Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Gears of War/Mass Effect crossover.
This is it, ladies and gentlemen. The final battle between Shepard and co., and Sovereign. I hope that you enjoy this chapter as well as I did. This is probably the longest chapter I've written so far. Also, there's a HUGE twist near the end.
In addition, I will be starting a redux of my Star War/Halo crossover after the next chapter, which will be the epilogue. Thank you all for the wonderful feedback and support. Stay tuned for a sequel in the future!
As always, leave a review and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Gears of War or Mass Effect franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of BioWare, Electronic Arts, The Coalition, Epic Games, Microsoft Studios, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to their original composers and/or artists.
Serpent Nebula
Citadel March
March 20th, 2183
While Shepard and the others had been driving towards the Conduit, a similar situation was going on at the Citadel. Ducking into cover, Detective Chellick snarled as a bullet scrapped along one of his facial plates, carving a bloody furrow into it. Nearby, a C-SEC patrolman screamed as bullets tore through him, while another popped out of cover and began shooting.
Looking around as he applied medi-gel to his face, Chellick remembered the events that had led to this very moment. It had been a fairly calm day when, just before the Normandy had left, Councilor Sparatus had ordered C-SEC to get all the civilians into the designated safe zones on the Citadel. In addition, two Turian fleets had come to reinforce the Citadel Defense Fleet. Sparatus' excuse was that he was getting the Citadel ready for a potential attack by Saren and his Geth, a proposition that most had laughed at.
Now, however, those same people were now thanking Sparatus for warning them, even as bullets flew through the air. A shout stopped Chellick's train of thought, with a human being ducking down next to him. "Shit!" the man shouted. "Those fucking Geth have us pinned!"
Peering over cover, Chellick spotted the hostiles up ahead. One of the orders that he and a team of Special Response Division personnel had received was to get to the Citadel Tower and reinforce all of the defenses there. Sadly, the Geth had beaten them to the punch, and were now doing what they could to keep them out. Already, five men had paid the ultimate price when they attempted to push.
"We can't get any closer!" another C-SEC officer shouted, his mandibles twitching as he ducked down. "Those Geth will tear us apart!"
"We have to keep pushing!" Chellick told the others. "If we don't, Saren could gain control of the Citadel, and then this shithole of a situation gets even worse! Now stop talking and start shooting!" With that, he popped out of cover, firing his rifle and downing a Geth trooper.
As they fought, he thought he heard something odd. It was a static-like humming sound, like what one heard when near the sculpture for the Mass Relays. Turning around, he watched, much to his shock, as the sculpture's rings began to rotate, with a blue-white glowing center quickly forming. Before long, it was fully online.
That was when a gut feeling told him what might happen. "Fall back!" he roared. "Retreat!" Not wanting to protest, the other officers quickly complied. One man tried to do so, only to scream as a bullet tore through his leg. Snarling loudly, Chellick quickly slung the man's arm over his back and hefted him to safety.
And it was not a moment too soon. As soon as he and his team pulled back, something shot out of the sculpture, which Chellick now realized was a fully functional Mass Relay. To his shock, he watched as a heavily modified Mako flew through the air, before smashing into the Geth, crushing their metallic bodies and smashing a few Dragon's Teeth in the process. A moment later, the vehicle rolled onto it's side, before sliding to a stop near the elevator doors to the Citadel Tower.
"Spirits!" a Turian officer shouted.
"The fuck?!" a patrolman deadpanned. "A Mako came out of that?! Well… I guess you don't see that every day."
"Who's inside?" another officer asked.
As if the Universe was providing an answer, Chellick watched as a group of people began clambering out of the vehicle. His mandibles twitched with surprise as he saw a familiar figure getting to his feet. "G-Garrus? S-Shepard?" he stammered. "What's going on? How'd you get here?"
"Long story, Chellick," Garrus replied as he rolled his neck. "Long story short, we found the Conduit, but Saren did as well. We followed him through it and it's led us back here to the Citadel."
"What's the sitrep?" Shepard asked.
Chellick frowned. "Not good, Shepard. Sovereign and Saren are attacking the Citadel. The Citadel Defense Fleet and the 25th and 26th HDF Fleets are engaging the Geth and Sovereign. We were sent to secure the entrance to the Citadel Tower in the hopes of delaying Saren long enough for you guys to arrive and take him out. Unfortunately, he beat us to the punch. He's in the tower doing Spirits know what."
"What about the Councilors?"
"They're onboard the Destiny Ascension," Chellick replied. "Sparatus had the entire Council moved aboard the ship in anticipation for this attack. They'll be safe if you stop Saren."
"Then we have to act fast," Shepard decided. "Chellick, I need you and your men to stay here and be the rearguard. If more Geth come for us, you'll have to keep them off our backs. We'll head up to the tower and stop Saren's madness."
