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Their Finest Hour	By : draygon Category: +M through R > Mass Effect Views: 8648 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect or EA, and I do not make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 8
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Shepard felt her eyebrows rise as the shuttle got nearer the Doctor's base. When Kenson had called the thing a small planet, she hadn't been kidding. The enormous rock filled the small cockpit window as they approached the base. Shepard could make out piping and equipment poking through the rock around the set of doors that allowed them access into the base. The small shuttle descended into the small opening, the doors sealing as they closed allowing the environmental controls to pump oxygen back into the hangar.

Kenson was first off as the shuttle doors opened. She seemed to do a quick visual inspection of the hangar bay before turning to Shepard. "Here we are." She spread her hands wide as though in welcome. "Welcome to Project Base."

Shepard scanned the area, her eyes locking on what looked like a set of illuminated numbers. Another moment, and she understood that they were counting down. But counting down to what? "What's this," she asked, motioning toward the set of numbers over the only doorway into the base.

"That's our countdown to Arrival." Shepard could feel some of the color draining out of her face. "When that gets to zero, the Reapers will have come. Just over two days and counting. Puts things into perspective, doesn't it?"

"How do you know that's an accurate countdown?" Shepard clenched her fists.

"It is. The artifact has been giving off pulses at definite intervals since we found it. The intervals have been decreasing at a steady rate." Shepard looked sidelong at Kenson. The Doctor seemed awfully calm for someone who had just discovered a countdown to galactic Armageddon. "The artifact is reacting to the Reapers' proximity. In just over forty-eight hours, the pulses will become constant and the Reapers will be here."

"Your saying that the Reapers could be at Earth in two days?" Shepard pushed down the bubble of panic in her chest. "There's not time to waste."

"Then let's show you that proof." Kenson motioned for Shepard to follow her. "That door exits the hangar. The artifact is in our central lab area." Shepard felt her brow quirk as she followed behind Kenson. She would have kept that thing as far away from herself as possible when not studying it, not put it right smack in the middle of the base. She got that feeling that always told her when she was walking into a trap. But Kenson didn't act indoctrinated...

"Go through the door at the end of the corridor to your left." Kenson pointed down the hall as she started in that direction, Shepard eyeing the back of her head all the way down.

"So, what would it take to get the Project back up and running?"

"Everything was in place when we were arrested." Kenson stopped in front of a view port, looking out at the diffuse glow of the mass relay through the dust of the asteroid belt. "It was never a question of 'could we' but 'should we'."

"What alternative do we have?" Shepard asked as the two went up a small set of stairs and left into what Shepard assumed was the central area. All the while she spoke, she watched the lab personnel. It could have been the knowledge of what they were about to do, but they seemed distant to Shepard. Preoccupied.

"The Reapers will reach this system, regardless." Kenson pressed the controls to open the next door. "But the Alpha Relay is their short cut to the rest of the galaxy." More of the base was opened to them. The people here were the same as those in the other areas, too preoccupied to even notice that the Project head was back on base. "If you want to keep the Reapers at bay, this relay must be destroyed."

The two entered a small elevator, Shepard unable to shake the feeling that things were not as they seemed. She had learned to trust that feeling over the years, and her hands never strayed far from the Phalanx on her hip. She waited as the elevator descended deeper into the Asteroid, watching it's progress through the transparent floor. Shepard bolted out of the doors as soon as they opened, anticipating Kenson as she opened the lab door.

"We have to get the Project running again. It's probably the only chance we have."

"One sec," Kenson brought up her omni-tool. "let me get the door."

Shepard felt her jaw drop as soon as the doors opened. The artifact looked very much like something she and her team had unearthed several months ago, only then it had turned the entire team working on it into husks.

"Commander Shepard," the pride in Kenson's voice was unmistakable. "I give you Object Rho."

"You have the Reaper artifact just sitting here... out in the open?"

"When we found it, it showed me a vision of the Reapers' arrival."

"Kenson," Shepard had a bad feeling about this whole thing. "This is not good."

"Give it a moment, Shepard." The slight shift in Kenson's tone sent the hackles rising on the back of Shepard's neck. "It'll give you the proof you need."

The flash was shorter than the others, only of the Reapers approaching the relay. But the power of the artifact's invasion of Shepard's mind knocked her to her knees. She felt like her entire body was humming with energy, making her muscles spasm.

