Salvation: A Half-Life/Mass Effect Universe Fan Fiction

Disclaimer: This fan-fiction takes place after the events of both Half-Life 1 and 2 and its episodes, and jumps to the events after Mass Effect 1 and 2. If you have not played or beaten these games this fiction may not make much sense to you. Characters property of their respective companies, Half-Life created by Valve and Mass Effect created by Bioware.

Chapter 29: Encroaching Evil 

"How we doin' Joker?" Shepard questioned, as he rushed onto the bridge, fully armored.

"Just about to take us out of FTL speed, Commander." Joker answered, working his controls feverishly, as the Normandy trembled turbulently. "She's runnin' hot, but I told ya my baby wouldn't let us down."

"Never doubted you for a second..." Shepard replied, a tinge of nervous sarcasm in his voice as he held onto the back of Joker's chair.

"Disengaging FTL drive." Joker declared, as the ship's inertia suddenly shifted, causing the Commander to stumble forward, pressing him onto the rear of Joker's seat.

The brilliant streaks of light flashing by outside faded away; and in the distance, a small planet surrounded by terrestrial debris, hung amidst the stars, emanating a beautiful green luminance.

"Take us in nice and quiet, Joker." Shepard ordered, as he stood up straight, balancing himself out.

"Aye-Aye, Commander. Engaging stealth drive." Joker acknowledged, manipulating his controls, bringing the Normandy in for approach. "Heat emission syncs active. Board is green, we are running silent."

"My scans indicate a large number of vessels, resembling those used by the collectors, directly outside a large settlement on the planet's surface." EDI's hologram flashed, as Joker maneuvered the ship closer. "The settlement is currently occupied by a large mass of lifeforms, each of which appears to be heavily armed."

"The vorts don't use guns... Those are vorcha." Shepard responded, looking over Joker's shoulder, out through the ship's forward windows.

"I am also detecting multiple lifeforms amassed to the Northwest." EDI added. "Many of which posses erratic vital signs, indicating they are likely wounded."

"That's them!" Shepard affirmed with absolute certainty. "Find an LZ and take us down, Joker."

---

Hundreds of vortigaunts had managed to flee the lightning fast onslaught on their home, but thousands didn't. They had managed to find shelter in a series of shallow caves, and caverns in the rocky walls of a broad clearing. Many tended to their wounded, using native liniments, concoctions, and remedies of their own design. Others huddled into masses, weeping for the lost. Others still, huddled over the fallen. Those that had been mortally wounded, yet survived long enough to escape the terrors of the dragon's teeth, and the grim fate that would await them beyond death.

Many vortigaunts stood atop rocky formations, howling at their brethren, calling them forth, as vortigaunts continued to pour in. Many had become lost in the frantic retreat, others were rallying from smaller, neighboring vortigaunt villages – likely awaiting word of a counter assault. As peaceful as these gentle creatures were, death was a far preferable alternative to succumbing to their past fate once more.

"Gor'lek Bal gallam derog!" One of the vortigaunts yelled exuberantly, pointing up to the sky, as he noticed a fireball approaching, slowly beginning to take the outline of the Normandy. "The Free Man and his kin return!"

The Normandy's landing struts slowly extended from the hull's interior, as she hovered slowly in the center of the broad clearing. Dozens of vortigaunts rushed over, surrounding the Normandy in a semi-circle as it gently touched down. As the thruster engines powered down, and the loud hum of the drive core faded, the vortiguants approached; their despair, replaced at least slightly, with a dim spur of hope.

Just then, a metallic platform extended down from beneath the outer airlock door, as it slid open. The ramp touched down onto the floor, before the eager vortigaunts, as Shepard and his team marched down; fully armored, and fully armed.

"Welcome to the Free Man, to the Shepard, and to their allies!" One of the vortigaunts spoke out, greeting the Commander and his crew as they reached the floor and fanned out before the vorts. "Your arrival brings us jubilation beyond measure."

"Don't worry, we're here to help." The Commander declared reassuringly, as he looked over the huddled masses of vortigaunts. Their eyes were prideful, yet pleading. The tracks of tears still etched on the faces of many. "We're not about to let the Reapers claim your world."

