Infiltration - Part 9

Emi sat up slowly.
"Emi, are you alright?" Thomson asked, his voice full of worry.
"... I... I'm not sure..." she responded. He wrapped his arms around her and embraced her as tight as he could, "That was... so... keelah... What happened?"
"Renswick indoctrinated you. When he caused you pain he must have released the energy into your suit. You're lucky to be alive."
"What do you remember?" Epsilon asked.
"... I'm... not sure... There... There was a huge pressure in my mind and it was like... willing myself not to think certain things... and there were whispers... from the Reapers... and then there was white flashes... then that's it... that's all that happened..."
"How do you feel?" Thomson asked, cradling her in his arms, "Are you ok?"
"... I feel really tired... I want to go to the Falcon and sleep... I don't feel well... Like... My brain... I killed someone... I was tortured and..."
Thomson held her, "I know... Look, we'll get you some help, ok? We'll go back to the Citadel and Get you help."
"... But... our children..."
"I can look after them. I said I was quitting, remember?"
"... I'm not sure... I think so... It's... hard to think of anything but pain... And you..."
"Shit," said Thomson, "I just remembered the other fleet. We have to go up there. It isn't over yet."

The two hundred and fifty one ships left from the battle on Sur'Kesh. Renswick had forgotten to mention the fact that the other fleet of ships was also down to half. In one decisive strike, all the ships Thomson had managed to rally counterattacked and destroyed the entire fleet of ships in a matter of hours.
Then they went to the Citadel. Back to their children.

Magnetic clamps closed shut around the wing of the Falcon as they entered the Citadel's docking bay. The airlock hissed open a moment later and Thomson and Emi stepped out, holding hands. Bei was behind them.
"... Thomson..." Emi said, "... There's something you should know..."
"What's that?" he asked, squeezing her hand, "Are you ok?"
She shrugged, "... I guess... But... When you weren't with us on Omega... Bei and I we... kissed... Just kissed... Bei hadn't kissed anyone before so I let her feel what it was like... That's all..."
"... What?" Thomson said, "I didn't know you were-"
"... I'm really not... I just did it for her... I'd never cheat on you... I hope you're not angry..."
Thomson shook his head, "I'm not angry... I just... I wasn't expecting it."
"... Sorry... I won't do it again..."
He kissed her helmet, "Look. I love you infinitely, Emi. You're amazing. This is only relatively small. If you'd have slept with her I wouldn't have been happy. But you only kissed."
"... You love me infinitely?"
"Of course I do. You're beautiful and kind and amazing-"
"... And a killer..."
"To me you're a saviour. He was going to shoot me. You saved my life."
"... I love you infinitely too... I never want to be without you..."
"You'll never have to be. When is your appointment with the psychologist?"
Thomson had booked Emi in to make sure she was alright. She kept saying she was but he couldn't shake the feeling she had changed somehow. She hadn't stopped shaking since they had gone back to the Falcon, and when she thought he wasn't looking he heard her whispering to herself. She wasn't well. He knew it.
"... In an hour..." she said, "... I don't think I need an appointment though..."
"Emi," said Bei, "You do. You really do."

Thomson walked with Emi to the Wards on the Citadel, where the therapy sessions were being held. She walked into the room whilst he collected their children from the nursery.
"Come in," said the psychologist, who was a Turian. The room that greeted her was warm and homely. The walls were a cream colour. There was a fire blazing in the far wall, and the furniture was mainly based on arm chairs and desks with a rustic aesthetic.
She guessed it was something to do with the therapy. Something warm and comforting.
The Turian gestured her towards a beautiful red armchair with wooden legs. She sat down on it, smiling at the sensation as the soft material brushed against the groove of her back as she sat down.
"So," said the psychologist, "My name's Ordric and I'm one of the therapists on the Citadel. I hear you've been having quite the adventure."
"... I guess..." Emi responded.
"When your partner booked you the appointment he wasn't doing it in much detail. He mentioned something about you murdering someone? How did it happen? Start from the very beginning. How did you end up on Sur'Kesh?"
"... I'm not sure I want to start from the beginning... It's a long story..."
"It will help, Emi'Derik. Trust me. Some of the problems may be rooted on things that happened in your childhood, or before the event. If you tell me I can get a better picture on how your mind works, and then help you recover from what happened. It will take time, of course, but it will help."
"... Ok..." she sighed, "... Where shall I start from?"
"From the very beginning. As far back as you can remember."
"... Well... I guess my childhood was lonely... I didn't have many friends, but I didn't actively seek them either... I read a lot..."
"What book did you read? What was your favourite?"
"... A Child's Dream... I read nothing but that over and over again for most of my life..."
"Interesting. Please continue."
"... I read instead of learning about technology which didn't help either... No one treated me with any respect because I was a Quarian who knew nothing about any kind of machine... My friend Bei was one of the only people who would talk to me..."
"Did you ever try and fit in by learning?"
She nodded, "... I went to a school for four year olds when I was sixteen... I managed to blow a hole in the floor and was kicked out of that..."
"That must have been hard. What did other people say?"
"... They made jokes about me being stupid... I relied on my book for survival... Like, without it, I'd have killed myself... I just read and read and read... But... The more I read, the more I wanted someone to fall in love with me... A human to fall in love with me... So when it came to my Pilgrimage I chose to go to Earth..."
"Not the best idea considering what happened a few years ago."
"I guess... But as I was leaving they said I could never return and I'd be an ambassador... What they meant was they had arranged for me to join a discussion club... Most of what we did was having parties and stuff... It was fun... But then a Cerberus agent revealed himself and... Then the Reapers hit Earth..."
"So what did you do? Did you hide?"
Emi nodded, "... Of course I did... I climbed into a kitchen cupboard and hid... When I thought it was safe to come out, all of my friends had gone..." she began crying slightly, a single tear running down her cheek, "... I think I miss them too... They were nice people..."
"You don't know what happened to them. They could have escaped."
"... But I haven't got any messages... But... As I was trying to run to the landing pad to get away... I ran into two Alliance soldiers... Thomson and Renswick... Thomson was really nice to me... Renswick wasn't, but Thomson kind of outweighed him... They said I could come with them and I did... They protected me..."
And so she continued.

When the session had come to the end, she was in tears. Since Tuchanka and Sur'Kesh she felt... Unstable... Like anything could set her crying.
As she walked out of the room, Thomson was waiting for her with a smile on his face, with their children holding one of his hands each.
"Mother!" cried Tiol, running to her and tackling her into a hug, "We've missed you."
Bia did likewise, and what formed after seemed to be some sort of pile-on. Thomson couldn't help laughing.
When Emi sat up again, she cradled Tiol and Bia, her body movements soft, sensitive and in good spirits. She no longer acted broken. In fact, she seemed rather happy to be back with their children.
So was he, though. He had missed them too.
"Emi," he said to her, "I've already handed in my resignation. I am no longer Lieutenant Thomson. I'm just plain old me. They're letting me keep the Falcon and a few of my guns, just in case we ever need them. Other than that, my Alliance uniform has gone, my N7 status has been revoked, my Spectre status has been taken away. I don't own much, but I guess we can just buy more. I didn't realise how much money I had."
She moved Tiol and Bia to the side, and embraced him, "... Thank you... I hope you know, though... Plain old you does have one possession... My heart..."
He kissed her helmet, "And you own mine. I've set a date for our wedding. It'll be in two weeks. Also, the representatives of the Migrant Fleet want to speak with us."

They entered the Quarian's relatively new office in the Embassies on the Citadel. Representatives met them and thanked them for preventing the destruction of their kind. They also gave them passwords so they could come and go as they pleased, which Emi was rather pleased with since she could go and see her parents again.
Thomson received a large reward of credits, but declined. He told them that they had more use for the money than he did. He already had enough to last them a lifetime.
He was also titled Thomson vas Falcon, and became an honorary member of the Quarian race.
Then came the wedding plans.

