The Normandy had docked inside one of the Dreadnought's many hangars alongside the flight of dropships they'd escaped on. Shepard watched as the KIA's were delicately transferred back aboard the Normandy, too wounded to help in the process herself. The bodies of Garrus, Miranda, Zaeed, and nearly a dozen other crew members were placed inside body bags, their names written on the outside for identification.
She tried to tell herself their deaths weren't in vain, but there was really no way of knowing that. Not until after the Reapers were dealt with. If there was an after.
Shepard made her way to the med-bay, and saw that every bed was full, and then some. Even with the able bodied helping, the medical team was overwhelmed. She left before anyone could order her to take a seat. She didn't want any of her crew waiting to get treatment, even if it meant she had to.
Instead, she took the elevator down to the cargo bay, where she found Kara and Rocket.
The raccoon was laying on his back, his head resting on folded rags. His ears twitched upon Shepards arrival, but that was all.
Kara approached the human. "Here, let me take a look at you." Kara didn't have the time to properly assess Shepard's injuries back on the station, so she didn't really know how bad a state the Spectre might be in.
Shepard complied with Kara's instruction, and laid on her back. Kara removed her trauma kit from her belt, and retrieved the necessary tools. She placed a sonic vibrator on Shepard's torso and activated it. The vibrations resonated throughout the human's body, and displayed an image of Shepard's innards.
A collapsed lung, some minor brain injuries, and moderate internal bleeding. The only thing that had kept Shepard standing was adrenaline. And unfortunately for her, it was starting to subside.
Shepard watched as Kara prepared a needle. "What's that?" She asked, not quite comfortable at the idea of what Kara might be shooting her up with, but in enough pain not to refuse it.
"Nanites. They will treat your internal bleeding while I see to your lung." Kara said as she gently inserted the needle.
Sure enough, Shepard felt minor pain throughout her body as the machines tended to her wounds. While that was happening, Kara another needle, this one attach to a small tube, and answered Shepards question before she could ask it. "I need to drain the blood leaking into your chest cavity. Relax, and hold still." Shepard did her best to follow the command as she watched the needle slide in between her ribs, and blood begin to pump through the tube.
Once the nanites finished their job, the bleeding stopped and Kara removed the needle, and applied some spare medi-gel. With nothing else to do, she advised Shepard to rest for a few days. Not a difficult ask, as there was nothing for Shepard to be doing in the foreseeable future.
Shepard watched as Kara left, after gently picking up a sleeping Rocket. She idly wondered what Kara had planned.
Kara left the hangar, and dropped Rocket off in their shared quarters before heading to the med-bay; both to check on Tali, and to tend to her elongated spine. She'd gained almost an inch in height thanks to the Collector, an inch that had to be removed as the new vertibrae wasn't as durable as the rest of her. When she arrived, she saw the row of empty revitalization chambers, all save one.
Tali was floating in a thick broth of healing agents comprised of antibiotics, sedatives, and regenerative compounds. Tali's suit had to be removed, which meant Kara would have to get a replacement from the Flotilla as soon as possible. Tali would have to confined to the med-bay until then. She was unconscious at the moment, but her vitals were promising. She had very nearly died before being placed in the tank. It certainly would have been easier for the poor girl.
As Kara walked past the tanks, and towards the surgery table, her thoughts were entirely focused on what was coming, and how ill prepared this galaxy still was to face it. How would the others fare, when they saw their worlds crumble and burn as their people were slaughtered? How would Rocket fare?
She banished those dark thoughts from her mind as she approached the table. She reached the bottom and crawled on, laying on her belly. Serina took control of the arms attached to the sides of the table, as a handful of robots attached the tools she'd require for the procedure.
Kara would essentially be cut in half at the weak link, and the original halves would be reconnected, allowing her body to stitch itself back together correctly this time. Kara hissed slightly as she felt a needle pierce her spine, injecting a powerful anesthetic. Kara eagerly let herself drift off into unconsciousness, as this was probably the closest she'd come to sleep for a very long time
Rocket's eyes opened, and he was happy to see the inside of his and Kara's shared quarters. He yawned and stretched, noticing a distinct lack of clothing as he did. He figured Kara had taken the liberty of giving them a much needed wash. He looked around the room, hoping that if Kara wasn't in bed she was elsewhere in the room, but his blurry eyes saw only vacant chairs and an empty couch.
