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Mass Effect: The Helldiver Saga, The Collector War	By : Veyron722skyhook Category: +M through R > Mass Effect Views: 6240 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or it's characters. They belong to Bioware and EA. No money/profit is made by me from this.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
- 4
Right! Now thing start to get more interesting!
Little more for me to say, other than enjoy!

Chapter 3
Freedom's Progress

"We should be there shortly, Shepard. Do you have any orders?" Liara asked.
The three Helldivers where sat inside one the Hellhound drop ships. They were already nearing Freedom's Progress. Austin had to admit that it felt nice to be back with the Helldivers. Especially Liara and Garrus. He was however worried about where his relationship with Liara stood. So far they hadn't had time to discuss where their relationship stood and Austin was also worried that Liara had moved on. Two years was a very long time.
Austin sat up slightly as Liara asked him the question.
"You sure you'll be comfortable following my orders? It has been two years after all." He asked.
"We weren't sent on this mission just to second guess you, Shepard. If the Arkanes say you're in charge, you're in charge." Said Garrus.
"That's good to hear. What was found at the other colonies?" Austin asked.
"Nothing. No signs of battle, no bodies, nothing to even give us a hint of what happened." Liara replied.
"Then what makes you think we might be successful this time?" Austin asked.
"At other colonies, most have already been investigated or scavenged. We're hoping to be the first ones there this time." Said Garrus.
"Very well then. We do this by the book. First priority: look for survivors." Said Austin as he unholstered the assault rifle that he'd been provided with. The additional weapons that he'd been given were only temporary. He'd be given better ones soon.
"There aren't very high chances of us finding anyone though. Every other colony has been completely deserted." Said Liara. She wasn't saying it in a negative manner however.
"Still, it'd be nice to find somebody. Anything's better than another ghost town." Said Garrus.
As the drop ship begun its final landing, Austin took a moment to examine the armour of both his comrades.
Garrus it seemed had stuck with having a desert military like appearance and had his armour painted a light brown colour. He also had several canisters and ammo packs strapped in various places. The most noticeable feature though was that the Turian had added a light brown camouflage mane around the back of the neck and also had a net around his helmet.
Liara meanwhile had gone for a very different approach. It seemed that Liara had made her Helldiver armour similar to the armour she had originally worn on the Normandy. A few of the pieces where taken directly from her white and pink Janissary armour. In addition to this, she also had several biotic canisters strapped to her arms, torso and legs. Surprisingly some of them where blue as well as red.
From what Austin had been told, in the last two years the Arkanes had managed to create a new kind of compound capable of boosting biotic powers. Unlike the usual compound, Red Sand, this new compound known as Blue sand was just as powerful but did not cause severe tissue damage, nor was it toxic. At the moment, Blue Sand was only available to Helldivers and was kept under strict security to make sure it was never stolen. Despite this though, Helldivers still wore a few red sand canisters as well since Blue Sand numbers where still very scarce since the compound had only been invented very recently.
In addition to this, Liara also had the symbol of Thessia on her left shoulder plate, a Prothean symbol on her left chest plate and even an N7 gauntlet on her right arm. On closer inspection, Austin noticed that it was in fact his due to its battle injury and burnt scorch marks. He remembered now that when he had awakened, his right arm had been missing some armour plates. It made sense that Liara would have it since she had loved him. Austin saw no need to ask for it back since it not only looked good on Liara but the repairs that Dell had made to his armour had now given him a replacement.
As the Hellhound touched down, Liara unholstered her M-9 Tempest sub machine gun while Garrus unholstered an M-92 Mantis Sniper rifle. Austin meanwhile was simply left a standard issue M-8 Avenger. It would do, for now.
The drop ship doors opened and the three Helldivers stepped out. It was completely dark and there were no lights on. It seemed like the colonies power was down.
"Switch your flashlights on." said Austin as he switched his own on. The flashlights cleverly located on his shoulders and helmet came to life and illuminated the darkness.
