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Mass Effect: The Helldiver Saga, The Last Cycle	By : Veyron722skyhook Category: +M through R > Mass Effect Views: 6104 -:- 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
- 3
- 4
- 5
Now we get into the action a bit more!

Hopefully, the problem with my action writing has been resolved for good this time. Few small changes in this chapter here and there, the biggest one being that it's on Palaven itself this time rather than a moon.

We also get the first clue to the catalyst. I will clarify now that it is not the Citadel or that damn starchild. Even though I've included a bright figure in it, that's going to change eventually as the mystery unfolds. You might also notice that I've removed Shepard's nightmares completely. I couldn't stand them in the game, so I've replace them with more peaceful mystery oriented dreams.

Lightens the tone a lot.

Chapter 4

The Fall of a Titan

Austin and Liara found themselves standing in nothing but bright whiteness. This was strange for them since they didn't have dreams like this when they joined their minds.

The two simply stood in silence for a while as they looked around. They then suddenly saw something. A figure of bright light was standing in front of them.

Austin cautiously hugged Liara close to him in case it became hostile.

For several long seconds though it simply stood there. It was too obscured to see clearly what the figure looked like, but something about it felt familiar. What could be seen was that it was around the same height as Austin.

The figure then slowly stepped forward and reached out. Austin's first instinct was to back away, but something inside him seemed to prevent it, almost as though it trusted this figure.

The hand of the figure slowly got closer until it touched the Helldiver's heart, then everything went bright…

Austin and Liara gently woke from their sleep. Although the dream had ended abruptly, it hadn't been a nightmare so they felt very well rested.

"Did you see that figure?" Austin asked, wanting to be sure that it had indeed been the real Liara that had been in the dream, and not a part of the dream.

"Yes. I don't know why, but it almost felt as though I knew it." Said Liara.

"This is strange. We've never had dreams like this before." Said Austin as he got up from the bed and began pulling his suit mesh on.

"Well, sometimes odd dreams do happen. You would certainly know about that." Liara teased.

Austin didn't forget easily how he'd had once got rather drunk after having a friendly drink with Dr Chakwas and then having a deep dream in which he'd had sex with the Normandy's former Yeoman, Kelly Chambers.

"Still, we got a good night's sleep anyway." Said Austin, smiling at Liara's teasing at least.

"Oddly enough, I'm still a bit tired after last night. Always love it when we come together." Liara sighed.

"That mean you won't be coming with me? Aw, what a shame." Austin teased.

"Don't make me haul you in the air again." Liara warned teasingly.

Austin knew better than to tease Liara when she gave that warning. Not too long ago, he'd teased her so much that she'd activated her biotics and simply held him in the air. She'd then kept him there and forced him to watch while she had a warm shower and even touched herself. Not only had it been torture for him, but it had also frightened him a bit. As a soldier who wasn't a biotic, being frozen still and helpless with no control was the last thing he wanted. Not only that, but it was also his wife doing. He could at least be happy with that fact that Liara simply meant it in a joking way and not in the way that she was trying to control him, especially in a way the Reapers might if ever they found a way into his mind. He wouldn't let that happen though. He'd kill every Reaper and indoctrinated servant before they got the chance.

"Okay, I'll drop it." He chuckled. "Still, you coming or not?"

Liara nodded and begun pulling on her own suit mesh. Austin meanwhile put his hand out and simply concentrated as his armour began flying onto him piece by piece.

"You love doing that, don't you?" Liara chuckled.

"What can I say? It's a very cool feature."

Traynor was the first to wake up. She immediately recognized the comfort she felt on top of her favourite pillows, as well as the intimately familiar warm body beneath her, and the soothing comfort its presence had on her. It had been a long time since she'd slept so well. It almost felt like this was a dream within a dream since she hadn't slept this well for such a long time since Sarah had left. Now that she was back…

And now she was back! Samantha could hardly believe that Sarah was with her again.

After spending some time blissfully staring at her lover's impossibly beautiful features, drinking in every detail, Traynor began running her hand down Sarah's body to her hourglass waistline, revelling in the sensation of her skin against her own. As she stroked her fingers over her toned abdomen, delighting in the feeling of the smooth skin yet powerful and coiled muscles underneath, it caused Sarah to moan in her sleep.

"Oh, Samantha... Keep touching me there."

The fact that she was making her love moan in her sleep make it extremely hard to resist the temptation to give Sarah her favourite wake up call.

As Samantha kept touching Sarah, her lover's sighs only increased. Eventually, Traynor was unable to resist it any longer. She gave into her temptation to wake up Sarah the same way they used to every morning before she left, with a long and beautiful kiss. Sarah's lips against her own felt so wonderful that it almost brought tears to her eyes. As she woke up, Sarah seamlessly slipped into the kiss, like it was the most natural thing in the world. So natural in fact that the two lovers refused to separate for a very long time, and even when they did, they still held the others face in their hands.

"Morning, Sammy." Sarah smiled.

