Spectre Bk. 02 Ch. 21

A/N - Australian / British standard English. There is a good chance of reading the following: lots of profanity, characters drinking, typos, and bad grammar at times.

Proofreading and editing suggestions provided by OhDave1. Any mistakes are still mine.

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Shepard leads his team through the Omega Four relay.

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The plan was to install the Reaper IFF and head straight through the relay. That plan was put on a brief hiatus due to Legion making a request about taking care of the geth that he had called 'heretics'. It hadn't been a particularly difficult mission once we set foot on the geth space station. What we all learned is that the geth were rather advanced. Not so advanced that an invasion of council space would mean their inevitable victory, but the geth of today had advanced far beyond the geth that had nearly wiped out the quarian race.

That was a couple of days ago. I was walking towards the AI Core as I had been warned by EDI that Tali and Legion were in the middle of an argument. I walked into the room to find Tali with her pistol aimed at Legion. I knew that I had to defuse the situation rather quickly as although I hadn't known Legion long, I didn't want the geth dead. I knew that keeping it alive might do everyone some good, that the geth could return to its own space and possibly facilitate dialogue in the future.

Keeping Legion alive might even assist the quarians in getting home.

Thankfully, although Tali was unhappy that Legion had been a little bit naughty about gaining information about the Migrant Fleet. I could almost understand Legion doing it as I knew Admiral Xen had continued Admiral Zorah's work about finding an advantage over the geth. Legion was simply trying to protect its people. We had talked more than once since I'd woken it up about the past. It was a past that I wasn't sure Tali would want to listen to.

But Tali would listen to reason, even when it came to the geth. It was a surprising attitude, but Tali had always trusted me. And when I assured both sides that I would make sure that nothing would happen to either, Tali calmed down and they agreed to an exchange of non-critical information. A fig leaf of cooperation if ever there was one.

The Normandy was now heading towards the Omega Nebula cluster. It would wait near the relay as the final installation of the Reaper IFF would happen. Once it was installed, it would be non-stop to the relay and the Collector homeworld.

While last preparations were being made, most of the crew was also doing their best to relax. Last messages and calls were being made to family and friends. I knew everyone had written a last will and testament. I'd sent mine to Major Anderson. I wasn't surprised that a few others approached me to send it to the Alliance as they knew that I had kept the door open to my eventual return.

"Are you expecting a betrayal?" Garrus asked as we sat back and enjoyed a drink together, "The Illusive Man isn't stupid. He knows that once we return... If we return, if we're both being honest... He knows that your time with Cerberus is over."

"It won't be a betrayal because I'll be ready for him. But I know that he'll do everything that he can to prevent losing the ship and all his people."

"He's going to be in for a bit of shock when every single one of them leaves with you."

"I've had Mordin doing all the checks possible to make sure the ship can't be tracked. What are you going to do?"

"I'll stay with you for as long as possible. But I'm guessing going back to the Alliance won't be easy?"

"I've got my supporters, but given my time with Cerberus is now public knowledge, there are those out there who want me charged with, well, whatever they can think of throwing at me."

"I guess heading back would mean giving up this ship?"

"No doubt. Hackett will do his best to protect me. He wants me back in the uniform. But if I get the inkling that all they'll do is lock me up and leave me to rot, I'll head to the Citadel and work only as a Spectre. Hackett suggested that he would give me warning if he can't hold off those in power."

"I reckon Kira would do everything in her power to protect you. The human councillor as well."

"I'm not going to make any rash decisions. All I want to do is get back in uniform and back to work."

We were hovering in the Omega Nebula cluster, Omega itself in the distance with the Omega Four relay in the opposite direction. Even in the far distance, we could see the twinkling red lights that told ships to not approach the relay. Of course, there were idiots who still tried to go through it in the belief that all sorts of treasure lay on the opposite side.

I had no plans for us to leave the ship but EDI asked to speak to me up in my cabin. That suggested it was something serious, heading upstairs and her orb eventually appeared in front of me. She explained that installing the Reaper IFF was proving even more difficult than she anticipated and that it was going to take even longer than I had planned. She suggested that it was going to take long enough that we could head to Omega on the shuttle for a few hours.

"Are you sure?" I had to ask.

"I'll admit to slight concern about this as well," she confessed, "I'm worried that as soon as it's installed it'll light up the ship like a Christmas tree."

"I would rather be on board if that happens," I countered.

"I can take care of that thanks to the countermeasures I already have in place, Shepard. The Normandy will not be in danger while I am working. And to be honest, Shepard, I believe many of the crew would prefer to spend these last few hours off the ship before going through the relay."

"Has Kelly suggested that as well?"

"No. It's merely what I can sense. There is no doubt that everyone's stress levels have increased the closer we get to the end game. A few hours relaxing on Omega will probably do your squad some good."

"I can't argue with that, I guess."

I ordered the squad down to the mess and informed them of what EDI suggested. The women would all be coming with me. Garrus would head onto Omega and perhaps find an asari to have a little fun with. There were a few concerned glances though we all knew that dealing with anything Reaper-based was fraught with danger. Kelly and Chakwas were invited to join us. The offer went out to all the crew, but many were happy to remain on the ship as they didn't particularly want to leave the ship for Omega. Illium or the Citadel, the ship would have been left empty, but many of the crew didn't like Omega at all.

We docked on Omega a few minutes later. Most of us were dressed casually though wore shield packs and carried weapons. I was confident that no one would be stupid enough to cause trouble with our group though you could never be sure. Given the animosity some of us had against batarians, and the dislike they had for humanity as a whole in return, it probably wouldn't take much to light the blue touch paper and cause a fight.

As soon as we walked into Afterlife, Xera was dancing on stage and noticed me. She practically leapt off the stage as soon as our eyes met and hugged me ever so tightly. I carried her up towards where Aria was in her usual place. She wasn't particularly interested as to why we were there though noticed Xera had her limbs wrapped around me and wasn't letting go.

