This is an Emergency Broadcast from the Office of Citadel Security Services, on orders of the Council of the Citadel.
This is not a drill.
A state of emergency has been declared on the Citadel station. All citizens aboard the station are immediately directed to comply with all orders from the Office of Citadel Security Services.
This is not a drill.
All citizens are directed by the Office of Citadel Security to travel to their nearest docking station. Do bring any luggage, nor any animals or pets. Only photo or Omni-ID. Evacuation shuttles arrive every fifteen minutes from Bekenstien.
Emergency Evacuation in Progress
This is not a drill
Be aware of your surroundings. Remain alert.
This is not a drill.
...
The massive hanger was mostly empty. Very little of the marine defenses still remained. Dim purple star light and the shadow of Covenant ships painted the blue-lit hanger.
Cerberus didn't even bother to secure the position. There was no point. Punch in, punch out.
Yet, now Cerberus was using it as a main LZ. A Phantom dropped off regular Cerberus troops. Infantry secured the marine AA rocket platforms and scavenged unsecure weapons. Following the Phantom, two Spirits entered. They were holding something in its arms, dropping it off onto the platform.
Cerberus combat mechs. Heavily armed Atlas mechs. Yet instead of the standard rocket, it looked like they were armed with a UNSC-styled twenty-mil miniguns.
More Covenant stolen transports were incoming. Something was happening. They pushed security outward. The Master Chief observed from a three-hundred meters out, hiding in the shadows. From what he could see, the infantry unit was defending a single route. It wasn't intentional. The way their feet were positioned, the location of their defenses, and the dislocation of forward units told the story.
They were waiting for an extraction. They were waiting for VIPs.
The Master Chief brass checked his rifle and gently pressed his finger against the trigger. The first shot rang out. He let the recoil settle and took the second shot.
A Cerberus infantryman manning a rocket turret went down. The others immediately zeroed in on the Chief's position. He dislocated, jumping from the balcony onto the main pathway to the hanger. He pressed forward, getting in close to ensure those rocket turrets would be unusable.
Both Atlas mechs opened up, twenty mil providing suppressive fire. Each round pierced the metal tiles of the hanger pathway, digging in maybe a few centimeters. A few rounds hit the Chiefs shields, lighting his body in that electric yellow as he closed the 300 meter distance.
He saw another infantryman try to take control of the rocket turret. The Chief fired again. Precision fire pierced the black helmet. The visor broke, and the trooper fell to the floor.
The Chief was maybe one-hundred meters away. He jumped right when the Atlas mechs began to lead him. There was little cover. The best the Spartan could do was move into defilade, running down a adjacent pathway and into a small vehicle landing zone. The Atlas mechs dislocated, trying to get a clear shot.
The gap between the main landing and platform and the vehicle landing zone was maybe twenty meters. The vehicle LZ was maybe a couple meters higher in elevation.
With a running start, the Chief leaped across the platform. Twenty mil with intermediate tracer rounds nearly missed the Spartan, surrounding him in streaks of red laser light. The Chief was able to get one hand on the ledge, and immediately lift himself up.
A Cerberus trooper appeared over the edge, Mattock drawn. He was too close. The Chief grabbed his ankle and crushed it under the Spartan's grip. The trooper cried out in pain, nearly dropping his mattock. The Spartan pulled him over the edge, and the trooper fell into the abyss below, crying out.
The Chief got deckside, immediately sprinting to the rocket turret before Cerberus could fully respond. He finally reached the rocket turret, and turned it on the reacting Atlas mechs.
The Chief fired a salvo. Four rockets raced across the hanger and crashed into the mech's canopy, ripping apart its shields and shattering the orange glass. The smoke immediately clear, and the pilot was left in a bloody heap as the mech tipped over.
The other mech opened up with its twenty mil. The rounds hit the rocket turret, tearing apart the tubes and firing mechanisms. The Chief jumped back, digging into cover and engaging surrounding troopers. He was able to look out through the curtain shield. More transports were incoming.
Dozens of them.
Now more than likely, Cerberus is going to default to an alternative evac site.
He was about to be pinned down any moment. He looked into his inventory. Took out a bubble shield.
...
"What's the plan, Captain?" Shepard yelled as the two dug deeper into cover. The smell of cordite filled the Commander's nose. His nostrils began to bleed.
"You're the ground guy, Commander," Captain Florence said. "We're about to be over-fucking-runned. I say we make a break for it to the tunnels and get to the hanger."
And Shepard agreed. The strafing Mantis gunship was prepping the way. The Commander turned to the Bailey.
"Get the Council, now!" Shepard ordered. Bailey readied up, waiting for suppression.
Shepard readied a smoke grenade. Won't do much, but they don't have any other choice. "We don't leave anyone behind, Captain!"
"Is now the time to be a bleeding heart, Commander?"
Shepard slung the smoke grenade through his Omni-tool. A disk spun in mid-air and hit the glass frame of the broken window. White smoke immediately bursted and blocked the haze of sunlight and bullets.
"Now!" Shepard yelled. Bailey moved to the Council chambers while the remaining few C-SEC officers pulled civilians out rather violently and proceeded to the nearest elevators.
Something emerged from the smoke. Bright white armor, extremely bulky… Cerberus. Standard troops supported by engineers.
Something familiar at least.
Shepard engaged, activating his tech-armor while emptying the mag in his Carnifex. One or two troopers went down. More poured in.
"Captain, we need to move. NOW!" Shepard ordered.
