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Aug 20, 2017 17:56:10 GMT
August 2017
pelassarias
Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, Mass Effect Legendary Edition
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Post by pelassarias on Apr 18, 2021 7:04:59 GMT
Hey everyone, sorry for the delay. But this narrative was pretty lengthy and it took me awhile to finish so I hope you understand. 
---
Illos / Battle of The Citadel
--
Shepard slumped against the nearest wall and exhaled. The Normandy was officially docked indefinitely after the events of Virmire. Even after everything Shepard had done. Even after Liara finally figured out the planet they needed to head to next within the Mu Relay. Even after Shepard informed the Council how Sovereign and the Reapers were the true threat of the galaxy, and explaining that Saren was just a mere pawn. Throughout the meeting, Shepard pleaded with Council how Saren could not find the Conduit and how she had to go to Illos, but it all fell on dear ears.
The Council still did not believe Shepard's warnings and thus decided to dock the Normandy indefinitely as Udina threw Shepard right under the bus in the process. Going over the past meeting with the Council already made Shepard's blood boil and she brooded within the halls of the vacant Normandy. At least, that's what Shepard believed initially. There was one squad mate, however, that still lingered within the ship as he heard Shepard murmur and curse to herself nearby. Amidst the shadows, Garrus noticed it was the Commander sulking.
Before he made his presence known however, Garrus thought over a little bit just what he was going to say to Shepard. Perhaps he shouldn't say much at all, or maybe he should leave her be? What if Shepard notices him though? What will he say then? Garrus thought over just what to say to Shepard a little more, and he was soon satisfied with what he came up with. Soon he made his presence known and locked eyes with Shepard. Shepard eventually saw Garrus and gave a half hearted smile . The only source of light that was illuminating within the Normandy was a nearby medbay station; lights casting a somber shadow behind Shepard's silhouette. However sombering, Garrus thought Shepard looked strangely vulnerable as he slowly made his way towards her.
"Shepard, I heard what happened with the Council," Garrus began as he offered his hand to Shepard and finished his condolences. As Shepard lightly grabbed his hand though, the young turian felt a noticeable spark from the contact as he was suddenly face to face with the somber leader. Shepard's face was close to Garrus' and she was speaking to him, but he couldn't hear a word that she was saying. All he could do was slowly nod as Shepard continued speaking. Spirits, what has come over me? Garrus thought as he suddenly felt the air around him thicken as he took in Shepard's close and warm presence.
Shepard too, could feel the atmosphere slightly changing from what it once was before Garrus entered her vicinity. Throughout her entire mission to stop Saren she has been keeping her relationship with her impressionable squad mate at a professional level. Keeping things professional and distant was safe for Shepard. As of now however, the Normandy was grounded, and if she couldn't find a way out of the Citadel with her ship then the entire galaxy would be doomed. So with doom becoming an increasing possibility, why not just throw caution out of the wind, just this once?
Garrus must have been thinking similar thoughts, as his hand eventually found Shepard's shoulder, making Shepard sigh from the contact. But just as Shepard was about to inch even closer to her companion, Joker suddenly broke into the intercoms.
"Uh, sorry to interrupt Commander," Joker chimed in, instantly killing the atmosphere and eliciting groans from both parties, "Got a message from Captain Anderson,"
Shepard and Garrus were instantly feet apart from one another once more, with Garrus rubbing his hand on the back of his neck.
"Um, what did he want?" Shepard said, breaking the intolerable silence.
"Only said to meet him at the club in the wards. Flux,"
"Well, you should probably go meet him," Garrus finally said.
"Yeah," Shepard simply replied with a sigh.
--
In the midst of the hypnotic beats within the club of Flux, was the former Commander Anderson, waiting for Shepard. Going through countless inebriated bodies, Shepard finally made her way to Anderson's table and sat down.
"I'm glad you came Shepard. I heard what happened," Anderson said as Shepard found her seat at Anderson's table. Shepard could barely hear her former Commander however, from the loud pulsing beats and drunken shouting nearby.
"They pulled me off the mission," Shepard said while ordering a drink, "Just like when they forced you to give up the Normandy,"
"I know I'm sorry," Anderson replied, "I wanted to warn you, but there was no way to get a message to you before you docked,"
"I know you're pissed off right now, but you can't give up," Anderson continued as he leaned forward, meeting Shepard's eyes, "They all think this is over. But we both know it's not. You have to go to Illos. You have to stop Saren from using the Conduit!"
"There's only one ship that can get me into the Terminus Systems undetected and she's grounded," Shepard responded.
"Citadel control's locked out all the Normandy's systems. But if we override the ambassador's orders we can get them to bring the Normandy back online. You can be in the Terminus Systems before anyone knows you're gone!"
