[Book Two] Chapter 27: I won’t give up

Chapter 27: I won’t give up

With one more important task from Hackett and no team members’ problem to solve, shepard decided it was time to go after the Collectors. The entire team would do that last mission for the Admiral while in the meantime EDI and Rick, who wanted to stay behind, installed the IFF and were running any tests they could. Taking the shuttle the team had landed on the planet Canalus in the Pylos nebula, not very far from the Omega Nebula. Geths were supposed to be responsible for the strange weather pattern currently going on there. Thinking of the geths, Jane wondered if eradicating them had been the right choice. She had been a bit stunned when Legion, instead of making the decision itself of either killing the geths  serving the reapers or using the virus they were developing back on them to rewrite their allegiance. The non-hostile geth had said that he couldn’t make a choice as those geths were still geths, its people even if they were serving the reapers, meanwhile Shepard had faced them many times and that she was a better candidate than itself to make that call.  When Legion asked why her choice, she gave him two reasons. One, nothing could stop those geths to go back to the reapers after all it happened once it could happen twice, second, the virus was the synthetic version of brainwashing and that’s it’s just wrong. Legion agreed to the former and understood the latter. In the end all geths on the station were terminated. It wouldn’t take effect on every heretics in the galaxy as some groups were isolated but they took a huge blow in their numbers.

Getting back her head in the present she led the team through a very thick fog. She was glad she had taken everyone as the number of geths was overwhelming. Seeing the entire team in action made her think they were ready to take down the Collectors once and for all. Finishing with the last bit of resistance from the synthetics they deactivated the machine altering the weather and took back the shuttle. Only when they reached the Normandy’s location, it was nowhere to be seen.

“He wouldn’t have taken the Normandy and done a runner, right?” asked Jacob, implying Rick by the pronoun ‘he’.
“Unlikely. Too focused on mission.” Mordin replied with tact, something that some members on the team would not have used.
“EDI and Rick were testing the IFF, maybe there was a problem with it?” proposed Miranda.
“We can find out about that later, what’s important now is what we’re going to do.” said Garrus.
“Agreed. Omega closest station from position though shuttle not made for Mass Relay. Five hours of oxygen available.”
“Anyone’s down for a game of cards?” said Zaheed from the back.


____________________________________________________________

The team was not happy with Rick. Not happy at all. Probably because after spending four hours inside a tiny shuttle, they learned that the IFF was booby trapped with a virus disabling the Normandy and transmitting its position to the Collectors who showed up and tried to take over the ship and the crew. The missing member of their team had tried to take care of them alone in the cargo bay but he was overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of aliens. For each kill he did, three took the dead’s place. It wasn’t just grunts attacking but a big one, even a big one showed up. In the end EDI was forced to act to save the crew, revealing that she was unshackled, courtesy of Rick when he got back on the Ship after his recovery.

“What is wrong with you?!” yelled Miranda.
“Plenty of things, you want a lis…”
“She could have…”
“Could is the operative word here. Just like I could put a bullet in everyone’s head and be done with it. Yet you don’t see me draw my gun, do you?”
“You put everyone in danger. You put the mission in danger.”
“I wouldn’t have done it if I wasn't certain EDI wouldn’t turn all psychotic on us. Besides, had she not been already she would still have been unshackled. The entirety of the ship was at their mercy, it would have been the only way for us to survive, and that includes you. With the Normandy taken you would have died in that shuttle. Either way, it’s done and EDI has been nothing but helpful. ” he said as he left the meeting room.
“Commander! You’re letting him…”
“He’s right. I don’t like it anymore than you do, Miranda but  he’s right. Had EDI not been freed, we'd probably be suffocating to our death right now.”
“My primary objectives are still the same: the cybernetic defense of the Normandy and assistance to the crew. I assure you I have no intention of harming anyone; except maybe if someone breaks something as the Normandy is now my body. In that case they’ll be spaced.”

Everyone tensed at the threat she made.

“That was a joke.” announced the IA.
“NOT FUNNY!” TALI yelled.
“But Rick is laughing really loud.” Edi stated as she put on the coms the aforementioned man was laughing his ass off as he was listening to the conversation through Shepard’s omni-tool.
“Rick has most of his screws loose!” said Kasumi.

Taking back the reins of the talk, Jane issued her last orders.

“In a week's time we’re going through the Omega 4 Relay. I want everything and everyone ready two days before that. Until then you’re free. Girls night tonight?” she asked the other ladies in the room.
“You girls have a girls night?” Jacob asked.
“Yes, We have one at least once every two weeks.” EDI answered.
“Why don’t we have guys’ nights?” inquired Garrus.
“Because you’re constantly having a dick measuring contest on a permanent basis, why make it an entire night? And there are no girls here that want to strip for you.” Jack replied.
“Besides you’d only be three at best.” Jane said, as she knew that only Jacob and perhaps Zaheed would be interested in that.
“Fair enough.”

