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We're screwed. Heart pounding, Chula braced her hands on the edge of the mess hall table and tried to figure out what to do. If the Normandy was about to be boarded, they'd likely come through the large hatch in the cargo bay, since it was big enough for them to swarm through. On the other hand, the ship out there was a Reaper. One shot from its primary weapon would be enough to cut the Normandy in half even with its kinetic barriers at full strength. It probably wouldn't even bother to send any of its minions over.

There's nothing we can do except sit here and wait to die. She glanced around the mess hall. Shepard and his mother had already bolted into the elevator, the former to take his place in the CIC and the latter to go through the airlock into the Orizaba. Garrus had rushed off to the weapons-systems room at the end of the corridor behind Chula, and the handful of Normandy crew in the mess hall rushed off to their stations.

Her parents had reached out to clasp each other's hands, and their injured crewmates in the medical bay glanced around frantically. No doubt their first instinct was to leap into action, but not only were they not part of the Normandy's crew, they were captives. They'd likely just get in the way, and it wouldn't be unreasonable for the crew to suspect them of using the situation for an attempt to escape. Everyone remained where they were, though the visible tension in their bodies probably mirrored Chula's.

Most of her own crewmates were still in the cargo bay with Kal'Reegar, Admiral Han'Gerrel, and the uninjured quarian prisoners. Dakka and Quint had stayed in their seats at the table, the human staring intently at the elevator as if barely restraining himself from running off to do something -- anything -- and the krogan girl pressing her palms on the table and … trembling? Her large, emerald eyes open wide, her reptilian pupils snapping back and forth as if trying to latch onto something, her breathing quick and ragged, her hearts pounding hard enough to shake her slightly with each beat.

Chula stared at her. She'd never seen Dakka show any fear, at least nothing beyond being momentarily startled. This was terror barely held in check.

She must feel as helpless as I do. She knows one shot is all it'll take to kill us all, and there's nothing she can do about it. In a normal fight, Dakka had always figured out what needed to be done and just gotten on with it. This time was very different.

Quint noticed her near-panicked state and reached over to hold her hand. She clasped his, squeezed too hard, and he winced but said nothing. She took a few breaths, released his hand, put her arm around him and pulled him into an embrace.

Chula took a few slow breaths of her own to calm herself. She tapped her Omni-Tool interface and said, "EDI? Can you keep us updated on what's happening? Maybe it'd give all of us something to focus on so we won't freak out."

"Linking you in," the AI replied, still sounding nervous. The Normandy was, effectively, her body, which made her just as vulnerable as the rest of the crew and passengers. More so, since she couldn't jump into an escape pod like everyone else.

Chula's Omni-Tool connected and she set it to project the stream of information in the air above the table. An array of images and text appeared, some from sensors and others from cameras mounted on the hull. One window showed the Reaper's silhouette, which Chula recognized from the countless news vids she'd seen of Sovereign's attack on the Citadel two years ago. In another window, one of the cameras had locked on to the Reaper and zoomed in. Not much could be seen since the enormous machine's hull was painted black, reducing it to an indistinct shadow against the night. The only hint that something was there came when the Reaper passed in front of distant stars.

"Status?" Shepard's voice came over the comms.

"The Reaper is still approaching," EDI replied, "but has not increased its speed."

"It's taking its sweet time." Joker was probably trying to break the tension with some humor, but the fear in his voice ruined the effect.

"Are there any others?"

"None that I can detect," EDI said.

"Has it powered its weapons up?"

"Negative," EDI said. "Since the Reaper IFF is still installed, it may not see us as hostile."

"Hmm. Seems like it'd wonder why there's a 'friendly' blip on its sensors, though. Assuming this Reaper is the only one in the galaxy, at least."

"We thought Sovereign was the only one," Tali said, joining the conversation, "and the rest were hibernating outside the galaxy. But here it is."

Fuck. Chula crossed her arms tightly over her chest. A hand touched her shoulder and she almost jumped out of the chair. She glanced up, found her mother leaning toward her, let out a quick breath, and reached up to pat her hand.