"Well," Shepard whistled as she also leaned forward, "What's the plan?"
-
As Udina fiddled away at his computer at his office, soon Anderson stormed within. His eyes blazed with determination as Udina soon questioned his presence.
"Anderson, what are you doing here?" Udina asked as Anderson quickly made his way to the ambassador, "I didn't se-"
Before Udina could finish his sentence Anderson quickly gave Udina loaded punch to his face. Udina was instantly knocked out before his head slammed into his desk. Without a second to lose, Anderson quickly accessed Udina's computer in order to override Udina's initial orders. Soon, Anderson brought back the Normandy back online for flight.
With bated breaths, Shepard and Joker soon witnessed the Normandy light up as it was brought back to life. Anderson did his part, now it was time for Shepard to do hers.
"Get us out of here Joker," Shepard ordered, "We have a galaxy to save,"
--
With the Normandy back in space, technically stolen, Shepard's mission was also back on. It was now time to head to Illos to stop Saren from obtaining the Conduit once and for all. But before then, Shepard needed a time for reprieve. The next mission was incredibly vital regarding the state of the galaxy and she would need to be sharp in order to complete her mission. So she was in her cabin, resting and thinking over the mission as she eventually heard someone come in.
"Commander, uh, Shepard?" the slightly shaky voice belonged to Garrus as he gazed back from where he stood, wondering if he made the right decision.
"Yes, Vakarian?" Shepard's voice was warm, unlike her usual tone during missions.
"I, uh, I just can't believe we stole the Normandy, Commander," Garrus said with a slight chuckle, "I mean, I'm not surprised after everything you told me, but still,"
"You sound worried, Garrus," Shepard noted as she got up from her cot.
"No, not really," Garrus said, shaking his head slightly, "If you're wrong, we'll pay for it. But if you're right, and we did nothing, I think we'd regret it a lot more. I just hope we can catch Saren before they realize we're missing,"
"Don't worry, we'll get him. Just be ready when we do,"
"Of course, Commander,"
"Was that all you wanted to talk about, Vakarian?" Shepard asked with a cocked eyebrow.
"Well," Garrus began, rubbing the back of his neck again, "I also wanted to thank you, for everything,"
"Taking me with you, letting me be part of your team. I've learned a lot," Garrus continued, "And I thought about what you said about Doctor Saleon, and about eliminating the threat no matter what, no matter the cost. And I think you're right,"
"And if there's anything else I can do to help, anything, just tell me what you want me to do, and I'll do it,"
As Garrus uttered those words to Shepard, the leader became a little flustered, their previous encounter still on her mind. Moments later though, she quickly gathered herself and simply thanked Garrus for his kind words and offered him a seat within her cabin. The remaining time until Illos, Shepard spent with Garrus telling him of her past memories and missions within the Alliance. Garrus of course, hung on to every word, as he prepared himself for the upcoming mission.
--
"Uh, Commander? We got company," Joker said as the Normandy finally entered Illos' orbit.
"Have the sensors picked us up yet?" Liara said as she was standing next to Joker, Shepard, and Garrus within the cockpit.
"Stealth systems are engaged. Unless we get close enough for a visual, they won't have any idea that we're here,"
"Picking up some strange readings from the planet's surface," Navigator Pressly informed Shepard.
"Take us down, Joker," Shepard ordered, "Lock in on the coordinates,"
"Negative on that, Commander," Pressly said as he turned to Shepard, "The nearest landing zone's two clicks away,"
"We'll never make it in time on foot," Kaidan said as he joined the cockpit, "Get us somewhere closer!"
"There's nowhere closer! I've looked!" Pressly replied.
"Drop us in the Mako," Shepard ordered.
"You need at least a hundred meters of open terrain to pull off a drop like that," Pressly said, "The most I can find near Saren is twenty,"
"Twenty meters? Not a chance we can pull that off," Kaidan said with crossed arms.
"We have to try," Liara said.
"Find another landing zone!"
"There is no other landing zone, Lieutenant!"
"The descent's angle is too steep," Garrus joined in on the frantic conversation. Meanwhile, Shepard was still as a statue, weighing in her options.
"It's our only option," Liara said as Kaidan was biting his lips.
"This isn't an option. It's suicide! We d-"
"I can do it," Joker finally said, silencing the rest.
"Joker?" Shepard looked at Joker, his eyes narrowed and ablazed.
"I can do it,"
"Gear up and head down to the Mako," Shepard said to her squad mates,Liara and Garrus, "Joker, drop us right on top of that bastard!"
