Remnants

by General Rage

From Halo's ashes, a mismatched Alliance is born. UNSC soldiers now serve alongside both Batarian deserters and shifty Jackal Space Pirates. Now Shepard and Master Chief have to keep these strange bedfellows from killing one another before they can stop an emergent new threat to the galaxy. The Next Swashbuckling Chapter of the Wormhole Chronicles.

21. Past All Hope

Chapter 20: Past All Hope

Axe-Time, Sword-Time, Shields are Sundered

Wind-Time, Wolf-Time, Ere the World Falls

Nor ever shall Men each other Spare

-Völuspà, Stanza 45

Liara's people moved fast to get everyone airborne. Before long, Shepard, Master Chief and Cortana were flying speeding away from Earth's moon. Refugee shuttles scattered two and fro as they left it behind. Liara had set up a rendezvous point for them on one of Jupiter's moons. They'd be safe there for a time. Even if the ultimate plan was to prevent this from ever happening, Shepard was glad to see Liara was still planning ahead for every eventuality.

Tali was aboard one of the support vessels, being taken care of by their psychiatrist staff. Liara assured him they'd keep her comfortable on the trip. He was just happy she would be safe for the time being. If nothing else he could be grateful for that.

The Tempest itself would be the primary assault craft for the attack on the Cerberus Facility on Eden Prime. So currently it was even more crowded than usual. Liara had called in every favor and resource she had left as well, sending them a rally point near the edge of the Utopia system to meet them at. She could promise only a few ships though, there wasn't much left to put into this attack.

They couldn't risk using the Mass Effect Relay, the Reapers had the Covenant on a constant vigil near it. Liara didn't want them following and risking the whole attack. Surprise needed to be maintained in some form. With the Tempest's upgrades they'd be there within half a day, hopefully the rest of their attack force would be as well. Once they arrived though, they'd need to hit fast and hard. Liara surmised the window for their departure was rapidly closing. Once they arrived at Eden Prime, they wouldn't have much time left. For now though, all Shepard, Chief and Cortana could do was wait.

They at least had a good place to do said waiting, in the Captain's quarters of the Tempest, which was surprisingly spacious and sported a nice view of the stars outside. Shepard couldn't really appreciate it though. His mind was too focused on the fight ahead. How everything seemed to depend on them getting back. Everyone believed that was their only shot and the implications of that didn't sit well with him.

At the same time, Cortana was plugged into the central database for the ship, sifting through information covering the past year and several months. There was plenty concerning the war in this universe, but nothing on anything else.

"Nothing," she finally reported. "No one seems to have a clue about what's going on back home, but given the Flood are here, I imagine it's not good."

"What about their Wormhole device?" Chief asked. "The one they used to invade. Can you estimate a time table on how far along they were back before we vanished?"

"Given their emergence, they completed it some time after our Earth likely fell," Cortana presumed. "Which, if what Miranda told us is accurate, won't be very long. Chief, they could be massing for a full-scale assault back in our time."

"You think they've found your Earth then," Shepard asked.

"If they haven't yet they soon will," Cortana stated. "Perhaps the Inquisitor finally gave them the goods based on its knowledge of this universes' star locations. Any real information on the assault though was lost when the Normandy crashed. When we get back, we need to find out where they're mustering and confirm if they're mounting for an invasion."

A tall order to be sure and that was on top of discovering where they were building the new Wormhole Device to replace the one lost on Reach. They would need to track down the Covenant directly no doubt, perhaps another large capital ship or something. It was likely their best bet at capturing any relevant information. At least they'd know what they were looking for. However, none of this would matter if they didn't get back in the first place to warn everyone.

"We need to focus on one problem at time," Shepard insisted. "Getting back is a chief priority, until then nothing else matters."

"Agreed, Commander," Cortana concurred. "I just wish we could have more concrete data to give us an edge."

"Perhaps I can help you out a little on that front."

Shepard hadn't heard the door open, but Alec Ryder stood there nonetheless.

"Forgive me, I didn't mean to act like a sneak, but... well, this is important."

He approached Shepard, handing him an OSD drive.

"That's everything we have on Tali's modifications concerning the Slipspace/Mass Effect Integration Project," Ryder stated bluntly. "It should give the Normandy in your time a chance to get that thing working faster. Maybe it will be enough to give you an edge in the fights to come, for lack of a better way to phrase that."

"Yeah, time travel makes tenses confusing," Shepard agreed. "Thank you, sir. I'll make sure the Tali of my time gets it."

He said her name with a bit of a lump in his throat, one Alec picked up on.

"Look, I know you have a lot on your mind, Shepard," he began to explain. "I... I don't want to put more of a burden on it than you have already, but... I need a favor."

Shepard guessed it before Alec spoke, but he let the man speak all the same. He seemed so flustered, rattled, as if he was about to beg for something. It felt weird, a literal legend asking him for a service. Ryder who was humbled before him, it felt so bizarre.

"From what I've gathered, you vanished not long before the Andromeda Initiative was hit by that Covenant strike team," he explained. "Before we ended up stranded here in this galaxy. My omni-tool still has the date of the attack and the enemy's strategy. I want to give it to you and for you to pass it on to Liara in the past."

"You think she can stop the Covenant from damaging your Arks and delaying your departure," Shepard surmised.

"Given what I've seen her do, I know she could stop it," Ryder said confidently. "I actually knew her some time before, in... another life so to speak. Ask her about it, she'll remember me. I wanted her advice on colonizing other galaxies and encountering new species based on her Prothean research. That will probably be enough to convince her of what you experienced here. If her team is anything back then like what Kayap is now... well, some chance is better than none."

"Will your information on the attack remain viable though?" Cortana asked. "We're going back in time to prevent this future. If you give us information on an event that has happened, it will negate the need to give it to us. This sounds like a paradox waiting to happen."

"Liara assured me that the rip in time creates a form of instability," Alec explained. "The science is quantum nonsense I don't get half the time. Basically, anything you take from this time back to yours will remain locked in a stable state, negating any further paradoxes. The Crystal will basically stabilize any anomalies once you pass back through its portal."

Cortana just shrugged.

"Whatever," she said. "The last thing I need is me shorting out my Matrix trying to figure out the quantum mechanics of a dumb time traveling crystal. Seriously, this sounds more like magic than science the more we talk about it. Not my field."

"Relax, Cortana," Chief assured her. "I don't think we need to get it, we just need to trust it."

"Easy for you to say," Cortana shot back. "You don't have the computing processor I do. I literally can't stop thinking about stuff like this. What I wouldn't give for your ability to tune things out."

Chief gave a resolute 'hmph' in response, before looking at Ryder.

"I can understand why you'd want to use this opportunity, sir," the Spartan confessed. "But given everything you've seen..."

"Why not stay and fight?" Alec finished for him. "This war against the Reapers was always going to be bad, everything that you two weren't there to help prevent only made it worse. If you think me a coward for wanting to give myself a chance to escape from it all, fine. But it's not just my life in balance here."

"I wasn't going to call you a coward in any case, sir," Chief assured him. "Just for the record."

Alex nodded in appreciation and continued.

"I lost more than just the chance to explore a new frontier, Shepard," he said solemnly. "More than... more than you can know. Many more lost their lives, good people who just wanted a fresh start. Who were more than willing to make new homes, to expand our horizons. I'm not doing this for myself, I'm doing it for them. If you had the chance to spare a few million souls all of this, wouldn't you take it?"

Shepard didn't really need to think about it.

"If there would be one comfort in fighting the Reapers, it would be knowing that someone survived," he declared. "That no matter what, a part of who we are, who we were... managed to beat the Reapers plans to exterminate us. And maybe, just maybe, forge something better."

Alec smiled at that, but it didn't last. They heard shouting just behind the door before it opened wide, revealing Peebee angrily stomping into the room with Scott on her heels.

"Dad, I'm sorry," Scott tried to plead. "She forced it out of me!"

"Excuse me, but given the implications, I think some of us should have a say here!" Peebee shouted back.

"Peebee, Shepard already agreed to-"

"This doesn't just concern you!" Peebee pointed accusingly at Alec. "It concerns literally everyone who was on the Arks, Vetra, Sarah, Drack, Cora, your son, Me! I deserve a chance to say my piece, don't I?"

Alec sighed, seemingly already guessing at what her concern was. However, he seemed also resigned to the point about to be made.

"This... wasn't an easy decision," he explained. "And there are no guarantees it will ever work out."

"But if it does work, the Andromeda Initiative launches," Peebee impressed upon them all. "We escape this hell, fine. But what about this team? This family? These... these people I care about!"

"Even Cora?" Alec asked curiously.

"Yes! I actually like arguing with her and pushing her buttons!" Peebee frantically insisted. "It's fun! She's fun when she lets herself be! I've never gotten used to setting down roots anywhere! Attaching myself, tangling myself up in strings and crap! I... I never thought I'd want that in my life."

She said that last part rather tepidly, looking back towards Scott.

"I... I love you," she said sadly. "I wasn't complete without you. I was lost, bitter, alone. Then I found where I belonged. Here, on this ship... with you."

Scott looked at the Asari, his expression one of barely contained emotion. He was speechless for several seconds, unable to find words to respond.

"Peebee..."

The masked asari didn't stop.

"I don't want to know a life where I never met Scott," she declared. "Where we never found each other. Even if it means being trapped in this shitty timeline with a shitty war with dueling shitty armies of shitty zombie monsters. I know what I want and I want to be with him!"

Alec remained stoic as she pointed at Scott, tears welling up in her eyes as she turned once more to Scott.

"Don't you see? If we all go to Andromeda... I might never meet you, Scott," she said, finally allowing the tears to flow. "We'll never know each other. I'll be alone again or stuck with someone else who... who will just use me and toss me aside when I don't matter anymore. I don't want that, I... I just want you. It's selfish and horrible and I know all the things you're gonna say to argue against it but that's the truth. I don't want to lose you before I even know you. That's worse than facing every Reaper in the galaxy at once. And I know Vetra and Sarah feel the same, they're just better at handling this and I can't... I just... I don't want to lose you like that."

