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Reunited	By : Boompeew Category: +M through R > Mass Effect Views: 25156 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own the Mass Effect series or its characters. I do not make any money from this fic; it is purely for reader enjoyment.

Chapter List
- 31
- 32
- 33
Author’s notes: This is chapter 32 in my fanfic about Captain Megan Shepard and her beautiful lover, Miranda Lawson. In this chapter, you can begin to see my deviations from the screwed up canon plotline, and it will deviate completely at some points, but stick to canon at other points. For some of you who really pay attention to the ME lore, you’ll notice that I completely changed the number of warships that everyone has. Let’s face it, about 10 dreadnoughts and just one carrier to defend about half the Milky Way is just plain dumb. Also, I’ve adjusted the gun specs to something more realistic. If any of you have suggestions on what I could write in future chapters please don’t hesitate to PM me.

Captain Megan Cassandra Shepard checked out the 3x magnification scope on her X7 Valkyrie before she laid it on her lap again and looked up to see her wife, Lieutenant Commander Miranda Anne Shepard, standing up and gracefully making her way to the cockpit to look at the situation on the ground. Next to Megan was 2^nd Lieutenant Oriana Janine Lawson, who was silently looking over her X8 Avenger rifle. “We’re landing in twenty seconds. LZ is extremely hot, so be careful.”Flight Lieutenant Steve Cortez announced as Miranda’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Set us down on that tower…we’ve got Cerberus signatures on the radar! What are they doing here?”The brunette XO wondered as Megan stood up and headed into the cockpit as well. Megan brought up the external camera feeds of the Kodiak and saw 3 snipers in black accompanied by 2 other troops with regular rifles and were outfitted in bulky white armor shooting at the Reaper ground forces.

“Those guys are Cerberus! When did they get an army?”The redhead wondered as Steve hovered the shuttle above the tower. “Alright guys, we’re at the drop zone! Good luck out there!”He hollered as the shuttle door opened to reveal the dusty windswept plains of Mars and Deseado Crater Research Station, where the Prothean ruins were found in 2148 and where the scientists were now trapped in. Megan, Miranda, Oriana, 1^st Lieutenant James Vega, Captain Thomas David Hansen, 1^st Lieutenant Ashley Madeline Williams, and Junior Flight Lieutenant Erin Iverson jumped out of the shuttle with their weapons ready as the Cerberus troops turned around to face the group. “Finally, some reinforcements…holy shit, is that Shepard?”One of the men in white armor asked excitedly, grabbing some thermal clips out of a large crate next to him as Megan nodded. “Captain Shepard, Council Spectre. What are you people doing here?”

“Oh my God, it’s Shepard! I think we’ll make it now!”One of the two female snipers exclaimed excitedly while everyone took cover. “We’re here to defend the scientists till extraction as per our orders!”The only male sniper, who was armed with an X98 Widow like Thomas’ replied. “Whose? The Illusive Man’s?”Miranda yelled above the gunfire as Thomas fired his Widow and James his X37 Falcon grenade launcher at the advancing Reaper troops. “Yeah! How’d you know?”The other female sniper asked as Ashley and the male Cerberus sniper joined in the firing. “I’m Lieutenant Commander Miranda Shepard! What are your names?”The LC asked in return. “Oh, you’re Operative Lawson! I’m Jessica Travers, she’s Zoe Andrews, our leader is Michael Parker and he’s the sniper, and those two are Brian Smith and John Westborough.”Travers gestured to each of them while she shifted her sniper rifle.

“Alright Parker! Where are the scientists?”Megan yelled as she fired her X7 at the advancing Reaper horde, loving the kick, accuracy and power of the new rifle. “They’re in the Archives with more of our guys and whatever’s left of the Alliance guard detachment!”He yelled back. “Fucking batarian zombies come equipped with guns! Zombies with guns! Blood-what the hell are those doing?!”Thomas yelled as he worked the bolt on his sniper rifle as he saw several batarian Reaper husks forcibly remove bits of flesh and tubing from corpses of other dead husks and stick it onto themselves, and it fused together. “I think they’re making armor out of those!”Zoe yelled as she fired her semi auto sniper rifle as quickly as she could into the advancing horde while Megan and Ashley ducked behind their cover as the inaccurate fire of the batarian husks impacted close to their position

“It’s like a bunch of cannibals!”John yelled as he fired his rifle, which the group had noted to be only capable of firing in 3 round bursts. “Sounds good! Alright Thomas, stay here with these guys and pick off as many cannibals and husks as you can! Everyone else, follow me to the Archives!”Megan yelled as she ran to the ladder, closely followed by Miranda, Oriana, James, Ashley and Erin. Once the team had all reached the lower level, they began running to the main complex proper, passing by bodies of dead Alliance and Cerberus soldiers as well as husks and cannibals. Once they entered the complex, there were a few cannibals and husks, which were quickly dispatched by the team as they rushed to the Archives where the scientists were garrisoned in. “Hey Oriana, your biotics are pretty decent. That warp was pretty damn strong.”Megan complimented her younger sister-in-law as Oriana smiled at the compliment.

