Spirit Unto Dawn

by free man writer

Spartan's found only to be lost. A ship filled with humans in a galaxy not their own. The Spirit of Fire finds itself with new allies in a galaxy they are unfamiliar with, dealing with its own set of problems and apocalyptic enemies. Co-created and written with BulletStormX. UNDERGOING REWRITE AND REVAMP

9. Chapter 9

So, wow, Samara just swoops in and steals Jorge. And that was a pretty close race to boot, but still Samara won. Well done, Sam, you got the gentle giant who's also one of the longest lasting super-soldiers.

Thanks to all the reviews for the last chapter and things are starting to kick off. There's a lot that's gonna go down in the coming chapters with a seismic shift in the galaxy as a whole due to everything that is to transpire in the events of ME1. The Spartans and the Spirit of Fire, for the most part have operated on their own accords.

But it is an eventuality that they will become a more public presence.

How you may ask? Well that's for me and BulletStormX to know and for you all to find out as the chapters keep coming out.

So until that time…

Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.

Spirit Unto Dawn Chapter 9: Gathering Madness

Was the galaxy going insane?

Or was it just him?

Miranda Lawson, his best operative, a person that he relies on had just finished debriefing him on her sudden wayward voyage over to the Alliance colony of Tasu.

Upon her bringing up her sister, The Illusive Man didn't really need much more explanation other than that. Much as she was a faithful subordinate and operative of Cerberus, The Illusive Man wasn't blind to her absolute loyalty to her sister. He wanted to reprimand Ms. Lawson for what she had done.

Yet the intel that Miss Lawson provided for him was her saving grace. Otherwise, abandoning her orders and nearly being seen by the freed captives of Tasu would have not certainly bode well at all for his best operative. Regardless, she came back with information on the mystery of the armor beings.

Spartans, as they call themselves. The name of the ancient warriors from Greece, famous in human history for their defining moment in the Battle of Thermopylae. Fitting for these armored warriors as Miss Lawson recounts one of them, Master Chief as he calls himself, saved her sister from the Batarians with ruthless precision before they could even react.

It wasn't just him but five others as well. The reported Red Team of Akuze were sighted along with the black armored individual and another one of gargantuan proportions. In total there are now six of these Spartans. The black armored Spartan especially, with his Geth partner, has been a bane to Cerberus due to their actions against them these past few months. Cerberus can no longer operate as they used too with Alliance cracking down on them, not just their bases but also rounding up supporters that have funded the organizations. Luckily, his undercover spies haven't been compromised and followed protocol to maintain their cover. If the spies felt they were suspected in any way shape or form, then they were to destroy all evidence of Cerberus involvement.

The Illusive Man inhaled his cigar before exhaling, giving the data before him a stern look before gazing up at Miranda who stood in front of his desk.

"Tell me, Ms. Lawson. What do you make of these Spartans? Any personal opinions?"

He gazed at her with his eyes, gauging at her reaction. She was stoic and completely professional.

"They appear to be either a new form of a mech or perhaps a new breed of Super Soldiers." Miranda surmised. "Their movements, technology, skill set and capabilities are completely unlike anything I or perhaps anyone else had ever seen. The fact that it took a total of only six of these Spartans to not only repel but decimate an entire attack force of Batarians says a lot about the threat they pose."

The Illusive Man was only silent as she went on.

"There's also the matter of their callsigns." She stated. "A number of those who had managed to speak with them did not refer to them with names but numbers. 117, 052, B312 or Six, 092, 042 and 130. That leaves room to the possibility of there being more than just the ones we saw on Tasu."

Her leader only nodded his head, smoking his cigar followed by a sip of his scotch.

"There's something else I need to speak with you about, Ms. Lawson." The Illusive Man said, leaning back into his seat. "One of my little birdies in the Alliance reported an interesting development concerning your sister."

Miranda only straightened further.

"Because of your actions on Tasu, the Alliance is aware of your sister now, believing that she is a person of interest connected to Cerberus from accounts of freed captives you rescued." The Illusive Man saw recognition on the part of his operative. "As a result, the Alliance is now surveying your sister of suspensions that she may or may not have connections to Cerberus. She could be an operative in their eyes, or even a target for us to go after."

Miranda now closed her eyes, concentrating on calming her beating heart. The Illusive Man placed his cigar on his ashtray and folded his fingers onto his desk.

"Do you understand the implications of what you caused? Was the safety of your sister worth the risk that now a target is put on Oriana?" The Illusive Man inquired calmly.

She was silent.

"Miranda, do you realize now that under any circumstance, you are not allowed to see your sister until either someone from Cerberus shows up at her doorstep or believes she is not a target anymore."

Miranda exhaled softly, stealing herself with a nod. "So long as she's safe, that's all that matters."

"Let this be a lesson that your actions reflect Cerberus as a whole and how we operate. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir." Miranda said with a crisp voice, the Illusive Man nodding in satisfaction.

"Good, you may carry on."

Miranda nodded, turning to leave while the Illusive Man went back into his contemplative state from before.

A good thing in her eyes came from this, her sister at least can be protected now that she is being monitored by the Alliance. Now no one knows not to mess with her only family now.

Meanwhile, within the Citadel, debate and news raged all across the large structure. New outlets were covering the events that had occurred on the Human colony of Tasu and the main topic of discussion naturally revolved around the six super-soldiers that were seen on the planet's surface.

Unlike the many previous times before, there were no cameras that got shut down or no audio recordings that were disrupted.

No, everyone was able to hear and see everything that transpired on the colony of Tasu.

The Citadel was abuzz with conversations and speculations, all focused on the mystery surrounding these "Spartans". Many were beginning to wonder if they were some kind of human experiment due to the use of the name Spartan under the Alliance.

It was a human term and culture after all that dates back to ancient human history.

The Alliance naturally denied this, in a shocking display of unashamedly pointing to Cerberus about a splinter group of humans that didn't agree with the Alliance working under Citadel Council laws.

There was also the matter of those who had been captured by Batarian slavers at one point speaking up about them being rescued by the Spartan in black.

Many humans on top of Turians, Salarians and Asari were all voicing their own stories and encounters with their liberator that had freed them so many months ago. On top of that madness was the matter of the Geth Platform that was usually seen accompanying that Spartan.

Alliance command was also frazzled on the matter that their original plan of having the Spartans be a rumor was quite literally thrown under the bus because of what happened on Tasu. so much for discretion and private investigation. Now they had to work with the Council as a whole in order to figure out just who and what they were exactly.

The problem is, where in the hell are they?

Whenever anyone asked around for information on these Spartans, every result came up with nothing. Even the damned Shadow Broker, the kingpin of information within this galaxy, had nothing on these Spartans still.

They just appeared whenever trouble was afoot in the loosest term possible, sweep up and then up and vanish without a trace left behind other than the carnage in their wake. Alliance and Citadel Fleets have been put on alert to be on the lookout for the descriptions of a jet-like ship.

To compound on this growing insanity, The Batarian Hegemony as of late has been struggling putting down more and more of slave uprising in the light of Tasu. With the uprising slaves were the Anti-Slave faction within the hegemony that was now beginning to grow in power, influence and support. More have flocked to the cause hoping to put an end to the Batarian slave empire forever. It was time they got with the program of the rest of the galaxy.

The news eventually reached the crew of the Normandy who had just wrapped up a mission on Feros.

"What the hell is going on out there?" Ashley asked aloud, sitting within the cargo bay as the Normandy ground crew watched the news in regard to the attack on Tasu.

"Galaxy's going to shit, that's what." Wrex retorted with an amused huff, watching the recorded feed of the six individuals that have been the feature headlines of all media outlets.

"Those are the guys, right?" Jenkins asked, looking to Lieutenant-Commander Jane Shepard. "They're the ones you encountered on Akuze?"

Jane only nodded; eyes pinned on the three Spartans that had rescued her on that former Human colony while looking over the other three.

"Spirits, they're gigantic." Garrus noted, watching as the one in black armor along with the larger armored Spartan took on an entire battalion of Batarians and absolutely devastated them.

It was utterly ruthless, how quickly and efficiently they had killed them off.

Then there was the playback of the lone individual that gave out his title of Master Chief, slaughtering another batch of Batarians with only a knife and what could be described to be a pistol of some kind.

"Jesus Christ." Kaidan murmured. "These guys are fucking ruthless."

"Keelah." Tali muttered, watching the black one swing some sort of club/hammer type weapon that broke bodies and sent them flying.

Wrex took a particular liking to that one. "Shit, where the hell can I get something like that?"

"Sure ain't on the market, that's for sure." Jane stated, crossing her arms.

"They said they were Spartans." Liara spoke up, her expression thoughtful. "That's what all the reports said, what Jane said and now all these people on Tasu. And we know that the term Spartan is in correlation with humanity…"

"So you think there's a possibility that these guys are human then?" Kaidan surmised for Liara with the Asari nodding.

"Can humans grow that big?" Tali inquired.

"Not like that." Jenkins said, thumbing a particular screenshot of one of the Spartans towering over everyone they stood next to that wasn't one of their team.

"They don't move like they're human." Ashley remarked. "Look at how that one grabbed a Batarian by the neck. And he wasn't even looking in his direction!"

"Goddess." Liara squirmed at the sight of the Batarian literally dying when the Spartan crushed his neck in an instant.

