Percy Jackson, The Original N7

by GearTrail

Commander Kate Shepard, commanding officer of the Normandy, was resurrected by Cerberus after the Normandy SR 1 was destroyed in a surprise attack by the Collectors. But even with her new mission, she couldn't forget her own, one that was passed down to her as a legacy of one of the greatest heroes Earth had, the long lost demigod Percy Jackson.

3. Recruitment Arc Omega

Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or Percy Jackson. That honor belongs to Bioware and Rick Riordan

Also notice: I am ignoring the events in Trials of Apollo which is why Jason was mentioned in the last chapter.

Chapter 3: Recruitment Arc Omega Part 1

Flashback 2015

Mt Olympus

The throne room was quiet as the gods sat on their thrones. Oddly enough the meeting was not called by Zeus. Athena and Apollo of all people called for an Omega level emergency council meeting. That also meant that Hades was asked to attend, a rare occasion that the God of the Underworld would be welcome outside of the winter solstice.

The first thing everyone noticed was the serious expression on both Athena and Apollo's faces. Athena wasn't much of a surprise, there wasn't a matter in the last few millennia that Athena didn't show her full attention. Apollo's reaction however was concerning. His hair had transformed from his golden locks to fiery red, something that hadn't been seen in millennia. It meant that someone or something had truly frustrated the sun god.

Zeus began the meeting and ordered "Athena, Apollo. You had called this meeting regarding a significant threat. Explain!"

Athena nodded before summoning a projection of a human news sighting, regarding a mysterious artifact found a few months ago near the Grand Canyon "6 months ago, scientists discovered a set of artifacts of unknown origin hidden in the depths of the Grand Canyon. Since then an entire team was sent to study the artifacts in order to determine their origin. However, there has been no contact from the team for the past few weeks. Amongst the science team, 2 of them were demigods, Malcolm Pace and Gracie Reynolds, respectively my son and Apollo's daughter." Athena explained, venom in her mouth at the thought of her own son being harmed.

The gods were stunned. 2 demigods were missing along with an entire team of humans. "Are we sure what the cause of the disappearance was? And are we sure that they're alive?" Artemis questioned, cautious not to upset her brother. There were only a few times she had seen Apollo in that bad of a mood and every time it did happen, it involved his daughters being harmed.

Hades then stepped forward and answered "Prior to this meeting, Apollo had contacted me about his daughter Grace if she had passed on. As did Athena with her son. I checked the records in the Underworld and saw that neither demigod nor the humans they are working with have come to the Underworld. And yes I ruled out Tartarus as I sent the Furies to investigate only to find nothing of the sort. The Grand Canyon team is very much alive."

"Not to mention that while Hades conducted his investigation, we approached the other pantheons and found no evidence of their involvement. They seemed just as perplexed as we are right now" Apollo added with steel in his tone.

"That is why we called this meeting. The US president has ordered a team to investigate the Grand Canyon to find the missing team. I recommend we send in experienced demigods to join them in this case" Athena proposed.

The room erupted at the announcement. "You wish to work with humans! Have you lost your mind Athena?" Hera shouted at the goddess of wisdom. "Do you realize that if we agree to this, then the Mist would no longer protect the humans?" Demeter inquired.

More accusations and comments were thrown at Athena for even considering this plan. But oddly enough her old enemy Poseidon was the one to step forward slamming the butt of his trident on the ground hard "ENOUGH! Do you truly believe Athena would propose such an idea if she believed there was another way. The fact that she has come up with the idea for our children to work with normal humans means that the situation is truly dire. We have no idea what is responsible for these mortals' disappearance. Now let her finish explaining her plan before we decide on a vote" he argued. He hated this as this meant his son might end up getting involved as Athena required the more experienced demigods, which eliminated the ones in either half-blood camps.

Athena nodded towards Poseidon in thanks "As I was saying, I recommend allowing the most experienced demigods to join up with the team investigating the Grand Canyon, those that have been in combat and can adapt to any situation. I have a few candidates in mind. Starting with Reyna Ramirez-Arrellano and Thalia Grace" she turned to Artemis as the two demigods in question were part of her hunters. Artemis nodded, affirming her support.

"Other candidates involved are as follows: Will Solace, Nico Di Angelo, Jason Grace, Frank Zhang, Clarisse La Rue, and Perseus Jackson. And with all that's happened, Jackson, the Grace siblings, and Di Angelo aren't optional" Apollo continued.

Poseidon cursed under his breath as he protested "With all due respect Apollo, my son cannot be part of this group. Annabeth is expecting soon, and Percy's loyalty will not allow him to leave his pregnant wife."

"Jason is also a no. Piper has been grieving ever since her father's death. And he is her only pillar of support" Aphrodite countered.

"Don't you think I know that?!" Apollo shouted back "I know what I'm asking of them. It's cruel to even consider them as they put that life behind them. But if we send a young group of demigods as we have for decades they will also go missing. And I refuse to lose any more children!"

Athena then concluded "This is not a situation where a Titan or Giant is holding them hostage. Nor is it a rogue monster targeting humans. Something has dominated the minds of the missing team as their last transmission was out of the norm. With luck there may not be any combat."

Silence went through the throne room before Zeus then stated "Very well. All in favor of Athena's plan for demigods to team up with humans" Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Artemis, Hermes, Dionysus, and Hephaestus raised their hands. "All opposed" Zeus asked. Poseidon, Hera, Ares, Aphrodite, and Demeter raised their hands opposing the plan. Zeus sighed as he declared "7-5. Athena's plan is approved. But we will restrict the number of demigods to 7 members at most. Poseidon, Hades, and I will speak with Perseus, Nico, and Jason in person. Athena, coordinate with Hermes in regards to the other members. Dismissed" Zeus threw down his lightning bolt before disappearing into thin air. Hades sighed as he shadow-traveled to the Underworld.

