IIML: Beyond - Chapter 9: Entropy

If It Meant Living: Beyond - Chapter 9

“Entropy”

Author: Graceyn
Game: Mass Effect Trilogy
Characters/pairing: femShep/Kaidan
Disclaimer: Bioware owns all rights to Mass Effect and its characters
Content Warning: Language, Violence, Sexual Themes

July 30, 2194: Normandy SR-3 Mess

Shepard dipped the ladle into the ‘beefed-up stew’ – so dubbed because though its origins were clearly rooted in the classic Earth dish, Alliance culinary specialists had modified the ingredients to increase the protein content of the meat and vitamin range of the vegetables to such an extent that a mere cup of it was deemed to contain sufficient daily nutrient content for the average Human biotic.

She filled her bowl until it nearly overflowed, then grabbed one of those odd scone-looking Escena biscuits and went over to the largest table, carefully sliding in next to Kaidan.

It was nearly 18:00 – well past the Normandy’s regular dinner time, which had come and gone while they had been surveying Requi. She slurped down a spoonful of the hearty soup, then smiled gratefully across the table.

“EDI, thanks for hanging with us. I’m starving.”

“Me, too!” Joker plopped down next to EDI, his plate piled high with pasta. EDI’s head tilted curiously at him. “But you weren’t groundside; you could have eaten at the regular time with the rest of the crew.”

He nodded as he wound pasta around his fork. “Oh, I did.”

Shepard rolled her eyes in weary amusement. “Okay, EDI – we’ll save the formal briefing for later, but give us a quick rundown of what you found.”

“Of course. The atmosphere of Requi, and indeed the entire region, displays features characteristic of a tachyonic field. It – ”

Joker scowled over his fork. “What, like in Star Trek?”

EDI smiled indulgently. “No, Jeff. The Star Trek entertainment universe frequently utilized fictional tachyon particles that traveled faster than the speed of light as a deus ex machina plot device. A true tachyonic field, however, is a region of space that is unstable due to having negative mass. Shepard, I believe this could be the cause for the disintegration of the fabric of space in systems hit by the Aduri.”

Liara was about to sit down, but paused behind her chair, frowning. “But tachyonic fields are just a hypothetical construct used to make certain models work in theoretical quantum physics; their existence has never been confirmed. In fact, the consequences of the actual appearance of such a field of any measureable size would be…catastrophic.”

EDI simply nodded. “Yes.”

Shepard’s mouth twitched. “Okay, let’s keep it basic for the non-PhDs in the crowd. What is the practical effect of one of these tachyonic fields?”

“No one knows for certain, but physicists have postulated that it would disrupt the surrounding space in an accelerating manner until the laws of the known universe, including general relativity and quantum physics, cannot function. In such an environment, atoms would no longer hold together, much less physical bodies such as planets and stars.”

She sighed and dipped the Escena ‘biscuit’ into the stew. “Well that certainly sounds like what we’ve been seeing. Why is it only hypothetical?”

Kaidan answered that one. “Because we’ve never been able to artificially create or induce negative mass. Even the relays only lower the mass of space-time to a level that approaches zero.”

EDI nodded in agreement. “We didn’t even think it was possible until we uncovered the wormhole technology, which utilizes a related form of negative energy density to stabilize the wormhole.”

“Does this tell us anything about the Aduri?”

“Not beyond what we already suspected, that they interact with the world at a subatomic level. I can’t say whether they are the direct cause, if it’s merely a side effect of their presence, or something else entirely.”

Shepard leaned back in the chair, her appetite sidetracked by strategic concerns. “Okay…can we reverse the effects?”

EDI shook her head. “Not here, and certainly not in systems that have previously been hit; the degradation is already too extensive. However…”

Shepard raised an eyebrow expectantly.

“…it is possible that, if used early enough – say within an hour of an attack – mass effect weapons could re-stabilize the affected region of space.”

“By raising the mass of the area?”

“Actually, I believe any mass alteration could work. The natural state of space is one of positive mass. Anything that disrupts the effect of the tachyonic field should result in space reverting to normal, so long as its atomic structure has not degraded significantly.”

Shepard exhaled slowly. “That’s…good news. Really good news.” She grinned. “Excellent work, EDI.”

EDI beamed.

Kaidan nodded. “Now, we just have to catch the Aduri in the act.”

Liara frowned as she picked at the food on her plate. “I’m not certain I actually want to meet the Aduri face-to-face…would it be alright if we waited in the corner until they left, then swooped in and saved the day?”