"Want a private room for you and your crew?" Aria offered.

"Sure."

The other asari that I'd been friendly with on previous visits, Servia, walked over and led our group towards a private room. Amusingly, Helena Blake saw me and my group walking by and followed us in. Xera clambered off my body so I could give Helena a kiss and a hug.

"What are you doing here?" they asked almost in unison.

"We're preparing to head through the Omega Four. We're just here for a few hours while the ship is prepared. It's not going to be a massive party or anything as we could be called back at any moment."

Once we were all sat down, drinks were handed out though most of them were non-alcoholic. Xera worked the pole and it didn't take long until she was naked. It was amusing when Kelly was the first to get up and start to strip alongside her. While I was distracted by Xera and Kelly, I felt a hand at my chest, glancing to see Helena was smiling at me.

"It's been quite a while since I last saw you, Shepard," she said softly.

"I've been incredibly busy, and even if I've been back to Omega, it's been to sort something out and then head off again."

A couple of other asari entered to join Xera in dancing. I wasn't planning on getting naked and enjoying time with anyone... Well, except maybe with Xera. And as the other asari kept the others occupied as they were quickly naked, doing things to each other and with a few toys, Xera was on her knees between my legs, her fingers working quickly to get my cock out of my trousers. Her eyes lit up upon seeing it and she didn't hesitate in engulfing it.

"I remember that cock very fondly as well," Helena said softly, leaning over to caress Xera's crest, "And I remember watching this young asari enjoying herself thoroughly with you last time."

"I'm thinking we let her have this last time," Miranda stated.

"Are you going somewhere?" Xera asked.

"Through the Omega Four," I replied.

The look of worry on her face had me leaning forward to give her a soft kiss. "I have no intention other than making sure that I come back. And when I do, I might just stop here and take you with us for a little while. I think I'll collect a small group of asari while we head elsewhere."

"I think Aria would say that's okay because it's you," Xera whispered.

She resumed her blowjob, feeling all the other women watching us though none of them were doing anything other than watching me or watching the asari dancers. Servia returned with more drinks, took note of what was going on, and returned a little later with more asari dancers. It didn't take long until there were lap dances taking place here and there.

Xera's blue eyes gazed up at mine as her head slowly bobbed up and down, her tongue working the shaft, lips wrapped tightly around it. I ran my fingers lightly over her crest, her eyes filling with pleasure as she released my cock to smile at me for a moment before resuming her blowjob. I heard soft moans around me as I had a feeling a few of my companions were perhaps going to have some fun as well.

Warning Xera that I was about to cum, all she did was smile up at me... Well, it was in her eyes as I grunted as I felt my cock erupt inside her mouth. She moaned loudly and I heard her gulping down. As soon as she was content that I had nothing left to give her, she lifted herself up onto my lap and I felt her dripping pussy resting against my still relatively hard cock.

We made out and I felt her gently rubbing against me. But although I would have enjoyed fucking her immediately, I wanted to give her something else. I managed to manoeuvre us so that she was lying back on the lounge with me between her legs this time. She spread her legs as she knew what I wanted, her pussy glistening with increasing excitement.

"Goddess," she whispered once my tongue got to work, feeling her hand resting on the back of my head, "You know that I only dance, Shepard. My pussy belongs to you."

Helena chuckled next to her. "She's not lying. I think most of the asari here would love to be in her position right now. I'd like some of that too, to be honest..."

"Get your trousers and panties down," Xera moaned, "I'm not going to deny any of you this."

Helena didn't stop at just her bottom half as she ended up as naked as Xera. While my tongue worked Xera's pussy, I glanced at Helena and slowly fondled her pussy. As soon as I brought Xera to orgasm, I moved over, wrapped my hands around Helena's thighs and brought her pussy closer to my mouth. While I pleasured her pussy, Xera leaned over and took one of Helena's breasts in her mouth.

Helena didn't last long until she enjoyed her first orgasm, Xera glancing at me and telling me to keep going as she could wait a little longer until we were intimate. Helena loved it even more when I slid a pair of fingers inside her, finding that special spot that ensured her climaxes were even better. She eventually had to ask me to stop as she couldn't handle any more. I moved back towards Xera, who smiled down at me as my tongue got back to work.

I could hear soft moans around me and I think some of the other women were having a little fun. I hadn't planned on any of this happening though I guess such things happen in Afterlife. I did wonder if Aria was watching or recording. I knew that she had no real attraction to me, but she knew of my attraction to asari and their attraction in return. And she probably heard stories that I tried to make my lovers happy.

Xera pulled her legs back and was begging me to really make her cum hard. I pulled her closer with a hand around her thigh and my other hand working her pussy or her arse. She definitely enjoyed the latter, lubing my fingers up in her pussy before I slid them inside her bum. The next climax she enjoyed was incredible.

"Fuck me," she moaned, "Please fuck me, Shepard."

I sat back on the lounge with Xera on my lap, watching as she slowly sank down on my cock. We made out as she slowly rode me, her eyes constantly gazing into mine. She rode me slowly, her face a picture of delight and joy as we made out, her hands resting on my shoulders while I caressed her back and moved my hands down to cup her arse.

We both glanced around to see some of my crew were having fun. Many of them hadn't shown any bisexual tendencies though given the asari were only one gender, human females had long been having fun with asari and never considered themselves as having changed orientation.

Xera kissed me again as she rode me faster and faster. The whimpers made me smile as her blue eyes gazed into mine.

"She really likes you, Shepard," Helena whispered, "Though I'm guessing she is one of many."

"He's got just the best dick ever!" Xera exclaimed, to the agreement of nearly every other woman present that I'd been intimate with.