Wrex only chuckled approvingly. "Look at these bastards go."

"What do you make of all this, Commander?" Garrus asked, turning to Michael who had been silently gazing at the news feed with an observant eye.

He had been silent for the most part since leaving Feros and now he was watching news outlets of the madness going on in the rest of the galaxy.

"Well, they seem to be all about helping people out." Michael said with a shrug. "They saved my sister and had been helping out these past few months. This just confirms they're real and not some made up rumor."

"So you think they're allies?" Kaidan asked.

Michael looked over to his lieutenant before turning to Jane who caught his eye. They both held very similar thoughts on many matters and this one was no different.

"They saved my sister's life." Michael said plainly with a soft smile. "I think that earns them a few brownie points."

"Brownie points?" Their alien comrades repeated aloud with the humans chuckling.

"Skipper means that they've earned some leeway." Ashley clarified.

"And with them going around helping others, I'd say they're not enemies at the very least." Jenkins stated

Michael hummed in thought. "Well, you guys keep yourselves entertained. High time I spoke with the Council."

He waved at them as he walked away, heading off to the meeting room of the Normandy.

As soon as he entered, Joker's voice chimed in through the intercom.

"Mission reports are filed, Commander. You want me to patch you through to the Council?"

"Patch them through, Joker."

"Setting up the link now, Commander."

Before the Commander appeared the holo-displays of the three council members of the Citadel. Tevos, the Asari representatives. Valern, the Salarian and Sparatus, the Turian.

"We've received your report, Commander. Exogeni should have told us about the Thorian. It would have made your job much easier." Tevos began.

"You might have been able to capture it for study instead of destroying it." said Valern.

"Did you read the part about the mind control?" Michael asked rhetorically. "The Thorian liked to enslave minds. Anyone who studied it would've ended up as one of its thralls."

There was momentary silence shared between the Council.

"Perhaps it's for the best, then. At least the colony was saved." Tevos said with a nod.

"Of course it was saved. Shepard would go to any lengths to help a human colony." Sparatus said with a slight sneer.

"Being human had nothing to do with it. They were in trouble." Michael said firmly, crossing his arms.

"Sparatus." Tevos admonished, with the Turian scoffing.

"Admirable. But sometimes Spectres have to make sacrifices. I hope you're willing to do that when the time comes." Valern stated.

"That's not all we have to talk about. We've received information that may be critical to your mission against Saren." Tevos looked at Shepard expectantly.

"I'll take all the help I can get." Michael said

"We've received an urgent message from one of our infiltration regiments in the Traverse." Valern said

"I'm listening," Michael said.

"We currently have several infiltration units scattered throughout the border regions of Citadel space. This particular unit was gathering intel on Saren." Valern said

"What did they find?" Michael asked

"Unfortunately, the message we received was little more than static. The infiltration team must be in a situation where they can't set up proper interstellar communications. But the message was sent on a channel reserved for mission-critical communications. Whatever they were trying to tell us, we know it was important. Considering your interest in Saren, we thought you might want to investigate this. Find out what happened to our team. The signal originated from the planet Virmire." Valern said

"I'll look into it." Michael assured.

"The Council prefers not to become involved in the specifics of Spectre activities. We only want you to be aware of all your options, including Virmire." Valern said.

"Good luck, Commander Shepard. We'll keep you advised if we learn anything else. Tevos said.

The transmission ended, leaving the human Spectre to contemplate on past and present actions to come. Michael's thoughts turn to what went down on Feros.

The mission on Feros on the other hand reveals an interesting revelation of their own. They learned more about Reapers indoctrinating abilities and Michael obtaining something referred to as a Cipher. Liara theorized that the Cipher could paint a clearer image of what the commander's visions were about. If Saren got the visions on Feros too that means he one step closer to finding the Conduit.

And one step closer to taking out Saren.

"Joker."

"Yeah Commander?"

"Set a course for Virmire."

"Roger that, Shepard."

-Scene Cut-

Autumn, UNSC Firebase

It's been days since the Spartans have returned from their successful mission on Tasu. Captain Cutter was proud to hear the Spartans prevented Batarian from taking any captured civilians from the colony. But a part of him felt saddened to hear the loss of life despite Spartan intervention.

Still, it was better than just allowing the raiders to run rampant across yet another colony.

It wasn't long before news reached the SOF of the Spartan actions on Tasu were making headlines all across the galaxy courtesy of their Geth allies.

The Geth have certainly been one of the more surprising aspects of this new universe as they have become such unexpected allies. The Geth representative Cortana had named Red was one that was constantly on Autumn, learning about this humanity while also being a source of constant information for the Spirit crew. Red had even taken to showing Cortana and Dot how the digital streams and data of this galaxy functioned to add to their own capabilities.

Red had made a few comments about how interesting it would be if all of galactic sentient life held their open mindedness for AI like they have.

Yet Cortana made the remark of how, while the UNSC was used to and constantly needed AI, they were definitely a bit hesitant to be working with aliens after their own personal history.

Still, as busy and hectic as the galaxy was right now, the Spirit of Fire crew had their own hands full with setting up base, vehicle, weapons and suit maintenance as well as still trying to figure out a way home.

Engineers had also reported back about the state of the Covenant Supercarrier wreckage resting atop the mountains nearby. With Dots assessment, the engineering team believed the Supercarrier is beyond repair. Even attempting to rebuild a ship of this size will take years to complete even with assistance from the newly constructed Forerunner Drones and the two Huragok. It will be a waste of resources to do so when said resources and time can be allocated elsewhere.

Auntie Dot suggested stripping the Supercarrier wreckage to be used for later purposes which Cutter agreed to wholeheartedly.

So while the super carrier was stripped of its parts, the base was under construction and the SOF personnel was getting settled…

One Jorge-052 sat upon a rock atop a hill a few miles out from the base and SOF.

He wore his armor, save for his helmet, as most Spartans tended to do even when off duty. Cutter had given them momentary reprieve with the Spartans going about either training, resting or… whatever else Spartans would do in their free time.

Jorge usually takes the silent intro and retrospective, taking a moment to think over his situation and what else was to come.

Allowed him to contemplate on his future. On the future of his Spartan brethren.

The planet they currently resided on was pleasant, a garden world, if he could use a term within this universe.

It sort of reminded him of Reach though not as rugged if that's what he would call it. Very nice open plains with a lot of greenery.

"There you are."

Blinking, Jorge looked back to see Noble Six approaching, fully armored in his own suit.

"Nathan." Jorge nodded. "What can I do for you?"

The Spartan-III shrugged, going over to stand beside his older friend.

"Just wondering where you went off to." Six admitted, Five gesturing to a spot next to him.

Nodding, Six sat down with him leaning his arms on his knees. "What's on your mind?"

Jorge did that same gesture Six did a moment ago, his large shoulders moving up and down as he returned his gaze to the open plains.

"Just thinking of what's gonna happen to us." Jorge said, rubbing his beard. "We're in the middle of a galaxy that's not our own after all. Who's to say we won't be stuck here forever."

Six hummed in thought. "Won't disagree with you there, Jorge. We all got here by accident. But that means there's a possibility of us "accidentally" getting back to our home."

"You think so?"

"Who's to say, big man."

"Big man." Jorge snorted. "Emile… always was a pretentious bastard with how he acted. But he was still a Spartan. And a friend."

"Told me the same thing you told me before Uppercut. How you wanted to have a farm after the war was all said and done."

"He remembered that, huh?" Jorge smiled softly. "Yeah, maybe I can now with the war being done and all." the Spartan-II's mood turned more melancholic for a moment. "I only wish it was Reach. I wish I was there to do more than that needless sacrifice."

He felt Six pat him on the shoulder.

"It was a split second decision with a lot of bullshit that made ya do it." Six reminded him. "I'd rather you had not seen the entire team go down."

"Still doesn't make me feel much better." Jorge said. "Knowing all of Noble is gone."

Both were silent, reflecting on the loss of their brothers and sister.

"We're still here." Six stated. "Noble team lives on with us. And who knows. Maybe Jun is still alive out there. I wouldn't put it past the marksman to find his own way off Reach."

Jorge chortled aloud. "That does sound like him."

Both returned to simply gazing at the open field.

"Think that spot there would make for a good farm?" Six asked, pointing to a random spot to the right.

Gazing at it, Jorge shook his head. "Not the proper angling for the sunlight to hit the crops."

"How could you tell? The entire field is flat."

"It may seem like that, but a keen eye could distinguish it." Jorge said with a smirk, tapping the corner of his right eye. "Reach is known for their farmlands. Picked up on a few important factors."

"I'll take your word for it." Six replied with an amused shake of his head.

"Noble Five and Noble Six, Captain Cutter request for all Spartan to meet in the Command Center, Geth Red has intel on the whereabouts of the Heretics"

Six and Five heard Dot's voice glancing at each other, knowing that their break was officially over.

Departing from their little resting spot, B312 and 052 returned to base where they met up with Chief and Red team.

The Six Spartans arrived at the command center of their new base, standing at attention and in line with Cutter, Red and Cortana before them. Legion had already been there, with the Geth platform joining the line with the Spartans. Apparently, Red has found the possible location of the Geth splinter group that has been alluding the Consensus for months now.

"Are you sure that this is the Heretics the Geth Consensus have been after?" Six asked

"That's what Red here believes." Cutter stated.