"Reaper IFF?" Lia glanced around at the others.

Yutani walked over from the kitchen area. "Shepard-Commander acquired the device while investigating a derelict Reaper orbiting a brown dwarf designated Mnemosyne. It was believed to be the Reaper targeted by a powerful mass-accelerator weapon in a video record from the archive our previous clients discovered on Bekenstein." She moved her single optic over the rest of the people in the mess hall, including the captured quarians in the med bay. "The projectile punched through the Reaper and rendered it inoperative before impacting the surface of Klendagon, carving a rift across one entire hemisphere."

"The Great Rift Valley," Chula muttered.

"Correct. The disabled Reaper continued drifting and eventually entered orbit around Mnemosyne. A Cerberus team was sent to study the Reaper. Though the Reaper was inactive, its power source and basic systems remained functional, including the signal that causes 'indoctrination.' The Cerberus team became indoctrinated and later converted into husks. The geth platform designated Legion was investigating the Reaper when Shepard-Commander's team arrived."

"Ah, so that's how Legion joined the Normandy crew."

"Correct. It was disabled by attacking husks. Shepard-Commander brought it aboard the Normandy moments before the Reaper was pulled into Mnemosyne's atmosphere and destroyed. He reactivated it and agreed to let it join the crew. The IFF taken from the derelict was installed on the Normandy and enabled it to pass through the Omega-4 mass relay without being destroyed. This allowed Shepard-Commander to locate the Collector base and destroy it."

"Still no change," EDI reported.

"Huh," Shepard muttered. "Has it scanned us?"

"Yeah," Joker said. "That's how EDI first detected it. I expected it to immediately start shooting at us, but since it didn't, I'm not sure whether to be relieved or creeped-out."

"Its weapons still have not powered up," EDI added. "Its kinetic barriers are at minimal levels, just enough to protect it from dust and gas particles and small debris."

"Scan it. Let's see how much data we can gather."

Hannah Shepard's voice came over the comms, her tone professional now that there was a good chance of going into combat. "Are you sure that's wise, Commander? We can't outrun it."

"It should've attacked us already, Captain. I'd like to find out why it hasn't."

"We'll do the same, then. Just be ready to go FTL the instant it reacts."

"For all the good it'll do," Joker said under his breath.

---

Not like this.Valeria stood with her husband near the elevator door at the rear of the CIC, keeping her eyes laser-focused on the holographic display above the central console and her arm around Irving's shoulders. She'd wanted to be in a position to help if needed, though she doubted there was anything she could do if the Reaper opened fire. At the same time, she'd wanted to be with Irving in case this was the end. She wanted her last sensation to be of him in her arms. Luckily, Shepard hadn't objected to his presence. As long as both of them stayed out of everyone else's way …

Not after everything we've survived, everything we've accomplished. We can't go out like this.

"Prepare a distress buoy and program it to wait until the Reaper is out of range before it begins broadcasting," Shepard ordered. "Set it to transmit all files to the Systems Alliance, the Council, and the Migrant Fleet. Keep copying all the scan results into it as the data comes in. We'll keep updating it until the last possible second, but if the Reaper shows signs of gearing up for an attack, launch the buoy." He glanced at Kelly Chambers, standing at her station to his right. "Notify our geth passengers that they should be ready to transmit everything they've learned to the rest of their people. EDI, give them access to our comm systems if they agree to do so. As many of our allies as possible need to be brought up to speed if we don't make it through this."

Kelly nodded and did as he asked. Some of the color had drained from her face and tears trickled down her cheeks, but she maintained her composure otherwise.

"Any changes?" Shepard scowled at the image of the Reaper growing larger as it continued its approach.

"It's maintaining its course and speed," EDI said. The image shifted into different parts of the spectrum to bring out more detail. "Heavy damage to its hull detected. The types of damage cover a wide range, from typical mass-accelerator rounds to plasma burns, nuclear warheads, and a variety of directed-energy weapons, some of which I'm unfamiliar with."