Scott didn't let her keep sobbing, quickly rushing over and hugging her close in a tight embrace.

"Peebee, I get it," he said, holding her tightly. "I feel the same way. I don't want to lose you either. You're... you're one of the best things to happen to me. And the idea of never meeting you scares me a lot."

He pulled back, caressing her face in his hand.

"But I believe we're strong enough to face that uncertainty," he assured her. "You're strong enough. We found each other once in this galaxy. We can find each other again in Andromeda."

Peebee managed to choke back her tears through the sobbing, just enough to speak earnestly.

"You think so?"

"I know so," Scott promised. "With all my heart."

Shepard cleared his throat at that, catching the attention of both.

"If you want my two cents on the subject," he began. "I was once separated from people I cared about and miraculously I found them again. Part of me likes to think that if a bond is strong enough, it can transcend any barrier. Who's to say it's any different with time? I'm not saying it's fate that you'll find each other again, but if you did it once, why wouldn't you get another chance?"

Peebee smiled at that, turned to Scott and pushed herself up to kiss him. When she eventually parted, she held her forehead to his.

"I want you," she said lovingly. "Right now."

"My dad is right there, Peebee," Scott reminded her, pointing towards his father with his head.

"Fine, I can wait until we get to my room," Peebee sighed.

She turned to Shepard as they began to leave.

"Thank you," she said. "I'm... I'm still scared about this. But if I found him once... I can find him again."

The two left, Peebee climbing into Scott's arms and letting him carry her back to their room. Alec shook his head, smiling as he did in a good-natured way.

"Heh, kids," he said.

With that settled, Shepard held up his omni-tool and Alec activated the file upload. It only took a few moments to complete the transfer.

"There, you have everything you need to stop the attack," Alec said. "And... and to give my kids a chance."

"I'll make sure Liara gets it," Shepard assured him. "You can count on me, sir."

Alec nodded briefly.

"I still have preparations to make," he said. "And Sarah wants me at a quick ceremony that's going on in the next hour between her and Vetra. You can come if you want. There isn't really any cake but..."

"I'd rather not distract anyone," Shepard said, cutting him off. "Let them have their moment. Sounds a bit like a family affair more than anything."

"Eh, just as well," Alec shrugged. "Vetra insisted on cooking the rations for the mini-reception. I have to stomach her cooking as the new in-law, but you shouldn't have to deal with that."

Shepard gave it a moment's thought and came upon a compromise.

"If they want... they can have the cabin later," he told Alec. "We're probably not going to get much sleep honestly anyway."

"They'd appreciate that, Commander," Alex replied. "Thank you. In any case, don't worry. We're going to get you all home. I promise. I have one more reason to fight for it now after all."

Alec walked away, leaving the time-tossed trio alone again. Shepard could only reflect on Ryder's words though, more or less confirming what he feared.

"It's strange, Chief," he said. "That man more or less became the real-life inspiration of what I wanted to be. As a soldier, a person. Now... now I'm holding his whole fate, past and future combined, in my hands. Quite literally in fact. It's... not how I pictured this going."

"He's a good man, sir," Chief concurred. "He deserves a chance to live out his dream. Him and his children. The fact he trusts you though, says a lot about who you are as well."

Shepard nodded, knowing what the Spartan was getting at. He appreciated the sentiment, even if it did little ease his nerves.

"So did you really mean that?" Cortana suddenly asked. "About... people being bonded? That... no barrier can break them apart?"

"Why you ask?" Shepard questioned in return.

"Well, it's not entirely a logical or scientific way of looking at things," the AI sheepishly commented. "You seriously believe that those two are going to find each other again somehow? Traveling to Andromeda on the basis of your current technology would take at least six hundred years. That's a long time apart."

"I guess I'm just hopeful that it doesn't matter," Shepard answered sincerely. "And, in the end, that's all any of us really have."

Cortana looked skeptical for a moment, but then began to nod thoughtfully, accepting that logic of the statement. Shepard looked to his omni-tool once more. He had to get back now, for the sake of these people who had helped him. For Ryder's dream to even have a chance in hell of coming true. To be there for his friends when this war came. Everyone was counting on them to make it back and he knew they would do anything to make sure that objective was achieved. He couldn't stop them from doing that, but he could make it count at least.

---

Shepard arrived on the Bridge. They had reached Eden Prime, along with their fellow Resistance units. A few Turian frigates mostly and at least one Alliance Cruiser that had seen better days. Not exactly an impressive invasion force for any operation, specifically one of this scope, but it was all that had come. Liara and Alec were on the bridge as well, going over their battle plan. Miranda was with the others, waiting in the hangar on standby.

"Our best approach is going to be difficult," she confessed. "Cerberus defenses around Thanatos Spire are extremely deadly."

"How do we get by then?" Shepard asked.

"Basically we appear right over them," Liara stated. "We're going to activate the Tempest's Slipspace Drive, exit right over our landing zone. The other ships will draw enemy fire while we land. I got the idea hearing about a similar trick your friend Varvok told me Zek pulled."

Shepard had almost forgotten about Varvok in everything that was going on. He could only assume that he hadn't met with a fate any better than the others who were missing. He had to ask anyway.

"I don't suppose there's a chance he's going to show up at the last second to help us out down there," Shepard wondered aloud.

"Last I saw of Varvok he was headed into what was once Batarian space, trying to salvage what he could of his people's survivors," Liara answered. "Given that I don't see many batarians these days, at least not ones turned into Husks, I... don't hold out much hope."

He knew it would be bad, but at the very least Varvok was still devoted to his people. At least he was out there trying. Still, a part of him wished he was here. Whatever their differences, they could've used his experience on this.

As for Liara's plan, it had helped Zek escape the Covenant on Halo from what he remembered. He hadn't thought of using it to launch an attack though. Knowing that, hopefully Cerberus wouldn't expect it either. However, that was just getting them inside the enemy perimeter.

"What happens when we hit the ground?" Shepard asked.

"We make a run for the Spire, kill anything that gets in our way," Alec declared. "Not very detailed a plan, I know, but if we're lucky the Cerberus bastards have gotten used to just lazing around and their Combat prowess is a little rusty."

"I'll stay by you and the Master Chief for as long as possible," Liara said firmly. "Whatever else happens, you need to get to the Crystal or all of this is for nothing."

Before Shepard could reply to that, the female copilot spoke suddenly.

"The other ships just hailed us, they're ready."

"Thank you, Suvi," Alec nodded. "Kallo, warm up the drive, open us a Slipspace portal and take us. Right on top of those assholes."

After a few clicks on the console from the salarian pilot, a slipspace portal opened in front. As soon as it had, every ship close by followed the Tempest through it. In mere seconds they were inside the atmosphere of Eden Prime, right above the towering spire. The Tempest quickly dove towards the deck as the larger ships began to fire on the Cerberus Citadel and its defenses. There was no return fire from the Spire for a few moments, but before long a siren was blaring across the colony. The Triple-A guns opened up next, firing on the invading craft.

The Tempest of course avoided all of this for the most part, the heavier guns more focused on the obvious threats. However, once they got lower, the smaller defense turrets near the ground opened up. Gunfire spread across their line of approach as missiles launched at them as well. Their shields held, but took a major beating from every hit. The little scout ship fired back, blasting at the defenses as it tried to push through the incoming flak. The vessel's cannons took out a few, but before long the ship rocked suddenly to the portside.

"Damage?" Alex asked desperate as held onto the guard rails of his command station.

"They got us in one of the engines," Suvi warned. "Systems holding but-"

Another strike blasted them across the nose. Kallo gripped at the stick, trying to keep them on course.

"We're not going to make it like this," Alec growled. "Kallo, take us in for a landing, now!"

"But we're way off from our landing zone," the salarian warned.

"There's not going to be a landing if we blow up in the sky," Alec told him angrily. "Get us on the ground, now!"

Kallo took them close to the ground, right near the deck. That was the moment the Tempest started violently rocking. An alarm blared in all their ears.

"We've lost stabilization," Kallo warned. "Hang on!"

The Tempest touched down onto the surface of Eden Prime, skidding several feet before it finally stopped. The hatch for the ship popped open, keeping it from tipping over onto its nose, but it was listing slightly to one side.

"They blew off a strut, this is the best I can do," Kallo growled.

"We're on the ground, that's what matters," Liara informed him. "Come on, we need to get moving, Cerberus will zero in on our position before long."

---

They rushed for the hangar, meeting the Master Chief along the way. By the time they arrived everyone was more or less ready to go. Kayap was back in his mech and Kat was carrying a large Spartan Laser on her shoulder.

"We're a ways off from our intended landing zone," Liara informed them. "We'll need to fight through the remains of the old colony at the base before we reach the entrance."

"That means a lot of ground between us and the Spire," Vetra noted. "Not mention a ton of enemy guns."

"Maybe I can make it easier," Miranda suggested, pulling up what appeared a blueprint of the Spire on her omni-tool. "I figured that database we stole a while back concerning Thanatos Spire's construction would come in handy."

"Always thinking two moves ahead," Shepard laughed. "Good to know not everything has changed."

Miranda smiled, but didn't let the praise prevent her from continuing.

"There's a main sewage line that will take me beneath the Spire's foundations," she stated. "It's too narrow for all of us, but I can use it to sneak inside and right into one of their security centers. If I'm fast enough, I can shut down some of their automatic defenses and maybe send some of their forces on wild goose chases away from you."

"It will buy us some time at least," Liara agreed. "But we can't let you go alone. That section of the Spire is going to be heavily guarded once you're inside. Even you can't take them all on alone."

Alec turned to some of his crew.

"Cora, Liam, go with her," he ordered. "You've got the most experience with Cerberus systems out of all of us."