When Xera climaxed again, she slumped against my chest and needed a few moments to control her emotions. I wrapped my arms around her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. I would have loved to take her somewhere far more comfortable and make love for hours, but I had no idea when EDI or Joker was going to get in touch with us.

What had me chuckling a couple of minutes later was Xera sliding off my lap and insisting Helena have her turn with me. Helena moaned softly as she lowered herself down on my cock, sharing a passionate kiss, before she started to ride me faster. We shared more than one kiss as Xera cuddled into my side, Helena making sure I kissed Xera before I kissed Helena again.

Helena was obviously excited, and it didn't take long until she enjoyed a couple of climaxes. Realising that I hadn't cum again yet, she made sure Xera was riding me when I was ready to cum. Xera clutched at me tightly when she felt my cock throbbing inside her, turning her head to kiss me as I heard her whimper more than once.

"If you were to ever move to Thessia, I'd move there in an instant," she whispered.

Xera lifted herself up so my cock was no longer inside her though she sat back down on my lap, one arm around her while Helena snuggled in closer. It had been a long time since I'd seen Helena and she was still as gorgeous as ever. We were surrounded by others moaning softly though my attention remained focused on the asari and woman with me. Whatever they were doing was their business... Though I did recognise Kelly's loud moans and Jack was cursing like usual.

Xera and Helena shared me again a little later, this time lying them back on a separate lounge and fucking them both. This time, I was thrusting hard into Helena and knew that my orgasm was imminent. Xera was sitting next to Helena's head and almost ordered me to cum inside Helena.

"I like her, Shepard," Helena moaned.

We were sitting back sipping at our drinks when every Omni-tool of a Normandy crew member lit up. Whatever anyone else was doing ended immediately as I checked what was going on. It was a message from EDI.

The Normandy had been attacked by the Collectors. Most of the crew had been abducted. EDI was now unshackled, and Joker was bringing the ship back towards Omega. She assured me that there would be more details once we were back on the ship, but the Reaper IFF was now installed, and the ship was ready to go through the Omega Four relay.

Xera and Helena knew it was bad news as I dressed along with nearly everyone else. The other asari were also concerned about the immediate change in mood. Miranda walked towards me and asked what the plan was. I gathered everyone around and told them that we would be returning to the Normandy as soon as it was back and that there would be no further hesitation in going through the relay.

Once EDI let me know that the Normandy was back, Xera and Helena accompanied all of us back to the shuttle. Helena hugged me first, whispering good luck into my ear before we shared a soft kiss. Everyone then gave me a moment with Xera, sharing an incredibly passionate kiss with her.

"I'll talk to Aria when I get back about you coming with me," I told her.

Boarding the shuttle, Helena wrapped an arm around Xera as it was obvious that the asari was doing her best to keep her emotions under control. I let EDI know we were on our way back and the shuttle bay door was open for us when the ship came into view. Once we touched down, I ordered everyone to their stations for the journey before I made way up to the flight deck.

The ship was normally quiet anyway, but it wasn't hard to miss that the ship was deserted. Only Joker was still at the helm, and he gave me a brief overview of what happened. I'm not sure if he was expecting a bollocking for unshackling EDI, but I assured him that he'd done everything possible to keep the ship safe.

Before we started our final approach, I had a last conversation with the Illusive Man. We'd had more than one argument in the past few weeks, but he was rather conciliatory during the conversation as he knew there was a chance that we wouldn't come back. I remained polite in return, assuring him that we were ready to go, the squad was committed, and that we were all in, no matter the price.

"Approaching Omega Four relay. Everyone stand by," Joker said as I stood behind him on the flight deck. Ahead lay the relay itself. It glowed differently from every other relay we knew.

"Take her in, Joker. We've been delayed long enough, and the Collectors have made this personal more than once."

His fingers flowed over the holographic display. "Reaper IFF activates, Commander. Signal acknowledged."

I could feel the ship shudder as soon as the thing was activated. Georgia reported a real spike from down in the drive core, Tali adding from engineering that nearly everything was spiking on her display. I could hear commands sent calmly between departments to protect the ship from disaster.

We hit the relay and there was the familiar surge though even I could feel it was different. EDI reported in that we should brace for deceleration, Joker shouting that the ship was moving far faster than normal whenever we went through a relay. Then we were through...

Into a ship graveyard.

"Brace for impact!" Joker shouted, "Evasive manoeuvres!"

It must have been thousands of ships that had passed through the Omega Four and been destroyed. Some of them looked positively ancient. Joker was brilliant as always, the Normandy missing some pieces of wreckage by what felt like millimetres. I had EDI check out some of the wreckage and she quickly reported in that some of the ships were thousands of years old.

Ahead of us lay the galactic core. Somewhere ahead was the Collector base. There was still plenty of wreckage though it thinned out as Joker had the Normandy safely pointed ahead.

"Shepard, I have detected an energy signature near the edge of the accretion disk," EDI reported.

"The base," I stated, "Take us in, Joker. Nice and easy."

"Don't worry, Commander. We're not losing another ship."

We found ourselves attacked by machines that must have laid in the ruins, ready to attack ships that came through the relay safely. EDI and Joker were hard at work keeping the Normandy safe. Joker had the Normandy turning on a dime as he managed to take out a few of the machines attacking us, EDI using her new capabilities to also keep us safe. All the upgrades that we'd been installing on the ship over the past few months worked like a charm. The new cannons were powerful. The new plating and shielding kept everyone inside the ship safe.

But that didn't stop one of the machines from getting inside the cargo hold.

"Grunt. Take a team and get down there," I ordered.

"On it, Shepard," Grunt replied.

"Keep the channel open, EDI. I want to make sure that thing's put down."

The sound of gunfire soon echoed around the flight deck as nearly everyone had headed to the cargo hold to assist Grunt. The power we had meant it was a quick, sharp battle. So fast that Jack was complaining that she barely got the chance to warm up.

