Chapter Text
“Checking up on me?”
Miranda, standing on the bridge with her arms crossed, tilted her head down towards Helmsman Moreau with a single eyebrow raised.
“I don’t have any idea what you’re talking about,” she replied.
“Right, cause you normally just hang out right behind me,” Moreau said. “Bad enough I’ve got the Cerberus version of literal spy-ware installed but now I need personal babysitting?”
“I don’t babysit,” Miranda replied. “Not everything is about you, Helmsman.”
“Right,” Moreau replied. “So why are you here?”
“The view,” Miranda replied.
A cryptic answer, for sure. But it was the truth. Miranda’s eyes were already drawn to their destination as the Normandy sped through the Thorne system of the Hawking Eta cluster. It was visible in the distance, growing ever larger by the second - the massive reddish celestial body called Mnemosyne.
Mnemosyne was a brown dwarf - a large, gaseous sphere that was larger than a planet but lacked the hydrogen fusion and size of a star. Despite that latter fact, it still was incredibly hot, with temperatures of over 1,500 degrees Celsius a could present treacherous conditions for all but the most experienced helmsman.
Still, Miranda wasn’t on the bridge to see it, or the job Moreau would do navigating the dangers. No, she was present in hopes of catching sight of their true target on this mission - a derelict Reaper from many a millennia gone by.
Shepard had made the call that it was the time to investigate what had happened to the missing Cerberus research team and locate the Reaper IFF that would provide passage through the Omega-4 relay. Given they were literally entering the belly of the beast, even Miranda found herself a bundle of nerves as they approached their destination.
She decided a trip up to the bridge was exactly what the doctor ordered. What she hadn’t expected was the helmsman to be so snarky and paranoid… though given what she knew of Moreau, she realized that was a mistake on her part.
“If you must know,” Miranda began, “I’m here because I wanted to get a visual of the Reaper itself. Unlike yourself, I’ve never seen one in person - just over the vids of the Battle of the Citadel.”
“Oh,” Moreau said. “Well, they’re big. And hopefully, this one’s already dead.”
By all rights, it should be. The connection to the rift valley on Klendagon lent credence to it - given the particle accelerator that created that wonder was the same round that had supposedly wrecked this Reaper and left it floating in the same place for the last 37 million years, how could it be still alive?
And yet, the research team’s disappearance gave Miranda pause. Her mind tried to work through all the scenarios - Collector or Geth attack, unknown Reaper defenses, pirates tracking them and attacking after, or even indoctrination - but she couldn’t settle on anything.
Another thought had occurred to her - could a Reaper truly die? It wasn’t an organic being and the lifespan of Reapers was unknown. Just because it couldn’t move didn’t mean it was dead. On the other hand, would the Reapers really leave one of their own stranded, immobile, for 37 million years?
She shook her head. It was all speculation and some of that involved machine logic that was unknowable to an organic mind. The answers would make themselves apparent in time. Miranda just had to hope the team was ready to deal with whatever they were.
“Don’t know how much you’re going to see,” Moreau told her. “This gas cover is thick. I’m going to be using the navigation systems to--”
Suddenly the ship began to rock violently. Only Miranda’s expert balancing kept her upright, though she grabbed onto one of the navigation chairs to make sure it stayed that way.
It was a good thing she did, as the rocking and shaking only increased. It got to the point where Miranda would have sat down and strapped in… if she could trust she wouldn’t be thrown when she loosened her grip to reposition.
Her focus on keeping herself from being thrown, Miranda didn’t notice the sound of footsteps as Shepard, in full battle armor, came charging onto the bridge.
“What’s with all the chop, Joker?”
“Doing my best. Wind’s gusting to 500 KPH,” Moreau answered.
Given that Mnemosyne possessed some of the qualities of a star, that shouldn’t have been surprising. Not that it mattered - they had to weather the storm if they had to reach the Reaper. And they had to reach the Reaper if they wanted the IFF to get through the relay.
That was the whole reason Moreau was here, after all. True, the Illusive Man had wanted members of Shepard’s old crew, but if he didn’t think the helmsman was capable, he would have found another option. When he called Moreau “one of the best”, he meant it.
“Ladar is picking up a second ship alongside the Reaper,” the helmsman told them. “It’s not transmitting an IFF itself - but its silhouette paints it as Geth.”
Miranda’s eyes widened and she traded a knowing glance with Shepard.
“I guess we know why the science team stopped reporting in,” the Commander said.
It made sense. The Geth were allies to the Reapers - the very well might have known of the ship’s location and been guarding it for their masters. Or perhaps they were alerted somehow.
Miranda stared ahead but saw nothing but reddish clouds around them. It was impossible to see more than a few meters ahead of them.
Then, the Normandy stabilized. The change was so stark and sudden that Miranda nearly lost her balance despite holding onto the chair.
“What just happened?” Shepard asked.
“The Reapers mass effect fields are still active,” Moreau said. “We just passed inside their envelope.”
“It extends that far out?!” Miranda exclaimed. “We don’t even see the Reap--”
And then she did. The clouds gave way to the sight of a massive dreadnought which dwarfed the Normandy and the Collector Ship. Even the Destiny Ascension looked tiny in comparison. For the first time, Miranda felt a true sense of scale for what one of these Reapers actually was.
She blanched. It was terrifying.
“Eye of the hurricane, huh?” Moreau said as Shepard turned from the bridge.
Miranda didn’t follow. She just stared, silently, as the Normandy made its now gentle approach toward the Reaper, it taking up more and more of their field of view.
The Reaper was splayed out, with its tendrils pointing in various directions. From this angle it almost reminded her of a flower in bloom - if that flower were a metallic, poisonous icon of death and destruction.
Pieces of the ship still floated around it, surprising given how long ago it must have suffered the catastrophic damage. It did have a gravitational pull - initially non-Cerberus human researchers had unknowingly spotted it when they picked up a “gravitational anomaly” though they never investigated it. But was that enough?
Perhaps the Reaper’s mass effect fields kept it in place. A mass effect field that is still up and running after 37 million years. How… how was any of this possible?
Miranda could only slowly shake her head. Sure the Reapers maintained some sort of stasis in Dark Space between cycles… but this was something else. Especially for something that was supposed to be dead. AI or not… wouldn’t things degrade after all this time?
Answers just leading to more questions, she thought. All of this left her with an uneasy feeling. But there was nothing she could do - she and the others were going aboard the vessel, whether they liked it or not.
As the Reaper remains became the only thing Miranda could see, she turned and walked off the bridge. Even though they would soon be leaving from that spot - the research team had set up a docking terminal which meant they’d leave via the bridge airlock and not the shuttle - Miranda didn’t want to be tempted to look at it any longer.
Instead she wandered back to the elevator, leaned up against the wall beside the door leading to the armory, and closed her eyes.
…..
“This is f*cking insane, right?”
Standing in the armory, looking down at her Geth shotgun, Jack wasn’t asking that question to anyone in particular. After all, she knew the answer was “yes.” Sane people don’t sign up for suicide missions. Nor do they board massive death machines with the power to take over their minds.
“It’s only insane until you succeed,” Tali responded. “Then it’s groundbreaking.”
Jack had to laugh at that. “I like the way you think.”
She glanced at the Quarian, then Kasumi and Grunt, who were also outfitting themselves for the upcoming mission in the armory. Shepard was taking everyone, so he had them prepare themselves in shifts. Jack was part of the second group out of three.
“It’s true,” Tali said. “Pretty much everything we did when we went after Saren the first time could have been considered insane before we tried it. And then we did it. Why would this be any different?”
“I could think of a few reasons,” Kasumi answered. “But since we’re going on board that thing no matter what, I’ll keep them to myself.”
Jack eyed her. “Good call, Stealthy-San. Don’t need my morale dampened before we walk right into whatever the f*ck is left of that Reaper.”
“I’m ready,” Grunt said as he pounded his fists. “Boarding a Reaper. Not even Urdnot Wrex can say he’s done that!”
“Knowing Wrex, he’d just say you’re boarding a corpse,” Tali replied. “And that he helped kill a live one.”
“Shepard killed it,” Grunt argued. “He was just along for the ride.”
Jack could only shake her head. Kiddo had better be careful with his mouth - it might get him into trouble. She hadn’t seen Wrex fight, but given what she’d heard about him, Grunt would have his hands full if he tried to tangle with the Urdnot Chief.
Putting that aside for now, Jack's eyes returned to the table, where parts of battle armor were spread out before her. Seeing a hardsuit was hardly new to her. Putting on? That was a different story.
Shepard required the entire squad to don hard suits for the mission. Unable to determine what they might find on the Reaper, he wanted the entire squad to be prepared to function in areas where the environment was inhospitable for life - if there was an environment at all.
While many of the squad, like Grunt, Garrus and of course Shepard, had hard suits, there were members of the team that didn’t. Kasumi was one and she had already gotten hers on with the exception of the helmet. Now it was Jack’s turn, and she wasn’t looking forward to putting on anything that carried the Cerberus logo.
She slid the sleek, black armor over her legs. Next came the white chest plate and finally came the white sections that went over her arms.
As it sealed around her, Jack grimaced. She wasn’t used to being so constricted. Kinetic energy generated by the suit itself was meant to prevent chafing but it felt so tight around her, especially on the chest and her extremities. It was even hard to breathe. How the hell does Shepard put up with this all the damn time? And his armor is bigger than this.