Infiltration - Part 8

Emi felt cold and was shivering uncontrollably. She was still crying. The blood had reached her neck and was being held back by her tears.
"Don't you want to move?" the man asked, "You're all bloody as it is."
Emi shook her head, "... I'm not moving... I deserve to be bloody... I can't handle this... All of it... He puts his life in danger like he wants to die and I just killed someone... I hate myself for it... I'm not moving until he comes back..."
"Suit yourself, I guess, if you forgive the pun."
"... I just... Killed him... Why did I kill him? ... What kind of monster am I...?"
"You are not a monster. You saved Thomson's life."
"... I killed someone... Emi'Derik... Killer..."
"You killed one man to save another. Don't they cancel each other out?"
Emi shook her head and raised her bloody hands, "... They'll be forever stained with blood..."
Bei walked in the cockpit, "Keelah... What happened?"
The man shrugged, "From what I can gather, she killed the leader of the gang - Alpha - to save the life of Thomson and is now well... Like this. Even though he was going to attack the Migrant Fleet and everything and enslave them."
"Emi, come on, get out of the blood..."
"... Leave me alone... I want to be with Thomson... go away..."
Bei sat down next to her, "Look, Emi. You killed someone. If it was someone who wasn't trying to destroy our people, I would agree with the reason why you're sad. But he was trying to kill your boyfriend. He was trying to enslave our race. You saved seventeen million lives by doing that - every single one of our people is alive because of you. Thomson didn't do anything. Thomson didn't save the Fleet. You did. The entire Flotilla is in your debt. You saved our people from a life of pain and torment. He was a bad person. I'm sure there are millions of soldiers across the galaxy who think the same way as you, and are only kept going by the fact that they only shoot people for a reason. Thomson is one of them. As soon as an innocent - you, basically - is in danger, he comes and saves you. Every single time. Without fail. He is only on Sur'Kesh right now because of you. He came to save you to prevent you being enslaved or killed. Is shooting the person who nearly killed you a bad thing?"
"... I'm no innocent... I killed him... but... I guess not..."
"If saving you from it isn't a bad thing, then why is saving our entire race?"
"... I don't know... I just..."
"You're in shock. You just killed someone, yes. But by killing him, you've done something good. Or not?"
"I agree with her," said Epsilon, "You should really listen to her."
"... I'm still not moving..."

Thomson knew Revenge was dead without him. He had to distract Renswick for long enough so Revenge could target his digital consciousness, then, and only then, could he be killed. Otherwise
he'd just keep coming back and coming back, bigger and stronger every single time.
But he was in no mood for Renswick's bullshit. If he could, he would just shoot him then and there.
"Revenge, how are you doing?" he questioned into his radio.
"I am ready for a final strike," the Reaper replied, "But I really could use a distraction. He's fighting back rather rapidly."
"Roger that. I'm going to wake him up."
Thomson walked over to Renswick's sleeping form and punched him in the face.
His eyes snapped open and his head slammed Thomson in the cheek, stumbling him. Renswick climbed off the bed and grinned wickedly.
"I shot you. Twice. No amount of medigel could have healed the wounds in this amount of time. I have the advantage."
"I don't care. I'm going to kill you."
"I'd like to see you try."


Emi cried. And cried. She was unable to shake the feeling that she was a horrible and twisted monster.
Added on top of that there was the fact she couldn't decide whether she was still herself or not. There was an incredible pain in her mind that she could not forget. She was questioning her own mental health, which wasn't a good sign in itself.
For a start, she had thought the pain had not done anything. She had recovered from the rest of the things that had been done to her, but not prolonged times of unimaginable pain. She felt like something had tripped in her head, making her...
She wasn't sure what she was. But she certainly didn't want to go through that pain again. She'd do anything for it not to happen.
Emi knew that she wouldn't survive another minute of that pain. That'd just get to the point where she'd do whatever was asked of her. Her body could not take any more. Any more of the pain that had blasted through her body, like thousands of knives stabbing in and out of her flesh at the same time.
But now that the shock had gone, what was there left? Was there a part of her that remained? Or had she been lost when the pain started?
She couldn't concentrate on anything. There were only two things in her mind; pain, and Thomson. But even both of them were blurred together. Thomson, in theory, had caused her the pain. She was only in the situation because someone wanted revenge on him. So could he be blamed?
A wave of love came from her stomach, telling her "no, he came to rescue you. He isn't to blame."
But there was also a part of her that thought, "yes, he's to blame. Without him you'd be on Earth having a good time with your friends."
Voices in her head, now that wasn't a good sign.

Thomson swung a vicious punch that connected with Renswick's cheek, sending his head spinning around.
He took a step back, and whilst Renswick was still recovering, kicked him in the stomach.
Renswick drew a knife. Biotics were pretty much useless in the cramped space inside his quarters, but Thomson still tried to knock the knife out of his hand with biotic energy.
His wound was slowing him. He knew it. Renswick just moved the knife out of the way and closed in.
Thomson blocked a slash with his forearm, knocking the wrist back so the knife never connected. But, before he could react, Renswick tossed the knife into his other hand and thrust it into his stomach.
Thomson gasped and fell back against the wall, once again putting pressure around the wound - but keeping the knife wedged in so it'd stop him bleeding.
"Wow, today isn't going well for you. Is it?" Renswick grinned, "Girlfriend broken, you've been shot and stabbed... I bet you wish you'd never got involved with me in the first place."
"Go... to hell..." Thomson hissed.
"I'll see you there, don't worry. Then maybe you'll actually be able to kill me. Oh, and by the way, you forgot Alliance training session two, lesson four. Always be prepared to switch hands in combat. I believe you came first in that class. Then again, you came first in every class. That's why you were a higher rank than me, right?" Renswick turned away.
"Emi... isn't broken... you didn't break her... She's stronger than us..."
Renswick laughed, "Oh, I broke her. You have no idea how much I actually broke her. By now she'll be hearing voices in her head."
"Voices...? What... voices?"
"Reaper voices, of course. I'm still hooked up to the Reaper network. Although my connection is now limited, thanks to your friend Revenge, I still have access to indoctrination. Which I exposed Emi to whilst she was being tortured."
"Attack complete," said Revenge into his ear, "Kill him. Now."
Renswick laughed, "You're well and truly beaten this time. You're slumped against the wall, your girlfriend will be indoctrinated in a matter of hours, and your fleet above the planet is already down to half." He tilted his head so he was looking at him, "Beat me now, Thomson." He turned back around, "You only have around... thirty seconds left."
Thomson rose as quietly as he could, drawing the knife out of the gunshot wound in his stomach where it had luckily found itself, leaving him without any other injury.
"You know, Emi'Derik and I will be both Reapers. Maybe I'll ask her-"
Thomson swung the knife in a vicious arc, born out of anger and desperation than any well-placed strike. By the luck of... well, he didn't believe in any gods. So he guessed the look of Emi's Quarian ancestors drove the knife through his back and pierced Renswick's heart.
"... Oh," said Renswick, "I wasn't expecting that..."
"You forgot Alliance training session one, lesson three. Never turn your back on a living opponent."
Blood began leaking out of Renswick's mouth. He coughed up more crimson liquid and sank down on to the floor of his quarters.
Thomson moved as fast as he could back to the cockpit.

"Emi," said Bei, "Are you ok?"
"... Go away!" Emi hissed, her voice deep and dark, "... Leave me alone!"
There was a dark presence in her mind. She could feel it, influencing how she felt and what she said. She tried to fight it, but it pushed past her mind easily and kept pushing anger towards the surface of her consciousness.
Emi pushed back the voices, the hushed whispers, for a matter of moments, "... Sorry..." she said to Bei, "... Help me... Leave me alone!"
"Emi, what's wrong?" Bei asked.
Thomson ran into the cockpit, "She's been indoctrinated. By Renswick."
He moved to her side and looked into her eyes, "Emi, it's me. Just fight them. I know you can. You're stronger than them."
"... Thomson..." she said, almost with relief, "... I can't..."
"Yes you can. You just saved the entire Migrant Fleet. I know a few Reapers won't be a problem for you. You can do it."
"... They're..." her voice changed, "... They're too powerful... I can't ignore them... every time I try, they just go deeper, warping my memories..."
A wire began growing out of the back of her suit. Thomson ripped it off before it could reach the back of her head.
"Look, you're amazing. Just... think of something. Focus on something."

