Hello again, everyone, and welcome to the final chapter of my Gears of War/Mass Effect crossover.
Thank you all for sticking with me to the very end of this crossover. It has been a privilege to write this story, and I am deeply thankful that all of you enjoyed it. I will be taking a brief break on the weekends, and then I will begin writing a Halo/Star Wars redux. Stay tuned for the new story!
However, that does not mean that I will forget about the sequel for this story. I'll be writing it too, but updates will be more sporadic. Either way, I am deeply thankful that all of you enjoyed this story, and I hope you stick with me to see what comes next.
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, Microsoft Studios, The Coalition, Epic Games, 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 it's original composers and/or artists.
Serpent Nebula
Citadel
March 25th, 2183
Walking along in the Presidium, Marcus and the others watched numerous construction crews that were hard at work cleaning up the wreckage and debris in the area. Five days had passed since Sovereign's attack on the Citadel, and already, people were doing what they could to return to a semblance of normality. Deep down, though, he knew that there was no going back to normal.
Baird, watching the workers, said, "Not even a week and they're busy trying to fix things up. Kinda tells you where their priorities are at."
"Not really," Carmine argued as the team walked along towards the doors to the Citadel Tower's elevator. "I heard that there are a bunch of search and rescue teams that are in the Wards, where most of the debris hit. They're just doing construction and repair work here because nobody needed rescuing here."
"That makes sense," Cole agreed. "If there ain't anyone to rescue, you can get to buildin'. Still, I'm glad that we finally killed Sovereign. Biggest thing we've killed yet."
"Really?" Baird asked rhetorically. "I'll bet you COG dollars to Citadel Credits that the Riftworm was significantly larger than Sovereign was. You even know how long that fucking thing was? I'm betting that it was, oh I don't know, five to eight kilometers in length. That's like two to four times the length Sovereign ever was."
"Enough," Marcus chided the two. "Let's just get to where the Councilors are at."
"Yeah," Carmine agreed. Looking at Marcus, he asked, "You know what happened to Saren, Marcus?"
Marcus nodded. It was one of the few times where he'd legitimately felt sorry for Saren. The memory of that event promptly drifted to the forefront of his mind.
. . .
Three Days Earlier
"What I don't get," Sparatus remarked as he looked at the others, "is why Saren says that Sovereign was the one at fault, not him. I just don't understand it."
Shepard nodded in agreement, along with Anderson and the others. Just a few minutes ago, they had decided to interrogate Saren Arterius in an attempt to find out what his true motives had been. Throughout all that time, Saren had vehemently denied that he wanted to destroy the Council, stating that Sovereign had been the one trying to do so. Lie detectors hadn't picked up on any lies, which was why they had brought in an Asari psychologist and psychiatrist to figure out why this was the case.
That psychiatrist/psychologist, known as Alessa T'Vani, was sitting at the table in the conference room of the hotel that they had borrowed for their meetings until the Council Chambers were repaired. Resting her chin on her clasped hands, she said, "It's not uncommon for individuals that are under the influence to deny doing anything they did during that time. A similar thing goes on with victims of rape. It could be that Saren feels the same way."
"That doesn't excuse what he did!" Udina snarled, while nursing a bandage on his head. "Saren tried to destroy the Council, and bring these Reapers from dark space to here! He ought to be executed on the spot!"
"Let's not jump to conclusions too quickly," Tevos cautioned him and everyone else at the table. "Let's consider the possibility, for the moment, that Saren is telling the truth, and that he was being held at gunpoint by Sovereign, if not literally. What's the best way we can confirm this?"
"Simple really," Alessa stated, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I will have to perform a mind meld with him to find out what the truth really is. If Saren is lying, then I will know for certain. If he is telling the truth, then not only will we be vindicating him, we'll be exposing another capability of the Reapers, which I must admit is terrifying."
Hearing this, Shepard recalled a memory. "He did mention that he'd been caged inside of his body for twenty five years. He shouted that while trying to kill the Husk that Sovereign had formed from his own infected tissue and implants. He wouldn't do that if he didn't fully believe in it."