"We'll get her inside, sir," Cora promised.

"Count on it," Liam agreed.

"The rest of us will have to push through the colony on the way to the main gate," Liara told the others. "This is it, everyone. Win or lose, we need to get in that Spire and find the Crystal."

"Forget lose," Wrex declared, pulling out his double-barreled claymore. "We're winning, plain and simple. I'm on point, don't argue."

Grunt and Drack followed him out the hangar door, Kayap close behind in his mech. All four screaming a bloody battlecry as they did. Liara grinned at that, ushering the others to follow. Shepard and the Master Chief kept apace with them.

"Sounds like one hell of a gauntlet we need to run," Cortana warned.

"What else is new?" Chief asked.

"Given we're in the future, there is technically a list," the AI informed him.

---

They exited the ramp onto a mostly scorched and battered grassy plain. In the distance, the Spire looming over them. Closer than that, what looked to be more of a ruin or slum than a colony. Pouring out of it were a number of Cerberus Squads, along with ground defense turrets popping out from the ground. The automatic guns opened fire first, forcing the raiding party to bunker down into cover. Shepard and Chief stood close to Liara as they rushed through the various rocks and abandoned construction equipment on the outskirts.

"We have to kill those turrets!" Liara shouted.

"On it, T'Soni!" Kat called out from across the way.

Kat stood behind a piece of construction equipment, her Spartan Laser already charging. Knowing what she was planning, Chief popped up to grab the automatic turret's attention, firing on it with rapid shots. He ducked back down behind the rocks as the hostile gun sprayed bullets on his position. Kat moved out as it did, the Spartan Laser fully charged, letting loose a bright beam of red that smashed into the Cerberus Turret, destroying it in bright crimson explosion. The second turret remained active though, continuing to fire on the attackers.

"Keep on its flank!" Alec called out. "They don't have total coverage now!"

Cerberus soldiers moved out among the equipment and debris in the field, intent on filling in for the lost turret. Shepard decided they would not be around long enough to solidify their positions. He readied his shotgun for the attack.

"Liara, Chief, cover me," he said.

He launched before anyone could argue, charging across the field with his biotics. He slammed into one of the Cerberus foot soldiers, sending him flying into the ruins of a nearby wall. His shotgun blast dealt with the next nearest hostile, blasting him clean off his feet. Shepard kept firing as he moved behind a crate, the rest of the Cerberus squad either running for cover themselves or trying to take him down. He thought he heard one of them shout, in a strange metallic sounding voice, "Shepard! It's Shepard!" or something to that effect. The shock of him being alive and around had shaken them a bit, making it easier for his friends to follow through on his attack.

Liara's Singularity picked up two of the Cerberus soldiers, while her Warp Ammo detonated the biotic fields. Even while they were exploding, the Master Chief raced up the middle of their section, letting loose with the N7 Typhoon Assault Rifle he had taken from the armory. The enemy was ripped apart with ease, save the one with a riot shield. Not that it mattered, as Liara pulled said shield away with her biotics and then punched him in the solar plexus, sending him tumbling into the ruins.

A series of carnage and flak cannon blasts struck the second turret all at once, eventually causing it to explode in a bright ball of fire. Wrex raised his shotgun high as he charged over the plain, smashing his weapon's stock into one Cerberus soldier's face, cracking the human's helmet down the center.

Jumping into the immediate fray alongside Wrex and the other krogan was Kayap. He boosted into the air momentarily before crashing down and smashing an entire squad beneath his weight. The few survivors in and around the miniature crater the unggoy created tried to fight back. Only for the mech to smash, crush or blast them apart with its varying weapons systems. None of them stood a chance at close range. A few fired down on him from the ruins above, but they were taken out by the mech's arm-implanted grenade launcher.

Kayap's assault was only dented in any sense, when YMIR mechs moved up into the fray, firing on him incessantly. He backed off, but not because he was afraid of his mech getting damaged, he just needed to give someone else some room. Racing in from behind came the Tempest's ground transport. Vetra was leaning out the open door on one side, firing away with her assault rifle at the remaining Cerberus soldiers. The vehicle itself though plowed right into the YMIR mechs, utterly destroying them. However, the vehicle itself was totaled, coming to a complete stop against the wall of a nearby ruined building.

From out of the wreckage, Sarah and Vetra stumbled. At the very least their tactic had broken the first line of defense, giving the team access to ruins of the colony. Vetra rested on her back for a moment, before Sarah made her stand back up.

"Well, that was a rush," the human female laughed.

"As good as the one a few hours ago in the cabin?" Vetra asked.

"Well, it was a close second," Sarah confessed chuckling.

The others soon joined the two, gathering around the wrecked vehicle.

"Miranda just reported in," Alec said, switching off his omni-tool. "They managed to get inside the sewer system. Her, Cora and Liam will be inside in a few minutes. If we can hold out here for that long, the remaining defenses will be taken offline."

"Starting to wonder if that's going to make much of a difference," Scott told his father. "Cerberus' troops aren't making this a cakewalk to begin with."

At that moment, overhead, they heard a terrible thunder crack of some sort. One Shepard remembered very distinctly. As they all searched the heavens, they could see something dark moving behind the clouds.

"I don't think they're our only problem anymore, Scott," Liara said, glaring at the sky.

A series of plasma torpedoes exploded forth from behind the clouds. They lashed into the side of the Alliance cruiser attacking the Spire, destroying it in a ball of flame. As debris fell down from on high, a huge Covenant Battlecruiser emerged into the open sky. It was flanked by a number of smaller craft, which subsequently engaged the turian frigates that moved to intercept the new contacts. The frigates were blasted out of the sky within moments, standing no chance against the Covenant armada set before them.

"The Reapers must've sent them here," Alec hypothesized. "They must be after the Crystal too."

"The Amplifier's signal alerted them to its location," Liara surmised. "We don't have time to wait on Miranda's team. If they get into the Spire first we'll never get to the Crystal in time, we'll be back at square one."

"We should move through the ruins in teams," Shepard suggested. "Converge on the main entrance's courtyard."

"Agreed, but everyone maintain line of sight with each other," Liara ordered. "We need to cover each other's flanks, not split up. We do the latter and they'll pick us off one by one."

Chief's head turned skyward as the sound of large blasts, like extremely loud shotguns, echoed in their ears.

"Drop pods," Cortana warned. "But I doubt they're going to be filled with conventional Covenant troops."

"We need to move before too many get on the ground," Chief surmised.

Liara nodded, taking point as the group spread out among the ruins. Shepard would've taken point, but Kat forced him back as she and Alec took the head of their formation.

"You're too valuable," she said. "You need to make it, you and the Chief."

Shepard would've told her to not forget the same regarding herself, but she was already too far ahead. As they pressed forward just behind her, Alec used that Biotic shield to block incoming rifle fire. There were still a ton of Cerberus soldiers it seemed among the ruins. It was hard to spot them though, as the crumbling remains of the colony gave them plenty of places to hide.

Kat didn't care too much. She stood behind Alec, firing miniature rocket-propelled grenades from her robotic arm. Explosions ripped through the broken ruins, killing any potential snipers inside. Some Cerberus soldiers were on the ground though, advancing with their shields. Alec pulled them away, allowing Kat to shoot them down with her pistol. Three Cerberus soldiers fell from three clean headshots, clearing the way forward.

Unfortunately, they weren't the only enemies they faced. Screaming out of the ruins suddenly came swarms of huskified unggoy. These ones seemed to have needler weapons growing out of their arms, which they fired on Kat and Alec. Shepard and Chief opened fire on the swarms, trying to help their compatriots. Alec kept his at bay with various biotic attacks, Kat just activated her flamethrower sprayed a blast of fire that engulfed several of the unggoy husks before they closed in.

The worst was yet to come though, as a pod slammed into the ground just in front of them. It popped open with a violent hiss of decompressed air. Out of it jumped a number of Reavers, igniting their twin plasma swords. The Elite Husks charged at Kat, but her arm had another surprise. She activated a plasma blade of her own, resonating along the length of her limb, from her elbow to her wrist.

She blocked the first strike before slashing herself. The strike was successful, cutting the Reaver in two. Another came for her, she fired into its chest and head several times before slashing at its leg and decapitating it as it fell. A third Reaver was hurtled away with a well timed Throw attack from Alec. A fourth crashed both of its swords down on Kat, forcing her to block. As both combatants struggled against each other. Kat grabbed the shotgun off her back and plugged it into the Reaper Slave's gut. Pulling the trigger, the former Elite was thrown back, a giant hole blown clean through its torso.

Kat turned to call for Shepard and Chief to push up. Just as they did, Shepard noticed a laser sight dance around her body. He tried to call out to her, but it was already too late. A series of bullets suddenly struck Kat, hitting her around her heart. Her shields, already in bad shape, stood no chance against the enemy's Disruptor rounds. She fell to the ground, clutching at her wounds.

"Kat!" Chief shouted, rushing double time to her side.

Alec quickly pinpointed the sniper and opened fire on his position. His rifle cut down the Cerberus lackey with ease before he could disappear back into cover. Shepard approached Kat, her head now cradled in Chief's arms.

"You did good, Lieutenant Commander," the older Spartan assured her. "Just hang on. I have bio-foam we can-"

"Nah," Kat said, choking as she spoke. "Don't waste it."

Liara rushed to Kat's side as well, Alec staying on watch. She helped pull off her helmet, revealing the dying Spartan's mouth was full of blood.

"Shame," she said weakly. "Was... really looking forward... to seeing how this ended."

"It's okay, Kat," Liara assured her, barely able to speak herself. "Just... just rest. You... you did good."

Kat looked at Chief for a brief moment.

"Did my best... being the last... Spartan for a while," she said, blood pool around her now. "Sorry... you have to be that now."

She grabbed at his arm.

"Keep pressing. Get home, Chief," she ordered. "Save... save us all."

