"Scatter and take cover!" Kacey ordered as she fired a concussive shot at a nearby marauder.
The courtyard was littered with the distorted corpses of the husks, marauders and cannibals among the debris of the buildings. Kaidan found himself behind a crumbling wall with Tali, while Garrus was perched near the starting position while James, Javik, EDI and Liara outflanked the enemy. Kacey was on the far side of the courtyard, taking down marauders on the balcony of one of the destroyed buildings.
Kaidan could see how unfocused Liara had become; the asari was too distracted by the chaos around her to focus on the battle in front of her. Kaidan understood why and he could empathise with Liara, but he also knew that now was not the time to be distracted. Their mission was too important to be jeopardised by distractions.
Kacey was shouting orders across the courtyard, trying her best not to be drowned out by the sounds of explosions and gunfire. It was hard to make out what she was saying through the chaos. Even EDI was struggling to make out what the Commander was trying to say. Eventually, Kacey used the comms to communicate to the squad, ordering the group to move forward.
"Shepard, cannibals and marauders are hiding in the buildings; ground floor." Garrus said, "I can see them through the infrared scope."
"Copy that. Kaidan, Liara flush them out!" Kacey ordered.
"Aye aye!" Kaidan replied as he used his biotics to force the Reaper troops out. Liara put down a singularity just out of reach of the marauders; afterwards Liara moved to the other side of the courtyard upon hearing the sound of a downed gunship flying across the area.
"Liara!" Kaidan shouted but he didn't get a chance to move as the marauders cut him off, leaving him surrounded by marauders.
"Garrus, take the lead! I'm going to help Kaidan! James, give me a hand!" Kacey's sharp and commanding voice rang through the comms.
"Yes ma'am!" Garrus replied, "Javik, take the right, Tali, give him support. EDI, Liara watch the flank!"
Kaidan put up his barrier as the swarm of marauders opened fire on him. He could see Kacey from the corner of his eye, firing off a concussive shot as James hit them from the rear, blasting through them with his krogan shotgun. Kacey and James cleared a path as Kaidan moved back and took cover behind a wall with Kacey.
"What the hell happened?" Kacey asked between rifle shots.
"I don't know." Kaidan replied, "Liara took off after that gunship came down."
"Fuck." Kacey shook her head, her brow furrowed, "Right, Let's finish up here and regroup with everyone. I have an idea."
The pair ducked as a marauder's head flew over them, the direct result of James' up close shotgun shot. The trio of Alliance soldiers moved through the building and back outside, where further reinforcements were engaged in an intense fight with the rest of the group. A piercing scream from a banshee and the heavy blasts of ravagers complicated matters.
"Right people, let's regroup!" Kacey ordered, her tone firm.
As the squad pulled together, Kacey looked at each of them as she handed out her next batch of orders.
"Right, the only way out of here is through that door on the far side." Kacey said, "Which, as you can see, is going to be a problem with those ravagers and the banshee. So, we have to stay focused and watch each other's backs. Garrus, you and Kaidan are going to take point, focusing your efforts on the banshee. Keep your distance and time your shots."
"Will do, Commander." Kaidan replied.
"Javik, Tali and EDI you three are going to outflank the ravagers. James, Liara and I will keep them busy up front. Stay focused on the mission and don't let them outflank you." Kacey ordered.
The team split up; Kaidan bolted across the courtyard, drawing the attention of the banshee which followed him into Garrus' firing lane. Kaidan leaped over the proximity mine, which the banshee walked right through. With its barrier destroyed, Kaidan and Garrus made quick work of the banshee.
Kaidan could see why Kacey entrusted the task to them; both Garrus and himself were good at watching each other's backs and fought well together, regardless of what they faced. Banshees were the trickiest soldiers the Reapers had in their army. The pair returned to the fight with the ravagers, helping to finish off the remaining troops.
"All right, let's get going before more of them come back." Kacey mused, "Kaidan, Garrus good work."