"Mordin, Dr. Chakwas..." He called out, turning his head towards his crew slightly, as the two he addressed stepped forward. "Tend to the wounded, do whatever you can to help them."

"Right, Commander." Dr. Chakwas acknowledged, rushing forward as the agglomeration of vortigaunts split, creating a path to grant the two passage.

"My god..." Gordon uttered, as he beheld the devastation among the wounded, when the group split. Children and adult alike; many were laid out, battered, bloody, and wounded. Some with entire limbs missing. Others rested peacefully, those that would no longer have to bare witness to this horrible tragedy.

"Where's Alra?" Shepard questioned, looking over the group of vorts, and failing to spot the vortigaunt leader. "Are these all the vortigaunts who survived?"

There was a silence among the massing of vorts, as heads hung low. Many slowly began to disperse, returning to help the human and salarian doctors tend to their wounded.

"The Alra Guallam Bauk Go'rel did not survive." The vortigaunt at the head of the group answered, his voice drowned in lament. "We have called forth all of our kin, and many continue to reach us..."

"The interlopers came too quickly..." Another of the vorts interjected, shaking his head as he bowed it. "The beast has prevailed over our lands... We have lost all dear to us."

"Don't talk like that!" Shepard demanded, shaking his head and waving a hand in front of him. "We haven't lost yet, and this is far from over."

"Commander." Jacob chimed in, coming to stand beside him. "We should see how many of the vorts are combat capable, and organize a counter offensive as soon as possible."

"Easy, Jacob." Shepard rebutted, as the group began to move forward, towards the vort encampments. "We don't want to rush blindly into anything. We have to assess the situation first."

"Understood, Commander."  Jacob nodded, as he followed the rest of the group.

"Alright..." Shepard continued, turning back to the vortigaunt that had been supplementing him with information. "You said vortigaunts are still coming in. I'll need you to try and gather every able bodi..."

"Shepard..." A chilling voice suddenly filled the air, echoing from the darkness, as it interrupted the Commander.

"Galra ma!" One of the vortigaunts yelled out, as they all fortified their stances, with a green beacon of light pulsating from their hands. "The beast!"

As the vorts braced themselves for combat, Shepard's crew did the same, pulling a combination of assault rifles, shotguns, sub-machine guns, and pistols from their respective weapon docks and holsters.

Unexpectedly, something fluttered in the air. Shepard put his hand out beside him, as if telling his crew to hold their fire. He walk forth, as something began to manifest itself in the clearing before them. Flickers and flashes of light came, slowly taking shape. Just then, the anomaly composed itself, taking the all too familiar form of a Reaper...

"Shepard..." Harbinger's apparition uttered again. It was a being of light, and nothing more. Yellow flashes of radiance, resembling that of a common hologram, appearing in the same manner Sovereign had managed to appear to him two years ago on Virmire. "You have become an annoyance. An annoyance that will be dealt with."

Gordon stood in awe at this massive projection of a strange, yet horrifying insect-like creature. Beside him, Shepard's crew lowered their weapons, looking on with both dread and astonishment. The vorts gathered behind them; terrified yet ready and willing to fight and die if they must.

"Your kind struggles fruitlessly against that which is inevitable." The anomaly continued. "Against beings who are far beyond your rudimentary comprehensions. We are those who have allowed your pathetic existence, and now we are those who have chosen to extinguish it. The cycle cannot be broken."

"Fruitlessly?" Shepard stepped forward, looking up at the reaper phantom. "Your kind can be killed... We've proven it. We proved it to Sovereign, and we'll prove it to you. Maybe you're right – maybe we can't win this. But no matter how rudimentary you may think we are, we'll fight you. And we'll never stop fighting you."

"Hollow words of a forsaken race..." Harbinger's apparition flashed before them. "Know this before you perish. Your strife has been in vain. Your species stands upon the cusp of extinction. You have failed..."

"You thought you had us beat on Earth too, remember that?" Gordon Freeman questioned sternly, as he stepped forward, coming to stand beside Shepard, locking eyes with the phantasm. "But even when our extinction was all but 'inevitable', we took our world back. We found a way to beat you then, and we'll find a way to beat you now..."

"Human..." Harbinger uttered, as he examined the orange clad figure addressing him, finding something strange about him. "Who are you? Your essence is a familiarity..."