"Understood," Chellick agreed with a nod. "We'll form a barricade here and keep an eye out for more Geth. Good luck, Shepard!"
"You too," Shepard replied as he and his team moved towards the elevator to the Citadel Tower.
"Shit," Marcus groaned as he looked around.
"Well," Baird remarked, "it was nice while it lasted."
"If we succeed, then it'll last a while longer. Come on. Let's kick that bastard in the ass."
"I heard ya on that," Carmine agreed as the team loaded up into the elevator.
. . .
Up in the Council Chambers, Saren growled as he moved towards the Citadel's master control unit. Hearing more whispers, he snarled, before pulling out his sidearm and gunning down the Keepers in the place. The Keepers screamed plaintively as large bullets tore into their bodies, causing them to explode from the inside out.
A slight pain drew him to look at his arm, where he saw a vein that was glowing lambent-yellow. Taking a moment, he breathed in and out, calming himself down. I'm sorry, he whispered mentally to the Imulsion inside of him. My emotions were out of hand. I'm sorry. A moment later, the pain faded, replaced by a cool, soothing sensation. With that problem solved, he keyed his comm "Sovereign, I'm at the podium."
Good,came Sovereign's reply as Saren proceeded forwards. Use the control panel to close the station. I will enter once you begin doing so. The Cycle begins today. Nodding in agreement, Saren proceeded forwards. Several sections of platform moved forwards, extending the podium in the Council Chambers and forming a circular area. A holographic projector activated, with the control panel being displayed moments later. With that, Saren quickly got to work…
Outside of the Citadel, the massive arms of the station began to close, even as the fighting raged on. Pallin, who was on one of the ships, spotted the closing arms. "The Citadel's closing! They're sealing the station!" he shouted. "Don't let the enemy ships inside the arms!"
In response, several Turian ships quickly moved in, firing at Sovereign as rapidly as they could. While their weapons were powerful, Sovereign's barriers were stronger, with the Reaper paying little mind to them as it rammed through the ships. Yes… the Reaper thought, a kind of machine-like satisfaction suffusing it's body. Yes. Soon, the Cycle will begin anew, and this time, there will be no one to interfere with it.
As it said this to itself, the arms fully closed, though now, Sovereign was fully inside. Reaching towards the Citadel Tower, it wrapped it's mechanical tendrils around it, with large cables extending from the tendrils and connecting to the tower. Soon, it began to access the Citadel's systems.
. . .
On the elevator heading to the Council Chambers, Marcus and the others were making sure their weaponry was good to go one more time. Checking his ammo, Marcus made sure it was squared away before looking at the others. "You guys doing OK?" he asked..
"Yeah," Shepard replied. "You?"
"Doing great."
"Hehe," Cole chuckled. "I can't wait to kick Saren's ass!" Looking at Baird, he said, "Come on, Baird! It's gonna be awesome!"
"Yeah, but I've got the feeling that -" Baird would've continued, except for the fact that the elevator came to a screeching hall in that instant. Most of the team stumbled about as they came to a sudden stop, with Tali falling to the ground. Picking her up, Garrus brushed her off.
"What the hell was that?!" Carmine asked.
"Saren's locked down the elevator!" Shepard growled, having guessed what had happened. "Seal your suits, people! We're going outside!" With that, he waited a few seconds. Once he saw the others giving him a thumb's up, he pulled out his Fusilier and fired.
There was a loud BANG as Shepard fired, with the bullet punching a massive hole into the elevator's glass door. Unable to maintain integrity, the glass shattered, with the air inside rushing out into the vacuum of space. Within a few moments, all sound was gone, with the only sound the team able to hear coming from vibrations in the ground beneath their boots.
Moving forwards, Shepard pushed off, activating the mag-clamps in his armored boots. He drifted for a few centimeters, then felt his boots magnetize to the Citadel Tower. Looking around, he could now see where they needed to go. Off in the distance, Sovereign was attached to the Citadel, like some parasitic creature feeding off a much larger host. As the others came out, he said, "Anyone got heavy ordinance?"
"Yeah," Cole replied, pulling out the One-shot that he had brought from the Mako. "Why do you ask?"
"Because we're going to need it," Wrex answered for Shepard. "If I know Saren, he'll have plenty of surprises waiting for us. I'd imagine that he'd set up some turrets up ahead."
"Good call," Marcus decided. "Wrex, how about you carry the One-shot? Cole, get your Boomshot ready. I've got a feeling we'll be dealing with Lambent Krogan on this one."