He sighed, and walked down the step-ladder by the bed, and left the room. When he entered the hallway connecting Kara's quarters to the rest of the living area, he saw that it was similarly empty. "Hey Serina, where is everybody?" He asked, knowing that the AI was keeping an eye on him.
"Kara is currently undergoing corrective surgery due to her wounds. The rest of Artemis is still aiding the Normandy crew."
"Thanks." Rocket said as he angled toward the meditation room. Calling it a room was a little misleading, given its appearance; Rocket entered a large, rolling green field of grass, currently being blanketed under a layer of lazily falling snow. At the center of the field, was a hot spring. Much like the rest of the habitable portion of the Dreadnought, this part of the ship was designed to help people forget they were on a ship.
Rocket stepped into the spring, a pleased sigh escaping his throat as the blissfully warm water soaked his body. He could practically feel the tension, soreness and pain in his body evaporate.
He stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, only opening his eyes when he felt footsteps approaching. His ears swiveled as he tried to listen, then felt a small smile come over him as he heard the distinctive sound of Kara's gait.
He shifted to look at her as she entered. She wasn't wearing any clothing either, and he could see the fur had nearly finished growing back from her surgery. She approached him silently, and his smile disappeared. "We need to talk." She said as she took a seat next to him.
Uh oh. Rocket thought. Nothing good ever followed those words. "What is it?"
"I am… worried. About you. If I hadn't arrived when I did… God knows what they would have done to you." Kara said quietly, her voice barely even a whisper.
"I know. I was scared too. But you did save me, and when that asshole was pulling you apart, I saved you. We're a team." Rocket responded, placing a comforting paw on Kara's thigh.
Kara looked away from Rocket, a slight scowl on her face. It was clear she stopped herself from saying something, but Rocket knew better than to pry. "It's not just that Rocket. We've had it easy so far. The Geth, the Collectors… we've just been fighting proxies, people serving the Reapers. Once they arrive…" Kara paused, her expression somehow growing darker. "It's going to be bad, Rocket."
Rocket didn't respond. He knew that if someone who had Kara's experience and capabilities was concerned about something, you damn well listened. The two sat in silence, and Rocket licked the inside of his lips as he chose his next words.
"I know it's gonna be bad." Rocket said ponderously. "I mean, I may not "know" know, but if you're this worried about it, then I get what you're sayin'. but that's not all you wanted to say to me." He said, knowing Kara was still withholding something.
Kara paused, then said hesitantly. "I… want you to wait for me back home."
Rocket gazed at her, almost in shock, before turning his gaze to the center of the hot spring. He swallowed the lump in his throat before responding. "I know you're scared, Kara. I am too. I know I ain't as strong and fast or tough as you and the others, but I can still help." He said. Kara looked away, seemingly unconvinced. Rocket gently grasped Kara's fingers with his hands. "You're my wife, my best friend. I promised to always support you, to help you however I can, whenever you needed it. I know hell's comin', and what kind of husband would I be… what kind of man would I be, if I wasn't there for you?"
Kara turned her attention back to Rocket. Even without eyes, Rocket could see all the emotions dancing across her face, until, without warning, she swept him up in her hands, and kissed him. It was an impulsive, passionate act, and Rocket quickly found himself running out of breath. His fingers ran through the fur on her snout as her lips were sealed against his.
Kara only withdrew when Rocket tried to push her off. "Sorry." She muttered as Rocket struggled to catch his breath. Once he finally got a solid lung full of air, he tugged on her fur, beckoning for a second. Kara didn't hesitate to oblige him.
Her second kiss was far deeper, her tongue forcing its way past his lips, and effortlessly pushing through the pitiful resistance put up by his own tongue. Rocket relaxed his throat and jaw as he felt Kara's tongue writhing around inside him. Thankfully, Kara pulled back far quicker this time, and Rocket gasped when Kara's tongue finally slithered out.
Panting, Rocket met her starving gaze. "Bedroom, or here?" Kara asked, essentially asking Rocket if he wanted to give, or receive.
Rocket grinned. Kara had already stuck her tongue inside him, only fair that he get to do the same to her. "Bedroom."
