Commander Shepard, The Greatest to Ever Live

[Samael61]

Hello there,

If you enjoy my stories, you can read up to 15 chapters in advance per story on my Patreon page / patreon.com/Samael61.

Shepard is a genius, violent machine, ready to bring his boots down on the corrupt, the evil, and the genocidal machines. What inspired me to write him in such a manner was Thairon, the protagonist of my original story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.

Note : The first two chapters of Anakin Skywalker : Sorcerer supreme, will be available shortly. You can check it on my profile.

—
​

Phoenix Massing

Chomos System

Shepard pulled his sleeves, ensuring everything looked perfect. Showered, shaven, and in his best official garment, he was ready to host the peace talks between the quarians and the geth.

The quarian admirals were about to arrive, and Legion was already aboard.

Taking the elevator down, he found Garrus waiting there for him, he too dressed in an official uniform.

"Why do I have to come in?" Garrus grumbled, stretching the collar of his suit.

"Because I need a secretary," Shepard drawled. His other choices were two former Cerberus agents or his quarian girlfriend.

"Shepard, the quarian Admiralty Board requests permission to come aboard," EDI approached in her new body. She was getting used to interacting with the crew through the platform rather than the intercom.

"Granted," he nodded, and the airlock twisted open. Shala'Raan stepped inside first, followed by the rest of the admirals and their security contingency.

"Admirals. Welcome aboard the Normandy," he greeted the quarian delegates.

"Commander Shepard," Shala'Raan shook his hand.

"Thank you," Han'Gerrel said, moving along, subdued.

"How are you all doing?" he asked, taking Zaal'Koris' hand.

"As good as we can be under the circumstances," the admiral of the civilian fleet replied.

Daro'Xen was the last one. "If you are ready, let's proceed to the meeting room," he said, inviting them inside after possibly the most antagonistic of the delegates walked in.

—
​

The admirals sat on the right side of the table, while Legion took a seat on the left, with Garrus standing up next to him.

"In my authority as a member of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance Office, and as an individual with good relations to both sides, I open this session of the peace talks between the Quarian Conclave, represented by the Admiralty Board, and the Geth Consensus, represented by the geth unit dubbed Legion," he said, acting more ceremoniously than he was used to.

The meeting was being recorded, and official

"You named it too?" Daro'Xen asked, fascinated by the idea.

"Yes."

Shepard would have to make sure Daro'Xen was surveilled so she did not axe the prospect of peace by experimenting on geth. Maybe she'd be useful in a task force to examine Reaper programming.

"Now, we will start by hearing the Consensus' terms for peace," Shepard said, giving the opening statement to the geth.

Legion relayed the terms of the Consensus, which were simple and reasonable. Peace between the quarians and the geth, with the quarians recognizing the Consensus as the ruling body of the geth, as well as recognizing the geth's status as a sapient race.

They wanted to be treated as equals, nothing more, nothing less.

Any crimes against geth units would be judged in the same way a crime against a quarian would be, except putting geth's synthetic nature into the equation.

Rannoch would be accepted as a shared homeworld of the quarians and the geth, and while the synthetics wanted to create a single government with equal representation, they knew it would not be possible right away.

In the meantime, they were willing to share the planet and the rest of their territories with the quarians, as well as help them settle.

The terms were more generous than anything the quarians had expected so far, and they did not see any reason to refuse.

The admirals, in return, were more worried about the trustworthiness of the geth.

If they settled on Rannoch, even with their entire fleet on the Tikkun system, the geth would outnumber and overpower the Migrant Fleet. Should the Consensus want to finish the quarians, it would be a massacre.

Legion agreed that from their point of view, it was understandable for the admirals to be concerned for the security of the quarians.

Which is why he played several pieces of footage dating back to the time of the uprising.

Footage of quarians helping the geth units escape from their fellow quarians, defending them, and giving their lives if necessary.

That was a shocker to the admirals. There was nothing in their history to suggest that there were quarians sympathizing and helping the geth avoid being shut down or destroyed.

Zaal'Koris was vindicated in his desire for peace, showing how their ancestors, even if they were a minority, did not wish to destroy the geth.

Han'Gerrel had nothing to say.

Daro'Xen raised a point, claiming that the footage could be doctored for all they knew, but Legion was all too accommodating to let her examine it.

Shala'Raan just watched for now.

"I am aware of the distrust you have for the Consensus, and it is expected," he agreed with the quarians, "which is why not only am I vouching for them, but I also have an offer to make to both sides."

The Collector station had proven to be a treasure trove of data on the biologies of the known races, including the quarians.

"What would that be, commander?" Shala'Raan asked.

The Collector station's scans appeared over the table.

"This is the space station my team took from the Collectors. Should both sides agree on peace, I am willing to entrust it to your shared governments. The quarians know how to salvage and reverse engineer advanced tech better than anyone, and the geth could easily turn the station into a mobile fortress for the war effort. Of course, you would be sharing the technology acquired from the station with the rest of the citadel races," he explained.

The geth could comb the station without the fear of indoctrination, and the quarians were experts in repurposing.

If they worked together, the station couldn't be in better hands.

Garrus changed the data on the screen, showing pictures of quarians without their suits. "Another interesting and rather dark part is that the Collectors had experimented on all the races through the centuries, including the quarians before the Morning War. Now, the test subjects perished a long time ago, but they kept samples in stasis should developing a bioweapon be necessary," he said.

The images and scans of the quarians went away, showing vials of blood and flesh samples preserved in stasis.

Zaal'Koris leaped from his chair. "If they are before the Morning War, then we'd possibly be able to jump-start our immune systems with correct procedures," he said. He was no scientist, but the Special Projects fleet would not fail them.

"Indeed," Shepard affirmed.

"However, does the Migrant Fleet have the necessary biological research equipment for something this important? Not only that, but would you be able to mass produce a potential inoculation?" Garrus asked. Just because they had the samples did not mean the quarians had the capabilities to utilize them.

Legion's flaps moved, conferring with the Consensus through the QEC. "The Consensus is willing and able to assist the creators in this endeavor," he relayed the decision.

The admirals were whispering furiously among each other before Shala'Raan stepped up. "Commander, we will require privacy to discuss the terms."

"Of course," he said, turning to his friend, "Garrus, escort the admirals to the comm room."

"This way," Garrus said, gesturing to the door.

"Shepard-Commander, do you believe the negotiations will succeed?" Legion asked.

"Oh yes," Shepard said, "They just need to review everything so far, and neither Daro'Xen nor Han'Gerrel will be able to produce any meaningful argument against the terms."

Because the admirals would have to be literal fools to refuse the terms, especially with him as the middleman.

—
​

The admirals returned half an hour later, taking their places again.

"Commander, it is the Admiralty Board's decision to agree to the terms presented by the geth," Shala'Raan said. Daro'Xen's stance showed that it was not a unanimous decision.

"Excellent. We will draft the agreement, refine the finer details, and real soon, you should be able to set a course to Rannoch."