Soon everyone left leaving Athena and Poseidon alone. "You do realize you're asking your son-in-law to leave your daughter?" Poseidon inquired. Athena sighed as she put her head into her hands. "I know. And I hate myself for this. They both deserve peace after everything they've been through in Tartarus along with the issues with her cousin, the last thing I want for Annabeth is for her to lose her husband after settling down with him"

Poseidon nodded before leaving the distraught goddess, at least she knows what she's putting her daughter through, he thought to himself as he vapor traveled away.

Fast Forward 2185

Shepard woke up from her long dream. Yet again her heritage as a legacy struck as she continued to have visions of the past. At least the bed in her Captain's Cabin was comfortable.

She shook her head. Cerberus didn't waste any credits in rebuilding her old ship. The Normandy SR-2 was at least 3x as large as the original Normandy, with a drive core to match. It came with its own cargo bay with a shuttle that would take her and her squad back and forth on planets. Not to mention the crew.

When she first got on board she was quickly introduced to the Artificial Intelligence (AI) known as EDI. Alarmed at the fact that the system had an onboard AI, she was skeptical to trust the new addition. But she grew accustomed to it, asking her questions about areas of the ship. And she felt comforted that both EDI and Joker manned the helm even if she had to tolerate the barbs thrown back and forth.

Miranda also was more welcoming than before, the Ice Queen act still in place but much less aggressive. Jacob on the other hand seemed to trust Shepard wholeheartedly, another good man turned soldier. Shepard then got acquainted with the standing Yeoman Kelly Chambers, a redhead with a slim but purposeful body that garnered quite a few looks when Miranda or Shepard weren't around.

Kelly was an interesting addition. A psychologist/counselor made perfect sense considering that the mission was stressful enough with the Collectors attacking colonies. Though she didn't seem like the type to join Cerberus, it was clear her heart was in the right place. Sensing her genuine admiration for other species, Shepard decided to tease her a bit, only to be pleasantly surprised when she returned the favour. Inwardly she smiled, in her investigation of Saren's activities, she made it clear to both Liara and Kaidan that she wasn't interested in a relationship, not wanting to jeopardize the mission. But with her near death experience she decided that having someone to fight for was worth it. She would let Kelly in but in her heart she yearned for another.

She shook her head as she entered the Crew Deck. She smiled as she saw Dr Karen Chakwas in the MedBay. Finding a familiar face other than Joker lifted her spirits. Chakwas, like Shepard, was a legacy of Apollo and so shared her mission to investigate the galaxy in signs of the missing legend. Not only that, Chakwas provided stability. She was there whenever Jenkins had gotten himself banged up one time due to Kaidan demonstrating his biotic prowess, hell she was there when Tali got infected as a stray chemical round pierced her arm and got her infected. And as such when Chakwas requested a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy, Shepard was happy to comply.

She nodded to Mess Sergeant Gardner as she remembered his request for proper munitions. Bless his heart he tried to make the food good but the provisions he had were in small supply and he had to make due. His reputation as a chef diminished amongst the crew but he kept trying. Though Shepard had to remind herself to head to the Citadel ASAP in order to keep the crew satisfied.

Meeting Gabriella Daniels and Kenneth Donnelly was by far the largest shock. Two ex-Alliance engineers joined her team, specifically two engineers that were involved in the battle of the Citadel. And from the sounds of it, Donnelly was willing to risk insubordination to defend Shepard's claims that the Reapers were real. She was furious when Joker said that the Alliance brass and the Citadel Council ignored her warnings of the Reaper threat when they could see that Sovereign, the Reaper that posed as Saren's flagship, was completely new technology that the geth could not replicate. That's why she was touched when she heard how Donnelly was public in his defense of her claims. She made a note to grab FBA Couplings if she found them even if the tech-lingo went over her head.

After completing her rounds with the crew, she headed to the Command Information Cycle (CIC) and activated the Galaxy Map as she began to navigate the Normandy's course. With Joker flying and her direction, they headed to Omega, a large space station at the heart of the Terminus Systems in the Omega Nebula system. Once the Normandy docked, Shepard headed up to her cabin as she donned her N7 armor before heading to the armory to grab the rest of her gear, meeting Jacob and Miranda as they were in the middle of prepping. Once everyone was set, the three headed to the airlock, entering the station.

Once they arrived, the first thing Shepard noticed was a salarian approaching her squad in a dimly lit corridor. Once the salarian got closer, out of the corner a batarian in armor came out from the entrance behind the salarian unbeknownst to him

"Ah, welcome to Omega. You're new here, aren't you. I can always tell. Allow me to" The salarian tried to introduce himself but stopped as the batarian came up next to him. "Oh hello Moklan. I was just" he tried to reason before the batarian cut him off

"Leave Fargut. Now!" Moklan commanded. Fargut scampered away as Moklan turned to Shepard. "Blasted scavengers. Welcome to Omega Shepard", he welcomed

Hiding her surprise, she stood firm as she asked "You know who I am?"

"Of course. We had you tagged the moment you entered the Terminus Systems. You're not as subtle as you think. Aria wants to know what brings a dead Spectre to Omega. I suggest you head to Afterlife to introduce yourself." Moklan suggested.

"Cut the attitude. I'm not here to cause problems for Aria" Shepard warned the batarian.

"Things explode around you, Shepard. You can't blame Aria for keeping tabs on you. Afterlife, Now!" he disputed as he turned away. Shepard took a deep breath as this was the last place to try to start something. Aria T'Loak was the most powerful person on Omega. And the last thing she needed was the entirety of the Terminus Systems going after her as she targeted the Collectors.