____________________________________________________________

Not wanting to be woken up by a stumbling drunk Tali, as it was habitual during girls night now, Rick stayed late to train in the Cargo bay. The growth of his nodules was still outrageous; for 8 hours a day he had finally reached 3µm of expansion, far from the 0.02 he had started with. That progress’ rate was mind blowing and he wondered if there wouldn't be severe consequences for it. At the end of the week he would have finally doubled the original size of his nodules. His test on using those unused nodules were promising, he could now activate a simple but durable barrier and increase or decrease his mass significantly to the point that he could now float by himself as he discovered a few minutes ago. Wanting to celebrate he went to the lounge bar for a drink. He had been surprised to see the girls having their night there instead of the starboard which had a better view or Shepard’s cabin which was more spacious. Ignoring them he went to the bar and served himself a drink. Noticing he couldn’t hear the chatter in the background anymore, he turned around and saw every single one of them look at him intently in silence. Samara included.

“What?”
“Nothing, just admiring.” replied Jack, her eyes not leaving his chest clothed in a skin tight shirt, thanks to his sweat, and revealing his well defined muscles.

She wasn’t the only one as most of them nodded in appreciation.

“Somehow, I feel violated and not in a good way. More like ‘I need a shower’ way.”
“I caaan help wiz dat.” said a very inebriated redhead.
“Nuh-huh!” replied Tali, perhaps drunk as much as Jane.
“Sharing is… is…”
“Caring.” helped Miranda.
“Yeah! That!”
“You know, I deeply regret not telling her that her biotics could help with the alcohol. I thought that I would have a good laugh. I’m really, deeply regretting it now.” he said to Jack who snorted.
“Fine! I’m shaaring him t’night!”
“Yay!”
“But you’d have to fight with Miranda and Samara first to get the right!”
“Me?!” exclaimed the named asari.
“Yeah! I mean he has dat holo-poster of you in our room.”
“I can’t believe you found it! It was nearly five hundred years ago!” Samara said in surprise.
“You underestimated my determination, Samara. Grave mistake.”
“From his extranet log, he spent 10 hours a day searching for it while in convalescence.” announced EDI.
“Holy shit! Pervert much?” said Jack.
“You wouldn’t say that if you had seen it. It’s a pure work of art. That photographer knew what she was doing. Anyway, I’m leaving, good night!”
“Nooooooooooooo!” Said Shepard in protest and glued herself to him as he passed near her.
“Let me go, gingerbread.”
“Nooo. Come on, join us!”
“This is a girls night, I witnessed enough of them to know that I don't want to be a part of it.”
“Oh, mistaken often as a girl?” joked Jack.
“I just grew up around strippers and prostitutes. Heard more than any boy hitting puberty should have. Besides, I'm not interested in talking about love or sex.” he said as he tried without success to get rid of the redhead leech sticking to him.
“Yeah! Love and sex! I like dat.” exclaimed the leech.
“Can someone help remove that thing off of me, please?”
“Nah, it’s fun to watch.” the ex-convict answered with a smirk.
“I will on one condition.” began Kasumi. “You tell us which one in the room attracts you the…”
“EDI.”
“Yes?” asked the AI.
“That’s my answer. EDI.”
“Me?”
“The AI? Seriously?!” Jack exclaimed, completely dumbfounded.
“That’s… quite a surprise.” confessed Samara.
“You have remarkable intelligence and can hold a conversation with me…”
“I can do that too!” Tali protested.
“Your thirst for knowledge at least equals mine, you’re supportive...”
“Hey! I’m supp.. Suppo. Sitive.” intervened Jane as she somehow got even more clingy.
“A very nice sensual and soothing voice, and you have a sick sense of humor.”
“My humor isn’t really appreciated by anyone but you, I noticed. And Jeff sometimes.” stated the AI.

Rick just shrugged his shoulders and turned his head in Kasumi’s direction.

“Shepard, you’re wasted…”
“I’m not!”
“Time for you to go to bed.”
“Nooo!”
“Come on, Rick will bring you back to your quarters.”
“Yesssss!” she yelled as she climbed onto Rick’s back.

The helmet man looked at Kasumi and despite the heated glare she felt through the opaque headgear she just shrugged her shoulders. With no other means of escape, he exited the room.

“““She’s going to fuck him.””” Said in unison Miranda, Jack and Kasumi.

The three women looked at each other in silence then began to laugh.