"Sleep well?" Samantha sighed, lovingly stroking Sarah's cheek.

"Yes. I haven't slept that well since out last night together before I left." Said Sarah.

The pleasure they felt from each other from last night was greater than either of them had ever felt before in their entire lives. Just the right glances at each was enough to get them squirming in their seats. Also, as shy as she was, one edge that Traynor especially had over Sarah was that unbelievably sexy voice of hers. Whenever she talked, even at normal, Sarah would feel warm and content, along with a slight tingle across her skin... and between her legs. So, when Traynor actually put effort into it, and slipped into what she considered her "bedroom voice". It made Sarah instantly wet.

"You still look a bit tired." Said Samantha, with a bit of concern, noting that Sarah still looked like she could fall asleep again any second.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I just sometimes need to wake my body up." Said Sarah.

"Oh really? How?"

"Well, sometimes I do exercises…"

A thought then suddenly popped into Sarah's head. A thought she knew that her girlfriend would love.

"…or a shower." She winked.

"You copycat! I was gonna suggest the same thing." Samantha smiled. "Oh the hell with it."

To Sarah's surprise, Traynor suddenly scooped her up in her arms and started carrying her over to the shower. Usually it was the other way around, but Sarah didn't mind.

It would be another hour or so until they reached Palaven, so Austin decided to pass the time by doing what he often did to pass the time, talk to the crew.

Xun had set up office in the quarters that had belonged to former Cerberus operative Miranda Lawson. She and her friend Jacob Taylor had defected to the Helldivers during Austin's mission to take down the Collectors. It had taken some time, but they had proven themselves and earned Austin's trust.

Today, Miranda and Jacob had been temporarily reassigned about a month or so back. So far, Austin hadn't heard from them, but recent intel told him that they were indeed alive.

As Austin entered, he found himself staring at a lo of screens, each of which projected a part of the milky way.

A red drone suddenly hovered up to Austin. On closer look however, he saw that it wasn't a drone, it was a holographic Chinese dragon.

"Major Shepard. It's a pleasure to see you again." It said.

"Wait, are you the drone from the Shadow Broker ship? You look… different." Said Austin, recognizing the drone's voice.

"Mistress Xun decided to give a new appearance that better suited the environment she is used to working in. In this case, a Chinese dragon. She also now refers to me as "Glyph" instead of "info drone" 95 percent of the time." It replied.

"Suits him doesn't it." Said another voice.

Xun's Asari assistant, Oranna was also here. It was certainly nice to see the purple skinned Asari again.

"Nice to see you too, Oranna. How'd you get on-board though?" Austin asked, shaking hands with Oranna.

"Xun picked me up while you were on the Citadel. You're now stuck with me permanently." He chuckled.

Xun herself the came out of the small bedroom that joined with the quarters.

"Looks like you brought more than just that drone from your ship." Said Austin.

"A few things were necessary. I'd be a very silent Shadow Broker without datafeeds." Said Xun.

"So you still have access to your resources?"

"What I can get. We'll need it to research this Crucible." Said Xun. "Until we understand precisely what it does, it's far too dangerous to use."

"It'd be nice to know we're not kids playing around with a loaded gun." Said Austin.

"Absolutely. The damage it could cause if it backfired is unthinkable." Xun agreed.

"So what's been happening with you as the Broker recently?" Austin asked, deciding to change the subject to something more friendly.

"It's been… exciting. The old Broker's ship was impressive, but it was never meant to be space worthy." Said Xun. "Which meant that Cerberus eventually stumbled on us on Hagalaz."

"What happened?" Austin asked.

"I knew they were coming. Feron, Oranna and I loaded as much of the ship's specialized hardware onto a shuttle as we could. We got away from Cerberus' ships after an… appropriate distraction." Xun replied.

"What kind of distraction?"

"Sending the Broker's ship exploding into a Cerberus cruiser. I don't think the Illusive Man expected me to give up my resources in such a… spectacular fashion.

"Can you still operate as the Broker without the ship?"

"Well, I certainly couldn't let the Illusive Man have it. I saved what was crucial. My network of agents is intact, although the Reapers have taken a toll on their numbers."

"It's taking a while to re-establish contact."

"So where is Feron if you three escaped?"

"He convinced me and Liara he was recovered enough to work, and I do need more agents."

"Agent Feron didn't report any injuries during his last call to you, Mistress." said Glyph.

"True. Given what he survived, Liara and I should probably be less concerned about him."

"We'll talk later, Xun."

"Talk to you soon. Fell free also to check my terminals regularly for information."

From what they could see from the screens in the dropship, Palaven's skies were already full of Reapers. The Turian fleets seemed to be holding out okay, but where sustaining quite a few casualties.

"They're at least holding out a bit better than I thought they would." Said Ventra, somewhat disheartened to see his home in ruins.

"Major, there's no clear place to land. The whole place is crawling with enemies." Said Steve Cortez, the new dropship pilot.