"I can't let you start the Project, Shepard." Shepard turned slowly, her eyes focusing on the barrel of the Carnifex she had given Kenson in the prison. "I can't let you stop the arrival." Shepard almost laughed. She figured keeping the object out in the open like this was trouble, and she was right.

Shepard grunted as she forced her muscles to work again, levering herself to her feet with a pained grimace. She could make out the sound of quick stepping feet. So then they were all indoctrinated. Perfect. Kenson backed away slowly as Shepard rose to her feet, looking away as though to give orders when Shepard grabbed Kenson's wrist and snapped, kicking the pistol away as it fell from her hands and pushing her away as the guards opened fire.

Shepard cursed under her breath as she took out her Mattock and pressed her back to a low divide as shots flew overhead. "Take her down!" Shepard watched as Kenson hobbled out of the fight, holding her broken wrist. Shepard clenched her jaw, rage in her mind. How could they have been so stupid? She took off running, using the butt of her Mattock to crack the face plate of the first guard she saw, spraying his prone body with bullets before diving back into cover.

She peeked out to the side and caught another guard out in the open and sent him flying into a wall with bone crushing force. Apparently, indoctrination did away with any self preservation instincts and made the victims dumb as a bag of hammers. Easier for her to pick off.

Shepard holstered her Mattock and took out her Incisor, catching a few more guards foolish enough to peek their heads up. "Don't make this difficult, Shepard." Kensons voice came over on the comm followed by a voice similar to Harbinger's. The artifact must have been sentient. "Do not resist. Give yourself over and you will be spared."

"Didn't I kill you already?" Shepard groused as she lined up another guard in her sights and put him out of his misery. "No one likes a talkative corpse." She aimed again and sent another guard's brains to the wall behind him.

"Shepard won't go down!" She had to laugh at that. Was Harbinger their mommy now?

"We don't want to hurt you, Commander! Lay down your weapons."

Shepard sneered. "Make me!"

"Your galaxy is in sight." Shepard narrowed her eyes. That was Harbinger. Lovely. "Your final days are at hand."

Shepard whipped her head around, the smell of something burning catching her attention. She scrambled out of the way as the guard sent a jet of flame to the spot she had occupied not a moment before. By reflex, she hit him with a singularity that lifted him up off the ground and pinned him to the center. One shot from her Incisor burst his flamethrower fuel line and he was engulfed in a pinwheel of flame.

"This will only get worse for you, Shepard."

"I'm not the one indoctrinated."

"The end of your species will come." Shepard growled as Harbinger's voice invaded her mind again.

"Butt out!" Shepard nearly screamed as she ran from cover to cover, taking out as many guards as she could. She was already starting to run low on clips and it wouldn't be long before she had to resort to using her sniper rifle to beat these idiots to death with. She stopped to catch her breath, resting her head against the barrel of her rifle. How many guards were there? She had to have killed at least twenty.

"Activate the heavy mechs!"

'Oh, hell no!' Shepard cursed under her breath as she peeked her head up.

"Struggle if you wish. Shepard gritted her teeth as Harbinger's voice invaded her thoughts again. "Your mind will be mine."

It seemed that every time Harbinger exerted himself, everything else sped up. Guards nearly had her flanked and she had to sprint to keep from being torn to pieces by the YMIR mech's guns. This was fast getting out of control. Shepard aimed with her Incisor and sent a shot to the mech, taking down it's shields. Switching to her Mattock, she sprayed any guard close enough to her with bullets, clearing the way for a moment so she could get in another shot on the mech, taking down it's armor this time. Shepard dove down as bullets flew overhead, waiting to get in the last shot.

"Have faith in the artifact. It'll be over soon." Shepard furrowed her brow. The artifact? What was this artifact supposed to -

"You shall be the first to witness our arrival." Shepard squeezed her eyes shut as Harbinger's voice invaded her mind again. She felt the ground under her feet shift as her body was hit with an energy wave that sent her to the ground, dazed. She felt more than heard foot steps coming closer. It seemed to take forever as she listened. Slowly, two feet came into view, walking slowly towards her. After a moment, she recognized the shoes as Dr. Kenson's as she knelt near her face.

Shepard's breath nearly went out of her body as she looked at Kenson's face. Her eyes were glowing, just like the collectors when Harbinger took control of them. "Take her to the med bay and patch her up." Even her voice was a combination of Kenson and Harbinger. "We want Shepard alive."

