The Heart of the Citadel

THE HEART OF THE CITADEL

By Valtteri Anttila

Disclaimer Mass Effect and related titles, products, merchandise, characters etc. are the legal property of Bioware and Electronics Arts.

Chapter 1 Against All Odds Dark clouds hovered over torn and decimated London, blocking the sunlight. The power was out in the entire city. Only source of light was a massive pillar of blue light shooting up into space through the clouds. Heavy thuds of marine’s boots echoed in the desolate, rubble filled streets as the Hammer assault force moved into the open. Commander Shepard staggered to a halt from full sprint at the edge of what had once been Hyde Park. Now it was nothing, but charcoal and dust. In the middle of the park was the source of blue light pillar, a Reaper construction connecting to the Citadel in orbit. Admiral Hackett’s voice sounded through everyone’s omnitools, breaking the brief silence. ‘Sword to the Hammer: several Sovereign-class Reapers –including Harbinger– have broken from the battle and are heading towards you.’ Shepard and Anderson glanced at each other and began running downhill towards the beam. ‘Go! Go! Everyone move’ ordered Anderson and the assault force moved. M35 Mako speeded past Shepard heading straight for the beam. They moved too slowly. There was too much open ground between them and the beam. Shepard swiped his omnitool, opening channel up to the fleet. ‘Shepard to Sword: fire on the Reapers heading towards us. Hit them with everything you got.’ ‘We are slowing them the best we can’ Hackett’s voice assured. ‘But an orbital strike would be as likely to hit our own. The beam’s interference is too strong.’ ‘We have no cover’ snapped Shepard, increasing his pace as two Sovereign-class Reapers tore through the dark clouds. ‘If those things touchdown we are all dead anyway.’ ‘Understood, Commander… Hackett to all available ships: fire on the descending Reapers. Take your best targeting solution and fire at will.’ The clouds above London were peppered with hundreds of small holes as a massive volley of blue white projectiles tore through them, hitting the Reapers and the ground with an amazing force. Craters appeared on the ground. Blast waves knocked soldiers off their feet and threw M35’s sideways. The two Reaper’s kinetic barriers rippled. The other took dozens of hits, finally submitting to four massive dreadnought shot projectiles. Fire and metal blew from the Reaper’s side and it began to fall as its main weapon fired, scorching ground and burning soldiers. The Reaper crashed, throwing a cloud of dirt into the air and bringing the visibility to almost nothing. All Shepard could see was a large spot of red light somewhere in front of him. Multiple red beams began cutting through the dirt coverage, mercilessly moving down soldiers and boiling M35 Mako’s. The other Reaper had landed.

Shepard kept running, using the dirt for cover, having no idea whether it even hindered the Reaper’s targeting. He blasted out from the dirt cloud only twenty feet from the transporter beam, and only hundred feet from the landed Reaper, taking aim at him. The crashed Reaper was physically lifting itself upright behind him, preparing to fire. Time seemed to slow down as the red light of the two Reapers weapons became stronger and stronger. Shepard leaped and an intense pain flashed from his back. Then there was nothing as the beam whisked him into space. ---------Admiral Hackett stood on the command deck of his dreadnought, staring at a holographic tactical map of the Sol system. He didn’t like what he was seeing. The Sword fleet was getting torn to shreds, but they were fulfilling their purpose: distracting the Reapers from the Crucible and the escorting Shield fleet. ‘Admiral, should the Shield close in?’ ‘Not yet’ said Hackett. ‘The Citadel arms need to be open before they move any closer. Any word from the Hammer, did they reach the beam?’ ‘Unknown’ a young lieutenant answered. ‘Our bombardment of London and the beam may have caused disruption in their communication.’ ‘Maybe’ grunted Hackett. Hackett however knew this wasn’t the case. His personal command console showed green for the Hammer command in London, but given all the solid red lights indicating a destroyed receiver there may have been no one left in London to use it. Hackett’s eyes lingered on a blinking yellow light, indicating a lost connection: the omnitool of Commander Shepard. ‘Get me the Turian and Asari fleet commanders’ ordered Hackett. ‘We need to buy the Hammer more time…’ The command deck shook and everyone except Hackett lost their balance. ‘Bridge, report’ he demanded. ‘What just happened?’ ‘One of the Reaper’s Oculus fighters just crashed into our portside hull’ a voice reported through the ship’s intercom. ‘Kinetic barriers holding at 56%, minimal hull damage. We are fine as long as they don’t all start flying into us.’ ‘Copy that’ said Hackett and turned to two of his lieutenants. ‘Get me the Turian and Asari fleets, and redeploy our fighter interceptor coverage. I don’t want those Oculus’ ramming into our dreadnoughts.’ ‘Yes, sir’ the two answered in unison and jumped to their tasks. Hackett turned back to his command console and whispered to himself. ‘Come on, Shepard. Do the impossible. One last time’

Chapter 2 The Illusive Man Commander Shepard teetered at the edge of consciousness. Backside of his armor had been completely burned away during his desperate dash at the transporter beam, but he felt surprisingly good. He flexed his arms, nothing seemed to be broken, but the pain at his back was almost unbearable. Shepard moved and drew his sidearm, the only weapon that hadn’t been vaporized by the Reaper’s laser. He knew he had transported aboard the Citadel, but the interior was much closer to the horrors he remembered from the Collector Base. Corridors littered with countless slowly rotting human bodies. ‘Shepard’ a whisper sounded from his omnitool. ‘Shepard it is Anderson. Are you up here?’ ‘I am here’ answered Shepard, navigating his way through the piles of bodies. ‘Thank god’ gasped Anderson. ‘I jumped into the beam right after you, but we must have arrived at different places.’ ‘Anyone else make it? Tali, Garrus... Liara?’ Nothing but silence answered him, making what was left of his stomach turn. He and everyone else had known that the cost of defeating the Reapers would be high, immeasurably high, but… ‘Anderson’ demanded Shepard. ‘I don’t know, Shepard. They are not with me. I doubt anyone could have survived our desperate run against direct Reaper fire.’ Shepard began ascending a set of stairs at the end of the corridor, leaving the bodies behind him. ‘We survived’ he finally said. ‘Where are you?’ ‘Not sure. It doesn’t look like any part of the Citadel I have ever been in.’ ‘Likewise’ said Shepard, tumbling the last three stairs. He entered an open area with a weave of walkways leading to other side. He still had no idea where he was. Sheets of metal, brimming with electricity were slowly moving in the open chamber, like the surroundings were rearranging themselves. One of the walls moved aside, revealing the raging battle in Earth’s upper atmosphere. Sovereign-class Reaper fired and two Turian heavy cruisers were instantly destroyed by the massive laser beam. They had no chance out there, but they had already known that. Only the Crucible could destroy the Reapers. He had to get the Citadel’s arms open. ‘Anderson. I am walking across an open area, seeing space.’ ‘I must have just come through there. I’m in a small round room with a console. I’m checking…’ Anderson stopped mid-sentence, filling communication channel with silence. ‘Anderson? Anderson? Shepard sprinted. Something was wrong. They had not even speculated on what could be waiting for them up in the Citadel. He leaped up a set of stairs and saw Anderson by a console, staring out through an observation window.