"My thoughts exactly," Shepard agreed. "Marcus, your team will take point. We'll provide fire support for when we have Krogan or large Geth in the area. Let's move!" With that, the team quickly began moving forwards, weapons ready as they advanced. Moving along the building's side, they entered a small tunnel with an elevator shaft on one side.
"INCOMING!" Cole shouted as an elevator came to a stop, before an explosion tore out the side of the shaft it was in. Two Geth Troopers and a pair of Rocket Troopers emerged, firing their weapons immediately.
"LOOK OUT!" Wrex shouted. Garrus, spotting a missile coming right at him, threw himself into cover. The missile barely missed him, flying on before smashing into a wall where it harmlessly detonated. Popping out of cover, he fired his Assault Lancer, tearing apart a Geth Trooper as it advanced.
Carmine, spotting the Rocket Troopers, quickly pulled out his Torque Bow and fired. The first bolts detonated against the barriers, while the second ones tore into the two Geth, shutting them down in an instant. One Geth Trooper, spotting an opportunity, popped out of cover to fire it's weapon, only for Baird and Shepard to gun it down. "Thanks!" Carmine shouted.
"You're welcome," Baird replied. "Keep moving! This this only the first wave!"
"GO, GO, GO!" Shepard roared. Roadie running forwards, the team pushed ahead, with Marcus gunning down a Geth Saboteur that tried to slow them down. Exiting the tunnel and climbing up a ramp, the team spotted more Geth ahead, though Cole, deciding to be courteous, fired a single shot from his Boomshot. Both Geth that were trying to slow them down were ripped apart by the blast, with the team stepping over the shredded metallic corpses.
"KROGAN!" Marcus shouted as he spotted a Krogan that was morphing into some kind of creature. "COLE!"
"I'M ON IT!" Cole shouted, firing his Boomshot rapidly. The mutating Krogan had no time to react as four grenades smacked into it, blasting it apart into meaty chunks, with those meaty chunks detonating. "NOT YOUR DAY, MOTHERFUCKER!"
"Keep moving!" Marcus shouted. Reaching the end of the pathway they were at, the team turned right and moved up another ramp, while shooting at Geth that were taking cover behind kinetic barriers. One tried to bull rush Marcus, only for the Gear to deliver a haymaker that knocked it to the ground. Wrex fired his Shredder a moment later, blasting apart that Geth, before moving to engage the others. They continued on like this, with the team facing sporadic but determined resistance as they pushed ahead.
"Fuckers don't know when to quit!" Kaidan growled as he used his biotics to tear a Geth Saboteur in half. "What are they doing?! Trying to kill us?!"
"No," Garrus answered. "They're performing a delaying action. They're slowing us down while Saren does what he does."
"Then we need to keep pushing!" Shepard decided. "We have the tools, and we're not giving up now!" As they moved up, the team entered a wide open space. Looking around, he could see a series of defense batteries that were mounted on the tower, as well as control panels for them. Looking up, he frowned. "Shit! INCOMING DROP SHIP!"
"Those defenses should drive it away!" Garrus shouted. "Shepard, Tali, Baird and I will activate the towers! Keep those Geth off of us!"
"You got it!" Shepard shouted. Just as he did, the Geth Dropship arrived, deploying a number of Geth while firing missiles at them. Spotting a Geth Saboteur, Shepard fired, forcing the hostile into cover, before changing targets and firing at another one. Marcus, popping out of cover, fired his rifle, only to duck back inside when a missile smashed into him. "MARCUS!"
"I'm fine!" Marcus shouted. "Barriers held, but I need to take cover. Keep firing!"
"Come on, assholes!" Cole shouted. "Don't keep me waitin'!"
As they fought back against the Geth, Baird, Tali and Garrus were working feverishly at the consoles for the turrets. "Come on, you Salarian programmed piece of shit!" Baird snarled as he worked at the console. He gave a frustrated huff as he worked around more programming, then he smiled as the turret began firing at the Geth dropship. "Got it!" he crowed. "Turret's activated!"
"Same here!" Tali shouted. "My turret's active."
"Got it too!" Garrus shouted. With that, all three turrets began firing their cannons and missiles at the Geth dropship. Faced with that kind of firepower, the ship quickly retreated, though not before dropping off some more Geth.
Wrex, taking the opportunity, roared and flung a biotic shockwave at the Geth, knocking quite a few over and sending some flying off towards the Citadel's arms. A gunshot rang out, with Wrex grunting as he felt pain in his arm. Firing his Battle Lancer, he gunned down the offending Geth that had shot him. "Ouch. That hurt," he deadpanned.
"Wrex!" Shepard shouted. "You're hurt!"
"I'll live," Wrex replied, rolling his shoulder. "My regenerative factor can handle it. Let's just keep moving up. We've got more trouble to handle than a scratch that I've got."