Liara sighed, "I still can't face those things…my own people."
"Nobody can." Kacey replied curtly.
Garrus shot Kaidan a concerned look; Kacey's response was uncharastically cold. Kaidan could see frustration on Kacey's face, presumably from Liara's comments. Both Earth and Palaven were hit long before Thessia, with husks and marauders being prevalent in every theatre of war the Reapers were operating in. Kaidan followed Kacey through the destroyed buildings, hoping that whatever was going on would stop soon.
…
"Above us!" Liara shouted.
The ground shook as if the earth itself was splitting in two; a Reaper capital ship towered above them, moving itself through the buildings completely unaware of the squad below it.
"I remember seeing one for the first time." Javik mused, "My people had stopped believing in devils. They had changed their minds when the Reapers arrived."
"Let's move before it spots us." Kacey mused.
"Look, there's snipers on the left balcony!" Garrus said.
"They're asari, we might be able to reach them." Liara added.
Kacey led the squad through the rubble and debris towards the remaining snipers. Upon reaching the snipers, the squad found themselves on a balcony above another courtyard locked in another tense battle with Reaper forces. Cannibals and marauders flooded onto the courtyard, running towards them as ravagers moved into position to flank them.
"Kaidan, Liara, James, Tali and Javik hit the ground!" Kacey ordered, "Stay in cover!"
Kacey was already on the ground by the time Kaidan and the others reached their positions. Kaidan could see Liara's distraught expression as he ducked and dived around cover to avoid the ever changing firing lane of the ravagers. It didn't seem like anyone else had noticed; Kacey was too busy blowing up ravagers with her concussive shots, Javik was pulverising everything in sight, Tali was simultaneously sending her combat drones to distract the cannibals while shooting the marauders with perfect headshots and James was taking a ravager head-on with his shotgun, dodging their attacks with perfectly executed combat roll. Kaidan moved his attention away from the asari and returned his focus to the fight in front of him.
"I think we're in the clear!" Kacey shouted as the last of the troops fell, "Towards the Reaper! Move!"
"You have an interesting concept of escape!" Javik shouted.
"No shit!" Kacey mused.
Kacey led the squad over small plots of dirt along the edge of the area. The Reaper from before was still towering over them, however it was further away and immersed in harvesting anyone in the vicinity.
"This nightmare never ends!" Liara said despondent.
"The hell it won't." Kacey replied through gritted teeth, "We get this artefact, and we can all wake up."
"Fifty-thousand years later." Javik deadpanned.
…
The final stretch to the temple was nothing short of brutal; Kaidan was starting to struggle with his biotics as he found himself pinned behind cover with Kacey and Garrus on either side of him.
They had finally reached Outpost Tykis, only to find one single soldier left struggling against a massive horde of Reaper troops. Despite the air support, the troops were relentless and were quick to swarm the squad. Kaidan and Liara used their biotics to thin out their numbers, but the migraine pains from before had come back with a vengeance, and his energy was draining fast. Liara attempted to push Kaidan further before Kacey stepped in, telling Kaidan to pace himself while ordering Liara to put a singularity in the centre of the path.
Breaking through the enemy lines was easier said than done; the gunship was helping as was Garrus' mines and James' grenades. Even with that, it was still hard to punch through enemy lines. Husks swarmed them, leading Liara to place more singularities and Kacey to fire one concussive shot after another, pushing them back. Kaidan had a feeling that the Reapers knew what was in the temple, and how valuable it was. If true, the biotic was worried how the Reapers got a hold of such information.
"Commander, I need Kaidan's help!" Liara shouted, "I need him to use reave on the marauders!"
"And I told you no!" Kacey snapped, "Garrus can break their shields and Javik can help you finish them off!"
"Commander!"
"Liara, stay focused on the fight in front of you!"
"Can you two stop arguing for five minutes?!" Garrus shouted.
"Okay." Liara replied.