“I wonder about that.” Samara said pensively.
“Oh please! There is more tension between them than humanity and the Batarians.” interjected Kasumi.
“That, and Jane has been ready to have a go at him ever since the chase on Saren.” Miranda added.
“I’m not sure he’s going to go along. Rick is not the type to willingly do what others want.” counter pointed Samara.
“We will know depending on who’s screaming.” EDI gave her two credits making everyone laugh, except Tali who was out, her head on the table.
“Good one EDI.” Kasumi said.
“That wasn’t a joke.” replied the AI.

On the other side of the room Rick entered the elevator as Shepard was nuzzling the side of his neck smelling him.

“‘Love your smell.”
“That’s my sweat.”
“Taste good too.” she said after she removed her nose and licked his neck making him shiver.

Thankfully for him the elevator, unlike the one on the SSV, wasn't slow and in no time he found himself in front of her bed. He tried to have her let go but without success. Somehow, somewhat, he found himself laying on his back on the bed with a plastered redhead straddling him, rocking back and forth her covered pussy against his crotch.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing.” he asked loudly.
“Making you hard, duh.”
“I’ll stop you right there, I’m not…” He was silenced by the weight of a big panty clad ass hitting him in the face.

Jane, who was now leaning towards his cock, quickly pulled it out from his loose shorts then immediately put it in her mouth and worked on it reaching her objective in no time.

“You’re wasted and I’m not interes… AH!!” he let out a small scream as the redhead grabbed his balls and squeezed.
“I had to hear from Ashley, Miranda and Tali how much of a good fuck you are form months! Years! I want to see for myself!”
“I don’t…!”
“In less than a week we’re going where no one has ever returned! Is it wrong of me to want finally one good night of sex from the man I love before I die?!” she said in anger before returning to bobbing her head.

She felt his body shake and wondered for a moment if he was already going to cum but was proven wrong when she felt a pair of hands grab the back of her head and pull her down forcefully until her nose was intimate with his sack. As he was choking her with his pussy pleaser, his words displayed the aggressivity of his actions.

“Love? LOVE?! Bullshit! But if you want my dick that much then I’m going to give it to you!”

____________________________________________________________

“It’s been ten minutes and no one screamed.” Jack said with a pout.
“That’s because unlike the rest of the Normandy, the commander’s cabin is soundproof.” revealed EDI.
“Can’t you have a look?”
“I could but I won’t intrude on their privacy. It is not right.”
“You’re no fun. You really won’t just peek for a bit?”
“My soul burns with a fire of darkness quenched only by…” began EDI
“Alright, alright! I won’t insist anymore! Geez! So much for respecting privacy!”
“The terminal you used for your submission wasn’t yours but public.”
“Wait! Was that poetry?! You write poetry?” Miranda asked in disbelief.
“You got a problem with that?!” answered the ex-convict, hotly.
“None at all. I was just surprised, you didn’t seem the type.”
“And you don’t seem the type to be bend over willingly and get railed like a two credits whore, yet here we are!”
“I think that's enough.” intervened Samara. “We had a long exhausting day, we’re all tired and two of our members are out. I believe we should call it a night.”

Kasumi nodded in affirmation not wanting a cat fight between the two powerful human biotics who just went silent. Finally Jack stood up and picked up a wasted Tali from the table to get her back to her room as they were sleeping on the same deck.

____________________________________________________________

Shepard awakened with a powerful feeling of satisfaction. For the first time in her life she had her bell rang and her itch scratched. Now she understood why Ashley and Miranda had a stupid smile on their face the morning after while limping like crazy. She felt sore, but the good kind. The kind you get after intense exercise releasing everything you bottled up and relaxing your body. She wasn’t sure she could sit for a while though. That part of her body hurt like hell but by god did she enjoy it. She had never come so hard in her life but understood while Ashley took days to prepare for it. Jane wasn’t sure she could get up and get to her shower to clean herself thoroughly. No part of her body, inside or outside, had been spared to her delight as she loved the sensation of feeling him everywhere. She loved the smell too, and didn’t want to wash it away but she couldn’t really appear in front of the crew, smelling like a hooker after a gangbang and with her face plastered in cum. That wouldn’t do at all.

Moving her arm, she reached for the man she had spent the night with, wanting to cuddle. When she found nothing, she opened her eyes and looked around. Rick was sitting at the edge of the bed, facing away from her in silence, lost in thought. Slowly she raised herself, making the sheet drop down and uncovering her gorgeous large breasts. Moving behind him she embraced him tightly and kissed the back of his neck, missing his body tensing.

“Morning.” she said sweetly resting her head on his shoulder.
“It was wrong, we shouldn’t have done that.”