Liara and Garrus did the same and switched their own on. They also took out their flashlight attachments and fitted them to their rifles.
They took the pace slowly to be on the safe side. There where all sorts of things that could hide in the dark and Austin hated nasty surprises. As their flashlights scanned around the room they were in, the sensors seemed to take notice of their movements and the actual lights flickered on. They were in what looked like a dining hall. There was some still unfinished food and overturned chairs in front of the tables.
"Looks like everyone just got up and left right in the middle of dinner." said Garrus.
As they continued through the colony, all they could hear was the sounds of their footsteps. There was something eerie and very spooky about a deserted colony at night with hardly any lights on.
"No bodies, no structural damage, no sign of battle." said Liara.
"Keep it tight, you two. This place may be deserted, but I'm not taking any risks." said Austin.
Ahead was what looked like a loading door. Austin nodded to Garrus and the Turian accessed the controls to the door. As the door slid downwards into the floor however they were immediately fired upon. Austin and Liara instantly dove for cover while Garrus stayed at the control panel where he was.
"That's strange. The security systems where disabled at the other colonies." said Liara.
The Asari briefly looked out of cover and threw a very powerful biotic warp at their attackers. Garrus meanwhile leaned out and fired a few shots from his sniper. Austin meanwhile simply glanced out. He liked to know what he was up against. From what he could see, it was a few security mechs and some dog mechs. Austin felt in an experimenting mood and decided to once again test out the new plasma cannon that Dell had given him. Deciding to be even more clever than usual he took out a sensor from on the pouches on his combat belt and threw it near to where the mechs where.
There was a small energy pulse that lit up on Austin's HUD and the outlines of the mechs appeared. Setting his plasma cannon to automatic, he fired a few shots from his rifle at the mechs while the shoulder cannon locked onto the nearest mech and fired. Unlike the targets Austin had practiced on earlier, the mech was vaporised completely by the plasma shot. The mech next to it was temporarily distracted, giving Austin's plasma cannon enough time to charge up again and automatically fire another shot. Austin meanwhile simply did normal shooting from cover with his rifle. The mechs didn't last long.
Austin noticed that Liara's biotics seemed to be much stronger than he originally remembered. Then again, two years was a long time to develop biotic powers, especially with Helldiver training. He also noticed that Liara's biotics weren't the only thing about her that had changed about her, but he pulled his mind away from the sexual thoughts of seeing her naked again. He had to stay focused on the battle.
Garrus meanwhile was quite literally going by the saying "One shot, one kill!" The Turian didn't miss at all. Not that Austin had doubted him at all, Garrus had always been a great shot, but with a Helldiver suit he seemed even better.
Once they had finished, all the mechs lay in ruins on the floor. Only too late did they notice that they had left out the dog which lunged at Austin. The Captain however was a fast reactor. Just as the mech landed on in he fired a shot from his plasma cannon which knocked the mech off him. As it tried to get back up, he activated his omni blade and plunged it into the mech. It went limp instantly.
"Those mechs shouldn't have been hostile. They should've recognised us as Helldivers, or at least recognised Shepard as human." said Garrus, just a bit out of breath.
"Someone reprogrammed them to attack on sight. We're not alone here!" said Liara.

Along the way, they encountered a few more mechs before they found themselves facing a locked building.
"Locked. Why is it locked?" Garrus asked.
"Let's find out." said Austin.
The Helldiver walked up to the door and activated his omni tool. The encryption wasn't hard to bypass and the door opened within seconds. As soon as it did however, they were met with company. There were several Quarians in the room. They immediately took notice of the Helldivers and drew their weapons.
"Stop right there!" said the leader.
Austin, Liara and Garrus also drew their weapons in defence and stood their position.
Before anything more could be said though, one of the female Quarians spoke out and tried to lower the leader's weapon. Her voice sounded very familiar.