“Let me see,” Tali said, picking up on the expression of discomfort on her squad mate’s face. “I’m kind of an expert on these things.”
“I thought this was automatically set,” Jack said. “You know, to fit the wearer.”
“Not exactly,” Tali said. “There are general settings the computer takes into account but it’s never going to be precise unless you are custom fitting it to a user. Everyone has different preferences. And most places aren’t going to take the time to adjust for that.”
“Can you do anything about it?” Jack asked.
“Please,” Tali replied. “Who do you think you’re talking to? Just give me a moment.”
Tali was at the hardsuit computer, typing away quickly at the interface. Then she went to her omni-tool and entered some information there. After a scan taken with that tool, she hit another button on it, and Jack felt the suit loosen around her. It wasn’t much, but it didn’t feel like a vice any longer.
“Damn, you fixed that fast,” Jack said. “Thanks.”
“Like I said, Quarian here,” Tali said. “We’re used to having to adjust kinetic padding in suits.”
“But your suits are personalized,” Kasumi said. “Wouldn't it be tailored to your proportions?”
“They are,” Tali said. “But our bodies aren’t static. We get heavier, skinnier. We also can swell. If we drastically change, such as if we become pregnant, we get a new or temporary suit. However, under most circ*mstances, it comes down to adjusting the kinetic padding.”
Jack nodded, pleased with the fit. But her smile faded fast as she eyed the Cerberus yellow insignia on the white arms of her suit.
“f*cking sh*t,” she lamented. “I can’t believe I’m wearing sh*t with Cerberus colors. If it wasn’t for the boy scout…”
“You seem to say that a lot,” Kasumi noted. “You must really like him.”
“I told you,” Jack said. “He’s treated me better than most. So I’ll stick with him.”
“Yeah, I know,” Kasumi said. “I’m just wondering…”
Jack narrowed her gaze. “Wondering what, Stealthy-San?”
“Oh, just whether ‘like’ was the wrong ‘L-word’ to describe your feelings for him,” she said with a sly grin.
Jack paused as her mind raced through what the other word Kasumi could have possibly meant. And when she realized, her eyes widened while her complexion went white.
“Not a f*cking chance,” Jack spat. “I don’t do… that sh*t. I like. I f*ck. I enjoy.. But I don’t… I don’t do that with anyone.”
“Don’t do what?” Tali asked.
“Yeah,” Grunt echoed. “What don’t you do?”
Jack didn’t even want to say the word - as if afraid to speak it into existence and complicate things well beyond what she wanted. Or what she could handle.
“‘Love,’” Kasumi said. “It’s not a bad thing. Shep’s a good guy. Like you’ve said, he clearly cares about you. And you’ve been through a lot together. It’s only natural you’d feel clos---”
“Cut it,” Jack interrupted. “ Now. Shepard and I f*ck. Hell, I’d even admit to him being kind of my boyfriend. But that doesn’t mean I lo--- like him in that way. sh*t, I don’t like anyone in that way. Just makes sh*t complicated.”
“I get it,” Kasumi told her. “But sometimes---”
“No, you don’t f*cking get it,” Jack said. “And I’m not talking about this sh*t anymore. Understood?”
Kasumi raised her hands. “Understood! Sorry, I didn’t mean it as a negative. I just…”
“What part of ‘we’re not talking about this sh*t anymore’ didn’t you get?!” Jack snapped.
“Sorry!” Kasumi said. “Forget I said anything!”
“Done,” Jack said, looking away. Her lips quivering, she felt her emotions welling up. Rather than show that, or run away, she grabbed the helmet she’d be wearing on the mission and attached it. Immediately, she hated it, with the way her vision felt limited, how she could hear her own breathing, and how everything was through a reddish lens.
But at least they couldn’t see her tears.
Just focus on the mission. Forget him. Forget what happened. You’re about to board a freaking giant robot space squid. Get your head in the game, Jacqueline. Get your head in the game.
She rarely called herself “Jacqueline.” But when she’d watch the vids, saying one’s full name was the way parents or authority figures emphasized the seriousness of the situation. So Jack went with that as well.
A hand on her armor - immediately, given she felt the different shape, she knew it was Tali. “Are you OK?”
Jack shook it off. “I’m fine. Just… she likes to pry. That’s not my sh*t.”
“I know,” Tali said. “Don’t worry about it. It’s annoying but I don’t think she meant anything by it.”
Jack chuckled. “Thanks… sis.”
The door to the armory opened and Shepard walked in. “You all good to go?”
“Ready, battlemaster,” Grunt said. “When do we leave?”
“Soon,” Shepard said. “EDI is running preliminary scans and then we’ll be docking in the next 20 minutes.”
“Docking?” Tali asked. “No shuttle?”
“Initial scans suggest the Cerberus team set up a station inside the Reaper, for lack of a better word,” Shepard said. “So we can dock like we would any normal space station. However, we don’t know how far their livable area extends, or if it is even still active.”
“Hence the suits,” Kasumi said.
Shepard nodded. “Samara, Thane and Zaeed have to suit up next. Anyone need more time?”
There were no objections so the foursome shuffled their way out. As they did, unable to help herself, Jack took a long look at Shepard. Her heart raced, her stomach twisted and her chest felt like it was tightening again.
“Everything OK, Jack?” he asked.
She closed her eyes and nodded. “Ye-- yeah boy scout. I’m fine. Just… thinking, that’s all.”
“I don’t know what to expect on that ship,” Shepard cautioned. “But I know we can get it done. Can’t be worse than taking down a Thresher Maw on foot, right?”
Jack grinned nervously. f*ck, how can he do that so easily? Maybe Kasumi is…
No, don’t even think it.
“Right,” she replied. Then she lowered her head and marched out of the room as quickly as she could without breaking into a sprint.
…..
The walk through the tunnel to the Reaper was quiet. Whether it was reverence, anticipation or fear, Miranda wasn’t sure. She suspected it was a mix of all three, which was what she felt at the moment. Her stomach was unsettled, her skin itchy, and her heart racing. She was already sweating underneath her black helmet.
The entire squad was present as Shepard decided after they needed everyone on the Collector Ship, he couldn’t risk leaving anyone behind. On one hand, Miranda liked the safety in numbers. On the other hand, it felt a bit risky putting all their eggs in one basket, especially given a nasty surprise felt inevitable.
When they reached the airlock, Shepard turned back to the team. “Any questions before we hit this thing?”
Thane raised his hand. “Are we to prioritize the IFF or surviving Cerberus crew?”
Shepard lowered his head for a moment. Miranda wasn’t sure what he’d say. After all, while they were going for the IFF, the Commander always valued trying to save innocent lives, seemingly above all else.
He took a deep breath. “Prioritize the IFF. We’ll do what we can to help anyone we come across, but the mission… the reason we’re taking this risk… it has to come first.”
Miranda was somewhat surprised to hear that. But she was glad to - it was a reminder Shepard was perfectly capable of making tough calls if needed. Judging by the nods of the squad members, she suspected there wasn’t much dissent to his decision.
“Anything else?” Shepard asked.
“Yeah,” Zaeed replied. “Do we even know if they found the IFF?”
“No,” Miranda conceded.
“What if they didn’t find the goddamn thing?!” Zaeed demanded.
“Then we find another solution,” Shepard said.
“That’s some goddamn crap,” Zaeed grumbled.
Miranda understood the sentiment. She didn’t even want to think about what would happen if they couldn’t find the device. Trying to track down another Collector Ship? Using another human colony as bait? Or risking failure by trying to navigate the relay without the IFF? None of those were pleasant options.
“What about indoctrination?” Garrus asked. “Remember what that Asari from Feros said about Sovereign? It emitted some sort of signal that led to indoctrination. Could this Reaper still do the same?”
Shepard shrugged. “There’s no way for us to know. After 37 million years, I would like to think not. But I can’t make any guarantees.”
“Great,” Garrus said. “So if any of you start hearing me talk about how our only method of salvation is submission, don’t ask. Just shoot.”
“We’d be goddamn indoctrinated too,” Zaeed said. “Since we’re all going on this ship.”
“Right,” Garrus said. “Remind me to lend Joker a gun.”
“Let’s not get morbid,” Shepard said. “I doubt indoctrination is as simple as just being in some place for an hour or two. Otherwise, the Reapers wouldn’t have needed generations to harvest the Protheans. Bottom line, I don’t plan to be on this ship for a long time.”
“Five minutes might too f*cking long in my book,” Jack said.
“It’s five minutes we may need if we have any chance of surviving the relay,” Shepard said. “There’s risk, but it’s better than a guaranteed death if we try to reach the Collector homeworld without that IFF.”
Jack frowned and crossed her arms. But she didn’t argue any further.
Even with their relationship, Miranda remained surprised at how well Shepard managed to get Jack to listen to him. It shouldn’t have been possible for him to reach someone of her nature. And yet, he did.
With no further questions, Shepard opened the airlock and the team stepped into a pressurization chamber. Since they knew Geth were aboard, and in case they laid in wait, the Commander had Grunt, Garrus and Jacob at the front, while the rest of the team remained off to the sides of the chamber while it pressurized.
