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.

—
​

Omega

"Ahz, how are we looking?" Aria asked her chief engineer.

"All systems operational. Full Omega schematics coming online now," the salarian reported. The locations of the force fields were shown. There were also several dark spots.

"I see. Shepard, those force fields we saw? The general has them set up everywhere," she explained.

"He is controlling access across the station." Petrovsky was dividing and conquering Omega. With the force fields active, anyone who tried to go through would be burned to ashes. It made organized resistance extremely difficult.

Too bad Petrovsky had chosen the losing side.

He still wondered how Cerberus acquired so much Collector tech.

"What are these dark areas?" he asked.

"Many sections of Omega are powered down. I'm betting power is being siphoned to run those force fields," the salarian explained.

"Find the source. Priority one," Aria ordered. Once the force fields were down, she would enjoy watching the light fade from Petrovsky's eyes.

"Garrus, tactical assessment of all Cerberus positions," he said to the turian. He and Aria could reroute the power, and Garrus would have Aria's little army storm the gates.

"On it."

"Thanks to you and your team, our losses were negligible," Aria admitted, glancing at the retreating turian, "We can face Cerberus as soon as those force fields are down."

"Sorry to interrupt," Bray, Aria's right-hand Batarian, said.

"What is it?" she drawled.

"I turned away for a second to offload supplies. When I looked back…" the barbarian explained.

Aria had ordered Bray to keep an eye on Nyreen. He knew the female turian was definitely planning something, but he had more important matters to consider. Whatever it was, she was unlikely to be working with or for Cerberus.

"You lost her," Aria accused. Having the only person aside from her and Shepard's team now who knew the secret passages be out there was a gaping security risk.

"Well, I…" Bray was lost for words, and Shepard intervened to save the only batarian he somewhat tolerated, "Nyreen was a cabal. A second was all she needed."

"This bunker has secret access points to other parts of the station. Unfortunately, Nyreen knows them."

"Damn it, Bray, if you weren't so useful," she left the sentence unfinished.

"Shepard, we found something in the station's security logs," Ashley called him over.

"The Talons? They are still resisting, huh?" Aria chuckled. She did not expect Derius to be so apt at fighting Cerberus.

"Who are they?" He didn't know these Talons, which made them not that important.

"A gang that filled the power vacuum after your turian friend painted the walls with mercs," she tilted her head towards Garrus, "Their leader, Derius, took advantage of the situation and carved the Talons a bigger piece of the local drug trade."

"Let's leave them be as long as they are keeping Cerberus occupied," he rolled his shoulders. More troops would have been useful, but gangs like Talons were too unamenable.

"I agree," Aria said.

"Actually, I think assisting the Talons could be worthwhile. Cerberus has sent a large force to neutralize them. An assault from the rear could significantly reduce the enemy numbers."

"We also need to shut off these force fields," Kaidan added.

"Garrus, take half the forces and prepare to assist the Talons," he said. The base was in a well-defended position. Half of Aria's army could do more than just defend it.

The turian unholstered his rifle. "What about you?"

"EDI, have you found a way to deactivate the fields?" He turned to the sole synthetic member of his crew.

"Cerberus is siphoning power from a reactor deep within Omega's mines," she said, highlighting the location.

The advantages of having an AI.

"Unfortunately, access is cut off by the force fields themselves," Ahz said.

"This powered-down area," he pointed, "We could go through it and take that elevator to the reactor."

"Good eye, Shepard," the deposed queen of Omega nodded.

"Then I'll go save those Talons while you two shut down the force fields," Garrus said, leaving to gather the necessary forces.

—
​

"We're arriving at one of the eezo processing plants. It's been powered down, so we'll have to pry open the door," Aria gestured. The entire area was dark, with not even emergency lighting.

At least there was enough air.

"I'll get it," he said. Pushing the door open, he allowed Aria to pass first.

"Access to the mines should be on the far side," she said. The asari stopped mid-step, eyes locking on the Cerberus corpses strewn around the catwalk.

Blasted with an explosive weapon or shredded to parts, the Cerberus troopers seemed to have suffered heavy losses. The interesting part was the lack of what could have done this.

"Garrus, Cerberus lost control of the adjutants," he informed the turian.

Aria had given him every piece of intel she had on Cerberus, including their latest weapons, the adjutants. They were created with Reaper tech and were extremely lethal.

Blue, hulking creatures with a cannon in one arm, tubes coming out of their faces, and a sack on top of their heads, Cerberus had outdone themselves in how fucking stupid and inhumane they could be.

If they barged into the middle of the strike force, casualties would be high.

"Again? Don't they ever learn?" Garrus complained amid weapons fire.

"Apparently not. Watch out for them," he said.

"We'll be on the lookout. The Talons are getting hammered hard, but we are about to worsen it for Cerberus."

"Give them hell."

"The one that killed the Cerberus troopers must still be alive," he noted. The attack was most likely unexpected since the Cerberus forces lacked heavy weapons.

That and he could hear something groan ominously.

"Petrovsky must have locked this place down to keep it inside," Aria scowled.

She had out-of-control biosynthetic monstrosities running across her station now.

"The elevator to the reactor is through that door," she said, but just like the entire section, it was powered down as well.

"It's deactivated."

"There should be a master circuit breaker somewhere to power this place up."

"Let's follow those cables," he said, climbing up the ladder first while Aria watched his back.

"The whispering's receding. You must have scared it off," she said once at the top.

Shepard chuckled, "Now we know they are smarter than Cerberus."

Not that the bar was high when it came to the common Cerberus grunts.

"Down the ladder," she said, and they were on the ground once again.

"There is the power control," Aria pointed out. Shepard pressed the big red button, and the consoles flared to life. It would take a couple of minutes for everything to come online.

"When this is over, there'll be a lot of repairs to make," she mused. Petrovsky had turned her den of comfort into a military base. She would have to spend a small fortune to fix everything.

"Try not to let the civilians get screwed over," Shepard requested.

"Sure, sure."

An adjutant broke through the glass panel at the corner of the room, raising its cannon arm to fire. Shepard reacted the moment the glass broke. A laser bolt found its mark, and the charging cannon exploded. Blue liquid and flesh splattered over the walls.

The adjutant reeled, allowing Aria and Shepard to rain fire on it.

"Nice shot," Aria said, lowering her gun. She was still watching the corpse, just in case it decided to have any last-second surprises.

"Shepard, we found the leader of the Talons," Garrus reported over the comms.

"Derius?" Aria asked. If Vakarian caught that bastard, then there was a chance the Talons could be compelled to join her army.

"No, your ex," Garrus replied, unknowingly wiping Aria's smirk off.

