Book 2, Chapter 7 - Horizon

Grunt settled in relatively quickly. We cleared the crates out of the otherwise empty room opposite to Zaeed on the engineering level, and he was happy enough to stay there. He simply couldn't stay in the crew quarters due to his sheer size but the krogan didn't complain. Straight away, he was eager to get off the ship, ready to join my team and start killing things, ready to prove himself to me and the others. Chakwas had given him a clean bill of health.

I asked Miranda if we had any more dossiers. When I was told no, that left me scratching my head as, apart from blindly searching for the Collectors, or trying to figure out where they might strike next, I wasn't exactly sure what to do next. At least when I was chasing Saren, I had objectives and was generally given plenty of work to do by Admiral Hackett and other members of the Alliance. So far, apart from some recruitment, I had some minor jobs to do but, otherwise, I was tempted to just head to Omega or the Citadel and simply wait for news. The only problem is that, without knowing where the Collectors were, colonies like Freedom's Progress would continue to be hit and we'd only arrive after the fact. We needed to arrive somewhere either before or during, and hopefully we'd stop them in their tracks.

Thankfully, it was only two days after we left Korlus that we received news. The message didn't come directly to me. Kelly received it first, busy at my terminal as I was, I felt an arm around my waist then soft lips on my cheek before I felt her hot breath in my ear. "The Illusive Man wants to speak to you," she breathed.

"God, you even manage to make that sound erotic," I replied with a chuckle.

"Well, I thought you'd be annoyed by it otherwise. Your opinion about him is quite clear, at least."

"Where will I be speaking to him?"

"Conference room." She handed me a datapad. "Instructions to get the link set up."

"Hopefully it's news. I'm enjoying all the training. I feel like I'm still getting fitter and stronger…"

She ran a hand up my arm. "Definitely stronger, Shepard. You can certainly carry me around the bedroom with ease."

"You are rather light, Kelly." I couldn't help sigh. "Better go talk to him."

Heading through the armoury, I let Jacob know that I would be chatting with the Illusive Man. He knew exactly what it would be about. He knew I'd tell him as no doubt Miranda would already be aware of the meeting, and would probably have been told before me. I should find that annoying but I already knew the score. The Illusive Man would only tell me what I needed to know. Miranda was basically his spy within the ranks. Whether she saw herself as that, or even realised she was being manipulated like that, I couldn't exactly be sure. During our conversation, she'd proven to be surprisingly naïve about the man.

After inputting the code, the table in the conference room disappeared, stepping onto some sort of pad and after some technical magic, I could see the Illusive Man sitting in front of me, smoking a cigarette, which was a nasty habit, and holding a drink in his left hand. I couldn't see much else behind him, but the light suggested a star, something like the sun. I figured he wasn't located planet-side but on some sort of space station.

"What are you drinking?" I asked.

"Bourbon, Shepard. A tipple I'm aware you enjoy as well."

"Well, guess we share one similarity at least."

"Perhaps more, Shepard, but I am aware of your opinions. But this isn't a social call. I think we have them."

"Where?"

"One of our colonies out in the Terminus Systems, by the name of Horizon, has just gone dark."

"Gone dark? For how long?"

"Reports indicate at least a few hours. And if it's isn't already under attack, it soon will be. Has Mordin delivered the countermeasure yet?"

"He's working on it. I believe he's close to cracking it. Last time we spoke, anyway."

"Then he'd better work well under pressure, as you need to get to Horizon ASAP." When he paused, I knew, I just knew, he was going to tell me something else. "There's something else, Shepard."

"Yes?" I asked carefully.

"One of your former crew, Ashley Williams, is currently on Horizon."

"What's she doing in the Terminus Systems?"

"Officially, it's an outreach program by the Alliance. They're endeavouring to improve their relationships with the many colonial governments."

"Think that's shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted if they've only just started doing it."

"While that might be true, if they've sent Operations Chief Williams, who was one of the companions of the 'Saviour of the Citadel', then it would suggest that the Alliance is starting to take the threat seriously."

Operations Chief? So she's finally been given a promotion? She should have been at that level years ago considering her talents. But she just so happens to be at Horizon. Can't be a coincidence. The Collectors know, they know I'll be told, and it's a trap. I kept the thoughts to myself for now. I'm sure the Illusive Man would know I was suspicious already and certainly would never trust him completely. But I wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. This was the news we needed. Find the Collectors, pray that Mordin's countermeasure works, and then hopefully save a colony.

But first… "Have you notified the Alliance?"

"We have sent a warning through back-channels. They won't know it's from us. But, as you're already aware, their resources are already stretched thin. You're the only one who can get in and possibly stop the Collectors right now."

"Fair point. We'll head there straight away."

"Do what you need to do, Shepard. And good luck."

I closed the link, immediately returning to the CIC and the galaxy map. Inputting the data, I didn't have to tell Joker as it would have appeared on one of his bank of screens. "Horizon, Commander?"

"Get us there ASAP, Joker. Whatever you need from engineering, demand it."

"Collectors?"

"Exactly."

"Well, it's about damned time. Tired of hearing and reading stories about the latest abductions."

"How long?"

"Even if pushing to the max, we won't arrive until tomorrow morning, Shepard. The relay is in the same system as the planet, opposite side of the main star, but we're in the wrong position right now. It's going to be a few hours flying to make it to the nearest relay and we're going to burn fuel."