And she did. She focused on all the positive things in her life. Well, positive thing.
Thomson.
She focused on his face, his armour, which bore the N7 logo. She focused on her love for him, which burned bright - brighter than the darkness of the Reapers, forcing them back into the depths of her own mind.
She couldn't live without him. Not at all. Yes he had let her down with the visits, but overall it didn't matter. He was preventing her from harm. He was protecting her.
No, said the Reapers, He shoots people because it's his job. Don't forget that. It has nothing to do with you.
That's where you're wrong, she responded, He's always protecting me. He loves me. I love him. We're going to get married. We have children together. And you're not taking me away from him, or them, whether you like it or not.
Every time she was in trouble, every single time, there was someone to protect her. Every single time she was kidnapped or hurt, there was someone there to kill the bad guys, save her life and make her feel good.
She had always wanted to be a part of a story. Ever since she was a child when she was reading 'A Child's Dream', she wanted to be part of her very own love story - full of adventure and romance. She wanted to explore the galaxy, see interesting things, and all with someone who she loved.
She now realised she had been in a love story all along.
Her love of humans brought her to Earth. The Reapers attacked Earth. Thomson saved her.
Thomson took her to the Citadel. She saw vast and beautiful cities, filled with people and culture. She had been hurt and threatened. But still Thomson saved her life again.
And then she realised she was in love.
They had children together. They explored the galaxy together. They were a couple. She had been travelling across the galaxy all along.
She loved Thomson with every fibre of her being. A life without him would be no life. The Reapers may try and control her, but she'd fight them every step of the way. Never giving up, never letting them take control of her.
"You can never defeat us, Emi'Derik. You are becoming a Reaper."
"... I will never give in. I will never become a Reaper..."
A voice echoed through the darkness of her mind, "You're stronger than them. Just trust me. I know I didn't come when I said I would and I am so, so sorry. I was just trying to prevent this from happening. Once we get on the Citadel, I'm quitting the Alliance. For good. And we can get married. Just fight, Emi. You survived being threatened. You just saved seventeen million Quarians. You just saved my life. I know you can do it. I believe in you, as I have since the day we met."
"... Thomson..." her lips said at her own will, "... I love you so much..."
"I love you too, Emi."
Her mind was beginning to ache with all the stress of practically fighting against itself, but she felt herself getting the upper hand.

"Revenge," Thomson said, "Can you do anything?"
"Yes. I can influence the indoctrination as it isn't complete yet. I can get rid of the link with the Reaper network, but I can't stop what is already in her head. She'll have to get rid of them herself," replied the Reaper.
"Just do it. Now."

Emi felt her mind relax slightly as the link with the Reapers was blocked. She only had small amounts of information still in her mind, most of it things that had happened in the past.
She saw flashes of things. Strange, alien things. Devices and beings she couldn't possibly hope to comprehend. She saw war, she saw peace, she saw everything in between.
The flashbacks covered the entire history of the universe. From the very start to Revenge fighting Renswick inside the Reaper network. Despite all the information, it was all lost before she could remember it. She saw, but it never entered her brain. It was a very unusual experience, seeing, but not comprehending.
Then a moment later, it was gone. She felt her muscles relax, remembering nothing but a series of white flashes where the entire history of the universe should have been stored.
"No," she heard a voice say, deep and dark, but equally as full of knowledge and wisdom, "That isn't your knowledge to have."
She reclaimed control of her own body, and looked up into Thomson's face.

Infiltration - Part 7

"Team one, are you ready?" Thomson said via the ship's radio to the fleet of fighters, frigates and battle cruisers behind him. There were three hundred of them in the team in total, against a few hundred Dreadnoughts. It'd be tough, but possible.
The Alliance fighters were not the only ships of that class in the team. Small, metal, insect-like Geth ships also joined them. There was also Asari-class frigates alongside the Alliance ones, a group of Salarian recon ships, a Turian destroyer, then, of course, Destiny Ascension.
Destiny Ascension was an Asari class Dreadnought. Rumoured to be the most powerful ship in existence, the Citadel had just sent its flagship to help in the battle.
Even though Sovereign, the Reaper who attacked the Citadel with the Geth, had nearly destroyed it, due to its lack of close range guns, Thomson was confident that they could put the largest and strongest ship in existence to some use. In fact, it was stationed just behind the Falcon as they made their descent towards the Salarian home world, with its long range cannon ready to fire.
Sur'Kesh was below them. A large, glowing orb that extended as far as they could see, glistening blue and green in the light of its closest star.
"Keep to the plan," he told them, "Wait for my signal."
"Team one away," said Thomson, and the three hundred starships split off from the much larger group, and began dropping towards the surface, with the Falcon in the lead.

Emi struggled against her restraints as she woke up in a dark room and unable to move. But there was nothing she could do. They were too tight.
"... Hello...?" she called into the darkness.
"Emi...?" Bei's voice answered, "Are you there?"
"... I'm here... I gave him my codes... He forced me to... Where am I...?"
"I don't know..." Bei responded, "But I'm sure we'll be fine..."
A gentle hum began from inside her suit.
"... What's that?"
"I don't know... I can hear your suit buzzing... Keelah mine's doing it too."
"... I know this... They've got into our suit... They'll turn us into slaves..."
"No... No matter what happens... Don't let them break us... Fight it..."
Moments later, their screams began as their suit's nerve stimulation systems went on overload.

"Incoming transmission," said the pilot of the Dreadnought, "Two, in fact. One is from the other fleet. The second..."
"The second?" Alpha questioned.
"Uh... It seems to be from the SF-2 Falcon. Demanding our immediate surrender."
Alpha laughed, "He is such an idiot."

The small Falcon hovered in front of the large, heavily armed Dreadnoughts, surrounded by mountains and forested valleys. The planet looked both familiar and alien at the same time, having the same key characteristics of forests on Earth, but yet was as equally strange. A cloud of fog sat behind the ship.
"This is the SF-2," said Thomson into the radio, communicating with the lead ship, "Surrender or you will be fired upon."
The reply came a moment later, "Do your worst. You have no weapons that can get through our armour."
"No," said Thomson, "But this does."
Destiny Ascension came into view behind the relatively tiny vessel, appearing out of the fog, aiming its large cannon at the single Dreadnought. The canon was over ninety percent of the length of the ship. And since the ship had been built to house 10,000 people, it was a pretty large gun.
"Sovereign defeated that once," Alpha pointed out, "With weaker vessels than we have now. We'll do it again."
"Don't be so sure."
The group of fighters, frigates, recon ships and the destroyer came out of the fog in battle formation.
The Dreadnoughts began firing their main weapons. Destiny Ascension fired its main gun and a blue beam of energy struck a Dreadnought in the middle, exploding it instantly.
Thomson piloted the Falcon so he moved into a v formation with the other frigates. Each fired their cannons, dotting the hulls of the Dreadnoughts with explosions. The fighters swooped in the gaps between the large vessels, targeting the fact the Dreadnoughts were pretty incapable of extremely close range fire.
The cannons on the Dreadnoughts shot Destiny Ascension, and blue ripples spread across the surface of its shields. The large ship fired again, taking out another Dreadnought.
The frigates tilted on their sides and did alike to the fighters, dodging between the large ships, continuously firing their cannons in attempt to get through their armour.
The first ships went down. Two fighters flying in formation, taken out by a Dreadnought towards the rear of the group.

"Break off. Tell the fleet to get down here so we can assault the Flotilla," said Alpha.
"Roger that," the pilot responded.

Thomson saw the Dreadnought break formation and began to follow it, steering away from the frigates. He activated the Falcon's stealth drive, preventing ships from targeting them.
He turned to Five, "Take the wheel, and if she gets damaged in any way, I'm not going to be happy."
The Falcon moved above the large Dreadnought as Five moved to the pilot's seat, "Where are you going?" Five asked as Thomson walked out of the cockpit.
"Down," he responded, "Remain in radio contact."

The cargo bay door slid down. The wind on Sur'Kesh was surprisingly powerful, making Thomson stumble slightly.
"Get me as close as you can," he said into the radio inside his helmet.
The massive Dreadnought came into view, with its grey armour glistening. The Falcon moved so it was only a matter of metres away from the top of the ship.
Thomson jumped.