To Liara’s surprise, Shepard laughed. “Absolutely; I totally agree.” The laughter was short-lived, however, as reality intruded. “Of course, this isn’t going to save any Escena in the Aduri’s path…but maybe it will at least stop the planetary destruction. It’s a start.”

July 31, 2194: Conference Room

“Seriously – everybody wants to go?”

Casual nods rippled around the table.

Shepard frowned quizzically. “Why? It’s a manufacturing center. I’m not sure anyone other than Garrus, Keenon and Kaidan…” she grinned at Greg’s hopeful expression “…and Adams will really get anything out of it?”

Garrus leaned slightly over the table, his hands clasped formally. “Well technically it’s an entire city devoted to the design, development and manufacture of starships and wormhole drive cores. I’m imagine most everyone will find at least some part of that intriguing.”

Shepard’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Litha spoke up. “The planet has breathable air, right?”

She nodded.

“Well there you go. We just want to get off the ship, Shepard. A couple of hours doesn’t count as shore leave – especially if, unlike some people, you just got to tour a space station while attached to Lawson by an invisible leash.”

Murmurs of agreement followed. Even Miranda huffed a laugh, so worn down by herding multiple groups of stir-crazy soldiers through The Hub that she just didn’t care anymore.

“Okay, okay…we’ll take the Raptor – but we’re leaving early in the morning so those of us that will actually be working will have plenty of time to see what we need to see. Be in the Cargo Bay at 0600; you snooze, you lose. Dismissed.”

She touched Joker’s arm as he passed by her on the way out. “I’m sorry, Joker, but you’re going to need to stay on the ship.” His face fell. “I know, it’s not fair – but there’s not a proper Hub there, and as good as Legion is, I just don’t want to leave the Normandy floating pilotless in space.”

He sighed and rolled his eyes. “It’s fine, I’m used to it…”

She smiled and patted him on the back as he wandered away. “And I appreciate it.”

“Shepard, do you have a few minutes? I’d like to talk with you about something…”

She glanced at Thane, who was talking quietly with Keiji as they left, then over at Liara. “Can it wait a bit? I have something I need to do.”

Liara nodded tightly. “Of course. Just…whenever is fine.”

***

Life Support

The darkness of space surrounded her, lit by millions of stars and two brilliant blue ribbons of light undulating in the void before her. The cool, solid metal of the Normandy’s hull seemingly beneath her crossed legs comforted her; the cool, gentle grasp of Thane’s hands in hers kept her grounded and at ease as she traveled through a sea of memories.

She glared at Kaidan. “Goddammit, that’s not what I meant and you know it.”

He huffed a bitter laugh. “Do I? You know what? Just go. Go chase your boogeymen. Have fun. Get your rocks off saving the day.”

“You think it makes me happy when planets are in peril? When there’s some big evil out there?”

His eyes met hers. “Yes, I think maybe it does.”

She stared at him a moment, her throat working silently. When she finally spoke her voice was low and dark. “So you aren’t coming.”

She smiled slightly in her mind. That particular event had occurred in both timelines – even Ashley’s positive influence had not been able to prevent her own stupidity. Of course, if not for the argument then Kaidan might have come with her on the mission…and would then have been unable to save her from a watery grave. Fate was funny that way.

She visualized the memory splitting into two copies; the first, slightly faded one she attached to the ribbon on the right. Then she moved the other to the left ribbon, winding it securely; this was, after all, the timeline that truly matt–

“Shepard, I apologize for interrupting.”

She jerked in the chair, opening her eyes wide in confusion then blinking rapidly, momentarily blinded by the suddenly bright light. Thane squeezed her hands tightly, bringing her fully back to the present, and she exhaled softly. “What is it, EDI?”

“I’m afraid you’re needed in the Cargo Bay – there is a physical altercation currently ongoing.”

She dropped her head back and groaned. “Terrific. I’m on my way.” She smiled gratefully at Thane as she stood. “Sorry.”

He merely dipped his chin in acknowledgement. “We will continue another time.”

Cargo Bay

Timah slammed James into one of the support beams; the crack of his skull against the metal rang through the bay. James responded by slugging Timah with a full right hook; blood flew out of his mouth and through the air.

James was a bigger guy than Timah, but not substantially so; fifteen, maybe eighteen kilos. Of course, James also had eight years of experience on the younger man, some of which had been earned in the seediest, most dangerous bars on Omega. Timah made up some of the disadvantage with speed and athleticism, developed during his years as a quarterback at university.