Kara practically sprinted there, eager to have Rocket tend to her.
Shepard tapped her foot anxiously as she waited for Kara. The Hunter had told Shepard to wait for her before she spoke to the Illusive Man, and Shepard had been putting off answering his incoming call for what had probably been an hour. As much as the mental image of an increasingly annoyed Jack Harper trying to call her amused the Spectre, she was eager to get this conversation out of the way.
Shepard stopped bouncing her foot when she felt the ground tremble, and heard the door behind her open. She cast a sideways glance behind her as Kara entered.
"Where were you?" Shepard asked, mildly annoyed.
"Preoccupied." Kara responded nonchalantly.
Shepard decided against pressing for an explanation on what "preoccupied" meant. "So what was that idea you mentioned earlier?"
Kara cast a suspicious glare at the walls surrounding them, unwilling to speak in range of Cerberus listening devices. "I'll tell you in the cargo bay." She said, gesturing for Shepard to follow her. Reluctantly, the Human obliged.
When they stepped off the elevator and entered the bay, Shepard crossed her arms and looked at Kara expectantly. "Let's hear it."
"I've been thinking of strategies to learn where Harper is hiding, and my hope is that I'll be able to trace this incoming signal, and find the main Cerberus operations center."
Shepard nodded. "Alright, see what you can do. But what if you can't?"
"Don't worry. I have a few ideas that could work. This is just the least painful one." Kara said, before checking her Ancilla. "I'm ready. Go see what he wants."
The Illusive Man gripped his armrest with his free hand tightly, frustrated by his call going unanswered. His people aboard the Normandy informed him of the mission's success, and he had immediately tried to contact Shepard as soon as he received the news, only to essentially be put on hold for over an hour.
When Shepard finally decided to pick up the phone, he did his best to hide how aggravated he was. "Shepard. I'm glad to hear the operation was a success, in spite of the complications you faced." The Illusive Man's eyes looked Shepard up and down, assessing her health. From what he could see, she had barely managed to survive the ordeal on the Collector station.
"Oh, I'm sure." Shepard replied sarcastically. "What are you calling me for?"
He took a drag of his cigar before responding. "I wanted to discuss what comes next. The Collectors have been dealt with, but Cerberus still has some work that needs to be done, and I would appreciate your-"
"And that's enough of that. I'm not your errand girl Jack; we were only working together to take on the Collectors, and now that that's done, I'm through with you."
The Illusive Man scowled. "Don't be rash Shepard. Cerberus spent fortunes trying to bring you back, and you still have a lot to gain from working with us."
"If I were willing to overlook all the shit you and your organization have pulled over the years, yeah, I might." Shepard paused, and looked at something the Illusive Man couldn't see. "But I've got a few friends with a lot more to offer, and I don't have to worry about a knife in the back from them. And from what I've heard, they're really interested in a face to face interaction." She finished.
The Illusive Man frowned as Shepard again looked at some invisible phantom. She wasn't alone in the Com-room. "She's listening, isn't she?"
Shepard smiled. "They'll be seeing you, real soon."
The connection cut out, and the Illusive Man turned his attention to Kai Leng. "Congratulations, you're about to get your rematch." Kai Leng allowed himself a small smile, then left the room, joining the rest of the biotically and cybernetically enhanced personnel aboard the station. The Illusive Man then activated security protocols, and watched as the defensive fleet outside took formation, a frown on his face.
He knew this fight was coming, and he reassured himself that he had done everything he could to prepare for it. He could only hope that that was enough.
Kara gave the order to her sisters to make the jump in the Dreadnought, then halted for a moment. "Shepard, I'd like your permission to bring Jack along."
Shepard nodded. "Something tells me you won't have a hard time convincing her to come along."
Kara smirked. "None at all." She said as she took the elevator to Jack's little slice of the ship.
She found the woman banging her head along to heavy metal playing on her omni-tool, and Kara cleared her throat, loud enough to be heard over the music.
Jack, seemingly annoyed at the interruption, paused the device, then gazed at Kara. "What do you want?"
"To invite you to attack a Cerberus base. I'll tell you more on the way." Kara said, before turning to leave. As expected, Jack didn't waste a moment before moving to follow.
