Chapter 153

On Eden Prime, another Prothean beacon had been discovered and because of the attack on the colony, needed to be extracted to a safe location. During the mission, Shepard encountered Geth forces on the planet, and the Normandy had picked up a large object, most likely a ship leaving the atmosphere of the planet.

Shepard continued on with his mission and fought through squads of Geth to get to the Prothean dig site. Along the way he lost one of his squad members who was killed by Geth drones but picked up Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 2nd Frontier Division. She got separated from her squad and was presumed to be the last one left.

Down a man, Shepard brought her along to assist in securing the Prothean beacon. Ashley, though shaken by the loss of her unit, proved to be a competent and resilient soldier. Her skills with heavy weapons and her tactical knowledge quickly earned her Shepard's trust.

As they approached the dig site, they learned from a data pad what the scientists had discovered before the attack on the colony. The beacon itself was not just an artifact; it was a gateway to understanding the Protheans' advanced technologies and perhaps key insights into their disappearance.

Arriving at the site, the scene was dire. The area was littered with bodies of scientists who had been working on excavating the beacon. Evidently, the Geth had no intention of leaving any witnesses. Shepard ordered his team to secure the perimeter while he and Ashley approached the beacon for extraction.

Just as they were preparing to move it, a sharp static filled the air followed by a blinding light. Shepard pushed Ashley out of harm's way just in time as the beacon activated unexpectedly, sending out a powerful pulse of energy. Shepard was caught in the blast, his body writhing in pain as cryptic images and incomprehensible visions flooded his mind. The intensity of the information being downloaded into his consciousness was overwhelming, each image searing itself into his memory with inexplicable detail.

Finally, the beacon exploded leaving Shepard lying on the ground, momentarily dazed and disoriented. Ashley rushed to his side, trying to stabilize him. "Commander! Can you hear me?" she shouted, checking for any visible injuries.

Shepard groaned, struggling to focus his eyes. "I'm here, Chief," he managed to say, his voice rough and weak. "Help me up."

With Ashley's assistance, Shepard got to his feet, still shaking from the aftereffects of the beacon's activation. He looked around, realizing that the area was still secure but knowing they couldn't linger any longer than necessary.

"The Beacon's destroyed, signal the Normandy for extraction," he ordered.

Moments later, the Normandy arrived and extracted him and his team. Next, he was taken to the medical bay and given a full medical evaluation. Meanwhile, the Normandy had set course for Atlas station where they were requested to update the Higher ups of what happened on Eden Prime.

Upon arriving at Atlas Station, Shepard was taken to a briefing room where he explained what happened and why the Beacon was destroyed. Shepard was ushered into the briefing room, still feeling the residual effects from activating the Prothean beacon. High ranking officials from both the Alliance and Ascendency had gathered, waiting for the debriefing to begin.

Captain Anderson, who had formerly given up command of the Normandy to Shepard was also in charge of handling various Alliance activities among other things on Atlas station after he gave up his command.

Captain Anderson stood at the front and started the debriefing, "At approximately 0830 hours, our team encountered hostile Geth forces on Eden Prime," he began. "The attack coincided with our discovery of a Prothean beacon, which we believe was the primary target of the assault."

Shepard stepped forward, nodding to Anderson before addressing the room. "The beacon was destroyed during an unexpected activation event," he explained, his gaze meeting those of his superiors. "Before its destruction, it transmitted a series of images, visions that I believe are crucial to understanding not only the Protheans but potentially also the threat we face from the Reapers."

A murmur ran through the room as the scientists present were interested in this information to see if it was the same as what they already know or possibly some new information that they could use.

Normally the information would be impossible to get since it was in his head, but for the Ascendency scientists, it was easy. To see the memories of a person was something that was easy to do now, which greatly improved their ability to convict criminals and gather intelligence. This was achieved by utilizing the Domain, which the Ascendency had come to understand and able to use.

Shepard, still visibly shaky from the ordeal, was led to a specialized chamber. The chamber to Shepard looked like something out of an ancient sci-fi novel, with an array of sensors and holographic interfaces swirling around a central chair that Shepard was asked to sit in.

Dr. Karin Chakwas, the Normandy's chief medical officer, was already there, ensuring all medical precautions were taken. "This won't hurt, Shepard, but it might feel a bit... disorienting," she warned.

The extraction process was surprisingly not at all discomforting, nor did it take long. The memories he got from the Prothean beacon were extracted in a matter of seconds and now the scientists could analyze it to see if it provided them with any information.

After the process was done, Shepard was given another medical evaluation to ensure that he was fit for full duty before he returned to the Normandy. He was already given his next mission which was to investigate the recent Geth activity which they had been seeing reports of, throughout the Terminus systems and in a few parts of the Attican Traverse.

Meanwhile the scientists had started comparing the memories that they extracted to other Prothean data that they had on the Reapers. While it did not provide them with any new major information, they were able to see how the Reaper invasion looked like from the Prothean perspective. The visualizations were harrowing, showing vast fleets of Reaper ships descending upon Prothean worlds, harvesting the populations.

It also gave them some insights into some of the weapons that the Reapers were using as well as how they invaded worlds. With fresh insights from Shepard's visions, strategic meetings were convened to discuss potential defense measures and offensive strategies. The more time passed the more the situation got dire, as what the Prothean scientists did was only delay the Reaper invasion, so as time passed on, it is only a matter of time before they eventually arrive and started their harvest of the galaxy.