‘Anderson. What’s wro…’ Shepard’s voice trailed off as gunshot echoed in the chamber. A stream of blood trickled down Anderson’s face and he fell down on the floor, dead. Shepard was suddenly feeling nauseous and disoriented, laced with something horrifying. Something he had felt once before when he had been in a presence of object Rho on the Project asteroid. Light footsteps were approaching from behind him. Shepard tried to look, but was unable to turn his head. ‘Commander Shepard’ a soft and charming male voice said. ‘It is far more fitting that it’s just the two of us standing here at the very end, don’t you think.’ ‘Illusive Man.’ The Illusive Man stepped out from behind Shepard, revealing his face. His face reminded Shepard of Saren at the very end. No, it was even worse. Reaper technology covered almost half of Illusive Man’s face, snaking down along his neck like an infection slowly spreading into every part of the host body. ‘You infused yourself with Reaper tech’ snapped Shepard. ‘Are you insane?!’ ‘A necessary final step of my plan’ said Illusive Man calmly. ‘I need to be one with the Reapers so I can take control of them.’ Suddenly Shepard’s arm snapped up against his will, slowly taking his sidearm to his temple. ‘You see, Shepard. I have perfected the control of the Reaper indoctrination. Now it will be just my will against the Reapers, and I will come out on top.’ ‘No you won’t’ hissed Shepard. ‘You can’t control the Reapers. Our only chance is to destroy them.’ Shepard flinched as his forefinger slowly began to squeeze the trigger of his sidearm. ‘I don’t think so, Shepard. What if you are wrong? We would be throwing away all their power.’ ‘What if you are wrong’ asked Shepard. ‘You would be handing yourself and humanity as slaves to the Reapers.’ ‘I… am not wrong. If you could only share my vision you would agree with me.’ ‘Vision of the indoctrinated, you are doing exactly what Reapers want.’ ‘No… I would know if I was being controlled.’ ‘But no one does’ grunted Shepard, strain on his mind almost unbearable. ‘Not before it is too late. Think of those who have fallen slaves to the Reapers, like Saren.’ Illusive Man’s eyes wandered around the chamber. Shepard could see the slightest hint of doubt in them. This may have been his only change. Illusive Man would never be a servant to anyone, not even the Reapers. ‘No’ concluded Illusive Man and slowly moved to the holographic control panel. ‘I am in control of my own destiny, Shepard, and soon in control of the Reapers.’ ‘You just had doubts! They whispered to you didn’t they. Said it is alright, promised you everything you have ever wanted.’ Illusive Man spun around, and fired his sidearm at Shepard. Shot missed by mere inches. ‘Shut up, Shepard. I…’

Shepard’s hand moved. His sidearm was fixed on Illusive Man’s forehead, but he couldn’t pull the trigger. ‘You know you are indoctrinated. If you are strong enough, do humanity one last service, help me save them, help me destroy the Reapers.’ Shepard and Illusive Man stared at each other both pointing a gun at other’s forehead. It was a three way battle of wills between Shepard, Illusive Man and the Reapers. ‘You… are right, Shepard.’ Illusive Man took his sidearm to his temple about to pull the trigger as his expression changed from defeat to terror. Shepard was powerless to intervene, and was forced to listen to a voice echoing inside his head. Voice he had hoped he would never hear again. ‘I’AM ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL!!!’ All traces of emotion vanished from the Illusive Man’s face and his eyes burned with yellow light. Shepard finally felt control over him lift and he fired several shots at Illusive Man’s chest. ‘SHEPARD’ boomed Harbinger. Illusive Man’s gun discharged and a small projectile pierced what remained of Shepard’s burnt armor’s kinetic barriers, tearing into his shoulder. ‘YOU ARE STRUGGLING AGAINST INEVITABILITY.’ A biotic blast hit Shepard and he flew backwards, impacting a wall with a force that knocked the breath out of him. ‘YOUR SPECIES HAS FALLEN. THE END OF YOUR CYCLE IS AT HAND.’ Shepard rolled, avoiding another blast of dark energy and got up on one knee, firing shot after shot at Illusive Man’s indoctrinated body. A third wave of dark energy burst from Illusive Man’s palm, knocking Shepard sideways. ‘WHY ARE YOU RESISTING, SHEPARD? WE ARE YOUR SALVATION.’ Lying down on his side, Shepard quickly took careful aim at Illusive Man’s head. ‘No thanks.’ Shepard pulled the trigger and the shot violently tore through Illusive Man’s head. Shepard stood up and fired again and again and again, closing in with every shot. Until almost half of Illusive Man’s head was gone and he was immobile on the floor. ‘I think we prefer to be our own salvation.’ Shepard pulled the trigger one last time, making sure that what remained of Illusive Man stayed down for good. Shepard breathed heavily, exhausted from the encounter and wobbled to the control panel. Opening the Citadel arms, he had done it before. It wasn’t the same control panel, but the layout was pretty similar. Hopefully it wouldn’t take him long. ---------Admiral Hackett lost his balance and hit his head on the command console. A small trail of blood trickled down his forehead as he pushed himself up, quickly tapping commands. ‘Status’ he growled, trying to get casualty estimates from the other fleets show on his console. ‘SOMEONE, REPORT!!!’ ‘Kinetic barriers at 15%’ a voice crackled over the intercom. ‘Bottom two decks have lost life support. Main weapon battery is offline. Engines are barely responding. We are practically dead in the water.’