"Nyreen? Well, well, isn't she full of surprises?" she said. Her fist was clenched hard, and she looked ready to erupt.

Not only had Nyreen been keeping things from her, but she most likely also showed the secret passages to the Talons. It would explain how they managed to survive so far.

"What's the situation with the Cerberus?" Aria's love problems were amusing to watch, and he would savor these moments once Petrovsky was taken down.

"They are stuck between us and the Talons, but they also have air support."

"Keep me updated."

Shepard and Aria raced to the elevator, but a single adjutant got in their way. He shot the cannon as it was about to fire, repeating his earlier feat.

"You know, I saw those things tear entire squads apart. Yet you make it look so easy."

"You just have to be a good shot."

"Uh oh, more adjutants."

"The elevator is on its way," he informed. Unholstering his minigun, Shepard pressed the trigger.

The darkness of the processing plant was lit up with the crimson light of his gun. The adjutants were slow, except for when they jumped. Which made them easy targets.

Aria stopped firing and leaned on her back. She might as well be trying to kill the adjutants with her words.

Bringing Shepard had already proven to be an excellent idea.

Several times, in fact.

Once reasonably sure that the adjutants were all dead, he entered the elevator.

"The reports claimed the adjutants could transform organics into more adjutants. I wonder why it didn't touch the Cerberus troopers."

"Guess you didn't see it, but they are all mutated with Reaper tech. It is possible something interfered."

"How ironic. Humans produced monsters like Cerberus, yet also the greatest hero in galactic history."

"You can hear the drills. Damn it, they shouldn't be straining like that."

"Cerberus needs all the resources it can get after the Alliance took most of it down."

"Access to the reactor is somewhere on the upper level."

"The area could be guarded."

His warning was on point. Several Cerberus forces were stationed in the drilling area and opened fire as soon as he was sighted.

He shot a Centurion that peeked out of cover on the left and a trooper on the right. Aria was using her biotics to throw the enemy off the ledge to their doom.

Another Centurion threw him a grenade, and he returned it to the sender. Sprinting across the platform, he lashed the Centurion hiding behind smoke. Pulling him over the railings, Shepard dissipated the biotic attack.

"We can use that maintenance elevator across the way," Aria said. As if something had heard her, the elevator came crashing down.

"An alternate route, then," he grumbled. Jumping down, he rolled into cover as more Cerberus goons opened fire.

"Aria, I am going up."

"I'll keep them occupied."

Shepard activated his anti-gravity generator. He jumped, launching himself out of cover. Spinning to dodge the enemy fire, he shot the Nemesis first and the Centurion next to her.

Aria had taken the troopers on the lower platform. He circled around, flanking the enemy using smoke as cover. A single shot to the Centurion's head put him down.

He considered flying to the reactor control, but Cerberus was likely entrenched. He landed and followed Aria down to the conveyor belt.

"Bastards are running this place too hot. It'll burn out in a month."

"Guess they are in a hurry."

More troopers, assisted by mechs this time, were waiting on the conveyor belt.

Bringing his biotic tower shield out, Shepard pushed ahead. The shots from the Nemesis, Centurion, or the mechs were useless against him. A well-placed shot blew up the shield generator.

A biotic singularity from Aria pulled the mechs together, breaking their shields. He shot one, leaving the other to the asari.

Dropping the shield, he charged at the Nemesis. The force of the biotic attack slammed her to the railings with a sharp crack.

Ducking under the shot, he twisted the Centurion's arm and put the pistol beneath his chin before pulling the trigger.

Hacking the door, he climbed up another ladder. Rushing up the stairs, he heard the shouts of the Cerberus soldiers.

One relayed that the new orders were to retreat, while another screamed to defend the reactor.

A grenade fell right in front of him. Without hesitating, he stabbed the Assault Trooper with his omni-blade through the head. Pulling the screaming man back, he dropped him right on top of the grenade. The heavy armor and the enhanced body contained the blast.

Some mechs and Cerberus troopers were clustered. He switched the pistols to microwave mode. The beam caused the mechs to explode while incinerating the Reaper-enhanced humans.

Aria killed the last trooper, and they finally found an elevator that worked.

"Petrovsky must have been prepared. Get ready for a trap."

Once the elevator reached the top, he found one Cerberus engineer setting up defenses. Aria, who seemed to take pleasure in throwing the enemy over the ledge, did the same to the engineer.

Climbing down yet another ladder, he and Aria were crossing a catwalk to reach the reactor when a section of the platform fell down.

"You haven't been skimming on the maintenance budget, have you?" he said with a light voice.

"I am not some corrupt human bureaucrat, Shepard."

Up the ladder that he hoped would be the last one, the elevator to the reactor was in sight.

"You noticed how silent it is now?" she asked. The elevator was going up, and the war could finally begin.

"As I said, they are preparing for a trap."

"Let's go spring it, then."

This entire route, in fact, was a trap. He read Petrovsky's psych evaluation and his entire dossier, starting from the day he was a cadet.

Oleg Petrovsky was cunning, willing to make sacrifices, and a master of traps. What awaited them at the reactor, he didn't know, but it was bound to be interesting.

The elevator reached the reactor room, and he moved first. He stopped before passing by the consoles. Whatever trap Petrovsky prepared, this area was the perfect place for it.

"What is it?"

"Wait here," he said, handing something to Aria.

"Fine."

He walked in alone, holstering his pistols. As he expected, once close enough to the reactor controls, the entire area was cut off with the incinerator force fields.

A holo projector flew inside, revealing Oleg Petrovsky in all his short glory.

"Commander Shepard, I commend you. You knew it was a trap, though; perhaps you should have sent Aria rather than trapping yourself here," Petrovsky said, giving a small nod. The holographic device

"You know, Petrovsky, you could have been useful to the Alliance and the war effort. Yet here you are, fighting an already dead cause," Shepard said, pursing his lips.

"Fighting for humanity is not a cause that will ever die," his enemy said. Shepard could see it in the man's eyes.

He actually believed it.

"I meant the whole unethical and inhumane experiments and acts of terror, but sure, whatever you say."

Petrovsky scoffed, "I can leave you to rot here while Aria is taken care of. How successful do you think your crew will be with you gone?"

"There is a small issue with this trap," he revealed.

"Which is?" Petrovsky asked. He had placed this trap with everything conceivable.

A secondary power source, self-repair systems, hidden turrets, and a small army of mechs.

"I bet you my entire fortune it can't stop a wormhole," he winked. The space behind him tore open into a white hole, and Shepard stepped through it.

Petrovsky's eyes almost popped out of his skull.

