Hello there,
If you enjoy my stories, you can read up to 15 chapters in advance per story on my Patreon page / patreon.com/Samael61.
If you like how Shepard is a total genius badass, you should check Arrival : Ruptures to enjoy more of the same.
—
Omega
Quarantine Zone
Mordin's Clinic
"Environmental systems engaged. Airborne viral levels dropping. Patients improving. Vorcha retreating. Well done, Shepard, thank you." Mordin smiled. The salarian was happy that this ordeal was finally coming to an end.
It had dragged on too long for his tastes.
"And thank you for me as well. Those batarians would have killed me. Good thing they were too scared of you." Daniel stood next to Mordin nervously.
"Advantage of reputation. Crossing Shepard fatality rate %90." Mordin pointed out to his assistant, who looked more nervous at the explanation.
"Only 90%?" Shepard wondered where the remaining ten percent went.
"Remaining %10 includes humiliation, mutilation, lifelong PTSD." Mordin answered, causing the human to crack up.
Shepard laughed for a while, holding his stomach as it began to hurt. "Oh, professor, you and I are gonna get along fabulously. Are you ready to go?"
"Yes, leaving clinic to Daniel, bit naive, but he'll learn. Unexpected to be working with Cerberus and you. Many surprises. Won't take long. Meet you at your ship." Mordin took a deep breath, his face hardening. "Looking forward to it."
Shepard stayed after finishing Mordin to see how the patients were doing. The batarian he had encountered near the apartments was brought to the clinic and was in good condition.
—
Shepard headed ahead after helping a young quarian on a pilgrimage get out of Omega and buying the coupling the engineers wanted. Just near the docking bay, he saw Zaeed Massani, one of the possible recruits in the dossiers the Illusive Man had given him.
The grizzly merc was busy beating a batarian, who turned to beg Shepard for help.
"Zaeed Massani?"Shepard asked while the man continued to kick the downed batarian.
The mercenary turned to Shepard, and he couldn't help but notice the large scar covering half of his face and the synthetic eye. Whatever the merc had been through wasn't something many could survive. "Commander Shepard. Got to say, never expected Cerberus to contact me to work with you of all people."
"Is that a problem?"
"No, just fucking surprising."
"Have you been briefed?"
"We're going after the Collectors. I usually wouldn't take suicide missions, but the Illusive Man can move a lot of credits, and you are the leader."
"Alright, report to the Normandy as soon as you're done with him."
"Understood. I assume the Illusive Man told you about our arrangement." Of course, because god forbid things be simple for once.
"Not at all. What is it?"
"Good thing I asked. Picked up a mission a little while back, just before I signed on with Cerberus. Thought you might be interested."
"Have you heard the name Vido Santiago? He's the head of the Blue Suns. Runs the whole organization. It seems he recently captured an Eldfell-Ashland refinery on Zorya and is using their workers for slave labor. The company wants it dealt with, and you did more damage to the slavery across the galaxy than anyone else."
He was interested in kicking this Santiago's teeth down his throat, especially seeing as his mercenary outfit targeted Garrus. "Sounds simple enough. I'll see you in Normandy."
"Good." Zaeed pulled his weapon to shoot his Batarian captive, who thought it would be a good idea to run while they were talking.
Faster than him, Shepard sent a small biotic push, tripping the Batarian.
"I better turn this thing in before it starts to stink. I'll be locked and loaded next time you're ready to get some killing done."
—
Normandy
"Welcome to the Normandy, Professor. It's an honor to have you onboard." Jacob greeted the newest addition to the team, who was checking the interior of the ship as he walked along.
"Yes, very exciting. Cerberus working with aliens. Unexpected. Illusive Man branching out, maybe? Not so human-centric?" Mordin turned to Shepard, and the human shook his head.
"No, he is still the same, but also smart enough to understand we all have to work together to survive." Shepard knew that the Illusive Man was too set in his ways to consider change.
"The Collectors are abducting human colonists out on the fringes of the Terminus Space, or at least, what remained of it." Jacob pulled out a video recording they retrieved from Freedom's Progress.
"Yes. Alliance navy unprepared. Can't react to Collectors. Not simple abductions. Wouldn't need me for simple." Mordin reasoned, analyzing the footage.
"You are right. With what we had discovered on Freedom's Progress, and the intel the Commander had from destroying the Collector cruiser two years ago, we know they use these swarms to put their victims in stasis and abduct them without even firing a single shot." Jacob played different footage, this one showing the recording taken from Shepard's helmet cam against a Collector swarm.
"For experiments? Most likely. Nature? Unknown, too many possibilities."
Anatomic, genetic, neurological, pathogen and biochemical studies, cybernetic integration, or even biomass harvesting.