'We?' Shepard thought as realization dawned on her that Kenson was speaking of the Reapers as 'We' as her vision finely faded to black.

Soft voices filtered in through the blackness. Someone talking. This seemed a bit too familiar. "... like Shepard was waking up a moment ago. But it could be a glitch in the system."

Shepard slowly rolled her head to the side, watching as one of the scientists spoke into a data pad. Shepard groaned, fighting the lead weight feeling in her body as she sat up.

"No glitch!" The scientist seemed wholly surprised. "The sedatives aren't working."

Shepard was going to have to thank Miranda for what ever she had done when bringing her back. Control of her body was coming back much quicker now and by the time the scientist yelled "Security," Shepard was already fully awake, and fully pissed off. The two guards in the room didn't have enough time to bring their guns up before Shepard came at them with fists and a quick twist of their necks. The two fell at her feet as she stepped over their bodies. Though, before she could get out of the med bay, the scientist who had run out, had put a barrier curtain up. The smug woman crossed her arms, daring Shepard to find away out.

'Don't mind if I do.'

Shepard turned around, walking into a small alcove used to observe patients. It seemed that Dr. Kenson had a running log on this console, so Shepard cycled to the first entry, and pressed play.

"The project is almost complete. I thought I'd feel a sense of accomplishment, but instead... I feel dread. I can't help but think we're doing something terrible."

Shepard shook her head. How could Dr. Kenson had been so stupid working so closely around an artifact of that kind of power? She sighed, looking for any other way out when she spotted another control. This one looked a bit more like directional and firing controls rather than the standard 'push here to fuck shit up' buttons she was used to.

"Step away from the terminal!" The panic in the scientist's voice might as well have been encouragement as Shepard activated the controls, activating a LOKI mech. "Security! I need back up in the med bay!" Shepard laughed at the panic in her voice as she directed the mech to take her down with a few shots from it's pistol.

"Unknown user detected in network." Shepard lifted a brow. "Engaging security protocol."

"Like hell you are." Shepard directed the mech as more of it's kind appeared, shooting them down with ease. Following the corridor, she came to the same barrier curtain the scientist had set up. Getting close, she opened fire on the barrier generator beside the door, the explosion destroying the mech along with the curtain.

"Shepard's escaped! All available personnel to the medical wing! Do not let her activate the Project!"

"You should have killed me when you had the chance, Kenson." Shepard growled as she opened the weapons locker where her gear had been stored. Long years of practice had made getting into her armor in emergency situations a quick exercise as she checked her weapons and holstered them as the alarms began to sound. "Not much time." Shepard clenched her teeth as she saw the count down. Less than two hours to go. "I have to get this asteroid moving and get the hell out of here."

The door leading out was locked, but a few seconds hacking the circuitry and the lock was bypassed and the door opened. As soon as she stepped out into the hall, the far door opened to a pair of guards taking aim with their shot guns. Shepard took her Incisor from her shoulder, and lined the two up, one behind the other and took them down with one three burst shot.

"Tomas... Maxwell... Report!"

"Shepard's past them! All personnel, get in there!"

Shepard ran full speed down a tunnel, pausing only for the door to open. "Shepard's in the living quarters. Seal off Project Control!" Shepard was getting a little tired of Kenson's voice over the comm. Hiding behind a row of shelves separating two rows of beds, Shepard picked off one of the guards standing in the door way directly ahead of her. It didn't take long for the guards to figure out where the shot came from and another followed with a shot to the head, knocking him off of his feet.

Shepard peeked out, apparently there was only the two. She must have devastated the security force more than she realized as she made her way across another tunnel to another part of the base.

"Shepard is tearing us apart!"

"Regroup!"

Shepard chuckled. Kenson reminded her of when she had found Grunt. The Blue Suns captain had been just about this full of herself, but not quite as helpful in letting her know what they were doing.

"Use the flamethrowers!" Shepard had had just about enough of those things. She sprayed the closest guard with her Mattock and took cover behind a divide as the flamethrower wielding guard advanced on her. She took out the guard in front with her Incisor and waited for the Pyro to show himself. The Pyro seemed to be more skittish than most of the other guards, and Shepard knocked him back with a biotic push before putting a bullet in his brain.

She had made her way up and around toward an exit when the door opened and Shepard had just enough time to skid to a halt and dive backwards behind a table to keep from being turned into a pin cushion. She took the two out with a quick spray from her Mattock and made for the door. Though, she found another log in a console under the window. She pressed the play back button and listened while she checked the two guards for any clips they might have.