"Prazza! You said you'd let me handle this." She said. She then turned to the Helldivers. She was speechless when she saw Austin.
"Wait! Austin?"
"Tali?" Austin asked. Could it really be her?
Tali immediately turned back to the other Quarians.
"It's okay, Prazza. They're Helldivers." She said.
The Quarian leader, Prazza, seemed to relax slightly. Be he still didn't look convinced.
"How does that one know your name, Tali?" he asked.
"This one is, Shepard. My old, Commander." Tali replied. She then seemed to hesitate though and turned back to Austin.
"Austin, is that…? You're alive." She asked nervously.
Austin lowered his gun and signalled to the others to do the same.
"Yes, and I'll prove it's me. Remember when I gave you that Geth data, Tali? From your new look, I'm guessing it helped you complete your pilgrimage?" Austin replied.
"Yes it did." Said Tali. She was convinced. She then turned back to Prazza. "Prazza, weapons down! This is definitely Commander Shepard."
"Captain, actually." Austin corrected her.
"It's an honor to finally meet you, Captain. Tali has always spoken very highly of you." Said Prazza as he put his weapon away.
Austin nodded to the Quarian and then turned to Garrus and Liara.
"I think we can all be friendly here." He said.
Garrus and Liara nodded and retracted their helmets. Austin did the same. Tali was once again shocked to see them.
"Garrus? Liara?" she struggled to say.
"Good to see you too, Tali." Said Garrus happily.
"Tali." Said Liara as she nodded.
"But why are you here exactly?" Tali asked.
"This human colony is inside Helldiver territory. The Arkane council sent us here to investigate as to why human colonies in the Terminus systems are disappearing." Said Liara.
"Then perhaps we can work together? We're here looking for a young Quarian named Veetor. He was here on Pilgrimage." Said Tali.
"Isn't that a little strange? A Quarian visiting a remote human colony?" Austin asked suspiciously.
"Quarians can choose where they go on Pilgrimage. Veetor liked the idea of helping out a small settlement, he was always… nervous in crowds." Said Tali.
"I don't mean to sound negative, but the whole colony's deserted. What makes you think Veetor's alive"? Austin asked.
"We saw him when we landed." Prazza replied.
"You saw him? Why isn't he with you then?" Garrus asked.
"Veetor was unstable. Combine that with damage to his suit's CO2 scrubbers and an infection from an open air exposure, and he's likely delirious." Prazza replied.
"When he saw us landing, he hid in a warehouse on the far side of town. We also suspect he reprogrammed the mechs to attack anything that moved." Said Tali.
"That explains it." Said Liara.
"Veetor's the only person who can tell us what happened. We should work together to find him." Austin suggested.
"Good idea. You'll need two teams to get past the drones anyway." Tali agreed.
"Working with Helldivers? This should be interesting." Said Prazza.
"Head through the warehouse through the centre of the colony we'll circle around the far side and draw of some of the drones to clear you a path." Said Tali.
"Make sure to keep in radio contact." Said Austin. As he said it, his helmet folded back up and sealed itself. The others did the same.
"Will do. Good luck, Austin. Whatever happens, it's good to have you back." Said Tali as she and the other Quarians headed out.
"That was… unexpected. It was surprising to see Tali again." Said Garrus as he, Austin and Liara soon followed.
"Stay focused, Garrus." Said Austin.
As they left the building they'd been in earlier, Tali's voice came over the radio.
"Be careful, Austin. There's a squad of security drones up ahead." She said.
"Thanks for the warning, Tali. We'll take care of it." Said Garrus.
Sure enough, as soon as they cleared the next building they were pinned down by security drones.
"Take cover!" Austin yelled.
Garrus managed to snipe one of the drones before taking cover and Liara also gunned one down with her SMG. Austin also returned fire with his assault rifle before taking cover. He then set his shoulder cannon to automatic. Because the mechanical arm was long enough, the cannon was able to look right over cover and shoot at the targets. Austin found that very handy. No doubt it would come in useful when pinned by targets. Liara meanwhile created several biotic singularities which proved useful in rounding up the drones.