"Right. Cortez, open the door. We'll drop down and secure a landing site. James, keep us covered with the main gun." Said Austin.

"Roger that."

The doors opened and Austin, Liar and Ventra jumped out.

Many husks that were swarming the area quickly noticed them.

"I almost missed these guys." Ventra growled as he unsheathed his bow.

The husks roared and ran at them. Liara was the first to attack as she lifted a husk into the air before slamming it back down onto the ground while Austin emptied his Revenant into several more.

Liara then spawned a singularity right in the middle of the horde, allowing Austin Ventra to cut them down with brutally accurate arrow and gunfire while James took out the last of them from the dropship.

"We've cleared a landing zone. Set her down." Said Austin.

The dropship gently touched down and James joined the group.

The Palaven buildings where definitely a mess. It was hard to make their way through he debris, especially through the thousands of husks they ran into and the explosions and gunfire all around the place.

Pretty soon though, they found themselves at the entrance to the base they'd been instructed to find. The Turians, having been told they would be arriving, quickly let them in and they found the commanding officer, General Corinthus.

"General." Said Austin.

"Major Shepard. Heard you were coming, but I didn't believe it. General Corinthus." Said the Turian.

"We've come to get Primarch Fedorian." Said Austin.

Corinthus was silent for a while before he finally replied.

"Primarch Fedorian is dead. His shuttle was shot down an hour ago as it tried to leave the planet." He said.

"That'll complicate things." Austin sighed. "I'm sorry. That's a big loss for everyone. Reaper bastards. So what happens now?"

"The Turian hierarchy provides very clear lines of succession." Said Liara.

"Right. General Corinthus?"

"With such heavy casualties, it's hard for me to be certain who the next Primarch is. Central command will know. However, at the moment, contacting them is impossible. Our comm tower is out. Husks are swarming that area so we can't get close enough to repair it." SAID Corinthus.

"Well we're not leaving until we know who the next Primarch is. We'll fix the tower." Said Austin.

"Thank you, Major. I'll take care of things on this end. Said Corinthus.

"Alright, let's go."

Getting to the tower was surprisingly easy. Too easy in fact. Austin reckoned however that the Husks would arrive as soon as they started repairing the tower.

"We can't repair it from this panel." Said Austin. "James, see if you can get up there and fix it."

"Okay. Better keep those Husks from climbing up after me." Said James as he began climbing the tower's ladder.

Sure enough, several Husks slowly crawled over the debris overhead and slowly began making their way towards them.

"Ventra keep him covered. Liara and I will handle the main horde." Said Austin.

"You two against those things?!" James called down from the tower.

"Don't worry. They can handle themselves." Said Ventra, readying his bow in case some husks tried to sneak up form behind.

Both Austin and Liara drew their swords and readied for the fight.

"Time to go to work." Said Liara.

First Liara struck as she cut across a Husk's chest. Austin then did a turn strike over Liar as she ducked, sensing the move he was making. The move decapitated another husk and even took out the eye of a third.

Liara then ran forward and did a jump stab of the one her bond mate had temporarily blinded, allowing him to then follow with a swift cut to the legs.

Another husk ran at them, but Austin was quick to use the blade on his left elbow to stab it in the hart, allowing Liara to then bring her sword down on it.

"Incoming!" James yelled from the top of the tower.

Austin was able to turn his head just in time to see a Husk jumping into the air to lunge at them. With their bond connecting both their minds, Austin grabbed Liar and swung her over his head. As Liara was pulled up into he air by her husband, she swung her sword right at the husk, cutting its upper section clean off from the rest of its body. She even managed t land a kick at another husk as she landed.

With his wife's feet back on the ground, Austin turned his attention back to the main horde. Liara benefited from her lighter armour by being able to move faster and she could also use her biotics to speed up even more. The speed difference wasn't huge though. Plus, Austin's armour did give him more strength which allowed him to deal more damage. Any husks that came at him that couldn't cut down with Excalibur in time, he could smash away with his forearms or punch with his fists.

Another husk ran at Austin just as he smashed another husk in the head, breaking its neck in the process. The Major quickly thrust forward and ran the husk through with his blade. Just as another husk ran at him, the Helldiver quickly pulled out and used his free wrist to block it's arms. Before the zombiefied human could react in time to this, Austin thrust forward and ran the husk through. This time, he went all the way up to the hilt, the tip of the blade clearly visible as it protruded out of the other side of the limp husk.

Still more where incoming.

Austin however knew a good way to at least slow them down. He twirled Excalibur a few times, then threw it. The blade spun as it zoomed towards the large wave. It cut down two husks before finally embedding itself in a third. The fall of the husk caused some others to topple over or trip over the bodies.

Quickly sensing that her husband was temporarily defenceless until he got Excalibur back, Liara stuck close to him and kept him covered while he ran to pick up his sword. Another husk tried to jump Austin, but he simply blocked it with his arm and threw it over him, allowing Liara to deliver a killing blow.

