"And there's the folks who answered the distress call." Joker mused as Kacey approached, "Cerberus cruiser. At least a dozen fighters on blockade duty. Too many for us in a straight up fight. They must want this place bad."
"The Thanix Cannons can't handle it?" Kacey asked, fixing the wrist latch on her armour.
"More like the CBT." Joker replied, "It's still fucked from the Omega-4 Relay trip."
"The Alliance didn't fix it?"
"Nope."
"What the fuck were they doing for six months?" Kacey scoffed, "Did they just tear out the Tech Lab and Armoury and nothing else?"
"Well they did make the War Room." Joker mused.
"That doesn't take six months."
"Hey, your guess is as good as mine." Joker replied.
Kacey scoffed; typical. Of course they wrecked the place and barely fixed the mess they made. She was going to have to ask Traynor and Adams to fix the CBT as soon as possible. She also assumed that the ship's armour was probably not up to code either.
"I am receiving an incoming transmission." EDI said.
"Let's hear it." Kacey replied.
"SSV Normandy." A woman's voice played through the comms, "This is Kahlee Sanders, director of Grissom Academy, We need immediate assistance. Cerberus is attacking the facility. They're after my students."
"You're patched through, Commander." Joker mused.
Kacey nodded as she crossed her arms, "This is Commander Shepard. We're blocked on a direct approach."
"I know. They've taken control of our docking bays."
"Any alternatives?" Kacey asked.
"There's an auxiliary cargo port I could probably open." Kahlee suggested.
"All right." Kacey said, "We'll come in by shuttle and get your students out of there. Joker, you up for a game of tag with the Cerberus cruiser?"
"Oh hell yes!" Joker quipped, "Leave it to me, Kacey."
"Wouldn't trust anyone else." Kacey mused as she headed towards the elevator, "Traynor! Tell Garrus and Liara to meet me in the shuttle bay."
She hit the button to get to the shuttle bay; Kacey felt uneasy about Cerberus's intentions with the students. Given what the organisation had done to their own soldiers, she dreaded to think what the Illusive Man had in store for those kids. All the more reason to get down there and make sure Cerberus didn't walk away with a single student.
She exited the elevator and headed towards the weapons locker to grab her gear; it didn't take long for Garrus and Liara to arrive. Once Kacey was armed and ready she got inside the shuttle.
"What's going on?" Garrus asked as he picked up his rifle.
"Cerberus is attacking Grissom Academy." Kacey replied bluntly, "They're trying to kidnap the students there."
"Why?" Liara asked as she and Garrus got into the shuttle, "Why would Cerberus kidnap the students?"
"The kids at Grissom Academy are gifted, talented." Kacey mused as Cortez drove the shuttle towards the school, "They are 'the best that humanity has to offer', so my guess; the Illusive Man has some twisted experiments in mind."
"You think he would do that?" Liara said, "That he would turn those kids into…that?"
"You think he cares?" Kacey scoffed, "There's no humanity left in Cerberus; its nothing more than husks."
"I feel like I'm missing something." Garrus interrupted.
Kacey sighed, "The Cerberus soldiers we'll be fighting are no longer human. They're…they're something else entirely."
The shuttle remained quiet; it seemed that Garrus was at a loss for words. Kacey couldn't blame him; like herself, he cooperated with Cerberus during the Collector business. Difference was, she was blackmailed, Garrus went along voluntarily. She didn't want to think what was going through her best friend's head right now.
"We're here!" Cortez said.
"Keep the shuttle in position! We'll be back!" Kacey replied.
…
The hallway was quiet; too quiet. The silence was heavy and at first glance, everything seemed normal. But the lack of any sign of life was the only unusual thing in the hallway. Kacey took a quick sweep through the area before gesturing to her squadmates to move forward.
"Commander, I'm locked in a server room around the corner." Kahlee said, "Cerberus troops are trying to get in."
"Copy that." Kacey replied, "Right, let's be careful. Ready?"
Garrus and Liara nodded; Kacey opened the door and immediately opened fire on the quartet of soldiers trying to break down the door. Garrus fired a concussive shot to separate one of the soldiers from the door, knocking him into Liara's singularity. After being disposed of, and making sure that the immediate area was clear, Kacey approached the door, which was slightly pried apart by the Cerberus troops attempting to break in.