"My name is Dr. Gordon Freeman." Gordon answered with a burning indignation in his eyes, peering up at the ghostly figure before him. "But I think your kind probably knows me better as... Anti-Citizen One."

Harbinger was silent for a moment.

"It is surprising one such as you has survived this long." He eventually replied, obviously recognizing Gordon in some mysterious way. "But it is of no consequence. You are the one who has doomed the vortessent ones, as well as your own species to annihilation."

"As opposed to what?" Shepard interjected furiously, pointing up at Harbinger. "To becoming your pets? Your slaves? The same as you did to the protheans? I don't think so."

"What you think is irrelevant." The apparition responded. "Mortality is your curse... Futility is your burden. Your weapons are useless against a kind such as our own. We are eternal." Harbinger's form slowly began to dissipate and fade away.

"Harbinger, stop! Hear me Reaper!" Shepard demanded angrily, forcing the anomaly to linger on, perhaps out of nothing more than sheer curiosity.

"You claim we struggle against inevitability..." Shepard began, locking eyes with the demon before him. "You claim yours is a race far beyond our mere mortal comprehension. Perhaps it's YOU who fail to comprehend US."

"You think THESE are our weapons?" Shepard beckoned rhetorically, as he pulled his pistol out of its holster and held it up in front of him. "You think this is what we'll use to defeat you? Our greatest weapon isn't some missile, or warhead, or starship... It's our collective will to survive! That's something that the Reapers can never extinguish. And THAT'S what we'll use to defeat you. Yeah, we may just be beings of flesh and blood, but we'll find a way... We always do. I guess we're just stubborn like that."

Without responding, Harbinger's manifestation slowly dissolved before them, as Shepard finished. Meanwhile, one of the vortigaunts stood with his hands clasped together; a dim lavender glow washing over his body, as he chanted softly with his eyes closed.

"So that's the true face of the Combine, huh?" Gordon questioned, turning to Shepard once the apparition was gone.

"Yep..." Shepard responded, still looking up at the empty space where Harbinger's phantasm once stood. "That's the face of our destruction, unless we can figure out some way to stop them."

"Free Man!" One of the vortigaunts shouted out in a panic, surprising Gordon as it caught his attention. Quickly, the vort that had been channeling energy, and reciting incantations rushed up, past Shepard's team, up to Gordon and the Commander.

"The Free Man and The Shepard must heed!" He yelled out with a deep sense of urgency. "The beast traverses the void! It encroaches upon an obelisk amidst the stars!"

"Obelisk amidst the stars...?" Gordon questioned, furrowing his brow, with a baffled look on his face. "What do you mean?"

"What are you talking about?" Shepard questioned, equally confounded. "We don't understand."

The vortigaunt was silent for a moment, as he searched for proper words to use, in this complex human idiom. Instead of speaking, he closed his eyes and raised his hands outward, one pointed at Gordon and the other at Shepard. The dim lavender glow enveloping the vort's body returned, as suddenly a divination began to appear in their minds.

It was a massive, black, metallic body - eyes burning with a flame fueled by an eternity of destruction and damnation. It glided through the blackness of the abyss, with a profound purpose and the most evil of intentions. Just then, the two gasped suddenly, snapping back into reality, as they beheld Harbinger's intended destination.

"He's going for that colossal space station!" Gordon exclaimed, turning to Shepard who stood starring into space with a grimace on his face.

"Yeah..." He replied, barely audible. "He's gonna try and open the Citadel relay again..."

"Miranda." Shepard turned back to face his team, who had become intertwined with vorts, offering any help they could.

"Yes, Commander." Miranda replied, rapidly pulling herself out of the crowd, ready for orders.

"Have Dr. Chakwas stay here and do whatever she can to help the vorts." Shepard ordered. "But I want everyone else into the comm room immediately."

"Understood, Commander." Miranda acknowledged, as Shepard turned and rushed back towards the Normandy.

"EDI!" Shepard yelled out unexpectedly, as he jogged onto the bridge through the airlock door, startling Joker and causing him to rapidly swivel around in his chair. "Put me through to the Council in the comm room!" He demanded as he rushed down the walkway leading away from the bridge, towards the Command Deck.