Miranda, weapon drawn, let her fingers run over the trigger of her Carnifex. She could feel her heart thumping against her chest, while her own breathing echoed through her mask. The door opened, the vanguard trio charged in and… silence.
All Miranda saw behind the three was white wall, stained. Curiosity made her want to explore further, but Shepard held them back until he got word from the vanguard.
“Looks empty,” Garrus reported on his comms. “No sign of the Geth or the research team.”
Miranda’s body eased up a little, but the uncertainty of what lay ahead of them kept her on edge. She and the rest of the team entered onto the ship, while Shepard went to his own communicator.
“What readings do you have on the environment, EDI?” Shepard asked.
“There is an internal atmosphere,” EDI reported back. “It is standard levels for a human run ship, so in this area, there would be no need for your hardsuits.”
“So helmets off?” Miranda asked.
“If you want,” Shepard said.
“f*ck that,” Jack said. “Keeping mine on. Not giving that thing free access to my brain. Let it get through metal.”
Miranda didn’t believe it worked that way, but in this case, she couldn’t fault Jack for being extra cautious. Nor was Jack the only one who kept their helmet on. So too did Thane, Kasumi and Zaeed.
However, Miranda was already sweating. Even with built in cooling systems, it still felt as if she were cooking in the black hardsuit. Pulling off her helmet, she smiled as the cool air struck her face. That Shepard, Garrus and the rest of the crew besides the aforementioned foursome (and Tali) also took their helmets off, left her a bit more reassured.
“Unlikely Reaper would maintain human-specific atmosphere when humanity evolved 36 million years after its destruction,” Mordin noted. “Likely life support systems set up by Cerberus team still active.”
“Yet… there’s no one here to welcome us,” Tali said. “That’s not good.”
“The Normandy is a stealth ship,” Garrus reminded her.
“Until you look out a window!” Kasumi said. “Though I suppose, there aren’t really any that show the outside from here.”
She was right - they stood in a white corridor that reflected a science lab. The ceilings were high, the walls metallic and cold. And it was quiet, eerily so, with just the low hum of machines providing background ambiance.
“Even without windows, there should be security cameras monitoring the outside,” Jacob countered. “It looks like a ghost ship. And… here.”
Jacob pointed to the wall opposite the airlock, which had multiple dark, brownish stains on it. “This looks like… blood.”
Miranda looked it over and had to agree. Meanwhile, Jacob continued.
“You said the Geth are here, right?” Jacob asked. “That pretty much answers the question of what happened to the research team.”
“I disagree,” Thane said.
“You’re kidding, right?” Jacob demanded. “We know there’s a Geth ship here and the crew is missing. We know the Geth work with the Reapers and don’t like organics. I mean, if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck…”
“There are no signs of gunfire,” Thane noted. “No burns or bullet holes. Geth attacks on other areas in the galaxy were not subtle. It would be strange for them to take such care to avoid leaving signs of battle here of all places.”
“Maybe they hit them quickly, before the crew could defend themselves,” Jacob argued. “Stealthy.”
“Like Geth Hunters,” Tali said. “They cloak.”
“They still discharge weapons,” Thane reminded them.
“Well, anything moves I’m shooting first and asking questions later,” Zaeed chimed in. “Just so you all know.”
“Ah, exploring an abandoned area, expecting something mechanical and nasty to jump out at any moment,” Garrus observed. “Just like old times.”
“And we’ve jumped to conclusions before,” Shepard warned. “Oftentimes, things were more complicated than we expected. So be alert, but assume nothing.”
He then motioned forward. “Grunt and Garrus to the front. Jacob and Zaeed to the rear. The rest of you stay within those two groups.”
Miranda nodded, though she hung back a moment to talk to Jacob.
“Can you believe Krios?” Jacob asked her, keeping his voice down. “Doubting that this is Geth?”
Miranda was inclined to agree with Jacob. But Shepard’s experience and his warning not to jump to conclusions gave her pause. Maybe it was just the eerie, quiet atmosphere, but she didn’t feel certain about anything, including what the reason that Geth ship was here.
Moving down the hallway, they reached an area that had an interior window on the right side, which gave a view looking out at an interior section of the Reaper. Large, metal support structures jutted downwards, while other smaller but shinier cables connected to different points around. It looked as if they were looking at the internal casing of a giant machine… which Miranda quickly reminded herself was actually the case.
Across from those windows were what appeared to be a group of workstation computers. Examining one, Miranda found while they remained connected locally to each other, they did not connect to anything beyond this grouping of workstations. Likely, the network the Cerberus team had set up had been severed.
Still, there were useful files here, and Miranda went to work trying to access and download them. Of particular interest was a video featuring Dr. Chandana himself.
In the video, the doctor discussed setting up the life support and internal structure on the ship, allowing the crew to work without having to wear hardsuits. She hoped he would discuss the search for the IFF - only to come away disappointed in that regard. However, it did seem to shed some light on the crew’s mindset and working conditions at that point.
“The crew is edgy,” Chandana told the camera. “I reassure them it’s mere nerves. A superstitious reaction to what this hulk represents - the corpse of a vast, ancient lifeform. Privately, I can’t deny its atmosphere. The angles of the walls seem to press down on you. I find myself clenching my teeth.”
“I’d be pretty f*cking edgy if I were stuck on this ship too,” Jack said.
“Reaper construction and layout may aid in indoctrination process,” Mordin said. “Form still present even if function no longer is.”
“We can’t be sure the function isn’t,” Garrus told the Salarian.
Shepard shook his head. “We’re dealing with a lot of unknowns here. Just stay sharp.”
“Any sign of the IFF?” Jacob asked. “Or evidence of what happened to the crew?”
Miranda shook her head. “Nothing listed here but it could be buried in the files. This is not the most… organized project I’ve ever seen. We’ll see what my VI comes up with.”
The XO had been equipped with a VI meant to scan and scrape all files downloaded for evidence of the IFF. That way, rather than find and read through what might take a human days or even weeks, they could be alerted to important information in minutes.
If it’s there at all, Miranda lamented.
They continued on, moving further down the corridor. Only the vanguard and reward guard had weapons out, limiting the risk of an unnecessary discharge. There was still no sign of the research team, the Geth or anything else, however. It remained quiet besides the humming of the machines and their footsteps, rustling of body armor and the sound of their breathing.
“Can we talk about how crazy this is?” Tali asked. “Two years ago, we didn’t know Reapers existed. And now we’re standing inside of one.”
“I’m not sure where I’m awestruck or terrified,” Garrus said. “Probably a little bit of both.”
“Imagine if the Council saw this, Shepard,” Tali said. “They’d almost have to believe you.”
Shepard shook his head. “Tali, there’s a Geth ship here. Hell, they might use that as proof that the Geth found this ship and copied the design to create Sovereign.”
“Damn,” Garrus said. “That’s such a good counter that if you told the Council that, they might have you replace Anderson. Excuse making like that can’t be taught.”
Miranda had to smirk at that - the Council was always on the hunt for professional bullsh*t artists.
Then she spied another console. Miranda entered the override code, and saw it was isolated from the other stations. She hoped that might mean it harbored new information. And while it did, nothing seemed to be related to the IFF or the team’s disappearance. There was, however, another video. Dr. Chandana wasn’t the maker of this recording - instead, it was a different male scientist.
“We finished cataloging specimens A203 to B016,” the scientist said. “No evidence of nanotechnology noted. Dr. Chandana believes they would have decayed over the last 37 million years. There’s not enough data to support his claim. He asserts the truth is ‘patently obvious.’ I am… concerned. Chandana has been staring at the samples for hours. He says he’s ‘listening’ to them.”
“Oh that’s not good,” Garrus said.
“Hearing voices?” Miranda asked. “It sounds like Chandana was suffering from the early stages of indoctrination. It might explain why things aren’t very organized.”
“That just seems,” Jacob stammered. “Look, I know we said we don’t know for certain, but this ship has been dead for 37 million years. It shouldn’t be possible to indoctrinate.”
“It’s maintaining a mass effect field after all this time,” Tali said. “Who knows what else it’s capable of?”
Miranda scratched her head. “There could be other explanations. Obviously Dr. Chandana had experience with Reaper technology. Maybe he’d been indoctrinated before… and was reacting to stimuli in the ship?”
“That would make sense,” Jacob said. “Never known the boss to send a novice to something like this. Chandana had to have been messing around with Reaper sh*t before.”
“That still does not sound like it is a good sign for the research team,” Samara noted. “If their leader was already indoctrinated, he may have had good reason to want the mission to fail.”
Zaeed shook his head. “You’d think with all these egg-head scientists around they’d notice they were getting sabotaged.”
“Indoctrination is subtle,” Shepard said. “Saren was still quite capable of subterfuge right until the end. It’s entirely possible the doctor was clever about what he was doing.”
“Or they were suspicious and were limited in how they could respond,” Thane suggested. “You heard the recording - the man was ‘concerned’ about Chandana. But what did he do about it? What could he do about it?”
“Anything on whether they found the IFF?” Shepard asked. “Could it have been part of the specimens being cataloged?”
“Nothing so far,” Miranda said. “Downloading so I can have the VI search.”