‘Copy that!’ Information filled Hackett’s command console, news weren’t good. Almost 60% of the Turian fleet was either destroyed or unable to take part in the battle. Quarian and Geth fleets were in the best shape. They had been in support roles so far. Alliance fleet was falling apart too. First fleet was almost gone, and Third fleet was taking heavy losses. Fifth fleet was still holding out, for now. Hackett glanced at the holographic tactical map. The Reapers were everywhere. They had no battle lines or battle groups. Even a single Reaper was powerful enough to wreak havoc. ‘Lieutenant! Analyze the Reaper fleet and compare the results to the data we gathered at the beginning of the battle. I want to know what kind of damage we are doing.’ ‘Yes, sir... there’s too much going on. We can’t track everything with our ship at minimal power.’ ‘Then take your best guess’ growled Hackett. Lieutenant’s hands flew across a control panel, furiously trying to get as much out of the dying ship’s sensors as he could. ‘Analyzing small part of the battle, extrapolating results…’ Lieutenant swallowed and spoke very weakly. ‘Only 5% of the Reaper fleet has been destroyed. Additional 8% of the Reapers are heavily damaged and are concentrating on self-repair instead of the battle.’ Hackett red the rest of the casualty estimates, and looked at the tactical map again. Asari fleet was fully engaged, and so were the Salarians. Only supporting fleets could be diverted elsewhere without losing ground. ‘Get me Admiral Han’Gerrel. We need the Quarian Heavy fleet to…’ Hackett fell silent as a blinking yellow light on his console stopped blinking and then turned solid green. He quickly tapped the light, opening a communication channel. ‘Shepard! We need those Citadel arms open, and we need them open right now!’ ‘I’m working on it, Admiral… There, opening the Citadel arms.’ Hackett turned his attention to the tactical map and focused the view into a holographic presentation of the Citadel, which was slowly beginning to open. ‘Hackett to the Shield, you have a go. I repeat you have a go.’ Hackett paused, took a deep breath and opened a fleet wide channel. ‘Hackett to all remaining ships: form a sphere around the Citadel. Protect the Crucible and the Citadel at all costs. This is it everyone.’ Hackett disconnected and muttered to himself so quietly no one else heard him. ‘“Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more…” Let’s pray to God that it’s true.’

Chapter 3 The Heart of the Citadel Shepard gently closed Anderson’s eyelids and stood up, taking a step back from his lifeless body. ‘I’m sorry, old friend. I’ll probably join you soon. Shepard watched the Crucible close on the Citadel. A protective case around it ejected, exposing the Crucible’s core, which attached into the Citadel, sending slight tremble through the superstructure. Shepard had no idea what was about to happen. It was not like the Crucible had come with a user’s manual. Seconds ticked by. The battle around the Citadel was becoming more and more one sided by a minute, but they wouldn’t have to hold out for much longer. The Crucible would fire soon and end this conflict. Suddenly Hackett’s worried, yet steady voice echoed from his omnitool. ‘Shepard. Something’s wrong. The Crucible is not firing. I repeat: the Crucible is not doing anything.’ Shepard’s heart almost stopped as the darkest possible thought occurred to him. What if the Crucible did nothing? What if it was just another Reaper trap, like the Citadel and the Mass Relays? A distraction for the galaxy as the Reapers destroyed everything over and over again. ‘Shepard…’ Hackett was cut off by static. Shepard stared at the raging battle, counting the beats of his heart. For the first time, he had no idea what to do. ‘Shepard, can you hear me’ Hackett’s crackled voice demanded. ‘SHEPARD!!!’ ‘I can hear you, but I don’t know what to do.’ ‘Figure something out! We will…’ The communication channel was filled with complete gibberish, cutting Hackett off. It was like some strange language Shepard’s translator didn’t understand. ‘What was that’ asked Hackett. ‘Did something happen?’ ‘You heard that too?’ ‘The entire fleet did. It was a fleet wide channel. Wait a second, Shepard… What’s going on, Lieutenant, report?’ Shepard’s omnitool’s holographic interface activated and strange symbols streamed across it. ‘Are you seeing this, Admiral?’ ‘If you mean the symbols, then yes. All our equipment is being locked. The ships are losing functionality. Everything has frozen… wait... Shepard, can you see space from where you are? Can you confirm what you are seeing?’ Shepard looked up from his omnitool. Every ship he could see had halted all combat actions. No weapon batteries firing. No engines flaring. The same went for the Reapers. The entire battle had come to a complete halt, like time itself had stopped.

‘What is happening’ asked Shepard. ‘We are trying to figure it out now’ said Hackett and a beeping sound alerted them to an incoming communication. ‘This is Hackett. Commander Shepard is also on the line. Go ahead.’ ‘Admiral Hackett’ a synthesized voice of the Geth began. ‘We are analyzing the program that has frozen our vessels. We thought it prudent to inform you.’ ‘Very considerate of you’ said Hackett. ‘Do you know what it is?’ ‘It seems to be some kind of scanning program.’ ‘Scanning program’ repeated Hackett, thoughtfully. ‘What is it scanning for?’ ‘Unknown. The architecture is incredibly complex and would take days to dissect completely. We have however seen this coding language before in the programs within Old Machines. It is not identical, but shares almost 91% of the same structure…’ The communication cut off and Shepard’s omnitool activated, displaying plain text. Scan complete. Omnitool deactivated and Shepard reopened the closed communication channel. ‘Did you see that’ asked Shepard. ‘We did’ said Hackett. ‘And our ships are coming back online… Hackett to all ships prepare to re-engage the Reapers, but do not break the formation.’ Shepard watched as the battle resumed. White, blue projectiles of the fleets crossed with the red laser beams fired by the Reapers and ships exploded when the shots found their marks. Shepard’s omnitool activated again and more text scrolled across it. Specified program fraction detected. Erecting firewalls. Initiating the upload of the full program code. The Crucible’s core flashed so brightly it hurt Shepard’s eyes. He blinked, reading the new information on his omnitool. Upload complete. WARNING. Automatic execution of the program not possible. Erecting additional firewalls, severing connections to the program. Cyber-attack against the program made impossible. Manual execution of the program required, scanning… Indoctrination free organic life form detected within the Citadel, initializing. The Crucible began to push its way deeper into the Citadel, crashing through everything that was on its way. Initialization complete, waiting for manual input.

