86 – Priority: Race Against Time (6)

CITADEL

A FEW HOURS BEFORE THE COLLECTORS ATTACKED THE CITADEL

Garrus has been feeling good these past few days. He got to know the Matriarchs, and Tevos better. He had a deal with the Councilour, but it was the first time they talked for real. They talked about life, and the next steps in making his father a Councilor. Of course, for them to be able to put that into motion they had to survive the upcoming battle... If said battle really would happen.

There have been a few murmurs between the soldiers of the C-Sec, who choose to stay at the Citadel while the rest of the residents evacuated. They were saying that the so-called attack would not really happen. They were the minority though, as every one of LD, the Matriarchs, and the rest were convinced they would be attacked. They didn't know if it was the way Sameal talked to them or their own sixth sense. 

Regardless, the Citadel was ready to fight. All noncombatants were evacuated, and everyone in the space station knew how to fight. Well, a few people with connections here and there stayed in the space station, to observe the battle, such as the trio of human reporters.

They would do their best to convey the real story that would happen in the space station.

Today, Tevos and Garrus had company in the form of Ashely, Jacob, and Vega. They have gotten acquittance in the past few days, and talked about many things, getting to know each other.

'' It's funny when you think about the whole situation.'' Vega casually remarked as he looked around the place. Numerous species were seemingly working in harmony.

'' What do you mean?'' Garrus asked.

'' All that was needed for this situation, to unite everyone, was an extinction-level event.'' Vega smiled at his own words.

Everyone at the table finally realized what Vega meant and looked around too. The species were working really hard, ensuring the Citadel was at the peak of its power to handle the attack.

Tevos chuckled a bit, '' You should hear the story we have about the good old days. In my time, Krogans were hated and no one, especially the Salarians, tolerated them. Now, look at this.''

Krogans were working together with the Salarians. Granted, all involved weren't exactly pleased, but the point remains.

'' It's amazing to see such a picture.''

While everyone at the table knew the stories, hearing from others, it was a different thing when a person that lived said stories to talk about it. It was a privilege.

'' You gotta tell us more about this.'' Ash said in a tone filled with respect. Her family is military, so being able to hear war stories from a Councilor and Matriarch, was amazing to her. While she was still a little bit resentful of alien species, she knew how to give respect to those who deserved it.

Tevos smiled as she got up, '' Later. I have a few things to do today, such as visiting the Protheans. It is not every day my species has such privilege.''

At first, there was only Javik, the last Prothean confirmed alive, and he didn't really interact much with the Asari as a whole. But now, at the Citadel, there were more or less 50 Protheans. It was a field day for the Matriarchs and the Asari.

So much so that Tevos was the only one of them that wasn't in the same area as the Protheans.

'' See you later, councilor.''

After everyone said goodbye, Tevos left the place and went on with her day.

Silence filled the place, when Ash said to Garrus, " So, can you tell us about how Samael found and recruited you ?"

As mentioned before, Ash had hatred for alien species, especially the Turians, as a lot of her family fell in the First Contact War. Granted, most of the hatred was gone, but a small bit still showed here and there.

Jacob and Vega knew about such a thing, so they watched over their friend so that she would not cross the line.

Garrus also noticed the confrontational tone of Ash, but he didn't mind. He thought for a while and answered," I honestly still don't believe how easily things turned out. He said he was already looking out for potential recruits and I was on the list."

He then recounted the story with a smile on his face. The trio listened to it with rapid attention, as they were curious about how Samael handled things.

"If not for him I would still be a rookie at the C-Sec." Garrus finished the story with a smile.

The trio noticed how Garrus' recruitment was similar to their own. It made them think about how such a coincidence happened, but when you think about it, it was Samael's modus operandi, so it made sense.

" ...Samael is an amazing person." Jacob casually said.

It was true. The way LD, and by proxy, him, handled things was amazing. San Francisco was literally paradise on Earth, thanks to the fact that LD headquarters was located there , and the things they created, as they were the best of the best.

With only that, the life in the whole planet got better. Granted, there's still a lot to improve, but the steps were being taken.

And that was only on Earth. From what little they knew, Samael wasn't going to stop at Earth. Soon, the whole galaxy will have to be at that stage, and all because of a human.

Ash hesitated for a bit, as her opinion of Samael wasn't exactly great. But she gritted her teeth and was honest. " I don't know. I don't exactly trust a person who seems so ... perfect, with no dark side. It's almost like he hides a lot of himself. Granted, what he had done to the galaxy is amazing, but my point remains."

It was bold of her, as everyone around was friends and respected Samael.

'' Maybe it's just that he hasn't shown us that side of him yet. Who knows what that guy went through.'' Vega said that and didn't talk about what Ash said. Maybe because he agreed or something along those lines.