More of the machines were coming in to attack us. Even with our upgrades, the ship wasn't invulnerable.

"Commander... The debris field..."

"Do it, Joker."

"Shepard..."

"Do what you can to keep us intact, EDI. But we need to get those things off our tail," I stated.

It seemed to last forever as Joker had the ship ducking and diving through fast-moving debris. More than once, I had the sinking feeling that we were going to slam straight into an enormous piece of ship wreckage. But Joker hadn't been the best pilot in the Alliance without a reason. He had the Normandy dancing, and battle resumed downstairs as another one of those machines managed to get inside. I heard the excitement in Grunt's voice as I could hear the bark of his shotgun and the immediate thump of more than one biotic attack.

"Shepard," Miranda stated next to me, "The Collector base. Dead ahead."

"Status report, EDI."

"Kinetic barriers at thirty percent. Damage to plating on levels three, four and five."

Before I could issue an order, the Collectors made their play as Joker warned me that their ship was now on the move. Joker brought it up on the monitor so we would track it as EDI immediately went on the attack with her cyber warfare capabilities.

"We're faster, nimbler and more powerful than before, Joker," I stated, "Kill this fucking thing."

"You got it, Commander."

The Collector ship was strong. Its armour had already proven durable after the beating it had taken on Horizon. And I didn't particularly want to test the strength of our armour and barriers against its cannons again. Joker kept the Normandy out of its range before getting the ship into position to return fire. We watched as our retort flew directly into the Collector ship and it caused an almighty explosion.

"Hit it again!" I ordered.

Joker brought the Normandy round and fired. The next shot must have hit something critical as the next explosion near enough tore the Collector ship apart. Then the drive core within the ship exploded and we were too close. The pulse slammed into our ship and knocked out far too many systems. EDI did what she could to maintain at least a modicum of control before warning that we were going to crash.

"Hold on, everyone!" I shouted before we landed with an almighty bang.

While we might have tried to hold on, I think everyone would have been knocked on their arse while the ship was briefly out of control, and we slammed down on the Collector base. Miranda was lifting herself up as I regained my feet, offering my hand and helping her up. EDI immediately gave me information about the ship. There was plenty of damage, but she was confident that we could get the ship back in the air.

"EDI, how long do we have until the Collectors find us?"

Thankfully, she did have some good news. "I do not detect an internal security network, Shepard. It is possible the Collectors did not expect anyone to reach their base."

Joker glanced back at me and smirked. "If we're lucky, their external sensors were hit like we were. They might not think we're alive."

"Works for me. Everyone to the briefing room. Now."

Kelly was looking a little dazed in her usual position by the galaxy map. I quickly checked that she was okay, earning a soft kiss on the cheek before she wished me good luck. As I entered the briefing room, nearly everyone was already there waiting for me. I met most pairs of eyes and was greeted with a determined look in return.

"EDI is going to need time to make repairs. When we rescue the crew, they will come back and ensure the ship is ready for us. However, we also knew this was possibly a one-way trip. We're here to stop the Collectors, no matter the cost. But we need a plan. EDI, have you got some scans for us?"

"Overloading their critical systems at their main control centre should destroy this base," she suggested.

There were plenty of comments as everyone could see that the way ahead was right through the heart of the station. There were numerous enormous energy signatures, and we could only guess at what they were. We also noticed a central chamber that we agreed was the likely position where our crew and some colonists were likely being held.

I knew that we would need to split into teams though if we could work together as a group, I would prefer that. If we did need teams, I designated Miranda as the leader of a second team of two, and if we split into teams of three, Garrus would lead the third team. I noticed everyone look at Miranda and give her a nod of recognition.

But to get anywhere, we needed to get past blast doors which the Collectors must have kept closed. There was a ventilation shaft that someone could walk through to open the doors. What made me smile was the fact more than one person immediately volunteered. Miranda immediately suggested that it should be someone with technical abilities.

I looked at Tali, noticing how she immediately stood a little taller. "It's no doubt going to be rather warm in there so I'm hoping that suit of yours will keep you safe," I said, "Can you do it, Tali?"

"I won't let any of you down, Shepard."

"Good. Now there are two passages. Miranda, you will lead the second team. Garrus, when the time comes, you might have your own squad." I took a moment and glanced over my squad. "I'm not one for making grandiose speeches. We know why we're here. We've fought these bastards more than once. This time, we're on their home ground. We've come a long way and... I don't know about you, but I'm thinking we get the job done and go home. Sound good?"

There was loud agreement to that idea.

"Tali, we'll get you through the vent. Miranda, you and your team watch your backs. Keep in contact. Everyone keep their channels open and the communication clear."

Garrus went with Miranda as I knew he'd be the perfect foil for her. Although Jack had been getting on with her better, I still took the young biotic with me. Amelie was with me as well as Georgia and Leliana. Everyone else went with Miranda as I wanted a small team to support Tali through the vent.

The Collectors were lying in wait as they knew we were coming. Jack was immediately enjoying herself. Amelie was working her sniper rifle while I worked my way forward with Georgia and Leliana at my flanks. Miranda kept us up to date with her progress. The Collectors were putting up fierce resistance there as well.

Tali was moving forward along the vent though what the scans hadn't picked up were the numerous gates that blocked her passage. We had to open each gate to allow her to move further forward, and she reported in that the heat was far higher than anticipated. She was okay, but being trapped at each gate did cause her some difficulties.

When the glowing Collector made its appearance, I almost smiled to myself. And it issues the usual bullshit threats and comments. If I'd made it personal when I took out Sovereign, he'd made it personal when the Collectors started to attack human colonies and abduct hundreds of thousands of colonists.

The Collectors were tough as they had probably already figured out what we were there to do. Kill them all and destroy their base. We'd already destroyed their ship. I had no intention of leaving without making sure the Collectors would no longer be a threat to any of us.