They then ran into the main security station for the entire complex, and found it littered with dead human corpses as well as a bunch of dead husks and cannibal. However, there were at least 3 dozen cannibals and husks standing around in the station, and they wheeled around to face the team. The team scattered and took cover as Oriana threw a biotic shockwave at the charging husks, flinging them asunder as Miranda vaporized a cannibal with a warp bolt. Erin fired her X15 Vindicator rifle at the cannibals alongside Ashley and Megan after the blonde fired a plasma incinerate jet from her omnitool, setting 5 cannibals on fire while Vega mowed several more husks and cannibals down with his X76. Megan ran out of rounds and instead of reloading, she whipped out the heavy M7 Crusader shotgun and biotic charged right into the midst of the Reaper troops and fired the shotgun.

Her eyes widened in awe as she witnessed the single slug from the shotgun rip right through the torso of a cannibal that was sent flying backwards into the group by her biotic charge, and it continued through a cannibal and a husk directly behind the cannibal. Suddenly, Megan noticed that there was a shimmering behind the group and a woman in white and yellow Cerberus armor decloaked and charged right into the group before she did something Megan hadn’t seen before. Her entire body glowed bright blue before transferring to her fists, which she bashed into the ground to create a massive shockwave that killed off the remaining cannibals and husks that Megan and her team hadn’t killed yet. “What the hell was that?”Megan asked as the Cerberus woman panted from the exertion while she drew her submachine gun which Megan hadn’t seen before.

“Thanks for the assist Captain. I’m Nicole Reid, and I was hiding from these bastards. They slaughtered my entire squad and the Alliance troops too, and I’m the only one left. By the way, that was a biotic nova.”She introduced herself as she offered her hand, which Megan shook firmly. “The Phantom program has been initiated full scale?”Miranda asked as Nicole nodded. “Yes Lieutenant Commander, the Phantoms have been active for about a year now.” “How’d you know so much about them?”James asked as the crew cautiously made their way to the Archives. “I was the Illusive Man’s second in command until I quit about 4 years back. I had access to quite a few other projects besides my own. And also, the Phantoms are the only ones who carry these X25 Hornet SMGs and katanas, and they’re biotics.”Miranda replied.

“You’re the Miranda Lawson? No way! Our boss, the Illusive Man, always mentioned you and your achievements.”Nicole exclaimed as she lead the way alongside Megan with her Hornet drawn and scanning for targets. “How and when did Cerberus get a freakin’ army?”Ashley asked as Nicole shrugged. “Well, most of us were recruited during the time when Captain Shepard here was busy taking out the Collectors. Most of the new recruits are colonists who were inspired to defend humanity, while some of us, like me, were mercs whom Cerberus attracted in with great pay packages and a pretty safe job…or at least it was safe until these assholes showed up.”The Phantom explained as they heard the faint sounds of gunfire. “Okay guys we’re almost there. Be careful.”She said in a hushed tone as they cautiously advanced forward.

Soon, they found themselves right behind a large group of cannibals who were firing at a large contingent of Cerberus troops and several ragtag Alliance marines who were firing back. One of the Cerberus troops threw a singularity right in the middle, ensnaring 4 cannibals as the team took cover before opening fire on the cannibals. “Hey boys, we got reinforcements!”One of the Cerberus troopers who looked like the leader yelled as he biotically charged into a cluster of cannibals, knocking them off their feet before he began to crack his whips. “What the hell does that-”Megan began, but her question was soon answered when the lashed the whips into the ground, creating an almighty biotic wave that vaporized the cannibals close to him, and sent the rest flying away at high velocity and into the walls, where they died upon impact.

“Holy shit!”James yelped in awe as Ashley just stared at the Cerberus trooper. He now pulled out his rifle and began firing at the rest of the cannibals along with the surviving Alliance marines, his Cerberus charges, and Megan and her team. Nicole then charged into another pack of cannibals before using her biotic nova, killing them. However, the second the Cerberus woman used her biotics, her barriers were depleted and a couple of cannibals fired upon her, hitting her several times in her chest, abdomen, thighs and one hit her head. Most of the rounds were absorbed by her armor, but several managed to penetrate the armor and lodge into her body. “Shit! We got a woman down!”James yelled as he gunned down 4 of the cannibals with a long burst from his X76 before Megan killed the last one with a reave field.

Megan and the Cerberus leader rushed to Nicole’s fallen body, and the redhead heaved a sigh of relief when her tactical display showed that Nicole was still alive, but barely. “Hang on, I’ll get her! I got advanced battlefield medical training!”Oriana yelled as she rushed to Nicole and began professionally stripping away the Phantom’s armor, revealing that Nicole was a blonde with almond eyes and luscious lips. Oriana then continued to remove all of Nicole’s armor until she was in nothing but a white tank top and matching shorts, and everyone could clearly see that the woman had 4 bullet wounds in her abdomen, one deep gash on her left cheekbone, and a couple of bullets in her thighs. Once all the armor was off, Oriana professionally administered medigel to the wounds to staunch the bleeding before she began dabbing at the wounds with a sterile cloth she’d taken from a medkit one Cerberus trooper with a heavy shield had passed to her, cleaning it as much as she could.