The possibilities were endless.
"You are right about the experiments. When I interacted with the Prothean beacon over two years ago, I saw Protheans subjected to countless experiments by the Reapers. The interesting thing is, the Collectors look exactly like the Protheans, except for some cosmetic changes." Liara would flip when she learned this, as soon as Shepard dropped by Illium, of course.
Mordin's eyes widened. "Implications troubling. Would mean Protheans did not vanish, but were eradicated. A small faction turned to slaves. Left behind to watch. Experiment on new species. Repeat the cycle."
"I don't think they were the first ones. Nor do the enemy intend them to be the last." At the least, there were the Innusanon, and the species the Reapers used to create the Keepers.
"Read your report on Reapers. Council dismissed the idea. Lack of evidence. Need to compare Collector DNA to Prothean samples." This could be the discovery of a lifetime.
A very troubling one, proving the existence of the spacefaring races was in jeopardy.
"If you read the report, then you know that the Collectors are most likely checking to see if humanity is viable to be a Reaper."
"Ah." Realization dawned on Mordin, and he looked at Shepard. " You. Single-handedly took down Hegemony. Sterilized the Terminus. Constantly do the impossible. Destroyed a Collector cruiser. Alone. Deadly." Mordin took a breath. "You draw their interest."
Shepard glared at the frozen footage, looking at a Collector possessed by Harbinger. "Both the Collectors and the Reapers will find out that is not a good thing."
"Yes. Need samples. And a lab." The stakes were getting Mordin all the more excited to start working immediately.
"There is a fully equipped lab on the combat deck, Professor Solus. If you find anything lacking, please place a requisition order." EDI spoke, and Mordin looked around to see where the voice came from.
"Who's that? Pilot? No. Synthesized voice. Simulated emotional inflections. Could it be…. no. Maybe. Have to ask. Is that an AI?" Mordin asked, as the current evidence left no other option.
Jacob huffed, amused. "Guess geniuses think alike. Yes, Professor. This ship is equipped with an AI."
"An AI on board? Non-human crew members? Cerberus more desperate than I thought. Why, though? Shepard here." Previous calculations had shown that stopping Shepard had extremely low odds, and even the mysterious and advanced Collectors couldn't manage it after ambushing and destroying his ship.
"Our discovery that the Commander was alive was a last-minute thing; by then, everything was ready." Jacob explained. The original plan was for Miranda to lead the Normandy to fight the Collectors, but then they discovered Shepard's stasis pod, and everything changed.
"I see. Which way to the lab?"
"Follow me, Professor."
—
With Mordin at his lab, Garrus had arrived just in time and walked into the meeting room.
"Shepard."
"Garrus."
Garrus leaned on the table. "One hell of a ride, huh? Surviving on a cruiser going down to an uninhabitable planet, sticking yourself in a pod to wait for rescue? Damn unlucky Cerberus found you first."
"Don't have to mention it to me. I didn't have time to do a proper scan of the area; what's with my oxygen running out, and look where I am."
"Still, Cerberus, Shepard? What exactly is our plan?" Garrus remembered the sick experiments these bastards had done, and Shepard wouldn't work for them in a million years.
Shepard activated his omni-tool, and an orange field covered the two. "To keep any prying eyes and ears out. As for our plan, I am trying to design something to track the QEC the Illusive Man uses to find their main base."
Garrus bent his neck to the side, curious. "I thought the whole point of the QEC was absolute security." Untraceable and unhackable unless you managed to target the end points, QEC was the fastest and most secure known form of communication.
"Since when did that stop me?"
"Never. When the time comes, I am ready to put these bastards down."
"Good, now tell me, how the hell did you end up in Omega, leading your own team?" Garrus had given him a summary, but Shepard wanted the details too.
Garrus grinned, his teeth exposed and mandibles flexed as he regaled Shepard with his tale of the events following Normandy's destruction.
His teammates had gravitated to the ex-C-Sec due to his ideals and ended up following him to the other side of the galaxy.
"And the Archangel name?"
"Some humans gave the name to me. It was either that or the Angel of Death, and I thought the first one inspired more confidence in people." Garrus shrugged. While the Angel of Death sounded cooler, in human terms, the name Archangel meant more than just killing.
"Alright buddy, enjoy the new ship."
"Oh, absolutely. I'll make myself comfortable in the forward battery. Just let me know when you need me."
—
CIC
Shepard was reading his messages after Yeoman Chambers informed him. One was from Karin, requesting him to come down for a checkup, while the other sender confused Shepard.
The name was Jonn Witson, the kid he stopped from signing up for the fight against Garrus.
Who had taken his address from Aria to thank him.
"Kelly?" He turned to the yeoman, who stopped whatever she was doing at her terminal.