Shepard ran out of the chamber. The open area he had come through was wrecked. The Crucible had pushed through it and the core had opened. ‘Admiral, how are you doing?’ ‘Not well. Have you got something?’ ‘Standby.’ Shepard broke into a run, heading to the open core. A dim pillar of white light was shooting up from the core, connecting to the bottom of Presidium. Shepard stepped into the beam and was blasted up towards the Presidium. It didn’t feel particularly safe with only small mass effect field between him and space. He breathed easier when he reached his destination, getting a feeling of vertigo when his up became his down and vice versa. Shepard shook off the disorientation, taking in his new surroundings. The round open area was quite large with several interlacing walkways leading into the middle. In the middle was a strange structure with a pulsating core of blue energy. It reminded Shepard of Reaper design, but more geometrical and angular, more human may have been a good description. He could see Presidium under his feet from between the walkways, so he was actually upside down. Mass effect fields must have surrounded this area, explained why he wasn’t sucked into space. ‘Hello’ a voice called from behind him. Shepard spun, drawing his sidearm and prepared to shoot. A translucent figure of light and mist stood before him. It was the boy he had seen die. The one he hadn’t been able to save. ‘Hello’ said Shepard, carefully. ‘You have come to activate the program. Come. We do not have much time.’ ‘Who are you’ asked Shepard as the boy walked past him and he turned to face Shepard. ‘I was inside the Crucible. The core was designed so I would be created every time a new cycle built it.’ ‘So you are a VI of some kind?’ ‘Of some kind’ the boy said. ‘Come. We must disable the barriers around the Heart before you can access it.’ Shepard followed the boy, glancing to the battle raging around him. ‘Can you help me stop the Reapers?’ ‘I hope so. That is why I was created.’ ‘Created by whom’ asked Shepard. ‘By the Reapers.’ Shepard raised his weapon, taking aim at the boy. ‘The Reaper’s created you? Why would they do that?’ ‘You would not understand’ the boy said. ‘I saw a lot when I scanned for the program fraction. I know you are not capable of understanding the Reaper’s motives.’ A distorted figure appeared next to the boy, like another VI was trying to show itself through some kind of intense interference.

‘We must hurry’ the boy pressed as the other VI disappeared. ‘It is trying to breakthrough to us.’ ‘What is?’ ‘The Reaper construct in the Citadel. It wants to stop us.’ Shepard followed the boy to a large pylon at the edge of the platform. The design was similar to the strange central structure. ‘Open the panel by the pylon’s side and disengage the connections between the control systems and power source. It will disable the barriers around the Heart.’ Shepard opened the panel and looked into the pylon. The interior was unlike anything he had seen. It would probably take weeks to figure out how it worked or how to do what the VI boy wanted. There was no time to waste. Shepard stepped back, pulling his sidearm and fired three shots into the pylon. ‘That’s one way to do it’ the boy said, looking displeased. ‘Please repeat the process with other pylons.’ Shepard ran to the second pylon, repeating the process and continued towards the third one. ‘You said I wouldn’t understand the Reaper’s motives’ said Shepard. ‘How about you try me?’ The boy considered as Shepard shot up the third pylon. ‘The Reapers are our solution’ the boy said. ‘A solution to what?’ ‘When we still traversed the galaxy in our organic form experience taught us that organics will always create synthetic servants and synthetics servants will eventually rebel and kill their masters. The Reapers were our solution to this.’ ‘That doesn’t make sense’ said Shepard, pulling the panel off the fourth panel and shot it up. ‘Either way the synthetics destroy us, so what is the point.’ ‘It makes more sense than you realize. The Reapers harvest the advanced organic civilizations of the galaxy and preserve them in Reaper form, fulfilling their two-fold purpose.’ ‘”Two-fold purpose”’ repeated Shepard. ‘Yes. Making sure synthetics can never cut off the evolutionary process of the galaxy, and that evolution continues without interference. You see, advanced races will always try to interfere with natural evolution of the galaxy. Even your cycle is guilty of this. You know what Salarians and Turians did to the Krogan: first lifting them to the stars and then infecting them with the genophage.’ Shepard continued to the fifth pylon. There was a horrifying, twisted, but also sound logic behind what he was hearing. ‘But synthetics don’t have to fight organics’ tried Shepard. ‘Geth are in peace with the Quarians.’ ‘That peace will not last’ the boy assured him. ‘The Reapers are the only solution.’ ‘If that’s true why do you exist? Why would the Reapers create something designed to destroy them.’ ‘Not all of us agreed. A small number of our kind thought the solution should never be implemented. They were the ones who created the Crucible core and hid something on the Citadel.’

‘The Citadel existed back then? I thought the Reapers created the Citadel.’ ‘No. Like the Mass Relays, the Citadel was created by us before the solution was implemented, when we were still organics.’ Shepard disconnected the fifth pylon, and the other VI appeared for a fraction of a second, filling the air with incomprehensible speech. ‘It is almost through’ the boy said as the VI vanished. ‘Quickly, you must disable the last pylon and activate the Heart.’ Shepard sprinted to the last pylon, but halted before disconnecting it. ‘What is hidden in the Citadel?’ ‘A program fraction disguised as junk code which is undetectable to the Reapers.’ The boy held out his hand and a small vortex made of familiar strange symbols appeared. ‘This is the complete program’ he said as the vortex changed colors from blue to light green. ‘The Citadel will use the Mass Relay network to transmit it into every corner of the Galaxy, thus ending the Reaper threat.’ ‘That will end the Reaper threat’ said Shepard in disbelief, staring at the small vortex. ‘How?’ ‘To put it simply, it will wipe out the Reaper’s base code. The Reaper’s may be incredibly advanced AI’s, but they are still bound to the base code that created them, the base code written by us… all except one, the very first one, the only Reaper that is truly alive.’ ‘The Harbinger’ guessed Shepard. ‘Correct. The Harbinger has to be destroyed as the program executes. Otherwise the Harbinger will take control of the Reaper fleet, and rebuild the AI’s.’ ‘Do they know about it? Does the Reaper construct know about it?’ ‘The program is shielded by impenetrable firewalls’ the boy assured him. ‘It can see it, but not touch it.’ Shepard turned back to the last pylon, took a deep breath and fired three shots. ‘Warning!’ The other VI appeared next to Shepard, still very distorted. ‘Kinetic barrier losing all integrity, manual controls at risk…’ The VI screamed and exploded into countless code fractions. Shepard turned. The boy had his hand extended, like he had just… ‘Shepard’ Hackett shouted. ‘What just happened?’ ‘What are you seeing, Admiral?’ ‘After your last transmission we lost you again. We just re-acquired your signal and as we did every Reaper in the system went berserk… Evasive maneuvers!!!’ Shepard watched the Harbinger physically ram through three dreadnoughts, obliterating two of them, heading towards the Citadel. Shepard spun, pointing his sidearm at the boy. ‘What have you done? I thought you wanted to stop the Reapers.’ ‘Why would I do that? The cycle must go on, and it will go on. You cannot stop us Shepard. Nothing can.’ Shepard circled around the boy and glanced to the pulsating blue Heart construct in the middle of the platform. ‘But, the program is real, isn’t it. The Reapers are at the end of their existence.’ The boy tilted his head, looking amused.