"OK, then. Let me know if it gets worse." Wrex nodded in agreement, before catching up to the others.
Moving along, Shepard moved around a corner, only to see two Krogan beginning to mutate. Reacting fast, he and Baird gunned down the first one, though the second morphed into a chimera of sorts. A dragon-like head snarled silently at them, while a tail that had another head also roared quietly at them. "COLE!" Shepard shouted.
"On it!" Cole shouted as he fired his Boomshot, while Carmine fired his Torque Bow. The creature howled as the bolts tore into it, before charging forwards at the team. "SCATTER!"
Throwing themselves to the side, the team watched as the mutated Krogan smashed into the wall. They were about to move when the Lambent Krogan tried to pull it's first head out of the wall, only for that head to be stuck. The second head snarled at them, before trying to swallow Garrus whole. Wrex, roaring loudly, batted that head aside, allowing Shepard to toss a grenade down it's throat.
A moment later, the second head detonated, with the mutant Krogan starting to glow brightly. "GET BACK!" Garrus shouted, with the team scrambling behind a wall. As soon as they did, there was an intense vibration as the Lambent Krogan detonated, tearing apart the ground beneath it, as well as part of the wall.
"I hate Lambent Krogan," Baird deadpanned.
"You're not the only one," Garrus agreed. "That thing nearly ate me!"
"Let's go!" Shepard ordered. "We're not far now! Should be clear!" As soon as he said that, they rounded the next corner. Almost immediately, Shepard regretted his words, as he found himself looking at nearly forty Geth, as well as three turrets the Geth had planted. "DUCK!" he shouted as he and the team threw themselves into cover, narrowly avoiding being killed.
"Shepard, don't say it's clear until you know for certain it's clear!" Carmine shouted.
"Just shut up and start shooting!" Wrex countered. With that, everyone immediately opened fire, gunning down Geth as quickly as they could. Wrex, hefting the One-shot, took aim at one of the turrets and fired. While the weapon was silent in the vacuum of space, he could clearly see the violent results, with the turret's barriers and armor being shredded by the 50mm MAHEM round. Firing another one, he blasted the turret apart. "I love this thing," he said quietly.
Shepard and Marcus were firing their weapons rapidly when they heard Garrus give a loud cry. Turning to the right, they watched as he went down, gasping for breath as a round punched through part of his hardsuit. "Garrus!" Shepard shouted. "Garrus, are you all right!"
"I'll be fine!" Garrus shouted as he began applying medigel to his right torso, before applying sealant to his armor. "Keep shooting at them!" Nodding, Shepard turned back to firing at the Geth, gunning down as many as he could before ducking into cover when bullets began hitting his armor.
Eventually, between Wrex's liberal use of the One-shot, Cole and Carmine's use of their explosive weapons, and the gunshots fired by Shepard and the others, the Geth began to thin out. Before long, Shepard and co. were gunning down the rest of the Geth. Walking over to Garrus, he asked, "You OK?"
"I'm OK." Garrus replied. "I got hit with a round and it punched into my torso. The good news is that it was just a flesh wound. The hardsuit slowed it down enough to where my muscles stopped the round. It was really painful, though."
"OK," Shepard sighed, relieved that it wasn't serious. "Just don't scare me like that, please." Looking around, he said, "OK. Now we're all clear. I'll bet there are more hostiles inside the tower, though."
"Yeah," Marcus agreed. "Let's move people, time to kick Saren's ass." With that, they moved up…
Thankfully, there was little resistance after that, with the team gunning down the occasional Geth that tried to molest them. Spotting a hatch up ahead, Baird shouted, "Over here! I found a way inside!"
"Get it open, fast!" Shepard ordered. Working quickly, Baird took out his omni-tool and began cutting through the hatch lock as quickly as he could. A few seconds later, the lock snapped, with the team quickly kicking the hatch open and moving inside. Closing it, they waited for the room to repressurize, before moving through the door and into the Council Chambers.
Moving inside, they began to advance past the now-inactive water fountain, weapons trained for the slightest hint of trouble. Spotting some movement, Garrus fired his Longshot, spearing a Geth Trooper through it's head and sending it careening to the ground. Baird, spotting another Geth, fired his Assault Lancer, forcing it into cover. "More Geth up ahead!" he shouted.
"This is it!" Shepard shouted. "We're almost there!" The eight man team continued, up, weapons roaring as they gunned down the last remaining Geth. Most of them were fairly weak, and it wasn't long before the Geth were all destroyed.
Spotting Saren at a console, Shepard pulled out his Fusilier and fired four shots at Saren. The rounds hit the barriers and detonated, prompting Saren to look at them before turning around and firing his Hammerburst. Taking cover, the team narrowly avoided the shots. "I was afraid that you wouldn't make it in time, Shepard," Saren purred as he kept his rifle trained at Shepard's cover.