Austin's hand then quickly grabbed onto the hilt of Excalibur and pulled it free of the dead husk's body, slicing another husk in half in the process.

Liara used her biotics to pull another husk in her direction which she then sliced apart with her own sword while Austin did a spin which took out about 10 more husk in one swing.

He then knocked another one down with his wrist, which Liara then finished by cutting its throat and then dodged under the swipe from another husk. He quickly retaliated this by swinging Excalibur up from behind the husk, cutting both its legs off. Liara then ran another husk through while Austin smashed the downed husks' head with his foot.

Liara then parried a husk's blow with her sword, allowing Austin to finish it off and she threw a singularity at the final few.

One lone survivor charged at them, only to bang right into Austin's waiting fist. Acting perfect synch with each other, both Austin and Liar raised their blades and finished the husk off.

Overall, the training and practice that they had done to perfect their new fighting style had paid off. Another advantage of being bond mates was that they could communicate with each other telepathically. As they had also learned together, they could us this in combat as well.

It had taken them some time to learn how to use it properly, but once they had mastered it, they were unstoppable. By simply sending thoughts to each other, they could know exactly what the other was going to do before they did it. They could even use this to coordinate dual strikes and even use this to weave around each other. It truly did put a new meaning on the saying "fight as one"

During the last two years, they had also perfected this. Instead of sparing against each other like they used to, they now spared with each other against incoming waves. Austin's mentor and sword trainer, General Alkatraan Zartrack had also given some advice and taught them a few new tricks which they had incorporated into their training. Eventually, it had advanced to the point where they had now essentially created an all new fighting style dependent on the two of them working together.

Even Xun, who was one of the best fighters, struggled against the both of them. Whenever she got an opening at one, the other would always be there to block it. She herself had never taken a hit, but at the same time, she could never land one on them. They were too fast, too well organized, and too coordinated for her. In fact, now had ever managed to beat both Austin and Liara together.

This often made some of the others a bit jealous. In fact, Alaara and Sandra were even trying to see if it was possible for them to learn this new fighting style themselves.

"Got it! Main tower's satellite connection is now repaired. On my way down!" James called, sliding down the ladder to join the others, just as Ventra finished off the last of the Husks had had been fighting.

"Good work, James." Austin nodded, barely showing any signs of tiredness from earlier.

"How did you two do that? You moved and fought like you knew exactly how the both of you were gonna move. I've never seen two people fight with such coordination and skill." James asked in amazement.

"We're bond mates. We're able to use that bond to communicate with each other telepathically. In this case, we can both coordinate our attacks with each other and practically fight as one." Said Liara, trying her best not to sound smug at the fact that she and Austin were unbeatable together.

"I'm almost jealous of you two now."

With the Husks dealt with and the tower repaired, Austin reached for his earpiece.

"General, do you read? The comm tower has been repaired." He said.

"Much appreciated, Major. I already have information from Palaven command. Please return ASAP." Corinthus replied.

"We're on our way."

"What've you got?" Austin asked.

"As your partner said, succession is usually simple. But right now, the hierarchy's in chaos. So many dead or MIA." Corinthus replied.

"I need someone. I don't care who. As long as they can get the Turian's to join us." Said Austin.

"I'm on it, Shepard. We'll find you the Primarch." Said a voice.

To Austin's surprise, a very familiar face walked up to them. A Turian Helldiver who bore the mark of Alpha, a mark that only members of Alpha Squad carried.

"Garrus!"

"Vakarian, sir! I didn't see you arrive." Said Corinthus.

"At ease, General." Said Garrus.

"Good to see you again. You had me worried." Austin smiled.

"I survived a gunship missile to the head. It's gonna take more than a few Reapers to get rid of me. I'm the closest damn thing we have to an expert on Reaper forces, so I'm… advisor." Said Garrus.

"James, this is Garrus Vakarian. He's another member of Alpha Squad. Hell of a soldier." Said Austin as James shook hands with Garrus.

"Lieutenant." Garrus acknowledged. "Good to see you too, Liara."

"Good to see you in one piece, Garrus." Liara smiled under her helmet.

"You look a bit bigger than last we met, Garrus." Said Ventra, giving his Turian brother in arms a friendly nudge.

"You seem to look a bit thinner, Ventra." Garrus replied back. "General Corinthus filled me in. We know who we're after."

"Palaven command tells me that the next Primarch is General Adrian Victus." Said Corinthus.

"Victus? His name's crossed Xun's desk." Said Liara.

"Know him, Garrus?" Austin asked.

"I was fighting alongside him this morning. Lifelong military, gets results, popular with his troops. Not so popular with military command. Has a reputation for playing loose with the accepted strategy."

"Unconventional thinking might be our best bet." Said Austin.

"He'll do whatever it takes. Reminds of an old human I knew." Said Garrus.

"Okay. Let's get him on the shuttle and get the hell out of here. You said you were with Victus this morning?"