They continued on, opening a door to the next section of the ship. It was pressurized, likely as a safety measure in case one area had to be locked down quickly and the atmosphere blown. Shepard went to the panel on the door and hit it - only for the area around them to suddenly shake. Miranda maintained her balance, though Tali and Zaeed stumbled over.
“What the f*ck was that?” Jack demanded.
“Touch something you shouldn’t?” Garrus asked Shepard.
“Opening a door?” Shepard asked.
“Normandy to shore party!” Moreau called over their radios.
“You have any idea what just happened, Joker?” Shepard demanded.
“The Reaper put up kinetic barriers!” Moreau replied. “I don’t think we can get through on our side!”
“WHAT?!” Grunt exclaimed. “Useless!”
“So… we’re trapped,” Garrus lamented. “Wonderful.”
Jack crossed her arms. “I wanna shoot someone.”
“Given what happened to the crew, you might get your goddamn wish,” Zaeed told her.
“Trapped inside a Reaper,” Kasumi began. “It could be worse. Don’t know how… but I guess it could be filled with rats?”
“No, it’s just probably filled with Geth,” Tali said. “I’d say that qualifies as worse.”
“We need options here, Joker,” Shepard said, going back to his communicator. “Any way we can take the barriers down from here?”
EDI chimed in. “At the moment of activation, I detected a heat spike in what is likely the wreck’s mass effect core. Sending the coordinates now.”
“Sounds simple enough,” Jack said.
“There’s always a catch,” Garrus warned.
“Be advised,” EDI continued, “this core is also maintaining the Reaper’s altitude.”
“And there it is,” Garrus said. “Barriers go down, so does the Reaper, with us inside.”
“And that means everyone dies,” Moreau said. “Got it.”
“If any helmsman can pull us off this thing before it reaches crush depth, it’s you Joker,” Shepard told him. “We’ll make a sweep for survivors and recover what data they found. Just be ready.”
“Aye, aye,” Moreau confirmed. “Good hunting.”
“Unfortunate to lose ship such as this,” Mordin noted. “Research information invaluable. Would be useful against Reaper invasion.”
“If this ship can still indoctrinate, then the sooner it’s gone, the better,” Garrus argued.
“We’ll salvage what data we can,” Shepard said. “Let’s move.”
The door now opened, the squad moved out onto a walkway that was elevated above a long corridor. Miranda looked around, shocked at what she was seeing. What surrounded them was massive with cable and wiring encased in metal. A light straight ahead illuminated the area, though how far it was ahead was impossible to determine - may have stretched for a mile or two. The corridor actually intersected with another long one, and the platform reflected that, creating a “T” shape that extended slightly on their left, and then a long way on their right.
“What the hell is that?!” Jacob exclaimed.
A chill ran down Miranda’s spine. Her eyes drifted to the floor before them, where brutally mauled and mutilated bodies lay strewn out.
“My God,” Miranda said as she tried not to wretch.
“Lots of dead people,” Jack said. “It’s nothing new there, Princess.”
Miranda was horrified by Jack’s glibness toward the situation. But her stomach churned even more when she heard Mordin.
“Fascinating,” he said as he examined the bodies. “Requires scanners from Normandy. Great deal of data…”
“I hope this data was worth their lives,” Samara said. “But why would the Geth do this?”
“It’s what they do,” Jacob insisted. “Eden Prime proved that. Putting people on spikes. Trying to blow the colony. This sh*t is their M.O..”
“Still think this wasn't the Geth?” Jacob demanded of Thane.
“I’d heard stories,” Thane answered. “I had thought them exaggerated.”
“Of course you did,” Jacob grumbled.
“Anyone else hungry?” Grunt asked.
The entire squad fell silent and then turned back to the Krogan. The eyes of them all on him, Grunt just shrugged.
“What?”
“Krogans are sick f*ckers,” Zaeed said. “You know that?”
“Why should good meat go to waste?” Grunt asked.
Miranda shook her head. Not that she expected a Krogan to care much about human lives, but the whole thing was disgusting.
“Another computer,” Shepard said as he pointed the way forward. “Miranda, can you see what we’ve got here?”
Miranda stepped forward eagerly, but carefully, as she had no desire to have her boots touch what was left of these unfortunate crew members. Then she went to the computer and got to work. This wasn’t a computer used by Chandana, but it did have some footage of the crew - two men talking. Miranda could tell one of the men was a scientist, based on the jacket he was wearing. The other, in more standard Cerberus garb, was a researcher.
“You’re married?” the scientist asked the researcher. “You never mentioned that.”
“Yeah,” the researcher replied. “Katy had anger management issues. When my brother got married, the best man tried to hit on her. She kicked him down the church steps.”
The scientist’s expression suddenly grew pained. “Wha… Katy’s my wife! I must have told you that story.”
The researcher eyed the scientist. “No… I know my wife. I remember… that day was the only time I saw her wear stockings.”
“Yeah,” the scientist replied. “The kind with seams up the back. That’s what I remember too.”
“What the hell is this?!” the researcher demanded. “How can we remember the same thing?!”
“Well sh*t,” Jack said. “This thing was screwing with them.”
“It was like a giant tank,” Grunt added. “Talking to them.”
“It seems like it was targeted,” Jacob said. “Almost like the ship was tailoring it for them, responding to their own thoughts and memories. But that shouldn’t be possible.”
“We know Reaper artifacts can indoctrinate,” Shepard replied. “And those artifacts aren’t living. We don’t know how long those artifacts last or if the Reapers update them each cycle… or every few cycles.”
“Why would they leave a dead Reaper to be found?” Garrus asked. “Wouldn’t they want to hide their presence?”
“If this ship can still indoctrinate, why would they?” Shepard asked. “It’s a trap - a curious race finds the ship, has no idea what it is, explores it and gets indoctrinated. Now the Reapers have potential sleeper agents for their invasion and none are the wiser.”
“What does that say for us?” Jack asked.
“Indoctrination isn’t instantaneous,” Shepard said. “But we don’t want to stay here longer than we have to.”
“The research team though,” Jacob said. “They were already showing signs of indoctrination. Even if we find them… what can we do for them?”
“I’m sure the Illusive Man would want to see them,” Miranda said. “Countering or reversing indoctrination would be a massive tool in the fight against the Reapers.”
Jack chuckled. “I’m sure he’ll be looking out for their best interests while he dissects their brains.”
“They don’t have many other options,” Miranda said. “It’s not as if anyone has come up with any way to reverse the process so far. Eventually, they’d become… mindless husks, wasting away.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” Shepard said. “Let’s keep going, so we don’t end up like the crew.”
To their right, the corridor extended off into the distance, with some high pressure tanks to the up ahead. As Shepard took the squad past them, they heard unsettling moans.
“That sounded like… Husks?!” Tali exclaimed.
Sure enough, to their right, a group of husks pulled their way up onto the platform. Garrus and Grunt dispatched a couple quickly with assault rifle fire. However, as they were in close, narrow quarters, Shepard ordered the squad back toward the earlier computer.
“Those are high-pressure canisters,” Miranda said, pointing out some of the objects lining the walkway. “They could be used as improvised weapons.”
“Ooo!” Kasumi said. “You think they're allergic to having their asses burned off?”
“On it,” Shepard said as he readied his Widow rifle. One of the burning Husks, an Abomination, came charging forward at the head of the group. The Commander didn’t aim at it - firing his shot at the tank.
It exploded and the Abomination went with it, sending flaming debris in all directions. That seemed to start a chain reaction, as the canisters across from the one Shepard had shot then exploded. All the while, the multiple blasts took care of the Husks, and the area grew quiet once more.
“Husks,” Tali said. “I’d wondered if the tech to make them came from the Geth or Sovereign.”
“Well, we're on a Reaper, with Geth aboard as well,” Garrus said. “Not exactly clearing anything up here.”
“Except the Geth turned them into Husks on Eden Prime,” Jacob said. “Makes sense they did the same here.” He shook his head. “Brutal way to go.”
“If that’s the case,” Shepard began. He turned his gaze to Miranda. The wide-eyed, pale look he gave her sent chills down her spine. “How many members did that research team have?”
Her eyes widened in response. “I… I don’t know. We don’t keep abreast of other cells.”
“The Illusive f*cker didn’t fill you in?” Jack demanded.
“He didn’t give me any numbers, any more than he did Shepard,” Miranda said.
“But you know Cerberus staffing procedures better than anyone here,” Shepard told her. “Give me a rough estimate.”
She closed her eyes and thought about it for a moment. “Well, you have the scientists, like Dr. Chandana. Given the nature of this project, I suspect they had anywhere between three to five on hand, if not more. Then you have individual researchers to sift through the data.”
“Wouldn’t a VI handle that?” Tali asked.
“VI’s can do a lot but only once you’ve programmed them to know what to look for,” Miranda said. “Given what little we know about Reapers, a VI wouldn’t give us much. You’d need a team to examine samples, look through the data for any anomalies, perhaps even do hands-on work.”
“Given size of ship,” Mordin began, “Could be scores of researchers and assistants.”
Miranda nodded. “Then you also have a tech team and their assistants - the ones who may need to hack through security and decrypt files. You have a construction team, responsible for building structures like this platform in normally inaccessible areas, the team that is in charge of setting up life support, the security team, support personnel like cooks, medics…”
Her mind spiraled as one person seemed to need another two or three. Finally she shook her head.