She fell back onto the ground, mumbling for a moment, lifting her robotic arm to the sky weakly as she stared at the Master Chief.

"Carter? Carter that you?" She asked. "Been... a long time... sir."

Her head fell to the side, followed by her arm. In that instant, she was gone. Chief bowed his head, respectfully closing her eyes with his fingers. He took a moment before he stood again, his hands clutched into fists.

"You heard her," he stated. "Keep pressing."

There was no time to mourn. Forced to leave the dead Spartan's body behind, they continued to move through the ruins. Shepard looked back once, but there was little else he could do. Still, even if Liara was right, and this was all just going to go away, he had just watched a friend die. That wasn't something you could just pretend didn't happen even if your goal was preventing it from ever happening to begin with.

He did his best to put it out of his mind as they closed in on the courtyard, where the rest of the teams began to converge. They were now just outside the Spire, the entrance clearly visible. However, there were a ton turrets and Cerberus soldiers defending the area. The team found itself forced to take cover as the guns kept chattering away at them. As their group joined Vetra and Sarah in their cover, Alec's daughter was the first to notice their absent member.

"Kat?" She asked.

Liara shook her head. Both Vetra and Sarah could only stare in stunned silence.

"Damn it," the turian snarled. "She... she was one of our best."

"We can't think about that right now," Alec told her. "We need to get into that Spire."

"It's all on Lawson, dad," Sarah told him. "Even Kayap's mech is having trouble taking these guns out. They got shielding, armor, the works. We send anyone out there, they're going to get shredded. Best we can do is take out the soldiers."

Shepard gripped his weapon tightly as he looked at the Spire. Miranda should've been done by now. She was way faster than this in worse circumstances.

"Come on, Miranda," he whispered. "We're counting on you."

A few seconds later, the guns stopped chattering. They fell silent, many descending back into their standby positions. The Cerberus soldiers were shocked, but the strike team was invigorated. Kayap's mech was first to launch itself into the fray, crashing down on several Cerberus troopers. Zaeed could be seen moving up as well, taking pot shots at hostile forces as they tried to regroup close to the entrance.

"Come on!" He shouted. "We got a straight shot now!"

As he and others surged forward though, a Covenant Phantom came in low. In its undercarriage rested a Wraith tank, which it suddenly dropped into the courtyard, right in front of them. Zaeed opened fire on it with his missile launcher, but the Brute gunner on the Wraith's front shot at him in kind. Zaeed was right out in the open, easily hit by a single shot to the shoulder. He fell back, but managed to let off a shot that killed the Brute inside. As it slumped down in its gunner's seat, Zaeed crawled to cover, clutching at his wound.

Shepard watched the old mercenary as he crawled for safety, the Wraith firing randomly at their positions. Massani was the closest one to the tank and even Kayap could only fire small grenades at it as he tried to strafe the enemy armor. In an instant, Shepard saw the Zaeed make a decision. He could tell just from the way he was readying a grenade in his hands.

"Zaeed! No!" Shepard called out.

The old merc ran from his cover while the Wraith was distracted. He climbed aboard the vehicle and forced the cockpit door to the tank open. The Brute inside fired his sidearm up at him, metal spikes striking Zaeed in the chest. All the same, Zaeed tossed his grenade into the Tank. It exploded before he could get clear. A terrible plasma detonation engulfed the Wraith, along with Zaeed. The tank fell silent, nothing but charred metal and organic remains left. Shepard felt his heart sink. In the time he had known him, Zaeed had proven capable of surviving everything the Galaxy could throw at him. Now, he was gone.

"Shepard," Liara said pleadingly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We have to keep moving. Come on."

Shepard could only nod, following Liara to the entrance where the others were already gathering. On the way there, he felt a pain in his head. He stumbled towards the group, clutching his temple. Another memory, this one a bit more vivid.

"There was... an explosion on the Fallen Serpent?" He asked. "It... was in its Rec Room?"

"Damn," Grunt growled. "That was close to when me and Zek found a solution to the loops."

"Then we're almost out of time," Liara warned. "We need to hurry."

As she said that, more Covenant ships appeared out of the sky. However, while the prospect of more enemy contacts was terrible, this proved to be far worse. The Battlecruisers were covered in a strange, veiny brown substance. Almost as if the ships themselves were infected with some kind of virus or parasite. The ships smashed into several Covenant vessels, forcing many to turn on the new ships.

"The Flood, they finally showed up," Scott called out.

Already they could see pods, dropships and various other odds and ends falling from the new vessels. Many were flying towards a now defenseless Thanatos Spire, others were touching down in the ruins of the colony.

"They spread fast," Liara warned. "Advance units will be on this position in seconds, we need to move."

"No," Wrex declared. "This is the main entrance, they'll swarm this area in no time. Then you'll have Flood coming up at your rear along with whatever else is out there."

"There are probably already enemy units inside," Liara argued. "It won't matter either way."

"But you'll have less to deal with if someone holds their ground here," Wrex stated.

The krogan moved to take a defensive position at the front of the Spire. Liara rushed after him, grabbing his arm before he could get too far.

"That's suicide!" She shouted angrily. "You can't take them all on alone! You'll be throwing your life away for nothing!"

"He won't be alone."

The voice was Drack's, who approached Wrex's side. Grunt soon joined him, along with Kayap, his mech's booming footsteps stomping close beside them. Liara looked at them all stunned.

"No," she said, her mouth agape. "No, no! You can't!"

"Liara, we have to," Wrex insisted. "The only way you have enough time to get Shepard to the Crystal is if you don't have to deal with every abomination out here coming at you."

"We're practically a whole army by ourselves," Grunt added. "Especially with Kay backing us up."

Liara looked the unggoy, saluting with his mech's giant needler arm.

"We can do this, Boss," he assured her. "We can give you all the time you need. You got us all this far, let us get you the rest of the way."

Liara was quick to hug the mech and then Wrex.

"You stay alive out here, okay?" She asked them both. "You stay alive."

"We're krogan," Wrex assured her with a grin. "Surviving is our whole deal. Now get in there."

Liara nodded turning to the rest of the team. Grunt moved back to Shepard, clutching his arm in a shake.

"It was good seeing you again, Shepard," he said. "We'll keep them back. Make sure you get to that Crystal, don't worry about us."

"Alright," Shepard said, knowing there was nothing he could say to get him to come with them. "I will. I promise."

Grunt moved to leave, back to the defensive line, but Shepard called out to him.

"Grunt," he said, catching his attention. "You're pure krogan. A damn fine one too. I... I should've told you as much more often."

Grunt just grinned back, returning to the other krogan. Wrex was next to say something.

"You've always been a true friend to the krogan, Shepard," he declared. "A true friend to me. Get back, so we can fight this war together, as it should be."

"I will," Shepard promised. "Headbutt a few for me, okay? See you on the other side."

Wrex laughed slightly and turned towards the coming combat. Shepard then headed inside with the others, leaving the krogan and Kayap alone. Already, they could hear a horde of Flood encroaching on their position, their screams and shrieks clearly audible over all the other noise.

"Kinda epic, isn't it? "Drack asked. "The last three krogan in the galaxy, side by side, fighting until the end."

"It would make a great song," Wrex agreed. "The last stand of the krogan, a battle for the ages."

Kayap coughed, catching their attention.

"Right, right," Drack corrected himself. "The last three krogan plus their unggoy ally with the badass suit."

"Hey, he's pretty much an honorary krogan at this point," Grunt laughed.

The Flood now closed in, along with a few Reaper husks staggering among the ruins. As the two sides clashed with each other as they surged forward, Wrex activated his shotgun, switching to Inferno rounds. The others armed their own weapons, with Kayap taking position behind the three krogan.

"An army of nightmares," Wrex said grimly. "Heh, let's give them something to really fear."

Kayap readied his mech's Sharstorm weapon, punching the large activation button for it.

"Here come the fireworks!" He cried out.

Red shards launched from the mech, striking into the hordes of Flood and husk alike. They exploded among the hostile living corpses, shredding them to pieces. Plenty of hostiles survived of course, but the opening salvo gave Wrex his opening to charge, Drack and Grunt by his side.

"We! Are! Krogan!" Grunt screamed aloud.

They smashed into the Flood, Wrex's shotgun tearing them apart as he bulldozed through them. Drack punched through one's torso to crush the parasite inside, before using his bayonet's shotgun to blow three away in single shot. Grunt rushed through them, grabbing one of the Flood and using him as a club against the others. Kayap catapulted himself into the fray and began smashing any and all opposition with his Mech. They were intent on holding the line for as long as possible. Long enough for Shepard and the Master Chief to get home.

---

Thanatos Spire was not much better looking on the inside. The building had taken a beating from the various forces set against it enough already. Inside, the team found only devastation, as various offices, rooms and hallways were now on fire, darkened or inaccessible. Alec remained on point, Liara stayed with Shepard as they move cautiously through the halls.

"I'm getting a lot of heavy chatter over the Cerberus' comm channels," Cortana spoke up. "Took me a while to break the encryption, but the sound of it a lot of the fighting is going on in the upper sections of the Spire where most of the Covenant and Flood forces seem to have landed."

"Any word on the Crystal?" Chief asked her.

"No, but they've sent a detachment down to the sublevels," the AI answered. "Their mission seems to entail setting up a defensive perimeter of some sort. A 'last line' they're calling it."

"That has to be it," Liara stated. "But the Spire' sub-levels are as big as this place is tall. We need to narrow it down."

"Miranda has been in the systems," Shepard reminded them. "Maybe she found something."

"I keep trying to reach her, but I'm getting is static," Alec growled. "It's possible the Spire is jamming unauthorized transmissions, that's what I'm hoping for at least."

They entered into a large atrium, what looked to be some kind of processing center. There were various medical stations, stasis pods of some sort on the walls, what looked to be security checkpoints. All badly damaged from the looks of it, with small fires or broken monitors dotting the area.