Garrus thought for a while, and in his opinion, Samael was far from perfect. He was just a person trying his best.

Just as he was going to continue the conversation, alarms started to blare around the space station.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and prepared mentally. As they knew about the upcoming attack, they were dressed to battle, so all they needed now was to go to their position.

Garrus, as the commander of everything, sighed and got up, '' It has started.''

Ash, Jacob, and Vega looked ready to fight, '' Where do you need us?''

'' I first need to see what we are going against, then think where to send you. For now, go to the Council Chambers and wait there.''

'' Aye aye!''

The trio left, and Garrus also started to move. Soon, he found Tevos and the Matriarchs, '' Do we have confirmation on who we are fighting against and how many?''

Tevos was a little pale,'' ... The numbers are something we can handle but the problem is the type of enemies we are facing.''

Garrus knew something bad was going to come out of her mouth so he prepared menatly, '' Say it.''

'' The Collectors were attacking the Citadel alongside the Geth... The saving grace is that there's no Reapers around.''

Even then, everyone could notice Tevos' tone wasn't exactly optimistic.

Garus didn't hesitate for a moment and said, '' I need to make a call.''

Tevos nodded, and she knew right away who the turian would call. '' Go ahead.''

'Knowing when to ask for help is also a great sign of leadership.'

Far from making Garrus seem 'weak', his sudden call made Tevos admire the turian more.

' If you don't know something, it doesn't hurt to ask about it to others... In that regard, it seems that Samael knows more about things than even us.'

The Asari as a whole were known as one of the most intelligent species, so seeing Garrus just skip them and ask Samael directly was strange.

' ... Well, we do know little about the Collectors, so there's that.'

Tevos then waited, all while preparing her sisters for battle.

---

Garrus then called Samael right away. It was almost like an instinct, as the human seemed to be able to think of a plan, no matter how bad the situation was.

'' SAMAEL, THE COLLECTORS WERE ATTACKING THE CITADEL ALONGSIDE THE GETH.'' Garrus sounded anxious, because, well, he was.

The Collectors were almost like a myth in the galaxy, not like the Reapers, as the Collectors do tend to appear around the galaxy from time to time, but even then, very little things were known about them.

The galaxy had just found out that they were allies of that Reaper and that alone was enough to make everyone anxious, as their numbers were unknown.

Still, Samael sounded calm as he spoke to Garrus after a brief silence, ''The plan continues the same. Don't let them enter the Citadel, and if they do, destroy them!''

'' ... Ok.'' Garrus took a breath and recovered his mental state. It seems he called just to alert Samael about the new variable, '' Do you have any advice on how to handle them?''

'' They die like anyone else, but be careful of their trump card. Also, tell the Asari, especially the Matriarchs, to use a Barrier. It is the only way to stop their advances.''

That was also one of the only ways to infiltrate the Collector ship in Mass Effect 2. If not for the biotic barrier, the suicide mission in the game would've been a failure from the start.

'' The Collectors has small devices that put others into a stasis field. Only a Barrier strong enough is able to stop and even then, it only stops, and does not destroy them.''

'' The Asari is our main force with this new development. Use the Matriarchs well, position them in strategic places, and make them protect the troops.''

'' Use LD and other biotics too... One more thing, don't hesitate!''

Samael had nothing more to say to Garrus. Things were already out of his hands, and all the cards were on the table. Now, they only need to wait for the results.

''See you later.'' Garrus sounded a lot calmer now.

'' Good luck.''

The call then ended and Garrus was faced with a new challenge, one that would change his life forever, whether he lost or won.

' I can do this!'

With the new knowledge about the Stasis field and what the Collectors could do, Garrus was ready to lead.

The first thing he did after the call was to talk to Tevos. The councilour was waiting for him.

Garrus then revealed the information he got from Samael to Tevos.

'' I want the Matriarchs to be separated and placed in large groups. They are the key to winning this fight. They will make a barrier whenever the Collector's device activates.''

'' The same with the others Asari. You guys are our main strength in this fight... They still haven't entered the Citadel, so we could still prepare.''

While the enemies hadn't entered the Citadel yet, everyone knew it was a matter of time. Even now, there's a fight happening outside of the space station, and in one way or another, enemies would enter.

And when they do, they would be met with a force they never expected.

Tevos nodded, '' Leave it to me.'' With that, she tapped her omni tool and relayed to everyone what Garrus said.

The Turian then made his way to the Council Chambers, to lead others better. In that place, Ash, Vega, Jacob, and a few other people were waiting for orders.

---

Unaware to everyone at the Citadel, something/someone was already deep inside the space station. It had just finished sending a message to a faraway place, and then it walked away, its fate unknown.