"What base?" Jack asked, struggling to keep up with Kara's pace.
"A very important one, seeing as our dear Illusive Man seems to be there in person. The rest of my team is already in transit, you and I will be joining them."
Jack stopped dead for a moment when she heard the name, then increased her pace, a smile on her lips. "The fucker in charge himself? Can't wait."
The Illusive Man stared out the window in front of him as the Dreadnought passed through the wormhole that had opened mere moments after his conversation with Shepard ended.
The vessel was close enough to blot out the sun outside the station. Leaving the Illusive Man, and his station, blanketed in the Dreadnought's shadow.
He had seen documentation of the vessel, videos and pictures, but nothing could have prepared him for seeing it in person. A warship that dwarfed any known construct in this galaxy's history, even the ones built by the Reapers themselves. He felt a twinge of fear at the sight of it, but that fear was outweighed by a different emotion. The Illusive Man smiled an almost humorless smile as he watched innumerable shapes pouring out of the ship, and headed for his station. He felt like an insect in the shadow of the Dreadnought Inconceivable power and technology, all focused solely on killing him, and destroying his life's work.
He was probably mad for thinking it, but it was flattering in a way, to be considered important enough to warrant such effort. He suffered no illusions that he or this station would survive the battle. The station's defensive fleet, comprised of some of the most powerful vessels that Cerberus and therefore Humanity, had ever built, were destroyed in an instant; searing lances of energy as bright as any sun were fired from weapons batteries almost as large as ships.
No, Cerberus wouldn't win this battle, but it would survive. He'd made sure of that; and if nothing else, everyone on this station would go down fighting.
Kai Leng and his team of enhanced biotics readied themselves as they heard the intruders approach. Biotic energy swirled around his body as he readied his attack.
The Hunters attack had been swift and ruthless. Within a minute of their ship arriving most of Cerberus's fleet was destroyed, and the station was boarded by millions of flying drones, their weapons effortlessly cutting down the defenders they encountered aboard.
The last time he had fought Hunters, it only took two of them to slaughter everyone in his cell, and they were armed with nothing but Alliance weaponry. Now they weren't holding back, and the only reason Kai Leng wasn't afraid of the ever closer specter of death was its inevitability.
The drones had stopped advancing once they reached the innermost defenses. Even now, Kai Leng could hear the electronic hum of whatever was keeping them flying just outside the room.
The door they were facing exploded outwards in a sudden burst of energy, forcing Kai Leng and the others to throw up barriers or be crushed.
The doors bounced off their hastily erected defense, and Kai Leng could see a human woman standing in the doorway, Subject Zero. And behind her were the five monstrosities responsible for his near-death.
He grit his teeth as he prepared himself. As tough as those things were, they weren't invincible, and as for Subject Zero? She was the most powerful biotic Humanity had produced. Was being the operative word; the process that created her had been perfected, and Kai Leng and his team were going to show her just how obsolete she was.
His team immediately launched a counter-attack as their enemies raised their weapons, aiming to crush the attackers. Jack wasted no time in erecting a barrier of her own. He could see the strain on her body as she attempted to withstand their assault, but unfortunately for him, she didn't have to for long.
The Hunters opened fire with weapons of unparalleled destructive power, forcing Kai Leng's team to go on the defensive. Plasma bolts struck biotic barriers, viciously hissing as they dissipated against the shields.
Kai Leng clenched his teeth, and dropped his barrier, refusing to allow the invaders to gain the upper hand. He felt plasma bolts strike his enhanced body, felt the sub-dermal armor implanted beneath his skin boil, sizzle and pop as the heat seared his flesh.
With a roar, he launched everything he had in furious retaliation. Exhausted from her prior defense, Jack was unable to bear the full brunt of the attack. Her barrier shattered, and she and her allies were thrown back.
Kai Leng nearly collapsed from the exertion. Maintaining his barrier under the Hunter's fire took more out of him than he'd thought, but he caught himself before he could fall.
He drew his sword, its edge capable of scratching the hull of a dreadnought, and he and his team closed in for the kill. His enhancements gave him just the speed he needed, and he lunged towards Subject Zero, his sword ready to taste blood. He saw her eyes flash in recognition of the attack, and he saw her brace herself for the inevitable, when a large, black thing jumped in the way. His sword effortlessly sank into its flesh, and through its heart, but Subject Zero was unharmed.