"The Consensus has been monitoring various communications all across Alliance and Citadel space. While the Spartans and Legion halted the Batarian attack on Tasu, we picked up Geth communication coming from the human colony of Feros. We monitor them closely and follow their transmissions and travels with all of it culminating to this planet where they currently reside." Red informed the group as an image of the planet appears.

"Virmire." Cortana repeated, going over to the planet and its data. "Frontier world, as it's called. Ideal for colonization but with it residing in the Terminus system you could say there's no chance of a vacation home showing up there anytime soon."

"And the heretics are there." Jerome said. "Why?"

Red's fins moved about. "The Heretics follow the old machine and the rogue Spectre that is named Saren. There is a likely chance that either Saren or the Old machine reside on Virmire or both. Wherever the heretics are spotted, Saren is also present."

"We also intercept encryption of a Salarian STG sending a priority message"

The Spartans were silent as they digested this information.

"Cortana." Chief spoke up. "Saren is the Rogue Spectre that the human Spectre Michael Shepard is pursuing, is he not?"

Cortana crossed her arms for a moment. "Yeah he is… which means-"

"We could run into him and the ship he's travelling on as well as his crew." Jerome finished for the AI with the other Spartans thinking on this matter.

"What's the game plan Captain?" Noble Five inquired.

"There's a lot of elements we're dealing with here." Cutter stated. "From what we have learned, Spectres are the right arm of the Council. They are privy to a lot of leeway and information should they so please. A rogue Spectre with a few decades of experience on top of an army of Geth at his disposal isn't something that's best left running around freely in this galaxy."

He looked to the seven standing in front of him with sharp eyes. "Spartans. Legion. Your mission is simple. Go in, take out the Heretics and eliminate the Rogue Spectre Saren."

"SIR!" All six Spartans snapped into a salute.

Before they departed, Six stepped forward. "Captain Cutter."

"Lieutenant."

"Is this a mission that requires stealth?" Six inquired, a question that the other Spartans had considered.

Cutter silently contemplated on the inquiry, arms behind his back.

"We gave the galaxy quite the spectacle on Tasu. At this point stealth is no longer an option unless it is necessary. And it seems that from what I have seen of this crew under the command of Michael Shepard, they seem to be quite an interesting collection of individuals." Cutter said. "Proceed at your own discretion Spartans. And if you're to meet Commander Shepard and his crew, be sure to put your best foot forward. Wouldn't want a bad first impression."

"I don't think it'll be that bad." Cortana remarked with a small smirk. "Red leader here with his team already swooped in and saved the Commanders little sister."

"All the more power to them then."

Virmire

Michael and Jane stood together behind Joker as they made the approach to Virmire. The pilot had made several attempts to contact the STG team and nothing came back meaning that there were most likely signal jammers in place.

"Still not getting anything on the Salarians, but I'm picking up the same distress signal close to some kind of facility at these coordinates." said Joker bringing up a few displays. "I'm also picking up several AA guns stationed around the area. Too hot for us to get in."

"That must be Saren's research base." said Jane looking over the readings.

"With the AA guns in place the Normandy will be blown out of the sky before we make landfall. We'll have to be dropped in the Mako just out of their range and take them out on foot so Joker can land closer." Michael declared.

The Commander thought over his plans for a moment before looking back to the pilot, "Take us in Joker and make a passing drop. We'll clear the way for you." He said as he and Jane headed toward the cargo hold.

"Aye, aye." said Joker as he got ready to go in.

The two Shepards notify everyone along the way and piled into the rover as they got ready to be dropped in. "Jane, you're driving this time?" asked Kaidan as Michael climbed into the turret.

"Thought I'd give you guys a break from Michael crazy ass driving." she said, earning a light kick in the back of the head from her brother.

"You are no better Jane, and you know it." Michael said in a joking insulted tone.

'Were almost at the LZ guys. Get ready.' said Joker of the comms as the cargo bay doors opened revealing the paradise-like world of Virmire as they flew in closer. Jane hit the switch and the Mako started rolling. 'In three...two...one...GO!'

Jane stepped on the gas and flew out of the hanger. Quickly activating the thrusters as all six wheels hit the ground and skidded to a stop. "Good work Joker, clean drop. Keep yourself at a safe distance until those towers are down." said Michael as Jane began driving down the water covered path.

"I know the drill. Meet you guys at the STG base once the towers are offline. Joker out."

The Mako rounded a few bends in the river as the team traveled farther in. The Mako onboard HUD gave Jane a readout of the area as Kaidan marked the path for them to go through.

"Geth sighted." Jane warned, pivoting the Mako as rockets were sent their way.

Michael aimed the cannon and blew two Geth rocket drones away giving them an opening to pass. "How many Geth do you think Saren has stationed here?" asked Jane as she checked for more.

"This is his base of operations, right?" Kaidan asked

"That's what the council told us." Michael remarked.

"Keelah." Tali groaned. "Then that's more than enough of a concern for us."

"That fills me with all the confidence in the world." Ashley dryly stated.

"I got none now." Jenkins said flatly.

"Shut up, you all signed up for this." Michael said with knowing tone.

They encountered roughly a dozen more Assault and Rocket drones along the river. A Juggernaut had been among them but had met a satisfying end via one of the rover's front wheels.

"And you said my driving was crazy?" Michael grunted, blasting a Shock Trooper away as they passed through a Geth encampment at rapid speeds.

"Alright, fine." Kaidan said. "Then neither of you are ever gonna drive again.

"We outrank you." both Shepard siblings said in unison.

"We outnumber you." Was the collective counter from the rest of their squad and friends.

"Hey, for the record, that Geth popped up in front of me." said Jane as she activated the thrusters to jump over an incoming rocket.

Everyone rolled their eyes as they drove up to a facility where the first AA gun was stationed. After clearing out what they could with the Mako's turret, the team got out with their weapons ready as they stormed the building.

"Tali, Wrex, Kaidan, up front with me." Michael ordered as they ran forward, firing at the Geth stationed in the facility. "Jane, take Ashley, Liara and Jenkins and Garrus cover us in the rear."

Michael raised his assault rifle and took down a Geth Trooper as they reached the top of the structure. Jane's shotgun and Garrus' rifle registered nearby as two more platforms fell over dead.

The entire team worked in unison as they fought through the facility.

"Jane, go on ahead. Tali, switch out with Garrus." Michael ordered with Wrex and Kaidan taking up his sides as they fought off the Geth while Tali went with Jane as Garrus joined Michael.

"Let's get that gun offline, come on." said Jane as her group approached the room that had been built into the rock face next to the checkpoint.

The squad saw movement inside and got into cover on either side of the opening. "Liara, hit'em with a singularity." said Jane. The Asari nodded, charging her biotics before throwing the energy into the room.

When it detonated, three Stalkers were pulled into the gravity-well allowing the team to pick them off easier. They stormed the room ready for more but found it empty. Tali headed over to the panel that controlled the guns and hacked into it. A few minutes later they all walked out as the guns powered down.

"That's one down." Garrus said as Jane started the Mako back up with the team all piling back in and drove through the checkpoint.

"More Geth sighted." Jane said a large plasma bolt barely missed hitting the front end of the vehicle.

"Colossus!" Michael shouted as he swung the cannon around and began blasting away at the large Geth. Jane spun the wheels to avoid another blast from the platform's main gun while the Commander kept the pressure on.

"I think I might throw up." Liara said, changing into another shade of blue.

"Stop complaining, we're being shot at!" Jane and Michael shouted.

"Geez, they really are brother and sister." Wrex chortled.

The Colossus braced itself and fired another plasma blast that Jane was barely able to avoid. The Mako's shields dropped a little from the close call making Ashley curse. "We have to take this thing out before we take a direct hit."

Michael fired another blast from the cannon knocking the Geth's shields out completely. Jane spun the rover around again until they were facing the Colossus.

"Jane?" Michael Said, wondering what his sister was up too.

"You guys better hang on to something!" she shouted, gunning the accelerator and sending them speeding toward the hostile. The squad braced themselves as the Mako rammed into the large synthetic. Its front legs crumpled under the strike and collapsed onto the ground and crunching under the heavy wheels as they drove over it and continued on.

Jane let out a breath as they moved back on the path, "Everyone okay?" she asked looking over her shoulder.

"When this is over, you're done being the driver." Kaidan stated, shaking his head.

"Why in the hell do you get a say?"

"We all do." Ashley said aloud. "By decree of popular vote."

"I can overrule it." Michael said.

"Skipper, just shoot." Jenkins said blandly.

"Your weekend pass is revoked, private." Michael said, blasting an Armature that tried to flank them.

"I think it won't matter if we crash."

The younger Shepard sibling only shrugged before running down a Shock Trooper in their way before continuing.

They had eventually taken down yet another AA gun, making good time when they all heard something roaring and echoing across the valley.

Standing outside the Mako, the Normandy squad didn't know what the sound could possibly be. In response, they formed a defensive perimeter with the Mako serving as a makeshift cover of sorts.

'What was that?" Jenkins asked aloud.

Wrex grunted. "Whatever it was, it was big, sounded pissed and-"

"Look!" Tali abruptly shouted, pointing up at the sky from her viewpoint.