“Captain Shepard, thanks for the backup. Reinforcements are about 2 minutes out, and please set your radios to this channel for easy communication.”The biotic leader thanked as Megan nodded at him, adjusting her radio along with her squad. “You’re welcome. What’s your name and current situation?”The Captain asked . “I’m William James, and we’re defending the scientists and the data they got. I’m down to 19 people, and a couple of them are unfit for combat.”James replied as Miranda stepped up next to Megan. “I assume you’re part of Phoenix Project. How many people did you start this mission with?”The brunette Sentinel asked as James shook his head in regret. “I had an entire company of 90 men and women, and now we’re down to 20…or 21 including her. Both Alicia over there and me are Project Phoenix operatives by the way.”He gestured at a petite woman clad in pure white armor with a large Cerberus symbol on the breastplate waved back.

While Megan and Miranda were busy shooting the Cerberus operatives questions, Ashley, James and Oriana, who was done treating Nicole and loaded her onto a stretcher, walked over to the Alliance marines. “Everyone okay here?”Oriana asked as Ashley counted off 7 marines, and about 6 more behind them lying on stretchers. “Ori? Is that you?”A very familiar voice asked as Oriana’s eyes widened in surprise. “Danny? Is that you?”The youngest Lawson sister exclaimed as the armored figure just nodded and stowed away his X8 rifle as the both of them embraced each other fervently. “Lemme guess, boyfriend and girlfriend?”James asked Ashley as she smiled at the couple. “Yep. They’ve been apart for quite awhile now if I remember correctly.”The Latina replied before she turned to another marine standing next to Danner Gossimah with his X99 Saber Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR) loosely held in his hands, pausing for a little while as she heard Thomas reporting that there were no more incoming Reaper troops left.

“What happened here? Are the scientists and the data safe…Operations Chief Warren Farrell?”Ashley asked as her tactical display identified the man she was talking to. “Well Lieutenant, we were just guarding this place as per normal and then bam! These assholes come right the fuck out of nowhere and begin to slaughter us. Fortunately, all the squints were in the Archives when this went down, so they’re all here and they’ve extracted all the data they have. Us, well, we weren’t so lucky. There used to be about 2 companies here, and now there’s only 13 of us left…and half of us are pretty much fucked up.” “Madre…180 men reduced to 13. This is fucking loco!”James exclaimed as Danner and Oriana finally broke their embrace. “Yeah. They just keep coming and coming…and they don’t take cover. Ever. Kind of okay since it’s easier to kill them, but still…”Danner shuddered as he looked over to Megan and Miranda.

“Alright James, how many reinforcements do you have incoming?”Megan asked the Cerberus biotic. “Got 2 companies which are made up of regular grunts, Guardians which are the guys with shields like Jenkins here, a few centurions, a few snipers, a few engineers, a couple of Phantoms like Miss Reid over there, and one more Project Phoenix guy. Forgot his name.”James replied as Miranda looked at one Cerberus soldier outfitted in light armor who was doing something with a turret. “What is he doing?”The brunette muttered as the other Project Phoenix operative called Alicia joined the group. “Oh, Bedford over there is running diagnostics on his sentry turret. It’s the newest toy to leave Cerberus R&D and every combat engineer now carries a packed up one around before deploying it. This baby is less than a year old, and it’s already racking up one hell of a body count.”The woman replied.

“Huh, alright. Tell the reinforcements to sweep the entire complex and collect every single corpse, both Alliance and Cerberus, and bring them back on ship for burial.”The XO nodded as James turned to her in befuddlement. “Huh? I know it’s morally right, but it isn’t very practical and we don’t exactly have the manpower to do that.”He asked as Megan beckoned everyone over before replying. “Mister James, do you know that the Reapers use dead corpses to create more ground troops? Human corpses are used to make either husks, which are the ones that rush you, and scions, which are the huge ones with the huge sack thing on their backs which fire explosive charges.”Megan informed him as he shook his head. “Damn. Alright then I guess…guys, listen to Captain Shepard and follow her orders! Is that understood?”Alicia barked as all the Cerberus troops present yelled “Yes ma’am!” in perfect unison.

“Alright then, I want everyone save for the combat engineers and you two to comb the facility and bring as many dead bodies as you can back here. We’re going to deny the Reapers over 200 new troops by doing so. Got it?”Megan commanded as everyone simply went “Yes ma’am!” once more and everyone broke up into pairs or small groups and began searching for all the dead bodies, taking with them the flatbed robots to place all the bodies on. Megan found herself working beside a Cerberus soldier who could help but keep sneaking glances at her and she turned to him. “Is anything wrong, Mister..?” “I’m Justin Kelly. I’m sorry to keep staring at you, but I can’t believe I’m actually working with you! I mean, you’re the reason I joined Cerberus in the 1^st place!”He gushed as Megan smiled embarrassedly behind her helmet. “Uh…thanks I guess. What do you mean by I’m the reason that you joined Cerberus?”

