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Shepard is a genius, violent machine, ready to bring his boots down on the corrupt, the evil, and the genocidal machines. What inspired me to write him in such a manner was Thairon, the protagonist of my original story, Arrival : Ruptures. Comments, likes and reviews are appreciated. Here are the links for : AO3, Spacebattles, Royal Road and Webnovel.
—
Omega Nebula
Sahrabarik System
Shepard ordered the team to gather in the meeting room to discuss their status for the assault on the Collector base.
"Commander, we have the shields from the Collectors, your proton torpedoes, and the laser cannon. Our thrusters and armor are the best available. The crew is fully dedicated to the operation. We won't be any more ready than this." Miranda reported the overall state of the ship and the crew.
"Good. EDI, what about the IFF?" If there was an issue, they could always go and borrow the ones from the Collector cruiser or the dreadnought.
"Your order to activate it in a standalone system first was the correct decision, Commander. We detected a virus on the IFF, meant to disable the Normandy and broadcast our location to the Collectors." EDI explained. It was something they had never considered, that one of the indoctrinated scientists aboard the derelict Reaper would install a virus on the orders of the ancient machine.
"Figures."
"The integration was seamless, and IFF is ready for use right now."
"Alright." Shepard looked at the crew, considering his words for a small speech.
"The Collectors are down, but not defeated yet. We are going to change that." The Omega 4 relay popped out on the table, and Shepard
"Our target is to destroy their base and raid their databases for anything we might gain on the Reapers or on advanced technology. The fate of the colonists is apparent; they were most likely used in the process of being made into a Reaper, but we will save any that could be saved."
"We have been fighting together for a while now, and I know we all will get through this in one piece." There were nods from the crew.
This battle would be theirs.
Shepard clapped his hands. "That said, the celebratory feast is on me."
Garrus chuckled at that.
—
"Approaching Omega 4 relay. Everyone stand by." Joker announced over the intercom as the ship sailed closer to the mass relay.
"Engage." Shepard ordered, and they reached the point of no return.
"Reaper IFF activated. Signal acknowledged."
"Commander, the drive core just lit up like a Christmas tree." Jacob called out, and it was an expected side effect of using the Omega 4 relay.
"Drive core electrical charge at critical levels," EDI warned, but Joker was quick to act: "Rerouting."
"Brace for deceleration." EDI warned again as the ship slowed down, and they came face-to-face with debris.
"Oh shit." Joker swore, pulling the ship up and gliding through the debris field.
"Too close."
Out the window, they could see hundreds, perhaps thousands, of wrecks. "These must be all the ships that tried to make it through the Omega 4 relay. Some look… ancient."
"Maybe the Collectors aren't the first ones to be used by the Reapers like this." Depending on how long this cycle was going on for, Collectors could just be one of the many tools the Reapers used.
"I have detected an energy signature near the edge of the accretion disk." And in the distance, they could see the base, similar in makeup to the cruisers but colossal in size.
"Finally. EDI, keep an eye out; I don't want any surprises among the debris. Joker, take us in for a closer look." Anything could be hiding among the debris, and the Collectors had surprised them more than once.
"Alert! Oculi signature detected, multiple units inbound." EDI showed the units following them, and Joker sped up.
"Evasive maneuvers. Prepare torpedoes for full spread." Shepard ordered. Joker weaved through the debris and oculi fire, and the enemy had reached close enough for Shepard's plan.
"Fire torpedoes."
From the rear of the ship, six proton torpedoes were launched, too close for the drones to evade, and the explosions destroyed all except one, as one managed to get through.
"Shit, one got through. It's in the cargo hold."
EDI opened a screen, showing Grunt aiming his rocket launcher at the Oculus. The blast sent the drone out of the hole it left in the cargo hold, where it promptly exploded.
"Good job, Grunt."
"Approach the base, but be on the lookout for anything else."
The ride to the base was uneventful, since two cruisers and Penumbra Apex were taken out, leaving the Collectors without anything to defend their base with, except for the Oculi they just turned to scrap metal.
EDI detected a zone on the rocky exterior of the base where they could land while she scanned the base.
—
"EDI, bring up your scans." Shepard called as the team was gathered in the meeting room again.
The detailed scans of the base appeared in the holographic projector.
"You should be able to overload their critical systems if you get to the main control center here." EDI advised while Shepard inspected the base closer.
"Is this base mobile?" There were thrusters, and unless the Reapers towed it here, it should be.
"Yes."