Garrus and Austin finished off the last few with either their guns or with a plasma blast or an overload from Garrus.
With the drones taken care of, Austin and the others proceeded further through the colony.
"Austin, we're heading for the loading docks. If we find Veetor, I'll make sure we wait for you." came Tali's voice.
"Roger that. We're almost there." Said Austin.
After fighting their way through another wave of mechs, the three Helldivers reached the loading bay doors.
"Austin, you have to hurry! Veetor reprogrammed the heavy mech, it's tearing Prazza's squad apart!" came Tali's voice.
"We're on our way!" said Austin. He then turned to his squad mates. "You heard her! Double time!" he yelled.
All three Helldivers instantly sprinted for the loading bay door.
"Get your squad into cover and I'll open the loading bay doors." Said Tali.
"You two, take cover by the doors. I'll take point." Austin ordered as he took cover behind a nearby barricade in front of the door. Garrus and Liara went to each side of the door. After a few seconds, the door opened. There was the sound of clunking metal and heavy weapon fire. Several Quarians where retreating from an unseen enemy. They were suddenly cut down by heavy fire. One female Quarian tried to crawl, but the Heavy mech then revealed itself and crushed the Quarian with its foot before finishing her with several rounds to the head.
The heavy mech was enormous. In fact it reminded Austin a lot of X-5, a prototype battle robot that he and Alpha Squad had previously fought alongside.
The heavy mech stood at around two and a half meters tall and was definitely armed to the teeth with armour plating and two miniguns on each hand, along with rocket launchers.
The mech then turned its attention to more of the Quarians and fired a rocket at them. It impacted, killing two Quarians in the process and sending them flying. The mech then fired several rounds at Prazza, ripping his suit to pieces and killing him instantly.
"That Mech's got heavy armour plating. The Quarians never stood a chance." said Garrus as he took cover behind a nearby crate. Liara and Austin did the same.
"Tali, are you alright?" Austin asked urgently into his wrist communicator.
"I'm alright, Austin. But the mech has me pinned inside the building! You're going to have to deal with that thing while I tend to the wounded." Tali replied.
"That mech will not be easy to take down." said Liara as she readied for another fight.
"We're a team here! We can do this!" said Austin as he reloaded his assault rifle. The Captain briefly leaned out of cover and fired a few shots in order to get the Mech's attention and draw it away from where Tali and the wounded were hiding. The mech quickly took notice and began stomping over to where they were.
"Rocket!" Garrus yelled as he fired a rocket from his own shoulder cannon. It seemed that he had a slightly different one to Austin.
The mech however reacted fast to the rockets and shot them before they could hit their target.
"Crap! I thought that would work!" said Garrus as he retreated out of sight slightly.
"I have an idea." said Austin.

The mech scanned for its nearby enemies. For a moment it couldn't see them. Then Austin suddenly dove out of cover and fired at the mech as he sprinted to another box. The mech fired several shot which just barely managed to miss the Helldiver. Liara then shot several biotic warps at the mech which caused it to stagger slightly before it returned fire.
Garrus meanwhile had activated his cloak and was slowly sneaking around so that he could get behind the mech. As Liara and Austin continued distracting the mech, he carefully snuck up behind it and activated his own omni blade which was electrically charged. The heavy mech immediately took notice of Garrus when it detected that Garrus had impaled it in the side. It swung one its massive arms at him but Garrus rolled backwards just in time for it to miss him.
The mech was now focused on Garrus but this was part of Austin's plan. The Helldiver captain then leapt onto the Heavy mechs soldiers and fired at its head multiple times. The mech tried to throw him off, but it wasn't designed to do that sort of thing. The best it could do was to move around frantically. Finally, once Austin had worn the armour down on the mechs head, he activated his own omni blade and plunged it right in. He then twisted it violently and pulled the head right off. Before he could then impale again though he noticed that Mech's core was overloading.