"Really? If that's the case, then it could be that he was either exaggerating, which is fully possible, or he was really telling the truth. Either way, the only way we can confirm this to be true is to perform a mind meld with him. Given my expertise in Turian psychology, I will do so."
"You sure?" Sparatus asked.
"Yes," Alessa added, a hint of irritation in her voice. "If Tevos or any other Asari does a mind meld with Saren, they risk permanently damaging his brain. They might even kill them in their attempts to sift through the information. I've melded with many Turians before to help treat mental illnesses, so I know how their minds work."
Tevos was about to say something, thought better of it. "I say that she's the right person for the job. Does anyone disagree?"
Sparatus shook his head. "Nope. No argument here."
"I agree," Valern added.
"Then let's do it." With the meeting over, everyone got up and began to head for the parking lot…
C-SEC HQ, despite the attacks from the Geth, had remained in C-SEC hands for the duration of the battle. The building had taken some damage, but not enough to render it fully inoperable. As the Councilors and Shepard's team moved through the hallways, C-SEC officers and construction workers moved around them. One man carrying some building materials excused himself as he walked around the group.
It wasn't long, as such, before they entered the holding cells in the building. The holding cells in C-SEC HQ were designed to temporarily house criminals, during which the paperwork would be worked out to transfer those criminals to prisons run by their species. Each of them was fairly small, roughly four meters in all dimensions, with a single toilet, bunk bed and sink provided. The doors were made of transparent aluminum, the same material used for the viewports of certain ships. Right now, some were being used as morgues, while others were being used as triage rooms for the seriously injured.
Entering Holding Block 2-A, they found Executor Pallin standing at the entrance to Saren's cell. The Executor hadn't been able to escape injury, as his arm was in a sling, and he had a bandage on his neck. "Councilors," he greeted, wincing as he turned towards them, "good to see you here. I was keeping an eye on Saren, as requested." Spotting Marcus and the others in the group, he said, "Marcus Fenix. Good to see you."
"Yeah," Marcus agreed. "How you holding up?"
"As fine as I can be, given my injuries." Motioning to Marcus, he asked, "How are you doing?"
"Fine," Marcus replied, and he was telling the truth. The tough construction of his armor, combined with the materials used, had spared him injuries that would've killed a normal human being. "Just some major bone bruises. Nothing that I haven't dealt with before. Garrus took a direct hit to the chest, though."
"I heard about that. Shattered most of his ribs. He's currently in the ICU ward at Huerta Memorial Hospital. The doctors, though, are confident that his ribs will heal fully and that he'll make a full recovery. Last I heard, he's bemoaning the 'slop' that they serve as food."
Shepard laughed upon hearing that. "That sounds like Garrus all right."
"Indeed," Pallin remarked, a smile forming on his face. That smile turned into a frown as he looked into the cell Saren was at. "What I don't understand is why Saren keeps protesting his innocence. He's clearly guilty."
"We're here to find out why," Sparatus explained. "Shepard, can you provide a guard for Alessa in case Saren tries something? Marcus, can you help him?"
"Yeah," Marcus agreed. "I can handle him."
"Good." Looking at Pallin, he asked, "Is the Imulsion in Saren's body… contagious?"
Pallin surprised him when he shook his head. "No. The doctors just checked his body over. The Imulsion present inside of him isn't contagious. When they tested the Imulsion using a blood sample from myself, the immune cells in the blood destroyed the Imulsion cells almost immediately. The Imulsion didn't even try to defend itself. In addition, his breath did not contain Imulsion spores, and we just tested him in that regard not five minutes ago."
"All right," Sparatus reassured Sparatus, raising his hands placatingly. "I'm just being careful is all. We don't know the full extent of the capabilities of Imulsion yet." Looking at Alessa, he said, "He's all yours."
"Thank you," Alessa replied, before proceeding to the cell door. A C-SEC Officer guarding the cell input a code into the keypad, before pulling the door open. Alessa walked inside, along with Marcus and Shepard. Both of them, once inside, got a good look at Saren.