I groaned. "We need to stop?"

"Unless you want us drifting aimlessly, Shepard. And there are fewer depots out here in the Terminus. It's not something we think about while flying around Council space as there are fuel depots everywhere."

"Okay. Do whatever you can."

Mordin at least had good news for me. The countermeasures against the Collectors had been tested and he was confident it would work, though the real test would be during our mission on Horizon. I let him know that he would be on the ground with the rest of us. If the Collectors had arrived in force, I would want a similar force at my disposal. He appeared pleased that he'd be taken off the ship and able to show off other skills than those he could show in the laboratory.

Heading back to my terminal, I continued to check news about Collector attacks. There'd been a couple more after Freedom's Progress. The Alliance had only arrived in the days afterwards, reporting the same as always. An empty colony but no sign of where they had gone or who had taken them. As yet, they were not reporting any link to the Collectors, which annoyed me. Anderson had been told, and he would have fed that information through to the top brass. Why not tell everyone about what was happening so colonies and the Alliance could go on the front foot? It boggled my mind, stank of bureaucracy more than anything. Politicians likely interfering in matters that should be left to the military.

Confidence was in the air that evening at dinner, plenty of comments about how we were going to kick Collector arse and that they'd rue the day they faced Shepard and his companions in battle. These comments were from those who would remain on the ship. Those who would be beside me on the ground smiled at the fact confidence was high but we knew the situation on the ground. It wasn't going to be easy.

Kelly knew she wasn't going to be invited to my room that night, aware I wouldn't want to be distracted before such an important mission. At least she wasn't disappointed, or didn't appear to be, happily heading to the crew quarters with other members as I had one last chat with Miranda, going over the finer details regarding the next day. She agreed with everything I had to say, which was a surprise, and I headed upstairs to take a shower and at least relax for a little bit before bed.

I was woken by EDI the next morning, announcing we'd just arrived in the Iera System and that Horizon was only a couple of hours away. I headed straight downstairs to the mess, one of the first to arrive as I hoovered down my meal, joined by nearly everyone except Jack. "EDI, have you woken her up yet?"

"I have, Shepard. She told me to fuck off."

"Try again."

Silence for a few seconds before EDI reported. "I have been told that if I don't shut up, my head would be shoved so far up my arse, I'll be eating shit until Christmas."

"Fine. I'll go deal with her." I wiped my mouth with a napkin and stood up. I felt quite a few pairs of eyes on me as I rounded the partition and stepped straight onto the elevator. Gabby and Ken had been in the mess for breakfast, so it was empty of people as I headed down the stairs. Jack was covered in a thin blanket. Whether she was faking being asleep or not, I didn't care. She knew the expectations on her shoulders. I tore the blanket off her. "Up now," I ordered.

"Fuck off, Shepard."

Wrong thing to say. I'd already warned her about that. I grabbed her by the arm and hauled her out of bed onto the floor. She summoned her biotics immediately. "I'd think very carefully about what you're going to do in the next five seconds, Jack," I growled.

"Get off on ordering people around?"

"I'm doing my fucking job, Jack. And part of that job is getting people like you who can't follow orders. Don't want to follow them? I'll gladly hand you over to Cerberus."

That pissed her off even more, but the fact her eyes glistened suggested the very idea that I'd even said it had upset her. "You wouldn't?"

I took a step forward. "Don't try my fucking patience then," I growled, "EDI told you to get up as we have a mission this morning. When EDI asks you to do something, it is only after I have ordered her to relay the message. So telling EDI to fuck off is telling me to fuck off." I held up three fingers. "You get no more chances, Jack. That's three times now. One more and I'm done. Be the angry little shit you want to be, but I will not tolerate disrespect. You will follow my orders while you maintain a position on board my ship."

She glared at me, breathing deeply, her biotics still summoned, ready to attack. "I could wipe the floor with you, Shepard."

"Give it your best shot. Trust me on this, you can kill me if you want but you won't make it off the ship alive. But you kill me, you kill our only hope of stopping the Collectors and the Reapers."

She snorted. "Surprised you can fit down here with that massive fucking ego."

"No, just being honest. Council won't believe me. Alliance are useless. We're the only people doing something about it. I can't do it alone. I need help. I chose to keep you around because of your unique gifts. But if you want to throw the opportunity in my face…" I shrugged. "I won't take responsibility for what happens to you next. So, you've got two options. One, calm the fuck down, go upstairs and have some chow, then get ready for a mission. Two, try and fight me, I win, knock you the fuck out, tie you up and then I'll figure what to do with you next. But your chance at freedom is gone." I took another step forward until we were only a couple of paces apart, looking down at her. "So what's it going to be?"

"I could kick your arse. You've seen my power."

"All I need to do is get my hands around your throat and I'd snap your neck like a twig. Then I'd dump your body on the ground and forget about you within five seconds." I leaned down closer. "Really want to test me, Jack? Really want to see what I'm capable of? Think you're the only one who has committed murder? I've killed on the job in cold blood, Jack. I've got plenty of blood on my hands. What's a little more?" I stood to the side and pointed. "Get your arse up those fucking stairs right now. You've got three seconds."

I waited a breath. "Three."

She didn't move.

"Two."

She didn't move.

"One."