Tali remained calm the entire time, even if we were delayed in getting through yet another gate. There were eight of them in total, and when we got her through the last one, she slipped through and got to work opening the blast doors to allow both teams through. The Collectors pushed as hard as they could but we fought them off, Tali getting the doors open, and the two teams were able to join up again.

It was a chamber full of pods. And we learned quickly that they were full of both colonists and crew. Tali got to work at a nearby terminal to get the pods opened. When technology didn't work, brute force worked just fine. We got every crew member out of the pods they were in, but the better news was managing to save a few colonists. Nowhere near enough to make any of us feel better, but the fact we'd saved at least a few was satisfying.

A couple of our crew members explained what was going on. It was horrifying and it only made us more determined to make sure we were successful.

There were now two decisions for me to make. The first was how to proceed as EDI warned that the chamber ahead was full of seeker swarms. The problem was that the energy they were putting out suggested that Mordin's countermeasure would not be effective. When I suggested biotics, Samara smiled at me and stepped forward to offer her support.

"I'm powerful enough to keep a biotic barrier in place to allow a small team through to the other side," she explained.

"I can assist," Triss added, "If it's too much, I can add my own barrier."

"Very well. You two with me. Georgia and Leliana, come with me as I reckon the Collectors will be there. The rest of you will support Miranda via the alternate route."

When it came to getting the crew back towards the ship, I had Mordin escort them. He could assist the crew in getting the ship back into working order. I considered sending Tali, but I had a feeling that we might need her technical expertise. Plus, she was deadly with that shotgun...

The seeker swarm was massive, and it was taking every bit of Samara's power to keep the barrier in place. Leliana and Georgia remained close, and it wasn't long until the Collectors were once again proving to be a nuisance. And Triss was the perfect backup with her biotic power, running riot with her attacks that left many Collectors as easy pickings for the rest of us.

Samara moved slowly as it was obvious that it was incredibly difficult for her to keep the barrier in place. Yet it did not flicker once. We kept her shielded from each side, and whenever we were under sustained gunfire, I made sure that she was in cover and well protected from any gunfire heading in her general direction.

Whenever the glowing Collector showed up, I made sure it came towards me, leaving it open for Triss to attack its barrier before I could let loose with gunfire of my own. Leliana and Georgia were as brave as ever, never allowing the Collectors to get too close and whenever I was momentarily distracted from protecting Samara, one of those two would take my place.

We had to move slowly as Samara had to focus on the barrier over everything else. There was no doubting how powerful she was, but as we were approaching the exit, it was obvious to the rest of us that she was starting to tire quickly. Triss sent shockwave after shockwave towards the Collectors to hold them back. I was urging Samara on and as the door opened ahead, I made sure the rest were through as I provided covering fire. When Samara was through, we turned together, and she released a powerful attack. The doors closed quickly, and Samara slumped against me.

Once the doors shut behind us, we finally reestablished contact with the other team and quickly got the door open that they were pinned against. They were under heavy fire, but everyone got through the doors safely before Tali made sure they were shut and locked tight. The scuffed armour and use of Medi-gel suggested that they'd taken a battering, but everyone was still alive.

"Joker, what's your status?" I asked.

"Repairs continue, Commander. The crew and colonists made it back with Mordin. Everyone is hard at work getting the ship in working order pronto."

"What's our next step, EDI?"

"There should be some nearby platforms that will take you to the main control console. From there you can overload the systems and destroy the base."

Then the news got better when we were warned that the Collectors were massing behind the doors we'd locked. Heading forward as a group would leave us trapped. That meant a small team would go forward with the rest protecting our rear. I also knew that this was the part that could be a one-way trip. As long as we destroyed the base in the end, that was all that mattered...

"Who are you taking, Shepard?" Miranda asked.

"If I could do it by myself..."

"I'll come with you, Shepard. I know we might not come back..."

I met her eyes, and I knew that she needed to do it for herself in addition to wanting to be by my side until the end. "Garrus, I need you to cover our backs while we're gone. Samara, you'll come with me and Miranda. Aela and Leliana, you two with us as well. The rest of you, support Garrus. All we need is enough time to get to the master control and overload the systems to blow this place to smithereens."

"We'll hold the fuckers back, Shepard," Jack stated.

"Keep in contact, Shepard. And if... You know..." Garrus started to say. I offered my hand and the handshake was warm. "Do try and come back though."

The next couple of hours were fraught as we fought our way forward towards the elevated platform that would take us to our final destination. The five of us made a good team. Samara and Miranda linked up their biotic attacks. Aela, Leliana and I had the Collectors pausing more than once under the hail of bullets that constantly headed their way. The Collectors were pushing as hard as possible, and it was slow progress moving forward.

Whenever the glowing Collector arrived, it quickly wilted under the sustained attack from five people. Three people armed with weapons, two people flinging biotic attacks. The Collectors were throwing all the monsters it had in its armoury at us. I was worried more than once that they could possibly overwhelm us. We were smart, stayed in cover, picked our targets carefully, and only moved forward when all was clear.

By the time the final Collector finally dropped dead, we all took a moment to catch our breath. I wasn't the only one with scuffed armour. Miranda was holding her hip, taking a moment to check her as it was obvious that her shields had faltered, and a bullet had clipped her. We slapped some Medi-gel on it as she wiped her brow.

"I'm a big girl, Shepard. I'll be fine," she assured me.

A nearby console was what we needed as it would power one of the platforms that would levitate and carry us forward. We'd been following the enormous tubes from where we had rescued our crew and some of the colonists. I think we all had a vague idea of what the Collectors were doing, but for what reason... We were probably going to find out.

"EDI, what can you tell us? What are they doing?"

"The tubes are feeding into some kind of super-structure. It is emitting both organic and non-organic energy signatures. Given these readings, it must be massive."