Timah shrugged off the punch and ducked its follow up; staying low, he tackled James at the waist and tried to slam him into the beam a second time. James reversed their direction with sheer brute force, and they both barreled into the armory worktable.

Steve took the opportunity to run forward and desperately try to grab James’ arm. Andrew groaned and hurried after him, wrapping his arms around Steve from behind to drag him back and out of reach of the fight as James and Timah struggled against the worktable. At that moment Timah pulled back and let loose a wild right hook aimed at James but heading dangerously close to Steve. Andrew slammed the heel of his boot into the side of Timah’s knee, and the fist faltered and swung harmlessly past them in the air.

Timah sank down in pain, his head whipping over in shock…but Andrew was already dragging Steve around the worktable. He felt hands on his shoulders as James started to drive him to the ground; still on his knees, he slugged James in the crotch, and they both tumbled to the floor, fists flying blindly.

Garrus had been in the supply room and had hurried out just in time to see the last few seconds of the melee. He looked over at Andrew in confusion. “Why’d you do that?”

Andrew shrugged. “I like Steve.” He paused, smirking a little. “And I fucking hate infidelity, man. Almost as much as I hate bigotry.”

Garrus’ mandibles fluttered slightly, still confused. “Timah doesn’t have a girlfriend…”

Andrew’s head shook slowly. “Not my secret to share, sorry.”

“No problem…you think he’ll come after you later?”

He shrugged. “Not if he doesn’t want his gun blowing up in his face.”

Garrus huffed a laugh. “Good point.”

Steve stormed over to the weapons locker and pulled out a stun grenade. “I’m stopping this right now.”

Garrus put a hand on Steve’s arm and motioned toward the opening stairwell door. “No need; I think it’s about to be handled.”

Neither of the combatants saw Shepard enter the Cargo Bay, focused as they were on turning one another into bloody pulps.

Suddenly they were flying in opposite directions through the air as she threw them apart; they landed on their asses ten meters apart, at which point she promptly dropped a stasis on each of them. Only then did she storm into the center of the bay, her skin rippling bright blue as she maintained the stasis fields.

“If either of you touches the other once I let you out, you will both spend the night in the brig. Is that clear?” Of course, neither of them could move or respond. She waited another five seconds then slowly dissipated the fields, the blue waves fading away from her as she did. James awkwardly stood, massaging his jaw then shoulder gingerly; Timah hobbled to his feet, keeping all his weight on his left leg as he wiped blood from his mouth.

“Now. What. The. Fuck. Is. Going. On.”

Both their gazes slid away.

“Your commanding officer asked you a question. I suggest you answer it.”

Timah glanced over at the rapidly growing crowd near the elevator. “I’d rather not say in public, ma’am…”

“Fine.” She shoved them both into the far corner of the bay, careful to stay in between them, then crossed her arms over her chest. “Now.”

Timah swallowed. “We were loading some weapons into the Raptor for tomorrow, per procedure, and Kasumi dropped by to say hello. After she left, Major Vega made a disparaging comment about her – ”

“It was a compliment!” James threw his hands in the air in annoyance.

“You have a very twisted idea of what’s complim– ” She locked her arm on Timah’s chest to hold him back. He glared at James another second then took half a step back.

“To which Lieutenant Naik responded by insulting me.” James had never stopped glaring at Timah.

She raised a not-at-all-amused eyebrow at Timah.

“I might have made a remark about the Major’s sexual preferences that was in questionable taste – ”

“Questionable taste my ass!” This time she was forced to hold James back; her hand glowed brightly in warning.

“Is that it?” They both nodded reluctantly.

“What are you two, twelve? For fuck’s sake, deal with your shit like civilized adults…” She sighed heavily and turned to James, keeping her voice low. “You’re not angry at Timah; you’re angry at Steve. Work it out. This is the second fight in two months I’ve had to pull you out of – get your temper under control, Major.” Her expression made it clear there would be no argument, and he just nodded.

She turned to Timah, and her voice dropped further. “And you…” she shoved her finger into his chest, forcing him to hobble awkwardly backward into the corner where James couldn’t hear “…you need to keep it in your pants.”

He blinked in surprise. “Ma’am, I – ”

“Are you seriously trying to claim you’re defending her honor when you’re the one who’s fucking her behind Keiji’s back?”

His eyes widened; though he was of course familiar with Shepard’s at times unrestrained demeanor, he had rarely if ever had it trained on him so directly. He swallowed hard, frowning darkly. “With respect, Admiral…what if I care about her?”