She moved before I got ready to grab her and do god only knows what. I waited until she was walking up the stairs before sighing with relief. What an absolute pain in the fucking arse. We'll be having a very long chat once we are back from Horizon, that's for damn sure. Following her up the stairs, I stood next to her as we ascended one level, letting her get off first as I stayed on for a few more seconds, simply to calm down. The adrenaline was flowing. I'd been very close to lashing out but I was in command and couldn't give into those sort of emotions.

I did pop my head around the partition, letting those who would be joining me that I was heading to the armoury before heading downstairs. Garrus joined me and could see we'd had a face to face. "So…"

I made a gesture with two fingers. "That close to slapping her and a lot more, Garrus."

"She'd probably enjoy it." I gave him a look as he added, "Seen her psych profile, Shepard. Doubt that woman has a loving bone in her body. She'd probably get off being slapped around a bit."

"Had no idea you thought about such things," I said as we headed off the elevator into the armoury.

"I'm not as innocent as you think I am, Shepard." He paused as he looked away. "Though Chloe certainly provides some eye opening moments."

"Oh, how so, Garrus?"

"Well, I've obviously done my research on human females, and also on human-turian relations. I know we have significant differences in practically every way imaginable. But she has really enjoyed it when I… um…"

"Just spit it out, Garrus," I said with a chuckle as he stumbled over his words.

"She seems to really like it when we make love but it's in her other… hole, so to speak."

I was busy getting into my armour and couldn't help stare. "She's into anal?"

"Yeah, quite a bit actually. Really enjoys it."

"Are you not used to it?"

"Well, no. It's not a big thing in our culture, between a man and woman anyway. We love sex but… well, generally it's pretty vanilla. But you know about our… um…"

"Jesus Christ, Garrus, are you this awkward with her? You mean you have weird cocks compared to us? Yes, everyone knows after the first few humans tried to have sex with you. Word spread like wildfire actually."

"Well, I always wonder if I'm hurting her. She says I'm not, and the thing is, when I'm done, we stay… together for a little while. It's just weird, that's all." He paused before sighing. "How the hell did we end up on that topic?"

"You were talking about Jack."

"Yeah, that's right. Um… she's certainly unique. Never seen a human with so many tattoos before."

"Me either. I'll need to go get a couple next time I'm on Omega or the Citadel. I had a couple before I died."

"Anything in particular?"

"Alliance Marine insignia and N7 emblem on one arm. A white rose with Annie's name on the other arm."

"White rose?"

"It's a symbol, Garrus. Everlasting love and eternal loyalty. Probably the main reason I'll never settle down. She was taken from me so I never had the opportunity to do it with her."

"She was the one?"

"Sometimes, I wish I'd died there with her, Garrus." I grabbed the last weapon, the assault rifle that would attach itself to my back, before adding, "But I'm not going to say I'm not glad to be alive. I live for this shit now."

He patted my shoulder. "Glad to have you back, Shepard."

"Thanks. Now, that conversation got a little deep. Let's leave it there and go kill some evil things."

"Sounds like a plan!"

The Normandy was soon in orbit of Horizon, the entire team boarding the shuttle and we were soon heading towards one of the main colonies. Checking the vidscreens, it looked like the sort of colony world that humanity had settled as it spread across the galaxy. Temperate climate. Plenty of farmland. Fresh water. Pretty much Earth but either on a slightly smaller or grander scale.

Touching down on the surface, I opened the door and stepped out, immediately noticing the Collector ship in the distance. Even from as far away as we were, it was enormous. Once the shuttle was empty, it immediately took off, and soon there was near silence. Apart from the sound of a few insects around us, it appeared to be relatively peaceful.

Taking the shotgun from my back, I gestured and we moved forward. Mordin certainly received questions about the countermeasure as we marched, and his responses were rather honest. He'd done tests but without contact with the seeker swarms, he had no idea if it would actually work. All his work was based on a theory. He seemed excited at the prospect of a live action test. The rest of the team… not so much.

Ahead lay a series of portable units, the sort that made up most colonies until more permanent fixtures were designed and built. Many colony worlds focused on agriculture, farming and producing crops for the expansion of humanity. Many would have called in an empire. In many ways, it was. But as the focus was on farming, there was mining but it was limited in scope, and focused more on the sort of metals required for the military than for civilian use.

Our first contact with the Collectors took place a few minutes later. It was the first time we got a good look at them. Ugly looking bastard. Almost like some sort of giant insect. Their weapons were definitely of a different technology, almost like beam weapons rather than firing bullets. No-one needed instruction from me as I immediately set about causing carnage, charging at the nearest Collector, slamming into it then firing, before doing the same again, this time into two of them, knocking one back, shooting the other in the head, before shooting the one on the ground.

I could hear the thump of other biotic attacks, turning to see three Collectors flying into the air, a shockwave from Jack before Miranda launched a warp into one, and Garrus timed a shot with the other. We continued moving forward, firing as we moved, most of them trying to keep up as I continued to charge. I knew there'd be plenty of Collectors ready for us to kill, and the last thing I wanted was for us to get bogged down in a pitched battle. Our numbers were still smaller than them, so we speed of movement was key, hopefully keeping them off balance.