"Hoorah, Commander!"
September 2nd
They didn't have enough time to pull out all the ground forces they wanted. Hell, the Infinity was barely able to gather her ten Strident-class frigates. Supplies and munitions were vastly depleted. Personnel were already exhausted.
The only way to replenish the numbers were taking swabs of Turian, Krogan, Quarian, Geth, and Asari troops stationed on Menae, along with regular Marines and Army… It was a mess. Colonel Buck, currently the only high ranking infantry officer aboard, was trying to organize groups into sections as best as he could.
"Ladies, the only intel we have is from a burst civilian transmission before the entire Citadel went dark," Captain Lasky explained to the room of commanding officers. Everyone, ranging from the general of the Turian Ninth Legion, to Miranda's team, to Colonel Buck's ODSTs - they all gathered around the holo-table. "Roland, coordinating with Elite databases, has successfully identified the enemy ships."
Captain Lasky turned to Roland. He spoke, "based on the IFF tags, these are not Covenant ships.
"These ships were...destroyed by the UNSC in the Great War in 2552 Military Calendar, 2181 Citadel Calendar… After analysis, I identified these ships are from the Covenant supercarrier Long Night of Solace…"
"That was one of the files Miranda stole from Cerberus," Garrus said. "...That means…"
There was no point in hiding it anymore. No point in strictly enforcing Cole Protocol. The head of the UNSC was in danger.
"These are Cerberus ships." Roland finished. "This is not a Covenant or Elite assault, it's a Cerberus attack."
This caused a stir of angry commotion from the crowd. People looked to each other, baffled, confused, and more importantly in rage.
"How did Cerberus acquire these ships if they were destroyed?" A Quarian commander asked.
"The Long Night of Solace was not destroyed by conventional means," Roland replied. "A Spartan special ops team utilized a slipspace drive as an improvised bomb. It consumed the midsection of the ship...along with most of the fleet it was carrying…"
...And the UNSC had never thought of the consequences. How could they? They had no idea what would've happened if they utilized a blindjump to literally rip a ship in half.
They just armed another enemy.
"You never thought of the consequences?" Miranda asked.
"Have any of you thought of the consequences once this war ends?"
"Yes! ...At least Shepard has…"
Lasky shook his head… Maybe one of the few things that didn't sit right with him on this side of the galaxy was the lack of...preservation. That being said, the UNSC had been fighting for over two decades. This war had barely lasted six months.
"When you're truly pushed to the brink, then you'll understand." Lasky replied. "Right now, Cerberus has armed themselves with Covenant ships, and more than likely armed themselves with Covenant plasma weaponry."
Lasky looked at the holo-table for a brief moment. The Infinity had successfully disengaged from theater and was pushing towards the local Relay.
"Yet even with advanced tech, Cerberus has to know they can't hold onto the Citadel." Garrus said.
"Crash and grab…" Lasky said. "The only reasonable answer. Kidnap tech, intel, command staff... It tightens our timetable."
Lord Hood, Elite, Council, and Alliance commanders… Cortana… They caught the UNSC off guard. But why would Cerberus betray them, why now?
Something had to have happened behind the scenes with Lord Hood.
"We all know the priority is the Council and all military command staff," Lasky said. "Roland already sent a priority message to UNSC HIGHCOM. They've dispatched Battle Group Honolulu and the Sixth Fleet, along with supporting ground forces."
"How many ships is that?" Praetor General Veritus asked.
"One-hundred-seventy. But estimated time of arrival is three days." Roland replied.
"Time we can't afford," Lasky answered. "We don't know how bloody of a fight it'll be to retake the Citadel. Spartan teams under Commander Palmer will deploy to secure high value strategic assets. Our first priority is getting them off station."
Lasky nodded off to Commander Palmer, "Miranda, Garrus… you know the Citadel better than anyone. Your priority will be the Council. We'll focus on military staff."
"UNSC ODSTs along with Geth shock troops will deploy around the Citadel embassies and old C-SEC academy to create an outer cordon. Turian, Krogan, Quarian, and another detachment of UNSC Marines will deploy via dropship to secure the nearby spaceports. From there, we'll try to create an MSR to evac all the VIPs we can."
"Captain…" Roland reported. "Infinity is thirty mikes from the Relay."
Lasky nodded, "ladies, mount up."
...
"All hands! This is UNSC AI Roland! Now here this: general quarters, general quarters," Roland said as the emergency klaxon sounded off. "Directions for general quarters: Starboard beam, diverting power. Ready mini-macs, starboard bow…"
"Frame of direction: Citadel is north. Where the tower is pointing towards is up," Lasky ordered. "We know the playbook for covie ships. Archer pods on standby, ready longswords for tactical nuke payload deliver if necessary. MAC rounds will deliver the final punch"
The Infinity was nearing the local Relay. They had no idea what the situation was on the other side. Assuming since no one sent a message ship through the relay, then either friendlies were fighting for control, lost control, or were completely decimated.
A ground control operator looked to the Captain from his station, "sir, nineteenth battalion reports green across the board. Ninth Combat Legion reports green across the board. Infinity Spartan detachment reports green across the board."
"Surface to action, ready all crew-served and automatic counter measures…" Roland continued.
"ETA to Relay: Thirty seconds," a navigator reported.
"Helm, once we exit the relay, activate topside emergency boosters. Push the Infinity in a downward arc and begin to deploy frigates," Lasky said to Roland. The AI nodded as he continued to relay general quarter orders.