"Good. Change of plans, we are taking this base with us. It won't be long before the Reapers are here, and we could use this as a mobile fortress and a repair cradle." Outfitted with proton torpedoes, laser cannons, and everything else they could find, this base would be a great way to stick it to the Reapers.
Hailey crossed her arms, already used to the bullshit her commander was fond of pulling up. "That would mean we would have to neutralize the entire base."
"The Collectors lost a lot of drones on the dreadnought and the cruisers; they can't be at full power, even if they made clones nonstop." Shepard reasoned, and Mordin agreed, "Correct. Cloning process, cybernetic augmentations, the necessary resources. Too much time."
EDI had detected a massive energy signature on the base, and it shared similarities with the scans taken from the Sovereign, as well as the derelict Reaper's hull and interior.
Whatever happened to the colonists, the answer most likely lies there.
There were two routes along the length of the station, and Jacob gave sound advice to split up.
Both routes were blocked, however, and Legion would have to get into the ventilation shaft to hack the doors open from the other side. The geth's synthetic frame could withstand the heat for much longer, and hacking was child's play for the AI.
Miranda volunteered—more like declared—to lead the second fire team, but she wasn't the type of person that the others would follow easily.
Putting an end to the argument before it could begin, Shepard gave the lead to Garrus.
"Before we leave, Jacob, bring them out." Shepard called to the chief of the armory, who pulled up a case and two heavy weapons.
"Fresh grenades for everyone." Jacob opened the case, revealing twenty-four grenades, two for everyone except Shepard and Garrus since they already had grenades.
"Two grenades for everyone since I didn't have the time for more."
"Zaeed, Legion, these are yours. We'll need all the firepower we can get." For Zaeed, Shepard made a grenade launcher with explosive plasma ammunition, and for Legion, a cannon that fired a slow-moving projectile with electromagnetically guided tendrils to latch and burst the enemy like an egg in a microwave.
Grunt had his rocket launcher, and it made three heavy weapons.
"Fuck yeah." Zaeed grinned as the plasma generator in the middle of the launcher spun, letting out a whine.
"Acknowledged, Shepard-Commander." Legion scanned the weapon, pulling the trigger for a second to charge the weapon before letting go of the trigger. The weapon needed three seconds to fully charge and wouldn't fire otherwise.
"This won't be easy, but no one can do this except us. The Collectors will throw everything they have at us, but it won't be enough. Let's put an end to this."
—
Shepard took Samara and Mordin with him, leaving the rest of the team with Garrus.
With his new weapon, a nine-barreled minigun that split into three three-barreled miniguns for a higher rate of fire strapped to his back, Shepard stalked the eerie entrance to the base.
"We are in position. Exterior temperature slightly elevated. No obstructions detected." Legion informed him. He didn't want to send the synthetic, as it would cut down on the firepower, but he was by far the best choice to enter the vents.
"Second team, what's your status?"
"In position. We'll see you on the other side of the doors." Hailey answered.
A couple seconds later, they found the enemy.
"We are under fire, but moving forward. The last one to go through the door is a vorcha." Garrus challenged over the comms.
Shepard grinned, relishing the challenge. "It's on, Vakarian."
—
Life across the galaxy had come to a stop, as everyone, except those working in critical jobs, dropped what they were doing and locked eyes on the extranet.
Shepard, once again, was doing the impossible, passing through the Omega 4 relay in one piece, while assaulting the Collector base with great success so far.
—
"Shepard, reinforcements coming toward us." Samara called out, shooting two Collectors out of the sky, while Shepard and Mordin focused on the ones behind the cover.
"Keep on the fliers, Samara."
Following the path to the left after clearing the enemy presence, Shepard used the valve to open the way forward for Legion.
"Obstruction removed. Proceeding."
Down the ramp, two Collectors appeared, one immediately riddled with holes, but the other was possessed by Harbinger.
"Shepard, you will die here." Harbinger fired its biotics as the hellish orbs were locked on him, but Shepard created the tower shield again, blocking the hits.
Harbinger stopped, observing Shepard's newest biotic ability, while the human mocked him, "Are you stuck on a recording or something? No original lines at all."
Harbinger moved into cover, but Samara had already used the distraction to sneak behind it, and her SMG's scatter shot mode chewed through the possessed Collector.
He used the second valve ahead to open the way for Legion before the synthetic could report on it, and something different happened.
Multiple Collector units came flying in, and they were all possessed.