"What is this place?" Shepard asked.

"Where new recruits for Cerberus are brought," Sarah said. "Me and Vetra hit a place like this a while ago. They promise surviving humans a chance at making a better life and fighting for something that matters. Mostly though they don't even ask. That's where the medical equipment comes in I think."

Shepard remembered what Miranda had once said, about obedience chips Cerberus had developed. It made him shiver to think they had gone into full production with those things. Was the Illusive Man that desperate? What did he hope to gain now with the Galaxy so utterly demolished?

A sudden explosion broke him out of his thoughts. Bursting through another door appeared Liam and Cora, running like mad for their lives it seemed.

"Get down!" Liam shouted at them. "Get down!"

He ducked at the last second, as did Cora. A powerful plasma beam blast erupted near them moments later. Stomping out of the smoke and fire of the blown open doorway appeared a Tri-Clops, the mutilated former Hunter wasted no time in screaming at them before letting loose another salvo. The team scattered as the plasma beam struck near their position and sliced across the room, chasing anything its sensors could target. Shepard dove to the deck alongside the Master Chief. As soon as possible, they picked up and ran over to Cora, now taking cover behind a small medical station.

"Cora, where's Miranda?" Shepard asked desperately.

"We got separated when a pair of these things attacked us," Cora explained, panting and near out of breath. "She went right, we went left. Only thing we could do. The other one followed her."

Shepard, while concerned for his friend and crewmate, had to force his fears aside. They had to kill this thing and fast. As he remembered, the Tri-Clops was a walking weapons platform, with shields, the plasma beam cannon and a plasma rifle under its chin, located on that disgusting long neck it moved about. Although it did seem to be limping on one of its three legs.

"Liam managed to hit it and damage its shields, but they've beefed up the armor," Cora warned.

The Tri-Clops began firing its plasma rifle on their position. It stopped only when a grenade hit its side. Liam strafed the husk creature, firing incendiary rounds at it as he crossed the room.

"Go! Get out of there!" He shouted. "It's got you zeroed!"

Shepard, Cora and Chief picked up and ran for better cover. Liam kept shooting, even as he raced for safety. The plasma rifle refused to let up though and soon it nicked him in the knee. Liam dropped to the floor and kept shooting all the same, managing to hit the Tri-Clops in one of its eyes. The husk shook off the damage, even though it had only two eyes left. It then targeted its Plasma Beam on the helpless human.

"Liam! No!"

Cora's cry did nothing to stop the Tri-Clops from taking its shot. Its plasma beam sliced at the floor on its way towards Liam. His pained cries echoed across the room. They were followed by a deafening silence as everyone looked on in shock. Only broken by Cora scream of rage. She charged across the open ground, activating her biotics so she slammed into the Tri-Clops like a freight train. She fired into its neck with a succession of rounds from her rifle, only to be swatted away by the monster's foot. As it advanced though, a shockwave slammed into it. Cora looked to see it was Peebee, backed up by the rest of her team.

"We got ya, Harper!" Peebee called out gleefully, firing on the creature's face.

Vetra fired her flak cannon strike at the monster, while Sarah and Scott blasted away at its wounded leg. Liara stepped in to hit its plasma beam blaster with her biotics, throwing off its next shot by a mile. Chief and Shepard moved in quickly themselves. The Commander charged into the creature's side, while the Master Chief let loose with his Typhoon assault rifle, rattling the husk with bullets.

"Keep a wide berth, people!" Alec called out, even as he kept the monster off balance with his own biotic attacks. "That beam is still active!"

Shepard pulled back, firing his shotgun at the husk. Cora came in as he left though, shoving an omni-blade into the thing's neck. She then slammed a plasma grenade onto the nape of the Tri-Clops and pulled back. However, before the grenade exploded, the monster's plasma rifle targeted her, taking one final shot. Cora was hit in the stomach, collapsing to the floor, just as the Tri-Clops' head exploded into pieces.

The husk dropped to the floor dead, what was left of it at least. Everyone quickly regrouped around Cora. Still alive, but badly wounded. Alec helped her up, although she strained to stand.

"Damn it," she grunted in anger. "God damn it."

"I know," Alec said sadly. "Liam... Liam was a good man. I'm sorry."

"We need to get you some medi-gel," Liara told Cora. "It will help."

It was then they heard a crash nearby, as something broke through the one of the upper levels of the processing room. It appeared to be a whole gang of Covenant Husks, all scrambling to get into the room.

"That's gonna have to wait," Alec said, putting Cora's arm over his shoulder. "Everyone! Move! Now!"

The group ran for it, Sarah and Scott firing back on the husks as they rushed for the exit. They were halfway there when Cora tore herself from Alec grasp and stepped backwards from the group.

"Harper!" Alec called out to her.

"Go!" She ordered. "I'm slowing you down! All that matters is getting Shepard and Chief to the Crystal! I can hold them off!"

"Cora, no!" Sarah shouted at her.

"You can still make it!" Scott pleaded with her.

"I can, but you have to make it," she responded. "You have to get to the Crystal, no matter what the cost."

Cora looked to Peebee, who seemed rather shaken by the sudden turn of events.

"I'm going to miss you being a pain in the ass, Peebee," she said.

"I... I just..." the asari throat was practically closing up, unable to say what she wanted to until she finally just blurted it out. "I teased you because I respected you."

Cora smiled at that, but the asari remained near the edge of tears.

"Please... don't," Peebee pleaded.

Cora shook her head and then saluted them all.

"Look after each other," she ordered.

Her biotics flared up and she launched herself into the horde of incoming husks. There was an explosion of biotic energy, as well as pained screams and cries. Alec tried to rush in to help her, only for more husks to start pouring into the room.

"It's too late!" Liara told him, holding him back. "Come on!"

The team raced out the exit door, hearing gun fire and biotics in the distance as they did. Then, suddenly, nothing. They paused only for a moment outside in the hallway, Alec punching the wall in anger.

"Damn it! Why the hell did she do that?" He demanded to know. "God damn it! We could've saved her! We-"

"Dad!" Scott shouted, pulling him away from the wall. "There's nothing we can do now. We gotta keep moving."

Alec looked to Shepard and the Master Chief in that moment, taking a moment to compose himself. He walked up to them, his resolve slowly returning.

"We need to make this count," he told them. "We've lost enough already. Too much already."

"I'm... I'm sorry, sir," Shepard said sadly. "I'm... truly sorry."

Alec just patted him on the shoulder and moved on. He took point for the rest of the hallway, leading with his gun pointed forward as the others surrounded the Master Chief and Shepard. As they moved through the corridors, they saw more and more destruction. Whole segments of the Spire were on fire now, other rooms had collapsed in on themselves. They could hear fighting in other hallways or behind doors.

"Are we getting any closer?" Shepard asked.

"I've been scanning for energy signatures matching the Crystal," Cortana commented. "But so far, nothing. It might be shielded."

Suddenly, a door opened to their right and out of it popped Miranda holding a gun. She lowered it once she saw it was them though. She looked even more rattled than before, her cybernetic arm had taken some damage as well.

"Thank God. Where's everyone else?" She asked.

When only saddened or grim eyes met her question, she knew the answer.

"Damn," she said. "Look, I wager we don't have much time left."

"I'm remembering more from near the end of the looping incident," Shepard informed her.

"Then we need to hurry," Miranda told him. "Quick, open your omni-tool while we walk."

They moved through the hallways as Miranda feverishly pressed commands on her omni-tool. Shepard looked to see an upload had already begun.

"What is this?" He asked.

"I hit the jackpot in that security terminal," Miranda stated. "I not only shut down the turrets, I also found where they're holding the Crystal. It's in a lab on sublevel C12, section Delta Omega. I'm sending you all a map, the quickest path that room."

"This upload seems a little bigger than that," Shepard observed.

"I also found the location of a datafile on the terminal that I located and hacked into," Miranda explained. "Shepard, it had everything concerning Cerberus' retrieval of the crystal, when they sent teams into the Wormhole, the reports they filed when they got back, mission details, profiles of team members. A lot of it is corrupted, but it's something. Shepard, you can use this back in your time. To track them down, stop them. Even if they never get the Crystal, there are far worse things Cerberus can get up to in that universe."

She was right, Cerberus could not be allowed to operate unmolested in Chief's universe. He had to stop them, whatever their intentions were. He shuddered to think of what would happen if some of the less than honorable members of ONI came into contact with them.

"I'll stop them, Miranda," Shepard assured her. "You can count on it."

Miranda nodded, pulling up her pistol as she heard something in another corridor.

"We need to move if we're going to get to the lab quickly," Liara said.

"Go on ahead," she told them. "I'll try and keep them off your backs."

"No, we stay together," Shepard ordered. "We've lost too many people already."

A door in front of them in opened wide, revealing a squad of Cerberus troopers. They opened fire on the team, forcing them to rush to cover. Another squad of Cerberus soldiers was soon rushing down an adjacent hallway, firing on their positions as well. Miranda sent a throw attack that forced them back for a time, but they continued to press on their positions. They moved back towards a large door, which Miranda opened for them.

"There are Cerberus forces everywhere," she informed them, firing back on the hostiles. "I'll try and lead them away from your path!"

"Miranda, that's insane!" Shepard told her. "Come with us!"

"Sorry, Commander," she replied succinctly.

She pushed him through the door as everyone else ran through it.

"But I put too much work into you to let you die now," she shouted at him.

She smashed the keypad on the door, forcing it to slam shut in Shepard's face. He could hear gunfire behind the door, but he couldn't tell who was winning. Liara forced him to his feet once more, pulling him into the room.

"Come on! We need to get to the elevator Lawson pointed out," she said. "It's an express, a direct line into the lab."

"Do we have access to something like that?" Shepard asked.

"I can crack it," Cortana assured them. "Miranda obviously thought at much. We need to hurry though, I'm getting a lot of panicked screaming over Cerberus' comms. The Husks are attacking their defensive lines. They'll be inside that lab before too long."