“What if?” She shook her head in disgust. “You better figure out the answer to that question, and quickly.” Then she stepped back and glared at the two of them. “Both of you, out – before I decide to throw you both in the brig just because.”

“But we weren’t finished loading – ”

“Then we’ll have to do your jobs for you. Out.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She stood and watched them all the way to the other end of the room; James took the stairs while Timah limped into the elevator. Then she turned and gazed at Kasumi, who was lurking in the shadows.

Her voice was soft but firm. “You need to handle this before it gets completely out of control. Make a choice, Kasumi.” She smiled sadly and walked away.

August 1, 2194 – Praede, LMC-Bacchae System, Large Magellanic Cloud

06:65 GST

A blast of biting cold air hit them immediately upon opening the airlock of the Raptor.

“Holy fuck it’s cold!” James sputtered.

The naturally cold climate assists Us in cooling the labs to the temperatures necessary to conduct femtoassembly. The approaching Escena smiled politely. He was of average height for them, bore almost no markings and was bald. His clothing was thoroughly utilitarian – formfitting gray pants and top adorned with numerous pockets. He was, by far, the most “normal” looking Escena they had met thus far.

I am Niedri-ka~Shu-Deglane, Chief Engineer of Praede. Welcome to Our facility.

From what they had seen on approach, “facility” was a bit of an understatement. Shepard dipped her head in acknowledgment. “Thank you.” She gestured beside her. “This is Garrus Vakarian; he’ll be the point man for our visit today.”

Very well. Come with me.

The door from the docking bay led directly into what appeared to be the main control center for the facility. Spit-polished metal floors covered a sprawling, high-ceilinged room. Dozens of Escena worked at holographic panels with digital readouts along the walls and around circular hubs scattered throughout. The entire right wall consisted of Escena sitting in reclining chairs, the faint glow of VR interfaces surrounding their heads and arms as they rapidly manipulated unknown objects.

An enormous digital display dominated the center of the room; it was divided into nine different quadrants, each one displaying detailed readouts. Behind the holographic panels, all the walls were glass; the hazy, indistinct dawn light of the planet’s distant red dwarf sun lit the room.

They followed Niedri to the far end of the control center, then slowed to a stop as the true scope of the facility became apparent. He gestured as he took them through the layout.

To our left is the wormhole drive core manufacturing facility. An enormous windowless building, at least a kilometer in length and width and some three hundred meters tall, stretched to the left horizon.

To our right is the component factory, where a variety of transport internal components are built. A slightly smaller building with sections of varying heights encircled an open area.

Beyond it is the prototype design facility, where miniature mockups of ships and other structures are built and tested. From this distance little could be made out of the low-rise building behind the component factory.

Behind the docking bay where you arrived are apartments housing the 23,824 Escena that perform work at this facility. In front of us is the recreational area, where employees may eat, shop, socialize and exercise. A wide courtyard stretched out before them, probably half a kilometer in width and depth. The hard, eggshell-white ground was dotted with pathways, tables, shops and small buildings. Several dozen Escena could be seen milling about, seemingly unaffected by the cold.

Beyond that… Well, beyond that was The Show. A large circular crater, obviously artificially created, sunk into the ground; from it emerged elaborate lattices that moved skeletal ship frames upward…

Suspended in the air beginning two hundred meters up and covering the remainder of the horizon was the ship construction “yard.” Open-latticed hangar bays held dozens of ships in varying stages of construction. Hundreds of mechs could be seen working on the ships, and the bright flares of welding equipment sparked against the still dim sky.

“Damn that’s impressive…” Garrus whistled coolly.

Keenon was trying to peer down into the crater. “What’s below?”

An underground super-cooled lab where We construct and grow the bare framework of the ships.

“Grow?”

Yes. We will show you, if you wish.

Shepard smiled. “Ideally, at least some of us would like to see everything before the day is over. Garrus, where would you like to start?”

He looked around the view then at the team. “Um, how about a quick tour of the component factory?”

EDI looked back over at the far wall. “Would I be able to stay here and study your VR interface more closely?”

Of course.

~

08:10 GST

Liara exhaled softly. “One of these days I’m going to stop being impressed by the Escena…but today isn’t it.”

They stood on an open balcony perched above the component factory floor. There were maybe a hundred different segmented areas spread out below them, each different in size, shape and purpose. They all glowed and twinkled and hummed as Escena and mechs busily went about their work.