"Right away, Commander." EDI affirmed and prepared to comply.

"Hey, Commander whats.... going... on?" Joker began to ask, before Shepard was already out of sight, leaving the helmsman with a dumbfounded look on his face. "Uhm... okay..."

Suddenly, Joker heard a loud series of footsteps clambering up the airlock ramp very hastily.

"Hey Miranda, what's up?" He beckoned, as Shepard's second in command suddenly rushed in the door, and down the same walkway as Shepard without so much as look in his direction.

"Can't talk now, Joker!" She shouted out, halfway down the path.

"Hey Garrus!" "Samara!" "Mordin!" He continually shouted, as members of Shepard's squad continued to breeze by him, in a huff.

"Jeez, what the hell's going on?" Joker asked himself, as the team continued to pour in.

"Hey Tali! What's up, what's happening?" He pleaded, as the veiled quarian rushed in.

"Sorry, no time to explain..." Tali responded, as she too bolted off with the rest.

"Son of a bitch!" Joker exclaimed, as an uneasy feeling settled deep into the pit of his stomach.

"Hey, doc, doc, doc! Wait!" Joker waved his hand about, as Gordon rushed in, hoping desperately to get his attention. "What happened, what's going on?"

Joker having succeeded, Gordon stopped momentarily, as members of the crew continued to rush on by past him. Namely Jack, Thane, Legion, and Jacob.

"Uh... Well I'm not one hundred percent sure..." Gordon replied, anxiously shrugging his shoulders as he started backing away from the bridge, towards the Combat Deck. "But if I had to venture an estimated guess from a scientific point of view... I'd say something really bad..."

"Citadel. Office of the Galactic Council." The hologram of a baby blue skinned asari woman at a desk appeared in the center of the comm room's table, as the team finished piling in, and gathering around. "This is Silani speaking, how may I direct your transmission?"

"This is Commander Shepard." The gray armored figure at the head of the table asserted, leaning forward towards the flickering hologram. "I need you to put me through to the Council."

"I'm sorry sir..." The asari answered nonchalantly, looking around at the walls of the room she was in, in a half day dream. "But the Council is currently convened in a meeting. What is the nature of your..."

"Listen to me!" Shepard interjected angrily, slamming his fist onto the table, startling and interrupting the asari operator. "I'm Lieutenant Commander John Shepard. I'm a Council Spectre. It is imperative that you put me through to the Council right away!"

"I... uh... uhm..." The startled asari sat forward in a panic, at the urgency and gravity of Shepard's request. "I'm... I'm sorry Commander, but I don't have the authority to put you through... I physically cannot connect you."

"Well who the hell can?" Shepard demanded angrily.  

"Uhm... Well... no one sir..." Silani stuttered nervously to answer. "Not while they're convened. The  Council is very adamant about not being disturbed during their meetings."

"Damn it!" Shepard slammed his palms onto the table, letting his head hang down.

"Wait..." Shepard uttered, as an idea popped into his head. "Can you put me through to Citadel Control?"

"Y-Yes, sir! Absolutely!" The asari assured, eagerly – likely relieved to be rid of the reprimanding Spectre. "Connecting you now!"

"Citadel Control." A male voice came in, as the outline of a turian began to materialize above the table. "Identify yourself hailer."

"This is Commander Shepard of the SR-2 Normandy." Shepard began, with a firm tone. "I'm a Council Spectre. I need you to close the Citadel arms right now."

"Uh, Commander Shepard sir..." The turian responded, recognizing Shepard and his authority. "Closing the arms is a top level administrative action. Only the Council can authorize us to do something like that."

Shepard released a long drawn-out sigh, as he hung his head over the table and shook it, before raising it back up to glare at the turian's hologram.

"Listen to me very carefully..." Shepard began sternly, with a look of indignation in his eyes. "The Citadel is about to come under attack... Don't ask me how I know... Don't ask me by who... Just know that if you don't close those arms right now, everyone on board that station is going to die."

"Lanus, I think we should listen to him..." A human sitting beside the turian intervened, having had eavesdropped on the conversation. "That's Commander Shepard, and if he says we're about to get attacked, then we're about to get attacked..."