"Second team, be careful. Either Harbinger can possess multiple Collectors, or other Reapers are doing it now."
"I've been wondering why Harbinger was here and not stalking you. I think it just brought its buddies over." Garrus teased over the comms.
"Crybaby." Shepard chuckled. Seems even the big bad Harby needed help.
Holstering his pistols, Shepard took out the minigun, and the barrels split up.
The barrels rotated, and after a slight delay, the minigun rained forty-five bolts per second down on the enemy. The Reaper-possessed Collectors were annihilated in five seconds, leaving nothing but platforms filled with ash behind.
The third valve was hacked, and Legion moved.
The fourth valve was just around the corner, with no enemies in sight, but they had to take a step back as the enemy fire was concentrated on the entrance. Assault rifles, particle beams, and Reaper biotics literally created a wall of fire to block them from progressing.
"Behind me." Shepard ordered, creating his tower shield again. His pistol on the microwave mode, Shepard faced the heat, giving Mordin and Samara time to get to cover and lay down fire.
He drew fire by moving ahead, feeling his shield strain, but the enemy was dwindling, especially once Mordin tossed a grenade, shredding fliers that were trying to land. Reaching the fifth valve took a couple of minutes, but Legion was moving forward once again.
The sixth valve was close by, but several Collector Assassins protected the seventh, laying down fire with their particle beams.
Samara tossed one of her grenades as well, using her biotics to guide it right into the middle of the Assassins.
The seventh valve was open, and Shepard pulled his minigun out, firing on the drones while Samara opened the final valve. Legion was through the shaft, and Shepard ordered the team to take position around the door.
"Anytime now." He called out the comms, laying fire down on the Collectors. They were not getting close enough to be threats, but several explosions rocked the cover, and one hit the door.
"The door has malfunctioned. Path blocked." Legion warned, and Shepard focused fire on the back ranks of the Collectors to protect the door.
"Complete." Legion announced as the door opened but wouldn't close back so easily.
Their combined suppression fire forced them back long enough for Legion to close the door.
"Good job, Legion." Shepard patted the geth on the back, but Garrus' voice stopped him.
"Shepard, you might want to see this." From wall to wall, the entire section was filled with pods, with tubes at the top.
"One of the missing colonists." Miranda noted, seeing the woman's clothing.
Shepard scanned them with his omni-tool and realized something.
"Shit, they are alive. Get them out now." Shepard ordered, tearing the pod's glass panel off with his biotics, pulling the colonist out.
His teammates hurried to save as many as they could, but it was too late for one man, and they watched him be melted to a goo while screaming.
Shepard acted quickly, putting the man out of his misery. The grey liquid was then pumped through the tubes, leaving nothing behind.
"Wha? Where are we?" One of the girls asked, looking around, confused, but became alerted when she saw Shepard, "Commander Shepard?!"
"Calm down. You have been kidnapped by the Collectors. We rescued you. How are you feeling?"
"Tired and confused." The woman replied, holding her head, dizzy on her feet.
Miranda frowned, "We can't send them to the Normandy alone, and we certainly can't hide them here." They could not turn back, and bringing a bunch of confused civilians into a firefight would get them killed.
"Mordin, escort them back to the ship." The Collectors would be after the main teams, and Mordin could easily sneak them back to the ship.
"Joker, need location of landing zone. Will meet you there." He called out to the pilot, gesturing for the colonists to follow.
Eleven colonists was all they could save, but it was better than nothing.
The tubes led to the main control room above their current position, but it was blocked by a security door, with a chamber running parallel to it filled with seeker swarms.
Mordin's countermeasures would not work against those numbers, and they resolved to have Jack create a biotic barrier to keep the swarms out while the team pushed through the enemy.
Garrus would lead his team through the main chamber, drawing the enemy's attention, and Shepard would open the door from the other side.
"Tali, with me. We'll need you to hack the door." Legion's plasma wave gun would be necessary now, and they didn't run the risk of being cooked in the ventilation shaft.
Tali could hack the door, while Samara and Jack created the barrier, switching when one of them got tired. The team had plenty of biotics, and there was no need to push one too much.
—
In the next chapter:
Two platforms carried the team all the way to the bridge heading to the room where the Collector General was locked in. EDI opened the door, and all they found inside was the General, looking confused for the lack of a better term.
Shepard put the creature out of its misery.
"Shepard, the ignition and flight check processes will take time. What is our destination?"
"For now, let's return to the Sahrabarik system."
"Understood."
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