Vehicle Assembly Building
Anhur 2, Anhur System
Eagle Galaxy
Commander David Sheppard and Colonel Xi Yang cautiously descended from the rooftop scaffolding, their boots clanging softly on the steel framework. The once-pristine Vehicle Assembly Building, now marred by battle scars, stretched before them like a wounded titan. In the distance, the vast hangar door, twisted and broken, stood as a testament to the violence that had transpired. It appeared as if something had ripped it open from the inside, forced its way out. Colonel Yang called it a Reaper, a towering, insect-like machine that left destruction in its wake.
"So, that thing escaped ten days ago?" Sheppard asked, his voice low as he scanned the area with his rifle.
Yang nodded, keeping pace. "That's what Jones reported. The Reaper broke free and caused all this."
Sheppard's gaze lingered on the destroyed hangar door, the jagged metal bent outward, as if something massive had clawed its way out. "Where were you when this happened?"
"I was stationed on Anhur 3, leading the Marines against local insurgents," Yang replied, his tone serious. "The colonel I replaced here went missing a year ago. No trace. We assumed Cerberus was behind it."
Sheppard listened closely as they reached the ground floor, where a set of offices came into view. Faded letters etched in glass read "Engineering." They slipped into a corridor, the stale air thick with dust. Desks and terminals were scattered about, some overturned as though abandoned in haste. Flickering lights above cast faint shadows along the walls.
"I never asked, where are you originally from, Colonel?" Sheppard inquired, keeping his eye on the passage ahead.
"Beijing," Yang answered, his voice slightly distant, focused on the mission but not oblivious to the small talk.
"Why leave Earth?" Sheppard asked. He had never set foot on Earth and didn't intend to. He had heard stories from Chaya Sar, his great-grandmother, an Ascended Ancient and a member of Parliament representing the Ascendancy. "The people of Earth have it all—plenty of food, resources, and the freedom to live anywhere in the universe."
"That's mostly true for the North American and European continents," Yang replied. "But they feel left out in Parliament."
"How so?" Sheppard asked.
"For one, they're obsessed with reproductive freedom, shrinking their populations and losing seats in Parliament as a result," Xi Yang explained. "And some refuse to give up their outdated sovereignty—the United States of America, for example, seceded from the North American Union."
"Is that so?" Sheppard muttered.
"Plus, they want to get rich," Xi added with a hint of amusement. "Labor for money hasn't been a thing for 300 years. We can synthesize food, clothing, anything we want. People work to better themselves, and we exchange it for Federation credits."
"Yeah, those credits come in handy," Sheppard agreed with a chuckle.
They stopped at a console ahead, where Tech Sergeant Andy Young knelt by a Cerberus computer interface, his fingers rapidly tapping at the keyboard. His brow furrowed in concentration as data streamed across the screen.
"Cerberus ran an isolated network here," Young said, not looking up. "No connection to outside systems. Everything's contained—tight security. But…" He paused as a file caught his attention. The display flashed ominously: Husk Project.
"What did you find?" Sheppard asked, stepping closer.
Young looked up, tension on his face. "Sir, these mechanical zombies—they weren't created by Cerberus. The data says they're from something far worse. The Reapers harvest sentient beings and turn them into these things. Cerberus was studying them, trying to reverse-engineer the tech. But those husks—they're already dead."
Sheppard's expression darkened. "Dead?"
Young nodded grimly. "Once they're converted, there's no bringing them back. They're just… husks."
The weight of the revelation hit Sheppard. The mechanical zombies—the relentless force tearing through the colony—had once been human, stripped of life and repurposed into machines of war.
"Download everything you can," Sheppard ordered sharply.
Young worked quickly, transferring files to his portable drive. The hum of the terminal filled the room as more data was decrypted and stored. Yang stood nearby, tense, eyes scanning the perimeter as though expecting something to go wrong.
Suddenly, Sheppard's comm crackled to life. The voices of Ashley and Charlotte echoed through the channel, reporting that they had safely returned to the *Normandy*. The relief was short-lived. A metallic clang reverberated through the building.
Sheppard stiffened, instincts sharp. "What the hell was that?"
Yang motioned for silence, tightening his grip on his rifle. From the direction of the Vehicle Assembly's side door, the sound of something heavy pounding against metal grew louder, rhythmic, like a relentless fist trying to break through.
"Contact," Yang whispered, stepping back from the terminal. "They've found us."
