The crew heads back toward the main room of the station, where they had previously interacted with several of the scientists.
"It's silent… too silent," Garrus mutters as they walk through the abandoned corridors.
Shepard raises her hand, signaling, "Get ready—it's just behind this door."
Wrex steps forward, activating a Biotic Barrier, ensuring he's fully prepared for the upcoming fight.
"Tali, can you shut down those drones Kerber mentioned? Garrus, Kaidan, Kerber—when I move my left hand behind my back, get rid of their shields!"
"Yes, Commander," everyone replies.
Finally, with unwavering confidence, Shepard steps into the main room.
Alex quickly follows.
To his surprise, no one opens fire immediately. Shepard calmly walks closer to the center of the room, where Captain Ventralis, accompanied by all his guards, is stationed—his expression tense, full of hesitation.
"I'm sorry about this, Shepard… we've got our orders from Benezia. However, if you back up now… I—" he begins, but Shepard subtly signals with her left hand.
Immediately, Garrus, Kaidan, and Alex spring into action. Alex activates Ko and swings down his [Executioner's Blade R2] with a powerful Flying Thunder Sword, while Garrus and Kaidan use Overload.
Ventralis and most of his guards lose their shields instantly. Alex's attack hits with full force.
You have dealt 122 + 65 = 187 damage to Ventralis
You have stunned Ventralis
Shepard wastes no time—she shoots him in the head without hesistation. He drops instantly, his eyes wide with disbelief.
Chaos erupts.
Everyone scrambles for cover as the room explodes into gunfire.
Alex is immediately targeted by assault drones. Their suppressive fire shreds his shield, forcing him to dive behind a crate. Tali dives beside him, desperately typing on her omni-tool.
"Just a second… vot…. Just one more… There!"
Alex peeks over the crate just in time to see the Assault Drones veer off toward the remaining ERCS Guards—then fall from the air, crashing down hard.
He sees Wrex drawing most of the enemy's attention and takes heavy fire, getting wounded in the process.
Alex bolts out of cover and charges a nearby guard.
He swings his blade down, but the guard reacts in time, raising his rifle to block the blow.
Alex's strike shatters the man's shields, but the weapon holds.
You have dealt 101 damage to ERCS Guard
With no hesitation, Alex conjures Mustrano's Malice Mauler and viciously drives the claw into the guard's unprotected eye socket.
You have dealt 89 x 3 = 267 damage to ERCS Guard
You have killed ERCS Guard
Meanwhile, Shepard moves with ruthless precision, weaving between crates, tables, and overturned chairs. She lays down fire with clinical accuracy—taking down two guards in seconds.
The rest of the team rallies around Wrex. Working together, they clean up the remaining enemies.
Finally, the room falls silent.
"Clear! Wrex, status?" Shepard asks.
"I'm fine. Just a scratch," Wrex grunts, even though he's visibly injured.
Liara kneels and applies a dose of Medigel to him.
"Why did they do this? They should've realized they didn't stand a chance," Kaidan mutters.
"Their behavior is highly suspicious… who knows? Let's go. Benezia is waiting."
Alex glances at Ventralis' corpse, but finds no chest.
What an asshole. Even in death.
He still manages to loot his and two others' omni-tools for a few Credits.
You have received 2000 Credits
You have received 2000 Credits
You have received 2000 Credits
The crew finally approaches the suspiciously locked door that had previously been heavily guarded, only to find it blocked off by multiple heavy crates.
"How?!" Ashley exclaims.
Nearby, Shepard spots several wrecked machines and even a couple of destroyed transport vehicles.
What?! This shouldn't happen!
"Down to the level where we created the cure and met that silly Volus! We'll have to risk it through the Maintenance chamber—we have no choice!"
The crew rushes back into the main chamber and rides the elevator down one floor.
The guards stationed there are gone—killed earlier. The scientists, including Han Olar, are also nowhere to be seen.
Shepard heads straight to the door leading to the Maintenance Arena.
With the ID they obtained earlier, Shepard easily gains access. They find themselves in a rocky area coated in frost, clearly a raw, untouched portion of the mountain. What follows is a sprint through a frozen, untouched part of the lab, clearly unfinished or used as a cheap storage unit.
As they move through the corridor, they run into a few lone Rachni, which Garrus silently dispatches with clean shots from his Sniper Rifle.
After winding through several more corridors, they finally reach their destination: The Secure Labs—the final and most protected sector in the entire facility.
"Benezia… and the Queen must be inside!" Tali says.
"Mother…" Liara whispers.
"Okay, everyone. Better get ready… Liara, I trust you to do the right thing," Shepard says, glancing at her before moving ahead.
The rest of the crew follows.
Alex notices Liara slowing down and walks beside her, placing a comforting arm around her shoulder.
"Let's rescue your mother. She's suffering—and being forced into these crimes. We need to help her."
"Yes," Liara says, looking at Alex briefly before picking up her pace.
The crew enters the Secure Labs.
At the center of the massive chamber is a towering containment cell—a huge cage enclosing the Rachni Queen, her size utterly monstrous, easily capable of devouring a human in one bite.
They also see a single figure standing on a slightly elevated control platform beside the cage.
An Asari.
She wears a sleek, form-fitting black dress, decorated with subtle metallic linings. It clings to her tall, graceful form—regal, almost royal in its design. An ornate black headpiece covers her scalp-crests, completing the look.
Alex stares.
Her cold, expressionless eyes remind him of Liara's—but darker. Clouded. Her lips are painted black.
Does Saren's mind control force her to dress like a goth?
One "o" away from Geth. It could also be Asari culture… or her personal style.
Shepard approaches her, pistol drawn. "It's over, Benezia. Surrender now!"
Benezia doesn't look at her. Instead, she turns toward the Rachni Queen.