His answer took her aback a bit but didn’t put much importance on it. He was always like that after all. Professing things when he didn’t mean them when feelings were involved. At least to her. So instead she began kissing along his neck down to his shoulder.

“It felt right. Don’t deny it, I know you feel the same. You didn’t just fuck me like I was a sex doll. You had moments of tenderness of care between rounds. You made love to me.” she said before sucking on the crook of his neck intending to leave a hickey. Sadly he stood up from the bed, went to pick his clothes from the floor and dressed up.

“It doesn’t matter what feelings were involved. It was wrong and we shouldn’t have done it.” he said as he began to leave.
“I won’t give up. I won’t give up on you. For the first time, I felt… I feel right with a guy… I don’t want to lose that feeling, I will not lose that feeling, so run away all you want but I won’t give up.” she stated at his retreating back.

She could say that his words and actions didn’t hurt her but that would be a lie. She somehow expected it though. Every time their relationship had progressed it took a  setback right after it, before normalizing back up again. Last night a line had been crossed, changing their relationship forever. In what way? She did not know, but following the pattern probably for the better.

She took a deep breath, her prominent chest rising as she did so. Looking down at it, Jane had a smile on her face.

“Well, girls, at least we know he’s madly in love with the two of you.” she said with a grin. Rick had spent a lot of time playing with them, either with his hands or with his mouth. The numerous bruises, hickeys and bite marks were proof of that. She understood now why Ashley had been so giddy every time she sported them. It was proof that the man she loved marked her as his. She loved that idea. She got out of bed for a nice shower when she found herself, face against the ground and her ass up in the air on the bed.

Right. Jelly legs.

____________________________________________________________


Unfortunately for Jane Shepard there was no repeat of that night, her body however was thankful. She had been hounded by Jack and Tali to know if Rick and her had sex, with a Miranda being quiet but not disinterested in hearing an answer. She had been tight lipped and let them guess despite the fact that she wanted to shout in the coms across the whole ship how good she had been fucked. She had the feeling that Rick didn’t want anyone to know and she respected that. He had been cold and distant with her, so much that the only time they had been together was in the Cargo bay during training, though each was doing their own thing and didn’t talk at all. Jack was suspicious and knew something definitely happened. She just didn’t know what.
Finally, the R&R period she gave to the ground team was over and it was time to plan. Everyone was gathered in the meeting room.

“Everything's ready. The Normandy has the best upgrade on the markets, we have the best equipment. We’re good to go. If anyone wants to get out now it’s too late. You knew it was perhaps a one way trip into uncharted territory. We don’t know what’s awaiting us but it doesn’t matter we…"

"That’s not true." Rick cut in.

"What?" Jane asked, not linking being interrupted. However she knew that since Rick did, it was worth listening to.

"From what we know of the Collectors we can make some predictions." He said and Shepard waved her hand for him to continue speaking.

"EDI, put Joker on the coms please. He’s concerned too." He asked the AI who obliged.

"Thousands of ships tried to use the relay, none came back meaning…"

"They were all destroyed as they didn’t have a reaper IFF." Miranda cut in.
“Yes. That implied an automatic defense system. It also implied that the first thing that awaits us at the other end of the relay is a ship graveyard so Joker be ready for evasion maneuvers, preferably up.”
“Roger that.”
“Wait a minute, wouldn’t the Collectors have salvaged the ship?” asked Tali.
“What for? They’re protheans with protheans technology, there is no need for them to salvage anything when they have better to begin with.” explained.
“The automatic defense system is the real danger here, probably some drones, big ones, but that’s a stretch. The second line of defense will probably be the Collectors ship and the Normandy is ready for that.”
“I hope so, until now, we always had to flee.” remarked Jane.
“We fled because we were not in position to fight. We will be.”
“I uncovered the plans of the Collector’s ship from the data-mining. We’ll strike in important areas.” EDI announced.
“Once their ship is destroyed, we’re good.”
“Good?” asked the redhead.
“Their base probably won’t have any defense. Why bother installing some when the automatic defense and the ship stop everything?”
“That’s a big gamble, are you sure?” Jane inquired.
“Not at 100% but close. That doesn’t mean we won’t meet resistance in the base but we’ll get to that once we land on it. EDI can scan the base and from there we make a plan.”
“That’s not really a plan. Getting past their defense and then planning.” Garrus spoke aloud.
“It’s the best we can come up with what we have.” replied EDI in support.
“It’s better than what we got when we began this briefing. We’ll go with that.” settled Jane.