"But there's nothing unusual on the radar..." The turian replied, looking over his instruments.

"Maybe not, but I believe 'em." His human co-worker reiterated. "Shepard wouldn't make something like that up. Besides, if it's true – I'd much rather lose my job, than my life."

"Alright, Commander..." Lanus reluctantly agreed, nodding his head at Shepard's hologram. "Initiating emergency override protocols... Closing the Citadel arms."

"Thank you..." Shepard nodded with his eyes closed, breathing a sigh of relief. "Please put the Citadel Fleet on high alert, as well."

"Well, I would Commander, but the Destiny Ascension, along with most of the fleet is still on that damned victory cruise." Lanus responded, shrugging his shoulders.

"What!?" Shepard exclaimed in a shocked outburst. "So the Citadel's completely defenseless??"

"Well, no..." Lanus replied, somewhat confidently. "The fleet itself might not be here, but we've still got quite a few cruisers and carriers in Citadel orbit."

"That's not gonna be enough..." Shepard uttered despondently, shaking his head. "Well if nothing else, please just get the Citadel arms closed as quickly as you can."

"Yes sir. Right away." The turian affirmed. "Citadel Control out." The hologram flickered suddenly, then faded away.

"Harbinger's going to attack the Citadel?" Miranda questioned in shock, as the hologram dissipated.

"Yeah..." Shepard remarked with a sigh. "He's going to try to open the Citadel relay to Dark Space again. The same way Sovereign tried two years ago."

"How do you know this?" Miranda asked, a fair sense of concern now in her voice.

"I saw it..." Shepard affirmed almost immediately. "There's no doubt in my mind, he's going to try and bring the Reaper fleet through. And if he succeeds..."

There was an eerie silence in the room after the Commander spoke. He stood leaned over the table, starring off into space, contemplating the situation, as the crew members looked around at each other.  

"Well, at least you got them to seal the Citadel." Garrus' voice broke the silence, with a tinge of false optimism. "I doubt even a reaper can break through that."

"Harbinger will have thought of something..." The Commander eventually spoke up again, a chill running down his spine. "He'll have a plan. Sovereign did... And with the Citadel virtually defenseless..." He shook his head, clenching his lips tightly.  

"Plus we'd never make it back in time to try and stop  'em." Jacob supplemented, crossing his arms, a grimace on his face. "Not from way out here..."

"EDI." Shepard called out, looking up. "Put me through to the Destiny Ascension."

"Connecting you now, Commander." EDI's voice resonated through the room.

There was a loud crackle of static for a few moments, as EDI attempted to fulfill Shepard's request. An anxious tension filled the room, as they waited, powerless to do little else. Suddenly, the static began to take form as a voice came in.

"Cerberus Vessel." A dark blue skinned asari, with red markings on her face appeared, as she addressed the team. "This is Admirial Lidanya of the CSV Destiny Ascension. You are hereby ordered, by Citadel Law, to identify yourself immediately."

"Admiral Lidanya." Shepard responded, standing up straight with his hands behind his back. "I'm Lieutenant Commander John Shepard of the SR-2 Normandy, hereby formally requesting that the Citadel Fleet returns to the Citadel to repel an imminent attack."

"Commander Shepard..." The asari admiral stated, stunned by who had contacted her, and by his request. "We have received no word of such an attack, what evidence do you have of your claim?"

Shepard grunted and sighed all at once, at the response he got. "Look..." He began, pointing a finger at the hologram. "Two years ago, I saved the Destiny Ascension, and the Council. If it wasn't for me, there'd be no 'victory cruise'. Trust me, an attack is coming. For once in your lives, I'm asking you take something I have to say on faith..."

"I'm sorry, Commander." Lidanya responded, reluctantly. "But, my orders come directly from the Council. And you're asking me to amass and prepare an entire fleet for combat, based on an unsubstantiated claim. I can't do that, even if that claim is yours."

"What if it were mine?" An asari on Shepard's crew stepped forth, coming into view of the holographic imager.

"Justicar Samara..." Lidanya uttered in shock, as her fellow asari appeared on her screen. "You travel with a human?"

"I travel with those whose cause is greater than mine could ever aspire to be, Matriarch Lidanya." Samara affirmed, confidently. "And I avow Commander Shepard's claim. The Citadel WILL come under attack."