—
​

In the next chapter:
"What the fuck?!" Aria jumped back, aiming her weapon at the white tear in space.

Shepard stepped out of the tear, bypassing the force field that would have imprisoned him.

"What the fuck was that?" she screamed.

"Nothing," he said, giving her a blank stare.

"I...ugh, fine. I saw nothing," she relented. This was far too troublesome to investigate. Handing the device back, she followed him.




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[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.

—
​

Omega

"What the fuck?!" Aria jumped back, aiming her weapon at the white tear in space.

Shepard stepped out of the tear, bypassing the force field that would have imprisoned him.

"What the fuck was that?" she screamed.

"Nothing," he said, giving her a blank stare.

"I...ugh, fine. I saw nothing," she relented. This was far too troublesome to investigate. Handing the device back, she followed him.

"They must have rerouted the reactor controls. Let's check upstairs," he said, walking towards the nearest stairs. Petrovsky had not left many guards on the path, just a couple of mechs and Centurions.

The controls were left undefended while a host of mechs closed in from behind. The reactor itself also powered dozens of wards across the station. Merely shutting down the reactor would kill everyone in these wards.

He simply rerouted the power before Petrovsky could do anything.

"Garrus, the force fields are about to be down," he said.

"Nice timing. Cerberus forces are in full retreat, and Nyreen agreed to work with us for the push to Afterlife," Garrus reported.

With the Talons joining them, this battle would be over sooner than anticipated.

"Tell everyone to be careful about adjutants," he added. Those monsters were dangerous to the common soldier.

"Understood, we'll hold position while you get ready to join us."

"We are going to have to fight through these mechs unless you have a better idea," Aria replied as a flood of mechs was climbing up the stairs.

"Yeah, I do," he said. A biotic tendril wrapped around Aria's stomach, and he took off.

—
​

Following the signal of his team, he landed right outside the Talon base. The battle was already over, and the troops were gathering the bodies to burn them.

"Is everyone ready?" he asked Garrus. There were several people around him, his old teammates from the days when he was cleaning Omega.

"Yes, a two-pronged attack. Us with half of the forces and Talons here, with Bray leading the other half," he laid out the plan.

"Let's finish this," Shepard said, cracking his knuckles.

"Aria? Bray here," Aria's lieutenant called out on the comms.

"Report."

"One of the scouting teams found Cerberus escorting engineers down in the maintenance tunnels. They're moving gear. Look to be setting explosives to the station's central support columns," the batarian said.

Shepard took a deep breath. Petrovsky was relentless, it seemed.

"Tell the teams to engage and delay them. We're coming," Aria ordered.

"Got it."

"If they detonate the main column, they'll cut off the way to Afterlife. Our offensive will be stopped cold," she said. He turned to his second in command to lay out orders.

"Garrus, lead the assault with Nyreen. The two of us will handle the explosives," he said. A large force would slow them down in the tunnels.

"We'll meet you near Afterlife then," Garrus replied. He turned to prepare the forces for the attack.

"The only way to the column is through the tunnels. Come on."

—
​

"Don't let those pyjaks through," a krogan screamed while pushing Cerberus back.

"Guard our back; we'll handle these bastards," Aria ordered.

Shepard threw one of the mechs back to the other, shattering both like piñatas. A large round struck his reflectors. He shot the sniper at the back of the tunnel section in return.

Aria threw a singularity inside the smoke deployed by the Centurions and finished them off at close range.

Three mechs tried to surround him. He launched them back at the wall while Aria took out the last trooper with her biotics. Another Centurion came around the corner. He died before even firing back.

The catwalk to the other side was gone with an explosion. The two jumped the gap with biotics.

"Shepard, we are pushing to the Gozu district. You are missing all the fun," Garrus said.

"I'll live."

He hacked the door to the Central Support. Turning left, he saw Cerberus Guardians waiting for them. One of them ordered a lockdown to keep Shepard and Aria away, but the first Guardian already took a laser bolt through the visor of his shield.

Aria tore the shield from the next one and blasted his head off. Shepard shot the third Guardian, leaving the last one to Aria. She slammed him against the wall, opening the way.

Hacking through another door, he slid down the ramp and shut down the fan. He moved through the blades. Jumping the gap, he listened to the comms as Garrus warned him about forces being sent their way.

He switched the pistols to microwave mode and cooked the troopers in the area.

"Over there. We can get to the bomb controls once the access panels are open," Aria instructed. Shepard used the console to open the panels. Cerberus must have done something because the controls locked down.

Just in time for more Cerberus forces to come down.

"You deal with the bombs; I'll handle Cerberus," she said. Her technological capabilities did not include bomb defusal.

He ran to the first column, shooting a trooper that got too close. Piggybacking on the signal, he shot down all four bombs at once.

"The explosives are neutralized. Let's clear the room," he said. Cerberus troops understood that they had lost and began to retreat. Unwilling to let them leave like that, Shepard and Aria shot down many of them.

"Garrus, the bombs are neutralized," he informed, already moving out of the room.

"The Gozu district is clear. Cerberus is in full retreat to Afterlife from all fronts."

Shepard chuckled. Had it been left to Aria, this whole battle would have been very difficult.

"The adjutants?" he asked.

"Petrovsky's men managed to assert control over them, but their numbers aren't enough to turn the tide."

Which meant they were already destroyed.

"Good. We are joining for the last push."

"How do we get to the Afterlife from here?"

"Straightforward," Aria muttered. She launched a biotic orb at the fan ahead, causing electricity to spark. The blades stopped, opening the way forward.

Through the doors and up two ladders, he could hear fighting.

"Cerberus," he said.

"How do you know? It could be the Talons—never mind," she backtracked as the corpse of a Centurion broke through the window up the wall.

The cause was an adjutant that had gotten loose. Climbing another ladder, he could see the Cerberus troopers desperately trying to stop an adjutant.

"Damn it. Ahz, there are adjutants here. Track our progress and seal the rooms behind us," Aria ordered.

She would have to do a lot of cleaning after Omega was taken back.

"Yes, Aria."

Further inside, he found a small lab where the Cerberus scientists had created the adjutants. The corpses around made it clear that the whole project had not gone the way they thought it would.

The logs detailed the process, but he was more focused on the scientists. If they weren't dead, they would soon be.

The two were almost at the Gozu district, but another hurdle stood in their way. Cerberus troopers were waiting for them, and an Atlas dropped to the field.

"Stand back," he said. Throwing the grenade inside, he closed the door. When the whining of the laser grid grenade died down, the room was clear.

They reached a Talon checkpoint where Nyreen had gathered civilians for protection. There was also a batarian preaching about how humanity was a blight on the galaxy, but he had fainted like a dainty bitch upon seeing Shepard.