--
As Saren and his geth army were already within the deeply ancient and forested planet, the metallic turian gazed up into the sky to see the Normandy. His dark eyes narrowed as he saw the ship entering the atmosphere.
"You two, keep moving. Inside, now!" Saren ordered as the Mako made it's drop nearby. Before the Mako could catch up with Saren however, he closed the entrance within the sealed bunker, blocking further access.
As the trio accessed their surroundings of the over grown and mossy planet, Liara finally broke the silence.
"We have to get inside this bunker before Saren finds the Conduit," Liara said, breaking her spell of awe regarding the Prothean planet, "There is no way we're getting past that door with brute force,"
"Saren found a way to open it," Garrus said as he observed the mentioned door, "There must be some kind of security override somewhere in this complex,"
With that said, Shepard turned the Mako around and trekked back into the ruins to investigate her surroundings. It wouldn't take long ,however, for her to find geth along the way. But as an Engineer and with experience she was prepared. Garrus also provided much needed assistance as a sniper while Liara flung the geth to a fro whenever they were stripped of their shields.
As she ascended to a nearby plaza, a gang of Armatures greeted the trio. Luckily for Shepard though, she found a nearby console that disabled most of them. The further Shepard went into investigating, the more geth she encountered. But with persistence, skill, and patience, she handled all of them as she eventually encountered an ancient and worn elevator. Without much to lose, the trio entered the elevator, hoping to come up with some sort of information along the way.
"This place still has power," Garrus noted as they descended, "It must be running off its own generator,"
Liara later mentioned that the place was probably the command center for the complex, and Saren must have sealed the doors after he went inside.
"We'll have to figure out how to disengage the security lock down if we ever want to get inside," Liara noted. Luckily for the trio, moments later, Shepard discovered just that as they encountered the security panel. It was right outside from where they left the elevator.
With a few clicks, Shepard was one step closer to catching Saren before he reached the Conduit. As soon as Shepard was about to leave the area however, the security panel was playing an ancient recording of a damaged hologram.
"Too, too late," the damaged hologram stuttered, "unable to --- invading fleets --- no escape, no es-" The hologram recording played with damage within.
"Sounds like some sort of message, but I don't recognize the language," Garrus noted.
"It is probably in Prothean," Liara said, "This recording must be fifty thousand years old. No wonder we cannot understand it,"
"The message is all broken up, but I recognize some of the words. It's a warning against the Reaper invasion," Shepard told her squad mates.
"Of course," Liara said, her eyes slightly widening, "Between the beacons and the Cipher, an understanding of the Prothean language would have been transferred into your mind,"
The recording continued, with the hologram pleading to seek refuge within the archives. Shepard continued to listen on, as the other two stood by.
" ---alled Reapers. The Citadel....overwhelmed...only hope...act of desperation...the Conduit..all is lost.."
"It said something about the Conduit, but it's too degraded to help," Shepard said as the recording finally finished "We should go,"
--
Shepard heard the recording mentioned an archives room nearby, so that was where she was headed to next. Of course, geth stood in her way before she reached her destination, so she quickly dispatched of them. Luckily for Shepard, she soon encountered another elevator that took her straight to the archives.
Moments later, she was inside the Mako once more, with a slack jawed Liara taking in the ancient Prothean archives filled with stasis pods inside. As the Mako continued on, Liara noted that the ancient bunker was probably the last refuge for the Protheans. Shepard couldn't help but smirk as she could hear Liara buzz with awe and wonder, regardless of their current situation.
As the Mako made its way to the Archives, Shepard could feel the very air she breathe change around her. A gradual sense of serenity came over her as she passed an overgrown and ancient tunnel. Something within her, call it intuition, call it hope, started to blossom. And as she eventually got out of the Mako to ascend to another elevator, Shepard just knew that she will save the galaxy. She knew that she will stop Saren. Some how, some way, Shepard knew she was not going to allow Saren or the Reapers to doom the galaxy. Not while she was still breathing and alive.
Eventually Shepard stood before another hologram within the archives. But Shepard knew it in her bones that this hologram was unlike any other she will face. As the VI glowed before her, she knew her instinct was sound.
"You are not Prothean. But you are not machine, either. This eventually was one of many that was anticipated," The illuminating hologram echoed before Shepard, "This is why we sent our warnings through the beacons,"
"Looks like some kind of VI program, but badly damaged," Garrus noted.
"I do not sense the taint of indoctrination upon any of you, unlike the other that passed recently," The VI said, "Perhaps there is still hope,"
"Wait a minute. How come I can understand you? Why aren't you speaking the Prothean language?" Garrus asked.