When we ran into our first group of husks, that was all the confirmation I needed that the Collectors were agents of the Reapers. Saren was dead. The geth were not present. So how else would husks show up on Horizon? Garrus echoed his thoughts over the comm, as he was at our rear but likely finding elevation. No-one else has seen a husk before, so when we had a moment of silence, we gathered around the body of one.

"Was it human before?" Zaeed asked.

"Yeah, we ran into plenty of them before I died. Reaper technology. Very little left that would be considered human." I glanced at Mordin. "Need samples or…"

"No. Read mission reports. Saren. Sovereign. Matriarch Benezia. Indoctrination. Best we don't mess it, Shepard."

"And the Collectors?"

"Will grab samples when I can, Shepard. Protection and survival of colony priority."

We moved on. We checked some units as we passed by, wondering if any of the colonists had managed to escape but no-one had been lucky enough so far. There were signs that, once again, they'd been taken completely by surprise. The Collectors continued moving forward, occasionally bringing out advance to a halt. I began to notice that some of them had an aura surrounding them, for want of a better word. I asked what that was. Miranda threw a warp at one and replied it was a biotic barrier.

That was good news, as I could just aim at them, destroy their barrier, then shoot them. Without needing to order again, the team figured out what to do. Collectors with biotic barriers were handled by the biotics. Collectors without the barrier were shot at by the others. And I just charged around the battlefield, causing carnage whenever I stopped. It was exhausting work, far more exhausting then my old tactics of fighting, as I rarely got this close to the enemy, preferring at least a little distance, but the adrenaline rush of getting up close and personal with my shotgun, blasting away the enemy at point blank range… I'll admit, it was terribly exciting.

The town we were walking through was far larger than I expected. More Collectors came towards us, and in addition to those with biotic barriers, we also witnessed the arrival of a glowing Collector. In addition to that, it also spoke.

"Preserve Shepard's body if possible."

"Okay, you all heard that, right?"

"Of course, Shepard," Miranda replied, with plenty of other people stating they had. I couldn't help sigh with relief. "Why do you ask?"

"Because after the Council refusing to believe, I was even beginning to wonder, and I had a bad feeling I'd be the only one to understand them."

"Nope, heard them loud and clear."

"Your attacks are primitive. I will show you true power."

The voice was coming from the glowing one, so I charged straight at it, making it stagger as I threw a warp straight into its chest, following that up with a shotgun blast straight to the face. The glowing Collector turned into dust, immediately leaping into cover as I was suddenly taking fire from all directions. I was helped out by my biotic colleagues before I was able to move again.

The Collectors must have arrived in serious numbers, as by now they were barely letting up, fighting us for every inch of ground through the settlement. The Collectors seemed to have some brains as well, leading them into what would have been traps if we'd charged in blindly. They seemed to understand fields of fire, fighting retreats, and they certainly didn't seem to give surrender a moment's thought. We would have to kill every single one to make it to the centre of the settlement.

Another glowing Collector arrived and this said something that brought me to a halt.

"You escaped us before, Shepard, not again."

"Holy shit," Garrus muttered through the team radio.

"You're telling me," I stated, "I've always wondered how a ship managed to find us so easily and was able to tear through our ship like wet tissue paper."

"They must have been hunting you ever since you killed Saren," Miranda suggested.

"Oh, they've just made this very personal," I growled, "I lost good men and woman on that ship." I looked for the glowing Collector. Soon as I saw it, I charged and pretty much emptied a heat sink as I blew it away. Slapping in a new one, I then charged again, only going for head shots as I released some rage. Once the gunfire quieted for a moment, I glanced back to see a field full of dead Collectors, gesturing for the team to close up as we moved on.

Still looking for survivors, we ended up outside what looked like a warehouse or some sort of plant, perhaps providing water or energy. The door was locked, so I was hopeful we might find survivors, people who had information. It was beyond my understanding so Garrus stepped forward to unlock the door. We entered with guns raised, and when we heard someone drop a tool on concrete, we ordered whoever it was out otherwise we'd start firing. An obviously frightened middle-age man stepped from cover, arms held aloft, though he visibly relaxed seeing us.

"Humans? What are you doing here? You'll lead them right here!"

"No, I don't think so, considering the piles of bodies we just left out there. You can go check if you want." He shook his head so I asked, "What are you doing in here? How did you escape?"

"I'm just a mechanic. We've had all manner of communication problems recently. That's…" The man cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact with me and everyone else. "That's when I heard the screaming."

"So what did you do?" I asked in a tone even a stranger would recognise. I sensed one or two others tense up, knowing the answer before we heard it.

"I looked outside and there were… bugs. Swarms of them. Everywhere. And everyone they touched…." The man shook his head. "They just… froze. So… I sealed the doors."

I took the pistol from its holster, bumping it against my thigh. "That's your excuse. You didn't try to help anyone? You left friends, families, fellow colonists to be taken?"

"What could I do? The bugs were coming. I couldn't do anything to help." Perhaps he had a point. We had a countermeasure, but he came across as nothing but a coward, looking out for number one, and anyone else can be sacrificed. "It's all the Alliance's fault anyway!" the mechanic continued, now finding some courage, even defiance, "If they hadn't built those defence towers and sent that Commander Alenko here, we'd have been off the radar and been left alone. Instead, it made us a target for those… things."

"Where's Operations Chief Williams?" I asked.

"No idea. I haven't seen her or anyone since they arrived."