Kacey refused to make another comment on the matter; taking her frustration out on the husks and cannibals in front of her. Kaidan couldn't understand what was going on with the scarlet-haired commander. She was becoming more argumentative and it seemed her own focus on the mission was slipping. Kacey ordered the group to move forward, slowly carving their way through the enemy forces. Kaidan knew he had to speak to Kacey the moment they had a minute, hopefully to stop this before it got any worse.
The howling scream of three banshees threatened to split Kaidan's head in two; Kacey had clearly picked up on this as three consecutive concussive shots were aimed and fired into their mouths, cutting the screams short.
"You okay, Kaidan?" She asked.
"I'm fine." Kaidan replied, "Are you?"
"Getting there." Kacey replied bluntly, "I know what you want to ask and no, I don't want to talk about it."
"You don't usually argue with your squad-mates on missions."
"I have my reasons."
"I know you do."
Kacey ordered Kaidan and Garrus to take on one of the banshees as Kacey and James tackled the others. His worries weren't at all alleviated by her remarks. He caught sight of Garrus' concerned look; it was clear that he had overheard their brief chat.
"I'm starting to wish we stole that black hole gun!" Kacey mused as the next wave came flooding in.
"And the nuclear one!" Garrus mused, "Damn, I miss the Cain!"
"Same here!"
"Do I want to know why you had a black hole gun?" Kaidan asked.
"Mordin made it." Kacey replied.
"That explains so much." Kaidan replied.
…
"Is everyone okay?" Kacey asked, panting as the final harvester blew up.
The arrival of the harvesters put the team through the wringer and then some. Kacey pushed the squad to their limits taking them down. The harvesters responded with several blasts of their powerful beams towards the squad. The fight was intense, and resulted in the asari air support crumbling to pieces.
"I'm okay." Tali replied.
"So am I." Garrus replied, "Just need a breather."
"Same here." Kaidan added.
"Are we there yet?" James breathed as he lay flat on the ground.
"No idea." Kacey replied.
"We are here." Liara said, "Look, there it is."
"It's been barricaded." EDI added.
Liara walked over to the control panel, "It's military grade encryption. I think I can override it."
"Is that normal for a temple to have such strong encryption?" Tali asked.
"No. This is unusual." Liara replied, "Especially since so few still follow the Athame doctrine."
"So are the scientists going radio silent." Kacey mused, "I still can't get through."
The barrier blocking the temple's entrance disappeared as the Liara finished hacking through the encryption. The temple was eerily quiet compared to the chaos outside, the towering figure of what Kaidan assumed was Athame looking down on them. The temple was dark, lit up with soft blue lights.
"Hello? Is anybody here?" Liara called, but no reply came.
"I've got a bad feeling about this." James mused.
"Same here. Where did the scientists go?" Tali added.
"Take a look around." Kacey said, "Maybe one of these artefacts is what we're looking for."
The squad split up, looking around the temple. Kaidan could see artefacts encased on pedestals as he wandered around the room, ignoring the argument between Liara and Javik. Nothing looked like it would fit with the Crucible, as much of the artefacts seemed to lack any of the technology that the Crucible was built on.
"Commander!" Garrus shouted, breaking the silence, "Look at this!"
Kaidan could see two dead bodies at the foot of the Athame statue. Kacey went over and the look of horror and disdain was one that Kaidan had rarely seen on her face before now.
"I'm guessing these are the scientists." Kacey said despondent.
"Their throats are slit." Garrus continued, "It's deep, and it's likely they bled out within minutes. My guess, the blade used was extremely sharp."
Kaidan shot Kacey a concerned look; it seemed they both had a feeling who could have done such a thing. And if they were right, they were in trouble. Deep trouble.
"Keep your guard up." Kacey said before turning her attention to the statue, "I take it this is Athame?"
"Yes." Liara replied, "Her image became more like ours over time."
"You mean your ancestors tried to hide the truth." Javik scoffed.