The entire team turned in the direction of where she was pointing with many eyes widening and jaws dropping. They saw, just in time, a ship appearing to decloak itself from camouflage and fly straight towards the remaining AA guns.

A plethora of lead and rockets bombarded the remaining guns, destroying them in the process. The ship did another sweep, making sure to thoroughly eradicate the AA guns leaving nothing left behind.

To say that the team was stunned would be a bit of an understatement.

…

…

…

"H-Holy shit!" Ashley exclaimed. "What the fuck was that?!"

"I've never seen a ship like that." Tali said aloud.

Though it took her a moment, realization dawned upon her.

"It's them!" Jane said aloud in stunned disbelief.

"Them?" Kaidan said in confusion.

"Them." Jane said emphatically. "The ones who saved me on Akuze. Red Team. The Spartans."

"The Spartans." Wrex murmured with clear intrigue.

"What are they doing here?" Tali asked. "Weren't they spotted on Tasu? Why come here?"

Michael's eyes narrowed as he saw the ship fly up into the sky and vanished.

"Guess we'll find out." He said. "Everyone, back in the Mako. We're still out in the open here."

It had taken them all another 15 to 20 minutes, fighting through several remaining Geth blockades and squadrons waiting for them before notifying that it was clear and giving Normandy a big enough opening to move in and approach the STG camp set up close to Saren's.

The Mako followed along on the ground when Joker contacted them. "Commander, Normandy's touch down at the base, but it looks like we're grounded. The Salarian Captain can explain when you get here."

"Gotcha Joker. We're almost there." Michael said as the Mako approached the small military installation setup on a riverbank nearly two clicks from the target location.

The Mako stopped at the front of the camp, the Normandy being close by.

Exiting the rover, Michael Shepard led his group forward as they were greeted by a Salarian approaching them.

"Who is in command here?" Michael asked aloud. "The council sent us."

"It's a pleasure to see more friendlier faces then." The Salarian stated with Michael nodding. "I'm Captain Kirrahe, Third Infiltration Regiment STG." he introduced himself. "And your crew has just landed in the middle of a hot zone. Every AA gun within ten miles had been alerted to your presence."

"So there's more that we missed?' Jenkins asked. "Should we hop in and take care of them?"

"Hardy har har, Jenkins." Kaidan said, flicking the side of the private's helmet.

"That's just great. What now?" Michal asked.

"We stay put until the Council sends the reinforcements we requested." Kirrahe stated.

Everyone looked at each other. "We're all that they sent. Your distress signal was hard to understand and they sent us to investigate." Jane revealed much to the ire of the Salarian captain.

Kirrahe rubbed his eyes in frustration, "I lost half my men investigating this place. We would need a fleet to take this facility out."

"What did you find?" The Spectre of the group asked.

"Saren's base of operations. He's set up a research facility here, but it's crawling with Geth and is heavily fortified." Kirrahe said, gazing at the facility. "From what our teams have been able to catch from outgoing comm chatter, Saren's using the base to breed an army of Krogan."

Wrex stomped across the sand over hearing them, "How is that possible?" he rumbled.

"Apparently, he's discovered a cure for the genophage." Kirrahe said with a grim tone.

"Jesus." Ashley said aloud in shock.

"Dealing with the Geth is one thing, but if Saren breeds a Krogan army to fight for him he'd be unstoppable." Jane said in clear concern

Kirrahe nodded, "Exactly my thoughts. We must ensure that this facility and its secrets are destroyed."

"Destroyed? I don't think so." Wrex growled with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Our people are dying. This cure could save them."

"If the cure leaves this planet the Krogan will become unstoppable. We cannot afford to make the same mistake twice." Kirrahe said with a final tone.

Wrex growled and got in the Salarian face. "We are not a mistake!" he roared before stomping off and heading far down the beach.

Kirrahe looked back at them. "Is he going to be a problem? We have enough angry Krogan running around."

Everyone had spread out along the beach as the combined efforts of the STG Regiment and the crew of the Normandy prepared themselves for the imminent assault on Saren's base.

Tensions had been high, especially with the possibility of Wrex going off the handle when he was told about the destruction of the cure for the genophage the traitor supposedly had. Thankfully, Michael's words seemed to have sunk into the Warlord and he remained a team player.

Michael stood beside Jane and Captain Kirrahe as they looked over a map readout of the facility two clicks away. "With a stronghold this large, we will need either an orbital strike, or enough ordinance to completely destroy it." Jane said.

"Orbital bombardment wouldn't work." Michael stated as he pointed to several spots within the structure. "Saren has several Geth signal jammers inside to disrupt that. And taking them out one by one will waste time. Coupled with the fact the building itself is built to withstand heavy damage from the outside. We need to take it all out in one shot."

"We've already come up with the right plan," Kirrahe brought up. "We've converted our ship's drive system into a twenty-kiloton ordnance. Crude, but effective."

The Salarian pointed at a marked location on the map, "Here, past the breeding sector is the perfect location to place it. Your ship can drop it off, but we need to infiltrate the base while disabling the AA guns and any ground forces first."

"Meeting their forces head on would be suicidal. Their numbers are greater." Jane stated, biting her lip.

"We might be able to work around that," The Captain said determinedly. "I'm going to divide my men into three teams and hit the front of the facility. While we've got their attention you can sneak a shadow team in the back."

"Your men will be slaughtered, Kirrahe." Michaels tone was grim, looking at the Salarian.

"We're tougher than we look. But it's true. I don't expect many of us to survive the assault. And that makes what I'm going to ask even more difficult." Kirrahe looked to the two Shepard siblings. "I need one of your men to accompany me. To help coordinate the teams."

The rest of the ground team had approached during the conversation. "It's a big risk, but he's right. We're going to need both teams for this plan to work." Kaidan said. "I volunteer."

"Not so fast, LT. You'll be needed in arming the nuke. I'll go with the Salarians." Ashley countered.

Kaidan turned to her, "With all due respect, Gunnery Chief, it's not your place to decide."

Ash sighed. "Why is it that whenever someone says, 'with all due respect' they really mean 'kiss my ass'?"

"Both of these two will do. Both seem willing to sacrifice their lives if necessary, though if we are lucky, such sacrifices won't be required." Kirrahe stated with finality.

"I'm not entirely sure about this." Michael spoke up. "If this is Saren's base of operations with the possibility of a Krogan army, we may not be enough."

"Then what do you suggest, Commander?" Kirrahe inquired.

Before he could respond, the camp heard the sound of the AA guns in the distance firing repeatedly at something that clearly caught their attention. What followed was a cacophony of intense gunfire and loud thrusters until all within the camp saw a ship fly by.

One that was very familiar to the Normandy crew.

"It's them again!" Jane said aloud, running out of the camp.

"Them again?" Kirrahe said aloud in confusion.

"The Spartans." Michael clarified. "Don't know if you've heard about them Captain but-"

"They're landing!" Tali cut them all off, the jet-like ship swooping around and above the camp before beginning its descent down to the ground.

Many were hesitant to approach save for Lieutenant Commander Jane Shepard who stepped forward, undaunted by the blowing winds that came from the ship that placed itself upon solid ground. She was joined by her brother who would rather not see his sister stand alone.

Tali, Kaidan, Ashley and Garrus joined them as they were the closest to the two and waited with bated breath as the back of the ship opened.

Slowly, the ramp extended outward and the team couldn't help but tense up as they heard metallic footsteps coming from the ship's interior. The inside was shaded, making it a bit difficult to see.

One may call it dramatic shadowing.

It was an unusual phenomena for the Normandy crew that stood before this strange ship with time appearing to slow down around them. If it could be described, it was as if the Normandy crew had a shared sense of tunnel vision as they zeroed in on the ship's interior when they all saw a large, green armored boot appear out of the shadows.

Soon enough, six gargantuan armored individuals walked out of the ship and walked towards the Normandy crew that were rather tense.

A moment of silence hung in the air as both groups stood before one another until…

"Commander Michael Shepard?" The lead one spoke up, voice gravely and low.

The human Spectre inclined his head up, giving the one speaking a weary look.

"That's me."

In an instant, all six snapped into a crisp military salute that was certainly not what Michael was expecting.

"Master Chief Petty Officer, Sierra 117." The front one introduced himself. "Chief or 117 for short."

…

"Oh, Commander Michael Shepard. Systems Alliance." Shepard saluted back. "This is my sister, Lieutenant Commander Jane Shepard and my crew."

They introduced themselves politely and cordially though when getting to Urdnot Wrex, it was slightly gruff and one of clear intrigue.

After the Normandy crew introduced themselves, Jane Shepard stepped forward, particularly in the direction of one Spartan with a diagonal red accent on his chest piece.

"So~ good to see you and your team once more." Jane said with a small appreciative smile, giving nods towards 042 and 130.

"Ma'am." 092 said respectfully.

"You're the ones who helped my sister on Akuze." Michael was now standing next to Jane, gazing at Red Team.

"Just doing our duty, Commander." 042 responded calmly.

"Right." Both brother and sister smirked with the former's expression turning serious. "And you two are?"

"Warrant Officer 052. Callsign Noble Five" The largest of the group said with a European accent.

"Lieutenant-B312." The black armored one stated. "Noble Six."

"Six?" Tali'Zorah perked up, moving to the front of her group. "You wouldn't happen to be… Spartan-Six, yes?"