Alpha saw the Falcon pass over the cockpit of his Dreadnought.
"He's here," he said to Vengeance.

Thomson sprinted along the top of the Dreadnought, using his biotics to root himself down on the hull of the ship. Explosions dotted the sky. Several ships on both sides had been destroyed.
He ran to the nearest hatch and turned the handle, making it swing open.
Thomson entered the Dreadnought.
And immediately hit the airlock.
"Screw this," he sighed, and used a shockwave to knock the door open.
There was a metallic clatter as the door hit the interior of the ship. He drew his pistol and followed the door down.
Alpha stood looking at him.
"Hello Thomson. You just missed your girlfriend's screams."
"Where is she, you bastard?" he hissed, "Let her go, now."
"Oh," Alpha laughed, "I don't think so."
Thomson heard two gunshots, and he grunted in pain as a stabbing sensation began coming from his stomach. He fell forward and landed on the floor, hands immediately putting pressure on the wound.
He turned to see the person who had shot him.
Renswick. Looking exactly as he had when he hadn't been all Reaper-ised. His skin was a darker colour, similar to a Krogan, and tendrils of biotic energy seemed to be originating from his entire body continuously.
"Hello, old friend," Renswick said.

"Emi..." said Bei, "Can you get free?"
The pain had stopped a few minutes beforehand, but it was the first time they had talked. Emi was sobbing uncontrollably. There was a large pool of tears at her feet, which glistened in the little ambient lighting they had.
"... N... N... N... No," she cried, "... All I can do is activate my Omni-tool... I'm so useless... I'll be killed..."
"Emi, that isn't useless. It acts as a solid object. You might be able to free your hand."
"... Oh... Sorry I'm stupid... I'm such a bosh'tet..."
"Emi, you can't insult yourself. Just activate the damn tool."
An orange glow lit up the darkness. There was the sound of something hitting the floor.
"... I'm out..." said Emi, "... Now what?"
"Free me," said Bei, "Come on."
Emi used the light of her Omni-tool to guide her to Bei. She activated Bei's Omni-tool, which broke her restraints. She too hit the floor.
"... Now how do we get out of here?" Emi asked.
Bei took a sticky grenade from her pouch, "Easy."

"You really think we'd be so stupid to attack the Migrant Fleet with a few hundred ships?" Alpha laughed, "No. We have a hundred and twelve thousand. All in orbit around the planet and ready for my signal."
Thomson gasped for air, his breaths quick and short, "And you... Thought I was stupid enough... To only bring a few hundred ships to fight you... There are... A hundred and seven thousand... All attacking yours right now..."
Renswick laughed, "That isn't enough. Your girlfriend is broken, your ships will be destroyed, I have no disadvantage."
"... Yes... Yes you do..." he said, then whispered into his helmet, "Revenge... Start attack..."
"What are you doing?" Renswick questioned, a few moments later, "How can you be inside the network?"
"... Three... powerful... Reapers..."
"You really didn't think this through. My presence within the network is unmatched. They can stop my outgoing signals, indeed. But I can delete their entire consciousness," Renswick said, standing up, "I have already dispatched Sovereign. I'm now battling Revenge and Harbinger at the same time."
"You... will... lose... they're... powerful..."
"You're right. I will lose. Alpha, I'm going to my quarters so I can shut down my body to focus my processing power. You stay here. If he moves, shoot him."
"Yes sir."

Emi and Bei moved through the interior of the ship, searching for Thomson. They had encountered so far only a few crew members, all of which they had hidden from.
Bei had two pistols in her pouch. She had given Emi one of them, and kept the other for her self. Emi wasn't sure how to use one. From seeing Thomson and in the events of Tuchanka, she knew how to hold one in the right direction instead of pointing it at herself. But she wasn't sure how to aim, or how to fire. The little... curved pull-y button on the handle seemed to be promising, though knowing her it ejected the cooling thing-ies.
Thomson had tried to explain it to her, though she never got the hang of it.
"... Bei..." she whispered, "... How do you use a gun?"
"You pull the trigger," Bei responded, "The curved lever which is near the handle."
"... The pull-y thing?"
"Yes, Emi. The pull-y thing."
"... Ok, thanks..."
"I think we're near the cockpit," Bei said, "But we still have a lot of ground to cover. You know how to use a weapon, now. So we can split up. Ok?"
"... Bei... I'm no soldier..."
"You don't have to be. Just keep hiding and find Thomson."
She really didn't want to be left on her own, "... Bei please stay with me..."
"It'll take hours otherwise. Just go and check the cockpit. There won't be anyone there but the pilot."
"... But..."

"I would follow Vengeance's orders," Alpha said, "But I think he is blinded by revenge."
"... You... could... say... that..." Thomson gasped. His fingers were covered in his own blood.
Alpha raised his pistol.

Epsilon snuck behind the two Quarians, unknown to them, as they tried searching the ship. He presumed they were the ones Revenge had talked about, so wasn't going to kill them. But they were heading the right way to the cockpit, so they would provide extra targets for his enemies. That is, if he needed them.
There was a series of hushed conversations and then the two Quarians split up. One less extra target, but it didn't matter.

"I grew up as a boy on the streets on Earth," said Alpha, "And here I am, about to kill a Spectre. It's funny how things turn out, huh?"
The gang leader pushed the barrel of his pistol directly into Thomson's forehead.
A small and quiet voice in the corner whispered, "... Come on you bosh'tet of a..."
Alpha turned and there was a loud gunshot in the cockpit. There was the sound of three objects hitting the floor. One was Alpha with a hole in his neck. The second was Alpha's gun. The third was Emi after knocking herself out due to the recoil of the weapon which had hit her in the face.
A man walked into the room, who wore similar armour to Five, "Holy crap. What happened here?"
"... Epsilon... right?"
The man nodded, "I'm going to give you some medigel. It'll take a while to heal, by the looks of it, but you won't die."
Epsilon took a canister of medigel from his belt and jammed it into Thomson's wound, emptying half of it in one hole, and the remainders in the second. A flood of relief spread through his body as the painkillers took effect.
It took a while to get to his feet, but he eventually managed with help from Epsilon. The clotting agent seemed to have worked, as he was no longer leaking blood.
He staggered over to Emi, instinctively clutching his stomach. He knelt down next to her and took her in his arms.
"Thank... You," he said to Epsilon, "We... Need... to warn the Migrant Fleet."
"Already done. They've retreated back through the Mass Relay. It'll take longer for their fleet to catch them."
He cradled Emi's head, as she began to stir.
"... What... What happened?" she asked, her voice groggy and tired.
"You... killed the... gang leader and saved my life," he told her.
"... Oh keelah I killed someone... Are you ok?"
She began crying and he cuddled her closely, "Yes... I'm fine. Just got some holes... in my stomach..."
"... Keelah... I'm so, so, so sorry... I should have come here before its all my fault..."
"No... It's... Their fault... What happened to... You?"
"... They tied me up and hacked into my suit... It was painful... I couldn't stop screaming... Though towards the end I gave in..."
He held her tightly, "I... Should have... Come sooner... They said... You were broken..."
She shook her head, "... I came close... I think I'd have done anything for them to stop... But I'm still me... I don't think I'll trust any humans but you though..."
"I... Need to get Renswick and finish this..."
"... No... You're injured..."
"I... Need to... Once... And for all... I can still use... Biotics..."
"... Please stay with me..."
"You're in this mess because of me," he said, "I'm going... To make sure he'll never put you in danger again..."
"... I killed someone for you... Which I'll never forgive myself for... And you won't stay..."
"Emi... I can't... I need to make sure you're safe..."