"In time for what?" Shepard asked.
"The final confrontation. I think we both knew it would end like this. You've lost. You know that, don't you? In a few minutes, Sovereign will have full control of the Citadel's systems. The relay will open. The Reapers will return."
"We've still got a few tricks up our sleeves!" Shepard called out.
"Yeah, like this!" Cole shouted, firing his Battle Lancer at Saren. While the rounds hit the barriers, Saren fired his Hammerburst at Cole, forcing the Gear into cover.
"Your survived our encounter on Virmire, Shepard," Saren continued, unfazed by the interruption. "But I've changed since then, improved. The Imulsion within me has begun to evolve and change. In addition to this newfound evolution, Sovereign has… improved me."
"What?!" Baird shouted, hearing that. "You let him jack you full of even more shit!? YOU FUCKING IDIOT!"
"Are you out of your fucking mind!" Shepard shouted at Saren.
"I suppose I should thank you, Shepard. I couldn't stop thinking about what you said, about Sovereign manipulating me. About indoctrination. The doubts began to eat away at me, and Sovereign sensed my hesitation. I was implanted to strengthen my resolve. Now my doubts are gone. I believe in Sovereign completely. I understand that the Reapers need organics. Join us, and Sovereign will find a place for you too."
"Over my dead fucking corpse!" Marcus defiantly declared.
"Sovereign's controlling you through your implants!" Shepard shouted. "Don't you see that?!"
Saren continued, not paying heed to Marcus. "The relationship is symbiotic. Organic and machine intertwined, a union of flesh and steel. The strengths of both, the weaknesses of neither. I am a vision of the future, Shepard. The evolution of organic life. This is our destiny. Join Sovereign, and experience a true rebirth!"
Shepard, though, wasn't one to give up. "Sovereign hasn't won yet! I can stop it from taking control of the station! Step aside and the invasion will never happen!"
For a moment, Saren seemed to pause, as though Shepard's words had begun to eat through the indoctrination that Sovereign had infected Saren with. Then, he shook his head and said, "We can't stop it! Not forever. You saw the visions. You saw what happened to the Protheans. The Reapers are too powerful."
"Some part of you must still realize that this is wrong!" Shepard pleaded. "You can fight this!"
"Yeah!" Carmine shouted. "Don't let that fucking bitch of a Reaper tell you what to do! Think for yourself like a man!"
"I can definitely get behind that!" Marcus agreed.
"And me as well!" Baird shouted. "In fact, I'm the guy smart enough to stop the Reapers for good!"
"I stand with Shepard!" Garrus said defiantly.
"And I as well!" Tali shouted.
"Shepard is a true warrior, and so are the Gears!" Wrex added. "I stand for them! Against us, the Reapers have no chance!"
"You can still choose to do good!" Shepard pleaded with Saren again. "Step aside! Please!" At those words, Saren seemed to stop, as though someone had hit the pause button. Then he did something that Shepard and the others didn't expect: he howled.
A scream of pure agony tore out of Saren's mouth as he screamed, while beginning to try to tear at his own neck and head. "What the hell's going on?!" Marcus asked Shepard.
"I have no idea," Shepard replied.
That was when Saren began talking, only it was as though two minds were inhabiting the same body. "You will obey!" a voice thundered from Saren's mouth.
A moment later, though, Saren's normal voice came through loud and clear. "NOOOOO!" he howled. "I WILL NOT LET YOU CAGE ME IN MY OWN BODY AND MIND ANY LONGER!"
"You will obey, slave!" the deep voice, which Shepard recognized to be Sovereign's, thundered.
"NOOOOO!" Saren howled. "YOU BASTARD! YOU'VE FORCED ME TO BE YOUR PRISONER FOR THE LAST TIME I -AAAAGGGGHHHHH!" With that, something happened that was so shocking that even Shepard's eyes went wide with terror and shock.
Saren, to everyone's shock, seemed to be splitting in half. A pair of arms seemed to rip out of Saren's lower chest, while a head seemed to grow out of the back of Saren's head. The Turian screeched in pure, unadulterated agony while the parts of him that were flesh and bone began to glow a bright yellow color. Cells reproduced at an incredible rate, as the implants were slowly, but certainly, excised from Saren's body, along with all of the tissues that had been infected with Reaper technology.
Within a few moments, Shepard found himself looking at two copies of Saren, one that was organic in appearance, while the other resembled a skeletal, techno-organic version of him. The skeletal version fell away, falling off the podium and smashing into the glass ceiling in the garden below, while the organic version of Saren slumped to the ground unconscious.