“I was one of the colonists you saved on Horizon. And the best part was, you saved my entire family too! After that, I realized that the Alliance wasn’t going to give a flying shit about us, so when I heard that Cerberus was recruiting and they would provide my family with housing and protection, I didn’t even hesitate. I just signed right the hell up.”Justin explained as he hoisted 2 dead bodies onto the flatbed that Megan had summoned, adding to the 11 that they had already found. “I see…what’s that rifle on your back? Never seen it before.”The Vanguard asked as she laid 4 more bodies down onto the pile already on the robot before they climbed on and moved on to find more. “Oh my rifle? It’s an X55 Argus. Standard issue for us regular troops. The elite ones like James get a…uh…X60 Harrier. It’s a fully auto rifle while mine only fires 3 round bursts.”Justin answered as they stopped to pick up more corpses.

While they were busy clearing the corpses, they heard the reinforcements announcing themselves over the radio. “William, this is Angelo Rossi. I’ve got the reinforcements, and we’re heading your way now. Requesting your position, over.” “Angelo, this is James. Get your people to find all the corpses that they can because the Reapers turn corpses into more fucked up zombies. And we don’t want more of these jerkoffs shooting at us, so hop to it. Once you guys are done, head to the Archives. The scientists and some of our guys are there with them. Sending you the Archives location now.”James replied. “Cazzo. Alright James, got it. We gotta hurry up though, our cruiser just flew over a huge horde of zombies pouring out of a Reaper about 5 klicks away.”The newcomer warned just as Joker flared up the comms.

“Hey guys, whatever you’re doing down there, hurry it the hell up cause I got 2 Reapers taking potshots at me-sonofabitch! I’m dodging them easily, but there are 3 more Reapers inbound.”Joker swore as he put the Normandy through some impressive evasive maneuvers to avoid the incoming laser beams. “Okay you heard him people, let’s hurry it up!”Megan barked into her radio as everyone replied in the affirmative. “SSV Normandy, this is the CSV Eva Core. Let’s hit these bastards hard.”The captain of the Cerberus cruiser hailed as Joker chuckled. “Hell yeah, let’s sock ‘em one!” Even from deep within the complex, everyone could clearly hear the firing of the Normandy’s Thanix cannon alongside the firing of the Cerberus ship’s laser as well as what sounded to a lot like the Normandy’s Thanix cannon, but much larger.

“Oh man! You guys have a Thanix cannon too!”Joker laughed in glee over the net. “Standard issue for all Cerberus ships. It was a damn good plan; these babies hit so hard it’s nearly impossible to believe.”The captain of the Cerberus cruiser replied as Thomas suddenly started cursing over the radio as his voice gradually got louder. “What the hell is that? Looks like a bloody dragon-it’s headed right for us! Shoot it down! Shoot the fucker down n-”His gunfire-riddled transmission was cut off with static as everyone heard faint explosions. “Thomas! Are you there? Thomas! Come in Thomas! What is your status?”Megan yelled into her radio, a freezing yet burning sensation starting to form in the pit of her stomach. After a few agonizing minutes in which everyone had finally completed their corpse cleanup, Thomas finally replied.

“Fuck…argh…we just got shot at by a fucking dragon that shoots rockets out of its bloody mouth!”Thomas coughed as Miranda cut in. “What’s your status? We’re headed to your location now!”The brunette barked as the British sniper protested. “No-no! We’re coming to you now! Andrews, Westborough and Smith are dead! Parker and I are bloody screwed, and only Travers got out of that one ok! She’s driving us to the Archives now-watch out! Bloody hell woman, try not to kill us!”Thomas coughed loudly. “I’m trying to get us there as fast as I can! Besides, this truck probably wasn’t meant for use indoors!”The sniper screamed back as Danner stood stock still while the Cerberus troops sorted out the corpses, putting the Cerberus ones aside while the Alliance corpses were laid out on a separate flatbed. “Wait…you’re using the truck indoors?! That’s not supposed to happen!”Danner yelled in shock.

“Well, the Reapers weren’t supposed to happen either! So I’d call this an ‘exigent circumstance’ where we can use a truck indoors!”Parker yelled back before he started coughing, and those coughs sounded alarmingly wet. "Alright! Just hurry up, we're evacuating this area!"Megan barked but received no response. "I assume everyone's ok?"Miranda addressed the group of scientists and researchers as they just nodded in unison. "Good. We're going to leave soon, and the Normandy will be coming in for a pickup. So I want all of you to grab everything and every bit of data that you can and we'll make a run for the Normandy. Got it?"The brunette commanded as the scientists nervously replied in the positive, obviously scared. "The Core will be doing pickup as well ma'am. Some of these scientists are ours."Alicia informed Miranda as the brunette turned to her, obviously surprised.