"I have been monitoring your communications since you arrived at this facility. I have translated my output into a format you will understand,"
"My name is Vigil," Vigil continued, "You are safe here, for the moment, but that is likely to change. Soon, nowhere will be safe,"
"Why did you bring me here?" Shepard asked.
"You must break a cycle that has continued for millions of years," Vigil explained, " But to stop it, you must understand or you will make the same mistakes we did,"
"The Citadel is the heart of your civilization and the seat of government. As it was with us, and as it was with every civilization that came before us,"
"But the Citadel is a trap," Vigil warned, "The station is actually an enormous mass relay. One that links to dark space, the empty void beyond the galaxy's horizon.
When the Citadel relay is activated, the Reapers will pour through, and all you know will be destroyed,"
As Shepard heard Vigil's warnings, she stood still in shock, "The Reapers can wipe out the Council and the entire Citadel fleet in a single surprise attack!"
Vigil continued to tell Shepard about the doomed Protheans' fate. Before they realized the Reaper's surprise attack, the Prothean leaders were already dead. Soon the Reapers seized control of the Citadel and all of the mass relays.
Eventually, communication and transportation crumbled during the Prothean cycle. Each star system was soon isolated from one another, making it easier for the Reapers to pick them off.
"Over the next decades, the Reapers systematically obliterated our people. World by world, system by system, they methodically wiped us out,"
"Some of you must have managed to survive," Shepard pointed out.
"Through the Citadel, the Reapers had access to all our records, maps, census data. Information is power, and they knew everything about us,"
Vigil continued to explain in detail how the Reapers advanced,destroyed, and indoctrinated every advanced region within the galaxy. The indoctrinated would later infiltrate the Protheans, thus betraying them to the Reapers. This brought Shepard back to Tali, her former squad mate that was revealed to be indoctrinated. Shepard shook her head as she continued to think about her recent betrayal due to the Reapers.
"Within a few centuries, the Reapers had killed or enslaved every Prothean in the galaxy. They were relentless, brutal, and absolutely thorough,"
"You said you brought me here for a reason," Shepard said, her eyes narrowed, "Tell me what I need to do,"
"The Conduit is the key," Vigil said, "Before the Reapers attacked, we Protheans were on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries behind the mass relay technology,"
"Illos was a top secret facility. Here, researchers worked to create a small scale version of a mass relay. One that linked directly to the Citadel: the hub of the relay network,"
"So the Conduit is not a weapon. It is a back door to the Citadel," Liara explained.
Shepard preceded to ask Vigil what transpired next. Vigil responded by explaining that the researchers severed all communications and the facility went dark. All personnel then preceded to retreat into the stasis pods inside the underground bunker from within.
"To conserve resources, everyone was put into cryogenic stasis. I was programmed to monitor the facility and wake the staff when the danger had passed. But the genocide of an entire species is a long, slow process. Years passed. Decades, centuries. The Reapers persisted. And my energy reserves were dwindling,"
"You should have fought," Shepard responded.
"We were a few hundred against a galactic invasion fleet. Our only hope was to remain undetected.
"I began to disable the life support of non essential personnel," Vigil continued, "First support staff, then security. One by one, their pods were shut down to conserve energy,"
"Eventually, only the stasis pods of the top scientists remained active. Even these were in danger of failing when the Reapers finally retreated back through the Citadel relay,"
"There were hundred of stasis pods out there," Liara said, eyes wide in disbelief, "You just shut them down? You killed them?"
"This outcome was not completely unforeseen," Vigil replied, "My actions were a result of contingency programming entered on my creation,"
"I bet they didn't tell the 'non-essential' staff of this contingency," Garrus said.
"I saved key personnel. When the Reapers retreated, the top researchers were still alive," Vigil said, "My actions are the only reason any hope remains,"
Vigil concluded that when the top researchers finally woke up from their pods, they realized that their entire species were doomed. There were only a few researcher left, which meant there was too little to sustain future generations.
However, they vowed to find a way to stop the Reapers from continuing their cycles of genocide, and they knew the keepers were the key. They were essentially the key to activate the Citadel relay since they send signals to the Citadel with each invasion. So after decades of study, the remaining scientists figured out a way to alter the keeper's signal in order to gain access to the Citadel.
"This time, when Sovereign sent the signal to the Citadel, the keepers ignored it. The Reapers are trapped in dark space,"
"So is there any way we can stop Saren, before he uses the Conduit to bypass the Citadel's defenses?"
Vigil then preceded to tell Shepard of a data file within the console. Vigil then advised Shepard to take a copy so that she can reach the Citadel's master control unit and upload it to the station. The data file will then corrupt the Citadel's security protocols and grant Shepard temporary control over the station.
"Follow Saren, he will lead you to your destination," Vigil advised Shepard.