Thomson half staggered out of the cockpit and began making his way to Renswick's quarters.
Emi sobbed and curled up on the floor, hugging her knees... She had killed someone... A bad person... But still a person...
Was she really still herself? She didn't kill people... Ever... She couldn't even remember doing it... She remembered the gun in her hand then... Nothing...
Maybe she was broken...
"Are you ok?" asked the man who had been stood next to Thomson.
She only shook her head in response and hugged herself tighter.
She killed the man in cold blood to save Thomson's life... And she didn't even get a thank you...
The man sat down next to her, "I am guessing you have never killed someone."
Emi shook her head again, holding her helmet with her hands. Her hands that would be forever stained with blood...
She cried silently in her suit, just wanting the world to leave her alone. She was a murderer. She had slaughtered a person...
The pool of blood from the leader of the gang leader had been seeping towards her, but it now began soaking her feet. She didn't care. She was a murderer. A cold killer. And Thomson was nowhere to be seen.
"If you're worried about Thomson not being here," the man said, "Don't. Do you know what he did for you?"
She shook her head, "... Leave me alone..."
"He rallied over a hundred thousand ships to get you. You know how many people that is?"
"... A hundred thousand ships...?"
"Yes. They show up on the monitor. There are a hundred and seven thousand, two hundred and fifty five ships in battle with Alpha's fleet."
"... He got... For me...?"
"Just for you."
"... But... He..."
The man shrugged, "I don't know what he's done, but he got them all for you. I know that much."

Thomson began to walk normally without having to hold on to the side of the wall to keep himself standing. The wound had in no way healed, it'd take days for that to happen, but it at least it didn't hurt.
"Revenge," he said, "What's happening in the network?"
"He has counterattacked. Sovereign and Harbinger are disabled. I'm the only one left," came the reply, "But I'm doing well."
Thomson stepped into Renswick's quarters with his pistol raised.

Multiplayer Characters

I made some characters from my story on on Mass Effect 3's multiplayer.

This one is rather self-explanatory. Mainly because it says her name. 

 

 

Srateris (with helmet)

 

 

 

The Infiltration Team helmets.

 

Alpha.

 

Five/Epsilon (as they both wear the same armour)

 

 

This is Revenge when he's in his Geth form. 

Infiltration - Part 6

Emi froze for several moments. Her mind was trying to process what had just happened, but eventually she just gave up completely.
"... B... Bei... Why...?"
Bei blushed, her cheeks flushing a darker shade of purple. She seemed to try and hide underneath the duvet, "Emi, I'm really sorry... I didn't mean for it to happen... I'm not... I don't... I really don't find women attractive... I just have a feeling this gang will kill me, and I didn't want to die without kissing someone..."
The confusion in Emi's head slowly died down as she was beginning to understand what Bei was feeling. She had felt the same a few years before she met Thomson. Life wearing an environment suit was depressing, and sometimes it felt like you'd never have any intimacy with anyone before you grew too old. She didn't blame Bei for taking the opportunity, which was probably the only one she'd ever have.
Emi had been extremely lucky to find Thomson. She knew many Quarians died without doing... well, anything. Never having the sensation of being hugged, or never being kissed. Things were different now the Geth had agreed to share Rannoch with them, but the change from the Flotilla to their home world was a slow one. It'd take months, years, even, maybe longer, to orchestrate the mass migration. In that time, there would be things the Quarians would be missing out on.
Emi felt happy she had been so privileged, but felt empathy and sadness for Bei.
"... It's fine..." Emi said, "... I understand..."
"I just... I feel like I'll never find anyone..." Bei responded, "I'm sorry if it came as a shock... I probably should have asked first..."
Emi took Bei's hand in hers, and gave it a slight comforting squeeze, "... I really do understand... But asking me first could have been nice, I guess..."
"I didn't think if I asked you would have said yes..."
"... I think I would have... I know how you feel and I feel sorry for you... I felt the same a few years ago... Just... I'm sure you'll find someone..."
"I'm not sure I will... No one likes Quarians... I just feel like I'll be alone for the rest of my life... That's why I kissed you... So I could finally feel it..."
Emi laid her hand on Bei's and gave it a reassuring squeeze, "... I know, you really don't have to try and explain... I'm not angry or anything..."
"Then how do you feel...?"
"... I think I feel sorry for you..."
Emi swallowed, took a deep breath to steady her shaking, and kissed Bei gently on the cheek.
"What was that for...?" Bei questioned, moving a hand to her cheek and gently probing where Emi's lips had been with a finger.
"... I feel sorry for you..."
"Does that mean...?"
Emi nodded, "... Yes... Just... I'm not a hundred percent sure... Please like..."
"Go slow...?"
Emi nodded, "... I don't want to know what Thomson would say... But I feel sorry for you... I don't want you to feel bad... I'll just have to try and explain it to him..."
Bei slowly moved her head closer to Emi's so their foreheads were touching. She could hear Bei's heart beating quickly, alike to her own. It was so... different, to anything that had happened to her before... she just wanted Bei to feel what it was like...
Their lips connected, but parted again a moment later.
They kissed again, but it was over as quick as the first. It seemed that neither of them were willing to kiss properly. Maybe because it was so strange, but also extremely embarrassing.
Their lips touched again, this time for slightly longer as Bei started to grow in confidence. She wrapped her arms around Emi's hips.
"I really do appreciate this..." said Bei, "It feels strange kissing another girl but it's... a good experience..."
"... I feel bad for taking part in it..." Emi replied, "... But I really want you to feel what it's like... It's worth the embarrassment... I think..."
Bei kissed Emi and she kissed her friend back. Their lips stayed together for an eternity in comparison to the other kisses, or at least that was what it felt like to Emi.
"Just to be sure..." said Bei, breaking away from the kiss, "You don't have any feelings for me, do you...?"
"... Of course not, Bei... Do you have any feelings for me...?"
Bei shook her head, "No... Thanks for doing this for me... I just wanted to feel it before I die..."
"... I know... But if you don't mind, I think I'd like to stop... It just feels a little weird..."
"That's fine... Thank you, Emi... I mean it."
They kissed one last time, this one for at least fifteen seconds, then Emi clicked her glass faceplate back into place.

"God damn it," said Thomson, "We've searched every district on Omega and there are still no clues. Seven, get the map. We'll organise another search."
Seven unclicked a metal cylinder from his belt and activated the datapad. A holographic view of Omega flickered into life.
"So," said Seven, "The only place we haven't checked is the central column. But it should be impossible to have a base there. All it is, is pipes and fixtures. It's barely habitable."
"But they have the helmets. If I was guessing I'd say that the design was similar to an Alliance breather helmet," replied Thomson, "They could survive there that way."
A blue ripple started pulsing from the central structure.
"What is that?" Five questioned, pointing at the anomaly.
Seven shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe your friend activated a tracking device."
"He did indeed. I told him to," said Revenge, "That is the location of their base."
"But we're two men down since Two and Three are at the docking area," said One.
"Yes, but you have me," Revenge pointed out, "I will be more of an asset to you."
"Ok then," said Thomson, "We attack in the morning."

Morning came faster than Thomson would have liked. The tracking device was still active, and had been going throughout the night.
They activated their tactical cloaks, making sure the air filters were working correctly on their helmets. The group made their way to the central structure on Omega. It didn't take them long, as it had been designed to be accessible from any part of the space station.
Seven deactivated the map as they reached their destination.
"Revenge," said One, "Go and hack into their security. Open their doors."
The gang's base seemed to be a large array of factories, landing pads and warehouses. They hadn't seen anyone patrolling around the base nor showing any attempt to guard it.
"Hack in progress," said Revenge. There was silence for a few seconds before he added, "Security disabled, opening the front door."
There was a gentle rumbling noise that suddenly became audible. There were no differences in pitch, though clearly one or more things were creating the sound. It was getting louder and louder by the moment.
"What's that?" asked Thomson, having to raise his voice so he could be heard.
"I don't know!" One replied, "But it's getting closer!"
A starship appeared from behind the base. A large, hugely large, craft. At least ten times larger than the Falcon. Probably more, in fact. A Dreadnought.
"Well," Five said, "We now know what was creating the sound."
"But that doesn't explai-" Thomson began.
Two other Dreadnoughts drifted behind it. Followed by row upon row of the heavily armed ships. Thomson counted fifty. A hundred. More.
"... Oh fuck," said One, "Get inside now!"