The Marines fanned out, taking cover as Sheppard and Yang moved to the front. The pounding continued, followed by a high-pitched screech that sent a chill through the air. The door began to buckle under the pressure.
"Get ready!" Sheppard barked, raising his rifle.
Young finished the last of the downloads, slinging his data pad over his shoulder. "Sir, we've got everything!"
With a deafening crash, the door gave way, collapsing inward as mechanical limbs snaked through the opening. Several husks poured into the office, their glowing, soulless eyes locking onto the Marines. Their bodies, twisted and covered in mechanical grafts, moved unnaturally fast, metallic limbs clanking against the floor as they charged forward.
Sheppard fired first, plasma rounds cutting through the air, hitting a husk in the chest. Sparks flew as it staggered back, but more came, barely slowed by the impact. Yang and the Marines joined the firefight, the office erupting into chaos.
"Fall back to the scaffolding!" Sheppard yelled, taking down another husk that had gotten too close.
Yang dispatched two more with precision as the team began retreating toward the scaffolding. The husks, relentless and unyielding, continued to swarm.
"EDI," Sheppard called through his comm, "we need an extraction, now!"
"I'm locking onto your position," EDI's calm voice responded over the chaos. "Hold tight."
As they reached the base of the scaffolding, the mechanical monstrosities grew desperate, clawing their way over desks and debris, throwing themselves into the fray without regard for damage or injury.
Sheppard, covering the rear, unleashed a hail of plasma fire. "Come on, EDI, anytime now!"
Just as a husk lunged at him, the familiar glow of the *Normandy*'s transporter enveloped the team. The husks reached for them, claws inches away, but in the blink of an eye, Sheppard and his team vanished, leaving the undead machines behind.
Silence fell over the office once more, broken only by the frustrated screeching of the husks as they realized their prey had slipped through their grasp.
Above Anhur 2, Anhur System
Eagle Galaxy
The SSV Normandy decloaks high above the surface of Anhur 2, cutting through the darkened clouds of the planet like a predator closing in on its prey. The atmosphere crackles with tension as the sleek ship accelerates, diving downward, targeting the massive Reaper that looms over the city below. The Reaper—a towering, insect-like monstrosity—stands hunched among the ruins, its many legs planted in the shattered streets. The massive beast, with its cold, gleaming carapace and flickering red lights, looks otherworldly as it moves with unnerving precision.
"Joker, bring us in closer," Commander David Sheppard's voice cuts through the comms as he rematerializes on the Normandy, alongside Colonel Xi Yang and the marines. His boots hit the deck of the transporter room with a metallic clang, but he doesn't wait. He nods briefly to the marines before jogging toward the bridge on Deck 1, his mind already on the fight.
In the cockpit, Jeff "Joker" Moreau has his hands steady on the controls, his eyes flicking across the ship's displays as the Normandy rushes forward, streaking through the turbulent atmosphere.
"Aye, Commander. I'm on it," Joker replies, his tone sharp, as he maneuvers the ship, adjusting its trajectory. He pulls back slightly on the controls, causing the Normandy to tilt and weave. Just ahead, the Reaper shifts, its long tentacle-like appendages curling upward, revealing glowing weapons ports embedded within its massive body.
"Here it comes!" Joker warns, gripping the controls tighter.
The Reaper unleashes a blinding stream of red plasma, the deadly beam cutting through the air with terrifying speed. Joker jerks the Normandy to the right, and the ship rolls, narrowly evading the plasma stream. The red beam sizzles past them, missing the hull by mere meters.
"Nice dodge, Joker," Sheppard says, entering the bridge just as the Normandy evades the attack.
"Sir, if you're not almost dying, you're not flying," Joker quips, his focus unbroken. His fingers dance across the control panel as he steadies the ship, locking it into a direct course toward the Reaper.
"EDI," Sheppard says, his voice calm but commanding, "prepare the Naquadria bomb."
"Understood, Commander," EDI replies, her voice smooth and steady through the comms.
Joker grins as he pulls the trigger, firing the Normandy's main plasma cannon. A bolt of concentrated blue plasma streaks through the sky, slamming into the Reaper's midsection. The impact staggers the massive machine, sending ripples of energy across its armor. Yet, it doesn't falter. The Reaper lets out a guttural, metallic groan, its legs bracing as it prepares to retaliate.
"Pulses!" Sheppard commands.
The Normandy's pulse plasma cannons, mounted along its sleek wings, erupt in rapid fire, unleashing a storm of blue plasma bolts that rain down on the Reaper. Each shot hammers into its armored hull, explosions blooming across its surface. The Reaper stumbles again, its legs buckling slightly as it absorbs the barrage.