"Spirits!" Garrus gasped, while Baird, sick to his stomach, threw up nearby. Kaidan spotting that, patted Baird on the back.
"Keelah…" Tali whispered while Carmine, Cole and Shepard stared in shock.
"What the hell was that?!" Wrex gasped, shocked by what he was seeing.
"I have no idea," Marcus silently added. "Shepard, if we're going to stop Sovereign, now's a good time!"
"Yeah," Shepard agreed. Shaking off the shock of the moment, he advanced forwards, warily watching Saren's unconscious body. Once he reached the console, he activated his omni-tool and uploaded the program. "Vigil's data file worked!" he sighed with relief. "I've got control of the Citadel's systems!"
"Quick! Open the station's arms!" Garrus added. "Maybe the fleet can take down Sovereign before it regains control of the Citadel!"
Just as he said this, the comms crackled. "This is the Destiny Ascension! Main drives offline! Kinetic barriers down 40%! The Council is onboard! I repeat, the Council is onboard!"
Then another voice came in over the comm. "Normandy to the Citadel. I repeat: Normandy to the Citadel! Please tell me that's you, Commander!"
"I'm here, Joker," Shepard replied.
"We caught that distress call, Commander. I'm sitting here in the Andura sector with the entire Arcturus fleet, along with the Turian's 20th HDF Fleet. We can save the Ascension. Just unlock the Relays around the Citadel and we can send the cavalry in!"
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Garrus asked. "Human casualties will be high if you send them in now, even with the Turian's help."
"This is bigger than Humanity!" Kaidan argued. "Sovereign's a threat to the entire galaxy! We need to send those forces in!"
"Which is why we can't waste good men by sending them in now," Wrex countered. "Hold them back until the Citadel arms open up, and the Fleets can go after Sovereign!"
"I don't think so!" Marcus snarled. "If we let the Council die after they listened to us, what will that say! I say we rescue them, even though they're a bunch of assholes."
"What's the order, Commander?"Joker asked. "Come in now to save the Ascension, or hold back?"
With that, Shepard knew that he was facing another major conundrum. Let the Council die, or save the Ascension, he said to himself. For a few moments, he wondered what to do. For a few moments, he wondered what anyone would do. Then he remembered what one of his friends told him once. "Do what is right, Shepard, even if it's not the popular decision."
With that in mind, he made his decision. Taking a breath, he said, "Opening the Relays now, Joker. We've got to save the Council! If they die, then this FUBAR situation gets a whole lot worse!"
"Aye, Commander," Joker replied.
"I hope the Council appreciates this," Wrex grumbled.
. . .
Onboard the Normandy, Joker cheered as the Mass Relay opened, before he, the Arcturus Fleet and the HDF's 20th Naval Fleet shot through the mass-free tunnel and into the Serpent Neubla. As soon as they were out, Admiral Hackett's voice came in over the comm. "Alliance ships, move to save the Destiny Ascension!"
"Admiral Tiberius to the 20th HDF Fleet, assist the Council," came a deep flanged voice. "We must save the Council at all costs!" As the two admirals spoke, Joker quickly angled the Normandy towards the Citadel, gunning the throttle as he did so…
Onboard the Destiny Ascension, Sparatus' head was bowed, his lip plates moving in silent prayer to the Spirits as the ship shook. Nearby, Tevos and Valern were quietly hugging each other, both of them ready for the end. May the Spirits receive us all when we die, Sparatus said silently as he closed his eyes and awaited his doom.
Fate, however, had different plans, as he heard the Navigator say, "Commander – we're picking up reinforcements!"
"What?!" he shouted, eyes wide with amazement
"It's the Alliance and the Hierarchy! Thank the Goddess!" The Commander of the Destiny Ascension shouted. At that, a genuine cheer came up from the bridge crew, while Sparatus look on with wondrous relief…
As the Geth lined up to destroy the Destiny Ascension, they were promptly blindsided by a storm of mass accelerated rounds and disruptor torpedoes that tore into their hulls and barriers. Alliance and Hierarchy fighters tore into the Geth in a surprise attack that shattered many a Geth ship. Some fighters were blasted out of the sky, while a few frigates were ripped apart. The Alliance and Hierarchy ships, undaunted by the losses they were beginning to take, continued firing, blasting away the Geth ships that were firing at the Ascension.
Soon, the Destiny Ascension was free of the fight. "Destiny Ascension, you are all clear," Joker informed them. "Repeat – you are all clear."
"Thank the Goddess for sending you all to save us!" the Ascension's Commander sighed. "We will not forget your kindness."
As she said this, Hackett burst in on the comm. "The Citadel's opening! All ships move in! Concentrate on Sovereign!"
. . .