Looking down the hallway she found an interesting sight, a batarian backing away from a human clad in armor. Studying the human closely, she recognized him as the mercenary Zaeed Massani, someone the Illusive Man recommended that she recruit alongside the others. As she approached him, Zaeed kicked the batarian in the gut hard when he pleaded for his life "Shut it!" Zaeed warned. The batarian looked to Shepard as he requested "Please you have to help me"

"No one said you could talk jackass!" Zaeed emphasized as he punched the downed batarian.

"You Zaeed Massani?" Shepard asked. Zaeed turned around to address her and as he did, Shepard noticed the scars on the man's face and the blank right eye. "Yeah, that's me. You must be Commander Shepard. I hear we have a galaxy to save" Zaeed stated, surprised that Shepard was not only alive but that she was here on Omega to recruit him.

"My contacts stated we're picking one man. Not two" she inquired.

"This piece of scum? Pissed off someone rich enough to hire me to go after him. And for my "Bring 'em alive" rates. Tried to lead me all over the Systems. Should've known better. They always come back to Omega." he answered while kicking the batarian as he kept begging.

Shepard took a close look at the batarian. This was Omega, a station filled with criminals, gangs, mercenaries and people who were completely innocent but just got lost. For him to come here willingly proved that there was some truth to Zaeed's story. Plus she hated batarians. Ever since she enlisted to join the Alliance, she's had to deal with batarians. The raid on Mindoir, where the batarians ambushed the human colony slaughtering and enslaving the colony's was still fresh on every Alliance soldier, as was the Skyllian Blitz. Not to mention the attempt at blowing up Terra Nova with an asteroid, which would have resulted in millions of lives lost had Shepard not intervened. Deciding to trust the mercenary she dropped the subject and asked "Have you been briefed?"

"I've done my homework. Cerberus sent me everything I needed to know. They've paid me a lot of money to help you on your mission." Zaeed confirmed

"Most mercs wouldn't accept payment for a suicide mission" Shepard countered.

"Most mercs don't get offered the deal I got. This mission doesn't sound like good business, but your Illusive Man can move a lot of credits. I'm assuming he told you about our arrangement!" Zaeed explained.

Shepard frowned as the dossier didn't include anything of the note "No he left that out apparently" she answered.

Zaeed decided to play with his prisoner, letting him go momentarily. The batarian decided to run only to be shot in the leg by Zaeed causing him to fall grabbing his leg. "Glad I asked. Picked up a mission a while back. Ever heard of Vido Santiago?" Zaeed inquired with Shepard shaking her head "He's the head of the Blue Suns, runs the entire organization. Seems he's holed up in an Eldfell-Ashland refinery on Zorya and he's using their workers as slave labor. The company wants it dealt with."

Shepard considered the offer in front of her; help Zaeed on his mission to take down Vido, and gain a loyal member against the Collectors. Besides, it's not the first time she helped out a member of her squad. Shepard didn't command loyalty from her squad in the original Normandy, she earned it. Wrex, Tali, and Garrus in particular had their own requests for Shepard to help them with. "We'll make time for it" she accepted the mission.

"Right. Let's get this done quick so that we could be goddamn heroes" Zaeed exclaimed before turning his attention to the batarian he was hired to capture. He marched towards him as he stated "I better turn this in before it starts to stink. See you on the ship Shepard." He stated as he grabbed the batarian before heading back to the docking bay.

Shepard shook her head as she made her way to the nightclub called Afterlife, Omega's biggest attraction. She ignored the human arguing with the elcor bouncer, as well as the batarians inside that were whispering behind her back as she entered the nightclub. Red lights covered the entire club while music was blaring as asari, wearing dresses that didn't cover their breasts or thighs, danced on stage while onlookers kept ogling them. A turian bartender had set up shop to the stage's right overlooking the entertainment, and behind the stage two armed guards with stairs leading to the room overlooking the nightclub.

Shepard took initiative and climbed the stairs entering the room. She found herself and her squad surrounded by more guards, turian and batarian while an asari stood at the edge of the room watching her club. The asari was wearing a white jacket over a black one piece suit with three straps on each hip, and extended to her legs. This was Aria T'Loak, the true ruler of Omega.

As soon as Shepard came within 10 feet of her, Aria interrupted "That's close enough" . Suddenly the batarian stepped in between Shepard and Aria pulling his gun on Shepard, Shepard drawing her own Predator Pistol. This led to a standoff with Miranda and Jacob pulling their pistols on Aria's bodyguards who aimed their assault rifles at them.

Shepard surveyed the situation before putting her pistol down, not relinquishing it or emptying the thermal clip, as a batarian stood in front of her with his omni-tool, ready to scan her. "Stand still" he instructed as he initiated the scan. Puzzled as the scan clearly wasn't meant for weapon search she stated "If you're checking for weapons, you're not doing a good job" while pulling out her pistol.

"Have to make sure who I'm speaking with. Could be anyone wearing your face" Aria fired back. Once the batarian finished his scan, he stepped out of the way stating, "She's clean". Only then did the guards lower their weapons, as did Jacob and Miranda.

Shepard then stepped forward stating "I was told you were the person to talk to if I have questions." Aria responded by turning around as both women sized each other up.

"Such as?" Aria cautiously asked. "You run Omega?" Shepard asked, earning a laugh from the asari. Aria then composed herself before turning to the crowd, arms outstretched as she announced, "I AM OMEGA!" her voice echoing throughout the club.

Aria then frowned as she turned to Shepard and continued "But you need more. Everyone needs something and they all come to me. I'm the boss, CEO, Queen if you're feeling dramatic. Omega has no titled ruler and only one rule." She then sat down on her couch before announcing "Dont fuck with Aria!"