"It's gonna blow!" Austin yelled as jumped down.
Garrus and Liara quickly retreated to a safe distance and Austin just managed to slide behind a nearby crate. The entire mech exploded as its core overloaded and the whole place seemed to shake slightly as the massive explosion echoed everywhere.
"Phew! That was close." said Garrus as he got up.
"You know what they say? Go out with a big bang!" Austin panted slightly.
The Helldivers quickly went back to the building where Tali was, just to check on her.
"I have to tend to the wounded, Austin. You go on ahead and find Veetor. He's probably somewhere in the back of the loading bay." said the Quarian.

Austin and the others headed for the nearest building near to where Tali was and eventually managed to get the locked door open. Sure enough, there was another Quarian sat at a console typing away furiously at a keypad and constantly muttering to himself.
"Monsters coming back. Mechs will protect. Safe from swarms. Have to hide. No monsters. No swarms. No no no no no." he said.
"Veetor?" Austin asked.
"No Veetor. Not here. Swarms can't find. Monsters coming. Have to hide." Said Veetor as he continued typing away, oblivious to Helldivers behind him.
"Nobody's going to hurt you anymore." said Austin calmly.
"I don't think he can hear you, Shepard." said Liara.
Austin keyed a command into his omni tool as Veetor continued typing away with stopping. He then swept his hand across all the screens that Veetor was sat in front of. They all went static with a warning sign on them as the Helldiver's omni toll swept over them.
Veetor sat back, confused and surprised. The Quarian finally seemed to take notice of the Helldivers behind him and turned to face them.
"You're... you're Helldivers! Where did you hide? How come they didn't find you?" he asked in surprise, and also fright.
"Who didn't find us?" asked Liara.
"The... The monsters. The swarms. They took everyone." Said Veetor.
"What exactly happened, Veetor? Why didn't the colonists fight back? Or, what happened to the Helldivers that where posted here?" Austin asked.
"You don't know. You didn't see, but I see everything." said Veetor.
The Quarian pressed a few buttons on his keypad and the screens came to life with what looked like a video recording. There where swarms of what looked like bugs all over the recording.
"Looks like security footage. He must've pieced it together manually." said Liara.
Then Garrus noticed something. "What's that?" he asked as he pointed to something in the recording. It froze to show some kind of humanoid insect creature.
"Goddess! I think it's a Collector!" said Liara. There was lot of shock in the Asari's voice.
Austin turned to Liara in surprise.
"I thought they were a just a myth. No proof was ever found that they existed." he said.
"In the past two years we've recently been finding firm evidence to prove that they exist. They mostly work through intermediaries, like slavers or hired mercenaries. If they're involved with the Reapers somehow, it could explain what happened to the colonies." said Liara.
"The Collectors have advanced technology that very easily rivals our own. They could have a weapon that can disable an entire settlement at once." said Garrus.
"The seeker swarms. No one can hide. The seekers find you, freeze you. Then the monsters take you away." Said Veetor.
"Why didn't the Collectors take you?" Austin asked.
"Swarms didn't find me. Monsters didn't know I was here." Veetor replied.
"The Collectors aren't known for being careless. It could be that his suit kept him from showing up in their sensors." Said Garrus.
"Or they were using technology specifically designed for humans. Only those colonies have been hit." Said Liara.
"What happened next?" Austin asked calmly.
"The monsters took the people into the ship, and then they left. The ship flew away, but they'll be back for me. No one escapes!" said Veetor.
"I think that's all we can get out of him, Shepard." Said Garrus.
"We appreciate what you told us, Veetor." said Austin.
"I studied them. The monsters. The swarms. I recorded them with my omni tool. Lots of readings. Electromagnetic. Dark energy." said Veetor.
"We need that data!" said Liara.
At that moment, Tali walked in.