Alpha stood in the cockpit of the leading Dreadnought, feeling rather pleased with himself. His plan was going perfectly. He had a small collection of starships. But small wouldn't be enough.
Vengeance had told him he was in contact with approximately another thousand people across the galaxy. Some indoctrinated, some not. All were in charge of some sort of organised crime.
If each supplied him with a hundred ships, he'd have a fleet of a hundred thousand by the time they'd reach Sur'Kesh.
"Red two this is Red Leader," Alpha said to Beta's Dreadnought, which was following closely behind his own, "We'll be giving the docking area a quick visit. You head off to the relay. Meet at the rendezvous location."
"Yes sir," said Beta.
Alpha ordered his pilot to break away from the group, and manoeuvre the large vessel towards the docking bay in which Lieutenant Thomson's ship - the SF-2 Falcon, was parked.

"... They're going after Emi," Thomson said as he looked across the empty warehouse, "I'm going to save her. You need to stay here and salvage any data you can. I'll message you if I'm still alive."
"I am coming with you," said Five, "You will need my help."

Alpha strode off the cargo ramp of the Dreadnought, drawing two pistols from the holsters on his belt. Two personnel from the Infiltration Team seemed to be guarding the docking area.
He finished them both with one round to the head, the armour piercing rounds nearly shattering their helmets.
Alpha walked up to the Falcon and quickly hacked into the door mechanism, bypassing all the security protocols on his way. The cargo ramp of the Frigate slid down and he stepped inside.

Emi heard footsteps walking past Bei's room.
"... Thomson?" she called, "... I'm in here."
The door slid apart and an armoured figure stepped into the room.
"Hey, Thom-" Bei began, but realised her mistake, "Wait... Who are you?"
The armoured man tilted his head, "What's this? Two for the price of one?"
Bei threw herself across the room, scrambling for her shotgun. The man fired a pistol at her but the round hit the wall above Bei's bed.
Emi screamed and rolled out from under the duvet, landing on the floor rather heavily.
As Bei raised her shotgun, the man stepped forward and snatched it from her grip. He threw it to the floor, and slammed Bei's head into the wall, knocking her unconscious.
Emi cried out for Bei as she saw her friend drop. She began sobbing uncontrollably, and did her best to move away from her attacker. It only took a few moments for him to trap her in a corner.
"... What do you want?" Emi sobbed.
"Money," growled the man, "And lots of it."
He pulled her to her feet with an iron tight grip on her shoulder. Before she realised what was happening, a fist hit her in the side of the helmet. She cried in pain and fell to her knees.
The man didn't stop. He hit her again, making her hit the floor fully.
He kicked her in the back of the head, and she slipped into unconsciousness.

Thomson growled in both frustration and sadness as he entered the docking bay, and saw the large Dreadnought sitting next to the Falcon, both cargo ramps down. He drew a pistol.
A single figure walked down the ramp of the Falcon with two unconscious forms slung over his shoulder. Emi and Bei. They both appeared to be breathing, which was a good sign.
Thomson saw Alpha drop - literally drop - the two Quarians on to the ramp.
He felt the static build up in his hands, then splayed his palms, creating a shockwave which sent Alpha flying off his feet.
Five and Thomson deactivated their tactical cloaks.
"This ends here," said Thomson, "I'm not letting you take them."
"I fail to see how you can stop me," Alpha responded, "I may be outnumbered, but you still have no chance."
"You could barely beat me," Thomson said, "But you think you can best a master assassin too?"
"No," Alpha said, "I'm going to cheat."
Two rounds were fired. The first one went straight through Thomson's shields and embedded itself in his knee. He hissed in pain and his leg crumpled.
The second shot missed Five by a millimetre, though the two follow up ones took him down, despite his best attempts at trying to dodge them.
Five also collapsed, with a hole in both his legs.
Alpha walked up the cargo ramp of the Dreadnought, and the hatch began to shut. Thomson emptied his pistol whilst trying to shoot the gang leader, but none of the rounds hit his target. Five threw a knife which embedded itself in Alpha's shoulder, but he was lost from sight before they could tell whether it had any effect.
Thomson put pressure on the wound in his leg. It, luckily, seemed to only be a flesh wound. He'd be fine with some medigel.
He took a canister of the gel and jammed it into his knee, injecting the wound directly with the clotting and healing agent. He felt a slight numbness as the painkiller started to take effect.
Thomson got to his feet, though slowly. He helped Five by supporting him, and started trying to help him towards the medical bay.

Several hours later, the gunshot wounds had healed and the Infiltration team was sat in the CIC of the Falcon.
"Call everyone you know," Thomson said, "Call the Alliance. Call the Citadel. Revenge, call the Geth. Get every fleet you can, everyone, and tell them to go to Sur'Kesh. Is the tracking device still active?"
"Yes," said Seven, "They're at Sur'Kesh already."
"Well we need to move fast. They had like two hundred Dreadnoughts. Do you have ships of your own?"
One nodded, "Fighters. Yes."
"Well then, let's get this done. My girlfriend is there. I won't let her be killed, or turned into a slave," Thomson growled.
"So what's the plan?"
"Actually," said Seven, "I think I know their plan.
You see, my suspicions were raised when they dealt with Quarian slaves. It seemed a bit odd, to me. Quarians can barely live outside their suits. So what's the point in having them?
I think, this Renswick guy has traded them more money than is possibly imaginable for his body. He will have granted them a fleet."
"And as for the money?" Thomson questioned, "Where will they get that?"
"They deal in Quarian slaves. They'll have a fleet. They're going to go to the Migrant Fleet and use them as slaves."
"But they'll be shot on sight," Thomson pointed out, "I've been there when I was fighting the Geth. Their security is second to none unless..."
"... Unless they had the passwords, which they'd have got from the previous slaves."
"Oh shit."

A slap brought Emi back into consciousness. She groaned and rubbed the side of her helmet. She had a pounding headache that she could feel behind her eyes and it felt like she had been hit in the head by a speeding Varren. Or a small ship from the Flotilla. She could feel at least seven angry bruises on her face.
She seemed to be in the cockpit of some kind starship. There were terminals dotted around, which seemed to display some sort of statistics to do with weapon systems, although she wasn't sure. There was a window above her head. She could see forests and mountains, but nothing to give any indication where she was.
The armoured man was stood in front of her, with his gun raised and pointed at her head, "What are your codes?" he growled.
"... Codes for what?" she sobbed, "... The Falcon? I don't have any codes... I don't even know how to activate a terminal... I can't even contact my children..."
"For the Migrant Fleet, you stupid bitch," Alpha said, "I know all Quarians are given codes to let them back in the Flotilla after their Pilgrimage. Tell me yours."
She thought for a moment, "... Down in the darkness... Among the depths..."
Alpha punched her and she fell back against the inside of the ship, "I'm not a - what do you Quarians say? - bosh'tet. I know they give you two passwords. Tell me the one which won't involve both of us being killed."
"... I don't want to..."
He punched her again, cracking the glass of her helmet. She shrieked and held her breath, not wanting to inhale the diseased air.
"I don't care. You will die unless I give you the immune system booster I have in my pocket. Tell me the codes and I'll let you live. The air is full of human influenza, filtered by our helmets, but not now by your mask. You will have an allergic reaction in the next few hours."
When she couldn't hold her breath any longer, she forced air into her lungs, "... Please... give me the booster..."
"Tell me your codes. Or you will die."
She cried, "... Ok... Ok... I'll tell you... Just please don't let me become ill..."
"For a Quarian," the man sneered, "You are very beautiful. Has anyone ever told you that?"
She glared at him, then sighed, "... My password is 'Among the stars, among the light'... Please give me the immune system booster..."
The man threw her the small needle full of the clear liquid.
She caught it and pushed it through the seal of her suit, injecting the liquid into her system. She grimaced in pain and glared hatefully up at the man, whilst taking out a replacement faceplate from the pouch in her skirt and fitting it into place.
"... Thomson will kill you..." Emi said, "... He will..."
"Ha!" grinned the man, "I doubt it. Wait until you see the person I'm working for. He'll stand no chance."
"... He's never lost a battle yet... He'll win again..."
"Not this time."
"... He'll be coming for me..."
"Oh, I know. I guarantee it. The idiot will bring the Falcon and try and attack. He'll be killed by my boss before he even gets close to you. As for now..." the man turned towards the second crew member who was watching the scene unfold, "Prepare for stage one."