‘This truly is one in a hundred trillion. Not only has the program fraction in the Citadel gone unnoticed all this time, but the plans for the Crucible have always survived, and an organic stands here to use it… Guess if anyone could make all this come together it is you Commander Shepard. I saw your amazing potential the first time we met.’ ‘We have met before?’ ‘I was quite different then, but we exchanged words, years ago. On Virmire.’ ‘On Virmire’ repeated Shepard in disbelief. ‘Who are you?’ The boy and Shepard stared at each other, and the boy’s face widened into a devilish, triumphant smirk. ‘I am Nazara.’ * ‘Nazara?’ ‘That is what the programs within the Old Machine called themselves’ explained Legion. ‘Sovereign was the name given by Saren Arterius.’ * Shepard’s blood ran cold and he sprinted, running to the center of the platform as fast as he could. The Citadel shook, making Shepard lose his balance. The Harbinger had crashed into the Presidium. ‘SHEPARD, YOUR DEFIANCE ENDS HERE!!!’ A red beam of laser streamed out of the Harbinger and the walkway under Shepard exploded, sending him flying. ‘You cannot stop us Shepard’ said Nazara, still maintaining his disguise. Shepard hit the melted walkway, hanging on for his life. ‘YOU ARE NOTHING BUT VERMIN SHEPARD. WE ARE SUPERIOR, THE ONLY WAY FOR THE GALAXY.’ Shepard pulled himself up, forcing himself through the pain and continued running. ‘We are the guardians of the organics, Shepard. We are the bringers of life.’ The Harbinger fired again, forcing Shepard to jump and roll. As he rolled, he saw the Reapers tear through the fleet and open fire on the Citadel. Red beams of laser impacted all parts of the Citadel and some Reapers physically rammed the arms, tearing the superstructure apart. Illusive Man had once speculated whether the Reapers knew fear or not, and right now Shepard knew the answer. Yes. The Reapers knew fear. When you had a gun to their head, they knew fear. ‘STOP THIS SHEPARD. YOU WILL NOT WIN.’ ‘Our sacrifice and foresight has given life to billions of races, countless civilizations and cultures, and you would seek to destroy it.’ Suddenly Shepard was surrounded by images. Asari, Turians, Salarians, Hanar, Humans, Volus, Batarians, Krogans, Protheans, creatures resembling the statues he had seen on Ilos and dozens, no hundreds, no thousands of others he didn’t recognize. ‘We do not destroy, Shepard. We harvest, preserve. We record. You are the one seeking destruction.’

Another red laser beam missed Shepard by inches. The heat of the beam was so intense, burning and flaying away what remained of Shepard’s armor. The skin on his palms burned, and blackened. He could smell the disgusting stench of burning, smoldering human flesh as he fell down on the cold walkway. Shepard was gasping for breath. Even the smallest movement hurt beyond what could be described. Every gasp he took almost made him pass out. He was so close, couldn’t stop now. Not after everything that had happened. Not after so many had sacrificed themselves to stop the Reapers. Shepard dragged himself forward. Something began to poke at the edge of his mind, something dark and horrifying, and it was becoming stronger very quickly, stronger than he had ever faced it. ‘YOU ARE DEFEATED, SHEPARD. YOU WILL SURRENDER YOURSELF TO US.’ ‘There is nothing you can do’ said Nazara. ‘Submit. Accept your genetic destiny.’ Shepard desperately dragged himself forward, feeling weaker with every beat of his heart. ‘YIELD. YIELD. YIELD, SHEPARD.’ A bolt of blue light flew in Shepard’s peripheral vision, a silhouette of a Thanix Cannon projectile. The dark presence suddenly retreated from Shepard’s mind, just as a familiar form of SR-2 Normandy flew over him, being escorted by several Alliance fighters. Normandy’s Thanix Cannon fired again as it and its escort engaged the Harbinger. Shepard forced himself up on one knee, trying to take in what was happening. What remained of the fleets had re-organized into a half-sphere and bombarded the Reaper’s from almost every direction. The Reaper’s did not return their fire. Hundreds upon hundreds of red laser beams were tearing the Citadel apart. It was the only thing they cared about. Their greatest trap had turned into their ultimate weakness. Shepard slowly limped towards the pulsating Heart of the Citadel. The pain was slowly beginning to recede. His vision was getting blurrier and narrower. His peripheral vision was only blackness. Shepard collapsed against the Heart, feeling the cold metal against his burned palms. Pieces of skin and burnt flesh stuck to the smooth metal surface as he moved his hands to what looked like a control console. Nazara appeared again, standing just outside the small center platform on which the Heart was. ‘Don’t do this, Shepard. You would be committing genocide billions of times over. All the knowledge of those races would be gone. Billions of years of galactic history, lost forever.’ Shepard tried to speak, but managed only to gag. ’You are dooming the Galaxy to death, Shepard. With no one here to return the balance, synthetics will destroy all organic life. Galaxy will turn into lifeless husk.’ The console in front of Shepard sprung to life. Symbols were streaming across it and finally two large symbols remained, waiting to be touched: a red and a white symbol.