"Veetor! I'm glad to see you're alright." she said happily.
"Tali? What are you doing here?" Veetor asked in surprise.
"It's alright, Veetor. You're safe. I'm here to take you home." said Tali. She then turned to the Helldivers. "Thank you for finding him, Austin. I owe you." she said.
"I know how you can live up to that. Veetor's omni tool data shows what happened here and also that it's connected to the Reapers. We need to take that data back to the Arkane Council." said Austin.
"You're perfectly welcome to, Austin. But I have to take Veetor back to the fleet. He's traumatized and he needs medical care." said Tali.
"That's fine. Veetor's been through a lot. I wouldn't even dream of putting him through more." said Austin.
"Thank you, Austin. I'm glad that two years of being dead hasn't changed you." said Tali.
"You don't have to take Veetor and go, Tali. We could work together, just like old times." Austin suggested.
"I want to, but I can't. I've got a mission of my own. When it's over, and I'm still alive, we'll see." said Tali.
"That sounds dangerous. What are you doing?" Austin asked.
"I can't tell you the full details, but it's in Geth space. That should tell you how important it is." Tali replied.
"I understand. Then I wish you good luck out there, Tali. Stay safe." said Austin.
"Keelah se'lai, Austin. If I find anything that can help you, I'll let you know." said Tali gratefully as she and Austin shook hands.
"We're ready for pickup." said Liara into her communicator.

"Captain Shepard, good work on Freedom's Progress. The Quarians forwarded their findings from Veetor's debriefing. No new data, but we're pleased that they still hold us in such high regard." said Spartan.
Austin and the others had now returned to Arkadia and was now stood in front of the Arkane council.
"That comes as no surprise to me, Councillors. Several of their people are in our ranks, and Tali Zorah was always a good friend." said Austin.
"Indeed. But more importantly, you confirmed that the Collectors are behind the abductions. We're are impressed." said Tarnack.
"I don't mean to sound suspicious, Councillors. But why do I get the feeling that you knew about them already?" Austin asked.
"We had our suspicions, but we needed firm proof. The Collectors are enigmatic at best. But now we have it." said one of the Councillors. That was one that Austin was unfamiliar with.
"What do we know about them?" Austin asked.
"They periodically travel to the Terminus systems, looking to gather seemingly unimportant items or specimens. Usually in exchange for their technology. When their transactions are complete, they disappear as quickly as they arrive, back beyond the unmapped Omega 4 Relay. Until now, we've had now evidence of direct aggression against the Collectors." Said Tarnack.
"What makes you all truly think that the Reapers are involved?" Austin asked.
"The patterns are there, buried in the data. The Council and the Alliance want to believe that the Reaper threat died with Sovereign. You, this Council, and the rest of the Helldivers know better. We know they're still out there. For the last two years we've been researching further ways to advance our technology and we've been recruiting heavily. Regardless of what the Council say or think, we're preparing for a full scale war when the next cycle starts. We've been trying to enforce the truth out a bit and to try and spread the word, but you know how convincing the Council can be when they want the truth hidden." Said one the councillors.
"Precisely! We won't wait until the Reapers are on the march. The fight needs to be taken to them!" said Spartan.
"If this is a war, I'll need an army... or a really good team." said Austin.
"We're already compiling a list of scientists, mercenaries and assassins. You'll get dossiers on the best of them. Meanwhile, we'll continue to track the Collectors. When they make their next appearance, we'll notify you and your team." said Spartan.
"With all due respect Councillors, I don't think that's necessary. My old team that helped me stop Saren would be ideal for the job." said Austin politely.
"That was two years ago, Captain. Obviously Commander T'soni and Lieutenant Vakarian will accompany you, but most of the team have moved on." said Tarnack.
"Where's Ashley Williams?" Austin asked.
"She's still with the Alliance. But at the moment she's on a top secret mission. We don't have any further details."
"Urdnot Wrex?"