The Spartan-III eyed the Quarian who flinched slightly under his gaze, even though she couldn't see his eyes.

But Keelah was he large and intimidating. They all were.

The Spartan then nodded making Tali let out a shaky breath.

"I know this may seem sudden but… thank you."

Many looked at the interaction between the two in slight confusion. Did something already happen between the two that they were unaware of?

Tali rubbed her wrist while shifting about a bit anxiously.

"I don't know if you remember this or not but… you saved a dear friend of mine not too long ago." Tali said softly. "She was captured-"

"By the Batarians." B312 interrupted with the Spartan recalling the time he saw the single Quarian during his first raid against the slave raiders. "Yes, I remember her."

Though it wasn't visible enough to see, one could easily feel the elation of the Quarian as well as see her glowing eyes beaming.

"She is alive and well thanks to you." Tali said, more happily now. "I can't thank you enough for what you did."

Six only opted to nod his head silently.

"Guess there's a greater debt we owe you." Michael commented with a small smirk, looking to the Master Chief. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you all doing out here? Seems like a strange place to encounter figures like yourselves after stirring up quite the ruckus on Tasu."

"Let's just say that our personal objectives coincide." Noble Five stated.

The Normandy crew didn't reply at first with them looking at one another.

"Wait." Ashley gazed at them questionably. "You don't mean Saren do you?"

"In a manner of speaking." 092 said vaguely. "Our mission correlates with yours to a degree. It helps your team indirectly."

"And that means?' Jane crossed her arms expectantly.

Before the Spartans were able to respond, a synthetic voice from the ship called out to them.

"Spartans, we have detected our target within the facility."

Everyone turned back with the inhabitants of this universe having their eyes widen with them going for their firearms.

In an instant, the Spartans backed away to stand as a defensive wall for the Geth that had come out of their ship whose fins were moving about in confusion.

"He's with us." B312 said straight away, a tone that brokered no room for argument.

A tone that was promptly ignored by one Krogan Battlemaster.

"Why in the hell is a Geth with you?"

"He's here to help us." Chief spoke up. "He's on our side and we need to leave it at that. We're wasting time here."

"We may be here for Saren but our objectives are separate." 092 said.

"How… What the hell is going on?!" Ashley asked aloud.

"Excuse me."

All heads now turned towards the Salarian Captain Kirrahe who stood in between the two groups with a slightly impatient look.

"I understand this is all sudden, but need I remind you all that we are in the middle of a mission involving the capture of a rogue Spectre." Kirrahe said dryly, looking over to the Spartans. "I don't fully know who or what you all are other than what the rumors have to say but you said you're here for Saren, correct?"

The Spartans all nodded.

"And that Geth with you," The Salarian gave a more concerned look. "It's with you, you say?"

"Legion is here to assist us on our mission." Chief stated.

"Legion?" several people repeated.

"And what would that be?" Michael Shepard asked.

The Spartans didn't respond at first, B312 looking over to Chief with the Spartan-II nodding a moment later.

"There is a priority target associated with Saren Arterius who holds a great amount of information that may be vital for the galaxy to know of." Six explained.

"A priority target?" Jane said in confusion.

"Like Matriarch Benezia." Jerome said. "This target is someone we need to get to before it's too late."

"Well who is it then?" Kaidan asked with a scrutinizing gaze.

"A Geth Platform."

The universe natives of this galaxy turned their heads towards the lone Geth who had spoken.

"D-did the Geth just talk?" Private Jenkins asked aloud.

"Instead of shooting at us, yes." Garrus said dryly. "Yes it did."

"Since when could Geth speak?" Liara inquired with nervousness and awe.

"Since this one has been with me." Six stated.

"This one with you?" Wrex scoffed. "I thought Geth just made stuttering noises like those warbles and static crap we've been hearing whenever they shot at us."

"Not this one." Jorge said, standing next to Legion in a defensive manner.

"Human hardware does not support your analog aural communication is ineffective"

"What Legion is saying is that Geth preferred direct digital transfer Geth network communication travel at the speed of light." Noble Six clarified.

"That's why we couldn't understand Geth but you guys can manage to fix that" Jenkins said with a snap of his fingers.

Six shook his head. "No, Legion came to us like this."

"A Geth that speaks." Tali muttered. "Y-you! You're the Geth that was with Six when he saved my friend. She said there was a Geth there with him."

"I thought that was just a rumor." Kaidan said.

"Clearly it's not." Michael was eyeing the Geth who stood with its sole optic on Tali. He shifted slightly closer to her.

"We are here with the important mission of tracking and capturing a Geth Platform designated Vital." Legion said with his synthetic voice unknowingly causing several organics to feel a shudder down their spines. "We must get to the Geth before Saren becomes aware of our presence and the heretic exits the platform it is utilizing."

"Legion is right." Chief's gravelly voice prevented anyone else from speaking up. "Right now, Saren and his forces are more than likely ready for whatever it is we may throw at them."

"We need to hit them hard and fast, now." Jerome emphasized.

"Agreed." Kirrahe said with a nod. "You decide among yourselves. I must debrief my troops for the op."

The Salarian walked away, leaving the two groups to stand parallel to one another.

"So how are we doing this?" 130 asked aloud, making some blink at her. "Yes?"

"Er, uh, nothing, nothing." Kaidan remarked.

"So how are we doing this then?" Michael looked at the Spartans. "We're all here on the same planet assaulting the same base at once."

"We have our mission, you have yours." Chief said plainly.

"Yes, we know that." Jane said cautiously. "But it's just…"

"You don't fully trust us." Jerome said plainly.

"Look, you saved my life." Jane said unashamedly. "And you just saved thousands of lives on Tasu. Nobody is here to question your integrity or whatever."

"It's just the thought of a Geth on our side is certainly… alien to us." Ashley finished for the LT-Commander getting a nod out of the red-head.

Jorge hummed in thought. "How about this then." Everyone turned to him. "As a show of good faith, one of you may accompany us on our mission."

Michael crossed his arms. "That… sounds reasonable."

"You can choose." Jerome said with the Spectre momentarily looking back to his team when Jane stepped forward.

"I'll go with you." Jane said determinedly, making her older brother's head snap in her direction.

"Ja-"

"I've worked with these guys, brief as it was bro." Jane said with a small smile for her brother. "Trust me on this."

He wanted to argue with his sister, but this was Jane. Jane, his little sister who was just as stubborn as he was. Once she commits, she seldom ever retracts.

Letting out a sigh, he gave his little sister an expectant look.

"Jane, make sure you play nice with the walking mechs who could shred armies apart."

His sister only snorted, poking the side of his head with her going over to the Spartans who nodded at her.

Michael then went over to Captain Kirrahe with Jane rejoining the Normandy group. They were slightly surprised with the two Spartans, 117 and 092, coming over to join them.

Kirrahe turned to Michael Shepard and his retinue with him having addressed his troops. "Everything is set in place?"

"We're all set, Captain." Michael said with Kirrahe nodding in satisfaction.

"You haven't chosen the teams yet, so who's going with who Commander?" Jenkins asked.

Michael took a moment to inspect his team before nodding.

"Kaidan, Jenkins, you two are going with Kirrahe and his men. No heroics, understand?" Both men nodded.

"Tali, we need you to assist Williams with the nuke preparation. We don't want the Geth to find a way to hack it and shut it down should it be left unattended."

The young Quarian nodded as she and Williams headed back to the Normandy to make sure everything was ready for the assault.

"That leaves Garrus, Wrex, and Liara. The three of you will be with us on the shadow team. We'll enter the back of the facility when the time is right." Michael said with the three chosen nodding as well with Wrex grinning in excitement.

"I'll have the ordnance loaded on to the Normandy and brief the crew on its detonation sequencing." Kirrahe said. "Is there any questions either of you want answered?"

"If the Normandy is picking us all up, how will your team escape the blast?" Jane asked.

"We will engage the Geth as long as possible. Once the bomb is in place, we will fall back to try and escape the blast radius. If we move quickly, we should be able to escape with acceptable casualties. If not, then our memories will live on as martyrs to a greater cause." Kirrahe elaborated.

"Let's not jump to that result just yet, Captain." Jane stated with a frown.

"We will do what we must." Was all Kirrahe replied with.

"Alright then." Michael looked at Kirrahe. "We're ready when you are Captain."

"Excellent. Then if you'll excuse me, I need to prepare my men." The Salarian said, walking away towards the other Salarians.

"Good luck everyone." Michael said to his team in particular. "Keep your heads low and like I said before, no heroics."

When everything was said and done, everyone separated and began their tasks. Ready to strike the base and put an end to Saren's plans.

"Comm check. Does anyone read me?" Kirrahe asked over the comms.

With the Spectre, he led Garrus, Liara and Wrex in a diamond-shaped formation with him holding his hand up as a gesture for them to wait.

"Loud and clear." Michael responded as the shadow team stayed low and kept moving.

"Good. We'll start our push. We'll try to make it to the AA guns, but it might be up to you to finish the job." The Salarian Captain said as the link ended.

"We'll get you cleared, Kirrahe, you can count on that." Shepard assured, raising his rifle with the others following suit and beginning their walk towards the base.

Meanwhile...

Jane walked beside the two Spartans that were in charge, 117 and 092. They dwarfed her in size with them being at least two heads taller than her.

Hell, they all were.