"All hands, this is the Captain speaking. We are entering the Relay. Brace for impact!" Lasky ordered on the horn.
Lasky held onto the railing of the holo-table until his knuckles turned white. The relay was in view. A blue aurora began to surround the ship. He held his breath, and instantaneously the ship was launched through. In less than a second after chaotic rumbles and violent vibrations the black void was turned into a purple curtain of mist.
Incoming plasma bolts flew pass, striking the shields and hulls of various Citadel ships that surrounded the local Relay. A beam of pure light, a plasma lance, ignited from the distant Citadel, ripping apart a small frigate apart.
Been a long time since Captain Lasky saw one of those in action. It's still scary.
Lasky felt lighter, and an increasing pressure on his spine as the Infinity dipped downwards. The bridge rumbled as the Strident-class frigates began to deploy. Longswords protected by broadswords also launched, pushing upwards to immediately engage any nearby Cerberus ships. The forward bow turned northwards. Main MACs centered towards the nearest enemy ship.
"UNSC Scipio Africanus to UNSC Infinity, hal copy?" A voice said on the horn.
"This is Infinity actual, update us on the situation," Lasky responded.
"Pinpoint slipspace jump within the Citadel arms. They knocked out most of our cruisers and forced us out. We had to scuttle the frigates that didn't make it. Citadel Fleet command insisted we wait for reinforcements, and we don't have the numbers to engage on our own. We're standing by along with Divorce Settlement and Horatio Nelson," the captain of the Scipio Africanius reported.
Lasky confirmed, and Roland brought up a tactical display of the local Citadel. Two CCS-class battleship, six CRS-light cruisers, ten heavy corvettes, and five DAS-class storm cutters… Barely a small support element of an actual Covenant fleet.
And barely a few years ago it would've posed a challenge for any UNSC fleet. Now...Lasky guessed it would be 'easy pickings' to put it lightly.
Cerberus was risking a lot to engage with barely anything in their pocket. Maybe they weren't expecting reinforcements to arrive this soon….
Still, two CCS-battlecruisers could put up a fight.
"Sir, MAC one ready!" CWO5 Watkins reported.
"Repeating rounds, nearest ship." Lasky ordered.
"TARGETING SOLUTION ACQUIRED! CLEAR THE WAY! FIRING!" Watkins yelled.
The ship rumbled as three MAC rounds were shot into the abyss. Roland pulled up the blue-shift view. The MACs completely penetrated the nearest corvette, slashing it into pieces. The rounds continued to travel harmlessly through the arms, missing the station.
"Getting a horn, it's the Destiny Ascension." Roland reported.
Lasky nodded to put it through. The Asari, Matriarch Lidanya's voice came through. "This is Destiny Ascension actual to Infinity, we'll assume you have a plan. We'll follow your lead."
The Citadel Defense Fleet was made of around ninety-three ships led by the Destiny Ascension. While they may not be able to take them on in a technological advantage, at the very least they had the numbers. For the moment
This battle was almost...underwhelming. And that gave way to a feeling of uneasiness in Lasky. This was too easy.
More than likely, with the vast Cerberus intelligence network they seem to have, they had to know the Infinity was in deployment distance. Maybe they thought they had knocked out all communications?
Still, Cerberus wasn't budging. The two battlecruisers formed a defensive perimeter at the edge of the arms. The light cruisers, more than likely being used as troop transports, stayed behind the battlecruisers near the Citadel tower. Corvettes supported the battlecruisers, and the storm cutters remained in reserve.
Maybe they were relying on their close proximity to the Citadel, hoping the enemy would like to avoid civilian casualties.
And they were right, Lasky wouldn't risk it. Precision strikes, archer pods, and long sword strikes would suffice.
"Infinity actual to Citadel fleet, engage at long range. All UNSC ships, establish geosynchronous orbit at five lords. ROE: avoid civilian casualties and damage to the Citadel at all costs." Lasky cut the horn, and began to feel the gravity shift as the Infinity pushed forward.
Scipio Africanius, Horatio Nelson, and Divorce Settlement followed suit along with the rest of the UNSC frigates. Plasma lances barely missed the group, crushing Citadel ships that remained behind. Bolts hit the anti-matter-static shields, creating blue and green sparks that splashed against the titanium hulls. A MAC round from Horatio Nelson fired. A streak of yellow light hit the shields of the one of the distant battlecruiser. A film of blue light ignited. The CCS continued to fire.
Roland began to raise the Infinity's front bow upwards, aimed directly at the nearest battlecruiser. He fired another MAC triple repeating round. The first one missed, the next one hit the shields of the battlecruiser.
Lasky felt the engine output increase. He felt heavier, his weight shifting backwards. He gripped the railing of the holo-table.
He saw what Roland was doing. Pierce through the enemies defense, circle around and begin deployment.
"All hands, brace for impact. BRACE! BRACE! BRACE!" Lasky yelled on the ship horn.
The Infinity reached the encompassing arms of the Citadel, followed closely by the rest of the UNSC ships. The battlecruiser realized what was happening. It slowly began to reposition itself to move out of the way of the Infinity's trajectory. Unlike Reaper ships, however, it wasn't fast enough.
The Infinity's front bow steadied, and slashed its way cleaning through the CCS-battlecruiser.
"Open the pods doors now! Launch the ODSTs!" Lasky orders.
As plasma sparks and shards of purple scrapped off the sides of the hull, the bottom bay doors began to open. Nineteenth Battalion was ready. The other UNSC ships followed closely, protecting the vulnerable underbelly.