"You do not know the privilege of being a mother. There is power in creation. To shape a life. Turn it toward happiness… or despair. Her children were to be ours. Raised to hunt and slay Saren's enemies. I will not be moved by sympathy. No matter who you bring into this confrontation."
"She's here because she wants to be," Shepard replies coldly. "I didn't force her."
Benezia tilts her head slightly. "Indeed? What have you told them about me, Liara?"
"What could I say at this point, Mother?" Liara shouts. "That you're insane? Evil? Brainwashed? What could I possibly say?! Snap out of it!"
"Disappointing," Benezia mutters, folding her arms.
Alex steps forward, his patience growing thin. He draws his [Executioner's Blade R2], holding it at the ready.
"Look, you might be indoctrinated, but you shouldn't be stupid. It's one against eight. You might summon your Geth pets or call in subordinates, but before they even get here, I'll behead you. Surrender now. Confess everything. You might just end up in prison instead of getting killed right now."
Benezia chuckles and raises her hand over her lips. "How scary. The infamous Butcher of the Normandy, threatening me with his oversized piece of metal. Tell me, Butcher… have you ever faced a full Asari Commando unit before?"
"Yes. I just beheaded that useless plant called Alestia-something. She had a few commandos with her. They were as incompetent as you are arrogant."
"Hahahaha. You amuse me, human," Benezia says with a sneer. "I saw how you were thrown into a wall and crawled away like a bug from just a few of my subordinates. You'll meet your end now."
She moves her arm, revealing a massive biotic barrier placed around her body.
"You won't look so smug with a hole in your head!" Shepard says.
Shepard fires, but the bullets crash against it with no effect.
"I can't believe you'd kill your own daughter!" Shepard growls.
"I now realize I should have been stricter with her," Benezia answers, just before she raises her hands and casts a powerful biotic ability.
Alex instinctively jumps in front of Shepard—and is immediately struck.
You have been paralyzed
You have been stunned
You have become impervious to almost all damage
At the same time, several Geth Troopers and Asari Commandos rush into the room from multiple entry points, rifles at the ready.
Alex feels nothing—no pain. His [Drakul's Vitality], his high PHY, and his high stats are already at work. Even as the ability locks him in place, he can feel it weakening already.
Just a few seconds more. She won't expect it. That's my chance!
The rest of the crew scatters, engaging the incoming enemies in a desperate skirmish.
The moment the Stasis field fades, Alex bolts forward, charging up the stairs to Benezia's platform.
An Asari Commando does the same and walks onto the platform from the opposite side.
Without hesitation, Alex activates Ren and slashes forward with Thundara Sword.
The Commando raises a Barrier and opens fire.
You have received 51 damage (blocked by shields)
You have received 55 damage (blocked by shields)
You have received 44 damage (blocked by shields)
You have received 46 damage (blocked by shields)
Alex pushes through the damage and lands a powerful hit, breaking through her Barrier and Shields in a single strike. She cries out as the blow wounds her shoulder—but not fatally.
You have dealt 173 + 112 = 285 damage to Asari Commando
The force of the attack sends her tumbling down the stairs.
Benezia, her mighty shield still up, retaliates with Warp. The crackling mass effect field flies toward Alex.
Eyes widening, he quickly conjures Sealion's Icewing Embrace, just before the Warp hits him, making his entire body scream in pain as he gets thrown back.
You have received 211 damage (154 damage blocked by shields)
Icewing Embrace durability -8
"Fucking bitch!" Alex curses, quickly getting up and lunging toward the injured Commando.
He brings his blade down in a brutal overhead strike.
You have dealt 101 damage to Asari Commando
You have killed Asari Commando
"You have more secrets than I thought," Benezia taunts. "It will be my pleasure to dissect you when this is over."
"Fucking turtle, come out already," Alex mutters, switching to his [Brawler-Pistol] and [Enchanted Runeblade]. He fires several shots at her barrier.
You have dealt 0 damage to barrier
You have dealt 0 damage to barrier
You have dealt 0 damage to barrier
You have dealt 0 damage to barrier
"Thunder!"
You have dealt 1 damage to barrier
I guess we need to ignore her. Looks like she can't fire at us directly either. Only her biotic powers are getting through. It's similar to the game. Sooner or later, she'll run out of juice.
Alex spins around—only to see four Geth Troopers approaching from where the Asari came.
Fuck. Nobody else on this side. I'll have to deal with them myself!
He casts Thundara, targeting all four.
You have dealt 62 x 2 = 124 damage to Geth Trooper
You have stunned Geth Trooper
You have dealt 61 x 2 = 122 damage to Geth Trooper
You have stunned Geth Trooper
You have dealt 64 x 2 = 128 damage to Geth Trooper
You have dealt 65 x 2 = 130 damage to Geth Trooper
You have received 31 damage
Icewing Embrace durability -3
You have received 21 damage
Icewing Embrace durability -2
You have received 25 damage
Icewing Embrace durability -2
You have received 22 damage
Icewing Embrace durability -2
Icewing Embrace broken
FUCK… AGAIN!
He repeats Thundara, which is strong enough to destroy them all in one spell, thanks to his [Enchanted Runeblade] and their weakness against thunder spells.
You have dealt 62 x 2 = 124 damage to Geth Trooper
You have destroyed Geth Trooper
You have dealt 61 x 2 = 122 damage to Geth Trooper
You have destroyed Geth Trooper
You have dealt 64 x 2 = 128 damage to Geth Trooper
You have destroyed Geth Trooper
You have dealt 65 x 2 = 130 damage to Geth Trooper
You have destroyed Geth Trooper
Benezia's gaze locks on him. She stares, visibly shocked, unable to hide her surprise at how quickly Alex dispatches all four Geth.
------------------------------------------------
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