“Shepard, there could have been over a hundred people in that team,” Miranda said. “It’s far larger than any Cerberus project I’ve been a part of… but I’ve never been part of a team that needed to cover something so large and so alien.”
“So… we’re looking at over a hundred freak husk things?” Kasumi asked. “Plus the Geth?!”
“Good,” Grunt said, grinning.
“They may not all have been transformed yet,” Shepard said.
“And those that aren't are probably indoctrinated,” Garrus reminded them.
“Great, some that might be Reaper slaves but still able to use goddamn assault rifles,” Zaeed said. “Even more reason to shoot everything that moves.”
“And what about that Geth ship?” Tali wondered. “We still haven’t seen any of them. Surely they’d know we’re here by now. They have to be preparing something.”
“Yep, shooting everything,” Zaeed reiterated.
“Spooked one-eye?” Jack asked with a smirk.
“If you’re not, then you’re even crazier than I thought,” Zaeed told her. “And that’s saying something.”
They moved forward along the long corridor, finding another workstation. Like the others, Miranda used her code to bypass the security on it. Another video played of the scientist and researcher from before - this must have been their assigned area.
“Third day with this headache,” the researcher complained. “You’d think Chandana would let me have a few hours off.”
Suddenly the researcher jumped and recoiled. “Goddamn!”
“What?” the scientist asked.
“That thing that just… gray thing!” the researcher explained. “It disappeared when I looked straight at it. Came out of the damn wall! Where we took off that panel.”
“I didn’t see anything,” the scientist said. “Maybe you should lay down.”
“I’m telling you, man, this ship isn’t dead,” the researcher warned. “And it knows we’re inside it.”
“Calm down,” the scientist said. “Now I’m getting a headache.”
The clip ended and Miranda looked at the date. “That was before the last recording between these two.”
“So before they both lost their mind,” Jack said.
“He wasn’t crazy though,” Grunt said. “The ship turned on the barriers because it knows we’re here.”
“It could just be fail safes,” Miranda noted. “On a ship that was AI, one would expect a lot would be automated.”
“It’s also AI and not a living organism,” Tali said. “So it could still be alive, even if it’s not in any state to move.”
“Stuck in one place for 37 million years,” Zaeed said. “Now that’s got to be a drag.”
“I’m so broken up about it,” Tali replied.
The squad moved forward, walking up a ramp. On the right was a square area of the platform with another computer at it. Ahead on that, the platform turned to the left.
All of a sudden, gunshots rang out. The team all raised their weapons.
“Sniper!” Jacob warned.
Two husks up ahead dropped. That caused the squad to pause.
“Someone nailed those husks for us. But who?” Jacob asked.
“Maybe a survivor from the science team?” Garrus asked.
“They’re a good shot,” Grunt said. “Do human scientists get target practice?”
“Could be a member of the security team,” Miranda noted.
“Garrus, Zaeed, Thane - move up and keep watch,” Shepard ordered. “Miranda, take a look at the workstation.”
Miranda watched as the three snipers moved forward and then took up position on the left, keeping in cover. Periodically, one of them would peek out with his rifle, an eye looking through the scope of his respective weapon.
But she couldn’t focus on that now. Instead she went to the computer and quickly went to access the information.
“Nothing here about the IFF, nor any videos of the crew,” Miranda noted. “This appears to be used by a weapons researcher. They were working on how to incorporate aspects of Reaper design into sniper rifles.”
“Grab the information,” Shepard said. “Might be useful.”
“No sign of movement,” Garrus reported. “Whoever took out those husks didn’t stick around to take credit for their handiwork.”
“They might have heard us and thought we were more husks,” Samara said.
“Or they’re indoctrinated and jumping at shadows anyway,” Tali said. “Either way, I’m not sure we want to meet them.”
The left turn led onto a short set of stairs which provided a path to another larger platform. A door was off to their right, along with more high pressure tanks, workstations, and something else rising up in the distance, well beyond the end of the platform.
As all was quiet, the squad crept forward. But as they moved a few feet past the stairs, the sounds of Husks began to echo throughout the chamber again. Even worse, a Scion emerged from behind one of the tanks.
“Cover! Now!” Shepard ordered. “Snipers to the back. Shotguns up front!”
The squad moved quickly into cover, but the problem wasn’t necessarily speed. Miranda quickly saw the Husks were throwing themselves at the squad - it didn’t matter that most were gunned down before they could reach their target. Throw five Husks at one person and there was almost no way they could take them down fast enough.
Jacob was the target of one of those swarms, and he put up a personal barrier to protect himself. It wouldn’t last long, but he managed to also throw out a pull field. Seeing the opportunity, Miranda detonated the field with her warp, blowing away the husks.
However, the fight had forced Jacob from cover. Exposed, a shockwave from the Scion struck him, sending him flying backwards.
“Jacob!” Miranda exclaimed.
She wanted to get to him, but she knew she couldn’t expose herself to the Scion to do so. Her eyes fell on Shepard, hoping he might cloak and grab him. But Shepard was doing his best to keep the pressure off Grunt, Tali and Jack at the front.
When Miranda looked over at Jacob next, she saw him being dragged back toward the rest of the group. But no one seemed to be with him. At first she wondered if someone was doing it biotically, but there was no mass effect field surrounding him, nor did she see anyone focused on him besides herself.
However, her question was soon answered as Kasumi de-cloaked as she pulled Jacob into cover behind some crates.
“I’ve got him,” Kasumi said over the comms.
“Mordin,” Shepard said. “Check on him.”
Miranda wanted to do so herself, but she had to focus on the task at hand - taking out as many of those Husks before they reached anyone else.
On that front, it helped that Jack was present. Her shockwave swatted aside any Husks who charged into her path - and given their swarming tendencies, that happened frequently. Tali, meanwhile, launched her drone as a distraction, all the while Grunt enhanced his shields and charged forward screaming “FEEL THE BLOOD RAGE!”
Idiot, Miranda thought. Krogan or not, he’s going to get himself killed by that Scion.
Sure enough, the beast launched a shockwave at him, striking Grunt head on. But while the Krogan was momentarily knocked back a few feet, bringing him to a stop, he wasn’t put down. Instead, shaking his head, dripping in whatever residue the shockwave left, Grunt resumed his charge and slammed into the Scion.
He started beating it with his weapon, and the Husks broke off their attacks on the squad and swarmed him instead. Samara threw out a pull field, catching the husks and Grunt within it, while a shot from Shepard’s Widow rang out and brought down the Scion.
Samara pulled the Krogan back and Miranda wasted no time in detonating the pull field, killing most of the husks. Tali finished off the few stragglers and the area fell silent again.
Miranda scarcely had time to catch her breath before running over to Jacob. She found Mordin knelt beside him and Kasumi, his omni-tool out.
“Barrier absorbed much of attack,” the Salarian noted. “Checking for concussion but if none, injuries minor. Good display of biotic ability.”
“Thanks, I guess,” Jacob said through gritted teeth.
Relieved, Miranda looked up and saw Jack standing over Grunt, before helping him back up.
“You saw me? Right?!” the Krogan demanded. “It hit me with that shockwave! But it didn’t stop me!”
Jack actually smiled - Miranda wasn’t used to her seemingly pleased for non malicious reasons. “I did, kiddo. Guess practice does pay off.”
“Another workstation,” Kasumi said as she pointed over to a computer console on the left. “Care to take a look, XO Lawson? Don’t worry - I’ll make sure the doc doesn’t do any weird experiments with Jacob.”
“Shocking accusation!” Mordin said. “Would never do experiment on patient without permission. Joker just paranoid.”
Miranda eyed both of them, but Kasumi in particular. Her crush on Jacob was borderline creepy at times. In addition, she was a little miffed that Kasumi was telling her, a superior officer, what to do. However, given the far more unsettling situation all around them, she put it aside and went to the console.
As she used her code to access the stored contents, the others gathered around. She found a recording, which revealed the same researcher from the earlier videos. This time, however, he was alone and speaking directly to the camera.
His appearance was haggard. It looked like he’d aged a decade from the first video, with bags under his eyes, sagging skin and bloodshot eyes. It was disconcerting to see… and even more so to hear.
“Chandana said the ship was dead,” the researcher began, his voice hoarse. “We trusted him. He was right. But even a dead god can dream. A god - a real God- is a verb. Not some old man with magical powers. It’s a force. It warps reality just by being there. It doesn’t have to want to. It doesn’t have to think about it. It just does. That’s what Chandana didn’t get… until it was too late. The God’s mind is gone… but it still dreams. He knows now. He’s tuned in on our dream. If I close my eyes, I can feel him. I can feel every one of us.”
The video cut off.
“Well, that’s not the least bit unsettling,” Kasumi said.
“A hive mind?” Garrus remarked. “Kind of like… the Thorian?”
Miranda knew of the reference. During Shepard’s chase of Saren, they had come to the human colony of Feros. There, they had found the colonists to be controlled by a large plant-like creature called the Thorian, thanks to spores it had infected them with. The colonists felt some level of shared pain and experience with both the creature… and each other.
“Interesting,” Shepard said. “It would explain how they started remembering the same things. And also how Husks, with no one apparently in command, can coordinate attacks.”
“Shepard!” Tali exclaimed. “Come here!”