If there was a word that could describe Saren, it was disheveled. The disgraced Spectre was sitting on one of his bunks, his head lowered towards the ground. He wore an orange jumpsuit that provided him with some dignity, though he shivered despite being warm. In terms of appearance, Shepard noted that he looked nearly thirty years younger, as though the Imulsion inside of his body had reversed his age, making him young and strong once more.
It was then that Saren looked at them. The skin around his dark blue eyes was puffy, and Shepard could see tear stains on his plated cheeks. In addition, his breathing was coming short and quickly, another indication that Saren had been crying. While Marcus and Shepard made sure their weapons were visible, it was clear that Saren didn't want to fight. If anything, he was showing submissive behavior.
Alessa, trying to cheer him up, asked, "Good day, Saren. How are you feeling."
Saren frowned, then looked at the floor again. "Like shit," was his response.
"I'm sorry to hear that," Alessa replied, and she meant it.
Saren frowned, then looked at her. "What do you want?" he asked, his tone of voice demanding though tired. "I've told you all everything I know! I'm not the one to blame! Sovereign is!" His voice rose, though tears began to brim in his eyes.
"We just want to confirm the truth," Alessa explained to him, her voice calm and reassuring. "The Councilors heard you out, but they wanted confirmation. I was asked to do so via a mind meld."
"Seriously? First they strip away my innocence, now they want to do the same to my dignity?!" He huffed, though tears began to stream down his face.
"It's the only way we can prove if you're telling the truth or not," Alessa explained, doing her best to reassure him. "Isn't that what you want, Saren? To prove that you're telling the truth? If that is so, then do what your father would have done: to agree and go through with the decision with dignity. Isn't that what a Turian would do?"
The questions seemed to calm Saren, as he stopped breathing rapidly. A rattling sigh escaped his mouth as he wiped at his eyes with a talon. Taking a deep breath, he said, "OK. Go ahead. I'm done fighting. Do what you came here to do." He stood up as he said this.
"Thank you," Alessa replied. "This shouldn't take too long." Stepping closer to Saren, she began the mind meld. "EMBRACE ETERNITY!"
Within a second, Alessa found herself sinking into Saren's mind. Within a few moments, she came upon powerful mental barriers that had been erected around his mind. Feeling them with her mind, she found that he hadn't put them up; rather, the Imulsion, in it's desire to protect and nurture him, had done so. Brute force, she realized, would trigger a violent response, but a simple knocking on the door might work.
Can I come in, she asked. A moment later, she got a questioning thought. My name's Alessa, she said to it. I'm a psychologist and psychiatrist that the Council hired. They want to see if Saren's telling the truth. I was wondering if I could enter his mind to do so. I'm here to help, not to harm him. As a precautionary measure, she showed her memories to the Imulsion.
For a minute, the Imulsion was silent, as though internally debating whether or not to let her in. Just as Alessa was about to give up hope, the mental barriers lowered. She also got a warning thought from the Imulsion, making it clear that if she was lying to it, it would throw her out immediately. With that in mind, she plunged into the memories. What she found would horrify her.
As she dug through the memories, she quickly entered one, which she realized was Saren's first encounter with Sovereign. Looking around, she watched as several creatures, most likely Husks, surrounded Saren. He seemed to be talking with Sovereign through them, though it was clear that he was gradually becoming more horrified. A moment later, she managed to catch a few words.
"You want to destroy the Council Races?!" Saren nearly shouted. "Why?! I thought you agreed to attack just the Humans!"
"You are incapable of understanding our true motives," one of the Husks, likely being controlled by Sovereign, replied. "The Cycle must continue. Join us, Saren, and you will be our servant. When the Cycle begins, we will allow you to ascend and become one of us."
"NO!" Saren shouted. "I won't agree to this! Now I realize that making a deal with you was a horrible idea! I love the Council, and I love my people! I won't let you -" Before he could finish, the Husks approached, with two of them grabbing his arms. "Get off me! You Spirits damned bastards! I -" Before he could finish, one of the Husks delivered a sharp right jab to his forehead, knocking him out instantly.