Infiltration - Part 5

Thomson still had not come back. Emi was starting to get tired, but still, she waited. In the hope he would finally stop shooting people and come back to her.
He was already hours overdue, four by her reckoning, but she clung on to her hope. Hope was the only thing stopping her from worrying.
She hoped nothing bad had happened. She hoped he was distracted by trying to figure something out. She hoped he was on his way back to her.
She was starting to think he'd never come.
Emi felt second best in their relationship. She knew Thomson cared for her... But there was his job. It took him away from her and she wasn't sure how long she could stand broken promises for.
Even though she had given birth to their children, she still felt like the insecure girl who had left the Fleet to go to Earth. She was feeling sensitive.
Thomson had broken his promise about coming to see her. She knew he was trying to stop her being killed, but she thought he could have been more use getting his team to come on board the Falcon and protect her. But no, he had left her with Bei, who was probably the only reason why she had not lost faith in him completely. She was always there, telling her everything would be alright and how Thomson was trying to protect her. She was the logic to Emi's illogical feelings. She silenced the part of Emi who thought that everything would all go terribly wrong.
She still hoped she would not be used as a slave if the gang captured her. She dreaded it. She decided that she'd rather die than be treated like that. She shuddered, even at the thought of the things they'd do to her.
She needed to get some sleep. She could feel her eyes slowly closing. Emi took the elevator up to their quarters and fell asleep almost instantly.

Emi knew she was dreaming. It wasn't hard to miss, even when asleep. She was walking through a dark corridor, aware of the creaking floor boards beneath the red carpet, and the almost gothic feel to the walls surrounding her.
She recognised it. The Houses of Parlay, or something similar. Parking, maybe? No. Parliament. The Houses of Parliament. Where she was taken by Cerberus.
Only this time, most of the corridor was shrouded in shadows. She continued walking, though a familiar sensation brewed within her stomach. Fear. Something bad was going to happen.
Even though she was fully aware, she couldn't stop herself from opening a door and stepping inside the room that it concealed.
Once again, it was covered in shadows. She couldn't see much, though she didn't have to.
She felt something wrapping itself around her wrist. She looked down at it, seeing a blue pulsing chord of wire. It pulled taunt and made her raise her hand above her head. A similar sensation appeared on her other hand, and a few moments later she was unable to move.
She struggled against the wires, but to no avail. There was the sound of discharging energy next to her. She recognised the sound.
Emi turned her head involuntarily, and looked up into the face of a Banshee. She screamed and struggled as much as she could.
It reached towards her with a clawed hand, stroking the glass of her helmet with talons in an almost caring manner.
It lifted her up into the air, snapping the wires with ease. It screamed directly into her face, shaking her to the very core. It pulled its hand back, then plunged it into her stomach, and through the other side.

She woke to the sound of her own screams.
Emi took several deep breaths, trying to get her rapidly beating heart under control. She could feel a fine layer of sweat coating her skin, but the cleaning system in her suit was making light work of it.
"... You bosh'tet," she whispered to herself, "... That never happened."
She had not had a nightmare in ages. Maybe it was all the negative feelings she had, added with the fact Thomson was not with her, that had caused it.
She hugged herself, still trying to calm herself down. She imagined Thomson's arms wrapped around her waist, telling her that everything was alright.
She soon snapped out of it, though. He was not with her. But she really needed a hug... She still felt scared and shaken.
She thought for a few moments about whether waking Bei up was a good idea... It would be selfish of her, yes... But she had a feeling she wouldn't be able to sleep again. She wanted to be told that everything was alright. She wanted someone to comfort her.
Emi slipped out from beneath the duvet and walked towards the elevator. She activated it for the third level, where Bei's quarters were, and waited for a few moments whilst it moved down to her desired floor.
She stepped out of the lift and made her way down a corridor towards Bei's bedroom.
She could have opened the door instantly by pushing the hologram, but she thought it was rather rude to do so. So she knocked instead.
"Come in," she heard a quiet, muffled voice say a few moments later. She then pushed the hologram and the door slid apart, revealing the room inside.
Bei had a bed the same size as the one she and Thomson had - kingsize. There was a lamp on a bedside table casting a warm glow over the room.
Bei was sat up in bed without her faceplate on, though the rest of her helmet was in place. Only a few Quarians slept without the glass on, though most chose to wear it all the time. She herself, at age 4, had a brief stage where she couldn't have slept without dismantling her helmet.
"Are you alright?" Bei asked, "What are you doing awake at this time?"
Emi shook her head, "... It sounds silly... I had a nightmare..."
"Aww, are you ok?"
"... I... I think so... It scared me, though..."
"Look, I said I wouldn't let anything happen to you and I won't," Bei said, "No matter what it is. You have no reason to be scared. Would you like to tell me what your nightmare was about?"
Emi shook her head, "... I don't think so... Sorry I'm being stupid... Waking you up for this..."
"Hey, don't worry about it. I did say "no matter what it is". That includes being scared by nightmares."
"... Is it ok if I sleep here? Don't worry if you don't want me... Normally I'd have Thomson to comfort me... I really wish he was here... I'll even sleep on the floor if you want me to..."
"It's fine. But I'm not having you sleep on the floor. I have this giant bed and I only use about the quarter of the space. So of course you can sleep here."
"... Thank you..." said Emi. She nervously walked around Bei's room to the side of the bed that was unoccupied. She peeled back the duvet and climbed in. She snuggled into the warm covering.
"... I bet you think I'm a child..." Emi said to Bei.
Bei laughed, "No, not at all. Everyone gets nightmares."
"... Even you?"
"Especially me."
"... Then I'm kind of glad I woke you up... Are you ok?"
Bei nodded, "Yes, I'm fine."
"... I don't want to go to sleep..." Emi said.
"I'll wait up with you, if you want," Bei suggested, "I'm not tired anyway. And, I shouldn't be asleep since I have to protect you."
"... Sorry... If I was good with a gun I guess I could've protected myself..."
"Really, I don't mind. You're my friend, Emi. I don't want you to be hurt."
"... Thanks, Bei."
Bei smiled at her, "It's no problem, really."
Despite the fact the duvet was pointless, as her suit had internal heat regulators, it felt... comforting, to have one over her. It was almost like the duvet protected her from her nightmares.
"... You're the best... Well, one of the only friends I've ever had..." Emi said, "... You're always looking out for me, you're nice to me, you don't laugh at me about what happened with the miniature mass relay..."
"You're the best friend I ever had too," replied Bei, "And I'm sorry about this..."
Bei reached over to Emi's helmet and unfastened her glass faceplate.
"... What are you d-"
Bei kissed her.

Infiltration - Part 4

Thomson felt bad for cutting his meeting with Emi short... but if he didn't do something she would end up dead. He had to find out where the gang were before they found Emi, which wouldn't be easy.
Revenge was no help, either. He had no idea where the gang were. Thomson didn't fully trust the Reaper, but his reasons for wanting Renswick dead - again - seemed rather legitimate. He'd let Revenge join the team, but wouldn't tell the others what he was. It would cause more harm than good if they knew he was a Reaper.
"So how long are you able to use the Geth's body?" Thomson asked him as they made their way from Afterlife, back towards the warehouse where the infiltration team were set.
"Only for a day or two," Revenge answered, "The unit is asking me how long I will be. I keep trying to tell him I do not know. I hope he will be nice enough to allow me to use it for a little longer so we can finally put an end to Vengeance."
"Do you really have no idea what he's planning? Like you can't read his... mind?"
The Geth shook its head, "I am afraid his data streams are inaccessible to me. I can, however, deduct that there is a lot of data transfer. If he is planning something, it is big. Galaxy-wide."
"Are you sure the Reapers aren't planning a huge comeback?"
"I am sure. The rest of my kind are only transferring data between themselves and to no external sources. They have no part to play in this. They are at peace. They had their shot at harvesting the galaxy and it failed, just as I had my shot at revenge and was destroyed as well."
"Isn't there a way you can... track Renswick's signal?"
"I am afraid not. He has put up firewalls by the hundreds. I can try and break them if you wish, though it will take time. He will be aware of my attempt at hacking him and he may retaliate."
"Isn't there another Reaper you can turn to and like attack him at the same time?"
"I could ask Harbinger or Sovereign. They are the strongest I know. But once again, he would realise. His presence in the network is somewhat strange. He isn't a Reaper, so isn't bound by the protocols set in place to protect us from each other. He is stronger than me. That is why I suggested fighting him in a body will be the only possible way of defeating him. But then he will be able to come back again. There is not a way which promises success. Fighting him within the network will be hard."
"And what if his body was distracted? So if our team was fighting him whilst you, Harbinger and Sovereign assaulted him inside the network?"
"That is why I came to you for help, Lieutenant. The processing power of this unit is not strong enough to launch a physical and digital attack at the same time. And you are the only person who I know who has beaten Vengeance in combat, so-"
"Three times. I've beaten him three times."
"You are the only person who I know who has beaten Vengeance three times in combat, so I thought you would be the best choice."
"Well yes, I guess. But I was kind of trying to have a peaceful life before you turned up on Tuchanka. I have a girlfriend, I have children. And to be honest you kind of ruined it."
"I apologise. My mind was blinded by hatred. This is no longer the case. Once we are done you can go back to your partner. I just need to destroy Vengeance once and for all, before he destroys both you and me."
"Why is he only after Emi? He hasn't attempted to destroy you or I, yet."
"He does not yet know that I plot against him. Contact has been made with Harbinger and Sovereign. I am awaiting a reply."
"Do you know how long it'll be until he has a body?"
The Geth shook its head, "I do not. I apologise."