Miranda saw the Quarian was a few feet ahead, standing at the end of the platform. The squad came forward and now, in the distance they could see what lay beyond much clearer.
Multiple Cerberus team members were impaled on long spikes. Miranda recognized them from the vids she saw on Eden Prime and the attack on the Citadel… Dragon’s Teeth. They were used to turn humans into Husks.
“Guess the Geth brought the Dragon's Teeth with them,” Jacob observed.
“This is what you meant by Dragon’s Teeth?” Samara asked. “I have heard of these being found on other worlds. They are far older than the Geth.”
“My people even had such tales,” Thane noted. “Devices buried on distant worlds that would turn the finders into abominations.”
“That would guarantee they’re Reaper artifacts,” Miranda concluded.
Shepard looked up and around. “See how the room is arranged? We could see something was here from a distance. Now, up close, you can even see the manner in which the teeth are spread out. It’s like… a kind of altar.”
“We saw the Geth do this before,” Tali said. “Remember their shrine of Feros in the ExoGeni building?”
Shepard shook his head. “I don't think this was the work of the Geth.”
“How do you figure, Commander?” Jacob asked. “This is all too familiar.”
“We haven't seen a single Geth so far,” Shepard said. “We've seen no signs of battle. Not one bullet or burn that we didn't make. And the videos themselves - not one mention of the Geth, but plenty of evidence of indoctrination destroying their minds. I don’t know why the Geth came here, but it’s obvious to me the Reaper itself had the situation with the team under control. Specifically… it had them under its control.”
“You’re saying… they wanted to have this done to them?!” Jacob exclaimed.
“You heard the logs,” Shepard said. “They were hearing things, seeing things. Chandana might have had them sleep deprived. They were being indoctrinated.”
“That's just…” Jacob stammered as he looked up at the people impaled on the Dragon’s Teeth. He shook his head. “Damn it.”
Shepard looked at him. “How are you holding up?”
“Doc said no concussion,” he replied. “I’m good.”
“Not what I meant,” Shepard said. “I know you were on Eden Prime. You saw this. I know how reliving things like that… can be difficult.”
Jacob lowered his head for a moment before meeting Shepard’s gaze square. “Five by five, sir. Bad memories for sure. But it’s not a problem.”
Miranda wasn’t so sure. She knew part of the reason the Alliance sidelined Jacob was his reaction to Eden Prime. Some of that was undoubtedly because the organization wanted to bury things relating to the Saren and the Reapers. But she suspected there was more to it than that - a bit of post traumatic stress syndrome.
That said, she knew now wasn’t the time to press it. The stakes were too high and ultimately, they were trapped aboard a Reaper. There was nowhere for Jacob to hide, even if he was badly affected by what happened here.
At the moment, there was only one way forward. Back toward the stairs, there was an offshoot along the platform that led to another pressure door. However, this door was locked.
“Kasumi,” Shepard said. “Can you do the honors?”
“I’ll try not to cause this Reaper to do anything else,” Kasumi said. “Though imagine if it did actually have rats just waiting to be released when someone tried to open this door.”
“They have actual goddamn Husks!” Zaeed exclaimed.
“I know,” Kasumi said. “Can you imagine how much worse it would be if they had rats too? Or huskified rats? I’m getting cold sweats just thinking about it.”
On one hand, Miranda couldn’t believe Kasumi was cracking jokes, given the situation. Then again, one almost had to laugh. Otherwise, they’d cry. Or worse… they’d panic.
“Remember,” a voice suddenly came on over the speakers. “Safety is everyone’s concern. We have gone five days without a workplace death.”
“Oh, a whole five days!” Jack said. “Model organization, right here.”
“That is interesting, though,” Shepard said. “They’re keeping track - and no one has been killed in five days.”
“So our sniper might be a survivor after all,” Jacob reasoned. “If someone was alive to be killed five days ago, someone else could have managed to hold out.”
“Gotta say, not sure I’d want to work in a place where it was necessary to keep track of that type of thing,” Garrus said.
“You’re on board a goddamn Reaper!” Zaeed said. “Where do you think you’re working now?”
“Ouch, well I suppose I might have to reconsider some life choices after we’re done here,” Garrus conceded. “ If we survive, of course.”
Kasumi got the door open and this time, there didn’t appear to be any change in the ship. The squad moved to an area that was actually open, staring out at the reddish-brown haze caused by the brown dwarf. Though protected from its winds and lightning by the mass effect field, everything seemed to take on a reddish tint.
The platform was elevated, with large tanks providing an extra barrier from falling over the railings. Whether they would provide extra cover was hit or miss - some were explosive containers. Others were just large and filled with likely inert materials.
Everything was quiet for the moment, as Shepard motioned for Jack, Grunt, Tali and Garrus forward. However, suddenly a shot rang out. Then another.
Miranda raised her pistol and scanned around her quickly. She spotted a Husk dropping to the ground alongside a second already down.Tracing the shot from where it had to have come from, she spied a figure on a far platform. Miranda’s eyes widened.
It was a Geth.
“Shepard-Commander,” it said, putting away its sniper rifle. Then it turned and walked off.
“So the Geth was the sniper,” Jacob said. “But what kind of Geth talks? And knows your name?!”
“And kills forces loyal to a Reaper?” Garrus added.
“If you know it, Shepard,” Grunt began, “Tell it I don’t want its help.”
“Be careful,” Tali warned. “Geth never work alone. Their collective networking makes them more effective when they’re together.”
The squad saw two paths - one to the left and one down the staircase and around some crates and canisters to the right. As they approached the stairs, the eerie sound of Husks moaning returned.
“Get ready,” Shepard said. “Sounds like the Geth might be the least of our worries.”
Miranda tried to do some quick math in her head, calculating how many they’d killed already and how many more there could possibly be. However, she realized it was a fool’s errand - this was something she’d need a lot more information for - listing of personnel and whether there had been any additional crew members added during the research.
Besides it didn’t really matter how many there were in total - they were likely to keep coming until they had all been dealt with. The good news is there were thermal clips laying around - perhaps security had some fleeting sense that someone might need them when they investigated the missing team.
We’re in their debt, Miranda thought. Though the thought of doing that, knowing they were doomed, was too unsettling to remain focused on.
This initial Husk wave was quickly dispatched by the team, aligned in two lines, with short range people kneeling and longer range squad members behind. But that plan quickly went awry, as the sound of a Scion’s shockwave reverberated across the platform.
“Scion! Move!” Shepard shouted.
The shockwave rolled through the center of the line, Shepard and Tali jumping aside as it smacked into the door they’d come in from. Meanwhile, the next wave of Husks and Abominations charged up the stairs, more getting through as the team couldn’t sustain the same rate of fire, having to separate and find cover to dodge the Scions.
“Never expected Husks to have actual strategy!” Miranda exclaimed.
“Then maybe we should do some strategizing of our own,” Shepard said. “EDI, what’s the layout here? Any way around?”
“Along the left side, the platform remains elevated, allowing an excellent flanking opportunity,” EDI explained. “Be warned, as there is a stairway leading up that path as well, so it is possible their forces may also use that route.”
“Noted,” Shepard said. “Miranda, hold this position. Garrus, Jack, Kasumi, Thane, with me.”
Initially disappointed she wasn’t named in the squad, it quickly made sense - Garrus and Thane provided range, Jack devastating biotic power with shockwave, and Kasumi the ability to disrupt the Husks with flashbangs. Meanwhile, the team he’d left Miranda was better at short to medium range, with a healthy amount of biotics in case the enemy got too close.
But as nice as it would be in theory once they delivered the flank attack, in the short term, it left fewer people to deal with what seemed like an increasing number of Husks and Abominations.
Even with heavy hitters like Grunt and Zaeed, and biotics through herself, Samara and Jacob, the Husks kept getting closer and closer. Not to mention they still had to duck to cover whenever the Scion fired its shockwave.
A group neared Tali but the Quarian narrowly avoided getting swarmed because Mordin used his incineration tech to cause an Abomination to explode, killing the group just before they reached her. Her strong shields ate any collateral damage from the explosion.
Another group did reach Grunt. But the Krogan seemed to enjoy the fight, slamming his shotgun into one, ripping the arm off another, and hurling a third Husk over the railing and toward the Scion, where it was destroyed as another shockwave rumbled out. It missed the Krogan, however, who switched to his assault rifle and began laying fire on the Scion.
Not that it appeared to do a lot of damage to the monster at this range. None of them were, as Shepard had taken the long range options with him except for Zaeed, who had to keep up assault rifle fire in order to hold off the Husks and Abominations.
Husks bodies piled near the stairs, but they were getting closer. As one group of four closed in, Miranda focused her slam ability, grabbing one, lifting it, then pulling it toward her and downward, hoping to catch the Husks as they charged her. She was successful in taking out two more, but one managed to close the distance. She pistol whipped it with her Carnifex, but it didn’t go down, delivering a powerful blow to her face and knocking Miranda off her feet. But as Miranda regained her bearings, she caught sight of it flying off in an aura of blue energy. Glancing back, she saw Samara with her hand recoiled, biotic energy surrounding her fist.
Grateful, Miranda raised her hand in appreciation, then managed to prop herself up on a metal crate in order to get back to her feet. Those things hit damn hard, she thought as she tried to shake off the blow.