The Infinity slowed down, and began to aim the opened bay doors at the Presidium ring. One by one, brilliant streaks of light as exospheric pods ejected from the ship painted the purple mist. Hundreds of ODSTs rained fire from the Infinity.
...
"READJUST! READJUST THE YAW, GODDAMNIT!" An officer screamed, nearly deafening Buck's hearing. Ten klick drop. Plasma bolts incoming, barely missing. Feels too much like five years ago.
"KEEP YOUR SPACING! KEEP YOUR FUCKING SPACING!" Another voice screamed.
Pods will pierce the Presidium. Buck hopes to God they had airlocks because shit will depressurize fast.
The pods aimed toward the edge of the Presidium ring. Hopefully most pods will hit right behind the main hangers and near Citadel Traffic Control. Ninth Legion, and the mish-mash of various Citadel troops will land at the hanger. Establish the foothold, join up, try to find Lord Hood and other highly valuable VIPs. Textbook.
The ring came closer. Covenant… Oh, sorry, Cerberus ships darted close by, too busy engaging the monstrous Infinity.
The first row of pods pierced the metal roof of the Presidium, leaving nothing but gaping holes of light. Buck's pod hit next, crushing through maybe two feet of metal. Screeching and twisting metals scraping against the outer shield of his pod until it slowed down and stopped at a Citadel floor. A small, blue-lit hallway with a puddle covered in water. Another pod landed a few meters away from his position.
Buck cracked open the hatch and stepped into the puddle. Across from him was Lieutenant Rookie.
"Sir…" He said in a very quiet voice, "aren't we worried about civilian casualties when our pods land?"
"Don't think about it," Buck answered.
...
September 2nd
Three days of pure blackness, intertwined with wisps of dark purple. And still…. Every time Liara had entered the bridge, there the Shipmaster sat. Deep in thought, he didn't speak.
The quietness… It gave too much time for Liara to think. When she was alone in her room, surrounded by panels… She constantly cried. She constantly regretted not having anything to remind her of Shepard. Just...memories and emotions that no normal being will probably ever experience in their life. The extreme bouts of anger and sadness and grieving dotted with only small glimpses of happiness and purity... The first time they talked one on one; the first time they slept together; the first time she saw him again in two years; when she saw him again on Mars… And every quiet moment the two had together.
She would sacrifice her life if it meant just being with him...one last time…
She would sacrifice everything.
She felt tears forming again during the worst time possible: when she was on the bridge.
Shepard...he couldn't be dead…. She feared every day that she would lose him in this war. More so than seeing the death of her people, or...
Even with the prowess of...that Spartan, Shepard couldn't be dead…
Maybe the Shipmaster was right.
"Yet you still mourn him?" The Shipmaster noticed.
"What would your species do?"
The Shipmaster looked out into the blackness for a moment, "honor him. Be it through continued struggle or vengeance…"
"And you're denying me that."
"For now…" A blinking blue light appeared on the Shipmaster's console. "We are about to reach the Citadel. Return to your vessel. We'll support whatever human forces are present. You will want to launch immediately, Asari."
"And the Spartans?" Liara asked.
"They'll take their own ship, I assure you. Now go."
With that, Liara made her way to the Normandy. Most of the Asari refugees had huddled under the shadow of the frigate. She passed by crowds of Asari refugees who tried to ask her questions. She couldn't make them out. She had no idea what they were saying.
Tali met her on the ramp. The two entered the cargo bay and readied up next to the Kodiak.
"How're you feeling?" Tali asked.
"I should be asking you that…" Liara said, her voice tinged with guilt.
"We've all been shot before…" Tali replied. She had been taking large amounts of antibiotics and antiviral shots twice a day. "Remember that time on the Shadow Broker's ship?"
Liara couldn't help but smirk, even if it was small, "I only got a shattered foot that time."
"Just thank your Goddess you don't get sick every time you get injured."
Wrex also approached them. They switched back to a three-man team. It was more maneuverable, and they'll be able to reach the Council more quickly… Or, reach whoever left was alive.
"Warriors! Prepare for battle!" The Shipmaster's voice boomed on the hanger's comm.
"Joker, you read me?" Tali said on the squad comms. "How's it looking up there?"
"Elites are prepping shuttles for boarding action," Joker replied. "Guess they wanna play hero now."
The team boarded onto the Kodiak. Cortez made last-minute flight calculations. The Normandy will launch from the Shadow of Intent, get as close as possible to the Council chambers, and from there the Kodiak will launch.
Liara checked her Lotus and Carnifex. In good condition.
The shuttle bay doors closed, and they waited. Maybe fifteen minutes later the hanger rumbled, and the Normandy's cargo door locked up. The ship began to take off, and Liara felt a small rumble as the frigate exited into space.
There were only small shifts in gravity as Joker maneuvered the ship closer to the tower. Cortez started up the shuttle, and exited the frigate. One of the display screens activated in the cargo hold. Goddess, the UNSC Infinity was already here. They've engaged the Cerberus fleet at point-blank range. On the main Presidium ring, Liara could see heavy damage and debris orbiting from UNSC, Citadel, and Cerberus ships. Cortez maneuvered through all the traffic, all the explosions and dogfights. No one seemed to bother with such a small transport. They never do.
"Standby, we're entering the nearest hanger to the tower. Shore party, prepare for disembarking," Cortez said.