____________________________________________________________

Everything went as speculated. The graveyard was there and Joker made some impressive evasive maneuvers proving that he was perhaps indeed the best pilot in the galaxy. When he blew up the Collector’s ship with a  well placed shot of Thanix's cannons, it was like he was on a sugar rush. What they didn’t account for was some kind of eye-ball drone going through the Normandy’s alliage in the Cargo bay. Grunt had been livid as the drone destroyed the gym area. With Jack and Rick who were in the same deck as him, they put it down after a bit of rough fight, the drone’s armor being very thick. In the end it proved no match against Grunt’s incendiary ammo, Jack’s warp ones and the biotic explosion she did in tandem with Rick. Her shockwave detonating his warp was absolutely devastating.

When Joker landed the ship on the base the team grouped up once again.

“You were right, there is no automatic defense on the base.” commented Miranda to Rick.
“EDI, what do you have?”
“The scans show that you should be able to overload their critical systems if you get to the control center here.” the AI said as she displayed a 3D model of the base, blink the room in question.
“That’s the heart of the station.” noted Jacob.
“It won’t be easy to get there.” Miranda added.
“From what I see, there are two ways to get to it. Here and Here.” said Rick pointing to two different locations. “The problem is the doors on each path are closed and can only be opened from the other side. And that’s the least problem, there will be a lot of them on the way.”
“The ventilation shaft, they’re unprotected and bypass the door. We send someone up there to open us the doors from the other side.”
“Splitting up would be a good idea. One small team infiltrates one way while the other makes a diversion giving the first team time to open the doors. I volunteer to go in…” Jacob proposed.
“No. You’re not qualified for that. That’s a tech expert’s job.” interjected Rick.
“Tali, that’d be your job.” declared Shepard to which the aforementioned nodded.

It was a default choice. She wasn’t sure she could trust legion to do the task, Mordin was not that good in tech despite being a former STG. Kasumi’s tactical cloak was too useful in a fight and Rick… he was the best fighter on the team, she couldn’t use him like that, not when they’ll face a horde of Collectors. Tali was really her best and only viable choice. She sent a furtive look at the man, to see if he had any objections but had none. She knew that he knew her decision was right and despite his care for their quarian friend, understood the necessity.

“I’ll be on the infiltration team with Kasumi and Samara. The leader of the second team will be Rick.”
“Him?!” exclaimed Jack.
“I’m with her on that one. I’m not leader material, we talked about this before.”
“Your battle sense is the greatest among us. You’d see any tactics the Collectors are trying to pull and act accordingly, your movement alone on the field gives you a better perspective of the enemies and I don’t think anyone here would have a problem following your directives. Garrus, you're his second in command and Miranda his third. We’re leaving in twenty minutes, make sure you’re prepared.”

____________________________________________________________

Rick entered his room and saw Tali checking one last time her suit and its mods.

“Need, help?”
“No thank you, I’m good.”
“You’re nervous.”
“Of course I am!”
“You’ll be fine. In a way you’re in more danger if red’s team fails but you’re protected in the ventilation shaft from the fight.”
“... Keelah you really need to work on comforting people.”
“Will this work better?” he said as the jaw part of his helmet opened. He gave her a kiss leaving another lipstick mark just above the one he left two years ago.
“Yeah.” she said as she hugged him. “Where did you find the lipstick this time?”
“Trade secret.”
“You got it from Miranda, isn’t it? Did you give her one too?”
“Of course not, that’s only for you. Besides, she doesn’t have any mask to leave a good luck charm on.” he joked.

Tali looked at him suspiciously with narrowed eyes. In a flash she opened his pants and dropped them down along with his underwear.

“She did leave her good luck charm on you though.” she said as she looked at the lipstick marks on his cock.
“And I marked her inside.” he joked as he pulled his clothes back up.

“I can’t believe it, I can’t believe her! The missions start in five minutes and…”
“And she needed to calm down.”
“So she sucked your dick.” the quarian replied in a flat tone.
“No. It’s complicated… The blowjob was not the goal, it was...”
“What? A bonus?”
“No. Look, she didn’t do it to get her jollies, nor mine” he added as Tali was about to point it out. “It’s about blanking her mind of everything that doesn’t matter for the mission. That’s what our deal is about. I won’t get into details, you’d have to ask her.”
“That’s not fair! Sex would have relaxed me too!”
“There is no way we’d stop at just one blowjob from you and we both know it. Let’s not forget you are not doped on antibiotics either.”
“I swear if we survived this, we’re going at it again.”
“Fine by me.”

Rick picked the belt he has been working on from his desk and loaded them with thermal clips and added a second portative cooling system on it before putting it on.

“You have yours?” he asked Tali who nodded, turning her body a bot and showing the device installed on her lower back.