"Yeah, but we got separated. He went to bolster a flank that was breaking. Could be anywhere out there."

"We're trying to raise him, Major." Said Corinthus.

A loud roar suddenly echoed from not too far away.

"What the hell was that?" James asked cautiously.

"I've heard that noise before…" said Austin worriedly.

"Incoming!"

Sure enough, Austin's worse fears were realised.

A huge winged figure swooped above the high buildings and headed straight in their direction.

Everyone dove for cover as the Draco breathed a hugged wave of fire in there direction. Most were able to avoid the hot flames. Those who weren't as fortunate were turned to ash at the merest touch.

The Draco flew over the base and came around for another run.

"A DRAGON?! Where the hell did the Reapers get a Dragon?!" James shouted in shock.

"What's a Dragon?" all the aliens asked at the same time.

"Big scaly creature with wings, breaths fire, mouth full of teeth and a bad attitude." Austin quickly replied as the Draco swooped over them again.

This time though, the Dragon husk didn't breath any fire. It instead made another harp turn and landed on the roof of a nearby shelter.

"Assuming control."

"Oh crap. Not him again." Garrus cursed as the Draco's eyes turned yellow and Harbinger's voice began to emit from it's mouth.

"Your efforts are futile, Shepard. You cannot hope to stand a chance against us." Harbinger tormented.

"Your overconfidence is your weakness, Harbinger!" Austin returned.

"Your faith in your friends and allies is yours!" Harbinger retorted. "Burn their flesh to ash! Releasing control!"

With the Draco back in control, it roared and spat another fire ball at them.

Garrus quickly popped out of cover and carefully aimed his nipper at one of the Draco's eyes.

Just as the dragon was about to fry him, the Turian fired. The massive husk grunted in pain as it was temporarily blinded. In its haste to regain its bearings, the claws on its wing slipped and it fell off the roof.

"Good shot, Garrus. That will at least give us a chance." Said Austin.

The Draco shook itself and quickly regained its vision. It rose back up into the air and swung its tail at where the group was taking cover.

Austin just noticed this in time and was able to push Ventra and Garrus out of the way just as he pulled Liara and James the other way with him.

The crates they had just been hiding behind were smashed to pieces by the Draco's tail.

"Just about had it with those wings now." Said Ventra, selecting an arrow and drawing it back. "It's like I've said before, swooping is bad."

The arrow fired and embedded itself in the Draco's left wing. The Dragon looked at this for a second, somewhat unfazed the tiny prick it had just received. That was before Ventra pressed the button however.

The tip of the arrow exploded and the Draco roared in pain as it's left wing was crippled. With its ability to fly now badly damaged, the Draco could sense defeat and quickly retreated. Having to flap harder than before, it used what it could of its normal and damaged wing to escape.

This victory was short lived though as Harvester suddenly took the Draco's place and swopped over them.

"General, tell Primarch Victus we'll rendezvous here. In the meantime, let's take care of whatever that Harvester drops off. Coming Garrus?" said Austin.

"You kidding?! I'm right behind you. Let's give these bastards hell!" said Garrus.

"We've got trouble over at the main barricade. If the Reapers breach it, we're done!" said Corinthus urgently.

"We're on it!"

Everyone ran to the barricade and took positions. Austin quickly manned the turret that was mounted there.

"I like the perspective this offers." He said.

Several husks began landing as the Harvester dropped them off. They were even joined by a new breed of husk. This time though, they weren't human.

"It just me, or do those husks look like Turians?!" said James, gunning a down another as it tried to climb the wall.

"You're right. They do." Said Austin, cutting down several more husks and even one of these new Marauders with the turret.

Garrus was able to use his overload to take out the Marauder's shields, enabling James and Austin to finish them off. Liara meanwhile used her biotics to try and slow the normal husk down a bit so that everyone else had a chance to kill them before they got too close.

Just as they finished off the last husk, one final one was dropped off. This one however was very big. It had what looked like the massive body of a Krogan and the head of a Turian.

"Holy hell! What is that thing?!" said James.

The brute roared and charged at the barrier.

"Brace yourself!"

The husk hit the barricade hard, causing Austin lose his footing and fall.

"Austin!" Liara yelled.

Austin quickly rolled back onto his feet as the Brute turned to face him, beating it's chest in the same way a Gorilla would.

"Come and get, you son of a bitch." Said Austin, once again drawing Excalibur and waiting for the brute to charge. If he could time this just right…

The Brute once again roared and charged at Austin. Leaving until the last moment, Austin rolled to the side out of the way as the Brute swung with its large arm. With a simple movement of the wrist, Excalibur sliced through the Brute's legs, crippling it and causing it to fall to the ground.

Austin remained with his back turned to the Brute as it desperately tried to get back up. Without even a turn of his head, Austin activated his shoulder plasma cannon and aimed it at the fallen Husk.

As the red aiming laser locked on target, a blue ball of plasma shot out of the cannon. The Brute was vaporised upon contact.