However, before Miranda could voice her question, a truck came barreling into the Archives before crashing to a halt against a forklift. Jessica then jumped out of the driver's cab as she stumbled a little, the impact obviously shook her up, before she unlatched the cargo bed, letting a fluently blaspheming Thomas and a coughing Michael Parker roll out and tumble to the ground unceremoniously before the female Cerberus sniper started unloading the bodies of her 3 fallen comrades. Andrews was killed by a huge frag from the blast, a long metal rod and a smaller metal shard sticking out of what remained of her chest, while Smith's internal organs and bones had been pulped from the blast judging by how limp and flexible his corpse was. Westborough had a huge, ragged hole where his chest used to be, presumably thanks to a rocket from the unknown Reaper flying creature.

"Madre..."Vega swore as Alicia made a gagging noise from inside her helmet. "Okay guys, move out. Stay sharp for Reaper troops, got it?"Megan asked, her voice losing some of its usual commanding tone as she was trying to fight back the urge to gag. "Yes ma'am!"All the Alliance and Cerberus troops yelled in response as William James stepped up to Megan. "Shepard, the Normandy will swoop in 1st to evac everyone that isn't Cerberus before our ship will come in to grab everyone else."James informed Megan as she nodded. "Sounds like a plan James. Joker, make a quick landing at the docks now! The station will act as a shield between you and those Reapers that you're busy pissing off. CSV Eva Core, you'll do the same once the Normandy is clear of the docks. Got it?"Megan barked as both her own helmsman and the captain of the Cerberus ship acknowledged.

"Alright, double time it to the docks! Move!"The redhead yelled as everyone formed a defensive perimeter around the scientists, wounded and the corpses the middle of the convoy as they all ran together to the docks, encountering only a few overly eager husks and cannibals which were easily dispatched. "Alright, this is how it's gonna happen people! We form a defensive perimeter around this docking bay while the scientists and wounded board the ship first. Then about half of the remaining people will follow the corpses aboard the ship, and then everyone else hops on. I don't want any more casualties! Everyone clear?"Megan screamed her orders once more to yet another deafening response of "Yes ma'am!" "Thomas, stay in your stretcher. Your sorry arse is already well toasted, so don't tempt fate anymore."Miranda snorted as she pushed the British sniper back down onto his stretcher as he tried to get up.

The Normandy docked a few seconds later, and the Alliance survivors streamed into the ship alongside Thomas, Nicole and Michael before Erin and Ashley boarded with the corpses. "Megan, get in. Now! I'll take it from here."Miranda urged her wife as Megan opened her mouth to protest. "I'm serious Cassie! Go now!"The brunette snapped as Megan just complied looking back to see her wife, James and the Cerberus troops holding off the now growing force of Reaper troops. Suddenly, a blast from the Eva Core's main guns obliterated the main entrance to the docking bay, taking out many husks, scions and cannibals in the blast and creating a huge pile of debris that the remaining Reaper troops had to circumvent. "Sorry about that people, but we've got incoming Reaper signatures. Everyone get onboard now!"The Cerberus ship's captain boomed as the ship docked.

The remaining troops on the ground didn't need to be told twice. Once the Eva Core's airlock opened, the corpses and wounded Cerberus were hurriedly loaded aboard before the able Cerberus troops boarded the cruiser in record time. Meanwhile, Miranda and James dashed into the Normandy's airlock, where Megan was covering them with her rifle. "All aboard! Get us the hell outta here Joker!"Megan snapped, the airlock hissing closed as Joker responded. "Aye aye ma'am. Don't need to tell me twice."The Normandy slowly lifted off from the docks before the Cerberus cruiser followed suit, and both ships pulled out of the docking bay. "Incoming Reapers behind us! 2 of them!"Erin reported. "Acknowledged. Mass effect jump in 3...2...1..."The Eva Core's captain counted down as. Both the Normandy and the Cerberus cruiser made the jump in unison just as the 2 Reapers touched down right behind where the 2 ships used to be.

"Nice work Joker. Get us outta here."Megan sighed in relief, standing behind Joker with Miranda as Oriana dashed up to them. "Thomas and Michael's conditions are slowly but surely deteriorating and Nicole won't make it without professional medical care! We've got to get to the Citadel."The younger Lawson twin pleaded with them as Anderson strode into the cockpit. "Lieutenant Lawson is right Shepard. We have to get the wounded to the Citadel, and we have to get the Council on board if we're going to have any chance of defeating the Reapers."The Admiral advised Megan. "Alright then. Joker, set a course for the Citadel, and tell the docking officer that we've got 3 wounded aboard who'll need a medical team standing by when we dock."Megan commanded her ace pilot. "Aye aye ma'am. We'll be there within 2 hours."Joker reported as the Eva Core broke away, presumably heading to a Cerberus port.

"Ma'am, there's a Dr. Liara T'Soni on vid comm for Captain Shepard. Could you please inform her-" "Don't worry Specialist, I'll take the call."Miranda interrupted Samantha as she made her way past the security field and the two guards, who were whispering something in soft, shocked voices as they viewed what seemed to be footage of the Reaper attack on Earth on Westmoreland's omnitool. Once Miranda reached the vid comm room, she hit the flashing 'receive' button on the console. "Dr T'Soni, what is it?"The brunette asked her one-time ally who retrieved her wife's body from the now extinct Collectors 7 years ago. "Hello Miss Lawson-I'm sorry, I meant Mrs. Shepard. I heard you just collected some very important data regarding the Reapers on Mars?"The Shadow Broker asked excitedly.