"Alright, Saren's got enough of a head start. Grab that data file, and let's move!" Shepard ordered.
"The one you call Saren has not reached the Conduit. Not yet, there is still hope if you hurry,"
With those words spoken by Vigil, Shepard took one last glance upon the glowing VI, one of the very last messages of the Protheans. With their last dying efforts, they possibly saved this galaxy from possible doom. This valiant action was not lost on Shepard as she left the archives to in order to find the Conduit.
----
It was now a race against time to reach the Conduit in order to save the Citadel and the rest of the galaxy. So Shepard put the pedal to the metal as she sped through the tunnels in order to reach her destination. Lo and behold, after vital seconds, the trio spotted a glowing mass relay within their vicinity. The Conduit.
"There!" Liara exclaimed inside the Mako, "The Conduit! It's incredible!"
"Those geth," Garrus noted within the distance of the Conduit, "There not going to make it easy for us,"
"You worry too much," Shepard replied as she revved up the reliable Mako. She will make it on time, and she will be damned if a couple of geth were going to stop her along the way.
Meanwhile, a fleet of Reapers were within arms reach of the Citadel, ready for their surprise attack. Within mere moments, the Reaper fleet already honed in on the Citadel's external defenses, making their thunderous presence known in the process. Under the Reaper's might, the Destiny Ascension was soon in dire need. Inside the ship, the struggling Commander relayed her orders to seal the station as the Reapers tore through their defenses. Seeing the wreckage the Reapers have already made, the Destiny Ascension Commander ordered to abandon the Citadel and evacuate the Council.
From within her gut, Shepard could practically feel the Reapers already honing in on the Citadel. So without a moment to lose, she sped away on the Mako in order to reach the Conduit on time. Her squad mates' cries ringing above her ears as she ran over several geth along the way, and flipping over the Mako in the process. Fortunately, the flipping Mako quickly landed back on it's feet, and Shepard sped even further to the Conduit. With seconds to spare, prayer, and a lot of deafened pleads and cries, the Mako finally reached the sought after Conduit.
--
In an instant, the Citadel relay transported the Mako into a now breached Citadel. In a raucous boom, the Mako preceded to jump out of the relay and on top of unsuspecting geth in the way. As Shepard steadily crawled her way out of the crashed Mako, she observed her surroundings. The once serene and bustling station now burned of death and destruction. What was once blue was now burning red throughout the station, as Avina was still online. The current situation reminded Shepard too much of how this all began: the attack on Eden Prime.
"Critical failure is detected across all systems," Avina relayed repeatedly as the Citadel crumbled around the VI. "Please begin emergency evacuations,"
Meanwhile, Saren was steadily making his way to the Council Chambers. His eyes on the master control unit in order to transfer complete control to Sovereign. Up above, the Citadel was soon sealing the station, as defenses tried their best to prevent the Reapers from getting inside the Citadel.
These small defensive ships however, couldn't hold their own against Sovereign. Thus they were instantly ripped to shreds as the warship steadily advanced. Sovereign, most importantly, managed to make it inside just as the Citadel sealed itself.
Shepard knowing where Saren was headed thanks to Avina, was soon in an elevator to ascend to the Council Chambers to stop Saren. The elevator unfortunately, shuddered to a complete stop mid way to the tower. Shepard grimaced, knowing who was responsible.
"Saren's locked the elevator," Shepard said, cocking her pistol, "Everyone suit up, we're going outside,"
So with no other choice, Shepard preceded to go outside of the exterior of the elevator in order to keep going to stop Saren. With her pistol ready, Shepard shot a window on the side of the elevator, shards of glass floating afterwards and surrounding Shepard as she gazed downwards from below.
With caution, Shepard steadily walked outside of the elevator exterior. As Shepard made her way to the Council Chambers outside of the elevator exterior, she was greeted with geth along the way. Most notably, a former squad mate finally made her appearance: Tali'Zorah.
Tali was surrounded by geth troopers rocket troopers, and nearby turrets. The young indoctrinated machinist then preceded to order them to take out Shepard. Rockets soon crashed into
Shepard as she quickly got to cover. As Shepard took down the geth one by one, she wanted desperately to ask Tali why she joined forces with Saren. However, she knew by now that whatever her former companion would say wouldn't matter in the end, for her indoctrination was too severe at this point.
With the geth finally gone, it was now only Tali by her self. Tali preceded to wreak havoc on Shepard's weapons. Liara's biotics however, Tali had no answer as she was lifted to and fro from the asari's biotic powers. As she came crashing down, Shepard was there to meet Tali, giving her an uppercut, and thus finally knocking her out.