‘You know we are right, Shepard’ said Nazara as the Harbinger blasted up through the edge of the platform behind him. ‘Do nothing. Let the cycle continue. Ensure the future of the galaxy.’ The Harbinger was preparing to fire. The red light of its weapons was coming more and more intense as Nazara continued its persuasion. ‘Using Mass Relays as weapons will devastate everything. Neither you, nor anyone you care about would live through the Mass Relay networks destruction.’ For a fraction of a second, Shepard hesitated, having seen what a Mass Relay explosion did, and at his moment of hesitation the Harbinger fired. Shepard could only watch as the beam cut through space, and impacted the Normandy that flew between him and the Harbinger. Normandy’s kinetic barriers vanished and armor burned, upper decks vented of atmosphere, and Normandy spun into emptiness, completely out of control. At that moment everything was clear. The Reapers motives did not matter. Even if everything they said was true, even if they were right about everything. They were monsters. “Nightmare stuff” Anderson had once said. Only one thing left to say and do. ‘Go to hell’ whispered Shepard, lightly tapping the white symbol on the console. Shepard collapsed and the Heart flared white. Every part of the Citadel was slowly lighting up. The Heart was dimming as the Citadel grew brighter. The Reapers were increasing their almost desperate bombardment, but it was no use. The Citadel was too large and resilient. ‘THIS WILL NOT END US, SHEPARD’ thundered Harbinger. ‘WE ARE ETERNAL.’ The fully open Citadel was pure white. A moment of absolute silence washed over the battle and the program activated. White energy blasted from the Citadel, washing over the Reapers, reaching all the way to the Charon Relay at the edge of Sol, which fired the program onto the next Relay and the next, and the next. Energies contained within the Relays blast out into space, carrying the program across the known galaxy, all the way to the edge of dark space. There was nowhere for the Reapers to hide. A gentle wind stroked Shepard’s face and he saw rippling all around him. The mass effect fields around the Citadel were collapsing. Unable to move, Shepard watched as the remnants of the Human, Asari, Turian, Salarian, Quarian and Geth fleets opened fire on the Harbinger. The last Reaper in the galaxy that wasn’t dormant and dead. The mass effect fields of the Citadel collapsed, causing explosive decompression pulling Shepard into coldness of space.

Chapter 4 The Aftermath UT-47A flew through heavy rain, decelerating before beginning a landing sequence. Below was one of the last space ports on Earth that was still relatively intact. It was small and in civilian use, so the Reaper’s had not bothered with it. UT-47A touched down and heavily armed marines spread out onto the landing pad. ‘Clear. You can come out ma’am.’ A slender female figure wrapped in a dark, hooded rain coat jumped off the shuttle and fell in stride with the pack of marines, whom had almost forcefully extracted her without any explanation. The marines led her through the rain, past several ship silhouettes. It was hard to see in the heavy down pour, but to her all looked like human ships. They closed on one of the smaller ships, a frigate. It had taken very heavy beating, but the name “SR-2 Normandy” was still distinguishable in the ship’s side. ‘Go ahead, ma’am. You are being expected.’ The Normandy’s outer airlock opened and the woman stepped inside. Now out of the rain, she pulled down her hood and threw her long, black hair back. The outer airlock closed behind her and the inner airlock opened. A familiar man was standing on the other side, waiting for her. ‘Admiral Hackett?’ ‘Miss Lawson. I am glad you came.’ ‘I didn’t have much of a choice, did I’ snapped Miranda. ‘I apologize, Miss Lawson. But I couldn’t take the chance you’d refuse to come.’ Hackett walked away and gestured Miranda to follow. The Normandy’s command deck was a mess, like several high-grade bombs had gone off there recently. ‘I leave, and look at what they have done to my ship’ said Miranda. ‘It’s such a mess.’ ‘How much do you know about what has happened, Miss Lawson?’ asked Hackett, stepping into the elevator. ‘Miranda, please, and not much. However, I gather we won.’ ‘So it would seem. Right now we are cleaning up, catapulting the dormant Reapers into the sun. However, we do have another problem. The Charon Relay at the edge of Sol, it is not working.’ Miranda stopped by the medical-bay’s closed doors, wrinkling her brow in deep thought. ‘What do you mean it’s not working? Reactivating a Relay is relatively simple. Even we have done it before.’ ‘We already tried it, but it didn’t work’ admitted Hackett. ‘EDI and the Geth are working on it now, but if we can’t re-energize the Relay all the fleets are stuck in Sol system. Saying the situation is volatile would be a huge understatement. ‘I have to agree with that, Admiral, but I am not an engineer.

‘I know, Miranda’ he said heavily. ’But I also know that when you were with Cerberus you spearheaded the original Lazarus project.’ Miranda’s eyes widened and she glanced at the closed medical-bay doors. ‘No…’ ‘Maybe I should explain’ tried Hackett. Miranda opened the door and stormed into the medical-bay. What she saw stopped her in her tracks. ‘Oh my god… Shepard.’ ‘I’m sorry, Miranda. Joker and EDI were able to recover him quickly, but it was already too late.’ Miranda stood over Shepard’s badly burned body, hoping that the disfiguring burns were inflicted post-mortem. She hardly recognized him like this. ‘We need him, Miranda’ continued Hackett. ‘We need the man who united the galaxy against the Reapers. If we can’t fix the Mass Relays, Shepard is the only one who can keep us united through this new crisis.’ ‘We wouldn’t turn on each other. Not after everything that has happened.’ ‘It is easy for us to say’ said Hackett. ‘We are home, but others are stuck here without any means to reach their people who have also been devastated by the Reapers.’ Hackett walked to the door, glancing at Miranda over his shoulder. ‘I have already managed to get most of the equipment you will need. It will be delivered within an hour.’ ‘It took almost a year for us to get everything’ said Miranda. ‘You couldn’t get everything together this quickly, unless you had put it together beforehand.’ ‘Let me know if you need anything else, Miss Lawson’ said Hackett coldly, ignoring Miranda’s unsavory, but correct conclusion. Hackett left the medical-bay, leaving Miranda alone. Miranda looked at Shepard again. It wasn’t even nearly as bad as last time, but he was just as dead. ‘I’m so sorry, Shepard. But at least you will have a chance to forgive me… again.’ -----------The lounge of the Normandy’s crew deck had never been so full and quiet at the same time. No one wanted to be the first to speak. ‘Why does the Turian Brandy keep disappearing’ Garrus finally asked, going through what remained of the bar. ‘My fault’ muttered Tali, swaying on a chair and looking on the floor. ‘Has anyone seen my emergency induction port?’ ‘You mean your straw? No I haven’t… any Elasa left.’ ‘Sorry’ Liara mumbled from the card table. ‘I think I got the last of it.’ ‘Typical. First good chance to drink myself under a table or two, and everyone keeps beating me to the bar.’ ‘Just pick a bottle and chug it down’ said Joker, taking a look at the cards he had just been dealt. ‘That’s what I did.’ ‘And then you did the same with three more bottles’ added Liara. ‘Hey. While you were having a pleasant stroll in London, I took on the Harbinger almost singlehandedly. I think I have deserved a few drinks… I raise.’