Garrus and his team were there, waiting for him to join the final push.

"Garrus, what's the situation?"

"Cerberus is holding the entrance to Afterlife, and we've got a small army of adjutants closing in. They'll be around the entrance by the time we reach there."

"James, ready your grenade launcher. They shouldn't be a problem for you," he ordered. Once the way to Afterlife was open, the army would focus on the adjutants while he took Petrovsky down.

"I got them," James said, patting his oversized weapon.

"I can't wait to get my hands on Petrovsky," Aria grinned, her teeth showing.

—
​

Shepard ordered the forces to advance behind the cover of the reflector. Cerberus had turrets and cannons set up around the entrance. Sharpshooters of his team would clear them out before they dropped the reflector.

James and Ashley were at the back with the heavy guns, waiting for the adjutants.

"Go," he ordered. The reflector moved forward, and the small army followed him. Cerberus opened fire as soon as they were in sight. The mass-accelerated grains couldn't pierce through the reflector. Garrus, Hailey, and Kaidan took the shots.

The forces spread as the enemy firepower decreased, taking cover for when Shepard would drop the reflector.

When the last turret was a pile of scrap, he entered the command to shut the reflector. The volume of fire from his side was deafening. The Cerberus troopers that did not take cover were shredded. Those that did could not move without facing the same fate.

"Biotics, now," he ordered, launching a singularity. Several more followed, pulling the enemy out of the cover, right in front of the weapons fire.

"Adjutants, five o'clock," James called out from the comms. He glanced back, seeing red explosions turn the monsters to ash.

"Secure the area and put the adjutants down. Aria, Nyreen, with me," he ordered. The gathered forces turned around to assist James and Ashley.

He hacked the doors inside, and the three of them stood before the last forces of Cerberus.

"Commander Shepard. I considered a thousand ways to keep you imprisoned, but you found the thousand and first way to escape."

"You lost."

"All Cerberus forces, stand down. We have lost this battle. Surrender yourselves to Commander Shepard's forces."

For the first time in his life, he had fought an enemy that took the loss with grace rather than just fighting to the bitter end out of spite.

Aria looked ready to choke the life out of him, but Nyreen was too honorable to kill an enemy that had surrendered, no matter how much she wished to.

Shepard, on the other hand, had no issue shooting a war criminal like Petrovsky. Especially after he tried to leverage his knowledge of where they had found all the Reaper and Collector tech to get VIP treatment.

"I'll have to do a lot of cleaning, but you'll have your eezo and the mercs."

"Commander, we retrieved everything in the databases," Kaidan reported.

"Any intel on how they found all this tech?" he asked. This much tech wouldn't just be lying around.

"Leviathan of Dis. A Reaper corpse that the batarians had. Its location was lost during the civil war, but Cerberus managed to retrieve it by luck," he explained.

Shepard rolled his eyes. Good thing he had killed most of the upper management back all those years ago. Chances are, they were already indoctrinated.

"Where is it now?" he asked. A Reaper corpse in the wrong hands was a bomb waiting to go off.

"Connection with the Cerberus base is lost. Their last report said that the Reapers were advancing on the system."

The Reapers must have discovered the corpse and retrieved it to prevent any insight into their technology.

"It must be gone then. No need to bother."

"Aria, take care of yourself and the station. We have a war to win," he said, turning around to leave.

"Good thing the galaxy has you and your team. We'd all be screwed otherwise," she called out.

—
​

Unified Command was pleased with the results, the eezo, and the mercenary forces, less so with the whole Leviathan of Dis. The envoy of the Batarian Republic admitted that there were mentions of a secret research site. The records of it were sparse, with no mention of any location, and they had greater concerns than possible Hegemony propaganda.

—
​

Exodus Cluster

Utopia System

Two hundred thousand ships clustered around the mass relay, waiting.

The entire might of the Citadel Space had been gathered for the greatest battle the galaxy would ever see.

The SSV Normandy arrived in the system, and he was immediately contacted by Admiral Hackett, who would be arriving aboard with the rest of the United Command Staff.

Admiral Hackett for humanity, Primarch Fedorian for the Turian Hierarchy, and the Vol Protectorate.

Admiral Han'Gerrel, along with Legion, was representing the Federation forces.

Matriarch Lidanya was the appointed leader of the asari fleets, a salarian he did not know represented his species, and Wrex was there as the Krogan Overlord.

"Commander Shepard, it is good to see you again," Primarch Fedorian said, shaking his hand.

"You too, Primarch Fedorian," he replied.

"Vakarian," the primarch nodded to his former advisor.

"Sir," Garrus nodded back, standing at attention.

A holographic representation of the Harsa system, focusing on Khar'shan first. The surface of the planet was darkened by the shadow of the eldritch fleet above it.

"Commander, we'll keep this short. The STG stealth vessels have reported back, and Khar'shan is in dire straits. The armed forces are shattered, and the scattered guerrillas won't hold on for much longer. The population centers are being processed into Reaper troops," Hackett summarized the situation.

The Unified Command didn't even have the opportunity to disseminate the intel.

The mass relay in the system was projected next, along with the Oculus swarm.

"We'll enter the system and create a perimeter around the mass relay. We have the range advantage in the sky, but the enemy Oculi are a problem. We can neutralize the gravity nets, but the Reapers don't have to worry about losing soldiers and can just use the Oculi against our torpedoes," Primarch Fedorian continued.

"Their numbers were depleted on approach to Khar'shan, and our combined arsenal is significantly larger. The Reapers didn't have the opportunity to replenish them back to the previous numbers," Legion reported.

"Currently, the Sovereign-class Reapers are holding steady around the orbit with most of the destroyers. Several are assisting the ground offensive, but they are insignificant," the salarian admiral explained.

"Curious they didn't hold the mass relay," Shepard said, stroking his chin.

"What are you thinking?" Fedorian asked.

"Anything unusual in the system? Anything at all?" he asked. This smelled like a trap. If the enemy were the krogan of old, he would say they were waiting for a glorious battle. The Reapers were abominations of logic, and faulty or not, they wouldn't just try to win a battle in space.

Even if both sides annihilated each other, the Citadel forces would be victorious.

"Nothing we could detect under the current circumstances," the Salarian replied.

"This is a trap, but we don't have enough intel to know what it is," he said. It was the only logical conclusion.

"Enemy surveillance in the system means we can't approach too close without discovery, even with stealth ships," the Salarian admiral said.

"We have no choice but to spring the trap to know what it is," Hackett stated, referring to the difficult decision they would have to make.

Shepard's eyes narrowed at the map.