Shepard pondered whether not to fully eliminate her former squad mate, but eventually decided against it as she trekked forward towards the Council Chambers.
---
Shepard managed to find a working elevator that took her directly to the Council Chambers. As the elevator finally opened, more wreckage, fire, and ruin greeted the Commander as she made her way towards the station. Flamed debris floated by as Shepard took down the remaining geth lackeys along the way. Eden Prime felt like a millennia ago, but now it was time to finally avenge those who were lost and much more. Shepard's fist were balled up tight and her pace quickened as she made her way up the stairs to finally meet Saren, hopefully for the last time.
Amidst the ruin that he wrought, there was the rogue turian, working to give complete control over to Sovereign. As soon as Shepard noticed her adversary she broke out in a full sprint, with her squad mates right behind her. Hearing their movements, Saren instantly disappeared by the time Shepard made it to the station to draw out her pistol. Liara was right beside Shepard, looking around with her pistol drawn as Garrus quickly scanned the area for Saren.
Seconds later, Saren appeared again with his hover platform and a grenade to greet the trio. Noticing the thrown grenade, the trio quickly dove away and into cover. With the grenade exploding on impact Saren scanned to see if he hit, but much to his dismay the trio was still alive and in reliable cover.
"I was afraid you wouldn't make it in time, Shepard," Saren finally spoke to greet Shepard.
"Had to wipe out a few of your followers along the way," Shepard huffed, "Sorry if I kept you waiting,"
"You lost, you know that don't you?" Saren said, still floating on his platform, "In a few minutes Sovereign will have full control of all the Citadel's systems. The relays will open. The Reapers will return,"
"I'm heading towards that master control panel," Shepard shouted, "And you can't stop me!"
"You survived our encounter on Virmire," Saren continued, "But I've changed since then. Improved. Sovereign has upgraded me,"
"Fancy hardware is not going to save you," Shepard shot back.
"I suppose I should actually thank you, Shepard," Saren began, ignoring Shepard, "After Virmire, I couldn't stop thinking about what you said. About Sovereign manipulating me. About indoctrination,"
"The doubts began to eat away at me. Sovereign sensed my hesitation. I was implanted to strengthen my resolve. Now my doubts are gone. I believe in Sovereign completely. I understand that the Reapers need organics. Join us and Sovereign will find a place for you too,"
"Sovereign's controlling you through your implants!" Shepard shouted at Saren, "Don't you see that?"
"The relationship is symbiotic," Saren explained, "Organic and machine intertwined. A union of flesh and steel. The strengths of both, the weaknesses of neither,"
"I am a vision of the future, Shepard," Saren declared with his head held high, "The evolution of all organic life. This is our destiny. Join Sovereign and experience a true rebirth!"
"I'd rather die then live like that," Shepard countered.
"Then you will die. And your companions. Everyone you know and love. Everyone you've ever met. Don't you understand? You will all die!"
Shepard looked back towards Saren as he continued on, "The Reapers can't be stopped. Not by the Protheans. Not by you. The cycle always continues,"
"The Reapers don't use organics!" Shepard interrupted, "They devour and discard them! As soon as the conquest is over, you'll be cast aside!"
"I had no choice!" Saren shot back, "You saw the visions. You saw what happened to the Protheans! Surrender or death, there are no other options!"
"You could have resisted. You could have fought!" Shepard retorted quickly, "Instead, you surrendered. You quit!"
As Shepard stared back towards Saren once more, she finally saw the mask slip away as he finally spoke again, "Maybe, maybe you're right. Maybe there's still a chance for.."
Saren soon faltered, wrestling with his indoctrination from the inside. But a few moments later, he stood upright once more, "The implants..Sovereign is too strong. I'm sorry. It's too late for me,"
"No!" Shepard said as she rolled out of cover to face Saren. Shepard's eyes were frantic as she stood in front of the Spectre, who was fighting his way out from the inside, "There's still one way to stop this, and you can still redeem yourself!"
Saren instantly knew what he had to do as he struggled to fight his indoctrination. A part of him deep inside knew he had no chance against the battled worn Commander in front of him. And if he were to die, he wanted to do it on his own terms, and finally free.
"Goodbye, Shepard, and thank you," were the final words Shepard heard from Saren before he pulled the trigger, his body soon falling inside the Chambers from within.
--
Without a moment to spare, Shepard hurriedly paced towards the station to upload Vigil's data file. A few moments passed, and Shepard finally smiled.
"Vigil's data file worked. I've got control of all systems," Shepard told her squad mates.
"Quick, open the station's arms," Garrus said, "Maybe the fleet can take Sovereign down!"
"See if you can open a communications channel," Liara said, and Shepard did just that. Suddenly, Shepard could hear comms from the Destiny Ascension.