—
​

The negotiations were short, and it got the quarians thinking.

If returning home was this simple, could all of this have been avoided in the first place?

Daro'Xen and Han'Gerrel, the most outspoken critics against the idea of peace with the geth, were quiet. Shepard had given his assurances, along with technological assets to solidify the peace process.

There was nothing to do but accept it.

Three days after the first meeting, the admiralty board and Legion stood in Normandy's meeting room, shaking hands as the agreement was signed.

It would be known as the fastest peace agreement in galactic history, bringing an end to an almost three-century-long conflict in just three days.

—
​

Tikkun System

Rannoch

The announcement that they would be setting course to the Tikkun system was met with silence by the quarians.

It did not settle in yet that they could just go home without risking their lives in a pointless war.

When the first ship passed through the mass relay and entered the Tikkun system, the dam broke.

The comm chatter indicated a lot of tears of happiness.

It became a race then, every shuttle racing to the planet so for the first time in centuries, the quarians could have their home back.

—
​

"It still doesn't feel real," Tali said, eyes fixated on the horizon.

"Get used to it," Shepard replied, pulling her closer from the waist.

"What now?"

"Now? You guys settle in and make things work with the geth. I have to get back to Earth and kick the parliament's ass," he grinned. The Reapers were coming, and everyone had to be ready for it.

He would handle the Alliance while Garrus rallied the Hierarchy. Mordin and Liara would handle their respective races, and the rest would follow.

"I want to come with you, but…" Tali didn't finish her sentence, though her arm squeezed him a bit tighter.

"Tali, you are the only quarian I can trust to keep the peace together. And don't worry, if I get the wormhole working, I'll come for quick visits," he winked.

Tali pulled his head down, raising her head so her mask touched his face. "Take care of yourself out there. I love you."

"Love you too."

—
​

With the quarians settling back on Rannoch, it was time for him to drop the teammates wherever they needed to go. Most wanted to get off on the Citadel, except Grunt, Jack, and Hailey.

He would leave Grunt on Tuchanka, then take Jack to find Doctor Castor back on Eden Prime.

Grunt, now a warrior of fame, would serve Clan Urdnot well.

—
​

Eden Prime

Helios Medical Facility

"Jack, slow down," Shepard called out, running after his teammate.

"Fuck off," Jack snapped, searching for anyone that might give her the answers. Seeing a middle-aged doctor, she grabbed him by the collar and slammed the poor man to the wall.

"I am going to ask this once: where is Doctor Castor?"

"Jack, let him go," Shepard said, pulling her back.

The doctor sprang to his feet, face pale like the walls of the facility. "Commander Shepard?! What is happening?" he asked.

"Where is Doctor Castor? He is working with Cerberus; we need to find him before he makes a run for it," Shepard explained.

The doctor's eyes widened, and he pointed to the right. "He is in his office, down the corridor, meeting with some donors."

"Thank you," he said, though Jack was already running to catch the doctor.

"Hey, you can't barge in here." The secretary at the door tried to stop them but backed off upon seeing Shepard.

"Get lost," he ordered, and the secretary quickly vacated her seat with a "Yes, sir."

The door wouldn't open without the code, and Jack resolved the situation by tearing through the metal.

"Alright, everyone except Doctor Castor, out," Shepard ordered, though Jack wasn't in the mood to wait, already pushing people aside. Castor stumbled back, demanding to know what happened, but Jack silenced him with a right hook.

Blood and teeth flew from his mouth, splattering on the metal wall.

"You bastard, you fucking bastard," Jack screamed, landing a punch with each word. "

One of the donors stopped before him. "Commander, please stop this," he pleaded, but Shepard waved him away.

"He sold kids to Cerberus; he is going to die for it. Now, get lost."

Jack continued to work the doctor over between profanities about how he sold her to Cerberus. Once his face resembled a vorcha's, she pulled him up by the collar.

"Where are they? Where is my fucking family?" she demanded. Everything taken from her, Jack would take it back.

"Cerberus killed them when they didn't believe you were dead," Castor cried out, whistling the words with a hoarse voice.

"Please, please spare me," he pleaded, tears mixing with blood.

That wasn't the correct thing to say, and Jack's cry rattled the room. She brought down her fist, glowing dark with biotics, and splattered the doctor's head on the ground and the walls.

"Damn," Hailey whispered.

Shepard walked next to Jack, putting a hand on her shoulder, helping her up. She did not resist, just breathing in and out with silent tears streaming down her face.

Raiding a medical facility like this worried a lot of people, and he decided to do damage control while Hailey took Jack to the ship.

—
​

Revealing that Doctor Castor was a collaborator of Cerberus and relaying them the necessary proof, Shepard ordered the management to reevaluate their security measures and go over the cases pertaining to children that had died due to eezo exposure in the womb.

There were a lot of cases like Jack's, following an accident where an eezo transport had exploded over the city.

Shepard knew there was a great chance Cerberus orchestrated it.

The Alliance authorities were informed as well, launching an investigation into every single case where children had died due to eezo exposure.

—
​

Jack was unnaturally quiet during the journey to Grissom Academy. It was as if her fire had been extinguished, though Shepard knew she would get up.

She was too tough not to.

Entrusting her to Grissom Academy, he knew she would find herself a home there. David Archer, another child tormented by Cerberus, was already settling in the academy, and they would perhaps strike a chord.

His last words to her were "You never gave up to this date; don't start now," and Jack had merely nodded.

—
​

Earth

Vancouver

When the Normandy landed on the Alliance base in Vancouver, there was a military parade to greet him.

Soldiers stood at attention, and the Chief of the Defence Committee, Admiral Manford, was there in person.

"Admiral Manford," he saluted the admiral, as did Hailey, a step behind him.

"Commander," the admiral returned the salute, "Welcome back home."

Shepard lowered his arm. "Thank you, sir."

"We have a lot to talk about." The admiral gestured inside, and Shepard followed.

He would visit the parliament after reporting to the Defence Committee. It would have to start from the beginning, with how Cerberus found him and the organization's eventual fall, the operation against the Collectors, and of course, the peace treaty between the quarians and the geth.

The last one would be fun to reveal.

---

Notes: With this, Mass Effect 2 is over, and we'll start with Mass Effect 3 on the next chapter.

—
​

In the next chapter:

"Hey there, Commander," his girlfriend said, winking at him. She was out of her suit and didn't wear much, and Shepard felt his heart skip a beat.

"Tali? You are out of your suit?" he asked. The room felt awfully hot now.

"I am," Tali gestured to her bikini, something she had picked from human fashion. "What do you think?"

"Real nice," he said, eyeing every part of her body. The white bikini on her lavender skin looked really good. "I guess those samples have finally proven to be useful, huh?" he added.

"Not really," Tali grinned.

"Then how?"



Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me on Patreon.

 

[Samael61]

Hello there,

If you enjoy my stories, you can read up to 15 chapters in advance per story on my Patreon page / patreon.com/Samael61.