"Kenson's acting strange lately. Like she doesn't care about the Project anymore. And I know I'm not the only one having those dreams. The Reapers are coming, she says. But I'm not sure if I hear fear or hope in her voice."

Shepard shook her head. How could they have been so careless? Shepard supposed she would never know the answer to that question. She opened the door into another short hallway, then another door. This place was a maze! She had to wonder if she would ever find the Project Controls in time to keep the Reapers from invading or if she had woken up too late.

"There!" Shepard put the guard down too late to keep him from calling out. She just barely ducked in time to miss being hit by an overload. The shielded guard took a shot straight to the shields covering her head, bringing them down for the third bullet of the triple shot to catch her right between the eyes. Two more guards tossed flash grenades into the courtyard, Shepard looking away and covering her eyes to keep from being blinded. She waited a moment and took out the second shielded guard and popped her heat sink. The last guard decided, in his wisdom to rush her.

Shepard gripped the barrel of her Incisor and swung, catching the guard right under the jaw and sending his head back with a snap. Old habits died hard, it seemed. Shepard made her way through what looked like a mess, in both senses of the word. She found another alcove with a store of clips and another log recording. Shepard pressed the play back on this, hoping that her visor was still recording.

"The longer we're here, the more I'm convinced the Project must be stopped. We simply don't know enough about what the Reapers want. It's foolish to assume that the Reapers mean doom for the entire galaxy. Legends say they've come through before, and yet life continues, doesn't it?" Shepard had seen this happen many times on the various Reaper artifacts and even the derelict Reaper. The person's will is so subtly warped, that they think the Reaper's desires are their own. What ever their machinations, Shepard had to admit that the Reapers were clever bastards.

Shepard made her way out of the mess, and through another long tunnel into what looked like a lab. "Now we're getting somewhere."

"Shepard's heading for Project Control! Get in there! Now!"

Taking shelter in the door way, Shepard heard the door on the far end of the room open, spying several more shielded guards rush in. She dove forward to hide behind a long row of consoles, the guards firing and throwing grenades as though they didn't care about the sensitive equipment surrounding them. One of the guards tried to flank her until he was sent backwards with a single shot from her Incisor.

It seemed the further in she got, the harder the guards fought. The Object controlling them must be feeding them it's desperation if the number of flash grenades being hurled her way were any indication. Her visor protected her from most of the effects, but the flash was still half blinding. She leaned out of cover long enough to pop two more guards in the head before diving back in. All that were left now were two shielded guards. Both seemed to have the same idea and tried to flank her so she would get caught in the cross fire.

Shepard kept her head down and took two shrapnel grenades out of her pack, and waited for them to get just close enough. She waited until she could see their feet before she threw both grenades in opposite directions, the guards being too intent on their maneuver to move in time as both were blown to pieces. Hopping over the console, she raced toward the engine controls at the far end of the room.

"Welcome to Project Control." The VI greeted her as she stepped up to the console.

"I want to activate the Project."

"Warning:," a mock up of the relay was displayed on the screen in front of her, showing a simulation of what she was about to do. "Activating the Project will result in an estimated three hundred and five thousand casualties. Do you wish to continue." Shepard swore. She wished she had been alerted sooner. She might not have been able to save everyone, but she might have saved some.

For a moment, Shepard hesitated. Three hundred thousand innocent lives were in her hands at this very moment. She was being asked to sacrifice three hundred thousand, to save trillions. Taking a deep breath, Shepard reached forward and activated the thrusters.

"Project activation in progress. Warning: Collision with mass relay is imminent. Begin evacuation procedures."

Shepard activated the communications array, opening a channel to every settlement in the system. "All colonists living in the Bahak System: This is - "

"Shepard! No!" Shepard's communication was cut off, the array going dead as Dr. Kenson overrode it from her console. "Do you have any idea what you have done? You leave me no choice. If we can't stop this asteroid, it must be destroyed."

Shepard huffed. "Not likely. Tell me where to find Dr. Amanda Kenson."

The VI responded without hesitation; "Dr. Kenson is traveling to the reactor core module."

"An eezo core meltdown should do it. Because of you, everyone on this rock will be obliterated."

"Not if I get to you first," Shepard sneered and sent her fist through the display, shattering it as she bolted toward the doors at the back of the room.
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Their Finest Hour