"I'm still not willing to believe any of that's real."
"Then why does Athame speak Prothean?"
That last remark caught the squad's attention. Kaidan wished he had paid attention to their argument earlier. Kacey, however, seemed lost in thought, unaware of anything going on around her.
"What do you mean?" Kaidan asked.
"There is something here…I can sense it." Javik said.
"In this temple?" Liara questioned, "I admit it is strange this place has been so well-preserved. Though Athame does have great historical significance. We once believed our Gods were separated from the world, looking down on us. But now the asari see everything as a cosmic whole. There is a universal energy from which all living things are formed."
As Liara spoke, Kaidan noticed Kacey close her eyes, her right hand reaching out towards the statue. It seemed that she was a million miles away from here. In an instant, she turned on her heel, a sudden realisation on her face.
"There's a prothean beacon here." Kacey said.
"What?!" Liara gasped, "You're sure?"
Kacey stepped away from the statue, "It's not something you forget."
"But…why hide it?"
"The answer is obvious." Javik spoke up, "Power and influence. Your people are hoarding the knowledge of my race for their own gain."
"That can't be." Liara replied defensively, "I can't believe my people would keep this a secret."
"A beacon like this explains why the asari are so advanced." Kacey mused.
"You said this temple is thousands of years old." Kaidan added, "That's a long time, enough to make serious progress."
"That doesn't make it true!" Liara shouted.
"You can't keep denying reality, asari!" Javik responded firmly, "Even a small amount of data would give your species an edge. Or are you insulted that your government didn't involve you?"
"Well, if it is true, the asari should have shared this knowledge." Kacey said, "We might not have been in this mess if they had."
"You don't know that, Shepard!" Liara replied defensively, "We don't know what's going on here!"
"I know we don't have much time to figure it out." Kacey replied.
Liara pulled up her omni-tool, "The few records I can access talk about tapping into prothean data streams, reconstructing matrices…none of which I see here."
"I do." Javik replied, touching one of the stone tablets and activating a data stream, "The activation process has begun."
"By the goddess….literally." Liara mused.
"There must be more of these…" Kacey mused, "Aha!"
Kacey tapped one of the busts lightly, leading to another connection being formed and the statue of Athame cracking further.
"Incredible! The beacon seems to think you're prothean, Shepard." Liara said, "It must be the Cipher you got on Feros years ago."
"Or it could be the prothean standing next to you." Javik deadpanned as he activated another data stream, "It's still not complete."
Kacey tapped the shield, causing the final data stream to appear and the statue to split apart and crumble away, adding, "It is now."
"Holy hell!" James mused, looking up at the beacon. The beacon was much bigger than the ones on Mars and Eden Prime; it towered over the group much like the statue before it.
"This confirms the asari owe their superiority to my people." Javik stated.
"And you owe the mass effect relays to the Reapers." Liara countered in a snarky tone, "How did that turn out?"
"So you do bite." Javik replied amused, "Good. We'll need that."
"We need to hurry." Liara said as the squad regrouped at the beacon, "This place isn't going to…"
Liara was interrupted as a single glowing orb flew from the beacon, landing in the centre of the group. It looked like a broken combat drone, hovering above the ground.
"Obtaining chronological marker." A synthetic voice echoed from the orb, "Hold…Time scale established. Post Prothean cycle confirmed."
"One of our computers." Javik mused.
"Reaper presence detected." The orb chimed, "This cycle has already reached its extinction terminus. Systems shutting down."
"Hold on, we need answers!" Kacey said firmly.
The orb flew directly in front of Kacey's face, "To what question?"
"The Catalyst." Kacey said firmly, "We need to know what it is to finish the Crucible."
The orb floated away from Kacey and back to the centre, changing its form into that of a prothean.
"A memory…" Javik mused, "of one of my people."