The only one in this group remotely close to her size was the Geth that they referred to as Legion.

She briefly glanced over to the Geth that was with them, trying to fight back a shudder as she saw it speak to the black armored Spartan called Six. A Geth speaking.

"We have detected a small contingent of Geth at the end of this corridor on the other side of the doorway." Legion's synthetic voice was unnerving to Jane yet the Spartans took it in stride.

"What are we dealing with?" Chief inquired.

"Two dozen Geth platforms." Legion's optic grew and shrank. "Juggernauts, basic soldiers, crawlers. They appear to be unaware of our presence."

"Cortana is already masking our presence." 092 stated.

"We go in fast." Chief said. "130, Six, 092, the four of us will breach first. Close quarters. Lieutenant Commander hang back with 042, five and Legion. Pick off the Geth from a distance."

They all nodded with Jane finding herself moving back. It was strange at how mechanically these individuals move. More so then the Geth that was with them.

The four that would breach and be the first ones in line themselves up on either side of the door, two on each side. Jane felt a strange sense of anxiety come over her as she began breathing to calm herself while grasping her rifle.

The Master Chief held up his hand and counted down each finger. Soon as he made the fist, the door was flung open and the four Spartans rushed in.

The Geth inside swerved their heads in the direction of four large blurs that had grabbed the closest Geth to them and took them out through a litany of ways. Either a bullet in the head, getting bashed into the ground or striking them with such force it shattered or dented the point of impact.

The other four followed in behind the breachers, firing at any and every Geth within their sights.

Jane had to blink at how quickly it ended, looking around to see scrapped Geth.

"There is a likely chance that they are aware of our presence." Legion spoke up.

"How?" 130 looked to the Geth and a moment later...

"Commander." Kaidan's voice chimed in. "We've engaged the enemy. They're sending out numbers in droves."

"Copy that, Kaidan." Jane's brother responded. "We'll see what we could do on our end to lighten up the load."

"Would appreciate it, Commander." Jenkins spoke this time; a snap being heard followed by the private cursing.

"Jane."

"Hey bro. What's shaking?" Jane answered nonchalantly, earning a grunt of amusement from the other side.

"What's your status?"

"Breached the first room." Jane said. "Took out some Geth and we're moving on to the next one."

"Copy that, sis." Michael said. "Keep me… actually, have you encountered any communication panels?"

"Communication Panels?" Jane repeated.

"We just took on out." It was Wrex who responded this time. "May be useful in helping out those Pyjaks out on the beach with Alenko and Jenkins. That captain mentioned something about their targeting being all screwy."

"Hear that, Jane?"

"Loud and clear, bro." Jane said, looking to the Spartans who appeared ready to move on to the next area.

What she was unaware of was the private discussion the Spartans were having between one another and their AI companion who had heard what the human Spectre and Krogan told them about the Geth communication panels.

"Think you can take them out, Cortana?" Jorge asked.

"If we can just get to one, I can hack into the system and deactivate all those panels in an instant." Cortana declared confidently.

"Can you locate Vital while you're in the system?" Chief inquired.

"Can I?" Cortana joked rhetorically, obvious to what she was insinuating.

"Let's move." Chief said aloud, a small smirk beneath his helmet.

The team went on their way, exiting the small facility they had infiltrated out into the open interior of the facility.

"There's a communication tower if you follow this stream here on the right." Cortana said to the Spartans and Legion. "Get me hooked in and the Geth here are all on their own."

Chief nodded, contacting the other infiltration team.

"Commander Shepard."

There was a moment of silence.

"Master Chief, correct?"

"Yes sir." 117 confirmed. "Commander, focus on getting into the base first. My team and I have the means of disabling the Geth Communication Panels all at once rather than going from one separate location to the others."

"Are you certain?"

Rather than Chief answering, the Spectre got an answer in the form of Kaidan's voice sounding slightly strained.

"God damn bastards. Commander, what's your situation? Geth are starting to pile up on us out here."

Shepard cursed on his end. "We'll leave you to it, Chief."

"Copy that." Chief looked back at the others. "Let's move."

Leading the team, Chief was the first to spot several Geth drones floating about, taking them out in rapid succession.

Their destruction caught the attention of a patrol of Geth Destroyers and crawlers, with the team engaging them, pairing off into small groups of two. The four pairings concentrated on taking out one Geth at a time at fast firing rates, moving on to the others.

"Krogan!" Jane yelled out as she saw two barreling towards them at full speeds.

"Five, 042." Jerome said aloud, pointing at the charging Krogan.

The two Spartans merely placed their weapons aside for a brief moment while facing the plated aliens.

What she saw next stunned her to an equal degree as what she saw on Akuze. The one known as Noble Five held up both his arms with the Krogan in front drew closer. Soon as he was an inch away, Jane could barely see the Spartan-II grab the Krogan at such speeds that its head was indented into the ground behind him a moment later.

The Krogan's body slumped over unmoving a moment later.

Douglas sidestepped his Krogan and threw his knee up into the gut of the plated warrior with the Krogan letting out a gasp and a liquidy cough. He fell to the ground after an emphatic punch to its temple.

Upon hitting the ground, 042 planted his boot upon the head of the Krogan with a sickening crunch beneath his foot.

Several other Krogan were firing at them yet they were disposed of a few moments later from the other Spartans concentrating their fire upon them. The lead of their bullets tore through the kinetic barriers and armor of the Krogan leaving bloody piles in their wake.

'Jesus, I need something like that.' Jane internally mused, following after the Spartans as they arrived at the communication tower.

It was crawling with Geth as well as more Krogan who saw them coming and immediately began firing upon them.

"Spread out." Chief ordered, sticking to the pairings they had made.

Jane was beside 092 with the two moving behind a large rock that served as cover.

Six was with Five, Legion with 042 and Chief with 130.

"Six, Five, clear us a path." 092 said aloud. "LT, stay behind me, we're moving up."

Jane only nodded, seeing Five and Six move out from their cover out of the corner of her eye and begin to go up to the comm tower.

Six used Five's massive frame as cover with the latter utilizing his giant chaingun to unleash a torrent of lead upon the Geth and Krogan stationed at the tower. The Geth merely stood by and got shot down while the Krogan only roared aloud, either taking cover or for a select few, tossing aside their weapons and running straight at the Spartans.

Three got shot down while one was still charging at Five and Six.

This one didn't get far as a green blur crashed into it, the large alien finding itself being pinned down by Spartan-130.

It looked up in time to see the barrel of a shotgun being pointed directly at its face until it knew no more.

The communication tower was cleared of hostiles several minutes later with Chief and Legion standing in front of the main control panel of the structure.

"Will this spot work?" Chief asked both AIs.

"With Construct-Cortana's advanced capabilities, it should be relatively quick in disabling the Heretics targeting system and other higher functioning processes."

"Daw, you hear that Chief?" Cortana sounded bashful. "He complimented me. Said I was really skilled and capable. He's making me blush."

Legion's fins moved about in intrigue. It wanted to ask yet the Master Chief held his hand out above the panel and it glowed with purple data streams transferring into the panel.

"Alright." Cortana said to the Spartans via their private comms. "I'm in. Just give… me… a… moment… and… there!"

It didn't take that long for Kaidan and Jenkins from their end to chime in on the momentary reprieve, Kirrahe and his forces managing to gain some ground over their enemies.

"Alright, that takes care of one problem." Jerome declared, going up to Chief. "Any ideas on where our target is?"

"Got him pinned." Cortana stated proudly.

"Where is he?" Chief asked.

"Over in the main facility." Cortana said. "Where Saren is."

"Is he-"

"Not near the Turian." Cortana said. "So let's take the advantage we have and get a move on."

With nothing else needed to be said, the unit began to jog towards the main facility of the base none the wiser of what had recently transpired within the structure.

"Goddess…" Liara T'soni said aloud, sharing in the shock with her teammates after the exchange they had just had.

"You can say that again." Michael muttered expression troubled.

Shepard couldn't believe it, he spoke to Sovereign, a Reaper. It wasn't just him who witnessed the whole ordeal. Garrus, Liara, and Wrex were also in shock but quickly hid it realizing they had a mission to do. For now they gotta keep moving. They were brought out of their thoughts when Joker called in.

"Commander, we got trouble!" Joker said over the radio.

"Hit us, Joker." Michael stated as they headed back toward the lift.

"That ship, Sovereign? It's moving. I don't know what you did down there, but that thing just pulled a turn that would shear any of our ships in half. It's coming your way and it's coming hard! You need to wrap things up there fast!" urged the pilot.

"This console is busted, Shepard." Garrus pointed out. "Where to next?"

"Only one stop left really." Wrex stated. "Where they're making that cure."

Shepard nodded with the four breaking off into a run to get out of this room and towards their next destination.

"We're already moving Joker, has Williams and Tali finished up with the nuke?" Michael inquired as they rode the lift back up to the main floor.

"It's ready. We just need to set it up and arm it." came Williams' voice.

"We're heading for the breeding facility now, meet us there when we clear the place out." The Spectre instructed as the lift stopped and they headed out. The door leading back to the office opened and the team dodged as a rocket flew past them and exploded inside the elevator.

All four weapons focused on the lone Geth Destroyer that had fired on them and took it out quickly before moving on. Through the office and back outside where a series of bridges had opened up where they passed before.