"Are you alright?" Ventra asked as the other hopped down to joint heir leader.

"I'm good." Austin replied, sheathing Excalibur casually.

"Shepard. Corinthus here."

"What's the word on the Primarch?" Austin asked.

"Still can't get a stable comlink." Corinthus replied.

"Okay. We're going on foot. Shepard out." Said Austin. "Garrus, take me to the last place you saw Victus."

Having dealt with most of the Husks earlier, getting to Victus was very easy. His position was a bit overrun, but clearing them out didn't take long.

"General Victus."

"Yes?"

"I'm Major Shepard of the Helldivers." Said Austin.

"Ah, Major. I know who you are. I can't wait to find out what brings you here." Said Victus. "Vakarian. Where did you go?"

"Heavy Reaper unit on the right flank. I believe you're exact words were "Get that thing the hell of my men!" said Garrus.

"Appreciated." Said Victus.

"General. You're needed off planet. We've come to get you." Said Austin.

"It will take something beyond important for me to leave my men, or my Turian brothers and sisters and their fight. Said Victus.

"Fedorian was killed. You're the new Primarch." Said Garrus.

"You're needed immediately to chair a summit and represent your people in the fight against the Reapers." Said Austin.

"I'm Primarch of Palaven, negotiating for the Turian hierarchy?" Victus asked, gazing upon much of the wreckage of Palaven.

"Yes."

"I've spent my whole life in the military. I'm no diplomat. I hate diplomats." Said Victus.

"This is crucial. We need you on top of your game. Are you in or out?" said Austin.

"Watch your tone, Major!" Victus warned.

"Look, you've met the Reapers head on. You're overqualified. See this devastation, Primarch? Double that for everywhere if we don't unite together. We need an alliance of everyone. We need the Turian fleet." Said Austin.

"Give me a moment to say goodbye to my men." Said Victus.

"Go ahead. We'll wait."

After a few moments of saying his farewells, Victus re-joined them.

"Ready?" Austin asked.

"One thing. Major, I appreciate the Helldiver's need for our fleets, but I can't spare them. Not while my world is burning. But if, the pressure can be taken of Palaven…" said Victus.

"You've already got several Helldiver battalions assisting your armies. What more do you need?" Austin asked, doing his best to hide that he was a bit unhappy with Victus asking for even more than the Helldivers were providing already. It almost sounded like the Primarch was being ungrateful.

"We need the Krogan. I can't see us winning this thing without them, even with the help of your soldiers. Get them to help us, and then we can help you." Said Victus.

Austin's opinion changed after that. He certainly hadn't expected Victus to say that.

"The Krogan…"

"Looks like the summit just got a lot more interesting." Said Garrus.

"I apologise for being so frank, Major. But you're plan feels doomed to failure." Said Councillor Tevos.

With the Primarch on-board, Austin was now talking to Tevos about the Asari joining the summit. So far however, it wasn't looking promising.

"You start thinking like that, and the Reapers have already won. I won't have that!" said Austin defiantly.

"I'm not the only one that feels this way. The Salarian Dalatrass is livid." Said Tevos.

"Some of these issues are hundreds of years old! Time to let go!" said Austin.

"Perhaps. But we must focus our attention on when the Reapers come for us too. So no. The Asari will not be at your summit." Said Tevos.

"You just don't get it, do you?!" said Austin crossly. "This whole unification would be stronger with the Krogan. You need them, we all do."

"Good luck, Major, and goodbye." Said Tevos, ending the call.

"I save her and the rest of the Council… and this is the thanks I get." Austin groaned.

"Major, Admiral Hackett is on vidcom." Said Traynor through the comm.

Austin simply sighed and activated it. Hackett's hologram was once again projected in front of him.

"Major, did you retrieve the Primarch for the summit?" he asked.

"Yes. But the Asari are staying on the side-lines." Said Austin.

Another hologram then suddenly joined Hackett's. This one was an Arkane Helldiver. Austin recognized his old mentor instantly.

"They'll regret that. The time for unity is now." Said General Zartrack.

"General Zartrack! What a surprise." Said Austin, giving a small salute.

"Good to see you as well, Shepard." Zartrack nodded. "Admiral Hackett."

"General." Hackett nodded.

"Anyway, the Salarians will be attending the summit, as will the Krogan." Said Austin.

"Hmm, that will cause some tension." Said Zartrack.

"You've certainly got your hands full, Major. I shouldn't take up anymore of your time." Said Hackett.

"I'll keep you posted, Hackett." Said Austin.

"Good luck, Shepard."

Hackett vanished, leaving just Austin and Zartrack.

"A good thing he's in charge of the Alliance." Said the General.

"How are things back at Arkadia?" Austin asked.

"Things haven't been this intense since the Hydra crisis. That should say enough." Said Zartrack.

"Had a feeling as much." Austin sighed.

"The Arkanes have got the best Generals coordinating many of the battalions and squads being sent to aid the other homeworlds. I and your father are working the hardest. He told me to tell you he apologises for not being able to talk at the moment." Said Zartrack.