Keenon smiled happily at Liara. “I’m going to go down and see some of this up close – do you want to come with me?”

“That’s a lovely idea.”

Andrew grabbed Ashley’s hand and started dragging her toward the open elevator to their left. “Come on, love, I’m sure somewhere down there they make guns.”

She eyed him suspiciously. “They don’t have guns, remember?”

“Well then I’m sure they make something interesting; come on…”

She looked imploringly over her shoulder at Shepard for help as he pulled her onto the elevator – and received only an amused giggle in response.

~

11:20 GST

They had all become hopelessly split up across the component factory floor; Garrus eventually found Shepard back in the control center, where Niedri was walking her through the overall management of the facility.

“Hey, Shepard – Adams, Keenon, Legion and I are going to head over to the drive core facility. Kaidan, do you want to come?”

Kaidan looked up distractedly from the schematic display he had been studying and shook his head. “I’d be mostly redundant with that group; besides, I think we’re all going to grab some lunch in a few.”

Garrus nodded. “Okay. We’ll probably be a couple of hours, it’s a huge operation; just comm if you need anything.”

“Will do.” Shepard went over and leaned against Kaidan from behind, propping her chin on his shoulder. “I am hungry; we should try to corral everyone and brave the cold.”

“Yep. Just give me…three…maybe four more minutes here…”

She rolled her eyes and kissed his ear lightly. “Uh-huh.” She stepped back and activated the team comm channel. “Anyone who wants food, meet me in the control room in ten.”

~

11:45 GST

They huddled into the entrance of the small cafe, shivering until the blast of warm air hit them.

Miranda moaned in ecstasy. “Ahhhhh…thank god.” Jacob raised an incredulous eyebrow at her. “What? I don’t like the cold.”

He huffed a breath. “And I know that, but…you don’t usually make that sound in public.” Her eyes narrowed at him threateningly.

Shepard approached the counter in the back and was met by a very colorful Escena. Many nods and smiles later, she had hopefully explained their various dietary requirements to the proprietor of the little restaurant.

They crowded around a table in the corner and began swapping stories of what they had seen that morning. Soon plates of completely foreign and often strange-looking food were piled on the table and tentative experimentation began.

Some of it was even tasty.

~

12:53 GST

James, Andrew, Ashley and Litha started walking off down the courtyard to catch a lift up to the ship construction bays; Steve conspicuously did not follow, instead silently watching them – James, anyway – as they left. Wrex leaned against the restaurant wall looking bored. Miranda talked quietly with Jacob near a small water fountain; his shoulders could be seen sagging as her eyes rolled. Liara and Chakwas sat at a table on the patio and studied something on Liara’s Omni-tool display.

Shepard and Kaidan stood in the courtyard and talked casually with EDI for a moment, then EDI glanced over her shoulder. “Keiji, Kaidan and I are going to go below to the labs – would you and Kasumi like to come?”

Keiji looked over at Kasumi; she shrugged nonchalantly. “You go ahead, you’ll enjoy that. I’ll just…” she casually glanced over at Timah, who was looking in a nearby storefront with Thane “…hang out here, see what the others are going to do.”

Keiji blinked; one simple act that seemed to stretch across an eternity. He saw her every movement – every twitch of her eyes, every turn in the angle of her body, every strand of hair as it cascaded across her shoulders – in slow motion. And something inside him clicked. It was like waking up with the dawn. He felt the blood – though he knew it was technically plasma – flowing through his body. He felt the chilly breeze flutter the bio-synthetic hairs on his hand.

He had been alive before; he knew this. But now, he believed he was alive.

He watched Kas’ eyes flicker oddly as confusion flitted across them. He realized anew the thousand reasons why he loved her…and knew with absolute certainty that he deserved nothing less than her unconditional love and devotion in return.

Kasumi blinked; one simple act in which the world changed. If asked, she would be unable to explain what she saw. It was as if, while he stood there and looked at her, a shimmer swept across him – his skin, the set of his mouth, but most of all his eyes. When it had passed – though there had not been an actual shimmer at all, of course – the man standing in front of her was the man she remembered. The man she loved with every fiber of her being. He didn’t look any different, not in any single way she could point to, yet somehow he was…

He exhaled softly as he calmly met her gaze. “Couldn’t you at least try to hide it?”

Her expression faltered unsteadily. “What do you…?”

EDI and Kaidan turned and started to head back toward the control center. EDI looked hesitantly at Keiji. “So do you want to come with us, or…”

He leaned in close to Kasumi, his words controlled but escaping through a clenched jaw. “I may just be – or rather, may have been – a ‘fucking robot,’ but I am not an idiot, Kas. Did you really think I didn’t know?”