"He returned to Tuchanka, and he hasn't gone off world in over a year. He's trying to unite the Krogan clans.
"What about Tali? She already helped us out on Freedom's Progress."
"That was unexpected. The Council will need more Intel before we can commit to that. We will keep her in mind though. Her friendship with you would benefit the mission greatly.
"What about Alpha Squad? My old team would be able to do this, no problem."
"Unfortunately, they too aren't available. They're currently away on an important mission and we have no idea when they'll return. It could be weeks at most. Far too long to wait with Collectors attacking our territory."
"Okay, I get it. None of the old gang's available." Austin sighed.
"You're a leader. You'll get who you want… Major." Said Spartan.
"I'm sure I… Did I hear right Councillors? Did you just call me Major?" Austin asked in disbelief.
"Indeed. Your loyalty to us is commendable alone. Your actions on Freedom's Progress, and discovering the truth about the Collectors only adds to that. As a result, we have agreed that it is only fair you be promoted. Congratulations, Major." Said Spartan. Some of the Arkanes clapped at this.
Austin didn't know what to say. Major! He never anticipated that this would happen for another 5 years or so.
"Thank you, Councillors. I'm deeply honoured." Said Austin as he bowed his head. He did his best to hide how excited he was. "Anyway, I will make sure that this new team is ready when the time comes." He said.
"Good. We have two things before you go." Said Tarnack. "First, we recommend that you start by heading to Omega and recruiting Professor Mordin Solus. He's a brilliant Salarian scientist. Our intelligence suggests that he may know how to counteract the Collector's paralysing seeker swarms."
"I appreciate that, Councillors. I'll make sure to start there. What's the second?" Austin asked.
Spartan them seemed to smile.
"We found a pilot for your new ship that we think you might like. We're told that he's one of the best, someone you can trust." He said.
Austin could then tell there was someone behind him. He turned to look and was completely speechless.
"Hey Major! Just like old times, huh?" said Joker.

"I can't believe it's you, Joker! Said Austin happily as the doors opened. He and Joker where heading to where Austin's new ship was docked.
"Look who's talking. I saw you get spaced." Said Joker.
"When have I ever been that easy to kill?" Austin smiled. "How'd you get here?"
"It all fell apart without you, Major. Everything you stirred up, the Council just wanted it gone. Team was broken up, records sealed, and I was grounded. The Alliance took away the one thing that mattered to me. Hell yeah I joined the Helldivers!" said Joker.
"You must be quite lucky. Getting a pilot job must be difficult in the Helldivers." Said Austin.
"Quite the opposite actually. The pay's twice as good as it was in the Alliance, and they're actually in need of good pilots like me. They welcomed me with open arms. So I now take back what I used to think about your kin. They're not bad at all. Saved your life, let me fly, and there's this. They only told me last night." Said Joker.
At that moment, the lights in the hanger bay they were looking into came on and revealed the ship.
"You have got to be kidding me!" said Austin in disbelief as the lights came on to reveal a Brand new and much bigger version the Normandy. On the side it said, Normandy SR2 and it now had Helldiver colours. It was unbelievable.
"It's good to be home, huh Major?" Joker asked.
"I guess we'll have to give her name." Austin chuckled as he smiled under his helmet. He had heard of a second chance, but getting back nearly everything that he'd lost? It was a dream come true!
Austin Shepard of the Helldivers was back!

"It wasn't our fault sir. EDI… went rouge on us." Said Miranda
The Cerberus operative was currently addressing the hologram of her boss, the Illusive Man. The one in charge of Cerberus and the Helldiver's most hated enemy.
No one knew the Illusive Man's real name, not even his most trusted operatives in Cerberus. The term Illusive Man was actually a codename that the Helldivers had given him. He had taken a liking to the name and had stuck with it since.
The Illusive man was mostly sat in shadow. He wore a type of black suit with a small white neck lining. From what could be seen of his face, he had white hair and bright blue cybernetic eyes. Behind the Illusive Man, was the view of a massive red and blue star, it was quite a sight.