"I am called Vendetta, an advanced virtual construct of Pashek Vran, overseer of the project you refer to as 'Crucible." Vendetta said, "He died fighting the Reapers in the battle of Tranbir Nine. Your remaining time is also at an end."
"Were all protheans so grim?" Liara mused.
"What happened to the Crucible in your time?" Kacey asked, "Why didn't the protheans deploy it?"
"We were sabotaged from within." Vendetta answered, "A splinter group argued we should dominate the Reapers rather than destroy them. It fractured our order of battle. Later, we discovered the separatists were indoctrinated."
"I always suspected as much." Javik mused.
"And now we're facing the same problem." Kacey sighed.
"Our studies of past ages led us to believe that time is cyclical. Many patterns repeat." Vendetta continued.
"Like the Reaper attacks." Kacey mused.
"And beyond. The same peaks of evolution, the same valleys of dissolution. The same conflicts are expressed in every cycle, but in a different manner. The repetition is too prevalent to be merely chance."
"We assumed the Reapers were responsible for the pattern." Liara mused.
"Perhaps. Though I believe the Reapers are only servants of the pattern. They are not its master."
"So who is the master?" Tali asked.
"The Intelligence." Kacey said, catching the squad off-guard.
"What are you talking about?" Kaidan asked.
"When I confronted Leviathan, it told me it created an intelligence." Kacey explained, "Its purpose was to find a way to preserve life, and it created the Reapers. The intelligence harvested Leviathan's race and turned them into Harbinger. It is the one controlling the Reapers, and is responsible for the Mass Relays…and it won't stop until it finds what it's looking for."
"Holy shit!" James gasped.
"That can't be possible." Garrus replied.
"I couldn't believe it either." Kacey mused, "Vendetta, there's still hope for this cycle. We need to know what the Catalyst is. Trillions of lives are at risk."
"Trillions of lives are always at risk, but if the Reapers have arrived to end your cycle, this discussion is too late." Vendetta replied.
"We can break the cycle! We found your plans for the Crucible—we're building it right now!" Kacey said.
"The Crucible is not of Prothean design. It is the work of countless galactic cycles stretching back millions of years. Each cycle adds to it. Each improves upon it. Thus far, none have successfully defeated the Reapers with it."
"Then we'll be the first. Just tell us what the Catalyst is!" Kacey said firmly.
"Listen to the human." Javik said, "She can be trusted."
"I detect you are one of us. You are Prothean."
"The last. I am the final hope to avenge our people."
"Your mission was known to me. Do you believe this present cycle can deliver retribution?"
"They have earned the right to try." Javik replied.
"Very well. If you have the plans for the Crucible, I will interface with your systems and assist with the Catalyst to—Hold. Indoctrinated presence detected. Activating security protocols."
"What the—?" Kacey said but was stopped by the blinding white light that flooded the temple.
The light was blinding; Kaidan couldn't see anything as Vendetta returned to its orb form and returned to the beacon. The sound of a gunship was rumbling through the temple as the light eventually dimmed, revealing a lone figure at the other side of the aisle.
"You…" Kacey growled, her pistol pointed directly at the person's head.
The man, in an all black suit with coat-tails and whose face was obscured by a black mask, walked forward only a few steps before stopping. His sword was in its sheath, dried blood stained the blade as smirked at the fuming commander. Kaidan had never seen her so angry before, but once he saw the Cerberus logo emblazoned on his armour, it all made sense.
"What the hell do you want!?" Kacey seethed.
"Your attention." Kai Leng spat, still smirking as if taking pleasure in Kacey's anger, "Someone would like to talk with you."
Kai Leng revealed a small ball that floated off his hand, revealing the holographic interface of the Illusive Man. The assassin crossed his arms as the Illusive Man addressed Kacey.
"Shepard."
"How did you find this place?" Kacey snapped.
"The Archives, or did your Shadow Broker miss that one?" The Illusive Man said.
"Show yourself." Liara said, "I promise I won't miss."