Her eyes widened in abject terror. “I – ”

“I didn’t say anything, hoping we’d find some way through it, but I will not be made a fool – any more of a fool – in front of everyone.”

Kasumi looked around at everyone awkwardly trying to look away. Her voice was a hushed whisper. “I was going to break it off, that’s why I wanted to talk to him, I swear…Keiji, what just happened to you?” She reached out for his shoulder but he shrugged her arm off.

“Why would I believe that, now?”

“Because I’m telling you the truth…please, let’s go talk about this somewhere priva– ”

Joker squawked loudly over Shepard’s comm. “Um, Shepard, we have a little problem.”

She cringed and turned away from the escalating argument, keeping her voice low. “What is it, Joker?”

“Oh, nothing really – it’s just the Aduri are here.”

~

Garrus turned from the massive, sleek drive core that hung suspended from the factory ceiling far above them, and peered intently through the glass into the clean room running along the right wall. “So this is where you construct the circuits that will generate the negative ener– ”

“Garrus, get your ass back to the shuttle now!”

He jumped in surprise at the intensity of Shepard’s voice over the comm. “What’s wrong?”

“Aduri – ” she cut off to yell something indecipherable.

“Here?”

“Yes, and we’re getting the hell out of here!”

He looked around the enormous warehouse…back the way they had come, at the dozen or more drive cores suspended in the air; he exhaled harshly. “Shepard, we’re deep inside the facility – it’s going to take us at least half an hour to get back to the shuttle.”

There was silence for a moment. When she responded, her voice was low and soft. “Then you really better start moving.”

~

Shepard stole a glance at the sky through the narrow opening before the canopy began as they ran out the back entrance of the control center and onto the landing pad. Far in the distance, above the horizon, bright swirling light could be seen beginning to cut through the misty atmosphere.

She reached the Raptor and looked around, quickly counting…everyone was here save those in the drive core building. Liara hurried up to her, a panicked expression on her face. “How long until they get here? We can’t go until – ”

She laid a reassuring hand on Liara’s shoulder and met her gaze. “We won’t leave them, Liara. Nobody gets left behind.”

She turned to the group. “But it’s going to be about half an hour before they get here. So grab the guns. It’s not much, but it’s what we have. We’re going back outside where we can see what’s happening.”

Ashley was slinging her Revenant over her back when Andrew leaned in behind her. “Hand me the Paladin.”

She looked over her shoulder at him curiously. He gave her a wry grin. “I practically designed the Goddamn thing, I can shoot it if shooting is required.”

She reached in the back of the shuttle, grabbed the Paladin, and handed it to him, smiling affectionately. “And that’s why I love you.”

~

The control room was chaos as they hurried back through it; Escena were rushing back and forth, gathering data and equipment before running for shuttles. Shepard smoothly slid through the crowd, her mind racing. Goddammit, she wanted to face the Aduri, but not like this, on foot and effectively trapped.

“Joker?” She opened up the team comm, so they would all know what was going on.

“Yup. I’m here. Sitting.”

“Fire the Javelins at the Aduri.”

“Seriously?”

“Yes, but get to maximum distance first. It – ”

EDI-on-the-ship cut in. “Yes, Jeff. We believe the mass disruption may repair the damage the Aduri cause to space.”

“Then shouldn’t we fire them behind the wave?”

Shepard stumbled and almost fell down the stairs as Jacob was pushed into her from behind by a scrambling Escena…then she was out the door and back outside. “Maybe it will slow them down. We have to try.”

“Alright…I guess I’ll just aim for the middle…Jesus that wave’s big…here goes…”

The growl roared through the air, shaking the glass of the control center building. They hurried out into the courtyard until they could see over the control center roof, then turned and stared at the sky in horror as the wave, formerly a distant glimmer, surged forward toward the facility, blocking out the sun and the sky.

“Shit! Uh, that didn’t slow it down…”

“Goddammit!” She looked over at Kaidan, her dark expression meeting his. Together they turned and watched as the wave began enveloping the drive core building. There was no longer even time to get back to the Raptor before the wave would be upon them. Garrus, it’s almost on you – I don’t know if the building will protect you or not.

~

At the sudden roar, Keenon and Adams slowed to a stop and turned, staring wordlessly at the wall of white-blue light rushing toward them from the shadowy depths of the building.