While the Alliance and Hierarchy were coming to the rescue, Shepard looked at the skeletal version of Saren down below. Turning to Wrex and Tali, he said, "Make sure it's dead." As those two moved to do so, he walked over to Baird and Garrus, both of whom were scanning the other copy of Saren. "Anything you can tell us?" he asked.
"This is fucking amazing, and terrifying," Baird mumbled. Looking up at Shepard, he said, "this is just preliminary, Shepard, but Saren's brainwaves don't show any sign of indoctrination. Moreover, the Imulsion in his system isn't trying to take him over. It's healing him."
Shepard jumped, startled by this information. "What?! Are you sure?!"
"Yeah," Garrus added. "I scanned that other half of him before it fell. It was chock full of infected brain matter, nanites and all kinds of crazy shit. This version of Saren, it's like he was before he ran into Sovereign, if there was ever at time that is."
Just then, a moan came from the unconscious body that they were studying. Looking at Saren, Shepard watched as the Turian's eyes opened. Instead of the madness of indoctrination that he'd seen earlier, though, Shepard saw confusion, terror and, much to his surprise, relief. "W-what happened?" Saren asked, his voice sounding rough, like he'd never had a drink for a day. Then his eyes went wide with terror and he shouted, "No! Sovereign! It -!"
"Something happened earlier," Shepard explained. "When you were talking to us, you just began screaming and talking nonsense. Then you split in half into two different things. We're checking to see if the other half's dead."
At that, Saren seemed to panic. "You MUST kill it, Shepard! That other half's Sovereign! That thing's been controlling me ever since I met it!"
"What are you talking about?" Marcus asked. Just as he did though, the entire place seemed to shake, like it was having an earthquake. Before any of them could move, the platform they were on collapsed, sending them tumbling ass over teakettle into the garden area. Marcus and the others yelled as they fell a couple meters into the garden area.
Looking around as he got up, Marcus saw the source of the shaking. It was the other version of Saren, only it had fully woken up. It's eyes glowed a malevolent red, while it's skeletal body glowed red and blue in areas. It's talons had elongated into sharpened blades and it gazed at them with pure malevolence. "I am Sovereign," it announced, "And this station IS MINE!"
"Not if we have anything to say about it!" Marcus roared, before firing his rifle at the husk Sovereign was controlling. The thing, seeing the gun firing at it, leaped through the air, latching onto the walls before leaping around even more.
"OPEN FIRE!" Shepard roared as the entire team, now having recovered, spotted the thing. Bullets ripped through the air as they fired at the monstrosity, which was moving incredibly fast to avoid being destroyed. "INCOMING GETH!" he added. "MARCUS, HANDLE THE GETH!"
"YOU GOT IT!" Marcus shouted as several Geth dropped down to aid their master. Firing their weapons, Marcus and his team pumped them full of lead as quickly as they could, while Shepard and the others fired at Sovereign's Husk.
As he fired, the husk leaped directly at Garrus, slashing at him with it's talons. There was a loud tearing sound as the talons cut into Garrus' armor, tearing three deep gashes into his armor, while sending him flying backwards into a wall. Impacting with a hard THUD, he slumped to the ground. "GARRUS!" Shepard shouted.
"Your servants fail you, Shepard," Sovereign thundered. "I will destroy you and the anomalies, and the Cycle will continue as before. Give up, for you have failed."
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Shepard snarled before firing his rifle at Sovereign's Husk. The husk continued to jump around, making targeting difficult. It continued like this for a few minutes, with the team dodging attacks by the Husk and the Geth, while trying to tear it apart.
Firing at the Husk, Marcus snarled as it's talons cut through part of his armor, gouging at his skin. "It takes more than that!" he shouted, only for the Husk to back hand him, sending him into a wall. It then walked over, intent on killing him. Shepard, spotting this, opened fire, while the others worked to keep the swarm of Geth coming at them at bay.
As he fired, Shepard saw the Husk charge at him and tried to dodge. Too late; the Husk smashed into him, tearing away at his rifle and slashing at his helmet. The material held, though Shepard saw a galaxy of stars dance before his eyes from the impact. "Now, you die." Sovereign coldly announced as it raised it's talons to punch through Shepard's helmet.
Before it could, though, a howl of pent-up rage ripped through the air, with Saren tackling the monstrosity to the ground, causing it to roar with surprise. "YOU!" he roared in his anger as he began to slash and beat at the Husk's face. "YOU SICK FUCK! YOU KEPT ME IMPRISONED IN MY MIND FOR TWENTY FIVE FUCKING YEARS! NOW YOU'LL PAY!" His claws elongated as he roared, allowing him to slash at the Husk.
Enraged, the Husk batted Saren away, sending him careening into a wall where he slumped to the ground, eyes glazed over in his daze. "You were a mere means to an end, nothing more, pest," Sovereign snarled.