"Stick to your talents, Doctor T'Soni." The Illusive Man said, "You've helped uncover the key to subjugating the Reapers."
"Or destroying them." Kacey added.
"Damn it, Shepard! Destroying the Reapers gains us nothing!"
"How about peace?"
"They're just trying to control us. Think about it; if they wanted to destroy all organic life, they could do it. There would be nothing left!" The Illusive Man argued.
"Who's side are you on?!" Kacey shouted.
"I know them, Shepard. I know how they think."
"I think you've gotten a little too close to the enemy."
"No…I'm saying they've got it right. Why kill when you can control?"
"Why take the risk when we can end this now?" Kacey responded firmly, "You've been spending too much time with the enemy. They're dragging you over to their side—their way of thinking."
"No! I just…see things differently."
"Then you're blind." Kacey continued, "If you truly care about humanity, you'll stop fighting me!"
"Don't ever question my intentions. I've sacrificed more for humanity than you'll ever know and don't assume you know me. My methods for dealing with the Reapers are simply more refined than yours." The Illusive Man snapped.
"So you're throwing it all away for what? Your ego? Delusions?" Kacey replied, "You abandoned everything you stood for and turned 'humanity's sword' into a dagger in the back!"
"Poetic… but as usual you miss the point. The world is more grey than you care to admit."
"That's rich coming from you." Kacey seethed, "There isn't a line in the galaxy you won't cross if it means you can claim superiority. With the prothean data in the beacon, I can end this war once and for all. Just like I did at the Collector Base. You're either with me or against me. There's nothing grey about that!"
"No, I suppose there isn't." The Illusive Man replied, "But much like the Collector Base, your short-sightedness will cost humanity everything. Leng, the Commander has something I need. Please, relieve her of it and bring me the data."
"Understood." Kai Leng confirmed.
"Just you fucking try it." Kacey growled.
"Let's not wait any longer." Kai Leng smirked, "I can see you're eager to lose yet another friend."
The assassin pointed his blade in Kaidan's direction, its sharp tip seemingly becoming sharper. Kai Leng continued, "And this time Kacey, you won't stop me."
"Kaidan, watch out!" Kacey shouted.
The assassin moved fast; bolting towards him at lightning speed. Kaidan narrowly avoided the sharp blade as he ducked beneath it. Kacey fired a concussive shot, knocking Kai Leng into the pillar. Kaidan bolted away from the assassin, opening fire but finding his bullets were bouncing off Kai Leng's shields.
"What the hell?" Kaidan mused.
"The bastard is using Reaper tech." Kacey said, basically reading Kaidan's mind, "We either need to get close, or use explosives to take that shield down."
"Except that sword is a problem." Garrus added, placing proximity mines all over the temple, "Keep your guard up!"
"Well that's not good!" James mused, throwing a grenade.
Kai Leng darted towards Kacey and Kaidan, dodging grenades and deflecting bullets. Kaidan attempted to use reave, and was slowly ripping away at Kai Leng's shields. The assassin, noticing what Kaidan was doing, tried to bolt towards him only for Kacey to come up behind the assassin and grappled him from behind, pushing him away from Kaidan and herself. She then swung twice with two quick jabs before Kai Leng could even click on to what was happening before kicking him in the chest, pushing him right into one of Garrus' proximity mines.
"His shields are down!" EDI chimed.
"Let's get him!" Tali shouted.
"Argh! Cover me while I recharge!" Kai Leng shouted.
"Guys that gunship is back!" Liara shouted.
"It's got the same shields!" Garrus added.
"Fuck. Get down!" Kacey shouted.
The entire squad was once again blinded by the white light; they scrambled into cover while the gunship opened fire on the squad, raining bullets down on them. Kaidan could see why Kacey was worried about encountering the assassin.
"I can see you're still a coward, Kai!" Kacey shouted, "What? Too scared to take us on without help?"