Another shift in gravity and Liara knew they've entered the atmospheric curtain. The cargo door opened up. They were in one of the larger hangers. Landing platforms and connection bridges were littered with dead bodies of civilians, C-SEC, Cerberus troops, and UNSC Marines. Other landing transports, UNSC Pelicans mostly, were touching down on adjacent platforms. Geth troopers began to deploy, supported by Turian soldiers. They were met with incoming plasma fire that ripped right through their shields as if they weren't even there. They took cover, returning fire against what looked like…
A Cerberus version of a heavily armed Spartan.
Liara, Wrex, and Tali stepped off and moved into cover… The Geth troopers, the Destroyers, fired off rockets to push Cerberus into cover. The Pelicans debarked and circled, firing rockets and other various weapons.
Shore party pushed into cover. Liara hit her shoulder into the guardrail of the landing platform. Plasma rained over. Bolts hit the edge of the railing and small bits of blue light rained on Liara's armor and skin. She felt it burn like hot cinders. She grasped at her face and tried to wipe it off to no avail. She hurriedly grabbed her helmet block from her belt and put it on.
"Feels like back home!" Wrex declared cheerfully. He immediately rose out of cover and shot off multiple rounds from his claymore.
In the distance, beyond the atmospheric curtain, Liara saw Sangheili transports incoming.
With the support of the Pelicans, the initial ground invasion was able to push forward. She saw one Spartan...painted yellow and white… She guessed they've also somehow stolen UNSC technology also. The Cerberus Spartan's shield fail. They were hit multiple times, and the bullets ripped through his armor. The other Cerberus Spartans fell back.
"We need to move away from the rank and file," Liara said.
"Agreed," Tali replied. She looked to Liara, "you good to move?"
"Ready!"
It wasn't their moved out, trying to avoid the major conflicts. Waving through fire and dead bodies, the sounds of gunfire came more and more distant. Soon enough Sangheili transports made it through the atmospheric curtain. Liara saw Elites disembark and begin to assist the Geth and Turians. They pushed forward and moved towards what looked like an auxiliary elevator.
"We can't stay to join the fun?" Wrex asked.
"Unfortunately, no," Tali responded.
The elevator seemed abandoned. They pushed in and Tali set it to the main Presidium ward.
"So Captain Lasky already arrived," Wrex commented. The elevator jolted back to life as Tali inserted commands through her omni-tool. It eventually reached the open pane windows of the Presidium… Most of the lights were dead, leaving it in a glow of orange fire.
"Keelah…" Tali kneeled down, watching as Cerberus painted Phantoms begin to engage newly formed pockets of UNSC ODSTs. "This really doesn't look like a crash and grab."
"Maybe they're sending a message…" Wrex said. "Sometimes smaller clans would raid larger ones not for resources or females, but to merely show they're strong enough and they can. Burn and destroy what they could in what humans call a biltz."
"So they're doing this because…"
"They can."
It doesn't seem like Cerberus' M.O. at all. Liara wondered how reactive the UNSC was in the initial assault. Strategy and tactics were...outside of the relevant skills Liara had required in the past short years. On an intelligence level, she excelled, but at most she only had to manage very small special operation and assault teams. Masses of infantry, plus the enormous supply lines to support them, required a special sort of intellectual basis. One that Liara hadn't...cultivated. She never really thought she had to.
In essence, it seems whoever commendered the original UNSC security force hadn't cultivated this skill either.
Liara… actually, frankly everyone knew about the numerous Cerberus sleeper agents aboard the Citadel. But she had never speculated that it would constitute enough to stage an assault. Well, at least they weren't able to stage an assault with the arrival of the UNSC. They could cripple Citadel communications and securities, but the UNSC would still be able to respond.
How could Cerberus have such extensive knowledge of UNSC comms and tactics, technology, and secrets the UNSC would die to protect, unless...they had contact. Unless they learned it from someone….
Well, there was only one suspect…
The elevator suddenly stopped, throwing Liara off balance. The others gripped the rails on the walls. The elevator had stopped in the heart of the Citadel Embassies. On the pale bluish-silver ground laid a mixture of bodies painted in the orange burning glow of the Presidium. C-SEC security, ambassadors, and a few Cerberus Spartans.
"This is the nearest the elevators will take us to the emergency evacuation center…" Tali said.
"With all the shit out there, you think the evac center wasn't hit?" Wrex responded.
The squad proceeded to move forward. The embassies were utterly deserted, void of life, and on the verge of burning. Cinders fell from the ceiling and landed on Liara's shoulder and helmet, smoldering upon her armor. In the ravine above, the endless pale light had turned into darkness. The squad maneuvered through the silence of empty corridors and dead rooms sparsely littered with bodies. The squad turned on their weapons' light. No movement…
Liara observed explosive residue all over the edge of the embassy lobby...
"I wouldn't think the Council would stay here after the initial assault. Is there any panic rooms?" Wrex asked.
Liara didn't say anything. She kept scanning corners and ceilings, just like Shepard taught her during - Goddess - the 'good old days.'
"Liara?" Tali asked.
"Um…for terrorist attacks, riots, and immediate assassintation attempts. In situations like this, the procedure is to evac the Council to the Destiny Ascension and get them out ASAP."
"Isn't that the same playbook they had when Saren attacked?" Wrex asked.
"Precisely…"
"Fuck's sake…" Wrex shook his head as he turned towards a door and checked the room. "How much you wanna bet Cerberus not only knows the plan, but also knows about the exact evac routes?"