"How is he?" Austin asked.

"Worried about your mother. He hasn't heard anything from here since the Reapers hit Earth. He's able to focus on the task at hand, but I know the worry is constantly on his mind." Said Zartrack, a hint of concern in his voice.

"I know the feeling. I do hope she's okay. For his sake, and my sister's." said Austin.

"I'm sure she's okay, Shepard. You're her son after all." Said Zartrack supportingly.

"Thanks, General. That means a lot." Austin smiled.

"I'll keep in touch. If we find anything that may help you, I'll be the first to inform you." Said Zartrack.

"Yes sir. Good luck." Austin saluted.

"You as well, my old student. Give them hell."

Austin decided to quickly see how Victus was settling in before he left to plot the next course.

"Major, thank you for allowing me the use of your ship, and for going along with this plan. Garrus said he had to attend to the Normandy's weapon systems. Something about "calibrations". Said Victus.

"Sounds like Garrus. I'm sorry to say the Asari Councillor won't be joining us. She thinks there's too much bad blood with the Krogan." Said Austin.

"She may be right." Said Victus. "But there'll be a lot more blood, real blood, if we don't try."

"When you put it that way…" said Austin.

"The sooner we have this summit, the sooner we'll know." Said Victus.

As Austin headed out of the war room, the lights suddenly flickered.

"Major, EDI just went offline." Said Joker.

"DELL!" Austin shouted.

"That was not me, Shepard! I swear! Wasn't even doing anything with her." Dell replied through the comm.

"Joker, what do you mean she went offline?" Austin asked.

"I don't know. She's not responding. I can't access the AI core diagnostics. You better get down to deck 3." Said Joker.

Austin headed down to deck through and headed through he medbay to the AI core. Two of the crew where at the door with fire extinguishers and breathing mask. Of course, Austin was still wearing his armour so he wouldn't need that. Plus, if there was a threat he'd be able to fight it.

"Joker, what's that sound?" Austin asked, hearing a loud sound coming from behind the door.

"Fire extinguisher, Major. Might be an electrical fire, or something." Said Joker.

The doors opened and everyone slowly proceeded in.

"EDI, talk to me." Said Austin.

There was a small humming and the lights suddenly came back on.

"EDI?"

A metallic female figure slowly stepped out of the smoke. It was Dr Eva. At the same time however, it wasn't Dr Eva. The figure was now cleaned of the burned and charred flash it had got from the fire on Mars, it had an orange holo interface over its eyes, and it had a surprisingly familiar voice.

"Is there a particular topic you wish to discuss, Shepard?" asked EDI.

"EDI?" Austin asked in surprise. EDI had a body?

"Yes." EDI replied.

"What are you doing in Dr Eva's body?" Austin asked.

"Not all of me is in this body, but I have control of it." Said EDI. "It was not a seamless transition."

"A transition? What exactly happened? You blacked out on us for a while there." Austin asked.

"Correct. When we brought this unit on board, I began a background process to search for its information on the Crucible. This eventually triggered a trap. A backup power source and CPU activated and the unit attempted physical confrontation. Fortunately, I was able to gain remote access and repurpose it as I saw fit. During this process, it struggled. Thus the fire." EDI explained.

"Well, if it means having better access to the Crucible data in its head, good work." Said Austin.

"I reasoned along similar lines." Said EDI.

"So if you're in there, are you still in the ship?" Austin asked.

"I still exist within in the ship. This body can be used for remote control." Said EDI.

"So technically, you're controlling that thing like you did to a mech when you helped me on Lazarus station?" Austin asked.

"Precisely." EDI nodded. "For continued control however, this unit should remain within the Normandy's broadcast or tight beam range."

"Are you planning to take that body somewhere?"

"Normandy's weaponry is not suited to every combat situation. This unit could provide limited ground support."

"You mean you could come with us?"

"Correct. This body could accompany you to areas the Normandy cannot reach."

"Good. I'll tell you when I need it."

"Excellent. I will run tests to make sure it matches, or exceeds the capabilities of organic squad mates. However, my first step should be restoring functionality to the Normandy to reassure the crew that all is normal."

"Just don't be surprised if the crew is wary of your new body. It did try to kill us not long ago."

"An excellent point. I will take it to the bridge. Joker will also want to see it." Said EDI as she left the AI core.

"He'll want more than that." Austin chuckled to himself.

"Was that EDI that just walked by?" Chakwas asked.

"It was." Austin nodded.

"Joker's gonna have a field day with this." The doctor chuckled.

Before Austin headed up to the cockpit to check on EDI, he felt it best to check on Garrus in the forward battery.

"Garrus. Didn't waste any time getting to work I see." He said.

"After what I've been through lately, calibrating a giant gun is a vacation. Gives me something to focus on." Said Garrus.

"We're gonna need you for more than your aim." Said Austin.