"Very well." Lidanya conceded. There were few who could ever humble an asari matriarch, especially if the said matriarch was an admiral aboard the most powerful warship ever built. But a Justicar could do just that. "We're still about two hours out, but the word of a Justicar is more proof than I'll ever need."

"Helmsman." She called out, addressing one of her shipmates, while still on screen. "Alert the fleet, and plot a course back to the Citadel."

"Thank you, admiral." Samara stated graciously. Without speaking, the asari admiral simply nodded in response, before her hologram faded into a blur of static.

"Whew..." Shepard breathed a sigh of relief, as he hung his head and shook it. "Thanks Samara, I'm glad they were willing to listen to somebody. Still... two hours is a hell of a ways out..."

"It was my honor, Commander." Samara assured, bowing her head towards Shepard.

"John." Tali spoke up, walking around the table towards him. "I could try and contact the Flotilla. Maybe I can get the Migrant Fleet to send some reinforcements."

"Do it." Shepard declared, giving her a single nod. "We need any help we can get."

"Right..." She nodded back, before turning her attention towards the table. "EDI, try and put me through to the Flotilla."

"Yes, Tali." EDI acknowledged, as a flicker of light appeared at the center of the table once again.

The light slowly began to take form, as the outline of a male quarian, donned in a green veil faded in.

"Unknown hailer, identify yourself." The quarian demanded.

"This is Tali'Zorah Vas Normandy Nar Rayya." Tali stepped forward, into the holographic imager. "Requesting permission to speak with the Admiralty Board. Preferably Admiral Shala'Raan."

"Our system has your ship flagged as Cerberus." The green veiled quarian responded. "Please verify."

Without hesitation, Tali quickly complied. "After time adrift among open stars, among tides of light and shoals of dust, I will return to where I began."

"Permission granted." The quarian on the other end affirmed. "Patching you through, Tali'Zorah." The static flickered silently for a few moments, as the green veiled quarian faded away.

"Tali'Zorah..." A male quarian with a light gray veil, and a dark faceplate appeared in the projection. "I was surprised to receive your transmission. Why did you request to speak to the Admiralty Board?"

"Zan'Arekk..." Tali replied, a mixture of surprise and disappointment in her voice. "I... was hoping to speak with Admiral Shala'Raan."

"Shala'Raan is currently preoccupied with important matters..." Zan'Arekk asserted, snidely. "As were we all... And she possess no authority, which I do not. So if you please, Tali'Zorah, state your business."

"You're an admiral now?" Tali inquired, surprised.

"Yes..." The male quarian on the other end of the hologram affirmed. "I was the one given Rael's seat on the board. Now if you don't mind child, please get on with it."  

"Of course... Admiral." Tali began despondently, bowing her head slightly at how quickly and poorly the choice for her father's successor was made. "I come to make a dire request of the Migrant Fleet."

"Such as?" Zan'Arekk questioned apathetically.

"...The Citadel is going to come under attack soon." Tali continued, a sour taste in her mouth for the impetuous admiral. "Harbinger, a Reaper, is going to try and use the Citadel in order to open a mass relay to Dark Space, allowing the Reaper Fleet to come through. The Migrant Fleet must send some..."

"Hah!" Zan'Arekk scoffed, cutting Tali off. "I see that melodramatic Commander of yours is still filling your head with that Reaper nonsense..."

"It's not nonsense, Admiral!" Tali exclaimed angrily, pounding her right fist into her left palm. "The Reapers are real! They are goi..."

"Even if I did believe you, Tali'Zorah..." The admiral interjected, interrupting Tali once more. "Which I obviously don't... The Flotilla will need every available ship for the campaign in taking back our homeworld against the geth!"

"You're still planning on going to war with the geth??" Tali beckoned in shock.

"Well... There are still a few political hurdles to overcome, of course." Zan'Arekk answered, shrugging his shoulders. "But, the way the wind is blowing – the Admirals definitely appear to be leaning towards war. Myself included."

"Listen to me, you bosh'tet!" Tali shouted in an enraged outburst, causing the admiral's head to reel back, in stunned silence. "The Flotilla has to send reinforcements to the Citadel! If the Reapers come through, there won't be anything left to take back!"