"I got about twenty creds in my pocket…" Tali replied.
They were nearing one of the evac docks if Liara remembered correctly. The bodies became more frequent, mostly C-SEC security. Special Response. There were very few Cerberus soldiers.
Ahead was a large set of doors. Once the squad approached, it opened to reveal a small landing platform. More bodies. No Councilors.
One of the bodies was moving. A C-SEC soldier. Liara ran towards him and began to apply medi-gel.
"What happened here? Where are the Councilors?" Tali asked.
He spoke over ragged breaths. "Cerberus overran the Embassies… We couldn't get the Councilors out. Too risky…"
"Where are they?" Tali pressed.
"Security teams pulled them back… Moved them to the Keeper tunnels… Trying to reach the auxiliary hanger….Hangers compromised….Move to UNSC hangers...Commander..."
According to the Omni-sensor, he stopped breathing… Heartline flat. Liara turned to the squad, "we need to move to the tunnels, now."
The team left the C-SEC officer behind. Liara pulled up the local Keeper tunnels on her Omni-tool. While the Shadow Broker archives were extensive on this subject, there were still a lot of unknowns.
Wrex quickly found a tunnel entrance, and the team moved forward. Liara accessed another file on UNSC hanger locations. There was one near where the Normandy usually docked. Private access, for embassy use only. From here, it was about a klick down. It was the only nearest one. At the least, the only viable one.
But if she knew it, then it was more likely than not that Cerberus knew about it too. Not only that, but she had no idea how Council security planned to break through the Cerberus fleet.
The tunnels were pitch black. Lifeless, save for those strange Keepers that continued to wander and fix things as if there were nothing wrong. Based on the diagrams, the tunnels were simplistic and efficient, even if they were spread out. She doubted they'll make direct contact with the Council in the tunnels… If they were even alive.
The tunnels shook. The keepers froze, and after a few seconds they kept moving.
The squad turned a corner. There were a few bodies. A few keepers, a few Cerberus troopers, and… UNSC Marines. And civilians. Dead civilians. Not just the men, but the women, and...children too. All dead. Burn marks on skin, clothes and armor from plasma rounds, surrounded by a sea of lead bullet casings. At the end of the bodies was a UNSC Spartan. Spartan-IV to be specific. Surrounding him were a few Cerberus Spartans.
"What the hell happened here?" Wrex said.
"A lot evidentially," Tali scanned the bodies with her Omni-tool. Liara looked over her shoulder No pulses. Based on body heat, they were killed only a couple hours ago.
"Looks like some good hearted Marines tried to get some civilians out." Wrex commented.
Marines and C-SEC officers apparently. But the Spartan… They weren't assigned to meager assets such as this.
Liara headed towards the Spartan. She leaned down and noticed something… A cylinder on his back. An empty cylinder.
Goddess…
"They were transporting Cortana…" Liara declared. "If they were also forced down the Keeper tunnels, then they had no alternatives. That means…"
"UNSC HIGHCOM staff was down here too… Lord Hood at the very least." Tali added. "They took them…"
If Cerberus teams were done here in force, than that means more than likely the Council was taken too. With UNSC Infinity, supported by the Shadow of Intent and Citadel security fleet, surrounding the small Cerberus fleet, the Cerberus ground team transporting these assets were running out of egresses.
Once those assets were transported to any of those ships, Cerberus was dead in the water. How could they transport an asset out of the Citadel without…
"We need to get to that hanger, now!" Liara ordered right before she began to run. Tali and Wrex quickly followed.
"What the hell's the rush?" Wrex asked through panted breathes.
"If Cerberus gets those assets off station, we may never see them again!"
"How? Their fleet is surrounded. They can't get out without getting ripped apart…"
"...In first contact, what was one of the ships present?"
"Keelah…you really don't think-!?"
"They captured Covenant tech. They obviously have UNSC tech…."
Tali didn't say anything. She only ran faster.
Hundreds of meters covered in a dead sprint. Liara had always forgotten how in shape she had gotten starting from the last time she practiced archeology to now. Still, her armor felt like it began to restrict her lungs. Her legs began to burn. Sweet dripped down her face and stung her eyes.
But she had to keep moving. Time was running out….
And, Goddess, this was what Cerberus probably wanted. Distract them while they get everything truly important out…. The fleet, the blitz, it was a mere distraction… The team kept moving. They were so close.
Maybe a couple hundred meters out Liara began to hear small arms fire. Plasma, UNSC bullets…
Up ahead was a service door with a small red light up above. And right behind. it was the muffled noise of a firefight.
The squad slowed down. Tali used her Omni-tool to open the door…
A rocket destroyed the cover of a couple Cerberus Spartans. Shore party immediately moved out of the killzone. They slid into heavy cover, behind a pillar surrounded by crates. Liara peered out, and saw various UNSC Marines and C-SEC officers pushing forward. She turned to the Cerberus forces. There had to be...dozens of Cerberus Spartans. Entrenched in heavy cover, they were certainly defending something. Liara couldn't see what.
They were in one of the massive UNSC controlled hangers. Outside, the Cerberus fleet did their best to hold off the encourching Infinity. Plasma rounds scrapes against her shields and reinforced armor.
The Cerberus Spartans were engaging…
How…?
The Master Chief. Fluid in his movements, almost like a dance, engaged the enemy Spartans. Behind him, Cerberus Phantom transports moved in. This was the place. This was where Cerberus would try to push in.