Five went back to the warehouse. He opened the shutter and stepped inside, closing it behind him.
Crates of ammunition laid in a semi-circle around the factory floor. The infiltration team was loading their weapons and talking amongst themselves. Thomson - Ten - had not yet arrived back.
"Did you find anything?" One asked.
He nodded in response, "I did. It seems we have gained an ally."
"Who?" Two questioned as he tinkered with his M-9 Tempest sub-machine gun.
"Epsilon from the enemy gang. He is working for another party. Someone who wants to stop the gang as much as we do."
"And here is the other party," Thomson said with a grin as he entered the warehouse, followed by a single Geth platform, "This is... Who are you?"
The Geth tilted its head, "I have not thought of another name."

"Hey," said one of the group - Thomson guessed Three - "What's with the Geth?"
"He isn't a Geth... It's hard to explain. He's just using the Geth's body," Thomson replied.
"I am Revenge," said Revenge, "I am using this Geth's body. Lieutenant, I have got a reply from Harbinger and Sovereign. They are willing to help."
"... Harbinger, Sovereign... He's a-"
"Shit. Yes, a Reaper. He's a Reaper." Thomson grimaced.
The infiltration team raised their weapons.
"But!" Thomson said, "He's a good Reaper. Well, he's probably the best Reaper you'll ever meet. It's a long story, but he wants to help."
"But the Reapers are dead. I was there. I was in a fighter," said Seven, "We came through the mass relay and blasted the shit out of them. None survived."
"I was underground," said Revenge, "It protected me from the Crucible weapon. I was not even involved with the battle for Earth. I survived."
"Look, just put your guns down and we'll talk," said Thomson, "I'll tell you everything."

"Sir," said Beta, "Urdnot Yar wants to speak with you. In person. Regarding a fight between Epsilon and an assassin in his territory."
"Give me a moment," Alpha sighed, "I have to make a call. Organise the ships, the crew and the weapons. We'll ship out tomorrow."
"Yes sir."
Alpha walked into his conference room. The television must have sensed his presence because it lit up.
"Is my body ready?" asked Vengeance, "I need it."
Alpha nodded, "It is. We are in the process of hunting Emi'Derik too. We have narrowed her place down to the docking area. We will strike tomorrow morning, before we set off to Sur'Kesh."
Sur'Kesh was the Salarian home world. It had a mainly forest environment and Alpha had been instructed to transport his gang, the small army he had managed to muster up, and Vengeance's nearly-complete body to the planet. He wasn't sure why, but he was not one to ask questions.
"Good. Make sure he follows you. Kill the Quarian but make sure he sees you escape. I want him to be there."
"Yes sir. But, will there be any more ships? We barely have enough ships and crew to take them on, let alone take them on and win."
"There will be more. You are not the only person who I am in contact with. I promised you an army, Alpha. And an army you will have."
Alpha grinned inside his helmet, "I'm going to be so rich..."

"To grasp what actually happened, I have to tell you from the beginning," said Thomson to the entire group, "I'll keep it as short as possible.
It all started on Earth a few years ago. I was there when the Reapers invaded. I was there, and I managed to escape. Me and my partner, Renswick, who also worked for the Alliance. As we were heading towards the landing area we met Emi'Derik. She was the only survivor we'd seen so we took her with us. We went to the Council to ask for help. They refused us. Emi meanwhile was threatened by some C-Sec operatives who were actually Cerberus agents. I beat the crap out of them. Emi and I fell in love. Then, the Citadel was attacked by Cerberus who were looking for me - and I had no idea why. I got the crew of my ship to launch a counterattack, whilst Renswick and I went to infiltrate their defences.
We managed, but I was knocked out and Renswick and Emi were taken hostage, and taken to Earth. I launched a strike against Cerberus to rescue her. I managed, but learned Renswick was actually working for Cerberus. I was taken to a Cerberus laboratory where they planned to put my mind in the body of a Human-Reaper, which they salvaged from past the Omega 4 relay when Commander Shepard destroyed the Collector base. But I managed to escape with help from the crew of the Falcon. I killed Renswick and we were going to get away.
But then came the problem. Renswick had been put into the Human-Reaper, and he started trying to destroy my ship. I fought him and was losing, but we went to Earth and a Reaper killed him.
I thought that was the end.
I spent a few years with my girlfriend in my ruined ship. We had children and were happy. I quit the Alliance and only volunteered as an Operative instead of a full time soldier. Like someone who you'd call in an emergency.
And," he sighed, "Then I got a message to come in from an Alliance commander. A Reaper had survived on Tuchanka."
"But to understand fully," said Revenge, "You will have to listen to me too. I was on Tuchanka and then a Thresher Maw tried to kill me. I was dragged beneath the ground, which saved me from being killed, and I managed to burrow back to the surface. I was approached by a cloaked figure who called himself Vengeance. He wanted to work with me to achieve our common goal - revenge. But just to be sure I indoctrinated him."
"Anyway," Thomson continued, "I was put with a team. Then we went to Tuchanka. The commander told us that Commander Shepard would be joining us, but he was delayed.
We were attacked by Reaper forces-"
"... Which was my fault. I apologise," said Revenge.
Thomson glared at the Geth unit, "As I was saying, we were attacked by Reaper forces and the man who called himself Vengeance. He stole Emi from me so I went to get her back.
I fought my way through a laboratory and was going to rescue her from Vengeance. But then I found out that he was, in fact, Renswick. He had been healed and had upgrades so he could have been uploaded to the Human-Reaper. He said that a gang had given him the technology. We had a fight, and then Revenge here came into play. He climbed out of the hole he had dug himself and tried to kill my team, who were trying to kill him too.
I pushed Renswick off the top of the Reaper but me and my girlfriend fell off too. I was knocked unconscious. Renswick shot Emi in the leg and was about to kill her when I woke up and killed him instead.
The Reaper began shooting at us as we were trying to escape. But just before we died Shepard turned up and killed Revenge. Emi was taken to the med bay. Afterwards I thought coming here would be the place to find this gang. It seems I was right. Then I sent a message to you guys."
"But that is not all," said Revenge, "After I was killed I was inside the Reaper network. Vengeance wanted me to work with him. I said yes but soon after I realised my mistake. He is reckless and stupid, blinded by anger and revenge. I had no reason to work with him any more. Which is why I came to Thomson for help."
One cocked his head, "You're right. That is a long story. I still don't trust the Reaper, though."
"Hey," said Thomson, "He tried to kill me and I'm on my way to trusting him. We need all the allies we can get. By the way, are we any closer to finding out where the gang are?"
Two shook his head, "I'm afraid not."
Seven raised his hand, "It is not good news. They sent an assassin to the residential district, almost definitely to look for Emi'Derik. The assassin is on our side, but he will have told the leader of the gang that he had not seen her. They will check the docking area next. Two, Three, you need to go and guard it whilst the rest of us try and figure out where the gang is based. Do not let them get to their target."