I sighed, as he clearly had no information, and I already felt a healthy dose of dislike. Before he could react, I strode forward, pushing him back towards the wall, placing the barrel of his pistol under his neck. "Shepard?" Garrus asked.

"Do you know what they did to cowards during the Great War?" I asked. The man shook his head. "Cowards were shot. Thousands, millions were almost forced to charge across no man's land to die for no reason. This time, there was a chance to prove your worth as a man, as a human, but instead you hid behind a locked door." I pushed the barrel even harder, almost lifting himself from the ground. "Now hundreds if not thousands have been taken. Who knows, you may have been able to save one, two, ten, even more, kept them all safe until our arrival. They would have had information to tell us, we would have learned more about our enemy. Now we'll never know, because you didn't have the guts to take a stand when the opportunity presented itself."

"I'm a nobody," he grunted as he struggled against my hold.

"You are, but you could have proven to be a somebody. But…" I took the barrel from underneath his chin, instead grabbing him by the neck with my other hand, "You aren't even worth the bullet. No, I'm going to let you live with the guilt that you did nothing when they arrived. The dead of this planet? Let them rest on your conscience for a little while. See how it feels to be responsible."

He looked down at the ground, unable to meet my eyes. I placed my pistol back in it holster, turned around and marched towards the door, taking the shotgun from its place on my back. I sensed everyone follow me quietly, the door closing behind us, hearing it click locked a few seconds later. We moved on without a word, the team realising I was now beyond pissed off, and it certainly showed, as I'm sure they probably felt sympathy for the next Collectors we met, nearly killing them alone, charging left and right around the settlement. We ran into new Collector monsters, what looked like a fusion of husks. Tougher to take down, but they died the same as all the others. Mordin checked over the new creatures. He didn't take samples, being Reaper tech, but he was able to provide insight into what they were made of.

Asking where we were, Miranda replied to state we were nearing the middle of the settlement, and if she was proven correct, there was a transmitter right in the middle that would enable us to fire the cannon defences. "Why can't EDI just do it now?"

"I have tried but am blocked, Shepard. The Collector ship is interfering with all planetary systems and preventing a hard connection from the Normandy."

"Should have known," I muttered under my breath.

We fought our way forward, the number of Collectors being killed thinning, left wondering if they were pulling back for one final onslaught, or they were leading us into one hell of a trap. Passing through a closed door, we entered an enormous open field, and in the middle was the lone transmitter. The Collector ship was so close we could have touched it. What I noticed was that it was quiet. We'd fought the entire way here, and now not a sound. "Stay loose," I ordered quietly, "Those fuckers are somewhere."

Making our way to the transmitter, I had to choose someone. "Miranda, reckon you can do it?"

"I'll do my best, Shepard."

"The rest of you, fan out and get ready. The Collectors won't give up that easily."

I was proven right within a couple of minutes as a horde of husks soon flooded forward. All we did was line up and open fire, mowing them down. I don't think a single one got within ten feet of us. We had to switch around as they were soon coming from every direction, and that's when I got to work charging and blasting my shotgun, Jack launching shockwave after shockwave, and the rest doing what they did best. When the Collectors joined in, that was the first time I was concerned. There was little cover. The bigger husks also turned up, and the glowing Collector seemed more powerful than anything, so whenever it appeared, I handled it immediately, sometimes taking a whack for my troubles, nothing that medi-gel couldn't handle.

Miranda eventually yelled out that she'd done as much as possible. EDI was soon in my ear, the AI stating it could connect but it would take time to calibrate the software. I gave Garrus a sideways glance before suggesting EDI just crack on and we'll protect the transmitter until the guns were ready to fire.

The next ten to twenty minutes was some of the hardest fighting any of us had done since the commencement of this mission, and definitely some of the hardest since I'd faced down Saren and his geth. The Collectors threw everything, even the proverbial kitchen sink at us. As Miranda could now help out, the biotics linked up their attacks, even Jack proving co-operative with her fellow biotics. I charged around where I could, but I was soon so exhausted, I had to stop and simply find cover, take out my assault rifle, and just open fire when anything was in my sights.

Then another new construct showed up and this thing was an absolute bitch to take down. No idea what it was, but the beam it fired seemed to tear anything it touched apart. So all the biotics linked up and warped that motherfucker as much as we could. It was slow, laborious work, and with the Collectors also firing, we started to take wounds, though no-one stopped firing until they were physically incapable. Mordin proved to have a trick or two, proving his speed as he moved around the battlefield, using his omni-tool to incinerate the enemy with a shot of flame. Kasumi would disappear and reappear behind a Collector, shoot it in the back of the head, before cloaking again, looking for her next victim. Jack strode around the battlefield without a care in the world, launching biotics everywhere. The level of destruction, at least of the Collector forces was immense.

Once we killed the massive floating energy thing, the Collectors seemed to back off immediately. Within seconds, there was a new sound, all of us turning towards the Collector ship. We could see smoke and then flame as the engines of the ship roared, the ship ever so slowly starting to rise into the sky and atmosphere above us.

We heard a voice behind us, turning to see the man we'd met earlier run past us. "Stop them! Why aren't you trying to stop them?!"

I ignored him as I knew we'd failed in our mission to save the colonists. God knows how many they'd taken, but we'd seen no survivors so could only assume the whole lot had been taken. We'd have to search later but, for now, we could only watch helplessly as the Collector ship eventually disappeared from view.