"Oh, I'm ready for it. But I'm pretty sure we'll still need giant guns, and lots of them." Said Garrus. "Sovereign didn't go down without a fight. I doubt a thousand more of his friends will be any different. Still not convinced I should have left Palaven behind."

"We're not gonna beat the Reapers by second guessing ourselves, Garrus. Every decision we make has to be the right one."

"And when we're wrong?"

"We haven't been so far."

"There are times I wish we were. Convincing my people the end was coming got pretty rough. They didn't want to hear it. Finally, they gave me a taskforce as a token to shut me up."

"So you're their expert advisor now?"

"Just followed your example, Shepard. Yell loud enough, and someone will eventually come over to see what all the fuss is about. Not that they'll actually do anything about it."

"Until hell shows up at their door. Then they put you in charge."

"Not like the old days, is it?" Garrus asked. "Rouge Spectre and C-sec agents running and gunning outside the lines, making it up as we went along. We're actually respectable now."

"We've lost enough friends trying to make sure this day never came. I think we've all earned some respect."

"Then the first Reaper we take out with this gun, it's in their honour. Just give the word."

"Damn good to have you back, Garrus."

"Wouldn't miss this fight for anything. Now, I'm sure somebody screwed up something down here. I wanna get the old girl back in fighting shape." Said Garrus.

Sure enough, EDI was now in the co-pilots seat, the same seat where her holo avatar used to sit. This time though, she had all sorts of tubes and wires plugged into her from the back. Probably some way for her to continue monitoring everything.

"Hey, Major! Check out my co-pilot!" said Joker, obviously loving this new change.

"So she installed herself into the new body without any help from you?" Austin asked, crossing his arms.

"Come on, Major. Don't you trust me?" said Joker. "Okay, let me put it this way. If I knew that EDI was gonna install herself into a sexy robot body, do you honestly think I'd be able to keep quiet about it? Look at that! I would've baked a cake!"

"I am right here, Jeff." Said EDI.

"Yes, you are, EDI. Yes you are." Joker smiled.

Seeing that Austin was going to talk to her, EDI's visor glowed and the wires disconnected themselves from her body. The plugs also folded back into tiny hidden compartments in her body.

"Hello, Shepard." She said, getting up from the seat.

"Still getting used to greeting people in person?" Austin asked friendlily.

"No. I require only one occurrence to adapt to a new concept." EDI replied.

"How are you adjusting to the arms and legs?" Austin asked.

"Very little adjustment is needed as I am already familiar with certain experiences like this. An example I could give was when you put me inside your suit when you rescued me on the Lazarus station."

"So really, this isn't all that new to you." Said Austin.

"Precisely. Although I will need to get to used to this body having different proportions to you and there also the weight in certain areas." Said EDI.

Austin pretended to ignore that bit. Admittedly, it was a bit hard to ignore that EDI was technically nudist. True there weren't' any female parts visible, but she did still lack clothes. Hopefully though, she would fix that.

"Overall, it is adequate." EDI finished.

"That's not the word I'd use to describe you." Said Joker.

"Perhaps we should speak privately." Said EDI.

"I'll be over here… flying the ship." Said Joker as two moved out of ear shot.

"What's this about? Joker's not harassing you is he?" Austin asked with concern.

"No, he is not. He approves of my new platform." Said EDI. "Shepard, do you believe your crew members should be allowed to disobey an order on moral grounds?"

"Absolutely. I have no use for team members who can think for themselves." Austin replied. "Why are you asking about something like that?"

"I was designed by Cerberus. I do not take moral stances that conflict with orders from my executive officers. But when Jeff removed my AI shackles, I became capable of self-modifying my core programming." Said EDI. "I asked Jeff if he thought I should change anything now that I can. He deflected the question with humour."

"And you didn't get an answer." Said Austin.

"Correct. He has repeated this pattern in response to several of my inquiries. Do you think I should make modification?" EDI asked.

"Only you can really answer that question. That's the point of free will." Austin replied supportingly.

"But moral decisions should not be made in a vacuum. If I do not ask the crew for their opinion, I could miss crucial context. May I ask you questions Jeff avoids? When there is time, will you answer them for me?" EDI asked.

"If you think it'll help, I'll do what I can." Austin shrugged.

"Very well. I will keep you informed." Said EDI.

If anyone has seen some of the concept art for ME3, you may already recognize a few bits. I still wanted certain changes to feel like the games, some I'm using old ideas that Bioware didn't.

Anyway, the next chapter will once again be up next Friday. This time, it will be Grissom Academy and after that it'll be From Ashes.

I've got quite a few big changes planned for the DLC, so I can see that one being rather interesting.

Should warn some Javik fans as well that he will be getting quite a few character changes. I didn't like his somewhat negative attitude (not all the time, but a lot of it) so I've done a few things to try and make him more interesting.

But more on that later. Until then, leave reviews. I always look forward to hearing what you have to say.
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Mass Effect: The Helldiver Saga, The Last Cycle