Rick nodded in return and went to exit the door but she called out to him.

“High minion… Your empress forbids you to die.” she said in an authoritative voice.
“Understood.”


____________________________________________________________

Rick led his team through the station, creating chaos as much as they could but in a controlled manner. They bombed some access to force the Collectors to make a detour and arrived through specific entrances. The number of foes was just mind blowing but he was prepared. He separated the team in two groups of five, each taking care of their own side of things as they moved forward. He charged around giving support to any group that needed help. The fight was brutal and there have been many close calls, but the cohesion of the crew did wonders and no one was wounded.

When the path began to narrow, Rick took his team and blazed through the enemy lines to get to the door while Garrus’ would cover them. From there the first group would hold position and cover in turn the second. They held for a while, but the never ending stream of Collectors was taking its toll. Some members of the team had begun using the cooling system as they began to run out of ammo. Thankfully, the infiltration team pulled through and the door behind them opened.

“Jack! Area barrier!” he said as he was casting his own.

While both biotics were blocking or diverting the Collector's shots while walking backward, the team retreated as fast as they could. Once everyone was in, Tali didn’t wait for an order to close the door.
“Is everyone alright?” Shepard asked.
“We’re fine. A few scares here and there but Rick led us well.” said Garrus as he was putting a nex clip in his assault rifle.
“Not bad for a first time.” Jack made an innuendo as she punched Rick lightly on the shoulder.
“I’m glad I could pop my cherry with you.” the man joked back.
“You wouldn’t have lasted a minute if that were the case.” she answered with a smirk.
“Alright, enough. Get your head back into it.”Jane ordered.
“Easy for you to say, you didn’t have hundreds of these assholes on your ass.”
“I know but we need to keep going. We’re in …”
“Commander! Need to see this!” Yelled Mordin from behind.

Turning around, Jane finally got a good look at the area. Just like in the Collector’s ship there were pods everywhere. Mordin was looking at one pod and she went to it.

“That’s a colonist. Why are…”

She was interrupted by the woman inside the pod waking up and screaming, indicating that she was still alive. Not for long as under everyone's eyes the captive began to literally melt into a kind of gray goo that was pumped through a large tube going further into the station. She was not the only one as more screams were heard.

“By the goddess, what are they doing to them?” Samara asked in shock.
“Collectors collect and Reapers reap.” answered Rick.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, Red, that maybe humans are the next protheans or worse. Probably worse.”
“Why? Why humanity?” inquired Jane.
“I see only two reasons. One because of our DNA.” he started without expending on why as he already had this conversation on Tuchanka with her. “ Two, because to them humanity is the leading species of the galaxy after Sovereign’s defeat. That’s why they are after you. We’re the youngest race to reach the stars and yet our influence is unheard of. In less than thirty years we got a seat on the council, way before other species that had roamed the stars for centuries.”
“Commander, whatever they’re doing to the colonists, it leads to the main control room right above you.” Said Joker over the coms.
“There is a problem.” interjected EDI.
“Of course there is.” replied Jane.
“The main access is blocked, however the alternative way is a swarm area, too many for the solo counter-agent to work.”
“Mordin, your swarm repeller?”
“Works. In theory.”
“In theory? I need more than that.”
“Success in creating area wide effect counter-agent. Analysis results said it works. Reality…”
“A biotic field works too but that’d be taxing.” said Rick to which Shepard nodded.
“How wide is the area of effect?”
“Fifteen feet diameter.”
“That’s not enough to take everyone and the biotic field wouldn’t be much bigger.” explained Rick.


Shepard was deep in thought about what to do. In the end, she took the powerful biotics in her team, meaning Jack, Miranda and Samara who, as the most powerful of them all, would create the barrier if needed. She left Rick out, because once again, he was needed for the fight the other team would have to undertake.

Rick arranged the team in a simple formation. Grunt and him in the front opening the way with Tali and Kasumi behind them. The third line was composed of Thane and Mordin followed by Zaeheed. Finally closing the march were Legion, Garrus and Jacob. The last one was there to watch the rear.