"You protest too much," Sovereign growled. "Since you were not willing to be my knight, you will be my pawn. Your body will become mine."
The memories that Alessa saw next were literal nightmare fuel. To her horror, she watched as Saren, despite fighting every meter of the way, was imprisoned inside of a part of his own mind. Mental barriers had been erected, creating a cage around his mind and personality, while Sovereign installed implants that allowed it to control Saren, even from thousands of light years away. To make matters worse, Sovereign could access his memories at any time, allowing him to perfectly mimic Saren's personality.
All the while, Saren was screaming from within his prison. "Help! HELP ME!" he screamed, arms reaching past mental bars that kept him trapped in his prison. "PLEASE! SOMEONE, HELP!" All the while, he alternated between screaming for help and weeping for his lost innocence and freedom. During this time, she watched as he came up with a plan, a desperate plan to regain his freedom and to prove his loyalty to the Council.
Over the years, she watched as Saren began to trick Sovereign into believing that he had decided to ally with it, despite his initial protests. This allowed him to act independently at times, though Sovereign didn't trust him enough to allow him full freedom. In fact, from what Alessa could tell, the only times Saren had freedom was when he was by himself, with Benezia, or at his now destroyed facility at Virmire. Every other time, Sovereign was in the driver's seat.
Goddess, she whispered in horror as the indoctrination began to seep into Saren's mind, though despite it all, he fought back as hard as he could during the times Sovereign had control. She could hear him repeating mantras and scraps of knowledge from books he had read. The memories that kept him going were those of his brother before Shanxi, as well as the faces of the Councilors.
She watched as, eventually, Saren found the substance known as Imulsion, before having captured Salarian scientists mutate it into a benign, semi-sentient symbiote, whereupon he injected himself with it. She could feel the mutated Imulsion suffusing his entire body, before it wove itself around and into every cell in his body. After that, Sovereign took control, while mentally lashing out at Saren for his minor betrayal, trapping him behind in his mental prison once more.
Only this time, Sovereign had made a mistake: it hadn't anticipated the Imulsion evolving within Saren's body to gain sentience before ultimately gaining semi-sapience. She watched as Saren talked with the Imulsion, weeping as he did so, only for the Imulsion to send warm, comforting feelings into his mind. Saren, during that time, began to feel happy once again, though he was still bereaved by Sovereign's violation of his body and memories.
That brought her to when Saren had been confronted by Shepard. She could feel the Imulsion's hate for Sovereign boiling over, before it ultimately lashed out. She could feel the intense agony that Saren felt as the implants were forced out of his body. Despite this, she cheered when Saren fought back with mental weapons and tools that he'd been practicing with for some time.
"NO!" she could hear Sovereign roar as Saren began systematically pushing it out of his mind. "You cannot defeat me! I am Sovereign! I am eternal!"
"You are a parasite that has controlled me like a puppet for the last time!" Saren screeched in rage, pulling at the mental bars of his prison with a strength he never knew he had until now. "I will not let you use me as the destroyer of the galaxy! GET. OUT. OF. MY. HEAD!"
He roared, hammering at the mental barriers forming his prison. They began to crack, before a final blow from Saren shattered them completely. The Imulsion then assisted, augmenting his mental strength to unparalleled heights. "In the name of the Spirits Calixar and Paeston, I throw you out of my mind for good!" With that, Sovereign let out an enraged roar as Saren trapped it and the indoctrination in his mind, before crushing it entirely while throwing Sovereign out.
The violence of that memory was sufficient to throw Alessa out of Saren's mind. Gasping loudly, she staggered back, while Shepard caught her before she could fall. Saren, who had relieved the painful memories, staggered before he fell to the ground unconscious, his eyes rolling up into his head. Marcus caught him before he could hit his head on the ground, then gently laid him down. A soft, snoring sound came from Saren a moment later.
"Goddess…" Aleena gasped, tears streaming from his eyes. "It wasn't his fault… None of it was…"
As she and the others walked out of the cell, Sparatus came over to her. "Spirits, Alessa! What happened?!"