—
​

In the next chapter:

"The mass relay just released a pulse, and the rings are torn apart. The pulse scrambled our mass effect core," EDI explained. Which meant they could not go into FTL without fixing the cores.

"Shepard, I am getting anomalous readings from the system's star," the AI added, and it all made sense to Shepard.

"Fucking bastards," he grumbled. They were going to sterilize the entire system in a bid to kill the Unified Command Fleet.

"It appears to be going supernova," EDI said, echoing what he was thinking.



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.

—
​

Harsa System

The fleet transitioned into the system in parts. There was a maximum load the mass relay could handle. The Hierarchy fleet arrived first, followed by the Alliance. The geth, quarians, salarians, asari, and the rest followed.

"Shepard, the Reapers are holding steady in orbit," EDI reported.

"Uhhhh, we are getting hailed," Joker said, his voice wavering.

"By whom?" The batarians did not have the capability to reach out to anyone. It left one possibility.

"Harbinger, I think."

Shepard chuckled. Whatever trap Harbinger was about to set off, it wanted to gloat.

"On screen," he ordered. The holographic projection of the Reaper capital ship appeared over the galaxy map.

"Shepard," it said in that baritone voice of the Reapers.

"Cuttlefish," he fired back.

"You have accomplished what none before you have. It ends here." Harbinger said. It must have caused great pain to the machine to admit Shepard had fucked them over so far.

"Come and say that to my torpedoes."

"Your efforts in provoking us are futile. This exchange is over, as are you," the Reaper ended the call. The lights and holographic projections of the Normandy flickered before returning to normal.

"What happened?" he asked.

"The mass relay just released a pulse, and the rings are torn apart. The pulse scrambled our mass effect core," EDI explained. Which meant they could not go into FTL without fixing the cores.

"Shepard, I am getting anomalous readings from the system's star," the AI added, and it all made sense to Shepard.

"Fucking bastards," he grumbled. They were going to sterilize the entire system in a bid to kill the Unified Command Fleet.

"It appears to be going supernova," EDI said, echoing what he was thinking.

Hackett's form was projected over the galaxy map. "Commander, the Reapers are abandoning the system. We cannot go into FTL. If Harsa goes supernova, we are all dead."

With the fleets destroyed, the Reapers would have destroyed most of the galaxy's firepower.

"Send the emergency signal for wormhole extraction," he said.

"We already have, but we won't be able to save everyone. Harsa will destabilize in less than five minutes," Hackett responded.

Shepard rubbed his eyes. If the Reapers thought it would be that easy, they had another thing coming. "I have an idea, but I need to get close. Normandy's reflectors can't handle the strain."

"Destiny Ascension can. We will escort you, Commander," Lidanya said as her form appeared next to Hackett's.

"Thank you, Matriarch."

"Son, I don't know what you plan to do, but we will try to evacuate as many as we can." Hackett nodded, ending the call.

"Yes, sir."

"What is your plan, Shepard?" Lidanya asked.

"The black hole projector. I built it so the eezo at the core of the singularities will destabilize after a couple of seconds. However, if several merged, it can create a stable black hole."

"And absorb the expelled matter and energy rays," EDI summarized. It would be the radiation that would destroy the fleet, not the plasma. The black hole could absorb everything long enough for the fleet to evacuate.

"Exactly."

When the black hole consumed Harsa, Khar'shan would be doomed. The fleet, however, would have enough time to go through the wormhole.

Joker maneuvered the ship right under Destiny Ascension. As the pride of the Asari Republics, it was individually the strongest ship after Penumbra Apex. A pity that the Prothean dreadnought was not ready for battle yet.

Lidanya had diverted all available power to the reflectors. Even then, it wouldn't hold for long, so Shepard had to work fast. The Destiny Ascension, much like most asari ships, had two mass effect cores. While the pulse had disabled one, the other was still in working condition.

He boarded the shuttle, and the ship entered FTL the second he was aboard. Within seconds, the ship automatically came out of the FTL due to the destabilizing star. The shuttle took off again, standing at the edge of the reflectors.

Activating his anti-gravity generator, he gently passed the black hole projector through the field. Most of his body stayed inside to avoid the scorching sun.

He pulled the trigger. The black hole began to form between the interlocked claws. The mechanism slowly came apart like a maw.

The first black hole was launched, and he quickly switched out the power source. The second, the third, and the fourth black holes followed. The gravitational force of the star drew the merged black hole in, and the star stabilized for a second.

However, it would be followed by gravitational disturbances once the core equilibrium was broken.

He was back inside the Ascension, and they entered emergency FTL. Appearing in the middle of the fleet, he waited for a report.

"Shepard, the radiation spike dropped. We are safe, for now," Hackett's voice rang from his omni-tool.

"Our evacuation window will be short. We need to hurry."

"We will be out of here, son, thanks to you."

The more the black hole consumed the mass of Harsa, the faster the process became. Before the solar flares and lethal radiations surged again, the fleet had evacuated the system.

Hours later, Harsa collapsed into a black hole before the very sight of the people of Khar'shan.

—
​

The fleets evacuated to Sol, as it was the nearest location. The trajectory of the Reapers put them towards Artemis Tau. It would give them a straight shot at the Exodus Cluster and Hades Gamma.

The logical choice, if they believed the fleets were destroyed, would be the Exodus Cluster. The Reapers could spread and hit multiple population centers at once. Otherwise, they could go through Hades Gamma to hit the less populated areas and Rannoch.

However, the allied forces had the time to easily catch the enemy in Artemis Tau.

—
​

He was summoned aboard the Destiny Ascension again for the command meeting.

"Good work there, Shepard. Those pyjaks almost roasted us like varren meat," Wrex said, slapping him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, they are about to have a nasty surprise," he muttered. The fleet was intact, and the Reapers had no way of knowing it.

Their trap was perfect for the information they had. Too bad for the Reapers it did not include the wormholes.

Primarch Fedorian moved forward, holding his hand out. "Commander, you have done the impossible once more. You have our gratitude in the name of the entire galaxy."

"Thank you, Primarch." He took the hand.

"We agreed to move to Artemis Tau to wait for the Reapers. In the meantime, a last-minute issue arose," Hackett said, bringing out the image of a man in an Alliance research uniform.

"This is Dr. Bryson. He has uncovered important information on the Reapers that might directly affect the war. While the Unified Command heads to Artemis Tau, we want you to return to the Citadel and visit Dr. Bryson's lab."

Important information on the Reapers? Since they had time again,

"Yes, sir. We'll move out immediately."

"Godspeed, Commander."

He would also check whether the council had discovered anything regarding the station's inner layers.