The path had been even more difficult to go through than the previous one. With Rick being the only heavy biotic and blurring around it was difficult to make powerful biotic explosions with Jacob and Thane who were not versed in area skills. He was also the only one of the three able to make a barrier, which didn’t help as he couldn’t leave the offense for defense. That didn’t prove fatal but some members of the team got hit hard. Notably Garrus and to everyone’s regret Mordin. The salarian, who was the team medic, took a bullet in the leg and Thane had to help him move as they couldn’t leave their only way to get their wounds treated, behind. Not that they would have. Things turned for the worse when they reached the door. The team was under heavy fire but could hold a defensive position for a while until a big one showed up. Rick reacted instantly and focused on it, ordering the other to deal with the rest. He charged the closest grunt to his target and caught his attention. From there it was a game of cat and mouse. The big one completely ignored the others and followed Rick around, who charged from grunt to grunt to dodge the laser beams he was subjected to. The advantage of his tactics was that the big one killed his own allies and that Rick was saving a lot of ammo, as the goal was not to kill the thing but to win some time, the disadvantage was that charging over and over like that was taxing. His training was paying off but the constant burst of biotics would soon leave him with no stamina at all. He felt relieved when Garrus called out to him to ‘hurry up’. Doing one last charge he landed twenty feet from the door and ran like hell was on his heels. The others were doing some good suppressing fire and the moment he passed the door in a jump, it was closed.

Taking a break to catch his breath, he looked around to see everyone alive. Mordin was treating everyone’s wounds but clearly the team had seen better days. Seeing Shepard come close he spoke up.

“How did it go?”
“The repellant worked two thirds of the way. It would have worked for the entirety of the trip but a husk exploded near it, dissipating the smoke and destroying the burner. Thank god Samara has a fast reflex. She put up a field in a blink of an eye and we finished as fast as we could.”
“Yeah? Well next time, you’re the one running around.”
“Commander, bad news.” Joker said.
“When are they ever good, Joker?”
“The collectors are amassing behind the door. It won’t take long for them to get through.”
“We need to get to the control room. Now.” said Rick.

Shepard nodded and gave him her hand to pull him up, which he took. She climbed on the flying platform that EDI indicated to her and did a speech that Rick found very uplifting. In the end, she went with a team of three. Her, Miranda and Rick. Miranda because her fire power was not as great as Samara or Jack but her biotics were powerful enough to work in tandem with her and Rick. Rick, because he was a tech expert and her best fighter. Both may be needed in the control room. She didn’t pick a fourth member as the team holding the line needed all the help they could. As he had used his biotics more than his weapons, Rick left to the team the thermal clips he believed he wouldn’t need. He gave one last nod to Tali before joining his teammates on the platform.

Much like on the Collectors ship, small groups of Collectors came attacking from flying platforms. Thankfully they were all, with one exception, the average grunt with no armor, shield or barrier at all. A simple Throw and they were dealt with, falling down to their death. They dealt with a small big one, the hunchback type pretty easily. Two shots from a sniper rifle in the head and it laid dead on the floor. After that, the platform brought them to the control room where a surprise awaited them.

“Yeah, it was worse.” Rick said looking up.
“They’re building a reaper out of humans! That’s… Oh God, they plan to attack earth.” Shepard realized as she looked at a gigantic synthetic human skeleton in shock. Clearly the being was in his infancy and needed way more human genetic material to be completed.
“They can plan all they want, it doesn’t matter, they all die today.”
“I have so many questions right now, from that.” Jane said, her eyes still focused on the abomination hanging in the air by armatures holding it in place.
“Enemies incoming!” shouted Miranda as she prepared herself for the on coming fight.

Shepard took position but Rick simply shot the strange glowing tubes that went into the Reapers body.

“What are you doing?!” inquired Jane as she shot a Collector grunt from behind her cover.
“Getting rid of that thing.” He said and shot again, destroying all tubes.

With the tubes gone and not properly holding the synthetic alien up, it fell down, like a puppet which got his strings cut. They quickly took down the rest of the Collectors and Rick opened up the central unit and began to work on the overload. At the same time Jane asked for a status report from the team holding the line. They were holding the line but things were getting worse and would need to bail out soon. Agreeing on that, she ordered Joker to prep the ship’s engines to be ready to go and the team to fall back to it. The helmsman in turn told her about an incoming communication from the Illusive Man himself that EDI patched through.

“Shepard, you’ve done the impossible.”
“Not yet, but in ten minutes this base would be blown up to all hell.”
“Wait! There is a better option. A timed…”
“Rick!” Jane shouted as the communication was cut off.
“Come on, you know what he was going to say.” the called out man replied as he was fumbling on his omni-tool.
“Probably to not destroy the base but kill everyone else with a radiation pulse, killing everything organic but leaving anything technologic intact.” inducted Miranda.
“And it’s not like you were going to listen to him anyway.”
“I just wanted the pleasure to say no in his face and break all ties.” confessed the redhead.
“Sorry, I just forced him to listen to a loop of Mordin singing.” he replied, making Jane laugh and Miranda horrified. The latter had spent some time listening to that when she wanted to hear what her bugs were recording.