“Apparently so. The team of researchers that we rescued gleaned all the data from the Prothean Archives before we had to abandon the facility. Are you eyeing the data, Doctor?”Miranda cut straight to the chase as Liara nodded. “I would like that very much Mrs. Shepard. I can analyze that data and send it along to the many researchers and corporations that owe me favors or that I have some…influence over. Then I can pass the information along to the Alliance.” “I don’t think that’s a good idea. We need to keep this strictly hush-hush in case of indoctrinated Reaper agents.”The XO disagreed. “She’s right Liara. We trust you, but the risk is just too great.”Megan supported her wife as she strode into the vid comm room. “Perhaps it’s too risky to send it off to all the researchers and corporations that I can manipulate. Wait! I could get a few researchers to stay on my ship and research the data with me. My ship has a large open area that I can convert into a lab.”Liara suggested.

“Alright then Liara. I trust you’ll use the appropriate precautions and your utmost discretion in this matter.” “Don’t worry Shepard; I’ll definitely keep this very, very silent. I’m the Shadow Broker, remember? Could we meet at the Citadel to exchange the data? It’s much safer to transfer the files to me via an OSD than to transmit it to me.” “Alright then Liara, send me your location when you reach. Shepard out.”Megan finished before she terminated the call. “Er-EDI? Can you please analyze the data we recovered from the scientists and make a copy of it to an OSD?”Miranda was mentally cursing herself for her near-slip as she turned to the ceiling. “On it LC Shepard. I will make a copy of the files to your OSD.”Erin replied, using her original form of replying by using the shipwide intercom instead of her current body to reply. “Thanks EDI. C’mon Miri, let’s go check in on our kids.”Megan thanked the AI-turned-human as she wrapped an arm around her wife’s waist and both women headed back to their cabin. The minute the lift doors opened at their cabin deck, they were greeted by a very worried Aaron and Carla.

“Are you both okay?”Carla asked worriedly as they embraced. “We’re fine mum, dad. How’re the kids?”Miranda asked as they all stepped into the cabin before closing the doors behind them before Megan and Miranda began to strip out of their armor just as they twins, Zachary and Tabitha, came running up to them while excitedly yammering “Mama! Mama!” “As you can see, they’ve missed you both.”Aaron remarked with a smile as his daughter and daughter-in-law finishing taking off their armor before eagerly scooping up a child into each of their arms, spinning them around gently before they cuddled and lavished kisses upon the toddlers. “So where are we going to now?”Carla asked as Megan gently bounced Tabitha in her arms. “We’re headed to the Citadel right now to meet with the Council and to get medical treatment for the wounded.”The redhead said somberly as she recalled that Thomas, Michael and Nicole were badly wounded.

“You should probably stay there with Tabby and Zack too. Our ship is probably going to be seeing lots of action, so it’s not safe here.”Miranda interjected as she gently let her son down, but he refused to let go and instead clung to her neck, so the raven-haired beauty simply continued carrying her son. “I fully agree. I have a penthouse up on the Presidium, so we’ll be staying there until you two take down the Reapers. I know and I believe that the both of you can kill those squid bastards.”Aaron encouraged his daughters as they smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks dad. Could you take care of Zack and Tabby while we go take a shower?”Megan asked as she coaxed Tabitha towards the elder Lawson while Miranda finally managed to get Zachary to let go and dash over to his grandmother.

“Of course Megan. Just be quick though.”Aaron urged his daughters as they headed into the shower and took a quick shower, emerging from the bathroom 10 minutes later with their hair still damp. Suddenly, their intercom pinged to life with Specialist Samantha Traynor on the line. “Ma’am, I’ve got an incoming vid comm call from an unknown location. Do you want to take it?”The brown-skinned Specialist asked as Megan nodded. “I’ll take it down in the vid comm room. Ask the mysterious person at the other end of the line to hold for about 5 minutes.”The Vanguard instructed as she closed the channel, quickly slipping on standard issue Alliance BDU fatigues over her lingerie before she rushed down, bypassing the 2 guards at the war room security field. “What are your names?”Megan asked as she returned their salutes. “I’m Private First Class Bethany Westmoreland ma’am.”The black woman replied.

“And I’m Private Sarah Campbell ma’am. It’s an honor to serve under you.”The blonde woman replied as Megan unwittingly smiled at the double etendre that her mind interpreted the blonde’s words as before mentally kicking herself. “Likewise soldiers. It’s just Shepard or Captain to the both of you, by the way.”The redhead smiled as the 2 female privates nodded. “Yes Captain.”Bethany agreed as Megan moved on into the vid comm room and pressed the receive button to reveal none other than the Illusive Man. “You. How’d you manage to get to me?”Megan asked coldly as the leader of Cerberus smoked on his trademarked cigarette. “It wasn’t that hard, really. All I had to do was glean that information from the Shadow Broker. Before you decide to get all alarmed and try to come after me, I’m going to tell you that we’re on the same side here. We both want the Reaper threat gone and buried.”The billionaire said in his smooth, rich baritone as he waved his hands around.