—
​

"I can't believe the Reapers almost detonated a star to kill us all," Tali muttered between the heated kisses they were sharing.

Shepard twisted from where he was lying, throwing Tali on the bed. He pinned her arms up. "Not the dirty talk I was expecting."

"I don't know; it was a rather dirty move," she said, catching Shepard with another kiss.

Nothing like sex after almost dying.

—
​

Garrus nibbled on Hailey's ear as he tried to remove his armor. The supply closet was not the best location to spend quality time with your girlfriend. Since he didn't have his own quarters like Shepard, this was the best either could do.

His armor finally came off. Hailey wrapped her legs around him, and Garrus groaned. He didn't know what made him so attracted to the mounds behind the bra or the soft, plateless skin.

Or her hair, eyes, and every other part.

But he wasn't complaining.

"There we go," Hailey said with a singing voice.

"I am going to bother your brother until I get my own quarters," he muttered. He didn't want to make love to Hailey in a place like this. She deserved more.

"Now that sounds like an excellent idea," she replied.

Hailey unlatched her black bra, dropping it to the ground. He felt his throat dry up. To think this had started because she called him over a question on calibrating her rifle.

This woman would be the death of him, and he couldn't think of a better way to go out.

—
​

Citadel

"You know, I should get my own quarters," Garrus said. They had just disembarked and were walking into the dock.

"Why?" He had an idea why but wanted to confirm it.

"I am your second in command, and calibrating the forward guns all day is murder on my back."

Shepard stopped walking. He looked at Garrus with half-lidded eyes. The turian's mandibles twitched.

"You can have Miranda's former office," he said, continuing to walk.

Garrus took a second to follow him again. "That was easier than I thought."

"I had complaints about someone rummaging through the supply closets. These little accidents coincided with your and Hailey's break times," Shepard replied. He didn't want these two to be caught in the middle of the act.

His friend coughed. "You said it yourself, just a coincidence."

"Uh huh."

Once through the customs, he saw a familiar face.

"Samara? What are you doing here?" he asked. His former teammate was waiting near the skytaxi kiosk with two Asari maidens next to her.

"Shepard? I was merely taking my daughters, Falere and Rila," she gestured to the girls, "to see the Citadel."

"So you are the legendary Commander Shepard we have to thank for curing the Ardat-Yakshi?" Rila asked. Her stance was straighter compared to her sisters.

"He is." Tali crossed his arms, glancing at her boyfriend.

Shepard knew he was in trouble.

"We don't know how to thank you, Commander. Without you, we, and every other Ardat-Yakshi, would have been confined to the monastery forever," Falere said, bowing in unison with her sister.

"You are welcome," he said. The permanent smile on Samara's face was worth the trouble, though.

"If there is anything we can do for you, please don't hesitate," Falere offered.

"Thank you, but we have to be going," Tali intervened. She dragged Shepard forward by the arm, away from his adoring fans. With how forceful she was, Shepard knew she was scowling under her helmet.

He just kept silent and let himself be dragged along.

"Someone's in trouble," Garrus said, his voice too light.

"Shut it, Vakarian," he growled, playing along. Maybe that could distract Tali.

"Just saying."

"Oh, by the way, my father and sister are on the Citadel."

"Already meeting the parents? Would you like me to wed you two now?"

"Maybe after we deal with the Reapers? We can take an extended vacation."

"You two go ahead; I'll meet with the Council first."

—
​

"Anything I should know about your father?" Hailey asked as she and Garrus split up from Shepard and Tali. The rest of the team was given time off to destress.

"He is a bit old-fashioned. An ideal turian, as many would say," he said. The difference in their personalities had led to many clashes on how to get the job done. However, he would never deny the fact that his father made him into a great turian.

Hailey huffed. "A stickler for the rules then."

"He is, but don't say that to his face," he admitted. Having a son like him, a rogue who did not like following the rules when they were stupid, was hard on his father.

"Come now, he certainly can't do anything to the former chief advisor of Primarch Fedorian." She smiled. It was fun to tease Garrus with his former position, one that he only took out of obligation.

Garrus shook his head. "Considering he was the one that took me to Fedorian, he can."

It was a surprise for him when his father took him straight to Primarch Fedorian upon arriving in Palaven. Apparently, the Primarch himself wanted to meet the great hero that was Garrus Vakarian and had called his old acquaintance, Castis.

Standing before the quarters for VIPs, Garrus rang the bell.

His father opened it seconds later. Either he was excited to meet his son's girlfriend, or he was impatient for dinner. "Garrus, come in."

"Father," he said, entering first. Hailey

"You must be Hailey; welcome." Castis held his hand out.

"Thank you, sir." She shook it.

"Please, call me Castis," he said, gesturing her to come inside.

The atmosphere was awkward, but Solana, Garrus' sister, was quick to hug her and liven up the place. Apparently, Garrus never had any long-term partners before. His family was worried he would be alone for the rest of his life.

Though, things took a grim turn when Garrus revealed why they were at the Citadel and not at the war.

"Spirits. They tried to detonate Harsa?" Castis had seen many horrible sights in his life. Hearing that the genocidal machines had almost destroyed the

"Yes. Shepard used his black hole projector to stop the supernova. Though, the system has a black hole now," Garrus explained. The second the Reapers destabilized Harsa, the system was lost.

At least Shepard saved the fleets.

"And the batarians were just beginning to come around," Castis said. He had never liked the batarians. When the civil war ended with the emergence of the Batarian Republic, which was willing to play by the rules, he had been pleased.

"They still have the rest of the territory. The Reapers escaped to Artemis Tau without touching anywhere else," Hailey said. The batarians had lost much, no doubt about it, but they were not facing extinction.

"That is something, I suppose. What will you do now?" he asked.

"The Alliance researchers caught something. They think it's a rogue Reaper."

Castis would believe it after hearing the mess with detonating a star.

Solana intervened again. "Enough with you revealing secret information. How did you two become a couple?"

Hailey, as the better orator, took the reins. They hit it off when she was working with Garrus on the main guns of the Normandy. Garrus was a good teacher and an even better bantering partner.

Once the mission was over and they had split up, she had called Garrus to get his advice on calibrating her rifle. One subject led to another, and the two were speaking almost daily. Long-distance dinner dates had become a constant.

When Shepard sent the schematics of the wormhole generator to all the governments, Garrus had used it to visit Hailey.

Castis wasn't delighted with the blatant misuse of power.

"It pleases me to see you finally find a partner. I know your mother would feel the same." His father's words plunged the room into silence. The Vakarian family was about to reminisce about the lost member of their family, but Solana had a different idea.

This was a day of joy. Her mother wouldn't want them to be feeling sorry for themselves.