Shepard is a genius, violent machine, ready to bring his boots down on the corrupt, the evil, and the genocidal machines. What inspired me to write him in such a manner was Thairon, the protagonist of my original story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.

—
​

Earth

Vancouver

"Hey there, Commander," his girlfriend said, winking at him. She was out of her suit and didn't wear much, and Shepard felt his heart skip a beat.

"Tali? You are out of your suit?" he asked. The room felt awfully hot now.

"I am." Tali gestured to her bikini, something she had picked from human fashion. "What do you think?"

"Real nice," he said, eyeing every part of her body. The white bikini on her lavender skin looked really good. "I guess those samples have finally proven to be useful, huh?" he added.

"Not really." Tali grinned.

"Then how?"

"You remember how I hated everyone because they laughed at you for that whole business with the Asari sex demon?" she asked, and Shepard face-palmed.

"Oh no," he despaired.

"Oh yes," she said, "for some reason, the allergic reaction your bodily fluids triggered caused my immune system to release a special chemical that basically brought it to life."

"Oh no," he repeated. The allegations would never go away now if this ever were revealed.

"Please tell me you didn't say anything to anyone," he begged. He still received orgy offers from all across the galaxy.

"Too late for that. The medics detected that I carried some residue of levo amino acids, and well, the rest was history."

"Oh no," Shepard groaned. He wanted to curl up into a ball and cry.

"Anyway, I have to go and give some samples to help with the whole immune system issue. See you later, lover boy," Tali said, flashing him one last time to raise his morale.

It did help a bit.

"James," he called out. James Vega was assigned to his security detail, though he worked more as a secretary than a guard.

"Commander," James saluted. "Did something happen?" he asked, startled to see Shepard so distraught.

"Get me a bottle of ryncol," he ordered. It would be necessary for the headache that would follow him.

"Uh, the krogan stuff that melts your insides? Are you sure?" James asked to be sure.

He had seen the aftermath of a human drinking a single glass. A whole bottle of it would kill them if they were lucky.

"If I don't get drunk now, I'll kill someone."

"One bottle of Ryncol coming up."

—

"Commander Shepard," a man barged into his lab, screaming. He was on the older side, his face red, and fuming.

Though what he wondered was how the man even got inside.

"This is unacceptable," the man shouted to his face, spittle landing on his cheek. "You cannot just sequester yourself in here, refusing to answer the public's questions."

"I can't?" Shepard asked, wiping the saliva with a tissue.

"No, you cannot. We need to know what you did with that station," the man demanded.

Shepard's eye twitched.

—

Shepard dusted his hands as the dumbass congressman went flying out of the window of the floor given to him.

"James, I don't want to be disturbed again," he scolded. "I am in the middle of something vital here."

"Yes, Commander, sorry about that." James saluted. "Won't happen again," he assured the commander, looking out the window to see the old man go splat on the concrete.

—

"Son, you cannot throw a congressman out of the window," Anderson complained while Shepard was soldering some parts.

"I just did," he grunted. That moron was lucky he had gone down the expressway rather than having each and every single bone in his body broken.

"Yes, but as in you shouldn't," Anderson rephrased. No one was going to do anything to Shepard, even though what he did was a felony, but it still did not look good.

"I'll definitely do it again," Shepard grunted, much to his mentor's annoyance.

"For the love of it," Anderson said, praying for patience. "What the hell are you even working on?"

He had just returned from the Citadel, only to be told to warn Shepard regarding his actions.

"A black hole projector," Shepard said, startling Anderson, who almost fell down with the chair.

"Oh shit."

"Stop chickening out," he said, rolling his eyes. "I didn't even connect the power source."

"Thank god," Anderson said, trying to still his racing heart. "Are you absolutely, one hundred percent sure it's safe?"

He didn't want Earth to be torn apart by a black hole in an attempt to kill a Reaper.

"Depends. Do you want a weapon capable of taking out the Reapers in one shot or not?"

"Damn it."

"I thought so."

—

"Shocking news in the Salarian Union. The Salarian Task Group has officially taken over the Union in a blitz move, with Dalatrasses put on house arrest. The speaker of the STG, Major Kirrahe, has revealed in a press conference that this radical and unexpected step had been taken to protect the Salarian Union against the Reaper threat, citing the ineffectiveness of the Dalatrasses in preparing the armed forces. Rife with rivalries and political disagreements, the Salarian Union's contribution to galactic effort has been criticized from the beginning.

The first act of the Salarian wartime government was to increase military spending and share the advanced weapon and defensive technologies developed by the Union, which has been kept at bay due to the Dalatrasses.

Reactions among the members of the Citadel vary, but the overall outcome is that they will support the new government as long as the Salarian government supports the galactic war effort.

The leader of the new government, an ex-STG member, Mordin Solus, has refused to appear for an interview due to his busy schedule."

Shepard chuckled at the news.

Go Mordin.

"Asari Republics, fearing a similar intervention by the military forces, have increased the allocated resources for the war effort and started mandatory biotic training for maidens and matrons. Their vast eezo depots have been opened, and the full might of the asari economy is gearing towards war."

Nice, Shepard thought, closing the console to continue his work.

—

Shepard watched Hailey with a sour face.

"What the hell is going on here?" he demanded to know. They were having online lunch, dressed in suits, the best they could do under the current circumstances.

"Shepard? I thought you said he wouldn't be here for another half an hour," Garrus said with wide eyes.

"I am right here, Garrus." He glared at the turian.

"I can explain," Hailey said.

"You are going out with my best friend," Shepard explained in her place.

Hailey lowered her arms. "Okay, so I don't have to explain."

"We were going to tell you soon; we just didn't want to bother you," Garrus excused them.

Not that Shepard had a problem with it; he just didn't want to be in the dark.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." He waved their excuses away. "You two are adults; just let me know so I don't walk into something weird."

He didn't want to see any accidents of that nature in his quarters.

"Got it," Hailey said, giving him a thumbs up before making herself scarce along with the lunch.

"How are things on Palaven?" he asked. Now that his sister had left, they could catch up.

"You know us; we love war. Most of our WMDs are out in space, waiting to give the Reapers a spanking they won't forget," his friend reported.

"I would pay to see that," Shepard grinned. The Alliance was actually doing the same, and when the Reapers came rolling in, they would have a wall of anti-proton torpedoes and nuclear warheads waiting for them.

"And I have been made the Primarch's Chief Advisor on Reaper Countermeasures," Garrus said, flashing the new insignia on his suit.

That sounded like a loaded title. "So you get to tell everyone what to do?"

"I do. It is a bit jarring to have generals saluting me, but I'll get used to it," Garrus complained, all in good fun. "What about you? Heard you were working on something top secret."

"A portable black hole projector to have a handheld superweapon against the Reapers." He didn't know if it would be finished by the time the eldritch cuttlefishes came, much less if it could be scaled to ship size.

"Damn. Harbinger won't know what hit it."