She looked to the left path. Where the hell is Shepard? Did he get pinned down? Does he need help? Was dividing our forces the right call?
No answer was forthcoming… at least before another wave of Husks approached. The gunfire rang out, punctuating the moans and cries of the Husks, all while the Scion’s shockwaves added a periodic and rhythmic exclamation point to the enemy forces.
Miranda kept firing her pistol, popping the clip, then firing again before having to duck and cover from the shockwaves. She popped up and threw out a warp, trying to damage the Scion with her biotics. But it didn’t take it down and an approaching Abomination forced her to redirect her attention once more.
She unloaded her clip but it kept coming. Miranda’s eyes widened - how much more can these things take?! Then it exploded and Miranda threw up her hands, trying to shield her face from the flying and flaming body parts. It was instinct - her shields, which had barely been touched so far, were more than enough to protect her.
“Goddamn Abominations,” Zaeed said as he looked over to her. “At least when you hit ‘em with a fire grenade they burn easy.”
Miranda could only nod. But as she looked out at the area before her, with parts of Husks strewn about and yet even more coming, she realized her question earlier of how much these things could take was misdirected.
It’s not them. It’s us. How much more can we stand before they find a crack, a weak point or just get lucky and break through?
Part of the problem was just a matter of stamina. Miranda was moving, shooting and throwing out biotics. Even though she was genetically engineered to be the best humanity could offer in all three, there were still limits. And she was worried she was coming up against them.
That was to say nothing of everyone else. Experienced as they were, this was still something beyond what most of them had dealt with before. Having to fight through scores of mindless creatures whose only purpose was to destroy them without regard for their own safety was not a situation most people found themselves in.
It’s like the plot of a zombie b-movie, Miranda mused. Only we can’t rely on the script to save us.
Then a loud powerful CRACK rang out. Followed by another two smaller ones and then another one that echoed the first. The Scion dropped first. Then the Husks on the lower platform were sent careening in all directions, including off the structure entirely and into the abyss below.
About damn time, she thought.
However, Miranda recovered from her relief to realize this was their opportunity.
“Push forward!” she shouted. “Shepard’s hitting their flank. Now’s our chance!”
Samara threw out a biotic wave of energy to push this wave of Husks back and the rest of the team charged forward to the edge of the stairway, opening fire on everything below. Between the fire on two sides, the Husks seemed incapable of deciding where to focus their attacks. That, in turn, allowed both teams to apply heavier and heavier pressure on their enemies, dropping them en masse until finally, the Husks stopped climbing onto the platform.
Miranda, dripping sweat and breathing heavy, could only shake her head as she waited for the next wave. And waited. But the next wave never materialized. The horrifying moaning of the Husks faded and the area fell quiet once more.
“Is it over?” Kasumi asked as the two groups linked up again.
“It’s never over,” Garrus lamented.
“We’ve killed so many,” Tali said. “Is that 100? More?”
“I don’t know,” Shepard said. “But we don’t have a great idea of how many were aboard. It’s all a guess.”
“Can we guess that we got them all?” Zaeed asked.
“You could,” Garrus said. “But I prefer to be pessimistic. That way, if we really did, I'll be pleasantly surprised.”
“To quote one Ashley Williams,” Shepard began, “A pessimist is what an optimist calls a realist.”
“You know, I don’t think that actually makes sense,” Tali said. “Wouldn’t an optimistic call the realist a pessimist?”
“That’s what it means,” Jack said. “The realist is being called the pessimist by the optimist.”
“It’s kind of scary how you understood that despite never having met her,” Tali said.
“What can I say?” Jack asked. “I’m the biggest f*cking realist in the galaxy.”
Miranda actually chuckled at that. Her eyes widened - damn it, that blow to the head must have been worse than I thought.
After taking a moment to regroup, Shepard led the squad forward. They descended the stairs and then after taking a moment to restock their thermal clips, they made their way up the stairs, where they were greeted by two Scions and a few Husks.
However, this time their numbers were few. So a shockwave from Jack and biotic throws from Samara and Thane dispatched the Husks quickly while Shepard, Garrus and Zaeed took down the Scions, getting some assistance from Miranda’s warp ability and Mordin’s incineration tech.
“That almost seemed like the last stragglers,” Thane noted as they walked onto a platform that stood above a walkway that led back into the ship. “Like the Scions had been deployed already and they could not pull them back.”
“I pray you’re right,” Samara said.
“I’m not so sure,” Shepard said. His eyes moved to his omni-tool and a holographic projection of the map. A highlighted point was flashing. “Down that ramp and into the ship is the mass effect core.”
“One last push then,” Jacob said.
“Not so fast,” Shepard said, holding up his hand. “This ship is going to drop fast when we take out the core. This area here might be the best place for an extraction point - that it’s open should allow the Normandy space to reach us.”
“And if another wave comes at us, it might be able to trap us in the core while the ship goes down,” Garrus added.
“Exactly,” Shepard said. “I’m guessing whatever is left of this Reaper’s AI isn’t above taking us out with it.”
“So what’s the plan, battlemaster?” Grunt asked.
“I want a team to hold this position and cover us in case they do make an attempt to trap us in,” Shepard explained. “If they try it, they’ll get hit from both sides.”
“I’ll lead the second team, Shepard,” Miranda said.
Shepard shook his head. “You’re coming with me, Miranda. Garrus, it’s your show here.”
“I’m flattered,” Garrus said.
“How many do you think you’ll need?” Shepard asked.
“Hard to say without knowing how many bodies they’ve got left to throw at us,” Garrus conceded. “What about you? No telling what you’ll find in that core.”
“I’ll be fine,” Shepard said. “I know the squad.”
“Take who you want first,” Garrus said. “Everyone here knows how to defend a position.”
Shepard nodded. “In that case, Jack, Grunt, Tali, Jacob, you’re with me and Miranda. Everyone else with Garrus. And all of you, when we blow that core, the artificial atmosphere is going with it. Helmets on and make sure your suits are sealed.”
Everyone took a moment to do just that and have a second person give a quick look over to double check. Then Shepard and Garrus traded nods and the Commander pointed his team forward, down the walkway and toward the airlock.
It was locked but Tali was able to bypass it quickly and the group made their way into a narrow corridor with a door at the end of it. Along the corridor was another computer console with a small odd-looking device on it. Miranda went to work, checking it for information.
“Anything useful on this one?” Shepard asked.
“And what the f*ck is that?” Jack asked, pointing to the device.
Miranda’s eyes widened. “It’s… it’s what we’re looking for! They found the IFF! This is it!”
“This?!” Jack exclaimed. “It looks like some… beat up computer part.”
“I would have thought it was a computer program,” Jacob admitted. “You sure this is it, Miranda?”
“Positive,” Miranda said. “They were trying to do more testing on it… but… well, you can see what happened to them.”
“If we don’t want to join them, then we should hurry up and destroy that f*cking core,” Jack said.
Miranda sealed the IFF in one of her hardsuit pockets, which itself contained a kinetic barrier and cushion. Then the group moved forward to the door.
Once opened, the Reaper’s mass effect core, a bluish spherical energy ball, was clear enough and sat in the distance at the far end of the chamber. However, there was an additional barrier blocking them. It looked glass-like, but Miranda scanned it with her omni-tool.
“It’s like a reinforced bulkhead,” she explained. “Our bullets won’t damage it.”
“Wait!” Tali said. “Isn’t that… the Geth?”
At the end of the platform was a console, and at that console was what appeared to be the Geth from earlier. It was doing something at the console but then paused, pulled a pistol and shot multiple approaching Husks.
Returning its focus to the console, the Geth went back to work. After a few more seconds, the group saw the barrier drop into the floor. Their unlikely ally then turned as if to join them… only to get quickly overwhelmed by a group of Husks.
“Da f*ck?!” Jack exclaimed as she opened fire with her shotgun on the Husks. “Did that Geth help us again?!”
“No way,” Tali said, firing as well. “It couldn’t have wanted to. It must have been a coincidence.”
“Maybe it knew it was about to be overwhelmed,” Jacob speculated.
Meanwhile, Shepard, Miranda and Grunt opened fire on the core. However, a metal casing quickly closed around it - their bullets ricocheting off in different directions.
“I guess it was never going to be that easy,” Miranda lamented.
“Tali,” Shepard said. “The Geth was at that console. I bet it can get the core exposed again. See if you can get it open. Jack, Grunt, go with her. We’ll cover you.”
The trio all switched to their shotguns to take out anything that got close. Then they moved forward quickly, Grunt at the lead, clearing out any Husks in their path and blasting anything that got close. Jack didn’t use her biotics initially - likely to avoid any risk of damaging the console - but she did throw out attacks at the side.
Meanwhile, Shepard, Miranda and Jacob kept firing at those sides, hoping to keep the Husks focused on them rather than the trio making a beeline for the console.
Tali made it to the console and began working on it… though not before taking a moment to kick the Geth on the ground.
“Damn, tell us how you really feel,” Jack said.
“The Geth drove my people from my homeworld,” Tali said. “And they tried to destroy all organic life in the galaxy with the Reapers. Imagine how you feel about Cerberus and then turn it up to 1,000. I’d take my shotgun to it if I had the time.”