"What now, Shepard?" Miranda asked. It was a bloody good question, to be honest.

"Wait! Shepard? I know that name," the man stated, turning to look at me, "Yeah, I remember. Some sort of Alliance hero."

"Not just any hero. You're talking to Commander John Shepard. Captain of the SSV Normandy. Hero of Elysium. The first human Spectre. Saviour of the Citadel. You're in the presence of a god, Delan. Or a ghost." The voice stopped. "Back from the dead."

I turned to see Operations Chief Ashley Williams walk towards me. She looked good. Fit. Healthy. Very much a leader and a woman in charge. I was pleased for her. She… did not look pleased to see me. In fact, any hope I had of a happy reunion disappeared as soon as my eyes met hers. She was displeased, and that was putting it mildly.

"All the good people we lost and you get left behind. Figures," Delan stated.

That was aimed at Ashley, not at any of us. I had no idea what was pissing Ashley off, but I certainly didn't appreciate the disrespect, walking over and grabbing his colour. "I would seriously consider fucking off right now, Delan. She is an Alliance soldier and worthy of your fucking respect." I turned and pushed him away, watching him stagger back until he landed on his arse. "Consider yourself fortunate that I don't execute somewhat innocent civilians. But I would seriously consider making yourself scarce right about now."

He got up and brushed himself down before waving a hand of dismissal in our direction. "Ah, none of you are worth it anyway. Typical bloody Alliance. Ruining everything."

I turned back to Ashley, and her eyes were definitely taking in all those who were with me. And I knew it looked bad in her eyes. I wore jet black armour with no marking. Two people were clearly Cerberus. Then I had a young woman covered in tattoos, an aging mercenary, a Japanese thief, Mordin and Garrus, the only one she'd recognise. "So the rumours are true, Shepard? You're alive?" Her eyes definitely fell upon Miranda and she couldn't hide her thoughts. "And with Cerberus."

"That's the greeting I get, Ash. After two years, I don't get a question of how I am or what I've been doing?"

"I'm sure you've already told Anderson all about that, Shepard." She then looked at Garrus. "And I never would have thought a turian would helped an organisation like Cerberus." She looked back at me. "But I guess it's easy to mis-judge people."

I took a couple of steps forward, watching her posture turn defensive. "Ash, seriously, what do you think I'm doing here?"

"I was sent here to protect the colony, Shepard. I was also sent here because we heard rumours that you had somehow returned from the dead. Worst still, you had returned from the dead and were now working with Cerberus. I was sent here to protect this colony from them, and it seems also you as well."

"I'm not working with Cerberus."

"Well then why are you standing in this field with two Cerberus operatives?"

"Can we not talk about this in private?"

"No, I have to report this issue to my superiors. I'm lucky to have survived what just happened and I need to count how many were not taken. So we can talk now, then you can do what you want."

"Fine. You want the truth? I was dead, Ashley. Dead as can be. I was told how long the Alliance searched for me. You know how long? A week. First human Spectre. All the shit I've done for humanity, and I get a paltry week to even find my body for burial. The Council? Nothing. I got nothing from them after all I did. So I was dead for two years, or as dead as you can be when considering the dark vacuum of space.

I don't know how it happened, but I ended up on a Cerberus experiment table and they spent a lot of time and money putting me back together. I think I'm half cybernetic now, but I have a heart and brain, so I guess I'm still counted as human. Then I learn of the Collectors. The Council? Useless as always. The Alliance? No fucking idea, but I spoke to Anderson, and I'd end up being interrogated for six months before even being allowed out to do god only knows what. Cerberus are giving me the tools and resources to fight now, no questions asked."

"So who is your loyalty to now?"

"Humanity. I'm not sure how much plainer I can put it, Ash. I'm not with Cerberus."

"But you are taking their credits, flying their ship, you have their personnel at your side. Pretty convenient for you to deny you are working for them."

"Not for. At most, with them. I consider myself unaffiliated. Hell, call me a mercenary if you want. I'm fighting and taking payment for it." I paused and took another couple of steps forward. "Come with me, Ash," I said quietly, "I need my friends with me for this."

"Friend? Am I still one after everything? You haven't even tried to reach out."

"I've been rather busy and… I honestly didn't know how you'd react. Like this, to be honest."

"I'm an Alliance soldier, Shepard. I'd never work for Cerberus, never work alongside their operatives nor fly in a ship with their colours." Then she took a step forward. Then another one until we were only a pace or two apart. "Shepard, I've missed you every day. I hate everything about this. You promise you're not with Cerberus?"

I held up two fingers. "Scout's honour."

That made her smile. "You were never a scout. I know your history."

"Ash, I'm making the best of a bad situation here. What I'm doing is important and it's obvious the Alliance are clueless. I know you despise Cerberus. You know I'm not their biggest fan. But this is important. I'm doing what needs to be done like always."

She met my eyes and I was almost pleading with her with mine to believe me. She took a deep breath. "I'll need to report this, Shepard. I can't sweep the fact you arrived under the rug. There's no way I managed to kill all those Collectors by myself. I can't come with you, Shepard. Not this time. Not while you're with them."

"I understand."

"Do you?"