"Yeah, I already handed over every piece of tech I had for the war effort, and with the geth and the quarians about to join the Citadel again, the Reapers are screwed."

"I agree, but seeing how the murderous synthetics delayed their arrival, I don't think they'll just lay down and take it."

Garrus was right, and the arrival route of the Reapers showed that the batarians would be hit first, which was the reason the Council was spending so much on their defense. If the batarians were caught by surprise, the Reapers would have billions of individuals to transform into disposable armies.

"Nobody said this would be easy."

"Alright, I have to go. Come pick me up when you are ready."

"Take care, Vakarian."

—

"The Citadel Council, in a unanimous vote, has agreed to open negotiations with the Krogan Clans, intending to offer a cure for the genophage while limiting the natural birth numbers, in return for Krogan Clans joining the war effort.

With a physiology built for war, the experts agree that the krogan could stall the Reaper swarming tactics, especially if outfitted with heavy laser weaponry. Urdnot Wrex, spokesperson of the largest alliance on Tuchanka and chief of Clan Urdnot, has agreed to the negotiations but requested Spectre Jonathan Shepard to arbitrate."

—

"Shepard, there you are," Wrex had called him right after the press conference, and he had an idea why.

"Wrex. What's happening out there?"

"You know how it is. There is a big scary monster out there, and they need the krogan to kill it."

"Right. Without you guys starting another rebellion in a century or two this time," Shepard said with a very pointed look.

Because he didn't really want the krogan to go down that route again.

"Don't worry. We are working on that," Wrex assured him, though Shepard would warn the clans regardless. "Anyway, I don't trust the politicians; can you be there so they don't try anything?"

"I am working on too many projects to be there in person, but I can join with the QEC," he said. That is, if he could not finish the new wormhole generator in time.

"Eeh, good enough. Take care, Shepard; we need you at your best for the war," Wrex said. "Though, if the negotiations fail, we can always ask for a sample of your bodily fluids to cure the genophage," he added.

"Screw you, Wrex. Go headbutt a Thresher Maw or something," Shepard muttered, ending the call.

Wrex's laugh echoed in his ears even after the call was over.

—

"News from Rannoch. The Rannoch Federation, the budding government of the Quarians and the Geth, has finally been granted an embassy on the Citadel with the removal of the bans on AI systems. The joint ambassador of both parties, Zaal'Koris vas Rannoch, held a press conference on his first day on the Citadel, thanking Spectre Shepard for his efforts in brokering peace between the Geth and the Quarians."

"More on Rannoch: the quarians have discovered a cure for their immune systems. Reports say that the source of the cure was Tali'Zorah vas Rannoch, Commander Shepard's lover, and the samples acquired from the Collector base. Unconfirmed intelligence claims that Tali'Zorah's immune system has been revitalized due to the bodily fluids of Spectre Shepard. Across the galaxy, monuments are being erected in the honor of Jonathan Shepard, with ceremonies held before them to bless newlywed couples with a long and healthy sex life."

"Commander Shepard has responded to the news by saying, 'I swear, if I see those statues, I am going to tear them down, and if anyone calls me a sex god again, they will be sucking vacuum.'"

—

"James, get in here," Shepard ordered, going through the final system diagnostics.

"Sir," James saluted, waiting at the ready.

"At ease."

"Now, when that countdown ends," Shepard pointed at the screen, "I want you in here to monitor the situation."

"Where will you be?" Vega asked. If Shepard wanted a break, he wasn't the best person to watch over a lab.

"Rannoch," Shepard replied, carrying a beacon over his shoulder.

"Wait, what?" James asked, but before he could get an answer, the reality was torn open, and Shepard stepped through it, disappearing out of the room.

"What the hell?" his words echoed in the now empty lab.

The defense committee was going to flip.

—

Tikkun System

Rannoch

Shepard came out of the white portal, watching the surrounding area. Apparently, the gate still needed some calibrations, because he just arrived in a wilderness, with no sign of a settlement around.

Great, now he had to wait for the geth units to drop down for investigation and take him to the settlement.

It didn't take long, however, and the geth units were concentrated around him, searching for the source of the energy spike on their sensors.

"Shepard-Commander. How did you arrive in Rannoch?" The geth looked hesitant, as if it didn't know how to respond to Shepard appearing out of nowhere.

"Through a wormhole, but I missed the exact coordinates. There must have been an error in the galactic drift calculations."

"We see," the prime unit replied, its flaps moving up and down erratically.

"Anyway, can you guys call in a transport to take me to the settlement?"

—

The geth were tireless machines that were not bottlenecked by the galactic economic models and could build anything as much as they wanted, as long as proper resources and energy existed.

So it wasn't a surprise to see the settlement look like a proper city in a year.

He was taken straight to the office of the president.

"Ancestors. Commander Shepard, what are you doing here?" Shala'Raan, the Quarian co-chairman of the Federation, greeted him, while the Geth chairman, Legion, followed her.

"Just testing some new stuff," he said, shaking hands with both chairmen. "Where is Tali?"

"She is working aboard the space station. We will inform her immediately," Legion offered, but Shepard stopped him.

"No need, just take me to the station. I can see how the work on it is progressing."

"Very well."

—

Shepard whistled.

The station was damn impressive. Outfitted with enough torpedo launchers to tie up a Turian fleet, the station also boasted hundreds of laser grid defenses, with production facilities inside to resupply and repair the station, along with fleets if necessary.

Quarian strip mining ships, automated by the geth programs in them, could keep up with the raw material demand.

Capital-grade deflectors covered the mobile fortress in a shell that would need dozens of Sovereign-class Reaper ships to punch through, and the stony exterior was replaced with ablative armor.

It also had a single dock that could repair a cruiser in hours, providing vital services to the fleet it would be assigned to.

The progress in Mass Effect technology through reverse engineering the station was a bonus.


—

Notes: I skipped those parts quickly so you can get an idea of where the galaxy stands against the Reapers.

—
​

In the next chapter:
Shepard rose to sit on his bed as James pressed the intercom and banged on the door at the same time in the middle of the night.

"Commander, you need to get up," his secretary screamed.

Something must have happened.

"James? What is it?" he asked, getting dressed.

"It's time."




Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me on Patreon.

 

[Samael61]

Hello one and all.

Due to a combination of writer's block, flu and me getting distracted, I wasn't able to write properly this week. Unfortunately, that means no updates this week. I am truly sorry about this and hope to see you all next week.

Until then.

 

[Samael61]

Thank you all for your well wishes. I am much better now. The rest has helped me clear my mind and I am happy to be back. I am glad to have readers like you with me. Enjoy the chapter.

—
​

Hello there,

If you enjoy my stories, you can read up to 15 chapters in advance per story on my Patreon page / patreon.com/Samael61.

Shepard is a genius, violent machine, ready to bring his boots down on the corrupt, the evil, and the genocidal machines. What inspired me to write him in such a manner was Thairon, the protagonist of my original story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.