.Kai Leng attempted to yank his sword out of the monster, but it gripped his hands tightly with one of its own, and kept him inside.
Even so, he continued struggling to break free, kicking with all the force he could muster, but to no avail as the creature pulled him closer, its snarling jaw mere inches away. His struggling ceased when she suddenly let go of his hands, and shoved her claws into his body, the sub-dermal armor putting up a pitiful resistance for an imperceptibly short amount of time.
He felt her hand grip his spine, and an instant later, she tore him in two.
Thankfully, among the many enhancements he'd undergone was a procedure that almost entirely numbed him to pain, which made the pain of his death almost tolerable.
In his last few seconds of life, Kai Leng watched his comrades be torn apart by the monsters that had come for them.
Kara flung the remains to her feet as the rest of her team dealt with the remaining biotics. These people couldn't hope to accomplish anything more than slowing her down, but to their credit, they did slow her down. Kara turned to look at Jack as the woman pushed herself to her feet. "Fuckers thought they were hot-shit." She said derisively, before spitting on one of the corpses. "Thanks." Jack said offhandedly.
Kara merely hummed in response as she looked back at the man she had killed. The hate and anger she had seen in his eyes when he attacked had looked almost personal. She pushed those thoughts from her mind, and focused back on the task at hand.
Jack Harper was close, just a few more rooms before they reached him. The rest of her team quickly regrouped once they finished off the remaining hostiles, then joined her as she pushed onwards.
As they moved through the next two rooms, Kara noticed that they looked like workshops. Although her surroundings didn't look like they had been built to accommodate any vehicle she had seen Cerberus deploy. Thick metal lattices protruded from the ground, with anchors dangling from the top. Kara tried to imagine what would fit beneath them, and the only figures that made sense were bipedal.
But again, she had to push the distractions from her mind. Whatever they were working on wasn't here anymore. If it was still on the station, they would deal with it. She hastened to join her team, who had been waiting for her by the door.
Nora cocked her head in a questioning gesture. Kara simply shook hers in response, indicating it wasn't important, and Nora opened the door.
Laura was the first through, and as such, was the first to be on the receiving end of incoming fire. The rest of the team poured in, and Kara saw what had previously occupied the workshop.
Three large bipedal mechs occupied the room, and were armed with what was no doubt a high powered cannon on the right arm, and a simple claw on the left. Kara was surprised by the design of the machines. They were remarkably well constructed, emitting virtually no vibrations or exhaust, allowing them to remain hidden until the doors were open.
Kara's team immediately opened fire on all three targets. Their shields were quickly depleted, unable to withstand the concentrated fire from energy weapons for long.
Their armor though, was another matter. The thick metal plating showed little signs of damage, even from repeated blasts. And their canopies proved similarly resilient.
But as strong as their defenses were, they were still big and slow. Jack managed to duck behind the doorway as one of them took aim and fired. The round impacted the ground just through the door, and exploded.
Kara hissed. Jack gave no indication of being either injured or unharmed, but she couldn't worry about that when she still had a fight to win. Her weapons were ineffective, but maybe some old fashioned CQC would work better.
Kara slid her rifle over her shoulder, and the magnetic clasps on her back gripped the weapon tightly as she released it. As the mech finally turned to face her, Kara lunged forward, gripping its left knee, and slammed her shoulder into its hips.
A metallic boom sounded as she collided with the mech, knocking it off its feet. Kara quickly clambered on top, catching a glimpse of the Human inside.
The woman wasn't wearing any armor; in fact, it looked as though she'd just rushed out of bed and into her mech. Kara could see the look of shock in the Human's eyes, unable to believe what had transpired. But she quickly recovered, and Kara saw her manipulating controls with her right hand.
Sure enough, the mech's corresponding limb began to move, intent on shooting her. Kara bared her fangs and hissed as she grappled the limb with her left hand. Metal servo's began to whine and sputter as they wrestled with impossibly strong muscle, and again, the pilot inside appeared to grow worried.
Kara pushed the limb back down with all her might, the metal groaning in protest, then adjusted her position, pinning the limb underfoot in a crouch. Kara raised her right arm, and with a snarl slammed it down with as much force as she could muster upon the canopy.