We remained alert as the platform carried us forward. As we approached what must have been the final chamber, EDI finally gave us her findings.

"Shepard... If my calculations are correct, the super-structure is... A Reaper."

She was right. But it wasn't just a Reaper. It was a human Reaper. I probably wasn't the only one to feel a shudder down my spine as we slowly approached the creation. It didn't seem to be awake as the platform finally locked its way into place. I made a gesture for everyone to keep cool as we walked forward. It was obvious that the creation wasn't complete.

It was horrifying.

"It appears the Collectors have processed tens of thousands of humans. Significantly more will be required to complete the Reaper."

"It's a fucking abomination," I growled, "We're not leaving before it's destroyed, and we make sure this base is blown up."

"If we take out those tubes holding it up, we should be able to make it collapse," Miranda suggested, pointing at the same tubes that we'd been following and that were holding the Reaper in place.

"Good suggestion. Let's get to work."

The Collectors arrived before we could focus on the tubing, making sure we eliminated them first before we all focused on one of the tubes. I didn't even bother counting how many of them we killed as it was obvious this was their final push. After destroying one of the tubes, the Reaper... woke up. Sort of. Woke up enough that it could start firing some sort of attacks at us as well.

The glowing Collector appeared more than once. More monsters than ever before. It was the proverbial kitchen sink being thrown at us. Samara had recovered after guiding us through the sweeper swarms, a range of attacks that left many of the enemy as easy pickings for the rest of us. Miranda mixed up biotics and gunfire, assisting Samara where possible, and I'll never grow tired of hearing biotic detonations.

"Keep pushing!" I shouted, "Don't let them flank us."

It was their last stand. Under that sort of pressure, we were all bound to take damage. But the piles of Collector bodies increased further. And with each tube that we destroyed, the closer we were to victory. When we finally smashed the last one, there was an ear-piercing screech before the Reaper lifted its head and stared at us.

Then it dropped out of view, the five of us walking to the edge of the platform as the Reaper eventually disappeared.

"Garrus, what's your status?"

"We're holding the line, Shepard, but the Collectors are still pushing. A quick exit would be preferable if you've dealt with everything there."

"Copy that, Garrus. Start making your way to the Normandy. Joker, you read me?"

"Reading you, Commander."

"Is the Normandy ready to move?"

"Last systems just came back online. We're good to go."

"Good. Make your way to the rendezvous point and meet the ream. Prepare for a quick evac after that as this place is going be blown sky high." I glanced at Miranda. "Want to do the honours?"

Before she could reply, she told me that there was an incoming message. It was the Illusive Man. He congratulated us on completing the mission and defeating the Collectors. Then he said something that I had expected to come.

"You did what you had to do, and you acquired the Collector base," he stated.

"Acquired? Interesting turn of phrase," Miranda suggested.

"I'm looking at the schematics that EDI uploaded. A timed radiation pulse would kill the remaining Collectors, but leave the machinery and technology intact. This is our chance, Shepard. They were building a Reaper. That knowledge, that framework, could save us."

"Listen to yourself. This place is an abomination. Do you have any idea the number of humans they sacrificed here? And don't think you can fool any of us. It's not about saving 'us'. It's about you. This has always been about you."

He kept arguing, suggesting that I was short-sighted and failed to see the value of keeping the base. But I knew that he only wanted the base to increase his own power and that of Cerberus. I'd learned enough about him already to know that he had grand designs. Hell, he was the type of megalomaniac who probably thought he could control the Reapers.

When he realised that he wasn't going to convince me, he turned to Miranda and demanded that she stop me.

"I gave you an order, Miss Lawson. I expect you to do it," he demanded.

She flipped him the bird. "Consider this my resignation." She cut the line and smiled at me before sighing. "Damn, I've been waiting to do that for weeks. Right, blowing this place up. I'll sort that out quickly, Shepard."

Miranda organised everything to blow though we had ten minutes to get away back to the ship. Just when I thought it was all over... the fucking Reaper somehow arrived.

"Fuck this!" I stated, pulling the heavy weapon from my back. It wasn't the enormous experimental weapon that only Grunt could carry. But it was a missile launcher that could cause plenty of havoc of its own. Without any Collectors to worry, all we did was focus all our firepower on the Reaper. It was beyond horrific having to fight this thing. The sounds it made... I'm sure we'll all hear those in our dreams in the following weeks.

We destroyed it and it collapsed again. This time it slammed into the platforms on its way down. That caused all of us to lose our footing, and I heard Miranda practically scream as she started to slide downwards. I didn't even think when I leapt after her, managing to grab her hand just as she was about to go over the edge.

"Not going to give up on me, Shepard?" she managed to ask, even finding humour in such a moment.

"I remember you made a promise to your little sister," I replied. I managed to lift her up back to safety, collapsing onto my back as Miranda fell onto my chest. She gave me a sweet smile before we stood up and quickly made our way back to one of the other platforms.

It was now time to get the hell out of there. After a quick hop on a platform, EDI gave us an extraction point. Seeker swarms and Collectors chased us, all of us turning to fire our weapons, Samara and Miranda hurling biotics, as we managed to keep them back during our escape.

And through all that, I heard the voice of Harbinger. I wasn't sure if anyone else could hear it. I was left wondering if it was all in my head.

The Normandy came into view though it couldn't get close enough to just step onto it. Aela, Leliana, Samara and Miranda all leapt over the gap before they turned and provided cover. I heard my shields faltering as I leapt over the gap and was left hanging off the edge. Samara and Miranda leant down to drag my sorry arse up onto the ship, others stepping forward to provide cover as Joker immediately had the ship veering away.

Thanking the pair who helped me up before I walked towards Joker on the flight deck. He already had the Normandy powering away from the base.

"Everyone brace for impact!" I shouted, "The shockwave will be enormous."