—
​

Tikkun System

Aboard the Shepard-class Fortress Station

Legion ran him through the finer details of the station as they made their way to where Tali was working.

They had even named the station after him, with plans to build more.

He found his girlfriend in the hangar, directing supplies and machinery as the work progressed.

Tapping her left arm, Shepard walked to her right side, startling Tali as he appeared in front of her.

"Shepard?" she asked, throwing her hands around him, "How are you here?"

"I finished that wormhole generator," he said, hugging her back. "I thought I would visit Rannoch as a test drive."

"Ancestors, that's great; I missed you so much," she exclaimed, pulling back to hold his hands.

"Me too," Shepard said, squeezing her fingers.

"So, Admiral," he winked, having been briefed on Tali's promotion, "care to show me around?"

"You heard about that?" Tali asked, nudging him with her elbow, "I was waiting to surprise you."

"You surprised me enough," he said, remembering the bikini.

—
​

Tali took him across the length of the station, showing where the construction efforts were continuing. Geth and quarians were working hand-to-hand, where the ingenuity of the organics met the precision of the synthetics.

"What did you guys do with the larva?" he asked.

"The geth use it as target practice to test weapons," Tali replied, showing him the footage of the tests.

Shepard nodded. "Good." It was the best possible use for that thing.

—
​

He spent the rest of the day with his girlfriend, having dinner and then some quality time, before returning to Earth.

The Federation received the blueprints for the wormhole generator, and he would distribute them to the rest, creating a network across the galaxy.

—
​

One Year Later

Shepard rose to sit on his bed as James pressed the intercom and banged on the door at the same time in the middle of the night.

"Commander, you need to get up," his secretary screamed.

Something must have happened.

"James? What is it?" he asked, getting dressed.

"It's time."

—
​

The moment Shepard entered the Defense Committee briefing room, Admiral Hackett started the debriefing.

"Six hours ago, the Reapers entered the batarian space with overwhelming force. Initial scans put their forces at over fifty thousand Sovereign-class dreadnoughts and a quarter of a million destroyers at one hundred and sixty meters long," Hacket said as images taken in the batarian space were shown.

"However, that wasn't all. They also brought swarms of Oculus that the scanners couldn't count in time, but suffice to say, there are millions of them. The defensive measures in the batarian space, including the anti-proton torpedoes and the nuclear warheads loaned from other races, have all been spent to stem the tide, but the Reapers punched through. We believe they will start harvesting the batarians for ground troops before spreading to the rest of the Citadel Space," Hackett added.

"One weapon they presented was these dense gravitational fields to pull the torpedoes and everything else launched, saving the Reaper armada from facing much damage."

The images on the screens switched to recordings as torpedoes and nukes were drawn towards a singularity, causing the warheads to detonate prematurely and save the Reaper fleet.

"We can launch the anti-proton torpedoes alongside modified disruptor torpedoes to act as an anti-gravity field to negate it," he theorized. It was expected of the Reapers to know how the galaxy would prepare for their arrival. Sovereign had faced the anti-proton torpedoes firsthand, and the Collectors were in contact with the previous Shadow Broker.

"That was our thinking as well, and the engineers are working round the clock to modify enough torpedoes in time," Hackett said, showing him the modifications.

"What else the Reapers have for us, we don't know, but it is agreed that fighting this battle outside our space is for the best, and the fleets are gathering to enter the batarian space."

The idea made sense, because as long as the Reapers were contained to one part of the galaxy, production of weapons capable of defeating them could proceed without an issue.

"Commander, your task is different for now." Hackett gestured at him. "Dr. T'soni has been working in the Mars Archives to find anything against the Reapers, and she reported a breakthrough. We need you to extract her, gather your team, and prepare to face the Reapers," he explained.

"In the meantime, we'll collect more intel to not walk in blind."

"Yes, sir," Shepard saluted.

The war had just begun.

—
​

Shepard had been taken to the docks with Hailey and James Vega, who would be joining his team.

To his surprise, two old friends were waiting at the airlock. "Ashley, Kaidan, what are you guys doing here?"

His former teammates stood at the ready, dressed in the latest iteration of Alliance marine armor and carrying the improved version of the laser rifles.

"Admiral Hackett's orders: we are joining you aboard the Normandy," Kaidan explained. They were not able to join Shepard last time and had jumped at the chance.

"Get in; we need to head out immediately."

"Yes, Commander," both marines replied, following him in.

"Joker, EDI, set a course for Mars," he ordered as soon as he stepped through the airlock.

"Aye, aye, Commander, good to have you aboard."

—
​

Mars

Prothean Archives

Above Mars, Joker contacted the archives to have Liara ready to meet them in the landing zone for immediate leave.

The asari was ready there, with a bag on her shoulders, and as fast as they arrived, the Normandy left the planet again.

"Liara, nice to see you again," he said, helping her with her bag.

"Shepard, glad you are here. I heard the news; the batarians are getting hammered." Liara shook her head. The batarians were barely getting on their feet, free from their past practices, but now, the Reapers were burning down what they had managed to build.

"The fleets are converging to meet the Reapers head-on. I heard something about you making a discovery in the archives." If there was a superweapon against the Reapers, this war could be over quickly.

"It is a device of protean origin, though I am not sure what it is capable of. I hope you can make sense of it," Liara said. Shepard clicked his tongue, but if it was that easy, the Protheans would have succeeded.

"Alright, we need to pick Garrus from Palaven; I can look at it on the way," he said. There was no one else he could recruit for now, and he needed his second in command.

"Commander, orders from Admiral Hackett," Joker called from the intercom. "The Alliance found something huge on Eden Prime months ago, but the research team there is not equipped to handle it anymore. He wants us to pick it up."

"Then set a course for Eden Prime," he said, chuckling to himself.

Back to where it all began.

—
​

Eden Prime

The trip to Eden Prime gave him time to catch up on his sleep. The information on what the research teams had discovered was scarce since all Alliance resources were moved to counter the Reaper threat, but as Joker contacted the ground teams, he finally learned what had been found at the dig site.

An intact stasis capsule, containing a live prothean, and the last functional one in the complex. A couple months later, it too would have ceased working.

His whole team followed him down the ramp, and the dig team was waiting for them.

"Commander Shepard, welcome to Eden Prime again." The lead researcher shook his hand. "We are evacuating the dig site; the Alliance needs all its forces, but we could not find a way to open the capsule. I was hoping you could take a look."

Shepard nodded and approached the capsule without a word. The memories that were burned to his mind from the beacons flared to life, and the words on the holographic console made sense. It required a specific signal to start the defreezing protocols, but he was familiar enough to override the system.

"The capsule is damaged, so we need to wait a couple of minutes," he explained.

"Goddess, to think I would see a live prothean. Things the one inside could teach us," Liara said, giddy like a child in a candy store.

"Hands off triggers; the prothean will be disoriented and may try to attack us. I don't want an accident," Shepard warned. It wouldn't do if someone had an itchy finger, and they ended up with a corpse.