Holding up a hand, Alessa waited for her heart to stop hammering inside of her chest before speaking. "I saw his life," she said a moment later. "I saw what happened to Saren. That poor man, I…" She trailed off.
"What did you see?" Tevos asked.
"I saw the truth. Saren was telling the truth. He isn't to blame for what happened here, or Eden Prime for that matter." A moment later, she relayed what she'd seen to the Councilors and the others.
By the time she was finished, Sparatus looked nauseated, as though he'd swallowed the contents of a sewer. Valern was pale, along with Benezia, who's skin had gone from it's normal deep blue shade to a light blue tint. "Goddess…" she whispered, horrified by what she had learned. "Poor Saren…"
"Just dreadful," Valern added. "All this time, Saren's been a prisoner inside of his own body. Unable to do a thing, and forced to watch as Sovereign controlled him."
Anderson and Udina also appeared nauseated, while for the first time in his life since meeting Saren, Anderson felt sympathy for the disgraced Spectre. He shook his head. "Damn… and I thought Saren was a heartless bastard. Now I know that it was Sovereign that did all of that. I wouldn't be surprised if Sovereign disgraced me to keep me from becoming a Spectre."
"He did," Alessa agreed. "He did it to torture Saren, as Saren actually looked upon your record highly. He disliked the fact that you were a human, but he was willing to listen to the Council's warning to keep his prejudices out of the way of his judgment. I could hear him begging Sovereign not to do so."
"And Sovereign refused to show him mercy," Sparatus finished. Shaking his head, he looked at the unconscious Saren with sympathy, before his expression became that of anger. "Sovereign was a monster for doing that to Saren. Shepard, Marcus, I'm glad the two of you killed Sovereign. It deserved to die."
"That we can agree on," Shepard concurred, looking at Saren sadly. "Yes, he hated humans, but he didn't deserve what happened to him." Looking at the Councilors, he asked, "What do you plan to do to him?"
"Honestly," Sparatus remarked, "What happened to Saren was punishment enough for conspiring to attack Humanity. In fact, it went too far, because if there's one thing that I know about Saren, it was that he was steadfastly loyal to the Council." He shook his head. "I feel like a dunce for not seeing that Sovereign was tricking us sooner."
"We'll decide what happens later," Tevos decided for everyone. "Right now, we should leave. Saren needs his rest, especially after the trauma he's gone through." With that, they left the holding cells.
. . .
Shaking the unpleasant memory away, Marcus recalled what happened to Saren, then turned to Carmine. "From what I can tell, he's been given life imprisonment with the possibility of parole. Poor bastard didn't deserve what happened to him."
"Sovereign did deserve to die," Baird stated. "That fucking monster. Controlling someone's body through their implants while fucking with their memories?! That's monstrous! More than that; it was pure evil!"
"I hear ya on that," Cole agreed. "I'm glad we killed Sovereign for good."
"Same here," Carmine agreed. Just as they did so, they found Shepard, Udina and Anderson approaching the Councilors.
Once everyone was gathered, Tevos began speaking. "Ambassador. Captain. Commander Shepard," she greeted them. "We are gathered here to recognize the enormous contributions of the Alliance forces in the war against Sovereign and the Geth…"
"Many humans lost their lives in the battle to save the Citadel," Valern added. "Brave and courageous men and women who willingly gave their lives so that we, the Council, might live…."
"There is no greater sacrifice," Sparatus replied, his voice quivering as he spoke, "and we share your grief over the tragic loss of so many noble men and women." Stopping for a moment, he took a moment to use a handkerchief to wipe his eyes. When he pulled the handkerchief away, it was stained with tears.
Both Tevos and Valern did the same with their eyes, the emotions from that day returning to them in full force. "The Council also owes you a great debt, Commander Shepard, Marcus fenix. One that we can never repay. You two saved not just our lives, but the lives of billions from Sovereign and the Geth."
Valern then spoke up. "Commander Shepard, Marcus Fenix, your heroic and selfless actions serve as a symbol for everything Humanity and the Council stand for…"
"And though we cannot bring back those valiant soldiers who gave their lives to save ours, we can honor their memories through our actions…" Sparatus continued.