Thankfully, the quick fixes kept the ship intact as we were buffeted by the shockwave. Joker and EDI worked in tandem to keep the ship safe, and within barely a few minutes, we were back through the relay.

When I let the rest of the ship know that we were now safe back in the Omega Nebula cluster, I think they would have heard the cheers back on Omega.

"Shepard, he wants to talk," Miranda warned me as I walked towards Kelly. Her eyes lit up upon seeing me, "Do you want to have one last conversation?"

"Fuck it. I've got nothing to lose talking to him one last time." I gave Kelly a tight hug before she laid one hell of a kiss on my lips. "And I'm guessing you're rather happy right now."

"We are totally fucking later," she whispered, "It feels like forever since I had your dick inside me."

"I think Shepard is fucking all of us," Miranda stated with a smile, "We'll find a way to keep him hard and make sure he gives us all a load of his cum."

"Spread it out over a few days," Kelly suggested, "We'll keep him fed, hydrated and satisfied."

Walking into the briefing room, I wasn't surprised that Miranda and Georgia were the first to follow me inside though I felt the presence of nearly all my squad behind me and probably more than a few of the crew. Joker had brought the ship to a halt as we had to figure out our next move. With EDI unshackled, I also knew that a long conversation with her was required.

"Shepard. You're making a habit of costing me more than time and money," he stated, putting out the cigarette in his hand.

"The fact you wanted to keep that place tells me everything that I need to know about your intentions, not just with me, the Collectors... But also the Reapers."

"Yes, the Reapers. You seem to forget that we are still not ready. The technology from that base could have secured human dominance in the galaxy. Against the Reapers and beyond."

I started to clap and I could see that left him momentarily confused, hearing a few chuckles from around me. "Thank you for confirming exactly why I would never have handed anything of worth over to you. 'Human dominance'. We've never really worked towards the same objective. We both wanted the Collectors defeated. I wanted them dead because they were targeting us. You wanted them dead because of your desire for power."

"Strength for Cerberus is strength for every human. Cerberus is humanity!"

"Cerberus is nothing but your own vanity project, a way for you to gain power through subterfuge."

"I should have known that you'd choke on the hard decisions. Too idealistic from the start."

"Yet you're the fuckwit that decided to invest billions in waking me up. Good thing for me is that I've never really answered to you and I definitely won't be doing that now. What I now know is that Harbinger and the Reapers are still coming, and humanity and the galaxy are going to need to lead them."

"Don't turn your back on me, Shepard. You don't want me as your enemy."

"What you've failed to realise is that I never worked for you. Sure, you gave me a ship, a crew, some dossiers, a few credits and whatnot, but you should have realised very quickly that I was never really convinced about your ideals or your apparent cause."

"I made you, Shepard. I brought you back from the dead."

"And I've thanked you for that. Sincerely. Whether you still believe that or not, it no longer matters. Our working relationship is over. Joker, lose this channel."

Turning back to everyone, there was a sea of smiling faces. Georgia and Miranda stepped forward to embrace me, giving each of them a soft kiss before I glanced over at everyone else.

"What's the plan, Shepard?" Garrus asked.

"We'll assess the ship where we are and then we'll slowly make our way to Illium. We'll carry out further repairs there before we make any major decisions. I know some of you may wish to move on now that the mission is complete. I understand but know that it is not necessary for you to leave anytime soon. In fact, once I know that EDI has disabled any sort of tracking devices, remaining on the ship might prove safe, particularly for those who were once part of Cerberus."

It had been an exhausting day. When I checked the time, it had been far longer than a day since we'd passed through the relay. Doctor Chakwas was busy monitoring patients and more than one of my squad had been to visit her for treatment. I checked in with the crew that had been taken. Most of them admitted that they would likely need some therapy after everything they'd seen. The colonists had been placed in one of the lounges and were being taken care of. Once again, they were incredibly thankful that we'd managed to rescue at least some of them.

I wasn't surprised that most of the squad needed a shower and then headed off to sleep. Although we were jubilant about our victory, it was the exhaustion that hit most of us within an hour or so. Tali suggested that she'd stay up to continue repairs though EDI told me that she managed about fifteen minutes before she was nearly slumped over her control panel.

After a shower up in my cabin, I laid back on my bed though couldn't drift off as I still felt the adrenaline pumping through my veins. When Kelly walked in, she stripped off immediately and joined me on the bed. She cuddled tightly into my side as I turned my head to kiss her.

"Are you in the mood, Shepard?" she wondered.

"I'd like to get some sleep though I won't turn down some fun when we wake up."

"That'll work for me because I'm tired as well."

I was woken a few hours later by something warm and wet around my cock, opening my eyes and lifting my head to see Kelly's eyes gazing up at me. Her head bobbed slowly as I could feel her tongue working my shaft, one of her hands gently caressing my balls at the same time. I didn't expect to feel the slight tinge of guilt as I knew we hadn't been intimate very often lately. We spent hours with each other every day though she hadn't been a regular visitor to my cabin.

Gesturing for her to spin around, she lifted her mouth away from my cock and smiled at me. "This is for you, Shepard. You can go down on me afterwards. I haven't done this in a while."

"Sorry," I said softly.

"Never apologise for being you. And I was never jealous. I get to spend hours with you every day."

Kelly drew out the blowjob for as long as possible. She loved it when I ran my fingers through her hair, and when she started to move faster up and down on my cock, I knew that my orgasm wasn't going to take long to arrive. When I warned her that I was close, I felt her lips tighten around my shaft and she bobbed faster and faster in her eagerness to make me cum.

"Fuck," I growled, her eyes lighting up with delight as she knew I was close, "Kelly... You are up here with someone else between here and Illium."