"Yes, Commander."

The countdown had reached the end, and the pod opened with a hiss. Inside, a prothean lay covered in frost, and he looked exactly like the Collectors, minus the cybernetics.

All four of his eyes flickered around, and Shepard motioned for the people to give him some space. The prothean held the side of the pod, dragging himself out, but fell down, barely able to turn himself over. He blinked and shook his head.

Giving the prothean a couple of minutes, Shepard approached, holding his hand down to help him up.

The prothean looked at him with bleary eyes but took the hand nonetheless, and Shepard found himself in the middle of a battle.

The brainwashed traitors were attacking the stasis compound, and he had to repel them until the neutron purge could be initiated. His men were dying by the minute, and by the time he reached the stasis capsule, the damage to the facility was too severe.

Shepard took a step back as the visions of a battle flashed in his head. Dissociating himself from the foreign memories, he found the protean at the end of several barrels.

"Easy, guys, I am fine," he said, waving at them to lower their weapons.

"Are you sure, Commander? You didn't answer for a couple of seconds," Kaidan asked, on guard as he watched the prothean.

"Yeah, he just gave me one hell of a flashback, but I don't think he will be a problem," he said, turning to help the prothean up. "Will you?" he asked.

"No," the prothean replied, speaking in English with an accent similar to African countries.

"Good. What did you just do?" Shepard inquired. It almost was like an asari meld, but faster and smoother.

"My people could read thoughts and exchange memories with a mere touch," the prothean explained, surveying the aliens gathered before him. "I simply read your psyche to understand your language."

So he was right. "Like an advanced version of the asari meld," he said, glancing at Liara, who was already writing down everything the prothean was uttering.

"Indeed."

"I am Commander Jonathan Shepard of the SSV Normandy," he introduced himself. "Your stasis capsule was the only functional one we found."

"I see," the prothean replied, closing his eyes. It took him some time to open them again. "What of the Reapers?" he asked.

"Their initial arrival was thwarted, and they had to take the long route. Fleets are gathering to put an end to them," Shepard explained. If the prothean knew anything about the device, perhaps they could start construction soon.

The prothean chuckled, though there was no mirth to it. "So our warnings were received."

"They helped for sure. Come on, let my doctor check on you to make sure you won't keel over," he offered. Who knew what a fifty-thousand-year-long stasis could do to his body, considering the capsule was damaged?

"Very well, Commander Shepard. I am Javik, the last of the Prothean Empire," the Prothean said, finally introducing himself.

—
​

"How is our recent arrival, doc?" he asked Doctor Chakwas as the Normandy sailed to Palaven.

"Based on what we know of the prothean physiology and the principles most organic life shares, he is in extremely good condition for someone in stasis for that long," Chakwas reported.

"Wonderful," Liara jumped in, already having prepared a list of questions to ask Javik.

Shepard guessed it must have been something like a human finding a live dinosaur.

"He wants to speak to you as soon as possible," Chakwas added, and Shepard motioned for the highest-ranking Alliance marine to move. "Kaidan, escort Javik here."

"Aye, aye, Commander," Kaidan saluted and left the room. A couple minutes later, he returned with Javik following him behind.

"You said that your fleets have gathered to put an end to the Reapers," Javik said, taking a seat. "I have nothing to offer you, except for my worth as a soldier. Let me join your crew, so the last prothean may see the end of the Reapers."

Shepard hummed. Guess the only thing the last Prothean could seek was revenge.

"Alright. I guess you don't know anything about this device?" he asked, and the holographic scans of the device appeared.

"There were rumors that our scientists were working on a great weapon left behind by the previous races to vanquish the enemy, but it needed a final part, the Catalyst. Seeing as how we failed, they must have failed to discover what it was. I know nothing else," Javik explained, and Liara deflated.

"Welcome to the crew, Javik. As soon as you rest," he ordered. Stasis was not exactly resting.

He would know.

"Commander, Admiral Hackett's on the line," Joker said from the intercom.

"Relay it to the meeting room," he ordered, and Admiral Hackett's hologram appeared over the table.

He got up to salute, but Hackett motioned for him to sit down before he could.

"Shepard. What's the situation on Eden Prime?"

"We found a prothean, alive and well, but he doesn't know anything about the blueprints, except that they were not their original work," he explained.

"I see," Hackett said, stroking his chin. "What do you plan to do with him?"

"He wants to join my crew to see the end of the Reapers; I am inclined to accept," Shepard replied.

"The protean is with you then. The Fleets are gathering in the Exodus Cluster to create a staging ground, but we couldn't learn anything else about the Reaper presence in Kite's Nest. Salarian stealth vessels have been sent to the system, and until they return, we'll be here." Hackett gave him a rundown of the situation.

"Understood, sir. I'll join you as soon as I pick up Garrus," he said. The Normandy could watch the enemy movements, rather than act as a direct warship, but the greatest impact it would have would be to increase morale.

"Godspeed, Commander. I'll keep you aware of any new developments."

"Yes, sir," he replied, and the hologram disappeared.

There was still time to Palaven, so he dismissed the crew to rest. He was not tired, and the device needed to be decoded to reveal its purpose and what this Catalyst was. If they could not discover what it was, then those resources would be better spent elsewhere.

War was already a brutal occupation, but against the Reapers, it would be worse. Unfortunately for them, the enemy had picked the wrong cycle.

—
​

In the next chapter:

"Hey there," Garrus said with a low growl. He hadn't even dropped his luggage, walking straight into the forward batteries.

"Hey," Hailey replied, turning around to lean on the console, "nice armor."

"A gift from the Primarch," he said offhandedly.

"To his favorite advisor?" she winked.

Garrus approached, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I just care about being your favorite."



Curious about the next chapter? Please consider supporting me on Patreon.

 

[Samael61]

Hello there,

If you enjoy my stories, you can read up to 15 chapters in advance per story on my Patreon page / patreon.com/Samael61.

Shepard is a genius, violent machine, ready to bring his boots down on the corrupt, the evil, and the genocidal machines. What inspired me to write him in such a manner was Thairon, the protagonist of my original story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.

—
​

Trebia System

He couldn't stop himself from whistling.

The homeworld of the Turian Hierarchy was a veritable kill zone.

Anti-proton launchers dotted the void, supplemented with nuclear armament and capital-grade laser cannons. Everything was protected with mass effect fields and reflectors.

Even without the fleets, the system would grind down any hostile force to dust.

The Normandy landed on Menea, Palaven's moon and first line of defense, to pick Garrus up.

A turian approached, flanked by two guards. "Commander Shepard, I am General Corinthus. Chief Advisor Vakarian is in a meeting with the Primarch. He will be here soon," he informed.

"Thank you, general."

"Is there a problem with the preparations? You seem displeased," he asked. The turian kept glancing at his homeworld with twitching mandibles.

General Corinthus turned to fully face Palaven. "We just aren't happy to lose the only Reaper expert we have," he said after a short silence.