In the display, several of the worst burns and gouges in the Reaper's hull were highlighted and EDI continued. "I find these most interesting. The type of damage is identical to what was found on debris from the ships destroyed by Sovereign's primary weapon during its attack on the Citadel."

What? Valeria stared past the image, through the corridor to the cockpit, at EDI's holographic avatar above the console to Joker's left.

"Huh." Shepard kept staring at the image. "You mean this Reaper was attacked by another Reaper?"

"There is insufficient information, but that seems a distinct possibility. Either this Reaper was engaged in combat with other Reapers, or one of the species in previous fifty-thousand-year cycles developed or reverse-engineered a similar weapon." More text and graphics flickered through the holofield. "Continuing scans. Detailed information on the Reaper's power sources and other systems coming in."

"I can't imagine Reapers turning on each other. Even though Sovereign described them as individuals in that conversation we had on Virmire, I assumed they'd all be working toward the same goal."

"We once thought the same about the geth," Tali said, walking slowly over from the door leading to Mordin Solus's lab. She'd apparently had the same idea about staying out of the way until now. "Then we actually got to know some of them and found out that the majority of them were non-hostile."

"I'd like to think that's possible with the Reapers, but we can't afford to assume it is. We need confirmation." Shepard shook his head slowly and kept his gaze locked onto the images in front of him. "No telling when, or if, we'll ever get it, though."

Everyone continued watching in silence for the next several minutes. Irv slipped his other arm around Val's waist and she faced him and pulled him into an embrace. She closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to look at the image of the Reaper anymore. If she'd started to hope that everyone would survive this only for the Reaper to suddenly wipe them out …

"It's changing course," EDI said. "It's moving away from us."

Val opened her eyes and turned to the holofield just in time to catch a glimpse of the Reaper accelerating away and then going FTL and streaking out of sight in an instant.

Shepard let out a long sigh and leaned on the handrail in front of him. Tali rushed over and put her arms around him. Kelly slumped against her console and released a quiet sob. Way over in the cockpit, Joker sagged in his chair, rubbed his hands over his face, and then reached out to brush his palm over EDI's avatar.

"I need to change my underwear," one of the guys at a nearby console muttered.

Shepard chuckled and glanced up toward the cockpit. "EDI, how much data were you able to get?"

"All scans were completed before the Reaper departed."

"It let us scan it?" Tali stared at the AI's holographic avatar and turned back to Shepard. "It hung around just long enough for us to scan it, then it left without attacking us. I don't … I just …" She shook her head. "What the hell?"

"It had a lot of battle damage," Joker said. "Maybe it was malfunctioning?"

"Could be."

Doesn't matter. Valeria let out a long sigh and hugged Irving again. We dodged the bullet.

"Did it appear to be heading for the mass relay?"

"Negative, Shepard," EDI said. "If it maintains its course, it's heading in the exact opposite direction."

"Good. Orizaba, I suggest we head for the relay and get the hell out of here before that thing corrects the malfunction, or changes its mind, or whatever."

"My thoughts exactly," Hannah said. "We'll escort you all the way back to the Citadel. And once this business is taken care of, I'll meet you and your crew in the nearest bar. First round of drinks is on me, just to celebrate all of us surviving this."

"Much appreciated, Captain. We'll see you there." Shepard beamed, leaned over to nuzzle the side of Tali's helmet, and glanced over at the cockpit. "Joker, let's haul ass."

---

"We'll reach the Citadel in ten minutes," EDI reported over the intercom. "As we approach, the Citadel and the Serpent Nebula will be visible for a brief time from Starboard Observation, if you would like to take in the view."

"I think that's just what we need right now," Chula said, pushing herself up from the table with a long sigh. "Thank you."

The members of the late Sulaco's crew, plus Chula's parents, made their way to the observation room. Lia leaned against the edge of the huge window and gazed out at the nebula and the enormous space station in the distance.