Garrus snatched them both by the arms and yanked them forward. “Move it, guys!”

It won’t.

~

She closed her eyes for the briefest second. Good luck, friend.

“Alright, everyone spread out in a staggered formation. Biotics up front, see if maybe you can hold some of it off. It doesn’t look like walls will provide any protection, but it never hurts to be near one. Maximum shields and barriers. EDI, Keiji, get drones in the wave as soon as you can; see if you can pull some data. Karin, stay huddled down over by the restaurant. Everyone else, as soon as this sonofabitch is within your range, open fire.”

She turned and grabbed Kaidan’s hand; he squeezed hers tightly, nodded, and they separated.

~

The noise level inside the warehouse became deafening as the Aduri approached, slowing slightly as they tore through the clean labs but passing quickly over the drive core shells.

Even Garrus finally slowed as it became clear they stood no chance of outrunning it; they turned to meet their fate head on.

The light was blinding; the air crackled with electricity –

– then suddenly it was on them, surrounding them.

Garrus blinked rapidly. Strange…there was a rippling sensation over his skin, almost an itching…but he wouldn’t call it painful. He could see individual wisps dance past him…one of them circled around him twice, almost as if curious, then continued on, leaving him unharmed.

He couldn’t see more than a meter in the blazing light. “Adams, are you okay?”

“Uh…yeah, I seem to be…”

“Keenon?”

“Yes, sir…but our Escena guide just collapsed.”

“Unfortunately, that’s not a surprise. Legion?”

He was met with silence. “Legion?”

~

The enormous drive core building disappeared fully into the wave; it continued forward relentlessly, dipping and undulating as it swept over the control center, stretching as high and wide as the eye could see.

As the control center disappeared, the courtyard exploded in a barrage of gunfire that’s power was unmatched in the Milky Way but was woefully inadequate against an enemy that stretched into the stars.

“Oh, shit – Shepard, that – ”

“What the Hell – ”

Joker broke in over the chaos. “Shepard, Legion is saying that he’s lost contact with his mech…”

“Fuck! Does – ”

“Behind us!”

She whirled around. Aduri swept up out of the cavern that led to the underground labs…some of them had apparently tunneled under the control center and swept through the labs beneath.

But rather than continuing on, they turned and headed back into the courtyard as Escena fell lifelessly from the hangar bays in the sky.

They were surrounded.

She permanently opened the team-wide comm; she needed to hear everything that happened – and so did they. “Miranda, Jacob, Timah, Litha, Keiji, Kasumi take behind us! Pull in tight and focus fire!”

Ashley swung around to the front and aimed the enormous Revenant II at the wave. “Eat this!” She held down the trigger, unleashing an unrelenting stream of fire – and the targeted portion of the wave surged out toward her, swirling rapidly to the barrel of the Revenant then around her before dissipating as she scowled at them.

What the hell?

Out of the corner of her eye Shepard saw the same thing happen to James. He stood in the midst of swirling wisps, spinning around swatting at them, but seemingly unhurt. She blinked rapidly, her eyes watering as she struggled to see in the blindingly bright light. She tapped on her shades; they quickly darkened to the darkest setting, which only marginally improved the situation.

It was like a tidal wave in a disaster vid – no, two tidal waves, inescapable and closing in to drown them. Why would the Aduri turn back? Just to come for them? Did that mean they were sentient after all?

Shepard, we’re okay – I don’t know how – but Legion collapsed; we’re trying to carry his mech out of here, but –

“Keiji!” The scream came over both the comm and the roaring growl surrounding them.

Shepard spun around to the rear wave as Timah reached over his shoulder and pulled up the fucking Blackstar; he fired it directly into the wave ahead of where Kasumi was running. It briefly created a gap as the wave hollowed into itself; Kasumi sprinted through it and fell to the ground next to Keiji’s limp body –

– ahead of Shepard, Miranda got tired of shooting a pistol ineffectually at energy and hurled a throw into the wall –

– everything was happening so fast, there was so much to keep track of, she hadn’t even had time to fire a single round from her newly-hyper-modified-dual-action Valiant –

– several dozen wisps lunged for the biotic energy Miranda had unleashed, devouring it as they sped forward and surrounded her, seeming to bite at her like a school of piranhas; she staggered, grabbing her head with both hands, but managed to stay on her feet as Jacob rushed toward her –

– horrified, Shepard spun around to warn Kaidan not to –

– he was standing front and center as he reaved the wall of Aduri now less than a dozen meters away –

– an enormous section of the wave roared malevolently and accelerated toward him with the returning biotic energy of the reave; he collapsed to his knees as at least a hundred of the wisps swirled greedily around him; he grabbed his head…then his forehead dropped to the ground –

“Kaidan!” She bolted for him; against her natural instincts but following her gut, she dropped her barrier as she slid to the ground at his side.