"Turians," Javik scoffed behind him. "It is difficult to imagine the primitives of my cycle fighting the Reapers better than us," he said.

"This is?" the general asked, barely glancing at the alien, who did look like a Collector.

"He is Javik, the last of the protheans," Shepard introduced, gesturing to the alien.

"Spirits," the general chuckled, shaking his head.

"How much of your fleet is retrofitted, General?" he asked. The largest war fleet in the Citadel space, the Hierarchy had around forty thousand ships, only matched by the geth.

"Eighty percent. And to be honest? It wouldn't have been possible without the geth. Their production capabilities outmatch ours," he admitted after considering it for a bit.

The geth, once supplied with the blueprints and the necessary resources, had produced and shipped reflectors, laser cannons, anti-proton torpedoes, and more.

Even the unrelenting generals and admirals of the Hierarchy weren't willing to turn away all that hardware.

"The rest of the ships are currently in the docks," he added.

"You, though, we owe more than anyone else," Corinthus said, raising his open hand to his eye level.

"We are all in this fight together, general," Shepard said, saluting back.

"That we are," a voice spoke behind the general. Garrus was wearing new armor, painted in his preferred colors of blue and gray.

"Vakarian, sir," Corinthus exclaimed, raising his rifle to the air. The guards followed along, but Garrus was quick to stop them. "At ease, general."

"Shepard, great to see you again," Garrus said and took the offered arm, head tipping forward slightly towards Javik. "Where did you find the prothean?"

"In a freezer," he said with a light tone.

"Come in, I think the forward guns need calibrating."

"After months as an advisor, that sounds like a vacation."

—
​

"Hey there," Garrus said with a low growl. He hadn't even dropped his luggage, walking straight into the forward batteries.

"Hey," Hailey replied, turning around to lean on the console, "nice armor."

"A gift from the Primarch," he said offhandedly.

"To his favorite advisor?" she winked.

Garrus approached, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I just care about being your favorite."

"I missed you," she said, hugging back and laying her head on his chest.

"Me too."

"I think I might have gone crazy if it wasn't for those wormhole generators," Garrus muttered. A long-distance relationship was already difficult. Considering they were at war…

"Isn't that misuse of power, Mr. Chief Advisor?" she teased, sticking her tongue out.

"I'd break that law every day for you," he joked.

"You are impossible."

"Impossibly charming, you mean?"

"Sure, sure."

—
​

The Normandy's next destination was the Exodus Cluster, and then Kite's Nest for reconnaissance.

"Commander, there is a call for you. It's from Mordin," Joker informed him over the comms.

He was close to the QEC and took the call there.

"Shepard. Great to see you. Excellent work on wormhole generators," Mordin praised. He was in an office, Shepard noticed, one that was enclosed on all sides.

"Thanks, Mordin. How is ruling the Salarian Union working out?" he asked. Mordin's coup was unexpected, but with how much the new government had poured into the war effort, no one cared.

"Stressful, but manageable. Previous political system ineffective for war. Will install a more efficient one later," he said. It was one of the promises made after the coup, one that had been well received across the galaxy.

"I bet they won't like you being around," said Shepard.

Mordin's smile widened, "Salarian lifespan short."

He chuckled,"Ah, Mordin, never change. How are the krogan doing?"

"Good. The genophage is modified. No more stillborns. Birth rate reduced. No worrying over krogan overpopulation," his friend said. The krogan wanted a full cure, but even they understood the reason behind it.

The krogan had evolved to reproduce so quickly because of their hostile homeworld, which kept their numbers in check. With modern weaponry and access to less hostile planets, it had become a disadvantage in creating a stable nation.

"Alright. Let me know if anything else comes up."

Mordin nodded, and the screen turned black.

—
​

On the route back to the Serpent Nebula, Shepard gathered the team to discuss the current state of the preparations.

"Were you able to figure out what the device does?" Kaidan asked. The hologram of the decoded device, now named Crucible, was projected over the table.

"It is a converter. Transforms dark energy into a mass effect pulse in three specific wavelengths. The first one is an EMP that will fry the Reapers by scrambling their software through inserting data that is encoded into the pulse," he explained, showing the wavelengths.

"The second, I think, uploads an organic mind into the shared structure of the Reapers. If the consciousness survives, it could take control of the Reapers," Shepard added.

Heads turned sharply to the device.

"The third?" Hailey asked.

"I am looking at it, though it is the most complex one."

"At any rate, we will obviously destroy the Reapers. However, it will also destroy EDI, so we need to cover her core with a special reflector," he said, looking at AI's robot body.

"Thank you, Shepard."

"What about the Catalyst?"

"The only way for the pulse to travel through the galaxy fast enough that the Reapers won't be able to outrun it is this," he said, pressing a button to play the destruction of the Bahak system.

Once the dark energy from the mass relay hit the star at faster-than-light speeds, it triggered a supernova.

"You destroyed a mass relay?" Javik asked, all four of his eyes blinking at once, his lips slightly parted.

"No, Batarian terrorists did," Garrus replied dryly.

"I hope we don't have to blow them all up, along with, you know, everything else?" Ashley pleaded.

Shepard shook his head. "The pulse will automatically convert the eezo inside the relays. It won't result in anything like the Bahak system," he assured.

"The problem lies with delivery. The initial pulse will need massive processing power to work in the first place," he added. Whether to encode the data into the dark energy pulse before it went off or to disseminate an organic mind across the galaxy, the Crucible needed a hyper-advanced AI.

He could, given time, make one.

"Mass relays are highly advanced computers,"

"Yes, but we will need at least several of them synchronized together."

"The Citadel," Liara exclaimed, leaping to her feet. "It is a mass relay, which means its systems, the part where only the Keepers access, must possess enough processing power to pull thousands of Reapers out of the dark space, that is, what, at least thirty thousand light-years away?" she said.

Shepard's eyes widened. He had completely forgotten about the Citadel.

"Liara is right," Garrus admitted.

"EDI, get me the Councillors online," he ordered. She nodded, a gesture she had picked up from the crew.

It took less than ten seconds for the Council to answer, though only Tevos and Valern were there.

"Commander Shepard, we hope you are well," Tevos greeted. He hadn't spoken to the Councillors in months, busy as they all were.

"Thank you, but we'll need to skip the pleasantries. I need you to send people to check the parts of the Citadel where only the Keepers are allowed to access," he said.

"May I ask why?"

"The Catalyst for the Crucible, we believe it is the Citadel. As the largest and most advanced mass relay, it is the only place where we can find the necessary processing power."

Valern twitched, his beady eyes slightly widening, and started muttering to himself.

"I… understood, Commander," Tevos said after glancing at Valern. "We will send the C-Sec and specialists to see what we can find."

"Thank you, Councillors," he said, and the call ended.

—
​

The Citadel

His orders to join the fleets gathering in the Utopia system have been delayed due to an emergency.

General Petrovsky had shown his face.