"Wh... Why... I never!" The admiral responded, flabbergasted at Tali's sudden outrage. "How dare you Tali'Zorah! I am an esteemed admiral of the Migrant Fleet. You may just end up finding yourself in exile yet, child!"

"Don't you talk to her that way." The Commander's voice came through, over the admiral's communicator, followed by his holographic visage.

"Ah, Commander Shepard..." The admiral sneered upon seeing him. "I suppose it's no surprise to see you're the one orchestrating this fracas."

"Tali has done more for the Migrant Fleet, and for the galaxy than you'll ever understand." He asserted angrily, pointing a stiff finger at the admiral. "How dare you scoff at her request. Tali was the one that helped me stop Saren and the geth two years ago. She was the one that saved the Alarei, when the rest of the fleet just wanted to blow it out of the sky... And all she got for her trouble was threats of exile. I see that hasn't changed..."


"You'd better pray that it is all just a fracas, admiral..." He continued, taking a step back and crossing his arms. "Because if the Reapers manage to come through that relay... There won't be anyone left to say 'I told you so'... End transmission."

The quarian admiral's hologram swiftly faded away, as it was cut off by the Commander.

"I can't believe that bosh'tet was the one that replaced my father!" Tali sneered in a rage, clenching her fists tightly and shaking her head. "I'm sorry John... I guess the Flotilla won't be helping us..."

"Tali, it's alright... We don't need them." He assured her, rubbing the back of her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm just... Ugh!!" Tali groaned angrily, shaking her head again. "I just can't believe that HE of all people, is the one that admirals chose... But it doesn't matter. What are we going to do about the Citadel? There's still no one there to defend it."

"I've got one more idea..." Shepard uttered, nodding his head with a slight confidence. "EDI, put me through to Admiral Hackket at Arcturus."

---

"Attention. Attention. The Citadel is now under emergency lock down." An automated voice came over a massive array of loudspeakers, information hubs, and news terminals throughout the Citadel. "All residents are hereby ordered to return to their homes, and all private and commercial vessels in Citadel orbit are ordered to return to port. This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill."

The message looped continuously, as civilians scrambled to return to their homes, many in a panic. The last time the Citadel had been closed, a devastating attack that left hundreds of thousands dead, and many more injured, ensued.

Slowly the five gargantuan arms that made up the Citadel began to retract onto the center, narrowing the gaps between each of them as ships of various shapes and sizes hurdled back into the interior.

"What the hell's going on?" Captain Armando Bailey of C-Sec yelled out angrily, at the pandemonium outside.

"The Citadel's being sealed off, sir!" A young turian responded, as he rushed up to Bailey and saluted him. "They're closing the arms."

"Are we under attack?" Bailey questioned hastily.

"We must be sir..." The young turian replied dubiously, as alarms and the emergency recording resounded repeatedly.

"Alright... Listen." Bailey began to order, keeping a calm demeanor. "I need you to get on the horn to every available unit we've got. I want them out there patrolling, and keeping the peace. Have them help people get back to their homes safely, and make sure riots don't break out. Looters are a second priority. Understood?"  

"Understood, Captain!" The young turian acknowledged, as he took a seat at large control console in the C-Sec office, before noticing Bailey turn to head out the door. "Wait, where are you going, sir?"

"Where else? To help out." Bailey turned, and informed the turian, before turning back and bolting out the door.

---

"What is the meaning of this?" The Turian Councilor questioned furiously, as the sudden alarms and automated emergency system interrupted their meeting. "We didn't authorize a Citadel lock down!"

The four council members sat convened, at the top flour of the Citadel Tower, at a large meeting area situated beyond their respective podiums, used for audience with various ambassadors and dignitaries. The meeting area, along with the rest of the top floor, was adorned with lush synthesized environments. Small grassy knolls, fountains, and cherry trees to name but a few.

In high contrast to normal daily activity, in the tower, the entire top floor was completely empty, save for the four councilors. In times when the Council convened, the entire top floor was utterly off limits to anyone and everyone, but themselves. Anything and everything from laws, to matters of galactic security were discussed, and and the Council was not open to anyone but them being privy to such information, until concrete decisions were reached.