"Sanders! We're clear! It's me!" Kacey said through the small gap in the door.
Kacey grabbed one side of the door and pulled it; she managed to open the door and walked inside. Kahlee immediately popped out of cover, a rifle pointed at Kacey, only to lower it upon recognising the ruby haired commander.
"Commander, thank you." Kahlee said, walking towards the trio, "Admiral Anderson always said you were the best. And with Cerberus coming for my students, I need the best."
"He said that?" Kacey asked.
"Sure did." Kahlee replied, "And he's not wrong. I met him when he was a Spectre candidate, about, God, twenty years ago. I was there when Saren betrayed him. He saved my life that day. He's a good man."
"He was on Earth when the Reapers hit." Kacey said, "He stayed behind when I got offworld."
"I hadn't heard…" Kahlee responded, "We've been cut off from most news. He's alive?"
"Alive and fighting." Kacey said, "He's currently leading the resistance movement."
"Good. If we get out of here…" Kahlee mused, "Well, just tell him to stay alive."
"Will do. So, how many of you are there?" Kacey asked.
"Fewer than twenty." Kahlee replied, heading towards the desk, "Most were sent home when word of the Reaper invasion spread. But a few volunteered to stay. Some are prototyping tech for Alliance. Others are biotics. They've been training for military operations, working together as biotic artillery."
"A few months knocking over practice dummies can't prepare your students for war." Kacey replied.
"Agreed, but the Alliance needs every resource it can get, and our students are…unique resources." Kahlee countered, "They wanted to help. How could we say no with the entire galaxy falling apart?"
It was a fair argument to make; and Kacey knew that they needed all the help they could get. But she wasn't inclined to throw a bunch of teenagers into the middle of the bloodiest war in the galaxy. The Reapers gave no quarter, no mercy. And Kacey wasn't comfortable with throwing the few students left at the Academy into the fire.
"Hang on." Kahlee added, fiddling around on the computer, "We've been trying to get communications working."
The computer speakers crackled as a voice cut through the terminal, "This is Froeberg! There are students trapped in Orion Hall! Cerberus has us boxed in. They're closing fast!"
"Damn it!" Kahlee said as the comms cut out.
"Orion Hall?" Kacey tilted her head.
"Back out the door and down the hallway." Kahlee said, "I can get the door open."
"I'll bring them back here and we'll make a run for the shuttle." Kacey replied.
"Thank you, Commander." Kahlee replied, "I'll stay put. With luck, I can regain control of some of our systems."
Kacey reloaded her rifle as she left the room, determined. Kahlee opened the door at the end of the hall, the eerie silence lingering unrepentant in the air.
"What's the plan, Commander?" Garrus asked.
"Exactly what I told Kahlee; we find the students and we make a break for the shuttle." Kacey said firmly, "Cerberus doesn't walk away with a single student. Not one. I want all twenty of them accounted for, even if we have to tear the station apart to find them."
"Kacey are you sure–?"
"I'm sure, Garrus." Kacey interrupted, "I don't want those kids turned into monsters."
Kacey opened the door that Kahlee said would lead to Orion Hall, and the sight she saw, made her furious.
In front of her was another hallway, separated by glass. A young girl, maybe around fifteen or sixteen, being dragged forcefully by her legs by two Cerberus centurions, with what looked to be a tech expert walking behind her. The girl was screaming bloody murder as they dragged her kicking and screaming down the hall.
"Kacey, wait!" Garrus and Liara called.
She didn't hesitate; she was always reckless and this time was no different. She ran towards the glass, shooting it twice before jumping through the window, landing on top of one of the centurions and shooting the other at point blank. The engineer didn't get the chance to retaliate before Kacey launched him back with a fiery concussive shot.
"Are you okay?" Kacey asked, turning her attention to the young girl.
"Y-y-yeah, I t-think so." The girl stuttered, "Y-y-you look f-familiar."
