were waging.
Shepard took a moment to think about the decision. Even though her initial reaction was to watch the Alliance burn, she realized that the Coalition was not yet prepared for a prolonged war. Moreover, she had already discussed this with Director Harper and had decided that holding their ground was the best option.
Shepard agreed with the decision, especially since Sara was after her. She needed to concentrate on that. As much as they had momentum, they lacked the necessary numbers, logistics, and resources to push into the remaining loyal Alliance systems. This came as a surprise to everyone in the room.
"We will dig in and hold our systems until we are ready to take on what's left of the Alliance. As much as I want to see the Alliance burn, I won't let our worlds burn with them," Shepard said, countering what she had said in the video. The Krogan, Quarians, and Geth were skeptical, but they were willing to give her and Phoenix a chance.
As the meeting wrapped up, Shepard made her way towards the hanger. Upon entering, the door closed behind her, and the lights suddenly went out. The two Phoenix operators stationed there attempted to open the door, but to no avail. Shepard quickly realized that she was under attack and drew her pistol, activating her combat glasses' night vision. She heard screams coming from the direction of the hanger door, and when she turned to investigate, she saw that both operators had been killed, with a dark liquid pooling underneath them.
Suddenly, a voice boomed over the PA system, declaring that "This ends now!" Shepard, keeping her back to the wall, raised her pistol, ready to defend herself from whatever was coming her way.
Unbeknownst to Shepard, Sara Anderson was hiding behind some crates, waiting for her chance to strike. She had taken out the hanger control moments before Shepard arrived. Sara was surprised to hear that Shepard had decided to hold Coalition ground rather than strike Alliance territory. However, to Sara, it didn't matter - she was determined to end the monster she had created.
Sara had discarded her Phoenix helmet as it impeded her senses, but she kept her mask on as she closed in on Shepard. Shepard made a slight turn, and Sara saw her chance. She sprang at Shepard, who turned just in time to see her attacker coming. Sara had leapt at Shepard with a combat blade, but Shepard fired two rounds from her pistol, both missing their mark.
Sara ducked and found another opening, leaping again. Shepard tried to shoot, but Sara knocked the pistol away and spun her blade around in her hand, attempting to lodge it in Shepard's neck. Shepard managed to avoid the attack, moving and dodging as Sara made multiple attempts to strike her with the weapon.
Shepard saw an opening and started throwing punches at Sara, trying to push her away. However, Sara easily dodged and blocked the weak attempts. Shepard then felt Sara's blade enter her prosthetic arm, and Sara quickly removed it before swinging again.
Shepard swiftly dodged, narrowly avoiding getting hit in the face by Sara's blade, which left only a slight cut on her right cheek. As Sara attempted to swing again, Shepard retaliated with a spartan kick, sending Sara sliding back, but she managed to steady herself with her left arm. Shepard then followed up with a knee to Sara's face, causing her to stumble back with a broken nose. Despite the hit, Sara could tell that Shepard's arm was giving her some trouble, although she could still move it well.
Trying to diffuse the situation, Shepard spoke, "This doesn't have to be this way. You can leave... we won't follow. Run, hide. I don't care. You are my friend. I promise Hackett will not be harmed," though her words came out with some difficulty and pain.
Sara pondered Shepard's offer for a brief moment, but ultimately rejected it. "Mordan, Thane would be ashamed of what you've become," she said as she circled around, searching for another opening, determined not to underestimate her target again.
"Your right... Thane would indeed be ashamed. Just not with me, but with you... his apprentice. Can't even kill a simple engineer a simple soldier," Shepard retorted, turning around to Sara leaping at Shepard as she wielded her combat blade. However, Shepard quickly grabbed Sara's arm and tossed her, causing her to lose her grip on the blade. Despite the setback, Sara quickly recovered and pulled out a second blade from her back as Shepard approached the dead Phoenix operators.
As Shepard picked up one of their pistols and aimed it at Sara, she fired a round, hitting Sara in the shoulder. However, Sara remained unfazed as she slammed Shepard into the wall.
Shepard's cybernetic arm slammed into Sara's stomach, causing her to double over in pain. As Sara looked up at Shepard, the latter grabbed her by the neck with her cybernetic arm, but Sara managed to grab onto it with her free hand while still holding her blade. Despite the confusion and chaos of the situation, Sara was able to stab Shepard's arm, causing her to wince but not let go.
Just then, Tali appeared at the door and pleaded with Shepard to stop. Shepard, realizing the severity of the situation, released Sara, who collapsed unconscious to the ground. Two Quarian marines rushed over to help, removing Sara's mask to reveal a broken nose and blood running down her face. Thankfully, the marines reassured everyone that Sara would survive and carefully placed her on a stretcher to be taken away for medical attention.
Shepard watched as her old friend was taken away, feeling a sense of unease and knowing that this was far from over as it was too easy to beat her. It has never been this easy to beat her. Despite the relief of knowing that Sara would survive, the gravity of the situation weighed heavily on Shepard's mind, and she couldn't shake the feeling that things were only going to get worse.