---

WITH SAMAEL

While Garrus was facing a periculous situation, Samael and Shepard were too, but ... it was a weird situation, even for Samael's standards.

They were following the Reaper as it went to the Relay when suddenly it stopped close to it. That made both pause too and a strange atmosphere was created.

Samael noticed Sovereign had no intention of using the Relay, and that made things complicated in a lot of ways. First, this never happened in the past cycle, and second, his trump card would be useless if the Reaper didn't use it.

He was also unsure if he should attack the Reaper or not. He sent RR back to the fight, and stayed with Shepard. But, before Samael could think of what to do next, the Reaper took the initiative to do something.

BZZZZ

Samael got in front of Shepard, expecting an attack but no. It was a drone of sorts, one that Samael recognized, ' This is something that the Reapers used to contact people.'

Sure enough, a rough voice filled with malice said out of the drone, '' So you are the ones that were trying to stop us. I expected more, honestly.''

Shepard was tacked aback while Samael just silently stared at it. When she noticed that, she took the initiative to talk with the drone, '' Why are you attacking us?''

While everyone heard from Javik and Samael, that the Repaers can't be talked to nor negotiate with them, Shepard still wanted to talk, to see if she could take out something from the machine.

'' Oh, we aren't attacking you, we are cleaning the galaxy, you are just on the way. It's simple as that.''

Then, just as it happened in the games, Shepard and Sovereign started a battle of words, with no one budging.

And while that was happening, Samael was thinking. He was sure the machine would not attack.

' This situation doesn't make sense...'

Every instinct in his body was telling him something was wrong, but he didn't know where or what.

' The Sovereign I know from past cycles is not this passive. He's arrogant, he wants others to know he won, but now... it's almost like he already did and now was just waiting.'

Then, it clicked. Samael looked around and didn't see Saren. At this stage, the Turian should be close, but now, no sign of him.

That made Samael realize something. At the same time the conversation between Shepard and Sovrtinh ended, Samael said, '' You ... you already sent the message to the others.''

It wasn't a question, it was an affirmation.

Sovereign took his attention off Shepard and looked at Samael. The Reaper even had a hint of admiration in his voice, '' So it's you... It's nice to put a face in a person.''

Samael didn't understand that part, and Sovering continued,'' You really are an intelligent person. You see, very few times we faced problems when cleaning the galaxy, but in this cycle and in the past one, things got complicated even for us.''

Sovereign voice's then turned into something akin to pleasure, '' But, even then, you already lost. The message has been sent and it is only a matter of time for the rest of my species to arrive. You lost.''

Shepard was shocked by this. All their preparedness, all they did, for nothing. The Reaper had somehow managed to talk with the others and now, millions, billions, or maybe trillions of Reapers are coming to the galaxy.

Just as Shepard was losing focus, Samael talked in a calm voice, '' Do you really think I planned on winning this fight here on Illos?''

'' ... What?''

'' In one way or another, even if you hadn't sent the message, the Reapers would arrive in full numbers in a few years anyway. This altercation here and on the Citadel is training for us. You didn't even realize this.''

Samael laughed at Sovereign, '' You just sped up things a little. And guess what? We will be ready when your friends arrive too. Only, you will not be here to see that.''

Even now Samael was calm because he had a trump card to eradicate all Reapers. The price was too high though, so he really didn't want to use it.

But, if push comes to shove, he would use it.

Sovereign didn't like to be talked down, but his job here on this planet was done. He said while looking at Shepard and Samael, '' Struggle all you want. You will turn to dust anyway.''

With that, the drone that made it possible to talk with each other went away, and Shepard looked at Samael, '' Now what?''

Samael smiled as he watched Sovereign go towards the Relay, '' Now, we watch the fireworks.''

He grabbed Shepard and entered the M.A.K.O they used to follow Sovereign. He then speeds away, trying to get far from the relay.

Shepard didn't understand why they weren't trying to stop the Reaper but a response came in the form of Samael.

'' You see, we can't stop a Reaper right now. If we used all we had, sure, but there's the Geth holding us back. So, I thought of a way to ensure that even if it had passed through our defenses and used the Relay, things would not go his way.''

Samael smiled as cold sweat dripped down his face. He tried to press harder on the accelerator, but this was the fastest the M.A.K.O. could run.

'' Remember when I said to Joker a nuke would not work? Well, I did do something similar to that. '' Samael's voice was filled with madness, ''Like a person I used to watch liked to say, I used EXPLOSION.''

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

The Relay exploded with such force that it created a cloud of dust so strong that swept the M.A.K.O that was already in a considerable distance away, making it roll around.

The cloud was so big that not even the Reaper was seeing.

Sovereign, Samael, and Shepard's fates were unknown.