"Yes, Commander?"
"How exactly does Aria T'loak have my contact address?" Shepard asked, and the young woman thought about a possible leak before another possibility came to mind.
"I would assume from the Shadow Broker."
"I see." Welp, Shadow Broker was dead.
Shepard directed the message he had received to her. "Then tell me, how did this message from a complete unknown not get flagged?"
Quickly scanning the message, Kelly gulped. This was nothing short of a weakness in cyber security, and Commander Shepard's fury was understandable. "My apologies, Commander. I'll see to it immediately."
"Thank you."
—
Alchera
There were several matters Shepard intended to handle before setting course to the Citadel.
Rescuing a captured Cerberus operative wasn't his idea of doing good for the galaxy, but apparently the man had some important information, and Shepard would bet his fortune that the terrorist organization wouldn't want it to be leaked.
Too bad.
The other matter was the Normandy's crash site.
It was hard to walk through the wreck of the first ship he commanded to collect the dog tags strewn around. It meant he couldn't save everyone and that even the best could be taken down with the right strategy.
Planting the memorial, Shepard left the frozen planet behind, promising vengeance, not to the dead, for they had no need of it, but to the living who had lost their friends and family.
—
Citadel
The Normandy docked after Shepard cleared things with the authorities, and they took a cab to the Zakera Ward with Garrus and Mordin.
"Oh mighty hero. Enter the password and receive a gift!"
Turning to the ad, he knew it was a great idea to wear his helmet, because this place was packed with people.
"Please tell me your password, Commander Shepard." The voice was quiet this time, to avoid being heard, and Shepard got a good look at his recruit, which didn't amount to much, because most of her face was covered by the hood.
"Silence is golden." Shepard recited the password he read in the dossier.
"Good to finally meet you, Commander Shepard. Kasumi Goto. I am a fan."
Shepard jumped, assisted by his biotics, and landed on the support structure, standing before Kasumi. "Want an autograph?"
"Definitely." Kasumi grinned, shutting down her omni-tool. She knew Shepard wouldn't fall for it but wanted to see how long it would take.
"Are you ready to go?" Shepard asked. Hopefully the master thief didn't pack much because space was limited.
"I travel light… I've already slipped my luggage aboard your ship."
"Most likely before I took command." He would know otherwise.
Kasumi nodded. "Sharp as ever."
"I have a feeling that Cerberus promised you more than just credits." Kasumi did not strike him as the type to do chase action for credits, but for the thrill of it.
"Guess they didn't tell you. I am looking for my old partner's gray box. A man named Donovan Hock took it, and I am planning to get it back." Her previous exuberance gave way to a colder look, and Shepard knew it was personal.
"We can discuss the details later. I have business in the Citadel."
"By all means. Too bad I didn't have a marker on me; I would love to have your autograph now."
—
Kasumi left for the ship, and Shepard landed back on the floor so he could go and see Udina and Anderson.
But something else had his attention, and he stopped before passing through the customs.
A Gunnery Sergeant was tearing into the recruits before him. "This, recruits, is a 20-kilo ferrous slug. Feel the weight. Every five seconds the main gun of an Everest-class dreadnought accelerates to 1.3 percent of light speed. It impacts with the force of a 38-kiloton bomb. That is three times the yield of the city buster dropped on Hiroshima back on Earth. That means Sir Isaac Newton is the deadliest son-of-a-bitch in space, right after Commander Shepard." Garrus snorted. "Now! Serviceman Burnside. What is Newton's first law?"
"Sir! An object in motion stays in motion, sir!" Burnside replied, and the sergeant scowled.
"No credit for partial answers, maggot."
"Sir, unless acted on by an outside force, sir." The serviceman added, and the sergeant appeared to be satisfied.
"Damn straight. I dare to assume you jackasses know that space is mostly empty. Once you fire this hunk of metal, it keeps going till it hits something. That can be a ship or the planet behind that ship. It might go off into deep space and hit somebody in ten thousand years. If you pull the trigger on this, you're ruining someone's day, somewhere and sometime." The Gunnery Sergeant was spitting his words out now. "That is why you check your damn targets. That is why you wait for the computer to give you a damn firing solution."
The sergeant got into the other recruit's face, face red from screaming. "That is why, Serviceman Chung, we do not eyeball it. This is a weapon of mass destruction. You are not a cowboy, shooting from the hip."
"Sir, yes sir!" The serviceman acknowledged before the tired sergeant dismissed them.
"You heard that, Shepard?" Garrus elbowed Shepard, who just shrugged.
"Just some facts, Garrus, nothing to worry about. Let's go."
There was a security checkpoint after the door, which was a new addition as far as Shepard remembered.
As the scanner began to hum, Shepard took his helmet off.