“Good. But I still don’t trust you or your methods, and I’m warning you-” “Yes-yes, keep away from Liara T’Soni and don’t backstab you and the galaxy. That’s a very easy thing to do, and I will do it.”The Illusive Man interrupted as he nonchalantly waved away Megan’s warning. “What were your people doing on Mars? There were 2 full companies there!”The redhead exclaimed. “Protecting the data and scientists that could very well end the Reapers, much like you. You see, the Reapers are a massive threat to humanity. Thus, Cerberus-” “Has a responsibility to stop them and protect humanity, blah-blah-blah, got it Timmy. But really, what’s your angle?”Megan rolled her beautiful honey green eyes as she mimicked a mouth with her right hand. “My angle is to stop the Reapers. They’re wiping out the galaxy, and humanity just so happens to be a large part of it.”The tycoon sighed at Megan’s hostility.

“So, I look forward to cooperating with you and your beloved wife in the future. Oh and by the way, I’m assigning Operative Nicole Ashlyn Reid and Operative Michael John Parker to your ship indefinitely as a gesture of Cerberus’ goodwill.”The Illusive Man concluded as Megan nodded skeptically. “Mhm. Goodwill or a planting of spies?” “Well, mostly goodwill, but I do like to be kept in the loop. Wait, what’s that behind you?”He pointed at a spot on the floor behind Megan as the redhead wheeled around to look at what he was pointing at. “There’s nothing here-” “Right there my dear, you can’t see it when you’re standing upright.”He corrected calmly while still smoking on his cigarette. Megan then bent over to see what he was talking about, but she stood bolt upright before whirling around to face a smirking Illusive Man when she heard him chuckle as her eyes narrowed.

“Ah Megan, your derriere is even more wonderful than the last time we met.”He chuckled as Megan started growling low in her throat. “Horatio Jason Caine, when I meet you again, I swear to God that I will castrate you with a wooden cooking spoon and then choke you on your own balls. Then I will shove you into a pack of rabid varren. The varren is for the last time we met.”The redhead growled, cutting off the vid comm call to the Illusive Man’s howls of laughter. After letting out a long, exasperated sigh, Megan headed to the medbay to check up on the wounded. Oriana, Miranda, Danner and a private from Danner's team were there tending to the wounded, and Megan could see that Thomas, Michael and Nicole were all unconscious and had breathing masks on. "Miri, what're you doing here? I thought you were with the kids?"The Captain asked as Miranda gave a wounded Alliance private lying on the bed some water.

"I'm here tending to the wounded Cassie. The kids have been fed and now Aaron's entertaining them with a story. By the way, did you notice that your beloved fish collection and your hamster is missing?"Miranda smiled as it dawned on the redhead that her pets were indeed missing. "Motherfucker! Both my fish and Mr. Nibbles are missing?"Megan spluttered in outrage as everyone looked at her weird while Miranda was fighting to restrain her grin. "Yes. Anyways, could you please pass me that bottle of painkillers over there?"The brunette asked as Megan tossed said bottle over to her while spluttering with outrage before Miranda injected the contents of the bottle into Michael, watching as his heart rate returned to the normal zone before she turned to check on an Alliance marine's vitals. "Danner, check up on her over there and sedate her if necessary."Miranda ordered her younger sister's boyfriend while Megan took a cold wet cloth and wiped away some of the sweat that had accumulated on Thomas' forehead.

"Coming up on the Sol Relay Captain...huh. The dark energy fluctuations are erratic and kinda violent."Joker informed over the intercom as Erin added on. "It seems that the relay has been damaged. Not sure what damaged it, but it's damaged."The blonde android reported. "We'll be fine and at the Citadel in an hour though...jump in 3, 2, 1..."The pilot counted off before the entire crew felt the distinct pull followed by a sharp push which characterized a Mass Relay jump that stumbled all those standing everytime. In slightly less than an hour, the Normandy docked at the Citadel with Megan, Miranda and Anderson while Joker made a snarky comment about the Alliance pulling a Big Brother on them due to the fact that an Alliance docking officer had given the Normandy docking coordinates. Anderson had just frowned while Megan and Miranda just sighed and rolled their eyes at the ace pilot's quip.

Once the docking procedures were complete, Megan and Miranda disembarked first alongside Thomas, Michael, Nicole and all the other wounded who were on stretchers to be greeted by a contingent of EMTs standing by. Liara was also waiting there, and she was accompanied by Spectre Nyla and Jentha, who were both outfitted in light Janissary armor with the Spectre patch on the breastplate. The EMTs quickly took charge of all the wounded who were on stretchers and rushed towards a large ambulance as both Megan and Miranda observed them. "Where are you taking them to?"Megan asked, taking long strides to keep up with the EMTs. "Huerta Memorial Hospital. The best medical care available on the Citadel. Pulse is weak but steady-watch her!"A turian medic barked in reply as they swiftly loaded everyone onto the ambulance.