"Hard to believe the Citadel was built by the Reapers and not the Protheans, as we'd all assumed," she said softly. "It certainly doesn't look like something they'd build."

"Well," Valeria said in an equally soft tone, "they wanted everyone who found it to assume it was built by a benevolent species. And the thought of a 'cosmic horror' like the Reapers understanding aesthetics enough to fool everyone in the galaxy for millions of years is … deeply unsettling."

"No kidding. Thinking of what would've happened if Shepard and his crew hadn't discovered its true origins is enough to give me nightmares."

"Not to mention the close call we just had." Dakka crossed her arms over her chest and stared out the window.

"Are you okay?" Quint reached up to touch her shoulder. "I've never seen you so … well, afraid as you were a while ago. Or any krogan, now that I think about it."

"Yeah, it … shook me up a bit." She took a slow breath, glanced at him, and appeared to struggle for a moment before finding the words she wanted. "I realized I've never said how I feel about you. I just, uh … I need you to know in case we're not so lucky next time." She trailed off and finally cupped her hand over his cheek.

"I feel the same way about you." He smiled and put his arms around her. She let out another long breath and closed her eyes as she hugged him.

Lia smiled and turned back to the view of the nebula. In the corner of her eye, Chula's parents stared at them for a few more seconds, glanced at each other, and stepped closer to their daughter. Her father reached out, hesitated as if afraid the contact would be unwelcome, and then put his hand on her shoulder.

"After what just happened, and how heated things got before, we should try to put it behind us. You're our daughter and we love you."

"I love you both, too. That's why I got so cranked up about what you were doing. The last thing I want is for you to get yourselves killed fighting a war you can't win."

The whole galaxy may have to face that same kind of war soon enough, if we're not ready when the Reapers invade. Lia shivered at the thought and tried to shake off the lingering dread from the recent brush with one of those things.

"I see that now that I've finally cleared my head. I hope we can make it up to you."

"Trusting me and my friends would be a good start," Chula said. "As long as you give us a chance to work things out with the geth, I'll be willing to move on."

"Now that we've been made to see how much worse the situation could've become thanks to our actions, we'll wait and hope for the best."

"Especially now that we've seen a glimpse of what we all could be up against someday," Chula's mother added. "I don't know much about the Reapers, but seeing how much one of them scared everyone here drove it home. Everyone needs to stop fighting among themselves if we're all going to survive a fight against an entire armada of those things."

"Perhaps," her father said, "we can sit down and talk while everyone has that drink Captain Shepard talked about. I'd like to know how your Pilgrimage led to you working with the geth and the chance to reclaim our homeworld without a war. Assuming we're not sent to prison for what we've done, that is."

"I hope it doesn't come to that. It may not, since the Council doesn't have jurisdiction over us or the geth and probably don't care what we do to each other."

Valeria glanced at them and said, "It's possible they might make an exception due to potential fallout from a shooting war between you and the geth, but I'll do what I can to prevent that. Hopefully the Council will listen to me."

"Thank you."

Lia turned back to the window and sighed with relief. It's nice to see people behaving reasonably. That's been pretty rare since I started my Pilgrimage. She contemplated the Citadel one more time before the Normandy began its final approach and the station slid out of sight. As the ship's angle changed, she caught a glimpse of the huge asari dreadnought Destiny Ascension near the Citadel.

It wasn't long ago that I was stranded there. Just a few weeks. And now I'm back yet again. But now she had somewhere to go, despite losing her ship, and a crew that she was part of. She had a future, now.

In a few minutes, her wounded crewmate would be taken to the best medical facility on the Citadel, the problem of the quarian stealth ship and its attacks on the geth would hopefully be wrapped up, and then she would see where they all went from there.

Probably another crisis, another battle, another chance to get shot at. She smirked ever so slightly. But that's okay. I'm in a better place now than I was in the past year, so I'll face whatever comes my way. A human phrase she'd heard occasionally came to mind, and she grinned.

Bring it.