Shepard smiled as she took her seat opposite of Aria "You and I have a few things in common after all. We don't take crap from anyone"

"And on your ship that would matter, Shepard. However, here you're just another face in the crowd." Aria responded curtly before asking "So what brings you? I doubt you of all people are here for the scenery"

"I'm looking for Dr Mordin Solus. He's stationed here on Omega." Shepard responded to Aria's inquiry.

Aria's expression lit with slight excitement when she replied, "The salarian doctor? Last I checked he was trying to help plague victims in the quarantine zone." She then turned smiling as she expanded "I've always liked Mordin. He's as likely to shoot you as he is to heal you."

Intrigued at the thought, Shepard then asked "You're familiar with him then?" To which Aria turned to her as she stated "He used to be a part of the Salarian Special Tasks Group (STG). He's brilliant and dangerous. Just don't get him talking. He never shuts up. If you really want to find him, take a shuttle to the quarantine zone. No guarantee they'll let you in" Aria added with a slight smile.

Shepard responded in kind, "I'll be able to convince them. I don't suppose you know how to find Archangel" Shepard smiled inwardly as Aria's tone shifted as a frown donned her face.

Aria then asked "You and half of Omega are tracking him. What, you want to take him out too?"

Shepard frowned as she inquired "Half of Omega, huh. Why's everyone after him?"

Aria scoffed as she answered "He thinks he's fighting for the good side. Thing is, there is no good side to Omega. Everything he does, pisses someone off. It's starting to catch up to him"

Shepard took the intel in as she leaned back. "Just the kind of guy I need on my team" she stated.

Aria glanced at the former Spectre with interest "Well aren't you interesting? You'll make some enemies teaming up with Archangel. Assuming you could get to him. He's in a bit of trouble right now. The local merc groups teamed up in order to take him down. They have him cornered but it sounds like they have some trouble finishing him off. They started hiring anyone with a gun to help them."

"Sounds like that's my ticket in" Shepard casually replied. "Where are they signing people up?"

"There's a private room just around the corner, that's where they're recruiting people to take him down. You'll be dealing with Eclipse, Blood Pack, and Blue Suns, the major merc groups on Omega" Aria casually answered.

"Archangel managed to tick all of them off, and yet you don't seem too concerned about him," Shepard noted. For someone to rattle the three big mercenary groups in her station, Aria seemed a bit too calm about the situation.

"Archangel came on to Omega a few months ago and since then has caused issues trying to save the "good" side of Omega. If you create your own rules, which everyone here does, he strikes at you. Reckless and idealistic, but he seems smart enough not to target me." Aria explained.

Having gotten what she needed from the asari, Shepard stood up and walked in front of Aria, "Thanks for the information Aria, pleasure doing business." She curtsied before walking away.

Aria stared at the woman walking away with hunger in her eyes. Oh she heard of the spectre's feats, but seeing her up close confirmed that she was the real deal. And to have her at her side could be beneficial later on, considering she was taking Archangel off of her station for good.

Shepard, Jacob and Miranda left Afterlife after purchasing a Serrice Ice Brandy as they headed to the lower levels. On their way to the quarantine zone, Shepard met a familiar face in Helena Blake, a member of a crime syndicate in which Shepard eliminated the two heads allowing Helena to take over, only to then disband the group after a threat from Shepard. The two reminisced about their interactions two years ago. Miranda taking note of the interaction was actually in awe. To think that Shepard with mere words alone forced a potential crime lord into becoming a counselor on Omega of all places.

Passing by the lower levels of the club on their way to the market area the group ran into a quarian named Kenn selling salvaged parts. Taking a look at his kiosk, Shepard bought the T6 FBA couplings as well as the M-96 Mattock as well as the Geth Plasma Shotgun. While she couldn't use them just yet, she figured her squad would find use for these weapons. After completing her purchase she asked the poor kid about his prices, only to find out that Harrot, an elcor merchant, forbade Kenn from being competitive with his own shop the Emporium, thus forcing the quarion to sell his products at higher prices. Shepard took that in and made a deal with Kenn to sell his products to her on the cheap and she would have a word with Harrot.

Walking around Kenn's Salvage, the squad took note of batarians and vorcha lying on the floor sick. Jacob made a comment on how no one should live like this, which Miranda shot down hard. And to her point Shepard agreed. This was Omega, not the Citadel. There was no obligation from anyone here to fight to protect the weak. And yet it remained this way for decades without anyone changing things.

After "convincing" Harrot to back off and purchasing more supplies from the Emporium and the Omega Market, also buying a few model ships for Shepard's room as well as the M-490 Blackstorm, the squad headed to the quarantine zone. They found a woman complaining to a turian bodyguard "Look, the plague doesn't affect humans. I just want to make sure no one lootes my apartment" The woman complained.

"Aria's orders were clear, no one goes in or out until the Blue Suns and vorcha are dealt with." The turian stated. Shepard stepped up and stated "I need to go in to find Mordin Solus, I heard he's inside"

"The salarian. Yeah he is in there. Crazy bastard opened up a clinic trying to cure the plague with Blue Suns outside his door. I wish him luck though. My orders are clear though" The turian answered while a bit shook.

Shepard took advantage and pressed on him "Listen you need someone to deal with the Blue Suns and the vorcha right? Well here I am. That's what I do. I solve problems" She convinced him as she reached for the M-100 Grenade Launcher on her back. The turian gulped and stepped aside for her.

"Alright I'll let you in. I'll radio ahead and let my team know you're coming" He said.