"Humanity has shown that it is ready to stand as a protector and defender of the galaxy," Tevos announced. "You have proved that you are worthy to join our ranks and serve beside us on the Citadel Council."
Udina, hearing those words, smiled, though it was a sad smile given the events that had happened recently. "Councilor, on behalf of Humanity and the Systems Alliance, we thank you for this prestigious honor and humbly accept."
"The honor is all ours," Sparatus agreed.
"We will need a list of potential candidates to fill Humanity's seat on the Council," Valern noted.
"Given all that has happened, I am sure your recommendation will carry a great deal of weight, Commander. Do you support any particular candidate?"
Both Shepard and Marcus looked at each other, an unspoken conversation going on. Eventually, Shepard said, "Let the politicians figure this one out."
"Yeah," Marcus agreed. "I think they're smart enough to work this one out. Personally speaking, though, if I had to pick, I'd be comfortable with Captain Anderson. We need men of action, especially going forwards."
"Him?!" Udina mock-protested. "You must be joking! Anderson prefers to let his fists do the talking!"
Anderson laughed, enjoying the moment. "Only with the Geth and Reapers, Udina. Only with them. Either way, we'll let the politicians decide this one. I'll be happy with their decision."
"Agreed," Sparatus added, a smile on his face from the banter between the two. "Either way, Sovereign's destruction heralds the beginning of a new era, for both Humanity and the Council."
At those words, Shepard frowned. "We'll need to be ready, though. Sovereign was just a vanguard. It even said it itself at Virmire, calling itself the 'vanguard of our destruction.' The Reaper fleet is still coming! Hundreds of ships, maybe even thousands! And I'm going to find a way to stop them!" With that being said, he turned and left.
"He's right," Baird told the Councilors. "Sovereign wasn't a liar when it said that. Vigil even said that there are thousands of Reapers in dark space. It's the whole reason why the Citadel was built: to not only serve as a mouse trap for any species dumb enough to use it, but to also bring the Reapers in force."
"We know," Valern reassured Baird, remembering the debriefing that had happened a day after Sovereign's destruction. "Thousands of Reapers in dark space, poised to try and destroy us all. The question is, what can we do against that many ships of that power?"
"We stand up and fight back," Sparatus defiantly declared. "That's what Turians and Humans do. To paraphrase one of their poets, we will not go gently into that good night! We will rage, rage against the dying of the light!"
"Quite so," Tevos agreed. "The evidence we now have, thanks to the information you received from the VI on Ilos, and the thousands of eye witnesses that had corroborated that information, is irrefutable. The Reapers exist, and they are war criminals the likes of which we have never seen."
"Either way, Shepard is right," Anderson added. "Humanity is ready to do it's part. United with the rest of the Council, we have the strength to overcome any challenge! When the Reapers come, we must stand as one! We must fight side by side! And together, we will drive them back into dark space!"
Sparatus nodded emphatically. "Better words could not have been said. This meeting of the Council has been adjourned."
As they all went their separate ways, Marcus and the others entered a nearby elevator and went to the Wards. As the other Gears talked and chatted with each other, Marcus looked out into the nebula. For a brief moment, he could see stars through a gap in the nebula. We'll be ready for when the Reapers come. Anya, I'll find a way home to you… whatever it takes.
(Author's Q&A)
Beowolf 43: Well, the winner is in this chapter.
IDYGOFENIKS: That we will, eventually.
edboy4926: What can I say? I like to try to surprise people.
Just a Crazy-Man: Thank you.
GodzillaMaster: Yep. To be honest, I was kinda surprised by the idea too. I'm glad that I was able to get it down on paper.
Guest: Yep. If the Locust couldn't kill the Gears, what chance did Sovereign have?
Mashot Tito: I'm firmly aware, yes. Either way, I'm glad you liked it.
Helljumper206: Yes. That it will.
CommandantCo: Thank you for your kind words.
Chronus1326: Thank you. It was cool seeing what happened.