So the team pressed on ahead, moving along Miranda's designated route as quickly as possible. Eventually they came to a large room, possibly a living quarters from the look of it. The place was in shambles, fires raging everywhere as bits of debris were scattered about. The cause became fairly evident, a giant hole in the ceiling, a huge piece of what appeared to be part of a Covenant ship had punctured through it. However, said Covenant ship was dripping some kind of brown sludge. Which could only mean one thing. The shrieking that came next more or less proved it.

"Flood!" Liara shouted, as a Combat Form shot at them.

The team pushed through the firefight, using their shotguns, biotics and explosives to decimate the enemy ranks. Vetra stuck her assault rifle on turbocharge, delivering more pounds of damage with her Shredder round mod. Sarah backed her up, using Biotic Lances to rip through the Flood's chest cavities.

Alec defended the group with his biotic shield, sending bullets back at the Flood. It did little to really damage them, but it kept the pressure off the others for the time being. Peebee and Scott covered the elder Ryder, the Asari using her Invasion attack to assault the Flood from afar and Scott blasting a flamethrower from his wrist to whittle their enemies down further. Sometimes this double team tactic resulted in some of the Flood exploding, as the Invasion attack's tiny nanobots sensed enough damage to their targets allowing them to self-destruct.

Liara captured some of the Flood in stasis fields, this slowed down their advance somewhat. Shepard's shockwave kept them at bay as well, while Chief used the Shotgun he had packed to blast the Flood into pieces. They moved across the room quickly and efficiently, doing their best to keep the Flood away from them. They couldn't stop, not for a second, they had wasted too much time already. They needed to get to the elevator, fast.

Vetra used her flak cannon shot to clear some Flood away from their exit. She moved swiftly on point, covering their angles as she pressed forward. However, as she moved for the exit door, it opened wide, revealing another Combat Form. It fired on her, striking her in the shoulder and waist. She fell to the floor in visible pain, Sarah rushing to her side. Alec had already hit the Combat Form with a Pull attack, causing it to float into the air. Sarah followed it up with a Lance attack that detonated the biotic field, destroying the Flood creature. She then tended to Vetra, quickly administering Medi-Gel.

"It's okay," Vetra insisted. "I'm... I'm alright. I'm al-ARGH!"

Her attempt to stand on her own was proof enough to the contrary of her statement. Sarah supported her, holding her up by placing the turian's arm around her shoulder.

"Hang in there, V," Sarha said sweetly.

Vetra tried to smile, placing her forehead against Sarah's.

"This is a really, REALLY, shitty honeymoon," she groaned.

Sarah looked to her father desperately.

"Dad, she can't go on," she insisted. "She needs medical attention. More medi-gel, bio-foam."

"Or you can leave me," Vetra suggested through a pain grunt.

"Not an option," Sarah snarled. "Do not even suggest that."

Liara quickly tapped something onto her omni-tool and uploaded it to Sarah's.

"There's a maintenance shaft route that can take you outside," the asari explained to her. "If you can get her back to the ship, you can help her there."

Sarah looked to her father, pleading with her eyes. Alec just sighed.

"I'm not about to lose either of you like this," he insisted. "Get back to the Tempest. Watch out for each other. Don't do anything stupid."

"Thanks Dad," Sarah replied, smiling meekly.

As she moved to go though, Chief called out to her.

"Wait," he said. "Here."

He tossed her a bio-foam pack from his utility. Sarah grabbed it in her hand.

"That should keep her insides from spilling out into the wrong places," the Spartan told her. "At the very least she'll be able to walk a bit better."

"Thanks, Chief," Sarah said. "We... we owe you one."

"Now get to that damn Crystal would ya?" Vetra shouted, growling with pain. "You got a dark future to prevent."

The two quickly moved to the secondary exit, Sarah carrying Vetra best she could. The Flood were all dead here, so no more problems there, but their party had been whittled down to sox now. This was not looking good. They headed through the exit, keeping pace with Alec as he kept on point. As they neared their entry point, they could see the elevator doors. As well as a pair of Cerberus soldiers blocking their way.

They opened fire on the team, but Alec was ready for them. He pulled one towards him with his biotics, using him as a shield while he friend fired on them. He then let the enemy soldier loose, smashing him back into the other Cerberus soldier. Both fell to the floor in a heap.

While Alec was doing that though, Scott spotted a shadow creeping up from a nearby corridor. In front of him was Peebee and said shadow looked to be Reaver in origin. The asari hadn't seen it, still firing on the Cerberus soldiers blocking their way. Scott rushed up suddenly, pushing Peebee away from the corner of the corridor just in time. Only for the Reaver's blade to slash at him from across the chest. Scott went down, falling onto the cold floor.

And Peebee went berserk.

Screaming in a mad rage, she opened fire on the Reaver, before using her biotics to send the former Covie flying into the ceiling where she filled him full of more holes. Eventually the Reaver fell to the ground, more metal mush than anything else. She quickly rushed back and propped Scott up against a wall. He clutched at his wound painfully, as the asari cradled his face her hands. Alec was soon by their side, an expression of absolute horror upon his face.

"Oh God," was all he could say.

Peebee was far more frantic.

"It's okay, babe! I'm here! You hear me? I'm here! I'm right here!"

Scott coughed, some blood coming up as he did.

"No, no, no, no, it's gonna be okay," the asari pleaded desperately, fumbling about her utility belt. "You're going to be alright. I'm here. I'm here, I'm not leaving you. I'm here."

Chief quickly went for his utility belt again, grabbing some more bio-foam.

"This is all I got," he told Peebee, handing it to her.

Peebee quickly sprayed the foam across Scott's chest, but even with the wound closed up, he was still in massive pain, his arm twitching constantly. His eyes seemed to open and close weakly, his vision seemingly impaired. When his head went limp for a second, Peebee's tears finally broke the surface.

"No! No! You can't! You won't leave me!" She screamed, hugging his face. "You can't leave me, Scott! Don't die on me! I love you! I can't lose you! And... and you can't go! You can't! You know why? Cause... cause you're gonna be a daddy! You hear me? You-You're gonna be a dad!"

Scott's eyes brightened up a bit at that, he even seemed to laugh. It wasn't exactly the best way to learn about your upcoming parentage, but it seemed to bring him back for a moment.

"Heh, heh, that's pretty cool," he chuckled weakly. "You hear that, dad? You're gonna be a grandpa."

"I heard, son," Alec said, kneeling down, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I heard."

Scott kept coughing badly. Peebee, her black mask makeup now running as tears engulfed her face, hugged him close, sobbing inconsolably.

"You can't leave," she repeated once more, weeping greatly. "Please don't leave me, Scott. Please."

Scott hugged the asari back, as tightly as he could.

"I won't," he managed to choke out. "I won't."

Shepard could only look at the pair disheartened by the whole scene. Peebee was an absolute wreck, Scott practically crippled. He wanted to say something, do something. He could find no words. All he could do was watch as two people who clearly, deeply loved each other, could only watch helplessly as the other seemed to drift away, even as they tried to hold on to one another.

"I'm not leaving him," Peebee sobbed. "You can't make me. I'm not leaving him."

Alec didn't argue, he took his assault rifle off his back and placed it near Peebee. He also handed her some extra medi-gel.

"Keep him stable," he ordered solemnly. "As long as you can. If you can, move him to the exit. Same one Sarah and Vetra are using."

Peebee could only nod, refusing to let go of Scott. The remaining four members of the group headed towards the elevator now. As the lift opened and Alec got in, he looked back at his son.

"You... you've always made me proud, Scott," he assured him.

"I know... pop," Scott said, coughing for a moment. "I... I know."

Alec nodded, it was all that needed to be said. Shepard entered next, but Peebee called out to him.

"Stop this from happening," She pleaded, her tears smearing her black make-up mask across her face. "Save him. Please, Shepard. Give us... give us another chance to find each other. Please."

"I will," Shepard promised earnestly.

The doors to the elevator closed shortly after that. Shepard's last image of Peebee and Scott were of the two embracing one another, huddled and frightened, but refusing to let go.

---

The ride down the elevator was long and quiet. The only sound that of the humming of the lights and the passing of the floors. Shepard was left alone in his thoughts, considering everything that had happened. So many good people, all gone. And why? They all said the same thing more or less. They all placed their hopes on him and the Master Chief. All sacrificing themselves, their lives, their whole future, for him. Out of the slim chance that this could be salvaged. That it could be stopped.

None of it felt right to him.

"I'm sorry, Ryder," Shepard apologized. "This... this is all my fault."

Alec looked back, confused at the statement.

"I should've been here to begin with," he said. "Now, everyone close to you is killing themselves to save me and the Master Chief. It's... it's wrong. We're not any more important than them. We're not."

"Commander, I appreciate that you feel that way," Alec grimly assured him, "But right now, you are more important. Because the only way to save my son, is to keep this timeline from ever happening. I hate to put that burden on you, Shepard, but I don't have control over that. Only thing I can control is getting you back to your time."

Alec turned away once he finished, Shepard unsure of his to response. Things weren't quiet for long though, as Liara soon spoke up.

"Once we're inside the lab, you need to head to the Crystal," Liara insisted. "It should recognize your temporal connection to its past and open the portal back to when you left. Whatever else happens, you and Chief have to get there."

"What about you?" Shepard asked. "What if this doesn't change anything here?"

"I have to have faith it will," Liara told him serenely. "Hope might not be much of a plan, but we can't win without it. Sending you back is the last bit of hope we have left. That's what it comes down to."

The elevator doors soon opened, revealing a large circular lab in front of them. It reminded Shepard somewhat of Project Overlord's inner sanctum, where he had found another of Cerberus' abominable crimes against humanity. Only this time, in the center of the room was not a poor abused human, but crystal, fluctuating behind a shielded barrier of some kind, multicolored lights resonating from within.