"Wait, you're letting them in but not me. You son of a bitch!" the woman complaining earlier scoffed. "You don't have a grenade launcher lady. Back off" The turian responded

"Well we're all human. So this plague won't have an impact on us" Miranda noted. Shepard nodded as the squad prepared for the mission ahead

TIME SKIP

After sending Jacob back to the Normandy, Shepard, Miranda, and Zaeed headed down the quarantine zone. Passing the guards stationed just at the entrance, Shepard noticed two Blue Suns Troopers chatting with each other. Signalling for Zaeed to switch from the Mattock to the M-92 Mantis, she ordered him to stay back as she and Miranda approached the two mercs. After activating Tech Armor, she and Miranda overloaded the merc shields. Without hesitation, Zaeed nailed one of the two mercs as the second fell to Miranda's Shuriken.

Shepard then noticed a pile of bodies being burned. Zaeed took note and stated "Plague control at its basic, pile the bodies and burn them to ash."

Beside the flaming bodies the squad found a batarian kneeling against the wall. Pushing her disgust for batarians down Shepard approached him only for the batarian to answer weakly, "Human *cough* you're here to spread the plague aren't you."

Kneeling down to try and help the sick man, Shepard asked "Do you need help? We've got medigel"

"BACK OFF!" he yelled, pulling out a pistol, forcing Kate to step back. "Your kind has already done too much already. Your plague did this to me. Your feigned pity is the final insult."

"Humans didn't create this plague." Kate insisted.

"Lies drip from your mouth like blood drips from my sores. The prof is there for all to see. Your species is the only one that does not succumb to the virus. Yours, and the wrenched Vorcha."

Kate thought about the plague as she heard this. A plague that targeted every species but humans. And the vorcha which are naturally immune due to their physiology. But considering that vorcha were known only as cannon fodder for the Blood Pack it certainly looked to be a human plot. But the timeline of this plague seemed off. And considering there was a group that was actively targeting humans, she wouldn't rule it out. Regardless, she had a mission.

"I'm looking for Mordin Solus. Do you know where I could find him" she asked the batarian

"Humans looking for the human sympathiser. I hope the Vorcha burn Mordin and his clinic to the ground. I hope... hope... damn it. Damn you. Can't..."

He was about to die. Shepard couldn't stand by and do nothing. "Hey, stay with me." she said as she activated her omni tool and administered some medi gel. "This won't stop the virus but it may help."

The batarian started to stand. "You helped me. Why?"

"It's what I do, I don't know if I can find a cure but at the very least I'm going to try."

"Your words *cough * sound …. sincere. Maybe it's the fever but as you what have I got to lose? What do you wish to know?"

"First off, why do you think humans are behind this plague?" Shepard asked

"The Plague is too potent to be natural to be a naturally occurring virus. Airborne transmission between numerous species. Near perfect mortality rate? It had to be created in a lab. And since humans are the only species there is only one logical conclusion."

"But aren't the Vorcha immune to the plague? Maybe they're using it to take over the district?"

"Vorcha are immune to disease. A human created plague wouldn't affect them. But if the Vorcha created the virus why wouldn't it affect humans? Besides the Vorcha aren't smart, to create a plague they're scavengers. Sorry human, you may not want to believe it but all evidence points to your race."

Knowing she couldn't change his mind, she decided to do the next best thing "Do you know where Mordin Solus is?" she asked

"He's at the far side of the district." he answered

"Thanks, I'll make sure to send someone here. Just stay put." she assured the batarian

The batarian nodded and slummed back down to relax. Shepard and her squad followed the batarian's directions, heading to a barricade patrolled by a few Blue Suns Troopers and a Legionnaire. Shepard directed Zaeed to a level above the barricade, the mercenary switching to the Mantis Sniper Rifle. Grabbing her Grenade Launcher, she fired a grenade towards the cluttered squad forcing them to scatter. She then switched to the Shuriken as she and Miranda unloaded on the Blue Suns. As soon as their shields were down, Zaeend sniped the troopers.

Two more turian Blue Sun members wielding shotguns tried to flank Shepard. Zaeed spotting them from his vantage point switched to the M-8 Avenger Assault Rifle and fired on them. Shepard noted the switch in targets and waited for turians to get closer before Miranda overloaded their shields while Shepard fired Cryo Blast, flash freezing both turians leaving them vulnerable to Concussive Shots and Warp.

With the Blue Suns eliminated, the squad regrouped as they scoured the area, noting a door to an open apartment. They entered it and noticed a human couple hiding. Shepard convinced the two to head to Mordin's clinic after she made a path while also gathering information from them. It appeared that Mordin's clinic setup had caused a stir with the vorcha and the Blue Suns and when both parties tried to force their way in due to the plague, Mordin handled each group separately and went back to work, without relying on the security mechs he had with him. Intrigued, Shepard pushed on, scanning the Blue sun's weapons for potential upgrades.

As they moved past the barricade they heard sounds of a firefight. Climbing the stairs they found themselves between a pair of Blue Suns and multiple vorcha, two of them wielding flamethrowers. Shepard noted a few explosive barrels where the vorcha took position. "Same setup as last time, Zaeed, stay up here and cover us. Miranda, you and I will head down and draw their attention."

Both Zaeed and Miranda nodded in confirmation as the vorcha's attention turned to them with the Blue Suns taken out. With Zaeed providing cover fire from his vantage point, Shepard and Miranda descended to the lower level, dual Overloading the vorcha pyros causing them to explode as they had to cover returning fire on the vorcha.