Councilor Anderson sat in silent contemplation, bringing his hands together near his face, and tapping his fingertips against each other. A chill ran down his back, as an uneasy feeling settled in his gut.

"We must be under attack..." The Salarian Councilor suggested, as the Councilors looked back at one another.

Without speaking, the Asari Councilor proceeded to bring up a holographic screen on her end of the table.

"Citadel Control." Lanus, the same turian controller that had spoken to the Commander, acknowledged as his visage appeared on the her screen. "Oh, Councilor!" He exclaimed, as he took notice of who was on the other end. "I suppose you're wondering why we've initiated emergency lock down..."

"Very much so..." The Asari Councilor assured, as the three other Councilors looked on.

"Well, you see... We... That is our scanners. We've anticipated an impending attack..." Lanus replied, stuttering nervously, and moving his hands around before him with a variety of exaggerated hand motions.

"Attack? Are you certain? By whom?" The asari queried, as Lanus rubbed the back of his neck, gulping down at something in his throat.

"Well... Not certain, Councilor. But I thought it best to take precautionary measures..." The turian replied, trying hard to force a false confidence. "We haven't been able to identify the attackers at this time, but we do strongly anticipate an attack..."

"Very well, controller." The Asari Councilor responded, causing Lanus to breath a sigh of relief. "You have done the right thing. Keep me updated. I will recall the Fleet."

"Of course Councilor, Thank you." Lanus replied, slouching back in his chair, and wiping his forehead, as the asari disappeared from his screen.

"There are reports of fires, and looting in the lower wards..." The human controller sitting beside Lanus chimed in, looking on at his monitor, causing Lanus to shake his head.

"Son of a bitch..." He uttered, leaning forward to continue his work. "Shepard better be right about this, or the Council's gonna have my ass..."

"Our ass, Lanus." His human co-worker replied, shaking his head. "I wouldn't let ya take the fall alone. Besides, I'm the one who talked you into it."

Lanus looked over at the human, with a grin, before turning his attention back to his work.

"Citadel arms have fully closed..." He said aloud, working his controls. "All ships have docked."

"Whoa..." He said suddenly, a bit of shock in his voice. "Wait a minute..."

"What is it?" His human co-worker questioned, noticing the flush expression on Lanus' face.

"I... I'm not sure..." Lanus answered nervously. "Something just appeared on radar... Something big..."

"One of ours?" The human questioned, trying to look over onto Lanus' screen.

"I can't tell... It doesn't look like it." Lanus remarked, working his controls feverishly, trying to discern what it was that had just appeared on his instruments. "It looks kinda like..." His jaw dropped suddenly, as a look of dread appeared on his face. "Oh my god..."

---

"Well Commander, you put me in a very awkward position." Admiral Hackett stated, as his hologram flickered in the center of the comm room table. "You know the Alliance's official standpoint on the Reapers. But god knows you've probably saved more lives than the entire Fifth Fleet combined..."

"I wouldn't ask if I wasn't sure, Admiral." Shepard affirmed, standing up straight with his hands behind his back.

"I know you wouldn't, Commander." Hackett assured, nodding his head subtly. "And damned if the Alliance doesn't owe you a whole hell of a lot. I'll mobilize the Fifth Fleet... If we end up chasing ghosts, I'll take the heat for it. It's the least I can do."

"Thank you, Admiral." Shepard stood at attention, and saluted, with Hackett returning the gesture.

"It'll be about thirty-five minutes before we hit the relay." Hackett informed. "I sure hope we won't be too late. Hackett out."

"Well at least the Alliance was willing to listen to reason..." Tali stated with her arms crossed, as Shepard leaned forward, his palms resting on the table.

"I just hope they make it there in time..." Shepard uttered, hanging his head low. "It took two entire Fleets to take Sovereign down. If Harbinger gets that relay open..." Shepard shook his head, without completing his sentence. A feeling of helplessness washing over him.

"We've gotta take back the vort's machine..." Gordon interjected, causing Shepard to look up, a profound resolve now on his face. "If they come through, activating it will be our only chance."

"Dr. Freeman's right." Shepard asserted, standing up and using his hands to push himself away from the table. "EDI, bring up your scans. Let's see what we're up against..."