That wasn't the only thing in the room though. Strewn about were several dead bodies, all Cerberus soldiers. The last line of defense. They were gone, decimated. The cause soon revealed itself as they entered. Floating down from the rafters was a strange, orange glowing husk form. One Shepard remembered distinctly. As he raised his weapon towards it, the others did the same. Commander Shepard gazed upon the crab-like looking husk, its mouth full of the husks, its eyes piercing with hateful orange light and a shimmering glowing barrier surrounding its body.

It was a Praetorian, but not like any Praetorian he had faced before. This one looked familiar to something else, the cracks of orange energy across its body were evidence enough of that. Then, it spoke and confirmed every fear he had.

"Shepard, you have returned."

Harbinger, possessing another of his twisted creations of course.

"Sorry I missed most of your war," Shepard replied. "But I always did prefer being fashionably late to parties."

"The same arrogance as ever," Harbinger grunted. "We had hoped recovering this relic would bring a swift end to this harvest. Now the added opportunity to silence you forever has presented itself. Most agreeable."

"Needing extra toys to complete your cycles now?" Shepard taunted, motioning the others to spread out a bit. "Whatever happened to the whole superior being act? Then again, you have some competition it seems in the body snatching department."

"The parasite is a mere nuisance, it will be eradicated along with the rest of your species," Harbinger claimed. "Once we discover its Hive Mind, it will ascend as all others have before it."

"You can just admit you're scared, Harbinger, I won't judge," Shepard said smirking. "Eons of genocide, nothing strong enough to oppose you. Then along comes something that's bigger and scarier than you. That's got be a bit unnerving."

"You mistake our change in strategy for terror," Harbinger decreed. "The Harvest will adapt as always. This parasite is a minor inconvenience, much like you."

"And yet, I'm still kicking," Shepard reminded him. "Is that embarrassing for you?"

"You are indeed long overdue for a correction," Harbinger agreed. "This exchange will now be terminated. Along with you."

The Praetorian's eyes glowed brightly as a brilliant beam of orange shot out from it, slashing across the ground. The squad dove for cover and began firing on the husk. It slammed down onto the ground, creating a shockwave that sent them flying in different directions. When Shepard stopped rolling and stood up, he remembered something in his mind. A new experiment, a reversal of the original. He didn't need to share it with anyone, he knew, their time was almost up.

He raced to the Master Chief, while Alec and Liara kept the Praetorian busy.

"We need to shut down that barrier and get in there, now!" He told the Spartan.

"I know, but how?" Chief asked.

"I've done a scan," Cortana answered. "I've isolated the barrier's primary power junctions. Destroy them and the shield will fall."

Cortana highlighted the objectives on their heads up displays. Each junction was positioned in one of the pillars surrounding the Crystal. Harbinger's Praetorian was still crawling around, trying to slash Liara and Alec. Shepard wasn't about to leave them in the lurch.

"I'll tell them," he told Chief. "Start shooting those junctions!"

Chief nodded, taking off and shooting full throttle into one of the power junction points as he did. Shepard moved in to assist Liara and Alec in the meantime, firing on the Praetorian with his assault rifle. The blasts cut deep into the Praetorian's barriers and it lashed out with another energy blast from its eyes. He dodged it with a roll, moving to Liara and Alec's side.

"We need to bring down the barrier," he told them. "Shoot the junction boxes in the pillars."

"What about him?" Alec asked.

"He can help," Shepard suggested. "Come on!"

They spread out, forcing Harbinger to split his focus. He stayed on Shepard, of course, aiming one of his beams at the Commander, who nimbly dodged away. The blast destroyed a pillar instead, along with the junction box. Shepard kept antagonizing the husk, forcing it to keep after him. Harbinger was too focused on killing him to see what Shepard was doing. Well, at first anyway.

After tricking Harbinger into doing his job for him a few more times, the Reaper caught on. He spotted the barrier failing and realized the truth. He smashed down into ground, crashing near Shepard where he loomed over the now sprawled out human.

"You struggle in vain and provide me the prize I sought," he declared. "Pitiful. I will use the Crystal's unique properties to alter the course of this Harvest and many others to come. I thank you, Shepard. Here is your reward, a quick end."

The Praetorian raised its claw to deliver a final blow. Instead, Shepard heard a crash and then booster jets. Harbinger's husk turned, just in time to see a giant mech crash into it. It was Kayap, his robot suit badly damaged and pouring smoke, but still in fighting shape. However, his presence here meant things were probably not going so well on the surface.

"Kayap!" Liara cried out from across the room.

Shepard got to his feet and engaged the Praetorian. Even as the mech struggled with it. The two traded blows, fired point blank and smashed their bodies into the other. Eventually Kayap slammed his needler cannon into the creature's stomach and just kept unloading, even as the monster's claw kept slamming down on his cockpit.

"Kayap! Get out of there!" Shepard shouted.

"No can do, Commander!" The unggoy declared. "I got one last card to play."

An alarm started sounding from the mech as it began to resonate hot red.

"Boss, I'm sorry," Kayap said sadly, apologizing to Liara. "This... this is all I can do. Thank you... for giving me a chance to live for something better. And to die for something that was worth it."

"Kayap!"

"Bye, Liara."

In the next moment, the mech exploded. The Praetorian was incinerated in the blast, as was Kayap. Pieces of the mech fell back to the floor, clanging against the metal. There was nothing but a blackened crater where the robot suit had once stood now. Shepard could only stand, mouth agape, as Liara dropped her knees in anguish.

There was no time for mourning, the final junction box was destroyed moments later and the barrier fell. The Crystal soon laid bare. The four survivors now approached the relic itself, but nothing seemed to happen at first. Shepard was fearful, had this all been for nothing? He looked to Liara for an explanation, but could find none on her face.

Suddenly, the crystal seemed to explode in a radiant flash of light. Shepard managed to look through the powerful flash to see the relic was still intact, but something had opened around it. He felt he could hear voices as well. Tali's, Zek's, Grunt's, his own. They were muffled and strained, but they were there. He recognized them distinctly.

"It's the experiment," Liara shouted. "The one that ended the loops! You have to go now!"

The danger had not passed though, as the screaming shrieks of the Flood could soon be heard approaching. The horde Wrex and the others had tried to stop, it was upon them now. Alec fired a grenade launcher at the advancing swarm of Combat Forms, as the Master Chief rushed to join the fight. He fired his Assault Rifle on the Flood, as did Shepard, but Alec grabbed the Commander by his collar.

"The war isn't here, Shepard, it's in the past!" He shouted at him. "Go! Save my son! Save us all!"

Shepard knew he was right, even though running from a fight wasn't something he was keen on, he knew he was right.

"It's been an honor serving under you, Alec Ryder," Shepard saluted him.

"Likewise, Commander Shepard," Alec confirmed. "Now go."

He looked to Chief, who nodded. They ran for the portal, Liara by their side. They stopped just in front of it, if only for a moment, the light coming off the Crystal near blinding. Shepard could hear them all more clearly now.

"Grunt, you're a genius!" Tali could be heard screaming.

They were so close now. He only had to step through. Shepard turned to Liara, he looked up at him with a sad but hopeful smile.

"Liara, thank you," he told her. "I'm sorry I-"

Liara suddenly lunged at him, kissing him full on the lips, much to his shock. Not so much about the kiss, but that it was even happening at all. When she parted from him, she was blushing lightly. He was left speechless.

"I wasn't going to get another chance in any lifetime otherwise," she claimed. "Now go. And remember, there's always hope. Always."

Shepard nodded and he turned to Chief.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Ready," the Spartan confirmed.

"Yeah, ready," Cortana confirmed. "Now hold onto your asses people, because I think we're about to see some serious shiiiiiiittttt!"

They both jumped into the portal as Cortana finished her sentence. In the next instant, Shepard felt like his whole body was being taken apart, stretched out and rearranged. He felt a painful, searing strain on his mind and flesh. His face felt like it was tearing, as if he was strapped to a rocket going at full speed. Finally, everything went white.

---

Tali looked around the room frantically, her concern growing with every passing second. People didn't just vanish. Neither did AI programs who were inside a computer console at the time. She looked to Grunt for answers, but he didn't seem to have any.

"This... this wasn't part of the loop," He said, as confused and frightened as they were. "We're out of it. We passed the reset mark."

"Then where?" Tali asked. "Where's Chief? Where's Cortana? Where is Wade?!"

It was then that the Crystal began to resonate again. This time on its own, no connection to the Amplifier. Before Tali could even move to examine it something exploded in front of them. Everyone was flung back by the force of the shockwave, revealed to be some kind of slipspace rupture from the look of it. Tali briefly wondered if this was what they had detected before they closed the loops. A thought only vanquished when the portal spat something out of itself.

Thrown to the floor, looking like they had been through hell, were Shepard and the Master Chief. They landed with a series of thuds and groans, coughing wildly and holding their heads in pain. Eventually both found the strength to stand as they looked around astonished at their surroundings.

"Did... did it work?" Shepard asked.

"I'm detecting signals from the other ships in the fleet," Cortana chimed in suddenly. "We're back!"

Shepard's gaze eventually found Tali, who was already breathing a sigh of relief.

"Keelah, where were you?" She asked. "What happened? Did you get swallowed by Slipspace or-"

Shepard quickly rushed over to her and hugged the quarian tightly. Not unwelcome, but she was rather shocked.

"I'd never abandon you, Tali," he told her, whispering in her ear. "Never."

"Um... okay," the quarian responded, utterly confused by the sudden declaration.

"You have no idea how good it is to see you," He said, his voice cracking with joy.

When he pulled back, he still didn't let her go and he kept gazing at her with the warmest smile he had ever shown her in public. Again, not unwelcome, but very weird.

"Wade, what is going on?" Tali asked. "What happened to you two?"

Shepard just seemed to laugh.