Shepard then heard the sound of a krogan approaching along with varren. Ordering Miranda to pull back, they backed up to the cover previously held by the dead Blue Suns as two varren ran into the battle heading towards Shepard. Shepard with her Tech Armor active absorbed the varrens' bites and released a pulse that knocked the two varren down for Miranda to kill. However it wasn't done yet as the krogan appeared wielding a shotgun and firing a Carnage blast towards Shepard who got in cover just in time. Shepard then waited as the krogan approached her just passing by one of the explosive barrels. She then cast overload on the barrel, staggering the krogan just enough for Zaeed to destroy its armor, leaving it vulnerable to Shepard's throw and Miranda's Warp combo. With the krogan dealt with and the vorcha eliminated the squad regrouped to discuss their last bout

"It appears we crossed into vorcha territory. Odd that a krogan would be in the plague zone considering they aren't immune." Miranda noted.

"Krogan are not immune but their physiology gives them a higher resistance to the plague than turians or batarians." EDI chimed in. The AI had been monitoring their progress through their armors' metabolic scans.

"Thanks EDI. But still it's odd to see vorcha this deep in Blue Suns' territory" Shepard said. Zaeed nodded but didn't seem upset. In fact it seemed that he smiled at the news.

Shaking her head, Shepard noticed an apartment door open. She entered and found a turian dead on the ground with two humans looting the area. "Hey back off we got here first." One of the looters ordered. Shepard approached the two angry at the audacity for looting a dead man's apartment. "Hey you heard me. We came here first"

"What are you two doing here? Did you kill this turian" She asked the two scumbags.

"What? Him? Nah the plague got him. We're just appropriating ourselves to his worldly possessions." The man explained

"Fancy words don't change what you're doing here. You're looting. And I hate looters. You two better stop now, or I'll make sure you stop permanently" Shepard threatened the two.

The man who spoke earlier tried to call her bluff but stopped as he stared into her hardened eyes. His partner did too as he saw Zaeed and Miranda backing Shepard up "Hey man I don't think she's joking here" he said fear clearly evident in his voice.

"Alright alright you win no more looting. I promise. We just thought we could make a quick buck. We don't want any trouble." the first guy stated, panicking.

"Good. now do something useful for a change and head to the clinic. Oh and leave everything you looted. We don't want the people there to suspect you of anything." Shepard advised the two, who dropped their loot before heading to the clinic.

"Nice touch there Shepard. Would you have really taken them out though?" Miranda asked, curious about the interaction. Shepard's dossier showed her mostly helping people so to see her threaten a few innocent people may be odd. But not entirely. There were several instances where she showed no mercy to those who deserved it. A group of scientists that tried to bribe her after the ordeal with the Thorian Creepers, the Cerberus scientist in charge of the Akuze disaster where a corporal was subjected to tests to study thresher maws, and most interestingly a group of batarians in the Terra Nova asteroid incident.

"Of course. These idiots would have done more for those who were suffering but instead they decided to help themselves while others suffered." Shepard replied as they exited the apartment. They then headed down a set of stairs which led to Mordin's clinic. Noting the security mechs along with the guard, Shepard holstered her Shuriken and had Zaeed and Miranda doing the same. As they entered they found several humans running around while treating alien patients, turian and batarians. As they walked around the clinic they heard a conversation between two doctors.

"Professor, we're running low on cipoxidin" one of the voices aire their concern

"Use malanarin. Plenty on hand. Almost as good. Causes cramping for batarians. Supplement with butemerol" The Professor answered rapidly.

"Malanarin and butemerol. Got it" the earlier voice confirmed.

However the Professor wasn't done "Cenozine is the catalyst. Bonds to genetic markers. Hard to find. Expensive to mass produce. Why not heplacore?" the professor rattled on with no loss in speed as he continued his train of thought "Too unstable. Inconsistent results. Demozine better option. No Demozine toxic to humans. Not an option. Not an option"

Shepard then walked into the room and asked "Professor Mordin Solus?"

In response, a salarian wearing a white and red coat with one of his head fringes slightly altered stepped forward and scanned the three newcomers with his omni-tool "Hmm. Don't recognize you from area. Too well armed for refugees. No mercenary uniform. Quarantine still in effect" he wondered out loud before continuing his theory "Here for something else? Vorcha? Crew to clean them out? Unlikely. Vorcha a symptom not a cause. The plague?! Investigating possible use as bio-weapon? No too many guns, not enough data equipment. Soldiers not Scientists. Yes Yes Yes! Hired guns, maybe? Looking for someone to recruit. But who? Someone valuable. Someone with secrets. Someone like me"

Miranda and Zaeed were stunned at how quickly Mordin dissected all possible reasons they were here while Shepard smiled "Calm down doctor. I'm Commander Kate Shepard. I came here to find you. I'm on a critical mission and in need of your help

Mordin slightly stunned. "Shepard. Heard about you. Saved the council two years ago. Hmm. Shepard announced dead two years ago after Citadel. Mission what mission? No too busy. Clinic understaffed. Who sent you?" He asked curious as to what brought a supposedly dead Spectre to his clinic

Deciding to stay honest with the salarian, Kate responded to the inquiry "An organization known as Cerberus. Do you know of them?" She had to shake her head internally at the slight frown that dawned Mordin's face. 'Damn it Illusive Man. If I didn't need your resources to take down the Collectors I'd be hunting you down right now' she thought to herself

"Crossed paths on occasion. Thought they only worked with humans. Why request salarian aid?" Mordin responded a bit coldly.

"Human colonies have been disappearing left and right. The Collectors are responsible. And considering the spread of the plague, I believe they also may have created it in order to isolate humans."

Mordin's eyes widened slightly at the new possibility "Collectors? Interesting. Plague hitting slums bioengineered. Collectors one of few with technology to design it. Our goals may be similar. But must stop the plague. Already created cure. Need to distribute it at environmental center. Deep in vorcha territory. Need to kill them" Mordin stated with a sigh.

Kate nodded and offered "I'll deal with the vorcha and deliver the cure. Just point me in the right direction."