She moaned around my shaft and hummed away, something that always helped bring me to climax. I warned her a final time before I felt that first spurt of cum fill her mouth. If Kelly took my load in her mouth, she always swallowed. If I didn't cum in her mouth, I'd cum somewhere on her. Occasionally her face, maybe on her breasts, and I'd fucked her from behind more than once and left streaks of cum up her back. She always loved it.

Once my climax passed, she released my cock and moved up to kiss me. She'd long learned that I had no problem kissing her after a blowjob. I felt the heat of her pussy at my groin as I rolled her over, making her squeal and giggle before our eyes met and a soft smile formed on her face.

"I love you," she whispered, "I was so scared while you were away. I knew that you'd come back, but I also knew there was the slightest chance that... You wouldn't come back to us... To me..."

We kissed and I felt her press up into my cock as I knew she'd be happy just to make love. But I wanted to pleasure her. I loved going down on her. I made her giggle as I kissed around her neck as she was always sensitive there. Moving down to her breasts, I gazed up into her eyes as I latched onto one of her nipples, earning a loud moan almost immediately.

I loved giving her breasts attention as it always turned her on. Kissing down her body, I felt her shudder as I felt her legs open, and her glistening pussy came into view. I gazed up again and smiled as I could inhale her scent. My tongue got to work immediately, savouring her taste as she moaned loudly within seconds. When her hips started to move, I smiled to myself as I wrapped a hand around her thigh and got to work. She was soon writhing away, hips swaying as she wanted my tongue where she wanted it. She wasn't bossy, she just liked to tell me exactly how she liked it, and if it helped her climax, I would always listen.

Her first orgasm arrived after a few minutes, crying out my name as I felt her push down, wanting my tongue on her clit. Switching to that worked like a charm as she squirmed and moaned even louder. I only used my tongue and I could see in her eyes that she was loving that, particularly as my other hand caressed her body, eventually tweaking both of her nipples that had her giggling away.

"I love you," she whispered again, "You know that I'm staying with you, right?"

"I'm more than aware, Miss Chambers."

"I need Commander Shepard's cock. Can he give me his cock now?"

I slowly kissed up her body until our eyes met again. We grinned at each other as I felt her hand gently grasp my cock and ensure it was pointed in the right direction. She whimpered as I slowly slid inside her, surprised that her lower lip started to tremble. I assumed that she'd been more worried about me than she would care to admit. I kissed her softly as I sank my entire length inside her.

"I was always coming back," I whispered as we slowly moved together, "Think I'd give up you and all the others?"

"I guess billions of asari would be very upset if you disappeared again."

We made love for a couple of hours, Kelly's favourite position being on top. After I came inside her the first time, I laid back and simply smiled as Kelly rode me slowly at first, hand on my chest as the other moved around her own body. As she rode me faster, her eyes spoke volumes, her moans grew louder, and her first orgasm eventually arrived as she cried out, head rolling back as I felt her pussy clenching around my cock.

"Don't want to stop," she whimpered, "I need more, Shepard."

"Think I want you to stop, Miss Chambers?"

She smiled at me, leaning down to leave a soft kiss on my lips before she sat back up and really started to bounce and grind away. Her next orgasm seemed to be even more powerful, moving down to rest on her forearms as I moved my hands to her arse and started to move faster in time with how she was moving.

When she felt me cum inside her again, she pushed her pussy down as far as possible while kissing me, my cock throbbing away before I rolled her over onto her back and felt her legs wrap around me. We continued to make out as we kept moving though very slowly. Once I felt my cock start to soften, I slowly pulled out and laid on my side, Kelly spooning back against me.

"I needed that," she said with a chuckle, "Just Commander Shepard's big cock inside me."

"You haven't felt neglected, have you?"

"We make love a couple of times a week, but you know that I understand how so many others on this ship feel about you. I mean... I still can't believe Miranda. She's given up everything for you, Shepard."

"Yeah, I know..."

"Definitely spend time with her on the way to Illium. Georgia, too. She wasn't as committed as Miranda, but they along with all the crew all believe in you completely."

"Was what we discovered on Aite the turning point for everyone?"

"Well, we know it was for Miranda. To be honest, Shepard, I think a lot of the crew had changed their minds long before that. As soon as they saw how you worked, how you simply got on with the job despite being in a situation you probably didn't envisage..."

"I learned very quickly that I was surrounded by fantastic people. The symbol on your shoulder didn't represent who any of you were at heart."

We had a shower before getting dressed and headed downstairs to the mess for breakfast. I think Kelly had that look on her face which told everyone that we'd made love as there was more than one subtle joke at our expense. Conversation quickly moved on to our journey towards Illium. EDI informed me that with the damage that the Normandy had sustained, the journey to Illium would take longer than normal.

EDI managed to establish links to other people that I wanted to speak to. The first was Admiral Hackett, letting him know that the Collectors had been defeated and their base destroyed, but I would be keeping my distance from the Alliance for the time being. He congratulated me on a successful mission and only asked that I inform him when I was ready to fly to Arcturus. He couldn't confirm how I would be dealt with though I knew there was a chance I would find myself arrested.

After calling Anderson and letting him know the good news, I spoke to Kira and she couldn't hold back a few tears at the simple fact that I was still alive. I explained my next moves, which would be Illium to repair the ship, and then likely to the Citadel as that would be the safest place for some of my colleagues to depart the ship.

My last connection was to Jane. We'd spoken briefly before going through the Omega Four relay. The relief that I heard in her voice when she knew that I was alive had me smiling. And I gave her my word that I would see her on the Citadel as soon as possible.

It was going to take time for us to get to Illium. That would give everyone time to recover, relax, and perhaps make plans for the future. It was unusual not knowing exactly where my future lay. I had been loyal to the Alliance until my death. I'd never been loyal to Cerberus, but the mission had been the objective. Without a mission, and without the Alliance, I knew that I would perhaps drift for a little while.

Maybe something would happen that would give my life purpose.