"That's... a very long story," he confessed.

---

Shepard, Chief, Cortana, Grunt and Zek all met at the Normandy's mess table after the debriefings were done. While everyone else had more or less been filled in on the various events surrounding their collective experiences, they hadn't had the chance to talk one on one with each other on what had happened until now. Frankly there was a lot to go over and it took a while to lay everything out. Zek more or less summed up the discussion.

"Well this was a fucking head trip," he declared. "From now on, I stick to drugs. This shit got out of hand way too fast."

"I think, in general, we're going to have to be more careful concerning our future studies revolving around these relics," Cortana added cautiously as well. "Clearly they're more dangerous then we imagined, even without a malevolent entity inside them pulling the strings."

"True, but I think there's something to be said about this experience," Shepard told her. "Not many people get the chances we did. To relive a day or see their future. We need to take stock of that I think."

Chief nodded in agreement.

"We've learned valuable intelligence on the enemy," he stated. "Their intentions, their goals, seen their plan of attack in action. We can better prepare for it now."

"Assuming our mere presence hasn't already altered the timeline," Cortana informed him astutely. "Remember, all that stuff happened because we weren't present to stop it. Now that we're here, things will occur differently and we might be the impetus for that change. We'll have to react accordingly. Frankly, I'm more concerned about the wider implications."

"What do you mean?" Shepard asked.

Cortana brought up a graph dictating the possible range of the Crystal's effects on time. Specifically in regards to the Amplifier and how it boosted its effects considerably. There were a series of calculations and numbers and equations that Shepard didn't understand, but Cortana bothered to try.

"The crystal replayed the present, sent us forward into the future and sent the entire fleet backwards into the past," she stated. "Near simultaneously in fact. We don't even know when it sent us into said past or for how long we've been living in it. Hell, it is entirely possible Snarlbeak followed us here and simply doesn't know it. We can't be sure."

"And we were in those loops for a long time," Grunt remarked. "It felt like six hours over and over to us, but I'm guessing it wasn't the same everywhere."

"It's difficult to gauge the effective range of the Crystal's reach," Cortana confessed. "Especially with how the Amplifier reacted with it. Even more so given how its effects were able to persist beyond this dimension. I'm afraid this incident could've had wider implications on the galaxy at large."

"Yeah, who knows what other time anomalies it could've set off," Grunt agreed. "It could've started another paradox somewhere else that we've yet to uncover. Altered time in ways we can't imagine just yet."

Cortana looked at the krogan curiously.

"I am not going to get over the fact you seem to be more versed in quantum mechanics anytime soon," she told him.

Grunt just laughed.

"I had some good teachers," he stated.

"I have to say, I'm proud of you Grunt," Shepard told him. "You were faced with a difficult problem that seemed beyond you. But you gave it your all, applied yourself and overcame it. No one can call you dumb muscle anymore."

"Heh, heh, yeah it is pretty cool to know I'm smarter than I thought," the krogan chuckled. "Still not as cool as your story though. Sounds like I became a total badass in the future."

Shepard nodded, although less enthusiastically than the krogan.

"We saw some terrible things," he admitted. "Horrible. I watched friends die, others give themselves for a chance that I'm not even sure most of them thought they even had. I saw a lot of people rise to the occasion. Some... more surprising than others."

He looked over at Zek, who eyed him suspiciously in response.

"What?"

"Your future self realized the importance of stepping up and fighting for a cause," Shepard claimed. "That's pretty big, Zek. I like to think if you did it once, maybe you can do it again."

Zek stuck his tongue out at that.

"Oh please, future me sounds like a bleeding heart and a dumbass," he laughed. "I mean who trusts a bunch of jackoffs he just met with finding a damn relic for him?"

"From the sound of it, someone who didn't see what his own greed and narcissism was costing him until it was too late," Cortana chided.

"Well whatever, we're not gonna make that mistake now since we're on the lookout for these Cerberus fucks," Zek said confidently. "I mean, we can sniff them out, right?"

"I'm hopeful," said Shepard. "Miranda's intel revealed a ton about their mission, but a lot of it was corrupted. I can't say for sure where they are or what they're trying to do right now, only that they seem to be after this universe's advanced tech and they're obviously after Forerunner artifacts as well. I knew they'd be coming here eventually after Liara reported about the Illusive Man's involvement in matters back home. I just didn't think it would be so soon or this... ambitious."

"Speaking of your home, have you contacted Liara yet?" Chief asked him.

"Yeah, as soon as I was able," Shepard assured the Spartan. "I told her about the Andromeda Initiative, to give them a chance. It's up to her and her team now. I'm hoping they succeed."

If nothing else, for Alec Ryder's sake and the sake of his family. They deserved a chance in a new galaxy, a chance to build something better. With any luck, they could foil the Reapers plans to exterminate them all, even if they failed to stop them. He could do that much for them at least.

"So you see, we all get a do-over," Zek declared. "Even some assholes we barely even know. I think I'm satisfied with that."

"You're very easily satisfied in the face of galactic shattering discoveries concerning various theories on how time and space operate," Cortana informed him.

"I'm not stuck in limbo and I got a warning about trusting douchebags," Zek replied. "What more could I ask for?"

"I find it hard to believe for a second that you found living in a time loop all that terrible," Cortana stated. "Given how you operate, I'm sure you gave into temptation at some point."

Zek looked suspiciously awkward suddenly, the AI's statement causing him to look around shiftily with his eyes.

"Heh, heh, what do you mean?" He asked nervously.

"I don't know, maybe you decided to embrace the insanity of a world where there are no consequences," Cortana said rather slyly. "Where you could do anything and never face repercussions for any of it."

The Jackal's look eventually relaxed into a more plain, thoughtful look.

"Nope," Zek said with smarmy grin at last. "Not once. Never came to mind."

Grunt eyed him rather annoyed, only for Cortana to chime in suddenly.

"Really?" She asked. "Because one of the data points I recalled during our time in the future involved some kind of show that was broadcast to everyone. Something with a sock puppet. That ate turds."

Zek coughed suddenly, standing up from the table.

"You cannot prove anything and I will deny it if you try," he declared rather bluntly.

"Seriously though, Zek," Shepard cut in. "You should really consider what we went through a bit more. What we've seen should give us all pause. Make us re-evaluate some things."

"I've been stuck on repeat for who knows how long," Zek informed him. "I'm perfectly fine not having to deal with this bullshit ridiculous science crap anymore and for the rest of my life."

"So this hasn't given you any insight into who you are and who you could be?" Shepard asked, astonished by the brazen lack of introspection. "Not even your future self telling you to stay in this fleet and fight with us? That means nothing to you?"

Zek walked around the table and patted Shepard on the shoulder.

"My dear Commander," he said serenely and sincerely. "I haven't learned a fucking thing."

The jackal then took out a flask, chugged it down and left as he did. Shepard shook his head in disappointment.

"He's lying to himself, Shepard," Grunt informed him. "Believe me, it's the best thing he can do for himself right now. He'll figure it out or he won't. Don't worry too much about it."

"Heh, that's a pretty mature outlook, Grunt," Shepard said, a prideful smile beaming across his face. "I guess it's good to see someone walk away from this with some perspective."

"Yeah, but in the meantime, I think I've finally figured out how to beat Travers' time on the scoreboard for the shooting gallery," the krogan declared. "I'm gonna go run it now. See ya around, Shepard."

Grunt took off, sounding fairly confident in his ability to regain his prowess on the scoreboard.

"He wasn't even number one on that course," Cortana commented. "Chief is."

"Let him keep his sense of pride," the Spartan told her. "From what we've seen he'll need it."

An understatement to be sure, but still a fairly accurate statement in the grand scheme of things.

"Do you want to talk about it?" The Spartan suddenly asked the Commander.

"Hmm?" Shepard asked in kind.

"You didn't mention how Liara... well... you know."

Shepard knew what he meant and it was something he was still processing.

"It's not that I didn't know," he explained cautiously. "I just... part of me thought she had changed. I... I guess the end of the world can make you rethink some things. I know it's making me rethink some things."

He looked at the Spartan and Cortana directly now.

"Don't tell Tali, either of you, please," he requested. "Liara is my friend, a good one, and I want to keep it that way. I can't let what a future version of her did in an act of a desperate final wish before things ended damage things between her, Tali and me. Maybe it's something I need to discuss with Liara in private at some point, but it doesn't change anything between me and Tali. It's just... something to think about."

"I understand, sir," Chief assured him. "I was just trying to see how you thought about the situation."

"And knowing you don't want to hurt Tali is enough for me," Cortana added. "Plus it wasn't really something you did so... whatever. Just know I'm watching you, buster."

Shepard laughed, accepting the level of probation. His expression turned more serious however.

"Frankly, I'm more concerned with everything else we've experienced," he stated grimly. "The Flood are still out there, Cerberus is here in this dimension somewhere, the Covenant are still preparing to invade my universe with the same device I had hoped would take them more time to rebuild again, this Earth might be imperiled by an even sooner Covenant invasion and I just got a glimpse at what the Reapers intend to do in about a year's time. Maybe even not that long."

"It's a lot to take in," Chief acknowledged. "A lot to do. But we owe it to the people we saw fight and die to give us this chance to come back here. To fix it. And I think we can. Liara was right. Hope isn't much of a plan, but we can't win without it."

Shepard nodded in agreement, his resolve steady. They had escaped a nightmare, it was now their job to make sure it did not come true. They had been given a gift in that sense. He would not see it squandered.

---

AN: I want to apologize if this conclusion felt like it took too long. I wanted to finish another chapter before I posted this one. At least now we can put a close to all the time travel nonsense, at least for now. I hope you enjoyed this little detour, as we're jumping back into the hunt for the Astral Cutlass Relics next time. As always, check out the profile page for a link to my behind the scenes blog post and do check out the TV tropes page if you have anyhing you'd care to add. Also, review, you know, because that always makes my day.