“Everything is ready, now is the time to…”

He stopped as the area began to shake and a mechanic scream was heard. Suddenly a giant hand came from below and grabbed the edge of a platform, before another did the same then revealed the prototype human reaper which pulled himself up. Immediately the team acted, taking cover and shooting at the thing. It was a difficult fight but a concentrated fire on his torso area dealt with it properly, despite the reinforcement from the Collectors it received.

Its destruction wasn’t without consequences however as the thing exploded and destabilized the entire area, making the platforms around fall, including the one the team was standing on. Fortunately for them, it crashed against a passageway, unfortunately the fall didn’t put them in a good position. Miranda had been knocked out by falling debris and Rick was holding to the edge of the platform with one hand, holding Shepard with the other. Without someone to pull them up, they were at an impasse and both knew it, especially with Rick’s hand holding the edge slipping bit by bit.

“Let me go! Join the others.”

Rick just looked at Jane as he grunted from the physical effort he was performing.

“You can’t pull us both.” she said as she tried to pry away his hand from her wrist.
“You’re right.” was his simple answer.

He channeled a pull through her and balanced her with enough force that he was able to throw her back on the platform just in time before his hand let go of it. Jane rolled on the ground for a few feet. When she raised herself from the floor, she couldn’t believe and understand what Rick had just done. Another explosion shook the unstable area and brought her back from her thoughts. Getting up she went to help Miranda who was coming to herself. With a warning from Joker that they were ready to go, the two women entered the path opened to them and ran as fast as they could as Collectors began to chase them. They quickly arrived at an open area for the Normandy to pick them up. Miranda was the first to go as Jane covered for her. A few seconds later she too was running for it and almost didn’t make it, barely grabbing the ledge of the ship’s open sass.

“Joker, go now!” she shouted as Tali who was providing covering fire for her with Garrus brought her up.
“Jane we need to wait for…” began the quarian but stopped at her friend’s grimace and shake of her head.
“I’m sorry, Tali.” was all she said as the sass closed.

Joker turned the Normandy in position to get the hell away, time being of the essence. When an explosion from above on the wall made some debris fall on the cockpit window prompting Joker to let out some expletives.

“We’re going!” Yelled joker but was stopped by EDI.
“Jeff, wait!”
“Are you mad?!” he said as he began to push the engines.
“That was Rick!”
“““What?!”””
“That wasn't debris, that was Rick and a praetorian.”
“That’s not possi…” Joker began as he was doing his best to not touch any of the base’s walls and gaining speed.

EDI however showed him the current scans of the Normandy’s detectors. A human form was clearly hanging on one of the ship’s vertical stabilizers.

“Shit! I can’t slow down, EDI.”
“We can’t leave him to die!” Tali protested.
“I don’t want to but the station is going to explode!” he said, picking up more speed as the path was getting easier to fly in.
“Can’t you fly fast enough to get out of the explosion radius but slow enough to let him hang on?”
“It’s impossible the speed needed is too important.”
“He’ll hold on.”
“Commander, the g-force necessary is..”
“He’ll hold on, EDI. Joker, fly at just enough speed to not get caught by the blast.”

Joker obeyed without question feeling a bit of guilt for leaving his crewmate to die but he reasoned that it was better than the whole crew. Tali was sitting down, back leaning against the wall. She knew that Shepard said that for her to have her back down and that she didn’t really believe in Rick surviving. Garrus put a hand on her shoulder, comforting her, already mourning the loss of his friend.

Jane, contrary to Tali’s belief, had faith. She knew that if anyone could do it it was him. It was irrational, mathematically speaking it couldn’t be done and yet she had no doubt. Her eyes stayed glued on the displays of the sensors, on the shape of the man she had cursed to have fallen in love with.

“That’s not possible. He should have fallen already.” EDI stated both confused and in awe at something that defied her calculations.
“He will hold.” Jane repeated.

Soon the base exploded but the Normandy was fast enough to not get caught in it. Sadly when they stopped, Rick’s figure was not on display anymore.

“EDI! Scan the way we came from for any sign of life.” Jane ordered as she gripped Joker’s seat tightly.
“Commander, I’m sorry but he’s…” the pilot began
“I found one.” EDI announced.
“What?!”
“HE’S ALIVE!!” Tali yelled in joy and relief.
“HOW?!” wondered Joker.
“Tell anyone in the cargo bay to prepare the shuttle, we’re bringing him back.” the redhead ordered, making her way down the bridge.
“Commander, you might want to bring Mordin or Dr. Chakwas with you, the vitals I get from his helmet are weak.”
“You hacked his helmet?”
“Considering the seriousness of the situation, I thought that breaching his privacy was secondary.”
“Good call.”

Entering the elevator, with Tali in tow, Jane lamented about how slow it was.

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