Two Krogan charged down the bridges to meet them head on. Wrex roared and charged as well, biotics forming around him as he slammed into both enemies and hurled them over the railing and into the dark waters below. "Ha! Now this is what I call a good fight!" he bellowed, taking out his Claymore and blasting a third Krogan that came out of hiding.

With the hostiles down, the team pushed on through a small corridor in the facility and back out along the outside of the base.

The breeding facility had been crawling with both Geth and Krogan alike. Shadow team was tired, Liara had taken a bullet to the arm before her barriers could get up in time but thankfully they bought plenty of medi-gel for this situation.

Despite the odds, the team's combined efforts took out all of the remaining hostiles on this side of the breeding facility. They passed through the last reinforced doorway and found themselves at the marked location where the nuke was to be set up. "Joker we're here. Bring her in." Michael said after they did one final sweep.

Shadow team waited for a few minutes and the Normandy came down from the clouds and hovered above the sector. The cargo hatch opened and a squad of marines came down the ramp carrying the makeshift nuke with Williams and following to make sure the final preparations were done

They brought the bomb over and set it up by a pillar as Williams walked over to them. "Bombs in position, we're all set he-"

"Commander, can you read me?" Jenkins interrupted over the comm.

"What's wrong Jenkins? Nuke's almost set up." Michael said in clear concern.

"We know, the Geth has us pinned down on the AA tower. We're holding but they just keep coming. Our casualties are mounting up." Jenkins was panting. "Captain, on your left!"

"We're coming to get you all, just hang on." Michael said, getting ready to move when…

"Negative!" Kaidan barked out with gunfire in the background. "Finish setting up the nuke, we'll hold them as long as we-" he was cut off by static.

"We just need a couple of minutes to finish arming the bomb. Go get them and meet us back here." Ashley said with a tone that brokered no arguments.

"Damn, Geth are sending in reinforcements." Wrex growled, eyeing the ship that flew over to where Ashley was currently stationed by herself.

"Williams, Tali. We just spotted a troop ship inbound to your location." Jenkins said over comms

"It's already here and it's bleeding Geth all over the bomb site" Ashley grunted out.

"Can you hold them off?" Shepard asked with a nervous edge.

"There's too many, I don't think we can hold them. I'm activating the nuke."

"What?!" Garrus yelled out.

"Ashley, the Nuke's on a timer, you need to get out of there!" Tali said from her end as she had remained on the Normandy.

"Doesn't matter, Tali. The place is swarming with Geth and they can deactivate it in an instant. I'm making sure this bomb goes off. No matter what. It's done Commander. Go get the lieutenant and private and get the hell out of here." Ashley grunted out.

"What the hell is going?" Jane Shepard now chimed in. "What's this I hear about someone getting left behind?"

"Jane is setting off the nuke." Liara answered worriedly. "And it seems like she intends on staying behind."

"Don't make it sound that bad." Ashley's voice was strained, gunfire going on all around her in the background. "Come guys, just go get Jenkins and Kaidan. What's one man?"

"Belay that. We can handle ourselves. Go back and get Williams." Kaidan argued.

"Ashley, what the hell happened to no heroics?" Jenkins added.

"You did not just say that."

"Alright, enough, both of you." Michael cut them off

"Commander Shepard." A different voice came in through the comms. "This Commander 092. Red Leader."

Michael glanced at his team momentarily. "Go ahead Commander."

"Focus on relieving the Salarians and your squad mates. Our team will split off and get your Sergeant out of there. We have the manpower for the job."

Shepard frowned. "Are you sure? What about your own objective?"

"Confident." 092 responded. "We'll see to the Gunnery Sergeants safety."

"Hey! I'm not some damsel in distress that needs to be saved!"

"You can act like one." Garrus said idly.

"And you are in distress." Wrex added, a groan in response though they could sense the relief.

"Appreciate the save, Red Team."

"We'll be there shortly, Sergeant, just hang on." 092 responded.

"Thank you." Shepard said sincerely, jogging in the direction where Jenkins and Kaidan were holding out. "Truly."

"Just get going, bro." Jane replied this time. "Jenkins can be gung-ho even with Kaidan reigning him in."

An offended squawk from the private was heard from his end of the line.

"Let's move people." Shepard said, running in the direction where two of his squad mates were currently in the midst of an intense battle.

Over with the Spartans, Chief watched as Red team went off with Jane Shepard accompanying them.

Their objective was nearby and they were confident with the team they have right now in capturing the Geth platform labeled Vital.

They had entered into a room with multiple holding cells that were empty for the most part. Save for a few Salarians corpses. If they could call them that.

"What happened to them?" Jorge asked, gazing at the vacant gaze of one particular Salarian.

"I am not sure." Cortana admitted, her tone conveying discomfort. "Their physical anatomy… it's altered in a way I don't recognize."

Legion approached the glass that separated him from the Salarians on the other side, his fins moving about.

"They have been touched by the Old Machine." Legion announced.

"They've been "touched" by the Old Machine?" Cortana repeated in bewilderment. "What does that even mean?"

"We'll find out when we get that Geth." Six announced. "How far off is the target?"

"Vital is several more floors above us." Cortana answered.

"Are they aware of our presence?" Chief asked, the four man squad on the move.

"They appear to be on standby for just about anything though it's not from us." Cortana said. "I've been listening in on the chatter over their comms and it appears that it's focused mostly on Commander Shepard and his crew."

"Then we better not let it go to waste." Chief stated their pace quickening as they scaled up several staircases until they were just below the floor where their target currently resided in.

"Cortana."

"Got him locked down." Cortana assured. "He's not going anywhere."

"Numbers?"

"Only a dozen. Destroyers though, so go in guns blazing." Cortana advised.

Jorge grasped his chaingun tighter while Chief switched to the plasma repeater he had taken with him and Six opted for his DMR. Legion merely held up his own shotgun and made sure it was primed and ready.

Chief was at the front with Six behind him with Legion after and Jorge covering the rear.

There was a lull of silence before Chief gestured his arm forward and the team went in.

Rushing into the room, Cortana marking their Geth target on their HUDs, they opened fire on the unsuspecting Geth.

Though they were AI with a higher degree of reaction time than most, when dealing with Spartans it was a different playing field.

In a matter of seconds, the Geth Destroyers within the room were taken out.

There were a series of warbles and static sounding fritz from the lone surviving Geth that had its leg shot off, limiting its movement.

Its lone optic moved about rapidly as a visible means of displaying that it was trying to figure out why it was still trapped in this damaged platform and how it couldn't escape. The body as a whole was similar to Legion yet it was primarily a rustic brown and had two antennas on its back. Overall, it was slightly smaller than Legion as well though the design clearly stood out.

"This is the one?" Jorge asked

"Yup." Cortana appeared next to Chiefs helmet catching the attention of the remaining Geth.

It stared at her with what could be described as wonder.

She grinned at it, momentarily flickering. "Shocking, ain't it?"

Chief merely slapped the back of his helmet. "Cortana."

"Right, right sorry." she disappeared with the damaged Geth freezing suddenly.

The optic that had a steady glow of white flickered over to a radiant violet.

Suddenly, the Spartans and Legion heard an unfamiliar pair of voices speaking to one another.

"Everything is going exactly as your predicted Sovereign. Soon the Conduit will be found and the whole galaxy will have no chance but to surrender."

"ORGANICS WILL UNDERSTAND RESISTANCE IS FUTILE AND THEY TOO SHALL SEE WHAT YOU SAREN HAVE ALREADY FORESEEN"

"And of the Geth, how do they factor into all this?"

"THEY ARE MERELY JUST OUR WILL TO ENFORCE AND THE TECHNOLOGY THEY WERE PROMISE IS ONLY AN DELUSION. THE SENTIENCE CODE I'VE SHOWN WAS ONLY A SHOW JUST TO PERSUADE THE GETH TO JOIN."

"A means to an end then."

"HAVE THE FINAL PREPARATION BEEN SET?"

"Yes, the galaxy believes the Geth are the real culprit to human colony attacks and don't suspect our movements"

"THEN ALL IS GOING ACCORDING TO PLAN. THE CYCLE SHALL NOT BE BROKEN."

It stopped, jolting the four standing out of whatever it was they were listening to.

"What was that?" Jorge asked aloud, looking to Chief.

"Cortana, wha-"

A violent explosion caught the attention of the team, with all four looking towards an open area of an AA tower where they spotted multiple Salarians with several humans, a Krogan, An Asari and a Turian all combatting against the remaining Geth and Krogan forces of the base.

"They're about to get overwhelmed." Cortana said grimly.

"Let's move." Chief ordered.

Down on the platform, Commander Shepard and co were fighting off the Geth and Krogan that Jenkins, Kaidan and the Salarians had been fighting off when suddenly the fighting stopped.

There was a moment of silence before Wrex got sent back from a biotic blast.

Everyone turned to see none other than Saren standing from a floating separate platform, firing off multiple Biotic blasts that sent their forces scurrying.

Landing on the ground, Shepard, Liara, Kaidan and Garrus fired repeatedly upon the rogue Spectre though to no avail.

He let off several more Biotic blasts causing them to take cover.

"This has been an impressive diversion, Shepard. My Geth were utterly convinced the Salarians were the real threat. Of course, it was all for nothing. I can't let you disrupt what I have accomplished here. You can't possibly understand what's really at stake." Saren said condescendingly.