The Chief saw them, maybe acknowledged their presence, and continued fighting.
Some of the enemy Spartans aggressed on them. The squad was forced into cover behind stacks of crates. Beyond that, it was an empty stretch of death.
"What the fuck!" Wre yelled.
Something entered the curtain shield. A large, translucent ship, maybe a little under two-hundred meters entered. Hexagonal shapes appeared, and slowly transformed into the body of the ship…
Liara was right. UNSC-styled Prowler… Or, possibly even worse, a ONI-supplied Prowler.
Another Cerberus Spartan team, supported by regular troops, appeared from the enemy-controlled corner of the hanger, from a service door. And...she was right. She saw Lord Hood in the midst, surrounded by the four Citadel Councilors and...Kelly Chamber and an unknown Marine. Not only that, but Liara thought she saw one of the Cerberus Spartans carry a metal cylinder case.
"Always right on time. Convenient, huh?" Wrex said.
"Always," Liara quietly replied.
And she had no idea how to stop them. They haven't really faced the Spartans one up…
"Shore party to Normandy and Shadow of Intent, come in!" Liara said on comms.
"We're both on the horn, go ahead." EDI replied.
"Trace our position. Cerberus is moving high-value assets onto a Prowler."
"Which assets?"
"All the assets!" Tali replied as she raised out of cover and fired off her shotgun.
"We'll proceed to your position immediately. Hold them for as long as you can!" The Shipmaster said.
A Cerberus Atlas fired a rocket at their position. It was too low, hitting the ground ten meters in front of them. One slashed across Liara's check, ripping right through the helmet.. It burned. Blood ran down her chin.
The Cerberus Spartans tried to create a path from the VIPs to the ship. He moved from cover to the ship ramp as it opened. The rest focused on the Master Chief, pushing him away from the Prowler. Liara unleashed a biotic singularity. The Spartan was too heavy to lift, but at the very least it knocked him down.
"This is UNSC Infinity!" Captain Lasky's voice said on the horn. "How the hell did you…? Doesn't matter. The Shipmaster relayed your transmission. We're moving all available units to the hanger ASAP. ETA: fifteen minutes!"
Too long.
And another thought popped into Liara's head… Can I trust him?
Liara peaked out, and saw Lord Hood in the open, Councilors nowhere in sight. The Marines and Cerberus Spartans took great care to ensure that direct fire was kept away from him…
When she saw him, it was as if it was the first time she realized… This was the man who tried to destroy Thessia… Who probably killed Shepard.
Liara raised a protective biotic shield around herself. She peaked out of cover, giving away as little of her body as possible. She slowly breathed, tucked in her pistol close to her body, allowing the micro-biotic pools within her shield to help stabilize the weapon. Shepard taught her to aim center mass, but also aim small. She aimed at his medals. She slowly squeezed the heavy trigger.
On a pragmatic perspective, at the very least she could lie that this was merely asset denial if anyone found out.
Something grabbed her by the collar, and threw her a few meters out of cover. She fired blindly, no idea if the round even hit Lord Hood.
Something grabbed her collar and pulled her into cover. A sharp pain traveled through her body and the air was knocked.
"I saw that!" He said.
And she saw him… And in the end that's all that matters. She dropped her pistol and blindly ran towards him. Towards Shepard.
And despite the injuries it looked like he sustained, he was...he was alive.
Nothing else mattered.
"SHEPARD!" She hugged him in cover. Held onto him as plasma fire rained around them. The tears ran down her face, intermixed with her blood. She heard his heartbeat. She felt his warmth… He was alive…
"...Liara…?" Shepard whispered. "What...what the hell are you doing here?"
She hit his chest plate, "what the HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!?"
In the corner of her eye, she saw the Master Chief begin to shred into the Cerberus Spartans.
"I thought I lost you… I thought I lost you again…" She said as she held onto him.
"I'm here...I'm not going anywhere…" Shepard assured her. He hugged her back… "It'll be okay."
Behind him, at the hanger entrance, a combination of C-SEC officers and UNSC security Marines poured in. A figure led them into combat. Grey and black uniform covered by thin body armor. Captain Florence.
"But what the hell was that?" Shepard added.
She looked to Lord Hood, now forced into cover behind a Cerberus Spartan. Still, she felt rage. She felt a physical sickness that tried to persuade her to take it out on him, and the Master Chief and every other Spartan in Blue Team.
She wished Kelly had died.
"I think you know, Shepard…" She wiped the tears away from her face. She noticed her entire body was shaking.
He nodded. He understood. "Come on, T'Soni. We gotta job to do…"
"Hey!" Wrex said. "Not sure where the hell you've been, but we still gotta job to do!"
He battle cried as he knocked over an advancing Cerberus Spartan and fired off multiple rounds into his armor. They were gaining momentum.
Still, the Cerberus team was able to make ground. They pushed the Lord Hood and the other prisoners forward. And the Spartan pushing Kelly Chambers had a metal cylinder case.
That's what the Master Chief was targeting. He didn't seem to care about Lord Hood or any of the prisoners. Liara guessed that if anyone got in the way, the Chief will probably rip and tear his way through them also.
Now, Cerberus was pinnin down the Marines. They were slowly taking causalties as they pushed to the Prowler. But it seemed like the Master Chief didn't care. They were nearly on the ramp.
He charged the ramp.
He ran past the enemy defenses. A couple Cerberus Spartans tried to tackle the Master Chief. For a moment, a few moments maybe he was pinned to the ground as another enemy Spartan charged up what looked like a small plasma pistol.