"You bleed blue, Ash. Born Alliance soldier if ever I've met one." I glanced back. "Miranda, call in the shuttle. Have it meet us nearby. Can you give us a few seconds otherwise?"

"Sure thing, Shepard," she replied, gesturing for the others to follow.

Once we had proper privacy, I took another step forward. "I've missed you, Ash," I whispered.

"You fucked her yet?" she asked, the tone of jealousy easy to hear.

"Miranda? No, I haven't."

"Do you?"

"Ash," I warned.

"Do you still…"

"Yes. You were one of the first thoughts I had when I woke up."

"I want to believe you, Shepard. I really do. But I've read the news. Heard the stories. And now seeing you here with them… It feels like a betrayal to everything we fought for."

"But do you understand?" She met my eyes again and made me wait before nodding. Only once, but it was enough. "Thank you."

"I missed you too, Shepard, just so you know. Your funeral… One of the hardest things I've ever had to do. Knowing the casket was empty… It all went to shit once you were gone. Team was split up. Non-humans were sent home. No idea what happened to most of them."

"So you and Tali?"

"We ended it. It was for the best. She's probably back with the Fleet now."

"She is. I ran into her on Freedom's Progress. She knows I'm back at least. Asked her to join me, gave me the same answer as you."

I noticed the shuttle appear over the horizon so I knew I was going to have to end this soon. "Can I hug you at least?" I asked, feeling a little pathetic about asking for it.

She hugged me straight away, holding me tight as I did the same with her. "Just come home safe whenever you're done."

"Of course. I'll be cutting links as soon as the Collector threat is ended."

"Okay. Until then, I'm going to keep my distance. I'll be for the best."

"I understand." I leaned back and she met my eyes. A slight smile appeared as I caressed her face. I wanted to kiss her, but I wasn't sure how that would go down. "Stay safe, Ash."

"You too, Shepard. Despite that lot, it's good to have you back."

"Good to be back."

I let her go and walked past her towards the shuttle, glancing back to see her turn and watch me walk away. Boarding the shuttle, I stood in the doorway as it started to lift up and raised a hand. She waved back at least, so while it could have gone better, the reunion could have gone a whole lot worse at the same time. Shutting the door, I took a seat next to Garrus, a bottle of water passed down the line so I could quench my thirst. It remained quiet until we were back on the Normandy.

Walking towards the elevator, I ordered Joker take us out of the system in the direction of Omega. I'd make my mind up what we'd do next on the way. Nearly everyone was exhausted as we'd been fighting for hours, so I told everyone to go chill out, we'd meet for dinner then drown our sorrows in the lounge afterwards. The first thing I did back in my cabin was taken a shower, only now realising I was bleeding from more than one wound, watching the blood wash down the drain as I leaned forward, both hands against the wall, feeling the exhaustion sweep over me. Being a vanguard was hard bloody work.

I could have done with a nap but I dried and dressed, heading down to the CIC. Kelly noticed me arrive and knew not to ask any question, I guess my face providing answer. But she disappeared and returned a couple of minutes later with a coffee. I turned and hugged her tight as thanks. "Here if you need me, Shepard," she whispered before she headed back to her own workstation.

I kept my mind occupied until it was time for dinner, heading down to the mess with everyone else. The mood was sombre compared to earlier. We'd already received reports that there were survivors from Horizon but the majority of colonists had been taken. For the moment, our presence hadn't been reported but I knew it would leak eventually. God knows what the outcome of that would be, particularly if my name was inextricably linked to Cerberus.

After dinner, most of us needed a drink or two to wind down. I had a feeling quite a few wanted to get plastered and just forget about the day but everyone behaved themselves. I chatted quietly with nearly everyone, generally avoiding the topic of Horizon, feeling that would be a topic better discussed at a later date when emotions were not so raw. I wasn't sure about anyone else but I sure felt like a failure, and never more helpless when watching the Collector ship disappear into the skies above Horizon.

Even Kelly realised that I just wanted some alone time with my thoughts, kissing my cheek before she disappeared to bed, leaving me alone in the lounge. Heading out of the lounge, I stepped straight into the elevator, my finger hovering over the button for my cabin, instead lowering and pressing the button for engineering. Stepping out into the corridor, I rounded the corner into engineering itself, Gabby and Ken having disappear for the evening, a pair of engineer I didn't know well taking the graveyard shift. I headed downstairs to where Jack called home. She was relaxing on her cot, though was instantly wary when seeing me.

"The fuck do you want?" she asked, nothing but hostility in her tone.

"Jesus fucking Christ, Jack, I was actually coming down here to converse with you."

She immediately stood up, facing me like she wanted to fight. "Why the fuck would I want to talk to you? I did what you wanted today. Doesn't make us friends."

"I was actually going to compliment you on your performance, Jack. You worked well as part of a team."

She laughed at me, no doubt intending to mock me. "I was killing things, Shepard, that's what I enjoyed. Like I give a fuck if I'm part of your team or not."

I stepped forward a couple of paces. "What the fuck is your problem?" I growled, "I get you off Purgatory, I give you the information you want, I get you off the ship so you can go do what you do best, and all I get is hostility."

"What do you want, a thank you card?"

"I want you to stop acting like a childish little cunt and grow up."

She summoned her biotics and pushed me back. It wasn't a full attack but her intention was clear. I cracked my knuckles and glared at her. "You haven't got the balls, Shepard," she grunted in return, her eyes and face nothing but feral.