But given the circ*mstances, she didn’t. As it was, Jack and Grunt took positions on either side, their shotguns firing to keep the Husks and Abominations off her.
“They’re in position,” Shepard said. “Let’s get to them.”
They moved forward firing as they went at the Husks coming up from the sides of the platform. Between the two groups firing, Shepard, Miranda and Jacob were able to make it through the center with relative ease, joining the other trio at the console.
The perimeter was Grunt on one side, Jacob and Jack focused on the other. The three were kneeling, so that Shepard and Miranda could have clear shots over them. Normally, a biotic barrier would have been useful, but the Husks had no weapons. They’d just charge right on through any bubble Jack tried to make.
The Husks kept coming, trying to make up in numbers what they lacked in firepower. Jack and Jacob’s biotics helped, as did Miranda trying to slam them with her abilities when she could. Shepard used his incineration tech whenever possible, especially on the flaming Abominations, trying to get them to explode when in close proximity to the other Husks.
“How’s it coming?” Shepard asked.
“As fast as I can,” Tali insisted. “I’m not exactly well versed on Reaper technology.”
“All of our advanced technology is based on it, remember?” Shepard asked. “So we grow along the lines they intend?”
“Yeah, how could I forget Sovereign’s speech?” Tali asked. “Why are you mentioning it now?”
“Because everything you’ve ever seen in this galaxy is based off what you’re seeing here,” Shepard said. “You’ll crack it soon enough.”
Tali nodded. “Thanks. I think.”
The gunfire was constant, interspersed with the moaning of the Husks. On occasion, the banging of Jack’s shockwave echoed in the chamber, as did the sound of bone hitting metal as Miranda slammed Husks with her abilities, or explosions as Shepard’s tech ability detonated the Abominations.
“You must have woken something up Shepard,” Garrus said over the radio. “Got Husks swarming over here.”
“It’s what you expected, right?” Shepard asked. “How are you holding out?”
“Peachy. Got a big supply of thermal clips and an Asari justicar hurling Husks off the support structures they’re trying to climb,” Garrus replied. “How are things by you?”
“Got it!” Tali exclaimed.
“Looking up,” Shepard said.
Miranda turned back and saw the core’s bright energy once more. She and Shepard quickly turned and opened fire on it. However, like before, they barely did any damage before it shut again.
“No good,” Miranda said. “The damn thing closes too quickly for us to take it down. Can you keep it open longer?”
“I’m trying,” Tali said. “But it has additional security layers - either a timer or just recognizing that the mass effect core is being hit by something. I would need to disable that.”
“How long will that take?!” Jacob demanded.
“I don’t know,” Tali said. “I’ve never hacked a Reaper mass effect core before!”
“We’re running low on thermal clips over here,” Jack noted. “We don’t got much time.”
“You’ve got biotics and I’ve got me,” Grunt said. “That’s all we need.”
“No, we need this dealt with fast,” Shepard said. He put away his SMG and pulled out the Cain. “If we can’t whittle it down, then we’ll try take it out in one shot. Tali, get it open again. The rest of you, keep it off us.”
“Wait, that could over the core dangerously quickly, causing a chain reaction and vaporizing---” Tali began.
“We don't have any other options,” Shepard said.
“I can send Zaeed and Thane to help,” Garrus suggested.
“Our problem here is time and ammo,” Shepard said. “It wouldn’t help. I’m torching the core. If we go, radio Joker and tell him to pick you up.”
“Shepard…” Garrus said.
Miranda couldn’t argue with the Commander’s logic. The chamber was literally crawling with the Husks, though they sometimes struggled to make it over the bodies over their dead comrades. But eventually they’d get through. This had to be ended quickly, one way or another.
More and more Husks dropped to their gunfire and biotics. She tried not to think about the fact these were once Cerberus crew members, not unlike herself or the other members of the Normandy. But when that proved impossible, she reminded herself of the fate that awaited her and the others if they didn’t get off this ship soon.
Another explosion as an Abomination went down. But Shepard, focused on the core with the Cain, wasn’t the cause this time.
“Incendiary ammo works great against those Abominations!” Jacob called out. “Hit him with enough and they go boom.”
Grunt switched his ammo type per Jacob’s instructions then targeted an Abomination. Sure enough, one shot from his claymore blew it to pieces, taking down a pair of Husks with it.
The Krogan chuckled. “Hehe. Boom.”
“f*ck this,” Jack said putting away her shotgun. “Cheerleader, we can create our own explosions. You know what to do.”
She did. Jack threw out a large pull field to their left and Miranda proceeded to detonate it with her warp, blowing apart the Husk at the center and sending the others flying in all directions. One landed just short of Jacob, who just blasted it with his shotgun.
Jack then turned to the left and did the same thing. Miranda, feeling fatigued, nonetheless unleashed another warp to detonate the field, with similar results. The Husks that landed by Grunt this time were quickly smashed underfoot by the Krogan.
Miranda was breathing heavily. She was exhausted. But looking at the ground around her, she knew she didn’t have much of a choice. They were low on thermal clips and it was probably better if Jacob and Grunt used them since she and Jack could create large areas of damage by combining their abilities.
“GOT IT!” Tali exclaimed.
“On it!” Shepard shouted back.
Miranda was almost afraid to watch. This was it - if Shepard’s gambit failed, they were likely going to die here. Or worse - they’d be transformed into the same mindless Husks as Dr. Chandana’s team. Or vaporized… and the galaxy likely was going down with them.
Since another group of Husks charged up the center, Miranda couldn’t watch Shepard. Jack summoned another pull field and Miranda managed to conjure up enough energy to detonate it with her warp. This time, however, she dropped to her knees, exhausted.
Then a bright light and an explosion behind her. Before Miranda could turn back to see what happened, the entire chamber began to shake violently.
“Shepard!” Garrus shouted. “Shepard!”
“We’re here, Garrus!” Shepard exclaimed. “Core’s down. Joker gets us out of here!”
“Hold on people!” Moreau exclaimed over the radio.
Jacob helped Miranda to her feet. The Husks had stopped for the moment - perhaps thrown off by the violent shaking. She and Jacob then joined the others, standing over the downed Geth.
“You want to take the Geth?!” Tali exclaimed. “Are you crazy?”
“I mean, it’s got to be worth something,” Jack said.
“Cerberus has a bounty for an intact Geth,” Miranda noted. “This is a great opportunity.”
“Well, f*ck that then,” Jack said. “Leave it.”
“I agree. It could get into the Normandy’s computers,” Tali argued. “Shepard, you know what they are!”
“You’ve said it yourself,” Shepard replied. “No one’s ever captured one intact.”
“That’s true but… I’m not sure it’s worth the risk,” Tali admitted.
“We don’t have time to argue,” Shepard told them. “Grunt, grab the Geth and let’s move.
“Hmph,” Grunt said as he grabbed the Geth. “Might make for good target practice.”
“It’s getting hot in here!” Garrus exclaimed. “Shepard! Joker, hurry up!”
Looking around, they saw the momentary break in the Husks coming was about to end, as more were coming up from the sides. The group hurried out of the chamber, unloading what was left of their ammunition as they did so - Jack throwing out a last shockwave as they exited to give them some more time.
Up ahead they could see Garrus’ team keeping up a constant stream of fire at the Husks, Abominations and Scions. Meanwhile the Normandy approached on the left.
“Open the port side airlock,” Shepard commanded.
“What took you so long?” Garrus demanded of Shepard.
“Don’t be a bosh’tet,” Tali told the Turian. “We were dealing with cracking Reaper defense code.”
“Sounds nicer than dealing with Husks,” Garrus replied.
“Oh there were those too, Birdboy,” Jack added.
“No time to argue,” Shepard told them. “Let’s go.”
Grunt threw the Geth across the open area, and with gravity lessened, it floated into the airlock. Grunt followed, along with Thane, Kasumi and Samara. Samara and Thane, upon reaching the airlock, turned back and continued to use their biotics to give a bit more breathing room for the remaining team still on the Reaper itself.
Miranda, exhausted, made the jump next, along with Mordin and Jack. She landed on the Normandy somewhat awkwardly, but the lightened gravity meant she didn’t hit the deck hard. Next, Tali, Jacob and Zaeed made the leap and finally, Shepard and Garrus were the last two to make it aboard, Jack clearing their path with a shockwave just before they jumped.
“Joker, we’re clear,” Shepard exclaimed as the airlock closed. “Go!”
The pressurization chamber began to equalize itself with the Normandy, while the ship sped away, the team being thrown hard against the wall as it did so. The ship rattled and shook in the powerful winds, leaving Miranda gritting her teeth as her eyes remained shut to stop the world around her from spinning.
Eventually though, everything leveled out, and Miranda could open her eyes. She stared up at the ceiling of the pressurization chamber, her whole body in a state of dull pain. Then her mind thought of something else.
Going to her pocket, she unsealed the kinetic barrier and nervously reached in to find the IFF. Pulling it out, her eyes examined it, looking for damage. To her relief, it looked intact.
Miranda exhaled. Another hurdle cleared. They could get to the Collector homeworld. And some how try to find a way to survive that.
But that would be a thought for another today. For now, the XO simply exhaled and finally gave into the fatigue, letting her body go limp as the doors to the Normandy CiC opened.