"..the Destiny Ascension. Main drives offline. Kinetic barriers down 40%. The Council is on board. I repeat, the Council is on board!"
"Normandy to the Citadel. Normandy to the Citadel," Joker's voice was suddenly within Shepard's comms, "Please tell me that's you Commander,"
"I'm here, Joker,"
"We caught that distress call, Commander. I'm sitting here in the Andura sector with the entire Arcturus fleet,"
"We can save the Ascension," Joker continued, "Just unlock the relays around the Citadel and we'll send the cavalry in!"
Liara and Garrus of course, had their opinions regarding saving the Ascension before Shepard could weigh in herself.
"Are you really willing to sacrifice human lives in order to save the Council, Shepard?" Garrus said, but Shepard's gut was telling Shepard that her companion's opinion would probably be different if she possibly brought along some else instead of Liara.
"This is bigger than humanity," Liara said, "Sovereign's a threat to every organic species in the galaxy,"
"The Council must be sacrificed for the greater good," Garrus retorted, "Don't waste the reinforcements. Hold them back until the Citadel arms open up. Save the human fleet to attack Sovereign,"
What's the order, Commander?" Joker asked with static within the comms, "Come in now to save the Ascension or hold back?"
"Hold off Joker. We're not sacrificing any more lives to save the Council," Shepard finally ordered after a brief moment, "Keep our ships back until they can get a shot at Sovereign,"
---
Moments later and up from above, the Alliance fleet was still soaring and ready to save the Ascension. However, Hackett suddenly buzzed into the comms with different orders.
"All Alliance ships hold formation," Admiral Hackett ordered, "Wait for a shot at Sovereign. Nothing else matters. I repeat, nothing else matters!"
With those orders, the Alliance fleet held back as the Destiny Ascension attempted to open a comm channel to the fleet. The fleet however, closed the comm channel as the Destiny Ascension soon met
their fate as geth ships tore through the ship soon afterwards. The Council dying in the process as the Destiny Ascension was sacrificed and blown apart in the distance. Soon afterwards, the Citadel arms open and Hackett ordered the fleet to start firing on Sovereign.
Back within the Council Chambers, Shepard ordered her squad mates to make sure that Saren was dead. Slowly but surely, the duo carefully descended down to check if the rogue Spectre was truly gone.
Flamed debris was still floating from above as Garrus and Liara jumped down from above to check on the seemingly dead body. With his pistol drawn, Garrus slowly made his way towards the body to shoot Saren directly through his head.
"He is dead," Liara confirmed to Shepard moments later.
Just as Shepard was about to confirm it herself, suddenly red flashing lighting bolts appeared from underground while the ground violently shook. Saren's body suddenly vibrated in red lightening to take on another form entirely. With a sudden crimson explosion, Saren transformed, knocking and blowing away Garrus and Liara on impact. Suddenly, Shepard too lost her footing and came crashing down from above, joining her squad mates and Saren below.
As Shepard observed Saren's violent and twisted transformation, she shook her head in disgust. It seemed as though Sovereign found one more use for Saren, no matter his say on the matter. It was also time for Shepard to take down what was left of Saren, once and for all.
Saren's new body acted like a Geth Hopper, hopping from wall to wall, but shooting deadly rockets along the way. Shepard was careful however, as she stuck to the only reliable cover with Saren's vicinity. The only thing she could do during this onslaught was be patient, and seize an opening on Saren when available. The battle felt long and arduous, as Liara and Garrus became repeatedly incapacitated along the fight. Shepard was resilient however, as she repeatedly brought them back to the fight whenever possible.
Up from above, the fleet continued it's fight with Sovereign by firing everything they had on the warship. Sovereign, growing hasty or irritated, simply blasted through an entire Alliance cruiser in pieces. Alliance Officers, shaken, began to call for a sudden retreat seeing the aftermath of Sovereign's annoyance. Hackett however, pressed on and ordered the fleet to keep firing on the warship no matter what.
Saren's body, too, grew hasty and soon started hopping and firing rockets at an increased pace. But Shepard held on, even as a rocket struck her on impact. As Saren's shields were finally stripped away, Liara found her opportunity to finally fling Saren's body as she saw fit with her biotics. This opportunity was only temporary, however, as Saren quickly regain minimal shields. Garrus however, continued on as he fired away with his sniper rifle, constantly stripping away Saren's shields. Shepard meanwhile, constantly blasted away with her pistol when she wasn't reviving or using her tech powers on Saren.
After several seized opportunities and revivals later, Saren's body finally fell for the last time, much to an exhausted Shepard's relief. And as the Saren's body finally fell, it also dissolved in red ember.