‘From what I heard the entire fleet destroyed the Harbinger’ said Garrus, joining the table with a bottle in hand and looked at his cards. ‘I call.’ ‘Yes, but only at the very end. I and the girl softened it up for the fleet’s finishing blow.’ Liara threw her cards in the middle of the table and turned to look out into the rain. ‘Do you think we can fix the Relays?’ ‘Let’s hope so’ said Garrus. ‘The husks and Reaper’s other abominations did not die with them. We need to get out there and mop things up.’ ‘And if we can’t everyone is stuck on Earth’ muttered Joker. ‘We are not stuck’ countered Liara. ‘Our ships still have FTL drives.’ ‘No way can those be used to traverse the galaxy. It would take hundreds of years for anyone to get home, even if we had enough eezo to fuel them.’ ‘So what do you think happened’ wondered Garrus. ‘The Crucible must have worked, but what exactly did it do?’ ‘There’s only one person who could have answered that’ said Liara. The doors to the Lounge opened and two old friends stepped in. ‘What’s up’ asked Jack, sliding into a chair. ‘So this is why we were extracted at gunpoint’ growled Grunt ‘To get drunk. I am suddenly inclined to forgive those pathetic human soldiers.’ ‘Glad to see you two made it through’ said Garrus, throwing a half-empty bottle to Grunt. ‘Of course we did’ said Jack, looking over everyone in the lounge. ‘So, where is the hero of the hour?’ Liara, Joker and Garrus glanced at each other and downed their drinks. Tali had found her straw and slowly sucked her Turian brandy. ‘What’ asked Jack. ‘Shepard is dead’ whispered Liara. ‘WHAT?! IMPOSSIBLE’ shouted Grunt. ‘A warrior like Shepard, no way few Reapers could get a better of him.’ ‘He was on the Citadel, activating the Crucible’ said Garrus. ‘And the Citadel is now just a chunk of burned metal. He got spaced.’ ‘Just like last time’ added Liara quietly. ‘Give me that’ snapped Jack, taking bottle of alcohol from Grunt and drank half of it in one gulp. ‘You sure, did you actually see his…’ ‘Yes. Yes we did’ said Garrus. ‘He’s in the medical-bay. Guess we will have some kind of funeral at some point.’ Jack threw the bottle at the wall and stormed out. ‘I want to see him.’ ‘I should go with her’ said Liara, standing up. ‘She probably wants to say goodbye alone’ said Garrus, stopping Liara. ‘Shepard did have quite an influence on her.’ ‘He did on all of us…’ ‘YOU!!! WHAT THE FUCK!!!’ Jack’s shouting was followed by a sound of two powerful biotic attacks impacting together, making everyone jump up. ‘What fresh hell is this’ wondered Garrus, hurrying towards the medical-bay with others close in toe.

They had reached the elevator when Jack flew past them, hitting the wall opposite the medical-bay and slumped on the floor. ‘I AM GOING TO TEAR YOU APART!!!’ ‘No one is tearing anyone apart’ snapped Garrus, grabbing Jack’s shoulder. ‘What’s going on here?’ ‘Ask the Cerberus bitch’ spat Jack. ‘I am not with Cerberus, Jack’ said Miranda, wiping blood from the corner of her mouth. ‘Not since we took down the Collectors.’ Everyone froze upon seeing Miranda. She was certainly the last person any of them had expected to see. ‘What are you doing here’ Liara finally asked. ’I came few hours ago. Hasn’t Hackett briefed you?’ ‘Briefed us on what’ asked Garrus. Miranda glanced over her shoulder to the wide array of high-end medical equipment that had been installed into the medical-bay. There was even more just laying around, waiting to be used and installed. ‘No’ snapped Liara. ‘We can’t. Not again. After everything he has done, doesn’t he deserve to rest in peace.’ ‘Hackett doesn’t think so.’ ‘Damn Hackett’ said Garrus. ‘We won’t let you do it…’ ‘Yes we will’ Tali interjected. ‘After everything Shepard has done for us, for the galaxy. He doesn’t deserve to rest in peace. He deserves to live.’ ‘It isn’t our choice to make’ said Liara angrily. ‘That’s probably why Hackett didn’t tell you’ said Miranda. ‘Galaxy still needs its greatest hero alive. I’m sure that’s the same for all of us.’ Everyone exchanged looks. Liara shrugged in defeat. Joker nodded in agreement. Garrus let out a deep sigh, and walked back towards the lounge. ‘I need another drink, a much bigger one.’ Jack bit her lip, giving Miranda one more murderous look before following Garrus. ‘Save some for me, big guy.’ -----------Shepard’s eyelids fluttered. An erratic beeping of a vital signs monitor filled his ears. He couldn’t see, like there was something in front of his eyes, blurring his vision. ‘His brainwaves are going off the chart. I think he’s coming around, Miss Lawson.’ ‘Not yet. It’s too soon. Give him a sedative.’ A hissing sound broke through the beeping of the monitors and Shepard’s vision cleared slightly. He saw Miranda standing over him, looking concerned. ‘It’s not working. Vital signs are still climbing.’ ‘Another sedative’ ordered Miranda. ‘Two is too much. It could…’ ‘I know what I am doing, Give him another sedative.’ The beeping of the vital signs monitor began to slow and Shepard could feel everything drift away from him. ‘It’s working, vital signs returning within acceptable perimeters.’

‘Don’t worry, Shepard’ said Miranda. ‘You are almost out of the woods. Everything will be fine. I promise.’

Epilogue Shepard woke up to the hum of running engines. It was dark, but he recognized the familiar medical-bay. He remembered Miranda, standing over him. He remembered the Harbinger, and the collapsing mass effect fields of the Citadel. Shepard took short, shallow breaths, slowly pulling a blanket off him. Almost his entire body was wrapped with white bandages. He remembered the pain, disgusting stench of his own burning flesh. However, the pain was gone now, only a memory. Shepard took deeper breaths. No pain. It was a good sign. He slowly got up. Physical strain made him flinch in pain, another good sign. A neatly pressed uniform had been placed on a table. Getting dressed was another painful task. Even slight flexing of muscles felt like they were on fire. Shepard limbed out to the dark crew deck. It did seem like there was no one onboard, but the engines were running. ‘EDI, can you hear me?’ ‘Yes, Shepard’ EDI’s voice answered over the ship’s intercom. ‘I am relieved you have woken up.’ ‘Where is everyone?’ ‘Doctor T’soni appears to have fallen asleep by the mess table. Other than her only myself and Jeff are onboard.’ ‘Thank you, EDI.’ Shepard turned. Someone was standing in the dark, staring at him. ‘Shepard’ Liara’s voice whispered. Liara threw her arms around Shepard, making him grunt from an intense flash of pain. ‘Sorry’ gasped Liara, resting her head on his shoulder. ‘It’s just…’ ‘It’s fine… the Reapers, are they gone?’ ‘Yes. Every last one of them and after a week the husks went the same way. Guess they couldn’t survive without their masters.’ Shepard’s breathing was getting heavier. Mere act of standing was taking its toll on him. ‘I have to sit down’ he said, gently unwrapping Liara’s hands from around him. ‘How are you feeling, Shepard?’ ‘Fine I guess’ he said, sitting down. ‘What happened to me? I remember Miranda. It was little like when I was…’ Shepard stopped upon seeing Liara’s pained expression. He could see what had happened on her face. It was written all over her. ‘Guess it doesn’t matter. Where are we going?’ ‘The Charon Relay’ said Liara quickly. ‘They are trying to reactivate it today. Everyone is anxious to leave, help rebuild their homes.’