Suddenly the fans started slowing down as the ceiling red emergency lights turned on. "That sounded troubling," Miranda said.

Mordin activated his omni-tool to assess the damage before grabbing a few items from his table "Vorcha shut down environmental systems. Trying to kill everyone. Need to get power back on before district suffocates. Here take plague cure, also in good faith, weapon from Blue Suns merc. May come in handy against vorcha" Mordin offered as he handed Shepard a Carnifex pistol along with vials of the cure.

Shepard studied the pistol as Mordin then asked "Also my assistant, Daniel. Went into vorcha territory. Looking for victims. Hasn't come back"

"Don't worry. I'll find him and send him back to you. But I need a favor. On my way here I found a sick batarian near the entrance to the neighborhood. Could you send someone to help him" Shepard asked

"Hmm, risky. Blue Suns vorcha still battling. District not secure. See what I can do." Mordin replied.

Taking the opportunity, Shepard then asked Mordin about the plague. He had suspected the Collectors were responsible as the data he gathered from the plague seemed to be their handiwork but couldn't prove it until Shepard arrived. Mordin then explained why it didn't infect humans as they had a diverse genetic background. 'Don't I know that' Shepard thought to herself as she listened to Mordin's explanation. When asked about the vorcha, he snarled as he called them cowardly scavengers. He then told Shepard that the vorcha in this district may be working for the Collectors in order to secure dominance in the region.

When asked if there was trouble running the clinic, Mordin nonchalantly pulled out his pistol as he explained his version of events when the vorcha and Blue Suns tried to barge in. He then casually talked of his time at STG and how other species don't recognize him as a threat, as such they never see him coming. Shepard smiled at that. 'It's always the ones that drew the least amount of attention that shine bright when chaos strikes' Shepard thought to herself as she and her squad exited the clinic after resupplying medigel.

Leaving the clinic, all three had their weapons ready as they slowly approached an open area with multiple vorcha assault rifles and pistols waiting. Zaeed switched to the M-8 Avenger as the three unloaded on the vorcha. Responding quickly, the vorcha returned fire, while pyros tried to approach the squad. However, Shepard had decided to move around the area and flank them from the right. Once in position, she overloaded a pyro that was getting closer to Zaeed's cover and ordered Miranda to use Overload on the other that was still near its allies. As they pressed on, a krogan descended from a set of stairs flanked with two pyros.

Shepard cursed before activating her Tech Armor and ordered Zaeed to switch to the Mantis and target the tanks on the pyros back. With a powerful shot from Zaeed's sniper, one of the pyros burst into flames before exploding causing one of the krogan to stagger. Miranda then used Overload on the second one causing it to explode with the second krogan near it staggering. With their armor damaged, the krogan kept moving forward but succumbed to the overwhelming firepower of the three soldiers. Once clear, the group grabbed thermal clips from the ground to reload as they ascended the stairs.

As they got to the top they had two doors unlocked. However Shepard heard sounds of pleas from the left side. Hurrying to the left door they opened it to see batarians armed with one grabbing a human male nurse by the collar.

"Please you have to listen to me. I'm here to cure you, not infect you" The human pleaded. 'This must be Daniel. Can't believe he would risk trying to cure batarians especially with their history with us.' Shepard thought to herself

"We know youre spreading the plague, human. We saw the vials in your bag" The batarian who held him argued.

"No, these vials contain the cure." Daniel asserted. Shepard turned to Zaeed and Miranda and nodded. Shepard and Miranda entered while Zaeed kept his position with a sniper rifle trained at the lead batarian.

One of the batarians was about to threaten him when the lead noticed the two humans approaching. He put Daniel down and grabbed his Predator pistol and aimed at the nurse while the others aimed at Shepard. "Come any closer and he dies. I'm warning you" Shepard and Miranda aimed their weapons at them in return

"I know you're scared. Of the vorcha. Of the plague. But this man isn't to blame. Think about it. If he wanted to spread the plague why would he venture into vorcha territory. They're immune. Let him go, and I promise me and my associates will let you walk out and get some aid." Shepard appealed to their senses.

The batarians discussed amongst themselves before deciding to trust the human. The lead batarian put his weapon down, as did the others. "Alright we're letting him go. You got what you wanted. Are we free to leave?"

"We had a deal," Shepard said as she holstered her weapon. Miranda did the same as did Zaeed.

"Human nobility. Didn't realize it existed. Sorry for doubting you." the batarian said as he and teammates left. Daniel in disbelief turned to Shepard with gratitude in his eyes "Thank you. I thought … they were going to kill me. Did Mordin send you?" he hesitantly asked

"The professor needs your help right now. He has more patients than staff right now. Head back to him, we'll make sure the cure is dispersed" Shepard confirmed. Nodding his thanks, Daniel headed back to the clinic.

The situation resolved, Shepard and her crew went back on track. They headed back to the other entrance and found vorcha waiting for them across the room. After taking them out, they descended a new set of stairs. Once at the bottom they entered another battlefield this time with vorcha rocket troopers on high ledges. Cursing, she ordered Zaeed to take them out while she and Miranda took on the vorcha on the lower levels, dodging rockets from above as they slowly but surely got eliminated the vorcha.

Once they arrived at the main life support, they were greeted by a vorcha pack leader along with 4 other vorcha, 1 pyro. "You no come here, we shut down machines. Break fans" he threatened.

"What are the Collectors after?" Shepard asked the vorcha. Only to get a gargled response "Collectors make us strong. You work for Doctor, turn on machines, put cure in air. We kill you first!"

Taking no chances, Shepard overloaded the pyro, causing him to explode before taking out the rest. Once the area was clear, Shepard turned the environmental control system on.