As Saren finally fell, so did Sovereign's strength and shields. Eventually, the warship's hold on the station weakened entirely. Noticing this development, Joker relayed to the fleet that they now have their chance to finish Sovereign.
"Hit it with everything we've got!" Hackett ordered. Without a moment to lose or spare, the entire Alliance fleet did just that, hammering away at Sovereign until it's inevitable demise. As the Normandy turned back towards Sovereign, it rushed through with a final shot, tearing through Sovereign in the process. The triumphant Normandy flew above and away as the rest of Sovereign exploded spectacularly within the distance.
Shepard meanwhile, noticed the explosion from the Council Chambers. Most importantly, she noticed a large Sovereign debris crashing right on top of the Chambers.
"Go!" Shepard soon ordered her companions as the debris crashed through, crushing the trio in process and incapacitating them.
--
The Council Chambers was still in flames. The debris crashed within the ruins as an Alliance team led by Anderson searched within for survivors. Soon, a young c-sec officer found Garrus and Liara still alive and huddled together amidst the wreckage.
Anderson, relieved, walked over to the duo to inspect them. Liara however looked as though she was barely clinging to life.
"Take it easy, it's over. You're safe now" Anderson spoke to a weary and sullen Liara, "Where's the Commander? Where's Shepard?"
All that was met with Anderson's question however, was silence as Liara glanced downwards into the crashed wreckage. Anderson followed her glance, and his eyes widen. It can't be. No. Anderson thought.
As the C-sec officer helped Garrus to stand up, his worn eyes too faced downwards.
Anderson couldn't believe though, he didn't want to believe. And as he soon saw movement from within the wreckage, he gave out a large exhale. There, the Commander stood amongst the ruin and wreckage, towering tall and statuesque. The face's of her squad mate's brightened, relieved that Shepard did not perish after all. After her dramatic reveal, Shepard waddled and limped to join her team, with a cocky grin plastered across her scarred face.
--
Player Eliminated : Catilina - Evil Tali
--
Epilogue
"We got your message, Ambassador. What's all this about?" Anderson asked Udina as Shepard soon joined the duo within the Presidium.
"These are strange times, Captain," Udina began, "The battle with Sovereign changed everything, and we need to talk about what happened to the Council,"
"Commander Shepard did the right thing," Anderson replied without hesitation, "We had to hold the fleet back to go after Sovereign. It was the only way,"
"I agree, but this also presents us with an opportunity. The Council is dead. The galaxy is looking for leadership,"
"The Citadel fleets were decimated in the attack," Udina continued, "Their losses have made the Alliance stronger. If we step forward now, nobody will be able to stop us!"
"This wasn't a plan for the Alliance to seize power," Shepard said with a dissaproving tone, "This plan of yours is going to cause problems,"
"So what are you saying, Udina?" Anderson asked, his foot slightly tapping.
"The galaxy needs leadership. Real leadership. When a crisis hits, we can't be paralyzed by debate like the old Council,"
"The new Council must rule with a single voice," Udina declared, "It must be assembled from one species alone: humanity!"
"Shepard, your ruthless pursuit of Saren and the geth, your defiance of the Council. That's what humans are capable of! That's how we can defeat the Reapers!"
"The others will follow us, Shepard," Udina continued, "They know we're their only hope. We will have a human Council with a human Chairman,"
"The ambassador's right," Anderson admitted to Shepard, "I may not like it, but we can't deny the truth,"
"Given everything you've done, Commander, the Alliance will who you want our Chairman to be," Udina said, with an expectant look.
"We're about to go to war" Shepard said to Udina, her eyes staring down into the ambassador's, "We obviously need someone with military experience. Someone like Captain Anderson,"
"You make...a good case," Udina said with a grimace. Shepard knowingly smirked in response, "Captain, are you ready for this?"
"I don't know if any of us are ready for this," Anderson replied, "But I will do what I can. So what happens now?"
"The Reapers are still out there," Shepard responded, "They're coming, and I'm going to find some way to stop them,"
As Shepard left Anderson Udina, her eyes burned with intensity. As long as she remained, she will stop the upcoming invasion, no matter what, and no matter the cost. As long as she commands the Normandy, nothing will stand in her way to protect the galaxy. It would have to take an unknown force to tear her asunder, but for now, the mission continues. as long as the threat still lingers within the dark corners of the galaxy.
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And that's game! Good game, everyone!
- ETA: Completely forgot to add the scene where Anderson put his plan in motion to get the Normandy back in space, so now it's restored. 
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Well I did my best protecting Liara. Hopefully she used the time to find another spy.
Is this happening to anyone else?
Excellent narrative again, Pela.