"I warned you before, Jack."

"What are you going to do, boy scout?"

I strode towards her, waiting for her to attack. For a moment, she looked unsure, before she summoned her biotics again. That's when I smirked and formed a barrier, the smirk turning into a smile as I moved much faster than she expected, basically tackling her as we collapsed to the ground, my hand around her neck. "What the fuck is your problem?" I yelled into her face. She squirmed under my grip, summoning her biotics, so I squeezed even harder. "You dare," I growled, "And I will make sure your last moments in the galaxy are one of pain."

"Pussy," she groaned. So I squeezed until she was definitely struggling to breath. Only when I knew I was about to cross the line did I relent. Both of us were breathing hard and that when I realised something about myself.

I was absolutely rock fucking hard. And she'd definitely it too. I definitely felt a grin form as I used my free hand to trail down her body and underneath her pants, her eyes watching mine as I slid them under the band of her trousers, then her underwear, and when I felt her pussy was soaking wet, my eyes questioned hers. So I slid a couple of fingers inside her and she gasped, immediately moving down to meet them. Holy shit, she's getting off on fighting me? Is that what all this is about?

Removing my fingers and hand out of her pants, I lifted myself up, taking her with me as I heaved her onto a nearby bench, practically ripping her trousers down to reveal her bald pussy which glistened in the low light. Unbuckling my belt, she watch me with mothing but hunger now on her face as I lowered my jeans and underwear, revealing my cock to her. "Fuck yes," she groaned.

Stepping forward, I pulled her towards me, lining up my cock and sliding it inside her in one movement, earning a grunt as I wasn't gently. She helped me take off my shirt as I immediately started to pound her, holding her legs wide as I really thrust into her hard. "Fuck yes, Shepard," she moaned.

I leaned forward, feigning to kiss her before I leaned down to her neck and simply bit her. She yelped at that but her hands immediately went to my back, feeling her dig her nails in on purpose, feeling her heels on my lower back as I really started to thrust into her harder. "Don't stop," she groaned.

I moved my mouth to the other side of her neck, biting there too before I leaned back to look at my work. The look in her eyes was something else entirely. I had a feeling this was exactly the reaction she wanted from me. Maybe she'd wanted it that morning by trying to provoke me. Wrapping a hand around each thigh. I upped my tempo further until she was crying out and I gave her no warning when I was about to cum, just burying myself over and over again until I finally erupted.

She laid back awkwardly on her elbows, her tattooed skin glistening with sweat as I pulled back, watching cum immediately start to leak from her pussy. I lifted my underwear and trousers, making sure they were done up, before I found my shirt and put that on. Jack looked at me quizzically, no doubt wondering about her. I stood before her and just looked at her. "Are you not going to get me off?"

"Don't be such a cunt next time and I'll think about it."

"Fuck you."

I shrugged. "I think you got what you wanted, Jack. You want to get off? Finish the job I started." I stepped forward, looming over her. "You ever think of attacking me again, I will end you in an instant. I get it, you think you're a psycho. You're evil incarnate. Blah, blah, blah. I'm not putting up with that shit. I will meet fire with fire if necessary. I'd give what you do in the coming days and weeks some serious thought. I'm not going to treat you with kid gloves, claim you're just misunderstood and all that bollocks, unless I am given evidence to back up that fact." I did run my hand down from her face all the way down to her pussy, giving her clit a gentle rub, earning a reaction. "You've got a great body though. Tight pussy. You're a good fuck, Jack. Definitely didn't expect that tonight."

And with those words, I turned and headed away, not even bothering to look back. Only when I entered the elevator did I lean back against the side and wonder what the fuck just happened. I headed for another shower, not because I felt dirty, but I had been sweating, and it gave me more time to ponder. I have no doubt she'd react poorly to what happened, though perhaps there was a chance I could fuck her again. No-one recently, meaning back on the old Normandy nor anyone such as Emily or Gianna, had shown any sort of inclination or interest in the sort of sex I'd just had with Jack. It wasn't anything I was interested in… but I did find myself liking it.

If anyone knew what happened, they certainly didn't mention anything the next morning at breakfast. It was still fairly quiet, no doubt thoughts still about the previous day. Kelly sat next to me as Miranda wandered out, offering some more datapads, stating she had received more information regarding recruitment. To my surprise, Jack appeared and you could have heard a pin drop as she grabbed a tray, got herself some food, then sat down at a table by herself, but at the end of the row of people. I received more than one surprised look but I simply shrugged my shoulders. Maybe last night had finally knocked some sense into her.

But that was for later. As I glanced over the datapads, the last one made the fork I was about to put into my mouth stop halfway there. There was definitely a look on my face as Garrus had to ask, "What's wrong, Shepard?"

"Son of a fucking bitch," I stated, yelling the last word loudly, all eyes now on me.

"I take it's not good news?"

"No, it's good news, but I bet the fucking arsehole has known the entire time." I glanced down the tables, looking for my pilot. "Joker, once you're back in your seat, I want you to take us towards a new destination that isn't Omega."

"Can do, Commander. I'll just finish my breakfast then take us there straight away once you've put it in the galaxy map."

"What is it? And where?" Garrus wondered.

"Liara. He knows where Liara is. The same planet as our next recruits. Illium."