She felt the impact reverberate through her arm, her flesh and muscle throbbed in protest, but Kara didn't relent, smashing her fist into the canopy again and again, using her bones as a battering ram.
Cracks began to form in the crystalline structure, growing larger and larger with each impact, before finally shattering.
Without missing a beat, Kara raised her bruised arm again. The woman raised her hands in front of her face, but they put up no resistance as Kara launched her fist again, striking the woman in the center of her head.
She pushed herself off the machine, and spared a glance at her comrades. The rest of her squad had each paired off and engaged one mech each pair, dispatching them much quicker than Kara had.
Jack leaned around the corner, shotgun at the ready. When she saw it was clear, she reached into one of her pockets, and pulled out a bar practically made of proteins and calories to replace the energy she'd used up thus far.
That last fight with the Cerberus biotics had probably pushed her harder than any other fight she'd been in, save the battle on the Collector station.
"How are you holding up?" Kara asked as Jack finished the bar.
Jack shrugged, looking at Kara's bloodied fist. "Better than that bitch."
Kara hummed in response, then retrieved her rifle. As they left the room, Kara cast one last glance back at the fallen mechs. Once they were done here, she'd have to have her forces perform a thorough sweep of the station. For all of its faults, Cerberus certainly wasn't lacking in weaponry; perhaps those weapons would serve others better. They reached the door to the Illusive Man, and Kara turned to Jack. "Give me a moment to talk to him, then you can do whatever you want to him when I'm done."
"Deal." Jack hissed.
The Illusive Man finished off his last cigar as he watched the scene unfold before him. The Atlas mechs had been another of Cerberus's many expensive weapons projects. And now they were garbage littering the station. He mashed the cigar against the ashtray by his side, then swiveled his seat to face the door to his room.
It opened, and Kara's team poured through, surrounding him with their weapons drawn. He saw Subject Zero's eyes burn with a seething hatred that would kill him in an instant if it could.
But to his surprise, the woman did nothing as Kara stepped forward.
"So, was it all worth it? Destroying Cerberus, killing anyone and everyone you could to get here?" The Illusive Man said, a hint of edge in his voice.
"Don't moralize to me, we both know your hands are almost as bloody as mine. The only reason I'm talking to you is to give your followers a chance to surrender, and to turn over everything of value to the Alliance." Kara said coldly.
"So you do understand how important the work we did here was? Why it needed to be done? Why Cerberus exists?" He responded.
Kara growled. "You built Cerberus as a reaction to what the Turians did to your home, and your people. You built it to safeguard Humanity from any threat. How you went about your work is indefensible… but why you did it, that I can understand."
"Then you understand why I won't just hand over all that Cerberus accomplished to people that would throw it all away." The Illusive Man said bitterly.
"I'll see to it that they won't." Kara said.
"And how do you plan on doing that?"
"The Reapers are coming, and though the response hasn't been as swift as you would have liked, the rest of the galaxy is waking up. Cerberus will die, and in their desperation, the Alliance and the Council will strip its corpse of anything they can use in the coming war. You claim that everything you have done is to protect Humanity, so prove it. Give me access."
In spite of everything, the Illusive Man allowed himself a small smile. "I had hoped we could work together to fight them. You, me and Shepard. But you made it clear that wasn't an option. You and Shepard. I was worried it was because you were idealists, but that wasn't it, was it?" He said as he rose from his seat.
"You just couldn't trust me with a gun, could you?" He asked, as he sent Kara his access codes.
"You were a variable I couldn't afford to deal with. So you had to die." And there it was, the pragmatism he had grown to admire in her. Kara turned to leave, having gotten what she wanted. Subject Zero however, remained behind, and biotic energy began to swirl around her body, a cruel smile on her lips. Before she took her revenge, Jack Harper steeled himself with one final thought: Cerberus was an idea; an idea that attracted some of the best and brightest Humanity had to offer. An idea that would outlast him.
He closed his eyes as his victim unleashed all her pent up rage.
We're almost at the end of ME 2, only two more chapters after this. I won't lie, burnout has been creeping in after working on Mass Effect for two years now, but I am committed to finishing it. Thanks everyone for taking the time to read these stories!