"Still standing," Joker mutters. "Not for long."
Inside the *Normandy*, the atmosphere is tense. Colonel Xi Yang watches the battle unfold on the bridge's central display, the sight of the Reaper looming over the colony sending chills down his spine. This was a monster—an ancient machine of war, bent on the annihilation of anything living. And it was right here, in their galaxy.
In the CIC below, Tech Sergeant Andy Young sprints to the terminal where Charlotte Burke Sheppard is waiting, already prepared to process the data they recovered from the Vehicle Assembly Building. Young doesn't need to be told what to do. He quickly transfers the files to her console, Charlotte's eyes scanning through the wealth of information, searching for anything that might help in stopping this thing.
"We've got Reaper data coming in now," Charlotte says over the comms, her voice crisp.
Back on the bridge, Sheppard leans over Joker's chair, his gaze locked onto the Reaper as it begins to charge up for another attack. The energy in its tentacles intensifies, glowing brighter and brighter as the Reaper prepares to fire again.
"EDI, beam the Naquadria bomb underneath the Reaper," Sheppard orders, his voice firm. "Set the timer for five seconds."
"Five seconds?" Joker turns his head slightly, eyes wide. "That's barely enough time to clear the blast radius. I like living, Commander."
"Then make it three seconds," Sheppard replies, his tone unwavering.
Joker smirks despite the tension. "You're insane, Commander, but that's why I love this job."
The Reaper fires its plasma beam again, and once more, Joker pulls the Normandy into a sharp roll, the ship banking hard to the left as the deadly beam scorches the air beside them. The cockpit rattles with the force of the maneuver, but Joker holds the ship steady, bringing it back on course.
"Spooling up the hyperspace window generator," Joker announces, his fingers tapping the controls. "We're cutting this one close."
"Naquadria bomb is ready for deployment," EDI reports, her voice calm as ever.
Outside, the Reaper's massive form looms larger as the Normandy draws closer, its black-and-silver carapace gleaming under the dim light of the burning city below. The ground is littered with the remnants of civilization—buildings torn apart, vehicles scattered like toys. The Reaper's many legs crush what's left of the streets beneath it as it prepares for another assault.
"Now!" Sheppard orders.
A glowing shimmer appears beneath the Reaper as EDI activates the transporter. The Naquadria bomb materializes under its massive body, the device clinging to the ground like a glowing parasite. Its timer begins to count down—three seconds flashing in red.
"Bomb is live," EDI confirms.
"Time to go," Joker grins, hands flying over the controls.
The Normandy shoots upward, climbing through the atmosphere at breakneck speed. The ship's engines roar, pushing it to the limit as Joker angles for a higher altitude.
"Opening hyperspace window," Joker says through gritted teeth.
In an unprecedented move, the Normandy's hyperspace window generator kicks to life, spinning up energy as the ship begins to glow with the power needed to punch through reality itself. Opening a hyperspace window inside a planet's atmosphere is unheard of—too dangerous, too unpredictable. But Joker's hands remain steady, his focus razor-sharp.
The Reaper below lets out a piercing scream of metal and energy as the Naquadria bomb reaches its final second.
Just as the bomb detonates, the Normandy vanishes into the hyperspace window, disappearing in a flash of light.
Behind them, the explosion ripples across the city, a massive wave of blue energy erupting outward from the bomb's core. The Reaper, caught in the blast, is obliterated, its once-mighty form disintegrating into molten slag. The shockwave levels what's left of the colony, sending debris flying in all directions.
And then, silence.
In the emptiness of hyperspace, the Normandy sails safely, its crew exhaling in relief as the tension drains from their bodies. Joker leans back in his chair, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.
"Well," he says, a grin spreading across his face, "that was one hell of a ride."
Sheppard stands behind him, arms crossed, watching the star-streaked void outside. "Good work, Joker. Everyone else, status report."
From the CIC, Charlotte's voice comes through the comm. "Data's intact. We've got everything we need. And it looks like that bomb did the trick."
Colonel Xi Yang steps forward, giving Sheppard a nod. "That was close. But we got it."
Sheppard allows himself a rare smile, the adrenaline still coursing through his veins. "Close is an understatement, Colonel. But close is all we need."
As the Normandy coasts through hyperspace, leaving the destruction behind, the crew begins to regroup, knowing that while the battle was won, the war with the Reapers was far from over.