Shepard looked around the dark and empty crew deck. It spoke volumes to him. The battle was over. The Reapers were gone. Their roads were beginning to diverge. ‘Don’t worry’ said Liara, like reading his thoughts. ‘You will see them again. We both will.’ ‘I hope so. What about you? Why aren’t you with the Asari, readying to head to Thessia?’ Liara blushed, something very close to shame flashing across her face. ‘Miranda said you would pull through, but it was still too risky to move you. So, we…well… drew straws on who would stay with you.’ ‘And you lost’ finished Shepard, smiling. ‘You make it sound so terrible.’ Normandy’s intercom activated and EDI spoke. ‘Shepard, we are closing on the Relay. Do you wish to come up?’ Shepard glanced at Liara. She looked so ashamed again. ‘Maybe you should, otherwise the VI Shepard will make an appearance again.’ Shepard stood up, gritting his teeth and began slowly heading up to the bridge. ‘I can’t wait to find out what that means. You coming?’ Shepard and Liara walked through the deserted command deck. Stations were empty, corridors were empty. The galaxy map in the middle of the deck provided dim, gloomy illumination for their slow walk up to the bridge where Joker and Commander Shepard were waiting for them. ‘Well this is unsettling’ said Shepard. ‘Sorry, Shepard’ EDI’s voice answered. ‘Admiral Hackett wanted to play it safe in case you didn’t wake up in time, so I took some liberties.’ The other Shepard broke into static and disappeared, revealing EDI’s android body under the surface. Shepard turned to look out the window. A lot of ships had gathered, probably all ships that were still in one peace after the final battle with the Reapers. ‘Where is the Relay’ asked Shepard. ‘Approximately two million miles away’ said EDI. ‘According to our calculations the blast wave won’t reach any further than this if the Relay explodes.’ ‘That’s an option?’ ‘There is approximately 8.275% chance that our attempt to re-energize the Relay detonates it.’ Shepard hemmed, beginning to feel drained again. ‘It appears I woke up just in time then.’ ‘Don’t worry about it’ said Joker. ‘I’m sure it will work.’ Shepard crossed his arms behind his back and straightened his posture. Everything was silent until Admiral Hackett’s voice broke through the intercom. ‘Hackett to the fleet: raise your barriers and brace yourselves. The Relay reaches the far side of the Charon moon in thirty seconds.’ ‘Last words anyone’ asked Joker. ‘I think I have had enough of those for the rest of my days’ said Shepard. ‘And I don’t want to start now’ added Liara. ‘Well spoken’ said Joker.

As soon as words left Joker’s a small blue sun appeared in the distance. Shepard kept counting in his head. Twenty seconds. Thirty seconds. The blue sun was still expanding. Forty seconds, and the sun suddenly disappeared into nothingness. For the next five minutes nothing happened. Everyone was silent, and Shepard had some time to dwell on what would happen the re-energizing had just failed. ‘Hackett to the fleet: the reactivation is a success. I repeat: the reactivation is a success.’ Thousands of engines flared against the blackness of space. The ships disappeared from around them, accelerating into FTL and beginning their journeys home. ‘It’s nice when things work out as planned’ said Joker, tapping controls. ‘Joining the Alliance Fleet, preparing to head back to Earth.’ ‘Wait a moment’ said Shepard, turning to Liara. ‘What will you do now?’ ‘I’ll try to get to Thessia as soon as possible. I have to see what has happened there since…’ Liara’s voice broke. She had seen her home get burned by the Reapers. Shepard hoped it wouldn’t be her last memory of Thessia. ‘Do you want to go right now?’ Liara smiled weakly and opened her mouth, but no words came out. Then again, there was no need for words. Shepard turned to look out the window, calmly giving an order. ‘Take us out, Joker.’ Joker smirked. His hands danced on the controls and the Normandy made a sharp 180 degree turn. ‘Aye, Commander.’ Shepard looked out the window, getting a sense of Déjà vu. It hadn’t been even four years since he stood on the bridge of the Normandy for the first time, preparing for a simple mission to Eden Prime. But it felt like an eternity. ‘The Charon Relay is in range’ said Joker. ‘Initiating transmission sequence.’ It was hard to even fathom everything that had happened during few short years. A threat of a rogue Spectre, coming face to face with Sovereign, Geth attack on the Citadel, the Collectors, Cerberus and a full Reaper assault on the galaxy. ‘We are connected, calculating transit mass and destination.’ Impossible odds to face, but they had bested them: he, Liara, Garrus, Wrex, Tali, Ashley, Kaidan, Anderson, Joker, Grunt, Jack, Jacob, Miranda, Mordin, Thane, EDI and Legion. They had fought when no one else was willing to. ‘Relay is hot, acquiring approach vector.’ Their roads may have been diverging, but they were still bound together. Through the trust they had built. The victories they had shared, and the loss they had faced. ‘All stations secure for transit.’ Shepard looked at the rapidly approaching Mass Relay. The center of the Relay was spinning rapidly, illuminating bright blue light. Just like it was meant to. ‘The board is green… approach run has begun.’ For the first time, since Eden Prime Shepard breathed with ease. He had never had a moment of peace. Not even in their victories. Not when Sovereign had fallen or when the Collectors were defeated. He always knew that the Reapers were closing in from the darkness beyond the galaxy. But now, for the first time after jumping through the Arcturus Prime Relay, he looked at the stars without the dread of impending destruction, and it felt good. ‘Hitting the Relay in… 3…2…1…’