The team guarding the assets moved forward, forcing the VIPs in front of them. The Marines wouldn't dare, but Liara….
"I wouldn't do it…" Shepard reminded her, "not because I don't want you to, but it'll only make things worse…."
Damnit.
The Master Chief punched one of the enemy Spartans in the neck, able to free himself. He was now twenty meters away from the ramp...
The team, shore party, pushed forward under Liara's protective shield. Quickly, they found another stack of crates maybe thirty meters away from the ramp. From there on, it was a killzone void of any sort of cover between them and the ramp.
Right when Liara peaked out, a purple needle hit only an inch away from her face. Shepard pulled her back in.
"Our shields don't work against plasma! It seems biotics have some effect though…" Shepard reported. And more than likely it was only because of the pure dark energy of Biotics skewed the plasma bolts and needles, preventing them from hitting the crew. Any residue was free game.
"I can't hold the shield long enough to get us to that ramp…" Liara said as she mindfully scraped off purple needle residue as it burned her armor. More Cerberus transports were incoming. But now, the entire UNSC focused on their position. Liara could see Pelicans begin to diver.
Liara peaked out again. The Master Chief had ripped off the armor on one of the Cerberus Spartans and crushed his wrist. The enemy screamed out in pain, and the Master Chief took the opportunity to slip out from under the other enemy Spartan.
Yet Cerberus' numbers were dwindling.
Still, the Cerberus Spartan holding the plasma pistol fired, and it seemed to completely break apart the Chief's shields. Seeking cover, in less than a couple seconds he cleared the distance between him and the ramp, and took cover under the ramp.
The prisoner team proceeded up the ramp.
Shepard rose out of cover, and Liara realized he was holding a Covenant weapon. A purple and green rifle that fired a thin beam of green light. As Shepard provided cover fire, Wrex pushed out of cover, and moved to another stack of crates located at a flanking position. At the very least, the team could create a killbox to prevent Cerberus from moving.
Outside of the curtain shield, Sangheili Phantoms took position.. Before the first one could reach the shield, a Cerberus Kodiak appeared from an adjacent hanger. It crashed into the nearest Phantom, forcing the two wrecked ships into the hanger. Fiery debris and large chunks of wreckage rained throughout. Marines and Cerberus Spartans ducked out of the way. The main body of the Phantom crashed down at the end of the hanger, in Cerberus' position, knocking over one or two enemy Spartans.
The main cargo door of the crushed Phantom opened up, and a squad of Sangheili, armed with energy swords and plasma rifles poured out. They immediately engaged the Spartans at point black range, ignoring cover and even their own well-being… Just like on Illium.
Their swords cut through their armor and shields without effort. They easily overpower each Spartan. Certainly more Cerberus Spartans fell than Sangheili.
More Kodiaks and both Cerberus and Sangheili Phantoms began to crowd the local space, fighting one another to gain access. A Cerberus Phantom broke through. It carried something on its underbelly. It dropped off...a Cyclops, a UNSC-styled Cyclops, along with another squad of Spartans. They focused on the Master Chief while the Cyclops turned on the Elites. Another Sangheili Phantom crashed in on a service platform, this time taking out a fireteam of Cerberus Spartans. And out from the Phantom entered….
Blue Team.
As this was happening, the Cerberus team pushed up the ramp, sustaining heavy casualties. The Master Chief emerged from under the ramp despite the heavy fire. He grabbed one of the Cerberus Spartan's helmets, and completely ripped off the front. Sparks of electricity and blood flew out. The Master Chief proceeded to use his body as a shield. He forcefully pushed Lord Hood off the ramp, grabbed the collar of the nearest prisoner (being Kelly Chambers) and threw her over too.
He threw the body of the enemy Spartan at another Cerberus soldier. And as the Sangheili pushed forward, the Kodiacks have turned into suicide bombers, doing anything to protect the Prowler.
The Master Chief ripped out the remaining prisoner violently. Multiple Cerberus Spartans were on him, trying to drag him off the ramp while firing. A side tackle from one last enemy Spartans knocked him off the ramp…
And the Prowler's ramp began to close up, leaving the VIPs...and the rest of the Cerberus Spartans' behind…. And the Spartan with the metal case, with Cortana… He was onboard.
And the ship began to turn invisible as all weapons began to fire on it.
The Master Chief sprinted forward, firing his carbine… But the ship already exited the hanger.
It was gone.
And immediately…. He turned to the crashed Sangheili Phantom, badly burnt and damaged, but still in one piece.
The Prowler was retreating, and knowing no one could reach him in time, he sprinted into the Phantom… It activated.
"Wait, JOHN!" Fred yelled on open comms.
The Phantom lifted and proceeded to follow the escaping prowler. Kodiaks engaged the enemy. The Phantom gracefully manuvered around the suicide bombers.
The Cerberus fleet began to retreat through the Presidium ring. The prowler camouflage itself, and was lost to the galaxy. But the Phantom….followed the CSS-class battlecruiser.
Shepard looked to Liara… It was really him. And nothing else mattered…
She quickly took off his helmet and kissed him. The tears slowly went away.
"Oh my God…." Fred said. The remaining Cerberus Spartans were being herded… Many began to retreat into the keeper tunnels while those who couldn't make it were outright slaughtered by the pouring Sangheili. The rest of Blue Team secured Lord Hood. For better or worse, he was fine. "He's going after them!"