"Too bad you two can't have children. Where am I supposed to get nieces and nephews to spoil?"

Her words broke the tension again.

—
​

In the next chapter:

He had to report the situation to Admiral Hackett. Just as he was done, Joker entered the comm room. His pilot was shifty for some reason.

"Hey Commander, can we talk?" he asked.

"Joker? Sure, what is it?" he asked, gesturing to the seat opposite to his.

Joker sat down, fiddling with his thumbs. "You know how EDI and I are getting along really great, right?"



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.

—
​

The Citadel

Council Chambers

"Councillors," he tilted his head down.

Each member looked tired in their own way. Udina's shoulders were slouched, Tevos seemed a tad slow to react, Sparatus looked even more dour, and Valern twitched, probably from one too many stims.

"Commander Shepard, welcome. We will have to skip the pleasantries. We believe there is an AI core in the Citadel's heart," Valern explained. The salarian spoke far faster than usual, almost like Mordin.

"An AI core? Have you been able to access it?" he asked. An AI core of all things was not what he expected. But seeing as Reapers were AIs, they could have left one inside the Citadel to monitor everything.

"Unfortunately not," Sparatus continued. "The doors are made from relay material. We can't cut through it for now, but we are working on using the Keepers to get inside."

Spirits knew they had tried everything and almost brought a torpedo to blast the door open.

"There was a salarian that approached me to scan the Keepers after Eden Prime. His name is Chorban; perhaps his research could help," he said. It was illegal to scan the Keepers or bother them in any other way, but under the current circumstances, it would have to be lifted.

Tevos nodded. "At this point we'll take anything we can get."

"I have another lead to chase in the meantime."

"Godspeed, Commander. We'll keep you abreast of any developments."

—
​

Dr. Bryson's Lab

"Commander Shepard, welcome. I was delighted to hear that Admiral Hackett would be sending you to assist me."

"Dr. Bryson. The Admiral told me this was important."

"It is. Allow me to give you the rundown."

Dr. Bryson was the head of Task Force Aurora. Admiral Hackett had created it to research legends and rumors about the Reapers from before the galaxy had become aware of their existence.

Which had led them to Leviathan.

"Hadley, do you have the data?"

Shepard watched the assistant walk up to the doctor and pull a gun. A biotic ball slapped it out of the man's hand.

"What the?" Brayson was startled and turned back to see what the commotion was. "What are you doing, Hadley?!" he screamed upon seeing the gun on the ground.

Shepard had already slammed the man to the ground, searching for any other weapons.

"You shouldn't be here… the darkness can't be breached…," Hadley said with blank eyes.

Brayson put his hand over his heart. "My god. What has gotten into him?"

"I wonder."

Hadley kept repeating the same sentence in a trance. He was unresponsive to his queries, but Dr. Brayson had an idea.

"Could it be?" he muttered, walking back to the console. A force field appeared around the colorful orb on display. At that very second, Hadley snapped out of his trance.

"Wait, what happened?" Hadley shook his head, looking around. "Why am I tied up?"

"What do you remember?" Shepard asked. This was looking more and more like indoctrination.

"I remember darkness and cold, like I was somewhere else," the assistant explained.

"You don't remember pulling a gun on Dr. Brayson?" he asked to check for the man's reaction.

"What?! I would never harm him," Hadley denied, genuinely shocked.

It confirmed his suspicions.

"I do not believe it was Hadley, Commander." Brayson shook his head." The Leviathan does not wish to be found. The orb must have served as a window for him to take control of him to silence me," he pointed at the orb.

It had been in this room for months, which meant the Leviathan possibly knew everything he had uncovered so far.

"Almost like indoctrination, but it requires a constant connection."

"Indeed."

"Does that mean I am indoctrinated?" Hadley asked, eyes wider than the orb that had controlled him like a puppet.

"EDI, call C-Sec. Tell them we need scans for a possible indoctrinated human."

"Understood."

"We'll get to the bottom of this, don't you worry," Brayson assured his assistant.

C-Sec was quick to arrive and take Hadley into custody. The scanners had advanced enough to be mobile. His results were clean.

"Instead of indoctrination, it seems like straight-up mind control with no lasting effects," Shepard summarized. At least there would be no lasting damage on Hadley.

"Garneau," the doctor exclaimed suddenly.

"Who?"

"A team member. He went radio silent a short while ago. I just thought he was on a lead. But if the Leviathan can control people through these orbs, then he could be in danger," Brayson explained.

Shepard sighed. He already hated this Leviathan.

"Give me his location; I'll go find him," he said. Any clues about the Reapers could save one more life in this war.

"Mahavid, an asteroid mining site in the Aysur System."

"I'll pack up and find him. In the meantime, I'll have Alliance marines secure your lab. Keep those orbs behind the force fields at all times."

"Yes, Commander."

—
​

"Aren't we going to pick up Garrus and Hailey?" Ashley asked. Shore leave was cancelled early due to a possible lead on the Reapers.

Yet two members of their team were not recalled.

"No need. It is just a mining colony. There shouldn't be any threats except mind control orbs," he said.

He would have to make this up to the crew. No one enjoyed getting their shore leave cancelled.

"That doesn't fill me with confidence," Kaidan muttered.

—
​

He had to report the situation to Admiral Hackett. Just as he was done, Joker entered the comm room. His pilot was shifty for some reason.

"Hey Commander, can we talk?" he asked.

"Joker? Sure, what is it?" he asked, gesturing to the seat opposite to his.

Joker sat down, fiddling with his thumbs. "You know how EDI and I are getting along really great, right?"

"Yes?" He'd say they got along more than really great.

"Well," Joker scratched the back of his neck, "would it be too weird if we started dating? I mean, a human and an AI with a sexy killer robot body?"

Shepard tilted his head to the side. It would be a first, but there were weirder things in the galaxy.

"Jeff," he said the pilot's actual name, "I am dating a quarian, Hailey is dating a turian, and I had the misfortune of learning about salarians with a thing for krogan and that they have a fan club of me. Believe me, you dating EDI isn't any weirder or more taboo than any of that."

The only phenomenon that could be labeled as weird when it came to interspecies relationships was the asari mind sex.

"Wow, thanks, boss. I actually feel a lot better now."

"Then go ask her out next time we are ashore."

"Got it, thanks again."

—
​

He was in his room, working on the black hole projector when Javik came.

"Commander, do you have time?" he asked from the door.

"Javik, come in."

"I wished to thank you," the prothean said.

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"I am sure you will claim that the efforts of the primitives of this cycle were a part of it too; defeating the Reapers, once we have, that is, would not have been possible without you. I cannot bring my people back, but because of you, I can avenge them."