"Shepard! It's good to see you. I heard about Earth...I'm sorry."Liara began as she approached the Captain while Miranda went over to talk with Nyla and Jentha. "Jenny, Nyla, long time no see. When did you become a Spectre Jenny?"The brunette quizzed the Latina engineer as the lovers just chuckled. "I'm not a Spectre, I'm just my lover's little assistant."Jentha laughed. "That's right; Jenny is just my partner in all my operations."The asari confirmed with a warm smile. "And your partner in Operation Sexytimes too right?"Miranda teased as both the asari and her human bondmate simply went bright red (or blue for Nyla) with embarrassment. "Anyways...the Council has heard about the Reaper invasion and Earth, and they assigned us to your ship once more."Nyla coughed lightly, her face still burning as Miranda nodded. "That's good because we're short on people right now."

Meanwhile, Megan handed the OSD to Liara as the eager archaeologist linked it to her omnitool and began poring over the data. "Shepard. You should get to the Council ASAP and brief them on the situation. Also, you might want to inform them of the data we recovered."Anderson advised, clapping a hand on Megan's shoulder as the Spectre nodded. "Yeah, I'll just let Liara here pore over the data before I go."She replied as Erin stepped off the ship and Anderson headed to the Presidium. "Hello Miss Iverson, or should I say EDI?"Liara greeted the blonde, who nodded with a smile in return. "Hello Doctor T'Soni. Shepard, it appears that the data contains 2 blueprints for 2 different Prothean superweapons. One is massive in scope and will be an orbital platform on its own, while the second appears to be a ship-based weapons platform."She informed the group, which Miranda, Nyla and Jentha joined.

"Okay. Erin, Liara, you'll follow Megan to the Council while I settle the ship's supplies and the crew."Miranda ordered as Megan nodded. "Sounds like a plan Miri. See you in a couple of hours."The redheaded Spectre agreed as she kissed her wife briefly but tenderly before she headed to the Presidium with the blonde and asari information broker in tow just as Ashley and James disembarked. "Megan's not going to check up on the wounded?"The Latina soldier asked as she saw Megan and the 2 women striding to an aircar. "No, she's going to brief the Council and request for aid against the Reapers. I'm checking up on all the wounded. By the way, where's your Jackie?"The brunette asked Ashley about Jack, the former convict that Miranda had never seen eye to eye with until both women finally worked out their issues. "Well, Jackie's a teacher on Grissom Academy. I know right, who woulda thought that Jack, the all powerful psycho biotic bitch, would be sitting on her ass teaching kids?"Ashley laughed.

"Jack, a she-oh right. Yeah."Vega piped up before lapsing into an awkward silence as Miranda just smirked at him. "You're not the only one who thought that way Lieutenant. Alright, can you give me a list of all the weapons we have in our armory?" "Yes ma'am. Give me 15 and I'll have the inventory ready for you."Vega saluted as he ducked back into the Normandy. "Nyla, Jenny, you both get settled down in the crew quarters while you'll follow me to check in on the wounded Ashley."The brunette Sentinel continued as the couple nodded, hefting their footlockers and boarding the Normandy. "Where were the wounded taken to?"Ashley asked as she followed Miranda to a skycar, which they both got into. "Huerta Memorial, right next to the Presidium. Looks like someone gave those medics a heads up as to who we are before we even arrived."Miranda answered as she sped off to the hospital.

In the meantime, Megan, Erin and Liara arrived at the Council Chambers, where an asari stood and greeted them. “Captain Shepard, the Council is ready to see you. I heard about Earth, and-”The asari said, wringing her hands nervously as Megan just nodded. “Thank you. I’m here to get Earth back, and to get rid of these Reapers once and for all.”She replied as they were ushered into the Chambers proper, where the new asari, salarian and turian councilors stood beside Donnel Udina, who was looking like hell thanks to the dire news coming from Earth and other major human colonies. “Captain Shepard, we’ve been awaiting you. What’s your report on the current situation?”Udina asked as the redhead stepped forward before casting a quick glance to both Erin and Liara. Well, here goes nothing. Megan thought as she turned back to the councilors and began to speak.

Final notes: There you have it, AU ME3 the way ME3 canon was supposed to be. Let’s be honest, Cerberus attacking everyone with a huge-ass army that they got outta nowhere (the source of their army is never fully explained in game save for a few passing comments about indoctrinating civilians) is friggin’ ridiculous and besides, Timmy is ruthless but not stupid. Cerberus in Mass Effect 3 was just downright retarded. He’d experiment with controlling Reapers, sure, but while fighting and pissing off every single race in the galaxy? Mac Walters, y u so retarded? Anyways, thanks for reading, and please review. I appreciate all the guys who added me to their favorites and alert lists, but there were NO reviews for the last chapter. At all. C’mon guys, it takes literally less than a minute to hammer out a review to the author of any story that you’ve just read, so please do it. Writers have made the effort to write stories for you guys, so please at the very least leave some feedback. Now that my rant is over, have a nice day.
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