"Nice now we just need to turn the fans on and dispense the cure." Miranda stated. Shepard then noticed vorcha coming out from both sides of the central alcove. "Not sure about that just yet. Zaeed, give us cover. Miranda, head to the right fan. I'll take the left." Shepard ordered as she made a run for the left fan.

Miranda followed Shepard before heading off to the right. Once she got closer to the fan control system, more vorcha and vorcha pyros arrived to stop her. She slid into cover and cast overload on the pyros causing the group to scatter before running towards the fans. The vorcha couldn't react in time as she passed them and when they tried Zaeed sniped them down. Miranda then turned on the fan and let Shepard know.

Shepard on the other hand took the head on approach. She activated her tech armor just before running head first towards the vorcha taking as much damage as possible. Once she got close, the pyros used their flamethrowers on her, only for her Tech Armor to break, generating an electric shockwave that knocked everyone down. Smiling, Shepard then took them out before turning the fan on. With both fans active they returned to Mordin's clinic.

TIME SKIP

"Environmental systems engaged. Airborne viral levels dropping. Patients improving, vorcha retreating. Well done Shepard. Reputation precedes you. Thank you" Mordin thanked the commander

"And thank you from me as well. If it wasn't for you I would've died. I still can't believe you let them go" Daniel stated.

"They were acting out of fear. And I made a promise to spare them. I keep my promises" Shepard reasoned.

"Merciful of you. Risky. Would have killed them myself" Mordin countered. Daniel in disbelief approached the salarian. "Professor, how could you say that? You're a doctor! You've always believed in helping people" He asked

"Lots of ways to help people. Sometimes, cure patients. Sometimes execute dangerous people. Depends on circumstance" Mordin explained, no hesitation. Then he took on a caring tone "Go check on patients. Think about what I said" he offered.

Daniel took the offer and left the room. "Good kid, bit naive. Will leave the mechs for him. Never liked working with them anyway. Now that plague is dealt with. Free to go with you Shepard. Unexpected to work with Cerberus many surprises. Just need to finish up here in the clinic. Will meet you at your ship. Looking forward to it" Mordin stated as he started to pack all his essential tools.

TIME SKIP

Once aboard the Normandy, Shepard led Mordin to the conference room. Jacob stood there waiting to greet the two. "Welcome aboard the new Normandy professor. We're happy to have you on board" Jacob greeted the salarian.

"Yes! Very Exciting. Cerberus working with aliens!. Unexpected. Illusive Man branching out maybe? Not so human-centric?" Mordin questioningly wondered

"Don't get it twisted Professor. Cerberus hasn't changed their motto. But circumstances have forced their hand." Shepard reassured the salarian.

"The Collectors have abducted human colonists on the fringes of the Terminus Space. Entire colonies disappear without a trace. No distress signals are sent out. There are no signs of attack. There's virtually no evidence of anything unusual happening at all, except that every man, woman and child are gone" Jacob further explained. Mordin began rattling off possible theories of how the Collectors may have accomplished this task only for Shepard to interrupt

"Relax Professor, we collected samples from one of the colonies. I'd like you to analyze it and find out how the Collectors did this" Shepard calmly asked.

"Yes of course. Analyze the samples. Going to need a lab" Mordin stated.

"There's a fully-equipped lab on the Combat Deck Professor Solus. Should you find anything lacking you may put in a requisition order" EDI announced from a terminal in the conference room.

Mordin's eyes looked around for the new voice "Who's that? Pilot? No. synthesized voice. Simulated emotions. Could it… no no have to ask. Is that an AI?" he questioned

"Yes. This ship comes with a fully functional AI" Shepard answered.

"Amazing. Cerberus working with Aliens. An AI on board. Cerberus truly desperate" Mordin exclaimed

"Tens of thousands of colonists have been abducted, Professor. We have to do what we can to stop them" Jacob firmly stated

"Yes, understood. Cant get caught like colonists. Need to identify, neutralize technology. Will begin immediately. Which way to the lab" Mordin replied. Jacob then led the professor to the lab, leaving Shepard alone in the conference room. 'The dossier on Mordin didn't lie but damn does he talk a lot. Well if anyone can figure out a countermeasure to these swarms its him' Shepard stated.

Shepard then headed to the lab and had a chat with Mordin trying to get to know him better. She laughed at the destruction of several security cameras being destroyed. She couldn't say anything as she also broke quite a few of those herself on her first day. But she was intrigued about his work with the STG. Though she could tell he was holding back some information, possibly classified information not given freely.

When he said he worked with Kirrahe, she remembered her own experience with the captain. Mordin was delighted to hear of her tale of Virmire, it seems he was fond of working with limited resources to succeed. His tone shifted when it came to the genophage, like something bothered him about it. She would shelve that for another time.

After her talk with Mordin, she turned to the terminal to research some upgrades for her squad and ship. Joker recommended that the Normandy needed some upgrades later on. And with how the late SR-1 was destroyed, she couldn't risk that chance again. After getting better weapons, armor, and a steadier supply of medigel, she talked with Jacob and Miranda about possible upgrades they could recommend. Jacob provided access to Silaris Armor, armor that the Alliance had been developing in secret for their ships after the Sovereign attack, while Miranda offered an upgrade that improved the mineral scanner.

Once the upgrades had kicked in, she headed back to Omega. It was time to recruit Archangel.

Another chapter complete. Yes I promised Garrus and I will deliver it in the next chapter. Also I would like to thank everyone for their comments of support. It's been a trying time for me and my family. I will be continuing this story for now. As for the other stories I won't stop them but it will take time.

Next Time: Archangel's recruitment as well as a visit to the Citadel to pick up a thief. Also what connection could Shepard possibly have with Percy Jackson?