Both waves met in the center and everyone was completely engulfed.

“Are you oka– ”

– just beyond him, at the edge of what she could see, EDI’s body crumpled to the ground like a ragdoll –

– she exhaled in the madness; he was breathing but his whole body was shuddering. “Joker, get the fuck out of here!”

“No, I’m not leaving you behind!”

She wrapped her arms around Kaidan’s shoulders, covering him with her body in a desperate attempt to keep these fucking things off of him. Her skin tingled violently, the hairs on her arm standing straight up as though from a strong static charge; she could feel the amp at the base of her skull vibrating angrily against the port.

The wisps spun around him and her frenetically, almost as if they were in a feeding frenzy. Bright white and blue shifted smoothly along their…bodies? Her hand went through their amorphous, fluid forms as she tried to swat them away – though she could feel the slightest additional resistance as she did so, and the tingling in her hand increased to the point of sharp pain.

“Joker, listen to me. The Aduri will kill EDI – you have to get the Normandy out of their path.”

“What? But – ”

“You can come back for us after they’ve passed. We’re…we’re okay. We’ll make it. Go.”

There was the briefest pause. “Aye, aye, ma’am.”

One disaster averted, she pivoted to the next; her eyes darted quickly around, but even with her shades on the darkest setting all she could see was writhing, dancing, undulating light. Impossibly bright. “Everyone kill the biotics, now! Kill the guns, kill everything – we’re only making it worse!”

The sound of guns silencing barely made a dent in the deafening growl that surrounded them – but she was disconcertingly suspicious that the Aduri would now take no more than a passing interest in the members of the team still standing.

And there was nothing else she could do.

All their weapons, all their tools and talents, had been twisted back against them. All they could do was hunker down and hope to survive.

She bent her head down next to Kaidan’s ear, holding him tightly as he shook in her arms. “Hold on, baby. Just hold on…”

~

13:90 GST

Shepard stared wordlessly around the courtyard.

It had taken more than forty minutes for the entirety of the Aduri wave to pass over them. It had felt like years.

Kaidan was lying against the wall beside her, a jacket rolled under his head for support. He had lost consciousness moments after she had reached him, and had not stirred since. Karin could only assure her that he was alive and physically stable; further diagnosis would have to wait until they were back aboard the Normandy.

EDI’s remote body was laid out in the courtyard; Keiji lay several meters further away. Kasumi kneeled next to him, head bowed.

Garrus, Keenon and Adams arrived then; carrying Legion’s body had slowed them down considerably. They dropped the mech heavily on the ground next to EDI; then Adams turned and embraced Karin as she hurried up to him. Liara started to run toward Keenon, then slowed awkwardly, suddenly unsure of how to act; he smiled and went to her, softly running a hand along her cheek.

Most of the rest of the team were sprawled on the ground, leaning against walls or ledges in weariness or just in disbelief – but physically unharmed.

“Shepard, the Aduri have disappeared from long-range sensors; I believe it is safe for us to return.”⸗

She smiled slightly in relief; at least EDI and Legion were safe and alive in the ship. “Okay, EDI, if you’re sure. Have Lieutenant Rogers and Sergeant Lisson bring down the Kodiaks to my location. We’ll come back for the Raptor, but nobody’s really in any shape to head back to it right now.”

“Understood. ETA eighteen minutes.”

She ran a hand raggedly down her face, then knelt down to check on Kaidan. Still breathing. Still alive. She reluctantly stood and looked around again, then went over to Kasumi and gently placed a hand on her shoulder; she jerked in surprise.

Kasumi looked up; her eyes were wide, tears staining her cheeks. “Shepard…is he dead?”

“I…I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

“He doesn’t have a copy in the ship…this is all there is…” Her brow furrowed; normally the master of subtlety, her expressions were ragged and uncontrolled. “Something happened, before the attack…I don’t know, but he…” She turned away and ran a shaking hand through his hair, then began stroking his cheek. “Don’t be dead…please…”

Shepard squeezed Kasumi’s shoulder sympathetically then let her be. She looked to the sky, scanning for the shuttles’ arrival, as one thought ran over and over through her head like a drumbeat.

What the hell had happened here?