"I'm Commander Shepard." Kacey said as she extended her hand to the girl, "I'm here to save you and your classmates from Cerberus."
"C-Commander Shepard?" The girl responded, wide-eyed, "Y-You're a h-hero!"
"So I've been told." Kacey replied as she pulled the girl up, "Right, I'm going to help you over the broken glass, then head through that door and meet Kahlee Sanders in the security office on the left. You'll be safe with her."
"O-Okay." The girl replied.
Kacey climbed up onto the window, holding the girl's hands as she led her over the broken window. Once Kacey made it over, Garrus helped her get the girl over.
"T-Thank you, C-Commander!" The girl said before running towards the security office.
Kacey was relieved she was able to save that girl; especially without any more harm coming to her. Liara looked at her with disapproval while Garrus simply smirked at her.
"What?" Kacey asked.
"What is wrong with you?" Liara asked, "That was reckless!"
"Have you met Kacey?" Garrus smirked, "This is the same woman who drove a tank through a Mass Relay and blew up two bases with makeshift nukes. And you think jumping through a window is reckless?"
"I am standing right here Garrus!" Kacey said.
"Oh I know." Garrus said.
"Hey, I told you both that Cerberus wasn't getting away with any of the students." Kacey explained, "That's one. We've got nineteen more to go. Let's move."
Liara shook her head as Kacey led them into another hallway; two holographic Cerberus logos hovered above the door. Kacey looked up as the PDA system sparked to life.
"Attention all students: Cerberus troops have taken control of this station. We have no desire to hurt you. Surrender, and you will not be harmed."
It was a smokescreen; a lie, a farce. Cerberus didn't show mercy, nor did they do anything by the ethical book. Those kids were going to be turned into Reaper husks the moment Cerberus takes them off the station. She knew that; she knew what they were capable of.
Her life was a product of their research, after all.
She was only alive now because of them. Because the Illusive Man demanded it. Because he ordered Miranda to. Liara may have kept her out of Collector hands, but it was Cerberus and its unlimited resources and unethical practices. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn't deny it. They saved her life. And she hated it. Detested it.
They offered no salvation; only a painful death.
"Well, that's kind of them." Garrus sarcastically quipped.
The remark fell flat; Kacey didn't want to hear it. They moved into a large common area outside of a classroom. A deep voice could be heard shouting as the squad moved through the area.
"Reiley Bellarmine, drop the barrier, now!" The soldier shouted, "Nobody's going to hurt you. The file says we need you alive. But your sister? She's optional."
"So is letting you go." Kacey mused as she shot the soldier while Garrus took out the other.
Kacey could see a young man shaking as he held up his barrier, it was clearly draining him dry.
"Hey, Reiley right?" Kacey said calmly.
"Go—Go away!" Reiley shouted, fearful, "Just leave me alone!"
"I'm Commander Shepard. And I'm here to help you." Kacey continued, undeterred, "You're shaking; the barrier is draining you. Lower it, please?"
Reiley opened his eyes, before slowly lowering his arms, "O-Okay."
The barrier dropped; Reiley took a deep breath. Kacey took out a small can of energy juice and handed it to Reiley.
"Drink that, it'll help." Kacey replied, "Once you do, meet up with Kahlee Sanders in security."
"Thank you, Commander Shepard." Reiley replied, taking a sip of the energy juice, "Commander, can you please find my sister? I—We got separated when Cerberus attacked."
"We will, don't worry." Kacey replied, as Reiley ran off towards the security office.
"We understand that you're scared. Your teachers have filled your heads with Alliance propaganda. But Cerberus can keep you safe. We're the only ones who can."
Kacey was tempted to shoot the speakers; just like she did on Korlus. But she restrained herself for the time being. It was clear that Cerberus was peddling a lot of propaganda of their own, clearly in an effort to scare the students into compliance.
"The Alliance has failed you. Earth has fallen. Fighting now only dishonours your family…your friends."
For all of their failures, Cerberus certainly knew how to hit a person where it hurts. Kacey couldn't help the guilt that swelled inside her; she didn't need a reminder of her own personal failure. As they crossed into the classrooms, Kacey started to wonder if they would be able to get all of the students out alive.