Then it happened. A loud, mechanical roar filled the air, before Sovereign's Husk roared in agony as chainsaw teeth bit into it's back. Behind it, Shepard's face was a mask of rage and determination. His mouth was open in a determined snarl, with the N7 roaring furiously as he cut into the Husk's back. Kicking it away, he watched as Baird whacked at it's head with his own chainsaw bayonet, while Cole stabbed it in the legs with the bayonet of his Battle Lancer. Before long, the others were stabbing and beating at the Husk, keeping it off balance and preventing it from recovering.
Marcus, however, got the final say. Limping from injuries the Husk had inflicted, he kicked the thing onto it's back before snarling. "Sovereign… eat shit and die!" A moment later, he began to punch Sovereign's husk in the face. Blow after bow rained down on the Husk's face, with each blow disorienting and damaging it even more. Finally, Marcus punched so hard that the thing's head exploded, the sound being akin to a watermelon being crushed. He snarled as he heard a loud CRACK, while pain erupted from his hand. "How about that, you mutated fuck!" he roared as the Husk began to burn away, becoming naught but ash.
"You said it," Shepard agreed. Running over, he found Garrus slowly picking himself up. "Garrus?"
"AGH!" Garrus snarled as he clutched at his chest. "Spirits… I think my ribs are broken."
"Good thing it was just your ribs," Baird added as he walked over. "If it weren't for that armor, you'd be dead."
"Aw, yeah!" Cole cheered. "The Cole Train Team ten baby! Um… lemme see… Geth and Sovereign? NOTHING! HAH!"
"We won," Tali gasped, her armor also torn up and rent in places. "Keelah se lai… we won!"
"That we did," Marcus agreed, rubbing at his head. "Damn… I've got the worst headache."
With that, they began to crawl out of the garden area. As they reached the platform again. As they did so, Shepard turned to see what he recognized was a part of Sovereign, only it was coming straight at them. "GO!" he shouted, just as it smashed through the glass in the Council Chambers.
. . .
As the rescue teams moved through the Council Chambers, Anderson and the Councilors were tense. What was once the garden area for the Chambers was now little more than a ruin. Dead Keepers were everywhere, along with charred wood and warped metal. The smell of death hung in the air.
Still, Anderson knew that this had been the price for victory. Before Sovereign's barriers had overloaded and disoriented the Reaper, it had been taking potshots at the ships in the fleets, tearing them apart and killing everyone on board. Once it had been disoriented and overloaded, the fleets had torn into the thing, with the Normandy dealing the killing blow. After that, Sovereign had literally exploded, and one area that was hit was the Council Chambers.
Now, they were sifting through the debris, looking for survivors. Even Udina, who was present, was shocked by the devastation before them. "My gosh," he whispered. "How could anyone survive this?"
"I don't know," Anderson admitted. "But we can't give up hope now."
"I won't," Sparatus defiantly growled. "Shepard and his team got here, and I won't let them down by not trying to help out."
Just as he said this, someone shouted, "Captain Anderson! Councilors! We've found them! They're in here!" With that, the rescue team pulled out most of Shepard's crew and Marcus' team.
Spotting them, Anderson walked over and asked, "Where's Shepard and Marcus."
None of them replied, though Kaidan and Cole looked towards another piece of wreckage. Anderson's heart sank when he saw it. They must've been crushed to death under the debris, he realized. With a heavy heart, and tears forming in his eyes, he began to help them move towards the exit.
That was when they heard the sound of coughing. Turning around, Anderson watched, with shock, as Marcus and Shepard, like ghosts from the beyond, clambered up some debris, with the two men supporting each other. Marcus' helmet was dented and scratched from the fight and the debris smashing into the Council Chambers. Shepard was in a similar state, but both of them were alive and well.
"Shepard!" Anderson shouted. "Marcus!"
"You're alive!" Tali shouted, overjoyed.
"Marcus, you son of a bitch!" Baird roared. "Here I am, thinking about planning your funeral, then you and Shepard come out alive and well!" A moment later, he added as tears brimmed in his eyes, "But I've never been so happy to see you two alive and well!"
"Yeah," Marcus grunted out. "Me neither. It's good to be alive."
"Same here," Shepard agreed as he helped Marcus down to the others. As they walked away with the others, everyone knew one thing: they had won.
(Author's Q&A)
edboy4926: Thank you.
Mashot Tito: Good ideas all round. I also eagerly await writing a sequel.
Guest #1: Same here.
ZombifiedTeen: Thank you.
Just a Crazy-Man: Thank you.
IDYGOFENKS: Lol.
Chronus1326: Thank you for your feedback and support. I deeply appreciate it.
Guest #2: Possibly.