"Sovereign and it's kind destroyed the Protheans! What else is there to understand?" Michael shouted back.

"You've seen the vision from the beacon, Shepard. You, of all people, should understand what the Reapers are capable of. They cannot be stopped. Do not mire yourself in a pointless revolt. Do not sacrifice everything for the sake of petty freedoms. The Protheans tried to fight, and they were utterly destroyed. Trillions dead. But what if they had bowed before the invaders? Would the Protheans still exist? Is submission not preferable to extinction?" Saren asked as though the answer was obvious.

"Do you really believe the Reapers will let us live?" Michael was incredulous at what Saren was saying.

"Now you see why I never came forward with this to the Council. We organics are driven by emotion instead of logic. We will fight even when we know we cannot win. But if we work with the Reapers, if we make ourselves useful, think how many lives could be spared! Once I understood this, I joined Sovereign, though I was aware of the… dangers. I had hoped this facility could protect me." Saren spoke with such clarity it was disturbing to the rest of the team.

"You're afraid Sovereign is influencing you. You're afraid he's controlling your thoughts." Michael countered.

"I've studied the effects of indoctrination. The more control Sovereign exerts, the less capable subject becomes. That is my saving grace. Sovereign needs me to find the Conduit. My mind is still my own… for now. But the transformation from ally to servant can be subtle. I will not let it happen to me." Saren said with complete confidence.

Michael knew he would need to try a different tactic for this one. "Tell me why Sovereign needs the Conduit. Tell me what it is. Maybe we find a way to stop them."

"The Conduit is the key to your destruction and my salvation; Sovereign needs my help to find it. This is the only reason I have not been indoctrinated."

"Why are the Geth following Sovereign?" Michael asked.

"They believe Sovereign to be some kind of god. The pinnacle of their own evolution. But the reaction of their deity is most telling: it is insulted. Sovereign does not desire the pitiful devotions the Geth hurl at it. They are just tools, and no amount of belief on their part will change that. But as tools, they are useful. They will survive the coming invasion. If organic life is to survive, we must also prove we are useful. We must with the Reapers." Saren said.

"Sovereign's manipulating you and you don't even know it! You're already under its power!" Michael yelled, trying to reason with the rogue Spectre.

"No! Sovereign needs me." Saren sounded as though he was convincing himself more than Shepard. "If I find the Conduit, I've been promised a reprieve from the inevitable. This is my only hope."

But Michael could see a chance now. "Don't you see? You're just a tool. Sovereign's using you. In the end you'll be tossed aside with all the rest."

There was a brief pause from the Turian before he shook his head with a snarl directed at Shepard.

"Do you think you can sway me, Shepard? Do you think I haven't already thought of this? Sovereign is a machine. It thinks like a machine. If I can prove my value, I become a resource worth maintaining. There is no other logical conclusion!"

Michael however wasn't backing down. "You were a Spectre. You were sworn to defend the galaxy. Then you broke that vow to save yourself!"

"I'm not doing this for myself! Don't you see? Sovereign will succeed. It is inevitable. My way is the only way any of us will survive! I'm forging an alliance between us and the Reapers. Between organics and machines. And in doing so, I will save more lives than have ever existed. But you would undo my work. You would doom our entire civilization to complete annihilation. And for that, you must die!"

Michael grit his teeth when he felt a three fingered hand tap him on the shoulder. Looking back, he saw Garrus merely shake his head to signify it was pointless to argue.

Slumping slightly, Shepard nodded and was ready to move out of cover and engage Saren when gunfire came from a different direction.

Most turned to see three giant armored figures with a Geth in tow firing at Saren who deftly threw up a Biotic barrier to hold back the string of gunfire.

They had come up from the other end of the facility, spreading out as they fired at the Turian who snarled in anger.

The one with the number 117 on his chest rushed forward yet found himself abruptly frozen in place with a blueish-black aura. He was completely immobile and found himself straining to break free to no avail.

"Chief." Cortana cried out in worry.

'So, these are Biotics.' Chief internally mused, his mind going on overdrive on just how to get out of this situation.

"Ah, the unknown variables that have been plaguing the galaxy." Saren sneered. "To think I would run into you all here of all places."

"Life is full of surprises." Chief managed out.

"Ah, a smartass then." Saren said with a mocking tone. "You must be human. What other group of fools would rush as recklessly in to challenge their superiors? Not even Krogan are that foolish."

Saren was broken out of his monologue by gunfire coming from the other two Spartans, Legion and Shepard's team that were all pointing their guns at him.

He was outnumbered and outgunned with what appeared to be no means of escape.

He was trapped.

Saren snarled, looking around for any means of escape when…

*VVVVVVVBWWOOOOOOOOOOO*

An ear splitting horn/bellow of some kind echoed across the entire land, causing many to fall to their knees and throw their hands up to their ears.

Chief dropped to the ground after Saren released his stasis though even he couldn't fight the ringing in his ears that seemed to keep him still.

He craned his head up at Saren who was looking over at the human Spectre before the Turian opted to take the chance he was given and make his escape.

Shepard stood up and glared in defeat at Saren escaping when he remembered something more important to him.

Whirling around in the direction where he had left Williams, he threw his hand up to his comm piece.

"Jane." He said desperately. "Jane, do you read me?"

He got no response for what felt like an eternity when in actuality, it was only two seconds.

There was a moment of static.

"We're good on our end Michael." Jane's voice came through making the older brother release a breath he was holding. "We got Ashley out of there and the nuke is set to go off at any moment. I suggest you hightail it out of here now!"

At that exact moment, the Normandy came down like before and hovered not far from the platform they were all on. "Come on guys we gotta go! More Geth are on the way and I do mean more!" Joker said urgently.

Without needing another incentive everyone, Shepards team, the Salarians, the Spartans and their one Geth ally bolted towards the Normandy that had a ramp out for them to get into the ship.

Up above, the Prowler NOBLE flew up into space, exiting Virmire's atmosphere just as the entirety of the Normandy/STG/UNSC crew entered the Normandy.

"Joker, get us the hell outta here!"

The helmsman gunned it and blasted off toward the sky. They barely breached the atmosphere when the ground where they had just been lit up in a massive orange ball that was easily seen from space as the ship headed straight for the nearby mass relay.

"Is everyone alright?" Shepard asked aloud, both to the group before him and on the comms.

He got a number of responses, but overall, those that were alive remained alive.

Though Saren got away, they had at least destroyed his base, the means of which to create a slave Krogan army and now had him on the run for the time being.

Still…

He did not look forward to the report he had to give to the Council.

Shepard just hoped to god they would believe him about the Reapers.

-Scene Cut-

Autumn

Temporary UNSC base of The Spirit Of Fire.

Anders Lab

Ellen Anders had been diligently going over the vitals and radiation of one Sergeant John Forge who currently lay before her in his Cryopod.

She had gone through several files, possible experiments and hypotheses on what is the cause of Forge not waking up and what could be done to wake him up.

For the past few weeks, all she got was constant results of failure.

It was frustrating to say the least. Anders felt a great debt towards the gruff jarhead that had saved her life and sacrificed himself to prevent the covenant from gaining the means of ending the war sooner than later.

His sacrifice was one of many that contributed to the eventual end of the war.

They may have not been around to see its conclusion but at the very least, they may find the means of getting home to help in rebuilding and simply enjoy life.

If only they weren't thrown into another universe and galaxy similar to home with its own set of problems and conflicts they would more than likely throw themselves into. After all, the Spartan known as Noble Six was already doing that since getting here.

Slouching slightly, Anders took a seat next to the Cryopod and held up her datapad. She began sifting through a number of files, from resource management, to the strange technology this universe had to...

…

…

…

Sitting up, Anders had her eyes glued to the screen before her feeling herself inhale sharply.

*Radiation purge 100%*

Anders was staring at data results that just came in.

She couldn't believe it. After trial and error, it was now possible. She figured it out.

The simulation that Dot plays gives her the success rate she needs to pull this off.

Without a moment of hesitation, she called in Captain Cutter who was in the middle of a meeting with several high ranking officials of the Fire.

"Anders?" He responded on his end. "What's goi-"

"Captain." Anders cut him off excitedly. "I figured out a way to wake up Forge."

And there we have it folks, another chapter said and done.

So, a lot happened here. The Spartans officially met Shepard and his crew and while their meetings were brief, it set the stage for what is to come later on.

I figure some would have wanted more interactions and dialog exchanges but we'll save that for the next chapter due to the necessity of the mission of Virmire for this one.

BSX: It's fitting that chapter ten will be the one to end the ME 1 Arc. So much more to come and the fallout.

FMW: Yeah, that one will take a while to finish overall due to the course of the Spartans officially having their true meetings with the Normandy crew, going back to the Spirit of Fire for their reports while also dealing with Ilos and Sovereign's attack on the Citadel. If not chapter ten, it'll probably be split in two.

BSX: Thank you all for voting once again and I believe we're also done with polls.

FMW: Maybe Alice is all that's left and in all honesty, got a real special idea for Alice. So Douglas is having his done though in all honesty with how it's going, probably will shut it down cause it's so obvious who's gonna win. Probably put up Alice's soon after and see what happens.

Anyway, other than that, thanks again for voting and reading.

Until next time comrades.

Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.