"Argh! I'll give you a reason to fear me!" The assassin snapped back as the gunship moved out of view.
Kai Leng bolted towards Kacey, who rolled out of the way. Kaidan once again used reave to rip away at Kai Leng's shields as Garrus and James pelted the assassin with concussive shots Tali and EDI's combat drones swarmed him, and it was clear Kai Leng was struggling to keep up with the with the barrage of attacks, plus Kacey's own punches and kicks. Kacey then pulled up her omni-blade as Kai Leng swung his sword at her but before it could make contact with Kacey's omni-blade, Kaidan had managed to rip away the assassin's shields, just as Garrus hit the Cerberus operative with a hard-hitting concussive shot.
The squad had Kai Leng surrounded and backed into a corner; unfortunately, none of them could have predicted what had happened next.
"There's only one way that this ends." Kai Leng smirked.
He threw a flashbang grenade, blinding the group before bolting towards Garrus, pushing his now seething hot katana deep into Garrus armour and piercing the turian's flesh. He kicked the turian aside as he pulled the sword out, slashing the arm off EDI's mech which held her handgun. The assassin effortlessly disarmed Tali and threw the quarian over towards Liara, knocking both into a pillar. James aimed his gun at Leng, who swiftly dodged it and punted James into Javik before turning his attention to Kaidan and Kacey.
He ran towards Kacey who narrowly missed the assassin's piping hot blade and grazed Leng's face with her assault rifle's omni-blade. Kaidan used reave, which it seemed Leng was waiting for. Leng grabbed a hold of the small omni-blade and threw it at Kaidan, which pierced through his armour and was now embedded in Kaidan's left hand. Kacey lunged at Leng, narrowly clipping him on the waistline with her omni-blade. Leng retaliated by using his blade to cut through Kacey's reinforced armour through her shoulder.
"And spoiler alert; you've lost." Leng smirked as he tossed Kacey towards Kaidan, causing both to go flying.
"Target the supports." Leng said as he picked up the VI, "Cerberus thanks you for all your hard work, Kacey. A pleasure working with you."
"You bastard!" Kacey shouted, fuming.
The missiles from the gunship hit the supports, causing the temple to collapse on top of the squad. The floor gave way; Kacey and Kaidan fell through one of the gaps as the floor cracked and fell beneath them. Kaidan managed to grab a hold of a stable bit of concrete as he caught Kacey.
"You okay?" Kaidan asked.
"I'll live. Now let's get out of here!" Kacey said as she managed to grab onto the floor.
The pair climbed their way out, reaching the stable part of the floor. Kaidan was relieved to see Garrus was still breathing, being supported up by James. EDI was still functional as the squad regrouped, but the moment Kacey saw Kai Leng leaving, she pursued; drawing her pistol.
"Kacey wait!" Kaidan shouted as the group followed.
"What the hell is she doing?!" James shouted.
Kacey opened fire on the gunship, but the bullets simply bounced off as it flew away. She then angrily threw her pistol to the ground, taking a few deep breaths and running her hand through her hair.
"Kacey?" Kaidan asked as he caught up.
"...anyone on this frequency? This is Lieutenant Kurin. My squad is trapped!"
"This is Shepard! Give me your location!"
"I repeat; is anyone on this frequency?"
"We read you! Give me your—!"
"The Lieutenant's down! Our whole zone is collapsing! What happened to Shepard? Did she make it to the temple?"
"I saw them…wait, I've got a Reaper inbound!"
Howling screams filled the comms; painful ones, regretful ones. Loud enough for all to hear.
"Please! Is anybody there? I—Oh goddess…NO!"
Liara couldn't hold it back anymore; Tali comforted her the best she could. But Kaidan knew it wasn't enough. They had the end of the war in their hands…and they lost it. Kacey remained still, frigid; a look of defeat etched on her face. One of defeat, anger, frustration.
And as Thessia fell in front of them, Kaidan couldn't help but feel the hope slip away into nothingness.