With Miranda also where the holograms of her partner, Jacob Taylor. There was also someone else with them. This figure was a Cerberus assassin. She was clad in a special type of combat armour that was designed for protection, mobility and speed all in one. The armour was white with the exception of black legs and some yellow stripes on the arms. The figure also had a sword on her belt, along of a projectile weapon concealed inside her palm. Neither Miranda nor Jacob knew what this assassin's name really was. She had only ever been identified by the name, Shadow.
Shadow was the first of the Phantom program. A program still currently being researched by Cerberus to try and copy some the technology of the Helldivers. Shadow had been the first successful prototype and since served as the Illusive Man's top assassin.
"Do we know at all why EDI simply turned on us?" the Illusive Man asked.
"From what Wilson and I monitored, Shepard drained a massive amount of power from the station to recharge his armour. During that he must have somehow interacted with the stations systems. The recorded conversations we picked up showed that this somehow removed all of EDI's hard locks and she became self-aware. Apparently she saw us as the enemy and made a deal with Shepard. He served as her courier while she helped him find a way off the station." Miranda answered. She was doing her best to hide her nervousness. Shepard's escape hadn't boded well for her. She had been Project Lazarus's leader and the only test subject, the subject that they had spent two years trying to bring back, had now escaped.
Miranda could tell that Shadow was smirking evilly at her from under her helmet. The two had always had a rivalry for the Illusive Man's approval. Although Miranda was well known to be the favourite among Cerberus, Shadow was more feared by the others and through that fear she gained respect.
The Phantom was violent, hard to keep under control and willing to kill anyone who stood up to her. The only thing that kept her from slaughtering Miranda though was that she knew she herself would be next if she disobeyed the Illusive Man.
The Illusive Man then turned to Shadow.
"What did you find at Freedom's Progress?" he asked.
"Nothing! They got there before I did. Fortunately, the security cameras where still working. From the footage, I found what they found. One Quarian survived the abduction and he gave all he knew to the Helldivers. From what he said, the Collectors are behind the abductions." Said Shadow.
There was a pause as the Illusive Man contemplated this.
"So our theory's where right after all. Just as I expected." He said.
"From what my sources tell me, the Arkanes have sent Shepard to take the fight to them. He's putting a team to together as we speak." Said Shadow.
There was once again another pause.
"Shepard will be short sighted. The technology that the collector's possess has the ability to secure human dominance in the galaxy against the Reapers and beyond. We can't let that Helldiver destroy it." He said.
"My thoughts exactly, Sir. What are your orders?" Miranda asked, relived that she wouldn't be punished for Shepard's escape.
"A team of our finest agents will be at your aid. The goal is simple, find Shepard and bring him in alive if necessary. He spent too long with us to escape now." Said the Illusive Man.
"I'll see to it personally, Sir." Said Miranda.
"No! Shadow will handle this operation herself. You take orders from her now. Shepard's escape has somewhat shaken may faith in you, Miranda. That'll be all." Said the Illusive Man. He cut the communication leaving Miranda, Jacob, and Shadow alone in the comm room.
"Hear that, Lawson? Sounds like you're no longer his favourite anymore." Said Shadow evilly.
Miranda was simply lost for words and there was a sign of sadness on her face.
"Quit you're sulking! You compromise this mission, you're dead to me!" said Shadow. "We leave in five hours."
The Phantom left the room before the two Cerberus operatives.
"I will make Shepard pay for what he has done to me!"

Dun dun dun!
The Collectors aren't the only problem!
For anyone also worried about the bit about Alpha Squad, do not worry! They appear in the story very early. In Chapter 5 in fact.
Anyway, next chapter will cover the exploration of the New Normandy and will also have Shepard and Liara mending their relationship. So be warned that next Chapter will contain make-up sex.
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Mass Effect: The Helldiver Saga, The Collector War