Javik's words stunned him. As the last of his race, the only thought that kept him going was revenge. When he avenged his people, there would be nothing holding him from ending his life. He didn't want the last protean to go out in that manner.

"You are welcome."

Javik nodded. "Though, I do have one question."

Shepard rolled his hand.

"You have the mind of a great scholar, the greatest in fact, yet you risk yourself by choosing to fight. Why?" It did not make sense to Javik. Shepard's mind would be more useful in creating weapons that could destroy the Reapers with frightening ease.

The memories he saw and the tales he heard showed that Shepard could not be killed by any existing means. However, how long could that continue?

Shepard smiled. Most people were too busy gushing to ask why he was fighting at all. The Alliance thought it was to serve humanity; the aliens thought it was to serve the galaxy. "When you want something done, do it yourself, especially when your leaders are politicians."

In the end, all he wanted was peace. If he had to acquire it by ensuring there was nothing left to threaten it, then that's what he would do.

"Ah, I can respect that."

"How does being in this cycle feel so far?"

Javik smirked. He admitted that the technology was far more advanced than it was in the Prothean Empire. The disunity of the races was foolish to him, but he also conceded that it might actually win the war.

The races incorporated into the Prothean Empire all thought and fought like one. Once the Reapers figured out how to defeat one planet, the war was already lost. The empire could not adapt and was extinguished.

"You know, the hanar worship your people as gods," he said with a grin.

The hanar also called him an Enkindler reborn, but this was about Javik.

"Hanar?" Javik snorted. "They were nothing more than appetizers in my cycle."

Shepard chuckled. It would definitely be amusing if a fish gained sapience and worshiped humanity like gods.

"They call protheans the Enkindlers."

"How amusing. Perhaps I shall go and grace their world with my presence."

"They'll treat you like a king there."

"What of the other races? I did not have much time to read about their history."

"The asari are diplomats, with the most advanced technology before I came. The turians are a meritocratic military nation; the salarians are spies and scientists. The humans are all-rounders; the batarians were slavers before I razed Khar'shan to the ground. The volus are merchants, the krogan are a bunch of berserkers, and the elcor are miners."

His brief summary was overshadowed by the mention of Khar'shan.

"You razed an entire planet to the ground? I must hear this," Javik said, taking a seat.

He explained the chain of events that had led to the founding of the Batarian Republic. Starting from the Skyllian Blunder, with him infiltrating and annihilating most of Khar'shan's forces. Freeing the slaves and kidnapping the leadership of the hegemony before nuking another fleet to death, he had left a wreckage behind that had resulted in the Batarian civil war.

"I see why people fear and respect you so much. Had you been in our cycle, I shudder to imagine what you could have done."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"This has been most informative. Thank you, commander."

—
​

"Hey boss, I have a question for you," Vega asked him while they were sparring in the cargo hold.

"Go ahead, Vega," he said, ducking beneath a punch.

"I have been offered a position in the villa," his opponent said, blocking the light punches.

Shepard took a step back, evaluating Vega's stance. "About time."

"But we are in the middle of a war, and I don't want to leave Normandy." James took two steps forward, on the attack now.

"I'll sign up as your mentor," he grunted, pushing a hand away and tripping Vega.

James tried to right himself, but Shepard's feet stopped inches from his face. "Well, that saves me the trouble of asking."

"You are welcome."

—
​

"So you are my new comms officer," he said to the skittish officer.

"Yes, Commander, Communications Specialist Samantha Traynor." She saluted him, forcing her eyes to stay still.

"Right. Tell me about yourself, Traynor."

Her parents were originally from London but preferred the freedom of colonial life. They did not have the money to send her to a university. The Alliance, upon seeing her aptitude scores, offered her a full scholarship.

She was a part of the Normandy's retrofit crew. When she got along extremely well with EDI and the rest of the crew, the acting XO had offered her a permanent place on the ship.

The chance to work with Commander Shepard was an offer no sane person would refuse.

"Thanks, Traynor. Carry on, and no need to be so stiff."

"Yes, sir."

—
​

Aysur System

Mahavid

Shepard landed on the site with Ashley and Kaidan. It did not take long to figure out that the entire base was under the control of the Leviathan.

The workers were sluggish, saying Shepard and his team should not be here. They found a man that introduced himself as Garneau, but the face did not match the photos of the real man.

He still questioned the man, who claimed the Leviathan was a dead end. When Kaidan pressed him on the artifact, the Leviathan stopped playing the fool.

"Why do you pursue me?" it said with a deep voice.

Shepard crossed his arms, glaring at the creature. "So you finally decided to talk."

"Leave the artifact. You will not take what is mine," it declared.

"The rest of the Reapers are scared. You will tell me everything you know about them. Or I will take it from you."

He didn't have the time to play games. If this thing was a Reaper, which he was less and less sure with each second, then it would talk. If it wasn't a Reaper, it still knew enough to kill one.

Escaping wasn't a choice he'd give this creature.

"You. Shepard," it said.

"Yes. Now speak."

"There is nothing to say," the Leviathan growled. There was a high-pitched noise that shattered the glass and disoriented the team.

The Leviathan tried to run, but Shepard recovered quickly, slapping a stasis around the man.

"I was not asking. Since you are unwilling to talk, I'll find you and make you talk," he said. He pulled the man back, breaking the stasis, and knocked him out.

"What now?" Ashley asked. Good thing the helmet kept most of the noise out.

"Now, we find the artifact the real Garneau mentioned, along with him if he is alive." Seeing as the Leviathan did not control the real one, he was most likely dead.

He found Garneau at a different section of the mine. The man was dead for a while, lying next to an exact replica of the artifact in Brayson's office.

The miners most likely came across it while digging the asteroid. Seeing as it was not removed from the stone yet, the Leviathan must have taken control of the mining colony that instant.

He didn't have a forcefield on hand and improvised with a layered stasis. The miners snapped out of mind control.

They were thralls to the Leviathan for more than a decade, unaware of anything except a cold, dark place.

He ordered evacuation for the miners.

The Leviathan was looking more and more like a liability each second. If it didn't want to cooperate, then Shepard would kill it. If the Alliance wanted to learn something from it, the remains would have to suffice.

Fortunately, he had the firepower for it.

—
​

In the next chapter:

"So we are actually getting shore leave?" Joker asked, his arm looped around EDI's. It would draw eyes, but the people were too busy gaping at Shepard like a fish out of water.

"Yes. Anderson is letting us borrow his house," he said. He had been to the place a couple of times; it was spacious enough for the crew.

"We should throw a party. You know, relax before the big battle that will decide the galaxy's future," James suggested.



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