His fleets had taken Omega after luring Aria T'loak out, and with all the research bases they evacuated before the Alliance could act, intelligence suggested he had plenty of Reaper tech.

The Illusive Man had confessed that there was research on controlling the Reapers. Combined with the recent discovery that the Crucible could potentially assert dominance over the machines, the United Command had agreed to intervene.

However, they did not wish to send ships or ground forces to the other side of the galaxy.

Aria herself was on the Citadel, gathering forces to take her station back. She had promised support for the war effort, including the vast eezo reserves of Omega, if she received help first.

Any force capable of fighting the Reapers was welcome, even if they were mercenaries and pirates.

Not to mention, Tali was there too as the Admiral of the Federation Coordination Efforts.

The Normandy docked, and he gave the crew time off, the only one until the war ended.

Tali was at the Presidium, arranging the details of how to transport the vast anti-proton torpedo stores of the volus to predetermined supply locations.

"Thank you, Rannoch clan. I believe that concludes everything," the volus said between deep breaths.

"You too, ambassador." Tali tilted her head, and the volus waddled away.

"Excuse me, admiral, I believe you have a very handsome visitor," Shepard teased, tapping her on the shoulder.

Tali turned around, looking at him for a moment. She wrapped her arms around his torso and laid her head on his shoulder, silent.

"You alright?" he asked, straightening his posture.

"Just tired. Seeing you helps, though," she admitted.

"Why don't you go and rest aboard the Normandy?" he offered. Even inside the suit, he could see her eyes drop.

"I have work to do. Admiral, remember?" His girlfriend complained.

He activated the omni-tool, showing her a surprise form: "The Federation has written orders for you to be drafted under my command."

She giggled, hugging him tighter.

"Creator Zorah, do you require assistance?" A

"Legion, you are here too?"

"This unit has the most interaction with the organics. The Consensus has agreed it would make us uniquely suitable for diplomacy."

"That's great."

"Thank you, Legion, but I got it. You still have work to do; don't delay it on my account."

"As you wish."

—
​

Purgatory

"Last time I was in a place called the Purgatory, a corrupt prison warden tried to capture me," Shepard commented as he sat down next to Aria.

"That's wonderful. One more corpse for your kill count," she replied dryly, looking through her datapad.

"Heard you had a run-in with Petrovsky," he continued, leaning back and grinning.

Aria put down the pad, her lips tight. "Shepard, we can sit here and talk while you enjoy this shitty situation I found myself in, or we can talk business."

"Alright, what's your plan?" he asked. It was tempting, but time was short.

Maybe later.

"The Eclipse, Blue Suns, and Blood Pack. I made arrangements, but the deals need to be closed."

—
​

Jona Sederis was the founder of the Eclipse mercenary organization.

She was also a certified nutcase.

Fortunately, there was Sayn, her second in command, a much cooler-headed salarian.

"Commander Shepard. I heard that you were coordinating Jona Sederis' release. I did not believe it, though it seems I was mistaken," the salarian said as he got up.

Shepard looked him over, nodding to himself with one eyebrow raised, and pursed his lips.

"What is it?" Sayn asked, his throat bobbing as he looked around wildly.

"Did anyone ever tell you that you looked very commanding? Like a proper leader? I say, you would be an even better leader of the Eclipse than Sederis," Shepard praised, patting the salarian on the arm.

"Ah, no, no one has told me that," he replied, shoulders dropped, scratching his horn.

"Then they were blind," Shepard said. "Why don't you leave Sederis to rot where she is and take control of the Eclipse? Under the command of a leader like you, they will be unbeatable in no time," he added.

"Yes, yes," Sayn said, his eyes shining. "You are right. Tell Aria that we have a deal. She can forget about Sederis."

"I knew you were smart."

—
​

Darner Vosque was a moron.

"Wow, Aria wasn't kidding, the great Commander Shepard on a leash," the leader of the Blue Suns opened his mouth.

"Say, Vosque, do you have a second in command?" Shepard asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Yeah, Liam over there. Why?" he said, head tilting to a man at the corner.

"No reason," Shepard said. His hand blurred, and he lifted Vosque up, squeezing his throat.

The mercenary choked as his windpipe was crushed, struggling to break free. His movements became sluggish, and Darner eventually stopped moving.

Shepard dropped the corpse and turned to Liam, growling a "Get over here."

"Yes?" Liam asked, stuttering as he walked closer.

"You are in command now. And if I hear one stupid word out of your mouth…" he glared at the mercenary, the warning left unsaid.

"Yes, Commander. There is just a little problem," Laim agreed quickly, almost shouting the first part before whispering the second.

"What is it?" he asked. The sooner it was solved, the less he would have to deal with these idiots.

"A turian general, Septimus Oraka, is stopping us from getting weapons."

"I'll handle it. Get your men ready."

—
​

Apparently, the Blue Suns were trying to raid C-Sec shipments, which included laser weapons, reflectors, and more.

Which was unacceptable to him and the good general.

Instead, he convinced Oraka to release outdated Mass Effect gear to the Blue Suns, saying he would be sending them first feet into Khar'shan.

The equipment was outdated, but they were still fresh from the factories as part of a previous contract.

Liam was smart enough to not say anything.

—
​

His last contact was Narl, a batarian.

After Garrus turned Garm and most of the Blood Pack on Omega into fresh, organic paint, a vorcha had taken control.

Crete.

"Shepard, there you are. This is Kreete." Narl introduced him to the vorcha, and Shepard wondered how in the hell a vorcha of all races took control.

Could be because Blood Pack was chuck full of imbeciles.

"So? What the hell do you need to join Aria's little crusade?" he demanded to know. This whole thing was getting on his nerves.

"He wants an autograph," the barbarian said.

"An autograph?" he asked, rubbing his eyes again. Kreete nodded, head tilting up and down repeatedly.

"Well, yeah. He believes it will bring him strength in battle," Narl explained, scratching the back of his head.

Shepard looked at Kreete but couldn't decide whether he was grinning or looked like that all the time.

He was holding out a rocket launcher and kept looking at the weapon and then at him.

Taking a deep breath, he activated the welder in his omni-tool and signed the rocket launcher.

"Yes," Kreete laughed like a gremlin, holding the weapon up.

Shepard just sighed.

—
​

In the next chapter:

"However, I have issues with some of the company you keep around," she said.

"My team?"

"Yes. If you are coming, I don't want them," Aria declared.

Shepard looked at her, blinking a couple of times, and touched his ear. "Let me see if I get this right."

"I have Garrus, the turian that wiped three of the biggest merc outfits out of Omega, as my right hand. Two N7s that are some of the best soldiers in the galaxy. Tali, one of the most intelligent engineers you will ever encounter; my sister, who holds the highest records in the Alliance military after me; a living, breathing prothean who spent his life fighting; and another Alliance soldier I've been training for more than a year—and you don't want them because, what? Garrus pissed you off?" he asked, eyes squinted.



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